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Just a bunch of random thoughts this week, gang…

As I mentioned two weeks ago, Martha Thomases and I go waaaay back to the days when she was DC’s go-to woman for marketing and promotions and I was a naive, newbie freelance writer for the company who always stuck my head in her doorway (“hey, Martha”) whenever I was in the office. We have always been kindred spirits in political thought and our taste in literature, television, and moves have always coincided more than they have diverged, and now Martha’s latest column extends that coincidence to some critics.

Martha, you have more patience than I do; I couldn’t even finish the piece because I got so annoyed. So, yeah, I’m not an A.O. Scott fan, either, although I do think he writes beautifully. In my not-so-humble opinion, Mr. Scott is a bit of a snob and...

Peter O’Toole: ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ actor, eight-time Oscar nominee dead at 81 (photo: Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence in David Lean’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’) Stage, film, and television actor Peter O’Toole, an eight-time Best Actor Academy Award nominee best remembered for his performance as T.E. Lawrence in David Lean’s epic blockbuster Lawrence of Arabia, died on Saturday, December 14, 2013, at a London hospital following "a long illness." Peter O’Toole was 81. The Irish-born O’Toole (on August 2, 1932, in Connemara, County Galway) began his film career with three supporting roles in 1960 releases: Robert Stevenson’s Disney version of Kidnapped; John Guillermin’s The Day They Robbed the Bank of England; and Nicholas Ray’s The Savage Innocents, starring Anthony Quinn as an Inuit man accused of murder. Two years later, O’Toole became a star following the release of Lawrence of Arabia, which grossed an astounding $44.82 million in North America back in 1962 (approx.

To commemorate his birthday, we thought we'd post some Robert Louis Stevenson quotes. Stevenson wrote one of the classic horror stories of all time, The Strange Case Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde among other literary gems such as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, to name a couple.

Below are some memorable Robert Louis Stevenson Quotes that you might enjoy.

“Wine is bottled poetry.”

“A friend is a gift you give yourself.”

“All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer.”

“Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a poor substitute for life.”

“Compromise is the best and cheapest lawyer.”

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

Even if the doctor does not give you a year, even if he hesitates about a month, make one brave push and see what...

American actor known for his role as Danno in the television series Hawaii Five-o

One actor in his time plays many parts, so it is a mixed blessing for a performer to be forever associated with one role and one catchphrase. James MacArthur, who has died aged 72, was instantly identified with Detective Danny "Danno" Williams in the long-running television series Hawaii Five-o (1968-79), in which he was habitually told "Book 'em, Danno" by his superior officer, Detective Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord), after villains had been captured.

From the outset, MacArthur could not escape being reminded that he was the son of celebrated parents. His mother, Helen Hayes, always flagged as "the first lady of the theatre", had a long career on stage, in television and films, winning two Oscars 40 years apart, and his father, Charles MacArthur, co-wrote and co-directed several films with Ben Hecht, one of which, The Scoundrel (1935), won a screenplay Oscar,...

I've never seen "Hawaii Five-o," never saw Disney's "Kidnapped," and though I grew up loving "Swiss Family Robinson," my least favorite character in the film was James MacArthur's Fritz. Enough that I kinda forgot about the elder brother of the shipwrecked clan until hearing about the actor's death yesterday. Here is something else I recalled with the news: MacArthur co-starred in the 1963 WWII film "Cry of Battle," which is best known for being half of the double-feature (along with the Korean War film "War is Hell") playing at the Texas Theatre when Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested there following…...

Beloved "Hawaii Five-o" actor James MacArthur, has died at the age of 72. MacArthur passed away on Thursday, October 28, a family representative tells People.com. Details surrounding the cause of death were not made available as WENN went to press.

The actor seemed destined for a career on the stage and screen, as the adopted son of actress Helen Hayes and her husband, American playwright Charles MacArthur, and he made his big screen debut in 1957 drama "The Young Stranger". MacArthur went on to appear in Walt Disney films "Third Man on the Mountain", "Kidnapped" and "Swiss Family Robinson", and in 1961 he made his Broadway debuted opposite a little-known Jane Fonda in "Invitation to a March".

The stage performance won him the Theatre World Award for Best New Actor. He won further acclaim for his roles in 1965 World War II drama, "The Battle of the Bulge" and Clint Eastwood's 1968 spaghetti Western,...

James MacArthur, best known to American television audiences as "Danno" in the classic TV series "Hawaii Five-O," died of natural causes today in Florida. He was 72 years old.

As youthful Detective Danny "Danno" Williams, MacArthur became as recognizable as Jack Lord, who played the team's leader Steve McGarrett. However, it was Lord who uttered what would become the series' signature catchphrase: "Book 'em, Danno." The original "Hawaii Five-O" aired from 1968 until 1980; CBS recently premiered a modern reboot of the crime drama with Scott Caan playing Danny Williams. MacArthur, the last living member from the original series main cast, had agreed to appear in an upcoming episode, according to a statement on his personal website.

Born James Gordon MacArthur on December 8, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, MacArthur is the adopted son of playwright Charles MacArthur and his wife Helen Hayes, who was considered to be the First Lady of the American stage. He grew up in Nyack, New York, with his parents' biological daughter Mary, and was educated at Allen Stevenson School in New York, and later at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania. MacArthur would later attend Harvard but, after working in several Walt Disney films over his summer breaks, left to pursue an acting career full-time.

