Milestone Moments: All The Celebrity Vitals

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Okay, this one hits hard.

https://cbs2iowa.com/news/entertainment/richard-belzer-star-of-law-order-and-acclaimed-comedian-dead-at-78

[DearEvette]

RIP Richard Belzer.

I know that his character Munch appeared on several different shows but I never realized just how many and in every genre:

Of course he started on Homicide: LOTS and ended on one of Law and Order franchises

But he also appeared in:

Arrested Development

The X-FIles

30 Rock

American Dad

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

And there was even a Muppet version of him on Sesame Street!

[MerBearHou]

11 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Oh, this hurts:

Richard Belzer dies at 78

Not Munch! He was the one that made SVU worth watching!

Truly my favorite cast member of the L&O universe.  So sad.  

[Enigma X]

I know many people remember SVU Munch more than Homicide Munch. Homicide was one of my favorite shows because of the character Munch. RIP Mr. Belzer.

[Zella]

Oh I have been rewatching old SVU and was just revisiting some stuff about Belzer only last night. Ouch. I'd also forgotten he was the emcee in a small scene in Scarface. 

[AstridM]

52 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Oh, this hurts:

Richard Belzer dies at 78

Not Munch! He was the one that made SVU worth watching!

Nooooo! This one hurts.

[Mindthinkr]

What a nice memory for Laraine to share of a good man. 

[Irlandesa]

Oh this is sad, especially since I hear his character was referenced on the latest SVU episode. 

I know he left the series but it's sad that there will be no more guest appearances.

[Bastet]

From Belzer's obituary in The Hollywood Reporter:

Quote

Belzer died early Sunday at his home in Bozouls in southwest France, writer Bill Scheft, a longtime friend of the actor, told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘Fuck you, motherfucker,'” Scheft said.

I watched a fair bit of SVU in the early seasons, mostly for the partnership between Olivia and Elliot, but Munch was the second reason -- it was nice having a cop who actually respected the Constitution.  (It ultimately wasn't enough; the show did all the same normalizing and excusing of police misconduct 99% of cop shows do, so I was out, but his rants and snarky asides were welcome.)  Belzer turned in several sensitive performances when Munch got emotionally invested in a case (the one with the mercy killing of the baby with Tay-Sachs, the one where Jennifer Esposito played the rape victim he was coaching through the process of testifying, the one where he tells Marlee Matlin's character about his guilt over his dad's suicide), too; it wasn't just the sly humor.

[Yogisbooboo64]

Damn!!

First saw him in Scarface and thought his jokes were awful...I  wanted his character to get it during the shooting scene, lol.

I always thought he was cute, but a small bit in the Spike Lee movie Girl 6 had me crushing on him long after.

He sure had it rough family history-wise....loved his last words!

RIP Belz.

Edited February 19, 2023 by Yogisbooboo64

[Zella]

44 minutes ago, Yogisbooboo64 said:

First saw him in Scarface and thought his jokes were awful...I  wanted his character to get it during the shooting scene, lol.

The character is super annoying, but I laughed so hard last night when I read about how he was allowed to do whatever he wanted with the character and was excited that they "Let me make the coke jokes I wanted." LOL 

[Angeltoes]

I was surprised at how many articles about his death neglected to mention that he and Henry Winkler are cousins.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

3 hours ago, Zella said:

The character is super annoying, but I laughed so hard last night when I read about how he was allowed to do whatever he wanted with the character and was excited that they "Let me make the coke jokes I wanted." LOL 

Thanks for the remind!
 

 

[badhaggis]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/19/us/tom-sizemore-actor-aneurysm/index.html

Tom Sizemore is in the hospital in critical condition after suffering a brain aneurysm.

[Jaded]

9 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Oh, this hurts:

Richard Belzer dies at 78

Not Munch! He was the one that made SVU worth watching!

 

9 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I know many people remember SVU Munch more than Homicide Munch. Homicide was one of my favorite shows because of the character Munch. RIP Mr. Belzer.

I started watching Homicide at an age that was probably a bit too young for that kind of content at the time. Munch was one of my favorite characters though mainly because he was always enjoyably different from everyone else usually. I was interested in SVU as a show when I first heard about it and finding out Munch would be part of it that cemented me wanting to watch.

