Forever A Fangirl

DARK SHADOWS Jonathan Frid Succumbs at Age 87 #darkshadows #johnnydepp

JOHNNY DEPP  Comments on 'Barnabas' Death:

Frid, Original Dark Shadows Cast Members To Appear in Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS:

Frid's Character To  Live On

 There have been a lot of remembrances of Jonathan which have appeared on the Internet since yesterday. I’m proud and honored that mine has been quoted and linked to by many sites. But I want to share two posts I read this morning which are special and revealing.

The first is from Jonathan’s hometown newspaper The Spec and includes wonderful quotes from Jonathan’s nephews and friends about Jonathan’s everyday life in Ancaster.

The second is from The Plain Dealer. Mark Dawidziak writes with such insight. It really is the best appreciation of Jonathan that I’ve read so far.

SOURCE: kathrynleighscott.com

Jonathan Frid, best known for playing vampire Barnabas Collins on ABC's Dark Shadows, has died. He was 87. The actor died on April 13 of natural causes at Juravinski Hospital in Ontario, Canada, according to Digital Spy.

Dark Shadows, a gothic soap opera, aired from 1966 to 1971 and drew nearly 20 million viewers at the height of its popularity. Frid joined the show in 1967 as Barnabas Collins, a vampire returning to his family's estate, and quickly became the star of the show.

Above: On the set of Dark Shadows - Jonathan Frid, Kathryn Leigh Scott, John Karlen

"May Jonathan Frid, 'our reluctant vampire,' live on in our hearts!" Frid's co-star, Kathryn Leigh Scott, wrote on her website. "How blessed I am to have known this dear man and to have such wonderful memories of him, both on screen and off. ... He was irascible, irreverent, funny, caring, lovable and thoroughly professional, and in the end became the whole reason why kids ran home from school to watch Dark Shadows."

PREVIOUSLY ON THIS BLOG:

DARK SHADOWS JOHNNY DEPP - Official Trailer (HD) 20 NEW HQ PHOTOS! #johnnydepp #darkshadows

 

Before his death, Frid, who also starred in the TV movie The Devil's Daughter and the horror film, Seizure, filmed a cameo appearance for Tim Burton's forthcoming big-screen remake of Dark Shadows, in which Johnny Depp will play Barnabas. The film is set to be released May 11.

Johnny Depp on Jonathan Frid's Death:

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Johnny Depp paid tribute to his "Dark Shadows" predecessor Jonathan Frid on Thursday, telling the Los Angeles Times that the first time he met Frid was "elegant and magical." Frid, who played vampire Barnabas Collins from 1967 to 1971 on the soap opera, died April 13 at the age of 87, though news of his death began to filter out on Thursday. "Jonathan Frid was the reason I used to run home from school to watch ‘Dark Shadows,'" Depp told the paper. "His elegance and grace was an inspiration then and will continue to remain one forever more. When I had the honor to finally meet him... generously passed the torch of Barnabas." Depp, who called Frid "a true original," plays Collins in the big-screen adaptation of "Dark Shadows," which hits theaters on May 11.

Frid has a bit part in the film, as a party guest. According to Depp, when he met Frid, the elder actor was " elegant and magical as I had always imagined."

'I won’t ever forget the moment when the two Barnabas Collinses met, one in his late 80s and the other in his mid-40s, each with their wolf’s head canes. Jonathan took his time scrutinizing his successor’s appearance. “I see you’ve done the hair,” Jonathan said to Johnny Depp, “but a few more spikes.” Depp, entirely in character, replied, “Yes, we’re doing things a bit differently.' - KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT

AFTER THE JUMP - THE FRID FAMILY'S STATEMENT:

Jonathan Frid’s Family Statement

Update! True Blood: Watch the First Season 5 Teaser! VIDEO #trueblood

Yes, its true --True Blood is heralding the return this summer of the (former) king (of Mississippi, Russell Edgington) played by Denis O'Hare.

The first teaser for the HBO drama’s upcoming fifth season warns, “In Bon Temps, Nothing Stays Buried Forever,” a reference to the exhumation of Russell Edgington in the Season 4 finale--and possibly a reference to the 'closing' of the land of the Fae a/k/a Faeryland. Despite Sookie's faery godmother's untimely demise in season 4 at the fangs of mindwipe!Eric as reported earlier, Claudine's twin 'Claude' shall make an appearance in Bon Temps, too!

THR has this to say about the True Blood season 5 tease:

But as themes go in True Blood, they seem to apply to everyone. So, what things can yet still be uncovered next season?

Other than Russell’s return, here are four more suggestions as to what won't stay buried on Season 5:

2. Sookie’s (Anna Paquin) fairy friends and family. We know there’s always more to learn about the waitress’s past. The news that fairy Claude returns for next season (recast with actor Giles Matthey), and he must have a reason for coming back.