MacArthur also won acclaim onstage, making his Broadway debut in 1960 playing opposite Jane Fonda in "Invitation to a March." But his clean-cut looks and athletic build won him roles in the late 1950s and 60s in several Disney films, including The Light in the Forest, Third Man on the Mountain, and the classics Kidnapped and Swiss Family Robinson. He also played a pivotal role in the 1965 film classic Battle of the Bulge. During that period MacArthur also guest starred on a number of television series including "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "Wagon Train," "The Untouchables" and "12 O'Clock High." He even co-starred with Hayes in a 1968 episode of "Tarzan."

Reportedly it was his appearance in the legendary Clint Eastwood Western Hang 'Em High that would eventually lead to MacArthur winning the role on "Hawaii Five-O."

After "Hawaii Five-O" came to an end, MacArthur returned to the stage, making guest appearances on series such as "Fantasy Island," "The Love Boat," "Vega$,"and "Murder, She Wrote." He also reprised the role of Dan Williams in a 1997 attempt to resurrect "Hawaii Five-O" but the pilot, in which Williams had been made Hawaii's Governor, was never picked up. His final small-screen appearance was in the 1998 TV movie "Storm Chasers: Revenge of the Twister."

According to a family statement reported by People.com, MacArthur spent his time off-camera enjoying sports and played flamenco guitar. He was formerly married to actress Joyce Bulifant from 1958 to 1967, and to actress Melody Patterson from 1970 to 1975. Both unions ended in divorce.

MacArthur is survived by his wife, Helen Beth Duntz, four children and seven grandchildren.

Beloved Hawaii Five-O actor James MacArthur, has died at the age of 72. MacArthur passed away on Thursday, a family representative tells People.com. Details surrounding the cause of death were not made available as WENN went to press.

The actor seemed destined for a career on the stage and screen, as the adopted son of actress Helen Hayes and her husband, American playwright Charles MacArthur, and he made his big screen debut in 1957 drama The Young Stranger.

MacArthur went on to appear in Walt Disney films Third Man on the Mountain, Kidnapped and Swiss Family Robinson, and in 1961 he made his Broadway debuted opposite a little-known Jane Fonda in Invitation to a March.

The stage performance won him the Theatre World Award for Best New Actor.

He won further acclaim for his roles in 1965 World War II drama, The Battle of the Bulge and Clint Eastwood's 1968 spaghetti Western, Hang 'Em High.

But he is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Dan 'Danno' Williams on the original U.S. TV crime drama Hawaii Five-O, which ran from 1968 to 1980.

MacArthur is survived by his wife of more than 25 years, Helen Beth Duntz, four children and seven grandchildren.

His first two marriages, from 1958 to 1967 to actress Joyce Bulifant, and another, from 1970 to 1975 to actress Melody Patterson, ended in divorce.

James MacArthur, the boyish actor who became a household name in the 1970s as Danny "Danno" Williams on TV's Hawaii Five-O, died Thursday, a family representative told People. He was 72 and his family was at his side at the time of his death, according to a family statement. No further details, including a cause, were given. Born in Los Angeles on December 8, 1937, MacArthur was adopted shortly after his birth by two living legends: actress Helen Hayes, considered the First Lady of the American stage, and her husband, Charles MacArthur, who, with collaborator Ben Hecht, wrote what some consider the greatest...

James MacArthur, who played Danno in the original 'Hawaii Five-0' -- the role now played by Scott Caan on the CBS remake -- died this morning. He was 72. The actor's agent, Richard Lewis, told the Associated Press that MacArthur died of "natural causes" in Florida, however, no other details have been given.

MacArthur was most famous for his role as Detective Danny "Danno" Williams on 'Hawaii Five-0,' which often ended episodes with the phrase "Book 'em, Danno." He was in all 11 seasons of the show, 1968 to 1980, as well as the 1997 pilot for a revamped 'Hawaii Five-0' starring Gary Busey (if you can imagine that), Russell Wong, and Steven Flynn. He played the same character, but Danno had become governor of Hawaii.

Over four decades, MacArthur racked up roles in movies and television. He starred in the 1960 version of 'Swiss Family Robinson,...

Yesterday’s media sensations become today’s “Really? I’ve never heard of that!” with distressing rapidity. As Virginia Tech history professor Roger Ekirch demonstrates in Birthright: The True Story That Inspired Kidnapped, ’twas ever thus. Robert Louis Stevenson was only the best known of the many authors and entertainers who mined the real-life case of James Annesley for fictional material. The boy was the legitimate son and heir of the second Earl of Anglesea, the head of a family given land and a title in Ireland in the 17th century. Thanks to a scheming uncle who would do Shakespeare ...

It has been the basis for at least five novels, most famously Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped. But the newly revealed story of James Annesley is more incredible than any of the tales it inspired

As yarns go, it pretty much has it all. There's a street waif who's actually an aristocrat, heir to half a dozen titles and estates in England, Ireland and Wales. A dastardly uncle who'll stop at nothing to usurp him. A kidnapping most foul, and a decade of toil as an ­indentured servant in 18th-century America. Then, against impossible odds, a dashing return, and a quest for justice through the courts that held all society spellbound.

The extraordinary story of James Annesley has inspired at least five novels, including Sir Walter Scott's Guy Mannering and, most famously, Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, one of the best-loved adventure books of all time. Yet the true story behind...