Nostalgia: The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast

Insomnia is something that I just accept and fortunately, I can sleep when I feel like it. I've found that a lot of my friends deal with it, as well. The other evening, I watched an infomercial for the Dean Martin Roast and it dawned on me the era was an important part of my life.

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast was an NBC television special show hosted by entertainer Dean Martin from 1974 to 1984. For a series of 54 specials and shows, Martin would periodically "roast" a celebrity.

These roasts were patterned after the roasts held at the New York Friars' Club. The format would have the celebrity guest seated on a dais, and one by one the guest of honor was affectionately chided or insulted about his career by his fellow celebrity friends.

Seeing people like Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, George Burns, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, the inimitable Don Rickles, Sammy Davis Jr, Orson Welles, Jackie Gleason, Johnny Carson, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Stewart, and so many, many more invoked a flood of memories.

Watching a plethora of video clips of some of the most talented people ever assembled was a pleasant trip back to yesterday. Although I may be a bit prejudiced, that irreplaceable era was probably the best in television history.

The News As I See It: Texas Governor Rick Perry told Obama to go to the U.S.-Mexico border and see the immigration crisis firsthand because Americans expect to see their president when there is a disaster. Which is why today Obama showed up in Miami.

LeBron James announced that he will be returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers four years after he left the team. The Miami Heat’s owner Micky Arison, who also owns Carnival Cruises, said today he’s shocked and disappointed by LeBron’s decision. But I think he'll be OK. I mean, if there's anyone who's used to dealing with a sinking ship.

A company in the U.K. is making news for developing a new vegetable called Brussel-Kale, which is a hybrid of Brussels sprouts and kale. They said, "We got the idea from a child's nightmare."
 

This Date In History: 1789; The storming and destruction of Bastille marked the beginning of the French Revolution. 1798; Congress passed the Sedition Act, making it a crime to publish false, scandalous, or malicious writing about the U.S. government.

1881; Billy the Kid was shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett in New Mexico. 1921; In one of the most controversial cases in U.S. history, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were convicted of two murders and sentenced to death.

1933; In Germany, all political parties except the Nazi party were outlawed. 1946; Dr. Spock's Common Sense Book of Baby & Child Care was published. 1958; A military coup overthrew the monarchy in Iraq, killing King Faisal II. General Abdul Karim Kassem becomes Iraq's leader.

Picture Of The Day: This picture is entitled "Black Forrest" and I happened to run across it surfing the Internet. No rhyme, no reason.....I just thought it was quaint.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) I’m a cat person. I sleep all day and spend the rest of the time trying to convince my girlfriend I haven’t eaten yet. 2) (Me): "What?! You said I could tie you up and do anything I want." (Her): "Well, where the hell have you been?" (Me): "Fishing." 3) (Me): "Your shoes are on the wrong feet." ( 4-year-old): "But I don't have any other feet." (Me): "Fair enough." 4) Regular naps prevent old age -- especially if you take them while driving. 5) Rap is to music as Etch-A-Sketch is to art.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - : Animals can be your friends this week as you learn what it's like to live in an alley. There's no reason to get nervous, many relationships end this way.

Birthdays: James McNeill, Whistler painter 1834, Emmeline Pankhurst, woman suffragist. 1858, Gertrude Bell, traveler, author, and government official 1868, Woody Guthrie, American folk singer, guitarist, and composer 1912, Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States (1974-1977) 1913, Ingmar Bergman, director 1918, Maulana Karenga, scholar 1941, Matthew Fox, actor 1966.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: An old man was headed home in his car one evening, swerving and weaving on the road, when he was stopped by a policeman. The policeman asked, "Have you been drinking tonight, sir?" The old man smiled and replied, "Well, I may have had a beer or two. Why do you ask?"

The policeman said, "Sir, your wife fell out of the car about a mile back." The old man exclaimed, "Oh, thank goodness, for a minute or two I thought I'd gone deaf!"

A man was at a bank and in front of him there was an Asian lady who was trying to exchange yen for dollars. It was obvious she was a little irritated.

She said to the teller, "Why it change? Yesterday, I get two hunat dolla fo yen. Today I only get hunat eighty? Why it change?" The teller shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fluctuations." The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people too."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: Two hunters in Louisiana are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services.

He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says, "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says, "OK, now what?"

The Catholic Church requires women to wear a head covering in order to enter the sanctuary. One Sunday a lady arrived without her head covering. The priest informed her that she could not enter without it.

A few moments later, the lady re-appears wearing her blouse tied to her head. The shocked priest says, "Madam, I cannot allow you to enter this holy place without wearing a blouse."

The woman replied, "But Father, I have a divine right !" The priest says, " I can see, and your left one isn't bad either, but you still must wear a blouse to enter this church."

That's it for today, my little canaries. Remember, everything is edible. It's just that some things are only edible once.

More on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !