Friday, July 27, 2012

The "Palin Da Ass" Visits Chick-Fil-A!

I can see Wasilla from here! 
Former Alaskan governor and now serial conservative agitator Sarah Palin wraps her dumb ass into the controversy involving fast food chain Chick-Fil-A. The company is under fire for its founder and company's CEO stance on gay marriage. 

The Republicans are rallying in defense of the restaurant. While many Americans are starting to warm up to the equal rights of the LGBT community, conservatives are still fighting on the culture war. Preparing themselves for the complete isolationist strategy that could damage their nominee for president, Mitt Romney.

Sarah Palin has been out of office for many years and yet her influence on the 2012 U.S. Presidential Elections is effective. Her influence as a "queen maker" helped the Republicans get back the House of Representatives and state governorships. Many supporters hoped that she would jump into the nomination race. They were disappointed that she decided not to run. Palin and her family manages to continue as reality stars of television programs and the former governor contributes to Fox News.

Chick-Fil-A is facing mounting pressure to recant their stance on gay marriage. So far the company isn't budging on the issue. Many activists are planning a boycott or support of the company.

Former governor of Arkansas, conservative agitator Mike Huckabee told his audience that he's going to devote a day to eating at the restaurant. Conservative agitator Rush Limbaugh calls the mayors of Chicago and Boston, "Stalinist" for rejecting permits to build restaurants in their cities. Even Alan Colmes, the liberal talk radio agitator from Fox News supports going to Chick-Fil-A as well.

Sarah Palin is campaigning for the Tea Party endorsed candidate Ted Cruz who is facing a run off election against his primary challenger. They are fighting for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat. The senator is retiring after she was embarrassed by that idiotic governor Rick Perry in the Texas gubernatorial primary.

The boycott is a growing movement. New York University wants to ban the restaurant from being on the campus. Many activists are planning a rally against the company. They'll be met with people who support the business and they'll be there!

Don Perry the public relations executive for Chick-Fil-A dies unexpectedly.

Another issue that comes forth, the public relation chief Don Perry dies unexpectedly. Our condolences to the family of Mr. Perry. The Los Angeles Times report that the death of a top Chick-fil-A executive added to the fast-food chain's difficulties in trying to extricate itself from the public relations imbroglio ignited by its president's comments on same-sex marriage.


Chick-fil-A announced Perry's death hours after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a staunch supporter of same-sex marriage, refused to ban the company from opening restaurants in his city.

Bloomberg's comments, made in a radio broadcast, came after the mayors of Boston, Chicago and San Francisco said they didn't want Chick-fil-A outlets in their cities. Bloomberg said the chain could expand in New York as long as it passed through the same permitting requirements as any other company.

"I just don't think it's the government's business, period," Bloomberg said of threats to block the chain. "This is just a bad idea, and it's not going to happen in New York City."

But Chick-fil-A might find it difficult to grow on certain college campuses. Students at seven universities, including the University of Illinois, the University of Kansas and Minnesota State University, launched petitions on Change.org this week to try to remove the restaurants from their campuses or keep them from coming.

Students at New York University have long known about the company's conservative views — the chain has donated money to anti-gay-marriage groups — and had a petition pending to kick out the on-campus Chick-fil-A. In the aftermath of the same-sex controversy, the number of signatures surged by as much as 2,500 to more than 15,000.

In Orange County, protesters outside a store Thursday in Laguna Hills tried to divert customers to other fast food outlets.

Actors Roseanne Barr, Ed Helms and Mia Farrow took to Twitter to express their disappointment in Chick-fil-A. Jim Henson Co. pulled out of a partnership with the company to make toys for its kids' meals. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, along with thousands of fellow customers, said he would boycott the chain.

On the opposite side, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum showed support by taking his children to a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Conservative commentator Michelle Malkin called the backlash "chilling."



Black Couple Denied Marriage By A Southern Baptist Church!

Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson's wedding banned because they are black
Denied a marriage, Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson are expressing outrage over their church's ultra-conservative members rejecting Black couples from getting married.
The first ever Black leader of the Southern Baptist Church Fred Luter has a lot of baggage on his hands. The most conservative Christian domination in the United States is still a little uneasy about the addition of Black people into their folds. We here at Journal de la Reyna will talk about in the ongoing struggle for social justice. A Black couple in Mississippi regularly attends at a local church and had plans on getting married. It's marred with controversy.

They were turned away after the pastor raised concerns about his congregation and their feelings towards Blacks. According to the WLBT, a NBC affiliate television station out of Jackson, Mississippi, Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson were planning their big day, but the couple says the church where they were planning to wed turned them away because of their race.

Now, the couple wants answers, and the church's pastor is questioning the mindset of some of members of his congregation who caused the problem in the first place.

They had set the date and printed and mailed out all the invitations, but the day before wedding bells were to ring for Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson, they say they got some bad news from the pastor.

"The church congregation had decided no black could be married at that church, and that if he went on to marry her, then they would vote him out the church," said Charles Wilson.

The Wilsons were trying to get married at the predominantly white First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs -- a church they attend regularly, but are not members of.

"He had people in the sanctuary that were pitching a fit about us being a black couple," said Te'Andrea Wilson. "I didn't like it at all, because I wasn't brought up to be racist. I was brought up to love and care for everybody."

The church's pastor, Dr. Stan Weatherford, says he was taken by surprise by what he calls a small minority against the black marriage at the church.

"This had never been done before here, so it was setting a new precedent, and there are those who reacted to that because of that," said Weatherford.

Weatherford went on and performed the wedding at a nearby church.

"I didn't want to have a controversy within the church, and I didn't want a controversy to affect the wedding of Charles and Te' Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day," said Weatherford.

After months of planning, the newlyweds say they had no choice but to go through with the wedding at the new location, but they still can't understand why a church would ban their wedding because of race.

"I blame the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, I blame those members who knew and call themselves Christians and didn't stand up," said Charles Wilson.

Church officials say they welcome any race into their congregation. They now plan to hold internal meetings on how to move forward, should this situation occur again.

"I was prepared to go ahead and do the wedding here just like it was planned, and just like we agreed to," said Weatherford. "I was just looking for an opportunity to be able to address a need within our congregation and at the same time minister to them."

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Special Olympics!

Mitt Romney fumbles overseas. 
Back in 2009, Republicans and their conservative allies were pleased that Chicago wasn't in the running for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Drudge Report and conservative talk radio were so gleeful they've splashed the internet trouncing on President Barack Obama claiming that "he was hated by the world" and the "rock star ego" was over!

Hence forth, four years later, one Republican nominee. The presumptive nominee, the perennial candidate for president, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney goes overseas.

Mitt Romney is going to show off his foreign relation skills. He is to go to Israel, the United Kingdom and Poland. Each holding a conservative leader.

His first trip to the United Kingdom as a nominee was bad. Really bad. He practically handed President Barack Obama another opening. As a vulnerable president, Obama is hoping that Romney will implode so badly, the Republicans will lose enthusiasm towards him. The Guardian has reported that many leaders in the United Kingdom were sort of disappointed with Mitt Romney.

Off the cuff, Romney complained the people of London weren't prepared for the 2012 Summer Olympics. That comment landed at the mayor's desk. Boris Johnson, the mayor of 8.3 million shot back at the Republican candidate. He spoke before a crowd of 60,000 in Hyde Park. "There is a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Yes, we are," he declared.

He screwed up so bad, the United Kingdom's Conservative Party and the party's leader Prime Minister David Cameron were a bit unease with the nominee. Prime Minister David Cameron wasted no time in rebuking Romney hours after his remarks were broadcast. On a visit to the Olympic Park, the prime minister said: "We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere."

