WA2K Radio is now on the air

"Three coins in the fountain
Each one seeking happiness
Thrown by three hopeful lovers
Which one will the fountain bless?"

Well, there's our Francis. Welcome back, dear.


".....make it mine; make it mine...make it mine......" <smile>

Hello, all!

Seeing Francis here reminds me that today in history marks the liberation of Paris by allied forces in WWII.

Thought for Today: ``The chains which cramp us most are those which weigh on us least.'' - Anne Sophie Swetchine, Russian-French author (1782-1857).



08/24/05 20:00

Ruby Keeler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ruby Keeler, born Ethel Hilda Keeler, (August 25, 1910 - February 28, 1993), was an actress, singer, and dancer.

She was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in either 1909 or 1910. Her first "show-business" job was as a chorine, working in a speakeasy for the Prohibition-era hostess Texas Guinan. After that stint, Keeler made her Broadway debut (at Guinan's request) in George M. Cohan's The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly in 1923. In 1927, Keeler appeared in a total of three musicals: Bye Bye Bonnie, Lucky, and Sidewalks of New York.

During her days at Texas Guinan's nightclub, Keeler met legendary entertainer Al Jolson. The couple began dating and wed in 1928. Jolson got Keeler her next starring role in Florenz Ziegfeld's 1929 spectacle Show Girl. But alas, the marriage (in which they adopted a son) was a rocky one and the couple divorced in 1940. Keeler remarried in 1941 to John Homer Lowe, in which they had four children. He died of cancer in 1969. In 1933, producer Darryl F. Zanuck cast Keeler in the Warner Bros. musical 42nd Street opposite Dick Powell and Bebe Daniels. The film was a huge success due to Busby Berkeley's lavish choreography. Due to the film's success, Jack L. Warner gave Keeler a long-term contract and cast her in such hits as Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), and Dames (1934). Her co-stars were usually Dick Powell and Joan Blondell, among others. Keeler left the studio in 1937 after her films started failing at the box-office. She was the sister of minor actresses, Helen Keeler and Gertrude Keeler.

In 1971, Keeler came out of retirement to star in the hugely successful Broadway revival of No, No, Nanette, along with Helen Gallagher and the late Patsy Kelly. The production was directed by Keeler's 42nd Street director Busby Berkeley.

Ruby Keeler died of cancer in Rancho Mirage, California and was interred in the Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange, California. She has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6730 Hollywood Blvd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Keeler


Musical: 42nd Street
Song: Lullaby of Broadway


Peggy:
[Spoken]
I'm sorry show business isn't for me. I'm goin' back to Allentown!

Julian:
What was the word you've just said, Allentown?
I'm offering you a chance to star in biggest musical
Broadway's seen in twenty years and you say: "Allentown?"

[Singing]
Come on along and listen to
The lullaby of Broadway.
The hip hooray and bally hoo,
The lullaby of Broadway.
The rumble of the subway train,
The rattle of the taxis.
The daffy-dills who entertain
At Angelo's and Maxie's.

When a Broadway baby says "Good night,"
It's early in the morning.
Manhattan babies don't sleep tight until the dawn:
Good night, baby,
Good night, milkman's on his way.
Sleep tight, baby,
Sleep tight, let's call it a day,
Listen to the lullaby of old Broadway.

Ensemble:
Come on along and listen to
The lullaby of Broadway.
The hidee hi and boopa doo,
The lullaby of Broadway.
The band begins to go to town,
And ev'ryone goes crazy.
You rock-a-bye your baby 'round
'Til ev'rything gets hazy.

Hush-a-bye, "I'll buy you this and that,"
You hear a daddy sayin'.
And baby goes home to her flat
To sleep all day:
Good night, baby,
Good night, milkman's on his way.
Sleep tight, baby,
Sleep tight, let's call it a day!
Listen to the lullaby of old Broadway.

Come on along and listen to
The lullaby of Broadway.
The hip hooray and bally hoo,
The lullaby of Broadway.
The rumble of the subway train,
The rattle of the taxis.
The daffy-dills who entertain
Until the dawn:
Good night, baby,
Good night, milkman's on his way.

Peggy:
[Spoken]
I'll do it!

Ensemble:
[Cheers!]

[Singing]
Come on along-
Come on along and listen to
The lullaby of Broadway.
The hidee hi and boopa doo,
The lullaby of Broadway.
The band begins to go to town,
And ev'ryone goes crazy.
You rock-a-bye your baby 'round
And sleep all day!
Listen to the lullaby of
Old Broadway!

