Quick Hits: September 22

Survivor season 41 premieres tonight, and you better believe I’ll be watching (I’ve never missed an episode). Survivor took last year off due to the pandemic and they’ve made a few pandemic-related changes to the format, such as shortening the filming time from 39 days to 26 to accomodate a 14-day quarantine agreement the showContinue reading “Quick Hits: September 22”

Warning: PMRC Advisory

On September 19, 1985, hearings were held before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee regarding inappropriate content in popular music. The hearing was requested by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), headed by wives of the Washington elite including Tipper Gore (wife of then-Senator and future-VP Al) and Susan Baker (wife of Treasury SecretaryContinue reading “Warning: PMRC Advisory”

The Pop Cultural Impact of 9/11

It was the most beautiful mid-September day you could hope for – no matter where you lived. A high pressure system covered a large swath of the Northeast, meaning warm, sunny weather prevailed. The sky was blue and bright, with just a few puffy clouds. I was in an especially good mood, because my bestContinue reading “The Pop Cultural Impact of 9/11”

Quick Hits: September 4

Happy 40th birthday, Beyoncé: singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist, activist, fashion icon and all-around boss. Beyoncé has won more Grammy Awards (28) than any other singer in history and more MTV Video Music Awards (24) than any other artist. She was named Billboard Top Female Artist of the Decade. She won a Peabody Award forContinue reading “Quick Hits: September 4”

Legend: Ed Asner

Eddie Asner was born November 15, 1929, in Kansas City, Missouri to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrant parents. He attended the University of Chicago, where he began appearing in campus productions like T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. He did odd jobs and then served two years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where he performed inContinue reading “Legend: Ed Asner”

Quick Hits: August 29

Netflix launched on this day in 1997 as an online DVD rental store. It became a streaming service in 2007, and began developing original content in 2013. House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black both premiered that year, and the binge-watch was born. In 2016, Netflix had its best year yet with theContinue reading “Quick Hits: August 29”

Quick Hits: August 27

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died this week at the age of 80. Watts, widely considered among the all-time best rock drummers, was also an accomplished jazz musician. Watts frequented London R&B clubs in the early 60s, where he met Brian Jones, Stu Stewart, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1962. He played his firstContinue reading “Quick Hits: August 27”

Quick Hits: August 15

The Woodstock music festival (“3 Days of Peace & Music”) was held August 15-18, 1969 on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York. A watershed moment for the 60s counterculture and a milestone in rock music history, Woodstock contained iconic performances by some of the period’s greatest artists. The festival spawned an Academy Award-winningContinue reading “Quick Hits: August 15”