Last week was Raven-Symone's 26th birthday. And it so happens I did a BlogTalkRadio show on her birthday a couple of years ago. In that show's description I wrote, "Come with me as we celebrate Raven-Symone's life in this birthday tribute to one of America's favorite entertainers." The show itself, titled "It's Raven-Symone's 24th Birthday!", went like this:
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is 'Gene On The Scene' coming to you live with news, profiles, and commentary on BlogTalkRadio this Thursday, December 10th, 2009 from Woodbourne Library in Centerville, Ohio on a very cold, blustery day.
"Newsflash! It's Raven-Symone's 24th birthday today! I actually remember the day she was born-on Tuesday, December 10th, 1985. My father and I were grocery shopping that day, a sunny day at that, at a grocery store in Miamisburg, Ohio called Freedom Foods. But of course any day Raven is born would have to be a sunny day, wouldn't it?
"Born Raven-Symone Christina Pearman in Atlanta, Georgia to parents Christopher and Lydia Pearman, she showed an early knack for entertaining and charming people. She became a local Atlanta model for print ads while still a toddler. Then Raven joined a New York City ad agency, made commercials, and at the tender age of three years old, won the coveted role of Olivia Kendall, the first grandchild of Dr. and Mrs. Huxtable , and won Bill Cosby's heart as well. As Cosby would later tell Arsenio Hall on his show, Raven has uncanny comedic talent and would go anywhere with a line he wanted to go in a scene. And that showed in the many scenes Cosby and Raven did together, which were hilarious, intriguing, and intelligently done.
"Raven was a smash! She's been a part of America's heart and culture ever since, staying with 'The Cosby Show' until it ended in 1992. Raven gave a memorable performance in Alex Haley's TV mini-series 'Queen', then had another hit TV series role in, as Nicole Lee in 'Hangin' With Mr. Cooper' in 1993. Raven was Stymie's girlfriend in her 1994 cinematic debut in 'The Little Rascals'. After 'Hangin' With Mr. Cooper' wrapped in early 1997, Raven started working with Eddie Murphy in her second movie, 'Dr. Doolittle', filmed during the spring and summer months, then hit the talk show circuit to promote the movie. I got to interview her via telephone hookup on my Dayton area public access television show on September 20th.
"She's a very charming lady. We talked about school, working on TV vis-a-vis recording studios, her friendship with Muhammad Ali-she was on his 50th birthday show-all in a wide ranging interview for half an hour. She was a fantastic experienced interview. After the show, I told her mom I had a feeling she'd be working for Disney someday. And my prediction came true two years later with a 1999 Disney TV movie 'Xenon: Girl of the 21st Century'. The Walt Disney Company was so impressed with that that in 2003, it built a new TV series around her called 'That's So Raven', which became a hit, leading to big, very successful records based on the series although Raven had been making records, singles and albums, as far back as five years old starting with MCA Records. Stevie Wonder even composed and wrote a song for her that she recorded titled 'I Love You'. He also played harmonica on that record, which has led to concerts, more records, and more movies. At 24, she is a show business legend in the making.
"But Raven is looking beyond performing in the production work she's achieved so far. In an interview earlier this year shown on YouTube, Raven says she's planning to retire from performing in ten years to have her own stable of talent as a Hollywood agent and manager. Raven seems to know when to change paths. And it's worked for her so far. Raven is imbued with and exudes greatness, and can work anywhere in the entertainment industry. And she'll always be a star no matter what she does. Happy birthday, Raven!"
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
My BTR Show #19-History of Thanksgiving
On Saturday, November 27th, 2010 at four in the afternoon, I podcast a show from a crowded Starbucks in Centerville, Ohio. It included a story about the history of Thanksgiving. I wrote this for the BlogTalkRadio site about the show:
"For the first time, I'm going to try to ad-lib some of this show in addition to reading copy. My subjects will include J.K. Rowling, mentioning her new movie, and the history of Thanksgiving."
Here's my Thanksgiving segment:
"The other morning, I was listening to NPR radio, and there was a link they were talking about. It was called SomethingYouShouldKnow.net. That was their link to the history of Thanksgiving. So I went there, and the first Thanksgiving feast was a harvest meal shared by Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indian tribe in 1621. It also says the first national Thanksgiving Day was on November 26th, 1789 by President Washington to give thanks for the establishment of a formal government and for the Constitution. And President Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official national holiday on October 3rd, 1863 in the middle of the Civil War, after a forty year lobbying effort by Sarah Josepha Hale, who was the editor of the Lady's Home Journal. She proposed that turkey, cranberries, and potatoes be a main staple of this festive celebration meal. It was Lincoln's attempt to help heal wounds that were happening at that time in the middle of the Civil War to show the North and the South that we were united, at least by making Thanksgiving a national holiday."
Then I proposed something on this show-"That we start composing, writing, and looking for Thanksgiving music and songs to celebrate this uniquely American holiday. After all, we've got all of December to do this for Christmas. And it just seems silly to just during November when we're having Thanksgiving to be talking about the next month's holiday when we should be talking about this month's holiday. So for October, we should have music for Halloween. In November, we should have music for Thanksgiving. In December, we should have music for Christmas. And so, I'm hoping that some people out there will take the opportunity to write some music, some songs on this. You might even have a hit record for you and make some money. This is a dire national need. We need to have this. We should be playing this music in November, and to celebrate and be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy, our American heritage, and our American stories as well."
Then I recommended a book I checked out of the local public library. "It's called 'Thanksgiving: An American Holiday, An American History', copyright 1984 by Diana Karter Applebaum, and says on the jacket it's 'a thorough and entertaining chronicle of America's oldest and most beloved holiday from it's earliest roots to the present day.' Okay, let's talk about the first Thanksgiving. Well, the first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated in different ways, in different places, and on different dates. In Plymouth in 1621. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony by the Puritans in 1631. In Florida by the French Huguenots in 1564. In Maine by the colonists in 1607. In Virginia by the English colonists in 1619. And the first Spanish-American Thanksgiving was in Texas in 1541. And these weren't November either! These were in August, May, December, June, February, all over the calendar!
"But (it's) with the towns of the Connecticut River and the farm villages of Plymouth Colony that our modern Thanksgiving actually evolved, including the traditions of both the New World and the Old World. And its growth involved both religious and political currents of our American history through different times as well as its culinary history. All this is covered in this book."
"For the first time, I'm going to try to ad-lib some of this show in addition to reading copy. My subjects will include J.K. Rowling, mentioning her new movie, and the history of Thanksgiving."
Here's my Thanksgiving segment:
"The other morning, I was listening to NPR radio, and there was a link they were talking about. It was called SomethingYouShouldKnow.net. That was their link to the history of Thanksgiving. So I went there, and the first Thanksgiving feast was a harvest meal shared by Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indian tribe in 1621. It also says the first national Thanksgiving Day was on November 26th, 1789 by President Washington to give thanks for the establishment of a formal government and for the Constitution. And President Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official national holiday on October 3rd, 1863 in the middle of the Civil War, after a forty year lobbying effort by Sarah Josepha Hale, who was the editor of the Lady's Home Journal. She proposed that turkey, cranberries, and potatoes be a main staple of this festive celebration meal. It was Lincoln's attempt to help heal wounds that were happening at that time in the middle of the Civil War to show the North and the South that we were united, at least by making Thanksgiving a national holiday."
Then I proposed something on this show-"That we start composing, writing, and looking for Thanksgiving music and songs to celebrate this uniquely American holiday. After all, we've got all of December to do this for Christmas. And it just seems silly to just during November when we're having Thanksgiving to be talking about the next month's holiday when we should be talking about this month's holiday. So for October, we should have music for Halloween. In November, we should have music for Thanksgiving. In December, we should have music for Christmas. And so, I'm hoping that some people out there will take the opportunity to write some music, some songs on this. You might even have a hit record for you and make some money. This is a dire national need. We need to have this. We should be playing this music in November, and to celebrate and be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy, our American heritage, and our American stories as well."
