Since I've set my mind to buying my first home and now living in my first home, I've gotten pretty good about saving money and looking for good deals. Needless to say, Costco has become one of my favorite places to shop. Aside from the 12 jobs (and counting) that keep me busy, one of my favorite things to do is watch movies. This brings me to my first disappointment at Costco since I've started shopping there. Right as you walk in they usually have all the new stuff that they're really pushing, so I tend to hangout there for a bit to see if anything catches my eye. All of a sudden I see this great display of box sets of some of my favorite Actors. George Clooney, definitely on that list and in this display! Then I see the price! This was too good to be true!

It certainly was.

I think if Clooney himself walked in and saw that collection, he'd buy the whole display and donate to the boy scouts for their next campfire. The culprits: The Thin Red Line (does anyone even remember what this movie was about?); One Fine Day (if not for Michelle Pfeiffer, I might've clawed my eyes out. YES, I SAW IT); and Solaris. SOLARIS?! Did someone say, "Hey, let's pick the 3 Clooney movies someone would wipe their ass with!"? I might've even accepted his take on Batman over any of these three movies. The fact that this set is $9 makes me want to demand my money back from the very movie theaters that allowed me to waste those precious hours of my life when I saw these movies the first time around! If nobody bought these movies when they first came out, what could've possibly made them think someone would buy them as a boxed set? You know someone is getting this for someone else this Christmas. Sure, they'll be excited when they first open it. As soon as they see the waste of space that is on Clooney's resume, that excitement will only turn to furious anger. Knowing. That person just bought you the cheapest piece of junk they could find with some overpriced packaging thinking that they were going to be the hero. Oh no. Oh, no.

Some REAL Clooney recommendations:

Ocean's 11, 12, 13, 25, 26, 40 (Miss ya, Bernie Mac)

Syriana (he's fat in this picture, George and I can hang out now)

From Dusk Till Dawn (Salma HA...Ha...Ha... (drool) Hayek)

Three Kings (It's a MAN'S movie, and it does come in a convertible)

Ed. note: I didn't buy it.

Want  to pay your respects to this great comic? The UJMAA theater is  casting a tribute to Bernie Mac and InstantCast suggests you sign up now.

By: Maude, InstantCast Staff Writer

On termine cette soirée particulièrement festive sur un autre coup d'ombre en retard, pour l'acteur américain Bernie Mac, dévoré à 51 ans par une pneumonie.

Interprète de Frank Catton dans la trilogie Ocean's de Steven Soderbergh, il avait débuté sa carrière par la lorgnette de la stand-up comedy et avait eu droit ces dernières années à sa propre sitcom (plus ou moins autobiographique) à succès, The Bernie Mac Show.

Signe que la vie est cruelle, il avait déclaré au printemps 2007 vouloir prendre sa retraite pour profiter de la vie.

Hat Tip: By Kelly Carter and Mary Owen, Chicago Tribune

Thousands of fans of late comedian Bernie Mac streamed into a South Side memorial service Saturday to hear Hollywood and political celebrities remember a Chicagoan who made people laugh on both TV and the big screen.

Mac's fellow "Original Kings of Comedy" brought the house down as they broke down in tears, unable to contain their grief. In the same sentence, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey and D.L. Hughley would flip a joke, causing the crowd to scream in laughter.

"This dude is a very popular guy," Cedric said of Mac. "You know y'all were like `let me get four tickets to the funeral!' He's still the hottest ticket in town."

Hughley recalled Mac's well-known taste in clothes. "Bernie would wear colors that crayon hadn't even invented," he said.

Rev. Jesse Jackson told the audience "Bernie Mac is a serious funnyman" who loved his family and cared about the tomorrow's youth. Jackson recalled that Mac recently told students at Crane High School that they should "live above their circumstances" and not "self-destruct."

"Between birth and death is a dash," Jackson said. "But between that dash between birth and death, he made a statement."

Mac, a 50-year-old funnyman, died a week ago from complications due to pneumonia after being hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs.

Oprah Winfrey, Sen. Barack Obama. Rep. Maxine Waters and the O'Jays sent their condolences.

