Don LaFontaine Dies

Don LaFontaine, the "Voiceover King", died Monday in Los Angeles at the age of 68

He is most famous for the line, “In a world…”.

He recorded almost 5,000 movie trailers and nearly 350,000 commercials, programs, files, and other presentations.

The "King of Voiceovers" died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre from complications that resulted from a collapsed lung, reports the CBC. LaFontaine was originally admitted for a blood clot in the lung.

Over the past 25 years, LaFontaine cemented his position as the "King of Voiceovers."
Aside from being the preeminent voice in the movie trailer industry, Don also worked as the voice of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, as well as for CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network. By conservative estimates, he voiced hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke, and many other corporate sponsors.


He is survived by his wife, actress Nita Whitaker, and three children, Christine, Skye and Elyse.

Jerry Reed died he was 71

Jerry Reed Hubbard died he was 71. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on 20 March, 1937. He was the second child born to Robert Spencer Hubbard and Cynthia Hubbard. Jerry's birth strained an already troubled marriage, and four months later the couple separated. For the next seven years Jerry and his sister Patricia where shuttled between Georgia orphanages and foster homes. They finally returned home in 1944 when their mother married Hubert Howard, another mill worker.

Jerry Reed 1937-2008
Music provided a welcome diversion for the family. He was exposed to gospel music via his religious background, and a natural aptitude for singing gave him a yearning to become a musician at a very early age. Encouraged by her son's continuing passion for music, Cyntia Howard saved seven dollars to buy a no-name second-hand guitar from a neighbor. Using a nickel as a flat pick, she taught the nine-year-old his first chords.
By the time he entered Atlanta's O'Keefe High School, Reed was already writing and singing novelty songs. After completing his second year, Reed left school to work in an Atlanta cotton mill. He spent his free time honing his performing skills in local honky tonks. Jerry also developed skills as an entertainer, often stopping a show with his imitations of popular country artists.
In 1954 an Atlanta policeman introduced the youth to Bill Lowery, who helmed a popular live country music show Saturday mornings over WGST radio. Reed joined Lowery at WGST, working part-time as a disc jockey. At night he performed with a band Lowery managed, Kenny Lee and the Western Playboys.
On November 16, 1954, Reed performed at a gala country show in Atlanta honoring Faron Young, who had just been discharged from the Army. Capitol Records' country music chief Ken Nelson was there to celebrate the occasion, and Lowery encouraged him consider signing the young singer. Reed's first Capitol session was held in Nashville's Castle Studios on October 17, 1955, and Nelson recruited his front-line Nashville musicians to back him. Reed wrapped up his Capitol contract in May 1958. If Nelson had any intention of keeping him on Capitol, Reed ended any future association by joining the United States Army.
In 1961 Jerry Reed moved to Nashville and landed a Columbia contract, but his success proved only marginally better there than at Capitol. While Jerry didn't exactly sell a lot of his own records, he did develop as a writer. Johnny Cash did well with his "A thing called love" and Porter Wagoner took Reed's "Misery loves company" to #1 in 1962. Jerry also spent a lot of time as a studio musician and backing picker with various touring country artists. He now began sending demos of his guitar instrumentals to Chet Atkins at RCA Victor. Chet Atkins signed him to RCA Victor and started producing his albums.
In 1967, Reed notched his first chart hit with "Guitar Man," which Elvis Presley soon covered. After releasing the 1970 crossover hit "Amos Moses," Reed teamed with Atkins for the duet LP "Me & Jerry". During the 1970 television season, he was a regular on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and in 1971 he issued his biggest hit, the chart-topper "When You're Hot, You're Hot".
In the mid-1970s, Reed's recording career began to take a back seat to his acting aspirations. In 1974, he co-starred with his close friend Burt Reynolds in the film "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings". While he continued to record throughout the decade, his greatest visibility was as a motion picture star, almost always in tandem with headliner Reynolds; after 1976's "Gator," Reed appeared in 1978's "High Ballin" and 1979's "Hot Stuff". He also co-starred in all three of the Smokey and the Bandit films; the first, which premiered in 1977, landed Reed a Number 2 hit with the soundtrack's "East Bound and Down."
In 1982, Reed's career as a singles artist was revitalized by the chart-topping hit "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)," followed by "The Bird," which peaked at Number 2. His last chart hit, "I'm a Slave," appeared in 1983. After the 1986 LP "Lookin' at You" Reed focused on touring until 1992, when he and Atkins reunited for the album "Sneakin' Around" before he again returned to the road.
In 1998 he formed the group "Old Dogs" together with country superstars Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, and Bobby Bare. They recorded one album entitled "Old Dogs". In early 2008 he recorded his last album, "The Gallant Few," which was produced to raise funds for wounded veterans.
Jerry Reed passed away August 31, 2008.

