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Billy Mays – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Darrell “Billy” Mays, Jr. (July 20, 1958 – June 28, 2009) was a television direct-response advertisement salesperson most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products. His distinctive beard and loud sales pitches made him a recognized television presence in the USA.

Mays was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, and began his career as salesman on the Atlantic City boardwalk. He traveled across the United States for 12 years, selling various items before he was hired to sell OxiClean and other products on the Home Shopping Network. His success as a TV pitchman led him to found Mays Promotions, Inc. On April 15, 2009, the Discovery Channel began airing Pitchmen, a documentary series that featured Mays. On the morning of June 28, 2009, Mays was found dead in his home by his wife.

At a Pittsburgh home show in 1993, Mays struck up a friendship with rival salesman Max Appel, founder of Orange Glo International, a Denver-based manufacturer of cleaning products. He was then hired by the company to promote their line of cleaners, OxiClean, Orange Clean, Orange Glo, and Kaboom on the Home Shopping Network in St. Petersburg, Florida. Customer response to Mays’ sales pitches was enthusiastic, with a sharp increase in sales after his first day on the network, although some reviews were poor. He was very well known for shouting in an abrasive manner during infomercials. For example, Washington Post staff writer Frank Ahrens called him “a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown.”

Mays was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based at his home in Odessa, Florida. His services as a pitchman became highly sought-after, and he appeared in commercials for many diverse “as seen on TV” products such as Mighty Putty. Mays claimed to be an avid user of the products he promoted. In December 2008, Mays began appearing in ads for ESPN’s online service, ESPN360. These ads were a slight departure for Mays as they were designed to be parodies of his and other infomercial cliches with Mays appearing to be doing a parody of himself. He also made a live appearance during the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl promoting ESPN’s and ABC’s January 1, 2009 bowl games.

In February 2009, Mays publicly challenged Vince Offer to a “pitch-off” between their respective products, the Zorbeez and the Shamwow. Popular Mechanics compared the absorbency of two towel products and declared Shamwow the clear winner. On April 15, 2009, the Discovery Channel began airing Pitchmen, a documentary series that features Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their jobs in direct response marketing. Mays and Sullivan appeared together on the June 23, 2009 episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.

Mays was found unresponsive by his wife in his Tampa, Florida, home on the morning of June 28, 2009. A person known as “Ma’am” called 911 to report that he was unresponsive. He was then pronounced dead at 7:45 am, appearing to have died sometime overnight. The Associated Press reported that there were no indications that the house had been broken into, and that police did not suspect foul play.

On June 29, after an initial autopsy on Mays’ body, Dr. Vernard Adams, the Hillsborough County, Florida medical examiner, stated that Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease and that heart disease was the likely cause of his death. However, a final determination as to the cause of death would not be made until toxicology and tissue tests were complete.

June 29th, 2009 | Tags: actors, death, Entertainment | Category: Entertainment | Leave a comment

Autopsy Planned After Pop Legend Michael Jackson’s Sudden Death – Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment – FOXNews.com

Authorities scheduled an autopsy for Friday in the death of pop music icon Michael Jackson in an attempt to clear up the mystery surrounding his death, including whether prescription drugs played a role.

Jackson, whose fame spanned from his childhood with the legendary Jackson 5 to a superstar solo career that earned him the nickname ‘King of Pop,’ died Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 50.

The autopsy was planned for 11 a.m. EDT, though results were not likely to be final until toxicology tests could be completed, a process that could take several days and sometimes weeks.

However, if a cause can be determined by the autopsy, they will announce the results, said Los Angeles County Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben.

Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.

There has been speculation that drugs may have played a role in the death of the icon, with TMZ citing sources who claim he was given a “heavy dose of morphine” before his death. Other reports claim that Jackson received a shot of Demerol — a similar narcotic— shortly before his death.

June 25th, 2009 | Tags: actors, death, Entertainment | Category: Entertainment, Open | Leave a comment

Latest cutting… I took this to work to show one person how I use a saw, and another person asked to buy it off me with in a minute.

May 8th, 2009 | Tags: actors, hobbies, scrollsaw | Category: Open | Leave a comment

I remember her in “The Parent Trap”…

Natasha Richardson Dead At 45

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Natasha Richardson Dead At 45

Two days after a freak ski accident in Canada, Natasha Richardson passed away in New York on Wednesday at the age of 45.

