Clint Eastwood speech with empty chair upstages Mitt Romney at GOP convention

By Verne Gay


Photo credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara

Political conventions are TV shows, only TV shows, and the one from Tampa last night starred a silver-maned screen icon named Clint Eastwood who drifted wildly off-script, addressed an empty chair, put words in the mouth of an invisible “president” that were vaguely — no, very distinctly — scatological, rambled for 11 minutes, drove event organizers to drink and in the process totally, irrevocably heisted the entire week.

It doesn't matter what stripe your politics are, or whether you thought last night was a victory or disaster, Eastwood stole the night. He stole it with the expertise and facility of a veteran actor who knew exactly what he was doing — stealing a scene, and stealing it with utter conviction.

There is but one thing anyone will remember from this week — one thing and one thing only: The sight of Dirty Harry addressing an empty chair.

Let the big minds address whether this remarkable TV moment was good or bad for the Republican ticket and they already have: Bob Schieffer last night said it was a political disaster, shifting attention from the candidate to a loopy actor addressing an empty chair. His colleague Norah O'Donnell said Friday morning that it was the “not good, the bad and the very ugly.""

But wait! What about us? The viewer — the ones sitting at home, drifting off to sleep, wondering when we'd hear yet another speaker talk about yet another mother who had to drive 130 miles to work, while the kids at home were burning the pancakes? The ones watching Taylor Hicks and saying “I voted for THAT guy!?" 

Instead, we got Clint and it was electrifying — a glorious, bizarre, fun, wild, weird, kooky, incendiary moment that threatened to throw the entire convention into a complete tailspin — and just before the nominee spoke.

Now THAT'S entertainment, friends.

The lasting effect of this? Well, you know the DNC at this very moment is cooking up a comeback and Twitter last night was alive with speculation — Oprah addressing an empty chair in Charlotte? And surely someone at the DNC had this idea — get an empty SUIT on a rack up onstage and have George Clooney address “Mitt Romney.“

Reporters love to criticize/whine about the convention — no news! All scripted! Why even cover this thing?

Last night Clint Eastwood gave them — us — reason to watch. You may never vote for Romney in a million years — or may never vote for Obama in a million. But you will remember Clint Eastwood, and the memory doubtless will be a pleasing one: “Something fun and crazy finally happened at a political convention. Maybe I'll stick around for the mystery guest next time.”

Maria Montessori, a bold life breaking gender boundaries

Maria Montessori, the physician and educator, may not be remembered as a feminist figure, but lived a bold life.

By Laura Edwins, Contributor

In 1907, Italian physician Dr. Maria Montessori opened the first Casa Dei Bambini to work with poor children in the slums of Rome, presenting the world with a living example of her scientific theories of education.

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Doctor Maria Montessori may have given her name to one of the world’s most well known education methods, but the woman behind the philosophy is not a well known feminist figure.

In the early twentieth century Montessori, one of Italy’s first female physicians, was a true trailblazer, rejecting many social norms associated with gender roles in her time.

The daughter of parents who placed a high value on education, as a teenager Montessori enrolled in technical schools where she focused on math and science. Montessori planned to become an engineer, but then decided to study medicine.

RECOMMENDED: Larry Page, P. Diddy, and other famous Montessori grads

Montessori applied to the University of Rome, but was strongly discouraged from attending because of her gender. She enrolled anyway, taking classes in natural sciences, botany, zoology, experimental physics, anatomy, and chemistry. She graduated with her degree in 1896.

According to the American Montessori society, she faced gender discrimination left and right. It was deemed inappropriate for her to attend classes with men while in the presence of a naked body (even when that body was dead), so Montessori did her cadaver dissections after class, alone.

After graduating, Montessori found employment at the university hospital, and began her own practice. She also began her soon-to-be famous research studying how mentally disabled children learn, which would be the foundation for her educational methods for all students.

When Montessori was 36, she founded Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House, an experimental school where she could test her education methods. Rather than teaching the children herself, Montessori trained the teachers and then oversaw their work and observed the students. Her methods, quickly spread, and soon she was training teachers around the world.

Montessori traveled, speaking extensively on her approach to education, and also on women’s rights, and peace. She believed that peace could be taught in education, putting her at odds with Benito Mussolini in Italy. Montessori left her country in 1932 and was later was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize six times.

Even in her personal life, Montessori was unusual for her time. She had one son, Mario, but did not marry his father. Mario Montessori eventually became her collaborator in her studies.

Montessori’s legacy remains her education methods, but with her remarkable life she also stands as a model of a uniquely talented and bold woman. 

LeAnn Rimes enters treatment for anxiety, stress

By Randee Dawn, TODAY contributor


LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian.

Everybody feels stress, but LeAnn Rimes has now entered treatment to deal with it,according to People magazine. 

