NumbersGirl

Dick Clark dies of heart attack at age 82 By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dick Clark, the ever-youthful television host and tireless entrepreneur who helped bring rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream on “American Bandstand,” and later produced and hosted a vast range of programming from game shows to the year-end countdown from Times Square on “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” has died. He was 82. Spokesman Paul Shefrin said Clark had a heart attack Wednesday morning at Saint John’s hospital in Santa Monica, a day after he was admitted for an outpatient procedure. Clark had continued performing even after he suffered a stroke in 2004 that affected his ability to speak and walk. Long dubbed “the world’s oldest teenager” because of his boyish appearance, Clark bridged the rebellious new music scene and traditional show business, and equally comfortable whether chatting about music with Sam Cooke or bantering with Ed McMahon about TV bloopers. He thrived as the founder of Dick Clark Productions, supplying movies, game and music shows, beauty contests and more to TV. Among his credits: “The $25,000 Pyramid,” “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes” and the American Music Awards. For a time in the 1980s, he had shows on all three networks and was listed among the Forbes 400 of wealthiest Americans. Clark also was part of radio as partner in the United Stations Radio Network, which provided programs — including Clark’s — to thousands of stations. “There’s hardly any segment of the population that doesn’t see what I do,” Clark told The Associated Press in a 1985 interview. “It can be embarrassing. People come up to me and say, ‘I love your show,’ and I have no idea which one they’re talking about.” The original “American Bandstand” was one of network TV’s longest-running series as part of ABC’s daytime lineup from 1957 to 1987. It later aired for a year in syndication and briefly on the USA Network. Over the years, it introduced stars ranging from Buddy Holly to Madonna. The show’s status as an American cultural institution was solidified when Clark donated Bandstand’s original podium and backdrop to the Smithsonian Institution. Clark joined “Bandstand” in 1956 after Bob Horn, who’d been the host since its 1952 debut, was fired. Under Clark’s guidance, it went from a local Philadelphia show to a national phenomenon. “I played records, the kids danced, and America watched,” was how Clark once described the series’ simplicity. In his 1958 hit “Sweet Little Sixteen,” Chuck Berry sang that “they’ll be rocking on Bandstand, Philadelphia, P-A.” As a host, he had the smooth delivery of a seasoned radio announcer. As a producer, he had an ear for a hit record. He also knew how to make wary adults welcome this odd new breed of music in their homes. Clark endured accusations that he was in with the squares, with critic Lester Bangs defining Bandstand as “a leggily acceptable euphemism of the teenage experience.” In a 1985 interview, Clark acknowledged the complaints. “But I knew at the time that if we didn’t make the presentation to the older generation palatable, it could kill it.” “So along with Little Richard and Chuck Berry and the Platters and the Crows and the Jayhawks ... the boys wore coats and ties and the girls combed their hair and they all looked like sweet little kids into a high school dance,” he said. But Clark defended pop artists and artistic freedom, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said in an online biography of the 1993 inductee. He helped give black artists their due by playing original R&B recordings instead of cover versions by white performers, and he condemned censorship. His stroke in December 2004 forced him to miss his annual appearance on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” He returned the following year and, although his speech at times was difficult to understand, many praised his bravery, including other stroke victims. Still speaking with difficulty, he continued taking part in his New Year’s shows, though in a diminished role. Ryan Seacrest became the main host. “I’m just thankful I’m still able to enjoy this once-a-year treat,” he told The Associated Press by e-mail in December 2008 as another New Year’s Eve approached. He was honored at the Emmy Awards in 2006, telling the crowd: “I have accomplished my childhood dream, to be in show business. Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true. I’ve been truly blessed.” He was born Richard Wagstaff Clark in Mount Vernon, N.Y., in 1929. His father, Richard Augustus Clark, was a sales manager who worked in radio. Clark idolized his athletic older brother, Bradley, who was killed in World War II. In his 1976 autobiography, “Rock, Roll & Remember,” Clark recalled how radio helped ease his loneliness and turned him into a fan of Steve Allen, Arthur Godfrey and other popular hosts. From Godfrey, he said, he learned that “a radio announcer does not talk to ‘those of you out there in radio land’; a radio announcer talks to me as an individual.” Clark began his career in the mailroom of a Utica, N.Y., radio station in 1945. By age 26, he was a broadcasting veteran, with nine years’ experience on radio and TV stations in Syracuse and Utica, N.Y., and Philadelphia. He held a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University. While in Philadelphia, Clark befriended McMahon, who later credited Clark for introducing him to his future “Tonight Show” boss, Johnny Carson. In the 1960s, “American Bandstand” moved from black-and-white to color, from weekday broadcasts to once-a-week Saturday shows and from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Although its influence started to ebb, it still featured some of the biggest stars of each decade, whether Janis Joplin, the Jackson 5, Talking Heads or Prince. But Clark never did book two of rock’s iconic groups, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Elvis Presley also never performed, although Clark managed an on-air telephone interview while Presley was in the Army. When Michael Jackson died in June 2009, Clark recalled working with him since he was a child, adding, “of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was THE most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched.” Clark kept more than records spinning with his Dick Clark Productions. Its credits included the Academy of Country Music and Golden Globe awards; TV movies including the Emmy-winning “The Woman Who Willed a Miracle” (1984), the “$25,000 Pyramid” game show and the 1985 film “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.” Clark himself made a cameo on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and a dramatic appearance as a witness on the original “Perry Mason.” He was an involuntary part of Michael Moore’s Academy Award-winning “Bowling for Columbine,” in which Clark is seen brushing off Moore as the filmmaker confronts him about working conditions at a restaurant owned by Clark. In 1974, at ABC’s request, Clark created the American Music Awards after the network lost the broadcast rights to the Grammy Awards. He was also an author, with “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand” and such self-help books as “Dick Clark’s Program for Success in Your Business and Personal Life” and “Looking Great, Staying Young.” His unchanging looks inspired a joke in “Peggy Sue Gets Married,” the 1986 comedy starring Kathleen Turner as an unhappy wife and mother transported back to 1960. Watching Clark on a black and white TV set, she shakes her head in amazement, “Look at that man, he never ages.” Clark’s clean-cut image survived a music industry scandal. In 1960, during a congressional investigation of “payola” or bribery in the record and radio industry, Clark was called on to testify. He was cleared of any suspicions but was required by ABC to divest himself of record-company interests to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. The demand cost him $8 million, Clark once estimated. His holdings included partial ownership of Swan Records, which later released the first U.S. version of the Beatles’ smash “She Loves You.” In 2004, Clark announced plans for a revamped version of “American Bandstand.” The show, produced with “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller, was to feature a host other than Clark. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1994 and served as spokesman for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Clark, twice divorced, had a son, Richard Augustus II, with first wife Barbara Mallery and two children, Duane and Cindy, with second wife Loretta Martin. He married Kari Wigton in 1977. http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/entertainment/dick-clark-dies-at-82

