• Many people don’t remember that Groucho Marx died one day after Elvis. His passing was all but ignored since the King of Rock and Roll drew all the attention of the world’s press. I always found this sad, especially for a man who had the world's greatest timing, at least in life. I wonder how Groucho is doing on the Forbes list of moneymaking “Dead Stars”?
• While I’m on the subject of obits, I was sorry to hear of the passing of Rod Roddy, the "Price Is Right" announcer who made the phrase "Come on down" part of the American vernacular. A jovial man, well known for his collection of loud sport coats, Rod fought cancer for two years before losing his battle. But according to all who knew him, he kept upbeat throughout. Rod was one of the last of the big personality, big voice announcers, now a fading breed. Roddy was 66.
• While in the car the other day, I heard this blurb on the radio: A new survey has been released that reports viewers of "Oprah" suffer from stress and tend to take more medication for stress related problems. I guess they missed the one that shows eighty-five to ninety percent of Jerry Springer’s viewers drink Budweiser and live in trailers.