I was looking for something German and here is Dick Brave. Actually, he is a singer called Sascha. Then one day he decided to change his personality and became Dick Brave for a while - a Canadian rock'n'roll singer. At that time, he took a break from his singing career and just wanted to do a Christmas concert for some friends. He came up with the name Dick Brave and the Backbeats when he saw a poster of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
and since we are at SCH , here is RICHARD TAUBER with a lied by SCHUBERT , also some home movie clips and a tribute by the great german(actually born in hungary) actress ELISABETH BERGNER .
she , her husband as well as richard wagner all had to flee from persecution in germany - they were JEWS !
what madness - what great loss to germany !
even today it is difficult to understand the madness that overtook germany at that time !
what great shame ....
we have a re-mastered cd of some of TAUBER's great songs - what a lush voice he had !
so he still gives us great pleasure today !
Well, my goodness, WA2K audience. Everyone is either in Hawaii or on the French Riviera.
Today is one of my favorite poets birthday.
Juke Box Love Song
I could take the Harlem night
and wrap around you,
Take the neon lights and make a crown,
Take the Lenox Avenue busses,
Taxis, subways,
And for your love song tone their rumble down.
Take Harlem's heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat,
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till day--
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.
Langston Hughes
0 Replies
edgarblythe
1
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Sat 16 Feb, 2008 09:27 am
The missus and I are house sitting for Jean, my daughter. I won't be posting songs from here. Will be home Sunday evening.
0 Replies
Letty
1
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Sat 16 Feb, 2008 01:46 pm
Have a great weekend, edgar. We will miss you on our wee cyber radio.
Hey, folks, Monday is president's day in the U.S. So perhaps we can honor two of them with one video. I read somewhere that William Jefferson Clinton may have a genetic link to Thomas and Sally.
Birth name Vera Ellen Westmeier Rohe
Born February 16, 1921(1921-02-16)
Norwood, Ohio
Died August 30, 1981 (aged 60)
Los Angeles, California
Spouse(s) Robert Hightower (1941-1946)
Victor Rothschild (1954-1966)
Vera-Ellen (February 16, 1921 - August 30, 1981) was an American actress and stage and film dancer, principally celebrated for her filmed dance partnerships with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor.
She was born Vera Ellen Westmeier Rohe in Norwood, Ohio to Martin Rohe and Alma Catherine Westmeier, both descended from German immigrants.[1] She began dancing at the age of 9 and quickly became very proficient. At 16, she was a winner on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, and entered upon a professional career.
In 1939, Vera-Ellen made her Broadway theatre debut in the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein musical Very Warm For May at the age of 18. She became one of the youngest Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, although she was not tall. This led to roles on Broadway in Panama Hattie, By Jupiter, and A Connecticut Yankee, where she was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn, who cast her opposite Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo in the film Wonder Man (1945).
She appeared in several films, including White Christmas (1954), On the Town (1949), the "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" dance in Words and Music (1948) -- the last two with Gene Kelly. Vera-Ellen was also one of the stars in the last Marx Brothers film, Love Happy (1949). She took top billing alongside Fred Astaire in Three Little Words (1950) and The Belle of New York (1952), with Donald O'Connor in Call Me Madam (1953), and in Let's Be Happy (1957). During the 1950s, she was reputed to have the "smallest waist in Hollywood".[2] and is believed to have suffered from anorexia nervosa.[1] She retired from the screen in 1957.
Vera-Ellen was married twice. Her first husband was fellow dancer Robert Hightower, whom she was married to from 1941 to 1946.[3] Her second husband, from 1954 to 1966, was millionaire Victor Rothschild. Both marriages ended in divorce. While married to Rothschild, she gave birth to a daughter, Victoria Ellen Rothschild, who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 1963. Following this traumatic event Vera-Ellen further withdrew from public life.
She died of cancer at her home in California at the age of 60 in 1981.
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bobsmythhawk
1
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Sat 16 Feb, 2008 02:27 pm
Sonny Bono
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 44th district
In office
January 3, 1995 - January 5, 1998
Final term completed by widow Mary Bono
Born February 16, 1935(1935-02-16)
Detroit, Michigan
Died January 5, 1998 (aged 62)
South Lake Tahoe, California
Political party Republican
Spouse Mary Bono
Susie Coelho
Cher (Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre)
Donna Rankin
Religion Roman Catholic/Scientologist
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (February 16, 1935(1935-02-16) - January 5, 1998) was an American record producer, singer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.