Secret Service prostitution scandal riles D.C. By JULIE PACE, Associated Press WASHINGTON DC (AP) - A prostitution scandal involving the Secret Service has grown in scope, with the disclosure that U.S. agents and military personnel had been with at least 20 women in hotel rooms before President Barack Obama arrived in Colombia for a summit with Latin American leaders. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, facing questions on Capitol Hill about whether the escapades could have jeopardized the president's security, said he had referred the matter to an independent government investigator. Sullivan said the 11 Secret Service agents and 10 military personnel under investigation were telling different stories about who the women were. Sullivan has dispatched more investigators to Colombia to interview the women, said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. "Some are admitting (the women) were prostitutes, others are saying they're not, they're just women they met at the hotel bar," King said in a telephone interview. Sullivan said none of the women, who had to surrender their IDs at the hotel, were minors. "But prostitutes or not, to be bringing a foreign national back into a secure zone is a problem." Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, said Tuesday that "20 or 21 women foreign nationals" were brought to the hotel. Eleven of the Americans involved were Secret Service, she said, and "allegedly Marines were involved with the rest." King said it appeared the agency actually had "really lucked out." If the women were working for a terrorist organization or some other anti-American group, King said, they could have had access to information about the president's whereabouts or security protocols while in the agents' rooms. "This could have been disastrous," King said. The growing scandal has become an election-year embarrassment for Obama, who has said he would be angry if the allegations proved to be true. The White House said Obama had confidence in the Secret Service chief. "Director Sullivan acted quickly in response to this incident and is overseeing an investigation as we speak into the matter," White House press secretary Jay Carney said. Last Thursday, 11 Secret Service agents were recalled to the U.S. from Colombia and placed on administrative leave after a night of partying that allegedly ended with at least some bringing prostitutes back to their hotel. On Monday, the agency announced that it also had revoked the agents' security clearance. At least 10 U.S. military personnel staying at the same hotel were also being investigated for their role in the alleged misconduct. Two U.S. military officials said they include five Army Green Berets. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity about an investigation that is still under way. One of the officials said the group also includes two Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal technicians, two Marine dog handlers and an Air Force airman. The Special Forces Green Berets were working with Colombia's counterterrorist teams, the official said. The agents and servicemen were in Colombia setting up security ahead of Obama's three-day trip to the port city of Cartagena for a summit attended by about 30 other world leaders. People briefed on the incident said the agents brought women back to Cartagena's Hotel Caribe, where other members of the U.S. delegation and the White House corps also were staying. Anyone visiting the hotel overnight was required to leave identification at the front desk and leave the hotel by 7 a.m. When a woman failed to do so, by this account, it raised questions among hotel staff and police, who investigated. They found the woman with the agent in a hotel room and a dispute arose over whether the agent should have paid her. While the identities of those being investigated have not been revealed, Maryland Republican Senate candidate Daniel Bongino told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his brother, an agent who was on duty in Colombia, is "cooperating" with the investigation. Bongino, a former agent himself, insisted his brother was not a target of the investigation. The Secret Service has insisted Obama's security was not undermined by the incident, which happened before he arrived in Colombia. In at least one of his briefings with lawmakers, Sullivan said he was calling on an inspector general to hold an independent review. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, welcomed that news, saying an independent review "should help the agency regain some respect from the American taxpayers and from people around the world." The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Grassley's account. http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/political/secret-service-prostitution-scandal-riles-dc

