Friday-Sunday, November 30 - December 2, 2007...

Comedy writers find a 'Damn' good way around the strike...

Stagehands are back, writers are not. It's looking like that strike will be a lengthy one. Actors have joined writers on the picket line but some of the enterprising comedy writers, who also number performers among their ranks, are staying warm by practicing their craft. A group from 'Saturday Night Live" is performing at a club in New York to keep their chops and some have gravitated to the Internet...

Rob Barnett, a comedian and writer who you probably remember from his work with Don Imus, founded MyDamnChannel, a website that features, among others, former SNL comedian Harry Shearer, a very good satirist. Shearer, the voice of several characters on "The Simpsons" is now channeling Dr. Phil, Dick Cheney and a host of others...

Some choose to 'walk the walk' on picket lines while others have found a way around that, finding an alternative. It's worth checking out and you can by clicking: http://www.mydamnchannel.com/ . Enjoy the laughs...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1901] Debuted on this date (12/2): Gillette patents the first disposable razor)...1927] Ford rolls out their Model A, the successor to the Model T. It's a steal for $385...1939] New York's LaGuardia Airport begins operations as a plane from Chicago lands at 12:01 a.m...1969] Boeing shows off its 747 jumbo jet to the media...1983] MTV airs Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (which shipped one year earlier). Vincent Price is the voice you hear: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DqdAE9xbVYc (all items from 12/2)...
2. 1917] No girls allowed: Father Edward Flanagan opens "Boys Town" in Nebraska. The farm village is designed for "wayward boys". In 1979 it goes co-ed. "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" was written as a tribute to Boys Town (12/1). The Hollies have the hit: http://youtube.com/watch?v=e7HPqi5uVeo ...
3. 1924] Dropping the first puck: The first pro hockey game in the U.S. is played at the Boston Arena. The Bruins beat the Montreal Maroons 2-1. Both teams had just joined the 7-year-old NHL. Boston becomes the first U.S. team in the NHL (12/1)...
4. 1940] Wedding Bells: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz conga down the aisle to a latin beat (11/30)...Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee become America's favorite couple as they swing down the aisle (12/1). They will divorce in 1967...1998] Exxon buys Mobil for $73.7 billion creating the largest company in the world (12/1)...
5. 1955] Rosa Rules: Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (AL), marking a milestone in the civil rights movement (12/1)...
6. 1956] Diaper Dandy champion: 21-year-old Floyd Patterson KOs Archie Moore to become the youngest heavyweight champ (11/30). Name the fighter who will break that record in the 80s. Answer will follow at the end of MPR...
7. 1956] Let's go to the videotape: CBS-TV replays "Douglas Edwards and the News", three hours after it's received on the west coast. It's the world's first broadcast via videotape (11/30). Here's Edwards' last broadcast: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LZWVUXA1qbg ...
8. 1956] Boston is next: San Francisco University's Bill Russell stars as the USA goes gold in basketball with an 89-55 trouncing of Russia at the Melbourne Olympics (12/2) while Red Auerbach lights up a cigar...
9. 1967] "Happy Trails": New York City's Cardinal Francis Spellman ascends and enters the pearly gates from natural causes at 78 (12/2)...1973] David Ben-Gurion, founding father of Israel and its first prime minister passes away from natural causes at 87 (12/1)...1996] After performing on stage, Tiny Tim collapses and dies from congestive heart failure at 71 (11/30). Here's a videotape tribute to TT: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VIBR2Zrb_5Y&feature=related ...
10. 1992] The Name Game: WQEW replaces WQXR on 1560 in New York, adapting a nostalgia music WNEW (AM) type format that will fail (12/2)...1997] Westinghouse formally changes its name to CBS (12/1)...

Music Memories:

• 1957] Debuted on this date (12/1): Buddy Holly & the Crickets and Sam Cooke make their debuts on the 'Ed Sullivan Show'. Holly with "That'll Be The Day" and Sam Cooke with "You Send Me" (12/1)...
• 1957] Number One on this date: "You Send Me" - Sam Cooke (12/2)...1963] "Dominique" - The Singing Nun a.k.a. Sister Luc-Gabrielle (12/2)...1974] "Kung Fu Fighting" - Carl Douglas (12/2)...1979] "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" - Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand (12/2)...
• 1958] Released on this date: "16 Candles" - The Crests (11/30). Johnny Maestro still has the chops: http://youtube.com/watch?v=t_XvPqH7tGM&feature=related ...1968] "Everyday People" - Sly & The Family Stone (11/30)...1972] "You're So Vain" - Carly Simon (12/2)...1979] "The Wall" LP - Pink Floyd (11/30)...1982] Epic Records releases its all-time best-selling LP, "Thriller" - Michael Jackson (12/1) which fed all CBS Records employees for a few years, thank you very much...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

(11/30) Clay Aiken (29), Sandra Oh (37), Ben Stiller (42), Billy Idol (52), Mandy Patinkin (55), Paul Stookey (70), Jimmy Bowen (70), Frank Ifield (71), G. Gordon Liddy (77), Dick Clark (78), Robert Guillaume (80) and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (89)...

(12/1) Carol Alt (47), Treat Williams (56), Gilbert O'Sullivan (61), Bette Midler (62), Lee Trevino (68), Dianne Lennon (68), Woody Allen (72) and Billy Paul (73)...

(12/2) Britney Spears (26), Nelly Furtado (29), Monica Seles (34), Lucy Liu (39), Stone Phillips (53), Cathy Lee Crosby (63), Julie Harris (82) and Alexander Haig (83)...

Timeline Countdown (Sunday, December 2, 2007): 3 days until Hanukah, 20 days until winter, 23 days until Christmas, 29 days until New Year's Eve and 34 days until the NFL Wildcard Playoffs (hopefully not on the NFL Network). (Trivia question answer: Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champ, breaking Floyd Patterson's record in 1986)...

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Ol' 'Blue Eyes' is back...

"If you believe in forever, then life is just a one-night stand." Little did the Righteous Brothers realize how true those lyrics would turn out to be. When Frank Sinatra left this world in 1998, he left us with his legacy of music forever. Yesterday, in a deal with the Sinatra family, Warner Music formed a joint venture to manage global licensing of Sinatra's name, likeness, merchandising, film and most importantly, his music, all of his music, including works from his own Reprise label. The 50-50 partnership was named Frank Sinatra Enterprises. When Sinatra died, his net worth was between $200 and $600 million. Sinatra's three children (Nancy, Tina and Frank Jr.) were given the rights to most of the pop icon's music catalogue. Under yesterday's deal, Warner gains a 50% stake in all things Sinatra including his Reprise masters. In 1963, Warner bought out Sinatra's stake in Reprise, with ownership in the masters going to the singer. His children received the masters when he died...

Although they were as far apart in music as you can get, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley are connected at the hip in 'Rock and Roll Heaven' although "Ol Blue Eyes' wouldn't like the rock and roll part. When Lisa Marie Presley sold her 85% share of daddy's estate to Robert FX Sillerman for an estimated $100 million at the end of 2004, the estate generated over $40 million a year. Sinatra will surely challenge that mark...

