Tuesday, February 13, 2007

"A little bit of this...a little bit of that" (from "Game of Love" by Santana and Michelle Branch)...

The spin-doctors went to work after the overnights for the Grammy Awards were released and now it turns out that the show "was the best turnout since 2004", according to Nielsen Media Research. The Grammy-cast was easily the night's most watched show. In head-to-head competition, the Grammy's outpaced "Desperate Housewives" by more than 3 million viewers and CBS swept the night on Sunday starting with "60 Minutes" which opened with their enlightening interview of Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. I mention all this because I hate to get anything wrong and that original AP release on the Grammy overnights had them getting beat by everything including police radio - not so much, but you get the point. Enough about the Grammy's...

Should a coach whose team goes 14-2 get fired? The answer is yes and it happened yesterday. San Diego Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer was sent packing after his team lost in the opening round of the NFL playoffs. But that was not the reason team president Dean Spanos gave for Schottenheimer's dismissal: "We have a dysfunctional situation here. Today I am resolving that situation once and for all". It was no secret that the coach and GM A.J. Smith were the dysfunctional situation. Schottenheimer's record as coach of San Diego was 47-33, including 35 wins and 2 AFC West titles in the last 3 seasons but he failed 4 times to capitalize on the home-field advantage that comes with owning the AFC's No. 1 seed. His overall coaching record with 4 teams is 200-126-1. In the playoffs, his team's were 5-13. He's the most successful coach never to have reached the Super Bowl...

The Major League Baseball Players Association filed a last-ditch request last night to keep the names of 104 steroid cheats away from a grand jury which would no doubt leak all 104 names to every newspaper and magazine in the free world, Oprah, Larry King and your local public access cable show. In December a federal appeals court in San Francisco (home of Balco and every illegal substance ever manufactured) issued a decision allowing investigators to use the names of the players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. There is no timeline for the court to decide whether to rehear the case. Right now baseball commissioner Bud Selig is praying that it's not overturned and that Barry Bonds name is at the top of the list...

Jim Farber of the New York Daily News has published "The Top 100 Greatest Love Songs" in today's edition of the newspaper. It's a diverse list which contains lots of surprises. For those interested: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/v-pfriendly/story/496891p-418804c.html
Tomorrow we'll have our own Best of Valentine's Day list...

Today's video link contains 2 songs and can be found in our "Released on this date" timeline...

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 2002] Country outlaw singer Waylon Jennings dies in his sleep, a victim of diabetes. Jennings was 64...

Gold Standard: 1976] Dorothy Hamill wins a gold medal at the Winter Olympics and captures the hearts of Americans with her youthful innocence, good looks and flawless style...

Putting the Sunshine State on the map: 1566] St. Augustine, Florida - the oldest city in the U.S. is founded (the sale of Mahjong tiles explode and shuffle board courts can be seen on every block)...

"School bells ring and children sing": 1635] Boston Public Latin opens as the 1st public school in the U.S...

Hello royalties: 1914] ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is formed in New York City...

"Guilty as Charged": 1935] A Flemington (NJ) jury finds Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of kidnapping and killing the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh (Hauptmann was later executed for the crime)...

Comic strip royalty: 1937] Prince Valiant appears in the comics for the first time...

Musical chairs: 1937] The NFL's Boston Redskins move to Washington, D.C...

The century mark: 1954] 8 years before Wilt Chamberlain drops 100 points on the Knicks, Frank Selvy of Furman scores 100 against Newberry College (both schools are in South Carolina) in a 149-95 victory (if you gave 53 points you win)...

Par for the course: 1971] VP Spiro Agnew hits 3 spectators with his 1st 2 shots in the Bob Hope Desert Classic (one woman is hospitalized)...

C.O.D. bill: 1997] Discovery astronauts bring the Hubble Space Telescope aboard their space shuttle, repair it and send it back into space. Then they bill NASA for their repair work...

"What's Goin' On?": 1983] Marvin Gaye sings the national anthem before the NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles. In the game Julius "Dr.J" Erving is named MVP in leading the East to a 9-point win...

Grammy Gold: 2005] Ray Charles' final album, "Genius Loves Company" wins 8 Grammy Awards...

Released on this date: 1967] "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever" - Beatles (our video links of the day. "Penny Lane": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHBKAyn17vw "Strawberry Fields Forever": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywg-PdeGVL0&mode=related&search=
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...

Commentary...

Time Warner announces the sale of the Atlanta Braves to Liberty Media Corporation. The Wall Street Journal says TW will transfer the Braves, a group of craft magazines and $1 billion in cash to Liberty in exchange for about 60 million shares of Time Warner, Monday's market value of those shares would equal $1.27 billion. The transaction has been submitted to Major League Baseball for its approval process. Time Warner acquired the team when it bought Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting Systems from Ted Turner in the mid-90's. Manager Bobby Cox and GM John Schuerholz are expected to remain with the Braves...

Here's an update on the Reid's: Coach Andy Reid will leave the Philadelphia Eagles for one month to deal with developments in his family over the past 2 weeks - one son tested positive for heroin, another was arraigned on drug and weapon charges. The leave will last until mid-March. Reid will miss the NFL scouting combine and the start of free agency but plans to attend the NLF owners' meetings in Arizona in late March and will be back for the NFL draft April 28-29...

Many thanks to WOR's Joey Reynolds for his kind e-mail comments about this blog...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Peter Gabriel (57), "Coach K" Mike Krzysewski (60), Jerry Springer (63), Stockard Channing (63), Peter Tork (65), Carol Lynley (65), George Segal (73), Kim Novak (74), Dorothy (McGuire Sisters) McGuire (79) and Chuck Yeager (84)...

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 36 days until spring...
...

Monday, February 12, 2007

Grammy ratings tank...

It figures. I thought the Grammy Awards were better than I thought they would be, at least the first 90 minutes of the show. There were tributes to veteran acts started by The Police who reunited to open festivities with "Roxanne", the R&B Hall of Famers tribute, Smokey Robinson singing "Tracks of My Tears", Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett accepting a collaboration Grammy but the night belonged to The Dixie Chicks, George W's favorite act - not and Mary J. Blige who summed up her entire life with her first acceptance speech. Blige won 3 and the Chicks went 5 for 5 in Grammy Awards. Now for the overnight ratings:

The show averaged 19.25 million total viewers (Nielsen), down 27% from last year's 26.4 million. If ratings hold when final numbers are released later today, it will be the second-lowest total since 1998. Among adults 18-49, the show averaged an 8.2 rating which was 30% lower than last year. CBS-TV managed to barely edge out "Extreme Makeover:Home Edition" but trailed "Desperate Housewives" from 9 to 10 in 18-49's. The Grammies did knock off "Boston Legal" and "Crossing Jordan" from 10 to 11...

Jim Farber of the New York Daily News was backstage and got some interesting comments from winners and losers alike. To read his comments and those of the Grammy Award winners click on: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/v-pfriendly/story/496791p-418719c.html ...

And today's video link is contained in our "Vote For Me" timeline from 1989...

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 1983] Ragtime piano playing great Eubie Blake dies 5 days after reaching 100...2000] Charles M. Schulz, creator of "Peanuts" dies of cancer at 77...2000] Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry who led the Dallas Cowboys to 5 Super Bowls, passes away at 75 from leukemia...

Lincoln's Birthday: 1892] Abraham Lincoln's birthday, which would have been his 83rd in 1892, is declared a national holiday...1915] The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial is laid in Washington, D.C...

NAACP founded: 1909] The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is organized...

"It keeps on going and going": 1924] "The Eveready Hour", sponsored by the National Carbon Company becomes the 1st sponsored network radio show. The variety show, broadcast in New York City is also heard in Washington, D.C. and Providence (RI)...

Don't change that dial: 1924] Calvin Coolidge makes the 1st presidential political speech on radio...

Recorded on this date: 1956] "I Put a Spell on You" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins...

Gold Standard: 1961] "Shop Around" - The Miracles (becomes Motown's 1st million selling gold record)...

Vote for Me: 1989] Tiny Tim declares himself a New York City mayoral candidate but changes his mind when he can't find any tulips to tiptoe through but we found some. Our video link flashes back to T.T. singing "Tip Toe Through The Tulips" on "Rowan & Martin's 'Laugh-In": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skU-jBFzX10 ...

"Attention Shopper's": 1971] James Cash (J.C.) Penney dies at 95. The company closes for only half a day as a memorial to the company's founder (they couldn't take the whole day off?)...

