Battle of Mansfield : Last Confederate Victory of the Civil War in Louisiana And Aftermath
- Map depicting Civil War battles fought in Louisiana from Americancivilwar.com.
Gov. Earl K. Long (La.) Sent to Mental Institution In 1959: Fires Administrators, Absconds From The Premises
- Governor Earl K. Long not looking like a governor with his teeth missing.
The deputies dragged the governor of Louisiana, kicking and screaming, out of the car. They punched him, knocked him to the ground, and put him in their car. He was examined by the coroner, who was not a psychiatrist, and by a psychiatrist who had never met him. The psychiatrist rendered a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, which was quite commonly used at that time to commit anyone for any reason.
He was taken to Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville, where he was admitted under the commitment order. While he was treated there, the acting director of the hospital, Dr. Charles Belcher, later indicated that they had not made any final diagnosis of his true condition.
Governor Long contacted Joe Sims to represent him in a habeas corpus hearing in Covington, Louisiana. The governor had a trick up his sleeve though. He called a meeting of the state hospitals board to meet before the hearing.
The governor had Jesse Bankston removed from office at the meeting, then appointed a friend of his as the new director. The new director then proceeded to fire Dr. Charles Belcher the superintendent of Southeast Louisiana Hospital. The new superintendent, then stated that there was no reason for Governor Long, to remain in the hospital and authorized his release.
Feared Being Poisoned
Governor Long was taken to the Green Springs Motel in Covington to eat breakfast, but refused to eat food off his plate, fearing it might be poisoned, so helped himself to the food on the plates of the others eating there.
He would spend the next few days at the Pine Manor Motel in Covington and while he was there Blaze Starr a stripper, from Bourbon Street in New Orleans paid him a visit on July 2, 1959. His romance with Starr seemed to be more of a revenge thing, after Blanche had him committed.
Long Garnered National Attention
Governor Long was in the national news that summer and we happened to be on vacation from Louisiana to Canada. One vehicle we encountered on the trip had someone holler “Hey Governor Long” at us. They probably couldn’t help themselves, when they saw the Louisiana license plates on our vehicle.
To read the complete article about him being committed the entire Inside Northside Magazine article, which is very lengthy can be read here:
http://www.insidenorthside.com/oct_nov03/art11.htm
53 years have passed since our governor went off the deep end and while researching today, have learned more about those days in one day, than what I have learned in the previous 53 years.
Runs For Lieutenant Governor
Governor Long was intent on becoming governor, but when he saw it wasn’t going to be allowed, he ran on the Noe-Long ticket with former governor of Monroe. The ticket came in a disappointing fourth place polling only 97,654 votes. They finished behind deLesseps Morrison with 278,956 votes, former governor Jimmie Davis with 213,551 votes and Senator Willie Rainach, who Long had ranted against in his legislature outburst received 143.095. The three candidates garnered 635,602 votes compared to the 97,654 votes for the Noe-Long ticket.
It looked like the political career of Governor Earl K. Long was dead in the water. But this is Earl K. Long we are talking about and he entered the race for the 8th Congressional District against incumbent Rep. Harold B. McSween. Surprisingly he won the election but died on September 5, 1960 at the age of 65, before he could take office.
The years 1959 and 1960 were turbulent years for Governor Long. It all started with his rant in the Louisiana legislature, then progressed to him being committed in two mental institutions, firing the administrators to be released. Then came his affair with the Bourbon Street stripper Blaze Starr, his loss as a lieutenant governor candidate in 1959, then he arose from the ashes to win the 8th Congressional representative seat, shortly before dying.
I only saw Governor Long once. He was at the Continental Trailways bus station making a speech on the stump, while handing out chickens to those, he hoped would vote for him.
Louisiana politicians were and are still known for taking their politics seriously and nobody took politics more seriously than Earl K. Long.
Have The Voice and X-Factor Killed Off The American Idol Star?
Erika Van Pelt a DJ and wedding singer was the best singer on the Thursday night American Idol show.
Hallie Day had one of the most impressive auditions on American Idol on Thursday night’s show and has a great chance of being in the Final 12 in Season 11. Hallie should go far in the competition, if she can get past Hollywood week which has been known to end singing careers, before they even get off the ground.
Fewer Viewers Than Last Year
American Idol drew less fans on Thursday night, than they drew in any audition or Hollywood show last year. 21.89 million was the lowest number of viewers, in the auditions before the final 24 show last year.
Only 14 million viewers tuned into American Idol last night, which was less than any show last year. It could be that fans are experiencing singing competition burnout after a heavy dose of American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor. It will be interesting to see if The Voice makes a dent into the American Idol franchise, when it debuts on Feb. 5 on Super Bowl night.
The magic was still there for me in both American Idol shows telecast this week. However, The Voice and X-Factor fans may not be as likely to watch American Idol as in the past.
There is still little likelihood that Javier Colon and Melanie Amaro, who won The Voice and X-Factor respectively, will come close to having the name recognition of Scotty McCreery, who may have won only $250,000 but has sold over a million albums in three months.
It is not likely that The Voice and X-Factor have killed off the American Idol star, since American Idol drew over 20 million in almost every show in 2011, while X-Factor maxed out at 12.59 million on finale night. The American Idol finale drew 29.29 million when Scotty McCreery was voted the American Idol.
The American Idol franchise may be a little shaky, but I look for ratings to get better as fans choose their favorites and follow them as long as they survive the cuts during Hollywood week.
American Idol: Still King of the Singing Competition Hill
The return of American Idol last night signaled that the No. 1 singing competition show, by far outshines The Voice and X-Factor. The other shows have their moments, but neither show comes close to matching the drawing power of American Idol.
Shaun Kraisman was one of the most interesting contestants, as he did an excellent Ryan Seacrest impression, but didn’t advance to Hollywood despite singing very well in my book, but the judges didn’t agree.
My personal favorite was Shannon Magrane, the daughter of former major league pitcher and MLB Network analyst Joe Magrane. The judges coaxed Shannon into bringing her family to the audition room, so they learned, that she was going to Hollywood the minute the judges told her the good news.
The last singer at the Savannah, Georgia audition was Phillip Phillips, who impressed the judges so much that he was asked to sing a second song. Phillip will be a singer to watch when the Hollywood week round starts.
American Idol was a breath of fresh air after The Voice and it’s chairs that turned around, to reveal the singer that was singing, if the judge liked the song, plus it reminded us how much we disliked the constant bickering of the X-Factor judges. The bickering between Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul was a huge distraction, not to mention the annoying host Steve Jones, who seemed to annoy the judges, as much as the fans.
There is no doubt that American Idol is still the best singing competition. It may be difficult to follow-up the success of Season 10, when Scotty McCreery won the title of American Idol. Even more impressive was that Scotty sold a million copies of his debut album, only three months after being released. His sales far eclipsed those of Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze, whose record sales never did take off.
It is safe to say that Scotty is the most successful recording artist, after winning American Idol, since 2005 when Carrie Underwood won Season 4.
We won’t know until May who wins Season 11 of American Idol, but fans will have fun watching the shows, till the winner is revealed by Ryan Seacrest.
Cajun Pawn Stars: Hometown Reality Show
Jimmie DeRamus, owner of Silver Dollar Pawn Shop in Alexandria, Louisiana is being featured in Cajun Pawn Stars which recently debuted on the History Channel.
It may never draw the viewers garnered by the original Pawn Stars on the same channel.
There have even been reports, that the owners of the original Pawn Stars show, filmed in Las Vegas, were less than pleased, when they found out about the spinoff show.
They reportedly had not been notified by the network, that the Cajun Pawn Stars show was even in the works. They claim to have in their contract, that there would be no spinoffs, from the original Pawn Stars shows. They are probably concerned, that with two reality pawn shop shows, on the air will lower the rating for their original Pawn Stars show.
For those who don’t get the History Channel on their cable service, they will be pleased to know, that the shows can be viewed, in their entirety at the History channel website.
I recently watched the first two shows and the main difference, between the two shows is that DeRamus offers more money for items brought to his pawn shop. DeRamus even offered twice the value for one item. That is not normal practice for most pawn shops.
Having grown up across the river from Silver Dollar Pawn Shop it makes it more interesting to watch. Folks from the area are probably seeing people, that they actually know on the show. I have been in the store a couple of times myself.
DeRamus really wanted the first record ever made by Jerry Lee Lewis, that the expert verified was authentic, but the owner, who just happens to be married to Jerry Lee’s sister, decided he couldn’t part with the record, even though the offer by DeRamus was more, than what the record had been valued at.
He also tried to buy a pair of $5,000 and $10,000 sister bills, but came up empty, when the owner turned down his $500,000 offer, then DeRamus upped that offer, but it was no deal.
The pygmy goat that was leaving souvenirs, for someone to clean up was sold for $40, after DeRamus declined to buy it for $60.
The show to me was an excellent representation, of life in Central Louisiana. It may not be able to compete with the flashy Pawn Stars reality show, being filmed in Las Vegas, but I look for it to catch on, as the weeks go by. This show seems to give more background on the customers, than the Las Vegas based Pawn Stars show, which for the most part, doesn’t come close to offering the money, that is offered on Cajun Pawn Stars.
It was almost like going home again for me, since we live 125 miles from Alexandria now.
Heroes of D-Day Recount Experiences
The photo above makes me wonder what these soldiers were thinking, before leaving the landing craft on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Some of them would be dead minutes later, as they came under intense German gunfire from beyond the beach. They could see their fellow soldiers being shot, before they even left the landing craft.
I saw a PBS program about veterans returning to Normandy, France and telling their stories of what they experienced that day. One soldier was helping wounded soldiers, but then was hit himself several times. He had just told another soldier that he was too weak to help with the wounded soldiers and at that moment the other soldier was hit by a bullet that went in one side of his head and exited on the other side.
He assumed the soldier had died, but he encountered him at an Army reunion later and saw the man and his wife there. He told him that he thought he was dead and the other soldier thought the other soldier was dead. So both soldiers, had thought the other soldier was dead, when in fact both had survived their wounds from D-Day.
A 18 year old soldier on D-Day would be 86 years old today. The 70th anniversary of D-Day will be held on June 6, 2014. Any soldier that was 30 or older that day, probably would have died by that date.
Even though President Roosevelt had declared war on Germany on December 8 of 1941, it would be two-and-a- half years before American forces entered the European theater.
The French civilians on the program today, are still thankful for the Americans freeing them from German rule. They spoke of passing the torch to each generation of the French people, to let them know that the American soldiers, were the reason that they regained their freedom.
Hitler’s harebrained military plans, enabled the Americans to gain inroads to other French cities, since he had 157 divisions on the Russian front, while having only 59 in France.
13,000 American paratroopers were dropped from the sky, as part of the D-Day invasion, but the paratroopers were very fragmented and only 2,500 of them had joined up with their units, 24 hours after being dropped. One of the veterans on the PBS special said they wrapped up dead American paratroopers in their parachutes and buried them.
The allied forces were outnumbered 380,000 to 175,000 but still they still won the Battle of Normandy. Allied casualties at Normandy totaled close to 10,000 with 2,500 making the ultimate sacrifice for the allied forces.
Words can’t express our gratitude for the soldiers, who stepped out of their landing craft, facing death immediately and those that survived the onslaught at the beach, as they began their trek through France, as they liberated the French people, from the clutches of Adolf Hitler.
American Idol Towers Over X-Factor, The Voice
American Idol encountered competition from the NBC singing competition The Voice and X-Factor, a Fox program like Idol in 2011, but emerged victorious over the competition.
The Voice had the gimmick of the judges hearing the singers, without seeing them and then would turn around to see the singers if they liked them.
To me that was the highlight of the show, but once they got into the battle rounds, it seemed to be more of a contest to see who could sing the loudest, instead of who could sing the best.
When Javier Colon became The Voice, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he would not receive near the publicity of the American Idol winner and that is exactly what happened.
While the internet was full of stories about Scotty McCreery the American Idol winner and the runner-up Lauren Alaina, there was little mention of Javier Colon or any of the contestants from The Voice.
The contestants from the The Voice more or less disappeared from the scene, after the finale, while McCreery and Alaina were making news by singing at the Grand Ole Opry and signing record deals. They did receive some negative publicity, for McCreery not holding the mike up, while lip-synching during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and Alaina forgetting the words, of the National Anthem, but it was publicity.
Before that they had toured the country, with nine other singers from American Idol, during the summer, exposing them to thousands of American Idol fans.
X-Factor seemed to focus on big production numbers, with strobe lights flashing across the stage, more than the singers themselves, sometimes overshadowing the vocals.
Steve Jones, the host of X-Factor, was clearly out of his element on the show. He bordered on the obnoxious, most of the season, asking questions of singers and judges, at the most inopportune times. It was awkward when he received no response to those questions.
The producers made him look even worse, when they made him wait forever, to announce which contestants were going home. I doubt that Simon Cowell will invite Jones to return for the 2012 shows. Nicole Scherzinger should never have been chosen, to be on the judge’s panel. She was too indecisive, to make the judgements a judge has to make. Her indecision resulted in Rachel Crow going home, because she didn’t want to decide, whether Marcus Canty or Crow should go home.
The harsh words that L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell exchanged seemed to be staged, but they probably really didn’t get along well, with both of them being record executives.
Cowell made a huge mistake, by predicting that X-Factor would attract 20 million viewers, but in reality the show never came close to the 20 million mark.
In contrast, American Idol stayed above the 20 million mark and had no problems with judges, except when Jennifer Lopez broke down, while making her decision about Chris Medina, before the live shows began. The chemistry between Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler was clearly the best among the judges on the three shows.
Christina Aguilera seemed to be intent on using sexual entendres, while talking to the other judges on The Voice. Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine seemed to be more focused on their singers, than making snarky comments like Aguilera had made.
If you stopped someone on the street and asked them who won American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor, most of them could tell who won American Idol, but not the other two shows.
Scotty McCreery may have won only $250,000 for winning American Idol, while Melanie Amaro won $5 million recording contract for winning X-Factor, but McCreery is the one that will see his name mentioned on internet more than Amaro.
For instance, McCreery’s album Clear as Day is listed No.9 at Amazon.com in sales among country albums, after being on the charts for 140 days, with 110 listeners rating his album with five stars and only two giving it one star.
Javier Colon the winner of The Voice, on the other hand has a new album Come Through For You that is ranked 1,296th in sales.
There is no reason for American Idol producers to worry about The Voice or X-Factor. American Idol is still king of the hill among singing competitions and after the Lee DeWyze debacle of 2010, which saw his debut album Live It Up currently listed 4,949th in sales at Amazon, the show seems now back on course.
