Harvey Korman and others, R.I.P.

"Now, go do that voodoo that you do so well!"

Thursday evening, the news broke that the great multi-talented comedic actor Harvey Korman passed away at the age of 81.

We used to watch "The Carol Burnett Show" and the spin-off "Mama's Family" all the time when I was a kid, and he'll probably (and justifiably so) be remembered for his work on those shows. We shouldn't forget about his guest appearances on so many other TV shows, including "The Muppet Show" and "The Star Wars Holiday Special", and his movies with Tim Conway.

I'll remember him most for his brilliant turn as villain Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles.

We've lost too many talented people from the entertainment industry in the past week or so: director/actor/producer Sydney Pollack; actor/director Joseph Pevney; the friendly half of Rowan and Martin, Dick Martin; composer Earle Hagen; and the composer of eight of the most famous notes in entertainment history, Alexander Courage.

Trek Remastered -- "Whom Gods Destroy" and "The Mark of Gideon"

I missed last week's episode, "Whom Gods Destroy", so this is a double-shot preview. I'll get a chance to catch it on Saturday night's rerun.

"Whom Gods Destroy", as mentioned in this review, is a real departure for the series. It's almost like an episode of Batman, especially with Batgirl herself, Yvonne Craig, as an Orion slave girl.

"The Mark of Gideon" is the episode where Captain Kirk is held aboard an empty replica of the Enterprise on an overpopulated planet. I suppose they had no money and had to reuse the ship sets for that week's episode.

Trek Remastered -- "A Private Little War"

This week's episode is Trek's commentary on the ongoing Vietnam War, "A Private Little War". The Federation and the Klingon Empire arm opposing sides of a primitive culture in this mid-Second Season ep. But the important thing to remember about this one is... the Mugato!

Gnome Stew is ready

For several years you could count on an insightful daily gaming post from Martin or a guest blogger over at Treasure Tables. It was a shame when TT went on hiatus, but understandable. I've tried to update Kaijuville twice a week and you can see how often that happens. The TT archives, forums and wiki are still active.

Martin and some other TT regulars have just started Gnome Stew, a multi-author blog dedicated to game masters and GMing. They are all very knowledgeable, experienced, and good at writing about those topics. Take a look!

Julie Ege, R.I.P.

Julie Ege, who starred in Hammer's Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, passed away on April 29th.

Ege was born in Høyland, Sandnes; where she was a Miss Norway and Miss Universe contestant (and later a Penthouse Pet). In 1967, she moved to England as an au pair to improve her English.

She made her film debut in a low budget Norwegian film The Sky and the Ocean, appeared in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (as Helen, the Scandinavian girl) and later starred in Hammer Film Productions' The Creatures the World Forgot and the Hammer/Shaw Brothers co-production The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. She also appeared in the 'Gluttony' segment of the movie The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, Jack Cardiff's The Freakmaker and Freddie Francis' Craze with Jack Palance.

Julie Ege was married and divorced twice, lived in Oslo where she worked as a nurse until her death from breast cancer and is survived by two daughters.

Wikipedia entry

Filmography and photo page (update) (some NSFW)

Times Online obit

Hammer and Beyond Blog obit (photo NSFW)

Trek Remastered -- "Court Martial"

Rights, sir – human rights! The Bible. The Code of Hammurabi. And of Justinian. The Magna Carta. The Constitution of the United States. The Fundamental Declarations of the Martian Colonies. The Statutes of Alpha III. Gentlemen, these documents all speak of rights!

Kirk is ordered to face a court martial at Starbase 11 when the circumstances surrounding a crewman's death are thrown into doubt. Kirk's lawyer Samuel T. Cogley must call on the assistance of the Enterprise crew in order to clear Kirk's name.

...

One of my favorite episodes is on this weekend. This is from the first season, and it gives us a lot of Trek backstory. It's the first time in the series that the Enterprise visits a starbase. And it's just a great hour of dramatic television.

Cogley is played by noted character actor Elisha Cook, Jr., who was so memorable in movies like The Maltese Falcon, Shane, The Killing, and House on Haunted Hill.

A preview image from the Remastered ep is at this page.

And I repeat, I speak of rights. A machine has none. A man must. My client has the right to face his accuser, and if you do not grant him that right, you have brought us down to the level of the machine. Indeed, you have elevated that machine above us. I ask that my motion be granted, and more than that, gentlemen, in the name of humanity, fading in the shadow of the machine, I demand it. I demand it!

Trek Remastered -- "Assignment: Earth"

This weekend's episode is "Assignment: Earth", where the crew travels to 1968 and encounters a being named Gary Seven. Is he friend or foe?

The last episode of the Second Season is notable for several reasons, chiefly because it was intended to be the pilot for a new series.

Women of Hammer Horror Films

Speaking of Hammer horror films, someone recently posted a photo gallery of actresses seen in Hammer films (via BoingBoing).

Thanks to Edige for pointing this out to me.