Dec 29 Harry Reid loved to fight. He also loved to make deals. By Laurie Kellman, Ken Ritter, Associated Press The combative boxer-turned-lawyer was widely acknowledged as one of the toughest dealmakers in Congress during a Washington career that spanned 34 years and included five terms in the Senate. Continue reading
Dec 15 bell hooks, groundbreaking feminist thinker, dies at 69 By Associated Press Among her most famous expressions was her definition of feminism, which she called “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression."… Continue reading
Nov 09 Dean Stockwell, of ‘Quantum Leap and’ ‘Blue Velvet’ fame, dies at 85 By Jake Coyle, Associated Press In a career that spanned seven decades, Stockwell was a supreme character actor whose performances didn’t have to be lengthy to be mesmerizing. Continue reading
Oct 22 Halyna Hutchins remembered as gifted cinematographer By Hillel Italie, Associated Press The cinematographer who was fatally shot with a prop gun by Alec Baldwin on a movie set grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle and worked on documentary films in Europe before studying film in Los… Continue reading
Oct 18 Colin Powell has died of COVID-19 complications, family says By Robert Burns, Associated Press In 1989 Powell became the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that role he oversaw the U.S. invasion of Panama and later the U.S. invasion of Kuwait to oust the Iraqi army in 1991. Continue reading
Oct 14 Gary Paulsen, celebrated children’s author, dies at 82 By Hillel Italie, Associated Press Paulsen received the Newbery Honor prize for "Hatchet," "The Winter Room" and "Dogsong," a story about a young native Alaskan in search of a simpler past. Continue reading
Sep 22 Melvin Van Peebles, godfather of Black cinema, dies at 89 By Jake Coyle, Associated Press Melvin Van Peebles, the groundbreaking playwright, musician and movie director whose work ushered in the “Blaxploitation” wave of the 1970s and influenced filmmakers long after, has died. He was 89. Continue reading
Sep 22 Beloved ‘Sex and the City’ actor Willie Garson dies at 57 By Robert Jablon, Associated Press Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch, Carrie Bradshaw's friend on TV's “Sex and the City" and its movie sequels, has died, his son announced Tuesday. He was 57. Continue reading
Sep 14 Norm Macdonald, former ‘Saturday Night Live’ comic, dies By David Bauder, Associated Press Macdonald was a standup comedian born and raised in Quebec City, Canada, and worked briefly as a writer for the ABC sitcom "Roseanne" before he was asked to join "Saturday Night Live."… Continue reading
Sep 13 George Wein, Newport Jazz Festival co-founder, dies at 95 By Hillel Italie, Associated Press A former jazz club owner and aspiring pianist, Wein launched the Newport Jazz Festival in 1954 with a lineup for the heavens — Billie Holliday and Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Lester Young — and kept going for more than… Continue reading