A botched robbery ends in murder: 1976] 37-year old actor Sal Mineo is found murdered in his apartment driveway, the victim of a botched robbery attempt...

"Freebird": 1999] Bill Clinton is acquitted of impeachment charges by the Senate...

"The Best Part of Breaking Up": 2004] Mattel announces that "Barbie" and "Ken" are breaking up. The pair met on the set of their 1st TV commercial in 1961. The pair has since reconciled...

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

"Happy Trails":

On Friday we lost 2 sports veterans. Hank Bauer who helped the Yankees win 7 World Series titles and 9 AL pennants in his 12 years with the team, passed away at 84. The tough ex-Marine played his last 2 seasons with Kansas City but he was also a successful manager winning a World Series as skipper of the Baltimore Orioles in 1966. He also managed in Kansas City...

Pitcher Eddie Feigner a.k.a. "The King" dominated the game of softball by playing and beating just about everyone he and his teammates played, with only 4 men: Eddie (with an unhitable fastball), a catcher, shortstop and first baseman. They were known as "The King and His Court" and they took on all comers starting in 1946. Eddie passed away from a respiratory ailment related to dementia. Eddie was 81...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Christina Ricci (27), Josh Brolin (39), Chynna Phillips (39), Arsenio Hall (52), Michael McDonald (55), Ray Manzarek (68), Bill Russell (73), Joe Garagiola (81), Franco Zeffirelli (84) and Dom DiMaggio (90)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until 'catchers and pitchers' voluntarily report (all teams) and 37 days until spring...

...

Friday-Sunday, February 9-11, 2007

The Grammy Awards - One Big Red Carpet...

You can be sure that Sunday night's "Grammy Awards" will finish top 5, maybe #1 in ratings but what do the awards mean today? It may have meant something more than who was there, who were they with, what did they wear when the awards were first awarded 48 years ago. To begin with, do you have any idea how many awards are given out? They have 108 as in one hundred and eight Grammy Awards to present. They list them as "categories". There aren't 108 categories of music. There are 6 important categories: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. "Thank you for coming, drive home safely"...

Of slightly more significance than the Grammy Awards is the historic music event that occurred on the night of February 9th, 1964 when Ed Sullivan introduced the Beatles. When I watched the video this morning what stood out was how self-confident the Fab Four was. They soaked up the screams and applause and played flawlessly. Remember this was live television. They served that crowd breakfast, lunch and supper in their sweaty palms. What a performance! Guess what our video link is today? Almost 9 minutes (8:54) with all the songs the Beatles sang that night. Enjoy it as much as I did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB2eWPxAmQ8 ...

An update on Anna Nicole Smith in my Commentary follows the timeline...

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 1973] Max Yasgur who owned the farm where the original Woodstock took place, dies of a heart attack at 53...1981] Bill Haley suffers a fatal heart attack at his home in Harlingen, Texas. Haley was 56...2002] Britain's Princess Margaret suffers a fatal massive stroke at 71...

Homer the Hero: 1997] "The Simpsons" passes "The Flintstones" as the longest running prime-time animated series...

Hanging chads and dimples: 1825] The U.S. House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams president after no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes...

Undulating patterns and circular swirls arrive: 1870] The U.S. Weather Bureau is authorized by Congress. Officially it's known as the National Weather Service...

Bikinis to follow: 1895] The game of volley ball is invented by W.G. Morgan...

"What Time Is It?": 1942] Daylight-savings "War Time" goes into effect with clocks turned ahead one hour. That's what the N.Y. Times said but wouldn't it be back one hour???

"Better Dead than Red": 1950] Senator Joseph McCarthy charges that the State Department is filled with Communists as we usher in that fun era - McCarthyism...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Beat-uls": 1964] The Beatles make their 1st appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

Recorded on this date: 1962] "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" - Neil Sedaka (1st version)...

Released on this date: 1983] "Little Red Corvette" - Prince...

#1 on this date: 1955] "Sincerely" - McGuire Sisters (originally done by The Moonglows)...1976] "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" - Paul Simon (Simon's 1st #1 hit since the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel)...

The 3rd time is the charm: 1971] The Apollo 14 spacecraft returns to earth after man's 3rd landing on the moon...

"Don't look back, someone might be gaining on you": 1971] Satchel Paige becomes the 1st Negro League player elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame...

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

Commentary...

Latest news as of Friday morning on the bizarre death of Anna Nicole Smith is that an autopsy will be performed today to find out the official cause of death but results could be weeks away. Her bizarre death was preceded by her bizarre life. You all know the story by now. All I will say is that our society loves watching a train wreck and our fascination with her life is an example of that...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Mookie Wilson (51), Mia Farrow (62), Joe Pesci (64), Barbara Lewis (64), Carole King (65), Barry Mann (65), Roger Mudd (79) and Kathryn Grayson (85)...

Timeline Countdown: 6 days for 'pitchers and catchers' and 40 days until spring...

Saturday, February 10, 2007...

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 1992] "Roots" author Alex Haley dies of a heart attack at 70...2005] Playwright Arthur Miller succumbs to heart failure at 89...

Ice Queens: 1968] Peggy Fleming wins a gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France...1992] Bonnie Blair wins gold in 500-meter speed skating at Albertville, France becoming the first woman to win gold medals in consecutive Winter Olympics..

"Why doubya Cee A": 1870] The YWCA is founded in New York City...

"All the news that's fit to print": 1897] The New York Times begins printing that slogan on their front page. The slogan they use in their advertising now is "These Time's demand The Times"...

Get ready for a bad version of "Happy Birthday": 1933] The singing telegram is introduced by the Postal Telegram Company of NYC...

That sinking feeling: 1942] The Normandie, the former French liner capsizes in New York Harbor after catching on fire while being fitted for the U.S. Navy the day before...

Recorded on this date: 1956] "Long Tall Sally" - Little Richard...

Released on this date: 1971] "Tapestry" LP - Carole King...

#1 on this date: 1970] "Thank you (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody is a Star" - Sly & The Family Stone...1980] "Do That To Me One More Time" - The Captain & Tennille...

"Guilty as Charged": 1992] Mike Tyson is convicted in Indianapolis of raping a Miss Black America contestant...

Joining the arms race: 2005] North Korea publicly announces for the 1st time that it has nuclear arms...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Laura Dern (40), George Stephanopoulos (can't wait to see spell checking on this name) (46), Greg "The Shark" Norman (52), Mark Spitz (57), Jimmy Merchant (The Teenagers) (67), Roberta Flack (70) and Robert Wagner (76)...

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 39 days until spring...

Sunday, February 11, 2007...

Timeline Memories...

Hail to Honest Abe: 1861] President-elect Abraham Lincoln departs Springfield (IL) for Washington, D.C...

The cycle begins: 1878] The 1st U.S. bicycle club, The Boston Bicycle Club is formed...

Drop the puck eh: 1957] The NHL Players Association is formed in New York City (what's a league without a players union?)...

"I kid you not": 1960] Jack Paar walks off "The Tonight Show" over network censorship when they cut a joke about a "water closet" claiming it was in poor taste. Paar storms off the set in tears and doesn't return for one month...

A Fab Fourum: 1964] The Beatles play their 1st U.S. concert at Washington (D.C.) Coliseum. Opening are The Chiffons and Tommy Roe as 8,600 scream their brains out...

Wedding Bells: 1965] Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox rock down the aisle. The couple will divorce in 1975...

Recorded on this date: 1966: "Bang Bang" - Cher...

MSG opens: 1968] The new, nearly 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden (the 4th Garden) officially opens...

"Mama tollahme there'd be days like this": 1979] Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seize power in Iran 9 days after the religious leader returns after 15 years of exile...

"Blowin' in The Winds": 1982] ABC-TV's presentation of "The Winds of War" concludes. The 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce but was the most watched TV program in history at the time...

Free at Last: 1990] South African activist Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in prison...

Tyson dropped: 1990] James "Buster" Douglas beats the unbeatable Mike Tyson to win the heavyweight crown in a 10th round KO in Tokyo...

Reno rocks: 1993] Bill Clinton names Janet Reno the 1st female Attorney General...

