Hollywood Director Tony Scott Dies

Authorities in Los Angeles say movie director Tony Scott, director of such Hollywood blockbusters as Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II, has died after jumping from a Los Angeles County Bridge.

An officer with the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said the 68-year-old Scott's death Sunday is being investigated as a suicide.

Police say several people called emergency services shortly after midday Sunday to report that someone had jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles.

A dive team with Los Angeles Port Police pulled the body from the murky water several hours later, Nordquist said. Scott's body was taken to a dock in Wilmington and turned over to the county coroner's office. 

The British-born Scott was producer and director Ridley Scott's brother. Ridley Scott's Prometheus was a summer blockbuster.

Scott frequently worked with Denzel Washington, most recently on the runaway train drama Unstoppable.

Scott and Washington collaborated on four other films: Man on Fire, Deja Vu, and The Taking of Pelham 123.

Other Scott films include True Romance and Crimson Tide. Scott was married to actress Donna Scott. They have twin sons.

Hamlisch Remembered for Iconic Broadway Tunes

by Katherine Cole

Marvin Hamlisch, who composed the scores of dozens of plays and movies, died in Los Angeles on August 2 at the age of 68. His songs were some of the most iconic of Hollywood and Broadway.

Origins

Hamlisch, the Pulitzer prize-winning composer of “A Chorus Line” and recipient of numerous Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards, was born in New York City to immigrant parents. His father was a professional accordion player and, seeing musical promise in his son, sent him to the famed Julliard School for piano lessons before he turned 7. As he recounted in many interviews, however, Marvin Hamlisch soon realized he wasn’t cut out to be a classical concert pianist.  Instead, he turned his sights to pop music. He was 21 when he wrote Lesley Gore’s 1965 hit “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows.”

Legacy

It is for his Broadway and Hollywood scores that Marvin Hamlisch will be best remembered.

Hamlisch was only 29  when he swept the music categories at the 46th Academy Awards in 1974, becoming the first person to receive three Oscars on the same evening. That night, he won best scoring for “The Sting,” and best song and best original dramatic score for “The Way We Were.”

In July, Hamlisch received the first Legends Award from the film, television and digital media non-profit organization CINE at its 55th Annual Awards Gala.  Mark Finkelpearl, a filmmaker and Cine Board member, says that during a question and answer session before the awards, Hamlisch explained that he had to fight to get “The Way We Were” the way he wanted it.

“He played the piano for us in this little, tiny theater and showed clips from movies like 'The Way We Were' and 'The Sting' and talked about different scenes and how changing the music a little bit would change a scene completely. He didn’t like the final music cue in the scene between [Robert] Redford and Barbra Streisand outside the Plaza Hotel in 'The Way We Were.' And the director wouldn’t let him change it," Finkelpearl recalled.  " [He said] ’You know what Marvin? We’re too far along, we don’t want to change it, I think it works. You’re overthinking it.’  And Marvin said ‘Look, I have to live with this movie for the rest of my life. And I know that I can make it better.  I will take the money out of my fee to go back and redo the cue and lay it into the film the way that I think it should be laid in.’  And the director agreed to that. So he lost some money on the deal, but he got the cue the way he wanted it for the end of “The Way We Were.” It was a really, really poignant about craft. And about really elevating your craft to the point where if you’re not happy with it, if you can’t live with it, it’s not right.”

Finkelpearl added that it's not possible to overstate Hamlisch's importance.

"Marvin Hamlisch was a titan.  There’s no one who can ever fill those shoes again," he noted. "Everything’s changed. Showbiz has changed, the movies have changed. There will never be another Marvin Hamlisch.”

Last works

Hamlisch’s latest musical theatre work is the Broadway-bound production of “The Nutty Professor,” based on the 1963 Jerry Lewis Movie. The show, with songs by Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes, just opened in Nashville. Producer Mac Pirkle says Hamlisch was a joy to work with.

“He’s got a very high level of excellence that he strives for in everything that he does," Pirkle recalled. "And that shows in the music that he did and shows in the detail of the arrangements that followed from his compositions. And shows in the work that he did with Rupert [Holmes].” They really have been able to explore the wide variety of emotions in the show in a beautiful way that is fun, it’s energetic, it provides great moments for dance, great moments for character insights. It’s great fun.”

