Flotsam and Jetsam - Dilbert Creator Dies, Clintons Refuse Epstein Testimony

Tuesday afternoon, the time of the week all the work gets done, to quote another cartoonist. It was a very newsy day. First, comes word that Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, which poked fun at corporate hierarchies and their denizens, controversialist and podcaster, died from prostate cancer. IIRC, Scott Adams publicly announced his fatal diagnosis when it was Joe Biden had advanced prostate cancer. At the time he said he didn't expect to make it through summer, so at least he beat that. 

Althouse, Goodbye to Scott Adams., "He shared his dying with us right up to the end. We knew he was going, and now, suddenly he's gone. I received the news through my son John, who's put up this post at Facebook that provides a gift link to the Washington Post obituary, which has a headline that I don't like, "Scott Adams, ‘Dilbert’ creator who poked fun at bad bosses, dies at 68/His three-panel comic strip was once published in more than 2,000 newspapers. Publishers cut ties with Mr. Adams after he made racist comments on a YouTube live stream." From the obituary: "His former wife Shelly Miles announced his death in a live stream Tuesday morning, reading a statement she said Mr. Adams had prepared before his death. 'I had an amazing life,' the statement said in part. 'I gave it everything I had.'"" Also, "Many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go. I’m not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation..." ""... for doing so looks so attractive to me. So here I go. I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and look forward to spending an eternity with Him. The part about me not being a believer should be quite quickly resolved; if I wake up in heaven, I won’t need any more convincing than that. I hope I’m still qualified for entry." Wrote Scott Adams, just before dying." At PJM, Cathy Salgado reports Trump Pays Tribute to Scott Adams: ‘Great Influencer’. Hat Hair's Capt. Ed has a Flashback to When Scott Adams Explained Trump, Persuasion, and 'Loserthink'. Ann Coulter @AnnCoulter, "From Scott Adams NYT obit:" (see above). VodkaPundit at Insty, HOWEVER MUCH YOU DESPISE THE MEDIA…: Phil Labonte @philthatremains, "you do not hate them enough." At Ace, Scott Adams, Humorist and Rebel, Dies at Age 68 After Long Fight with Prostate Cancer, "He's gone to the great Corporate Meeting in the sky."

From ET, US Annual Inflation Holds Steady at 2.7 Percent to Finish 2025. Capt. Ed, Affordability Win? Inflation Stays Level at 2.7%, Beats Expectations (Again). Dmitri Bolt at TownHall, The December Inflation Report Is Here, and It's Good News. From the Center Square, Bipartisan bill to cap annual deficits at 3% could curb debt growth. From Breitbart, The Fed Chairman’s Theatrical Martyrdom. 

VodkaPundit at Insty, Will There Still Be an Iran the Day After Tomorrow? Capt. Ed, NEW: Iran Death Toll at 3,000; US Orders Citizens Out; UPDATE: Trump: 'Help Is On the Way'. From NYPo, Iranian protesters are showing courage in the face of tyranny — but Israel-obsessed liberals don’t seem to care. Spiked thinks The courage of Iran’s women puts woke Westerners to shame. "The keffiyeh-clad class is utterly indifferent to this genuine struggle for liberty against Islamist oppression." From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, “President Trump Has Joined The Revolution.” Vic Nava at NYPo, Trump threatens ‘very strong action’ against Iran if regime hangs protesters. Dave Strom at Hat Hair finds it Unbelievable: Nora O'Donnell Suggests That Reza Pahlavi Is Responsible for Iranians Dying in Protests.

Matt Vespa at TownHall has some news About That Sonic Boom Weapon We Reportedly Deployed During Trump's Venezuela Raid... Dave Strom, NYT Is Right About 'Perfidy,' But They Are the Ones Committing It. Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1, "Breaking NYT: The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter. The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status. That is a war crime called "perfidy."" Barry Latzer at Da Fed shows History Supports Trump’s Operation To Take Down Maduro. PJM's Sarah Anderson on Marco Rubio, For the Cuban Regime, He's a Supervillain — But in the U.S. He’s the Quarterback.

From Calgary City News, Calgarians gather to sign Alberta independence petition as data suggests sovereignty support is growing. Eric CIAramella’s Dirty Whistle @TheAndersPaul, "Wow. I did not know that." At Am Con, Trump is Reviving ‘Spheres of Influence.’ That’s a Good Thing "The age-old framework is a welcome alternative to liberal internationalism." Insty at his NYPo gig notes Trump has cut the technocratic Gordian Knot — and elites hate it.

