Marlboro
Mardi, février 9th, 2010
Today my wife and took our grandson to Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Bladensburg Maryland. There I read a placard describing Dr. William Beanes and his role in the creation of our national anthem. When I returned home I did a little research at a web site dedicated to the flag of the United States.
In general everyone knows the story of the creation of our national anthem. Francis Scott Key watched the bombardment of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore harbor. Most people think that he was on a British warship but he was on the deck of a sloop behind the British fleet. He was so inspired by seeing the stars and stripes flying proudly through the attack that he wrote what would become our national anthem.
Did you ever wonder what Francis Scott Key was doing behind the British fleet during the battle? He was a loyal American and he wasn't captured. I am proud to tell this story because it starts with a handful of men from my town of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, but let me start with a little background.
The United States and Great Britain were engaged in a war that started over shipping rights. It seems that Great Britain was in a conflict with France and they wanted to control any shipping heading in that direction. The United States would have none of it. This sounds pretty obvious to us in this day and age but you have to remember what the United States was like early in the nineteenth century. It had been a little over thirty years since the end of the Revolutionary War. We did not soundly defeat the British then; it was more of a political victory. Like most revolutions we outlasted them. Now here we were hardly recognized as a country and with a military feared by no one in the world and we were once again getting in the face of a perennial power. This time the power had a score to settle. You have to admire the nerve of our forefathers; they refused to be pushed around no matter what the risk.
When the British came, they came with a vengeance. The British entered the Chesapeake Bay on August 19, 1814, and in less then a week they had captured Washington, DC. There they exacted their revenge. They sacked and burned the city. The flames rose so high that they could be seen forty miles away.
On August 26, 1814, the British army marched through Upper Marlboro and continued moving while frustrated citizens watched them go by. Later in the day a few British stragglers wandered into town. An older man named Dr. William Beanes and a few friends decided to act. They captured the stragglers and held them as prisoners. This infuriated British General Ross so much that he immediately sent troops back to free his soldiers and to capture Dr. Beanes and his friends. The general agreed to let go all of the Americans but Dr. Beanes. They took the doctor with them and they boarded their ships and headed for Baltimore.
The people of Upper Marlboro were very upset. Dr. Beanes was their town physician and a man that had endeared himself to his community. From the tone of the British command, they feared that their good doctor would be hanged. They called upon a young but well respected lawyer from Georgetown to intercede in their behalf. The lawyer's name was Francis Scott Key. Key went to American authorities who pointed him to Colonel Skinner. Colonel Skinner was an American agent for prisoner exchange and Key asked him to be his escort to the British.
On September 7, 1814, Key and Skinner boarded the Tonnant and had their first conference with General Ross. Initially General Ross refused to listen to any pleas from the Americans. Then Skinner and Key produced letter after letter describing the good and humane treatment given to wounded British troops by American doctors; one of them being Dr. William Beanes. This changed the general's mind, but he would not let the Americans leave. He claimed that they had seen too much of his battle plan and that they would be released after the battle. The Americans were placed on a sloop behind the British fleet and that is where Francis Scott Key penned the Star Spangled Banner.
There is one more part of the story. General Armistead commanding the American forces in Ft. McHenry specifically ordered the biggest American flag in existence to fly during the battle. It was this flag, and the spirit that kept it flying, that inspired Francis Scott Key.
Back for another year of reviewing American Idol. Since this is Simon's last it's probably mine too. Maybe next year I'll focus on House Husbands of Hollywood 2.
Season 9 of Idol began with an acknowledgment of all the changes. Paula left the series to pursue obscurity. We were told nine guest judges would appear on the audition rounds vying for Paula's spot and they must've all done fantastic since Ellen DeGeneres got the job.
