Our Daily Dead

Um, what? I keep banging my head, but I’m not getting anywhere.

News of the Weird as found in our local ODD newspaper (yes, we still partake of that quaint tradition whereby a real paper is delivered (mostly) into our ODD Galactic Empire HQ (see below) driveway): two clowns who trespassed onto railroad property and climbed onto a boxcar to check the view were severely burned by a 12,500 volt line also atop said boxcar. They sued of course claiming such was in no way their fault and that the railroads did not do enough to stop them from tresspassing. They won about $12M in compensatory damages and another $12M in punative damages. The Editors here conclude that the railroad did in fact err and should have turned the voltage all the way up.

ODD Galactic HQ - aka the Dancing House in Prague.

And since we are in the way of scratching our collective heads and our Talking Heads we’d like you to consider these fine newspaper headlines.

File this under Wrap Up: Nude Christmas card photo perhaps?

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: banging, 12, 500 volt, Dancing House, Talking Heads, Nude

Larry Zox is dead of cancer at age 69.

As per the LA Times ghost writers: ‘The artist’s work involved splicing a color field to create the impression of shifting planes, an approach that produced what critic Robert Hughes once described as “the most openly decorative, anxiety-free, socially indifferent canvases in the history of American art.” ‘

One example of Mr. Zox’ art may be found at Abstract-art.com and another slightly less hard-edged example may be found at Rogallery.com.

Technorati Tags: Larry Zox, dead, Abstract-art, Rogallery

Ahmet Ertegun is dead at 83. As per the LA Times Mr. Ertegun’s “…upstart Atlantic label became the home of R&B music in the 1950s with Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, the Drifters and the Coasters and then triumphed on new turfs in the 1960s and 1970s with signature acts such as Aretha Franklin; Led Zeppelin; Cream; Yes; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Sonny & Cher.” That is some kinda Who’s Who list, eh? Along the way Mr. Ertegun found time to found the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame too.

Mr. Ertegun had slipped into a coma after suffering a head injury in an October fall backstage at a Rolling Stones show celebrating the 60th birthday of former President Clinton. He never recovered from the coma and died with his family by his side.

In the spirit of Leader, Saskatchewan? Not to be outdone by Leader’s Calendar we find that Winnipeg’s very own Free Press has published a calendar called The Art of Aging Gracefully. This calendar is just chock full of 12 bare naked ladies based on the idea to “…empower older woman and demonstrate that they should be considered just as attractive.” It doth seem that Winnipeg is closer to Leader than we previously thought.

And if you find yourself in Winnipeg you may pickup a copy of the calendar at McNally Robinson BookSellers or Vita Health Food stores.

And since we are on this naked kick (apparently) AND since the ODD community service department provided you with information for your UCLA Undie Run, the editors here thought we would be remiss if we failed to provide story linkage to the Tufts Naked Quad Run. Mind you that you’ve missed the event, but we figured you still needed to know what exactly you’ve been missing in the sports news.

Technorati Tags: Ahmet Ertegun, dead, Atlantic, R&B, Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, Drifters and the Coasters, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Yes, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Sonny & Cher, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Leader, The Art of Aging Gracefully, naked, older woman, McNally Robinson BookSellers, Vita Health Food, UCLA, Undie Run

Paul Arizin, aka, Pitchin’ Paul, the inventor of basketball’s jump shot, is dead. According to ESPN, Arizin was actually cut by his high school team, but went on to fame and glory in the NBA. Arizin was inducted into the NBA’s Hall of Fame and named one of its 50 greatest players.

Arizin’s final court honor was being voted to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. He is the fifth member of that 50-member team to pass away, following George Mikan in 2005, Dave DeBusschere in 2003, Wilt Chamberlain in 1999 and Pete Maravich in 1988.

Technorati Tags: Paul Arizin, Pitchin’ Paul, jump shot, dead, George Mikan, Dave DeBusschere, Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich

Peter Boyle is dead. The Emmy-winning actor, who played grumpy father Frank Barone in the television series ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, has died at the age of 71. Boyle had suffered from multiple myeloma and heart disease.

Boyle for us will always be associated with the Irving Berlin classic ‘Puttin’ On the Ritz’.

From the Guardian we read that Boyle was the son of a local TV personality in Philadelphia, Boyle was educated in Roman Catholic schools and spent three years in a monastery before abandoning his religious studies. He later described the experience as similar to “living in the Middle Ages.'’

He explained his decision to leave in 1991: “I felt the call for awhile; then I felt the normal pull of the world and the flesh.'’

On television, he starred in “Joe Bash,'’ an acclaimed but short-lived 1986 “dramedy'’ in which he played a lonely beat cop. He won an Emmy in 1996 for his guest-starring role in an episode of “The X Files,'’ and he was nominated for “Everybody Loves Raymond'’ and for the 1977 TV film “Tail Gunner Joe,'’ in which he played Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

In the 1976 film “Taxi Driver,'’ he was the cabbie-philosopher Wizard, who counseled Robert DeNiro’s violent Travis Bickle.

He did dozens of other films, including “T.R. Baskin,'’ “F.I.S.T.,'’ “Johnny Dangerously,'’ “Conspiracy: Trial of the Chicago 8'’ (as activist David Dellinger), “The Dream Team,'’ “Monster’s Ball,'’ “The Santa Claus,'’ “The Santa Claus 2,'’ “While You Were Sleeping'’ (in a charming turn as Sandra Bullock’s future father-in-law) and “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.'’

An interesting Boyle note: Boyle married Rolling Stone reporter Loraine Alterman in 1977, with none other than John Lennon acting as his best man.

Technorati Tags: Peter Boyle, dead, Frank Barone, Everybody Loves Raymond, multiple myeloma, Irving Berlin, Puttin’ On the Ritz, Joe Bash, Joseph McCarthy, Taxi Driver, Robert DeNiro, Travis Bickle, T.R. Baskin, F.I.S.T., Johnny Dangerously, Conspiracy: Trial of the Chicago 8, David Dellinger, The Dream Team, Monster’s Ball, Sandra Bullock, Rolling Stone, Loraine Alterman, John Lennon