Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Business
(heavy sigh)
I just found out two people whom I have known for years were handed their walking papers today. Herndon Hasty, who started three weeks before I did at KY 102 and was one of the most talented sales people ever was told to hit the bricks after serving for short time as GM over a couple of stations. Also benched was Greg Bergen who I always wanted to work for but never got the chance. He presided over the killing of KYYS and had to fire Max Floyd. I am sure the last thing he wanted to do was fire Max or kill KY, but he did what he was told to do. I mean, after all, how the hell can someone fire Max Floyd? I understand why budgets must be cut and people must be let go, but it was NEVER like this back then. How did commercial radio make money hand over fist during the day but not now? If you are a listener, I think you know. Radio back then was run by radio people, now (for the most part), it's run by accountants. Sad.
I just found out two people whom I have known for years were handed their walking papers today. Herndon Hasty, who started three weeks before I did at KY 102 and was one of the most talented sales people ever was told to hit the bricks after serving for short time as GM over a couple of stations. Also benched was Greg Bergen who I always wanted to work for but never got the chance. He presided over the killing of KYYS and had to fire Max Floyd. I am sure the last thing he wanted to do was fire Max or kill KY, but he did what he was told to do. I mean, after all, how the hell can someone fire Max Floyd? I understand why budgets must be cut and people must be let go, but it was NEVER like this back then. How did commercial radio make money hand over fist during the day but not now? If you are a listener, I think you know. Radio back then was run by radio people, now (for the most part), it's run by accountants. Sad.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
What A Fine Kettle Of Fish
Things are happening with the speed of light concerning issues that have never been dealt with in this country. I feel that I am on the precipice of ecomomic nightmares. Things my father could only have dreamt about. He was there as a young man about 20 when the depression hit. I am an old man when this tsunami has issued its wrath. I have lost a carload of money from my future, many have lost much more. The question remains, how did we get here? I have a few observations coming from a guy who made a mere pittance in the mortgage business in late 2001-early 2002. I could have made you a deal that would have financed 120% of what your house was worth. All you had to do was take out a loan at a higher interest rate (good for me) and pay more closing costs (also good for me). I could also give you a mortgage at an incredibly low rate. But, with time, that mortgage percentage will probably double and most likely triple. You'll love me then but hate me...right about now. But, no, you wanted that house you couldn't afford at a ridiculous rate, because it was your right to own a house along with the fact that you wanted it and you wanted it NOW! Because you wanted that house now, the loan officer signed you up and shipped your loan to Washington Mutual. Because you wanted that house now, WaMu bundled that loan with other bundled loans and shipped it to an another lender that did the same thing. They traded and bought your house like a commodity. While all this was going on, you found out the hard way that you couldn't afford the mortgage and the personal mortgage insurance that went with it and you fell behind on your payments; slowly at first then it increased along with your mortgage rate like I told you it would. Now, you can't pay the payments, then you return it to the bank who then has to sell it at a loss. That is, if there is a buyer. With all the empty houses on the market, the bank can't sell it. The bank now eats the loss. Combine that by 1,000,000 and that's the main reason we have witnessed the catastrophic mess we are in. All are complicit in this ruse. The mortgage companies that pushed the sub prime loans,the feds who fiddled while Rome burned and the American public. Never underestimate the selfish foolishness of the American people. It's called a starter house for a reason. My mother and father never lived beyond their means. I have tried to follow that example.
Monday, October 13, 2008
In Praise of Pablo Cruise
Yeah, yeah, I know...light weight pretty boys...surf dudes from California. I got it. But, from about 1977 to 1979, they were on my turntable and cassette player a lot. My first exposure to them was when I was putting together an "underground" radio show from the radio school I attended. We broadcast the audio on the local access channel (ala Wayne's World), we were very top 40 during the week except for a short time where we would feature "album rock". We had a trade deal where Co-op Tapes and Records would sponsor the show and in lieu of money, we'd go through the shop and pick out LPs to play. "Lifeline" was one of those. "Crystal" and "Zero to Sixty in Five" were the big songs from his one. Then, stardom happened... 
"Whatcha Gonna Do?" hit the top 40 airwaves. Great tune, nice hook. Being a semi fan, I kind of got interested in their career and took interest in this release. It remains to this day, one of my favorite releases. The album and the title track happened right around the time of my divorce and I needed some positive reinforcement. It didn't have the chops of a lot of other bands, but the songs were catchy, the licks were played well and with enthusiasm. Then after seeing them open for The Eagles at Comiskey Park in Chicago, I was convinced that these guys had the goods. Which lead to... 
..and huge stardom, right when I hit KC. Although KY didn't play anything from this release, I thought their great pop songs were all the rage. One of the very first women I met in KC loved these guys and that was my "in". Good solid tunes again and then... that was it. They were done. I didn't care for "Cool Love" or whatever it was . I lost interest and I think they did, too.
So...my favorite PC tunes include these gems...
1. "A Place In The Sun"...certainly needed this one. One of my favorites of all time.
2. "Can't You Hear The Music?"...like before, how true.
3. "Whatcha Gonna Do?"..when she says goodbye, just about the time I said goodbye
4. "El Verano"...one of the nastiest killer guitar works ever, great instrumental
5. "Worlds Away"..rock em sock em great song
6. "Don't Want To Live Without It"...perfect top 40 disco(gasp) song
7. "Crystal"...early genius hidden here (had a crush on a girl named Crystal)
8. "Ocean Breeze"...12 minutes of a nice workout jam
9. "Family Man"... for some, very trite lyrics, for me, a lesson
10. "Love Will Find A Way"...killer top 40 song
Yeah, most of this stuff is from two LPs, I find their other stuff very intriguing, too. May be worth a trip to amazon.com to get caught up. From the website...
