If Only Alexa Could Rake the Leaves

Autumn began at 5:05 p.m. EDT today.



Joyfully, it's also the first day of Fall.



Many people in the northern hemisphere are disturbed by the changes they see around them at about this time each year. It gets darker earlier, temperatures drop, leaves change color and die and the Red Sox tend to drop out of playoff contention.

There have been myths about the changing of the seasons as long as there have been children to lie to. Some primitive peoples believed that leaves changed color because Nature was pining for her abducted daughter; others blamed it on the seasonal absence of sunlight-fed chlorophyll, allowing xanthophyll, carotene, and antocyanin to determine leaf color. We may never know the truth.



The first day of Autumn is sometimes also referred to as the Autumnal Equinox (the autumnal equinox is when the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator from north to south.) The autumnal equinox brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere. Don't be alarmed by the title. It's just Fall.



There are 100 days remaining in 2026.



There are 39 days until Halloween,



42 days until the Midterm Election,



65 days until Thanksgiving



and 94 days until Christmas.



With intestinal fortitude and some heavy drinking, we can get through this thing.


September 22, 1928 -
Considered to be one of his best films, The Camerman directed by Edward Sedgwick and Buster Keaton, and starring Buster Keaton and Marceline Day, was released on this date.



The film was almost lost forever. The only known copy at the time was destroyed in a fire at Storage Vault No. 7 at MGM in August 1965. The existing master copy of it was made using a print that was found in Paris in 1968, and a master positive copy of nearly the entire film, found in 1991. In modern copies of the film, the quality of the image varies dramatically; the scenes with best quality were obtained from the material found in 1991.


September 22, 1951 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Tweety's S.O.S., directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Tweety Bird and Sylvester the Cat, was released on this date.



One of the few times Tweety is heard singing, even if he is off screen.


September 22, 1957 -
The comedy-western series Maverick, premiered on ABC-TV on this date.



James Garner claimed that during filming one day, they had less than an hour until overtime would have to be paid, but they still needed to shoot a complicated fight scene. Spying a group of tall weeds, he suggested that he throw his opponent into the weeds and have the fight proceed with much shaking of the weeds, and people being ejected from the weeds, only to immediately run back in. The results were extremely funny, and thus the cast and crew began to look for "funny" ways to cut corners, turning the show into a semi-comedy.


September 22, 1958 -
The private eye series, Peter Gunn, starring Craig Stevens premiered on this date



This was one of the first television shows to have its own original score, and it was the first to feature modern jazz for a soundtrack. Previously, producers used generic music scores that were used in many television productions. RCA released an album of music from this show featuring the title song and other pieces. It reached number one on the Billboard chart, stayed there ten weeks, and stayed on the list for the next two years. It was so successful, that RCA put together a sequel. Henry Mancini received an Emmy nomination for the theme, and won two Grammys for the album.


September 22, 1962 -
The Looney Tunes short, The Jet Cage, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Tweety Bird and Sylvester the Cat, was released on this date.



This was the final time the oft-used Raymond Scott piece Powerhouse was featured in a Looney Tunes cartoon.


September 22, 1964 -

Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, who kept the world safe on The Man from U.N.C.L.E, made their first appearance on NBC-TV on this date.



Originally, Will Kuluva was to play the head of U.N.C.L.E., but was replaced by Leo G. Carroll. After the pilot was screened for the network executives, they told the producers to "get rid of the foreign guy". They really meant for David McCallum's Russian character Ilya Kuriyakin to get the axe, but the producers thought they meant Kuluva.


September 22, 1969 -
A new weekly TV show The Music Scene aired on ABC in the US for the first time, on this date.



The show began with six co-hosts (David Steinberg, Chris Bokeno, Larry Hankin, Paul Reid Roman, Christopher Ross and Lily Tomlin) who would also do comedic skits between musical numbers. This format lasted for 6 episodes. Beginning with the first episode in November, David Steinberg became the sole host with different special guest hosts. Unfortunately, this format change did not bring new viewers, and the show was canceled less than three months later.


September 22, 1982 -
America first welcomed the Keaton family into their homes on this date when Family Ties, starring Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter-Birney, Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, and Brian Bonsall, premiered on NBC-TV.



Michael J. Fox added the P. in Alex P. Keaton as an ad-lib in his audition, the writers loved it and kept it. Michael J. Fox almost didn't get the role of Alex, due to the fact that NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff didn't find it believable that Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross would have a son who was so short.


