Wednesday, May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

When 'nothing from nothing' doesn't always leave nothing...

Billy Preston may have had it right most of the time but not in the case of the comedy series that debuted on this date in 1990. The show about, well, nothing, aired the pilot for the series in July of '89 and was placed in NBC-TV's summer lineup on the last day of May in1990 when it was called "The Seinfeld Chronicles"...

The show struggled to gain acceptance but gradually started its climb in the Neilsen ratings. In the 1992-'93 season, "Seinfeld" was the 25th most watched show. By the '93-'94 season it was 3rd and in the '94-'95 season, "Seinfeld" was #1...

The secret to "Seinfeld's" success was great writing and a brilliant cast assembled by Jerry Seinfeld. They didn't come any wackier than Michael Richards as Kramer. Jason Alexander was perfect as George Costanza and Julia Louis-Dreyfus played the pretty but quirky Elaine to a tee...

The show aired its last episode on May 14, 1998 and 76 million viewers were there to say goodbye. Commercials reached Super Bowl proportions for the finale with 30-second commercials selling at $1.7 million, proving that 'nothing from nothing' doesn't always leave nothing...

More May 31 Memories..

1870] E.J. DeSemdt patents asphalt (let's see, DeSemdt, cement, DeSemdt, cement, DeSemdt, cement...ya think?)...

1884] Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patents "flaked cereal" (for flakey people ?)...

1889] The Johnstown (PA) flood kills more than 2,000 after a dam break sends tons of water rushing through the city...

1907] The 1st taxis in the U.S. arrive in New York City (so do traffic accidents)...

1929] The Atlantic City Convention Center opens...

1941] The 1st issue of the still popular "Parade" magazine goes on sale (now included as a Sunday supplement)...

1956] Buddy Holly is inspired to write "That'll Be the Day" after watching the John Wayne movie, "The Searchers"...

1957] Pat Boone is #1 with the big summer hit of 1957, "Love Letters in the Sand"...

1958] The Surfing Era begins when Dick Dale performs "Let's Go Trippin'" at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California when the Beach Boys weren't even on the horizon...

1961] Red Sox backup Carroll Hardy becomes the only player to pinch-hit for both Ted Williams and Carl Yaztrzemski. Batting for Yaz in the 8th inning, he drops down a bunt single during a 7-6 loss...

1964] The Dave Clark Five make the 1st of 12 appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

1967] A.J. Foyt becomes the 4th man in the history of the Indy 500 to win the race 3 times...

1969] Stevie Wonder releases "My Cherie Amour"...

1969] The Rolling Stones record "Honky Tonk Women"...

1969] John Lennon and Yoko Ono record "Give Peace A Chance"...

1972] The Staple Singers are #1 with "I'll Take You There"...

1975] The Eagles release "One of These Nights"...

1977] The trans-Alaska oil pipeline is completed after 3 years of work...

1979] The newly renovated Radio City Music Hall reopens in Manhattan...

1982] The Clash release their "Combat Rock" LP...

1982] Survivor release the single "Eye of the Tiger"...

1990] "Seinfeld" debuts (feature story)...

1991] Pat Riley who coached the Lakers to 4 NBA titles, becomes the Knicks new coach (the closest he gets to a championship in NY is one game from the league title in 1994 but the Knicks will reach the playoffs twice more during his 4 years in NY)...

2000] Latin jazz great Tito Puente dies on the operating table as a result of complications following 12 hours of open-heart surgery. Puente was 77...

2003] Olympic Park bombing suspect Eric Rudolph is arrested outside a grocery store in Murphy, NC...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline]...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...

1928] Tommy Noonan (the dean of the CBS Records Alumni Association)...

1930] Clint Eastwood...

1938] Peter (of Peter, Paul and Mary) Yarrow...

1943] Sharon ("Cagney and Lacey") Gless...

1943] Joe Namath...

1950] Tom Berenger...

1960] Comedian Chris Elliott...

1964] DMC (Run-DMC) a.k.a. Darryl McDaniel...

1965] Brooke Shields...

1967] Rob Phillips...

1976] Colin Farrell...

[Today is the 151st day of 2006 with 214 days remaining in the year and 34 days until July 4]

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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

"The World's Most Famous Arena"...

Through good times and bad, mostly bad these days (remember, the Knicks and the Rangers play there), New Yorkers have had Madison Square Garden which opened for business on May 30, 1879 at Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street in an abandoned railroad shed. The sports arena was described by Harper Weekly as "Grimy, drafty, combustible". One would have to assume that those were its good qualities...

In 1890 renowned architect and even more renowned womanizer Stanford White designed a $3 million dollar arena at the same location that contained a rooftop restaurant where an ex-girlfriend's jealous husband shot Stanford to death in 1906. The Garden moved uptown in 1925, relocating to 50th Street and 8th Avenue where it stood until the current Garden was built in 1968 over Penn Station...

The last incarnation of the Garden would quickly (1970) house the New York Knicks 1st NBA championship, the 1st Ali-Frazier fight (1971), Elvis Presley's 4 sold-out concerts (1972), John Lennon's last ever concert appearance at an Elton John show (1974), Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10 at the American Cup (1976). In 1991 a $200 million renovation gave the Garden "a state of the art" makeover and just 3 years later, an NHL hockey championship for the New York Rangers...

Since relocating to 33rd Street between 7th & 8th Avenues, the Garden has been home to political conventions for both national parties, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel sell-outs, Bangladesh and 911 benefits, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, the Pope and countless others. Hey, even Rick Nelson had a party there...

More May 30th Memories...

1431] Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic is burned at the stake in Rouen, France at 19...

1539] Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto landed in Florida (he thought he was on Staten Island but hey, we'll take Florida)...

1783] The 1st daily newspaper in the U.S., Benjamin Towner's "The Pennsylvania Evening Post" is published...

1821] James Boyd patents the rubber fire hose (giving "Welcome Back, Kotter's" Vinnie Barbarino one of the great lines ever uttered on TV: "Up your nose with a rubber hose")...

1883] A rumor that the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge was in danger of collapsing triggers a stampede leading to the trampling deaths of 12...

1848] W.G. Young patents the ice cream freezer (good man!)...

1889] The brassiere is invented (rumor has it that the bra was invented by "Push-em-up" Tony Riccardo but it doesn't hold up)...

1922] The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated by Chief Justice William Howard Taft...

1933] Sally Rand introduces her exotic fan dance to audiences at Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition (no report of what progress was made following her dance)...

1946] Boston Brave Bama Rowell breaks lights on the Ebbets Field scoreboard when he hits a double off of it ("The Natural" based the Roy Hobbs scene on this incident)...

1963] Lesley Gore is #1 with "It's My Party" (a song she hears on the radio for the 1st time on WINS)...

1964] "Love Me Do" is #1 for the Beatles...

1967] Nearing 41 and the end of the line, future Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford of the Yankees announces his retirement...

1968] The Beatles begin recording their "White Album"...

1969] Mario Andretti wins the Indy 500, driving for Andy Granatelli...

1970] Baseball All-Star voting returns to the fans (great, now we can see their faves, whether they're hitting .200 or not)...

1971] Mariner 9 blasts off on a journey to Mars (Mariner 9 is not the Seattle team, it's a space probe)...

1973] "My Love" by Paul McCartney & Wings is #1...

1975] How's this for a combo ? Joan Baez welcomes Kool & the Gang on "Midnight Special"...

1982] 21-year old Cal Ripken Jr. begins his consecutive game streak at third base (the streak will last more than 13 years and 3 months and break Lou Gehrig's streak)...

1992] Paul Simon (50) and Edie Brickell (24) rock down the aisle in Montauk, LI...

1996] Britain's Prince Andrew and the former Sarah Ferguson end their 10-year marriage...

2002] A solemn, wordless ceremony marks the end of the cleanup at Ground Zero, 8 1/2 months after the 911 terrorist attacks...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline}...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...

1927] Clint ("Cheyenne") Walker...

1936] Keir ("2001") Dullea...

1939] Wacky veteran actor Michael J. Pollard...

1943] Football Hall of Famer Gayle Sayers...