As the country singer's rep told the magazine, "LeAnn has voluntarily entered a 30 day in-patient treatment facility to cope with anxiety and stress. While there will be speculation regarding her treatment, she is simply there to learn and develop coping mechanisms. While privacy isn't expected, it's certainly appreciated."

Rimes checked in on Wednesday, and she told the magazine she wants to emerge with skills she can use in her daily life. 

"This is just a time for me to emotionally check out for a second and take care of myself and come back in 30 days as the best 30-year-old woman I can be," she said.

Her husband, actor Eddie Cibrian, offered full support. "My wife is the most remarkable and courageous woman I know," he said. "I am so proud of her for having the strength to finally take some time for herself. I will be with her every step of the way."

Rimes intends to continue promoting her newest album, "Spitfire" and performing in a fall tour as she takes breaks from treatment. 

"The facility has granted her permission to keep her weekend tour obligations, as LeAnn doesn't want to disappoint her fans," said her rep. "She will report back after each weekend." 

Prince, Paris Jackson in Gary to mark pop star's birthday

Aug. 29, 2012: Prince, left, and Paris Jackson, son and daughter to the late 
pop icon Michael Jackson, display T-shirts given to them by Gary Mayor Karen 
Freeman-Wilson in Gary, Ind.

GARY, Ind. –  The scene outside the childhood home of Michael Jackson resembled a party as fans joined members of the pop star's family for a vigil Wednesday, which would have been his 54th birthday.

Fans danced to Jackson's music prior to the arrival of his children and mother at the house at 2300 Jackson St. where the King of Pop, his siblings and their parents lived until 1969. In the days after Jackson's death in 2009, the singer's admirers piled stuffed animals, flowers and photos outside the tiny home in Gary.

Among those at the Wednesday night vigil was Andrei Tejada, 32, a Chicago veterinary technician student who expressed pleasure that Jackson's relatives were attending the event.

"They still remember where they started and it shows they appreciate where they started. It's a humbling experience to know they are here," said Tejada, who added she visits the Jackson childhood home once a month.

Other events planned by the family in Gary include a dinner on Friday and a concert on Saturday.

Before the vigil, Jackson's children, 14-year-old Paris and 15-year-old Prince, were given blue "Team Gary" T-shirts by Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson as they posed for pictures at a casino overlooking Lake Michigan.

"We just want you to know how much he meant to us and the city of Gary," the mayor said.

Paris and Prince didn't speak during the brief presentation. Later, in the moments before the vigil was to start, the two signed autographs outside the Jackson home. A large crowd formed around them, with fans shoving books and posters in the teens' faces.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up at the tribute, stopping in the crowd before the vigil to pose for a photo with a Michael Jackson impersonator.

Michael Jackson spent the first 11 years of his life in Gary. The family moved out of the city known for its steel mills after the Jackson 5 struck it big in 1969 with the release of their first album.

Aside from two concerts the Jackson 5 played at West Side High School in 1971, the only time the singer returned to his hometown was in 2003, when plans for a Michael Jackson Performing Arts Center in the city's downtown were announced. It was never built.

"Gary, you are family, you always will be, I love you," Jackson said at the time.

Last week, a Los Angeles judge appointed the pop star's nephew, TJ Jackson, to share guardianship responsibilities for the late singer's three children with family matriarch Katherine Jackson. TJ Jackson was appointed a temporary guardian last month when Katherine Jackson was incommunicado during a stay at an Arizona spa with relatives.

Other family members have said Katherine Jackson was being improperly influenced regarding custody arrangements for the children, but her attorney disputed those claims.

Tropical Storm Isaac cutting path eerily similar to Hurricane Katrina

KEY WEST, Fla. –  Tropical Storm Isaac is gaining strength and cutting a path through the Gulf of Mexico that's eerily similar to the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the region nearly seven years ago to the day.

Isaac’s potential landfall as a Category 2 hurricane as early as Tuesday prompted evacuations along a wide area of the Gulf Coast and sent people out to stock up on staples. As of 5 p.m. EDT Monday, Isaac remained a tropical storm with top sustained winds of 70 mph. Its center was about 255 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and it was moving northwest at 12 mph.

Isaac barreled past the Florida Keys and was rolling northwestward over the open Gulf of Mexico on Monday. The National Hurricane Center predicted it would grow to a hurricane with winds of between 74 and 95 mph over the warm water and possibly hit sometime Tuesday somewhere along a roughly 300-mile stretch from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the edge of the Florida Panhandle.

Tuesday would be one day shy of seven years after Katrina struck catastrophically in 2005, although Katrina was a much stronger Category 5 storm with winds in excess of 157 miles per hour. Isaac is expected to have top winds of around 90 mph when it hits land.

