Hearts Beat Loud

I returned home from work during the hot afternoon and fell asleep for a while.  I listened to the end of the A’s game in Chicago.  They won a close, tough game 7-6.  I picked myself up and walked over to the theatre to see “Hearts Beat Loud.”  If you threw “High Fidelity” and “Once” into a blender, this is the movie that might be the result.  Since the two are father and daughter, there is a Partridge Duo quality to the story.  The daughter is Sam, about to leave Brooklyn for premed studies at UCLA.  The father is Frank Fisher, working in a record store and recommending albums by Sleater-Kinney and Animal Collective.  Nick Offerman is the father, and he looks like Star Trek’s Dr. McCoy.  He has rock dreams, and his daughter seems to be the mature one.  The supporting cast is pretty good.  Ted Danson is a bartender, as he was years ago on television.  Toni Collette of “Little Miss Sunshine” tries to help out Frank with his sinking financial situation.  Blythe Danner is Frank’s mother Marianne, getting too old to live by herself.  I thought the songs in this movie were better than the ones in “Once,” and Sam sings well, reminding me of the girl who sang “Call Me Maybe.”  This was an enjoyable movie that had some similarities to “Paterson.”  One of the albums displayed on the record store wall was “Frampton Comes Alive!”  That was one best-selling album that I never owned, and I couldn’t stand “Baby I Love Your Way.”  I wondered if this was a reference to “High Fidelity.”  One of the albums that Sam looks at is Tom Waits’ “Rain Dogs,” which could be a reference to “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”  I think that most of the audience really warmed up to these characters and this movie.  It was something less than a masterpiece and nothing original, but it is a good alternative to the Jurassic World movie out there with its noisy spectacle and ludicrous plot.  Nick Offerman came out a winner from this movie, except maybe for one conventional drunken scene.  Kiersey Clemons seemed somewhat old to be a college freshman, and she sure seemed quick to learn how to ride a bicycle, but she did show a star quality here.  I wonder if anyone told Sam just how difficult medical school is.  I thought about the Sopranos daughter, who tried that path and couldn’t cut it.  The director and co-writer of the screenplay was Brett Haley.  I don’t know if he’ll ever be a superstar director, but I think a lot of people will discover “Hearts Beat Loud” and like it.  I walked out of the theatre feeling pretty good about it.  I returned home and watched the Mets and Dodgers.  I heard that in the World Cup, Germany came away with the victory.  I think the only European teams I would root for are Spain, France, or England.  I may have to go with Brazil.  Some of the people who died on June 24 include Grover Cleveland (1908), Jackie Gleason (1987), Brian Keith (1997), David Tomlinson (2000), Paul Winchell (2005), and Eli Wallach (2014).  Today is a birthday for Mindy Kaling (39) and Mick Fleetwood (71).  According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 24, “Hopalong Cassidy” became the first network Western television series when it was aired on NBC in 1949.  In 1970 Mike Nichol’s film version of “Catch-22” was released.  In 1972, Helen Reddy’s single “I Am Woman” entered the Hot 100 of the singles chart.  In 1983, “Twilight Zone: The Movie” was released.  In 1987, Jackie Gleason died of cancer at age 71 at his home in Florida.

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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