3. What’s Terry’s war buddy up to? Patrick (Scott Foley) first appeared in the Season 4 finale and we know he recurs next season. What does he know and why did he pop back up in to Terry’s (Todd Lowe) life now?

4. As mentioned, The Vampire Authority is staffing up. Last season, we saw the vampire politics go haywire in Bon Temps and its surrounding towns, but we know the show is casting ancient vampires aplenty. And they’ll probably want to regain the control their underlings have lost.

5. Werewolves out for blood. Marcus’ (Dan Buran) violent demise last season may carry some consequences. We hear the series has cast as his bereaved--or vengeance-seeking (or both) mom with My Name Is Earl’s Dale Dickey. What could she want?

 

 

Giles Matthey will play "Claude' inseason 5v True BLOOD

 Photo Credit: Zap2It blog

The Big Man is Dead: Springsteen's E Street Sax Man Clarence Clemons Succumbs After Stroke - 'Jungleland' Solo [VIDEO]

Iconic rock saxophonist Clarence Clemons died Saturday at age 69 of complications from a stroke, bandmate Bruce Springsteen said:

Clarence Clemons performs with Aretha Franklin on her 1985 recording 'Freeway Of Love':
(VIDEO after the jump)

The story of how Bruce Springsteen and The Big Man began making history together--as told by Clarence Clemons:

One night we were playing in Asbury Park. I'd heard The Bruce Springsteen Band was nearby at a club called The Student Prince and on a break between sets I walked over there. On-stage, Bruce used to tell different versions of this story but I'm a Baptist, remember, so this is the truth.

A rainy, windy night it was, and when I opened the door the whole thing flew off its hinges and blew away down the street. The band were on-stage, but staring at me framed in the doorway. And maybe that did make Bruce a little nervous because I just said, "I want to play with your band," and he said, "Sure, you do anything you want."

The first song we did was an early version of "Spirit In The Night." Bruce and I looked at each other and didn't say anything, we just knew. We knew we were the missing links in each other's lives. He was what I'd been searching for. In one way he was just a scrawny little kid. But he was a visionary. He wanted to follow his dream. So from then on I was part of history.

Cover art featuring Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen on The E Street Band's breakthrough album, 'Born To Run':

In concerts Bruce would always introduce "The E Street Shuffle" with a monologue about how they met with the magicl moment immortalized in the song 'Tenth Avenue Freeze out,' the second song on Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough album 'Born to Run.'         

Clarence Clemons' E Street Band 'Jungleland' Solo - Stockholm - June 7th 09 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:

 

Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985 had a hit single with "You're a Friend of Mine", a duet with Jackson Browne. As a guest musician he also featured on Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love" ...Clemons published his autobiography, Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales, in 2009. Clemons suffered a stroke on June 12, 2011 and died due to complications from the stroke on June 18 at 69 years old.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

In announcing Clarence Clemons' death, E Street Band leader Bruce Springsteen said:

"Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage," Springsteen said in a statement.

"His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years. He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

Clemons played on such classic Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band hits as "Born to Run" and "Thunder Road" and is widely credited with helping to shape Springsteen's sound.

 

After the jump: Clarence Clemons talks about his the musical 'marriage' with Bruce Springsteen; Clemons performing with Aretha Franklin on 1985's 'Freeway Of Love':

'Baker Street' Foo Fighters Cover - 'Times Like These' Acoustic - Foo Fighters

Baker Street by Foo Fighters Times Like These Acoustic by Foo Fighters

These two songs seem to compliment one another. Give the Gerry Rafferty cover, 'Baker Street' a listen.

'foofighters RIP Gerry Rafferty. He will be missed. FF cover Baker Street here http://bit.ly/glMUMo'

 

I remember when 'Baker Street' was on the radio [yes, back in the day we listened to the radio(!) Quaint(!)] all. the. time. And unlike a lot of songs that got played to death it never got old or tiresome.  The original still sounds fresh today, what, 25- 30 years later?

"You Wanna Talk To Dexter, Schedule An Appointment" "So This Is How Normal People Do It" - Screen Caps

SHOWTIME September 17, 2010

Dexter watches as Rita is taken away in a body bag.

Love, Love, Love how LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) has evolved from the tough-as-nails, detached, get out of the way or I'll run you over, take-charge ball-buster into all that but with a touch more heart and vulnerability. Still far from perfect (aren't we all?) but much easier to care about. She too, has Dexter's back.

SHOWTIME September 17, 2010

Dexter and Debra visit a funeral home to prepare for Rita's funeral.

"So this is how normal people do it.

No Hefty bags.

No diesel fumes.

This is what she would have wanted...a grieving spouse....for once doing what a person's supposed to do."

