Excelsior!

Stan Lee Tribute Weekend honors the comics creator’s seven decades of bringing entertainment to the world

One lucky winner will win exclusive VIP Passes for Stan Lee Tribute Weekend May 6-8, 2010

On Thursday, May 6, the N9NE Group with Brenden Theatres and the Palms Casino Resort will present Iron Man 2 Launch Party at the MOON Nightclub. MOON opens to the public at 10:30 p.m. and will feature an “Iron Man” themed night with appearances by Stan Lee and other celebrity guests. General admission applies.

Stan Lee’s Brenden Celebrity Star presentation will take place on Friday, May 7, 2010, the opening day of the new Paramount Pictures “Iron Man 2” film starring Robert Downey, Jr. which Lee served as an executive producer. The ceremony to be hosted by Celebrity Journalist Robin Leach will take place in the Brenden Theaters at the Palms lobby at 7:30 p.m. The Brenden Celebrity Star presentation is co-sponsored by Derrick Taylor’s Comic Oasis.

The weekend wraps with an invited guest tribute reception and dinner May 8, 2010 hosted by the Walt Disney Company and featuring Stan Lee’s Time Jumper. Red carpet arrivals begin at 6:00 p.m. with celebrity appearances. Guests will also preview clips from Stan Lee’s documentary “With Great Power – The Stan Lee Story.” Celebrities from all of Lee’s films and creations have been invited to attend this special event.

To have a chance at winning the VIP passes, visit http://starsamongtheangelsonlineauction.afrogs.org/.

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Today would have been the 107th birthday to one of the alltime great movie funnymen, Larry Fine (Louis Feinberg) of The Three Stooges.

Thanks for all the laughter, Larry! You shall live forever in the hearts of your fans!Similar Posts:

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Sad to report that one of my favorite actors and personalities of all time, Mr. Charlton Heston, passed away at his home this past Saturday, April 4. One of my greatest thrills was meeting Mr. Heston at a book signing in the late 1990s, promoted by The Learning Annex. Mr. Heston will be missed.

RIP Charlton Heston

1923-2008

The AP ran a nice obituary, so I decided to post most if it here:

Film legend Charlton Heston dead at 84

By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press WriterSun Apr 6, 2:30 PM ET

Charlton Heston, the Oscar winner who portrayed Moses and other heroic figures on film in the ’50s and ’60s and later championed conservative values as head of the National Rifle Association, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said. He declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

“Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played,” Heston’s family said in a statement.

Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer’s disease.

With his large, muscular build, well-boned face and sonorous voice, Heston proved the ideal star during the period when Hollywood was filling movie screens with panoramas depicting the religious and historical past.

“I have a face that belongs in another century,” he often remarked.

The actor assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

With age, he grew more conservative and campaigned for conservative candidates. In June 1998, Heston was elected president of the NRA, for which he had posed for ads holding a rifle.

Heston famously used to say that the only way his gun would be taken away is “from my cold, dead hands.”

…

Heston — who once delivered a jab at then-President Clinton, saying, “America doesn’t trust you with our 21-year-old daughters, and we sure, Lord, don’t trust you with our guns.” — stepped down as NRA president in April 2003.

Later that year, President Bush awarded Heston with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civil honor. “He was a man of character and integrity, with a big heart,” Bush said in a statement on Sunday.

Heston also engaged in a lengthy feud with liberal Ed Asner during the latter’s tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild. His latter-day activism almost overshadowed his achievements as an actor, which were considerable.

Heston lent his strong presence to some of the most acclaimed and successful films of the midcentury.

“Ben-Hur” won 11 Academy Awards, tying it for the record with the more recent “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003). He won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing “Ben-Hur.”

Heston’s other hits include: “The Ten Commandments,” “El Cid,” “55 Days at Peking” and “Planet of the Apes.”

He liked to cite the number of historical figures he had portrayed, including Moses (“The Ten Commandments”), John the Baptist (“The Greatest Story Ever Told”) and Michelangelo (“The Agony and the Ecstasy”).