I was frustrated with the lateness of the 57 bus but made it to the theatre in Emeryville in time to catch an early showing of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” The first scene with a dinosaur lurking about preparing to eat a frightened person was a Jurassic Park ritual, having links to “Jaws” and just about all the James Bond movies. Even in this world of animal rights, I couldn’t see how anyone could argue that dinosaurs should be saved from that island. Extinction is part of what happens to life on Earth. Bryce Dallas Howard is a woman I confuse with Jessica Chastain, but I liked watching her. She was almost like the Sigourney Weaver of this movie. Claire really had to be stupid and naïve if she didn’t at least suspect that something was behind this whole action to take the dinosaurs off the island. Chris Pratt has been in too many movies in recent years. I don’t know how he could have run blindly off that ledge and found the sphere underwater, but then there were numerous incredible things that happened. James Cromwell brings to mind “Babe,” and he also reminded me of the dying Melvyn Douglas in “Being There.” I was amazed to see Geraldine Chaplin in this movie, as I associate her with Robert Altman. Quite often I don’t like watching little children trying to act, but I did like the girl who was Maisie. The plot goes from the unbelievable to the ridiculous, leading up to a scene that combines elements of a fashion show out of “Zoolander” with “Kill Bill, Vol. 1.” The violence is loud, and I would say that it is too gruesome for little children, except that I don’t understand little children these days. I’m not sure why hydrogen cyanide was used around the dinosaurs, but it did evoke Jewish concentration camps. I couldn’t believe that Owen got through so many situations unscathed. I also couldn’t believe that the little girl made such a foolish decision at the end. This is all setting up a sequel that figures to be the Night of the Living of the dinosaur world. Things are really going to get ridiculous in the next movie. I don’t expect to see Laura Dern in it, although Jeff Goldblum was in this one, offering the same commentary as in 1993. I don’t think that this catastrophic result was inevitable. Scientists do controlled experiments. I wonder if there are children out there who believe that dinosaurs are living today. Are audiences tired of these Jurassic World movies? Do Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard feel foolish being in these movies at this point? Going back to the 1950s science fiction and horror movies, this film has a mindlessly entertaining quality to it. It gives you the dinosaurs, the action, and the special effects. It doesn’t have much romance in it, unless you want to count Chris Pratt and the velociraptor. I felt that I got my money’s worth. I was felt to think about some of the mysteries of the movie, like nobody ate any food, and why dinosaurs were motivated to pursue a little girl. The door is open for a Jurassic World sequel with large-scale destruction. I found it hard to imagine that a good movie could come out of all of this. I thought Owen was driving to the North Pole or something like that at the end, an action that would have been a combination of Blade Runner and Superman. I hung around the shopping mall and bought a hoodie and an Andy Warhol shirt from UNIQLO and a food magazine from Barnes and Noble. I listened to the A’s doubleheader with the White Sox. Franklin Barreto hit two home runs in the first game. The A’s made too many mistakes to win the second game. It was Beatles Night, and I could hear “Hey Jude” in the background. I watched the Partridge Family episode “Home is Where the Heart Was,” which was about Chris and Tracy running away from home. It seemed that they never did clean up the mess they made in the kitchen. I watched “Wonder Woman” again. It went on for too long, and Chris Pine had some bad moments. The director was Patty Jenkins, also known for “Monster.” I’m not sure that I would want to see “Wonder Woman 1984,” and I can’t understand how Chris Pine can come back for this one. Some of the people who died on June 23 include Jonas Salk (1995), Shana Alexander (2005), Aaron Spelling (2006), Ed McMahon (2009), Peter Falk (2011), and Dick Van Patten (2015). Today is a birthday for Joss Whedon (54) and Randy Jackson (62). According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 23, George Harrison’s “Living in the Material World” was Number One on the album chart in 1973. In 1976, “Logan’s Run” was released. In 1980, David Letterman’s daytime talk show debuted on NBC.

