RIP Doghouse Riley

I'm back on line but I have a new computer and I have to learn a new OS now that my trusty little Dell with my beloved XP is dead and gone. So blogging is still likely to be light today and I'm outsourcing the eulogy to Edroso who knew Doghouse Riley better than I did. Sadly, I had only recently discovered his blog.

It's a great loss to the internets and everyone who cares about saving what passes for democracy in our country. He was a fabulous writer. According to the obit, his death was unexpected and came tragically too soon. May his friends and family find peace.

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Creature Feature

Truthfully, I had no idea who Ray Harryhausen was until he died this week, but I've enjoyed his work my whole life. I've watched every one of these movies more than once. When I was kid this kind of special effect was scary as hell. In many ways I still like this obviously fake, hand done stop action much better than today's computer generated realism.

RIP Mr. Harryhausen. You may have lived in relative obscurity but your creatures will live forever on the screen.

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Annette Funicello died today

I'm very sad Annette Funicello is gone and so is just about everybody else on my interwebs. Lots of guys confessing she was their first crush. Of course for me, it was all about the Mouseketeers. She was one of my all time favorites on the show. Used to watch it every day. Loved her roles in the ongoing serial stories more than the musical numbers but those are too long to embed. So I'll post this as a tribute to her memory. I was probably too young to remember watching this when it first aired, yet somehow it seems hauntingly familiar.



I liked the beach blanket movies but didn't really follow her career after that. Actually didn't even know she had MS. But in reading the obits, apparently she was just as great a role model for civil society in real life as she was in her acting roles. The world is a poorer place for her loss. RIP.

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Margaret Thatcher is dead

I don't have much to say about (must not forget to call her Baroness) Margaret Thatcher's death but there's no dearth of commentary about Thatcher's politics on the internets. Never paid that much attention to her myself. I recall being thrilled when she became the first woman PM because, milestone for women, but her politics were so dismal the good feeling didn't last for long. The nicest thing I can say about her is she made me laugh when she so thoroughly put Sarah Palin in her place when Griftzilla tried to cadge a meeting with her.

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The balcony is closed

I'm sure you know by now Roger Ebert died today. I don't have any anecdotes about some personal connection with him. My sense of loss comes only from long memories as a fan so I'll spare you yet another eulogy. Instead I'll just pass on what I thought was the best tribute I've seen since the sad news broke.



[Scott Stantis, Chicago Tribune]

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