Celebrity Deaths and Mishaps Archives 1


2001


Sounds

 

Dorothy Stratten (d. 1980) - sounds: "Door," "Or," "Strat," "Rat," or "At"

Possible predictions (1/6/01): Doris Day, Stephen Dorff, Michael Dorn, Delores Del Rio, Francis Ford Coppola (note "F" initial), Morgan Freeman, Michael Jordan, Dan Rather, Matthew Fox, William Shatner, Teri Hatcher, Patti Smith, Patrick Stewart, and Kathleen Battle.

 

Actor Ray Walston dead at age 86

Ray Walston in 'My Favorite Martian'
January 2, 2001 -- Beverly Hills, California (CNN) -- Award-winning character actor Ray Walston, who donned antennas to become Uncle Martin on the 1960s TV sitcom "My Favorite Martian," died Monday. He was 86. Walston, whose character gave space aliens a benign face in the 1963-66 series, died of natural causes at his Beverly Hills home with his wife at his side, said his agent. Walston was known for stage and film work as well as his appearances on the small screen. He won a Tony in 1956 for his performance as the devil in the Broadway show "Damn Yankees." Memorable film roles included his portrayal as an unfaithful insurance executive in "The Apartment" (1960), and his only starring role in "Kiss Me, Stupid" (1964), with Dean Martin and Kim Novak. He also appeared as a teacher in 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Walston won two Emmys, in 1995 and 1996, for his recurring role on the TV show "Picket Fences." He last appeared in 1999 on an episode of "Touched By An Angel."

COMMENT (1/2/01): Ever the futurist who was always out of this world, Ray Walston leads us into the 21st Century as the first casualty of 2001. This is less a "sound" identification and more an "eye-dentification." I saw the word "Rat" above and immediately connected it with "Ray" -- off by one letter. There may or may not be other relationships. We won't know until I've finished evaluating this web page for 2000 and proceeded with all systems predictions for 2001.

 

Drew Barrymore escapes injury in house fire

Drew Barrymore modeling
February 18, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Firefighters from the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills fire departments put out a blaze early Sunday at the reported home of actress Drew Barrymore. Camera crews at the scene report seeing Barrymore and her fiancé, comedian Tom Green, leaving the home, on the border of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles in the 90210 ZIP code. There were no injuries. Fire officials responded at 3:25 a.m. (6:25 a.m. EST) to find the home and the adjacent brush-covered hillside in flames. Damage to the two-story home was estimated at $700,000, said Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells. More than a dozen fire crews and two helicopters fought the blaze that engulfed the attic and second floor. It took 60 firefighters 54 minutes to put out the fire in the 5,000-square-foot home. The fire is under investigation.

COMMENT (2/19/01): The hard "D" of "Dorothy" is in "Drew" and, of course, there is Barrymore. She is also to be found in the right wing of the Dorothy Stratten chart: STUVWXYZABCD.

 

Tom Green and Drew BarrymoreINVESTIGATION INTO DREW BARRYMORE FIRE

February 19, 2001 -- (Sky News) -- Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore has escaped unhurt from a serious fire at her luxury Beverly Hills house. The Charlie's Angel star was at home with her comedian boyfriend, Tom Green, when the blaze broke out. Firefighters confirmed that two people were evacuated as the fire, which caused £500,000 of damage, took hold. A spokesman for Los Angeles Fire Department said it took more than 60 firefighters an hour to extinguish the flames. He said damaged to the two-storey 3,500-square-foot home, was serious. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Fire Department said.

 

For more updates on the Drew Barrymore Fire and how this event is a close fulfillment for another prediction, go to the Fire Tragedy page.

 

Matthew Perry Back in Rehab

Actor Matthew Perry
February 27, 2001 -- (Mr Showbiz News) -- Friends co-star Matthew Perry has returned to rehab for an undisclosed illness, his publicist confirmed Monday. The dark-haired actor, who portrays wisecracking 30-something Chandler Bing on the popular NBC series, has entered a facility at his doctors' urging. "Matthew has every intention of completing his treatment so that he can continue his dream of entertaining people and making them laugh," publicist Lisa Kasteler said in a statement. "He appreciates everyone's concern and thanks them for respecting his privacy." She did not specify the nature of Perry's illness, the treatment he was to undergo, or the location of the facility. Just last year, Perry, 32, faced a battery of tabloid reports claiming he was suffering from everything from alcoholism, drug addiction, complications caused by a fad diet, or a serious condition that put him desperately in need of a liver transplant. The actor himself told US Weekly last November that he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, a rare inflammation of the pancreas that was partially caused by too much alcohol and prescription pills. "In my case, it was hard living and drinking hard and eating poorly," Perry confessed in the mag's Nov. 26 issue. "You play, you pay." The actor was quick to add, however, that he's no longer hooked on drugs: "There were no pills involved. I learned my lesson at Hazelden" (a Minnesota rehab center where Perry spent some time in 1997). Perry said he became addicted to the prescription painkiller Vicodin after a personal watercraft accident and having his wisdom teeth pulled. He spent nearly three weeks kicking the habit. But last spring, the addiction rumors returned to haunt Perry when he was hospitalized for the pancreatitis. It didn't help that he was involved in a car crash in Hollywood the same day he was released from treatment. Perry denied that drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident. "I don't really know what happened -- I crashed into this porch," he told US Weekly, explaining that he'd swerved to miss a courier van in the middle of a narrow street. In addition to filming Friends, Perry has also been on the set of Servicing Sarah, a new comedy co-starring Elizabeth Hurley.

COMMENT (2/27/01): Different Matthew than the one predicted (Fox). Could be a bad year for Matthews in general.

 

Trash TV icon Morton Downey Jr. dies

Morton "Mort the Mouth" Downey Jr.
March 13, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Morton Downey Jr., the chain-smoking, combative talk-show host who reined over so-called "Trash TV" in the 1980s, has died, his daughter Tracey said Monday night. He was 67. The cause of death was not immediately given. "The family is very grief stricken and very shocked right now," Tracey Downey told KABC-TV. "He was a wonderful, wonderful man, wonderful father. He will be deeply, deeply, deeply missed." Downey, who lost a lung to cancer in 1996, was known for deliberately blowing smoke into the faces of guests who annoyed him. After his cancer surgery, however, he spent his final years as an anti-smoking advocate. The years also mellowed him in other ways. "No meanness this time. Just as confrontational, just as tough, just as opinionated, but everyone else has the right to have their opinion and be heard," he told The Associated Press when he returned to television in 1992 after five years away. In his heyday, he was known as "Mort the Mouth," who mocked his sometimes bizarre guests, calling them "slime" or "scumbucket." He reveled in shouting matches with members of his studio audience, as well, and often dismissed liberals as "pablum pukers." He said later he took things too far. "It got out of control because the producers ... wanted me to top myself every night," he said in the early 1990s. "If I did something outlandish on Monday night, on Tuesday night, we'd have to think of something even more outlandish. And after awhile, you work yourself toward the edge of the trampoline and you fall off. I fell off a number of times and I found it very displeasing." That effort to top himself every night led to perhaps the biggest embarrassment of his career when he claimed neo-Nazi skinheads attacked him in San Francisco, cutting off his hair and painting a swastika on his head.

COMMENT (3/13/01): The "Or" sound lands Mort a spot on this presentation. I wonder if the "More" curse has returned this year. First there was that narrow escape from a house fire by Drew Barrymore, and now there's Morton Downey Jr...

 

Nyree Dawn Porter, Forsyte Saga actress, dies

Nyree Dawn Porter
11 April, 2001, 14:07 GMT - (BBC News) - Actress Nyree Dawn Porter, best known for her role in The Forsyte Saga, has died at her London home aged 61. Ms Porter enjoyed a long and successful career on stage and screen. The cause of her death was not immediately known. A spokesman for her agent said she had not been suffering from a long illness and her death had come as a great shock to her friends and family. He said: "She was a talented and well-respected actress who will be sadly missed by the acting fraternity." Alan Yentob, BBC Director of Drama, Entertainment and Children's Television, described Ms Porter as one of the earliest stars of television drama. "Although she had a considerable career in the theatre, she was among the first generation of actors to make their name on television" he said. "Her performances gripped a generation of viewers."

Ms Porter, whose first name means little flower in Maori, was born in New Zealand, the daughter of a butcher. At 14, she began to show promise as a performer and at 20 won an acting scholarship to London. Her first TV job was in the title role of BBC2's serial Madame Bovary. She won a host of admirers for her role as Irene Forsyte in The 1967 series The Forsyte Saga. More than 160 million viewers world-wide in 26 countries followed the series, based around the ups and downs of a well-to-do Victorian family. Based on the novels of John Galsworthy, it is one of the most celebrated British period dramas ever made. In 1991 she re-created the role for a stage revival of the epic. Ms Porter turned down the lead role in the cult TV series The Avengers, taking a part of Contessa Caroline di Contini in the less popular series The Protectors.

She was awarded an OBE in 1971 for services to television and starred in a number of other well-remembered programmes such as the 1980 drama For Maddie With Love. She played the part of Dame Margot Fonteyn in the 1998 film Hilary and Jackie. She had one daughter Talya, who was born in 1975 from her second marriage to actor Robin Halstead. They divorced in 1987. Her first husband Bryon O'Leary died of a drugs overdose in 1970. Recently, the actress was one of a group of high-profile women who came forward to tell police about a series of allegedly obscene letters they had received over the course of many years.

