#Images via ABC

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Willie Mays 1931-2024

Above: Willie Mays in 1956. Photo: UPI/ABC News

Willie Mays, one of the greatest ballplayers in history, died today at the age of 93. He was one of the dominant figures in the golden age of New York baseball, when the Giants, the Dodgers, and the Yankees battled for supremacy. From 1947 to the Giants' and Dodgers' final season in New York in 1957, at least one of those three teams played in 10 of 11 World Series, and won 9 of them.

His stats are astonishing. Over his 22 years in the majors, he had a .301 batting average. He had 3,293 hits, including 660 home runs. His 7,112 putouts as an outfielder rank No. 1 in major league history, and he had 657 more playing first base. He stole 338 bases at a time when base stealing was not as common as it is now. He batted in 1,909 runs. Beginning in 1957, the year the title was created, he won 12 Gold Gloves.

But more than his statistics was his infectious joy in playing. He greeted everyone with "Say hey" and became known as the Say Hey Kid.

“Willie could do everything from the day he joined the Giants,” said Leo Durocher, his manager during most of his years at the Polo Grounds. “He never had to be taught a thing. The only other player who could do it all was Joe DiMaggio.” And DiMaggio said of him, "Willie Mays is the closest to being perfect I’ve ever seen."

Above: Willie Mays slides safely into the plate in the sixth inning of a game against the Phillies at the Polo Grounds, ca. early 1950s. Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images/NBC News

Above: Willie's famous catch in the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds on September 29, 1954. His over-the-shoulder catch made while running is considered to be one of the greatest plays in baseball history. The score was tied at 2-2, and not only did he prevent a home run, he threw the ball in to the infield, preventing runners on base from scoring. The Giants went on to sweep the Cleveland Indians in four games.

Above: Mays plays stickball with local kids in Harlem in 1954. He lived on 155th Street while playing with the Giants. In 2017, the corner of 155th Street and Harlem River Drive was renamed Willie Mays Drive. Photo: Bettmann Archive/ABC News

Mays at home in Harlem with his landlady, Ann Goosby, in 1954. A profile of Mays published that year in LIFE pointed out that Mrs. Goosby “cooks his meals, keeps his clothes clean and generally takes care of” the young star. Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt via Life magazine

Above: Willie Mays at the Polo Grounds in 1954. Photo: Patrick A. Burns for the NY Times via Instagram

[20th-century-scrapbook]

Sergio Mendes & Basil ’66 performing in 1970 on “The Engelbert Humperdinck Show” on ABC / ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content, via Getty Images

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jacob Ogles at The Advocate:

A new study in Australia shows puberty blockers are both safe and reversible, undercutting arguments leveled against providing transgender health care for minors. The latest findings come from a Sax Institute review. That was commissioned by the government in New South Wales amid local controversy about gender-affirming treatments offered to minors. A Four Corners report found a massive drop in the number of patients seeking care at Westmead Children’s Hospital, according to ABC News (the Australian equivalent of the BBC).

The Four Corners study cited "high rates of adverse childhood experiences including family conflict, parental mental illness and loss of important figures via separation," looking at a group of less than 80 patients at a single hospital. But the Sax Institute study looked at a wider research set and scientific literature from 2019 to 2023. While it said further research should be done in the field of gender dysphoria treatment, existing data shows “positive results across the domains of body image, gender dysphoria, depression, anxiety, suicide risk, quality of life and cognitive function.” The reports seem to suggest further advances in the field can address the shortcomings of treatments available today. It recommends further study of any potential association between gender-affirming care and child bone density, but said any evidence treatment compromises bones “remains low.”

The Institute did find that data remains scant on certain aspects of the benefits or drawbacks of gender care for children.

A new study from the Sax Institute in Australia reveal that puberty blockers are safe and reversible, countering a myth that anti-trans forces use to justify bans on gender-affirming care.