I hope Belzer found some peace personally during his time in France. As someone else mentioned his rough family history especially what happened to his brother.....

[Soapy Goddess]

14 hours ago, DearEvette said:

RIP Richard Belzer.

I know that his character Munch appeared on several different shows but I never realized just how many and in every genre:

Of course he started on Homicide: LOTS and ended on one of Law and Order franchises

But he also appeared in:

Arrested Development

The X-FIles

30 Rock

American Dad

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

And there was even a Muppet version of him on Sesame Street!

Don't forget the first show that introduced many of us to Richard Belzer. He was one of the bit players on "Thicke of the Night" starring Alan Thicke. I'd even go as far as saying he was the most popular comedian of all the other players.

[Jaded]

17 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Don't forget the first show that introduced many of us to Richard Belzer. He was one of the bit players on "Thicke of the Night" starring Alan Thicke. I'd even go as far as saying he was the most popular comedian of all the other players.

Richard's stuff starts at about the 30 sec mark.
 

 

[andromeda331]

Munch was my favorite characer on Law & Order SVU. When I finally quit the show he was the only character I still liked. I loved him on the original Law & Order for the couple crossover episodes he was really funny with Lennie.

[Bethany]

I was barely aware of him and now I wish I'd just let all the lovely above tributes to him stand instead of hastening to wikiepedia.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I was barely aware of him and now I wish I'd just let all the lovely above tributes to him stand instead of hastening to wikiepedia.

Hopefully Wikipedia will be updated to include the most salient aspects of the life and work of Richard Belzer.

In more than one interview (e.g., 1981 Rolling Stone and 2010 AARP) Belzer described the character of John Munch as "Lenny Bruce with a badge," which implies to me that this is how he saw himself too.
 

[magicdog]

I first came to know of Belzer when he was doing a stand up routine on cable in the mid 80s.  He was doing an imitation of how Bruce Springsteen hit those notes for "Born in the USA" (which was burning up the charts at the time).  He'd start singing then when getting to the title, he'd pinch his butt to emphasize BORN in the USA... I was BORN in the USA!!

Well, I thought it was hilarious.  His imitation of Mick Jagger was pretty spot on too!

[MissAlmond]

BAFTA Awards 2023 In Memoriam (film)

 

 

[Jaded]

4 hours ago, magicdog said:

Well, I thought it was hilarious.  His imitation of Mick Jagger was pretty spot on too!

In the clip I posted upthread from "Thicke of the Night" he starts imitating the way Mick Jagger likes to do what he calls dancing. 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Jaded

[Jaded]

Barbara Bosson, Emmy-Nominated Actress on Hill Street Blues, Dead at 83

Edited February 21, 2023 by Jaded

[magicdog]

I also remember Bosson from Hooperman as his supervisor.

 

I caught some Hill Street repeats last year and thought her character (Frank's ex-wife) was kinda sad.  She had to deal with her husband's alcoholism, divorcing him, doing stuff on her own and him trying to hint that he was leading a new life with his new wife.  She grew quite a bit towards the end of the show's run. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Damnit!

Leiji Matsumoto, legendary manga creator, dies at 85

Responsible for among many other things; Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, and Space Battleship Yamamoto which was repurposed as Star Blazers for American television. SBY has been continually reconceived in movies released just within the last few years. I happen to own the weird and wonderful Interstella 5555, the Matsumoto anime adaptation of a Daft Punk album, something which I've never run across anyone else who even knows it exists. 

[SVNBob]

Apparently, Belzer passed away in the house paid for by the settlement he received in his lawsuit against the (then) WWF and Hulk Hogan in particular.  And if you haven't heard this story before, strap in, because this one's a doozy.

 

Back in the mid '80s, Belzer was the host of a cable talk show called Hot Properties.  At the end of March of 1985, Mr. T and Hogan guested on the show to promote a little event they were doing that weekend - WrestleMania (the first one).  As part of the interview, Belzer started asking questions about the common conception that "wrestling is fake" and challenges Hogan to "do a move" on him. 

