I represent the first generation who, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson.
Read the full "Pre-ramble"
The Blues Brothers make
their world premiere on Saturday Night Live.
The characters and the band that Belushi
and Aykroyd unveiled that night took more than two years to evolve. The first
incarnation came during SNL's first season, in a January 17, 1976,
appearance singing "I'm a King Bee" as "Howard Shore and his
All-Bee Band." There were no dark suits, skinny ties or Ray-Bans at that
point, but the appearance did feature Aykroyd on the harmonica and Belushi on
vocals belting out a blues classic very much in the style of the future Elwood
and "Joliet" Jake Blues, albeit while wearing bee costumes. The Blues
Brothers' look—and much of their repertoire—would come together after Belushi's
trip to Eugene, Oregon, during the hiatus between SNL
seasons two and three to film Animal House. It was there that
Belushi, a committed rock-and-roll fan, met a 25-year-old bluesman named Curtis
Salgado, future harmonica player for Robert Cray, frontman for Roomful of Blues
and a major figure on the burgeoning Pacific Northwest blues scene of the 1970s. Belushi became a regular visitor to the Eugene
Hotel to catch Salgado's act during the filming of Animal House, and it
was from that act and from Salgado himself that he picked up a passion for the
blues as well as the inspiration for the Blues Brothers' sound and look .
Back
in New York for the third season of SNL,
Belushi and Aykroyd honed their concept for the Blues Brothers Band and
recruited an incredible roster of backing instrumentalists drawn from among the
finest blues and R&B session musicians in the country. Even if their debut
performance on this night in 1978 hadn't been a huge hit, the band was far too
good to break up after a single gig. Indeed, the closing portion of Paul
Shaffer's introduction that night—"Today they are no longer an authentic
blues act, but have managed to become a viable commercial product"—ended
up being borne out in real life, with the Blues Brothers earning three top-40
hits ("Soul Man," "Rubber Biscuit" and "Gimme Some
Lovin'"), a #1 pop album (Briefcase Full of Blues) and a piece of
screen immortality via their 1980 film, The Blues Brothers.
Steve
Martin was the host of that
episode and he previewed the novelty song "King Tut".
Performed by and the Toot Uncommons (actually members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). It was released as a single in 1978, sold over a
million copies, and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was also
included on Martin's album A Wild and Crazy Guy.
"King Tut" paid homage to Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun and presents a caricature
of the sensational Treasures of Tutankhamun traveling exhibit that
toured seven United States cities from 1976 to 1979. The exhibit attracted
approximately eight million visitors. In the Saturday Night Live
performance of "King Tut," loyal subjects appease a joyful King Tut
with kitchen appliances. An instrumental solo is delivered by saxophone player Lou
Marini, who steps out of a sarcophagus to great laughter.
In the book Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live,
authors Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad write that the sketch was one of the most
expensive productions the show had attempted up to that point. Steve Martin had
brought the song to the show and asked if he could perform it, not expecting
the production that occurred—producer Lorne Michaels put everything behind it.
Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers recorded the song in a bluegrass version for their 2011 album, Rare Bird Alert.
The song is the subject of in-depth analysis in Melani McAlister's Epic
Encounters: Culture, Media, and U.S. Interests in the Middle East, 1945–2000.
It is also referenced in a dialogue in the video game The Lost Vikings (1992) at the end of one of the Egyptian themed
levels of the game.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and theatres across the world closing their curtains indefinitely, SiriusXM host Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley have created Stars in the House, a daily live streamed series to support The Actors Fund and its services.
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services.
Dow also served as the visual effects supervisor for Babylon 5. In 1996, he provided
visual effects for the Fox TVM Doctor Who.
Dow attended Van Nuys
High School and graduated in 1963,
the same year Beaver ended. On June 14, 1969, Dow married Carol M.
Marlow. In 1973, they had a son, Christopher T. Dow, before divorcing in 1978.
Dow is currently married to Lauren Shulkind, whom he
wed in 1980. They live in the Santa
Monica Mountains.
In the 1990s, Dow revealed that he has struggled and
was eventually diagnosed with clinical
depression. He has since starred in
self-help videos chronicling this battle, including "Beating the
Blues" (1998).
Carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168
people and injured more than 680 others. The blast destroyed or
damaged 324 buildings within a 16-block radius, destroyed or burned
86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing at
least an estimated $652 million worth of damage. Extensive rescue
efforts were undertaken by local, state, federal, and worldwide agencies in the
wake of the bombing, and substantial donations were received from across the
country. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated
eleven of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, consisting of
665 rescue workers who assisted in rescue and recovery operations.
that we could use to momentarily forget about those
things that leave a bad taste in our mouths
Watch this past weekend's "Saturday Night on Broadway", created by Kurt Crowley and Ian Weinberger, featuring vocals and on-camera work by Nik Walker and Michael Luwoye with appearances by members of the #HamFam!
Social distancing didn’t stop you from bringing the 🔥 to this #HamAtHome version of “Non-Stop”! Thanks to everyone for their amazing submissions. BroadwayCares.org/Help2020
Director David Lynch's surreal series, Twin
Peaks, premieres on ABC. The
show, with its bizarre characters and baffling story line, became an instant
cult hit. Kyle MacLachlan starred as Dale Cooper, an FBI agent assigned to
visit a small town in the Pacific Northwest to try to unravel the mystery of
the murder of resident Laura Palmer. The series ran until June 1991.