Then I recommended a book I checked out of the local public library. "It's called 'Thanksgiving: An American Holiday, An American History', copyright 1984 by Diana Karter Applebaum, and says on the jacket it's 'a thorough and entertaining chronicle of America's oldest and most beloved holiday from it's earliest roots to the present day.' Okay, let's talk about the first Thanksgiving. Well, the first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated in different ways, in different places, and on different dates. In Plymouth in 1621. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony by the Puritans in 1631. In Florida by the French Huguenots in 1564. In Maine by the colonists in 1607. In Virginia by the English colonists in 1619. And the first Spanish-American Thanksgiving was in Texas in 1541. And these weren't November either! These were in August, May, December, June, February, all over the calendar!
"But (it's) with the towns of the Connecticut River and the farm villages of Plymouth Colony that our modern Thanksgiving actually evolved, including the traditions of both the New World and the Old World. And its growth involved both religious and political currents of our American history through different times as well as its culinary history. All this is covered in this book."
Friday, November 18, 2011
My BTR Show Debut-Intro
I podcast my debut BTR(BlogTalkRadio) show, "Gene On The Scene", on my cell phone at two in the afternoon on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at the local public library in Centerville, Ohio in their conference room.
I scheduled the show about three weeks earlier, and wrote a piece on the BTR site telling people about my show and series:
"I write commentaries on a variety of subjects, as you can see on my website at http://gene-dakin.livejournal.com/. I've also done occasional television interviews with rising young talent, including one with Raven-Symone when she was eleven years old(and look where she is now!) So I'm still developing as a commentator, and my best years are ahead of me! On this show, I talk about "Nim's Island" and my meeting Sidney Poitier in Columbus, Ohio."
The live podcast began. After the show aired, it would be archived so that listeners can access the show. Just click on the audio clip on my profile page here. Here's the intro I did on the show:
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is 'Gene On The Scene' with news, profiles, and commentary. I'm Gene Dakin. I usually do commentaries on community access television, which are streamed on www.mvcc.net and on my websites at http://gene-dakin.livejournal, and now I'm starting a website at MySpace.com/GeneDakin. I'm really excited to be learning this new medium of internet radio on BlogTalkRadio. So on with the show."
So that's my introduction on my debut show. I'll do pieces from this show, and other shows, on future postings on this website. But they won't necessarily be in any particular order. For example, next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so I plan to use a Thanksgiving piece I did on my 19th show to celebrate the holiday. See you then.
I scheduled the show about three weeks earlier, and wrote a piece on the BTR site telling people about my show and series:
"I write commentaries on a variety of subjects, as you can see on my website at http://gene-dakin.livejournal.com/. I've also done occasional television interviews with rising young talent, including one with Raven-Symone when she was eleven years old(and look where she is now!) So I'm still developing as a commentator, and my best years are ahead of me! On this show, I talk about "Nim's Island" and my meeting Sidney Poitier in Columbus, Ohio."
The live podcast began. After the show aired, it would be archived so that listeners can access the show. Just click on the audio clip on my profile page here. Here's the intro I did on the show:
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is 'Gene On The Scene' with news, profiles, and commentary. I'm Gene Dakin. I usually do commentaries on community access television, which are streamed on www.mvcc.net and on my websites at http://gene-dakin.livejournal, and now I'm starting a website at MySpace.com/GeneDakin. I'm really excited to be learning this new medium of internet radio on BlogTalkRadio. So on with the show."
So that's my introduction on my debut show. I'll do pieces from this show, and other shows, on future postings on this website. But they won't necessarily be in any particular order. For example, next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so I plan to use a Thanksgiving piece I did on my 19th show to celebrate the holiday. See you then.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
My BlogTalkRadio Show
I do an online show on BlogTalkRadio called "Gene On The Scene", which I started in the spring of 2008. I've never put any content from those shows on this website. So I'm about to do that.
The debut show, and the series as a whole, went basically like this. I researched it, wrote it, and read it on the air, ad libbing at times. I'll do that here on this website, paraphrasing my shows so they won't be exact copies, but close enough so you'll get an idea and a feel for my radio series. I hope you'll click the audio link on my profile page on this website, and listen to my BlogTalkRadio shows. Enjoy!
The debut show, and the series as a whole, went basically like this. I researched it, wrote it, and read it on the air, ad libbing at times. I'll do that here on this website, paraphrasing my shows so they won't be exact copies, but close enough so you'll get an idea and a feel for my radio series. I hope you'll click the audio link on my profile page on this website, and listen to my BlogTalkRadio shows. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Ali's Debt to "Smoking" Joe Frazier
Muhammad Ali would never have been recognized as "The Greatest" without Joe Frazier. "Smoking" Joe made him earn it in their three epic battles, especially in "The Fight Of The Century" and "The Thrilla in Manila". The first was the fight where Ali showed he had heart and a chin. Nobody had ever hit him before. The Manila fight, the third of their trilogy became the greatest fight of all time. In every fight Joe fought with determination, courage, an iron will, and ferocity every second of every round, overcoming a bad eye he kept a secret throughout his entire boxing career. Frazier also overcame short arms and stature with unrelenting training, a great chin, heart, and an unorthodox boxing style even the great Ali couldn't figure out. Ali had to raise his own training and ability to endure Joe's "Smoking" machine like pounding to fight, then win wars of attrition with Frazier. These epics made Ali earn his claim to be "The Greatest" and cemented both fighters as the greatest fighters of their time, and among the greatest boxers of all time.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween! Also referred to as All Hallows Eve or All Saints Eve, Halloween is celebrated in the U.S.A. annually on October 31st. Halloween is a fun, festive holiday, especially for the children, who go trick-or-treating on Halloween night or a night or two before, depending on the community. During the Halloween season, Americans like to watch horror films and enjoy other scary entertainment, tell spooky ghost stories, carve jack-o'-lanterns, and wear holiday costumes at Halloween parties, among other activities.
But what is the history of Halloween? Historian Nicholas Rogers says the holiday has been traced back to the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, and also to the Parentalia Festival Of The Dead. But the best known origin of Halloween is the Celtic Festival of Samhain. A festive time for Gaels and Celts on the British Isles at "summer's end" according to Old Irish, where it got it's name. With the Christian Era came Welsh, Scottish, and Irish folklore using Samhain as a setting for supernatural encounters and contact with deceased loved ones and other dead people on the Other Side. This folklore was written in the 10th and 11th centuries by Christian monks. In the 16th century came the word "Halloween" as a Scottish variant of All-Hallows-Even(also called Evening) in 1556, which was the night before All Hallows Day, or according to the Roman Catholic Church, All Saints Day.
Halloween is also a very important holiday historically for Wiccans and many other Pagan religionists all over the world. They use the old word Samhain to celebrate the holiday as the time of year when the veil between this world and the Other World is the thinnest, making it the easiest time to contact and communicate with deceased loved ones.
One of the most popular holidays, Halloween starts a trilogy of major holidays in the States which soothe us, especially those of us living in the northern states, as the weather gets colder and the snow comes.
But what is the history of Halloween? Historian Nicholas Rogers says the holiday has been traced back to the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, and also to the Parentalia Festival Of The Dead. But the best known origin of Halloween is the Celtic Festival of Samhain. A festive time for Gaels and Celts on the British Isles at "summer's end" according to Old Irish, where it got it's name. With the Christian Era came Welsh, Scottish, and Irish folklore using Samhain as a setting for supernatural encounters and contact with deceased loved ones and other dead people on the Other Side. This folklore was written in the 10th and 11th centuries by Christian monks. In the 16th century came the word "Halloween" as a Scottish variant of All-Hallows-Even(also called Evening) in 1556, which was the night before All Hallows Day, or according to the Roman Catholic Church, All Saints Day.
Halloween is also a very important holiday historically for Wiccans and many other Pagan religionists all over the world. They use the old word Samhain to celebrate the holiday as the time of year when the veil between this world and the Other World is the thinnest, making it the easiest time to contact and communicate with deceased loved ones.