LeRoi Moore DIED AT 46

Dave Matthews Band Member DeadTMZ has learned LeRoi Moore, the sax player in the Dave Matthews Band, has died He was 46.Moore was seriously injured in an ATV accident June 30 outside Charlottesville He had a punctured lung and broken ribs Moore went back into the ...

LeRoi Moore, was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday

Kevin Duckworth Former Blazers center dies at 44

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth died while on a trip to the Oregon Coast to host a free basketball clinic. He was 44.

An autopsy by the state medical examiner's office found that former Portland Trail Blazer Kevin Duckworth died this week of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure.

Cardiomyopathy is a primary disease of heart muscle that, along with Duckworth's high blood pressure, resulted in enlargement of his heart, which had been failing for some time.

The Lincoln County sheriff's office confirmed the death on August 24, 2008 .

The 7-foot Duckworth averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds over 11 seasons in the NBA, helping Portland reach the NBA finals in 1990 and 1992. The two-time All-Star also played for San Antonio, Washington, Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth, a "gentle giant" with a feathery touch from the paint, has died.
Duckworth, part of a Trail Blazers goodwill tour, was scheduled to hold a basketball clinic on the Oregon coast when he died Monday night. The Depoe Bay Fire Department said it responded about 10 p.m. to a report of a man who was down and not breathing at Salishan Lodge at Gleneden Beach, north of Newport on the central coast.

Phoenix Suns coach Terry Porter, who played with Duckworth. Said "He was a big loving teddy bear. At times guys got frustrated because he didn't have a mean streak. He was just a great guy. He loved the team atmosphere, loved being a teammate in those successful Blazer teams."

"Kevin will be remembered by fans as one of the most popular and recognizable players to ever wear the Blazers uniform, but to people who knew him, he'll be remembered as one of the warmest and biggest-hearted," Trail Blazers president Larry Miller said.Porter said Duckworth had battled weight problems recently.

Duckworth grew up in the Chicago area and was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs out of Eastern Illinois University in 1986.

The Spurs traded him that season to the Trail Blazers, where he had his greatest success, playing with Porter, Clyde Drexler, Buck Williams and Jerome Kersey on two Western Conference championship teams.

Duckworth remained in the Portland area after he retired in 1997, doing woodwork, fishing and hunting. He ran a construction company in Northern California for a time, and a restaurant venture in Vancouver, Wash., with former NBA player Kermit Washington went out of business.

'Bo Diddley' died at 79

Guitar legend 'Bo Diddley' passes away from heart failure on Jun 2, 2008 died today (June 2) . He was 79. The rock 'n' roll pioneer, famed for his homemade square guitar, suffered a stroke in May 2007 while touring in Iowa, which was followed by a heart attack in August the same year.Doctors said the stroke had affected his ability to speak and he was convalescing in Florida when he died. Bo Diddley first came to prominence in 1955 when he topped rhythm and Blues charts with the track 'Bo Diddley', while some of his other hits included 'Who Do You Love', 'Before You Accuse Me' and 'Mona'.



