RIP Phyllis Diller

Oh, I know she was 95 years old and had a long, happy life, but the world has lost one of the great women of comedy! And we certainly need more laughs these days.

LA Times Obituary

Welcome Back, Kotter's "Horshack" Dies

RIP ~ so sad to see that generation of actors dying so young!

From NPR

"Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Mr. Kotter!"
If you watched TV in the '70s, you probably recognize that line.

So it's with some sadness that we pass along word that Ron Palillo, the actor who played Arnold Horshack on ABC-TV's Welcome Back, Kotter, has died in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

As TV Guide has written, Horshack was the "lovable schnook" among the students — Sweathogs, as they were known on the show — at a fictional in New York City. He would give that trademark line — the "ooh, ooh, ooh!" — when he thought he knew an answer (which he inevitably would get wrong). In real life, People magazine wrote in 1977, Palillo was a star student who could do Shakespeare.

The ABC show's main character, teacher Gabe Kotter, was played by Gabe Kaplan. The young actor who broke out to become a huge star was John Travolta, who played Vinnie Barbarino. The show's theme song, Welcome Back, became a hit for singer/songwriter John Sebastian.

Happy Place Diversion: A Perfect Ten

I have a sixteen-year-old son who is obsessed with the Olympics right now. He's never been "into sports" before, but this time is different because he has a new-found interest in learning languages and more curiousity about other cultures. We watched every minute of Opening Ceremony on Friday, enjoying the spectacle of London and the pageantry of each country's team as they walked in the procession. And my son has been glued to the tv set watching the Olympics ever since.

I also saw Michelle Obama's speech to the Olympic athletes talking about watching Nadia Comeneci from Romania win her "perfect ten" score in Gymnastics, and how thrilling it was. I also remember watching those performances with my parents and my brother, transfixed on this little girl doing something almost impossible, almost magical. I was no athlete either, while Nadia was balance and grace personified, a true champion. Michelle is right - this is why we watch the Olympics, to see people doing feats of skill we can only dream of doing.

I went to look for some videos of Nadia, and I realized that Nadia actually made more than one perfect 10, and she did it all in 1976, the year I turned 16, the same age as my son who loves the Olympics now. That's cool, and that's my Happy Place Diversion for today.