February 22, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: The #1 Song on the U.S.charts this week in 1985 was "Careless Whisper" by the UK Duo, WHAM! who actually used the name WHAM UK! on their debut album.."Carless Whisper" was co-written by Andrew Ridgeley in 1981 when the duo was attending school.. The saxophone solo was done by Steve Gregory who did work for bands such as: The Animals and Queen..



TOP 5 SONGS THIS WEEK IN 1985 (From: Billboard)

1. WHAM! - "Careless Whisper"
2. BILLY OCEAN - "Loverboy"
3. PHILLIP BAILEY & PHIL COLLINS - "Easy Lover"
4. REO SPEEDWAGON - "Can't Fight This Feeling"
5. FOREIGNER - "I Want to Know What Love Is"

SONG OF THE DAY: February 20, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: Today, NIRVANA frontman, KURT COBAIN would have been 44.. COBAIN met an untimely exit from the World on April 5, 1994, but made his mark on the rock music world as well as the Northwest American music scene in the early 90's.. The song "On a Plain" comes from NIRVANA's multi-million selling album "Nevermind" which was produced by Butch Vig.. According to the Kurt Cobain diaries, Kurt's claim was that a couple of the lines from the song were originally intended for the song "Verse Chorus Verse"..




OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: singer Rihanna, NBA Athlete and political commentator, Charles Barkley, model Cindy Crawford, Actor Sidney Poitier, "3rd Rock from the Sun" star French Stewart, "Melrose Place" star Andrew Shue, actress Jennifer O'Neill, newspaper heiress gone criminal Patty Hearst, actress Sandy Duncan, fashion designer, Gloria Vanderbilt... Posthumously: "Lucy Show" star Gale Gordon, environmenal enthusiast, Ansel Adams..

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SONG OF THE DAY: February 19, 2011: SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES - "Tears of a Clown".. The song, "Tears of a Clown" was originally released in 1967 on Motown records, but it wasn't until September of 1970, when the song had been rereleased in the U.K. as to when "Tears of a Clown" really took off.. The song had skyrocketed on the UK charts and as a result was rereleased by Motown in the U.S.. The music for the song was written by STEVIE WONDER and Motown's Hank Cosby.. The lyrics were done by Smokey Robinson, whom celebrated his 71st Birthday on February 19th..



OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN ON 2/19: singer Seal, "Family Ties" star Justine Bateman,actor Jeff Daniels... Posthumously: actor Lee Marvin, scientist, Nicolas Copernicus
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90's CARTOON INTROS: How many do you remember?



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(((THIS WEEK IN 1989)))

The #1 Song on the U.S. Charts this week in 1989 was by LOS ANGELES choreographer and former Los Angeles Lakers cheerleader, PAULA ABDUL.. "Straight Up" was written and produced by songwriter ELLIOT WOLFF whose claim to fame included hits for PEACHES & HERB and CHAKA KHAN.. "Straight Up" was PAULA's first #1 hit off of her "Forever Your Girl" album which spawned 4 #1's between 1989 and 1990..

The #1 Movie This Weekend in 1989 was Tom Hanks in "The Burbs".. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter made a splash at the Box Office as "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" opened in theaters.. "Roseanne" was #1 on the small screen and author Salman Rushdie created a stir with his novel "The Satanic Verses"..




TOP 5 SONGS THIS WEEK IN 1989 (Courtesy: Billboard)

1. PAULA ABDUL - "Straight Up"
2. SHERIFF - "When I'm With You"
3. TONE LOC - "Wild Thing"
4. BON JOVI - "Born to Be My Baby"
5. WHITE LION - "When the Children Cry"

February 15, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: Today is JANE CHILD's 44th Birthday.. Who is Jane Child? you ask.. Is that Julia's daughter perhaps? Her real last name is RICHMAN, so that puts aside the JULIA relation rumors.. She's a Canadian singer who scored ONE hit in the Spring of 1990 with "I Don't Wanna Fall in Love".. You may recall her video on MTV and her appearance as the woman with hair extensions down to her feet AND an earring with a chain connecting to her nose ring.. JANE did go on to star in the film "Freejack" opposite Emilio Estavez but she will always be known for the hit single "I Don't Wanna Fall in Love" from 1990..

Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall In Love (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Jane Child

FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: "Simpsons" creator, Matt Groening, Brandon Boyd of rock band Incubus, Renee O'Connor of Xena: Warrior Princess, singer Melissa Manchester, actress Jane Seymour..




POSTHUMOUSLY: Comedian Harvey Korman, inventor Galileo Gallilei, woman's rights champion, Susan B. Anthony, "Batman" star Cesar Romero, actor John Barrymore..

Happy Valentine's Day

Psychedelic Furs -- "Love My Way" 1982




Sam Cooke - "Cupid" 1961



Partridge Family - "I Think I Love You" 1970


The Beatles - "All You Need is Love" 1967



The Cure - "Lovesong" 1989



Air Supply - "All Out of Love" 1980



Dan Fogelberg - "Longer" 1980



Bob Marley & The Wailers - "Could you Be Loved?" -- 1977

Love, American Style

Gotta love any TV show that starts with fireworks.. "Love,American Style" was a part of ABC's Friday night lineup in the early 70's which included: The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family and The Odd Couple.. Pretty impressive.. "Love American Style" originally started as a one-hour show but was condensed into a half-hour for syndication purposes..

Though it was a bit before my time, "Love,American Style" did have an effect on sitcoms that I enjoyed in my formative years.. Specifically, "Happy Days".. The original pilot for the series "Happy Days".. During it's time, "Love American Style" was known as a place where failed sitcom plots became short skits, many of which retiring for good.. Gary Marshall sold the idea of the sitcom, originally titled "New Family in Town" to Aaron Spelling (for "Love,American Style") after he had tried to pitch the show to the networks.. Of course, after "American Graffiti" sparked the nostalga for the 50's, "Happy Days" became a sitcom and successfully aired on ABC..

In this plot titled: "Love and the Happy Days", instead of Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham, there's an actor named Harold Gould, who later appeared on "Rhoda" and "Mary Tyler Moore" as Mr. C.. Of course we will never know what happened to Chuck Cunningham, who dissappeared after "Happy Days" first season, but we know the origins of the series..

February 13, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: It's VALENTINE'S WEEKEND and former GENESIS frontman and solo rock star, PETER GABRIEL's 61st Birthday.. The song "In your Eyes" is perhaps best known as the song that John Cusack used t serenade actress Ione Skye via boombox in the 1988 Cameron Crowe film "Say Anything".. The song comes from the 1986 debut "So", which helped to launch Gabriel into solo stardom with the Top 10 hits: "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time".. "In Your Eyes" got to #1 on Billboard's Rock chart in 1986..




FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: "American Beauty" star Mina Suvari, singer Robbie Williams, trash talk host Jerry Springer, "Grease" star Stockard Channing, Peter Tork of "The Monkees", "Vertigo" star Kim Novack.. Posthumously: singer Tennessee Ernie Ford, "American Gothic" painter Grant Wood..

Saturday Morning Cartoons

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS: CBS SATURDAY MORNING LINEUP with INTROS from 1967..



Here's an episode of "FRANKENSTEIN JR.", one of the cartoons that was on CBS'Saturday Morning lineup..




The cartoon SHAZZAN! which was also part of the CBS lineup was produced in many languages. Here is the Intro in Japanese:

February 12, 2011 -- VALENTINE'S WEEKEND

SONG OF THE DAY: It's VALENTINE's WEEKEND!! "Love Me Do" was written by PAUL MCCARTNEY when he was 16.. The song was the BEATLES first single, released in the UK in 1962 with the B-Side being "P.S., I Love You".. Of course, the song hit #1 in the U.S. in 1964 when BEATLEMANIA swept the States.. "Love Me Do" was recorded three different times, with 3 different drummers: Pete Best, Ringo Starr and Andy White..



FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Actress Christina Ricci, comedian Arsenio Hall, "Growing Pains" actress Joanna Kerns, Doobie Brothers frontman, Michael McDonald, former Genesis bassist, Steve Hackett, author Judy Blume..

Posthumously: "Bonanza" star Lorne Greene, Evolution theorist, Charles Darwin, 16th President of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln..

...AND NOW FOR A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS..

LOVE These OLD SCHOOL Commericals.. James Bond, PEPSI Generation, Mattresses, etc..

February 11, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: Happy 48th Birthday to Kennett, Missouri based singer-songwriter, SHERYL CROW.. SHERYL came from a very musical family with her father being a lawyer and a trumpet player and her mother, a piano teacher.. She hit her big break in 1994 with the album "Tuesday Night Music Club" and the #1 Single "All I Wanna Do", which was based on the WYN COOPER poem, "Fun".. The song "All I Wanna Do" references THE TALKING HEADS with the opening line "This Ain't No Disco"..




FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, actor Matthew Lawrence, Politico Sarah Palin, "Moesha" star Brandy, actress Jennifer Aniston, singer Sergio Mendes, "Destiny's Child"'s Kelly Rowland, actor Burt Reynolds.. Posthumously: "Monster Mash" singer, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, "Green Acres" star Eva Gabor, "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" star Leslie Nielsen, Lightbulb inventor, Thomas Alva Edison..

February 10, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: Happy 72nd Birthday to singer ROBERTA FLACK.. The song "Killing Me Softly (With his Song)" was originally recorded by singer Lori Lieberman and written by composers Charles Fox and Normal Gimbel.. Lieberman was inspired after she had seen singer Don McLean in concert.. Of course, it was Virginia-based musician Roberta Flack's version that achieved mainstream success and won the Grammy for Best Pop Female Performance at the 1974 Grammy Awards..





FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: actress Emma Roberts, Political commentator, Glenn Beck, "Good Morning America" host, George Stephanopoulos, actress Laura Dern, Olympic winner, Mark Spitz, singer Roberta Flack, "Hart to Hart" star Robert Wagner.. Posthumously: "The Wolf Man" star Lon Cheney Jr., former-Metallica bass player, Cliff Burton..

February 9, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: Happy 69th Birthday to singer CAROLE KING.. "I Feel the Earth Move" comes from the classic 1971 album, "Tapestry".. The 45 for this record was slightly overshadowed by the B-Side which was the break-up anthem "It's Too Late".. To date, the album "Tapestry" is the longest charting album by a Female solo artist (Source: Billboard) as it remained in the Top 200 albums chart for 305 weeks.. The name of the cat on the album cover is Telemachus (source: Carole King interview, April 2009, Telegraph UK)..



FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: singer Travis Tritt, "Color Purple" author Alice Walker, actress Mia Farrow, "Goodfellas" actor Joe Pesci, reporter Roger Mudd.. Posthumously: 9th U.S. President William Henry Harrison

POLL RESULTS ARE IN...

"WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE RETRO BREAKFAST CEREAL ICON?"


...AND THE WINNERS ARE:

SNAP, CRACKLE & POP for RICE KRISPIES..

TIED WITH: THE TRIX RABBIT

What''Chu Talkin' Bout Willis?

Today would have been "Diff'rent Strokes" star GARY COLEMAN's 43rd Birthday, whom left the World of disheartening reruns back in June.. The sad story of disease and legal troubles plagued Coleman's life as tragedy shaped many of the lives of th "Diff'rent Strokes" kids... COLEMAN though took much of it in stride and even ran for California State Governor in 2003..

The show "Diff'rent Strokes", which ran on NBC from 1978 to 1985 then to ABC for the final season was groundbreaking in it's own right.. The show dealt with the issues of racism, classism, drug addiction, child molestation among others.. Sadly, life imitated art for the children of the cast as Todd Bridges had faced addiction to crack cocaine and other legal troubles following the show.. Dana Plato's life reached a tragic end in 1999 amidst an addiction to prescription drugs.. There were even rumors that there was a "Diff'rent Strokes Curse"..

