Versatile Brit Was a Visionary

My friend Murray Siegel has a very good recollection of director Alan Parker who just passed at 76. He visited University of MD College Park in 1983 and we were able to spend time with the filmmaker. I recall him buying us a meal and sharing a beer at the local restaurant RJ Bentleys while relating stories. He signed some posters and stills. We drove him to Georgetown, and it was an adventure. This gifted director was part of the new Britiah wave led by Ridley Scott. Despite a limited filmography, some of his memorable films included Midnight Express, Fame,  Mississippi Burning, and my favorite, Shoot the Moon. A bright, unique talent who, from my impression was a cool guy and gentleman.

The Grand Dame Is Gone

Olivia de Havilland passes at 104, the last major star of Hollywood's Golden Era. A double Best Actress Oscar winner and sister of actress Joan Fontaine, she won a landmark decision over Warner Brothers that broke the studio contract system and transformed the industry. Her many pairings with Errol Flynn yielded some of the best adventure films ever including The Adventures of Robin Hood and They Died With Their Boots On. The best film I ever saw of hers was The Snake Pit. What a performance! What a life!

Film and TV Star Saxon Passes Away

               
Actor John Saxon has died at 83. This star of film and TV bridged Hollywood's golden era and the new wave. I remember him on TV's The Bold Ones and later in Bruce Lee's classic Enter the Dragon. One of the most memorable moments came in an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man when he played a killer robot battling Steve Austin.  He also played the sheriff in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street.  I met him in 2002 at a Fanex event. Nice guy.

Philbin Passes Away as All Time Holder of Most TV Hours

                 

Regis Philbin passed away at 88 and his hours of TV appearances were an all time record. I remember him as late night talk show host Joey Bishop's sidekick in the sixties, and then he pioneering midmorning talk show with Kathie Lee Gifford and later Kelly Ripa. His appealing New Yorker personality and enthusiasm were magnetic and on full display on tv shows especially David Letterman where both shared heart procedure events. An Emmy winner and beloved by TV fans, his greatest success was the huge ratings event of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Going to miss his smile.

The Blindspot Ends with Massive Cameos

The Blindspot had its series finale tonight at episode 100. A ratings sensation in its premiere, this show about an elite FBI task force and the coded tattoos on its lead, Jane Doe that led to an insidious terrorist storyline was at times excellent action and suspense while focusing on the personal demons of its principal characters. The last show had a simple 'find the bomb' plot and centered on Jane's memories which allowed showrunner Martin Gero (who wrote and directed) to feature cameos by virtually every major character in the shows five season run, an astounding array if dozens of familiar faces. I can't recall so many past faces returning. It was impressive and at the end emotional as images and story arcs came full circle. Sure the series was no longer the popular show in years past. Credit NBC for allowing it a brief but memorable final season. What a fine way to go out.

A Giant Has Passed Away

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=59QPhYKjO7w
Film composer Ennio Morricone has passed at 91. He was a significant part of film history having scored foreign classics like Battle of Algiers and the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone like The Good the Bad and the Ugly. His versatile career ranged over a prodigious catalogue of over 500 films covering every genre from the 1950s through Quentin Tarantino's recent The Hateful Eight which finally won him an Oscar. He had previously been awarded an honorary Oscar. Some memorable film scores include A Fistful of Dollars, Once Upon a Time in the West, Days of Heaven, La Cage Aux Folles, The Mission, Cinema Paradiso, The Untouchables, and so many more with the top directors of the day. A true giant.