Movies&Tennis

Apologies for starting a new thread if no one thinks its worth it, but I thought its probably worth starting a thread on recipients of the American Kennedy Center Honor, the award given to (usually) five individuals from the arts every year who are selected for making an indelible effect on American culture. Because of the very nature of it, the vast majority of the recipients are elderly, and it's rare that anyone under 60 is even awarded in the first place (although there have been some recent exceptions). I wouldn't usually start a thread like this but it's notable that halfway through this year 5 of the recipients have died and nine recipients are on this year's list. The full list of recipients through the years is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center_Honors Plenty of older Deathlist-worthy names cropping up there every year worth taking a look at.

Cross-posting again for Quincy Jones - majority of 2001 honorees now gone - just Julie Andrews and Jack Nicholson left. also 5th honoree to go this year, shame none of the ones on the list!

Cross-posting the death of Phil Lesh here. One of those very rare occasions where an honouree dies before actually receiving the award. I believe the only other to have done that is Glenn Frey of The Eagles.

Re-posting here something I posted about dames in the Glynis Johns thread a few months ago… I think the issue with acting Dames is that they tend to award those in British theatre early - Kristin Scott Thomas for example - then they wait a little longer for the ones high in British cinema - eg Julie Walters - and then the ones who make their career in the US rather than the U.K. tend to have to wait til they’re super old or not at all - see Angela Lansbury and Olivia de Havilland. Seems to me that the damehood can depend on the amount of impact you have on U.K. rather than international cinema/TV.  Obviously the rare exception such as Julie Andrews or Elizabeth Taylor but it’s much rarer for an ‘international’ British star to get a damehood early. 

Almost forgot that the new honourees were announced a month ago: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2024/07/18/kennedy-center-honors-coppola-raitt-grateful-dead/ Not much here for DL purposes this time I don't think...other than Coppola all honourees in their 70s...

I'll also point out that there's an 'unofficial' Baby of the House as well, the youngest MP by age. Father of the House is, as RoverandOut says, basically an honourary function that works only at the beginning of the Parliament. I believe the Father of the House also gets to speak first in debates after the frontbenches...but otherwise it has just as much meaning as Mother of the House.

Wouldn't say Bottomley...when Dennis Skinner was in a similar position in 2019 the cameras didn't even go the announcement at the count. Father of the House is an important role but only really the political nerds would know who was in that role. Heavy chance is that Diane Abbott would be given the Labour whip back and be allowed to retire as a Labour MP so i doubt you'd get anything there - although if she does run as Labour she's next in line to be Mother of the House after Harriet Harman's retirement. If she does retire Angela Eagle becomes Mother of the House but Labour would have to have a terrible night for her to lose...

Listening to the valedictory debate on Friday and Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans mentioned two names - John Howell and David Duguid who are ‘recovering’. Howell already announced he’s standing down but no word from Duguid yet - worth remembering should he run again and win…

Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr dead at 87: https://apnews.com/article/louis-gossett-jr-dies-1e86e1441ec8b614a282f3de22490a07

Shot of her on stage tonight… https://x.com/ruddick/status/1771672269720268824?s=46&t=wwnuCz-mCX2KuaQWKZFAKA

Cross-posting here Seiji Ozawa, who was a 2015 honoree... https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/11/seiji-ozawa-obituary

I think the issue with acting Dames is that they tend to award those in British theatre early - Kristin Scott Thomas for example - then they wait a little longer for the ones high in British cinema - eg Julie Walters - and then the ones who make their career in the US rather than the U.K. tend to have to wait til they’re super old or not at all - see Angela Lansbury and Olivia de Havilland. Seems to me that the damehood can depend on the amount of impact you have on U.K. rather than international cinema/TV. Obviously the rare exception such as Julie Andrews or Elizabeth Taylor but it’s much rarer for an ‘international’ British star to get a damehood early.

Cross posting here the death of Norman Lear. He's the 6th Kennedy Center Honoree to die this year, making this year the deadliest since 2003. He's also the 4th honoree on this year's deathlist to die, besting last year's 3. Given the hit rate perhaps worth considering one or two honorees who've not made the list before - Leontyne Price, John Kander, Clint Eastwood or Berry Gordy next year...

Punchbowl News is reporting she's died - a very reliable source.

Just a couple of lists for completeness sake: Top 20 oldest living recipients: Norman Lear, Dick van Dyke, Mel Brooks, Leontyne Price, John Kander, Berry Gordy, Joanne Woodward, Clint Eastwood, Sonny Rollins, James Earl Jones, Carmen de Lavallade, Rita Moreno, John Williams, Chita Rivera, Quincy Jones, Carol Burnett, Willie Nelson, Marilyn Horne, Shirley MacLaine, Seiji Ozawa Pre-00s surviving recipients (given the lifetime achievement aspect, living 20+ years after receiving the award is notable!) Leontyne Price (1980), Joanne Woodward (1992), Marilyn Horne (1995), Edward Villella (1997), Bob Dylan (1997), John Kander (1998), Willie Nelson (1998), Judith Jamison (1999), Stevie Wonder (1999) Recipients who have died in 2023: 5 (Wayne Shorter, Harry Belafonte, Grace Bumbry, Tina Turner & Tony Bennett).

