2011 In Memoriam

Well, I'm posting this about three months after I originally intended, no surprise to anyone familiar with the tardiness associated with the name 'Pava.' Still, it's hard to believe another year has come and gone. Hell, 2011 went by faster than Kim Kardashian's marriage (ba-dum-ch). Time to reflect on those who left us over the past 12 months, from sports retirements, to monumental television exits, and everyone in between.

Note: I'm only focusing on those who died during the 2011 calendar year. Recent news of Whitney Houston's death and Tim Wakefield's retirement for example, will wait till next year.

One of the kindest women I've ever known was Dot, our family babysitter for years and years. Though primarily responsible for my youngest brother, Dot took to all of us and treated us as family. The feeling was mutual. Her contagious laugh always made us smile and she provided warmth and humanity on Saturday nights. She introduced me to the movies Tootsie and Goodfellas (the latter irresponsible in hindsight being I was about 12 at the time). She jumped up and down and hit us in excitement after Joe Carter hit a dramatic walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series. And my parents even tolerated the infamous meatball incident. After my brother told her he had too many sweet-n-sour meatballs on his dinner plate, she grabbed one with her bare hand and chucked it across the kitchen into the sink. I'm sure Mom enjoyed seeing that. Dot will be missed.

The incomparable Steve Jobs (56) died far too soon and was largely responsible for the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and every other influential product that begins with 'i.' Elizabeth Taylor (79) was one of the biggest icons from cinema's golden age, while Jack Kevorkian (83) helped create a lasting controversy over assisted suicide. Betty Ford (93), the former first lady, founded the appropriately titled Betty Ford Clinic for substance abuse and addiction. We lost significant names across all fields of entertainment, from Raiders owner Al Davis (82) to 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney (92), rapper Heavy D (44) to wrestler 'Macho Man' Randy Savage (58). Amy Winehouse (27) and "Big Man" Clarence Clemons (69) left profound legacies on the music industry, while Harmon Killebrew (74) and 'Smokin' Joe Frazier (67) created lasting images in the world of sports. Comic Patrice O'Neal (41) enjoyed the height of his popularity before dying of a diabetes related stroke.

Key contributers to major television shows included M.A.S.H.'s Harry Morgan (96), The Cosby Show's Clarice Taylor (93), and Taxi's Jeff Conaway (60), perhaps best remembered as Kenickie in Grease. Michael Gough (94) played faithful butler Alfred in four Batman films, while Farley Granger (85) played the lead in Alfred Hitchcock most underrated thriller, Strangers on a Train. Cliff Robertson (88) won an Oscar for Charly, but was known to a younger generation as Spiderman's Uncle Ben. You'd recognize Charles Napier (75) from roles in Austin Powers, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Blues Brothers as the leader of the Good Ol' Boys. Fellow cast-mate Alan Rubin (68) played Mr. Fabulous in the film, while veteran actor Roberts Blossom (87) earned unexpected fame as Old Man Marley in the smash Home Alone. Composer John Barry (77) might not be a household name, but imagine watching Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa, or any of the early Bond films without their musical scores and you'll appreciate his talent. And 6' 7", 280 lb defensive end Bubba Smith (66) parlayed a standout football career (the top NFL draft pick in 1967 out of Michigan State) into unexpected success as Moses Hightower in the Police Academy franchise. Smith offered one of the simplest and best explanations ever to describe one's profession, referring to his job before joining the police force.

Hightower: "I was a florist."
Mahoney: "A florist?
Hightower: "Yeah, you know, flowers and shit."

Some others of note from the world of entertainment . . .

