"I Am the Greatest"

I happened to find this pearl while posting Pearl's video last night. It's a cute song. And one yours truly had forgotten due to the passage of time.

The song is from Ringo just after he went solo amidst the breakup of the Fab 4.

P.S. Happy Halloween

When i was a little boy,
Way back home in liverpool,
My mama told me, i was great.

Then when i was a teenager,
I knew that i had got something going,
All my friends told me i was great.

And now i'm a man,
A woman took me by the hand,
And you know what she told me...i was great.

I was in the greatest show on earth,
For what it was worth.
Now i'm only thirty-two;
And all i wanna do, is boogaloo!

Hey!

I looked in the mirror,
I saw my wife and kids,
And you know what they told me...i was great.

Yes, my name is billy shears,
You know it has been for so many years.
Now i'm only thirty-two;
And all i wanna do, is boogaloo!

Hey, hey, hey, (hey, hey, hey) yeah!

(hey, hey, hey)

I'm the greatest and you better believe it, baby!

"Guitar Bands Are On the Way Out, Mr. Epstein" ( Rejection )

Tonite's story is amazing; and it's good to know the two deceased members of the Fabulous 4 were second and fourth respectively. how in the world did Albert Einstein make the list? It's incredible that James Dean, who died in the 50's and only made 4 films is 10th on the list.

The Fab 4 story is amazing in itself, and, of course, I'm prejudiced when it comes to the lads from Liverpool. The famous line from a Decca Records excecutive who rejected while telling Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager, that "guitar bands were on the way out." Crca 1962. What an idiot he turned out to be.

Here's the story. Dead yet still bringing in the moolah.

NEW YORK - Elvis Presley is still the King.

Presley, who earned an estimated $49 million in the past 12 months, has reclaimed the No. 1 spot on Forbes.com's list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. He last topped the list in 2005.

John Lennon ranks second with earnings of $44 million, followed by Charles M. Schulz ($35 million), George Harrison ($22 million), Albert Einstein ($18 million), Andy Warhol ($15 million), Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) ($13 million), Tupac Shakur ($9 million), Marilyn Monroe ($7 million), Steve McQueen ($6 million), James Brown ($5 million), Bob Marley ($4 million) and James Dean ($3.5 million).

P.S. Yours truly googled the line from Decca Records. It wasn't just an executive but the head of the company. Duh!


( Here tis' ) The Beatles had hired Brian Epstein as their manager and he signed them up for an audition with Decca Records. The head of Decca Records told The Beatles manager, "Guitar groups are on their way out Mr. Epstein.". The Beatles were devastated by their failed audition but Epstien secured them a contract with Parlophone Records. George Martin became their A&R Man. In August of 1962, Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr.

P.S. Who'd a thunk it? Eh?

P.S.S. Tonite's featured video is one from Pearl ( circa late 60's ) whose backup band was "Big Brother and the Holding Company." Terrific song!

"Red Sox Nation"

 

 

 

 

"Brooms Perplex New Zealand Fans"

Baseball has come and gone for another season. The Red Sox Nation won it all Sunday night. I have a love for baseball that goes back to when I was a kid and cutting out baseball cards on the back of my favorite Post cereal box. They even had cards inside Kahns Hot Dogs. Here are some funny baseball moments- 2 from this weekend and one from 1997.

"I knew we were in for a long season when we lined up for the national anthem on opening day and one of my players said, 'Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.'" - Forida Marlins Manager (1997-1998) Jim Leyland

Defintition of Sweep: to win (every game, round, hand, etc., of a series of contests): The Yankees swept the three-game series.

Denver, Colorado-True Story: Some New Zealand tourists asked a sports writer why fans wearing caps with "B" on the front were carrying brooms Sunday as they made their way towards Coors Field. The Kiwis wanted to know if those people were going to clean the stadium.

They weren't familiar with the World Series or the concept of a sweep, which Colorado fans hoped their Rockies could avoid Sunday night when they faced Boston in Game 4 of baseball's Fall Classic.

