Thursday, March 22, 2007

Friday-Sunday, March 23-25, 2007

YouTube backlash... (updated 3/23)

Just yesterday NBC Universal and News Corp. signed an agreement with several major Internet companies to essentially take on YouTube. They will distribute TV shows, video clips and movies online to counter YouTube's success. The programming will be available on Yahoo, AOL, MSN and MySpace. Fox, Universal and Bravo will also be providing material to the Internet companies as part of the package...

While that was announced, another case popped up with the announcement that Viacom is being sued by activist groups for allowing Comedy Central, which they own, to influence YouTube to remove a parody of the network's "The Colbert Report". Although Viacom earlier filed a $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube, neither YouTube nor parent Google was named in the latest lawsuit filed on behalf of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society...

Under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, YouTube and other service providers are pretty much immune from copyright laws as long as they promptly respond to copyright complaints, a.k.a. takedown notices. According to the lawsuit, that's what happened last week and as a result the video was blocked almost immediately. The lawsuit claims that the blockage amounted to a "misrepresentation" that is subject to damages under the 1998 act...

NBC Universal and News Corp. better get ready to face these kind of challenges in the future which has just begun for them...

There are 2 videos included in the "64,000 Clock" and "#1 on this date" timelines...

Timeline Memories...
"Happy Trails": 1983] 61-year old Dr. Barney Clark, a retired dentist dies after living 112 days with a permanent artificial heart...

Hold the iceberg: 1998] "Titanic" wins 11 Oscars tying "Ben-Hur" and "The Lord of the Rings (the Return of the King)" with the most Academy Awards in history...

Liberty Rules: 1775] Patrick Henry calls for America's independence from Britain, telling the Virginia Provincial Convention: "Give me liberty or give me death".

Okay, Otay?: 1839] The 1st recorded use of "OK" is used in the Boston Morning Post...

Going up?: 1857] Elisha Otis installs the 1st modern passenger elevator in a public building at the corner of Broome & Broadway in Manhattan...

"Little cable cars climb halfway to the stars": 1858] Eleazer A. Gardner of Philadelphia patents the cable streetcar (and then gets promptly escorted out of his neighborhood when they discover his first name)...

Toast of the Town: 1901] Dame Nellie Melba reveals the secret of her now famous toast. It tastes like cardboard???

Fly the friendly skies: 1903] The Wright Brothers obtain an airplane patent...

The real interns: 1942] With WWII being waged, the U.S. Government begins evacuating Japanese-Americans from West Coast homes to detention centers...

$64,000 Clock: 1950] "Beat The Clock" premieres on CBS-TV, hosted by Bud Collyer. The original show will run through Feb. 1958 when the show switches to ABC-TV until Jan. 1961. Then syndication takes over. The show will continue to run until Sept. of 1979. Here's a clip of one of the earlier shows in which a contestant wins $64,000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT989LMCXU8 ...

Recorded on this date: 1961] Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love"...

Released on this date: 1963] "Surfin' U.S.A" - Beach Boys...

#1 on this date: 1977] "Rich Girl" - Hall & Oates...1981] "Rapture" - Blondie...1983] "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson (the 1st #1 single from "Thriller"...1985] "Uptown Girl" - Billy Joel. Here's the video of Billy with cameo by girlfriend/wife Christie Brinkley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfTCL09ZMKE&mode=related&search= ...

Gotcha: 1970] Mafia Boss Carlo Gambino is arrested for plotting to steal $3 million...

Oh No: 1973] Yoko Ono is granted permission to live in the U.S. permanently. Tenants at the Dakota ask for a copy of their lease...

Star Wars: 1983] President Ronald Reagan proposes the Strategic Defense Initiative a.k.a. "Star Wars"...

Guilty as Charged: 1989] Joel Steinberg is sentenced to 25 years for killing his adopted daughter. After serving some time he was released and is now a construction worker in Harlem...

Saving Private Lynch: 2003] A U.S. Army maintenance convoy is ambushed in Iraq with 11 soldiers killed and 7 including Pfc. Jessica Lynch are captured...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...

Commentary...

Harry Houdini always promised that he would return and he soon will. 81-years after the great death-defying magician died from a punch to the stomach that ruptured his appendix, his great-nephew wants the escape artist's body exhumed to determine if enemies poisoned him for his put-downs of those claiming to contact the dead. Houdini's family has scheduled a news conference today to give details of the plan. Recently the son of 'The Big Bopper' had his dad's body exhumed to determine if TBB was shot in that infamous plane crash. Results showed he was not...

A benefit concert will be held on Sunday to help pay medical expenses for singer Dennis Yost of the Classics IV who suffered serious brain trauma in a fall last summer. A host of stars will perform including Pat Upton (Spiral Starecase), Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night), Bowzer (Sha Na Na), Denny Laine (Wings, Moody Blues), Pat Benti (with a tribute to Roy Orbison) and others. The concert will be this Sunday at 7 p.m. at Rhinos Live in Cincinnati. Those interested can call 513-742-LIVE...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Keri "Felicity" Russell (31), Jason Kidd (34), Moses Malone (53), Chaka Khan (54), Ric Ocasek of the Cars (58), Sir Roger Bannister (78) and Marty ("Hello Dere") Allen (85)...

