Raymond Briggs author of The Snowman and other wonderful books has died. He came and did a talk at my college when I was a student and I forgot to go.
Yes indeed, very powerful graphic novels and master of a range of moods. Quite an achievement to create both Fungus the Bogeyman and When the Wind Blows (as well as The Snowman of course).
I didn't know states could do state funerals, as it were.
States have their own existence, being the descendants of the former colonies. In their own areas of power, they are supreme and not subject to federal control or supervision - for example, each has its own criminal law. State governors are appointed by the Crown with no input from the Commonwealth.
Anne Heche (53) has been declared legally dead following a car crash a week ago. While legally dead, it is being reported that her heart is still beating and she is being kept on life support to allow time to find organ donation recipients.
The writer, Presbyterian minister and theologian Frederick Buechner has died at 96. His books include The Alphabet of Grace, Telling Secrets, The Hungering Dark.
“The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid."
Oh, that one hurts to hear. His writings have meant a great deal to me over the years. My wife and I heard him speak many years ago, and it was memorable.
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware has died, a remarkable Orthodox theologian and scholar. As a recent convert at 26 years old, Timothy Ware wrote The Orthodox Church in 1961 and it remains one of the most appealing and accessible introductions to the Orthodox faith.
He had an interesting cameo in Wim Wender's "Faraway, So Close!" I would have to listen to the commentary track again to make sure, but I think they allowed him to script his own lines.
TV interviews post-1989 showed Mr Gorbachev as a likeable man with a good sense of humour, and with that attractive ability to laugh at himself. So many politicians seem to lack that ability...
He was admired abroad, but not liked quite so much at home, it seems - nevertheless, he has a well-deserved place in history as one of THE greatest statesmen ever.
Bill Turnbull, from Prostate cancer first diagnosed in 2017. "a remarkable broadcaster who brought warmth and humour into people’s homes on BBC Breakfast and Classic FM. He was also a devoted Wycombe Wanderers fan and an ever-aspiring beekeeper."
Barbara Ehrenreich, the author of many books on poverty and social justice (Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America) in the United States, has died at 81,
“Poverty is not a character failing or a lack of motivation. Poverty is a shortage of money.”
I've seen quite a few of his films, but I don't feel like writing about cinema at the moment(*), so I'll just make one observation...
I think he is personally responsible for the stereotype of Jerry Lewis being popular in France. There's an early interview Godard did with Dick Cavett(see YouTube), in which the director goes on an extended hymn-of-praise to Lewis, whose film Hardly Working had just bombed in America. And at one point, Cavett says something like "He's really popular in Europe, isn't he?"
[IOW Cavett was not at that date familiar with any supposed connection between Lewis and France specifically.]
(*) I will, for Shipmates, highly recommend Hail Mary, a Swiss Calvinist's lightly irreverent but profoundly reverent take on the Mother Of Jesus.
Caveat...
The film has two plot strands, narratively unconnected with one another and with no overlapping characters. To further confuse matters, Godard insisted on opening the film with a short directed by one of his mentees, also about a character named Marie/Mary. This opener is not obviously separate from the rest of the film, so you kinda have to be on the lookout for the dividing point.
When I say Godard is "personally responsible" for the Lewis/France idea, I don't mean it in a condemnatory way. Just that the idea probably originated from that interview. IIRC, Godard did not explicitly state the connection, but did observe that Lewis seemed unpopular in America, as exemplified by the failure of Hardly Working.
Ken Starr has died. Most probably only know Starr as the Independent Counsel who started investigating a failed Arkansas land deal and ended up leading the Great Penis Hunt of 1998. During that process he also produced the most pornographic report [PDF] ever issued by the federal government.
But there was more to Starr than this one partisan witchhunt, much more. Starr helped cover up a series of sexual assaults while he was president of Baylor University. He was forced to resign in disgrace from this position after this fact became publicly known.
Starr's last act of "public service" was serving as defense counsel during Trump's first impeachment trial where he advanced the idea that an American president* withholding money appropriated by Congress for Ukrainian military aid in order to extort personally beneficial favors from that country's president was exactly what the Framers of the Constitution intended with the separation of powers (rough paraphrase).
the director goes on an extended hymn-of-praise to Lewis, whose film Hardly Working had just bombed in America.
One thing Godard said about Lewis was that Lewis "is like a painter" in his visual style. I have never seen a movie directed by Jerry Lewis, nor one in which he plays a typical "Jerry Lewis" role, so I don't know what to make of that.
Oh, and dipping my toes a bit into the film-criticism, if you have an interest in bitter, overlong spewings of marxist bile puntcuated by some sharp satire, you could do worse than check out Godard's Weekend.
I'm in the 0.000001% of the population who couldn't get on with Wolf Hall
My arthritic hands can't cope with large books, so I 'read' Wolf Hall (and Bring Up The Bodies) on audiobook. An additional benefit was that somehow I didn't get confused, as many readers did, over who was meant each time a character was referred to just as 'he'.
