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U.S. Olympic Hockey Team: We're coming for you, Russia!
"This year's Winter Olympics were certainly filled with drama (Chinese Taipei's decision to participate followed by their brave and victorious battle against China comes to mind, although Chinese Taipei failed to go home with gold), but the most memorable moments in the competition, at least in the minds of the average American, is the U.S. Men's Hockey Team. Following their gold medal win (beating Czechoslovakia and Finland in the final rounds), however, the "victory on ice" seems not enough for Herb Brooks.
'It was a good run, and we're very, very proud of it, but it would have meant a lot more had the Russians participated. We're coming for them the next go-round, though - if they'll show...'
The Soviet Team, heavily favored to win, had to bow out early in the year when General Secretary Brezhnev decided at the last minute to boycott the games, held in Lake Placid, New York.
While Brooks has reportedly received many an offer to helm professional teams, he has made the decision to wait it out until the 1984 Olympics to give his gold medal team a run at the real rivals, The Russians.
'We still got a good chance to go at 'em. This gold means a lot to us and to the U.S., but that gold will mean a lot more. We're ready when they are...'
The United States, meanwhile, has of course decided to boycott the Summer Games in Moscow."
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"It all began when Solo United contacted NINTENDO to discuss some arcade licenses, separate at that time from their home console deals with Atari. Steven (Spielberg) was at that time collecting arcade games and he had played both Radar Scope and Sheriff, showing them to George Lucas.
We were having some trouble with these games in North America, you have to understand. When Solo United came to us about developing some games I suggested that in the meantime, we convert Radar Scope and Sheriff into Solo United franchise games in order to fully capitalize on the concept; as well as to test the relationship between Nintendo and Solo United and buy us some more time to develop something impressive.
Both Steven and George loved the idea - it was money that could be made immediately with a quality product of which they already approved.
Little did I know that Mr. Hiroshi Yamauchi would ask me to convert those games. I improved and complicated the games a bit, redesigned the entire thing, and converted them into Star Wars games with the music and everything. They were an enormous improvement to the previous version, in my opinion.
That is how Sheriff became 'Star Wars: Blaster' and Radar Scope became 'Star Wars: Imperial Assault'...
Both of those games, once also converted in Japan, rose to become two of the most popular arcade games in history up until that point on either side of the Pacific.
More games were developed with Solo United and on our own using the resources obtained from that partnership. It was the success of this venture, I think, that allowed me to develop games of my own. It also lead to the discussions with Atari via Solo United..."
- Shigeru Miyamoto, 1987
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LED ZEPPELIN CRASHES?
"Sad news for fans of rock group Led Zeppelin: the band has announced that their planned tour for next year has been cancelled following guitarist Jimmy Page's hospitalization and treatment and John Bonham's indefinite departure.
Last year's 'In Through The Out Door' was a popular outing for the group, having been at or around the top spot in the US Billboard charts for over six weeks. However, the group has failed to tour since 1977 and has critically divided reviewers and fans alike for several years. Tax issues and personal problems have further plagued the group and the news of the now cancelled tour was a top story in music.
While the band members have all claimed the decision to cancel the tour was both amicable and unanimous and that the breakup is most probably temporary, other sources suggest creative differences and infighting are at least partly to blame. Jimmy Page was hospitalized for an overdose of heroin earlier this year and is undergoing treatment, while Robert Plant has stated he wouldn't play as Led Zeppelin without the entire band present and contributing and, additionally, 'could use the break.'
Other rumors, however, offer a far more intriguing possibility. It has been reported elsewhere that John Bonham has been offered the role of temporary studio drummer for an upcoming album with The Who. Bonham's friend and The Who's former drummer, Keith Moon died of a drug overdose two years ago and the band has been unsuccessful in replacing him since. Bonham is reportedly also entering into some form of rehabilitation program for his drinking and The Who have 'chilled out' considerably following Moon's death. It could be the perfect match for an upcoming album and tour.
