Its a sad day in the neighborhood. Mr Rogers R.I.P.

Fred McFeely Rogers

"It was meow meow humiliating and degrading. First he meow meow said dirty stuff to me. When I asked him to leave me alone, he got even more meow meow mad. So I was forced to give him a meow meow hummer."

This news is so sad. I never get teary at a CNN story usually, but Mr. Rogers was a Pittsburgh institution. A family friend worked with him. We'd always watch the credits for her name when we were little.

I remember more recently surfing tv sometime after Sept. 11 and catching his show--after the initial shock at him having gray hair, I was fascinated by how matter-of-fact and soothing he was in addressing fear. (though it seemed a bit silly that I was bored enough to watch a children's show)

He didn't have that whole cutesy condescending attitude with kids that most shows have. He was very genuine and caring. R.I.P. :-(

At the Morrissey concert my sister said that Morrisey looked like Mr. Rogers [cardigan sweater]

I reckon it's Tony Hart.

Is it a sort of Sesame Street-like thing?

As corny as the show was (and yes, I did laugh *at* it and was all cynical and said it was crappy and all) it was also wonderful. To see an adult male who cared enough about kids that he was willing to look and act a bit odd in order to be endearing was pretty amazing.

I hope that wherever his soul has passed on to that there are songs and rainbows and make-believe lands for him to explore with all of the children that will welcome him with open arms.

couldn't have said it better myself. RIP. ;'(

In a telephone interview, I think on Fresh Air, he was asked about his daily routines. The one thing that stands out in my memory is that he got up every morning and went downstairs, where he had built a swimming pool under his home, and he swam laps, naked.

For some reason I found that incredibly endearing (though I am also thoroughly convinved that he was without any genitals - because, well, I just can't picture him in that way).

I wish I could see videotape of him doing the voices for the land of make-believe!! One imagines the guy's so plain vanilla but then you realize he has all the f;in weird characters right under the surface of his skin

-- anthony easton (anthonyeasto...) (webmail), May 21st, 2006 4:44 AM. (anthony) (later) (link)

Me too. Especially when he got to "I end the program by saying, 'you’ve made this day a special day by just you being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you... just the way you are.'"

Turned out to be quite a bit less of a shameless tearjerker than I was expecting. Still, audiences going to it are acting out of the same impulse that they do going to see, say, Marley & Me. Only the death in this case is the death of decency, gentility, etc.

What does that mean? People are seeing it to be sad at something sad because it's sad and shows something that is missed because it should be missed?

In a nutshell.

I mean, I don't know when decency died, but it's dead and it'd be nice to have it back.

If we could have just one thread where we all agree to refrain from '(thread subject) is garbage' posts, I guess I'd request that it be this thread. Because, really: why.

yes please

post deleted.

oh Christ, ilx's limits discovered at last.

I mean, I don't think deletion was necessary fwiw, but there's still every other thing in the universe for you to hate on, Morbs. Fear not.

how about the third post in the thread, kuntz?

pedophile, pederast, don't be pedantic

I mentioned that I idolize the man, nevertheless I found the new documentary way too close to a puff piece. Any attempts at illuminating flaws or conflicts seemed grudging and perfunctory. And I'd contend that even mentioning his party affiliation was distracting and unnecessary. I could feel the tension in the theater at that moment.

I was born in '61, three or four years too early for his show to have been part of my childhood. (I watched The Jolly Green Giant, and Rocketship 7 out of Buffalo.) So I didn't take that into the theatre, which would have helped. I can see where the film would be very emotional for some viewers, and a couple of times it knocked down my own resistance (I mean, I didn't cry or anything)--most surprisingly with the kid in the wheelchair, which could have been shameless and was instead pretty great. I think it does dodge here and there, and implicitly (which may as well be explicitly) making it about you-know-who in the last few minutes is interesting but a little easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=-VLEPhfEN2M

lol why

life is like a box of sweaters

whoops

https://youtu.be/-VLEPhfEN2M

argh

a niceploitation film

Lol

this thing looks like an SNL skit