Matt Margolis hears No Charges Are Expected Against ICE Agent Whom Renee Good Attacked. JD Vance @JDVance, "This is an extremely important point: you're only seeing chaotic ICE raids in blue sanctuary cities where local officials are fighting against federal law enforcement. The chaos is created by "leaders" who would rather promote rioting in their streets than follow the law," Quote Inez Stepman @InezFeltscher, "A point that isn’t hammered hard enough by ICE and admin spox imo is that these dangerous raids - in more ways than one - happen BECAUSE of sanctuary city/state policies. In red states following our immigration laws, most of these people are getting picked up at the courthouse or jail." From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, Hey Anti-ICE Morons: “Texas Is Not Minnesota.”

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair hears Anti-ICE Types Enjoy Their Alternate Reality Heroics Until They're Not MORE, CBS EDIT BUSTED. Dave Strom explains How the Propaganda Is Done. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "Found a master list of protests from Richard Stallman, of all people. Over 1,500 in total. Many are candlelight vigils, but still. Many of them are scheduled well in advance with repeating sessions. They plan on keeping this up infinitely." ℕ@Shaysite1786, "Feels like this is the No Kings operation transforming seamlessly into a No ICE operation. All the same management and systems and people; just printing new signs." Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, Who’s Funding the Aggressive Anti-ICE Tactics Used by Activists Like Renee Nicole Good? Guess. At Reddit, She admits it. Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck, "When you see lunatics screaming at ICE or just acting insane about a far left cause, I want you to remember that they’re signing up to be election workers on Election Day. Does anyone really think they won’t cheat? If so, you’re an idiot. We must prioritize election integrity." Luke @LukeTaylorUSA, "Pause for a moment and notice something.. Look at this video from the perspective of “layers” Layer 1: you have frontline agitators who physically encroach but do nothing else aside from yell & hurl vulgarity Layer 2: Behind layer1 you have those I call grapplers. They will swoop in and shove or pull on an agent then fall back behind layer1. . . " On Reddit, Greg Gutfeld just dropped a MAJOR TRUTH NUKE on every leftist defending anti-ICE agitators and terrorists. “YOU are living a LIE!” Ace, Left-Wing Mentally-Ill Revolutionary LARPers Don't Know That Law Enforcement Officers Load Their Guns With Real Bullets, "They think this is all a Marvel movie." Blake Neff @BlakeSNeff, "A "whistleblower" just released the personal information of thousands of ICE and CBP personnel, and this Daily Beast ghoul is gloating about it. They're obviously not doing this to get agents fired. They're doing it to get them killed." Dave Strom has A Modest Proposal for Mayor Frey and Governor Walz "Wouldn't it make sense to keep the confrontations to a minimum by handing over the criminal aliens Minnesota currently holds in its custody? Renee Good died defending those 470 criminal illegal aliens that Mayor Frey and Governor Walz released into the community. And, since they are holding over 1300 more, handing them over would reduce the chances of a confrontation going badly." 

Teri Christoph at RedState, Harmeet Dhillon Refutes Claim That Lefty DOJ Lawyers Rage-Quit Over Handling of ICE Shooting (Updated) From Twitchy, Media Spins Mass Exodus Over ICE Shooting—Shipwreckedcrew Drops the Truth: It's All About Breonna Taylor. Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew, "Let me tell you the real reason why the four prosecutors in Civil Rights Criminal Section resigned. It has to do with the death of Breonna Taylor. Louisville PD Officer Brett Hankison was retried after a jury in his first federal trial ended 11-1 for acquittal. These four individuals were part of the leadership team that agitated to retry him. . . " It's a bit long, but read it. We're well rid of them.

Hen Mazzig @HenMazzig, "According to the New York Times, Ilhan Omar is the face of the Somali refugee community that fled civil war. This despite the fact that her father was a high ranking officer in the Somali military as it carried out a genocide against the Isaaq people from the Somaliland region. He didn’t flee to the United States as a persecuted refugee, but as a war criminal running from accountability for his crimes. But I suppose that context wasn’t deemed newsworthy enough by the esteemed editors at the NYT." Ace notes Trump Ends "Temporary" Protected Status for Thousands of Somali Pirate Nomads, "Good. BTW, most Somalis are, unfortunately, citizens by now. This doesn't affect them. But... that's no reason for blackpilling. Change almost never comes with one magic silver bullet. It comes from a lot of small changes sustained over time." From Da Mail, Somalis plunge to bottom of America's favorability rankings after fraud scandal as poll reveals immigrant group voters like most. David Bernstein @ProfDBernstein, "One of the most bizarre things about Hamas is that it states explicitly that it's an Islamist movement aiming to replace Israel with an Islamist state, and the Western left insists that it's just a "resistance" movement dedicated to the Palestinian cause fighting "occupation.""

