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The popular US TV salesman Billy Mays has been found dead.

 

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/28/28.../news-breaking/

 

Gonna have to watch some of his infomercial adverts now. There's plenty on YouTube and they're comical in their bombastic over-promotion of simple household products... I mean you've all seen television shopping channels, right?

 

No UK media is going to pick up on this, due to the fact that the only way people in the UK are gonna know about him is through the internet.

 

He's not exactly a celebrity on the level of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, or Michael Jackson. Hell, I never really heard of him.

 

But he's quite popular in the States. He is a fairly notable television personality in America and has actually amassed a small following. I've seen his face numerous times but never really paid attention to his name.

 

A tragic loss nonetheless, but one I honestly couldn't really care about. Honestly, I'm surprised by the amount of coverage in the States that's devoted to his death. Both CNN and Yahoo have frontpage stories about his passing (though it might be b/c of the circumstances of his death and the fact that he was fairly young when he died). Semi or quasi-celebrities who died fairly young tend to receive more extensive media coverage b/c of the fact that they died young.

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The popular US TV salesman Billy Mays has been found dead.

 

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/28/28.../news-breaking/

 

Gonna have to watch some of his infomercial adverts now. There's plenty on YouTube and they're comical in their bombastic over-promotion of simple household products... I mean you've all seen television shopping channels, right?

 

No UK media is going to pick up on this, due to the fact that the only way people in the UK are gonna know about him is through the internet.

 

He's not exactly a celebrity on the level of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, or Michael Jackson. Hell, I never really heard of him.

 

But he's quite popular in the States. He is a fairly notable television personality in America and has actually amassed a small following. I've seen his face numerous times but never really paid attention to his name.

 

A tragic loss nonetheless, but one I honestly couldn't really care about. Honestly, I'm surprised by the amount of coverage in the States that's devoted to his death. Both CNN and Yahoo have frontpage stories about his passing (though it might be b/c of the circumstances of his death and the fact that he was fairly young when he died). Semi or quasi-celebrities who died fairly young tend to receive more extensive media coverage b/c of the fact that they died young.

 

That's something I was saying in the Jacko thread. Mays was the same age as Jacko when he died. Is 50 young these days? We all know that people who die young receive greater tributes, and sometimes better fame (think musicians who died at 27). So is 50 the new 27?

 

People were saying that Jacko's death is gonna top Elvis, and so on, and make him one of these legends who died a tragic death before their time... but was he really young? Young at heart, maybe, but young in age?

 

It's this that I can't seem to fully comprehend so I'd like a second opinion.

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The popular US TV salesman Billy Mays has been found dead.

 

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/28/28.../news-breaking/

 

Gonna have to watch some of his infomercial adverts now. There's plenty on YouTube and they're comical in their bombastic over-promotion of simple household products... I mean you've all seen television shopping channels, right?

 

No UK media is going to pick up on this, due to the fact that the only way people in the UK are gonna know about him is through the internet.

 

He's not exactly a celebrity on the level of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, or Michael Jackson. Hell, I never really heard of him.

 

But he's quite popular in the States. He is a fairly notable television personality in America and has actually amassed a small following. I've seen his face numerous times but never really paid attention to his name.

 

A tragic loss nonetheless, but one I honestly couldn't really care about. Honestly, I'm surprised by the amount of coverage in the States that's devoted to his death. Both CNN and Yahoo have frontpage stories about his passing (though it might be b/c of the circumstances of his death and the fact that he was fairly young when he died). Semi or quasi-celebrities who died fairly young tend to receive more extensive media coverage b/c of the fact that they died young.

 

That's something I was saying in the Jacko thread. Mays was the same age as Jacko when he died. Is 50 young these days? We all know that people who die young receive greater tributes, and sometimes better fame (think musicians who died at 27). So is 50 the new 27?

 

People were saying that Jacko's death is gonna top Elvis, and so on, and make him one of these legends who died a tragic death before their time... but was he really young? Young at heart, maybe, but young in age?

 

It's this that I can't seem to fully comprehend so I'd like a second opinion.

 

50 years old is definitely "young" by today's standards. People are living a lot longer than ever thanks to advances in medicine, science, and geriatrics. No, 50 is not the new 27 though these days, being 50 is probably like being in your mid to late 30s. I personally know quite a few people in their early 50s who don't look a day over 35.