UPDATE (4/11/01): This one looks a bit suspicious on the surface, because Nyree Porter was 61 and apparently in good health, although I would suspect stroke to be the likely cause. In addition to the "Or" sound there is a part of the "Reeves" name also (Nyree).

 

Irish Dancer Michael Flatley Confronted by 'Stalker'

'Riverdance' celeb Michael Flatley
May 11, 2001 03:09 PM ET -- DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish dance star Michael Flatley spoke on Friday of his terror at being confronted by a stalker who broke into his Monte Carlo home as he slept. Flatley, who brought Irish folk dancing to a worldwide audience, told the Irish Mirror how he chased an intruder from his mansion after being awoken in the early hours of the morning. "It's no exaggeration that what happened now feels like rape," the 42-year-old told the paper. "He was standing there waiting for me." The Irish American star, who has stepped up security at his French Riviera home, said French police had told him they believed the intruder was an obsessed fan rather than a thief. The man escaped after the incident last week, the paper said. He became an overnight sensation in 1994 when he launched the "Riverdance" routine in Dublin as the interval show in the Eurovision song contest. It spawned the hugely successful "Lord of the Dance" tour which made Flatley a millionaire before he quit the show in 1998.

COMMENT (5/11/01): Celebrity stalking, a fairly rare event back in 1995 when Madonna's life was actually threatened by a stalker who was later sent to prison, seems to be becoming a favourite pasttime for the world's lunatic fringe. It seems no one from any field -- even the world of dance -- is immune. Michael Flatley has both the "At" and "Lee" sounds in his name.

 

1950s Movie Actress Corinne Calvet Dies in L.A.

Sultry actress Corinne Calvet from old 1950s film
June 27, 2001 03:29 PM ET -- LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sultry French film actress Corinne Calvet, who starred opposite Burt Lancaster and James Cagney in the 1950s and had a highly publicized tiff with Zsa Zsa Gabor, has died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 76, a hospital spokesman said on Wednesday. Calvet was stricken Friday evening at home in Santa Monica, Calif. She was immediately taken to UCLA Medical Center where she died the next day, a center spokesman said.

Calvet made her debut in French radio, stage plays and cinema in the 1940s before coming to Hollywood where she appeared in several well-regarded 1950s films including "What Price Glory?" with Cagney, "Sailor Beware" with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, "Rope of Sand" with Lancaster and "On the Riviera" with Danny Kaye.

Born Corinne Dibos in Paris to a wealthy family in 1925, Calvet studied criminal law at the Sorbonne before becoming an actress. Her mother, a scientist, was the inventor of Pyrex, a sturdy glassware that can be used in an oven. After World War II Calvet was brought to Hollywood by Paramount Studios producer Hal Wallis who cast her in the 1949 Casablanca derivation "Rope of Sand." Although she found a steady stream of acting work she always seemed to stir controversy. The Harvard Lampoon awarded her a "Roscoe" for one of the worst film performances of 1951 for her work in "On the Riviera."

In 1952 Calvet filed a lawsuit accusing actress Zsa Zsa Gabor of slandering her in telling several people, including a newspaper columnist, that Calvet was not really French. Gabor contended that Calvet's suit was without merit. It was unclear what happened to the suit but it quickly disappeared from the headlines.

Calvet continued to make news for her outspokenness and highly publicized legal battles. She was married at least twice -- to actor John Bromfield, who she met on the set of "Rope of Sand." When they divorced Calvet claimed the film studio had forced them to marry. In 1955, she married actor Jeffrey Stone and they later divorced. According to the Los Angeles Times, Calvet once told a reporter that American men make wonderful husbands -- only if you don't love them. If you do find you love them, she said, don't marry them. In 1967 her longtime boyfriend, Donald Scott, sued Calvet to recover assets that he had placed under her name to hide them from his wife in a divorce battle. The suit was settled two weeks later but not until Scott had publicly accused Calvet of using voodoo to control him.

Calvet continued to make film and television appearances throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1983, she wrote an autobiography, "Has Corinne Been a Good Girl?" She is survived by one son.

COMMENT (6/27/01): Classic-age babe Corinne Calvet also says "Come on down and C me some time." (No, wait!-- that was Mae West, I think!) Calvet, a double C, like Caroll O'Connor, confirms my suspicions that C, from the John Lennon chart, will be linked with many elderly celebrity legend deaths.

 

Guitarist, musical icon Chet Atkins dies at 77

Guitar legend Chet Atkins
June 30, 2001 -- NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Chet Atkins, whose guitar style influenced a generation of rock musicians even as he helped develop an easygoing country style to compete with it, died Saturday. He was 77. Atkins died at home, a funeral director said. Atkins had battled cancer several years. He underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in June 1997, and had a bout with colon cancer in the 1970s. Atkins recorded more than 75 albums of guitar instrumentals and sold more than 75 million albums. He played on hundreds of hit records, including those of Elvis Presley ("Heartbreak Hotel"), Hank Williams Sr. ("Your Cheatin' Heart," "Jambalaya") and The Everly Brothers ("Wake Up Little Susie").

As an RCA Records executive for nearly two decades, Atkins played a part in the careers of Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, Jerry Reed, Waylon Jennings, Eddy Arnold and many others. Atkins helped craft the lush Nashville Sound, using string sections and lots of echo to make records that appealed to older listeners not interested in rock music. Among his notable productions are "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis and "He'll Have to Go" by Reeves.

COMMENT (7/1/01): This is getting downright eerie. Ninety percent of the celebrities who have died this year have had names that would not have matched last year's name "sounds." Yet, their names do contain sounds that match the influences listed for 2001. Chet Atkins has the "At" sound from Dorothy Stratten.

 

Actress Dorothy Tutin dies

Dame Dorothy Tutin
Monday, 6 August, 2001, 11:04 GMT 12:04 UK -- (BBC News) - The actress Dame Dorothy Tutin has died at the age of 71. Dame Dorothy, one of Britain's leading actresses, died on Monday morning at the Edward VII hospital in Midhurst, West Sussex. The actress, whose career on stage and screen spanned more than half a century, had been suffering from leukaemia. In 1967, she received a CBE and in 2000, she was made a dame in the new year's honours list. Dame Dorothy was considered one of the UK's most versatile actresses. Veteran British actor Sir John Mills paid tribute to Dame Dorothy, saying: "She was such a wonderful woman and a brilliant actress. "She was one of our great actresses, one of the best we ever had and she could play almost anything. It is a very great loss." During her heyday, Dame Dorothy starred in many high-profile productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She also had a distinguished film career, including her role as Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest. And she was also in numerous acclaimed TV dramas throughout her career.

Throughout her career, Dame Dorothy attracted rave reviews from the critics. When she was 23, legendary critic Kenneth Tynan praised her as being "ablaze like a diamond in a mine" for her role in Graham Greene's The Living Room. But as a child she had no desire to be an actress and only did so on the wishes of her father. Dame Dorothy was born in London and initially had ambitions to be a pianist. "I never wanted to act. I didn't like performing at school," she once said. At school she was praised for her performance in a play and, on the insistence of her father, she joined the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. From there, she made her stage debut in 1949 as Princess Margaret in The Thistle and the Rose. Her career blossomed and Dame Dorothy was soon one of the world's hottest new acting talents. She joined Sir Peter Hall's first company at the Royal Shakespeare Company and soon developed a gift for playing Shakespeare's often challenging leading ladies.

Her other film roles included The Beggar's Opera in 1953, Cromwell in 1970 and The Shooting Party in 1984 with Sir John Gielgud and James Mason. Her most recent movie was Indian Summer with Anthony Sher in 1996. She also made a film for TV called This Could Be The Last Time in 1998. Other TV roles included playing Anne Boleyn in the BBC's Six Wives of Henry VII in 1971 , in the 90s she starred in the TV series Body and Soul.

Dame Dorothy also performed alongside Robert Lindsay and Julie Walters in Channel 4's series Jake's Progress. Dame Dorothy was always highly critical of her own work. "I find what I do abominable," she once said.

COMMENT (8/8/01): No surprise. This is a bad year for Dorothys thanks to the Dorothy Stratten influence. However, there are few Dorothys around in the field of acting and entertainment, Dorothy being an old-fashioned name these days. It would be older actresses, like Dorothy Tutin, who would now be at greatest risk.

 

Kurt Cobaine (d. 1994) - sounds: "Urt," "Urk," "Ur," "Bane," "Ain"

Possible predictions (1/6/01): Kurt Russell, Burt Reynolds, William Hurt, John Hurt, Jamie Lee Curtis (note "Lee" sound is also present), Tim Burton, Ted Turner, Kathleen Turner, Tina Turner, Uma Thurman, Kevin Bacon, Dean Cain (the most recent television star to play Superman), Michael Caine, Jane Fonda (note "F" initial), Wayne Knight, Jane Seymour, and Shirley MacLaine. Additional predictions: (1/19/01): Rupert Everett, Christy Turlington, and Charline Thuron. (2/20/01): Laura Dern and Bruce Dern.