From the AP:

Alan Nierob, the Los Angeles-based publicist for Richardson’s husband Liam Neeson, confirmed her death in a written statement.

“Liam Neeson, his sons (Micheal, 13, and 12-year-old Daniel), and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha,” the statement said. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”

The statement did not give details on the cause of death for Richardson, who suffered a head injury and fell on a beginner’s trail during a private ski lesson at the luxury Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec. Seemingly fine after the fall, about an hour later she complained that she didn’t feel well.

She was hospitalized Tuesday in Montreal and later flown to a hospital in New York, where family members had been seen coming and going.

Richardson married Liam Neeson in 1994 and together they have two sons, splitting their time between an apartment in New York City and a farm in Millbrook, NY. She is the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and the late Tony Richardson and the sister of actress Joely Richardson.

Richardson, who was supposedly brain dead Tuesday when flown to New York, was reportedly taken off life support earlier Wednesday. Initially she got up and walk away laughing from the crash, only complaining hours later of feeling sick.

March 19th, 2009 | Tags: actors, death, Entertainment, people | Category: Open | Leave a comment

While not one of my favorite actors, he was certainly one I would recognize in a crowd. His part will be missed.

RON SILVER DEAD – New York Post

Actor and longtime political activist Ron Silver died Sunday morning, succumbing to a long battle with cancer, friends of the liberal Democrat-turned-GOP stalwart told The Post.

“Ron Silver died peacefully in his sleep with his family around him this morning,” said Robin Bronk, executive director of the Creative Coalition, which Silver helped create.

“He had been fighting esophageal cancer for two years and his family is making arrangements for a private service.”

Friends of Silver first told Post columnist Cindy Adams of the native New Yorker’s death.

The steely-eyed, blunt-talking Silver, 62, enjoyed a long career on the stage, TV and in movies, and most recently hosted a public affairs talk show on Sirius satellite radio.

Once a self-identified lifelong Democrat, Silver was a founding member of the liberal-leaning Creative Coalition in 1989. But he made a breathtaking political transformation, going from far left to radical right after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York, enthusiastically backing a second term for President Bush.

“Twelve years ago I was here for the Democratic convention. I was on the platform committee. Zell Miller was the keynote speaker. A lot’s changed since then, I can tell you,” a chuckling Silver told The Washington Post.

“If you asked me on September 10, 2001, would I consider going to the Republican National Convention and speaking, I would have thought you were from another planet and didn’t know who I was.”

Silver’s last public appearance came on “Larry King Live” in late October just before last year’s presidential election.

The actor seemed to be swinging slightly back to the left, and took a moderate, down-the-line stance on then-Sen. Barack Obama’s race with GOP rival John McCain.

March 16th, 2009 | Tags: actors, death, Entertainment, Movies, people | Category: Entertainment, Open | Leave a comment

He was a good actor and until I read some of the other shows he had been on I hadn’t realized I had seen him except in Monk. There were probably hundreds of shows he could have done that he will never now do.

Stanley Kamel – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Born and raised in South River, New Jersey, Kamel attended Rutgers Preparatory School. He started his acting career off Broadway, and broke into television with a role in Days of Our Lives as Eric Peters.

In his thirty years of professional acting, Kamel was a guest star on well over eighty television shows, including Mission: Impossible (his first television role, for which he went uncredited), Mod Squad, McMillan & Wife, Kojak, Quincy, M.E., Charlie’s Angels, Mork & Mindy, Three’s Company, Cagney & Lacey, Knight Rider, LA Law, Mr. Belvedere, Matlock, The Golden Girls, MacGyver, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210, ER, 7th Heaven, NYPD Blue, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Murder One, Dark Angel, Six Feet Under, The West Wing and Monk. In addition to guest starring on dozens of television series, his film work included Domino, Inland Empire, and The Urn.

He was most recently known for his role as Dr. Kroger in the popular USA Network television show Monk playing the infinitely patient and ever supportive psychiatrist to the main character Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub).

On April 8, 2008, Kamel was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home. Police investigators ruled that the cause of death was a heart attack. He was 65.

The Monk episode “Mr. Monk Buys a House” was dedicated in his memory.

March 8th, 2009 | Tags: actors, death, Entertainment, people | Category: Entertainment, Open | Leave a comment

William Petersen’s run on ‘CSI’ coming to end – CNN.com

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — William Petersen is leaving “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” a move that might have fans of his brainy crimebuster Gil Grissom screaming bloody murder.