The size of the warning area and the storm's wide bands of rain and wind prompted emergency declarations in four states, and hurricane-tested residents were boarding up homes, stocking up on food and water or getting ready to evacuate.

"I gassed up -- truck and generator," John Corll, 59, a carpenter, said as he left a New Orleans coffee shop Monday morning. He went through Katrina in 2005 and was expecting a weaker storm this time, adding that he thinks the levee system is in better shape to handle a storm surge than when Katrina hit. "I think the state and local governments are much better prepared for the storm surge and emergencies," Corll said.

On the Alabama coast, Billy Cannon, 72, was preparing to evacuate with several cars packed with family and four Chihuahuas from a home on a peninsula in Gulf Shores. Canon, who has lived on the coast for 30 years, said he thinks the order to evacuate Monday was premature.

"If it comes in, it's just going to be a big rain storm. I think they overreacted, but I understand where they're coming from. It's safety," he said.

Although Pensacola seemed less and less likely to get a direct hit, the owners of a Ferris Wheel-like beach attraction were busy Monday removing passenger cabins and readying for a storm they hoped would not prove too disruptive.

"We just want to get back open and get the people back out there," said one of the owners, Todd Schneider.

The storm that left eight dead in Haiti blew past the Florida Keys with little damage and promised a drenching but little more for Tampa, where the planned Monday start of the Republican National Convention was pushed back a day in case Isaac passed closer to the bayside city.

Isaac could pack a watery double punch for the Gulf Coast. If it hits during high tide, Isaac could push floodwaters as deep as 12 feet onto shore in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and up to 6 feet in the Florida Panhandle, while dumping up to 18 inches of rain over the region, the National Weather Service warned.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called a state of emergency, and 53,000 residents of St. Charles Parish near New Orleans were told to leave ahead of the storm. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also declared states of emergency.

The oncoming storm halted work on rigs that account for 24 percent of daily oil production in the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico and 8 percent of daily natural gas production there, the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in its latest update Sunday.

The Gulf of Mexico accounts for 23 percent of total U.S. crude oil production, 7 percent of the nation's natural gas and more than 40 percent of refining capacity.

Several regional governors altered their plans for this week's GOP convention in Tampa. Bentley has canceled his trip, and Jindal said he's likely to do so unless the threat from the storm subsides. Scott gave up a chance to speak.

Amtrak canceled train service in Louisiana for Tuesday and Wednesday. The route that runs from New York to New Orleans would end in Atlanta, while its route from Los Angeles to New Orleans would stop in San Antonio. Amtrak was also suspending part of its rail line between Miami and Orlando, Fla.

Grocery and home improvement stores, as well as fuel stations in Louisiana, reported brisk business as residents sought to prepare for Isaac. Some gas stations were running out of supplies.

Even though the storm was moving well west of Tampa, tropical storm-force winds and heavy rains were possible in the area because of Isaac's large size, forecasters said. A small group of protesters braved rainy weather Sunday and vowed to continue despite the weather, which already forced the Republicans to cancel Monday's opening session of the convention. Instead, the GOP will briefly gavel the gathering to order Monday afternoon and then recess until Tuesday.

The Gulf Coast hasn't been hit by a hurricane since 2008, when Dolly, Ike and Gustav all struck the region.

Before reaching Florida, Isaac was blamed for eight deaths in Haiti and two more in the Dominican Republic, and downed trees and power lines in Cuba.

11 Years Without Aaliyah: A Friend & A Fan Reflect on An Angel

by UrbanBridgez.com in R.I.P


[Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001)]

There are few times in life when you come across someone and know instantly that you are in the presence of greatness. Aaliyah was just that. A genuine, sweet, unpretentious spirit that drew me to her from our first meeting. Her warmth & infectious smile made those around her feel as if they’d known her forever. She needed no particular reason or benefit for being nice to me or others. She just was. Aaliyah was approachable & relatable yet, maintained a mystique that made her that much more intriguing. When we’d go out, fans would swarm. She’d excuse herself, take pictures, never refuse an autograph, answer questions & without missing a beat; pick up where our conversation left off. As we’d walk away, she’d sometimes mention to me how beautiful a fan was or how moved she was by something they’d said.

During my lifetime, I’ve encountered some of the biggest celebrity’s in the world from performing at the Grammy’s with Mariah Carey to regularly working out with Princess Diana in Chelsea Harbor. I’ve seen the “effect” fame has had on many. Aaliyah was NOT changed by her celebrity. She understood & appreciated success & all that came with it; while not allowing it to turn her into someone she wasn’t.

Aaliyah was the perfect name for her as she embodied it’s meaning.When I first learned of her passing, I was devastated & paralyzed with profound sorrow. She was just beginning to flourish & rise to superstardom. I knew that her untimely death meant the world would never get to experience the depth of her talent, charm, charisma and unparalleled beauty; inside & out.

