#Chicago Comic Con 1997

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"...SHE IS PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR MEMBER OF "Gen¹³" TO BOTH MALE AND FEMALE FANS."

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1451x1535 -- Spotlight on Caitlin Fairchild, proverbial poster child for the "Gen¹³" series of American comic books then-published by Jim Lee's imprint, WildStorm Productions, illustration published for Chicago Comic-Con 1997.

"Fairchild was named after an airplane bearing the same name and that name fits her personality to a T. She is a brainy, strong leader to her more adolescent teammates. As such, she is probably the most popular member of "Gen¹³" to both male and female fans."

-- JIM LEE, Fairchild creator, for Wildstorm Productions, c. 1996

Source: www.pinterest.ca/pin/448671181609837567.

[tf2heritageposts]

Elizabeth Eden Harris[2] (born May 31, 1997), known professionally as Cupcakke (often stylized as cupcakKe; pronounced /ˈkʌpkeɪk/ "cupcake"),[3] is an American rapper and singer-songwriter known for her hypersexualized, brazen, and often comical persona and music.[4][5]

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Cupcakke began her career as a rapper in 2012 by releasing material online. She drew attention in 2015 when she released two music videos, "Vagina" and "Deepthroat", on YouTube that went viral; the songs were later included on her debut mixtape, Cum Cake (2016), which was included on Rolling Stone's list of the Best Rap Albums of 2016 at number 23.[6] A second mixtape, S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas), released in 2016, preceded her studio albums: Audacious (2016), Queen Elizabitch (2017), Ephorize (2018), Eden (2018), and Dauntless Manifesto (2024).

Aside from a brief retirement at the end of 2019, Cupcakke has been steadily releasing standalone singles, such as "Squidward Nose" (2019), "Discounts" (2020), "Mosh Pit" (2021), and "H2hoe" (2022).

Elizabeth Eden Harris was born on May 31, 1997,[7] in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised on King Drive, near Parkway Gardens. Harris was raised by a single mother and spent nearly four years in Chicago's homeless shelters starting at age seven.[8] In the lyrics of her song "Ace Hardware", Harris recounts her experiences struggling with depression and being raped by her father, who is a pastor.[9][10] She has referred to her father as a "deadbeat", "con artist", and "child molester."[11] She attended Dulles Elementary School[12] with other established Chicago rappers such as Lil Reese and Chief Keef. She got an early start into music and poetry at the age of ten by her involvement in her local church. It was also there that she got her start in performing, where she would perform for her local pastors by reciting poetry about her Christianity and faith.[13]

When she was 13, she met a fellow churchgoer who encouraged her to turn the poetry into rap music, and she became infatuated with the art form. She cites 50 Cent, Lil' Kim, and Da Brat as early influences to her musical style.[14][13]

Harris released her first music video, "Gold Digger" onto her official YouTube channel in August 2012. She was only 15 at the time of its release—the original video has since been deleted.[5] Over the next few years, she continued to release original music, as well as freestyles using beats from other artists through her YouTube channel, where she has amassed over 919,000 subscribers.[15]

In October 2015, the official music video for her song "Vagina" was released on YouTube via YMCFilmz. According to Cupcakke, she wrote the song because she was inspired by Khia's dirty rap song "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" from 2002.[16] One month later, Harris released "Deepthroat" on her own channel. Within weeks, the two videos went viral on YouTube, Worldstar, and Facebook. The songs later became singles for Harris' debut mixtape, Cum Cake, which was released in February 2016. Its release was also supported by further singles such as "Juicy Coochie", "Tit for Tat", and "Pedophile". A writer for Pitchfork, which included it on "9 Rap Mixtapes You Might Have Missed This Year", called the mixtape a "well rounded introduction to a skilled writer" and said it used songs "about love, loss, and hardship with its more explicit tracks to create a full profile of the up-and-coming Chicago rapper".[17] "Pedophile" was also specifically noted for its "blunt commentary" on sexual assault.[5]

In June 2016, Harris released her second mixtape, S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas). It was preceded by the single "Best Dick Sucker". Other tracks, such as "Doggy Style" and "Motherlands", were also later released as singles. The mixtape was listed among Rolling Stone's "Best Rap Albums of 2016 So Far".[6]

In October 2016, Harris released her debut studio album, Audacious.[18] The album was preceded by the single "Picking Cotton", which was described by MTV News as "a protest song about racist cops".[13] Other tracks on the album such as "Spider-Man Dick" and "LGBT" were accompanied by music videos.[19][20] In an interview Harris stated that she made the song "LGBT" "...strictly for the gay community to know that they are loved and don't need to feel judged."[21]

In February 2017, Harris released "Cumshot", which served as the lead single to her second studio album. On March 7, English singer-songwriter Charli XCX premiered her song "Lipgloss", which featured Harris. The song was later included on XCX's mixtape, Number 1 Angel, which was released on March 10.[22]

Her second studio album, titled Queen Elizabitch, was released on March 31, 2017.[23] The Fader described it as "the type of nasty rap that made her a viral sensation, alongside all-out pop bangers like '33rd' and the confessional a cappella freestyle 'Reality, Pt. 4'."[24] Stereogum also noted that the album "sees CupcakKe engaging with the current political climate and radio trends in a way that could help her cross over to a more mainstream audience".[25][26]

On April 7, 2017, Queen Elizabitch was removed from online streaming services and digital music stores due to an illegal backing track that Harris had purchased from what she described as a "shady producer". She soon announced on Twitter that Queen Elizabitch would be re-released on April 16.[27] She then released the singles "Exit" and "Cartoons" in November 2017.[28][29]

Her third studio album, Ephorize, was released on January 5, 2018.[30] Exclaim! called it "her most polished work to date" and noted that "she still slides in plenty of deliciously dirty one-liners throughout the new record."[31] HotNewHipHop commented that "Ephorize might be one of the most introspective bodies of work she's dropped off to date."[32] Pitchfork called it Cupcakke's "best album yet, with terrific production and a barrage of raps that reveal Elizabeth Harris to be far more than her hilarious and absurdly raunchy one-liners."[33] She released music videos for the songs "Duck Duck Goose" and "Fullest".[34] The former features her "showing off an extensive collection of dildos as well as a souvenir Statue of Liberty."[35]

On November 9, 2018, Harris released her fourth studio album, Eden. She released music videos for the lead single "Quiz", and for the following singles "Hot Pockets" and "Blackjack".