There have been three music icons in my lifetime: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Two of those three icons have taken care of their survivors forever and most of the survivors of the parts of the sum in the Beatles case either were or will be. "If you believe in forever, then life is just a one-night stand"...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1890] The military tradition begins: The first Army-Navy football game is played at West Point with the midshipmen of Navy stuffing the Cadets of Army 24-0...
2. 1934] The NFL tradition begins: The Detroit Lions begin an annual NFL Thanksgiving Day tradition, dropping a 19-16 decision to da Bearsss. It was the first NFL game aired on national radio. Brent Mus-sorry, Graham McNamee doing the play-by-play...
3. 1948] Debuted on this date: "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" debuts on NBC-TV...1953] American Airlines begins the first regular commercial NY-LA air service...
4. 1963] Warren Commission: LBJ names Chief Justice Earl Warren as head of a commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...
5. 1975] What's your name, who's your daddy?: Bill Gates names the company he and Paul Allen started as Microsoft, formed to write the BASIC computer language for the Altair. Trivia question: What is Microsoft short for? Answer follows the Timeline Countdown. Letterman pays tribute to Bill Gates: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5NoGbLI3ePA ...
6. 1976] There's a reason he's called 'The Killer': Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shoots his bass player twice in the chest while aiming at a soda bottle. The bass player survives but Dick Cheney takes note...
7. 1976] Call him 'The Straw': Free agent Reggie Jackson a.k.a. "the straw that stirs the drink", signs a 5-year deal with the Yankees, helping the Bombers win 3 AL pennants and 2 world series championships...
8. 1980] Record-breaker: The Georgia Bulldogs end the season unbeaten and untied following a 38-20 win over Georgia Tech as Herschel Walker (http://youtube.com/watch?v=KyKLeXP2XOU )breaks a freshman record with 1,616 rushing yards. #1 Georgia will beat #2 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl and Walker wins the Heisman Trophy two years later...
9. 1981] "Happy Trails": Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island at the age of 43. Natalie who was with husband RJ and Christopher Walken, could not swim...1986] Legendary leading man Cary Grant dies of a stroke at 82...2001] Beatle George Harrison (http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7DUfjlFyqA )loses his battle with cancer at 58. ..
10. 1992] Gridiron tragedy: The Jets' Dennis Byrd is paralyzed after a neck injury suffered in a game against Kansas City...

Music Memories:

• 1959] Grammy Gold: Bobby Darin wins for 'Record of The Year': "Mack The Knife", seen here in glorious black & white: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CBTITHA8twI . Frank Sinatra has the 'Album of The Year': "Come Dance With Me"...
• 1964] Number One on this date: "Ringo" - Lorne Greene (http://youtube.com/watch?v=0V7ILiXurQg )...1969] "Come Together/Something" - Beatles...1972] "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" - Temptations (check out the 'do's' on the Temps and Don Cornelius): http://youtube.com/watch?v=xC5ThTsgJcE ...

Commentary:

Boos to the NFL for putting themselves in such a lousy situation by scheduling the biggest game of the NFC (10-1 Dallas vs. 10-1 Green Bay) on the NFL Network which will probably be seen by maybe 15 to 20% of available viewers because of the poor coverage of their network. Home-field advantage will play a major factor in the outcome of the game and unless you have Comcast, Direct TV or are currently in orbit around the earth, you're not seeing the game tonight. We viewers lose but the biggest loss will be suffered by the NFL and they deserve it...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Mariano Rivera (38), Don Cheadle (43), Kim Delaney (46), Howard Johnson, the former Mets player (47), Howie Mandel (52), Gary Shandling (58), Suzy 'Chapstick' Chaffee (61), Felix Cavaliere (63), Chuck Mangione (67), Vin Scully (80) and Minnie Minoso (85)...

Timeline Countdown: 6 days until Hanukah, 23 days until winter, 26 days until Christmas, 32 days until New Year's Eve and 37 days until NFL Wildcard Playoffs (ans. to trivia question: Miscrosoft is short for 'Microcomputer Software")...

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Microsoft opens its Windows wide...

Don't look now but the number one software giant for what seems like an eternity has been showing its age. One guy you don't ever want to back into a corner is Bill Gates. On any given day, it's Yahoo!, Google or any number of young whippersnappers making some kind of exciting announcement. Just yesterday Google announced its alternative plan for energy that would not only save the cheerleader, it would save the world. What's a Bill Gates to do???

For starters, look for a major campaign to highlight how Microsoft's free online software connects you to its Windows operating system over the Internet. This serves a two-fold purpose, one, to defend the company's bread-and-butter Windows turf and two, to extend its reach into the Web. In short, Gates wants to make Microsoft cool again and is willing to spend A-Rod money to get it done...

Earlier this month, Microsoft released a full package of online software marketed under the Windows Live umbrella including applications for messaging, blogging and sharing photos. Ad agencies are falling all over each other to get what promises to be a gazillion dollar campaign to sell Windows to the world. By the way, whoever said Microsoft's Vista slows down a computer had to be an enemy of Mr. Gates. Since I've had Vista in my new Dell Inspiron 530, I've never had a faster Internet connection...

The last Wednesday of the month picks for "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" will follow in my Commentary...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1582] Wedding Bells: Young Will Shakespeare having already asked Anne Hathaway, "wouldst thou taketh thine hand in holy matrimony" and gotten a "yea, merrily", walks down the aisle with Anne as Bard and Bardess tie the knot poetically...1986] NBC-TV sports dude Ahmad Rashad proposes to Phylicia Allen on live TV during halftime of the Jets-Lions game. Allen accepts as Bill Cosby mumbles incoherently...
2. 1922] Call Melrose 5-5300: Capt. Cyril Turner of the British Royal Air Force gives the first public demonstration of skywriting. He spells out "I-s-i-a-h m-u-s-t g-o" over Times Square. James Dolan hires a plane which writes "I-s-i-a-h s-t-a-y-s f-o-r-e-v-e-r". Here's a skywriting primer from the 30s. The pilot spelling it all out resembles WCBS-FM morning man Dan Taylor, also a pilot: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0xBcRsE9zyk ...
3. 1925] A Grand Ole time: The longest running live music show debuts on WSM Nashville when host George Dewey Hay invites an 83-year-old Civil War veteran to play fiddle for an hour. The 'WSM Barn Dance" begins. In 1927 its name is changed to the "Grand Ole Opry"...1964] Willie Nelson makes his Opry debut...
4. 1942] Flaming inferno: A devastating and deadly fire destroys the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, taking nearly 500 lives. This former doctor was one of the survivors: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9SLnzxnsCZY ...
5. 1948] Get the picture?: The first Polaroid camera is sold. Today's prices for Polaroid cameras on eBay range from $34 to $500. Back with more after this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QH0GK6emctw ...
6. 1956] Cy? Si: Baseball trivia...Who was the first Cy Young winner in the major leagues??? Answer below, following Timeline Countdown...
7. 1963] Name that Cape: LBJ renames Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy. The name is changed back in 1973 by residents of Brevard County...
8. 1981] 'The Bear' mauls his way to the top: Alabama coach Bear Bryant passes Amos Alonzo Stagg as the winningest coach in college football history. Joe Namath and other ex-Tides players watch on the sideline. Bryant's final stats: 323 victories, 15 bowl game appearances and 6 national titles. Bryant retires in December of 1982 and dies one month later of a heart attack...
9. 1994] "Happy Trails": 1960s war protester Jerry Rubin dies two weeks after being hit by a car. Rubin was 56...1994] 34-year-old serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is murdered in a Wisconsin prison. Dahmer becomes Thursday's 'Blue Plate Special'...1999] Hsing-Hsing, the giant panda and the symbol of U.S.-China detente is euthanized at age 28 because of deteriorating health. He/she lives long enough however, to have a prison named after him/her...
10. 2001] Enron-ron-run: Enron Corporation collapses after would-be rescuer Dynergy Inc. backs out of an $8.4 billion bail out...

Music Memories:

• 1970] Released on this date: "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison, here's a live version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wynYMJwEPH8 ...1970] "Your Song" - Elton John, Elton at the piano: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mTa8U0Wa0q8 ...
• 1974] Lennon's farewell: Elton John and John Lennon sing a duet of "I Saw Her Standing There" at Lennon's last stage appearance at Madison Square Garden...
• 2000] Madonna on the Web: 9 million viewers watch a Madonna concert from London on the Internet...

