~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From 'TBH Politoons'
Great Site!
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Contribution
from Alvin
From Alvin
I saw this pic yesterday & was able to write a song parody:
A PAIN IN THE A$$
{Sung to'Another Brick In The Wall' by Pink Floyd}
{As Sung By pResidentBush}:
I invoked the 25th amendment
Transferred power to theDick
For two hours while I was sedated
To discharge the duties ofthe pResident
Lost control of my senses, I had to pass somegas
They drilled a goddamn scope inside my a$$!
Subsisting ona diet of clear liquids
And several doses of laxatives
It was avery unpleasant experienced
Anal probed on the pResident
Lostcontrol of my senses, I had to pass some gas
Colonoscopy is morethan a pain in the a$$!...
~~ AlvinDover
Check out more of Alvin's work at 'Boot Newt'
George Michael
'Shoot The Dog'
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Had to make a cricket run for the lizards. Jo ate 4 in one sitting. Mo only ate 2.
Also did some grocery shopping for the human's, too. Store had 2 watermelons for $4. The deal was only for 2 watermelons. Couldn't just buy 1 for $2. So, we have lots of watermelon. Will probably use one to make 'Agua Dulce'.
Dad is hosting a barbeque back in PA. He said he's going to serve squirrel as an appetizer. He probably wasn't joking.
Tonight, Thursday, CBS has a 'Trifecta' of reruns - 'The Price Is Right 30th Anniversary Special', 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', and 'The Agency'.
On a rerun Dave (Original Air Date: 4/26/02), the guests are The Rock, Dwayne Kennedy, and the CBS Mailbag (this is the show where 'The Rock' explains why he didn't vote for Gore).
On a rerun Craiggers, the guests are Tom Cavanagh, Eliza Dushku, Robyn Hitchcock.
NBC starts the night with reruns of 'Friends' and 'Will & Grace'. They are followed by a fresh 'special' 'Macy's 4th of July Fireworks', and then an episode of 'Dateline'.
On a rerun Jay, the guests are Hugh Grant and Celine Dion.
On a rerun Conan, the guests are William Shatner, Owen O'Neill.
On a rerun Carson Daly, the guests are Christina Applegate and Fabolous.
ABC spends 3 hours with Peter Jennings (a Canadian) 'In Search of America: A July 4th Musical Celebration'.
On a rerun Bill Maher (Original Airdate: 11/8/01), the guests are Jeff Bridges (actor), Monica Crowley, Ph.D., Michael Moore (filmmaker), and Ted Danson (actor).
The WB has 3 reruns of 'Jamie Kennedy', and then a rerun of 'Off Centre'.
Faux has 2 fresh episodes of 'Beyond Belief: Fact Or Fiction?'.
UPN has 'WWE Smackdown'.
The Sci-Fi Channel has an all-day, all-night 'Twilight Zone' fest.
The Learning Channel celebrates with an all-day, all-night 'Junkyard Wars' fest.
TCM has The Wizard of Oz (1939), but be forewarned - while the film will be presented uninterrupted by commercials,
the 'PowerPuff Girls' are 'hosting' before and after, and this will be a Karaoke version, too. Every time a song is sung, the words will be super-imposed on the
bottom of the screen, so you may sing-along, too.
Continuing in a 'song & dance' mode, it is followed by Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), where James Cagney portrays musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan.
Next, it's Night and Day (1946) a fictionalized biography of composer Cole Porter.
Then, Rhapsody in Blue (1945), the biography of George Gershwin's rise to fame.
Finally, it's Till the Clouds Roll by (1947), a light bio-pic of American Broadway pioneer Jerome Kern.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
In The Hospital
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne, wife of British heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne and co-star of the MTV reality series "The Osbournes," underwent surgery Wednesday for a treatable cancer.
Family spokeswoman Lisa Vega wouldn't say what type of cancer Osbourne has or where the surgery took place, but said it was completed by early evening. No other details were available.
Vega said the entire family - including their 18-year-old daughter, Aimee, who doesn't appear on the show - were at the hospital with her.
"Everyone is in good spirits because the prognosis is very positive," she said. "The doctors have told them all she's expected to make a full recovery. Obviously, they're concerned for their
mother and are by her side, but they're all looking forward to a positive outcome."
Vega said Osbourne would be hospitalized overnight, but was unsure whether her stay would last longer.
