'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
Bing Crosby
By Baron Dave Romm
Desi Arnaz invented the television rerun. In the early days, shows would be broadcast twice, one for the East Coast and once for the West Coast. This was fine for people coming out of the Broadway tradition, but his wife was pregnant. In 1951, Desi developed the three-camera live-to-film tv format which is still standard today. This enabled I Love Lucy to be filmed, once, and put in the can. Two hours or five decades later, the show was as good as originally broadcast. No blurry kinescope for Little Ricky.
Harry Lillis Crosby, who's 100th birthday was May 3 (though he celebrated May 2, 1904 most of his life), deserves his props too.
Before tv there was radio, and radio was a live medium. Until the middle 40s, sound was recorded, if at all, on wax disks. Records were fine, but high quality recordings were expensive to make (unless you made thousands) and required a lot of equipment in a big studio and were difficult if not impossible to record over.
In 1946, Bing didn't have a pregnant wife to worry about. He wanted to play golf.
Borrowing from a site about Les Paul, from an interview conducted by Frank Beacham:
Magnetic recording devices have a long history going back to 1888. Still, even the Germans admit that "During [WWII], tape recorders were produced only for military use, propaganda campaigns and broadcast studios." This was used, successfully, to confuse the allies who weren't sure just where the person speaking was. As a site devoted to German composer Felix Draeseke says, "Fritz Schröter, a director of AEG, was active with Pfleumer in developing coated-plastic tape in collaboration with BASF. The reproduced signals were sufficiently good that it became difficult to tell them from the live broadcast performances. Sound recording on coated-plastic tape was improved during the war to the point where Adolf Hitler's radio broadcasts, replayed from AEG Magnetophon equipment, no longer indicated his location. It was also possible to air the identical concert at the same hour from several stations; listeners (the Allies in particular) wondered how it was being done."
Thomas Edison to Oberlin Smith to Jack Mullin to... Harry Lillis Crosby. Somewhere, right now, Bing is crooning off recordings he helped make possible. Somewhere, right now, Bing is playing golf on the perfect course.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here, and you can hear the last two Shockwave broadcasts in Real Audio here (scroll down to Shockwave). Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air, and I'm collecting extra-weird stuff for a possible CD compilation.
Another Scary Read
from that Mad Cat, JD
Reader Link
Flexiblity
Hi Marty,
I ran across this site a while back and thought this might fit in with your the sense of humor.
Look through the galleries. You won't know whether to laugh, cringe, or call an ambulance.
The Foundling
Thanks, Foundling!
Reminds me of an old 'SNL' skit - where Gilda Radner was 'Lisa Lubner', whose dad had been the model for 'Slinky'.
Cool Toy
Sky Car
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, breezy & cool.
We also stopped at the George Patton Museum outside of Palm Springs yesterday. There was a picture we wanted to see.
Wonder what an F-15C was doing at the Long Beach airport this afternoon? Living close to the airport, we've become familiar with the 'normal' sounds. This wasn't one of them.
Tonight, Monday, CBS is supposed to open the evening with a FRESH 'King Of Queens', followed by a FRESH 'Yes, Dear', then
a FRESH 'Raymond', followed by a FRESH 'Still Standing', and then a FRESH 'CSI: Miami' (unless you live in Rhode Island).
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Kelly Ripa, Good Charlotte, and "Survivor: The Amazon" castoff Christy Smith.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers are Jerry O'Connell, Hugo Weaving, and Switchfoot.
NBC is supposed to start the night with a FRESH 2-hour 'Fear Factor' followed by the Season Finale 'Crossing Jordan'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Laurence Fishburne, Jamie Oliver, Uncle Kracker, and Dobie Gray.
On a RERUN Conan are Matthew McConaughey, Karolina Kurkova, and Hunter S. Thompson.
On a RERUN Carson Daly (from 4/10/03), are Shannen Doherty, the Sklar Brothers, and Stellastarr.
ABC is supposed to begin the night with 'ABC's 50th Anniversary Blooper Celebration', followed by the 2-hour Season Finale of 'The Practice'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are David Boreanaz, Ozomatli, and this week's guest co-host Patton Oswalt.
The WB offers a FRESH '7th Heaven', followed by a FRESH 'Everwood'.
Faux has a FRESH 'Boston Pubic', followed by a FRESH 'Mr. Personality'.
UPN offers a FRESH 'The Parkers', followed by a FRESH 'One On One', then a FRESH
'Girlfriends', followed by a FRESH 'Half & Half'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) is Chris Matthews.