Matt Margolis, CNN Drops a Truth Bomb on the Left’s Legal Efforts Against ICE. A Larry video at Hat Hair, CNN Pours Cold Water on Pathetic Anti-ICE Lawsuit. Dave Strom cites Jonathan Turley: Keith Ellison's Lawsuit Makes Us All Dumber. 

Capt. Ed, Hmmmm: Clintons Vow to Stonewall Congress on Epstein Files. Matt Margolis, Bill and Hillary Clinton Defy Subpoena, Refuse to Testify in Epstein Probe. Ace, Bill Clinton Is a No-Show At Congressional Hearing on Jeffrey Epstein; Comer Vows Contempt of Congress Criminal Charges, "Steve Bannon went to jail for refusing to show up for testimony.." Dave Strom, Should People Who Dislike Trump Answer Subpoenas? Or Is That Only For Republicans? General Mike Flynn @GenFlynn, "Here’s my gut assessment of the Clintons blowing off Congress today. They hold so much information on everyone from judges to members of Congress to business executives to world leaders. I pray they’re held accountable, but trying to analyze why they were no shows today tells me they’re feeling pretty untouchable about now."

John Sexton, Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on Trans Athletes. At Althouse, "Live Updates: Transgender Athletes Ask Supreme Court to Overturn State Bans." "I'll just make one observation, about something I was hearing for the first time, which is the idea that male-bodied persons who take puberty blockers might be disadvantaged in sports because they have larger bones but these bones are not powered by the strength and drive that the testosterone of puberty would have provided. By taking puberty blockers, they are choosing to go forward with underpowered bodies. That is, in this way, these children not only don't have an advantage if they play in girls' sports, they have a disadvantage!" Bullshit! Just because you can say it doesn't make it true. VodkaPundit at Insty sees BIDEN’S DEI SCOTUS HIRE IS AT IT AGAIN: Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BREAKING: DEI Justice Ketanji Jackson is DEFENDING men in women's sports with an utter word salad at the Supreme Court. "Is treating someone transgender, but does not have, because of the medical interventions and the things that have been done, who does not have, uh, the same, uh, threat to physical competition and safety and all the reasons the state puts forward - that's actually a different class, says this individual. So you're not treating the class the same. And how do you respond to that?" Idaho AG Hurst didn't even seem to understand what she asked, and instead responded to her second question that named specific precedent. SCOTUS Justice Gorsuch then stepped in." Insty, NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE JUDICIAL DRAWER: Dan McLaughlin @baseballcrank, "You gotta be pretty bad as a Justice to get schooled this hard by a lawyer arguing in front of you." Matt Margolis, As Expected, Justice Jackson Humiliated Herself During Today’s Oral Arguments. Nick Arama at RedState hears KBJ Comes Up With a New Word in SCOTUS Trans Athletes Case That Has Everyone in Stitches. Daily Caller @DailyCaller, "Ketanji 'I'm Not a Biologist' Jackson: "For cisGINGER girls, they can play consistent with their gender identity. For transgender girls, they can't."From the Volokh Report, Steve Calabresi, Justice Barrett, Trump v. Slaughter, and Presidential Removal Power from 1989 to 2009. "Presidential non-acquiescence in Humphrey's Executor from 1989 to 2009."

John Sexton, Would-Be Trump Assassin Pleads Guilty to Murder. Joe Chalfant at TownHall, Minnesota House Moves to Impeach Tim Walz. Republicans. It won't stick. John Kass sees Democrats in the Cheeze Barrel with Walz. Ace cites Scott Bessent: 10% of US Government Spending Is Stolen Every Single Year "I mentioned this on Friday but it's getting more notice now."

Beege Welborn sees Mayor Commie Mamdani Is SO Mad He Momentarily Lost His Twinkle. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor, "I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment. This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation." "Visa overstay - oh, shocker - but the kind of guy who also had an assault charge and was ordered deported, but decided he'd hang around instead because what were the chances of getting booted out of the country?" Mamdani Watch @MamdaniWatch, Commentary account "Eric Adams TEARS into weird Zohran Mamdani fan harassing him: “I’m not mayor anymore. Go fuck yourself,”"

At the View from the Wing, Chase Sues Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot—$11,078 United Credit Card Debt, 17 Months Without a Payment. John Sexton hears Newsom: Don't Blame Me for the Wealth Tax Fiasco. John Sexton reports The Palisades Fire Cover Up Continues.

From Althouse, "Philosophy professor Martin Peterson was ordered to remove excerpts from Plato’s 'Symposium' that seemed to violate the new guidelines..." ""... passages about Diotima’s Ladder of Love and Aristophanes’ speech regarding split humans. Peterson was told the course would be reassigned to someone else if he didn’t delete the readings from his introductory philosophy syllabus. Peterson says his course does not 'advocate' for any ideology but teaches students how to structure and evaluate moral arguments." From "Plato falls victim to campus culture wars/Jettisoning the Greek philosopher hurts students who yearn to learn how to reason, argue and think" by the Editorial Board of The Washington Post. What's really going on here? Wasn't this some sort of "malicious compliance" move by opponents of restrictions on left-wing gender ideology?"

