THE FOCUS IS ON RADIO.....DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?

RITA GIGANTE LIFE WITH THE "CHIN" Rita is an acclaimed author, healer, and psychic, who connects with her “Spirit Crew” on a journey to the answers that you have been waiting for. This show is filled with love, laughter, and a provocative tell-all about how to live your life authentically and abundantly. Plus a cameo appearance, channeled by Rita, of Vincent and Olympia Gigante! ABOUT THE "CHIN" For nearly 30 years, Genovese crime boss Vincent Gigante pretended to be mentally ill to avoid prison. And it almost worked. An old man wandering around in his pajamas, a bathrobe, and a ratty pair of house slippers muttering nonsense to nobody in particular is a fairly typical sight in New York City, but Vincent Gigante was anything but typical. Partly because he wandered the streets of Greenwich Village in an elaborate performance of insanity, Mafia boss Vincent “The Chin” Gigante eluded prosecution for decades as a supposedly unstable and incompetent man. From Wikipedia Vincent Louis Gigante (/dʒɪˈɡænti/ jig-AN-tee, Italian: [dʒiˈɡante]; March 29, 1928 – December 19, 2005), also known as "The Chin", was an American mobster who was boss of the Genovese crime family in New York City from 1981 to 2005. Gigante started out as a professional boxer who fought in 25 matches between 1944 and 1947. He then started working as a Mafia enforcer for what was then the Luciano crime family, forerunner of the Genovese family. Gigante was one of five brothers. Three of them, Mario, Pasquale, and Ralph, followed him into the Mafia. Only one brother, Louis, stayed out of the crime family, instead becoming a Catholic priest.[1] Gigante was the shooter in the failed assassination of longtime Luciano boss Frank Costello in 1957. In 1959, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for drug trafficking, and after sharing a prison cell with Costello's rival, Vito Genovese, Gigante became a caporegime overseeing his own crew of Genovese soldiers and associates based in Greenwich Village. Gigante quickly rose to power during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1981 he became the family's boss, while Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno served as front boss during the first half of the 1980s. He also ordered the failed murder attempt of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti in 1986. With the arrest and conviction of Gotti and various Gambino family members in 1992, Gigante was recognized as the most powerful crime boss in the United States. For about 30 years, Gigante feigned insanity in an effort to throw law enforcement off his trail. Dubbed "The Oddfather" and "The Enigma in the Bathrobe" by the media, Gigante often wandered the streets of Greenwich Village in his bathrobe and slippers, mumbling incoherently to himself. He was indicted on federal racketeering charges in 1990, but was determined to be mentally unfit to stand trial. In 1997, he was tried and convicted of racketeering and conspiracy, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Facing obstruction of justice charges in 2003, he pleaded guilty and admitted that his supposed insanity was an elaborate effort to avoid prosecution, as he was sentenced to an additional three years in prison. He died in the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners on December 19, 2005.    

How a Calm Night on a Baltimore Bridge Turned Deadly BALTIMORE – A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until Wednesday morning. The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said. As the vessel neared the bridge, puffs of black smoke could be seen as the lights flickered on and off. It struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy, and a section of the span came to rest on the bow. With the ship barreling toward the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed,” authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. “These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.” In the evening, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, announced that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He also said the search was being put on pause and divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when challenging overnight conditions were expected to improve. No bodies have been recovered, Butler said. The crash happened in the middle of the night, long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that stretches 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) and was used by 12 million vehicles last year. The six missing people were part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state's transportation secretary. Guatemala’s consulate in Maryland said in a statement that two of the missing were citizens of the Central American nation. It did not provide their names but said consular officials were in contact with authorities and assisting the families.  

KENNY PRESLEY IN CONCERT IS "KENNY PRESLEY" THE SON OF ELVIS PRESLEY? Here's The Story As you might have guessed from his last name, Kenny Presley, 52, claims he is the son of none other than the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Now Kenny impersonates the King at musical performances called The Elvis Experience -- complete with sideburns, jumpsuits and all. "How many people believe this about Elvis, and how many people blow me off like I'm some kind of nut?" said Kenny in an interview with The Gleaner. "That bothers me. (Elvis) being my father causes me to have mixed emotions." Despite never meeting his biological father, Kenny says he was raised by a man who was a father figure to him. "I've known I was Elvis' son since I was 6 or 7 years old," said Presley. His mom "had a friend that used to come over at night and they used to sit and talk. I would hear them talk about Elvis, and her friend would say I really look like Elvis. Being that young I didn't really comprehend what she was saying. Then when I was 11, I heard her and my father arguing. My mother said she was going to take me and leave my father, and he replied, 'Take him. He belongs to Elvis. He doesn't belong to me.' " According to Kenny, his mother, Barbara Rushing, met Elvis Presley in 1962 when she visited Graceland in Memphis. She was 17. After that meeting, Elvis gave her his personal phone number, and she and Elvis went on dates to Liberty Land and drive-in movie theaters. Raised by strict Christian parents, Rushing kept their relationship a secret. Then in 1964, Kenny was born in Gleason, Tenn. In February of 1977, Kenny remembers a phone call with a man who knew Kenny's name and asked for his mother. Later his mother told him that Elvis had been on the other end of that phone call. At an early age, Presley developed a love for music, especially Peter Frampton and Conway Twitty. At 11 years old, Presley performed at a Walmart opening and started a band playing Elvis songs. Then he traveled for his music and has played with almost every member of Elvis band. The first person Kenny told about his Elvis parentage was a school friend who didn't believe him. People often bullied Kenny about his parentage while he was growing up. "It made me mad up to high heaven and hurt my feelings by the same token," he said. "Growing up, I didn't tell nobody else. I let the story die down. The only time we talked about it was among family, and it was rarely talked about even then." In 1992, Kenny and his mother hired a lawyer to prove that his father was Elvis with a paternity test. At one point, Presley received a threat on his life and said he had to hide in a log cabin in Missouri for a few weeks. "Our lawyer finally said he gave up," said Kenny. "This is leading nowhere and costing a small fortune. They have more money than we can find, so that went nowhere. I never wanted any money from the estate. All I want to do is entertain and make people happy." Kenny also knew Elvis' cook Mary Jenkins. He said she remembered when Barbara visited Graceland, and that Jenkins nicknamed her "Bobbysocks." Jenkins even made a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich for Kenny, just like Elvis used to eat. When she died in the early 2000s, Kenny sang at her funeral. Kenny Presley will be performing at Henderson's Preston Arts Center on May 13 at 7 p.m. The first part of the show has a Broadway and Vegas theme with a jailhouse rock performance. Then the second half features Elvis hits from the 1970s in more of a concert style. A member of Elvis' old entourage, Cricket Coulter, will be at the performance as well. She met Elvis during the early 1960s. She worked for him and became friends with Elvis. During her years spent with Elvis, he gave her different gifts that she has kept. She went as far as to collect Elvis's hair when he had his hair cut. At the performance, she will be selling locks of his hair, along with other pieces of Elvis memorabilia she received from him. She will also be available to answer questions about Elvis. "I tell this story, and that's what it is: a story," said Kenny. "People can believe it if they want. Someone asked me if I believe 100 percent in my heart. To answer that truthfully, I couldn't say yes because I can't know 100 percent. But I can't sit here and call my mother a liar. Elvis, her and God are the only ones who can answer that truthfully."  

Rick Saphire Has Managed -  Represented the Following Stars:   Mickey Rooney, Sir John Mills, Margot Kidder, Rip Taylor, Chris Noel, Terry Moore, Jerry Mathers, Betsy Palmer,Anna Maria Alberghetti, Hayley Mills, Juliet Mills, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Anson Williams, Molly Bee, Katica Illenyi, Mally Lewis and Lamb Chop, The Original Mouseketeers, Voiceover Stars from SpongeBob SquarePants, Paul Petersen, Sheila MacRae, The Little Rascals' Spanky McFarland, Darla Hood, Beverly Washburn, Mathew "Stymie" Beard, and Tommy "Butch" Bond, Chubby Checker, Charlie Callas, Soupy Sales, and Others   Rick Saphire can be reached Directly at the following web address https://www.ricksaphire.com/

  WWE Hall of Fame Wishlist Over the the years and throughout the ages the question of who to place honorably and even in some cases, posthumously, has been bantered out and even debated by the learned minds, the movers and shakers in the rough and tumble world of professional wrestling. Who makes these decisions? Is it or WAS it strictly one man or a committee of several? To this point, one man, Vincent Kennedy McMahon was the singular and solitary figure responsible tasked with the duty of this high honor. Now, it's YOUR turn. So who would you push toward the induction trail inti immortality? Watch this enticing episode of Wrestling With The Future to find  out!      

THE LOST ART OF ACTING Actor/Director Ronnie Marmo Ronnie Marmo Actor Producer Director Theater Owner ---------------------------------------------------------- The Deuces Criminal Minds West of Brooklyn I'm Not A Comedian... I'm Lenny Bruce Love Don't Fade Away (2023) Short Film A Rainbow in the Dark  Eltingville  Chronicle of a Serial Killer Hook'd Lethal Weapon (TV Series) Remember Isobel Two Dudes  Chronic  Who's Jenna...? My Monster & Me The Tenet Criminal Minds Ronnie Marmo was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is best known for Criminal Minds with Joe Mantagna (ION Network) and His portrayal of controversial and iconic comedian Lenny Bruce.    

The JFK-Bobby Kennedy-Jimmy Hoffa conspiracies -  A closer look at Jimmy Hoffa’s relationship with Bobby Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy and Mafia conspiracies, place Hoffa directly at the center of JFK assassination. It's a game of follow the dots and follow the money. DETROIT – Jimmy Hoffa had a bitter relationship with former president John F. Kennedy’s brother, Bobby, who made it a mission to put Hoffa in prison. Hoffa first feuded with the Kennedy family during the McClellan Senate hearings in 1957 when Bobby Kennedy was going after corruption in labor unions. Hoffa’s relationship with the Kennedy brothers has been described as a blood feud. Hoffa walked away from the hearings, which lasted 270 days, a free man. When John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960, he named Bobby Kennedy as the attorney general, and they vowed to continue pursuing Hoffa. After the president’s assassination in 1963, evidence would surface over the next decade suggesting a conspiracy. That conspiracy came from the Mafia, and Hoffa was at the center of it. “I believe Hoffa put a contract out on John Kennedy to stop his brother,” said Dan Moldea, author of The Hoffa Wars. “I think the contract was picked up by Carlos Marcello, the Mafia boss in New Orleans, and Santo Trafficante, the Mafia boss in Tampa, Florida, who then arranged and executed the murder.”  