Symphony

A tireless worker, Hamlisch was also the principal Pops conductor for the Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Dallas, Seattle, San Diego and Pasadena Symphony Orchestras and next week was to announce that he’d taken on the same role with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Hamlisch was the recipient of four Grammy Awards, four Emmys, three Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. That last honor came for “A Chorus Line” which ran for 6,137 performances on Broadway from 1975 to 1990.  Hired by director Michael Bennett, he scored the lyrics and composed songs including “One (Singular Sensation)” and the oft covered ballad “What I Did For Love.”

(Photo by Alan Light.)

Award-Winning Composer Marvin Hamlisch Dies

The American composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch, who composed the music for great films and Broadway musicals, has died.

Hamlisch's music touched lives around the world and won him three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden Globe awards. He won multiple awards for his score of the groundbreaking show A Chorus Line. That musical also won a Pulitzer Prize. He worked with a number of American stars, including Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin.

He composed more than 40 motion picture scores, including the Oscar-winning score and song for The Way We Were and his adaptation of Scott Joplin’s ragtime music for The Sting, which provided his third Oscar.

One of his last performances was on July 13, at the Wolf Trap Performing Arts center outside Washington. Hamlisch performed with Broadway singer Melissa Errico, in an evening of George Gershwin tunes. Errico said she cherishes the experience.

“It was the greatest artistic experiences of my life, not to mention the amount of laughter we got out of the audience, which is so Marvin to do a serious job with music but to be super silly. That’s Marvin. He likes to have a good time and turn the corner and do incredible music,” she said.

Hamlisch was the principal pops conductor for several U.S. orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and Pops and The San Diego Symphony. He's considered one of the most versatile modern composers, with works from Broadway hits to classical compositions and rhythm and blues hits.

“[He] is someone who knows how to take classical music, historical music, theater music, jazz music, stuff that some people would say is not popular anymore and bring it to life and make it fun and funny," said Errico. "He believes that a pops concert should feel, not serious, not feel like you’re going back in time, but that it’s happening right now. There is no one in the world like him, I cannot articulate this loss.”

Hamlisch, 68, died on Monday, his family said Tuesday.

He was a graduate of the Julliard School of Music and Queens College. He often spoke of music's universal appeal. On his Web site, he wrote, “There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together."

Ghanaian President John Atta Mills Dies at 68

Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, who died Tuesday, oversaw a generally peaceful and prosperous time for his country during his one term in office.

Mr. Mills became the country's third democratically-elected president in 2009 after defeating ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in a run-off election.

In July 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama visited Ghana and proclaimed the country a model for other African countries.

Eighteen months later, Mr. Mills turned the valves at a ceremony marking Ghana's new status as an oil-producing nation. The oil fueled economic growth of more than 16 percent in 2011, though analysts warned that oil production could have harmful effects, as it has in other African countries.

Mr. Mills was born July 21, 1944 in Ekumfi Otuam in Ghana's Central Region.

Before his political career, he was an accomplished scholar receiving both a bachelors and law degree from the University of Ghana, a doctorate from the University of London, and the prestigious Fulbright scholarship to Stanford University in the United States.

Mr. Mills served as Ghana's vice president during the administration of Jerry Rawlings from 1997 to 2000.

He had been nominated by the ruling party to run for president again in an election expected later this year.

The president leaves behind a wife and a son.

Renowned Russian Pianist Nikolai Petrov Dies

Renowned Russian pianist Nikolai Petrov has died after suffering a stroke a few months ago while performing in Belarus.

An assistant for Petrov said he passed away Wednesday in a Moscow hospital.

He was 68.

Petrov was an award winning pianist who performed 70 to 100 concerts each year.

His career included performances with top orchestras in New York, Washington and across Europe.

He also taught at the Moscow Conservatory.

Petrov's funeral is scheduled for Friday in Moscow.

Ex-Zambian President Chiluba Dies

Saturday, 18 June 2011

Former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba died early Saturday at his home in Lusaka. He was 68-years old.

Mr. Chiluba's spokesman, Emmanuel Mwamba, said the country's first democratically elected leader suffered a heart attack after spending most of Friday with members of parliament and his lawyers. Mwamba said Mr. Chiluba became ill Friday evening and died five minutes after midnight.

Mr. Chiluba led Zambia from 1991 to 2002.

In 1990, he helped found the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, leading it to victory the next year in the first multiparty post-colonial elections in Zambia.