"Nyet!": 2002] The Canadian pairs couple, David Pelletier and Jamie Sale are robbed of a gold medal when a French judge tries to fix the event to favor the Russians at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics (eventually they would be awarded that gold medal)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Brandy (Norwood) (28), Jennifer Aniston (38), Sheryl Crow (45), Bobby "Boris" Pickett (67), Burt Reynolds (71), Gerry Goffin (72), Tina Louise (73) and Leslie Nielsen (81)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 38 days until spring...

...

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Lights...Camera...Spector...

Forty-two years ago today Phil Spector was at the top of the charts as producer of the Righteous Brothers #1 hit, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling". Today he lives free as a result of the $1 million bail he paid. If convicted of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson at his suburban Los Angeles mansion on February 3, 2003, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. The Los Angeles Superior Court judge who will try the case is leaning toward allowing the trial to be televised. Says Judge Larry Paul Fidler: "This is a trial of public interest". It sure is...

Phil Spector's legend as a music producer is real. He was a great rock and roll producer in the 60's. His "wall of sound" production has never been equalled - never will be. We'll never see the like of Phil Spector again, as a producer. Phil Spector the person is another story. If you've ever made his acquaintance you know how wacky he can be. He's everything you've ever read about him and more. And let's remember that he's been accused of murder...

The next pretrial hearing is set for February 16th. On March 19th as many as 300 prospective jurors will be screened. Once the jury is selected, testimony will start in 3 or 4 weeks. The trial is expected to last 3 months. Then comes the verdict followed by the sentencing if there's a conviction. No conviction and Spector can be as wacky as he wants once again. And you might be able to see it all unfolding live. Stay tuned...

Today's video link is contained in a "#1 on this date" timeline from 1971...

"Timeline Memories"...

The final version of "Runaway": 1990] Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gun shot wound at the age of 50...

The final curtain: 1969] The last issue of the 'Saturday Evening Post' is published...

"On my honor I will do my best, etc.": 1910] The American version of the Boy Scouts (which began in England) is started here by William D. Boyce. The Boy Scouts of America is founded...

"$100,000 and it's silent?": 1915] Director D.W. Griffith's civil war epic, "Birth of a Nation" premieres at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles. The 3-hour movie cost $100,000 - a fortune for 1915...

"Live from Chicago - the 1st infomercial": 1924] The 1st coast-to-coast radio broadcast is aired, a speech by a Bell Telephone VP to a meeting of a men's club in Chicago. Some 50 million listeners tune in in New York, Providence, Washington (D.C.), San Francisco and Oakland...

Caught in a draft: 1935] University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger picks up a trophy for being "the most valuable football player east of the Mississippi" and is drafted and signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Chicago Bear coach George Halas acquires the rights to Jay. Berwanger asks for $25,000 for 2 years and Halas backs off. Berwanger never plays a game in the NFL. In 1936 this award was named after the athletic director of the (Manhattan) Downtown Athletic Club, John W. Heisman...

Ed Sullivan with mouse ears: 1953] Walt Disney is featured on a one-hour special broadcast on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" show. One year later Disney starts his own show...

Released on this date: 1974] "You're 16" - Ringo Starr...

#1 on this date: 1961] "Calcutta" - Lawrence Welk...1971] "One Bad Apple" - The Osmonds...Our video link of the day: a really good live version of "Apple" with The Osmonds all decked out in their white Elvis suits and cutting a rug with great choreography: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96HqPpjI3UY 1981] "Celebration" - Kool and The Gang...1992] "I'm Too Sexy" - Right Said Fred...

Hail to the Chiefs: 1963] Lamar Hunt, owner of the AFL franchise in Dallas moves to Kansas City and starts the Chiefs...

No Sale: 1969] George Harrison's tonsils are removed and destroyed in London so they cannot be sold. What would that fetch on eBay???

"Good things come in small packages": 1981] Scott Hamilton (5'3", 115 lbs) receives 2 perfect 6.0's winning the 1st of 4 straight titles in both national and world figure skating as well as the gold medal at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics...1986] Tiny (5'6") Spud Webb of Atlanta wins the NBA Slam Dunk competition at the All-Star game...

"So sue me": 1993] General Motors sues NBC alleging that "Dateline NBC" rigged 2 car crashes showing some GM pickups were prone to fires. The suit will be settled by NBC the following day...

Paying and playing for Gold: 1998] NHL stars arrive for the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan removing restrictions against professionals being used in the Olympics (the NBA "Dream Team" started all this nonsense at the Summer games in Barcelona 6 years earlier)...

"And the Grammy goes to": 2004] Beyonce wins 5 Grammy Awards tying the record for female performers held by Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Norah Jones...

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

Commentary...

Shivering all week long as we've been doing in the northeast offers a clue as to why so many college athletes prefer warm places to play in. The general consensus in yesterday's college football signings is that USC, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, LSU, South Carolina and Georgia signed the best players. Only two schools north of the Mason-Dixon line showed up in that list: Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Yes you have to do a great job in recruiting and must also have a great football program but in yesterday's signings, the rich got richer. Is it any wonder that USC, Tennessee, Texas, LSU, one of the Georgia schools and one of the Florida schools show up in the top 10 every year???

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Gary Coleman (39), John Grisham (52), Mary Steenburgen (54), Dan Seals (59), Robert Klein (65), Nick Nolte (66) Ted Koppel (67) and John Williams (75)...

Timeline Countdown: 7 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 41 days until spring...

...

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

The Good...The Bad...The Ugly of the Week...

The Good

While everyone was basking in the glory of the Super Bowl spotlight, one former NFL player and coach took a stand for former players less fortunate than the superstars who play the game for big bucks today. Mike Ditka was at the forefront of efforts to get proper retirement funds for players of the 50's, 60's and 70's who weren't paid well and have trouble getting health insurance because of injuries on the field. The players union raised the pension fund 25% in the most recent collective bargaining agreement and has promised to do more. Ditka wasn't the only one to take a stand for former players but he was the most prominent name to do so. For that he gets our "Good" award of the week. Look, life is not easy and there are millions of plain old folks that need help but you have to take care of your own. We all do and that's what Ditka did...

The Bad

There were lots of candidates for this award but the most embarrassing of all was the case involving the 21-year old son of Philadelphia Eagle coach Andy Reid. Britt Reid was charged with drug and weapon offenses stemming from an incident in which he pointed his gun at another motorist. He was arraigned on 9 counts including making terrorist threats, possession of a controlled substance and a felony charge of carrying a gun without a license. Britt's brother Garrett was involved in an accident on the same day and Britt had to be pulled away after showing up to defend his brother. Coach Reid and his wife were on vacation at the time. This might be the last vacation they take for a while...

The Ugly

We start with an update on the death of USC kicker Mario Danelo. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said in an autopsy report released Monday that Danelo was legally drunk at the time of his fatal fall off a cliff. Brother Joey Danelo told AP, "I don't believe that he fell from the top of that cliff - no way. That's just my personal opinion. I don't believe that's what happened". Until further evidence is presented, the coroner's office is listing the manner of death as undetermined. Stand by. Now to this week's "Ugly" award. Former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga was released from prison pending a trial on fraud charges. Mayorga, convicted last year of raping a 22-year old woman in Nicaragua, was jailed in Nicaragua on Tuesday on charges that he never paid a local car dealer $56,000 for four cars. Meanwhile Nicaraguan law allows Mayorga to remain free. This story makes you feel great to be living in America...

Today's video link is contained in "The Final Curtain" timeline from 1970...

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 1999] King Hussein of Jordan dies of cancer at 63. His son is sworn in as the new king...

"The British are coming, the British are coming": 1964] The Beatles land on American soil for the first time and the "British Invasion" has officially begun...1979] The anti-Beatles arrive in America for the 1st time as The Clash play the University of California at Berkeley (I was lucky enough to be with several Epic executives to see them open and also walk out on us when they agreed to a photo)...

"I cannot tell a lie": 1940] Walt Disney's "Pinocchio" world premieres at the Center Theater in Manhattan...

Ch-Ching: 1949] Joe DiMaggio becomes the 1st $100,000 player...

Laid to rest: 1959] Thousands attend Buddy Holly's funeral in Lubbock, Texas where he is then buried...

Recorded on this date: 1961] "My True Story" - Jive Five...

#1 on this date: 1979] "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" - Rod Stewart...

"The Name Game": 1965] Cassius Clay becomes a Muslim and adopts the name Muhammad Ali...

"Who's your Crawdaddy?": 1966] "Crawdaddy" magazine is published for the 1st time (a Rolling Stone-type tabloid)...

