Although we lost our past archives moving to our present web host Blogger.com this past September; long time readers of The Free Choice e-zine know that at the close of each year, we take a brief look back to remember once more those we have lost within the past year.
The men and women of the world’s armed forces and emergency response services who gave up their lives to protect others.
Our friends, family, and loved ones whose presence are sorely missed.
And amongst the more notable names are Edmund Hillary: the first mountain climber officially recognized for reaching the top of Mount Everest in 1953.
Actors Don S. Davis (Stargate: SG-1), Ivan Dixon, Charlton Heston, Van Johnson, Heath Ledger , Paul Newman, Roy Schieder, Paul Scofield, and Richard Widmark.
Actor/director/producers Mel Ferrer and Sydney Pollack.
Actresses Estelle Getty (The Golden Girls), Beverly Garland, Evelyn Keyes, Anita Page, Suzanne Pleshette (The Bob Newhart Show), and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who needs no introduction to Star Trek fans.
Actress/dancer Cyd Charisse.
Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist accredited for discovering the drug commonly known as LSD.
Famed pin-up model Bettie Page and artist Dave Stevens, who helped revive her popularity within his creation The Rocketeer.
Animator Bill Melendez, who oversaw all the Peanuts animated productions.
Artists Michael Turner (Witchblade, Fathom) and Edd Cartier, who painted a lot of magazine covers, amongst other things. For examples of his work, just look at the reprints of The Shadow and Doc Savage from Nostalgia Press.
Author and commentator William F. Buckley, Junior.
Authors Robert Asprin (of the Myth Adventures), Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Crichton, and Studs Turkel.
Betty James of Slinky toy fame.
Cabaret star and actress Eartha Kitt, a class act.
Chess masters Karen Asrian and Bobby Fischer.
Classic Disney animator Ollie Johnson, the last of the original “Nine Old Men”.
Comedian, author, and actor George Carlin.
Comedian/actors Harvey Korman, Dick Martin, and Bernie Mac.
Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
Forest J. Ackerman, the man who, among other things, is accredited with coining the term “sci-fi”, short for science fiction.
Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons.
Irvine Robbins, the co-founder of Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream.
Jerry Wexler, the music journalist who coined the term “rhythm and blues”.
Johnny Podres, Major League Baseball’s first World Series Most Valuable Player.
Journalist Tim Russert.
Larry Harmon, not the original, but perhaps the most famous Bozo the Clown.
Maila Numri, known to her fans as Vampira.
Medical pioneer Michael DeBakey and Doctor Adrian Kantrowitz, who actually performed the first human heart transplant in the United States.
Musicians Eddy Arnold, Bo Diddley, Johnny Griffin, Isaac Hayes, Jerry Reed, Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops, and founding Pink Floyd member Richard Wright.
Politician Jesse Helms.
Richard Knerr, the co-founder of Wham-O Toys, responsible for the hula hoop, the Frisbee, and a lot of other fun stuff.
Special effects and make up artist Stan Winston.
Sportscaster Jim McKay.
The multi-talented Odetta.
Voice actor Don LaFontaine, mostly known as the narrator for a lot of movie promos.
And last, but certainly not least since this list tried to be alphabetical...
W. Mark Felt, the former Watergate informant known as “Deep Throat”.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: DECEMBER 28th, 2008
While some are still in the holiday spirit, let's take a look at some Christmas novelty songs.
Of course the most notable of these Christmas melodies is The Chipmunk Song: Please Christmas Don't Be Late by Alvin and the Chipmunks. Originally recorded in 1958, David Seville (the stage name of Ross Bagdasarian, Senior) reused the technique of speeding up his own vocals, which created the voice of the title character in his earlier hit Witch Doctor; to bring to life three cute characters who have gone on to achieve a fame all their own. The recent stars of a 2007 movie, the trio are scheduled to return to the big screen next winter in Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakel.
But running it a very close second is You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch. The tune, whose verses were heard during the 1966 Christmas special How The Grinch Stole Christmas, was sang by an unaccredited at the time voice actor named Thurl Ravenscroft, who among other roles was the original voice of Tony the Tiger.
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, a child's plea for an obvious Christmas present, was first recorded by Spike Jones and His City Slickers in 1948, although artists as diverse as Nat King Cole and George Strait have recorded their own versions since then.
Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, in character as Bob and Doug McKenzie of Second City Television fame, did their own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas in 1982; while Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong's Santa Claus and His Old Lady routine from 1971 is an annual tradition on some radio stations.