One of the most popular holidays, Halloween starts a trilogy of major holidays in the States which soothe us, especially those of us living in the northern states, as the weather gets colder and the snow comes.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
"What Matters Most"
This should be Part Two. But not really. Why? Because it's about Barbra Streisand, who I wrote about last time. But there's a difference. Last time I reviewed her MusiCares performance on Starbucks Digital Network. I hadn't heard her new album "What Matters Most." But now I have, and her studio recording reflects a new maturity and subtlety that Streisand hasn't achieved before. Most singers nearing seventy have long ago noticed their singing voices beginning to crack and wobble, failing to reach to reach and hold notes they previously had no trouble with. Barbra's voice has aged, but in a totally different way than most singers experience.
In her youth, before "Yentl", Streisand's singing voice had so much power that, at times, it lacked the volume control she started using over it beginning with "Yentl." This had alienated some potential fans. With "Yentl", Barbra Streisand hit a new peak. Her voice still soared like it could go on forever. But now her voice had a smoothness and vocal control over all that power, and she used it wonderfully in her "Yentl" songs, ending with her masterpiece, "A Piece of Sky." The last footage shows a bird's eye view of the boat Barbra is singing from moving away, making moviegoers feel like that bird as it's soaring to Barbra's voice for the 18 seconds she holds that note.
Now nearing seventy, Barbra has hit a new high with "What Matters Most." While I doubt she can attain the 18 to 19 second belts she did in the 1980s, she can certainly still do 12, far more than most popular music singers of any age, and her vocal quality and control are intact. Perhaps her avoidance of constant live singing tours throughout her career has saved her voice. But Streisand shows in "What Matters Most" a new subtle maturity that will win her many new fans.
Here's a quick list of the songs, all written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who have given Streisand some of her finest music, but which she hadn't recorded previously. "The Windmills of Your Mind" is a reading of a poem, sung as a musical oral interpretation. "Something New In My Life" has a nice intro by the orchestra, and Barbra's vocal clarity and power carries the song to a crescendo of musical purity. "Solitary Moon" is a ballad with a soft jazz beat and is backed by a saxophone that has its own solo spot. A big band sound accompanies Barbra's slow, seductive treatment of Frank Sinatra's standard, "Nice 'N' Easy." "Alone In The World", "So Many Stars", "The Same Hello, The Same Goodbye", and "That Face" round out most of the rest of an excellent album.
But there's a couple more. I mentioned in my previous piece that "I'll Never Say Goodbye", which she sang in her Starbucks concert, was a favorite there. Add to that the title track, which I first heard as the theme music for the 1979 movie remake of "The Champ", Wallace Beery's 1931 classic. I thought it was wonderful music then, and the Bergman lyrics Barbra sings in "What Matters Most" make it doubly so. Especially with lines like "It's not the springs we've seen, but all the shades of green."
In her youth, before "Yentl", Streisand's singing voice had so much power that, at times, it lacked the volume control she started using over it beginning with "Yentl." This had alienated some potential fans. With "Yentl", Barbra Streisand hit a new peak. Her voice still soared like it could go on forever. But now her voice had a smoothness and vocal control over all that power, and she used it wonderfully in her "Yentl" songs, ending with her masterpiece, "A Piece of Sky." The last footage shows a bird's eye view of the boat Barbra is singing from moving away, making moviegoers feel like that bird as it's soaring to Barbra's voice for the 18 seconds she holds that note.
Now nearing seventy, Barbra has hit a new high with "What Matters Most." While I doubt she can attain the 18 to 19 second belts she did in the 1980s, she can certainly still do 12, far more than most popular music singers of any age, and her vocal quality and control are intact. Perhaps her avoidance of constant live singing tours throughout her career has saved her voice. But Streisand shows in "What Matters Most" a new subtle maturity that will win her many new fans.
Here's a quick list of the songs, all written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who have given Streisand some of her finest music, but which she hadn't recorded previously. "The Windmills of Your Mind" is a reading of a poem, sung as a musical oral interpretation. "Something New In My Life" has a nice intro by the orchestra, and Barbra's vocal clarity and power carries the song to a crescendo of musical purity. "Solitary Moon" is a ballad with a soft jazz beat and is backed by a saxophone that has its own solo spot. A big band sound accompanies Barbra's slow, seductive treatment of Frank Sinatra's standard, "Nice 'N' Easy." "Alone In The World", "So Many Stars", "The Same Hello, The Same Goodbye", and "That Face" round out most of the rest of an excellent album.
But there's a couple more. I mentioned in my previous piece that "I'll Never Say Goodbye", which she sang in her Starbucks concert, was a favorite there. Add to that the title track, which I first heard as the theme music for the 1979 movie remake of "The Champ", Wallace Beery's 1931 classic. I thought it was wonderful music then, and the Bergman lyrics Barbra sings in "What Matters Most" make it doubly so. Especially with lines like "It's not the springs we've seen, but all the shades of green."
Monday, September 5, 2011
Streisand At MusiCares On Starbucks
In February 2011, MusiCares Foundation, an organization started in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to help musicians down on their luck, held their annual benefit gala to present its MusiCares Person of the Year Award to...Barbra Streisand!
She responded with a 25 minute concert in front of the live audience there, which was shown on Starbucks Digital Network later, with the release of her new album, "What Matters Most", from Tuesday, August 23rd-the album's release date-through Monday, August 29th. Anyone who walked into a Starbucks cafe or store that week could plug in their laptop and enjoy Barbra's performances of "Evergreen", "The Way We Were", a few other Streisand favorites, and a couple of songs from her new release composed entirely of Alan and Marilyn Bergman music. Streisand's vocal quality, range, and power is still in top form here two months before her 69th birthday. I especially liked her closer, "I'll Never Say Goodbye". Every note of that song is beautifully sung with all the passion and feeling Streisand has grown for her audiences all these years!
She responded with a 25 minute concert in front of the live audience there, which was shown on Starbucks Digital Network later, with the release of her new album, "What Matters Most", from Tuesday, August 23rd-the album's release date-through Monday, August 29th. Anyone who walked into a Starbucks cafe or store that week could plug in their laptop and enjoy Barbra's performances of "Evergreen", "The Way We Were", a few other Streisand favorites, and a couple of songs from her new release composed entirely of Alan and Marilyn Bergman music. Streisand's vocal quality, range, and power is still in top form here two months before her 69th birthday. I especially liked her closer, "I'll Never Say Goodbye". Every note of that song is beautifully sung with all the passion and feeling Streisand has grown for her audiences all these years!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Centerville Americana Parade Pictures I Took
Recently I worked crew for Centerville's public access TV station, which covers the Centerville Americana Parade every July 4th. I took 300 digital photographs of the parade, often jumping out in front, taking the picture, and jumping back into the crowd.
It must have worked. The studio, also known as the Miami Valley Communications Council, used my pictures at the start and end of the 90 minute parade show. Plus they put 50 to 60 of my best photos on their website. You can find the archived, accessed on demand show and my digital photographs on this link:
http://mvcc.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=8eeb9f6f6405df9a7d502c91af298874
It must have worked. The studio, also known as the Miami Valley Communications Council, used my pictures at the start and end of the 90 minute parade show. Plus they put 50 to 60 of my best photos on their website. You can find the archived, accessed on demand show and my digital photographs on this link:
http://mvcc.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=8eeb9f6f6405df9a7d502c91af298874
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Amy Winehouse
The first time I ever heard of Amy Winehouse was when she was on BBC-TV's "The Charlotte Church Show". That was in October 2006. Since then I've found out Winehouse is a major musical force in today's music, and especially modern British women's music.
How did she start? She was born Amy Jade Winehouse on Wednesday, September 14th, 1983 in the Southgate section of North London, England. Born into a Jewish family influenced by jazz, her father Mitchell, a taxi driver, used to sing Frank Sinatra songs to Amy, her older brother Alex, and her mother Janis, a pharmacist. Amy picked up on it, and started singing all the time too, driving her school teachers to distraction.
From age nine to thirteen, Amy attended the Suzi Earnshaw Theatre School. Her first group she founded at the age of ten with her age mate and friend Juliette Ashby-a short lived rap group Sweet 'n' Sour. Then she attended Sylvia Young Theatre School and appeared on TV with her schoolmates on "The Fast Show" in 1997 before being expelled for piercing her nose. She later went to the BRIT school in Selhurst, Croyden, then Southgate and Ashmore schools.
