Billboard Country Singles Top 50 01/08/1983

NY Times Non Fiction Bestsellers July 28th 2012

The Top Ten bestselling non fiction books on the NY Times Bestseller list for the week ending:

July 28th 2012

10 - Yes, Chef - Marcus Samuelsson  (3 weeks on list)

9  -  Mick - Christopher Andersen  (Debut)
The rock n roll life of Mick Jagger

8 -  The President's Club - Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy  (11)
7 -  The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg  (18)
6 -  Cowards - Glenn Beck  (5)
5 -  Killing Lincoln -  Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard  (42)
4 -  The Amatuer - Edward Klein   (9)

3 -  The Dream Team - Jack McCallum  (Debut)
The 1992 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team

2 -  Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand  (87)

1 -  Wild - Cheryl Strayed   (13)
(2nd consecutive week at #1)
A woman's account of a life-changing 1,100 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail

New York Times Bestseller List - Fiction July 28th 2012

The Top 10 novels on the NY Times bestseller list for fiction. 

For the week ending July 28th 2012

10 - Night Watch - Linda Fairstein (Debut)
The prosecutor Alexandra Cooper becomes involved when a wealthy man assaults a maid in a Manhattan hotel

9 - Prisoner of Heaven - Carlos Ruiz Zafon  (Debut)
In 1950s Barcelona, two friends pursue a secret from the early days of Franco's dictatorship.

8 - A Dance With Dragons - George R.R. Martin  (49 weeks on list)

7 - The Great Escape - Susan Elizabeth Phillps  (Debut)
A young woman runs out on her wedding in search of herself and a new man.

6  -  Wicked Business - Janet Evanovich  (4 weeks)

5  -  The Next Best Thing - Jennifer Weiner  (2 weeks)
A young woman who moves to Hollywood to make it in television finds success, but her life remains complicated.

4  -  Backfire - Catherine Coulter  (Debut)
The F.B.I. Agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock investigate the murder of a judge.

3  -  Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn  (6 weeks)
(last week's #1)

2  -  I, Michael Bennett - James Patterson  (Debut)
A New York detective takes refuge with his 10 children in upstate New York.

1  -  Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness
(Debut)
An Oxford scholar/witch and a vampire geneticist pursue history, secrets and each other in Elizabethan London.

Flashback - Billboard Top Albums January 22, 1977 Top 50

Classic Television - Bonanza

Episode 9 Season 9 - The Sure Thing

Aired November 12th 1967

(excellent video quality)

Flashback - Billboard Top 10 Songs of the Summer of 2011

(7.19.2012) Billboard Korea K-POP Hot100 Top50

And now for something completely different. The Top 50 songs on Billboard's Korean Chart

New York Times Bestseller List Fiction July 15th 2012

The Top Ten Novels on the NY Times Bestseller list for the week 

July 15th 2012

10 - The Third Gate - Lincoln Child  (3 weeks on list)
9  -  Canada - Richard Ford   (6 weeks)
8  -  A Dance With Dragons - George R.R. Martin   (47 weeks)
7  -  Calico Joe - John Grisham   (12 weeks)
6  -  The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker
(Debut)
A Girl comes of age as an apocalypse caused by a slowing of the earth's rotation looms

5  -  A Mission To Paris - Alan Furst    (3 weeks)
4  -  Summerland - Elin Hilderbrand
(Debut)
The Aftereffects of a deadly automobile crash in Nantucket

3  - Bloodline - James Rollins
(Debut)
A deadly mission in the African jungle and a clinic bombing in South Carolina both reveal a dangerous conspiracy;  a Sigma Force Novel

2  -  Wicken Business - Janet Evanovich   (2 weeks)
(Last week's #1)

1  -  Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
(4 weeks)
A woman disappears on the day of her fifth anniversary; is her husband a killer?

Happy Birthday Buck!

Today is the birthday of my friend and podcaster elite Buck Benny!  Lets all head over to his site, Buck Benny Podcast,, and follow his podcast and send a little donation his way to make it a great birthday.

Today I would like to highlight a new favorite of mine that Buck helped me get hooked on...Suspense!

I had been listening to Suspense since my friend Rick recommended it but I just wasn't all that into it, but then Buck started posted episodes and giving a little podcast for them now and again and lo and behold now I am addicted to them have been downloading and listening to them every day.   So thanks to Rick and Buck for getting me hooked on Suspense.

Here from the Ray Bradbury life celebration is the Suspense episode from November 25th 1948,
The Screaming Woman



 Here is the version from Ray Bradbury Theater aired February 22nd 1986 (Episode 5)

Billboard Hot 100 - Top 50 Singles for the Week Ending 7/14/2012

New York Times Bestseller List - NonFiction July 8th 2012

Here are the Top Ten books on the NY Times Non-Fiction bestseller list for the week ending 

July 8th 2012

10 - American Son - Marco Rubio  (Debut)
9  -  Unintended Consequences - Edward Conrad  (2 weeks on list)
8  -  Barack Obama - David Maraniss  (Debut)
7  -  It Worked For Me - Colin Powell   (5 weeks)
6  -  Great Destroyer - David Limbaugh   (3 weeks)
5  -  Killing Lincoln - Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard  (39 weeks)
4  -  Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand   (84 weeks)
3  -  Wild - Cheryl Strayed   (10 weeks)
2  -  Cowards - Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe   (2 weeks)
1  -  Amateur - Edward Klein  (6 weeks)
(6 consecutive weeks at #1)

New York Times Bestseller List - Fiction July 8th 2012

Here are the Top Ten novels on the NY Times Bestseller list for Fiction for the week ending

July 8th 2012

10 - Porch Lights - Dorothea Benton   (2 weeks on list)
9  -  The Third Gate - Lincoln Child   (2 weeks)
8  -  The Storm - Clive Cussler and Graham Brown  (4 weeks)
7  -  The Innocent - David Baldacci  (10 weeks)
6  -  A Dance With Dragons - George R.R. Martin   (46 weeks)
5  -  Canada - Richard Ford   (5 weeks)
4  -  The Mission to Paris - Alan Furst  (2 weeks)
3  -  Calico Joe - John Grisham  (11 weeks)
2  -  Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn   (3 weeks)
1  -  Wicked Business - Janet Evanovich
(DEBUT)
The Salem, Mass., pastry Chef Lizzy Tucker and her partner Diesel, take up a murdered Harvard professor's quest for a powerful ancient relic

Gunsmoke on the Radio

Season 1,

July 5th 1952 and the episode is "Never Pester Chester".

When I first heard this episode a few years ago it really set up the friendship between Marshall Matt Dillon and Chester Proudfoot...this was a serious show but this type of friendship was revisited on television in the Andy Griffith Show.  The friendship of Andy and Barney is done in  comedic style but this episode of Gunsmoke from the radio version really shows us how deep the feeling run for Marshall Dillon towards Chester and Andy feels just the same about his deputy.

A special bonus to this weeks podcast is the mention of this little ol blog.  I can't tell you how thrilled I am to hear about something I put together just for me and my friends and has become such a popular place for the OTR fans and fans of Buck Benny.  I can't thank Buck enough for his emails and his patience to answer my questions  about OTR and Jack Benny especially.  Buck is a great guy and friend and I love to email with him and talk about Jack Benny, Gunsmoke, Phil Harris, Suspense, X Minus One, Great Gildersleeve, etc.,  He puts it all out there in a chronological order (which for me is the only way to listen!) so you have and idea of how these shows all sounded in context with each other and the year of broadcast.

America's Top 10 July 20, 1991 Tommy Puett Casey Kasem

Well here is where America's Top Ten "jumped the shark" when Tommy Puett took over for Casey as he he did not renew his contract. Not a very good time for music in my opinion.

Top of the Pops - July 4th 1976

Here are the Top 5 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 for the Bicentennial celebration in 1976

5 - Better Shop  Around - Captain and Tennille
(peaked at #4)



4 - Sara Smile - Hall and Oates
(peaked at #4)


3 - Misty Blue - Dorothy Moore
(peaked at #3, #2 on the Soul chart and #5 on the UK Chart)



2 - Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band
(#1 for 2 consecutive weeks in July)




1 - Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney and Wings
(5 non consecutive weeks at #1, spent 1 week in May and then 4 consecutive in June and July)

Andy Griffith 1926-2012

Today July 3rd we saw the passing of another television and american icon,

 Andy Griffith. 

                                                           (NY Times Story here)

Its been a rough year as we also lost James Arness, Marshall Matt Dillon and with Mr. Griffith were the backbone of CBS television in the 1960s.

Andy Griffith taught a lot boys about life and how to be a good dad without being mean.  There are life lessons in every episode of the Andy Griffith Show.  He showed how to be a good friend and treat everyone with respect and dignity in everything we do.   He will be missed but thankfully we have decades of his tremendous work to show coming generations.

Of course I LOVE the Andy Griffith Show but I can remember my dad playing the "What it Was, Was Football" for me and that had me hooked on Andy and that led me to watching his show every chance I got.


Then in the mid 80s with cable coming into our home I discovered, thanks to WTBS, the movie "No Time for Sergeants" and I laughed like a nut the whole movie.




All in all Andy Griffith has been a big influence in my life and I knew I could always put in a tape and later DVD of any black and white episode with my friends and we could all enjoy the fun.
I have had the pleasure of introducing my girls to his show and they can almost recite it just as much as I can and that makes me proud as a peacock!