This is Tom Jones on DVD

Earlier on this site I mentioned Tom Jones Variety series called This is Tom Jones. It was hit show where he had guest ranging from Peter Sellers to Herman’s Hermits to Edward G. Robinson. It was quite a popular show in the early 1970's and now Time Life has it available on DVD. You can get to their site to look it up if you click on the button below. It will be available in late may but you can preorder it now.

For God So Loved

Over time I have gotten e-mails from things I subscribe to and e-mails from family and friends that were to be uplifiting and to teach me things. I have put some on this pop culture blog On My Mind and may still put some there but now I will put some on at For God So Loved.
Stop by once in awhile and check out on or around Easter Sunday. I hope to have an original story on that site for Easter.

Metal Men movie

Everyone is talking about the possible Metal Men movie. Well we all know how this works. Get word of mouth going on the project before you sign a cast so it seems like there is interest and big stars will want to sign on for the film. Will there be a movie? I doubt it but I would be interested in seeing it if it does come out. Actually I would like to see a Metal Men cartoon series. I have always thought they were taylormade for the cartoons. Maybe Cartoon Network will do one if the movie is a hit.

I wonder what stars would sign on to have their faces hidden under the metal? As far as who will play Doc Magnus I would like to suggest Kurt Russell. Anyway that is my 2 cents on the subject.

This Day in Music History: The Beatles and Can't Buy Me Love (43rd record setting anniversary)

When you of great Beatles songs you think of "Something", "Yesterday", "In My Life" or "The Long and Winding Road." However, there is another song that deserves to be mentioned on the list of great Beatles songs. That song is "Can't Buy Me Love." What is so great about this song? Isn't it just a nice little pop tune? Actually, it has one big thing that would make it added to the list of great Beatle songs. It was #1 on this day in music history, April 4, 1964 when the Beatles set a record that has never been broken. That week the Beatles estabilished the biggest domination of the top 5 in the history of the Billboard charts. What helped this happen was when Capitol records made the Beatles a hit in America other smaller labels, like Swan and Tollie, who held the American rights to their other songs jumped on the band wagon by releasing them. So the top 5 this week was held by the songs as follows.
1. Can't Buy Me Love
2. Twist and Shout
3. She Loves You
4. I Want to Hold Your Hand
5. Please Please Me

It also helped the Beatles set other records. One was the greatest monolopy of the top 100. By April 11 they had 13 songs in the top 100. Can't Buy Me Love also achieved the biggest leap to number 1. It debuted at #27 and the next week it was #1. The song helped the Beatles achieve the most consecutive number one singles. Ath the time the record was held by Elvis with 2 consecutive #1's but the Beatles had 3 with IWant to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, and then Can't Buy Me Love. With all this the last record it set should come as no surprise being largest advance sales. The song was not available on any album at that time. Capitol records only released it as a single. So the sales # of 2,100,000 should not have surprised anyone. With all it achievedfor the Beatles it should be considered their greatest song of all.

Lose Weight with help from Ayds!

Yes this diet candy was sold for years to help people lose weight. It sold very well but once the Aids virus start this product was doomed. I think they stoped making this product then. Perhaps they just changed the name.

Johnny "Double No-Hit"

Today is Opening Day for the baseball season. My favorites and my home town team, the Cincinnati Reds, have always been the team to open the season by playing the first game of the season. In past years other teams have tried to sneak in the day before or even a few hours of minutes before to claim that they played the opening game that year. Those teams need to get back to the real world. No matter what the baseball season doesn’t start till the Cincinnati Reds play their first game. It is a long standing tradition. Today I want to tell you about an old Cincinnati Reds pitcher. His name was Johnny Vander Meer. Vander Meer was from Midland Park, New Jersey. Most people there were Brooklyn Dodger fans. On June 15, 1938 some of them for a brief time became Cincinnati Reds fans. Five days earlier Vander Meer had beaten Boston, then known as the Boston Bees 3-0. He was a rookie and pitched a no-hitter. His second game was against the Brooklyn Dodgers. History was about to be made. A crowd of over 500 people were there that night and it included Johnny’s parents. The game was going well for Vander Meer and by the fourth inning the Reds were leading 4-0. By the 6th inning no Dodger had gotten farther then 2nd Base. Even faithful Dodger fans were starting to root for the Reds and the rookie pitcher as he was on the verge of pitching a second no-hitter in a row. That would be a feat that no one had ever done up to that time. During the 7th inning he walked the first two batters and the fans switched back to the Dodgers. Johnny worked his way out of the situation.
In the 8th inning he struck out Woody English. The second batter grounded out. Then the third batter was struck out. When the 9th inning of the game came and Johnny walked out to the mound the crowd gave him an ovation. Vander Meer and the crowd was starting to feel the tension. Every pitch created a sense of excitement in the air. The first batter hit the ball up the first base line. Johnny fielded it himself and tagged the runner out. Babe Phelps the catcher was up at bat. A record was on the line and the young Cincinnati pitcher walked him but Phelps was a slow runner and was taken out for a pinch runner. Despite his best efforts Vander Meer could not get the ball over the plate and walked the next two batters. Now the bases were loaded. The fans were on the edge of their seats and despite the late hour all the fans stayed to see if history would be made as they hoped. Everyone hoped except the Dodgers themselves. Dodger center fielder Ernie Koy hit a grounder up the 3rd base line. It could have been a double play to end the game but the 3rd baseman was cautious and threw slowly to home plate to get the out but by that time Koy was on first base.

Shortstop Leo Durocher he was considered a weak hitter but would come through under pressure. The crowd leapt to its feet when he hit the first pitch like a shot down the first base line. However, it curved foul and went into the stands.
Durocher stepped back to the plate. Johnny let loose with a fast ball and Durocher hit it to center field. Reds outfielder Harry Craft was there and caught the ball to end the game. Vander Meer had put the Dodgers away with a score of 6-0. When he completed this incredible feat he earned a nickname as Johnny “Double No-Hit.”