 

Ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq dead at 72

Ballerina Tanaquil le Clercq
January 1, 2001 -- NEW YORK (AP) -- Tanaquil Le Clercq, the ballerina who dazzled the world in the 1940s and '50s before her career was cut short by paralytic polio, died of pneumonia Sunday. She was 71. Le Clercq contracted the disease, which left her paralyzed below the waist, in 1956. At the time, she was the fourth wife of George Balanchine and had attracted an adoring public because of her long-legged elegance. She later became a teacher at Dance Theater of Harlem, wrote two books and regularly attended dance performances. The New York City Ballet, of which Le Clercq was a charter member, paid tribute to her in 1988, when it opened its 50th-anniversary season. She acknowledged a thunderous New York State Theater ovation from her wheelchair. Le Clercq was blessed with an elongated physique that she used with refinement or humor. She epitomized the modernized look in classical dancing, which enthralled Balanchine, who once cast her as a dragonfly. As the first City Ballet ballerina trained since childhood by Balanchine, she was naturally identified with the roles he created for her in his major works, such as the ballets "Symphonie Concertante," "Symphony in C" and "La Valse," in which her doomed heroine danced herself to death. She was equally unforgettable in the ballets of Jerome Robbins and as the white-faced allegorical figure of Sacred Love in "Illuminations" in 1950.

COMMENT (1/4/00): Well, I spoke to soon. Looks like one did get ahead of old Uncle Martin. Strange sounds this year, but there are strange enough names to comply. "Tanaquil" is close to "Ta-Nicole." Le Clercq is "urk." There may or may not be other relationships.

 

Dale Earnhardt Sr. Dies in Daytona 500 Crash

Motor racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.
19 Feb 2001 -- DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - NASCAR motor racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. was killed on Sunday in a dramatic crash in the final turn of the last lap of the 43rd Daytona 500. He was 49. Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion and known on the track as "The Intimidator", never regained consciousness after the high-speed collision. He was pronounced dead by trauma doctors withhis wife Teresa at his bedside. Going into turn four, Earnhardt's Chevrolet appeared to clip the Dodge of Sterling Marlin and slid sideways. The Pontiac of Ken Schrader slammed into his car, forcing both of them into the fourth turn wall at speeds of about 180 mph. "I don't know what happened -- all of a sudden we were all crashing," said Schrader, who escaped injury. "I guess someone got into Dale because Dale got into me and we went up. We hit pretty hard, and Dale hit harder," Schrader added. Paramedics worked on Earnhardt as firefighters cut through the roof of the mangled car to haul him out and rush him to hospital. Earnhardt's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., 26, who finished second to Michael Waltrip in the race, immediately left the speedway to be by his father's hospital bedside. Waltrip's Chevrolet was owned by Earnhardt.

"NASCAR has lost its greatest driver," said NASCAR CEO Bill France. "And I have lost a great friend." Emergency doctors who arrived first on the scene swiftly realized the extent of the popular driver's injuries. "It was a very bad situation ... a load and go situation,' said Steve Bohannon, one of the first doctors on the scene. "He had life-ending type injuries ...and really nothing could be done for him." Bohannon said it took just one minute to get the driver to the hospital where a full trauma team worked 20 minutes to get him breathing. He was put on a ventilator but "he never showed any signs of life and subsequently was announced dead."

COMMENT (2/19/01): Normally, I would have placed this presentation under the "Ur" sound in Kurt Cobain (Dale Earnhardt). However, the configuration of the name matches that of Dale Evans above: DE, the left wing of the John Lennon chart. And if that is not ironic enough, the same first name as Dale Evans: Dale. Are there any other "Dale"s out there? Or "DE"s? This looks like it could be a very dangerous and deadly trend.

 

Oscar-Nominated Actress Ann Sothern Dies at 92

Actress Ann Sothern17 Mar 2001 19:13 GMT+00:00 -- KETCHUM (Reuters) - Actress Ann Sothern, who during 70 years in show business moved from bit-parts and B-movies to becoming an Oscar-nominated leading lady and star of her own television series, has died of heart failure, associates said on Friday. She was 92 years old. Sothern, who started in Hollywood as an extra and spent a decade as a B-movie regular, became a major star after playing the lead role in 1939's "Maisie," an MGM film about the adventures of an energetic showgirl that was originally intended for Jean Harlow. Sothern captured the street-smart, independent title character so well that MGM made nine more "Maisie" movies, one of the studio's most successful series and one that transformed Sothern into a household name and a feminist icon. She capitalized on that image with two 1950's television shows, "Private Secretary" and "The Ann Sothern Show," which ran until 1961 and featured Sothern as the first working woman to appear in a situation comedy. Sothern earned five Emmy nominations for the two shows, which she produced, and won a Golden Globe award. The actress then lent her voice to the 1960's sitcom "My Mother the Car." Sothern spent much of the 1970s and 80s in semi-retirement, but returned in 1987 to star alongside fellow screen legends Lillian Gish, Bette Davis and Vincent Price in "The Whales of August," for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. Born Harriette Lake in Valley City, North Dakota, in 1909, the young actress got her start singing in stage productions and filled mostly bit parts until Columbia Pictures signed her to a contract in 1934 and changed her name. Sothern spent the rest of the decade acting in such films as "The Hell-Cat," "Eight Bells," and two movies opposite Gene Raymond, "Hooray for Love" and "The Smartest Girl in Town." She starred alongside Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart in "Brother Orchid," winning critical acclaim. Sothern, who was divorced from actor-musician Roger Pryor and actor Robert Sterling, is survived by her daughter and a sister. A mass is scheduled for her at Our Lady of the Snows Church in Ketchum on March 23.

COMMENT (3/19/01): Sothern (Ur). John Lennon chart: S on right wing.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

 

Milton Berle diagnosed with cancerous tumor

Milton Berle
April 25, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Entertainer and television pioneer Milton Berle is suffering from a cancerous tumor in his colon but will not undergo surgery, his wife told CNN. The 92-year-old Berle, who broke into show business as a child actor in vaudeville and film and went on to become one of TV's first stars, "is planning on living life to the fullest," said Lorna Berle. "The tumor is cancerous," she said. "The doctors have elected not to operate on it. It is growing so slowly it will take 10 to 12 years to affect him in any significant or life-threatening way." "Last night he was at Morton's," she said. "Tonight, Spago. And on Saturday he will be attending a private party. He is also making plans for his 93rd birthday in July." Born Milton Berlinger, Berle hosted "Texaco Star Theater" from 1948 to 1952, and was credited with spurring the sale of millions of televisions to a nation that was still deciding on whether to accept the new medium. "There was a time ... when people didn't go out of their house on Tuesday night at eight o'clock because Milton Berle was on," entertainer Ed McMahon told CNN at Berle's 90th birthday bash in 1998. He stole the show at his 90th birthday bash. "I feel like a 20-year-old, but there's never one around," he joked.

COMMENT (4/28/01): Must I?

"Uncle Milty" Berle must have performed in drag one time to often since his B appears on the Dorothy Stratten chart: JKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABC.

 

Brazilian model Fernanda Vogel's body found after copter crash

Model Fernanda Vogel
August 3, 2001 -- SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) -- The body of fashion model Fernanda Vogel was found floating off Brazil's coast Friday, a week after the helicopter she was traveling in plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, rescue officials said. Vogel, 20, was the second and final victim of the accident to be recovered. The body of the pilot of the helicopter owned by the Pao de Acucar supermarket chain was located Tuesday in the same area, 7 miles (12 kilometers) from the accident. Joao Paulo Diniz, Vogel's boyfriend and son of Pao de Acucar owner Abilio Diniz, had survived, as had the co-pilot, by swimming more than 90 minutes in cold, choppy waters. Diniz, a triathlete, had tried to carry Vogel on his back to the beach 2 miles (3 kilometers) from where the helicopter went down but lost her when a wave separated them. "We can confirm it is Fernanda's body," said Major Onias Nossa of the Coast Guard. "It matches the description we had, such as the two tattoos, on her neck and ankle, and the fact she was wearing only underwear." The helicopter's four occupants, who were not injured in the crash, had stripped off their clothes to swim better. Diniz and Vogel, who had been dating for two months, were traveling last Friday to his house at a popular surfing beach, Maresias, 125 miles (200 kilometers) northeast of Sao Paulo. The helicopter was making its approach to Maresias in the dark when it went into the water. Civil aviation authorities have yet to determine the cause of the accident. The helicopter was new and had clocked only 300 hours of flight.

COMMENT (8/3/01): What a waste. Fernanda Vogel has a dominate "Ur" sound.

 

Nicole Brown Simpson (d. 1994) - sounds: "Nicole," "Brown," "Sim," "Simpson"

Possible predictions (1/6/01): Nicole Kidman, Anna Nicole Smith, Nicol Williamson, Nicolas Cage, Jack Nicholson, Nick Nolte, James Brown, Jackson Browne. Additional predictions: (1/16/01): Jessica Simpson. (1/19/01): Gene Simmons.

