Today in 1968, The Bee Gees’ “Massachusetts” reaches No.1, their first of five No.1 hits.”Massachusetts” was written by the Gibb brothers in New York City during a US tour and originally intended for The Seekers, an Australian folk act. Bee Gees recorded the song themselves when they couldn’t reach The Seekers, even though they had never been to Massachusetts; they liked the name.The original Bee Gees also included Vince Melouney on rhythm guitar and Colin Petersen on drums.
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Who has the best Mac n cheese? Bon Appétit conducted a rigorous blind taste test. Eight brands of boxed mac and cheese were subjected to scrutiny, judging factors like sauce consistency, noodle texture, and overall appeal. Ultimately, Annie’s Shells and Real Aged Cheddar beat out old favorites like Kraft and Cheetos, charming tasters with its delightful shells, rich, sharp cheddar sauce, and perfectly creamy consistency. (Bon Appétit)
Looking for Halloween themed bar action in metro Detroit? We’ve got some enchantingly diverse suggestions – At Halloweiss by Weiss Distilling Co., ghoulish bartenders craft concoctions within a haunt of monsters and ravens. If you’re in the mood for movie-themed trivia, Five15 Royal Oak offers Halloween and Hocus Pocus-themed challenges paired with adult frappés and spiked cocoa. For a dose of horror movie trivia and themed drinks, Dragon’s Landing in St. Clair Shores is the place to be on October 24. Hamtramck’s Black Salt, the city’s sole “witchcraft cocktail bar,” hosts rituals for the Celtic festival of Samhain, while Abick’s Bar in Southwest Detroit offers private psychic readings and spiritual workshops. The Horrorween Bar Crawl, hitting bars in Greektown and beyond, promises spooky fun with food and drink specials. Canine to Five brings adorable costume contests to Marble Bar, while a Rock & Roll Horror Show at Cadieux Cafe raises funds for WDET, Detroit’s NPR station. At Small’s, the Thirst Wave + Industrial Is Not Dead Halloween Bash is your retro music haven with costume contests and cash prizes. Ferndale Halloween market offers shopping delights at Urbanrest Brewing Company, and Whiskey in the Jar beckons you to Hallowhiskey for a night of raucous partying. The Unity Fund Halloween Bash supports LGBTQ+ political candidates, while Birmingham’s Daxton Hotel hosts a formal masquerade. For a magical touch, visit the Witching Hours Magic Tea Party at the New Dodge Lounge, featuring traditional English tea, tarot readings, and a costume competition. Detroit’s Halloween bars are brewing up the perfect concoction of scares and delights for the spookiest season of the year. (Detroit Eater)
The Firefox browser will soon be able to detect fake news. The company has acquired Fakespot, a startup that specializes in detecting fake online reviews. The newly integrated ‘Review Checker’ feature in Firefox uses an A-to-F scale to rate the reliability of product reviews on sites like Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Walmart, and eBay. (Mashable)
Factoid: Worldwide, there are nearly 600,000 individuals aged 100 or older, most of whom claim not to know the secret to reaching such an age. However, if you aim to surpass 100, their unanimous advice is to avoid attempting to extinguish 100 birthday candles.
Did you know: Six US locations made the cut In a recent survey of the world’s coolest neighborhoods. Here’s the entire list. (Timeout)
Selected taxpayers across 13 states will get to try out the agency’s pilot electronic free file tax return system beginning in January. – The IRS says Hundreds of thousands of taxpayers are expected to participate in this program for the 2024 filing season. This move has raised concerns from private tax preparation companies that have profited from charging users for their software, potentially disrupting the industry. The IRS aims to roll out the program incrementally, drawing on data from the pilot to determine its effectiveness. While the pilot initially covers individual federal tax returns and not state returns, there are plans to integrate state taxes in the future. Eligibility for the pilot program will be determined based on income, tax credits, and deductions, and further details will be released in January. (Detroit News)
Today in History:
1867 – Alaska Purchase: US takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia, having paid $7.2 million
1892 – 1st commercial long-distance phone line opens (Chicago-NY)
1922 – British Broadcasting Company (BBC) founded, later called British Broadcasting Corporation
1956 – 21-year-old Elvis Presley confronts autograph seekers at a Memphis gas station. Station manager Edd Hopper slaps Presley, leading to a scuffle. Hopper and employee Aubrey Brown are charged with assault and fined.