Looking back, I see myself as blessed & lucky to have known her. I feel like one of the chosen one’s to have had her in my life. Many search a lifetime & never get to experience that kind of spirit. In a world where people’s motive & ways are constantly put into question, my time with & memories of Aaliyah remind me how special a life can be, when you live it as she did. The quality & impact of her short years with us will never be forgotten.

Aaliyah was truly “One in a Million”. R.I.P Baby Gurl. I love & miss you.

- Ivan Matias (Songwriter/Producer/Artist)

I remember it like it was yesterday, Thanksgiving 1993. Like every year me and my family were over one of my aunts and after dinner, me and my cousins went into their room to watch BET. When we turned it on there was a special on R. Kelly, highlighting his career up until that point. Half way through the broadcast, Kells introduced his new artist that he had just signed Aaliyah. They were sitting in a diner in Chicago and from the moment they showed her I was in love! Before I heard her speak or I heard that angelic voice in her songs, to me at that time she was just fine! During the broadcast Aaliyah spoke on what it meant to her being signed by R. Kelly and they showed footage of her in the studio laying down tracks for her upcoming debut album “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number.”

It would be the following summer before any music from Aaliyah was released and in May of 1994 “Back & Forth” dropped. I was extremely excited to finally have a single by the girl who I already had a crush on and for her single to be as we use to say at the time “the bomb,” that made it even better. I remember buying the single from my local Musicland and later seeing the video on BET’s Video Soul. I was so mesmerized by her beauty, confidence and hood swag, she was definitely my new favorite singer. I use to bring my walk-man to school and in my English class the teacher was so laid back he would let us listen as we worked on our daily assignment. My friend Ricky and I would always debate who was the bigger Janet Jackson fan to the point our friends would always laugh and give us tests to see who knew more about her. Once Aaliyah came on the scene, that was our new debate — who was the biggest Aaliyah fan! Once her debut album dropped the following month, all of my friends were Aaliyah fans!

In August of 1994, R. Kelly headlined the Budweiser Superfest with other acts like Heavy D, Warren G and Coolio, but I was most excited to see and hopefully meet the shows opening act Aaliyah! The day the show came to Minneapolis, I went and bought the flyest outfit I could find & me and my cousin Kenji headed downtown hours before the show to get our tickets from a scalper. We had learned in the past we could always get better and cheaper seats if we did it that way instead of buying in advance. We had a system where we knew where the tour buses were and how we could meet people working for the artists as well. This time was no different and was actually much better than previous times. We met someone who worked with Coolio, who sold us two front row seats for $20 each! We were geeked, I was going to see Aaliyah live from the front row, you couldn’t tell me ish! However once we made our way to the front of the arena to enter, we noticed a disturbing sign on the front door. “Aaliyah Will Not be Performing Tonight, If You Want A Refund Go to The Counter.” I damn near fell to the ground! Budweiser had dropped Aaliyah from the tour because of her age, the Minneapolis show was the first show after they made the decision, she had performed just the night before in Wisconsin. To say I was extremely disappointed was an understatement. I’ve been to hundreds of concerts and I never got the chance to see Aaliyah live before she passed.

As the years went on and Aaliyah’s career continued to blossom and grow bigger and bigger, my appreciation for her grew even stronger. The follow up album “One In A Million” was the best sophomore release by any artists of that decade next to Mary J Blige’s “My Life.” Timbaland and Missy Elliott took Aaliyah somewhere many knew she could go, but didn’t expect her to go so soon in her music. They created a sound unlike no other and Aaliyah represented it well! I remember seeing her apart of the Tommy Hilfiger campaign in 1997 and being so proud that she was stepping into other areas of the business outside of music. When I heard about her doing “Romeo Must Die” in an interview she did with Honey Magazine I was ecstatic, finally Aaliyah on the big screen, what could be better than that. She nailed that role, I remember going to see it in theaters at least 5 times while it was playing and giving it rave reviews to all my friends and family. When I watched it, I never once felt like I was watching a new actress on the screen, Aaliyah took that role and she owned it! There was nothing amateur about Aaliyah, even when she tried new things, her gift from God was to clearly entertain millions and that she did with ease.

The “Aaliyah” album was a turning point in R&B when it was released in 2001. The 90s were gone and the music was changing, Aaliyah and her contributors Static Major, Timbaland, Missy Elliott & Bud’da all realized that and took her project to the next level. There’s nothing I can say about that release that hasn’t been said a million of times, it was classic! I’ll never forget watching Aaliyah’s last appearance on 106 & Park and thinking how happy and excited she looked. Her vibe was just so relaxed and she was so confident in what she knew the Aaliyah album would do as far as set a trend and be appreciated for the body of work it was. The album was only out a month and like so many “Rock The Boat” was one of my favorites and I was excited to learn she was on her way to The Bahamas to film the video. The lyrical content of the song, Hype Williams directing and Aaliyah in the Bahamas for the visuals, there was no way the video wouldn’t be hot!

