#marty bergen

[papermoonloveslucy]

RIP MARTY KROFFT 

1937-2023

Marty Krofft was born on April 9, 1937 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. With his brother Sid, Krofft created some of television's most fantastic and magical programs, mostly centered around puppetry. Lucille Ball's interaction with the Krofft was brief, but memorable.

The Krofft puppets first gained attention at the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair where they presented a show called "Les Poupees de Paris" that included marionettes impersonating popular celebrities. In 1964-1965, they presented the (updated) show at the Worlds Fair in New York. In 1967, Ball's recorded voice, along with Jackie Gleason, Liberace, and Mae West and many other stars, was heard in “Six Flags presents Sid and Marty Krofft’s Circus”.

On September 30, 1977, Donny and Marie welcomed Lucille Ball, who plays the Tin Lady in a Krofft-style spoof of “The Wizard of Oz” starring Ray Bolger. The first three seasons of "The Donny & Marie Show" were produced by the Kroffts, who also created the variety series. Ball appeared on the 2nd episode of the show's 3rd season, and the Osmonds (after a long legal battle) had finally won creative control from the Kroffts feeling they had outgrown the child-like atmosphere created by them. They moved the show to Utah and took over as producers just two months after this episode aired. In this episode, however, the Krofft vibe is still palpably present.

A few Lucille Ball / Desilu performers were seen on Krofft's many television shows.

Johnny Silver played Ludicrous Lion on TV's "H.R. Pufnstuf" (1969) and appeared as Dr. Blinky in the 1970 feature film.

Charles Nelson Reilly and Jerry Maren (both seen on "Here's Lucy") were part of "Lidsville" (1971).

1972's telefilm "Fol-De-Rol" (a film of their 1968 fairy tale puppet show) included Lucy guest stars Ann Sothern, Mickey Rooney, and Totie Fields.

"Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" (1972) starred Ball's good friend Mary Wickes as Aunt Zelda, and also featured Sidney Miller as the voice of Sweet Mama Ooze.

"The Lost Saucer" (1975) included Lucy friends Ruth Buzzi, Jim Nabors, and Vito Scotti.

"Far Out Space Nuts" (1975) featured Hal Smith and John Carradine, both of whom had appeared on "The Lucy Show."

Also seen on "Donny & Marie" during the Krofft years were Desi Arnaz, Jack Albertson, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Ruth Buzzi, Buddy Hackett, Edgar Bergen, Andy Griffith, Rich Little, Iron Eyes Cody, Arthur Godfrey, and Vincent Price.

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New Video: Joel Grey and Eddie Redmayne Talk CABARET and The 'Emcee' Legacy

Last night, the company and audience of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club celebrated Broadway legend Joel Grey’s 92nd birthday on stage at the August Wilson Theatre.

By: A.A. CristiApr. 12, 2024, Broadway World.

Last night, the company of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club wilkommened some very special guests to their immersive nightclub home!

Eddie Redmayne currently in previews as the ‘Emcee’ in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club celebrated Broadway legend Joel Grey’s 92nd birthday on stage at the August Wilson Theatre.

In the video Grey, who won Tony and Academy Awards for originating the role of the Emcee, reacts to the immersive new production now in previews on Broadway and its star Eddie Redmayne.

Redmayne described the feeling of performing for Grey and the show's composer, John Kander as "extraordinary, horrendously intimidating, as well, but joyful," and revealed a special moment he shared with the star during the performance.

Grey, who originated the role of the ‘Emcee’ on Broadway in 1966 and went on to star in the beloved film of Cabaret, took the stage as the entire cast, band, and creative team sang “Happy Birthday” while a custom cake, shaped like a giant pineapple, emerged from the stage.

During his speech honoring Grey, Eddie Redmayne said, “Tonight is an extraordinarily special night for us because we are in the presence of an extraordinary human being without whom none of us would be here.” After thunderous applause, Redmayne continued “Your performance in this part changed my life and it was one of the things that made me want to be an actor.”

The cast and Grey were also joined on stage by Cabaret composer John Kander.

Alongside Joel’s daughter Jennifer Grey and Kander, a star-studded crowd came out to fete the theater icon including Anderson Cooper, Candice Bergen, Jackie Hoffman, Jane Krakowski, Lin-Manuel Miranda, David Rockwell, and more. They were joined by numerous alum of Cabaret spanning the decades including Maude Apatow (Sally Bowles in London, 2023), Madeline Brewer (Sally Bowles in London, 2022), Joely Fisher (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2000), Gina Gershon (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2001), Mason Alexander Park (Emcee in London, 2023), Adam Pascal (Emcee on Broadway, 2003), Molly Ringwald (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2002), Jake Shears (Emcee in London, 2023), and Brooke Shields (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2001).

About CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is now in previews on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). The production, directed by Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall and designed by Tony Award nominee and Evening Standard Award® winner Tom Scutt, will have decadent twin opening night gala celebrations starting Saturday, April 20 and continuing into the following night, with the official press opening on Sunday, April 21. Tickets are on sale now at www.kitkat.club or via Seat Geek HERE.

In addition to Redmayne, Cabaret also stars Gayle Rankin as the toast of Mayfair ‘Sally Bowles, two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth as ‘Fraulein Schneider,’ Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood as ‘Clifford Bradshaw,’ Obie Award winner and Drama Desk Award® nominee Steven Skybell as ‘Herr Schultz,’ Henry Gottfried as ‘Ernst Ludwig,’ and three-time Helen Hayes Award winner Natascia Diaz as ‘Fritzie/Kost.’