John Sexton reports Trans Liberation Activists Accused of Hacking Free Speech Union.

More! at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.13.26

Drivin' Home For Christmas

 

The Beeb, Driving Home for Christmas singer Chris Rea dies aged 74

Chris Rea, the musician behind the festive classic Driving Home for Christmas, has died at the age of 74. The singer died on Monday in hospital following a short illness, a spokesperson for his family said. 

A statement on behalf of his wife and two children read: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris.

"He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family."

RIP: Claudia Cardinale

The Bebe: Italian actress and star of The Leopard Claudia Cardinale dies aged 87

Claudia Cardinale, the Tunisian-born Italian star of The Leopard, 8 1/2 and Pink Panther, has died at the age of 87.

She had a six-decade long career, rising to fame during the golden age of Italian cinema, and was directed by greats such as Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.

The actress died at Nemours in France in the company of her children, according to her agent Laurent Savry.

 

"She leaves us the legacy of a free and inspired woman both as a woman and as an artiste," Savry told AFP news agency.

Born in Tunisia to Sicilian parents in April 1938, Cardinale won a beauty contest at 16 that saw her declared "the most beautiful Italian woman in Tunis".

The prize was a trip to the Venice film festival, where she was approached by directors and producers to become involved in filmmaking.

 

She later described her reluctance to abandon her hopes of becoming a teacher to "give this cinema thing a go", in her father's words.

Her early career was marked by challenges. She was picking up small roles as a teenager when she was raped by a man she did not know.

When she learned that she was seven months pregnant while filming, a mentor convinced her to give birth in secret abroad in London.

 

For several years, she introduced her son, Patrick, to people as her younger brother. She
told French newspaper Le Monde in 2017 that he was the reason for her film career, because she wanted to "earn a living and be independent".

Because she had grown up speaking French, Arabic, and her parents' Sicilian dialect, her accent was seen as unacceptable, and her voice was dubbed by other Italian actors.

 

She shot to fame in 1963 when she appeared in Fellini's Oscar-winning 8 1/2 and the epic period drama The Leopard, which became a Visconti classic.

While shooting the films simultaneously, Cardinale commuted between Sicily and Rome, and said she had to dye her hair once a week.

"Visconti wanted me brunette with long hair. Fellini wanted me blonde," Cardinale said.

 

She worked in Hollywood in the 1960s, starring in Blake Edwards' The
Pink Panther and Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In the West, and appearing with actors including Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.

During her time in the US, Cardinale had spoken of pretending to be in a relationship with the actor Rock Hudson to try to keep his homosexuality a secret.

"At that time in America if it was known that you were gay you could not work in Hollywood," she told Variety in 2017.

Not a bad run. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Boots & Bikinis up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

RIP: Loni Anderson

 Fox, Loni Anderson, 'WKRP in Cincinnati' star, dead at 79

Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a "prolonged" illness, her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. She was surrounded by her loving family. "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother," Anderson’s family said in a statement.

Over four decades, Anderson starred in various TV shows and films, including "Swat," "Three on a Date," "Three’s Company," "The Incredible Hulk," "The Love Boat," "The Bob Newhart Show," and more.

 

Growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, Anderson's greatest ambition was to be an actress. In 1975, Anderson moved to Los Angeles, where she quickly began making a name for
herself.

She landed the role of the titillating and intelligent Jennifer Marlowe in 1978 and cemented her status as a beloved TV sex symbol. 

"I remember we all did posters back then. Everybody always asks me, ‘What made you do a poster?’ I would say, 'Because someday my grandchildren will look at this. And I’ll be able to tell them that I really looked like that. What you saw is what you got," she told Fox News Digital in 2021.

"But you know, I had this discussion with Ann-Margret. Will there ever be a time when our names won’t be followed by ‘bombshell’ or ‘sex symbol?’ It becomes a part of your name," she continued. "And you know, I’d never thought I would reach that point. I was so serious. I was doing ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ for 53 weeks on tour. I never thought I would be Loni Anderson, sex symbol. But I embrace it. I think I was lucky enough to have been able to play so many different things and sex symbol was a part of it. I took whatever my career threw at me. So I embrace it. And my granddaughters think it’s a hoot!"

"Prolonged" illness usually means cancer of some kind. Too bad, she was one of the good ones.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Doughnut Dolly up on time and under budget.