Heston made his movie debut in the 1940s in two independent films by a college classmate, David Bradley, who later became a noted film archivist. He had the title role in “Peer Gynt” in 1942 and was Marc Antony in Bradley’s 1949 version of “Julius Caesar,” for which Heston was paid $50 a week.

Film producer Hal B. Wallis (“Casablanca”) spotted Heston in a 1950 television production of “Wuthering Heights” and offered him a contract. When his wife reminded him that they had decided to pursue theater and television, he replied, “Well, maybe just for one film to see what it’s like.”

Heston earned star billing from his first Hollywood movie, “Dark City,” a 1950 film noir. Cecil B. DeMille next cast him as the circus manager in the all-star “The Greatest Show On Earth,” named by the Motion Picture Academy as the best picture of 1952. More movies followed.

Most were forgettable low-budget films, and Heston seemed destined to remain an undistinguished action star. His old boss DeMille rescued him.

The director had long planned a new version of “The Ten Commandments,” which he had made as a silent in 1923 with a radically different approach that combined biblical and modern stories. He was struck by Heston’s facial resemblance to Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses, especially the similar broken nose, and put the actor through a long series of tests before giving him the role.

The Hestons’ newborn, Fraser Clarke Heston, played the role of the infant Moses in the film.

More films followed: the eccentric thriller “Touch of Evil,” directed by Orson Welles; William Wyler’s “The Big Country,” costarring with Gregory Peck; a sea saga, “The Wreck of the Mary Deare” with Gary Cooper.

Then his greatest role: “Ben-Hur.”

Heston wasn’t the first to be considered for the remake of 1925 biblical epic. Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster and Rock Hudson had declined the film. Heston plunged into the role, rehearsing two months for the furious chariot race.

He railed at suggestions the race had been shot with a double: “I couldn’t drive it well, but that wasn’t necessary. All I had to do was stay on board so they could shoot me there. I didn’t have to worry; MGM guaranteed I would win the race.”

The huge success of “Ben-Hur” and Heston’s Oscar made him one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. He combined big-screen epics like “El Cid” and “55 Days at Peking” with lesser ones such as “Diamond Head,” “Will Penny” and “Airport 1975.” In his later years he played cameos in such films as “Wayne’s World 2″ and “Tombstone.”

He often returned to the theater, appearing in such plays as “A Long Day’s Journey into Night” and “A Man for All Seasons.” He starred as a tycoon in the prime-time soap opera, “The Colbys,” a two-season spinoff of “Dynasty.”

Publicist Michael Levine, who represented Heston for about 20 years, said the actor’s passing represented the end of an iconic era for cinema. “If Hollywood had a Mount Rushmore, Heston’s face would be on it,” Levine said.

At his birth in a Chicago suburb on Oct. 4, 1923, his name was Charles Carter. His parents moved to St. Helen, Mich., where his father, Russell Carter, operated a lumber mill. Growing up in the Michigan woods with almost no playmates, young Charles read books of adventure and devised his own games while wandering the countryside with his rifle.

Charles’s parents divorced, and she married Chester Heston, a factory plant superintendent in Wilmette, Ill., an upscale north Chicago suburb. Shy and feeling displaced in the big city, the boy had trouble adjusting to the new high school. He took refuge in the drama department.

“What acting offered me was the chance to be many other people,” he said in a 1986 interview. “In those days I wasn’t satisfied with being me.”

Calling himself Charlton Heston from his mother’s maiden name and his stepfather’s last name, he won an acting scholarship to Northwestern University in 1941. He excelled in campus plays and appeared on Chicago radio. In 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served as a radio-gunner in the Aleutians.

In 1944 he married another Northwestern drama student, Lydia Clarke, and after his army discharge in 1947, they moved to New York to seek acting jobs. Finding none, they hired on as codirectors and principal actors at a summer theater in Asheville, N.C.

