Celebrity
Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76
NEW YORK — Richard Lewis, an accomplished comedian known for addressing his neuroses in furious, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while clad in all-black, earning him the nickname “The Prince of Pain,” has passed away. He was 76.
Lewis, who revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, died at home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after a heart attack, according to his publicist, Jeff Abraham.
Lewis, a regular performer in clubs and on late-night T.V. for decades, also played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series “Anything But Love” and the consistently neurotic Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He reintroduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” kvetching frequently.
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” he said in a statement. “He had the unusual combination of being the funniest and the sweetest. But tonight he made me cry, and for that I will never forgive him.”
Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76
Lewis was rated one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central, and he appeared on G.Q. magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.” He donated his humour to charitable initiatives such as Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.
“Watching his stand-up is like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,” said the Los Angeles Times in 2014. The Philadelphia City Paper described him as “the Jimi Hendrix of monologists.” Mel Brooks has stated that he “may just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.”
Comedians went to social media Wednesday to express their sympathies, including Albert Books, who described Lewis as “a brilliantly funny man who will be missed by all.” “The world needed him now more than ever,” according to X, formerly Twitter. Bette Midler, Michael McKean, and Paul Feig paid tribute to Lewis, describing him as “one of the funniest people on the planet.”
Following his graduation from Ohio State University in 1969, the New York-born Lewis embarked on a stand-up career, refining his skills on the circuit alongside fellow newcomers Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze, and Billy Crystal.
He recalls Rodney Dangerfield paying him $75 to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield’s. “I had a lot of amazing friends early on who believed in me, and I met some iconic people who really supported me and encouraged me to keep working on my content. And I never looked back,” he told The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado 2010.
“I am paranoid about everything in my life, even at home. “I don’t like having a rear-view mirror on my stationary bike,” he jokingly remarked onstage. He told Jimmy Kimmel, “This morning, I tried to go to bed.” I could not sleep. I counted sheep, but I only had six, and they all had hip replacements.
Unlike contemporaneous Robin Williams, Lewis let spectators inside his world of sadness, bringing his misery and pain to the stage. Fans compared him favourably to Lenny Bruce, the groundbreaking comic.
Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76
“I take great pains not to be mean-spirited,” Lewis told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. “I don’t want to accept true disadvantages that people must overcome without hope. I steer clear of that. That is not hilarious to me. Tragedy is hilarious to other humorists, but not to me unless you can make a useful point.
Billy Joel referred to Lewis in his song “My Life” when he sang about an old acquaintance who “bought a ticket to the West Coast/Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.”
In 1989, at Carnegie Hall, he performed with six feet of yellow legal papers crammed with material and put together for a 2½-hour concert that led to two standing ovations. The night was “the highlight of my career,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.
Lewis told G.Q. His characteristic style arose by chance; he claims that his passion for wearing black stemmed from watching the television Western “Have Gun – Will Travel,” which featured a cowboy dressed entirely in black as a child. He also popularized the phrase “from hell”—as in “the date from hell” or “the job from hell.”
“That just came out of my head one day, and I kept repeating it for whatever reason, similarly, with the black clothing. I felt incredibly comfortable from the early 1980s, and I never wore anything else. I’ve never looked back.
After quitting drugs and alcohol in 1994, Lewis published his memoirs “The Other Great Depression” and “Reflections from Hell” in 2008. The former is a compilation of frank, essay-style reflections on his life.
Lewis was the youngest of three siblings; his brother was six years older than him, and his sister was nine. His father died at a young age, and his mother suffered from emotional problems. “She didn’t understand me at all. My mother is responsible for my professional success. “I should have given her my agent’s commission,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.
“Looking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well,” he writes in his book.
Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred On ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ Dies At 76
Lewis instantly discovered a new family while performing at New York’s Improv. “I was 23, and everyone was watching me, including Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner definitely took me under his wing. Driving home to my tiny dump in New Jersey frequently knowing that Steve Allen said, ‘You got it,’ that affirmation kept me going in a significant sense.”