 

Take a look at individuals like Betty White, Christopher Lee, Stan Lee, Leslie Nielsen, Eli Wallach, Ernest Borgnine, Clint Eastwood, et. al. All of them are in their 80s and 90s yet many of them continue to have vibrant careers.

 

I remember stating in an earlier post that even 70 these days is not considered old. I was surprised by the plethora of comments regarding Dom DeLuise and Sydney Pollack's deaths and how they were taken from this earth "far too soon." Both Pollack and DeLuise were already in their mid 70s but I've read many comments stating they were "gone too soon."

 

I do think that living to be in your mid to late 80s (especially if you're a celebrity) might possibly be the norm in a decade or so.

 

And although MJ already reached his career peak in the late 80s and 90s and admittedly was really the shadow of his former glorious self in the last decade or so of his life, he was still a very notable public figure and continued to receive extensive media coverage (even if for the wrong reasons). And now, there was a lot of building of hype over his 50 concert comeback tour in London. Also, when Elvis Presley died, he was in his early 40s so he was not all that much younger than MJ. In my honest opinion, I think 50 years old is too young to pass away.

 

Something I want to add is regarding Jade Goody. She was practically a nobody in the States, but when she became terminally ill w/ cancer, she received a lot of media coverage in the US. If Jade were older (or probably not as infamous in England), I'd doubt that the US media would even bat an eyelash at her. But b/c she was only 27 years old at the time of her cancer and passing (and already gained a lot of "fame" in the UK), the media was all over this story.

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The popular US TV salesman Billy Mays has been found dead.

 

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/28/28.../news-breaking/

 

Gonna have to watch some of his infomercial adverts now. There's plenty on YouTube and they're comical in their bombastic over-promotion of simple household products... I mean you've all seen television shopping channels, right?

 

No UK media is going to pick up on this, due to the fact that the only way people in the UK are gonna know about him is through the internet.

 

He's not exactly a celebrity on the level of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, or Michael Jackson. Hell, I never really heard of him.

 

But he's quite popular in the States. He is a fairly notable television personality in America and has actually amassed a small following. I've seen his face numerous times but never really paid attention to his name.

 

A tragic loss nonetheless, but one I honestly couldn't really care about. Honestly, I'm surprised by the amount of coverage in the States that's devoted to his death. Both CNN and Yahoo have frontpage stories about his passing (though it might be b/c of the circumstances of his death and the fact that he was fairly young when he died). Semi or quasi-celebrities who died fairly young tend to receive more extensive media coverage b/c of the fact that they died young.

 

That's something I was saying in the Jacko thread. Mays was the same age as Jacko when he died. Is 50 young these days? We all know that people who die young receive greater tributes, and sometimes better fame (think musicians who died at 27). So is 50 the new 27?

 

People were saying that Jacko's death is gonna top Elvis, and so on, and make him one of these legends who died a tragic death before their time... but was he really young? Young at heart, maybe, but young in age?

 

It's this that I can't seem to fully comprehend so I'd like a second opinion.

 

50 years old is definitely "young" by today's standards. People are living a lot longer than ever thanks to advances in medicine, science, and geriatrics. No, 50 is not the new 27 though these days, being 50 is probably like being in your mid to late 30s. I personally know quite a few people in their early 50s who don't look a day over 35.

 

Take a look at individuals like Betty White, Christopher Lee, Stan Lee, Leslie Nielsen, Eli Wallach, Ernest Borgnine, Clint Eastwood, et. al. All of them are in their 80s and 90s yet many of them continue to have vibrant careers.

 

I remember stating in an earlier post that even 70 these days is not considered old. I was surprised by the plethora of comments regarding Dom DeLuise and Sydney Pollack's deaths and how they were taken from this earth "far too soon." Both Pollack and DeLuise were already in their mid 70s but I've read many comments stating they were "gone too soon."

 

I do think that living to be in your mid to late 80s (especially if you're a celebrity) might possibly be the norm in a decade or so.

