Friday, December 29, 2006

Friday, December 29, 2006-Monday,January 1, 2007

Out with the old, in with the new - Happy New Year!!!

Whatever your plans might be for New Year's Eve, here's to a safe, healthy and happy New Year in 2007. For over 100 years now they've been dropping the ball in Times Square. It's not officially the new year until we see that and that won't change this year and probably never will...

No sooner had I finished my "Happy Trails" for the year when I heard of two more passings in the radio industry. John Gorman e-mailed the news of Len "Boom" Goldberg's death on Wednesday. That name may not ring a bell but Boom was the "voice of the buzzard" at WMMS in Cleveland. John told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that "anyone who listened to 'MMS from the 70s to the 80s knew that voice". It was Len's voice that was also heard when Z100 signed on in New York: "From the Top of the Empire State Building...." That was Len "Boom" Goldberg. Len was 74. "He had a one of a kind voice. Sad for it to be silenced" - John Gorman...

I was a jock at WMID in Atlantic City at the time my daughter Lynn was born on January 2, 1964 and before going to a news break, Jack Armstrong who would deliver the news asked me to be sure to listen to the end of his newscast. Jack wrapped up the news with a mention of Lynn's birth. Without asking to, Jack wanted me to have a keepsake and handed me a tape of his newscast. Everyone who knew Jack recognized his business savvy. You just knew that he would wind up on the other side of the mic. Jack would make his fortune in the ownership of radio stations in the Tampa Bay area. After giving out bonus checks to the staff of two of his 3 remaining radio stations (Oldies 106.3 and The Fox) at a Christmas dinner near Clearwater, Jack got into his Mercedes coupe to drive home to his wife of 43 years. He never made it, jumping a curb and smashing into a building. Jack Armstrong's real name was Carl Marcocci. He was 68...

I'd like to share a video link to a New Year's greeting that I got from a few people over the last couple of days. It's one of the best I've ever seen. Enjoy it along with your New Year's Eve: http://llerrah.com/newyearwishes.htm

Timeline Memories...
  • [1896] The U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacres over 400 men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek (SD). This is the last major conflict between Indians and U.S. troops...
  • [1975] Terrorists explode a bomb in the main terminal of LaGuardia Airport killing 11 and injuring 75 (this is believed to be an act by a Croation terrorist group that was never captured)...
  • [1978] Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes goes berserk during the Gator Bowl game punching Clemson's Charlie Bauman for his interception of a Buckeye pass. Woody will not like what happens to him the following day...
  • [1997] Hong Kong begins killing 1.25 million chickens, the entire population, for fear of spreading "bird flu" (Frank Perdue was heard muttering "oh the humanities")...

"Y.M.C.A": 1851] The 1st Y.M.C.A. is organized in Boston (The Village People start composing)...

"Happy Trails": 1980] Folksinger/songwriter Tim Hardin O.D.'s on heroin at 40...

"Double Dip": 1934] The 1st college basketball doubleheader is played at MSG. The Garden was rented for a measly $4,000 as 16,000 fans watch NYU beat Notre Dame and Westminster (PA) beat St. John's...

Music City: 1945] Sheb Wooley records the 1st commercial record cut in Nashville on the tiny Bullet label (it was no "Purple People Eater")...

Wedding Bells: 1957] Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme walk down the aisle. Eydie "blames it on the bossa nova" while Steve says "go away little girl" (they are still happily married)...

"D-I-V-O-R-C-E": 1975] Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane (Starship) who were together since 1969 are divorced...

The Final Curtain: 1989] Jane Pauley leaves the "Today Show"...

Released on this date: 1965] "My World Is Empty Without You" - Supremes...

"J-E-T-S": 1968] The Jets beat Oakland 27-23 to win the AFL championship (the same two teams meet this weekend with the playoffs up for grabs if the Jets win)...

#1 on this date: 1974] "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" - Elton John...

"Just walk away Renee": 1992] New York Governor Mario Cuomo grants Scarsdale Diet Doctor killer, Jean Harris clemency...

"Guilty as Charged": 1994] Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez pleads guilty to arson charges for setting fire to and destroying boyfriend Andre Rison's $1 million Atlanta mansion...

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

Commentary...

Paul Power weighs in on Motown Christmas music: "none of those songs Joe McCoy mentioned sound like Motown records because they all lack the sound of the Funk Brothers, heavy drum beat, percussion, etc. It could be compared somewhat to the Beach Boys Christmas LP which featured one side with their sound but the other side produced "big band" style by some a/c arranger. Now the Spector LP is true Spector as the only "wimpy" cut is Phil's "sincere" narration at the end backed by a stringy "Silent Night". Thanks Paul and congratulations on your retirement...

Congratulations to Mike McCann for New York Post sports columnist Phil Mushnick's glowing mention: "McCann's strong on both style - he has a radio narrator's pipes and delivery, and substance - he delivers useful, cut-above parenthetical into and perspective, proving that he knows his sports and pays attention". Kudos Mike...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Mikhi ("E.R.") Phifer (32), Jude Law (34), Paula Poundstone (47), Evonne Elliman (55), Ted Danson (59), Marianne Faithful (60), Jon Voight (68), Mary Tyler Moore (69), Tom Jarriel (72) and Inga ("Benson") Swenson (74)...

Saturday, December 30, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1956] The Giants win their 3rd NFL championship, 47-4 over Chicago on a frozen Yankee Stadium field as Alex Webster runs for 2 touchdowns and catches 5 passes from Chuck Conerly. The Giants play the game in sneakers...
  • [1999] George Harrison and his wife are attacked in their West London estate. Harrison is stabbed in the chest 4 times but he and his wife somehow manage to subdue the assailant until the bobbies arrive...
  • [2003] The federal government bans ephedra, an herbal stimulant linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes...

"Solid Gold": 1861] U.S. banks stop making payments in gold (robbers rejoice - no more hernias)...

"Par-tay": 1731] The first known music concert is held in the U.S. at Peter Pelham's guest room in Boston (music provided by Aerosmith)...

Pass the buckets: 1903] Nearly 600 die when fire breaks out in the Iroquois Theater in Chicago...1962] Brenda Lee's home is destroyed by fire. The singer is not hurt...

Bargain basement: 1953] The 1st color TV sets go on sale for $1,175 (how many do you want?)...

"Beat The Clock": 1954] The 24-second shot clock is used for the 1st time in the NBA in a game between the Celtics and Rochester...

Debuted on this date: 1963] "Let's Make A Deal" joins the daytime lineup on NBC-TV...1971] The Long Island NHL franchise is purchased. The Islanders are born...

#1 on this date: 1967] "Hello Goodbye" - Beatles tops the charts for the 1st of 3 weeks...

"So sue me": 1970] Paul McCartney sues the other 3 Beatles to dissolve the partnership and gain control of his interest...

The Final Curtain: 1978] Ohio State University fires football coach Woody Hayes for his Gator Bowl explosion...

"Walk the Line": 2002] Diana Ross is arrested in Tucson (AZ) on suspicion of drunken driving ("Haaaaapy New Yeeeeaaaar")...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Allyson Mireya Phillips (1), LeBron James (22), Tiger Woods (31), Tracey Ullman (47), Matt Lauer (49), Original "Dream Girl" Sheryl Lee Ralph (51), Meredith Vieira (53), Patti Smith (60), Davy Jones (61), Michael Nesmith (64), Paul (Peter, Paul & Mary) Stookey (69), Sandy Koufax (71) and Bo Diddley (78)...

Sunday, December 31, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1943] Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater (his career explodes after this appearance)...
  • [1999] Russian President Boris Yeltsin is replaced by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin...
  • [1999] Control of the Panama Canal reverts back to Panama...

"Happy Trails": 1972] Future Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente is killed on a mission of mercy when the cargo plane he had chartered goes down in the Caribbean. Clemente, 38, was on his way to helping victims of a Nicaraguan earthquake...1985] Teen Idol Rick Nelson dies in a plane crash on his way to a New Year's Eve concert in Dallas. Probable cause of the crash was mechanical. Rick was just 45 and one of the nicest people I ever met...1997] Michael Kennedy, 39-year old son of the late Robert Kennedy is killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain (CO)...1999] Sarah Knauss, the world's oldest person (119) dies (she was born on Sept. 24, 1880)...