Poor Dexter. Rita was his anchor but the closest thing he had to that prior to meeting Rita & after Harry's death  was his sister, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), who is obviously going to step up to the plate for him.

More than any other show, new or returning this fall, I've been looking forward to Dexter's return. Between Six Feet Under and Dexter, I feel like I've been following Michael C.Hall forever (which is just the way i like it-- he is such an immense talent).

NOTE:The clips are mislabeled, BTW. I switched the little blurbs about the scenes but could not change up the embedded titles. SHOWTIME:Wake the Hell Up! People should not have to hunt for your adverts,* in this case for your hottest show. I don't need to hunt much as I know where to look but still SHOWTIME...you have to start treating your unpaid interns better or they will continue to produce sloppy "work" like this..Geez.

Dexter: Rita's Death - ScreenCaps Update - Their Only Hope

SHOWTIME | Season 5 Ep. 0 | Added: August 31, 2010

The cast of Dexter revisit Rita's death and how it has changed the formula of the show.

"Rita Was Their Only Hope" A Moral Compass Dexter copes with the idea of raising Astor and Cody.

Dexter Season 5 Trailer (Comic Con) Dexter: 'It's Already Over' Promo - 100 Screen Caps Rita's Death Scene & Beyond

Dexter Season 5 Trailer (Comic Con) Dexter: 'It's Already Over' Promo -

Screen Caps 'Discovery of Rita's' Death Scene and after

SHOWTIME | Jul 23, 2010

Dexter Season 5 Promo. Dexter returns for an all new season Sunday, September 26th.

SHOWTIME | Jul 23, 2010

Dexter Season 5 Trailer from Comic-Con 2010. Sins may be forgiven but conscience is a killer. Season five premieres Sunday, September 26th.

It's really hard not to feel sorry for Dexter (Michael C.Hall) as we commence with season 5. Has he ever in his life been this far over his head in a sustained fashion as is implied here? Rita's murder by Trinity (John Lithgow) in the season 5 finale has forced a huge switch in direction for Dexter and he was already shifting due to his association with Trinity. Anyone would be eff'ed up over a spouse's bloody murder but to know that you, ultimately are responsible? Will it be too much for Dexter? My guess is surely there will be moments when it looks like he might never reign himself back from the brink of destruction. Such a great show. It will be doubly good to see a healthy Michael C. Hall--even if his character is going through the wringer.

After the jump: Dexter Season 5 Quick Cuts

Turtle Is NOT Angry

via www.fakelocke.com

It's either laugh or cry about the BP Gulf oil spill disaster. I prefer to laugh. Also, I use the "I am disappointed" thing on my kids when the situation merits. It conveys the message loud & clear but skips the "angry Mom" scenario. At least overtly.

Dexter Season 5 - NEW Casting News - Season 5 Details - Extended Scene - Julia Stiles - Julie Benz

Dexter Season 4,Episode 12 Extended Scene

"This Is It"

Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) confronts Dexter (Michael C. Hall) with shocking news.

Julia Stiles is joining the cast of Dexter for the series' upcoming fifth season, Showtime announced earlier this week.

The 29-year-old actress will guest-star in 10 of the 12 episodes, playing a "mysterious woman who forms a special relationship with Dexter" (Michael C. Hall) in the wake of his wife's death.

Known for her roles in 10 Things I Hate About You, Save the Last Dance, and the Bourne films with Matt Damon, Stiles most recently appeared on Broadway in a 2009 production of David Mamet's Oleanna.

The new season of Dexter begins shooting this month (June 2010) and will premiere this September on Showtime.

TVGuide.com also confirmed recently that Julie Benz will return for the Season 5 premiere of Dexter.

Benz played Rita Bennett, the wife of serial killer Dexter Morgan,  until the Season 4 finale, when she was murdered by the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow).

About Benz's return, executive producer Sara Colleton says,

"Bringing her back in a flashback or visionary way sort of steps on our use of Harry [James Remar]," in a reference to Dexter's dead Dad, who appears and has conversations with his son Dex, every once and again.

"We want to be very, very specific about that and not get gimmicky, because it would become too much of a device," says Colleton.

Showtime's statement on Benz's return is sort of vague as to how exactly the very dead Rita will appear.

"As Dexter grapples with the reality of the death of his wife and the realization that he is now a single father, the presence of Rita Bennett will help him deal with his newfound feelings of loss and grief — emotions that Dexter Morgan has never really felt before." is the official Season 5 description from Showtime. (May 25)

The Beauty of Julie Benz (photo album, this blog/ partial nudity)

More Dexter News bits:

Episode 5.02 will be called "Hello Bandit"

Showtime's Dexter is on lookout for an actress to play a "smart, tough, Latina police officer. She's young, confident, passionate, and driven by her hardscrabble upbringing." (June 7)

As previously reported, there will also be some new faces gathering around Dexter to fill the void left by Rita's tragic death.