Commentary:

Here's 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' for November: The Good: Jimmie Johnson who donated $341,000 of his winnings at the Pep Boys Auto 500 to the Red Cross' California Wildfire relief effort...The Bad: Michael Vick who turned himself in to begin serving a jail sentence because he was flipped by his cohorts, not because of feeling he owed it to the public to come clean...The Ugly: Barry Bonds who finally got nailed by a federal grand jury for his steroid use. Next month, in addition to December's awards, TGTBTU for 2007...Sorry to hear about 5-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Bill Hartack who passed away at 74. Hartack died from heart disease...WKTU has fired Whoopi Goldberg, now a permanent member of 'The View'. She never gave KTU the numbers they were looking for in morning drive...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Jon Stewart (45), Judd Nelson (48), S. Epatha Merkerson (55), Paul Shaffer (58), Randy Newman (64), Bruce Channel (67), Bruce and Delbert McClinton discuss "Hey Baby", the Beatles and more: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kdXzJaCeHP8 , Gary Hart (71) and Berry Gordy Jr. (78)...

Timeline Countdown: 7 days until Hanukah, 24 days until winter, 27 days until Christmas, 33 days until New Year's Eve and 38 days until the Wild Card Playoffs...(The answer to the Baseball Trivia question: Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe was the major league's first Cy Young Award winner. All Newcombe did was win 27 games that year)...

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

When is commercial content considered entertainment???

When it's Firebrand. An hour show featuring nothing but commercials would not be top of mind for most TV programmers, unless their name is Andy Lack. Lack is the guy who came up with the concept of 'All commercials, all the time' or at least for an hour a day. Firebrand, the show, debuted on the ION network last night at 11 p.m. Most hour shows feature 10 to 15 minutes of commercials. Firebrand contains 60 minutes of commercials. Why you might ask???

Lack has the answer. "TV commercials are a reflection of pop culture. Kids tell us they love commercials. They just don't like them as interruptions." The 'kids' Lack refers to (ages 12-34) are his target audience. There is nothing subliminal about the ads in this show. The only thing subliminal is telling the difference between the real sponsors in each show from the entertainment. Here's a clue: Budweiser, Subway and Microsoft pay their way in. Instead of the network (ION) paying Lack for his show, the sold ads pay the freight and the other ads are entertainment...

I was as skeptical as you probably are, that this concept which has failed before, will never work. Until I saw the 4 minute Firebrand description video on YouTube. The production is so well done you forget that you're watching commercials. I think this will be successful, rendering TiVo obsolete, at least for this show but see for yourself: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ohV9Kv-7dHw&feature=related ...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1779] The name game: The first legally recognized university in America, the College of Pennsylvania becomes the University of Pennsylvania...
2. 1889] Gentlemen, start your engines: Curtis P. Brady is issued the first permit to drive an automobile in Central Park...
3. 1910] The original Penn Station: New York City's Pennsylvania Station opens to the public, where the 8th Avenue Post Office is now located. Plans are in the works to put a new Penn Station in that original location. A Syracuse student who painted the original station for a book, added this video clip to YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tOC-OifKCOs ...
4. 1951] Breaking the color barrier: Hosea Richardson becomes the first black jockey to be licensed in Florida...
5. 1963] LBJ's address: President Lyndon B. Johnson gives his first address to Congress...
6. 1978] City Hall massacre: San Francisco mayor, George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, are shot to death inside City Hall by former supervisor Dan White...
7. 1980] See Ya: The shortest NFL overtime game in history ends when the kickoff is returned by the Chicago Bears' David Williams for a touchdown. Game over...
8. 1998] I cannot tell a lie: Answering 81 questions put to him in advance, President Bill Clinton states that his testimony in the Monica Lewinsky affair was "not false and misleading." That would of course depend on the definition of 'false and misleading'...
9. 2002] Here we go again: U.N. specialists begin a new round of weapons inspections in Iraq...
10. 2003] No tips necessary: George Bush plays commander-in-chief and brings Thanksgiving turkey to our troops in a clandestine trip to Iraq...

Music Memories:

• 1965] Released on this date: "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" - Lovin' Spoonful, just for the record: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PCkPeDFytCE ...1967] "Magical Mystery Tour" LP - Beatles, who may have had something stronger than Cheerios when filming this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=h7pvA4EHi08 ...1970] "All Things Must Pass" LP - George Harrison...

Commentary:

Word came earlier this morning of the death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, 24, who was shot during a possible armed robbery at his home on Monday. The talented-but-troubled Taylor, was sidelined for the last two games with a leg injury. Taylor's death marks the second death of a known sports figure since the weekend. Toronto pitcher Joe Kennedy died in his in-laws' home on Friday. Kennedy was 28. A heart attack or aneurysm may have been the cause although an autopsy has been ordered. Even if you combine their ages (52) it's way too young to die...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Jaleel ("Urkel") White (31), let's all celebrate by doing "The Urkel": http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ncw70Hw1ffs , Samantha Harris (34), Michael Vartan (39), Robin Givens (43), "Sweet" Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (50), Jayne Kennedy (56) and Manola Blahnik (65)...

Timeline Countdown: 8 days until Hanukah, 25 days until winter, 28 days until Christmas, 34 days until New Year's Eve and 39 days until the Wild Card Playoffs...

Monday, November 26, 2007

They call it 'Cyber Monday'...

Leave it to the retailers to come up with a name for the day after the Thanksgiving Weekend and the first weekday after 'Black Friday'. Maybe I've been in the dark since Black Friday but this is the first time I've heard of 'Cyber Monday'. It sounds like something from T-Bone Walker to me: "Oh they call it cyber monday, but tuesdays just as bad. Lord and wednesday's worse and thursdays all so sad. The eagle flies on friday..." Was Cyber Monday started by a cyborg and wouldn't that be a great name for a radio newsman? This is Cy Borg with 20/20 news. At WNOR in Norfolk we had a newsman named Les Lehigh who pronounced his name as one word so everyone thought his name was 'LesleyHigh", but I digress...

Cyber Monday started two years ago and after watching Lesley Stahl's "60 Minutes" piece on rampant credit card theft at major retail stores last night, it sounds good to me. About 120 retailers, members of Shop.org, the trade group for online retailers, said they would offer discounts today. Shop.org said 32% of adults surveyed last week planned to shop online today, a percentage higher than last year's 27%. With rising gas prices and bad weather, at least today in New York, you can get a jump on the holiday season and discounts to boot without stepping outside. BDO Seidman analyst Doug Hart says Cyber Monday sales would account for about 12% of the expected $39 billion in online revenue this season. Add that figure to the roughly 15% of holiday retail sales occurring on Black Friday and that's a chunk of change...

"Saturday I go out to play, Sunday I go to church, gonna kneel down and pray. Lord have mercy on me. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me. Though I'm tryin' and tryin' to find my baby, won't someone please send her home to me". Take it home, T-Bone: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wemG2821l-o ...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1789] 1st Thanksgiving: A day of Thanksgiving is set aside by President George Washington to observe the adoption of the U.S. Constitution...
2. 1825] Let the 1st frat party begin: The first college social fraternity, Kappa Alpha is formed at Union College in Schenectady (NY)...
3. 1832] Hitching a ride: Public streetcar service begins in New York City...
4. 1942] Of all the gin joints: "Casablanca" starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman opens at the Hollywood Theater in Manhattan. What can I say? Play it again, Sam: http://youtube.com/watch?v=F_bMFVDu9yo ...
5. 1973] Dead air: Richard Nixon's secretary Rose Mary Woods tells a federal court that she'd accidentally caused part of the 18 1/2 minute gap in a key Watergate tape. Hey, these things happen...
6. 1975] Double dip: Red Sox outfielder Fred Lynn not only wins the 'Rookie of the Year' award but he also wins the 'Most Valuable Player' award, a first in major league baseball history and no one has done it since...
7. 1975] Guilty as charged: A federal grand jury in Sacramento (CA) finds Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, guilty of trying to assassinate President Gerald Ford...
8. 1982] Wedding Bells: Miles Davis and Cecily Tyson tie the knot in a "love/hate" marriage that lasts until Davis dies...1993] James Carville and Mary Matalin walk down the aisle with Republicans seated on the right and Democrats on the left...
9. 2000] It's over: Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certifies George W. Bush the winner over Al Gore in the state's presidential balloting by 537 votes. Harris gets a wing named after her at the White House...
10. 2006] "Happy Trails": Cleveland sportscaster Casey Coleman, 55, is the victim of pancreatic cancer. Casey was the son of longtime Red Sox announcer Ken Coleman...

