Category Archives: entertainment news

entertainment news

It’s true, ‘Hey Jude’ tops the list

For years I have been braying out this mantra … that “Hey Jude” is the greatest song ever recorded. Ever, in music history.

Now comes a company, Collider, that has analyzed the entire Beatles catalogue of great music and has determined what I have already known, although it does limit its analysis to Beatles music. It says “Hey Jude,” written primarily by Paul McCartney, is the top Beatles hit of them all.

An article I saw online states: “Choosing a single “perfect’ Beatles song is ultimately a matter of opinion, especially given the extraordinary quality of the band’s catalog. Yet ‘Hey Jude’ possesses many of the qualities fans and critics value most: memorable songwriting, emotional depth, musical ambition, and universal appeal.

“More than fifty years after it first topped the charts, the song continues to inspire singalongs, spark discussions, and remind listeners why The Beatles remain one of the greatest bands of all time.”

The piece I saw attributes this ranking to a “respected music publication.” I want to suggest that the author is so correct about “Hey Jude.” If I’m driving my vehicle somewhere, I’ve been known to park it when “Hey Jude” plays on the radio. I want to listen to all 7 minutes and 11 seconds of it … including the end that seems to never end.

Many of us know the back story behind the song. Paul began writing as a comforting tune for young Julian Lennon, who’s dad — John Lennon — was divorcing his first wife, and Julian’s mother, Cynthia. The lyrics seek to comfort those in emotional trouble. That was McCartney’s aim in writing the lyrics that Julian heard.

I won’t try to persuade anyone here that “Hey Jude” indeed is the greatest song in music history. I am just flabbergasted that some folks in the know have rated it at the top of the Beatles catalogue. Naming the greatest piece of music ever performed by anyone, well … no doubt that’s too steep a hill for anyone to climb.

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Falling short in tribute to Dolly

As clear as it now looks, it is obvious that my brief tribute to the late Dolly Parton — and yes, it’s strange beyond belief to refer to her in that fashion — fell far short of the mark. So … I will seek to remedy that with this brief post.

Dolly Parton was a brilliant businesswoman with a heart of pure gold. She was generous with her immense wealth. She had a wonderfully self-deprecating wit that she used on herself without apology.

I did note that she was an extraordinary talent who composed some of pop culture’s most durable music.

She also was a champion for literacy among our children. She came by that desire honestly, as her beloved father never learned to read and write. When Vanderbilt University closed for a time during the COVID pandemic, Dolly donated $1 million to get the university up and running. She reportedly furnished hundreds of millions of books to children around the world, encouraging them to enjoy reading and having the whole world open up to them.

She said she wanted to create a fantasy amusement park near her East Tennessee hometown. She declared she would name it “Dollywood,” and it would cater to families seeking to get away from the travails of life.

I mentioned to you already that I am not a huge country music fan, but I sure know talent when I see it. Dolly Parton was an extraordinary woman whose legacy will live on not just in her music, but also in the lives of children who were blessed to receive the gift of literacy that she encouraged.

The world will miss Dolly Parton’s huge presence, but it also will continue to reap the rewards she left behind.

entertainment news

Dolly: legend in her own time

Few entertainers ever reach legendary status, even after they have passed from the scene.

Dolly Parton was the rare individual who attained that exalted place even as she continued to enthrall us with her music. Parton died Tuesday at age 80, leaving a legacy that well could be unmatched by her peers.

And I say this as someone who isn’t a huge country music fan, but one who recognizes talent and, yes, legendary status when I see it. Dolly was the real deal, man.

She carried herself with an air of flamboyance that no one would dare copy. She would gussy herself up and then speak to her fans through that unmistakable Southern drawl that only could come from the back of her throat.

Dolly Parton, though, was far from being a mere glamorous star who merely looked the part of a legend. She delivered the goods through her timeless music, delivered with one of the sweetest voices God ever created. That divinely inspired voice sang lyrics that came from her very own heart.

This world has lost another huge talent. She lived a full and rich life and has left behind a treasure trove of music that we can enjoy for the rest of our eternity.

Rest in eternal peace, Dolly Parton … and thank you for sharing your enormous gifts with the rest of us.

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‘Puppy Tales’ has returned!

It’s time for me to admit that I have been a neglectful puppy parent … but it has nothing to do with the care I give the pups who enjoy a special place in my family.

You might recall that when I had Toby the Puppy I routinely chronicled the things he would do to make my wife and me laugh out loud. Then came 2023, the worst year of my life. I lost my bride to brain cancer near the beginning of the year. Then I said goodbye to Toby near the end of that horrible year, also to cancer.

