Archive - Feb 2010

If I have to pick 5 celebrities I miss the most...

* I miss them, which means I have clear memories of them when they were alive.

1. Michael Jackson
2. Johnny Carson
3. Patrick Swayze
4. Hal Fishman (local TV news anchor)
5. Frank Sinatra

I miss them a lot.

* It's not easy to pick only 5 favorites out of hundreds of dead celebrities.  But, that's the whole point of this post (to think real hard and pick only 5).

Of course, it's perfectly fine if you cannot pick any less than 10. 

Joshua Andrew Koenig (August 17, 1968 – February 25, 2010), also known as Josh Andrew Koenig or Andrew Koenig, was an American character actor, film director, editor and writer. His father is actor Walter Koenig known for his role Pavel Chekov in Star Trek.

Koenig played Richard "Boner" Stabone on ABC sitcom Growing Pains. He also had a minor role in "Sanctuary," an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Andrew Koenig is the son of actor Walter Koenig (who played "Chekov" in the original television version of Star Trek) and his wife, Judy Levitt.

His brother-in-law is stand-up comedian Jimmy Pardo, who is married to Koenig's sister Danielle Koenig.

Disappearance & Discovery of Body
In February 2010, Koenig was reported missing by friends and family. He was last seen near a bakery in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 14, and missed a scheduled flight back to the U.S. on February 16. According to his parents, Koenig left evidence that he was depressed prior to his disappearance.  On February 25, 2010, it was reported by CNN that his body was found by friends searching for him in Stanley Park in Vancouver.  Police later confirmed Koenig's body was found earlier in the day, and Koenig's father told reporters at an evening press conference that his son took his own life

Click for a complete news (NY Daily News)

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Orlando's SeaWorld suspended its famous orca shows after a killer whale lived up to his name Wednesday, drowning a trainer in front of horrified onlookers.

Police said 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau slipped and fell into his pool, but a witness said the orca rose up from the water and grabbed her by the waist and shook her

• On February 22, 2010, former vice president Dick Cheney was admitted to George Washington University Hospital after experiencing chest pains. His doctors are evaluating the situation and he is resting comfortably, according to a statement by his staff.

• On February 22, 2010 Bob Dole (1996 presidential nominee)was hospitalized for pneumonia.

• On February 20, 2010, Alexander Haig died from complications from a staphylococcal infection
  
  Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. (December 2, 1924 – February 20, 2010) was a United States Army general who served as the United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He also served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, the number-two ranking officer in the Army, and as Supreme Allied Commander Europe commanding all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe.

Kathryn Grayson (February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and operatic soprano singer.

Grayson was contracted to MGM and was given lead roles in such films as Show Boat (1951) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). She was paired with Howard Keel and Mario Lanza in some of her films.

She progressed to theatre work including the highly successful Camelot from 1962 until 1964. During the 1960s, she performed in several operas, including La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Orpheus in the Underworld and La traviata.

Personal life & Death of Kathryn Grayson
In Hollywood she married twice, first to the actor John Shelton and then to the actor/singer Johnnie Johnston. Both marriages ended in divorce. Her second marriage produced her only child, her daughter Patricia Kathryn Johnston (b. October 7, 1948).

Grayson died in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles, California on February 17, 2010, at the age of 88

Kathryn Grayson and Carl Esmond - "You and the Waltz and I"

Kathryn Grayson's Filmography continues on next page

Kathryn Grayson Filmography

1941     Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
1942     The Vanishing Virginian
1942     Rio Rita
1942     Seven Sweethearts
1943     Thousands Cheer
1945     Anchors Aweigh     Susan Abbott     
1946     Ziegfeld Follies
1946     Two Sisters from Boston
1946     Till the Clouds Roll By
1947     It Happened in Brooklyn
1948     The Kissing Bandit
1949     That Midnight Kiss
1949     Some of the Best
1950     The Toast of New Orleans
1951     Grounds for Marriage
1951    Show Boat
1952     Lovely to Look At
1953     The Desert Song
1953     So This Is Love
1953     Kiss Me Kate
1956     The Vagabond King
1977     The Amazing World of Psychic Phenomena
1994     A Century of Cinema
2003     Cole Porter in Hollywood: Too Darn Hot
2004     The Masters Behind the Musicals

Doug Fieger (August 20, 1952 - February 14, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter. He is the lead singer for The Knack, and co-wrote the 1979 hit "My Sharona", with lead guitarist, Berton Averre.

Before forming The Knack, Doug Fieger played bass and sang lead in the group Sky, which was founded by producer Jimmy Miller (Rolling Stones, Traffic, Blind Faith) when Fieger was still in high school. Sky recorded two albums for RCA Records, produced by Miller with Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin).

Fieger played bass guitar in the German progressive rock band Triumvirat for a short period in 1974.

In addition to performing, Fieger also produced the Rubber City Rebels debut album for Capitol Records and another album for LA-based club staples Mystery Pop. He and Rebels drummer Brandon Matheson had been bandmates in The Sunset Bombers and had one album released on Ariola Records, before Fieger formed The Knack.

Fieger underwent brain surgery in August 2006 to have two tumors removed, and has since had chemotherapy to treat lung cancer. He is the younger brother of attorney Geoffrey Fieger.

Death of Doug Fieger
Doug Fieger died of cancer.  He was 57 years old at the time of his death

The Knack (lead singer Doug Fieger) - My Sharona

Click for a complete news from BBC

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Baldwin, who is due to host the Oscars on 7 March, was discharged from the New York hospital after an hour.

His spokesman put the incident down to a "misunderstanding".

"This was a misunderstanding on one person's part," said Matthew Hiltzik in a statement.

"Alec was quickly released from the hospital, he's completely fine and is at work today."

Phil Harris (April 28, 1956 - February 9, 2010) was the owner and captain of the crab fishing vessel FV Cornelia Marie, which is featured on the Discovery Channel reality TV series Deadliest Catch. He suffered a stroke while in port at Saint Paul Island, Alaska on January 29, 2010, and died on February 9, 2010.

Harris once stated, "You're not a man 'til you've pulled a tooth out with a pair of pliers."

Click for a complete news from CNN

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Louis Gossett Jr. recently learned he has prostate cancer, but it is in an early stage, the actor said Tuesday.

"I count this diagnosis among the many challenges I have faced in my life and overcome," Gossett said in a statement. "I expect this to be no different."