June 28, 2009
Police: TV pitchman Billy Mays
found dead at home
AP – FILE – In this Dec. 6, 2002 file photo,TV pitchman Billy Mays poses with some of his cleaning products … TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa police say Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.
Authorities say Mays was pronounced dead Sunday morning after being found by his wife at home. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner’s office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.
Mays’ wife, Deborah Mays, says the family doesn’t expect to make any public statements and asked for privacy.
Mays was also featured on the reality TV show “Pitchmen” on the Discovery Channel, which followed Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.
Discovery Channel spokeswoman Elizabeth Hillman released a statement Sunday extending sympathy to the Mays family.
“Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth,” Hillman’s statement said. “Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend.”
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June 28, 2009
Gale Storm, perky star of 1950s
TV, dies at 87
AP – FILE- This undated file photo shows Actress Gale Storm, whose wholesome appearance and perky personality … By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES – Gale Storm, whose wholesome appearance and perky personality made her one of early television’s biggest stars on “My Little Margie” and “The Gale Storm Show,” has died at age 87.
Storm, who had been in failing health in recent years, died Saturday at a convalescent hospital in Danville, said her son, Peter Bonnell.
Before landing the starring role in “My Little Margie” in 1952, Storm starred in numerous B movies opposite such stars as Roy Rogers, Eddie Albert and Jackie Cooper. After her last TV series, “The Gale Storm Show,” ended in 1960 she went on to a successful singing career while continuing to make occasional TV appearances.
Storm was a Texas high schooler named Josephine Owaissa Cottle when she entered a talent contest for a radio show called “Gateway to Hollywood” in 1940. She was brought to Los Angeles for the finals, where her wholesome vivacity won over the radio audience and she was awarded a movie contract.
The contest’s male winner was a lanky would-be actor named Lee Bonnell, who would later become her husband.
Given the quirky name Gale Storm, she went from contracts with RKO to Monogram to Universal, appearing in such low-budget films as “Where Are Your Children?” with Cooper and “Tom Brown’s School Days” with Freddie Bartholomew.
She was often cast in westerns as the girl the cowboy left behind, and appeared in such B-movie oaters as “The Dude Goes West” with Albert, “The Kid from Texas” with Audie Murphy and “The Texas Rangers” with George Montgomery.
“I was really scared of horses,” she admitted in 2000. “I only rode them because that’s what you had to do.”
She appeared in three Republic westerns with Rogers and recalled that his horse Trigger did what he could to cause her trouble. As she would smile and ride alongside Rogers while the king of the cowboys crooned a song, Trigger (out of camera range) would lean over and bite her horse’s neck.
With her movie roles diminishing in the early 1950s, Storm followed the path of many fading movie stars of the day and moved on to television.
“My Little Margie” debuted on CBS as a summer replacement for “I Love Lucy” in 1952. It quickly became an audience favorite and moved to its own slot on NBC that fall.
The premise was standard sitcom fare: Charles Farrell was a business executive and eligible widower, Storm was his busybody daughter who protected him from predatory women.
The year after “My Little Margie” ended its 126-episode run in 1955, she moved on to “The Gale Storm Show,” which lasted until 1960. This time she played Susanna Pomeroy, a trouble-making social director on a luxury liner.
Storm, who had taken vocal lessons, sang on her second series, and three of her records became best sellers: “I Hear You Knocking,” “Teenage Prayer” and “Dark Moon.”
She appeared only sporadically on TV after “The Gale Storm Show,” guest starring on such programs as “Burke’s Law,” “The Love Boat” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
She appeared in numerous musicals, however, including Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Old Maid and the Thief” at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. Other stage credits included “Unsinkable Molly Brown” (as the title character), “South Pacific” and “Finnegan’s Rainbow.”
Although Storm had not acted in recent years, Peter Bonnell said his mother enjoyed keeping in touch with fans and had known many of them for years.
Her fans were surprised to read in her 1980 autobiography, “I Ain’t Down Yet,” that she was an alcoholic.