On a more positive note, "Diff'rent Strokes" helped to reinvigorate the career of Charlotte Rae, who went on to star in her own sitcom, "The Facts of Life" (which was a "Diff'rent Strokes" spin off) and helped to shape the future stardom of the Jackson sister, Janet..

The Episode entitled "The Spanking" was the 5th episode of the series and aired during the First Season..




OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Actor Seth Green, Motley Crue frontman, Vince Neil, ABC Nightline anchor, Ted Koppel, comedian, Robert Klein, "Star Wars" composer, John Williams, actor, Nick Nolte..

POSTHUMOUSLY: "Honeymooners" star Audrey Meadows, "Rebel Without a Cause", James Dean, actor Jack Lemmon, "Peyton Place" star Lana Turner..

February 8, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: The #1 song on the U.S. charts today in 1984 was by the U.K. band, CULTURE CLUB who were best known for their androgynous frontman, BOY GEORGE (whose real name is George Alan O'Dowd).. "Karma Chameleon" came from the "Color by Numbers" album.. The video is set in Mississippi in 1870 and as Boy George told BILLBOARD magazine is about "terrible fear of alienation that people have, the fear of standing up for one thing. It's about trying to suck up to everybody. Basically, if you aren't true, if you don't act like you feel, then you get Karma-justice, that's nature's way of paying you back.".. Though some speculated that the song was about Culture Club drummer Jon Moss with whom Boy George had a relationship at the time..

Through the years, the song has been used as a Campaign song for UK Politicans in order to paint their opponents as "Chameleons"..



TOP 5 SONGS TODAY IN 1984 (Courtesy: BILLBOARD)

1. CULTURE CLUB - "Karma Chameleon"
2. YES - "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
3. THE ROMANTICS - "Talking in Your Sleep"
4. KOOL & THE GANG - "Joanna"
5. MATTHEW WILDER - "Break My Stride"

February 7, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: The #1 song on the U.S. Pop charts on this day in 1978 was the Disco anthem "Stayin' Alive" by the Brothers Gibb (Robin, Maurice and Barry), AKA: THE BEE GEES!!! The song comes from the Soundtrack to film that helped to catapult JOHN TRAVOLTA into a pop culture icon.. The soundtrack LP not only was one of the best selling albums of 1978 but remained in BILLBOARD magazine's Top albums chart until March of 1980.. The song "Stayin' Alive" remained at #1 on the U.S. pop charts for 4 consecutive weeks..



TOP 5 SONGS THIS WEEK IN 1978 (Courtesy: BILLBOARD)

1. THE BEE GEES - "Stayin' Alive"
2. RANDY NEWMAN "Short People"
3. PLAYER - "Baby Come Back"
4. QUEEN - "We are the Champions"
5. ANDY GIBB - "Love is Thicker than Water"

FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Comedian Chris Rock, country superstar, Garth Brooks, actor Ashton Kutcher, actor James Spader.. Posthumously: "Oliver Twist" author Charles Dickens, "Little House on the Prairie" writer Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Main Street" author Sinclair Lewis..

FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN ON 2/6: Singer Axl Rose, singer Natalie Cole, MASH star Mike Farrell, former NBC news anchor, Tom Brokaw, 50's Teen Idol, Fabian, actor Rip Torn, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.. Posthumously: 40th President of the U.S., Ronald Reagan, Reggae Legend and stoner icon, Bob Marley, baseball legend Babe Ruth..

100 years of Reagan..

The 40th President of the United States, RONALD WAYNE REAGAN was born today in 1911.. Here's his innaugural State of the Union speech from 1982..

February 6, 2011 Superbowl Sunday in America..

It's SUPERBOWL Sunday!!! Today we take a look back at some of the songs from Superbowl's past..

In 1985, Superbowl XIX, back in better days for the Bay Area's San Francisco 49ers when they beat the Miami Dolphins 38 to 16 and Joe Montana was named MVP.. The 9ers released this song during their championship 84 to 85 season..


The following year, The Chicago Bears released this ditty that became an even bigger nationwide success, "The Superbowl Shuffle".. Of course, the Bears blew out the New England Patriots that year 46 to 10..