Thirty years ago, in 1975, Pablo Cruise released its first A&M album simply entitled Pablo Cruise. The album cover was shot in the tropical gardens of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and it featured a huge gorilla standing front and center. The band, David Jenkins (guitars & vocals), Cory Lerios (keyboards & vocals), Steve Price (drums) & Bud Cockrell (bass & vocals) was nowhere in sight. At that point there was a bit of a mystique as to who Pablo Cruise really was. When asked, "who's Pablo," the band, which is a quartet, would answer, "he's the guy in the middle." When asked what Pablo Cruise meant, the well-rehearsed answer went something like this,"Pablo,represents an honest, real, down to earth individual; and Cruise, depicts his fun loving, easy going attitude towards life." In essence that's what Pablo Cruise's music is all about. Honest, real, down to earth vocals, accompanied by fun yet elegant, infectious grooves. To hear Pablo Cruise on record is one thing, but to experience the band live is an exhilarating event.
From 1975 to 1985 the band toured the United States, Canada and Japan extensively, welcoming fans to "Climb Aboard The Good Ship Pablo Cruise." Reaching the top 10 with mega hits like "Watch Gonna Do When She Says Goodbye" and "Love Will Find A Way," and several other radio hits, the band went on to sell several million albums and singles collectively and established themselves as well respected writers and performers within the industry. They appeared on numerous TV shows, including Dick Clark's American Bandstand, The Merv Griffin Show and in 1979 they broke Elvis Presley's attendance record at The Sahara Tahoe in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, becoming the first rock band to play a Casino Showroom. They also became the first rock band to grace the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, but by 1986 after completing several national tours and releasing 7 albums in all, the band seemed to have lost its focus and just stopped. It seemed like Pablo needed some time to think. Cory Lerios and David Jenkins the bands' principal songwriters, along with Steve Price decided to take a hiatus. A hiatus that has lasted nearly 20 years...
Throughout the late eighties, original vocalist David Jenkins continued touring and garnered acclaim in the country markets with the slightly ahead of their time country-rock band Southern Pacific. As they racked up hits like "Midnight Highway," the chart topper "New Shade Of Blue" and "Honey I Dare You" (co-written by Jenkins) the band toured all over the U.S. In 1992 Dave connected with Hawaii's native son, Kapono Beamer, and in '95 the duo released the album "Cruisin' On Hawaiian Time," that became a critics' favorite as well as being nominated for Hawaii's prestigious Hoku Award for "Album Of The Year." Since '99 Jenkins has joined forces with the Classic Voices of Rock, a composite group that includes some of the great singers of the '70's and '80's.
Pianist and Vocalist Cory Lerios decided to turn his writing and producing abilities to Film and Television. In 1986 Lerios landed his first network series, scoring ABC's critically acclaimed "Max Headroom." ABC's "O'Hara" and "Police Story" immediately followed. Writing to "picture" became Cory's newfound passion and in 1989, Cory and partner John D'Andrea landed the theme and underscore for NBC's "Baywatch." Scoring 11 seasons of "Baywatch," garnering several Emmy Nominations, Cory won the coveted award in 1998 for his participation in the music direction of "Days Of Our Lives." Aside from composing music for Film and TV out of his Westlake Village, CA studio, Cory has intimated that he would love to perform live again, so the Pablo Cruise Reunion is a welcome addition to his busy schedule.
In June of 2004, original drummer and groove master of Pablo Cruise, Steve Price was married in Sacramento, CA. For his wedding gift to his wife Nancy, he wanted to throw a concert featuring the original Pablo Cruise, calling Cory and Dave and asking them if they would be up for it. The night of "The Concert," the band did more than just perform, it was reborn. Immediately following the show, Dave, Cory and Steve were so excited to play again; they decided right then and there they were going to make a concerted effort to raise "The Good Ship Pablo Cruise." So .. The search began for a singing bass player.
In 1999 Lerios met composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist George Gabriel. For the last 6 years Lerios and Gabriel have been writing underscore and songs together for all the major networks. Their first effort entitled "Call Me, Beep Me," performed by Christina Milian, was written specifically for what has become one of Disney Animations" most successful series to date, "Kim Possible." While working in NYC last summer, Cory mentioned to George that Pablo Cruise was planning to play live again. George immediately responded, saying he would love to be involved. Cory asked Dave and Steve if they would be interested in meeting George and perhaps running through some of the Pablo repertoire. The rest is history. Joining original members, Cory, Dave and Steve is George Gabriel on bass and vocals.
The fact that Pablo Cruise took 20 years to decide whether they wanted to work together again may be the best thing that ever happened to them. The guys are approaching this whole thing like it's the first time they've ever played together. The point being is that this reunion is generating a lot of excitement within the quartet, and the beauty of it is, is that its coming from the guy in the middle.. PABLO CRUISE.
Stony Vision
I am engaging in what many people in my "hood" call "stoney vision". Yes, I am sitting in front of the television watching the baseball playoffs with the sound down and Bruce* (as in Springsteen) is on the stereo. I guess I get the terminology but without being "stoney", you can't have "stoney vision". It used to drive my mom nuts. She never understood how we did that.At the age I am now, I don't get it either but it still works for me. Go Phillies!
