R.I.P. Gary Carter, 1986 World Series Champion

1986 World Series

RIP Gary Carter! I will never forget the 1986 World Series when my 5th grade class wrote letters to our favorite Met's players. My friend Sara wrote you and I believe you even sent her a note back. Thanks for being so kind!

R.I.P. Whitney Houston

Dear Whitney,

Thank you for your music...You were such a talent! Unfortunately you somehow drifted down a darker road, but your music always triumphed. Here's to your legacy...some of my favorite videos

I'm Your Baby Tonight

All The Man That I Need

Miracle

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

How Will I Know

It's Not Right, But It's Okay

Heartbreak Hotel

If I Told You That (with George Michael)

The Star Spangled Banner from Superbowl XXV

I Will Always Love You

Try It On My Own

R.I.P. Doris Belack

Film, stage, and television star Doris Belack passed away on October 4, 2011. I will always remember her as Illeana Douglas' mother in the Off-Broadway show "Surviving Grace" (where I got to meet her) and for her guest starring role on "The Golden Girls" as "Gloria," "Dorothy's" sister (played by Bea Arthur). She touched my life with laughter and I will forever remember her for that!

The rest of the world will probably remember her as tough-minded producer "Rita Marshall" in "Tootsie" and as "Judge Margaret Barry," a recurring character on "Law & Order" from 1999-2001. Her final TV appearance was in 2003 as "Lenore" in "Sex and The City's" "Hop, Skip, and a Week."

Doris made her Broadway debut in "Semi-Detached," which was produced by her husband Philip Rose (who was best known as one of the producers on the original produciton of Broadway's "A Raisin In The Sun," he passed away on May 31, 2011). Doris' other theatrical credits include "The Heroine," "Nathan Weinstein," "Mystic, Connecticut," "The Ninety Day Mistress," and "The Cemetery Club."

Doris got most of her early work in soap operas. She was the original "Anna Wolek Craig" on "One Life to Live" and played the lead role of a captain of an undercover anticrime unit of the NYPD in the short-lived television sitcom called "Baker's Dozen."

Thank you Doris for making so many of us laugh and be touched by your work!

R.I.P. Ellie Castillo

Photo credit: Andy TowleOne of Provincetown's most beloved and iconic performers/residents, Ellie Castillo, passed away on April 7, 2011 at 79 years young after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Since 2001, Ellie was a constant staple in Provincetown, not only as an entertainer, but as a person. She moved to Provincetown in 2001 to finally live her dream and live it she did! Singing mainly in front of Town Hall on Commercial Street, Ellie delighted crowds with her music and spirit. From morning until night, Ellie was out there singing or skating down Commercial Street with her wagon and music singing out for all to hear.

I have been visiting Provincetown for over 10 years now and there was never a time that went by where my friends and I would not stop and watch Ellie sing. Our trips to Provincetown sure won't be the same without seeing Ellie in person, but her spirit will live on for many, many years to come!

Thank you Ellie for entertaining us so beautifully and courageously as you LIVED your dream! You will always be a source of inspiration, light, and love! Your talent, voice, and life will never be forgotten!

Check out Ellie's Youtube page for all your Ellie Enjoyment, but enjoy this great short film by Robert O'Conner that he and Ellie made in 2005 about the "birth" of Ellie! Very moving and wonderful inside look!

There will be a public Celebration of Life for Ellie at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Provincetown on Saturday May 14th at 11 AM and a big tribute party- an Ellie Palooza- for everyone on Father's Day, June 19th at 1 PM, in front of Town Hall where Ellie used to sing, followed by a reception and silent auction at the Crown and Anchor in Provincetown.

Below is a letter from Ellie's family:

Dear Friends of Ellie,
Yesterday( April 7th) , our beloved Dad passed away at 5 PM, 56 days after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer. He died peacefully, after a valiant fight, with a slight smile on his face. He had family members with ...him every step of the way, and we were all privileged to love and be there with him. Thank you for all of your love and support and for your continuedlove and prayers. You are all invited to a public Celebration of Life for Ellie at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Provincetown on Saturday May 14th at 11 AM. We are throwing a big tribute party- an Ellie Palooza- for everyone on Father's Day, June 19th at 1 PM, in front of Town Hall where Dad used to sing, followed by a reception and silent auction at the Crown and Anchor, where Dad sometimes performed. What an amazing journey this has been. Godspeed Ellie! Adios and aloha!

All is well...
Love,
Andree, Lisa, Peter, Tom and Jim, Ellie's five children, and the rest of the Castillo family

R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor

Global icon and two-time Academy Award Winner Elizabeth Taylor passed away today at age 79 of congestive heart failure.

Thank you for entertaining us for so many years and for giving so much of your time to AIDS awareness and research through The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation!

While I never got to meet Elizabeth in person or saw many of her movies, I was still a big fan of hers. Her book, "Elizabeth Takes Off" is one of my top 10 favorite books that I've read. It's a wonderful book about self-esteem and self-image. Thank you Elizabeth for writing such a wonderful and heartfelt book!

You will always been an inspiration and remembered....