Bad Santa 2

Just before the first day of summer, I watched “Bad Santa 2.”  I got the Blu-ray copy from the library.  As nd expected, it was not as amusing as the first movie.  It didn’t have Lauren Graham or Cloris Leachman, and the kid was now an adult.  Kathy Bates was brought in to be Willie’s mother, even though she was not old enough to actually be his mother.  She did get into the spirit of the movie, however, and added something to the mix.  The movie was too much of the same thing, with Willie drinking too much and threatening to blow the whole caper.  How could he not pull himself together for a few days?  With his suspicious behavior and the use of computers, it seemed that his identity would have been exposed quickly.  Christina Hendricks is supposed to be a very sexy woman according to readers of Esquire magazine, but I think this movie sucked some of the life out of her.  Tony Cox was back as Marcus.  It was hard to believe that he and Willie would ever work together again after their previous exploits.  It was also hard to believe that Willie could be so renowned for his abilities as a safecracker when he was such a drunken mess.  Billy Bob seemed to be tired.  He and everyone else had aged 13 years since the first movie, and he had edged into the age category where his pathetic life couldn’t be as funny.  Octavia Spencer had a small role that really made me cringe.  The brief moment of holiday sentiment was the performance of “Silent Night.”  I couldn’t believe that the song could pierce Willie’s fog.  Everybody knew to stay away from this movie when it opened in November 2016, and it took in less money than its budget.  I don’t think it’s as bad as the critics said it was, but it is definitely lacking.  There is no way that another sequel can be made unless there is some fantastic idea to revive the cast of characters.  Billy Bob made his contribution to cinema with “Sling Blade.”  Judging from the reactions to the trailer, “The Grinch” will be popular this holiday season and will be something to keep you away from “Bad Santa 2.”  You can always go back to the original Bad Santa movie if you haven’t already seen it too many times.  I watched the unrated version instead of the theatrical version because if you’re going to see an offensive movie like this, you might as well see everything.  The director was Mark Walters, who also directed “Mean Girls.”  One of the screenwriters was Shauna Cross, known for “Whip It.”  I heard the news this morning that Koko the gorilla had died in her sleep on Tuesday.  I wondered if she watched movies and if she had any concept or understanding of humor.  If she had a sense of humor, what would she think of “Bad Santa 2”?  Perhaps the humor would be beneath her.  Some of the people who died on June 22 include David O. Selznick (1965), Judy Garland (1969), Joseph Losey (1984), Fred Astaire (1987), Ann Landers (2002), George Carlin (2008), and Dody Goodman (2008).  Today is a birthday for Cyndi Lauper (65), Meryl Streep (69), and Kris Kristofferson (82).  According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 22, the Disney animated film “The Rescuers” was released in 1977.  In 1984, “The Karate Kid,” starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, and Elisabeth Shue, was released.  In 1985, Bryan Adams had the Number One single, “Heaven.”  Today is the 69^th birthday for Lindsay Wagner, known as The Bionic Woman from television.

Heathers

I went out to buy groceries, and I returned to watch “Heathers” on Blu-ray.  It was the first time I’d seen the movie since sometime around 1989.  I was surprised at how young Winona Ryder and Christian Slater looked.  Supposedly Daniel Waters wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct the movie from his screenplay.  Kubrick did a movie on rebellious youth with “A Clockwork Orange,” but I couldn’t see him making a movie with an American high school as a principal location.  In low budget movies like this, I always notice that logos and signs all look too new.  The cast could have been stronger with people like Jennifer Connelly or Heather Graham, but the subject matter was too dark for many of them.  The movie made me think back on “Pretty Poison” and “Badlands.”  Some of the actors looked like they were about 25 when they were supposed to be teenagers in high school.  I’m not sure how young people these days would react to a movie like “Heathers,” in light of issues like violence and use of guns in schools.  One issue that is absent is racial prejudice, although I was relieved that the story didn’t go in that direction, because there is already too much in it in the first place.  The movie does touch on issues like teen suicide and cliques and people being outcasts for obesity or homosexuality.  I think the movie is funny to a certain point, and that point is the confrontation with the football players.  Christian Slater’s character takes a dark turn and goes from humorous to the somewhat frightening, something along the lines of Ray Liotta in “Something Wild.”  One name I recognized was Renee Estevez, the sister of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen.  Slater does a Jack Nicholson imitation, so his transformation does bring to mind “The Shining.”  I was somewhat ashamed during Pride Month to laugh at the jokes directed at gays, like the photo of Joan Crawford and the bottle of mineral water.  I thought the low budget nature of the movie led to the relatively quiet conclusion which didn’t seem to fit, because it seemed that the action was getting larger in scope with each step.  It seemed that the entire school should have exploded, or maybe even the entire Earth.  I would say that as the John Hughes decade was winding down, this movie was an interesting change of pace.  I liked the concept and wanted it to be more than it turned out to be in the end.  When one of the characters who was set to be a hero of the story takes a bad turn, it made the entire movie turn a bit too sour.  The quality of the images on the Blu-ray disc wasn’t too impressive, along it was better than “The Man with Two Brains.”  Is there ever going to be a sequel?  I hope not.  Winona Ryder is 46 years old now, which is not too old for a good appearance in a movie, but is too old for some adolescent themes.  I wouldn’t want to see these themes transferred to some adult, contemporary setting.  I enjoyed about half of “Heathers” and thought that, like many cult films, it had huge flaws that make you understand why it didn’t succeed in its original release.  Some of the people who died on June 21 include June Christy (1990), John Lee Hooker (2001), Carroll O’Connor (2001), and Leon Uris (2003).  Today is a birthday for Chris Pratt (39), Juliette Lewis (45), Meredith Baxter (71), Michael Gross (71), and Ray Davies (74).  According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 21, The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” was released in 1965.  The Rolling Stones were banned from New York hotels in 1966.  In 1969, Pete Townshend was detained in Memphis for using the slang term “bomb.”  In 1972, “The Revengers,” starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine, was released.  In 1985, “Cocoon” was released.  In 1991, “The Rocketeer” was released.  In 2001, Carroll O’Connor died of a heart attack at age 76.