"It's Not Unusual": 1969] "This is Tom Jones" premieres on ABC-TV. The variety show will air weekly until January of 1971...

"The Final Curtain": 1970] "The Hollywood Palace" bows out after airing weekly for 7 years. Today's video link is a 1965 appearance by Sonny & Cher, live from The H.P. Introducing them is Milton Berle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh23Mwpe600 ...

On Fire: 1974] Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" debuts in movie theaters...

Derailed: 1979] "Supertrain", the TV anthology debuts on NBC-TV (never bring this up in a conversation with Fred Silverman)...

"The King and I": 1981] The TV mini-series "Elvis and Me" (based on Priscilla Presley's book) begins on ABC-TV...

"I only bought it for the stories": 1985] "Sports Illustrated" releases its annual swimsuit edition. It becomes the largest regular edition at 218 pages. It's also the most read edition in the magazine's history although I don't know how much of it was read...

"Start spreading the news": 1985] "New York, New York" becomes the official anthem of the "Big Apple" (when was the last time you heard that?). When the Yankees win they play Frank Sinatra's version, when they lose they play Liza Minelli's...

Wedding Bells: 1988] Robin Givens marries Mike Tyson (what in the world was she thinking?)...

"Guilty as Charged": 2005] Defrocked priest Paul Shanley, the most notorious figure in the sex scandal that rocked the Boston Archdiocese, was convicted of repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at this church during the 1980's. Shanley is sentenced to 12 to 15 years but should have been sentenced to a place worse than hell...

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

"Happy Trails"...

Frankie Laine, one of the most popular singers of the 50's and 60's who died of heart failure at 93. These are just some of his hits: "That's My Desire", "Mule Train", "Jezebel", "I Believe" and "That Lucky Old Sun". Frankie also sang the theme to "Rawhide", the hit TV show. His variety show "Frankie Laine Time" ran for two summers in 1955 and 1956. He made his last appearance in 2005 on a PBS TV special...

Pitcher and Yankee-Killer, Lew Burdette, who was traded by New York only to come back and beat them 3 times and take MVP honors in the 1957 World Series, died from lung cancer at the age of 80. Burdette had a career total of 203-144...

"Happy Trails" and R.I.P. to Frankie Laine and Lew Burdette...

"Commentary"...

With every Celtic loss it's a good thing Red Auerbach is not around to see this. It can't be easy to lose 15 in a row but the Celtics have done that. Granted they've been without the injured Paul Pierce but if you tried to lose 15 games in a row in any sport I imagine it would be hard to do. What in the name of Danny Ainge is going on up there???

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Ashton Kutcher (29), Chris (no relation to Bill) Rock (41), Garth Brooks (45), James ("Boston Legal") Spader (47), and a special "Happy Birthday" to folk singer/disc jockey Oscar Brand (87). Oscar is now in his 52nd year of hosting "Folksong Festival", Saturday nights at 10 on WNYC 820...

"Timeline Countdown": 8 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 42 days until spring...

...

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Taking a look at ratings...

The controversy over sticking to the old, tried and true diary system used by Arbitron for years or switching to their PPM's or Portable People Meters is pretty much over. By 2010 Arbitron expects the country's top 50 markets will be measured by the small, cell-phone sized device which will be carried by the people being sampled. The device collects exposure to electronic media sources at the moment the person is listening or watching. The electronic methodology is new but the old C.E. Hooper methodology is essentially the same in that you're getting information on what a person is viewing or watching co-incidentally, at that given moment not based on what they wrote in a diary for a record of what they listened to during the day or week...

While I was at Hooper I was fortunate enough to have experienced not only the methodology at work but the results as well. When the company was Starch-Inra-Hooper, Inc. in the 70's we measured more than radio, we measured mind-sets on the print side of research. Why was a person attracted to a certain ad or what made them buy the product? Was it the placement of the ad, the colors used, the slogan, knowing the brand? What was it? Our print research was much more lucrative for the company than radio...

For radio measurement we used at-random phone calls to find out exactly what the person was listening to at that moment, the ideal way to measure radio or television. What they're listening to or watching at that moment, not the phone part. We started running into problems with unlisted phone numbers but managed to get around that but surely would have had problems when the usage of cell phones mushroomed. Arbitron, which is using Nielsen Homescan technology can't help but be successful with PPM's...

On the subject of ratings, the Super Bowl cast a long shadow over CBS-TV. The SB itself (93 million viewers) was the 3rd most-watched TV program ever, behind the 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys SB and the 1993 series finale of "M*A*S*H." "Criminal Minds" was seen by a whopping 26.2 million people and even "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" had more than 5 million viewers, the most ever since that show started 12-years ago (minus Craig Ferguson who's only been there a couple of years)...

The results of that TBS-Boston hoax are in my Commentary...And today's video link can be found in the "Good Night and Good Luck" timeline...

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 1960] 27-year old singer Jesse Belvin, his wife and driver were all killed in an automobile accident in Los Angeles (Jesse's wife didn't die at the scene but did several days later)...1993] Tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe dies of complications of AIDS (contracted during a blood transfusion) at 49...1998] 51-year old Carl Wilson one of the founding members of the Beach Boys dies from complications of lung cancer with his family at his side...

"Say Uncle": 1869] Harper's Weekly publishes the 1st picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers...

"Movin' on Up": 1933] The 20th amendment goes into effect making the president, vice president and congressional terms to begin in January instead of March as was the custom...

"Pass Go - Collect $200": 1935] The board game of "Monopoly" goes on sale for the 1st time...

"Checking" in: 1939] Vernon Presley (Elvis' daddy) is released from prison after serving 8 months for "altering" a check...

"Where's Snooky?": 1943] Frank Sinatra debuts as a vocalist on radio's "Your Hit Parade"...

"Good Night and Good Luck": 1959] Fidel Castro is interviewed by Edward R. Murrow on "Person-To-Person" and that clip is our video link which looks like it came straight out of "Saturday Night Live": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSmMA5gnNA ...

#1 on this date: 1977] "Torn between Two Lovers" - Mary MacGregor...1987] "Open Your Heart" - Madonna...

Have a cigar Muriel: 1978] Muriel Humphrey, wife of the late Hubert Humphrey takes his office as Democratic Senator in Minnesota...

"Vote For Me": 1987] Sonny Bono declares his candidacy for mayor of Palm Springs (and will be elected)...2000] First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launches her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate from New York...

"Bed-in": 2003] ABC-TV's "20/20" airs a British documentary on Michael Jackson in which the singer reveals he sometimes lets children sleep in his bed (will someone arrest this man please)...

Soooooper: 2005] The New England Patriots win their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl and 3rd in 4 years with a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...

"Happy Trails":

Barbara McNair was 72 when she died after a battle with throat cancer on Sunday. McNair was a singer-actress who hosted her own TV show ("The Barbara McNair Show") from 1969 to 1972. She also starred on Broadway in the musical "No Strings" and her biggest movie was "They Call Me Mister Tibbs" when she played the wife of Sidney Poitier. She was also in "Change of Habit" with Elvis Presley...Tige Andrews who played Capt. Adam Greer on "The Mod Squad" died last week at 86 from cardiac arrest and 20-game winner, Oriole pitcher Steve Barber died from pneumonia Sunday at 67. He pitched a no-hitter for 8 2/3 innings, was relieved by Stu Miller who also didn't give up a hit but Baltimore lost the game to the Tigers on an error. Barber had a 121-106 career record...

Commentary...

On the heels of that TBS hoax in Boston last week, the network agreed to pay local governments and agencies $2 million for shutting Boston down last week. A small price to pay for shutting down a major city and putting a bomb scare into the population. The two men responsible for the bizarre episode face felony hoax charges which are punishable by up to 5 years in prison. This is yet another slap on the wrist when more was called for in the way of punishment. It also makes a laughing stock out of the Boston authorities who fell for the hoax while no other city did. The stunt of leaving light boards to promote the TBS "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" show has not been successful as viewership was down 100,000 on the first episode to air after the incident and has since rebounded to its average rating...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses) (45), Natalie Cole (57), Fabian Forte (64), Tom Brokaw (67), Mike Farrell (68), Mamie Van Doren (76), Rip Torn (76), Patrick (Mr. Steed) Macnee (85) and Zsa Zsa Gabor (90)...

Timeline Countdown: 9 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 43 days until spring...
...

