In Memoriam

With all the amazing talents we lost in 2009 -- as we've all noted, seemingly more this year than in any typical other --Sunday night's Emmy telecast contained a particularly moving In Memoriam segment, accompanied by Sarah McLachlan singing "I Will Remember You."

Thanks to a viewer who, it seems, uploaded the segment to YouTube from Canadian TV, here, again, In Memoriam 2009:

RIP Farrah Fawcett, 1947-2009

I was so sad to hear that this morning, after a years-long battle with cancer, Farrah Fawcett passed away at the age of 62.

I'm of the age where for me, Charlie's Angels was must-see viewing, and Farrah -- then Farrah Fawcett-Majors -- was the crush of every boy in school. I watched the show. I bought the trading cards. I wasn't happy until I got a pack with the Farrah sticker in it, which I quickly affixed to my first wallet. (I was too young for the famous pinup poster, by the way -- but I knew plenty of people who had it on their walls.)

As an adult, I loved discovering campier clips of Farrah -- like in her first major role, in the 1970 so-bad-it's-fascinating film, Myra Breckenridge. Go on youtube, and you can find Farrah's Ultra-Brite commercial from the early '70s, or her guest spot on The Partridge Family. And then, of course, I also learned to respect Farrah as an actress, in her more heavy-duty roles in films like The Burning Bed and Extremities.

I'm going to avoid obvious tribute puns about us heaven gaining an angel. Instead, I offer up this clip, the season 1 credits from Charlie's Angels. I'll forever remember Farrah flipping that fabulous hair. Here's to you, Angels!