M Is FOR MASHUP - July 13th, 2011
Too Hot To Write This Article About New Mashup Albums
By DJ Useo
Why is it so hot today? Is it because I lied when I was seventeen? (travis joke-lol) But seriously, was it always this hot? I saw a block of ice scream today!The local paper reported a chicken laid a fried egg. Jimmy Vaughan was actually arrested for playing a hot lick during the fire ban. Anyway, in places far chillier than where I am in Texas, cooler heads have prevailed & released new mashup collections.
First up is Pinkpop 2011 Mashup Bootleg'!' from the fine folks at MashupFacts & assembled by one of Netherlands' finest - Mash2Mix. This swell collection contains only mashups from Dutch producers. That means that you'll hear killer audio collectibles by mixers like G3rst, Pheugoo, Ruin My Tune, & Martinn among many more. The material is also focused somewhat on Dutch sourced artists as the release coincides with the annual renounded Pinkpop festival they have over there. I played this album around & got GREAT reaction. Of note especially is Pheugoo's Pussycat Dolls vs Coldplay mix. The crowd went ape over it! Grab
here the entire file
( www.mashupfacts.com/2011/06/04/pinkpop-2011-mashup-bootleg )
Next up is something different than mashed pellas & mentals. It's ALAN BLACK's new Spoken Ambient mash project, 'RUIN: A Mash-up Album Using Bioshock 1 & 2'. Alan describes it as such - "A dark mash-up album combining music with dialogue excerpts from Bioshock 1 & 2 and sound from Bioshock 1 & 2 and Portal 1 & 2. It ain't pop, it ain't Top 40. Long attention spans welcome." I won't hesitate to say that I prefer more singing-oriented mashup work, but this is a very well-made listen & is worth the time spent to listen. I don't regret it at all. This new album & other recent works by Alan Black are
here
( web.mac.com/alanblack13/AlanBlack/Ruin.html )
Here's a really wild mashup album from some complete nutball named Konrad Useo...OH! That's ME!! Yes, I actually have a new volume 4 in my 'FRIKKENFRACK:Useo's Strangest Boots' series. Some of these have been heard on my QRADIPS SHOW w/ DJ USEO radio show, but many are new & unreleased.I f you have a passion for music, madness and mashups, this is the record for you. Hear Richard Cheese, They Might Be Giants, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Firesign Theater, & the 3 Stooges mashed among plenty others. My favorite currently is track 15 - 'Sorry And Lonesome' (Brenda Lee vs Elvis Presley). It's out there, believe you me. Listen for it
here
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2011/07/frikkenfrack-4dj-useos-strangest-boots.html )
Don't miss the current 'Mash-Up Your Bootz Party Sampler Vol. 49'. Always a worthy listen, the season seems to have urged them to a burst of inspiration with the chosen tracks being hot as sneck! You will hear LMFAODanzelKrazeLaserkraftDiddySkylarGreyP!nkC&CMusicFactorySaltnPepaFaithlessSnapBenny BenassCulture BeatDrAlbaTechnotronicMikeCandysJackHolidayInsomniaRhythmAfrojack & lots more all mashed as if by pros! Yet they are bootleg mixes! Amazing, isn't it? Listen in
here
( mashupyourbootz.blogspot.com/2011/06/mash-up-your-bootz-party-sampler-vol-49.html )
Don't hold your breathe for more mashup albums, as I hear tell of 3 new releases with the next few weeks. Great international projects. More news of them soon.
Good luck beating the heat all. I plan to have an intravenous drip of iced tea tapped to my arm. ;)
Mix Of The Week
Joy! My new sixties psychedelic rock mix 'YOOV SCENE' got a big thumbs up! It's the most-mixed one I ever made & all the tracks I remastered myself. Enjoy it & many more like mixes from me
here
( www.bmbx.org/2011/07/yoov-scene/ )
Mashup Tip : Cut your samples less than 3 seconds & avoid nasty copyright issues. hehe.
Latest Useo Thing
'God Intended The Great Batsy'(Groundlevel vs Bullwack) is rave 1991 vs dubstep 2011. For this mix I did partial extractions of each track & then looped & produced it till it was done. I reckon most of you won't know the source artists, but they're good, so please lend an ear.