But while there are way too many to Christmas novelty songs to name in this "short" column, in my humble opinion, perhaps the funniest is I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas. Recorded by Gayla Peevey in 1953 when she was 10 years old, it was a local favorite in her native Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. But as the urban legend goes, when the song eventually went on to a national audience, some thought it was recorded as a fund raiser for the local city zoo and somehow, somewhere along the way, someone got the bright idea to actually present Peevey with a real hippopotamus for Christmas the following year, which she in turn donated to the Oklahoma City zoo. Matilda the Hippo went on to entertain children and adults alike for fifty years until she passed away from natural causes.
Of course the most notable of these Christmas melodies is The Chipmunk Song: Please Christmas Don't Be Late by Alvin and the Chipmunks. Originally recorded in 1958, David Seville (the stage name of Ross Bagdasarian, Senior) reused the technique of speeding up his own vocals, which created the voice of the title character in his earlier hit Witch Doctor; to bring to life three cute characters who have gone on to achieve a fame all their own. The recent stars of a 2007 movie, the trio are scheduled to return to the big screen next winter in Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakel.
But running it a very close second is You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch. The tune, whose verses were heard during the 1966 Christmas special How The Grinch Stole Christmas, was sang by an unaccredited at the time voice actor named Thurl Ravenscroft, who among other roles was the original voice of Tony the Tiger.
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, a child's plea for an obvious Christmas present, was first recorded by Spike Jones and His City Slickers in 1948, although artists as diverse as Nat King Cole and George Strait have recorded their own versions since then.
Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, in character as Bob and Doug McKenzie of Second City Television fame, did their own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas in 1982; while Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong's Santa Claus and His Old Lady routine from 1971 is an annual tradition on some radio stations.
But while there are way too many to Christmas novelty songs to name in this "short" column, in my humble opinion, perhaps the funniest is I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas. Recorded by Gayla Peevey in 1953 when she was 10 years old, it was a local favorite in her native Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. But as the urban legend goes, when the song eventually went on to a national audience, some thought it was recorded as a fund raiser for the local city zoo and somehow, somewhere along the way, someone got the bright idea to actually present Peevey with a real hippopotamus for Christmas the following year, which she in turn donated to the Oklahoma City zoo. Matilda the Hippo went on to entertain children and adults alike for fifty years until she passed away from natural causes.
The person behind Ms. Waxy Dragon and other Internet avatars wanted the
weekend off to be with their family. The Sunday Funnies will resume next weekend
to kick off 2009.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
THE PUZZLE CORNER: DECEMBER 27th, 2008
It's the last weekend of 2008.
So for our fun this Saturday, The Puzzle Corner features a quiz about the past year in chronological order.
How well were you paying attention?
JANUARY
01. What is the name of the space probe NASA launched that should land on Mercury in 2011?
FEBRUARY
02. When Fidel Castro resigned his position due to health problems, who became President of Cuba?
MAY
03. What is the name of the latest space probe that landed on Mars?
04. What did it find there?
JUNE
05. When Bill Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft, what did he plan to do next?
AUGUST
06. Who hosted the Summer Olympics?
07. What individual athlete won the most gold medals?
08. Whose record did the answer to the previous question beat?
SEPTEMBER
09. What event did the answer to question 6 host next?
NOVEMBER
10. We all know who won the 2008 Presidential election in the United States. But which side had their slate of candidates ready first?
The results will appear in the first week of 2009.
Meanwhile, here are the answers from last week when we asked what artist(s) sang each of the following famous Christmas carols first.
01. Frosty the Snowman was first sung by Gene Autry in a 1950 recording.
02. Judy Garland was the first to sing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas during the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In Saint Louis.
03. Here Comes Santa Claus was first sung by its co-writer Gene Autry in 1947, although the radio version is actually of a later recording.
04. The Jingle Bell Rock was first performed by Bobby Helms in 1957.
05. Vaughn Monroe first pleaded Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow in 1946.
06. Believe it or not, there are two possible answers for this one!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first shined in 1948 when Harry Brannon sang it live on various New York City radio programs, but Gene Autry was the first to actually record the song the following year.
07. Eartha Kitt first purred Santa Baby in 1953.
08. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is actually the oldest song on our list. Eddie Cantor was the first to sing it in a 1934 recording, although I personally like the rendition by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
09. Silver Bells was first performed in the 1951 Paramount Picture The Lemon Drop Kid by its star Bob Hope, who continued to perform it on every TV Christmas special he did until his passing.
AND FINALLY...
