Tonight's State of the Union address will be interrupting all that great Tuesday night TV like... shoot. I honestly can't think of anything. I mean, "Glee" but it's not back from hiatus yet and I wouldn't really call it "great." More, "somewhat reliably entertaining." Most of the other shows people like to watch on Tuesday nights are on cable networks so they won't be affected by the speech. Really, the biggest TV decision Americans have to make tonight is if they feel that the amount of smug they'll get out of actually watching the State of the Union out weighs the enjoyment offered by such timeless shows as "Hellcats" or the series premiere of "Joan and Melissa." Choose wisely. Here's your Tuesday night TV:
7:00pm: "Pitchmen" on Discovery. Seems like the classy thing to do would have been to end the show after the death of Billy Mays. But...
7:00pm: "Pitchmen" on Discovery. Seems like the classy thing to do would have been to end the show after the death of Billy Mays. But...
- 1/25/2011
- by Intern Rusty
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
HollywoodNews.com: Real guy reality show king Thom Beers has a packed agenda this week – he’s heading north for a meeting with all the sea captains on his wildly popular “Deadliest Catch” show, then onward to confab with the team getting ready for the next season of “Ice Road Truckers.” And then he’ll be heading south, where, he reports, preparation is underway for what sounds like it could be the next big ticket Beers show, in West Virginia and Kentucky.
“It’s a pilot. I can’t talk much about it yet,” he says.
Hot environment, or cold?
“Cold,” he laughs. “We’re actually going into a hole in the ground We’re going to be down there with the coal miners. It’s a whole different world.”
Which is how the preternaturally peppy Beers likes it.
“I love getting out there.
HollywoodNews.com: Real guy reality show king Thom Beers has a packed agenda this week – he’s heading north for a meeting with all the sea captains on his wildly popular “Deadliest Catch” show, then onward to confab with the team getting ready for the next season of “Ice Road Truckers.” And then he’ll be heading south, where, he reports, preparation is underway for what sounds like it could be the next big ticket Beers show, in West Virginia and Kentucky.
“It’s a pilot. I can’t talk much about it yet,” he says.
Hot environment, or cold?
“Cold,” he laughs. “We’re actually going into a hole in the ground We’re going to be down there with the coal miners. It’s a whole different world.”
Which is how the preternaturally peppy Beers likes it.
“I love getting out there.
- 8/31/2010
- by Beck / Smith
- Hollywoodnews.com
I'm having a really hard time coming up with a topic for today, I've started and stopped like three different ideas that either were dumb or I just lost interest in even as I was writing them. It's not too much of a loss as all of them were a lead in for the following announcement: I will be taking next week off of Pajiba After Dark. My classes start next week and as some incredibly astute readers who know me on Facebook may have noticed, I am not back in North Cuba yet, so there a whole lot of packing, driving, unpacking, and organizing in my immediate future. And let me tell you, if there is ever a time of year that is best suited for moving from Maryland to Miami it is... really not late August at all. The weather in both locales is some version of meteorological...
- 8/19/2010
- by Intern Rusty
In April 2009, Discovery Channel premiered "Pitchmen," a reality series, created by Thom Beers ("Deadliest Catch," "The Colony"), that followed the exploits of two Florida-based infomercial producers and personalities, best pals and partners Billy Mays Jr. and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan.
The show was an immediate success, but the happiness turned to grief when Mays died suddenly on June 28, 2009, at the age of 50, less than a week after appearing with Sullivan on "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien."
This threw the future of the show into question. It's taken a while to, first, decide if there should be a show without Mays; second, decide what shape that show should take; and third, actually produce the episodes.
But on Thursday, Aug. 19, Discovery premieres the 10-episode second season of "Pitchmen," focusing on Sullivan, with appearances by Mays' son, Billy Mays III, who works with Sullivan off-camera.
"Young Billy Mays is doing great," says Sullivan,...
The show was an immediate success, but the happiness turned to grief when Mays died suddenly on June 28, 2009, at the age of 50, less than a week after appearing with Sullivan on "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien."
This threw the future of the show into question. It's taken a while to, first, decide if there should be a show without Mays; second, decide what shape that show should take; and third, actually produce the episodes.
But on Thursday, Aug. 19, Discovery premieres the 10-episode second season of "Pitchmen," focusing on Sullivan, with appearances by Mays' son, Billy Mays III, who works with Sullivan off-camera.
"Young Billy Mays is doing great," says Sullivan,...