Music Memories:

• 1967] Number One on this date: "Incense & Peppermints" - Strawberry Alarm Clock. Yeah baby: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CFF1uKlsEY0&feature=related ...1994] "I'll Make Love To You" - Boyz II Men, do it again: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PqU2WXKcUb0 ...

Commentary:

My thanks to Paul Power for finding a genealogy piece on the Wayland family that appeared on NECN over the weekend. Bill Wayland's brother Greg is a reporter on NECN and filed this report, tracing his family's history: http://www.boston.com/partners/worldnow/necn/landingpage.html?clipId=1460143&top . When you get to NECN Videos, do a search for wayland family...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Harry Carson (54), John McVie (62), Jean Terrell (63), Rich Little (69) seen here on a recent Letterman Show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=78sSn3E_Vvc , Tina Turner (69) and here's TT on "Divas Live 1999": http://youtube.com/watch?v=nq20b4eb6z0 ...

Timeline Countdown: 9 days until Hanukah, 26 days until winter, 29 days until Christmas, 35 days until New Year's Eve and 40 days until the Wild Card playoffs...

Thanksgiving Weekend Wed.-Sunday, Nov. 21-25, 2007...

More music videos are on the way...

The Internet continues to provide more entertainment than any other form of media. It continues to be what MTV once was to a whole new generation and at a more rapid pace than radio or TV ever did. The latest example of this explosion is a deal between Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Yahoo Inc. The deal will allow people to upload files with music or video content by Sony artists to Yahoo. Sony will get a cut of advertising revenue from Yahoo in exchange for the distribution of music videos using Yahoo player applications and widgets that computer users can place on other Web sites. Yahoo! More video for the MPR to entertain you with. And there won't be any copyright infringements because Yahoo will use filtering technology to block chips with unauthorized content. A win-win for all of us!!!

As we all take a break for one of the truly great American holidays - Thanksgiving, here's to a safe, happy gathering with family and friends, lots of good food and thanks for all we've got and Godspeed to those in harms way...

To help us celebrate, here's the trailer to what has become a Thanksgiving tradition, Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant": http://youtube.com/watch?v=smuGx0RJbJU&feature=related ...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1859] Evolution revolution: British naturalist Charles Darwin publishes "On the Origin of Species" which explains his theory of evolution. (11/24) It also explains how we got the worst sitcom of all-time, "The Cavemen"...
2. 1877] Talking Machine: Thomas A. Edison announces the invention of the phonograph or as he calls it, his "talking machine." (11/21). This one really does talk: http://youtube.com/watch?v=S7F2YT8rBIo ...
3. 1889] Jukebox Saturday Night every night: The first jukebox goes into service at the Palais Royal Saloon in San Francisco. Owned by developer Louis T. Glass, the box contains an Edison tinfoil phonograph with 4 listening tubes. A nickel bought a few minutes of music. The jukebox took in a whopping $1,000 in 6 months (11/23). Here's a 1948 Seeberg. Grab some Cookie and the Cupcakes and put another nickel in: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QUqLerdcv44 ...
4. 1940] Debuted on this date: Woody Woodpecker in "Knock, Knock" (11/25)...1949] "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" is played on the radio for the first time (11/25)...1966] The Jimi Hendrix Experience make their London performance debut at the 'Bag O' Nails Club' (11/25)...
5. 1963] A day we'd all like to forget but never will: John Fitzgerald Kennedy is gunned down in Dallas. A day we always remember what we were doing at the time. LBJ is sworn in as our next president (11/22)...
6. 1963] Assassin assassinated: Jack Ruby shoots and mortally wounds Lee Harvey Oswald on live television. It's still hard to believe all those tragic events in Dallas (11/24)...
7. 1980] "Happy Trails": Aging blonde bombshell Mae West suffers a fatal stroke at 87 (11/22)...1985] Big Joe Turner dies of a heart attack at 74 (11/24)...1991] Freddie Mercury of Queen dies of AIDS at 45 (11/24)...1997] INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence, 37, is found hanging in his Sydney, Australia hotel suite (11/22)...
8. 1980] No mas, no mas: Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Roberto Duran for the welterweight crown after Roberto Duran pleads, "No mas, no mas" in the 8th round, ending the fight (11/25)...
9. 1982] Wedding Bells: Joni Mitchell marries her bass player Larry Klein and then paves paradise on her honeymoon (11/21)...1983] New York Rangers star Ron Greschner checks model Carol Alt into the matrimony boards. Greschner goes to the penalty box in 1996 (11/21)...1987] Demi Moore and Bruce Willis rock down the aisle. They divorce in 2000 when Demi discovers where Ashton Kutcher lives. She robs his cradle in 2005 (11/21)...
10. 1984] Hail Mary: Doug Flutie connects with roomie Gerard Phelan and Boston College defeats Miami 47-45 in one of the greatest college football games of all-time (11/23) Bernie Kosar was the Miami QB. Here's the play, set up by Flutie: http://youtube.com/watch?v=r-qkpsygNYo ...

Music Memories:

• 1960] Number One on this date: "Are You Lonesome Tonight" - Elvis Presley (11/23)...1964] "Leader of the Pack" - Shangri-Las (11/22)...1971] "Theme from Shaft" - Isaac Hayes (11/22)...1974] "I Can Help" - Billy Swan (11/23) I had the pleasure of working with Billy who was a member of Kris Kristofferson's band, Billy is seen doing his hit recently: http://youtube.com/watch?v=dki700Xjh3k ...
• 1966] Recording on this date: The Beatles begin recording "Sgt. Pepper" (11/24)...
• 1968] Released on this date: "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" - Supes & Temps (11/21) and here's the audio with stills: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SnMBNvc5wZY ...1995] "The Beatles Anthology I" (11/21) which sets a first-day sales record of 450,000 units. It contained the new song, "Free As A Bird"...
• 1986] Recorded on this date: 36 British and American stars, including Phil Collins, Boy George, George Michael, Sting, U2, Duran Duran & James Taylor get together as Band-Aid to record "Do They Know It's Christmas" with proceeds going to Ethiopian famine relief, conceived by Bob Geldof (11/25). First up to sing is Paul Young: http://youtube.com/watch?v=W7FQ4gviCOk ...

Commentary:

The feel-good story leading us into the Thanksgiving Weekend is the announcement by Neil Diamond that Caroline Kennedy was the subject of "Sweet Caroline". How fitting that the song, now on the British charts was resurrected as an 8th inning staple in Boston at Fenway Park and this is the way it should be sung: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jFVoYRyEwaw ...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

(11/21) Michael Strahan (36), Nicollette Sheridan (44), Lorna Luft (55), Livingston Taylor (57), Goldie Hawn (62), Earl Monroe (63), Tweety Bird (65), Dr. John (67), Marlo Thomas (70) and Stan Musial (87)...

(11/22) Scarlett Johansson (23), Boris Becker (40), Mariel Hemingway (46), Jamie Lee Curtis (49), Steve Van Zandt (57), Billie Jean King (64) and Robert Vaughn (75)...

(11/23) Miley Cyrus (15), Jonathan Papelbon (27), Robin Roberts (47), Bruce Hornsby (52), Sen. Chuck Schumer (57), Luis Tiant (67???) and Jack McKeon (77)...