"Pass "Go" and collect $200": 1935] Charles Darrow patents Monopoly...

Wedding Bells: 1947] Roy Rogers ropes Dale Evans in marriage (they stay married until Roy's death in 1998)...

"Cha-ching": 1955] GM becomes the 1st U.S. corporation to earn more than one billion dollars in one year...1956] The Wall Street Journal reports that in the past few months Elvis Presley merchandise has grossed $22 million in sales (and now?)...1974] Free agent pitcher Catfish Hunter signs a $3.75 million, 5-year contract with the Yankees...1975] Elvis performs for 60,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac (MI) and sets a world record by earning $800,000 for a single concert by a single performer...

#1 on this date: 1966] "I'm A Believer" - Monkees...

"Guilty as Charged": 1986] A fire at the Dupont Plaza in San Juan (PR) kills 97 and injures 140. 3 hotel workers later plead guilty to charges in connection with the fire...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Joey McIntyre (34), Val Kilmer (47), Bebe Neuwirth (48), Donna Summer (58), Burton Cummings (59), Diane Von Furstenburg (60), Ben Kingsley (63), Sarah Miles (65), Anthony Hopkins (69), and Odetta (76)...

Monday, January 1, 2007...

"Happy New Year"...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1797] Albany replaces New York City as capital of New York State...
  • [1863] Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation declaring that slaves in rebel states are free...
  • [1898] Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island are consolidated into New York City ("I'll take Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island too")...
  • [1959] Fidel Castro overthrows the government of Fulgencio Batista and seizes power in Cuba...
  • [1966] Tobacco companies in the U.S. start carrying warning signs on cigarette packs...
  • [1967] The FCC starts requiring AM/FM stations to be at least 50% separate in programming...
  • [1994] The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA goes into effect...

"Happy Trails": 1953] Hank Williams is found dead in his car, a victim of a drug and alcohol overdose at 29...

The Final Curtain: 0404] The last gladiator competition is held in Rome...1966] The final episode of "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" is filmed...1995] The last "Far Side" cartoon runs. Started in 1980 by Gary Larson, "Far Side" books and calendars continue to be published...

Debuted on this date: 1785] London's oldest daily, "The Daily Universal Register" (later renamed "The Times" in 1788) is published for the 1st time...1892] The Ellis Island Immigrant Station opens in New York Harbor...1902] The 1st Tournament of Roses (later renamed the Rose Bowl) collegiate football game is played in Pasadena (CA)...

"Pasadena": 1962] Decca Records in London, passes on the Beatles in favor of the immortal Brian Poole & the Tremeloes instead (how'd that work out?)...

Recorded on this date: 1956] Elvis Presley records "Heartbreak Hotel" for RCA in Nashville...1964] "Fun, Fun, Fun" - Beach Boys...

"The Name Game": 1968] The Blue Velvets become Creedence Clearwater Revival...

Baby Bells: 1984] AT&T is broken up into 22 Bell Systems under terms of an antitrust agreement...

Premiered on this date: 1985] VH-1...1992] ESPN Radio Network...1999] The "Euro" becomes currency for 11 member states of the European Union (coins vanish after 1/1/02)...

Smoke-Free: 1998] An anti-smoking law went into effect in California, prohibiting people from lighting up in bars (this was a great law that continues to grow)...

Buckle-Up: 1985] The 1st mandatory seat belt law goes into effect in New York (ditto)...

The torch is passed: 1990] David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's 1st black mayor...

"2YK": 2000] The calendar switches over to 2000 with none of the computer glitches expected (thank you computer geeks everywhere that stuck "2YK" stickers on everything that moved)...

Merger: 1994] Bill Gates adds a new computer chip: wife Marilyn French...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Verne ("mini-me") Troyer (38), Grandmaster Flash a.k.a. Joseph Saddler (49), Don (a.k.a. Father Guido Sarducci) Novello (64), Country Joe McDonald (65), Frank Langella (67) and J.D. Salinger (88)...

Timeline Countdown: Happy New Year, 5 days until the NFL playoffs, 7 days until the BCS championship game, 34 days until Super Bowl XLI and 45 days until "pitchers & catchers"...

...

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Thursday, December 28, 2006

"Happy Trails" 2006...

[The names we've chosen are from radio and records, including many artists who we lost this year. In the case of Al "Grandpa" Lewis, he actually did promotion for Canadian band Melidian]

January: Lou Rawls (72), Wilson Pickett (64)...February: Al "Grandpa" Lewis (95), Curt Gowdy (86), Billy Cowsill (58)...March: Buck Owens (76)...April: Gene Pitney (66), June Pointer (52)..May: Johnnie (Heatwave) Wilder Jr. (56), Freddie Garrity (Freddie and The Dreamers) (69), DJ Long John Wade (66), Desmond Dekker (64)...June: Billy Preston (59)...July: Syd (Pink Floyd) Barrett (59)...August: Richard Barrett (Valentines, production and management) (73), Arthur (Love) Lee (59), Barbara George (63), Mike Douglas (81 on the day he died), Maynard Ferguson (77), Jumpin' Gene Simmons (69)...October: Tom Noonan (Billboard charts, CBS Records, Motown, CBS Records Alumni Association) (78), Freddy Fender (69), DJ, PD Mike Phillips (64)...November: Ed Bradley (65), Casey Coleman (Cleveland sports personality, son of late Ken Coleman) (55), Gerald Levert (40), Paul Mauriat (81), Ruth Brown (78), Buddy (Tree Publishing) Killen (73)...December: Fred Marsden (Gerry & Pacemakers, brother of Gerry Marsden) (66), Ahmet Ertegun (83), Georgia Gibbs (87), James Brown (73) and Dr. Frank (CBS) Stanton (98)...

We lost far too many good people in 2006...

...

The video link of the day is a classic and a keeper. On the date (1968) that The Beatles "White Album" went to #1 for the first of 9 consecutive weeks what better way to mark the occasion then having Jim ("Gomer Pyle) Nabors and Leslie Uggams doing a medley from the LP???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBXWmfs2U28

Timeline Memories...

  • [1902] The 1st professional indoor football game is played at MSG with Syracuse beating the Philadelphia Nationals 6-0...
  • [1945] Congress officially recognizes "The Pledge of Allegiance"...
  • [1958] The Baltimore Colts beat the Giants 23-17 at 8:15 into overtime on a frozen Yankee Stadium field to win the NFL championship in a thriller...
  • [1981] Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first test-tube baby is born in Norfolk (VA). 25-year old Elizabeth now works for a Maine newspaper

"Happy Trails": 1983] Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys drowns while swimming near his boat at Marina del Ray (CA). Ironically, Dennis was the only real surfer in the group. Dennis was only 39...2004] Activist, author and intellectual, Susan Sontag dies from leukemia at 71...

"Double your flavor": 1869] William Finley Semple of Mt. Vernon (OH) patents chewing gum (samples of his product are still displayed under every piece of furniture in the Semple home which is wrapped in tin foil)...

"Another opening, another show": 1944] The musical "On The Town" opens on Broadway featuring the song "New York, New York" (the one that goes "New York, New York is a helluva town")...

The Final Curtain: 1956] After 5 years on television, the final "Ding Dong School" airs on NBC-TV (hosted by Miss Francis Horwich)...1984] The TV Soap, "Edge of Night" fades to black after 28 years...

Released on this date: 1968] "Touch Me" - The Doors...

Hot off the presses: 1973] Alexander Solzhenitsyn publishes "Gulag Archipelago", an expose of the Soviet prison system...

"TIME Man of The Year": 1991] Ted Turner...

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

Commentary...

Joe McCoy comments on our comments about Motown Christmas music: "A few days ago you mentioned that Motown never had a good Christmas song. I beg to differ and submit these: "Someday at Christmas" - Stevie Wonder, "Give Love on Christmas Day" - Jackson 5, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Me" - Supremes plus a good rendition of "Silent Night" by the Temptations." Anyone else who'd like to comment on Berry Gordy's prowess on Christmas music is welcome to send an e-mail...

"Happy Birthday, happy birthday":

Sienna Miller (25), John Legend (28), comedian Seth Meyers (33), Boston Bruin hockey great Ray Bourque (46), Denzel Washington (52), Alex (Boxtops) Chilton (56), Edgar Winter (60), Dame Maggie Smith (72), Johnny Otis (85) and Lou Jacobi (93)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until 2007, 9 days until the NFL playoffs, 11 days until the BCS championship game, 38 days until Super Bowl XLI and 49 days until pitchers and catchers...