- 8/19/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Billy Mays -- the late great pitchman -- will be selling again tonight, but this time it's images of Billy himself that will be raking in the cash. Billy's " Pitchmen " hosting successor Anthony Sullivan is throwing a party for tonight's premiere episode in Tampa, Fl -- and the bash will feature an auction of Billy-inspired works of art. We're told several of the art pieces were created by crew members from the show, including Anthony.
- 8/19/2010
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Filed under: TV News
If you've ever wondered how Discovery could carry on the highly entertaining reality series 'PitchMen' without the highly electric personality of the late Billy Mays, you're about to get your answer.
The second season of the Discovery Channel series will begin on Aug. 21 starring the other "pitchman," Andrew "Sully" Sullivan.
'PitchMen' will pick up where the first season left off, with our intrepid infomercial maverick traveling the country looking for new and exciting products to sell insomniacs and soap opera watchers around the world. Sadly, he'll be doing it without his old partner in crime. Mays passed away last year after suffering a heart-attack, and an autopsy would later reveal that he had cocaine in his system at the time of his death.
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If you've ever wondered how Discovery could carry on the highly entertaining reality series 'PitchMen' without the highly electric personality of the late Billy Mays, you're about to get your answer.
The second season of the Discovery Channel series will begin on Aug. 21 starring the other "pitchman," Andrew "Sully" Sullivan.
'PitchMen' will pick up where the first season left off, with our intrepid infomercial maverick traveling the country looking for new and exciting products to sell insomniacs and soap opera watchers around the world. Sadly, he'll be doing it without his old partner in crime. Mays passed away last year after suffering a heart-attack, and an autopsy would later reveal that he had cocaine in his system at the time of his death.
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- 7/26/2010
- by Danny Gallagher
- Aol TV.
Reality television has come a long way since Big Brother packed a number of strangers into a ouse and let them do nothing. Now reality shows are usually centered on special groups of people and today's composer had to score two shows featuring men in extreme circumstances. Bruce Hanifan is the composer of the hit series' Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers, one about struggling fisherman, the other about drivers who have to transport precious cargos over deceptive icy roads. Working for Discovery Channel, History Channel and a number of other companies, Bruce seems to have cornered the market for masculine reality shows - in our interview, you'll find that juggling so many programs can sometimes be as tiring as driving through the abandoned Alaskan landscape.
What could you tell us about your musical education?
I started with piano lessons when I was seven years old. After a couple of...
What could you tell us about your musical education?
I started with piano lessons when I was seven years old. After a couple of...
- 6/16/2010
- Daily Film Music Blog
Despite the death of crab-boat Capt. Phil Harris, Discovery Channel's "The Deadliest Catch," which launches its sixth season in April, will likely get a seventh season, because, as executive producer Thom Beers points out, it's an "ensemble show."
But the reality hit "PitchMen," which premiered to great ratings on Discovery in April 2009, didn't have an ensemble in its first season. It was a buddy show, featuring the professional and personal relationship of infomercial kings Billy Mays and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan, as they crafted ads to showcase the work of entrepreneurs and inventors.
Mays' sudden death on June 28, at the age of 50, threw the future of the show into doubt. Questions were raised whether the show would continue with Sullivan alone, whether Mays' twentysomething son, Billy Mays III, would be involved, and, indeed, whether the show would continue at all.
Last July, Discovery announced the show would return, but little has been announced since then.
But the reality hit "PitchMen," which premiered to great ratings on Discovery in April 2009, didn't have an ensemble in its first season. It was a buddy show, featuring the professional and personal relationship of infomercial kings Billy Mays and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan, as they crafted ads to showcase the work of entrepreneurs and inventors.
Mays' sudden death on June 28, at the age of 50, threw the future of the show into doubt. Questions were raised whether the show would continue with Sullivan alone, whether Mays' twentysomething son, Billy Mays III, would be involved, and, indeed, whether the show would continue at all.
Last July, Discovery announced the show would return, but little has been announced since then.
- 2/18/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
I'm not saying that I necessarily think Billy Mays should have won a posthumous Emmy, or even that his show Pitchmen should have been included in their "The Year in Reality" segment. But leaving him out of the "In Memoriam" segment? You have people from every facet of the television industry, and you leave out the most famous infomercial personality ever. Infomercials are television programming.
Yes, they're annoying at times and yes, they're not as exciting as Lost or The Amazing Race, but it's still television. Billy Mays was famous because of television. And he was famous. Virtually everyone in this country recognizes "Hi, Billy Mays here!" and that almost patented way of shouting talking he had.
