Bruce Willis

Sketch of the Day.. 5-31-19
Bruce Willis

Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955)
is an American actor, producer, and singer. Born to a German mother and American father in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, he moved to the United States with his family in 1957. His career began on the Off-Broadway stage in the 1970s.

He later achieved fame with his leading role on the hit television series Moonlighting (1985–89). He has since appeared in over 70 films and is widely regarded as an "action hero", due to his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise (1988–2013), and other such roles.

His credits also include Death Becomes Her (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Sin City (2005), Red (2010), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Expendables 2 (2012), Looper (2012), and as David Dunn in the Unbreakable film series: Unbreakable (2000), Split (2016) and Glass (2019).

He made his Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of Misery in 2015. As a musician, Willis released his debut album, The Return of Bruno, in 1987. He has since released two more solo albums, in 1989 and 2001.

Willis is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.

Astronaut Doug Wheelock

Pencil Sketch of the Day...

Wheelock cousin...
Douglas Harry "Wheels" Wheelock

(born May 5, 1960) is an American engineer and astronaut. He has flown in space twice, logging 178 days on the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Russian Soyuz. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced that he would be returning to active duty with the United States Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Doug Wheelock is a descendant of Rev Ralph Wheelock

Reverend Ralph Wheelock -- Puritan minister, America's first public school teacher, and founder of the Massachusetts towns of Dedham and Medfield -- played an active and important role in the settling of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was instrumental in establishing two new towns, and held virtually every office of importance in both of them. Furthermore, he was at the forefront of establishing the educational foundations of the country, including serving as America's first public school teacher.

His descendents would also prove to play an important a role in settling New England and the rest of America. His son Benjamin was a founder of the Town of Mendon. Among his great-grandchildren were founders of several New England towns, as well as Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth. Succeeding generations would push farther west, settling the frontiers in New York, Michigan, Illinois, Nova Scotia, and Texas, establishing impressive credentials as teachers, writers, soldiers, founders of towns, and creators of business.

and my 9th great grandfather.

Sketch of the Day Milton Berle

Sketch of the Day 
Milton Berle 

(July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American comedian and actor. Berle's career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and television. As the host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater (1948–55), he was the first major American television star and was known to millions of viewers as "Uncle Miltie" and "Mr. Television" during the first Golden Age of Television.

Pencil Sketch... "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983)

Pencil Sketch...
"Jack" Dempsey

(June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed "Kid Blackie" and "The Manassa Mauler", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. A cultural icon of the 1920s, Dempsey's aggressive fighting style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first million-dollar gate.

Dempsey is ranked tenth on The Ring magazine's list of all-time heavyweights and seventh among its Top 100 Greatest Punchers, while in 1950 the Associated Press voted him as the greatest fighter of the past 50 years. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and was in the previous Boxing Hall of Fame.

Pencil Sketch of the Day... Buffalo Nickel

Pencil Sketch of the Day...

One of the best coins ever minted was the Indian Head or Buffalo Nickel.

Struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938

Laurence Olivier (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989)

Birthday Sketch...
Laurence Olivier

(22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989)
was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles.

Birthday Sketch... Raymond Burr Born May 21, 1917

Birthday Sketch... 
Raymond Burr 
Born May 21, 1917 

Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993) was a Canadian American actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. He was prominently involved in multiple charitable endeavors, such as working on behalf of the United Service Organizations. 

Burr's early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain. His portrayal of the suspected murderer in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Rear Window (1954) is regarded as his best-known film role; although he is also remembered for his role in the American version of Godzilla, which he would later reprise in the American version of the 1984 film. He won two Emmy Awards, in 1959 and 1961, for the role of Perry Mason, which he played for nine seasons (1957–1966) and reprised in a series of 26 television films (1985–1993). His second TV series, Ironside, earned him six Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. 

After Burr's death from cancer in 1993, his personal life came into question, as many details of his known biography appeared to be unverifiable. 

In 1996, Burr was ranked as number 44 of the 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time by TV Guide. 

Sketch of the Day: Ted Koppel

Sketch of the Day: Ted Koppel 

Edward James Martin Koppel (born February 8, 1940) is a British-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline, from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005. 

Before Nightline, he spent twenty years as a broadcast journalist and news anchor for ABC. After becoming host of Nightline, he was regarded as one of the most "outstanding" of the serious-minded interviewers on American television. Five years after its 1980 debut the show had a nightly audience of some seven and a half million viewers. 

After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel, a news analyst for NPR and BBC World News America and a contributor to Rock Center with Brian Williams. Koppel is currently a special contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning. His career as foreign and diplomatic correspondent earned him numerous awards, including nine Overseas Press Club awards and twenty-five Emmy Awards.

Sketch of the Day... Ben Johnson Ben "Son" Johnson Jr. (June 13, 1918 – April 8, 1996)

Sketch of the Day...
Ben Johnson

Ben "Son" Johnson Jr.

