Entertainment
Growing Pains Star and TV Host Alan Thicke Dies at 69
Dec 13 23:21 – CP_PB – The Canadian Press
Alan Thicke, a versatile performer who gained his greatest renown
as the beloved dad on a long-running sitcom, has died at age 69.
Carleen Donovan, who is a publicist for Thicke’s son, singer
Robin Thicke, said the actor died from a heart attack on Tuesday in
Los Angeles. She had no further details.
Thicke was a Canadian-born TV host, writer, composer and actor
well-known in his homeland before making his name in the United
States, most notably with the ABC series “Growing Pains.”
On that comedy, which aired from 1985 to 1992, Thicke played Dr.
Jason Seaver, a psychiatrist and father-knows-best who moved his
practice into his home so his wife could go back to work as a
reporter. Along with his clients, he had three (later four) kids
under foot, including his oldest son, Mike, played by breakout
heart-throb Kirk Cameron, who served as a constant source of comedic
trouble for the family.
Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1947, Thicke was nominated for three
Emmy Awards for his work in the late 1970s as a writer for Barry
Manilow’s talk show, and later for a satirical take on the genre in
the variety show “America 2-Night.”
He composed several popular theme songs, including the original
theme for “The Wheel of Fortune” and other shows including “The
Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes.”
Perhaps his boldest assault on the U.S. market was as a virtual
unknown taking on the King of Late Night, Johnny Carson. “Thicke of
the Night” was a syndicated talk-music-and-comedy show meant to go
head-to-head against NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny
Carson.”
It premiered in September 1983 with great fanfare, boasting an
innovative format and regulars including Richard Belzer, Arsenio
Hall, Gilbert Gottfried and Fred Willard. But all too quickly, it
was evident that Carson wasn’t going to be dethroned, and the
ambitious “Thicke” disappeared into the night after one season.
In the 1990s and beyond, Thicke stayed busy as a celebrity TV
host and with guest shots on dozens of series, including “How I Met
Your Mother” and, this year, the Netflix series “Fuller House”
and the NBC drama “This Is Us.”
Celebrities who had crossed paths with Thicke, whether through
music, acting or simply as friends, expressed their sorrow at news
of his death.
“I grew up watching him and got to know him through Robin. He
was always so kind to me,” John Legend posted on Twitter.
“You were a part of my family and hockey family. You will be
greatly missed. My heart hurts,” Candace Cameron Bure tweeted.
“RIP dear friend and gentleman,” posted Marlee Matlin.
Thicke’s fellow Canadians also responded quickly.
William Shatner tweeted that he was saddened by his friend’s
loss, and singer Anne Murray’s Twitter post said she was “shocked
and devastated,” recalling him as a friend as well as a writer and
producer of many of her TV specials.
The Edmonton Oilers also weighed in.
“RIP to one of the great ones, Alan Thicke,” was posted on the
hockey team’s website, with a photo of a young Thicke and Wayne
Gretzky on the ice.
Like any good Canadian, Thicke was a hockey fan, frequently
attending LA Kings games. He took credit for introducing the sport
to celebrity friends.
He began playing at age 5, but acknowledged he wasn’t very good
at it.
“You were expected to play,” he said in 1998. “I was never
good enough for the big time, but I always had fun at it.”
In 2003, Thicke received 30 stitches and lost five teeth after he
was struck by a puck while practicing for a celebrity fundraising
hockey game. “I won’t be playing any leading men roles in the next
couple of months,” he joked after the accident.
He had the satisfaction of seeing his musical skills passed down
to son Robin, a successful singer-songwriter and producer who, with
brother Brennan, was born to Thicke and the first of his three
wives, Gloria Loring.
In an email, Loring described Thicke’s passing as “a shock. We
were all just together for Thanksgiving. He was funny, talented and
deeply devoted to his family.”
Thicke also leaves a son, Carter, from his marriage to second
wife Gina Tolleson. He had been married to Tanya Callau since 2005.
___
AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles and AP
Music Writer Mefin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.
_____
AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles and AP
Music Writer Mefin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.
Quick Hit:
President Trump has appointed Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as “special envoys” to Hollywood, aiming to restore a “Golden Age” and challenge the industry’s entrenched liberal bias. According to RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson, the move highlights the necessity of reclaiming cultural institutions from leftist control.
Key Details:
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Trump’s Truth Social post described the trio as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood, advising on business and social policy.
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Hollywood’s leftist dominance, as seen in Disney’s political agenda and the cancellation of Gina Carano, has alienated conservatives.
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Watson argues that Trump understands “politics is downstream from culture” and that influencing Hollywood is vital to shaping American values.
Diving Deeper:
President Trump’s latest move to reshape Hollywood has the entertainment industry buzzing. By appointing Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as his “special envoys” to Tinseltown, Trump is signaling that conservatives no longer need to cede cultural institutions to the left. As RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson writes, “Donald Trump understands something many right-wingers haven’t for a long time: It’s time to take back institutions.”
Trump, who has long criticized Hollywood’s liberal slant, sees the entertainment industry as a battleground for shaping public opinion. “Although studies have shown that many Americans, particularly younger people, are unaware of the biggest news story of the day, nearly all of them consume media produced by Hollywood,” Watson notes. This cultural dominance, Watson argues, has been exploited to push a left-wing agenda, alienating conservative voices.
The case of Gina Carano exemplifies Hollywood’s intolerance toward dissent, Watson writes. The former “Mandalorian” star was fired by Disney in 2021 after posting a historical comparison on social media. “In truth, her cancellation was most likely due to her mocking pronoun virtue signaling and COVID-19 precautions that were essentially an entrance fee into the upper echelons of Hollywood,” Watson states. The politicization of entertainment didn’t stop there—Disney executive Latoya Raveneau openly admitted to inserting a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” into children’s programming.
Watson pushes back against the idea that conservatives should simply “build their own” Hollywood, arguing that the industry is too integral to American culture to be abandoned. “Casting it aside would be like trying to create an alternative to Mount Rushmore or baseball – it’s irreplaceable,” he writes. Trump’s decision to highlight conservative-friendly stars like Stallone, Voight, and Gibson sends a powerful message: conservatives in Hollywood no longer have to stay silent.
Trump’s envoys are a step toward restoring balance in an industry that has become a one-party echo chamber. “Hollywood, along with social media, has become the ‘town square,’ the medium by which Americans share ideas,” Watson explains. With leftist cancel culture stifling dissent, Trump’s initiative is not just about entertainment—it’s about ensuring freedom of expression in America’s most influential industry.
From LifeSiteNews
In a surprise post on Truth Social, Trump announced, ‘It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California.’
In an unexpected move, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Mel Gibson, along with Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight, to be “special ambassadors” to Hollywood in his next administration.
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday.
Elaborating on his decision, Trump continued:
They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!
These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!
All three of the Hollywood stars are baptized Catholics and have, to varying degrees, professed and defended their beliefs both in God and in conservative principles more generally.
The appointments come just days after Gibson, who is well-known as an outspoken Catholic actor and director, appeared on the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, making headlines for defending the resurrection of Christ, talking about the post-Vatican II crisis in the Catholic Church, and speaking candidly about the important role his faith has played in his life. Gibson’s house was also one of many to have burned down in the fires ravaging Los Angeles, describing it as a form of “purification.”
Similarly, Stallone, who talked about his return to Christianity in the early 2000s after drifting away in his younger years, was also in the news recently for saying for the first time publicly that he is the survivor of abortion.
As for Voight, he was raised Catholic and attended the Catholic University of America, and is well-known for holding conservative views and talking openly about his belief in God. He is also the father of famous actress Angelina Jolie.
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