“I had hidden it socially, never drank before a performance,” she said. After being treated in three hospitals, she found one that helped her break the habit.
Born April 5, 1922, in Bloomington, Texas, Storm was only 13 months old when her father died. Her mother supported five children by taking in sewing.
Storm’s first husband died in 1987, and the following year she married former TV executive Paul Masterson. He died in 1996.
Storm and Bonnell had three sons, Phillip, Peter and Paul, and a daughter, Susanna. Storm is survived by her children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
___
Associated Press writer John Rogers contributed to this story.
(This version corrects son’s name, Phillip not Philip.)
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June 28, 2009
Under-bite helps Pabst become
World’s Ugliest Dog
AP – Pabst competes in the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair on Friday, June 26, 2009, … Sun Jun 28, 10:47 am ET
PETALUMA, Calif. – A prominent under-bite, scrunched face and floppy ears are the hallmarks of a winner.
The winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest, that is.
Pabst, a boxer-mix rescued from a shelter by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, Calif., won the annual contest on Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Northern California.
It was an upset victory for Pabst, who beat former champion Rascal, a pedigree Chinese Crested.
Pabst’s owner took home $1,600 in prize money, pet supplies and a modeling contract with House of Dog.
Miss Ellie, a blind 15-year-old Chinese Crested Hairless, won the pedigree category.
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On the Net:
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June 28, 2009
`Transformers’ takes to sky
with $112M weekend
Reuters – Actors (from L) Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Megan Fox, film director and executive producer Michael … By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES – Alien robots have transformed into box-office superstars with $200 million in domestic ticket sales in just five days.
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” took in $112 million in the sequel’s first weekend and $201.2 million since opening Wednesday, according to Sunday estimates from Paramount, which is distributing the DreamWorks movie.
It was well on the way to becoming the year’s top-grossing movie.
That was a few million dollars higher than other studios were expecting for the movie, and the figures could change a bit when final numbers are released Monday.
Still, it was a colossal start for the “Transformers” sequel, whose opening five days amounted to nearly two-thirds of the $319 million domestic total the franchise’s first movie did over its entire run in 2007.
Now playing in almost every other country except India, the movie added $185.8 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $387 million. That’s well over half the $708 million global total for the first “Transformers.”
That first movie began with a $70.5 million weekend. Based on how well the sequel has done, “Revenge of the Fallen” could join the handful of movies that have topped the $400 million mark domestically.
“I’d say given the momentum it has, it’s got a real shot,” said Rob Moore, vice chairman at Paramount.
For the first five days, the “Transformers” sequel was second only to last summer’s “The Dark Knight” with $203.8 million.
This was the biggest opening weekend of this year, surpassing the $85.1 million debut of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” in early May.
The sequel began with $60.6 million on its opening day Wednesday. That also was second only to “The Dark Knight,” which had the biggest box-office day ever with $67.2 million on opening day.
With $14.4 million at 169 IMAX theaters, “Transformers” set a record for a five-day opening in the giant-screen format, nearly doubling the previous best of $7.3 million set by “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”
“Transformers” overcame harsh reviews from critics, who called it a visual-effects extravaganza without much story or human heart. Director Michael Bay has a history of bad reviews and big box office with “Armageddon” and “Pearl Harbor.”
“Michael Bay knows how to build the perfect summer box-office beast,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. “He squarely aimed right at the demographic, right at what summer movie-goers want, and he put it on the screen. And audiences can’t seem to get enough of it.”
The sequel broadened the franchise’s fan base. Females accounted for just 40 percent of the audience for the first “Transformers” but 46 percent for the sequel, Moore said.
Much of that was due to the on-screen romance for the characters played by Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, who were relative unknowns when the first movie came out.
With a $13 million weekend, Disney and Pixar Animation’s “Up” became the year’s top-grossing film domestically at $250.2 million. It surpassed Paramount’s “Star Trek,” which did $3.6 million over the weekend to hit a $246.2 million total.
