Gooseberry Crumble

Your not a fan?! I love this song by him Although its hard to put it on a jukebox in a city centre pub without being given soke strange pitying looks!!

You never know we do live in strange times!!

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/06/joy-to-the-world-cliff-richard-to-release-new-christmas-album Set to release his first new Christmas album in nearly twenty years.

On this day four years ago in 2018 american actor Burt Reynolds died aged 82. He was considered a sex symbol and icon of popular culture in the 1970s- posing as a naked centrefold for Playgirl in 1972. In 1956 Burt won a Florida state Drama award for for his acting in his drama teachers play. Part of the award was a scholarship to a summer stock theatre in New York. At this point he was not yet convinced that in the long term acting could be a viable career for him . But he met none other than Joanne Woodward who believed he had a lovely personality, was sincere about acting and was the kind of cute and attractive Hollywood would be interested in developing and so found him an agent. Beyond theatre his first acting was in television , mainly guest starred in shows like The Lawless years. Lew Wasserman, Studio Executive at Universal offered Burt a seven year contract after audience and Hollywood insiders feedback was very positive about him , saying " I don't care if he can act or not " "Anyone who has this effect on women deserves a break".(the women included rumour has it included Wassermans secretaries who swooned over Burt Reynolds more than he had seen them do over any other actor) At one point an audition was arranged for him to have a role in 1957 film Sayonara but the films director Joshua Logan told him at the end of the audition that he could not be in the film because he looked too much like the films exquisitely beautiful leading man Marlon Brando. Logan did however advise him to not be dismayed and pursue a Hollywood career as one was surely waiting for him. An assortment of his television acting credits include Riverboat (1959-1960), Flipper (1965), Hawk(1966) where had the main role of Lieutenant John Hawk, and Dan August (1970-1971) where again he played the shows titles namesake character. Film credits include Deliverance (1972), Lucky Lady (1975), Smokey and the bandit and Smokey and the bandit two (1977,1980) The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) alongside Dolly Parton and Jim Nabors, City Heat (1984) with Clint Eastwood and The Cannonball run franchise. Tremendous success in the 1970s and 1980s but alas it wasn't to last with Blake Edwards directed film The man who loved women proving a particular flop at the box office. Burt was well aware his days as a box office draw were time limited, once joking "I've got Tom Selleck crawling up my back, I'm in my late 40s. I realise I have 4 or 5 years where I can play certain kinds of parts and get away with it". He did have some later success, a comeback of sorts years later via Boogie Nights (1997) starring with Mark Wahlberg . A comedy drama about a young nightclub worker who becomes a popular star of pornographic films. For his role in the film Burt received 12 acting awards and 3 nominations. He became more of a character actor in his later career and received some critical praise for his abilities. In his personal life Burt briefly dated singer Tammy Wynette, married british actress Judy Carne in the sixties and divorced after two years together. Tongues really wagged judgementally when he dated singer actress Dinah Shore 20 years older than him, in a relationship that lasted 4 years. It was however actress Sally Field who he regarded as the love of his life . He adopted a son when married to another actress-.Loni Anderson . The marriage ended badly when he left her for a cocktail waitress. The waitress herself ended up involved in lawsuits against Burt which were settled eventually out of court. This string of bad break ups seemed to put him off pursuing anymore romantic relationships in his senior years.

British singer Max George, lead singer of boyband The Wanted,celebrates turning 34 today. Retired British professional tennis player Tim Henman celebrates his 48th birthday today. He was the first British man to reach the mens singles semi final since Roger Taylor in the 1970s.

On this day 10 years ago in 2012 british aristrocrat, amateur jockey , horse racing journalist and television commentator John Oaksey, latterly to become Lord Oaksey, died aged 83. He first learnt to ride on an old pony called Mince pie, the name being the explanation for the unusual title of his autobiography Mince pie for starters. He won over 200 horse races , the majority fence races but around 20 of them flat races. He rode under the name John Lawrence. Among some of his more prestigious wins was the Hennessey Gold Cup in 1958 on one of his favoured horses Taxidermist and the Kim Muir challenge cup in 1966. He took part in the Grand National 11 times and completed the course 4 times. He did a lot of work and fundraising for the injured jockeys fund which he helped to establish.. The combination of his horse racing, colorful television commentatory on horse racing across all the major broadcasters, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, extensive presence fundraising in horse racing circles, and his newspaper column on the sport- meant he was described as "Quite possibly the outstanding racing figure of our times ". The late Racing commentator John McCririck referred to him as "My Noble Lord". In one Grand National race he was unseated from the horse and knocked unconscious briefly but still insisted on filing his journalistic copy to the Sunday Telegraph before leaving the stretcher!

It's been exactly one year to the day since Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding died of breast cancer aged 39.

Australian actor George Lazenby, the second actor to portray 007 James Bond onscreen, celebrates his 83rd birthday today.

Actress and Hollywood legend Raquel Welch celebrates her 82nd birthday today. She is often regarded as one of the biggest sex symbols of her generation.

On this day 35 years ago in 1987 English Test Cricketer Bill Bowes died aged 79. His professional career in cricket was from 1929 -1947. He was regarded as an accomplished and skilled right arm fast bowler and right handed tail ended batsman . Domestically he played for Yorkshire County cricket club. His last international match for England was in 1946 against India . He is one of a very small number of major players whose career number of wickets taken exceeded his career number of runs scored. After he retired from playing professional he involved himself in mentoring and training younger players including nonetheless other than Fred Trueman.