(Sidebar: as a pro-wrestling fan (though I haven't watched in many years), I have to clarify this.  Wrestling is not fake.  It may be a choreographed stunt show with a pre-determined result, but that does not mean it's fake.  The events that happen in and out of the ring are (mostly) real.  Those men and women are really doing what you see, while still taking care to not to actually hurt each other or themselves.  Careers and lives have been lost.  And accidental injuries can occur, as Belzer is about to find out.) 

This wasn't something Hogan expected to be doing, so there was no preparation.  And because Hogan is at least half a head taller and at least 100 pounds of muscle heavier than Belzer, he's trying to think of something he could do that wouldn't  hurt Belzer.  Hogan decides on a basic hold that is also used in amateur wrestling; a front chin lock, a variant of what is commonly called a sleeper hold.  Basically, Hogan has Belzer's neck in the crook of his elbow, and he applies a little bit of pressure.  This soon causes Belzer to pass out.  After which Hogan releases Belzer; not just the hold - Belzer (although it also looks like Belzer just falls limply out of Hogan's arm).  And the back of Belzer's head hits the studio floor pretty hard.

Hogan does help Belzer back to consciousness with a few light taps to the face.  And Belzer pops up like a Jim Carrey jack-in-the-box, looks directly in the camera, and throws to commercial.   (In an interview with Bob Costas years later, Belzer claims that he had a dream while unconscious about being late for the show, which explains why he's immediately back into showbiz mode when he comes to) Meanwhile, Hogan's got a stunned look on his face, because he's behind Belzer when he does this.  Belzer then turns away from the camera, and we see why Hogan looks horrified.  The back of Belzer's head is split open, and he's bleeding all over the back of his neck.  The injury would require 8 or 9 stitches.

The episode would continue after the commercial break, but without Belzer.  Someone (a producer, I guess) took over, saying that Belzer was really hurt.  And Hogan was extremely apologetic.  He says that he could apply 10 times more pressure to someone in condition to be in the ring and that wouldn't happen.  Hogan also uses the opportunity to say "Don't Try This At Home."

Belzer would return to the show the following week where he re-aired the clip of the injury and showed off the stitches in the back of his head.  Later, he and his wife would sue the WWF and Hogan for the personal injury.  The suit was supposedly for $5 million, but they settled out of court for around half a million (reports go $100k in either direction).  The Belzers used that money as the down payment for a house in France.  And Belzer jokingly referred to the house as either "Chez Hogan" or "The Hulk Hogan Arms".

And it was apparently that house where he passed on.

Long clip of the original event, including the post-commerical segment here.

Shorter clip from the following week (at a slightly better quality) here.

[Fukui San]

Glad you told this story. I'd heard the general outlines but I didn't realize that the move wasn't done maliciously. I'd always assumed that Hogan got angry and took it out on Belzer, not that he was trying to do something basic and it got out of hand.

[Irlandesa]

Hayden Panettiere's younger brother, Jansen, is dead at 28. 

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/jansen-panettiere-dead-the-walking-dead-1235530566/

He has done some acting as well but he's more known for being Hayden's little brother. 

This is so sad. And I especially feel for Hayden who has had a rough time with PPD, abuse and addiction but who is about to have a comeback with Scream.

[magicdog]

Sad to say that family is a bit dysfunctional.  Hayden has been in a few abusive relationships and sad to hear her brother died so darn young. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

He has done some acting as well but he's more known for being Hayden's little brother. 

He was in an episode of Major Crimes, and I just re-watched part of it in syndication a few days ago.  He did a good job with a character whose emotions gradually took a huge shift.

So young!  That's very sad.

[Zella]

8 hours ago, Fukui San said:

Glad you told this story. I'd heard the general outlines but I didn't realize that the move wasn't done maliciously. I'd always assumed that Hogan got angry and took it out on Belzer, not that he was trying to do something basic and it got out of hand.

Same here. All the brief summaries I read made it sound like Hogan did it out of spite. I watched a lot of wrestling as a kid and was never a Hogan fan (Rowdy Roddy FTW!!!!), but the version of Hogan doing it intentionally seemed like some facts were missing. 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Zella

[GreekGeek]

On 2/20/2023 at 11:58 PM, magicdog said:

I also remember Bosson from Hooperman as his supervisor.

