My Publicist Note Book

Robin Williams Appreciation -- Master of Laughter, Master of Tears The old adage states that every clown wants to play Hamlet, but Robin Williams was one of the few who did. Granted, he never actually portrayed the melancholy Dane — although he did pop up as Osric in Kenneth Branagh 's 1996 version — but Williams' career as a stand-up comedian, sitcom lead, movie star, and occasional stage actor covered an astonishing breadth that rivals that of any contemporary performer. Most famous for his manic creations like Mork from Ork and Mrs. Doubtfire and the Genie from Disney's animated "Aladdin," Williams had it within himself not just to embrace darkness and pathos but also to tone his on-screen exuberance way, way down into subtle, minimal performances. Like the great movie clowns who preceded him, from Chaplin to Jerry Lewis, Williams had an occasional weakness for bathos, but in just the right role in just the right movie, his creation...

The notification from the Marin County Sheriff Coroner’s division describes Williams’ death by asphyxiation as suspected suicide. The details: Williams was found dead at noon today after a 9-1-1 call was placed from the home at 11:55 a.m.  The Marin County Sheriff’s Office, the Tiburon Fire Department and the Southern Marin Fire Protection District all sent emergency personnel to the scene, arriving almost immediately at 12:00 pm. Williams lived in the home on the Tiburon peninsula with his wife, Susan Schneider, but it isn’t clear if it was she who discovered him; reports say only that he was found “by family”. Williams had wed Schneider, a graphic designer, in the nearby Napa Valley on October 23, 2011. “The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63 year old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, CA. An investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of the de...

Jane Fonda may be a liberal activist, but her politics didn't figure into her decision to take on the role of Nancy Reagan in "Lee Daniels' The Butler." A new clip from the movie shows Fonda's First Lady talking to White House butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker). Reagan invites him to a state dinner, but "not as a butler, Cecil -- as a guest." In a sound bite following the clip, Fonda addresses her controversial casting. "The idea that I could play Nancy Reagan was just too much to resist," she says. "I don't think that whatever differences there might be in our politics really matters." "Lee Daniels' The Butler" features an all-star cast including; Oprah Winfrey,  Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard,  Robin Williams,  Alan Rickman,  Melissa Leo,  Minka Kelly,  John Cusack,  James Marsden,   Mariah Carey. Lee Daniels' The Butler   is an upcoming 2013 American   historical drama...