Until MTV put her family at the forefront of American pop culture, Sharon Osbourne was best known for her behind-the-scenes role as a rock manager and mom. She has masterminded the "Prince
of F---ing Darkness' " career, including the mega-successful Ozzfest shows, while tending to bayonet-toting son, Jack, 16, and pink-haired princess cum aspiring pop star Kelly, 17, and oldest
child, Aimee, 18, who didn't want to be a part of the series' inaugural season but is rumored to be making an appearance next season. (Ozzy also has an adult son, Louis, from his first marriage.)
Sharon also managed the Smashing Pumpkins until 2000, when she suddenly quit with the now legendary statement: "I must resign today, due to medical reasons--Billy Corgan was making me sick!"
Ozzy and Sharon, the now estranged daughter of the rocker's onetime promoter Don Arden, met in 1979--a tempestuous year for the rocker. Not only was he booted by the legendary metal
band he fronted, Black Sabbath, but he was also booted by his first wife, Thelma Reilly, after eight years of marriage.
Three years later, the new couple married in Maui, with Sharon taking over as Ozzy's manager and getting his career back on track. Apart from a 1989 incident in which a binge-drinking
Ozzy tried to choke her--an episode that landed him in rehab for three months--the couple have been inseparable...and unstoppable.
It was Sharon who hatched the idea for The Osbournes, after MTV visited the brood for an episode of another series, MTV Cribs. The show has generated the biggest ratings in
MTV's history and made the whole family (in)famous.
Sharon Osbourne has, like Ozzy, battled drug and alcohol abuse, but has been sober for years. She recently underwent a gastic bypass operation to shrink the size of her stomach.
The now slender woman credited the procedure with helping her lose 90 pounds from her once 224-pound bulk.
Filming is supposed to take place at the family farm in England later this summer and the new season will debut in the fall.
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Big Dog To Return To MTV
Bill Clinton
Ten years after playing the saxophone on MTV in a defining moment of his 1992 campaign for president, Bill Clinton is returning to the cable music channel to discuss the global AIDS epidemic.
Clinton will be one of several panelists taking questions from an audience of young adults from more than 25 countries during an hour-long program to be taped July 11 in Barcelona, Spain, the
network, a unit of Viacom Inc., said on Wednesday.
The MTV special, titled "Staying Alive: A Global Forum on HIV/AIDS," will be telecast starting July 12 on more than 30 MTV channels around the world.
Joining Clinton on the panel will be Peter Piot, head of the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS, Brazilian Health Ministry official Paulo Roberto Teixeira and Vicki Ehrich of British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline Plc .
Bill Clinton
Sweating Or Lactating?
The Golfer
resident Bush scrathes the back of his head before putting the ball on the 18th hole at the golf course at Andrews Airforce Base, Wednesday, July 3, 2002.
Photo by Pablo Matinez Monsivais
Note the missed belt loop, too.
Rebuffs Entwistle Queries
Hard Rock
A Las Vegas hotel is rebuffing requests from guests who want to book the room where The Who bass guitarist John Entwistle died last week.
"We would prefer that the room number never get publicly identified, out of respect for John Entwistle and the band," Don Marrandino, Hard Rock president and chief operating
officer, said in a statement released Tuesday.
The Hard Rock left the room vacant over the weekend before making it available for occupancy Monday.
"We wanted to treat it with dignity and respect," Marrandino told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We're not going to put a plaque up there or anything else. I think a room
a guy dies in is not a positive marketing opportunity."
Executives also are debating whether to distribute, destroy or auction several thousand commemorative gambling chips that were to have been issued before Friday's concert
at the Hard Rock. The show was to have begun a three-month national tour.
The $5, $25 and $100 chips, featuring the image of The Who lead guitarist Pete Townshend, are locked in a vault.
The hotel also said it expects The Who will reschedule its concert in the Hard Rock's 1,800 seat venue, The Joint, sometime near the September end of the band's U.S. tour.
Hard Rock
Says He's Sorry
Michael Ovitz
Michael Ovitz has issued a formal apology for his remarks in a Bryan Burrough profile that appears in the August issue of Vanity Fair.
In the article, which received wall-to-wall coverage in the Hollywood press, the one-time showbiz titan blamed the "gay mafia" for orchestrating the downfall of his nascent Artists
Management Group banner and his Hollywood career.
