Blake Edwards, American film director, producer and screenwriter (The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany's), died from pneumonia he was , 88

Blake Edwards  was an American film director, screenwriter and producer died from pneumonia he was , 88.
Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures. He used his writing skills to begin producing and directing, with some of his best films including: Experiment in Terror, The Great Race, and the hugely successful Pink Panther film series with the British comedian Peter Sellers. Often thought of as primarily a director of comedies, he was also renowned for his dramatic work, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Days of Wine and Roses. His greatest successes, however, were his comedies, and most of his films were either musicals, melodramas, slapstick comedies, and thrillers.
In 2004, he received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of his writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen.^[1]

(July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010)  Career

Born William Blake Crump in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His grandfather was J. Gordon Edwards, a director of silent movies, and his stepfather, Jack McEdwards,^[2] became a film production manager after moving his family to Los Angeles in 1925.^[3] In an interview with Village Voice in 1971, he said that he had "always felt alienated, estranged from my . . . father."^[4] After attending grammar and high school in Los Angeles, he began taking jobs as an actor during World War II. Edwards describes this period:

I worked with the best directors—Ford, Wyler, Preminger—and learned a lot from them. But I wasn't a very cooperative actor. I was a spunky, smart-assed kid. Maybe even then I was indicating that I wanted to give, not take, direction.^[4]

He later served with the U.S. Coast Guard, where he severely injured his back, leaving him in pain for years afterward.^[3]
His hard-boiled private detective scripts for Richard Diamond, Private Detective became NBC's answer to Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, reflecting Edwards's unique humor. Edwards also created, wrote and directed the 1959 TV series Peter Gunn, with music by Henry Mancini. In the same year Edwards produced, with Mancini's musical theme, Mr. Lucky, an adventure series on CBS starring John Vivyan and Ross Martin. Mancini's association with Edwards continued in his film work, significantly contributing to their success.

Operation Petticoat (1959)

Operation Petticoat was Edwards' first big-budget movie as a director. The film, which starred Tony Curtis and Cary Grant, became the "greatest box-office success of the decade for Universal [Studios]," and made Edwards a recognized director.^[3]

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany's, based on the novel by Truman Capote, is credited with establishing him as a "cult figure" with many critics. Andrew Sarris called it the "directorial surprise of 1961," and it became a "romantic touchstone" for college students in the early 1960s.^[3]

Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

Days of Wine and Roses, a dark psychological film about the effects of alcoholism on a previously happy marriage, starred Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. It has been described as "perhaps the most unsparing tract against drink that Hollywood has yet produced, more pessimistic than Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend." The film gave another major boost to Edwards' reputation as an important director.^[3]
Edwards' most popular films were comedies, the melodrama Days of Wine and Roses being a notable exception. His most dynamic and successful collaboration was with Peter Sellers in six of the movies in the Pink Panther series.^[5] Five of the those involved Edwards and Sellers in original material, while Trail of the Pink Panther, made after Sellers died in 1980, was made up of unused material from The Pink Panther Strikes Again. He also worked with Sellers on the film The Party. Edwards later directed the comedy film 10 with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek.^[5]

Darling Lili (1969)

Darling Lili, starring Julie Andrews, is considered by many followers of Edwards' film as "the director's masterpiece." According to critic George Morris, "it synthesizes every major Edwards theme: the disappearance of gallantry and honor, the tension between appearances and reality . . . and the emotional, spiritual, moral, and psychological disorder" in such a world. Edwards used difficult cinematography techniques, including long-shot zooms, tracking, and focus distortion, to great effect.^[3]
However, the film failed badly at the box office. At a cost of $17 million to make, few people went to see it, and the few who did weren't impressed. It brought Paramount Pictures to "the verge of financial collapse," and became an example of "self-indulgent extravagance" in filmmaking "that was ruining Hollywood."^[3]
In 2004, Edwards received an Honorary Academy Award for cumulative achievements over the course of his film career.^[6]

Pink Panther films

Edwards is best known for directing most of the comedy film series The Pink Panther, and all of the entries starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. It was considered a fruitful, yet complicated relationship, with many disagreements during production. At various times in their film relationship, "he more than once swore off Sellers," as too hard to direct. However, in his later years, he admitted that working with Sellers was often irresistible:

"We clicked on comedy, and we were lucky we found each other, because we both had so much respect for it. We also had an ability to come up with funny things and great situations that had to be explored. But in that exploration there would oftentimes be disagreement . . . But I couldn't resist those moments when we jelled. And if you ask me who contributed most to those things, it couldn't have happened unless both of us were involved, even though it wasn't always happy."^[7]

The films were all highly profitable. The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), for example, cost just $2.5 million to make, but grossed $100 million, while The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), did even better.^[3]