TCM celebrates Fritz Lang with
Metropolis (1927), followed by
The Blue Gardenia (1953), then
Fury (1936), and
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
Fritz Lang's film 'Dr. Mabuse', was banned by the Nazi's & he was called to Herr Goebbels office. He left Germany that night - a very interesting character.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Actress Ruby Dee reads from Ralph Ellison's 'Invisible Man' during the unveiling of a sculpture honoring the acclaimed author Thursday, May 1, 2003, in front of his longtime home in West Harlem.
Photo by Frank Franklin II
Lisbon High School
Stephen King
Copies of the Lisbon (Maine) High School student newspaper from the mid-1960s have become collectors items.
That's because they contain two original stories by an author listed as "Steve King."
The stories, "The 43rd Dream" and "Code Name: Mousetrap," are believed to be among the earliest published works of best seller Stephen King, who grew up in Durham and attended Lisbon High at that time.
The old newspaper copies were discovered last year when retired English teacher Prudence Grant cleaned out her file cabinet. She sold the copies on the online auction site eBay, where they fetched $400 to $800 per copy.
Grant never had King in class, but she was an adviser for the school newspaper, The Drum, which King wrote for. Grant remembers him as "a goofy guy who went on to do far, far, far better than any of us."
Stephen King
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
More 'Liberal' Punditry
Peggy Noonan
MSNBC has added another conservative commentator to its stable, hiring speechwriter-author-columnist Peggy Noonan, who also will contribute to NBC News, the news cable network said Friday.
Noonan, a former speechwriter for President Reagan, will deliver two commentaries a week on MSNBC, appearing on "Hardball With Chris Matthews" at 7 p.m. and "Scarborough Country," with Joe Scarborough, at 10 p.m. The network said she also will "contribute" to NBC News programs throughout the year but declined to be more specific.
MSNBC has moved to hire several conservative commentators in recent months, including Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, and Michael Savage, who has a one-hour show on Saturdays. While "Countdown's" Keith Olbermann brings a smart-alecky skepticism to his newscast, he is not overtly ideological on the air the way Savage, Noonan and Scarborough are.
Peggy Noonan
Jean-Antoine Houdon's sculpture of Thomas Jefferson, is the likeness of Jefferson that's on the nickel, done in 1879, and put on the 5-cent piece in 1938. The first large international show of Houdon's work, titled 'Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828): Sculptor of the Enlightenment', opens Sunday, May 4, 2003, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
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Oprah's Father Has Role in Film
Vernon Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey attended the Friday night premiere of "Charlie's War" at the Nashville Film Festival. Her father, Vernon, has a role in the independent film.
"I'm excited to see what he can do on the screen," she told reporters as she entered the theater.
Her father is a Nashville barber and former councilman.
Vernon Winfrey
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
mtvICON Taping
Metallica
Proving that no one does Metallica better than Metallica, acts such as Sum 41, Limp Bizkit, Korn and Avril Lavigne gamely covered songs by the hard rock group at MTV's annual tribute concert on Saturday while fans impatiently awaited a set by the honorees themselves.
Playing in public for the first time with new bassist Rob Trujillo, Metallica ran through a fast and furious medley of songs, including "Creeping Death" and "Sanitarium," before unveiling the speed-metal song "Frantic" from their upcoming album, "St. Anger."
Still a little rusty from a long layoff, Metallica performed "Frantic" twice after deciding that the first version was not to their liking. The medley also got off to a false start.
The performance capped a taping that lasted almost three hours in a soundstage at Universal Studios. MTV will air its third annual "mtvICON" event on Tuesday at 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Fans in the audience included Kelly Osbourne, "American Idol" singer Ryan Starr, model Rachel Hunter and record producer Rick Rubin.
The band's two-decade career was documented between performances on two giant video screens. The film wasted no time probing Metallica's troubled past, beginning with an examination of bassist Jason Newsted's exit and singer James Hetfield's rehab stint. On the other hand, the respective departure and death of original members Dave Mustaine and Cliff Burton were barely acknowledged.
Presenters included Rob Zombie, Lisa Marie Presley, Travis Barker from Blink 182, actress Shannon Elizabeth, comedian Jim Breuer and Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. Michelle Branch introduced four U.S. Marines just back from the Iraqi war, who got a loud cheers. On the other hand, anti-war activist Sean Penn received scattered boos when he introduced Metallica.
For a lot more, Metallica
Wearing a traditional Hanbok, a South Korean woman holds a replica lotus flower at the Lotus Lantern Festival to celebrate the upcoming Buddha's birthday, in Seoul May 4, 2003. Korean Buddhists celebrate Buddha's birthday on May 8.
Photo by Lee Jae-Won
Wedding News
Melissa McKnight & Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc, who stars on the hit TV comedy series "Friends," married his longtime fiancee Melissa McKnight on Saturday, in a star-studded cliffside wedding on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, according to syndicated television show Extra.
LeBlanc, 35, and McKnight, a former model, became engaged in 1998, Extra said. She has two children from a previous marriage.