1958] Ted (Ace on "Love Boat") McGinley...

1964] Wynonna Judd...

1972] Red Sox star Manny Ramirez...

[Today is the 150th day of 2006 with 215 days remaining in the year and 35 days left until July 4th}

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Friday, May 26, 2006

Friday-Monday, May 26-29, 2006

It's officially unofficially Summer...

New York City has to be the most fortified city in the U.S. as proven by the presence of the military fly-overs of the city yesterday. There was a period in the morning that those military "M*A*S*H" type helicopters that rattle windows and loosen fillings would fly over, followed by a low flying vee of jet fighters, followed by military planes of all sizes and descriptions. Memorial Day must be here and with that in mind, here's a brief history of the holiday, known as the unofficial start of the Summer:

Memorial Day which started out as Decoration Day has been celebrated as far back as the Civil War as a memorial to those who had died in that war. The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. That tiny village in upstate New York started observing the day on May 5, 1866 and each year thereafter. A proclamation followed that Decoration Day be observed nationally and it was starting on May 30th of that year...

"Memorial Day" was first used in 1882 but would not replace "Decoration Day" officially (by federal law) until 1967. On June 28, 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill which moved 4 holidays including Washington's Birthday which was changed to "Presidents Day", Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. All would fall on a Monday with Memorial Day celebrated on the last Monday in May...

Since the origin of Memorial Day was based on our Civil War, this holiday is not celebrated outside the U.S. with most countries remembering their military on or around "Remembrance Day" which we call "Veterans Day"...

However you celebrate his Memorial Day make it a safe and happy occasion but do remember those who gave their lives for us...

May 26 Memories...

1647] A new law banned Catholic priests from the colony of Massachusetts with the penalty being banishment or death for a second offense (Yikes, you New Englanders are tough !)...

1868] President Andrew Johnson is acquitted (by 1 vote) of all charges in his impeachment trial...

1896] The Dow Jones is 1st published with the average price of the 11 initial stocks at $40.94 (a bloody fortune in 1896)...

1959] The word "Frisbee" becomes a registered trademark of Wham-O...

1959] Harvey Haddix of the Pirates pitches 12 perfect innings but loses in the 13th on the 1st hit he gives up (a Joe Adcock home run)...

1959] Johnny Horton is #1 with "The Battle of New Orleans" (everybody: "oh they ran through the bushes and they ran through the brambles...")...

1965] The Rolling Stones, Jackie DeShannon, Sonny & Cher and Jimmy Rodgers (yeah, but anyone big ?) all appear on "Shindig!"...

1969] The Apollo 10 astronauts return to earth after a successful dress rehearsal for the 1st manned moon landing...

1970] "Everything Is Beautiful" for Ray Stevens when he hits #1...

1972] SALT I is signed by the U.S. and USSR, putting a freeze on the testing and deployment of land and sub-based ICBM's and ballistic missiles for 5 years...

1975] Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" is released...

1975] Evel Knievel is severely injured when he crashes while attempting to jump 13 buses in his car (I think it would've been far more interesting if he tried to jump 13 cars in a bus)...

1977] George H. Willig is arrested after he scales the South Tower of the World Trade Center in 3 1/2 hours (it's very chilling to mention anything about the WTC)...

1978] The 1st legal casino in the eastern U.S. opens in Atlantic City (see Donald Trump...see Donald Trump with a wide grin on his face)...

1980] Lipps, Inc.(which was not Mick Jagger and Lisa Rinna) is #1 with "Funkytown" (great, great song even though it's a just a bit repetitious)...

1991] Rick Mears wins his 4th Indy 500, tying A.J. Foyt and Al Unser Sr. with an exciting 3-second victory...

1993] Jose Canseco was "heads-up" while trying to catch a flyball. The ball hits the top of his head, goes into the stands (HOME RUN !)...

1994] Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley secretly wed in the Dominican Republic (and Elvis hasn't stopped spinning). They will divorce 20 months later (what took so long ?)...

1998] The Supreme Court rules that Ellis Island is mainly in New Jersey, not New York (whew, what a relief it is to know that. Now my ancestors can rest easy)...

2004] Terry Nichols is found quilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing (he will receive 161 consecutive life sentences, yet somehow it doesn't seem like enough)...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

"Happy birthday, happy birthday"...

1923] James ("Gunsmoke", "Mission:Impossible") Arness...

1939] Brent Musburger...

1940] Levon (The Band) Helm...

1948] Stevie Nicks...

1949] Hank ("are you ready for some footballllllllllll") Williams Jr...

1949] Philip Michael Thomas ("Miami Vice" dude)...

1962] Wackjob Bobcat Goldthwait...

1964] Jewish singer (yes he is !) Lenny Kravitz...

[Today is the 146th day of 2006 with 219 days remaining in the year with Memorial Day weekend upon us)...

...

Saturday, May 27, 2006...

May 27 Memories...

1647] Alse Young becomes the 1st person executed as a witch in America when she is hanged in Hartford, Conn (what ? You can't become a witch ?)...

1668] 3 colonists are expelled from Massachusetts for being Baptists (lighten up people)...

1929] Colonel Charles Lindbergh and Anne Spencer Murrow are wedded in bliss, pilot helmet and goggles in aviator jackets...

1932] Massachusetts Governor Joseph Ely signs a bill making Sunday baseball possible at Fenway Park...

1933] Walt Disney's "Three Little Pigs" is released...

1937] The Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County opens (but to"pedestrians only" the 1st day)...

1941] The German battleship Bismarck is sunk by British naval and air forces with 2,300 killed...

1957] "That'll be the Day" by the Crickets (with Buddy Holly) was released...

1960] The Orioles debut a giant sized catcher's mitt to help Baltimore catcher Clint Courtney catch Hoyt Wilhelm's knuckleball...

1962] Columbia Records releases "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" LP...

1968] George Halas retires after 48 years as coach of the Chicago Bears...

1969] Construction of Walt Disney World begins in Orlando...

1995] Actor Christopher Reeve is paralyzed when thrown from his horse during a jumping event in Charlottesville, Virginia...

1997] The Supreme Court rules that Paula Jones can pursue her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton while he is in office...

1998] The government's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing case, Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison for not apologizing for not warning anyone about the deadly plot...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

"Happy Birthday, happy birthday"...

1922] Christopher Lee...

1923] Henry Kissinger...

1935] Ramsey Lewis...

1935] Actress & 1955 Miss America Lee Meriwether...

1936] Louis Gossett Jr...

1943] Early British Invasion female singer Cilla Black...

1943] Bruce ("Hill Street Blues") Weitz...

1961] Peri (Roz on "Frasier") Gilpin...

1965] Todd ("Diff'rent Strokes") Bridges...

[Today is the 147th day of 2006 with 218 days remaining. The Memorial Day weekend is upon us with Monday being Memorial Day]

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Sunday, May 28, 2006...

May 28 Memories...

1928] Chrysler Corporation merges with Dodge Brothers, Inc...

1934] The Dionne quintuplets (Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne) are born to Elzire Dionne at their farm in Ontario, Canada (of course if Celine Dion were born to the Dionne's she'd be Celine Dion Dionne)...

1951] Willie Mays goes yard for a home run against the great Brave pitcher Warren Spahn for his 1st major league hit (interestingly enough, both future Hall of Famers would be teammates on the Mets at the end of their careers)...

1953] The Walt Disney film "Melody" premieres in Hollywood as the 1st 3-D cartoon...

1955] Billboard reports that "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" is the most popular song in the U.S...

1956] The Pirates' Dale Long becomes the 1st player to hit home runs in 8 consecutive games (in 1987 the Yankees' Don Mattingly and in 1993, Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. will tie the mark)...

1957] The National League approves the move of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants to Los Angeles and San Francisco, California (a sad day for New York)...

1957] The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) is established. NARAS puts on the Grammy Awards every year...

1976] The Allman Brothers Band breaks up after Gregg Allman testifies against his personal road manager in a drug case but the band will reform in 1978...

1977] Heart releases "Barracuda" (which every AOR jock in America "cleverly" calls "Baccaruda" in at least one intro)...