“My Postseason baseball games too slow to keep interest
By Mark Bradley | Sunday, October 28, 2007, 06:19 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution



Mark Bradley Denver — I love postseason baseball — in theory. The reality is rather different. I don’t love nine-inning games that begin at 8:36 p.m. EDT and end 4 hours and 19 minutes later. Saturday night’s Game 3 had a lot of things to keep you interested — a big Red Sox surge, a big Colorado comeback, a clinching Boston countermove — but how many in the Eastern Time Zone (outside New England, that is) stayed up to watch....

The first World Series game I ever attended took 2 hours and 1 minute less than the one I witnessed here Saturday night. Think about that. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I have to confess: If I hadn’t been getting paid, I wouldn’t have watched Game 3 to the end. Life’s too short. As Lenny Megliola of the Metro West Daily Post said when the official time of 4:19 was announced, "My first marriage didn’t last that long.”

P.S. And whatever happened to Chico Escuela who immortalized the saying: "Baseball been berry berry good to me."

"Repeat From Yesterday"

There's a search engine on each blog. I punched in "Fab 4" and found this post from yesteryear. I thought the picture heading was neat so....here it is.http://vietnamcatfish.blogspot.com/2006/08/one-of-my-first-forays-as-blogger-or.html

"Elvis' Upright Bass" and 'Heartbreak Hotel'"

"Family Man"

 

"Family Man" or "You Can Always Go to Paris."

I consider myself a movie buff. Duh! And this is an audio clip from one of my favorite ones. I have always liked a "time travel" flick. Going back to the past actually.

There are many examples: "Back to the Future;" "Peggy Sue Got Married;" "The Final Countdown" with Kirk Douglas; to name a few.

The audio clip has Nicholas Cage imploring Tea Leoni to have a cup of coffee with him. "You can always go to Paris," he says.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/newmoviespeeches/moviespeechthefamilyman.mp3

"Hoots"

I tried to leave a comment on H.P. but my computer isn't working too good these days. I had so many problems trying to copy and paste on my Max McGhee post last nite that I got irritated and didn't see your [ tip of the cap ] post until today.

The Cowsills had a couple of good tunes and were the prototype for the Partridge Family which followed later. I even caught myself humming a few bars to "Indian Lake" while stowing away the supper dishes.

I'm watching "Rules of Engagement" on the telly. Right up your alley. Stephen L. Jackson and Tommie Lee Jones. Takes place in Yemin-r.u.y.a. Did he need to fire into the crowd of people who had his marine squadron in harm's way is the jist of the story.

P.S. I liked the video, too. Treat Williams, eh?

P.S.S. Steverino, my old friend from Rowdy High, sent me this, and I thought it was cute. And spot on, as someone would say. The hootster, perhaps?

You know you are too old to Trick or Treat when:

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.

9. You have to have another kid chew the candy for you.

8. You ask for high fiber candy only.

7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your
balance and fall over.

6. People say: "Great Boris Karloff Mask,"
and you're not wearing a mask.

5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or " and can't remember the rest.

4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.

3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.

2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.

And the number one reason Seniors should not go Trick Or Treating...
*
*
*
1. You keep having to go home to pee.


No matter, have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN anyway.

"First Super Bowl Hero Max McGhee Dies After Falling Off The Roof Of His House"

Max McGhee loved to imbibe; he wasn't supposed to play in the first Super Bowl, circa 1967, after staying out past curfew and well, imbibing. But as fate would have it, Boyd Dowler sustained an injury and fate stepped in. And so did Max...onto the field, that is.

His first catch was for a touchdown. And before it was over, he caught 7 passes, two for touchdowns. An instant hero as the Packers drubbed the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.

"When it's third and ten," McGhee once said, " You can take the milk drinkers, and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time."