Biography
Entertainment career
Born in Detroit, Michigan to Italian immigrants Jean and Santo,[1] Bono began his music career working for the legendary record producer Phil Spector in the early 1960s as a promotion man, percussionist and "gofer." One of his earliest songwriting efforts was "Needles and Pins." Later in the same decade, he achieved commercial success, along with his then-wife Cher, as part of the singing duo Sonny and Cher. Bono wrote, arranged, and produced a number of hit records with singles like "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On," although Cher received more attention. Sonny and Cher starred in a popular television variety show, The Sonny and Cher Show, which ran on CBS from 1971 to 1974.
Bono continued his acting career, doing bit roles in such shows as Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. He played the part of mad bomber Joe Seluchi in Airplane II: The Sequel and the part of Franklin Von Tussle in John Waters' Hairspray. In the film Men In Black, Bono is one of several oddball celebrities seen on a wall of video screens that monitor extra-terrestrials living among us.
Political career
Bono entered politics after experiencing great frustration with local government bureaucracy in trying to open a restaurant in Palm Springs, California. With conservative talk radio host Marshall Gilbert as his campaign manager (and later as the godfather of his two children by his wife, Mary), Bono placed a successful bid to become the new mayor of Palm Springs. He was instrumental in making the city more business-friendly and in spearheading the creation of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, now held each year in Bono's memory. He also attempted to have Marines banned from the city.[citation needed]
After unsuccessfully running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 1992, Bono was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 to represent California's 44th District. He was one of 12 co-sponsors of a House bill extending copyright.[2] Although that bill was never voted on in the Senate, a similar Senate bill was passed after his death and named the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act in his honor.
He championed the restoration of the Salton Sea, bringing the giant lake's plight to national attention. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made a public appearance and speech at the shore of the lake on Bono's behalf.
In their book Tell Newt to Shut Up, David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf credit Bono with being the first person to recognize Gingrich's public relations problems in 1995. Drawing on his long experience as a celebrity and entertainment producer, Bono (according to Maraniss and Weisskopf) recognized that Gingrich's status had changed from politician to celebrity, and that Gingrich was not making allowances for that change:
"You're a celebrity now," he told Gingrich. "The rules are different for celebrities. I know it. I've been there. I've been a celebrity. I used to be a bigger celebrity. But let me tell you, you're not being handled right. This is not political news coverage. This is celebrity status. You need handlers. You need to understand what you're doing. You need to understand the attitude of the media toward celebrities."
Maraniss and Weisskopf go on to say that Gingrich did not heed Bono's advice.[citation needed] Gingrich was not interested in image for image sake, but rather in fulfilling his role as an elected leader.[citation needed]
Although a conservative, Bono's celebrity status and easy-going manner allowed him to develop friendships across party lines.
Sonny also had involvement with the hearings related to the Waco 'incident' on April 19, 1993. He was reported to have been extremely upset while watching a video of the attack on the compound. Apparently though, he only asked one question during the entire 10-day hearing, related to the dangers of CS gas to children.
Personal life
Bono married his first wife, Donna Rankin, on Nov. 3, 1954 and they had a daughter, Christine ("Christy"), born on June 24, 1958, before divorcing in 1962. Following that, Bono married Cher, a singer and entertainer; Bono and Cher had a daughter, Chastity Bono, on March 4, 1969. Six years later, in 1975, the couple divorced. Bono then married Susie Coelho, but divorced her in 1984. He married again in 1986 to the much younger Mary Whitaker. They had two children, Chesare Elan Bono (a son, born 1988) and Chianna Marie Bono (a daughter, born 1991). He became a Scientologist, partly because of the influence of Mimi Rogers, but stated that he was a Roman Catholic on all official documents, campaign materials, web sites, etc. Mary Bono also took Scientology courses.[3] When his daughter Chastity came out as a lesbian, he was more accepting than Cher was at first.[4]
Bono was a champion of the Salton Sea in southeastern California, where a park was named in his honor. The 2005 documentary film Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea[5] (narrated by John Waters) features Bono and documented the lives of the inhabitants of Bombay Beach, Niland, and Salton City, as well as the ecological issues associated with the Sea.
Death
On January 5, 1998, Bono died of injuries after striking a tree while skiing on the Nevada side of the Heavenly Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California. He was 62 years old.
Bono's death came just days after Michael Kennedy died in a skiing accident. Bono's widow, Mary, was elected to fill the remainder of the Congressional term. Despite her two marriages since his death, she continues to champion many of Sonny's causes, including the ongoing fight to save the Salton Sea.
