Legendary Actor Mickey Rooney Has Passed Away at Age 93 … Rest in Peace

Another one of our great actors from the Golden age of Hollywood has passed away …

Mickey Rooney, the iconic actor whose prolific career on stage and screen that spanned eight decades, has died at the age of 93 on Sunday.  Rooney died Sunday of natural causes at age 93 surrounded by family at his North Hollywood home. He was born Joseph Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York and began his acting career shortly after his first birthday, appearing on vaudeville stages with his parents. Rooney’s career is a who’s who of movies such as Boy’s Town, Babes in Arms, National Velvet, The Bold and the Brave, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Bill and of course his role in numerous films as the original Andy Hardy with actress Judy Garland. EIGHT DECADES!!!  They do not make them like this anymore.

Mickey Rooney:  September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014, Rest in Peace

Mickey Rooney and Judy-Garland from ‘Babes on Broadway’ together again in Heaven

As adept at comedy as drama and an excellent singer and dancer, Rooney was regarded as the consummate entertainer. During a prolific career on stage and screen that spanned eight decades (“I’ve been working all my life, but it seems longer,” he once said), he was nominated for four Academy Awards and received two special Oscars, the Juvenile Award in 1939 (shared with Deanna Durbin) and one in 1983 for his body of work.

He also appeared on series and TV and in made for television movies, one of which, “Bill,” the touching story of a mentally challenged man, won him an Emmy. He was Emmy nominated three other times. And for “Sugar Babies,” a musical revue in which he starred with Ann Miller, he was nominated for a Tony in 1980.

‘Yankee Doodle Boy’

Both in his professional and personal life Rooney withstood many peaks and valleys. He was married eight times — first and most famously to his MGM co-star Ava Gardner — and filed for bankruptcy in 1962, having gone through the $12 million he had earned. And until middle age, he was never able to quite cast off his popularity as a juvenile. Nonetheless, Rooney’s highs more than compensated for his lows. Via his “Andy Hardy” series of films, the five-foot-three Rooney came to embody the virtues of small-town American boyhood. Those films and a series of musicals in which he co-starred with Judy Garland made him the nation’s biggest box office attraction for three years running.

From Hollywood.com – The Tributes pour in for acting icon, Mickey Rooney.

Tributes are flooding in from celebrities following the death of Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney on Sunday (06Apr14). The acting veteran, whose career spanned over nine decades, passed away aged 93. His cause of death has not been released. Stars took to their Twitter.com pages to mourn the actor and pay their respects on Sunday. Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin wrote, “A lovely man, talented actor & friend, Mickey Rooney has passed at 93. He is with his dear friend Judy Garland putting on shows in heaven”. Star Trek actor William Shatner adds, “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Mickey Rooney.

Bill Maher Actually Makes a Valid Point as People Laugh: “There Is A Gay Mafia, If You Cross Them, You Do Get Whacked” … The Intollerance of the Gay Rights Activists

Liberal comedian Bill Maher proves even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every so often …

During the online-only “Overtime” portion of HBO’s ‘Real Time’ with Bill Maher, the liberal comedian weighed in on the Mozilla controversy, and his comments may actually surprise you. Maher seemed to disagree with gay rights activists for targeting Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich because of a 2008 $1000 donation to support a ballot initiative, proposition 8, that would ban same-sex marriage in California. Not only did the gay right activists target Brendan Eich, they successfully got him removed from Mozilla for simply applying his First Amendment rights of free speech. Bill Maher said, “There is a Gay Mafia, if you cross them, you do get whacked.”

Gay Rights activists just crossed a line that they will wish one day they did not. Paybacks are as they say, a bitch.

Transcript below from RCP:

MAHER: What do you think about the Mozilla CEO having to step down over his donation to a pro-Proposition 8 group.

The Mozilla — which I’m wearing right now, by the way. I didn’t know what Mozilla was. I saw it on my computer, but — it’s Firefix, right? It’s the browser.

So this guy apparently does not want gay people to get married and he had to step down. What do you think of that, the question asks.

FMR. REP. TOM DAVIS (R-VA): Because he gave $1,000 eight years ago and it’s come back to haunt him.

CARRIE SHEFFIELD, FORBES: Well, and he gave it when President Obama was still against gay marriage. So, I don’t think it’s very fair.

MAHER: Good point. Also, I think there is a gay mafia. I think if you cross them, you do get whacked.

SNL’s Mocks Obama’s Shilling of Obamacare … Obama Takes Selfies with the Pope and Kisses Justin Bieber on the Lips to Push Healthcare.gov

SNL mocks Barack Obama for his over the top, excessive selling of Obamacare. But then again, hasn’t Obama made a complete mockery of the presidency?

In the final 48 hours before the deadline to sign up for healthcare, Obama’s aides forced him to be photographed in Pharrell’s hat and alongside Kim Kardashian and Harry Styles. And “a cat dressed as Elsa from Frozen.” And BatKid. And the Pope.

click on pic to watch SNL video

Actor James Rebhorn Who Appeared in “Independence Day”, “Scent of a Woman” & “Homeland” Dies at Age 65 of Melanoma … Rest in Peace

Character actor James Rebhorn dies far too young at age 65 …

Actor James Rebhorn, who appeared in dozens of popular movies like ‘Independence Day’, ‘Scent of a Woman’ and ‘Meet the Parents’, and television shows like Showtime hit “Homeland,” died on Friday at his home in South Orange, N.J. at the age of 65 from skin cancer. As reported at TMZ, Rebhorn’s wife Rebecca said that James Rebhorn was diagnosed with melanoma in 1992 and he had been getting treatments ever since. Rest in Peace.