The cast of Cabaret includes Gabi Campo as ‘Frenchie,’ Ayla Ciccone-Burton as ‘Helga,’ Colin Cunliffe as ‘Hans,’ Marty Lauter as ‘Victor,’ Loren Lester as‘Herman/Max,’ David Merino as ‘Lulu,’ Julian Ramos as ‘Bobby,’ MiMi Scardulla as ‘Texas,’ and Paige Smallwood as ‘Rosie.’ Swings include Hannah Florence, Pedro Garza, Christian Kidd, Corinne Munsch, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez, and Karl Skyler Urban.

The Prologue Company, the dancers and musicians that welcome audiences to the club, feature dancers Alaïa, Iron Bryan, Will Ervin Jr., Sun Kim, Deja McNair and swings Ida Saki and Spencer James Weidie. The musicians of the Prologue are Brian Russell Carey (piano & bass), Francesca Dawis (violin), Keiji Ishiguri (dedicated substitute), Maeve Stier (accordion), and Michael Winograd (clarinet).

For this production of Cabaret, the creative team have transformed the August Wilson Theatre into the Kit Kat Club with an in-the-round auditorium and custom spaces which guests will be invited to explore during the Prologue, the production’s pre-show entertainment. After purchasing tickets, guests will receive a “club entry time” to allow them to take in the world of the club before the show starts.

Patrons can upgrade their experience at the Kit Kat Club with exclusive dining or drinks packages that allow them to soak up the pre-show atmosphere. These various upgrades offer unparalleled service and unique experiences in the heart of the Kit Kat Club. Drinks can be enjoyed before and during the show, while food will be cleared shortly before the performance begins, ensuring uninterrupted and unmissable views of Cabaret. For a complete menu and more information on the upgrade packages, please visit www.kitkat.club/upgrade.

[kwebtv]

Deadline For Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan - CBS - May 9, 1995

Crime Drama

Running Time: 120 minutes

Stars:

Elizabeth Montgomery as Edna Buchanan

Yaphet Kotto as Marty Talbot

Audra Lindley as Jean

Joe Flanigan as Scott Cameron

Jenifer Lewis as Denice Cooper

Richard Lineback as Billy Coleman

Matthew Posey as Sam

Saundra Santiago as Rosinha Zulueta

Liz Sheridan as Wendy Padison

Geno Silva as Teo Cruz

David Spielberg as George

Lewis Van Bergen as Johnny Cresta

Raymond Serra as The Man

Eddie Barth as Mickey Rosen

Alley Mills as Julie Cresta

Dean Stockwell as Aaron Bliss

Elizabeth Montgomery's final screen appearance.

[ulkaralakbarova]

While planet Earth poises on the brink of nuclear self-destruction, a team of Russian and American scientists aboard the Leonov hurtles to a rendezvous with the still-orbiting Discovery spacecraft and its sole known survivor, the homicidal computer HAL. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Dr. Heywood Floyd: Roy Scheider Dr. Walter Curnow: John Lithgow Tanya Kirbuk: Helen Mirren Dr. R. Chandra: Bob Balaban Dr. David Bowman: Keir Dullea HAL 9000 (voice): Douglas Rain Caroline Floyd: Madolyn Smith Osborne Dr. Vladimir Rudenko: Savely Kramarov Christopher Floyd: Taliesin Jaffe Victor Milson: James McEachin Betty Fernandez: Mary Jo Deschanel Maxim Brailovsky: Elya Baskin Dimitri Moisevitch: Dana Elcar Dr. Vasili Orlov: Oleg Rudnik Irina Yakunina: Natasha Shneider Yuri Svetlanov: Vladimir Skomarovsky Nikolaj Ternovsky: Victor Steinbach SAL 9000: Candice Bergen Commercial Announcer: Gene McGarr Jessie Bowman: Herta Ware Film Crew: Director of Photography: Peter Hyams Production Design: Albert Brenner Costume Design: Patricia Norris Novel: Arthur C. Clarke Set Decoration: Rick Simpson Original Music Composer: David Shire Costume Supervisor: Bruce Walkup Editor: Mia Goldman Costume Supervisor: Nancy McArdle Casting: Penny Perry Editor: James Mitchell Visual Effects Supervisor: Gregory L. McMurry Set Designer: Greg Papalia Sound Designer: Dale Strumpell Stunt Coordinator: M. James Arnett Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Ray O’Reilly Camera Operator: Ralph Gerling Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Michael J. Kohut Transportation Coordinator: Randy Peters Supervising Sound Editor: Richard L. Anderson Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Aaron Rochin Music Editor: William Saracino Still Photographer: Bruce McBroom Location Manager: Mario Iscovich Set Designer: Gregory Pickrell Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Carlos Delarios Conceptual Design: Paul Huston Property Master: Marty Wunderlich Makeup Supervisor: Michael Westmore Chief Lighting Technician: John Baron Hairstylist: Vivian McAteer Script Supervisor: Marshall Schlom First Assistant Director: William S. Beasley Stunts: John C. Meier Stunts: Mic Rodgers Movie Reviews: Wuchak: _**Another trip to Jupiter to find answers**_ After the mysterious failure of the Discovery One mission to Jupiter in 2001, Dr. Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider) resigned his position as head of the National Council for Astronautics. Several years later, the Soviets send the spacecraft Leonov & crew to Jupiter along with three Americans, including Floyd, to help investigate Discovery and the malfunction of the vessel’s sentient computer, HAL 9000. Keir Dullea returns as the missing astronaut David Bowman while Helen Mirren plays the captain of the Leonov. Bob Balaban and John Lithgow also appear as the other two American astronauts. “2010: The Year We Make Contact” (1984) is realistic science-fiction that’s less artsy and more dramatically compelling compared to its predecessor, “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968). That doesn’t make it better, of course, just different. “2001” raised questions while this one provides answers, which some people inevitably won’t like. The questions include: Why did HAL malfunction? What was the real reason for Discovery’s original mission, unknown to Floyd? What happened to Bowman? What is the purpose of the colossal monolith orbiting Jupiter? Both films compliment and counterbalance each other. This one’s more of a straightforward space adventure in the near future. Unlike Star Wars, which is space fantasy, “2010” is space-oriented adult science-fiction. Star Trek is too, but “2010” is far more realistic, which I appreciate. In other words, don’t expect any Klingons or spacecraft dogfights. This is more along the lines of “Mission to Mars” (2000) and “The Martian” (2015). The film runs 1 hours, 56 minutes. GRADE: B r96sk: A much more standard affair compared to its predecessor. Given that’s the case, I honestly enjoyed this more than ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ – if only because it’s more closer to what I’d personally want from a film than what that 1968 ...