His ex-wife, Cher, gave a tearful eulogy at Bono's funeral, after which the attendees sang the song "The Beat Goes On". His final resting place is Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California, the same cemetery where Frank Sinatra is now interred. The epitaph on Bono's headstone reads: "And the beat goes on."[6]
Bono in popular culture
The rock band A have a song named "I Love Lake Tahoe" (featured on the A vs Monkey Kong album), which includes the line, "Yeah the trees are pretty wide / That's where Sonny Bono died". American pop singer Britney Spears covered "The Beat Goes On" later in the year that Bono died, in her debut album ...Baby One More Time.
The All Saints song "Never Ever" is dedicated to Bono's memory. Rapper Eminem has used Bono and the circumstances surrounding his death in several songs, including "Role Model" and "Who Knew." In the latter he raps, "Skibbedy-be-bop, a-Christopher Reeves/Sonny Bono, skis, horses and hittin' some trees."
A plaque near Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. reads: "In Memory of my friend Sonny Bono".[7]
Public Enemy mentioned Bono in their hit "Bring Tha Noize".
0 Replies
bobsmythhawk
1
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Sat 16 Feb, 2008 02:32 pm
Margaux Hemingway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Birth name Margot Louise Hemingway
Born February 16, 1955
Portland, Oregon
Died July 1, 1996 (aged 41)
Santa Monica, California
Spouse(s) Erroll Wetson (1975-1978)
Bernard Foucher (1979-1987)
Margaux Louise Hemingway (February 16, 1955 - July 1, 1996) was an American model and film actress who appeared in several movies. She was born in Portland, Oregon, the sister of actress Mariel Hemingway and the granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway. In addition to Mariel Hemingway, she had another sister, Joan. She grew up on her grandfather's farm in Ketchum, Idaho.
Biography
Early life
Hemingway was named for the wine, Château Margaux, which her parents, Puck and Jack Hemingway (the son of Ernest), were drinking the night she was conceived. In later years, after giving up drinking alcohol, she spelled her name Margot. She struggled with a variety of disorders in addition to alcoholism, including bulimia and epilepsy. She allowed a video recording to be made of a therapy session related to her bulimia and it was broadcast on television. Due to dyslexia, she did not read many of the books her famous grandfather wrote. She once said, "I am not a Hemingway aficionado".
She appeared in the 1976 movie Lipstick alongside her sister Mariel. The bad reviews of her performance were made worse by the critics' adoration of 14-year-old Mariel.
Her first marriage, to Errol Wetson, ended in divorce. They met when, at 19, she accompanied her father to the Plaza Hotel in New York City on a business trip, and four months later she moved from Idaho to New York City to share Wetson's apartment. On the rebound, she married Venezuelan Bernard Foucher, and they lived in Paris for a year. She also divorced him in 1985 after six years, and the end of the marriage left her feeling suicidal. Like her grandfather, she experienced occasional bouts of clinical depression all through her life. After a skiing accident in 1984, she gained 75 pounds and became more and more depressed. In 1987, she checked into the Betty Ford Center. In 1994, she went to a psychiatric hospital in Idaho to recover from a depressive cycle.
Hemingway experienced familial dramas throughout her life. Her relationship with her mother, Puck, was fraught with tension, but they did reconcile prior to Puck's death from cancer in 1988. She also experienced intense competition with Mariel, her younger sister and a more famous actress. In the 1990s, Hemingway went forward with allegations that her godfather had molested her as a child, and her father, Jack, and stepmother, Angela, resented the allegations and stopped speaking to her. Angela told People magazine, "Jack and I did not talk to her for two years. She constantly lies. The whole family won't have anything to do with her. She's nothing but an angry woman."
She supported herself later in life by autographing her nude photos from Playboy magazine, and endorsing a psychic telephone hotline. She enjoyed yoga and meditation. The last year of her life, she was looking forward to hosting the outdoor adventure series "Wild Guide" on the Discovery Channel.
Death
On July 1, 1996, the day before the 35th anniversary of her grandfather's suicide, Hemingway was found dead in her studio apartment in Santa Monica, California at age 42. She had taken an overdose of phenobarbital, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's findings one month later. Though her death was ruled a suicide, Mariel Hemingway long disputed this finding. Mariel's husband, Steve Crisman, said, "This was the best I'd seen her in years. She had gotten herself back together." On a December 22, 2005 edition of Larry King Live, however, Mariel said she now accepts the fact that Margaux committed suicide.
Her remains were cremated and Margaux was inurned in the Hemingway family plot in the Ketchum Cemetery in Ketchum, Idaho.
0 Replies
bobsmythhawk
1
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Sat 16 Feb, 2008 02:36 pm
LeVar Burton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Birth name Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr.