Mitt Romney with Prime Minister David Cameron, the UK Conservative Party's national leader.

Romney went off and blabbed about his visit at the Secret Foreign Intelligence Service (MI6) and apparently its against protocol and national security. The U.K. Secret Foreign Intelligence Service whose existence was only acknowledged by the British government in 1994 remained confidential until Mitt Romney told the press the meeting. Such conversations are not normally discussed publicly by government leaders.

"I can only say that I appreciated the insights and the perspectives of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of MI6 as we discussed Syria and hoped for a more peaceful future for that country," he said.

Romney also seemed to make his political digs at President Barack Obama personal. According to the Huffington Post, Romney broke the longstanding rule for U.S. politicians not to criticize the president overseas. At a fundraiser for American expats, he reportedly said, "I'm looking forward to the bust of Winston Churchill being in the Oval Office again," referring to the White House returning the artwork to the British Embassy in early 2009. President Barack Obama replaced it with a bust of Abraham Lincoln.

London mayor Boris Johnson works the crowd attending the pre-ceremonial Olympic games.  Johnson jabs Romney over his remarks of London not being prepared for the Summer Games.


Romney also met Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition Labour party. Miliband took questions from two reporters from what he called "my side", but Romney would not take questions from US journalists. At one point, Romney called Miliband "Mr Leader", which prompted suggestions he had forgotten Miliband's name.

There were also meetings with foreign secretary William Hague, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and former PM Tony Blair.

His campaign team claimed the event took $2 million in political donations, but there were reports earlier that ticket prices had been lowered, and that some people had been offered free passes.

I would say this isn't going to please his conservative allies. They'll hope the controversy will go away when the July job report numbers show little to no growth in the United States economy.


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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Anaheim: Police Shooting Of Unarmed Citizen Sparks Riot!


Matt Drudge and the his cabal of racist jackasses click to the story. Add their usual word salad of insults towards Blacks, Hispanics, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, and you got a real swingers party.

The last time a riot broke out in a city and the media covered it was the costly and yet deadly Los Angeles riots of 1992. I am guessing that conservatives are trying to get the ball running on this story. Unfortunately, the media is covering that white guy who shot up a suburban movie theater. The Drudge Report and likely a conservative agitator will address this as the LA Riots in the age of Barack Obama.

By Doug Irving, Eric Carpenter, Sean Emery and Micheal Mello of the Orange County Register are covering the riots and they've reported that a handful of citizens were arrested after a melee broke out in the California  city of Anaheim. Police officers shot an unarmed person and I am assuming that the U.S. Justice Department and FBI are looking into the matter.

Remember that conservatives and White supremacists are rooting for an all out race war. They want the Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos to get riled up and destroy property. In turn they can claim that it's those evil traitors (uh, the progressives, the Democratic Party, President Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Nancy Pelosi) rooting on chaos while "patriots" like Mitt Romney and Darrell Issa are willing to help these "folks" get off the dependency of government.


They've reported that more than 20 people under arrest, police reported restoring order Wednesday  morning after a fourth day of clashes between officers and protesters angry over two fatal officer-involved shootings in Anaheim last weekend.

At least five people were reported hurt in the unrest, with crowds setting fires, smashing windows and throwing rocks and other projectiles at officers in riot gear who fired non-lethal rounds at demonstrators refusing to disperse.


One person was taken to a hospital after being struck in the head with a pepper ball fired by police. Two Register reporters were injured – one was hit in the head with a rock and the other hit in the foot with a projectile. Both will get medical attention today.

A police officer suffered a minor arm injury, said Sgt. Bob Dunn, an Anaheim police spokesman.
Manuel Diaz, 25 was gunned down by the Anaheim Police. He was a petty criminal a citizen that was unarmed when the police confronted him. The officers claimed that he held something in waistband and they opened fire.
Additionally, one person was injured during a fight among protesters.