1957 – Paul McCartney’s first live appearance with The Quarry Men at Liverpool’s New Clubmoor Hall, eventually joined by George Harrison.
1961 – The Film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical “West Side Story”, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, and starring Natalie Wood, debuts (Academy Award – Best Picture, 1962)
1964 – At Abbey Road Studios, The Beatles work on several songs, including “Eight Days A Week.”
1966 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first gig in Paris supporting Johnny Hallyday, signed by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, recorded “Hey Joe.”
1967 – Walt Disney’s animated musical adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” film is released; cast features voices of Phil Harris, Louis Prima, Sterling Holloway, and Sebastian Cabot
1967 – Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe” album tops the Billboard 200, displacing The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
1969 – The Temptations’ “I Can’t Get Next To You” tops the Hot 100.
1969 – Bill Haley receives an eight-minute standing ovation at a Rock ‘n’ Roll revival concert.
1969 – The Jackson 5 make their US network TV debut.
1969 – Rod Stewart joins the Small Faces.
1969 – Federal government bans use of cyclamates artificial sweeteners
1975 – Paul Simon hosts “Saturday Night Live” with Art Garfunkel.
1975 – Dickie Goodman’s novelty tune “Mr. Jaws” is the best-selling single in the US.
1975 – John Denver’s album “Windsong” reaches number one on the Billboard 200 chart. “Looking for Space,” “I’m Sorry,” ‘Fly Away,” and “Calypso” are the singles.
1979 – The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star” tops the UK pop chart, famously the first music video on MTV.
1982 – Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson release “The Girl is Mine.”
1988 – The “Roseanne” TV comedy starring Roseanne Barr, John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf premieres in the US on ABC
2002 – The Ronettes lose a legal battle over royalties for music recorded in the 1960s.
2003 – Elvis Presley’s “2nd To None” collection of number one hits reaches #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart.
2021 – 95-year-old Tony Bennett is acknowledged by the Guinness Book Of World Records for his collaboration with Lady Gaga, “Love For Sale.”
Today’s Birthdays:
1918 – Robert “Bobby” Troup, Jazz pianist and actor (Emergency; Acapulco), born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
1926 – Chuck Berry (“Roll Over Beethoven”) (d. 2017)
1927 – George C. Scott, Actor and director (Patton, Dr. Strangelove), born in Wise, Virginia (d. 1999)
1928 – Keith Jackson, Sportscaster (ABC Monday Night Football, college football), born in Roopville, Georgia (d. 2018)
1935 – Peter Boyle, Actor (Joe, Young Frankenstein, Everybody Loves Raymond), born in Norristown, Pennsylvania (d. 2006)
1938 – Dawn Wells, Actress (Gilligan’s Island -“Mary Ann”), born in Reno, Nevada (d. 2020)
1940 – Cynthia Weil, Songwriter (“We Got Get Out Of This Place”; “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”; “On Broadway”; “He’s So Shy”), born in NYC, New York (d. 2023)
1942 – Willie Horton (age 81), baseball slugger (Detroit Tigers)
1943 – Russ Giguere (age 78)- guitarist for The Association (“Along Comes Mary”)
1947 – Laura Nyro (songwriter who wrote “Stoned Soul Picnic”, “Eli’s Comin”) (d. 1997)
1949 – Gary Richrath – guitarist for REO Speedwagon (“Take It On The Run”)
1949 – Joe Egan – keyboards / vocals for Stealers Wheel (“Stuck In The Middle With You”)
1951 – Pam Dawber (age 72), actress (Mindy-Mork & Mindy, My Sister Sam), born in Detroit, Michigan
1952 – Keith Knudson – drummer for The Doobie Brothers (“What A Fool Believes”) (d. 2005)
1956 – Martina Navratilova (age 67), Czech-American tennis player (18 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Prague, Czech Republic.
1960 – Jean-Claude Van Damme (Age 63), Belgian actor (Double Impact, Kickboxer, No Retreat), born in Brussels, Belgium.
1961 – Wynton Marsalis (age 62), 9-time Grammy Award-winning jazz and classical trumpeter (Pulitzer Prize for “Blood on the Fields”; Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra), born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1987 – Zac Efron (age 36), Actor (17 Again), and singer (High School Musical; The Greatest Showman), born in San Luis Obispo, California.
