Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Dick Clark Remembered On New Year's Eve
Dick Clark died of a massive heart attack in April, 2012.
The host of American Bandstand who later succeeded Guy Lombardo as "Mr. New Year's Eve" was 82. But he always looked decades younger. He was the timeless teenager.
Clark's legacy lives on through so many TV shows and innovations that he pioneered.
Dick Clark got his start in Philadelphia and was once as much a part of the fabric of the city as a Mummer's string band or a soft pretzel. It all began when he landed a gig as a DJ at WFIL in Philadelphia in 1952, spinning records for a show he called "Dick Clark's Caravan of Music." There he broke into the big time, hosting Bandstand, an afternoon dance show for teenagers. The show was such a hit locally that lines wrapped around the old WFIL-TV studio as teenagers waited to get in for the live, late-afternoon broadcasts.
When the show went national things really started to take off.
Within five years, the whole country was watching as ABC presented "American Bandstand" and Clark introduced the nation to some of the biggest rock 'n roll acts (and songs) ever.
The show was never quite the same after it moved to Hollywood in 1963 but Clark continued to succeed and rake in the dough as he became a hugely successful TV producer. His "Dick Clark Productions" became a veritable license to print money.
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC became a Dec. 31 tradition, with Clark hosting the festivities for more than three decades, introducing the entertainment acts and, of course, counting down to midnight as the ball dropped in New York's Times Square.
In 2004 Clark suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and barely able to speak. Courageously, he continued to appear on the annual countdown.
He was a shrewd businessman, a consummate showman and an American icon.
Kathy Griffin Is An Obnxious Jerk
Kathy Griffin will once again appear on one of those silly New Year's Eve telecasts that have absolutely no redeeming social value.
And that's appropriate, we guess because there's nothing to redeem Griffin herself. Nothing.
Kathy Griffin is a loud, disgusting, foul-mouthed jerk.
In a world where almost nothing is shocking, this vulgar, in-your-face "comedienne" keeps trying to top herself with outrageous comments and offensive behavior.
Kathy Grifin isn't attractive.
Kathy Griffin isn't clever.
Kathy Griffin isn't entertaining.
And Kathy Griffin isn't funny.
If fact, she's obnoxious.
But Big Media routinely give Kathy Griffin a pass.
Why? You know the answer. Because Kathy Griffin is a shrill, full-out liberal.
So, while Dennis Miller rarely gets a pass from critics and the enforcers of all that is deemed politically-correct. Kathy Griffin is allowed to verbally vomit on just about any Republican, conservative or tea-partier she can find.
Well, the effete liberals can keep her. They can have her.
because the whole thing is a sorry, sordid spectacle and a sad commentary on the state of affairs in this country.
And that's appropriate, we guess because there's nothing to redeem Griffin herself. Nothing.
Kathy Griffin is a loud, disgusting, foul-mouthed jerk.
In a world where almost nothing is shocking, this vulgar, in-your-face "comedienne" keeps trying to top herself with outrageous comments and offensive behavior.
Kathy Grifin isn't attractive.
Kathy Griffin isn't clever.
Kathy Griffin isn't entertaining.
And Kathy Griffin isn't funny.
If fact, she's obnoxious.
But Big Media routinely give Kathy Griffin a pass.
Why? You know the answer. Because Kathy Griffin is a shrill, full-out liberal.
So, while Dennis Miller rarely gets a pass from critics and the enforcers of all that is deemed politically-correct. Kathy Griffin is allowed to verbally vomit on just about any Republican, conservative or tea-partier she can find.
Well, the effete liberals can keep her. They can have her.
because the whole thing is a sorry, sordid spectacle and a sad commentary on the state of affairs in this country.
New Year's Eve And Day: Dumb And Dumber
About all the silly hoopla over the new year: we just don't get it. Never have gotten it, in fact.
New Years Day is a dumb "holiday." It signifies nothing. It's merely the first day of the year - just a unit of measurement, that's all. It's just a way to keep time.
New Year's Eve is equally as dumb if not dumber.
Just because the clock moved ahead an extra second we're supposed to get all worked up? I don't think so.
This is simply an excuse for clubs and restaurants to make a big deal of nothing and charge you big bucks for it.
New Years Day is a dumb "holiday." It signifies nothing. It's merely the first day of the year - just a unit of measurement, that's all. It's just a way to keep time.
New Year's Eve is equally as dumb if not dumber.
Just because the clock moved ahead an extra second we're supposed to get all worked up? I don't think so.
This is simply an excuse for clubs and restaurants to make a big deal of nothing and charge you big bucks for it.