I found this to be a very interesting story. The first time I read it was in the book “Strange But True Baseball Stories” by Furman Bisher. It was published by Scholastic Book Services in 1972.

Happy April Fool's Day

Just wanted to say Happy April Fool's Day! Oh! Your shoes untied. Ha! Made you look.

This Day In Music History and The Bangles and Eternal Flame

Songwriter Billy Steinberg had been a fan of the Bangles since their first album. After a Bangles concert Billy met with Susanna Hoffs and she agreed to write with him and his other writing partner Tom Kelly. After their first time of writing together none of the songs were recorded but a relationship was established. Later their first recorded effort was done not by the Bangles but by Belinda Carlisle on her first solo album self-titled Belinda. The song she chose was called "I Need a Disguise."
When they wrote "Eternal Flame" Tom and Billy said they wanted to write something that sounded like a Beatles melody. Susanna is a fan of 60's music and loves groups like the Beatles, The Monkees and the Byrds. Billy said that "Eternal Flame" to him sounds like the Beatles meet the Byrds.
The inspiration for the song was part of the eternal flame that burned in Graceland for Elvis and a childhood memory of Susanna's from when her sunday school class was showed a red light that they were told was called the eternal flame.
The song almost didn't make the final cut for the new album. Most of the songs were geared to sounding like a rock and roll garage band as the group wanted to show off thier songwriting and musicianship skills. Suddenly here is the beautiful ballad and it needed a different production style.
The first single from the album was "In Your Room" and it peaked at #5. "Eternal Flame" was the follow up and on this day in music history it reached #1 on the Billboard charts for 1 week. After this the group said they were going on hiatus. Not long afterward the hiatus was officially announced that it was really a break up.
You can click on the You Tube link below to view the music video.

Green Arrow Straight Shooter

While searcing the internet for Black Lightning material I came across this book. I have not read the book myself as this is the first time I have seen it. From what I have read the story line is pretty good and it revolves around a monster that inhabits a construction site. This is a reprinting of Green Arrow issues 26-31. I thought Black Lightning would be a co-star in the adventure but as it turns out it is only a cameo. If you are interested in the book You can go here if you wish to buy Green Arrow Straight Shooter

This Day in Music History: Connie Francis and Don't Break the Heart That Loves You

Singer and actress Connie Francis had the #1 hit in the country on this day in music history on March 31, 1962 with the song "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You." Connie had her first #1 hit with "Who's Sorry Now" which was written in 1923. It was her Father who advised her to record the song. So when he thought "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" would be a hit Connie took his advice and recorded it. It was the third #1 hit of her singing career.
When looking back on her acting career she said her acting was amateurish and would never replace her singing career. She kept a notebook of her bad reviews because she thought they were hilarious. Her films were Where the Boys Are, Follow the Boys, Looking for Love, and When the Boys Meet the Girls. Connie was the sex symbol of her day. When the movie Where the Boys Are was remade in 1984 she was asked to be in the film but she didn't like the script and declined. She has suffered many set backs in her personal and professional life but has always bounced back. Connie Francis is a true survivor.
You can click on the video below to hear a few clips of her songs. None of them in the video are the featured song. If you want to hear a clip of the song you can if you click here.

Shadow Chasers

These videos reminded me of a show that was televisions attempt to bring the Bill Murray type of Ghostbusters to prime-time tv. I guess they couldn't get the rights to bring the movie version to TV so they created a cheap knock-off but I really liked it when I saw it. It starred Trevor Eve, Dennis Dugan and Nina Foch. If I remember correctly Trevor Eve was a college professor who on the side was a ghost buster. Nina Foch was his boss and he was relucently teamed up with Dennis Dugan who was a writer for a National Enquirer type of newspaper. Each week they went to prove that a place that was haunted by a fake ghost or demon but would sometimes find out that it was real. The series didn't last long and it was co-produced by Brian Grazer who later helped Ron Howard produce blockbuster movies and television series.
So here are two videos. One is a short commercial for the series and the second is the series opening.

We Will Rock You by Britney Spears, Pink and Beyonce

Here is Pepsi Commercial with Britney, Pink and Beyonce as warriors singing We Will Rock You.

If anything it proves that Pink and Beyonce can sing. Britney sing/talks.

Star Wars: Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk

Here was a pretty good Star Wars PSA aboiut drunk driving.

Deadly Games

Anyone remember this show from the early days of UPN? Christopher Lloyd was the bad guy and he came to life from a video game. The creator of the game had to hunt all the villains down and put them back into the game. He always had to use his ex-girlfriend as bait because the damsel in distress in the game was designed after her and the villains were progamed to go after her or him as he designed the hero of the game on himself.

Rest In Peace Marshall Rogers

I just heard that one of my favorite artist passed away a few days ago. I know to some it is old news but it makes me sad to hear that Marshall Rogers has died. He was one of the first artist whose style I recoginzed by just glancing at it. I met him at a convention in Cincinnati and got him to autograph issue 479 of Detective comics. For some reason comic and science fiction conventions are not heavily promoted in Cincinnati so the line was not long for Mr. Rogers but it was the longest line there. I happily waited for him. His apperance there was unannounced so I had to buy the Detective comics there as I didn't know I should have brought one of his issues to sign. We had a small conversation but I don't remember what was said. He will be missed. The above photo I got from this Marshall Rogers fan site.

Cindy Crawford and Pepsi

I remember this ad from when I first saw in on the Super Bowl. It was also the first time I remember seeing Cindy Crawford.

Tab Commercial from 1960's

1967 ABC television network promo

This 1967 promo from ABC is hosted by their then top stars Batman and Robin. The networks used to do this in late summer or early fall for their network and Saturday morning lineups. The two I have the best memories of are this one and a Staurday morning one that was hosted by the kids of the Brady Bunch. Their own cartoon show was starting that season.
Here is the prime time promo for the ABC line up for 1967. A special guest shows up at the time. A big star getting his own variety show again. He is told how long his contract is but saddly the show was canceled long before the contract ended. Batman one year later would also be canceled. Fame is fleeting.

