FROM MOVIES BLOG: Less than a week before what could become the crowning achievement of his meteoric comeback — an Oscar win for Best Actor — Mickey Rourke has been temporarily brought back down to earth as his favorite dog takes a trip to the Big Doggie Day Care in the Sky. Loki, Rourke's 18-year-old Chihuahua terrier mix, died early Tuesday morning.
Continue reading about Mickey Rourke's dear, departed dog at moviesblog.mtv.com....
Posted 8/15/08 1:24 pm EST by MTV News in obits, Obituary
Jerry Wexler, producer of classic recordings by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Dusty Springfield and many others, died early Friday, according to The Associated Press. He was a pivotal executive with Atlantic Records during the label's first three decades, and worked extensively with label co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died in 2006. All Music Guide has an extensive overview of Wexler's long and storied career.
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By Sarah Muller
You might have seen him cracking jokes on "Oprah" or moving the masses on YouTube.
Randy Pausch, better known as the "Last Lecture" professor, died at home in Virginia Friday morning (July 25) from pancreatic cancer.
The former Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist became a viral Internet sensation after he gave an inspirational talk about facing terminal cancer.
As an advocate of living each day to the fullest, Pausch managed to fulfill nearly all of his childhood dreams: being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia and working with the Walt Disney Company. He even managed to star as an extra in the new "Star Trek" movie. His "Last Lecture" was also turned into a bestselling book of the same name.
None too shabby, indeed. Pausch was 47.
Posted 6/3/08 4:52 pm EST by MTV News in Music, obits
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We’re still a little bit stuck on the passing of ginormous blues guitar talent Bo Diddley –- as are a whole slew of artists, from all ends of the rock spectrum.
"He's a huge hero of mine, and the fact that he knew who I was was a huge compliment," said Slash, who also admitted Diddley's rhythm inspired the Guns N' Roses classic "Mr. Brownstone." “Bo Diddley created a myth that was uniquely his own. An entire rhythm is owed to just one guy, and that's pretty rare.”
Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand chimed in: “What a guitarist -- totally revolutionized the way the instrument was played with that loose sexy rhythm.”
And Mick Jagger took time out to give props to Diddley for being a big influence on the Rolling Stones. "He was very generous to us in our early years, and we learned a lot from him,” he said. “We will never see his like again."
Thanks to the NME for hunting down these tributes, and others. And if you haven’t seen it yet, check out this slice of an interview Kurt Loder did with Diddley.