It seems like country music singers from American Idol sell better than from other genres. Even runner-up Lauren Alaina’s Wildflower album is listed 275th in sales at Amazon, which is far better than first place winner DeWyze from 2010.
The American Idol juggernaut is alive and well and we can expect it be around for many years to come.
Predictions of the Year 2000 From 1900,1969
It has been 112 years since Ladies Home Journal, predicted what it would be like living in the year 2000. This was three years before the Wright Brothers had made their first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, but one of the predictions mentions air-ships.
Population Predictions For 2000
The magazine predicts there will be 350 million to 500 million people, living in the United States in the year 2,000. There was a population of 76 million, when this prediction was made in 1900. Actually the U.S. population in 2000 was 281 million, so the magazine’s prediction was 69 million off, on the low side and 219 million off on the high side.
Presently as of today the U.S. population stands at 312 million, so it will be much longer before the 350 million prediction is reached. However, due to smaller families for the most part today, that probably skewered their numbers.
Americans Projected To Live To 50 Years Old
The magazine goes on to predict that Americans will be one or two inches taller and will live to be 50 years old, compared to living to be 35, during the year 1900.
Cost a Penny For Transportation To Work
One of the worst predictions is that it will cost a penny for Americans to arrive at work each day. It costs more than a penny to back out of a driveway today.
Noiseless Cities
Another absurd prediction is that cities will be free of all noises. Guess they never took into account, drivers screaming at each other while in traffic jam, at rush hour in downtown New York City.
Cigar-Shaped Locomotives
Trains will be powered by cigar-shaped locomotives hauling long trains of freight cars.
Air-Ships Used Only In War
There will be air-ships but won’t be used for passenger transportation, but as war vessels. These air-ships will fire deadly thunderbolts toward their enemies. Rifles will all have silencers.
No Mosquitoes Or Flies
This prediction definitely failed to materialize as mosquitoes and flies, still exist today, as annoying as ever. A lot of campers wish their 1900 prediction had been accurate.
Strawberries As Large As Apples
I have never seen a strawberry as large as an apple, so the prediction that children would be eating large strawberries, for Christmas dinner hasn’t come true.
No More C,X, or Q In Alphabet
This prediction obviously was wrong as keyboards today still have all three letters.
Free University Education For Everyone
College students still paying on student loans, twenty years after graduating can attest to the fact, that this prediction was wrong. Poor children will be taken on vacations to many places in the world.
Communicate By Phone All Over The World
The magazine got this one right, when it said we would be able to talk to someone from China on the telephone. It also predicted the demise of the telephone operator, which was needed to plug-in calls.
No Wild Animals
Wild animals won’t be roaming the woods and countryside, since they will be living in menageries. There will be no rats or mice, since they will no longer exist. Tell that to a family, that has a house infested by rats and/or mice.
Fast Electric Ships To Travel Mile Every Minute
I think it is safe to say there are no ships traveling a mile a minute, between New York and England, as mentioned in the magazine. The troop ship I was on, during the 7,000 mile trip from Hawaii to Vietnam in 1966 was only traveling 500 miles a day. If it had been going a mile a minute, we would have been traveling 1,400 miles a day, turning our 14 day trip into a 5 day trip. But then why would anyone want to get to Vietnam any sooner, than they did?
Summary: There were some outlandish predictions made in the Ladies Home Journal article, but when considering that this was 1900, when the predictions were made, it is hard to find fault with the predictions.
It still was fun looking back at these predictions, like the one that predicted no wild animals in 2000. There are probably millions of wild animals roaming loose in the world today. I wish the no mosquitoes and no flies prediction had materialized. The manufacturer of OFF mosquito repellent is happy, that there are still mosquitoes in the world today.
For those readers interested in reading the entire Ladies Home Journal article listing all the predictions:
http://www.yorktownhistory.org/homepages/1900_predictions.htm
Predictions For Year 2000 From 1969
This list of predictions from the July 22, 1961 edition of Weekend Magazine, predicts the advent of indoor swimming pools, which has been realized. Thankfully, the refrigerated garbage prediction has not come to fruition.
One prediction which sadly has not come to fruition, is that there will be no cancer, common colds, tooth decay or mental illness in the year 2000.
Another prediction that is way off base, is that it would be possible to fly to any point in the world, within an hour after taking off. I am sure a passenger on a flight from New York City to Los Angeles, can personally verify, that they can’t reach Los Angeles an hour after taking off.
To read the complete article:
Melanie Amaro Wins X-Factor
X-Factor Finalists: Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik
Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik will vie to become the first winner of X-Factor in its inaugural season. The three singers will compete this week with the winner being announced on Thursday, Dec. 22.
The best singer remaining in the running, for the coveted $5 million recording contract, in my estimation is Melanie Amaro. My personal favorite is Chris Rene, since he has overcome many obstacles, to be competing to be the winner of the X-Factor. Going from being a garbage collector with a serious drug problem, to the brink of winning a $5 million recording contract, makes me want to root for him.
However, I expect to see either Josh Krajcik or Amaro take the top prize on Thursday night, on finale night. Krajcik has a powerful voice, but his mentor Nicole Scherzinger did nothing to change his stage persona or his appearance during the season. Rene changed his look during the season, due to L.A. Reid’s advice or did it on his own. Either way I think it increased his appeal. He commands the stage and seems to be enjoying entertaining the audience. Rene is by far the best entertainer, remaining in the running to win X-Factor.
Krajcik looks as unkempt as he did during the auditions and has made no attempt to clean up his look. Who would want to buy an album of his with his look, unless he changes it this week? It is sad to see a singer with such a great voice, look like he bought his clothes at a Goodwill store, with scraggly looking hair, that looks like it hasn’t encountered a brush or comb in months. I apologize to his fans for my criticism, but am only pointing this out, to say that a singer’s appearance is crucial to their success.
I look for Steve Jones to announce Amaro, as the winner on Thursday night. I still can’t believe that Simon Cowell chose four other female singers ahead of her.
Speaking of Jones, there are rumors that he will not return for the second season. He is opposite of Ryan Seacrest who seems to run a tighter ship, without all the drama. Jones has several times asked questions to singers or judges, that were emotionally distraught and refused to talk to him.
Jones seems to be obviously reading from a cue card, during X-Factor. I can’t see X-Factor bringing him back and will find a host, who is less annoying.
Shocking Eliminations
The most shocking elimination this season was when Rachel Crow was sent home, due to Scherzinger not being able to make a choice between Marcus Canty and Crow. The judges are paid to judge and her refusal to judge, resulted in Crow going home, since it was her only chance, to remain on the show.
Drew seemed to be a lock for the final three along with Crow, but Cowell’s insistence on her singing in a chair, for an entire song resulted in her being voted off the show.
The animosity between Cowell and Reid speeded up Drew’s departure from the show.
Summary of first season as of today: My personal opinion is that X-Factor went overboard, on the big production numbers. I can’t remember this many big production numbers, on American Idol. Their focus was more on the singers and not the staging of the songs.
X-Factor did well in the ratings, but didn’t come close to approaching the ratings numbers for American Idol. I look for American Idol to continue draw more than 20 million viewers in its 2012 season. Cowell had predicted 20 million viewers for X-Factor, but was 9 to 10 million off most of the season.
Jones, the host was a major distraction during the inaugural season. Know he was being hurried by producers, but then those same producers slowed down the show, by the dead air when announcing who was staying on the show.
X-Factor did alright for a first season, but it seems like they could have come up, with a better final three, than that competing on Thursday night for the big prize.
The fighting between the mentors, took the focus off the singers and onto the judges. Cowell and Reed were particularly disrespectful to the singers, in the other mentor’s tutelage.
One of the singers will have a $5 million recording contract, after the show on Thursday night. Amaro to me, has the best chance of becoming a recording star.
X-Factor Season Drawing To Close
X-Factor has sent four acts home in the last two weeks, with the finale only 17 days away. We have seen LeRoy Bell, Lakoda Rayne, Astro and Drew sent home during the last two weeks. The field has been reduced from nine singers to five singers, over the last two weeks so the season will soon be drawing to a close.
The first three acts mentioned above, that were sent home were no surprises, but to see Drew sent home last week, tells me that the voters will have an even tougher decision, each week the rest of the way.
Before looking at the final five acts remaining, would like to congratulate Astro, on handling his elimination so well. After acting very childish two weeks ago, when he found himself in the bottom two and threatened to not even sing, he has acted much better, but the damage probably had already been done.
Astro was a one trick pony for the most part, working his rapping into whatever the theme was for a particular week, without really singing. However, Astro was very good at writing and rapping, which should result in his being signed by a record label.
Final Five Singers
Chris Rene – Chris will probably suffer the fate of Astro this week, unless he can come up with two great performances, with each contestant being required to sing two songs this week. Chris is my personal favorite, since it would be a great story if he won, since he would be going, from being a drug addict picking up garbage, to winning a $5 million recording contract. He may pick up some of Astro’s voters, since he is only remaining rapper on the show.
Marcus Canty – Marcus has been living on the edge lately, finding himself in the bottom two often, but his ballad that saved him last week, was one of the best performances of the entire season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the bottom two again next week. I look for Marcus and Chris to be in the bottom two this week.
Melaine Amaro- Melanie is the best singer in my book, that remains in the competition. I can see her winning on finale night in two weeks. She is definitely the best female singer remaining.
Rachel Crow – Rachel is another that just may win this competition, because of her likeability factor. She sings well, but not at the level of Melanie or Josh. Rachel will be a star in some form of entertainment world, in the near future. She is tailor-made for the Disney Channel and may wind up there, if she doesn’t receive the $5 million recording contract.
Josh Krajcik – Josh has a powerful voice, which could be his ticket to winning the recording contract. However I can’t see him drawing more votes than Rachel or Melanie. I am surprised that Nicole Scherzinger, the mentor for Josh hasn’t had him adopt a cleaner look, as far as facial hair is concerned. His fan base probably won’t come close to that of someone like Rachel.
Predicted Winner
My prediction is that Rachel Crow will win the $5 million recording contract, unless she falters badly in the last two weeks. Melanie is by far a better singer and can belt a tune with the best of them, but I have a feeling that Rachel’s voters are very loyal and could propel her to victory.
Summary
Simon Cowell’s gaffe of having Drew remain seated in a chair, probably cost Drew her dream of winning X-Factor. My personal thought is that the singers should be able, to choose their own songs. Simon knows he is the reason, that Drew made an early exit from the show.
If the singers choose the wrong song, at least they will know, that they didn’t lose because of a mentor making a bad song choice. It was heartbreaking to see Drew so upset, about being eliminated and it hurt Simon too, since he knew it was his fault.
The ratings prediction by Simon that predicted 20 million viewers, for X-Factor never materialized. The show is drawing about half that many viewers, with rating numbers close to the 10 million mark.
X-Factor may never be the ratings juggernaut, that American Idol has been, but it is still drawing well enough to win the nights, on which it appears.
EDITORS NOTE: I am now working a full-time job, after being retired for the last year, so the posts will be sporadic, as long as I am working. Thank you to the readers for understanding the situation.
Andrew Godfrey
X Factor: Review of First Season With 23 Days Left
The inaugural season of X-Factor is drawing to a close, with the finale scheduled for December 22. Simon Cowell’s prediction of X-Factor drawing 20 million viewers has never been realized.
Matter of fact only 8.51 million viewers watched the results show last Wednesday night. The CMA awards hammered X-Factor in the ratings with 16 million viewers to 10 million viewers for X-Factor.
American Idol drew at least 20 million viewers to every show in 2011, while X-Factor has topped out around 12 million viewers for the entire season.
It was thought that reuniting Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul as judge-mentors would attract viewers, However, that has not seemed to make much difference in the ratings. It is clear that there is a lot of work that needs to be done, since right now X-Factor is not drawing half the fans of American Idol.
Steve Jones has been a major disappointment as the host of X-Factor, with his tendency to rush the judges, while they are giving their opinions of the singers. He definitely is not attracting viewers to the show, especially with his annoying personality. He is making Ryan Seacrest look much better, in contrast. Seacrest is a much smoother host and seems to really care about the contestants, but we don’t get that impression from Jones.
Jones is by far the most obnoxious host of any television show I have ever watched. Why Simon Cowell would hire this clown is beyond me. The most annoying thing, which may or may not be his fault, is the long pauses between telling which singers are advancing in the competition to the next week. It may be a case of him waiting on the producers to tell him the names of those advancing. Regardless, it looks silly to have so much dead air, while announcing the safe singers, then a few minutes later saying “We have to move on” incessantly as Jones rushes the judges, to make their decisions a few minutes later.
Paula Abdul’s groups have all been sent home and only Josh Krajcik remains of the over 30 singers, which Nicole Scherzinger has been mentoring.
I think the groups category should be eliminated next season, since voters don’t think in terms of groups, as much as solo acts. It was only a matter of time before LeRoy Bell and Stacy Francis were sent home, so that was no surprise.
So that leaves Simon Cowell with all three of his female singers still in the competition:
Rachel Crow has a real chance to win the competition, since she is one of the most likeable contestants on any singing competition show ever. Melanie Amaro to me is a better singer than Drew, but Simon seems to be pushing for Drew to win the competition. Amaro has the most powerful voice remaining in the competition, with maybe the exception of Krajcik, who can belt a song with the best of them.
L.A. Reid also has all three of his remaining singers, in the competition in Marcus Canty, Chris Rene and Astro. I think it is safe to say that Astro removed himself from the competition, with his childish behavior two weeks ago, when finding himself in the bottom two. He said all the right things last week, but the damage has been done. It is not a matter of if he is going home, but when he is going home. I just wonder what Astro will do, if they have a country music theme one week. Chris Rene may have the same problem, since I can’t picture him singing country music, nor can I picture Astro singing I Stopped Loving Her Today.
My personal favorite to win the competition is Chris Rene, but that is mainly because of his back story, not his singing ability. It would be the American dream story if he wins, going from being a garbage collector with a drug habit, to winning a $5 million recording contract, but it is not likely to happen. Marcus Canty found himself in the bottom two last week, so it may mean his time on X-Factor may be drawing to a close.
Josh Krajcik may be the best singer on the show, but I can’t see him having the kind of fan base to actually win the show. Melanie Amaro may have the same problem. My prediction to win the inaugural season of X-Factor is Rachel Crow. It is hers to lose.
Random Thoughts on JFK Assassination 48 Years Later
It is hard to comprehend that 48 years have passed, since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, a Friday morning that will live forever in history. I was subbing for the company postal clerk, who was on vacation, for the 25th Administration Company of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii on that date and was the first to tell the company commander about the president being shot, after hearing the news on the radio. Meanwhile the regular postal clerk was flying military standby back to the mainland. He was trying to make a connection to New York City, from California, but was routed to Dallas, Texas of all places, arriving there about the time of the assassination.
