RIP - Billy Mays, Infomercial Pitchman

[Adri]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

[QUOTE=Sharilyn;235463]I haven't read all the recent RIP threads here, but where does the 'death in threes' originate? I thought it was a japanese thing... or a local Hawaii superstition?QUOTE]

I think it was that bad luck or bad events come in threes and for most, death counts as bad so it includes deaths coming in threes. I can't find anything definitive on the etymology of "bad luck comes in threes" or "deaths come in threes" but I think it's used more broadly than just the Japanese or just in Hawaii

[Peshkwe]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

I don't really know, sets of three seem to be prominent in a lot of things from way back. The Pagan/Wiccan belief of what is sent out returns three fold..to the Biblical Trinity....the rule of thirds in art and it seems to be a standard for writing where the tension is created, then built up, and finally released.

*shrugs*

The weirdness of 3

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

Rest in peace, Billy!

[Frankie's Market]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

I did not like his act. I have never liked being yelled at, and if you want me to not buy a product yelling at me is the way to do it. But I am sorry he died. I just wish he hadn't yelled so much.

Irritating or not, at least the products Billy Mays sold were legit. The same can't be said for much of the stuff hawked by the smooth-talking Kevin Trudeau.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN5ihrECJms

[tutusue]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

[...]where does the 'death in threes' originate? I thought it was a japanese thing... or a local Hawaii superstition?[...]

I inherited the superstition from my Irish/Scottish parents while growing up in SoCal 2 generations ago!

[Vanguard]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

Remember to wear blue tomorrow!

[matapule]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

Hoping it's NOT Walter Cronkite...or Pete Seeger.

Or matapule

[Vanguard]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

The same can't be said for much of the stuff hawked by the smooth-talking Kevin Trudeau.

I find him very annoying. Especially the way he likes to repeat 'thousands' or 'millions' to make a point. I can't believe anyone would trust him enough to buy anything from him. The only commercials more annoying than his are the gold kit commercials. I assumed Billy Mays had some sort of moral reason for never doing one of those commercials, or that he too found them annoying.

Ever notice how Billy Mays likes to point his fingers toward the audience, and then point to himself with his thumbs? He seemed so entranced while doing that.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

*Sigh!* What could have been....

[helen]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

I haven't read all the recent RIP threads here, but where does the 'death in threes' originate? I thought it was a japanese thing... or a local Hawaii superstition?

I sort of remember the death in threes mentioned in the movie The Dead Pool.

[Kaonohi]

Celebrity Deaths, June 2009

I don't really know, sets of three seem to be prominent in a lot of things from way back. The Pagan/Wiccan belief of what is sent out returns three fold..to the Biblical Trinity....the rule of thirds in art and it seems to be a standard for writing where the tension is created, then built up, and finally released.

*shrugs*

The weirdness of 3

The concept of "things happen in threes" is an old one, and cross cultural.

I liken it to Uri Geller's blanket: "If you wake and the clock is saying 11:11, it's me!" So, when you DO wake at that time, you notice, and any other time, you forget. It's called suggestion.

However in this case (as I mentioned earlier in this thread (I claim precedence!))we have been having a lot more celebrity deaths this June than I recall in recent memory.

Maybe it's just lots of Baby Boomers giving up the ghost.... I don't think it's supernatural or paranormal, or the "second" (or third, in deference to our LDS allies) coming. But it does seem unusual.

I also know, personally, a lot of people recently dead or dying in this season....

"To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose in heaven."

Pay attention.

I have always noticed anomalies. I am alive today because I have noticed anomalies, and many others are alive because of my attention to attention (long war story).

Eyes, ears open, if something does not fit, it's a message. Don't miss your messages. It's more important than Twitter....

K.

[cynsaligia]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

I haven't read all the recent RIP threads here, but where does the 'death in threes' originate? I thought it was a japanese thing... or a local Hawaii superstition?

i wouldn't call this an authoritative source, but here's one explanation for the origination.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomercial Pitchman

I think both Peshkwe & Kaonohi have made key points in the "threes" field.

Peshkwe noted that there are many three-related cultural points. In comedy, the Rule of Three shows up in multiple circumstances. In Christianity, you have a Holy Trinity. You can not have a stable seat with only one or two legs - but once you reach three, stability can occur. In "Multiplication Rock," if you recall, "Three is a Magic Number."

But Kaonohi also emphasized the power of suggestion with his Uri Geller comment. Years ago, someone put the "DWA: Driving While Asian" concept into my head, suggesting that Asians were somehow responsible for the majority of instances of poor driving. While logically, I recognize the nonsense of such a blanket statement, it seemed to resonate shortly after, as I noticed how often poor drivers were Asian.

Of course, I had to tell myself that my brain was only recalling the Asian drivers now, due to that maxim, and was not registering all the non-Asians making traffic errors...which turned out to be just as common. The suggestion that blondes were poor drivers would have the same effect.

So, since we anticipate "deaths in threes," we pay more attention to it happening than when it doesn't happen, and our brains are likely to store those circumstances in more easily accessible regions. And it's obvious that there have been many more deaths in the entertainment world this month than three, thus putting that theory out to pasture yet again.

Maybe the theory should be that age 50 is dangerous - that would connect Michael Jackson & Billy Mays...and graffitist Iz The Wiz.

[tutusue]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomercial Pitchman

[...]
Maybe the theory should be that age 50 is dangerous - that would connect Michael Jackson & Billy Mays...and graffitist Iz The Wiz.

It would also connect a dear friend and colleague in our local film industry who died last night...completely unexpected. My daughter just sent me an email stating, "It's weird how many people are dying around 50."

I'm a mess. Our entire local industry is a mess.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: RIP - Billy Mays, Infomertial Pitchman

i wouldn't call this an authoritative source, but here's one explanation for the origination.

I think that saying might have started after "The Day The Music Died" when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash.