News of the Week: Ghost Money, Dewey vs. Truman, and Somebody Just Stole a Bunch of Cheese

Dead Celebrities Make More Money Than You Do

First, I’d like to say that the artwork accompanying this piece in Forbes about the amount of money that deceased celebrities have made after their death is sort of creeping me out. It shows the ghosts of Michael Jackson, Matthew Perry, Whitney Houston, and Freddie Mercury sitting around a disco-fied Central Perk drinking coffee. Maybe it’s the big colors, maybe it’s the happy expressions on their faces.

Also, if heaven has a Central Perk, shouldn’t Gunther be waiting on them?

Jackson – or his estate, to be precise – is number one, making $600 million in 2024. Mercury is two, with $250 million, and Elvis Presley is in the fourth slot, with $50 million.

And before you think that it’s all pop and rock singers at the top of the list, Dr. Seuss comes in at number three, with $75 million. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz is on the list too, with $30 million. That puts him at number eight.

The biggest surprise? Arnold Palmer is actually ahead of Whitney Houston.

What’s Green, 70 Years Old, and Weighs 11 Tons?

The Jolly Green Giant?

No, it’s this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

(It’s November 1, so it’s okay to start talking about Christmas.)

This year it’s from a farm in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It will be cut down next week and then shipped to New York City, where it will arrive on November 9. That’s when workers will start cutting, shaping, and decorating it.

The tree lighting will take place on December 4 and will air on NBC and Peacock.

Oh, and since it’s November, it’s also okay to start listening to Christmas music.

What’s Green, Costs Eight Bucks, and You Can Hold It in Your Hand?

The Picklewich!

I’ve seen sandwiches where meat or chicken is used instead of bread, and I’ve even seen sandwiches where donuts are used instead of bread. But this is the first time I’ve seen a sandwich where two big pickle slices replace the bread. It’s a limited-edition sandwich from Jimmy John’s, available until November 14.

You should order it with pickles, just to see what they say.

Nobody Better Lay a Finger on My Broken Butterfinger

Did your kids get any Butterfingers last night? My friend Ernie Smith answers the question “why do they break so easily? in the latest issue of his always-great Tedium newsletter.

Headline of the Week

“Imposters Stole Thousands of Pounds of Posh Cheddar, Rattling the U.K. Cheese World”

RIP Teri Garr, Phil Lesh, Tom Jarriel, Gary Indiana, Jeri Taylor, Edd Griles, and Rudy May

Teri Garr appeared in such movies as Tootsie, Young Frankenstein, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion, After Hours, Mr. Mom, and Oh, God, as well as TV shows like Friends, The Odd Couple, Star Trek, M*A*S*H, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, and many others. She died Tuesday at the age of 79.

Phil Lesh was the bassist for The Grateful Dead. He died last week at the age of 84.

Tom Jarriel was a former anchor and reporter at ABC News. He died last week at the age of 89.

Gary Indiana was a novelist and art critic. He died last week at the age of 74.

Jeri Taylor wrote several episodes of all of the various Star Trek shows and was a producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, which she also created. She died last week at the age of 86.

Edd Griles directed music videos for Cyndi Lauper (“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun“), Huey Lewis and the News, Rainbow, Lee Greenwood, and others. He also produced the first MTV Video Music Awards and several awards shows and pageants. He died last week at the age of 78.

Rudy May spent 16 years in the major leagues as a pitcher with the Los Angeles (later California) Angels, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Montreal Expos. He died last month at the age of 80.

This Week in History

Statue of Liberty Dedicated (October 28, 1886)

Here’s Post archives director Jeff Nilsson on the history of the landmark and the various ways it has been depicted in the magazine, in particular by Norman Rockwell in 1946.

Uploaded to YouTube by The Saturday Evening Post

The Jack Benny Program Debuts on TV (October 28, 1950)

Did you know it ran until 1965? And that was after being on the radio from 1932 until 1955.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Dewey v. Truman” by Norman Rockwell (October 30, 1948)

Spoiler alert: Truman won.

National Nachos Day

It’s next Wednesday. Here are five variations on the appetizer many people have as a meal.

Simply Recipes has The Best Nachos.

The Pioneer Woman has the Best Chicken Nachos.

Serious Eats has an Ultimate Fully Loaded Nachos recipe.

Cookie + Kate has Loaded Veggie Nachos.

Delish has the Best Totchos (nachos made with tater tots).

Please do not steal any cheese to use in these recipes.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Set Clocks Back (November 3)

But just an hour. Unless you want to turn them back further for some reason. Do it before you go to bed the night before.

Election Day (November 5)

Did you know there’s an election on Tuesday? We haven’t heard much about it. All the networks will have live coverage all night and Amazon Prime will have special coverage with former NBC anchor Brian Williams.