Reading Warren Commission Report
I had a copy of the Warren Commission Report, that I had never really read until this last week. President Johnson commissioned the report a week after the assassination.
President Johnson was eager to have the Warren Report released, as soon as possible, to avoid having it contain any conspiracy theories, that might create doubt among the American public.
There is plenty of circumstantial evidence, that makes it appear that Lee Harvey Oswald fired the rifle, from the six floor window, of the Texas Schoolbook Depository building. Some witnesses on the ground reportedly saw a figure holding a gun, but as far as I know, nobody identified that figure as being Oswald. It is doubtful anyone could see someone inside a sixth story window, then be able to identify that person, since only their arms and the gun would be seen.
I am not saying that Oswald didn’t fire the shots, that killed President Kennedy and also wounded Texas Governor John Connally. He just appeared to be the one most likely to have fired the shots.
Lee Harvey Oswald: Portrait Of An Assassin
Lee Harvey Oswald had all the credentials of an assassin. He was a loner, that was an activist in liberal causes. He was a frustrated individual, who never really fit in with most political groups. He was living in Russia, thinking he had found a better way of living, but left when he saw their government didn’t care about the little people like him.
It wasn’t until after the assassination, that it was found out, that Oswald had attempted to shoot General Edwin Walker in his Dallas home on May 10, 1963. This shooting and the Kennedy assassination, proved that Oswald would just as soon shoot a conservative like Walker as well as a liberal like Kennedy.
By now everyone knows, that Oswald who never had a driver’s license told his co-worker Wesley Frazier, that he needed to go to Irving, Texas to pick up some curtain rods. He normally went to Irving on Fridays, but he needed those “curtain rods” for work on Friday, ostensibly to kill the president of the United States. Everyone also knows now, that those “curtain rods’ turned out to be the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle found inside the sixth story window, of the Texas Schoolbook Depository building.
Why was Oswald in Mexico City two months before the assassination? It is still a mystery, to my knowledge, what he was doing in Mexico City. It is known that he was trying to secure a visa to Cuba through the Cuban embassy, but there is little record of what he was actually doing in Mexico City. There are even reports that another individual, had used Oswald’s name, during the time he was in Mexico City. If there was a conspiracy, this may have been where it was planned.
Patrolman M.L. Baker was in the Texas Schoolbook Depository, looking for the shooter, when he encountered Oswald in the lunchroom. Oswald from the reports I have read, showed no signs of being under duress, while Baker was holding a gun on him. His coolness in that situation sealed the fate of both Officer J.D. Tippit, who would be killed less than an hour later, when he stopped Oswald on a Dallas street. If Oswald had exhibited any fright or seemed to be in distress, it is likely that Patrolman Baker would have arrested him in the lunchroom.
Oswald would have been without a weapon and presumably would have been taken to the police station without incident. However, Oswald may have tried to take the policeman’s gun, which could have been deadly.
There are so many incidents that day that could have changed history. Officer Tippit could have just as easily killed Oswald, instead of being gunned down himself by Oswald. That would have prevented the circus that ensued at the police station, after Oswald was arrested at the theater. History would have changed if Officer Tippit had stopped Oswald before he had a chance to receive his gun from the North Beckley residence.
Oswald allegedly fired his first shot at President Kennedy at 12:30 PM Dallas time. He encounters Patrolman Baker in the lunchroom and is leaving the Texas Schoolbook Depository by 12:33 PM. The building is reportedly sealed at 12:48, enabling Oswald to make his getaway. President Kennedy arrives at Parkland Hospital at 12:38 PM. Dallas Police homicide chief, who is awaiting the arrival of President Kennedy calls at 12:51 to ask if Kennedy is still coming to the Trade Mart for the luncheon in his honor, but is told it is very doubtful and in reality, Kennedy was dead nine minutes later.
By 1:00 Oswald has killed Officer Tippit and is seen entering the Texas Theater, while President Kennedy is being pronounced dead at that same minute.
Dallas police car #207 honks horn twice outside the Oswald house. This doesn’t sound very believable, so may not have even happened. Since when do police warn a criminal that they are outside their house?
The following timeline gives an interesting look at the events of that day. However, it can’t be taken too seriously accuracy wise, as it has Oswald arriving at the Texas Theater, ten minutes before Officer Tippit is found dead in the street, which doesn’t sound right to me.
http://roswell.fortunecity.com/angelic/96/pctime.htm
Rose Cheramie was en route to Dallas with some other criminal types and said this about her reasons for being in Dallas:
“She said she was going to, number one, pick up some money, pick up her baby, and to kill Kennedy.” (p. 9 of Fruge’s 4/18/78 deposition)
While at the hospital Cheramie predicted the precise moment the assassination would take place:
At the hospital, Cheramie again predicted the assassination. On November 22nd, several nurses were watching television with Cheramie. According to these witnesses, “…during the telecast moments before Kennedy was shot Rose Cheramie stated to them, ‘This is when it is going to happen’ and at that moment Kennedy was assassinated. The nurses, in turn, told others of Cheramie’s prognostication.” (Memo of Frank Meloche to Louis Ivon, 5/22/67. Although the Dallas motorcade was not broadcast live on the major networks, the nurses were likely referring to the spot reports that circulated through local channels in the vicinity of the trip. Of course, the assassination itself was reported on by network television almost immediately after it happened.) Further, according to a psychiatrist there, Dr. Victor Weiss, Rose “…told him that she knew both Ruby and Oswald and had seen them sitting together on occasions at Ruby’s club.” (Ibid., 3/13/67) In fact, Fruge later confirmed the fact that she had worked as a stripper for Ruby. (Louisiana State Police report of 4/4/67.)
To read the complete article:
http://www.ctka.net/pr799-rose.html
There is reportedly no mention of Cheramie in the Warren Report. You would think someone who accurately predicted the moment President Kennedy would be shot, would be taken more seriously by the Warren Commission, but then that would back up the conspiracy theorists, which the Warren commission avoided at all costs.
It is not so much a matter if Oswald shot Kennedy but more of a matter, of was he aided by a conspiracy. Kennedy had a myriad of enemies, who wanted him dead. They included the unions, mobsters, Castro, KGB, possibly the CIA who were peeved at Kennedy for withdrawing air support for the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Even President Johnson has been mentioned as someone, who would like to see Kennedy dead, since he had the most to gain (the presidency). One online report even states that Oswald was seen at Johnson’s ranch in Mexico. That may be a false report, but worth looking into.
Jack Ruby Becomes Prosecutor and Jury, Killing Oswald
Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby, showed up at the police station on the Friday night of the assassination, to see the Oswald press conference. Ruby became emotionally distraught over the death of Kennedy and decided the American people would never have the chance to know if there was a conspiracy, behind the assassination of Kennedy.
Ruby singlehandedly started a wave of books about the assassination, since Americans would never know about any conspiracies, since Oswald was dead and dead men tell no tales.
Hundreds of books have been written about the assassination. The Warren Commission Report has focused on proving that Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas 48 years ago. They seemed to have glossed over any conspiracy theories. Oswald was a very shady character, who was all over the place and may have been covering up for some sinister group of conspiracists.
It is still a mystery of how Ruby was in the basement of the Dallas Police station on Sunday, November 24 and how he got in there. He reportedly arrived in the basement a couple of minutes before Oswald was to be moved to another facility.
Ruby said he killed Oswald, because he hated that Jackie Kennedy would have to return to Dallas for the trial of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Summary
I am not saying that the Warren Commission was a complete cover-up, but it seemed to be intent, on promoting the lone gunman theory. By not admitting a conspiracy was possible, it took a lot of the enemies of Kennedy off the hook, including the new president Lyndon B. Johnson, who was relegated to being a do-nothing vice president, until Kennedy’s death, propelled him to the presidency.
He was no longer the second banana to President Kennedy and his inner circle. The only reason Kennedy chose Johnson as a running mate, was so that he could garner some southern votes, attracted by Johnson being on the ticket as vice-president.
After 48 years, there is still no smoking gun that I know of that points to anyone besides Oswald being the assassin. I have heard for years about shots coming from the grassy knoll, but don’t think it is even mentioned in the Warren Report.
There are a lot of what-ifs that came into play on November 22, 1963:
What if it had rained that day and the bubble-top would have been down, ruining any chance of any assassin shooting the president?
What if Patrolman Baker would have arrested Oswald before leaving the schoolbook depository, which would have saved the life of Officer Tippit?
What if someone had walked in on the shooter from the sixth floor window seconds before the first shot?
What if the Dallas Police department had kept the crowds under control at the police station, during the interrogation of Oswald?
What if someone had stopped Ruby from entering the basement of the police station?
What if someone had taken Rose Cheramie seriously and prevented the assassination?
JFKLancer.com has some very interesting observations about what the Warren Commission Report failed to tell the American people:
http://www.jfklancer.com/LNE/report35.html
1953: The Last Year With No Rock and Roll On Charts
Song From Moulin Rouge by Percy Faith Orchestra was the No.1 song in 1953.
It was hard to believe that the first major rock and roll song, Shake, Rattle and Roll by Bill Haley and the Comets, would break into the Top 30 list, the next year 1954 ending in the No.26 spot. Bill Haley would come back in 1955, for his monster hit Rock Around the Clock, which went to No.2 on the chart.
The country had gone from an easy listening orchestra song in 1953, to two of the rocking and rollingest songs ever, in the space of two years.
These are some of the songs that were on the 1953 list, that began the end of the easy listening music era:
No. 2: Vaya Con Dios – Les Paul and Mary Ford
No. 3: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window – Patti Page….It was a novelty song that I can remember from Your Hit Parade Days.
No.8: No Other Love – Perry Como
No.9: Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes – Perry Como….Como had a third song on the list also Say Your Mine at No.21
No.12: Ebb Tide – Frank Chacksfield Orchestra….One of the classic easy listening songs of all time. The orchestra also had the No.27 song Limelight on the 1953 chart.
No.19: Rags To Riches – Tony Bennett….One of the few singers who had a long career despite rock and roll taking over the charts.
No.22: Dragnet – Ray Anthony Orchestra….Theme song from the television show Dragnet.
One of my favorite singers Joni James singing Why Don’t You Believe Me which was No.25 in 1953. She also had No.26 Your Cheating Heart and No.30 Have You Heard.
1953 chart represented a smorgasbord of musical tastes, from orchestra music, to novelty tunes, to the great crooners like Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, groups like Hilltoppers, Ames Brothers and Gaylords, up and coming stars like Joni James, who would miss years of singing, while taking care of her very sick husband.
At the end of 1953, nobody probably even thought, that in 1956 Elvis Presley would have five songs in the Top 30, with Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent, also having rock and roll songs, plus Bill Doggett had his instrumental hit Honky Tonk, which clearly was not an easy listening recording.
1956 emphasized even more that the easy listening era, was coming to an end. There were still some crooners and orchestras on the 1956 list. It is safe to say that 1957 was the year that rock n’ rollers took over the charts, 25 rock and roll songs making the top 30.
The easy listening era was over. We can still listen to old records and cassettes from the past, but it looks like rock n’ roll is here to stay, until the next best thing comes along.
The Bobhorst.com website lists the Top songs of each year from 1946-2010. The list expanded from Top 30 to Top 100. The link will take readers to the 1953 charts, but it can be switched to any year easily.
http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/top-100-songs-of-the-year/?year=1953
North Dakota Oil Boom: Slumlords Forcing Seniors Out Of Residences
Lois Sinnes, 82 was planning on living out the rest of her life, in the same community she grew up in. However, due to the oil boom in North Dakota, she was forced to move out by a greedy slumlord, who tripled her rent.
Sinnes is now living 230 miles away, after her landlord almost tripled, her $700 a month rent. What kind of person would force an 82-year-old woman, to leave the community she grew up in? A person who is a greedy, money-loving scumbag, who lets the mighty dollar rule his or her life, ignoring the effect it has on those, who can’t afford the exorbitant rent being charged. This landlord even had the nerve, to charge a $2,000 security deposit, to clients already living in the apartments.
There could still be a happy ending for Sennes, since she owns mineral rights, in the area and could sell those rights to drillers. She says she will return one way or the other, since she will be buried in town next to her husband. For right now, she is living in a town 230 miles away and doesn’t know what the future holds.
Some two bedroom apartments, in the area, are being rented for $2,000 a month. An ordinary mobile home is on the market for $149,500. There is not nearly enough housing, for the influx of oil workers, so some workers are living in their cars and tents.
Compassionate Landlord
Mayo Miller 80, is fortunate that her landlord hasn’t raised her rent. She is paying $550 a month and delivers her rent check in person to thank her landlord, who is showing that there are some compassionate landlords left in the area.
It is good to know that money is not what drives her landlord. Otherwise, her landlord would be gouging the renters, like the slumlords who couldn’t care any less than they do, about the seniors being forced to leave their residences. Her landlord who realizes, not everyone is getting rich off the oil boom, could be charging Miller $3,000 a month for the apartment, but is doing the right thing, by letting her stay in her apartment.
Oil Boom Providing Jobs
The oil boom is providing jobs to thousands of workers, who are moving into the area. That is the main positive of the oil boom. However there is a huge negative, in that the oil boom encourages price gouging, knowing that the oil workers are being well-paid. Their gouging is not hurting the oil workers, once they get a few paychecks in the bank, but the people living on fixed incomes are seeing their dreams, of living their golden years peacefully, in their hometown, being shattered by unscrupulous landlords.
To Gouge Or Not To Gouge?
Decisions are being made everyday, in the oil patch area. Landlords are having to decide, whether to do the right thing or join the crowd and start gouging their tenants, to inflate their bank accounts.
Senior Citizens Making Tough Decisions
The senior citizens and other tenants are having to make life-changing decisions, like finding a place to live, in another city or state, knowing their lives will not end the way they planned. Instead they are the victims of an oil boom, that creates job, but also creates victims of that oil boom.
Some of these landlords may later regret driving these senior citizens, from their residences, but it won’t make things any better, for the residents who are now living hundreds of miles away, from the hometown that they grew up in.
Have Kardashians Killed the Reality TV Star?
Photos from the wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries: Was anything about this wedding real?
When Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries exchanged wedding vows on August 20,2011, it looked they were headed, to a lifetime of happiness. However, that happiness came to a screeching halt when Kim Kardashian, decided 72 days later, that she didn’t really want to be married to Kris Humphries and filed for divorce.
Now Kim’s former publicist Jonathan Jaxson says, that the wedding was staged for the benefit, of the E channel which was televising the nuptials. Jaxson who says Kardashian didn’t pay money owed to him, so it may be a case of sour grapes, but then it could have been, only a ploy for ratings.
