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Ed Asner, who played a gruff newsman for laughs and for drama in the classic TV series “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and its spinoff “Lou Grant” in the 1970s and 1980s and was honored with seven Emmy Awards, died on Sunday at age 91, his family said. Asner, whose diverse credits also included a key voice role in the acclaimed 2009 animated film “Up,” died at his home surrounded by his family, his publicist told media outlets. His family confirmed the death on the actor’s Twitter feed, writing, “We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away...

Ed Asner, legendary actor, activist and philanthropist, passed away peacefully Sunday morning, surrounded by family. He was 91. Asner, former president of the Screen Actors Guild, is best known for his role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff Lou Grant, pulling off the extremely rare feet of playing the same character in both a comedy and a drama series.

Democratic fundraiser/actor Ben Affleck -- and the next big-screen "Batman" -- recently gave an interview to Playboy. His own bias against Republicans, he admits, prevents him from fully enjoying a Republican actor's performance. "It's ... hard," said Affleck, "to get people to suspend disbelief." Affleck said: "When I watch a guy I know is a big Republican, part of me thinks, I probably wouldn't like this person if I met him, or we would have different opinions. That (bleep) fogs the mind when you should be paying attention and be swept into the illusion." Fair enough. But how do you...

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Celebrities and sports stars took to social media over the weekend to urge athletes from around the sporting world to “take a knee” during the National Anthem, after President Donald Trump said Friday that any players who protest in that manner should be fired by their team’s owners. Celebrities including Jeffrey Wright, John Legend, Evan Rachel Wood, Sarah Silverman, Kumail Nanjiani, Daniel Tosh, and Ed Asner, and sports stars including NBA player Chris Paul and NFL cornerback Richard Sherman all took to their Twitter accounts to weigh in on the NFL protests. At a rally in Alabama Friday, Trump said...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: You know, I've got a story here in the Stack about Hollywood leftists, led by Ed Asner and Mike Farrell. Now, they're a couple of relics, but they are the leaders of the anti-war movement in Hollywood, and they're still influencing young actors and actresses, and they are admitting they don't like this at all. They don't like this Syria business. They don't like what's going on in Libya. They don't like Obama's foreign policy at all. But they will not go public with it, and Asner admitted why. They don't want to be seen as "anti-black."...

The prospect of wounding President Obama is weighing heavily on Democratic lawmakers as they decide their votes on Syria. Obama needs all the political capital he can muster heading into bruising battles with the GOP over fiscal spending and the debt ceiling. Democrats want Obama to use his popularity to reverse automatic spending cuts already in effect and pay for new economic stimulus measures through higher taxes on the wealthy and on multinational companies. But if the request for authorization for Syria military strikes is rebuffed, some fear it could limit Obama's power in those high-stakes fights. Some said the...

ALICE [Falling]: How curious. I never realized that rabbit holes were so dark . . . and so long . . . and so empty. I believe I have been falling for five minutes, and I still can't see the bottom! Hey Reg - race you to the bottom! If there is one. Meanwhile, further down the rabbit hole: After opening to tepid reviews in this country, the White House announced Friday that Big Guy was cancelling a fund-raiser in Hollywood in order to launch an emergency media blitz to sell his new movie – coming soon to a...

The nation will soon know whether or not President Obama will authorize a strike on Syrian military forces. What he will tell us on Tuesday evening, few can factually predict. But if the outcome of his deliberative process does not pose his favored verdict, no one would be surprised if he just did as he originally wished to begin with. But even that is truly a mystery. After all, chemical weapons attacks have been occurring in Syria since March, and it’s only now that we must make some sort of demonstrable stand so that future rogues don't think we're sissies...

Full Title Liberal Activist Ed Asner Explains Hollywood Silence On Obama, Syria: They 'Don't Want to Feel Anti-Black (Hollywood Reporter) In 2003, ahead of a U.S. attack on Iraq, a robust anti-war movement in Hollywood included a TV commercial starring Martin Sheen and Sean Penn visiting Baghdad. There were online petitions signed by Ed Asner; letters to President George W. Bush pleading for peace were signed by Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin; former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell fronted multiple press conferences where celebrities denounced war. In interviews, Janeane Garofalo stopped identifying herself as an actor --...