But hell, even if you don't buy any of those arguments, he was one of the stars of Pitchmen, a successful reality show. You honor reality shows, right? I'm just saying, It seems...
Yes, they're annoying at times and yes, they're not as exciting as Lost or The Amazing Race, but it's still television. Billy Mays was famous because of television. And he was famous. Virtually everyone in this country recognizes "Hi, Billy Mays here!" and that almost patented way of shouting talking he had.
But hell, even if you don't buy any of those arguments, he was one of the stars of Pitchmen, a successful reality show. You honor reality shows, right? I'm just saying, It seems...
- 9/21/2009
- by Jason Hughes
- Aol TV.
An autopsy performed on Us pitchman Billy Hays has shown that cocaine use contributed to his death. The 50-year-old 'king of infomercials' and co-host of The Discovery Channel's Pitchmen series was found dead in his Tampa, Florida home in June from a heart attack, which is still listed as the principal cause of death. However, a post mortem performed on Mays showed that he used cocaine a few days prior to his June 28 passing, TV Guide reports. The Hillsborough County medical examiner has released (more)...
- 8/10/2009
- by By Tim Parks
- Digital Spy
Pitchmen star and Pitchman Billy Mays' death last month was caused by his cocaine usage, according to his autopsy. The Hillsborough County medical examiner's autopsy revealed "Mays died form a lethal arrhythmia of the heart caused by hypertensive and arteriosclerotic heart disease" and that his use of cocaine "caused or contributed to" his heart disease. The report "revealed Mays had taken cocaine in the days before his death. He was also taking hydrocodone, oxycodone and... keep reading » » read the full story and comment, or find the latest news about Discovery Channel
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» follow reality blurred on Twitter and on Facebook.
- 8/8/2009
- by Andy Dehnart
- Reality Blurred
You may not know their names, but you know their faces and the products they sell. They're TV's commercial pitchmen and mascots -- and while we recall some of them fondly (R.I.P., Billy Mays and the Taco Bell chihuahua), there are far more who make us cringe, groan and reach not for our wallets, but the remote. Yet no matter how many times we change the channel, we can't seem to escape them. Ever. Who are these people (and animals), and why do they torture us so? From a waitress to a rabbit, from cavemen to a king, make way for the 20 most annoying pitchmen and mascots in television commercial history. ...Read more
Filed under: Top 20
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Filed under: Top 20
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- 7/23/2009
- by Patricia Chui
- Inside TV
Just as everyone has an opinion, a favorite meal and a nose — albeit a fake one at times — so too does everyone have a birthday. Even celebrities. Here at Birthday Bash, it’s my mission to salute the fine actors, filmmakers and other Hollywood heroes that are celebrating their special day this week. After all, it’s cheaper than mailing a cake.
This week, Birthday Bashers will catch the train leaving Platform 9 3/4 heading for the Cave of Wonders, battling blood-sucking vampires along the way. Or maybe we're just celebrating some actors who've done that dirty work for us. Either way, let's get to the party!
Robin Williams (July 21): Few actors in Hollywood can juggle the role of gut-busting comedian and tear-jerking dramatist like Robin Williams, as seen by his performances in "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Mrs. Doubtfire," among others. Seriously, go back and check out the cross-dressing comedy --...
This week, Birthday Bashers will catch the train leaving Platform 9 3/4 heading for the Cave of Wonders, battling blood-sucking vampires along the way. Or maybe we're just celebrating some actors who've done that dirty work for us. Either way, let's get to the party!
Robin Williams (July 21): Few actors in Hollywood can juggle the role of gut-busting comedian and tear-jerking dramatist like Robin Williams, as seen by his performances in "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Mrs. Doubtfire," among others. Seriously, go back and check out the cross-dressing comedy --...
- 7/20/2009
- by Josh Wigler
- MTV Movies Blog
The future of the Discovery Channel's Pitchmen show was cast in doubt after the unexpected death of series star Billy Mays. Though the show brought in decent ratings, it was hard to imagine the show continuing without the king of infomercials.
Now, less than a month later, a decision has been made. And, as the expression says, "the show must go on." Executive producer Thom Beers and co-host Anthony "Sully" Sullivan tell Eric Deggans that they're going to try to continue the series, if they can do it in a way that honors Mays' memory.
Sullivan noted that, "We have to re-invent the show, but I really want to be careful. I just want to make sure we do what Billy would want -- I think he'd roll over in his grave if we just stopped it."
Beers said, "I know (Pitchmen) will continue on. Absolutely, without a doubt.
