Week of December 1, 1984

The death toll continues to rise from

a poisonous gas leak from a Union

Carbide plant in Bhopal, India. Tens

of thousands - many blinded or

racked by nausea - packed hospitals

or huddle sick and dying in the

streets. Almost 2000 are confirmed

dead and the toll is sure to rise

Officials of Union Carbide India, Ltd

say they believe that enormous

pressure in a storage tank forced the release of poison gas that killed and injured

hundreds, but they do not know what caused the pressure buildup.

Chairman Warren Anderson of Union Carbide Corp is arrested on a charge of

causing death by negligence when he arrived in Bhopal. Anderson was detained

at the airport when he arrived to carry out an inspection of the American-owned

plant.

Testifying In a $45 million lawsuit against Flynt publishing, Reverend Jerry

Falwell said that he had “never been as angry as when he saw a Hustler

magazine parody of him.” The Hustler parody which ran twice including once last

March is called “Jerry Falwell Talks About His First Time.” In it, it quotes Falwell

as saying he had sex with his mother in an outhouse and “always gets sloshed”

before preaching. A disclaimer did say the cartoon was a parody.

In London, police search for a gang of highway robbers who used the claw of a

mechanical digger to rip off the roof of an armored truck to take an estimated

$360 thousand in cash. The gang of 8 to 10 men hijacked a tow truck and a

flatbed with an earthmover. Handcuffing three men, they locked them in the back

of a stolen van with a full bottle of scotch. When found, the bottle was half empty.

The gang, staging an accident, hemmed-in an armored car. Starting the digger -

they used its heavy scoop to tear the security van’s roof, terrifying three unarmed

guards inside. The buildup of traffic behind the staged accident made them

nervous and they left before taking more of the loot.

Dies - Dr John Rock - Roman Catholic Physician who

helped develop the first birth control pill.

Dies - Harry Sukman - Oscar-winning composer who

wrote the theme to TV’s “Dr Kildaire - “Three Stars Are

Week of December 1, 1984

Shinning.” The song was a pop hit for Richard Chamberlain, the show’s star, in

1962.

President Reagan leads a star-studded audience in saluting

five of America’s top performing artists at the Kennedy Center

Honors of 1984 - for lifetime achievements in music, acting

and drama. Toasted were singer-actress Lena Horne, actor-

singer Danny Kaye, opera composer Gian-Carlo Menotti ,

playwright Arthur Miller and Violinist Isaac Stern.

In Chicago, Pop Singer Michael Jackson takes the stand in a

$5 million copyright infringement suit and testified he was the

composer of “The Girl Is Mine.” “I woke up from my sleep and

wrote the song and I went over to the tape recorder and sang it into the tape

recorder and wrote what was in my head.” The suit was filed by Fred Sanford

contending Jackson stole his song “Please Love Me Know” and turned it into

“The Girl Is Mine.”

The sale of a handwritten 14th-Century Bible for $825 thousand sets a record for

the sale of such religious objects says Sotheby’s of New York. The previous

record was in 1975 for $455 thousand for a work by the 14th century scholar

Maimonides auctioned in Zurich.

General Motors says that it will discontinue U.S. production of diesel engines for

passenger cars by next spring. The company said that it will continue to import

small diesel engines from Japan for its Chevrolet Chevette subcompact and will

continue to build diesels in this country for its pickup trucks. GM is currently the

only automaker that builds diesel engines in the U.S.

FBI agents arrest Herbert Gefvert for threatening to kill Caroline

Kennedy by blowing up the Metropolitan Museum of Art where

she works. FBI officials said Gefvert phoned the museum, gave

his name and address and said the bomb had been planted in

the museum.

At the mart - Mr. T Corn and Oats Cereal ... six pac of 7-up in

12oz cans - $1.59 ...Pork Chops - $1.69lb ... 6 roll pkg of

Charmin Bathroom Tissue - $1.59

For the first time - Soda and beer replace coffee and milk as the favorite

beverage in the United States. The report attributes some those changes to shifts

in the age distribution of the population; for example, the proportion of the

population in the peak milk-drinking years - ages 6 to 18 has decreased.

Week of December 1, 1984

For Christmas - Michael Jackson Sing A Long Phonograph - $19.75 ... Tyco A-

Team ace Set - $29.70 ... Kenner Star Wars Figure Assortment - $1.70 each.