Back in New York, both Hestons began finding work. With his strong 6-feet-2 build and craggily handsome face, Heston won roles in TV soap operas, plays (“Antony and Cleopatra” with Katherine Cornell) and live TV dramas such as “Julius Caesar,” “Macbeth,” “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Of Human Bondage.”

Heston wrote several books: “The Actor’s Life: Journals 1956-1976,” published in 1978; “Beijing Diary: 1990,” concerning his direction of the play “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial” in Chinese; “In the Arena: An Autobiography,” 1995; and “Charlton Heston’s Hollywood: 50 Years of American Filmmaking,” 1998.

Besides Fraser, the Hestons had a daughter, Holly Ann, born Aug. 2, 1961. The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1994 at a party with Hollywood and political friends. They had been married 64 years when he died.

In late years, Heston drew as much publicity for his crusades as for his performances. In addition to his NRA work, he campaigned for Republican presidential and congressional candidates and against affirmative action.

He resigned from Actors Equity, claiming the union’s refusal to allow a white actor to play a Eurasian role in “Miss Saigon” was “obscenely racist.” He attacked CNN’s telecasts from Baghdad as “sowing doubts” about the allied effort in the 1990-91 Gulf War.

At a Time Warner stockholders meeting, he castigated the company for releasing an Ice-T album that purportedly encouraged cop killing.

Heston wrote in “In the Arena” that he was proud of what he did “though now I’ll surely never be offered another film by Warners, nor get a good review in Time. On the other hand, I doubt I’ll get a traffic ticket very soon.”

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Sad to report that one of my favorite political commentators, the legendary William F. Buckley, Jr., passed away earlier today. He passed away while at work, and I suspect he would have liked to have gone out that way, doing what he loved.

RIP William F. Buckley

1925-2008

Mr. Buckley had a long and wonderful career, with his thoughtful advocacy for conservative principles. He founded National Review in 1955, a political journal that has been at the vanguard of mainstream conservative throught.

A complete account of his long career is beyond the scope of The Silver State Chronicles, so I’ll just direct readers to National Review’s website, which will no doubt have a very thorough analysis of his life.

That being said, there are some real standout moments in his career I will briefly mention. He ran for the mayor’s office of New York City back in 1965. challenging incumbent Republican/Independent John Lindsay along with famed NYC bureaucrat Abe Beame. In one of my favorite moments in American politics, he was asked what he would do first were he to win the race, and he responded “demand a recount!”

But he was ahead of his time in many ways. In that race he proposed charging a fee for autos entering midtown during business hours, and a network of bicycle lanes to ease urban congestion. Both proposals have found their way into the debate in the 21st Century.

Buckley appeared in a series of televised debates with Gore Vidal during the 1968 Democratic Party convention. In their penultimate debate on August 22 of that year, the two disagreed over the actions of the Chicago police and the protesters at the ongoing Democratic Convention in Chicago.

At one point Vidal called Buckley a “proto- or crypto-Nazi,” to which Buckley replied, “Now listen, you queer, stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I will sock you in your goddamn face, and you will stay plastered.”  Haha!

He hosted the excellent television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and penned a nationally syndicated newspaper column into 2008.

Going down William F Buckley, Jr.’s memory lane is indeed a treat! So long, skipper! Thanks for all your contributions to the political discourse over the decades.

You shall be missed.

VV

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I’m actually old enough to remember when we celebrated both Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday, rather than the poorly conceived “Presidents Day.” Who wants to honor every president? Not me! I just like to honor the greats!

And ‘Honest’ Abraham Lincoln is one of the true greats! Here’s to you, Sir, and your tireless efforts to keep the Union intact during our great, terrible Civil War.

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Today would have been the 97th birthday of my favorite modern-era President, Ronald Wilson Reagan! It’s times like this that I really miss Ronnie – we could use his wisdom and sure hand to help guide our nation throug the dangerous waters of the 21st Century.

Ronald Wilson Reagan
1911-2004

“We, the members of the New Republican Party, believe that the preservation and enhancement of the values that strengthen and protect individual freedom, family life, communities and neighborhoods and the liberty of our beloved nation should be at the heart of any legislative or political program presented to the American people.”

“We believe that liberty can be measured by how much freedom Americans have to make their own decisions, even their own mistakes.”

“Families must continue to be the foundation of our nation. Families-not government programs-are the best way to make sure our children are properly nurtured, our elderly are cared for, our cultural and spiritual heritages are perpetuated, our laws are observed and our values are preserved… We fear the government may be powerful enough to destroy our families; we know that it is not powerful enough to replace them.”

“Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business… frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise. They are the residue of centralized bureaucracy, of government by a self-anointed elite.”

“We must be ever willing to negotiate differences, but equally mindful that there are American ideals that cannot be compromised. Given that there are other nations with potentially hostile design, we recognize that we can reach our goals only while maintaining a superior national defense, second to none.”

“Our party must be based on the kind of leadership that grows and takes its strength from the people… And our cause must be to rediscover, reassert and reapply America’s spiritual heritage to our national affairs. Then with God’s help we shall indeed be as a city upon a hill with the eyes of all people upon us.”

I could go on and on about President Reagan, but I know if I did, and if he were here, his basic humility would prompt me to not go on at great length. With a smile & a twinkle in his eye, he would say “Vinnie Vegas, there you go again!”Similar Posts:

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Wishing everyone a happy Rev. Martin Luther King Day, and I would like to take this opportunity to honor the countless people who contributed to The Civil Rights movement also!

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I’m very happy to report that NORAD tracking satellites have confirmed that Santa & crew have had a successful launch from his home base in the North Pole! He is on his way!

Be good!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySm45SgJAZo

History

Here”s some info about this great Christmas tradition courtesy of our friends at Wikipedia.

In 1955, a Colorado Springs-based Sears store ran an advertisement encouraging children to call Santa Claus on a special telephone hotline. Due to a printing error, the phone number that was printed was the hotline for the Director of Operations at the Continental Air Defense (CONAD).

Colonel Harry Shoup took the first Santa call on Christmas Eve of 1955 from a six-year old boy who began reciting his Christmas list. Shoup didn’t find the call funny, but after asking the mother of the second caller what was happening, then realizing the mistake that occurred, he instructed his staff to give Santa’s position to any child who called in.

Three years later, the governments of the United States and Canada combined their national domestic air defenses into the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), but the tradition continued. Now major media outlets as well as children call in to inquire on Santa’s location. NORAD relies on volunteers to help make Santa tracking possible.

Many employees at Cheyenne Mountain and Peterson Air Force Base spend part of their Christmas Eve with their families and friends at NORAD’s Santa Tracking Operations Center in order to answer phones and provide Santa updates to thousands of callers. About 800 service members and their families volunteer, and shift run from 2 a.m. MST December 24 to 2 a.m. Christmas morning.

In 1997, Canadian Major Jamie Robertson took over the program and expanded it to the Web where corporation-donated services have given the tradition global accessibility. In 2004, NORAD received more than 35,000 e-mails, 55,000 calls and 912 million hits on the Santa-tracking website from 181 countries. In 2005, more than 500 volunteers answered questions. The site now gets well over 1 billion hits.

The fictional background storyline has changed with the world political situation: during the Cold War when the tracking team provided updates via radio announcements, only North America was mentioned and Santa’s approach was described in tense terms with interceptor aircraft scrambled to shoot down the “bogie.” Only at the last minute would the pilot realize who he was engaging.

In 2005 holiday season marked the fiftieth anniversary of NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

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Well, three of my favorite things on God’s green earth are Christmas, O Henry stories, and Mr. Lorne Greene. Then again, who doesn’t rank those three things high on their own personal list?

It brings me great pleasure that these three things converge in a wonderful record album released around 1965. So for your listening holiday pleasure, kick back and enjoy Mr. Greene’s reading of this classic Christmas tale!

