Entertainment History
On July 7, 1949, the police drama "Dragnet," starring Jack Webb and
Barton Yarborough, premiered on NBC radio. In 1954, Memphis DJ Dewey
Phillips of WHBQ became the first DJ to play an Elvis Presley record.
He premiered "That's All Right," and he also interviewed Elvis. Also in
1954, two versions of "Sh-Boom" were in the top 10: the original by The
Chords was at number nine, and the cover version by a white group, The
Crew-Cuts, was at number five. In 1968, The Yardbirds broke up.
Guitarist Jimmy Page formed the New Yardbirds, which became Led
Zeppelin. In 1971, Bjorn Ulvaeus (ul-VAY'-us) and Agnetha (ag-NET'-uh)
Faltskog of ABBA married in Verum, Sweden. They divorced in 1980. In
1975, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was charged with possession
of an offensive weapon and reckless driving in Arkansas. Hundreds of
teenage girls stormed the jail where he was being held. In 1978, Morris
the Cat of the "Nine Lives" cat food commercials was rescued by trainer
Bob Martwick from the pound just a few minutes before he was to be put
to sleep. In 1979, the Montreaux Pop Festival in Switzerland presented
its first country show. Barbara Mandrell and the Oak Ridge Boys were
booed offstage, while the more traditional Roy Clark and Doc Watson
were more warmly welcomed. In 1980, the original lineup of Led Zeppelin
gave its final show. In 1995, Rod Stewart's jet made a forced landing
after a mid-air collision with a bird. Aviation authorities called the
incident "undramatic," but Stewart was visible shaken and said, "I
nearly crashed. In 2002, Michael Jackson made a bizarre appearance at a
rally in New York to denounce the recording industry as racist and Sony
chairman Tommy Mottola as devilish. In 2007, the Live Earth concerts
were held to draw attention to environmental issues. Concerts were held
in Johannesburg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Hamburg, Rio de Janeiro and
New York. Also in 2007, actress Eva Longoria married San Antonio Spurs
player Tony Parker in Paris. In 2009, a star-studded memorial service
was held for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles, 12 days after his death.
Among those who paid tribute to Jackson included Usher, Stevie Wonder,
Brooke Shields, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Jennifer
Hudson and Queen Latifah. Today's Birthdays: Bandleader Doc Severinsen
is 89. Drummer Ringo Starr is 76. Bassist Jim Rodford (Argent) is 75.
Singer-guitarist Warren Entner of the Grass Roots is 73. Actor Joe
Spano is 70. Singer David Hodo (the construction worker) of The Village
People is 69. Country singer Linda Williams is 69. Actress Shelley
Duvall is 67. Actress Roz Ryan ("Amen") is 65. Actor Billy Campbell
("Once and Again") is 57. Bassist Mark White of the Spin Doctors is 54.
Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard ("Ally McBeal") is 53. Comedian Jim
Gaffigan is 50. Bassist Ricky Kinchen of Mint Condition is 50. Actress
Amy Carlson ("Blue Bloods") is 48. Actress Jorja Fox ("CSI") is 48.
Actress Cree Summer ("A Different World") is 47. Actress Kirsten
Vangsness ("Criminal Minds") is 44. Actor Troy Garity ("Barbershop") is
43. Actress Berenice Bejo (BEH'-ruh-nees BAY'-hoh) ("The Artist") is
40. Actor Hamish Linklater ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") is
40. Rapper Cassidy is 34. Actor Ross Malinger ("Sleepless in Seattle")
is 32. Singer Ally Hernandez of Fifth Harmony ("The X Factor") is 23.
Drummer Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds to Summer) is 22. Country singer Maddie
Marlow of Maddie and Tae is 21.