Sean Connery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.


Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland) better known simply as Sean Connery, is a Scottish film actor who has starred in many films and is best known as the original cinematic James Bond. His birth name was Thomas Connery. The name "Sean" was added later as a stage name.

Connery is known for his trademark Scottish accent and his good looks, repeatedly being mentioned as one of the most attractive men alive by magazines even after he was considerably older than more conventional sex symbols.


Personal life

Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to a mixed-religion couple. His father was Catholic and his mother was Protestant. Accordingly, neither Tommy (Sean) nor his brother, Neil, was raised Catholic. He joined the Royal Navy after leaving school, and after being discharged on medical grounds went on to a succession of jobs, including labourer and lifeguard. He competed for Scotland in the Mr. Universe competition in 1953, which led to work on the stage, TV, and eventually film.

He has long advocated greater independence for Scotland, and has supported the Scottish National Party, a centre-left nationalist political party, financially and through personal appearances despite himself living in the Bahamas. This support is illustrated by a comment from his official website:

"While it is generally accepted that his support of Scotland's independence and the Scottish National Party delayed his knighthood for many years, his commitment to Scotland has never wavered. Politics in the United Kingdom often has more intrigue than a James Bond plot. While Scotland is not yet independent, she does have a new parliament. Sir Sean campaigned hard for the yes vote during the Scottish Referendum that created the new Scottish Parliament. He believes firmly that the Scottish Parliament will grow in power and that Scotland will be independent within his lifetime." [1]

Connery used part of the fees from his work as James Bond to establish a charity to support deprived children in Edinburgh as well as Scottish Film production. These charitable works would have earned him a Knighthood much earlier but it was revealed in 1997 that the award had been declined due to concern over statements that Connery made in interviews that in certain circumstances that physical abuse of a partner was acceptable.

Connery received the Legion D'Honneur in 1991. He received Kennedy Center Honors from the United States in 1999, presented to him by President Bill Clinton. He received a knighthood on July 5, 2000, wearing a hunting tartan kilt of the MacLean of Duart clan. Sean Connery received the Orden de Manuel Amador Guerrero from Mireya Moscoso, former president of Panama on 11 March 2003, for his talent and versatility as an actor.

He was married to Australian-born actress Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973; He has been married to French-Moroccan artist Micheline Roquebrune Connery since 1975. With Cilento he had a son, Jason Connery, who also became an actor. As neither of his parents is Roman Catholic, Jason was not raised Catholic, and was educated at Millfield School in Somerset, England.

In September 2004, media reports indicated that Connery intended to retire after he pulled out of Josiah's Canon, which is to be released in 2005. However, in a December 2004 interview with The Scotsman newspaper from his home in the Bahamas, the then-74 year-old actor denied he was retiring and said he would like to make another movie, but that he is taking a break from acting in order to concentrate on writing his autobiography, but now the book will no longer be written. Just weeks before his 75th birthday, over the weekend of July 30th/31st 2005, it was widely reported in the broadcast media, and again in The Scotsman[2] which credited the source as an interview in an unspecified New Zealand newspaper, that he had decided to retire from film making following disillusionment with the "idiots now in Hollywood".

Connery is well known to audiences around the world for his role as James Bond. He first appeared as agent 007 in Dr. No (1962) and subsequently played Bond in several sequels.

* From Russia With Love (1963)
* Goldfinger (1964)
* Thunderball (1965)
* You Only Live Twice (1967)
* Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
* Never Say Never Again (1983 unofficial)

Connery was discovered by Harry Saltzman after numerous names as possible contenders for Bond were thrown or ruled out, including Roger Moore, David Niven, Cary Grant, and many others. Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond pays tribute to Connery in his 1963 novel, On Her Majesty's Secret Service by stating that 007's surname as well as his father, was Scottish.

In 1967 Connery quit the role of Bond, which lead to Albert R. Broccoli hiring George Lazenby to continue the film franchise in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. After the film's release, however, Lazenby backed out of a seven film contract. Broccoli again asked Connery to return to the role and paid him $1.25 million plus 12.5% of the film's profits, or about $6 million total to do so, at the time the highest salary of any actor. Connery returned one final official time in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, quitting the role shortly after release.