The GOAT or the BLOAT? HE MAN Ric Flair is a celebrity and professional wrestler. Also known as the “Nature Boy®,” Flair is among the most famous and well-known wrestlers in the world, and has been one of wrestling’s biggest stars since the late 1970s. Flair was often popular with the crowd due to his in-ring antics, including rule breaking (earning him the distinction of being “the dirtiest player in the game”), his cocky interview style, strutting and his shouting of “WOOOOO!™” The “WOOOOO!” yell has since become a tribute to Flair, and is often shouted by the crowd whenever they see Ric or when another a wrestler performs one of Flair’s signature moves. A Facebook and Twitter favorite, YouTube sensation, and whose name returns almost 4 million Google hits in under .2 seconds, Ric Flair is an international icon. Yet incredibly, he almost didn’t become the most celebrated champion in sports-entertainment history. In addition to surviving being struck by lightening twice, on October 4, 1975, he was among five passengers injured after an improperly fueled Cessna 310Q twin-engine plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed down in Wilmington, North Carolina. Doctors insisted that Flair, who had broken his back in three places, would never wrestle again. So he did the only thing he could do: Ignore the doctors, rehab, and become a ring legend with a “flair” for championship gold. “I wish I could say that the plane crash humbled me,” he says, “but I just started living the life of the ‘Nature Boy®’ and didn’t look back. I took my insurance settlement and bought my first new Cadillac.” Flair, whose body has been insured by Lloyd’s of London, made his name on wrestling hour-long marathon matches. Taking part in two influential and historical factions, The Four Horsemen and Evolution; “Slick Ric” maintains that the party he started four decades ago is far from over. Flair has never strayed from being “The Man” who most young sports-entertainers – WWE Superstars included – idolize. Even those unfamiliar with his career, the “styling and profiling™” in custom-tailored sequined ring robes, or his “Nature Boy” strut, know one thing when they hear “WOOOOO!™” shouted at a live event, a craps table in a Las Vegas casino, or on the scoreboard at the RBC Center, home of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes: They’re in “Ric Flair Country.” During his celebrated career “The Nature Boy” wrote an autobiography “To Be the Man”, a New York Times Best Seller, and released a 3 disc DVD set on his storied time in the wrestling business. Flair is recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) as a 16-time World Champion (WCW), he also had two stints as a Heavyweight Champion, although his actual tally of World Championship reigns varies by source – some totaling as high as 21. Flair also won the 1992 Royal Rumble and the WWE Intercontinental Championship. On March 30, 2008, one night after he became the only active wrestler to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Flair ended his 36-year career at WrestleMania XXIV. Ric Flair’s robe, trunks, and boots worn at Wrestlemania XXIV are permanently exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC. Ric Flair is the most decorated World Champion in history.  

SHE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

    His penchant for fine food, generously poured scotch and beautiful women; his ability to dominate a room, a stage or the screen; his taste for custom-made suits, monogrammed shirts and the ubiquitous red carnation; his appetite for the biggest, the best and just a dollar more than the other guy made, all became a part of the Gleason legend which began on Brooklyn’s Herkimer Street in 1916. During the 50’s and 60’s, Gleason recorded 43 albums of music, wrote the theme songs for his 2 principle TV shows, The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show, built a round 'UFO' house in Peekskill, New York, starred in nine films, garnered an “Oscar” nomination for The Hustler, won a “Tony” for his Broadway performance as Uncle Sid in Take Me Along. Were that not enough, he hosted more than 30 plus television specials. (From 1962 to 1976) On June 24, 1987 Jackie passed away from colon cancer in his exclusive Inverrary home. “Throughout his professional life (Jackie) kept the heart of a child. A whimsicalness that cheered up a sad and tired world.” He is buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in a lavish above-ground mausoleum that truly suits “The Great One.” Etched into the marble stairway leading to his sarcophagus reads the inscription, “And Away We Go.”  

Professional Wrestling's Territory System In 1948, after decades of competing with each other, an agreement was made to bring all the territories into one national alliance, forming the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). This also brought forth the first recognized "World Heavyweight Championship," where Lou Thez became it's first champion. Despite the agreements that Lou would be champion, many promoters wanted to keep their main stars looking strong. They often employed shoot matches (non-fixed matches) for the top talent to beat Lou in championship matches. The matches were able to succeed due to two main factors: the rise of television in the United States, and the implementation of The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower, the Highway act created 41,000 miles of new highway in the United States over a 10 year period  Traveling to live shows became more feasible for the public due to the new highway system. This coincided with the boom of the wrestling territories allowing more eyes on the matches.  Also, the rise of television networks caused a need for more content, and wrestling was cheap programming for them to buy.  During this time the idea of gimmick wrestlers also became more and more popular. Instead of just being strong men who competed for titles, you would see characters who were defined by one major aspect. These could include heels (bad guys) who took on the evil foreigner gimmick, such as the Iron Shiek. However, the most popular character of the early days of the territories was George Wagner, more commonly known by his stage name, Gorgeous George. George was not a physically imposing man at five foot nine. He would come out in an effeminate outfit, mock the crowds, and most importantly followed his motto, "Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!" George's natural charisma and natural ability to draw massive "heel heat" (audience hatred of the character) made him the ideal villain for the growing television audiences. Eventually the NWA would begin to show cracks as many of the promotions viewed the entity as a corrupt tyrant holding back innovations in the business. Due to this growing disdain, promotions would leave the NWA. The biggest impact would be from the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and the New York based Capitol Wrestling Corporation (later renamed the World Wide Wrestling Federation <WWWF>) agreement to leave NWA at the same time. The WWWF's exit would be a huge blow to the NWA as the New York promotion not only held one of the biggest venues, Madison Square Garden, but also one of the highest population densities in the nation. This caused NWA's loss of a huge market. The WWWF also had Bruno Sammartino, often regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Bruno's popularity would be the beginning of the WWWF becoming the biggest promotion of all time and evolving into the company we know today as the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).  

REMEMBERINMG DENNY LAINE WITH DAN EALEY THE TRUE STORY OF JUNIORS FARM "Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go/ Down to Junior's farm where I want to lay low/ The low life, high life, oh, let's go/ Take me down to Junior's farm." Paul McCartney wrote those words during a six-week stay in Wilson County, Tennessee in 1974. He and his family rented a 133-acre farm just outside of Lebanon from songwriting great Curly Putman ("Green, Green Grass of Home"). Along for the ride was his band, Wings, who rehearsed in Putman's garage for an upcoming tour. And since this is Paul McCartney we're talking about, his surroundings inevitably inspired a future hit song: "Junior's Farm," released later that year. Eventually, Putman — born Claude Putman Jr. — came to realize that he was "Junior." The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member passed away in 2016, but we've just unearthed a supplemental interview he gave for "Story Behind the Song" in 2013. Here, Putman talks to NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison about the true tale behind "Junior's Farm." You know, a place suitable with horses and things that they might like. We couldn't find anything, so Buddy was sweet talking me and said, "Curly, why don't you let them stay at your place?" BH: Like the Godfather, I think they made an offer you couldn't refuse (laughs). CP: That's kind of what it was. He said "We'll have a good contract on it and pay you good for staying the six weeks." I said, "Well, what am I gonna do?" Anyhow, I relented, let them rent my place for six weeks for a pretty good little chunk of money. I won't say much, because I can't remember, but it helped pay for my farm. And my son, Troy. He was he was about 14, 15, and my wife and I decided we'd go to Hawaii and let Paul McCartney pay for it... We had two houses. One the band, Wings stayed in...they stayed in the little small house down the road and they had a gate there then had to keep somebody at the gate to keep people from coming in. I live up on a hill. Troy had a road bike, a nice one. I said, 'You better put this up some place where they can't find it, because some of these guys they'll run it all over the world and then tear it up. But Paul found it and loved it. He rode all over Wilson County and Lebanon, up and down the highway. People would see him and they wouldn't even know who he was.  I was in an obscure record store in London, England last year. I found a British copy of "Junior's Farm." farm that I thought you might want...It says, "Recorded on a farm in Lebanon, Tennessee." Did they do it at your house, or another recording studio? They did it at Sound Shop, which Buddy owned. I didn't have a recording studio, but I had a double car garage. That's where they set their band up and rehearsed. We got back from Hawaii, and I was anxious to get back home, of course. We were walking up the driveway and they saw us coming, and Paul and the band started playing "Green, Green Grass of Home" (laughs). It was an experience. 

Louis Ferrante (born May 13, 1969) is a former high stakes heist expert and Gambino crime family mob associate. He spent eight and a half years in prison for stick ups, heists and hijackings. He successfully appealed his conviction and became a bestselling true crime, business, and science writer. He has previously hosted his own show, which aired on the Discovery Channel and was nominated for a Grierson Trust Award, which is considered the most prestigious documentary award in the UK. On September 15, 2011, Ferrante spoke at The Economist's Ideas Economy: Human Potential Summit in New York City. On October 21, 2014, Ferrante spoke at the CEO Global Leaders Forum in New York City, hosted by billionaire businessman Leonard Lauder. Early life Ferrante was born on May 13, 1969, in Queens, New York, where he was raised. As a teenager, he made his reputation as a gang leader. Ferrante and his gang hijacked delivery trucks[4] all over New York and he soon gained the attention of the Gambino crime family.[5] By his early twenties, Ferrante headed a crew of older armed robbers within the family.[6] Newspaper articles from the 1990s referred to Ferrante as "John Gotti's pal". Another article referred to Ferrante as a "crony of John A. Gotti."[7] On one occasion, Ferrante and his crew flew from New York to California to hold up an armored car. His plans were foiled by the FBI, although there was insufficient evidence to charge Ferrante and his crew with a crime.[8][9] Around this time, he was suspected of masterminding some of the largest heists in U.S. history. Arrests FBI Surveillance Photo of Louis Ferrante in California, on His Way to a Meeting with His Crew FBI Surveillance Photo of Louis Ferrante and His Crew in California Planning an Armored Truck Heist (Ferrante's Back is to the Camera) Ferrante was targeted by many investigations. He was eventually indicted by the FBI, the United States Secret Service, and the Nassau County Organized Crime Task Force.[10] The main witness against Ferrante entered the Witness Protection program. Another informant against Ferrante was William Degel, now the host of Restaurant Stakeout on Food Network.[7] By 1994, and facing a life sentence in prison, Ferrante wrote and distributed a rap song defending crime boss John Gotti. Ferrante hired controversial civil rights attorney William Kunstler to defend him. Ferrante has appeared in at least one biography based on the life of William Kunstler.[11] During the trial, Kunstler claimed that Ferrante's song aggravated law enforcement agencies who had convicted Gotti and that the massive resources used to indict Ferrante multiple times were part of a government vendetta.[12] Ferrante's defense was defeated in court by prosecutors and Ferrante was convicted. In Ferrante's second case, he chose to plead guilty to a thirteen-year sentence, with his third case running concurrent with the first two cases. Ferrante refused to cooperate with the government and did not inform on former associates of the Gambino family.[13] He was sent to the maximum security prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to begin his sentence.

