Retro: Kimmer |  |
- A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS: PREMIERED DEC 9, 1965
- WALLIS SIMPSON'S JEWELS FETCH $12.5 MILLION
- THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE: GENERAL CHUCK YEAGER
- SHERILYN FENN SO RETRO FABULOUS!
- ALTO REED'S PARTY: MITCH RYDER MARK FARNER HOWLING DIABLOS
- THE QUATRO SISTERS ON THE AIR 12-13!
| A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS: PREMIERED DEC 9, 1965 Posted: 01 Dec 2010 10:30 PM PST  A Charlie Brown Christmas Can't believe I didn't post this story before. A Charlie Brown Christmas 30 minute television special has been my favorite holiday show since it's debut in 1965. Of course I am not alone, who doesn't love this show? I just discovered that there is a book detailing the creation and production of this iconic tv show.  The book contains: Original animation art A look at the behind -- the -- scenes making of the cartoon Vince Guaraldi's original score and publication notes Interviews with the original child actors An introduction by the show's executive producer, Lee Mendelson  Bringing the Peanuts characters to television was not an easy task. The strip's creators, with funding from sponsor Coca-Cola, presented the CBS network with an idea for a Christmas television special starring Schulz's characters. The production was done on a shoestring budget, resulting in a somewhat choppy animation style and, from a technical standpoint, poorly mixed sound. With the exception of the actors who voiced Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) and Lucy (Tracy Stratford), none of the children had any experience doing voice work. Peter Robbins: Charlie Brown Chris Shea: Linus van Pelt Tracy Stratford: Lucy van Pelt Cathy Steinberg: Sally Brown Chris Doran: Schroeder and Shermy Geoffrey Ornstein: Pig-Pen Karen Mendelson: Patty Sally Dryer: Violet Gray Ann Altieri: Frieda Bill Meléndez: Snoopy This was especially challenging for Kathy Steinberg, who voiced Sally: she was too young to read and needed to be cued line by line during the soundtrack recording. The technical issues are in evidence on the show's audio track, which to some may seem noticeably choppy and poorly enunciated.  One of the more noticeable quirks in the special include a shot in which Schroeder abruptly stops playing the piano, but several of the characters continue dancing for a couple of seconds. (Who knew that was a mistake??) Melendez said he remained somewhat embarrassed to see the show repeated every year with all its problems, but Schulz vetoed his idea of "fixing" the program years later. 50% of the televisions in the United States were tuned to the first broadcast. A Charlie Brown Christmas won an Emmy and a Peabody award, and is a timeless Christmas holiday classic.  Charlie Brown with Linus van Pelt The success of the animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas has given rise to the animated holiday special. Now there are about 10 classic animated holiday specials that sprung from this iconic show.  Vince Guaraldi The musical soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas, by jazz composer Vince Guaraldi, has become as well-known as the story itself. In particular, the instrumental "Linus and Lucy" has come to be regarded as the signature musical theme of the Peanuts specials. Additionally "Christmas Time is Here" has become a popular Christmas tune. A soundtrack album for the special was released by Fantasy Records and remains a perennial best-seller. The popularity of the special is rumored to have practically eliminated the popularity of the aluminum Christmas tree. A popular fad between 1958 and 1965, but because of the negative publicity the trees received in A Charlie Brown Christmas, quickly fell out of favor. By 1967, just two years after the special aired, they were no longer being regularly manufactured.  A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundclips A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition  |
| WALLIS SIMPSON'S JEWELS FETCH $12.5 MILLION Posted: 01 Dec 2010 09:37 PM PST  Cartier onyx and diamond panther bracelet 1952 A set of jewels once owned by American socialite Wallis Simpson -- the woman who wooed King Edward VIII from the British throne and became the Duchess of Windsor -- fetched nearly $12.5 million at auction late Tuesday.  Cartier onyx and diamond panther bracelet from 1952 All the jewels once belonged to the duchess and Edward, who abdicated to marry the twice-divorced 40-year-old in 1937 and became the Duke of Windsor. Sotheby's would not disclose the identity of the seller.  Close Up of Jaguar Bracelet  Cartier gold and diamond necessaire du soir  Cartier gold and gem-set cigarette case  A Cartier diamond bracelet from 1935  Cartier emerald, ruby and diamond broach 1957  Cartier flamingo diamond clip from 1940  Cartier gold and diamond necessaire du soir  Portrait of Duchess of Windsor American Wallis Simpson Portrait dated 1930's of American-born Wallis Simpson. A collection of exceptional jewels belonging to King Edward VIII and Simpson, the woman he abdicated the throne for in a crisis which shook the monarchy, fetched almost eight million pounds Great Photos  |
| THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE: GENERAL CHUCK YEAGER Posted: 01 Dec 2010 07:27 PM PST  Sam Shepard and General Chuck Yeager Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager (born February 13, 1923) is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and possibly the most famous of all American test pilots. He was the first pilot to break the sound barrier (travel faster than sound) in 1947. After the war General Yeager became a test pilot of many kinds of aircraft and rocket planes. Yeager was the first man to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, flying the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at an altitude of 45,000 ft. General Yeager went on to break many other speed and altitude records. He also was one of the first American pilots to ever fly a MiG-15 after it's pilot defected to South Korea with it.  During the latter half of 1953, Yeager was involved with the USAF team that was working on the X-1A, an aircraft designed to surpass Mach 2 in level flight. That year, he flew a chase plane for the female civilian pilot Jackie Cochran, a close friend, as she became the first woman to fly faster than sound. However, on November 20, 1953, Scott Crossfield (NACA Team), became the first pilot to reach twice the speed of sound. After that flight Yeager decided to beat rival Crossfield's speed record in a flight series that was dubbed "Operation NACA Weep."  Academy of Achievment Not only did Yeager beat Crossfield, but he did it in time to spoil a celebration planned for the 50th anniversary of flight in which Crossfield was to be called "the fastest man alive."  In 1962, after completion of a year's studies at the Air War College, he was the first commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School, which produced astronauts for NASA and the USAF, after its re-designation from the USAF Flight Test Pilot School.  Sam Shepard as General Yeager NF 104 Crash Scene An accident during a test flight in one of the school's NF-104s put an end to his record attempts. Between December 1963 and January 1964, Yeager completed five flights in the NASA M2-F1 lifting body.  Yeager and Ridley " Hey Ridley got any Beeman's?" In 1966 he took command of the 405th Tactical Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base, the Philippines, whose squadrons were deployed on rotational temporary duty (TDY) in South Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.  There he accrued another 414 hours of combat time in 127 missions, mostly in a Martin B-57 light bomber. In February 1968, he was assigned command of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, and led the F-4 Phantom wing in South Korea during the Pueblo crisis. On June 22, 1969, he was promoted to brigadier general, and was assigned in July as the vice-commander of the Seventeenth Air Force. In 1971, Yeager was assigned to Pakistan to advise the Pakistan Air Force at the behest of then-Ambassador Joe Farland.  Yeager was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973, and in 1990, included with the first class of inductees into the Aerospace Walk of Honor. Yeager made a cameo appearance in the movie The Right Stuff (1983). He played "Fred," a bartender at "Pancho's Place," which was most appropriate, since of Pancho's Place Yeager said, "if all the hours were ever totaled, I reckon I spent more time at her place than in a cockpit over those years." His own role in the movie is played brilliantly by Sam Shepard. It's very important to note that General Yeager's success in his career supported completely by his fabulous wife "Glamorous" Glennis. She had a very tough existence being married to such a man for 47 years. Unbelievably ahead of her time. Glennis should be in the Aeronautic Hall of Fame herself!  The Yeagers Remarkably, Glennis Yeager had the kind of strength most people don't even begin to have. Strong willed and independent, by the age of eighteen she had moved into her own apartment and landed three jobs, one of which, social director of the USO, led her to meet the man who would become her husband. She was impressed with Yeager's no-nonsense attitude to life, and sensed that he was strong, determined person, the kind of man she had always hoped to marry, which she ultimately did on February 26, 1943. Sadly Glennis passed away in 1990.  General Yeager married(Actress) Victoria Scott D'Angelo in August of 2003. Their engagement/marriage sparked a legal battle between General Yeager and three of his four adult children sued Yeager over his assets. Read More HERE Chuck Yeager's Official Website Glennis Yeager Chuck Yeager Wiki General Chuck Yeager Academy of Achievement  |
| SHERILYN FENN SO RETRO FABULOUS! Posted: 01 Dec 2010 01:49 PM PST  Sherilyn Fenn was born Sheryl Ann Fenn in Detroit, Michigan. She comes from a family of musicians: her mother is keyboardist Arlene Quatro, her aunts are singer Patti, Nancy and Suzi Quatro, her grandfather the legnedary Art Quatro was a jazz musician, and her father, Leo Fenn, managed such rock bands as The Quatro Sister's bands, The Pleasure Seekers, Alice Cooper, and more.  Sherilyn is of Italian and Hungarian descent on her mother's side and of Irish and French descent on her father's. Fenn frequently traveled with her mother and two older brothers before the family settled in Los Angeles when she was 17.  She did not want to start with a new school again, and soon enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. The rest they say is history. Fenn began her career with a number of B-movies including The Wild Life (1984) (alongside Chris Penn), skater film Thrashin' (1986) (opposite Josh Brolin) and teen-fantasy movie The Wraith (1986) (opposite Charlie Sheen). She had a memorable part in the cult teen-comedy Just One of the Guys (1985) in which she tries to seduce a teenage girl disguised as a boy, played by Joyce Hyser. Fenn landed her first starring role, as an engaged heiress to an old Southern family experiencing her sexual awakening in Zalman King's erotic drama film Two Moon Junction (1988), after which she said she wanted to hide for a year.  