(11/24) Katharine Heigl (29), Stanley (Chip) Livingston (57), Lee Michaels (62), Donald 'Duck' Dunn (66), Pete Best (66), Paul Tagliabue (67) and William F. Buckley (82)...

(11/25) Barbara Bush, Jenna Bush (both 26), Christina Applegate (36), Jill Hennessy (38), Amy Grant (47) who gives us her "Grown Up Christmas List": http://youtube.com/watch?v=jvuTHCLB3o0 , John Larroquette (60), Bob Lind (63), Ben Stein (63), Percy Sledge (67) and Ricardo Montalban (87)...

Timeline Countdown for Sunday, November 25, 2007: 10 days until Hanukah, 27 days until winter and 30 shopping days until Christmas...

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Are you Kindling me???

I have all the respect in the world for what Jeff Bezos has done in making Amazon one of the best online retail sources in the universe but why do we need digital books? Bezos is unveiling the Kindle, a handheld book reader that is capable of holding about 200 books in something the size of a paperback. This widget displays pages on a screen that look more like paper than an LCD screen. I already have something like that. It's called a book and I read them one at a time. Two-hundred books? I couldn't name 199 more books than the one I'm reading, so why would I carry more than the one I'm reading???

Books are not like music. We program music by choosing our favorites by the boatload. The most number of books I've ever read at one time is 3, reading a chapter from each book. If I ever read 200 at one time, my head would explode. For those interested in having the latest technology toy, the Kindle is wirelessly hooked up to the Internet on Sprint Nextel's high-speed cellular network, letting users download books at a moment's notice. About 90,000 titles are currently available for about $10 apiece, with no connection-subscription fees. And the Kindle sells at, surprise, surprise, Amazon.com for $399. How many do you want???

I wish Bezos all the luck in the world with Kindle but for me, I'll stick with real books. In this fully digitized world we live in, it's nice to take a break and curl up with something you can hold that has the smell and feel of the real thing. Books are for enjoying in the sun on a park bench, at the beach, on the couch or in your favorite chair. It's like baseball. No clocks, no time limits. It's an escape, something we all can use more of...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1928] Debuted on this date: The Boston Bruins lose to Montreal 1-0 as the Boston Garden makes its debut...1966] "Cabaret" with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, opens on Broadway (something it wouldn't be able to do now)...
2. 1947] Wedding Bells: Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh in Westminster Abbey. Celebrating their 60th anniversary, the Duke in addition to being known as the current queen's husband is officially known as her "consort" or as the Duke puts it, "I felt like I'd been turned into an amoeba."...
3. 1960] Knocked into Monday: Frank Gifford is leveled by the Eagles Chuck Bednarik in a blind-sided hit that will wind up ending the career of the Giants star running back. The Eagles clinch the Eastern Conference title. As a reward Gifford will wind up with Kathie Lee...
4. 1962] MVP...MVP...MVP: Mickey Mantle wins his 3rd American League MVP award...
5. 1977] Record-breaking running backs: Walter Payton runs for 275 yards in a 10-7 Bears win over Minnesota, breaking the single-game rushing record held by O.J. Simpson (273 in 1976). In 2000, Emmitt Smith of Dallas breaks Payton's record...
6. 1982] Youngest SNL host: That would be 7-year old Drew Barrymore...
7. 1982] Adding insult to injury: In the most bizarre ending of any football game, California beats Stanford 25-20 on a 5-lateral, 55-yard kickoff return that goes into the Cardinal band, standing in the end zone. This is worth taking another look at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Awax0xMDcdY&feature=related ...
8. 1983] The night of "The Day After": An estimated 100 million viewers watch the controversial ABC-TV movie, "The Day After" depicting a nuclear holocaust. This scene alone with scare the pants off of you: http://youtube.com/watch?v=G2H1E02iMHg ...
9. 1994] Rock and Roll transplant: David Crosby receives a liver transplant...
10. 2003] Book 'em Dano: Michael Jackson is booked on suspicion of child molestation in Santa Barbara (CA). He will be acquitted of the charges...

Music Memories:

• 1962] Released on this date: "Big Girls Don't Cry" - Four Seasons. Frankie and the boys show us their new 'high-waters': http://youtube.com/watch?v=SfYaPsyao7Y ...

Commentary:

It was nice to run into Maire Mason this weekend who was ecstatic over her new promotion to VP/GM at old stomping grounds, WCBS-FM. Maire will also continue to hold the same position at Fresh (WWFS 102.7). Jenn Donohue moves up to Sr. VP/Director of Sales for all 6 New York CBS radio stations. Good luck to both Maire and Jenn, two of my favorite people...

Lots of response to Hy Lit's passing. This e-mail from Hartley Pleshaw is typical: "I grew up in Boston, not Philadelphia but in 1967, Hy's American Bandstand-style TV show out of Philly was broadcast on Channel 56 in Boston every Saturday afternoon. He was fun and funny, the music was great and it was the last hurrah for local rock and roll dance shows on TV." ...

"Happy Trails" to Football Hall of Famer, Green Bay center Jim Ringo who died yesterday, two days shy of his 76th birthday. Ringo who had been battling Alzheimer's, played for Vince Lombardi at Green Bay following the college draft of 1953. He was a mainstay for the Pack through 1963...And finally "Happy Trails" to veteran actor Dick Wilson who passed away from natural causes on Monday at 91. You know him as 'Mr. Whipple' shown here doing one of his classic Charmin commercials: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fbXPjzM5no4 ...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Bo Derek (51, although we'll always remember her as a 'Perfect 10'), Joe Walsh (60) and still rockin': http://youtube.com/watch?v=vOlf2SDrWds , Judy Woodruff (61), Veronica Hamel (64), Norman Greenbaum (65), Dick Smothers (69), Richard Dawson (75), Estelle Parsons (80), Kaye Ballard (80), Evelyn Keyes (88) and Sen. Robert Byrd (90)...

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Thanksgiving, 15 days until Hanukah, 32 days until winter and 35 shopping days until Christmas...

Monday, November 19, 2007

Philadelphia loses a legendary radio voice...

Hy Lit, 73, died under mysterious circumstances in Philadelphia over the weekend in a case reminiscent of what happened to former WABC programming guru, Rick Sklar. You may remember that in June of 1992, Sklar, a runner, went in for elective foot surgery but died from a lack of oxygen, which was mistakenly pumped into his stomach. Rick was just 62 at the time of his death. Hy Lit's son, Sam spoke of "bizarre complications" suffered by his father who had entered the hospital (Lankenau Hospital) to have his knee drained following a fall on November 4. Heavily sedated, Lit was transferred to Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital and last Thursday, to Paoli Memorial, where he passed away. No cause of death has been announced and a spokeswoman for Paoli referred questions to Lit's family...

Lit, from South Philadelphia was also known as "Hyski" or "Hyski O'Rooney McVoutie O'Zoot". Born Hyman Litsky, Hy became one of Philadelphia's most highly-rated and famous disc jockeys of his era in the 50s and 60s, along with Joe Niagra, Jimmy Bishop, Frank X. Feller and Georgie Woods. Veteran disc jockeys offered their praise of Lit: "Here's a guy who made it for all of us" - Don Cannon, Jerry Blavat, the 'Geator with the Heater', added, "It's the end of the era for personality radio" and Joe "Butterball" Tamburro, program director of WDAS, who was taken under Hy Lit's wings, remembered Hy as a "fascinating, dynamic impresario". Hy Lit, dead at 73...

