RIP Mike "Beard Guy" Taylor

I rarely post about someone leaving us here on earth but last nights news hit this family pretty hard. Mike "Beard Guy" Taylor, keyboardist and vocalist in Walk Off the Earth, has died, the band has confirmed. It's hard because as a family watching music videos on a Friday night we bumped into this band for the first time. We became instant fans and Beard Guy was by far a big reason for that, the man oozed cool.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved brother and band member, Mike 'Beard Guy' Taylor. Mike had a love for life that was unmatched and a willingness to give that went beyond ordinary means. He passed peacefully from natural causes last night in his sleep. Our deepest sympathies are with his two children, whom he adored more than anything else in the world. We ask for privacy for his family in this trying time."

Walk off the Earth is a Canadian indie pop band, known for their well-crafted cover songs on YouTube as well as originals including recent single "Fifth Avenue," was scheduled to perform on New Year's Eve in Niagara Falls for CBC before kicking off a world tour.

On Christmas Mike left all of us one more gift.

"hands down my favorite Christmas song" Mike "The Beard Guy" such a blow and this family thanks you for bring us some joy we will miss you. 

Tobe Hooper

In honor to one of my all time favorite directors Tobe Hooper I bring you his hit music video for Billy Idols "Dancing With Myself". RIP Tobe you will be missed and thanks a bunch for scaring the shit out of me for years now!

Jerry Lewis I will Miss You!

Some love him, some love to hate him but the man changed my life and for me, he will be missed. I always sit and think would I be who I am if it was not for Jerry Lewis and his Labor Day Telethon to raise money with one goal to find a cure for over 40 neuromuscular diseases. If it was not for the telethon that my dad so carefully put together locally every year would I still have done something so important in my life as MDA Camp? My heart my soul my life and the way I live it every day stems from what this man has done for the world.  Jerry Lewis opened the doors to a world that I can not imagine not being a part of.

For many Lewis will be remembered for his film and comedian career for me he gave my life a path that after 40 plus years I still follow to this day.

Every labor day even when our local telethon was already in full swing I would still find a TV set tuned into the main feed just to hear his opening monolog listing for the words "We found a cure" and every year even tho those words were never spoken he would tell us hopeful we are getting close.

Before you think no good has come out of this at one time there were well over 40 types and then they adopted if you will a few more as the years went on. Today we only have 30! And only 9 of those are big ones like ALS, SMA, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. With SMA having a new trial under way they feel strongly about a cure they also may have found a way to reverse the effects with some patients that suffer with it today.

Jerry said once and it has stuck with me forever "We will find a cure in my life time" Sadly Jerry will not see this day but every year we get so much closer and the man that has given many of us hope is no longer with us. From this fan, he will be missed and he will "Never Walk Alone." And I will never stop the fight as we inch closer to the day we never have to worry about MDA every again.

Thank You, Jerry, for shaping my life to what it is today.

Bob

WOW! Chris Cornell

Music bid farewell to one of its most distinctive voices this week, with the tragic news on the passing of Chris Cornell.

Cornell had been on tour when he died Wednesday night at 52, emblematic  of his prolific career with Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog and on his solo work. Although I was not the biggest fan of the grunge era that Cornell and Soundgarden helped define, his death is a painful loss.

Hunger Strike from the sole album release from Cornell's short-lived band Temple of the Dog contained a duet with a fellow grunge icon, Pearl Jam's Vedder. Its sad to think Vedder is the last of the Seattle grunge scene front men. I love this song and it is by far my favorite of the era.

May you find peace Chris!

Goodbye Erin Moran

Where man and metal converge.

Iron Thunder
1998 | Color | 1 Hr 53 Min | Action Sci-Fi | R | Sterling Entertainment

Director: Jay Woelfel

Writer: Jay Woelfel

Stars:

Richard Hatch

Susannah Devereux

Don Hughes

Danger faces unsuspecting tourists in Las Vegas as Colonel Nelson, who goes mad when he is accidentally electrocuted by the very super secret U.S. military tank he is testing, Iron Thunder. He now believes he is in the middle of an actual war and the city of glittering lights is his target. In a desperate attempt to stop him from using the state of the art offensive and defensive technology on board, the head of the Iron Thunder project sends out a Special Forces team, headed by a woman who has to deal with a crew that has its own ulterior agendas. Following Nelson's trail of destruction across the desert, they face off in a spectacular battle and force Nelson out of his tank. The battle continues on foot into the ruined Ghost towns of times gone by. Nelson is in his element, matching wits and weapons with the less experienced soldiers. Iron Thunder is about military technology gone wild and the price humans must pay to survive in the 21st century.