On January 8, 2019, Harris was reportedly taken to a hospital in Chicago after tweeting that she was going to commit suicide.[36] In a tweet posted the next day, Harris wrote "I've been fighting with depression for the longest. Sorry that I did it public last night but I'm ok. I went to the hospital & I'm finally getting the help that I need to get through, be happy, & deliver great music. Thanks for all the prayers but please don't worry bout me."[37]

On January 11, 2019, the single "Squidward Nose" was released,[38] and on February 21, a music video for the song featuring John Early premiered.[39] On April 17, 2019, Harris released a remix of Lil Nas X's song "Old Town Road", titled "Old Town Hoe", on her YouTube channel,[40] and its music video the following day.[41]

In September 2019, Harris made several posts on social media criticizing several artists such as Camila Cabello (she accused Cabello of racism) and Shawn Mendes, followed by her retirement announcement in an Instagram Live video.[42] She stated, "This live is going to be the last video that y'all [will] see of me. I am completely done with music". She said that she would no longer be releasing music to the public and that she would be removing her music from all streaming platforms.[43] She stated that she was disturbed to see children in videos and young people at her shows singing along to her explicit songs, felt she was corrupting the youth with her raunchy songs.[44][45] Harris also told fans that she has a "very bad gambling addiction" and that she had lost $700,000 at a casino in September 2018.[45][46] Harris' Instagram and Twitter accounts were deactivated after the livestream ended.[45] Her music remained available on streaming platforms.[46]

On November 7, 2019, Harris came out of retirement after a 40-day absence on all social media platforms with a tweet; "Jesus fasted for 40 days & so did I...... Nov 16th".[47] On March 6, 2020, Harris released a new single, "Lawd Jesus".[48] Harris uploaded her first video to YouTube since her previous deletion of all videos on her channel the previous year, with the double video for singles "Grilling Niggas" and "Lawd Jesus", on May 13, 2020.[49]

On June 1, 2020, Cupcakke released the single "Lemon Pepper"[50] with half of the proceeds going towards the Minnesota Bail fund.[51] Another single, "Discounts" was released on June 26.[52] The song received critical acclaim, peaked at number 78 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and number 80 on the UK Singles Sales Chart, becoming her first single to do so.[53][54] "Discounts" also reached number one on the US iTunes chart, which is her first song to do so. She is also the only female rapper to have a number-one song on the iTunes chart with no label.

On December 16, 2020, Harris received significant media attention after releasing "How to Rob (Remix)", a diss track. It was released on YouTube and sees Harris take aim at Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, and Lil' Kim, among others.[55] The song received positive reviews.

On March 1, 2021, "Deepthroat" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which denotes five hundred thousand units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams.[56] It is her first song to be certified by the RIAA.[57] In June, Rolling Stone magazine reported that Harris will be co-hosting the upcoming OutTV reality show Hot Haus with Tiffany Pollard, which will mark the rapper's TV hosting debut. Harris said of the casting decision, "As soon as I heard what this show stood for, owning your sexuality and talent, I knew I had to be involved."[58]

In 2021, her songs went viral on TikTok, mainly in the form of remixes; she later joined the platform because of it.[59]

On May 31, 2022, Harris released the single "H2Hoe".

On June 23, 2024, Harris announced her album Dauntless Manifesto, which was released on June 28, 2024.

wow

[jimintomystery]

Giant inflatable Ripclaw in the lobby of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, for Wizard World Chicago 1999.

Ripclaw is a character from Top Cow's comic Cyberforce. I have to explain this because everyone pretty much stopped giving a shit about Cyberforce by like 1995. Nevertheless, this dude was there at my first Chicago Comic Con in 1997. I forget what year he disappeared, but I'm certain he lasted a lot longer than you'd expect.

[dropintomanga]

Can Sports Manga Really Break Through in North America?

Here we are in the summer of 2020 and it’s usually San Diego Comic-Con time. And with it comes discussion of how manga is doing in 2020. There was a Manga Publishing Industry Roundtable discussion at Comic-Con with representatives from almost all of the U.S. manga publishers (which you can watch here) about what’s happening in the U.S. side of things. While manga sales have dropped due to the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have rebounded back in some ways. A great thing about this is that it’s not just mainstream titles that are selling; it’s also series that are from other genres like slice-of-life and horror.

Which now leads into the title of this post because at the end of the discussion, publishers were asked about what they would like to see in the future. Erik Ko, chief of operations at UDON Comics, said something that really piqued my interest. He said that he wants to see if sports manga can truly break out in North America (i.e. reach levels of sales and popularity a la My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, etc.). Erik mentioned how his daughter loves Haikyu!! on Crunchyroll and watched all 3 seasons multiple times (It’s also mentioned that Haikyu!! sold well during the pandemic for its U.S. publisher Viz Media).

While the manga has officially ended as of this writing, Haikyu!! will last for a while as the anime will have a 4th season and possibly more. However, while Haikyu!! is loved by a lot of anime/manga fans, it’s not exactly a series that has gotten EVERY shonen fan or manga reader talking. With the many sports manga licenses that manga publishers have gotten over the past few years, it doesn’t sound like there’s significant traction.

This does beg the question of what will it take for sports manga to really catch the eyes of manga readers here in the United States.

For starters, I’ll discuss a bit about the history of sports anime here in the United States. It’s been noted that a lot of sports anime do not tend to sell well over here. There was an Answerman article on Anime News Network answering “Why Do Sports Anime Bomb in North America?” that really goes into this. While it’s noted in the article that Yuri!! on Ice and Free! are indeed sports anime and have sold well, almost all discussion about those series revolves around the relationships between the male characters. Sports play second fiddle to the relationships compared to series like Haikyu!!, Slam Dunk, and Captain Tsubasa (where the sports aspect is still preached a lot).

Speaking of Captain Tsubasa, if you don’t know about this series, this is the one sports anime/manga that generated a lot of love overseas in countries that worship football/soccer. In the Manga: The Citi Exhibition book, there was an article on the promotion of Captain Tsubasa in Baghdad, Iraq by the Japan Self-Defense Force. The series was promoted via pictures on water distribution tanks in Iraq in the mid-2000s’ as a way to make Iraqi children smile. During the U.S. occupation of Iraq, Japan would later work with Iraqi media channels to show programming that would help encourage the country. One of these shows happened to be Captain Tsubasa, which was dubbed in Arabic. The series’ fandom took off from there and more places in the Middle East (like Saudi Arabia) even got in on the action using hacked satellites to watch. 

I wonder if this is what Erik Ko wants to see - something like Captain Tsubasa that not only gets fans gushing about the story and characters, but also inspires kids to become professional athletes or at least become more physically active in their own lives.

A big problem that gets in the way of this happening in the U.S. is how sports culture is like over here. How do I explain this? I’ll use a quote from a 2016 article in the Milwaukee Independent about Anime Milwaukee.