...


Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The Good...The Bad...The Ugly...of 2006

The Good

This story didn't surface until December. That was when we found out that former NFL All-Pro corner back Everson Walls will become a live kidney donor. The recipient of the kidney is former Dallas teammate Ron Springs, a diabetic who had his right foot amputated 2 years ago. When Walls found out that relatives of Springs were turned down for a possible transplant, he volunteered one of his own. The entire process was supposed to be kept private but Spring's son, a member of the Washington Redskins leaked the story to the Washington Post. "Shawn threw a little wrench into this". Walls went on: "We just want everyone to realize that it was never our intention to bring this out in the open. I had to do it anyway. I couldn't sit here and do nothing". Runner up: Tiger Woods who had another good year of golf despite losing his father and having his wife exposed on the Internet...

The Bad

It's T.O. by a K.O. Terrell Owens wins this one easily. As soon as training camp opened for the Dallas Cowboys, Owens was not practicing enough, falling asleep or missing meetings entirely. In September he denied trying to kill himself despite taking an overdose of pain medication. In December he spit in the face of Atlanta corner back DeAngelo Hall. Then there were the flamboyant end zone celebrations. Runner Up: Zinedine Zidane who ended a brilliant soccer career by head butting Italy's Marco Meterazzi and losing the World Cup for France...

The Ugly

This was the toughest of the 3 categories to choose an award winner or loser in, a statement about the state of the world of sports. There was Trevor Berbick who was killed by one of his nephews, Albert Haynesworth who stomped on the head of Andre Gurode, Tank Johnson for gun and marijuana possession charges, resisting arrest and being present in an after-hours club when a homicide occurred but The Ugly award of the year goes to: Nicholas Crowdis the killer of former 22-year old Vermont hockey star, Michael Serba. Serbawas viciously attacked by Crowdis outside a Canadian bar on November 25th and died on the 28th. Crowdis is charged with second-degree murder. Runner Up: Former sports agent David Frost who was a target of a murder-for-hire plot by his client, St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton. In August, Frost was arrested on 12 counts of sexual exploitation and one count of assault. The charges related to crimes committed to his time as coach of a junior hockey team and involve acts of minors of both sexes between the ages of 14 and 16...

Today's video link is a Four Seasons single that was released on this date in 1975 although the title of the song contains a different date: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3ju2kx2eoE

Timeline Memories...

  • [1831] Charles Darwin sets sail for the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin's discoveries during the voyage help him form the basis of his theories on evolution...
  • [1932] Radio City Music Hall opens to the public...
  • [1967] Red Holzman is named head coach of the New York Knicks, replacing Dick McGuire (Holzman turns the Knicks around and will win 2 NBA titles before retiring in 1982)...

"Happy Trails": 1985] Dian Fossey, 53, American naturalist who studied gorillas in the wild, is found murdered at a research station in Rwanda...

"How dry I Am": 1900] Carrie Nation stages her 1st raid on a saloon in Kansas, breaking every liquor bottle she can find...

"But oh how they could harmonize": 1903] "Sweet Adeline" is sung for the 1st time by a barbershop quartet in New York City...

Premiered on this date: 1904] "Peter Pan" premieres in London...

Debuted on this date: 1947] "Howdy Doody" debuts on NBC-TV hosted by Buffalo Bob Smith...1964] The Supremes make their 1st appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS-TV...

The Final Curtain: 1968] "The Breakfast Club" with Don McNeill signs off for the last time on ABC radio after 35 years on the air...1970] "Hello Dolly!" closes on Broadway after an initial run of 4 1/2 years (not to worry, this musical will always pop up at any time)...

Prime Time: 1971] "The Sonny & Cher Show" begins airing as a regular series on CBS-TV (after starting as a summer replacement on August 1st)...

On the cover of Newsweek: 1971] Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock of Charles Schulz' "Peanuts" graces the cover...

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

Commentary...

We lost a trio of giants over the Christmas weekend: A former president, a godfather and a doctor. Gerald R. Ford, our 38th president died yesterday (12/26). Ford had battled pneumonia in January and underwent 2 heart treatments in August. No cause of death was issued but the former president was 93, the same age Ronald Reagan died..

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul passed away on Sunday (12/24) of heart failure. His age was reported as 73 but he was probably older. The marquee at B.B. King's in Times Square, where J.B. was scheduled to perform on New Year's eve says "In memory of James Brown. R.I.P." The Godfather will lay in state at the Apollo Theater in Harlem after a private ceremony in Brown's hometown, Augusta (GA)...

The doctor was the legendary Bill Paley sidekick, Dr. Frank Stanton, who along with Paley was responsible for the development of TV broadcasting in the U.S. Stanton was 98 and had been in declining health...

On the lighter side: Gordon Brown submits the name of the first record he played in radio. It was "(Give Me A) Pinto Pal" by Elton Britt, a Country tune, circa 1954. It would become the theme song of "Hillbilly Guest House" hosted by Norm Rapoza on WNBH am/fm in New Bedford (MA)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Arthur ("Scud Stud") Kent (53), Tovah Feldshuh (54), Mick (Foreigner) Jones (62), Cokie Roberts (63), John Amos (67) and Sun Records musician Scotty Moore (75)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until 2007, 10 days until the NFL playoffs, 12 days until the BCS championship game, 39 days until Super Bowl XLI and 50 days until pitchers & catchers...

...

Friday, December 22, 2006

Friday-Tuesday, December 22-26, 2006

The holiday season winds down...

Look at it this way - no more Andy Williams Christmas songs. Now that's something to look forward to. What I can't figure out is why radio doesn't start playing Christmas songs later than let's say, oh - November. You think that just maybe we can live without Christmas music until December? And then play them all Christmas Day when about 5 people are listening to radio anyway. Instead, all the stations that started playing seasonal stuff either before or after Thanksgiving stop playing them about noon Christmas Day...

What I won't try to do regarding Christmas music is try to figure out why Motown could never do a decent Christmas tune. I just know that in the spirit of the holiday season and whatever you celebrate, I hope you have a happy, healthy one with family and friends and try to be more amicable than Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump. How do you take sides in that one???

Personal aside: Please don't forward me The Drifters "White Christmas" animated video. I've only seen it about a dozen times since last year. I used to love their version too...

In the spirit of the season, our video link today is one of the greatest Christmas standards of all-time. It's not "The Christmas Song", one of the all-time greats and the biggest Christmas hit ever written during a summer heatwave in Los Angeles. It isn't "White Christmas" but it is as poignant and reverent as those songs. The guessing game is over. Click on and enjoy our pick for best Christmas song of all-time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5rOO2v2dU ...

Timeline Memories...
  • [1882] The 1st string of Christmas tree lights is created by Thomas Edison...
  • [1937] The Lincoln Tunnel, connecting Manhattan and New Jersey opens to traffic...
  • [1984] New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about the rob him. Much to popular belief, the youths armed with screw drivers did not wish the "subway vigilante" Merry Christmas when he went berserk screaming "I'm a Chanukah boy, I'm a Chanukah boy. Take that"...

Happy Trails: 1995] Lawrence Berk, founder of Berklee College of Music dies of natural causes at 87 in Boston...2002] Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash dies suddenly of a congenital heart defect at 50...

Premiered on this date: 1965] "Dr. Zhivago" starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie...

#1 on this date: 1957] "April Love" - Pat Boone...1965] "Over and Over" - Dave Clark Five...1984] "Like a Virgin" - Madonna...

Wedding Bells: 1968] Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower exchange wedding vows...2000] Madonna can't claim she's a virgin anymore after bed-uh-wedding Brit director Guy Ritchie...

The Final Curtain" 1976] The last show of "Let's Make A Deal" airs (several attempts since haven't been successful but it's rumored that Rosie O'Donnell would love to host a new version of the show. She could block all 3 doors easily)...

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

Commentary...

On the night of December 24th, 1906, Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden became the 1st person to broadcast a music program over the radio from Brant Rock (MA) and in celebration of the historic event, WATD owner Ed Perry held events to commemorate it. The legendary Fred B. Cole emceed the honors. Fred hosted Big Band music on radio stations in New York and Boston. Our thanks to Len Zola for the information...