There are things in my life I will never forget, no matter how old I get and the early morning of August 25, 2001 is one of those times. I had went out with some friends to a club, in the best of moods to be with good friends, dancing and doing what we did which was act a fool. I remember when I exited the club I had over 10 missed calls and I for the life of me didn’t know why being that it was 3 in the morning. Considering a few was from my brother and a cousin I immediately called my brother back, fearing there was some bad news in the family they were trying to reach me to tell me. Without even listening to my voicemails, I called and the first thing out of his mouth was is Aaliyah dead? I stopped in my tracks as me and my friends were walking to my car and asked him why would he say that? He told me it was on the radio, but he didn’t believe it, he wouldn’t believe it until he saw it on MTV or I confirmed. Thinking it was just another one of those silly rumors that tend to hit the internet here and there. before the days of smart phones, the only way to log onto the internet was a computer. I told my brother to log onto my site (T M H Entertainment at the time) and go to the message board. I told him that if there might be some truth to it, there would be a thread about it, if there was no thread, it was not true. As I was walking to my car, I swear that seemed like the longest few minutes of my life as he got on the computer, logged on the the site and then the forum. By the time I made it to the lot my car was in someone was screaming “Aaliyah died NO!” My friend asked them where they heard it, they said the DJ at the club they attended announced it. As soon as they finished that sentence my brother said there is a thread that says “Aaliyah Died In A Plane Crash” that has 12 pages, which page should I click on. I dropped my phone as I sat down in my car and just held my head down for the longest time, my friends were in shock as well and just kind of stood there and nobody said anything for at least 5 minutes. I later broke down and cried once I made it home and read and saw pictures of the accident online. The first time in my life I had ever cried for someone passing away I had never met.

There was just no one like Aaliyah, her presence, her voice, her style, her swag, her confidence all embodied what every entertainer should have, but there was only one Aaliyah! I thank her family for giving us the angel we still mourn 11 years later. Aaliyah’s music was there in my life at so many turning points and important times in my life from “I Don’t Wanna” her song from the Next Friday soundtrack being one of me and my ex’s song. We had it on our voicemails for each other and sang it to each other often. So many songs in Aaliyah’s catalog hold a special memory for me because whatever she put out, I made sure I bought!

Aaliyah spoke to and for a whole generation, without even saying a word at times. She was the definition of a star and she is truly missed!

- Aries (Founder of UrbanBridgez.com)

Aly Raisman wins gold on floor routine; Gabby Douglas falters on balance beam

Aly Raisman wins gold on floor routine; Gabby Douglas falters on balance beam

View Photo Gallery — Aly Raisman added another gold medal to her London haul with a brilliant final performance on the floor exercise.

By Liz Clarke and Sally Jenkins, Published: August 7

Aly Raisman closed a memorable run at the London Olympics with her second gold medal Tuesday, winning the gold medal in floor exercise to add to the balance-beam bronze she won earlier in the day and the gold she shared with the U.S. team.

It was powerful affirmation of Raisman’s hard work and dedication after laboring so long in the shadow of her more decorated American teammates, Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber. Raisman closes her Games with three medals. Douglas, who finished seventh on the balance beam, won a pair of golds. And Wieber, one.

After gaffes by several contenders, the only gymnast in position to bump the 18-year-old Raisman from the top spot was Sandra Raluca Izbasa of Romania, the defending Olympic champion on the floor, who went last. But on the final tumbling pass of what had been an elegant, impressive routine, the Romanian landed short and fell face-first on the mat, clinching the gold for Raisman, who posted a score of 15.600.

Romania’s Catalina Ponor took silver (15.200). And Russia’s Aliya Mustafina claimed  bronze (14.900).

The Olympics ended on a sad note for Wieber, 16, who had only one chance to earn an individual medal to go with the U.S. team gold she shared. But Wieber stepped out of the mat’s boundaries on her second tumbling pass, incurring a penalty from the judges, and finished with a 14.500 points, struggling to hold back tears.

Nine days earlier, the reigning world all-around champion had missed the cut for the Olympic all-around finals as the third-best American on the day. Countries are limited to two finalists each. And Wieber hadn’t competed since.

Douglas, 16, bows out of the Games with two gold medals — sharing the team title and winning the sport’s most coveted title, the individual all-around. But her efforts to add to that total ended in disappointment as she finished eighth in the uneven bars final Monday and seventh on the balance beam today, incurring a rare fall on the apparatus.

