Highlights from the 1/18 Rock and Roll Revisited

Hello Americans! It’s Friday! Today’s highlights include Fred Jacobs on the life lessons learned from the Stephen Colbert Show, super short Hollywood marriages, 97 year old Prince Phillip totals his ride. Do we take away his keys? A name we heard often but never really knew, a Dick Van Dyke anniversary and the youngest performer to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Plus much more music from Glen Frey, Johnny Paycheck, Stevie Wonder and Paul Muriat.

How long does love last in show biz? The data shows that they don’t fare as well as the average partnership in the rest of the world. Today in 1996, Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson. The marriage of two of the then biggest names in show business had lasted 19 months. We did a little research on short nuptials. Brittney Spears and Jason Alexander take the prize for the shortest in our un-scientific data.. Less than 3 days. The table at left documents other brief encounters featuring Michelle Phillips, Patty Duke, Eddie Murphy, Drew Barrymore and others. On the other hand, There are some marathon unions out there in Hollywood. Alan and Arlene Alda are in their 62nd year of marriage. Kirk Douglas and Anne Buydens are in their 65th. Chuck Berry, Bob Hope, Stan Lee, Monty Hall and Karl Malden all made it into year 70 with their spouses, until death did they part. The challenges for celebrity marriages are manifold, according to Glamour Magazine’s Andrea Syrtash. Separations due to touring and movie production, the inability to grow together as one person’s career takes off and the other’s declines, good old fashioned ego and the plethoras of temptations provided by loving fans and other enamored celebrities are the main contributors. The keys to relationship longevity? Real Simple Magazine says picking the right person in the first place and not settling for the least objectionable option is huge. Marriages that have the best chance at success happen when two people are committed for the long run. Life has its ups and downs. Riding them out with your partner can bring you closer together.

Remember the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band? From our “Names You Have Heard A Lot But May Not Know” department, Today is the 75th birthday of drummer Legs Larry Smith, immortalized as the first artist named by the announcer in the group’s surreal sleeper hit “The Intro and The Outro”. As a solo artist, Smith also toured with Eric Clapton and Elton John. Smith was a close friend of ex-Beatle George Harrison for many years and designed the cover for his 1982 Gone Troppo album. Let’s roll out “The Intro and The Outro” in honor of the birthday boy. (Video)

Tomorrow marks the 58th anniversary of the filming of the first episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. The series, about a group of comedy writers, was conceived by Carl Reiner with Van Dyke leading a mini ensemble cast of pros including Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam. It was the vehicle that launched Mary Tyler Moore‘s star into the stratosphere. The show aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, a total of 158 half-hour episodes. It was still a ratings hit when Carl Reiner pulled the plug. He wanted to turn out the lights before the audience did.

Quick Takes:

Coming up  Sunday night, the last total lunar eclipse of this decade. The next opportunity to see one? May 26, 2021.

Life lessons from Stephen Colbert, via Fred Jacobs.

What  all of us “dinks” (dual income – no kids.) need to know about parenting.

As 97 year old Prince Phillip totals his ride, when and how do we take the keys away from aging parents?

Americans are drinking less. What are the economic implications? Via The Wall Street Journal.

Most Personality Quizzes Are Junk Science. Here’s One That Isn’t. Via our friends at Five Thirty Eight.

Just because you get good grades doesn’t guarantee a good life. Look what happened to these valedictorians. Via the BostonGlobe

Today in History:

1965, Paul Simon drops out of law school to pursue music full-time.

1974, Former members from Free, (Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke), Mott The Hoople(Mick Ralphs), and King Crimson, (Boz Burrell), formed Bad Company. The band went on to score a US No.1 album with their debut release.

1978, Johnny Paycheck‘s cover of David Allan Coe’s ode to workplace frustrations, “Take This Job and Shove It”, reached the top spot on the Billboard Country chart. Although the song failed to crack the Hot 100, it still seems to be one that we all know and can relate to. (Video)