So I wanted to celebrate the life of  Richard Hatch after hearing about his passing. Iron Thunder looked like one of those simple fun action flicks so why the hell not, right? Sigh, I was wrong.

RIP Masaya Nakamura

 The “Father of Pac-Man”

Saying good bye hurts so much!

I understand it comes with the territory but losing a camper after camp is hard but to lose another just a few days after is downright unfair!  On Tuesday we lost another Hero in Dan who was the brain behind this year's Superhero theme. He was also the host of the podcast Across the Airwaves and this past week we talked about sponsoring each other. Dan, you will be missed!!

You will be missed Trimpe

With one of the greatest camp weeks in my life comes some sad news. Yesterday on the way home Mike Trimpe lost his battle with Muscular Dystrophy. Mike has been a staple for Horizon well over 25 years and has been there from the start. He is the face of the association in so many ways from fundraisers to the loveable man he was for so many at camp. I have only known him for a few short years but I will never forget that he was the first person I saw on my first day. I know in the next few days I will be sharing more memories from the past week but today my heart is heavy.

R.I.P. Joe Fleishaker

It was such a bummer to read about Joe Fleishaker passing today. You might not recognize his name but you surely can not forget that face! Fleishaker starred in MANY Troma classics including The Toxic Avenger franchise, Poultrygeist, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., Terror Firmer, and Tromeo and Juliet. Throughout his career, Joe could be seen working with and helping to develop talented individuals that have gone on to have some incredible careers.

Billed as "Troma's biggest action star" by company co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, died Monday at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, his brother, Haskel. He was 62. He was a heavy set man reaching 500 plus after his first heart attack he went into rehab to lose more than 150 pounds.

I meet Joe a few years back while he was working the Troma booth, a Nice guy who loved talking to the fans as much as we loved talking to him. He will be missed, Rest in Peace Joe, Rest in Peace!

RIP Gunnar

Another sad day in the horror community Actor and Chainsaw wielding Gunnar Hansen has passed at the young age of 68.

Horror Films don't create fear. They Release it.

Words just escape me, Wes Craven has brought nightmares into all of our house for many years! It's hard to understand Brain Cancer and how much it sucks! Cancer sucks! The Horror Community mourns the loss yet again tonight of one hell of a legend. Wes may you rest in peace you will be missed by many.

I salute you with

5 Bloody Brains

Real men wear kilts.

Yet another big loss, Roddy Piper has passed away from congestive heart failure at the age of 61. I was never a wrestling fan, but you could not beat the golden days of the 1980's. I always liked Piper over Hogan any day.

And nobody will ever forget "They Live" and its longest fight scene and, of course, those famous words "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum."

Rest In Peace Hot Rod you will be missed by many!

RIP Irwin Keyes

Sad news today as horror fans remember character actor Irwin Keyes. Keyes is best remembered for his role in Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses and his character Ravelli. I will not forget that first night at Flashback weekend in 2004 Keyes was one of the first guests Steve and I met. He was one of the coolest guys around. He sat and talked to us about his movies and how Warriors was still one of his favorite parts even if it was small. We talked to him for at least 40 mintues that day and in the end he signed a photo for Steve and my House cover for free. He was really interested in hearing our story on how we met and why we where at the convention together. Such a kind hearted man.

Of course for me some of my favorites would have to be Oblivion 1 & 2 and of course Evil Bong 3D and let us not forget Horror High!

Keyes died Wednesday in Playa del Rey, Calif., of complications from acromegaly, a rare disorder caused when the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone, his manager.

Now if you would excuse me I need to go watch Zapped! in remembrance.

Evil begets evil on the sabbath of the undead!

Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride
1973 | Color | 87 Minutes | 1.85:1 | R | Horror | Mono | Hammer Films

Source: DVD

Director: Alan Gibson

Writer: Don Houghton

Stars: 

Christopher Lee

Peter Cushing

Michael Coles

Story:

It's 1974 - two years after the events in Dracula 1972. Strange things are happening - some girls are disappearing from the street and some of them are secretaries to important people. The Police and the Secret Service become interested when rich people (including a Lord) are pouring their empires into a foundation in which the boss hasn't been seen and a photograph of him doesn't produce a figure. The Inspector from D72 comes to see Van Helsing and Jessica and their investigations lead them to believe that the boss is Dracula...