Amy Winehouse began playing her brother's guitar at age thirteen, and soon got her own as a present. At fourteen, Amy began writing music. Soon she joined The Bolsha Band, a local group. Winehouse also got a job as a show business journalist for the World Entertainment News Network. One thing led to another, and she acquired management in 2002, and was kept an industry secret until just before her first album, "Frank", was released in late 2003. It garnered sales and awards throughout 2004, marking her as a comer. And her career took off after that.
You can read about all her accolades elsewhere. But it was a meteoric rise, and her jazzy blues voice was so unique it could not be ignored and will be remembered forever.
How did she start? She was born Amy Jade Winehouse on Wednesday, September 14th, 1983 in the Southgate section of North London, England. Born into a Jewish family influenced by jazz, her father Mitchell, a taxi driver, used to sing Frank Sinatra songs to Amy, her older brother Alex, and her mother Janis, a pharmacist. Amy picked up on it, and started singing all the time too, driving her school teachers to distraction.
From age nine to thirteen, Amy attended the Suzi Earnshaw Theatre School. Her first group she founded at the age of ten with her age mate and friend Juliette Ashby-a short lived rap group Sweet 'n' Sour. Then she attended Sylvia Young Theatre School and appeared on TV with her schoolmates on "The Fast Show" in 1997 before being expelled for piercing her nose. She later went to the BRIT school in Selhurst, Croyden, then Southgate and Ashmore schools.
Amy Winehouse began playing her brother's guitar at age thirteen, and soon got her own as a present. At fourteen, Amy began writing music. Soon she joined The Bolsha Band, a local group. Winehouse also got a job as a show business journalist for the World Entertainment News Network. One thing led to another, and she acquired management in 2002, and was kept an industry secret until just before her first album, "Frank", was released in late 2003. It garnered sales and awards throughout 2004, marking her as a comer. And her career took off after that.
You can read about all her accolades elsewhere. But it was a meteoric rise, and her jazzy blues voice was so unique it could not be ignored and will be remembered forever.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Bastille Day
Two weeks ago we celebrated Independence Day here in America. I shot digital pictures at the Centerville, Ohio Americana Parade for the local public access TV station, the Miami Valley Communications Council.
A week ago, on the 14th, France did the same thing in celebrating Bastille Day. Complete with parades and fireworks in the streets, on television, and a spectacular view of nighttime fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, the French people reveled in their Fete Nationale. Also known as French National Day or Le Quatorze Juilliet, this day commemorates the storming of the Bastille. The Bastille was a prison in Paris, and a symbol of the absolute monarchy of King Louis XVI. By storming the Bastille on Tuesday, July 14, 1789, the French people signaled the end of the absolute, and often tyrannical, monarchy, and the birth of liberty, equality, and fraternity in France, and a separation of powers in their government.
This idea has spread all over the world ever since, the latest being in Egypt. And I wanted to take a moment to honor the French people for their courage and bravery in fighting for freedom at a time when that was a new idea, just as the American colonists had a decade earlier. The French were true pioneers!
A week ago, on the 14th, France did the same thing in celebrating Bastille Day. Complete with parades and fireworks in the streets, on television, and a spectacular view of nighttime fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, the French people reveled in their Fete Nationale. Also known as French National Day or Le Quatorze Juilliet, this day commemorates the storming of the Bastille. The Bastille was a prison in Paris, and a symbol of the absolute monarchy of King Louis XVI. By storming the Bastille on Tuesday, July 14, 1789, the French people signaled the end of the absolute, and often tyrannical, monarchy, and the birth of liberty, equality, and fraternity in France, and a separation of powers in their government.
This idea has spread all over the world ever since, the latest being in Egypt. And I wanted to take a moment to honor the French people for their courage and bravery in fighting for freedom at a time when that was a new idea, just as the American colonists had a decade earlier. The French were true pioneers!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy Fourth of July!
Happy Fourth of July! I worked as a digital photographer of the annual Americana Parade in Centerville, Ohio this morning for the local public access television station, also called the Miami Valley Communications Council.
I've been thinking about a suitable post for this day, and remembered a couple of American Horatio Alger type stories in a book I read last year and covered on BlogTalkRadio. "Cinderella Man" by Jeremy Schapps is pure Americana!
"Cinderella Man", Jeremy Schapp's 2005 chronicle of professional boxing, its rules and culture during the Great Depression, is an eye-opening account of the sport when it was much rougher and less regulated than it is today. In the backdrop of that era, Schapp profiles two world heavyweight champions with contrasting backgrounds.
Max Baer, grew up working on ranches building up his muscles, but was afraid of fighting. Whenever schoolmates bullied him, his sister Frances defended him, and whenever she was absent, young Max fled his tormentors!
That changed at a dance when he was seventeen. Baer and his friends were having fun, Prohibition style, when a big lumberjack, in a bad mood and angered by Baer's friends' boisterousness, took off after them. The others escaped, but the lumberjack caught Baer and punched the lad with his hardest right. Surprised but not hurt, Baer reflexively fired back with his right, and the lumberjack crumpled at his feet.
This started Baer's boxing career. Heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was a cultural icon idolized by young Max and his generation during the 1920s, and young Baer suddenly realized he could follow Dempsey into professional boxing. And he did, winning the world title a few years later during the early 1930s.
James J. Braddock won the same title in the middle 1930s, and became known as "The Cinderella Man". Hence the book title, although both fighters' stories are equally covered in Schapp's book. Braddock spent his childhood fighting in schoolyards, and his best friend Joe Gould, would later become his fight manager. James J. had early success in professional boxing, then lost fights, and most boxing experts considered him washed up. But he came back to win the world heavyweight boxing championship.
Besides telling the fighters' stories, this engrossing book also guides the reader through Depression-era professional boxing and its cast of characters-managers, promoters, and the boxing press. An interesting slice of American history!
I've been thinking about a suitable post for this day, and remembered a couple of American Horatio Alger type stories in a book I read last year and covered on BlogTalkRadio. "Cinderella Man" by Jeremy Schapps is pure Americana!
"Cinderella Man", Jeremy Schapp's 2005 chronicle of professional boxing, its rules and culture during the Great Depression, is an eye-opening account of the sport when it was much rougher and less regulated than it is today. In the backdrop of that era, Schapp profiles two world heavyweight champions with contrasting backgrounds.
Max Baer, grew up working on ranches building up his muscles, but was afraid of fighting. Whenever schoolmates bullied him, his sister Frances defended him, and whenever she was absent, young Max fled his tormentors!
That changed at a dance when he was seventeen. Baer and his friends were having fun, Prohibition style, when a big lumberjack, in a bad mood and angered by Baer's friends' boisterousness, took off after them. The others escaped, but the lumberjack caught Baer and punched the lad with his hardest right. Surprised but not hurt, Baer reflexively fired back with his right, and the lumberjack crumpled at his feet.
This started Baer's boxing career. Heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was a cultural icon idolized by young Max and his generation during the 1920s, and young Baer suddenly realized he could follow Dempsey into professional boxing. And he did, winning the world title a few years later during the early 1930s.
James J. Braddock won the same title in the middle 1930s, and became known as "The Cinderella Man". Hence the book title, although both fighters' stories are equally covered in Schapp's book. Braddock spent his childhood fighting in schoolyards, and his best friend Joe Gould, would later become his fight manager. James J. had early success in professional boxing, then lost fights, and most boxing experts considered him washed up. But he came back to win the world heavyweight boxing championship.
Besides telling the fighters' stories, this engrossing book also guides the reader through Depression-era professional boxing and its cast of characters-managers, promoters, and the boxing press. An interesting slice of American history!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Ruth Lyons
I'm reading a 2009 book from Orange Frazer Press in Wilmington, Ohio. It's written by Michael A. Banks and titled "Before Oprah: Ruth Lyons, the Woman Who Created Talk TV".
I grew up on Ruth Lyons. My mom and most women liked her for her spunk. My dad and most men didn't because they thought she talked too much. But Ruth Lyons was an ever-present figure and force on live regional radio and television in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Indianapolis every Monday through Friday from noon until one-thirty.