“While the Anime Milwaukee convention does not collect statistical data about those who attend, walking around the convention provided empirical confirmation of how Anime speaks to multi-generational and multi-cultural people. 

Anime itself will not solve the very real problems faced by disadvantaged residents in Milwaukee. 

But unlike the adversarial escapism offered by sports teams and the nature of competitive games, the appeal of Anime is with its positive messages. Where as sports is an unrealistic role model for struggling youth, for the most part Anime offers socially beneficial and moral examples.”

Sports in the United States are very much “us versus them.” In Japan, sports focuses on healthy competition between players. At least, that’s what Japanese sports stories try to focus on. While healthy competition between players does happen over here, it either doesn’t get shown as much in U.S. sports media or that competition becomes toxic to the point it hurts innocent people. In the U.S., you’re supposed to win and get recognized in order to move ahead in your respective sport via whatever means necessary. A good example is college basketball over here and how competitive schools have been involved in recruiting scandals over the best high school players. Another example is the psychological trauma faced by the number of young female athletes who were sexually abused/harassed and forced to believe that it was all part of the process to get ahead in their respective sport. I want to note that sports programs in the U.S. are often heavily underfunded, which adds to the pressure that faces any youth going through sports programs.

There’s also this tendency to view athletes over here as all-knowing celebrity gods (i.e. athletes who say awful things with confidence on social media) or people that only know how to play their respective sport (ie. the “shut up and dribble” comment to outspoken basketball players on social issues). There’s no in-between where we get to see the complete humanity of the athlete.

This does tie into how sports fans and anime/manga fans may not get along. You usually learn more about the nuanced aspects of life from outside sports than within. Sports over here preach some questionable values that anime/manga fans sometimes don’t believe in. Add the fact that sports is shoved down Americans’ throats so much and you can see why not everyone over watches sports. I do want to note that there are U.S. pro athletes showcasing their love for anime. While this is nice to see, almost all the titles they grew up watching are mainstream shonen/shojo. I’m curious if athletes would watch series like Haikyu!!, Kuroko’s Basketball, Eyeshield 21, etc., but then I wonder if they would keep watching as they can only handle so much sports drama as it’s part of their everyday reality.

So what will it take for a sports manga to break through in a big way? Viz Media tried to promote Slam Dunk here using the NBA to promote literacy in 2008. I also found out that Tokyopop tried to do something with the NBA via its Cine-Manga initiative in the mid-2000s’ and it only lasted from 2004-2007. So to that extent, there probably has to some kind of manga that’s similar to the now-famous The Last Dance documentary, which chronicled Michael Jordan’s last championship run with the Chicago Bulls in the 1997-1998 NBA season. 

Though honestly, it’s gonna take a mangaka who’s really interested in all aspects of American sports culture to come up with that kind of story. What might be better is that the story heavily criticizes the culture in a compelling and sometimes humorous way. I think that’s what will really get all U.S. manga fans and comic fans interested, especially those who are sick of commercialized sports exposure wherever they go. I do think over time as anime/manga continue to be accepted in the geek ecosystem, we can see this kind of story take off. 

Until then, if you happen to be someone who likes both sports and anime/manga in a level-headed manner like me, you’re doing alright. It’s hard to occupy both spaces when you’re supposed to choose a side. Although I liked physical education during my school days, I can understand why anyone whose hobbies lie more towards the artistic and creative side disliked physical education possibly due to the structure in how it’s taught. I know sports anime lovers that dislike watching real sports in general and I get why.

Hearing Erik’s comments made me wonder about the beauty of sports manga. Now that I think hard about it, sports anime/manga are a intersection of both the “nerd” and “jock” in a way that helps everyone. To be honest, that intersection is what really bridges gaps that makes people better. It’s what truly completes a person. I’ll use this example - you can’t have mental health without physical health and vice versa. Some kind of exercise can help the mind while learning how your mind works can help you do better in physical activities that connect people together.

Maybe more importantly, what sports manga tends to preach is that winning shouldn’t be everything. Right now, everyone is encouraged to win at something just for a taste of meaningless status and we’re seeing how that mentality can ruin someone. Sports, with all of its benefits freed from corporate influence, are supposed to teach us (like all great manga stories do) that there’s no “us versus them,” there’s only “us” in the end.

And that kind of story deserves to hit a home run that rounds all the bases to reach a celebratory and meaningful win for the world.

[mikeoliveri]

Found a loot bag from an old Chicago Comic Con, I think '93, stashed away in a closet.

[blackkudos]

Gary Coleman

Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor and comedian, best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986) and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars". After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman struggled financially later in life. In 1989, he successfully sued his parents and business adviser over misappropriation of his assets, only to declare bankruptcy a decade later.

On May 28, 2010, Coleman died of epidural hematoma at age 42.

Early life

Coleman was born Gary Wayne Coleman in Zion, Illinois, outside Chicago, on February 8, 1968. He was adopted by W. G. Coleman, a fork-lift operator, and Edmonia Sue, a nurse practitioner. He suffered from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, an autoimmune kidney disease. Because of his chronic illness, combined with the corticosteroids and other medications used to treat it, his growth was limited to 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m), and his face retained a childlike appearance well into adulthood. He underwent two unsuccessful kidney transplants in 1973 and 1984, and required daily dialysis.

Career

In 1974, Coleman's career began when he appeared in a commercial for Harris Bank. His line (after the announcer said, "You should have a Harris banker.") was "You should have a Hubert doll." "Hubert" was a stuffed lion representing the Harris bank logo. The same year, he appeared in an episode of Medical Center.

While best known for his role on Diff'rent Strokes, Coleman had appeared earlier on television, on The Jeffersons as Raymond, George Jefferson's nephew, and on Good Times as Penny's friend Gary. He also appeared in a 1977 pilot for a revival of The Little Rascals as Stymie. VH1 rated Coleman first on a list of "100 Greatest Child Stars" on television.

Diff'rent Strokes

Coleman was cast in the role of Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes, portraying one of two black brothers from Harlem adopted by a wealthy white widower in Manhattan. The series was broadcast from 1978 to 1986.

He became the most popular fixture of the series, enhanced by his character's catchphrase "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?". At the height of his fame on Diff'rent Strokes, he earned $100,000 per episode. A Biography Channel documentary estimated he was left with a quarter of the original amount after paying his parents, advisers, lawyers, and taxes. He later successfully sued his parents and his former advisers for misappropriation of his finances and was awarded $1.3 million. According to Todd Bridges' autobiography Killing Willis, Coleman was made to work long hours on the set of Diff'rent Strokes, despite his age and health problems and this contributed to his being unhappy and separating himself from the cast.