Silent film style

Having grown up in Hollywood, the son of a studio production manager and grandson of a silent film director, Edwards had watched the films of the great silent clowns, including Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Laurel and Hardy. Both he and Sellers appreciated and understood the comedy styles in silent films and tried to recreate it in their work together. After their immense success with the first two Pink Panther films, The Pink Panther (1963) and A Shot in the Dark (1964), which adapted many silent film aspects, including slapstick, they attempted to go even further in The Party (1968). Although the film is relatively unknown, some have considered it a "masterpiece in this vein" of silent comedy, even though it included minimal dialogue.^[8][9]

Personal life

Edwards, the step-grandson of prolific silent-film director J. Gordon Edwards, married his first wife, actress Patricia Walker, in 1953; they divorced in 1967. She appeared in the comedy All Ashore (1953), for which Edwards was one of the screenwriters. Edwards' second marriage from 1969 until his death was to Julie Andrews. She appeared in a number of his films, including Darling Lili, 10, Victor Victoria and the autobiographical satire S.O.B., in which Andrews played a character who was a caricature of herself. In 1995, he wrote the book for the stage musical adaptation of Victor/Victoria, also starring Andrews.
Edwards described his struggle with the illness chronic fatigue syndrome for 15 years in the documentary I Remember Me.^[10]
Edwards and Andrews had five children.^[11] The two eldest, Jennifer and Geoffrey, are from his previous marriage; middle child Emma is from Andrews' first marriage; and the youngest children are two adopted orphans from Vietnam, Amelia Leigh and Joanna Lynne. Edwards and Andrews adopted them in the early 1970s. All of the children, except Joanna, have appeared in his movies..

Death

On December 15, 2010, Edwards died of complications of pneumonia at the Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.^[12] His wife and children were at his side.^[5]

Legacy

Edwards was greatly admired as well as strongly criticized as a filmmaker during his career. On the negative side, general critique included this by American film author George Morris:

It has been difficult for many critics to accept Blake Edwards as anything more than a popular entertainer. . . . Edwards' detractors acknowledge his formal skill but deplore the absence of profundity in his movies. . . Edwards' movies are slick and glossy, but their shiny surfaces reflect all too accurately the disposable values of contemporary life.^[3]

But others recognized him more for his significant achievements at different periods of his career. British film critic Peter Llyod, for example, described Edwards, in 1971, as "the finest director working in the American commercial cinema at the present time." Edwards' biographers, William Luhr and Peter Lehman,^[13] in an interview in 1974, called him "the finest American director working at this time."^[14] They refer especially to the Pink Panther's Clouseau, developed with the comedic skills of Peter Sellers, as a character "perfectly consistent" with his "absurdist view of the world, . . . because he has no faith in anything and constantly adapts." Critic Stuart Byron calls his early Pink Panther films "two of the best comedies an American has ever made." Polls taken at the time showed that his name, as a director, was a rare "marketable commodity" in Hollywood.^[3]
Edwards himself described one of the secrets to success in the film industry:

For someone who wants to practice his art in this business, all you can hope to do, as S.O.B. says, is stick to your guns, make the compromises you must, and hope that somewhere along the way you acquire a few good friends who understand. And keep half a conscience."^[3]

Filmography

• The Atomic Kid (1954)
• My Sister Eileen (1955)
• Bring Your Smile Along (1955)
• He Laughed Last (1956)
• Mister Cory (1957)
• This Happy Feeling (1958)
• The Perfect Furlough (1958)
• Operation Petticoat (1959)
• High Time (1960)
• Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
• Experiment in Terror (1962)
• Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
• The Pink Panther (1963)
• A Shot in the Dark (1964)
• The Great Race (1965)
• What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
• Gunn (1967)
• The Party (1968)
• Darling Lili (1969)
• Wild Rovers (1971)
• The Carey Treatment (1972)
• The Tamarind Seed (1974)
• The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
• The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
• Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
• 10 (1979)
• S.O.B. (1981)
• Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
• Victor Victoria (1982)
• Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
• The Man Who Loved Women (1983)
• Micki + Maude (1984)
• A Fine Mess (1986)
• That's Life (1986)
• Blind Date (1987)
• Sunset (1988)
• Skin Deep (1989)
• Switch (1991)
• Son of the Pink Panther (1993)

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Anthony Enahoro, Nigerian political activist. died he was , 87

Chief Anthony Enahoro,  was Nigeria’s foremost anti-colonial and pro-democracy activists died he was , 87. He was born the eldest of twelve children in Uromi in the present Edo State of Nigeria. His Esan parents were Anastasius Okotako Enahoro (d. 1968) and Fidelia Inibokun née Ogbidi Okojie (d. 1969).