[trenenlasnubes]

Wiggle room I

Given the manyfold changes in society and church structure, there seems to be a need for a space to gain insights, which might eventually lead to changes based on good experience – meaning, we need a neutral Zone as part of the transition time.

While trying to define, what I mean with "congregation" and "healthy" as in "congregational health" and talking this thru with members of MF, the keyword "wiggle room" popped up and made my heart and mind rejoice, since I immediately recognized the manyfold possibilities lying in there.

According to Knut Tveidereit (MF, Oslo) and Bård Norheim (NLA, Bergen), “The notion or metaphor “wiggle room” connects well with the idea of adaptive change, which describes challenges that require adaptive leadership.” *)

I immediately liked the terminology. “Wiggle room”, then it seems to allow playfulness as well as serious consideration – full of opportunities to learn.

In  Transition Ministry, we do work with a neutral zone within the transition time. However, the serious task at hand might eventually lead to outmaneuvering ideas and playfulness and sometimes rather lead to tunnel vision – as opposed to foresight.

Quite a bit of the necessary changes will be adaptive challenges. As Ronald Heifetz states,an adaptive challenge “is to be distinguished from a technical challenge, in that the adaptive challenge is characterized by a problem definition that requires learning and a solution that requires learning.” (Heifetz et al. **). Whereas technical changes primarily demand authority, adaptive changes need stakeholders, who stand for the problem and are willing to do the necessary learning, in order to come to workable solutions, or new ways of doing things.

In my training as a congregational consultant, we considered consulting and the arena in which change can come into being as “Im Dazwischen” – in between. Seen the amount of books (on different topics). bearing “Im Dazwischen”  in the title, the creative space indicated in that wording, seems to have gained a foothold in many life contexts.

More then 15 years later, we still are about to discover the manyfold opportunities lying in the “Im Dazwischen”.

The work of the adaptive leader then has a lot to do with making “in between times” possible, so that change can come into being.

So it seems that, in order to give rise to fruitful changes to come about, we need, stakeholders, adaptive leaders and a notion of wiggle room. (To be continued)

*) in Knut Tveitereid* and Bård Norheim Theological Wiggle Room as a Resource in Ordinary Theology: Significance for Ecclesiology, Leadership, and Personal Development, in Knut Tveitereid* and Bård Norheim (https://doi.org/10.1515/ijpt-2020-0033 )

**) Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World, (Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press, 2009), in Knut Tveitereid* and Bård Norheim Theological Wiggle Room as a Resource in Ordinary Theology: Significance for Ecclesiology, Leadership, and Personal Development.

[asublimehimbo]

your touches bring me to tears

[spoocys-glade-of-dreams]

Behind the Voice Actors: Murfy

Welcome to installment 3 of behind the voice actors! this time we cover one of my favorite canon Rayman characters, Murfy!

(Author’s note before we get started: In the events we have pages like murfy here that feature voice actors i mentioned on other posts i will give you a directory to which installment that was, but i will still give you details on their roles. most of the time though it tends to be a copy/paste from that with a little editing. 

also i can’t for the life of me find any credited actors for ANY of the rayman 2 english dubs of murfy. so i can’t add the english section for this one. i can’t find ANYTHING!)

  Rayman 2 the great escape (French): Pierre-Alain De Garrigues 

The same gentleman who did the voice of globox, Sssam the snake, the spyglass pirate, and clark in the french version of Rayman 2 did the voice for murfy as well!

I featured his voice roles over on the globox voice edition!

as i said over there Pierre-Alain De Garrigues doesn’t have much for credited voice roles, but to name some he’s done:

Dr. Funfrock, Dino-fly, and the horses in little big adventure: twinsen’s adventure,

Arantir in Dark Messiah: Might and magic,

The Nubian and Pairhy within Egypt II: the Heliopolis prophecy.

  Rayman Arena (English): Eddie Crew

Otherwise known as JM Murphy, the reporter from Rayman Arena!

