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Martin Mull, Iconic Actor and Comedian, Passes Away at 78

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Martin Mull, Iconic Actor and Comedian, Passes Away at 78

Martin Mull, whose biting, esoteric comedy and acting made him a cool hit in the 1970s and subsequently a cherished guest star on sitcoms such as “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development,” died Friday, his daughter announced.

Martin Mull’s daughter, TV writer and comic artist Maggie Mull, reported that her father died at home on Thursday after “a valiant fight against a long illness.”

Martin Mull, who was also a guitarist and painter, rose to national prominence with a regular part on the Norman Lear-created comedic soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and the lead in its spinoff, Fernwood Tonight.

“He was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red Roof Inn commercials,” Maggie Mull wrote on Instagram. “He’d find that joke amusing. He was always funny. My father will be greatly missed by his wife and daughter, his friends and coworkers, fellow artists, comedians, and musicians, and—as befits a truly extraordinary person—many, many pets.”

Martin Mull, known for his blonde hair and neatly maintained mustache, was born in Chicago, raised in Ohio and Connecticut, and studied art in Rhode Island and Rome.

His first effort into the entertainment industry was as a songwriter, writing the 1970 semi-hit “A Girl Named Johnny Cash” for vocalist Jane Morgan.

He would combine music and comedy in an act he introduced to hip Hollywood bars in the 1970s.

“In 1976, I was a guitar player and sit-down comic appearing at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip when Norman Lear walked in and heard me,” Mull told The Associated Press in 1980. “He cast me as the wife beater in ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.'” Four months later, I got my show.”

His time on the Strip was immortalized in the 1973 country rock classic “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy,” in which the Riders of the Purple Sage, together with music legends Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge, pay tribute to him.

“I know Kris, Rita, and Marty Mull are hangin’ at the Troubadour,” the tune says.

On “Fernwood Tonight” (also known as “Fernwood 2 Night”), he portrayed Barth Gimble, the host of a local talk show in a midwestern town and the twin of his “Mary Hartman” character. Fred Willard, a frequent collaborator with similar comedic instincts, played his sidekick. It was eventually renamed “America 2 Night” and set in Southern California.

As Johnny Carson’s replacement on “The Tonight Show,” he’d become a true talk show host.

Mull frequently played slightly sleazy, slimy, and smarmy characters, such as Teri Garr’s boss and Michael Keaton’s antagonist in 1983’s Mr. Mom. He also played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 film adaptation of the board game Clue, which has become a cult classic, as have many of Mull’s other roles.

The 1980s also saw the release of “A History of White People in America,” a mockumentary that premiered on Cinemax and was widely regarded as his best work. Mull co-created the show and appeared as a “60 Minutes”-style investigative reporter looking into everything boring. Willard appeared again as a co-star.

He authored and starred in “Rented Lips” (1988), directed by his father, Robert Downey Jr.

Martin Mull’s co-star Jennifer Tilly said in an X post-Friday that he was “such a witty charismatic and kind person.”

In the 1990s, he was most known for his recurrent role on numerous seasons of “Roseanne,” in which he played a friendlier, less shady boss to the main character, an openly homosexual man whose partner was played by Willard, who passed away in 2020.

Martin Mull would later play private eye Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development,” a cult-classic character on a cult-classic comedy, and received his first Emmy nomination in 2016 for a cameo appearance on “Veep.”

“What I did on ‘Veep’ I’m very proud of, but I’d like to think it’s probably more collective, at my age it’s more collective,” Martin Mull told the Associated Press upon his nomination. “It might go all the way back to ‘Fernwood.'”

Other comedians and actresses were frequently his biggest supporters.

“Martin was the greatest,” “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig stated on X. “He’s very humorous, talented, and a good man. I was fortunate enough to appear with him on The Jackie Thomas Show and loved every moment spent with a legend. Fernwood Tonight was incredibly crucial in my life.”

Martin Mull is survived by his daughter and singer Wendy Haas, who has been his wife since 1982.

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Ana Wong
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Jason Kelce Smashes Football Fan’s Phone

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Jason Kelce Smashes College Football Fan's Phone

Retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce destroyed a Penn State football fan’s phone after the alleged heckler called his brother, Travis Kelce, a fag.

In now-viral footage published on X (previously Twitter) on Saturday, Nov. 2, the retired Philadelphia Eagles great was seen accompanied by football fans outside Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., for the Penn State-Ohio State game.

As the individual capturing the tape lifted a fist to Jason, 36, and called his name for a fist bump, another man nearby hurled the homophobic slur at the retired Philadelphia Eagles star.

Hey, Kelce. How does it feel that your brother is a queer dating Taylor Swift?” the man questioned, referring to Travis, 34, who has been seeing Swift since 2023. Jason turned around seconds later, snatched the man’s phone, and crushed it to the ground.

“Looked like a Penn State student was getting in Kelce’s face for no reason,” the original X user who submitted the video remarked. “Wild scene in State College.”

Additional footage on X shows Jason smashing the phone on asphalt before picking it up and walking away. The phone’s owner, wearing a Penn State hoodie at the time of the incident, was shown in many videos strolling closely behind Jason and recording him before the conflict occurred.

Another footage published on X, which appears to have been filmed after Jason shattered the man’s phone, showed the hooded Penn State supporter trudging through a mob to pick up his phone off the ground.

“Give me my phone, bro,” he seemed to say to Jason.