THE FALLOUT TKO, the company that owns WWE, has just revealed the financial fallout it faced last year from WWE’s 2022 investigation into Vince McMahon’s alleged misconduct, and how much power he currently has at the company. TKO also confirmed who will be replacing McMahon’s role on its board of directors amid his resignation last month, which took place shortly after a lawsuit was filed against him accusing him of sexual assault. In June 2022, WWE’s Special Committee launched an investigation into McMahon’s alleged sexual misconduct and hush money payments he allegedly gave to a departing employee. The investigation has cost WWE over $27 million in 2022, and it continues to face additional costs from ongoing/additional claims related to the allegations, despite the investigation concluding sometime in 2022, according to a Feb. 27 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “Professional costs resulting from WWE’s Special Committee’s investigation have been significant and are expected to continue to be significant as the Company continues to incur costs arising from ongoing and/or potentially new regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas and demands and claims,” said the company in the SEC filing. “We expect Mr. McMahon to reimburse the Company for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the investigation.” TKO also claims that McMahon has already reimbursed the company $5.8 million in costs related to the investigation in 2023. McMahon resigned from TKO as executive chair and member of the board or directors last month shortly after a former WWE employee filed a lawsuit against him and former wrestler John Laurinaitis, accusing them both of “physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at WWE.” In TKO’s new statement about Vince McMahon’s allegations in the SEC filing, the company finally revealed who will replace him on its board of directors. “On February 22, 2024, following Vincent McMahon’s resignation from the position of Executive Chair of the Board in January 2024, the Board appointed Ariel Emanuel, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, as Executive Chair of the Board,” said the company in the filing. “In addition, the independent directors of the Board established the position of Lead Independent Director and appointed Steven R. Koonin to serve in such role. Both appointments became effective as of February 22, 2024.                                          

ANGELO CAPONE IS JERRY LEWIS Angelo Capone is a skilled and talented drummer who has played along side some of Ameica's best and brightest musicians including those of his own band. He also bears a striking resemblence to one of the worlds greatest funnymen, Jerry Lewis. This along with his spot vocals and comedic timing, make him one of the premier Jerry Lewis Tribute Artists in the country. Would you please welcome back for his second solo appearance Mr. Angelo Capone.

LIFE AFTER DEATH The question of life after death from both a theological and scientific perspective in one of the most thought provoking shows we have ever done. Join us on this journey.

REMEMBERING THE REF FOUR YEARS LATER WITH FONDNESS LAUGHTER AND LOVE Jeffrey “Jeff” Charles Robinson, 42, went to be with the Lord on February 29, 2020.  We know he’s enjoying the wrestling ring in the sky.  He was born on April 19, 1977 at DePaul Hospital in Norfolk, VA to Edgar & Brenda Robinson.   Jeffrey is most known for his passion for professional wrestling.  As a child, Jeff’s late Grandpa Donald Major introduced him to professional wrestling.  His love for wrestling never stopped & he was a walking encyclopedia about everything wrestling.  He met numerous professional wrestlers throughout his life, but was most proud of meeting Ric Flair & he was very grateful of his friendship with the late Ivan Koloff.  When Jeff turned 18, he became an official referee for various indie wrestling circuits which is where he earned the nickname, “Jeff the Ref”.  Later, that love of wrestling brought him to become the head of security for Vanguard Championship Wrestling (VCW) & he enjoyed working with everyone there.  Most recently Jeff was a co-host in a podcast called, “Wrestling with the Future.”  He was so very proud of how much this “little podcast that could” was growing.   Jeffrey also enjoyed his time as a waiter at The Cheesecake Factory where he had the opportunity wait on Tom Hanks, Shirley MacLaine & Bruce Smith of the Washington Redskins to name a few.  Bruce Smith liked Jeff’s service so much that while Jeff worked there, he would only eat there when Jeff was working & even wrote a complimentary letter about Jeff to The Cheesecake Factory offices.  Jeff’s incredible customer service skills served him very well both at The Cheesecake Factory and then at GEICO where he was a sales agent.

It's Open Forum, So, Anything Goes!!!

"GRIND: A COSMIC HORROR COMEDY" with Jesse Hutchins, Mark Cant & Brian Ceponis What goes into making an independent film?  There are a variety of reasons why some people prefer making an independent film. That is, the production of a film which sits outside of the traditional studio system. Independent filmmaking can be an excellent option for filmmakers. Particularly those who are just starting out or who are working with a limited budget. Independent films aka ‘indie films,’ are films whose substance, voice, and style are more directly within the creator’s control. Indie filmmakers are able to have a stronger hand in the production of their films. This is because they do not have access to a large budget and a large crew. As a result, they also have more creative leeway to tell the kind of stories they want to tell.  Start with the script. Budget sensibly. Choose your crew wisely. Onboard the cast but consider the cost. Plan for all scenarios on shoot days. Prioritise your post-production. Film Festivals are your friend when making an independent film.  

HERE IS WHAT WE GARNERED FROM THESE CALLS. SEE IF YOU CAN HEAR OR NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT. ANALYSIS OF BENOIT TELEPHONE CALLS:   1.  THE FULL CALL WITH AMBIENT BACKGROUND NOISES. CHRIS IS SPEAKING TO MICHAEL J. PARKER (BELIEVED TO BE HIS ATTORNEY) BENOIT IS BELIEVED TO BE AT AN AIRPORT OR  TRANSPORTATION CENTER HEADING BACK TO HIS HOME IN ATLANTA. 2. CHRIS BENOIT SOUNDS TIRED - DRUGGED (WE BELIEVE DRUGGED/SLURRING HIS WORDS BADLY. YOU CAN HEAR SOMEONE OFF TO THE SIDE AND NOISE IN BACKGROUND LIKE DRAGGING SOMETHING. 3. YOU CAN HEAR CHRIS' SON DANIEL BENOIT IN THE BACKGROUND MOANING IN PAIN AND CRYING OUT OR SAYING "MOMMY OR MAMA" SEVERAL TIMES. CHRIS APPEARS TO SOUND DISTRESSED AND NOT ALONE. CLEARLY PEOPLE ARE PRESENT THERE WITH HIM. 4. AN EMTIONAL BENOIT IS HEARD PLEADING OR BEGGING WITH SOMEONE. THE AUDIO IS NOT TERRIBLY CLEAR AT POINTS BUT HE IS UNDER OBVIOUS DURESS. APPEARS THAT DANIEL BENOIT IS BEING USED AS A NEGOTIATING TOOL TO GET CHRIS' ATTENTION. 5. CLIP NUMBER 5 IS THE ORIGINAL PHONE CALL IN ITS UNEDITED FORM. WE ARE REPLAYING FOR ADDITIOPNAL ANALYSIS. 6. AMBIENT BACKGROUN NOISES AND THE SOUNDS OF DRAGGING ON THE FLOOR OF SOMETHING. ALSO APPEARS AGAIN THAT CHRIS OR SOMEONE IS TALKING HAVING A CONVERSATION OF SORTS. NOT TOTALLY CERTAIN DUE TO AUDIO NOT BEING PRISTINELY CLEAR. ADDITION NOTE OF INTEREST TO THE LISTENER: ADDITIONALLY, AT THE END, IF YOIU LISTEN TO THE LAST VOICE MAIL CHRIS SENT TO MICHAEL J. PARKER, YOU CAN HEAR PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND WHILE CHRIS IS TALKING. YOU WILL HEAR THE WORDS, "I WILL STRANGLE YOU." YOU CAN ALSO HEAR DANIEL IN THE BACKGROUND MOANING IN PAIN. WE ASSUME AT THIS POINT NANCY BENOIT HAS ALREADY BEEN KILLED. (REASON: WHAT MOTHER IN HER RIGHT MIND IS GOING TO ALLOW ANYONE TO DO HARM TO, OR IN ANY WAY ABUSE HER CHILD. MOTHERS BECOME ANIMALS WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAFTEY OF THEIR CHILDREN. ASK ANY MOM.)

The wrestling world stopped in June of 2007 when a tragedy beyond anything the industry had ever seen occurred over a three day period in Fayetteville, GA. The industry had dealt with a considerable number of younger wrestlers die from a variety of causes. Drug abuse, suicide and freak accidents had hit the industry hard. But this was something different. One of the top performers in the industry, Chris Benoit, who had been heralded for years and was a former world champion had killed his family. The impact on the industry continues to this day as it still remains a tragedy that is seldom talked about in the industry. Chris Benoit started wrestling in Canada in the mid-1980′s. He started in the wrestling promotion that was started by the famed Hart family. Bret and Owen Hart’s father Stu ran that territory in the area around Calgary. Benoit was known to idolize the “Dynamite Kid (real name Thomas Billington) for his style of wrestling which was really ahead of his time. Benoit was shorter in stature than a lot of wrestlers being under six feet tall and learned to do an intense and brutal style of wrestling that made fans notice him even though he was not as large as many other competitors. Steroids were also rampant in the industry during that decade and Benoit did utilize them to build an incredible amount of muscle. As the years went by Benoit traveled to Japan and eventually wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) but he became nationally known when he joined World Championship Wrestling. Benoit was brought into the legendary “Four Horseman” stable led by Ric Flair primarily due to his abilities as a top level performer in the ring. Nancy Benoit got into the wrestling business a few years after Chris and started as a valet and manager in WCW in the late 1980′s. She was most well known for playing the villainous manager “Woman”. During this time she was married to wrestler Kevin Sullivan who was several years older than her. During the mid-90′s when Benoit was married, Sullivan booked a wrestling angle with Benoit where in storyline he started an affair with Nancy. But that on-screed romance developed into a real life romance and the two eventually divorced their respective spouses and got together as a couple. Which is ironic being that Nancy Benoit’s ex-husband Sullivan booked that original wrestling angle. Nancy Benoit eventually left wrestling but Chris continued to make progress in his career. He eventually won a world title in WCW then left for the WWE (then WWF) in 2000. Around that time Nancy and Chris got married and had their son Daniel. Chris’ career continue to ascend during his time in WWE as he eventually won the world title in the main event of Wrestlemania XX. June 2007 It was the weekend going into the Monday Night Raw that was slated for June 25th, 2007 and Benoit was slated to appear. But no one had heard from Benoit in the days leading up to the event and missing performance dates was very out of character for him. Wrestler Chavo Guerrero spoke about cryptic voicemails and text messages he received from Benoit and reported it to WWE management. This was spoken about on the “Dark Side Of The Ring” documentary produced by Vice TV. Eventually police went to the Benoit home at the request from WWE to conduct a welfare check. Investigators in Fayetville, GA found the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy and his son Daniel. Nancy Benoit was killed by asphyxiation and her hands and feet were bound. His son appeared to have been sedated and was also killed by asphyxiation. Then Benoit eventually took his own life by hanging himself on a weight machine. Prior to police determining the cause of death and who was responsible WWE was put in a position on how to deal with the news publicly because Raw was about to go live. The “Dark Side Of The Ring” documentary shows Vince McMahon gathered all the performers together to break the horrific news to them. The show was essentially cancelled and turned into a tribute to Chris Benoit and his family. But as the hours went by later in the evening WWE learned the true horror of what had happened in the Georgia home and responded the next night. The following night WWE had the broadcast of their ECW show and at the beginning of the show McMahon gave a statement: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Last night on Monday Night Raw, the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, now some 26 hours later, the facts of this horrific tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit’s name tonight. On the contrary, tonight’s show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process. Tonight, WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world: entertain you.” McMahon provided a similar statement later in the week on their episode of Smackdown. That was the last time WWE ever mentioned Chris Benoit. The company went to great lengths to erase him from all WWE material. While there is still Benoit matches in their archives that can be found on Peacock, there has been no content produced by WWE since 2007 where Benoit is included. Nancy Benoit’s sister Sandra Toffoloni has spoken in depth about her thoughts on the crime and what exactly happened on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast hosted by wrestling star Chris Jericho who was a longtime friend of Benoit. The public demands answers. No other scandal in the history of professional wrestling made mainstream headlines like the Benoit tragedy. Cable news networks led a large number of shows for days analyzing the murder-suicide. A lot of that had to do with beliefs that steroids may have played a role in the tragedy. Benoit’s autopsy report showed he had a considerably high testosterone level in his body at the time of death leading many to speculate that “roid rage” may have caused the murders. Further investigation showed that he had been prescribed testosterone by his doctor. Many of those medications along with other prescription drugs were found in the home. It was later determined the testosterone was prescribed to supplement his levels due to years of past steroid use.