To be fair and balanced to California teams, The Raiders, who were then in Los Angeles, released "The Silver & Black Attack" in 1986..


Whether you watch the game for the teams, the commercials or the halftime show (hopefully there will be no "wardrobe malfunctions" this year).. Enjoy..

February 5, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: AXL ROSE, frontman of the band, GUNS N'ROSES celebrates his 48th Birthday this weekend (on Sunday).. The song and video for "Welcome to the Jungle" first appeared on GNR's 1987 breakthrough release "Appetite for Destruction" and was written by AXL ROSE while he was in Seattle, WA stating in a "Hit Parader" magazine interview that Seattle seemed more "rural" compared to L.A... AXL ROSE claims that GNR's biggest influence was Finland's glam rock band, HANOI ROCKS..




...AND YES!!! IT is SATURDAY!!!! Anyone remember THESE 80's cartoons?


FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, actress Barbara Hershey, actor Michael Sheen, "This is Spinal Tap!" actor Christopher Guest, Baseball great Hank Aaron.. Posthumously: writter William Burroughs..

February 4, 2011

Happy 63rd Birthday to VINCENT DAMON FURNIER whom we know as ALICE COOPER.. Check out this clip from Season 3 of the "Muppet Show" which features the shock rock icon!!




SONG OF THE DAY:
ALICE COOPER's hit "You and Me" went to #9 on the American pop charts and could have easily passed for a song by THE LITTLE RIVER BAND or another 70's soft rock radio favorite of the time.. The song even inspired a cover by "ol' Blue Eyes", FRANK SINATRA.. The song came from ALICE's 1977 album "Lace and Whiskey"..


OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Boxer Oscar De La Hoya, singer Natalie Imbruglia, former U.S. Vice President, Dan Quayle, Horror flick director, George A Romero.. Posthumously: Civil Rights Icon, Rosa Parks, "Pluto" discoverer, Clyde W. Tombaugh

"Dawn of the Dead" director GEORGE A ROMERO was born today..

..



Civil Rights Icon, ROSA PARKS was born today..

February 3, 2011 -- Happy Chinese New Year!! The Year of the Rabbit has began..

DAVID BOWIE's 1983 classic "China Girl" first appeared on his "Let's Dance" album and was co-written by IGGY POP.. The song was actually originally recorded by IGGY POP and appeared on his 1977 album "The Idiot"..



Brief History of "CHINA GIRL":


HANNA BARBERA featured a CHINESE-AMERICAN family in their short-lived 1972 cartoon "The Amazing Chan & Chan Clan" which was based on a Charlie Chan movie series from the 1930's and 1940's.. Reruns of the cartoon can be spotted on the "Boomerang!" network.. Although it only lasted 16 weeks, the cartoon still has made it's place in cartoon history..




Watch The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan in Animation  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

.. And let's mark the Year of the Rabbit once and for all with this classic from Grace Slick & The Jefferson Airplane performed on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"..


新年快樂

February 2, 2011 SONG OF THE DAY:

TIME MAGAZINE cover from FEBRUARY 1982 feat.. APPLE founder & CEO STEVE JOBS..

The duo of DARRYL HALL & JOHN OATES were on top of the U.S. charts today in 1982 with "I Can't Go for that (No Can Do)" which appeared on their LP, "Private Eyes".. The song topped both the Pop and R&B Charts, making HALL & OATES one of the only white acts to accomplish that feat.. DARRYL HALL sketched the song during an evening of recording in NYC in 1981.. The song also allegedly inspired MICHAEL JACKSON's "Billie Jean", but this is according to DARRYL HALL, so I don't know how much creedence I would put into that..


The Top 5 Songs This Week in 1982 (Courtesy: Billboard):

1. HALL & OATES - "I Can't Go For that (No Can Do)"
2. FOREIGNER - "Waiting for a Girl Like You" ** 10th Week at #2 without EVER hiting #1***
3. J GEILS BAND - "Centerfold"
4. OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - "Physical"
5. QUARTERFLASH - "Harden My Heart"

Seems like a pretty SOLID early 80's Top 5..

FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN ON FEB. 2nd: singer and activist SHAKIRA, "Pretender" actor MICHAEL T. WEISS, BILLY JOEL's Ex-Wife & Model, CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, GRAHAM NASH of CSNY and CSN, TOM SMOTHERS of "The Smothers Brothers".. POSTHUMOUSLY: Philosopher, AYN RAND, writer JAMES JOYCE and...

JILL from "CHARLIE'S ANGELS", the late FARRAH FAWCETT...

Happy Groundhog Day

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the late-RICK JAMES (AKA: JAMES AMBROSE JOHNSON, JR.) whom worked as a singer, songwriter, musician and record producer... Best known for this 1981 hit "Super Freak", which was released on MOTOWN records and features backing vocals by THE TEMPTATIONS..



FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: OUTKAST's Big Boi, actor PAULY SHORE, SHERILYN FENN of "Twin Peaks", DON EVERLY of "The Everly Brothers, actress LISA MARIE PRESLEY, actor SHERMAN HEMSLEY of "The Jeffersons", "Dexter" actor MICHAEL C HALL, former Russian President Boris Yeltsin.. Posthumously: actor Clark Gable, poet Langston Hughes..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAULY SHORE:


THE LATE ACTOR, BRANDON LEE, WAS BORN TODAY:

Song of the Day: The Carpenters - "Please Mr. Postman"

This week in 1975, the #1 song on the U.S. Singles chart was RICHARD & KAREN CARPENTER's rendition of THE MARVELETTES' Motown classic "Please Mr. Postman".. THE CARPENTERS were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970's and scored 12 Top 10 hits..




The Top 5 songs this week in 1975 (Source: Billboard)
1. The Carpenters - "Please Mr. Postman"
2. Neil Sedaka - "Laughter in the Rain"
3. Barry Manillow - "Mandy"
4. The Ohio Players - "Fire"
5. Stevie Wonder - "Boogie on Reggae Woman"

FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Pop star and actor Justin Timberlake, actress Minnie Driver, baseball star, Nolan Ryan, actress Carol Channing, Congressman Dick Gephardt, actress Kelly Lynch..
Posthumously: writer Norman Mailer, baseball star Jackie Robinson..

...AND THE WINNER IS........

SONG OF THE DAY: Phil Collins - "Sussudio"

SONG OF THE DAY: Happy 60th Birthday to Phillip David Charles Collins, whom we know better as ex-Genesis frontman and solo star, PHIL COLLINS..
During the summer of 1985, PHIL hit #1 on the U.S. charts with "Sussudio", a song that drew criticism for sounding like Prince's "1999".. PHIL came up with "Sussudio" while working on a beat for his drum machine.. The first thing that popped out of his mouth while working on the lyrics was "Sussudio", and the hit was born..




OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: "Batman" actor Christian Bale, "Grace Under Fire" star Brett Butler, Steve Marion of "Humble Pie", Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship, actress Vanessa Redgrave, former U.S. Vice President, Dick Cheney, actor Gene Hackman.. POSTHUMOUSLY: "Laugh-In" Co-Creator, Dick Martin, Former U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt..

SONG OF THE DAY: Stevie Wonder "Superstition"

The #1 Song in the U.S. this week in 1973 was STEVIE WONDER's "Superstition".. The song was written, produced, arranged AND performed by STEVIE at the age of 22.. The song was released on MOTOWN records and reached #1 on both the Pop and Soul charts..

FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Media Mogul, OPRAH WINFREY, MAGNUM P.I. star TOM SELLECK, actress ANN JILLIAN, Chinese singer TERESA TANG, "ROSEANNE" actress SARA GILBERT, "AMERICAN IDOL" Contestant, ADAM LAMBERT, blues singer, JONNY LANG.. Posthumously: comedian W.C. FIELDS, 25th U.S. President, WILLIAM MCKINLEY..

