MEL BROOKS

Comedian Freddie Roman, the former dean of The Friars Club and a staple of the Catskills comedy scene, has died.

Peter O’Toole was famed for his commanding, Oscar-nominated turns. Mark Linn-Baker was a fledgling stage actor. Richard Benjamin, who’d made a leading-man splash in “Portnoy’s Complaint” and “Westworld,” had a few TV directing credits.

A snapshot of popular books.

This week’s new entertainment releases include albums from Charlie Puth and The Cult, Mila Kunis starring in the Netflix thriller “Luckiest Girl Alive,” and “30 Rock” star Jack McBrayer leading the second season of “Hello, Jack.

“Norman has so much to give us, I don’t think 100 is nearly enough," says Lear's close friend Mel Brooks.

The Marvel sequel “Thor: Love & Thunder” dropped a hefty 68% in its second weekend of release but still held the top spot at the box office.

Michael Cera and Samuel L. Jackson star in an animated version of "Blazing Saddles" with cats and dogs.

In the documentary "The Automat," filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz examines the history of the defunct Horn & Hardart cafeteria chain.

Lisa Hurwitz’s ode to the Horn & Hardart restaurants—featuring Mel Brooks, Elliott Gould, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—depicts cheap dining as a theatrical experience.

Betty White died from a stroke she had six days before her Dec. 31 death at age 99, according to her death certificate.

Leave it to Mel Brooks to blurb his own memoir.

It is still good to be the king.

WASHINGTON — Mel Brooks, an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker, has written his first memoir titled “All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business.”Ballantine Books announced on Aug. 4, 2021, that they have acquired and will publish the comedy legend’s upcoming 400-page memoir, as per reports. In the book, the director, producer, writer, and actor will talk about growing up in Brooklyn during the Depression-era; from serving in the military during World War II to being a teenage comedian in the Catskills. The 95-year-old star will also chronicle his eventual journey to Hollywood and Broadway and detail the ground-breaking moments from his career, from co-creating the classic television series “Get Smart” to his Tony-winning musical, “The Producers” which also secured him an Oscar for best screenplay.

If anyone has a right to tell his story, it's Mel Brooks.

Leachman died in her sleep of natural causes at her home in Encinitas, California, publicist Monique Moss said Wednesday. “Nothing I could say would top the enormity of my love for you,” posted Ed Asner of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show." In 1989, Leachman toured in “Grandma Moses,” a play in which she aged from 45 to 101. Phyllis was so unexpectedly engaging that Leachman starred in a spinoff series of her own, “Phyllis,” which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1977. Cloris Leachman grew up on the outskirts of Des Moines, Iowa, where she was born in 1926.

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

FILE - In this May 26, 1963 file photo, Carl Reiner shows holds two Emmy statuettes presented to him as best comedy writer for the "Dick Van Dyke Show," during the annual Emmy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a second banana to Sid Caesar and rose to comedys front ranks as creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show and straight man to Mel Brooks 2000 Year Old Man, has died, according to reports. It starred Van Dyke as a television comedy writer working for a demanding, eccentric boss (Reiner) and living with his wife (Mary Tyler Moore in her first major TV role) and young son in suburban New Rochelle, New York. The Van Dyke show is probably the most thrilling of my accomplishments because that was very, very personal, Reiner once said. Reiner is the father of actor-director Rob Reiner.

(AP Photo/Harold Filan, File)NEW YORK Carl Reiner, who died Monday at 98, was the rare untortured genius of comedy, his career a story of laughter and camaraderie, of innovation and triumph and affection. Reiner died of natural causes at his Beverly Hills, California home, assistant Judy Nagy said. But CBS executives worried that Reiner would make Petrie seem too Jewish, so Van Dyke was cast instead. First lady Michelle Obama once joked that she preferred watching Dick Van Dyke to viewing her husbands debates. Reiner was the father of actor-director Rob Reiner, who starred as Archie Bunkers son-in-law on All in the Family and directed When Harry Met Sally... Rob Reiner said in a tweet Tuesday that his heart is hurting.

AdvertisementA Deeply Felt ConnectionEl Paso is a beacon for Mexican Americans, and the massacre there has resonated especially in Southern California. Back in El Paso, all the streets echo our names, says Gabriel Tenorio, a 46-year-old transplant who now lives in Boyle Heights. The result: listings for accessories for high-capacity magazines (banned in California) and vintage AK-47 bayonets (officially banned on the site). (The Cut)ONLY IN L.A.Meet the former diplomat and veteran soap opera producer who plans to serve as Californias film ambassador. One of her top goals: getting more money allocated each year to the states film and TV tax credit program.