It's really dirty nasty synth loops with sparse repeated lyric-samples.Modern-music in other words.
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2011/07/groundlevel-vs-bullwack-rave-vs-dubstep.html )
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
In 2 days,Florida DJ Gatormixer will release a mash of the Futurama cartoon show theme with Lenny Kravitz only to find that Netherlands masher G3rst had already done it a year ago! Burn!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
George Carlin - Religion is bullshit (YouTube)
Jim Hightower: CORPORATE HOGGISHNESS RUN AMUCK
They're back. Citigroup, Coca-Cola, IBM, Merck, and dozens of other major U.S. corporations are back in Washington - like hogs at the trough - demanding to be fed another tax boondoggle.
President Clinton Addresses 1,000+ at the 2011 Campus Progress National Conference (YouTube)
"One of the most pervasive political movements going on outside Washington today is the disciplined, passionate, determined effort of Republican governors and legislators to keep most of you [college students] from voting next time. There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the other Jim Crow burdens on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today."
Andrew Tobias: Don't Tax the Rich; Don't Let the Poor Vote; Confuse Everybody Else
"The Republicans who control the House and have a lot of votes in the Senate have now decided - having quadrupled the Debt in the 12 years before I took office and doubled it after I left - that it's all of a sudden the biggest problem in the world."-Bill Clinton
RANA FOROOHAR: Driven off the Road by M.B.A.s (Time)
To get the U.S. economy growing again, Lutz says, we need to fire the M.B.A.s and let engineers run the show.
The Troubled History Of The Supermarket Tomato (NPR)
Supermarket tomatoes may look delicious - smooth, red and unblemished - but for the most part, they taste like nothing at all.
Randall Roberts: "Spoken beat: Brian Eno puts talking to music on new album" (Los Angeles Times)
The process behind Brian Eno's new album, "Drums Between the Bells," a collaboration with the English poet Rick Holland, is based on a simple premise but one that could change the way you hear your next conversation.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Death (Athens News)
Groucho Marx got a lot of letters in his old age, but he reasoned that he got so many letters because two of his famous comedian brothers, Chico and Harpo, had died before he did. If they had lived, they would have received many of the letters. Groucho was a skeptic concerning the afterlife. Before Chico and Harpo died, they made a promise to Groucho, who explained, "They said they'd get in touch with me if there were a hereafter." So what happened? Chico died in 1961, Harpo died in 1964, and in an interview with movie critic Roger Ebert in 1970, Groucho said, "I never heard a word. Not a godd*mn word."
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
wrote:
tooke the day off.
Reader Suggestions
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2010 Census Map
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another lovely marine layer.
Joins 'CSI: The Original One
Ted Danson
It's a long way from running a bar on the sitcom "Cheers," but this fall Ted Danson will join the cast of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS announced late Tuesday.
Danson will play the new supervisor for the Las Vegas CSI team. It's the position originally held by William Petersen and then filled by Laurence Fishburne, who had been on the show since its 2008-09 season.
Besides his 'CSI' duties, Danson will remain a series regular on the HBO comedy series, "Bored to Death," CBS said.
"CSI" will begin its 12th season with Danson aboard on Sept. 21.
Ted Danson
YouTube Date Request
Mila Kunis
Thanks to the power of the Internet, a Marine's YouTube request to go on a date with Mila Kunis got through to the actress, who said yes.
In a recent Fox News interview, the 27-year-old "Black Swan" star was asked whether she knew about Sgt. Scott Moore's video asking her to accompany him to the Marine Corps Ball in Greenville, N.C., in November. The annual event marks the founding of the Marines in 1775.
"Hey Mila. It's Sergeant Moore, but you can call me Scott," he said from a base in Afghanistan. "I just wanted to take a moment out of my day to invite you to the Marine Corps Ball on November 18th in Greenville, North Carolina, with yours truly. So take a second, think about it and get back to me."
Kunis reacted with surprise and asked for details about the event during the Fox News interview. After her "Friends With Benefits" co-star, Justin Timberlake, goaded her to fulfill her patriotic duties, Kunis said she would go.
Mila Kunis
GSA Selling
Lghthouses
For sale: Historic waterfront property with a spectacular, 50-foot-high view of Lake Michigan. Featuring solid, century-old cast-iron construction, painted distinctive red. Comes with its own Fresnel lens for signaling ships.