RIP - Hot Lips Houlihan

 Aka Loretta Switt, ‘MASH’ Star Loretta Swit Dead At 87

Loretta Swit, best known for playing Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on “MASH,” died Friday at her home in New York City at the age of 87.

Swit’s representative, Harlan Boll, said the New York police reported her time of death at 12:01 p.m. Friday, according to Variety. It is believed the actress died of natural causes, according to the outlet.

The two-time Emmy-award winning actress also appeared as Major Houlihan on the 1975 variety special “Rickles” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in 1983. Her talents spanned across television and the live stage.

Swit’s long list of credits include the made-for television movie “The Execution” and guest appearances on shows including “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Diagnosis Murder,” in 1988, which was her last stint on TV, according to Variety.

She made her small screen debut in 1969 with multiple appearances on “Hawaii Five-O,” and roles in “Mission: Impossible,” “Mannix,” “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “Ironside” and “Love, American Style.”

It was a pretty good show. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Some Jeep Drivers Are Okay on time and under budget.

RIP: Roberta Flack

 The Peacock, Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer of 'Killing Me Softly With His Song,' dies at 88. "Flack’s music was introduced to a new generation thanks to the Fugees and Lauryn Hill, whose cover of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" topped the charts in 1996."

Grammy award-winning singer Roberta Flack, who crooned hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” has died, a representative confirmed to NBC News. She was 88.

In November 2022, a representative announced that Flack had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and could no longer sing. The progressive disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak,” Flack’s manager Suzanne Koga said in a news release.

ALS! Yuck. 

In a statement on Monday, representatives for Flack said they are "heartbroken" by her passing. "She died peacefully surrounded by her family," Koga and Mikel Gilmore said in the statement. "Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator."

Flack was born Feb. 10, 1937, in North Carolina. The daughter of a church organist, Flack began playing classical piano at a young age. At 15, her talents earned her a scholarship to Howard University in Washington, D.C. Jazz musician Les McCann claims he discovered Flack’s talents while she was singing at Mr. Henry’s, a Washington nightclub. “Her voice touched, tapped, trapped and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known,” McCann said. “I laughed, cried and screamed for more.”

Eventually, McCann helped the young singer sign with Atlantic Records Group, where Flack recorded “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which was written by Ewan MacColl. The song became a breakout for Flack after it appeared on her first album, “First Take,” in 1969. After being used in Clint Eastwood’s 1971 directorial debut “Play Misty for Me,” however, Atlantic Records released a radio version, which became a huge hit, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.

In 1973, the song won Grammys for record and song of the year.

Curiously, the first time ever I heard "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was from the Kingston Trio, who recorded it back in 1962. I thought Flack did it better.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Denim on the Beach up and garnering clicks at the Other McCain.

Marianne Faithfull, Jagger Muse, Dead at 78

CNN, 1960s pop icon Marianne Faithfull has died at her home in London

Singer, song writer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died, her spokesperson confirmed to CNN Thursday.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull. Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed,” the statement said.

Faithfull was known for her 1960’s hits including “As Tears Go By” which was written by The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, whom she also famously dated

She was discovered at a party in London by The Rolling Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham in 1964 and was just 16 years old when “As Tears Go By” was released, according to her biography on her official website.
 
She has been making music for over 50 years, and was also an actress in the film Girl on a Motorcycle which came out in 1968 as well as Hamlet in 1969 and others.

But at the end of the 1960s she had fallen into a deep battle with drug addiction which would endure for years, according to her bio, before mounting a series of creative comebacks in the following decades.

 Reportedly, she, Mick and Keith co-wrote Sister Morphine

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: You Can Be My Cowgirl up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

RIP: Mitzi Gaynor

AP, Mitzi Gaynor, star of ‘South Pacific,’ dies at 93

Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 19
58 film “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.

Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.

“As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life,” Reyes and Rosamonda said in a joint statement. “Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life.”

Her entertainment career spanned eight decades across film, television and the stage, and appeared in several notable films including “We’re Not Married!” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” but she is best remembered for her turn in “South Pacific.

The screen version of “South Pacific” received three Academy Award nominations and won for best sound, while Gaynor was a best actress nominee for a Golden Globe.

The role of the love-sick nurse Nellie, created on Broadway by Mary Martin, had been eagerly sought by Hollywood stars. Sinatra helped Gaynor land it.

She was starring with him in “The Joker Is Wild,” when she had a one-day opportunity to audition for lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the same day she was scheduled for her biggest scene with Sinatra. When she explained her plight, he told her, “Don’t worry, I’ll change the schedule.”

Hammerstein was impressed with Gaynor, who had already won the approval of director Josh Logan and composer Richard Rodgers. She was cast opposite Rossano Brazzi, about whom she sang “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.”