"Favorite Tune From Back In The Day"

 

"920 Calories-60 Grams of Fat-Yummy! Hardees New Breakfast Burrito"

ST. LOUIS - The people who brought you the Monster Thickburger and the 1,100-calorie salad are at it again _ this time for breakfast.

Hardee's on Monday rolled out its new Country Breakfast Burrito _ two egg omelets filled with bacon, sausage, diced ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy, all wrapped inside a flour tortilla. The burrito contains 920 calories and 60 grams of fat.

Brad Haley, marketing chief for the St. Louis-based fast-food chain, said the burrito offers the sort of big breakfast item normally found in sit-down restaurants with an added advantage.

"It makes this big country breakfast portable," he said.

There you have it. More gams of fat we can ingest. I saw on the telly where even the French are gaining weight. So much for slim and chic, eh?

P.S. You have to love the sentence in paragraph 2: Hardee's on Monday rolled out its new Country Breakfast Burrito. Rolled out is definitely what will happen. In more ways than one. Selah, v.c.

P.S.S.

"Fired" I Can Relate!

ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's career as a color commentator on ESPN's Monday Night Football lasted for only two Mondays. According to the New York Times, Kimmel was relieved of his duties following his second MNF appearance after making a jocular remark about Joe Theismann, who was fired last season, "watching from his living room with steam coming from his ears." The remark was greeted with dead silence by the other MNF broadcasters, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser, and Mike Tirico. On Tuesday, Monday Night Football producer Jay Rothman called Kimmel's comment "classless and disappointing. It was cheap." He said Kimmel will not return.

P.S. The game in question-Falcons vs. the Giants-is the lowest viewed game-ever-on MNF. Maybe they should bring back Joe Theisman, who when in college at Notre Dame, changed the pronunciation of his name to rhyme with Heisman, as in the Heisman Award, for which he wanted consideration.

BTW: Joe is 57 years old.

"Rockies for Coolbaugh"

As the umps discuss whether or not Manny Ramirez just hit a home run in tonite's ALCS, here's a heart warming, yet tragic, story from the baseball world.

It was the ninth inning that day. The Drillers had a runner on first and a 28-year-old utilityman, Tino Sanchez, a left-handed hitter, at bat. Mike was busy, concentrating on the baserunner and his lead. According to reports, Mike told him, “If you’re going from first to third, you’ve got to be sure,” and those were his last words. Sanchez pulled an inside pitch and it traveled like an arrow straight at Mike, struck him behind the left ear, and in the words of an attending doctor, he was dead by the time he hit the ground. It was a freak. An inch either way or the other, the doctor said, and he’d still be alive.

Help Wanted"

Working Condition Requirements

• Ability to walk/stand on hard surfaced floors for long periods of time • Ability to evaluate product quality through taste, texture, color and odor
• Bend and reach to demonstrate such activities as stocking shelves, serving customers, or cleaning
• Lift 25 lbs to demonstrate such activities as putting away stock or lifting large measures of product.
• Tolerate up to 5-10 minutes in the walk in freezer at a temp of 10 degrees F • Tolerate up to 15-20 minutes in walk-in cooler at a temp of 40 degrees F
• Tolerate exposure to various weather conditions (i.e. walk up window). • Valid driver’s license and must be insurable on rental vehicles
• Ability to work hours ranging from 5:00am – 10:00pm including weekends

I was perusing Career Builder just now and saw these requirements for a Manager's job in the food biz. The ones highlighted are my favorites.

The next one is interesting. Perhaps the proprietor at H.B.'s place may be interested. If he's willing to move to Columbus. You may be welcome back, but seems I burned my bridges. Alas.

Asst Managers
Company: Piccadilly Rest.

Description
Piccadilly Restaurant Management Interviewing Assistant Managers in Columbus. Fax/Email resume 972-318-7135 or [Click here for email] Questions 800-594-7036

Source - Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

P.S. Hoots, For auld times sake, how 'bout a reprint of your classic post detailing your exit fom the firm. Apologies to John Grisham. It was entitled "Help Wanted" or something like that. Apologies to John Grisham.