Police battled "pockets of unrest" in downtown Anaheim late Tuesday night, hours after a large crowd attempting to get inside City Hall broke into violent protest.

About 20 minutes before Tuesday's 5 p.m. City Council meeting, a 200-strong crowd tried to get inside the packed City Hall.

They were rebuffed by police officers who cited fire standards and would not let anyone else into the crowded council chambers, where the council held its regular meeting and talked about what the crowd was upset about: two police shootings over the weekend.

A half-dozen officers blocked City Hall's entrance, while the crowd gathered around and hurled obscenities.

As the crowd pressed closer, officers with helmets and batons came out the front door and pushed the protesters back, angering them.

After several minutes, some protesters called for everyone to hit the street.

For the next five-hours-plus, the tug of war between protesters and police persisted.

The crowd marched along Anaheim Boulevard to Lincoln Avenue, going into the street and blocking traffic.

Some pounded traffic signs and pulled trash cans into the street, while others pulled back the cans. One man with a bullhorn shouted how the protest was to be peaceful. A boy spray-painted a utility box. Some protesters grabbed sand from flower beds and a traffic cone and threw them at officers.

Anaheim police were assisted by officers from Garden Grove, Tustin, Brea, Fullerton and other agencies.

About 7:40, police lined across Broadway and in front of City Hall in riot gear. The crowd, now 500 strong and peaceful, stood about. Women with strollers came out to take a look. A church handed out fliers, "Jesus loves you. Come to our church."

At 8 p.m., police from a helicopter's speaker told the crowd to leave the Broadway/Anaheim Boulevard intersection or face arrest. Few, if any, budged.

Authorities announced a dispersal order at Anaheim and Broadway shortly before 9 p.m., then released pepper balls at the feet of the protesters, prompting the crowd to move rapidly away.

Some regrouped nearby, while others scattered throughout downtown.

Police took at least five people into custody, one for resisting arrest, said Sgt. Bob Dunn. A fight between demonstrators left one person "significantly injured," but the victim is expected to survive.

Rocks were thrown at police throughout the protests. Officers deployed bean bags and pepper balls.

Numerous trash bin fires in nearby neighborhoods were reported throughout the evening. The crowd also broke windows to some downtown businesses, including a Starbucks.

Earlier in the evening, four or five men were seen filling 1-gallon glass bottles with gasoline and placing rags in them at an Arco Station at Anaheim Boulevard and Broadway, said Jon Dunton, a legal representative for the business. Police were called and directed employees to shut down the pumps.

While the number of protesters decreased throughout the night, police said those who remained were "intent on causing trouble."

"They seem to be destructive," Dunn said.



Police expected to remain on alert throughout the night. By 10:30 p.m. the large groups had dispersed, but there were more than 100 scattered protesters causing "pockets of unrest" in the downtown area, Dunn said.

"We hope to restore order by the morning," Dunn said.

Tim Pool, an independent journalist who goes by Timcast on Ustream and Twitter, did a live webcast from the Anaheim protests.

On his webcast, at least six fires could be seen within about 45 minutes. The fires were in a trash bin, on the side of roads and alleys and inside a garbage can, which melted. He also witnessed a woman being struck in the legs.

Pool stayed behind police lines for most of the night, but when he veered out, he was fired upon with pepper balls and impact rounds, despite showing a press pass, he said. As of 10:35 p.m., he was unable to get back to the action.

Earlier in the day, the Anaheim Police Association said that the Anaheim officer who fired a fatal shot at an unarmed man this weekend saw some kind of object in the man's waistband and feared it was a weapon.

The association's account, and a $50 million lawsuit filed by the man's mother, offered new details about the shooting that killed 25-year-old Manuel Angel Diaz. An attorney for Diaz's mother said he was shot in the back, then fell to his knees and was shot again in the head.

Police have described Diaz as a known gang member and said he fled on foot down a residential alleyway when officers approached him Saturday afternoon. They have declined to speak in any more detail about what led to the shooting.