Bo Diddley, a lasting influence on rock musicWith his trademark "hambone" rhythm that characterised so many of his songs and was adopted by Buddy Holly on Not Fade Away, Bruce Springsteen on She's the One and The Who on Magic Bus, Bo Diddley was a lasting influence on rhythm and blues.
"I play the guitar like I'm playin' the drums", he once said.
He was born Ellas Otha Bates in Mississippi in 1928, changing his name to McDaniel when he was adopted by his mother's cousin.
He moved with his new family to the South Side of Chicago where he acquired his Bo Diddley nickname at school. A "Diddley Bow" is a one-stringed African guitar.
In his teens, he trained as a boxer while regularly playing guitar on street corners when not in school. He built his first rectangular guitar, that was to become his hallmark, while still a student.
Bo Diddley, a lasting influence on rock musicAfter several years, he was given regular gigs at the 708 Club in 1951. This led, four years later, to a record deal with Leonard Chess's Checker label.
His first single, the classic Bo Diddley, with its characteristic beat and heavily amplified guitar, was an immediate number one on the R&B charts.
His band looked different from others. He had a woman in it, and unusual instruments like electric violin and maracas. His biggest pop successes came in 1959 when Say Man hit the Top 20, and in 1962 when You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover entered the Top 50.

New generation
His live act, a meeting of blues and rock 'n' roll, featured Jerome Green, Otis Spann, Billy Boy Arnold, Frank Kirkland, and, later, his half-sister "The Duchess".
Though his songs influenced Buddy Holly in the 1950s, it was in the following decade that his songs permeated the repertoires of the so-called British invasion bands like The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Who, Pretty Things and The Animals.
Bo Diddley toured extensively throughout the 1960s and 70s. By supporting The Clash in 1979, he introduced his sound to a new generation.

Bo Diddley became known to a younger generation when He made cameo appearances in George Thorogood's video Bad to the Bone, and played a pawnbroker in the Eddie Murphy film Trading Places. In 1998 he appeared in Blues Brothers 2000.
In the late 1980s, he toured with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood as The Gunslingers and released the album Live at the Ritz.
In 1989, he raised his profile further with younger audiences when he appeared with baseball star Bo Jackson in a TV commercial for sports shoes.
In 1996, he released his first major album in two decades, A Man Amongst Men, with guest artists that included Ron Wood, Keith Richards and The Shirelles.
Three years later, he received a lifetime achievement honour at the Grammy Awards, in recognition of the influence he had cast over the history of popular music.

Don S. Davis died he was 65

1942-2008


With great sadness we must report that veteran actor Don S. Davis passed away on June 29, 2008. He was 65 years old.

Don co-starred on Stargate SG-1 for the show's first seven years, helping to launch the enduring science fiction franchise. Davis played Major General George Hammond, base commander and a father figure to many of the show's characters.

He is also well-known for his portrayal of Major Garland Briggs in Twin Peaks.

Off-screen, Don was beloved by the show's cast and crew. He departed the show in 2003 due to a medical condition that restricted his workload, but returned for several guest appearances on SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis in the following years. Don worked hard to improve his health, and continued to work both on screen and off until his death.

The following message was provided by Don's representative and his wife, Ruby Fleming-Davis:


Dear Fans and Friends of Don S. Davis,

So many of you have been touched by not only the work and art of Don S. Davis, but by the man himself, who always took the time to be with you at the appearances he loved, that it is with a tremendous sense of loss I must share with you that Don passed away from a massive heart attack on Sunday morning, June 29th.

On behalf of his family and wife, Ruby, we thank you for your prayers and condolences. A family memorial where Don's ashes will be scattered in the ocean will take place in a few weeks, and should you wish to, please make a donation to the American Heart Association in Don's memory.


Born August 4, 1942 in Aurora, Missouri and raised there, Don received a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in theater and art from Southwest Missouri State College in 1965. He then served three years on active duty in the United States Army, entering as a Second Lieutenant. He rose to the rank of Captain and was stationed in Korea before completing his required tour of active duty.

