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.
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.
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.)
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:
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.
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.
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.”
After the wedding, Kourtney and Kim Take New York began filming, creating a perfect situation, when E cameras would be rolling for the drama, between the not so happy newlyweds.
Then after the filming was completed, Kim filed for divorce, knowing she and executive producer Ryan Seacrest, had no more use for Kris.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