The next day, an Anaheim gang officer shot and killed another man, Joel Mathew Acevedo, 21, in an unrelated incident. Police also described Acevedo as a known gang member and said he opened fire on officers during a foot chase.

The back-to-back shootings have sparked several demonstrations.

"The community is scared and angry," said Joanne Sosa, who helped organize Tuesday's protest. "We don't want violence, we just want those people (in City Hall) to know things need to change."

Diaz was talking with friends when police confronted them, according to an attorney representing Diaz's mother in her lawsuit against the city. All three ran, and two officers chased Diaz, attorney Dana Douglas said in a statement.

One of the officers had recognized Diaz as a known gang member and saw him holding a "concealed object" in his waistband with both hands, according to the police association. He ignored their orders to stop running, then pulled the object from his waistband and turned toward the officers, the association said.

"Feeling that Diaz was drawing a weapon, the officer opened fire on Diaz to stop the threat," the association said in its statement. Anaheim police said after the shooting that Diaz was not armed; the association declined to say what the object that the officer reported seeing was.

The attorney for Diaz's mother called that account of the shooting an "absolute fabrication." She said Diaz was shot in the back and the back of the head, so it would have been "physically impossible" for him to have turned toward the officers. She also said no witnesses she interviewed had seen Diaz turn.

A city spokeswoman did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Douglas said she also filed a formal claim for damages against the city, a precursor to a lawsuit in state court.

The day after Diaz was killed, a gang investigator patrolling a nearby neighborhood saw a stolen vehicle and tried to pull it over, according to the police association. The driver instead led officers on a short pursuit and crashed; three people got out and ran.

One of them, Acevedo, turned during the chase and fired a handgun at an officer, the police association said.


The officer returned fire, killing him. A handgun was recovered next to his body.


Russia Today is possibly the most trusted news in the world.
Court records show that Acevedo pleaded guilty in 2010 to resisting a peace officer and in 2009 to street terrorism and receiving stolen property. Diaz pleaded guilty in 2011 to drug charges and in 2008 to having a firearm on school grounds, with a street-gang enhancement, records show.

The two shootings in two days brought to six the number of officer-involved shootings in Anaheim so far this year; five were fatal.

Officers fired bean bags and pepper spray into a group of protesters that had gathered near the scene of the Diaz shooting Saturday. A police dog also escaped its handler and charged into the crowd.

"It's wrong what the police are doing. It's like it's 'shoot to kill' now," said Pauline Miltimore, who joined Tuesday's protest outside City Hall and said she was Acevedo's cousin. "Even if it doesn't make a difference, I have to (protest). It broke my heart when I found out."

The FBI is reviewing whether a civil-rights investigation is warranted after the two shootings, spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. City leaders have also invited the state Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate.

The District Attorney's Office is investigating both shootings, which is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings.





Love Thy Father... Aurora Shooting Tragedy!

Gordon Cowden was a loving father of teenage children. At the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, gunman James Holmes opened fired killing him and eleven others. 
The Aurora shooting tragedy has claimed twelve lives. The American movie theater was the place where a deranged gunman opened fire on a crowd of moviegoers attending the Batman: The Dark Knight Rises premiere a week ago. Warner Bros., producer Christian Nolan, actors Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman and  Anne Hathaway all send condolences to the victims of this horrible tragedy. 

The movie features Batman taking on Selena Kyle (Catwoman) and mercenary Bane. The movie is slated to take in nearly $1 billion in ticket sales. With the movie was the thought of thousands of fans waiting for midnight showings.

Remembered: The memorial service for movie theater shooting victim Gordon CowdenMidnight showings are a common theme of movie theaters who want to rake in thousands of dollars in first run features that are slated to be huge draws. The Dark Knight Rises,The Avengers, The Amazing Spiderman, the upcoming Twilight movie, the upcoming Superman and Transformer movies are expected to draw millions in the coming years. These movies are always guaranteed to take in a huge opening.