In “Leaving Las Vegas,” he made a brief appearance, which led to his first significant dramatic part as Jimmy Epstein, an addict struggling for his life in the independent film “Drunks.” He portrayed Don Rickles’ son on one “Daddy Dearest” season and a rabbi on “7th Heaven.”
Lewis’ recurring presence on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” can be directly attributed to his connection with fellow comedian, producer, and series star Larry David. Both native Brooklynites, born in the same Brooklyn hospital, met and became rivals at the same summer camp when they were 13. He was cast from the start, fighting with David about overdue invoices and basic courtesy.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.
SOURCE – (AP)
Darlington said police pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs.
“Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back, in handcuffs, very stunned about what was happening, looked toward me as he was in those handcuffs and said, ‘Please help me,’” Darlington said. “He very clearly did not know what was happening in the situation. It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively.”
Scheffler was released by police and returned to the course at 9:12 a.m. Around 9:30 a.m., he arrived at the practice area to the cheers of fans; one yelled “Free Scottie!” and more followed later wearing “Free Scottie” T-shirts.
Scheffler seemed normal, relaxed, sharing a few laughs on the driving range.
“I was never angry. I was just in shock,” Scheffler said. “I was shaking the whole time. I was shaking for like an hour. It was definitely a new feeling for me.”
AP – VOR News Image
Scottie Scheffler Arrested Outside PGA Championship, Then Returns And Climbs Leaderboard
He could see from a TV in the jail that tee times were pushed back 1 hour, 20 minutes because of the traffic situation, and realized when an officer knocked on the door and said, “Let’s go,” that he had a chance to play.
He made birdie on his first hole of the day after sticking his approach shot to 3 feet.
Darlington, the ESPN reporter, said police were initially unsure who Scheffler was. He said an officer asked him to leave, and when he identified himself as being with the media, he was told, “There’s nothing you can do. He’s going to jail.”
Darlington said another police officer later approached with a notepad and asked if he knew the name of the person they put in handcuffs.
Scheffler said he never told police who he was except to say, “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to get to my tee time.”
AP – VOR News Image
Scottie Scheffler Arrested Outside PGA Championship, Then Returns And Climbs Leaderboard
Louisville police have attracted negative national attention in recent years after the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020 and a federal investigation into its policing practices.
A Department of Justice report released last year said Louisville officers use excessive force and conduct searches based on invalid warrants. The report said Black motorists in Louisville were more likely to be searched during traffic stops, and officers used neck restraints, police dogs and Tasers against people who posed no imminent threat.
Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot by officers who had come to her apartment with a warrant that federal officials later said was falsified.
PGA of America, which runs the PGA Championship, offered sympathies for Mills’ family and said, “As it relates to the incident involving Scottie Scheffler, we are fully cooperating as local authorities review what took place.”
AP – VOR News Image
Scottie Scheffler Arrested Outside PGA Championship, Then Returns And Climbs Leaderboard
Scheffler has won four of his last five tournaments, including his second Masters title. He has been home in Dallas the last three weeks, waiting for the birth of his first child, a son born May 8.
Scheffler is trying to become only the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two majors of the year.
SOURCE – (AP)
CANNES, France — The Cannes Film Festival began Tuesday with the announcement of Greta Gerwig’s jury and the giving of an honorary Palme d’Or to Meryl Streep, as the French Riviera spectacle started its possibly tumultuous 77th edition.
The opening night picture, “The Second Act,” a French comedy starring Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel, and Raphaël Quenard, will usher in a 10-day parade of stars down Cannes’ iconic red carpet. During the opening ceremony, Streep will get her honorary Palme.
AP – VOR News Image
Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep
In the coming days, Cannes will debut George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed “Megalopolis,” and anticipated new films from Paolo Sorrentino, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrea Arnold, and Kevin Costner.
However, much of this year’s Cannes controversy has occurred off-screen.
French actor Judith Godrèche accused two film directors of rape and sexual assault when she was a teenager earlier this year, and the French film industry has been grappling with probably its defining #MeToo moment since. Godrèche’s short film “Moi Aussi” will premiere on Wednesday.