Frances Bay (92) She is the answer to the trivia question, Who played the grandmother of both Arthur Fonzarelli and Happy Gilmore? Who can forget the reaction of a mortified Bay in the Happy Gilmore nursing home when Ben Stiller makes a gun-to-the-head gesture with his finger? Amazingly, Bay didn't start her acting career until she was nearly 60, first appearing in Foul Play ('78), and following with bit parts in The Karate Kid ('84), Blue Velvet ('86), Twins ('88), & Arachnophobia (1990). She also did tons of television, appearing on episodes of The Jeffersons, Family Ties, Cheers, Hill Street Blues, The Golden Girls, Newhart, Alf, Twin Peaks, Matlock, Who's the Boss, The X-Files, The Hughleys, E.R. & most recently The Middle. But despite her aforementioned stint on Happy Days, her most famous TV moment occurred in the Seinfeld episode "The Rye." After beating Jerry for the last marble rye in a bakery, he tries to reason with her to no avail before snatching the rye, causing her to call for help as he yells "Shut up you old bag." But Bay's character had the last laugh, reappearing later that season in "The Cadillac," and deciding to impeach Morty Seinfeld as condo president once she remembered her altercation with Jerry.

Peter Falk (83) Comedian Kevin Pollack does an amazing Falk imitation, not just a perfect voice inflection, but he can make his eyeball circulate as if disconnected from its socket. Anyone that can inspire that type of impersonation is an original. At age 3 Falk's right eye was surgically removed due to cancer, all the way back in 1930! Who knew they could even do that back then? Falk is undoubtedly best known for his iconic work as the title role of Columbo, his detective series which initially ran from 1971-1977 and spawned several TV movies years later. He won 4 Emmys for his famous role, as well as an earlier Emmy for The Price of Tomatoes, a Tony Award in 1972 for The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and two best supporting Oscar nominations for his first two films, Murder, Inc. (1960) & A Pocketful of Miracles (1961). Other notable films included The In-Laws (1979), Big Trouble (1986), both opposite Alan Arkin, and Rob Reiner's fantasy The Princess Bride (1987). He provided a memorable cameo in 2002's Undisputed as aging, jailed mobster Mendy Ripstein.

Len Lesser (88) "Jerry, Helloooooooo." The affable character actor was among the more prolific and versatile television actors of the last fifty years, appearing on Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, My Favorite Martian, Get Smart, All in the Family, Bonanza, The Love Boat, Mad About You, & Everybody Loves Raymond among several others. But he will always be best remembered for his role as Uncle Leo on Seinfeld. Throughout the show's enormously successful run, Leo dug wallets out of trash cans, accused dates of anti-semitism, stole books right off the shelves from Brentanos, put Jerry's Nana in an old folks home to welch on a $50 bet, and got his eyebrows blown off after opening an explosive UPS package, resulting in Elaine drawing him new ones with a Sharpie. Despite the lengthy IMDB page, Lesser was inexplicably omitted from the Memorial segment at this year's Emmy awards for the always pathetic explanation that there isn't enough time to show everybody. Luckily I'm here to remind you, Lesser was one of a kind.

Sidney Lumet (84) Quite possibly the most underrated film director of all time. While his name doesn't jump out like Coppola, Kubrick, Scorsese, or Spielberg, his prolific resume spanned 50 years and over 40 films. Not quite as consistent as some in his lofty peer group (though no less so than Woody Allen or Mike Nichols), Lumet had strong ties to New York City and a reputation for drawing great performances from his stars. His first film, 1957's Twelve Angry Men, was arguably the finest debut in cinema history. The entire film confined to a single jury room on a sweltering Manhattan afternoon, it consisted of nearly two hours of dialogue amongst an outstanding ensemble led by Henry Fonda. Lumet drew two iconic Al Pacino performances in the 1970s, first with Serpico ('73) and most notably Dog Day Afternoon ('75). The star's "Attica, Attica" rant outside the bank with police and media swarming is among the most famous in film. The next year he earned praise for his satire Network, which earned Oscar wins for three cast members (leads Peter Finch & Fay Dunaway, supporting actress Beatrice Straight) and additional nominations for William Holden and Ned Beatty. In 1982 he directed Paul Newman's finest adult performance in the Boston set drama, The Verdict (1982). Another nine films directed by Lumet earned academy award nominations, including The Pawnbroker ('65), Murder on the Orient Express ('74), The Wiz ('78), and Running on Empty ('88). Lumet received a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2005 and two years later released his final film, the well received Before the Devil Knows You're Dead ('07).