“South Pacific” was not the turning point in her career that Gaynor had hoped it would be, and she shifted her focus from film to television, making early appearances on Donald O’Connor’s variety series “Here
Comes Donald,” and on CBS’ “The Jack Benny Hour.” In October of 1959, she was the only women to guest star alongside Sinatra, Crosby, Dean Martin and Jimmy Durante on ABC’s “The Frank Sinatra Timex Show” special.

Later in her career, Gaynor reinvented herself as a performing entertainer. Working with her husband and manager Jack Bean, she starred in her own musical revue that was a big draw in theaters throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.

Gaynor became a mainstay in Las Vegas for several years, performing in weeks-long residencies for over a decade, notably at the Flamingo Hotel and the Riviera Hotel.

I wasn't really a follower, it wasn't my genre, but it's sad to see the old guard falling. 

RIP: Kris Kristofferson

Variety, Kris Kristofferson, Country Music Legend and ‘A Star Is Born’ Leading Man, Dies at 8

Kris Kristofferson, who attained success as both a groundbreaking country music singer-songwriter and a Hollywood film and TV star, died Saturday at home in Maui, Hawaii. No cause of death was given, but he was described as passing away peacefully while surrounded by family. He was 88.

Said his family in a statement, “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home. We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.” The statement was offered on behalf of Kristofferson’s wife, Lisa; his eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly and Blake; and his seven grandchildren.

Variety doesn't do his life justice, but if Wikipedia is correct, he was a serious contender for world's most interesting man.

In 1958, Kristofferson was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford,  studying at Merton College. While at Oxford, he was awarded a Blue for boxing, played rugby for his college, and began writing songs. . . . This early phase of his music career was unsuccessful.[12] In 1960, Kristofferson graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in English literature.
. . .
Kristofferson, under pressure from his family, joined the U.S. Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, attaining the rank of captain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He also completed Ranger School.  During the early 1960s, he was stationed in West Germany as a member of the 8th Infantry Division. During this time, he resumed his music career and formed a band. In 1965, after his tour in Germany ended, Kristofferson was given an assignment to teach English literature at West Point. Instead, he decided to leave the Army and pursue songwriting. His family disowned him because of his career decision; sources are unclear on whether they reconciled.
. . .
After leaving the army in 1965, Kristofferson moved to Nashville. Struggling for success in music, he worked at odd jobs in the meantime while burdened with medical expenses resulting from his son's defective esophagus. He and his wife divorced in 1968. 

Kristofferson got a job sweeping floors at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville. He met June Carter there and asked her to give Johnny Cash a tape of his. She did, but Cash put it on a large pile with others. He also worked as a commercial helicopter pilot for south Louisiana firm Petroleum Helicopters International (PHI), based in Lafayette, Louisiana. Kristofferson recalled of his days as a pilot, "That was about the last three years before I started performing, before people started cutting my songs. I would work a week down here [in south Louisiana] for PHI, sitting on an oil platform and flying helicopters. Then I'd go back to Nashville at the end of the week and spend a week up there trying to pitch the songs, then come back down and write songs for another week. I can remember "Help Me Make It Through the Night" I wrote sitting on top of an oil platform. I wrote "Bobby McGee" down here, and a lot of them [in south Louisiana]." 

Weeks after giving Carter his tapes, Kristofferson landed a helicopter in Cash's front yard, gaining his full attention. A story about Kristofferson having a beer in one hand and some songs in the other upon arrival was reputed, but was later refuted, with Kristofferson saying, "It was still kind of an invasion of privacy that I wouldn't recommend. To be honest, I don't think he was there. John had a pretty creative memory." Upon hearing "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", however, Cash decided to record it, and in 1970 Kristofferson won Song of the Year for the song at the Country Music Association Awards. . . . 

My favorite Kristofferson song:

Random Celebrity News

For some values of "random", "celebrity" and "news." It's been a while so some of the links may be a little stale. Nicholas Ballasy at JTN reports Taylor Swift concerts canceled after Austrian police arrest two men for alleged terror attack plot 

Austria police arrested two men for allegedly plotting to carry out terrorist attacks at Taylor Swift concerts that were scheduled to start in Vienna on Thursday. According to reports, authorities said one of the suspects is a 19-year-old who was radicalized online and pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The shows, scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, have since been cancelled by the venue over fears of an attack, according to the Associated Press. The shows were part of Swift's sold-out Eras tour, and were scheduled to be held at the Ernst Happel Stadium in the country's capital.

Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s interior ministry, said the 19-year-old possessed chemical substances, which are being analyzed, but did not reveal any additional information on the attack so far.

