<p>I just read that Elizabeth Taylor has died. I did not realize she had been ill. Such an icon.</p>
<p>I just read this as well. She had CHF, and didn’t look so good in the last photo I waw of her. So sad. The end of an era. :(</p>
<p>Her son,Michael Wilding, has put out such lovely,loving statements about her from the family.</p>
<p>Do you have a link for that, sevmom?</p>
<p>No I don’t ,jym. I heard a couple of statements just now on the Today show from the family. She ,like anyone, was not perfect, but it was nice to hear such a nice,personal statement from the family. She sounds like she knew how lucky she was and also was lucky to have children that clearly loved her.</p>
<p>[Elizabeth</a> Taylor Dies : People.com](<a href=“http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20216605,00.html]Elizabeth”>http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20216605,00.html)</p>
<p>Death was due to complications from congestive heart failure. She was surrounded by her children.</p>
<p>Actually, that was very helpful, sevmom. That must have aired just after I turned the TV off, watching the story of Chris Brown’s tirade after his interview on yesterday’s show. HEre’s teh Liz Taylor clip from the Today show [Screen</a> legend Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79 - Entertainment - Movies - TODAY.com](<a href=“http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/12517000/ns/today-entertainment/]Screen”>http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/12517000/ns/today-entertainment/)</p>
<p>Since childhood, my mother has been a dead ringer for Elizabeth Taylor. She has been mistaken for her all over the world, even in suburbia! My mom has had a blast with it, sometimes going along with it. I imagine there will be less of this now.</p>
<p>Wow thats cool, laketime!</p>
<p>laketime…you mom was gorgeous…</p>
<p>So sad to hear that she is gone. Her health has not been good for sometime.</p>
<p>When D2 heard the news this morning before heading out to school she said we need to watch National Velvet tonight. Sounds like a good idea.</p>
<p>laketime, That is so funny, because my father used to resemble Montgomery Clift! It was always a big family joke. Babysitters used to vie for jobs with our family, and it was not because of me or my badly behaved brothers.</p>
<p>From Twitter- “The NYT had that Elizabeth Taylor obit ready for so long that the writer of the piece actually died 6 years ago.”</p>
<p>The TV people as well as newspaper people always seem well prepared for this kind of thing where prominent people are concerned.Within minutes of the breaking news thing about this on the Today Show, they had a pretty detailed piece on Elizabeth Taylor up and running.</p>
<p>Oh my, MOWC!! I know they have canned obits ready to publish, but --oops!! I hope someone updated that prepared obit!</p>
<p>The last of the great movie stars, with a capital S. </p>
<p>I had an uncle who was a dead ringer for Richard Burton and who, like Burton, liked to drink a bit. When in his cups and mistaken for Burton he’d magnanimously hand out autographs, cigarette tucked into the side of his grinning mouth, eyes twinkling.</p>
<p>jym,the canned thing they showed on the Today Show ended with the guy saying something to the effect-Elizabeth Taylor, dead at 77. Of course ,she was 79 so the producers obviously were in the live anchors’ ears telling them to correct that! One of the interesting things they showed was an interview where Elizabeth Taylor said she hated being called Liz. I could relate as I have one those typical 50’s kinds of names that is easily shortened. I never have shortened it and it has always grated when someone automatically shortens my name! Anyway, Elizabeth Tayor was certainly an icon and I think a very interesting,complicated person. She really did alot philanthropically and in raising awareness about HIV/Aids and the family has requested that any donations go to her foundation.</p>
<p>Her Maggie in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” was so good it seems as if it will never be done again. Of course, it helps to have Paul Newman.</p>
<p>LOL, I heard that correction of her age, Sevmom. Do you think the canned snipit was made 2 yrs ago or do you think whoever was narrating (or whoever was the scriptwriter) made a boo boo?</p>
<p>My DH has a name that is easily shortened. He doesn’t use the shortened version(s). He uses either the full length or a nickname that was given to him as a kid. So whenever anyone calls asking for “<<shortened version=”“>>” and claims they know him and are returning his call, I know that is not true. Sales/marketing and cold call financial people (investments, stock brokers, etc) used to do that. I’d ask who was calling and ask for their phone # so I could have him return the call (this happened a lot before caller ID) and what it was regarding. They’d usually hang up.</shortened></p>
<p>jym, I’m not sure about when the narration was added-my guess would be that it was done a couple of years ago but I could be wrong.
My husband and both sons have names that can be either formal or could be shortened. I can always tell who is calling or what phase in their lives someone knows them from depending on how someone refers to them . My kids’ coaches were the ones that especially automatically shortened their names and alot of times the new teammates followed suit. Both kids still have childhood friends starting at kindergarten that use their longer ,more formal names(as do I and my husband,family,etc.).</p>