        INSIDE THE GANGSTERS CODE Louis Ferrante (born May 13, 1969) is a former high stakes heist expert and Gambino crime family mob associate. He spent eight and a half years in prison for stick ups, heists and hijackings. He successfully appealed his conviction and became a bestselling true crime, business, and science writer. He has previously hosted his own show, which aired on the Discovery Channel and was nominated for a Grierson Trust Award, which is considered the most prestigious documentary award in the UK. On September 15, 2011, Ferrante spoke at The Economist's Ideas Economy: Human Potential Summit in New York City. On October 21, 2014, Ferrante spoke at the CEO Global Leaders Forum in New York City, hosted by billionaire businessman Leonard Lauder. Early life Ferrante was born on May 13, 1969, in Queens, New York, where he was raised. As a teenager, he made his reputation as a gang leader. Ferrante and his gang hijacked delivery trucks[4] all over New York and he soon gained the attention of the Gambino crime family.[5] By his early twenties, Ferrante headed a crew of older armed robbers within the family.[6] Newspaper articles from the 1990s referred to Ferrante as "John Gotti's pal". Another article referred to Ferrante as a "crony of John A. Gotti."[7] On one occasion, Ferrante and his crew flew from New York to California to hold up an armored car. His plans were foiled by the FBI, although there was insufficient evidence to charge Ferrante and his crew with a crime.[8][9] Around this time, he was suspected of masterminding some of the largest heists in U.S. history. Arrests FBI Surveillance Photo of Louis Ferrante in California, on His Way to a Meeting with His Crew FBI Surveillance Photo of Louis Ferrante and His Crew in California Planning an Armored Truck Heist (Ferrante's Back is to the Camera) Ferrante was targeted by many investigations. He was eventually indicted by the FBI, the United States Secret Service, and the Nassau County Organized Crime Task Force.[10] The main witness against Ferrante entered the Witness Protection program. Another informant against Ferrante was William Degel, now the host of Restaurant Stakeout on Food Network.[7] By 1994, and facing a life sentence in prison, Ferrante wrote and distributed a rap song defending crime boss John Gotti. Ferrante hired controversial civil rights attorney William Kunstler to defend him. Ferrante has appeared in at least one biography based on the life of William Kunstler.[11] During the trial, Kunstler claimed that Ferrante's song aggravated law enforcement agencies who had convicted Gotti and that the massive resources used to indict Ferrante multiple times were part of a government vendetta.[12] Ferrante's defense was defeated in court by prosecutors and Ferrante was convicted. In Ferrante's second case, he chose to plead guilty to a thirteen-year sentence, with his third case running concurrent with the first two cases. Ferrante refused to cooperate with the government and did not inform on former associates of the Gambino family.[13] He was sent to the maximum security prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to begin his sentence.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A SCHEDULED GUEST FUCKS YOU OVER 30 MINUTES BEFORE AIR-TIME.

THE CHRIS BENOIT MURDER SUICIDE CASE   Another thing that could have had weight in the story and in this tragic ending was the fact that Chris's brain was totally out of shape, had cet after having had constant traumas in his head. Literally, Chris's brain was the same as an 85-year-old elder with Alzheimer. The fault of this is the damn ambition and the little care that the directors of the WWE had for their fighters. Certainly, every fight was a performance and they had a script, but the acrobatics and the use of metal chairs to hit each other put their health and integrity at risk. Eerie Twist In Wrestler's Murder-Suicide Investigators are looking into who altered pro wrestler Chris Benoit's Wikipedia entry to mention his wife's death hours before authorities discovered the bodies of the couple and their 7-year-old son. Benoit's Wikipedia entry was altered early Monday to say that the wrestler had missed a match two days earlier because of his wife's death. A Wikipedia official, Cary Bass, said Thursday that the entry was made by someone using an Internet protocol address registered in Stamford, Conn., where World Wrestling Entertainment is based. An IP address, a unique series of numbers carried by every machine connected to the Internet, does not necessarily have to be broadcast from where it is registered. The bodies were found in Benoit's home in suburban Atlanta, and it's not known where the posting was sent from, Bass said. Benoit allegedly strangled his wife and son during the weekend, placing Bibles next to their bodies, before allegedly hanging himself on the cable of a weight-machine in his home, police said. No motive was offered for the killings, which were discovered Monday. Over a two-day period from June 22 to June 24, 2007, Chris Benoit, a 40-year-old Canadian professional wrestler employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), murdered his wife Nancy and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, before hanging himself at their residence in Fayetteville, Georgia, United States. ------------------------------------------------------------------ The wrestling world stopped in June of 2007 when a tragedy beyond anything the industry had ever seen occurred over a three day period in Fayetteville, GA. The industry had dealt with a considerable number of younger wrestlers die from a variety of causes. Drug abuse, suicide and freak accidents had hit the industry hard. But this was something different. One of the top performers in the industry, Chris Benoit, who had been heralded for years and was a former world champion had killed his family. The impact on the industry continues to this day as it still remains a tragedy that is seldom talked about in the industry. Chris Benoit started wrestling in Canada in the mid-1980′s. He started in the wrestling promotion that was started by the famed Hart family. Bret and Owen Hart’s father Stu ran that territory in the area around Calgary. Benoit was known to idolize the “Dynamite Kid (real name Thomas Billington) for his style of wrestling which was really ahead of his time. Benoit was shorter in stature than a lot of wrestlers being under six feet tall and learned to do an intense and brutal style of wrestling that made fans notice him even though he was not as large as many other competitors. Steroids were also rampant in the industry during that decade and Benoit did utilize them to build an incredible amount of muscle. As the years went by Benoit traveled to Japan and eventually wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) but he became nationally known when he joined World Championship Wrestling. Benoit was brought into the legendary “Four Horseman” stable led by Ric Flair primarily due to his abilities as a top level performer in the ring. Nancy Benoit got into the wrestling business a few years after Chris and started as a valet and manager in WCW in the late 1980′s. She was most well known for playing the villainous manager “Woman”. During this time she was married to wrestler Kevin Sullivan who was several years older than her. During the mid-90′s when Benoit was married, Sullivan booked a wrestling angle with Benoit where in storyline he started an affair with Nancy. But that on-screed romance developed into a real life romance and the two eventually divorced their respective spouses and got together as a couple. Which is ironic being that Nancy Benoit’s ex-husband Sullivan booked that original wrestling angle. Nancy Benoit eventually left wrestling but Chris continued to make progress in his career. He eventually won a world title in WCW then left for the WWE (then WWF) in 2000. Around that time Nancy and Chris got married and had their son Daniel. Chris’ career continue to ascend during his time in WWE as he eventually won the world title in the main event of Wrestlemania XX. June 2007 It was the weekend going into the Monday Night Raw that was slated for June 25th, 2007 and Benoit was slated to appear. But no one had heard from Benoit in the days leading up to the event and missing performance dates was very out of character for him. Wrestler Chavo Guerrero spoke about cryptic voicemails and text messages he received from Benoit and reported it to WWE management. This was spoken about on the “Dark Side Of The Ring” documentary produced by Vice TV. Eventually police went to the Benoit home at the request from WWE to conduct a welfare check. Investigators in Fayetville, GA found the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy and his son Daniel. Nancy Benoit was killed by asphyxiation and her hands and feet were bound. His son appeared to have been sedated and was also killed by asphyxiation. Then Benoit eventually took his own life by hanging himself on a weight machine. Prior to police determining the cause of death and who was responsible WWE was put in a position on how to deal with the news publicly because Raw was about to go live. The “Dark Side Of The Ring” documentary shows Vince McMahon gathered all the performers together to break the horrific news to them. The show was essentially cancelled and turned into a tribute to Chris Benoit and his family. But as the hours went by later in the evening WWE learned the true horror of what had happened in the Georgia home and responded the next night. The following night WWE had the broadcast of their ECW show and at the beginning of the show McMahon gave a statement: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Last night on Monday Night Raw, the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, now some 26 hours later, the facts of this horrific tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit’s name tonight. On the contrary, tonight’s show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process. Tonight, WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world: entertain you.” McMahon provided a similar statement later in the week on their episode of Smackdown. That was the last time WWE ever mentioned Chris Benoit. The company went to great lengths to erase him from all WWE material. While there is still Benoit matches in their archives that can be found on Peacock, there has been no content produced by WWE since 2007 where Benoit is included. Nancy Benoit’s sister Sandra Toffoloni has spoken in depth about her thoughts on the crime and what exactly happened on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast hosted by wrestling star Chris Jericho who was a longtime friend of Benoit. The public demands answers. No other scandal in the history of professional wrestling made mainstream headlines like the Benoit tragedy. Cable news networks led a large number of shows for days analyzing the murder-suicide. A lot of that had to do with beliefs that steroids may have played a role in the tragedy. Benoit’s autopsy report showed he had a considerably high testosterone level in his body at the time of death leading many to speculate that “roid rage” may have caused the murders. Further investigation showed that he had been prescribed testosterone by his doctor. Many of those medications along with other prescription drugs were found in the home. It was later determined the testosterone was prescribed to supplement his levels due to years of past steroid use.