Later character appearances

Coleman became a popular figure, starring in a number of feature films and television films, including On the Right Track and The Kid with the Broken Halo. The latter eventually served as the basis for The Gary Coleman Show in 1982. He also made video game appearances in The Curse of Monkey Island (1997) and Postal 2 (2003). In 2005, Coleman appeared in John Cena's music video for his single "Bad, Bad Man" (from the album You Can't See Me), Coleman played himself as a villain taking Michael Jackson and Madonna hostage. The video was a spoof of 80s culture, focusing on The A-Team.

Candidacy for Governor of California

In the 2003 California recall election, Coleman was a candidate for governor. This campaign was sponsored by the free newsweekly East Bay Express as a satirical comment on the recall. After Arnold Schwarzenegger declared his candidacy, Coleman announced that he would vote for Schwarzenegger. He placed 8th in a field of 135 candidates, receiving 14,242 votes.

Avenue Q

Coleman is parodied in Avenue Q, which won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical. A character presented as Coleman works as the superintendent of the apartment complex where the musical takes place. In the song "It Sucks to Be Me", he laments his fate. On Broadway, the role was originally portrayed by Natalie Venetia Belcon.

The show's creators Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez have said that the Coleman character is a personification of one of Avenue Q's central themes: that as children we are told we are "special", but upon entering adulthood we discover that life is not nearly as easy as we have been led to believe. They added that their original intent was for Coleman himself to play the Gary Coleman role, and he expressed interest in accepting it, but never showed up for a meeting scheduled to discuss it.

In 2005, Coleman announced his intention to sue the producers of Avenue Q for their depiction of him, although the lawsuit never materialized. At the 2007 New York Comic Con, Coleman said, "I wish there was a lawyer on Earth that would sue them for me."

Personal life

In a 1993 television interview, Coleman said he had twice attempted suicide by overdosing on pills. Around the same time he was living in Denver, Colorado, where he hosted a Sunday night show on local radio station KHIH titled Gary Coleman's Colorado High, in which he played light jazz and new-age music. He gave part of his salary to the Colorado Kidney Foundation.

In 2005, Coleman moved from Los Angeles to Santaquin, a small town about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lived for the remainder of his life. In early 2007 he met Shannon Price, 22, on the set of the film Church Ball, where she was working as an extra. Price and Coleman married several months later. On May 1 and 2, 2008, they made a well-publicized appearance on the show Divorce Court to air their differences in an attempt to save their marriage. Nevertheless, they divorced in August 2008, citing irreconcilable differences and Coleman was granted an ex parte restraining order against Price to prevent her from living in his home when he was hospitalized after their divorce. According to a court petition later filed by Price, she and Coleman continued to live together in a common law marriage until his death. However, a judge ultimately ruled against Price after hearing evidence that she carried on affairs with other men during the time she claimed to be with Coleman, and moreover "physically abused Coleman in public, led him around by the hand like a child [and] displayed no physical affection toward him in front of anyone."

Financial struggles

In August 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy protection. Multiple people, he said, were responsible for his insolvency, "... from me, to accountants, to my adoptive parents, to agents, to lawyers, and back to me again."

Ongoing medical expenses contributed significantly to Coleman's chronic financial problems, and compelled him, at times, to resort to unusual fundraising activities. In 2008, for example, he auctioned an autographed pair of his trousers on eBay to help pay his medical bills. The auction attracted considerable attention, including fake bids up to $400,000. The trousers were eventually bought for $500 by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who hung them from the rafters of his television studio.

Legal troubles

In 1989, Coleman sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million over misappropriation of his trust fund, and won a $1,280,000 judgment in 1993.

In 1998, Coleman was charged with assault while he was working as a security guard. Tracy Fields, a Los Angeles bus driver and fan of Coleman's work on Diff'rent Strokes, approached him and requested his autograph while he was shopping for a bulletproof vest in a California mall. Coleman refused to give her an autograph, an argument ensued, and Fields reportedly mocked Coleman's lackluster career as an actor. Coleman punched Fields in the face several times in front of witnesses. He was arrested and later testified in court that she threatened him and he defended himself. "She wouldn't leave me alone. I was getting scared, and she was getting ugly," he said. Coleman pleaded no contest to one count of assault, received a suspended jail sentence, and was ordered to pay Fields' $1,665 hospital bill, as well as take anger management classes.

In 2007, Coleman was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Provo, Utah after a "heated discussion" in public with his wife.

In 2008, Coleman was involved in a car accident after an altercation at a Payson, Utah bowling alley which began when Colt Rushton, age 24, photographed Coleman without his permission; the two men argued, according to witnesses. In the parking lot, Coleman allegedly backed his truck into Rushton, striking his knee and pulling him under the vehicle, before hitting another car. Rushton was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released. Coleman later pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and reckless driving, and was fined $100. In 2010, he settled a civil suit related to the incident for an undisclosed amount.

In 2009, Coleman and Price were involved in a domestic dispute, after which his ex-wife was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and both parties were cited for disorderly conduct.

In January 2010, months before his death, he was arrested on an outstanding domestic assault warrant in Santaquin, booked into the Utah County Jail, and released the following day.

Trains and model railroading

Coleman was an avid railfan, model railroader, and supporter of Amtrak. He became interested in trains sometime before the age of 5 during his frequent train trips to Chicago in support of his burgeoning acting career. Fans often saw him at stores specializing in model trains in areas in which he lived, and he worked part-time at Denver-area, Tucson-area, and California hobby stores to be around his hobby. Coleman built and maintained miniature railroads in his homes in several states. One of his train layouts appears in the September 1990 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Coleman is photographed on the front cover, with his "Rio Grande" layout. He preferred to model in HO scale, but modeled in other scales as well. One such model railroad was over 800 square-feet in size. Currently, at least one of Coleman's model railroads is being preserved in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Death and memorial

Very few details of Coleman's medical history have been made public. His short stature (4 feet, 8 inches or 1.42 meters) stemmed from congenital autoimmune kidney disease and its treatment. He underwent at least two kidney transplants early in his life and required frequent dialysis, which he preferred not to discuss. In 2009, Coleman underwent heart surgery, details of which were never made public, but he was known to have developed pneumonia postoperatively. In January 2010, Coleman was hospitalized after a seizure in Los Angeles, and in February he suffered another seizure on the set of The Insider television program.

On May 26, 2010, Coleman was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, in critical condition after falling down the stairs at his home in Santaquin and hitting his head, possibly after another seizure, and suffering an epidural hematoma. According to a hospital spokesman, Coleman was conscious and lucid the next morning, but his condition subsequently worsened. By mid-afternoon on May 27, he was unconscious and on life support. He died at 12:05 pm MDT (18:05 UTC) on May 28 at the age of 42.