The rudest, loudest, most
obnoxious people come crawling out of the woodwork on New Year's Eve.
These are the people who don't get around very much (and don't go out
very much) during the rest of the year. Trust us, you don't want to be
around these people.
This is a sadly artificial holiday - a holiday that reeks of beer, tobacco and lost dreams; a holiday plagued by sticky champagne stains, stale leftovers, weary Christmas decorations and nothing to look forward to but cleaning up and getting ready for the two dreariest months of the year.
Happy New Year, everybody!
This is a sadly artificial holiday - a holiday that reeks of beer, tobacco and lost dreams; a holiday plagued by sticky champagne stains, stale leftovers, weary Christmas decorations and nothing to look forward to but cleaning up and getting ready for the two dreariest months of the year.
Happy New Year, everybody!
Monday, December 30, 2013
37 Notable Deaths Of 2013 - Farewell!
Some of the greatest, most influential people the world has ever known passed away during 2013.
These including revolutionaries, heads of state, inventors, writers, actors, successful business persons, activists, singers, sports stars, social commentators, artists, scientists and many, many more.
Here's a partial list of some of the notable people who passed on:
Patti Page, 85. Singer of the great American songbook.
Conrad Bain, 89. Veteran stage, TV and film actor.
Pauline Friedman Phillips, 94. More popularly known as Abigail Van Buren.
Ed Koch, 88. Former New York mayor and curmudgeon/politician.
Mindy McCready, 37. Top of the country music singer.
C. Everett Koop, 96. Former US Surgeon General.
Van Cliburn, 78. World-renowned pianist who enjoyed rock-star status.
Hugo Chavez, 58. Fiery populist dictator of Venezuela.
Roger Ebert, 70. First journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism.
Margaret Thatcher, 87. Extraordinary British prime minister who transformed her country with a fearless dedication to free markets.
Annette Funicello, 70. Child star on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s and 1960s movie star.
Maria Tallchief, 88. One of America's first great prima ballerinas.
Al Neuharth, 89. Founder of USA Today.
George Jones, 81. The undisputed king of country music, he recorded the classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today."
Jean Stapleton, 90. A stage-trained character actress who triumphed on TV.
Frank Lautenberg, 89. Multimillionaire New Jersey businessman and long-serving US senator.
Esther Williams, 91. Swimming champion-turned-movie star.
James Gandolfini, 51. Actor whose portrayed crime boss in HBO's "The Sopranos".
Doug Engelbart, 88. Visionary who invented the computer mouse.
Amar Bose, 83. Acoustic pioneer and founder and chair of the audio technology company.
Cory Monteith, 31. Actor/singer on the television show "Glee".
Harry F. Byrd, 98. US senator from Virginia political dynasty.
Elmore Leonard, 87. Acclaimed crime novelist.
Seamus Heaney, 74. Ireland's foremost poet.
David Frost, 74. Veteran broadcaster and topnotch TV interviewer.
Ray Dolby, 80. American inventor and audio pioneer.
Eiji Toyoda, 100. Member of Toyota's founding family.
Hiroshi Yamauchi, 85. He ran Nintendo for more than 50 years.
Tom Clancy, 66. Author of high-tech, Cold War thrillers.
Scott Carpenter, 88. Second American to orbit the Earth.
Lou Reed, 71. Punk poet of rock `n' roll.
Jane Kean, 90. Best known as Trixie alongside Jackie Gleason on TV's revival of "The Honeymooners."
Paul Walker, 40. Star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series.
Nelson Mandela, 95. South Africa's first black president and an icon of freedom.
Peter O'Toole, 81. Legendary actor and eight-time Oscar nominee.
Joan Fontaine, 96. Academy Award-winning actress.
Ray Price, 87. One of country music's most popular and influential singers.
These including revolutionaries, heads of state, inventors, writers, actors, successful business persons, activists, singers, sports stars, social commentators, artists, scientists and many, many more.
Here's a partial list of some of the notable people who passed on:
Patti Page, 85. Singer of the great American songbook.
Conrad Bain, 89. Veteran stage, TV and film actor.
Pauline Friedman Phillips, 94. More popularly known as Abigail Van Buren.
Ed Koch, 88. Former New York mayor and curmudgeon/politician.
Mindy McCready, 37. Top of the country music singer.
C. Everett Koop, 96. Former US Surgeon General.
Van Cliburn, 78. World-renowned pianist who enjoyed rock-star status.
Hugo Chavez, 58. Fiery populist dictator of Venezuela.