An "Agent Walker" will be a new male face at the FBI quarters, while a " sweet, 60-something couple named Molly and Bill" will be involved with  motherless kids Astor, Cody and infant Harrison.

In preparation for the Rita's funeral shoot a funeral director and several mourners are being /have been cast. There will be a closed casket, as Julie Benz will be busy.
Source: TV Guide Magazine

Dexter bobblehead found at SpoilerTV.com

Portraits of the Dead : Where's Neil Frogurt?

via fuckyeahlost.com

via www.fakelocke.com

Honestly, I think the EW 12 different-collectible covers and this dead portrait thing is uninspired. It does nothing for me and it's missing Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) and Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) while inserting nominally important people like "Naomi" (in the afro) and "Libby."

We've been hit over the head for years now with a shoulders-up shot of Locke in a coffin--so this seems just like more of the same--minus any tie-in to the actual LOST storyline.

If they were going to fish around on the "C" or "D"- lists why not go with someone like Neil Frogurt?

Dexter: What To Expect In Season 5 - Interviews - Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz (Rita), Exec Producers, Julie Benz Photo Fanwank

The Beauty of Julie Benz

Rita and Dexter: Pictures (Videos) of Dysfunction (NSFW)

It was no surprise to see Dexter's wife 'Rita' killed off. Killing her was the next logical forward movement for Dexter--if he were to remain a viable serial killer. He was getting too happy, content, settling in with his pretty, blond wife and small brood. Can't have that and remain a tortured soul.

The other thing is I would have been glad to see Rita killed off in season one, she was so not my favourite character. As far as the Dexter players with as much scene time as Julie Benz, she would've been first to get the axe if it were going to fall. It just happens that due to her pivotal role in Dexter's life that we can be sure that there will be significant shock waves from Rita's murder. For all we know, season 5 could open with Dexter behind bars--the first logical suspect in the killing of a spouse. He needs an alibi, ASAP!

TVGuide Exclusive Interview: Dexter's Julie Benz by William Keck  December 14, 2009 ...

Freshly diced Dexter beauty Julie Benz has two apologies for TV Guide Magazine. The first is for being a few minutes late to her official exit interview—something she understandably would rather have skipped.

The second is for telling a little lie at our recent Hot List party: “You’re wrong!” she’d declared, when asked if her character, Rita Morgan, the eternally sunny wife of Showtime’s celebrated serial killer, was going to fall victim to John Lithgow’s Trinity Killer in the season finale. “I felt bad,” she confesses. “I even told you we shot multiple endings, which we did not.”

No worries, Julie. We get it. As TV secrets go, this was a doozy, even though we had our suspicions way back at Comic-Con last July when Lithgow spilled to his new costars that he knew something so shocking about Season 4 even they would be floored. Did he actually know Benz’s fate way back then?

“I’ve been told two different things,” says Benz, 37. “The producers and executives told me they didn’t know at the start of the season. But I’ve also been told that Lithgow did know.”

As they were drawing near the finale, Benz’s costar David Zayas (Det. Angel Batista) clued her in that Rita may not be long for Dexter’s world. “There were rumblings that something major was going to happen,” says Benz. “I even asked the producers and they said, ‘We would never kill Rita.’”

Then in late September, the day before the season finale script was to be distributed to the cast, the bomb dropped. “It was my day off, and I was called in for a meeting with the producers,” Benz recalls. “At that point, you pretty much know. It was a tough meeting. In a bizarre way, it felt like a scene from ‘Defending Your Life.’”

Producers explained they wanted to shake up the structure of the show. It was becoming more difficult to sell Dexter as a tortured soul since his life was growing increasingly idyllic in the Miami suburbs with the perfect wife and children. In fact, just before murdering Trinity and discovering Rita’s corpse, Dexter vowed to end his killing spree—which also would have ended the show.

But there’s nothing like discovering your wife’s body slumped in the bathtub with your baby boy crying in a pool of mommy’s blood to reboot your warped psyche.

“It’s a very poetic mirror to how Dexter was found when he was 3,” says Benz, who, before her four-year run on Dexter, was a “WB girl” with parts on Roswell, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

More after the jump:

DEXTER Death POLL *SPOILERS!!!*

 According to  KRISTIN DOS SANTOS of E!

..." regarding the Dexter "main character" death...I know that someone VERY CLOSE to both Dexter and Michael C Hall (could it be more obvious?) will be shot. But it's actually the person she is with at the time who will be the goner. He's a character who returned this season..."

So obviously Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) who is both  Dexter's (Michael C. Hall)  sister on the show and his wife off-camera, is going to be shot. The question is, who will the person she'll be with that is going to bite it?