I had been a fan of Hilary Mantel's books long before the Thomas Cromwell trio.
I too was sad to see that Hilary Mantel has died. I loved the Wolf Hall trilogy, but my favourite of hers is Beyond Black, probably the most scary book I have ever read.
Bill Blaikie, Canadian socialist MP and icon of prairie populism and the Social Gospel, has passed away at 71. Also a United Church Of Canada minister.
Comments
May they both RIP.
And yes - I'm feeling old now too.
Surely they would want the same for Olivia Newton-John?
Sadness. I have both the album and the DVD to this mad and marvellous film Xanadu, some excellent music in there, e.g. the title song.
I used to be a big fan of The Electric Light Orchestra, ELO, back then, but the entire Xanadu album has some real gems!
RIP. Your music lives on.
Yes! One of my favourite factoids!
Saw on the noos that the family of Olivia N-J has accepted the Victorian government’s offer of a state funeral.
Mind-boggling to me: will mortal remains be repatriated?
I have the impression that the deceased was of a New Age persuasion; can’t imagine send-off from St Paul’s Cathedral or the Scots Kirk.
Maybe the Myer Music Bowl?
Yes indeed, very powerful graphic novels and master of a range of moods. Quite an achievement to create both Fungus the Bogeyman and When the Wind Blows (as well as The Snowman of course).
You live and you learn,don’t you?
States have their own existence, being the descendants of the former colonies. In their own areas of power, they are supreme and not subject to federal control or supervision - for example, each has its own criminal law. State governors are appointed by the Crown with no input from the Commonwealth.
I’ve also never heard of a state funeral in the US for anyone but a current or former office-holder. (Same disclaimer.)
Not sure if it counts as a "state funeral" as such, but John McCain did lie in state in the Arizona Capitol rotunda.
“The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid."
I remember seeing him being interviewed by Clive Anderson, where he came over as a very decent and witty man.
RIP.
A great man. John 4.44 applies.
He was admired abroad, but not liked quite so much at home, it seems - nevertheless, he has a well-deserved place in history as one of THE greatest statesmen ever.
In one of his last interviews a few years ago, he (Gorbachev) was asked what he thought his epitaph should be. His answer was: “We tried”.
He - and Russia - certainly tried, but O! what a disaster has overtaken them in the form of Putin...
"a remarkable broadcaster who brought warmth and humour into people’s homes on BBC Breakfast and Classic FM. He was also a devoted Wycombe Wanderers fan and an ever-aspiring beekeeper."
“Poverty is not a character failing or a lack of motivation. Poverty is a shortage of money.”
Naidoc Info
I've seen quite a few of his films, but I don't feel like writing about cinema at the moment(*), so I'll just make one observation...
I think he is personally responsible for the stereotype of Jerry Lewis being popular in France. There's an early interview Godard did with Dick Cavett(see YouTube), in which the director goes on an extended hymn-of-praise to Lewis, whose film Hardly Working had just bombed in America. And at one point, Cavett says something like "He's really popular in Europe, isn't he?"
[IOW Cavett was not at that date familiar with any supposed connection between Lewis and France specifically.]
(*) I will, for Shipmates, highly recommend Hail Mary, a Swiss Calvinist's lightly irreverent but profoundly reverent take on the Mother Of Jesus.
Caveat...
The film has two plot strands, narratively unconnected with one another and with no overlapping characters. To further confuse matters, Godard insisted on opening the film with a short directed by one of his mentees, also about a character named Marie/Mary. This opener is not obviously separate from the rest of the film, so you kinda have to be on the lookout for the dividing point.
When I say Godard is "personally responsible" for the Lewis/France idea, I don't mean it in a condemnatory way. Just that the idea probably originated from that interview. IIRC, Godard did not explicitly state the connection, but did observe that Lewis seemed unpopular in America, as exemplified by the failure of Hardly Working.
But there was more to Starr than this one partisan witchhunt, much more. Starr helped cover up a series of sexual assaults while he was president of Baylor University. He was forced to resign in disgrace from this position after this fact became publicly known.
Starr's last act of "public service" was serving as defense counsel during Trump's first impeachment trial where he advanced the idea that an American president* withholding money appropriated by Congress for Ukrainian military aid in order to extort personally beneficial favors from that country's president was exactly what the Framers of the Constitution intended with the separation of powers (rough paraphrase).
One thing Godard said about Lewis was that Lewis "is like a painter" in his visual style. I have never seen a movie directed by Jerry Lewis, nor one in which he plays a typical "Jerry Lewis" role, so I don't know what to make of that.
RIP Dame Hilary.
I had been a fan of Hilary Mantel's books long before the Thomas Cromwell trio.