Eddie Crew has done mostly video game voices. he was:

Walter Sheridan and Steve Rowland in the video game: XIII

D’kor In Chronicles of Pern: Dragon Riders,

Phenrig and Aratrok in Dark Messiah: Might and Magic

Gilraen in Heroes of Might and Magic V

Janos Pekmester, Father Gregoriu Nijescu, and Herman Van Bergen In Dracula 3: The path of the dragon

  Rayman Arena and Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc (French): Martial Le Minoux

Martial Le Minoux provided the voice for Murfy in Rayman Arena and Rayman 3 in the French version of the game

And he’s done quite a bit in French voice acting. Such as:

Hiei in Yu Yu Hakusho and Yu Yu Hakusho the golden seal,

The French voice actor for medic in team fortress 2,

French voice actor for Jet-Vac in Skylanders Academy,

The French Voice actor for Clank in Ratchet: Deadlocked

The Joker and Sub-Zero in the French dub of Mortal Kombat vs DC universe,

Marty From Madagascar Kartz and the Video game of Madagascar 3

Goering from Lupin the 3rd the pursuit of harimo’s treasure,

Aikuro Mikisugi in the French dub of Kill la Kill

The sculptor and Boggy billy in the French dub of Jak and Daxter the precursor legacy,

Roy Mustang in the Full Metal Alchemist anime and the Movie Conquerer of Shamballa

And the French Voice actor of Neo Cortex in Twinsanity,

As Well as Crunch Bandicoot and Neo within Mind over mutant and Crash of the titans,

The French voice for Pey’j from Boyond good and evil

And finally the riddler/ Edward nigma in Batman Arkham asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Knight

Rayman 3 hoodlum Havoc (English): Billy West

Another voice I featured over on my Post for Rayman’s voice actors for his job as the animated series version of our big nosed hero.

Billy West does my favorite version of murfy and is the same guy I use to this day for voice head canon and the personality I use for my rayman projects and such.

Billy West is one of the more recognizable voice actors. He’s done:

Ren Hoek and Stimpson J. Cat (Stimpy) in Ren and Stimpy

Elmer Fudd in the looney tunes show and Rabbits Run

He did Both Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in things like: Bah Humduck a Looney tunes christmas, Looney Tunes Stranger than Fiction, bugs bunny lost in time video game, and the original space jam movie. 

Phillip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth (GOOD NEWS EVERYONE), and Zoidberg from Futurama

Sparx the dragonfly in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night

Rancid Rabbit from Catdog

Woody Woodpecker from “from the earth to the moon” and would voice both Woody and Wally Walrus in the New woody Woodpecker show

Doug Funnie, Roger Klotz, and Coach Spitz from the original Doug tv show. the original one only. He stated himself that he had nothing to do with the remake they did.

Rayman Origins and Legends: Douglas Rand

When Rayman origins launched, he’s now the current voice actor for rayman...and pretty much every single character from that point. 

Douglas Rand has done voice acting for Dragonball media English dubbing but it’s depending on the version of the dubs. Such as 

Yamcha and Tien Shinhan from Tree of might

Trunks, Yamcha, Andriod 17 and Vegeta from the history of trunks;

Vegeta and Mr. Popo from the return of cooler

Broly and Future trunks from broly the legendary super saiyan 

and many other roles within that franchise.

inside rayman specifically, he’s done many roles 

(Some will be featured in future behind voice actor posts as well. so i will actually not feature those ones to prevent myself from sounding like a broken record)

he was the spyglass pirate in the great escape, 

The teensies and Barbara the barbarian within Legends

the lines for Joe the Extra-Terrestrial in rayman 1, as well as the thingamajig magician.

[justforbooks]

On Western Stars, Bruce Springsteen Rides in the Whirlwind

A look inside the LP being hailed as The Boss’s best since Magic

In his memoir Born to Run and its live companion piece Springsteen on Broadway, Bruce Springsteen describes his first drive cross-country, when he was 21 years old. That would place that journey around 1970, ’71. Let’s pretend that at the end of the trip he found himself in sunny Southern California (not “down San Diego way,” but in Los Angeles) and decided to hang around there, writing songs, playing acoustic gigs, and by ’73 was getting some cuts on Linda Ronstadt albums, generating buzz as a solo performer from shows at the Troubadour, and the record labels started showing interest, resulting in a deal with Asylum, or Reprise.

Springsteen’s L.A. debut album released that year, let’s call it Greetings from Griffith Park, Ca., might’ve sounded something like his new Western Stars. When he began hinting about this solo project a few years back, Springsteen referenced the SoCal sound of the late ’60s, specifically Glen Campbell’s records of Jimmy Webb songs, and on Western Stars you can hear him aiming at the sweepingly melancholy vibe of “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” In Dylan Jones’s upcoming book The Wichita Lineman: Searching in the Sun for the World’s Great Unfinished Song, Springsteen says about Campbell’s singing, “It was simple on the surface but there was a lot of emotion underneath.”

Reviewers have been scrambling to play spot-the-musical-influences on Western Stars, and that’s fun to do. I hear some Johnny Rivers with the Wrecking Crew and Marty Paich’s strings lurking in the corners; Waylon Jennings’s version of “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” (many people have pointed out how much “Hello Sunshine” resembles that song); the string arrangements Nick DeCaro did on Reprise albums for Gordon Lightfoot (Springsteen even has a song called “Sundown,” like Lightfoot’s big hit from ’74), Arlo Guthrie and Randy Newman, or the ones Bergen White charted for Tony Joe White; the hyper-literate, vivid Americana of Mickey Newbury. What a cool game! Nilsson! Jim Croce!

But Western Stars isn’t just evocative of the California sound of the early ’70s; it has, underneath its cinematic strings, the downbeat feeling of the movies that were coming out in 1973, populated by characters who couldn’t really be called heroes: Badlands (of course), Charlie Varrick, High Plains Drifter, Kid Blue, The Last American Hero (which Springsteen referenced on The River’s “Cadillac Ranch”), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Scarecrow, Walking Tall. (In ‘73, Springsteen’s not-yet-manager Jon Landau was reviewing films—including some on this list—for Rolling Stone.) Those Watergate-era films, road movies, neo-Westerns, stories of outcasts and revenge-seekers, inform the landscape of Western Stars. On the title track, Springsteen reaches back a bit further: “Here’s to the cowboys, riders in the whirlwind” (see: Ride in the Whirlwind, Monte Hellman’s existential black-and-white western from 1966, starring a pre–Easy Rider Jack Nicholson). Sometimes Western Stars feels like an unmade film with Michael Sarrazin, Barbara Hershey, and Warren Oates.