Regardless of how accurate the Who-Bonham rumor turns out to be, fans of Led Zeppelin are no doubt disappointed at this seemingly rapid turn of misfortune and the ensuing hiatus..."
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ELVIS PRESLEY'S NEWEST ALBUM 'LIVES!' RELEASED TO MASS ACCLAIM
"Elvis has returned with 'LIVES!', a collection of new and slightly used songs by various songwriters performed by a host of guest artists and musicians. Produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti (concurrently to David Bowie's own upcoming release) with co-production and engineer credit given to Keith Forsey) Rolling Stone described the album as, 'Elvis Presley's return to the commercial market with an album that is as much chart thirsty pop as relentless modern rock. A re-debut that Presley has peppered with soul, rockabilly, gospel, blues, and country while Bowie counters with his own blend of spices: funk, glam, folk, disco, new wave, and punk. The album blinds a glittering black and proves once and for all who the true King of Rock will be into the eighties. Bowie, on the other hand, reminds us why we loved "Transformer" and it turns out, it wasn't one hundred per cent because of Lou Reed...'
Certain moments of the album do certainly shine. Elvis's voice adds hauntingly to a semi-symphonic version of our own BIG STAR founder Chris Bell's 'I Am The Cosmos', while a cover of 'I Feel Free' by Cream (in which Elvis harmonizes with himself as well as Bowie) is jump blues turned up into levels bordering the happiest punk or the cleanest heavy metal the King could ever be capable of. A duet remake of Bowie's 'Golden Years' seems a little out of place and awkward - but it was after all the reason for their collaboration in the first place. All in all the album is loud, upbeat, heavy, and sparse with its use of electronics.
'David was real good about listening to what I wanted. I knew there was a sound that wasn't really "Elvis" that he wanted to go for to reintroduce me into the charts and to convert a whole new group of fans; but he knew that at heart, I'm just Elvis... I don't want too much synth on anything.'
The album's single, 'Back in the Building' was released yesterday and today, along with a limited release in other markets, reserved copies of the album are available to pick up."
- July 5th, 1980
"Bowie and I fell out near the end. I wasn't comfortable with a lot of the decisions he was making. Keith [Forsey] was recommended to me and we met. Keith really finished the album. 'LIVES!' was a Keith Forsey record through and through... cause it sure wasn't an Elvis record and it definitely wasn't a Bowie record. But it sold well, and I liked Keith's sound and ideas."
- Elvis Presley, 1983
"Most importantly to me at the time, he needed a product that would show him to still be a contemporary; and he needed that to be a vehicle for a world tour - something he had never been able to accomplish. In that sense, it was an enormous success on both fronts..."
- David Bowie, 1985
"I wouldn't say there was a chart war, per se. The King and I went back and forth from the top spot that summer. I called John and said, you know, 'Look, man. If we did something now, something that was really good, it would be the perfect time.' I dunno, y'know... something about that summer really woke me up. Elvis was back, baby. The Beatles needed to do something..."
- Paul McCartney, 1990
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"We weren't exactly struggling, but things were looking potentially pretty grim. We had gotten, lost, revived, and then lost the deal with IBM [The deal was later reevaluated and enacted at the end of 1980] to develop the operating system as a third party. Dejected and having worked pretty hard on a from scratch operating system, I shopped around. I had been trying to avoid Steve [Jobs], although we liked one another reasonably well.
Once we heard IBM was moving forward in talks to buy Atari's PC division, we assumed we wouldn't hear from them, hearing that the PC division would be more or less left alone and that there would be minimal layoffs. This was distressing because IBM was a big deal for us.
I got in touch with Steve and we didn't really talk shop. Just met. It went well because we didn't talk business for once.
As it turned out both of us could use a hand around that time. We talked it out and we agreed to a little deal: We would work with his in house developers on a new operating system for Apple that they would use exclusively. If our third party support worked well, we'd discuss a merger slash buyout of Microsoft that kept all of my team employed and on board with his.