Friday, October 10, 2008
No Title Needed
Each Presidential candidate is engaged in the most monumental challenge in their lives thus far. How each responds to this challenge is reflective ofhow they will respond to the even more difficult challenges of thePresidency. McCain's answer to this challenge is to resort to division and invective. His efforts further divide white from black, rich from poor and Democrat from Republican. He has chosen to set aside his own principle of civil campaigning for the sake of winning. Civil campaigning is necessary because after any election all must come together to find solutions. McCain's chosen tactics of division will make it even more difficult togovern, no matter who wins the election. "A nation divided against itself cannotstand." Does anyone seriously think that division is good for America? It may be good for Senator McCain, but is it good for the nation? McCain supporters scream that Obama is evil, the anti-Christ, a terrorist. McCain makes no effort to stop these screams and thus he is responsible for rage behind those screams. We are seeing our nation torn apart by Senator McCain's efforts. As President, I think that Mc Cain would be as confrontational and divisive as Bush. His policy would be one of turning Americans against one another. The overriding policy would still be "Divide and Conquer". For those who are addicted to the emotional high of always being angry and outraged, my comment will have no appeal. I acknowledge that. I am speaking those who reject anger and passion in favor of calm deliberation and consideration of the problems with which we must deal. Our problems are worse now than ever before in our lifetimes. Which of the two candidates will best be able to get us through this economic nightmare. If united, we could come out of this nightmare better and stronger for having endured it. If divided, we will fail. "A nation divided against itself cannot stand." Which candidate offers the better hope for unity? You decide. I support Obama because of his calm and reasoned approach to the challenges of the campaign. How Obama handles the campaign is reflective of how he will govern. He will not govern with rage and passion, but with considered opinion and rational deliberation. America has had enough rage and passion for a lifetime. McCain offers America fear. Obama offers hope. The choices are clear:
Reason or Rage.
Division or a chance for Unity
Reason or Rage.
Division or a chance for Unity
Thursday, October 09, 2008
The eve of Friday
I now have internet access at the groovy little hippie pad I call home. Ahhh, the small little things that we take for granted. I have a funky old laptop that has certainly seen better days. A little is better than nothing.
I hope it's the Phillies and the Rays. I hate the old Red Sox nation crap (perpetrated on us by ESPN, Boston homers) and I cannot stand Manny Ramirez. While I respect his talent, I think he's a punk.
I hope it's the Phillies and the Rays. I hate the old Red Sox nation crap (perpetrated on us by ESPN, Boston homers) and I cannot stand Manny Ramirez. While I respect his talent, I think he's a punk.
Mother Murphy's
We have had a great response to our "Off The Record" program. That's the one where we feature a "vinyl album" on Sunday nights. One business we had to talk to was the local "rock and roll emporium" here in uptown Normal. Yes, Mother Murphy's is a local head shop that has been in the same location for the past 40(yes, 40) years. One of my younger sales people (who I think gets it) went there the other day and presented him with a package for a sponsorship. His first words were.."where have you been I have had customers tell me about it?" We closed the deal today. He wanted to be the only sponsor of the show. It filled the newbie with confidence. That's what they are looking for, just some small victories.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
Gotta Love This...
Prized in Asia for centuries for its medicinal and culinary properties, the shiitake mushroom is now the second most widely produced mushroom in the world. The legendary health benefits of this dark brown, umbrella-shaped fungus stem from a concentration of lentinan, which may help prevent and treat cancer, lower cholesterol, and stimulate the immune system. However, much of the research backing these claims has been done with injectable forms of lentinan.
Still, this meaty mushroom is clearly good to eat -- it has eight amino acids as well as vitamins and minerals including B6, B2 (riboflavin), niacin, and selenium. One cup of cooked shiitake has only 81 calories, is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and is a good source of dietary fiber. It may also be good for your looks: Some beauty products now contain shiitake extracts.
Still, this meaty mushroom is clearly good to eat -- it has eight amino acids as well as vitamins and minerals including B6, B2 (riboflavin), niacin, and selenium. One cup of cooked shiitake has only 81 calories, is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and is a good source of dietary fiber. It may also be good for your looks: Some beauty products now contain shiitake extracts.
Looking for more ways to add B2 to your diet? Try riboflavin-rich milk, eggs, enriched cereals and grains, ice cream,liver, and green vegetables, such as broccoli.
Shiitake Mushroom Risotto
Makes 8 first-course or 4 main-course servings
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
4–6 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
6 oz crimini, button, or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 cups arborio rice
1¼ cups dry white wine
5 cups vegetable broth orchicken stock
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs for garnish
Heat 1 tbsp oil in heavy large skillet over -medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add all the mushrooms; sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Heat wine and broth in a 4-quart pot until simmering.
In same skillet used to sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms, add rice and 1 tbsp oil and toss to coat over medium heat. Ladle 1 cup of simmering broth into rice and stir until liquid is almost absorbed.
Continue adding liquid and stirring until -mixture is creamy and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in cheese, onion/mushroom mixture, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with chopped herbs and Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Makes 8 first-course or 4 main-course servings
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
4–6 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
6 oz crimini, button, or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 cups arborio rice
1¼ cups dry white wine
5 cups vegetable broth orchicken stock
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs for garnish
Heat 1 tbsp oil in heavy large skillet over -medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add all the mushrooms; sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Heat wine and broth in a 4-quart pot until simmering.
In same skillet used to sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms, add rice and 1 tbsp oil and toss to coat over medium heat. Ladle 1 cup of simmering broth into rice and stir until liquid is almost absorbed.
Continue adding liquid and stirring until -mixture is creamy and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in cheese, onion/mushroom mixture, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with chopped herbs and Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Biff Barf with Sports in My Shorts
This one is for the previous 30 years of beatdowns in Lincoln, this one was for Chase Daniels getting spat upon by a Nebraska player (which "pissed him off"), this one was for the time I lived in Lincoln and Mizzou was down 59-0 at halftime, this one was for all the alumni who have suffered at the hands of the Huskerplex curse. 52-17. Mizzou scored in the first minute. I watched this at a party on Saturday night and you could feel the excitement in the room. Who would have thunk this? As of today the University of Missouri football Tigers are ranked number two by the coaches and number three by the writers. This one's for you, Nebraska.Fear and loathing await the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who come into Columbia also 5-0 and ranked number 17. Still waiting for Mizzou to trip up...can't shake the feeling. Maybe, just maybe, it's not your older brother's Mizzou.
Lou Piniella....what the hell happened? Soriano sucked, your defense sucked and your hitting sucked. Wow, even the most hearty Cubs fan has to wonder what the hell... I am rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays, have been for awhile and I hope they get past the White Sox becasue I can't stand the manager of the Sox. I always like the underdog.
