Sad news: Eydie Gorme has passed away at age 84. She was of “Steve and Eydie” fame with husband Steve Lawrence, the great pop singer of the late 50s and early 60s. Steve and Eydie were staples of the early Tonight shows with Steven Allen and Jack Paar because they were great singers with lot of charisma, good looking, and lots of fun. They ran against the tide of rock and roll as it devoured the culture, staying steadfastly square in a tumultuous world. Their ascension also coincided with the election of John F. Kennedy, because as the John and Jackie were the shiny young couple in the White House, Steve and Eydie were like their showbiz counterparts.

Later in the 70s, acts like Paul and Linda McCartney would become known as “the Steve and Eydie of rock and roll.” It was said a little sneeringly by rock fans, but that tag really was affectionate. It signaled having a long marriage, two people who worked together and really loved each other. In the 80s, Steve and Eydie became hip again. They toured with Frank Sinatra, appeared with him on television, and helped him with his songs as the King of all Crooners had trouble with his memory.

The couple had lots of hits together and apart. Lawrence hit the charts with “Go Away Little Girl.” Eydie had hits in Spanish based on her Sephardic Jewish upbringing. She is probably most remembered for “Blame it on the Bossa Nova.” Eydie was a cousin of pop singer songwriter Neal Sedaka.

And they had popular records together. Their signature song was “This Could Be the Start of Something Big.” It’s still the greatest. RIP Eydie Gorme. She will be much missed.

We all knew the name Linda Lovelace; her name would invariably evoke nervous twitters, derision and laughter. Co-directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman tell the story of Linda Boreman (her real name) a misguided young girl in her early 20’s who is from a dysfunctional working class family in Florida. She falls under the spell of a charismatic dirt bag and wannabe entrepreneur named Chuck Traynor. Boreman’s meteoric rise to become an internationally known celebrity porn star of “Deep Throat” pulls no punches and is at times gruesome to watch.

Amanda Seyfried earns her acting stripes here, her brave no holds barred performance completely sheds her “Les Miz” and “Mamma Mia” good girl image. Peter Sarsgaard plays Chuck with a creepiness that is unsettling throughout. Robert Patrick and an unrecognizable Sharon Stone portray her parents in an imperfect heartbreaking way, walking the line between the simultaneous shame and love they have for their child. Bobby Cannavale, Hank Azaria, Chris Noth, Adam Brody and Debi Mazar all play their porn posse parts perfectly. James Franco portrays Hugh Hefner in a slick and gross way that the real Hugh will probably not be thrilled with.

The production values, looking low budget, convincingly capture the mood of the time with enhancing costumes, sets and vivid soundtrack.  The 93-minute film does gloss over some key points in Linda’s life, some admirable and some not, and gives her a free pass more than it should. And the movie doesn’t settle the question of whether or not Linda was complicit in making “Deep Throat” forced, as she claimed later, against her will.

In the end though, “Lovelace” is a fascinating and sobering film about the horrible choices that people and society choose to make. Her redemptive after porn life is relatively short lived; she marries, has two children and then tragically dies at the young age of 52 from injuries sustained in a car wreck. The fact that “Deep Throat” grossed an estimated $600 million dollars, with only $1250 going to Linda is, surprisingly, the least bothersome aspect of this tortured tale.

(PS Editors note: studios had better figure out better digital delivery systems for reviewers. Vici, a system used for “Lovelace,” failed to work properly. Academy voters are still going to require discs this fall and winter. )

So who’s out and who’s in Fox News? The Drudge Report broke the story that Roger Ailes has given Megyn Kelly the 9pm slot on the bombastic right wing network. That spot belongs to Sean Hannity. But Hannity will stay, no doubt. The really vulnerable show anchors are Greta van Susteren and Shepard Smith. Greta was already thought to be in a contract dispute with Fox. And Ailes said this afternoon at a Fox panel that he’s been talking to Smith about new ways of doing the news. Does that mean like from a different network? Who should stay? Who should go? And will people watch Kelly? There’s no honor among thieves, friends. Fox is gearing up for their big anti-Hillary campaign, so changes are afoot. Let’s also not forget mid term elections in November 2014. The rhetoric is already ratcheting up. PS Would either Greta or Shep go to CNN? Or Al Jazeera? Hmmm…

UPDATE: Karen Black has died at age 74. She ran with a cool crowd when she burst onto the movie scene– Fonda, Nicholson, Hopper, DeNiro, Altman. She was a unique talent. God bless.

Earlier: This is a terrible story. But beloved actress Karen Black is dying of cancer. Her husband has posted a blog and a video updating her deteriorating condition.  http://karenblackactress.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-7th-update-from-stephen-karens.html?m=1 Black is living in a nursing facility and the situation sounds pretty dire. If you’re too young to know, Karen Black made a name for herself in the 70s in “Five Easy Pieces,” “Nashville,” “Easy Rider,” and other classics.

Here is Karen from “The Great Gatsby” (1974):