 

And although MJ already reached his career peak in the late 80s and 90s and admittedly was really the shadow of his former glorious self in the last decade or so of his life, he was still a very notable public figure and continued to receive extensive media coverage (even if for the wrong reasons). And now, there was a lot of building of hype over his 50 concert comeback tour in London. Also, when Elvis Presley died, he was in his early 40s so he was not all that much younger than MJ. In my honest opinion, I think 50 years old is too young to pass away.

 

Something I want to add is regarding Jade Goody. She was practically a nobody in the States, but when she became terminally ill w/ cancer, she received a lot of media coverage in the US. If Jade were older (or probably not as infamous in England), I'd doubt that the US media would even bat an eyelash at her. But b/c she was only 27 years old at the time of her cancer and passing (and already gained a lot of "fame" in the UK), the media was all over this story.

Didn't know Jade Goody was covered in the US media when she died. The thing with her is that although it's tragic that she died young and all that, she did not deserve fame because she did nothing of value in particular... I will always hold this opinion about her. There's no good reason for her to have been a celebrity - that's just the excesses of reality TV, Big Brother and Britain's Got Talent type of crap. Producing new celebrities, then shunning them a month down the line, to make way for the next one.

 

Sure, 50 is too young to die. I'd agree. But it's not quite young and it's not quite old...

 

Billy Mays, it seems, died of a head injury following being on a flight the previous night with turbulence in which overhead luggage was falling on people's heads, or something.

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Jade Goody. She was practically a nobody in the States

She was a nobody in the UK.

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Billy Mays his latest thing is Mighty Putty. I guess thats what there going to seal his coffin with. I guess thats some relief from Michael Jackson. :skull:

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The popular US TV salesman Billy Mays has been found dead.

 

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/28/28.../news-breaking/

 

Gonna have to watch some of his infomercial adverts now. There's plenty on YouTube and they're comical in their bombastic over-promotion of simple household products... I mean you've all seen television shopping channels, right?

 

No UK media is going to pick up on this, due to the fact that the only way people in the UK are gonna know about him is through the internet.

 

 

Ahem..

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The popular US TV salesman Billy Mays has been found dead.

 

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/28/28.../news-breaking/

 

Gonna have to watch some of his infomercial adverts now. There's plenty on YouTube and they're comical in their bombastic over-promotion of simple household products... I mean you've all seen television shopping channels, right?

 

No UK media is going to pick up on this, due to the fact that the only way people in the UK are gonna know about him is through the internet.

 

 

Ahem..

If any UK news source was going to pick up on his death... trust The Guardian to do it.

 

Like, I wouldn't expect BBC or The Sun to publish anything.

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German choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch has died from cancer aged 68

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Probably mentioned before, but Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, celebrated Indian classical musician and ex-brother-in-law of Ravi Shankar has om'ed his last.

 

As he once said: "If you practise for 10 years, you may begin to please yourself. After 20 years you may become a performer and please the audience. After 30 years you may please even your guru. But you must practise for many more years before you finally become a true artist – then you may please even God." His father was 100 years old before he felt ready to bestow on his son the title of Swara Samrat ("Emperor of Melody")

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Jan Rubes

 

The veteran Czech-born Canadian actor who played the grandfather Eli Lapp in "Witness" has died aged 89.

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Alexis Arguello

 

3 times world lightweight boxing champion and more recently mayor of Managua, Nicaragua, has committed suicide at the age of 57.

 

He was know as "the explosive thin man" which is a bit cumbersome for a nickname!

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Another singer has died of a heart attack, this time an 80 year old Russian folk singer.

 

Probably won't get a British obit, but the news has reached Pakistan so who knows.

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Another Hollywood related death to report...

 

Character actor Harve Presnell has died at the age of 75. He's had supporting roles in tons of movies, including Fargo, Saving Private Ryan, and most recently, Evan Almighty.

 

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/07/fargo-ac...dead-at-75.html

 

Obviously, his death was overshadowed by the far more well known actor Karl Malden who died the same day...

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Viscount Bledisloe, another of those eccentric English sorts who'll doubtless prompt a few, 'We'll never see his like again,' type comments. But then we see his like at least once a month in the Telegraph at the moment.

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Béla Király, "a key figure in Hungary's ill-fated anti-Soviet revolution in 1956" died today - key enough to be a unique pick on the DDP, but not key enough to have garnered an appropriate obit (yet).

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