1977] John Davidson escapes a fire at a supper club in Kentucky that will take the lives of 164 and injure 130...

1985] Vanity Fair debuts with President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy on the cover...

1987] 19-year old West German pilot Mathias Rust lands his plane in Moscow's Red Square after evading Soviet air defenses (I just saw an interview in which Rust said he's getting use to life in the gulag)...actually Rust was released in August, 1988. I mean you know how "red" tape can be...

1989] Emerson Fittipaldi (great name !) and Al Unser Jr. play bumper cars in the Indy 500 with Unser helping Fittipaldi cross the finish line and win the race (not Unser's intention)...

1996] President Bill Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, James and Susan McDougal take the bullet for Bubba and end up in jail. Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker is also convicted of fraud...

1998] Comic actor Phil Hartman of SNL and "NewsRadio" is shot to death at his home in California by his wife, Brynn who then kills herself (why couldn't she start with herself first ?)...

1999] In Milan, Italy, Leonardo de Vinci's "The Last Supper" is put back on display after 22 years of restoration work...

2005] The Red Sox beat the Yankees 17-1 in the most lopsided score in that rivalries history...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...

1931] Carroll Baker...

1938] Basketball Hall of Famer and the guy on the NBA logo, Jerry West...

1944] Rudolph Giuliani...

1944] Gladys Knight...

1944] Billy Vera...

1945] John Fogerty...

1977] Elizabeth ("The View") Hasselbeck...

[Today is the 148th day of 2006 with 217 days remaining in the year and tomorrow is Memorial Day]

...

Monday, May 29, 2006 Memorial Day...

May 29 Memories...

1905] Dodger pitcher Elmer Stricklett introduces the spitball helping Brooklyn beat the Giants 4-3...

1910] An airplane races a train from Albany, NY to New York City (why ?). The plane beats the train (duh) and pilot Glenn Curtiss wins a $10,000 prize...

1911] Ray Harroun wins the 1st Indy 500 (a year earlier they could have had a 3-way race between the plane, the train and the race car)...

1917] The man who would become our 35th president, John F. Kennedy, is born in Brookline, Mass...

1922] The Supreme Court rules that organized baseball is not a business and exempts the sport from antitrust laws and interstate commerce rules (whaaa, huhhh ???)...

1942] Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra records Irving Berlin's "White Christmas"...

1953] Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and sherpa Tenzing Norgay (an all-time great name) become the 1st climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest...

1962] Buck O'Neil becomes the 1st black coach in major league history when he accepts a job with the Chicago Cubs...

1969] The self-titled debut album by Crosby, Stills and Nash is released...

1971] The Rolling Stones are #1 with "Brown Sugar"...

1973] Clive Davis is fired from Columbia Records for allegedly misappropriating company funds...

1976] Joe Niekro and the Astros beats brother Phil and the Braves 4-1...

1984] The Red Sox retire Joe Cronin's #4 and Ted Williams' #9 at Fenway Park...

1987] George Michael releases "I Wan't Your Sex"...

1989] Phillies' future Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt announces his retirement...

1998] Former Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate Barry ("Mr. Conservative") Goldwater dies at 89...

1999] Space shuttle Discovery completes its 1st docking with the International Space Station...

2001] 4 followers of Osama bin Laden are convicted of a global conspiracy to murder Americans, including the 1998 bombings of 2 embassies in Africa that took 224 lives...

2004] America dedicates a memorial to World War II veterans in Washington, D.C...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...

1938] Former Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent...

1939] Al Unser Sr...

1948] Anthony ("General Hospital") Geary...

1950] Rebbie Jackson...

1956] LaToya Jackson...

1958] Annette Bening...

1961] Melissa Etheridge...

[Today is the 149th day of 2006 with 216 days remaining in the year and today is Memorial Day]

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Thursday, May 25, 2006

Thursday, May 25, 2006

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"...

Each of the 6 Star Wars films opened with that same fairy tale line. There were actually 5 movies with the 1st movie re-released under a different title as the original Star Wars would become "Star Wars Episode IV; A New Hope" when it was re-released. Confusing ? You bet. I mean I gave up on the story timeline back in, oh I dunno, maybe 1980 when the second movie was released...

It seems to me that the cast of the original movie was the strongest as George Lucas introduced us to Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Chewbacca (what was the species of the hairy one anyway ?) and the robotic two-some of C-3PO and R2-D2. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher were hotter than Taylor Hicks in the late 70's...

Whether you were hooked on Star Wars or not you have to admit that this was one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons ever. In addition to theater box offices printing money with each ticket sold, there were Star Wars books, comics, video games, spin-off films, television series and on and on into that "galaxy far, far away"...

Okay, so how much money did (and still does) Star Wars rake in ? Forbes Magazine estimated the overall revenue generated by the entire Star Wars franchise since its start in 1977 at $20 billion. It might even be worth more than "American Idol"...

More May 25 Memories...

1787] The Constitutional Convention opens in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding...

1844] Stuart Perry patents the gasoline engine (just think how valuable a gasoline engine that can run on ethanol would be or am I asking for too much from Stewie ?)...

1844] The 1st telegraphed news dispatch, sent from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, appeared in the Baltimore Patriot. This was the message: ...-...-.-..-.-..-.-.-....-...-...

1925] John T. Scopes is indicted in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution...

1927] "Movietone News" is shown for the 1st time at the Sam Harris Theatre in New York City...

1935] Babe Ruth hits his 714th and final home run as a member of the Boston Braves (the blast reportedly went "more than 600 feet"...

1951] Future Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays debuts with the New York Giants...

1961] President Kennedy asks America to work toward putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade...

1962] The Isley Brothers release "Twist and Shout"...

1965] Cassius Clay (not Ali yet) retains his heavyweight championship with a one-round TKO of Sonny Liston (there were those in the crowd that felt this fight was fixed as they yelled "Fake, fake, fake")...

1968] The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is dedicated (I always thought a roller coaster from the top of the arch and running down each side would have been beyond great)...

1968] The Rolling Stones release "Jumpin' Jack Flash"...

1969] "Midnight Cowboy" premieres in New York...

1969] The Hollies record "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (on the piano is Elton John)...

1973] Carole King plays and sings in Central Park for an audience of 100,000...

1975] Freddy Fender is numero uno with "Before the Next Teardrop Falls"...

1977] "Star Wars" premieres as the largest grossing film to-date (feature story)...

1978] Keith Moon performs with The Who for the last time...

1979] An American Airlines DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O'Hare International in Chicago killing all 271 on board and 2 on the ground...

1983] Irene Cara is #1 with "Flashdance...What a Feeling"...

1986] An estimated 7 million form a line for "Hands Across America" to raise money for the nation's hungry and homeless...

1988] After a run of 6 years, "St. Elsewhere" bows out with their final episode that turns into a dream seen in a snow globe by Dr. Westphall's autistic son. This series, one of my all-time favorites featured this cast: Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon, Alfre Woodard, Howie Mandel and Ronny Cox (unbelievable!)...

1992] Jay Leno debuts as the new host of NBC-TV's "Tonight Show", succeeding Johnny Carson...

1994] Ranger captain Mark Messier makes good on a public guarantee, scoring 3 goals to lead the Rangers to a come from behind, 4-2 victory over the Devils. It marks the turning point in the series as the Broadway Blues will win this series 2 nights later and in 3 weeks the Rangers will win the Stanley Cup ending a drought that started in 1940...

2004] The Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese announces the closing of 65 of its 357 parishes because of financial problems caused by sex abuse...

2005] Carrie Underwood is named the "American Idol". The 22-year old Oklahoma native beats out rocker Bo Bice (and last night it was Taylor Hicks beating out Katharine McPhee)...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...

1921] Hal David (how about that Burt Bacharach segment last night ?)...

1929] Beverly Sills (does anyone know why her nickname is "Bubbles" ?)...

1932] Celtic great and Baseketball Hall of Famer K.C. Jones...

1939] Dixie Carter ("Designing Women")...

1939] Ian ("Da Vinci Code", "Lord of the Rings") McKellen...

