After two of the cast members of the movie Soul Men died suddenly, gossip blogs reported rumors of a "Soul Men curse." Comedian and actor Bernie Mac died on August 9, 2008 and R&B legend Isaac Hayes died on August 10. Because both Mac and Hayes were black men over 50, some have speculated that Samuel L. Jackson might be the curse's next victim.
A Skeptical Eye
The "Soul Men" curse is one of many so-called curses involving movies and television shows. The Web site Snopes.com provides a detailed analysis of how to debunk such a rumor, using the Our Gang series of short films as an example. According to the theory of the Our Gang curse, an unnaturally high number of actors in the series met untimely deaths. The Snopes article explains how "curse" rumors cherry-pick facts to fit a pre-conceived pattern, distort information and make tenuous connections. The article also gives a brief statistical analysis of nearly 30 actors that starred in Our Gang, showing that the life expectancy of the group was actually higher than average.
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Soul Men scheduled to be released November 14, 2008
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Fact:
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Fact:
Mac died of complications of pneumonia
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Fact:
Cause of Death for Hayes is not yet known
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Fact:
Samuel L. Jackson turns 60 in December, 2008
