Friday, January 29, 2010

Jerome David Salinger (January 1, 1919-January 27, 2010)




Jerome David "J. D." Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965 and gave his last interview in 1980.

Raised in Manhattan, Salinger began writing short stories while in secondary school, and published several stories in the early 1940s before serving in World War II. In 1948 he published the critically acclaimed story A Perfect Day for Bananafish in The New Yorker magazine which became home to much of his subsequent work. In 1951 Salinger released his novel The Catcher in the Rye, an immediate popular success. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield was influential, especially among adolescent readers. The novel remains widely read and controversial, selling around 250,000 copies a year.

The success of The Catcher in the Rye led to public attention and scrutiny; Salinger becoming reclusive and publishing new work less frequently. He followed Catcher with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953), a collection of a novella and a short story, Franny and Zooey (1961), and a collection of two novellas, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). His last published work, a novella entitled Hapworth 16, 1924 appeared in The New Yorker on June 19, 1965.

Afterward, Salinger struggled with unwanted attention, including a legal battle in the 1980s with biographer Ian Hamilton and the release in the late 1990s of memoirs written by two people close to him: Joyce Maynard, an ex-lover; and Margaret Salinger, his daughter. In 1996, a small publisher announced a deal with Salinger to publish Hapworth 16, 1924 in book form, but amid the ensuing publicity, the release was indefinitely delayed. He made headlines around the globe in June 2009 after filing a lawsuit against another writer for copyright infringement for the writer's use of one of Salinger's characters from Catcher in the Rye.

Salinger died of natural causes on January 27, 2010 at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire
.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Betty White receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG Awards, in my opinion, was the highlight of the evening! 88 and sharp as a whip! :))


The Huffington Post

LOS ANGELES - Betty White accepted a lifetime achievement award at Saturday's Screen Actors Guild Awards with the wit and grace that have punctuated her six-decade career.

White was the guest-of-honor at a gathering of Hollywood's top actors and actresses. She walked the red carpet and was treated to lavish praise by her peers. She reflected on her career, which included roles on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Golden Girls" and several film appearances.

"Seventy-one years ago when I sang on an experiment thing and it was called television, who would have dreamed it would culminate in an evening like this," White said after accepting her award.

She joked backstage that all the attention was going to go to her head. "I'm not going to be fit to live with the next few years."

White, 88, accepted the award from Sandra Bullock after a lengthy montage of White's work. The pair then exchanged quips.

Bullock joked that she finds White annoying, to which White shot back, "Isn't it heartening to see how far a girl as plain as she is can go?"

White had only praise for Bullock backstage. "She's the epitome of what a movie star should be," White said. "She's not only gorgeous and talented, but she's also the most down-to-earth human being."




Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Earth Hour is Saturday, March 27th



ABOUT EARTH HOUR


Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of climate change issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice on the future of our planet, and the chance to send a message of hope to world leaders.


Earth Hour: A global vote for Earth


Since 2007, Earth Hour has gained worldwide support for positive action against global warming. It all began with 2.2 million people in one city using their light switches to have their say. By March 2009, hundreds of millions of people in over 4,000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to vote for Earth.

Every single person who took part in Earth Hour in 2009 helped form a mandate to influence the climate summit. And as people continue to show their support by voting for Earth, the mandate will grow even stronger.



Earth Hour 2010


As long as there is Earth, there will be Earth Hour! It’s held each year on the last Saturday in March. Which means the next Earth Hour event will be Saturday, March 27, 2010. Mark it on your calendar now!


Earth Hour by WWF


Earth Hour is organized by WWF. With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries, it’s one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. The WWF mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.




Sunday, January 17, 2010

George Clooney to host telethon to aid people of Haiti on January 22nd


As celebrities continue to offer support to victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, George Clooney has gone a step further and will be hosting a telethon to aid the people of Haiti.

According to sources, Clooney is doing all he can to rally big-name buddies, asking them to make an appearance on the broadcast, which will air live on Friday, Jan. 22, from 8-10 p.m. ET. All MTV networks, as well as ABC, NBC, CNN and HBO, will carry the show.

Clooney's good friends Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have already opened their hearts and wallets to Haiti, donating $1 million to Doctors Without Borders.


Bravo, George!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Sunday, January 10, 2010

This is "To All the Good Friends I've Known"

Please pause playlist on bottom of page and click on link to hear "One of These Days"



"One Of These Days"

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
And I'm gonna try
And thank them all
for the good times together.
Though so apart we've grown.

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.

And I'm gonna thank,
That old country fiddler
And all those rough boys
Who play that rock 'n' roll
I never tried to burn any bridges
Though I know I let some good things go.

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.

From down in L.A.
All the way to Nashville,
From New York City
To my Canadian prairie home
My friends are scattered
Like leaves from an old maple.
Some are weak, some are strong.

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.

One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.


by Neil Young