 Chief Enahoro has had a long and distinguished career in the press, politics, the civil service and the pro-democracy movement. Educated at the Government School Uromi, Government School Owo and King's College, Lagos, Chief Enahoro became the editor of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s newspaper, the Southern Nigerian Defender, Ibadan, in 1944 at the age of 21, thus becoming Nigeria’s youngest editor ever. He later became the editor of Zik’s Comet, Kano, 1945–49, also associate editor West African Pilot, Lagos, editor-in-chief Morning Star, 1950-53. In 1953,Chief Anthony Enahoro was the first to move the motion for Nigeria's independence and consequences,he has been regarded by academics and many Nigerians, the father of "Nigeria State" Though his motion was rejected by Parliament and the northern MP's staged a walkout as a consequence of the attempt. The actual successful movement of the motion for Nigeria's independence did not take place until 1958. After Enahoro's initial attempt in 1953, Chief S.L. Akintola attempted to move the second motion for Nigeria's independence in 1957 and though his motion was passed by Parliament it was not acquiesced to by the British colonial authorities and it therefore failed. The successful moving of the motion for Nigeria's independence did not take place until August 1958 and this was done by Chief Remi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode's motion was not only passed by Parliament but it was also acquiesced to by the British. His motion had called for independence to be granted to Nigeria on April 2, 1960 and though it was passed by Parliament and acquiesed to by the British a slight amendment proposing that the month of independence should be moved from April 2 to October 1 was proposed by a fourth motion to Parliament by Sir Tafawa Balewa in 1959 and it was passed.As a consequence of that Nigeria gained her independence in 1960.

(22 July 1923-15 December 2010)  Family

Chief Enahoro is survived by his wife Helen (née Ediae),their five children and several grandchildren. None of the children have as yet followed their father's footsteps into mainstream national politics, although his first son, Ken,was chairman of the National Minority Rights Movement and his third son, Victor, was a prominent activist with the American branch of the NADECO movement. His youngest child, Gabriel, has helped in the work of Amnesty International and worked with local government in England. It is expected that the death of the patriarch will see the emergence of one, if not all of his children to carry his mantle.
The five children; Kenneth Enahoro, Eugene Enahoro, Victor Enahoro, Annabella Enahoro and Gabriel Enahoro; are all University graduates and currently pursue careers in both Nigeria and abroad. They have each showed an interest in following their father into public service in Nigeria, but it is not known whether they share their late father's independent stance, or whether they will declare for and actively support any of the existing political parties in Nigeria.
The nature of Nigerian politics is such that it is widely expected that each of them will be approached to see whether they will indeed follow their father into the political arena.
Through his children, Chief Enahoro has many grandchildren, with Eugene, Victor and Gabriel being married. The latter has been married for almost 15 years to a Polish citizen, with whom he has 3 children. They currently live in London, England. Eugene and his wife are resident in Benin City and Abuja, with Victor and his wife splitting their time between The USA and Abuja.

Early life

He was born the eldest of ten children in Onewa village, Uromi, in the present Edo State of Nigeria. His Esan parents were Anastasius Asuelinmen "Okotako" Enahoro (d. 1968) and Fidelia Inibokun née Ogbidi Okojie (d. 1969). Chief Enahoro has had a long and distinguished career in the press, politics, the civil service and the pro-democracy movement. Educated at the Government School Uromi, Government School Owo and King's College, Lagos, Chief Enahoro became the editor of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s newspaper, the Southern Nigerian Defender, Ibadan, in 1944 at the age of 21. AS a student then at the famous Kings College, Chief Enahoro plunged into the Nigerian turbulent liberation struggle against colonial rule in the early 1940s, leading to student revolts at the college, in Lagos where he was a student leader. He was prominent in politics at a time of rapid change. He was twice jailed for sedition by the colonial government, for an article mocking a former governor, and then for a speech allegedly inciting Nigerian troops serving in the British army. The British marked him as a firebrand, but even as he was jailed for a third time, he was beginning to reassess his position.

Politics

During the Nigerian crisis that followed the 1966 coups, Chief Enahoro was the leader of the then Mid-West delegation to the Ad Hoc

Constitutional Conference in Lagos. He later became Federal commissioner (Minister) for Information and Labour under the General Yakubu Gowon Military Government, 1967-74; Federal Commissioner for Special Duties, 1975. He later became member of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, 1978-83. He was the president, World Festival of Negro Arts and Culture, 1972-75.
Chief Enahoro was the chairman of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group that fought dictator Sani Abacha till Abacha’s death.

Chief Enahoro was conferred with the national honour of Commander, Order of the Federal Republic, CFR, in 1982, and is the chairman of the Movement for National Reformation, MNR; as well as the Pro-National Conference Organisation, PRONACO. He was awarded honorary DSC by the University of Benin in 1972. Among his publications include the treatise Fugitive Offender. Chief Enahoro played golf and followed cricket ardently. ^[1][2][3] Chief Enahoro was a delegate to most of the constitutional conferences leading to the independence of Nigeria in 1960.

Crisis in Western Nigeria

During the 1962 crisis in the old Western region, he was detained along with other Action Group members. Accused of treason during the Awolowo alleged coup trial, Chief Enahoro escaped via Ghana to the United Kingdom in 1963, Nigeria requested Enahoro's extradition under the 1881 Fugitive Offenders Act, preventing his application for political asylum. Early in 1963, the new leader of the Labour party, Harold Wilson, detected the embarrassment caused by Enahoro's arrest and imprisonment. Labour went on the attack in the Commons, with support from some Tories, backed by a media furore. He was once one of the best-known Nigerians in Britain. He was the "fugitive offender" who triggered days of debate in the House of Commons in 1963 as he battled against extradition.
"The Enahoro affair" became an issue of human rights versus the government's pusillanimous wish not to offend Nigeria, and put the Tory prime minister, Harold Macmillan, and his home secretary, Henry Brooke, in a difficult position.

