This last year was a strange one for all of us. We were the Schrodinger's cat of a society. Somehow we managed to both be in the middle of a crazy pandemic with protocols, mandates and supply issues but also be in a new exploratory capacity. As a society we wanted to get back to movies, conventions, concerts and our friends and family. We saw political divides get worse, saw some people get to the lowest, darkest points of humanity but we also saw justice and compassion. This crazy beautiful year probably turned more people into alcoholics than any other of recent memory.
I'm not going to just copy and paste all the news we've seen for my end of the year. This will actually be part one of an awards ceremony that will hopefully bridge 2021 into 2022. With this unexpected rebirth of the world we were graced with so much content, most of it amazing, that it was hard to pinpoint the best. There was so much good and I would love to hear what some of your favorites were.
With good, though, there is always bad. No, bad isn't the right word. With growth there is always loss. This year we lost a lot of amazingly talented people, and I'd like to take a few to celebrate the lives of some of my favorite entertainers. These writers, actors, artist, musicians and more helped us through all of the tough times and they will be missed.
This is nowhere near a complete list of all we lost, just people I have fun or personal stories about.
Tommy Lasorda – Jan. 7th – 93 years old
When I was little and baseball cards were all the rage I collected them like everyone else. The difference was, I didn't know anything about baseball outside of the Texas Rangers. I kept getting this card of some overweight guy in a golf cart named “Tommy Lasorda” and it wasn't until years later I realized what a great to the game he was.
Siegfried Fischbacher – Jan. 13th – 81 years old
The thing that shocked me the most about his death was how old he was! Less than a year before Roy died and after that Siegfried said it was just a matter of time before he went too. Very “Where the Red Fern Grows” of him. Growing up in the 90s magic was everywhere and after David Copperfield there was Siegfried & Roy. I still own a VHS of an animated pilot that tried to get made.
Larry King – Jan. 23rd – 87 years old
There are some people that just know how to do interviews. I love talking to people and love the art of talking to people. Even when I was young I can remember watching this master at work. The way he balanced personal and professional, and not always successfully, I appreciated.
Cloris Leachman -Jan. 27th – 94 years old
People throw around timeless a lot and I feel like it is very overused. It applies to Cloris Leachman more than one hundred percent! Her part in “Young Frankenstein” makes for great laughs off of the rest of the cast. Later in life she embraced the crazy old lady in “Raising Hope.” No matter the role or the time period she would absolutely kill it. She was one of the first actors I actively went searching for at the video store.
Dustin Diamond – Feb. 1st – 44 years old
I'm a nerd and he was the nerd on the show I watched almost every day! He carried the role on through other version of the show which I thought really spoke to the character and how lovable he was. In the latest season of “Saved by the Bell” there is a really touching scene where the original cast pays tribute to him. While I wasn't a fan of the video montage that followed, it was nice to see the gang together to honor his legacy.
Rush Limbaugh – Feb. 17th – 70 years old
If you know me personally you might be shocked to see Rush on this list. Well, fair warning we're about to get real personal. I can remember my mother listening to Rush all the time when I was growing up. As I got older he got more and more radical, at the same time my mother and I grew farther and farther apart. She has made choices about our relationship and other things that I can't agree with, just like I can't agree with Rush's standings on just about everything. I never promised all the stories here would be happy ones.
Jessica Walter -March 24th – 80 years old
Most people are going to go straight to “Arrested Development” but not me. Yes, that's a great show and she was amazing but I'm more on the voice acting side here. My first exposure to this amazing woman came in the 1991 series “Dinosaurs” where she voiced Fran. She is one of the few people that can command as much attention on screen either in person or with just a voice. The tribute to her at the end of the most recent season of “Archer” had me tearing up.
