Saturday, November 27, 2010

Album Spotlight

Today in 1965 Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album charts with the classic Whipped Cream and Other Delights.
The album would stay at #1 for 6 consecutive weeks to end 1965, but would come back for 2 more weeks in February of 1966.

The biggest hit from the LP was "A Taste of Honey", it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won awards for
Best Pop Instrumental Performance, Best Engineered Recording-Non Classical and Record of the Year for 1965 at the 8th annual Grammy Awards in 1966.

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Trailer Park (Bestseller Edition)

Arriving in theaters in March 2011 is the film adaptation of the Michael Connelly #1 best seller "The Lincoln Lawyer".

The novel spent a week in the top spot of the New York Times Best Seller list in 2005.
The movie stars Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei

Sunday, November 21, 2010

This Week in Music History (UK Edition)


Here are the songs that topped the the UK singles charts this week over the last 45 Years.


45 Years ago:


40 Years ago:


35 Years ago:


30 Years ago:


25 Years ago:


20 Years ago: After the success of the movie "Ghost" this was a hit again in 1990

15 Years ago:


10 Years ago:


5 Years ago:

Saturday, November 20, 2010

New #1 on the NYTimes Bestseller List - Fiction for November 21st 2010


The New York Times Bestseller list for Saturday November 21st is released today and here is the Top 10

10 - Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk - David Sedaris (6th week)
The humorist looks at human nature through stories with animals as characters.

9 - In The Company of Others - Jan Karon (3rd week)
In Ireland, the Episcopal priest Tim Kavanagh finds an old journal that could solve a crime.

8 - Fall of Giants - Ken Follett (6 weeks)
Five interrelated families from five countries are caught in the upheavals of World War I and the Russian Revolution

7 - Worth Dying For - Lee Child (3 weeks)
Jack Reacher can’t let go of a decades-old case of a missing child.

6 - Moonlight Mile - Dennis Lehane (Debut)
The private detective Patrick Kenzie searches for a runaway teenager who has never forgiven him for returning her to her neglectful mother years earlier

5 - American Assassin - Vince Flynn (4 weeks)
In the wake of the Lockerbie bombing, Mitch Rapp takes on his first antiterrorist assignment.

4 - The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - Steig Larsson (24 weeks)
The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.


3 - Indulgence in Death - J.D. Robb (Debut)
Lt. Eve Dallas tangles with what she fears is a thrill killer; by Nora Roberts, writing pseudonymously.

2 - The Confession - John Grisham (2 weeks)
A man who committed a despicable crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth


1 - Towers of Midnight (Debut)
Book 13 of the Wheel of Time fantasy series.


Saturday, November 13, 2010

Bob Gibson Wins NL MVP Award


Today in 1968 Bob Gibson, Hall of Fame pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals, was named the National League MVP of the 1968 season. He just beat out Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds.

Here is a clip of Game 1 of the 1968 World Series between the Cardinals and the American League Champion Detroit Tigers. Bob Gibson set a new record for strikeouts in a World Series game with 17 in this game.

A couple of thoughts on this video, first its the announcers Curt Gowdy and Harry Caray, 2 legendary voices together and Harry was the regular announcer for Cardinals games along with Jack Buck and its just great to hear how excited Harry was for Gibson to set the record.

Second, as the camera scans the crowd during ovations for Gibson I noticed almost all of the men had on dress shirts and ties and the women present were in dresses and it was all so very classy looking and truly a bygone era in sports.

Lastly, during the ovations for Gibson setting the record you could almost see the annoyance in Gibsons face as he wanted the crowd to settle so he could finish the game, not one for pomp and adulation he had a job to do and wanted to get it done.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

New #1 on the NYTimes Bestseller List - Fiction and Non Fiction

The new #1 books on the NY Times Book Review Best seller list this week:

Fiction:
The Confession - John Grisham
A man who committed a despicable crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth.



Non Fiction:
Life - Keith Richards
The Rolling Stones guitarist’s revealing autobiography is also a portrait of the era when rock ’n’ roll came of age, with the music itself as the book’s core.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

The Jack Benny Show

Here is an episode of The Jack Benny Show and its an episode that was taken from one of his radio episodes.
I cannot tell you how much I love watching Jack and the Gang.



Friday, November 5, 2010

USA Today Bestsellers

Here are the Top 5 Bestselling books according to the USA Today (fiction and nonfiction combined) for the week of November 3rd 2010:


5 - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson


4 - The Last Hero - Rick Riordan


3 - Life - Keith Richards


2 - Broke - Glenn Beck


1 - The Confession - John Grisham

Crazy Guggenheim


Just finished listening to a Jack Benny radio show and Jack gave a bum named John Silvoney played by Frank Fontaine a fifty cent piece for coffee. Well needless to say this was the character of Crazy Guggenheim before we new about him on Jackie Gleason's show. He could crack Jack up to the point he could hardly read his lines. He was such a hit with everyone that he made several more appearances on Jack's radio show. I wish I could find a way to embed the episode so you all could hear it.
Here is a clip (blooper) of Crazy Guggenheim and Jackie Gleason. Great comedy, great performers.