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Leave it to screen legend Orson Welles to make a few extra bucks here and there by shilling for all sorts of stuff. In this case, he was taking a check from Paul Masson Champagne for just a few words endorsing their product.

Needless to say, the people at Paul Masson got more than they bargained for!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3qg4i22x9M

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Just got word that one of my own personal heroes of World War II, Brigadier General Paul Tibbets, has passed away today.

Personal History

Tibbets was born in Quincy, Illinois, and was the son of Paul Warfield Tibbets and Enola Gay Tibbets, and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his father was a confections wholesaler.

On February 25, 1937, he enlisted as a flying cadet in the Army Air Corps at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1938 and received his wings at Kelly Field, Texas. Tibbets was named commanding officer of the 340th Bomb Squadron, 97th Heavy Bomb Group flying B-17 Flying Fortresses in March, 1942.

Based at RAF Polebrook, he piloted the lead bomber on the first Eighth Air Force bombing mission in Europe on August 17, 1942, and later flew combat missions in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations until returning to the U.S. to test fly B-29 Superfortresses.

In September 1944 he was selected to command the project at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, that became the 509th Composite Group, in connection with the Manhattan Project’s Project Alberta.

On August 5, 1945, Colonel Paul Tibbets formally named B-29 serial number 44-86292 Enola Gay after his mother. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with Tibbets at the controls at 2:45 a.m. for Hiroshima, Japan.

The atomic bomb, codenamed Little Boy, was dropped over Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. local time. It was the first use of an atomic weapon in the history of warfare.

The Hiroshima mission has been described as tactically flawless, and Enola Gay returned safely to its base on Tinian to great fanfare on the base.

The first atomic bombing was followed three days later by another B-29 nicknamed Bockscar, piloted by Major Charles W. Sweeney, which dropped a second nuclear weapon, “Fat Man”, on Nagasaki.

On that mission the Enola Gay, flown by Crew B-10 under Capt. George Marquardt, aircraft commander, was the weather reconnaissance aircraft.

No Regrets

Throughout his entire life, Tibbets expressed no regret whatsoever regarding the decision to drop the atomic bomb.

In a 1975 interview he said: “I’m proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did… I sleep clearly every night”.

In March 2005, he stated “If you give me the same circumstances, hell yeah, I’d do it again.”

Thank you for your great service to the United States, Brigadier General Paul Tibbets. Millions of Americans salute your memory.

As a special bonus, please enjoy this great newsreel footage of the heroic crew of the Enola Gay, Real American Heroes one and all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Pt215DLio

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Just got word on the passing of the talented and gracious Robert Goulet.

Robert Goulet was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts as the only son of French Canadian parents, Joseph Georges Andre Goulet and Jeanette Gauthier. In Edmonton, he attended the famous voice schools founded by Herbert G. Turner and Jean Letourneau, and later became a radio announcer for radio station CKUA. Upon graduating from high school, Goulet received a scholarship to Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music.

In 1959, Goulet was introduced to librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe, who were having difficulty casting the role of Lancelot in their stage production Camelot. Lerner and Loewe, impressed by Goulet’s talent, signed the virtual newcomer to play the part, opposite Richard Burton’s King Arthur and Julie Andrews’ Queen Guenevere.

Camelot, of course, was a huge hit, and Mr. Goulet would remain in the public eye with many wonderful stage and screen performances, as well as many successful record albums.

So long, Mr. Goulet. Thank you for all you gave, and you shall be missed.

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Today would have been the 104th birthday to one of the alltime great movie funnymen, Jerome Howard, better known to fans around the world as Curly of The Three Stooges.

Curly was born Jerome Horwitz in Brooklyn, New York in 1903, the youngest of the five Horwitz brothers, hence his nickname ‘Babe,’ which brother Moe would usually use to refer to him.

In 1928, Jerry gained some notability in the entertainment business as a comedy musical conductor for the Orville Knapp Band, and Moe later recalled that Jerry’s performances usually overshadowed the band.