Brent Musburger becomes the highest paid sports

broadcaster by signing a five-year $2 million-a-year CBS

contract. Musberger’s contract calls him to continue as

anchorman of CBS’ “NFL Today” on Sundays. He’ll take

over from Gary Bender as the chief play by play man for

college basketball, call some pro basketball, work the

Masters golf tournament and remain on CBS radio’s

baseball broadcasts.

In sports - The Atlanta Braves sign free agent relief pitcher

Bruce Sutterto a six-year $10 million contract that extends

Week of December 1, 1984

through the 1990 season.

Bestsellers include - “The Sicilian” - Mario Puzo, “The Talisman” - Stephan King

and Peter Straub, “Love And War” - Fredrick Forsyth, “Iacocca” - Lee Iacocca

with William Novak, “What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School” -

Mark McCormack

Stacey Keach pleads guilty to importing 1.3 ounces of

cocaine into Britain and immediately starts serving a nine-

month prison sentence. He told the court he was “terribly

sorry” and “deeply humiliated.”

TV ratings - (special) - Kenny & Dolly - 27.5, Dallas - 25.9,

Dynasty - 25.2, special-Circus of the Stars, 25.1, Simon &

Simon - 24.5, 60 Minutes - 23.6, Cosby Show - 23.2, A-Team

- 22.7, NBC NFL Football - 22.3, Magnum, PI - 21.6, Family Ties - 21.5, Knots

Landing - 21.4, Falcon Crest - 21.1, Hotel - 21.0, Cheers - 20.5.

Thinking she was off the air, Jayne Wallace says “I couldn’t give a sh@# about

any of this” on the CBS morning news. Wallace was doing a segment on the

action toys inspired by the movie “Dune” when a technical foul-up forced her to

fill time before a commercial. Wallace apologized about the remark before the

close of the show. The network did say the remark drew more than the usual

viewer phone-in reaction but no disciplinary action would be taken against the

correspondent.

Phyllis George agrees to a multi-year contract to serve as

co-host of the CBS morning news. George replaces Diane

Sawyer who left the program last summer to become a

correspondent on 60 minutes.

Saturday Night TV - (CBS) Rudolph The Red Nosed

Reindeer, Mike Hammer, Cover-Up ...(NBC) Different

Strokes, Double Trouble, Debut-Spencer, Partners In

Crime ... (ABC) T.J. Hooker, The Love Boat.

Mike Hammer - a cub reporter is killed after revealing a source to Mike in relation

to stolen property by criminals and government agents. Stacy Keach stars.

Week of December 1, 1984

Music trend - Some

artists prefere to give

exclusives to their “B”

sides on 45 records.

You have to buy the

single to get the

songs. Currently,

there are 17 “B” sides

available only on 45

that are not available

on albums from those

same artists. It’s the

most ever in the

history of rock. To get

the song, you have to

buy the single. Here is

a partial list: Bruce

Springtsteen - “Turn

Out The Light’ - flip

side of “Born To Run”

/”Jersey Girl” - flip side

of “Cover Me” ...

. R.E.M - “Catapult” - flip side of “Don’t Go Back” ... Bangles -

“Where Were You When I Needed You” - flip of “Hero Takes A Fall” ...

. Prince -

“17 Days” - flip of “When Doves Cry.”

Pop Charts - “Out Of Touch” - Hall & Oates , “Like

A Virgin” - Madonna, “The Wild Boys” - Duran

Duran, “Purple Rain” - Prince, “I Feel For You” -

Chaka Khan, “Better Be Good To Me” - Tina

Turner, “All Through The Night’ - Cyndi Lauper,

“No More Lonely Nights” - Paul McCartney, “Strut”

- Sheena Easton, “Penny Lover” - Lionel Ritchie, “I

Can’t Hold Back” - Survivor, “Do They Know It’s

Christmas” - Band Aid, “It Ain’t Enough” - Corey

Hart, “Walking On A Thin Line” - Huey Lewis &

The News.

Top Country - “You Could Have Head A Heart Break” - Johnny Lee, “Your

Heart’s Not In It” - Jane Fricke, “Chance Of Lovin’ You” - Earl Thomas Conlee,

“Nobody Loves Me Like You Do” - Ann Murry/Dave Loggins.