AUGUST 17, 2011
BRUCE A. BRENNAN BLOG FROM THE WORLD AND MY MIND
The news as I see it and the views as I want them.
August 17 is … National Thriftshop Day
See you Goodwill later. Perhaps I can buy back some of my donations at a real good price.
The estate of Elvis Presley makes sixty million dollars a year. Not bad for a guy that has been dead for over 34 years.
According to Forbes, the top earning dead celebrities are; Forbes Top Earning Dead Celebrities:
1. Michael Jackson - $275 million
2. Elvis Presley - $60 million
3. J. R. R. Tolkein - $50 million
4. Charles Schulz - $33 million
5. John Lennon - $17 million
6. Stieg Larsson - $15 million
7. Dr. Seuss - $11 million
8. Albert Einstein - $10 million
9. George Steinbrenner - $8 million
10. Richard Rogers - $7 million
11. Jimi Hendrix and Steve McQueen - $6 million each
12. Aaron Spelling - $5 million
1. Michael Jackson - $275 million
2. Elvis Presley - $60 million
3. J. R. R. Tolkein - $50 million
4. Charles Schulz - $33 million
5. John Lennon - $17 million
6. Stieg Larsson - $15 million
7. Dr. Seuss - $11 million
8. Albert Einstein - $10 million
9. George Steinbrenner - $8 million
10. Richard Rogers - $7 million
11. Jimi Hendrix and Steve McQueen - $6 million each
12. Aaron Spelling - $5 million
Although not on this list, the top earning dead person in the world is Yves Saint-Laurent. Also on the list is Thomas Edison.
“Follow the Yellow Brick Road ... There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home ... Oh, Auntie Em, Auntie Em ... and Toto, too!”
Theatre goers first saw the magical The Wizard of Oz in a gala premiere on this night in 1939. The first movie to use the combination of black and white and color film starred Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale; Bert Lahr as both the Cowardly Lion and Zeke; Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow and Hunk; and Jack Haley as both the Tin Woodsman and Hickory. Originally, Buddy Ebsen was in the role of the Tin Man; but he became ill and had to leave the production before its completion.
The movie was based on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which he wrote in 1900 and adapted into a musical play. Directed by Victor Fleming, the Hollywood version took an Oscar for best movie score (Harold Arlen and E.Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg), and for best song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. With its superb acting, special effects, singing midgets and wonderful songs like Ding Dong the Witch is Dead (the wicked witch was delightfully played by Margaret Hamilton while Billie Burke was equally charming as the good witch); Munchkinland, and Follow the Yellow Brick Road, The Wizard of Oz would probably have won the Best Picture Oscar. As fate would have it, there was another show-stopper filmed that year, Gone with the Wind, and only one film could win.
The Wizard of Oz turned into such a triumph that television later clamored to get the rights to show it. William. S. Paley of CBS made sure his network (which also gave Garland the spotlight with her own show in the 1950s) was the one to bring The Wizard of Oz to new generations of viewers. The movie, now released on video, is still shown on TV and remains a popular favorite of young and old alike.
“Oh, we’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz. We hear he is a wiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was...”
Who will be the weiner? On Monday, in United States Federal District Court, a trial began between Sara Lee, the maker of Ball Park Franks and Kraft Foods the maker of Oscar Meyer hot dogs. The legal has been going on for three years and now it is time to end the litigation.
The dispute began in 2009 when Kraft advertised a taste comparison which claimed its hot dogs were preferred over Ball Park Franks. Sara Lee countered that their hot dogs were not cooked thoroughly, properly or served correctly. Since then, both sides have made claims the others hot dogs are not 100% pure beef as advertised for certain varieties. Lawsuits between consumer product makers are not uncommon. The claims made advertising can make or break a product.
For now, however, claims of hot dog makers have developed into a Federal case. I am sure many jokes will turn up during these proceedings. Comedy often finds it way into litigation.
Just a couple of thoughts I had and you should think about.
BRUCE A. BRENNAN
DEKALB, IL 60115
COPYRIGHT 2011
VISIT ANY OF THE SITES LISTED FOR REVIEW, RESEARCH, ORDERING MY WRITING PRODUCTS OR TO CONTACT ME.
Email: brucebrennanlaw@aol.com
Go to web sites below to buy books by Bruce A. Brennan. It is still a good time to purchase any of my books. The books are interesting and inexpensive reads. My third book should be available later this year, in late 2011. More information will be forthcoming.
www.ebookmall.com (Do search by my name or book Title)
www.barnesandnoble.com (do a quick search, Title, my name)
www.smashwords.com Do a Title or author search.
Book Titles:
Holmes the Ripper
A Revengeful Mix of Short Fiction
"[There is] an immense, painful longing for a broader, more flexible, fuller, more coherent, more comprehensive account of what we human beings are, who we are and what this life is for." - Saul Bellow
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