Old Spice

Remember this Old Spice commercial. I think the sailor in the ad is the Father of Matthew Perry.

Go Go Checks

I was hoping that someone could tell me why in the 1960's did DC comics put Go Go Checks on the top of their comic books? I can't seem to find the answer on the internet and was hoping anyone who reads this posting would know. Thanks!

Aquaman Vs. Green Lantern

Well I have just finished the Showcase presents Aquaman and I am half way through the Green Lantern vol. 1. To my surprise I prefer Aquaman to GL. The writers of Aquaman had him behave like a King that he was and he treated everyone the same and fairly. It was amazing to see how they thought up ways to have him use all the fish in the oceans to help fight crime on the high seas. Green Lantern on the other hand sometimes behaved like a jerk and was over confident. I know the times back then were not pc but most people back then I don't think would like to have been called Pieface like Hal Jordan did with his best friend. The way he behaved with his boss carol bordered on sexual harrassment. Carol was a bit of a flake too. First she is attracted to test pilot Hal Jordan. Then she drops him in favor of GL not knowing that he is really Hal. Later when a scientist seems even more powerful she thinks she is in love with him. When it turns out that he is the villain and GL captures him she decides that GL is her true love. It is plain to see that this early Carol Farris was attracted to men of power. She loves power more then having a real true love for any man. Till she realized that she had one thought in this book that I agreed with. She thought that maybe she had a "filghty mind." I doubt I will buy vol.2 of Green Lantern but I can't wait to read Vol.2 of Aquaman.

Major Matt Mason commercial

If you were a kid in the 1960's you may remember this commercial. I loved my Major Matt Mason and Sgt. Storm. I think I had them all that you see in this commercial. While I have lost most of them I still have the Matt Mason action figure.

This Day in Music History: Les Baxter and Poor People of Paris

On March 24, 1956, this day in music history, Les Baxter had the #1 song in the country on the Billboard charts with Poor People of Paris. It was his only #1 single. It replaced the song Lisbon Antigua by Nelson Riddle at the top of the charts. To this date it is the only time in the rock and roll era of music that two instrumentals have reached the #1 position back to back. The song was written by Rene Rouzaud and Marguerite Mannot, who also wrote the score for Irma la Douce. The song was a hit in France. When it was to be recorded in America, Capito Records France representative translated the title incorrectly. It should have been titled The Ballad of Poor John but it became Poor People of Paris and the mistake was never corrected.

Les Baxter was born on March 14, 1922 in Mexia, Texas and started his music career at the age of 5 when he learned to play the piano. He studied at the Detroit Conservatory of Music but left in his senior year when he was given a scholarship to Pepperdine College in Los Angeles. In the 1930's he became a well known conductor in Hollywood when he began working with personalities like Bob Hope and Abbott and Costello on their raido shows. He was the conductor of the world famous Coconut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel. He also sang with Mel Torme's Meltones. He bagan recording for Capitol records in 1950. His first album for them was Music Out of the Moon and was considered a bit exotic.

On January 15, 1996 Les Baxter died of a heart attack in Newport Beach, California. He was 73 years old.

If you click on the video below you can hear Jack Marlin play a medley of two songs. The first is Poor People of Paris. The song over the years has been recorded by many musicans. One of them is Chet Atkins and Mr. Marlin is playing the song as a tribute to Mr. Atkins. However, on this site I am dedicating it to the memory of Les Baxter.

Mike Nesmith in the movie Burgler

Here is a clip from the movie Burgler. It is the part where Mike Nesmith has a cameo in the movie.

Batman Models

In the mid 1960's Batman was everywhere thanks to his twice a week, later once a week, TV show. DC had him merchandised out everywhere. You could see Batman and Robin on everything from toys to notebook binders. One of the toys that was popular at the time were the model hobby kits. Batman was on one of his own swinging down from a tree with the batarang ready to clobber the villain. Robin, as this ad says, came later and was throwing a huge electrical switch. This ad is selling the Batmobile and the Batplane. Neither of them did I see for sale. With the success of Batman on TV other local stations were airing the Adventures of Superman with George Reeves. He too had a model with Superman busting through a brick wall. That model I did see. My cousins Jeff and Randy had one completed and painted in their room. For some reason I can't remember which one I had. I think it was the Batman one. I have always wanted the Superman one. Perhaps I will some day as they still bring them out from time to time.

The only problem I have with this ad is the wrong one is saying "Holy Hobby Kits!" That was Robin's catch phrase. Robin should have said it and Batman could have said "Right you are old chum!"

Irish Spring commercial

Her is a vintage commercial for Irish Spring soap.

Chill at Spock's Crib

A G4 ad with the ENterprise crew relaxing at Spocks pool.

Paypal

Well I have tried to not do this but my financial status now demands that I finally put in a Paypal button to take donations. There is practically no overhead on any of my sites but everyonce in a while I see things that I would like to buy to show you all here. In my current position I can't do that. So you can look on the links section to the right if you wish to donate anything. At present we can only take cash. We don't have the ability to take credit cards at this time.

Is the Original James Bond back?

I have heard by G4 and Dark Horizons that Sean Connery is interested in coming back to the James Bond films. He wants to come back as Bonds Father. That would mean it would have to be in flashbacks or change Bonds background. Bond is an orphan and was one before he became 007. This could also halt the production of the new Indiana Jones film as he was to come back as Indiana's Father in that film too. I doubt he will be back in the Bond films if so they will have to pay him alot of money. For me I would like to see him come back as a Bond villain. James Bond in the books I have read was not really the characters real name. It was a name given to an agent in order to hide who he really was. So we have never really known who James Bond is. This would also answer why different actors have been able to play him over the years. They were really different people. So Mr. Connery could play an ex-British agent who has gone mad. Perhaps he wants revenge on how badly he was treated by British Secret Service. Either way it would be nice to see him back in a Bond film but I doubt it will happen.

