December 29, 2004
Year's end
The Christmas season is nearly over and, with it, all the cheer that goes along with it. But I was reminded of how great the story "A Christmas Carol" is and how powerful the message is this time of year. It has also inspired me to perform a one-man version of it next year at Christmas time.
The end of the year is upon us and it's a time of reflecting back. There were a few memorable quotes this year:
Stephen Fry demonstrated another potential weapon of mass destruction. When asked whether he had any sharp objects at Heathrow airport, he replied: "Only my tongue, sir."
Woody Allen prevented the tone from getting too teary: "Love is the answer, but while you're waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions."
Many entertainment icons were lost in 2004. The most notable of which:
1.10.2004 Spalding Gray
1.14.2004 Uta Hagen
1.23.2004 Bob Keeshan (aka Captain Kangaroo)
3.7.2004 Paul Winfield
5.17.2004 Tony Randall
6.5.2004 Ronald Reagan
6.6.2004 Ray Charles
7.1.2004 Marlon Brando
7.21.2004 Jerry Goldsmith
8.6.2004 Rick James
10.5.2004 Rodney Dangerfield
10.10.2004 Christopher Reeve
The biggest tragedy was, of course, Christopher Reeve, mainly because of his extensive medical research work. I remember when Superman came out and I lined up with my friends in front of the Regal Theater in Ukiah, CA (during my 2 year stint in military school) in December 1978. I also remember coming out of the theater afterwards and wanting to go right back in to see it again and again.
Naturally, an even bigger tragedy is the over 120,000 people killed in Southeast Asia and Africa. Humanitarian efforts are pouring in from around the world (with Spain as the single largest donor at $68 million). Amazon.com has set up aone-click way to donate to the Red Cross here.
Posted by severdia at December 29, 2004 10:56 AM