Pete Postlethwaite (64) Postlethwaite may have had the hardest last name to pronounce in Hollywood. Thank God I just have to write it. But the talented veteran earned a reputation as one of the most dependable supporting actors in the business. Even in dreck like The Lost World or Clash of the Titans, he made his presence known. He earned a best supporting actor nomination for In the Name of the Father (1993) and appeared in Hamlet, The Last of the Mohicans, Amistad, The Constant Gardner, & Inception. However, I will remember him for mostly for two hall of fame worthy badass performances. In The Usual Suspects (1995), he played Mr. Kobayashi (How cool a name is Mr. Kobayashi?), henchmen for the mysterious Keyser Soze, who always maintained his composure while delivering threats to our title characters. And in The Town (2010), Postlethwaite closed with a bang, playing Fergie, neighborhood boss in Charlestown, who layed the smack down on Ben Affleck in one of the film's best scenes. In two minutes, he threatened to "clip his nuts like he clipped his daddy's," explains that he was responsible for doing his "mother the chemical way," and warns him that he'll kill his girlfriend if he doesn't come along for the Fenway Park heist that closes the film. It's an awesome performance loaded with attitude, which is perhaps the perfect word to describe his impact on the screen.

G.D. Spradlin (90): One could do a lot worse than a supporting role in the greatest film ever made. As Senator Pat Geary in The Godfather, Pt. II (1974), Spradlin oozed corruption, praising Michael Corleone publicly then attempting to extort him in his den on Lake Tahoe. "I don't like your kind of people. I don't like to see you come out to this clean country with your oily hair, dressed up in those silk suits. You try to pass yourselves off as decent Americans." The balls on this guy!!! Only later when a dead hooker mysteriously shows up in his room does he become one of the Corleone families most vocal supporters. Despite appearing in over 70 movies and television shows, Spradlin is best remembered for a handful of scenes that couldn't exceed ten minutes in length. In many ways, a memorable performance in a landmark film is all any actor can hope for.

In 2011 we said adios to Regis Philbin (retired), who called it quits after nearly 28 years on Live with Regis and Kelly. After suffering through a brainless lockout, we enter a new NBA season wondering what might've been for now retired NBA stars Brandon Roy (Portland) and Yao Ming (Houston), the latter of whom left a cultural impact that greatly surpassed his actual playing career. Baseball's Tony La Russa capped an amazing managerial career with a third World Series victory, his second with the Cardinals. And legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno provided a tragic ending to one of the strangest stories of all time. He was 85.

The year's most pertinent sports retirement (for a player) was undoubtedly Shaquille O'Neal, though it yielded a much quieter story than was warranted. Sure, he was a disappointment with the Celtics last year, the Cavaliers before that, and even the Suns before that. But a bigger stir should've resulted for one of the ten greatest basketball careers ever. He starred for LSU, changed the fortunes of three NBA franchises (the Magic, Lakers, & Heat), winning four rings total, and infused the league with a personality that was truly larger than life. The Diesel retired second all time in field goal percentage, fifth in total points, twelfth in rebounds, and seventh in blocked shots. I will remember Shaq.

In local news, the Celtics lost one of the league's first stars, Ed Macauley (83), a seven time all-star who was traded in 1956 for the draft rights to a skinny defensive minded center named Bill Russell, altering Boston basketball forever. Dave Gavitt (73) ran basketball operations for the C's from 1990-94 and as president of USA basketball created the original Dream Team. Most notably, he was the major force behind founding the Big East Conference in 1979. And Myra Kraft, beloved wife of Patriot owner Robert Kraft, provided an emotional spark for a season that will eventually be remembered with fondness. The Patriots took the field each week wearing her initials on their jerseys. She was 68.