Jaxson is quoted in this article revealing how Kim loved to be the center of attention, to the point of creating unreal situations:
The publicist explained of their previous working relatinship, “I staged so many paparazzi moments for her…I arranged for her to be coming out of a jewelry store and made it look like Reggie was planning to propose to her.
“She would call and tell me to alert the press so there were cameras there whenever anything happened,” he revealed to the Radar. “Reggie cottoned onto it and he didn’t like it, that was part of the reason they split up. He couldn’t handle the fame and her desire for it.”
Kim’s mom Kris Jenner, has denied that the wedding was staged, but that is hard to believe, knowing her history of promoting the Kardashian name. There is no way she is going to admit it was staged, whether it was or not.
Ratings of Kourtney and Kim Take New York
The ratings of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, will be closely watched by the E channel executives and by Ryan Seacrest, who created the show. If ratings tumble after an apparently staged wedding for television purposes, then the Kardashians may slowly disappear from cable television.
We soon should know some answers when the show debuts in its new season later this month. Kim Kardashian may have sensed, that living in Minnesota, with Humphries would diminish her popularity and chose divorce over settling down with her husband.
Kim Voted Most Annoying By Parade Magazine
It was no surprise that a Parade magazine poll listed Kim Kardashian as the most annoying person with 29 percent of the vote compared, to second place Charlie Sheen, with 27 percent of the vote. Snooki came in third, with 21 percent of the vote.
E channel is bombarding us with three Kardashian series which rotate during the year, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe and Lamar and the aforementioned Kourtney and Kim Take New York.
The wedding may or not have been staged, but a lot of fans will wonder if it was, after the sudden divorce, after 72 days of marriage.
This is just my opinion, but I think that the Kardashians have killed the reality television star, showing us that nothing about the Kardashians is real. Producers know viewers don’t want, to see the Kardashian family sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows, so they give us drama and a lot of it.
It makes me wonder now if Scott Disick even really hurt his hand, as badly as shown on television. The Las Vegas incident in which Disick stuffs bills in the mouth of a waiter, seems staged to me. If that really happened, it seemed like he would have been escorted out of the building, which I don’t remember happening.
If the Kardashian producers and other reality television show producers, are playing viewers for fools, they better hold on to their money, because their money train could be coming to a screeching halt very soon.
The reality TV star may not be dead, but could be in its death throes today.
Duggars to Change Name of Show: 20 Kids and Counting
There should be a name change in the future for 19 Kids and Counting as Michelle Duggar and her husband Jim Bob Duggar, announced on Today show, that they are expecting a 20th child in April. Jim Bob said they didn’t want to stop at an uneven number.
It is surprising that they would want another baby, after the problems experienced last time, for both mother Michelle and daughter Josie as detailed in this paragraph from the article at msnbc.com.
Michelle Duggar’s last pregnancy was fraught with danger. She suffered from gall-bladder problems as well as preeclampsia. In order to save her life, doctors delivered daughter Josie three and a half months prematurely – she weighed only one pound, six ounces at birth, and endured a series of health emergencies, including a perforated bowel. Josie eventually went home with the rest of the Duggar family, and is now a healthy toddler who will celebrate her second birthday in December.
It is hard to believe that they would take the chance of losing the mother or baby again, after what happened last time.
X-Factor: Josh Krajcik Warned to Stop Drinking, Smoking, Rachel Crack Baby
X-Factor Updates
Josh Krajcik one of the 11 finalists remaining on X-Factor, has been told by his doctor, to stop drinking and smoking if he wants to have a chance of winning X-Factor.
http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/08/josh-krajcik-x-factor-smoking-drinking-doctor/
Rachel Crow’s adoptive mother Barbara Crow has related to the New York Post that Rachel of X-Factor, was born a crack baby. She lived in a crack house and suffered abuse. It was good to know that she was taken out of that environment, then overcame that to have a chance of winning a $5 million recording contract on X-Factor.
http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2011/11/08/x-factor-rachel-crow-crack-baby/
Matty McDonald of Big Brother 9 Writes From Prison
It has been awhile since Matty McDonald made his last post from prison. He says in his blog, that the prison officials tried, to shut him down but failed.
His blog tells about how it was like to walk into rehab and his experiences while there. He mentions he will be released from prison in 2012.
As always, the usual disclaimer applies, that warns readers of bad language in the blog, but if it stops one drug user, from pursuing a life of using drugs, his blog will serve a good purpose.
http://mattymcdonald.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/the-longest-walk-of-my-life/
Richard Nixon’s First Brush With Fame In Alger Hiss Case, Career Highlights
Alger Hiss who was convicted of perjury in 1950 after a House Un-American Activites committee which included Richard Nixon sent the case to a grand jury and eventually led to his conviction.
Richard Nixon was a first term Republican congressman, from California, when he was appointed a member of subcommittee of three to investigate the Alger Hiss case. Nixon, Edward Hebert of Louisiana and John McDowell from Pennsylvania were given the job to determine whether Whittaker Chambers or Alger Hiss were giving truthful testimony.
They found enough evidence to bring the Hiss case to a grand jury, even though FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover had told them, he was told to not cooperate with the committee. The committee investigators unearthed enough evidence, to bring the case to the grand jury.
Alger Hiss had advanced into a high position in the U.S. government, serving as an assistant to Secretary of State Edward Stettinus. Hiss accompanied Stettinus,to the Yalta Conference in February of 1945. The purpose of the conference ,was for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill, to plan the defeat of Adolf Hitler, which came a couple of months after the conference.
Hiss would later be found to have given intelligence to the Russians as early as the 1930′s. The fact that reached such a high standing, in the American government is troubling. It was alarming at the support he received from top government officials during his trials.
Chambers would produce five rolls of micro-film, which would become known as the “Pumpkin Papers”, since Chambers had hidden them inside a pumpkin.
This website has extensive information about the Pumpkin Papers:
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hiss/pumpkinp.html
Grand Jury Indictment, Two Trials
A grand jury indicted Hiss on two perjury charges, but he wasn’t charged with espionage, because of the statute of limitations. Hiss then went to trial on May 31, 1949 and ended in a hung jury on July 7 of the same year.
The case against Hiss seemed to take a turn for the worse, when the key government witness, Chambers admitted he had given false testimony in the past. Hiss had friends in high places, in President Harry Truman, who called the trial a “red herring” and Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, who thought Hiss was innocent.
The second trial which started on May 17, 1949 ended on November 17, 1949 and it ended on January 21, 1950.
Typewriter Key Evidence
The key evidence against Hiss was that experts identified his typewriter, as the one which had been used to type stolen documents, then the top-secret papers were given to the Russians. Hess claimed until he died, that he had been framed and that the government, had committed forgery with his typewriter, to make it appear the documents, had been typed on his Woodstock typewriter.
Hiss Receives Five Year Sentence
Alger Hiss was convicted of two counts and sentenced to five years in prison, on January 25, 1960, on two perjury counts. He would be released 44 months later on November 27, 1954. Ironically, Hiss would be allowed to practice law in Massachusetts d on August 5, 1975. Hiss died on November 15, 1996 in New York City, claiming his innocence to the end.
Richard Nixon handout from his first Congressional election in 1946 in California which he won.
Nixon Rises to National Prominence
Richard Nixon made the most, of his first national exposure and would be elected a U.S. Senator from California in 1950. Two years later in 1952 he would be chosen to be the vice presidential candidate in the 1952 presidential election in which Dwight D. Eisenhower would become the first Republican president, since Herbert Hoover left office in 1929. Nixon would serve as vice president until 1961.
Checkers Speech
Nixon would make the headlines many times in the future. Nobody who was around back then, can forget his “Checkers” speech, when he addressed questions about his campaign finances.
Nixon Attacked in Peru, Venezuela
He would make news again when he confronted anti-American demonstrators in Peru, then his limousine would be attacked in Caracas, Venezuela, with both events in 1958.
Kitchen Debate With Khrushchev
Who can forget Nixon’s famous “Kitchen Debate” with Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev, over the merits of capitalism and communism in 1959?
Lost 1960 Presidential Election
Nixon would win the Republican nomination. in 1960, but after a poor performance in the first presidential debate, would lose the presidential election, to John F. Kennedy by a slim 120,000 votes.
Loses By 300,000 Votes in California Governor Race
Many wrote the obituary for Nixon’s political career, when he lost to Gov. Pat Brown in the 1962 gubernatorial race, by a margin of 300,000 votes.
Rises From the Ashes in 1968
After his loss in California, Nixon practiced law and supported 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, then supported 1966 congressional candidates. He was nominated to be the 1968 Republican candidate, while Senator Hubert H. Humphrey was nominated by the Democrats, at a tumultuous convention, in Chicago due to demonstrations, by anti-Vietnam war protesters in the streets of Chicago. Nixon wins by a half million votes over Humphrey.
Wins Overwhelming Victory in 1972
Nixon would win every state except Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, in an overwhelming victory over Democratic candidate George McGovern.
President Gerald Ford, Betty Ford, Pat Nixon and former President Richard Nixon walk toward helicopter, that would leave with them for the last time on August 9, 1974 after his resignation.
Watergate Ends His Political Career
Five men broke into the Democratic National Convention offices, in the Watergate Hotel on June 17, 1972. There was no reason for the break-in as Nixon won the 1972 presidential election easily.
Nixon would use every political trick imaginable to cover up, White House involvement with the cover-up of the break-in. Nixon’s tactic was to deny, deny and deny some more, that the White House was involved. His own taping system in the White House came back to haunt him. We will never forget his famous “I Am Not A Crook” speech, but eventually admitted he was a crook by leaving office in disgrace, becoming the first president to resign from office. We can only imagine, what Nixon and his wife were feeling as the helicopter, left the White House grounds, for the last time.
X-Factor: LeRoy Bell, Stereo Hoggz Lip-Syncing Incidents Latest Controversy
X-Factor has had a penchant, for making news this season. The latest controversy involves LeRoy Bell, singing with his mouth closed, on X-Factor this week. He broke the cardinal rule of lip-syncing, by not holding the microphone in front of his face, showing X-Factor fans, that he was not singing live. The incident occurred during a group ensemble song.
Then the Stereo Hoggz evidently were lip-syncing too, during their last chance, song which gave them a chance to return next week. The following article shows videos of both lip-syncing incidents.
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/11/stereo-hogzz-lip-sync-x-factor.html
X-Factor needs to stop all lip-syncing immediately, whether other singing competition shows are doing the same thing or not. It is all about X-Factor needing to establish some credibility.
We have seen the tears of Stacy Francis, Dexter Hagood and saw LeRoy Bell talking, about one last chance to make it. X-Factor has ventured away from reality, in not mentioning that all three singers, have had some level of success, in the music business. The tears may be real, but their backstories are not real, since they leave out the times, when they were a success in the past.
Bell being part of the Bell and James duo, has never been mentioned, or that Bell and James recorded a single, in Livin’ It Up that sold a million copies in 1979. Dexter Hagood was a member of Xavion, the first black band on MTV. Stacy Francis has been singing for many years professionally. She may not have had the big break, she talks about all the time, but it is not like she has never had a chance to be successful.
In their eagerness to create drama for the three singers, they have neglected to tell the full story, about these singers. Unless X-Factor is more truthful, about the backstories of these singers and any others, viewers will start looking, for other shows to watch. If you can’t trust the producers of X-Factor to be honest, then all their credibility is gone, along with viewers tiring of their dishonesty.
InTENsity Doomed
It was no surprise that InTENsity was the first act, that was sent home, this season on X-Factor. They were doomed from the start, by having such a large group. Throwing ten singers together and expecting them to jel, in such a short time was asking too much of the group. It is hard to identify with a group that large and probably sealed their fate.
Steve Jones No Ryan Seacrest
Steve Jones proved beyond a doubt during the results show, that he is not in same league with Ryan Seacrest, when it comes to hosting reality singing competition shows.
He just does not come across well, to the X-Factor fans. Maybe we are just used to the more relaxed Ryan Seacrest, who is more low-key than Jones, while on stage. Jones seems to be yelling over the crowd noise, most of the time on X-Factor.
The overlong pauses by Jones, before revealing which contestants would return next week, drove me to distraction, making me want to say, for him to get on with it and stop trying to build up so much drama.
Jones needs to tone down the drama and speed up telling who was going on, to the next round of X-Factor.
Today’s poll asks who is the better host, Steve Jones or Ryan Seacrest.
Judges Bickering Real?
I can’t help but wonder if the bickering between the judges is real or scripted to create more drama. Simon seems to be intent on criticizing the other judges, more than the singing acts.
The other judges seem to be concentrating, on judging the singers, but Simon seems to be judging the other judges, by criticizing the song choices, for the acts they are mentoring. Simon has said some good things about Paula Abdul, praising her ability to work with the groups so well.
X-Factor USA: Host Steve Jones Adding Drama During Results Show
There was no doubt that X-Factor host Steve Jones wasted time, with his long pauses between announcing contestants, that would be safe, or were in the bottom three. He milked all the drama he could and almost made the show run over.
Then to make up for the long pauses, he rushed up the judges in making their decisions, on the final two acts. The worst of all was when he acted like he was going to announce the next act to return, paused for a long time, then said the show would return, after a break for a commercial.
American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest does the same thing, but he never did it ten times in a row. X-Factor producers need to do some fine tuning, to eliminate so much wasted air time. I can see a five second pause, but the ten and fifteen second pauses, were way too long.
It sounded ridiculous for Jones to hurry up L.A. Reid, in making his decision on the final two, after he had wasted minutes with all the long pauses.
Are Voters Forgetting About the Groups?
It was a shock to me that two of the bottom three acts, were the groups Stereo Hoggz and InTENsity. We weren’t told in what order the acts received their votes. The group acts may be at a disadvantage, since fans seemed to identify more with the solo acts.
The fact that Simon voted to keep InTENsity makes me question his knowledge. He seemed to diss the Stereo Hoggz, because their showdown song was slower, than the song sung by InTENsity. It was almost like he was voting for the flashiest act, not the best singing act.
Stereo Hoggz were clearly a better group, with better singing and better choreography, so it worries me that they came two votes from being eliminated by the judges.
Stacy Francis may have problems advancing, after finishing third in the fans voting. She may even be another step closer to being voted off the show, with the departure of InTENsity.
Melanie Amaro and Drew Advance
It is now clear that Melanie Amaro and Drew are the best singers in the competition. The question is do they have the fan base, who will vote for them week after week, or will one of them leave early like Pia Toscano did on American Idol last season?
Wish we would have known the exact order in the voting. Am particularly wondering about the older singers, who may have smaller fan bases.
