Episodes

  • "THATS'S BULLSHIT" with Rico & Stretch

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    THAT'S BULLSHIT!!!Ricky "RICO" Style and Joe "Stretch"Kwiatkowski, are 2 veteran musicians and entertainers whose collective careers span almost 70 years. This unique combination of world travelers and wearysome citizens has spawned the essential talk show, "THATS BULLSHIT" with Ricky & Stretch. Join them each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. as they unload on their favorite targets of vents and rants. AND DON'T GET IN THEIR WAY.

  • THE REAL JERRY LEWIS STORY

    THE REAL JERRY LEWIS STORY" with Author Rick Saphire & TV Film Actor Eddie Deezen) PART TWO

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    THE REAL JERRY LEWIS STORY with Author Rick Saphire & Guest Co-Host TV & Film Actor Eddie Deezen(Grease, Polar Express, 1941, Midnight Madness)Book Excerpt

    BOMBSHELL: Jerry Lewis’ second daughter, born March 23, 1992, was a blessing that brought much joy to Jerry and his wife, and rightly so. Finally, having a daughter he could love and publically call his own was very important to the man who had been previously denied that privilege. Sadly, a legal question arose during the planning stages of the adoption, causing dissension which resulted in a bitter breakup between the comedian and a close lifelong friend, one who had been instrumental in Jerry Lewis’ entrance into show business and his rise to fame. Author Rick Saphire was well acquainted with both parties in this matter and was unwittingly thrust into the middle of the firestorm. The author will discuss his personal observations in the book.

    The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is not a biography of the famous American comedian but serves as an addendum to all that has been written about entertainer Jerry Lewis in the past. It offers corrections to the myriad of misinformation in past publications, media reports, and legal documents dating back to the day Jerry Lewis was born. The book exposes never-before-revealed details about Jerry Lewis' family, career, and life.

    For clarity, Jerry Lewis is the alias, stage name, professional name, and theatrical name of entertainer Jerome Levitch. This book will explain, with the aid of court documentation, that Jerome Levitch’s name was never legally changed to Jerry Lewis, despite the fact that he signed that name on legal documents, including his draft card and his final will.

    The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is scheduled to be officially announced on March 16, 2024, with a release date shortly thereafter. the author is entertainer and celebrity representative Rick Saphire, who first met Lewis in 1953. As a young performer, Rick Saphire was often referred to in the media as "Jerry Lewis’ protĂ©gĂ©." Saphire appeared on network TV with Jerry Lewis in the 1960s and was his theatrical representative in the 2000s. The author also had the unique advantage of being close to Jerry Lewis' family, friends, and business acquaintances. Rick Saphire’s uncle and mentor, Ernest D. Glucksman, was the executive TV producer and director for Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis during their peak period in movies, and on television. when Jerry Lewis went solo, Glucksman remained Lewis’ executive producer while serving as the star’s personal manager.

    As a child, Rick Saphire was the proverbial “fly on the wall,” witnessing much of the private interactions behind the scenes between Martin & Lewis and with Jerry Lewis himself. Saphire has also represented Jerry and Patti Lewis’ oldest son, the rock ’n’ roll legend Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys. He has shared his insights with Rick Saphire in preparation for this book.

    BREAKING NEWS: The Forward for The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is written by Gary Lewis, who, for the first time, has authorized a frank discussion of family matters, some of which are pretty revealing and surprising.

    NOTICE: A special chapter in The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is dedicated to Rick Saphire’s attempts to reunite Suzan Minoret with her biological father, Jerry Lewis. Minoret, who called herself Suzan Lewis, contacted the author by phone while she was homeless and living in her car in the State of Florida. She described herself as disabled and desperate to be acknowledged by the man she knew as her birth father. The author’s disturbing story of Suzan “Lewis” Minoret is told in-depth for the first time in chilling detail. It is a book within a book with exclusive photographs.

    From beginning to end, the story of Jerome Levitch is that of a lonely child from Newark, New Jersey, who spent much of his youth hiding from himself. It’s the sad account of a man who portrayed some of the most beloved screen characters of all time, yet he spent much of his life trying to convince his fans that he was much more intelligent and far more sophisticated than the clown they loved. Although temporarily satisfying, Jerry Lewis knew that laughter and applause were no substitute for the safe, warm, and loving childhood Jerome Levitch craved but never knew.

    The REAL Jerry Lewis Story

    eBOOK LAUNCH IS JULY 4, 2024 ON AMAZON

    Pre-Order eBook Now. CLICK HERE

    THE PHYSICAL BOOK DEBUTS LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2024

    York Publications: Phone/Text: 856-424-1064

    Email: [email protected]

    Mail: Post Office Box 2903, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

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  • "THE REAL JERRY LEWIS STORY" with Author Rick Saphire & TV Film Actor Eddie Deezen) PART ONE

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    THE REAL JERRY LEWIS STORY with Author Rick Saphire & Guest Co-Host TV & Film Actor Eddie Deezen (Grease, Polar Express, 1941, Midnight Madness)Book Excerpt

    BOMBSHELL: Jerry Lewis’ second daughter, born March 23, 1992, was a blessing that brought much joy to Jerry and his wife, and rightly so. Finally, having a daughter he could love and publically call his own was very important to the man who had been previously denied that privilege. Sadly, a legal question arose during the planning stages of the adoption, causing dissension which resulted in a bitter breakup between the comedian and a close lifelong friend, one who had been instrumental in Jerry Lewis’ entrance into show business and his rise to fame. Author Rick Saphire was well acquainted with both parties in this matter and was unwittingly thrust into the middle of the firestorm. The author will discuss his personal observations in the book.

    The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is not a biography of the famous American comedian but serves as an addendum to all that has been written about entertainer Jerry Lewis in the past. It offers corrections to the myriad of misinformation in past publications, media reports, and legal documents dating back to the day Jerry Lewis was born. The book exposes never-before-revealed details about Jerry Lewis' family, career, and life.

    For clarity, Jerry Lewis is the alias, stage name, professional name, and theatrical name of entertainer Jerome Levitch. This book will explain, with the aid of court documentation, that Jerome Levitch’s name was never legally changed to Jerry Lewis, despite the fact that he signed that name on legal documents, including his draft card and his final will.

    The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is scheduled to be officially announced on March 16, 2024, with a release date shortly thereafter. the author is entertainer and celebrity representative Rick Saphire, who first met Lewis in 1953. As a young performer, Rick Saphire was often referred to in the media as "Jerry Lewis’ protĂ©gĂ©." Saphire appeared on network TV with Jerry Lewis in the 1960s and was his theatrical representative in the 2000s. The author also had the unique advantage of being close to Jerry Lewis' family, friends, and business acquaintances. Rick Saphire’s uncle and mentor, Ernest D. Glucksman, was the executive TV producer and director for Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis during their peak period in movies, and on television. when Jerry Lewis went solo, Glucksman remained Lewis’ executive producer while serving as the star’s personal manager.

    As a child, Rick Saphire was the proverbial “fly on the wall,” witnessing much of the private interactions behind the scenes between Martin & Lewis and with Jerry Lewis himself. Saphire has also represented Jerry and Patti Lewis’ oldest son, the rock ’n’ roll legend Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys. He has shared his insights with Rick Saphire in preparation for this book.

    BREAKING NEWS: The Forward for The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is written by Gary Lewis, who, for the first time, has authorized a frank discussion of family matters, some of which are pretty revealing and surprising.

