sigh.. watching Larry King's Carson tribute show...

[Dookus]

Ed McMahon is on.

I can't think of any other celebrity whose death will affect me like Carson's did. The closest I can think of is Carol Burnett.

Whose death will really hurt you?

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. Michael Jackson ...

because its going to be on every news channel all around the world and there won't be any way around it .


Seriously , Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton . Add Edward Kennedy too .

[Left Is Write]

4. Oh, I can't even bear to THINK about Bill Clinton in those terms.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

5. I know ...

thats why I am hoping that he is healthy after his heart surgery from last Fall 2004 .

[Dookus]

8. oh yeah

I'm not talking about political figures. Just celebrities.

Carson was really something different from the run-of-the-mill celebrity. He was a fixture and became one by specifically NOT playing on his celebrity. He just did his show, and then stayed out of the news. But he did it very well for a very long time.

[TahitiNut]

2. Annette Funicello

:-(

[Left Is Write]

3. I can think of a few.

Walter Cronkite. Bob Barker (if only because TPIR has been around in its current incarnation since I was 6 years old!). Some of the other old game show hosts that haven't already gone - Richard Dawson, Bob Eubanks. Paul Newman.

[Systematic Chaos]

6. Is Wink Martindale still around?

I used to love Tic-Tac Dough in its 1979 - ???? incarnation. It had questions easy enough that at the age of 10 I would have stood a chance to beat more than a few people, and the money got pretty big if you could get on a roll.

[Left Is Write]

14. Yes, he is.

[Dookus]

7. yeah

i guess I'm thinking of entertainers who really impacted our lives and our culture. Yeah, I'll be really sad when Newman or Cronkite go, but they weren't a daily presence in my life for decades like Carson was.

For some reason, this death really saddens me. I had always hoped to see him again in some form - I hoped he'd do a Letterman appearance or even better, write his memoirs. If ANYONE has a compelling story to tell, it's him. Can you imagine the tales he could put into a book? His weekly poker game for many years included Neil Simon, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, Chevy Chase.... he could've written a book about that alone.

He was so instrumental in the careers of so many people we know today. It would've been great to hear him talk about his memories of the show.

[Left Is Write]

15. But you asked "Whose death will really hurt you?"

And those are the ones who will hurt me. And there was a time in my life when Cronkite WAS a daily presence. My father watched CBS news every night - right up until Cronkite retired.

Bob Barker has certainly been a presence in my life for decades, even if I don't watch TPIR every day. It has been nice to know it was always there, a comforting constant presence from my childhood.

[WI_DEM]

9. Who's left who really epitomizes show business of that era?

and whose career has affected millions? Carol Burnett?, Jerry Lewis?, Dick Van Dyke? not that many.

[Dookus]

10. yup

that's why I singled out Burnett. I think she comes closest to Carson's legacy.

It's hard to think of anyone who matches or surpasses him. We have MANY actors we love from that era (Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, etc.) but Carson wasn't an actor. It was HIM coming into our homes every night. Burnett comes close because she always did her Q&A session with the audience.. but it was weekly, and certainly didn't last 30 years.

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. Frank Zappa's did. In terms of celebrities. Carson definitely will.

And Letterman will. As will Jimmy Carter and Stephen Hawking and Philip Glass.

In terms of celebrities. Obviously, I know none of these people; but they are still people of major influence in my life, artistically, politically, and intellectually, and morally.

Sigh.

Why does Carson - a necessary person - have to die, and other people, whose names will ge unmentioned, continue to exist and pollute the world with their evil and bullshit?

[fortyfeetunder]

12. Growing up and then seeing them go

I knew of all of these guys and gals when I was in a single digit age.

The two:
Jim Henson (Muppets creator). When he was a college student at University of Md-College Park, (this is early 60's) he made puppets for some local TV commercials. So I had followed Muppetry for years...

When Bob Keeshan (Capt. Kangaroo) passed away. I saw the Captain on TV since I was a tyke.

[Dookus]

13. ah yes

the Captain. He lived next door to my family doctor when I was growing up, but never got to meet him.

I think Fred Rogers' death probably pained me as much as anyone's next to Carson's.

I only shed tears for a few celebrity deaths - Carson was one. Gilda Radner was another. The first was Groucho. I was a huge fan of his.

But Gilda's was sad because she was so young and it was such a loss to comedy. Groucho's because my love for him introduced me to a whole world of entertainment I didn't know about. But Carson was a day-to-day influence and I always hoped we'd see more of him.

[blueknight]

16. big dog (of course)

i still cant believe elvis died!