Anyone...anyone but the Red Sox and the "Red Sox nation" which covers...Boston and the northeast.
How bad will the Chiefs be this year? Really, really bad. How did this playoff team two years ago disintegrate into this mess? I know that when I lived in KC the first time, the Chiefs were horrible but at least the Royals put on a good show. Now...
I hate the clowns in the booth for Monday Night Football. They are equally as bad as Chris Berman who has pictures of someone somewhere. Ick. Could I do it better? Give me a shot, Ill try...
Speaking of shot, nothing like a nice shot of Cuervo to calm the nerves.....you should try one, Chris
I hate Sunday night, I always have and I always will, I harken back to being a kid and it's probably separation anxiety issues....thank you Dr. Freud
Sunday, October 05, 2008
William Guy (Butch) Raley Jr. October 5th 1948-October 8th 1993
My brother, you would be 60 today. How time files and how much I miss you.
Thank you for showing me what a man was all about. Thank you for your service and dedication to your family and your country. 
That dedication to your country ultimately lead to your downfall. Thank you for taking time away from your friends to put up with your little brother. Thank you for teaching me about girls, cars and music. Thank you for your children, you would be so proud of them. Thank you for your patience, understanding and your tough love. Thank you for telling me when I was getting off the track. Thank you for the tears when I told you I had finally made it to KSHE. You knew how imporatant it was for me. Thank you for reminding me of my commitment to make things right in the world. Thank you for everything, there is a hole in my heart that will never be filled. Your absence has been felt every day of my life. I lost my big brother on that fateful October day. I just wonder what you'd think of me now. Would you be proud? I hope so. I lived for your approval. I hope I have finally received it.
That dedication to your country ultimately lead to your downfall. Thank you for taking time away from your friends to put up with your little brother. Thank you for teaching me about girls, cars and music. Thank you for your children, you would be so proud of them. Thank you for your patience, understanding and your tough love. Thank you for telling me when I was getting off the track. Thank you for the tears when I told you I had finally made it to KSHE. You knew how imporatant it was for me. Thank you for reminding me of my commitment to make things right in the world. Thank you for everything, there is a hole in my heart that will never be filled. Your absence has been felt every day of my life. I lost my big brother on that fateful October day. I just wonder what you'd think of me now. Would you be proud? I hope so. I lived for your approval. I hope I have finally received it.
I love you so much and miss you incredibly. I hope there is no pain but eternal happiness. You deserve it.
These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day youll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And youll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms
Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
Ive watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms
Theres so many different worlds
So many differents suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones
Now the suns gone to hell
And the moons riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But its written in the starlight
And every line on your palm
Were fools to make war
On our brothers in arms
Saturday, October 04, 2008
In Praise of Vinyl
One of the additions we've added to our weekly programming schedule on the Eagle is an idea I stole from a friend of mine. "Off The Record" is a show we air every Sunday night at 6:00pm. It is the playing of a great, classic release off of vinyl. That's right, we actually play a "record". Ken Dillon did this at his station in Sedalia and I though it was a great, cool tribute. So, we have set aside some time to play a great old record, starting with the needle dropping on the side, playing side one in it's entirety, stopping for a break, then coming back and dropping the needle on side two. I think it sounds great and even through my shitty car radio, I can still tell the difference between digital and analog. It's the debut Boston release this Sunday night at 6. Thanks, Ken for the idea.My Church Speaks...
Vatican officials seldom single out political leaders who differ with the Church on issues like abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research. But now that the Vatican’s highest court is led by an American, the former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, we can expect things to get more explicit in Vatican City — at least when when it comes to U.S. politics.
Burke, who was named prefect of the Vatican’s Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature in June, told the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire that the U.S. Democratic Party risked “transforming itself definitively into a party of death for its decisions on bioethical issues.” He then attacked two of the party’s most high profile Catholics — vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — for misrepresenting Church teaching on abortion.
He said Biden and Pelosi, “while presenting themselves as good Catholics, have presented Church doctrine on abortion in a false and tendentious way.”
Pelosi drew U.S. bishops’ scorn for saying in a television interview last month that the Church itself had long debated when human life begins. Biden is a practicing Catholic who also supports abortion rights and analysts have said he could help woo wavering Catholics into Obama’s fold. Both argue that they cannot impose their religious views on others.
Burke said pro-life Democrats were “rare” and that it saddened him that the party that helped “our immigrant parents and grandparents” prosper in America had changed so much over the years.
Burke made headlines as archbishop of St. Louis for his public attacks on public figures who strayed from Catholic teaching. He suggested during the 2004 presidential campaign that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, a Catholic, should be denied communion because of his views on abortion. Several bishops said at the time they would not give him communion and the media staked out churches where he attended Mass to see if he received it.
“Lately, I’ve noticed that other bishops are coming to this position,” Burke told Avvenire, which is owned by the Italian bishops’ conference.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a letter in 2004 to American bishops restating the Church position that a priest must refuse to distribute communion to a Catholic politician who supported abortion rights. But Burke lamented that the letter was never distributed.
Burke’s criticism isn’t limited to Democrats. Last year, he accused singer Sheryl Crow of being “a high profile proponent of the destruction of innocent lives” for defending a woman’s right to have an abortion and for being a proponent of stem cell research. He resigned as head of a children’s medical charity that featured the singer for a benefit concert.
Pope Benedict has been encouraging Catholic bishops to speak out more openly on public policy issues to make the Church’s voice heard. Any bets on when we’ll hear from Burke next?
Burke, who was named prefect of the Vatican’s Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature in June, told the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire that the U.S. Democratic Party risked “transforming itself definitively into a party of death for its decisions on bioethical issues.” He then attacked two of the party’s most high profile Catholics — vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — for misrepresenting Church teaching on abortion.