The Man with Two Brains

I went out to see “Incredibles 2” again.  I thought I saw visual references to “The French Connection” and “The Spy Who Loved Me.”  I returned home and took a nap.  I went to the library and borrow some Blu-ray discs.  Back at home, I watched “The Man with Two Brains,” the movie from 1983 with Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner, directed by Carl Reiner.  This was Kathleen Turner’s second film after doing “Body Heat,” and she was doing another femme fatale type.  The movie felt like it was Carl Reiner’s version of “Young Frankenstein.”  In this era after Bill Cosby’s crimes, the scene with Dolores on the operation table was extremely uncomfortable.  Some of the jokes aren’t so funny anymore.  It seems that this movie is a preview to the better “All of Me” that would be released in 1984.  Kathleen Turner would prove that she could do comedy well in “Romancing the Stone.”  The voice of Anne was Sissy Spacek.  The identity of the Elevator Killer was a disappointment.  The jokes about the cheapness of the sets weren’t terribly funny to me.  This might be the weakest of the Steve Martin movies directed by Carl Reiner.  The others were “The Jerk,” “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” and “All of Me.”  I wonder what Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner think of this movie today.  Some of the people who died on June 20 include Bugsy Siegel (1947), Estelle Winwood (1984), LeRoy Neiman (2012), and Andrew Sarris (2012).  Today is a birthday for Nicole Kidman (51), John Goodman (66), Lionel Richie (69), Candy Clark (71), Anne Murray (73), Brian Wilson (76), and Danny Aiello (85).  According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 20, “The Naughty Nineties,” featuring Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s on First” routine, was released in 1945.  In 1962, “Ride the High Country,” starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Mariette Hartley and directed by Sam Peckinpah, was released.  In 1969, David Bowie recorded “Space Oddity.”  In 1974, “Chinatown,” starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, was released.  In 1975, “Jaws” was released.  In 1987, Johnny Carson married his fourth wife, Alexis Maas.