I can see Josh Krajcik going late into this season, but wouldn’t be surprised if LeRoy Bell and Stacy Francis are voted off, in the first month of the live shows. It is not that they aren’t good singers, but I can’t see them garnering much support from the voters.
Paula Abdul was caught in a bad position last night, having to choose which group went home, after being their mentor. So after round one of the elimination shows, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger still have all three of their singers for another week. I have a feeling Paula and Nicole will come out on the losing end by the end of the season, with Simon and L.A. having singers in the finale.
The following poll question asks which category, will have all of its acts voted off first.
Has Simon Cowell Dropped His Sarcasm on X-Factor USA?
Simon Cowell announced on last night's show that X-Factor USA has been renewed for a second season.
Simon Cowell was in a good mood last night, as he announced during the USA version of X-Factor, that the show has been renewed for a second season.
It was clear last night, that we may not be hearing the snarky comments, we heard from him as an American Idol judge. He may be mellowing in his old age, having observed his 52nd birthday on October 7. His worst comments were reserved for his fellow mentors on last night’s program. We didn’t hear the catty comments, we heard during nine years of American Idol.
No comments were heard last night about karaoke singers, cruise ship singers or singers sounding like screeching cats. One reason is that this is a group of singers, has no flaws glaring enough for Cowell to heap abuse on them.
Trend Toward Kinder Judges
There has been a trend toward kinder judges this year, from American Idol to The Voice and now X-Factor. The American Idol judges, in one show had 26 positive remarks out of 27 remarks during one particular show.
The Voice had almost all positive remarks about the singers, but seemed to be reticent about criticizing the other singers, since it would reflect on the mentors. There was more criticism of the other mentors, who were Ce-Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Even that criticism was in a joking way, that let the viewers know, there was no personal animosity between the judges.
Part of the kinder judges mentality, may be because the producers are focusing on the singers more, since they are what drive the shows.
America Votes For First Time on X-Factor
It will be very interesting to see how X-Factor handles the results show tonight. It may also give us an indication of what singers have fan bases and which don’t.
The last thing the producers want is a Pia Toscano situation, that occurred during American Idol. Melanie Amaro is clearly the best singer, but it remains to be seen if she has a strong fan base.
Another interesting thing to watch tonight is how X-Factor, will let us know who drew the most votes. They will probably come up with a new way to reveal the votes, to avoid copying the bottom three of American Idol.
No Comment Made About Bell, Francis Past Success
X-Factor producers decided to not address, the LeRoy Bell and Stacy Francis articles on the internet, saying they had both had success in the past. Instead the producers continued to pursue the last chance storyline for both singers.
Josh Krajcik outperformed both of them anyway last night. It wouldn’t surprise me to see LeRoy Bell or Stacy Francis voted off the show.
The younger singers probably will draw more votes, as usually happens on these singing competitions, that allow voting by the fans.
Not Good as American Idol
There is a missing ingredient on X-Factor, that keeps the show from being good as American Idol. I think having groups, is part of the reason, since it is harder to identify with a group than a solo singer.
Steven Jones, the host of X-Factor doesn’t seem to have the command of the stage, Ryan Seacrest had with American Idol. I noticed he cut off Paula Abdul, while she was talking again. Abdul was infuriated when this happened last week, saying Ryan Seacrest had never cut her off.
There still is enough drama on the show, to keep me watching till the conclusion on December 22. It will be fun tonight, watching how X-Factor handles eviction nights.
X-Factor Fans Should Know Bell, Francis and Hagood Have Had Past Success
LeRoy Bell of X-Factor and Casey James who comprised Bell and James duo in the 70's.
X-Factor has given its fans the impression that 60 year old LeRoy Bell is trying for one last chance at fame. However, Bell as part of the Bell and James singing duo had already experienced fame in a big way at the age of 28, when their hit song Livin’ It Up reached No.7 on the U.S. Blacks chart in 1979. That single sold over a million copies, which made it a platinum seller.
LeRoy Bell and Casey James of Bell and James singing their hit song Livin’ It Up.
X-Factor is taking a huge credibility hit, by not revealing that LeRoy Bell had a huge hit 32 years ago. X-Factor willingly or unwillingly has led its fans to think Bell was some down on his luck singer. Bell and James were a short-lived group who made only three albums, releasing their last album in 1981.
The worst thing is that a younger singer or group has lost their chance to be on X-Factor, because of Bell. There also have been rumors circulating that Stacy Francis has also had some success in the music business in the past.
Stacy Francis singing at a birthday party for Tom Cruise.
Dexter Hagood Wanted Off X-Factor
A third over 30′s singer Dexter Hagood asked to be taken off X-Factor, which as far as I know, was never mentioned on the show. His reason was that he only wants to sing rock. I was actually feeling sorry for him, but it turns out he sang with Xavion, the first all black group to appear on MTV. He should have known that singing competition shows, don’t allow the singers to sing only genre of music. I can’t help but wonder if his tears were real, if he is willing to walk away from a possible $5 million recording contract because he is not getting to sing, his kind of music week after week.
There are reports the group wants him back, in the group and had lost contact with him, until they saw him on X-Factor. Unless Josh Krajcik has also had success in the past, he should be the best of the over 30′s singer by default, considering the other three contestants hid their past, or X-Factor didn’t do their homework on their backgrounds.
Stories mentioning the Hagood, Bell and Francis:
http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/11/the-x-factors-dexter-haygood-says-he-left-voluntarily.html
http://entertainment.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980703368
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/X-Factor-Stacy-Francis-Lying-About-Her-Past-36600.html
The Band: Toured With Bob Dylan and Tiny Tim
Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson in this 1968 photo of The Band.
The Band may be the most original name for a band ever. They were referred to as the band, so they adopted the name, while touring with the legendary Bob Dylan and the not so legendary Tiny Tim.
The photo above looks like it could have been taken in the 1800′s, since this was a very scruffy looking band. They look more like an outlaw gang, than musicians in the photo.
Joined Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks
All the members of The Band gradually joined Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, with the exception of Levon Helm, who already a member of the Hawks backing band.
It was in 1963, when the Hawks broke up with Ronnie Hawkins, because they were going in a different musical direction. It was odd that Ronnie Hawkins found himself out of his own group, which would be come Levon Helm and the Hawks. They also recorded under the name of the Canadian Squires during this time.
Touring With Bob Dylan
The Band began touring with Bob Dylan, first with only Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm, but then the entire band, would later join Dylan on the road.
By this time Dylan was trying to be more of a rocker, than a folk singer so The Band fit nicely into his plans to have an edgier sound. However some of the folk song purists were calling Dylan by the name of Judas, since they didn’t appreciate Dylan converting into a rock singer.
Made Woodstock Appearance
The Band made an appearance at Woodstock in 1969, but their appearance wasn’t shown in the movie Woodstock, due to legal ramifications.
Eric Clapton, George Harrison Influenced By The Band
The Band made a huge impact on other artists of that era, including Eric Clapton and George Harrison. Clapton was said to have wanted to join The Band. Clapton liked The Band’s Music From Big Pink album so much, that he said it changed his life.
Eric Clapton singing in The Last Waltz movie. Notice how The Band covers for Eric when his guitar strap becomes unattached. This is guitar playing at its best.
The Last Waltz Documentary
By 1976 Robbie Robertson, who apparently perceived himself the leader of The Band, decided he didn’t want to tour, any longer, so planned a huge retirement celebration for The Band on Thanksgiving Day of that year. Many of the biggest names in music were there and movie director Martin Scorsese filmed the concert.
Whether you like the music or not, the movie will bring memories flowing back ,of a long ago era, when hippies were still dominant in San Francisco, where the concert was filmed at the Winterland Ballroom. One musical memory from the night was the use of a tuba in the concert by the orchestra.
Levon Helm singing the Robbie Robertson composition The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, a song about the end of the Civil War.
Bob Dylan singing Baby Let Me Follow You Down in the voice we like to remember him by.
Levon Helm singing The Weight which was voted 41st best song on Rolling Stone’s list of Top 500 Songs.
My son Steve had told me about the Last Waltz movie being made about The Band. I really had paid no attention The Band and hadn’t heard of the movie.
Be forewarned that the language in this movie is not for kids, but the music is what really matters the most, plus the reminders of a different era.
The Eric Clapton video of him singing in Last Waltz, is only the beginning of the music from this movie.
This is Levon Helm singing Ophelia, my personal favorite from the movie.
Neil Young singing Helpless.
Neil Diamond singing Dry Your Eyes
Rick Danko singing It Makes No Difference
All the singers join in on I Shall Be Released
The Band would resurface in 1983, but without Robbie Robertson. Levon Helm feuded with Robertson who was credited as songwriter on most of their original songs, but Helm thought the songwriting was more of a team effort. Their feud prevented Helm from even attending, the group’s induction, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Helm also did not attend the night, The Band was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2008.
Richard Manuel 1943-1986
Tragic Death of Richard Manuel
Richard Manuel, the pianist/drummer for The Band had been a heavy drinker, earlier in his career, but later would suffer a relapse. He told fellow band member Garth Hudson thanks for 25 years of music, not long before hanging himself in a Orlando, Florida motel on March 4, 1986. He was 42 at the time of his death.
Rick Danko Dies in 1999
The death of Rick Danko from drug related heart failure on December 10, 1999 signaled the end of The Band. Danko had been taking prescribed morphine since a 1968 car accident, which left him in great pain, but he was still able to sing and play the guitar for the next 31 years.
His death came in his sleep in Marbletown, N.Y. home, which ironically was close to Woodstock.
Surviving Members of The Band
Levon Helm is still singing and drumming today at the age of 71.
Levon Helm has not retired from the music business, but is still going strong and also has some acting credits:
Helm has also had a considerable career as an actor. He has appeared in the movies The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Shooter,Smooth Talk, The Right Stuff, The Dollmaker, Feeling Minnesota, End of the Line, In the Electric Mist, Fire Down Below, Staying Togetherand portrayed Loretta Lynn‘s father in the film Coal Miner’s Daughter opposite Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones. – from Wikipedia
Robbie Robertson is now 68.
Robertson Writing Music For Soundtracks
Robbie Robertson 68, is still active today and has done a lot of work, with movie soundtracks. He has been active in the music business for 51 years.
Garth Hudson muscial genius of The Band is 74.
Garth Hudson Still Recording Today
Garth Hudson was the resident musical genius of The Band who played the organ, piano, saxophone, accordion and electronic keyboards. Hudson is still active at 74. He has worked with music for movie soundtracks and has recorded five albums since 2000.
Music Chart Busts
The Band’s highest ranking single on the Billboard charts was Up on Cripple Creek which topped out at #25. Even The Weight did not sell well as it ended up at #63.
Last Waltz Movie Worth Watching
Martin Scorsese’s Last Waltz is worth watching if you haven’t seen it. It is also worth watching again, if you have seen it. It takes us back to a time a lot of us would like to forget, but also back to the music back then. There are not that many chances to see and hear a tuba being played in a band.
The street scenes shown at the first of the movie, will be especially enjoyed by those in San Francisco, who have walked those streets.
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X-Factor No Threat To American Idol
X-Factor judges Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid with Steve Jones as host on the American version of X-Factor.
Now that the American version of X-Factor has selected their 12 contestants, for their debut season on Fox, it is clear that American Idol should still be the top singing competition show in the United States.
One big difference that stands out, is that X-Factor is featuring big production numbers with dancers, while there is little dancing, that I recall from American Idol.
Another difference is that the American Idol judges, got along with each other much better, than the X-Factor judges. It may be too early to tell, if the drama between the judges is contrived to draw higher ratings, or if they genuinely don’t get along.
Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid seemed to be jousting with each other, making digs at the other judge for their song selections, etc. Nicole Scherzinger was also criticized by Simon Cowell for the way she handled the Over 30′s singers. Paula Abdul and Simon got along for the most part during the show that pared down the contestants from 16 to 12 for the remaining live shows.
Nicole has the toughest task, having to work with the older singers. It won’t be an easy task to mentor them, since the older singers probably won’t have a lot of support from voters, since the youngest fans are the ones more likely to vote.
With three singers 14 and younger, in Rachel Crow, Brian “Astro” Bradley and Drew Ryniewicz (who will be known as Drew) it makes me wonder if America, would want to see someone that young, win the $5 million recording contract which could mean problems with parents, who would not want to see the money put in a trust fund, where they couldn’t get hold of it.
The same goes for the older singers in Josh Krajcik, Stacy Francis and LeRoy Bell. Krajcik at 30 might be the favorite, because he is the best singer, in the Over 30′s group.
Stacy Francis and Melanie Amaro are the only remaining female solo artists who are 19 and older. Both of them have power voices that can stand out, but I think Melanie has the edge because of her age, not knowing if the 42 -year-old Stacy can win.
The two rap singers Chris Rene and Astro do some rapping, but think Astro stepped it up with his rapping on Wednesday’s show, while Chris sang a more subdued song. He will have to do more rapping, or Astro will probably outlast him on the show. On the other hand, not sure either can win the $5 million.
The Stereo Hoggz should be the best group, since InTENsity and Lakoda Rayne have been together a very short time. Not sure if the categories format is working, since they had to make two groups of singers, who had been eliminated. I think the show would be better, if the producers would take the top 12 singers, regardless of category.
However, that would ruin the competition between the judges, so the category concept will probably return again in 2012.
Right now, it is looking like a Melanie and Josh finale, but that is almost two months away, so a lot can happen in that time. Melanie, Josh and Stacy are the power voices of this season.
The show is missing any country singers, which could hurt X-Factor in the ratings. Most country music fans probably won’t bother tuning in, knowing there will be no country music on X-Factor. Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina showed the power of the country music fan voting in Season 10 of American Idol.
The following poll questions should give an idea of how popular X-Factor is:
This poll asks who you think is best singer on X-Factor among the 12 live show contestants:
This poll asks which show is your favorite with a choice of American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor
X Factor USA: Final 12 Chosen While Judges Spar With Each Other
Melanie Amaro, who was given a second chance by Simon Cowell advances to final 12 last night on the U.S. version of X-Factor on FOX.
GIRLS
Simon Cowell made a colossal mistake, by sending Melanie Amaro home, during the week the singers sang, at the homes of the judges. How he could send Melanie home, before Tiah Tolliver and Simone Battle was puzzling to say the least, especially considering that Simone had not forgotten a few words from her song at boot camp, but the entire song.
To his credit, Simon did reconsider and went to Florida to tell Melanie, that she was back in the competition. Melanie in my opinion, was the best singer among the 17 acts that sang last night.
By the time the show was over last night, Simon had sent Tiah Tolliver and Simone Battle home. Drew Ryniewicz who will also be in the final three girls, will be known as Drew for the rest of the season. Rachel Crow sang well and was her usual cute self, insuring her inclusion in the top three girls.