Fenn won her most outstanding role and made an indelible impression on the public when she was cast by David Lynch and Mark Frost as the tantalizing Audrey Horne, the high-school femme fatale from the critically acclaimed TV series "Twin Peaks" (1990). The series ran from 1990 to 1991, and the character of Audrey was one of the most popular with fans, in particular for her unrequited love for FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan) and her style from the '50s (with her saddle shoes, plaid skirts and tight sweaters). In the show's second season, when the idea of pairing Audrey and Cooper was abandoned, Audrey was paired with other characters like Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) and John Justice Wheeler (Billy Zane). Sherilyn hit cult status when Lynch filmed her dancing to Angelo Badalamenti's music. Sherilynn is a blogger too she blogs on Postcards from the Ledge  |
| ALTO REED'S PARTY: MITCH RYDER MARK FARNER HOWLING DIABLOS Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:27 PM PST  Alto Reed's All Star Thanskgiving Revue was a huge smash! My pal Tino Gross invited me out but I was unable to attend. I sat here all night in misery wishing I could have met one of my biggest rock heros of all time Mark Farner. Hopefully I will get another chance one day... Well we all live in Michigan after all! Found this fantastic and 15 min long video shot during the show and it is a great snap shot of the music! Thanks so much to boss203cruisin for uploading it for us sorry folk who had to stay home! Chatted online with fantastic photographer Marty Rickard today and lucky for my readers he is sharing his awesome photos of the show. Almost like being right on stage! Thank You Marty! Johnny Bee Badanjek had a busy weekend as he was playing in this event Friday night and headlined the next night with the Rockets! Whoa! Bet Bee took a few days off! Detroit definitely was the place to be for Thanksgiving 2010!  |
| THE QUATRO SISTERS ON THE AIR 12-13! Posted: 01 Dec 2010 08:52 AM PST  **UPDATE** The interview has been postponed due to travel issues. Quel fiasco!!!!!! Plane grounded for an hour and 45.....too late in.Already talked to Larry. All set. Suzi will go on first with him, and then me, so he has couple hours worth. Worked out fine. Probably air next Monday night. Talk soon P The Pleasure Seekers were a killer 1960s-era, girls-only garage band from Detroit, Michigan. (Maybe even the first all girl band that could really play! They also had the most radical costumes in the history of rock! Patti has tons of stories to tell about those outfits tonight on Larry Newman's Show at 8pm Eastern Listen to the show on www.wscafm.org The Quatro sisters were reared in a very musical family, all schooled in piano and vocal lessons. Their father, Art Quatro, enjoyed musical success with his own band and booking agency, and house organist for the Detroit Red Wings.  Love this foto of Patti Quatro Patti Quatro formed the Pleasure Seekers in 1964. After a few weeks practice, Patti dared Dave Leone to give them a slot at his popular teen night club, The Hideout in Detroit. He put them on stage two weeks later, and they never looked back, becoming well known and gaining momentum in the burgeoning and exploding Detroit music community, playing concerts and teen clubs with Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Bob Seger, and many others.  According to Suzi Quatro in her memoir Unzipped, the sisters searched through the dictionary for a name for their band and on coming across "hedonist" used the definition "pleasure seeker" to come up with "The Pleasure Seekers". The original band included Suzi Quatro and Patti Quatro, Nancy Ball (drums), Mary Lou Ball (guitar), and Diane Baker, whose father was in Art Quatro's band, on piano.  Arlene Quatro on keyboards Later on Arlene Quatro replaced Diane on the piano. Nan Ball played drums until late 1965 when Darline Arnone joined the band and stayed until late 1969. Arlene Quatro's husband, Leo Fenn, managed the band (actress Sherilynn Fenn is their daughter). The band had their first record out in 1964, when Patti and Suzi Quatro were young teenagers, on the Hideout label. Both sides of their first single – "Never Thought You'd Leave Me" b/w "What a Way to Die" – were quite popular and charted regionally for the band.  In 1968, they were the earliest all girl rock group to be signed to a major label, Mercury Records. They released a second single, "Light of Love" b/w "Good Kind of Hurt", with both singles charting. The group matured into a dynamic show band and, using Detroit as home base, toured the U.S. Their show featured an entire Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour revue, as well as a Motown revue, and everything in between, as well as featuring one of the earliest known light shows for their act.  In 1969, the band morphed into Cradle, changing direction musically in writing heavier original material and touring throughout the U.S. Arlene was now manager and sister Nancy had joined as vocalist and percussionist. The group toured vigorously, playing concerts and pop festivals throughout the U.S. with popular bands of the day, ending with a tour of Vietnam. The Quatro sisters have reunited for special TV and concert projects through the years, reminiscent of the early Pleasure Seekers days. Newly remastered music from Cradle was scheduled to be released in 2010 and The Pleasure Seekers in early 2011. Read More on RK The Quatro Sisters Resources Patti Quatro Myspace The Pleasure Seekers Wiki QuatroRock Youtube Motorcity Music Archives Garage Hangover: The Pleasure Seekers  |
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