Christopher Lee as Count Dracula

After hearing about Christopher Lee passing away it was not a shock but still brought sadness. So over the weekend I planned on watching one of his many Hammer Horror Features that we always hear so much about. After scanning through my collection I settled on Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides or also know has The Satanic Rites Of Dracula. 

RIP Betsy Palmer

Was so saddened to learn about the passing of actress Betsy Palmer, best known for portraying Pamela Voorhees in Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th Part II. She was 88 and died of natural causes at a hospice care centre in Connecticut on Friday 29th May. She is survived by her daughter, Melissa Merendino.

I have had the privilege of meeting Palmer a few years back. She blew me away for her kindness and gratefulness. She really loved her fans and could talk for hours about Friday the 13th and and of her other body of work. She was such a joy to be around. I spent a good 30 minutes chatting with her that day. How many celebrities do you know that would do that.

And after talking to her about her appearance on the love boat and most of all Murder She Wrote and how I jumped for joy saying to my Grandma she was from Friday the 13th!!! Besty laughed hard and gave me the biggest warmest hug and kissed me on the check thanking me for the trip down memory lane. I really loved meeting her and hoped to see her again someday. May she find peace, She will be missed.

I will mourn the loss of such a wonderful woman.

So What's Up?

Sooooooo yeah I have been gone from blogging for a long time. I'm sorry for that. But back in March life changed. My mother passed away unexpectedly. And for the longest time I just have not felt like sitting by a computer or doing much for that matter. But now its time to try this again in hopes that I will get back to being myself. For those that kept stopping by my page and sending emails thank you. So on with the show!

Mom loved all here grand kids. Grandparents day with Lainey and Ella. 

This still brings a tear to my eye. She grabbed me over.

I love this! My aunts, Nanny and Papa. My mother is on the end (Right side)

I see a lot of me in this picture. I'm always told that I have papa's spirit but I know now I also have my mom's heart.

My mom had the biggest heart. Loved her grand kids and was so proud of us and our involvement with MDA Camp. She should have left us many times but she is a fighter that never quit. One the battle with breast cancer and fought off alcoholism and suffered from agoraphobia but never missed a baseball game or band concert. She could make a friend any where in the world. If she saw a homeless person she would talk to them and give what little she had. Its funny how you look back and everything and realize how amazing she was in her own way. And I cant believe how much I have turned out like her! And for some reason the memory in my head of the first time we watched Svengoolie together is still fresh. I know it was a Godzilla type of movie and it was 100 plus out side so she wanted us to stay in the house. And later she told me the only movie that scared the heck out of her was the Birds so yeah that Halloween I watched it! Well mom you got me hooked on being scared. And the rest is history.

Miss you!

RIP Arthur Rankin Jr.

Arthur Rankin, Jr., animator of 'Rudolph' and other holiday classics, has died http://t.co/603shXlq8b pic.twitter.com/nIzpZF1vwk
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) February 1, 2014

Remembering Jerry G Bishop

Chicago radio and TV legend and creator of the original "Svengoolie," Jerry G. Bishop, has died. He was 77.

Media critic Robert Feder confirmed the news that Bishop passed away Sunday.

Rich Koz, Bishop's protégé and current Svengoolie wrote "I owe everything to him," tweeting Tuesday "The passing of the original Sven- my mentor and friend Jerry G. Bishop-just reminds me of his great heart and talent. Love you,Jerry."

The Lawndale native and Columbia College grad was a star of morning radio during "the golden era of Top 40 radio in the ’60s," Feder reports. In 1970, Bishop introduced the Svengoolie character as the voice-over host of "Screaming Yellow Theater."

R.I.P. Karen Black

Karen Black has died at 74.

Her husband, Stephen Eckelberry, confirmed the death on Facebook on Thursday. The actress, famous for her performances in "Five Easy Pieces" and "Easy Rider" and "Nashville," had cancer.

Diagnosed with ampullary cancer in November 2010, the actress was forced to turn to crowd-funding when her disease recurred in June 2012. Black's husband, Stephen Eckelberry, turned to the website GoFundMe.com, to raise money to support a two-month clinical treatment in Europe for the actress.


Among her most famous roles was the pregnant girlfriend of Jack Nicholson's character in "Five Easy Pieces" (1971) for which she would receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.


She would also play an aspiring actress in "Day of the Locusts" (1976), a country singer in "Nashville" (1975), a sexually confidant lover in "Portnoy's Complaint" (1973) and a kidnapper in Alfred Hitchcock's final film "Family Plot" (1976).