He said Biden and Pelosi, “while presenting themselves as good Catholics, have presented Church doctrine on abortion in a false and tendentious way.”
Pelosi drew U.S. bishops’ scorn for saying in a television interview last month that the Church itself had long debated when human life begins. Biden is a practicing Catholic who also supports abortion rights and analysts have said he could help woo wavering Catholics into Obama’s fold. Both argue that they cannot impose their religious views on others.
Burke said pro-life Democrats were “rare” and that it saddened him that the party that helped “our immigrant parents and grandparents” prosper in America had changed so much over the years.
Burke made headlines as archbishop of St. Louis for his public attacks on public figures who strayed from Catholic teaching. He suggested during the 2004 presidential campaign that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, a Catholic, should be denied communion because of his views on abortion. Several bishops said at the time they would not give him communion and the media staked out churches where he attended Mass to see if he received it.
“Lately, I’ve noticed that other bishops are coming to this position,” Burke told Avvenire, which is owned by the Italian bishops’ conference.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a letter in 2004 to American bishops restating the Church position that a priest must refuse to distribute communion to a Catholic politician who supported abortion rights. But Burke lamented that the letter was never distributed.
Burke’s criticism isn’t limited to Democrats. Last year, he accused singer Sheryl Crow of being “a high profile proponent of the destruction of innocent lives” for defending a woman’s right to have an abortion and for being a proponent of stem cell research. He resigned as head of a children’s medical charity that featured the singer for a benefit concert.
Pope Benedict has been encouraging Catholic bishops to speak out more openly on public policy issues to make the Church’s voice heard. Any bets on when we’ll hear from Burke next?
Archbishop Burke may be a holy man, but he was not well liked here. He picked fights with a number of people about a wide variety of things. While I recognize his deep devotion to his church, he is a canon lawyer and a well respected one, he dismisses ANYONE who disagrees with him. Here is what Joe Biden said..."I believe life begins at conception, however I don’t feel it is my duty to legislate my faith on others.” And Joe, you are right. We created a separation of church and state for this very reason. People have different beliefs and views and no one is “right” or “wrong”. It’s simply a religious choice, one that should NEVER EVER be forced on anyone. One thing the Archbishop has had little to say about is the slaughter of innocent Iraqi citizens and the unwarranted killing of over 4,000 of our finest men and women for a fight that wasn't provoked against a sovereign country. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, Bin Laden did and he's nowhere near Iraq. What was said about that, Archbishop Burke? You can't have it both ways. Will the republicans who voted for the war be denied communion too? I love my church, although I vehemently disagree with them on this count.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Friday On My Mind
In St. Louis today, thought I would "gold brick" with an appointment and then take the day "off". Ha! I have a ten oclock appointment, one at 11:30, 12:45, 2:15, 3:20 and 4. The headquarters of Schuncks, Panera Bread, JBucks, Wehrenberg Theatres and others are here. These are my clients in B/N. Ah, maybe Saturday I can "gold brick" and be lazy. Not today, So, time to get the old three piece suit on and hit the "bricks". Wish me luck.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Joke
Little Eric and Jenny are only 10 years old, but they know they are in love. One day they decide that they want to get married, so Eric goes to Jenny's father to ask him for her hand.Eric bravely walks up to him and says, 'Mr. Smith, me and Jenny are in love and I want to ask you for her hand in marriage.'Thinking that this was just the cutest thing, Mr. Smith replies, 'Well Eric, you are only 10. Where will you two live?'Without even taking a moment to think about it, Eric replies, 'In Jenny's room. It's bigger than mine and we can both fit there nicely.'Still thinking this is just adorable, Mr. Smith says with a huge grin, 'Okay then how will you live? You're not old enough to get a job. You'll need to support Jenny.'Again, Eric instantly replies, 'Our allowance. Jenny makes five bucks a week and I make 10 bucks a week. That's about 60 bucks a month and that s hould do us just fine.'Mr. Smith is impressed Eric has put so much thought into this.. 'Well Eric, it seems like you have everything figured out. I just have one more question. What will you do if the two of you should have little ones of your own?'Eric just shrugs his shoulders and says, 'Well, we've been lucky so far.'
Mr. Smith no longer thinks the little shit is adorable
Mr. Smith no longer thinks the little shit is adorable
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Top 100
Mahogany Rush IV 1976
When I was 20, I listened to a lot of out there, different, eclectic stuff. Yes, he's ripped off Hendrix and I always thought the idea of someone having a near death experience and then returning while capturing the "spirit" of Jimi was a bit much, ( that was the rumour we heard) but this guy can play. I really liked "Strange Universe", and while "Strange Universe" got way out there with some wired and weird shit, this was the release that got me to enjoy Frank Marino's music. He pulled in the "Hendrix" stuff and started to concentrate on making more accessible, strongly crafted music. The album starts with "I'm Going Away", a very melodic song that builds and builds, such a departure from the over the top playing on "SU". "I'm Going Away" is a funky number that does have a Hendrix feel to it. "The Answer" is one of my favorites and I would say the guitar playing on here rivals most. He's backed by a fine pair of guys who provide a nice rhythm section. Yeah, like Hendrix, it's a three piece band. "Jive Baby" is a time and tempo changer that's filled with great funk and nice chops. "It's Begun To Rain" might be my favorite of the bunch, slow, moody and played with great dynamics. A perfect song for a rainy day. "Dragonfly" is a great Robin Trower song, it sounds more like Trower than anyone other than Robin, who many people have criticized for sounding like Hendrix. "Little Sexy Annie" is a fuel driven guitar work out. He lets it rip on this one. "Moonwalk" was the one that I'd play to stump my friends..."well, it's sounds like Hendrix". "Emperor IV" is the slow, drifting epic that closes out the record.
If you are a guitar fan, go to Frank's website http://www.mahoganyrush.com/ and check these out for yourself. Here's the story about the Hendrix rumour and all of that.