1943] Leslie Uggams...

1947] Karen Valentine...

1969] Mike Myers...

1969] Anne Heche...

1975] Lauryn (Fugees and solo) Hill...

[Today is the 145th day of 2006 with 220 days remaining in the year and just 4, count em, 4 days until Memorial Day)

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Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

The Granddaddy of all bridges...

The sun was bright and the sky cloudless with a cool breeze coming off the East River on that Thursday morning in late May, 1883 when a hundred thousand or so witnessed the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. The New York Times headline would read, Two Great Cities United...The Bridge Formally Opened. Both Brooklyn and Manhattan were considered cities and each had its own mayor. Brooklyn Mayor Seth Low and Manhattan's first-year Mayor Franklin Edson would lock arms when the procession across the bridge reached the Brooklyn side...

Also in attendance were President Chester Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland, a host of other politicians and dignitaries and the throng that came from as far away as Philadelphia to witness history being made. Over 50,000 came by railroad alone. There were marching bands, 21-gun salutes and what would a bridge opening be without fireworks ?...

Spectators paid $2 for a ticket to cross the bridge and even back in 1883 we had scam artists who used white business cards looking like real tickets to get across until security got wise and put a stop to it. Some of those same scam artists would be among the early "sellers" of the bridge to people stupid enough to think you could buy the Brooklyn Bridge. But let's face it, if you believe that you can buy the Brooklyn Bridge then you probably believe 'there's no such thing as Dr. Seuss or Disneyland and mother goose, no nursery rhymes'...

More May 24 Memories...

1830] The 1st passenger railroad in the U.S. begins service between Baltimore and Elliott's Mills, MD...

1844] Samuel Morse transmits the message: "What hath God wrought" from Washington to Baltimore as he opens America's 1st telegraph line to which the reply comes, "Huh?"...

1878] C.A. Parker, a Harvard student wins the 1st American bike race in Beacon Park, Boston...

1883] The Brooklyn Bridge opens (feature story)...

1899] W.T. McCullough opens the 1st public garage...

1935] Cincinnati and Philadelphia play the 1st major league night game (the Reds win 2-1) as FDR pushes a button in Washington to turn the lights on...

1958] UPI is formed by a merger of United Press and the International News Service...

1964] The Beatles are #1 with "Love Me Do"...

1969] The Guess Who lip-synch "These Eyes" and "Laughing" on American Bandstand...

1969] "Get Back" by the Beatles is #1 for the 1st of 5 weeks...

1974] Richard Pryor is the host of "Midnight Special" with musical guests Olivia Newton-John and Boz Scaggs...

1974] The last "Dean Martin Show" is seen on NBC-TV after a run of 9 years...

1974] Jazz great Duke Ellington dies at 75...

1975] Earth, Wind & Fire are #1 with "Shining Star"...

1980] The Islanders win their 1st Stanley Cup over the Flyers in 6 games (this will be the 1st of 4 consecutive titles for the Isles)...

1983] The Brooklyn Bridges' 100th birthday is celebrated...

1984] "Let's Hear It for the Boy" is #1 for Deniece Williams (featured in "Footloose")...

1985] The James Bond movie "View To a Kill" premieres...

1987] Al Unser, Sr. wins his 4th Indy 500 at the age of 47 (see 1992 timeline)...

1988] JohnMoschittasetsarecordforfasttalkingwith586wordsperminute...

1989] "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" premieres...

1992] Al Unser, Jr. becomes the 1st, second-generation winner of the Indy 500...

1993] The final episode of "Designing Women" starring Delta Burke and Dixie Carter is aired (the show ran for 7 years)...

1994] 4 men convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison (enjoy your stay)...

1995] Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss is sentenced to 3 years for running a call girl ring that catered to the rich and Charlie Sheen...

1999] The final episode of "Mad About You" (Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt) airs after 7 years...

2000] 5 are killed, 2 wounded when 2 gunmen enter a Wendy's in Flushing. The gunmen tie up the victims in the basement and shoot them (this was one of the most horrible local stories of 2000 in New York)...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

"Happy Birthday, happy birthday"...

1938] Tommy Chong (who will, sniff sniff, smoke and inhale, sniff sniff, to celebrate the occasion)...

1941] Pop icon and now disc jockey Bob Dylan...

1943] Gary (Radar on "M*A*S*H*) Burghoff...

1944] Patti LaBelle a.k.a. Patricia Holt...

1945] Priscilla Presley...

1955] Rosanne Cash...

[Today is the 144th day of 2006 with 221 days left in the year and just 5 days until Memorial Day]

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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

"They're young...they're in love...and they kill people"...

That was the line they used to promote a hit movie about a famous couple in 1967. This romantic pair were Romeo & Juliet with an arsenal or as Georgie Fame put it: "Bonnie & Clyde were pretty lookin' people but I can tell you people, they were the devil's children". Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were accused of 12 murders in a 2-year rampage...

"Bonnie and Clyde advanced their reputation and made the graduation into the banking business". Although they were equal opportunity robbers, they did have a penchant for banks...

"When Bonnie and Clyde came walking in the sunshine, a half a dozen carbines opened up on them. Bonnie and Clyde, they lived a lot together and finally together they died". The couple were actually in a car when they met their demise in an ambush set up by former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer who had stalked Clyde Barrow for years. Barrow stepped on the accelerator while reaching for a sawed-off shotgun and that was when a deadly barrage cut them down. Barrow was found with the shotgun in his hands, Parker had a machine gun in her lap. Officers found the following weapons in the car: 3 submachine guns, 6 automatic pistols, 1 revolver, 2 sawed-off shotguns and enough ammunition for a Waco, Texas siege...

The movie "Bonnie and Clyde" romanticized the couple just a bit and starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the title roles. It also featured the movie debut of Gene Wilder who played a minor role. Like so many real, bigger-than-life people, Al Capone and Adolf Hitler come to mind, it's hard to believe there actually was a Bonnie and Clyde, but they were real and they were dead on May 23, 1934. You can read more about their killing in an excellent New York Times article by clicking: www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday...

More May 23 Memories...

1785] Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals (this man could do anything)...

1827] The 1st nursery school in the U.S. was established in New York City...

1895] The New York Public Library was created with an agreement that combined the city's existing Astor and Lenox libraries...

1911] That same library building on 5th Avenue is dedicated by President Taft...

1934] Bonnie & Clyde are gunned down in a Louisiana ambush (feature story)...

1945] Nazi official Heinrich Himmler commits suicide while imprisoned in Luneberg, Germany...

1960] Israel announces the capture of former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann in Argentina...

1960] The Everly Brothers record "Cathy's Clown"...

1960] WRCA radio changes call letters back to WNBC...

1961] Little Caesar and the Romans lip-synch the grammatically incorrect (but still great) "Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind(s) Me Of You)" on American Bandstand...

1965] The Beach Boys are #1 with "Help Me Rhonda"...

1966] The Beatles' "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" single is released...

1971] Iron Butterfly flutter into oblivion...

1978] The American League approves the transfer of the Red Sox to Jean Yawkey (widow of Tom) for $15 million...

1997] Mel Karmazin replaces Peter Lund as CEO of CBS-TV...

2002] Legendary golfer Sam Snead dies at 89...

2002] American Bandstand celebrates its 50th anniversary...

2002] Here's all the Dodger's Shawn Green did against the Brewers: hits 4 home runs, goes 6 for 6, scores 6 runs and sets a major league record with 19 total bases and oh yes, he had 7 RBI's (a typical day at the office)...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

"E-mails, we get e-mails, we get lots and lots of e-mail"...

Commenting on the passing of Long John Wade, Len Zola: "Was that Carl Wehde by chance with whom I worked at WTAO in Cambridge?". The answer to that Len is yes...

Frank Kingston Smith a.k.a WRKO's Bobby Mitchell writes "Damn shame to hear about John Whede (Long John Wade) passing. John came to Philly to replace me when I gathered my senses and moved to Providence to learn radio. At WIBG I worked with both Long John and his brother Don Wade for about a month before going to WABC. Don did mornings, John did evenings"...

