In Case You Missed It

Lets start July off with something interesting, well I think it is. Not much to write about and its late and I am tires so there.

Giant Predatory whale named for "Moby Dick" author.

New #1 on the NYTimes Bestseller List - Fiction for June 25th 2010

Debuting this week in the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestselling Hardcover fiction list is Fox News commentator Glenn Beck. His new novel is The Overton Window.
Previously he had been at the top of the fiction list during Christmas 2008 with The Christmas Sweater.

This is of course a fictional tale of the world dealing with the effects of the Overton Window.
click the link above for a more detailed explanation of the Overton Window.

Here is a brief overview of what that is:

The Overton window, in political theory, describes a "window" in the range of public reactions to ideas in public discourse, in a spectrum of all possible options on a particular issue. It is named after its originator, Joseph P. Overton (4 January 1960 - 30 June 2003), former vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Today

Sorry I havent posted much here lately. Most of my post have been over at my music blog Stax of Wax. I will try to get more stuff here but right now there isnt much to really post or talk about. It doesnt help that the heat makes me just want to sit in my chair and stare at the tv all night.
I have been reading a lot on my front porch after work. Still reading the new biography of Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. Very good book a good read for any baseball fan.

Hopefully have something tomorrow.
Goodnight Peeps!

Jimmie Johnson wins at Sonoma after Ambrose's late gaffe

Jimmie Johnson wins at Sonoma after Ambrose's late gaffe - Racing - SI.com

it wasnt a "gaffee" or a mistake, it was nascar deciding that Jimmie Johnson needed to win a race. They have become such a joke, no wonder people have quit watching in droves. As long as they keep pushing Johnson as the standard bearer they will continue to lose fans.

In Case You Missed It

More strangeness from the animal world, this time its Whale's and their waste.

This can't turn out good...and she has a website?!?

Blues Brothers get a good word from the Vatican....30 years later

North Carolina man claims to have seen Bigfoot like creature, up close!

Jersey Boys

This last Sunday I went with my girls to see the Jersey Boys national tour as it came to Indianapolis and the Murat Theater. This was my request last year for my birthday this year and it turned out to be a great gift. This was a tremendous show and the music of course was top notch.
If you arent aware this is a musical of the career of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Their start as the Four Lovers in Jersey to the biggest non British act on the American music scene of the 1960s and to the current day. Nothing was hidden it was all out there, the warts and all of being a rock n roll group touring the world in the 1960s. Broken marriages, broken heads from loan sharks to the break up and then the death of Frankie Valli's daughter at the age of 23.
Just a fantastic show and what a cast, I cant find any video of the guys we saw but the footage I have seen on Youtube pales in comparison. The four men playing the original Four Season were
Matt Bailey as Tommy Devito(guitar), Steve Gouveia as Nick Massi (the bass player), Ryan Jesse as Bob Gaudio (keyboard,songwriter) and this night it was John Michael Dias as Frankie Valli.
Mr Dias was such a great Frankie Vallie I cant see anyone else even coming close in look and sound, he had it all for this role.
The supporting cast was just tremendous also, I cant say enough about this show other than I would go see it again today if I had the money, its that good. I dont watch to many movies more than once but this musical is something special.
The biggest joy was seeing how much my teenage daughters enjoyed it and that they would love to see it again is a testament to what a great birthday present this was for me.

New #1 on the NYTimes Bestseller List - NonFiction for June 11th 2010

Moving into the top spot this week after being at #4 last week is "SH** My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern. Originally on twitter with things Justin's father would say about everything, it became an internet sensation.
This book will lead into the new fall television season when "Sh** My Dad Says" debuts on CBS with William Shatner as the "Dad" from the title.

Crazy Drummer

If you havent seen this yet, its worth watching. The drummer is so funny and awesome at the same time. Watch the whole video, he really ramps it up near the end.

Today in History June 5th 1968

Today in 1968 was a sad day for America, Robert F Kennedy, the hope for a country mired in Vietnam and looking for the shining days of John F Kennedy, saw their dreams dashed. Sirhan B Sirhan who was upset with RFK's pro Israel stance assassinated the former Attorney General and US Senator. RFK had just won the California primary and was rallying the people to Chicago and the 1968 Democratic Convention.
Sirhan Sirhan managed to get to Bobby Kennedy as he was leaving through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles California and fired all the bullets his gun one of which hit RFK in the back of the head near his right ear. He would be taken to Central Receiving Hospital near death, but later transfered to Good Samartian Hospital for surgery, where he would died just over 24 hours later from his wounds.
This event shaped the next decade as the democrats were now without their leader. LBJ had decided not to challenge the Kennedy machine in 1968 after years of animosity with RFK and the Kennedy clan who viewed him as a power hungry oaf who the unworthy heir to the Presidency after the death of JFK in 1963. Now with RFK dead and LBJ not running they saw a bleak outlook for the country's future. Vice President Hubert Humphrey stepped in and won the nomination for the Democrats and faced GOP nominee and former US VP Richard Nixon and Alabama Governor George Wallace (running as an independent). Richard Nixon would win the election but Humphrey showed strong in the northeast and kept it close but Wallace was able to do what no 3rd party candidate has done since and won an entire state in a Presidential Election. Wallace won Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisana and Arkansas which may have gone democrat if not for the strong campaign of Wallace.
The death of Robert Kennedy altered the future and the election of loss of 1968 ended over 30 years of the New Deal Coalition that had dominated politics since the days of FDR.

New #1 on the NYTimes Bestseller List - Fiction for June 4th 2010

This week debuting on the list in the #1 spot is the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson with his second #1 bestseller in "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest".

John Wooden 1910-2010

Yesterday the world lost not just a legendary coach but a great and humble man. Growing up in Indiana I knew about the Wizard of Westwood at an early age. I read all the books on basketball I could find at the library and read Sports Illustrated back issues about his UCLA teams. I read "They Call Me Coach" when I was 12 and John Wooden was already retired 4 years by then but just reading his words left a special place in my heart. We may never see another person like John Wooden and we know we will never see another coach to what he did in college basketball and that is a good thing because John Wooden should live on forever and his words should guide every generation to do better and be a better person.
The extensive obituary for Coach Wooden in the LA Times with a slideshow of his life and career.

Interesting Fact of the Day

I saw this today on Yahoo and thought I would share this little fact about this past TV season of 2009-2010.

While American Idol's ratings have dropped this season, it still finished the season as the #1 series on television, according to the A.C. Nielsen ratings.
This was the sixth year in a row it has finished #1. It's the first series in TV history to rank #1 for the season six times (consecutively or not). All In The Family and The Cosby Show were each #1 for five straight seasons. Keep this in mind the next time you read a story pointing out Idol's ratings slippage. It's inevitable for an aging series. The bigger story is that the show has stayed on top this long.