Meanwhile, brothers Moe and Shemp, along with Larry Feinberg (Fine), were working as ‘stooges’ for popular funnyman Ted Healy. Their success took them to Hollywood, but in 1932 Shemp left the act and Moe called in for their brother, Jerry – now dubbed Curly.

The rest is history.

The Three Stooges would go on to make 190 short films for Columbia in 23 years, though the roster over that period had different incarnations. They have consistently been popular, particularly after their shorts began running on television in the late 1950s. They remain iconic funnymen to this day.

Thanks for all the laughter, Jerry! You will live in the hearts of your fans forever!

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I’m sad to report that Yahoo News is reporting that Rat Pack comedian Joey Bishop has passed away.

Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, has died at 89.He was the group’s last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.

Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday.

The Rat Pack became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner.

Thanks for the laughter and great memories, Joey!

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On October 8tn, 2007, Dennis Miller did a quick interview with Stan Lee on his relatively new radio show. Dennis has a great sense of humor and his radio show is really taking off. Last week, a caller just casually suggested that he invite Stan on the show, and Dennis’s people got on it quickly and made it happen just a few days later!

Stan discusses some memories of Nick Fury, flatters Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, covers the 1960s Marvel Comics creative process, and manages to mention the new Iron Man and Hulk films.

Dennis is a genuine fan of Stan and Silver Age Marvel Comics, so it’s clear that this interview is a genuine treat for him. Enjoy!

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Read on…

A COLLECTION of 18 personal letters sent by comedy legend Stan Laurel to an Edinburgh housewife who became his pen pal have sold for £2900 at auction.Walterina Hunter first wrote a fan letter to Laurel, one half of Laurel and Hardy, in 1952.

For ten years they exchanged letters, discussing everything from the weather to Laurel’s poor health and the death of his comedy partner Oliver Hardy.

Among the bundle there were 18 letters and three photographs, most of which were signed by Laurel, with one photograph also signed by Hardy.

The letters were written on headed notepaper from luxurious hotels where the comedian was staying while on tour, with others on Laurel’s own paper from his California home.

English-born Laurel suffered a nervous breakdown after Hardy’s death, and later confided in one of the letters: “I don’t visit the studios anymore because I don’t know anyone there and would feel like a stranger.”

Alex Dove, book specialist at auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh where the letters were sold yesterday, said:

“Quite a friendship was built up and that was reflected in the content of the letters. He made a lot of time to sit down and write to her wherever he was.”

The pair met only once, in 1954, when Laurel and Hardy toured the UK and sent tickets to Mrs Hunter for their Edinburgh show.

Powered by ScribeFire.

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Today would have been the 105th birthday to one of the alltime great movie funnymen, Larry Fine (Louis Feinberg) of The Three Stooges.

Thanks for all the laughter, Larry! You shall live forever in the hearts of your fans!Similar Posts:

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Our friends at 60 Minutes did a great extended interview with Justice Clarence Thomas this past Sunday. I missed it as my Tivo was recording PBS’s ‘The War,’ but luckily the video is available at the link above.

He is the court’s only African American, and it’s most conservative member. He is arguably the most influential black man in the country, yet he is reviled by many in his own race for his opposition to government programs intended to help minorities.

Most people know very little about him, their opinions shaped by his bitter confirmation battle in which he was accused of sexually harassing a former employee named Anita Hill. Now, 16 years later, he has written a memoir called “My Grandfather’s Son,” which lays bare a remarkable life and the events that shaped it.

Watch the interview – you’ll be glad you did!

Thomas is an impressive gentleman, and the 60 Minutes interview makes that very clear. He is often belittled in legal circles because he is notorious for not asking any questions during oral argument, which some legal eagles see as evidence of a lesser intellect. Of course, that’s a dubious conclusion, but when the liberal elite gets an idea in their fertile minds, they tend to not have the adaptive skills to modify it.

Funny how liberal types tend to consider themselves very caring about the poor and underprivileged, but when a poor and underprivileged guy like Thomas becomes a success, they just can’t stand him.