BOYS
Phillip Lomax was sent home, leaving Brian “Astro” Bradley, Chris Rene and Marcus Canty, as the three remaining boys in the competition. Personally, I liked Phillip singing Frank Sinatra music, but L.A. Reid seemed to be more interested, in singers that sing more current music. Astro did an excellent job in his rap song and he and Marcus Canty were clearly the best boys singers last night. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chris Rene in danger of going home next week.
L.A. Reid must not be a country music fan, as he sent home Skyelor Anderson and Tim Cifers after the auditions at the home of L.A. Reid. Lomax was my favorite singer coming into last night’s show, since he sings the music from my generation. L.A. clearly favors rap over the other music genres.
GROUPS
Paula Abdul made the right choice by sending the Brewer Boys home. The Stereo Hoggz should have an excellent chance, of being in the final four this season. Their version of Try a Little Tenderness, showed their versatily.
The two groups that were thrown together InTENsity and Lakoda Rayne will return the next week with The Stereo Hoggz. The two new groups sang well, but not sure if they can outlast, the more polished, Stereo Hoggz which have what it takes, to go a long way this season.
The Brewer Boys wouldn’t have won on the final show, so it was just as well, that they were sent home. Paula did an excellent job with the choreography.
OVER 30′S
It was no surprise that Dexter Haygood was sent home during last night’s show. Nicole Scherzinger really liked Dexter but she knew he was not in the class of Josh Krajcik, who really needs a name change bad, possible shortening his name to Josh. Le Roy Bell and Stacy Francis are a combined 102 years old, but still were better than Dexter. Matter of fact, it seemed like Dexter was sort of confused, after being told he was going home.
Josh is the best bet, to be the last over 30′s singer remaining later in the season. He may not be the best looking of the three remaining singers, but his voice really stands out from the others.
OVERVIEW OF LAST NIGHT’S SHOW
The biggest difference between American Idol and X-Factor, were the production numbers during many of the songs. The music was too loud in some of the songs, overwhelming the singers, during some points in the songs. After all it is a singing competition, not a competition to vote on best production numbers.
Another difference was the quibbling between the judges, on songs chosen by the other judges, assuming the songs were picked by the judges. L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell seemed to have their own personal vendetta going on between each other. It may have been genuine disagreement, but can’t help wonder, if the producers were trying, to create drama, to spark interest in the show.
At one point Simon called Nicole and Paula Squiddley and Diddley, while on another occasion Simon praised Paula for her work with the groups.
There was very little quibbling between the judges on American Idol and wonder how viewers perceive the bickering among judges on U.S. version of X-Factor.
MY FAVORITES TO WIN THIS SEASON
My favorites to be the best in their category this season are:
Boys: Marcus Canty
Girls: Melanie Amaro
Groups: The Stereo Hoggz
Over 30′s: Josh Kravitz
This is probably too early to make a list, but wouldn’t be surprised if these singers are the final four for the season. Kravitz probably will need a makeover, before the season is over. He has the voice to win, but he doesn’t look like a winner.
Rachel Crow’s cuteness, might take her a long way, but she is no match, for the powerful voice of Melanie Amaro.
X-FACTOR RATINGS FOR LAST NIGHT
X-Factor attracted ten percent more viewers than last week, in the first live show on Fox last night. 11.8 million viewers watched the show, which placed the show in fourth place for the night. The show still had stiff competition from CBS which drew 19 million viewers for NCIS and 15.9 million viewers for NCIS LA.
Dancing With the Stars was the third most watched show last night with 13.8 million viewers.
X-Factor should do better in coming weeks, as there should be no more scheduling shifts, due to the World Series, which probably affected the ratings.
I think even Simon Cowell realizes that X-Factor will not come close, to drawing more viewers than American Idol, but he would like to see the numbers improve from where they are now.
Jack Webb: From Dragnet to Adam 12 to Emergency
- Jack Webb 1920-1982
Jack Webb was born on April 2, 1920 in Santa Monica, California. He died at the age of 62 on December 23, 1982 in West Hollywood California.
His father left home before Webb was born and he never knew his dad. He joined the Army Air Force but asked for a hardship discharge after not making the grade in flight training.
Acted in Old Time Radio
Webb starred in an ABC radio comedy the Jack Webb Show in 1946. He then starred in several detective themed old-time radio shows. Pat Novak For Hire, Johnny Modero, Pier 23 and Jeff Regan, Investigator which were his best known radio programs prior to Dragnet.
His big break came when Dragnet was first broadcast on radio in 1949, then would run till 1954. Webb portrayed Sgt. Joe Friday as a no-nonsense detective, who didn’t mince words. The television version of Dragnet began televising in 1952 with Ben Alexander cast as Detective Frank Smith, concurrently with the radio version till 1954, when the radio series ended. The televised version would remain on the air till 1959. There was a radio or television version of Dragnet being heard or seen for ten continuous years.
Webb loved jazz and starred in Pete Kelly’s Blues which on radio for less than two months, but would be the predecessor to the film version, of Pete Kelly’s Blues released in 1955. Then Pete Kelly’s Blues was also shown on television in 1959, but only 13 episodes were aired, before it was cancelled.
Dragnet also had a presence in radio, television and movies and it was successful in all three forms of media. A new television version of the original Dragnet named Dragnet 1967 ran till 1970 with Harry Morgan portraying Officer Bill Gannon.
Jack Webb grew up with severe asthma yet was a heavy smoker as can be seen by this advertisement mentioning that he smoked two packs a day. Smoking two packs a day today would cost roughly $180 a month.
Webb became so involved in production, that he wasn’t seen on the television screen often. He created Adam 12 which ran from 1968-1975 and Ohara, U.S. Treasury which was shown from 1971-1972.
Julie London former wife of Jack Webb and her husband Bobby Troup on Emergency television program that aired on NBC.
Jack Webb showed he had no animosity toward his former wife Julie London, by hiring her and her husband to appear in his Emergency television program. They appeared in but two of the 133 episodes that were aired.
Webb was married to Julie London from 1947-1953. He then married Dorothy Towne from 1955-1957, Jackie Loughery from 1958-1964. He widowed his last wife who he was married to from 1980-1982.
Jack Webb was working on a third television version of Dragnet with Kent McCord from Adam 12 lined up to be his partner, but died of a heart attack at 62.
Chief Daryl Gates of the Los Angeles Police Department retired Badge 714 after his death and Mayor Tom Bradley ordered all flags to flown at half-mast in his honor. He would be buried with a replica Badge 714.
Jack Webb’s tombstone is typical of Webb. There is no huge ornamental tombstone, but a plain tombstone, with his name and his life span.
This article written by Ben Alexander, gives us a better idea of what the real Jack Webb was like. This paragraph tells me all I need to know about Jack Webb. I am inserting it here for those who may not have time to read the article:
Look at Victor Rodman. He had been disabled in an accident, and one of Jack’s joys about creating “Noah’s Ark” was the chance it gave him to employ Victor in a role that didn’t require walking around. Jack was thrilled with “Noah’s Ark” because it gave Victor a chance to prove what a fine actor he is. And a big reason Jack is eager to revive the show is that Victor will be working again.
The Internet Movie Database biography includes some interesting trivia about Jack Webb:
Was buried with full honors befitting a LAPD detective, including a 17-gun salute.
Had just over 6,000 jazz albums in his private collection.
At the height of “Dragnet’s” popularity, people would actually call the LAPD wanting to speak to Webb’s character, Sgt. Joe Friday. The Department eventually came up with a stock answer to the large volume of calls: “Sorry, it’s Joe’s day off.”
Was a huge baseball fan, and chose badge number 714 for Sgt. Friday because it was the number of home runs Babe Ruth hit.
Jack Webb has created a lot of shows since Dragnet, but will always remember him, telling us what department he was working out of in the police department.
The color version of Dragnet was good, but there was something special, about the black and white version of the 50′s. Those shows seemed to be more simple. Who can ever forget the show, about the boy who got a rifle for Christmas and accidentally shoots his friend? This is the three-part The Big .22 Rifle For Christmas episode. Part 3 is very emotional as the father talks to his dead son, telling him what he would have received for Christmas. Then to make it even more emotional, the father of the boy killed,then gives the presents for his son, to the boy who shot his son.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMbWZZVHYZQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl_-TNDVb7I&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–94KuSo5oM&feature=related
Simon Cowell Showing Softer Side in X-Factor
Simon Cowell is more mellow in his first season of his new reality series X-Factor being shown on Fox in Season One.
Simon Cowell had walked away from American Idol in May of 2010, to launch his own reality singing competition the X-Factor which debuted on Fox last month.
The 53-year-old Cowell known for his sarcastic comments, when judging American Idol contestants showed a softer side in Sunday’s episode. Each judge was to pick four acts for the live show of X-Factor. Cowell made his four choices, then realized he made a mistake, so he went to Florida to tell Melanie Amaro, a singer who he had sent home, that she was still going to be on the live shows.
Melanie was shocked to see Simon at her house. I give Cowell credit for admitting he made a mistake. However, it wasn’t really fair to the other three judges that he has five acts while they have only four each.
Fought To Keep Tiah Tolliver
In his nine seasons of American Idol, there was not a time that I recall Simon, fought to have anyone on the show. He became perturbed earlier in the auditions, when Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger refused to vote for Tiah Tolliver. Cowell became agitated and finally got his way, when Tiah advanced.
My personal opinion is that Caitlin Koch deserved to be on the live shows. So when he said he made a mistake, by choosing to keep the wrong singer, I was hoping he would give Koch a second chance, but instead he chose Amaro to continue in the competition.
Rachel Crow Kept for Ratings
Rachel Crow is a cute kid, but I have a feeling that she was voted onto the live show, more for her personality than her singing ability. She is very likable though, which could help garner higher ratings.
So his team will consist of Rachel Crowe 13, Drew Ryniewicz 14, Melanie Amaro 19, Tiah Tolliver 19 and Simone Battle 22. Personally I liked Caitlin Koch more than any of the other four singers, but Simon apparently doesn’t like easy listening music. The surprising thing is that Cowell was complimenting her to his assistants after sang at his house.
Rooting For Over 30 Singers
It was easy to root for the over 30 singers, since I am 67 and am especially rooting for Stacy Harris 42, and Dexter Haygood 49, since they seem to be the worst off financially. However Josh Krajcik 30, may be the best singer of the above 30′s, while LeRoy Bell 60 could also give the other three, all the competition they can handle. Stacy Harris 42, has the saddest back story of the over 30′s having been told, by an ex, that she would never make it in the music business.
Chris Rene the Singing Garbage Collector
The most financially troubled of the bunch seems to be Chris Rene from the boys group, who collects garbage for the living, plus has quit a drug habit for about three months now. I am hoping that he can stay away from drugs, so he can advance in the competition.
Disappointing Ratings Hurting Fox
Simon Cowell was expecting 20 million to tune in X-Factor this season, but the show is drawing about 12 million viewers a show. This development caused Fox to drop their advertising charges, resulting in savings for the advertisers, but causing the show to lose money.
It may have been a mistake for Fox to show X-Factor during the World Series, which is on Fox. X-Factor has been shown on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at least once this season, due to conflicts with major league baseball playoff games. If fans have too much problem finding the show, it could result in even lower ratings.
Once the World Series ends, the show should gain some of the viewers, who tired of finding it in different time slots. It will also help, once the viewers find a favorite or favorites, to root for and start watching the show on a consistent basis.
My personal thought about the show, is that it will be a good show, with some very talented singers. It will be interesting how X-Factor will end the season on December 21, since there are 17 singers remaining in the show. That should mean we will see some double eliminations, during the season to pare down the competitors to two for the finale.
American Idol: Paul McDonald Marries Nikki Reed
Paul McDonald of American Idol fame and actress Nikki Reed were married on Sunday in Malibu, California.
Paul McDonald may not have won Season 10 of American Idol, but he won the heart of actress Nikki Reed. They were married in Malibu, California after having announced their engagement in June.
McDonald finished eighth on the American Idol reality show and was eliminated on April 14, 2011. He had met Reed at a Hollywood premiere and his early elimination gave them more time to see each other.
Reed has appeared in five Twilight movies, with the fifth one The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II currently in post-production.
Neil Diamond Enters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at 70
Neil Diamond early in his career.
A more recent photo of Neil Diamond.
Neil Diamond was born in New York City on January 24, 1941. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2011. First thought is what took them so long to induct him, behind a band named Traffic, which was inducted in 2004. Traffic may have been a great group, but I can’t recall the name of even one of their songs, or band members and wasn’t even sure what they looked like, till I saw their photo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website. There is no reason for Neil Diamond to wait 45 years to be inducted, after writing a No.1 song in I’m A Believer, which was also Popular Music Song of the Year in 1966.
Sweet Caroline perhaps his best known recording peaked at No.3 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart but went platinum. Diamond had Holly Holy in 1969, Cracklin’ Rosie and 1979′s duet You Don’t Bring Me Flowers with Barbra Streisand all reach the platinum status.
Neil Diamond singing Dry Your Eyes in The Last Waltz a 1978 movie.
Cracklin’ Rosie First No.1 Hit
Diamond achieved fame as a songwriter, before recording is first No.1 hit in 1970′s Cracklin’ Rosie, which was written and sung by Diamond. Two years later in 1972 Diamond would place Song Sung Blue, in both the U.S. and U.S. Adult Contemporary categories on the record chart.
Then Diamond continuing the trend of having a No.1 hit every two years, recorded Longwell Serenade, which was a No.1 song in U.S. Adult Contemporary in 1974.
Diamond would record ten No.1 hits during his career, with the last No. 1 being Heartlight released in 1982.
Only One No.1 Studio Album
The first studio album was released by Diamond in 1966. It would be 42 years later, in 2008 when he had Home Before Dark, a studio album place No. 1 on the record chart.
No other Neil Diamond album ever went to No.1, but six of his albums were designated as multi-platinum.
Neil Diamond singing his classic Sweet Caroline.
Third Most Popular Adult Contemporary Artist
Only Barbra Streisand and Elton John have sold more albums than Diamond among all adult contemporary artists. He is still touring at the age of 70 and drawing huge crowds.
Even at age 70, Diamond was No.1 in ticket sales according to this news from Billboard.com ahead of No.2 Jason Aldean and No.3 Dolly Parton:
Neil Diamond shines at No. 1 on the latest Hot Tours ranking with $4 million in ticket sales reported by London’s O2 Arena, the final venue on his tour outing during the spring and summer. The veteran singer/songwriter played three shows in London on July 9, 11 and 13 with a combined attendance total of 36,000 for all three nights, capping off a slate of June/July arena performances in five markets in the U.K. and Ireland. Diamond kicked off his 2011 tour in New Zealand at the end of February and played dates in Australia and South Africa during March and April. The European leg began in Belgium in early June.
Dubious Claim To Fame
There is one thing that Neil Diamond would probably not want to be remembered for. His America would be used as the theme song, in the presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis, in his futile bid for the presidency in 1988.
Katie McNeil is the fiancée of Neil Diamond who announced their engagement last month via Twitter.
Neil Diamond has had an eventful year, having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, even though some thought he was drunk when he made his acceptance speech, if it can be called a speech.
His concerts are drawing huge crowds and earning millions of dollars, but even more importantly, he has announced his engagement with his manager Katie McNeil.
Diamond has been in the music business for about 50 years, but he seems as popular as ever, since his fans are still showing up in droves in whatever venues, that he appears.
Life and Death of Hank Williams Sr.
Hank Williams Sr. 1923-1953
Hank Williams was born as Hiram King Williams on September 17, 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama. He changed his name to Hank, since it sounded more like a good name, for a country music singer.
Lillie Williams, his mother would have to raise him, when his father Elonzo was sent to the VA Hospital in Pineville, Louisiana with a brain aneurysm, where he remained for eight years.
Hank would begin playing the guitar at 8, then first appeared on radio at the age of 13. By the time he was 14 he had formed a band called the Drifting Cowboys.
Roy Acuff once told Williams the dangers of using alcohol, saying “You have a million dollar voice, but a 10 cent brain”.
Began Abusing Alcohol During World War II
World War II would find him working in a Mobile, Alabama shipyard and singing in Montgomery, Alabama. He started abusing alcohol, due to having a congenital spinal disorder, which caused extreme back pain. He would never be able to curb his drinking habit.
It was in 1943 when he met his future wife, Audrey Sheppard.
He was only 23 in 1946, when he signed a songwriting contract with the Acuff-Rose songwriting company. He first hit was Move It On Over recorded on the new MGM record label in 1947. The Grand Ole Opry, which had refused to sign him in 1946 would later sign him in 1949 and he would debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage on June 11,1949, with six encores that night.
Lovesick Blues Was Breakthrough Hit
His big break came in 1949 at the age of 26 when he recorded the 27-year-old song Lovesick Blues, after he had joined the Louisiana Hayride and later would join the Grand Ole Opry.
Williams didn’t know how to read or notate music, yet still had eleven No.1 songs, between 1948 and 1953. Tony Bennett would sing one of his songs, Cold, Cold Heart.
He would begin recording religious songs, as Luke the Drifter, in case the songs would not be well received.
Audrey, Jett, Hank Jr., Hank Sr.
Divorces Audrey Williams
The back pain of Williams got worse, after Williams fell in a hunting accident. He was now taking morphine and drinking alcohol, because of the pain. His wife Audrey would divorce him in June of 1952, but he would marry Billie Jean Jones, only four months later in October of 1952.
Billie Jean Jones, daughter of Bossier City Police Chief. She widowed Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Horton.
Two months earlier in August of 1952, Williams was fired by the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. He was now not showing up for performances or not singing well, if he did show up.
Health Worsens
Williams was beginning to have heart problems in late 1952. He may have made a critical mistake by contacting a fake doctor who had no real credentials as a doctor as indicated by this paragraph from his Wikipedia biography:
He met Horace Raphol “Toby” Marshall in Oklahoma City, who claimed to be a doctor. Marshall had been previously convicted for forgery, and had been paroled and released from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1951. Among other fake titles he claimed to be a Doctor of Science. He purchased the DSC title for $35 from the Chicago School of Applied Science, in the diploma, he requested that the DSC was spelled out as “Doctor of Science and Psychology”. Under the name of Dr. C. W. Lemon he prescribed Williams with amphetamines, Seconal, chloral hydrate, and morphine.[52]
It would be interesting to know what a real doctor thought, about this cocktail mix of drugs and if these drugs could have sped up the end of his life.
Death Comes In The Morning of January 1, 1953
Hank Williams was supposed to appear in a concert at Charleston, West Virginia on Dec. 31, 1952, but because of an ice storm in Nashville, Tennessee, he was unable to make it there on time. His driver, Charles Carr called ahead to notify management of the auditorium, that they would not be able to make it to Charleston, because of the bad driving conditions.
However, Carr was instructed to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio for a concert on New Year’s Day of 1953. When they arrived in Knoxville, Carr summoned a doctor to the Andrew Johnson Hotel. The doctor injected Williams with two shots of Vitamin B-12, which included some morphine.
Carr proceeded to drive Williams to Bristol, Virginia and asked Williams if wanted something to eat. Williams told him no, which were probably his last words. Carr then drove on to Oak Hill, West Virginia to refuel, when he realized Williams was dead and notified the local police chief.
The following paragraph describes what the doctor found during the autopsy and what occurred at the Canton, Ohio venue,when the audience was informed that Williams had died en route to Canton.
Dr. Ivan Malinin performed the autopsy at the Tyree Funeral House. Malinin found hemorrhages in the heart and neck and pronounced the cause of death as “insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart.”[59] That evening, when the announcer at Canton announced Williams’s death to the gathered crowd, they started laughing, thinking that it was just another excuse. After Hawkshaw Hawkins and other performers started singing “I Saw the Light” as a tribute to Williams, the crowd, now realizing that he was indeed dead, sang along.[60]
I will never forget the scene in the Your Cheatin’ Heart movie when the audience, was told that Hank had died, then everyone starts singing I Saw The Light. One of the most special moments in any movie ever.
Hank Williams died in the backseat of this 1952 Cadillac.
His funeral on January 4, 1953 attracted more people, than to any other funeral in the history of Alabama, up to that time. Estimates range as low as 15,000 and high as 25,000 that filed by his silver coffin.
This is a small portion of the funeral service for Hank Williams on January 4, 1952.
It was ironic that one of his best-known hits, Your Cheatin’ Heart hadn’t been released prior to his death, but it would remain No.1 on the country charts for six weeks.
This is the announcement made on WCKY radio telling of the death of Hank Williams, followed by Hank singing I Am Bound For The Promised Land.
Left Musical Legacy
Hank Williams may have only recorded music from 1947-1952, but he left a lasting imprint among country music fans and will always be remembered by the fans who enjoyed his music in the past. His music will continue to be passed on to future generations, as even today his music is still being sung.
He recorded a lot of gospel songs, as well as country hits. These are just some of his songs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams_discography
If this song I Dreamed About Mama Last Night doesn’t touch the heart of anyone that has lost their mama, something is seriously wrong.
This song Be Careful of Stones That You Throw will make us think twice before we throw stones at others.
Hank Williams may have died 58 years ago at the age of 29. Hank would be 87 if he was still living today. He may not have lived long on this earth, but he brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people through his musical legacy.
He only lived through the terms of four American presidents in his 29 years. We know Hank Williams had his faults, like the rest of us, but as he passed on his music to future generations, we will also pass on his music to those who have never heard his music in the coming years. Thank you Hank for reminding us to see the same light, you saw when you sang I Saw The Light.
X-Factor Contestants Invade Homes of Judges This Week
The remaining 32 X-Factor contestants will invade the homes of judges Simon Cowell (pictured in his home), Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and L.A. Reid.
The remaining X-Factor contestants have now been separated into groups of eight. The groups are Boys, Girls, Groups and Over 30. When it was determined that there were only five talented groups, the X-Factor producers decided to create three more groups from deserving singers, that had been eliminated.
The Tuesday October 25 show, will reveal the 16 acts remaining for the live shows. Each of the four judges will have a celebrity to help them choose the final 16 acts.
Rachel Crow, 13
Rachel Crow has shown she is not intimidated by large audiences, at the auditions and at least one online articles, mentions that she could be in a television show. However, right now she is focusing on being one of the final 16 singers. She reminds me of a modern-day Shirley Temple, that has a huge likability factor in her favor.
Chris Rene, 28
I am finding myself rooting for singers like Chris Rene, who earns his living as a trash collector and has fought drug addiction. He is not only a good singer, but an entertainer who really seems to feel the songs, that he is singing. He is best at rapping, but not sure how he will do if he is required to sing a ballad.
Dexter Haygood, 49
My personal favorite is 49-year-old Dexter Haygood, who was given a second chance in his first audition, after the judges didn’t particularly like him channeling James Brown in his performance, so he sang another song and wowed the judges and has a 50 percent chance of being chosen for the live show. This is probably the end of the road for Haygood, unless he makes the final 16 acts.
Stacy Francis, 42
Stacy Francis lost her father since auditioning for X-Factor. He first audition received many words of praise, from the judges. However, in her boot camp audition, she held a note way too long. Instead of impressing the judges she received criticism, but like she said, she had very little vocal training and should be able to work with the voice coach, to iron out any problems.
LeRoy Bell, 60
LeRoy Bell is the oldest contestant still in the competition, as far as I know. He has one of better voices in the competition. It all comes down to whether the judges want a 60 year, to receive the $5 million recording contract. I have a feeling he may not even make the final 16, since he is at an age where he could suddenly have medical problems.
Simone Battle, 22
It was a huge shocker that Simone Battle was chosen as one of the final 32 acts in X-Factor. Before singing in her last boot camp performance, she was going on and on, about how she was a special entertainer and stood out. Then she hits the stage and forgets ALL the words of her song, which to my knowledge has never happened, in any singing competition ever.
Despite her horrific performance, she was chosen by the judges to continue in the competition. To me, it isn’t fair to the other competitors who remembered their words.
What happened to Simon Cowell’s admonition to contestants, when he was on American Idol, to not forget the lyrics or they were gone?
Tiah Tolliver, 20
Tiah Tolliver can thank Simon Cowell, for being one of the final 32 acts chosen during Boot Camp week. Simon sees in her something, that the other judges don’t see. I can’t recall Simon ever fighting for a contestant on American Idol, the way he has fought for Tolliver.
Tora Woloshin, 22
Tora Woloshin, has something about her, tells me she could go far this X-Factor season, but with the competition she is battling, she may not make the final 16 acts. The heavily-tattooed singer wowed the judges in her first audition.
Tim Cifers, 30
Tim Cifers could be the only pure country singer, to make the final 16, since his voice stands out and made an impression on the judges.
The Stereo Hogzz
It would be a complete shock if the The Stereo Hogzz don’t make the final 8 groups. I look for them to stay on the show, deep into the season, maybe even as late as December and the finals.
Those shown above are just a few of the remaining acts. It was just a sampling of the remaining acts.
Judges Called And Given Categories
A highlight of the last X-Factor show last Thursday, was when the judges received a call, telling them what categories they would judge:
Simon Cowell – Girls
L.A. Reid – Boys
Nicole Scherzinger – Over 30
Paula Abdul – Groups
Learning the Contestants
Most of us are still learning the names of the remaining contestants. This list of acts at the X-Factor website shows photos of remaining acts, plus an interview with the contestants if you click on their photo, prior to the opening of Boot Camp.
http://www.thexfactorusa.com/contestants
Complete X-Factor TV Schedule
This complete schedule should be closely watched, since there are some Tuesday shows included this season, because of the World Series being shown on Fox.
The final show will be shown on December 22, so we should know the winner of X-Factor by 10PM ET on that night.
Prohibition: Died At the Age of 13 in 1933
The pledge signed by many children and adults to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages.
Frances Willard died on February 17, 1898, which was 22 years before the 18th amendment, also known as the Volstead Act went into effect in 1920.
She had a firsthand knowledge of the effects of alcohol, when her brother became an alcoholic in the 1860′s. Willard would be one of the founders of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in 1874 and then became the president of the worldwide WCTU in 1888.
While concentrating mostly on her fight against the use of alcohol, Willard also became active in the fight against the international drug trading.
Her life came to an end at the age of 58 due to being an influenza victim. However, she had laid the groundwork for both the 18th amendment, which would prohibit the use of alcohol in the United States and the 19th Amendment which also was known as the Women’s Suffrage amendment.
Prohibition Becomes Law
Congress passed the Volstead Act (18th Amendment) on October 28, 1919, over-riding the veto of President Woodrow Wilson. 36 of the 50 states had ratified the 18th Amendment and went into effect on January 17, 1920.
While prohibition was a good idea, it was almost impossible to enforce with 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasies, in New York City in 1925. A speakeasy could be closed in one location, then would pop up in another location, within days of last place being closed.
The amendment was not only not being obeyed, but the U.S. government lost millions of dollars in tax revenue, while the bootleggers were keeping all the money for themselves and the speakeasy owners and patrons also avoided paying any tax.
Al Capone's power was at its heights during Prohibition with him drawing $60 million in alcohol sales in 1927 and bribing politicians with his profits to keep his machine going.
Organized crime saw that Prohibition would be a huge moneymaker for them and would deliver the alcohol and take payments, upon delivery of that alcohol, unless other arrangements had been made, prior to the delivery.
Gangsters like Al Capone saw a chance to take their cut from the illicit alcohol sales. Capone raked in $60 million in alcohol sales in 1927.
Prohibition Turns Citizens Into Criminals
The same citizens that patronize legal bars, now flocked to speakeasies to drink their alcohol, which turned them into criminals. The magnitude of lawbreakers was too much for law enforcement to contend with. Women started drinking in larger numbers, than ever before.
These speakeasy patrons from the Prohibition era don't look too concerned about being raided by law enforcement officials.
We have seen videos of the Roaring 20′s, showing women dancing the Charleston and other dance of that era. Problem is that almost all of those women were violating the 18th amendment, but in the PBS series Prohibition, by Ken Burns, these women didn’t seem to be worried about being caught by law enforcement agencies.
Why Prohibition Didn’t Work
The main reason is that Americans who wanted to drink, found ways to purchase alcohol, whether it be from an individual selling from their home, from a speakeasy where alcohol was readily available and some resorted to making their own alcohol through the moonshining process.
Moonshine stills being destroyed by law enforcement officials.
The failure to prevent organized crime, from becoming involved in sale of bootleg alcohol, may have been one of the major reasons, that bootlegging operations were so successful, despite the bootleggers, sometimes only being neighbors supplying moonshine to their neighbors in rural America.
Joseph Kennedy, the father of President John F. Kennedy and the patriarch of the Kennedy family, has been rumored for years to have gotten rich in the bootlegging industry. Frank Costello of the Mafia even testified that Joseph and him had been partners in the bootlegging industry. However, no concrete evidence of Kennedy being involved in bootlegging, has never been made public.
Law enforcement officials could only pick and choose which speakeasies to close and what moonshine stills to destroy, but the problem was that there were thousands of criminals, violating the 18th amendment and there was not enough jails and prisons, to house all the violators.
Prohibition ended when it was evident that there were millions of Americans, who were going willing to risk, although not a serious risk in most cases, going to jail, rather than stop drinking.
