If you have been watching American Idol this season, one of the judges favorites this year is Adam Lambert. Unfortunately, I find him a bit creepy. And then I realized why. Can’t you just see him singing this song:

Unfortunately, someone didn’t take into account the necessary safety equipment and precautions that would be need to prevent the death of Vic Morrow.

Morrow was born February 14, 1929 in the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of High School at the age of 17 and joined the United States Navy. After the Navy, he appeared in the film The Blackboard Jungle and then appeared in various television series in the 1960s. He also appeared in the film The Bad News Bears in 1976. He was often cast as the bad guy or the misunderstood youth.

He was cast in the film The Twilight Zone Movie in 1982. In a scene where he plays a Vietnamese man trying to rescue his two children, a low flying helicopter is knocked down due to the pyrotechnics used in the film. The helicopter decapitated Morrow and one of the children and the other child also died. (You can see the clip on YouTube, it is not gory and the scene is filmed from a distance, but it is still disturbing.)

The children in the film were illegally hired to avoid child labor laws and the filming took place at night. The parents of the children and Vic Morrow’s children sued and won.

Vic Morrow married his girlfriend of seven years, Barbara Turner and they had two children Carrie and Jennifer Leigh (now known as Jennifer Jason Leigh). The couple divorced in 1965. This lead to heavy drinking and less roles for Morrow. When his daughter Jennifer, changed her name to avoid being labeled as “Vic Morrow’s daughter,” Morrow took it hard. When he was offered the role in the Twilight Zone Movie, he jumped at the chance.

He had written a will in purple felt-pen on yellow paper only seven months before his death. He left most of this estate to his daughter Carrie and left only $100 to his estranged daughter Jennifer.

I loved him on the TV series Coach and then he seemed to disappear. What I didn’t realize is he is a familiar voice to millions of children and adults alike.

Bill Fagerbake was born on October 4, 1957 in Fontana, California. He went to High School in Rupert, Idaho and later attended the University of Idaho where he received a B.A. in theater arts. Fagerbake stands 6′6″ tall and did play football, which made him perfect for the role of Assistant Coach “Dauber” Dybinski on Coach.

After Coach ended, Fagerbake appeared in numerous films and television series including The Stand where he played the mentally disabled Tom Cullen. He has also received critical acclaim by the Screen Actors Guild and Juilliard School of Performing Arts for his roles as Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, and Torvald in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

Fagerbake voice is one of his many talents and he has been cast in many animated features. His most notable, of course, is Patrick Star from Spongebob SquarePants.

Fagerbake has been married for twenty years Catherine McClenahan and has two daughters. He resides in California.

Do you remember the outrageous character Mimi Bobeck from The Drew Carey Show? That character was played by Kathy Kinney. Kinney was born on November 3, 1954 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. In 1976, she moved to New York City and was hired as a secretary at WCBS-TV. She used that experience in her role as Mimi. At the same time, she was practicing her stand up comedy at night and teaching improvisation classes on the side. One of her students, Bill Sherwood, later cast her in the 1986 film Parting Glances.

Kathy was hooked on acting and decided to make the move to Los Angeles. She was cast in various television series in small roles. She has appeared on Seinfeld, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Grace Under Fire, Full House, The Larry Sanders Show, and My Name Is Earl. Her longest role, before Mimi, was as Ms. Goddard, the librarian in Newhart.

Kinney tried to avoid fat girl roles and using weight as a joke. The character of Mimi Bobeck was only in the pilot of The Drew Carey Show, but the character was such a hit, she was continued. Mimi interviews for a cosmetics job at Winfred-Louder and is not hired (obviously). She threatens to sue and to keep things quiet, they hire her as a secretary.

Kinney has also appeared in a number of films including Arachnophobia, Stanley and Iris, Three Fugitives, and This Boy’s Life.

Currently, she co-owns a website called MrsP.com. The website is for children and includes an interactive room for children to explore. There is no advertising and no free for the site and it is a safe place for children to visit.