The son of a copper miner and former union leader, Mr. Chiluba took office after almost three decades of one party rule by Kenneth Kaunda. He began his tenure by allowing greater political freedoms and liberalizing the country's economy.

But his administration became increasingly bogged down by allegations of corruption and mismanagement. He was also the target of personal criticism for his lavish lifestyle.

After he left office, his hand-picked successor Levy Mwanawasa instituted anti-corruption probes and Mr. Chiluba was charged with misappropriating $500,000 to his personal account, but was acquitted in 2009.

However, state prosecutors also filed civil charges against him in Britain. A court in London convicted him of stealing $46 million in state funds while president of Zambia. He was ordered to repay 85 percent of the money but the court order was never enforced in Zambia.

Mr. Chiluba is survived by his second wife and nine children.

Final Exits, 8-14 May 2011

Guitarist Cornell Dupree in Montreux, Switzerland, 2 July 1976. (Photo: Lioneldecoster)

Obituaries for 8-14 May 2011

8
* Huthaifa al-Batawi, Iraqi al-Qaeda leader, shot.
* Moayed al-Saleh, Iraqi brigadier general, head of counter-terrorism in Baghdad, shot.
* Wallace Clark, 84, Northern Irish maritime writer.
* Cornell Dupree, 68, American jazz and R&B guitarist, complications from emphysema.
* Gheorghe Guţiu, 87, Romanian Catholic hierarch, Archbishop of Cluj-Gherla (1994–2002).
* Li Desheng, 95, Chinese People's Liberation Army general. (Chinese)
* Charles McPhee, 49, American radio host, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
* Greg Percival, 86, Australian politician, member of the New South Wales Legislative Council (1977–1978; 1986–1988).
* Soňa Pertlová, 23, Czech chessplayer, cancer.
* Lionel Rose, 62, Australian world champion boxer.
* Hilton Rosemarin, 58, Canadian set decorator (Three Men and a Baby, Cocktail, Jumper), brain cancer.
* Carlos Trillo, 68, Argentine comic book writer (Cybersix). (Spanish)
* Galina Urbanovich, 93, Russian Olympic gold and silver medal-winning (1952) gymnast.
* Arkady Vaksberg, 83, Russian journalist, critic and biographer. (Russian)
* Sir Ronald Waterhouse, 85, British jurist.

9
* Gerald Bordman, 79, American playwright (American Musical Theatre) and author, cancer.
* David Cairns, 44, British politician, MP for Greenock and Inverclyde (2001–2005) and Inverclyde (since 2005), acute pancreatitis.
* Robert Ellsworth, 84, American politician and diplomat, U.S. Representative from Kansas (1961–1967), Ambassador to NATO (1969–1971), complications from pneumonia.
* Epiphanios of Vryoula, 76. American Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Spain and Portugal.
* Henry Feffer, 93, American professor and spine surgeon, treated Saddam Hussein, heart failure.
* Dolores Fuller, 88, American actress (Glen or Glenda), and songwriter ("Rock-A-Hula Baby").
* Jeff Gralnick, 72, American television news producer.
* Lidia Gueiler Tejada, 89, Bolivian politician, acting President (1979–1980), after a long illness.
* Manos Loukakis, 60, Greek poet and literary critic, cancer. (Greek)
* Ivo Pešák, 66, Czech singer, dancer and comic performer. (Polish)
* Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, 82, Nepali politician, Foreign Minister (1986–1990), altitude sickness.
* Wouter Weylandt, 26, Belgian road bicycle racer, race crash.

10
* Omar Ahmad, 46, American entrepreneur and politician, Mayor of San Carlos, California (2007–2011), heart attack.
* Michael Baze, 24, American jockey.
* Bill Bergesch, 89, American baseball executive (New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds).
* Vasilis Bozikis, 67, Greek photojournalist, cancer. (Greek)
* Mia Amber Davis, 36, American plus-size model and actress (Road Trip), postoperative complications.
* Cleve Dean, 57, American arm wrestling champion, heart attack.
* Bill Gallo, 88, American cartoonist and newspaper columnist, complications from pneumonia.
* Patrick Galvin, 83, Irish writer.
* M. S. Gurupadaswamy, 89, Indian politician and minister, heart attack.
* Héctor Medina, 35, Honduran journalist, shot.
* Zim Ngqawana, 51, South African jazz saxophonist, stroke.
* Burt Reinhardt, 91, American broadcast journalist and former President of CNN, complications from strokes.
* Stanley Wright, 62, American jazz musician.
* Norma Zimmer, 87, American entertainer (The Lawrence Welk Show).

11
* Leo Kahn, 94, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Staples, complications from a series of strokes.
* Albert Kanene Obiefuna, 81, Nigerian Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Onitsha (1995–2003).
* Reach Sambath, 47, Cambodian journalist, stroke.
* Robert Traylor, 34, American basketball player (Bucks, Cavaliers, Hornets), suspected heart attack. (body found on this date)
* Snooky Young, 92, American jazz trumpeter.

12
* Aaron Douglas, 21, American college football player (University of Alabama).
* Daryl Hawks, 38, American sportscaster (WMAQ-TV). (body found on this date)
* Mose Jefferson, 68, American businessman, cancer.
* Jack Jones, 86, American Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter (Los Angeles Times), lung disease.
* Lloyd Knibb, 80, Jamaican drummer (The Skatalites), liver cancer.
* Ron Springs, 54, American football player (Cowboys, Buccaneers), complications from surgery.
* Miyu Uehara, 24, Japanese glamour model, apparent suicide by hanging.

13
* Derek Boogaard, 28, Canadian hockey player (Wild, Rangers).
* Pam Gems, 85, British playwright.
* Bernard Greenhouse, 95, American cellist.
* Princess Maria Elisabeth of Orléans-Braganza, 96, German noblewoman. (Portuguese)
* Wallace McCain, 81, Canadian businessman, co-founder of McCain Foods, pancreatic cancer.
* Mel Queen, 69, American baseball player (Reds, Angels) and pitching coach (Blue Jays).
* Jack Richardson, 81, Canadian record producer (The Guess Who).
* Bruce Ricker, 68, American film documentarian and producer (Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser).
* Badal Sarkar, 85, Indian dramatist, colon cancer.
* Piotr Żyżelewicz, 46, Polish drummer (Voo Voo), stroke.

14
* Ferial Alibali, 78, Albanian actress. (Albanian)
* Murray Handwerker, 89, American businessman (Nathan's Famous).
* Birgitta Trotzig, 81, Swedish author.
* Ernie Walker, 82, Scottish football administrator.
* Joseph Wershba, 90, American television producer and reporter.

Final Exits, 1-7 April 2011

The picture sleeve of a 1984 "Where's the Beef" single, recorded by Nashville songwriter/DJ Coyote McCloud and Clara Peller, based on her advertisement catchphrase.

Obituaries for 1-7 April 2011

1
* Lou Gorman, 82, American baseball executive and general manager (Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners).
* Jane Gregory, 51, British Olympic equestrian, heart attack.
* Georgy Gryaznov, 77, Russian Orthodox Archbishop of Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust (1989–1996), stroke. (Russian)
* Manning Marable, 60, American professor (Columbia University).
* Edel Ojeda, 82, Mexican Olympic boxer. (Spanish)
* Siri Skare, 52, Norwegian lieutenant colonel, first Norwegian female military pilot. (Norwegian)
* Mar Varkey Vithayathil, 83, Indian Syro-Malabar Catholic hierarch, Cardinal (from 2001), Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly (from 1999).
* Brynle Williams, 62, Welsh activist (fuel protests) and politician, AM for North Wales (from 2003).

2
* Reshat Bardhi, 76, Albanian religious figure, head of the Bektashi order.
* Larry Finch, 60, American basketball player and coach (Memphis Tigers).
* John C. Haas, 92, American businessman (Rohm and Haas), natural causes.
* Efrain Loyola, 94, Cuban flautist.
* James McNulty, 92, Canadian politician, MP for Lincoln (1962–1968) and St. Catharines (1968–1972).
* Ragnar Nygren, 72, Swedish rock and roll musician, cancer. (Swedish)
* Tom Silverio, 65, Dominican-born American baseball player (California Angels). (Spanish)
* Bill Varney, 77, American Oscar-winning sound editor (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back).