Ruth was spontaneous, fearless, independent, empathic, generous, loyal, and someone you didn't cross because of her immense popularity. She was also very intelligent and talented, yet humble, using her common touch to connect with her audiences. Miss Lyons was "Mother" to those who worked for her, a loyal friend to her employees, co-workers, and associates, as well as a superb networker.
Ruth's audience was never sure who might show up on stage. But every show felt like a special occasion . Ruth always lived up to her opening theme "Let Me Entertain You" with music, jokes and humor with her sidekicks and audience, prizes, commercials that didn't seem like commercials, and Ruth holding forth on whatever topic struck her fancy that day. And unlike today's commentators, who often get in trouble for what they say, Ruth's "50-50 Club" shows were all live and rarely taped; so any mistakes she made were forgotten because they couldn't be played back. That might be a good idea for today's commentators, eh?
I grew up on Ruth Lyons. My mom and most women liked her for her spunk. My dad and most men didn't because they thought she talked too much. But Ruth Lyons was an ever-present figure and force on live regional radio and television in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Indianapolis every Monday through Friday from noon until one-thirty.
Ruth was spontaneous, fearless, independent, empathic, generous, loyal, and someone you didn't cross because of her immense popularity. She was also very intelligent and talented, yet humble, using her common touch to connect with her audiences. Miss Lyons was "Mother" to those who worked for her, a loyal friend to her employees, co-workers, and associates, as well as a superb networker.
Ruth's audience was never sure who might show up on stage. But every show felt like a special occasion . Ruth always lived up to her opening theme "Let Me Entertain You" with music, jokes and humor with her sidekicks and audience, prizes, commercials that didn't seem like commercials, and Ruth holding forth on whatever topic struck her fancy that day. And unlike today's commentators, who often get in trouble for what they say, Ruth's "50-50 Club" shows were all live and rarely taped; so any mistakes she made were forgotten because they couldn't be played back. That might be a good idea for today's commentators, eh?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
"Today, Father, Is Father's Day"
Whenever I think of Father's Day, the first thing that comes to mind is a song written by Harry Ruby and sung by Groucho Marx on "The Dick Cavett Show" back around 1969 or 1970. It was titled "Father's Day" and began "Today, Father, Is Father's Day". Of course, no one could sing a Harry Ruby song like Groucho.
But what is the history of Father's Day? A complement to Mother's Day, Father's Day began in Fairmont, West Virginia on Sunday, July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, whose father and 209 other fathers had been killed in the Monongah Mining disaster in Monongah, West Virginia the previous December 6th. Yet because of unrelated city events, wasn't able to register her holiday honoring the lives of those fathers with the state of West Virginia.
A year later, Sonora Louise Smart of Spokane, Washington got an idea for a special day honoring fathers after hearing a sermon on Mother's Day, and wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. The local YMCA and the Spokane Ministerial Association supported her idea. So the first Father's Day was registered and celebrated on Sunday, June 19, 1910.
Many resolutions were proposed to make it a national holiday. These included attempts in 1913, 1916(by President Woodrow Wilson), 1924(by President Calvin Coolidge), and others, all defeated by a U.S. Congress afraid of commercialization the proposed holiday might bring.
In 1957, Margaret Chase Smith, the U.S. Senator from Maine, wrote a proposal accusing the U.S. Congress of ignoring fathers for four decades while honoring mothers. In 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation for a national day honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. This became a permanent national holiday in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed it into law.
Father's Day is celebrated all over the world, but at different times of the year depending on the country. In addition, International Men's Day is celebrated in many parts of the world on November 19th. This holiday also honors fathers.
But what is the history of Father's Day? A complement to Mother's Day, Father's Day began in Fairmont, West Virginia on Sunday, July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, whose father and 209 other fathers had been killed in the Monongah Mining disaster in Monongah, West Virginia the previous December 6th. Yet because of unrelated city events, wasn't able to register her holiday honoring the lives of those fathers with the state of West Virginia.
A year later, Sonora Louise Smart of Spokane, Washington got an idea for a special day honoring fathers after hearing a sermon on Mother's Day, and wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. The local YMCA and the Spokane Ministerial Association supported her idea. So the first Father's Day was registered and celebrated on Sunday, June 19, 1910.
Many resolutions were proposed to make it a national holiday. These included attempts in 1913, 1916(by President Woodrow Wilson), 1924(by President Calvin Coolidge), and others, all defeated by a U.S. Congress afraid of commercialization the proposed holiday might bring.
In 1957, Margaret Chase Smith, the U.S. Senator from Maine, wrote a proposal accusing the U.S. Congress of ignoring fathers for four decades while honoring mothers. In 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation for a national day honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. This became a permanent national holiday in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed it into law.
Father's Day is celebrated all over the world, but at different times of the year depending on the country. In addition, International Men's Day is celebrated in many parts of the world on November 19th. This holiday also honors fathers.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Zee Avi-Rising Songbird-Songwriter From Malaysia
Zee Avi's new album "ghostbird" is coming out in stores August 23rd.
"Ghostbird" is a good way to describe the Zee Avi sound. With a uniquely soft singing voice that sounds like a ghostbird in the wind, an excellent command of guitar and ukulele, and her songwriting ability, Zee Avi expresses her voice in the songs she composes, writes, and sings.
Born in 1985 in Miri, a small town in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo in Malaysia, Izyan Alirahman, who later shortened her name to Zee Avi, grew up in a natural tropical paradise and a loving, encouraging household. Her father was the owner of an energy consultancy, and educated Zee to become an attorney. Yet her paternal grandfather's music playing on double-bass, violin, accordion, and guitar was closer to her heart. So at seventeen, Zee learned how to play guitar, locking herself in her room for hours on end so nobody could interrupt her.
Avi put that aside for four years when she attended university in London, England where she studied fashion design at the American Inter Continental University there. Upon her return to Kuala Lumpur, the nation's capital where her family had lived since she was twelve, she picked up the guitar again and began composing songs and playing local gigs with a band. As Zee later explained on LP33.tv, a friend of hers had missed her first local show, and "I really wanted his feedback on one of my first songs, 'Poppy'." So she took a ten dollar webcam, recorded the song, showed it to him, "and was about to delete it right after he saw it. He just said 'Why don't you let it just nest there for a little bit. I said 'OK, we'll see what happens.' And I started getting more feedback."
She posted more videos on YouTube under the name KokoKaina. A lot of people, talented and average, post things on YouTube, and I post comments on YouTube under the name "renaissancegene". But her songs struck a cord with a steadily growing audience, including Kris Rowley, a British singer-songwriter, and Raconteurs' drummer Patrick Keeler. The latter showed her "No Christmas For Me" video to Ian Monotone of Monotone Records.
Things started to happen after Zee Avi posted "No Christmas For Me", a bittersweet holiday song she intended as her "last video", about three years ago. Her listening audience had snowballed over the past year or so. But now she received three thousand e-mails and a bunch of record label offers. One was from Ian Monotone, who had seen her YouTube clip and her talent. Monotone flew her to Los Angeles, California, signed her, recorded her at Brushfire Records' Solar Powered Plastic Plant, and released "No Christmas For Me" on the holiday charity album, "This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday, Vol. 1". Her "Zee Avi" debut album hit the stores the following May, and she has been on the ascent ever since, touring the world.
"Ghostbird" is a good way to describe the Zee Avi sound. With a uniquely soft singing voice that sounds like a ghostbird in the wind, an excellent command of guitar and ukulele, and her songwriting ability, Zee Avi expresses her voice in the songs she composes, writes, and sings.
Born in 1985 in Miri, a small town in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo in Malaysia, Izyan Alirahman, who later shortened her name to Zee Avi, grew up in a natural tropical paradise and a loving, encouraging household. Her father was the owner of an energy consultancy, and educated Zee to become an attorney. Yet her paternal grandfather's music playing on double-bass, violin, accordion, and guitar was closer to her heart. So at seventeen, Zee learned how to play guitar, locking herself in her room for hours on end so nobody could interrupt her.