He was extradited from the UK and imprisoned for treason. In 1966, he was released by the Military Government.

Books

• Fugitive offender: the story of a political prisoner

External links

• "[2]" Anthony Enahoro: A Grim Vindication
• "[3]" Anthony Enahoro: Political Trials in History: From Antiquity to the Present

Legacy

In 1953, Chief Anthony Enahoro initiated the self-government motion in the Western House of Assembly, which eventually led to Nigerian Independence on the 1st day of October, 1960.

Sport

Chief Enahoro came from a sporting background. He excelled in sports at King's College and is credited with being the first Nigerian National to gain membership of a golf club in Nigeria. He managaged to bring his handicap down into single figures during his long golfing career. He was also the driving force behind bringing FESTAC to Nigeria in the 1970s, during which time both Muhammed Ali and Pele visited the country to widespread acclaim.
All his children excelled at sport during their schooling and University years, playing Football, Rugby, Golf and Tennis. Currently, Kenneth and Eugene are avid golfers and founding members of the Saturday Society at Benin Golf Club. Annabella practices Pilates and Gabriel is an avid cyclist.
It is thought that Mrs Enahoro was the first Nigerian woman to play golf.
Kenneth (Golf), Eugene (Golf), Annabella (Pilates), Victor (Golf), Gabriel (Cycling & Pilates)

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Bob Feller, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians), member of Baseball Hall of Fame, died from leukemia he was , 92

Robert William Andrew "Bob" Feller , nicknamed "The Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob" and "Rapid Robert", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

(November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010)

Early life

Feller was born and raised in Van Meter, Iowa. His father ran the family farm, and his mother was a registered nurse and a teacher.^[1] Feller credited his arm strength and ball speed to milking cows, picking corn, and baling hay.^[2] He recalled his childhood fondly: "What kid wouldn't enjoy the life I led in Iowa? Baseball and farming, and I had the best of both worlds." ^[3] The family's farm is on the National Register of Historic Places.^[4]
Feller's father built a baseball diamond on the farm that he named "Oak View Park", then recruited his son and others to play for a team he named The Oakviews.^[5][6]
Feller attended Van Meter High School, and was a starting pitcher for their team.^[7] His sister Marguerite played for the girls' basketball team, and was the Iowa state ping-pong champion.^[7]

Professional career

Feller was signed by scout Cy Slapnicka for $1 and an autographed baseball.^[8] Upon being made General Manager of the Indians, Slapnicka transferred Feller's contract from Fargo-Moorhead to New Orleans to the majors without the pitcher so much as visiting either farm club, in clear violation of baseball rules. After a three-month investigation, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis made it clear that he did not believe what Slapnicka or Cleveland president Alva Bradley said, but awarded Feller to the Indians anyway, partly due to the testimony of Feller and his father, who wanted Bob to play for Cleveland.
Feller joined the Cleveland Indians without having played in the minors. He spent his entire career of 18 years with the Indians, being one of "The Big Four" Indians pitching rotation in the 1950s, along with Bob Lemon, Early Wynn and Mike Garcia. He ended his career with 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts and led the American League in strikeouts seven times and bases on balls four^[9] times. His fastball was nicknamed "the Van Meter Heater." He pitched three no-hit games and shares the major league record with 12 one-hitters. Feller was the first pitcher to win 20 or more games before the age of 21. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. When he was 17 years of age, he struck out 17 batters; he and Kerry Wood are the only two players ever to strike out their age (Wood struck out 20 on May 6, 1998).
On October 2, 1938, Feller set a modern major league record of 18 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers.^[10] On Opening Day in the 1940 season, Feller pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, with the help of a diving play on the final out by second baseman, Ray Mack. This is the only no-hitter to be thrown on Opening Day in major league history.
When asked whether he threw harder than any other pitcher ever, Feller responded that, at the end of his career, players who had batted against him and also against Nolan Ryan had said Feller threw harder than Ryan.^{[citation needed]} If that was the case, Feller threw over 102 mph. There is footage of Feller being clocked by army ordnance equipment (used to measure artillery shell velocity) and hitting 98.6. However, this took place in the later years of his career, and the machine used, like most of the machines at the time, measured the speed of the ball as it crossed the plate whereas now the speed is measured as it leaves the pitcher's hand. Feller once mentioned that he was clocked at 104 mph at Lincoln Park in Chicago. He also threw the second fastest pitch ever officially recorded, at 107.6 mph, in a game in 1946 at Griffith Stadium.^[11]
When Feller retired in 1956, he held the major league record for most walks in a career (1,764), and for most hit batsmen. He still holds the 20th century record for most walks in a season (208 in 1938).
In 1943, Feller married Virginia Winther (1916–1981), daughter of a Wisconsin industrialist. They had three sons, Steve (b. 1945), Martin (b. 1947), and Bruce (b.1950). In retirement, he lived with his wife, Anne Feller, in Gates Mills, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. In 2010, he threw out the first pitch at the Indians' first home spring training game at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona.