"Michelle and I were so deeply sad to hear about your loss. ... He ... (made) us laugh and laugh hard," read Obama's statement.

Obama went on to write that Mac could say things others couldn't. "Bernie Mac will be sorely missed," he wrote.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson is scheduled to speak in the second hour of the service, organizers said. Jackson is set to star with Mac and singer Isaac Hayes, who also died last weekend, in the December movie "Soul Man."

Mayor Richard Daley recalled Mac coming to City Hall a few weeks ago to take photos with employees. Mac wanted to talk about the 2016 Olympics, but more importantly, recent gun violence against the city's youth, Daley said.

"He represented Chicago in a way (that) he knew the street, he knew the people and that's why he's the king of comedy," Daley said. "He wanted to do something personally to get children away from the life of violence ... he had a heart and passion ... That's why as the king of comedy, he never lost his soul in Chicago."

Actor Andy Garcia, who starred with Mac in "Ocean's 11," sent along remarks, saying "I'll see you upstairs." Don Cheadle, another actor from that film, was in attendance.

Comic and actor Chris Rock also took the stage.

As part of the acknowledgments, they aired a tribute to both Mac and Hayes, playing snippets of some of Mac's famous comedy routines -- the profanity was bleeped out -- over some of Hayes' more famous compositions.

Inside the church, rows of burgundy-colored soft cushion chairs were set up in front of the stage. On either side of the stage, two large projector screens flashed photos of Bernie Mac's life. The photos showed film stills from Mac's career, red carpet photos from events like the Golden Globes and private moments with friends and family members.

Large floral arrangements adorned the pulpit, and boxes of tissues were placed sporadically throughout the worship hall while piped-in gospel music boomed from speakers. "When I Call on Jesus" was one of the songs played. Some fans who were seated in the permanent pews -- the front rows were reserved for friends and family -- wore silk-screened t-shirts printed with Mac's face.

The crowd inside cheered and clapped when new celebrities arrived. People took photos and hugged celebrities that they were able to call over.

Some people slept outside overnight to guarantee a place inside the 10,000-seat House of Hope at 752 E. 114th St. Doors opened at 10:30 a.m. for a memorial that began about a half-hour after its scheduled noon start.

People caravaned to the event and others arrived in chartered or school buses. Traffic backed up on the Dan Ryan at the 115th Street exit.

Out in the nearly-full parking lot, vendors sold t-shirts that read "In memory of Bernie Mac" for $10.

"This shows support ... from the whole Chicago area and how much he will be missed," said Pamela Gordon of Chicago, one of hundreds of people who lined up hours before the memorial started.

"He was a good man, a beautiful husband and he was real," she added. "And he was handsome, honey."

Vera Gordon said she came to pay tribute to the comedian who made her mother, who suffers from dementia, laugh.

"She watched the `Bernie Mac Show' every night," Vera Gordon said of her mother, Margaret Berston, 79. "She would just sit there and laugh. You could see the sadness when I told her. I came here to represent my mother."

She said Mac had a gift for highlighting and shining humor on life's most simple interactions and challenges. "He was very special," she said. "It's like God sent him here on a mission. He left something here that will never be forgotten."

Joseph Gilmore, 35, of Chicago, said Mac was like family.

"Him dying was like losing an uncle or brother," said Gilmore, who remembers seeing Mac perform stand-up at the Chicago Theatre 15 years ago. "He made himself very personal with the people he was entertaining."

Bernie Mac's late-breaking but rising career included a self-titled TV series that ran for several years and movie roles in "Ocean's Eleven," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."

D.L. Hughley's remarks at the funeral:

Cedric the Entertainer's remarks at the funeral:

Yeeeeaaaaaaahhh..... what started out as an in-class doodle of a Mexican man in all his stereotypical glory turned into an advertisement. Beelzebub is reserving a place for me already.

I got bored yesterday and broke out the "Ocean's Eleven" movies that I own and watched them both back to back. I maintain my claim that the Ocean's movies are some of the best, especially Thirteen because of it's musical score some of which I actually have on my MP3 player. I even think Twelve had some entertaining moments. It's a shame that Burnie Mac died recently, may he rest in peace. I wonder if they'll do Ocean's Fourteen without him...