    NOTICE: A special chapter in The REAL Jerry Lewis Story is dedicated to Rick Saphire’s attempts to reunite Suzan Minoret with her biological father, Jerry Lewis. Minoret, who called herself Suzan Lewis, contacted the author by phone while she was homeless and living in her car in the State of Florida. She described herself as disabled and desperate to be acknowledged by the man she knew as her birth father. The author’s disturbing story of Suzan “Lewis” Minoret is told in-depth for the first time in chilling detail. It is a book within a book with exclusive photographs.

    From beginning to end, the story of Jerome Levitch is that of a lonely child from Newark, New Jersey, who spent much of his youth hiding from himself. It’s the sad account of a man who portrayed some of the most beloved screen characters of all time, yet he spent much of his life trying to convince his fans that he was much more intelligent and far more sophisticated than the clown they loved. Although temporarily satisfying, Jerry Lewis knew that laughter and applause were no substitute for the safe, warm, and loving childhood Jerome Levitch craved but never knew.

    The REAL Jerry Lewis Story

    eBOOK LAUNCH IS JULY 4, 2024 ON AMAZON

    Pre-Order eBook Now. CLICK HERE

    THE PHYSICAL BOOK DEBUTS LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2024

    York Publications: Phone/Text: 856-424-1064

    Email: [email protected]

    Mail: Post Office Box 2903, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

  • Thats Bullshit!!! with Ricky & Stretch

    Thats Bullshit!!! with Ricky & Stretch

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    THAT'S BULLSHIT!!!Ricky "RICO" Style and "Stretch" (Joe Kwiatkowski, are 2 veteran musicians and entertainers whose collective careers span almost 70 years. This unique combination of worls traveler and wearysome citizen has spawned the essential talk show, "THATS BULLSHIT" with Ricky & Stretch. Join them each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. as the unload on their favorite targets of vent and rant. AND DON'T GET IN THEIR WAY.

  • IS TIME TRAVEL POSSIBLE?

    IS TIME TRAVEL POSSIBLE?

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    THE INEXPLICABLE TRUTHS OF TIME TRAVEL

    In the movies, time travelers typically step inside a machine and—poof—disappear. They then reappear instantaneously among cowboys, knights or dinosaurs. What these films show is basically time teleportation.

    Scientists don’t think this conception is likely in the real world, but they also don’t relegate time travel to the crackpot realm. In fact, the laws of physics might allow chronological hopping, but the devil is in the details.

    Time traveling to the near future is easy: you’re doing it right now at a rate of one second per second, and physicists say that rate can change. According to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, time’s flow depends on how fast you’re moving. The quicker you travel, the slower seconds pass. And according to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, gravity also affects clocks: the more forceful the gravity nearby, the slower time goes.

    “Near massive bodies—near the surface of neutron stars or even at the surface of the Earth, although it’s a tiny effect—time runs slower than it does far away,” says Dave Goldberg, a cosmologist at Drexel University.

    If a person were to hang out near the edge of a black hole, where gravity is prodigious, Goldberg says, only a few hours might pass for them while 1,000 years went by for someone on Earth. If the person who was near the black hole returned to this planet, they would have effectively traveled to the future. “That is a real effect,” he says. “That is completely uncontroversial.”

    Going backward in time gets thorny, though (thornier than getting ripped to shreds inside a black hole). Scientists have come up with a few ways it might be possible, and they have been aware of time travel paradoxes in general relativity for decades. Fabio Costa, a physicist at the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics, notes that an early solution with time travel began with a scenario written in the 1920s. That idea involved massive long cylinder that spun fast in the manner of straw rolled between your palms and that twisted spacetime along with it. The understanding that this object could act as a time machine allowing one to travel to the past only happened in the 1970s, a few decades after scientists had discovered a phenomenon called “closed timelike curves.”

    “A closed timelike curve describes the trajectory of a hypothetical observer that, while always traveling forward in time from their own perspective, at some point finds themselves at the same place and time where they started, creating a loop,” Costa says. “This is possible in a region of spacetime that, warped by gravity, loops into itself.”

    “Einstein read [about closed timelike curves] and was very disturbed by this idea,” he adds. The phenomenon nevertheless spurred later research.

    Science began to take time travel seriously in the 1980s. In 1990, for instance, Russian physicist Igor Novikov and American physicist Kip Thorne collaborated on a research paper about closed time-like curves. “They started to study not only how one could try to build a time machine but also how it would work,” Costa says.

    Just as importantly, though, they investigated the problems with time travel. What if, for instance, you tossed a billiard ball into a time machine, and it traveled to the past and then collided with its past self in a way that meant its present self could never enter the time machine? “That looks like a paradox,” Costa says.

    Since the 1990s, he says, there’s been on-and-off interest in the topic yet no big breakthrough. The field isn’t very active today, in part because every proposed model of a time machine has problems. “It has some attractive features, possibly some potential, but then when one starts to sort of unravel the details, there ends up being some kind of a roadblock,” says Gaurav Khanna of the University of Rhode Island.

    For instance, most time travel models require negative mass—and hence negative energy because, as Albert Einstein revealed when he discovered E = mc2, mass and energy are one and the same. In theory, at least, just as an electric charge can be positive or negative, so can mass—though no one’s ever found an example of negative mass. Why does time travel depend on such exotic matter? In many cases, it is needed to hold open a wormhole—a tunnel in spacetime predicted by general relativity that connects one point in the cosmos to another.

  • Social Media: Vessels of Misinformation

    Social Media: Vessels of Misinformation

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    Disinformation Specialists at Their Very Best

    Social Media: Vessels of MisinformationSocial Media — A Vessel of Untruths

    The entire globe is facing information wars of an unprecedented nature. Social media is the transporter of misinformation and disinformation. Big Tech has been under fire for not implementing enough measures to uphold the democratic process and increase transparency. These platforms are the primary sources of (fake)news across the globe, and even with efficient fact-checkers, they cannot filter out the untruths, which travel further and faster than facts.

    Summary of PerilsHuman beings are inherently complacent and callous about affairs that do not personally disrupt their lives. With over 2.77 million users, social media is one such universal disrupter. Digital platforms are the most convenient mode of communication to keep in touch with loved ones, entertainment news, and engaging with like-minded people and brands. However, with the advent of social media, society has been introduced to numerous afflictions like cyberbullying, teen depression, hate speech, false information surrounding democratic processes, the coordination of terrorist groups, and many more. There have been documented lynchings and deaths in many parts of India due to false news spread via social media. These attacks have been aimed at religious minorities in an effort to establish an authoritarian Hindu Nationalist government in India. In a more recent news discovery, these same Hindu Nationalists have been found to be spreading their right-wing agenda through the Indian American diaspora to influence the 2020 US Presidential election. The 2016 US Presidential election has already been tainted due to propaganda spread by external parties on social media. Our sovereignty seems to have been compromised and the 2020 US Presidential election has been described as a billion-dollar disinformation war.

    The Coronavirus pandemic suffered at the hand of misinformation spread via social media as well. Our leaders failed us, media outlets failed us, and misinformation on social media platforms became the nail in the coffin. Some examples of misinformation were bogus treatments and cures, conspiracy theories about the origins of the virus, and inaccurate information on testing facilities.

