Thursday, January 29, 2009
Parade columnist James Brady dies
NEW YORK — James Brady, the Parade magazine celebrity columnist whose wide-ranging career also included novels, a memoir on his Korean War service and a stint as publisher of the fashion bible Women’s Wear Daily, has died at 80.
Brady’s death was announced Tuesday by Parade magazine, where he wrote the celebrity profile column “In Step With” for nearly 25 years. He died Monday at his Manhattan home.
Brady also was credited with initiating the New York Post’s popular Page Six gossip section when he worked for publisher Rupert Murdoch in the 1970s.
During that time, he also succeeded Clay Felker as editor of New York magazine when Murdoch acquired it in 1977
The New York Times praised his 1990 memoir on Korea, “The Coldest War,” as “a superb personal memoir of the way it was. ... What distinguishes Mr. Brady’s book is its clarity and modesty; there is no heroic flag-waving here.”
He followed it up with a 2000 novel, “The Marines of Autumn,” and his 2005 “The Scariest Place in the World: A Marine Returns to North Korea.”
Mickey Rourke stokes feud with wrestler
HOUSTON — Listen up wrestlin’ fans: actor Mickey Rourke says he’s ready to rumble with WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in Reliant Stadium on April 5.
Rourke portrays professional wrestler Randy the Ram in the acclaimed movie “The Wrestler.”
He’s signed to wrestle Jericho, for real.
He made a surprise announcement Sunday night on the red carpet before the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.
He said he was pleased by the acceptance of the movie by all the WWE wrestlers — except Jericho.
Then Rourke said he was going to toss Jericho “around the ring like tossed salad.”
Meanwhile, Jericho, appearing on WWE television, said, Rourke was out of line and that he was offended by Rourke’s comments. He said Rourke made “a mistake.”
Stay tuned.
Today’s birthdays
Actor John Forsythe is 91. Actor Tom Selleck is 64. Actress Ann Jillian is 59. Drummer Tommy Ramone of The Ramones is 57. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 55. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 53. Actor Nicholas Turturro (“NYPD Blue”) is 47. Singer-guitarist Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera is 45. Director-actor Ed Burns is 41. Actress Heather Graham is 39. Actor Sharif Atkins (“ER”) is 34. Actress Sara Gilbert (“ER,” “Roseanne”) is 34. Actor Andrew Keegan (“Party of Five”) is 30. Guitarist Jonny Lang is 28.