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Archive for June, 2009
June 28, 2009
TV pitchman Billy Mays found dead in Florida home
Billy Mays, the burly, bearded television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.
Tampa police said Mays was found unresponsive by his wife Sunday morning. A fire rescue crew pronounced him dead at 7:45 a.m. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play, said Lt. Brian Dugan of the Tampa Police Department, who wouldn’t answer any more questions about how Mays’ body was found because of the ongoing investigation. The coroner’s office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.
“Although Billy lived a public life, we don’t anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days,” said Mays’ wife, Deborah. “Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.”
Tampa area media outlets reported that Mays was a passenger on a U.S. Airways flight that made a rough landing on Saturday afternoon at Tampa International Airport, apparently blowing its front tires in an incident that left debris on the runway.
Tampa Bay’s Fox television affiliate interviewed Mays after the incident.
“All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping,” MyFox Tampa Bay quoted him as saying. “It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head.”
U.S. Airways officials said Sunday they could not immediately confirm that Mays was a passenger.
Born William Mays in McKees Rocks, Pa., on July 20, 1958, Mays developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other “as seen on TV” gadgets on Atlantic City’s boardwalk. For years he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuits, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.
After meeting Orange Glo International founder Max Appel at a home show in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s, Mays was recruited to demonstrate the environmentally friendly line of cleaning products on the St. Petersburg-based Home Shopping Network.
Commercials and informercials followed, anchored by the high-energy Mays showing how it’s done while tossing out kitschy phrases like, “Long live your laundry!”
Recently he’s been seen on commercials for a wide variety of products and is featured on the reality TV show “Pitchmen” on the Discovery Channel, which follows Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs. He’s also been seen in ESPN ads.
His ubiquitousness and thumbs-up, in-your-face pitches won Mays plenty of fans. People line up at his personal appearances for autographed color glossies, and strangers stop him in airports to chat about the products.
“I enjoy what I do,” Mays told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. “I think it shows.”
Mays liked to tell the story of giving bottles of OxiClean to the 300 guests at his wedding, and doing his ad spiel (”powered by the air we breathe!”) on the dance floor at the reception. Visitors to his house typically got bottles of cleaner and housekeeping tips.
Discovery Channel spokeswoman Elizabeth Hillman released a statement Sunday extending sympathy to the Mays family.
“Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth,” Hillman’s statement said. “Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend.”
posted by kimmie 
under 
McDonalds® to Launch New Menu Items Honoring Michael Jackson
McDonald?s® to Launch New Menu Items
and advertising campaign
to honor the legacy of Michael Jackson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OAK BROOK, Ill. (June 26, 2009) ? McDonald?s® today announced new
menu items to honor the legacy of Michael Jackson, who passed away on
June 25, 2009.
McDonalds® customers will soon have the choice of purchasing new menu
items with external packaging bearing Michael Jackson’s likeness. In
addition, a new advertising campaign has been developed and will push
to various advertising channels, including television, radio, and
print media.
McDonald’s® CEO, Jim Skinner–an admitted superfan of Michael Jackson
who once had the pleasure of meeting him–issued a separate statement
to the media saying, “Michael’s sudden passing is not only a shock to
me as a fan… but a shock to all fans, not only in the U.S., but
indeed the World. Of course, it also lands a shock to the McDonald’s®
family, and we plan to find a way to show our support for the King of
Pop’s legacy.”
Shortly thereafter, Mr. Skinner met with McDonalds® Board of Directors
after expedited meetings with public relations company AEC Press
United National, Inc. (Symbol: AEC) and Coca-Cola (Symbol: KO) to seek
approval on the impromptu Michael Jackson campaign, which was
unanimously approved.
After solid first quarter performance, McDonalds® hopes to continue
improving in same store sales and will leverage its position to
release promotional items bearing Michael Jackson’s likeness due to
previous licensing deals which were struck a decade ago, but have not
expired.
McDonalds® is still working with AEC to develop additional menu items.
