Free Womens Blogs

Porn film director Gerard Damiano passed away in Miami on October 25, aged 80.

Deep Throat was the first adult film to cross over into mainstream theaters and has been credited in launching that type of film. The movie was made in six days with a budget around $25,000 in 1972 but it made an estimated profit of $382 million.

The films title was used to describe an FBI official, W. Mark Felt, in the whole President Nixon scandal.

After “Deep Throat” opened in Times Square, attention from media critics and outraged conservatives — including repeated legal challenges — helped turn it into a hit film, and then more people wanted to see it.

Gerard Damiano is survived by his son and daughter.

RIP

Sami

Hollywood screen legend Paul Newman has passed away last Friday after a long battle with cancer. He was 83.

Newman was best known for landmark leading roles in classics like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cool Hand Luke, The Verdict, The Hustler, The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

He has won one Oscar and also received two honorary ones, and had key roles in more than 50 films.

Newman had his own line of salad dressings and soon added spaghetti sauces, popcorn and other food products, went on to earn profits approximating $200 million.   All the proceeds were donated to charities.

Newman is survived by his wife, Joanne, and five children: Susan, Stephanie, Elinor, Melissa, Clea. A son, Scott, died in 1978 of a drug overdose.

RIP

Sami

Big-band singer Connie Haines, who performed with Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the 1940s, has died. She was 87.

Haines died on Monday of a neuromuscular disease, according to Unity Church of Clearwater, Florida.

Haines was born Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais 20 January 1921 in Savannah, Georgia. She started singing when she was five.

As a teenager, she teamed with Sinatra on Oh, Look at Me Now, Snootie Little Cutie and You Might Have Belonged to Another with the Dorsey band.

Haines also made movies, appearing in The Duchess of Idaho in 1950. In the mid-1940s, she toured with comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. She also performed for presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

She is survived by her mother, Mildred JaMais, who is 109; a son, Robert DeHaven Jr. of San Francisco; a daughter, Kimberly Harlan of Prineville, Ore.; and three grandchildren.

RIP

Sami

Norman Whitfield Motown hitmaker dies at 68.

Whitfield was one of the most successful producers at Motown, the Detroit label where acts such as the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and the Four Tops - along with Gaye and the Temptations - changed the face of popular culture.

But while Motown’s pop sound was palatable to mainstream ears, Whitfield was influenced by the harder soul of James Brown and Sly and Family Stone.

New York-born Whitfield started out at Motown as a tambourine player, while Strong performed and co-wrote the label’s first hit, “Money (That’s What I Want).” They composed some of Gaye’s early songs, including the 1962 pair “Pride and Joy” and “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home).”

Gaye recorded the duo’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” in early 1967. But the song sat on the shelf for more than a year because Motown chief Berry Gordy, Jr. was underwhelmed by it. “Grapevine” eventually hit the top of the pop and R&B charts and became Motown’s most successful song of the decade.

Whitfield and Strong also worked with other Motown acts such as Edwin Starr, who went to No. 1 in 1970 with their Vietnam War protest song “War.”

Source

RIP

Sami

Legendary basketball coach Don Haskins, whose career was depicted in the 2006 movie Glory Road passed away on Sunday from congestive heart failure in Texas.   Haskins was 78-years old.

Haskins, the Hall of Fame coach credited with helping break color barriers in college sports in 1966 when he used five black starters to win a national basketball title for Texas Western, died Sunday. He was 78.

Dr. Dwayne Aboud, Haskins’ physician, told reporters Sunday that Haskins had been suffering from congestive heart failure and died at home about 4:30 p.m. He was surrounded by friends and relatives, Aboud said.

“As many of you know, Coach Haskins has had some cardiac problems. He opted not to go back to the hospital but to remain at home,” Aboud said, standing outside the UTEP basketball arena named for Haskins.

Source

Haskins played five starting African-Americans, a first in college history, in beating the lily white Kentucky Wildcats in the 1966 championship game.

Don is survived by his wife Mary Haskins and sons Brent, David and Steve.  Haskins coached at UTEP (TWC) for 38 years racking up a career record of 719-353.

RIP

Sami

Oscar winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Isaac Hayes has died at the age of 65.

The music legend was found unresponsive near a treadmill at his home, attempts to revive the singer were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead in Memphis’ Baptist East Hospital shortly after 2 p.m.

Hayes won a Grammy for the “Theme From Shaft,” but was well-known to younger fans as “Chef” on the popular Comedy Central series, South Park.  He was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Hayes had just finished work on a movie called Soul Men, which also stars Bernie Mac, who passed away on Saturday.

He is survived by his fourth wife, 12 children, and 14 grandchildren.

Rest in peace, Isaac.

Sami

Comedian Bernard McCullough, 50, aka Bernie Mac died earlier this morning of complications due to pneumonia at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

His rep just issued the following statement to TMZ: “Actor/ comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital. No other details are available at this time. We ask that his family’s privacy continues to be respected.”

Mac, was nominated for Emmys in 2002 and 2003 for The Bernie Mac Show.