Peace.

Well... here they are!  I just put the order in.

I wanted something very simple and yet eye-catching.  These are the cards I designed with Moo.

All the fronts will be a variation shown above.  I didn't want a cheesy image grabbed from Flickr, and since I'm not a company (and will probably never use my own name, even if I do start a company), I didn't want to design a logo either.  So... email.  Functional.  Simple.  Unassuming.  The back is very clean and concise as well.  Just my name, cell, email and this website.  No Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Hi5, Bebo, etc.  I figured, once they go online, it'll be easy to find all that other stuff.  I mean it's on the front page of janyxu.com.

It's utilitarian with a fun font and from what I've seen, pretty rare.  (If anyone loves the first Ocean's Eleven as much as I did, you'll probably remember Daniel Ocean's calling card.  Damn, it was sexy.  I wish I could find a picture of it.)

My only fear is that the paper weight of the cards (I don't think Moo uses very heavy paper) will make the cards look too bare. But that's a risk I'm definitely willing to take.

What do you think?

It seems that I have been blogging for a few days about celebrities health issues. Well today we are faced with yet two more deaths in the celebrity icon world.

Oscar-winning soul singer Isaac Hayes who, along with Al Green, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, was one of the dominant black artists in the early 1970s, died in Memphis on Sunday. He was 65. We all know him for the movie "Shaft" he was the singer that made the theme song for the movie. I remember watching it and thought it was really some great P.I. stuff.  Eventhough Samuel Jackson played a more up todate and modern figure Shaft, in the more recent version, my mind still went back the orginal version.

Then there is Bernie Mac who was in the hospital being treated for phenoumia died this past Saturday. Bernie Mac blended style, authority and a touch of self-aware bluster to make audiences laugh as well as connect with him. For Mac, who died Saturday at age 50, it was a winning mix, delivering him from a poor childhood to stardom as a standup comedian, in films including the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and his acclaimed sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show."

Both men will be missed as they had much to contribute to our entertainment of music and comedy.

R.I.P. Gentlemen!

Your Black World: Chicago Mourns An Icon: Bernie Mac

Your Black World: Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Talks Resume Today

Your Black World: More Than 'Shaft': Isaac Hayes's Legacy

Your Black World: Plan For Memorial Honoring Black Patriots Stalls In Congress

CHICAGO - It's a celebration of family and pride, of education and success, but some attending Chicago's Bud Billiken parade said they were left feeling numb in the wake of Bernie Mac's death.

"I knew he was sick, but someone that young, you just don't expect the worst," said Chicagoan Patrick Dennan, 48, as he watched a stream of brightly decorated floats cruise down historic Martin Luther King Drive on Saturday afternoon. "His comedy was based on real life, and I think that's what really brought him a lot of respect. He kept things real and he didn't seem to let success go to his head."

Born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago, Mac grew up on the city's South Side. His publicist said he died Saturday from complications of pneumonia. He had suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Johnnie Blair, the president of the Bronzeville Chamber of Commerce, met Mac in the early 1990s at a local nightclub and said he followed with interest Mac's journey on the road to comedic stardom. Blair said though Mac performed with some of the biggest names in show business, he remained true to his South Side roots.

"It's major loss to our community," Blair said. "He never forgot where he came from, and I think his comedy reflected that."

Velin Stewart, 39, said Mac's success was a "point of civic pride" for Chicagoans, and not just because of his celebrity.

"I was just in shock to wake up and hear that Bernie Mac was dead," Stewart said. "He made it big, but it didn't seem to go to his head. He could have lived anywhere in the world. But he stayed close to where he came from."

That sense of approachability, of humility, is what led Gary Crawford to introduce himself in 2005 to the comedian at a Chicago White Sox game. Crawford, 51, manages a Chicago-based Web site that benefits surviving Negro League baseball players. In 2004, Mac starred in "Mr. 3000," a movie about an aging baseball player who returns to the game to collect his 3,000th hit.

Crawford thought the two might share a commonality.