 

I caught some Hill Street repeats last year and thought her character (Frank's ex-wife) was kinda sad.  She had to deal with her husband's alcoholism, divorcing him, doing stuff on her own and him trying to hint that he was leading a new life with his new wife.  She grew quite a bit towards the end of the show's run. 

Yes, Fay Furillo was originally meant to be a one-time character, but the viewers were so impressed that she became a regular. So it’s not surprising that she started out one-note but gradually took on more dimension.

She also had a role in Cop Rock, often disparaged as one of the worst ideas ever but which I quite enjoyed. (Hey, singing cops and prostitutes worked for Les Miz!) She played a politician, and one plot point involved her makeover. Her “after” was gorgeous!

RIP, Ms. Bosson, and thank you for some great TV memories!

[Blergh]

Sorry for not posting this sooner but I didn't find out until tonight.

However, as per wiki and other sources (including her sons' cousin Tracey Nelson's Facebook page), on December 4,2022, June Blair died at age 90.

She had been an orphan (whose parents abandoned her)   who somehow persevered and became a renowned  model and performer who wound up marrying, of all people, David Nelson, the elder son of Ozzie and Harriet Hilliard Nelson. Anyway, after their 1961, union, she appeared on the family sitcom as a sitcom version of herself (but with no hint of her unconventional premarital life) and she and Mr. Nelson would go on to have two sons of their own before their divorce in 1975 either shortly before or shortly after her father-in-law Ozzie's passing. While David would remarry Yvonne O'Connor Houston (and adopt her three children) within six months of his split with Miss Blair.,Miss Blair herself never remarried but evidently focused on caring for their sons away from the limelight and the sons would grow up to take care of her in her twilight years.  Anyway, she was about the last surviving adult regular performer on AoO&H. RIP, Miss Blair.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Blergh

[Vermicious Knid]

Sad to hear this. Alicia Allain Schneider, Wife Of 'Dukes Of Hazzard' Star John Schneider, Dead At 53. No cause of death released yet. 

[SVNBob]

On 2/21/2023 at 12:14 PM, Fukui San said:

Glad you told this story. I'd heard the general outlines but I didn't realize that the move wasn't done maliciously. I'd always assumed that Hogan got angry and took it out on Belzer, not that he was trying to do something basic and it got out of hand.

To be honest, I think it was a bit of both. 

On the one hand, Hogan probably was at least a little angry with Belzer.   As I said, Belzer had been provoking Mr. T and Hogan in the interview leading up to incident.  So he probably did want to put a little fear into Belzer to shut him up.  Hence some of the banter Hogan had with Mr. T about T letting Hogan know when to let Belzer go before he engaged the hold. 

On the other hand, he didn't really want to hurt Belzer that badly.  A little bruising or some pulled muscles from trying to escape the hold, ok.  But not a bleeding head wound.  That's clearly evident from the look on Hogan's face when he sees the split in Belzer's head.  He's horrified at what happened, because he wasn't expecting something so simple (to him) to go that wrong.

[MissAlmond]

Director George T. Miller who directed The Man from Snowy River and The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter has died, age 79.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/george-miller-dead-man-from-snowy-river-neverending-story-ii-director-1235329622/

https://deadline.com/2023/02/george-miller-dies-director-the-man-from-snowy-river-the-neverending-story-ii-was-79-1235264399/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/feb/21/remembering-george-t-miller-the-man-from-snowy-river-alone-is-a-huge-contribution-to-australian-film

 

[MissAlmond]

Composer Tom Whitlock who won an Academy Award for co-writing Take My Breath Away as well as Danger Zone both for the movie Top Gun has died, age 68.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tom-whitlock-dead-top-gun-danger-zone-1235333135/

https://deadline.com/2023/02/tom-whitlock-dead-top-gun-oscar-winner-take-my-breath-away-danger-zone-1235269311/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/23/arts/music/tom-whitlock-dies.html

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-whitlock-top-gun-danger-zone-dead/

 

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, MissAlmond said:

Director George T. Miller who directed The Man from Snowy River and The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter has died, age 79.

