Ruby Dee was a towering figure in the American theatre. She was a great actor, a poet, playwright, and screenwriter, and a steadfast voice for equality. Along with the actor Ossie Davis, her husband of nearly 60 years, Dee never stopped campaigning for full civil rights for all people. Dee
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wmtc: shirley temple black, breast cancer activist, former child star, 1928-2014
Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Growing up watching old movies, I was a big fan of Shirley Temple, whose dimples, singing, and tap-dancing charmed my parents’ generation. Temple danced with some of the tap greats, African-American men who Hollywood cast as servants, yassuh-ing their way into the dance scenes.
Continue readingwmtc: philip seymour hoffman, 1967-2014
If you care about independent film, you’ve been following the career of Philip Seymour Hoffman since the early 1990s. For a while, he was nearly ubiquitous, appearing in one brilliant small role after the next. When PSH achieved star recognition, it was as if a well-kept secret had been discovered,
Continue readingwmtc: thank you, pete seeger. how could we ever thank you enough?
Pete Seeger, 1919-2014Musician, Activist, Environmentalist. Socialist.
Continue readingwmtc: nelson mandela, 1918-2013
“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our
Continue readingwmtc: you know her life was saved by rock and roll: lou reed, 1942-2013
Lou Reed, 1942-2013Songwriter, Musician, New Yorker “One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.” – Lou Reed “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 30,000 copies, but everyone who bought it started a band.” – possibly Brian Eno I was shocked and very
Continue readingwmtc: helen thomas, 1920-2013
A journalist, a pioneer, a feminist. An asker of questions. New York Times obituary here.
Continue readingwmtc: thank you, jean stapleton
She was a great actor, a brilliant comedian, and the warm heart of one of the most memorable television shows of all time. “All in the Family” was a pioneering show, and she was an integral part of what it made it shine. She created a character that entire generations
Continue readingwmtc: thank you, dr. henry morgentaler
Canada lost a true hero today, someone who spent the better part of his life defending the rights and freedoms of others. From the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Morgentaler decision: Jillian Bardsley, Medical Students for Choice, Toronto Chapter, on Canada’s lack of abortion providers, and what students
Continue readingwmtc: roger ebert, 1942-2013
Who would have thought a movie critic could be so loved, and so missed? Of course, Roger Ebert was so much more than a critic. He was a model for the potential of criticism as an important contribution to art and entertainment. He helped audiences discover art and helped artists
Continue readingwmtc: hugo chavez 1954-2013
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, July 28, 1954 – March 5, 2013.From Derrick O’Keefe at Rabble: Hugo Chavez has died — undefeated. Yes, undefeated. Chavez, no matter how many times the corporate media and the cheerleaders of the status quo call him a dictator, was elected repeatedly with overwhelming majorities. No
Continue readingwmtc: walmart workers, marvin miller, rob ford: important stuff that happened while i wasn’t blogging
As the title says, here are some things I thought about while I was taking a blogging break.● Marvin Miller died. Miller should be a hero of both the labour movement and baseball history. He should also be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Anyon…
Continue readingwmtc: we should all miss gore vidal
I’ve been looking for some fitting tribute to Gore Vidal, who died last week at age 86, to post here. The internet is full of Vidal’s aphorisms and his cutting wit, but those are the easiest and least meaningful tributes. Vidal was a great thinker, and a great writer, with
Continue readingwmtc: tom davis deanimated at age 59
I’ve just learned of the untimely passing of a very funny man. Those of us old enough to remember the brilliant and subversive “The Franken and Davis Show” bits on the old Saturday Night Live may have sometimes wondered what happened to Al Franken’s less famous partner. Tom Davis died
Continue readingwmtc: celeste holm, 1917-2012
A grande dame of American acting died earlier this week. Celeste Holm, New York born and bred, was best known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman’s Agreement*, her memorable (and Oscar-nominated) role alongside Bette Davis in All About Eve, and for originating the role of Ado Annie in Oklahoma!.
Continue readingwmtc: doc watson, 1923-2012
Bluegrass legend Doc Watson is dead at age 89. He was simply a great musician, with a great gusto for life. I saw him perform at several festivals in my younger days. Bluegrass is meant to be heard live, and when you saw Doc Watson play, you felt like you
Continue readingwmtc: jean craighead george, 1919 – 2012
Jean Craighead George, author of some classics of children’s literature, died a few days ago. In one of those eerie coincidences that seem to happen so often, I was just talking about George. At the library, I noticed that one of my favourite childhood books, My Side of the Mountain,
Continue readingwmtc: maurice sendak, 1928-2012
Maurice Sendak. He will be missed, and he will always be with us.
Continue readingwmtc: pete fornatale, 1945-2012
Pete Fornatale, a pioneer of rock radio, died this week at the too-young age of 66. I learned so much from Pete! Like many people, I especially loved his Sunday morning “Mixed Bag”. From The New York Times: Mr. Fornatale was at the forefront of the FM revolution, along with
Continue readingwmtc: levon helm, 1940-2012
We love you, Levon.
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