Phyllis Diller, the cackling comedian with electric-shock hair who built an influential career in film and nightclubs with stand-up routines that mocked irascible husbands, domestic drudgery and her extensive plastic surgery, died Aug. 20 at her home in Brentwood, Calif. She was 95.
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Although there has been a long history of comic actresses, Ms. Diller was among the first to tackle the male preserve of stand-up comedy. She used her first husband for comedic fodder by disguising him as a fictitious character named “Fang.” Her jokes — roasts of Fang’s drinking habits, sexual shortcomings and professional failures — reversed traditional household roles. She once said “his finest hour lasted a minute and a half.”
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Phyllis Diller refined her craft in several performance environments. The first is nightclubs. She made her professional debut in 1955 at San Francisco’s legendary nightspot, the Purple Onion, where she was held over for eighty-seven consecutive weeks.
From the 1960s through the 1990s, she performed in clubs across the country. In the early 1960s, she appeared at the Bon Soir in Greenwich Village, and had as her opening act a young singer named Barbra Streisand, with whom she shared a tiny dressing room.
Court: Ga. police may verify immigration status
A federal appeals court has ruled that Georgia law enforcement can check on the immigration status of criminal suspects who fail to produce proper identification.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday that a hold blocking that section of the state's 2011 immigration law should be lifted.
SF Public Transit Runs Ads Denouncing Anti-Muslim Blogger's Ad Campaign
San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency, Muni, has been under fire for accepting ads referring to Arabs and Muslims as "savage" that were placed by anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller.
The ads declare that "in any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man"—a paraphrase of an Ayn Rand quote—while also urging readers to "support Israel" and "defeat jihad."
If Muni had rejected the ads, however, it likely would have violated Geller's First Amendment rights; when New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority tried to block Geller's ads last year, Geller sued, and in July a judge later declared the agency's ad policy unconstitutional.
11-mile stretch of Mississippi River closed
The U.S. Coast Guard says 97 boats and barges are waiting for passage along an 11-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that has been closed because of low water levels.
Coast Guard spokesman Ryan Tippets told The Associated Press on Monday that the stretch of river near Greenville, Miss., has been closed intermittently since Aug. 11, when a vessel ran aground.
Chocolate may help blood pressure, cognition, scientists say
Chocolate lovers, rejoice!
Two studies published this week indicate that the delectable treat not only may help reduce blood pressure, but also can improve cognitive function.
Local chocolate makers and confectioners are not surprised.
"There has been a lot of research on the benefits of chocolate, especially higher-percentage chocolate," said Michael Recchiuti, co-owner and chocolatier of San Francisco's Recchiuti Confections, referring to darker, more concentrated chocolates.
In the first study, researchers in Australia took a look at all of the research conducted on chocolate and blood pressure and found that there is a definite, albeit slight, decrease in blood pressure when people start consuming chocolate.
Study Claims College Students Who Binge Drink are Happier Than Those Who Don’t
A study unveiled at this year's American Sociological Association meeting purports to show that college students who engage in binge drinking are, on average, happier and more socially satisfied than those who practice moderation.
Colgate University associate professor of sociology Carolyn Hsu, who co-authored the study, says that, despite being aware of the ills associated with binge drinking, students continue to overdo their alcoholic consumption because of a link between binge drinking and improved social status.
Comments
"Somebody's" living in a bubble, and it's not me.
I had the unfortunate experience of walking in a room where a family member had C-Span on, and I heard this for a minute.
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Windham, NH
While obtaining the quote I heard to post it, I found a similar sentiment at another campaign stop in the same swing state:
Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Rochester, NH
First of all, he should be thanking the Secret Service for taking care of his children, as his kids should be absolutely be protected from harm.
But to "thank" an entire state for "looking after them" and "returning them safe and sound," that's a bit much.
And to use his children to curry favor in a swing state, to me, that's disgusting.
Leave children out of it, especially when millions of children don't have the same perks and benefits as millionaires' and billionaires' children do.
Stick to the issues, the policies. Explain what you think you did right, where you went wrong, and what you intend to do, if re-elected, during presumably your next term.
And this:
"Parents, it’s tough when your kids are away, isn’t it?"
It's also tough when you don't have a job, when you can't afford healthcare for your children, when you can't afford to buy the necessities for your children. Yes, living in a bubble is he.
students who binge drink are happier?
Who funded that study? Smirnoff? C'mon, that's not only stupid, it's dangerous. Not only can binge drinking lead to some very serious health problems (and sometimes death), it can place young women in remarkably unsafe situations.
You're not kidding. That study makes abosolutely no sense.
What's next? Add in Rohypnol?
Hey, would you answer one question for me?
"Why the fuck not, I'm just passing out."
"On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being fucking blasted, how happy would you say you are?"
Breaking news:
A good majority of people when drinking are happier ;)
I'll drink to that
I would have to say that I've done far more than my fair share of drinking in my lifetime. When I think of my poor liver and the adventures we have had! Some of my best ideas have come when I've been pretty darn lit, and conversely some of my worst ideas have come when I've thought that the witty remark in my mind needed to be expressed. Ah, booze!
Ha
They should inquire as to the happiness of their friends and associates. My mom was also happy when she had Alzheimer's. Those around her? Not so much.
Hail Phyllis Diller
It is no bullshit to say she broke some barriers for women. She got away with it because she was funny as hell. Always hilarious, with her raucous laugh. I saw her in an interview of something maybe five years ago. Still funny as hell. Some people just have that profound humor in their soul, and Phyllis did. So refreshing early on, when comedy was dominated by the likes of Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason, and Bob Hope, almost all of them distinctly masculine. I still laugh when I think of Fang. Here's hoping he visits her grave daily. Man, I had a lot of good belly laughs thanks to Phyllis Diller.
She's always been old
I forgot that. I can't embed this. It's worth clicking to just to see the outfit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXm_PxwrcyY
I knew this day would come, and I knew that I would be sad. One of my all-time favorite comedians.
i'll miss Phyllis... she was one of the great lady pioneers...
of comedy... and thank budda for chocolate! and alcohol, though mostly in moderation... :D