WebProNews

Tag: Bonanza

  • “All My Children,” “Bonanza” Actor David Canary Dies at 77

    All My Children star David Canary has passed away at the age of 77. The actor died on November 16 of natural causes. He was living at an assisted living facility in Wilton, Connecticut at the time of his death.

    Best known for his roles on soap operas, David Canary got his start in the entertainment world in New York theater. His first soap opera role was in Peyton Place. He played a physical therapist.

    Canary also starred in the long-running soap opera, Another World. He played the ranch-hand known as Candy on the hit TV show Bonanza.

    It was in the 1980s that David Canary signed on to star in All My Children. In his 26-year career with the show, he received 16 Emmy nominations and won five Emmys for Outstanding Actor Awards for his roles as Stuart and Adam.

    Kelly Ripa played David Canary’s daughter on All My Children. She shared her grief via social media.

    The All My Children star is survived by his wife of 33 years, Maureen, as well as a son and a daughter.

    The soap opera world has lost an icon in the passing of David Canary.

  • ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star James Best–Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane–Dead at 88

    Dukes of Hazzard star James Best, known for his role as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane, died Monday in North Carolina at the age of 88.

    Born in Kentucky, the actor also appeared in many other roles on both TV and in films. Those roles included The Caine Mutiny (1954), alongside actor Humphrey Bogart, and The Left Handed Gun, in which he starred with Paul Newman. He also appeared on popular TV programs including The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke.

    James Best appeared on The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985–throughout the show’s entire run.

    An obituary for the actor is posted on his website. The Dukes of Hazzard clearly played a big role in his life.

    “Throughout the decades that followed its seven-season run and two reunion movies, “Dukes” continued to keep Jimmie busy with reunions and personal appearances at festivals and fan gatherings. Through the enormous viewership of “Dukes” reruns, the popularity of the show has now spanned several generations of fans,” his obituary reads.

    Tom Wopat, known for his Dukes of Hazzard role as Luke Duke, was quoted in the obituary as well.

    “He was a fine actor, director and mentor, and an even better friend,” he wrote.

    Sonny Shroyer, known for his Dukes of Hazzard role as Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate in the series, wrote, “James Best will go down as one of the greatest actors that ever lived.”

    In addition to acting, James Best also ran an acting school. Some of his notable students throughout the years included Clint Eastwood, Farrah Fawcett, Regis Philbin and Quentin Tarantino.

    The acting world has certainly lost a beloved character in the passing of Dukes of Hazzard star James Best. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Collier, as well as son Gary Allen Best and wife Angela, daughter JoJami Best Tyler and husband Eric, and daughter Janeen Damian and husband Michael Damian; and by grandchildren Lauren Best, Cameron Tyler, and Tessa Tyler.

  • Dan Blocker Beach Is Opened To Public After 35 Years

    For the first time after decades of not being used, Dan Blocker Beach in Malibu has been opened to the public. The beach, which was named after actor Dan Blocker, star of Bonanza, also has a Dan Blocker Beach scenic viewpoint that overlooks it and was unveiled on Friday, November 14.

    LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky reportedly rushed to finish the project before the end of his term after decades of being on the backburner. Dan Blocker Beach scenic viewpoint was completed just 17 days before Yaroslavsky was set to leave office.

    “Public access to our coastline is about making sure that our beaches and our coastline are for everybody, and so this is a great day,” said Yaroslavsky at the dedication ceremony for Blocker.

    Actors Michael Landon and Lorne Grenne reportedly bought the beach and named it after their co-star Blocker, who played the character of Hoss on Bonanza. Landon and Greene donated the beach, which runs one mile from Latigo Shore Drive east to Corral Canyon Road along Pacific Coast Highway, to the state in 1979. After purchasing adjacent pieces of land, the state apparently donated Dan Blocker Beach to the county in 1995.

    Dan Blocker Beach remained an eyesore, however, as time passed without development. Tattered fencing reportedly kept out the public yet did not deter passersby from littering Dan Blocker Beach with trash. Yaroslavsky reportedly spearheaded the beach’s development in 2011 after receiving pressure from city officials.

    “As a family, as a whole, we’re very honored,” said Blocker’s son, Dan Blocker. “We are so happy to have it for our kids, to say, ‘This is for your grandpa,’ instead of just a fence.” He also thanked fans from around the world who dedicated funds for a plaque for his father.

    “It’s been a really long time coming. I think it’s just a wonderful place to stop, it’s a great view point,” said Carol Baker, spokesperson for Beaches and Harbors.

  • Bonanza Just Registered Its Millionth User

    Bonanza Just Registered Its Millionth User

    Online marketplace Bonanza announced today that it celebrated its one millionth registered user this week. To celebrate, sellers organized a give-away contest to promote their stores, with over a hudred sellers offering gifts for the one millionth member.

    The company, formerly Bonanzle, says it has seen steady growth in membership, traffic and revenue since launching in 2008. It attributes this mainly to its fee structure.

    “We’re happy to let Amazon and eBay argue over whose pricing scheme is ‘best for sellers,’” said CEO Bill Harding. “Meanwhile, our fees average 70% lower than theirs. We aim to make selling online simple enough for my grandma to do it, and yes,
    that ‘one million’ number includes Grandma Harding.”

    eBay announced last week that it is launching free listings for all sellers.

