On Feb. 3, 1959, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza flying in low visibility crashed north of Clear Lake, Iowa. All four aboard were killed: pilot Roger Peterson and rock & rollers Buddy Holly, 22; The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson Jr.), 28; and Ritchie Valens (Richard Valenzuela), 17. The three were stars of the Winter Dance Party... Continue Reading →
The Mothership has landed at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard. That’s where George Clinton, the original Star Child, got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, Jan. 19. Clinton, as every schoolchild should know, is the overlord of the Parliafunkadelicment Thang, a collective of funk outfits such as Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy’s Rubber Band and Brides... Continue Reading →
Arthur (the Man, the Myth, the Legend) Mitchell In 1969, Arthur Mitchell, along with Karel Shook, created Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) in New York City, after making history in 1955 as the first black principal dancer at New York City Ballet. He also was the famed protégé of George Balanchine—the Russian-born dancer, choreographer and... Continue Reading →
Michael Keaton IS Batman. Doesn’t seem so far-fetched now, does it? Back in the day, though – whew! When Warner Bros. announced Keaton would star as The Caped Crusader in Tim Burton’s Batman, the studio was bombarded with sacks of letters pleading and demanding that Keaton be replaced. https://youtu.be/dgC9Q0uhX70 Imagine: People, lots of them, so... Continue Reading →
As 1960s filmmakers pushed the envelope of what could be said and shown onscreen, parents counted on Disney studios for entertainment that wouldn’t lead to uncomfortable questions from the kids on the ride home. Disney, the once and future animation powerhouse, was regularly releasing live-action comedies aimed at family audiences. It’s for his appearances in... Continue Reading →
Jan. 3 has been declared – by who we don’t know – Women Rock! Day, because on that day in 1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – nice, I guess, but hardly a highlight of her career. We’d suggest changing the date to June 3,... Continue Reading →