La La Land

I returned from work and looked over the videos I bought back on Black Friday which were still unopened, and I chose to watch “La La Land.”  I saw it several times when it was in the theatres a couple of years ago, and I still find it enjoyable to watch, although some of the humor is not as funny after all those viewings.  I read that Damien Chazelle, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone visited Gene Kelly’s widow to look through Kelly’s film memorabilia.  That woman would be Patricia Ward, Kelly’s wife from 1990 to 1996.  I wondered how they filmed the opening scene on the freeway.  There were too many cars in the scene to do it without CGI.  I thought the cars looked too clean and new.  It seemed that none of them had any dents or scratches.  One dance happens on an asphalt street, which struck me everything in this movie seemed so pristine, and the colors at the beginning reminded me of “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”  I also wondered what happened to Mia’s roommates and her belongings, like the movie posters.  I thought Mia seemed young to be interested in people like Norma Talmadge.  One of the things that was funny was that the change of seasons is displayed through titles, but they all look the same because it’s Los Angeles.  Was there anything but sunny weather in this movie?  In “Singin’ in the Rain,” it obviously rained.  I liked the scene at the Rialto Theatre with Mia standing in front of the screen in search of Sebastian, but no one in the audience yelled at her to get out of the way.  People’s behavior in this movie is unrealistic.  One other thing I noticed was that in the fantasy sequence, there was a home movie bit that looked like it was on film, as in “Raging Bull” or “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”  This seemed hugely unlikely in the millennium, unless it was a special effect with a digital camera.  The Griffith Observatory sequence is magical when you see it on the big screen, but less so on your television.  One of the places that Mia and Sebastian go together is the Watts Towers, which is good for the movie, but I question whether these two would go out that way.  The few seconds at Angels Flight also have a beauty, but I thought the place was closed at the time.  Ryan Gosling apparently learned how to play the piano pretty well during the filming of this movie, which made me think back to Robert De Niro in “New York, New York” with his saxophone.  This movie is reminiscent of “New York, New York” in some ways.  The movie at one time was supposed to have Miles Teller and Emma Watson in it.  Since J.K. Simmons appears in this movie, there would have been echoes of “Whiplash,” which would have been strange.  I really liked the magic light dance scene.  It’s sad to think about Sebastian at the end.  What does he really have to smile about?  Is this a better movie than “Moonlight”?  I’ve seen it more times than “Moonlight.”  However, I still don’t know most of the songs.  I love those snappy, catchy songs of the MGM era.  You would hear them once or twice and instantly feel that you had known them for a long time.  I did like the scene with “Take on Me” and “I Ran.”  I have the feeling that “La La Land” is a movie that I will take off the shelf every now and then for several more years.  Some of the people who died on June 19 include Ed Wynn (1966), Jean Arthur (1991), William Golding (1993), Manute Bol (2010), James Gandolfini (2013), and Gerry Goffin (2014).  Today is a birthday for Paula Abdul (56), Kathleen Turner (64), Ann Wilson (68), Phylicia Rashad (70), Salman Rushdie (71), and Gena Rowlands (88).  According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 19, the Looney Tunes cartoon was released in 1954.  In 1960, Loretta Lynn recorded “Honky Tonk Girl.”  In 1966, Ed Wynn died of throat cancer at age 79.  In 1976, Wild Cherry released their single “Play That Funky Music.”  In 1988, 3000 East Germans gathered at the Berlin Wall to hear a Michael Jackson concert on the other side.  In 1997, Bobby Helms, known for “Jingle Bell Rock,” died at age 63 in Indiana.  In 1998, the movie “The X-Files” was released.