(June 13, 1918 – April 8, 1996) was an American stuntman, world champion rodeo cowboy, and Academy Award-winning actor. The son of a rancher, Johnson arrived in Hollywood to deliver a consignment of horses for a film. He did stunt-double work for several years before breaking into acting through the good offices of John Ford. Tall and laconic, Johnson brought further authenticity to many roles in Westerns with his extraordinary horsemanship. An elegiac portrayal of a former cowboy theatre owner in the 1950s coming-of-age drama, The Last Picture Show, won Johnson the 1971 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He operated a horse-breeding farm throughout his career. Although he said he had succeeded by sticking to what he knew, shrewd real estate investments made Johnson worth an estimated $100 million by his latter years.

Travolta - Sketch of the Day

RIP Doris Day

R.I.P., Doris Day. 
97 years old.

Died: May 13, 2019, Carmel Valley, CA
Born: April 3, 1922, Cincinnati, OH

Doris Day was an American actress, singer, and animal welfare activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey" and "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" with Les Brown & His Band of Renown.

Liberty Bridge, Greenville, SC

Birthday Sketch: George Carlin Born May 12, 1937

Birthday Sketch:
George Carlin
Born May 12, 1937

George Denis Patrick Carlin ( May 12, 1937– June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and social critic.

Birthday Sketch: Fred Astaire Born May 10, 1899

Birthday Sketch:
Fred Astaire
Born May 10, 1899

Fred Astaire was an American dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and television presenter. He is most widely regarded as the most influential dancer in the history of film.

Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019)

Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor who worked in film, television and theatre. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with The Entertainer (1960), directed by Tony Richardson, who had previously directed him in the theatre. He maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television.

He is known for his roles in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (also 1960), Tom Jones (1963), Two for the Road (1967), Scrooge (1970), Annie (1982), The Dresser (1983), Miller's Crossing (1990), A Man of No Importance (1994), Erin Brockovich (2000), Big Fish (2003), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), The Bourne Legacy (2012), and the James Bond film Skyfall (2012).

A recipient of BAFTA , Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards, Finney was nominated for an Academy Award five times, as Best Actor four times, for Tom Jones (1963), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Dresser (1983), and Under the Volcano (1984), and as Best Supporting Actor for Erin Brockovich (2000). He received several awards for his performance as Winston Churchill in the 2002 BBC–HBO television biographical film The Gathering Storm.

Happy Birthday, Half/Pint +++ Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964)

Happy Birthday, Half/Pint

Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964)

Birthday Sketch of Day: Will Arnett

Birthday Sketch of Day:
Will Arnett
(born May 4, 1970)

is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his role as George Oscar "Gob" Bluth II in the Fox/Netflix series Arrested Development (2003–2006, 2013–present), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He has appeared in films such as Blades of Glory (2007), Hot Rod (2007) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). His performance as Devon Banks in 30 Rock earned him four Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nominations. His distinct, robust baritone voice has landed him prolific roles within animation, including Ratatouille (2007), Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Despicable Me (2010), The Nut Job and the sequel (2014, 2017) and Batman in the Lego Movie franchise. He also voices the titular character in the Netflix series BoJack Horseman (2014–present), for which he won an Annie Award at the 46th Annie Awards.

Birthday Drawing of the Day: Johannes Brahms. Born May 7, 1833

Birthday Drawing of the Day:
Johannes Brahms.
Born May 7, 1833

Johannes Brahms (German: [joˈhanəs ˈbʁaːms]; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria.

Audrey Hepburn Born May 4, 1929

Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress, model, dancer, and humanitarian. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, Hepburn was active during Hollywood's Golden Age.

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby (/ˈkrɒzbi/; May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977)^[1][2] was an American singer and actor.^[3] The first multimedia star, Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1931 to 1954.^[1]:8 His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed him, including Perry Como,^[4] Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Dean Martin. Yank magazine said that he was "the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen" during World War II.^[5] In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII.^[1]:6[6] Also in 1948, Music Digestestimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music.^[6]

Crosby won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Father Chuck O'Malley in the 1944 motion picture Going My Way and was nominated for his reprise of the role in The Bells of St. Mary's opposite Ingrid Bergman the next year, becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character. In 1963, Crosby received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award.^[7] He is one of 33 people to have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,^[8] in the categories of motion pictures, radio, and audio recording.^[9] He was also known for his collaborations with longtime friend Bob Hope, starring in the Road to... films from 1940 to 1962.

Crosby influenced the development of the postwar recording industry. After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to America by John T. Mullin, he invested $50,000 in a California electronics company called Ampex to build copies. He then convinced ABC to allow him to tape his shows. He became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. Through the medium of recording, he constructed his radio programs with the same directorial tools and craftsmanship (editing, retaking, rehearsal, time shifting) used in motion picture production, a practice that became an industry standard.^[10] In addition to his work with early audio tape recording, he helped to finance the development of videotape, bought television stations, bred racehorses, and co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.