So, there’s this website called Dabbled. Dabbled is maintained by an artist that calls herself “Dot.” Currently, Dot is running the “The second annual Dabbled Black Heart Anti-Valentines Day Contest “. You can read all about it here, but the basic deal is to create something (illustration, craft, etc) that conveys the opposite of Valentines …
“Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night/Now they blew up his house too”. “Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen Angelo Bruno headed the Philadelphia branch of the Gambino Family-sanctioned operations for two decades. Bruno’s leadership of the family was regarded as successful. He avoided the intense media and law enforcement scrutiny …
For my first post of 2009, I’ll relate an interesting story that I recently came across. As I write this, incumbent Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken are battling for the lead in a heated race for a US senator from Minnesota. A tedious recount has taken place since November 2008 and a winner has …
1930s radio comedian Harry Einstein changed his name to Harry Parke. But, he was most famous as “Parkyakarkus”, a name taken from a line in his act. When he asked you to sit down, hed say park yer carcass! He became known by his character name rather than his stage name. He was a featured performer …
Mary Kay Bergman’s idols were Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner, Tracey Ullman and Lucille Ball. She wanted to be like those funny women. Mary Kay became a voice actress. At different times, she provided the voice for Daphne on “Scooby-Doo”, Timmy on “The Fairly Odd-Parents“, Ariel’s sister in “The Little Mermaid” cartoon series and the modern …
Chung Ling Soo was the stage name of American magician William Robinson. He changed his name to Chung Ling Soo to add an air of foreign mysticism to his act. The name was a variation of a real Chinese magician’s name – Ching Ling Foo – and he performed many of the tricks that Foo had …
Kirsty MacColl couldn’t get a break. She wrote great, heartfelt songs that were humorous, biting, and, at times, achingly sad. She had a lovely voice tinged with a slightly smoky British accent. But, major success somehow eluded her. After a brief stint as a singer in a punk band, Stiff Records signed Kirsty to a contract. …
Joe Meek was a pioneering record producer and songwriter acknowledged as one of the world’s first and most imaginative independent producers. His service in the Royal Air Force as a radar operator spurred a life-long interest in electronics and outer space. His most famous work was The Tornados’ 1962 hit “Telstar”, which became the first …
Spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout while acting in a local Pasadena play, 27 year-old Byron Barr was off to Hollywood. After two years of bit parts, he starred opposite Barbara Stanwyck and Geraldine Fitzgerald in The Gay Sisters in 1942. He played a character named “Gig Young”. He and the studio liked the …
When Herbert Khaury was five, his father brought a gramophone to their small New York City apartment. Young Herbert immersed himself in the music of the past. He would spend hours in his room listening to artists like Rudy Vallee, Al Jolson, and Bing Crosby. He began singing and playing the ukulele in his naturally …