Upon leaving the army, Don began working toward a Master's degree in theater at Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale, Illinois, and received his Master's degree in 1970. He taught at the University of British Columbia for a decade before returning to SIU to complete his coursework for a PhD in theater, receiving the degree in 1982.


Photo from Southern Alumni
Don's list of film and television credits is lengthy, dating back to 1982. He met Stargate co-star Richard Dean Anderson on the set of MacGyver, where Don worked as a stunt double for actor Dana Elcar.

When production on Stargate SG-1 began in 1997, the producers tapped Davis to play the base commander -- originally written to be a by-the-book antagonist, but quickly softened by Don's own personality and experience.

In 2003 Don married his soul mate and the great love of his life, Ruby Fleming-Davis. The two have resided in British Columbia with their three dogs, Teto, Ming and Charley.

Don's off-screen career as an artist blossomed especially in the years since he left Stargate. A look at his Web site, DonSDavisArt.com, reveals his tremendous gifts in painting, drawing, and woodcarving.


Don's final Stargate appearance is in Stargate: Continuum, the SG-1 DVD movie that will be released July 29 in North America and August 18 in the United Kingdom. He will also appear in the forthcoming films "Vipers," "Woodshop," and "Far Cry," according to the Internet Movie Database.

Many fans of Don's work have had the opportunity to meet him in person, as he was also a regular face at fan conventions around the world. Fans learned that behind General Hammond was a Southern gentleman with a big heart, a no-nonsense attitude, and all the love and respect one could imagine.

GateWorld's editors visited with Don in 2006, where he talked at length about his career, his time on Stargate, and his feelings about his fellow cast members. That two-part video interview, "Intimate Portrait," may be found in the Interviews archive.
Don S. Davis is a respected character actor, a nationally exhibited painter, a woodcarver, a designer, and a former theater professor and a captain in the U.S. Army. He began working in the film industry while teaching at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in the early 1980s. He left teaching to pursue acting full-time in 1987.

Aside from his seven seasons as a regular on Stargate SG-1, Davis is perhaps best known for his recurring roles as the father of Gillian Anderson's Special Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files and as Maj. Garland Briggs on Twin Peaks.

He has appeared in numerous feature films, including The Fan, Alaska, A League of Their Own, Hook, Cadence, Needful Things, Mystery Date, Look Who's Talking, Con Air, Best in Show and The 6th Day. He was a recurring player in the Stephen J. Cannell CBS series Broken Badges and has guest-starred on a multitude of shows, including Northern Exposure, L.A. Law, Knots Landing, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Nightmare Cafe, M.A.N.T.I.S., The Outer Limits (the episodes "Living Hell" and "Voice of Reason"), Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Sentinel, MacGyver and UPN's The Twilight Zone. Davis recently guest-starred on the Stargate Atlantis episode "Home."

Davis has had featured roles in the television movies Fire on the Mountain, Stepsister, Tricks, Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue, In Cold Blood, Showtime's The Prisoner of Zenda, A Dream is a Wish the Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story, One More Mountain, Columbo: A Bird in Hand, Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster, Omen IV: The Awakening, Posing, Kurt Vonnegut's Theatre: All the King's Horses and The Ranger, The Cook and The Hole in the Sky, as well as the miniseries Atomic Train.

Estelle Getty died at 84

American actress Estelle Getty dead at age 84 from advance stages of dementia July 22, 2008, at approximately 5:30 a.m. PDT, Getty died in her Hollywood Boulevard home in Los Angeles from natural causes (according to her manager), three days before her 85th birthday.



Each of Getty's former Golden Girls co-stars did not attend Getty's funeral, but did reflect upon her death: Rue McClanahan told the Associated Press, "Don't feel sad about her passing. ."She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia." Bea Arthur said in a statement, "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her." Betty White remarked, "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us.





She was nominated eight times for the emmy ward and she won it twice.

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