 

It's odd that Australia had two movie directors of the same name and generation. This isn't the Mad Max George Miller. I always heard that the Man From Snowy River was pretty good, but never saw it.

[magicdog]

8 hours ago, Anduin said:

I always heard that the Man From Snowy River was pretty good, but never saw it.

Wasn't bad and it's worth a watch.  I remember when it was first released in theaters (along with Silverado) people thought perhaps it would be a return of the Western for the big screen.  Didn't pan out.

[Anduin]

5 minutes ago, magicdog said:

Wasn't bad and it's worth a watch.  I remember when it was first released in theaters (along with Silverado) people thought perhaps it would be a return of the Western for the big screen.  Didn't pan out.

Given that the poem is an Aussie classic, it's amazing that neither poem nor movie was foisted on me when I was in school. But nowdays, I'm sorry but I can't find the desire. Either way, rest in peace George T Miller.

[Bethany]

Gordon Pinsent, Canadian acting icon, dead at 92

[andromeda331]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:26 AM, MissAlmond said:

Director George T. Miller who directed The Man from Snowy River and The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter has died, age 79.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/george-miller-dead-man-from-snowy-river-neverending-story-ii-director-1235329622/

https://deadline.com/2023/02/george-miller-dies-director-the-man-from-snowy-river-the-neverending-story-ii-was-79-1235264399/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/feb/21/remembering-george-t-miller-the-man-from-snowy-river-alone-is-a-huge-contribution-to-australian-film

 

 I liked the Man from Snowy River.

[magicdog]

5 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

Gordon Pinsent, Canadian acting icon, dead at 92

AWWW!  I remember him best from Due South as Fraser's dad who appeared to him as a ghost periodically.  

[ABay]

I so want to make a tasteless joke about ghost dad but I just can't. The episodes with him and Leslie Nielsen as his best friend are among my favorites. Buck going out to get Bob and bring him home just makes me tear up. The lines from the journal are perfect.

"Ten years ago I would never have walked into something like this. A bear trap so poorly camouflaged a child would have seen it but I didn't. I pried it open and got my leg out but there was no way I could make it back. I was prepared to die out here. And to be honest, I felt I deserved it. A man gets too old for a job he should know it, and stop. But then Buck found me. I don't know how. No one knew where I was going but he found me and carried me back. Three days over terrain a mule couldn't navigate. Laughing his ass off the entire way. Riding like that, completely helpless, slung over Buck's shoulder and staring down his back I came to understand two things. One, at a certain point in life a man's hips spread and there's nothing you can do about it and two, there's a very easy way to define friendship. A friend is someone who won't stop until he finds you and brings you home."

Edited February 26, 2023 by ABay

[MissAlmond]

SAG Awards 2023 In Memoriam 

SAG Members In Memoriam 2023 List 

https://www.sagawards.org/inmemoriam

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by MissAlmond
removed unnecessary spaces

[Yogisbooboo64]

Dammit, playing Out Here on my Own.

Beautiful song and I love to sing it, that is until the end when I get all choked up.

[BooksRule]

I was hoping for better news, but it looks like Tom Sizemore's family is having to make some hard decisions: 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/entertainment/tom-sizemore-end-of-life-decision/index.html

[MissAlmond]

Animator and Disney Legend Burny Mattison who worked on such films as Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Lady and the Tramp, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King and was Disney's longest serving employee has died, age 87.

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/remembering-disney-legend-burny-mattinson/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/burny-mattinson-dead-disney-animator-1235335758/

https://deadline.com/2023/02/burny-mattinson-dead-disney-animation-longest-castmember-1235273367/

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/burny-mattinson-dead-disney-animator-beauty-and-the-beast-1235537545/

[Shannon L.]

Jeremy Renner posted a few seconds of part of his rehab on Instagram. (I don't know how to post something from Instagram here).  He's on a stationary bike, using a strap to move the peddles while one foot is resting on it, causing his leg to go through the motion. The caption says "Whatever it takes".

It's so nice to see him working his legs. The 1st night of his accident,  I wondered if he'd lose one. 

Edited February 28, 2023 by Shannon L.