Subscription page from 1977.

The ads for subscriptions have always been a favoirte of mine. Sometimes you would see art that you would not find anywhere else. Other times they may take art from one of their books and make it seem like they ar talking about one of the books they are selling. On this ad from 1977 they took a cover from a Justice League of America issue and it seems like Superman is up set that a memeber of the JLA told secrets that were being revealed in the latest issue of the Amazing World of DC Comics.

Star Trek Cribs

This is a very funny video. Click on it to see Spock have a party at home.

A Canada Dry Ad 1976

A Canada Dry Ad from 1976 done to the tune of Ain't She Sweet. It stars Ken Norton, Ruth Buzzi and Howard Cosell.

Tab commercial remake

This is a 1980's remake of a commercial from the 1970's. This one stars model Elle Macpherson. The original star of the 1970's commercial was a pretty girl whose name I don't know. My broadcasting professor in college said the ad from the 1970's was really a bad ad. The reason why was that there was no close up shots of the drink that she was carrying that helped the girl to stay in shape. Since the product is the real star of any commercial it was a bad ad as you had no idea what they were trying to sell till the song at the end mentioned the name Tab. As you can see they took care of the no close ups of the products with this ad.

Freedom by Leo Bennink

For those of you who saw this video on this posting you may have wondered what group Micky and Davy saw the night before their man on the street interview. Booksteve said it was probably the Outsiders. Well Leo may have been the lead singer but I am not certain if it was the Outsiders as I didn't see anyone who looked like Batman or Black Lightning in the group. :) Anyway this may clear things up for you so take a look. It looks to be a group called the Motions.

The Benedictine Monkees

Here they come...From their first and I think only apperance on the Muppet show.

The Monkees on Laugh In and the Art of Salesmanship

Peter Tork receiving an award in 2006 and two video clips from a 1979 interview

Just as the title says Peter receives an award on behalf of the Monkees in April 2006 and two parts of an interview that he did for PBS in June of 1979.

Michael Nesmith and Magic

Here is a video of Mike singing his song Magic. It is a favorite video of mine that Mike did. As you can hear with his falsetto singing it came near the time the Bee Gees made that form of singing popular.

Michael Nesmith...Rio

An early video for the Mike Nesmith hit song, at least in England, Rio.

Pop Rock Pizza Commercial

Ringo Starr and guest selling Pizzas for Pizza Hut.

Micky Dolenz Live in Japan

Here is a video of Micky Dolenz in Japan on TV preforming a song called I'm Your Man. It is from 1978. This is mostly him as a solo preformer but it could be a solo spot from his Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart tour.

How Last Train to Clarksville was recorded

I have heard this story before but you can get it straight from the Monkees in this interview from the 1980's when Micky, David and Peter reunited. The video is poor but if you have not heard the real meaning behind the hit you will want to see this video.

Case of the Colonists Corpse

Tony Isabella has written many stories over his career. His point of view is always entertaining and that is the case here with the Case of the Colonists Corpse that he co-authored with Bob Ingersoll. Captain Kirk faces a court-martial and a fragile peace treaty with the Klingons is broken when the Ambassador is found murdered. If you like science fiction and mystery then this is the book for you. Click here to buy the Case of the Colonists Corpse.

Micky and Davy walking in New York

This is a video of Micky and Davy from 1969. They are walking down the street in New York when an interviewer from Holland stops them. However the video isn't long enough and leaves me asking what group was it that they saw the night before and what Holland radio station is Micky talking about? We may never know. Still it was a plesant surprise to find this video. Since Mike is not seen this may be when they were promoting the Changes album.

Pepsi vs. Coke

Funny Pepsi Ad from the cola wars.

Happy Belated Birthday Selina Kyle

Yesterday was Selina Kyle's birthday. As all comic book fans know that is the real name of Catwoman. In celebration I am giving you a view of some of Catwoman's many looks.

This Day in Music History: Tommy Roe and Dizzy

When ABC Records bought out Dunhill records they asked producer Steve Barri to stay on as producer for the ABC artist. One that he was excited to work with was Tommy Roe. Roe’s earlier recordings, before he had hits with bubblegum tunes like Sweet Pea and Hooray for Hazel, reminded Barri of Buddy Holly. He recorded some songs with him that were like Buddy Holly tunes but none of them did very well.
Earlier Tommy Roe had written a song called Dizzy. He was having trouble finishing it till he met up with an old friend on Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars. It was Freddy Weller of Paul Revere and the Raiders who helped him finish the song. Roe told Barri that should be their next single. It was one of Barri’s least favorite songs that he recorded with Roe but since the Buddy Holly songs didn’t do well he took a chance. Before it was released he had Jimmy Haskell to add some strings to the arrangement. Barri said “Dizzy came to life for me when we put the violins on.” It was the most successful song of Tommy Roe’s career. It sold over six million records and was #1 on the charts on March 15, 1969 on this day in music history. He had other top 40 records after that but none of them did as well. He was a successful recording artist living in a beautiful Malibu beach house but he was not happy. So he moved back to Georgia to be with the people who knew him before he was famous. A few years later he moved back to Los Angeles and released a song called Dreamin’ Again. However, the song did not return him to the charts and he moved back to Georgia and played the local clubs. Click on the video below to see him preform the song.

Davy Jones sings I'm Gonna Buy Me a Dog

It looks like it is a clip from an apperance he may have done on Farmer's Daughter. The kids seem to be taking the song very serious but Boyce and Hart really wrote it as a joke.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Scandal

This was on http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258664,00.html It was in an E-mail that I got from The60sshop@aol.com as they are running a series on how the nominations need to be improved.