"I've seen a lot of celebrities at baseball games and Bernie wasn't like that, meaning he didn't have an entourage," Crawford said. "We talked for several minutes, baseball mostly. He was excited the White Sox seemed to be poised for a pennant run. All in all, just a very down-to-earth regular guy."

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Saturday called Mac "a favorite son..."

Click to read more

This was a shock.

Goodbye Bernie Mac. How did that happen?

I will remember Bernie most in Ocean's Eleven as the guy who worked inside for the casinos as a blackjack dealer. One of my favorite scenes is when Mac, as Ramon (a fake name for Frank Catton), says, in response to Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) implying that there are no racial undertones in the situation, "They should call it whitejack!" It's hilarious that his character is caught while having a manicure in Ocean's Twelve. And in Ocean's Thirteen, he is great as a dealer of a dominoes game that Willy Bank (Al Pacino) is conned into having front-and-center on opening night of his casino. He also appeared as Bobby Bolivia, the used-car salesman, in Transformers. A small but memorable part.

The movie industry will definitely miss him.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles."

Bernie Mac died. Wow. That's all I can say. This put a damper on my day.

Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50.

I'm going to part with this gem...Bernie Mac's "Kings of Comedy" performance in its entirety. Enjoy.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-6696602230081315079]

]]> http://raisedfist.wordpress.com/?p=79 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:09:19 +0000 Revolverlution http://raisedfist.wordpress.com/?p=79 [caption id="attachment_80" align="alignleft" width="215" caption="Oct 5, 1957 - Aug 9, 2008"][/caption]Today August 9, 2008 a great comedian passed away after fighting a case of pneumonia. Bernard Jeffrey McCullough better known as Bernie Mac, died today after being hospitalized with pneumonia. Bernie Mac who starred in over 25 movies and won four NAACP awards for his hit sitcom the Bernie Mac Show leaves behind his wife Rhonda and daughter Je’Niece. Mac suffered from sarcoidosis which is an immune system disorder characterized by small inflammatory nodules that attack the persons organs. Although Bernie suffered from sarcoidosis it went into remission in 2005, but because he had the disease--which has no cure--it may have left his body weaker than the average person diagnosed with pneumonia to produce enough antibodies to fight. My heart and prayers go out to his family, may God bless you and bring you peace at this time. To learn more about Sarcoidosis or how to contribute to finding a cure please visit http://www.sarcoidcenter.com/

R.I.P Mac Man. You will be sorely missed:

Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.

The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Recently, Mac's brand of comedy caught him flack when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama.

Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign.

But despite controversy or difficulties, in his words, Mac was always a performer.

"Wherever I am, I have to play," he said in 2002. "I have to put on a good show."

Mac worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. He began doing standup as a child, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus."

He was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy" in the 2000 documentary of that title that brought a new generation of black standup comedy stars to a wider audience.

"The majority of his core fan base will remember that when they paid their money to see Bernie Mac ... he gave them their money's worth," Steve Harvey, one of his co-stars in "Original Kings," told CNN on Saturday.

Mac went on to star in the hugely popular "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

Comedian Carl Reiner, who also appeared in "Ocean's Eleven" and its two sequels, said Saturday he was "in utter shock" because he thought Mac was improving. "He was just so alive. I can't believe he's gone," he said.

Reiner told KNX-AM in Los Angeles that other comics had talked to the audience as Mac did on "The Bernie Mac Show," but "he took it to a new level."

"It was such a popular show because of his bigger-than-life persona," Reiner said.

His turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's "Guess Who" topped the box office. It was a comedy remake of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" — with Mac as the black dad who's shocked that his daughter is marrying a white man.

Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."

The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006.

The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion — and cool."

In real life, he was very much like his character on that series, his daughter, Je'niece Childress, told The Associated Press on Saturday.

"He was the king of his household," Childress said in Chicago, describing Mac as "a loving grandfather" to her daughter, his only grandchild.

"The Bernie Mac Show" garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac.

"But television handcuffs you, man," he said in a 2001 Associated Press interview. "Now everyone telling me what I CAN'T do, what I CAN say, what I SHOULD do, and asking, `Are blacks gonna be mad at you? Are whites gonna accept you?'"

He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.