25 Years Ago Today.. January 28, 1986

** I remember coming home from school and being told by my aunt, whom was visiting from Alaska, that the Space shuttle had exploded.. There was alot happening at my house. One of my sisters had just been born and I had been at school all day on the 28th. My 4th Grade teacher was not in class that day as he was on some type of field trip or school business. We had a substitute teacher who was either 1) unaware that the Challenger had blown up and the demise of the 7 astronauts or 2) didn't want to go there with a room of 4th Graders so she chose not to. My teacher discussed it with us when he returned to class the following day.




On the night of the Challenger tragedy, President Reagan, whom was originally going to deliver his "State of the Union" address, consoled a grieving nation by delivering a televised national address:



The impact of the Spaceshuttle Challenger tragedy and the demise of those 7 astronauts that day is one that weighed heavy on the minds of myself and many other Americans. For American youth, this National Tragedy was consoled by an episode of the popular sitcom "Punky Brewster" entitled "Accidents Happen". This episode aired on March 9, 1986, nearly a month and a half after the tragedy. The message though was very relevant to the circumstances.

SONG OF THE DAY: January 27 -- Dionne & Friends

SONG OF THE DAY: Before she started communicating with her psychic friends, DIONNE WARWICK and her "Friends" got together to record the record "That's What Friends Are For", which was the #1 song on the U.S. charts today in 1986..

The song was written in 1982 by legendary songwriter BURT BACHARACH and CAROLE SAGER and originally recorded by ROD STEWART for the film "Night Shift".. DIONNE got together with ELTON JOHN, STEVIE WONDER and GLADYS KNIGHT to record this song for AIDS research in late 1985..




FAMOUS PEOPLE BOR TODAY: Actress Bridget Fonda, football player Cris Collionsworth, "Pink Floyd" drummer Nick Mason.. Posthumously: music legend, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "Narnia" writer Lewis Caroll, 50's teen idol, Troy Donahue, actress Donna Reed..

THE TOP 5 SONGS -- JANUARY 27, 1986 -- SOURCE: BILLBOARD

1. DIONNE & FRIENDS - "That's What Friends Are For"
2. LIONEL RICHIE - "Say You, Say Me"
3. SURVIVOR - "Burning Heart (From "Rocky IV")
4. STEVIE NICKS - "Talk to Me"
5. WHAM! - "I'm Your Man"

Fisher Price Record Player

Saw this at TARGET the other day along with many other "Blast from the Past" Toys.. The Fisher-Price Music Box Record Player was my very first record player! I played out the little colored records with all of the big toddler hits, "Jack & Jill", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "The Farmer and the Dell". In addition, Fisher Price has also re-released the "Corn Popper" the hand-cranked music box and the hand-cranked "television"..

SONG OF THE DAY: January 26, 2011: Van Halen - Dance the Night Away

SONG OF THE DAY: Happy 56th Birthday to legendary guitarist, EDDIE VAN HALEN.. "Dance the Night Away" was the band, VAN HALEN (led by DAVID LEE ROTH)'s first U.S. single release from their second album "VAN HALEN II" which reached the U.S. Top 40..
The song was inspired by FLEETWOOD MAC's "Go Your Own Way", which the band hummed in the studio while recording the album.. DAVID LEE ROTH originally wanted to call this song "Dance Lolita Dance"..




OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN TODAY: Talk show host ELLEN DEGENERES, actor PAUL NEWMAN, singer ANITA BAKER, blues singer LUCINDA WILLIAMS, hockey player WAYNE GRETZKY, activist ANGELA DAVIS, baseball player & "Mr. Belvadere" star BOB UECKER, actor SCOTT GLENN.. POSTHUMOUSLY: movie critic GENE SISKEL, Gen. DOUGLAS MacARTHUR..

SONG OF THE DAY: January 25, 2011

SONG OF THE DAY: This week in 1990, the Belgium studio group, TECHNOTRONIC was at #2 on the U.S. Pop charts with "Pump up the Jam".. The song was a Worldwide smash that featured vocalist Ya Kid K though the video featured Congo-based model Felly Kilingi as the vocalist (this stunt was later done by dance acts C+C Music Factory and Black Box with Martha Wash)...