Reluctantly, I must mention the Red Sox who in 2011 made history in defeat. After a season of turmoil ending with the worst collapse in the sports history, ageless Tim Wakefield retired, Jason Varitek will probably do the same, Jonathan Papelbon signed with Philadelphia, Theo Epstein bolted for the Cubs, and Terry Francona joined ESPN as an analyst. The latter deserved a classier exit and likely goes down as the 3rd best coach or manager in this towns history behind Red Auerbach and Bill Belichick. And Carl Crawford passed aw . . . wait, what? Crawford's still alive? Who the hell was playing left field last year? Even former Red Sox were making waves around the league. The mercurial Manny Ramirez retired rather than face a drug suspension, and has since improbably been signed by the Oakland A's. Whatever happens, Manny was a vital contributer to two Red Sox World Champions and goes down as one of the best hitters in history. Finally, a bittersweet farewell to Dick Williams (82), manager behind the 'Impossible Dream' season in 1967. After eight consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, the hall of fame manager forever altered the fortunes of Boston's most beloved franchise. He later won two championships with Oakland.


And in the end . . .


Michael Scott, The Office (2005-2011): Upon running over coworker Meredith in their employee parking lot; "Guess what? I have flaws. What are they? Oh, I dunno, I sing in the shower? Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally I'll hit somebody with my car."

Is Scott the funniest television character ever? It may seem like hyperbole, but he's in the discussion. The only one who even compares for me is George Costanza, who never had to carry a show as the lead. From his unhealthy love of Ryan to his blind hatred for Toby, Michael kept audiences in stitches for years. Mystifyingly, Steve Carell never won an Emmy as the bumbling manager of Dunder Mufflin, a small paper supply company in Scranton, PA. He was nominated several times, often losing to the vastly inferior Alec Baldwin. Regardless, Carell's amazing, deadpan responses, illogical strategies, and complete lack of filter made him an original prototype among sitcom actors. And fortunately for viewers, the wheels in his head never stopped turning.

"I don't understand. We have a day honoring Martin Luther King, but he didn't even work here."

Or upon seeing Pam (someone he loves) wearing glasses for the first time, "Oh my God, Pam. Those make you look so ugly. Um, Pam in order to get hotter you take the glasses off. You're moving in the wrong direction." When she responds, he sticks his hand out and cuts her off with, "ah, blah, ga, blah, I can't even, hear you. It's just noise coming out of an ugly scientist."

We should've hated Michael, but we just couldn't. He successfully straddled a line nobody else has attempted to go near. Making the success of The Office even more remarkable was in choosing to film it mockumentary style, they never used canned laughter, a large subconscious influence on audiences for several of TVs most popular sitcoms over the years. The Office helped make this technique popular on major networks over the past decade (see 30 Rock, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation). I don't mean to refer to the show in past tense, as it remains a Thursday night staple and is often amusing in his absence, but Carell was the anchor and it's nowhere near as funny now as during it's peak. He had a remarkable ability to combine incompetence with warmth, and his graceful exit last April was among the better character departures I've seen. Now he can only be seen in reruns, as Michael and company often keep me up until the wee hours of the night.

"That's what she said."



Entourage (2004-2011): At one point I thought this would become my favorite show. Early seasons brimmed with energy and funny dialogue and the initial idea was an appealing one. Four childhood friends from Queens, NY try to make it in Hollywood on the heels of their budding movie star Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier). Although the primary group was engaging (Kevin Connolly as Eric, Jerry Ferrara as Turtle, & Kevin Dillon as Johnny 'Drama,' older half-brother to Vince), they probably only had the depth as actors and characters to last a few seasons. Contrastingly Jeremy Piven's super agent Ari Gold, who represented Vince, became one of the most entertaining television characters of his generation thanks to profanity-laced tirades thrust upon those both deserving and otherwise. It wasn't a huge surprise to see the shows tone and plot shift toward Ari as the series progressed. Unfortunately, the final two seasons ended in a blaze of uncreative, rushed, non humor, as the writers made the fatal mistake of assuming audiences wanted to become dramatically invested. The best parts of Entourage always involved the comfortable rapport the stars shared with one another, simultaneously making viewers feel like they were one of the boys. The show also provided what appeared to be an accurate interpretation of the world of young, rich stars in Los Angeles. Whether it actually was I don't know, but fringe characters like Billy Walsh (the incomparable Rhys Coiro) enhanced the image.