Chicago music producer Carolyn Albritton said she was Bernie Mac's first manager, having met him in 1991 at Chicago's Cotton Club where she hosted an open-mike night.

"From very early on I thought he was destined for success," Albritton said Saturday. "He never lost track of where he came from, and he'd often use real life experiences, his family, his friends, in his routine. After he made it, he stayed a very humble man. His family was the most important thing in the world to him."

In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon.

"I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977."

Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church.

In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood — eating bologna for dinner — and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing.

"I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," Mac told the AP in 2001. "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."

Mac's mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up.

"Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed."

Purtroppo, oggi ci ha lasciati a soli cinquant'anni per via di una polmonite, dopo che negli ultimi giorni erano uscite diverse notizie preoccupanti sul suo stato di salute. Dopo aver iniziato come cabarettista negli anni settanta, è arrivato al cinema solo lo scorso decennio, facendosi subito notare nella pellicola Friday di F. Gary Gray. Nel 1996, partecipa a Bus in viaggio di Spike Lee, ma è con il nuovo millennio che esplode il suo talento.

Lo abbiamo infatti visto nella trilogia incominciata con Ocean's Eleven, in Charlie's angels: Più che mai (dove sostituiva Bill Murray nel ruolo di Bosley), in Babbo bastardo e in Indovina chi. Molti, comunque, lo ricorderanno per una parte breve, ma spassosa, quella del venditore di macchine da cui Shia LaBeouf si reca ad acquistare una vettura in Transformers.

Lascia una moglie e una figlia. Oltre a tanti fan...

Fonte: BadTaste.it

"The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease."

One of the original Kings of Comedy with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, & Cedric The Entertainer that made history in 2001 with a successful nation-wide tour that made it to the big screen. K.O.C. made Mac a household name. His skits were always split yo' side funny.

Although, I personally remember Mac from Russell Simmon' Def Comedy Jam. When he appeared his star hadn't yet 'blown up,' still onlookers could quickly see this brother was special. He had a way with the crowd that reminds one of the late Robin Harris.

From the time he came on stage his presence was electric. Though, he was oft times criticized for his vulgarity & language mac stayed true to his roots & his craft. He was and will always be remebered as one of the greatest to ever appear on stage....

Mac appeared in numerous movies: Bad Santa, Ocean's Eleven, Mr. 3000, Charlie's Angel's, Full Throttle, Transformers, Get on The Bus, & Mo' Money. Also, he hosted his own self-titled television sitcom from 2001-2006....

Bernie Mac gone at age 50, but not forgotten.....Pour out a little Liquor for my Nicka!!!!

Sometimes, when I turn on the computer, I am sorry that I did. Everyone has gotten that e-mail or read something that has totally turned the day 180 degrees. Once, a girlfriend broke up with me via e-mail. It was shocking and showed little concern about my feelings. It took three days until I was back to myself. I tried not to let things like that effect me, but some things are too important or cut too deep to be ignored.

Unfortunately, today is already shaping up to be one of those days. Bernie Mac, the award winning comedian, succumbed to complications from pneumonia this morning. Outside of losing a positive role model, a funny comedian, and someone's father, brother and cousin, it paints another picture of the fragility of life and a reminder to treat the ones that you care about in the best way possible. In some ways, you the reader may not be able to feel my concern. Bernie Mac was only 50. That is obviously not that old. My father is 62, having retired five years ago. Life in America is hard for a black man. I won't restate some of the stats about being black in America, but we face some road blocks to a longer life than other races. Seeing a man struck down in what should be the prime of his life is a little deflating, especially when the publicist stated that he was doing better. Of course, she was covering for him, so I bear her no ill will; she was doing her job, which should be to protect the inner circle of Bernie Mac. I just hope that he had the chance to say goodbye to those how mean the most.

Death is just one of those things that you have no control of. I don't condone suicide, but I understand some of the reasoning behind it. I am the type that is trying to live forever, although my habits don't make it seem like it. I just like control… Well, Bernie, take your last curtain call. I am going to turn off the Olympics this morning and watch Bernie to brighten my day. Ronin pointed out Jangle Leg was hilarious in the movie Life. "Boy, your hand is nice and supple, like a woman!"