[leveloneandup]

Briana Scurry, Sam Mewis, Christen Press & The USWNT receive the Arthur Ashe Award at The 2023 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photos by ABC via Getty Images)

[vintagerocker69]

The Rolling Stones On Television

English rock group the Rolling Stones perform live on ABC Television's Thank Your Lucky Stars television show in Birmingham, England circa November 1963. Members of the group are, from left to right, guitarist Brian Jones, bass guitarist Bill Wyman, singer Mick Jagger, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarist Keith Richards. (Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

[shoheiakagi]

AUs i’m not sure that i’ll ever write, so i’ll make a post with headcanons part 1: rockstar!abc boys:

hmr is an entertainment company with ceo mikoto, manager kusanagi, soloist totsuka, hip-hop duo yata and kamamoto, and the abc boys forming a rock band (anna is a trainee who isn’t set to debut yet). the agency is originally small and at the verge of bankruptcy. their artists and trainees would have to share cramped dorms, stuffy studio rooms, and aggressively promote their music via social media and sometimes even handing out flyers advertising their concert in the busy streets of shizume

i am being biased but i can see shouhei as the lead singer. he just has a very charismatic and outgoing personality that fits as the frontman of the band. although eric is definitely not the type to sing, i like to think he offers some vocals only because his japanese va has a nice voice lmaoo. chitose can also fill the role of the sub vocalist, but i like the idea of him being the playboy main guitarist. fuji is the drummer, bandou and dewa are the bass players, while eric also plays the guitar

the abc boys originally start out as an underground rock group with a small, but loyal fanbase. slowly but surely, they see a growth in their popularity with them doing numbers on their newer music, tickets selling out in big arenas, being invited to multiple award shows, and even winning some big awards.

thats not to say the boys end up becoming this squeaky clean, bubblegum pop boyband. a good chunk of their popularity comes from their rebellious, bad boy image. vulgar lyrics and music videos, multiple controversies such as rowdy parties that end up destroying whatever hotel room theyre renting, chitose (accidentally) scorning indie singer maria, diss tracks about other artists, getting into fights and other scandals, etc.

the boys are two years in their career when one of their rival companies debut a pop girl group. and unlike the boys, this girl group’s debut is highly anticipated since they’re from an established and rich company with other popular artists as their predecessors. so its no surprise that the group’s first mv and pre-release track debuts with high numbers

the girl group is composed of four members. each member is inspired from celebrities/characters from different media based on physical character traits or personality traits:

miyako: the eldest and the lead vocalist who is known for her ice princess like visuals. off camera, she is the easy-going mom friend of the group who comes from a wealthy family with a background in business. inspo: jisoo from kpop group blackpink, donna troy/wondergirl from dc comics, and kuchiki rukia from bleach

izumi: main rapper and self-proclaimed leader of the group. blunt and aloof, izumi is hard to impress and has a fondness for punk fashion and music. inspo: dinah lance/black canary and artemis crock from dc comics/shows, nana osaki from nana, with a little dash of jennie from blackpink (jennie’s onscreen personality during music videos)

kaoru: main dancer and lead rapper. a tomboyish girl who loves to have fun, but has a bad temper and can be kind of a bully. inspo: buttercup from powerpuff girls, lisa from blackpink, artemis crock and raven from dc

sakuno: the center and the main vocalist of the group. as the youngest and most soft-spoken of the group, she learned how to use her girlish charms and looks to get what she wants. inspo: nana komatsu and a bit of reira from nana, bubbles and blossom from ppg, jennie and rosé from blackpink.

despite the genres of both groups being completely different from the other and the girls being a newer group, it doesn’t stop the media and their fans from constantly comparing them, with the boys being one of the biggest groups around and the girls rapidly gaining popularity.

at first, the boys don’t pay that much attention to the girls. they’re hot girls doing pop music, of course a lot of virgins are gonna eat that shit up. but the more comparisons they see by fans and the media, the more articles they see about the girls possibly surpassing them and being better than them, the more it gets to them. like wtf? why the fuck are they always getting compared to this group of privileged girls who gets everything handed to them on a plate?? unlike those snobby little princesses, they actually worked hard and earned their success. they actually write and produce their own fucking music, instead of sitting in the studio room and looking pretty, while someone else writes their lyrics for them

the girls weren’t too sure on how to feel about the guys at first. while they admired the fact that the boys were able to pave a path for themselves to stardom despite being from a broke company, they’re a bit wary about them. the boys have been involved in a lot of feuds, which got them on the bad side of the general public here and there. and sure, they don’t always start shit, but they always play dirty in response. some of the members don’t even have the best reputation with women, which doesn’t help their case

It also doesnt help that even though their fans are always beefing, theres still a large portion of them that ships members of both groups with each other. This helps to be a great marketing strategy by the girls’ company, making sure to have the boys name dropped frequently in articles or bios about the girls, comparing their success and labeling them as each other’s counterpart, which boosts their engagement.

but despite all the constant comparisons, both groups avoid the hell out of each other whenever theyre in the same public setting (i.e. music award shows). the guys think the girls are talentless posers who trying to ride on their dicks for fame, while the girls just want to avoid accidentally creating any dating rumors cause god forbid they accidentally glance at one of the boys or sit near them

it doesn’t take that long for the girls to sense some sort of animosity from some of the more vocal guys like bandou and even chitose to some extent, so the resentment soon turns mutual and the girls start to think that the guys are a bunch of lowlives

me being me tho, the tension between both groups soon turns into sexual tension between some of their members lmaooo

i envision the four girls to get with shouhei, chitose, dewa, and bandou, but if anyone is actually reading this and thinks differently, please let me know!

dewa/miyako: on the surface, they seem to be the most similar, with both of them having the more serious/strict image of their group. dewa thinks otherwise since miyako is way more outgoing and lenient with her members. he initially looks down at her for being part of an ‘artificial’ pop group, and thinks of her as an airhead, but is surprised to know that she does have a few things in common with him, such as their rich and smothering families. both are also 100% done with their friends’ antics.

chitose/izumi: far from the shy type, izumi is no stranger to promiscuity, having her share of partners in the bedroom. but between the scandals with her friend maria and many other female celebrities, and the way his group looks down at her group, izumi wouldn’t really feel bad if she wakes up one day to headlines about chitose catching std and his group being forced to disband. but after multiple attempts of flirting from chitose’s end, both form a superficial friendship and party together, which slowly turns into late night private conversations with cigarettes in their hand and a bottle to share.

bandou/kaoru: a hate to love dynamic, these two clash the most out of them all and are the last couple to hold hands, let alone get together. from their first meeting (which is coincidentally when they both caught shouhei and sakuno together), kaoru tells bandou how much of a loser he is and that he should pursue another career since his music is not it. bandou calls kaoru a dyke and that theres a reason why she’s the least popular of her group. both are quick to press each other’s buttons, unknowingly hitting some sore spots.

shouhei/sakuno: the romeo and juliet of the groups, they’re the first couple to get together tbh. although they both knew of each other and would attend the same music award shows, they formally meet each other through a mutual friend. although there was a mutual attraction, sakuno tries to bottle her feelings and keep her distance while shouhei tries to pursue her. they initially start off as friends with benefits since both have busy schedules, but the feelings are too strong and next thing you know, late night hookups at the other’s apartment slowly turns into secret late night dates at reserved beaches and restaurants. their interactions start the domino effect of the other members’ interactions.

other couples include fujieric who are in a slowburn ‘will they’ situationship, and mikototsu who are in a secret relationship

[trascapades]

🕊💔 #ArtIsAWeapon

Heartbroken & speechless about the sudden passing of Toriano Adarryl “Tito” Jackson, who was - along with his siblings - another huge part of my life's soundtrack.

Image 1 reposted from Tito's IG account/ other images and caption below from @motownmuseum ; guitar compilation from "Call Me KD" youtube, via @djsoulsister

Tito’s voice was often heard as the baritone of the Jackson 5, creating a foundation for their vocal harmonies. On stage he simultaneously sang, executed intricate dance steps, and played guitar. As the sole guitarist in live performances, Tito often adapted his playing to make his one single instrument cover the multiple guitar parts heard on studio recordings.

As a child, Tito used a guitar belonging to his father, Joseph Jackson, to practice playing the Blues. [After punishing him for breaking one of the strings] Tito's father gifted the guitar to him and told him to learn as many songs as he could. The family formed a performing group, the #Jackson5, with Tito and his brothers Michael, Jermaine, Marlon, and Jackie. Live performances by the group impressed Motown artists Bobby Taylor and Gladys Knight, who brought them to the attention of Berry Gordy.

After a filmed audition in July 1968, the group signed with #Motown, beginning their journey in Detroit. The Jackson 5 exploded onto the pop and R&B charts in 1969 with “I Want You Back.” Like many of the group’s earliest hits, the song was written by The Corporation, a group of Motown songwriters and producers. Diana Ross played a major role in The Jackson 5’s debut album, writing the liner notes and helping promote the group on national TV appearances.

Four hit releases followed over the next 11 months: “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There,” setting a record for the Jackson 5 as the first act to ever have their first four singles consecutively reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. They went on to have 17 top 10 hits with the Motown label and became cultural icons with multiple world tours, a cartoon series, and memorabilia. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and three Jackson 5 singles have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

[littlequeenies]

August 30, 1972 - May Pang and John Lennon at the "One To One" Concert at the Madison Square Garden, NYC.

At the request of Geraldo Rivera, shortly after the release of his album "Sometime in New York CIty", John Lennon agreed to headline two charity concerts to benefit the Willowbrook Home, a facility for learning disabled children. The event was called "One To One", both concerts, played at the Madison Square Garden in NYC, were filmed and recorded, with excerpts broadcast on Walt Disney Television via Getty Images.

(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

[mumbojumbo84317]

Happy 37th Birthday to #KaleyCuoco. After a series of supporting film and television roles in the late 1990s, she landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom #8SimpleRules (2002–2005). Thereafter, Cuoco voiced Brandy Harrington on #BrandyAndMrWhiskers (2004–2006) and appeared as Billie Jenkins on the final season of the television series #Charmed (2005–2006). She later starred as Penny on the CBS sitcom #TheBigBangTheory (2007–2019), and received a Satellite Award, a Critics' Choice Award, and two People's Choice Awards for the role. Since 2020, Cuoco has starred in and served as executive producer for the HBO Max comedic thriller #TheFlightAttendant, which received widespread critical acclaim. For this performance, she has received nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Critics' Choice Awards.

1. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images

2. Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

3. Jesse Grant/Getty Images

4. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

5. Steve Granitz/WireImag

6. Russell Baer/Contour RA

7. Lester Cohen/WireImage

8. Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

9. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

10. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

#stunningbeauty #stunninggirl #stunning #beautifulactress #beautifulactresses #beautifulactress❤️ #hotcelebritys #hotcelebrity

[xtruss]

Cillian Murphy Won the Oscar For Best Actor For His Role in "Oppenheimer." Cillian Murphy Dedicates Best Actor Win to 'Peacemakers Everywhere'

— Sunday March 10, 2024 | ABC News

The actor, who portrayed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, in "Oppenheimer," said he was "overwhelmed" to have won the award.

"I'm a very proud Irishman standing here tonight," he said. "We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb and, for better or for worse, we're all living in Oppenheimer's world, so I would really like to dedicate this to peacemakers everywhere."

Cillian Murphy accepts the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for 'Oppenheimer' onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards, in Hollywood, March 10, 2024. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Murphy accepted the Oscar from a group of previous best actor winners, including Nicolas Cage, Matthew McConaughey, Brendan Fraser, Ben Kingsley and Forest Whitaker.

This awards season, Murphy has won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA.

Other nominees in the category included Bradley Cooper for "Maestro," Colman Domingo for "Rustin," Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers" and Jeffrey Wright for "American Fiction."

[black-arcana]

THE PRETTY RECKLESS Has 'Stepped Foot Into A Studio' To Begin Work On New Album

In a new interview with Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station conducted at this past weekend's Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, THE PRETTY RECKLESS frontwoman Taylor Momsen confirmed that she and her bandmates have commenced work on the follow-up to 2021's "Death By Rock And Roll" album.

"We're in a great headspace," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We're just having fun with it, and wrapping up the tour cycle of 'Death By Rock And Roll', with the last few shows. We're going out with [the FOO FIGHTERS] in June, which I'm so stoked about. And then new record — and it's next chapter. We've already kind of started it… We've gotten into a studio; we've stepped foot into a studio. So that's saying something for us."

Regarding when fans can expect to hear new music from THE PRETTY RECKLESS, Taylor said: "I don't know how long it's gonna take. I have no dates for anyone or any more insight other than that. But we have walked into a studio and we are super, super excited."

Last November, THE PRETTY RECKLESS released a new collection of music, "Other Worlds", via Fearless Records. The effort saw the group delivering its first proper acoustic recordings, unexpected covers and other reimaginings.

"Death By Rock And Roll" was made available in February 2021 via Fearless Records in the U.S. and Century Media Records in the rest of the world.

Upon release, "Death By Rock And Roll" topped multiple sales charts — including Billboard's Top Albums, Rock, Hard Music, and Digital charts. The record also yielded three back-to-back No. 1 singles — "Death By Rock And Roll", "And So It Went" (featuring Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and "Only Love Can Save Me Now" (featuring Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of SOUNDGARDEN). The band has tallied seven No. 1 singles at the rock format throughout its career.

"Death By Rock And Roll" was THE PRETTY RECKLESS's first album to be made without longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died in April 2018 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS formed in 2009 and consists of Momsen, guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon and drummer Jamie Perkins.

In 2021, Momsen — who rose to fame portraying the character of edgy little sister Jenny Humphrey on The CW's "Gossip Girl" — described "Death By Rock And Roll" in an interview with ABC Audio as a "battle cry for life and for hope."

"I think that that's something that we can all use a little bit more of, especially right now," she said. "We could always use a little more hope, and we could always use a little more rock and roll."

Image credit: concertsrock

[newyorkthegoldenage]

A face in the crowd: Times Square, December 31, 1951.

Photo: Ernst Haas via Getty Images/ABC News

[via-the-cryptid]

y’all wanna hear about my One Piece OCs? of course you do! in order of when I created them, meet the Via Originals, complete with tragic backstories and Emotional Issues!

1. first up: Coyo! her backstory is that she was isekai’d into the body of a slave who had just escaped, but was now drowning and also bleeding out from a stab wound (not optimal). unfortunately the other person’s consciousness was still in there, which means that it’s two OCs for the price of one! she ends up joining Luffy as the vice captain and strategist, and it’s discovered later that she has a devil fruit that allows her to create and manipulate ink. her fic is Inkstained Hands.

2. next, we have Edevane Tally! she’s a runaway noble that ended up with Buggy for a short while, and during her time at the circus she learned acrobatics, pickpocketing, and psychological manipulation. y’know, the basics. she later joins the Straw Hat Crew as their spymaster, though Luffy will insist that her role is ‘the acrobat’. she does not have a devil fruit at the start, but her dream is to solve the mysteries of the devil fruits (because they make no fucking sense and it bothers her), so I’m contemplating having her track down a specific fruit that allows her to do what’s essentially short-range teleportation. her fic is Hellraiser.

3. next on the list, we have Mayfire Copper! she’s half lantern shark fishmer (yes I know the image above is funny-looking, I made it as a reference for where her spots are), with her mother being a lantern shark mermaid named Jewel and her father being a Very Shitty Nobleman who essentially sells her into slavery because he expected his only child to be a pretty mermaid like her mother, not an ‘ugly shark thing’. Copper is also Sabo’s cousin through her father and Sabo’s mother, so that’s fun! Luffy meets Copper at Sabaody, where he promptly beats the shit out of the celestial dragon abusing her and then goes ‘oh hey! you look like my dead brother’s cousin! that means you must be my cousin!’ and honestly. who is Copper to refuse. her fic is Oxidate.

4. this one is a little strange, so she… doesn’t actually have a name? none that’s been revealed yet, at least, but she’s called the PR Officer and her primary role is to fulfill a very self indulgent au in which the Marines’ sole PR Officer shows up to Marineford abc promptly calls them out on every last bullshit they’ve committed in the last ~60 years. she also might’ve been genetically modified to stop aging? but that’s not her problem, she’s here to overthrow marines and possibly take over the world. her fic series is the PR Officer AU.

5. this one is my personal favorite: Cyrus Vivian! there are more images of her somewhere, these are just the most recent, and she is an isekai protagonist who gets picked up by the Akagami Pirates and then continues to catch the attention of Literally Fucking Everyone by saying a lot of shit that she doesn’t mean to say out loud. she’s also the most autistic of my OCs and the most similar to myself. her fic is Stained Glass Mirror.

oh and technically there’s a cat oc but I don’t feel like writing a bio for her, so just know she exists.

[thislovintime]

Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz with Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Jeff Sherman, Danielle Fishel, and Rhino managing director Harold Bronson on the set of the Boy Meets World episode “Rave On” (aired on November 17, 1995). Photos by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images, and unknown.

“‘I’ve sung Monkees songs all my life,’ quips Tork, 53, between chomps of a candy bar on the ‘Boy Meets World’ set in Hollywood. ‘I had almost forgotten how [to sing other songs]. I have never sung anything else in 30 years. In the shower, I sing nothing but Monkees songs. The same songs over and over. I sing all the parts. That’s all I ever sing.’

