Happy 100th Birthday to one of my all-time faves, Dick Van Dyke! (We're going to a special theater screening of his birthday celebration later this afternoon.)
Even 'tho I know 'em all by heart, I still find myself watching (and laughing at) the old Dick Van Dyke Show reruns every night ... we probably still watch one or two a week!
What a career this man has had ... and by all indications, he's still going strong. (Dick Van Dyke as James Bond??? I can't even picture it ... but it was on the table at one point in time!)
We love ya! (kk)
Another Billboard record was broken this week as Frank Sinatra hit the #1 spot on their Adult Contemporary Chart with the electronically-created duet with Pentatonix, “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” a song he first recorded back in 1960.
It becomes Sinatra’s seventh Adult Contemporary #1 Hit … and the first one since the chart dated September 30th, 1967, when “The World We Knew (Over and Over)” wrapped up its five-week reign at the top. In fact, Ol’ Blue Eyes scored FIVE straight #1 Adult Contemporary Hits in a row when that single followed “Somethin’ Stupid,” (a duet with his daughter Nancy), “That’s Life,” “Summer Wind” and “Strangers in the Night.” (He also topped that chart with “It Was a Very Good Year” in February of 1966.) This new chart-topper creates the new longest break ever between Adult Contemporary #1's: 58 years, two months and three weeks.
Carrying it a step further, Sinatra now also claims the longest span of ruling The Adult Contemporary Chart: 59 years, 10 months and two weeks, dating back to the first week at #1 for “It Was a Very Good Year” in 1966. And as if all of this isn't enough, Sinatra also had the very first Adult Contemporary #1 Hit on July 17, 1961, when he version of “Granada” topped the then brand new inaugural chart. That brings his reign to 64 years and five months overall. Incredible!
(This after last week’s announcement that Connie Francis’ “Pretty Little Baby” was crowned the TikTok song of the year!)
Looks like everything old is new again!
Here’s the official Happy Together Tour line-up for 2026 … released on December 12th ...
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Boy, Shelley really scooped EVERYBODY on this one …
She sent me the list back on November 30th, but because we were in Vegas at the time, I had no way to post it.
They sure are shaking things up a bit this year ... I guess Ron Dante now IS The Turtles (who aren't even mentioned as the headliners this time around ... who does that title fall to now? The Cowsills?)
Jason Scheff will really rock thing up on stage - but it looks like he'll be performing the hits he wasn't on!!! (What a shame) Doesn't really matter to me - as long as he's still in fine voice, he will absolutely steal the show.
The British touch with The Troggs and The Fortunes should be very interesting ... yeah, I think we'll probably go to this one.
I haven’t seen the 2026 Happy Together schedule yet … but I imagine things will be finalized shortly after the first of the year. (kk)
Tom Cuddy sent us this health update from Ray Stevens, who suffered a heart attack back in July of this year …
Ray has always been one of my favorites … we wish him a healthy recovery. (He’s another one I’ve always wanted to see live in concert that has never timed out right for us … hopefully he’ll be able to return to the stage next year.) kk
Speaking of favorites …
>>>You’re talking to a HUGE, MAJOR Rick Nelson fan here … he’s most definitely one of my top faves of all time (kk)
I'm also a huge Rick(y) Nelson fan.
I was very fortunate to see him live a few months before his death - and in a very unlikely locale.
I flew to Maine in the summer of 1985 to spend some time with an older family member who lived there while I was on vacation from teaching high school. We landed in Bangor, rented a car, and had lunch where I briefly met Steven King before driving to Ellsworth, Maine.
As my mom and I drove into the small town of Ellsworth, Maine, we passed a small club with a sign saying, "Rick Nelson appearing" ... and on a date two nights before we were scheduled to fly back to Texas.
My mom's aunt's house was three blocks from the club.
I had to stand the entire show; all seats were taken and the place was packed.
What a wonderful memory.
Now I need to go play some of his music as this day begins in my 2025 world.
Brad
I was fortunate enough to see Rick perform in concert about half a dozen times … including, ironically, once on New Year’s Eve at The Park West here in Chicago. He literally played every kind of place imaginable ... from a fancy club to a typical rock venue to a pizza parlor converted into a banquet hall for that night’s event … he has ALWAYS been one of my all-time favorites. I’ve got copies of all of his Ozzie and Harriett TV performances as well as tv specials, guest spots, live concerts, movies and more … unfortunately all on the nearly obsolete vhs format (although I will admit to dragging out my vhs copy of ‘The Rutles’ to watch after the latest Beatles Anthology series just ran on Disney+! Lol) I’ve got WAY too much of this stuff collected over the years to just leave it all stored in boxes in the garage! (kk)
Roger Daltrey is the latest rock star to be knighted. (No word on whether or not Zak Starkey was invited then disinvited then invited and then disinvited to the ceremony.) Also knighted this year were soccer star David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman. (We love him in “Slow Horses!”) Actress Elaine Paige received the female equivalent and is now a dame ... which could have been FAR more confusing had that award gone to Ellen / Elliot Page, who I guess could have won BOTH awards, right??? Musician Steve Winwood and songwriter Graham Gouldman were both awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music … an honor that turned the whole world upside down when The Beatles won the first one sixty years ago! (kk)
"Comperson." /kəm-pərs(ə)n/
A rendering of a human created by using a Computer and Artificial Intelligence!