Petersen has agreed to return for occasional guest appearances and will remain a “CSI” executive producer but his run as an original cast member will end this coming season, executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar said Tuesday.

The air date for his final episode, the season’s 10th, has yet to be determined but probably will be at the beginning of 2009, the producers said. The series debuted in fall 2000.

A number of familiar characters will return in the episodes building up to Grissom’s departure, among them his former colleague and flame Sara Sidle, played by Jorja Fox; the Miniature Killer and sexy Lady Heather.

“Who better to turn to when you’re a scientist in crisis,” Mendelsohn said jokingly of Heather (Melinda Clarke).

The decision to leave was Petersen’s, the producers said, declining further comment. A call to Petersen’s publicist was not returned Tuesday.

The actor had taken a break during the 2006-07 season to perform in a play, with Liev Schreiber stepping in as a visiting investigator.

The long-running show remains key for CBS: “CSI” finished last season as the network’s top-rated series, ranking No. 9 among all shows with an average weekly audience of 17 million. Spinoffs “CSI: Miami” and “CSI: New York” ranked 16th and 28th, respectively.

“CSI” is ready to deal with Petersen’s loss, its producers said.

“Shows lucky enough to go this long inevitably have to deal with this kind of change,” Shankar told The Associated Press.

A new male investigator will join “CSI,” a role that has yet to be cast.

The producers were mum about specific plot points but said that Grissom will be reappraising his life after years of high-tech forensics investigations with the Las Vegas Police Department and after facing personal turmoil.

“We’re talking about a man who has suffered a great deal of loss recently… A man thinking about the next phase of his life,” Shankar said.

It’s wrong to characterize it as a mid-life crisis, which summons the image of someone who buys a Porsche as a solution, Shankar and Mendelsohn said; Grissom is confronting far deeper issues.

“It’s Grissom in transition and Grissom asking `Who am I?”‘ Mendelsohn said.

Besides, Shankar said, Petersen wouldn’t buy a sports car.

“Billy would only buy a Prius,” the producer said.

While a woman might be fitting for the show (as a boss), there are just too many shows puting women in charge of the departments. CSI is one of the only sows that still has a male lead.

July 16th, 2008 | Tags: actors, tv shows | Category: Open | Leave a comment

Another iconic actor has passed away, April 5th, 2008, Charlton Heston… although I really didn’t enjoy the stiff necked “I’m better than you attitude” he always seem to (at least to me) portray.

He did play some big parts, everything from the last man on Earth (The Last Man Alive), to the only talking man on Earth (Planet of the Apes)… to the only man who should be talking on Earth (Moses)… he sure did love the limelight. And apparently he liked to be the only person talking. Personally, I was one of those people that had pro’s and con’s feelings on his acting skills. The barrel chested man had major parts and could hit the camera spot nicely. But his better than thou attitude always rubbed me the wrong way. While I’m sadden to see anyone pass away and feel for those he left behind… maybe now I’ll get the image of him slipping tongue to the ape lady out of my mind.

April 6th, 2008 | Tags: actors, death, tv shows | Category: Open | Leave a comment

What words can be used to describe one such as Mr. Clarke? He wrote such mind blowing objects such as… “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “2010: Odyssey Two” along with describing a world of wireless communications before they could even be conceived. He had met and admittedly was fooled by Uri Geller but never lost his search for what could be out there for humans to evolve into.

Author Arthur C. Clarke dies – CNN.com

(CNN) — Author Arthur C. Clarke, whose science fiction and non-fiction works ranged from the script for “2001: A Space Odyssey” to an early proposal for communications satellites, has died at age 90, associates have said.

Clarke had been wheelchair-bound for several years with complications stemming from a youthful bout with polio and had suffered from back trouble recently, said Scott Chase, the secretary of the nonprofit Arthur C. Clarke Foundation.

He died early Wednesday — Tuesday afternoon ET — at a hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since the 1950s, Chase said.

“He had been taken to hospital in what we had hoped was one of the slings and arrows of being 90, but in this case it was his final visit,” he said.

Was he a great man? Was he without fault? Does he deserve only praise?
Whom am I to say… What he is, or was… was a person that looked life in it’s face… worked hard and played harder, and mostly didn’t conform to what others had decided what should be.
I remember an interview he had done, many years ago and was fascinated that he was wearing a skirt… it just is one of those things that made one stop and think.

March 19th, 2008 | Tags: actors, death, people | Category: Open | Leave a comment