THE CHRIS BENOIT MURDER SUICIDE CASE Another thing that could have had weight in the story and in this tragic ending was the fact that Chris's brain was totally out of shape, had cet after having had constant traumas in his head. Literally, Chris's brain was the same as an 85-year-old elder with Alzheimer. The fault of this is the damn ambition and the little care that the directors of the WWE had for their fighters. Certainly, every fight was a performance and they had a script, but the acrobatics and the use of metal chairs to hit each other put their health and integrity at risk. Eerie Twist In Wrestler's Murder-Suicide Investigators are looking into who altered pro wrestler Chris Benoit's Wikipedia entry to mention his wife's death hours before authorities discovered the bodies of the couple and their 7-year-old son. Benoit's Wikipedia entry was altered early Monday to say that the wrestler had missed a match two days earlier because of his wife's death. A Wikipedia official, Cary Bass, said Thursday that the entry was made by someone using an Internet protocol address registered in Stamford, Conn., where World Wrestling Entertainment is based. An IP address, a unique series of numbers carried by every machine connected to the Internet, does not necessarily have to be broadcast from where it is registered. The bodies were found in Benoit's home in suburban Atlanta, and it's not known where the posting was sent from, Bass said. Benoit allegedly strangled his wife and son during the weekend, placing Bibles next to their bodies, before allegedly hanging himself on the cable of a weight-machine in his home, police said. No motive was offered for the killings, which were discovered Monday. Over a two-day period from June 22 to June 24, 2007, Chris Benoit, a 40-year-old Canadian professional wrestler employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), murdered his wife Nancy and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, before hanging himself at their residence in Fayetteville, Georgia, United States. ------------------------------------------------------------------ The wrestling world stopped in June of 2007 when a tragedy beyond anything the industry had ever seen occurred over a three day period in Fayetteville, GA. The industry had dealt with a considerable number of younger wrestlers die from a variety of causes. Drug abuse, suicide and freak accidents had hit the industry hard. But this was something different. One of the top performers in the industry, Chris Benoit, who had been heralded for years and was a former world champion had killed his family. The impact on the industry continues to this day as it still remains a tragedy that is seldom talked about in the industry. Chris Benoit started wrestling in Canada in the mid-1980′s. He started in the wrestling promotion that was started by the famed Hart family. Bret and Owen Hart’s father Stu ran that territory in the area around Calgary. Benoit was known to idolize the “Dynamite Kid (real name Thomas Billington) for his style of wrestling which was really ahead of his time. Benoit was shorter in stature than a lot of wrestlers being under six feet tall and learned to do an intense and brutal style of wrestling that made fans notice him even though he was not as large as many other competitors. Steroids were also rampant in the industry during that decade and Benoit did utilize them to build an incredible amount of muscle. As the years went by Benoit traveled to Japan and eventually wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) but he became nationally known when he joined World Championship Wrestling. Benoit was brought into the legendary “Four Horseman” stable led by Ric Flair primarily due to his abilities as a top level performer in the ring. Nancy Benoit got into the wrestling business a few years after Chris and started as a valet and manager in WCW in the late 1980′s. She was most well known for playing the villainous manager “Woman”. During this time she was married to wrestler Kevin Sullivan who was several years older than her. During the mid-90′s when Benoit was married, Sullivan booked a wrestling angle with Benoit where in storyline he started an affair with Nancy. But that on-screed romance developed into a real life romance and the two eventually divorced their respective spouses and got together as a couple. Which is ironic being that Nancy Benoit’s ex-husband Sullivan booked that original wrestling angle. Nancy Benoit eventually left wrestling but Chris continued to make progress in his career. He eventually won a world title in WCW then left for the WWE (then WWF) in 2000. Around that time Nancy and Chris got married and had their son Daniel. Chris’ career continue to ascend during his time in WWE as he eventually won the world title in the main event of Wrestlemania XX. June 2007 It was the weekend going into the Monday Night Raw that was slated for June 25th, 2007 and Benoit was slated to appear. But no one had heard from Benoit in the days leading up to the event and missing performance dates was very out of character for him. Wrestler Chavo Guerrero spoke about cryptic voicemails and text messages he received from Benoit and reported it to WWE management. This was spoken about on the “Dark Side Of The Ring” documentary produced by Vice TV. Eventually police went to the Benoit home at the request from WWE to conduct a welfare check. Investigators in Fayetville, GA found the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy and his son Daniel. Nancy Benoit was killed by asphyxiation and her hands and feet were bound. His son appeared to have been sedated and was also killed by asphyxiation. Then Benoit eventually took his own life by hanging himself on a weight machine. Prior to police determining the cause of death and who was responsible WWE was put in a position on how to deal with the news publicly because Raw was about to go live. The “Dark Side Of The Ring” documentary shows Vince McMahon gathered all the performers together to break the horrific news to them. The show was essentially cancelled and turned into a tribute to Chris Benoit and his family. But as the hours went by later in the evening WWE learned the true horror of what had happened in the Georgia home and responded the next night. The following night WWE had the broadcast of their ECW show and at the beginning of the show McMahon gave a statement: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Last night on Monday Night Raw, the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, now some 26 hours later, the facts of this horrific tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit’s name tonight. On the contrary, tonight’s show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process. Tonight, WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world: entertain you.” McMahon provided a similar statement later in the week on their episode of Smackdown. That was the last time WWE ever mentioned Chris Benoit. The company went to great lengths to erase him from all WWE material. While there is still Benoit matches in their archives that can be found on Peacock, there has been no content produced by WWE since 2007 where Benoit is included. Nancy Benoit’s sister Sandra Toffoloni has spoken in depth about her thoughts on the crime and what exactly happened on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast hosted by wrestling star Chris Jericho who was a longtime friend of Benoit. The public demands answers. No other scandal in the history of professional wrestling made mainstream headlines like the Benoit tragedy. Cable news networks led a large number of shows for days analyzing the murder-suicide. A lot of that had to do with beliefs that steroids may have played a role in the tragedy. Benoit’s autopsy report showed he had a considerably high testosterone level in his body at the time of death leading many to speculate that “roid rage” may have caused the murders. Further investigation showed that he had been prescribed testosterone by his doctor. Many of those medications along with other prescription drugs were found in the home. It was later determined the testosterone was prescribed to supplement his levels due to years of past steroid use.

Marc Sotkin - TV Writer/Producer/Show Runner Marc Sotkin is an award winning writer, producer, and director who has influenced some of Americas most Iconic Television shows.  His Credits Include: Blanskys Beauties- You Wish- First Time Out- Platypus Man - The Sinbad Show - The Golden Palace- The Golden Girls- It's a Living- The Line- Laverne & Shirley- I'm a Big Girl Now- Working Stiffs- The Garry Shandling Show In 2015 He wrote the award winning short, THE DECISION and is the author of  several books, "With Time Off for Bad Behavior", "The Comatose Adventures Of Lenny Rose" and Kinda Dirty Paris Confessions. Marc was also the host of his own podcast "Everything About it is Appealing" Marc is the recipient of the prestigious Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy/Variety Series or Special. He is always candid, always informative and is always welcome. Welcome Marc Sotkin.

Our Special Musical Guest is Country Music Hall of Famer Lacy J. Dalton  The Queen of Country Music BIOGRAPHY   Lacy J. Dalton (born Jill Lynne Byrem on October 13, 1946 in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania), is an American country singer and songwriter with a career that has spanned many decades and touched the hearts of millions of music fans. In March 2017 Lacy J Dalton was inducted into the North American Country Music Association International Hall of Fame, and in 2022 she was awarded a Lifetime Career Achievement Award from the Josie Music Awards, the largest independent music awards show in the country.   She’s one of the most instantly recognizable voices in music – the woman People Magazine called “Country’s Bonnie Raitt.” From the first time Lacy J Dalton caught the public’s ear, that soulful delivery, full of texture and grit, has been a mainstay of Country Music. When you sit to listen to a Lacy J Dalton album, you find yourself pulled in by the very power and heart of this vocalist, because she’s not merely performing a ten-song set, she’s bringing each and every tune to life. It’s as if they were all written especially for her.   Prior to recording with Harbor Records in 1978 as Jill Croston, she like many before her, held many jobs to survive and support her family. As a truck stop waitress and singer, she would wait tables and then take the stage to sing a few songs. In June 1979, Lacy J Dalton was signed by Columbia Records and quickly rose to national prominence with Crazy Blue Eyes, which she wrote with her longest friend, Mary McFadden, and which raced to #7 on the Billboard Country Charts.  Her hard work and dedication paid off in 1979 when she was awarded the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female Vocalist of the Year.   Lacy’s success was powered not just by the artist’s recordings, but by a stage show that truly electrified audiences. She quickly became one of the few women who could successfully open a show for the likes of Hank Williams, Jr., Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard or Charlie Daniels. Not only could she do it, but she left audiences across the country hollering for more. Her signature song 16th Avenue, became the Anthem for Nashville songwriters.  Her other hit records are legendary million-airplay cuts and include Crazy Blue Eyes, Takin’ It Easy, Everybody Makes Mistakes, Hillbilly Girl with the Blues, Hard Times, and the worldwide hit Black Coffee.   In addition to her Top New Female Vocalist award, she also brought home numerous Grammy nominations and 3 prestigious, back to back (1979, 1980, 1981) Bay Area Music Awards for Best Country-Folk Recordings. Lacy appeared on those shows with the likes of Neil Young, The Grateful Dead, Grace Slick and the Jefferson Airplane.   Lacy's collaboration with Willie Nelson on his platinum Half Nelson CD was a high spot for her. Lacy is the only woman featured on that recording (which included singing legends Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, Merle Haggard, Julio Iglesias, George Jones, Leon Russell, Carlos Santana, Mel Tillis, Hank Williams Sr., and Neil Young), and was awarded a Platinum Record for it. She also received a Gold Record from Hank Williams Jr. in 1985 for her support performances throughout his Five-0 Tour, where she opened for him at a time when it was unusual for a woman to do so. Her career includes accomplishments in music, film and radio.  In music, they range from her instantly recognizable charted hit songs to her notable duets recorded with George Jones, Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, Glen Campbell, Eddie Rabbit, David Allen Coe and many others. Her film debut was in the motion picture Take This Job And Shove It, and her acting has also included live stage and theater performances. Until recently, Lacy J Dalton also hosted a weekly radio show called Mustang Matters.  Podcasts of past shows are available to listeners on the internet at www.americamatters.us   Following a successful career in country music, Lacy decided to draw on all her musical experiences including country, rock and folk, and cross over into the Americana genre.  This blend of musical styles allows her to express herself in a way that demonstrates all the facets of who she is as a singer/songwriter.  She became an independent artist and formed her own label called Song Dog Records.  Under this label, she has released three albums to date.  The first was Wild Horse Crossing in 1999, followed by the Last Wild Place Anthology which went #1 on the World Independent Chart, and a year later went #1 on the American Western Music Chart. Then Allison Eastwood, Clint Eastwood's daughter, used the hit song Slip Away from the Anthology CD on the sound track of her independent film, Don't Tell. In 2010 Lacy also released a tribute to Hank Williams Sr. entitled Here's To Hank.   Today, Lacy continues to record new music and perform live shows whenever possible.  She tours mainly west of the Mississippi and loves small boutique venues and old theaters with great sound quality and warm, receptive audiences she can really connect with.  She recently recorded some electrifying new music for an EP that was released in January 2019.  When hearing the signature song Scarecrow, her good friend Reverend Barbara Ann Fletcher remarked “that song makes you a whole new you, and it makes me a whole new me.”  And that’s exactly the response Lacy was hoping for.   In addition to her musical career, Lacy has been involved in various service projects through several charitable organizations – namely, the Let ‘em Run Foundation, William James Associates Arts in Corrections, and Rotary International.    In 1999, Lacy co-founded the Let ‘em Run Foundation which received its 501(c)3 designation from the IRS in 2004.  The Let 'em Run Foundation is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing America's wild horses and burros who have no voice.  Let ‘em Run’s mission is to serve as an educational, fund-raising and public relations entity, through its own efforts and in assisting similar non-profit organizations, to promote the appropriate and compassionate management of the wild horse, estray horse, and mustang population of the U.S. and other species of endangered or mistreated animals.    From 2015 through November 2018, Lacy and her partner, Dale Poune, worked with the William James Arts in Corrections program at High Desert State Prison in Susanville, California.  Their work there has been focused on teaching basic song writing skills and techniques, music theory and guitar playing to level 4 inmates.  Through their classes, a select group of inmates got the opportunity to learn the basic principles of guitar playing and song writing which they then used to develop songs and lyrics, both individually and as a group.  The class culminated with the inmates recording those musical compositions and giving a live performance to an audience of prison and non-prison personnel.  In addition, several inmates were able to go on to teach basic guitar to other inmates in the classic “each one teach one” teaching tradition.   Finally, Lacy is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Reno, and a Paul Harris Fellow.  Lacy has written two songs for Rotary, which she then recorded on a CD to be used as a fundraising opportunity for the Reno club.  Lacy also performed at the Rotary International Convention in New Orleans in 2011, and has been a key note speaker and headline performer at several club meetings and district conferences.