China went 1-2 in the event as Linlin Deng won gold 15.600) and Lu Sui took silver (15.500). Raisman’s routine originally garnered a 14.966, placing her fourth behind Romanian Catalina Ponor. But an appeal was filed and upheld and Raisman’s score was bumped up to 15.066 points, giving her the bronze medal. Douglas scored 13.633.

But despite what she called a “disappointing” conclusion to her first Olympics, the 16-year-old “Flying Squirrel” has two golden reasons to celebrate.

“’Olympic all around’ is going to be attached to my name,” she said. “I’m in the history books.”

Raisman’s brilliance on the mat came less than an hour after suffering the high and lows of Olympic competition during the appeal process. But when the new results were posted, the crowd cheered for the American who helped lead her team to gold last week.

It was a reversal of fortune for Raisman, who five days prior tied Russia’s Aliya Mustafina for third but missed out on a bronzemedal when Mustafina won the tiebreaker.

The floor exercise final traditionally concludes the Olympics gymnastics competition and is a fan favorite, mixing artistry with athleticism.

Marvin Hamlisch, Whose Notes Struck Gold, Dies at 68

By ROB HOERBURGER

 Marvin Hamlisch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who imbued his movie and Broadway scores with pizazz and panache and often found his songs in the upper reaches of the pop charts, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 68 and lived in New York.

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Marvin Hamlisch

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A rehearsal of “A Chorus Line,” with music by Marvin Hamlisch, from 1975.

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Mr. Hamlisch with Barbra Streisand.

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A scene from the final performance of the Broadway musical "A Chorus Line" in 1990. Marvin Hamlisch won a Tony Award for his score to the show.

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Marvin Hamlisch, right, at the piano with the lyricist Howard Ashman in 1986.

He collapsed on Monday after a brief illness, a family friend said.

For a few years starting in 1973, Mr. Hamlisch spent practically as much time accepting awards for his compositions as he did writing them. He is one of a handful of artists to win every major creative prize, some of them numerous times, including an Oscar for “The Way We Were” (1973, shared with the lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman), a Grammyas best new artist (1974), and a Tony and a Pulitzer for “A Chorus Line” (1975, shared with the lyricist Edward Kleban, the director Michael Bennett and the book writers James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante).

All told, he won three Oscars, four Emmys and four Grammys. His omnipresence on awards and talk shows made him one of the last in a line of celebrity composers that included Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach and Stephen Sondheim. Mr. Hamlisch, bespectacled and somewhat gawky, could often appear to be the stereotypical music school nerd — in fact, at 7 he was the youngest student to be accepted to the Juilliard School at the time — but his appearance belied his intelligence and ability to banter easily with the likes of Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. His melodies were sure-footed and sometimes swashbuckling. “One,” from “A Chorus Line,” with its punchy, brassy lines, distills the essence of the Broadway showstopper.

“A Chorus Line,” a backstage musical in which Broadway dancers told their personal stories, started as a series of taped workshops, then evolved into a show that opened at the Public Theater in 1975 and moved to Broadway later that year. It ran for 6,137 performances, the most of any Broadway musical until it was surpassed by “Cats.”

“I have to keep reminding myself that ‘A Chorus Line’ was initially considered weird and off the wall,” Mr. Hamlisch told The New York Times in 1983. “You mustn’t underestimate an audience’s intelligence.” The lyricist Alan Jay Lerner called “A Chorus Line” “the great show business story of our time.”

Mr. Hamlisch had a long association with Barbra Streisandthat began when, at 19, he became a rehearsal pianist for her show “Funny Girl.” Yet he told Current Biography in 1976 that Ms. Streisand was reluctant to record what became the pair’s greatest collaboration, “The Way We Were,” the theme from the 1973 movie of the same name in which Ms. Streisand starred with Robert Redford.

“I had to beg her to sing it,” he said. “She thought it was too simple.”

Mr. Hamlisch prevailed, though, and the song became a No. 1 pop single, an Oscar winner and a signature song for Ms. Streisand. They continued to work together across the decades; Mr. Hamlisch was the musical director for her 1994 tour and again found himself accepting an award for his work, this time an Emmy.

Ms. Streisand said in a statement through her publicist that the world will always remember Mr. Hamlisch’s music, but that it was “his brilliantly quick mind, his generosity and delicious sense of humor that made him a delight to be around.”

Mr. Hamlisch had his second-biggest pop hit with “Nobody Does It Better,” the theme from the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” written with the lyricist Carole Bayer Sager. Carly Simon’s recording of the song reached No. 2 in 1977. Thom Yorke, the lead singer of the band Radiohead,which has performed the song in concert more recently, called it “the sexiest song ever written.”