Of course, they have no sincere affection for people in power who dare to disagree with them, or who have a different world view. It has nothing to do with being poor – if you sign on to their agenda, you’re ok. If you don’t, they belittle you at best and try to destroy you at worst.

I don’t really mind that so much. but I’d rather they were just honest about it. Reminds me of people you encounter in life who insist that they are independent and don’t care what anyone else thinks, but when they run into a genuine independent person who really doesn’t care what people think, they tend to hate him or her.

Fakes, phonies, & frauds, as Mr. Bob Grant would say!

By the way, radio host Laura Ingraham interviewed Clarence Thomas on her radio show this week. Check it out here in its entirety!Similar Posts:

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I got the word that Sheriff Harry Lee of Louisiana passed away earlier today, so I quickly decided to post this entry about one of my favorite figures across the fruited plain. I have been a longtime fan of Sheriff Harry Lee and his tough, no-nonsense, no-apologies style. The people of Louisiana were indeed very lucky to have him as the guardian the law!

Sheriff Lee is a great success story. He was born in the back room of a Chinese laundry in downtown New Orleans. During his childhood, he lived in a single room with his mother, father, two older sisters, two younger sisters and a younger brother.

The Lee family got out of the laundry business during World War II and opened a restaurant and bar, and young Harry would help out when not attending school.

While in grade school, he began his ascent to leadership position. He was elected president of his class and later president of the student body. In high school, he was the only person in the forty-year-history of Francis T. Nicholls High School to serve both as Senior Class President and Student Body President. When he graduated from high school, he received the American Legion Award as the outstanding male graduate.

Harry Lee pursued the hard sciences in college, earing a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Louisiana State University. There he also lettered in tennis and was designated an outstanding ROTC Cadet.

After graduating, Harry entered the Air Force and, as a Junior Officer in the Strategic Air Command was rated in the top two percent of Junior Officers in the entire Air Force.

Returning home from the service, Harry’s family opened the famous House of Lee Restaurant in 1959. Because of his ambition and leadership qualities, Harry was elected president of the New Orleans Chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association in 1964. His fellow restaurateurs credit his leadership for the peaceful integration of restaurants in New Orleans after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

While helping manage the family business, Harry attended law school and graduated with top grades, passing the tough Louisiana bar with it’s arcane Napoleonic Code. After just a few years of law practice, Harry was the first United States Magistrate to be sworn in for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1971. His leadership abilities were again recognized and he was elected President of the National Council of United States Magistrates in 1973.

When Harry Lee visited the People’s Republic of China as a member of the Boggs/Ford Delegation in 1972, it was determined he was the first American of Chinese Ancestry to be officially invited to the people’s Republic of China since 1959.

After resigning from the office of United States Magistrate, Harry was appointed as Parish Attorney for the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, and in 1979 was elected Sheriff of Jefferson Parish. Harry was re-elected in 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, and again in 1999.

Harry Lee was an accomplished lawman with a distinctive Louisiana drawl, and a popular figure in his region. A wonderful, tough gentleman. He shall be missed.

Source: Sheriff Harry LeeSimilar Posts:

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Similar Posts:

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NY Metro area newstalk radio icon Bob Grant returns to the airwaves this evening, at his old old haunting grounds WABC 770 radio.

I just tuned in via the magic of the internet and heard the opening theme and Bob re-enter the marketplace of ideas! I got goosebumps and was cheering!!! He will be broadcasting weeknights live at 8pm-10pm from the WABC studios in beautiful midtown Manhattan, over Madison Square Garden, where his radio colleagues Sean Hannity & Mark Levin also broadcast.

78 years young, tanned, rested and ready for more, here he is, Bob Gigante himself, the one, the only…Mr. Bob Grant!Similar Posts:

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Just got word that legendary NY Yankee player and longtime Yankee broadcaster Phil Rizzuto passed away today, at age 89.

Phil was a Yankee for life, and was part of the Yankees 1940s-1950s dynasty, being part of the squad that won five consercutive World Series. Phil was the 1950 AL MVP and a five-time All-Star.

