RIP: Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt, who captivated audiences around the world with sultry performances as a singer, dancer and actress, died on Thursday at the age of 81. Kitt died of colon cancer for which she was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, said Andrew Freedman, a long-time friend and publicist.

Slinky, sensuous and cat-like, Kitt described herself as a "sex kitten" and used her seductive purr to charm audiences across the world. Actor-director Orson Welles once called Kitt "the most exciting woman alive" and, along with Lena Horne, she was one of the first African-American sex symbols.

Kitt picked up a string of awards during her long career, winning two Emmy's and being nominated for a third, as well as a Grammy. She also had two Tony nominations.

Best know for her role as Catwoman in 1967's Batman TV series, and more recently her voice was also heard in the Dreamworks movie and subsiquent videos The Emporors New Groove. Kitt was heard regularly at Christmas time with her 1953 recording of 'Santa Baby', for which she received a gold record this year.

RIP: Bettie Page

December 12/08 -- Legendary model and pin-up queen Bettie Page passed away yesterday in an L.A. hospital of pneumonia after having suffered a heart attack. Page was 85.

She captured the imagination of the 50's with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality, she has become the icon of today's Rockabilly, Burlesque and other styles of gothic modeling. Merchandise featuring her image is in shops around the world and has become more and more visible as she herself became a recluse.

Page was born to a poor family in Tennessee on April 22, 1923. While her birth certificate spelled her name "Betty," she changed the spelling later in life to "Bettie."

At a time when few women pursued a college education, Page earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from Peabody College in Tennessee in 1944, according to her official biography.

Her teaching career, however, was hampered by her looks, she said.

"I couldn't control my students, especially the boys," she is quoted as saying.

After her modeling career ended, Page returned to Peabody College to work on a master's degree, the bio said. Her southern drawl and a refusal to sleep with a Hollywood producer hampered her acting career, according to her bio. "I wouldn't have gone to bed with him anyway. He was a creep. He drove off in his big car and scolded me, 'You'll be sorry.' I wasn't."

The Web site, BettiePage.com, logs about 20 million hits a month, Roesler said. A TVGuide.com poll recently placed Bettie Page as the "ultimate sex goddess," outscoring others such as Marilyn Monroe.

iReport.com: has set up a place for fans to send tributes to Bettie Page

more news on the Legendary pin-up model can be found at CNN, Entertainment Weekly, and Google's AP News page.

RIP: Vampira

It has come to our attention that Maila "Vampira" Nurmi, while sleeping peacefully, suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. Maila had recently turned 86 and was in seemingly good health and spirits.


Funeral arrangements are pending due to a search for relatives, but a memorial service will be held in Los Angeles in the near future. If you wish to be notified, please send your contact information to Ghooled@sbcglobal.net.


Nurmi was TV's "Vampira," wearing dark mascara, blood-red lipstick and a revealing black dress as she introduced such films as Revenge of the Zombies and Devil Bat's Daughter.


She became a cult figure among B-movie buffs and some say she inspired the character of Morticia Addams on TV's The Addams Family in the 1960s.

Her best know work is as the vampire in Ed Wood's 1959 classic B film Plan 9 from Outer Space, co-staring BelaLugosi in his final work.

But her fame didn't lead to long-term wealth. In 1989, Nurmi lost a $10 million lawsuit that contended Cassandra Peterson's late-night horror hostess Elvira pirated her character.


A friend says Nurmi supported herself late in her life by selling handmade jewelry.

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