RIP, <famous person>!

It's such a miracle that Holy Grail even got made, not to mention that it turned out so good (for those who don't know, Jones and Gilliam were at each others' throats over directing authority, Graham Chapman's alcoholism was spiraling out of control, it rained constantly in Scotland where filming took place).

Dellarigg I got into a BIG Monty Python kick last year after I saw Spamalot. Hadn’t seen most of them since I was in high school, so I didn’t quite understand the genius of it all. Jones was a global treasure. Not many of those left now that he’s gone.

The correct, and horrifying, answer is Phil Fucking Collins.

Don Henley may be almost as correct and almost as horrifying.

For the record, I did know there are singing drummers throughout rock history. I meant that Peart was somewhat unique in that wrote lyrics but wasn't the band's vocalist. 

Kobe Bryant, which was unexpected, to say the least. Prepare for a lot of people not mentioning a part of his past.

The intro to NPR's obit I heard this morning actually started with that. It was weird. Something like, "Former NBA Star Kobe Bryant died yesterday in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles. In 2003, he was accused of sexual assault, but charges were later dropped. Here's [person] with a remembrance."

Yeah, I have to agree. He sorta weasled in his admission, though; he said "Well *I* thought it was consensual, but I understand that she didn't". Either way, though, you're totally right. I saw some jackass in the AVC comments arguing that rape requires intent which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and at that point I had to close the browser window.

I feel terrible for his wife and their three remaining daughters, and families of the other victims. 

I've noped out of any discussion on Twitter about him at all, because for every one person making even the slightest reminder of his past there's 400 coming down on that person, or calling the victim a gold digger etc. I decided I have nothing to gain reading any comments good or bad from anyone on him. I don't particularly follow or care about basketball (Though the all-star games are always pretty impressive to watch if I happen to be somewhere like a pub that is showing them), don't need to see a bunch of people telling me how sad it is, don't need a reminder that he settled and admitted to the crime. Just going to keep scrolling by, nothing to be gained there. 

I went to see them about a year ago when they played Detroit for the last time (I believe Andy Gill's health caused them to cancel a few other stops on the tour).  I'll concur with the bad review part--he was fine, but you don't go to see an iconic early eighties band to see three anonymous guys in their twenties (cue line about the band being Damaged Goods)--but I don't regret going.

Bernie Ebbers  died. The WorldCom guy who went to prison.  Mrs Floyd used to be  an administrative assistant to an executive who was a direct report to Ebbers at MCI WorldCom.  She sometimes had to sit in on meetings where he was present.  The nicest thing she has ever said about him is that "He was a character", and he once offered everyone in one of those meetings  some of the expensive coffee he was drinking, the kind made from coffee beans that are eaten and pooped out by marsupials.

Peter Serkin, pianist. He was the son of the great pianist Rudolf Serkin.

He has some amazing performances of modern piano works. His chamber group Tashi truly excelled performing works by Messiaen.

Among his many, many movies is the underappreciated little gem "Greedy".  It has a fabulous cast including Michael J Fox and Phil Hartman.  I think it's one of his best late-career movies.