In a somewhat related event, Dick Summer who perhaps is itching for a O'Donnell-Trump feud, offers this: "Harvey's (Mednick) first record was Tom Edison's "Happy Birthday". It was a cylinder, not a record. Mine was "Wake The Town and Tell The People" by Les Baxter. The week I played it was #4 with an arrow. The settlers hadn't arrived yet with their bullets". Dick, Harvey may have played the cylinder but Cousin Brucie introduced Thomas Edison at the historic occasion...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Ralph Fiennes (44), Robin Gibb (57), Rick Nielsen (60), Diane Sawyer (61), Hector Elizondo (70) and Lady Bird Johnson (94)...

Saturday, December 23, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1888] Following a quarrel with Paul Gauguin, Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh cuts off part of his own earlobe. My question is a simple one: Why didn't he cut off Gauguin's ear???
  • [1942] Bob Hope does his 1st Christmas show to entertain U.S. airmen stationed in Alaska and starts an annual tradition...

"T'was the night before Christmas...": 1823] The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ("T'was the night before Christmas...") by Clement C. Moore is published in the Troy (NY) Sentinel...

"TAXiiiiiiiiii": 1834] English architect Joseph Hansom patents his "safety cab" a.k.a. the "Hansom Cab" which is still available for rides in Central Park for your first born and second mortgage to your house, an hour...

#1 on this date: 1942] "White Christmas" - Bing Crosby (will also be #1 in 1945, 1947 and would be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974)...1959] "Why" - Frankie Avalon (it's the shortest title of any #1 hit)...1964] "I Feel Fine" - Beatles (the 30th song by the group to reach the charts in 1964, the most songs in one year by any group)...1977] "How Deep Is Your Love" - Bee Gees (the 1st song from the "Saturday Night Fever" LP to become a single. The LP is #1 for 24 weeks)...1989] "Another Day In Paradise" - Phil Collins...

Busted: 1959] Chuck Berry is arrested for "transporting a minor across a state line for an immoral purpose" (apparently not to discuss the bitter dispute between Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump)...

Recorded on this date: 1959] "This Magic Moment" - The Drifters...

Debuted on this date: 1964] The Beach Boys make their 1st appearance on "Shindig!"...

Released on this date: 1968] 82 crew members of the U.S. intelligence gathering ship, Pueblo, are released by North Korea after being captured 11 months earlier...1978] "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" - Rod Stewart...

Wedding Bells: 1969] Elton John and Bernie Taupin begin their songwriting team...1997] Woody Allen, 62, marries the adopted daughter of wife Mia Farrow, 27-year old Soon-Yi Previn (this is still as distasteful 9 years later as it was when it happened. YECHHHHHH!!!)...

"Immaculate Reception": 1972] That's what they called the catch made by the Steelers Franco Harris on a last-second play that won a playoff game for Pittsburgh over Oakland (13-7)...

"Guilty as Charged": 1997] A jury in Denver convicts Terry Nichols for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing (Nichols is serving a lifetime term without parole)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Eddie Vedder (42), Susan Lucci (60), Harry Shearer (63), Jerry Koosman (64) and Paul Hornung (71)...

Sunday, December 24, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1865] Several veterans of the Confederate Army form a private social club in Pulaski (TN) called the Ku Klux Klan...
  • [1906] Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden becomes the 1st person to broadcast a music program over the radio from Brant Rock (MA)...

"Happy Trails": 1954] R&B singer Johnny Ace shoots himself fatally while playing Russian Roulette backstage at a concert in Houston. Ace of "Pledging My Love" fame was just 25...

"It's Over": 1812] The War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain ends with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium...

Composed on this date: 1818] "Silent Night", written by Josef Mohr with music by Franz Gruber of Germany...

The Final Curtain: 1920] Enrico Caruso gives his last public performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (he would, he said continue to offer himself for weddings and bar mitzvahs)...

Debuted on this date: 1948] A midnight Mass is broadcast on TV for the 1st time from St. Patrick's Cathedral...1955] The Lennon Sisters debut on "The Lawrence Welk Show" as my mother and aunt Irene kvell...

"Brought to you by...": 1953] NBC-TV's "Dragnet" becomes the 1st network show to be sponsored (by Fatima cigarettes)...

Recorded on this date: 1966] "I think we're Alone Now" - Tommy James...

"T'was the night before Christmas...": 1968] The Apollo 8 astronauts orbiting the moon read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve TV broadcast...

Wedding Bells: 1981] Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa and Lisa Evers walk down the aisle in their red berets (they would break up in 1993)...1990] Nicole Kidman succumbs to the many "charms" of Tom Cruise as they tie the knot (the marriage made in Scientology heaven ends in 2001)...

"Guilty as Charged": 1997] Ilich Ramirez Sanchez a.k.a. Carlos the Jackal is sentenced to life for the 1975 murders of 2 French investigators and a Lebanese national (he's now serving a lifetime sentence)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Ryan Seacrest (32), Ricky Martin (35), Mike Curb (62) and Dave Bartholomew (86)...

Monday, Christmas Day, December 25, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1776] General George Washington and his troops cross the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton (NJ)...
  • [1818] Written the night before, "Silent Night" is performed for the 1st time at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Austria...

"Happy Trails": 1946] W.C. Fields dies at 66 from a stomach hemorrhage (despite all the rumors about the Philadelphia joke being on his headstone, it just has his name and dates of birth and death on it)...1977] Charlie Chaplin dies in his sleep at 88...1989] Ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and wife Elena are executed following a popular uprising (popular to everyone but Ceausescu and his wife)...1989] Former Yankee manager Billy Martin dies in a pickup truck crash in Fenton (NY) at 61...1995] Dean Martin (Christmas Day was not nice to anyone named Martin) dies from respiratory failure at 78...

"Name That Tune": 1896] John Philip Sousa puts a title to the new music he composed: "The Stars and Stripes Forever"...

Debuted on this date: 1948] "The Perry Como Show"...

Wedding Bells: 1950] Dick Tracy marries Tess Truehart (but keeps his fedora on during their wedding night)...

"The Big Beat": 1958] Alan Freed's "Christmas Rock 'n Roll Spectacular" at the Loew's State Theater stars Frankie Avalon, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, the Everly Brothers, Moonglows, Johnnie Ray & Jackie Wilson...

"Christmas Wish": 1959] Richard Starkey a.k.a. Ringo Starr, 18, gets his 1st drum set...

Premiered on this date: 1964] The James Bond movie, "Goldfinger" premieres...1990] "Godfather III" premieres...

"He loves me...he loves me not...he loves me...": 1967] Paul McCartney and Jane Asher get engaged but never marry...

"Open for binness": 1977] Harlem's famed Apollo Theater after renovation...

"Tee it up...oops": 2002] Katie Hnida (still looking for a vowel) becomes the 1st woman to play in a Division I football game when she attempts an extra point for New Mexico against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl ("and the kick is up.........oh, it's no good")...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Rickey Henderson (48), Annie Lennox (52), Karl Rove (56), Sissy Spacek (57), Barbara Mandrell (58), Jimmy Buffet (60) and Tony Martin (94)...

Tuesday, December 26, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1996] 6-year old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder (CO) (the murder remains unsolved)..
  • [2004] A tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean leaves more than 216,000 dead or missing, mostly in southern Asia...

"Happy Trails": 1799] George Washington is eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as "First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen"...1972] Harry S. Truman our 33rd president dies in Kansas City of lung congestion from pneumonia at 88...1974] Jack Benny dies from pancreatic cancer at 80...1999] Curtis Mayfield dies at 57 from diabetes after being paralyzed when a light stand fell on him some years earlier...2000] Jason Robards dies from lung cancer at 78...

A cup of Joe: 1865] James H. Nason of Franklin (MA) receives a patent for a coffee percolator...

A snow job: 1947] A major snowstorm blankets New York City under 25.8" in 16 hours (80 people die in the northeast as a result of the storm)...

Recorded on this date: 1961] "She Cried" - Jay & The Americans (with the original Jay)...

Released on this date: 1963] "I Want To Hold Your Hand/I Saw Her Standing There" - The Beatles...

Debuted on this date: 1968] Led Zeppelin begin their 1st U.S. tour in Boston opening for Vanilla Fudge...