Terrorism at a concert full of teeny girls? Death penalty.  From Da Caller, Star Trek Actress Patti Yasutake Dead At Age 70

Patti Yasutake, best known for her role in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” died at the age of 70 Monday, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Yasutake’s manager and friend Kyle Fritz confirmed her death and said she died peacefully while surrounded by family and friends, according to Deadline. Yasutake’s career spanned three decades and ended on a high note with her last role being on the highly acclaimed limited series, “Beef.” “Patti was my first client when I began over 30 years ago,” Fritz said. “We enjoyed every day we got to work together, and I will miss her spirit talent and tenacity but most of all her friendship.”

Random Celebrity News

 For some values of "random", "celebrity" and "news". A double stuffed edition because I spaced last week, First, from Twitchy, Miserable Cranks on Social Media Dump on Miss Universe Olivia Culpo's GORGEOUS Wedding Dress

Sachin Jose@Sachinettiyil 

Former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo is facing backlash for wearing a modest wedding gown at her marriage ceremony with American football star Christian McCaffrey, who is an outspoken Christian, stating in a later interview with Vogue that she “didn’t want it to exude sex in any way, shape, or form.”

How evil is that! From Hollywood in Toto, Gina Carano Celebrates July 4th by Defending Free Speech

Gina Carano@ginacarano

Double standards on full display. It’s a constant and obvious elephant in the room in Hollywood. There is example after example, such as Mark Ruffalos below that prove this. Whom btw, I believe should have the right to express himself without getting fired, although I cringe at most all of his political posts. He is an actor, but he is a human being passionately engaging in something that he feels strongly about. It must be a nice feeling to express yourself so freely. Not everyone in this country has that privilege without having everything that they love taken from them. Do we wonder why he has that privilege and I did not? The answers are in my case. I know people would prefer basketball players to just dribble or actors to just act, but when you’re in a world where lives are being destroyed and lost, all around you, how does any human being become forced to stay silent when death by injustice surrounds them.
@Disney @Lucasfilm maliciously twisted the narrative of a meme I posted which was encouraging neighbors NOT to demonize their neighbors or history could repeat itself. . . . 

ABC, German city renames itself after Taylor Swift — at least for a few weeks

The Swifties are about to take over the German city formerly known as Gelsenkirchen, where American superstar Taylor Swift is set to give three Eras Tour concerts later this month.

In honor of the singer, the city has renamed itself “Swiftkirchen" — at least temporarily — to welcome the tens of thousands of fans who are expected to come for her shows on July 17, 18 and 19, German news agency dpa reported.

A yellow city sign with the new name — which translates roughtly to “Swift's Church” — was unveiled Tuesday by Swift fan Aleshanee Westhoff, who suggested the name to the city's mayor and started a petition a few weeks ago. Mayor Karin Welge thanked the teenager for her “great idea” in a letter accepting the proposal.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair,  Dems' Insane Plan B: Help Us, Taylor Swift, You're Our Only Hope

Are you "ready for it"? Here's the insane plan, along with the insane take-away:

• Biden would step down as the Democratic nominee in mid-July, and announce the new system, with backing from Vice President Kamala Harris.
• Potential candidates would have a few days to throw their respective hats in the ring. The Democratic Party then would begin a primary sprint in which the six candidates who receive the most votes from delegates pledge to run positive-only campaigns in the month leading up to the convention.
• The “blitz primary” would involve weekly forums with each candidate moderated by cultural icons (Michelle Obama, Oprah, and Taylor Swift are among the names floated in the memo) in order to engage voters.
• The nominee would ultimately be chosen by the delegates using ranked choice voting before the start of the Chicago convention on Aug. 19.
• It would be announced with plenty of fanfare on the third day of the gathering. The memo imagines the nominee unveiled on stage with Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

According to its authors, the country would be captivated. Donations would pour in. And Biden would be celebrated as a “modern-day George Washington,” the proponents argue.

At Breitbart,  Actress Minnie Driver Smears Trump Supporters as Racist, Says Former POTUS ‘Deserves to Be in Prison’. So, a pretty typical Hollywoodian, then?  

Actress Minnie Driver has insulted supporters of former President Donald Trump, claiming they “really quite like a bit of a racist attitude” in their candidate. She also dissed America’s founding fathers, saying there should have been some “mothers” involved in the creation of the country. The Good Will Hunting star held forth on Trump and his tens of millions of supporters in an interview with The Times of London on Saturday.

Driver spoke about the “revelation of the 70 million people who really quite like a bit of a racist attitude and non-existent immigration policies and dismantling the environmental agencies.” “They were always there,” she added. “They weren’t created by him. He’s just a symptom, and now they’ve got a mascot.”

Driver — who is British and obtained U.S. citizenship in 2017 — said she believes Trump belongs in jail. “Of course he deserves to be in prison — of course he does,” she said.

