alles Gute zum Gebutstag Nina Hagen

Today is Nina Hagen birthday! Ms. Hagen is 57 years old and still a punk. Born in what was then East Germany she finangled her way to the west and became one of Germany's biggest punk stars. Nina Hagen may have made more than one punk rock boy learn to speak German just so they could understand her lyrics as well as rock to her sound. Classic training in opera has given her a voice and range that can frighten and electrify. If you have heard her voice you know what I mean. So today to honor her and her work listen to "Auf'm Bahnhof Zoo" really Loud!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuRy-OZuoYM

Woo Hooo Hoooo Its Jo Anne Worley Day!

Who doesn't laugh when they think of Jo Anne Worley? She has always been funny even in high school she was voted school comedienne. "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" brought her huge success and national attention. She has done it all though. TV, Stage, Movies and Game Shows! Her bubbly and wacky persona just makes people laugh.
Ms Worley grew up in Indiana and has always had a loud voice so loud in fact when she was a girl she would lip snyc when singing in a church choir as not to drown the others out! Well that voice was what got her noticed first on Broadway then in her night club act and finally with Rowan & Martin. She was a fixture in their cocktail party skits in her wild out fits and boas. After her run on Laugh-In she did a lot of guest appearances on sitcoms and more stage work.
This is a shout out to Jo Anne Worley! Happy Birthday!!!

The World's Oldest Person turns 116

116 years! Damn that is a long life. Bessie Cooper turned 116 this week. Bessie lives in Monroe, Georgia she moved there in 1917. Her town has honored her achievement by naming a bridge after her. Bessie was born Bessie Beery Brown in Tennessee in 1896. William McKinley was elected President, Utah became a state and Harriet Beecher Stowe died that year. Bessie has seen the rise of the phone, electricity and the automoble in her lifetime. She was trained and worked as a teacher on of the few professions for women in an era when she could not even vote.
Bessie now lives in a nursing home in Monroe. When asked if she had advice for a long life she said,"I mind my own business and I don't eat junk food." Rock on Bessie!

Happy Birthday Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Diller is 95 years old, well most of her is. America's best bad housewife started out in San Francisco's comedy scene in the 1950's performing at The Purple Onion. Phyllis' career really took off after Bob Hope had her on his television specials in the 1960's. Her self-deprecating jokes and cackle were her trademarks. Ms. Diller has also been a huge advocate of plastic surgery being one of the first women to admit to having a face lift. Known for her outrageous outfits,long cigarette holder and wild hair she talked about being a housewife and her husband Fang. Her cooking, cleaning and home making skills or lack there of  were the basis of her act. She also made fun of her own body and apparent lack of sex appeal. "I wore a peak-a-boo blouse, they peaked and then they booed", "My Playtex Living Bra died". Phyllis never worked "blue" she was funny without vulgarity.
Phyllis was always a stand up main stay but also worked in movies and television as well. Her most successful movie was "Boy Did I Get a Wrong Number" with Bob Hope. She also played real life hostess Texas Guinan in "Splendor in the Grass". Her television roles included her short lived but hilarious sitcom based on Patrick Dennis' "The Pruitts of South Hampton" and the role of Mimi Bobeks's grandmother on "The Drew Carey Show". Phyllis's voice has been used in dozens of animated fils as well. She herself has been animated for a Scooby-Doo episode.
Phyllis Diller is not only a stand up comic she is also a classicaly trained concer pianist and play the harpsicord. After retiring from stand up she has spent time in her Brentwood home where she paints and gardens. If one is very lucky an invitation can be gotten to visit her home and purchase one of her paintings.
There are several record albums of her stage up act. "What's Left of Phyllis Diller" and "Are you ready for Phyllis Diller" are among them.

Happy Birthday Phyllis Diller!!!!!

Happy Birthday Mel Brooks

Eighty-six years ago today in Brooklyn, New York Melvin Kaminsky was born. Known today as the comic genius Mel Brooks he is one of America's treasures. His career started in the Catskills "Borscht Belt" where he was a part-time comic and tummler at Grossingers. For those of you who don't know what a tummler is; a tummler is a master entertainer who made sure all the guests were having a good time and knew of the entertainments offered at the resorts. His old friend Sid Caesar hired him on as a writer for the ground breaking 1950's televison show "Your Show of Shows". There he wrote with fellow comic greats Neil Simon and Carl Reiner. Mel and Carl Reiner teamed up after the show and created the 2000 Year Old Man. Carl Reiner went on to create the Dick Van Dyke show and the character of Buddy Sorrel played by Morey Amsterdam was based on Mel Brooks. In the mid 60's Mel teamed up with another comic of reknown Buck Henry and created the television classic "Get Smart" starring Don Adams.
Brooks went on to become known as a director of comic masterpieces starting with "The Producers" and including such revered comedies "Blazing Saddles", "Young Frankenstein", "Silent Movie" and "High Anxiety" among others.
He was married for 41 years to the actress Anne Bancroft until her death in 2004. He is still working to this day. A broadway production of "The Producers" won a record 12 Tony awards. Mel Brooks is one of a handful of performers to have received an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy award.
Happy Birthday to Mel Brooks!

Happy Birthday Grace Jones

I can think of few scarier people than Grace Jones. If Grace Jones tells you to do something you had better well do it! Grace Jones is now 64 years old and don't mess with her. From her rise in popularity in the 70's she has conquered. Ask Schwarzenegger.

I first heard her Warm Leatherette album at a party in high school and stopped dead in my tracks. Her version of Private Life made Chrissy Hynde sound like an Akron housewife.  By the time I heard Bullshit I was hooked. At that tender age I bought all of her previous releases en mass. Boy was there one surprised punk rock boy when I found she was a disco queen of sorts. They were interesting records to say the least but not at all what I was expecting. Then Nightclubbing came out. She was able to make a Police song sound cool! Around this time Ms Jones was touring, doing the nightclub circuit and I knew I had too go and see her. The show was almost 2 hours late starting and Grace came onto stage sang two numbers. She started a third and stopped to yell at the sound man. The song started again and yet another fight break with the sound man arose. At the fourth attempt Grace stopped once a again. picked up a wooden cube from the stage and threw it. "Get your money back! Demand your money back the sound man is an asshole!" Screamed into her mic before storming off stage. About a half an hour and one terrified sound man later she resumed performing and proceeded to kill.

She may be 64 but she is still a force to be reckoned with. A few years ago she was involved in a scuffle on the Eruostar with a conductor. He is either a very brave of a very stupid man. Grace Jones is the new face of Sixty-Four!