Larry McMurtry – March 25th – 84 years old
Coming as a shock to nobody, books have always been an important part of my life. When I was growing up my dad was a firefighter and because of that he spend 24 hours of every 72 hours at the station. As we established my biological mother wasn't the best so I spent a lot of those 24 hours with my grandparents. My grandfather loved Larry McMurtry and to this day quotes many of his books. While I haven't read them all, I feel like I know all their stories thanks to him.
Prince Philip – April 9th – 99 years old
I'm American, a major part of our identity it to give a big finger to the British (while secretly loving their art and being jealous of all they do) and for the last 100 years Philip was part of that. He was married to a Queen and helped show the world what a good husband should be like. Though not without his controversies, I thing he did the best he could.
DMX – April 9th – 50 years old
I grew up in a kind of small school. It was small enough where we all knew each other but big enough that we still had our cliques and circles. I was in high school in the late 90s when DMX was taking over. Biggie and Tupac had just died and X was filling the void for new rap. Listening to his music, along with some other reasons, I made friends with the cool kids. I wanted to be popular and X gave it to me.
Johnny Crawford – April 29th – 75 years old
A few years ago when my youngest, Sterling, was in Pre-K I would lay down in the afternoon before going to pick him up. My intent was to get a quick nap before dealing with kids, cooking and chaos. I turned on MeTv to have going in the background. They were always showing “The Rifleman” and I found myself genuinely enjoying the show. Since then I've made Sterling watch it and we have a lot of inside jokes about the show. Part of our love for the show is the father-son relationship it portrays, half of which is thanks to Johnny Crawford.
John Paul Leon – May 1st – 49 years old
The first time I saw JPL's art was when he did a few issues of Grant Morrison's New X-Men. I instantly fell in love with his style that balanced clean lines and a dirty look. The notes in the final issue of “Batman: Creature of the Night” let us see his medical struggle and understand where he was coming from.
Richard Donner – July 5th – 91 years old
I believed a man could fly. Donner crafted some of my favorite movies growing up. Not just Superman but Goonies, Lethal Weapon, Scrooged, and Maverick. Him and his wife also helped bring the X-Men to the big screen. His film career wasn't enough, he even had a run in Superman comics that was actually really good.
Ed Asner – Aug. 29th – 91 years old
When I think of Ed Asner there's one phrase that comes to mind, and no it isn't “Spunk!” I think about a golden touch, whether is was great roles as Lou Grant or voice over stuff like Granny Goodness and Hudson. His voice, his whole being is something I have fond memories of.
I know this is nowhere near a complete list. People like Markie Post, Michael K. Williams, Dean Stockwell, Desmond Tutu and Madden were all amazing people. Normally I just read down the list but I wanted to do something special this year to honor those that truly had an impact on my life.
On a brighter note how about the nominations for our best of the year awards? I like to call them the “Nighties” just as exciting but with less revealing clothing. Here they are!
Best writer:
Ram V (Swamp Thing, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Justice League Dark)
Chip Zdarsky (Justice League: Last Ride, Daredevil, Stillwater)
Steve Orlando (Commanders in Crisis, Marauders)
Tom Taylor (Marvel's Dark Ages, Superman: Son of Kal-El, Nightwing)
Best Artist:
Geoff Shaw (Crossover, Eternals)
Dan Mora (Detective Comics, Once and Future)
Marco Checcetto (Daredevil)
Daniel Caval (The Embassy)
Crazy Good Award:
Craig Thompson (Ginseng Roots)
Best Teacher:
Chuck Palahnuik (Plot Spoilers)
Scott Snyder (Best Jacket)
N. K. Jemisin (Masterclass)
Emily Morse (Masterclass)
Best Video Game:
Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft)
Atomicrops (Raw Fury)
Halo Infinite (343 Studios)
Best Movie:
I feel like I didn't see enough movies this year to fairly pick. Maybe I'll get caught up and do an anti-Oscars
Ok, that’s all but make sure to subscribe so you can see the winners next week!
Until next time,
Lance
- - - I don’t own any of the art. Copyright the original owners - - -