Peter Paul & Mary - Puff the Magic Dragon, If I Had A Hammer, Blowin' In The Wind, Leaving On A Jet Plane - Videos

thatsakeeper

Puff the Magic Dragon Tonight in Person - 1966

Puff the Magic Dragon was probably the first of Peter, Paul and Mary's string of folk song hits that those of us of a certain age remember hearing as children. I was in the playroom basement of my cousin's house when this first came on the radio, catching my fancy. Many years later I heard that "Puff" was an allusion to smoking pot, getting high but my childhood impression of it as a simple, catchy pop-folk song never changed.

 

Leaving On A Jet Plane

slims86

Ms. Travers once told the music magazine Goldmine: "People say to us, 'Oh, I grew up with your music,' and we often say, sotto voce, 'So did we.'

NYTimes.com

Below:

If I Had A Hammer

I remember belting this out in grade school chorus.

cschoon1213 | August 12, 2009 | 91 likes, 0 dislikes

Peter Paul and Mary, If I Had A Hammer

Lyrics:

If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening,
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger,
I'd hammer out a warning,
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a bell,
I'd ring it in the morning,
I'd ring it in the evening,
All over this land
I'd ring out danger,
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a song,
I'd sing it in the morning,
I'd sing it in the evening,
All over this land
I'd sing out danger,
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
Well I got a hammer,
And I got a bell,
And I got a song to sing, all over this land.
It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.

 

thatsakeeper

Blowin' in the Wind

Tonight in Person - 1966

The real deal. Born and bred in Greenwich Village, NY, here Mary Travers is shown at an anti war news conference in 1967.

Mary Travers, whose ringing, earnest vocals with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary made songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” enduring anthems of the 1960s protest movement, died on Wednesday at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. She was 72 and lived in Redding, Conn.

The cause was complications from chemotherapy associated with a bone-marrow transplant she had several years ago after developing leukemia, said Heather Lylis, a spokeswoman.

Ms. Travers brought a powerful voice and an unfeigned urgency to music that resonated with mainstream listeners. With her straight blond hair and willowy figure and two bearded guitar players by her side, she looked exactly like what she was, a Greenwich Villager directly from the clubs and the coffeehouses that nourished the folk-music revival. NYTimes.com

Irony on top of tragedy: Triple murderer in Hoffman Estates police custody just an hour before the killings began

Yesterday, my son came home from high school and he did what he always does. The routine each day after school is for him and me to go through his day, recounting what he did in his classes. When he got to his Engineering class, he mentioned something odd in the instruction that his teacher gave in regard to how my son's class should interact via Internet (Skype) with students from another District 211 high school, Conant H.S., with whom they are collaborating on a major project. His class was told to be careful how they interacted with the Conant High School kids who were just returning to school after the weekend in which they learned that a senior Conant girl and her family had been brutally stabbed by the girl's older sister's boyfriend.

I've been out on the loop on local news and had missed the story but my son had printed out a couple of articles off the nets before leaving school yesterday and I read the story with great sadness. The sadness turn to anger however when I read that already the perpetrator's court-appointed lawyer was "spinning" his client's tale of woe--child welfare case messed up in the system.
Take a look at a snap of the man that stabbed an entire family. For one thing he's not a child, he's 20 y.o.--old enough to have made the choice not to stab an entire family because you were pissed at the world.

Does he look like he's really suffering or demented? (This is a mug shot from another crime of his.)

My younger son has construed a general notion of what would be his ideal of a justice system that works. He calls it the "iron fist" justice system though he doesn't have all the details worked out--much would have to change. Broadly speaking, we stop going all soft on violent offenders. Ultimately, garbage like the person who essentially killed a whole family would be tossed.

I'm also mad at the sister who had a kid with this guy, a convicted, violent sexual predictor. I know she'll feel bad that she is ultimately the reason why that man was anywhere near her family. I'm just really mad and I can't even blog openly about my feelings about how society makes excuses for the "D'Andre Howards" of the world. A thug is a thug and as such is a threat to society.

It's now up to the only physically unscathed member of this family besides older sis with the murderous bf, the guy in the photo, age 20 that sort of looks like Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters circa his Nirvana era. He was at a good university, editor of the college paper, finishing out his junior year when he was informed on his family's demise. Now he gets to cope with this and hope his mom pulls through all right. Otherwise, he's left only with his dumbass sister who brought the documented convicted felon into her bed, ultimately sending their dad, little sister, and grandmother to their graves.
I'm really angry. And sad.

From the Chicago Sun-Times

Before going to the Hoffman Estates home where he allegedly stabbed three people to death, 20-year-old D’Andre Howard went to the suburb’s police station, authorities said Monday.