Now, less than a month later, a decision has been made. And, as the expression says, "the show must go on." Executive producer Thom Beers and co-host Anthony "Sully" Sullivan tell Eric Deggans that they're going to try to continue the series, if they can do it in a way that honors Mays' memory.
Sullivan noted that, "We have to re-invent the show, but I really want to be careful. I just want to make sure we do what Billy would want -- I think he'd roll over in his grave if we just stopped it."
Beers said, "I know (Pitchmen) will continue on. Absolutely, without a doubt.
- 7/15/2009
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Discovery Channel announced its series Pitchmen which featured the recently deceased Billy Mays II and his business partner, Anthony "Sully" Sullivan will return for a second season. Because the series' first season with 12-episodes proved successful for the network and as a way to honor Mays, the show will be back produced by Original Productions, a unit of Fremantle Media. Currently the format for season two is in development and the Discovery Channel is working with Mays son, Billy Mays III, Sullivan and Thom Beers, CEO of Original Productions. Further details about the show will be announced at a later date as well as the premiere date. Discovery Channel will also re-broadcast its special honoring the career and life of Billy Mays, Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays on July 24 at 10p.
http://enews.cynopsis.com/html.asp?XZY1818427UTF59...
http://enews.cynopsis.com/html.asp?XZY1818427UTF59...
- 7/15/2009
- by cynthia@cynopsis.com
- Cynopsis.com/
The death of Billy Mays has perplexed a lot of overseas readers not grasping why the late night pitchman's passing has received so much attention. Mays possessed a sly humor and effervescent energy that made every product he hawked at you a believable deal. His style of promotion never came off as insincere, and that is why so many manufacturers sought him out. His charisma was such that Discovery Channel fashioned a popular reality series, "Pitchmen" that paired Mays with Anthony Sullivan. The show followed the adventures of Mays and "Sully" Sullivan, the most famous and successful pitchmen in history, as they search the world for inventions they believe they can take all the way to the big time.
- 7/11/2009
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
An original idea for show that came just a bit too late. With the recent death of the infomercial king Billy Mays, the future looks uncertain for his new series Pitchmen.
Pitchmen follows Mays and his business partner, Anthony "Sully" Sullivan, as they travel around the country and evaluate products for them to pitch on infomercials. Some unusual products spotlighted on the series include new takes on lawn fertilizer, windshield wipers, odor-removing spray, and shark repellant.
Airing on the Discovery Channel, the show began airing on April 15th. A dozen hour-long episodes have been produced and last one will air today, concluding a day long marathon of the show.
Episode 12 is titled "Revenge of the Pitchmen" and revolves around Mays and Sullivan taking part in a "pitch-off" to determine who's the best pitchman in the business.
An on-screen graphic will be been added to the finale to mark...
Pitchmen follows Mays and his business partner, Anthony "Sully" Sullivan, as they travel around the country and evaluate products for them to pitch on infomercials. Some unusual products spotlighted on the series include new takes on lawn fertilizer, windshield wipers, odor-removing spray, and shark repellant.
Airing on the Discovery Channel, the show began airing on April 15th. A dozen hour-long episodes have been produced and last one will air today, concluding a day long marathon of the show.
Episode 12 is titled "Revenge of the Pitchmen" and revolves around Mays and Sullivan taking part in a "pitch-off" to determine who's the best pitchman in the business.
An on-screen graphic will be been added to the finale to mark...
- 7/1/2009
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
In a week of many unnecessary celebrity passings, the death of professional pitchman Billy Mays had to take a backseat to the King of Pop and the Queen of Angels. But Discovery Channel remembers Mays fondly, and his series Pitchmen comes to a poignant end tonight. No matter how much OxiClean we use, we'll never be able to wash you from our memories, Billy.
- 7/1/2009
- Movieline
People expect a movie about Michael Jackson (in fact, our high commander, Josh Tyler already started casting it). A documentary about Farrah Fawcett has already been filmed. Even a movie about Ed McMahon wouldn.t be too out of the question given his high profile friends and tragic economic downfall at the end of his career. But a Billy Mays movie was hard to see coming. Yet, negotiations have already begun. What.s even less expected are the casting choices that are being tossed around. Citing an anonymous source, Daily Stab claims that Steve Carell is being looked at to play Mays in a big screen biopic. Assuming there's any truth to this rumor at all, the movie would follow Mays around the world as he sells various items as if he were an old-fashioned tonic dealer. There are also talks going on about depicting Mays. show, Pitchmen, in the...