Well, not really. In fact, Tork released his own album this year, ‘Stranger Things Have Happened.’ ‘It’s kind of middle-of-the-road, up pop,’ he says. ‘Micky and [ex-Monkee] Mike Nesmith sing backup on a couple of songs. If it isn’t available in your local record store, you can get it by calling 1-800-Not-Ribs-0!’

In the ‘Rave On’ episode, Cory (Ben Savage) and Eric (Will Fredel) enlist the help of three of their parents’ friends (guess who?) after their plans to combine an underground party and a surprise wedding anniversary party backfire.

‘I was in the show last year playing the same character,’ says Tork, who plays Jedidiah, the father of Cory’s love interest, Topanga (Danielle Fishel). Dolenz also has previously been on the series as family friend Gordy.

‘My thing is I am, like, some guy who shows up [that] the parents had met 20 years ago,’ offers Jones, 49. ‘I sort of, like, house crash.’

The reason?

‘I’m here to protect you,’ he says wryly.

‘He’s the eldest, you see,’ pipes in Jones. ‘You probably figured that out.’

Yes, your birth dates were printed on the back of your first album, ‘The Monkees.’

‘They lied [about my age],’ Tork confesses. ‘They lied because they didn’t want anybody 24 [in the group].’

‘I didn’t realize that,’ says Jones, the youngest. ‘What’s your name again?’

‘George Harrison,’ Tork deadpans.

[...] The trio still seem to exude the goofy chemistry that endeared them to millions of teeny-boppers in 1966. Sitting in the empty bleacher area of the darkened sound stage, the group jokes and banters around. Though Tork has already chatted with the set visitor, he’s decided to sit in with Dolenz and Jones.

So what’s it like to be performing together and not playing the Monkees?

‘That’s all I have ever done in my life is to play a character,’ replies Dolenz, 50, who sports a tiny ponytail. ‘The Monkees was a character I played.’

‘No! No!,’ Tork retorts. ‘You were that character.’

Dolenz looks up at Tork. ‘Are you going to do this interview for me?,’ he says with mock disdain. ‘Thank you.’

‘I am here to keep the record straight,’ Tork says with a smile.

‘I always approached [the Monkees] as a part I was playing,’ Dolenz says. ‘I remember Bob Rafelson, the director and creator, talking about it and the original brief on my part was Jerry Lewis. They wanted a Jerry Lewis-type. They wanted a Huntz Hall-type. They wanted a Will Rogers-type.’

‘And,’ Jones interrupts, ‘a Peter Tork-type.’

‘You’ve got to remember, the reality was that the Monkees was not a band,’ Dolenz continues. ‘But a TV show about a band. We became a band in every sense of the word. But we do a lot of acting. Peter just did a thing on “Wings,” didn’t you?’

‘Yep,’ Tork replies. (Tork’s appearance as himself on ‘Wings’ airs Tuesday.)

‘I just did “The Love Bug” for a movie-of-the-week,’ Dolenz says. ‘I’m doing a series for USA called “Pacific Blue” where I play the mayor of Santa Monica. I’m also directing.’

Though Jones isn’t a big fan of sitcoms, doing ‘Boy Meets World’ is ‘a fabulous way of getting exposure’ for their upcoming 30th-anniversary tour.

‘What I find so incredible,’ Dolenz concludes, ‘is the entire project only lasted two years. I have had dinner parties that were longer than the original project. And here we are!’” - Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1995

//

“The networks and studio then (stupidly) told me the Monkees appearance was not be ‘an event’ for them unless I could get all four. Did I mention networks can be stupid? They ordered me to enlist Mike Nesmith, too. Micky had warned me this would never happen, but I valiantly tried; called Mike Nesmith at home. He listened to my pitch and, after a rather long moment of silence, in his slow Texan drawl, he flatly told me, ‘I'd really rather not.’ Micky explained that, for years, Mike was not very anxious to appear as a Monkee -- he'd moved on. [...]

Maybe a half-hour before our evening taping, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall, lanky fellow with dark glasses and big sideburns slip by me and into the dressing room area. Michael Nesmith had shown up! All four of the Monkees were here in the same place -- for the very first time in years and years. I could see them through the little window to the area, shaking hands, hugging, laughing. Unbelievable!