Howard was arrested early Friday on a traffic warrant by Hoffman Estates police, but was released from custody barely an hour later after posting bail, police said....

The Engelhardt family: Father, Alan, and his wife, Shelly, Laura (center), Amanda (left) and Jeff Englehardt. D’Andre Howard is charged with stabbing and slashing three members of girlfriend Amanda's family.
(Courtesy ABC7 Chicago)

Howard is charged with murdering his girlfriend’s younger sister, 18-year-old Laura Engelhardt; her father, 57-year-old Alan Engelhardt; and her grandmother, 73-year-old Marlene Gacek.

Howard — the father of the couple’s 8-month-old daughter — also is charged with critically wounding 52-year-old Shelly Engelhardt, his girlfriend’s mother.

Neither his girlfriend nor daughter was harmed, authorities said.

Howard and Amanda Engelhardt had quarreled earlier that night at their Hoffman Estates apartment, but Engelhardt had taken their daughter and gone to her parents’ nearby home, authorities have said

From the Chicago Tribune

At Hoffman Estates' Conant High School, senior Laura Engelhardt would lean against a locker in the morning, ready to make her friends laugh.

There was a lot to be happy about. Engelhardt was an A student who had just chosen a college. She enjoyed a close bond with her father. And in recent days, she began dating a boy on whom she had long harbored a crush.

When school  began Friday, though, she wasn't at her locker.

"I just thought, 'Oh, you get a boyfriend and forget about your friends,' and laughed about it," said her friend Jenny Earl, 17.

Engelhardt, her father and grandmother were stabbed to death Friday in the family home in Hoffman Estates, authorities said. D'Andre Howard, 20, a man who had a relationship with Engelhardt's older sister, has been charged with their slayings.

Battlestar Galactica- Best Surprise Moment - New Caprica Takeover - Best Cylon Kill - D'Anna, Scar, Cavil, Leoben *VIDEOS* Hulu

Battlestar Best Surprise Moment: New Caprica Takeover Battlestar Galactica Web Exclusive (s.2 : ep.20)|06:36|

HULU Blurb: Just when you think it's safe to let your hair grow out, here come your robot overlords.

The takeover of New Caprica was pretty intense. This 6:30 min clip pretty well sums up what went down.

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace may have the best line of the entire series relative to summing up the attitude of the Colonials. They fought until they couldn't. I'm assuming the final 90 minutes of the show will echo that sentiment.

One of things that made Battlestar Galactica a truly fine show was it's art director(s). Some of the shots are truly epic. And they were amazing at setting the tone of the series which was a dark one, yes. Tiny bits of hope dashed time and again. I would love to see them end on a hopeful note as opposed to totally dismal. Not long to wait now.

They got the colour just right for the New Caprica takeover sequence. I am so anxious about the showing ending tonight but I'm so glad that DVD's are an option. I still have to get S3 and of course, S4.5.

I have a "big" birthday this year. I'll ask for those and skip dinner out (Pizza for works for me, especially Chicago deep-dish style. Yum.)

Battlestar Best Cylon Kill: Cavil Battlestar Galactica Web Exclusive (s.4 : ep.11)|00:40|

HULU Blurb: Nobody puts D'Anna in the box.

I loved D'anna Biers (Lucy Lawless) especially after she was unboxed by "Brother" Cavil (Dean Stockwell) and while still in the Cylon bath she grabbed his neck and twisted it, rendering him dead. She then sort of tossed his body away --with one hand!-- like garbage, which it turns out he truly is. Cylon garbage. Ick. Anyway, D'anna taking out Cavil is one of my favourite Cylon Death scenes.

I think the Best Cylon Kill scenes have to include when Cylon leader Natalie (Trica Helfer), a Six, removed the inhibitors from the Centurions (who are really coolly rendered during the rare times they are used). She essentially gave them free will and told them that Cavil was the only who wanted to keep them stupid. Then at Natalie's behest, the Centurions walked into a room of Cavils, Simons, and Dorals and shot them right up. This was post-Resurrection Hub being nuked so they were "permanent" deaths." For all of them. To her credit, Natalie tried a number of times to talk to Cavil and he was just a complete ass. Simon and Doral followed his lead, though one could make a convincing case that Doral is an ass without Cavil to lead him around by the nose and Simon seems pretty unlikeable, too.

It's from season 4.0 and I have not yet found it on Hulu but it gets played a lot because it was both shocking, fantastically executed, starred my favourite actress on the show, Trica Helfer in one of her most sympathetic incarnations of Six, and let's be honest, there was lots of CGI shooting and blood to spare. Fun times.