He also singled out David Geffen, Michael Eisner, Barry Diller and Ron Meyer for conspiring against him at every turn. Ovitz has not retracted any of his remarks made in the piece, but on
Tuesday he sought to dispel what he said were misconceptions about him that stemmed from it.
"I made some statements that were inappropriate during an open and frank discussion with Vanity Fair," he said through a spokesman. "In particular, the term 'gay mafia' does not reflect my
true feelings or attitudes. It is regrettable and I am truly sorry."
Michael Ovitz
Donates Money to Hometown
Bruce Springsteen
A $50,000 donation from Bruce Springsteen will pay for repairs at several city playgrounds.
The City Council approved a resolution Tuesday night to accept the money and deposit it in the town's Children's Welfare Trust Fund. Mayor Terrence Weldon said an
ongoing survey will determine when and where the repairs are made.
Springsteen, who got his start by playing in city clubs, has made several charitable donations to the city and local organizations over the years. He'll join the
E Street Band for a live performance from the city's boardwalk on July 30, which will be broadcast on NBC's "Today" show.
Bruce Springsteen
Wedding Rumors?
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts' rep is scoffing at speculation that she's planning to wed boyfriend Danny Moder tomorrow in New Mexico.
Britain's Daily Mail reported yesterday that the Pretty Woman has invited family and friends such as George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh to a lavish "white
linen" garden party at her ranch in Taos. The paper also claimed Roberts had hired a private plane to fly Moder's family in from L.A.
Roberts rep tells us that the actress isn't getting married, has no party planned and is actually headed for the Hamptons.
Julia Roberts
Cambodia's Great Lake
Tonle Sap
Fishermen on Cambodia's great lake, Tonle Sap, return to their village at sunset, April 21, 2001. The Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia,
is considered by many Khmers to be the backbone of the struggling nation's agricultural system.
Photo by David Longstreath
What Security?
Anna Kournikova
A tennis fan told yesterday how he exposed shoddy security at Wimbledon by walking into the players' lounge and getting his photo taken with Anna Kournikova.
Sean Piper, 33, said he wandered past three guards with a pal without being challenged.
Sean, from Sydney, added: "It was easy. Anna agreed to the snap and we wandered back out."
Wimbledon chiefs said the incident was "regrettable". Sexy Anna, 21, won her third round ladies doubles clash yesterday.
Anna Kournikova
Soundtrack Full of Remixes
'Goldmember: Austin Power'
The soundtrack for the movie "Goldmember: Austin Powers" will be full of remixed songs.
Dr. Dre remixed the Rolling Stones song "Miss You." It also includes remixes of "Boys" by Britney Spears and rapper Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" which has
been remade by Dr. Evil. Paul Oakenfold's "1975" is his loose interpretation of Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band's "A Fifth of Beethoven" from 1976.
Susanna Hoffs does a version of "Alfie."
Smash Mouth's "Ain't No Mystery" was written specifically for the soundtrack and the film's co-star, Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child, contributes "Work It Out."
Only one song appears in its original version: "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire. The film's producers thought the song was perfect as it is.
'Goldmember: Austin Power'
Fun Link
Aquarium Toilet
Aquariass - Aquarium Toilet
Tribute To Dale Earnhardt
'Lil' Dale'
Meet Lil' Dale, a goat with one heck of a coat that has race fans flocking to this tiny town west of Palatka.
The brown, Nubian goat was born with a distinctive white "3" - the number of racing legend Dale Earnhardt - on her right side.
So while poised to become the darling of the NASCAR set, Lil' Dale's owners hope this one-of-a-kind kid also can make it in showbiz.
Besides, owner Jerry Pierson said, if a Chihuahua can hawk tacos and a gecko can sell car insurance, why can't a goat get a piece of the spotlight too?
Ever since Lil' Dale popped up on a few local newscasts, racing fans and curious onlookers have headed down the narrow road that leads to the Piersons' farm.
Pierson said there's no painting, shaving or anything else involved in Lil' Dale's signature coat. She was just born that way, he said.
'Lil' Dale'
Thanks to Ed 2E for this one!
Liza & Bakersfield
MTV & VH1
Liza Minnelli and Bakersfield may be worlds apart, but they're both in line to become TV subjects within the Viacom cable family, on VH1 and MTV, respectively.