Monday, February 5, 2007

Manning & the Colts dominate the Super Bowl...

Peyton Manning proved that he could win the biggest game of all but although he was voted MVP of Super Bowl XLI, much credit goes to the 1st team to win a Super Bowl after finishing last in the NFL in defense. The Colts transformation to a solid defensive unit was remarkable. While they had given up an average of 173 yards a game in the regular season, they showed a 100-yard-per-game improvement in their 3 playoff victories. Although the Patriots scored 34 against the Colts in a high scoring shootout won by Indianapolis, they held Baltimore to 6 and Chicago to 17 points, respectively. The final score of 29-17 is deceptive because the Colts dominated play on both offense and defense...

Some interesting SB factoids: Tony Dungy became the 3rd coach to have won SB's both as a player and coach to join Mike Ditka and Tom Flores...For the 21st time in 41 SB's, the winning quarterback has won the MVP award...With the Colts win, the NFC leads in SB wins over the AFC 21-20 although AFC teams have won 6 of the last 7...Devin Hester's run back of the opening SB kickoff marked the 1st time in history that the opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown...

The field became slick with the steady rain so it might be time for the NFL to consider playing the biggest game of the season in a dome. Next year's Super Bowl in Glendale (AZ) will be played in a stadium which has a retractable roof...

By winning his first Super Bowl ring, Peyton Manning no longer has anything left to prove and at 30, will, along with the Patriots' Tom Brady, dominate the field of NFL quarterbacks. Although the Colts have the edge over New England with 3 consecutive wins, the competition between the 2 teams and their quarterbacks should be intense for at least the next 5 to 6 years. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, pitchers and catchers report to spring training on February 15th...

Today's video link can be found in the 1967 timeline...

Timeline Memories...

"America in your pocket": 1921] Reader's Digest hits the newsstands for the 1st time...

A Buyer's Market: 1921] The Yankees purchase 20 acres in the Bronx to build Yankee Stadium (a new stadium right next to the current one is being built now and is scheduled to open in 2009)...

Premiered on this date: 1967] "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" premieres on CBS-TV but will switch to ABC and then NBC before ending in May of 1975. Our video link captures the brothers singing the immortal "Boil That Cabbage Down": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgwH-XngXKo ...

"Green, green": 1990] Notre Dame becomes the 1st college football team to sell its home games to a major TV network - NBC, where it still resides each season...

"Guilty as Charged": 1994] White separatist Byron De La Beckwith is convicted in Jackson (MS) of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evans in 1963. De La Beckwith is sentenced to life in prison...1999] Mike Tyson is sentenced to a year in prison for assaulting 2 people after a car accident in 1998 (he's also fined $5,000 and serves 2 years of probation and performs 200 hours of community service upon release)...2002] A federal grand jury indicts John Walker Lindh on 10 charges, alleging he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans...

Command(er in Chief) Performance: 1998] Elton John and Stevie Wonder perform at the White House...

Regis gets Ripped: 2001] Kelly Ripa is announced as Regis Philbin's new co-host. The show is renamed "Live! with Regis and Kelly". Ripa replaces Kathie Lee Gifford...

This Cruise is Over: 2001] Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman announce their separation...

Wedding Bells: 1997] Investment bank Morgan Stanley announces a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter...

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

Commentary...

Congratulations to Iona coach Jeff Ruland for the New Rochelle university's 1st win of the season after 22 losses in a row. Iona beat Ryder 69-57 on Saturday night. Ruland said "the kids have been great. They've taken it one game at a time and kept playing hard". He also said "this losing streak was something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy". The Gaels last previous victory came on March 6, 2006 when they beat St. Peter's in the MAAC championship game. They went to the 1st round of last season's NCAA tournament but this year they have 3 starters out with injuries or academics and have started as many as 5 freshmen...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Bobby Brown (38), Laura Linney (43), Jennifer Jason Leigh (45), Tim Meadows (46), Christopher Guest (59), Al Kooper (63), Roger Staubach (65), Barrett Strong (66), Henry Aaron (73), Reverand Andrew M. Greeley (79) and Claude King (84)...

Timeline Countdown: 10 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 44 days until spring...

...

Friday-Sunday, February 2-4, 2007

Everything is set for Super Bowl XLI...

The national anthem will be sung by Billy Joel who says "stretching it beyond its recognition" is not his thing. "It's a difficult song to begin with" added Joel. Prince is ready for his half-time performance. His royalty agreed to answer questions by the media but when someone asked one, he broke into "Johnny B. Goode" and two other songs and left without saying anything. Prince is known as a talented performer not a communicator nor a member of the Mensa society. As for the game, the Indianapolis Colts are favored by a touchdown over the Chicago Bears with kickoff set for Sunday at 6:25pm EST...

At the start of the NFL season there was a Harris Poll conducted online to determine the No. 1 favorite NFL team. The sample size was respectable (2,747 adults, 18-61+ in age) the results were surprising, at least to me. I figured that there are far more Bears fans than Colt fans - not so. The Indianapolis Colts with hardly any fans from their old home in Baltimore, finished as the 3rd favorite team in the NFL (following #1 Pittsburgh and #2 Dallas). Chicago was tied for 5th with New England when fans were asked to name their 2 favorite teams. The breakdown by region was even more surprising. The Colts fans out percentaged Bears fans in the East, South and West. The only region with more fan support for Chicago over Indianapolis was the Midwest (24 to 20%). I guarantee you that if they were asked to name their favorite Colt player the name Peyton Manning would have pulled about 95% which means that since Robert Irsay backed up the Mayflower vans before dawn of a Baltimore morning, Manning has made the Indianapolis Colts one of the NFL's top 3 favorite teams...

Not surprisingly, the Baltimore residents who won't be rooting for the Colts on Sunday bare the names Art Donovan, Stan White, Bruce Laird and Lou Michaels. Those are some of the members of the "Baltimore Football Club, Inc." comprised of ex-Baltimore Colt players who disowned themselves from any rooting interest in the Colts when they left Baltimore in 1984. When the late Johnny Unitas who owned "The Golden Arm" restaurant in Baltimore was asked how he felt about Irsay he enjoyed telling people about the Bob Irsay room - the bathroom...

All is in readiness for Super Bowl XLI in Miami and it should be a good game but if it's over early you can always watch the commercials and the half-time show. Prince has promised not to walk out...

The most important item in the Super Bowl game is seen in our video link, there's no game without it. Find out what it is by clicking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfJumDr9zbc

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 1996] The great Gene Kelly dies at 83 after suffering two strokes...

"I Got You Babe": 1886] The 1st Groundhog Day is celebrated in Punxsutawney (PA). "Groundhog Day", the 1993 movie starring Bill Murray immortalizes the day and Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" wakes up Murray 33 times. This just in: according to Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck, spring will arrive early...

"New York, New York": 1653] New Amsterdam, now known as New York City is incorporated...

"The Name Game": 1863] Samuel Clemens changes his name to Mark Twain ( no relation to Shania)...

"Play Ball": 1876] Baseball's National League is formed in New York with original teams in: New York, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, Philadelphia and St. Louis...1967] The American Basketball Association (ABA) if formed by representatives of the NBA...

"20/20": 1946] Mutual Broadcasting airs "Twenty Questions" for the 1st time on Radio. The show moves to TV 3 years later...

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered": 1956] The Coasters sign with Atlantic Records' Atco label...

Released on this date: 1959] "Venus" - Frankie Avalon...1959] "Charlie Brown" - Coasters...

#1 on this date: 1966] "My Love" - Petula Clark...1983] "Africa" - Toto (Toto will dominate the 1983 Grammy Awards winning in 6 categories including "Record of the Year" ("Rosanna") and LP of the year ("Toto IV")...

The Fatman sings: 1957] Fats Domino sings "Blueberry Hill" and "Blue Monday" on the Perry Como Show...

"After Midnight": 1973] "The Midnight Special" debuts on NBC-TV with Wolfman Jack...

This Pistol goes off: 1979] Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols dies of a drug overdose at 21 less than 4 months after fatally stabbing girlfriend Nancy Spungen at the Chelsea Hotel...

"Guilty as Charged": 1993] Willie Nelson and the IRS settle their longstanding tax feud. The government keeps $3.6 million in assets it had already seized and Nelson will pay $5.4 million of the $13.1 million balance leaving the final score: Government 1 Nelson 0...

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

Commentary...