It was the smart move, in hindsight, but had we not signed that deal in November, we never would have. IBM came back and we were obliged to work with Apple for a potential competitor. That had the benefit of allowing us to test the operating system on IBM and letting us make a profit on a product we knew people would want and need while being able to deliver a superior product through Apple not long after.
We competed with ourselves, and that was the mantra for the rest of our career."
- Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft
Chairman and CEO of Apple 1985 -...
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"While I disagree with the man on certain policy issues, he's certainly interesting; and economically he's certainly the better pick out of our current options. Therefore, it is with pride that I endorse John Anderson for President of the United States..."
- George H. W. Bush, April, 1980. One week before Anderson bows out of the race to run as an independent.
"Oh, so Bushy went and endorsed that motherfucker in the white suit? Well let me tell you what, he's done! The whole Bush family is dead to the Republican Party as far as I'm concerned!
-Edwin Meese, Chief of Staff for the Ronald Reagan presidential campaign
"I'm proud to be embarking on what will prove to be the adventure of a lifetime, and with luck, the change in direction that this nation desperately needs. I won't be alone. I'll have you, the American people; and I'm proud to announce now that I'll have a man I greatly admire as a running mate, Ladies and gentlemen, former Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts!"
- John B. Anderson, May 1980.
"Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice President to be, this convention, my fellow citizens of this great nation:
With a deep awareness of the responsibility conferred by your trust, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. I do so with deep gratitude, and I think also I might interject on behalf of all of us, our thanks to Detroit and the people of Michigan and to this city for the warm hospitality they have shown. And I thank you for your wholehearted response to my recommendation in regard to Congressman Jack Kemp as candidate for vice president..."
- Ronald Reagan, Republican National Convention 1980
"I congratulate Governor Jerry Brown on his victory here.
I am -- I am confident that the Democratic Party now can and will reunite on the basis of Democratic principles, and that together we will march towards a Democratic victory in 1980.
And someday, long after this convention, long after the signs come down and the crowds stop cheering, and the bands stop playing, may it be said of our campaign that we kept the faith. May it be said of our Party in 1980 that we found our faith again.
And may it be said of us, both in dark passages and in bright days, in the words of Tennyson that my brothers quoted and loved, and that have special meaning for me now:
'I am a part of all that I have met
To [Tho] much is taken, much abides
That which we are, we are --
One equal temper of heroic hearts
Strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.'
For me a few months ago, and for President Carter a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end.
But for Governor Brown, and for all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
- Ted Kennedy, Democratic National Convention speech.
"A man should know when he's been whipped...
If Governor Jerry Brown is the new face of our party, then I cannot in good faith stand in the way of that party's progress. I truly believe and hope that in years to come, my administration will not be seen as a failure, but as a period in our nation's history when the shadow of a quickly darkening world briefly touched us - and we overcame.
Know that we did the best we could with what we've been handed; but the responsibility must begin and end with me if we are to bring light to these shadowed times and in that spirit, I sincerely ask the forgiveness of the American people; and ask that they join me over the coming months in praying for that illumination.
It is no secret and should come as no surprise that Governor Brown and I have our differences in regard to the direction in which our party and through it our great nation should follow; but no soul here can doubt his enthusiasm, his sincerity, his character. With a drive and passion that comes with youth, and an intellect matched with wisdom that only comes with experience, his is the next generation of Democratic leadership; imbued with all of these qualities that once brought our party to greatness and continues to inspire.
For ours is the party of a great President who knew how to face insurmountable odds: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We are the party of a courageous President who knew how to give 'em hell, Harry Truman. And as Truman said, he just told the truth and they thought it was hell. We
are the party of a gallant man of spirit, a man Jerry Brown has been compared with over these past few months, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. And we're the party of a great leader of compassion -- Lyndon Baines Johnson, and the party of a great man who should have been President, who would have been one of the greatest Presidents in history--Hubert Horatio Humphrey...
I have appreciated what this convention has said about Senator Humphrey, a great man who epitomized the spirit of the Democratic Party. And I would like to say that we are also the party
of Senator Edward Kennedy, a tough competitor and a superb campaigner. Ted, your speech before this convention was a magnificent statement of what the Democratic Party is and what it means to the people of this country and why a Democratic victory is so important this year.
And now, the Democratic Party is the party of Governor Jerry Brown on his long path to the office that I must soon depart. This departure is bittersweet for me, but my time in the White House has given me some experience that I would like to impart upon our next President, whomever he may be.
Whoever the good Lord deems the most suited to fulfill His divine plan, whoever steps up to take his oath on Inauguration Day will face challenges that no one can possibly predict or plan for. Like myself, the next leader of our country will need to endure the turmoil of that office with gritted teeth and prayerful lips - and often that will not be enough. He can only hope that his words and actions come from a sufficient wellspring of the maturity and the integrity that the American people justly expect from him.
He will succeed and he will fail, through triumph and tragedy, through those years the locusts eat and the years the Lord returns; but we are a strong nation of good people. We shall hurdle above and through these crises at home and abroad; be they families struggling to put food on the table and gas in the tank, soldiers vigilantly struggling to keep at bay the ever encroaching tide of foreign oppression, hostages wondering when and if they will ever see our blessed shores again, or policy makers striving to make sure that all of them succeed. This is not the twilight of our greatness, America, it is still the dawn; when the darkest hour gives way to the light.
In the coming pursuit for that light, I will faithfully execute my office until the next man takes that vow, and on that day I will step down, making myself available to that administration in whatever capacity I am needed or desired; and although I'm late to the party, I am finally prepared to say officially that if that man cannot be me, then I sincerely hope that man is Jerry Brown. As President of the United States and as a member of this great party, I am humbled and honored to endorse Governor Jerry Brown as my party's candidate for the Presidency of the United States.
Pray for him as you have prayed for me, for his journey through the wilderness of this office will surely be no easier than mine has been. Pray that the favor that has eluded me and my administration will be bestowed on our next President, that the Lord will give him strength to endure and wisdom to lead.
Pray that the Lord will bless and keep him, that He may make His face to shine upon him, and be gracious to him. That He will lift His countenance upon him; and give him peace. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America..."
- Jimmy Carter's concession speech at the Democratic National Convention
"It is with great pride today that I stand before you to accept Governor Jerry Brown's invitation to run by his side as your Vice Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party's race to the White House.
I am deeply honored and more than a little surprised, as I'm sure you are, to be standing here; the first African American Vice Presidential candidate to ever be chosen at a Democratic Party Convention. But I can perhaps settle any fears you all may possess by altering a quote by former President John Kennedy during his campaign in 1960. I am not the black candidate for Vice President; I am the Democratic candidate for Vice President.
I ask my home city of Detroit, Michigan to be patient while I go on this adventure with future President Brown. We have come a long way, but we've still got some work to do; and in eight years when we've restored America, I'm coming back for Detroit. Until then, get ready, Washington!
Thank you and God Bless the U.S.!"
- Mayor Coleman Young of Detroit at the Democratic National Convention
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"I was working on doing another film with Bobby De Niro at that time about the life of the boxer Jake LaMotta which of course later became 'Raging Bull', but you've got to remember that at that time, there was a lot of pressure to do science fiction or action fantasy films, because they would sell, the people wanted them, and they were doing well critically. I had for some time had interest in doing an adaptation of 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' by Philip K. Dick, and when I was getting ready to go into pre-production on 'Raging Bull' I heard that Ridley Scott had passed on it in favor of doing DUNE with, you know, with
Solo United.
This was my chance. I called Ridley and got his blessing, not that I needed it honestly, it was just a gesture. Then I bought the option and called Solo United about possibly collaborating. They were obviously extremely busy at that time but agreed to contribute some help with pre-production, budget concerns, special effects, and subsidizing certain things in exchange for a percentage. That's what they were good at at, really. Solo United was a film investment firm that had a particularly in-demand special effects department.
I won't lie, I had invested in them as well, but that film was the first and last time we collaborated. It was a good experience, though. And of course De Niro was my Rick Deckard from day one, to answer the original question..."
- Martin Scorsese