    What Next?Sinan Aral, author of “The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health — and How We Must Adapt.” aptly draws attention to move past the discussion of whether “Social Media is Good or Bad”. He encourages us to deliberate over how we must adapt and consciously nudge ourselves to be more reflective, leading with values that make us a flourishing society. The ad-based revenue model to capture audience attention, which is a precursor to persuasion, must be re-engineered. It is the 21st century and social media platforms are still allowing heinous and vile content to be published under the garb of “freedom of speech”. The people must take action and ensure these gigantic corporations running information across platforms are regulated and that they align themselves with principles and ethics that hold people accountable for malicious and irresponsible acts. Corporate corruption must cease to exist in the government. Integrity is an unknown characteristic in many global leaders today, who are willing to lie, cheat, and deceive to benefit their agenda and themselves. Therefore, people must gain awareness, protect themselves and their loved ones from these vicious establishments.

    Preserve our EmpathyThe air of racial tension around the world is burdensome. Empathy heals divides. Empathy’s most avid promoters have strongly felt its absence. The current global climate rewards the pursuit of self-serving goals. That is exactly what the big technology companies, pharmaceuticals, and corporations are doing. The world needs more than just lip-service from these organizations. I urge all of us to be more cognizant of the struggles of people different from us and hold institutions accountable for unjust activities. Parents, educators, teachers must instill future generations with a strong sense of empathy. With the current trend, we are not far from a catastrophic crisis that transcends borders and races. Digital applications do make our life more colorful, but we must be very cautious about the hype surrounding social media platforms.

  • Vicious Vents & Bullshit Meeting

    Vicious Vents & Bullshit Meeting

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    THE ANATOMY OF A BULLSHIT MEETINGThere are good meetings, there are bad meetings and then there are bullshit meetings.

    Good meetings tend to happen when the person who organizes the meeting has a specific request with a specific deadline. Someone is asking for help.

    Telling traits of a good meeting is clear objectives, open lines of question, honest debate about underlying assumptions, opposing (and evidenced) points of view, moments of (thinking) silence, collectively-made decisions ending with the exacting delegation of concrete tasks. Including the possibility of a collective decision to abandon the work with no further tasks. Good meetings are invaluable.

    Bad meetings actually have many of the same traits as good meetings, but lack the clear decisions and follow-up tasks. Someone is still asking for help. Honest debate happens but do not progress the work very far. Smart things are said but without committed next steps. Bad meetings are frustrating, but often still have value because they stem from good faith effort.

    Bullshit meetings are when everyone shows up already confused.

    They show up for the sake of showing up.

    Someone isn't asking for help.

  • The Immanent Dangers of Hyper-Realistic Face Masks

    The Immanent Dangers of Hyper-Realistic Face Masks

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    Unmasking of America

    6/1/2024

    Some hyper-realistic face masks are more believable than human faces. Some silicone masks are now so realistic that they can easily be mistaken for real faces. Hyper-realistic masks may allow the key characteristics of a persons’ appearance to be incorrectly identified according to Dr Jet G. Sanders.

    In this study, led by Jet G. Sanders while at University of York and published in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, one-in-five people incorrectly guessed which was a real face and which was a hyper-realistic face mask when asked to compare two photographs side-by-side.

    Being able to do so makes police investigations and identifications much harder. According to Dr Sanders: “Failure to detect synthetic faces may have important implications for security and crime prevention as hyper-realistic masks may allow the key characteristics of a persons' appearance to be incorrectly identified. The study

    Hyper-realistic face masks are made from a flexible silicone material and are designed to imitate real human features all the way down to a tiny freckle and fine wrinkles.

    In this study by the Universities of York and Kyoto, researchers asked participants to look at pairs of photographs; one of a normal face and one of a person wearing a hyper-realistic face mask. Participants were asked to indicate which of the two they thought to be the mask, with easily-detectable low-realism masks used as controls.

    Surprisingly, participants got it wrong in one in five cases.

    In studies such as these, limiting viewing duration is standard practice when a task may otherwise be too simple. To assess whether this may have been a limiting factor, the authors repeated the experiment with a new cohort and no time limit. For high-realism masks, responses were slower and one in five participants incorrectly judged the real face to be the mask.

    Data were collected from participants from both the UK and Japan to establish any differences according to race. When asked to choose between photographs depicting faces of a different race to the trial participant, response times were approximately 400 times slower and selections were 5% less accurate.

    According to the researchers, this error rate likely underestimates the extent to which people may struggle to discern the difference when tested outside a lab setting, in everyday situations.

    Author Dr Rob Jenkins said:

    "We made it clear to viewers that their task was to identify the mask in each pair of images. Example masks were shown before the test began. In a real-life situation, the error rate would likely be much higher than in our study as hyper-realistic masks are extremely rare and many people may not know they exist." Use in criminal cases

    Hyper-realistic face masks have most notably been used in criminal cases, with some criminals able to pass as a different age, gender or race. Being able to do so makes police invesitgations and identifications much harder.

    According to Dr Sanders:

    “Failure to detect synthetic faces may have important implications for security and crime prevention as hyper-realistic masks may allow the key characteristics of a persons’ appearance to be incorrectly identified.

    “These masks currently cost around $100 to $500 each and we expect them to become more widely used as advances in manufacturing make them more affordable.”

    The authors suggest that further research should assess difficulties in identification between real faces and partial masks used to distort particular features and whether this may also be influenced by race.

    The research is published in the open access journal Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications.

  • THE DEEPFAKE DILEMMA: THE IMMINENT DANGERS OF A.I.

    THE DEEPFAKE DILEMMA: THE IMMINENT DANGERS OF A.I.

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    Deep Fake Meaning

    deep·​fake ˈdēp-ˌfāk. plural deepfakes. : an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said.------------------------------------------------------------

    Deepfakes were originally defined as synthetic media that have been digitally manipulated to replace one person's likeness convincingly with that of another. The term was coined in 2017 by a Reddit user, and has later been expanded to cover any videos, pictures, or audio made with artificial intelligence to appear real, for example realistic-looking images of people who do not exist.

    While the act of creating fake content is not new, deepfakes leverage tools and techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence, including facial recognition algorithms and artificial neural networks such as variational autoencoders (VAEs) and generative adversarial networks (GANs). In turn the field of image forensics develops techniques to detect manipulated images. Deepfakes have garnered widespread attention for their potential use in creating child sexual abuse material, celebrity pornographic videos, revenge porn, fake news, hoaxes, bullying, and financial fraud.

    The spreading of disinformation and hate speech through deepfakes has the potential to undermine the key core functions and norms of democratic systems by interfering with people's ability to participate in decisions that affect them, determine collective agendas and express political will through informed decision-making. Both the information technology industry and government have responded with recommendations to detect and limit their use

    From traditional entertainment to gaming, deepfake technology has evolved to be increasingly convincing and available to the public, allowing the disruption of the entertainment and media industries

    Doppelganger Meaning

    Someone who looks eerily like you, but isn't a twin, is a doppelganger. Originally, this was a type of ghost. The word doppelganger is German and literally means double walker — as in a ghost or shadow of yourself.

  • WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO GEORGE REEVES?

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO GEORGE REEVES?

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    WHO REALLY KILLED SUPERMANTHE STRANGE SAGA AND MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ACTOR GEORGE REEVES

    When famous celebrities die suddenly, it is natural for human curiosity to wonder what truly happened. In 1959, George Reeves, who became a star as the original Clark Kent/Superman on television, passed away. It was said that he died by suicide but many people still believe that he was murdered. Although the entire story remains a mystery, let’s go over the facts that we do know about his strange death.