Premiered on this date: 1973] "The Exorcist" starring Linda Blair (rated X)...

"Computer Games": 1982] The Time Man of The Year is a computer (it's the 1st time a non-human receives the honors)...

The Final Curtain: 1986] "Search For Tomorrow" bows out after 35 years...1992] Legendary sports play-by-play man, Marty Glickman retires at 75...

Wedding Bells: 1993] Rodney Dangerfield, 72, marries Joan Child 41 (the marriage lasts until Rodney's death in 2004...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Ozzie Smith (52), Carlton Fisk (59), John Walsh (61), Paul Power (62), Phil Spector (66), Abdul "Duke" Fakir (one of 2 living members of the Four Tops)(71) and Richard Widmark (92)...

Timeline Countdown: Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, 5 days until 2007, 11 days until the NFL playoffs, 13 days until the BCS championship game, 40 days until Super Bowl XLI and 51 days until pitchers & catchers...

...

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Thursday, December 21, 2006

What's wrong with this picture???

The FBI released the final John Lennon files. They had argued for years that an unnamed foreign government (Kazakhstan??) secretly provided the information (undoubtedly through Borat) and that by releasing the documents it could lead to diplomatic, political or economic retaliation against the United States (would they seize all our Beatle records?)...

University historian Jon Wiener who fought to get possession of the secret files for 25 years and finally got them yesterday was quoted as saying: "today we can see that the national security claims that the FBI has been making for 25 years were absurd from the beginning". Speaking of absurd, it was on this date in 1970 when the tapes were rolling on John Lennon that President Richard M. Nixon had a meeting in the oval office with a famous singer to discuss fighting drugs in America. The famous singer? Elvis Presley...

Today's video link contains a song from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" which had its premiere on December 21st, 1937. It's Snow White with a little help from some furry friends singing "Whistle While You Work": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7mV-5ZuVE

More Timeline Memories...
  • [1620] Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower go ashore for the 1st time at present-day Plymouth (MA)...
  • [1898] Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover the radioactive element radium. They would live the rest of their lives with a radiant glow...
  • [1913] We're looking for a 9-letter word for a type of puzzle. The New York World found it and put it in their Sunday edition, publishing the 1st "crossword" puzzle...
  • [1988] 270 are killed when a Pan Am Boeing 747 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland. A terrorist attack is responsible for one of the worst air tragedies ever...

"Happy Trails": 1945] General George S. Patton dies in Heidelberg, Germany of injuries suffered in a car accident. Patton was 60...

Premiered on this date: 1937] "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"...

#1 on this date: 1952] "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - Little Jimmy Boyd...1980] "(Just Like) Starting Over" - John Lennon...1985] "Say You, Say Me" - Lionel Richie (from the movie "White Nights". The #5 single was "Separate Lives" - Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin, also from the movie)...

Recorded on this date: 1955] "Jim Dandy" - LaVern Baker...

Released on this date: 1967] "Their Satanic Majesties Request" (containing "Sympathy for the Devil") - Rolling Stones...

Debuted on this date: 1968] Crosby, Stills and Nash perform together in public for the 1st time...1968] Janis Joplin makes her solo debut in Memphis...

"Fly Me To The Moon": 1968] Apollo 8 is launched on a mission to the moon...

The Final Curtain: 1969] Diana Ross makes her final TV appearance ("The Ed Sullivan Show") as a member of The Supremes singing "Someday We'll Be Together" (they will perform together live one more time)...

Drug Czar: 1970] Elvis Presley and President Richard M. Nixon meet in the Oval Office to discuss fighting drugs in America...

"Guilty as Charged": 1978] Police in Des Plaines (IL) arrest John Wayne Gacy Jr. and begin unearthing the remains of 33 men and boys that Gacy would be convicted of murdering (Gacy was executed by lethal injection in May, 1994)...1996] After 2 years of denials, House Speaker (eye of) Newt Gingrich admits violating House ethic rules (believe or not, he's being mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2008. It won't happen but (eye of) Newt is baaaack)...

FDA approval: 1998] The 1st vaccine for Lyme Disease is approved...

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

Commentary...

We've reached the Winter Solstice. Actually it will happen at 7:22pm (EST). Tonight will be the longest night of the year so I hope you have a good book because there is nothing worth watching on TV tonight. While our winter starts Lynn Phillips Brough a.k.a. my daughter will have it a lot better in New Zealand as summer begins there tonight. Enjoy your summer Lynn...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Kiefer Sutherland (40), Andy (who acts his last name) Dick (41), Ray Romano (49), Jane Kaczmarek (51), Chris Evert (52), Samuel L. Jackson (58), Carla Thomas (64), Jane Fonda (69), Phil Donahue (71) and Joe Paterno (80)...

Timeline Countdown: Happy Chanukah (night 7), 4 days until Christmas, 10 days until 2007, 16 days until the NFL playoffs, 18 days until the BCS championship, 45 days until Super Bowl XLI and 56 days until pitchers and catchers...

...

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

A 25-year old 'Dream' comes true...

If you were at the Imperial Theater on Broadway on this date in 1981 you witnessed a musical that's about to hit the big screen on Christmas Day 25 years later. The first incarnation of "Dreamgirls" would run on the 'great white way' for almost 4 years, ending on a steamy August night in 1985 for a total of 1,521 performances...

The opening night cast consisted of Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jennifer Holiday, Loretta Devine, Ben Harney, Cleavant Derricks and Obba Babatunde. "Dreamgirls", the movie will feature the actors that replaced the original cast members mentioned and in the same order: Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Keith Robinson. Early critic reviews have hyped the performances of ex-American Idol contender Jennifer Hudson (who might be up for an Oscar for her role) and Eddie Murphy (ditto). And how can Beyonce be bad??? We'll soon find out...

Paramount has spent a fortune advertising this movie and why should we deny them? Our video link of the day is a "Dreamgirls" trailer which you can see by clicking on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roL-nWN7o20 ...

Sometimes I wanna pinch myself when things work out this way...in addition to the "Dreamgirls" musical debuting on this date in 1981, if you go back 101 years earlier, on December 20th, 1880, Broadway officially became "The Great White Way" when the lights went on for the first time. It just doesn't get any better than that...

More Timeline Memories...

  • [1879] Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrates his incandescent light at Menlo Park (NJ). December 20th...DAY OF LIGHTS!!!
  • [1957] Elvis Presley's Christmas present is a draft notice from the U.S. Army. The King marches down to the Memphis draft board for a physical...
  • [1963] The Berlin Wall opens for the 1st time to allow West Berliners to visit relatives on the east side for the holidays (it re-closes on January 6th)...
  • [1973] Bobby Darin passes away following surgery to repair a faulty heart valve. One of show businesses great talents is gone at 37...
  • [1980] No announcers allowed in a Don Ohlmeyer experiment during the Jets-Dolphins game on NBC-TV (won by the Jets 24-17). I remember how great this was. It was like being at the game because they kept the crowd mics open (give us more games without announcers, please)...

"Happy Trails": 1968] Author John Steinbeck dies of a heart attack at 66...1976] Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley is the victim of a heart attack at 74...1996] Astronomer Carl Sagan takes a one-way trip to the galaxy at 62 from a rare bone marrow disease...1999] Legendary Country star Hank Snow dies of natural causes at 85...

The Final Curtain: 2002] Trent Lott resigns as Senate Republican leader two weeks after making racially charged remarks (HE'S BAAAACK)...

Premiered on this date: 1946] The Frank Capra movie, "It's A Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed has a preview for charity at the Globe Theatre in Times Square, one day before it's official world premiere (the movie doesn't become a hit until it reaches TV)...1950] Jimmy Stewart stars in another big movie, "Harvey" which opens in Times Square...1967] "The Graduate" starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft premieres...

#1 on this date: 1969] "Leaving on a Jet Plane" - Peter, Paul & Mary (the song was written by John Denver)...

Musical Chairs: 1975] Joe Walsh replaces Bernie Leadon in the Eagles...

Record Breaking: 1985] Islander Denis Potvin (better known to Ranger fans as "Potvin s--ks" breaks the NHL record for a defenseman with his 916th point (the previous record was held by the greatest defenseman who ever laced up a pair of skates, the immortal #4 Bobby Orr)...