Roger Ebert, 70. First journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism.
Margaret Thatcher, 87. Extraordinary British prime minister who transformed her country with a fearless dedication to free markets.
Annette Funicello, 70. Child star on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s and 1960s movie star.
Maria Tallchief, 88. One of America's first great prima ballerinas.
Al Neuharth, 89. Founder of USA Today.
George Jones, 81. The undisputed king of country music, he recorded the classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today."
Jean Stapleton, 90. A stage-trained character actress who triumphed on TV.
Frank Lautenberg, 89. Multimillionaire New Jersey businessman and long-serving US senator.
Esther Williams, 91. Swimming champion-turned-movie star.
James Gandolfini, 51. Actor whose portrayed crime boss in HBO's "The Sopranos".
Doug Engelbart, 88. Visionary who invented the computer mouse.
Amar Bose, 83. Acoustic pioneer and founder and chair of the audio technology company.
Cory Monteith, 31. Actor/singer on the television show "Glee".
Harry F. Byrd, 98. US senator from Virginia political dynasty.
Elmore Leonard, 87. Acclaimed crime novelist.
Seamus Heaney, 74. Ireland's foremost poet.
David Frost, 74. Veteran broadcaster and topnotch TV interviewer.
Ray Dolby, 80. American inventor and audio pioneer.
Eiji Toyoda, 100. Member of Toyota's founding family.
Hiroshi Yamauchi, 85. He ran Nintendo for more than 50 years.
Tom Clancy, 66. Author of high-tech, Cold War thrillers.
Scott Carpenter, 88. Second American to orbit the Earth.
Lou Reed, 71. Punk poet of rock `n' roll.
Jane Kean, 90. Best known as Trixie alongside Jackie Gleason on TV's revival of "The Honeymooners."
Paul Walker, 40. Star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series.
Nelson Mandela, 95. South Africa's first black president and an icon of freedom.
Peter O'Toole, 81. Legendary actor and eight-time Oscar nominee.
Joan Fontaine, 96. Academy Award-winning actress.
Ray Price, 87. One of country music's most popular and influential singers.
Even With Media At His Heels, Christie Still Wins
From our friend Susanne LaFrankie at Matt Rooney's great Save Jersey blog:
In the fickle world of politics, Save Jerseyans, you can often measure your success or your threat factor, by your bad press.
These days Governor Chris Christie, a one-time darling of the media, should view his quick decent from problem solving mediator to school yard bully as a badge of honor.
He must be doing something right as he toys with a run for the White House in 2016.
Christie, fresh off of a 20 plus re-election victory in a very blue state is now being outed as a vindictive bully who is accused of publicly shouting at detractors, withdrawing police protection from a former Governor and even ordering the shutdown of access lanes from Fort Lee into NYC, all acts of retribution.
A recent poll may shed some light on the abrupt backlash. A new CNN/ORC International Poll shows Christie the most popular Republican contender against possible Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at 48% vs 46% respectively among registered voters. A Fox News Poll also puts The Governor well ahead of eight other top tier Republicans.
I googled the words Chris Christie Bully and got 309,000 hits. The titles were, well, not surprising: Can Chris Christie Tame His Inner Bully; Stories Add Up as Bully Image Trails Christie; and The Single Biggest Question for Christie, is He a Bully?
But perhaps most intriguing are the results of a recent Rutgers/Eagleton poll which showed only 34% of registered NJ voters using the word “bully” in describing Christie, but nearly three-fourths (72%) say he’s more of a “fighter.”
Possibly fueling the Christie backlash is his recent election as Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, a post that gives him national exposure and access to big donors. It also likely means we can count on a lot more bully headlines as 2016 approaches.
Pope Equates Jesus' Family With Poor, Migrants
The Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on the first Sunday after Christmas; during the Angelus prayer at midday yesterday, Pope Francis recalled that Jesus had wanted to be born into "a human family, and he wanted to have a mother and a father".
"Today's Gospel tells the story of the Holy Family's painful flight to Egypt in search of exile",ˇ said Pope Francis to the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. "Joseph, Mary and Jesus experience the dramatic condition of life as refugees, full of fear, uncertainty, and discomfort. Unfortunately, in our times, millions of families can identify with this sad reality. Nearly every day, television and newspapers provide news about refugees fleeing hunger, war, and other serious dangers in search of security and a decent life for themselves and their families. In distant lands, even when they find work, refugees and immigrants are not always welcomed, nor do they find respect and appreciation for the values they bring. Their legitimate expectations clash with complex situations and problems that at times appear insurmountable".
