Gene Wilder Dead at 83

Well, crap. I knew he was getting old, and frail. And we hadn't seen him much lately. But dammit, mortality sucks. Gene Wilder is probably in my top five all time favorite performers. His late wife Gilda Radner ranked even higher. But Gene had far more success, and left so many marks in my pop culture database, this one hurts almost as much. Blazing Saddles. Young Frankenstein. Willy Wonka. Silver Streak. Stir Crazy. The Producers. His heyday may have been too long ago for Millennials and late Gen-Xers to remember, but even then, his Wonka character has been one of the most successful and versatile memes out there:

And the one quote that resonates so well as an answer to anyone bested:

But for me, there are those iconic roles in some of my favorite movies, not to mention appearances in oddball features like The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, and many others. I didn't expect he'd probably be well enough to ever make new contributions to culture. But there's something about knowing that he never will that makes me very sad. RIP, Mr. Wilder. You will truly never be forgotten.

[Excerpt]

Gene Wilder, ‘Willy Wonka’ Star and Comedic Icon, Dies at 83

Gene Wilder, who regularly stole the show in such comedic gems as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy,” died Monday at his home in Stamford, Conn. His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said he died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83. . .

Read more at: Variety

Blast from the Past: 25 Years Ago

This week, in Blast from the Past, we revisit 1987, which is 25 years ago. I know, it's shocking to me too. I used to measure my age by imagining that a kid born when x happened would be old enough to drive, old enough to vote, whatever, when I thought back to a time. But I realize that kids born in 1987 are now old enough to be college grads, and married with children themselves. Isn't that freaky?

Those kids were either infants or not yet born when these songs were burning up the charts. How many of them feel like much newer songs to you? So off we go, in no particular order, other than these were all hits during 1987. . .

All of the songs above were number one hits, except the last six (Swing Out Sister, Hipsway, Breakfast Club, Pseudo Echo, T'Pau and The Other Ones, which were one-hit wonders I'm particularly fond of. Some of these songs are so mired in their very 80s-ness, it's not difficult to believe it's been 25 years. Others? Seem much more recent to me. Anyway, there's a little mortality to start your week with. Happy Monday!

Honeybees Dying. . .We're Next

Image from source, Guardian.co.UK

With all of the issues on our plate this election season, it's easy to forget that we're all gonna die. No, really! Bill Maher has been sounding the alarm for over a year about the honey bees. They're dying at alarming rates, and the hitch is, if the bees all die, we're not far behind.

Without bees, we have no pollination. Without pollination, we have no plants. And without plants, all the animals die. And yep, we're animals too. Please tell me somebody out there has a solution to this?

[Excerpt]

Honeybee deaths reaching crisis point

Britain's honeybees have suffered catastrophic losses this year, according to a survey of the nation's beekeepers, contributing to a shortage of honey and putting at risk the pollination of fruits and vegetables.

The survey by the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) revealed that nearly one in three of the UK's 240,000 honeybee hives did not survive this winter and spring. . .

Read more at: Guardian.co.UK

John McCain is OLD! But Older than What?

As I said earlier, today is my 42nd birthday. To me, that is not especially old. To a teenager, I'm a fossil. But think what John McCain's age seems like to them. What's older than a fossil?

Now, for many years, I tended to find myself one of the youngest in the room. I've usually had older friends, The Other Half is five years older than me, and on and on. As a consequence, and due to my snarky sense of humor, I've made a lot of age jokes. Many of those are coming back to haunt me when I find myself the oldest in the room. So I hate to cast aspersions on John McCain for his age.

Until you consider that if he were to be elected President in the fall, he'd be 72 when he started, and if he were to get two terms (perish the thought), he'd be 80 when he finished. Combined with previous health issues and a current alleged anger-management issue, this is less about age jokes, and more about mortality reality issues. So whatever you think about this video--and it is in the snarky, jokey vein--it raises real issues.