Our government is yet again marching us towards a war of choice in the Middle East and our non-partisan, peace-loving celebrities have gone missing since late 2008. We fear the worst. 1. Sheryl Crow LAST KNOWN PRE-2009 COMMUNICATION: “I think war is based in greed and there are huge karmic retributions that will follow. I think war is never the answer to solving any problems. The best way to solve problems is to not have enemies.” — Sheryl Crow 2. Bruce Springsteen LAST KNOWN PRE-2009 COMMUNICATION: “War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” — Bruce Springsteen

Radical-left actor Ed Asner was blunt with Paul Bond of The Hollywood Reporter about how celebrities won’t be mobilizing against military actions launched by Barack Obama: "A lot of people don't want to feel anti-black by being opposed to Obama," he said.

In 2003, ahead of a U.S. attack on Iraq, a robust anti-war movement in Hollywood included [2] a TV commercial starring Martin Sheen and Sean Penn visiting Baghdad. There were online petitions signed by Ed Asner; letters to President George W. Bush pleading for peace were signed by Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin; former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell fronted multiple press conferences where celebrities denounced war. In interviews, Janeane Garofalo stopped identifying herself as an actor -- she preferred to be called a member of the U.S. anti-war movement. The good news for President Barack Obama...

The great thing about being a living legend is that you can pretty much speak your mind without major repercussions. I was reminded of that Thursday night when I found myself chatting with Ed Asner at a party celebrating the upcoming season at the Fitzgerald Theater. Asner's in town for his one-man performance as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. By way of saying hello, I asked him what he thought of the announcement earlier in the day that Mary Tyler Moore would be getting a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild. Asner, 81, hadn't heard the news and, based on...

The Washington Post's Weekend section on Friday included an interview with left-wing actor Ed Asner in advance of his appearance at nearby George Mason University playing William Jennings Bryan, "the infamous attacker of Darwinism and evolution." Or so says his Post interviewer, Michael O'Sullivan. Conservatives are killing America, Asner proclaimed: "Our education has just gone into the toilet in this country," Asner says, before fulminating in a way that begins to sound a little bit like, well, a more liberal version of Bryan. "Having suffered, from the time of Reagan until now, with onslaughts against government daubing at improving the...

First, Ed Asner played the gruff, but lovable Lou Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Then he played the gruff, but not so lovable Lou Grant on Lou Grant. Now he plays the old, but stupid Ed Asner. “Our education has just gone into the toilet in this country,” Asner said to the Washington Post. “Having suffered, from the time of Reagan until now, with onslaughts against government daubing at improving the welfare of American citizens, and the education and health of American citizens, the anti-government forces have struck, perhaps, mortal blows to our society.” Mary Tyler Moore always...

Leftist activists who are planning a march to the Pentagon next month will discover that their path won’t be as clear as expected. The Anti-war/anti-American group, led by Cindy Sheehan, Jane Fonda and Ed Asner, plan to gather March 17 at the Vietnam Memorial Wall to begin a march to protest America’s involvement in the Iraq war. Many Freepers and participating organizations will be making our presence known in Washington, D.C. on March 17 as well in a 'Gathering Of Eagles'.Defend Our Veterans Wall! Come join us and help spread the word about this action! Our 'Gathering Of Eagles' Flyer...

The "Central Committee of Conscientious Objectors" is an organization which "supports and promotes individual and collective resistance to war and preparations for war", according to its website. Among the resources available on the website are How-to guides on being AWOL, various reasons for getting out of the military, as well as a list of reasons one should not join the US military. The following picture on its website illustrates the goal of the organization: This organization lists among its sponsors former Democratic congressman Ronald Dellums of California. Dellums was an anti-war, anti-military radical who created a stir during the Vietnam...

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Connie Julian, 917-449-9064, Janet Yip 212-941-8086 or commission@nion.us News Advisory: From: International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration WHEN: January 10, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. WHERE: The White House, Walk-in Gate, across from Lafayette Park WEBSITE: http://www.bushcommission.org An unprecedented series of indictments alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, in five separate areas, on moral, political, and legal grounds, will be delivered by a citizens' tribunal to President Bush at the front gate of the White House this Tuesday, January 10th. Named in the indictments are: President of...

"World Can't Wait" takes out an ad against "fascist" America in the New York Times. <a href=http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7213>The World Can’t Wait</a> (WCW), an organization that opposes President Bush’s decision to send U.S. troops to Iraq, ran a <a href=http://www.worldcantwait.net/>paid advertisement</a> in The New York Times Monday denouncing the “fascists and religious fanatics” responsible for the ongoing unrest and carnage in the land formerly ruled by the iron fist of Saddam Hussein.  WCW was not talking about bin Laden, Zarqawi, Zawahiri, and al-Sadr, et. al. – the Islamists who have vowed to wage perpetual jihad against the West until the latter is...