If that sounds attractive, act now: the Kenosha North Pierhead Lighthouse in Wisconsin is up for auction by the U.S. General Services Administration , but bids are due by Wednesday afternoon. If you miss the deadline, there's still the Conneaut Harbor West Breakwater Light in Ohio, which is open for bidding until July 20."There're a number of people who like to say, 'Hey, I own a lighthouse.' It's good cocktail party conversation," said John E.B. Smith, the deputy assistant commissioner for Real Property Utilization and Disposal for the GSA's Public Building Service.
As of Sunday afternoon, after several bids early Saturday, the Kenosha lighthouse price was at $13,000, while the one at Conneaut Harbor had received one bid for $5,000.
If the price is too high, GSA is also offering 12 historic lighthouses for free, though takers must be eligible state or local entities, nonprofit corporations, historic preservation groups, or community development organizations. "The U.S. General Services Administration is looking for a few good stewards to preserve a key slice of the nation's maritime history," the agency said in a recent news release.
Lghthouses
Plans Return To Print World
Creem
An iconic, sardonic rock 'n' roll magazine with Detroit roots that ceased regular print publication two decades ago is planning a comeback.
The publishing team behind Creem says it's restarting the presses in September for the magazine that officially shut down in 1988, was revived a few years later and has been online-only since 2001.
They envision the quarterly publication as part of a broader music network that includes mobile apps and streaming music videos. The aim: attract old and new readers.
Magazine expert Samir Husni says the idea is great but execution will be difficult. There was talk of another Creem return after Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical movie "Almost Famous" renewed interest. Though known for his Rolling Stone connection, Crowe wrote for Creem as a teenager under editor Lester Bangs.
Creem
Legion of Honour
Liza Minnelli
France made U.S. actress Liza Minnelli, the singing legend with the powerful vibrato and jet-black pixie hairdo, an officer in its Legion of Honor.
Calling it a "dream come true," the 65-year-old daughter of Judy Garland whose signature song is "New York, New York" was awarded the red-ribboned medal during a ceremony in Paris.
French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand cited not only Minnelli's extensive career on the stage, but her work in fighting AIDS.
Minnelli, wearing a black silk jacket with chartreuse cuffs, dedicated the award to her friend and mentor Charles Aznavour, one of France's best-loved singers.
Liza Minnelli
NYC
Rock & Roll Auction
A strap from the guitar Jimi Hendrix burned on stage at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival is being offered by a New York City auctioneer alongside memorabilia from Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain.
The online Gotta Have It! Rock & Roll Auction runs Wednesday through July 22.
Gotta Have It! Collectibles Inc. says the seller of the Hendrix guitar strap is the audience member who caught it at the three-day rock concert in Monterey, Calif.
The auction also includes a guitar smashed by Nirvana lead singer Cobain in 1993, the year before he died. There's a glove worn by Jackson at a 1997 concert in London. And there's a dress worn by Katy Perry in her video for "I Kissed a Girl."
Rock & Roll Auction
Baby News
Kase Townes Murray
Singer Jewel has given birth to a baby boy, People magazine reported on Tuesday.
The Grammy-nominated singer, 37, and her professional bull riding husband, Ty Murray, welcomed their son named Kase Townes Murray on Monday in Texas, according to People.
Kase Townes Murray
Returning To Mexico
Bruce Beresford-Redman
A judge on Tuesday ordered a reality TV producer to be returned to Mexico to face a charge that he killed his wife while on a family vacation 15 months ago.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian issued her ruling after a nearly two-hour extradition hearing in Los Angeles.
Bruce Beresford-Redman has been jailed since November on a fugitive warrant issued after Mexican authorities in Cancun charged him with the aggravated homicide of his wife, Monica Beresford-Redman.
The former "Survivor" producer can appeal the ruling, and federal prosecutors said it could be at least a year before he is sent to Mexico if he pursues all his U.S. appeals.
Bruce Beresford-Redman
UK Court
Julian Assange
Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange asked a court for a second time on Tuesday to block his extradition from Britain to Sweden for questioning over allegations of sexual misconduct, arguing the case was legally flawed.