Oh, I haven’t mentioned how good this album is, how memorable many of its lines are. “Fingernail moon in a twilight sky/Ridin’ high grass of the switchback”: his imagery is as crisp and clean as his fictional Montana sky. “Boarded up and gone like an old summer song.” It’s Springsteen’s best album, by far, since Magic (2007), and I already prefer it to the much-revered (in some quarters) The Rising. For one thing, it isn’t carrying the burden of expectations of The Rising (“We need you now!” someone supposedly shouted at Bruce in the street after 9/11, and can you conceive of the pressure? Would anyone have yelled that at Billy Joel?), and it isn’t bearing the heavy sonic weight of Brendan O’Brien’s production. Western Stars feels more open. These tracks have been in the works for some time; he mentioned the project in interviews around the time of the autobiography, but it had to wait until the whole Born to Run/Springsteen on Broadway phase was over. Maybe, by that point, he’d tired of his own narrative voice and his own story and got down to shaping others. These songs are all in the first person, but that person isn’t Bruce Springsteen. They’re hitchhikers and wayfarers (aren’t they kind of the same thing?), stuntmen and bit players. They’re like the characters in the early ’70s novels by Larry McMurtry (Moving On and All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers), and I wonder how Springsteen missed out on writing a song about a rodeo cowboy.

Springsteen is also liberated musically. He didn’t have to consider, as he did with the woeful Working on a Dream and the clunky, well-meaning Wrecking Ball, how the songs would translate in the context of a live show with the E Street Band. You can’t imagine them schlepping around a big string section to recreate these songs, and there wouldn’t be anything at all for Jake Clemons to do, and even Max Weinberg would be fiddling his thumbs for a big chunk of the set. No doubt a few of these tracks will find their way into the possible 2020 tour (please, not “There Goes My Miracle” and “Sleepy Joe’s Café”; we don’t need him straining to be Del Shannon, or the band pretending to have fun on a Jay and the Americans knockoff), and if “Hello Sunshine” gets to replace “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day,” all the better.

Western Stars suggests an America divorced from this moment in history. The only cultural reference is to John Wayne (in ’73 he was doing junk like The Train Robbers), and the one allusion that nudges the album into the late 20th century is to a blue pill for ED. Otherwise, the album would have sat pretty solidly in the Nixon era. For anyone who expected Springsteen to be a beacon of hope that the country will get through this current crisis the way it did through Watergate and 9/11, or who wanted him to draw stark pictures of our heroes and villains, Western Stars may feel slight, or like a challenge he gave himself to complete a genre exercise. But if Darkness on the Edge of Town was Springsteen’s film noir, this album is his bleak road movie, his characters nursing drinks, recalling old loves and old wounds. By the time we end up at the final track, looking at the remnants of a beaten-down motel, we’ve been along on one of Springsteen’s most rewarding rides.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[baseballshrugged-blog]

Club 3k: WAR (position players)

From 1871 to 2017, there have been 1,918 players to record at least 3,000 career plate appearances.  Club 3k is a series of posts, each one examining a specific stat and the all-time leaders in that category out of the 1,900+ players with at least 3,000 plate appearances.  Why 3,000 plate appearances?  Because the average MLB starting position player logs roughly 600 plate appearances in a season.

The first installment of Club 3k examines WAR (Wins Above Replacement) for position players, leading me to touch on Barry Bonds, HOF hopefuls, and axe murder.    

WAR for Dummies:  Put simply, WAR is a metric developed by our sabermetric overlords with the intention of cramming all aspects of a player’s contribution into one simple number.  That simple number is presented as the number of wins the player is worth when compared to the typical replacement player (i.e. freely available minor leaguer or bench bat).  If you want to become even more confused, Fangraphs can help.

Now, back to business.  Here are some interesting finds from my quest through the annals of baseball history:

Highest WAR = 168.4, Babe Ruth

Lowest WAR = -16.2, Bill Bergen

More on this guy below...

Average WAR = 23.8

Michael Young, Rondell White, and Jimmy Wolf to name a few

Babe Ruth’s WAR doubles that of George Brett (30th highest)

27 of the 30 highest WARs belong to Hall of Famers

Barry Bonds (2nd) became HOF eligible in 2013 but is yet to receive more than 53.8% of the votes on any ballot.  I’m torn on Bonds.  I hated seeing him come to the plate against my favorite team, but damn it... Bonds and Babe are the only players in MLB history with career WARs eclipsing 150.