"Paul McCartney: 'Divorce is Hell'"

Even Paul McCartney is not to immune to life's problems. His wife, Linda, died in the 90's from breast cancer. And now he is going through a divorce. He was so much in love, that he didn't bother to get a pre-nuptial agreement. Seems his ex wants a couple of hundred million. Moving forward, that is.

In the following article Paul says he would like to tour again when he and his ex can work things out. I'm all for that, of course.

Calling his divorce a hard day's night is an understatement as far as Paul McCartney's concerned.

Making rare public remarks on his split from Heather Mills to the U.K.'s Radio Times magazine Tuesday, the former Beatle compared the ongoing proceedings to "going through hell."

"Going through divorce is a very painful thing," the 65-year-old McCartney told the publication. "As Winston Churchill once said, 'If you're going through hell, keep going!' The only solution is to remain dignified. If I don't keep a silence about it, I lose this idea of being dignified. But I've a wonderful baby. She's a great joy to me, as are my elder children, so I'm a lucky man."

P.S. "We Got Married" is the name of the video. And one of my favorite songs from Paul "Post Beatle."

"Fear Strikes Out" [ Jimmy Piersall ]

My TCM newsletter arrived today via the internet. And, of course, there's a lot of vintage stuff in it. One movie mentioned is "Fear Strikes Out," starring Anthony Perkins as the demented Jimmy Piersall, whose stern father pushes and pushes him until he snaps.

They tried to put me into a small sanitarium and I ran away. I had just gotten so wound up that I lost all control of my memory," says Jimmy Piersall on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series.

I have always been a HUGE baseball fan, and I remember seeing the movie as a youngster on the now defunct "Saturday Night at the Movies" on NBC. And I remember the "real" Jimmy P. playing for the BoSox. [ Boston Red Sox for the uninitiated ] I saw it a few years ago, and it's hard to picture Anthony Perkins as a ballplayer. He's a bit too feminine to me to register any believability. But it's still a good flick about mental illness. And baseball, even tho' Anthony Perkins was picked for his acting prowess [ ? ] and looks rather than for his athletic abilities. I don't think the boy could have batted his way out of ye olde paper bag, much less stroke the ball past the pitcher's mound.

He's great, but you have to play him in a cage," said Casey Stengel, his manager with the New York Mets.

Piersall was born on Nov. 14, 1929 in Waterbury, Conn. He became a local legend at 14, playing and starring in a league featuring men twice his age.

Piersall's mother, Mary, suffered from mental illness. From 1936-46, she was often committed to a sanitarium. "If my father was preparing supper when I got home, it wouldn't be necessary for us to exchange a word," Piersall said. "I knew that meant my mother had gone away again."

Submitted for your approval is the original trailer for "Fear Strikes Out." And if Karl Malden was yer daddy, you'd probably whiff as well.

"Potpurri"

 

 

 

 

101,384,263

It was reported in my last foray into the mercantile, er, infantile that Post Secret had accrued over one million hits, but unless there's a decimal point I'm missing, the blog has received a hundred million hits. Is that even possible?

Shirley not. Care to weigh in on this one, Hoots.

Tree falling in the woods making a....sound? v.c.

P.S. The soap opera known as the Falcons plays on MNF tomorrow. Do the Birds rise to the occasion, or will they be like lambs to the slaughter.

"Post Secret Blog"

Some guy just reached 1 million hits on his site. Which means GP has only 900,000 plus hits to go to catch him. Here's the link. And he has just written a book with all this crap, er, scintillating stuff in it. I guess?

Hoots, eat your heart out, v.c.

"Pix"

 

 

 

 

"Pix of My Niece and her Two Kids"

Pix from the family, who live out in Orange County, and we all know who resides there. The dreaded right-wing conservatives of California.

My niece was in a few movies-as chronicled in past forays-including "Mrs. Doubtfire"; "Getting Even With Dad"; and "So I Married an Axe Murderer." Her silhouette once adorned the cover of TV Guide.

