oooh! the base for my 2015 list! 
Nah, I knew all but Wallach and O’Hara were alive, but none of them fit my theme. Well, I guess I could have fit Jim Nabors in, but he is more gospel than country.
35-40 years ago, David Brenner was huge on the talk show circuit – Carson, Merv, Mike Douglas. I never quite understood it. He seemed to smarmy for my tastes, as if he was above all the madness of life, unlike most comedians who admit to being part of it.
But rest in peace Mr. B. This world can never have too many comedians. Thanks for at least trying to make me laugh.
He was also hugely influencial with other comics. The Seinfeld era of comics owe a lot to him. He was very generous with his time, counsel and money. Richard Lewis tells the story of starting out and telling Brenner that he thought that if he could afford to work as a comic full time he could build his act into something great. Brenner pulled out a checkbook and asked him how much he needed.
So no one fooled by the Wayne Knight hoax?
I happen to know someone with the same name. And this morning when my wife told me David Brenner had died, I was pretty upset until she clarified which David Brenner.
I knew Lauren Bacall was still alive, since I’m a big fan of her early movies. (“You know how to whistle, don’t you?”) And when we were recently watching Mary Poppins (which is the sort of thing you watch when you’ve got a six year old), I’d looked up the movie on IMDB, so I knew Dick Van Dyke was still alive. But I wouldn’t have known about the others.
Stooges drummer Scott Asheton dies aged 64. Iggy Pop and the Stooges punk rock group for those wondering who Asheton is.
I knew Eli Wallach was alive mainly because of this game year to year. I quit picking him awhile ago.
Clarissa Dickson Wright, the remaining Fat Lady from the Two Fat Ladies cooking show, is no longer remaining and is now just remains. Her partner-in-cuisine Jennifer Paterson passed away in 1999.
Dickson Wright was 66.
Unlikely anyone had her on their list but,
L’Wren Scott, fashion designer and girlfriend of Mick Jagger found dead in her apartment, apparently by her own hand.
Umarov is dead.
Congrats to Randy Seltzer and Shaggy Z, who both had Umarov. Condolences to RTF Firefly, who had him only as an alternate.
Since Umarov hadn’t quite reached his 50th birthday that’s a nice, juicy 51 points apiece for Randy and Shaggy. It makes them tied for 2nd place, three points behind bowler girl, who has 54.
1 bowler girl 54 1 1
2 Randy Seltzer 51 1 0
2 Shaggy Z 51 1 0
4 Quartz 40 1 1
5 Fleetwood 39 3 1
6 Fear Itself 38 1 1
7 Registered at Last 36 1 1
8 Schnitte 30 2 0
9 The Vorlon 26 1 1
10 SCAdian 25 2 1
11 guylevesque 24 2 0
12 amarinth 15 1 0
12 anyrose 15 1 0
12 arara123 15 1 0
12 Archeonomist 15 1 0
12 ataraxy22 15 1 0
12 critter42 15 1 0
12 Gleena 15 1 0
12 imthjckaz 15 1 0
12 jtgain 15 1 0
12 Labtrash 15 1 0
12 MadTheSwine 15 1 0
12 Maus Magill 15 1 0
12 notfrommensa 15 1 0
12 racer72 15 1 0
12 Sami41 15 1 0
12 Sarabellum1976 15 1 0
12 SpazCat 15 1 0
12 Squonk 15 1 0
12 Tazmanian Devil 15 1 0
12 TexCat 15 1 0
12 tim-n-va 15 1 0
33 Borborygmi 11 1 1
34 Dung Beetle 9 1 0
34 Kolak of Twilo 9 1 0
34 rucciface 9 1 0
34 Tread 9 1 0
38 Paul Parkhead 6 1 1
Looks like my spot in the Top 40 is getting precarious.
Dr. A. Richard Grossman, established the largest private burn treatment center in the U.S.
Sherwin B. Nuland, author of How We Die.
The answer is apparently prostate cancer.
Robert S. Strauss, Presidential Confidant and Deal Maker, Dies at 95
Robert S. Strauss, who rose from the Texas Plains to become an influential Washington insider, leading the Democratic Party and hopscotching among White House posts when not making millions as a lobbyist and deal maker, died Wednesday. He was 95.
Such is life…ok, maybe “such is death” would be more accurate, given the nature of the thread. 