The money keeps rolling in beyond the grave...
Benjamin Franklin would have amended his most famous line if he were alive today to "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes but the money doesn't stop after death". Ask Robert FX Sillerman (what the devil does FX stand for ?) who smiles every time an Elvis record goes to #1 in England and with every velvet matted portrait of The King sold. Sillerman owns the Elvis Presley estate legally, at the request of Lisa Marie Presley, who will never need a hit single to get rich. But what about the people who made money off of Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy and many countless others illegally? They would pay for it by getting smacked with law suits by the heirs of these legendary comedians. July 28th marks the anniversary of 2 such famous cases...
In 1987 you might say The Beatles and Yoko Ono were fit to be tied. On July 28th, the remaining members of the Fab Four and John Lennon's wife, sued Nike from using "Revolution" in one of their sneaker ads. While no official record of the conclusion of this lawsuit was made public you can be sure that a hefty out-of-court payment to the litigants was made. On the same July 28th date in 1995 a settlement returned the rights to Jimi Hendrix's estate to his father. The ruling included all unmastered tapes, concert recordings, photographs and other personal possessions...
There also have been suits brought involving the legal use of group names in recent years by artists suing for the right to use those names as is the case with The Doors, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Shangri-las, Marvelettes, Drifters, Platters and Creedence Clearwater Revival. It is common today to see an act with some ridiculous name like, oh I don't know - Sammy & the guys who sang along at home with all the hits of the Songbirds who sounded exactly like the Drifters. It could happen...
Ten Timeline Memories...
1945] A U.S. bomber crashes into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building, killing 14 and injuring 26. The building only sustained minor damage...
1957] Jerry Lee Lewis makes his TV debut on "The Steve Allen Show". "The Killer" sings "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (which would not, in any way, hurt record sales)...
1973] Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett tie the knot (and in time will tie each other's neck in a knot). The couple (of what ?) would separate in 1979 in an "on-again, off-again" relationship (which will only be matched by Farrah and Ryan O'Neal)...
1973] A throng of 600,000 gathers at Watkins Glen (NY) for "The Summer Jam" festival starring the Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead (I can smell it now)...
1978] At Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium it's announced that Billy Martin will return as Yankee manager in 1979 (I remember being at this game. My jaw didn't shut for a week after this bizarre announcement)...
1991/1994] Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers pitches a perfect game against California, 4-0. Three years to the date in 1994, the next perfect game is pitched by Montreal's Dennis Martinez against the Dodgers...
1995] A jury in Union (SC) rejects the death penalty for Susan Smith, sentencing her instead to life in prison for drowning her 2 young sons. We just had a similar ruling yesterday for Andrea Yates who drowned her 5 kids (have mercy)...
1999] Detroit running back Barry Sanders, in the prime of his career, retires after 10 years at the age of 31 (a lot of teams would sign him today if they could)...
2000] Kathie Lee Gifford makes her final appearance as co-host of "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (if Kathie Lee walked into the receptionist at the show, he/she would ask: "and you arrrrreeee ?")...
2004] The Democratic National Convention in Boston nominates Massachusetts Senator John Kerry for president (Vietnam veterans drop what they're doing and call information for the number of the White House)...
#1 on this date: 1956] "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" - Elvis Presley...
Released on this date: 1973] "We're An American Band" - Grand Funk Railroad...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
Sally (Gloria Stivic on "All In The Family") Struthers (58), Georgia (Georgette on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") Engel (58), Jonathan ("Sunshine") Edwards (60), "Garfield" cartoonist Jim Davis (61), Bill Bradley (63)...
[Timeline countdown: 39 days until Labor Day, 43 days until NFL kickoff, 68 days until MLB playoffs and 156 days remaining in 2006]
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Saturday, July 29, 2006...
Ten Timeline Memories...
1957] Jack Paar becomes the new host of the "Tonight Show". Paar will host until 1962 and the arrival of Johnny Carson...
