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Getting a head start on Independence Day   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

THE FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEACH BOYS!  Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument -- as with these 1980 takes o­n "Good Vibrations",  and "Do It Again." Given the time of year, I have to include this 1964 clip of "Surfin' U.S.A." which I think is from the same gig that produced these takes on "Little Deuce Coupe," "In My Room" and "Fun, Fun Fun." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July.  There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance o­n Ready Steady Go! The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes o­n "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls."  There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP.  And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour -- one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so.

RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: last year, Hidden Track serves up 12 video versions. And the only ones not working now are Jimi Hendrix and Whitney Houston.

21 HYPERBOLIC PRO-AMERICA SONGS, starting with Lee Greenwood (Sylvia's favorite) and ending with the theme from Team America: World Police, with embedded video courtesy of The A.V. Club.  WMG wacked the movie clip, but you can get your NSFW goodness elsewhere.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, September 19, 1978.

THE UNITED STATES prepares to celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. As the Wikipedia notes, this is a little arbitrary: New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775; the first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made o­n June 8th; and the Congress voted 12-0 for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain o­n July 2nd. Even so, the publication of the Declaration was momentous .  If you're not in DC, the best way to see and learn about the Declaration may be through the Charters of Freedom website. But you can watch Mel Gibson, Michael Douglas, Renee Zelleweger, Kevin Spacey, Wynona Ryder and other Hollywood folk read the Declaration, after a short introduction by Morgan Freeman.

Of course, the holiday more broadly celebrates the American Revolutionary War, and the Founders' unlikely victory. People with the highest standard of living and the lowest taxes in the Western World fought a sometimes unpopular war for our freedom. Early o­n, the Revolutionaries (also known as "Americans" or "Patriots") had the active support of about 40 to 45 percent of the colonial population. By 1779, there were more Americans fighting with the British than with Washington, which is why Washington needed help from the French, the Spanish and freed Blacks. You can separate fact from fiction regarding the sacrifices and fates of the Founders at Snopes. You can hear two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough read from the first chapter of his 1776 via NPR. Or watch a nifty clip on the drafing of the Declaration from the John Adams miniseries.

NEED AN E-CARD for the holiday? This is my current fave.

THE CUTOUT BIN: From Rick Astley to Sonic Youth, from Link Wray to Squeeze, from Johnny Cash to the Feelies, plus the Beatles, Belle & Sebastian, Reunion, Jack Nitzsche, Soul Asylum and more  -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:  Ths weekend's wide releases are Public Enemies, which is currently scoring 61 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Ice Age 3, which is scoring 35 percent.

MICHAEL JACKSON named Diana Ross as the backup guardian for his children.  The Jackson family confirmed that there will be no public or private memorial service at the Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara this weekend.  Jackson had dozens of injection sites all over his body.  Propofol, a powerful anesthesia, was found in the house after Jackson died. Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles.

LINDSAY LOHAN turns 23 today, and already made 70K to host an all-day "pre-celebration" at the MGM Grand in Vegas.

JESSICA SIMPSON belted out the National Anthem Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the Tiger Tourney. She wore a hip-hugging red-and-blue striped dress, and "eventually left the first green before any of her body parts managed to escape."

KARL MALDEN, one of Hollywood's strongest and most versatile supporting actors, who won an Oscar playing his Broadway-originated role as Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire," died Wednesday. He was 97. In a movie career that flourished in the 1950s and '60s, Malden played a variety of roles in more than 50 films, including the sympathetic priest in "On the Waterfront," the resentful husband in "Baby Doll," the warden in "Birdman of Alcatraz," the outlaw-turned-sheriff in "One-Eyed Jacks," the pioneer patriarch in "How the West Was Won," Madame Rose's suitor in "Gypsy," the card dealerin "The Cincinnati Kid" and Gen. Omar Bradley in "Patton."  But for all his movie and television roles, it was primarily the series of American Express traveler's-check commercials Malden made between 1973 and 1994 that gave him his greatest public recognition.

NORTH KOREA: A North Korean ship monitored for more than a week by the US Navy changed course and is heading back the way it came, US officials said.  The ship was originally believed to be bound for Myanmar with suspicious cargo on board, possibly illicit weapons.

IRAQ: The DoD has pics of the handover to Iraqi troops.  Gen. Ray Odierno accuses Iran of continuing to support and train militants who are carrying out attacks, including most of the ones in Baghdad.

IRAN:  The Lede is still updating on revolutionary ferment in the Islamic Theocracy after the apparently stolen, rigged election.

TWIGGY: For the Fourth of July weekend, why not another look at the water-skiing squirrel? Great story. Compelling and rich.

CAT MADNESS: Let's go to the video. Brace yourself.

HOPPY the CAT became one of just two cats currently labeled "potentially dangerous" in the Twin Cities.

A MISSING CAT appeared on screen on BBC1's Question Time as David Dimbleby, politicians and pundits discussed topics as diverse as the wearing of burkhas, the situation in Iran and MP's expenses.

GIANT SPITTING WORMS: Fans of the giant Palouse earthworm are once again seeking federal protection for the rare, sweet-smelling species that spits at predators.

A MONITOR LIZARD went unmonitored in Libertyville, IL.

HUNDREDS OF DOLPHINS are surrounding Long Island Sound.  Wait until they leave to panic.

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