T.D.

Paul Gascoigne Vinnie Jones (http://www.amazon.co.uk/kitchen-home/dp/B004ZUP3EY) Squeeze

I rented a couple of discs of the 1974 ITV Father Brown series. First disc was pretty good - The Hammer of God was by far the best (and "edgiest") episode, but others were OK. I think I may have seen some of these episodes way back in the day, but my memory is hazy (did the series ever air on PBS in the '70s?).

:party:

Berkshire Record Outlet sells a lot of Membran boxes. To my surprise, I noticed that there's one with "contemporary" music, 10 CDs for $14.90...Never thought I'd see names like Scelsi and Stockhausen in one of these boxes! Bentzon [1919-2000], Symphony #8; Symphonic Variations {Gothenburg-Aarhus Philharmonic/ Bostock}. Ligeti, Chamber Concerto for 13 Instruments. Webern, Concerto, Op.24. Varese, Octandre. Lutoslawski, Chain I. Takemitsu, Rain Coming. Birtwistle, Ritual Fragment {Aarhus Sinfonietta}. Lars Klit [b.1965], 'Catwalk' Opera {vocal soloists w.instrumental ensemble/ Thomas Veto}. Schnittke, Concerto for Mixed Choir; Requiem {HYMNIA Chamber Choir w.instrumental ensemble/ Flemming Windekilde} + Other Works by Stockhausen, Berio, Norgard, Norholm, Tanggaard, Scelsi et al. (Title: 'Snapshots: Developments of Contemporary Classical Music')

Elliott Grennard () Ralph Nelson Elliott (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Nelson_Elliott) Katrina Leskanich

László Moholy-Nagy Victor Laszlo John Casablancas

Basil Fawlty Michela Wrong Michel Foucault

This just in: it's a murder charge.

My favorite was not strictly a a player fight, though it started out that way. It's the 1979 Bruins-Rangers brawl at MSG, in which Bruins players went into the stands to fight Ranger fans, and "Mad Mike" Milbury (later to become the worst-ever NHL general manager) wound up beating a Ranger fan over the head with his own shoe! I watched live (on TV) - it was surreal! Print story at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/sports/hockey/23brawl.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Plenty of video out there, too.

Yeah, I was going to mention the Fox Sports "glowing puck" but decided not to. I didn't care for the effect, but thought it was a reasonable try...believe me, in the US, the "can't follow the puck" thing is incredibly frequent among non-fans. I personally see no reason for the fights, but get the impression that the "traditional Canadian fan base" digs them (as does a certain element of the US fan base). I agree fully about the thuggery. [Aside: I played in adult recreational leagues until turning 40. Fighting was of course "not allowed", but occasionally occurred. I made sure never to get involved, even to break things up - there's a huge risk of someone jumping in and blowing out your knee while you're trying to separate the combatants... ]

Leroy Vinnegar James P. Johnson The Ventures

It's a sport greatly helped by modern TV sets too. Who knows, maybe its audience will grow? I really doubt it. I played the sport a lot, so never had any trouble watching it on TV, but I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard the (apparently justifiably) stock excuse "Well, I could never get into hockey because I can't follow the puck." [Aside] I think the fighting would be a negative for potential TV viewers, but I might very well be wrong. Congratulations to the Hawks! I grew up in the Chicago area, and was a huge fan of the early '70s teams which came close (a couple of Finals losses) but never made it.

Buzz Capra Sal "The Barber" Maglie Jules Shear

Strunk & White Euclid The Style Council

It depends. I can go long times without looking at the thread, in which case I just skim the last few posts. When I'm reading the thread regularly, I try to read everything since the last visit. I've got to be more careful, though...A few times recently, I posted entries, and on reflection recalled that I had posted the exact same damned thing long ago (a year or more). I left the stupid things in, but am trying to avoid further "senior moments".

My guess is that Thomas never plays in the NHL again. Agreed.

Comet Hale-Bopp Alan Hale, Jr. Gilligan

One of the best opera composers IMO. In addition to the better known works, I'll tout Die Frau ohne Schatten, Capriccio and Ariadne auf Naxos.

IIRC, Thomas elected to take the past season off, but the Islanders traded for his rights anyway.

Thor Hushovd Thunderclap Newman The Rev. Norman Vincent Peale

I have Rachel Podger's Channel Classics recording and like it a lot. My only criticism (subjective, of course) is that I don't feel she totally nails the great Chaconne in D minor, so it may not be the last word in HIP performance...

Michael Landon Grady Little Prairie Prince

What a relief...for months, I've been sorely tempted to troll the CFL and NFL threads re. Tebow. No longer necessary!

Steve Guttenberg The Ink Spots Press Maravich