 

Les Brown, big band leader, dead at 88

Band leader Les BrownJanuary 5, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Les Brown, whose Band of Renown scored a No. 1 hit with "Sentimental Journey" during America's big band era of the 1930s and '40s, has died of lung cancer. He was 88. Brown died Thursday night at his home, according to his daughter, Denise Marsh. As recently as five months ago, Brown was still touring and performing swing music. The Guinness Book of Records recognized him as the leader of the longest lasting musical organization in pop music history. Brown formed his Band of Renown in 1936. He co-wrote "Sentimental Journey," which was sung by Doris Day. It became a theme song for men and women returning home from World War II. "The happiest times in my life were the days when I was traveling with Les and his band," Day said. "I loved Les very much, I am going to miss his phone calls." Brown's career included a close association with Bob Hope. In 1950, he joined Hope for the first of 18 Christmas tours to entertain American troops at military bases around the world. Day also participated. "The world has lost a great musician," Hope said. "I have lost my music man, my sideman, my straight man and a special friend." As the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Brown helped make the Grammy Awards a televised event. He convinced Hope, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to participate in the first telecast. In addition to his daughter, Brown is survived by his wife, Evelyn; and son, Les Brown Jr. No services were scheduled.

COMMENT (1/7/00): Like last year, 2001 is starting out with people who I thought were already dead. No offence intended. Not too many other Browns left, either.

 

'Bozo Show' clown Cooky, dead at 68

Roy 'Cooky the Cook' Brown
January 22, 2001 -- CHICAGO (AP) -- Roy Brown, who played Cooky the Cook for 25 years on television's "Bozo's Circus" and "The Bozo Show," died Monday of a heart ailment. He was 68. Brown created the character of Cooky while he was a puppeteer on WGN-TV's "Garfield Goose and Friends." Cooky, a clown responsible for whipping up foul-tasting circus food, first appeared on the Chicago station's fixture "Bozo's Circus" in 1968. "I am the luckiest guy in the world to have worked at a job I loved, and I'm going to miss it dearly," Brown said upon his retirement in 1994. He made his last appearance as Cooky on October 25, 2000, for "The Bozo Super Sunday Show." Born in Tucson, Arizona, Brown came to Chicago to study painting and cartooning at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He started as a graphic artist for WBKB-TV's "Garfield Goose and Friends" in 1952. Brown, who also became a puppeteer for the children's show, followed the program to WGN-TV in 1955 and stayed at the station until his retirement. He drew and designed the program's opening and closing as well as Garfield Goose birthday cards and trinkets. Brown received a Chicago/Midwest Emmy in 1992 for his portrayal of Cooky. In 1993, he was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou, and four sons. Funeral arrangements are pending.

COMMENT (1/22/01): "To everything there is a season ... a time to laugh, a time to cry ..."

 

Robert Downey Fired From 'Ally' Over Drug Bust

Drug addict celeb Robert Downey Jr
April 25, 2001 -- (Mr Showbiz News) - Oscar-nominated actor Robert Downey Jr. is feeling the pain of his most recent arrest in more ways than one. Downey, who was arrested Tuesday for allegedly being under the influence of an undisclosed "stimulant," has been fired from his recurring role on Fox sitcom Ally McBeal. "We are wrapping up the stories on the final few episodes of Ally McBeal for the season without him," series producer David E. Kelley said in a statement released Tuesday. Downey recently won a Golden Globe for his acclaimed performance as Calista Flockhart's love interest. The 36-year-old star, who is currently facing a separate trial on drug charges from a November arrest in Palm Springs, Calif., was taken into custody around 12:10 a.m. PST in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City, Lt. Dave Tankenson told reporters. Downey was jailed for several hours before he was released into the custody of his parole officer and told to appear in court on May 4, Tankenson noted. He said an officer spotted Downey alone in an alley between a motel and a liquor store acting in a "suspicious" manner and approached, not aware that it was the Ally star. About a minute into their conversation, Tankenson said, the officer noticed the actor "displaying symptoms consistent with stimulant use" and arrested him. He said no drugs were found in Downey's possession, and that he cooperated with the officer. Albert Alexio, 45, of Los Angeles, was also arrested with Downey for investigation of being on drugs, Tankenson told The Associated Press. Alexio was arrested at the nearby Baldwin Motel, described by police as "kind of a low-rent hotel," which has seen its share of drug busts.

Authorities said a urine test will determine if Downey was under the influence of a controlled substance, which would likely lead to his being charged with misdemeanor drug possession. Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Tammy Capone, who is prosecuting the Palm Springs case, told Reuters that Downey's latest arrest could get him sent back to prison on a parole violation. Downey's rep, Alan Nierob, told Reuters that the actor had "voluntarily checked himself into an undisclosed rehabilitation facility." He declined to comment further, referring calls to the actor's criminal attorneys. Lawyer Daniel Brookman told the New York Daily News, "Like thousands of others, Mr. Downey continues to struggle with his disease on a daily basis. He remains committed to combating this disease and taking the necessary steps to do so."

COMMENT (4/26/01): I suppose "Down" is close enough to "Brown." And there is also the "Ur" sound in the name Robert Downey. Technically, I suppose Morton Downey belonged under this sound heading too. The never-ending, "down"-ward spiralling saga of Robert D's persistant obsession with drugs and tangling with law enforcement, if taken up from the beginning of the year, would have been enough to fill up this page by now -- and it's only April. Therefore, updates to this debut story will be carefully considered. I don't want to turn this into "the Robert Downey page" (I'm sure most people could care less, anyway -- what a lost cause).

 

Supermodel Niki Taylor critically hurt in crash

Supermodel Niki Taylor
May 1, 2001 -- ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Supermodel Niki Taylor was in critical condition with internal injuries Tuesday after a one-car crash, her publicist said. The 26-year-old Taylor was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed into a utility pole early Sunday after its driver lost control on a curvy road, said publicist Lou Taylor, who is not related to the model. The driver and another passenger, both men, were treated and released, she said. She would not identify them except to say they were old friends of Taylor. Taylor, who was wearing a seat belt, was not thrown from the car and initially appeared to be unhurt, her publicist said. "Everyone felt she was OK, and then she had severe stomach pains," Lou Taylor said. The publicist said drugs and alcohol were not suspected in the crash. Niki Taylor was in Atlanta to visit friends for the weekend and planned to return home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Monday to begin acting lessons, her publicist said. The model's parents, Barbara and Ken Taylor, and an older sister were with her at Grady Memorial Hospital. Taylor is the mother of twin 6-year-old boys, Jake and Hunter. She landed on the cover of Seventeen magazine when she was barely 14. She has appeared in ads for Cover Girl cosmetics and Liz Claiborne fashions and has been in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. Another sister, Krissy, also a promising model, died in 1995 at age 17 of asthma. Niki Taylor found her sister unconscious at the family's home in Pembroke Pines, Florida. "I've been through a lot, but everything has been a learning experience," Niki Taylor said in an interview published in Cosmopolitan in 1998. "It's made me a much wiser, stronger person."

COMMENT (5/1/01): Another high-profile Nicole or Niki (in this case). She also has a left-hand T on the Kurt Cobain chart.

This is very serious and troubling from a base 7 numerological perspective. Niki Taylor's sister Krissy, also a model, died July 2, 1995 from over-using an asthma inhaler. It is rare, but sometimes siblings (and spouses) die seven years or multiples of seven years apart. Could this deadly accident be a premature recurrence of the Krissy Taylor tragedy? Five percent of the time, events recur a year early or a year late. I would have normally cautioned that if Niki Taylor were to be in danger of losing her life, that it would be in June/July 2002. As I said, this accident is very serious for Ms. Taylor because of the direct death line to her sister.

This event also bodes ill for superstar Madonna, who I have predicted on a separate page is in danger of death in June/July 2002. Krissy Taylor, who died within a month of a murderous attack against Madonna that was thwarted, is one of the factors determining the mega-star's potential fate. If Niki Taylor has succumbed to the 1995 influence from her sister a year premature, then it is possible that Madonna is in danger NOW or SOON, not a year from now. For more on Krissy Taylor's position in the Madonna Prophecy check The Madonna Prophecy (Part Two).

COMMENT (5/8/01): I have come to the startling conclusion that Niki Taylor's unfortunate situation is a recurrence of the Jean Harlow scenario. For more information and further updates (and beautiful photos) go to The Jean and Gia Scenarios page.

 

Carry On actress Joan Sims dead

Carry On star Joan Sims
Thursday, 28 June, 2001, 12:34 GMT 13:34 UK -- (BBC News) - Actress Joan Sims, known to millions for her roles in the Carry On movies - has died aged 71, her agent said on Thursday. She played a variety of roles ranging from gym mistress to empress, and became famous for her characters' pretentions and mock-refined accents. Barbara Windsor, who acted alongside her in eight Carry Ons, said: "To me she was the last of the great Carry Ons." "She was there at the beginning," said Windsor, speaking from the set of EastEnders on Thursday. "Her talent was wonderful, she could do any accent, dialect, she could dance, sing, play dowdy and glam. "We laughed all the time and giggled a lot. I will sorely miss her."

Joan Sims was born on 9 May 1930 in Laindon, Essex, where her father was the stationmaster. After graduating from RADA in 1950, she worked in repertory, and by the early 1950's was appearing in West End revue, in films and on television. She showed her talent as a classical actress with spells at Bristol Old Vic and the Chichester Festival, making her first film Will Any Gentleman with George Cole in 1953. She was soon established as one of the great comic performers of the cinema and television. She starred more than two dozen Carry On films, making her the longest-serving female member of the team until she parted company with the team in 1978. Later she concentrated on television, appearing in Worzel Gummidge as Mrs. Bloomsbury-Barton, Till Death Us Do Part as Gran, and On the Up as the eccentric housekeeper.