Currently announced menu items include:
- Coca-Cola® products will be available in a limited edition two
hundred and fifty-six ounce “King of Pop” buckets
- A new salad featuring “Neverland Ranch Sauce”
- Happy Meals® featuring packaging bearing Michael Jackson concert
scenes, featuring the usual food options and a choice of Apple,
Orange, or Jesus Juice
- A variation on McDonald’s® classic Big Mac® sandwich named the
“Michael Jackson Limited Edition Big Mac®,” prepared from carefully
aged food product for a robust and tangy flavor. Although the
toppings have not been announced, the burger will consist of a fifty
year old piece of meat between two eight year old buns
The products will be available at McDonalds® beginning August 29,
2009, which will coinside with what would be the 51st birthday of
Michael Jackson.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
For media inquiries, contact:
Grant Master
AEC Press United National, Inc.
Chicago, IL
630-608-7666, extension #1
© 2009 McDonald?s
The King of Pop, Michael Jackson dies.
Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead Thursday June 25th after paramedics found him in a coma at his Bel-Air mansion, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told The Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call from the home. When they arrived, Jackson was not breathing.
The paramedics performed CPR and took Jackson to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda said. Hundreds of reporters gathered at the hospital awaiting word on his condition. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said family members rushed to Jackson’s bedside, where he was in a deep coma.
The circumstances of Jackson’s death remain unclear. Law enforcement sources said that Los Angeles Police Department robbery-homicide detectives have opened an investigation into the death, though they stressed that there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
The detectives plan to interview relatives, friends and Jackson’s doctors to try to figure out what happened. The L.A. County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A Los Angeles Fire Department source told The Times that Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when rescue units arrived.
A doctor was in the house performing CPR on Jackson, said the source who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Paramedics were called to a home in the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard.
Jackson rented the Bel-Air home — described as a French chateau built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater — for $100,000 a month. The home is about a six-minute drive from UCLA Medical Center. Jackson has three children — sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.
Jackson, 50, died as he was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.
In May, The Times reported that Jackson had rented the Bel-Air residence and was rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London’s O2 Arena. Jackson had won the backing of two billionaires to get the so-called “King of Pop” back on stage.
His backers envisioned the shows at AEG’s O2 as an audition for a career rebirth that could have ultimately encompassed a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, and even a “Thriller” casino. Such a rebound could have wiped out Jackson’s massive debt.
June 25, 2009
Dead Beat Dad!!!
This woman, Kristi Kalpin, has raised her two sons in Miami, Florida without any help from their father. She is a dear friend and I have watched her go through the pressure of raising her two beautiful sons with grace. Her ex-husband has fled any and all responsibility as a father. We ask anyone recognizing this man to post a comment or email us here. Your information will help two fantastic young boys ~Thank you
June 24, 2009
`Tonight’ sidekick Ed McMahon dies in LA at 86
Ed McMahon, the loyal “Tonight Show” sidekick who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and a resounding “H-e-e-e-e-e-ere’s Johnny!” for 30 years, died early Tuesday. He was 86.
McMahon died shortly after midnight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members, said his publicist, Howard Bragman.
Bragman didn’t give a cause of death, saying only that McMahon had a “multitude of health problems the last few months.”
McMahon had bone cancer, among other illnesses, according to a person close to the entertainer, and had been hospitalized for several weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information.
McMahon broke his neck in a fall in March 2007, and battled a series of financial problems as his injuries preventing him from working.
McMahon and Carson had worked together for nearly five years on the game show “Who Do You Trust?” when Carson took over NBC’s late-night show from Jack Paar in October 1962. McMahon played second banana on “Tonight” until Carson retired in 1992.
“You can’t imagine hooking up with a guy like Carson,” McMahon said an interview with The Associated Press in 1993. “There’s the old phrase, hook your wagon to a star. I hitched my wagon to a great star.”
McMahon, who never failed to laugh at his Carson’s quips, kept his supporting role in perspective.
“It’s like a pitcher who has a favorite catcher,” he said. “The pitcher gets a little help from the catcher, but the pitcher’s got to throw the ball. Well, Johnny Carson had to throw the ball, but I could give him a little help.”