VH1, whose new management is eager to crack a hit like "The Osbournes" on MTV, confirmed Tuesday that it is in discussions with Minnelli and new husband David
Gest to explore their private lives in a small-screen reality series.
MTV, meanwhile, is going to Bakersfield for one of its next reality series. The cable channel has ordered six new verite-style series to debut this year and next,
including "FM Nation," which documents weekend nights in America by riding in cars with teens from such towns as Bakersfield.
Somewhat of a departure from MTV's typical parade of the young and the beautiful, "FM Nation" is what MTV and VH1 entertainment president Brian Graden describes as "low-gloss Americana."
In addition to "FM Nation," MTV has ordered:
= "mtvTREATMENT," an hourlong show during which the network and the band Korn conduct a search for a first-time video director to make a music video for the group. The series of specials documenting the search and selection process, as well as the production and premiere of the video, is scheduled for fourth quarter.
= A series of hourlong specials aimed at the fourth quarter, "artistLAUNCH" documents the making of an album from writing and recording to promoting and releasing. The specials will be timed to album release dates.
= "Crashing With ...," a series of specials for second quarter next year, is what happens when a touring band or artist stays the night with locals.
= "Made," six half-hours to premiere in the first quarter of 2003, documents the transformation of a person who desperately wants to change his or her ways. Each subject will be followed for several months to capture their "full-life makeover."
= "Suspect: True Crime Stories" is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year and uses forensic experts to help figure out such heinous crimes as why a fridge becomes suddenly and mysteriously empty.
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Ad Spoofing Thai King Dropped
Saint Jack's
A bar owner has decided to drop an ad campaign that depicted Thailand's revered king as an urban hipster after she received dozens of angry messages, a call from the State Department and a protest from the prime minister of Thailand.
Sherry Levin, the proprietor of Saint Jack's restaurant, said Tuesday she never meant the newspaper ad to be offensive and had grown weary of fielding calls from disgruntled Thai diplomats.
The small ad, which ran twice in the weekly Philadelphia City Paper, was based on a vintage photograph of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, embellished to show him wearing gem-encrusted sunglasses,
bleach-streaked hair and stripes shaved into his head.
Thai diplomats and residents, alerted to the ad by natives living in Philadelphia, demanded an apology and withdrawal, saying the depiction insulted their 74-year-old monarch. Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra asked for the government's help, and Levin was later contacted by the State Department and city officials.
Saint Jack's
Snarky Gossip
John Entwistle
Las Vegas police would not confirm or deny a report yesterday that Who bassist John Entwistle was visited by an "adult entertainer" the night of his death last Thursday.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal said an unidentified woman was "bracing for a media and paparazzi onslaught now that word's out she was in" his Hard Rock Hotel suite.
Police spokesman Tirso Dominguez would say only, "He died of a heart attack. We don't suspect foul play."
John Entwistle
Sues Over Naked Women Video
Burning Man Festival
The Burning Man organization, which hosts the legendary arts festival known for its libertine spirit and fiery spectacles, is suing a company for allegedly selling videotapes of
naked women filmed at the event, a lawyer said on Tuesday.
The lawsuit charges Voyeur Video Inc. with invading the privacy of unsuspecting women by filming them nude in their campsites and elsewhere at the private event, said Terry Gross,
the lawyer representing the Burning Man organization.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in San Francisco federal court, accuses James O'Brien, owner of the Beverly Hills, California-based company, of breach of contract, trademark infringement,
invasion of privacy and trespass, Gross said.
The festival, now in its 16th year, bans commerce and encourages participants to engage in radical self expression, using the motto "no spectators."
Burning Man Festival
Interesting Link
Metaspy
[ Metaspy ]
Ever wonder what the rest of the world is searching for? Catch a glimpse of some of the searches being performed on MetaCrawler®, at this very moment! The MetaSpy® page will automatically refresh every 15 seconds.
World Peace Is Just $1 Billion Away
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Beatles guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi said on Wednesday in a July 4 message to Americans nervous about new Sept. 11-style attacks that he could kill world terrorism with love -- but he would need $1 billion to do it.
Maharishi said that with $1 billion he could train 40,000 expert meditators, or "Vedic Pandits," who would generate enough good vibes to save the world. His press office said $85 million
toward that goal had already been raised.
The guru has largely shunned the public eye for the last 20 years, but is now determined to drum up support for his concept of "Natural Law -- the Constitution of the Universe."