I remember running into Rick Sklar shortly before his death. He had run the New York City Marathon and said he was going to have minor surgery on a foot that was bothering him. What ensued shouldn't happen to anyone. The anesthesiologist was blamed for Sklar's accidental death and Rick's kids received an out-of-court settlement eventually. They lost their mother, Rick's wife Sydelle suddenly, 6 months after their dad's death. You hate to hear of a similar incident happening to another radio veteran. It hits too close to home, not only for the Sklar's but for radio veterans everywhere...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1863] Four Score, for sure: President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address as he dedicates a national cemetery at the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania...
2. 1954] What a wreck: Sammy Davis, Jr. losses an eye in a serious auto crash in San Bernardino (CA). Here's Sammy in happier times, taking some grief from Archie Bunker: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RL9eWbgCCog&feature=related ...
3. 1954] Two tolls, no waiting: Two automatic toll machines are installed on the Garden State Parkway. Now there's just one big toll when you get off the Parkway...
4. 1959] Rama Lama Ding Dong: The Ford Motor Company halts production of the Edsel. Here, Ford extols the virtue of owning one, one year earlier (1958): http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kkoa_xgHfPo ...
5. 1966] Hanging them up: Future Hall of Fame pitcher, Sandy Koufax announces his retirement from baseball, one month shy of his 32nd birthday, due to arm problems. Koufax simply dominated his era. Watch this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=dm8oHYRS6hA ...
6. 1969] Fly me to the Moon: Apollo XII astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean make man's second lunar landing...
7. 1985] A Geneva treat: Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev meet for the first time as they begin their summit in Geneva...
8. 1998] A Starr is born: Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr lays out his evidence against President Bill Clinton during a daylong appearance before the House Judiciary Committee...
9. 2001] MVP...MVP...MVP...MVP: Barry Bonds wins his 4th MVP award (he'll win 3 more). Wasn't this the year they said Bonds started using the 'clear cream'???
10. 2004] Fight Night: In one of sports ugliest days, after a fight breaks out on the floor, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson of the Pacers charge into the stands and fight with fans during an NBA game in Detroit. Officials end the Pacers' 97-82 win with 45.9 ticks left. Fines and suspensions follow. Fan John Green who tossed his drink at Artest, was banned for life in Detroit and hefty fines are levied at Artest, Jackson and others. If you never saw how this started (and ended), you can now: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_tr6aq9zY . This is not for the feint of heart...

Music Memories:

• 1959] Number One on this date: "Mr. Blue" - Fleetwoods, seen here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=etiCeMBYLK8&feature=related ...1969] "Wedding Bell Blues" - Fifth Dimension, Marilyn McCoo belts it out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=IkMhWQgkZ8c ...

Commentary:

In addition to wishing 'Happy Trails' to Hy Lit, baseball lost one of its best spokesman over the weekend when Cincinnati Reds play-by-play man, Joe Nuxhall passed away at 79. Before becoming a broadcaster, Joe was the youngest player in baseball history at 15 years, 10 months and 11 days old. Joe's parents let him join the Reds when school let out. 'Nuxxie' won 135 games during his career. Joe died while awaiting surgery for a pacemaker. He had been slowed by a recurrence of cancer since September...Here's a clarification from Sal Ingeme on his statements about Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams: "Ted Williams was the GREATEST HITTER in baseball and the BIGGEST STAR in Red Sox history. My choice of YAZ was for the GREATEST ALL AROUND player for the Red Sox"...A personal observation on last night's Patriots crushing of Buffalo. I was expecting the 'mercy' rule to be invoked at any moment but I still enjoyed watching it. Next victim for the Pats: the Philadelphia Eagles in Foxboro next Sunday night...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Savion Glover (34), Jodie Foster (45), Meg Ryan (46), Ann Curry (51), Calvin Klein (65), Garrick Utley (68), Ted Turner (69), Dick Cavett (71), Larry King (73) and Alan Young (88)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Thanksgiving, 16 days until Hanukah, 33 days until winter and 36 shopping days until Christmas...

Friday-Sunday, November 16-18, 2007

The real 'Gang Green'...

I remember a promotion we once ran at WXLO called "Green Is Clean" back in the 70s. We collaborated with the New York City Parks Department to help clean up Central Park and made a day of it, sending in the jocks and other members of the staff. There were special garbage bags made up for the occasion and we invited the city to join us in an effort to 'green' the park. We got lots of fellow New Yorkers to help out and good media coverage for what turned into a yearly event. It was an early effort in what has become an ecological obsession to 'green' America, not that I believe that we're doomed to a fate worse than what the 'wicked witch' of 'Oz' suffered, but it would be a good thing to make our environment more pleasant on the eyes, not to mention - ears, nose and throat. Now, along comes an NFL team, of all things, to help the cause...

Enter the Philadelphia Eagles. A lousy team on the field but they've become "the gold standard" for greening according to Tim Sexton who was hired by the Eagles to "Go Green" and here's what they've done:

• Tickets and programs are printed on recycled paper...
• Beer cups are made of corn-based material that disintegrates, hopefully after you drink the beer...
• The cheerleaders use pom-poms made of recyclable material, although I have a better idea, get rid of the cheerleaders...
• The stadium's lights run on 100% clean energy such as wind power. Booing would provide a lot of that...
• Organic fertilizer is used to 'green' the field...
• Plates in executive suites are made of sugar cane and reed, good for sucking on after finishing your meal...
• To-date, the Eagles have recycled 150 tons of material and have saved more than 200 tons of trees...

I made some attempts at humor on a couple of items but this really is a good effort. It's something that other teams should think about. Now that they've successfully tackled the clean-up, the biggest problem in Philadelphia during the NFL season is how to get the Eagles back to the Super Bowl and right now that looks insurmountable. They are the 'greenest' team though...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1915] Things go better with Coke: Coca-Cola has its prototype for a contoured bottle patented. The bottle makes its commercial debut the following year. The Andrews Sisters knew what to put in their cokes in 1945: http://youtube.com/watch?v=4CUw1Km35Gg ...
2. 1952] The ball is down, the kick is: Lucy holds the football for Charlie Brown for the first time in 'Peanuts' and he fans on it for the first time...
3. 1957] The streak ends: Dick Lynch scampers around right end for a touchdown, ending Oklahoma's streak of 47 consecutive wins. Notre Dame beats the #1 ranked Sooners 7-0 in Norman (OK)...
4. 1959] The birth of the Patriots: William "Billy" Sullivan Jr. and a group of Boston businessmen is awarded the 8th and final franchise in the new American Football League. The Boston Patriots are born...
5. 1960] "Happy Trails": Clark Gable dies of a heart attack at 59...1961] House Speaker Sam Rayburn is the victim of cancer in Texas at 79...
6. 1966] Not guilty as charged: Dr. Sam Sheppard is acquitted in his second trial on charges of murdering his pregnant wife Marilyn in 1954. This story was the basis for "The Fugitive"...
7. 1981] Wedding Bells: Luke marries Laura on "General Hospital" for a TV audience of 16 million viewers...1987] Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet rock down the aisle. They'll separate in 1990 and divorce in 1993...
8. 1982] The NFL is back: An agreement is reached in the 57th day of a strike by NFL players. The 16-game season is reduced to 9 games with 8 teams seeded from 1 to 8 at the end of the season. The Redskins beat the Dolphins in SB XVII...
9. 1999] NFL killer: Chrica Adams, pregnant girlfriend of NFLer Rae Carruth is shot 4 times while sitting in her car. She dies one month later. The baby survives. Carruth is sentenced to a minimum of 18+ years for his role in the murder...
10. 2004] The Condy Woman: President George W. Bush picks National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice as his new Secretary of State, succeeding Colin Powell...

Music Memories:

• 1960] Number One on this date: "Stay" - Maurice Williams & Zodiacs and heeerrrreee they are: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sUL3sWbLM-U ...1970] "I Think I Love You" - David Cassidy. The song tops the charts 2 months and 4 days after "The Patridge Family" debuts...1974] "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" - John Lennon w/piano & vocals by Elton John. This is the great animated video of the tune: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ho1yJwvWCrw ...
• 1974] Released on this date: "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - Stevie Wonder, seen here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6tCeAZ1nQjk ...1979] "Wonderful Christmas" - Paul McCartney (guaranteed to be #1 at the Brough's in NZ)...