KE diet, bro http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/k-e-diet-does-it-work_n_1432790.html Although you'd have to be a hermit for a few weeks.

I'm gonna go get my bag of chill pills and sell some to y'all. Didn't the tour just start?!?!!! How do you know they won't play it? I seem to recall the Oracle saying that Politik is in Chris' top 2 favorite songs, so I think it's safe to say they'll play it again. No need for a movement/petition at this time. CHILL

:lol: okay in that case I'm glad they didn't record a studio version And to your dismay (although others' delight), I broke down and ordered the license plate yesterday. But you'll be happy to know I'll likely switch it out for my old one every now and then (even though that's not really legal). I haven't been pulled over by the police in the 7 years that I've had the car so I'll take my chances that I won't get pulled over anytime soon. I'll just keep the new plate inside the car to be safe if that ever happens. "oh sorry, I didn't know that I couldn't switch them whenever I wanted..."

At first I couldn't believe it. I laughed. And then I thought, this is wrong on so many levels. Are companies so desparate to make a buck, that they would resort to this? So my mother-in-law gave my husband an Easter basket (yes we're still little kids at heart). One of the items was a plastic egg with Starburst jelly beans inside; one egg for him, one egg for me. He ate his the other day. Yesterday I was going to have mine. I have this habbit of looking at expiration dates before I eat stuff; and I treat "best by" dates the same as expiration dates. I looked on the plastic wrap outside the egg, and the best by date was January 2013; good. I open the egg, which has a little bag with the jelly beans inside; but before I open it, I noticed that the best by date on the bag was seven years before the other one. 7 YEARS. So, the company kept old bags that they didn't sell years ago and stuffed them into eggs this year and was like "oh okay since we packaged the eggs this year we can change the expiration date to 2013." What the...??!!!?? It will be hard to find any more at the store since all the Easter candy has been discounted and likely sold out, but I might try to find another one to see if this isn't just an isolated case. If it's not just this one... what should I do? Contact the company? Contact those crazy news investigators to "expose" the company? Just keep laughing about it and shake my head? Whatever the case... this is just plain wrong.