Military service

On December 8, 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy, volunteering immediately for combat service, becoming the first Major League Baseball player to do so following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7.^[12] Feller served as Gun Captain aboard the USS Alabama,^[4] and missed four seasons during his service in World War II, being decorated with five campaign ribbons and eight battle stars. His bunk is marked on the Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama. Feller is the only Chief Petty Officer in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Subsequent career

One year after his return to Major League action, in 1946, he registered an incredible 348 strikeouts while pitching in 48 games, starting 42 of those games. That year Feller was 26-15 with an ERA of 2.18 while pitching 36 complete games. He led the American League in strikeouts seven times and had 200 or more strikeouts five times. Feller pitched in 570 games during his career, and pitched in 40 or more games six seasons. Feller also threw three no-hit games including the only opening day no-hitter in baseball history in 1940. He had 46 shutouts during his career with 10 of those in 1946. Many baseball historians have speculated that Feller would have won perhaps 350 games with well over 3,000 strikeouts had he not joined the military. He was honored as "The greatest pitcher of his time" by the Sporting News.

Barnstorming

Throughout his career, Feller criss-crossed the country playing exhibition games in the off-season, showcasing his legendary fastball for fans in large, medium and small towns. His barnstorming tours often featured other big leaguers and/or Negro League stars, like Satchel Paige.
In 1947, Feller announced that he would pitch in the Cuban winter league during the off-season, but major league baseball commissioner Happy Chandler ruled that no major leaguer could play in Cuba during the winter.
Feller's barnstorming business savvy made him one of the wealthiest players of his time. As a result, Feller did not have to take off-season jobs to make ends meet, like many players of his era did, which allowed Feller to become a physical fitness pioneer. While other players waited until spring training to get in shape, Feller had the time to do push-ups, sit-ups, calisthenics and stretching, following a rigorous regimen.
In June 2009, at the age of 90, Feller was one of the starting pitchers at the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame Classic, which replaces the Hall of Fame Game at Cooperstown, New York.^[13]

Museum

In 1995, the Bob Feller Museum opened in Van Meter, Iowa. Designed by Feller's son Stephen, an architect, on land donated by Brenton Banks,^[14] the museum has two rooms that contain Feller memorabilia and items from his own collection.^[15]

Final months

In August 2010, Feller was treated for leukemia.^[16] In October, Feller was fitted with a pacemaker and was diagnosed with pneumonia and thrush, an infection of the mucus membrane lining the mouth and throat. By December 8, he had been transferred from the Cleveland Clinic to hospice care.^[17]
On December 15, Feller died of complications from leukemia.^[18]

Highlights

• Winningest pitcher in Cleveland Indians history (266 victories)
• Led league in wins six times (1939–41, 1946–47, 1951)
• Led league in ERA (1940)
• Led league in strikeouts seven times (1938–41, 1946–48)
• Pitched three no-hitters, including the only Opening Day no-hitter.
• 8-time All-Star (1938–41, 1946–48, 1950)
• Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1962
• Only Chief Petty Officer in United States Navy history to be elected to a major sports Hall Of Fame.
• In 1999, he ranked Number 36 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
• Was a part of an Abbot and Costello routine that preceded Who's on First. What Feller. Feller with the Cleveland Indians. There are nine Fellers on the Cleveland Team. Now which Feller are you talking about?

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Solange Michel, French mezzo-soprano died he was , 98

Solange Michel  was a French classical mezzo-soprano who sang in concerts, recitals, and operas from the 1930s to the 1970s died he was , 98. She was particularly associated with the French opera repertory and was one of the most popular interpreters of the title heroine in Georges Bizet's Carmen in post World War II France.^[1]

(November 27, 1912 – December 15, 2010)

Life and career

Born Solange Boulesteix in Paris, Michel studied at the Conservatoire de Paris under Thomas Salignac and André Gresse. She began her career as a concert singer, giving her first performance on French Radio in 1936, and made her stage debut in 1942, as Charlotte in Werther.

In 1945, she changed her name to Solange Michel and became a member of the Opéra-Comique where she debuted as Mignon. Shortly afterwards, she was invited to perform at the Opéra de Paris, and quickly established herself as the most important mezzo of her era. Her interpretation of Carmen is now widely regarded as a classic. Other notable roles included; Charlotte, Dalila in Camille Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila, Geneviève in Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, Marguerite in Hector Berlioz's La damnation de Faust, and Orfeo in Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. She also participated in the premieres of Pierre Wissmer's Marion in 1951, and Gian Carlo Menotti 's The Last Savage in 1963.
She made guest appearances at the Royal Opera House in London, at La Scala in Milan, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Liceu in Barcelona, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, also appearing in Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Lisbon, etc.
Michel was also much admired as a recitalist, and made her last appearance in Besançon, in 1978.
She made a number of recordings, the most famous being Carmen, opposite Raoul Jobin, and conducted by André Cluytens.

