Monday Reads

Obituary:  Creator of Hill Street Blues Steven Bochco, 74, died of cancer in his sleep.  He won ten prime time Emmy awards:

Bochco grew up in Manhattan, the son of a painter and a concert violinist. On arriving in Los Angeles after college, he wrote for several series at Universal Studios. Then he got a big break: writing the screenplay for the 1972 sci-fi film "Silent Running." But Bochco said the disrespect he confronted as the writer soured him on writing for the big screen. 

"Once you've delivered the screenplay they don't want you around, because you're gonna get in the way of someone else's vision," Bochco said. 

Bochco created the noted flop Cop Rock, a cop drama musical that was just a little too far ahead of its time.  I have that show, now a cult favorite, on DVD.  Some have ranked it among the worst shows ever made, but I don't agree.  It is an acquired taste.
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Obituary:  Noted South African activist Winnie Mandela, 81, died after a long illness.  She was married to Nelson Mandela from 1958 to 1996. 

Snip:

"She kept the memory of her imprisoned husband Nelson Mandela alive during his years on Robben Island and helped give the struggle for justice in South Africa one of its most recognizable faces," the family said. 

However, Madikizela-Mandela's political activism was marred by her conviction in 1991 for kidnapping and assault, for which she was fined. She faced these allegations again during the 1997 hearings before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a panel that investigated apartheid-era crimes. 

As a parliamentarian after South Africa's first all-race elections, she was convicted of fraud. 
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