Anna Marie Wooldridge (Abbey Lincoln) 1930 - 2010

RIP.: Anna Marie Wooldridge (Abbey Lincoln) 1930 - 2010

"The great jazz singer Abbey Lincoln passed away today at the age of 80. She was truly one of the greats of the music. I always heard traces of Billie Holiday in her voice, but she had a truly unique sound and was instantly recognizable. In my view, she sometimes in her later career had one of those performance styles that younger singers miss; a certain way of being more conversational than operatic. (Think Shirley Horn or Freddie Cole, even Grady Tate ; sometimes they are more speaking than singing.) This is not to imply that she didn't have pipes; One of my favorite CDs is "When There Is Love", a duo with pianist Hank Jones, and if you listen her rendition of " I Should Care", you hear her gorgeous tone soaring with

a subtle vibrato.

Of course, her association (musically and matrimonially) with drummer Max Roach is considered historically important, especially if you check out the album "We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite". (You can hear most of it on Youtube.) It's a pretty powerful fusion of music and social protest, and Lincoln is pivotal to the suite. Her singing is deadly accurate and overwhelmingly emotional. On "Tears For Johannesburg" Lincoln's vocal virtuosity rivals Sarah Vaughn.



Abbey Lincoln was also a fine and respected composer: Her bluesy "The Music Is The Magic" is practically a standard-I've performed it with a number of singers. "Bird Alone" and "Throw It Away" are also great tunes of Lincoln's. And if you didn't know, she had an acting career: You might remember her from her brief role as Bleek Gilliam's mother in Spike Lee's "Mo' Better Blues." ...She was such a beauty in her early career. She appears in a film from 1956 called "The Girl Can't Help It", looking extremely hot... you'll see her in the famous dress which Marilyn Monroe wore in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Well, in this case, I prefer Abbey!"


Abbey Lincoln - 'Spread The Word (Spead the Gospel)'
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Finally, I wanted to add this wonderful quote from Steve Kirby:

"Abbey Lincoln was a mystic. She was a sorceress. When she ended a song with a cadenza she channeled miles as clear as the mid-day sun. Her soul lies in a smoldering cauldron of artistic passion. I can only imagine how she saw the world. I'm certain, however, that it sat in the palm of her hand. She was one of the giants."

"Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.


Abbey lincoln
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Source By George Colligan (jazztruth), Wikipedia, framb47, mickeynold - Dailymotion

Andrew Koening - August 17, 1968 – February 25, 2010 -

In February 2010, Koenig was reported missing by friends and family. He was last seen near a bakery in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 14, and missed a scheduled flight back to the US on February 16. According to his parents, Koenig left evidence that he was depressed prior to his disappearance. On February 25, 2010, it was reported by CNN that his body was found by friends searching for him in Stanley Park in Vancouver. Police later confirmed Koenig's body was found earlier in the day, and Koenig's father told reporters at an evening press conference that his son took his own life.

Humanitarian work
Koenig traveled to Burma in July 2007 and visited Burmese refugee camps in Thailand with his father as part of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. The following January, he protested the Communist Party of China's political and financial support of the military dictatorship in Burma during the 119th Tournament of Roses Parade, entering the parade and standing in front of a Chinese float promoting the 2008 Beijing Olympics after allegedly a pre-parade human rights march agreed to by parade officials was stifled by them. Koenig, who carried a sign reading "China: Free Burma" in both English and Chinese, was arrested and briefly held for his act of civil disobedience. Koenig's defense attorney was Bill Paparian, a fellow protester and former mayor of Pasadena, California, where the parade is held.
"China sits on the UN Security Council and they have refused to condemn Burma. China purchases gas from Burma and sells them weapons that the military uses on the Burmese people. So they are really quite complicit, and that was the whole point of protesting the China float," Koenig explained. Koenig also noted the Chinese government's implicit support of genocidal forces in Sudan, sweatshops and tainted export products, saying of the float, "China is putting on a good face because of the Olympics, but [it’s time to] send a message to the Chinese government that they have to not just change their face, but change the way they do things.” The Pasadena Weekly quoted Koenig as stating, "Their free speech rights have been totally censored. As a country with a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, we need to continue to support and enforce ours, and [use it to] recognize the rights of human beings all over the world."

Source by Wikipedia

Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold Remember Andrew Koening

Former Growing Pains stars Kirk Cameron and Tracey Gold are mourning the death of their costar Andrew Koenig, whose body was found Thursday in a Vancouver park after he committed suicide.

"It is with great sorrow to hear about the final outcome of the search for my old friend Andrew," Cameron, 39, tells UsMagazine.com. "I hope everyone will be sensitive to the Koenigs and give the family some private time to reflect and to grieve the loss of their beloved son. At a time like this, we are all reminded of the briefness of life and the importance of being ready for our eternal destination. My prayers will continue to be with Andrew's family."

Adds Gold, 40: "Today is a sad day. My heart is broken for Andrew's family. I have such great memories of Andrew and our time together on Growing Pains."