    Just a year after the television series Adventures of Superman ended, Phyllis Coates (who played Lois Lane in the series) received a very strange call. It was from a woman named Toni Mannix (whom Reeves had been having an affair with as she was the wife of MGM general manager Eddie Mannix) and she said, “The boy is dead. He’s been murdered.” Turns out, she was referring to Reeves, who had been found dead in his bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head. There was a party going on at the time, and some say that he committed suicide because of depression and his inability to find another gig after playing Superman.

    After his death was ruled a suicide, his mother could not accept it and asked for the case to be reinvestigated as a homicide. They found no additional evidence that would support his death being a murder and she withdrew her request. Even so, some still believe that he was murdered.

    Some people believe that it could have been Eddie Mannix who had him killed as he was rumored to have connections with the Mob. However, he was also having affairs and by the time Reeves died, he had been dating another woman named Leonore Lemmon, who was there that night. She reportedly began telling party guests that her lover was going to shoot himself and when they heard a gunshot, she said, “I told you, he’s shot himself.” She later said she was “only kidding.”

    Film Career

    Reeves's film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton (incorrectly listed in the film's credits as Brent Tarleton), one of Scarlett O'Hara's suitors in Gone with the Wind.

    It was a minor role, but he and Fred Crane were in the film's opening scene. (Reeves and Crane both dyed their hair red to portray the Tarleton twins.) After Gone with the Wind was filmed, Reeves returned to the Pasadena Playhouse and was given the lead role in the play Pancho.

    This part directly led to his being contracted to Warner Brothers. Warner had him change his professional name to George Reeves. His Gone with the Wind screen credit reflects the change.

    Between the start of production on Gone With the Wind and its release 12 months later, several films on his Warner contract were made and released, making Gone With the Wind his first film role, but his fifth film release.

  • JUNIORS FARM 50 YEARS LATER WITH DAN EALEY

    JUNIORS FARM 50 YEARS LATER WITH DAN EALEY

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In 1974, a bold Beatles fan talked his way into meeting Paul McCartney on a Tennessee farm. He ended up spending several weeks hanging out with the former Beatle's band and occasionally meeting McCartney as they rehearsed new music.

    Tonight, Dan Ealey will get to see McCartney once again, this time as a guest of the band when the former Beatle plays Thompson-Boling Arena.

    To Ealey, McCartney is like Beethoven. In music, both have the same stature, he said.

    "When I met Paul (in 1974) I said to my friends, Who can you meet in your life that will be remembered a thousand years from now?" Ealey told WBIR on Tuesday.

    "I'm certain that Paul will be one of them."

    Credit: Dan EaleyDan Ealey will be holding this poster tonight when he sees Paul McCartney play at Thompson-Boling Arena. That's a photo of him with Paul at the farm in 1974.

    Ealey, 67, a musician and private detective in Cookeville, is a music super-fan, especially when it comes to McCartney and the Beatles.

    He's collected thousands of albums and singles; he's got a couple of Hofner basses signed by McCartney, and he has gathered other noteworthy items including a tea set once owned by Brian Epstein, the late Beatles manager.

    Related ArticlesTicket to Ride: Fresh batch of tickets made available for Paul McCartney concert in KnoxvillePaul McCartney plays in Knoxville, dazzling audiencesBaby, you can drive my car: UTPD advises fans to get to TBA early for Tuesday McCartney concert

    He also has a story that few others can tell -- about going to the Wilson County, Tenn., farm of songwriter Curly Putman in June 1974, spending days hanging out with Wings musicians Denny Laine and Geoff Britton and actually giving McCartney a bass as a spur-of-the-moment gift.

    Ealey was 19 in June 1974. He'd fallen in love with the Beatles 10 years before as a result of their historic TV appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

    Credit: Dan EaleyDan Ealey is looking forward to seeing Paul McCartney on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

    He'd spotted an item in The Tennessean newspaper reporting that McCartney might be coming to the state in '74. The Liverpool native and the Beatles had split four years before. He was enjoying worldwide success with his recent album, "Band on the Run". Many more hits were to come.

    Ealey heard McCartney and his wife, Linda, might have taken up residence at a secluded home in Wilson County west of Nashville. He had a few clues as to where the musician might be, so he set out in his Ford Torino station wagon on the hunt.

    He spotted a man in overalls along a rural roadside near Lebanon, Tenn. Ealey thought the man likely wouldn't have a clue, but it was at least worth asking him.

    Did the man know anything about a former Beatle being in the area? Ealey inquired.

    You mean those guys from England? the man replied.

    Credit: Dan EaleyMcCartney on Junior's Farm in 1974.

    And just like that, Ealey's adventure began. The young man found the place, which turned out to be Putman's gated spread of about 133 acres, including a main house, guest house and pond. Putman would later recall that he and his family ended up taking a trip to Hawaii, thanks to his famous guests.

    McCartney ended up memorializing the farm in his single that year called "Junior's Farm". He's expected to perform the song tonight with his band as part of his Knoxville set.

    While at the farm that June, Ealey met and befriended Laine, a guitarist and veteran of the Moody Blues, and Britton, the drummer. He got to see McCartney. He was suddenly in the middle of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

    Ealey made a point from then on of going out to the Putman farm every day. Sometimes he manned the gate; sometimes he just hung out, chatting and socializing with McCartney's team.

    Credit: Dan EaleyEaley's personalized license plate.

    He still has about two hours of recordings he made while the band rehearsed Wings numbers. That happened because he decided to take his tape recorder out one day to the farm.

    He often brought gifts, like the time he presented McCartney with an embroidered shirt he found in Cookeville and the time he abruptly turned over his Rickenbacker bass as a present for McCartney.

    Ealey said one day he brought the new bass over to the farm to show it off. Laine saw it, played it and declared McCartney would likely love it.

    "Well, then, give it to him!" Ealey blurted.

    McCartney kept it a couple of weeks but ultimately returned it, gratified but telling the young man he really should have it for himself.

    Credit: Live NationThe advertisement for McCartney's show May 31 in Knoxville.

    "You know, it would be silly for me to keep this bass," he recalled McCartney telling him.

    McCartney did, however, keep and wear the colorful, embroidered shirt. A thrilled Ealey spotted him wearing it one day while using binoculars on the property.

    Ealey said McCartney also made a point of making him feel welcome. While celebrating his 32nd birthday on the farm -- June 18, 1974 -- McCartney introduced Ealey to music legend Roy Orbison, who'd been invited to the party.

    Another time, Ealey brought his friend Billy Dyer to the farm on the off chance they might get to see McCartney. Sure enough, the musician drove up and when he spotted Ealey, he remarked, "How ya' doing, Dan?

    An astonished Dyer whispered to Ealey, "Paul McCartney knows your name!"

    Credit: WBIREaley shows off his Rickenbacker bass.

    After about six weeks at the farm, it was time for McCartney and the band to move on. They had music to record and plans to make.

    He'd never dream of doing it today, but back in the 1970s Ealey decided to sell that Rickenbacker bass -- just because. When you're 19 you don't always think of life from a long-term perspective.

    Of course, he soon regretted what he'd done. It took him years before he finally was able to get the bass back. He keeps it safe at home now -- one of his great treasures.

    After McCartney announced this winter plans to play Knoxville, the Cookeville man hoped he could get McCartney to sign the old bass for him.

    Credit: Dan EaleyDan Ealey and Denny Laine in 1974 on the farm.