James Rebhorn discusses the power of his Liberal Arts Education at Wittenberg University

Veteran character actor James Rebhorn, known for his roles in “Homeland,” “White Collar” and dozens of TV shows and films over a five-decade career, has died of melanoma, his wife, Rebecca Linn, said Sunday. Rebhorn died Friday at his home in South Orange, N.J., at the age of 65.

Able to perform in comedies or dramas, as well as on stage, TV or film, the Philadelphia native racked up an impressive list of credits, including playing the father of Claire Danes’ character on “Homeland.”

His film roles included such titles as “Silkwood,” “Shadows and Fog,” “Basic Instinct,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Independence Day,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Game,” “Far From Heaven” and “Cold Mountain.” Recent film appearances included “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” “Sleepwalk With Me,” “Real Steel” and “The Box.”

Rebhorn was a character actor for five decades in New York and Hollywood. You may not know the name, but you certainly will recognize James Rebhorn when you see his face. My favorite roles of James Rebhorn were of him as Headmaster Trask of the Baird School in ‘Scent of a Woman’, George Wilbur, the expert witness in the area of tire tread identification and automobiles, in ‘My Cousin Vinny’ and Defense Sec. Albert Nimziki from ‘Independence Day’.

WAPO – Obituary: James Rebhorn, character actor, dies at 65.

James Rebhorn, one of the busiest character actors in New York and Hollywood who specialized in flawed, authority figures, including the bipolar father of a CIA agent in the HBO series “Homeland,” died March 21 at his home in South Orange, N.J. He was 65.

On television, Mr. Rebhorn had a recurring part on the HBO show “White Collar” (2009-2014) and, playing a district attorney, memorably prosecuted the “Seinfeld” cast on that series’ 1998 finale.

Rebhorn’s movie roles, though small, were often pivotal to the plot. In“The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999), he played the wealthy shipbuilder whose spoiled son (Jude Law) disappeared, killed by sociopath Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) who has taken the son’s identity. As the headmaster Mr. Trask in “Scent of a Woman” (1992), he faced off against a blind and argumentative Vietnam vet Al Pacino defending one of Trask’s students accused of cheating.

23 Year Old Courtney Cash, Great Nice of Legendary Country Singer Johnny Cash, Stabbed to Death in Tennessee … Wayne Masciarella Arrested & Charged With First Degree Murder

Great Niece of Johnny Cash stabbed to Death …

23 year old Courtney Cash, the great niece of the late legendary country singer Johnny Cash, has been stabbed to death at her home in Baxter, Tennessee. Courtney Cash was found stabbed to death and stuffed inside a large wooden box in her home on 8129 Rice Road on Wednesday morning. The man who lived with her, identified as William Austin Johnson, was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with multiple stab wounds.  Johnson was able to get out of the home with the couple’s young daughter and drive himself to a hospital in White County. The child was not hurt.

Andrews said the pair had gone out with a friend before an altercation took place in the house where Johnson and Cash lived with their young child. The friend, identified as Wayne Gary Masciarella, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Johnson escaped the attack and took the child with him before driving to the hospital, Andrews said. The scene inside the house was “somewhat bloody,” Andrews told reporters at a news conference.

“There was a struggle,” the sheriff said.

Courtney Cash – photo from Facebook

Wayne Masciarella of Cape May, NJ was arrested in  Cookeville, TN and charged with first degree murder. Masciarella was booked and held without bond into the Putnam County Jail. He will have a preliminary hearing on April 21. Masciarella has been previously arrested more than 20 times in Putnam County. According to News Channel 5, Masciarella’s rap sheet includes charges for aggravated assault, possession and public intoxication.

Wayne Masciarella – Facebook

A 27-year-old man has been charged with fatally stabbing the great niece of legendary country entertainer Johnny Cash.

Wayne Masciarella of Cape May, N.J. was charged with first-degree murder in the Wednesday death of 23-year-old Courtney Cash. He was also accused of stabbing her boyfriend, William Austin Johnson.

Putnam County Sheriff David Andrews said Masciarella had gotten into a dispute with Johnson and Cash at their Baxter home before he allegedly stabbed them both and fled. The three were believed to be friends, the sheriff said.

Tommy Cash, the brother of Johnny Cash and the grandfather of Courtney, issued a statement on the tragic event:

“We ask for your prayers for the Cash family at this time. Courtney and her boyfriend are beloved members of my family and like you we have a lot of questions and emotions that we are beginning to sort through today. We ask you to respect our privacy and appreciate all the support that the public and media has always offered me and my family, as we handle the loss of our grand-daughter. We are completely heartbroken.”

UPDATE I: According to local Sheriff David Andrews, the crime could have been a direct or indirect result of drugs.

Sheriff Andrews said he can’t comment on the murder weapon or a possible motive in the case, but he said it could be drug-related.

“This was a senseless, tragic death of a young lady whose life was probably taken as a direct or indirect result of drugs, and that’s just the world we live in. It’s just unfortunate that our people in our society lean so heavily on drugs to get through life,” Andrews said.