El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Louie Anderson, whose four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series "Baskets," died Friday. He was 68.
Anderson died at a hospital in Las Vegas of complications from cancer, said Glenn Schwartz, his longtime publicist. Anderson had a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Schwartz said previously.
"'Baskets' was such a phenomenal `second act' for Louie Anderson. I wish he'd gotten a third," Michael McKean said on Twitter. George Wallace wrote: "You'll be missed, Louie. What an awesome friend. One in a million." Gilbert Gottfried posted a photo of himself, Anderson and Bob Saget, who died Jan. 9, with the caption: "Both good friends that will be missed."
The portly, round-faced Anderson used his girth and a checkered childhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as fodder for his early stand-up routines.
In a 1987 interview with The Associated Press, Anderson compared himself to another comedian who mined his childhood for comedy.
"Bill Cosby and I had similar goals," Anderson told AP. "I wanted parents to be able to bring their children and children to be able to bring their parents to my concerts. I feel a family that can laugh about family problems is better off. The difference between Cosby and myself is that he sees it from an adult perspective and I tell it from a child's viewpoint."
He had a life-long battle with weight, but said in 1987 that he'd put a stop to using his size as stage material.
"I've always been big," he said. "But I don't do fat jokes anymore."
In later years, his life as one of 11 children in a family headed by a troubled father and devoted mother was a deeper source of reflection and inspiration for Anderson, both in his screen work and in his best-selling books.
His latest book, 2018's "Hey Mom," was a tribute in letters to the lessons he learned from her and how-to tips on facing life's challenges. He also gave the late Ora Zella Anderson a shout-out for the "Baskets" role.
"I just started writing with one letter, saying, 'Hey Mom, I'm playing you on TV. I hope you see it. I hope you're a part of it..." Anderson told AP that year.
He won the best supporting actor Emmy in 2016 for his portrayal of Christine Baskets, mother to twins played by Zach Galifianakis, in FX's "Baskets." Anderson, who received three consecutive Emmy nods for the role, played it with restraint and with specific touches he credits to his mom.
"Nuance is what I go for, tiny rather than bigger things. Mom did things with her eyes or her grimace or her disappointed lips -- or her passive-aggressiveness," he told the AP in 2015, laughing. "Rolling eyes were big in our family."
Anderson, born March 24, 1953, was the 10th of 11 children for Ora and William Anderson. His father played trumpet with musical great Hoagy Carmichael and, Anderson has said, was an alcoholic.
After his father's death, Anderson learned of how difficult his childhood had been and forgave him, he told People magazine in 2018.
Louie Anderson's early jobs included counseling troubled children. He changed course after winning a 1981 Midwest comedy competition, where he was spotted by veteran comic Henny Youngman, who hosted contest, according to Schwartz.
Anderson worked as a writer for Youngman and then gained onstage experience while crisscrossing the United States. His big break came in 1984 when Johnny Carson, known for showcasing promising comedians on "The Tonight Show," brought him on to perform.
He was a familiar face elsewhere on TV, including as host of a revival of the game show "Family Feud" from 1999 to 2002, and on comedy specials and in frequent late-night talk show appearances.
Anderson voiced an animated version of himself as a kid in "Life With Louie." He created the Humanitas Prize-winning cartoon series, which first aired in prime time in late 1994 before moving to Saturday morning for its 1995-98 run. Anderson won two Daytime Emmy Awards for the role.
He made guest appearances in several TV series, including "Scrubs" and "Touched by an Angel," and was on the big screen in 1988's "Coming to America" and in last year's sequel to the Eddie Murphy comedy.
In a magazine interview, Anderson recounted getting the role after he spotted Murphy, who he knew from working in comedy clubs, at a Los Angeles restaurant. Anderson said hello, then made a costly decision that paid off.
"Take Eddie Murphy's check and put it on my credit card, but don't tell him until after I leave," Anderson recalled telling a waiter. He ended up with a US$600 charge, but Murphy called to thank him and offered to write a part for him in "Coming to America," Anderson said.
His books included "Dear Dad -- Letters From An Adult Child, " a collection of letters from Anderson to his late father; "Good-bye Jumbo ... Hello Cruel World," a self-help book, and "The F Word, How To Survive Your Family."
Fellow performers recalled his gentleness. "You were as gracious and kind as you were funny. Rest well!! Keep 'em laughing in Heaven," Viola Davis said on Twitter. Rita Rudner in a statement, said: "He was a kind, generous, talented man who leaves behind a legacy of laughter, love and french fries."
His survivors include sisters Lisa and Shanna Anderson.
------
Associated Press reporter Katie Vasquez contributed to this story.
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.