Cyr column: Intelligence involves art along with science
The 2020 deaths of actor Sean Connery and author John Le Carré add poignancy to this distinctive, complex subject. Le Carré is arguably the most successful, as well as subtle and challenging, among contemporary spy novelists on either side of the Atlantic. Both Dulles and Fleming served as intelligence officers during World War II, as did le Carré during the Cold War. Learn more: John le Carré, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” book, film and miniseries. Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of “After the Cold War” (NYU Press and Macmillan).
monroenews.comFinal goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2020
The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.
Trebek brought consensus, class to a nation in need of both
Game show host Alex Trebek poses for a photo in his Los Angeles home on Aug. 3, 1988. Six nights a week for 36 years, after the evening news and before the firebrands of primetime cable opinion shows, Trebek brought together liberals and conservatives, city dwellers and rural folk, grandparents and grandchildren for a half-hour of brainy exercise. He was the composed college professor whose students endlessly speculated about what he was like when class was over. Trebek gave the role a gravitas, and a virtuosity, that didn't seem possible before him. Viewers will get a good bit more Trebek through episodes he has already taped, and through well over three decades of reruns.
Rest in peace: Celebrities we lost in October
Sean Connery and Eddie Van Halen were among some of the more well-known, universally loved celebrities the world lost in October. (CNP/Getty Images)Actress Conchata Ferrell arrives at the CBS celebration of a Monday-night season premiere on Sept. 19, 2007 in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)Pitcher Charlie Haeger of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a knuckleball against the Colorado Rockies on May 8, 2010. (WireImage for Tractenberg & Co. via Getty Images)American composer Philip Glass and his ensemble photographed in New York City in 1993. (Sygma via Getty Images)American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash during his first visit to London for various public appearances in September 1968.
New this week: 'Moonbase 8,' Kylie Minogue & Niall Horan
(Showtime via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. — “Outrage”: If you’re looking for some distractions on election day, the excellent Women Make Film series is still going strong on TCM. — AP Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSIC— The final solo recording from late jazz legend Dave Brubeck will be released Friday. Showtime’s “Moonbase 8” stars Fred Armisen, John C. Reilly and Tim Heidecker as astronauts trying to qualify for a moon mission. For Showtime subscribers, the full series will be available Sunday night on the channel’s apps and on-demand platforms.
Sean Connery, a lion of cinema whose roar went beyond Bond
FILE - This March 4, 1992 file photo shows actor Sean Connery during a news conference in Hamburg, Germany. Connery, considered by many to have been the best James Bond, has died aged 90, according to an announcement from his family. (AP Photo/Christian Eggers, File)Writing an appreciation of Sean Connery feels inevitably inadequate compared to experiencing the real thing. Connery’s Bond became etched as an icon of its era, one increasingly distant from today. That could be because the glint of mischief that accompanied nearly every Connery performance was so present in “The Last Crusade.” Connery always left you feeling if not shaken then very happily stirred.
Sean Connery, the 'original' James Bond, dies at 90
FILE - In this Jan. 23, 1987 file photo, actor Sean Connery holds a rose in his hand as he talks about his new movie "The Name of the Rose" at a news conference in London. Scottish actor Sean Connery, considered by many to have been the best James Bond, has died aged 90, according to an announcement from his family. “He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words — ‘The name’s Bond... James Bond,’” they said in a statement. By then he was at peace with James Bond, and when he arrived onstage at the Oscars ceremony he declared, “The name’s Connery. Thomas Sean Connery was born Aug. 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the first of two sons of a long-distance truck driver and a domestic worker.
Sean Connery, actor who played James Bond dies at 90
Published: October 31, 2020, 8:54 am Updated: October 31, 2020, 9:23 amDETROIT – Sean Connery, the legendary actor who played James Bond has died, according to The Independent. The Scottish actor played the British Spy from 1962 until 1983. Detailed Update: Scottish actor Sean Connery has died at the age of 90
From the 60 Minutes archive: Sean Connery
More than fifty years after he first played the role of James Bond, Sean Connery's arched eyebrow is as much an icon of 007 as his martini. But Connery almost didn't get the part. In 1999, he sat down with 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft and explained that the author of the Bond series had wanted a bigger star. "Ian Flemming wanted Cary Grant, and then he wanted Trevor Howard," Connery said. Luckily for Connery, the movie's makers only had $1 million to spend on the film, so they settled on the Scotsman.
cbsnews.com'Chariots of Fire' star Ben Cross dies after short illness
FILE - Actor Ben Cross arrives at the "Chariots of Fire" premiere in London on July 10, 2012. Cross, the actor who also starred Star Trek, has died. Cross representative Tracy Mapes said in an emailed statement that the actor died suddenly Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, after a short illness. (Photo by Jon Furniss/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES Ben Cross, an actor who starred in the Oscar Award-winning film Chariots of Fire and Star Trek, has died. His representative Tracy Mapes said the actor died suddenly Tuesday after a short illness.
Earl Cameron, pioneering British film actor, dies at 102
Cameron was cast in one of the starring roles in Pool of London, a 1951 crime noir movie that was the first British film to feature an interracial relationship. During the 1950s and 1960s, he supplemented his film work with frequent British TV roles, including two episodes of Doctor Who in 1966. Unless it was specified that this was a part for a Black actor, they would never consider a black actor for the part. I got mostly small parts, and that was extremely frustrating not just for me but for other Black actors. We had a very hard time getting worthwhile roles.In 1972, Cameron got to work alongside another Bahama-born actor who broke barriers for Black film actors.