The 40-year-old Australian computer expert is in the High Court in London for a two-day hearing after losing an initial challenge to the extradition order in February.
The defense's argument centered on the fact that he had not been formally accused of anything yet in Sweden. The defense said it had no access yet to the full dossier detailing the allegations against him.
His defense lawyer Ben Emmerson told two judges the European arrest warrant (EAW) on which he was being held was flawed because it failed to provide "a fair, accurate and proper" description of his alleged sexual misconduct in Sweden.
Julian Assange
Faces Foreclosure
R Kelly
Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly faces a $2.9 million foreclosure on his suburban Chicago mansion.
Crain's Chicago Business reported Tuesday that JPMorgan Chase Bank filed the foreclosure lawsuit last month in Cook County Circuit Court. The complaint states that Kelly hasn't made monthly mortgage payments since June of last year.
Crain's reports the Olympia Field home's appraised value fell 26 percent in a year, to $3.8 million in 2010. The original 1999 loan was for $3.5 million
R Kelly
Hollywood Bookkeeping
Glen A. Larson
The producer of "Knight Rider," "Battlestar Galactica," "Magnum, P.I." and a string of other hits -- and the man credited with creating the word "frak" -- is suing Universal for millions in profits.
Glen A. Larson's lawsuit says the 1970s and '80s shows Larson created and produced were some of Universal's biggest cash cows, and that Larson was "probably the most successful creator/producer of television shows in Universal's history both in terms of revenue and critical acclaim."
"Indeed, as the shows make more money for Universal, the deficit that Larson productions must overcome continually increases. It's Hollywood's version of being a sharecropper," reads one colorful passage of the suit.
The imaginative imagery is fitting for a lawsuit from Larson, credited with basing "Battlestar" partly on Mormon theology and creating the curse word the show and its reboot made famous.
Glen A. Larson
More Hollywood Bookkeeping
"Head of the Class"
The creators of the hit sitcom "Head of the Class" sued talent agent CAA on Monday, accusing the company of making its own side deals that cut into their profits from the two-decade-old show.
The suit takes aim at deals in which agencies receive a "package fee," instead of the customary 10 percent commission, in exchange for packaging multiple elements of a show. It says the series, which has been syndicated worldwide, has earned more than $200 million in revenue.
Douglas Johnson, one of the attorneys who filed the suit on behalf of show creators Michael Elias and Richard Eustis, said CAA made deals with Warner Bros. Television that granted CAA better terms than their clients received and made the agency an extra $9 million. The suit accuses the agency of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, among other allegations.
The suit contends that CAA negotiated a 1984 overall deal for Eustis and Elias that entitled them to "net profits" for the high school sitcom, which ran on ABC from 1986 to 1991. CAA negotiated itself a $3.2 million package fee, but the suit contends that it also received an additional $9 million in a side deal.
"Head of the Class"
Japan, Sea Shepherd Trade Blows
Whaling
Japan and the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd on Tuesday swapped angry words at the world whaling conference here over the hunting of cetaceans around Antarctica.
In a plenary session of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japanese delegation chief Kenji Kagawa blasted Sea Shepherd's pursuit of Japanese whaling ships as "sabotage" and "violent and illegal acts".
But Sea Shepherd skipper Paul Watson vowed to continue harassing Japanese whalers if they returned to the Antarctic sanctuary later this year.
Separately, Atsushi Ishii, a Tokyo University professor and author of "Anatomy of the Whaling Debate", said Japanese were increasingly shunning whale meat as they accepted ecologists' arguments to protect the giant mammals.
"Whale meat has not been selling well in Japan for years. The reality is that the whaling industry doesn't want more meat," he said in an interview with AFP.
Whaling
Family To Challenge Utah Bigamy Law
'Sister Wives'
A polygamous family made famous by the reality TV show "Sister Wives" plans to challenge the Utah bigamy law that makes their lifestyle illegal, a Washington-based attorney said Tuesday.
I
n an email to The Associated Press, attorney Jonathan Turley said he will file the lawsuit challenging Utah's bigamy law in Salt Lake City's U.S. District Court on Wednesday.
Turley represents Kody Brown and his four wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn. Brown is only legally married to Meri Brown.