I am now up to Season Four on Lost. I never started watching it from the beginning, but now I am hooked. The characters are interesting and so in the plot line, but there still seem to be a lot of holes which I hope will be cleared up in future episodes. The most interesting fact, for me, is that John Locke worked for a shipping boxes company in Tustin, California. Hey, that is where I grew up. I don’t know if there is really a box company there ore not. I wonder what the phony address is?

Here is the next item on my wish list:

I found this old commercial – it has to be from the 80s. This was when aerobics was big and so was spandex. Before women (and men) realized that an elliptical machine would be better exercise and less embarrassing. Check out the clothes, and does the guy put on a headband? Leg warmers and big hair included!

I could write at least a dozen posts about the contestants that will appear on The Celebrity Apprentice that is due to air on March 1, 2009, but I won’t. Most of the contestants I wouldn’t waste my breath on, but here is a summary of the contenders:

Andrew Dice Clay – one time foul mouth comedian, not heard from much since the 1980s.
Tom Green – Drew Barrymore’s ex, always looking for more publicity.
Clint Black – Country singer who seems like a nice guy.
Annie Duke – Professional Poker Player
Claudia Jordan – Model who was a Barker’s Beauty and is currently a Deal or No Deal case carrier.
Brian McKnight – R&B Musician
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins – R&B Singer and member of TLC
Herschel Walker – retired NFL player
Natalie Gulbis – LPGA Golfer
Scott Hamilton – Ice skating champ
Khloe Kardashian – Reality TV star and socialite (not many brains here)
Joan Rivers – Comedian and plastic surgery addict
Melissa Rivers – daughter of Joan and an up and coming plastic surgery addict
Brande Roderick – Playboy and Baywatch are her claim to fame
Dennis Rodman – hotheaded ex-basketball player with lots of tattoos and piercings.

I don’t expect Dennis Rodman or Andrew Dice Clay to last very long. My prediction is Scott Hamilton and Annie Duke in the final two.

I heard recently on the radio that there has been an increase in people who quit smoking because of their dogs. They found out that their second hand smoke was also affecting their dogs and giving them all sorts of health problems. Dogs have been great as spokespeople for many different products. Remember the talking chihuahua in the Taco Bell commercials? I even found this commercial for a sleep number bed where the pet owner gives the dog their own sleep number.

If you remember the Isuzu commercials from the 1980s, there was a fictional character named Joe Isuzu who was the spokesperson. The commercials aired from 1986 to 1990 and featured actor David Leisure as Joe Isuzu. Some famous quotes by Joe include:

* “You have my word on it.”
* “If I’m lying, may lightning hit my mother.” (“Good luck, Mom!” appears on screen!)
* “It has more seats than the Astrodome!”
* “Hi, I’m Joe Isuzu and I used my new Isuzu pickup truck to carry a 2,000 pound cheeseburger.”
* “The Isuzu Impulse: faster than a speeding—[catches a bullet in his teeth]—well, you know.”

David Leisure is currently appearing as Roger Wilkes on the CBS daytime soap, The Young and the Restless.

Here is a clip (and not very political correct) from one of the commercials:

James Allen Whitmore, Jr. passed away on February 6, 2009. He was 87 years old. Whitmore was born on October 1, 1921 in White Plains, New York. He graduated from Yale University and was a member of the Skull and Bones (George Bush and John Kerry were both members). He served in the Marine Corps during World War II.

Whitmore appeared on Broadway following World War II and quickly went to film. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in his firs major picture – Battleground – with Spencer Tracy. Other major films included The Asphalt Jungle, The Next Voice You Hear, Above and Beyond, Kiss Me, Kate, Them!, Oklahoma!, Black Like Me, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Give ‘em Hell, Harry!, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of former U.S. President Harry S Truman.

In the 1960s, Whitmore began his foray into television. He appeared in the series The Law and Mr. Jones and guest starred on other shows.

Whitmore’s last major role was as the librarian Brooks Hatlen in the The Shawshank Redemption. He was a long term spokesperson for Miracle Gro.

Whitmore was married four times. Twice to Nancy Mygatt with whom he had three sons. He spent most of his later summers in New Hampshire performing with the Peterborough Players. He was diagnosed with with lung cancer in November 2008.