Avi put that aside for four years when she attended university in London, England where she studied fashion design at the American Inter Continental University there. Upon her return to Kuala Lumpur, the nation's capital where her family had lived since she was twelve, she picked up the guitar again and began composing songs and playing local gigs with a band. As Zee later explained on LP33.tv, a friend of hers had missed her first local show, and "I really wanted his feedback on one of my first songs, 'Poppy'." So she took a ten dollar webcam, recorded the song, showed it to him, "and was about to delete it right after he saw it. He just said 'Why don't you let it just nest there for a little bit. I said 'OK, we'll see what happens.' And I started getting more feedback."
She posted more videos on YouTube under the name KokoKaina. A lot of people, talented and average, post things on YouTube, and I post comments on YouTube under the name "renaissancegene". But her songs struck a cord with a steadily growing audience, including Kris Rowley, a British singer-songwriter, and Raconteurs' drummer Patrick Keeler. The latter showed her "No Christmas For Me" video to Ian Monotone of Monotone Records.
Things started to happen after Zee Avi posted "No Christmas For Me", a bittersweet holiday song she intended as her "last video", about three years ago. Her listening audience had snowballed over the past year or so. But now she received three thousand e-mails and a bunch of record label offers. One was from Ian Monotone, who had seen her YouTube clip and her talent. Monotone flew her to Los Angeles, California, signed her, recorded her at Brushfire Records' Solar Powered Plastic Plant, and released "No Christmas For Me" on the holiday charity album, "This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday, Vol. 1". Her "Zee Avi" debut album hit the stores the following May, and she has been on the ascent ever since, touring the world.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Kelsey Skaggs at Starbucks
The Starbucks store on Spring Valley Pike in Miamisburg, Ohio has a long booth with three small tables. Recently I was there at one end table. A young woman with blond hair was at the other end table. There was a fun group there that day, and I heard several say "I don't know Kelsey". That seemed to fluster her. So I asked her, "I don't know Kelsey.(pause) Who is Kelsey?" "I'm Kelsey" she replied. "Now I know Kelsey" I responded, which made her laugh. So we chatted.
I told her about my radio show, "Gene On The Scene" on BlogTalkRadio. Then I queried "What do you do?" Kelsey replied that she was a singer. I asked her last name; she told me it was Skaggs. I recalled a promotional flyer I had seen last fall posted at the Centerville Starbucks, and told her about it. Kelsey confirmed it was her, and was amazed I still had the flyer when I produced it out of my copious notes I always take, then carry with me everywhere.
Skaggs was twenty and started performing professionally during high school at age sixteen, she told me. J.J., the shift manager on duty at the time, saw us and remembered that she hung out at that Starbucks during high school.
I left, but saw Skaggs there again a week or so later. I told her I'd heard her song, "L.O.V.E." on YouTube, and liked it because it was a bouncy song.
We started talking about musical instruments. Skaggs plays guitar. I told her I liked her ukulele on "L.O.V.E.", and she told me that it was a mandolin she was playing on that song. The mandolin has a similar sound to the ukulele, at least the way she used it on that song. The main difference, Kelsey explained, was that the ukulele "sounds tinny" and she felt the mandolin had a fuller sound. I told her about Zee Avi, a singer from Malaysia I'd seen on YouTube who plays an excellent ukulele, and Kelsey promised to check her out.
Now Kelsey Skaggs is in Indonesia, near Malaysia where Zee Avi hails from. Maybe they will meet someday?
I told her about my radio show, "Gene On The Scene" on BlogTalkRadio. Then I queried "What do you do?" Kelsey replied that she was a singer. I asked her last name; she told me it was Skaggs. I recalled a promotional flyer I had seen last fall posted at the Centerville Starbucks, and told her about it. Kelsey confirmed it was her, and was amazed I still had the flyer when I produced it out of my copious notes I always take, then carry with me everywhere.
Skaggs was twenty and started performing professionally during high school at age sixteen, she told me. J.J., the shift manager on duty at the time, saw us and remembered that she hung out at that Starbucks during high school.
I left, but saw Skaggs there again a week or so later. I told her I'd heard her song, "L.O.V.E." on YouTube, and liked it because it was a bouncy song.
We started talking about musical instruments. Skaggs plays guitar. I told her I liked her ukulele on "L.O.V.E.", and she told me that it was a mandolin she was playing on that song. The mandolin has a similar sound to the ukulele, at least the way she used it on that song. The main difference, Kelsey explained, was that the ukulele "sounds tinny" and she felt the mandolin had a fuller sound. I told her about Zee Avi, a singer from Malaysia I'd seen on YouTube who plays an excellent ukulele, and Kelsey promised to check her out.
Now Kelsey Skaggs is in Indonesia, near Malaysia where Zee Avi hails from. Maybe they will meet someday?
Friday, April 22, 2011
"With Billie"
Jazz great Billie Holiday was born this month-on Wednesday, April 7th, 1915 in Philadelphia's General Hospital. Her mother, Sarah Julia Harris, was a maid. The presumed father was banjo player Clarence Holiday. Yet the baby, named Eleanor, was registered as the child of Frank DeViese, a waiter who disappeared shortly after.
If this sounds unorthodox, her whole life was, as chronicled in "With Billie," Julia Blackburn's 2005 Holiday bio. Toni Morrison says of the book, "Nowhere else is the context of her life and work so vividly captured." "With Billie" is a gritty and engrossing book with individual chapters respectively focused on reminiscences by those who knew Billie Holiday well. Each chapter reveals a side of her as experienced by that friend. The end result is a kaleidoscope of views of the complexity of Billie's personality, her talent and influences, her art, her body of work, and finally her legacy.
"With Billie" is great reading, and probably the best bio yet of this American blues jazz legend.
If this sounds unorthodox, her whole life was, as chronicled in "With Billie," Julia Blackburn's 2005 Holiday bio. Toni Morrison says of the book, "Nowhere else is the context of her life and work so vividly captured." "With Billie" is a gritty and engrossing book with individual chapters respectively focused on reminiscences by those who knew Billie Holiday well. Each chapter reveals a side of her as experienced by that friend. The end result is a kaleidoscope of views of the complexity of Billie's personality, her talent and influences, her art, her body of work, and finally her legacy.
"With Billie" is great reading, and probably the best bio yet of this American blues jazz legend.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Lowell Thomas' Birthday
Today is Lowell Thomas' birthday!
Born on Wednesday, April 6th, 1892 in Woodington, Ohio in the Greenville area in Darke County, Lowell Jackson Thomas' family moved west when he was six months old. They moved to Victor, Colorado in the Cripple Creek Mining District, then the most prosperous gold mining camp in America. High in the Rockies, he enjoyed an adventurous and studious childhood among the most colorful characters a child could ask for. Soaking up tales from prospectors, miners, actors, financiers, royalty, gamblers, and prize fighters, he absorbed his father's enormous knowledge, especially about history. The young Lowell developed a special feeling for the mountains that never left him. Living in that environment taught him all sorts of outside sports and activities from riding horses to skiing, which he indulged in for the rest of his life.
And he had enormous curiosity, which led him into journalism, first as a newsboy delivering newspapers when he was still a child. After completing college, Lowell spent World War One as a war correspondent in Palestine, where he was the sole Western reporter to cover an obscure British archeologist named T. E. Lawrence and his military campaign in what was then called Arabia. The military campaign was an enormous success. Thomas' news scoup launched his career, and he went on a lecture tour with his story, followed by a book in 1923-1924. Both were hugely successful. This led to his hosting his own radio news commentary series for Sarnoff's NBC, then Bill Paley at CBS.
Lowell Thomas got into the neophyte medium of television by hosting the first TV news broadcast in 1930. Then he became NBC-TV's first regularly scheduled broadcaster in 1940, all the while continuing his radio show for CBS, which he would stay at for forty-six years until 1976. He broadcast most of his shows on remote while traveling all over the world. Thomas also did a travel TV series during the 1950s called "High Road to Adventure" and a 1970s TV series called "Lowell Thomas Remembers".
