The 2012 Off Topic Celebrity Dead Pool

[-Jrabbit]

RIP, Sally.

[Uncle Sparky]

Dr. Who actress Mary Tamm died.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18995370#

Doctor Who star Mary Tamm, who played companion Romana alongside Tom Baker, has died aged 62.

The actress, who was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, fought a long battle with cancer and died in hospital in London.

Agent Barry Langford, who confirmed the news, said she had a "zest for life".

"She was a darling companion and wonderfully witty and kind," said Tom Baker, who played the fourth Doctor. "I'm so sorry to hear of her death."

Colin Baker, who played the sixth Doctor, wrote on Twitter: "Shellshocked to hear Mary Tamm is gone. A funny, caring, talented, lovely and down to earth lady."

Tamm's stage and screen career also included films The Odessa File and The Likely Lads, as well as recurring roles in EastEnders and Brookside.

"She was a fantastic actress," said Langford, who was her agent for 22 years.

"She played stage parts of such range, parts that would take your breath away. She could play any role, and do so wonderfully."

Tamm, who lived in London, had been suffering from cancer for 18 months.

[Uncle Sparky]

Speaking of Dr. Who - we missed this back in April

Elisabeth Sladen, Sarah Jane Smith, Died April 19

We are very sad to pass along news that Elisabeth Sladen, who played intrepid reporter and Timelord companion Sarah Jane Smith during the Pertwee and Baker eras of Doctor Who, has passed away at the age of 63. The BBC has issued a statement on her passing, noting that she had been battling cancer for a while, but no further details are available. Sladen had been recently reprising her role as Smith to much popularity in appearances on the new series of Doctor Who, as well as the more tween-oriented spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. She will be sorely missed.

[-Jrabbit]

RIP to an iconic figure...

ore Vidal, Elegant Author, Dies at 86

Gore Vidal, the elegant, acerbic all-around man of letters who presided with a certain relish over what he declared to be the end of American civilization, died on Tuesday at his home in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, where he moved in 2003, after years of living in Ravello, Italy. He was 86.

The cause was complications of pneumonia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/books/gore-vidal-elegant-writer-dies-at-86.html?_r=1&hp

[Uncle Sparky]

My late mom's favourite author -

Irish writer Maeve Binchy has died following a short illness, aged 72.

The best-selling author was famous for her warm stories about life and love in Ireland and sold more than 40 million books worldwide.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...#ixzz22Gwfih8p

[Wezil]

RIP to an iconic figure...



http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/bo...6.html?_r=1&hp

A former pick of mine. I took him off the list for looking so good.

D'oh!

[Guynemer]

Likewise.

[-Jrabbit]

Same here. Looking like it's just not my year.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

A true giant in the world of astronomy has left us, after a long and deeply distinguished innings of 98 years. Bye-bye Sir Bernard Lovell.

Pioneering astronomer and physicist Sir Bernard Lovell has died aged 98.

Sir Bernard, who was born near Bristol and studied in the city, was the founder of University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory.

Jodrell Bank and the surrounding Cheshire countryside is dominated by the Lovell Radio Telescope, which was conceived by Sir Bernard.

Professor Brian Cox, who knew Sir Bernard, said he was "an inquisitive scientist all the way".

A book of condolence has been opened at the observatory's Discovery Centre.

Sir Bernard was born in Oldland Common, Gloucestershire, in 1913 and studied at the University of Bristol before joining the University of Manchester's Department of Physics in 1936.

'Visionary leader'
During World War II he led a team developing radar technology, for which he was later awarded an OBE.

Following the war, he returned to the university and set about planning the observatory.

His iconic 76m (249ft) telescope was completed in 1957. Within days of it becoming operational, it tracked the rocket that carried Sputnik 1 into orbit.

The structure remains the third largest steerable telescope in the world and plays a key role in global research on pulsating stars, testing extreme physics theories including Einstein's general theory of relativity.

The telescope and his other contributions to radio astronomy led to him being knighted in 1961.

Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, said: "Bernard Lovell ranks as one of the great visionary leaders of science.

"He had the boldness and self-confidence to conceive a giant radio telescope, and the persistence to see it through to completion, despite the risk of bankruptcy.

"What is even more remarkable is that, more than 50 years later, this instrument (after several upgrades) is still doing 'frontier' science.

"I recall the celebrations of the telescope's 50th anniversary in 2007. Lovell, though nearly blind, played a full part in the festivities and made a superb speech.

"He rightly took great pride in this lasting monument."

A spokesman for the university said Sir Bernard was "warm and generous".

He said the astronomer had "retained a keen interest in the development of science at Jodrell Bank and beyond," and added: "Indeed he continued to come in to work at the Observatory until quite recently when ill health intervened."

'A pioneer'
Sir Bernard was also an accomplished musician, a keen cricketer and an internationally-renowned arboriculturalist who created an arboretum at Jodrell Bank.

He is survived by four of his five children, 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Professor Cox, who met Sir Bernard after joining the University of Manchester in the 1990s, said: "I remember once I went to his house and immediately he said 'ah Cox, tell me about this muon' [a sub-atomic particle].

"He knew that I was doing particle physics and thought back to the last time he had thought about such things - he'd been thinking about astronomy for decades - and that's what he wanted to talk about.

"That was him - all his life, he was a scientist.

"He was a pioneer of radio astronomy and almost invented the subject.

"He built the leading telescope and that radio study of the sky has contributed a vast amount to our understanding of the universe."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19164236

[Uncle Sparky]

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/08/07...-hamlisch-dies

NEW YORK - Composer Marvin Hamlisch, who earned critical acclaim and popularity for a prolific output of dozens of motion-picture scores and shows including “The Way We Were,” “The Sting” and “A Chorus Line,” has died in Los Angeles. He was 68.

Hamlisch collapsed after a brief illness and died on Monday, a family spokesman said in a statement. The spokesman gave no more details.

The composer and conductor was the creative force behind more than 40 film scores, including original compositions and musical adaptations such as his arrangement of ragtime composer Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” in the 1973 film “The Sting.”

He won two Oscars for best score and best song for “The Way We Were,” also released in 1973, which starred Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand. Hamlisch first worked with Streisand as a rehearsal pianist for “Funny Girl.”

His other film scores included “Sophie’s Choice,” “Ordinary People,” “The Swimmer,” “Three Men and a Baby,” “Ice Castles,” “Take the Money and Run” and “Bananas.” His latest effort was for a film based on the life of pianist Liberace.

On Broadway, he won a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize for the 1975 musical “A Chorus Line,” which at the time became the most successful show on the Great White Way. He had been working on a new Broadway musical called “Gotta Dance.”

Hamlisch earned the rare distinction of winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.

At the time of his death, he held the position of principal pops conductor for several symphony orchestras across the United States and was scheduled to conduct the New York Philharmonic in this year’s New Year’s Eve concert.

He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Terre.

R.I.P.

[MRT144]

EGOT winner

[Uncle Sparky]

EGOT winner

One of Hamlisch most famous compositions:

[Uncle Sparky]

oops

[Wezil]

One of Hamlisch most famous compositions:

I hated that song the first time I heard it and I still hate it today.

[-Jrabbit]

Talk about a legacy...