Rock Hall Voting Scandal: Rock Group Actually WonAccording to sources knowledgeable about the mysterious ways of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, British Invasion group The Dave Clark Five and not Grandmaster Flash finished fifth in the final voting of the nominating committee and should have been inducted on Monday night. According to sources, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, who recentlyappointed himself chairman of the Foundation after the death of Ahmet Ertegun, ignored the final voting and chose Grandmaster Flash over the DC5 for this year's ceremony."Jann went back to a previous ballot instead of taking the final vote as the last word," my source insisted. "He used a technicality about the day votes were due in. In reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash. But he felt we couldn't go another year without a rap act."R.E.M., Van Halen, The Ronettes and Patti Smith were the top four vote-getters, with Grandmaster Flash finishing fifth when the votes were counted on the first date ballots were due in to the Rock Hall office. But when all the ballots were counted a few days later, the DC5 had pulled ahead. Wenner decided to ignore that and stick with the earlier tally."We begged Jann to allow all six acts to be inducted. But he insisted that he couldn't because there wouldn't be enough time," my source said. "He wanted to have Aretha Franklin come and perform in memory of Ahmet Ertegun."The Ertegun tribute, while very nice, was deemed unnecessary by members of the main committee because the Atlantic Records co-founder will be memorialized in New York on April 17. "But Jann wanted to do his own tribute. It was insane, especially since he took over Ahmet's position on the board before Ahmet even had a memorial. Jann simply sent papers around informing everyone that he was now the chairman," my source said.The Dave Clark Five ballot tampering, however, stings the most. The group, part of the British Invasion of the '60s, should have been inducted long ago for their hits like "Glad All Over," "Bits & Pieces" and "Catch Me If You Can." Making them wait has turned out to be a huge mistake, as their fortunes have not been great.In December 2006, sax player Denis Payton succumbed to cancer at age 63. Lead singer Mike Smith has been paralyzed since 2003 after falling off a ladder at his home in Spain. In August 2005, a terrific fundraising effort for Smith at B.B. King's in New York was supposed to be the prelude to finally recognizing the group that had several memorable hits in the mid-'60s.Wenner's cruel axing of them from the show and the Hall of Fame should be painful to many who are intimately involved with the Hall, like Paul Shaffer, who runs the Hall of Fame band and produced and emceed the Smith tribute.So what happened here? My sources also say that Wenner's motivation may have sprung from a controversial speech that was delivered by new administrative head Joel Peresman to the nominating committee last winter. "He stood up there and told us that we should vote for who we thought would be most commercial, and who be best on the TV show," a source said. "It was outrageous. Some people tried to stop him and asked him to leave, but he wouldn't. He said, 'I'm not leaving.' The director is never supposed to speak to the nominating committee."Peresman came to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation last year when Wenner arbitrarily ousted the long-time chief of the group, Suzan Evans Hochberg, after two decades of loyalty. "We couldn't believe Jann stood up there last night and said Suzan wasretiring. But when the seating plan went crazy the other day, Jann called and begged her to come in and help. Peresman knows nothing about the business," a source said.Peresman came to the Foundation from gigs booking shows at Madison Square Garden and with Clear Channel, the radio giant that many feel has strangled the music business with intransigent radio play policies and suggestions — actually, government investigations — of payola. In the old days, such a hire would have been considered anathema by Wenner.None of this should come as any surprise to those who have followed the roller-coaster world of the Rock Hall. According to the group's most recent tax filing, for example, they gave only $9,000 to indigent musicians from their $11 million in holdings. Even worse: Wenner sent a tax-free $10,000 to something called Jazz Casuals in San Francisco. It's really just the archives of Ralph J. Gleason, the late jazz writer who periodically wrote for Rolling Stone in its early days. It was the only donation made by the Foundation to any group last year. "Again, outrageous," a source said. "With all of Jann's money, he could have just sent a check. He didn't need to use the Foundation's money."By contrast, the Foundation gave only $53,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. Attorney Allen Grubman's law firm took another $50,000 for legal services rendered. Evans received her usual $300,000 salary. Peresman is said to be receiving even more.And then there's the matter of who has left on the nominating committee. I'm told that nearly half the group is gone, leaving 32 members. Many of the remaining members are former or current Wenner employees, like Rolling Stone's Nathan Brackett, David Fricke, Jim Henke, Joe Levy, Brian Keizer and Anthony DeCurtis. Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen's manager and a former Rolling Stone writer, is the chairman of the committee and considered the last truly mediating influence on Wenner. There are only three actual musicians: Paul Shaffer, Steven van Zandt and Robbie Robertson. Three are female. One of them is black. There are only two other black members: journalist Toure and Reginald C. Dennis. Wenner, I'm told, "weeded out everyone he didn't like." He even got rid of the veteran New York Post and Vanity Fair writer Lisa Robinson. Wenner almost bumped Claudia Perry, a Newark Star Ledger sports writer and former pop music critic. After a scuffle, she managed to hang on, which was good news. As a black woman she fulfilled two minorities on the board (Edna Gundersen and Elyssa Gardner of USA Today are the other females). "This is the opposite of what Ahmet would have wanted," a source said. "He liked a big committee that reflected lots of different tastes."

Monkees Kool Aid Commercial

Here is a Kool Aid commerical that I never saw till just now.

SNL Skit Sinbad as Black Lightning

Here is a skit from Saturday Night Live on the Death of Superman. Sinbad appears at the end as Black Lightning. It is very funny and I posted it originally on Black Lightning Limited. For fans of Black Lightning you can go there for all you Black Lightning needs.

Micky Dolenz and Miller's Outpost

Well He had to make money somehow after the Monkees broke up. Here are some humorous ads for a store called Miller's Outpost that had Micky as their spokesperson.

Oh My My video directed by Micky Dolenz

This is a rare video directed by Micky. Enjoy!