Retired English footballer Les Allen celebrates his 85th birthday today. He has played for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park rangers.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11176645/Big-Brothers-Brian-Dowling-welcomes-baby-daughter-husband-Arthur-Gourounlian.html Former winner and presenter of reality tv show Big Brother Brian Dowling has announced he and has husband have become parents to a baby girl via his sister acting as a surrogate.

On this day eight years ago in 2014, Legendary American Stand up comedienne and tv presenter Joan Rivers died aged 81. Her career started on the comedy club circuit in Greenwich Village New York alongside her succesful peers Richard Pryor , Woody Allen and George Carlin. Aside from stand up comedy in her latter years she became known for her forthright acerbic wit on the Hollywood red carpet giving her views on the fashion choices of celebrities who has turned up to award ceremonies such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars, in tv show The Fashion police that she presented in a double act with her only child Melissa Rivers. Despite her what some considered vicious lampooning of celebrities she made many friends in showbusiness and even became on friendly enough terms with Prince Charles and Camilla to be a guest at their wedding/ blessing ceremony in 2005. I personally recall her sticking up for Camilla at one of her stand up shows that I went too(sadly the only one, she died before she was able to embark upon another farewell tour) whilst also devilishly lambasting piss elegant Madonna! Years after her husband Edgar committed suicide in 1987 Joan recalled how that was such a difficult time because of career struggles and financial woes and the only person in Hollywood at the time who reached out to offer her moral support was the legendary Bette Davis who she did not really have a friendship with but rang Joan up out of the blue to say don't worry in life the vultures only peck at the best you'll get through this keep fighting- or something to that effect.

Hugely successful British Theatre producer Bill Kenwright celebrates his 77th birthday today. Some of his biggest successes include Blood Brothers, Joseph and the technicolor dreamcoat and Whistle down the wind.

Delighted you are so happy! I aim to please!

On this day in 2012 american actor Michael Clarke Duncan died aged 54 less than two months after suffering a massive attack. He is best known for his breakout role of Death row inmate John Coffey in Tom Hanks film The Green Mile (1999) , for which he was Oscar nominated for the best supporting actor award . Other film credits include Sin City (2005), The Whole Nine yards (2000) and Green Lantern (2011).

Not deliberate just a cock up by me!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11152987/EMILY-PRESCOTT-Joe-Wicks-wife-Rosie-expecting-baby-number-3-day-now.html Celebrity fitness instructor and tv presenter Joe Wicks has announced he and his wife are expecting their third child together.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11176137/Simon-Thomas-announces-wife-Derrina-Jebb-pregnant-child.html SKY Sports presenter Simon Thomas has announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child together. This comes five years after the sad death of his first wife Gemma from leukemia ,whom he had his first children with.

Retired British sprinter Derek Redmond celebrates his 57th birthday today. He once held the British record for the 400 metre sprint and won gold medals for the 4× 400 metre relay in both the World and European championships.

On this day in 2001, Pauline Kael, one of the most influential film critics of her era died aged 82. She wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968-1991. .Fellow film buff and critics Roger Ebert praised her posthumously as having a more positive influence on the climate for film in America than any other person for the last three decades. He highlighted that her approach to film reviews didn't go off any standard theory, ideas, guidelines , no set objective standards There wasn't an understandable formula or style to her approach that could describe the Pauline Kael way- it was all intensely personal and subjective but expressed so well . Some in the field have argued that in that very passionate and personal approach to film critique she kind of reinvented the art of review or at least gave it a big shake up. She sometimes went happily against the tide of popular or conventional opinion on certain films. She loathed West Side Story and was very much in a minority amongst film critics in panning it., dismissed Dances with Wolves as a nature boy movie and said 2001 A Space Odyssey a "monumentally unimaginative movie ' when it received almost universal praise elsewhere. Her praise of the MASH movie was credited with giving it a huge popularity boost at the box office. Whereas The Warriors (1979) and Last Tango in Paris (1972) she hugely praised when most critics considered them failures. She was referred to as the nemesis of Clint Eastwood as she reviewed both his films and acting especially negatively. In 1981 she was diagnosed with parkinsons disease but retired a decade later when her health was becoming a much bigger struggle and she also felt depressed by the state of american films stating "I had nothing new to say". She had one child, a daughter Gina from a brief marriage to poet and filmmaker James Broughton.

British actress Pauline Collins celebrates turning 82 today.

On this day in 1945 american professional Golfer and Olympic Gold medallist Mason Phelps died aged 59. He took part in the Summer Olympics of 1904 in St Louis , Missouri and won a team gold medal in golf.

American actor Mark Harmon,latterly known for starring in the CSI US police drama franchise turns 71 today.

I must confess that when @Ulitzer95 said Leslie Phillips tommorrow in the predict the 6th death thread I got a feeling that he knows or has heard something. He has some knowledge of the upper echelons of society it seems eg the being at an event were Norman Tebbit was present. So he may well have heard a credible rumour was my thought. Could be my jumping the gun and assuming but I suspected authoritative knowledge behind his post!!