If this works as a general guide the living Oscar nominees who were nominated in the 40s and 50s are: Ann Blyth (1945 - the last survivor from the 1940s). 1950s Nancy Olson (1950) Lee Grant (1951) Terry Moore (1952) Leslie Caron (1953) Eva Marie Saint (1954) Marisa Pavan (1955) Don Murray (1956) Carroll Baker (1956) Patty McCormack (1956) Joanne Woodward (1957) Russ Tamblyn (1957) Shirley MacLaine (1958) Susan Kohner (1959) The vast majority of these were nominated in the supporting categories where during the early years the younger generations used to get nominated (nowadays it tends to be older people nominated in supporting) if we're judging their level of fame. Either way...not many left at all and only Caron, Baker, Woodward & MacLaine are the only leading nominees left. And only MacLaine and Woodward had multiple nominations in decades outside the 50s (MacLaine in the 60s, 70s and 80s and Woodward in 60s, 70s and 90s). Caron only got one more in the early 60s.

There are 9 Kennedy Center Honorees on this year’s list - DvD, Bennett, Belafonte, Brooks, Woodward, Lear, Nelson, Rollins and Turner. Traditionally 2-5 Kennedy Center Honorees die each year. On the 2022 list, of the 8 Honorees 3 died so I’d say the odds are that we lost at least one of the 9 this year, if not more.. Given that the Kennedy Center award is a lifetime achievement award, the recipients tend to be old anyway but it’s always a decent guess that one of that list will shuffle off this year…

Hate to be the pedantic one but as an Oscar nerd she was nominated for Gaslight in 1944, not 1949 as it says on the main page...

The list started with 8 Kennedy Center Honorees. 3 have gone so far (Poitier, Lynn & Lansbury) and given 2 of those have gone in the last 2 weeks and these things come in threes... think it might be one of the remaining 5 - van Dyke, Bennett, Belafonte, Brooks or Ronstadt. Given he's known to be in the most decline of the lot I think I'll go with Bennett...

At that ceremony all players walked out un-aided and stood there for a good half hour/45 minutes. So all seem healthy. Interesting note from the commentary on one match yesterday via doubles champ Todd Woodbridge...Frank Sedgman was supposed to attend this year to celebrate the anniversary of winning all three tournaments (singles, doubles & mixed) in one year. But at the last minute made the decision not to come...

Apparently didn't turn up to accept her Lifetime Achievement Tony last night and didn't record a video/voice message either...

Cara Williams was the 3rd oldest living Oscar-nominated actor. With her passing the top 10 looks like this: 1. Glynis Johns - born 05/10/1923 - 98 2. Eva Marie Saint - born 04/07/1924 - 97 3. Angela Lansbury - born 16/10/1925 - 96 4. Sidney Poitier - born 20/02/1927 - 94 5. Harry Belafonte - born 01/03/1927 - 94 (not a nominee but the winner of an honorary Oscar) 6. Rosemary Harris - born 19/09/1927 - 94 7. Lee Grant - born 31/10/1927 - 94 8. Estelle Parsons - born 20/11/1927 - 94 9. Nancy Olson - born 14/07/1928 - 93 10. Ann Blyth - born 16/08/1928 - 93 Cara Williams' passing means there are only two nominees now alive from 1958 - Sidney Poitier and Shirley Maclaine.

I should’ve said this was a list of the 10 oldest singles Grand Slam winners. Of all tennis players these are likely the most obitable

This leaves the list of the top 10 oldest tennis players like this: 1. Vic Seixas (1 Wimbledon and 1 US Championship) - born 30/08/1923 - 98 2. Bob Falkenburg (1 Wimbledon) - born 29/01/1926 - 95 3. Dick Savitt (1 Wimbledon and 1 Australian Championship) - born 04/03/1927 - 94 4. Frank Sedgman (1 Wimbledon, 2 American & 2 Australian Championships) - born 29/10/1927 - 94 5. Angela Mortimer (1 Wimbledon, 1 French & 1 Australian Championship) - born 21/04/1932 - 89 6. Nicola Pietrangeli (2 French Championships) - born 11/09/1933 - 88 7. Neale Fraser (1 Wimbledon & 2 US Championships) - born 03/10/1933 - 88 8. Shirley Brasher (1 French Championship) - born 13/06/1937 - 87 9. Ken Rosewall (2 French, 2 American & 4 Australian Championships) - born 02/11/1934 - 85 10. Mary Carter (2 Australian Championships) - born 29/11/1934 - 85