We in the family-or maybe it was just me-who said: "Who'd a thunk it?"

The older daughter is named Faith Haley, whilst the younger daughter is named Summer Skye. I once recommended some names to Amber, my niece, who rejected "Winter Solstice;" "Fall Back;" and "Spring Forward."

Ah, adolescence, v.c.

P.S. I once knew the real father of Rusty in "European Vacation" with Chevy Chase. He worked for Sears here in Atlanta. He had the same bug-eyes as his son. Or vice-versa. His daughter played the lead role in either "Karate Kid 3 or 4."

McDonald's Worker Wins Strip-Search Suit

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. - A jury awarded $6.1 million Friday to a woman who said she was forced to strip in a McDonald's back office after someone called the restaurant posing as a police officer....

A former assistant manager, Donna Summers, was placed on probation for a misdemeanor conviction in relation to the incident. Her former fiance, Walter Nix Jr., is serving five years in prison for sexually abusing Ogborn during the 3 1/2-hour search.

Topps Calls It Quits After Beef Recall

Topps Meat Co. on Friday said it was closing its business, six days after it was forced to issue the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history and 67 years after it first opened its doors.The decision will cost 87 people their jobs, Topps said.

On Sept. 25 Topps began recalling frozen hamburger patties that may have been contaminated with the E. coli bacteria strain O157:H7. The recall eventually ballooned to 21.7 million pounds of ground beef.

Thirty people in eight states had E. coli infections matching the strain found in the Topps patties, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. None have died.

"This is tragic for all concerned," said Topps chief operating officer Anthony D'Urso, a member of the family that founded the company in 1940.

"The Long and Winding Road"

 

"One After 909"

The original concept for the film project called for the documentary to end with a live show, the first live public performance by the band since the end of their last tour, on August 29, 1966, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. However, agreeing on a format for the live show proved problematic. Paul McCartney suggested playing a small club, like the Beatles had in the early days. John Lennon suggested an overseas location such as Africa (although he also expressed a sarcastic desire to perform the show in an asylum). Ringo Starr held out for staying home in England. George Harrison showed little enthusiasm for any live performance at all.

After failing to agree on any other venue, the band settled for an unannounced concert atop their own building, Apple's headquarters. The Beatles, accompanied by Preston, performed on January 30, 1969 — intercut in the film with interviews of some rather surprised Londoners near the Apple headquarters as the music blasts out from the roof. The performance and the film close with the police arriving and shutting the concert down. The rooftop concert has been a popular bootleg ever since....

The following song was written when the collaborators were young teens. One of their first. And is sung on said rooftop in downtown London, ol' chum.

And the end of the tune-if you listen intently-you can hear someone say: "who'd a thunk it?" Not sure which member of the band uttered these words.

"Move over once; move over twice; c'mon, baby, don't be cold as ice, v.c.

P.S. The link courtesy of hoots' suggestion.

"Long Time Gone" Apologies to Crosby, Stills, and Nash

You have to wonder about a world in which people are herded up like cattle and taken to ovens; a world in which a group of people was sold into slavery; a world in which there is so much suffering. From death, disease, and addictions.

All that being said: I came across this article today in the AJC fishwrapper. Reminds me of a time long gone. Long before phrases like "moving forward," "modules of training," and "engaged" dotted the landscapes of business. It's all so homogenous these days. And, for that, I am sad. The following article reminds me of my early life in the 50's and 60's and 70's.

Last month, Holiday Inn announced it is phasing out its motor lodges —- they're called "exterior corridor" designs in the trade. Some corporate type, with the title of "vice president for worldwide brand management," justified the decision thusly: "These hotels are usually considered old. Consumers say they do not match up to expectations."

Braves on TBS, old-style hotel made life seem better

By Mike King
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 10/04/07

I rise today to testify on behalf of two bygone institutions: the classic Holiday Inn motor lodge, and Braves baseball on TBS.