September 22, 1986 -
Aaron Spelling's crime drama Charlie's Angels starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle and John Forsythe premiered on ABC-TV on this date.



John Forsythe was called in at the last minute to voice Charlie, when the original actor (Gig Young) who had been cast turned out to have a drinking problem. Producer Aaron Spelling called Forsythe past midnight on a Friday, and begged him to come to the studio immediately, as the pilot was to be broadcast after the weekend. Forsythe ended up recording his first voice-over in his pajamas.


September 22, 1986 -
For some reason ABC-TV felt the need to introduce America to the Tanner Family and Gordon Shumway when ALF (an acronym for Alien Life Form) premiered on this date.



The Alf puppet was operated from various "trap doors" hidden within the set, making filming more hazardous than a normal sitcom. The cast had to remember where the doors were so they could avoid them.


September 22, 1990 -
The Coen Brothers' take on the classic gangsters film, Miller's Crossing, premiered in NYC on this date.



Although he was a native Irishman playing a lieutenant to an Irish mobster, the Coens did not originally want Gabriel Byrne to use his own accent in the film. Byrne argued that his dialogue was structured in such a way that it was a good fit for his accent, and after he tried it, the Coens agreed. Ultimately, both Byrne and Albert Finney used Irish accents in the film.


September 22, 1995 -
Depending on your feeling that day, either the worse film ever made or a cult classic, Showgirls, directed by Paul Verhoeven, written by Joe Eszterhas, starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Robert Davi, Alan Rachins, and Gina Ravera, was released on this date. (Just imagine the budget for the Raymond Burr Nipple Rouge for this movie.)



Gina Gershon said the close ups of her and Elizabeth Berkeley dancing nude in the club were shot on closed sets with just a small crew. But on wider shots, they had to dance naked for hours in front of an actual audience of about 600 people. She said it's the largest group of people she had ever been naked in front of and it was a good thing she isn't shy.


September 22, 1994 -

32 years ago, you could get a cup of coffee at Central Perk for the first time when Friends, premiered on NBC-TV on this date.



Many titles were considered and rejected before the show was named as Friends. They included Friends Like Us, Insomnia Cafe and Across the Hall.


September 22, 2004 –
ABC-TV begins airing the strange story of the aftermath of the crash of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815, when the Lost pilot premiered on this date.



On Lost, Yunjin Kim's character secretly (at first) speaks fluent English, while Daniel Dae Kim's character is (again, at first) a Korean monolingual. Yunjin's character helps Daniel's learn English over the course of the series. In real life, the situation was almost perfectly mirrored. Yunjin had no previous screen credits where she primarily spoke English rather than Korean, and Daniel had not spoken Korean regularly since his teenage years, with older relatives. Daniel has credited Yunjin with helping him re-acclimate himself to the (Korean) language.


Today's moment of Zen.


Today in History:
September 22, 1761 -
George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz were crowned King and Queen of the Great Britain. Which is funny because George was not British. He was German. He had been Elector of Hanover. (Although he was the first King of England in a very long time that spoke English as his first language, if at all.)



But he ended his days, completely blind, increasingly deaf, pissing blue, and totally insane locked up in Windsor Castle, with his son acting as Regent for the remainder of George III's life.

I've said it before - sometimes it's NOT so good to be King.


September 22, 1776 -
An American Captain was hanged as a spy with no trial by the British, under the orders of General William Howe, in New York City during the Revolutionary War on this date. He was considered as one of the incendiaries of the burning of NYC.



Moments before his execution, he expressed regret that he couldn't be well hung more than once. This remark catapulted him to posthumous fame (but only after his death), and Nathan Hale is revered to this day.


September 22, 1869 -
Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold premieres in Munich on this date.



Beer drinkers around the world rejoice!!!


September 22, 1960 (or 1958) -
Joan Marie Larkin, singer/ musician extraordinaire was born on this date.



If you love Rock and Roll, you love Joan


September 22, 1961 -
President John Kennedy took a break from hanging out with Frank Sinatra, shooting speed and having sex with Marilyn Monroe to sign a congressional act establishing the Peace Corps on this date.

The government-funded volunteer organization was created to fight hunger, disease, illiteracy, poverty, and lack of opportunity around the world.

Sometimes it good to be the President (and sometimes it sucks, as Mr. Kennedy would eventually find out.)


September 22, 1966 -
In between inviting the press to watch him use the bathroom and calling a tailor to order pants with extra long zippers, President Lyndon B. Johnson designated Columbus Day a federal public holiday to be celebrated on October 12.