Alex Rodriguez (13th) retired in 2016 and will first appear on the 2022 HOF ballot 

Albert Pujols (26th) is still active, playing for the Angels

Top 30 All-time WAR Leaders: 1. Babe Ruth - - - 168.4 2. Barry Bonds - - - 164.4 3. Willie Mays - - - 149.9 4. Ty Cobb - - - 149.3 5. Honus Wagner - - - 138.1 6. Hank Aaron - - - 136.3 7. Tris Speaker - - - 130.6 8. Ted Williams - - - 130.4 9. Rogers Hornsby - - - 130.3 10. Stan Musial - - - 126.8 11. Eddie Collins - - - 120.5 12. Lou Gehrig - - - 116.3 13. Alex Rodriguez - - - 112.9 14. Mickey Mantle - - - 112.3 15. Mel Ott - - - 110.5 16. Mike Schmidt - - - 106.5 17. Rickey Henderson - - - 106.3 18. Frank Robinson - - - 104.0 19. Nap Lajoie - - - 102.2 20. Jimmie Foxx - - - 101.8 21. Joe Morgan - - - 98.8 22. Eddie Mathews - - - 96.1 23. Carl Yastrzemski - - - 94.8 24. Cal Ripken - - - 92.5 25. Cap Anson - - - 91.2 26. Albert Pujols - - - 89.1 27. Al Kaline - - - 88.9 28. Wade Boggs - - - 88.3 29. Roger Connor - - - 86.2 30. George Brett - - - 84.6

Other notables: 32. Chipper Jones - - - 84.6; HOF eligible this year 33. Adrian Beltre - - - 84.3; Still active 37. Pete Rose - - - 80.2; Sigh... 41. Ken Griffey Jr. - - - 77.7; Elected to HOF in 2016, receiving 99.3% of votes, the highest vote % in MLB HOF history 54. Derek Jeter - - - 71.8; HOF eligible in 2020 75. Andruw Jones - - - 67.1; HOF eligible this year 157. Vlad Guererro - - - 54.3; Became HOF eligible in 2017, receiving 71.7% of votes

I could look at this for days (probably will, if I haven’t already), so be on the lookout for future edits and additions.  But, for now, I want to end with a player profile.  As promised, here’s everything you need to know about Bill Bergen, the worst position player in baseball history:

Born June 13, 1878; Died December 19, 1943

Position: Catcher

Seasons Active:  1901-1911

Teams:  Reds (1901-1903); Superbas/Dodgers (1904-1911)

Games Played:  947

Plate Appearances:  3,228

Average:  .170

Homeruns:  2

OBP:  .194

SLG:  .201

Never scored more than 21 runs in a season

Never had more than 60 hits in a season

Only eclipsed 20 RBIs in 1902 and 1905

Why the hell did they keep him on the field?  His glove.

Career Fielding% = .972

Interesting Fact:  Bill’s brother, Marty Bergen, was also a big league catcher, playing for the Boston Beaneaters from 1896-1899.  Marty suffered from a severe mental illness, however, which caused hallucinations, ultimately leading him to murder his wife and two children with an axe.  Marty took his own life that same day in January 1900.

Depressing, I know.  Crazy what a little research can produce, yeah?

[221brownstone]

The Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2019 are:

Motion Pictures: Alan Arkin, Kristen Bell, Daniel Craig, Robert De Niro, Guillermo del Toro, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Tyler Perry, and Gena Rowlands.

Television: Alvin And The Chipmunks, Candice Bergen, Guy Fieri, Terrence Howard, Stacy Keach, Sid and Marty Krofft, Lucy Liu, Mandy Moore, Dianne Wiest, and Julia Child (Posthumous).

Recording: Michael Bublé, Cypress Hill, The Lettermen, Faith Hill, Tommy Mottola, P!nk, Teddy Riley, Trio: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, and Jackie Wilson (Posthumous).

Live Theatre/Live Performance: Idina Menzel, Cedric “The Entertainer”, Judith Light, and Paul Sorvino.

[kwebtv]

Burke’s Law -  List of Guest Stars

The Special Guest Stars of “Burke’s Law” read like a Who’s Who list of Hollywood of the era.  Many of the appearances, however, were no more than one scene cameos.  This is as complete a list ever compiled of all those who even made the briefest of appearances on the series.  