75 Bible References Regarding Drinking
The 75 Bible references from the Signal Press in Evanston, Illinois clearly show that God’s laws prohibit drinking. Here are just a few of them from the tract:
1) Genesis 9:20-26 – Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.
3) Leviticus 10:9-11 – God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.
6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 – God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness.
10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 – Nabal died after a drunken spree.
11) 2 Samuel 11:13 – By getting Uriah drunk, David hoped to cover his sin.
12) 2 Samuel 13:28-29 – Amnon was drunk when he was killed.
13) 1 Kings 16:8-10 – The king was drinking himself into drunkenness when he was assassinated
14) 1 Kings 20:12-21 – Ben-Hadad and 32 other kings were drinking when they were attacked and defeated by the Israelites.
17) Proverbs 4:17 – Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.
18) Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.
20) Proverbs 23:21 – Drunkenness causes poverty.
21) Proverbs 23:29-30 – Drinking causes woe, sorrow, fighting, babbling, wounds without cause and red eyes.
22) Proverbs 23:31 – God instructs not to look at intoxicating drinks.
23) Proverbs 23:32 – Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.
24) Proverbs 23:33 – Alcohol causes the drinker to have strange and adulterous thoughts, produces wilfulness, and prevents reformation.
There are too many to list them all, but the entire list can be found at:
http://www.scionofzion.com/drinking.htm
Evolution of Phones: From Wall Phones to iPhones That Convert Speech Into Text
This wall phone reminds me of the wall phone at my grandpa's farm in Allendale Missouri on his 80 acre farm, back in the late 50's.
This rotary phone was seen in most American homes in the 50's and 60's.
This touch tone phone was found in almost any office for many years for office workers with a phone at their desk.
The latest cell phone today is the Apple iPhone 4s which looks nothing like the phones we grew up with over 50 years ago.
I remember back in the old days, when we would have to rent our phones from Bell South, paying a monthly charge to use the phones.
Now after the evolution of the phone from a wall phone, to a rotary phone, then to a touch tone phone found in most offices and also used at home.
It seems like it was only yesterday, when we only used phones to make phone calls and receive phone calls. Nowadays cell phones not only make and receive calls, but allow you to not call at all by using texts to transmit messages back and forth.
Cell phones have become a multi-purpose electronic device that enables owners to listen to music, watch television shows, movies and videos.
They can be used to play games, pay bills, make bank transactions on the phone, take notes, take photos and shoot HD quality videos. The iPhone 4s also can browse the web and remind you of an important event, that is approaching. If you get lost, you can use a built-in GPS to find your way.
The Apple 4s also has an intelligent assistant named Siri which will let you use your voice to ask questions:
It knows what you mean.
Siri not only understands what you say, it’s smart enough to know what you mean. So when you ask “Any good burger joints around here?” Siri will reply “I found a number of burger restaurants near you.” Then you can say “Hmm. How about tacos?” Siri remembers that you just asked about restaurants, so it will look for Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood. And Siri is proactive, so it will question you until it finds what you’re looking for.
This is taking smart phones to a whole new level.
It helps you do the things you do every day.
Ask Siri to text your dad, remind you to call the dentist, or find directions, and it figures out which apps to use and who you’re talking about. It finds answers for you from the web through sources like Yelp and WolframAlpha. Using Location Services, it looks up where you live, where you work, and where you are. Then it gives you information and the best options based on your current location. From the details in your contacts, it knows your friends, family, boss, and coworkers. So you can tell Siri things like “Text Ryan I’m on my way” or “Remind me to make a dentist appointment when I get to work” or “Call a taxi” and it knows exactly what you mean and what to do.
One of the best features is that the iPhone 4s takes dictation, then converts your spoken words into text. If you are sitting at a dinner table, trying to make conversation with a 4s user, it will be a futile endeavor, since they will be too busy using the features of the 4s, to even notice you are in the room.
iPhone 4S takes dictation.
Here’s another amazing way to get things done: just use your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. Then say what you want to say and iPhone listens. Tap Done, and iPhone converts your words into text. Use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web, and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write and send Instagrams.
Summary: We have come a long way from the wall phones of the past, which couldn’t be used to text or send emails, shoot videos or play music, to phones that are the electronic center of what is going on in our lives.
My problem is that I don’t have a cell phone, so still use a regular home phone to make and receive calls. The new technology is astounding, but if you can’t afford it, then it becomes worthless.
We all remember the high telephone bills of the past, when making a lot of long distance calls in a month. Owning a cell phone today may actually be cheaper, if someone was having $150 worth of long distance calls, month after month.
It becomes cost prohibitive to own a iPhone, a iPod and a iPad and a laptop not to mention paying for monthly cable and internet service.
Steven Jobs Dies at 56 in Palo Alto, California
A young Steven Jobs pictured with three Apple computers.
Steven Paul Jobs was born February 24, 1955 in San Francisco. Jobs died yesterday (Oct. 5, 2011) at the age of 56. He was given up for adoption by his parents, who were two University of Wisconsin graduate students. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs and grew up in Silicone Valley.
His dad taught him how to take apart electronics and then rebuild electronics. He would spend a lot of time at Hewlett-Packard during his high school years and met his future business partner Steve Wozniak during those years.
Jobs quickly tired of the college scene, dropping out of Reed College in Portland, Oregon after only six months. He then went to work as a game designer for Atari, but left that job to travel to India and dabble in psychedelic drugs.
He and Wozniak founded Apple Computers when he was 21 years old and funded their operation by him selling his Volkwagen bus and Wozniak selling his scientific computer.
They developed computers which were smaller and easier to use. Their first computers were sold for $666 each and were part of the Apple I line. They earned $774,000 from the sales of that model. Then the Apple II took off and the sales totaled $139 million three years after its release.
By 1980 the value of the company was $1.2 billion. Then came a devastating blow when Apple president John Scully phased Jobs out of Apple. He left Apple in 1985 and bought an animation company, which later would become Pixar. He then invested $50 million of his own money into Pixar. The company would make huge hits like Toy Story and Finding Nemo and the company has made $4 billion in sales.
Jobs would return to Apple in 1997 as CEO with a contract of $1 a year. He was discovered to have pancreatic cancer in 2003. That tumor was removed in 2004.
The year 2007 would see Apple stock worth $199 a share. The company also recorded a profit of 1.58 billion with $18 billion in the bank. Even more amazing was the fact the company didn’t owe any debt.
The iPod and the iTunes music downloading service account for half of the revenue earned by Apple. The iPhone and iPad have kept the Apple name at the forefront of technology today.
Jobs resigned from his job as CEO of Apple on August 24, 2011. He died about six weeks later, yesterday in Palo Alto, California.
For a more extensive biography of the life of Steven Jobs:
X-Factor: Boot Camp Missing Hollywood Week Drama of American Idol
X-Factor contestants on Boot Camp stage.
It was good to see that the first Boot Camp episode of X-Factor, didn’t resort to the drama of Hollywood week, seen last year on American Idol. X-Factor focused more on how badly the contestants, wanted to win more than the drama on American Idol, when contestants were booted from groups.
X-Factor handled the Boot Camp in a more orderly fashions. We didn’t see contestants begging to be in a group, or see groups refusing someone like Scott McCreery who wasn’t good enough to be in a group on American Idol last year, yet became the American Idol.
I liked the approach of X-Factor, with them furnishing voice coaches, dance instructors and image consultants. X-Factor decided who was in what group, plus what song that group would sing. So there no drama between the contestants, since all they needed to focus on was learning the words to the songs and learning a few dance moves.
It looks like X-Factor will be using an idea from The Voice, in that the judges will also be coaches. The show will be even better, as the number of contestants will be whittled down, to where we can start to learn the names better of the contestants.
Dividing the final contestants into groups of eight is not a good idea from my viewpoint. For instance if there are only five or six deserving to be in the over 30 group, that means that better singers might be eliminated from the show, simply because they are good, but can’t gain a spot among the finalists, because they are blocked by their age. It also means three inferior singers over the age of 30 could block three talented singers from being in the final 32.
Overall, I thought the first boot camp show went well. X-Factor proved last night, they can present a singing competition, without all the drama of Hollywood week at American Idol. It will be interesting to see if American Idol decides to run Hollywood week in a more orderly way.
I look for X-Factor to draw more fans as the season goes on and fans pick a favorite to support. One thing in the favor of X-Factor is that it has already been five months, since American Idol’s finale show. It will be interesting to see if The Voice can give American Idol competition in 2012.
Funny Tombstone Inscriptions and Photos
This tombstone leaves a message for one of the survivors saying they really
were sick and that they would still be alive if someone had listened to them.
Merv Griffin had a sense of humor saying on his tombstone that he
will not be right back after the message.
This tombstone reminds us to not step on the gas instead of the brake
especially if their last name is Blake.
Mel Blanc was the voice of Porky Pig and ended cartoons
with the “That’s all folks” that is on his tombstone.
Something tells me that Houtz loved motorcycles.
Tombstones are not usually thought of in a humorous way, but the tombstones pictured above were meant by the loved ones that passed away, to leave their survivors with a smile on their face.
Old Time Radio 101: Guide To Collecting Old Time Radio Shows
A family gathered around the radio to listen to an old time radio program during the heyday of old time radio.
Ninety one years ago KDKA in Pittsburgh went on the air, becoming the first commercial radio station, broadcasting its signal in 1920.
By the end of 1923, hundreds of radio stations were now broadcasting. An estimated three to four million radio sets were able to pick up the broadcast of the funeral, of President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1924.
The Grand Ole Opry will broadcast its first program in 1925, with it being broadcast continuously for 86 years. Sam and Henry first heard in 1926 would become Amos N’ Andy in 1928 and remain on radio until 1960, to be come the longest running old time radio show.
With NBC being founded in 1926 and CBS starting the next year in 1926, networks were now in place, to broadcast nationwide radio series. The Goldbergs went on the air in 1929 and would run till 1950.
Radio listeners would hear the homespun humor of Lum N’ Abner for the first time in 1931, making this year the 80th anniversary of their first show.
Jack Benny and Fred Allen and other comedians debuted on network radio in 1932 paving the way for other comedians in coming years.
The horror and thriller genre would present The Shadow for the first time in 1932, while Just Plain Bill and One Man’s Family debuted from the soap opera genre. Action heroes Buck Rogers and Tarzan were also first heard in 1932.
Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club first aired in 1933 and would remain on the air through 1968. I can still remember the song from the opening of the show, as best I can remember:
“Good morning Breakfast Clubbers, howdy do you, first call to breakfast to all of you out there, America’s first call to breakfast”.
The Lux Radio Theater would begin its 22 year run in 1934. It was regarded as the best of the theater type shows, in which famous actors would present a film in spoken form.
Bob Hope and Fibber McGee and Molly hit the airwaves in 1935. The shows were debuting so fast, that it is not possible to continue the chronology, due to time and space limitations. There would be at least one new show debuting on network radio through 1959. 1961 and 1962 would be first years with no new radio programming being introduced. Old time radio for all practical purposes died on September 30, 1962 when Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar aired their last episodes. They were the last scripted shows broadcast on network radio. Some radio variety shows like Arthur Godfrey remained on the air, non-scripted shows had disappeared from the old-time radio scene.
Television and movies brought about the demise of old-time radio. People that used to gather in their living rooms, to hear old-time radio programs, now gathered to watch television. If they weren’t doing that they were watching movies at the local movie house, or watching movies from their car at a local drive-in movie theatre.
Old Time Radio Shows Can Still Be Heard
Collecting old-time radio shows used to be cost prohibitive, for the most part for collectors. Then MP3 recordings changed all that by letting old-time radio fans listen to as many as 50 half-hour programs on one MP3 disc. Some online old-time radio dealers would sell a disc like that for as little as $4.
That is only reason my collection of old-time radio shows numbers around 18,000. I have a notebook that shows what shows I have listened to and when. With that many shows, there is no reason to listen to the same show twice.
The easiest way to record these shows and drag and drop them into my MP3 player, is to go to My Computer, open up the files on that MP3 CD and drag and drop them into my Sony MP3 player software, which processes the shows, after they are dropped into the icon for the MP3 player. I thought it would be more complicated than it was, but it is relatively easy. While the shows are copying, I write the show dates and titles of the shows I am recording onto the MP3 player, into the notebook.
Online Radio Dealers
Old time radio dealers can be found on the internet to buy the shows from, but the shows can bought at ebay.com for good prices, from most ebay dealers.
It is best buy the shows on MP3 CD’s unless you know how to breakdown a MP3 DVD, which I don’t know how, or you may only be able to play it on a computer. One thing to remember is that MP3 CD’s cannot be played on a regular CD player.
If you do know how to handle a MP3 DVD there is a set of 930 shows of Suspense currently on ebay for $4.89 with a shipping charge of $1.79, which comes out to $6.68 for 930 shows, or about 7 cents an episode.
This is the most informative site for finding great descriptions of each old-time radio show and finding those MP3 CD’s for sale. For instance this is the Great Gildersleeve page which includes a free sample of one of the shows. The website adds previously unavailable episodes every month. It is great that 49 years later after the death of old-time radio, that missing episodes are still being found.
http://www.otrcat.com/great-gildersleeve-p-1337.html
The following online dealer also offers MP3 CD’s with updates, including episodes of shows found recently, that were previously missing. The best thing about this site is that the price you see is the price you pay, since there is no shipping fees at this site.
Thousands of Free Show Online
There are also thousands of free shows that can be listened to online immediately for no charge. This is one of my favorite places for listening to free shows.
You can find 12,369 free shows to listen to. There are 610 free Jack Benny shows alone to listen to and 973 Lone Rangers shows.
Archive.org is another great place to listen to free old-time radio shows, but there is also a wealth of other content at the site, that may be of interest to readers.
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=old%20time%20radio%20AND%20mediatype%3Aaudio
Best Source For Old Time Radio Shows Information
For information on 100,645 old-time radio programs, the best place to search is the Radio GOLD Index. The site features descriptions of individual episodes of shows, including the stars of each episode and the announcer.
The name of any star can be typed in the search box and a list of any episodes they appeared in will show up on the screen. However, the site will be missing some episodes of shows, so it is not a complete listing.
The best source for information of shows in book form is John Dunning’s On The Air The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio printed by Oxford Press. The list price is $55, but I found it several years ago at ebay for $25. It was in perfect condition for that price, looking like it had never been opened.
Amazon has 38 reviews of the book with 32 being 5 star reviews and 4 being 4 star reviews. The 840 page book lists the days of the week the show was on, a list of cast members and what networks the show appeared on, in addition to a review of each show, with the more popular shows receiving longer reviews.
There is a Kindle edition of the book for $19.22.
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