|
A DAY LATE, BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: 
THE WRECK of the EDMUND FITZGERALD: The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee.Yesterday was the anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald -- 729 feet-long, 75 feet in breadth, 39 feet in depth, weighing 13,632 gross tons -- an ore bulk carrier with a capacity of 25,000 tons. When it was launched on June 7 1958, at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan, Fitzgerald was the largest ship on the Great Lakes. Here's misty, water-colored video of the launch. The "Queen of the Great Lakes" sank in the eastern end of Lake Superior during a fierce storm -- including snow squalls -- that pounded the ship with 30-foot waves. The crew of 29 men perished; without witnesses, a definitive reason has never been determined. A Coast Guard report suggested that faulty hatches failed to keep water out of the ship's cargo holds, though others believe the ship struck an uncharted shoal and took on water. A documentary created and aired by the Discovery Channel concluded the loss was due to freak waves that overwhelmed the faulty hatches. After the wreck, the Rev. Richard Ingalls went to Mariners' Church in Detroit and rang its bell 29 times, once for each life lost. The church continues to hold an annual memorial, which includes reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell. Here's video of Rev. Ingalls recounting that night. More than 250 people gathered at the church for the 40th anniversary, which was expanded to remember victims from all tragedies on the Great Lakes. And here's a remembrance from a brother of one of the lost crew members. At the request of family members surviving her crew, Fitzgerald's 200 lb. bronze bell was recovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in 1995, as a joint project with the National Geographic Society, Canadian Navy, Sony Corporation, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The bell is now on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Here's a brief video from one of the underwater explorations of the wreck. Fmr newsman Larry Elliot recalls the remote expedition. And here is a story from one of the two scuba divers to ever reach the sunken hull. Throw in the 3-D animation, and you'll feel just like Bill Paxton. The song by Gordon Lightfoot spent 21 straight weeks on the pop charts, peaking at No. 2. Here, Lightfoot discusses writing the song, and the lyrics he's changed. And there's a homemade video for it, which I highly recommend. Beats the tar of Celine Dion! (PS: Ken King -- who has lived on the U.P. of Michigan, says the gales of November are quite something.) *** NEW RELEASES: Pitchfork will point you to Mount Eerie & Julie Dorion, Friendship, Clams Casino, and more. INDIE BASEMENT points you to releases from Rocketship, Capitol, Everything But The Girl, and Moloko. NOAH GUNDERSON visits World Cafe. MOUNTAIN MAN covers "White Christmas." LANA DEL REY brought Lucy Dacus and Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino on stage in Chicago. RIC OCASEK cut Paulina Porizkova out of his will. THE BEST SELLING MUSIC ARTISTS, 1969-2019, visualized. ROBERT FREEMAN, who shot some of the Beatles' most iconic album covers, has died. He was 82 years old. THE NUMBER ONES looks at Alan O'Day's incredibly strange sex-hallucination hit "Undercover Angel." 
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Oof, and oof again. Midway surprises atop the chart with 17.5MM, though that's against a 100MM production budget and on Veterans' Day weekend no less. It had less-than-fresh reviews, but an "A" Cinemascore, so it delivered what was expected. Doctor Sleep places with 14.1MM, well short of predictions into the 30s, against a budget between 45-55MM. Playing With Fire shows with an estimated 12.8MM, which a few believe is quite estimated indeed. Last Christmas debuts in the fourth slot with 11.6M; its "B-" Cinemascore lands on top of less-than-fresh reviews to suggest a shorter run than the studio hoped. Terminator: Dark Fate, last weekend's underwhelming champ, skids 63 percent to round out the Top Five with 10.8MM. More about that below. WHY TERMINATOR: DARK FATE could lose over 100MM. MILEY CYRUS underwent vocal cord surgery and will require weeks of silence to recover. PAT SAJAK underwent emergency surgery for a blocked intestine ... opening the door for Vanna White to host “Wheel of Fortune.” CLINT EASTWOOD cares not if a wildfire is advancing on his film shoot. ROMAN POLANSKI faces another accusation of rape from a then-18-year-old. THE IRISHMAN: The end of the gangster movie as we know it? CHARLES LEVIN, best known for his work on Seinfeld, meets a dramatic death. VETERANS' DAY: Today is the observation of the anniversary of the end of WWI; thank a vet today, and read the excellent 2009 piece by the WaPo's David Ignatius that may be more true today. A GIRL and a Husky. YELLING AT YOUR DOGS ruins their lives, so don't be a jerk: study. WHY SENIOR DOGS, often the last to be adopted, make great pets. THE LAST DAYS OF COCKFIGHTING IN PUERTO RICO: Keep your head on a swivel.
|