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Jean Rollin French film director, actor and novelist, died after a long illnes he was , 72,

Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentilwas a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his films in the fantastique genre such as the vampire film Le Viol du Vampire (1968) and the first French gore film Les Raisins de la Mort (1978) died after a long illnes he was , 72,.^[1]

(3 November 1938 – 15 December 2010)

Early life

Jean Rollin was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine (now Hauts-de-Seine), France to Claude Rollin, an actor and theatre director, who went by the stage name "Claude Martin", and Denise Rollin-Le Gentil, an artistically inclined family.^[2]

Career

Early career and short films

He had a passion for cinema from an early age. He saw his first film during the second World War, it was Capitaine Fracasse, a 1942 film directed by Abel Gance. Jean decided he want to make film when he grew up, and with his father being a theare actor, he was a heavy influence on him. During his teens, he developed an obsession for American serials and read comic books. These serial were an obvious infuence on him as a teenager. When he was 16, he found a job at Le Films des Saturne, he was there to help write invoices, and earned himself some money, and of course wanted to be involved in cinema. They specialized in creating opening and closing credits and short cartoons, but real films were also shot, and industrial shorts and documentaries were also made. Jean was part of the crew in a short documentary about Snecma, a big factory in France which built motors and planes. He arranged the travelling shots, laid the tracks, checked the electricity, and helped the cameraman. When Jean did his military service for the French army, he worked as an editor in the cinema department alongside Claude Lelouch. They worked on army commercials, Lelouch directed, and Jean did the montage, and also did two films, Mechanographie, a documentary, and La Guerre de Silence (The War of Silence), a real film with actors and a story. In 1958, he directed his first short film Les Amours Jaunes (The Yellow Lovers), which he directed after he left the army. He shot it on a 35mm Maurigraphe camera, and used a beach in Dieppe as his location, the same beach that was used in his later films. In 1960, Jean decided to direct his first feature film, but later abandoned the project as he had no money to finish it. His next short, Ciel de Cuivre (Sky of Copper), was directed in 1961, and was quite surreal, it told a sentimental story. He did not finish the film because he ran out of money and as it was not very good. The footage is now lost. In 1962, he was as an assistant director on the film Un Cheval pour Deux (A Horse for Two), which was not a great experience for him, and decided to approach cinema in a different way. In the early sixties, Jean became interested in politics, and made a short documentary in 1964 called Vivre en Espagne (Life in Spain), it was about Generalissimo Francisco Franco, thirty minutes were filmed and it wasn't very good, but risked a lot to get it made. Jean and the crew found themselves haunted by the police and just managed to make it back into France. Jean also directed a short film in 1965 called Le Pays Loin.

Le Viol du Vampire and beyond

In 1968, Jean directed his first feature Le Viol du Vampire (The Rape of the Vampire). At the time he was still not known in the world of cinema, having only done a few short films and documentaries. The film was shot on a low budget, and consisted of two parts because it was originally supposed to be another short film, the second part was later added so that it was released as a feature film.^[3] The release of Le Viol caused public scandal and outrage, his strong inspiration of American serials did not attract viewers. It was released during the events of May 1968, and due to the riots, it was a rare theatrical production at the time. Jean himself was also threatened due to this scandal,^[4] because of this, Jean briefly decided to give up making films. His second feature La Vampire Nue (The Nude Vampire) was his first film in colour. It was mostly inspired by the 1916 film Judex, and also surrealism in general. Jean wanted to do something a little more temperate than Le Viol, a traditional mystery film. It is exactly the same kind of film as his first feature, it also has the same spirit. Le Frisson des Vampires (The Shiver of the Vampires) was heavily influenced by the trappings of the hippie movement. The film was his most successful and commercial film to date, it was made on a shoe-string budget and was a dreamlike fantasy film,^[5] a theme his films are known for. In 1971, Jean directed Requiem pour un Vampire (Requiem for a Vampire), which became one of his most successful films, and it was another low budget production, which almost took no money to make. There was no dialogue in the first 40 minutes of the films, this was to simlify the story, direction and cinematography.