Bernie Mac starred in the Fox television series ”The Bernie Mac Show” and has been seen in the ‘Ocean’s Eleven” films, “Transformers,” “Friday,” as well as many comedy shows (”The Original Kings of Comedy,” “Def Comedy Jam”).

RIP

Sami

British playwright Simon Gray has died. He was 71. Gray died in London on Wednesday (06, Aug. 08) following a long battle with cancer.

The writer penned over 30 plays for TV and radio, as well as enjoying success on Broadway. His most famous works include Otherwise Engaged (1975) and Butley (1971)- which starred Nathan Lane in its 2006 Broadway revival.

His most recent memoir, The Last Cigarette, is currently being cast for the London stage.

Gray is survived by his wife Victoria, and by a son and daughter from his first marriage.

RIP

Sami

Estelle Getty — known for her role as the wise-cracking Sophia Petrillo on the Golden Girls — died Tuesday morning at her Los Angeles home.

She was 84.  She was to turn 85 on Friday.

Her longtime caregiver Paul Chapdelaine wrote on her Web site:

“Sadly, today July 22, 2008 at 5:35 a.m. Pacific Time, we said our last good-byes to our little friend Estelle, who passed away and made her journey to the great beyond. Although it was a trip that she never wanted to take, she went gracefully, in the comfort of her own home, surrounded by her family and her very loving care-givers.

“Estelle’s legacy will live on and on through the comedy and laughter she gave to us all, which will forever keep us laughing out loud.

“For us here, who have known and cared for her for so many years, we’ve lost our dear little friend who always kept us entertained by filling our days with joyful laughter. Estelle’s fans across the globe have lost the feisty little lady known as Sophia Petrillo, whose quick wit, cutting remarks, and outrageous punch lines will forever be quoted and remembered.

“Estelle was a fighter. She always stood up for the underdogs, fought for equality for all, and always pictured a world filled with “Love and Laughter” —her most favorite catch phrase.

“Estelle, we love you and will miss you dearly. We pray that you are met at the Pearly Gate with open arms and a warm welcome by all who have passed before you. If there’s a stage over there, I know you’ll be on it. If there’s a thrift shop, I know you’ll be shopping, and if there’s a deli, I know you’ll be eating there holding court with Rhoda and Sylvia … and the laughter will be heard throughout the heavens.

“Goodbye, dear friend. Thank you for all the talent and love that you’ve shared with us during your time here on Earth. You have touched my life, and the lives of so many others who will never forget you.”

She is survived by her two adult sons, Barry and Carl.

RIP Dear Estelle.

Sami

Jo Stafford has died Wednesday, July 16, 2008 of congestive heart failure in her Century City, Calif., home. She was 90.

Stafford had 26 charted singles and nearly a dozen top 10 hits. She won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 1961 (with husband Paul Weston) for their album Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris.

Although largely a solo artist, she recorded with singers Perry Como, Frankie Laine, Gordon MacRae, Johnny Mercer and Dick Haymes.

She was inexhaustible as a performer and became a favorite of servicemen who saw her tour bases and hospitals during World War II and the Korean War. She also participated in a high-profile American-led effort to beam pop music and propaganda throughout Eastern Europe during the Cold War.

She earned the nickname “G.I. Jo” but jokingly called herself “Miss Outgoing Freight,” a War Department euphemism for artillery shells and tanks sent to the front lines.

She was a staple of TV variety shows in the 1950s and briefly hosted her own program on CBS-TV with a band conducted by her husband, Paul Weston, music director of Capitol Records.

Jo Elizabeth Stafford was born Nov. 12, 1917, in Coalinga, Calif., near Fresno, where her father worked in the oil fields. She was raised in Long Beach, Calif., and received professional voice training.

Ms. Stafford’s family said she happily retired in the mid-1960s when she no longer found the music industry “fun.” For many years, the Westons involved themselves in charity work, and Ms. Stafford also led an organization helping mentally handicapped children.

Source

She will live on in the Hearts of Everyone that Loved Her.

Sami

Scarlett O’Hara’s younger sister Suellen in Gone With the Wind, Actress Evelyn Keyes, has died in California at the age of 91. The death was caused by uterine cancer on July 4, 2008 at her home in Montecito, CA.

She was married to Barton Bainbridge until his death in 1940, director Charles Vidor from 1943-1945, actor John Huston from 1946-1950, and bandleader Artie Shaw from 1957-1985. She never had children but adopted a Mexican boy while married to Huston back in the late 40’s.

Source

Ms. Keyes is survived by a nephew, James Luter of Utah; and a niece, Nancy Keyes of California.

Please accept my sympathy for your terrible loss.

Sami

Dorian Leigh, a woman many believe as the world’s first supermodel, with a sophisticated air and a sizzling sexuality, the 5-foot-5, 95-pound beauty, has died at age 91 in McLean, Virginia.  She had Alzheimer’s disease.

Ms. Leigh graced seven Vogue covers in 1946, according to a New Yorker magazine article of the time, and in the next six years appeared on more than 50 more covers of various magazines, Playbill reported.