WWE Boss Vince McMahon Accused of Sexual Misconduct: Breaking Down the Scandal and Fallout Vincent Kennedy McMahon was the CEO and Chairman of the Board at World Wrestling Entertainment for decades before “voluntarily” stepping down. McMahon, who was a former wrestler before taking over the WWE business, confirmed in June 2022 that he was resigning from his post while the company investigated misconduct claims against him. Several hours later, McMahon opened smackdown with great fanfare. “It is a privilege as always to stand before you here tonight, the WWE universe,” he said during the June 17, 2022, broadcast. “I’m here simply to remind you of the four words we just saw in what we call our WWE signature. Those four words are: then, now, forever, and the most important word is together. Welcome to SmackDown!” Amid McMahon’s exit from the WWE executive suite, federal law enforcement officials have continued investigating the allegations. The former pro athlete has not yet been charged with a crime. Nearly two years later, McMahon faced a second misconduct scandal when a former WWE employee accused him of sexual assault, trafficking and abuse in a January 2024 lawsuit. He denied all claims before resigning from WWE’s parent company, TKO Group. READ THE ENTIRE BACKSTORY HERE

THE EPSTEIN EPILOGUES PART II Who did Jeffrey Epstein work for?  What did he do for a living, and on "Who's behalf?  Where did his money come from? And where is it now? What really happened to Jeffrey Epstein? (August 10th 2019)  Found dead in the most secure maximum federal facility in the world, the N.Y Federeal Detention holding Center. Suicide or Murdered? Evidence strongly suggests that he was in fact murdered.  Forensic Pathologist Dr. Michael Baden has suggested that he did not die fri=om suicidal hanging as we are being led to believe.  We will unravel the truth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 2009: Epstein is released from jail. For the next decade, multiple women who say they are Epstein’s victims wage a legal fight to get his federal non-prosecution agreement voided, and hold him and others liable for the abuse. One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, says in her lawsuits that, starting when she was 17, Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, set up sexual encounters with royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and other rich and powerful men, including Britain’s Prince Andrew. All of those men deny the allegations. November 2018: The Miami Herald revisits the handling of Epstein’s case in a series of stories focusing partly on the role of Acosta — who by this point is President Donald Trump’s labor secretary — in arranging his unusual plea deal. The coverage renews public interest in the case. July 6, 2019: Epstein is arrested on federal sex trafficking charges after federal prosecutors in New York conclude that they weren’t bound by the terms of the earlier non-prosecution deal. Days later, Acosta resigns as labor secretary amid public outrage over his role in the initial investigation. Aug. 10, 2019: Guards find Epstein dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City. Investigators conclude he killed himself. July 2, 2020: Federal prosecutors in New York charge Ghislaine Maxwell with sex crimes, saying she helped recruit the underage girls that Epstein sexually abused and sometimes participated in the abuse herself. Dec. 30, 2021: After a monthlong trial, a jury convicts Maxwell of multiple charges, including sex trafficking, conspiracy and transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity. June 28, 2022: Maxwell is sentenced to 20 years in prison.

THE EPSTEIN EPILOGUES Who did Jeffrey Epstein work for?  What did he do for a living, and on "Who's behalf?  Where did his money come from? And where is it now? What really happened to Jeffrey Epstein? (August 10th 2019)  Found dead in the most secure maximum federal facility in the world, the N.Y Federeal Detention holding Center. Suicide or Murdered? Evidence strongly suggests that he was in fact murdered.  Forensic Pathologist Dr. Michael Baden has suggested that he did not die fri=om suicidal hanging as we are being led to believe.  We will unravel the truth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 2009: Epstein is released from jail. For the next decade, multiple women who say they are Epstein’s victims wage a legal fight to get his federal non-prosecution agreement voided, and hold him and others liable for the abuse. One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, says in her lawsuits that, starting when she was 17, Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, set up sexual encounters with royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and other rich and powerful men, including Britain’s Prince Andrew. All of those men deny the allegations. November 2018: The Miami Herald revisits the handling of Epstein’s case in a series of stories focusing partly on the role of Acosta — who by this point is President Donald Trump’s labor secretary — in arranging his unusual plea deal. The coverage renews public interest in the case. July 6, 2019: Epstein is arrested on federal sex trafficking charges after federal prosecutors in New York conclude that they weren’t bound by the terms of the earlier non-prosecution deal. Days later, Acosta resigns as labor secretary amid public outrage over his role in the initial investigation.

SUSIE MAE MCC OY (AKA) SWEET GEORGIA BROWN   South Carolina’s Susie Mae McCoy was a bright eyed girl with dreams of becoming a big time wrestling star when the 19-year old started training with The Fabulous Moolah and her then husband Buddy Lee in 1957. Moolah was one of the biggest female stars in America at the time and had started a stranglehold on booking women within the NWA and other territories following the decline of Billy Wolfe‘s monopoly. Renamed as Sweet Georgia Brown, McCoy made her pro wrestling debut a year later, in 1958, at the age of 20. Sweet Georgia Brown was Moolah’s first African-American student in her school and Moolah and Lee had high hopes for the emerging fad in pro wrestling “Negro Women Wrestlers”. But despite her fame and rise on the women’s wrestling circuit, Sweet Georgia Brown lived in fear for much of career. At first, it was from the rampant racism of the south – at some venues, she was smuggled in in the trunk of a car so that the KKK or other extremists wouldn’t be tipped off to a black women entering the arenas or hotel rooms. But sadly, the most real terror was the clear and present danger of her trainer and manager, Moolah and Buddy Lee. Moolah and Lee would take a whopping 25% of their booking fees off the top (sometimes even more), often pocketing much more, leaving the wrestlers with barely enough to survive. In order to secure better booking for herself (or her girls to get better pay for herself), she would systematically prostitute her trainees to other promoters or even wrestlers. Sweet Georgia Brown was not immune to these heinous practices. At only 19-years old, Susie Mae McCoy became South Carolina’s first black female wrestler. In 1957, she went to train under one of wrestling’s biggest names, The Fabulous Moolah and her husband, Buddy Lee. She chose the name “Sweet Georgia Brown” and by the time she was 20, she was one of Moolah’s most successful wrestlers. Even though she was incredibly talented, she was still taken advantage of due to her age and race. Throughout her career in the deep south, she had to hide in the trunks of cars to avoid the KKK, who would protest the thought of a black woman being allowed in arenas and hotels. On top of that, Moolah and Buddy Lee took 25% of all of her profits, leaving McCoy with little to support herself. In the Vice documentary Dark Side of the Ring, it was finally revealed that Buddy Lee himself was the father of one of McCoy’s children, confirming long held rumors that Lee forced his trainees to sleep with him in exchange for better bookings. Despite these challenges, McCoy remained strong and by 1963, she was chosen to beat the very white and very blonde Nell Stewart for the NWA Texas Women’s title. This would make her the first black woman to ever win the belt in one of the NWA’s largest territories. Sweet Georgia Brown retired in 1972. According to her family, she could no longer endure the abuse of Lee and Moolah. She died in 1989 from breast cancer at 51. Her successful 15-year career in one of the most racist, toughest and sexist industries around is truly badass.