In 1968, he moved it to the 2nd Monday of October. In 2004, President George W. Bush set it to October 11. Columbus Day in 2022 is on Monday, the 10th of October.


September 22, 1975 -
Self-proclaimed revolutionary Sara Jane Moore attempted to kill President Gerald Ford as he walked from a San Francisco hotel on this date.



A bullet she fired slightly wounded a man in the crowd but once again President Ford walks away unscathed.


September 22, 1980 -
In a stunning blow to America's feminine hygiene, consumer products manufacturer Procter and Gamble initiates the largest tampon recall in history, pulling Rely Tampons from store shelves, starting on this date.



The action results from the ongoing Toxic Shock Syndrome controversy.

No comment.



And so it goes

Our hearts were ringin'

In the key that our souls were singin' ...



Although many people hear the first words in the chorus as "Party On," it's really "Bada-Ya." Allee Willis, co-writer of the song, explained in an interview: "I absolutely could not deal with lyrics that were nonsensical, or lines that weren't complete sentences. And I'm exceedingly happy that I lost that attitude. I went, 'You cannot leave bada-ya in the chorus, that has to mean something.' Maurice said, 'No, that feels great. That's what people are going to remember. We're leaving it.' We did try other stuff, and it always sounded clunky - thank God."


Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. This year's theme is Cultivating a Culture of Peace



Given all that is going on in the world today, it's a nice idea to have a day dedicated to celebrating peace.


September 21, 1940 -
The Looney Tunes short, Calling Dr. Porky, directed by Friz Freleng and starring Porky Pig, was released on this date.



Although Porky is supposed to be a physician, the chair in his office is actually a dentist's chair..


September 21, 1957 -
Our favorite nipple rouge wearing actor, Raymond Burr, had another go at episodic TV when Perry Mason premiered on CBS-TV on this date.



Raymond Burr originally auditioned for the role of Hamilton Burger, but was chosen for the title role instead.


September 21, 1968 -
Jimi Hendrix Experience released their version of the Bob Dylan song All Along the Watchtower, on this date. Dave Mason from Traffic and Rolling Stone Brian Jones both played on the recording.



This was Hendrix' only Top 40 hit in the US, where his influence far outpaced his popularity. He charted a few times in the UK, where he rose to fame before making a name for himself in America.


September 21, 1968 -
Based on the 1947 film of the same name, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,  starring Hope Lange, Edward Mulhare, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Reta Shaw, premiered on this date.



The series premiered on NBC on Saturday night at 8:30 PM EST. NBC canceled it after the first season, and it was picked up by ABC for its second and final season.


September 21, 1968 -
The police drama ADAM 12, premiered on NBC-TV on this date.



In keeping with the reputation of Jack Webb's series being scrupulously accurate about police procedures, selected episodes of this series were used in police academies as instructional films.


January 21, 1970 -
We all came to know that Phoebe Figalilly was a silly name when, Nanny and the Professor, starring Juliet Mills, Richard Long, David Doremus, Trent Lehman, and Kim Richards, first aired on ABC TV, on this date.



This is one of the situation comedies to go into syndication with a total of less than five seasons. The original run consisted of only two half seasons and one full season.


September 21, 1974 -
Barry White's single Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Baby hot the top of the Billboard Charts on this date.



Similar to Isaac Hayes' songs appearing in South Park, Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe was used in a few episodes of rival TV cartoon The Simpsons.


September 21, 1975 -
Sidney Lumet's amazing film, Dog Day Afternoon, starring Al Pacino and John Cazale, premiered on this date.




During production, Al Pacino reportedly only slept a couple hours a night, ate sparingly, and would sometimes take cold showers; this was in order to emphasize Sonny's disheveled, exhausted and yet wired appearance.


September 21 1985 -
The Dire Straits single, Money for Nothing, from the album Brothers in Arms, hits No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date.



The innovative video was one of the first to feature computer generated animation, which was done using an early program called Paintbox. The characters were supposed to have more detail, like buttons on their shirts, but they used up the budget and had to leave it as is. It won Best Video at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.


September 21, 1992 –
Parlophone Records released Radiohead’s debut single, Creep, on this date.



Thom Yorke based this on a song called The Air That I Breathe, which was written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood in 1972. After Creep was released, Radiohead agreed to share the songwriting royalties, so this is credited to Yorke, Hammond and Hazlewood.


September 21, 1993 -
The police drama NYPD Blue, premiered on ABC-TV on this date.



Dennis Franz (Detective Andy Sipowicz) and Gordon Clapp (Detective Greg Medavoy) are the only actors to appear in all twelve seasons.


September 21, 1993 –
Nirvana released In Utero, their third and final studio album while Kurt Cobain was still alive, on this date.



Initially, the album was going to be called I Hate Myself and I Want to Die - Kurt Cobain's typical response to "How are you?" The final title was taken from a poem written by Courtney Love.


September 21 1996
The Fugees scored their second No.1 single in the UK with Ready Or Not, on this date.



The chorus in the song is based on Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love) by The Delfonics. The underlying groove is a sample of the 1987 Enya song Song of Boadicea. The Fugees did this without her permission, and Enya came after them hard, earning substantial royalties from the song.


September 21, 1998 -
The landmark TV sitcom, Will & Grace, starring Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, and Sean Hayes, premiered on NBC TV on this date.



John Barrowman was up for the role of Will Truman, but didn't get it because he was "too straight", and the role went to Eric McCormack. Barrowman is gay in real life, while McCormack is straight.


September 21, 2001 -
A benefit concert organized by the four major U.S. television networks in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, America: A Tribute to Heroes, aired on this date. The program was shown on 35 separate broadcast and cable networks simultaneously.



Done in the style of a telethon, it featured a number of national and international entertainers performing to raise money for the victims and their families, particularly but not limited to the New York City firefighters. The telethon raised $150 million in pledges.


Word of the Day


Today in History:
September 21, 1327 -
Former King Edward II came to a particularly painful end on this date.

Edward had been overthrown by his wife, Isabella and her lover, Roger Mortimer. Edward had pissed off Isabella royally for among other things, sleeping with men. Isabella and Mortimer had Edward II imprisoned, after his abdication in favor of his son, Edward III.



It was rumored that Edward had been killed by the insertion of a piece of copper into his rectum (later a red-hot iron rod, as in the supposed murder of Edmund Ironside - King Edmund II was murdered in a lavatory; stabbed in the bowels when he sat down to relieve himself). Murder in this manner would have appeared a natural death, as a metal tube would have been inserted into the anus first, thus allowing the iron rod to penetrate the entrails without leaving a burn on the buttocks.

As I have said in the past, sometimes it is NOT good to be the king.


September 21, 1897 -
The New York Sun ran its famous editorial that answered a question from 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon: "Is there a Santa Claus?"on this date.



Obviously, times were different back then given that The New York Sun was printing an editorial about Christmas in September. (Christmas is in 95 days.)


Two giants of animation sharing the same birthday date:
September 21, 1912 -

Chuck Jones, animator and director of Warner Brothers cartoon characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, was born on this date.



He has directed three films have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening, and What's Opera, Doc?.

September 20, 1920 -

Jay Ward, cartoonist (Rocky and his Friends, Bullwinkle), was born on this date.



Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Bullwinkle Moose, and Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties were in fact conceived, designed, and created by Jay Ward's boyhood friend and sometimes business partner, advertising artist Alex Anderson.


September 21, 1915 -
With a winning bid of £6,600, Mr. Cecil Chubb purchased Stonehenge and 30 acres of land at auction. He donates the monument to the British state three years later.



He donated the monument because he could not figure out how to reset Stonehenge correctly.


September 21, 1937 -
George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. of London published the first edition of J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit on this date. It was illustrated with many black-and-white drawings by Tolkien himself.



The original printing was only a 1,500 run and sold out by December due to enthusiastic reviews.


September 21, 1950 -
I live a little bit on the seat of my pants, I try to be alert and available. I try to be available for life to happen to me. We're in this life, and if you're not available, the sort of ordinary time goes past and you didn't live it. But if you're available, life gets huge. You're really living it.





William James Murray, one of the funniest sentient human beings was born on this date.


September 21, 1981 -
On August 19 1981, President Reagan, who had pledged during the 1980 presidential campaign to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court, nominated Sandra Day O'Connor as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, replacing the retiring Potter Stewart. Ms. O'Connor was confirmed by the Senate 99-0 on this date and took her seat September 25.



In her first year on the Court, O'Connor received over sixty thousand letters from the public, more than any other justice in history.


September 21, 1983 -
In a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on this date, Interior Secretary James G. Watt jokingly described a special advisory panel as consisting of 'a black ... a woman, two Jews and a cripple.'

