One of the great entertainers, creators and talk show hosts died this weekend. Merv Griffin, creator of "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune", succumbed to a recurrence of prostate cancer at age 82. I knew him best at an impressionable age as the host of his eponymous talk show for over two decades. He was always able to balance the safe with the edgy, including Andy Kaufman appearances as well as a decidedly anti-Vietnam War sentiment. His style was very similar to Johnny Carson's, with an innate ability to put his subjects at ease and bring out the best in his guests. But where Carson turned to humor and sketches, Merv preferred song and theatre, frequently performing numbers that came from the heart. He later became a real estate and casino tycoon, and his Resorts Atlantic City has taken about $200 from me over the years. I don't hold that against him though. No truth to the rumor that Merv's last words were, "Ooooooooooh," but he did joke that his epitaph would read, "I won't be right back after this message."
Another influential entertainer of sorts passed away this weekend. Tony Wilson, the English music promoter responsible for the "Madchester" scene in the '80s and '90s, died of kidney cancer at age 57. Without him, we may have never heard of Joy Division, Happy Mondays, or even the Sex Pistols, to whom Wilson gave their first TV appearance. Most of us know him best as the subject of Michael Winterbottom's terrific 24 Hour Party People, which with expert period detail puts you right in the middle of that vibrant music scene... or at least, what anyone can remember of it. I can't think of a fitter tribute than rewatching my DVD and then spinning some Factory records, though I'll pass on the E for tonight.
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