Red Rhodes Plays

Here is Red Rhodes of Mike Nesmith and the First National Band. He is on his own here and shows why he is the greatest Steel Pedal Guitar play of all as he plays Sweet Georgia Brown.

Monkees on Rowan and Martain's Laugh In

The Monkees doing comedy on Laugh In.

Monkees on the Glenn Campbell Goodtime Hour

The Monkess from 1969 singing Teardrop City on the Glenn Campbell Goodtime Hour.

Rest In Peace Richard Jeni

I just read on News From ME that the very funny comedian Richard Jeni was shot to death yesterday. They are not sure if it was suicide or murder. Either way it is a sad way to end a very funny comedians life. I didn't get to see his act very much but he was always funny and I have waited a long time to see him in something again. Anything to help forget his short lived and dreadful TV show on UPN the Platypus Man. However, even that bad show had moments where Mr. Jeni shined. For those of you who have not seen the show it was sort of a mixture of Emeril Live and Home Improvement. Perhaps his funniest moment in a film was when he co-stared in The Mask as Jim Carrey's best friend. When Jim throws the Mask back in the river it is Richard who dives in after it. Perhaps the second film would have been funnier if they picked up where the first left off and had him as the lead instead of Jamie Kennedy. Who knows Mr. Jeni may still be alive today if that had happened. I remember when I worked in customer service for AT&T. A woman who worked for him called up to order a part for a phone. I told her how funny I thought he was and she spoke of how kind a man he was. Mr. Jeni you will be missed, as the many postings on blog sites like this and people who knew you can attest to.

God Protects His People

He will rescue you again and again so that no evil can touch you.
Job 5:19 NLT
About this week's promise
From terrorist attacks to the abduction of children in broad daylight, random acts of violence seem to fill the news reports day and night. Is anyone really safe anymore? Scripture reveals God to be concerned about and committed to our safety. But to more fully understand the concept of safety, we must recognize who we are—eternal beings wrapped in mortal bodies. While God is concerned about what happens to our body, he is much more concerned about what happens with our soul. Once we have confessed faith in Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, he is at work protecting our soul from beings snatched away by Satan. God is concerned about the safety of our physical body, and we probably experience his hand of protection more than we realize. But ultimately, physical protection will come only when we are given our new body in eternity.
adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1265

Monkees Christmas Medley

I wish I saw this in December to put it up for Christmas but alas I did not. It was filmed with many of the cast coming from MTV. You will get a kick out of seeing Downtown Julie Brown, Martha Quinn etc. Amy Dolenz is in the video but the real surprise is who is playing Santa.

Saturday Morning Ad for ABC 1971

Here is an ad that was shown to tell kids what to expect on ABC on Saturday Mornings.

Showcase Presents Aquaman

Well I have just about finished reading Showcase presents Aquaman. I have always liked Aquaman. However, for my generation he was always used if you only needed to communicate to fish. If no fish were around then he was useless. These stories were first published before my time so it was fun to read them for the first time. The stories were educational and adventurious. I never knew that giant puffer fish floated upside down on the surface of the water. Aquaman and Aqualad could get those fish to do some amazing things like having the electric eels to attach to the ignition of a boat and lime up so the can shock the crook to drop his gun and not shoot a person. The favorite of mine was Topo one of Aquamans pet Octopi. With the big soulful eyes that Nick Cardy gave him you could not say no to him. If Aquaman had his own cartoon today Topo would be a high selling action figure.
Whenever I read any stories that Aquaman was in with any of the JLA he just seemed to be there. They tried to give him more to work with by having him take hard water and throw it at the crooks but that was later and not in any of these stories. While many of the stories had him fighting monsters from the deep and a few from deep space my favorites are the slice of life stories. They usually had Aquaman befriending a lighthouse keeper or helping an honest politican of local seaside town get elected so he can run the crime boss out. These I am sure are the stories that helped him get the reputation of being a good neighbor that has stayed with him till a few years ago. At that time they had him loose one of his hands and grow a beard. He came off as being angry and in need of mental and emotional help. That is not the way I want to see Aruther Curry. This book shows how to portray him. I hope anyone who handles his new adventures gets him back to his roots.
Now to put in an unabashed plug (as opposed to an abashed plug.) If you like DC superheros then you may want to read about Black Lightning. You can find out more about him and the books and merchandise that is available on him by going to Black Lightning Limited. It is a sister site to this one here. Check it out and I hope you like what you see. Maybe one day DC will see they have enough pages with his first 2 series and the many backup and team up stories that they can put out a 500 page Showcase of his adventures. I think it should be put out now as it would be a great introduction to the new mini-series they have coming out.

Filmation's Green Lantern

Captain America Dead!!! I Don't Believe It.

I really don't believe it. With issue #333 of Captain America they tried to replace him with Super Patriot and we know how well that went over. DC Comics killed off Superman and a few months later he was back. It turned out that was a publicity stunt and this will too. Steve Rogers always has been and always will be Captain America. The hero is more then just the uniform. Marvel I think just wanted to get headlines in the papers and they got them. This time next year Steve Rogers will be Captain America again.

Plastic Man Ad

This Day in Music History: Olivia Newton-John and Have You Never Been Mellow

On March 8, 1975 Olivia Newton John had the #1 song in the country with “Have You Never Been Mellow.” Many of her early hits started out on the country charts and she seemed to be on her way to becoming a big country artist. This was a surprise to Olivia. “Appalachia? I’ve never heard of it. I sing easy listening, middle of the road music…I sing new songs, old songs, country songs. I didn’t think I would be considered a country singer. I was hoping for a hit record, no matter what it was.” This is what she was telling interviewers back then. It was quotes like this that angered some members of the Country Music Association who had just voted her the 1974 Female Vocalist of the Year over Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and Tanya Tucker. Johnny Paycheck said “We don’t want someone out of another field coming in and taking away what we’ve worked so hard for.” He and some others left the CMA over this to form the Association of Country Entertainers.
This upset Olivia but she continued on by opening shows for Charlie Rich and playing livestock and rodeo shows. It was later that she concluded she was really a scapegoat. Dolly Parton told Olivia that the press blew the whole thing out of proportion.
Her next album really started out as a single. She was going to Nashville to record 4 songs and one of them would be the single. However, on the way she and her producer found 3 more great songs and the single turned into the album ‘Don’t Stop Believin.’ The title track was the single and a top 40 hit. The album was her 6th gold record.
Olivia had wanted to do a TV special and ABC helped make the dream come true. When she had one broadcast on November 17, 1976. She had lots of singing and dancing and her guest were big stars of the day such as Elliot Gould, Lee Majors, Rona Barrett, Ron Howard, Tom Bosley and Lynda Carter.