Although Watt apologized, he later resigned .

Oops!



And so it goes

Drinking rum before noon makes you a pirate

Right on the heels of yesterday’s Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 20th is National Rum Punch Day.

While not a huge fan of the cocktail - I say, get a big bottle of ACME light rum - why not celebrate!


September 20, 1941 -
The Looney Tunes cartoon Notes To You, directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Porky Pig and a proto-type of Sylvester the Cat premiered on this date.



Porky's home has the very latest cabinet radio. In the days before television, radio was the at home entertainment for Americans, and most of the songs in this film would have been familiar to the audience---thanks to radio. 


September 20, 1946 -

The first Cannes film festival, the first great international cultural event of the post-war period, begins on this date.



Among the selections that year were:

Brief Encounter directed by David Lean




Wet Paint directed by Jack King, produced by Walt Disney




The Bandit (Il bandito) directed by Alberto Lattuada




The Magic Bow directed by Bernard Knowles




The Lost Weekend directed by Billy Wilder




The Seventh Veil  directed by Compton Bennett



The festival was France's response to the world's first international film festival in Venice, Italy, in 1932. By 1938, the Venice festival had become a Nazi propaganda tool, and France decided to hold a rival event focused strictly on film. Its planned 1939 debut was delayed when World War II broke out.


September 20, 1952 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Rabbit Seasoning, (the second in the "hunting trilogy",) directed by Chuck Jones, and starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, was released on this date.



Elmer Fudd fires his rifle 19 times. He hits Daffy Duck six times. Bugs escapes completely unscathed, never being struck by a bullet.


September 20, 1955 -
The Phil Silvers Show (originally broadcast as You'll Never Be Rich) premiered on CBS-TV on this date



Phil Silvers (Bilko) and Maurice Gosfield (Doberman) did not get along. In real-life, Gosfield was very much the slob that he portrayed as Doberman. He also had constant trouble remembering his lines, which frustrated the cast and crew. Despite this, Gosfield became the most popular cast member, and received more fan mail than Silvers, which Silvers resented.


September 20, 1969 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Injun Trouble, directed by Bob McKimson, was released on this date.



This was the last Warner Brothers theatrical cartoon, as the studio had closed their animation division, ending a run that dated back to 1930.


September 20, 1975 -
David Bowie's Fame single hits #1 for two weeks on this date.



John Lennon helped write this song - he came up with the title and also sang the background "Fame" parts in the high voice. They started working on the song when Bowie invited Lennon to the studio, and Lennon played rhythm guitar on a jam session that resulted in this track. Bowie met Lennon less than a year earlier at a party thrown by Elizabeth Taylor. Lennon was one of Bowie's idols, and they became good friends.


September 20, 1976 -
The Australian band AC/DC released their iconic single Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap on this date.



AC/DC lead guitarist Angus Young got the song title from the 1962 animated cartoon series Beany and Cecil. The show first aired on ABC TV and only ran for one season until the 26 episodes shown were cast as repeats for the next five years until it was recreated in 1968. The specific inspiration for the song name was the cartoon's main villain, Dishonest John, who would carry around a business card that said, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Holidays, Sundays, and Special Rates."


September 20, 1976 -
The short-lived the variety show, The Captain and Tennille Show, starring husband and wife team, Toni Tennille and Daryl Dragon, premiered on ABC-TV, on this date.



Despite decent ratings, it ranked #19 among the network's shows and was canceled by ABC. Other, lower ranking shows on the network were renewed. The cancellation likely was the result of the duo's desire to get out of their contract to focus on their music career.


September 20, 1978 -
The failed Norman Lear sitcom, In The Beginning, starring McLean Stevenson, and Priscilla Lopez premiered on CBS-TV on this date. It was something of a modern-day adaptation of the classic 1944 Bing Crosby film, Going My Way.



While the show's pilot reportedly received praise from a Catholic audience at both Notre Dame and Loyola Universities, others stated that it was so bad, they nearly walked out of the press screenings. Upon its debut, viewers of the show also showed dissent for the series, as they saw it as offensive to their religious beliefs


September 20, 1979 -
The Sci Fi adventure series, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, starring Gil Gerard, and Erin Gray first aired on NBC TV on this date.



Gil Gerard's waistline flexed weekly, and even daily. Gerard was warned by producer Bruce Lansbury about feasting on the company's "open all day" craft service buffet. Buck's white skintight jumpsuit plagued Al Lehman (costumer) when Lansbury asked if wardrobe could make Gerard "slimmer". Lehman gave Gerard the nickname "the white polish sausage".


