Cleveland Rocks
For some reason, I thought that Yes was already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but while they’ve been nominated before, they’ve never made it. Maybe this year will be different, as they’re on the list of the 2017 nominees. Other nominees are Bad Brains, Joan Baez, The Cars, Chic, Depeche Mode, ELO, The J. Geils Band, Janet Jackson, Jane’s Addiction, Journey, Chaka Khan, Kraftwerk, MC5, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Steppenwolf, Joe Tex, and The Zombies. This is Chic’s 11th nomination!
You can help decide who gets into the Hall by going to the official site and making your choices. Voting ends on December 5.
In related news, The Nobel Prize academy can’t find Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and new Nobel Prize for Literature winner Bob Dylan. If it helps, tomorrow he’s going to be performing at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
Au H2O in ’64
CBS Sunday Morning had an interesting segment this week: campaign bumper stickers. The first ones were actually made out of metal. The stickers arrived in the 1940s.
RIP Eddie Applegate
2016 is turning into the “who died from The Patty Duke Show this week?” year. In March, we saw the passing of Patty Duke, and then in May her co-star William Schallert died. Now Eddie Applegate has passed away.
Applegate played Patty Lane’s boyfriend Richard Harrison on the sitcom that ran from 1963 to 1966. He also appeared in TV shows like Gunsmoke, The Lucy Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Daktari, and Nancy, as well as the 2010 movie Easy A. He died Monday at the age of 81.
October Books
Some new fall books you might be interested in:
The New York Times Book of the Dead, edited by William McDonald. This happy little volume contains 320 obituaries from the newspaper, along with access to 10,000 more on a special website.
A Torch Kept Lit, edited by James Rosen. Speaking of famous dead people, here’s a collection of eulogies written by William F. Buckley Jr. Included are remembrances of Ronald Reagan, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., and Truman Capote.
The Age of Daredevils, by Michael Clarkson. A history of the many people who tried to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel early in the 20th century.
Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, by Colin Dickey. A travelogue of places in the U.S. that are supposedly haunted, with lots of historical information about each place. Just in time for Halloween.
Happy Hallo … I mean Merry Christmas!
Here we are, ten days before Halloween, and they’re already running Christmas commercials. I saw this one on Tuesday night:
In a few years we’ll come home after watching the Fourth of July fireworks and Frosty the Snowman will be on TV.
Starburst? Seriously?
I refuse to believe that Starburst is the most popular Halloween candy in my state of Massachusetts.
But that’s what this map from Influenster says. They did a state-by-state survey of Halloween candy and Starburst rules The Bay State. I have not eaten a Starburst in 25 years and I can’t remember the last time I saw anyone eating/buying/talking about them (though to be honest, I don’t really keep track of other people’s candy purchases). I’ll take Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Survey reveals America's favorite Halloween candy by state; candy corn is “candy of choice” in most number of states https://t.co/W412Peno3D pic.twitter.com/8DYPsMf8OH
— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2016
Who the heck is eating all that candy corn? I mean, come on.
This Week in History: Noah Webster Born (October 16, 1758)
Have you ever used Webster’s Dictionary? This is the guy to thank.
This Week in History: New York World’s Fair Closes (October 17, 1965)
The fair was open for two six-month runs in 1964 and 1965. Some of the buildings are still standing, if in poor condition, and you can see the Unisphere every year when the U.S. Open is played at Flushing Meadows, New York.
This Week in History: Cuba Embargo Begins (October 19, 1960)
President Obama has eased aspects of the embargo, and now you can get Cuban rum and cigars again!
National Nut Day
Saturday is National Nut Day.
A couple of years ago, I made a batch of spiced nuts that was well-received by my family during the holidays. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the recipe and can’t find it online, so how about this spiced nuts recipe from Emeril Lagasse? Here’s a chocolate zucchini bread recipe that includes chopped nuts, and here’s one for dark chocolate bark with roasted almonds and seeds.
I would have included a recipe for fruitcake, but that’s a Christmas thing and it’s still Halloween time. Even though they’re already playing Christmas commercials. Before Halloween.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
Mother-in-Law Day (October 23)
Come on, you can put aside all of those jokes for one day.
Bill Murray receives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (October 23)
The Kennedy Center ceremony will be telecast on PBS at 9 p.m. Eastern on October 28 (check local listings). Here’s a piece by Saturday Evening Post Archive Director Jeff Nilsson on the surprising and familiar Twain.
Navy Day (October 27)
The day was chosen because October 27 is President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday, though some want to change it to October 13.
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Comments
Thanks for the feature and fascinating link on the history of bumper stickers. I believe the ‘News’ car at the top covered in stickers is a ’64 Cutlass, speaking of that year. My first car was a ’64 Pontiac Le Mans convertible—–white with a red interior. I’d love a die-cast of that one.
That is too bad Eddie Applegate passed away. 3 stars of the same series in 7 months. I like most of the ’50s-’70s sitcoms and dramas shown on ‘Decades’ and other stations. I’d heard of ‘Dobie Gillis’ for years, but only saw it for the first time this year on Decades.
What I like about it (big picture wise) is that it led to Denver’s role on ‘Gilligan’s Island’, still an all-time favorite! ‘Dobie Gillis’ had good actors that tried their best. After the 2nd episode though, that was it because it was SOOO stupid and unwatchably bad. It’s not a classic that’s still wonderful to watch today like say, ‘Leave It to Beaver’ with Eddie, Lumpy and company.
There are several very deserving nominees for the Rock Hall of Fame; most should have been in there long ago. My favorites are ELO (saw them recently in concert–incredible), Yes, The Cars (seen them twice in concert) put out a GREAT album in 2011, Move Like This featuring ‘Sad Song’ and ‘Blue Tip’. It’s right up there with the brilliant Candy-O from ’79, still my personal favorite!
Then we have Depeche Mode, Chaka Khan and The Moody Blues; all fantastic! I’d like to nominate The Smithereens, an underrated ’80s group. You can find ‘Yesterday’s Girl’ and ‘Wall of Sleep’ easily, so click! They also put out a great album in 2011, featuring ‘Sorry’ and I had a blast at their Coach House concert (2013) in San Juan Capistrano. It was a long drive, but worth it.
Saw the Hershey’s Kisses ad the other night in somewhat disbelief also. I’ve been tired of it for years just being run after Thanksgiving, so don’t click!