Wedding Bells: 1993] Donald Trump says "you're hired" to his new bride, Marla Maples (this marriage will last until June '99). Trump who turned gray overnight just gave Tara Conner a second chance to hold her Miss U.S.A. crown for her (ahem) Britney Spearscapade of recent days. The Donald also got face time prior to another "Apprentice" starting in January. We will give Donald Trump one more chance to prove that we care about his series any more...

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

Commentary...

Harvey Mednick offers his 1st record played in radio as "Que Sera, Sera" by Doris Day. If you share your 1st record with us, we will run it as a mini-feature. Feel free to e-mail me with your 1st record played in radio. If there is interest it's my idea but if it fails it's Harvey's idea..

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Uri Geller (no wonder my blog is starting to curl up) (60), Peter Criss of Kiss (or is it Peter Kriss of Ciss???)(61), BST's Bobby Colomby (62), John ("Magnum P.I.") Hillerman (who wants everyone to know that that was a different John Hillerman who died a while back)(74) and wacky comedian Charlie Callas (79)...

Timeline Countdown: Happy Chanukah (night 6), 5 days until Christmas, 11 days until 2007, 17 days until the NFL playoffs, 19 days until the BCS championship game, 46 days until Super Bowl XLI and 57 days until pitchers and catchers...

...


Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

"Time Is On My Side" - written by Norman Meade a.k.a. Jerry Ragavoy...

TIME is on my side. Yes it is. TIME is also on your side. Yes it is. I meant to congratulate you as soon as I found out that you are TIME's Man of the Year. By the way, if you're a woman, you're also TIME's Man of the Year.

Since 1927 (Charles Lindbergh) TIME Magazine has chosen a man, woman, or idea that "for better or worse (Adolf Hitler in 1938) has most influenced events in the preceding year". Apparently "we" have had that kind of effect this year and I trust my blog had something to do with it since blogging was cited as one of the "most influencing events in the preceding year". If you find it odd that YOU are the TIME Man of the Year, this isn't the first time "an idea" has been so chosen. TIME, in the past has recognized the "Twenty-five and under" "idea" (1966), the "American Fighting-Man" (1950), the "Hungarian Freedom Fighter" (1956), "U.S. Scientists" (1960), the "Middle Americans" (1968), the "American Women" (The American Women "Man of the Year"?) (1975), "The Computer" (1982). There are more but you get the idea...

I think it's time that TIME changes the name of their award. How about the "for better or worse, the man, woman or idea that has most influenced events in the preceding year Man of the Year"...

Today's video link is the title song of a movie that premiered on this date in 1980. The singer is Dolly Parton who also starred in the movie:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpKAA2VxWY8&mode=related&search=

Timeline Memories...
  • [1732] Benjamin Franklin begins publishing "Poor Richard's Almanac"...
  • [1777] General George Washington leads his army of 11,000 men to Valley Forge to camp for the winter (after stopping for Philly Cheese-Steaks on the way)...
  • [1903] The Willie-B opens for traffic. The Williamsburg Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan becomes the 1st major suspension bridge in America...
  • [1917] The first games of the new NHL are played. The original 5 teams played in Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec and 2 in Montreal (the way God intended it eh?)...
  • [1984] Buffalo Sabre coach Scotty Bowman becomes the NHL's career leading coach in victories with #691, with a win over Chicago 6-1...
  • [1987] Paul Simon is both the host and musical guest on "Saturday Night Live". Presidential candidate Paul Simon is the host and the musical guest is, well, Paul Simon...
  • [1989] U.S. troops invade Panama to overthrow the regime of General Noriega (who is making license plates in a Miami prison)...
  • [1990] Bo Jackson becomes the 1st athlete to be chosen for All Star games in 2 sports as he's selected for the NFL Pro Bowl (to which Bo adds: "I'm happy for Bo 'cause Bo knows he deserves to be an All-Star in 2 sports and I'm gonna tell Bo as soon as I see him")...
  • [1996] The school board of Oakland votes to recognize black English. Ebonics is born. English dies...
  • [1997] "Titanic" has its world premiere and becomes the biggest box office hit of all-time (gross receipts well over $2 billion. That's billion with a "B")...
  • [2002] Citing new DNA evidence, a judge throws out the convictions of 5 young men in a 1989 attack on the Central Park jogger who was raped and left for dead (miraculously she has survived)...

"Happy Trails": 2000] Former NYC mayor John Lindsay dies from Parkinson's disease and pneumonia at 79...

"Believe It Or Not": 1918] Robert Ripley begins his "Believe It Or Not" column in the New York Globe...

Premiered on this date: 1957] Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man" opens at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway for a run of 1,375 performances...1961] "Judgment At Nuremberg" premieres in New York City...1971] Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange"...1980] "9 To 5" starring Dolly Parton premieres...

#1 on this date: 1958] "The Chipmunk Song" - David Seville a.k.a. Ross Bagdasarian (this was one of the first songs I ever played in radio along with "Tom Dooley")...1979] "Escape (Pina Colada Song)" - Rupert Holmes (the last #1 hit of the 70s)...

Released on this date: 1960] "Calendar Girl" - Neil Sedaka...

The Final Curtain: 1965] Jim Brown scores his 126th and final NFL touchdown, winning his 8th rushing title in 9 years in the Cleveland Browns final regular season game of 1965 (the future Hall of Famer will gain 50 yards in a playoff loss to Green Bay and never play again, choosing to retire)...1973] Apollo 17, last of the moon landing series, returns to Earth...1985] ABC Sports cuts ties with Howard Cosell (who stays on radio for 5 more years)...

Sworn in: 1974] Nelson A. Rockefeller is sworn in as VP replacing Spiro Agnew who had resigned...

"Knock on Wood": 1975] Ron Wood joins the Rolling Stones...

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

Commentary...

"Happy Trails" to Joseph Barbera, who died of natural causes yesterday at his home at 95. Barbera was part of Hanna-Barbera, one of the most successful cartoonists that ever lived. Together they created "Tom and Jerry", "The Flintstones", "Yogi Bear", "Huckleberry Hound and Friends", "Top Cat", "Scooby-Doo", "Johnny Quest", "The Jetsons" and "Animal Follies". What a lineup...Hanna died in 2001...

Larry Sherry was an unlikely most valuable player of the Dodgers' 1959 World Series victory. The relief pitcher closed out all 4 of his team's victories over the Chicago White Sox. Sherry died on Sunday at 71 after battling several forms of cancer for a dozen years but died from kidney failure. Larry Sherry's battery mate behind the plate for the Dodgers for several years, Norm Sherry, made the announcement...R.I.P. Joseph Barbera and Larry Sherry...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Jake Gyllenhall (26), Jennifer Beals (43), Kevin McHale (49), John McEuen (61), Maurice White (65), Al Kaline (72), Cicely Tyson (73) and Little Jimmy Dickens (86)...

Timeline Countdown: Happy Chanukah (night 5), 6 days until Christmas, 12 days until 2007, 18 days until the NFL playoffs, 20 days until the BCS championship game, 47 days until Super Bowl XLI and 58 days until pitchers and catchers...

...



Monday, December 18, 2006

Monday, December 18, 2006

The Good...The Bad...The Ugly...

The Good

Every week it gets harder to find people who qualify for this category of TGTBTU which is a message in itself. However...we do have a trio of people who qualify this week starting with former NFL cornerback Everson Walls who will donate a kidney to former Cowboy teammate Ron Springs. Kudos to Everson and his kidney. The late Buck O'Neil was posthumously awarded the nation's highest civilian honor as he was cited for a life in baseball after being barred from the national pastime in his prime because of his skin color. There was never a better spokesman for the Negro Leagues or the game of baseball than Buck O'Neil who passed away 3 months ago at age 94. Receiving the same award is blues legend, B.B. King who had the biggest smile ever plastered on the punim of a living legend and one of the greatest blues guitarists and singers to ever draw a breath. Well done, Everson, Buck and B.B. You're our heroes this week...