Yeah, that's awesome. Nearly perfect. This would make it even closer to perfect for me (well, considering I can't substitue too many of TKOL songs since this is the TKOL tour after all): 04 Kid A Jigsaw Falling Into Place (or Gagging Order, if the point was to have a more mellow song there) 05 Staircase The Butcher 22 PLANET TELEX (tour debut!) 2+2=5 (sorry, I think Planet Telex is blah)

I really hope they perform The Butcher at some point on this tour. Even if I don't get to see it in person, I at least want a video to exist.

:angry: Hubby and I got a special "dongle" thing to hook up to our TV in the living room so we can stream YouTube from the TV in anticipation of watching the Coachella stream since we couldn't be there, and now they won't be webcast?!? I was looking forward to Radiohead, and hubby was looking forward to Dre & Snoop. Well, this is just the first weekend webcast lineup; maybe they will be streamed on the second weekend of the festival?

Yay, I'm glad the seat upgrade worked out for you! Oh god, they weren't booing during the slow songs, were they?!? D: Were there a lot of people yelling, or just a few? Yes, people just need to expect that at certain concerts (like this one), other people are going to be standing. This isn't a Carole King concert. This is Radiohead. I had some guy do the same thing to us at a Paul McCartney concert, and I'm like doood the people in front of us are standing so scwew you. I paid just as much for these seats as you did, bro. What is the t-shirt rule?

Any word on the Seattle setlist? I didn't see anything on atease (at least not on the main page).

*reads fine print* Extra $15 flat fee (annual), extra $2 per month. You get credited for what you already paid in advance for the regular plate renewal. That's actually less than I thought it was. Well, at least there is one voice of dissent to help even things out! I'm still undecided. If I decided to apply for it, I would go on Wednesday. If I do get it, I probably wouldn't have it on all of the time anyway (even though I guess I'm supposed to). Have fun tonight! Considering that's 3 hours behind me, I don't think I'll be staying up for real-time setlist updates. If it leaks early though, I'll probably take a peek. :nice:

people who beat the pulp out of the keyboard when they type / and you wonder why you have carpal tunnel

^^ :awesome: I figure the "eh" has a nice northern-er vibe to it.

Michigan doesn't require you to have two plates on your car like some States (and Canada) do. So there's only one plate on the back. Getting the new one would void the old one. If they would have told me that it's legal to switch them out whenever you want with both being valid, I would have ordered it today. I suppose if I wanted to put the old one back on (even though it wouldn't be a valid plate), I could keep the new one inside the car on the off chance that I get pulled over. * oops, sorry officer, I didn't know that I couldn't switch them whenever I wanted * I'm still mulling it over.

I actually went to the Secretary of State to inquire about it. At this point all I asked them was, if I were to get a personalized plate would it completely replace my regular one or could I switch to the regular one whenever I wanted. Unfortunately it voids my regular one; although I don't think they'd make you surrender your current plate, so I suppose I could switch it back if I really wanted. Haven't been pulled over in the (nearly) 7 years I've had the car anyway, so I don't think the popo would notice.

Would it be lame if I actually did this?

That's actually a good idea. If other people agree, the mods can discuss the suggestion with the powers that be.

Kitty being a bad kitty

:uhoh: Please don't. There's nothing wrong with seeing the place, but peeking through the window? I don't know, to me that just seems a bit creepy. Awhile back somebody actually posted a picture on their facebook account doing just that. The thing was... they had the wrong building. So they were hanging onto the window frame and peering into someone's place. Just keep in mind that other people actually live around there.