Oh, one more. The New Caprica long-haired Kara as a prisoner of crazy-yet-weirdly-appealing Cylon, Leoben Conoy (Callum Keith Rennie). She killed him repeatedly and he kept coming back, undeterred. I think she grew bored of what had become a sort of murder then resurrect game so in one scene she pretends to like him and he reacts by getting close enough for her to ram her steak knife into his neck. After he makes his last gurgle, Kara calmly wipes her Leoben blood-soaked hand on the carpet and uses the steak knife to cut her ...steak <gah>.  Of course he comes back--but a little disappointed and even slightly annoyed. Even as a prisoner, Kara won that round and they both knew it.

Battlestar Best Cylon Kill: D'Anna Battlestar Galactica Web Exclusive (s.2 : ep.18)|00:33|

HULU Blurb: Caprica Six rocks D'Anna's world.

Battlestar Best Cylon Kill: Scar Battlestar Galactica Web Exclusive (s.2 : ep.15)|00:49|

HULU Blurb: Kara plays chicken, Kat, bird of prey.

Battlestar Best Cylon Kill: Leoben Battlestar Galactica

Web Exclusive (s.1 : ep.1)|01:57|

HULU Blurb: Adama shows Leoben what lights out really means.

This one sort of threw me. It's from the first episode of the series. Ever wonder why Adama was so quick to believe that the Cylon before him, the thing he would normally call a "toaster," was utterly humanoid when no one else had any notion that the Cylons now "look like us?" Later in the series a young Adama shows us how he knew.

Eddie, though his character nearly got killed, sort of underplayed the scene and I think I like it that way. Even the tail end--so bloody. It was calm--if a murder can be so--when inside as an audience member I'm totally blown away. Great show.

This short clip is from S1E1 so I didn't really know what to expect but this was/is powerful. Eddie Olmos was really good and tougher than nails and Callum Keith Rennie, who over the years figured pretty prominently among the seven Cylons, was very memorable. I was so happy when he became a much more recurring character than say, the Simon or even Dorals. Very fun to watch him.

Tribute To George Carlin~

Because some of my blogs are monetized, I cannot reproduce material on one (exception: graphics and photos) to the other. I did my tribute to the late, master of stand-up comedy, George Carlin on my not-for-profit, Vox blog but this blog seems empty without a little something to remember George. So then, here's the link to my Vox blog George Carlin post in which I've posted a couple memories but more importantly a mash-up --five YouTube videos taken from various George Carlin performances. Enjoy!

These are the mug shots ( that I've altered slightly) from George's 1971 arrest at a event held each year on Milwaukee's lakefront called "Summerfest."

George was said to seem mostly bemused by the experience.

Update/Danny Federici, Springsteen and E Street's Longtime Keyboardist, Dies At 58

Update from the Funeral Home (below) Also, from Danny's family: The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund

"Fourth Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" featuring Danny Federici, Bruce and E Street, Indianapolis 3/2008.

Danny rejoined the band one last time.

Hard to watch but lovely performance. At the very end of the song Bruces gives Danny a buss on the cheek and says "I love you."

When I saw Springsteen and The E Street Band last month in Milwaukee it was clear to me that I'd missed my last chance to see and hear Danny Federici with the full band.

When Bruce spoke about Danny, he did so briefly but meaningfully. I happened to be watching the monitor with the huge image of Bruce from the shoulders up as he took a short break to explain Danny's absence and to urge folks in the audience to give to the Food Bank in the lobby. When he mentioned that they "hoped" to have Danny "back on the next leg of the tour," a flash of sadness etched Bruce's face. I knew in that moment just about a month ago, that Springsteen knew how grave Danny's condition was. Even when you "know" someone will be dying soon, you often still hope against hope for a miracle. It truly appeared that Bruce was heartbroken but showman that he is, he stashed away that part of himself for the show's duration.

Sadly, Danny Federici's life and so his gift of music, was truncated after he succumbed on Thursday after years of battling melanoma.

RIP (Rock on In Peace), Danny

Federici, left, with the E Street Band.

Photo: Supplied

April 18, 2008 - 2:49PM

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from Hungry Heart through The Rising has died. He was 58.

Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York on Thursday.

News of his death was posted on Springsteen's official website.

He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.

"Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much ... we grew up together," Springsteen said in a statement posted on his website.

Springsteen concerts scheduled for Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Saturday in Orlando were postponed.

Federici was born in Flemington, New Jersey, a long car ride from the Jersey shore haunts where he first met kindred musical spirit Springsteen in the late 1960s.

The pair often jammed at the Upstage Club in Asbury Park, New Jersey, a now-defunct after-hours club that hosted the best musicians in the state.

It was Federici, along with original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez, who first invited Springsteen to join their band.

By 1969, the self-effacing Federici - often introduced in concert by Springsteen as Phantom Dan - was playing with the Boss in a band called Child.

Over the years, Federici joined his friend in acclaimed shore bands Steel Mill, Dr Zoom and the Sonic Boom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.