The ceremony took place on exclusive Anini Beach with LeBlanc dressed in a dark suit bedecked with a white lei and his bride wearing a long white gown. Details of the guest list were not immediately available. Entertainment Tonight reported on Friday that fellow "Friends" stars had made plans to attend the ceremony but details of preparations were kept closely under wrap.
Melissa McKnight & Matt LeBlanc
Wants to Live in NYC
Prince William
Prince William wants to spend a few years in New York after finishing his university degree, a British newspaper reported Sunday.
William, 20, wants to pursue a postgraduate degree at an American college or a job with a U.S. art auction house or gallery, The Sunday Mirror said.
A spokesman for St. James' Palace did not deny the report but said no decisions about William's future have been made.
"He has two years left at university. Anything about what he might do then is pure speculation," the spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity.
Prince William
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Theater Director Attacked
Attilio Maggiulli
Two men attacked the director of a Paris theater Sunday, punching him and slashing his face, apparently because of a play he is staging that criticizes resident Bush, the theater said.
Attilio Maggiulli, director of the Theater of Italian Comedy, was attacked in the building's entrance on Sunday, said Claudine Simon, his assistant. One man held him down, while another cut his face. They also splashed paint on the theater's walls, she said.
It was unclear exactly what motivated the beating, said Simon, who said she found her employer bleeding in the entryway. But she said it may have been over the play the theater has been showing since Wednesday, titled "George W. Bush, or God's Sad Cowboy."
The assailants fled, and Maggiulli was treated at a Paris hospital, Simon said.
The theater director wants to shut down the play to protect the actors, but a final decision has not yet been made, Simon said. Maggiulli founded the theater in the Montparnasse neighborhood to stage works by Italian playwrights performed in French.
Attilio Maggiulli
A member of a traditional dance group called 'Los Historiantes' participates in the celebration of the Palm Festival in the village of Panchimalco 18 kms to the south of San Salvador, May 4, 2003.
Photo by Roberto Escobar
Rally Ended Early
Hungary
Revellers at Hungary's first pro-marijuana rally and rock concert were pelted with tomatoes and eggs, forcing the festivities to end early.
Police kept pro-marijuana demonstrators and their opponents apart to prevent clashes but the anti-drug campaigners hissed, booed and threw objects, forcing the rally to end an hour early on Sunday.
Hungary has one of the toughest anti-drug laws in Europe.
Hungary
Gilligan's Island Theme Song (2nd Season)
by George Wyle
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailing man,
The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three hour tour,
a three hour tour.
The weather started getting rough,
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
The Minnow would be lost,
the Minnow would be lost.
The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
With Gilligan,
The Skipper too,
The millionaire and his wife,
The movie star
The professor and Mary Ann,
Here on Gilligan's Isle.
* Note: During the 1st season, the 2nd to last line was "and the rest" - this was because Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells didn't have it specified in their contracts that they would be credited up front with the rest of the cast.
Sitcoms Online
In Memory
George Wyle
George Wyle, who wrote the theme song to "Gilligan's Island" and directed music for singers including Andy Williams, has died at the age of 87.
Wyle also wrote the Christmas classic "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and more than 400 other songs.
He died Friday of leukemia at the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center in Tarzana, his son Jerry Weissman said.
"The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," which Wyle wrote with the show's creator and producer Sherwood Schwartz, became one of the most popular television theme songs. The show debuted on CBS in 1964 and ran until 1967, but its reruns remained popular for years.
"America doesn't want great music themes," Wyle once said of the song. "Just something it can remember."
In recent years, Wyle wrote music and lyrics and directed choirs for community groups and schools in Thousand Oaks, just north of Los Angeles.
"Music is a learning process. It's a reading process. Everybody gets a book of words, and we learn. It teaches them to work with other people. It teaches kids to get out and sing," he told the Daily News of Los Angeles in 1998.
Wyle was born Bernard Weissman in New York City and began playing piano professionally at clubs in New York's Catskill Mountains. He moved to Los Angeles in 1946 to write and conduct music for the "Alan Young Radio Show."
In Los Angeles, he worked as choral director for television shows such as "The Dinah Shore Show," "The Jerry Lewis Show" and "The Andy Williams Show." He also handled music for specials by magician David Copperfield, Carol Channing, and for the People's Choice Awards presentations.
Besides his son, Wyle is survived by a daughter, sister and brother.
George Wyle
The gold-crusted domes of the 11th century Monastery of Caves shine in the the sunset on a warm spring day in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, May 1, 2003.
Photo by Efrem Lukatsky
'Ark of Darkness'
"The Ark of Darkness", a Political/Science-Fiction work, in tidy, weekly installments (and updated every Friday).
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'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 4
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