A recent fire in Vienna Township (MI) destroyed the home of Question Mark (of ? and the Mysterians). Although his real name is believed to be Rudy Martinez, Question Mark has been a punctuation for 4 decades. Q had no insurance and he's not sure how to recover documentation on some of his lost memorabilia including the gold record (for "96 Tears") and the BMI award for the 3 millionth air play on the tune. He also lost several of his beloved dogs. Q, 61, who was not injured in the fire issued this statement: "I'll hold back my tears, because I don't cry tears, I sing em"...

Apparently results of the FCC's year-long investigation of payola was not important enough for the agency to issue a press release on the subject. It's believed that the USA Today report of a $10 million fine on the 4 major broadcast groups was correct. Or as we like to call the ruling, "a slap on the wrist" and a limp slap at that...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Shakira (30), Christie Brinkley (53), Farrah Fawcett (60), Graham Nash (65), Tom Smothers (70) and Elaine Stritch (82)...

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Super Bowl XLI, 13 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 47 days until spring...

Saturday, February 3, 2007...

Timeline Memories...

"Money, money, money, monnnnney": 1690] The 1st paper money in the U.S. is issued by the Massachusetts colony. The currency is used to pay soldiers fighting in the war against Quebec (was this over hockey, eh?)...

Cheesy: 1815] The world's 1st commercial cheese factory is established in Switzerland (no mention of who was used to cut the cheese)...

A reminder that April 15th is coming: 1913] The 16th amendment to the Constitution is ratified authorizing the power to impose and collect income tax (how about a vote to repeal it?)...

Worth more than a million: 1956] The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash) record at Sun Records in Memphis...

"The Day The Music Died": 1959] Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper" (J.P. Richardson) perish when their small plane goes down in Iowa...

"Ole Blue Eyes" - Record Mogul: 1960] Frank Sinatra starts his own label called Reprise...

"Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow": 1961] Over 17" of snow blankets New York City (it's the 6th largest snowfall in the city)...

#1 on this date: 1973] "Crocodile Rock" - Elton John...1982] "Centerfold" - J. Geils Band...

Lights out: 1998] Texas executes Karla Faye Tucker who becomes the 1st woman executed since 1984. All Karla did was hack two people to death with a pickax...

Death in the ski sky: 1998] A U.S. Marine jet slices a cable in Italy causing the death of 20 skiers on a lift...

"I Get a Kick Out of You": 2002] Britney Spears sings the national anthem and then Adam Vinatieri kicks a 48-yard field goal and the underdog New England Patriots win their 1st Super Bowl 20-17 over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI (Tom Brady wins the 1st of 2 Super Bowl MVP awards)...

"Murder at the mansion": 2003] Record producer Phil Spector is arrested in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in California (4-year's and several postponements later, Spector is supposed to go on trial in March)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Maura ("E.R.") Tierney (42), Mr. & Mrs. Phil Vettor's a.k.a. my sister and brother-in-law) (50th anniversary). (Congratulations Ri & Phil), Nathan Lane (51), Morgan Fairchild (57), Melanie (Safka) (60), Dave Davies of the Kinks (60), The Temptations' Dennis Edwards (64), Blythe Danner (64), Fran Tarkenton (67), Emile Griffith (69), Shelley Berman (81) and Joey Bishop (89)...

Timeline Countdown: 1 day until Super Bowl XLI, 12 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 46 days until spring...

Sunday, February 4, 2007...

Timeline Memories...

"Happy Trails": 1983] Karen Carpenter dies of heart failure probably caused by the years of suffering from anorexia nervosa. Karen was just 32...1987] Liberace dies of AIDS related complications at 67...

Britain raises the white flag: 1783] Britain declares a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the US of A...

"And the winner is": 1789] Electors unanimously choose George Washington to be the 1st President of the United States, making his election official...

Winter Games: 1932] The 1st Winter Olympics is held in the U.S. at Lake Placid (NY)...

Bob Hope books his flight: 1941] The United Service Organization (USO) is created...

The Right Type: 1957] Smith-Corona rolls out the 1st electric typewriter (weighing a hefty 19 lbs.)...

Meet the new Commish: 1969] Bowie Kuhn replaces the fired William Eckert as Baseball Commissioner...

The quarter century mark: 1977] "American Bandstand" celebrates its 25th anniversary with a special hosted by Dick Clark...

Recorded on this date: 1955] "Please, Please, Please" - James Brown...

Released on this date: 1977] "Rumours" LP - Fleetwood Mac...

Hired on this date: 1987] Having failed to get Bill Parcells from New England as coach, the Jets hire Bill Belichick as H.C. (hey, how did that work out Jets?)...

"Guilty as Charged": 1997] A civil jury in California finds O.J. Simpson liable in the deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Goldman's parents are awarded $8.5 million in damages (yet to be collected)...

"Amadou Disaster": 1999] An unarmed Amadou Diallo is cut down in a hail of bullets when 4 New York City plainclothes police officers thought he was armed. He wasn't...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Clint Black (45), Lawrence Taylor (48), Alice Cooper (59), Dan Quayle (60), David Brenner (62), Florence LaRue of the Fifth Dimension (63) and Conrad ("Different Strokes") Bain (84)...

Timeline Countdown: Super Bowl Sunday is today, 11 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 45 days until spring...

...

Thursday, February 1, 2007

25 Down with 5 To Go...

David Letterman celebrates his 25th anniversary of entertaining late night viewers tonight. To mark the occasion, guest #1, Bill Murray will be back to party with Dave. Murray was Letterman's guest when Dave debuted on NBC-TV February 1, 1982. While Letterman is signed by CBS-TV through the 2009-10 television season you can bet he'll get a new contract allowing him to tie Johnny Carson's 30 years as the king of late night comedy on February 1, 2012. Letterman turns 60 in April and is well paid making more than $31 million a year but they'll give him more to stay. While Jay Leno usually wins the ratings battle between the 2 shows, Dave has had a multitude of defining guests and moments, something Leno can't claim. How many defining moments can you recall on Jay's show? Yet there are a ton of memorable moments on Letterman's show through the years...

When Letterman moved over to CBS he brought his top 10 with him along with remote segments that mix elements of Gallagher and Steve Allen. He brought Paul Shaffer and his band and a steady stream of hilarious moments too. Here are the names of the guests who will trigger some of those memories: Drew Barrymore, Courtney Love (both of whom flashed Dave while standing on his desk), Madonna, Bill O'Reilly, Britney Spears, Cher (and the reuniting of Sonny & Cher), Oprah, Farrah Fawcett, the Christmas show (with Jay Thomas tossing a football at the Christmas tree and Darlene Love sounding better every year). Letterman has had his serious moments too as he talked about the horror of 911 and with the dying Warren Zevon. He's also become a good interviewer, something that was lacking when he started out...

25 years into his career, David Letterman has worn well. Here's to at least 5 more years and while you're at it Dave, what's one more year on top of that? Then it's hail to the king...

We have the close of Dave's last NBC show as today's video link from June 25, 1993: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqLgGfO_9mM

In my Commentary, USA Today's comments on today's FCC oversight hearing...

Timeline Memories...

Space Tragedy: 2003] The space shuttle Columbia explodes during re-entry killing all 7 astronauts aboard...

Roll Em: 1893] Thomas A. Edison completes work on the world's 1st motion picture studio in West Orange (NJ)...

Under the Umbrella: 1898] The Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford (CT) issues the 1st automobile insurance policy when Dr. Truman Martin of Buffalo (NY) gets $5,000 of liability insurance for $11.25...

Get the Picture?: 1900] Eastman Kodak introduces the $1 Brownie ("but for you, 50 cents because I know you're getting ready to leave New York")...

All Aboard: 1913] Grand Central Station opens in New York City. It's the largest train station in the world (and is still beautiful)...

What's a 12-letter word for a newspaper that gets your fingers black?: 1930] The New York Times publishes its 1st crossword puzzle...

Get him on the phone Susie: 1953] "Private Secretary" starring Ann Sothern debuts on CBS-TV for a 4-year run...

Frozen in time: 1968] South Vietnamese National Police Chief, Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executes a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head, a scene captured on video and in stills and seen worldwide as a lasting image of the war...

You Are There: 1953] Walter Cronkite premieres as host of the CBS-TV show that recreates famous events. "You Are There" will run until the fall of 1957...

Recorded on this date: 1958] Just before joining basic training with the U.S. Army, Elvis Presley records "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck"...