When asked about #MeToo’s expansion in France, Gerwig told reporters in Cannes on Tuesday that it is progressing.
“I think people in the community of movies telling us stories and trying to change things for the better is only good,” Gerwig stated. “I’ve witnessed significant shift in the American cinema scene, and I believe it’s critical that we continue to broaden that conversation. So I believe it’s only advancing things in the right direction. Keep the lines of communication open.”
Gerwig, fresh off the success of “Barbie,” is president of the jury that will decide Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or. Thierry Fremaux commended her on Monday as “the ideal director” for Cannes, citing her ability to work in both arthouse and studio films and her passion for movie history. And, “We very much liked ‘Barbie.'”
Gerwig is joined on the jury by Lily Gladstone, star of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” French actor Eva Green, Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona, French actor Omar Sy, Lebanese actor and director Nadine Labaki, Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, Turkish screenwriter Ebru Ceylan, and Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino.
AP – VOR News Image
Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep
The jurors were asked how the numerous real-world concerns outside the festival would influence their decision-making. One film in competition, Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” portrays Sebastian Stan as a youthful Donald Trump. And Labaki was asked if she was thinking about the war in Gaza.
“I truly believe that one of the tools to really change something in the situation we all live in right now, which is a situation I think is not that great, is really through art and through cinema,” Labaki stated. “It may propose a more tolerant way of seeing things and seeing each other as human beings.”
“This is why I decided that I could be here without feeling guilty as a human being,” stated Favino. “Because if we look for beauty, then we might look for peace.”
Other fears are circulating this year’s Cannes. Festival workers, frustrated with short-term contracts that make them ineligible for unemployment benefits between events, have threatened to strike.
On Monday, Iranian filmmaker Mohammed Rasoulof, whose film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” will be shown in competition at Cannes next week, said that he had escaped Iran after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging. The film is described as a scathing depiction of the Iranian regime.
AP – VOR News Image
Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep
As Cannes continues, many will be fixated on the celebs who walk the festival’s iconic red carpet. Emma Stone, Anya Taylor-Joy, Demi Moore, Selena Gomez, Nicolas Cage, and Barry Keoghan will be among the cast. George Lucas will be presented with an honorary Palme d’Or during the closing ceremony on May 25.
Regardless, the 77th Cannes Film Festival will have many expectations to meet. Last year’s festival, which was universally praised for its impressive roster, yielded three Oscar best picture nominees: “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Zone of Interest,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” To help reignite last year’s spirit, Messi, the canine hero of “Anatomy of a Fall,” has returned to Cannes for a series of quick French TV advertisements.
A successful Cannes will help France maintain the global spotlight throughout the summer. The French Open, Tour de France, and Summer Olympics in Paris will all take place after the festival. On May 21, the Olympic flame will be carried to the Palais des Festivals, the festival’s focal point.
SOURCE – (AP)
NEW YORK — Actor Steve Buscemi is well after being hit in the face by a man on a New York City street, his publicist confirmed Sunday.
The 66-year-old star of “Fargo” and “Boardwalk Empire” was beaten late Wednesday morning in Manhattan and transported to a local hospital for bruises, swelling, and bleeding in his left eye.
Deadline – VOR News Image
Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched In The Face In New York City
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” according to a statement from his publicist on Sunday. “He is ok and appreciates everyone’s well wishes.”
The New York Post was first to report the assault.
salon – VOR News Image
Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched In The Face In New York City
The New York Police Department issued a nameless statement regarding the assault on Wednesday. Steve’s representative confirmed Sunday that the anonymous assault victim in the police report was the actor.
According to the police department, no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
The Guardian – VOR News Image
Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched In The Face In New York City
Michael Stuhlbarg, Buscemi’s “Boardwalk Empire” co-star, was hit in the back of the neck by a rock while walking in Manhattan’s Central Park on March 31. Stuhlbarg chased his attacker, who was apprehended outside the park.
SOURCE – (AP)
Scottie Scheffler Arrested Outside PGA Championship, Then Returns And Climbs Leaderboard
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