Yet for all Mr. Hamlisch’s pop success — he and Ms. Bayer Sager also wrote a No. 1 soul hit for Aretha Franklin, “Break It to Me Gently” — his first love was writing for theater and the movies. His score for “The Sting,” which adapted the ragtime music of Scott Joplin, made him a household ubiquity in 1973.

Despite the acclaim he often said he thought his background scores were underappreciated. He said he would love for an audience to “see a movie once without the music” to appreciate how the experience changed. He would go on to write more than 40 movie scores.

Marvin Frederick Hamlisch was born June 2, 1944, in New York . His father, Max, was an accordionist, and at age 5 Mr. Hamlisch was reproducing on the piano songs he heard on the radio; Juilliard soon followed. According to his wife, Terre Blair, he was being groomed as “the next Horowitz,” but when all the doors were closed and everyone was gone he would play show tunes. He performed some concerts and recitals as a teenager at Town Hall and other Manhattan auditoriums, but soon gave up on the idea of being a full-time performer.

“Before every recital, I would violently throw up, lose weight, the veins on my hands would stand out,” he told Current Biography.

He had no such reaction, though, when his song “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” with lyrics by Howard Liebling, became a Top 20 hit in 1965 for Lesley Gore, when Mr. Hamlisch was 21. The movie producer Sam Spiegel heard him playing piano a few years later at a party and as a result Mr. Hamlisch scored his first film, “The Swimmer.”

Mr. Hamlisch soon moved to Los Angeles, and the successes snowballed. But he remained a New Yorker through and through. He once said he liked New York because it was the one place “where you’re allowed to wear a tie.”

Mr. Hamlisch is survived by Ms. Blair, a television broadcaster and producer, whom he married in 1989.

After “A Chorus Line,” Mr. Hamlisch scored another Broadway hit, “They’re Playing Our Song,” based on his relationship with Ms. Bayer Sager (who wrote the lyrics), in 1979. It ran for 1,082 performances. After that, the accolades subsided but the work didn’t. He worked with various lyricists on subesequent musicals, including “Jean Seberg” (1983), which was staged in London but never reached Broadway, and “Smile” (1986), which did reach Broadway but had a very brief run. His most steady work continued to come from the movies. He wrote the background scores for “Ordinary People,” “Sophie’s Choice” and, most recently, “The Informant.” His later theater scores included “The Goodbye Girl” (1993), “Sweet Smell of Success” (2002) and “Imaginary Friends” (2002). He had also completed the scores for an HBO movie based on the life of Liberace, “Behind the Candelabra,” and for a musical based on the Jerry Lewis film “The Nutty Professor,” which opened in Nashville last month.

According to his official Web site, Mr. Hamlisch held the title of pops conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and others.

In more recent years, Mr. Hamlisch became an ambassador for music, traveling the country and performing and giving talks at schools. He often criticized the cuts in arts education.

“I don’t think the American government gets it,” he said during an interview at the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, Calif. “I don’t think they understand it’s as important as math and science. It rounds you out as a person. I think it gives you a love of certain things. You don’t have to become the next great composer. It’s just nice to have heard certain things or to have seen certain things. It’s part of being a human being.”

Despite all his honors, Mr. Hamlisch was always most focused on, and most excited about, his newest project. Ms. Blair said. And, she said, he was always appreciative of his gift: “He used to say, ‘It’s easy to write things that are so self-conscious that they become pretentious, that have a lot of noise. It’s very hard to write a simple melody.’ ”

That coach: Butch May, a 1968 indoor volleyball Olympian who happens to be teammate Misty May-Treanor's father.

"I played Misty when she was hurt," Walsh said, "and he said, 'You serve her every ball.' "

• PHOTOS: All the action from beach volleyball

The tough-minded Americans are demolishing their opponents in London, and are advancing to the Olympic semifinals on a path to their third gold medal. Walsh and May-Treanor beat Italy 21-13, 21-13 on Sunday, and next play Beijing bronze medalists Xue Chen and Zhang Xi. The Chinese pair advanced with a 21-18, 21-11 victory against Austrian sisters Stefanie and Doris Schwaiger earlier Sunday.

Their approach is simple. Crush everyone.

"We want to crush everybody," Walsh said. "We don't care where they're from."

In the other quarterfinals, No. 2 U.S. team April Ross and Jennifer Kessy beat Czechs Marketa Slukova and Kristyna Kolocova. Ross and Kessy will next meet reigning world champions Juliana and Larissa of Brazil, who beat Germans Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig 21-10, 21-19 in the last match Sunday night.

Victories on Tuesday night would set up an all-American final.

On the men's side, Americans Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal were scheduled to play Monday for a spot in the quarterfinals against Latvia. The U.S. men have won three of the first four gold medals since beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996. But defending Olympic champions Todd Rogers andPhil Dalhausser won't play for gold; they were knocked out in the round of 16.