Due to, and at the height of an ongoing legal battle between Broccoli's EON Productions and Kevin McClory (co-writer of Thunderball), McClory was allowed to create a remake of Thunderball after a 10 year span after the release of Thunderball In the late 1970s McClory teamed with Connery to write an original James Bond film. The project never got off the ground due to further lawsuits brought about by United Artists; however, in 1983 Connery teamed with McClory again to play the role of secret agent James Bond 007 for the seventh and final time in the unofficial film and remake Never Say Never Again. The title of the film has long believed to have derived from Connery's comments after the release of Diamonds Are Forever who after filming it, claimed he would never play James Bond again. (For the legal battle see the controversy of Thunderball)

In March 2005, it was announced that Connery would return to his most famous role one more time, providing the voice of James Bond for an upcoming video game adaptation of From Russia With Love.

Over 40 years since he first played the role, Connery is still widely regarded as the definitive cinematic incarnation of James Bond, despite credible interpretations of the character by the likes of Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and what many believe to be a more authentic literary performance by Timothy Dalton.

Post-James Bond Career

Although his most famous role was that of James Bond, Sean Connery has also maintained a highly successful career since, much more so than the other actors who assumed the role. As part of the agreement to appear in Diamonds are Forever Connery was given a carte blanche to produce two films at United Artists but felt that the only film made under this deal, The Offence, was buried by the studio. Apart from The Man Who Would Be King, most of Connery's successes in the next decade were as part of ensemble casts, in films like Murder on the Orient Express and A Bridge Too Far. After the experience with Never Say Never Again and the following court case Connery became unhappy with the major studios and for two years did not make any films. Following the European production The Name of the Rose Connery's interest in more credible material was revived. His performance as a hard-nosed cop in The Untouchables (1987) earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Subsequent box-office hits such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and The Hunt for Red October (1990) secured his place as a bankable leading man. He later received a Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema. In more recent years, Connery's filmography has included its fair share of box office and critical disappointments such as The Avengers (1998), and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), but he also received rave reviews for films such as Finding Forrester (2000).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery

Good morning, Bob. Thanks once again for the bios. Leonard Bernstein is the first composer and director that I heard discuss the diatonic scale, often used by the Beatles in their songs. (don't ask me to explain it)

Question for today:

Upon what play was West Side Story based?

Wasn't it "Romeo and Juliet"?

Exactly, Francis. I wonder how many movies, etc. have been based on Romeo and Juliet?

Well, as I get ready for work, I look outside for my morning weather report. Here it is, in the form of a song:

Look Over Yonder

Look over yonder hot sun turning over
Look over yonder hot sun turning over
And it won't go down Lord it won't go down

Did you ever hear the cuckoo bird a calling
Did you ever hear the cuckoo bird a calling
Sure sign of rain Lord, sure sign of rain

I've been a hammerin since last December
I've been a hammerin since last December
And I'm almost dead Lord, I'm almost dead

I've been a wondering if anybody wonders
I've been a wondering if anybody wonders
About poor me Lord, ´bout poor me

Look over yonder hot sun turning over
Look over yonder hot sun turning over
And it won't go down Lord it won't go down

Hey, edgar. Great way to give us a weather report from Texas.

I'm looking over yonder, listeners, and find this update:

Tropical Storm Katrina Nears Florida By DENISE KALETTE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 32 minutes ago



MIAMI - A hurricane warning prompted a rush on gas stations early Thursday in southeast Florida, where people were advised to stock up on necessities and take safety precautions ahead of Tropical Storm Katrina.


The storm had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph, and was expected to reach hurricane strength as it slowly approached the Florida coastline, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricanes sustain winds of at least 74 mph.

A hurricane warning was issued for the southeast Florida coast from Vero Beach to Florida City, as well as inland Lake Okeechobee. A tropical storm watch was issued for Florida's west coast.

Katrina's path appeared centered on the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, but forecasters warned it could easily move to the north or south before making landfall late Thursday or early Friday.

Broward County recommended that people evacuate barrier islands and low-lying regions, and some schools in the area were closing. Battering waves and storm surge flooding of 4 to 6 feet were expected.

Gas stations along the Interstate 95 corridor between Miami and Fort Lauderdale were seeing up to 25 motorists an hour Thursday, instead of the usual handful. People were buying gas and stocking up on water and cigarettes.

"People go out and fill their tanks to the brim, but they don't leave. They buckle down," said Chris Bonhorst, a gas attendant.

Carlos Sarcos, 48, of North Miami, said he would only evacuate his family if Katrina grew into a Category 3 storm, with winds of at least 111 mph.

"I don't think it's going to be dangerous," he said.

Gov. Jeb Bush canceled a business trip to Peru that was to begin Wednesday and planned to return to Florida from Virginia, where he was attending a hearing on military base realignment.

Katrina formed Wednesday over the Bahamas and was expected to cross Florida before heading into the Gulf of Mexico. It could dump 6 to 12 inches of rain on the state, with some spots getting up to 20 inches.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Katrina was centered about 90 miles east of Fort Lauderdale and was moving west at about 8 mph. Forecasters said the storm was expected to slow down as it crossed the warm, storm-feeding waters of the Gulf Stream.

The Florida Panhandle was hit by Tropical Storm Cindy and Hurricane Dennis earlier this year. Early indications were that Dennis caused about $2 billion in total damage.

Last year, four hurricanes caused an estimated $46 billion in damage across the country.

In an average year, only a few tropical storms develop by this time in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

May I mention something which, when you think about it, is really weird and quite strange I think.

When working at the Roman Baths in Bath, England, workmen found offerings to the gods of the spring (Minerva? Sulis? can't remember) which, pre-christianity, were pagan Celtic gods.
Some objects found in the silt at the bottom of the pool were requests written on lead tablets, which could still be read and deciphered. They had been dropped in there by Roman soldiers and ancient British townspeople. Fascinating.

Anyway, the practice of giving offerings at a spring, (coins in a fountain, "wishing wells"), is a very ancient one- and we're still doing it!
Even in a modern mall, where there is a pool of water, any pool will do, fed by modern plastic pipes or whatever, people and their children still throw money in- " for luck"!

Strange, or what?

Yes, very strange, McTag. There was a marvelous place to eat here called The Bridge Tender which has long since vanished. A small bridge connected the parking lot to the restaurant, under which flowed a delightful little stream filled with coins. Some superstitions never die, it seems.

I was quite surprised to find this song as I was looking through the web, and it is a paradox in a way.

Katrina and the Waves? My word!

I used to think maybe you loved me
Now, baby, I'm sure
And I just can't wait 'til the day
When you knock on my door
Now every time I go to the mailbox
I gotta hold myself down
'Cause I just can't wait 'til you write me
You're coming to town

I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
And it's time to feel good
It's time to feel good

I used to think maybe you loved me
Now I know that it's true
But I don't want to spend my whole life
Just a waiting for you
Now I don't want you back for the weekend
Or just for a day, no, no
Baby I just want you back
And I want you to stay

I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
And it's time to feel good
It's time to feel good

Walking, I'm walking on sunshine
I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
I'm walking on sunshine, woh, oh
And it's time to feel good
It's time to feel good, now.

Yes, wishing wells and their ancient origins.

Maybe we can persuade Walter to tell us the origin and symbolism represented by the modern Easter Bunny.

Yoo Hoo, Walter. Where are you?




Hey Walter where are you now when we need you?
Now when we need you so bad?
Just one word come straight from your heart
Makes me feel so glad!
Death and disease walz together like starlets in this place
I sure would like to see your honest face

Hey Walter where are you now when we miss you?
Now when we miss you like hell?
If you were here we would know you'd make us
Believe again in ourselves
You don't owe us nothing
We're not calling you away
So please don't feel accused when we say

Where are you now when we need you?
Now when we need you so bad?

Good Morning WA2K:

Today's birthdays:

1530 - Ivan IV of Russia ("Ivan the Terrible") (d. 1584)
1624 - François de la Chaise, French confessor of Louis XIV of France (d. 1709)
1635 - Sir Henry Morgan, privateer (d. 1688)
1662 - John Leverett the Younger, American President of Harvard (d. 1724)
1724 - George Stubbs, British painter (d. 1806)
1744 - Johann Gottfried Herder, German writer (d. 1803)
1767 - Antoine Louis Léon de Richebourg de Saint-Just, French revolutionary and writer (d. 1794)
1772 - King William I of the Netherlands (d. 1843)
1786 - King Ludwig I of Bavaria (d. 1868)
1796 - James Lick, California land baron (d. 1876)
1819 - Allan Pinkerton, American private detective (d. 1884)
1836 - Bret Harte, American writer (d. 1902)
1841 - Emil Kocher, medical researcher (d. 1917)
1845 - King Ludwig II of Bavaria (d. 1886)
1850 - Charles Richet, scientist
1882 - Sean O'Kelly, President of Ireland (d. 1966)
1898 - Helmut Hasse, German mathematican
1900 - Sir Hans Adolf Krebs, scientist
1902 - Stefan Wolpe, composer (d. 1972)
1909 - Ruby Keeler, singer and actress (d. 1993)
1909 - Michael Rennie, actor (d. 1971)
1912 - Erich Honecker, head of state of East Germany (d. 1994)
1913 - Walt Kelly, American cartoonist (d. 1973)
1916 - Van Johnson, actor
1917 - Mel Ferrer, American actor
1918 - Leonard Bernstein, American conductor and composer (d. 1990)
1918 - Richard Greene, actor
1919 - George Wallace, Governor of Alabama (d. 1998)
1921 - Monty Hall, game show host
1921 - Brian Moore, Irish-born Canadian writer (d. 1999)
1927 - Althea Gibson, American tennis player (d. 2003)
1928 - Herbert Kroemer, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1929 - Gordon Sherwood, composer
1930 - Sir Sean Connery, Scottish actor
1933 - Regis Philbin, television host
1933 - Wayne Shorter, jazz musician
1933 - Tom Skerritt, actor
1935 - Charles Wright, American poet
1938 - David Canary, actor
1938 - Frederick Forsyth, author
1939 - John Badham, film director
1940 - José Van Dam, Belgian baritone
1941 - Marshall Brickman, screenwriter
1944 - Anthony Heald, actor
1946 - Rollie Fingers, baseball player
1947 - Anne Archer, actress
1949 - Martin Amis, novelist
1949 - John Savage, actor
1949 - Gene Simmons, bassist
1951 - Robert Joseph Glass, artist
1951 - Rob Halford, english singer (Judas Priest)
1952 - Peter Wolf, singer and composer
1954 - Elvis Costello, musician
1958 - Tim Burton, film director, producer, and screenwriter
1961 - Billy Ray Cyrus, singer
1962 - Viv Campbell, guitarist (Def Leppard)
1962 - David Packer, American actor
1964 - Maxim Kontsevich, Russian mathematician
1964 - Blair Underwood, actor
1968 - Rafet El Roman, singer, composer
1968 - Rachael Ray, cook and television host
1968 - Stuart Murdoch, musician (Belle & Sebastian)
1969 - Cameron Mathison, Canadian actor (All My Children)
1970 - Claudia Schiffer, German model
1972 - Marvin Harrison, American football player
1973 - Jennifer Wilbanks, American causes celebre, "runaway bride".
1981 - Rachel Bilson, actress
1987 - Stacey Farber, actress

Good morning, Raggedy. While we wait for Walter to come hippity hopping into our studio, let's take a look at Sean Connery. Still looks quite debonair, right listeners?

AMC is featuring all the Bond movies right now. Thanks, gal, for your celeb updates.

For James:

Song Lyrics
"Live and Let Die"
Performed by Paul McCartney and Wings
Music and Lyrics by Paul and Linda McCartney


When you were young and your heart was an open book,
You used to say live and let live.
(You know you did, you know you did, you know you did.)
But if this ever changing world in which we live in,
Makes you give in and cry...
Say live and let die.
(Live and let die.)
Live and let die.
(Live and let die.)

What does it matter to you?
When you got a job to do you gotta do it well.
You've got to give the other fella hell.

You used to say live and let live.
(You know you did, you know you did, you know you did.)
But if this ever changing world in which we live in
Makes you give in and cry,
Say live and let die.
(Live and let die.)
Live and let die.
(Live and let die.)

Well, since I was called so loudly:

The custom of associating a rabbit with Easter arose in Protestant areas in Europe in the 17th century but did not become common until the 19th century. The Easter rabbit was said to lay the eggs as well as decorate and hide them.

In a way, this was a manifestation of the Protestant rejection of Catholic Easter customs. In some European countries, however, other animals - in Switzerland the cuckoo, in Westphalia the fox - brought the Easter eggs.

As a kind of return pass to McTag (he origianlly sent me that link, after I'd showed him some time ago the Three-Hares-Window in Paderborn*):

Three Hares Project


*
The 16th century "Drei-Hasen-Fenster" (Three-Hares Window) in the Paderborn Cathedral cloisters.
It is a reference to an old riddle: "Three hares and three spoons, though each hare has two". [The "spoons" of the hare are his ears colloquially/in hunter's language!]

Fantastic, Walter. Listeners, our Walter always has the most delightful stories to tell us about history, and always accompanied by pictures of the actual thing.

Thank you, Germany. I'll never look at a hare the same way again. <smile>

Don't change a hare for me,
Not if you care for me,
Stay little rabbit please stay.
Each day is fox and hare day.

Can anyone tell me what the real song that I just spoofed is?