I became a Yankee fan in 1975 so my memories of The Scooter are all from his broadcasting career, sitting next to Bill White on WPIX Channel 11 in NYC and enjoying his calls of Yankee baseball! Phil has shared the booth with Mel Allen, Bobby Mercer, Tom Seaver, and many others over the decades, but the White & Rizzuto combo set the standard!

Phil finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 1994, well overdue. I always felt the HoF was just using denying Rizzuto into the Hall as an opportunity to stick it to George Stienbrenner. In any event, The Veterans Committee did the right thing and placed Phil in The Hall of Fame!

I’ll never hear anyone say ‘Holy Cow’ again and not remember The Scooter! Thanks for the memories, Mr. Rizzuto!Similar Posts:

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The Savage Nation
Rap Music

Though it’s not well known, Newstalk radio personality Dr. Michael Savage is an accomplished rapper! Just take a peek below and enjoy five of his performances!

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Don Ho
RIP 1930-2007

I have always been a big fan of Don Ho. As much as I enjoyed his signature song, Tiny Bubbles, I admit i always preferred Pearly Shells. I understand that Pearly Shells is an authentic Hawaiian Island melody, but the lyrics don’t have much to do with the original island song!

Don Ho was born 1930 in the little Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako and is of Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, & German parentage. Don’s early days in entertainment began in a cocktail lounge called Honey’s, named after his mother. After a stint in the US Air Force, he returned to life back on the islands and assembled a band to draw in customers, and the rest is history!

Don Ho will live forever with his music! Thanks again for everything, Mr. Ho!Similar Posts:

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Fans at the West Hollywood ‘Laugh Factory’ were treated to an unexpected part of Michael Richard’s stand-up act.

After being badgered by several patrons who were heckling him, he exploded in a bigoted tirade that has to be seen to be believed. Yahoo News reports.

The tirade apparently began after two black audience members started shouting at him that he wasn’t funny.

Richards retorted: “Shut up! Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a f—— fork up your a–.”

He then paced across the stage taunting the men for interrupting his show, peppering his speech with racial slurs and profanities.

“You can talk, you can talk, you’re brave now mother——. Throw his a– out. He’s a n—–!” Richards shouts before repeating the racial epithet over and over again.

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I certainly am not an advocate for top Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson wearing clothes! In fact, the less clothes she wears, the better! But it was recently reported that she took an odd stand in regards to her doing nude scenes in her films.

MSNBC’s Gossip Columnist Jeannette Walls reports:

Scarlett Johansson was furious when she was told to wear a bra during a bed scene in “The Island,” according to the director of the flick. “Scarlett said, ‘I’m not wearing this bra. I’m going naked,’” Michael Bay told the London Mirror. “And I said, ‘Scarlett, you can’t go naked — this film is PG!’” Johansson explained, “They wanted me to wear a bra when I woke up. Nobody sleeps in bras — except maybe French women.”

I like Scarlett – she really brings a lot to the table as an actress, and in some other ways I can think of. I am still struggling to figure out what her larger point is, though! Whatever it is, I am certain I will agree with her!Similar Posts:

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Rocket Man was a hit song for pop star Elton John, written by John and his top songwriter, Bernie Taupin. It is based on Ray Bradbury’s short story, Rocket Man, featured in one his wonderful short story collections, The Illustrated Man.

In 1978, at the (first and last) Science Fiction Film Awards, broadcast on independent stations across the USA, Bernie Taupin personally introduced William Shatner’s “interpretation” of Rocket Man. Shatner’s rendition really has to be seen to be believed, and nothing I can say would possibly do it justice. Lets just say fasten your seatbelts, especially for the last 1/4 of the song!

I spent quite a few years looking for this on video, and a few years ago my old pal Andy gave it to me as a Christmas present. It has since become one of the jewels of my collection! Thanks, pal! In the time since then I have screened it (and dubbed it) for many friends and acquaintances, and none have been the same since.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN3MGN899yE

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