Maybe Entourage should've quit while it was ahead, but I can't deny the pleasure of those early seasons, particularly the first three. When everything was clicking (the Aquaman saga, Ari vs. Terrance, 'Drama' releasing some of most original insults this side of White Men Can't Jump), the show had momentum, always making me wish there were another five minutes remaining. And no show during the last decade provided so many memorable star cameos. Val Kilmer, Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Alba, Gary Busey, James Woods, Bob Saget, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Larry David, Ralph Macchio, Seth Green, Brooke Shields, James Cameron, David Schwimmer, Ed Burns, Anna Faris, Matt Damon, and a host of athletes wisely took advantage of the opportunity to make fun of their own image, preferable to refusing an appearance thus giving the show the freedom to do as it pleased. The best cameo by far belonged to Martin Landau. As legendary producer Bob Ryan, Landau submitted a fantastic three-episode arc that was both poignant and hilarious. But as became typical of a growing lack of ideas, the producers later brought him back as sporadic comic relief. If I seem hard on a show that occupied hours upon hours of my life, it's only because the potential was there to leave behind a stronger legacy than it did. If nothing else, Entourage introduced us to Emmanuelle Chriqui, whose Sloan McQuewick gets my vote as the hottest character ever to appear in anything.



Friday Night Lights (2006-2011): Start with the perfect intro theme, which somehow captures the soul of the show with no words. In only 43 seconds, the viewer becomes immersed in a town that takes itself very, very seriously. If Entourage peaked early and floundered late, network televisions best drama remained a beacon of consistency, going out on top with arguably the finest series finale of all time. I truthfully can't think of one to match it, especially in recent years. Unfortunately we didn't hear nearly enough about this as the show struggled to accumulate a respectable audience by network standards. The critically beloved drama barely survived a ratings fiasco on Friday nights, was eventually cancelled despite a small, devout core of fans, and finally rescued in a deal by DirecTV and NBC. Nobody would've blamed the shows writers and actors for packing it in amongst all the upheaval, but instead they improved, with the show improbably peaking in seasons one, three, and finally in five. Peter Berg deserves credit for developing the series and finding a cast as likable as they were relatable, two qualities that don't always go together. At its core were Eric and Tami Taylor (brilliantly portrayed by Kyle Chandler & Connie Britton), who grounded every episode and created probably the most believable marriage on television. From an acting standpoint, only Sopranos leads James Gandolfini and Edie Falco occupied a similar plane.

All of the primary younger actors from both main casts did a fantastic job, with special mention going to Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen), Gaius Charles ('Smash' Williams), Michael B. Jordan (Vince Howard), Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette), and Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke). They were surrounded by fantastic smaller characters who lent authenticity to each and every scene. Try to picture Dillon, Texas without Buddy Garrity or Matt's Grandma and you realize their impact. And I would've loved spending my adolescence gawking at Lyla Garrity and Julie Taylor in high school hallways. Of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention Taylor Kitsch who played breakout character Tim Riggins, the coolest teen character since Dylan McKay (come on, you knew it was coming). A pair of the series best moments came courtesy of Kitsch during season three; parting ways with New York bound best friend Jason Street (Scott Porter) and leaving his football cleats on the field after the state championship, his final game.

It's tough to describe just how good Friday Night Lights was, because a general plot synopsis sounds like a parade of cliches. But at the end of the day, FNL wasn't so much about football or college applications or even family. It was about the little moments in life and the decisions we make that impact those around us. Coach Taylor's sacrifice in the finale helped balanced the household dynamic and gave Tami an opportunity to follow her professional dreams for the first time in her life. And it allowed the viewer to say goodbye to Dillon along with the Taylors.

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose.