Author Archives: dcaligari

January 23, 1965 –Petula Clark’s song Downtown, hit No. #1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. This was Petula Clark’s first hit in the US, which was slow to discover her talents. In the UK, she was a star as a singer and as a television performer, where she was a regular on theContinue reading “Downtown topped the charts”

Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. Some believe the second day is also the birthday of all dogs and remember them with special treats. The God of Wealth presides over a vast bureaucracy with many minor deities under his authority. A majestic figure robed in exquisite silks often he is picturedContinue reading “Scratch a dog and you’ll find a permanent job.”

May your New Year be as lucky and lovely as the Rabbit! The Lunar New Year starts today, and it’s the Year of the Rabbit, but which one? In Chinese astrology, each year is associated with a Chinese zodiac animal sign and one the Five Elements: Gold (Metal), Water, Wood, Fire, or Earth. Both theContinue reading “Happy Chinese New Years Day”

January 22, 1972 – The Jack Webb midseason replacement series, Emergency!, starring Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe premiered on NBC TV on this date. The series originated when producer Robert A. Cinader was in the Los Angeles area researching for a new medical drama series that took place in an emergency hospital. There, he learnedContinue reading “Emergency! premiered”

January 22, 1968 –The comedy show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, premiered on NBC television on this date. One of the trademarks of the series was the fast cutting that happened in between videotaped segments. Blackouts, one-liners and sketches were edited together in such a way that the showContinue reading “Laugh-In premiered”

January 22, 2010 –To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t leadContinue reading “Coco lost his job”

January 21, 1982 –Hsin-Yen Chang’s martial arts film Shaolin Temple (Shao Lin si,) starring Jet Li in his debut role premiered on this date. This film was the first Hong Kong-China co-production to be filmed in mainland China. The film was also the first such to use a Mainland cast and crew.

January 21, 1957 –Patsy Cline sang Walking After Midnight on Arthur Godfrey’s nighttime television show, quickly launching her career on this date. The song became a crossover hit, charting at #2 Country and #12 Pop, and established Cline as a Country singer capable of mainstream success. Mr. Godfrey did not fire her after her performance.

Hey it’s Lunar New Year’s Eve in many parts of the world tonight: (I’m obviously missing something because it’s the year of the Rabbit this year.) It’s a busy night, in between hanging red lanterns, the New Year reunion dinners, setting off firecrackers, giving red envelopes to kids (I will never be too old toContinue reading “Get ready for those ACME Firework Ads”

To A Squirrel At Kyle-Na-No. Come play with me;Why should you runThrough the shaking treeAs though I’d a gunTo strike you dead?When all I would doIs to scratch your headAnd let you go. W.B. Yeats For some reason, today is Squirrel Appreciation Day Demand Euphoria!