In Memoriam...

Jane Russell (June 21, 1921 - February 28, 2011) was a Hollywood actress and sex symbol in the 1940s and 1950s. She was born in Minnesota, the oldest of five children (and the only daughter). Her family moved to Burbank in 1930 and Russell made her way to Hollywood. She got into modeling, but then decided to study drama with Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Workshop.

with Hoagy Carmichael on the set of "The Las Vegas Story", 1952

enjoying the gym in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", 1953

with Marilyn Monroe at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, 1952

with Clark Gable on the set of "The Tall Men", 1955

as a blonde on the set of "The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown", 1957

In Memoriam...

Pete Postlethwaite (February 7, 1946 - January 2, 2011) was a film, stage, and television actor. He was born in Warrington, England in a family with two sisters and a brother. He studied to become a teacher at St. Mary's College, Strawberry Hill. He taught theater at Loreto College in Manchester, but decided he wanted to act as well and trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

a candid from 1977

with Daniel Day-Lewis in 1993's "In the Name of the Father".

Postlethwaite was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

with Gabriel Byrne and Stephen Baldwin in 1995's "The Usual Suspects"

with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in "Romeo and Juliet"

in 1997's "Jurassic Park: The Lost World"

in 2005's "Dark Water"

starring in a 2009 stage production of "King Lear"

playing 'The Florist' in "The Town"

In Memoriam...

Blake Edwards (July 26, 1922-December 15, 2010), who was actually born William Blake Crump, was a screenwriter, director, and producer in a career that spanned almost five decades. Born in Oklahoma, he was the son of a stage director. Early in his career, he was a scriptwriter for Orson Welles' radio program, "The War of the Worlds" (which literally terrified the nation).

On the set of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Audrey Hepburn, 1961

with Peter Sellers (with whom he reportedly had a contentious

relationship with) preparing for a scene in "The Pink Panther", 1963

on the set of "The Great Race", 1965

with wife Julie Andrews, whom he married in 1969.

with Dudley Moore on the set of the hilarious comedy, "10", 1979

on the set of "Victor/Victoria", 1982

posing next to his bust, which was presented to

him by The American Cancer Society, 1983

receiving an Honorary Oscar (which was

presented by Jim Carrey), 2004

with wife Julie Andrews (they were

together for over four decades), 2004

his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

You tickled our funny bone, Blake Edwards. Thanks for the laughs!!!!

In Memoriam...

A SALUTE

Leslie Nielsen (February 11, 1926 - November 28, 2010) was born in Canada, the middle son to a hard-working couple. He enjoyed a film and television career that spanned sixty glorious years.

We all remember Nielsen's run as funny man Lt. Frank Derbin in the 1980s "Naked Gun" series (alongside... OJ Simpson). It's hard to imagine him without the goofy remarks, but he actually started out as a handsome leading man.

I remember seeing a young Nielsen in the 1957 film "Tammy and the Bachelor", which starred Debbie Reynolds. He played a wealthy man who crashes his small plane into a swamp, only to be rescued by backwoods Tammy.

He found his funny bone in the 1980's parody "Airplane!", with famous one-liners like, "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." The name Nielsen is now synonymous with humor and he will be remembered fondly. We'll miss you, Leslie!