Click on the video below and see her preform the song live back in the 70's.

The Voices of Marvel circa 1965

Take a look at this if you want to see the faces of those behind the 1960's Marvel Comics. You can see and hear Dick Ayers, Wally Wood, Don Heck etc. Also, you can see Steve Ditko but not hear him.

Mark Evanier on Jack Kirby

Here is one for all the Jack Kirby fans out there.

Justice League Promo

Great promo for a Justice League movie that will never be.

This Day In Music History: Barbra Streisand and Love Theme From 'A Star Is Born' (Evergreen)

On this day in music history March 5, 1977 Barbra Streisand had the #1 one in the country with Love Theme from ‘A Star Is Born’ (Evergreen). It was at the top of the charts for 3 weeks. Barbra co-wrote the song with Paul Williams but it had a rough beginning. She was getting a little depressed as many singers had started writing their own songs and all she did was sing. One day Jon Peters, one of the films producers, found her crying about it and he told her that if she put her mind to it she could write a song. At the time Barbra was taking guitar lessons so she could play the guitar in the film. She was getting bored and started fooling around with the chords. What came out eventually became the song for the movie. So Evergreen was, as Barbra put it, born out of absolute impatience.
The movie was even harder to make. It was the third time this story had been told. The e second time with James Mason and Judy Garland was so well thought of that many didn’t think it should be filmed a third time. Fights on the set and over the script added fuel to the fire. Barbra and Jon Peters pressed on with their version of the story.
Whereas Mason and Garland’s story took place in the movie industry, Kristofferson and Streisand’s story was in the music industry. Kris Kristofferson is a rock star on the way down and Barbra Streisand is a rock star on the way up. A concert scene was filmed on a very hot day at a real Peter Frampton concert. After doing many takes and several hours in the sun the over 70’000 crowd of people were getting very hot. They started asking for the film production to stop.
Barbra calmed them down and preformed her songs “People” and “The Way We Were.” Then she told them “Now I’ll sing a song for you that I wrote myself. I hope you’ll like it.” Uneasily she launched into the world premiere of the song “Evergreen.” The crowd gave their approval of the song and boosted her confidence. She told them “I’m glad you like it because that’s the first time I ever sang that song in front of people.”
At Oscar time the film was snubbed in almost every category. It was only nominated for best song. The Grammys were kinder. The song won the award for Song of the Year and Barbra won for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female.

You can click on the video above and see Barbra and Kris sing the song from a scene in the movie.

Things Kids Teach You Even Though You Would Rather Not Know

A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. foot house 4 inches deep.
If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
A 3 year old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a superman cape. It is strong enough, however, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 by 20 foot room.
You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.
When using the ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit.
A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
The glass in windows (even double pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
When you hear the toilet flush and the words "Uh-oh", it's already too late.
Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
A six year old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36 year old man says they can only do it in the movies.
A magnifying glass can start fire even on an overcast day.
Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a four year old.
Play Dough and Microwave should never be used in the same sentence.
Super glue is forever.
No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
VCR's do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.
Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
You probably do not want to know what that odor is.
Always look in the oven before you turn it on. Plastic toys do not like ovens.
The fire department has a 5 minute response time.

Spider-Man Opening

Here is show that I hope comes to DVD soon. Maybe it will with the release of the movie Spider-Man 3!

Black Lightning Limited

Just letting you readers and Black Lightning fans know that I have started a new site. It is called Black Lightning Limited and dedicated to Black Lightning the DC Comic book hero. I searched the internet and didn't see any sites for him and some others so I decided to fill the hole that was left. There isn't much there yet as I only started it yesterday but please check it out and let me know what you think. Just as On My Mind is a G to PG rated site the same will go for BLL so it will be family friendly.

Far Out Space Nuts Opening

Who could forget this other Gilligan Island version with Bob Denver and Chuck McCann in the Skipper role?

Shazam! Intro

For those of you who remember Saturday morning TV in the 1970's here is the opening of the TV show Shazam!

The Many Looks of Supergirl

The recent posting of Wonder Woman in her Mod stage seems to have been a favorite with some readers. So I have decided to show that DC felt that a fashion change was needed for Supergirl in the late 60's and early 70's.
Here in Adventure Comics #397 she is shown in her first costume and looking over possible new outfits. One of them is close to what she decided on at first but none of those on the cover are the ones she accepted.







By the time this issue, Adventure Comics #399, came out you can see the costume that she chose. However, her search for a new look didn't stop.


She had this look for Adventure Comics #408.



By issue #410 she was wearing short-shorts and looking more like Mary Marvel then Supergirl.



When issue #412 of Adventure Comics came out she decided to dress more like her cousin Superman.



Then here in her own self titled book she seems to be back again to her short pants look. As if it wasn't enough to change her look they later tried to change who Supergirl was. First they killed off the original. Later an alien took over her role. Since then I lost interest but it seems that another Supergirl has taken her place. At least I still have some good memories of the first Supergirl.

Hawkman Video

Here is a really good video for Hawkman. Sheldon Moldoff should be proud.

This Day in Music History: Rhythm Heritage and the Theme from 'S.W.A.T.'