THE CHANGING FACE OF HOLLYWOOD It’s getting harder and harder to tell movie stars apart... Beyond the Chrises (Pine, Hemsworth, Evans, and Pratt,) there are Ryans Gosling, Reynolds, and Phillippe. And Ryan Murphy shows have a rotating cast of square-jawed, dark-haired guys who are so interchangeable it’s even a joke on set. Instead of movie stars, we have movie star types. So who are these male movie star types, and why is it getting harder and harder to tell your favorite actors apart? THE BIGGER PICTURE Remember on the pilot episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody when that popular kid called the Sprouse twins "the clones"?  Well, identical twin jokes aren't what we're going for here. We're referring to the celebrities whom conspiracy theories believe have either been cloned and/or are being impersonated. Many of these theories posit celebs have died and their replicas are walking among us. Disney's Alice better be thankful she never fell down this twisted rabbit hole. Check out these crazy theories below. POST MALONE/BEIBER Apparently, some people believe Post Malone and Justin Bieber are the same person. "Why... how...," you ask? According to Kendall, "If you pitch down a Justin Bieber song, it starts to sound like Post Malone, and if you pitch up a Post Malone song, it sounds like Justin Bieber." Not gonna lie, they do actually sound alike. MILEY CYRUS One day, Miley Cyrus is being cute, innocent Hannah Montana on Disney Channel. The next, she's grinding onstage and dancing ~provocatively~. According to one theory, Disney allegedly killed the starlet and dumped her body in the California desert after her rebellious streak went too far. Some people think she was either cloned or one of her background dancers (some say body double) is pretending to be her. Even more bizarre, one YouTube video claims Miley is a Reptilian Shapeshifter Hybrid and that she blinks sideways. BEYONCE Theorists believe producers got ahold of some of Bey's stem cells back when she first started singing, knowing her talent would be such a waste if she died prematurely. Apparently, they claim Bey died in 2000 (though some think it was in 1999), making the Beyoncé we know and love today a clone. TAYLOR SWIFT AND ZEENA LA VEY Zeena LaVey, aka Zeena Schreck, is a former high priestess of the church of Satan, and people are convinced she and Taylor Swift are clones. As Seventeen previously wrote, people noted Zeena was reportedly a high priestess from 1985 until 1990, just one year before Taylor was born. JON BENET RAMSEY/PERRY The death of 6-year-old beauty pageant queen JonBenét Ramsey in 1996 still remains unsolved, but some people believe pop star Katy Perry is actually JonBenét. Allegedly, she was kidnapped by the Illuminati, went into hiding, then returned to society as Katy Perry. AVRIL LEVINE Fans believe the Avril who gave us "Sk8er Boi" is not the same person who gave us "Hello Kitty." In fact, after Avril's debut album, Let Go, dropped, her grandfather died and a Brazilian fan site claimed she fell into a depression and allegedly died. Her doppelgänger, friend Melissa Vandella, then took her place. Of course, the person behind the Brazilian fan site admitted he made everything up to show how you can get anyone to believe anything they read online. BRITNEY SPEARS Back in 2001, a rumor that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were in a car crash spread like wildfire, thanks to radio DJs Kramer and Twitch, aka Keith Kramer and Tony Longo. The DJs claimed Britney died and Justin was comatose, prompting a plethora of concerned phone calls to the LAPD. Kramer and Twitch were later fired for making the false report, but that didn't stop the conspiracy theorists from chiming in. People believe the Britney we've been loving since the "car crash" is actually a clone, and the real Britney actually died.  

Special Guest Actor Brian Ceponis Brian Ceponis had a couple of different professions before acting, including jobs in the financial services rackett and a career in pro volleyball that took him to  lands far away.  Brian retired from volleyball in 2004 and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full time. He spent 11 years working in Hollywood, racking up a number of TV and Film credits ... In 2015, Brian's career shifted to the east coast and his current home city of Pittsburgh, and he has since worked on numerous films, television shows and stage productions. In late 2019 early 2020, Brian co-founded RedSlate Films and has taken on the additional roles of producer, director, editor and writer.

LADY WRESTLER PRINCESS VICTORIA Professional wrestling career[edit] Otis was trained in Portland, Oregon, by Sandy Barr.[1][2] She feuded with another of Barr's trainees, Velvet McIntyre. The two women competed against each other in singles and tag team matches in Vancouver All Star Wrestling. National Wrestling Alliance (1980–1983)[edit] Both women continued their feud while working for NWA Pacific Northwest under promoter Don Owen. They eventually ended their feud and formed a tag team. The duo won the WWF Women's Tag Team Championship on May 13, 1984, in Calgary, Alberta.[3] World Wrestling Federation (1983–1984)[edit] In 1983, the World Wrestling Federation withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance, and when McIntyre and Victoria rejoined the promotion in 1984, they were immediately recognized as holding the WWF Women's Tag Team Championship. The duo defended the championship against the team of Wendi Richter and Peggy Lee multiple times, including a match on April 23, 1984, in Madison Square Garden.[3][4] On September 1, 1984, Otis suffered a career-ending neck injury defending the tag team titles in Philadelphia.[5] The title she held was retired shortly thereafter. Desiree Petersen later replaced Victoria when she was let go from the WWF in 1984. While in the WWF, she also wrestled in singles matches as a challenger against WWF Women's Champion The Fabulous Moolah who was also responsible for training her, and booking her, which she discussed in detail while appearing on The Fabulous Moolah episode of Dark Side of the Ring. Retirement[edit] In 2012, Desiree Peterson and Princess Victoria managed pro-wrestler Rescue 911 (Christopher Annino) and Lady Liberty (Nikki Moccia) at a Showcase Pro Wrestling event in Clinton, Connecticut for Cystic Fibrosis awareness. Prior to her move to Washington Victoria lived in Virginia and volunteered her time at South Hampton County Animal Shelter. Otis is retired from professional wrestling and now resides in Washington.[6] In July 2016, Otis was named part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE.[7] According to her, due to WWE’s lack of medical attention, she is fully disabled and sometimes has to use a wheelchair.[8] In September 2018, the lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant.[9]

W.O.K.E.- "WILLINGLY OVERLOOKING KNOWN EVIL" What does 'woke' mean and why are some conservatives using it? The definition of "woke" changes depending on who you ask.   The term has recently been used by some conservatives as an insult against progressive values. The term, however, was originally coined by progressive Black Americans and used in racial justice movements in the early to mid-1900s. To be "woke" politically in the Black community means that someone is informed, educated and conscious of social injustice and racial inequality, Merriam-Webster Dictionary states. One of its earliest uses was in a historical recording of the protest song "Scottsboro Boys" by Lead Belly. In that recording, it was used as a term about staying aware of the potential for racist violence as a Black person in America.

James Beard Wrestling Promoter & Von Erich Family Friend The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who make history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports. ean Durkin’s first two features, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and “The Nest,” have a manner that I’d describe as apologetic realism: there’s something he’s bursting to say, but he forces it into the confines of tightly crafted dramas. Those films have a tamped-down melancholy that hint at how much he’s holding in check. He doesn’t lay his voice on the line, but, by forcing his characters into frameworks with a too-clear point, he never seems to explore their lives fully, either. His third feature, “The Iron Claw” (which opens December 22nd), is different. In this group bio-pic of the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers, Durkin’s brand of realism is even more rigorous, yet unapologetic. He still has plenty to say, but this time his characters do more than fit his ideas—they inspire his imagination, largely because they themselves are creators of fantasy. As presented by Durkin, the patriarch, Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), has a chip on his shoulder the size of a sequoia, and he matches it with colossal dreams of vengeful success that overwhelm everyone in his life. The story starts in the nineteen-sixties, when Fritz, a struggling wrestler, splurges on a Cadillac to foster an illusion of success, while imbuing his two young sons, Kevin and David, with a gospel of fanatical self-reliance that’s also an imperative to be the “toughest” and the “strongest.” The movie’s protagonist, and its occasional narrator, is the grownup Kevin (Zac Efron, imposingly muscled), the family’s oldest surviving son. Kevin’s older brother, Jack, Jr., died in an accident at the age of six. Jack’s death is one of the key reversals that shadows the family, leading to the pervasive, publicity-fuelled notion—one that the Von Erichs take grimly seriously—of a family curse. The heart of the drama begins in 1979, when Kevin is making a name for himself in the ring—namely, the Sportatorium, a small Dallas arena that Fritz owns and operates. “We loved wrestling,” Kevin reminisces in voice-over, and it shows, even as the rest of the movie depicts how that love was lost, along with many of the people he loved.   “The Iron Claw” is as exuberant as it is mournful, and the high spirits of performance and achievement are inseparable from the price that they exact. Kevin is disciplined, focussed, and grounded; he’s a vigorous and enthusiastic performer, leaping from the ropes, raging, slamming, punching, and putting on a show with the maneuver—the skull-squeezing Iron Claw—that made his father famous. But for Fritz it isn’t enough that Kevin is locally successful; Fritz, who believes that he was wrongly denied the sport’s heavyweight championship, lives for the day that one of his four sons—and, indeed, preferably all of them, in succession—will win that belt. (In real life, there were five at the time; Durkin cuts one, Chris, the youngest, out of the story.) But what does it mean for a pro wrestler to win? The movie makes the matter apparent, by way of a bit of dialogue that’s dropped into the movie sweetly and aptly—in the sequence in which Kevin connects with Pam (Lily James), a determined and self-aware young autograph seeker with an ulterior motive. The scene of their meeting is one of the most charmingly written and performed romantic encounters of the year in movies (up there with the elevator encounter in “Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game,” which started the year in romance), and the date that follows is similarly witty, wry, and tender.

HORROR FILM DIRECTOR GLENN MARTIN Michael Pare, Robert Romanus, Beverly Randolph, Jennifer Banko, Georgia Simmons, Brian Ceponis and Julia Reilly. ------------------------------------------------------- Glenn Martin has achieved cult status as the director of such macabre classic as "Kampout", "Cemeteries: Curse of  The Hanging Judge", "When Night Comes", "The Searching" &  In The Shadows . He is my special guest and joining him tonight is the principal cast of his latest 2 films . Ladies & Gentlemen Mr. Glenn Martin ..... (Ask about the status of Scacred Grounds: Forbidden) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Pare  (Both Eddie & The Cruisers, Streets of Fire, The Philadelphia Experiment, May Day, Wrongful Death & The Virgin Suicides) 200 plus films Robert "Bob" Romanus  (Fast Times at Ridgemnt High  ... "Mike Damone") 80 plus films                                            (Personal & Group Acting Coach) Beverly Randolph  (The Return of the Living Dead,  Freaks of Nature) Jennifer Banko    ("Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood")                                ("Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" Brian Ceponis      (In The Shadows, The Searching, Upcoming Films "Grind", "Cabrini" & "Wolf Hollow") Julia Reilly   (Tammy-TV's "Stranger Things" & TV Movie "The Secrets She Keeps") Georgia Simmons - (The Searching, Wig'd Out & The Secret Life of Amy Benson - Possum Trot)   actors on cell phones who are more interested in selling movies than making them. sean penn PARE' QUOTE I've been playing heroes, and heroes are not normal people. You can't find a leading man doing a nine-to-five job on Wall Street. And that hurt because they said, "You can't play a regular person, Tom Cody was also bigger than life. And in The Philadelphia Experiment, I'm a time traveler for god's sake. So for a long time, all I played was cops, heroes and soldiers.[2] —Paré on being typecast as a macho man.      

