On This Day In Gay History: Johnny Ray Tops The Charts
Sixty years ago today the Number One song in the US was “Cry” by Johnny Ray. So it was likely at some time on that day anybody listening to the radio near where my mother was birthing me heard this overwrought ballad. I think it is almost perversely appropriate that Ray was crooning the song that made him a 50′s star because, like him, I am gay. Due to his highly emotional singing style, that included bouts of pulling at his hair while performing and the type of torch songs he recorded, he was derisively called “The Nabob of Sob”.
Of course, Mr. Ray had to stay closeted to have a career. Fortunately, for people like Elton John and Melissa Ethridge times have very much changed.
Ray’s first charting single was actually a double-sided hit. After “Cry” reached the top of the charts an even more bathetic number, ” The Little White Cloud That Cried”, did it, too.
Decades later, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, former members of the Brit band 10CC, had the biggest hit of their careers with another song called “Cry”. This video, a real novelty in its day, was largely responsible for helping the song become a hit as it was in heavy rotation on the then influential MTV.
Interestingly, record sales weren’t tabulated officially in the United Kingdom until November of 1952. Instead, sheet music sales determined the biggest hit of the day. Mario Lanza, the popular operatic tenor from The States, had the most sheet music sales on January 27th. How fitting, another tragic musical figure . . .
Real Men Dept.: Dave Salmoni, Large Predator Expert
Rowl!
Dave Salmoni is an animal trainer who appears on Animal Planet and many talk shows.
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Ever since the dawn of TV talk show hosts have acted like complete goofballs around animals. Jimmy Kimmel brings this behavior to new heights, but the real champion is Tyra Banks. I won’t even expose you to her antics. She made me want to see the animal eat her and I don’t mean a big cat merely licking her to death as she cowers in fear. Really irritating.
Manly Enterprise Dept.: Blue Marble
NASA has released a new high-def picture of our planet that has been described as “impossibly beautiful”. The image, “Blue Marble 2012″ is a composite of 4 photographs.
It is an amazing image. Unfortunately, for me and my fellow blogger, H. E. Ellis, our homes are completely obscured. Washington State is lost in the curvature on the upper left, while New England is covered with clouds on the right. But it sure is impressive seeing the Heartland like that.
NASA is, of course, an American concern so it only figures that the image they would release had to be of the North American Continent. One wonders if China had made such an image if it would show only the Asian Continent in all its earthly splendor. Sure. But would any American pundits be describing that image as “impossibly beautiful” or as just merely “pretty”?
One thing images like this always accomplish: can anyone feel significant on any level after looking at this?
Inanity and Insanity Dept.: Paula Deen, Burger Queen
At least the sorry, addicted hypocrite will have the necessary funds to pay for her intensive medical care. At 65 and porking out it’s just around the corner. Bon appetit!
Shove it in hun! Wimpy would be envious of your burger-chomping capacity.
Admittedly, I wish I could put away all the tasty crap that is available in our Land O’ Plenty.
The difference here is that the woman gained weight and turned her body into a toxic waste disposal site as a means to a lucrative end. And that’s just what she’ll be seeing soon enough. Diabetes Type 2, what a small price to pay for the comfort of delicious food.
The picture above was snapped as Ms. Deen hosts a cruise with 400 of her addled and comfort-food-benumbed followers. When Paula chows done her bank account gains weight, too.
I really should have figured out a way to turn my toxic passion into the big bucks years ago. All I needed to do was throw my personal integrity and any semblance of honesty or responsibility away. All our pols and celebs do it. It’s the American Way.
See, there it goes overboard. Aw, too bad, it’s drowning. Oh well. Back to the Burger Bar! Mine with everything and supersized! Just like me . . .
WTF? Dept: Life Is Very Different for the Top 1% of the Top 1%
Gosh, Mitt Romney is a true patriot. I bet the guy sleeps in the flag. And why wouldn’t he? Through his work with the private equity firm Bain Capital (why is it no one ever mentions how appropriate that name is?) he has managed to make the American Dream come true for his family. It certainly helps when you have the financial clout to create laws that make everything that much easier for you.
Since Romney was forced to release his tax records the other day, we have become aware that he only pays 13.9% taxes as opposed to a person making under $250,000 a year who pays as much as 35%. Romney makes almost $57,000 daily (to put that in perspective: the median income for a family in the US is under $55,000 annually) and had an income of $43,000,000 over the last two years. His income mostly comes from his investments that exist on the Cayman Islands, a safe heaven for the wealthy away from the scrutiny and bother of America’s tax code.
Tom Toles is the brilliant editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post. He writes a blog for the Post as well. Today, it has been disclosed that Romney’s sons (Mitt, Jr., Matt, Kitt, Catt, and Dratt. Just kidding, those aren’t their real names) were given a gift of $100,000,000 that was free from taxation. Romney’s clones are in the special position of avoiding gift taxes.
Mitt (center, in blue) with (from left to right) Nick, Nat, Patty, Wack and Bone
Read about it by following this link and make sure to also follow the link embedded in the piece that leads to a CNN interview with David Cay Johnston who exposed this special situation that only the top 1% of the top 1% need be concerned with. Or so they would like us peons to believe.
Those fine-looking Romney boys deserve a slice too! – Tom Toles – The Washington Post.
Animalia: Lola We Hardly Knew Ye | Centaurica
The herd say goodbye to Baby Lola.
Read about this sad event at Centaurica but, be warned, you may cry:
Animalia: Lola We Hardly Knew Ye | Centaurica.