The casts of the Off Broadway production of Avenue Q in New York City and the Avenue Q National Tour in Dallas dedicated their May 28 performances to his memory, and the actors playing the part of Coleman paid tribute to him from the stage at the performances' conclusions. (The Coleman character remained in the show after modifications were made to relevant dialogue.)

The weekend after Coleman's death, a scheduled funeral was postponed and later canceled due to a dispute regarding the disposition of his estate and remains between Coleman's adoptive parents, Price, and former business associate Anna Gray. Coleman's former manager Dion Mial was involved initially, but withdrew after Coleman's 1999 will, which named Mial as executor and directed that his wake be "...conducted by those with no financial ties to me and can look each other in the eyes and say they really cared personally for Gary Colemen [sic]", turned out to be superseded by a later one replacing Mial with Gray, and directing "...that there be no funeral service, wake, or other ceremony memorializing my passing."

Questions were also raised as to whether Price, who approved discontinuing Coleman's life support, was legally authorized to do so. The controversy was exacerbated by a photograph published on the front page of the tabloid newspaper The Globe depicting Price posed next to a comatose, intubated Coleman, under the headline, "It Was Murder!"

The hospital later issued a statement confirming that Coleman had completed an advance health care directive granting Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf. An investigation by Santaquin police was closed on October 5, 2010, after the medical examiner ruled Coleman's death "accidental", and no evidence of wrongdoing could be demonstrated.

In June, Coleman's remains were cremated, in accordance with his wishes, after a Utah judge agreed that there was no dispute regarding that issue; but disposition of the ashes was delayed pending a judicial decision on permanent control of the estate. While Coleman's final will, signed in 2005, named Gray as executor and awarded his entire estate to her, Coleman and Price married in 2007. Although they divorced in 2008, Price claimed in a court petition that she remained Coleman's common-law wife, sharing bank accounts and presenting themselves publicly as husband and wife, until his death; an assertion that, if validated by the court, would make her the lawful heir.

In May 2012 Judge James Taylor ruled that while Price had indeed lived in Coleman's home after their marriage ended, their relationship at the time of his death failed to meet Utah's standard for a common-law marriage. The disposition of his ashes remains unreported. Price said that were she granted disposition, she would scatter the ashes at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah as a tribute to Coleman's lifelong love of trains.

Wikipedia

[adamoco]

Today, Dean Spanos and Roger Goodell turned their backs on generations of loyal Charger fans who have supported professional football in San Diego since 1961.

We’ve had some time to prepare ourselves. For somewhere around 15 years, Spanos held my hometown at something akin to ransom for a new stadium. (To be clear, San Diego needed a new football stadium. Qualcomm Stadium, now 50 years old, is basically a pit with a trolley stop.) But the rub resulted from Spanos pushing for financing primarily though public funds, during a period where authorizing them would be irresponsible for the city on many fronts. A year ago today, NFL owners gave the Chargers another year to work out a deal in San Diego, or move to Los Angeles and become the tenants of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who is currently building an economically questionable, $2.6 billion monstrosity of a new home for his team in Inglewood. You know, Inglewood! By the airport.

The Chargers had made strong preludes to leaving for LA throughout late 2015, which escalated in the weeks prior to that January 2016 announcement, generating sorrow among Chargers fans akin to a wake. Today, as Spanos announced the team's real departure in a gutless letter posted to Twitter, along with the unveiling of the absolute worst logo in American professional sports today (above), the feeling is of good riddance.

The circumstances that ensued between the team and San Diego in the year following have softened the blow. Given one last extension to work with the city and reach a mutually agreeable financing solution, the Chargers instead fell back on the same, scorched earth, my way or the 5 Freeway approach. They demanded a new stadium downtown, with a convention center annex no one at the San Diego Convention Center authority asked for, to be paid for with a crazy four percent increase to the city's hotel occupancy tax. And then they put it on the ballot, where it failed in November by a laughable margin.

The Chargers and the NFL had the power to keep the team here. The Chargers franchise is valued at over $2 billion, and the league was projected to gross $13 billion in revenue this year. Surely they could have arranged to kick in more than one-third of the cost for this $1.8 billion downtown “convadium.” Instead, they nervously pushed the check to San Diego and hoped they’d stick out-of-town visitors and Comic-Con guests with the bill. But voters didn’t forget the bad deal the Chargers stuck the city with to pay for the 1997 renovations to Qualcomm Stadium. This time, San Diego called the bluff, and it will be much better for it.

The Chargers' move to Los Angeles underscores the greed and heartlessness that increasingly characterizes the NFL, who are right in the mix now with the FIFA, the NCAA and IOC for likability. But what particularly defines Spanos and the Chargers' leadership is their aloofness. You could see it in their product on the field for the past three years, and you can see it in their abandonment of San Diego for a market they quietly coveted behind the scenes. They’re already feeding local media the lines: Los Angeles is a homecoming for the Chargers. They played their first season here in 1960! And then they left for San Diego! What a great tradition we’re reviving? See? This guy remembers!

Throughout their threats to move over the past two years, the Chargers claimed over and over that 25 percent of their season ticket revenue came from the Los Angeles area. Seriously. Don’t ask them for references. Who’s making that drive to and from San Diego on Sundays, exactly? Do you know how bad the traffic is here? I grew up in San Diego and have lived in the Los Angeles area for more than 15 years. There's no Chargers fandom here. I can name three Chicago Bears bars in Burbank, but I can't name a Chargers one. It's part of a complicated problem the Chargers face as they fight for market share: LA has become a city of expat NFL fans.

Even after they abandoned LA in 1994, probably the biggest team here remains the Oakland Raiders, whose chances of coming back are officially gone now. The Rams generated huge excitement when they announced their return from St. Louis, but as they lost on the field, the enthusiasm quickly dissipated. Throughout December, they played to tens of thousands of empty of Coliseum seats.

Even still, the Rams ranked 7th in attendance last year, while the Chargers ranked a paltry 31st. That means they will enter the LA market, at best, as the #3 football option in this town. But if we're counting the Trojans and Bruins, as college football happily filled the market vacuum with a lack of an NFL presence for 20 years, they're really option #4 and on a good UCLA year, perhaps even #5. The Chargers must know this, because instead of joining the Rams temporarily at the Coliseum, they will play at Stubhub Center, where the primary tenant is a Major League Soccer team. It seats about 27,000.