He also wrote fifty to sixty books of his adventures, history, biography, and geography(because he was a globe trotter). He climbed the Himalayas twice-when he was 57 and 84. He married a 49 year old woman at 84. When he was 86 on Dick Cavett's TV talk show, Thomas told Cavett he wanted to try out for the space program when they started sending civilians, and wanted to be the first man on Mars.
Lowell Thomas stayed active until he passed away from a sudden heart attack as he was awakening Saturday morning, August 29th, 1981. That week he was recording some radio broadcasts about World War Two, so he was active and enjoyed a full life.
Lowell Thomas, in spite of his public life, was a private man who never allowed his religious nor political views to become public, and not allowing either to influence his journalism. This professional objectivity is why there is an organization now called The Society of Professional Journalists which started a Lowell Thomas Award in 2009. Given annually, it honors excellence in international journalism.
Born on Wednesday, April 6th, 1892 in Woodington, Ohio in the Greenville area in Darke County, Lowell Jackson Thomas' family moved west when he was six months old. They moved to Victor, Colorado in the Cripple Creek Mining District, then the most prosperous gold mining camp in America. High in the Rockies, he enjoyed an adventurous and studious childhood among the most colorful characters a child could ask for. Soaking up tales from prospectors, miners, actors, financiers, royalty, gamblers, and prize fighters, he absorbed his father's enormous knowledge, especially about history. The young Lowell developed a special feeling for the mountains that never left him. Living in that environment taught him all sorts of outside sports and activities from riding horses to skiing, which he indulged in for the rest of his life.
And he had enormous curiosity, which led him into journalism, first as a newsboy delivering newspapers when he was still a child. After completing college, Lowell spent World War One as a war correspondent in Palestine, where he was the sole Western reporter to cover an obscure British archeologist named T. E. Lawrence and his military campaign in what was then called Arabia. The military campaign was an enormous success. Thomas' news scoup launched his career, and he went on a lecture tour with his story, followed by a book in 1923-1924. Both were hugely successful. This led to his hosting his own radio news commentary series for Sarnoff's NBC, then Bill Paley at CBS.
Lowell Thomas got into the neophyte medium of television by hosting the first TV news broadcast in 1930. Then he became NBC-TV's first regularly scheduled broadcaster in 1940, all the while continuing his radio show for CBS, which he would stay at for forty-six years until 1976. He broadcast most of his shows on remote while traveling all over the world. Thomas also did a travel TV series during the 1950s called "High Road to Adventure" and a 1970s TV series called "Lowell Thomas Remembers".
He also wrote fifty to sixty books of his adventures, history, biography, and geography(because he was a globe trotter). He climbed the Himalayas twice-when he was 57 and 84. He married a 49 year old woman at 84. When he was 86 on Dick Cavett's TV talk show, Thomas told Cavett he wanted to try out for the space program when they started sending civilians, and wanted to be the first man on Mars.
Lowell Thomas stayed active until he passed away from a sudden heart attack as he was awakening Saturday morning, August 29th, 1981. That week he was recording some radio broadcasts about World War Two, so he was active and enjoyed a full life.
Lowell Thomas, in spite of his public life, was a private man who never allowed his religious nor political views to become public, and not allowing either to influence his journalism. This professional objectivity is why there is an organization now called The Society of Professional Journalists which started a Lowell Thomas Award in 2009. Given annually, it honors excellence in international journalism.
Friday, April 1, 2011
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day goes back to 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar named after himself-the Gregorian calendar-to replace the Julian calendar.
Why the change? Because the old calendar celebrated the start of the year on April 1st, shortly after the March 21st spring equinox celebrated by Pagan cultures. Starting the new year on January 1st, shortly after the birth of Jesus Christ, naturally made more sense to the Christian Pope in an increasingly Christian world. So Pope Gregory XIII, in recognition of the beginning of the life of Jesus Christ, mandated the new calendar.
The new calendar spread, but not as fast as today because they had no Internet. So, many people didn't hear of the calendar for awhile. Some simply wanted to keep the old calendar, either because they were used to it, or for cultural reasons. Some countries and cultures today still don't recognize January 1st as New Year's Day, but instead recognize the Spring Equinox, the beginning of spring, as the start of the new year.
As the new Gregorian calendar spread, Julian calendar traditionalists were made fun of and sent on fools' errands. This grew into a holiday of pranks and lightheartedness we celebrate today as April Fools' Day.
Why the change? Because the old calendar celebrated the start of the year on April 1st, shortly after the March 21st spring equinox celebrated by Pagan cultures. Starting the new year on January 1st, shortly after the birth of Jesus Christ, naturally made more sense to the Christian Pope in an increasingly Christian world. So Pope Gregory XIII, in recognition of the beginning of the life of Jesus Christ, mandated the new calendar.
The new calendar spread, but not as fast as today because they had no Internet. So, many people didn't hear of the calendar for awhile. Some simply wanted to keep the old calendar, either because they were used to it, or for cultural reasons. Some countries and cultures today still don't recognize January 1st as New Year's Day, but instead recognize the Spring Equinox, the beginning of spring, as the start of the new year.
As the new Gregorian calendar spread, Julian calendar traditionalists were made fun of and sent on fools' errands. This grew into a holiday of pranks and lightheartedness we celebrate today as April Fools' Day.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring
Spring is the season after winter and before summer. It lasts from March through May in the Northern Hemisphere and from September through November in the Southern Hemisphere. In the middle latitudes, where there are four seasons, spring begins with the melting of snow, increasing daylight hours, and rising temperatures. These factors increase plant photosynthesis and growth with the awakening of nature's bounty. No longer blanketed by the winter snow, spring brings on the renewal of life. The name "spring" comes from the fact that new plant growth "springs forth".
All over the world people, animals, and plants feel this exuberant spirit. We feel full of curiosity and more energy than we feel at any other season. We see new life with trees budding, grass growing, and youth in all living beings. Hibernating animals awaken and come out of their winter sleeping places.
Throughout human history the year has often begun with spring. In some cultures March has been the first month. This has made September, October, November, and December the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months. Where did these months get their names? They came
from the Latin prefixes sept-, oct-, nov-, and dec-, for seven, eight, nine, and ten respectively. Many cultures today hold festivals celebrating the arrival of spring. Afghanistan celebrates the first day of spring as the start of the new year. Australia, where spring begins in September, holds their Spring Racing Carnival of thoroughbred horse racing. The first day of spring(which is also the new year) is on March 21st during the vernal equinox in Persia(Iran). This day is called Nowruz or "New Day". These are just a few examples.
Tropical climates barely notice spring because their temperatures barely change throughout the year. But for those of us in the higher latitudes, especially the temperate regions, spring is truly special. And I'm enjoying mine this year-it's in the 60s many days here in Ohio!
All over the world people, animals, and plants feel this exuberant spirit. We feel full of curiosity and more energy than we feel at any other season. We see new life with trees budding, grass growing, and youth in all living beings. Hibernating animals awaken and come out of their winter sleeping places.
Throughout human history the year has often begun with spring. In some cultures March has been the first month. This has made September, October, November, and December the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months. Where did these months get their names? They came
from the Latin prefixes sept-, oct-, nov-, and dec-, for seven, eight, nine, and ten respectively. Many cultures today hold festivals celebrating the arrival of spring. Afghanistan celebrates the first day of spring as the start of the new year. Australia, where spring begins in September, holds their Spring Racing Carnival of thoroughbred horse racing. The first day of spring(which is also the new year) is on March 21st during the vernal equinox in Persia(Iran). This day is called Nowruz or "New Day". These are just a few examples.
Tropical climates barely notice spring because their temperatures barely change throughout the year. But for those of us in the higher latitudes, especially the temperate regions, spring is truly special. And I'm enjoying mine this year-it's in the 60s many days here in Ohio!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Day
A lot of things come to mind with St. Patrick's Day.
For one, my favorite Irish-American singer, Judy Garland, famous for Irish ditties like "Danny Boy", "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow", and "It's A Great Day For The Irish".
And it is a great day for the Irish. But how did it come about? What is its history?