Originally from Lehi, the Browns, who have 16 children, has been featured on the TLC reality show since last fall. They moved out of Utah to Nevada in January after police and Utah County prosecutors launched a bigamy investigation. No charges were ever filed.
Bigamy is a third-degree felony in Utah. A person can be found guilty of bigamy through cohabitation, not just legal marriage contracts.
'Sister Wives'
Not A Tennis Fan
Comcast
Comcast has just been served by the Federal Communications Commission over its treatment of the Tennis Channel.
The Los Angeles Times reports that an FCC lawyer is recommending that Comcast be fined $375,000 for discriminating against the Santa Monica-based Tennis Channel.
The Tennis Channel has argued that Comcast has refused to add the small sports channel to its more popular packages of channels, essentially depriving the company of revenue, while showing favoritism toward two comparably small networks, the Golf Channel and Versus, that are owned by Philadelphia-based cable leader Comcast.
Comcast has denied the allegations, saying it would be too costly and not beneficial to include the Tennis Channel to its less expensive but more popular channel packages. However, FCC attorney Gary Oshinsky wrote on Friday that he believed Comcast had broken rules against cable operators from favoring channels that they own.
Comcast
Judge Dismisses Charges
Foxy Brown
A judge on Tuesday dropped charges that rapper Foxy Brown violated a court order by mooning her neighbor after the woman told prosecutors she would not testify at the trial.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Isdith said he had tried to meet with the neighbor, Irene Raymond, in the weeks before the trial and didn't get anywhere. When he finally got in touch with her, she said she didn't want to pursue the case, he said.
Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, pleaded not guilty to criminal contempt and her trial was slated to begin Tuesday, following a dressing-down at her last court hearing by State Supreme Court Justice John Walsh when she appeared hours late.
The 31-year-old hip hop star was punctual this time, wearing a short silver silk dress and towering spike heels, and smiled and hugged he attorneys as the courtroom erupted when Walsh dismissed the case.
Foxy Brown
Raises Rates 60 Percent
Netflix
Netflix Inc will raise by 60 percent the monthly price of a plan that lets subscribers watch unlimited movies and video online and get DVDs by mail.
Customers who want both services will pay $7.99 per month to rent one DVD at a time plus $7.99 for unlimited streaming, or a total of $15.98 per month. The previous cost of this plan was $9.99 a month.
"We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into separate plans to better reflect the costs of each and to give our members a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan or the option to subscribe to both," Netflix Vice President of Marketing Jessie Becker wrote in a company blog post.
Unlimited DVD-only plans will cost $7.99 for one at a time or $9.99 for two at a time.
Netflix
New Stone-Age
California
Thirteen mostly conservative California counties would break away to create a 51st state known as South California under a proposal by a local elected official.
Republican Jeff Stone has asked fellow members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to support a motion to bring together officials from the 13 counties to discuss the idea. A vote is scheduled for Tuesday.
Stone says California is too big to govern, which has led the state to raid local government coffers because of runaway spending.
Stone's version of South California would not include Los Angeles County. Instead, it would encompass coastal Orange and San Diego counties, and inland Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino and Tulare counties. It would have a part-time Legislature and no term limits.
California
FCC Channels Sgt. Schultz
Rupert
U.S. communications regulators are not looking into News Corp and its role in a phone hacking scandal at its British newspapers.
"There is obviously a process going on in the UK, and that is not a process we expect to get involved in or interfere with," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said during a news conference after the agency's monthly open meeting.
News Corp, in addition to its newspapers in Britain, owns the Fox television network, the Wall Street Journal and other media properties in the United States.
The agency will "do its job" if new issues arise, Genachowski said.
Rupert
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for July 4-10.
1. "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), NBC, 15.78 million.
2. "Primetime Special Edition," ABC, 15.07 million.
3. "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday), NBC, 12.85 million.
4. "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), NBC, 12.59 million.
5. "NCIS," CBS, 8.9 million.
6. "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks," NBC, 8.71 million.
7. "60 Minutes," CBS, 8.39 million.
8. "Big Brother 13" (Thursday), CBS, 7.89 million.
9. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 7.21 million.
10. "Big Brother 13" (Sunday), CBS, 7.18 million.
11. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 7.01 million.
12. "Wipeout" (Thursday), ABC, 6.813 million.
13. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 6.812 million.
14. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 6.79 million.