3
* Rafique Alam, 81, Indian politician, heart attack.
* Amy Applegren, 83, American baseball player (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League).
* Ulli Beier, 88, German writer.
* William Henry Bullock, 83, American Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Des Moines (1987–1993) and Madison (1993–2003), lung cancer.
* Martin Horton, 76, English cricketer, after long illness.
* Edith Klestil, 78, Austrian first lady (1992–1998), first wife of President Thomas Klestil, cancer. (German) (death announced on this date)
* Yevgeny Lyadin, 84, Russian midfielder footballer. (Russian)
* Marian Pankowski, 91, Polish writer. (Polish)
* Calvin Russell, 62, American protest singer-songwriter and guitarist.
* Mandi Schwartz, 23, Canadian college ice hockey player, acute myeloid leukemia.
* Gustavo Sondermann, 29, Brazilian racing driver, race crash. (Portuguese)
* John A. Tory, 81, Canadian lawyer and corporate executive, stroke.

4
* John Adler, 51, American politician, U.S. Representative from New Jersey (2009–2011), infective endocarditis.
* Edward Bigelow, 93, American dancer and administrator of the New York City Ballet, car accident.
* Scott Columbus, 54, American drummer (Manowar).
* Dosta Dimovska, 57, Macedonian poet and politician, after short illness.
* Hanni Gehring, 84, German Olympic cross country skier. (German) (death announced on this date)
* Jackson Lago, 76, Brazilian politician, Governor of Maranhão (2007–2009), cancer. (Portuguese)
* Ned McWherter, 80, American politician, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1973–1987) and Governor (1987–1995), cancer.
* Juliano Mer-Khamis, 52, Israeli actor and political activist, shot.
* Tonia Nikolaidi, 84, Greek engraver. (Greek)
* Witta Pohl, 73, German actress, leukemia. (German)
* Wayne Robson, 64, Canadian actor.
* Craig Thomas, 68, Welsh author, pneumonia.
* Juan Tuñas, 93, Cuban footballer. (Spanish)
* Vakur Versan, 94, Turkish legal scholar, author and professor (Istanbul University). (Turkish)
* Boško Vuksanović, 83, Croatian Olympic silver medal-winning (1952) water polo player. (Croatian)
* Tassos Zografos, 85, Greek painter, stage and art director, after short illness. (Greek)

5
* Baruch Samuel Blumberg, 85, American doctor, Nobel laureate in medicine, heart attack.
* Ann Loeb Bronfman, 78, American philanthropist, complications from empheseyma.
* Nikiforos Naneris, 71, Greek actor, kidney failure. (Greek)
* Ange-Félix Patassé, 74, Central African politician, Prime Minister (1976–1978) and President (1993–2003).
* Gil Robbins, 80, American folk singer (The Highwaymen), father of Tim Robbins.
* Larry Shepard, 92, American baseball manager (Pittsburgh Pirates) and coach (Cincinnati Reds).
* Peter Stelzer, 66, American Emmy-winning television producer (Miss Evers' Boys) and actor (Voyage of the Rock Aliens).
* Manolis Stratas, 32, Greek motorcycle racing champion, traffic collision. (Greek)

6
* Thøger Birkeland, 89, Danish children's book author. (Danish)
* Jim Blair, 64, Scottish footballer, natural causes.
* John Bottomley, 50, Canadian singer-songwriter, suicide.
* Mike Campbell, 78, Zimbabwean farmer who challenged Robert Mugabe (Campbell v Zimbabwe), complications from torture.
* L. J. Davis, 70, American writer.
* Coyote McCloud, 68, American disc jockey.
* Patricia Miccio, 56, Argentine television host, model and fashion designer, breast cancer.
* Johnny Morris, 87, English footballer.
* Skip O'Brien, 60, American actor (CSI).
* Enterbio Reyes Bello, 41, Mexican politician, Mayor of Copanatoyac, shot. (Spanish)
* F. Gordon A. Stone, 85, British chemist.
* Sujatha, 58, Indian actress.

7
* François Chassagnite, 55, French jazz trumpeter and singer. (French)
* Bruce Cowan, 85, Australian politician, member of the House of Representatives (1980–1993).
* Edward Edwards, 77, American serial killer, natural causes.
* Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton, 92, British aristocrat.
* Pierre Gauvreau, 88, Canadian painter and television screenplay writer. (French)
* Tal Herzberg, 41, Israeli-born American record producer, sound engineer and musician, illness.
* Blažena Holišová, 80, Czech film and theatre actress. (Czech)
* Arthur Lessac, 101, American voice trainer.
* E. J. McGuire, 58, Canadian ice hockey coach and scout, cancer.
* Giorgos Moschous, 67, Greek rally driving champion, cancer. (Greek)
* Hedzer Rijpstra, 91, Dutch politician. (Dutch)