    That doesn't appear likely to happen now, but through connections he's made to people close to McCartney, he is getting two tickets to see McCartney at Thompson-Boling Arena.

    He and Dyer plan to be there, hopefully, close enough that McCartney will spot them from the stage. Ealey has seen McCartney in concert before, but Tuesday night will be special.

    He thinks he is the first person to hear the early version of Wings play live in America -- because of their rehearsals all those years ago down on Junior's Farm. He still counts himself as friends with Laine and Britton, trading occasional communications with them.

    What if he could speak to McCartney today?

    "People ask me, Do you think Paul still remembers you? Many people say I'm sure he still does because I was there all the time.

    "You know, I gave him the bass, I gave him the shirt. I would just want to know how much he remembers about me being at the farm, if he remembers introducing me to Roy Orbison."

    Maybe, just maybe, he'll get to have that conversation someday.

  • Celebrity Influencers

    Celebrity Influencers

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    In marketing, celebrity endorsement is a very common phenomenon in the twenty-first century. Knoll and Matthes concluded that almost celebrities have appeared in every fifth advertisement. A study suggested that agencies have spent 10% of advertisement costs on promoting endorsements. In contrast, few multinational organizations have spent more than 25% of their promotion on endorsers. A celebrity is a personality who gains public appreciation and recognition from the name of the organization, whom they are endorsing for the purpose of promotion.

    Celebrities enjoy fame and popularity, influencing the endorsed brand’s image. The celebrity portrays a clear image of an organization to consumers. Brand marketing by a celebrity or a famous personality develops attractive appeal, gains more attention, and high recall. Companies use celebrities to create a distinguished position in the market and to build a positive brand image, which shapes a positive consumer attitude and a unique brand personality/organization. Marketing managers and advertisers use endorsement strategies such as celebrity endorsement for their organizations because they understand that consumer attitude toward a celebrity also transfers to the organization. Therefore, marketers and advertisers hire an appropriate celebrity because the endorsement by consumers’ accepted celebrity enhances consumers’ positive attitude. Another study also concluded that the positive association of celebrity-brand partnership and brand evaluation played a role in designing advocacy and engagement.

    NEW TERM: Influencer Marketing

  • DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS: INSIDE THE FOOD INDUSTRY

    DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS: INSIDE THE FOOD INDUSTRY

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    DISHIN THE DIRT ON THE FOOD INDUSTRY

    Dirty Secrets of The Food Processing Industry

    Source: www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods...

    ADD TO MY ARTICLES

    We have always processed our food; this is an activity that is uniquely human. We chop, soak, cook and ferment our food - as well as grind and dry - these are all types of processing.Traditional processing has two functions: to make food more digestible and to preserve it for use during times when food isn’t readily available. Nutritious, long-lasing processed foods including pemmican, hard sausage and old-fashioned meat puddings and haggis, as well as grain products, dairy products, pickles—everything from wine and spirits to lacto-fermented condiments. Farmers and artisans—bread makers, cheese makers, distillers, millers and so forth—processed the raw ingredients into delicious foods that retained their nutritional content over many months or even years, and kept the profits on the farm and in the farming communities where they belonged.Unfortunately, in modern times, we have substituted local artisanal processing with factory and industrial processing, which actually diminishes the quality of the food, rather than making it more nutritious and digestible. Industrial processing depends upon sugar, white flour, processed and hydrogenated oils, synthetic food additives and vitamins, heat treatment and the extrusion of grains.

    BREAKFAST CEREALS

    Let’s look at the processing involved in the typical American breakfast of cereal, skim milk and orange juice. Cold breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Grains are mixed with water, processed into a slurry and placed in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a tiny hole at high temperature and pressure, which shapes them into little o’s or flakes or shreds. Individual grains passed through the extruder expand to produce puffed wheat, oats and rice. These products are then subjected to sprays that give a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.In his book Fighting the Food Giants, biochemist Paul Stitt describes the extrusion process, which treats the grains with very high heat and pressure, and notes that the processing destroys much of their nutrients. It denatures the fatty acids; it even destroys the synthetic vitamins that are added at the end of the process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially damaged by the extrusion process.Even boxed cereals sold in health food stores are made using the extrusion process. They are made with the same kind of machines and mostly in the same factories. The only “advances” claimed in the extrusion process are those that will cut cost, regardless of how the process alters the nutrient content of the product.With so many millions of boxes of cereal sold each year, one would expect to see published studies showing the effects of these cereals on animals and humans. But breakfast cereals are a multi-billion dollar industry that has created huge fortunes for a few people. A box of cereal containing a penny's worth of grain sells for four or five dollars in the grocery store--there is probably no other product on earth with such a large profit margin. These profits have paid for lobbying efforts and journal sponsorships that have effectively kept any research about extruded grains out of the scientific literature and convinced government officials that there is no difference between a natural grain of wheat and a grain that has been altered by the extrusion process.

    THE RAT EXPERIMENTS

    Unpublished research indicates that the extrusion process turns the proteins in grains into neurotoxins. Stitt describes an experiment, conducted in 1942 by a cereal company but locked away in the company's file cabinet, in which four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat grains, water and synthetic vitamins and minerals. A second group received puffed wheat (an extruded cereal), water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given water and white sugar. A fourth set was given nothing but water and synthetic nutrients. The rats that received the whole wheat lived over a year on this diet. The rats that got nothing but water and vitamins lived about two months. The animals on a white sugar and water diet lived about a month. The study showed that the rats given the vitamins, water and all the puffed wheat they wanted died within two weeks—even before the rats that got no food at all. These results suggest that there was something very toxic in the puffed wheat itself! Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the pressure of the puffing process may produce chemical changes that turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance.Another unpublished experiment was carried out in 1960. Researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor were given eighteen laboratory rats. These were divided into three groups: one group received cornflakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the cornflakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats eating the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. The rats receiving the cornflakes and water died before the rats that were eating the box! (The first box rat died the day the last cornflake rat died.) Furthermore, before death, the cornflakes-eating rats developed aberrant behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock. The startling conclusion of this study was that there was more nourishment in the box than in the cornflakes. This experiment was designed as a joke, but the results were far from funny.Most Americans eat boxed cereals today. Because these are fortified with synthetic nutrients, the USDA can claim that they are as healthy as the grains from which they are made. Many of these cereals contain at least 50 percent of calories as sugar. Those sold in health food stores may be made of whole grains and fewer sweeteners. However, these whole grain extruded cereals are probably more dangerous than their refined grain counterparts sold in the supermarkets, because they are higher in protein, and it is the proteins in these cereals that are rendered toxic by this type of processing.

  • More Conspiracies Abound

    More Conspiracies Abound

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    Conspiracies and Cover-Ups at Large

    Many Conspiracy Theories Aren't Just Theories

    You may have noticed that this website consciously avoids using the term "conspiracy theory." We do this not because we don't believe there are major conspiracies happening in the world. The official story of 9/11 is a conspiracy theory in that the government claims 19 hijackers conspired together to hijack four planes and create terror in the world.

    The WantToKnow.info website purposely avoids using words like "conspiracy theory" because many people who are not aware of the many major cover-ups being hidden from the public shut down their rational mind as soon as they hear the word conspiracy.

    The main purpose of the WantToKnow.info website is not to preach to the choir – those who already know about 9/11, mass media, mind control, UFOs, and other conspiracies – but rather to reach those who know little to nothing about all that is being hidden. We have found that the most successful way to reach those who don't know is to present them with reliable, verifiable information that does not overly tax their belief systems.