Writing

Death

Rollin died in December 2010 after a long illness.^[6]

Filmography

Director/crew
Year	Title	Crew	Notes
1958	Les amours jaunes	Director	short film, other title: The Yellow Lovers
1961	Ciel de cuivre	Director	short film, other title: Sky of Copper
1962	Un Cheval pour Deux	Assistant director	Other title: A Horse for Two
1963	L'itinéraire marin	Director, writer	Project abandoned
1964	Vivre en Espagne	Director	short documentary
1965	Le pays loin	Director, writer
1966	Tristesse des anthropophages	Producer	short film
1967	Faire quelque chose	Producer	short film
1968	Le Viol du Vampire	Director, writer, producer	Other title: The Rape of the Vampire
1969	La Vampire Nue	Director, writer	Other title: The Nude Vampire
1970	Le Frisson des Vampires	Director, writer, producer	Other title: The Shiver of the Vampires
1971	Requiem pour un Vampire	Director, writer	Other title: Requiem for a Vampire
1972	La Rose de Fer	Director, writer	Other title: The Iron Rose
1973	Jeunes filles impudiques	Director	credited as Michel Gentil
	Christina, princesse de l'érotisme	Director (dream sequence)	Other title: A Virgin Among the Living Dead
1974	Les Demoniaques	Director, writer	Other title: The Demoniacs
	Tout le monde il en a deux	Director, writer, producer	credited as Michel Gentil
1975	Lévres de Sang	Director, writer	Other title: Lips of Blood
	Phantasmes	Director, writer	Other title: Once Upon a Virgin
1976	Douches pénétrations	Director, writer	credited as Michel Gentil
	La comtesse Ixe	Director	credited as Michel Gentil
	Amours collectives	Writer
	Apothéose porno	supervisor	uncredited
1977	Saute-moi dessus	Director, writer, cinematographer, editor	credited as Michel Gentil
	Hard Penetration	Director, writer	credited as Michel Gentil
	Vibrations sexuelles	Director	credited as Michel Gentil
1978	Remplissez-moi...les 3 trous	Director	credited as Robert Xavier
	Petites pensionnaires impudiques	Director	credited as Michel Gentil
	Lèvres entrouvertes	Director	credited as Michel Gentil
	Hyperpénétrations	Director	credited as Robert Xavier
	Les Raisins de la Mort	Director, Writer	other title: The Grapes of Death
	Discosex	Director, writer	credited as Robert Xavier, uncredited as writer
1979	The Cannibals	Writer	uncredited
	Fascination	Director, writer
	Gamines en chaleur	Director	credited as Robert Xavier
	Bouches lascives et pornos	Director	credited as Robert Xavier
	Pénétrations vicieuses	Director	credited as Michel Gentil
	Jeux d'adultes pour gamines expertes	Producer
1980	La Nuit des Traquées	Director, writer	other title: The Night of the Hunted
	Minouche, fillette insatiable	Producer	other title: Unlimited Girls
1981	Les paumées du petit matin	Director, writer	other title: The Escapees
	Le Lac des Morts Vivants	Director	credited as J.A. Laser
1982	Rêves de sexes	Director	credited as Robert Xavier
	La Morte Vivante	Director, writer	other title: The Living Dead Girl
1983	Sodomaine	Director, writer	credited as Robert Xavier
	Folies anales	Director	credited as Robert Xavier
1984	Les Trottoirs de Bangkok	Director	other title: The Sidewalks of Bangkok
1985	Ne prends pas les poulets pour des pigeons	Director	credited as Michel Gentil
1988	Emmanuelle 6	Director, writer	uncredited
1989	Perdues dans New York	Director, writer	television film, other title: Lost in New York
	Killing Car	Director	later released in 1993, original title: Femme Dangereuse
1990	La griffe d'Horus	Director, writer	television film
1991	À la poursuite de Barbara	Director	uncredited
	Et le temps s'en va...	Exclusive producer	short film
1994	Le parfume de Mathilde	Director, writer	uncredited as director
1997	Les deux orphelines vampires	Director, writer	other titles: The Two Orphan Vampires
2002	La fiancée de Dracula	Director, writer	other title: Dracula'a Fiancee
2007	La nuit des horloges	Director, writer
2010	Le Masque de la Méduse	Director, writer
Actor
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	Crime et Châtiment	Le prêtre chantant	uncredited
1966	Tristesse des anthropophages	Un client du restaurant scatophage	uncredited
1968	La femme-bourreau	Un flic	uncredited
	Le Viol du Vampire	Villager	uncredited, other title: The Rape of the Vampire
1973	La Rose de Fer	Man in Cemetery	uncredited, other title: The Iron Rose
	Le sourire vertical		other title: The Vertical Smile
1975	Phantasmes		other title: Once Upon a Virgin
	Lévres de Sang	Le gardien du cimetière	uncredited, other title: Lips of Blood
1976	Douches pénétrations	Le chef cuisinier
	Amours collectives	Mike Gentle the Vampire	scene deleted
1978	Remplissez-moi... les 3 trous
	Lèvres gloutonnes
	Hyperpénetrations
	Les Raisins de la Mort	Worker at Vinyard	other title: The Grapes of Death
	Discosex	Sound Engineer
1979	Entrez vite... vite, je mouille!		credited as Michel Gentil
1980	Clinique pour soins très spéciaux
1981	Le Lac des Morts Vivants	Stiltz	other title: Zombie Lake
1982	La Morte Vivante	Salesman	uncredited
1984	Les Trottoirs de Bangkok	Un Tueur	uncredited
1985	Sanguine	L'éditeur
1989	Killing Car	Bandaged man in car	later released in 1993 credited as Michel Gentil, original title: Femme Dangereuse
1991	À la poursuite de Barbara
1992	Trepanator	Dr. Roll	direct-to-video
1993	Dinosaur from the Deep	Professeur Nolan	direct-to-video
1997	Marquis de Slime	Homme du gouvernement	short film
2007	Life Like	The director	short film
2010	Le masque de la Méduse	L'homme qui enterre la tête