He was born Francesco Antonio Marino on November 20, 1954 in Montreal, Canada. Half Italian and half Arabic, Frank is one of five children and only has a 7th grade education that even included a short stint in military school. "Those years were the late sixties and everyone was into the hippie peace movement and we were so busy getting stoned that we certainly didn't want to attend school. All we did besides getting stoned was listen to Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles and a few others as well as getting involved in movements such as peace, love, anti-war etc. Those were definitely the days, not like now where many young people seem to be into negativism and hate".
It was during those days that his experimentation with LSD would lead him to what was later to become the definition of his life. As a young person doing far too much acid, he couldn't really understand when it finally caught up with him and gave him such an incredibly vivid experience that was so overwhelming, that it landed him in the hospital. "This experience became the basis of everything that I was to do in music, including the name Mahogany Rush, which was a description I would use to describe a certain sensation that I was having on the trip. The artwork on the albums, Child of the Novelty and Strange Universe are an artist's rendition of my trip as told by me to the artist, Ivan Schwartz, who has since passed away".
Since this early drug experience later became known to the press that covered his career, and since he played much in the style of Jimi Hendrix who had recently died, these sensationalists created stories that to this very day Frank has tried immensely and unsuccessfully to dismiss. "The most often heard story is that I took an overdose and woke up from a coma in the hospital and somehow became the spirit of Hendrix, or that I met this spirit and it entered me, endowing me with this amazing ability to play a guitar and magically know everything about it. Later on the story changed into a version that said I was in a car accident, died and came back as Jimi Hendrix in my body. They never ask me the truth and when I told them, they wouldn't listen. The short truth about it is that I learned how to play guitar while recuperating from my trip. The guitar became a soothing help for me because of my great fear of letting my mind wander back into the trip if I wasn't occupied and besides it was the only thing in the hospital relaxation room. I never even thought about the guitar before since I played the drums quite well anyway. I had this trip while Hendrix was still alive and began to play his music because it matched perfectly to what I was going through at the time".
It was only a few short years later after many different band members, that Frank Marino recorded his first album. "In the early years I played in a church and even on a float in a parade. I did mostly cover songs by The Doors, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Cream, Johnny Winter, The Beatles and even The Grateful Dead as well as a few originals that I had written".
Frank Marino's music never reached the mainstream of popularity, but has had a devoted fan base that has grown over the years. Being sober now for over 35 years, he still plays with the enthusiasm that he's always had. Frank is into his music and doesn't really care for the business side of it and has always produced his own albums as well as writing and arranging all of the music.
It was during those days that his experimentation with LSD would lead him to what was later to become the definition of his life. As a young person doing far too much acid, he couldn't really understand when it finally caught up with him and gave him such an incredibly vivid experience that was so overwhelming, that it landed him in the hospital. "This experience became the basis of everything that I was to do in music, including the name Mahogany Rush, which was a description I would use to describe a certain sensation that I was having on the trip. The artwork on the albums, Child of the Novelty and Strange Universe are an artist's rendition of my trip as told by me to the artist, Ivan Schwartz, who has since passed away".
Since this early drug experience later became known to the press that covered his career, and since he played much in the style of Jimi Hendrix who had recently died, these sensationalists created stories that to this very day Frank has tried immensely and unsuccessfully to dismiss. "The most often heard story is that I took an overdose and woke up from a coma in the hospital and somehow became the spirit of Hendrix, or that I met this spirit and it entered me, endowing me with this amazing ability to play a guitar and magically know everything about it. Later on the story changed into a version that said I was in a car accident, died and came back as Jimi Hendrix in my body. They never ask me the truth and when I told them, they wouldn't listen. The short truth about it is that I learned how to play guitar while recuperating from my trip. The guitar became a soothing help for me because of my great fear of letting my mind wander back into the trip if I wasn't occupied and besides it was the only thing in the hospital relaxation room. I never even thought about the guitar before since I played the drums quite well anyway. I had this trip while Hendrix was still alive and began to play his music because it matched perfectly to what I was going through at the time".
It was only a few short years later after many different band members, that Frank Marino recorded his first album. "In the early years I played in a church and even on a float in a parade. I did mostly cover songs by The Doors, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Cream, Johnny Winter, The Beatles and even The Grateful Dead as well as a few originals that I had written".
Frank Marino's music never reached the mainstream of popularity, but has had a devoted fan base that has grown over the years. Being sober now for over 35 years, he still plays with the enthusiasm that he's always had. Frank is into his music and doesn't really care for the business side of it and has always produced his own albums as well as writing and arranging all of the music.
If you ever get a chance to see him play live, don't pass it up. I have been a devoted fan for 34 years and welcome any newcomers with open arms.
Another Unmissable Movie
Night Shift 1982 A sweet , funny comedy with Michael Keaton's debut role. This movie also features the debut of Kevin Costner and Shannon Doherty. Henry Winkler is trapped a loveless engagement with Gina Hecht and falls for neighbor Shelly Long who happens to be a hooker. After being transferred to the night shift at the morgue, Micheal Keaton devises this scheme to get rich by being "pimps". They succeed beyond their wildest dreams. I saw this movie in the theatre after our resident movie guy at KY102 (Jack Poessiger) loved it. It was relesed in the middle of the summer in 1982. Adam Sandler and Pauly Shore can only DREAM of being as funny as Michael Keaton in "Night Shift." Keaton's hilarious performance only serves to underscore the fact that he's never been near as funny since.Sure, the movie will never be in the AFI's top 100 list. But when I was 26, I only dreamed of being as funny as Billy Blaizejowski, Keaton's character in the film. I credit the script for great lines, but I doubt anyone could have made an annoying character like Billy loveable - except Keaton. Henry Winkler does a bang-up job with a straight role that affords audiences little to get excited about. He is completely convincing as an in-over-his-head nebbish with a nervous stomach, and deserves credit for pulling it off without seeming whiny. We identify with Winkler's character even though we can see how cowardly he is.The plot, of course, is contrived, as is any plot involving hookers with hearts of gold. It's hard to see Shelly Long as a prostitute, but she plays it gamely and has fun with the role.I recommend this film if you have any craziness to your sense of humor, or just if you're a male between the ages of 17 and 25. That's the target audience, but even at 53, I still find Keaton's performance refreshing and laugh-out-loud funny. It came on the Universal HD channel the other night and even though I was dead tired, I watched every minute. One bit of trivia, the music was written by Burt Bacharach and featured Quarterflash singing the title tune and Rod Stewart singing "That's What Friends Are For" over the end credits. I have always liked his version much better than the one that was popular. Once again, a sweet, funny movie with an over the top performance by Michael Keaton and a great role by Shelly Long (who has never looked better) and enough silly stuff to get you through the film.
