NIGHTCAP: RIP to Piper Laurie and Suzanne Somers. Netflix Planning A "Retail Experience" (ugh). Best Buy Kicks DVDs To The Curb. Congrats to Wolfgang.

 

 

Today's theme is loss. We pay our respects to Piper Laurie who's performance as Margaret White (Carrie's mom) still scares the crap out of me when I watch Carrie. She was so convincing in the role. Great acting! We also have Suzanne Somers who passed away.  As she got older, Suzanne pushed pseudoscience and other nonsense that went against common sense (what a shame). You can read more about that here  And finally, we have Netflix execs doing what they do best: lose money on stupid ideas. 

► Piper Laurie, who gave memorable performances in critically acclaimed movies that include "Carrie", "The Hustler," and "Children of  a Lesser God (she was nominated for an Academy Award in all three movies), has died. She was 91. No cause of death was mentioned in a statement shared by her manager. Piper also did a lot of work on TV, including the mini-series The Thorn Birds. Piper is survived by a daughter.   Read More

Piper Laurie. Photo: The Film Experience

Comment: Piper's performance as Carrie's mom is still talked about 45 years since the movie was released. She set the gold standard of how to portray a disturbed individual while showing their vulnerability - not an easy thing to do. Rest in peace and thank your dedication to your craft. 

► Suzanne Somers, best known as playing Chrissy Snow in the 1970's show "Three's Company" has died. She was 76. Suzanne had been battling skin and breast cancer for years. She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Alan Hamel and one son, Bruce (with her first husband, Bruce Somers), and two stepchildren. In addition to TV work, Suzanne was an author (she wrote 25 books), singer, and fitness spokesperson for the much mocked thigh master and  butt master.  Read More

Suzanne Somers. Photo: Page Six

 

Comment:  Condolences to her family. I remember watching Three's Company as a little tyke.  I occasionally will catch reruns of it. 

►  Netflix is planning to open what they're calling "Netflix Houses" in 2025.  The two locations will be a combination of retail and entertainment where suckers customers can purchase food, drinks, and merchandise while basking in the world of all all-things Netflix. A company spokesperson said, "We've seen how much fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our movies and TV shows, and we've been thinking a lot about how we take that to the next level." Netflix hopes to take a page from the Universal theme-park experience (but in a much smaller scale). In an article by Bloomberg (via Insider), "They hosted The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience, an event based on "Bridgerton" featuring actors, live music, and dancing toured 10 US cities. It's also tried out pop-up stores selling "Stranger Things" items in cities such as Las Vegas."   Read More

Comment: Instead of wasting money on the "pop up store / pop up experience" or paying the bazillions to you-know-who for their fauxmentary RF whinefest, invest it making better shows - and bring back Mindhunter! 

► The end of an era at Best Buy. The retailer will stop selling DVDs, Blu-rays, and special edition steelbooks in their stores AND online. BTW,  Best Buy stopped selling CDs back in 2018. Industry insiders predict they will stop selling video games in the near future since everything is moving to streaming.  Read More

Comment: The few times a year I visit Best Buy I usually buy some cheap DVDs in their discount bin. I still like having them because if my internet goes down I can pop a movie into my player. That's why I'm hanging on to them and to my CD collection. 

► Wolfgang Van Halen (son of Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertenelli) got married to his long time girlfriend Andraia Allsop. The wedding was at their house with a few guests in attendance. Read More

Andraia Allsop & Wolfgang Van Halen. Photo: Christine Skari Photography // People Magazine

 Comments: They were together for 8 years so I guess it made sense to get married. Congrats to them.