1961] Dick Clark premieres his "Dick Clark Caravan of Stars" stage show. First stop: Atlantic City's Steel Pier. The show goes on the road with Chubby Checker, Duane Eddy, Bo Diddley and others and becomes a summer staple...
1966] Bob Dylan crashes his motorcycle near his home in Woodstock, breaking his neck. He remains in critical condition for a week. When he recovers he becomes a recluse for months...
1974] Mama Cass Elliot dies from heart failure in London at the age of 32 (reports that circulated for years about her choking on a ham sandwich were bogus according to the coroner)...
1981] England's Prince Charles, 32 and Lady Diana Spencer, 20, tie the royal knot at St. Paul's Cathedral in London (the royals will divorce in 1996)...
1987] Ben & Jerry introduce a new flavor in honor of the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia: "Cherry Garcia" (their #1 best-selling flavor in 2006. Many assume that they created the flavor after Garcia died...not true)...
1989] Texas Rangers' owner George W. Bush makes what he describes as his "worst trade": Sammy Sosa and 2 lesser players for Harold Baines (a pretty good hitter) and the immortal Fred Manrique. Sosa will only hit about 400 home runs after the trade. (Best butchering of Sosa's name was made by Teddy Kennedy who called him "Sammy Sousa" and then corrected it to "Sammy Soosa")...
1993] The Israeli Supreme Court acquits retired Ohio autoworker John ("Ivan the terrible") Demjanjuk as a Nazi death camp guard but then throws out the death sentence...(Why ???)...
1998] Miramax buys the rights to the Beatles film, "A Hard Day's Night"...
2003] Bill Mueller of the Red Sox becomes the 1st player in major league history to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a single game which the Sawx win 14-7 over Texas...
Recorded on this date: 1959] "Shout" - Isley Brothers...
Released on this date: 1978] "Whenever I Call You Friend" - Kenny Loggins/Stevie Nicks...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
Martina McBride (40), Patti Scialfa Springsteen (50), Ken Burns (53), Gary Busey (62), Senator Elizabeth Dole (70), Robert Horton (82)...
[Timeline countdown: 38 days until Labor Day, 42 days until NFL kickoff, 67 days until MLB playoffs and 155 days remaining in 2006]
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Sunday, July 30, 2006...
Ten Timeline Memories...
1942] FDR signs a bill creating a women's auxiliary agency in the Navy a.k.a. Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services but you can call it The WAVES...
1956] By order of Congress and approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, "In God We Trust" becomes our national motto...
1960] In the 1st American Football League (AFL) pre-season game, the Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 28-7...
1965] President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law, the Social Security Act, establishing Medicare and Medicaid...
1970] The Rolling Stones fire Allen Klein as their business manager...
1975] Former Teamster union president Jimmy Hoffa disappears in suburban Detroit. Although presumed dead, his remains have never been found (which includes a recent attempt to find them)...
1990] George Steinbrenner, principal owner of the Yankees is ordered (by the commissioner) to resign for hiring a private detective (Howie Spira) to spy on outfielder Dave Winfield. Although banned for life, he is reinstated in 1993...
1998] Buffalo Bob Smith, Howdy Doody's daddy, dies of lung cancer at 80 (I had a picture taken with him and Howdy when they visited CBS-FM shortly before his death and he looked like the picture of health)...
2000] Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt walk down the aisle (you know the rest). They were divorced in 2005...
2003] Sun Records founder Sam Phillips (no relation but I did meet him) who discovered Elvis Presley, dies of respiratory failure in Memphis at 80...
#1 on this date: 1966] "Yesterday...and Today" LP - Beatles...
Released on this date: 1971] "Bangledesh" - George Harrison...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
Jaime Pressley (My Name is Earl") (29), Lisa Kudrow (43), Laurence Fishburne (45), Anita Hill (50), Delta Burke (50), Cahleeforneeuh Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (59), Paul Anka (65), Peter Bogdanovich (67), Edd "Kookie" Byrnes (73)...
[Timeline countdown: 37 days until Labor Day, 41 days until NFL kickoff, 66 days until MLB playoffs and 154 days remaining in 2006]
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