"Happy Birthday, happy birthday"...

1919] Veteran actress Betty Garrett...

1931] Veteran actress Barbara Barrie...

1936] Charles (Jim Dial of "Murphy Brown") Kimbrough...

1943] The always finely plumed General Johnson (Chairmen of the Board, etc.)...

1952] Marvelous Marvin Hagler (who changed his legal 1st name to "Marvelous")...

1958] Drew Carey...

1974] Jewel (her real first name) Kilcher (yes she does have a last name)...

[Today is the 143rd day of 2006 with 222 days remaining in the year and just 6 days until Memorial Day]

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Monday, May 22, 2006

Monday, May 22, 2006

"The show tonight is our farewell show" - Johnny Carson (5/22/92)...

It's hard to believe that 14 years have passed since the reign of late-night king Johnny Carson ended with his final monologue on May 22nd, 1992. Johnny opened his last show by thanking Robin Williams and Bette Midler for "giving us an excellent show" just the night before. How can we ever forget the Divine Miss M singing to the host of The Tonight Show for an entire generation ? Johnny wasn't the only one shedding a tear after that Kleenex moment...

Johnny reminisced about his first show, "We started the show October 2, 1962. The total population of the Earth was 3 billion, 100 million people. This summer 5 billion, 500 million people, which is a net increase of 2 billion, 400 million people, which should give us some pause. A more amazing statistic is that half of those 2 billion, 400 million people will soon have their own late-night TV show"...

Johnny Carson decided to talk directly to his audience rather than have guests for his last show. "I would prefer to end like we started -- rather quietly in our same time slot, in front of the same shabby little set. It is rather shabby. We offered it to a homeless shelter and they said 'no thank you'. I am taking the applause sign home -- putting it in my bedroom. And maybe once a week just turning it on"...

Johnny had some personal thoughts for his family mentioning his wife Alex, sons Chris and Cory, his brother Dick, sister Katherine, some nephews and nieces who were there to witness his final show. Johnny also mentioned how he would have loved to have his late son Rick there but mentioned that "life does what it is supposed to do and you accept it and you go on". Johnny then introduced a retrospective of his 30 years of hosting The Tonight Show which featured some 23,000 guests and a lifetime of some of the best television moments ever seen...

More May 22 Memories...

1761] The 1st life insurance policy in the U.S. is issued in Philadelphia...

1892] Dr. Sheffield, a British dentist, invents the toothpaste tube (didn't you always wonder how they get the toothpaste into a tube ?)...

1900] The Associated Press is incorporated as a non-profit news cooperative in New York (quite altruistic...but shtoopid not to mention short-lived)...

1908] The Wright Brothers register their flying machine for a U.S. patent...

1939] Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini sign a "pact of steel" commiting Germany and Italy to a military alliance and storm clouds for the free world...

1954] Robert Zimmerman (who you might know as the future Bob Dylan) is bar mitzvahed in Hibbing, Minnesota after taking private Hebrew lessons...

1955] A scheduled dance to be headlined by Fats Domino is cancelled by police in Bridgeport, CT because "rock and roll dances may be featured"...

1961] Ernie K-Doe is #1 with "Mother-In-Law"...

1963] Mickey Mantle homers off the facade atop the 3rd tier in rightfield at Yankee Stadium just a couple of feet from becoming the 1st ball ever hit out of the stadium...

1966] "When a Man Loves a Woman" is #1 for Percy Sledge (a remake of the song by Michael Bolton will also top the charts in 1991)...

1967] Florence Ballard appears with the Supremes for the last time on "The Tonight Show" (in July Motown replaces her with Cindy Birdsong)...

1967] "To Tell the Truth" bows out after 11 years as a game show (the original panel consisted of Polly Bergen, Hy Gardner and Hildy Parks who would soon be replaced by Kitty Carlisle. Bud Collyer was the original host)...

1969] The lunar module of Apollo 10 separates from the command module and flies to within 9 miles of the moon in a dress rehearsal for the 1st lunar landing...

1972] The Chi-Lites are #1 with "Oh Girl"...

1977] Janet Guthrie becomes the 1st woman to earn a spot in the Indy 500 since its inception in 1911...

1980] Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue (who considered wearing a gown until Marlo slapped him silly) say their "I do's" (Donahue's "I do" lasted an hour and a half and consisted of Phil going into the audience with a mic)...

1992] Johnny Carson hosts "The Tonight Show" for the last time (feature story)...

2002] The remains of Chandra Levy, the federal intern who disappeared more than a year earlier, are found in a Washington park (California Congressman Gary Condit was questioned in the case due to his relationship with Levy)...

2003] Annika Sorenstam becomes the 1st woman since 1945 to tee off against the men in the Colonial Golf tournament in Fort Worth, Texas (but she would miss the cut)...

2004] Christopher's girlfriend Adriana gets whacked on the Sopranos (mercifully, Vito who had some gender issues, gets the same treatment last night and sleeps with the fishes next to Adriana and a host of others)...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, mutiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

"Happy Trails To"...

Former Hartford, Philadelphia, etc. DJ Long John Wade, who accompanied the Beatles on their 1964 tour of the U.S. passed away from a lengthy illness over the weekend at a retirement home on Cape Cod at 66. Wade had retired in 1979 and moved to the Cape because of health problems...

Freddie and the Dreamers lead singer Freddie Garrity, who died from emphysema at 65 over the weekend. Only 5'3", Freddie slung his arms around and bounced on stage to "Do the Freddie" and the group's biggest hit, which reached #1, "I'm Telling you Now". This was a fun act to watch and underrated but should be given a place for their contribution to the British Invasion...

"Happy Birthday, happy birthday"...

1922] Movie critic Judith Crist...

1924] Charles Aznavour...

1927] Michael ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") Constantine...

1934] Peter Nero...

1938] Richard Benjamin...

1950] Bernie Taupin...

1959] Morissey (Smith and solo)...

[Today is the 142nd day of 2006 with 223 days remaining in the year and 7 days until Memorial Day]...

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Friday, May 19, 2006

Friday-Sunday, May 19-21, 2006

"One for the Road"...

That was the title of episode #269, the final episode of "Cheers", "where everybody knows your name". Cheers debuted on the night of September 1, 1982 to far less than stellar numbers. The Boston based sitcom rose from a low of #72 in the ratings to #1 by the end of the 11th season. On May 20th, 1993, nearly 150 million or 40% of the population tuned in to watch the series finale...

We may not have known all the real names of the cast that made our Thursday nights, "must-see TV" for real but we sure knew all the characters starting with Sam the bartender, Coach who would be replaced by Woody, Diane (the love of Sam's life) who would be replaced by Rebecca, Carla, Cliffie, NORM, Dr. Frasier Crane and of course, Lilith.

Cheers was good TV until the end. If you remember, in the last episode Sam tries to woo Diane after a separation of several years. Diane tells Sam she's married with kids, Sam lies back setting up a dinner at Cheers with Rebecca playing Sam's wife and a stand-in as the husband of Diane. During dinner, Rebecca's boy friend proposes with Rebecca accepting, blowing Sam's cover and the would-be husband of Diane's sees his boyfriend in the bar, blowing Diane's cover. Then comes the tease. As Sam and Diane get ready to fly into the California sunset, they both get cold feet and call the whole thing off. Diane flies to California alone and we're left with Sam in a darkened Cheers. The regulars leave the bar and as Sam starts to close up, a man in the shadows comes to the front door. Sam says "sorry, we're closed". Sam straightens a picture on the wall, heads into the back room. Fade to black. Series over...

A special "Tonight Show" followed which got fairly rowdy as the cast and crew celebrated with something heavier than Dr. Pepper, followed by Later with Bob Costas as the party continued with an interview with Cheers creators Glen & Les Charles and James Burrows. Most members of the cast were household names when the show finished, most notably Kelsey Grammer who starred in his own series, "Frasier" for 11 seasons. We all know how well Bebe Neuwirth has done as well as Woody Harrelson, Ted Danson and Kirstie Alley. Shelley Long has had her moments and less seen but still recognized are Rhea Perlman, George Wendt and John Ratzenberger. The last line of the Cheers theme song is "where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came". With apologies to Judy Hart Angelo and Gary Portnoy who wrote the song, we'll change that to "everybody knows your names and we're always glad you came"...