Works

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Further reading

• Virgins & Vampires: Jean Rollin, Contains essays by Jean Rollin, edited by Peter Blumenstock; Includes CD soundtrack from Les Deux orphelines vampires – Limited edition of 300 copies, autographed by Jean Rollin (Crippled Publishing, 1997, ISBN 3-9805820-0-0)
• Video Watchdog, Edition 31; Peter Blumenstock interviews Rollin (1995)
• Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956-1984 (1994) by Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs – Dedicates a chapter to Rollin
• Jean Rollin: cinéaste écrivain (2002) by Pascal Françaix (ABC Films Editions, ISBN 978-2915160055)

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Timothy Davlin, American politician, Mayor of Springfield, Illinois (since 2003), died from suicide by gunshot he was , 53

Timothy J. Davlin  was the mayor of the U.S. city of Springfield, Illinois, from April 2003 until his death in December 2010 died from suicide by gunshot he was , 53. Though the Mayor's office is officially non-partisan, the Illinois capital has a strong tradition of partisanship, even for municipal races, and both major parties of Sangamon County endorse candidates. Davlin had the backing of the Democratic Party.

(August 27, 1957 – December 14, 2010)

Background

Davlin was born on August 27, 1957 in Springfield, Illinois. He attended Springfield's Griffin High School and earned an Associate Arts Degree from Springfield College and attended Sangamon State University (now known as the University of Illinois at Springfield). Davlin worked for the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office as a non-merit Deputy from 1980-1982.

He started in the financial and insurance business in 1981 when he became a Registered Representative with AXA Advisor, LLC. He provided financial products and services to individuals and businesses. He sat on the board of directors of the Mid-West Truckers Association, Inc. and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Municipal League and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. His community involvement included current Past President, Past Secretary, Board of Managers for Oak Ridge Cemetery; Past President (four terms) past Board Member, Springfield Columbus Home Association; Past Board Member, Past Secretary for Springfield's Catholic Charities; former Co-Chairman of Breadline Sunday for St. John's Breadline; and former Secretary/Treasurer and Past President of the Sons and Daughters of Erin.
Davlin was a Past Grand Knight (four terms) and Past Trustee for the Knights of Columbus Council #364. He was one of the youngest men inducted into the Knights of Columbus Diocesan Hall of Fame for exemplary service to the organization. He was a member of St. Agnes' Parish in Springfield, and served on various fundraising committees during the construction on the church and its school. He was a member of the Springfield Motor Boat Club and Illini Country Club.
He was elected to a second term on April 19, 2007. However, the Republican-endorsed candidates unexpectedly won nearly every seat on the Springfield City Council, in that same election. Terms for Springfield municipal officials run for four years.

Controversies

Davlin was under investigation for unpaid taxes, owing nearly $90,000 to the IRS.^[2]

Death

Davlin was found dead in his home on the morning of December 14, 2010 from a gunshot wound to the chest, which was self-inflicted.^[3] He was 53 years old. He had been scheduled to appear in court that morning in reference to the estate of his late cousin. There were allegations that $187,000 from the cousin's estate, which was earmarked for Catholic Charities, had disappeared. The investigation of his death was turned over to the Illinois State Police, the only law enforcement agency in the area with which Davlin had no immediate connection. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday, December 15, 2010, to verify the cause of death, according to the State Police and the Sangamon County coroner's office. Springfield Ward 3 Alderman Frank Kunz, who is the mayor pro tempore of the city of Springfield, was sworn into office the same day as the acting mayor of Springfield. On December 28th, 2010, Ward 1 Alderman Frank Edwards was sworn in as mayor relieving Frank Kunz as mayor pro tempore. ^[4] The Springfield Superintendent of Schools, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, U.S. Senator and Majority Whip Dick Durbin, U.S. Representative Aaron Schock, Illinois State Senator Larry Bomke, and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois all released statements of condolence upon hearing of Mayor Davlin's death.^[5] Davlin's funeral drew more than 1000 mourners who came to pay their respects and there was a total of 100 cars in the funeral procession itself.^{[citation needed]}
On January 20th, 2011, Sgt. Brad Sterling of the Illinois State Police testified during an inquest hearing that Timothy Davlin had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Sangamon County Coroner's office ruled the death as a suicide. Toxicology reports were negative for alcohol or drugs. A bullet was fired from a six-shot revolver and traveled through Davlin's heart and into the seat of a Lincoln Navigator owned by Davlin. Items found in the passenger area of the Navigator included the revolver, a police radio, and a cordless home telephone. It is unknown if a suicide note was found, as Sterling declined to answer questions. ^[6]

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