George Carlin Tagged Articles at Cinematical

For me, it started with the deaths of comedic greats like Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason. Death had become real and tangible, making the world and showbusiness finite. Since then, the numbers have gradually increased. We're slowly walking into the period where memorials and tributes aren't relegated to actors before our time, but to the names and faces that shaped our views of entertainment -- the people who we have spent so much time with on the big screen, and within the comfort of our own homes.

But we're not just losing people to age. 2008 has been a heavy year for Hollywood, losing both rising stars and big names with long careers. Considering the fact that we just lost two more, I wanted to take a moment and look back at this year's shockers. Some of these men were young, some of these men were older, but all of them have left this earth too soon.

To call the late George Carlin a comedian -- even an undeniably brilliant one -- would be a serious understatement. Most comedians hop up on the stage and deliver gags about sex, politics, drugs and airline food, and some of 'em are seriously funny people. But Carlin wouldn't bother with such slight efforts. This was a man who wanted to address the ills of our society (all of 'em!), but he knew that the best way to get his points across was through the powers of wit, cleverness and intelligence. Comedians (even good ones) are a dime a dozen ... but there will never be another monologue master on par with George Carlin.

Even as a kid -- long before I should have been allowed to enjoy his rants -- I knew Carlin was something special. Unlike many of his contemporaries (Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, etc.), Carlin did not see The Movie Biz as the big brass ring, one to be snatched and hoarded forever at the expense of the stand-up stage. The simple truth is, and I mean this with nothing but affection and respect, George Carlin was not much of an actor. For the most part, producers saw the man as a crotchety little supporting player: Car Wash (1976), Americathon (1979), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) represent the most that filmmakers could do with George Carlin. (He also had a small part in Barbra Streisand's The Prince of Tides, which of course I've never seen.)

"So you know what Ive been doin' -- going through the address book and crossing out the dead people." -- George Carlin during his final HBO performance, It's Bad for Ya.

I forget exactly which HBO special it was, but my first introduction to George Carlin was through the cable network when I was real young (we're talking early '80s). Funny story, too, as my mother and father caught me watching Carlin -- and all his profanity-laced commentary -- late one night when they arrived home from somewhere. My mother was all upset, and thought I was too young to be hearing that kind of language. Meanwhile, my father -- and I'll never forget this -- told her, "He's gonna learn this stuff some day -- I'd rather him learn the words from someone who knows how to use them." I've been hooked ever since.

Never got to see the guy in person, though, but my wife (who's a bigger fan than I am) and I came close a few times. Just never happened. Such is life. This is one that really hurts, but I look forward to all the tributes that are sure to arrive in the coming days. Enough babbling, watch Carlin talk about death up above (a bit I'm sure he'd want us all to watch right now) and let us know your favorite Carlin moments down below.

Note: Video above contains foul language.

Not four years ago, my father took me to see George Carlin perform his stand-up routine live as a belated birthday gift, and what a pleasure it was to see one of my favorite comedians display his considerable - and considerably crude - talents within spitting distance of my impressionable young psyche.

Even if that weren't the case, it would still be extremely sad to see Carlin go, as Reuters unfortunately reports. He appears to have passed away just last night of heart failure, at the age of 71.

Carlin had nearly thirty film and TV credits to his name, and while his most recent role happened to be in Happily N'Ever After of all things, he'll surely be more fondly remembered for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Dogma, and for his numerous Emmy-nominated stand-up specials and Grammy-winning comedy albums.

Of perhaps the slightest comfort and tribute was the fact that the news of his passing had me uttering aloud one of his "Seven Dirty Words", a routine which brought him to Washington, D.C. in order to tangle with the U.S. Supreme Court back in 1978... and yet, earlier this week, the Kennedy Center offered him reason to return to the nation's capital three decades after the fact, when they were to honor him this November with their annual Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy.

Our thoughts go out to his loved ones. He will undoubtedly be deeply missed.

Did you know that when he was getting started, George Carlin wanted to be Danny Kaye? In an interview with CNN, Carlin said: "Danny Kaye was my childhood dream when I was 10, 11. I kind of looked at that and thought, 'Gee, I can do that. ... He makes funny faces, he talks in funny accents and he can do very, very intricate vocal pieces.'" Well, he definitely didn't turn out like Kaye, but I must give him props for taste.

I adore Danny Kaye. I really wanted this rewind to be from The Cosby Show, when the comedian and actor had appeared as the dentist (in his last role) -- but it's not floating in the sea of YouTube. However, there's something from around the same time that's an excellent alternative. Above, you've got Danny Kaye as the Swedish Chef's uncle. I really miss that man... Borga, borga, borga!

Way back in June we had Crazy Chris Campbell informing us that Lionsgate had just purchased North American distribution rights to Happily N'Ever After, a CG-animated fairy tale spoof from the producer of Shrek -- and today we get our very first peek at the long-gestating project. ComingSoon.net is where you'll find the goods.

The plot deals with all the heroic fairy tale characters dealing with conflict from all the villains ... or something like that. (Let's give it up for characters in the public domain!) What I find most amusing is the voice cast. We got Sarah Michelle Gellar as Ella (as in Cinderella), Sigourney Weaver as an evil witch (cool!), Freddie Prinze Jr., Andy Dick, Patrick Warburton, Jon Polito, Wallace Shawn and George Carlin -- and when I say "amusing," I actually mean it. Most of those actors have pretty funny voices!

So in addition to the previously linked clip, this just-discovered teaser trailer at YouTube, and a release date of January 5, I can also inform you that both the writer and the director are first-time filmmakers. But hey, I liked Hoodwinked, so I think this flick looks pretty, well, amusing.