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PEOPLE

Norman Lear, Whose Sitcoms Revolutionized American Television, Is Dead At 101

"In an astonishingly prolific career that spanned more than six decades, Lear created or developed some of the most seminal comedies in television history, including All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, (and) One Day at a Time, ... tackling hot-button issues long considered taboo." - NBC News

Remembering John Byrne, Scottish Polymath And Creative Force

His desire to create extraordinary pieces of work burned fiercely to the end. A cultural polymath, Byrne traversed a number of genres throughout his illustrious career, with successes as a playwright, painter, screenwriter, set designer, costume designer, illustrator, muralist and printmaker. - The Conversation

Nicholas Cage Says He’s Ready To Stop Acting in Films

"This would amount to a stark shift for Cage, who has appeared in at least one feature film for 37 consecutive years and … (has) racked up six credits in 2023 alone." He says, "I think I took film performance as far as I could," but is interested in television. - Vanity Fair

Susan Sarandon Apologizes For Her Remarks About Jews

Sarandon, whose agents dropped her after her remarks at a Nov. 17 rally in support of a cease-fire in Gaza, wrote on Instagram that her phrasing "was a terrible mistake." - The New York Times

John Nichols, Author Of The Milagro Beanfield War, Has Died At 83

The author, who moved from New York to New Mexico, fell for the state. His publisher: "A lot of his work might be characterized as a long slow-motion valentine to the mountains, mesas, high desert, sky and especially people of New Mexico." - The New York Times

Playwright And Artist John Byrne, 83

His much-loved BBC series Tutti Frutti, about an ageing rock’n’roll band attempting a tour of Scotland, starred Robbie Coltrane and Emma Thompson and won six Baftas. Byrne was also a masterful painter, known for his self-portraits, as well as designing theatre sets and album covers. - The Guardian

Gwyneth Paltrow — Is She Really A Performance Artist?

"Parking the new-age woo-woo momentarily (the seven-day detoxes, the walking barefoot to cure depression, the vagina-steaming), there is a provocation here or at the very least a disconnect – it was 2008. … Paltrow's vision of luxury was so preposterous, it's surprising we didn’t immediately see it as a critique of consumption." - The Guardian

“A Variety Show In Human Form”: Billy Crystal Knows Almost Everyone And Can Do Almost Everything In Showbiz

"(He) somehow managed to know nearly every significant cultural figure of the past half-century. Mickey Mantle confided in him. … Martin Scorsese taught him film directing at NYU. He (did) surprise cameos with Robin Williams." Billie Holiday took him to the movies. Tiffany Haddish calls him her godfather. - MSN (The Washington Post)

Actress Frances Sternhagen, 93

She's known to wider audiences for playing formidable mothers in the series ER, Cheers, Sex in the City, and The Closer, but her greatest achievements were on stage: she garnered two Obies, six Tony nominations and two Tony wins. - AP

Tim Dorsey, Who Put Florida’s Weirdness Into Dark Comic Novels, Is Dead At 62

One of a trio (along with Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry) of erstwhile newspaper reporters who became famous for satirizing their home state in fiction, Dorsey wrote a series of novels about serial murderer Serge Storms, who came up with fiendishly inventive ways of dispatching deserving victims. - Tampa Bay Times

Marty Krofft, Co-Producer Of “H.R. Pufnstuf” And A Slew Of Other Children’s TV Shows, Is Dead At 86

"Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures became a household name in the 1970s, helping launch them into creating and producing family and kids shows for more than 50 years. Eventually, Marty Krofft would be referred to as the 'King of Saturday Mornings.'” - CNN

At 72 She Dreamed Of Being A Musician And Picked Up A Trombone. At 84 She’s Got A Career

Now 84, Noreen Davies has gigged throughout the West Midlands with groups exploring everything from the blues to vintage jazz and big band funk. No matter the tune, she has stayed true to her vision of bending the notes on the giant horn, twisting and wailing like a held string on an electric guitar. - The Guardian

Experimental Musician And Composer Catherine Christer Hennix Has Died At 75

Hennix "fused minimalist drones, mathematical logic and global spiritual traditions into an approach she called 'infinitary composition.'" - The New York Times

Why Is Joaquin Phoenix So Very Unhappy?

"The statement his acting seems to be making, more and more, is that the world is too dire, too mired in injustice — that there are too many people putting cream in their coffee — for him to allow any pleasure to seep into his acting." - Variety

Actor Sara Porkalob On Speaking Her Truth In Theatre

"In many ways, starting in college, I deliberately refrained from following the art that was made at those epicenters because I was really worried that as a young artist, if I consumed that much art, it would unconsciously determine how I made art." - San Francisco Chronicle

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