From the Epoch Times The 2024 Miss America Also Happens to Be an Active Duty Air Force Officer. An F-16 pilot.

In her early teens, Madison Marsh attended a space camp and met several astronauts. “I just fell in love with the idea of being the first woman on Mars,” she said. So she took flying lessons at age 15 and joined the Air Force Academy to work toward her goal. She loved the thrill of flying and became an Air Force officer. When Marsh, 22, was crowned Miss America in January, she became the first Miss America to also be an active duty member of the military.

She hopes her win will show people that you can achieve anything you set your heart to, and that women can embrace their feminine and strong sides in the service of others. “I love being able to lead others and serve in something that’s bigger than just me,” she said.

RVM, ‘World’s Sexiest Athlete’ Goes Viral With Emotional Call For The Olympics [VIDEOS]. It's a high bar, but she might jump it. 

German athlete Alica Schmidt, termed the ‘world’s sexiest athlete,’ publicly shared a video of herself receiving a call to confirm her status for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics last week.

Schmidt previously went to Tokyo for the pandemic-delayed Summer Games in 2021 but did not compete and later announced plans to “take a break” from track and field in August 2021. She expressed dissatisfaction with her performance and the challenges she faced throughout the year.

Schmidt, 25, expressed her excitement for the Olympic season after qualifying for the mixed 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Relays in May.

ArsTechnica,  First “Miss AI” contest sparks ire for pushing unrealistic beauty standards, who seems to be an affirmative action choice.

An influencer platform called Fanvue recently announced the results of its first "Miss AI" pageant, which sought to judge AI-generated social media influencers and also doubled as a convenient publicity stunt. The "winner" is a fictional Instagram influencer from Morocco named Kenza Layli with more than 200,000 followers, but the pageant is already attracting criticism from women in the AI space.

"Yet another stepping stone on the road to objectifying women with AI," Hugging Face AI researcher Dr. Sasha Luccioni told Ars Technica. "As a woman working in this field, I'm unsurprised but disappointed.

Instances of AI-generated Instagram influencers have reportedly been on the rise since freely available image synthesis tools like Stable Diffusion have made it easy to generate an unlimited quantity of provocative images of women. And techniques like Dreambooth allow fine-tuning an AI model on a specific subject (including an AI-generated one) to place it in different settings.

From Outkick Olivia Dunne Had ESPY Viewers On The Edge Of Their Seats

The six people who watched the ESPYS on ESPN last night got a front row seat to the Olivia Dunne show. Fine. I'm sure more than six people watched. Did the annual awards show become complete garbage about a decade ago? Absolutely. Most things on ESPN did.

Do we really need to tune into a woke network in the middle of July to watch a bunch of woke, Hollywood elites tell us how bad Harrison Butker is? Or how white people love Caitlin Clark? I mean, I don't. Do you? I doubt it. But whatever. That's not the point here.

Point is, while Paul Skenes was mowing down hitters in Pittsburgh Thursday afternoon, Olivia Dunne was firing off heaters – and channeling her inner-Game of Thrones – at the ESPYS . . .

Also from OutKick, Golf Influencer Grace Charis Drops Her Own Paige Spiranac Style Slow-Mo Swing Video

Paige has already accepted a challenge from fellow golf influencer Hailey Rae Ostrom to hit the course in what promises to be an all-time showdown in the history of golf. An event that can grow the game like none other. Now she's facing what appears to be another attempt at a battle of content from arguably her greatest competition on the content front, Grace Charis.

She posted a slow-mo video of her swing on Instagram - where she's up to 3.4 million followers - that, given Paige's recent use of slow motion, could only be seen as a challenge. At first glance, this would look like an attempt by Grace to copy an idea from Paige. However, when you do a little investigating you find that this is hardly the first time Grace has used slow-mo in her content.

I'm not going to turn the tables here and accuse Paige of stealing the idea from Grace. We all know that there have been plenty of copycats of Paige's work. Besides, great content is good for everyone. It's a rising tide that lifts all influencer boats. Now Grace might feel differently about that. She might want to go toe to toe in a content battle where, let's face it, everyone wins. You have to beat the best to be the best after all.

On Friday, Grace fired another shot at Paige with her own "Golf is fun" answer to one the world's No. 1 golf influencer posted.

And last, sad news from Variety, Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ and ‘Charmed’ Star, Dies at 53, much too young;

Shannen Doherty, known for her roles on the wildly popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and on the witchcraft fantasy “Charmed,” has died after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She was 53.

“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress, Shannen Doherty,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement. “On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease. The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace.”

The Wombat makes up time with Rule 5 Sunday: Hangar Queen Double-Scoop Sunday!