- 7/1/2009
- cinemablend.com
If you didn't know his name, you probably knew his face - or at least his booming voice. But long before his rise to infomercial greatness, Billy Mays - the ubiquitous TV pitchman who died suddenly over the weekend - was just a guy hawking goods on the Atlantic City boardwalk, hoping not for fame but for somebody to buy his cheap gadgets. In an interview with People in March, a spirited Mays, who grew up outside Pittsburgh and played semi-pro football before he tried his luck as a pitchman at the New Jersey seaside resort, recalled his early working days.
- 6/30/2009
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
Celebrated infomercial product-hawker Billy Mays died on Sunday at the age of 50. For the last year, Ted Kamp, a television producer in Los Angeles, worked with Mays on the Discovery Channel series PitchMen. Herewith, an appreciation of a kind man with a bizarre talent. Before I met Billy Mays in person, I—like you, probably—wondered what the deal was with this man with the impossibly black beard who was always screaming at me. Then I spent the better part of the past year producing the Discovery Channel’s PitchMen—which explored the world of Billy and his pitch partner Anthony “Sully” Sullivan—and found out that there was a lot more to Billy than the stentorian OxiClean evangelist you saw on your television every nine minutes. Off-camera, Billy was actually the quieter of the two pitchmen: a surprisingly anxious, insecure, and eager-to-please guy. He was a working-class kid from Pittsburgh,...
- 6/29/2009
- Vanity Fair
Pitchman extraordinaire Billy Mays died from a pulmonary embolism, according to the coroner in Tampa, Fla., who announced preliminary autopsy results at a press conference Monday. Evidence of heart disease was also found. According to Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams, Mays "had an enlarged heart, a thickening of the wall of the ventricle which takes blood to the heart." Final results of the autopsy and cause of death will not be known for several weeks.Mays, 50, the bearded man with the booming voice best known for his ubiquitous OxiClean ads died in his sleep in his Florida home over the weekend.
- 6/29/2009
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
Infomercial pitchman Billy Mays has passed away at his home in Tampa, aged 50. The TV star, who was famed for his trademark shout, died in his sleep and was found by his wife Deborah on Sunday morning. The father-of-two began as a salesman on the Atlantic City boardwalk in the 1980s before he was handed contracts to promote products such as Oxi Clean and Kaboom. Rob Walker recently claimed in The New York Times magazine that Mays had one of the most familiar voices on Us TV. Mays insisted that he never worked with a company that he did not believe in and described himself as a "pitchman" and "problem solver" rather than an actor. His unique presenting style made him a popular figure for online video parodies. He also recently moved into the world of reality TV with the Discovery Channel's Pitchmen, where he judged inventors' new products...
- 6/29/2009
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
Fans were shocked at the death of television infomercial star Billy Mays, known for his beaming smile and energetic pitches for products such as Oxiclean, OrangeGlo and Mighty Putty. Mays passed away on Sunday at the age of 50 due to unknown causes possibly related to a head injury.
Mays was also the star of a new reality series from Discovery Channel called "Pitchmen" featuring Mays and Anthony Sullivan, known as "Sully."
Sully released the following statement in regards to the death of his close friend and co-host saying: "There are no words to describe how I feel about the passing of my great friend and fellow Pitchman Billy Mays. I have a massive hole in my heart. My thoughts go out to his wife, Deborah, son Billy III, and his beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, his mom and dad and his whole family."
"Billy and I have known each other for 15 years.
Mays was also the star of a new reality series from Discovery Channel called "Pitchmen" featuring Mays and Anthony Sullivan, known as "Sully."
Sully released the following statement in regards to the death of his close friend and co-host saying: "There are no words to describe how I feel about the passing of my great friend and fellow Pitchman Billy Mays. I have a massive hole in my heart. My thoughts go out to his wife, Deborah, son Billy III, and his beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, his mom and dad and his whole family."
"Billy and I have known each other for 15 years.
- 6/29/2009
- icelebz.com
Ending a difficult week with the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson, Informerical and Commercial personality Billy Mays was found unresponsive in his home yesterday and later died. The spokesperson for many products over the years including OxiClean and OrangeGlo, and most recently the co-star of his own reality television show on Discovery channel called Pitchmen, was 50 years old.
The cause of Mays death is unknown and an autopsy is expected to be released sometime Monday afternoon. Last week Mays appeared on The Tonight Show with his Pitchmen co-star Anthony Sullivan and appeared to be fine. There were no signs of of a break-in at the home, and police said that foul play had been ruled out. Mays had been a passenger on a USAirways flight that landed in Tampa Bay on Saturday that blew a tire causing a bumpy landing. Billy Mays spoke with local Tampa...
The cause of Mays death is unknown and an autopsy is expected to be released sometime Monday afternoon. Last week Mays appeared on The Tonight Show with his Pitchmen co-star Anthony Sullivan and appeared to be fine. There were no signs of of a break-in at the home, and police said that foul play had been ruled out. Mays had been a passenger on a USAirways flight that landed in Tampa Bay on Saturday that blew a tire causing a bumpy landing. Billy Mays spoke with local Tampa...
- 6/29/2009
- by AstroJones
- TVovermind.com
Billy Mays, the well-known and energetic product salesman on TV infomercials and co-host of the series Pitchmen on Discovery Channel, was found dead early yesterday at his home in Tampa, Fl. He was 50. Referred to as "king of the infomercial," Mays began selling products on the boardwalk in Atlantic City then traveled the country working at garden and home shows and other sales exhibits. In 1996, he was selected to sell the Orange Glo cleaning product live on the Home Shopping Network which led to a successful direct response advertising career. A statement released from Discovery Channel following the news of Billy's death, says in part, "Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend. Our deepest sympathies go out to his...
- 6/29/2009
- by cynthia@cynopsis.com
- Cynopsis.com/
Television pitchman Billy Mays . who built his fame by appearing on commercials and infomercials promoting household products and gadgets . died Sunday. Mays, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife inside his Tampa, Florida, home at 7:45am on Sunday. It was not immediately clear how he died. He said he was hit on the head when an airplane he was on made a rough landing Saturday, and his wife, Deborah Mays, told investigators he did not feel well before he went to bed about 10pm that night. Police said there were no signs of forced entry to Mays' residence and foul play is not suspected. Authorities said an autopsy should be complete by Monday afternoon. "Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times," Mays wife, Deborah, said in a statement on Sunday.
- 6/29/2009
- WorstPreviews.com
By Lee Pfeiffer
Billy Mays, the seemingly omnipresent pitchman seen all over American TV, has died at age 50. The stocky Mays had parlayed his "spiel" of in-your-face promotions for household cleansers and other products into a virtual trademark. Clad in his familiar blue shirt and tan trousers, the stocky, bearded Mays would wake viewers out of their stupors by literally shouting about the quality of his products. In a recent profile on a major TV show, it became clear that Mays had legions of fans who would mob him for autograph and flatter him by reciting his ads verbatim. For others, his bombastic approach caused them to frantically search for the mute button on their remote control. By all accounts, however, Mays was a likable man who relished his unusual status as a celebrity pitchman. Even those who didn't like his TV persona had to confess admiration for the way...
Billy Mays, the seemingly omnipresent pitchman seen all over American TV, has died at age 50. The stocky Mays had parlayed his "spiel" of in-your-face promotions for household cleansers and other products into a virtual trademark. Clad in his familiar blue shirt and tan trousers, the stocky, bearded Mays would wake viewers out of their stupors by literally shouting about the quality of his products. In a recent profile on a major TV show, it became clear that Mays had legions of fans who would mob him for autograph and flatter him by reciting his ads verbatim. For others, his bombastic approach caused them to frantically search for the mute button on their remote control. By all accounts, however, Mays was a likable man who relished his unusual status as a celebrity pitchman. Even those who didn't like his TV persona had to confess admiration for the way...
- 6/28/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Billy Mays, who sold such products as OxiClean and Orange Glo in late-night infomercials and demonstrated his techniques in his Discovery series Pitchmen, has died. He was 50.
Mays was found dead at his home Sunday morning and no foul play was suspected, Tampa police told news outlets. Autopsy results were expected Monday.
See other celebrities who have died this year
"Although Billy lived ...
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Mays was found dead at his home Sunday morning and no foul play was suspected, Tampa police told news outlets. Autopsy results were expected Monday.
See other celebrities who have died this year
"Although Billy lived ...
Read More >...
- 6/28/2009
- by Tim Molloy
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Billy Mays, the bearded infomercial pitchman with the trademark shout, has died in his sleep at home. "Everyone [who knew] him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth," the Discovery Channel (which aired his series, Pitchmen with Anthony Sullivan) said in a statement. "Billy was a pioneer in his field … He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family at this time of incredible loss." Authorities say the 50-year-old was pronounced dead Sunday morning after being found by his wife, Deborah Mays.On Saturday, Mays was onboard a U.S.
- 6/28/2009
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
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