The Holy Father urged those present to contemplate the Holy Family of Nazareth when forced to seek refuge, and to consider "the tragedy of migrants and refugees who are victims of rejection and exploitation ... of human trafficking and forced labour", as well as "those who are exiled within families: the elderly, for example, who are sometimes treated as a cumbersome presence".
"Jesus wanted to belong to a family that experienced these difficulties, so that no one may be excluded from God's loving closeness. The flight into Egypt due to Herod's threats shows us that God is present wherever man is in danger, where man suffers, where he flees, where he experiences rejection and neglect. But he is also present where man dreams, hopes to return to his homeland in freedom, makes plans for his life and dignity and for that of his family".
Before the Marian prayer, the Pontiff noted, "Today our gaze on the Holy Family is also drawn by the simplicity of its life in Nazareth. It is an example that does a lot of good to our families, helping them to become a community of love and reconciliation, in which we experience tenderness, mutual help, and mutual forgiveness".
Pope Francis reminded those present of the "three key words for peace and joy in family life: 'excuse me, thank you, sorry'", explaining that "when we do not want to be intrusive in our family and say 'excuse me!', when we are not selfish and say 'thank you', and when we make mistakes and apologise, then there is peace and joy within a family"ˇ.
Finally he encouraged families to "become aware of their importance in the Church and in society"ˇ, because "the Gospel is proclaimed first within the family, and then in the different spheres of everyday life". He invoked Mary, Joseph and Jesus, to "enlighten, comfort, and guide every family in the world, so that they may fulfil with dignity and serenity the mission God has entrusted to them."
Following the Angelus prayer Pope Francis commented that the next Consistory and the next Synod of Bishops will address the theme of the family and therefore recited the prayer to the Holy Family he had composed, inviting all to join with him spiritually, especially those linked to St. Peter's Square from the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the shrine of Loreto:
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendour of true love, to you we turn with trust. Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. Holy Family of Nazareth, may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God's plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen".
"Today's Gospel tells the story of the Holy Family's painful flight to Egypt in search of exile",ˇ said Pope Francis to the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. "Joseph, Mary and Jesus experience the dramatic condition of life as refugees, full of fear, uncertainty, and discomfort. Unfortunately, in our times, millions of families can identify with this sad reality. Nearly every day, television and newspapers provide news about refugees fleeing hunger, war, and other serious dangers in search of security and a decent life for themselves and their families. In distant lands, even when they find work, refugees and immigrants are not always welcomed, nor do they find respect and appreciation for the values they bring. Their legitimate expectations clash with complex situations and problems that at times appear insurmountable".
The Holy Father urged those present to contemplate the Holy Family of Nazareth when forced to seek refuge, and to consider "the tragedy of migrants and refugees who are victims of rejection and exploitation ... of human trafficking and forced labour", as well as "those who are exiled within families: the elderly, for example, who are sometimes treated as a cumbersome presence".
"Jesus wanted to belong to a family that experienced these difficulties, so that no one may be excluded from God's loving closeness. The flight into Egypt due to Herod's threats shows us that God is present wherever man is in danger, where man suffers, where he flees, where he experiences rejection and neglect. But he is also present where man dreams, hopes to return to his homeland in freedom, makes plans for his life and dignity and for that of his family".
Before the Marian prayer, the Pontiff noted, "Today our gaze on the Holy Family is also drawn by the simplicity of its life in Nazareth. It is an example that does a lot of good to our families, helping them to become a community of love and reconciliation, in which we experience tenderness, mutual help, and mutual forgiveness".
Pope Francis reminded those present of the "three key words for peace and joy in family life: 'excuse me, thank you, sorry'", explaining that "when we do not want to be intrusive in our family and say 'excuse me!', when we are not selfish and say 'thank you', and when we make mistakes and apologise, then there is peace and joy within a family"ˇ.
Finally he encouraged families to "become aware of their importance in the Church and in society"ˇ, because "the Gospel is proclaimed first within the family, and then in the different spheres of everyday life". He invoked Mary, Joseph and Jesus, to "enlighten, comfort, and guide every family in the world, so that they may fulfil with dignity and serenity the mission God has entrusted to them."
Following the Angelus prayer Pope Francis commented that the next Consistory and the next Synod of Bishops will address the theme of the family and therefore recited the prayer to the Holy Family he had composed, inviting all to join with him spiritually, especially those linked to St. Peter's Square from the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the shrine of Loreto:
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendour of true love, to you we turn with trust. Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. Holy Family of Nazareth, may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God's plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen".
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