Federici became a stalwart in the E Street Band as Springsteen rocketed from the boardwalk to international stardom. Springsteen split from the E Streeters in the late '80s, but they reunited for a hugely successful tour in 1999.

"Bruce has been supportive throughout my life," Federici said in a recent interview with Backstreets magazine.

"I've had my ups and downs, and I've certainly given him a run for his money, and he's always been there for me."

Federici played accordion on the wistful 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) from Springsteen's second album, and his organ solo was a highlight of Springsteen's first top 10 hit, Hungry Heart.

His organ coda on the 9/11-inspired Springsteen song You're Missing provided one of the more heart-wrenching moments on The Rising in 2002.

In a band with larger-than-life characters such as saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bandanna-wrapped guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, Federici was content to play in his familiar position to the side of the stage. But his playing was as vital to Springsteen's live show as any instrument in the band.

Heath Ledger dies at 28 What do you think of this? Anything?

Actor Heath Ledger dies at 28 - CNN.com: What do you think of this? Anything?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movie...

The Academy Award-nominated actor was 28. Ledger was found naked and unresponsive, facedown on the floor at the foot of his bed by a housekeeper trying to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse, said police spokesman Paul Browne. "Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed," he told CNN. "This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet." Browne later told reporters some prescription medications were found in the room, including sleeping pills. He said the pills were not "scattered about." But he stressed police have made no determination of the cause of Ledger's death -- that would be done by the medical examiner. No note was found and there was no indication of foul play, Browne said. Ledger was found at about 3 p.m., and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel about 3:30 p.m.Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. Ledger's family calls his death "very tragic, untimely and accidental" An autopsy will be conducted Wednesday No note was found and there was no indication of foul play, police say The Academy Award-nominated actor was the father of a young daughter.

This is sad and unexpected.

Sad for all involved including a young child.

I'm going to think "he's dead, now" the whole time I see him playing the Joker. And anything else previously done.

Though I wasn't a fan really--it seems a lot of people were.

And I would have seen the film regardless as I think Christian Bale is the best movie Batman ever.

I'm glad Christian Bale didn't die.

Christian Bale: Batman Begins

...nor Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow, Batman Begins--The first good Batman film).

But Heath, going out--for keeps--at 28? Geez. (More photos at IMDb).

Below: In his last completed* film role as The Joker, due summer, 2008.

Heath Ledger, Dark Knight, The Joker

*I think. I haven't heard otherwise..

The Vagaries Of Online Friendships

I didn't know this woman well enough to call her a blogging friend and that was completely intentional.

Initially, I added her to my Vox neighbourhood because she was blogging friends with many if not most, of my new Vox neighbours.

Within a week or so of me reading her blog I realized that she was extremely troubled--beyond her admitted long-term bipolar disorder. I realize bi-polar disorder is serious enough and with it comes many extremes but her extremes were extreme.

She angrily dropped out of Vox then dropped back in then did so again (deleting her blog each time). She came back again fairly recently though, it seemed rather tentatively. (Her blog here at TypePad remained though I'm guessing due to it being a paid blog that it won't much longer.)

Even her most ardent supporters now characterize her as someone who led a troubled life, wrestling with demons of her own making.

Still it was a "holy crap" moment for me when I read last night that on the very day that she blogged about feeling better, getting some work freelance writing and being so excited that she was getting a brand new motorcycle--on that very day she bought her new bike, she took it out on the highway, crashed into a concrete wall on the on-ramp to another highway and plunged 33 feet to her death between the two highways, down to the ground below.

Now the Vox community, which still feels small to me, is reacting and me being the student of human behaviour that I think I was born as am finding myself drawn to read the reactions of her blogging friends both current and past.

In a case or two her friendships went beyond blogging or IMing online but in the one case that I know of well enough--that friendship ended on a very unpleasant note. The person with whom she was an off-line friend has become over the past year, a cherished online friend to me. This lady knew her quite well and is having a really hard time with her emotions. One can't just ignore that  the woman who died on Sept 11 of this year has three grade school-age children, yet the woman herself hurt so many, probably herself more than anyone, it's quite sticky as to how one expresses condolences.

I'm still thinking on this one. Having long ago removed myself from her "neighbourhood," as it is called at Vox, makes it easier for me--nothing is expected--but there are outpourings of grief some members of my Vox neighbourhood and it's really hard to know what is the right thing--the most considerate and/or comforting thing to say. Saying nothing feels wrong and "I hope she rests in peace doesn't really seem to say it well, either."

The vagaries of online friendships continue to vex me.

Smoking Room

Thanks to my dear friend "B." in Calgary for sharing this very cool painting speaking volumes.

Body-language people must be having a field-day with this shot.

http://tinyurl.com/72g4a