Mark Canha’s Heroic Exploits

I watched CBS Sunday Morning and liked the segment on Paul Rudd. I headed to the Fruitvale BART station while listening to the Sunday Puzzle on the radio. I made it over to the Coliseum just before they opened the door to the season ticket holders. I headed to the team store and bought a Father’s Day cap. I watched batting practice, which went past 11:30. I went over to the food trucks and bought the yakisoba with chicken, and then a juicy pear Italian ice. Daniel Mengden was the A’s starting pitcher facing the Angels on this afternoon. He gave up a single on his second pitch of the game, but he picked off the runner. He hit Mike Trout with a pitcher, but he got out of the inning on two ground balls. He had a clean second inning. The A’s scored in the bottom of that second inning, as Khris Davis walked and Mark Canha hit a home run with one out. Mengden, however, could not hold onto the lead for very long, as with one out in the third inning, he gave up a home run that was not cheap, although it was annoying, as the hitter had a batting average of only .180. After the second out, he walked Trout, followed by another walk and hit by Albert Pujols, tying the score at 2-2. This Date in MLB History showed us Ron Guidry getting 18 strikeouts in a game in 1978. Mengden had a clean fourth inning, although Semien lost a fly ball in the sun, but fortunately Jed Lowrie was next to him helping out. Kara Tsuboi played Name That Tune with a family, and the song was by the Foo Fighters. Mengden allowed only a two-out single in the fifth inning. Three ground balls went to Lowrie at third base in the inning. Mengden appear to tire in the sixth inning. He first gave up a home run to Pujols to give the Angels a 3-2 lead. After an out, he gave up a walk and a single, and a wild pitch made the score 4-2. The A’s pitchers seem to be throwing an incredible number of wild pitches this year. Mengden got a strikeout, but that was his last batter of the afternoon, as Bob Melvin brought in Yusmeiro Petit, who got the third out on a ground ball. What were the A’s doing with their bats all this time? Well, after Canha’s home run through the sixth inning, only one of the A’s reach base. Franklin Barreto got his first hit of the season in the third inning, although he was erased on a double play ground ball from Pinder. In the Big Head race, Dennis Eckersley won for the 62nd time. Rollie Fingers remains stuck at 55. Petit allowed a double to start the seventh inning, and then he intentionally walked Mike Trout. A single made the score 5-2, but then Petit got a double play ground ball and a fly ball to end the inning. Could the A’s make up three runs in three innings? The guy selling hot dogs in my section held up a ketchup bottle and chanted “Ketchup! Ketchup!” During the seventh inning stretch, the stadium organist played “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” I kept thinking that peanuts and Cracker Jack were a bad combination because there is nothing to drink, and besides, Cracker Jack also has peanuts. What if I have a peanut allergy? We also heard a bit of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.” Lowrie doubled to start the bottom of the inning. Khris Davis hit a fly ball for an out, and Lowrie advanced to third base, although the play was reviewed for a long time. Most of the fans thought Lowrie was clearly safe and wondered what the delay was. Olson seemed due for a big hit, but he had to settle for a sacrifice fly which did bring the A’s closer at 5-3. Santiago Casilla pitched a clean eighth inning with two strikeouts. The A’s did nothing in the bottom of the inning, as Lucroy, Piscotty, and Barreto all struck out. Emilio Pagan pitched the top of the ninth inning. He got the first out, but Barreto made an error, and then Trout singled, reaching base for the fifth time in the game. Pagan didn’t fall apart, however, as he struck out the next two batters to keep the score at 5-3. Marcus Semien was ready to face the Angels’ new pitcher, as he swung at the first pitch, and the ball hit the left field foul pole for a home run. Now the A’s still had three outs to score at least one run. Pinder drew a walk, and Dustin Fowler came in to pinch-run for him. Lowrie struck out. Fowler went to second base on a wild pitch, so Davis could have tied the game with a hit, but he drew a walk. After a pitching change, Olson struck out. After another pitching change, Canha hit a fly ball that dropped in front of Trout in centerfield, scoring the tying run. Davis was at second base. Lucroy couldn’t get the walk-off hit, though, as he lined out to center, and so it was extra innings. Blake Treinen pitched a clean tenth inning, although the second out was a fantastic catch by Canha. It looked like a sure double off the wall, but he ran across the warning track and at the last moment caught the ball, looking like a Marvel superhero saving the day. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Piscotty drew a walk. Barreto was supposed to put down a sacrifice bunt, but he nearly bunted right into a double play, as it was a force out. Semien and Fowler made outs, so it was on to the eleventh inning. Treinen also had a clean eleventh inning. The A’s had Monday off, so Melvin didn’t mind sending Treinen out for a second inning. In the bottom of the eleventh inning, Jed Lowrie singled and Khris Davis was hit by a pitch. Olson was unable to be the hero of the day, as he lined out to center, but Lowrie did go to third base on the play. With his dramatic exploits in this game, it would have been fitting if Canha had the game-winning hit at this point, but he walked to load the bases, and it was up to Lucroy for the second time in three innings. On the second pitch, he hit a fly ball that went above five infielders and two outfielders to the base of the outfield fence for the walk-off hit, a 6-5 win for the A’s. It was one of the best home games of the season so far. We could go home happy. The game had started at 1:08 with a game time temperature of 68 degrees, and it ended at 4:46. The attendance was 21,217. During the breaks in the game, we saw some Father’s Day messages for the players and coaches from their families. The longest message was from Bob Melvin’s daughter. A lot of the kids were too young to know what was going on. We also saw a root beer float drinking contest that almost made one fan throw up. I returned home to listen to Robert Hilburn’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Times program on KCSN. He played songs by Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Marley. I listened to the soundtrack albums of “Good Will Hunting” and “Run Lola Run.” I stayed up to watch the late news for the sports highlights and saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers cap. Some of the people who died on June 18 include Eddie Gaedel (1961), Alan Berg (1984), Nancy Marchand (2000), Jack Buck (2002), Clarence Clemons (2011), and Victor Spinetti (2012). Today is a birthday for Isabella Rossellini (66) and Paul McCartney (76). According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 18, Johnny Rotten was slashed across his face and hands by youths upset over the song “God Save the Queen” in 1977. In 1980, the “Blues Brothers” movie had its premiere in New York. In 1982, “Annie” was released.