Joan Sims, who was unmarried, had been ill for some months.

 

Buddy Holly (d. 1959), Lee Liberace (d. 1987) - sounds: "Buddy," "Holly," "Ollie," "Lee," "Achi," "Ci" (Chee)

Possible predictions (1/6/01): Lauren Holly, Holly Hunter, Dolly Parton, Molly Ringwald, Mohammad Ali, Spike Lee, Sheryl Lee, Tommy Lee Jones, Kathie Lee Gifford, Lee Majors, Christina Ricci and Joe Pesci.

 

Celebrated director Stanley Kramer dies

Director Stanley Kramer
February 20, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Stanley Kramer, producer and director of some of Hollywood's most celebrated "message" films including "High Noon," "The Defiant Ones" and "Judgment at Nuremberg," has died. He was 87. Kramer, who had been ill with pneumonia, died Monday at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, said his wife, actress Karen Sharpe Kramer. "This morning he seemed to be doing very well," she said Monday night. "I was getting dressed and coming out to see him. I said, 'I'll be there in an hour and a half,' and he said, 'Fine, I'll just take a nap, then.' And 20 minutes later he was gone." Kramer's films drew 80 Oscar nominations and 16 victories, including those for Gary Cooper ("High Noon"), Maximilian Schell ("Judgment at Nuremberg") and Katharine Hepburn ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"). As producer or producer-director, he was responsible for films dealing with race ("The Defiant Ones," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"), Nazi war crimes ("Judgment at Nuremberg"), fundamentalism vs. modern science ("Inherit the Wind"), nuclear holocaust ("On the Beach") and counterculture ("The Wild Ones," "RPM"). The famous showdown of "High Noon" showed a man of courage standing up to evil while others in his community cowered in the shadows. Kramer's wife of 35 years said such behavior was typical of her husband. "What epitomized Stanley Kramer as a man and a father and as a filmmaker was that line from 'Judgment at Nuremberg,' which is, 'Let it be known that this is what we believe: In truth, in justice and the value of a single human being," his wife said.

COMMENT (2/20/01): Stanley Kramer (not to be confused with Stanley Kubrick). Top director during Hollywoods gas-light and early modern eras. Final film was in 1979, The Runner Stumbles. He is from the 'George Reeves period,' has a left-wing K on Superman's chart. IJKLMNOPQRS.

 

Shootout said to involve rapper Lil' Kim, rival

Rapper Lil' Kim
February 27, 2001 -- NEW YORK (AP) -- Investigators suspect some of the gunmen involved in a wild shootout outside a hip hop radio station fled the scene in a limousine carrying rapper Lil' Kim, a police source close to the investigation said Tuesday. Witnesses have told detectives that Lil' Kim had just walked out of the Greenwich Village studios of WQHT radio and entered her limo Sunday afternoon when the gunfire erupted, the source said. A security video seized by police shows the limo starting to pull away, then stopping to allow four or five men to jump in and racing off, the source added. "We have reason to believe that some of those people were involved in the shooting," the source said. On Monday, Lil' Kim denied she and her entourage were involved. "Lil' Kim and her security had nothing to do whatsoever with the incident," the rapper's manager, Hillary Weston, said in a statement. "Kim had no knowledge of any argument nor what instigated the gunfire." Earlier reports said she had left 15 minutes before the shooting started. But the source said police "have evidence that puts her at the scene while all this stuff is going down." The source said lawyers had stymied detectives' attempts to question Lil' Kim. More than 20 shots were fired from at least five different weapons and one man was wounded. No arrests had been made. Detectives were investigating reports that the gunfire stemmed from a simmering feud between Lil' Kim and a rap duo, Capone-N-Noreaga. On Sunday, their entourages apparently exchanged angry words after crossing paths at a rap music celebration sponsored by Clue, a disc jockey at the station, police said. The security video shows a Ford Explorer, believed to carrying Kiam "Capone" Holley, arrive at the station shortly after Lil' Kim exited, the source said. Moments later, it shows "people frantically running in all directions," the source added. Both groups fled before police arrived. A member of Capone-N-Noreaga's group was treated for a back wound and released. Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, was raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Her 1996 debut album, "Hardcore" was produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and went platinum. Holley and Victor "Noreaga" Santiago also debuted in 1996 with "The War Report." Calls to WQHT were not returned. A statement from Capone-N-Noreaga's publicist said the duo would have no comment.

COMMENT (2/27/01): "Kim" rhymes with "Sim" and "Jim" above. Kimberly Jones can be found under the Kurt Cobain chart as CDEFGHIJKL -- JKL Jones Kimberly and KL Kim Lil'. Also, under the George Reeves chart: IJKLMNOPQR. Note how close the letters are spaced. Note how KLM almost looks like "Kim." Cobain and Reeves were both killed by handguns. Lil' Kim and guns aren't going to mix. Stranger yet, a "Holly", Kiam "Capone" Holley, is involved.

 

Pamela Anderson Lee in T ShirtAlleged Pamela Stalker Hits Home

Source: Yahoo Monday March 5, 2001

Pamela Anderson had some unwanted company at her Malibu home Sunday morning. (And no, we're not talking about Tommy.) 27-year-old French woman was arrested after she showed up inside Anderson's Malibu home, authorities said. Christine Roth is being held at Los Angeles County Jail on $150,000 bail following the incident, and she's expected to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of stalking the former Baywatch actress. Anderson reportedly was home when deputies arrived at about 10:50 a.m. Sunday to find Roth also inside the home. Roth allegedly told them she was a French national and was obsessed with the 33-year-old actress. Deputies say she did not have any weapons on her at the time. "Security measures were in place and she was arrested immediately," reads a statement from Anderson's publicist. "We are hopeful that she will get the medical attention that she obviously needs."Authorities say this isn't the first time Roth has popped up in Malibu. The woman reportedly was spotted on Anderson's property February 17, but she left before deputies showed up.

Stalking troubles aside, Anderson's experienced some shifting with her own infatuations. The actress recently split with Swedish model Marcus Schenkenberg, whom she had been dating since last summer.

COMMENT (3/6/01): Pamela Anderson is still called by her other names Pamela Anderson Lee and Pamela Lee even though she has recently dropped "Lee" from her name. The "A" of Anderson is on the right flank of the George Reeves chart - QRSTUVWXYZA - and the "L" of Lee can be found on the left flank of the Dorothy Stratten/Nicole Brown Simpson chart - KLMNOPQRS. This was apparently the second stalking incident involving the same woman: Christine Roth. 'R" from Roth is the "heart letter" on the George Reeves chart.

I have only in the last day uncovered some troubling information regarding Pamela Anderson, age 33, that could, from a base 7 numerological perspective, place her in extreme danger this year or next. This stalking incident may only be the first of a string of unfortunate events leading to her possible death at age 34.

For more on the potential danger facing Pamela Anderson by late spring 2002 or sooner, view the special section dealing with her on The Madonna Prophecy.

 

Woman Ordered to Stay Away From Anderson

Famous photo shoot of Pamela Anderson
March 19, 2001 -- (Mr Showbiz News) - A French woman obsessed with busty actress Pamela Anderson has been forced to return to her native country after pleading guilty to trespassing in the actress's Malibu, Calif., home. Christine Evelyn Roth, 27, was arrested on suspicion of trespassing and booked on investigation of stalking March 4. Roth was found sleeping in a bed at Anderson's home, prompting the startled starlet to call police on her cell phone. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office did not find sufficient evidence to pursue the stalking investigation, according to The Associated Press. Roth was ordered to get counseling once she returns to France and may not re-enter the U.S. without permission from American immigration officials. If Roth does return to the States, she must stay at least 500 yards away from Anderson and her family, the AP noted. At the time of Roth's arrest, she said she was infatuated with Anderson and had traveled to California to tell her how much she admires the star, a police spokesman told Los Angeles TV station KABC.

 

Wife of actor Robert Blake (Bonny Lee Bakley) shot dead in Los Angeles

Actor Robert Blake
May 5, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The wife of actor Robert Blake was found shot dead in the front seat of her husband's car outside a Los Angeles restaurant, police said Saturday. Police were questioning the actor Saturday. He was not in custody. Blake told police he and his wife, Bonnie, left a Los Angeles restaurant at 9:40 p.m. Friday in Studio City, northwest of Hollywood. He said they had gotten into their car when he realized he had left something in the restaurant, LAPD spokesman Guillermo Campos said. Blake said he returned to the restaurant, retrieved the item, and, when he got back to the car, discovered that his wife had been shot once in the head, Campos said. Blake then walked to the house of Sean Stanek, across the street from the restaurant parking lot. Stanek, a film director, said he heard a knock on his door around 9:50 p.m. When he answered the door, he said Blake told him his wife had been hurt. Stanek said he grabbed a phone, called 911, and both men ran across the street. Stanek said when they got to the car, Blake's was still alive, but there was blood everywhere. He said paramedics arrived almost immediately. CPR was administered at the scene; but she was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.

Murder victim Bonny Lee Bakley
Andrew Percival and his wife also ate at the Italian restaurant Friday night and left about 9:30 p.m. Percival said he saw a man dressed in black inside the restaurant who looked like the actor. After Percival and his wife paid their $35 check and left the restaurant on foot headed toward their house on the same block, they saw the same man stride "very, very briskly" in the middle of the street through the eatery's parking lot and past them toward a car that they later saw surrounded by police. Blake apparently was a regular at the eatery, Percival said, noting that the menu had an item named after him. Both when he went to bed Friday night and when he awoke Saturday, Percival said, police were hovering around the late-model black sedan, which was parked less than 100 yards from the restaurant. Percival described the area as "a really nice neighborhood. Crime just isn't an issue around here."

Blake, 67, began his career as a child actor in the "Our Gang" comedies of the 1930s and '40s. His career took off with "In Cold Blood," the 1967 film account of the Clutter family killings in Kansas. He later starred in the television series "Baretta." The Nutley, New Jersey, native was born Mickey Gubitosi. In 1940, he took the stage name Bobby Blake and began playing child roles in a wide range of films. But he continued to use the name Mickey Gubitosi in the "Our Gang" series for another three years. During talk show appearances in the 1970s, Blake discussed his anger over his treatment by his family and the studio as a child and his bouts with drug abuse.

COMMENT (5/7/01): The above original report did not give Robert Blake's wife's name properly. She was Bonny Lee Bakley, age 44. The letter B, along with P and S, has been a very deadly letter this year. I had a feeling that if there was to be a murder, it would probably be B-related and there are plenty of Bs to be found in the names Robert Blake and Bonny Lee Bakley. Also note that Blake's wife is also "Lee" and Robert has the "Ur" sound.

I am not too surprised that Bonny Lee Bakley would be the name of the victim. Both an L (Lee) and B (Bonny Bakley) is derived from the Dorothy Stratten/Nicole Brown Simpson chart, as can be seen:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

I do not believe this is a coincidence. I have predicted that another Dorothy Stratten or Nicole Brown Simpson type murder would take place this year around June-August (the "Star 2001" prediction) on the 2001 (Part Two) page. Further updates on this story will appear on that page. I suspect we may find that Robert Blake will eventually be charged with the murder of his wife.

 

Actress Julie Harris in Chicago-Area Hospital

Ancient photo of Julie Harris, best available on the web
May 30, 2001 11:46 AM ET -- CHICAGO (Reuters) - Five-time Tony Award-winning actress Julie Harris was in serious but stable condition at a Chicago-area hospital on Wednesday, a hospital official said. Her illness "is not life-threatening" but no other details were available, according to a spokeswoman for St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reported the 75-year-old Harris failed to show up for a weekend performance of "Fossils" at the Victory Gardens Theater and that staff members found her semiconscious at the apartment where she had been staying. She appeared in the play Friday night but failed to make Saturday's curtain, the newspaper said. She had been scheduled for a run through July 1. Her stage career spans more than a half century. She won her first Tony for "I Am A Camera" in 1952 and her most recent one in 1977 for "The Belle of Amherst," a one-woman show about poet Emily Dickinson.

COMMENT (6/2/01): Apart from the "Lee" sound in Julie, what is most notable is that Julie Harris shares a similar last name as George Harrison (Harris), who underwent cancer surgery a few months ago (and appears under "George" on Celebrity Deaths and Mishaps: Name, Sound, and Letter Systems).

 

'What's My Line"s Arlene Francis Dies, Aged 93

Actress Arlene Francis
June 01, 2001 04:07 PM ET -- SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Actress Arlene Francis, one-time radio "Oomph Girl" who became a household name in the United States as a panelist on prime time television's longest-running game show "What's my Line," has died of cancer in San Francisco at age 93, a hospital official said on Friday. Francis died Thursday evening at San Francisco's Kaiser Permanente Hospital, spokeswoman Mary Jaeger said. Francis, born Arlene Kazanjian in 1907 in Boston, got her start in show business during the 1930s when she began performing on radio soap operas. In her earlier days she was dubbed "Radio's Oomph Girl" because of her vivacious personality. Her father was an Armenian immigrant who became a successful painter and photographer. Her mother was the daughter of actor Alfred Davis. But she was perhaps best known for her 25 years as a panelist on the popular celebrity game show "What's My Line" that premiered in 1950. The show, produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, was a staple on CBS's Sunday night schedule for years before moving in a rowdier version to syndication in 1968. Francis, who joined the program on its second show, was the only panelist to stay on for the syndicated version which lasted until 1975. The show was simple in its presentation -- panelists asked guests yes and no questions to determine what they did for a living and donned masks when a guest celebrity came on. Among the highlights of the program was panelist Steve Allen's shot at determining size: "Is it bigger than a breadbox?"

COMMENT (6/2/01): Oomph, old age again. Arlene Francis has the "Lee" sound.

 

'Gidget' star Deborah Walley dies

Gidget and Elvis film star Deborah Walley
May 12, 2001 -- SEDONA, Ariz. (AP) - Actress Deborah Walley, who appeared in a series of 1960s beach movies, died Thursday of esophageal cancer. She was 57. Walley appeared in 15 feature films, including the title role in the 1961 movie "Gidget Goes Hawaiian," a sequel to the 1959 production "Gidget" that starred Sandra Dee. She also was featured in the 1965 film "Beach Blanket Bingo," starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, and "Spinout" with Elvis Presley in 1966. Walley had a role in the television series "The Mothers-In-Law," which ran from 1967-1969, and made guest appearances on several television shows, including "Route 66," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." and "The Virginian."She made sporadic appearances on television shows in the 1980s and 1990s, including "Baywatch." and a short-lived series called "Passions."

COMMENT (6/28/01): Every time one of these people dies, a piece of our past dies with them. For each piece of our past that dies, a small part of us dies also. Deborah Walley, one of a string of Gidget actresses, was one of the most famous of Elvis Presley's girlfirends on film.

 

Lynyrd Skynyrd Co-Founder Leon Wilkeson Dies in Florida

Bassist Leon Wilkeson, co-founder of Lynyrd Skynyrd
July 28, 2001 11:42 AM ET -- JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Reuters) - Leon Wilkeson, bass guitarist and founding member of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in a Florida hotel on Friday at age 49, according to published reports. Wilkeson was taking a break from a summer tour in a hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 17 miles south of his home of Jacksonville, when he died of natural causes, Judy Van Zant Jenness, widow of band founder Ronnie Van Zant, told the Florida Times-Union. "We're all just finding out about this ourselves," Van Zant Jenness told the Times-Union. "We don't know what to do other than just to be in shock and be surprised ourselves." Lynryrd Skynyrd, which released rock hits such as "Freebird" and "Sweet Home Alabama," formed in Jacksonville in the late 1960s, taking their name from a high school gym teacher who did not like long-haired students. The band reached immediate success after the release of their debut album in 1973. Wilkeson was one of the survivors of a plane crash in Mississippi in 1977 that took the lives of three band members -- singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup vocalist Cassie Gaines. The remaining band members went on a 10-year hiatus until a reunion tour in 1987. The band has several dates left on their summer tour. There is no word on whether they will go on or if they will complete a studio album their label has scheduled for release next year.

COMMENT (8/1/01): There's been a lot of talk in recent years about the "greying" and "aging" of the Baby Boom generation. If things keep going like they have been, there will not be a Baby Boom generation. We will all have died off prematurely. Leon Wilkeson appears here due to the "Lee" sound in his first name. I chose this obituary because it correctly identifies Wilkeson as the co-founder of Lynyrd Skynyrd -- not merely the "bass player" as other obits have unceremoniously observed.

 

Jim Croce (d. 1973) - sounds: "Jim," "Crow"

Possible predictions (1/6/01): Jim Nabors, Jim Belushi, Jim Carrey, and Jimmy Smits. Additional predictions: (1/19/01): Jimmy Buffett and Jimmy Page.

 

FBI Confirms Russell Crowe Kidnap Plot

Russell Crowe in 'Gladiator'
March 7, 2001 -- (Mr Showbiz News) -- A rumored plot to kidnap Gladiator star Russell Crowe that's eerily reminiscent of his most recent movie, Proof of Life, has proved to be all too true, the FBI confirmed on Tuesday. The Oscar-nominated actor, who has rocketed to international stardom after the success of Gladiator and his high-profile romance with Meg Ryan, was informed of the plot prior to the Golden Globe awards ceremony, according to Entertainment Tonight. Crowe chose not to skip the Jan. 21 awards show, but he showed up flanked by several unidentified men - who were now revealed to have been FBI agents dressed in tuxedos. FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley told Reuters that the New Zealand-born sex symbol has also beefed up his personal security since learning of the plot against him. Crowe's publicist, Robin Baum, told Reuters, "We're aware of [the plot] and the FBI has been helpful in guiding us, and [Crowe] has taken the necessary security precautions." The FBI's Los Angeles-based spokeswoman did not elaborate, but said that federal agents are investigating the kidnapping plot and have interviewed Crowe about the situation as part of the probe. The bureau normally declines to comment on pending investigations but decided to make an exception in this case because of media reports surfacing in recent days, according to Reuters. "In light of that, we have confirmed that we have an investigation into a plot to kidnap him," the spokeswoman, Laura Bosley, said. She said the probe was continuing. Entertainment Tonight also reported that police from Scotland Yard worked closely with Crowe to protect him last week during the London premiere of Proof of Life, confirming weekend reports in the British press. Coincidentally, in Proof of Life, Crowe plays a "kidnap and rescue" specialist who's called in to negotiate the release of a kidnapped businessman. Crowe has not let the kidnap scare keep him from his scheduled public appearances. He attended the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards in London (where he was a Best Actor nominee) and is back in Los Angeles, hosting pre-Oscar screenings of Gladiator for the public.