Maharishi also criticized the U.S. response to terror attacks. "Bush's war on terrorism pushes the world toward destruction," he said. "This promotes the birth of an enemy."
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Berlin Zoo
Penguins
Koenigs-Pinguine spiegeln sich im Wassserbecken ihres neuen Domizils im Zoo in Berlin am Donnerstag, 27. Juni 2002. Der Zoo nahm am Donnerstag eine neue vergroesserte
Anlage fuer Pinguine und Robben in Betrieb.
Photo by Jan Bauer
Planting Online Decoys, Mulling Lawsuits
Music Labels
The music industry is adding more firepower to its arsenal in the fight against online piracy, planting "decoys" on free peer-to-peer services and considering lawsuits against individual song-swappers, sources said on Wednesday.
Many large record labels have resorted to what is known as "spoofing," by hiring companies to distribute "decoy" files that are empty or do not work in order to frustrate would-be downloaders of movies and music.
Overpeer, a New York-based software firm funded by South Korea's SK Group, is one firm helping the industry disguise online files to thwart unauthorized swapping.
Additionally, sources said the RIAA, which represents music giants like Bertelsmann AG, BMG, EMI Group Plc, AOL Time Warner Inc, Vivendi Universal and Sony
Corp, is considering taking a new tack by suing individuals who use the services, rather than the companies that host them.
Music Labels
BartCop TV!
'Beheaded' at Art Gallery
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher lost her head in a London art gallery on Wednesday when a man decapitated a new statue of Britain's former prime minister, police said.
The eight-foot marble likeness -- unveiled only in May and destined eventually to grace the House of Commons -- was left headless after the man walked into the gallery and battered it with a steel scaffolding pole.
"A man...has knocked off the head of the statue of Margaret Thatcher. He has been arrested and is now in custody," a City of London police spokeswoman told Reuters.
No further details were available about the assailant, who had not yet been charged, police said.
Labour's Tony Banks, a firebrand socialist who heads parliament's works of arts committee, said that although the statue was a controversial commission, acts of vandalism against
works of art could never be tolerated.
Margaret Thatcher
'Doctored' by His Old College
Elton John
Recently knighted pop star Sir Elton John has another title to add to his name -- Doctor -- but the flamboyant singer won't be dishing out aspirins at concerts just yet.
The doctorate is purely an honorary one from his alma mater, the Royal Academy of Music, in recognition of his hugely successful career in which he has sold over 100 million
albums, including hits such as "Candle in the Wind" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."
He was awarded his degree at the London college wearing an academic gown and mortar board.
To Be Honored At Film Festival
William Shatner
William Shatner will beam down to be recognized for his earthly achievements in entertainment.
The Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival will honor the man best known for playing Capt. James T. Kirk on "Star Trek" with the 2002 Lifetime
Achievement Award in September, director Jo Moulton said.
Canadian-born Shatner has performed in movies and television since the late 1950s. Besides appearing in the original "Star Trek" series in 1966 and its big-screen
spinoffs, he also played lead in the TV police drama "T.J. Hooker," which ran from 1982 to 1986.
Shatner is also a novelist, whose latest work is a futuristic adventure called "The Preserver."
"Groom Lake," a science fiction drama he wrote and directed will be screened at the festival.
William Shatner
Fun Link
Statue Molesters
Statue Molesters
Resolves Feud
Steve Bing
Real estate heir and entertainment producer Steve Bing resolved his dispute with Kirk Kerkorian, ending a $1 billion-plus invasion of privacy and trespassing
lawsuit against the MGM studio mogul.
"They have amicably resolved all outstanding differences between them," Bing publicist Annett Wolf said in a statement late Tuesday. "They stated that the resolution came
about after getting to know each other and becoming aware of additional facts that gave rise to the controversy. Both expressed their regret that the dispute ever occurred."
Bing had sought more than $1 billion in his lawsuit against Kerkorian. Bing claimed the 84-year-old Kerkorian was behind an effort to root through Bing's trash for dental
floss in an effort to prove - through DNA analysis - that Bing fathered the 4-year-old daughter of Kerkorian's ex-wife.
Kerkorian and Bing met a week or two ago and reached an agreement, Bing's attorney, Terry Christensen, said Wednesday. Christensen said Bing subsequently ended the lawsuit.
Steve Bing
Director of Soccer Team?