September 20, 1984 -
Tony Micelli first started taking care of Angela Bower's household when Who's the Boss premiered on ABC-TV on this date.



This was Judith Light's only foray into comedy; every other project has been a drama. She has said in interviews that while she tutored Tony Danza in dramatic acting he helping get her comedy chops up to speed.


September 20, 2005 -
The TV comedy series, created by Greg Garcia, My Name is Earl, starring Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez, and Eddie Steeples, premiered on NBC-TV, on this date.



The items in Earl's list shown during the opening sequence read as follows:

56: Stole liquor from liquor store.
57: Told Joy Dan Dodd messed himself on the (rest cut out of frame).
58: Fixed a high school football game.
59: Everything I did to Dad.
60: Pulled fire alarm
61: Stole Mom's car (but I gave it back).
62: Faked death to break up with a girl.
63: Wasted electricity.
64: Spray-painted the bridge.
65: Cost Dad the election.
66: Let mice out at school play.
67: Stole beer from a golfer.
68: Blew up mailboxes.
69: Cheated on school tests a lot.


September 20, 2011 -
The comedy series, New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Damon Wayans Jr., and Megan Fox debuted on Fox TV on this date.



Damon Wayans Jr. was originally a cast member playing the character of Coach. Wayans was expecting his series, Happy Endings, to be canceled. But when that series was renewed, Wayans was unable to continue with this series after the pilot. He was replaced with Lamorne Morris as Winston. After Happy Endings was canceled, Wayans was able to return to this series in the third season.


Another album from the discount bin at The ACME Record Shoppe


Today in History :
September 20, 1881 -
Chester Alan Arthur was sworn in as the 21st President of the United States following the death of James Garfield the previous day.



This is the first time the oath of office has been taken in the Vice President's Room of the Capitol. Two ex-presidents (Grant and Hayes) are present at the ceremony. (Also a great bar bet winner - it's the second time there were three Presidents within the same year; Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield then Chester A. Arthur. And even more amazing bar bet winner - Robert Todd Lincoln was at the bedside of three assassinated American Presidents; his father, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley.)


September 20, 1958 -
Rev. Martin Luther King was stabbed by Izola Curry, a deranged woman, during a book signing on 125th St. in Harlem on this date.



Dr. Aubre De Lambert Maynard successfully performed surgery on King who had a knife embedded in his sternum. Ms. Curry was found mentally incompetent to stand trial; ultimately, she was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic.


September 20, 1970 -
The unmanned Russian space probe Luna 16 landed on the Moon on to collect samples from its surface on this date.



It was the first unmanned probe to bring objects back from space, returning home with 100g of soil and rock.


September 20, 1970 -
A jury in Miami, Florida found vocalist Jim Morrison guilty of profanity and indecent exposure for whipping out his mojo at a Doors concert in Coconut Grove the previous year.



Oh you naughty Mr. Mojo Rising ...


September 20, 1973 -
A Beechcraft D-18 charter plane crashes into a tree near Natchitoches, Louisiana, killing singer/songwriter Jim Croce, his lead guitarist, and the entire flight crew.



I guess if he could have put time in a bottle, the first real thing he would have done would be chartering a different plane.


September 20, 1973 -
On the same day, in their so-called 'Battle of the Sexes,' tennis star Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome.



In recent years, a persistent urban legend has arisen (again,) that Bobby Riggs had thrown the tennis match against Billie Jean King, to pay off a purported $100,000 gambling debt he owed to the Mafia.

This is false: this scurrilous rumor should have been put to bed a number of times, not the least of which, when Mr Riggs passed a lie detector test denying that he threw the Battle of the Sexes.


September 20, 1988 -
Greg Louganis won the gold medal in springboard diving at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, one day after he struck and injured his head on the board in the preliminary round.



His comeback earned him the title of ABC's Wide World of Sports "Athlete of the Year" for 1988.


And on a personal note:

Happy Birthday Angela


One more thing - Gmar chatima tova

Yom Kippur starts this evening. If you're celebrating (strange choice of words,) you better hurry up and finish reading this before sundown. May your fast pass easily - Don't hesitate to contact me if you can't remember the things you should be atoning for by now.



May your fast pass easily. Hopefully your sins are not so numerous that you need to bring several loaves of bread to your local body of water.




And so it goes