I put Puppy Tales on indefinite hold. Then in 2024, Sabol joined my family. She has been an absolute scream. In 2025, my family added Endo, who became BFF with Sabol immediately on joining us in our Princeton home.

Today, I made a command decision. I am dusting off Puppy Tales and will resume telling you stories about the joy of returning to the world of puppy parenthood.

I have a quick story to tell, so here goes.

I took Endo to the veterinarian’s office this morning. My intention was to determine her age. The doctor told me she could give me a pretty good guess, based on the condition of Endo’s teeth. We walked in, got our place in the exam room.

Endo’s doctor took a look at her teeth and said she is “between 3 1/2 and 4 years old.” So, there you go. The doc estimated Sabol’s age to be between 6 and 7.

Then I made another command decision. I declared that today, March 31, is Endo’s birthday. I declared also that she turns 4 on this day. “She’s still a young dog,” Endo’s doc told me. The doctor also assured me that she appears to be in excellent health. We had fought off a yeast infection and some skin allergies. Endo weighed about 37 pounds when she first joined me. Today she tipped the beam at 46 pounds, earning her the affectionate nickname of Fatty. She’s not fat, but she clearly has gained weight, which she wears nicely.

Sabol and Endo are still besties. I am grateful they love each other. I had a little fear that Sabol might assert herself as the queen of the house. She didn’t do that, although I do consider her to be the Alpha female around here.

I am looking forward once more to sharing their lives with you. My hope is that you enjoy reading about them, too.

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Downtown doesn’t exist here

Allow me a moment to vent about something that’s been gnawing at me since just about the time I laid eyes on the city I am proud to call home.

I have lived in Princeton, Texas, for seven years. My wife and I found a lovely, modest home in a newly built subdivision just south of U.S. 380.

We took to life in this Dallas suburban community right away … except for one key element that was missing. Princeton does not have any sort of downtown business, finance or entertainment district. I know where it should be, near the Veterans Park near Second Avenue. But it ain’t there, man.

The city has become the fastest-growing city in America, a label that I love advertising to people I meet. Many of the Dallas-Fort Worth residents know it already. I tell folks we’ve exploded from fewer than 10,000 residents to something north of 40,000 in just the past 15 years. The growth isn’t letting up, not even a little bit.

It’s happening, though, despite the absence of a downtown district that could serve as a magnet for those seeking a place to do business, to shop for goods and gifts, or to enjoy a quality meal with friends and family.

I spoke to Derek Borg, who at the time of our arrival in Princeton served as city manager. He told me of some conceptual plans that the city had approved and assured me downtown development would occur. He offered no timetable, no specific notion of what downtown would include. All he spoke about, as I recall it, was of some vague notion that the City Council had approved. Borg is now gone from City Hall and all the reporting I have read about the city’s future has made next to zero mention of downtown development.

I have noted already on this blog that Princeton is sprouting into a city with no personality, no identity. The place to establish such a trait must be in its downtown district. State demographers tell us the city will be home eventually to more than 100,000 people. Where in the world are they going to go to enjoy city life in this one-time burg?

We aren’t a burg any longer. I am just one resident in a community that needs to build an identity on which it can attract others to come here to enjoy themselves, or just to do business.

Downtown Princeton needs to be conceived and then given a set time for birth and then growth.

entertainment news

Trump’s narcissism flies off the rails

Donald J. Trump’s latest exhibition of narcissism goes so far off the rails that I am struggling with strong enough words to condemn it.

He slapped his name on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a D.C. structure built to honor the memory of the slain President John F. Kennedy. What galls millions of Americans, though, is how Trump’s name appears ahead of JFK’s name on what Trump wants to be known as the “Donald Trump John Kennedy Center … “

Leave it to Maria Shriver, JFK’s niece, to drive home the family’s outrage. She said that if Trump’s name remains on the building the Kennedy family is going to withdraw all contributions to anything that occurs under the center’s name. The family, she said, also intends to sue to get Trump’s name off the edifice and it will pull every dollar from the family to the center.

The Kennedy Center was named by congressional fiat. It is inscribed in federal statute, which means that Trump’s decision to add his own name is nothing more than a symbolic demonstration of his greed and his monstrous ego.

I want to send my expression of supreme outrage into cyberland and to offer my heartfelt thanks to Maria Shriver for standing up to the megalomaniac in chief whose name on a building erected to honor her Uncle Jack only proves this pretender’s unfitness for the office he occupies.

entertainment news

Is White House next for Trump brand?