First up guest-judge wise was the painfully thin Victoria Beckham. My droll daughter Annie, who watched with me, shouted out, “Give her a sandwich! You'd think David Beckham could provide!“
Victoria's musical credentials are impeccable. She was Posh in the Spice Girls. And now Ryan refers to her as a “Fashion Icon”. Oh really? I don't think those doily-laced headbands are going to catch on other than for tying your garbage bags. Here's an example of her expert assessment of a singer's performance: “I love the jeans, the shirt.“
Posh offered nothing in the way of insight or personality, which still made her better than Kara. How the hell is she back for another year? Kara Dioguardi and Jeff Zucker - the two people who can't get fired. I'm reminded of that great line — “Who do you have to fuck to get off this picture?”
Randy Jackson is also back - wearing more make-up than Kara, Victoria, and even Ryan. And what was with the Playskool watch? Did “Fashion Icon” Posh suggest that? Randy unveiled some exciting new meaningless catch-phrases for the season. “Doin' it big!” and my personal favorite, “You're a cool guy. Great hang!“
The show started out in Boston. 9000 delusional guttersnipes getting drenched in a pouring rain. And not one of them I'm sure could appreciate the metaphor.
They started right off with a classic nut. Some whacko girl who kept auditioning to the American Idol video game. And when the animated Simon said she was good enough she entered the real competition. She was horrendous. Annie said they should recall the game if it put her through. Her idea of rehearsing, by the way, was to practice jumping.
There was the obligatory parade of idiots — girls who dressed like Diablo Cody if Diablo Cody was blind and guys decked out like Michael Jackson, the Marlboro Man, and the Burger King. This year's atrocious William Hung Asian kid massacred Eric Carman's “All By Myself”. And we had two or three lunatics who mistook grand mal seizures for dance steps. One cretin actually still thought Paula was there.
All of the losers broke down crying. “Simon's wrong!” “I'm a great singer, I know I am.” “I just took the steroids to heal faster.”
There were heart-tugging stories galore — cancer and down syndrome and dying grandmothers with dementia. All of these contestants got through to Hollywood of course. You're never going to hear, “Well, you have only one year to live and you can't sing.“
Ryan said one contestant got a “One-way ticket to Hollywood.” Uh, does that mean he has to pay his own way home? I guess the economic crunch has even caught up to American Idol.
My favorite aspirants: the drummer who broke both wrists after falling out of a tree, some Clark Kent-looking guy who was pissed he had to wait all day (this really irked Kara who intimated that if you're going to make it in the music industry you better have a talent for waiting), and finally - a blond stoner with horrible skin (I love my HD) who said he was going to try to sound like his idol, Chris Brown. Why Chris Brown? Because “he touches young kids all over the world.” Yeah, he sure touched young Rihanna. He beat the crap out of her. Stoner Boy was rejected but he was satisfied with his performance. As he said, “I did what I had to do. I hit really loud notes.“
More auditions tonight but I'm skipping those because, well, it's the same show as this one. Only the sob stories and costumes will change. Oh, and the guest judge. Not sure but I think it's Captain Beefheart.
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Kate Moss’ Smoking Demands
Kate Moss has infuriated an upmarket department store with her demands for a designer smoking area.
The 36-year-old supermodel is launching her range of bags for Longchamp at Selfridges in London later this month and has reportedly astonished event organizers with her request as they fear she is more likely to use her promotional time socializing with her friends than trying to boost sales.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper, “It’s Kate Moss – she can ask for what she likes and they’ll probably bend over and give it to her.
“Longchamp are spending a fortune on the sponsorship deal to boost the label. But it’ll look more of a promotion for brand Moss.
“The outside area is a bit of a problem. Her people want couches, cushions, tables, heaters and candles to make it comfy for her to have a cigarette.
“But she’s only due to be there for an hour. They don’t want to pay out lots for her to mingle with selected guests, only for her to hide in her VIP room drinking champagne with her pals.”
Kate, who is dating The Kills rocker Jamie Hince, is famed for her love of smoking and it has previously been claimed that she makes her personal assistant leave a packet of her favorite Marlboro Lights on every table in her home before she goes to bed.
A source said, “Kate has five coffee tables spread between her living room, kitchen, office and bedroom so that’s a lot of cigarettes.
“She also has a special tennis ball with holes for cigarettes to stick out from so visitors can relax with a smoke.”