And Now For Something Completely Different.
Working in the office today, had the old Ipod rockin....
Here's the tasty playlist
"Girl Goodbye" Toto
"Long Hot Summer Night"-Jimi Hendrix
"Siberian Khatru"-Yes
"Over and Over"-Fleetwood Mac
"Somebody Get Me A Doctor"-Van Halen
"Mrs. Robinson"-Simon and Garfunkel
"Gallow's Pole"-Led Zeppelin
"Transmaniacon MC'-Blue Oyster Cult
"Jive Baby"-Mahoghany Rush
"The Boston Rag"-Steely Dan
"My Fairy King"-Queen
"Midnight Train"-Darden Smith
"Midwest Midnight"-Michael Stanley Band
"Sauvecito(long version)"-Malo
"Inner City Blues"-Marvin Gaye
It was an outstanding day of music that motivated me to get stuff done.
Here's the tasty playlist
"Girl Goodbye" Toto
"Long Hot Summer Night"-Jimi Hendrix
"Siberian Khatru"-Yes
"Over and Over"-Fleetwood Mac
"Somebody Get Me A Doctor"-Van Halen
"Mrs. Robinson"-Simon and Garfunkel
"Gallow's Pole"-Led Zeppelin
"Transmaniacon MC'-Blue Oyster Cult
"Jive Baby"-Mahoghany Rush
"The Boston Rag"-Steely Dan
"My Fairy King"-Queen
"Midnight Train"-Darden Smith
"Midwest Midnight"-Michael Stanley Band
"Sauvecito(long version)"-Malo
"Inner City Blues"-Marvin Gaye
It was an outstanding day of music that motivated me to get stuff done.
Monday, September 29, 2008
My Aunt Jane
Yesterday, while in the Quad Cities, I got to see one of the most incredible people I know. My aunt Jane married my uncle Martin in the summer of 1969. Before that, he was a drinker, smoker and in all probability a womanizer. He was married to my father's sister "Bette" who was probably the most disagreeable, nasty woman I have ever met. She was a smoker and drinker with a filthy mouth that had no use for kids. She was my dad's age and all of us kids couldn't stand her. Her contempt for us was very palpable. She had a nasty little chihuahua that bit us constantly. I WOULD NOT have blamed Martin if he strayed, but it's pure conjecture if he did. She died of cancer in teh winter of 1969 and he immediately found solace in a mutual friend. Aunt Jane introduced him to the Lord and in the long run, peace and tranquility. He immediately changed his whole persona. He quit smoking, drinking and swearing and developed a love and goodness that was always there, but she was the catalyst for his transfomation into a man of the Lord. She's an incredible woman and she just celebrated her 90th birthday in April. I never call in advance because she will always have some excuse for me not to see her. I stopped by right after a nap, she was groggy and not quite with it. I don't think she recognized me at first. As we talked, I could tell she was having a difficult time getting her bearings. She was ready to get lunch, so I told her I would be back after lunch and we would go "see" Martin. Martin died ten years ago and while I remembered how to get to the cemetary, I didn't remember where he was. So, with some help from my cousin Robbie, I found it and was ready to go get Jane and take her to see Martin. For being 90, she's a spry gal who all the time told me how much she missed driving and how she could still drive better than most. I believed her, for sure. After visiting Martin, she asked if we could go driving around to visit old residences and places she knew. How fortunate I was to be her companion for two hours on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We went by two old houses she lived with Martin, her old house that her dad built, her old school and an old residence that had long ago been torn down. Each time, her describing to me the memories she had in each place. She told me about how the whole family had built a garage and how nice it was that it's still standing, where she walked on her way to school and generally reminiscing about long ago held memories and dreams. I don't know if I'll ever see her again, her being 90 and all, but when I dropped her back off at her assissted living residence, we both cried on our beautiful, wonderful day and how two old friends relived a life filled with grace and love. I cried uncontrollably as I left, thanking God for an opportunity to do this. I cried about as hard as I am now putting these words into print. I love you with all my heart Christina Jane Martin. You have meant more to me in my life than just about anyone I know. I learned so much from you and can never repay the love, hope and beauty you've added to my heart. I remember when I cried at my mother's deathbed, she said to me..."Who are you crying about...you? That's selfish. Her? Know that at anytime, she'll go to a better place." For me, it was two hours, for her, maybe one last times to live a life in reverse. Thank you, Lord for the chance.
Post number 1300
A man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring. The guy knows his co-worker to be a normally conservative, macho fellow, and is curious about his sudden change in fashion sense. He walks up to him and says, 'I didn't know you were into earrings.'
Don't make such a big deal, it's only an earring, he replies sheepishly.
His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to ask, So, how long have you been wearing one?
Ever since my wife found it in my truck!
I always wondered how this trend got started.
Don't make such a big deal, it's only an earring, he replies sheepishly.
His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to ask, So, how long have you been wearing one?
Ever since my wife found it in my truck!