The NFL alum seized the gadget first, then stood in front of the man and asked, “Who’s the fag now?” Others appeared to interfere.

The incident occurred while Jason was at Beaver Stadium for an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay. The Ohio State Buckeyes won Saturday’s game 20-13 over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

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Geoff Thomas
Geoffrey Thomas is a seasoned staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. With his sharp writing skills and deep understanding of SEO, he consistently delivers high-quality, engaging content that resonates with readers. Thomas' articles are well-researched, informative, and written in a clear, concise style that keeps audiences hooked. His ability to craft compelling narratives while seamlessly incorporating relevant keywords has made him a valuable asset to the VORNews team.
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Shaun White’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

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white

Shaun White, the Olympic snowboarding champion, already has an impressive medal tally, but his surprise proposal to Nina Dobrev deserves a gold medal.

On Wednesday, the couple announced their engagement on Instagram. Dobrev posted photographs of the two hugging under an arch of white roses and showing off her five-carat Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring.

“RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé,” Dobrev said in the caption.

However, the photographs only tell half the tale, as Shaun devised an elaborate plan to surprise Dobrev with his proposal.

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Shaun White’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

According to a Vogue interview published Wednesday, Shaun said he assembled a team of people from the couple’s inner circle and Vogue personnel to trick Dobrev into thinking she had been invited to an intimate dinner party with Anna Wintour.

White claimed that his publicist emailed Dobrev a forged invitation to the event, which was scheduled to take place at the Golden Swan in New York City.

Dobrev accepted the invitation, joking that Shaun made it “look so legitimate.”

He even asked Dobrev’s stylist to outfit her in Chanel for the event.

Dobrev said she recognized what was happening when she entered the venue and saw White standing beneath the flowery arch.

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Shaun’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

“I went into shock,” Dobrev admitted, later adding that White “said all the right things” before she agreed.

According to the publication, after Shaun proposed, the couple partied into the early morning hours with close friends and relatives.

“Best night of my life,” Shaun captioned his Instagram story on Wednesday.

The duo first became romantically involved in 2020, and they have since publicly recorded their relationship, globe vacations, and White’s Olympic farewell on social media.

SOURCE  | CNN

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Hollywood Actress Teri Garr Passes Away at 79

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Hollywood Actress Teri Garr Passes Away at 79
Teri Garr, known for her roles in classics like "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," has passed away at 79.

Hollywood actress Teri Garr, known for her roles in classics like “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has passed away at 79. She died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer.

Admirers took to social media in her honor, with writer-director Paul Feig calling her “truly one of my comedy heroes. I couldn’t have loved her more” and screenwriter Cinco Paul saying: “Never the star, but always shining. She made everything she was in better.”

Throughout her career, the performer, often known as Terri, Terry, or Terry Ann, seemed destined for show business from a young age.

Her father was Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comic, and her mother was Phyllis Lind, one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Their daughter began dancing classes at six and was performing with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies by age fourteen.

She was 16 years old when she joined the road crew of “West Side Story” in Los Angeles, and she began starring in small roles in films as early as 1963.

In an interview from 1988, she described how she landed the role in “West Side Story.” After being rejected at her initial audition, she returned the following day dressed differently and was accepted.

Teri Garr, a comedian

Teri Garr then found steady work as a movie dancer, appearing in the chorus of nine Elvis Presley films, including “Viva Las Vegas,” “Roustabout,” and “Clambake.”

She has also appeared on various television shows, including “Star Trek,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “Batman,” and was a featured dancer on the rock ‘n’ roll music show “Shindig,” the rock concert performance “T.A.M.I.,” and a cast member of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.”

Her breakthrough role was as Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 thriller The Conversation. This led to an interview with Mel Brooks, who offered her the Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant role in Young Frankenstein if she could speak with a German accent.

“Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, so I got the accent from her,” Garr once said.

The film established her as a great comic performer, with New Yorker film writer Pauline Kael calling her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on screen.”

Her big smile and off-center appeal helped her land roles in “Oh, God!” with George Burns and John Denver, “Mr. Mom” (as Michael Keaton’s wife), and “Tootsie,” in which she played the girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange and discovers he has dressed up as a woman to revive his career.

 A gift for spontaneous humor

Teri Garr, best known for comedy, has shown in films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion, and The Escape Artist that she can also tackle drama.

She had a gift for spontaneous humor, frequently playing David Letterman’s foil during early guest appearances on N.B.C.’s “Late Night With David Letterman”.

Her appearances grew so frequent, and the pair’s good-natured bickering so convincing that rumors of romantic involvement circulated for a while. Years later, Letterman acknowledged those early appearances with helping the program become a success.

During those years, Garr began to experience “a little beeping or ticking” in her right leg. It started in 1983 and expanded to her right arm, but she thought she could handle it. By 1999, her symptoms had gotten so bad that she saw a doctor and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

After disclosing her diagnosis, Garr became a spokesman for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, giving hilarious remarks at events in the United States and Canada.

Source: AP

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Geoff Thomas
Geoffrey Thomas is a seasoned staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. With his sharp writing skills and deep understanding of SEO, he consistently delivers high-quality, engaging content that resonates with readers. Thomas' articles are well-researched, informative, and written in a clear, concise style that keeps audiences hooked. His ability to craft compelling narratives while seamlessly incorporating relevant keywords has made him a valuable asset to the VORNews team.
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