This tragedy has opened up the debate over gun control. This tragedy has opened up the controversial issue because of the firearms used by James Holmes were considered once banned by the 1993 Assault Weapons Ban that was signed into law by then President Bill Clinton.

We focus on Gordon Cowden, a father who was killed during the tragedy. All Gordon wanted to do was to give his teenage children to see the premiere when James Holmes opened fire on the family. He was killed in front of his children. This callous young man right now may face the death penalty for this tragedy. As the Gordon is laid to rest, the world will at least know a little bit about him.

According to The Daily Mail Gordon Cowden, 51, was the oldest of the 12 people killed when a gunman opened fire at the Dark Knight Rises midnight showing last Friday. His teenage children escaped unharmed after they had gone with their father to see the blockbuster. 
Shock: The three daughters and ex-wife of Gordon Cowden leave the Pathways Church in Denver, Colorado after attending the memorial service for the 51-year-old
Gordon leaves behind a wife, a son and three daughters.
Mr Cowden lived in Aurora, the Denver suburb where the theater is located. A family statement described him as a 'true Texas gentleman' who loved the outdoors and owned his own business.


The memorial was also attended by Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan and Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates.
Later this week, families of other victims planned to say their final goodbyes.


His family said in a statement: 'A quick-witted world traveler with a keen sense of humor, he will be remembered for his devotion to his children and for always trying his best to do the right thing, no matter the obstacle.'

Carrying flowers and passing a large portrait of Cowden, about 150 mourners gathered for the memorial at a Denver church. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper paused at the photo before entering the church.



Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Ice-T Goes O.G. On Rush Limbaugh!

Ice-T is the "Original Gangsta"

In the wake of the Aurora shooting tragedy, many are coming to grips to how such a young man who had an inspiring future could become a killer. James Holmes, opened fired on moviegoers a week ago killing 12 injuring over 60. The rush to judgment argument comes in the form of blaming political views for the tragedy.

Conservatives are riled up over the fact that they're always blamed for anything that involves a mass shooting incident and the shooter happens to be a White person. They complain that media figures accuse conservatives of being responsible for inspiring mass shooters.

With all the overheated anti-Obama rhetoric, one is to believe that someone's who soaks up this rhetoric isn't prone to attack another person based on political affiliation.

Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Sean Hannity and Michelle Malkin are front and center working at the crank up outrage machine. They're screaming at the top of their overpaid lungs that those evil traitors (uh I meant liberals and President Barack Obama) are blaming the Tea Party and "patriotic" Americans such as them for the gunman who mercilessly gunned down innocent victims.

Rapper Ice-T (Tracey Marrow), is the original gangsta (O.G.). The actor/rapper/media mogul is married to reality star and buxom beauty Coco Austin. The couple have been in the news lately for their reality television series Ice Loves Coco and they're attracting a strong following. Ice-T is the main star off the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He's written a bestseller book based off his life as one of the country's most controversial rappers. He released eight albums under his name and numerous others with his group Body Count and his secondary group Sex Money & Gunz.

Ice-T has been a thorn to the conservative movement. When his group Body Count released the anti-police single Cop Killer, many activists including L. Brent Bozell and C. Delores Tucker were determined to put the chill on Ice-T.

Ice-T, Tupac Shakur, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas and Ludacris were subjected to boycotts by conservative activism.

Rush Limbaugh hits President Barack Obama over his statements of concern with firearms in the hands of the mentally insane. Limbaugh believes that the president's hasty reaction to blaming the firearm industry could disadvantage law abiding citizens from owning firearms. He took to notice to Ice-T's comments about "tyranny" when the government comes for the guns.

                             


According to the Huffington Post, Ice-T has some major beef with Rush Limbaugh, after the radio host marveled that he knew the meaning of the word "tyranny" on Tuesday.