TV has proven over and over again that it can produce big hits. From Ricky Nelson to the Monkees to American Idol. So it is no surprise that on this day in music history, February 28, 1976, the Theme from ‘S.W.A.T.’ by Rhythm Heritage was the #1 song on the Billborad charts for one week. The song was Written by Barry DeVorzon and produced by Steve Barri and Michael Omartian. The TV show had been on the air for one year when the song hit the #1 position. Steve Barri’s son was a huge fan of the show and asked his Dad if there was a record of the theme. He wanted to get a copy of it for his son but found no recording of the song. He thought if there was a dance version of the theme it might be a big hit. He got Michael Omartian to do the arrangement and got Rhythm Heritage, who also recorded “Baretta’s Theme (Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow)”, to record the song. He also used some studio musicians on the song. Two of them went on to have #1 hits. Jeff Porcaro had the hit Africa with the group Toto and Ray Parker Jr. had a #1 hit with a movie theme…Ghostbusters. Having a hit with TV theme songs was not new for Steve Barri. He and his songwriting partner P.F. Sloan had a #3 hit in 1966 with the song Secret Agent Man. It was the theme for the TV show of the same name and sung by Johnny Rivers. The TV show starred Steve Forrest and two other future TV stars. They were Robert Urich ofVegas and Spencer for Hire and Mark Shera who went to co-star in Barnaby Jones. The S.W.A.T. series was the focal point of the violence in TV controversy that heated up in the 1970’s and helped lead to its early cancellation. Years later the series would be the basis for a movie starring Colin Farrell. You can click on the video link above to view the opening of the show.

Joe "Robbie" Robertson

Joe “Robbie” Robertson was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. in Amazing Spider-Man #52 in 1967. He was a reporter and editor at the Daily Bugle where Peter Parker was a photographer and was J. Jonah Jameson’s right hand man. IN the battle of wits between Peter and Jonah, Robbie was the person who helped them find the middle ground. Usually it was by showing Jonah how Spider-Man’s existence helped the city of New York and the Daily Bugle.
Robbie Robertson was also a break through in African-American supporting cast members of comic books. In the past they were either used as comic relief or, if they were not the comedian, they were just there. Nothing they said or did had any lasting effect. Even Gabe Jones, who was discussed yesterday, had very little effect on the Sgt. Furry book when he first started out. Ebony White, of the Spirit, was at times taken seriously but for the most part was really comic relief. With Joe Robertson we saw a man who took his job and his family seriously.
He was raised in Harlem and worked for the school newspaper. He wrote and article about the school bully Lonnie Lincoln. Lonnie threatened Joe and Joe dropped the article. Later when Joe Robertson moved to Philadelphia to work on a newspaper he saw someone killed by the hitman Tombstone. Tombstone was really Lonnie Lincoln. Again he threatened Joe if he told anyone what he saw. Joe never wrote about it or reported it. He moved back to New York and joined the staff of the Daily Bugle. Years later the Kingpin hired Tombstone to come to New York to kill some people. The killings started to make news. When Tombstone found out that Joe Robertson worked on a paper in the city he threatened him and his family again. This time Joe found the courage and testified against Tombstone. It helped put him in jail. However, when the Judge found out that Joe Robertson didn’t report that he witnessed one of the murders in Philadelphia he sentenced him to 3 years in prison. Somehow he wound up in the same cell block as Tombstone. Tombstone forced Joe to go along with a jail break. When Spider-Man showed up to stop it Tombstone tried to kill him but Joe saved his life. Later Tombstone tried to kill an Amish family but Joe stopped that too. Lonnie Lincoln saw that Joe “Robbie” Robertson was no longer afraid of him so he backed down. To this day Tombstone continued as a hitman to the end but was no longer a threat to Joe Robertson or his family.
Eventually Joe was made editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle when J. Jonah Jameson decided to step down from that position. Over the years Jameson’s vendetta against Spider-Man and the sometimes out of focus pictures of him that they published of him gave the newspaper a yellow journalism image. Robertson decided to change that image. He started with Peter’s photos. Peter was forced to take pictures of the villains before Spider-man showed up and then set is camera on automatic to take pictures of the battle. Now over the years there were hints that Joe Robertson may know that Peter was Spider-man. It didn’t help that the new pictures started to look out of focus or taken from a bad angle with ever Spider-Man showed up but were almost perfect when he was gone.
The character of Joe Robertson has continued to have an important role in Spider-Man the animated series. In the Spider-Man films he has been portrayed by actor Bill Nunn. They really don’t give the character much to do in the movies and don’t develop a background for him to work with. However, the movies are called Spider-Man and not Joe Robertson so I guess we should just be happy that they show him in a positive light.

This concludes the character bolgs of African-American characters in comic books for Black History Month. I hope you enjoyed them.

The Four Seasons December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)

I have always loved this song. It brings back many fond memories and I remember seeing them preform it on the Grammy Awards. Does anyone know who the guy is on the drums? He has a great voice.

Cracker Jack Commercial

Here is a very funny Cracker Jack commercial.

Gabe Jones Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I have concentrated so much attention on the superheroes for black history month that these next two days I will showcase two non-superheroes from the comic books. First is Gabe Jones. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as part of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. His first appearance was in 1963 in an issue of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1. While Gabe was a trained and skilled fighter with this elite commando squad he had another skill. He was a musician and with his trumpet he called the Howlers to battle. After WWII ended Nick Fury was asked to head up the spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D. Gabe was one of the Howlers who Fury asked to join S.H.I.E.L.D. The character has appeared in a number of Marvel books as a special government agent. He retired for awhile but returned as a trainer for young S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits. He has also appeared in the Incredible Hulk animated series. He was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent assigned to work with the Hulkbusters under General Thunderbolt Ross. The character also appeared in a live action TV movie called Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was a pilot for a possible series that never came about and starred David Hasselhoff as Nick Fury.