As a major Monkees nut from when the show originally aired on NBC, this was dreamlike. I couldn't figure it out. Mike told me there was no way he wanted any part of this. My friend, Harold Bronson, who co-founded and was running Rhino Records (and arguably the biggest Monkees fan in the world, next to me), explained to me that Rhino had recently re-released all the Monkees albums on CD and they had all gone multi platinum. Because the guys were all going to be gathered, he invited Mike down to take photos with Davy, Micky and Peter backstage on our set with their platinum records!

My boss, Michael Jacobs, found me gawking through the window, slapped my back and said, ‘Sherm? Go get him!’ He said that Mike Nesmith was physically here in this building and, as a producer, it was my duty to go get him to appear with the other guys. I explained, again, that Nesmith had turned us down. He repeated, ‘Get! Him!’ He literally pushed me through the door.

Sort of awestruck and scared at the same time, I paced up to the four guys. Micky saw me and said, ‘Hey Jeff, come meet Mike!’ I came over, shook his hand and introduced myself as the fellow who'd called him a couple of weeks ago. He stared at me a beat, then half nodded. Mike went back to talking to Micky and the guys. It was very warm between all of them. It was truly beautiful. I heard them talking about maybe going into a rehearsal hall together, ‘See what we sound like,’ Mike said.

My mouth dropped open. This was rock 'n roll history and I was standing right there witnessing it. All the guys were really into it, started making plans of when and where. I didn't want to interrupt this, sort of backed away. Turning, I saw my boss staring at me through the window, insistently pointing at Mike. I took a deep breath, walked back up. Mike slowly turned to me. I said something like, ‘So, Mike, you know we're shooting the show in a couple of minutes. Since you're here and since it would be such an incredible --’

‘I'd really rather not,’ he twanged. He stared me down, then returned to chatting with Davy, Micky and Peter about an out of the way rehearsal hall he knew about where no one would bother them. I backed out of the room, through the swinging door and Michael Jacobs said, ‘Well?!’ I explained that Nesmith did not want to be on our show. Michael explained that no one ever wants to do these things, but it was my job as a producer to get back in there and convince him. Two network people walked up and seconded that.

Fearing my job was on the line, I took a deep breath and went back in. Covering my abject fear and loathing with a nervous grin, I slowly walked back up to the guys who were all excitedly talking about meeting up and jamming. Micky, then Davy, then Peter saw me nearing again. I never got a word out. The last one to turn, very slowly and deliberately, was Mike Nesmith. Laser beams were shooting from his eyes through my soul. He slapped his knees, slowly stood WAY up and said one last time, definitively, slowly and with a deeper tone -- ‘I'd... really... rather... not.’ I think I maybe whimpered ‘'K,’ gave a wimpy finger salute and somehow escaped from the room.

Emerging again, my boss, the network folks and now our entire staff moved back from watching me through the portal. ‘Well!?’

‘He'd... really rather not,’ I sighed, and hurried off to look for something to drink and update my resume.

The rest of the night was dreamlike. The whole week was, in fact. It was electric rock 'n roll literally and emotionally in that t.v. studio. Great laughs, great energy. Everyone there knew this was a rare and special night. Even the moments with actor Dave Madden (Manager ‘Reuben Kincaid’ from The Partridge Family) were huge laughs. Everything was perfect.

Nesmith never did appear on the episode, but it was incredibly thrilling to see Micky, Davy and Peter perform live together. They sang live to playback tracks they'd recorded together earlier in the week -- and YES -- they really played and sang and REALLY PLAYED AND SANG amazingly at the session. I was there. What great musicians and vocalists they were together. What classic interplay and rhythm in their acting, as well! The episode was incredible and got huge, huge ratings. [...] I hope people will go back and watch the ‘Rave On!’ episode -- and think -- Mike Nesmith was just maybe 50 feet away!” - Art Brodsky, Huffington Post, March 4, 2012

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Christen Press at The 2023 ESPYS held at Dolby Theatre on July 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by ABC via Getty Images)

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The Rolling Stones On Television

Rock group the Rolling Stones perform live on ABC Television's Thank Your Lucky Stars television show in Birmingham, England circa November 1963. Members of the group are, from left to right, guitarist Brian Jones, bass guitarist Bill Wyman, singer Mick Jagger, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarist Keith Richards. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)