Truman Capote called his friend Ms. Leigh “Happy-Go-Lucky,” and she had many similarities to Holly Golightly, the heroine of Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”

Survivors include a son from her first marriage, T.L. Hawkins of McLean; a daughter from her second marriage, Young Eve Paciello of Northport, Ala.; a daughter from her fourth marriage, Miranda Bordat-vanEtten of Lake Tahoe, Calif.; a sister, Florian Lee of Annapolis; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Dorian Leigh Wikipedia

Larry Harmon, who popularized Bozo the Clown through the new medium of television 50 years ago, died today of heart failure in his Los Angeles home. He was 83.

His wife of 29 years called him the perfect Bozo.

“He was the most optimistic man I ever met. He always saw a bright side; he always had something good to say about everybody. He was the love of my life,” Susan Harmon said.

Wikipedia history of Bozo the Clown

Here’s the AP obituary.

Sami

Ruslana Korshunova was a 20 year old super model with incredible looks, but today she fell to her death in what police are calling an apparent suicide.

“She’s one of the sweetest, nicest people you’ll ever meet,” said a friend, who did not want to be identified by name.

“I’m still in shock. The world lost a great person.”

The lithe looker has been a mainstay at Fashion Week in the Big Apple and London, working with all-star designers Jill Stuart, Betsey Johnson, Rosa Cha, Lela Rose and Libertine.

The pal said that Korshunova had just returned from a modeling gig in Paris and seemed to be “on top of the world.”

“There were no signs,” he said. “That’s what’s driving me crazy. I don’t see one reason why she would do that.”

Korshunova, who had been sending money back to her parents in Kazakhstan, was in love with the city.

New York Post

Sami

George Carlin dies of heart failure at age 71 on Sunday.  “Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV” will live in our laughs forever.

The iconic standup comic, whose routine about the seven words “you can’t say on television” was heard from college campuses to the Supreme Court, died today of heart failure at a Santa Monica, Calif., hospital, his publicist announced. He was 71.

Carlin, who suffered his first heart attack at age 41, was admitted to St. John’s Hospital earlier today after complaining of heart trouble, the statement said. He died at 5:55 p.m.

Much more than a “footnote in legal history,” as Carlin often referred to himself for his role in the seven “filthy” words case, the comic was the first-ever host of Saturday Night Live, a four-time Grammy winner, and a touchstone for generations of writers and performers.

Carlin was due to receive the 11th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November. The honor was announced just last week, around the time of his final performances, at the Orleans in Las Vegas. According to his Website, he had dozens of shows booked through the end of the year.

If there was one thing Carlin wasn’t, it was the retiring type.

“Yes, I’ve accomplished all the things I’ve wanted to and way more, I couldn’t have really predicted some of the paths,” Carlin told Salon in February. “But I know that there’s a restlessness, you know, artists are never finished.”

Born May 12, 1937, in New York, Carlin celebrated his 50th year in show business last year.

From E! Online

Carlin won 4 Grammy Awards, for the best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for 5 Emmy awards.  He produced 23 comedy albums, three books, 14 HBO specials, several movies, an couple of TV shows.

Condolences go out to George’s family, friends, and fans.

Sami

Cyd Charisse says the actress-dancer has died in Los Angeles at age 86.

Charisse was a long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. She also appeared in dramatic films, but her fame came from Technicolor musicals of the 1940s and ’50s.

Charisse died early Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering an apparent heart attack on Monday.

More About Cyd Charisse

Sami

Russert, 58, was a political operative before he was a journalist. He joined NBC a quarter century ago and ended up as the longest-tenured host of the Sunday talk show “Meet the Press.”

His former colleague and former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw came on air at 3:39 p.m. to pay tribute to his late friend.

“Our beloved colleague…was one of the premier journalists of our time,” Tom said. “This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice.”

Ok Magazine

Russert was also a senior vice president at NBC, and this year Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

“There wasn’t a better interviewer in television,” Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential contender, told reporters in Ohio.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama’s rival for the White House, hailed Russert as the “pre-eminent journalist of his generation.”

He was married to Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine. The couple had one son, Luke.

Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell, a fitness model, was found dead on Thursday, June 5, 2008. Amanda was the girlfriend of a convicted steroid dealer, David Jacobs. Amanda and David were both discovered dead in his house in Plano, Texas.

Amanda died from a gunshot injury to her head. There were rumors that a murder and a suicide were involved. The police had not released their statements.

Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell MySpace

Sami

Jim McKay, the esteemed sportscaster who hosted ABC’s popular World Wide of Sports for over 40 years and whose haunting coverage of the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics etched itself in American consciousness, died Saturday at his farm in Monkton, Md. He was 86.

For more information

Click Here

Sami

Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock ‘n’ roll whose distinguishing “shave and a haircut, two bits” beat and groundbreaking guitar effects prompted legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79.

His first single, “Bo Diddley,” introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, ofttimes summarized as “shave and a haircut, two bits.” The B side, “I’m a Man,” with its slightly joking encounter masculine pride, also became a rock and roll standard

Diddley’s other major songs included, “Shave and a Haircut,” “Say Man,” “The Mule.” “Uncle John,” “Who Do You Love?” and”You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover,”

Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, 3 months after suffering a stroke while on tour in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his power to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

You’ll be sadly missed.

Sami