    Psychologically, most people can't handle too much disturbing information at once. Thus, we initially present only a small chunk of the conspiracy which the uninitiated can digest without being overwhelmed. Yet for those who are ready, we also offer lots more resources to go deeper.

    For those ready to dive into the deepest material from the vast collection of reliable conspiracy information presented here, we invite you to explore the powerful collection of essays available at this link. Though the sources used are not up to our normal high standards, these revealing essays present the big picture of what is happening on planet Earth in a deep, yet inspiring way.

    You can also explore some of the excellent material we've put together on such important topics as remote viewing, HAARP, Nazi secrets, Freemasons, electronic harassment, chemtrails, cults and ritual abuse, ruling bloodlines, and the afterlife. To understand the really big picture, consider exploring a sequence of mind control documents which goes way deep at this link. And for by far the best single source revealing the deepest levels of deception, explore Lifting the Veil.

    We have also compiled a free, powerful online course which connects the dots on the big picture of what's going on in 11 information-packed lessons. This Hidden Knowledge Course not only gives a comprehensive view of all conspiracy theories, it provides ideas on what we can do to turn it all around and make a difference in our world. Even if you are aware of the big picture, you are almost guaranteed both to find some pearls and to find more hope through this mind-expanding course. Then take a look at this link to explore other courses there which combine amazingly inspiring materials with the conspiracy material.

  • Wrestling Promotion Wars (WWE vs WCW) The Monday Night Wars)

    Wrestling Promotion Wars (WWE vs WCW) The Monday Night Wars)

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    PROMOTION WARSThe Monday Night War[1][2][3][4] or the Monday Night Wars, was an era of mainstream televised American professional wrestling, from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001, in which the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF; now WWE) Monday Night Raw (later Raw Is War) and World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) Monday Nitro were broadcast opposite each other in a battle for Nielsen ratings each week. It largely overlapped with the Attitude Era, a period in which the WWF used the term "WWF Attitude" to describe its programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002.

    The rating war was part of a larger overall struggle between the WWF and WCW, originating in personal animosity between respective owners Vince McMahon and Ted Turner. The rivalry steadily escalated throughout the 1990s to include the use of cutthroat tactics and the defections of employees between the two promotions. Throughout the war, the WWF and WCW would both adopt different concepts and narrative techniques. Meanwhile, both companies would establish both formal and informal partnerships with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), with ECW performers either appearing on WWF and WCW shows while still under contract, or outright leaving ECW to work for one of the other two companies.

    While WCW was the dominant promotion for much of the mid-1990s, a variety of factors coalesced to turn the tide in the WWF's favor at the end of the decade, including a radical rebranding of their formerly family-friendly product into highly sexualized and violent shows geared towards older teens and adults. WCW ultimately ran into financial difficulties as a result of the amount of money they had promised wrestlers during a hiring binge in the early and middle part of the decade, which had been aimed at acquiring large portions of the WWF's talent roster. Behind the scenes, executives who had longed to see WCW removed from the Turner organization were eventually able to see it come to fruition after Turner Broadcasting's merger with Time Warner and their merger with America Online (AOL). With Turner no longer in control, corporate executives of the combined AOL Time Warner sold WCW's assets. Despite efforts to salvage the company, it was ultimately sold to McMahon, ending the Monday Night War.

    In retrospect, wrestling commentators have come to see the Monday Night War as a golden age of professional wrestling, along with the 1940s–1950s and 1980s booms, with the competition between the WWF and WCW bringing out their best quality product both in terms of creativity and the performances of their wrestlers.

  • The Mandela Effect & Glitches in the Matrix

    The Mandela Effect & Glitches in the Matrix

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast
    Notable Examples of the Mandela Effect

    The story of Nelson Mandela is not the only example of this type of false group memory. As the concept of the Mandela Effect grew along with Broome's website, other group false memories began to emerge.

    Henry VIII Eating a Turkey Leg Henry VIII, sans turkey leg.

    Wikimedia Commons

    People had a memory that the above portrait of Henry VIII featured him eating or holding a turkey leg, though no such painting has ever existed. There have, however, been similar cartoons created. This may be related to the common knowledge of Henry VIII as a large man.

    Luke, I Am Your Father

    If you saw Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back, you probably remember Darth Vader uttering the famous line, "Luke, I am your father" in the pivotal scene near the end of the film.

    You might be surprised to learn, then, that the line was actually, "No, I am your father." Most people have memories of the line being the former rather than the latter, and it is commonly quoted incorrectly.

    Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

    If you watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, you probably remember the line, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" As you can see from the above subtitled screenshot, the line actually began with the phrase "Magic mirror on the wall" instead. It probably doesn't help matters that Julia Roberts and Lily Collins starred in a 2012 live-action film based on Snow White called "Mirror Mirror"!

    Oscar Meyer or Oscar Mayer?

    There is some controversy over the spelling of the famous brand of hot dogs, Oscar Mayer weiners. Some people claim to remember the brand being spelled "Meyer" instead of "Mayer," which is the correct spelling.

    To be fair, the brand pronunciation is a closer match for the "Meyer" spelling, while "Mayer" is often pronounced differently, as in the musician John Mayer's name.

    Location of New Zealand

    Google Maps

    Where is New Zealand in relation to Australia? If you look at a map, you will see that it is southeast of the country. However, there is a community of people who claim to remember New Zealand being northeast instead of southeast.

    Berenstein Bears

    The famous children's book series the "Berenstain Bears" created by Stan and Jan Berenstain is not immune to the Mandela effect. Many people report remembering the name being the Berenstein Bears (spelled with an "e" instead of an "a").

    This is similar to the Oscar Mayer issue and hints at perhaps an underlying cognitive reason for the Mandela Effect instead of parallel realities, as some people believe.

  • Government Cover Ups: Still a Thing?

    Government Cover Ups: Still a Thing?

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    Government Cover Ups & Conspiracy Theories Still a Thing?--------------------------------------------

    9 Huge Government Conspiracies That Actually HappenedWe all know the conspiracy theories — the government's plan for 9/11, the second gunman who shot JFK, the evolution of the elite from a race of blood-drinking, shape-shifting lizards.

    But the people who spread these ideas usually can't prove them.

    As the years pass, however, secrets surface. Government documents become declassified. We now have evidence of certain elaborate government schemes right here in the US of A.

    The US Department of the Treasury poisoned alcohol during Prohibition — and people died.

    The 18th Amendment, which took effect in January 1920, banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol — but not consumption. Despite the government's efforts, alcoholism actually skyrocketed during the era.

    To keep up with America's thirst, bootleggers not only created their own alcohol but also stole industrial versions, rendered undrinkable by the inclusion of certain chemicals (namely methyl alcohol). Liquor syndicates then employed chemists to "re-nature" the alcohol once again, making it safe for consumption, according to Deborah Blum, author of "The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York."

    The US Public Health Service lied about treating black men with syphilis for more than 40 years.

    In 1932, the Public Health Service collaborated with the Tuskegee Institute to record the history of syphilis in the black male community, hoping to justify a treatment program.

    Called the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, the study initially included 600 black men — 399 with the disease and 201 without. While the men were told they would receive treatment, however, the researchers never provided adequate treatment for the disease. Even when penicillin became the preferred and available treatment for syphilis, researchers kept their subjects in the dark.

