Returning to The Cabin In The Sky

A singer, dancer and actress, Lena Horne joined the chorus line of The Cotton Club in 1933 and was discovered by MGM producers while working in a nightclub in 1941.  Performing in numerous film musicals until she became disenchanted with Hollywood in the early 1950's.  Her departure became far more complete when she was blacklisted during the Red Scare of Joseph McCarthy's attempt to clean up the subversives in the arts.  But she was always the activist.  While performing in USO shows during World War II, she refused to perform before a segregated audience or any in which German POWs were seated in front of Black Servicemen. 

She appeared on almost everyone's variety TV shows throughout the 60's and 70's, and many of the biggest names of Hollywood and Broadway counted themselves among her close friends.  From 1961 to 1995 she won 8 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989.  And I will never forget her when she appeared on both Sesame Street and The Muppets. 

Le Petite Mort earns 8 points for their pick.

Lena Horne
June 13, 1917 - May 9, 2010

He's Really Most Sincerely Dead

Given his small stature (4' 7" at the height of his career, but only 3' 11" during his acting years) Meinhardt Raabe stood out.  Best known as the Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz, he was one of nine Munchkins with a speaking role: "As coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her.  And she's not only merely dead.  She's really most sincerely dead." 

What many don't know, Meiny also served as a pilot and instructor for the Civil Air Patrol during World War II; he was a spokesman for Oscar Meyer hot dogs--known as "Little Oscar, The World's Smallest Chef," he got to ride in the first WeinerMobile!  He was an accomplished horticulturist, had an MBA in accounting and also taught for many years. 

The Wizard of Oz continued to be a huge part of his life, and while his only theatrical production, Mr. Raabe got the most out of it, appearing in numerous historical reviews of Oz and Munchkin-hood. 

TnT gets their first hit and 6 points.

Meinhardt Raabe
September 2, 1915 - May 10, 2010

The End of a Dynasty

The regal and always dignified John Forsythe has died. 

Known best as the oil baron Blake Carrington on the television show Dynasty, he also had the uncredited distinction of Charlie Townsend's voice in Charlie's Angels.  Later, he signed a $5 million contract for his voice for the 2000 and 2003 movies Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.  This would prove to be his last commercial work. 

Born John Lincoln Freund, John Forsythe, began his career as a bit actor for Warner Brothers in 1943.  He took a brief hiatus from acting during World War II when he recovered injured soldiers who suffered speech problems. 

Most anyone he met became his friend and a friend for life. The stars of Dynasty and Charlie's Angels (1980's and 2000's) all remember him fondly.  His passions included golfing, flying, baseball, and horses (racing and riding); he first met Kate Jackson at the tracks. 

John may have passed on in person, but his spirit and voice will live on in our hearts.  Oh God! picks up 8 points.

John Forsythe
January 18, 1929 - April 1, 2010

Significant Sig, Debator and Pro Footbal Hall of Famer Dies

In high school, he competed on the debate team (his debate partner was legendary astrophysicist Kip Thorne). In college (Utah State) he joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity and was elevated to the the Order of Constantine (the fraternity's highest honor) and was also recognized as a Significant Sig.

An absolute brute on the football field, he was part of the Fearsome Foursome for the 1960's Los Angeles Rams and inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1982. He also appeared in 51 episodes of Little House on the Prarie--not the Manliest of television shows, but his hulking presence conveyed a strong gentleness on the small screen.

Merlin Olsen, besides having a great name, encapsulated many elements of what I consider A True Man's Man.

Sadly, he was diagnosed in 2009, and died after a short bout against mesothelioma.



High Noon Driveby earns 31 points.

Merlin Olsen

September 15, 1940 - March 11, 2010

A Lost Boy Now Lost Forever

Corey Haim, of The Lost Boys, and the Fast Getaway series fame, couldn't escape the Grim Reaper. Following a downward spiral into cocaine, crack and more, he bounced in and out of rehab and his career followed a similar path. A regular on the B-movie circuit during the 80's and 90's, he fell off the map until 2008 when he jump-started his career with Lost Boys: The Tribe. He's had more work in the past 2 years than he had from 1998 to 2007.

We still await the autopsy and investigation, but we know for certain that Undercooked Pork takes the lead with 62 points.

Corey Haim

December 23, 1971 - March 10, 2010

Not Having Suffered a Broken Hip, Mary Josephine Ray Ray Passes On; Clara Meadmore Still Available

It seems that every year the Oldest Person in the World dies. Which is a curious thought. If the oldest person dies every year, then the age of the oldest person would never vary much above the 114 that it is this year. But there have been older. And younger. Hmm. Interesting.

That being said, Mary Josephine Ray has died. And she was old. The oldest in the United States. There is an older woman but she lives in Japan and we're not talking about her tonight. Mary Josephine Ray, or "MayRay" as the girls around the home called her (OK, I made that up--but wouldn't you call her that?), lived life to the hilt. She was planning her next birthday party, a mere 71 days away.

She'll miss the celebration here on Earth, but now she'll have an angelic choir singing "Happy Birthday."

On another note, Clara Meadmore, the world's oldest virgin still does not have a boyfriend.

Death Rattle of the Mariachi get's 14 points.

Mary Josephine Ray

May 17, 1895 - March 8, 2010

Chemical Ali Meets His Maker. To Award Points or Not? The Verdict Is In

To detail the process of deciding whether or not to award points is to describe the history, politics and continued trials of Chemical Ali, himself.

Cousin and senior aide to another very bad man, Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid received his infamous moniker for ordering the use of a deadly cocktail of Mustard, Tabun, Sarin and VX gasses against 182,000 Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988. One particular attack against the village of Halabja in which 5,000 died--three quarters of dead are women and children--lead to his final conviction on January 17, 2010 and his execution by hanging on January 25, 2010.

Chemical Ali has received 3 previous death sentences for other war crimes, but his execution was delayed in part by the politics of the Halabja trial. It seems that the families of the victims wanted to make their voices heard, while the conflicting ideology of the Sunis, Kurds and Shiites left more argument than action.

Therefore, in my interpretation of the Saddam Hussein Rule, because Ali Hassan al-Majid was tried and found guilty for the Halabja mass killing, and because all parties agreed and carried out his execution within the year, 32 points are awarded to Cremation Station for Chemical Ali. And may God have mercy on his soul.

Ali Hassan al-Majid

November 30, 1941 - January 25, 2010