OUR SPECIAL GUESTS INCLUDE A WHO'S WHO of HORROR Michael Pare, Robert Romanus, Beverly Randolph, Jennifer Banko, Georgia Simmons, Brian Ceponis and Julia Reilly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Glenn Martin has achieved cult status as the director of such macabre classic  Americana as "Cemeteries: Curse of  The Hanging Judge", "When Night Comes", "The Searching" &  In The Shadows . He is my special guest and joining him tonight is the entire cast of his latest 2 films . Ladies & Gentlemen Mr. Glenn Martin ..... (Ask about the status of Scacred Grounds: Forbidden) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Pare  (Both Eddie & The Cruisers, Streets of Fire, The Philadelphia Experiment, May Day, Wrongful Death & The Virgin Suicides) 200 plus films Robert "Bob" Romanus  (Fast Times at Ridgemnt High  ... "Mike Damone") 80 plus films                                            (Personal & Group Acting Coach) Beverly Randolph  (The Return of the Living Dead,  Freaks of Nature) Jennifer Banko    ("Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood")                                ("Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" Brian Ceponis      (In The Shadows, The Searching, Upcoming Films "Grind", "Cabrini" & "Wolf Hollow") Julia Reilly   (Tammy-TV's "Stranger Things" & TV Movie "The Secrets She Keeps") Georgia Simmons - (The Searching, Wig'd Out & The Secret Life of Amy Benson - Possum Trot)   actors on cell phones who are more interested in selling movies than making them. sean penn MICHAEL PARE' QUOTE "I've been playing heroes, and heroes are not normal people. You can't find a leading man doing a nine-to-five job on Wall Street. And that hurt because they said, "You can't play a regular person, Tom Cody was also bigger than life. And in The Philadelphia Experiment, I'm a time traveler for god's sake. So for a long time, all I played was cops, heroes and soldiers." —Paré on being typecast as a macho man.

THE BEST OF THE BEST IN 2023 WOW We strive always to bring you the very best in news, sport, pop culture and all the happenings from every facet of our lives, all year long. That means bringing you The Newsmakers, The Movers and The Shakers, The Headliners and The Showstoppers and Yet Again even WE managed to outdo ourselves in 2023 with the cream of the crop, the Creme de la Creme. In this show alone by any standard a blockbuster on any mainstream media program here is what you can expect.  No less than not one. but 2 Country Music Hall of Famers, Lacy J. Dalton and Sylvia Hutton, an Academy Award nominee, who is also a multi Emmy Award winning writer producer and actor, and the man who writes the Academy Awards, Bruce Vilanch. l also sit down with multi talented Tom Jones Tribute artist and lookalike, my neighbor growing up in Barrington New Jersey, Steve McCoy. Tom Jones said, "Steve Does Me Better Than I Do."  We find out what its like to "become Jerry Lewis with the man of many faces Angelo Capone, the man who IS Jerry Lewis. Remarkable is what he is. Remember TV child actor Johnny Whitaker (Jody from TV's Family Affair?) He's here too! That's just a teaser of what to expect in this all star year end extravaganza. What a way to kick it in 2023.  HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

Open Forum with MadDog & Pitbull (Surprize by Actor Johnny Whitaker) Our guest of honor was late for his own birthday party tonight ... tune in to see how it unraveled and what ensued. LOL You never know what you will get with Whats The Buzz America's Best Popcast. 

CHRISTMAS LESSONS FROM MOM AND DAD WHY MY HUSBAND AND I CANCELLED CHRISTMAS It’s true. We have cancelled Christmas in our house this year. Well. at least the version of Christmas our boys have been focusing on. Let me explain. We have not cancelled putting up decorations, celebrating the birth of our Savior, or any of our other heartwarming traditions. But, we have cancelled presents, Santa, and stockings. Their letters to Santa this year will be asking Santa to find someone who needs their presents more than they do. Here is why – My husband John and I feel like we are fighting a very hard uphill battle with our kids when it comes to entitlement. It is one of the biggest struggles as a parent these days in middle class America. Our kids have been acting so ungrateful lately, and they expect so much even when their behavior is disrespectful. We gave them a warning, either it was time for their behavior to change or there would be consequences. We patiently worked with them for several months and guess what, very little changed. One day after a particularly bad display of entitlement John said, “we should just cancel Christmas.”  And, so that’s what we did.

OPEN FORUM AND ANYTHING GOES An open forum discussion on the topics of the day.

OPEN FORUM AND ANYTHING GOES

THE FUNNIEST TIKTOKS From comedy skits to dance routines to random tips and hacks, TikTok is home to video content about basically anything you can imagine. And with millions of users enjoying the app daily, it’s no wonder why so many people are trying to launch their social media platform on TikTok.  Whether you’re new to the TikTok influencer game or you’re an established creator, there are always new things you can learn to give your content a competitive edge. If you’re looking to create viral content, keep in mind that there’s no magic formula to become TikTok famous. But you can boost your chances of earning some internet fame by using TikTok voices. In the world of TikTok, getting one million views on a post isn’t as big of a deal as you’d think. Truly viral posts get into the eight or nine figures. So the fact that Khaby Lame consistently gets at least 10 million views on his TikToks should show you how good they are. The comedian has made a name for himself as an everyman, pointing out the futility of overly complicated life hacks with a sarcastic smirk. Someone carefully performs “surgery” on a bag to extract a scrunchie and an AirPods case? Lame responds to the video by plopping down his backpack and unzipping it with a look on his face like, Can you believe this guy?

THE VATICAN ARCHIVES What makes the Vatican Secret Archives a “secret”? The word ‘secret’ in the Vatican Secret Archives may be the reason for some of the rampant speculation about what goes on in there. But it makes the archive sound much sexier than it is. The ‘secret’ part of the name comes from the Latin name, the Archivium Secretum Vaticanum. The word secretum has branched in English meaning. On one hand, it can mean “secret” or “hidden.” On the other, it can mean “personal” or “private” (in the sense of private property). This is what the name of the archive actually means—the personal archives of the pope. It is for this very reason that last year, Pope Francis changed its name to the Vatican Apostolic Archive to try and distance it from its reputation. This already makes them a lot less exciting, I know, even if there are about 50 miles of shelf space in them. They are a treasure trove me as a medievalist, though, if not so much for conspiracy theorists.

THE VATICAN ARCHIVES 1. The Chief Exorcist of the Vatican Performed 100,000+ Exorcisms Although exorcism is believed to be a practice only seen in horror movies and is the Middle Ages, the practice continues to be alive in the Catholic Church. Father Gabriele Amorth is a late Priest and served as the chief exorcist of the Vatican. He served for 60 years, and is believed to have performed approximately 160,000 exorcisms. The exorcism rite, however, is not just limited to the late chief exorcist. It has been performed by various Popes over the years. In 2018, BBC reported that the Vatican welcomed 250 priests from across the world to an annual workshop. 2. The Vatican Helped Nazi War Criminals Escape the Allied Forces After the victory of the Allied Forces in Germany to end World War II, the Nazis were forced to seek refuge outside Europe. Thousands of Nazis managed to escape to South American countries, specifically Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. Harvard researcher Gerald Steinacher wrote a book that shows travel documents pointing to the Vatican having helped the Nazis travel to these countries. Steinacher argues that it was done with the hope of reviving European Christianity and fear of the growing influence of the Soviet Union. The Vatican, however, has refused to comment on these claims. 3. The Vatican Made Money from the Holocaust In addition to aiding the escape of thousands of Nazis from Europe, the Vatican was also involved in helping smuggle Nazi looted art, golf, and other property belonging to Jewish families.  Gerald Posner, an American journalist, says that Bernardino Nogara, the financial advisor to the Vatican is believed to have been one of Nazi spies. He is believed to have instituted a horrifying scheme that allowed the Vatican to invest money in Italian insurance companies that kept the assets from the life insurance plans of the murdered Jewish families. Since the Vatican was an investor and not a direct insurer, they did not need to return any of the money made using the scheme. 4. Scandals of the Vatican Bank The Vatican Bank, also called the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) has been involved in numerous scandals.  The most controversial is their dealing with Hitler. Gerald Posner, a historian, points out that the Vatican received Church Tax from Hitler every year.  A substantial amount of money was paid to the IOR, so that it cannot be tracked by western banks. The IOR was used to store billions of dollars, the details of which have never been publicly revealed. 5. Vatileaks A book named ‘His Holiness’ was released in 2012, which is based on the leaked secret papers of Pope Benedict. The private documents were leaked by Benedict XVI's own butler to the author, Gianluigi Nuzzi. After reviewing these documents, an internal investigation was held. The investigation revealed that individuals who were not from the Vaitcan were blackmailing gay bishops since they had broken their celibacy vows. Pope Benedict CVI went on to resign from the Papacy in 2013 due to this scandal.  6. The Apostolic Penitentiary The Apostolic Penitentiary is a secret tribunal that investigates so-called ‘heinous’ crimes of individuals. It was supposedly found in 1179, and was kept secret until 2009. Only the pope can grant absolution to people brought to this tribunal. Examples of sins include attempting to assassinate the pope, a priest exposing the sin or identity of a person who has confessed to them, and so on. The pope acts as the head of this tribunal, and is called the Major Penitentiary, and can either offer absolution, or let the automatic excommunication stand.  7. Dead Man on Trial In 897 AD, the Catholic Church put a dead man on trial. Known as the 'Cadaver Synod,' the posthumous trial of Pope Formosus was held by Pope Stephen VI, his successor. Formosus was accused of usurping the papacy,  despite being dead for 7 months by that point. The body of the pope was exhumed, dressed in ecclesiastical attire, and brought to the papal court for judgment. A deacon was even appointed to speak on the dead Pope’s behalf. He was found guilty; all his acts as pope was declared null and void; his body was stripped off the garments and dressed in rags; his three fingers of benediction were cut off and his body was cast into River Tiber, where ancient Romans disposed off their infamous criminals for centuries.   Conspiracy Theories About the Vatican’s Secret Archives 1. Jesus Does Not Exist There are reports that the Archives contain communication between Emperor Nero and Saint Paul regarding the existence of Jesus. Some clergy believe that the Vatican is hiding proof that Jesus Christ did not exist.  2. Evidence of Extraterrestrial Life Rumors suggest that the Vatican holds proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life, in the form of extraterrestrial skulls. Some sources say that the Archives contain proof that the pope is conspiring extraterrestrial beings to implant everyone on Earth with computer chips.  3. Three Secrets of Fatima The controversial Third Secret of Fatima is believed to be a secret document hidden within the Archives. In 1917, three children from Portugal received prophecies, one of which was witnessed by thousands of people. The supposed suppression of this Third Secret fueled rumors that its contents were regarding a nuclear holocaust, natural disaster, and so on. The release of the contents of this Secret in 2000 did not do much to quell speculation.  4. Home to the Largest Collection of Pornography Some conspiracy theorists believe that the Vatican Archives contain the largest collection of pornography in the world. Copenhagen’s Museum of Erotica confirms these speculations, in addition to writings by National Review founder William Buckley Jr, and scholar Camilla Paglia.  5. They are Controlled by the Illuminati Some people believe that despite their dissolution in the medieval times, the Illuminati has solely built itself up, with its members placed in some of the most powerful positions across the world. One such powerful office is the Vatican, where many of its prominent members are believed to be part of the Illuminati.  6. It is Home to a Time Machine Believed to have been built by an Italian scientist and priest, Father Pellegrino Maria Ernetti, the Chronovisor is a device that apparently allows people to view the future and past. Although there is no record of such a device, some people believe it is hidden somewhere in the Archives.