St. Patrick was born in 387 into a wealthy family of Church deacons in Britain, then under the Roman Empire, in the province of Britannia. When he was sixteen years old, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland to be a slave. Held captive on Ireland's west coast, he had a dream where God told him to escape to the east coast. He did, and once there, boarded a ship to Britain, where he joined the Church and studied to be a priest.
By 432 he was a bishop. He returned to Ireland to convert the polytheistic Irish to Christianity, using the shamrock as a symbol of the Christian Trinity to evangelize to the Irish. He did this for almost three decades until his death on March 17th in 461.
Saint Patrick is remembered as the primary champion of Irish Christianity and is a major figure in the history of the Irish Church. So his death has been commemorated ever since. The symbolism associated with St. Patrick, especially the shamrock, changed from blue to green over the years, but has grown into a holiday cultural celebration by Irish people all over the world.
For one, my favorite Irish-American singer, Judy Garland, famous for Irish ditties like "Danny Boy", "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow", and "It's A Great Day For The Irish".
And it is a great day for the Irish. But how did it come about? What is its history?
St. Patrick was born in 387 into a wealthy family of Church deacons in Britain, then under the Roman Empire, in the province of Britannia. When he was sixteen years old, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland to be a slave. Held captive on Ireland's west coast, he had a dream where God told him to escape to the east coast. He did, and once there, boarded a ship to Britain, where he joined the Church and studied to be a priest.
By 432 he was a bishop. He returned to Ireland to convert the polytheistic Irish to Christianity, using the shamrock as a symbol of the Christian Trinity to evangelize to the Irish. He did this for almost three decades until his death on March 17th in 461.
Saint Patrick is remembered as the primary champion of Irish Christianity and is a major figure in the history of the Irish Church. So his death has been commemorated ever since. The symbolism associated with St. Patrick, especially the shamrock, changed from blue to green over the years, but has grown into a holiday cultural celebration by Irish people all over the world.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Fight of the Century
The Fight of the Century was forty years ago last night. And this morning forty years ago, the newspapers were full of coverage about the fight.
Muhammad Ali, who won the world heavyweight boxing championship from Sonny Liston in 1964, defended it seven times against top contenders in the next three years with his blinding speed and reflexes. But in April 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, he refused induction into the U.S. military because of his religious beliefs as a conscientious objector, and was promptly stripped of his boxing license and world title. He wouldn't be allowed to fight for three and a half years.
Joe Frazier, the 1964 Olympic heavyweight boxing champion, built a professional boxing career on his bobbing and weaving, counter-punching style combined with a great left hook. He mowed down the heavyweight division, winning the vacant world title by destroying Jimmy Ellis in four rounds.
In late 1970, Ali got his boxing license back and started his comeback by stopping Jerry Quarry on cuts in the third round of their fight in Atlanta, then knocked down Oscar Bonavena three times in the fifteenth round in Madison Square Garden in New York City for that knockout win.
So the stage was set. Given the political atmosphere surrounding the fight, America still embroiled in the Vietnam War with a growing antiwar movement, everybody was talking about the fight. Ali symbolized the antiwar movement, and Frazier symbolized the establishment still supporting the war. That night, March 8th, 1971, New York's famed Madison Square Garden was packed with celebrities. Actor Burt Lancaster was a commentator. So was former world light-heavyweight boxing champion Archie Moore. Frank Sinatra took a job as photographer for Life magazine just to get in, garnering a ringside seat. It was a circus atmosphere with everyone, including some gaudily dressed, trying to get into the Garden.
The fight lived up to the hype. Ali won the early rounds, with Frazier being a slow starter. But "Smoking Joe" Frazier kept up the pressure, eventually pinning Muhammad Ali to the ropes by the middle rounds. In the ninth round, Ali hurt Frazer with a combination, forcing Joe to back up, and winning that round. But two rounds later, in the eleventh, Joe nailed Ali with a terrific left hook that had Muhammad staggering all over the ring for the rest of the round. Rounds twelve and thirteen were fairly even, but Ali won the fourteenth handily.
Now the fight was pretty even, and the tension in the Garden, and to those watching on closed circuit TV all over the world, was palpable.
The fifteenth round was underway. About a minute into the round, fighting along the ropes, Ali threw a right uppercut. Frazier saw his chance, throwing his big left hook over Ali's uppercut, and nailing Muhammad on the jaw, sending him to the canvas. Ali would later say that he didn't remember going down, but woke up when he hit the canvas, thinking "Get up." He did get up when referee Arthur Mercantee got to three, and finished the fight on his feet and still looking okay.
The fight was close, with the referee's card showing that Frazer won eight rounds, Ali won six, and that one round was even. It was one of boxing history's greatest fights, and it led to two re-matches for the two great warriors we saw that night.
Muhammad Ali, who won the world heavyweight boxing championship from Sonny Liston in 1964, defended it seven times against top contenders in the next three years with his blinding speed and reflexes. But in April 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, he refused induction into the U.S. military because of his religious beliefs as a conscientious objector, and was promptly stripped of his boxing license and world title. He wouldn't be allowed to fight for three and a half years.
Joe Frazier, the 1964 Olympic heavyweight boxing champion, built a professional boxing career on his bobbing and weaving, counter-punching style combined with a great left hook. He mowed down the heavyweight division, winning the vacant world title by destroying Jimmy Ellis in four rounds.
In late 1970, Ali got his boxing license back and started his comeback by stopping Jerry Quarry on cuts in the third round of their fight in Atlanta, then knocked down Oscar Bonavena three times in the fifteenth round in Madison Square Garden in New York City for that knockout win.
So the stage was set. Given the political atmosphere surrounding the fight, America still embroiled in the Vietnam War with a growing antiwar movement, everybody was talking about the fight. Ali symbolized the antiwar movement, and Frazier symbolized the establishment still supporting the war. That night, March 8th, 1971, New York's famed Madison Square Garden was packed with celebrities. Actor Burt Lancaster was a commentator. So was former world light-heavyweight boxing champion Archie Moore. Frank Sinatra took a job as photographer for Life magazine just to get in, garnering a ringside seat. It was a circus atmosphere with everyone, including some gaudily dressed, trying to get into the Garden.
The fight lived up to the hype. Ali won the early rounds, with Frazier being a slow starter. But "Smoking Joe" Frazier kept up the pressure, eventually pinning Muhammad Ali to the ropes by the middle rounds. In the ninth round, Ali hurt Frazer with a combination, forcing Joe to back up, and winning that round. But two rounds later, in the eleventh, Joe nailed Ali with a terrific left hook that had Muhammad staggering all over the ring for the rest of the round. Rounds twelve and thirteen were fairly even, but Ali won the fourteenth handily.
Now the fight was pretty even, and the tension in the Garden, and to those watching on closed circuit TV all over the world, was palpable.
The fifteenth round was underway. About a minute into the round, fighting along the ropes, Ali threw a right uppercut. Frazier saw his chance, throwing his big left hook over Ali's uppercut, and nailing Muhammad on the jaw, sending him to the canvas. Ali would later say that he didn't remember going down, but woke up when he hit the canvas, thinking "Get up." He did get up when referee Arthur Mercantee got to three, and finished the fight on his feet and still looking okay.
The fight was close, with the referee's card showing that Frazer won eight rounds, Ali won six, and that one round was even. It was one of boxing history's greatest fights, and it led to two re-matches for the two great warriors we saw that night.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Debut
Hi!
Okay, this is my first commentary on Blogger. I'm here because I'm a non-techie who found out that Leighann Lord, the fast rising comedienne from New York known as the Urban Erma, is also not tech-smart about computers. I heard her on an online radio show called "Peoplegogy," podcast on BlogTalkRadio, talking about this, and it rang a bell with me. She talked about her struggles with learning how to put together a website, which everybody says you need to build any kind of career or business, which many of us still don't know how to do. But we're trying! WordPress drove her crazy, and I remembered last year when I couldn't figure it out either when I tried to post blogs there. So Leighann said that she finally found Blogger, a platform she found easy to handle and learn on, like baby steps. She also found that once she got her own domain and website, she could transfer her Blogger posts to her website easily.
Since then, her website and career have taken off!
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