We've lost a couple big ones, folks.

First, Forrest Ackerman passed away Thursday night. The editor of Famous Monsters Of Filmland, 4E had a tremendous influence on science fiction and horror films, literature and fandom. From Steven Spielberg to Joe Dante to Rick Baker and on and on, Hollywood is lousy with Famous Monsters readers turned film-makers.

I once had the incredible privilege to tour the Ackermansion, Forry's memorabilia-filled home. In L.A. to see X, my best friend James and I headed over one afternoon. It was Geek Heaven, one of the finest afternoons of my life. The stuff laying around the place was unbelievable: mountains of artwork, the ape model from King Kong (1933), model spaceships from you-name-it, even Professor Fate's submarine from The Great Race.

I snagged the above photo from someone (sorry) because it reminds me of the time I spent with him. Note that he's wearing Lugosi's Dracula ring (the larger one) and Boris Karloff's from The Mummy. He slid the Dracula one on my hand. "With this ring, I be dead," I quipped. Mr. Ackerman, the absolute king of groaner puns, laughed and threatened to steal it. I was honored.

See ya, Dr. Akula. And thank you.

Actress Beverly Garland has also passed away. She was in a slew of great B movies, from D.O.A. (her first film) to The Alligator People to Gunslinger to Not Of This Earth. If it's from the Fifties and she's in it, you're in good shape. Especially if Roger Corman directed it. It'd be easy to call her a "cult actress" and leave it at that, but that belittles how versatile and good she was -- a very good actress in movies that don't usually have very good actresses.

Beverly was a regular on My Three Sons (which is what many people know her from) and appeared in about a million other TV shows. She also owned a hotel in Hollywood.

And Bettie Page is in a coma.