Gary Coleman, icon? What you talkin’ about, Willis?
The news that Gary Coleman has died, of a brain injury at 42, is sad.
The New York Post makes the news its main front-page story this morning. Yep, it’s even bigger than the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
But the Post also describes Coleman as a “TV icon.”
Bill Cosby is a TV icon. Oprah Winfrey is a TV icon.
Coleman appeared in one hit series, “Diff’rent Strokes,” and uttered one famous line. The Post describes the line as “Watchoo talkin’ about, Willis?” The New York Times calls it “What you talkin’ about, Willis?” Those facts do not an icon make.
Coleman’s story is another cautionary one about children in show business. His death comes as Kate Gosselin and her children stare out from People magazine.
The Post also talks of a “so-called ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ curse” because co-star Dana Plato committed suicide and Todd Bridges battled cocaine addiction. Curses I don’t buy. I’ll go with family turmoil and bad decisions. And those problems don’t mean Coleman deserves icon status, either.