The reign of “Up” at the top of the year’s box-office chart will be short-lived, though. The “Transformers” sequel should shoot past it in a matter of days.
The Warner Bros. melodrama “My Sister’s Keeper,” with Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin, had a so-so debut, coming in at No. 5 with $12 million. Breslin plays a daughter conceived as a donor for her older sister, who has leukemia.
Summit Entertainment’s Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker” had a strong start in limited release, taking in $144,000 in four theaters for an average of $36,000 a cinema. That compares to an average of $26,453 in 4,234 theaters for “Transformers.”
Starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie as members of a U.S. bomb squad in Baghdad, “The Hurt Locker” has a chance to become the first real commercial success among recent war-on-terror movies, which audiences generally have avoided.
“The Hurt Locker” has earned stellar reviews since debuting at film festivals last year. It rolls out to more theaters on July 10.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” $112 million.
2. “The Proposal,” $18.5 million.
3. “The Hangover,” $17.2 million.
4. “Up,” $13 million.
5. “My Sister’s Keeper,” $12 million.
6. “Year One,” $5.8 million.
7. “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” $5.4 million.
8. “Star Trek,” $3.6 million.
9. “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” $3.5 million.
10. “Away We Go,” $1.7 million.
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June 29, 2009
Impressionist, Vegas headliner
Fred Travalena dies
LOS ANGELES – Impressionist Fred Travalena, a headliner in Vegas showrooms and a regular on late-night talk shows with his takes on presidents, crooners and screen stars, has died in Los Angeles. He was 66.
Publicist Roger Neal says Travalena died Sunday at his home in the Encino area after a recurrence of the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that first surfaced in 2002.
Travalena was known for the sheer volume of celebrities he imitated, leading to the nicknames “The Man of a Thousand Voices” and “Mr. Everybody.”
His act included presidents from Kennedy to Obama, musicians from Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and actors from Marlon Brando to Tom Cruise.
The Bronx native started his career in Las Vegas in 1971.
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June 30, 2009
2 Williams sisters, 2 Russians
reach Wimbledon SFs
AP – Venus Williams of U.S. plays a return to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during their quarter final match …
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer – Tue Jun 30, 5:19 pm ET
WIMBLEDON, England – Her 19th consecutive victory at the All England Club already wrapped up, Venus Williams grabbed a seat and watched younger sister Serena win easily to reach the semifinals, too.
Afterward, Venus and Mom, Oracene Price, strolled out of Centre Court arm-in-arm, chatting and laughing.
Sure is fun to be a Williams at Wimbledon.
Five-time champion Venus beat No. 11-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-2, before two-time champion Serena defeated No. 8 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3, a pair of overwhelming performances Tuesday that moved the siblings closer to another all-in-the-family final at Wimbledon.
“They are both playing super-well. They’re playing ‘The Williams Way,’” their father, Richard Williams, said. “And when you’re playing ‘The Williams Way,’ it’s very difficult for anyone to touch you.”
Particularly at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, where a Williams has won seven of the past nine championships.
If No. 3 Venus gets by No. 1 Dinara Safina of Russia in Thursday’s semifinals, and No. 2 Serena eliminates No. 4 Elena Dementieva of Russia, the siblings would meet Saturday in their second consecutive final at the All England Club and fourth overall.
It also would be the eighth all-Williams Grand Slam championship match; Serena leads 5-2.
“I would love it to be a Williams final,” Venus said, “and so would she.”
They are competitors, of course, but also form a team in many ways: The sisters are sharing a house during this tournament, practice with each other and have reached the women’s doubles quarterfinals together.
“We’ve got it all figured out at this point,” Venus said.
She is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles; Serena wants to add to the trophies she earned in 2002-03 by beating her sister in the finals.
At least one person has no doubt there will be a rematch Saturday.
“It will be. I’ll go home because I can’t watch,” their dad said. “I think they both definitely make it to the final.”
