Celebrity

Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76

Published

9 months ago

2024-02-29

NEW YORK — Richard Lewis, an accomplished comedian known for addressing his neuroses in furious, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while clad in all-black, earning him the nickname “The Prince of Pain,” has passed away. He was 76.

Lewis, who revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, died at home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after a heart attack, according to his publicist, Jeff Abraham.

Lewis, a regular performer in clubs and on late-night T.V. for decades, also played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series “Anything But Love” and the consistently neurotic Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He reintroduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” kvetching frequently.

“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” he said in a statement. “He had the unusual combination of being the funniest and the sweetest. But tonight he made me cry, and for that I will never forgive him.”

Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76

Lewis was rated one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central, and he appeared on G.Q. magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.” He donated his humour to charitable initiatives such as Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.

“Watching his stand-up is like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,” said the Los Angeles Times in 2014. The Philadelphia City Paper described him as “the Jimi Hendrix of monologists.” Mel Brooks has stated that he “may just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.”

Comedians went to social media Wednesday to express their sympathies, including Albert Books, who described Lewis as “a brilliantly funny man who will be missed by all.” “The world needed him now more than ever,” according to X, formerly Twitter. Bette Midler, Michael McKean, and Paul Feig paid tribute to Lewis, describing him as “one of the funniest people on the planet.”

Following his graduation from Ohio State University in 1969, the New York-born Lewis embarked on a stand-up career, refining his skills on the circuit alongside fellow newcomers Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze, and Billy Crystal.

He recalls Rodney Dangerfield paying him $75 to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield’s. “I had a lot of amazing friends early on who believed in me, and I met some iconic people who really supported me and encouraged me to keep working on my content. And I never looked back,” he told The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado 2010.

“I am paranoid about everything in my life, even at home. “I don’t like having a rear-view mirror on my stationary bike,” he jokingly remarked onstage. He told Jimmy Kimmel, “This morning, I tried to go to bed.” I could not sleep. I counted sheep, but I only had six, and they all had hip replacements.

Unlike contemporaneous Robin Williams, Lewis let spectators inside his world of sadness, bringing his misery and pain to the stage. Fans compared him favourably to Lenny Bruce, the groundbreaking comic.

Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76

“I take great pains not to be mean-spirited,” Lewis told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. “I don’t want to accept true disadvantages that people must overcome without hope. I steer clear of that. That is not hilarious to me. Tragedy is hilarious to other humorists, but not to me unless you can make a useful point.

Billy Joel referred to Lewis in his song “My Life” when he sang about an old acquaintance who “bought a ticket to the West Coast/Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.”

In 1989, at Carnegie Hall, he performed with six feet of yellow legal papers crammed with material and put together for a 2½-hour concert that led to two standing ovations. The night was “the highlight of my career,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.

Lewis told G.Q. His characteristic style arose by chance; he claims that his passion for wearing black stemmed from watching the television Western “Have Gun – Will Travel,” which featured a cowboy dressed entirely in black as a child. He also popularized the phrase “from hell”—as in “the date from hell” or “the job from hell.”

“That just came out of my head one day, and I kept repeating it for whatever reason, similarly, with the black clothing. I felt incredibly comfortable from the early 1980s, and I never wore anything else. I’ve never looked back.

After quitting drugs and alcohol in 1994, Lewis published his memoirs “The Other Great Depression” and “Reflections from Hell” in 2008. The former is a compilation of frank, essay-style reflections on his life.

Lewis was the youngest of three siblings; his brother was six years older than him, and his sister was nine. His father died at a young age, and his mother suffered from emotional problems. “She didn’t understand me at all. My mother is responsible for my professional success. “I should have given her my agent’s commission,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.

“Looking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well,” he writes in his book.

Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76

Lewis instantly discovered a new family while performing at New York’s Improv. “I was 23, and everyone was watching me, including Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner definitely took me under his wing. Driving home to my tiny dump in New Jersey frequently knowing that Steve Allen said, ‘You got it,’ that affirmation kept me going in a significant sense.”

In “Leaving Las Vegas,” he made a brief appearance, which led to his first significant dramatic part as Jimmy Epstein, an addict struggling for his life in the independent film “Drunks.” He portrayed Don Rickles’ son on one “Daddy Dearest” season and a rabbi on “7th Heaven.”

Lewis’ recurring presence on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” can be directly attributed to his connection with fellow comedian, producer, and series star Larry David. Both native Brooklynites, born in the same Brooklyn hospital, met and became rivals at the same summer camp when they were 13. He was cast from the start, fighting with David about overdue invoices and basic courtesy.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Jason Kelce Smashes Football Fan’s Phone

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-11-02

Geoff Brown

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.”

“Kelce how does it feel that your brother is a f****t for dating Taylor Swift?”

Jason Kelce proceeded to slam this kids phone on the ground.

Looked like a Penn State student was getting in Kelce’s face for no reason. Wild scene in State College pic.twitter.com/3PEdZXWhSg

— Chives (@jarrett_daveler) November 2, 2024

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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Celebrity

Shaun White’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-10-30

Kiara Grace

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.

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.

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

Celebrity

Hollywood Actress Teri Garr Passes Away at 79

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-10-30

Geoff Brown

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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