Walsh and May-Treanor have won the last two Olympics, sweeping to the gold medals in Athens and Beijing without losing a set. That's 32 sets in a row over 16 games, including their first two in the round-robin portion of the London Games.

But even before that straight-set streak was broken Wednesday, the two-time defending champions had shown signs of weakness. They lost in Moscow to China in June, then lost in straight sets in Rome to Marta Menegatti and Greta Cicolari, the same Italian pair they met in the Olympic quarterfinals Sunday night.

The Americans are confident they've turned it around.

LONDON (AP) – Kerri Walsh's first beach volleyball coach was relentless and pitiless — a man, she said, who "thought that 21-1 was a close game."

"I think we're a different team. We sold the old team, and we bought a new team," May-Treanor said.

"For scrap," her partner piped in.

Although her nickname is "Six Feet of Sunshine," the smile disappears on the sand, and Walsh can turn downright fierce in the cool London nights.

"I don't want to let our opponents breathe. I don't want to give them an edge," she said after the victory. "I don't want them to feel comfortable for one second out there."

Monday's match lasted 33 minutes, a performance so dominating that it left opponent Menegatti in tears during a changeover.

"She was probably like, 'I don't know what to do,' " May-Treanor said. "And that's how you get teams in trouble."

Menegatti, who's 21, said she grew up idolizing May-Treanor. The Italians have only been playing together for three years, and their goal had been to qualify for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"She's a young player, and she'll learn" to control her emotions, May-Treanor said. "She has no reason to hold her head down whatsoever."

Remembering Kirk Urso

By: Adam Jardy

Kirk Urso’s all-too-short tenure with the Crew officially kicked off with a text message from his brother. When he was selected by the Crew in the Jan. 17 supplemental draft, the North Carolina product was in the training room at his school being attended to by one of the school’s trainers when his phone let him know that he had a shot to make the club’s roster.

A supplemental pick is anything but a guarantee to make a MLS roster, but Urso sounded every bit confident when I caught up with him shortly thereafter.

When I pointed out that the Crew’s roster was currently in excess of the league maximum, he responded, “That’s how the league is and that’s how you’re going to have to fight wherever you go. I’m used to that. I was in residency for two years. I came to the best program here at UNC and had to fight for a spot every year. I’m used to that and I’m going to be focused on myself and playing the best game I can play. I hope at the end of it I get signed, but I’m really just going to be focused on the day-to-day stuff.”

His ability to focus on the day-to-day stuff won Urso a spot on the roster and a place in the starting lineup for the first five matches of the season. That in itself was impressive, but it was also Urso’s ability to be critical of himself and expect more when he struggled on the field that rang impressive to me.

Asking a player about not playing well is a dicey proposition, especially when you are new to a beat and a team. To his credit, Urso was among the most available members of the Crew roster when healthy regardless of how things were going for him on the field.

“There were a few things that obviously shouldn’t have happened and things I need to cut out of my play but overall I think I had some positive moments,” he said of his debut. “I thought I connected pretty well. I can definitely connect better but I competed well in there, broke up some plays and put in some good services. There were some positives but obviously I understand I’m a rookie and I need to improve. I think I’ll pick it up. I just need to continue to work at it and I think I’m coming along.”

The day Urso was drafted, UNC head coach Carlos Somoano kept using the word “winner” when describing his four-year standout.

“Kirk’s a winner,” he told me. “He’s been to four consecutive college cups at UNC. He’s always played his best down the stretch in the playoffs and come up with big plays to win games. He does a lot of little things that may go unnoticed for some people, but he’s just a winner.”

As has been the case for much of the Crew’s roster this season, however, injuries caught up with Urso and forced him to the sideline after losing his starting spot. Just last week it occurred to me to ask head coach Robert Warzycha about Urso’s rehab, and he said the midfielder was some time from returning to action.

It had been a bumpy time so far with the Crew, but something Somoano told me on draft day had me anxious to see how Urso would respond to the adversity.

“I think the most important thing for Kirk is not necessarily that but probably just more his personality,” he said. “I think that’s what drove him to his success is the kind of personality that he had. He’s a tough kid who just wants to win and doesn’t accept anything else. He doesn’t take no for an answer, doesn’t accept failure. He’s kind of a perfectionist so he gets frustrated and down but in a way that motivates him. That was probably the overriding quality that drove him to his success as opposed to his experiences.”

That is just one part of what has made today such a difficult day to digest. As the tributes have poured in from across the globe but especially from within the Crew’s locker room, it becomes obvious that Urso left impressions on those he encountered that will last much longer than his time on the field would indicate.

I can’t profess to know him as well as those he has shared a practice field or locker room with. I can’t say I know exactly how his career would have panned out, be it with the Crew or elsewhere.

But I can say that I am genuinely sad not to get the chance to find out.