Commentary:

From Sal Ingeme in Naples, Florida: "67 proved to me that YAZ was the greatest all around player in Red Sox history. Yes, I too had chills watching him during the '67 season. It was the single most exciting performance I've ever seen. Thanks for bringing back the memories." You're quite welcome Sal. Now as far as Yaz over Ted Williams, there are those that would disagree. I just caught the tail end of his career and just didn't see enough of him, although he had the best eye of any player I've even seen...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Osi Umenyiora (27), Oksana Baiul (30), Maggie Gyllenhaal (30), Lisa Bonet (40), Diana Krall (43) - we love you just the way you are, Diana: http://youtube.com/watch?v=V-a_cCBzXRg&feature=related , Dwight Gooden (43), Marg Helgenberger (49) and Clu Gulager (79)...

Saturday-Sunday, November 17-18, 2007...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1956] Quite the wrap: Jim Brown finishes his college career at Syracuse by running for 6 TD's and kicking 7 extra points in a 61-7 massacre of Colgate (11/17)...
2. 1959] Premiered on this date: William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" starring Charlton Heston opens at a Loew's Theater in Times Square (11/18). Here's the trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8SOT0ofuscU ...1985] Howard Stern brings his morning show to K-Rock (WXRK)(11/17)...2003] Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his debut as the 'Governator'(11/17)...2005] "Walk The Line", the Johnny Cash biopic opens (11/18)...
3. 1968] The 'Heidi' Game: NBC-TV switches from the exciting ending of the Jets-Raiders game to the singing girl in her apron. Here's what we didn't see: Oakland scores 2 TD's in 9 seconds to hold on to a 43-32 win over the Jets. The final score runs in a crawl under 'Heidi' (11/17)...
4. 1969] "Happy Trails": The Kennedy patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy dies in Hyannis Port (MA) at 81. He had suffered a massive stroke 8 years prior (11/18)...1994] Cab Calloway dies in a Delaware nursing home of a stroke at 86 (11/18). Here's the legendary entertainer, you should pardon the expression, hi-de-hoing : http://youtube.com/watch?v=zxcc34Ik2QA&feature=related ...
5. 1973] I'm Not A Crook: President Richard M. Nixon tells an AP managing editors meeting in Orlando that "People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook". In front of a news organization's meeting? Nice timing Mr. President (11/17)...
6. 1978] Pass on the Kool-Aid: People's Temple leader Jim Jones forces his followers to drink a fruit-flavored, cyanide-laced concoction in Jonestown, Guyana. They do and they die. Only a dozen escape. The final death toll: 913, including 276 children (11/18)...
7. 1987] SOLD to the highest bidder: CBS, Inc. agrees to sell its record division to SONY Corp. for about $2 billion. The pink slips start flying. Guess which blogger got one 2 years later? (11/18)...
8. 1990] Wedding Bells: Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall make it official in Bali. The marriage dissolves in 1999 with Jerry claiming that Mick fathered a child by a Brazilian model (Luciana Morad)(11/18)...
9. 1997] Super Mario: NHL great Mario Lemieux retires, is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and then returns to play, eventually getting into ownership in Pittsburgh (11/17)...
10. 2003] Convicted: John Allen Muhammad is convicted on two counts of capital murder in the Washington, D.C. area sniper shootings. He awaits execution in Virginia (11/17)...

Music Memories:

• 1963] Number One on this date: "I'm Leaving It Up To You" - Dale and Grace, here's the video (11/18): http://youtube.com/watch?v=LNKTpyR8YT4&feature=related ...1973] "Photograph" - Ringo Starr (11/18)...1975] "That's The Way I Like It" - KC & Sunshine Band, in action: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VWf1MdHv80Q (11/17)...1984] "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" - Wham (11/17)(my boys): http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hksil-KkebQ ...
• 1980] Released on this date: "Double Fantasy" LP - John Lennon (11/17)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

(11/17) Daisy Fuentes (41), RuPaul (47), Howard Dean (59), Tom Seaver (63), Lorne Michaels (63), Danny DeVito (63), Lauren Hutton (64), Martin Scorsese (65), Bob Gaudio (65) and Gordon Lightfoot (69)...

(11/18) David Ortiz a.k.a. 'Big Papi' (32), Owen Wilson (39), Gary Sheffield (39), Elizabeth Perkins (47), Kevin Nealon (54), Linda Evans (65) and Brenda Vaccaro (68)...

Timeline Countdown for Sunday, November 17, 2007: 4 days until Thanksgiving, 17 days until Hanukah, 34 days until winter and 37 shopping days until Christmas...

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Imus goes rural for his TV coverage...

The I-man loves Country music so maybe it's fitting that when he returns to radio in a couple of weeks (Dec. 3 on WABC) his TV coverage will be on "Rural America's Most Important Network" a.k.a. RFD-TV. Imus will share the network with farm reports, tractor pulls and "a little bit country" minus the "little bit of rock and roll". If you choose to pass on all of those fun events and just watch Imus doing his radio show you might have a problem unless you have DirecTV, EchoStar and some other minor satellite companies. Chances are, oh about 100% that Comcast, Time Warner or whatever cable company you pay an exorbitant amount to watch, does not carry RFD. Time Warner doesn't even carry the NFL or Biography as you all know if you've been reading MPR. That's one of the reasons that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is proposing to re-regulate the cable industry...

That's what RFD's Patrick Gottsch is hoping for. Gottsch is banking on Imus' political clout and loyal urban fan base to help get his network on the air in major markets like New York and Washington, D.C. Tom Eagan, Oppenheimer & Company analyst adds: "Recent FCC attempts at re-regulating the cable industry will make it easier to get carriage for independent networks (like Hallmark Channel and NFL Network)". And Biography???

Both the New York Daily News (David Hinckley) and New York Post (Peter Lauria) were all over this story this morning and for good reason. There's a lot at stake. Gottsch hopes that over the next two years he can add 20 million homes for a total of 50 million. Agreements with Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner, would give RFD about 40 million subscribers...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1926] Debuted on this date: The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) debuts with a radio network of 24 stations. The first network broadcast is a 4-hour special from the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria featuring big band music and it probably sounded like the music on this video clip, circa 1927: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2TLQewntE1w ...1940] The Midtown Tunnel linking Manhattan and Queens opens to traffic...1956] Elvis Presley's movie career is launched when "Love Me Tender" premieres at the New York Paramount Theater. The film will earn back it's $1 million cost in just 3 days. Over the next 13 years Elvis will appear in 33 movies...1969] Wendy's opens its first restaurant in Columbus (OH). They now have 10,000 restaurants...1990] David Bowie makes his Broadway debut in "The Elephant Man"...
2. 1939] Planting the seed: FDR lays the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C...
3. 1967] MVP...MVP...MVP: The Red Sox' Carl Yastrzemski wins the AL MVP in the best individual season performance by a player I've ever seen (this includes watching Mantle & Maris in New York). Yaz won the highly coveted Triple Crown in '67 and it hasn't been done since. This video clip from the PBS "Baseball" special sums up the season Yaz had. It gave me chills just watching his intensity of play: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RGhcavwAzaE ...
4. 1969] Anti-War: A quarter of a million protesters stage a peaceful demonstration in Washington, D.C., against the Viet Nam War...
5. 1988] Staking their claim: The legislative body of the PLO proclaims the establishment of an independent state. Zionists take a different view...
6. 1992] Not a petty career: Richard Petty's 35-year reign as stock-car king ends in a fiery crash when his famous #43 gets caught in a pileup in his last race. Unhurt, he finishes the race retiring with 7 NASCAR championships and 7 Daytona victories. Both are records...
7. 1993] Guilty as charged: A judge in Mineola (LI) sentences Joey Buttafuoco to 6 months in jail for the statutory rape of Amy Fisher, who shot and wounded Joey's wife, Mary Jo...
8. 1996] "Happy Trails": Alger Hiss, 92, a former State Dept. official who fell from grace in a Communist spy scandal dies...
9. 2004] McGrieved: New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey leaves office 3 months after resigning due to a gay extra-marital affair. State Senator Richard Codey takes over as interim Gov...
10. 2005] Saving face: In Amiens, France, Isabelle Dinoire becomes the first person to undergo a partial face transplant. A mauling by an attacking dog earlier in the year badly disfigured her face...