Beverly Adams, Nick Adams, Stanley Adams, Eddie Albert, Mabel Albertson, Lola Albright, Elizabeth Allen, June Allyson, Don Ameche, Michael Ansara, Army Archerd, Phil Arnold, Mary Astor, Frankie Avalon, Hy Averback, Jim Backus, Betty Barry, Susan Bay, Ed Begley, William Bendix, Joan Bennett, Edgar Bergen, Shelley Berman, Herschel Bernardi, Ken Berry, Lyle Bettger, Robert Bice, Theodore Bikel, Janet Blair, Madge Blake, Joan Blondell, Ann Blyth, Carl Boehm, Peter Bourne, Rosemarie Bowe, Eddie Bracken, Steve Brodie, Jan Brooks, Dorian Brown, Bobby Buntrock, Edd Byrnes, Corinne Calvet, Rory Calhoun, Pepe Callahan, Rod Cameron, Macdonald Carey, Hoagy Carmichael, Richard Carlson, Jack Carter, Steve Carruthers, Marianna Case, Seymour Cassel, John Cassavetes, Tom Cassidy, Joan Caulfield, Barrie Chase, Eduardo Ciannelli, Dane Clark, Dick Clark, Steve Cochran, Hans Conried, Jackie Coogan, Gladys Cooper, Henry Corden, Wendell Corey, Hazel Court, Wally Cox, Jeanne Crain, Susanne Cramer, Les Crane, Broderick Crawford, Suzanne Cupito, Arlene Dahl, Vic Dana, Jane Darwell, Sammy Davis Jr., Linda Darnell, Dennis Day, Laraine Day, Yvonne DeCarlo, Gloria De Haven, William Demarest, Andy Devine, Richard Devon, Billy De Wolfe, Don Diamond, Diana Dors, Joanne Dru, Paul Dubov, Howard Duff, Dan Duryea, Robert Easton, Barbara Eden, John Ericson, Leif Erickson, Tom Ewell, Nanette Fabray, Felicia Farr, Sharon Farrell, Herbie Faye, Fritz Feld, Susan Flannery, James Flavin, Rhonda Fleming, Nina Foch, Steve Forrest, Linda Foster, Byron Foulger, Eddie Foy Jr., Anne Francis, David Fresco, Annette Funicello, Eva Gabor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Reginald Gardiner, Nancy Gates, Lisa Gaye, Sandra Giles, Mark Goddard, Thomas Gomez, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, Sandra Gould, Wilton Graff, Gloria Grahame, Shelby Grant, Jane Greer, Virginia Grey, Tammy Grimes, Richard Hale, Jack Haley, George Hamilton, Ann Harding, Joy Harmon, Phil Harris, Stacy Harris, Dee Hartford, June Havoc, Jill Haworth, Richard Haydn, Louis Hayward, Hugh Hefner, Anne Helm, Percy Helton, Irene Hervey, Joe Higgins, Marianna Hill, Bern Hoffman, Jonathan Hole, Celeste Holm, Charlene Holt, Oscar Homolka, Barbara Horne, Edward Everett Horton, Breena Howard, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Arthur Hunnicutt, Tab Hunter, Joan Huntington, Josephine Hutchinson, Betty Hutton, Gunilla Hutton, Martha Hyer, Diana Hyland, Marty Ingels, John Ireland, Mako Iwamatsu, Joyce Jameson, Glynis Johns, I. Stanford Jolley, Carolyn Jones, Dean Jones, Spike Jones, Victor Jory, Jackie Joseph, Stubby Kaye, Monica Keating, Buster Keaton, Cecil Kellaway, Claire Kelly, Patsy Kelly, Kathy Kersh, Eartha Kitt, Nancy Kovack, Fred Krone, Lou Krugman, Frankie Laine, Fernando Lamas, Dorothy Lamour, Elsa Lanchester, Abbe Lane, Charles Lane, Lauren Lane, Harry Lauter, Norman Leavitt, Gypsy Rose Lee, Ruta Lee, Teri Lee, Peter Leeds, Margaret Leighton, Sheldon Leonard, Art Lewis, Buddy Lewis, Dave Loring, Joanne Ludden,  Ida Lupino, Tina Louise, Paul Lynde, Diana Lynn, James MacArthur, Gisele MacKenzie, Diane McBain, Kevin McCarthy, Bill McClean, Stephen McNally, Elizabeth MacRae, Jayne Mansfield, Hal March, Shary Marshall, Dewey Martin, Marlyn Mason, Hedley Mattingly, Marilyn Maxwell, Virginia Mayo, Patricia Medina, Troy Melton, Burgess Meredith, Una Merkel, Dina Merrill, Torben Meyer, Barbara Michaels, Robert Middleton, Vera Miles, Sal Mineo, Mary Ann Mobley, Alan Mowbray, Ricardo Montalbán, Elizabeth Montgomery, Ralph Moody, Alvy Moore, Terry Moore, Agnes Moorehead, Anne Morell, Rita Moreno, Byron Morrow, Jan Murray, Ken Murray, George Nader, J. Carrol Naish, Bek Nelson, Gene Nelson, David Niven, Chris Noel, Kathleen Nolan, Sheree North, Louis Nye, Arthur O'Connell, Quinn O'Hara, Susan Oliver, Debra Paget, Janis Paige, Nestor Paiva, Luciana Paluzzi, Julie Parrish, Fess Parker, Suzy Parker, Bert Parks, Harvey Parry, Hank Patterson, Joan Patrick, Nehemiah Persoff, Walter Pidgeon, Zasu Pitts, Edward Platt, Juliet Prowse, Eddie Quillan, Louis Quinn, Basil Rathbone, Aldo Ray, Martha Raye, Gene Raymond, Peggy Rea, Philip Reed, Carl Reiner, Stafford Repp, Paul Rhone, Paul Richards, Don Rickles, Will Rogers Jr., Ruth Roman, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney, Gena Rowlands, Charlie Ruggles, Janice Rule, Soupy Sales, Hugh Sanders, Tura Satana, Telly Savalas, John Saxon, Lizabeth Scott, Lisa Seagram, Pilar Seurat, William Shatner, Karen Sharpe, James Shigeta, Nina Shipman, Susan Silo, Johnny Silver, Nancy Sinatra, The Smothers Brothers, Joanie Sommers, Joan Staley, Jan Sterling, Elaine Stewart, Jill St. John, Dean Stockwell, Gale Storm, Susan Strasberg, Inger Stratton, Amzie Strickland, Gil Stuart, Grady Sutton, Kay Sutton, Gloria Swanson, Russ Tamblyn. Don Taylor, Dub Taylor, Vaughn Taylor, Irene Tedrow, Terry-Thomas, Ginny Tiu, Dan Tobin, Forrest Tucker, Tom Tully, Jim Turley, Lurene Tuttle, Ann Tyrrell, Miyoshi Umeki, Mamie van Doren, Deborah Walley, Sandra Warner, David Wayne, Ray Weaver, Lennie Weinrib, Dawn Wells, Delores Wells, Rebecca Welles, Jack Weston, David White, James Whitmore, Michael Wilding, Annazette Williams, Dave Willock, Chill Wills, Marie Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sandra Wirth, Ed Wynn, Keenan Wynn, Dana Wynter, Celeste Yarnall, Francine York.

[purelypacino]

Can you please bless me with a set of random Al Pacino facts?

 CAN I 🤩

- Was discovered by Martin Bregman (RIP) in 1968 when Bregman saw him perform onstage in The Indian Wants The Bronx. Marty became his agent a few weeks later and worked to get him the lead in The Panic in Needle Park. He also encouraged him to audition for The Godfather and to play Sonny in Dog Day Afternoon.