May 19 Memories...

1536] Off with her head...Anne Boleyn, second wife of England's King Henry VIII is beheaded after being convicted of adultery (how come this wasn't mentioned in "I'm Henry the VIIIth" ?)...

1847] The 1st English-style railroad coach rolls out on the Fall River Line in Massachusetts...

1921] Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act, which establishes national quotas for immigrants (HELLO !!!)...

1935] The NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936 (bringing a smile to Mel Kiper's face)...

1958] Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" is released as the 1st 8-track master recording pressed to a plastic 45-RPM disc...

1960] The Drifters record "Save The Last Dance For Me"...

1960] Alan Freed is arrested along with 7 others on suspicion of commercial bribery. Freed had refused to sign an affidavit in 1959 denying he had accepted payola. Although payola was not yet a crime, Freed is charged with 26 counts of commercial bribery but got off with a fine (at this point his career was ruined)...

1962] Marilyn Monroe performs a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy (who had Jackie by his side at the time) during a fund raiser at Madison Square Garden...

1965] The Beatles are #1 with their 1st single to feature Paul McCartney on lead guitar. The song is "Ticket To Ride"...

1969] 6-year old Jodie Foster makes her show business debut on "Mayberry R.F.D."...

1973] Secretariat, winner of the Kentucky Derby, wind the Preakness by 2 1/2 lengths (of course "Big Red" will gallop away with the Belmont Stakes to win the triple crown in June)...

1973] Paul Simon releases "Kodachrome"...

1979] Eric Clapton & Patti Boyd (former wife of George Harrison) rock down the aisle. Paul McCartney, George, Ringo Starr and Mick Jagger sing at the reception...

1984] Edmonton ends the Islanders' 4-year Stanley Cup reign by beating the Isles in Game 5...

1992] VP Dan Quayle criticizes "Murphy Brown" because the title character had a baby out of wedlock...

1992] Mary Jo Buttafuoco is shot (in the head) and seriously wounded by her husband Joey's teenager lover, Amy Fisher...

1993] With the Mets at 13-25 Dallas Green replaces Jeff Torborg as manager (if you're thinking this made the team better, you would be thinking wrong)...

1994] Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dies at 64...

1994] We say goodbye to "L.A. Law" which ends with their final episode after an 8-year run...

1998] Beanballs and fights break out at the Yankee-Baltimore game with the main culprits being Armando Benitez who hits Tino Martinez after a Bernie Williams home run, Graeme Lloyd who races in from the bullpen to punch O's closer Alan Mills, who bloodies Darryl Strawberry's face, etc. etc. (just another day at the office)...

1999] "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" premieres, setting a new record for opening day sales at 28.5 million...

2005] 6 years later to the day: "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" almost doubles Episode I's take with 50 million on opening day...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

Happy Birthday To...

1934] Jim Lehrer ("The Lehrer Report")...

1935] David Hartman...

1939] Nancy Kwan...

1941] Nora Ephron...

1945] The Who's Pete Townshend...

1948] Grace Jones...

[Today is the 139th day of 2006 with 226 days remaining in the year and 10 days until Memorial Day]...

Saturday, May 20, 2006 (Armed Forces Day)...

Let's remember our troops today, Armed Forces Day. They deserve everyone's support. For those who don't have a member of the family serving, call someone who does just to let them know you're thinking of them and their loved ones...

May 20 Memories...

1830] The fountain pen is patented by H.D. Hyde (who runs out of ink when someone asks for his autograph)...

1874] Levi Strauss begins marketing blue jeans with copper rivets...

1899] Jacob German of New York City becomes the 1st driver to be arrested for speeding, going faster than the 12 MPH speed limit (are you kidding me ?)...

1916] Norman Rockwell's artwork appears on the 1st cover of "The Saturday Evening Post"...

1927] Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris aboard the "Spirit of St. Louis"...

1932] Amelia Earhart takes off to fly solo across the Atlantic becoming the 1st woman to achieve the feat...

1939] Pam Am begins regular passenger service when a "Yankee Clipper" takes off from the harbor in Port Washington...

1961] Federal marshals are sent into Montgomery, Alabama when a white mob attacks a busload of "Freedom Riders"...

1967] Jimi Hendrix signs his 1st contract with Reprise Records...

1970] Some 100,000 demonstrate in New York's Wall Street district in support of the war in Vietnam and Cambodia...

1971] Marvin Gaye releases his "What's Going On" LP...

1976] Carl Yastrzemski hits 2 homers (giving him 5 in 2 games, tying a ML record) in an 8-2 Red Sox win over the Yankees as a melee breaks out resulting in Bill Lee injuring his pitching arm. The fight starts when Piniella barrels into catcher Carlton Fisk. Lee never fully recovers from the injury...

1977] "Beatlemania" opens at the Winter Garden Theater...

1989] Comedian Gilda Radner dies of cancer at 42...

1989] Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence wins the Preakness (but will fail to win the triple crown at Belmont)...

1993] Cheers closes its doors for the last time (earlier feature story)...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline]...

Happy Birthday To...

1944] Joe Cocker...

1946] Cher...

1949] SCTV's Dave Thomas...

1963] David Wells...

[Today is the 140th day of 2006 with 225 days remaining in the year and 9 days until Memorial Day]...

Sunday, May 21, 2006...

May 21 Memories...

1819] Bicycles are 1st seen in New York City. They were originally known as "swift walkers" (by those with IQ's below 50)...

1832] The 1st Democratic National Convention gets under way in Baltimore (Ted Kennedy gives the opening address)...

1881] Clara Barton founds the American Red Cross...

1891] Peter Jackson and Jim Corbett fight to a 61-round draw (both fighters complain of fatigue after the 60th round)...

1924] Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb, 2 students at the University of Chicago, kill a 14-year old boy in a "thrill killing"...

1927] Charles A. Lindbergh lands his "Spirit of St. Louis" near Paris completing the 1st solo flight across the Atlantic...

1934] Oskaloosa, Iowa becomes the 1st U.S. city to fingerprint all of its citizens (all 35 of them)...

1945] 46-year old Humphrey Bogart marries Lauren Bacall, less than half his age (they co-starred in "To Have and Have Not")...

1955] Chess Records new artist Chuck Berry records his 1st single "Ida Red" (during the session Leonard Chess renames it "Maybelline"...

1956] The U.S. explodes the 1st airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Packfic...

1968] The nuclear powered U.S. submarine Scorpion with 99 men aboard is heard from for the last time (the remains of the sub are later found on the ocean floor 400 miles southwest of the Azores)...

1969] John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin a 10-day "bed-in" in Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel...

1971] Paul McCartney releases his "Ram" LP...

1977] Seattle Slew wins the Preakness and will become the 1st of 2 consecutive triple crown winners when he wins the Belmont (Affirmed will follow in 1978 but we haven't seen a triple crown winner since)...

1979] Montreal wins their 4th straight Stanley Cup when their defeat the Rangers in 5 games...

1979] Former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White is convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk (White uses the "Twinkie defense" claiming that junk food fueled his rampage) (it's a good thing I don't eat Twinkies anymore)...

1981] The Islanders win their 2nd straight Stanley Cup, thanks to Butch Goring's 2 goals that help beat Minnesota...

1981] In what's billed as the greatest college pitching duel ever, in the 1st round of the NCAA playoffs, Yale's Ron Darling and St. John's Frank Viola match zeroes through 11 innings. Darling allows no hits while striking out 16 but Yale loses the game 1-0 on a scratch single, 2 steals and an error in the 12th...

1988] The Red Sox retire Bobby Doerr's #1 uniform at Fenway Park...

1990] Bob Newhart closes out his "Newhart" series by waking up with Emily (Suzanne Pleshette) and realizing that his new series about his life as an inkeeper was a dream. It's the final 1st run episode of "Newhart" after 8 years...

