3 September 2016. As Seen by Vitaly Podvitsky… Happy Birthday, Yevgeni Pavlovich!

Happy Birthday, Yevgeni Pavlovich!

Vitaly Podvitsky

2016

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Today is the 90th anniversary of the birth of the late great Yevgeni Leonov. What a lively, good, and magnificent man!

2 September 2016

Vitaly Podvitsky Masterskaya Karikatury

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Editor:

It’s been 22 years since the passing of Yevgeni Pavlovich, one of the most well-loved Soviet actors on the stage and on the screen. He was a Peoples Artist of the USSR, known for his unpretentious and natural acting. Most of us know him as the voice of Vinni Pukh, the Sov version of Winnie the Pooh.

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28 February 2015. Didya Know that the Vulcan “Live Long and Prosper” Gesture Comes from the Jewish Priestly Blessing?

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The Vulcan “Live long and prosper” gesture derives from the Jewish priestly blessing. Leonard Nimoy said that he came up with it after remembering what he saw in Jewish services in his childhood… the Jewish gesture looked cool, alien, and mysterious, so, it became part of Star Trek. My thanks to the Cabineteer who came up with it. I wrote them:

 I’ve learnt a lot today. That’s what I like about this… I learn something new every day…

That’s what makes this so fascinating… I learn something new every day in the course of my research.

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28 February 2015. Didya Know What “Nimoy” (Нимой) Means in English?

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The word Нимой in Russian means “mute”… “unspeaking”. There’s no doubt that Leonard Nimoy‘s people came from Grodno Guberniya (in present-day Belarus). You’d also like to know that his zayde was a passionate socialist, a keen reader of the Forverts (Jewish Daily Forward). For years, Leonard Nimoy hung out at the Science Museum in Boston… he was passionately involved with real science. He’s not the only famous actor with a Russian connection… there’s also David Duchovny (Духовний)… he starred in the spooky X-Files. His surname means “spiritual”… believe it or not! Hmm… Jack Palance of the spooky voice was actually Vladimir Palaniuk of Luzerne County in NEPA… just as Natalie Wood was really Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko of San Francisco CA. Her parents were from Siberia… they weren’t “Ukrainian” at all. Yes… she stayed a loyal Russian Orthodox Christian all her life. You see, some names do have meanings… for instance “Fireri” (of Guy Fieri of the Food Network) means “proud” in English… and Guy Fieri does have a whole lotta chutzpah and confidence.

My thanks to the Cabineteer who proposed this idea. Some of my best ideas come from my friends… I’m truly blessed…

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28 February 2015. Leonard Nimoy Dies at 81… Mr Spock Is No More… Shalom, Lennie

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Leonard Nimoy‘s roots were in Belarus… he spoke Yiddish as well as he spoke English (he acted in the Yiddish theatre in his younger years). We all grew up with him in Star Trek… another one of our adolescent icons bites the dust. I hope that he finds peace. You CAN light a candle for him tomorrow… there’s no limit on such things by private people. Say a prayer for his soul as you do so. We’re Christians, that’s what we do…

Вечная память

Live long and prosper…

BMD