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson has been made an honorary director of a lowly English soccer team, the star's friend and co-director Uri Geller said Wednesday.
The American megastar, not known for his interest in soccer, fell in love with third-division Exeter City during a fund-raising charity trip last month.
"When I asked him what does he know about football he said 'absolutely nothing but I love Exeter City,"' said Geller, an Israeli psychic best known for bending spoons.
Jackson delighted thousands of fans with his visit to the southwest English city. He did not sing at the event but did sport an Exeter City football shirt.
Michael Jackson
Suing Band Members Over Sacking
Don Felder
A hearing related to former Eagles guitarist Don Felder's lawsuit against the veteran rock band that ousted him will take place on July 5, court records and a lawyer for other members of the band said on Wednesday.
The hearing on a motion to compel Felder to produce documents related to the case had originally been set for Wednesday, but was rescheduled for Friday, lawyers involved in the case said.
The guitarist sued bandmates Don Henley and Glenn Frey in February 2001, claiming he was wrongly terminated.
Formed in 1971, the Eagles went on to become one of the most successful bands of the decade. Two of their albums, "Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" and "Hotel
California" rank among the ten best-selling albums ever, according to the Record Industry Association of America.
Don Felder
To Stand Trial
Adam Ant
Former British pop star Adam Ant, who had a string of hits in the 1980s, will stand trial on assault and firearms charges Aug. 12, a judge said Wednesday.
The 47-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges that he threatened a man with an imitation firearm and broke a window in a north London pub.
The singer, who appeared before judge Jeremy Roberts at London's Old Bailey under his real name Stuart Goddard, was arrested on January 12.
Adam Ant
In Memory
Ray Brown
Famed jazz bassist Ray Brown, whose soulful dexterity provided the musical backbone for such "be-bop" greats as Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald, to whom he also was married, has died while on tour, his manager said on Thursday.
Brown, 75, apparently died in his sleep on Tuesday while taking a nap prior to a scheduled show at the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis. He had played a round of golf earlier in the day and reported not feeling well.
The cause of death was a bowel infarction, or death of a section of the intestine, likely caused by heart disease, the Marion County Medical Examiner's office said following an autopsy of the body.
The announcement by club manager Frank Steans of Brown's death brought gasps and groans from a packed house on Tuesday night, the Indianapolis Star newspaper reported.
A multiple Grammy Award winner, Brown headlined his own trios in recent years, traveling around the world.
His most famous duet might have been with singer Ella Fitzgerald, whom he accompanied and directed before marrying in 1948. The union broke up four years later, the couple having adopted a son, Ray Brown, Jr., who is also a jazz musician.
A composer and impresario as well as one of the most sought-after bassists in jazz, Brown's hit "Gravy Waltz" won a Grammy and became the theme song for TV's Steve Allen show. Recently, he had produced a collaborative album entitled "Some of My Best Friends Are ... Guitarists" with other jazz notables.
During a career stretching back to the Jimmy Hinsley sextet more than a half-century ago, Brown accompanied such stars as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan and Milt Jackson.
Born Raymond Matthews Brown in Pittsburgh Oct. 13, 1926, he began playing piano at age 8 but taught himself the bass, traveling with Jimmy Hinsley's group and Snookum Russell's band during the big-band era.
At age 20, he won the bassist's job on Dizzy Gillespie's famed be-bop group featuring Parker on saxophone, Bud Powell on piano and Max Roach on drums. Brown kept up with the group's frenetic pace, helping to establish the unpredictable, often atonal style as the leading edge of modern music.
"He is one of the greatest bassists of all time, seen as a reference by all," said Andre Menard, artistic director of the Montreal Jazz Festival, where Brown performed twice in the past decade, the last time in 2000.
Brown formed his own trio in 1948 with Hank Jones and Charlie Smith, and his groups became known as incubators for aspiring jazz pianists and soloists.
Long partnerships with the pianist Peterson and the vibist Jackson, with whom he formed the Modern Jazz Quartet with pianist John Lewis, followed.
An astute businessman, Brown also directed the Monterrey (California) Jazz Festival for two years.
Ray Brown
Still Seeking Volunteers
'The Osbournes'
Very freshly updated - 'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2 !
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
C'mon....send your thoughts, your impressions, your views, your favorite quotes...
Scroll down for lots of addys to pick from (or 'from which to pick', for the truly anal retentive).