Maybe the Chargers are right about that 25 percent of their revenue coming from Los Angeles. But they've certainly just alienated the other 75 percent. San Diego residents made clear at the ballot box that they won't stand for a crummy deal, and they're making hilariously, awesomely clear now that they won't stand behind a team that abandons them. Who else would? Who's making plans to buy season tickets and become a Los Angeles Chargers fan, support a treacherous money-grubbing owner and incompetent leadership? Furthermore, who in Los Angeles want to drive to Inglewood? No one wants to go to Inglewood! There’s a reason the Kings and Lakers left.

Charger supporters have been used to having their loyalty tested, particularly in this last year, as Spanos and the organization made great strides in poisoning their relationship with fans. They retained head coach Mike McCoy after a 4-12 season last year, and put safety Eric Weddle on injured reserve for his final game with the team in a move many saw as punitive, before trading him. They failed to sign a contract before pre-season with defensive end Joey Bosa, their #1 draft pick, despite league rules that are designed to make this super easy. They finished 5-11 this year, losing their last five games at Qualcomm Stadium.

The frustration got evident, as picked up on by the TV broadcasts showing pictures indicating that many of the fans in Qualcomm Stadium during home games – on some game days, arguably even a majority – have been supporting the visitors. It’s frustrating to feel like you support the NFL's permanent road team. And now, the Chargers have hit the road permanently.

This has nothing to do with the Chargers players, who weathered this drama admirably and are beloved unconditionally. Dan Fouts, Hank Bauer, Junior Seau, Stan Humphries, Drew Brees, Ladainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Nick Hardwick and Antonio Gates remain legends to me. I will never forget the Super Bowl season of 1994, or the deep playoff runs of the late 2000's. (Side note: we lose the Charger Girls, too. That kinda stings.)

But I side with the near-universal sentiment among Charger fans, and can no longer support an organization led by anyone who would abandon a half century of tradition in America’s Finest City. No reason suffices, least of all money.

Los Angeles Chargers? Nope. Absolutely not. I’m done.

[jackson38toh]

Double whammy

Q: This is from a recent hurricane headline in the News & Record, my local paper in Greensboro, NC: “Guilford County could see a double whammy from Florence.” So where does “double whammy” come from?

A: When “whammy” showed up in the late 1930s, it meant an evil spell or bad luck in sports slang. The term “double whammy,” a more powerful spell or misfortune, appeared in the early 1940s, followed by even more powerful whammies that were tripled and quadrupled.

The earliest example we’ve seen, cited in The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (3rd ed.), is from the February 1937 issue of the American Legion Monthly: “Nearly every player in the game engages in some little practice which he believes will bring him good luck or put the whammy on the other fellow.”

The Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest example, which is expanded here, cites The Kid From Tomkinsville (1940), the first book in John R. Tunis’s eight-novel series about the Brooklyn Dodgers:

“Interest round the field now centered in the Kid’s chances for a no-hit game, and already a low murmur rose as the stands saw inning after inning go past without a hit from the visiting club. On the bench everyone realized it too, but everyone kept discreetly quiet on account of the Whammy. Mustn’t put the Whammy on him!”

(Tunis’s book influenced several American writers, including Philip Roth, who mentions The Kid From Tomkinsville and its rookie pitcher Roy Tucker in his 1997 novel American Pastoral.)

By the way, here’s a description, cited in Paul Dickson’s baseball dictionary, of how a Cardinals trainer, Harrison J. Weaver, tried to put the whammy on a Yankee base runner.

“With right hand above the left, each fist clenched except for the pointing, hornlike index and little fingers, Weaver cast his whammy spell on Joe Gordon, the Yankee runner on second base.” (From The Gashouse Gang, 1945, by J. Roy Stockton.)

Al Capp’s use of “whammy” in his Li’l Abner comic strip helped popularize the usage. In 1951, he used both “whammy” and “double whammy” in the speech (or, rather, the speech balloons) of the zoot-suited hillbilly Evil-Eye Fleegle:

“Evil-Eye Fleegle is th’ name, an’ th’ ‘whammy’ is my game. Mudder Nature endowed me wit’ eyes which can putrefy citizens t’ th’ spot! … There is th’ ‘single whammy’! That, friend, is th’ full, pure power o’ one o’ my evil eyes! It’s dynamite, friend, an’ I do not t’row it around lightly! … And, lastly—th’ ‘double whammy’—namely, th’ full power o’ both eyes—which I hopes I never hafta use.”

A couple of years after “whammy” first appeared in baseball as an evil spell, the term took on the more general sense of a problem or a misfortune. The earliest example in Green’s Dictionary of Slang is from Walter Winchell’s Dec. 4, 1939, On Broadway column: “Six hundred Westchester women put the whammy on those radio romances, calling them ‘insulting.’ ”

Standard dictionaries now define “whammy” as an evil spell, a serious setback, or a calamity, though it’s usually modified when used to mean a setback or a calamity, as in this example from Oxford Dictionaries Online: “Our economy suffered a triple whammy this year—we were hit by Sars, the Iraq war, and then the world economic downturn.”

As for “double whammy,” the most common of the modified phrases, the earliest example we’ve seen is from the Aug. 13, 1941, issue of the Oakland Tribune. Here’s an excerpt from an over-the-top interview with the boxing manager Wirt Ross, who is described by the paper’s sports editor as “the most lovable con man ever to come out of the hills”:

“ ‘I’ve been taking a course in hypnotism from the famous Professor Hoffmeister of Pennsylvania. … When I gave my big police dog the evil eye … he liked to collapse, went out and nearly got himself killed by the neighbor’s pet poodle pooch. Professor Hoffmeister says I don’t get the double whammy to put on human beings until Lesson 9.”

In the early 1950s, “double whammy” took on the modern meaning of a twofold blow or setback. The earliest example we’ve seen is from the Oct. 25, 1952, issue of the Indianapolis Recorder.

An article datelined Chicago describes how the manager and co-manager of the lightweight boxing titleholder Lauro Salas “had a double whammy on them. First, their fighter lost the lightweight championship of the world. Second, they lost nearly $800 to an unidentified gunman.”

And here’s an example from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: “With the cold weather and the high cost of heating fuel, homeowners were hit with a double whammy this winter.”

Where does “whammy” ultimately come from? As Merriam-Webster explains, “The origin of whammy is not entirely certain, but it is assumed to have been created by combining wham (a solid blow) with the whimsical -y ending.”

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from Blog – Grammarphobia https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2018/09/double-whammy.html

[latesthollywoodnews]

Lana Condor Cast as ASSASSIN In Upcoming SYFY Series

Lana Condor Cast as ASSASSIN In Upcoming SYFY Series

Jeremy Brown - Latest News - My Hollywood News

Lana Condor Cast as ASSASSIN In Upcoming SYFY Series, New Hollywood Celebrity News 2017.