Please release me: 1979] Patty Hearst is released from prison after serving 22 months, her sentence commuted by Jimmy Carter...

A new Commish: 1984] David Stern, former chief legal counsel of the NBA is named commissioner, replacing Larry O'Brien. Stern turns the league around at the gate, among advertisers and with the fans...

Trouble with a capital T: 1979] Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini is welcomed in Tehran, Iran as he ends nearly 15 years in exile...

Car Wreck: 1988] Boston rock group The Cars break up...

Guilty as Charged: 1994] Jeff Gillooly pleads guilty for his role in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, striking a plea bargain as he implicates girlfriend Tonya Harding...

That woman, Miss Lewinsky: 1999] Monica Lewinsky spills the beans to senators weighing impeachment charges against Bill Clinton with a videotape deposition...

Eye witness: 2004] The only Super Bowl I've ever attended turns out to be a winner for my Patriots thanks to Adam Vinatieri who kicks a winning field goal. Final Score: Patriots 32 Carolina 29 as Janet Jackson bares a breast at halftime...

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

Commentary...

Speculation in USA Today about today's FCC oversight hearing in Washington has Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Entercom and Citadel getting what I thought - a slap on the wrist. According to Paul Davidson: "the four largest radio broadcasters would make payments valued at about $10 million under a proposed settlement of a year-long probe by the FCC into pay-for-play claims in the music industry". This is not written in stone though because the proceeding is pending. When we find out more, we'll have it for you in the MPR...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Pauly Shore (39), Lisa Marie Presley (39), Monaco's Princess Stephanie (42), Bill Mumy (53), Sherman ("The Jeffersons") Hemsley (69), Ray ("Dr. Hook") Sawyer (70), Garrett Morris (70), Don Everly (70) and Stuart Whitman (79)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Super Bowl XLI, 14 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 48 days until Spring...

...

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

The Good...The Bad...The Ugly... of The Month...

The Good

The candidates: Kathryn Gemme the life-long Red Sox fan who died at 112, Urban Meyer, coach of the #1 Florida Gators, Saints coach Sean Payton, mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary and a newcomer: Barbaro, the great thoroughbred who suffered for 9 months before being put down this week. And the winner is: Barbaro...

The Bad

The candidates: Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen, new Miami Hurricanes coach Nick Saban who stiffed the Dolphins, Barry Bonds who threw teammate Mark Sweeny under the bus, felon Tank Johnson of the Chicago Bears who is playing in the Super Bowl thanks to a liberal judge plus newcomers: Reggie Bush who was fined for showing up the Bears in a playoff game, Chris Henry, the 9th Cincinnati Bengal arrested this year (by the way, the San Diego Chargers are catching up. Terrence Kiel, cited for public urination, makes it 8 law violations for the team this season), Kelvin Cato's (Knicks center) wife who abandoned his 6-year old son, Al Unser Jr., a DUI leaving an accident scene, Latrell Sprewell who's being sued by his ex-wife to the tune of $200 million for roughing her up and being a dead-beat dad, Kobe Bryant for hitting a player in a game (whew) and one more: newcomer Tyrone Braxton, former Denver Bronco who pleaded guilty to cocaine and marijuana possession. And the winner is: Tank Johnson, a human arsenal who just could kill someone before his playing days are through, which would qualify him for "The Ugly award of the Year"...

The Ugly

Candidates: the killer of 23-year old Darrent Williams of the Denver Broncos, the apparently accidental death of USC kicker Mario Danelo, Duke lacrosse attorney Mike Nifong who shouldn't have a license for practicing law, and former Penn State player La Von Chisley, arrested for killing a PSU student. Nothing is worse than taking someones life. For that reason and if proven guilty, the winner is: La Von Chisley who apparently knew the victim...

On this date in 1965, the Righteous Brothers were #1 and that song is today's video link. You'll find it in our #1 timeline...

Timeline Memories...

Super Bowl Sunday: 1988] Herb Alpert plays our national anthem on trumpet and then the Washington Redskins led by the 1st black quarterback in SB history, Doug Williams, rout the Denver Broncos 42-10...1993] The Dallas Cowboys win the 1st of 3 SB titles in the 90's, crushing the Buffalo Bills 52-17...1999] Cher sings our national anthem prior to the Denver Broncos 2nd consecutive SB title. They beat Atlanta 34-19 as John Elway stars...

"Free at Last": 1865] Slavery is abolished with the ratification of the 13th amendment...

"A Little Bit of Soap": 1949] The 1st daytime soap, "These Are My Children" airs on Chicago's NBC-TV affiliate. The 15-minute show runs on weekdays in January and February...

Outer Limits: 1958] The U.S. enters the "Space Age" by launching its 1st satellite into orbit - Explorer I...

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

Hitting the Road: 1979] The Clash start their 1st U.S. tour with Bo Diddley as their opening act...

"Beats It": 2005] Jury selection begins in Santa Monica (CA) for Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. Jackson will be acquitted...

#1 on this date: 1965] "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" - Righteous Brothers (today's video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7827EMkm5ko )...1974] "The Way We Were" - Barbra Streisand...1978] "Love Rollercoaster" - Ohio Players...1981] "The Tide is High" - Blondie...1984] "Karma Chameleon" - Culture Club...

Record Breaker: 1970] LSU's Pistol Pete Maravich breaks Oscar Robertson's college scoring record with a career total of 2,974 points by scoring 53 against Mississippi...

"Fly Me To The Moon": 1971] Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blast off for the moon on Apollo 14...

Mickey Dee Padre: 1974] McDonald's founder Ray Kroc buys the San Diego Padres...

Mickey Dee Comrade: 1990] McDonald's opens its 1st restaurant in Moscow...

The Final Curtain: 1984] Edwin Newman retires from NBC News after 35 years at the network...

Premiered on this date: 1986] "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" premieres with Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss and Little Richard...

Off his rocker: 2000] Atlanta Braves problem child John Rocker is suspended by baseball commissioner Bud Selig for his disparaging racial remarks, mostly about the straphangers on the #7 to Shea Stadium. He makes the statements in a Sports Illustrated article (the good news is that Rocker is out of baseball now)...

Wedding Bells: 2005] SBC Communications Inc. announces it was acquiring AT&T Corp. for $16 billion...

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

Commentary...

These are the books he wrote: "Rage of Angels", "The Other Side of Midnight", "Master of the Game", "If Tomorrow Comes" and "The Naked Face" - all best sellers - all great titles. Oh, he also produced "The Patty Duke Show" and created and produced "I Dream of Jeannie". Most people would settle for one of these credits but Sidney Shelton owned all of them. The author died yesterday of complications from pneumonia. "Happy Trails" to Sidney Shelton who was 89...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Justin Timberlake (26), Portia de Rossi (34), Minnie Driver (36), Anthony ("Without A Trace") La Paglia (48), Johnny Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten (51), Harry Wayne (KC) Casey (56), Nolan Ryan (60), Jessica Walter (63), Suzanne Pleshette (70), Ernie ("let's play two") Banks (76), Jean Simmons (78), Norman Mailer (84) and Carol ("Hello Dolly") Channing (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until Super Bowl XLI, 15 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 49 days until Spring...