Timeline Countdown: 9 days until Opening Day and 10 days until the NCAA Championship game...
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Saturday, March 24, 2007...

Timeline Memories...

Death in the Ring: 1962] Emile Griffith beats Benny "The Kid" Paret senseless in a welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden, which takes the life of Paret 10 days later. MSG Network will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the fight in the Dan Klores' film "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story" on Saturday at 8 p.m...

A hole in the ground: 1900] New York City Mayor Van Wyck breaks ground for the New York subway tunnel that will link Manhattan and Brooklyn..

Another opening, another show: 1955] Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opens on Broadway...

Elvis has left the building: 1958] Elvis Presley is inducted into the Army. Although he was drafted the previous December, the Army allowed him to finish filming 'King Creole"...

Bummer: 1973] Lou Reed is bitten on the tookus by a male fan at a concert in Buffalo. Both Reed and the fan get tetanus shots...

Released on this date: 1973] "Dark Side of The Moon" LP - Pink Floyd (stays on the charts for a record breaking 741 weeks)...1978] "With a Little Luck" - Paul McCartney & Wings...

#1 on this date: 1975] "Lady Marmalade" - LaBelle...1985] "One More Night" - Phil Collins...

Oscar Gold: 1986] "Say You Say Me" - Lionel Richie ('Best Original Song' from "White Nights")...1997] "The English Patient" (Best Picture), Geoffrey Rush (Best Actor) and Frances McDormand (Best Actress) win at the 69th Academy Awards...

Kiss the ring: 1956] Senior Bill Russell leads the University of San Francisco to its 2nd straight NCAA title with an 83-71 win over Iowa as the Dons win their 55th straight game (a record at the time)...

JFK silver: 1964] The Kennedy half-dollar is issued...

Debuted on this date: 1980] "Nightline" debuts with Ted Koppel. In 1979 the news show debuted with coverage of the Iran crisis. In November of 2005 Koppel left as host. The show continues with new hosts...

Sick slick: 1989] The Exxon Valdez spills 11 million gallons of oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound after running aground...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Lara Flynn Boyle (37), Annabella ("Sopranos") Sciorra (43), Star Jones Reynolds (45), Kelly ("Woman in Red") LeBrock (47), Donna ("Saturday Night Fever") Pescow (53), comedian Louie Anderson (54) and designer Bob Mackie (67)...

Timeline Countdown: Elite 8 starts tonight, 8 days until Opening Day and 9 days until the NCAA championship game...
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Sunday, March 24, 2007...

Timeline Memories...

Going down in flames: 1911] 146 women are killed at the "Triangle Shirtwaist Company" in New York City. The owners of the company are charged with manslaughter when it's discovered that the factory doors were locked. In 1914 they are forced to pay damages to all the families involved...1990] Fire races through an illegal social club ("Happy Land") in Manhattan killing 87, mostly Honduran and Dominican immigrants...

Nice is nice: 1901] The Mercedes is introduced by Daimler at the 'Week of Nice' in Nice, France (how Nice)...

A King of a theater: 1913] The Palace Theatre, home of vaudeville, opens on Broadway...

"Happy Trails": 1975] King Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot to death by a deranged nephew who will be beheaded the following June. Faisal was 72...

Recorded on this date: 1957] "A Teenager's Romance" & "I'm Walkin" - Ricky Nelson...1960] "Only The Lonely" - Roy Orbison...

Forward..March: 1965] Martin Luther King Jr. leads a group of 25,000 to the state capitol in Montgomery (AL) to protest the denial of voting rights to blacks...

Guilty as Charged: 1988] Robert E. Chambers Jr. pleads guilty to 1st-degree manslaughter in the death of 18-year old Jennifer Levin in Manhattan's so called 'preppy murder case'...2003] The former mayor of Waterbury (CT), Philip Giordano is convicted of violating the civil rights of 2 pre-teen girls by sexually abusing them...

Free as a bird: 1995] Mike Tyson is released from jail after serving 3 years...

Play money: 1996] The redesigned $100 bill goes into circulation...

"Geronimohhhhhhhhhhh": 1997] Former President George H.W. Bush parachutes from a plane over the Arizona desert as #41 celebrates his 73rd birthday 3 months early...

Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Danica Patrick (25), Tom Glavine (41), Sarah Jessica Parker (42), Marcia Cross (45), Elton John (60), Aretha Franklin (65), Anita Bryant (67), Gloria Steinem (73), Gene Shalit (75) and former astronaut Jim Lovell (79)...

Timeline Countdown: 2nd night of 'Elite 8' playoffs, 7 days until Opening Day and 8 days until NCAA championship game...
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