Comedian George Carlin Passes Away at age 71

Source: Reuters

George Carlin, comedian best known for his "7 words" routine which led to a Supreme Court battle over obscenity, passed away at the age of 71 at St. John's Health Center in Los Angeles last night. He died of heart failure. The grammy-winning comic was to recieve the John F. Kennedy's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this fall.

Carlin was an icon among the counter-culture and his theme centered around humanity being a doomed species. He is also an icon in all of comedy. George Carlin will be missed.

"No Country for Old Men" Wins Big at Oscars.

The 80th annual academy awards, hosted by Jon Stewart, took place last night in Hollywood (where else?). The top prize, Best Picture, went to the crime flick No Country for Old Men. Directorial brothers Joel and Ethan Coen won best director honors for the film.

The Writers' Strike Comes to an End.

The hollywood writers' strike, which began in November of last year, is now at an official end. The strike, which halted production on television shows and movies, was the result of a dispute over profits for the writers of the shows and movies that can be dowloaded on the internet. The writers demanded a share of the profits from the shows and films, but the producers would not budge. The strike, which resulted, is now settled with the writers getting what they demanded.

Directors Guild and Studios Reach Deal.

Could the writers strike come to an end soon? It could. The Directors Guild reached a deal with major film and TV studios. The deal is likely to put pressure on the writers to end the strike, which is ten weeks old and hurting the industry badly.

Writers Strike Cancels Golden Globes Ceremony.

The Hollywood Writers Strike, which is in its ninth week, continues to cause shockwaves throughout the TV and Film Industries. The strike now has struck award ceremonies as well.

The Golden Globes ceremony now has been scrapped. There will be no acceptance speeches and no red carpet pre-show. A press conference will replace the ceremony.

Broadway Stagehand Strike Ends

After 19 days, many shows cancelled, and millions of dollars lost, the strike between the Broadway producers and the stagehands comes to an end.

I'm glad this dispute is resolved. This strike was hitting restaraunts and tourism very badly.

Now let's see if the television writers and producers follow suit (I miss Jay Leno).