But, for some reason, I am feeling Dollar Bill. Who can forget Dollar Bill in the Player's Club? IF I had a club that involved strippers and cooked books, then Bernie Mac as Dollar Bill is my man.

Dollar Bill: Stripping business started in Africa. Long time ago, long long time ago, white man went to Africa. And he saw all these beautiful black women, walking around, dancing, working, living, in the nude. Bucked Naked! You could see their public hairs. This white man went from village to village to seek out these beautiful black women, watching them perform, in the nude. TITTIES! Asses. Free. White man got an idea. He figure he go back to Europe and start the same type of business, taking away from our black women, trying to get them white bitches to dance the same identical way, huh? But to no avail. Wasn't no shame in our black women walking around BUCKED NAKED! So he went over to Europe and tried the same thang. Them white bitches told that white man the most beautiful words you ever want to hear in our profession.

Ebony: What did she say?

Dollar Bill: Baby, them white bitches looked that white man dead in the eye and told him, "Fuck that. Pay me!" Ha ha! That's why I get 30 percent.

Ebony: When can I start?

Dollar Bill: Immediately.

Dollar Bill, you can run my business anytime…

CHICAGO - Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50.

Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.

The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Recently, Mac's brand of comedy caught him flack when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama.

Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign.

But despite controversy or difficulties, in his words, Mac was always a performer.

"Wherever I am, I have to play," he said in 2002. "I have to put on a good show."

Mac worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. He began doing standup as a child, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus."

He was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy" in the 2000 documentary of that title that brought a new generation of black standup comedy stars to a wider audience.

"The majority of his core fan base will remember that when they paid their money to see Bernie Mac ... he gave them their money's worth," Steve Harvey, one of his co-stars in "Original Kings," told CNN on Saturday.

Mac went on to star in the hugely popular "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

Comedian Carl Reiner, who also appeared in "Ocean's Eleven" and its two sequels, said Saturday he was "in utter shock" because he thought Mac was improving. "He was just so alive. I can't believe he's gone," he said.

Reiner told KNX-AM in Los Angeles that other comics had talked to the audience as Mac did on "The Bernie Mac Show," but "he took it to a new level."

"It was such a popular show because of his bigger-than-life persona," Reiner said.

His turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's "Guess Who" topped the box office. It was a comedy remake of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" — with Mac as the black dad who's shocked that his daughter is marrying a white man.

Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."

The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006.

The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion — and cool."

In real life, he was very much like his character on that series, his daughter, Je'niece Childress, told The Associated Press on Saturday.

"He was the king of his household," Childress said in Chicago, describing Mac as "a loving grandfather" to her daughter, his only grandchild.

"The Bernie Mac Show" garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac.

"But television handcuffs you, man," he said in a 2001 Associated Press interview. "Now everyone telling me what I CAN'T do, what I CAN say, what I SHOULD do, and asking, `Are blacks gonna be mad at you? Are whites gonna accept you?'"

He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.

Chicago music producer Carolyn Albritton said she was Bernie Mac's first manager, having met him in 1991 at Chicago's Cotton Club where she hosted an open-mike night.

"From very early on I thought he was destined for success," Albritton said Saturday. "He never lost track of where he came from, and he'd often use real life experiences, his family, his friends, in his routine. After he made it, he stayed a very humble man. His family was the most important thing in the world to him."

In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon.

"I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977."

Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church.

In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood — eating bologna for dinner — and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing.

"I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," Mac told the AP in 2001. "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."

Mac's mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up.

"Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed."

I am pretty much done making myself depressed, but I just remembered him in Above the Rim, combining some of my favorites, Tupac (R.I.P.) and Bernie Mac.

Bernie Mac's role in this movie was small, but really memorable for me, because it is a lesson on how to treat others. He plays a character named Flip in the movie that plays a homeless character that reminisces on the glory of Leon's playing career. He eventually gets killed by Tupac for bringing up the fact that Leon and Tupac are estranged brothers. He also challenges the main character, Duane Martin to a game of hoop, where the bet is getting to kick the other in the hind parts, aka the behind.