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Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The People's Champion... Why did Barbaro capture the hearts of so many people? There are those that are moved more by an animal's passing than a human inhabitant of this planet. Such was the case with the love affair with this handsome four-year old bay colt that had battled for his life since breaking down in the Preakness Stakes last May. "Grief is the price we all pay for love" is the way Gretchen Jackson put it. Gretchen and husband Roy were the owners of Barbaro. Barbaro fought hard since losing his only race after winning his 6th and biggest - the Kentucky Derby. When that dangling right hind hoof was seen by millions in his attempt to win the second leg of racing's "Triple Crown", the love affair began but so did the pain and heartache. Nine months of therapy followed and everyone watched, hoping and praying for Barbaro to survive. A flare-up of the painful hoof disease laminitis put an end to the prayers and the Jacksons in consultation with chief veterinarian surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson decided to end Barbaro's painful battle to survive yesterday... What followed was an outpouring of grief and more e-mails, cards, flowers and religious items to add to the already thousands received since last May. Barbaro co-owner Roy Jackson said "I just can't explain why everyone is so caught up with this horse. Everything is so negative now in the world, people love animals and I think they just happened to latch on to him". While final plans haven't been made yet, Barbaro will probably be buried on the Jackson farm in Pennsylvania... Barbaro earned $2,302,200 with his 6 wins in 7 starts. We've linked his Kentucky Derby win so we can all take a look, not at that dangling hoof but of Barbaro's biggest win: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6PacUirYuQ Timeline Memories... The Final Curtain: 1969] For the last time anywhere, the Beatles perform their infamous rooftop concert in London doing "Get Back". John Lennon closes the performance by saying "I'd like to thank you very much on behalf of the group and myself and I hope we passed the audition". The so-called "audition" is filmed for the movie "Let It Be"... "Hi-yo Silver - Away": 1933] "The Lone Ranger" is heard on Radio for the 1st time and will air for 2,956 episodes, ending in 1955 (and beyond that in films and specials)... "Sunday, Bloody Sunday": 1972] British soldiers shoot and kill 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers in Northern Ireland. The day is known as "Bloody Sunday" and U2 will memorialize it in their hit... "In Cold Blood": 1948] Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi is murdered by a Hindu extremist... "Debuted on this date": 1950] "Robert Montgomery Presents", a drama series debuts on NBC-TV where it will be seen for 7 seasons, ending in the summer of 1957 (Robert Montgomery was the father of Elizabeth Montgomery of "Bewitched")... "Recorded on this date": 1956] Elvis Presley records his version of "Blue Suede Shoes"...1968] Bobby Goldsboro records "Honey" in a studio filled with wall-to-wall Kleenex boxes... #1 on this date: 1985] "I Want To Know What Love Is" - Foreigner... "High flying tragedy": 1962] Two members of the "Flying Wallendas" high-wire act are killed when their 7-person pyramid collapses during a performance in Detroit... "Kiss me, I'm Gene Simmons": 1973] Kiss debuts their live act at the Coventry Club in Queens... Super Bowl Sunday: 1983] The Washington Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins 21-17 in Super Bowl XVII as RB John Riggins picks up 166 yards on 38 carries...1994] Natalie Cole sings the national anthem before Super Bowl XXVIII and then Dallas beats Buffalo 30-13...2000] Kurt Warner hits Isaac Bruce for the winning touchdown with 2 minutes remaining as the St. Louis Rams pull off a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV... "Knight time is the right time": 1998] Elton John receives a knighthood in British Prime Minister Tony Blair's 1st New Year's Eve Honours List... Going to Hall: 1999] Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the 1st ballot... "Guilty as Charged": 2003] Richard Reid, the British citizen and al-Qaida follower who had a bomb in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight is sentenced in Boston to life in prison... "Vote for Me": 2005] Iraqi's vote in their country's first free election in a half-century... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]... Commentary... "Happy Trails" to the controversial Reverend Robert Drinan who passed away on Sunday from pneumonia and congestive heart failure at 86. A vocal activist for various causes, Drinan was the first Roman Catholic priest to serve as a voting member of Congress, having been elected to the House of Representatives in 1971 and re-elected four times, serving until 1981. He was a member of the House from Massachusetts 3rd district and for many years was a fixture in Boston politics... And "Happy Trails" to former Yankee pitching coach and drinking buddy of Billy Martin, Art Fowler who died at his home yesterday at 84. Fowler who never stayed in shape had this to say about running when coaches asked him to: "If running is so important, Jesse Owens would be a twenty-game winner. The only reason I don't like to run is that it makes me tired"... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Wilmer Valderrama (27), comedienne Brett Butler (49), Phil Collins (56), Jefferson Airplane's Marty Balin (65), Dick Cheney (66), Vanessa Redgrave (70), Tammy Grimes (73), Gene Hackman (77), Hal Prince (79), Dorothy Malone (82) and Laugh-In co-host Dick Martin (85)... Timeline Countdown: 5 days until Super Bowl XLI, 16 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 50 days until spring... ...

Monday, January 29, 2007

Another slap on the wrist??? Considering that we haven't seen any major punishment in the form of firings, hefty fines, jail terms and the like for those guilty of giving or taking payola since the FCC instituted The Communications Act and rules against payola in 1960, I think it's safe to say that any details of recent payola that might come from FCC chairman Kevin Martin when he appears before the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday, February 1st will be another slap on the wrist. When then New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer prosecuted payola-related crimes his office settled out of court with Sony BMG, Warner and Universal for $10, $5 and $12 million respectively for distribution to non-profit organizations. Together those fines can't even sign a CEO at any of those labels, no less make a dent in the finances of the companies named. And since Spitzer became governor he's got state agencies to investigate and he's already begun his campaign at that level, effectively taking him out of investigating further payola charges in the entertainment business... So in nearly 50 years only disc jockey Alan Freed paid dearly for taking payola and if he wasn't so honest would today have a wing named after him in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although Freed admitted taking payola, there was no law prohibiting it prior to 1960. The FCC had to make an example of Freed as a warning to disc jockey and record company alike - this is what happens to those who take payola. Freed couldn't find a job and drank himself to death... Don't expect any fireworks coming out of Washington on Thursday. No major fines or firings, no arrests. Do expect another slap on the wrist. Update to follow. In the meantime there's another major concern about another form of payola - paid for blog posts. I guess I'll have to start adding a disclaimer, something like "the preceding posting was not paid for but is approved by Mel Phillips"... You'll find today's video link in the 1966 timeline... Timeline Memories... "Happy Trails": 1980] Legendary comedian Jimmy Durante says "good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are". Durante was 86 when he passed away from pneumonia... "Quoth the raven, 'nevermore': 1845] Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is published for the 1st time in the New York Evening Mirror... A junior graduates: 1900] The American Baseball League is organized in Philadelphia with 8 teams (Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C.)... Going to Hall: 1936] The Baseball Hall of Fame holds its 1st induction. Elected are: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson... Wedding Bells: 1958] Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward tie the knot (their 50th anniversary is one year away)... "Signed, Sealed, Delivered": 1962] Warner Brothers signs Peter, Paul and Mary... Released on this date: 1966] "I Fought The Law" - Bobby Fuller Four...Today's video link. This is a "Hullabaloo" appearance by the group in glorious black & white and is worth viewing for the Hullabaloo dancers alone. As the late Jocko Henderson used to say, "They're doing the Bop, Slop and Whatnot". It's groovy man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-xucRvYCOU The Final Curtain: 1972] Smokey Robinson leaves The Miracles for a solo career... Debuted on this date: 1969] "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" debuts on CBS-TV and runs until June of 1972... "D-I-V-O-R-C-E": 1979] Emerson, Lake and Palmer split up after a 10-year career together... Premiered on this date: 1964] Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb) starring Peter Sellers opens... Commuter Special: 1979] Jimmy Carter commutes Patricia Hearst's 7-year sentence to 2 years... "Guilty as Charged": 1990] Joseph Hazlewood, former skipper of the Exxon Valdez goes on trial in Anchorage (AK) for his role in America's worst oil spill. He will be acquitted of all charges except a misdemeanor...1999] The U.S. Senate delivers subpoenas for Monica Lewinsky and 2 presidential advisers for private videotaped testimony in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial... A Super 1st: 1995] The San Francisco 49ers become the 1st team in the NFL to win 5 Super Bowls by beating San Diego 49-26 behind Steve Young's 6 touchdown passes (breaking Joe Montana's previous record of 5... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]... Commentary... "Happy Trails" to: Hall of Fame goalie Gump Worsley, who didn't wear a mask until the final season of his great 21-year career. His given name was Lorne John Worsley and he picked up the nickname "Gump" as a child because his hair stuck up like Andy Gump of comic strip fame. Worsley died at 77 over the weekend in his native Canada following a heart attack last Monday...Bing Devine, the former St. Louis GM who helped build the Cardinals to 3 National League pennants and 2 World Series titles in the 60's. Bing was in failing health since Christmas and died over the weekend at 90. Bing's given name: Vaughan P. Devine... We also had a "premiered on this date" on January 27th as Rebecca Jayne Vettor came into this world. Rebecca is the daughter of my nephew Michael. Mother T.J. and baby are doing fine. Congratulations to Michael and T.J... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Greg Louganis (47), Ann Jillian (52), Oprah Winfrey (53), Tommy Ederly a.k.a. Tommy Ramone (55), Tom Selleck (62), Katherine Ross (67), John Forsythe (89) and Professor Irwin Corey (93)... Timeline Countdown: 6 days until Super Bowl XLI, 17 days until 'pitchers and catchers' and 51 days until spring... ...