This isn't political in any way, but I figured someone ought to make note of it:
Reports: Nora Ephron dead at 71
Nora Ephron, the journalist-turned-successful Hollywood screenwriter/director, is dead. She was 71. The Washington Post was the first to report Ephron's death following some confusion this afternoon about the status of her health.
She died of complications from the blood disorder myelodysplasia, according to the Post.
This is a bit of a shock to me...I didn't know she was so ill. Then again, I didn't know how old she was either.
Here's what I did know about her:
Update: Added by popular request (I never saw it):
And while I thought seriously about whether to include this last one, I decided that I had to; it was the last of the Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan trilogy (the first one, Joe vs. the Volcano, didn't involve Nora Ephron), and like it or not, it was a pretty big hit at the time, even if I personally detested the film:
In short, aside from You've Got Mail as noted, she was an extremely talented writer who captured the little nuances of the human condition very well. Hollywood has been diminished.