First things first. If the 19-year-old Azarenka and 20-year-old Radwanska represented up-and-coming opponents with little experience on the sport’s grandest stages — neither has reached a Grand Slam semifinal — Safina and Dementieva are far more accustomed to playing significant matches.
On the other hand, they’re not nearly as accustomed to winning them as the Williams sisters are, of course: Serena owns 10 major titles, Venus seven; Safina and Dementieva have zero.
Safina, who lost in the final at three of the previous five Grand Slam events, overcame 15 double-faults and wore down 41st-ranked Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1. Dementieva, twice a runner-up at major championships and a singles gold medalist at last year’s Beijing Olympics, was never challenged by 43rd-ranked Francesca Schiavone of Italy and won their quarterfinal 6-2, 6-2.
Asked about her double-fault total, Safina replied with a smile: “15? I thought it was much more. Sometimes even I don’t know what I’m doing with my serve.”
As the younger sister of former No. 1 Marat Safin, who lost in the first round at what he vows was his last Wimbledon, Safina knows about sibling success. But after losing the French Open final a few weeks ago, she acknowledged cracking under the pressure of trying to win her first major.
Looking ahead to facing Venus, against whom she is 1-2, Safina said, “I cannot go on court thinking I lost already. No, definitely, I think I have a chance there.”
Dementieva also sounded a brave tone, despite accumulating more unforced errors (18) than winners (13).
“I just want to see how tough I can be out there against her,” said Dementieva, who lost to Venus in last year’s Wimbledon semifinals and now takes on Serena. “Just looking for some good fight.”
Radwanska and Azarenka failed to make things difficult for the Williams sisters, who were at their dominant best.
“Not perfect,” Price said, “but pretty close.” Radwanska was playing in her third Grand Slam quarterfinal, 27 fewer than Venus, and while she upset Maria Sharapova at the 2007 U.S. Open, a stunner of that magnitude never seemed a possibility Tuesday. Venus won the first five games and the last six, compiling a 29-6 edge in winners.
Pounding aces at up to 122 mph, Venus won 16 of 18 points on her serve in the first set on a steamy day, the temperature about 90 degrees and not a cloud overhead at Court 1.
“Her tennis is so powerful,” Radwanska said. “Very hard to do anything.”
It took all of 68 minutes, leaving Venus ample time to shower, change, do postmatch interviews and still make it into the guest box for Serena’s match.
Azarenka hits the ball quite hard herself, letting out a grunt that sounds something like “Whoop!”, but she couldn’t keep up. She even felt compelled to clap after a couple of Serena’s best strokes.
“She really showed the unbeatable Serena,” Azarenka acknowledged.
Azarenka did break for a 3-2 lead in the second set, but Serena didn’t let her win another game. When Serena smacked one last forehand winner, she jogged to the net, pumping her fists. Up in the stands, Venus stood and applauded.
“We definitely upped our level of game today,” said Serena, who hit nine aces. “We had really tough opponents, so we had to.”
On Thursday, two more opponents will try to slow a pair of sisters who began playing tennis twenty-something years ago in Compton, Calif., and have made the most famous grass courts in the world their personal playground.
One particular family will be hoping for an all-Williams final. One nation will be pulling for an all-Russian final.
Dementieva proposed a unique alternative, asking: “Can we play just two finals instead?”
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AP freelance writer Sandra Harwitt contributed to this report.
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CNN.com
July 1, 2009
Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden
dead at 97
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Veteran actor Karl Malden, who won an Academy Award for his role in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” has died at age 97, his manager said Wednesday.
Karl Malden in “The Streets of San Francisco” in 1974. Malden was nominated for four Emmys for the series.
Malden died in his sleep about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, said his manager, Bud Ross.
Malden appeared alongside Marlon Brando in two of director Elia Kazan’s classic films of the 1950s — “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “On the Waterfront.” He won the best supporting actor Oscar for “Streetcar,” which was released in 1951, in 1952 and was nominated for his role as a priest crusading against crooked union bosses in “On the Waterfront.”
