the Grim Reaper must need to hit a quota

The end of May is only days away, and there seems to be a lot of high-profile losses to the entertainment world in just a short time.

It's being reported today that Harvey Korman has died after having suffered an aneurysm four months ago. Like most people, I remember him best from "The Carol Burnett Show". I always laughed at him because he had such a hard time keeping a straight face, which can't have been that easy a task given Tim Conway's penchant for ad-libbing.

It's also being reported today that Alexander Courage has died. I'll admit that while his name sounded familiar, I had to look up who he was. Bad Trekkie. While he's got a long list of prestigious credits, his best-known work is probably the theme music to the original "Star Trek" television show.

On Tuesday, the death of Sydney Pollack was being reported. He was a director that I admired a lot and whose films I really liked, but I also thought he turned in good acting performances in "Tootsie" and "Eyes Wide Shut".

And on Sunday, it was reported that Dick Martin had died. I'll admit that I never really watched him much, but I of course knew who he was, and he was watched and loved by millions of "Laugh-In" viewers.

And even though Earle Hagen isn't a name that I know, his death is also worth mentioning since he had a very prolific career, including composing, and whistling, the theme song to "The Andy Griffith Show".

Thoughts go to all their families and friends.