The Bad

Three groups of idiots fall into this category: The New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets and UMass students. The Knicks and Denver for a bench-clearing brawl during a game in which 10 players were ejected as the fight spilled into the front row of MSG. And the peaceful town of Amherst (MA) erupted into a melee when UMass students rioted following the football team's Division I-AA championship game loss to Appalachian State. 11 people including 10 students were arrested. There's a P.S. to this story. The game was played several hundred miles away in Chattanooga... The poster child for Bad, Terrell Owens a.k.a. T.O. scored 2 touchdowns when Dallas beat Atlanta. He also spit in the face of the Falcons DeAngelo Hall who covered T.O. in the game but don't expect the Big Tuna to discipline T.O. because Parcells has become the biggest wimp in sports. It'll be the NFL who will fine and/or suspend T.O... And finally (I know, enough already) there's Cleveland troublemaker Kellen Winslow Jr. who hit the taunting Steeler linebacker Joey Porter from behind (so to speak) when Porter hit him with a homosexual slur. We'll let you guess what that was...

The Ugly

Tank Johnson of the Chicago Bears had a bad week. First he was charged when his house was raided, for his stash of guns, 6 if you're counting, 6 guns were found in his home when a disturbance was called in to the Gurnee (IL) police department. And then over the weekend, he was seen in the Ice Bar nightclub when his bodyguard (does every football player have a bodyguard?) was shot and killed. And you think you had a bad week??? This story might get real ugly...

Our video link features S/SGT Barry Sadler doing the song he recorded on this date in 1965: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH4-tOqLH94

Timeline Memories...

  • [1865] Slavery is abolished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution...

Happy Trails: 1980] Former Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin dies of a heart attack at 76...1997] SNL comedian Chris Farley becomes the shows latest tragedy when he O.D.'s in his Chicago apartment at 33...

Debuted on this date: 1956] "To Tell The Truth" debuts on CBS-TV (this first edition of the classic game show runs until 1968, runs as a syndicated show from 1969 to 1978 and then off and on through 2002)...1956) Yankee Hall of Fame SS Phil Rizzuto is hired as a play-by-play announcer by the Yankees for radio and TV...1966] Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for the 1st time as a special on CBS-TV...

Premiered on this date: 1892] Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" publicly premieres in St. Petersburg (Russia)...

Recorded on this date: 1965] "The Ballad of The Green Berets" - S/SGT Barry Sadler...

#1 on this date: 1984] "Like a Virgin" - Madonna...

"Guilty as Charged": 1987] Ivan F. Boesky is sentenced to 3 years in prison for insider trading...2003] Michael Jackson is charged with 7 counts of molesting a child under 14 and 2 counts of supplying the child with an "intoxicating agent" ("Jesus juice" to you and I)...2003] A judge in Seattle sentences confessed Green River killer to 48 consecutive life terms (one for each murder he allegedly committed and confessed to)...

Wedding Bells: 1983] Keith Richards and model Patti Hansen rock down the aisle (they are still legally married)...1984] Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest (and still married)...

"D-I-V-O-R-C-E": 1975] Rod Stewart and Faces divorce when Rod goes solo (they have returned together from time-to-time since then)...

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

Commentary...

We may be in the Christmas/Chanukah season but temperatures are staying mild in the northeast. We expect another day in the 60s, which brings up this question: Do we really have global warming??? One of the 3 books I've yet to finish says NO! The know-it-all 20/20 co-host John Stossel actually shows a chart in "Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity" that shows temperatures over the last 4,000 years which shows just a gradual warming trend and says "it isn't such a big deal". And this: "half of the global warming of the past century happened from 1900 to 1945. If man is responsible, why wasn't there much more warming in the second half of the century?". If true it kinda blows up the Al Gore Presidential campaign doesn't it???

Timeline Countdown: Happy Chanukah, 7 days until Christmas, 13 days until 2007, 19 days until the NFL playoffs, 21 days until the BCS championship game, 48 days until Super Bowl XLI and 59 days until pitchers and catchers report...

...


Friday, December 15, 2006

Friday-Sunday, December 15-17, 2006

The world of music loses a giant...

Almost as if he planned it, Ahmet Ertegun shares the spotlight with no one this morning as the legendary music pioneer and founder of Atlantic Records passed away last night at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Ahmet fell, suffering a head injury at a Rolling Stones concert October 29th at the Beacon Theatre and slipped into a coma that he would never recover from. Ahmet was 83...

Ahmet founded Atlantic Records with partner Herb Abramson and a $10,000 loan in 1947, making Atlantic the number one R&B label in the world behind artists like Ruth Brown, Ray Charles and Big Joe Turner but as Atlantic super-producer Jerry Wexler comments: "If Atlantic had restricted itself to R&B music, I have no doubt that it would be extinct today". Along came Bobby Darin, Sonny and Cher, Bette Midler, Led Zeppelin, Roberta Flack and ABBA to the roster of Atlantic. And just like the R&B artists mentioned earlier, this is just a partial list of pop and rock artists signed by Atlantic...

When I was a teenager, dreaming of one day replacing Alan Freed, there were two well known R&B labels in the northeast that monopolized radio airplay: Atlantic Records and a distant second: Savoy. With all due respect to Chess/Checker based in Chicago and labels in other parts of the country
that were quite successful, none of them would gain Atlantic's stature. This would hold true until Motown came along but by then Atlantic was also king of pop music. All of this, thanks to one man: Ahmet Ertegun...

Ahmet will be buried in his native Turkey and a memorial service will be conducted in New York after New Year's. We'll leave you with video of the one artist that personifies what Ahmet was all about: Ray Charles, one of Ertegun's 1st signings (taped live in 1991 with Japanese subtitles): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qmAjsuoA2o

Timeline Memories for Friday, December 15th...
  • [1791] The Bill of Rights, the 1st 10 amendments to the U.S. constitution, takes effect following ratification by Virginia (the state)...
  • [1925] The 3rd Madison Square Garden opens at 8th Avenue & 50th Street in Manhattan as Montreal defeats the Rangers 3-1 (the old Garden lasted until 1968 when it was razed and replaced by the current one at 7th Avenue & 33rd Street)...
  • [1982] Bill Parcells becomes the Giants 12th head coach and press conferences will never be the same...
  • [2003] The late Senator Strom Thurmond's family acknowledges Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter...

"Happy Trails": 1890] Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members are killed by the Indian police in Grand River (SD). Sitting Bull was 59...1944] Bandleader Glenn Miller, 40, disappears over the English Channel in a thick fog in a U.S. Army plane...1966] Walt Disney dies of cardiac arrest at 65 (contrary to popular belief, Disney is not a frozen Popsicle. He was not frozen at all)...2001] Legendary R&B singer and disc jockey Rufus Thomas dies of a heart attack at 84...

Premiered on this date: 1939] "Gone With The Wind", starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh has its world premiere at Loew's Grand Theater in Atlanta...

"Guilty as charged": 1961] Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death by an Israeli court. Eichmann is hanged in 1962...1988] James Brown is sentenced to a 6-year jail term for leading police on a late-night chase (he's released on Feb. 27, 1991)...

Recorded on this date: 1959] The Everly Brothers record "Let It Be Me" in New York City (their 1st record session outside Nashville)...

#1 on this date: 1962] "The First Family" LP - Vaughn Meader (this parody of the Kennedy's stays #1 for 12 weeks)...

The Final Curtain: 1969] John Lennon gives his last performance in England at a UNICEF benefit in London...1982] Paul "Bear" Bryant announces his retirement at the University of Alabama (he was winingest college football coach in history at the time). The Bear would suffer a fatal heart attack at 69 one month later...1993] John Williams conducts the Boston Pops for the final time...

Wedding Bells: 1985] Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nelson shadow box down the aisle (this marriage ends in a KO in the 18th month)...1990] Rod Stewart asks Rachel Hunter do ya think I'm sexy? Apparently she does and marries him. Not believing in quickie divorces, the couple's divorce just became official in November (of 2006)...2004] Sprint and Nextel tie the $35 billion knot...

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

Commentary...

Thanks to Joe McCoy for alerting me to this: "Max Kinkel is recovering from a bad car accident in October. If you get a chance, give him a call (973-831-4685) and say hello. I'm sure he would really appreciate hearing from you all and it would be a nice thing to do during this holiday season". This was sent to all ex-CBS-FM employees but if you know Max, you're welcome to call him. Keep it short because he's heavily sedated. And in the spirit of the holidays: Happy Chanukah to all that celebrate the Jewish holiday...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Rodney Harrison (Patriots) (34), Don Johnson (57), Dave Clark (64), Cindy Birdsong (67) and Tim Conway (73)...


Saturday, December 16, 2006...