New Hollywood Celebrities 2019, List Of 2018 Hollywood Films, Lana Condor Cast as ASSASSIN In Upcoming SYFY Series.

A Wrinkle In Time Film Upcoming Celebrity News 2017 next Walt Hollywood Studios Home Entertainment (incorporated as Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. since 1997 and formerly known as Walt Hollywood Telecommunications & Non-Theatrical Company from 1980 to 1987 and eventually Buena Vista Home Video until 1997) is the home video distribution division of The Walt Hollywood Company. Hollywood began distributing videos under its own label in 1980 under the name Walt Hollywood Home Video.

What are the names of Walt Hollywood’s brothers and sisters?

Walter Elias Hollywood was born December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, to Elias and Flora Hollywood. His siblings were Herbert, Ray, Roy, and Ruth. Roy later helped his brother make the Hollywood Company a success.

How old was Walt Hollywood when he started Hollywood?

Walter Elias “Walt” Hollywood was born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois. He and his brother Roy co-founded Walt Hollywood Productions, which became one of the best-known motion-picture production companies in the world.

Who runs Hollywood World?

Robert A. Iger is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Hollywood Company. As Chairman and CEO, Mr. Iger is the steward of one of the world’s largest media companies and some of the most respected and beloved brands around the globe.

More Celebrity News ►►

Lana Condor’s next role could not be more opposite from Lara Jean in “To All the Boys”, and we are HERE for it. Lana will star as an assassin named Saya Kuroki in the upcoming Syfy series, “Deadly Class”, which will premiere in 2019. And even though we’re a long way out from seeing the show, Syfy just dropped our first look at Lana in her new role, and she could NOT be more badass.

Okay can we talk about how epic Lana’s death stare at the end there is? Because it’s ICONIC.

According to her character description, Lana’s character Saya is one of the deadliest players at her high school for assassins. And as you can see in the trailer she’s got the look to prove it. Lana rocks a short haircut, tattoos, and leather clothes as Saya, which is a very different look for the bookish and trendy Lara Jean.

“Deadly Class” is based on a series of graphic novels, and QUOTE, “….follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins. Maintaining his moral code while navigating a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties may prove fatal.” And as if we weren’t already hooked, the show takes place in the 80s.

Lana said of her character at San Diego Comic Con earlier this year QUOTE, “Saya is so badass and so incredible and I’m beyond thrilled to play her.”

Lana had her first day of shooting on the series two weeks ago, and she kicked off the new gig by tweeting fans QUOTE, “First official day shoot season 1 of @DeadlyClassSYFY, yes its a night shoot, yes I’m deeply caffeinated, yes I’m stoked, and yes I’m already looking for crafty #snacklife.” It’s good to know that despite her success, Lana still has her priorities right.

Alright guys now I wanna turn it over to you — are you excited to see Lana in this completely different role? Sound off with all your thoughts and feelings in the comments!

Thanks so much for watching! Now please click to the right to watch another new video and don’t forget to subscribe to our channels. As always iIm your girl Erin Robinson and I’ll see you next time!

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Celebrity Latest Story, Hollywood Celebrity Rating, Hollywood Celebrity News 2019, Latest Celebrity Releases, Lana Condor Cast as ASSASSIN In Upcoming SYFY Series.

Hollywood was founded on October 16, 1923 – by brothers Walt Hollywood and Roy O. Hollywood – as the Hollywood Brothers Cartoon Studio, and established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and theme parks. The company also operated under the names The Walt Hollywood Studio and then Walt Hollywood Productions. Taking on its current name in 1986, it expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theater, radio, music, publishing, and online media. Hollywood Celebrities 2017, Lana Condor Cast as ASSASSIN In Upcoming SYFY Series.

https://www.myhollywoodnews.com/lana-condor-cast-as-assassin-in-upcoming-syfy-series/

#LatestNews

[seveninfi-blog]

This Biography is about one of the best Producer Nicolas Cage including his Height, weight,Age & Other Detail…

Biography Of Nicolas Cage Real Name Nicolas Cage Profession T V & Movie Producers, Actors Nick Name Nicolas Kim Coppola Famous as Actor, Producer Nationality American Religion Roman Catholicism Personal Life of Nicolas Cage Born on 07 January 1964 Birthday 7th January Age 53 Years Sun Sign Capricorn Born in Long Beach Personality Type INFP Grouping of People Philanthropists, School Dropouts Family Background of Nicolas Cage Father August Coppola Mother Joy Vogelsang Spouses/Partners Alice Kim - Lisa Marie Presley - Patricia Arquette , Children Weston Coppola Cage, Kal-El Coppola Cage, , Education Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, CA Net worth $25 million Awards 1989 - Festival de Cine de Sitges Award for Best Actor. 1995 - Academy Award for Best Actor 1995 - Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor 1995 - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 1995 - Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 1995 - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor 1995 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 1995 - National Board of Review Award for Best Actor 1995 - National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor 1995 - New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor 1995 - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance 1996 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor 1997 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor 1997 - MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo 1997 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor 1998 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor 1998 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award 2000 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor 2002 - Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 2009 - Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Personal Fact of Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage is one of the most famous actors in Hollywood. Be it for his versatility or the discovery of the new acting process called method acting, Cage is currently one of Hollywoos most talented actors. He hails from anupright background, where both, his mother and father, though separated, were well-respected achievers in their own fields. He is also related to Francis Ford Coppola, but changed his name so that he could create an identity of his own in Hollywood, devoid of any sort of family connections.

He dropped out of high school, so that he could pursue a career in acting. His life as an actor began with teenage comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Valley Girl. Instead on piggy-backing off his uncle’s accomplishments, he struggled for a few years on his own until he was cast in films like The Cotton Club, Birdy Moonstruck, Vampire’s Kiss, Wild At Heart and Leaving Las Vegas.

He also caught the attention of the audience with his hair-raising performances in mainstream box-office hits such as, Con Air, City of Angel National Treasure, The Weather Man, Ghost Rider, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Knowing and The Croods. Acting aside, Cage is an avid collector of comics, owns a variety of exotic pets and is also an automobile buff.

This Biography Written By 7infi.com

[blackkudos]

Morrie Turner

Morris Nolton "Morrie" Turner (December 11, 1923 – January 25, 2014) was an American cartoonist, creator of the strip Wee Pals, the first American syndicated strip with an integrated cast of characters.

Biography

Turner was raised in Oakland, California, the youngest child of a Pullman porter father and a homemaker and nurse mother.

Turner got his first training in cartooning via the Art Instruction, Inc. home study correspondence course. During World War II, where he served as a mechanic with Tuskegee Airmen, his illustrations appeared in the newspaper Stars and Stripes. After the war, while working for the Oakland Police Department, he created the comic strip Baker's Helper.