We will miss you B-Man…

Bernie Mac blended style, authority and a touch of self-aware bluster to make audiences laugh and connect with him. For Mr. Mac, 50, who died Saturday, it was a winning mix that delivered him from a poor childhood to stardom as a stand-up comedian, in films including the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and his acclaimed sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show."

Though his comedy drew on tough experiences as a black man, he had mainstream appeal, befitting inspiration he found in a wide range of humorists: Harpo Marx, Moms Mabley, Red Skelton and Redd Foxx.

Mr. Mac died from complications of pneumonia in a Chicago-area hospital, said his publicist, Danica Smith. A public memorial is planned for noon Aug. 16 at The House of Hope church in Chicago, Smith said.

"The world just got a little less funny," said "Ocean's" co-star George Clooney.

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Bernie (echte naam:Bernard McCullough) was onlangs in het ziekenhuis opgenomen wegens een longontsteking. Zijn dood komt uit een onverwachte hoek want volgens een persbericht gisteren was de gezondheid van de acteur aan het beteren.

Mac maakte vanaf de jaren '70 furore met zn standup en was ook op het witte doek uitermate succesvol. Zo speelde hij onder meer in blockbusters als 'Oceans 11' en 'Charlie's Angels'.

R.I.P. Bernie Mac, the REAL king of comedy

Inmiddels stromen de steunbetuigingen van collega's en vrienden binnen. Lees hier wat o.a. George Clooney en Chris Rock te zeggen hebben [engels]

Hollywood is waking up this morning to the news that actor/comedian Bernie Mac has passed away due to complications from pneumonia. He was 50.

As word spreads, tributes are starting to pour in from the funnyman's friends and colleagues.

George Clooney: "The world just got a little less funny. He will be dearly missed."

Chris Rock: "Bernie Mac was one of the best and funniest comedians to ever live but that was the second best thing he did. Bernie was one of the greatest friends a person could have. Losing him is like losing 12 people because he absolutely filled up any room he was in. I'm gonna miss the Mac Man."

Don Cheadle: "This is a very sad day for many of us who knew and loved Bernie. He brought so much joy to so many. He will be missed but heaven just got funnier."

Oceans 11 co-star Carl Reiner: “It’s a tremendous loss because of his age and the fact that he was such a vital, original human being. When I use the word 'original' I really mean it. He was like no other person I knew. He lived his life to the fullest, even when we were on the set of Oceans. He had his own little apartment and he cooked and invited people to lunch every day and he had food that was for everybody. He made very exotic things. His conversations were always different that any conversations I had with anyone else. They were very family oriented; he talked about his wife and children with such love and it’s very hard to believe that he’s not with us anymore.”

Pocos sabrán quien es Bernie Mac con solo escuchar su nombre, sin embargo, su trabajo en roles secundarios de importantes producciones de los últimos años ha marcado la pauta de varios comediantes. El humor particular y la actitud prepotente que le daba a sus personajes casi se convirtió en su firma profesional. Su primer trabajo fue en Mo' Money en 1992, momento desde el cual comenzó a tener breves apariciones en programas de televisión y pequeños roles en cintas, principalmente enfocadas en la comunidad negra. El estrellato llegó junto a Ocean's Eleven en 2001, donde Mac interpretó el rol de Frank Catton, miembro de la banda liderada por Danny Ocean (George Clooney), apoderándose de la pantalla cuando se producían sus apariciones. Este rol lo repitió en Ocean's Twelve en 2004 y en Ocean's Thirteen en 2007. Bernie Mac protagonizó la comedia romántica Guess Who con Ashton Kutcher en 2005 y tuvo su propia serie de televisión, titulada "The Bernie Mac Show" entre 2001 y 2006. Su última aparición en una mega producción fue en el rol de Bobby Bolivia en Transformers (2007). Distintos sitios informan que Mac estuvo hospitalizado por más de una semana, debido a una infección en el pulmón, y que falleció la mañana de hoy sábado debido a una pulmonía. Su último trabajo, en Old Dogs, se encuentra en proceso de post producción. Una gran pérdida para el cine de comedia.

Q.E.P.D.