The Seven Seasons of Mel K.’s Discontent Continues…

Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

The seven-day New York City heatwave came to an end yesterday when the temperature dipped below 90 but for Mel Karmazin  the heatwave continues through the seventh season of the proposed merger from hell.  This is not what Mr. K had in mind when he proposed the merger of Sirius and XM…

Now that we know how Michael Copps  feels about the proposed merger, the votes stand at two in favor (Martin and McDowell), one opposed (Copps), one undecided (Adelstein) but leaning toward approval with conditions (a price-freeze, multiple minority channels and open component competition).  And then there’s Deborah Taylor Tate who must be waiting to write a book about the merger because no one knows where she stands…

Eventually there will be a decision on the merger.  Hopefully it’s in our lifetime.  Meanwhile Mr. K sweats it out in the longest summer of his lifetime.  We should just be grateful that the four FCC Commissioners who have already voted in public aren’t charged with keeping high-level security secrets…

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1715] Gotta Light?: The 1st lighthouse in America is authorized for construction at Little Brewster Island (MA).  Boston Light will open in 1716…
2. 1827] Do the swim: The 1st swimming school in the U.S. opens in Boston…
3. 1886] Brodie does it: Saloonkeeper/Bookmaker Steve Brodie must have been sampling the schnapps. Brodie jumps from the Brooklyn Bridge and survives…
4. 1904] One scoop or two?: The ice cream cone is invented by Charles E. Menches during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis…
5. 1986] Wedding Bells: Britain’s Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey in London. They will divorce 10 years later…
6. 1997] Lost and found: Police find the body of Andrew Cunanan, the suspected killer of designer Gianni Versace, on a houseboat in Miami Beach. Cunanan was believed to be a suicide…
7. 2000] Baby Tiger: Tiger Woods  becomes the youngest pro to complete a career Grand Slam when he wins the British Open at 24…
8. 2000] Vive le Lance: Lance Armstrong  wins his second Tour de France…
9. 2003] Clergy bust: The Massachusetts Attorney General issues a report citing that members of the clergy and others in the Boston Archdiocese  probably sexually abused more than 1,000 people over a period of 6 decades…
10. 2007] The Price was right: Drew Carey  is announced as the replacement for the retiring Bob Barker as host of “The Price Is Right“…

Music Memories:

• 1950] Debuted on this date: “The Gene Autry Show” debuts on CBS-TV and runs for six seasons…

Commentary:

Happy Trails to “Golden Girl” Sophia Petrillo a.k.a. Estelle Getty, one funny lady who sadly passed away at 84.  Born Estelle Scher in New York City, she started her career in the Yiddish theater in the ’40’s but didn’t make it big until getting her role in “The Golden Girls” in 1985.  Battling advanced dementia for years affected her mentally and physically and Estelle passed away in her own home, surrounded by her family yesterday…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

Daniel Radcliffe a.k.a. Harry Potter (19), Omar (”House”) Epps (35), Philip Seymour Hoffman (41), Slash (43), Woody Harrelson (47), David Essex (61), Tony Joe White (65), Don Imus (68) and Gloria DeHaven (83)…

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until MLB HOF induction, 4 days until all NFL training camps will be open, 10 days until NFL HOF induction and 16 days until the Summer Olympics…

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