Source by Us Magazine

In Remembrance of: Kathryn Grayson - February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010 -

"Kathryn Grayson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on February 9, 1922. Her childhood was spent in St. Louis where she studied voice before training with Frances Marshall of the Chicago Civic Opera and later was signed by RCA Red Seal records at the age of 15.

Her opera career was nipped in the bud when she was seen and heard by Louis B. Mayer and was signed by MGM to a contract without even the formality of a screen test. Contrary to popular belief, Miss Grayson never appeared on Eddie Cantor's radio show. Her unusual combination of looks, singing voice and acting talent brought her official stardom in 1943. A major star at MGM Miss Grayson also made films at Warner Brothers and Paramount Studios.

Dramatic roles on television came including "Playhouse 90" and "General Electric Theater." Miss Grayson was nominated for an Emmy Award for best actress for GE Theater's "Shadow on the Heart." She made her opera debut in 1960 performing "Madame Butterfly," "La Traviata" and "La Boheme" and in 1983 starred in "Orpheus in the Underworld" for Opera New England.

Miss Grayson scored triumphs in such stage musicals as "The Merry Widow" for which she was nominated for the Sarah Siddons Award. She has toured in "Naughty Marietta," "Rosalinda," "Show Boat," "Kiss Me Kate" and "Camelot" and in 1983 a departure as Miss Tweed in "Something's Afoot."

In 1982 Miss Grayson received rave reviews for her first all dramatic stage performance in Lucille Fletcher's "Night Watch." In 1987, again in a departure, she starred in the much-acclaimed British farce "Noises Off."

From 1988 through 1997 Miss Grayson toured in her one woman show, "An Evening With Kathryn Grayson."

In 1996 and 1997 Miss Grayson appeared with Van Johnson in "Love Letters" with great success. This prompted them to tour in their own production "Red Sox and Roses."

Miss Grayson gave Master Classes and was privately teaching voice until her passing.



Source by PR Log (Press Release)

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen dies aged 40

"The British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead at the age of 40 in his London home.

His body was discovered at the property in Green Street, central London, shortly after 10am today. Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A postmortem has been scheduled but police said his death was not being treated as suspicious. They would not comment on reports he had killed himself.

A spokeswoman for McQueen said: "Mr McQueen was found dead this morning at his home. We're devastated and I hope you understand that out of respect to his family and his colleagues we're not going to be making any further statement."

The death comes days before the start of London fashion week and a month before the designer was to unveil his new collection at Paris fashion week.

His family asked for privacy to come to terms with the death of McQueen, whose first name was Lee.

His company, Alexander McQueen, issued a statement saying: "On behalf of Lee McQueen's family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand, has been found dead at his home. At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee's family."

"Lee's family has asked for privacy in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this."

Tributes quickly poured in after news of McQueen's sudden death.

Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, said McQueen had influenced a whole generation of designers. "His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs," she said. "At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashion shows that mixed design, technology and performance and on another he was a modern-day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over. His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't."

The designer Katherine Hamnett said: "He was a genius. What a terrible, tragic waste."

Dame Vivienne Westwood said she was "incredibly sorry" to hear the news.

Matthew Williamson said: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by McQueen's death. He was a genius and his talent was second to none. Like many others I always cited him as a hugely inspirational leader of world fashion. He will be greatly missed."

A spokesman for the model Kate Moss said: "Kate is shocked and devastated at the tragic loss of her dear friend Lee McQueen. Her thoughts are with his family at this sad time."

McQueen was praised for raising the profile of British fashion around the world. "Alexander McQueen made an outstanding contribution to British fashion," said the culture secretary, Ben Bradshaw. "His extraordinary talent and creativity mean that his designs are adored not just by followers of haute couture but lovers of great style everywhere. This is a great loss to one of Britain's most successful industries and to the design world more widely."

A spokeswoman for the British fashion council said: "He was a unique talent and one of the world's greatest designers. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this sad time."

Comments had been posted on McQueen's Twitter page, McQueenWorld, expressing his distress over the death of his mother on 2 February.

He wrote last week: "i'm letting my followers know the my mother passed away yesterday if it she had not me nor would you RIP mumx"

A minute later he added: "but life must go on!"

On Sunday McQueen wrote: "sunday evening been a f****** awful week but my friends have been great but now i have to some how pull myself together..."

Born in London in 1969 as the youngest of six children, McQueen left school at the age of 16 and was offered an apprenticeship at the traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shephard, then at neighbouring Gieves and Hawkes.

At 20 he was employed by the designer Koji Tatsuno. A year later McQueen travelled to Milan where he worked as a design assistant to Romeo Gigli. He returned to London in 1994 where he completed a master's degree in fashion design at Central St Martins College. His degree collection was famously bought in its entirety by Isabella Blow, a leading figure in the fashion world who died in 2007.

In less than 10 years McQueen became one of the most respected fashion designers in the world. In October 1996 he was appointed chief designer at the French label Givenchy where he worked until March 2001.

