"Turkey good! Football good! Lip-synching in Macy's Parade bad!" There's lots to say about arts and entertainment over the next few days. Let's start at the top, with Boris Karloff, born November 23, 1887 . The erstwhile William Henry Pratt labored as a truck driver, farmhand, and occasional character actor until 1931, when he landed the role of the monster in "Frankenstein." Even though he went unbilled in the original release of the movie, he became an instant star whose name was linked with horror until his death in 1969. In a nice coincidence, Forrest J. Ackerman, the man who became one of Karloff's best friends and biggest boosters was born a day later (albeit in 1916). Ackerman was the longtime editor of "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine, and cultivated a love for monsters and psychological horror in a million youngsters in the 1950s and '60s. But we've only scratched the surface when it comes to entertainment. For example, in 1889, the first jukebox went into operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. (We'll add that "juke" was slang for ... well, a "house of ill repute," and leave it at that.) This distant ancestor to the iPod contained a tinfoil phonograph with four listening tubes and a coin slot for each tube. So popular was it that it took in $1,000 in the first six months - a nickel at a time. Musical entertainment has evolved significantly in the century since. On Wednesday, we'll note the 142nd birthday of composer Scott Joplin. Joplin didn't invent ragtime music, but was one of its foremost composers, his "Maple Leaf Rag" virtually defined the era. Joplin isn't the only great artist who's an exemplar of his chosen genre. On Wednesday evening, PBS will broadcast an all-star concert celebrating the 80th birthday of Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist for some of the best - and most important - musicals in theatre history. And on November 25, 1949, Robert May and Johnny Marks'  "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" made its debut/ Gene Autry's recording of the tune eventually sold more than 25 million records. If those are the heights musical genres can reach, we note what some might consider the nadir, represented by tonight's episodes of "Glee" (featuring Carol Burnett) and the (tainted?) finale of "Dancing with the Stars." (And we mention the 1871 founding of the National Rifle Association purely in passing here - in case someone wants to emulate Steven Cowan.) Music can have an effect even in the world of science. Wednesday is the 36th anniversary of Donald Johanson and Tom Gray's discovery of the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton that they named "Lucy," after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." The fine arts are also represented this week. Tuesday is the 118th birthday of Romain de Tirtoff, who, under the name Erté (taken from the French pronunciation of his initials) virtually defined the Art Deco style of the early 20th century, and Wednesday is the 146th birthday of French illustrator Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Toulouse-Lautrec captured the lives of the Parisian demimonde of the late 19th century. And while it's not exactly "art," the first issue of "Life" magazine was published in 1936. Over the next 36 years, the photojournalism magazine featured some of the finest photography in the world - though none of its photographers could have used a zoom lens until it was invented this week in 1948. In performing arts, Agatha Christie's murder-mystery play "The Mousetrap" opened in London's West End in 1952, and has been running ever since, making it the longest continuously-running play in history. (There was even a recent controversy over whether the surprise ending should be revealed on Wikipedia. It was, so if you go over there, consider yourself warned.). Pity movie producer John Woolf, who bought the movie rights to the play, on the condition that he not film it until it closed. Woolf died in 1999, but the play runs on. It sounds like a disaster almost profound enough to be filmed by producer Irwin Allen, king of such disaster movies as "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno," and whose 94th birthday would have been Wednesday. It could be a disaster, but not a cosmic mystery suitable for solving by Doctor Who, the venerable BBC television series that began broadcasting this week in 1963. Crime and criminals also figure into this week (like every week, probably). On November 24, 1971, D.B. Cooper skyjacked a Boeing 727, collected $200,000 in ransom, and parachuted out over southern Washington state, never to be seen again. We mention an odd birthday coincidence in passing. Wednesday is the 122nd birthday of motivational author Dale Carnegie, and Thursday is the 175th birthday of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Dale (whose last name was originally spelled "Carnagey") wrote the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (which is still a best-seller on the self-help charts, nearly 75 years after it was published). Andrew made his fortune in the steel business and ended up giving most of it away, endowing libraries, schools, universities, along with numerous charities and foundations. By 1919, he had given away over $350 million (about $4.3 billion in 2010 dollars), with the remaining $30 million distributed after his death that year. In animal events, President Obama is scheduled to give an executive pardon to a turkey on Wednesday, and Thursday (in addition to everything else) is the National Dog Show in Philadelphia. Lastly, we mention what is, for many, the most notable event of the week: Thanksgiving, with its attendant gorging, football. T-Day also brings us the Macy's Parade, which gives television viewers across the country the chance to watch b-list actors and singers lip synch to lousy music, and this year will feature such traditional holiday entertainers as Jessica Simpson, Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, and Kanye West. Truly a Thanksgiving smorgasbord! Suggested Sites... Karloff.com - the Master of Horror -- and the nicest guy in Hollywood, by all accounts. Biography of Scott Joplin - the King of Sedalia, Missouri. The Discovery of Lucy - and we don't mean Mrs. Ricardo. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - the complete works. Top 10 Disaster Movies - the more stuff blows up, the more we love 'em!