Ross said he did not know the cause of death.
“It could be a combination of things,” Ross said. “He was 97 years old.”
Born Mladen George Sekulovich in Gary, Indiana, the bulb-nosed actor made his New York stage debut in 1938 and first appeared in films in the 1940 melodrama “They Knew What They Wanted.” After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he made his mark in the New York production of “Streetcar,” by Tennessee Williams. 
Watch Malden talk about why he got into acting »
Watch Malden talk about why he got into acting »Malden also did extensive work in television, starring with Michael Douglas in the police drama “The Streets of San Francisco” from 1972-77. He was nominated four times for Emmys for the show, and won a supporting-actor Emmy for his part in the miniseries adaptation of the true-crime bestseller “Fatal Vision” in 1985.
His other well-known screen roles include his performances in “Patton,” in which he played World War II Gen. Omar Bradley alongside George C. Scott’s title character; the steamy “Baby Doll,” another Elia Kazan-Tennessee Williams collaboration; and “Gypsy.”
Malden was also famous for a series of television ads for the American Express card, in which he advised viewers, “Don’t leave home without it.” Watch Malden talk why he took such diverse roles »
Watch Malden talk why he took such diverse roles »A memorial service is expected to be held within the next three to four weeks, Ross said.
Malden was the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1989 to 1992. The Academy is best known for its annual awards, the Oscars.
Malden’s “Streetcar” Oscar had its own mini-drama. In 1985, he sent it to the manufacturer in Chicago for replating. But he discovered the award sent back to him was a fake in 2006, when the original appeared for sale on eBay. The Academy sued the sellers, Randy and Matt Mariani, who eventually returned the award.
In 2004, he received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Malden was born on March 22, 1912, and grew up in Gary. He broke his nose twice playing football in high school, where his athleticism won him a scholarship to Arkansas State Teacher’s College in Conway.
After being forbidden by his basketball coach to appear in a school play, Malden left college and began playing semi-pro basketball. He later worked in the steel mills of Gary to save money for drama school.
When his acting career began, Malden took his grandfather’s first name and rearranged the spelling of his own first name to make his professional last name. He said he changed his name, “to fit theater marquees.”
One of Malden’s last acting roles was in 2000, according to IMDB.com. He played a priest in an episode of “The West Wing.”
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July 2, 2009
UK comedy actress Mollie Sugden
dies at 86
Reuters – British actress Mollie Sugden as Mrs. Slocombe from the BBC television comedy series “Are You Being … 
Thu Jul 2, 5:49 am ET
LONDON (Reuters) – British actress Mollie Sugden, best-known for her role as Mrs Slocombe in the television comedy series “Are You Being Served?,” has died at the age of 86.
Her agent Joan Reddin told newspapers Sugden died on Wednesday after a long illness. “She was a lovely, lovely person. She was a great professional,” Reddin said.
With her hair highly coiffed and referring frequently to her “pussy,” Sugden played the bossy Mrs Slocombe throughout the run of the BBC’s innuendo-laden Are You Being Served? between 1972 and 1985.
Re-runs of the show in the United States in the 1990s gained her a new audience overseas.
“She was great fun, a very good actress, very versatile. She could play serious stuff and comedy,” said Frank Thornton, who played opposite Sugden in the series as the stuffy floorwalker Captain Peacock.
“It was a very happy show to work on — you can’t play comedy with people you dislike,” he told BBC television.
Mark Freeland, head of BBC comedy, said she was one of television’s iconic funny women.
“Her daftly enormous purple rinse and never-to-be-forgotten catchphrase are the stuff of comedy legend,” he said.
Sugden had also found success in the BBC TV comedy series “The Liver Birds” and played an occasional role as pub landlady Nellie Harvey in the long-running ITV soap opera “Coronation Street.”
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(Reporting by Tim Castle; Editing by Steve Addison)
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