Comedian George Carlin Has Died

 

Comedian George Carlin died from heart failure today. The man who made famous the “seven words you can never say on television” passed away at 5:55 p.m. Sunday at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, his longtime publicist said. He was 71.

Carlin, who has had several heart attacks and a history of cardiac issues, went into the hospital this afternoon after complaining of heart problems. 

Carlin had more than 22 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, numerous TV and movie roles, and three best-selling books to his credit. Last year, he celebrated his 50th year in show business, and he had just finished his last HBO special in March, “It’s Bad for Ya.”

George Carlin was the first host ever on “Saturday Night Live” and he appeared on “The Tonight Show” more than 130 times?

Carlin reinvented social commentary, discussing everything from religion and politics to airport security. He excelled at stand-up, whether at the Roostertail in Detroit, the old Cellar Door in Washington or Carnegie Hall. His three books have been bestsellers. He has won four Grammy Awards, spanning 1973 to 2002. His TV shows have been nominated for five Emmys.

Carlin, a native of New York City, started his career in 1956 at a radio station in Shreveport, La., when he was in the Air Force. In the early ’60s, he began his solo act and his performances and albums were instant hits.

He struggled with personal issues. In the 1970s he developed a cocaine habit and heart problems, according to his Web site.

With the advent of cable television, his audience expanded and he did a series of specials for HBO. But his fans grew younger when he did the voice for the American version of “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” as well as appearances as Mr. Conductor on “Shining Time Station.”

Carlin has been embraced by the Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor generation, as well as the followers of Chris Rock and Stephen Colbert.

In 2004, he was voted No. 2 on Comedy Central’s 100 greatest stand-ups, trailing only Pryor.

On a personal note, George Carlin’s album, Class Clown was the first comedy record that I ever purchased and I listened to it until the routines were engrained in my memory.  I had the pleasure of seeing George Carlin live in 1983 and found him to be relevant, warm and very funny.  I will miss his skewed sense of humor and wry observations such as:

“I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.”

 

“If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?”

 

“If a man stands in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him . . . is he still wrong?” 

 

“Is there another word for synonym?” 

 

“Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?”

 

“If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?”

 

“Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?”

 

“What was the best thing before sliced bread?”

 

“If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?”

 

“Whose cruel idea was it for the word “Lisp” to have an “S” in it?”

 

826michigan’s Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair Is Now Open

Visitors of Ann Arbor, Michigan now have a new shopping destination: 826michigan’s Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair. The shop, which recently opened at 115 E. Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, is stocked with robot-themed toys, novelties and unique gifts.

Never been to a robot supply and repair shop? Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair carries the perfect combination of products for robot enthusiasts and robots themselves. Here are some examples: Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots , a four-foot inflatable robot, Robot Emotion Upgrades & First Aid kits and Positronic brains

826 National is a program created by the author, Dave Eggers. Its family of seven nonprofit organizations is dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing.  Their mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. Each chapter offers drop-in tutoring, field trips, workshops, and in-schools programs — all free of charge — for children, classes, and schools with particular interests or particular needs. 826 is especially committed to supporting teachers, offering services and resources for English language learners, and publishing student work. All locations offer unique retail experiences such as a pirate store in San Francisco and a space travel store in Seattle.

Eric Tan’s Wall-E Posters Invoke 1950s Ad Stylings

I’m a huge fan of Eric Tan’s retro styled art. In past posts we’ve featured Tan’s Raiders of the Lost Ark poster and a limited edition X-Men print he made for a Stan Lee art exhibition. Tan has worked with Pixar creating some great art which you may have seen some of his designs in various products.

The WALL-E designs were used as promotional postcards passed out at San Diego Comic Con 2007. Like most of Eric’s art, you can also see these designs hanging in the main lobby of Pixar Animation Studios in Emmeryville.

Eric writes: “For inspiration, the guys at Pixar once again pointed me in the direction of those Disneyland attraction posters. They are in LOVE with those posters, which is fine because I am too.”

You can purchase some of the limited edition prints at ACME Direct. Also, please check out Eric Tan’s website at erictanart.blogspot.com.

12 Comic Book Ads That Taught Us To Be Cynical

As  kids, every so often we’d come across an ad in a comic book, for something we knew was too good to be true. But still, we’d put money in an envelope and four to six weeks later, get something amazing that would make the rest of our lives whole lot easier. That thing? Disappointment.

Please click here for a salute to all the great products that taught us to be cynical.