Directory categories: Movie Genres, Ragtime Musicians, TV Series, Paleontology, Thanksgiving Recipes

Archived under: 1910s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 19th Century, Actors, Africa, Agatha Christie, American History, Ancient History, Animals, Anniversaries, Archaeology, Artists, Arts, Authors, Balloons, Barack Obama, Biographies, Birds, Birthdays, Black History, Books, Boris Karloff, Broadway, Celebrities, Christmas, Coincidence, Composers, Concerts, Crime, Criminals, D.B. Cooper, Dancing With the Stars, Disappearances, Doctor Who, Dogs, Eating, Entertainment, Events, Food and Drink, Football, Guns, History, Holidays, Horror, Horror Films, Jazz, Journalism, Journalists, London, Magazines, Men, Millionaires, Monsters and Creatures, Movie History, Movies, Music, Music History, Musicals, Musicians, Mysteries, NFL, New York, News, Parades, Performing Arts, Pets, Philanthropy, Photography, Rap and Hip-Hop, San Francisco, Science, Scientists, Songs, Sports, Stephen Sondheim, TV, Talk Show Hosts, Thanksgiving, The Beatles, Turkey, Wikipedia, Writers

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Oooohhhh, shiny! (Photo by *** Fanch The System !!! ***) Remember those good old vinyl records, crackling away on your phonograph? Probably not, since on October 1, 1982, the shiny optical compact disc (or CD) made its debut, and those "stacks of wax" have hardly been seen since. The CD was developed by the Sony Corporation and Philips, and the first test disc -- a recording of Richard Strauss' "Eine Alpensinfonie," played by the Berlin Philharmonic and conducted by Herbert von Karajan -- was pressed in Germany in 1981. (Fun fact: The reason CDs last about 70 minutes? That's the length of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the favorite classical piece of Sony chairman Akio Morita.) The first album ever released commercially was Billy Joel's "52nd Street," which hit the stores in Japan. Other markets, including the U.S., had to wait until March of 1983 to buy their first CDs. Some of our fellow Yahoos were born with the CD, while others get nostalgic over the first vinyl record or cassette they bought. Let's browse through our "discoYahootheque:" Sarah: Alanis Morrissette's "Jagged Little Pill”." I was one angry and bitter 12-year-old. Laura B.: The first CD I ever bought was U2's "Achtung Baby." Even now, I'm impressed by that teenage decision -- apparently I was wise beyond my years. "Achtung" is still one of my favorite records of all time. It has absolutely everything a classic record should have: heart-wrenching ballads ("One"), pained breakup missives ("So Cruel"), and poppy crowd-pleasers ("Mysterious Ways"). Helene K.: I think the first record I bought was "We Are the World." I remember that my mom gave me the money only because it was for a good cause. Jessica J.: My first-ever CD: "Ace of Base." Don't ask. Dave T.: Okay, I'm old enough to remember a time when CDs did not exist. So the first record I ever bought was Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven on Earth." I felt a bit of a traitor to Kylie, my stated teen idol, but my birthday money only went so far.... Mike M.: The first cassette tape I ever bought was Huey Lewis and the News' "Sports." My first vinyl LP was "The World Class Wreckin Cru" (featuring a much younger and skinnier Dr. Dre), and I think the first CD I ever bought was LL Cool J’s "Mama Said Knock You Out" in 1990 (I was a big fan of vinyl, so it took me a while to give in to buying CDs). Terri C.: Don't remember the first CD I bought, but I remember the first cassette I ever bought (and am now embarrassed to admit) -- it was Madonna's debut album. Cathleen: The first CD I bought was Kris Kross’ "Totally Krossed Out." Okay, I didn't actually buy it myself, I received it as a birthday present along with my first CD player/boom box. But I still enjoyed listening to "Jump" on repeat without having to rewind. More musical memories tomorrow.... Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: The CD - detailed history of the compact disc. 27 Years of CDs -- and Counting - the technical details behind the invention of the CD. How CDs work - the behind-the-scenes of CD manufacture.