Ice-T recently defended gun ownership in an interview on London news, calling the right to bear arms "the last form of defense against tyranny." Limbaugh praised his stance on the issue, but found his use of the word "tyranny" with a British "sophisticate" especially remarkable.

"He knew the word 'tyranny,'" Limbaugh said. "And he knows that tyranny comes from government representatives. Double impressive."

Ice-T did not take kindly to his remarks. “Rush Limbaugh said he was impressed I knew the word 'tyranny'... He's a racist piece of sh--,” on the rapper's official Twitter page.

Later, he responded to some of the replies, saying "Hahah some of y'all are saying Limbaugh is not racist?? Check this” and linked to an article called "Top 10 Racist Limbaugh Quotes." He also directed fans of Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly to "UNFOLLOW now."


Courtesy of Comedy Central (The Colbert Report)




Sherman Hemsley Passes Away


                       
It was reported that Sherman Hemsley, the sarcastic comedian of the breakout television show The Jeffersons, died on Tuesday. He was 74 years old according to the Washington Post. He never married and had no children.

The Jeffersons a spin-off of All In The Family rose to top prominence with issues that tackled drugs, suicide, poverty, racism. gun violence and social themes. With a catchy theme song "We're Movin' On Up!", people got accustomed to George Jefferson, wife Louise (Weezy), son Lionel, housekeeper Florence and the neighbors of the East New York deluxe apartment.

Sherman Hemsley grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He dropped out of school and joined the United States Air Force, where he served for four years. On leaving the Air Force, he returned to Philadelphia where he worked for the Post Office during the day while attending acting school at night. He then moved to New York, continuing to work for the Post Office during the day while working as an actor at night.

Sherman Hemsley performed with local groups in Philadelphia before moving to New York to study with Lloyd Richards at the Negro Ensemble Company. Shortly after, he joined Vinnette Carroll's Urban Arts Company appearing in these productions: But Never Jam Today, The Lottery, Old Judge Mose is Dead, Moon On A Rainbow Shawl, Step Lively Boys, Croesus, and The Witch. He made his Broadway debut in Purlie and toured with the show for a year. In the summer of 1972 he joined the Vinnette Carroll musical Sorry, I Can't Cope ensemble in Toronto, followed a month later in the American Conservatory Theater production at the Geary Theater. This production had Hemsley in Act I performing the solo "Lookin' Over From Your Side" and in "Sermon" in Act II.

George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) and Weezy (Isabel Sanford)

Though Hemsley was largely typecast as George Jefferson, he continued to work steadily after the show's cancellation. He teamed up with the show's original cast members when The Jeffersons moved to Broadway for a brief period.

Hemsley joined the cast of NBC's Amen in 1986 as Ernest Frye, an unscrupulous church deacon much like his George Jefferson character. The show enjoyed a run of five seasons, ending in 1991. Hemsley then was a voice actor in the ABC live-action puppet series Dinosaurs, where he played Bradley P. Richfield, main character Earl's sadistic boss. The show ran for five seasons, ending in 1994.

Hemsley largely retired from television acting, although he and Isabel Sanford appeared together in the late 1990s and in the early 2000s, reprising their roles in guest spots on television programs such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, commercials for The Gap, Old Navy and Denny's, and dry cleaning conventions. He and Sanford also made a cameo appearance in the film Sprung. They continued to work together on occasion until Sanford began having health problems leading to her death in 2004.

With Marla Gibbs who played wise cracking housekeeper Florence Johnston, Hemlsey and Sanford were a part of American television's iconic show The Jeffersons.

In recent years prior to his death, Hemsley has made a voice appearance as himself in the Seth McFarlane animated comedy Family Guy. He appeared in the film American Pie Presents: The Book of Love. In 2011, he reprised his role as George Jefferson once again, along with Marla Gibbs as Florence Johnston in Tyler Perry's House of Payne.


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