    Although originally planned to last only six months, the experiment continued for 40 years. Finally, in 1972, an Associated Press article prompted public outrage and a subsequent investigation. A government advisory panel deemed the study "ethically irresponsible" and research ended almost immediately.

    As a result, the government settled a class-action lawsuit out of court in 1974 for $10 million and lifetime health benefits for all participants, the last of whom died in 2004.

    Parts of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, which led to US intervention in Vietnam, never happened.

    Talk of Tonkin's status as a "false flag" for US involvement in the Vietnam War has permeated public discourse almost since the time of the attacks, especially after the government admitted that the second incident may have involved false radar images.

    Talk of Tonkin's status as a "false flag" for US involvement in the Vietnam War has permeated public discourse almost since the time of the attacks, especially after the government admitted that the second incident may have involved false radar images.

    But after resisting comment for decades, the National Security Agency finally declassified documents in 2005, admitting the incident on August 4 never happened at all.FOR THE REST OF THE LIST FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW

    https://www.businessinsider.com/true-government-conspiracies-2013-12
  • Wednesday Rant ....... Please Folks, Find Amelia a Job!

    Wednesday Rant ....... Please Folks, Find Amelia a Job!

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast
  • Fabulous Fads: The Craziest Fads from The Last 100 Years

    Fabulous Fads: The Craziest Fads from The Last 100 Years

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast

    Fabulous Fads: The Craziest Fads from The Last 100 YearsFlappers

    Flappers arose at a time when women had just gained the right to vote, and participated in workforce efforts to support World War I. These young women were symbols of independence and freedom, unbound by social constraints of former generations, dancing to jazz in prohibition-era speakeasies in signature “flapper” dresses. While older generations regarded flappers negatively, modern history has painted them in a different light, as symbols of feminist power and a changing vision of womens’ involvement in politics, sexuality, and society.

    The Duncan Yo-Yo

    Donald Duncan was an American entrepreneur who is sometimes credited with inventing the yo-yo. In actuality, the yo-yo is an ancient toy. It’s depicted on a Greek vase from the fifth century B.C., and was popular in 18th- and 19th-century France and England. The term probably derives from Tagalog, Ilocano, or some other language of the Philippines, and the yo-yo first became popular in the U.S. after a Filipino immigrant started manufacturing the toy in California in 1928. Duncan bought his company the following year and altered the string mechanism, and his Duncan Toys Company sold millions of examples.

    Betty Boop

    Betty Boop was an animated icon of flapper and jazz culture. She was the brainchild of creators Max and Dave Fleischer, who featured her in a cartoon short called “Dizzy Dishes” in 1930. With her trademark hoop earrings, short black dress, and dark curls, Betty Boop gained the love of audiences across the nation. Her style has evolved to reflect different beauty and style standards throughout the decades.

    Dance marathons

    The “hop until you drop” dance marathons of the Depression era – in which contestants paid an entry fee to dance non-stop, with the last-standing winners earning a cash prize – were more than just a source of entertainment. They also provided both participants and attendees with meals and shelter for the duration of the marathon, at a time when food and money were scarce. Many danced untill they literally died. They were soon outlawed as cruel and unusual punishment.

    Slinky

    In 1943, inspired by a spring that appeared to “walk” when it was knocked off a shelf, naval mechanical engineer Richard T. James began developing the now-classic toy known as the Slinky. He began manufacturing it in 1944, but had trouble selling it until he arranged a demonstration in the toy department of Gimbels in Philadelphia. It impressed onlookers, and sold hundreds of units the same day. The Slinky went on to become one of the most recognizable toys in the country, with more than 300 million sold in its first 60 years.

    Davy Crockett

    A five-episode 1954 miniseries on Walt Disney’s “Disneyland” and a film based on the series the following year propelled Davy Crockett to icon status in American culture. The real Davy Crockett was a frontiersman and politician who died while fighting at the Alamo in 1836, but his fictional incarnation became a folk hero to children across the country, who donned Crockett-inspired coonskin caps while imagining life on the frontier.The Coonskin Cap can still be purchased on Amazon.

    Hula Hoop

    Hoops twirled around the waist have existed for at least 2500 years. The California-based toy company Wham-O – also known for the Frisbee – started making what a friend of the firms’ owners dubbed the Hula Hoop, in 1958 and it was an instant success. Originally marketed as a new fitness tool to tone the midsection, it sold an estimated 25 million units in its first four months.

    TV Exercise Shows

    Jack LaLanne made his name as a fitness icon, He was TV first exercise guru. Others followed like Charles Atlas (worlds strongest man) and Abbye ‘Pudgy’ Stockton, the worlds strongest woman. Jack La Lannes inspiration has spawned a permanent fixture on TV, the fitness show.

    The Twist

    The Mashed Potato, the Swim, and the Funky Chicken were all inspired by the 1960s dance craze called “The Twist.” The accompanying song was written and originally recorded by R&B pioneer Hank Ballard in 1958, but the version performed by Chubby Checker two years later became a smash hit and launched the dance craze. To do the Twist, dancers swiveled their hips with their front toe in place, and their arms out.

    Sauna suit

    Sauna suits are one of many fitness items that promise to slim down users without workouts or diets. They simply make the wearer hot and sweaty and do not effectively help with weight loss, as any pounds lost through dehydration will come back once the user hydrates.

    Vibrating belts

    In advertisements, the makers of vibrating belts promised their devices would jiggle a person’s belly, legs, or rear end and vibrate the fat away. The machines were popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but sales flopped when scientists found out that they did not actually help with weight loss or shrink down any parts of a person’s body.

    Space Food Sticks

    Pillsbury designed these snacks for astronauts specifically, but they were released to the public before they made it into space. These slender, chocolate-covered cookie sticks were marketed as providing the body the perfect balance of the three macronutrients – carbohydrates, fat, and protein – and came in a variety of flavors including mint and orange. This fad plummeted by the 1970s because of fading interest in the space program, and disappeared entirely in the 1980s. They were brought back in 2006 by a different snack company, but are now gone again.

    Leg Beauty Kit

    The Leg Beauty Kit was one of the earliest examples of a widely popular fitness product using rubber resistance bands. The kit was marketed to women as an inexpensive way to slim and tone their legs.

    Jelly shoes

    Before there were Crocs, there were Jelly shoes. The colorful footwear, crafted from PVC plastic, emerged in Europe decades before coming to the U.S. The shoes were introduced to the American market as a high fashion item in the 1980s, and gained traction across the country among adults and children alike.

    Rubik’s Cube

    Originally called the “Magic Cube” by its creator, Hungarian architect ErnƑ Rubik, the Rubik’s Cube was a puzzler’s delight. The Cube required players to align the cube such that each face had nine squares of the same color. The game was a massive success, quickly earning a place as one of the most popular puzzles in history.

    The Macarena

    In 1996, the Macarena was the dance everyone had memorized. “The Macarena” was performed by Spanish flamenco-pop duo Los Del Río, and was named for the daughter of one of the group’s members (though Macarena is also one of the 11 city quarters in Seville, the duo’s hometown). The song topped American charts for 14 weeks, and was subsequently interpreted by numerous other performers in both English and Spanish.

    The Electric Slide

    Back in 1976, Neville “Bunny Wailer” Livingston wrote a catchy song called “Electric Boogie” for his childhood buddy, singer Marcia Griffiths. Then choreographer Silver created the electric slide, a 22-step dance to the song that incorporated grapevines and a series of forward and backward steps.