A little more than a decade ago, President Barack Obama stood before the White House Correspondents Dinner audience and joked that Donald Trump might want to hang a huge “Trump” sign on the White House were he elected president of the United States.

The quip drew uproarious laughter. Trump, who was in the audience, wasn’t laughing.

Now, it seems that the joke isn’t so funny. Trump has just agreed to plaster his name on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The center board has voted to call it the “Trump Kennedy Center … “

Roll that around for a moment and consider why this is so horribly wrong. Trump’s name would appear in front of the slain president for whom the center was named … in his honor! Moreover, it’s not at all clear that the decision is legal, given that the center was named through a congressional act; therefore, it well could require an act of Congress to change the name.

Trump continues to insult the intelligence of Americans — and those around the world — through his callously disrespecful acts. Placing his name on a building intended to honor those who contribute to society’s art is beyond hideous. JFK honored the arts, along with his wife, Jacqueline. The Kennedy name alone should stand forever on the center that seeks to honor a slain — and beloved — leader of this great nation.

I am going to ask something I once thought was unthinkable: Is the White House really immune from this type of PR chicanery?

entertainment news

Landmark birthday … for the ages

I think of landmark birthdays when they arrive on the calendar and I miss the people who would celebrate them were they still around.

One such person’s birthday comes up on Oct. 9. That’s today. He would be 85 years of age. He’s no longer around to mark the event. He was gunned down at 40. Far too young. He was John Lennon.

Of all the assassinations we have endured over the years, this one made the least sense of all of them. John Lennon’s killer earlier in evening of Dec. 8, 1980, had gotten the ex-Beatle’s autograph. Then he waited for John and his wife to return home to their apartment in New York City. He pulled out his pistol and then … well, you know the rest of it.

The shooter is serving a life sentence for the senseless murder of a man who preached the cause of world peace. He had taken a five-year sabbatical from the limelight to raise his young son. John had returned to the studio to make music again.

John Lennon’s work already is the stuff of legend. He was one-half of the most successful songwriting team in music history. Only God knows what he would have produced had he been given the chance.

John Lennon and his Beatle band mates helped raise me. I miss him every day.

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Beatles are done … forever

Friends can accuse me of being slow on the uptake and I wouldn’t mind, as I recognize that in my ownself.

Example? When The Beatles released their single, “Now and Then” in 2023, they said it would be their final song. No more Beatles records for those of us who believe they are the greatest rock band in history. My first reaction was kinda goofy. What do you mean no more?

“Now and Then” was presented to Paul McCartney by Yoko Oho, John Lennon’s wife along with two other demo tapes that Paul, George Harrison and Ringo Starr finished and released as singles in 1995. They all worked on “Now and Then,” then gave up on it, as the quality of the demo tape didn’t measure up to the other two. George was the first to abandon the “Now and Then” project.

Then, in 2001, George got sick and died of cancer in November of that year. John, of course, died in 1980 in one of the most senseless acts of violence I’ve ever seen.

Paul then got a wild hair and decided to finish the recording of “Now and Then” with Ringo, using John’s voice and George’s work on the unfinished recording. Technology has advanced well beyond what was available to the lads in 1995.

Where am I going with this? “Now and Then” was the last recording with all of The Beatles taking part. There ain’t no more. All of The Beatles have said the group does not exist without all of them present. George Harrison famously said in the 1980s when asked if The Beatles would reunite: “No. Not as long as John Lennon is still dead.” There you have it. One’s death is as permanent a condition as one can find.

As the cliche goes: The group is gone, but their music lives forever.

 

entertainment news

RIP, Brian Wilson

What does one say about the death of a man whose musical genius comes along just once in any normal human being’s lifetime.

Brian Wilson was the rarest of geniuses. He founded a musical group, the Beach Boys with his brothers, a cousin and a boyhood pal. They made music for 60 years that stands the test of time to this very day.

He blended exquisite harmonies with extraordinary production values and left a legacy that will live far beyond Wilson’s 82 years on this Earth. Indeed, they might, indeed, live forever.

Wilson led a well-chronicled troubled life. He was beset with drug addiction, personality disorders, emotional fragility caused in large part by his well-known stage fright. He fought through it all.

He continued to make music that will last through the ages.

I am not equipped rhetorically to pay appropriate tribute to this once-in-a-lifetime talent. I just know in my heart that his music helped me come of age in the 1960s … and for that he will have my eternal gratitude.