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How Mort Sahl Changed Comedy And Flamed Out

He became a comedian’s comedian—venerated by other comedians, especially those old enough to know that they wouldn’t be doing what they were doing if it weren’t for him—but he never quite kept up with the shifting times. - Slate

George Butler, The Documentarian Who Made Arnold Schwarzenegger Famous, Dead At 78

It was via Butler's 1977 film Pumping Iron that the charismatic Austrian bodybuilder came to the world's attention. Notable among Butler's other docs were Going Upriver, about John Kerry as Vietnam vet-turned-peace activist, and The Lord God Bird, about the last ivory-billed woodpeckers. - MSN (The Washington Post)

Remembering Conductor Michael Morgan And His Impact On The Bay Area

The scope of Morgan’s outreach was both personal and institutional, both public and below the radar. He made the Oakland Symphony a meeting ground and collaborative partner for all kinds of local musical organizations. - San Francisco Chronicle

Mort Sahl, Who Created Political Comedy As We Know It, Dead At 94

He became famous for walking to the microphone with a newspaper and riffing on whatever stories he found there. (Time magazine called him "Will Rogers with fangs.") As actor-filmmaker Albert Brooks put it, "Every comedian who is not doing wife jokes has to thank him for that." - AP

Remembering Bernard Haitink

You went to a Haitink concert fully aware of what to expect, only for those expectations usually to be surpassed. Haitink was able to make music emerge as if it was entirely uninterpreted — without it becoming anonymous... personal, even as it felt impersonal. - The New York Times

How Samuel L. Jackson Got Booted From One Of The Most Prestigious Historically Black Colleges In The World

His brief period at Morehouse College included his acting debut, his involvement in the civil rights movement, and an unorthodox bit of speech therapy. - Literary Hub

Only Three Months After Brain Surgery, Michael Tilson Thomas Resumes Conducting

When he resumes activity, MTT will first lead the New York Philharmonic (Nov. 4–7) and then return to San Francisco (Nov. 12–14), where he is music director laureate, following a 25-year tenure with the SF Symphony. - San Francisco Classical Voice

How Joshua Vides Went From Graffiti Artist To Designing For Global Brands

His creations have turned the former scofflaw graffitist into an illustrator and visual artist sought after by a growing list of global brands, including Adidas, Converse, Warner Bros., Google, Red Bull, EBay, Fendi, Ballentine and Mercedes-Benz. - Los Angeles Times

Diane Weyermann, Producer Of RBG And An Inconvenient Truth, 66

Weyermann (the NYT obit is here) is remembered by Ai Weiwei: "Her passing a huge loss to like-minded people; like a bridge of hope and imagination washed away in the storm." - The Guardian (UK)

Halyna Hutchins, 42, A Cinematographer Who Was On The Edge Of A Breakthrough

Hutchins, killed by a prop gun, was finally on her way up. One director wrote, "She worked tirelessly for eleven years, and her career just started to take off this year. And it ends like this? ... Why does this industry take forever to notice a talent?" - Washington Post

Jerry Pinkney, Beloved And Prolific Illustrator, Has Died At 81

Pinkney, "a legend in the world of children's publishing," won the Caldecott Medal, numerous Coretta Scott King Awards, and the recognition of millions of children and adults for his covers and illustrations. - NPR

Peter Scolari, Who Found Fame With Tom Hanks On Bosom Buddies, Has Died At 66

Scolari also played Bob Newhart's producer on Newhart and Lena Dunham's character's father on Girls. - The New York Times

Canadian Theatre Icon Martha Henry, 83

Only 12 days before her death, Henry gave her last performance as the character “A” — an older, dying woman — in Stratford’s production of Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women.” - Toronto Star

Bernard Haitink, Revered Conductor, Dead At 92

Known especially for his Mahler and Bruckner, Haitink had long tenures at the helm of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, Royal Opera in London, and Glyndebourne Festival and spent periods as (unofficially but in effect) interim chief conductor at the Boston And Chicago Symphonies. - BBC

Picasso Lived His Entire Life In France Under Surveillance

"For more than 40 years, his Catalan connections, his communist leanings and his celebrity made him a suspect in the eyes of the French police and intelligence services. His request for naturalization was denied. He was the target of xenophobia and identity politics." - The New York Times

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