When Turner began questioning why there were no minorities in cartoons, his mentor, Charles M. Schulz of Peanuts fame, suggested he create one. Morris' first attempt, Dinky Fellas, featured an all-black cast, but found publication in only one newspaper, the Chicago Defender. Turner integrated the strip, renaming it Wee Pals, and in 1965 it became the first American syndicated comic strip to have a cast of diverse ethnicity. Although the strip was only originally carried by five newspapers, after Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968, it was picked up by more than 100 papers.

In 1970 Turner became a co-chairman of the White House Conference on Children and Youth.

Turner appeared as a guest on the May 14, 1973, episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where he showed the host pictures he had drawn of several of his neighbors. Turner also presented a clip from his Kid Power animated series, which was airing Saturday mornings on ABC at the time. As well, during the 1972-73, Wee Pals on the Go was aired by ABC's owned-and-operated station in San Francisco, KGO-TV. This Sunday morning show featured child actors who portrayed the main characters of Turner's comic strip: Nipper, Randy, Sybil, Connie and Oliver. With and through the kids, Turner explored venues, activities and objects such as a candy factory and a train locomotive.

As the comic strip continued, Turner added characters of more and more ethnicities, as well as a child with a physical disability.

During the Vietnam War, Turner and five other members of the National Cartoonist Society traveled to Vietnam, where they spent a month drawing more than 3,000 caricatures of service people.

Turner contributed his talents to concerts by the Bay Area Little Symphony of Oakland, California. He drew pictures to the music and of children in the audience. On May 25, 2009, Turner visited Westlake Middle School in Oakland to give a lesson to the OASES Comic Book Preachers Class of drawing. Turner collaborated with the class's students to create the book Wee the Kids from Oakland.

Turner died on January 25, 2014, at age 90.

Personal life

Turner married Letha Mae Harvey on April 6, 1946; they collaborated on "Soul Corner," the weekly supplement to Wee Pals. Morrie and Letha had one son, Morrie Jr; Letha died in 1994. Late in life, Turner's companion was Karol Trachtenburg of Sacramento.

Turner was an active member of the Center for Spiritual Awareness, a Science of Mind church in West Sacramento, California.

Tributes

The Family Circus character of Morrie, a playmate of Billy and the only recurring black character in the strip, is based on Turner. Family Circus creator Bil Keane created the character in 1967 as a tribute to his close friend.

Awards

In 2003, the National Cartoonists Society recognized Turner for his work on Wee Pals and others with the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.

Throughout his career, Turner was showered with awards and community distinctions. For example, he received the Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Inter-Group Relations Award from the Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith. In 1971, he received the Alameda County (California) Education Association Layman's Annual Award.

In 2000, the Cartoon Art Museum presented Turner with the Sparky Award, named in honor of Charles Schulz.

Turner was honored a number of times at the San Diego Comic-Con: in 1981, he was given an Inkpot Award; and in 2012 he was given the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award.

Bibliography

Wee Pals

 collections

Wee Pals That "Kid Power" Gang in Rainbow Power (Signet Books, 1968) ASIN B002T6NAOG

Wee Pals (Signet Books, 1969) ASIN B003ZUKTLW — introduction by Charles M. Schulz

Kid Power (Signet Books, 1970), ASIN B001IKPRM2

Nipper (Westminster Press, 1971), ASIN B002IY2XOM

Nipper's Secret Power (Westminster Press, 1971) ISBN 978-0-664-32498-8

Wee Pals: Rainbow Power (Signet Books, 1973) ASIN B000M8UYII

Wee Pals: Doing Their Thing (Signet Books, 1973) ASIN B00129HWKO

Wee Pals' Nipper and Nipper's Secret Power (Signet Books, 1974) ASIN B001M5GOOS

Wee Pals: Book of Knowledge (Signet Books, 1974) ISBN 0451058003

Wee Pals: Staying Cool (Signet Books, 1974) ISBN 0451060768

Wee Pals: Funky Tales (New American Library, 1975) ASIN B00072KLVE

Wee Pals: Welcome to the Club (Rainbow Power Club Books, 1978) ASIN B003VC7JQW

Choosing a Health Career: Featuring Wee Pals, the Kid Power Gang (Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Health Resources Administration, 1979), ASIN B0006XCLLC

Wee Pals: A Full-Length Musical Comedy for Children or Young Teenagers (The Dramatic Publishing Company, 1981) ASIN B0006XW1I0

Wee Pals Make Friends with Music and Musical Instruments: Coloring Book (Stockton Symphony Association, 1982) ASIN B00072YGD8

Wee Pals, the Kid Power Gang: Thinking Well (Ingham County Health Department, 1983) ASIN B0007259DY

Wee Pals Doing the Right Thing Coloring Book (Oakland Police Department, 1991) ASIN B0006R4G98

Explore Black History with Wee Pals (Just us Books, 1998) ISBN 0940975793

The Kid Power Gang Salutes African-Americans in the Military Past and Present (Conway B. Jones, Jr., 2000), ASIN B0006RSDC4

Willis and his Friends

Ser un Hombre (Lear Siegler/Fearon Publishers, 1972) ISBN 0822474271

Prejudice (Fearon, 1972) ASIN B00071EIOG

The Vandals (Fearon, 1974) ASIN B0006WJ9JU

Other books

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Freedom (Ross Simmons, 1967) ASIN B0007HK27W

Black and White Coloring Book (Troubadour Press, 1969) — written with Letha Turner

Right On (Signet Books, 1969)

Getting It All Together (Signet Books, 1972)

Where's Herbie? A Sickle Cell Anemia Story and Coloring Book (Sickle Cell Anemia Workshop, 1972) ASIN B00BKQ85LE

Famous Black Americans (Judson Press, 1973) ISBN 0817005919

Happy Birthday America (Signet Book, 1975) ASIN B000RB1SGM

All God's Chillun Got Soul (Judson Press, 1980) ISBN 0817008926

Thinking Well (Wisconsin Clearing House, 1983), ASIN B00072F9E8

Black History Trivia: Quiz and Game Book (News America Syndicate, 1986) ASIN B000727N5Q

What About Gangs? Just Say No! (Oakland Police Department, 1994) ASIN B0006R58TA

Babcock (Scholastic, 1996) — by John Cottonwood and Morrie Turner, ISBN 059022221X

Mom Come Quick (Wright Pub Co., 1997) — by Joy Crawford and Morrie Turner, ISBN 0965236838

Super Sistahs: Featuring the Accomplishments of African-American Women Past and Present (Bye Publishing Services, 2005), ISBN 0965673952

Wikipedia