Gary Coleman 1968 - 2010

Gary Coleman, who died earlier today from a brain hemorrhage, rose to fame in the eighties television situation comedy Diff'rent Strokes. In the years since television success, Coleman was plagued with health and personal problems that often became fodder for the tabloid press. By his own admission, his famous line - "What you talkin' bout, Willis?" - was burdensome and inescapable, making it difficult for him to be taken seriously.

Kwame's Fall

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's demise is the all too familiar tale of a politician afflicted with a toxic combination of unbridled arrogance and gross stupidity. That he betrayed the trust of the people of Detroit, a city beset with extraordinary problems that threaten its very existence, makes the situation even more depressing and the sentence meted out by the court justified.

Oh Venus

Commenting on the sartorial choices of others, especially women, is a dicey proposition. That said perhaps I am being prudish in my advancing years but it seems Venus Williams has crossed the line in her latest fashion statement, which was on display yesterday at the French Open.

Rand Paul

Rand Paul is the tea bagger and wingnut who defied the Republican Party establishment by upsetting the Minority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell's endorsed candidate in the Kentucky primary. Paul also proves the adage that an apple does not fall too far from the tree because he is as much a crackpot and numbnut as his father Rep. Ron Paul, the erstwhile Republican presidential candidate, who has a penchant for nuttiness. Last week the younger Paul caused a firestorm by proclaiming that the 1964 Civil Rights Act violated his sacred libertarian principles and therefore owners of private businesses should be free to discriminate against black folks. He also castigated President Obama for unfairly criticizing British Petroleum BP for producing one of the most significant ecological disasters in the history of the country. According to Paul, such a reaction is un-American because, after all, accidents do happen.

A Line of Attack

This is an unpublished letter to the editor responding to a conservative columnist's attack on Obama's Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan for having clerked for the late Justice Thurgood Marshall, who for many on the right is the embodiment of the liberal judicial activist:

Gregory Kane, in an oped ostensibly about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, writes: "I'm not one of those black Americans who has fawning admiration for [Thurgood] Marshall merely because he was the first African American justice. Most black Americans all but genuflect when Marshall's name is mentioned. I practically cringe." For even the most casual reader of the Examiner, Kane's bona fides as a black conservative are well-established, which make his attack on the late Justice Marshall pointlessly gratuitous and irrelevant on the immediate issue, namely, Kagan's fitness to serve on the Supreme Court. Kane's resort to guilt by association - Kagan clerked for Marshall - bespeaks an intellectually laziness and paucity of ideas not normally associated with someone described as "a Pulitzer-nominated news and opinion journalist."

Hank Jones 1918-2010

Hank Jones, who died Sunday at age 91, was one of the most elegant and versatile jazz pianists of the post World War II era. He was the oldest and surviving brother of Detroit's famous Jones family - trumpeter Thad died in 1986; drummer Elvin, in 2004.

Law and Order

The television series Law and Order comes to an end after a twenty year, 456 episodes run. But as the cliche goes, all good things eventually come to an end. It was great while it lasted and, of course, it will hang no doubt around indefinitely in syndication.

King James

The avalanche of negative criticism to LeBron James' no-show in game 5 of the series with the Boston Celtics reflects two tendencies. First, both media and fans as usual tend to overstate the importance of what happened in the last game played. You may recall that during the Thunder-Lakers series, some folks, most prominently Charles Barkely, had written Kobe Bryant off an old and washed up. Last time I checked, he was instrumental in closing out Oklahoma City and sweeping Utah. Second, James has nobody to blame but himself in raising expectations. If you're considered the best player of your generation, you had better deliver in the playoffs. In professional team sports, individual talent is trumped by championships. Look no further than Dominique Wilkins, the human highlight film, whose resume conspicuously does not contain a title.

Lena Horne 1917 - 2010

The legendary Lena Horne, who died Sunday in a New York City hospital, was a singer, actress, and fierce fighter for social justice who broke down countless racial barriers that paved the way for others.

Mary Lou Williams

Today marks the centennial of the birth of jazz composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams, an important but underrated figure in the history and development of the music.

Lynn Redgrave 1943 - 2010

Lynn Redgrave, who died of breast cancer Sunday, was an extraordinarily gifted actress from a legendary acting family, who first gained prominence playing a British misfit in the 1966 film Georgy Girl.

Shirley Horn's "Here's to Life"

This pretty much says it all about this thing called life and what each of us has make of it. And the incomparable Shirley Horn says it best.