Quadsville

There are several unconfirmed reports that Michael Jackson has died from a cardiac arrest.

How do you remember Jackson? As the smallest of the Jackson Five, from the days of "Thriller" and "Bad" or from his frequent legal problems?

I never had the iconic Farrah Fawcett poster; I opted instead for another, with her in a white swimsuit, reclining on a Plexiglass chair. (My adoration was more toward Cheryl Tiegs, but that's for another day.)

If we were going to remember Farrah, who died of cancer this morning at age 62, as just the 1970s pinup girl who inspired a generation of feathered female hairdos, that might be enough.

But she had one of the greatest "second acts" in show business, going from a bubble-gum show like "Charlie's Angels" to some meaty, dramatic roles including "The Burning Bed" and "Extremities." It was a major triumph for someone whose acting career had been written off.

What are your memories of Farrah?

Go ahead and get excited about your Transformers, your Star Trek, your Wolverine, your Terminator.

One of the movies I've been waiting to see this summer starts Friday at Showcase Cinemas 53. "Away We Go" stars John Krasinski from "The Office" and "SNL" alum Maya Rudolph as expectant parents on a road trip. It's directed by Sam Mendes, who did "American Beauty" and "Road to Perdition."

Here's more info:

http://movies.zap2it.com/movies/away-we-go/194177

Paul Rodriguez is a 30-plus year comedy veteran who used to hang out with fellow struggling comics named Seinfeld and Leno.

But he said his fondest memories are from living in an apartment above the famed Comedy Store in Los Angeles, along with roommates Jim Carrey, Sam Kinison, Howie Mandel, Andrew Dice Clay and Yakov Smirnoff. They would frequent a nearby diner where they could get a plate of franks and navy beans for $2.25.

Carrey, thanks to movie success, is the biggest name now, but Rodriguez said he was the most insecure. (Personal note: For those of you who only know Carrey from his movies, or even "Living Color," hunt down some videos on YouTube.) Carrey kept asking the rest if his set was "good enough" that night -- "He devastated the room," Rodriguez said -- and dreamed of having enough money ... to buy a used car.

Rodriguez is at the Q-C Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf on Friday -- an interview is in GO&DO in Thursday's Quad-City Times, and online at qctimes.com/goanddo.

The Tony Awards aren't necessarily a place to find a lot of Q-C connections, but to my knowledge there were a few -- "God of Carnage," named best play, starred Jeff Daniels, who performed his music at Circa '21 last year; Poison lead singer Bret Michaels, injured during the awards, was featured in the "Rock of Ages" performance and has been here umpteen times.

Looking at the award winners this year, however, including the excruciatingly short best-play snippets, was wondering which of our theater companies will latch on to the rights.

Oh, and Neil Patrick Harris should just plan on hosting again for the next several years.

Winners of the 2009 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards, announced Sunday.

Two notable entertainment deaths in the past 24 hours:

Chicago blues singer Koko Taylor, who headlined the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in 1988, 2001 and last year, died at age 80: http://qctimes.com/entertainment/music/article_c3aef911-7d09-5317-a0f4-20f56affac56.html

And this morning we learned of the death, reportedly by suicide, of David Carradine, at age 72. Depending on  your age, you know him from "Kung Fu," the "Kill Bill" movies -- or Yellow Pages commercials: http://www.qctimes.com/news/world/asia/article_2a5f5990-7ff3-578d-af8e-4002405082a4.html

Thoughts on either's life or career?

"Echoes of Ireland" --  a music, performance and multimedia tribute to the works of Irish author Frank McCourt -- set for Friday, June 19 at the Adler Theatre in Davenport, has been cancelled.

The production is being "retooled," according to what the producers have told the Adler.

Ticket refunds are available at point of purchase. "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to those patrons who have already purchased tickets for this event," the show's publicist said in an e-mail.

Conan O'Brien finally got the keys to "The Tonight Show" Monday night. I was impressed with the first episode -- but then again, I was impressed with his first episode of "Late Night," and that floundered for a while before catching on.

I got one similar impression -- he was packing so much into the first show: The cross-country sprint (gotta love the Wrigley Field sequence), the cruise around town in the '93 Ford Taurus, the Universal Studios tram. You can't go wrong with Will Ferrell as a first guest, bringing his own comedy tips about living in L.A. (I've never been a big Pearl Jam fan, so I'll take a pass in commenting on that.)

What are your initial impressions? The show, the look, the set, the return of Andy Richter, the band? Let's hear it...