I always wondered how this trend got started.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
RIP Paul Newman
I first saw Paul Newman in "Somebody Up There Likes Me", the story of Rocky Marciano. It was shown on TV about the time I was five or six. I was enthralled on how cool he was. "The Hustler" was next, and I think it was the first movie I ever watched in the theater. I was six. He was the ultimate cool guy who seemed affable and humble. "Cool Hand Luke","Butch Cassidy" "The Sting" and "The Road to Perdition" were some of my favorites and probably a bit to do with shaping my life. He was married to the same woman for fifty years, yes, the epitome of cool. Man, I will really miss him and his contribution to society. Rest easy "Cool Hand" and thanks so much.
WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) - Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud,""Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money," has died. He was 83.
Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.
In May, Newman he had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.
He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus,""Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,""The Verdict,""The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."
Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."
He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."
With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."
Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.
A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."
Newman delivered a magnetic performance in "The Hustler," playing a smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats - played by Jackie Gleason - and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel - directed by Scorsese - "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but rather an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.
He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.
His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)
As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."
But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."
He received his first Oscar nomination for playing a bitter, alcoholic former star athlete in the 1958 film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Elizabeth Taylor played his unhappy wife and Burl Ives his wealthy, domineering father in Tennessee Williams' harrowing drama, which was given an upbeat ending for the screen.
In "Cool Hand Luke," he was nominated for his gritty role as a rebellious inmate in a brutal Southern prison. The movie was one of the biggest hits of 1967 and included a tagline, delivered one time by Newman and one time by prison warden Strother Martin, that helped define the generation gap, "What we've got here is (a) failure to communicate."
Newman's hair was graying, but he was as gourgeous as ever and on the verge of his greatest popular success. In 1969, Newman teamed with Redford for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a comic Western about two outlaws running out of time. Newman paired with Redford again in 1973 in "The Sting," a comedy about two Depression-era con men. Both were multiple Oscar winners and huge hits, irreverent, unforgettable pairings of two of the best-looking actors of their time.
Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics.
In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.
Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator. "It takes a long time for an actor to develop the assurance that the trim, silver-haired Paul Newman has acquired," Pauline Kael wrote of him in the early 1980s.
In 1982, he got his Oscar fifth nomination for his portrayal of an honest businessman persecuted by an irresponsible reporter in "Absence of Malice." The following year, he got his sixth for playing a down-and-out alcoholic attorney in "The Verdict."
In 1995, he was nominated for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."
Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend.
He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.
"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.
Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway - crushed and covered with ribbons.
"I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview.
In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.
In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.
He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.
Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte.
Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.
Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman.
He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.
Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.
He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to New York to work in theater and television, his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio including Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden. His breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.
Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."
In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.
"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.
Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.
WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) - Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud,""Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money," has died. He was 83.
Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.
In May, Newman he had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.
He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus,""Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,""The Verdict,""The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."
Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."
He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."
With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."
Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.
A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."
Newman delivered a magnetic performance in "The Hustler," playing a smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats - played by Jackie Gleason - and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel - directed by Scorsese - "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but rather an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.
He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.
His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)
As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."
But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."
He received his first Oscar nomination for playing a bitter, alcoholic former star athlete in the 1958 film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Elizabeth Taylor played his unhappy wife and Burl Ives his wealthy, domineering father in Tennessee Williams' harrowing drama, which was given an upbeat ending for the screen.
In "Cool Hand Luke," he was nominated for his gritty role as a rebellious inmate in a brutal Southern prison. The movie was one of the biggest hits of 1967 and included a tagline, delivered one time by Newman and one time by prison warden Strother Martin, that helped define the generation gap, "What we've got here is (a) failure to communicate."
Newman's hair was graying, but he was as gourgeous as ever and on the verge of his greatest popular success. In 1969, Newman teamed with Redford for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a comic Western about two outlaws running out of time. Newman paired with Redford again in 1973 in "The Sting," a comedy about two Depression-era con men. Both were multiple Oscar winners and huge hits, irreverent, unforgettable pairings of two of the best-looking actors of their time.
Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics.
In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.
Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator. "It takes a long time for an actor to develop the assurance that the trim, silver-haired Paul Newman has acquired," Pauline Kael wrote of him in the early 1980s.
In 1982, he got his Oscar fifth nomination for his portrayal of an honest businessman persecuted by an irresponsible reporter in "Absence of Malice." The following year, he got his sixth for playing a down-and-out alcoholic attorney in "The Verdict."
In 1995, he was nominated for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."
Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend.
He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.
"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.
Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway - crushed and covered with ribbons.
"I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview.
In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.
In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.
He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.
Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte.
Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.
Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman.
He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.
Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.
He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to New York to work in theater and television, his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio including Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden. His breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.
Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."
In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.
"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.
Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Mad Men Marathon
I spent the weekend catching up on a show that I now cannot get enough of. Instead of watching one of the world's most pathetic football teams (Rams or Chiefs, take your pick) I spent Sunday by watching five episodes of "Mad Men" featuring John Hamm ( a St. Louis native). This is set in 1960 at an ad agency on Madison Avenue. Everybody drinks all day and EVERYONE smokes. The inter office politics are incredible and there were more than a few times where I went .."Whoa." (as in, I can't beliege the twist on this scene..). Incredibly entertaining and difficult to put down. I tried to get the Tivo to record the "Mad Men marathon" on Bravo last month. I didn't get the first season but the beginning of the second, so I had to rent the first season on DVD to get caught up. The women all smoke, some while pregnant and the styles and clothes of the day remind my of my mom and our neighbor who used to come over all time, drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and gossip about the family and neighborhood. The main character is a guy whose morals are all fucked up but, he is a great dad. He cheats on his wife just about every day and comes home to dinner on the table every night. Very cool show, the best I've seen in a while. I am not surprised at the recognition it got at the Emmys. Here are some of the characters, dressed for Emmy night...John Hamm is far right.
Christina Hendricks plays "Joan" and yes, she is the hottest of them all but plays a great bitch
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