    In 2010, Bonanzle acquired artisan merchandise site 1000 Markets and changed its name to Bonanza. The combined company would take aim more at Etsy than eBay, specializing in “unique and non-mass-produced items”.

    Etsy had 1,025,124 new members join in February alone. The site saw 1.49 billion page views during the month.

  • Hundreds Of Bonanza Users Get Their Twitter Accounts Suspended [Updated]

    Hundreds Of Bonanza Users Get Their Twitter Accounts Suspended [Updated]

    It appears that Twitter accounts who have been tweeting links to pages from ecommerce site Bonanza (formerly Bonanzle) have been getting suspended by Twitter. Bonanza co-founder Mark Dorsey tells WebProNews, “This past Friday, hundreds of our sellers’ Twitter accounts were suspended. Our forums state that it is more than 500 Twitter accounts that have been unjustly suspended by Twitter. Even our corporate @Bonanzamarket account was suspended (never have we broken any Twitter rules).”

    Dorsey says the company has reached out to Twitter, but so far has only received an auto reply, saying:

    Hello,
    We understand that you’re contesting an account suspension. Please be sure to read this entire email.
    Twitter suspends accounts for a variety of reasons. Your account was suspended because it appears you may be managing a number of Twitter accounts. Creating serial or bulk accounts with overlapping uses is a violation of the Twitter Rules; as a result, all of the accounts created have been suspended pending more information being provided.

    Please respond with the following information in only one ticket:
    a) a list of the accounts that you have created and which of these you would like to have reinstated, and
    b) your planned use for the accounts.
    The Twitter Rules can be found here: http://support.twitter.com/articles/18311
    Thanks,
    Twitter Support

    “We immediately replied to their auto reply and have not heard back yet,” Dorsey tells us. “It is now Monday and nothing has changed.”

    “There were accounts that were suspended that have sent 1-2 tweets total,” he notes. “From our side it appears that anyone who has ever tweeted a Bonanza item has been part of this mass suspension.”

    Ina Steiner at eCommerceBytes reports that one seller told her that the suspensions included users who had not tweeted about Bonanza in several months, as well as those who tweet daily. Steiner writes:

    The seller said the bulk of those effected did not have multiple twitter accounts, and, “the few who do, use their multiple accounts in different ways. It would appear that the suspensions were really the result of their bots identifying any tweet with “at Bonanza”, “@Bonanza”, or “#Bonanza” as spam, thus earning an immediate suspension.”

    As she pointed out, Bonanza members are eclipsed by Etsy and eBay users who also promote their businesses on Twitter. But could the mass-suspension of Bonanza users be the beginning of a wider trend, she asked? “This targeting of small business owners has got to stop,” she said.

    “This is either a horrible mistake by Twitter, or the first move in what could be a mass removal of marketplace sellers from Twitter,” says Dorsey. “Maybe Twitter is going the way of Google Shopping and looking to monetize their service.”

    We’ve reached out to Twitter for comment, but so far we have not heard back. We’ll update if that changes.

    Update: Dorsey tells us that a few hours after we ran this story, he received word from Twitter that their automated system mistakenly added Bonanza to a spam group. He shares this response from Twitter:

    Hello,

    Twitter has automated systems that find and remove multiple automated spam accounts in bulk. Unfortunately, it looks like your account got caught up in one of these spam groups by mistake.

    I’ve restored your account; sorry for the inconvenience.

    Please note that it may take an hour or so for your follower and following numbers to return to normal.

    According to Dorsey, most if not all accounts have been reinstated.

  • Bonanzle Buys 1000 Markets, Becomes Bonanza

    E-Commerce site Bonanzle, which is often touted as an alternative to eBay, has acquired artisan merchandise site 1000 Markets, and changed its name to Bonanza. The combined company, which will take aim at sites like Etsy, is located at Bonanza.com, with a new design. 

    "We think this is an amazing triple play," says Bonanza CEO Bill Harding. "First, we’re adding the tremendous stores and shoppers of 1000 Markets to our family. Second, we’re bringing a dynamic new design to the site that makes it even easier to list and buy the kind of delightful and unique merchandise both companies have always been known for. And third, we’re branding it with a household word that not only speaks to the bounty of opportunities to be found, but is also easier to remember and spell."

    Bonanza certainly has a better ring to it. 

    Bonanzle becomes Bonanza

    "This is an excellent match for our merchants and our growing audience of buyers," he says. "Both companies emphasize fun and easy shopping for unique products, and the merchants at 1000 Markets are known for the quality of their work and passionate commitment to customer service — traits that we admire and support."

    "We are delighted to join forces with Bonanza, one of the leaders in the field," says 1000 Markets CEO Matthew Trifiro. "This will bring our distinctive and passionate merchants the power of Bonanza’s infrastructure and traffic. We believe that this combination will create one of the strongest players in social commerce."

    Bonanza started enabling users to log in with Facebook and Google accounts back in June. As noted then, this could go a long way in increasing usage. 

    In April, the company received a million dollar round of funding to improve its service. 1000 Markets raised $500,000 last year. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

    1000 Markets’ inventory of about 100,000 items will be blended into Bonanza’s inventory over the next month.