Directory categories: CDs, Records, and Tapes, Vinyl, Music, Billy Joel, Rock and Pop Music

Archived under: 1980s, Artists, Classical Music, In Character, Music, Music History, Musicians, Rap and Hip-Hop, Rock and Roll, Songs

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(From the Jeanne Calment Gallery) She survived two World Wars, met Vincent Van Gogh (by whom she was not impressed), and rode her bicycle until she turned 100. At the time of her birth, on February 21 1875, in Arles, France, the Eiffel tower was only a plan, the telephone a crazy idea, and even the venerable George Burns was 21 years away from being born. Today, twelve years after her death, Jeanne Calment still holds the record as being the doyenne of humanity: when she died on August 4th, 1997, she was 122 years and 164 days old. Calment attributed her longevity to her lifestyle: married to a wealthy merchant, she never had to work. She enjoyed garlic, veggies, red wine, two pounds of chocolate a week, and cigarettes; she finally gave up smoking at 117, and then only she became too blind to light up herself. If her extended lifespan brought her worldwide fame in the 1980's, not everyone was cheering at each of her birthdays. In 1964, when Calment was already 90, a lawyer thought he could make a smart deal by offering to buy her apartment with a reverse mortgage: he agreed to pay her the equivalent of $500 per month, and when she died, he'd become the owner of the place. Not only did the lawyer die before Calment, but his wife had to keep up the payment for two more years, until Mme. Calment finally kicked the seau. That apartment ended up costing twice its value. Calment's fame brought her to movies and music. She had only a short appearance in the movie "Vincent and Me" in 1990, but took the French music world by surprise when, to celebrate her 121st birthday, a record company released a four-track CD with Calment talking over rap and hip hop tracks. Unfortunately, her single "La farandole" was seen as a joke, rather than as an homage to her. Fortunately for Jeanne Calment, though, she was too deaf to hear either the CD or the criticism! Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: Jeanne Calment - complete biography of the oldest person on record. Photo Gallery - pictures of Jeanne Calment, from age 20 to 122. R.I.P. Jeanne Calment - 1997 obituary of Jeanne Calment. Jeanne's Old Friends - oldest authenticated centenarians.

Directory categories: Jeanne Calment, Statistics, Vincent Van Gogh, Geriatrics

Archived under: 1980s, 1990s, 19th Century, Aging, Biographies, Birthdays, Celebrities, Dead Celebrities, France, History, Music, Rap and Hip-Hop, Society and Culture, Women

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Grandmaster Flash (From Yahoo! Music) The rock world is in an uproar. Hip-hop is coming to Cleveland and taking its rightful spot in the Hall of Fame. Tonight, alongside the more traditional fare of Van Halen, R.E.M., The Ronettes, and Patti Smith, will be the DJ impresario Grandmaster Flash and his MC crew, The Furious Five. They are the first rap and DJ group ever inducted into the hall and some herald the event as an end to the era of '70s punk bands and the beginning of the era of hip-hop. It's about time, too. Grandmaster Flash, aka Joseph Saddler, is considered by many to be the father of hip-hop and a towering influence on DJs. Flash took spinning records to new heights, transforming the turntable into an instrument with the development of techniques like cutting, backspinning, phasing, and the Quick Mix Theory. In the 1970s, Flash took the Bronx by storm with his early performances at local parties and dances. By the '80s, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had dance floors worldwide grooving to the classics "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," "The Message," and "White Lines." The rest is history. Suggested Sites... Grandmaster Flash - official site of the DJ Grandmaster Flash. Fresh Air: Grandmaster Flash Interview - a 2002 interview with Grandmaster Flash where he explains his influences and his Quick Mix Theory. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Grandmaster Flash - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five biography. Davey D's Hip-Hop Corner - text of a 1996 interview with DJ Grandmaster Flash. YouTube: Grandmaster Flash Turntablism - cool short video of the Master doing his thing. Go Flash! Go Flash!

Directory categories: DJ Grandmaster Flash, Rap and Hip Hop DJs, Rap and Hip Hop Artists, Turntablism

Archived under: Entertainment, Events, History, Music, Rap and Hip-Hop, Rock and Roll

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Lady Sovereign Tragically overlooked for a 2007 Grammy Award nomination, Lady Sovereign might stand a mere 5'1", but she's making a huge splash in the world of hip-hop. Although she's probably tired of being measured-up as a "pint-sized pop star," this London-based female rapper is a breath of fresh air in a male-dominated genre. And Lady Sov sure is the real thing, as her lauded live shows suggest. Arising out of the underground "grime" scene in the U.K., she quickly won the hearts of the masses, landing supporting gigs with top artists like The Streets, Mercury Music Prize winner Dizzee Rascal, and Basement Jaxx. Now that she's hit the U.S., Lady Sov continues to be savvy, smart, and of course, "the biggest midget in the game." Check her out. This is one public warning you don't want to ignore. Suggested Sites... MySpace: Lady Sovereign - 130,000 friends can't be wrong. GrimeMusic.com - notes from the underground. Sovereign Nation - you know you've made it if the BBC does a documentary on you. Lyrics Box: Lady Sovereign - a little bit of "shhh," please.

Directory categories: Lady Sovereign, Rap & Hip-Hop Artists, Grime & Dubstep, Chavs

Archived under: Lady Sovereign, Music, Rap and Hip-Hop, Regional, United Kingdom

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