Brent, after reading through all of your comments it seems like your starting point should be to get a different doctor. It sounds like you really dislike the dude; you shouldn't feel so uncomfortable with your PCP (assuming that's what he is). Making you better should be a team effort. It's not like he can stop you from going to a different doctor. As far as how to find another doctor that would be a good match for you, I'm not sure what would be the best method to go about doing that. Maybe if you know someone in the health care field, ask them who they would feel comfortable with having as their PCP (or for referring their relatives to).

mkay this isn't in my town, it's happening in Texas This is probably one of the craziest real-time videos of a tornado I've ever seen. Some of the stuff you see after the video zooms in.... especially around the 1:30 mark when the semi trucks get tossed around like toothpicks. D: <script src="http://www.wfaa.com/templates/belo_embedWrapper.js?storyid=145976065&pos=top&swfw=$swfw"></script><object id="null" width="470" height="264" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param value="true" name="allowfullscreen"/> <param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <param value="high" name="quality"/> <param value="true" name="cachebusting"/> <param value="#000000" name="bgcolor"/> <param name="movie" value="http://swfs.bimvid.com/bimvid_player-3_2_7.swf?x-bim-callletters=WFAA" /> <param value="config=http://www.wfaa.com/?j=145976065&ref=http://www.wfaa.com/video/featured-videos/RAW-VIDEO-Trailers-tossed-by-tornado-near-Lancaster-145976065.html" name="flashvars"/> <embed src="http://swfs.bimvid.com/bimvid_player-3_2_7.swf?x-bim-callletters=WFAA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="470" height="264" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" cachebusting="true" flashvars="config=http://www.wfaa.com/?j=145976065&ref=http://www.wfaa.com/video/featured-videos/RAW-VIDEO-Trailers-tossed-by-tornado-near-Lancaster-145976065.html" bgcolor="#000000" quality="true"> </embed> </object><script src="http://www.wfaa.com/templates/belo_embedWrapper.js?storyid=145976065&pos=bottom"></script> (embed doesn't appear to be working, grrr) http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/weather/weather_news/Copy_of_USTexas-Storms_50246011

less than a week until the next round of concerts :escaping:

my hubby would approve

Well here's my rambling train of thought... When I first heard about this, I thought the prospective employers were just asking the interveiwees to log on to their account during the interview. I didn't think they were actually asking for the password. That crosses the line. It's not surprising to me that employers would do research in social media. In the past, before the person came to the interview, all the company had to go by was what was on the resume. Researching social media may give them a little better chance to get an idea of who the person is before they walk into the interview. I don't see anything wrong with that, per say. Most places do a background check of all sorts of other stuff, including criminal records and checking your credit history, so this would just be an additional piece to the puzzle. It's hard to know exactly what these employers are looking for. Are they looking to see whether someone spends half their day on facebook making random posts (and therefore would waste company time online)? Possibly. Or maybe they are looking for evidence of lude behavior. Or maybe they want to see if the person has complained about previous employers in their posts: "omg my boss is so awful", "I hate this place get me out of here", "coworkers suck", "customers suck", etc. (Side comment... I'm always amused when people do that on a regular basis on facebook and twitter particularly when their accounts are public; helllooooo your boss or coworkers can see that. Nice way to risk losing your job, bumhug. Other people would gladly have your job.) If I was being interviewed, personally I wouldn't mind logging in during the interview. I have nothing to hide. However, if they ask for my password I would refuse; that's going too far. Not only is it an invasion of privacy, but (I think) facebook explicitly tells you not to share your password when you create your account. And what if they try to log on to your account later on, and you are already logged on? Or vice versa? That will probably just flag your account with the facebook peeps and they might suspend your account. And even if you don't have anything "bad" on your wall or in photos/videos, there's still the issue of your private messages. No no no no no. And the likely evolution of this will be employers asking for the password during the interview not because they actually want it, but to see what your response is. There are employers who would want the type of strong person who is not afraid to stand up for themselves and would want the person to say "absolutely not". So in that case, somebody thinking that giving the employer the password would make them have a leg up on the competition could actually be doing themselves harm.