Paul Newman RIP

Paul Newman was probably the first celebrity I was ever around. I was a little kid and my dad was an extra in the movie 'Rachael Rachael'. I remember seeing Paul Newman in the distance and very clearly remembering my mom (in her early 20's at the time) and her sister ooh and ahh'ing over this Paul Newman guy. I found this quite strange but it was just kind of cool being on a movie set.

Newman did what few people do when they get rich. He gave back. He started his line of food products which resulted in millions going to charity. He was active in political causes and always seemed to be looking to help out others rather than selfishly looking to gain more for himself. Paul Newman will be missed.

Jerry Reed: RIP

Russert Death as Breaking News

Like anyone else who follows politics closely, I was shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Tim Russert. Rather than try to repeat all the accolades you can find on television right now, I want to mention HOW I learned of this sad news. Since Russert was a newsman, he would probably appreciate just how fast the news got out and how much detail was made available to the public.

Russert died around 3pm. I had the day off and was listening to the radio - staying away from the TV and computer for the day. However, I am signed up for "Breaking News" from CNN and MSNBC with Twitter. Whenever news breaks, I get a text. Of course I love that. Anyway .. less than 20 minutes after Russert died I got a text informing me of the news. Less than 20 minutes!!!

I turned on the TV and starting watching the coverage, expecting the details to begin slowly trickle in. Not the case. Immediately we learned the details about when the heart attack struck, what he was doing, how CPR was tried, an ambulance came and when he was pronounced dead. A lot of details, very quickly. Most amazing, when I checked MSNBC at 7:30 ( I turned the TV off after seeing Keith Olberman boo-hooing - I'm not much into watching that) I was amazed to see Russert's doctor on the air talking, in great and graphic detail, about the autopsy he has already completed! Astounding. They were not leaving anything out. By 8:30 pm, I was already burned out by the coverage.

I mention this because it all seems so fast to me. For me to get a text even before (literally) the body got cold still amazes me. The fact that ALL the details of is death were made public immediately also was surprising. The fact that an autopsy was done with a couple hours of his death and the findings explained to the public before the news really sunk in was, frankly, a bit surreal. And the fact that within 4 or 5 hours of his passing away I was already over saturated by the news also demonstrates the times we live in.

I'm not criticizing the coverage at all. In fact, I am writing about this becomes I am impressed. For news junkie, to learn about what happened so quickly and in so much detail is really what we want. In his career Tim Russert was respected for his ability to get to the facts as directly and accurately as possible. The coverage of his death, as suffocating as it was, was in many ways an appropriate tribute to this true newsman.

Bye Bye Bo .. and Thank You

I just heard that Bo Diddley has died. I certainly have fond memories of him not only for his music (video) but for the kindness he extended to me. When I was just starting in radio, I talked the station manager into letting me do a Saturday evening entertainment show. It was a hard sell, mostly because finding entertainment in Tallahassee can be a struggle anyway -trying to make a radio show out of it would be real tough. Well, I got the show and sure enough, on that first Saturday evening, Bo Diddley was in town to do a concert. I tried to get an interview with him for the live 6pm program and he agreed! So here I was a newbie on the radio, with a cell phone the size of a loaf of bread interviewing Bo Diddley for a full hour. He was a great guy, very nice and very cool. He talked to me as if I was a long time pro in the music biz rather than a young-ish new radio guy just trying to make a name for himself. Bo Diddley really helped me look good and undoubtedly advanced my radio career . His agreeing to give me, an unknown person on a tiny AM station in a small town, a live 60 minute interview will always be appreciated.

Harvey Korman RIP

Just what the doctor ordered

Dr. J. Robert Cade died Tuesday at the age of 80. I don't remember ever hearing his name before but he was a medical hero of mine. Dr. Cade invented Gatorade. I have loved Gatorade ever since I can remember. The original color was bright orange and then space age green. I liked the orange, loved the green and now my favorite is the "lemonade" flavor. Gatorade is a must the day after drinking and I've drunk hundreds of gallons of the stuff. It brought me back to life many a morning after. I've always said there were only 3 good things to come out of Gainesville (Tom Petty being another) but I've made some good friends with connections to Hog Town so I've gladly relaxed that a bit. So, I salute you Dr. Robert J. Cade, for the original good thing to come out of Gainesville. RIP (I feel thirsty now)

Robert Goulet R.I.P.

I got to work with Robert Goulet in Las Vegas a few times and really enjoyed it. He was one of the first big celebrities I did TV fundraisers with there. When he was scheduled I was warned that he was sometimes difficult to work with. But for some reason he and I got along very well and he was very relaxed and happy. I was thrilled that to be standing next to Robert Goulet doing live TV and he seemed to feed off that. I'm sorry to hear that he passed away. Speaking from the 2 or 3 evenings I hung out with him, I can say that he was a genuinely nice guy who I'm glad to have met.

Joey Bishop 1918 - 2007

Here is a very old clip of Joey Bishop with none other than Regis Philbin.

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We Loved Luci'

Luciano Pavorati has died and the world has certainly lost a legend. I'm not a big opera fan but I do have fond memories of Pavoratti. He was the keystone in the opera trio "The Three Tenors". Their concert was a staple for Public Television fundraisers in the mid and late 90's and it was one of the first programs I had to fund raise for when starting my Public TV career. At that time I REALLY didn't know about opera so I stammered over the names of the other guys, but somehow I knew Pavarotti. If memory serves me right - it was he who I focused on during those first hours on the air, saying his name anytime I wanted to sound knowledgeable about opera. I got to watch the Three Tenors concerts many times over the years and eventually learned all about the other Tenors, but it was Luciano Pavarotti who I always appreciated the most. Not only for his awesome talents, but also for being there with me at the beginning introducing me to the world of opera and to the world of TV Broadcasting.