COMMENT (3/7/01): This certainly is something to crow about. Russell Crowe -- can't get any closer to the "Crow" sound than this. A hard C on the left wing of the John Lennon chart, CDEFGHIJKLM, indicates that personal security should remain a year-long concern.

 

Scottish Entertainer Jimmy Logan Dies at 73

Jimmy Logan
April 14, 2001 01:10 PM ET -- LONDON (Reuters) - Veteran Scottish entertainer Jimmy Logan has died of cancer at the age of 73, his agent said on Friday. In a showbusiness career spanning 65 years, Logan was a producer, director, actor-manager and star in two "Carry On" films. Logan, who began selling programs for his parents' music hall shows during his school holidays, toured South Africa, Australia and New Zealand with his one-man musical based on the life of his music hall hero, Sir Harry Lauder. He was also a major influence on a new generation of comedians -- fellow Scot Billy Connolly decided to be an entertainer after seeing Logan in a Glasgow pantomime.

COMMENT (4/14/01): Jimmy Logan is the first major "Jimmy" of the year. Note, too, the initials from the Stratten/Simpson chart: JL. Eerie. IJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD

 

John Lennon (d. 1980) - sounds: "John," "Lenn," "Lem," "Lemon"

Possible predictions (1/6/01): Johnny Cash, Johnny Carson, John Carpenter, John Cusak, John Larroquette, John Grisham, John Travolta, John Fogerty (note "F" initial), Magic Johnson, Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, John Mellencamp, Jack Lemmon, Sean Lennon, Glenn Close, Ellen Barkin, Ellen DeGeneres, Helen Hunt, Jay Lenno, and Lenny Kravitz. Additional predictions: (6/1/01): The following first names are female versions of the name John: Joan, Jessica, and Jenny. This technically places at peril the following celebs and possibly others: Joan Rivers, Joan Collins, Joan Cusack, Melissa Joan Hart, Jessica McCarthy, Jessica Lange, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jenny McCarthy, and Jenny Agutter.

 

French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont dies at age 90

Actor Jean-Pierre AumontJanuary 31, 2001 -- SAINT-TROPEZ, France (AP) -- French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont, who brought continental charm to the romantic roles he played on stage and in film during a career that spanned seven decades, has died. He was 90. City officials in the French Riviera resort of St. Tropez said Aumont died at his home on Tuesday. No cause of death was immediately given. Aumont, born Jean-Pierre Salomons in 1911 in Paris, appeared in more than 60 films and television series. He began his career on the French stage in the early 1930s before switching to perform before the camera. Aumont served with distinction during the early days of World War II, earning both the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre. He then emigrated to the United States, where he was signed by MGM and made his Hollywood debut in "Assignment in Brittany" in 1943. His last performance came in 1998 in a TV mini-series adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo." Even Aumont took note of his lengthy career, commenting on it at the 1991 Cesars, the French equivalent of the Academy Awards. "For some days now, I have been wondering why I would be chosen for this award. And then I believe I found the answer: It's to compensate me for my longevity," he said on receiving a lifetime achievement award. Among his other films are "Day for Night" by Francois Truffaut in 1973; "The Song of Scheherazade," 1947; "The Seven Deadly Sins," 1962; and "The Happy Hooker," 1975. His autobiography, "Sun and Shadow," was published in 1976. Prime Minister Lionel Jospin described Aumont as "an actor of great talent," in a statement released Tuesday. "All his life ... he had an exemplary career, mixing cinema and theater," he said. "He leaves us with memories of an elegant and discreet man; he will remain for us a particularly endearing actor." Aumont is survived by a wife and three children, including actress Tina Aumont. No funeral plans were announced.

COMMENT (2/1/01): Not too much to say. Old age again. Strange the late great Truffaut did not use Jean-Pierre Aumont's talents before 1973. Also, a far right A on the George Reeves chart: HIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZA. Not predictable in the least.

 

Glenn Hughes, biker in Village People, dead at 50

Village People biker Glenn Hughes
March 17, 2001 -- NEW YORK (AP) -- Glenn Hughes, a singer who performed as the mustachioed, leather-clad biker in the disco band the Village People, has died of lung cancer. He was 50. Hughes, who died on March 4, was one of six men who formed the Village People, a disco group that capitalized on images of the American male popular in New York's gay nightclubs. The group, which was the brainchild of producer Jacques Morali, featured men dressed as an Indian, a soldier, a construction worker, a police officer, a cowboy and Hughes' character, a biker. Hughes was working as a toll collector when friends dared him to respond to an advertisement seeking "gay singers and dancers, very good-looking and with mustaches." The band was an improbable success, expertly balancing a campy and suggestive image that was never too suggestive for the mass market. The band released its first single, "San Francisco (You've Got Me)," in 1977. It followed the next year with its first hit, "Macho Man." The band then produced a string of hits, including "Y.M.C.A.," "In the Navy" and "Go West." Collectively the Village People sold 65 million albums and singles. Although disco fell out of fashion in the 1980s, Hughes stayed with the band until 1996, when he left to sing in Manhattan cabarets.

COMMENT (3/20/01): The article says he died on March 4. Why did it take two weeks to report the obituary? Glenn hughes has the "Lenn" sound squarely in his first name. This is the year for all "Macho" Men to beware the anniversary of the death of Superman George Reeves.

 

John Phillips of Mamas And Papas Dead at 65

'Papa' John Phillips
19 Mar 2001 02:22 GMT+00:00 -- LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock and roll veteran John Phillips, the founder and main songwriter for the 1960's California pop group the Mamas and the Papas, died of heart failure on Sunday morning, his spokeswoman said. He was 65. Phillips, who received a liver transplant several years ago after years of drug and alcohol abuse, died at UCLA Medical Center at 8:15 a.m. PST (11:15 a.m. EST), surrounded by family and friends, spokeswoman Elizabeth Freund said. Although the Mamas and Papas lasted for just three years until 1968, the quartet recorded some of the most memorable tunes of the pop era, including "California Dreamin"', "Monday, Monday" and "Creeque Alley." The group also included Phillips' wife, Michelle (they divorced in 1970), Denny Doherty, and "Mama" Cass Elliot, who died in 1974. The survivors reunited in 1998 to sing "California Dreamin"' at the group's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Phillips also helped organize the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, which introduced artists such as guitarist Jimi Hendrix and English rock band the Who to American audiences. Additionally, he wrote or co-wrote songs for other artists, including "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" for Scott McKenzie in 1967; "Kokomo," a No. 1 hit in 1988 for the Beach Boys; and "Me and My Uncle" for the Grateful Dead. Phillips' eldest daughter, actress Mackenzie Phillips, said in a statement that her father died peacefully. She was at his bedside with the singer's wife, Farnaz, his childhood friend Bill Cleary, a cousin and his wife. "We are all mourning the loss of my Dad. He was a genius and a good man and will be missed. I spent the morning with my sisters Chynna and Bijou. We are all on our way to the beach where we will walk and swim and celebrate our father's life."

Freund told Reuters that Phillips had been in hospital for several weeks. He had been in great pain after falling off a stool and badly hurting his shoulder. But the pain turned out to be related to a stomach virus which affected his kidneys. Doctors were anticipating putting him on dialysis and transferring him to an occupational therapy center in Palm Springs, east of Los Angeles when Phillips took a turn for the worse in the last few days. "His liver was doing OK," Freund said. Some tabloid reports had suggested recently that Phillips was waiting for another liver. His friend and producer, Harvey Goldberg, said Phillips had been sober for many years. Phillips had also undergone two hip replacements in recent years.

He was born in Parris Island, South Carolina on Aug. 30, 1935. After stints at George Washington University and the U.S. Naval Academy, he became active in the New York folk community in the mid 1950s. He formed a group called the Journeymen, whose lineup included southern California native Michelle Phillips, who had come east to be a model. They married in 1962. Canadian native Denny Doherty later joined the group, by then known as the New Journeymen.

COMMENT (3/19/01): A devastating loss of a music legend. As I said above, this will be a fatal year for some with the first name John. It's a direct consequence of the John Lennon influence from 1980. And I fear this is only the beginning.

 

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen confirms he has cancer

Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen
April 30, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen, leader of the veteran band that shares his last name, has confirmed he is battling cancer. In a statement posted Thursday on the group's Web site, the 46-year-old Dutch-born musician broke his silence on the matter, ending a year of speculation about his health. "I was examined by three oncologists and three head-and-neck surgeons at Cedars Sinai (Medical Center in Los Angeles) just before spring break, and I was told that I'm healthier than ever and beating cancer," Van Halen said. "Although it's hard to say when, there's a good chance I will be cancer-free in the near future," he said. Van Halen, a smoker and reformed alcoholic, did not say where the cancer was located, although unconfirmed reports have mentioned his tongue. Last May, amid a whirl of rumors, a clinic in Houston, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, issued a vague statement saying that Van Halen planned "to begin an outpatient clinical trial to prevent cancer." Since then, there have been no updates on his health. Van Halen's band, which formed in Los Angeles in 1974, is best known for such hits as "Runnin' With the Devil," "Jump" and "Why Can't This Be Love." Last July, the group reunited with original lead singer David Lee Roth, who had quit in 1985, to jam on some new material. Van Halen and older brother Alex, the band's drummer, emigrated to California from the Netherlands in 1962 with their family. The guitarist is married to actress Valerie Bertinelli, and they have a son, Wolfgang.

