Prayers go out to the family and friends of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, two amazing iconic persons who died yesterday.
As I’ve been reading the news about both Farrah and Michael, I’ve learned a couple of interesting connections to each one and nuns.
Farrah Fawcett was in two episodes of my favorite nun sitcom The Flying Nun.
The first was “Marcello’s Idol” (airdate 10/15/69), in which a young boy leads the nuns to conclude he need a male influence in his life when he refers to the sisters as “guys”. Ms. Fawcett played “Lila” in this episode. The second was an appearance as “Miss Preem” in “Armando and the Pool Table” (airdate 1/23/70), in which the nun’s benefactor, Carlos Ramirez, donates a pool table to the convent.
(source: Examiner.com)
Michael Jackson appeared with a group of Catholic sisters at an orphanage in Tokyo, Japan.
After weaving through dozens of screaming adult fans outside the downtown orphanage, Jackson was ushered into a gymnasium where more than 160 children between the ages of 3 and 18 and nuns in gray uniforms waited.
(source: CBS News)
I will remember Farrah most for her Charlie’s Angels role as as private investigator Jill Munroe. And Michael, well, what can I say. The man was an awesome performer and transformed the world of pop music and dance. Two of my faves and absolute classics as both songs and videos: Billie Jean and Black or White.
Rest in Peace, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. You will be missed and remembered.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Very well put, Sr. Julie.
I hope that we can remember them for the good that they have done. How have they changed the world for the better? How can I learn from their example?
farrah’s faith inspired me. i sort of feel like michael jackson’s death made farrah’s get lost in the ether. it reminded me of the week my grandfather died. mother teresa died and then, right after, princess diana. and few people ever paid much heed to the loss of a saint because of the death of the celebrity. i don’t mean farrah was a saint… i just mean it’s sort of a shame that people forgot the news of her death or never heard it because michael jackson’s death so stunned everyone.
regardless, it is a sad week for entertainment.
i’ll have to go through my flying nun collection and rewatch the farrah episodes. i’ve seen them several times but i never noticed her.
Sister Julie – FYI. I haven’t read it yet but the whole back page of the NYTimes “Week in Review” section is devoted to Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett. Jean
I am camping on an island out at Puget Sound and, on Friday, was first at the hardware store and then the grocery store. I kept hearing people speaking about some man who had died and assumed it was a local because of both the concern and the ubiquitousness of the subject. Then I went to a bakery to get amazing their roasted vegetables (that’s the Northwest for you) and, yet again, the baker and her customer were speaking with surprise and concern and maybe even disbelief about the sudden death of this man who clearly was a personality in this small island world. As the customer got ready to leave, the baker said, “please have a cookie for being the forst one to tell me the news”. The customer was moved (these are AMAZING chocolate chip cookies) and pointing at me, said “and she can be the first person you share the news with”. They were so sincere and I felt awkward about the sad circumstances of the island intimacy into which I was being invited. I said, ” I have being hearing all over the island that you all lost someone today. I am sorry for your loss”. The baker said, “It’s Michael Jackson. And Farrah Fawcett died yesterday morning. I am just trying to understand what it means to all of us”. She did give me a cookie, which she decided to name “The Michael Jackson”. We got to talking about how we spend our lives – how we plan to spend them and how we end up spending them – and I told her I am discerning. Now, because she liked that story too, I get a free Michael Jackson every time I go in. (I told her Saturday about this blog and your post, Sister Julie, for which I think the baker would like to give you a Michael Jackson, too. So, if you ever get to Seattle, take the Fauntleroy ferry from…) Jean
My personal opinion: Michael’s death stunned the world. Unforutnately for Farrah, she got much publicity about her battle because of her heart breaking documentary (which I watched numerous times). The night before both icons died, it was reported that Farrah had been read her last rites and wasn’t expected to finish out that week (If it wasn’t TMZ that reported it, it was another reliable source like that). So those who did see that and were fans of Farrah like I was, were already braced and prepared for the news of her passion to hit us at least by the end of the week, according to that source. Whereas, with Michael, here you have a talented man ready to make the comeback that would beat ALL comebacks – and then he tragically and suddenly dies of cardiac arrest hours after Farrah’s death had already hit the airwaves. She didn’t get a lot of publicity for the fact that it’d already been known, sadly, that she wouldn’t make it much longer. Michael on the other hand, it rocked the world. NOBODY was expecting this. That’s why his death “overshadowed” Farrah’s. Both were HUGE icons of the ’70’s (heck, Micahel went on to rule the ’80’s, ’90’s and 2000’s as well) and both are missed terribly.
I suspect Michael will continue to rule for a while longer too!
At our IHM Community meetings last week, we had an evening of karaoke. We were going to do a tribute to Michael but sadly there were no MJ songs.
Probably just as well because I successfully murdered “Dancing Queen” and “Sweet Caroline”.