- Had a cute little alien dog named Lucky for about ten years. 

- Claims he never said, “They may have come to see Brando, but they left remembering me.” And technically, he’s telling the truth: What he said in 1975 was, “They may have given Brando the Oscar—but they remembered me.” 

- Was living in Candice Bergen’s old apartment in 1979. He left her name on the door to avoid being tracked down.

- Frankie and Johnny fact time! While Johnny quotes Shakespeare throughout, the line, “The heart does things for reasons that reason cannot understand” is a paraphrase of a Blaise Pascal quote, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of… We know the truth not only by the reason but by the heart.”

- Said in the 70s that he was looking for a girl with a slightly kooky streak.

- Can play the bongos. (there’s a video out there playing the table while someone else plays them… someone help)

- Kept his prison shoes and uniform from Scarecrow, his Meledandri suits from Bobby Deerfield, and most of his wardrobe from Serpico.

- Although he is Sicilian, he can’t speak it (or Italian).

- First big rich dude purchase (after a lot of food) was a gold Rolex Datejust, like the one Ricky Roma wears in Glengarry Glen Ross.

- The Christian Rex skull bracelets he wears can be yours for only $300! 

- Has been friends with Edwin Torres, author of Carlito’s Way, since 1975. They met while working out at the Y, and Torres let him read advance copies of his novel. 14 years later, when the movie came out, he reflected on this fact and said that he felt that Al was destined to play Carlito. 🔮

- Was once stopped in the street by a woman who said she didn’t like him, then offered him bagels.

- Loves emojis 👨⭐👌💖🕺😀🤠

- His car died during a snowstorm, so he knocked on a woman’s door in the Bronx. She did what any of us would do and invited him in, and she and her six kids watched a Gary Cooper movie with him. No idea if they had bagels; he sent her flowers and a fruit basket the next day.

[geeksofcolor-blog]

For film honours, we have the names of Alan Arkin, Kristen Bell, Daniel Craig, Robert De Niro, Guillermo del Toro, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Tyler Perry, and Gena Rowlands, while in the television category, there’s, surprisingly, Alvin and the Chipmunks, as well as Candice Bergen, Guy Fieri, Terrence Howard, Stacy Keach, Sid and Marty Krofft, Lucy Liu, Mandy Moore, Dianne Wiest, and Julia Child (in a posthumous way).

[kadiay]

Pagini de jurnal (46)

Pagini de jurnal (46)

Săptămâna asta… am avut o vreme spectaculoasă, de primăvară timpurie cu temperaturi de 12-15 grade. Cu foarte mare încântare am remarcat că … primăvara vine în martie. Știu că pentru mulți aceasta este normalitatea, dar pentru mine, după 5 ani de Bergen, vremea asta vine de obicei prin mai.  Asta este unul dintre avantajele minunate ale Genevei. Așadar, m-am reapucat de plimbările lungi de seară.…

[truecrimeshow]

Baseball Great and Family Killer Marty Bergen, True Crime Show Episode 6...

[bridgeshopaustralia]

At the Bridge Table – Come up Trumps with these Bridge Products

Lay your cards on the table – admit that you need new bridge products 

When searching for a new bridge table, I recently came across a new section on my favourite bridge website The Bridge Shop Australia which gives a fabulous array of digital bridge offerings all for free.  So not only did the great new card table arrive efficiently and intact, (of course – what else would you expect from a renowned bridge supply shop?), I am now able to make use of all things digital regarding bridge at a click of a button.

Digital Bridge Care Pack –

This super pack is a partnership with The Bridge Shop and a few of their favourite suppliers that offers you various free downloads of bridge products to help you fill in the hours and days during this uncertain and unsettling time.

In conjunction with Master Point Press, three free digital bridge books:

·         Bridge in the Menagerie by Victor Mollo

·         A Great Deal of Bridge Problems by Julian Pottage

·         Northern Lights by Ray Lee and Linda Lee

With thanks to Marty Bergen, a transcript of his lesson:

·         To Finesse or Not to Finesse

This is a great article and a bridge product to keep up your sleeve. In his introduction, he states: “We all know how important finesses are. What is a finesse? It's a manoeuvre to win a trick with a card that is not an obvious winner. Many players love to finesse. It's usually simple and supplies immediate gratification – when it works. However, experts don't like to finesse.       Why? Finesses lose half the time, and no one gets rich betting on 50-50 propositions. Of course, that doesn't mean you should never finesse. Finessing will always be an important function in the game of bridge.”  Read on to get some interesting tips and hints – a great bridge product to keep you in good stead at the bridge table.

In conjunction with Brad Coles of Australian Bridge magazine, a free copy of:

In conjunction with Didier Levy of Vu-Bridge, a free copy of:

  Bridge Crossword puzzle

  Eddie Kantar's Tip of the Day

  Vu-Bridge Hands of the Week

Bridge Base Online

 ·         Fun and friendly free on-line bridge club

·         How to use Bridge Base Online

Bridge Baron 29

·         Download a free trial version of Bridge Baron 29

 Jack 6

 ·         Download a free trial version of Jack 6

  In conjunction with Grand Slam Books

·         Paul Marston’s weekly bridge column with a link to Bridge Solver, so you can play the hands yourself.

In conjunction with Joan Butts School of Bridge

 ·         ABF Education offers you one free month's access to Joan Butts’ Online School of Bridge. Joan is the ABF National Teaching Coordinator, and her Online School of Bridge offers hundreds of contract bridge lessons, videos and programmed hands so you can brush up your game and practise new techniques.

 And lots more bridge products to keep your hand in at the bridge table.