"Can we stay there?"

When we were young children, my mother would load the three of us kids every summer into the family car and make a 1,000-mile trip from southern Indiana to her hometown of Galveston, Texas. The trip, at least in the days before the interstate highway system was completed, required an overnight stay.

Along the way we'd pass interesting places like the Wigwam Village, a motel in Kentucky where all the units looked like teepees, or the Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts in Memphis, where the units were shaped like the famous Texas landmark.

"Please, mom, let's stay there," we'd beg. No dice.

We almost always wound up in one of those roadside motor courts, nondescript places where each unit had a kitchenette (really just a glorified hot plate and an old Norge) and a window-unit air conditioner that usually didn't work. No TV and certainly no swimming pool. Basic lodging. Cheap.

But one year, making our way through Texarkana, Texas, on U.S. 59, we saw a green and gold sign with synchronized blinking lights and a bright white star pointing to something called a Holiday Inn. There was a restaurant attached to the motel. And a swimming pool, with a diving board, and an underwater light that just beckoned you to jump in, if you were lucky enough to stay there.

We didn't stay there that year, but on another trip, Dad came with us. About Little Rock we began making a strong, persistent case —- basically we whined —- pleading to stay at the Holiday Inn we knew was down the road in Texarkana. He relented.

We ate a glorious, sit-down meal at the restaurant and our parents went back to the air-conditioned room to watch TV, where they quickly fell asleep. We headed for the pool. About 11:30 p.m. my parents were awakened by a call from the front desk asking them to please go to the pool and retrieve their children.

My dad still loves to tell that story.

Last month, Holiday Inn announced it is phasing out its motor lodges —- they're called "exterior corridor" designs in the trade. Some corporate type, with the title of "vice president for worldwide brand management," justified the decision thusly: "These hotels are usually considered old. Consumers say they do not match up to expectations."

Cable comes to Indiana

In the mid-1970s, cable television arrived in our small Indiana hometown, and I bought my parents a six-month subscription. (I was living across the river, in cable-deprived Louisville, Ky.) The local cable company included two independent channels as part of its package: WTBS from Atlanta and WTTV out of Indianapolis and Bloomington.

WTBS had the Braves, which were about to become America's team because of their presence on cable systems nationwide. WTTV had Indiana University basketball —- every game, home and away, during the Bobby Knight-before-he-was-crazy era.

The affinity for the Braves grew so strong that when they played at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati against the Reds, we'd organize day trips to see them. And when we moved their grandchildren here 20 years ago, the first place my parents wanted to go with them was to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to see the Braves. Many Sunday afternoons since he's been unable to travel, I've called my father to see if he was watching the game on TBS. Now, with TBS going out of the Braves business, he'll see fewer still. Until basketball season starts, we'll have to find other topics in our Sunday talks.

I know. I know. The world, and consumer expectations, are different now. But there were times —- as kids at the Holiday Inn pool or as adults with our parents in front of the TV watching the Braves —- when the world was pretty darn good and may have actually exceeded our expectations without us ever knowing it.

> Mike King is a member of the editorial board. His column appears Thursdays.

P.S. Hoots, I've been a little lazy these days, but I will take your suggestion to heart.... in the next foray.

"As long as this exists, I thought, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts I cannot be unhappy."

 

 

 

 

"Freedom Tree Gets Reprieve"

"Nearly every morning I go to the attic to blow the stuffy air out of my lungs," she wrote on Feb. 23, 1944. "From my favorite spot on the floor I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide on the wind. ...

"As long as this exists, I thought, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts I cannot be unhappy."

Anne Frank's Ailing Tree Gets a Reprieve
By TOBY STERLING

Associated Press Writer

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The diseased chestnut tree that comforted Anne Frank while she hid from the Nazis during World War II has been granted a reprieve.

The 150-year-old tree was due to be chopped down after experts determined it could not be rescued from the fungus and moths that caused more than half its trunk to rot.

This Nov. 15, 2006 photo shows the diseased chestnut tree, right, that comforted Anne Frank while she hid from the Nazis during World War II, which has now been granted a reprieve. The 150-year-old tree was due to be chopped down after experts determined it could not be rescued from the fungus and moths that caused more than half its trunk to rot. The tree is familiar to millions of readers of 'The Diary of Anne Frank.' It stands behind the 'secret annex' atop the canal-side warehouse where her family hid during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, and its crown was just visible through the attic skylight, left, the only window that was not blacked out. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
The tree is familiar to millions of readers of "The Diary of Anne Frank." It stands behind the "secret annex" atop the canal-side warehouse where her family hid during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, and its crown was just visible through the attic skylight — the only window that was not blacked out.

An appeals panel made two separate decisions last week: one upholding the right of the tree's owner to have it cut down any time in the next two years, and another granting a request by the country's Trees Institute to investigate the possibility of saving it, said Ton Boon, a spokesman for Amsterdam's Central borough.

The tree is on the property of Keizersgracht 188, adjacent to the building that is now the Anne Frank Museum. Property owner Henric Pomes has agreed for the time being to wait for the institute's proposal, due before Jan. 1, Boon said.

The Utrecht-based Trees Institute said its salvage plan would likely involve a combination of treatments and supports for its trunk and limbs.

"Safety must come first," said spokesman Edwin Koot. "It's dangerous for people, and you don't even want to think about what could happen if it were to fall into the Anne Frank house."

The Jewish teenager made several references to the tree in the diary that she kept during the 25 months she remained indoors until the family was arrested in August 1944.

"Nearly every morning I go to the attic to blow the stuffy air out of my lungs," she wrote on Feb. 23, 1944. "From my favorite spot on the floor I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide on the wind. ...

"As long as this exists, I thought, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts I cannot be unhappy."

In May 2005, much of the tree's crown was trimmed in an effort to stabilize it, but in November 2006, the city council ruled it was a hazard. In March, the council granted a license to have it cut down — prompting protests by the Tree Institute and others.

"The tree represented freedom and playing outside to Anne Frank," Koot said. "Primarily because of its historical significance, we must go the extra mile to try to save it."

The Anne Frank Museum, where the tiny apartment has been preserved, said grafts already have been taken and a sapling from the original chestnut will eventually replace it.

Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945.

___

"Monster on the Campus!"

 

"Troy and Me" or "The Grassy Knoll!"

Tonite's foray into the infantile is a conversation between yours truly and Troy Donahue, who now resides among the stars.

v.c.: What was it like working with Sandra Dee? Were you two intimate?

Troy: There wasn't anything to it. She was hot for Bobby Darin; I couldn't get to second base with her tho' I tried. Great l'il actress.

v.c.: You two were the perfect 50's lovesick couple. I loved the theme song, "A Summer Place."

Troy: Why'd you mention that song, man. It still chokes me up.

v.c.: Sorry! Did you really live under a bridge after your flame fleeted like a ....

Troy: Candle in the wind. Yeah! That song gets me all misty-eyed, too. It's true. I had me a cardboard box-had it set up kinda neat, really. But when it rained-those southern California rain showers can be like monsoons.

v.c.: Did you know Marilyn-hang out with her?

Troy: She was too enamored with JFK to give me a look twice. She's been magnanimous here, but nothing during my brief time on the planet, vee.

v.c.: Speaking of which, what really happened on the grassy noll.

Troy: J. Edgar Hoover's up here and he could make things tough for me-I already owe him two cartons of cigarettes. He said Dallas would be 4-0 to start the season. "Cowboys? Tony Romo? No way," I said.

But I can tell you this. Oswald wasn't alone. It would blow your mind, if I told you who was in on it. "The Warren Report" was a freakin' joke-I kid you not.

v.c.: Do you ever get to see John and George?