Music Memories:

• 1965] Appearing on 'Hullabaloo': The Rolling Stones sing "Get Off Of My Cloud"...
• 1969] Released on this date: "I Want You Back" - Jackson Five. This is how I'd like to remember Michael: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sgObIx5bihQ ...
• 1990] Read my lips: A Milli Vanilli publicist admits that Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus never sang a note on their album when they lip-synched, performing live. Here in this video clip is a lip-sync of a lip-sync: http://youtube.com/watch?v=t0qTOkUPlGk ...

Commentary:

Just an observation on the anti-Vietnam timeline from 1969. I heard an explanation on why we don't have similar demonstrations today against a highly unpopular war in Iraq. The explanation was that we no longer have a military draft like we did in 1969 so the stakes are not as high (the U.S. draft ended in 1973). High enough though because of all those who have and continue to lose their lives...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Frida Lyngstad of ABBA (62), Sam Waterston (67), Yaphet Kotto (70), Joanna Barnes (73), Petula Clark (75) and here's the youthful looking and singing Pet singing "This is My Song" live (French and English): http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZVp97USJtZY , Edward Asner (78) and judge Joseph Wapner (88)...

Timeline Countdown: 7 days until Thanksgiving, 20 days until Hanukah, 37 days until winter and 40 shopping days until Christmas...

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

It's time for another UFO investigation...

What do John Lennon, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, former presidents Reagan and Carter and former Arizona Governor Fife Symington have in common? Correct. All of the above have seen UFOs. The credibility of the first four names pretty much stand up especially if the former Beatle was drug free at the time. As far as the former Arizona Governor, I question whether someone named Fife could pass a credibility test. Is he wife's name 'Drum' and are his kids named 'Bugle' and 'Corps'???

It was Dennis Kucinich, now a presidential candidate who mentioned seeing a UFO during one of the Democrats debates recently that has revived a movement that started in the 40s. In 1947 the Air Force started their Project Blue Book, investigating over 12,000 UFO reports from '47 to 1969. Investigators concluded that the incidents posed no threat and there was no evidence of space aliens or a super technology in operation. This past Monday, an international panel of two dozen former pilots and government officials called on the U.S. government to reopen its 60-year old investigation given continuing reports about flying discs, glowing spheres and other strange sightings...

Here's the statement issued by the Air Force on their website in answer to that panel of pilots: "Since the termination of Project Blue Book, nothing has occurred that would support a resumption of UFO investigations." What's the Air Force afraid of? There are dumber things that money is wasted on than finding out what UFOs really are. UFOs or "unidentified flying objects" exist. There are tons of people who've seen them. Fifty years ago, even Buchanan and Goodman knew they existed: http://youtube.com/watch?v=KRt2l3yKh1M ...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1832] Ding Ding Ding goes the trolley: The first streetcar goes into service in New York. It was horse-drawn with room for 30 and the fare was 12 cents. It ran on 4th Avenue (no longer in existence) between Prince and 14th Streets in Manhattan. Here's what the Brooklyn streetcars looked like in Brooklyn in the 30s: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0Gmxm_xboqk ...
2. 1889] Whoa Nellie: New York World reporter Nellie Bly a.k.a. Elizabeth Cochrane begins an attempt to surpass the fictitious journey of Jules Verne's Phineas Fogg by traveling around the world in less than 80 days. Bly does it in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes in January and records a new song called "Around the World in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes"...
3. 1943] The Maestro: 25-year old Leonard Bernstein makes his debut with the New York Philharmonic, filling in for an ailing Bruno Walter prior to a nationally broadcast concert...
4. 1961] Premiered on this date: : "Blue Hawaii" starring Elvis Presley. Here's a trailer of the movie: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wV2AoExmPGA ...
5. 1972] Wedding Bells: Britain's Princess Anne marries commoner Capt. Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey. They divorce in 1992 and the Princess will re-marry...1996] Michael Jackson and mother-for-hire Deborah Rowe make it official...1998] Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman marry but there's some debate over who wore the bridal gown. The marriage ends in 9 days. So what took so long???
6. 1986] A fine day: A record $100 million penalty is imposed on Ivan F. Boesky for insider trading. How exactly do you pay that off???
7. 1986] Keeping it in the family: The Doubleday Publishing Company agrees to sell the Mets to Nelson Doubleday & Fred Wilpon for $80.7 million. The company had purchased the World Champions for a then-record $21.1 million in 1980. Citibank will be paying the Mets $20 million a year for 20 years for naming rights to Citi Field which will open in 2009 at the site of Shea Stadium which will turn into a parking lot...
8. 1990] More than we need to know: The Who's Pete Townshend tells us just a bit too much information, confessing his bisexuality to Newsweek...
9. 1993] The Dolphin swallows the Bear: Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula passes Papa Bear, George Hallas as the winningest coach in NFL history when Miami beats Philadelphia 19-14. It's Shula's 325th victory as a coach. His final coaching career stats are: 347-173-6...
10. 1999] Afghanisanctions: The U.N. imposes sanctions on Afghanistan for refusing to hand over terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden. A lotta help that was...

Music Memories:

• 1961] Number One on this date: "Georgia on my Mind" - Ray Charles... 1972] "I Can See Clearly Now" - Johnny Nash, seen here on "The Midnight Special" in 1973: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NkwJ-g0iJ6w ...1982] "Up Where We Belong" - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (the song wins an Academy Award for "An Officer and a Gentleman")...


• 1970] Released on this date: "Black Magic Woman" - Santana...


• 1981] "Roo-mania": Four of the top 10 singles are done by Australian artists: Olivia Newton-John is #3 with "Physical", the Little River Band, Air Supply and Rick Springfield share the rest of the top 10...


• 1987] Reunited and it feels so good: Sonny & Cher reunite to sing "I Got You Babe" on the David Letterman Show and here's the historic clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GGdLYdkRoAg ...

Commentary:

Dickie Goodman of Buchanan & Goodman was a real character who would still be doing song parodies if he were alive today. He reminded me of a cross between Danny Bonaduce and Marty Ingalls, personality-wise. He was a typical New Yorker with boundless energy. He was influenced by Stan Freberg and practiced the same craft, producing and starring in his song parodies. Some of Buchanan & Goodman's hits beside "The Flying Saucer" include: "Buchanan & Goodman On Trial", "The Banana Boat Story", "Flying Saucer The 2nd", "Santa And The Satellite", "The Touchables", "Mr. Jaws". There were about 30 in-all. Dickie was sued many times over his use of song snippets without permission of the publishers but most were settled out-of-court. Dickie died of a self-inflicted gunshot in 1989 but son Jon Goodman carries on, promoting and administering his father's works. In 2006, Dickie's estate produced and authorized two albums: "All Time Novelty Hits" and "Dickie Goodman's Greatest Hits"...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Josh Duhamel (35), Curt Schilling (41), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (53), Yanni (53), Stephen Bishop (56), remember his hit, "On and On"?: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nKyU89WqoNI , Britain's Prince Charles (59), Buckwheat Zydeco a.k.a. Stanley Dural Jr. (60) and Jimmy Piersall (78)...

Timeline Countdown: 8 days until Thanksiving, 20 days until Hanukah, 37 days until winter and 40 shopping days until Christmas...