PASSING ON
Really not much I can add to Nolan's mentions of the trio of passings that took place this week. I will only add that I did know Tom Poston was married to Suzanne Pleshette and that I will always remember him as Bob Newhart's college friend affectionately known as "The Peeper."
ADD ONE MORE
Also passing away this week was Gordon Scott, who appeared in several "Tarzan" films in the 1950s and 60s. Mr. Scott died from complications following heart surgery in Baltimore. He was 80. Scott starred in 6 "Tarzan" films and later made films in Italy.
THE TRUE FINAL FRONTIER
This week the cremated remains of James Doohan, best remembered as Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott in the "Star Trek" television series and films, as well as original Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, were launched into space. The two men's widows, Wende Doohan and Suzan Cooper, fired the rockets which carried small amounts of their husbands ashes and the ashes of another 200 others.
WHILE I'M REMEMBERING SPACE TRAVELERS
Sad to report the passing of another of the original Mercury astronauts, Wally Schirra, who died this week at the age of 84. The fifth American in space (he followed Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn and Scott Carpenter), Schirra was the only astronaut to fly in all three of NASA's first manned space flight programs. After orbiting the Earth in the Mercury program in 1962, he commanded the Gemini 6 in 1965. In 1968, as part of the crew of Apollo 7, his work made it possible for man to land on the moon the following year.
IT'S IN THE NUMBERS
If you can't sleep this coming late Saturday night, try to stay up to experience a once every hundred year event: the alignment of the numbers 2 through 7. Yes, if you missed last years celebration at 1:02 am and three seconds on April (4) 5, 200(6), and don't want to wait until next year, raise a glass at 2:03 (and (4) seconds) on 5/6/7. If you're easily amused, you can keep doing this up to 2014. Then you're on your own when it comes to entertainment.
NO MORE MONKEEING AROUND
Peter Tork blames Rolling Stone magazine editor Jann Wenner for the Monkees not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Speaking to Newsday, Tork says Wenner is "holding a grudge" because the band did not play their own instruments on their first two albums, even though three of the boys were accomplished musicians. I have a deal for Jann Wenner: get the Monkees into the Hall of Fame and I promise to never mention the movie "Perfect" ever again. Deal?
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...? CHAPTER 18: MICHAEL SMITH
WHERE YOU MIGHT KNOW HIM FROM: Nolan's Pop Culture Review.
OK, you probably weren't expecting this chapter, were you? However, to celebrate my first credit on the Internet Movie Data Base I thought I'd have a little fun this week. That's right, if you go to www.IMDb.com and look for "The Shark Is Still Working," you will see me credited as "myself," as well as "special thanks to." Ideally, I am sandwiched by my favorite actor, Roy Scheider and my favorite director, Steven Spielberg. Of course, with as common a name as Michael Smith, I am the fortieth one on the site, aptly referred to as "Michael Smith - XL" And I also picked up a couple of acting credits that aren't mine, so if you happen to catch the Australian short film, "Hold This," and see a certain "Party Guest," don't yell out, "Hey, I know that guy." Because it ain't me.
Well, that's all for now. Have a great week. See ya!
"Mike's Rant" is ©2007 by Michael A. Smith. Webpage design and all graphics herein are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2007 by Nolan B. Canova.