In December 2000, 51% of Alexander McQueen was acquired by luxury brand Gucci, where he became creative director. Expansion followed and included the opening of flagship stores in New York, London and Milan.

McQueen was a four-time winner of the British designer of the year award as well as the international designer of the year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He was awarded the CBE in 2003."

Source by Mark Tran - Guardian.co.uk

GOING UP - ALEXANDER MCQUEEN - RIP

ON BEHALF OF LEE MCQUEEN'S FAMILY, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN TODAY ANNOUNCES THE TRAGIC NEWS THAT LEE MCQUEEN, THE FOUNDER AND DESIGNER OF THE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN BRAND HAS BEEN FOUND DEAD AT HIS HOME. AT THIS STAGE IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO COMMENT ON THIS TRAGIC NEWS BEYOND SAYING THAT WE ARE DEVASTATED AND ARE SHARING A SENSE OF SHOCK AND GRIEF WITH LEE'S FAMILY.

LEE'S FAMILY HAS ASKED FOR PRIVACY IN ORDER TO COME TO TERMS WITH THIS TERRIBLE NEWS AND WE HOPE THE MEDIA WILL RESPECT THIS.

The Year in Review 1999 - (My favorite memory of SCATMAN JOHN)

John Paul Larkin (March 13, 1942 – December 3, 1999), better known by his stage name Scatman John, was an American jazz musician and singer who created a fusion of scat singing and dance music, best known for his 1994 hit "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)".
A stutterer, John liked to say scatting was a process of "turning my biggest problem into my biggest asset". Scatman John sold millions of recordings worldwide and was named "Best New Artist" in the Echo Awards in both Japan and Germany. He was a recipient of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Annie Glenn Award for outstanding service to the stuttering community and National Stuttering Association Hall of Fame."


Scatman John Scatman'S World
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Scatman John - Scatman
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Scatman John - Everybody Jam
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Source by Wikipedia, Hakunamatata67, Ryan71, Chrisgaelle and Dan_of_the_Land

REMEBRANCES (MADAME ZELDA RUBINSTEIN - (May 28, 1933– January 27, 2010)

"Actress Zelda Rubinstein was taken off of life support at Cedar Sinai. The 76-year-old star has spent more than a month at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where her liver and kidneys failed. A friend told Radaronline.com, "It's only a matter of time now - she doesn't have long to live."
Rubinstein played the high-voiced psychic Tangina in all three Poltergeist films, as well as Madame Serena in the campy Teen Witch. She also appeared on a number of TV shows and horror movies, her last role as the Narrator on the reality series The Scariest Places on Earth. We'll all miss Zelda and her funny, campy, creepy roles."


"The 4'3 actress was best known to the public for her role as the psychic in Poltergeist who warned Carol Ann against 'going toward the light' and being consumed by malevolent forces that haunted the house she and her family lived in. Since Rubinstein lived a fairly decent long life, we can acknowledge that she is not a part of the infamous Poltergeist Curse that's plagued the cast and crew. It's like a Hollywood version of the people who opened King Tut's tomb.
She also played a pivotal role in the greatest movie musical of all time, Teen Witch. Rubinstein was the seer who realizes Louise is a witch and sets her on her destined path, which includes magicking her best friend into a rap off with teenage skaters and a long montage of her running through an empty house and being devirginized by the hottest guy in school. None of it makes sense but "I Like Boys" and "The Most Popular Girl" should have won like every Golden Globe, Emmy, and Grammy of the year in 1989.
But for me, she will always be the terrifying character from The Tales From The Crypt episode "The New Arrival". Rubinstein plays a woman who calls in repeatedly to a radio show hosted by a child psychologist who's about to get canceled. In an effort to boost his credibility, he decides to pay an in-house visit it to the woman, who claims she is suffering thanks to her rebellious child. Upon entering the house, he and his crew are under attack from the mother and the daughter, who runs around in a face mask giggling and killing. At the end, it's revealed that Rubinstein's daughter has been dead for forty years. IT IS TERRIFYING and ruined little people, children, laughter, and houses for me forever.
January 27, 4:43 PMLA Celebrity Headlines ExaminerSabrina Brody



She was also one of the first celebrity AIDS activists in USA.




“There is no death. There is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness.”

Source by www.pretty-scary.net/www.examiner.com/

REMEBRANCES - FILIP NIKOLIC - 1974 - 2009

"Actor Filip Nikolic, former singer from the famous 2B3 boys band died at the age of 35. According to the first reports the cause of the death, an heart attack due to a combination of pills he used to get to sleep.



He became SUPER famous in France and Europe after creating a band with his two best friends in 1996 Adel Kachermi [below left] et Frank Delay [right] their voices were ok, their choreography were cheesy but extremely acrobatic and well executed, making their act very fun and engaging!

Ironically his first hit single was called 'partir un jour' [Gone One Day] and was about living his life knowing that you can be gone tomorrow and never return, following your dreams and live life at its fullest ... we sure hope he did and was happy along the way!


SOURCE BY OHLALAMAG.