COMMENT (5/1/01): Eddie Van Halen. I considered listing Van Halen in the list at the beginning of the year but thought better of it. Cancer seems to be becoming a common theme among young celebs in 2001: Rod Stewart, Suzanne Somers, Glenn Hughes, Eddie Van Halen ... Scary. In addition to the "Lenn" sound, Van Halen shows up as a left-hand V on the Kurt Cobain chart.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

 

Opera singer, Jenny Grahn, found hanged

Opera singer Jenny Grahn
Friday, 1 June, 2001 -- (BBC News) - The Royal Opera House has paid tribute to a promising young singer found hanged after performing in a tragedy in which the lead character commits suicide. The body of principal soprano Jenny Grahn, 30, was discovered at her home in Hornsey, north London, after she had failed to turn up for a rehearsal. The evening before, she had performed in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, in which a compulsive gambler loses everything and shoots himself. An ROH spokesman said: "She was a talented young singer with a great future ahead of her and it is a huge loss. "Everyone is shocked and greatly saddened. There was no reason to suspect that anything was wrong."

COMMENT (6/02/01): All rumours aside, Ms. Grahn was not rehearsing for a part in Swan Lake at the time of her death. Jenny is one of a few Hebrew feminine versions of the Hebrew name John. "Grahn" is also, roughly, a rhyme of "Brown." The J can be found swinging on the left wing of the Dorothy Stratten/Nicole Brown Simpson chart: not a very favourable position.

 

U.S. songwriter John Hartford dies

John Hartford
June 5, 2001 -- NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) -- Songwriter, singer and banjo player John Hartford, a three-time Grammy Award winner who penned the ballad "Gentle on My Mind," died Monday at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, a hospital spokesman said. He was 63 and had battled cancer for several years. Hartford's signature song earned him sudden wealth after singer-guitarist Glen Campbell turned it into a hit in 1967, causing it to become a frequently recorded tune. "It bought my freedom," he once said of "Gentle on My Mind." The song landed him appearances on Campbell's television show, where he popped up from a seat in the audience and played the banjo at the show's start, and on the Smothers Brothers' variety show. The ballad also earned Hartford two Grammy awards, for Best Folk Performance and Best Country and Western Song. A decade later, in 1977, he won a third Grammy, for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording, for his album "Mark Twang." The eccentric Hartford, who also played fiddle and guitar, always sported a trademark derby hat and invented his own brand of soft-shoe shuffle dance. Hartford was a licensed riverboat captain, an obsession that emerged from his childhood in St. Louis where, he said, "I fell in love with the Mississippi River."

Following the success of "Gentle on My Mind" and his TV exposure, Hartford formed his own band for a time and then toured as a solo act while continuing to write music. His work included such tunes as "Tall Buildings" and "Annual Waltz," and he was known for "story songs" such as "The Burning of the Grand Republic" and "When the Guiding Star Came to Tell City."

COMMENT (6/7/01): The Smothers Brothers seem like a million years ago. The zany, multi-talented John Hartford is no more. Gee, if it hadn't been for this obituary, I would have forgotten all about this guy. Pickin' and a grinnin'.

 

Blues pioneer John Lee Hooker dead at 83

Blues pioneer John Lee Hooker
June 21, 2001 -- SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- John Lee Hooker, whose growling voice and spare guitar helped define the American blues, died Thursday at age 83. The Rosebud Agency, which represented Hooker, said he died in his sleep Thursday morning at his home in San Francisco. "I love to sit down and do my thing, you know, because I love the blues," Hooker told CNN in September 2000. "I was born with the blues, and I just dig it. Nothing else I want to do, and I wouldn't do anything else in the world but this."

Hooker was born in 1917 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the son of a Baptist minister and sharecropper. He began performing as a teen-ager, and like many of his contemporaries he moved north to find work. Hooker began recording in 1948 in Detroit, Michigan, where the song "Boogie Chillen" made him a star. Together with fellow Mississippian Muddy Waters and Texas native Lightnin' Hopkins, Hooker shaped a large part of the what fans today recognize as the blues. He cemented his reputation with songs like "Boom Boom," "Crawlin' King Snake" and "I'm in the Mood," which melded the country blues of his native Mississippi Delta with the sound of the electric guitar.

"He is one of a kind," guitarist B.B. King told CNN last year. "One note of John Lee Hooker and I know that's who it is." Hooker's music influenced a rising generation of rock and roll players from Van Morrison and the Rolling Stones to Bruce Springsteen and ZZ Top. "Do I think I'm cool? I don't know," Hooker told CNN last year. "I know I'm for real."

He made a comeback of sorts with the 1990 album "The Healer," which featured duets with guitarists Robert Cray, Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt. His duet with Raitt on "I'm in the Mood" won Hooker his first Grammy Award, and in 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hooker won two more Grammys in 1997, one for traditional blues and another pop duet with Morrison; he received a a lifetime achievement award in 2000. He lent his name to a San Francisco blues club, John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room, which opened in 1997. An exact discography is difficult to come by because he recorded under several different names, as did many musicians of early blues era. Hooker once estimated he had recorded more than 100 albums.

COMMENT (6/22/01): Two legends have just died -- John Lee Hooker and Caroll O'Connor. But John Lee had two names that spelled trouble for this year, "John" and "Lee." Like I said, a very bad year for Johns, as we are beginning to see.

 

Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo hospitalized

Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo
August 8, 2001 -- PARIS, France (AP) -- French film star Jean-Paul Belmondo was hospitalized in Corsica on Wednesday after being stricken with what medical personnel described as a cerebral accident. A rescue service spokesman on the French Mediterranean island said the 68-year-old actor was vacationing at a house in northern Corsica when he fell ill. The house is in the village of Lumio, where French model and actress Laetitia Casta also has a home. France 3 television reported that the right side of Belmondo's face was paralyzed, indicating that he may have had a stroke. The spokesman said Belmondo was transported to a small medical facility in Calvi and then transferred by helicopter to a medical center in the city of Bastia. Belmondo has been one of France's leading box office attractions for four decades, in films ranging from avant-garde classics to popular action-packed thrillers. He has worked with nearly every major French director -- from Jean-Luc Godard in "Breathless" in which he starred with Jean Seberg, to Francois Truffaut's "Mississippi Mermaid" with Catherine Deneuve. At the end of his career, Belmondo won a Cesar -- the French equivalent of the Oscar -- for his role in "Itinerary of a Spoiled Child," by Claude Lelouche. Belmondo reportedly suffered a mild heart attack in 1999.

COMMENT (8/10/01): This is a year for "John" and "Jean." Jean-Paul, of course, makes one think immediately of Pope John Paul II.

 

George Reeves (d. 1959) - sounds: "George," "Reeve," "Eve"

Possible predictions (1/6/01): George Hamilton, George Harrison (I hope not again), George Foreman (note "F: initial), George Clooney, George Lucas, George Carlin, George W. Bush (this runs premature to the 2002 prediction), Boy George, Susan Day George, Keanu Reeves, Christopher Reeve (I hope not - actually I believe he may make a full recovery from his paralysis in the summer of 2002), Steve Zahn, Steve Martin, Neve Campbell, Steven Tyler, Steven Spielberg, Eva Marie Saint.

 

Steve Buscemi Stabbed, Vince Vaughn Arrested in Bar Brawl

Steve Buscemi and Vince VaughnApril 13, 2001 -- (Mr Showbiz News) - Actors Steve Buscemi and Vince Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg were involved in a nasty bar brawl early Thursday that resulted in four arrests and hospitalization for Buscemi. Buscemi, Vaughn, and Rosenberg are currently filming the aptly named Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, N.C. The three were hanging out at the Firebelly Lounge when two local men allegedly picked a fight with Vaughn after one of their girlfriends began talking to the Swingers star. The men went outside, where they began scuffling around 2 a.m. Police on patrol saw the struggle and broke it up, but the damage had already been done: Buscemi was stabbed above the eye and in the jaw, throat, and arm, police said. He was treated at a local emergency room and released. Timothy William Fogerty, 21, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill for allegedly stabbing Buscemi, who has starred in dozens of movies, including 28 Days and Fargo. While Fogerty was being handcuffed, another battle broke out. Vaughn - who was maced, according to Entertainment Weekly - Rosenberg, and two other Wilmington men were arrested and later released after posting bond. Buscemi returned home to New York to recuperate and is apparently consulting plastic surgeons for his wounds. "The situation could have been life-threatening," a source told EW. Filming is scheduled to continue, though with some scheduling changes, with one month left on the project, The Associated Press noted.

COMMENTS (4/14/01): Nothing much comes to mind concerning this pair. Steve Buscemi, an "Eve," an S and B on the Stratten chart JKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABC. Also, Vince Vaughn, caught in a potentially deadly altercation like Lil' Kim, a double V on the Clift/Cobain chart STUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKL.


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