10. The two versions of Sleigh Ride.
The Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler performed the first instrumental version of this tune in 1949, although the popular radio version is actually of one of their later performances.
Meanwhile, the Andrews Sisters were the first to sing the lyrics to the song in a 1950 recording.
See you in 2009!
So for our fun this Saturday, The Puzzle Corner features a quiz about the past year in chronological order.
How well were you paying attention?
JANUARY
01. What is the name of the space probe NASA launched that should land on Mercury in 2011?
FEBRUARY
02. When Fidel Castro resigned his position due to health problems, who became President of Cuba?
MAY
03. What is the name of the latest space probe that landed on Mars?
04. What did it find there?
JUNE
05. When Bill Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft, what did he plan to do next?
AUGUST
06. Who hosted the Summer Olympics?
07. What individual athlete won the most gold medals?
08. Whose record did the answer to the previous question beat?
SEPTEMBER
09. What event did the answer to question 6 host next?
NOVEMBER
10. We all know who won the 2008 Presidential election in the United States. But which side had their slate of candidates ready first?
The results will appear in the first week of 2009.
Meanwhile, here are the answers from last week when we asked what artist(s) sang each of the following famous Christmas carols first.
01. Frosty the Snowman was first sung by Gene Autry in a 1950 recording.
02. Judy Garland was the first to sing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas during the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In Saint Louis.
03. Here Comes Santa Claus was first sung by its co-writer Gene Autry in 1947, although the radio version is actually of a later recording.
04. The Jingle Bell Rock was first performed by Bobby Helms in 1957.
05. Vaughn Monroe first pleaded Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow in 1946.
06. Believe it or not, there are two possible answers for this one!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first shined in 1948 when Harry Brannon sang it live on various New York City radio programs, but Gene Autry was the first to actually record the song the following year.
07. Eartha Kitt first purred Santa Baby in 1953.
08. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is actually the oldest song on our list. Eddie Cantor was the first to sing it in a 1934 recording, although I personally like the rendition by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
09. Silver Bells was first performed in the 1951 Paramount Picture The Lemon Drop Kid by its star Bob Hope, who continued to perform it on every TV Christmas special he did until his passing.
AND FINALLY...
10. The two versions of Sleigh Ride.
The Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler performed the first instrumental version of this tune in 1949, although the popular radio version is actually of one of their later performances.
Meanwhile, the Andrews Sisters were the first to sing the lyrics to the song in a 1950 recording.
See you in 2009!
Friday, December 26, 2008
HAPPY KWANZAA!
For those of our readership who acknowledge the seven principles of life between today and January 1st, HAPPY KWANZAA.
CHRISTMAS REDUX
Although it has never had a nickname like "Black Friday" or "Cyber Monday", December 26th is when retailers keep their fingers crossed and hope things go well.
This is the dreaded return day, when people hope to exchange that ill-fitting sweater or inappropriate Christmas gift for something better. Meanwhile, other consumers hope to find something special to use whatever gift cards/certificates they might have acquired over the holiday upon.
And of course everyone hopes to find bargains amongst all the prices retailers slashed in hopes of selling the merchandise that did not sell before December 25th.
But while the sales normally would outweigh the returns, this year is different with the current economic situation leading consumers to not spend nearly as much as retailers hoped.
Yet only time will tell whether or not all the checks and minuses balance out for any business to report a profit for the final quarter of 2008, let alone how the results will affect the spring of 2009.
This is the dreaded return day, when people hope to exchange that ill-fitting sweater or inappropriate Christmas gift for something better. Meanwhile, other consumers hope to find something special to use whatever gift cards/certificates they might have acquired over the holiday upon.
And of course everyone hopes to find bargains amongst all the prices retailers slashed in hopes of selling the merchandise that did not sell before December 25th.
But while the sales normally would outweigh the returns, this year is different with the current economic situation leading consumers to not spend nearly as much as retailers hoped.
Yet only time will tell whether or not all the checks and minuses balance out for any business to report a profit for the final quarter of 2008, let alone how the results will affect the spring of 2009.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
To our readership that celebrate a special birth that occurred lo these many years ago.
Peace.
Peace.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
A FRIENDLY REMINDER
Even if the world was not facing the economic troubles it is at the moment, please remember:
It is not the actual gift or the amount that you spend upon someone.
The most important thing you can give those you care about at Christmas, or any other time of year, is your love. YY
It is not the actual gift or the amount that you spend upon someone.
The most important thing you can give those you care about at Christmas, or any other time of year, is your love. YY
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