Born February 16, 1957 (1957-02-16) (age 50)
Landstuhl, West Germany
Other name(s) LeVar Burton
Spouse(s) Stephanie Cozart Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957, in Landstuhl, West Germany), professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director and author who first came to prominence playing Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley. He is also well-known for his role of Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and as the host of the PBS children's program Reading Rainbow.
Background
Burton was the child of a U.S. military family and was born in West Germany at the U.S. Army Landstuhl Regional Medical Center while his father was stationed at a nearby military base. At the age of thirteen, he entered a seminary to become a priest. He is a graduate of University of Southern California's School of Theatre. He has a daughter, Michaela, born in 1992, with his wife Stephanie, and a son, Eian, born in 1980. Burton was awarded joint custody of his son after a paternity suit.
He is an avid poker player, and participant in the World Poker Tour.[1] Currently living in Sherman Oaks, California, he and his wife Stephanie have worked to raise the awareness of treatments for infertility.
Early career
Following on his Emmy-nominated work in Roots he was so well-recognized that he appeared virtually as himself in the late 1970s and early 1980s on a number of television shows that employed "name" actors in guest roles. Thus, largely on the back of a single performance in Roots part 1, he was a visitor to Fantasy Island, participant in Battle of the Network Stars, a guest of the Muppet Show's televised premiere party for the release of The Muppet Movie, and a frequent guest on several popular game shows of the day. During these earliest days of MTV, he even appeared on a music video called "Word Up!" by R&B band Cameo.
In a 1978 interview, Burton said, "after Roots, I did a lot of talk and game shows, and then I stopped. I didn't want to get over-exposed."[cite this quote] It was at this point that Burton accepted an invitation to host Rebop, a multicultural series designed for young people ages 9-13, produced by WGBH for PBS. Burton liked Rebop's goals of helping children of all cultures to communicate across cultural and racial lines. Burton said, "Kids can learn a lot through Rebop. They can see kids from a variety of backgrounds who live all over the country, and have the same problems growing up as they do."[citation needed]
As the 1980s progressed, he created and began to host and executively produce Reading Rainbow in 1983 for PBS.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
In 1986, Gene Roddenberry approached him with an offer of regular series work. Thus, a decade after he had become a celebrity, he joined the regular cast of a major television program for the first time. Burton began playing the role of the then Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge in the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. Geordi La Forge was the USS Enterprise's helmsman, and as of the second season, its Chief Engineer.
Burton has also portrayed La Forge in every feature film based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, beginning with Star Trek Generations in 1994 through to the most recent picture, 2002's Star Trek Nemesis.
Other appearances
Beyond his two most famous series, Burton has enjoyed a wide range of acting work, alternating between serious historical roles and fantastic fiction. It is the historical work that has garnered the most critical attention. On television, he has helped dramatize the last days of Jim Jones's suicide cult in Guyana, the life and times of Jesse Owens, and the life of the nine-year-old Booker T. Washington. More recently in theatres, he has played the character of Martin Luther King, Jr., in the 2001 film Ali.
He has also lent his voice to several animated projects. His most long-lived animated role is probably that of Kwame in the cartoon series Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990-1993) and The New Adventures of Captain Planet (1993-1996). However, he has also contributed to Family Guy, Batman: The Animated Series, and Gargoyles.
Burton appeared several times as a celebrity guest on the Dick Clark hosted $100,000 Pyramid, which ran from 1985-88.
Burton also was the strongest link in the special Star Trek Episode of The Weakest Link, winning $167,500 for his charity. His final opponent was Robert Picardo. It was a record for the show.
Burton is the voice that asks "What were the skies like when you were young?" on The Orb track "Little Fluffy Clouds", a sample from Reading Rainbow.
Directing
Like several other actors, Burton leveraged his regular role in Star Trek to launch his directing career. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he would come to direct episodes for each of the various Star Trek series then in production. He has directed more Star Trek episodes than any other former regular cast member.
LeVar is on the board of directors for the Directors Guild Of America.
Burton is the only director to have contributed an episode to each of the four live-action Star Trek series which immediately followed after the original Star Trek.
Burton has also directed episodes of Charmed, JAG, and Soul Food: The Series, as well as the miniseries Miracle's Boys and the documentary The Tiger Woods Story.
His first foray into the world of theatrical film direction was a notable success. Not only did 2003's Blizzard garner him a "Best of Fest" award from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, but he also picked up a Genie Award nomination for his work on the film's theme song, "Center of My Heart."
His most recent directorial project, "Reach For Me", will be in theaters in 2008.