15. "The Mentalist," CBS, 6.72 million.
16. "Boston Pops Fireworks," CBS, 6.65 million.
17. "So You Think You Can Dance" (Wednesday), Fox, 6.46 million.
18. "Flashpoint," CBS, 6.37 million.
19. "CSI: NY," CBS, 6.05 million.
20. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 5.93 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz, writer-creator of two of the best-remembered TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch," has died at age 94.
Great niece Robin Randall said Schwartz died at 4 a.m. Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was being treated for an intestinal infection and underwent several surgeries. His wife, Mildred, and children had been at his side.
Sherwood Schwartz and his brother, Al, started as a writing team in TV's famed 1950s "golden age," said Douglas Schwartz, the late Al Schwartz's son.
Success was the hallmark of Sherwood Schwartz's own career. Neither "Gilligan" nor "Brady" pleased the critics, but both managed to reverberate in viewers' heads through the years as few such series did, lingering in the language and inspiring parodies, spinoffs and countless standup comedy jokes.
Schwartz had given up a career in medical science to write jokes for Bob Hope's radio show. He went on to write for other radio and TV shows, including "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."
He dreamed up "Gilligan's Island" in 1964. It was a Robinson Crusoe story about seven disparate travelers who are marooned on a deserted Pacific Island after their small boat wrecks in a storm. The cast: Alan Hale Jr., as Skipper Jonas Grumby; Bob Denver, as his klutzy assistant Gilligan; Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer, the rich snobs Thurston and Lovey Howell; Tina Louise, the bosomy movie star Ginger Grant; Russell Johnson, egghead science professor Roy Hinkley Jr.; and Dawn Wells, sweet-natured farm girl Mary Ann Summers.
TV critics hooted at "Gilligan's Island" as gag-ridden corn. Audiences adored its far-out comedy. Schwartz insisted that the show had social meaning along with the laughs: "I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications."
"Gilligan's Island" lasted on CBS from 1964 to 1967, and it was revived in later seasons with three high-rated TV movies. A children's cartoon, "The New Adventures of Gilligan," appeared on ABC from 1974 to 1977, and in 2004, Schwartz had a hand in producing a TBS reality show called "The Real Gilligan's Island."
The name of the boat on "Gilligan's Island" - the S.S. Minnow - was a bit of TV inside humor: It was named for Newton Minow, who as Federal Communications Commission chief in the early 1960s had become famous for proclaiming television "a vast wasteland."
Minow took the gibe in good humor, saying later that he had a friendly correspondence with Schwartz.
TV writers usually looked upon "The Brady Bunch" as a sugarcoated view of American family life.
The premise: a widow (Florence Henderson) with three daughters marries a widower (Robert Reed) with three sons. (Widowhood was a common plot point in TV series back then, since networks were leery of divorce.) During the 1970s when the nation was rocked by social turmoil, audiences seemed comforted by watching an attractive, well-scrubbed family engaged in trivial pursuits.
The series lasted from 1969 to 1974, but it had an amazing afterlife. It was followed by three one-season spinoffs: "The Brady Bunch Hour" (1977), "The Brady Brides" (1981) and "The Bradys" (1990). "The Brady Bunch Movie," with Shelley Long and Gary Cole as the parents, was a surprise box-office hit in 1995.
Sherwood Schwartz was born in 1916 in Passaic, N.J., and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. His brother, already working for Hope, got him a job when Sherwood was still in college.
Besides his wife, Schwartz's survivors include sons Donald, Lloyd and Ross Schwartz, and daughter Hope Juber.
Sherwood Schwartz
In Memory
Rob Grill
Rob Grill, the longtime lead singer for rock band The Grass Roots, has died at age 67 from complications of a stroke, his agent said on Tuesday.
Grill died on Monday at a hospice outside Orlando, Florida, with his wife, Nancy, at his side, said his agent Howie Silverman of Paradise Artists.
Grill joined The Grass Roots in 1967, soon after it was created by songwriters Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan, and soon scored a hit with the song "Let's Live for Today."
The band's other hits with Grill as lead singer included "Midnight Confessions" and "Temptation Eyes."
The Grass Roots has cycled through many band members over the years, but Grill was a constant force in the group as both a musician and songwriter.
Rob Grill
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