1999] After 19 years of futility, Susan Lucci, star of "All My Children" finally wins a Daytime Emmy Award for "Best Actress"...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

Happy Birthday To...

1941] Ronnie Isley...

1948] Leo Sayer...

1951] Al Franken (d'ya get your card from President Bush ?)...

1952] Mr. T (a.k.a. Lawrence Tero Tureaud)...

1957] Judge Reinhold...

1967] Lisa (Cuddy on "House") Edelstein...

[Today is the 141st day of 2006 with 224 days remaining in the year and 8 days until Memorial Day]

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Thursday, May 18, 2006

Thursday, May 18, 2006

"I am Drac-u-la. I bid you velcome" - Bela Lugosi from "Dracula" (1931)...

Happy Birthday Dracula, 109 years old today (I wonder how Willard Scott missed this guy). Dracula who was born on May 18, 1897 and dies at daylight only to be born again at the witching hour every night came from the pen of Bram Stoker. The novel was read by the author publicly for the first time anywhere in London on this date. Stoker would have been reading "The Un-dead" instead had he not decided to change the title of his novel to "Dracula"...

Stoker spent 7 years researching European folklore and stories of vampires and although "Dracula" was not the first work of its kind, it has become the most popular, reaching legendary proportions as early as 1931 when Bela Lugosi filmed "Dracula". Count Vampyre (oh, please) was Stoker's first choice for the name of his main character but while doing research he ran across the Romanian name, Dracul, meaning the Devil and Count Dracula it would be...

Stoker chose his friend, tyrannical actor-manager Henry Irving as his inspiration for the mannerisms of Dracula and hoped that Irving would play Dracula in a stage version of the novel but Irving would have no part of it. There are those who also believe that "Vlad the Impaler" may have served as an inspiration in addition to Irving. During the 6-year reign of the historical Vlad III of Wallachia it is believed that Vlad who had a penchant for blood killed from 20,000 to 40,000 European civilians mostly by using his favorite method of impaling them on a sharp pole (ouch!). Vlad, revered as a folk hero by Romanians (quite the role model) then went on to impale as many as 100,000 Turkish Muslims for an encore...

Some of the actors portraying Dracula on stage and in film in addition to Bela Lugosi include: Christopher Lee, Jack Palance, Frank Langella and Gary Oldman. Lon Chaney played the son of Dracula. In 1938 Orson Welles and John Houseman chose Dracula to be the inaugural episode of "The Mercury Theatre on the Air" on radio. Welles was the voice of The Count. Portrayals of Dracula through the years include these movie titles: "Dracula's Daughter", "Son of Dracula", "House of Dracula", "The Brides of Dracula", "Taste the Blood of Dracula", the list is endless but the funniest rendering of Dracula was the Mel Brooks parody "Dracula: Dead and Loving It"...

More May 18 Memories...

1631] John Winthrop is elected 1st governor of Massachusetts (I had to double check to make sure his last name wasn't Kennedy)...

1897] Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is born (feature story)...

1917] Congress passes the Selective Service Act calling up soldiers for WWI...

1927] The Ritz Hotel opens in Boston...

1933] The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is created (principally to build dams)...

1934] Congress approves the "Lindbergh Act" making kidnapping a capital offense...

1934] The Academy Award is called "Oscar" for the 1st time in print by Sidney Skolsky...

1951] The UN moves out of temporary headquarters in Lake Success for a permanent home on 1st Avenue in Manhattan...

1959] Wilbert Harrison is #1 with "Kansas City"...

1960] "Cathy's Clown" is #1 for the Everly Brothers...

1963] Running back Ernie Davis of Syracuse, winner of the 1961 Heisman Trophy, dies of leukemia at 23...

1963] "If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul is #1...

1968] Formally a #1 hit for Nick Lucas in 1929, "Tiptoe through the Tulips" is released by Tiny Tim (it will go top 20)...

1969] The Beatles are #1 with "Get Back"...

1978] "The Buddy Holly Story" starring Gary Busey, premieres in Dallas...

1980] Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington State leaving 57 dead or missing...

1995] Ballet dancer Alexander Godunov is found dead at 45...

1995] Elizabeth Montgomery, star of "Bewitched" dies from colorectal cancer at the age of 62...

1998] The federal government files a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft...

1998] "Murphy Brown" starring Candice Bergen ends its run after 10 years...

2003] "Les Miserables", the 3rd longest running show in Broadway history, closes after more than 16 years...

2004] At age 40, Arizona pitcher Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, a 2-0 shutout over Atlanta...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline]...

Happy Birthday To...

1922] Bill ("Maude") Macy...

1924] Sportscaster Jack Whitaker...

1928] Pernell Roberts...

1934] Dwayne ("Dobie Gillis") Hickman...

1942] Albert Hammond...

1946] Reggie Jackson...

1952] Country singer George Strait...

1970] SNL's "Weekend Update" co-anchor Tina Fey...

1983] Soon to be Tennessee Titan QB Vince Young...

"Happy Trails To"...

Johnnie Wilder Jr. who passed away on May 13th. Johnnie was the lead singer of Heatwave ("Boogie Nights", "Grooveline" and "Always and Forever" which remains to this day, one of the biggest selling singles of all-time in New York City). After serving 3 years in the military in Germany, Johnnie formed Heatwave. The group became a hit in England and Europe before returning to the states and scoring here. In the late 70's, Johnnie was paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life in an horrific car crash. He was given a week to live...

I had the pleasure of meeting Johnnie at his Dayton, Ohio home in the early 80s and could not believe the courage and spirit he exhibited and maintained throughout his ordeal. Following the accident Johnnie learned how to breathe properly so he could sing again and he conquered that obstacle by singing background on Heatwave's 4th and 5th albums. In recent years he turned to a solo Gospel career...

Johnnie was an inspiration to everyone he touched. Johnnie would have been 57 in July. R.I.P. Johnnie Wilder Jr...

[Today is the 138th day of 2006 with 227 days left in the year and 11 days until Memorial Day]

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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

"Perfect I'm Not!"- David Wells...

David Wells travels to the beat of so many different drummers he could do "Stomp" solo. Henry David Thoreau didn't quite have Boomer in mind when he wrote "If a man does not keep pace with his companions. perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer". There's no perhaps about it when it comes to the wacky lefthanded pitcher who's won 227 games in a career that started in 1987. His body might be falling apart but his arm is a body part that refused to follow. He won 15 games for the Red Sox last year and if it weren't for injuries he'd probably win at least 15 again this year...

Boomer who stands 6'4" and is charitably listed at 250 pounds on the Red Sox roster has pitched for 8 different teams, 3 of those teams twice. One of those multiple tours was with the Yankees and on May 17, 1998, Wells was perfect, contrary to the "Perfect I'm Not" quote, part of the title of a 2003 book...

It was a Sunday at Yankee Stadium and Wells was 3 days shy of his 35th birthday when he took the mound against the Minnesota Twins. The crowd noise starts growing progressively during an attempt at a no-hitter and from the 6th inning on, the buzz would build with each pitch. In the bottom of the 8th inning Wells went through neck and arm stretches in the dugout and Boomer got a standing ovation when he took the mound in the 9th, just 3 outs away from not only a no-hitter but a perfect game. Wells had a 4-0 lead to work with and the Twins went down quickly in the 9th with a flyout and Wells' 11th strikeout of the game and then David Wells went into the history books when he got Pat Meares to hit a weak flyball to rightfield and into Paul O'Neill's glove for the final out. The Yankees rushed the mound and throwing caution to the wind in addition to risking hernias to do it, carried Wells off the field. The last time a perfect game was pitched at Yankee Stadium it was authored by Don Larsen, the only pitcher to pitch a perfecto in world series history. The two share another distinction, attending the same Point Loma High School in San Diego...

When Wells released his book "Perfect I'm Not! Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches & Baseball" (2003) he claimed he was "half drunk" when he pitched his perfect game but later backed off that claim saying he was hung over. David might not be the sharpest tool in the shed nor could he ever be accused of telling whole truths but one thing he was on May 17th, 1998 was perfect...

More May 17 Memories...

1620] The 1st merry-go-round was seen at a fair in Philippapolis, Turkey (ah those Turks. They always have to be first)...

1792] The New York Stock Exchange is founded by a couple of dozen brokers meeting under a tree on what is now Wall Street...

1846] The saxophone is patented by Antoine Joseph Sax (now we're talking)...

1875] Aristides (the horse, not the jockey) wins the 1st Kentucky Derby...

1939] In the 1st televised baseball game, Princeton beat Columbia 2-1 in 10 innings at Baker Field in Manhattan on experimental W2XBS. The New York Times review the next day: "It is difficult to see how this sort of thing can catch the public fancy"...

1946] President Harry Truman seizes control of the nation's railroads, delaying a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen...

1954] The Supreme Court unanimously rules for school integration in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka...

1963] Joan Baez headlines the 1st Monterey Folk Festival. The Festival also features Bob Dylan making his west coast debut, Peter, Paul and Mary and the Weavers...

1970] Henry Aaron singles and homers in a game against the Reds giving him 3,000 hits and 570 homeruns (Aaron becomes one of 3 players having 3,000 hits and 500 homeruns. The others are Willie Mays and Eddie Murray)...

1973] The Senate begins hearings into the Watergate scandal...

1973] Stevie Wonder releases "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"...

1974] Ray Stevens is #1 with "The Streak"...

1975] NBC-TV buys the rights to show "Gone With The Wind" (the one time rights cost $5,000,000)...

1975] Elton John's "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" LP is released and becomes the 1st LP to be certified a million-seller on its 1st day of release...

1975] 10cc releases "I'm Not in Love"...

1980] Paul and Linda McCartney appear on "Saturday Night Live"...

1983] "Let's Dance" by David Bowie is #1...

1983] The Islanders sweep Edmonton in 4 games to win their 4th consecutive NHL Stanley Cup (only Montreal has done better, winning 5 in a row 1956-1960)...

1985] Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) dies on the season finale of "Dallas" but returns "alive" the following season (remind anyone of "Alias"?). Producers reason it away as a "dream sequence"...

1990] Falcon Crest bows out after nearly 9 years...

1992] Bandleader Lawrence Welk dies of pneumonia at 89 ("The Lawrence Welk Show", still on in syndication, ran on ABC-TV for 16 years. Welk also owned Welk Music, a music publishing company, now run by his son)...

1996] President Bill Clinton signs legislation authorizing "Megan's Law" (named for 7-year old Megan Kanka from New Jersey who was raped and killed in 1994) requiring neighborhood notification when sex offenders move in to a neighborhood...

1998] David Wells is perfect and becomes the 13th pitcher in modern major league baseball history to pitch a perfect game (feature story)...

2000] Two former Ku Klux Klansmen are arrested for a church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama that claimed the lives of 4 young black girls in 1963...

2004] Massachusetts becomes the 1st state to allow legal same-sex marriages ("not that there's anything wrong with that" to paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld)...

2004] Tony Randall who seemed like he would grace our presence forever, dies at 84...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline]...

Commentary...

Bon appetit to those gathered in Randolph (Mass) for the twice annual Media Gang Luncheon hosted by Len Zola. We need more Len Zola's in this world to keep alive the flames of record and radio veterans, putting them together to renew friendships. swap war stories and in general, re-live the good times. I'll see you for the next one in October, Len...

Happy Birthday To...

1936] Dennis Hopper...

1940] Taj Mahal a.k.a. Henry St. Clair Fredericks...

1956] Sugar Ray Leonard...

1956] Bob Saget...

1962] Craig ("Late, Late Show") Ferguson...

[Today is the 137th day of 2006 with 228 days remaining in the year and 12 days until Memorial Day]

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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

"The hottest spot north of Havana" from "Copacabana (At The Copa)" - words and music by Manilow, Sussman and J. Feldman...

The occasion was Billy Martin's 29th birthday and Billy the only Yankee sans wife was joined by Mr & Mrs Bauer, Mantle, Berra, Ford and Kucks for a night of celebration at New York's famous Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan...

The genesis of any fight is fuzzy at best but the likelihood of one breaking out in the presence of Billy Martin with buddies Mantle and Ford by his side was expected because 'Billy was Billy', a magnet for mayhem. Words were exchanged between the Yankees and members of a bowling club when one of the members accused Hank Bauer of "striking him". Since this was apparently the only eye witness account of the melee, there's no way of knowing what really happened but it's unlikely that the these two groups sat down over coffee and dessert to discuss their differences before New York's Finest arrived to restore order...

What we do know is that Mantle, Berra, Bauer, Ford and Martin were fined $1,000 each and young pitcher Johnny Kucks, $500. The fines were deducted from the players salary. There was much mending to be done in the press by Yankee GM George Weiss and apparently a rift developed between Weiss and manager Casey Stengel on the fines themselves. As for the charge against Bauer, police refused to take action, although the outfielder was later taken into custody on a citizen's arrest charge. Bauer denied guilt and was quickly released...

The fight at the Copa had no effect on the field as the Yankees would run away with the American League pennant only to lose to the Milwaukee Braves in the world series. Four weeks after the series Billy Martin was traded to the Kansas City A's...

More May 16 Memories...

1866] Congress authorizes minting of the nickel which replaced the "half-dime" (anybody have one of those ?)...

1888] The 1st demonstration of recording on a flat disc was performed by Emile Berliner (contrary to popular belief, Cousin Bruce Morrow did not spin the 1st disc)...

1929] The 1st Academy Awards were presented to the movie "Wings" starring Clara Bow and Gary Cooper. Emil Jannings won the "Best Actor" award for "The Last Command" and "The Way of All Fresh"...

1946] "Annie Get Your Gun" starring Ethel Merman (who could be heard in Secaucus without a microphone) opened on Broadway...

1957] The Yankees play "basebrawl" at the Copa (feature story)...

1963] After 22 orbits of the Earth, Gordon Cooper returns to Earth, ending Project Mercury...

1965] "Uh-oh Spaghetti-O's"...the tiny little pasta "O's" go on sale for the 1st time...

1965] The Beach Boys sing "Help Me Rhonda" on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

1966] One year to-the-day later, the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" LP is released...

1976] Wings is #1 with "Silly Love Songs"...

1977] 5 people are killed when a New York Airways helicopter topples over the side of the Pan Am Building in Manhattan, sending the huge rotor blade flying to the street (that helicopter could be seen for weeks from any spot in Manhattan before they were able to get in down)...

1980] Dr. George C. Nichopoulous is indicted in Memphis on 14 counts of overprescribing drugs to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and 9 other patients (Nah, ya think ?)...

1983] Michael Jackson gives us something we've never seen before, the moonwalk on "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever"...

1987] Alysheba ridden by Chris McCarron duplicates his Kentucky Derby victory in the Preakness Stakes (But Alysheba will lose the Belmont Stakes in June)...

1987] A barge with over 3,000 tons of garbage sets sail from New York Harbor looking for a home. The barge travels 6,000 miles in search of a place to dump its load but it returns 8 weeks later with the same load...

1988] Which leads to this story: The Supreme Court rules that police do not have to have a search warrant to search discarded garbage (and that's why we have paper shredders)...

1990] Sammy Davis Jr. loses his fight against throat cancer at 64...

1990] "Muppets" creator Jim Henson dies less than 24 hours after being hospitalized with pneumonia. Henson was 53...

1998] Does this sound familiar ? Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones falls off a chair reaching for a book in his Connecticut home, injuring his chest and ribs (the Stones cancel a few dates as a result)...

2000] 1st Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is nominated for U.S. Senator in New York (lucky us). She becomes the 1st First Lady to run for public office...

2002] The remains of kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl are found in Pakistan...

[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...

Happy Birthday To...

1912] Author Studs Terkel...

1952] Pierce Brosnan...

1955] Olympic gymnast Olga Korbut...

1955] Debra Winger...

1959] Mare Winningham...

1966] Janet Jackson...

1973] Tori Spelling...

[Today is the 136th day of 2006 with 229 days left in the year and 13 days until Memorial Day]...

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