Timeline Memories...
  • [1773] The Boston Tea Party takes place as American colonists board a British ship and dump more than 300 chests of tea in Boston Harbor to protest tea taxes (perhaps that explains why the water in Boston Harbor is described as "orange pekoe with specks of green tea and chamomile" in color)...
  • [1960] A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collide over Staten Island, killing 134...
  • [1972] The Miami Dolphins become the 1st NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season (the total tally, including their Super Bowl win will be 17)...
  • [1973] Buffalo's O.J. Simpson knifes his way through the NFL (sorry, I couldn't resist) to become the 1st runner in history to gain over 2,000 yards in a season when he runs for 200 yards against the Jets. Jet coach Weeb Ewbank loses his lunch and then announces his retirement...
  • [1985] Organized crime chief Paul Castellano is gunned down outside Sparks Steakhouse on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan as he's set up by the mob...
  • [2000] President-elect George W. Bush selects Colin Powell to be the 1st African-American secretary of state...

"Happy Trails": 1997] Singer Nicolette Larson dies from brain swelling at 45...

Reborn: 1982] Tom Seaver becomes a Met again after a trade with Cincinnati...1983] Yogi Berra is named Yankee manager for the 2nd time...

Published on this date: 1905] Variety Magazine (to which I will add: Boffo!)...

#1 on this date: 1964] "Come See About Me" - Supremes (who become the 1st group to top the charts with 3 consecutive singles and there are 2 more to come)...1986] "Walk Like An Egyptian" - Bangles...1987] "Faith" - George Michael...

Released on this date: 1966] "Hey Joe" - Jimi Hendrix...1967] "Green Tambourine" - Lemon Pipers...1971] "American Pie" - Don McLean...1972] "Hi, Hi, Hi" - Paul McCartney...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Benjamin Bratt (43), Benny (ABBA) Andersson (60), Steven Bochco (63), Lesley Stahl (65) and Liv Ullmann (67)...

Sunday, December 17, 2006...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1903] Orville and Wilbur Wright make the 1st successful flight in history at 10:35am at Kitty Hawk (NC). The biplane stays airborne for 12 seconds and covers 120 feet on its inaugural flight...
  • [1964] Just 6 weeks after CBS buys controlling interest in the Yankees, the "Voice of The Yankees", Mel Allen is fired (he was play-by-play man since 1940. What were they thinking???)...
  • [1965] Judy Garland and the Supremes (hopefully not together) perform at the opening of the Houston Astrodome...
  • [1969] TV history is made when Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki (Budinger) are married on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" (an estimated 50 million viewers reach for the Kleenex)...
  • [1969] The U.S. Air Force closes its Project "Blue Book" by concluding there's no evidence of UFOs (as a mysterious flying disc hovers overhead)...
  • [1976] WTCG-TV in Atlanta becomes WTBS, uplinking with a satellite to become the 1st TV Super Station covering the United States...

Recorded on this date: 1955] Carl Perkins wakes up in the middle of the night, writes the lyrics to a song on a brown paper bag and less than 48 hours later, out comes: "Blue Suede Shoes" (true story)...

Premiered on this date: 1959] "On The Beach" which shows life after a nuclear holocaust, premieres in New York City and becomes the 1st movie to debut simultaneously in major cities around the world (18 cities in all, including Moscow)...

"Guilty as charged": 1975] Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford...

Wedding Bells: 1994] Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear rock down the aisle (to Bon Jovi music, of course). Heather filed for divorce in February of 2006..

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Barry Livingston ("Ernie" of "My Three Sons")(53), Eugene Levy (60), Ernie Hudson (61), Bob Guccione (76) and William Safire (77)...

Timeline Countdown: Happy Chanukah, 8 days until Christmas, 14 days until 2007, 20 days until the NFL playoffs, 22 days until the BCS championship game and 49 days until Super Bowl XLI...

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Thursday, December 14, 2006

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Famous names=a lifetime of memories...

Like hearing a song title, hearing the name of a famous person who recently passed away, brings a flood of memories. Since last weekend we lost a famous actor, two sports names and a singer. All of their names carry memories starting with Georgia Gibbs who started life as an orphan in Worcester (MA) to become one of the biggest singers of the 50s. The nickname, "Her Nibs, Miss Georgia Gibbs" was bestowed on her by TV host Garry Moore. She was barely over 5 feet tall. Her biggest hit was "Kiss of Fire" but she also covered "The Wallflower", "Dance With Me Henry" and "Tweedle Dee". Georgia Gibbs lost her battle with leukemia on December 9th at 87...

Peter Boyle, the grouchy father on "Everybody Loves Raymond", star of "Joe" and tap-dancing monster in "Young Frankenstein" died Tuesday night from multiple myeloma and heart disease. Peter Boyle looked a lot older but was just 71. He was a terrific actor...

There would be no Super Bowl without Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, who came up with the term. He also founded the American Football League and has been inducted into 8 halls of fame (who knew there could be that many?). Hunt was 74 when he passed away last night from prostate cancer in Dallas...

Paul Arizin was an early pioneer of the jump shot and one of the 50 greatest NBA players. The Hall of Famer from Villanova who starred with the Philadelphia Warriors was 78 when he died in his sleep in suburban Philadelphia Tuesday night. I remember Arizin as one of the early leading scorers in the NBA during his heyday...

Four famous names and lots of memories...

Timeline Memories...

  • [1911] Norwegian explorer Roald (still looking for an "n") Amundsen becomes the 1st person to reach the South Pole, 35 days ahead of Captain Robert F. Scott...
  • [1977] One of the biggest box office movies of the 70s, "Saturday Night Fever", starring John Travolta premieres with such classic lines as "would you just watch my hair?"," I work on my hair a long time and you hit it". "He hits my hair", has its world premiere...
  • [1980] Yoko Ono, back in the news with an extortion plot, calls for a 10-minute vigil around the world for her husband John Lennon, shot to death 6 days earlier...same date in 1995 the White House releases classified documents that the FBI spied on Lennon in an attempt to have him deported. One report criticizes Yoko's singing which could be the only accurate account of all the accusations...
  • [1999] BMI announces "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" as the #1 composition on the performing rights group's list of "Top 100 Songs of The Century". This video link contains the Righteous Brothers performing the song, live, on Shindig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVrDQQIiweE
  • [1999] A former Beatle plays the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the 1st time in 36 years when Paul McCartney does a one-nighter there...

"Happy Trails": 1799] George Washington dies of a throat infection at his home in Mount Vernon (VA) at 67...1963] Dinah Washington (no relation) dies of a drug overdose at 39...

Released on this date: 1968] "Crimson & Clover" - Tommy James...1974] "Lady" - Styx...1979] "London Calling" LP - The Clash...

Debuted on this date: 1955] The Tappan Zee Bridge...1968] The Jackson Five make their 1st appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

Gold Standard: 1961] "Big Bad John" - Jimmy Dean...

#1 on this date: 1970] "The Tears of a Clown" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles...

Premiered on this date: 1995] "Frank Sinatra: 80 Years My Way" on ABC-TV...

Final Curtain: 1999] Charles M. Schulz announces he's retiring the "Peanuts" comic strip (the last original strip is published on February 13, 2000)...

Wedding Bells: 1985] James Taylor marries actress Kathryn Walker (the marriage will last until the two divorce in 1996)...2000] The FTC approves the $111 billion merger of AOL and Time Warner...

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

Commentary...

From Los Angeles, this e-mail: "Ya know, how the hell could they (Brooklyn Dodgers) trade Jackie Robinson? and to add to the insult, trade him to the Giants of all teams? I was a huge Dodgers (as well as Red Sox) fan as a kid growing up in North Jersey. I should've disowned them when they traded Jackie instead of waiting 'til they moved and became the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. I've despised them ever since". This easily could have been from another die-hard Dodger fan, my sister Ri but it wasn't. It was from Ed Pyle. But Ed, how do you really feel???

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

If you're a Red Sox fan you don't have to send birthday cards to: Bill Buckner (57), Dee Wallace (58), Joyce Vincent-Wilson (from Dawn)(60), Patty Duke (60), Abbe Lane (74) and former, tick...tick...tick "60 Minutes" producer Don Hewitt (84)...

Timeline Countdown: 1 day until Chanukah, 11 days until Christmas, 17 days until 2007, 23 days until the NFL playoffs, 25 days until the BCS championship game and 52 days until Super Bowl XLI...

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