    Fanny pack

    2018 saw a resurgence of the Fanny Pack, but the ’80s and ’90s were the belt bag’s statement decades. The fanny pack was as much about fashion as it was about utility. The concept is prehistoric: a frozen body dating back 5,000 years was discovered wearing a waist bag not much different from a modern fanny pack.

    Troll dolls

    If you grew up during the 1990s, you, your siblings, or your friends probably owned a Troll doll. While Troll dolls, which originated in Denmark, first became popular in the 1960s, they made a comeback in the ’90s. Troll dolls came with multiple hair colors, and some had speciality “gem” bellies. Troll dolls haven’t lost their pizazz; two feature films about animated “Trolls,” based on the toys, were released in 2016 and 2020.

    Cabbage Patch Dolls

    1976As a 21 year old art student, Xavier Roberts rediscovers “needle molding” a German technique for fabric sculpture from the early 1800s. Combining his interest in sculpture with the quilting skills passed down from his mother, Xavier creates his first soft-sculptures.

    1978Xavier wins a first place ribbon for sculpture at the Osceola Art Show. He begins delivering his hand made Little People Originals and exhibiting them at arts and crafts shows in the southeast. He finds that many parents are happy to pay the $40.00 “adoption fee” for one of his hand signed Little People Originals.

    1981The growing success of Xavier’s hand made Little People Originals is documented by Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlanta Weekly, and many others. There are reports that earlier editions are re-adopting for as much as 100 times their initial adoption fee.

    2000The Cabbage Patch Postage Stamp goes on sale in January of 2000. Cabbage Patch has netted more than 100 Billion dollars in revenue since it's inception. And it's still around.

    Turbo Man Doll:How a fictional movie toy became a reality.

    If you're a fan of the movie "Jingle All The Way" and you've always wanted your very own "Turbo Man" toy, now you can. It's a little pricey, it can set you back up to $200 bucks, so if you really want it to be "Turbo Time" at your house, Funko Pop Toys can make that a reality. Available on Amazon.com

  • ACTOR KEVIN SORBO - TV's

    ACTOR KEVIN SORBO - TV's "HERCULES"

    · WWTF Radio 88.7 BRS What’s The Buzz Popcast
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaKevin SorboSorbo in 2022BornKevin David SorboSeptember 24, 1958 (age 65)Mound, Minnesota, U.S.Alma materMinnesota State University Moorhead (BA)OccupationsActorproducerdirectorYears active1984–presentSpouseSam Jenkins ​(m. 1998)​Children3, including Braeden SorboWebsitekevinsorbo.net

    Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor and producer. He has had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999) and as Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda (2000–2005). In between his years playing Hercules, Sorbo played his first leading film role in the 1997 fantasy film Kull the Conqueror.

    Sorbo is also known for acting in Christian films such as God's Not Dead (2014) and Let There Be Light (2017).

    Early life and education[edit]

    Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, on September 24, 1958.[1] He is of Norwegian descent.[2] He was raised in a Lutheran family.[3] Sorbo attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he double majored in marketing and advertising.[4] To help pay for tuition, he began to work as a model for print and television advertising.[5]

    Early work[edit]

    In the mid-1980s, Sorbo traveled around Europe and Australia working in television commercials and also modeling for print advertisements. During this period, he made his acting debut in an episode of the soap opera Santa Barbara in 1986. He continued working in advertising and by the early 1990s, he had appeared in over 150 commercials. One of the popular commercials he appeared in was for Jim Beam bourbon whiskey, known for Sorbo's repeated catchphrase, "This ain't Jim Beam".[6]

    He made guest appearances in television series such as 1st & Ten, Murder She Wrote, and The Commish. In 1992, he played his first leading role in an unsuccessful television pilot for a medical drama series titled Condition: Critical, which was not picked up, but aired as a television film on ABC. He was considered for and lost out to Dean Cain as Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and was one of the possible contenders for the role of Fox Mulder in The X-Files, which went to David Duchovny.[7][8][9][10] In 1993, he made his film debut in Slaughter of the Innocents.[11]

    Professional breakthrough with Hercules[edit]

    In 1993, Sorbo received his breakthrough leading role as the ancient greek demigod Hercules in a series of five television films that aired as part of Universal Television's Action Pack.[12] The first film to premiere was Hercules and the Amazon Women, which aired in April 1994, the others following later in the year. The ratings success of the films paved the way for the commission of the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which started airing in syndication from January 1995 and ran for six seasons. The series made Sorbo an international star and was one of the highest rated syndicated television shows at the time.[13][better source needed]

    The success of the show spawned the popular spin-off series Xena: Warrior Princess starring Lucy Lawless, who was introduced in a three-episode arc in the first season of Hercules. This allowed several characters from both shows to make crossover appearances. In 1998, a spin-off direct-to-video, animated film titled Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus was released with both Sorbo and Lawless voicing the characters.[14]

    Hercules was canceled midway through the filming of Season Six, of which only eight episodes were produced. The final episode aired in November 1999.[15] Although it was not revealed at the time, health issues reduced Sorbo's abilities to perform the physically demanding role during the later seasons.[16] Sorbo made his final appearance as Hercules on Xena, in the Season Five episode "God Fearing Child", which aired in February 2000.

    In between his years playing Hercules, Sorbo played his first leading film role in the 1997 film Kull the Conqueror. In a mostly negative review, The New York Times writes, "Mr. Sorbo provides the requisite oiled torso, a hint of humor and the professionalism and good grace to act as if Kull the Conqueror mattered."[17]

    Post-Hercules work[edit]

    After Hercules ended, Sorbo played the starring role of Captain Dylan Hunt in the science-fiction drama series Andromeda from 2000 to 2005. In 2006, he played a recurring role on the final season of The O.C.

    In 2007, he starred in two direct-to-video sequels to Walking Tall, Walking Tall: The Payback and Walking Tall: Lone Justice. In the Hallmark Channel film Avenging Angel, he co-starred with his real wife, Sam Jenkins.

    In the 2008, he appeared in the spoof film titled Meet the Spartans, which was a box office success despite poor reviews.[18][19]

    Sorbo in 2013

    In the first of what would be several voice acting jobs, Sorbo performed one of the main protagonists, Prometheus, in the video game The Conduit.[20] He also reprised the role of Hercules in the video game God of War III and worked together with his wife on the game Cloudberry Kingdom.[21]

    In 2014, Sorbo co-starred in God's Not Dead, a Christian film in which he portrayed an atheist college professor who requires his students to disown their religions on the first day of his class.[22] Although heavily panned by critics, it was a commercial success and the first of a sequence of Christian films that Sorbo would produce or perform.[23][24][25]

    Sorbo appeared in the 2015 romantic comedy Single in South Beach, starring Haley Webb. On Twitter, in 2019, she accused Sorbo of sexual advances and of sexually harassing her on the set. However, Webb did not elaborate on any of her accusations, and he did not respond to her tweet.[26][27]

    In 2017, Sorbo directed and starred in the Christian drama film Let There Be Light, which featured conservative pundit Sean Hannity, who was also an executive producer. It was described by the New Yorker as "a cynical, xenophobic morality tale, as bitter as it is saccharine" that closes with "a dénouement of bald Islamophobia".[28][29] The Los Angeles Times, although critical, says that it provides "an involving bonanza" for its intended Christian audience. Sorbo is described as bringing "puckish charm and credible warmth to his role".[30]

    In 2023, he is set to appear in the Ronald Reagan biopic opposite Dennis Quaid who plays the title role.[31]

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