Troy: They never hung out with me in the beginning. They thought I was too much of an apple pie and chevrolet kind of guy, but when John found out my last address was an underpass and I had all these addictions, well, he kinda warmed up to me.

v.c.: Is Jimmy Hoffa buried in "Giants Stadium?" In the end zone?

Troy: Man, you don't let up. Nah, he ain't buried there, but he swims with the fishes allah Lucca Brazzi. It wasn't the Union. Somebody said Danny de Vito was involved. Just rumors. They have 'em here, too.

v.c.: Did George W. know ahead of time that the Twin Towers were going down?

Troy: They don't talk about it much. Too sensitive a subject....for Heaven. We like to chill, mellow-out up here-it's not like on Earth, where it's am I gonna get this part? Am I no longer a teenage heartthrob? Where's my next meal gonna come from? Is the cardboard gonna hold out this winter? It's different. But we're waiting on Karl Rove to get here. To find out the skinny, if you know what I mean?

v.c.: How's the "King?" You know, Elvis?

Troy: He's a cool cat, vee. Last night he sang "In the Ghetto" with Ray Charles and Louie Armstrong. Satchmo can still bring it, but I can't understand a thing he says.

v.c.: Why are we hear? Shirley not to live in pain and fear?

Troy: John sang that one with Duane Allman a fortnight ago. Don't start getting philosophical on me, v.c.? Have you found a job, btw?

v.c.: News travels fast, eh?

Troy: At least you aren't living under a collosal cement block. I see things are gonna start looking-up for you. You've been througha lot of shit, dude!

v.c.: Thanks, Troy.

Before I could say my goodbyes I woke up! Was it a dream? Only the Shadow knows!

"troy Donahue"

 

"Sandra Dee and Tippi [ Hedren ] Canoe And Tyler, Too? Eh?

After the release of My Blood Runs Cold (1965), Donahue's contract with Warner Bros. ended. He later struggled to find new roles and had problems with drug addiction and alcoholism. He was married again in 1966, to actress Valerie Allen, but they divorced in 1968. In 1970 he appeared in the daytime drama The Secret Storm. In 1974 he was cast in his most high profile role, in The Godfather Part II as the new fiancé of Connie Corleone. His character was called Merle Johnson, Donahue's real name.

For those of you who didn't take the time to look it up. And who in their right mind would have?v.c.

P.S. At a packed house in Lancaster, California's Antelope Valley Independent Film Festival Cinema Series screening of The Birds on September 28, 2004, Hedren recalled how she was mysteriously selected for a lead role: "I said, 'Well, who is this person? Who is interested?'... Nobody would tell me who it was." It was Alfred Hitchcock, who soon announced his choice of Hedren for The Birds.

Hitchcock put Hedren through a then-costly $25,000 screen test, doing scenes from previous Hitchcock classics such as Rebecca, Notorious and To Catch a Thief with actor Martin Balsam. He signed her to a multi-year exclusive personal contract, something he had earlier done in the 1950s with Vera Miles. Hitchcock's plan to mold Hedren's public image went so far as to carefully control her style of dressing and grooming. Hitchcock, ever the showman, insisted for publicity purposes that her name should be printed only in single quotes -- 'Tippi'. The press mostly ignored this directive from the director, who felt that the single quotes added distinction and mystery to Hedren's name. In interviews, Hitchcock compared his newcomer not only to her predecessor Grace Kelly but also to what he referred to as such "ladylike", intelligent, and stylish stars of more glamorous eras as Irene Dunne and Jean Arthur. Later, Hedren indicated that she didn't want to be known as the next Grace Kelly but rather as the first Tippi Hedren.

"Monster on Campus"

If you look closely at the credits, you'll notice Troy Donahue is the co-star. Last I recall, his career took a turn for the worst, and he was living under bridges somewhere out west. Presumably, Hollywood. I believe he is now courting Sandra Dee in Hollywood. - Heaven style. Say hello to Bobby Darin for us.