Week of July 6, 1988
Edwin Mease II, the most controversial attorney general since John N. Mitchell,
declares that an independent counsel’s 14-month investigation “has completely
vindicated him” and is quitting the post.
Rescue workers claw free six people from the wreckage of a department store
that collapsed during a thunderstorm in Brownsville, Tex - killing 15 and injuring
47.
The U.S. embassy says it will no longer process Soviets who want to settle in the
U.S. as refugees until Oct 1 because a huge surge in immigrants has exhausted
government funds. Armenians, who were the hardest hit by the move, criticize
the decision.
World’s worst oil field disaster - 166
people are feared dead after an
explosion and fire roars through an
Occidental Petroleum Corp oil platform
operating in the North Sea. 64 of 230
have been rescued from the water near
the still-burning wreckage.
The nation’s unemployment rate falls
from 5.5% in May to 5.2% in June, the
lowest jobless level in more than 14
years.
Gunman hurling grenades and firing submachine guns attack a cruise ship
carrying 570 people, killing three and injuring at least 60 others. The ship was on
a 24-hour cruise around the Aegean islands near Athens, Greece.
Democrat Michael S. Dukakis names Sen. Lloyd
Bensten as his running mate. Jesse Jackson said he
wasn’t angry at being passed over, but he pointedly
refused to endorse Dukakis’ choice.
Best selling books -
To Be The Best - Barbara Taylor Bradford
Alaska - James Michener
Zoya - Danielle Steel
The Icarus Agenda - Robert Ludlum
Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Week of July 6, 1988
The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
People Like us - Dominick Dunne
A Thief of Time - Tony Hillerman
A Brief History Of Time: From the Big Bang To
Black Holes - Stephen W. Hawking
Talking Straight - Lee Iacocca with Sonny
Kleinfield
Show Time: Inside the Laker’s Breakthrough
Season - Pat Riley
Trump: The Art of the Deal - Donald J. Trump
Picasso: Creator and Destroyer - Arianna
Stassinopoulos
The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure - Robert E.
Kowalski
The decomposed body of Bret Michael Starr is
found in a suburban Tampa, Florida home
leased by his father, former Green Bay Packers
quarter back Bart Starr. There was no obvious sign of trauma to the body. Bret
Starr moved to Tampa in late 1984 and was part owner of a wholesale exotic fish
and reptile importing company called Gulf Coast Fisheries.
Television news - the leaders of two media
watchdog groups call on CBS to apologize
to the nation and to fire the cartoon super
hero “ Mighty Mouse ,” in which they allege
the super hero inhales cocaine. Producers
say the hero smelled the crushed flowers
given to him earlier by Polly Pineblossom.
The two groups are “Accuracy in Media” and
“The American Family Assn.”
Michael Jackson is set to star in a 90-minute
special for NBC-TV July 30. “Michael
Jackson Around The World” will consist of
footage personally selected by Jackson from
his current international tour to promote his
latest album “Bad.”
Week of July 6, 1988
TV Ratings -
Nightingales - 18.9
Night Court - 17.5
Cheers - 17.2
The Cosby Show - 16.6
A Different World - 16.5
L.A. Law - 15.4
The Golden Girls - 15.1
ALF - 14.9
Who’s the Boss? - 14.0
Hogan Family - 13.8
Movie - Brass - 13.6
Amen - 13.2
Head of the Class - 13.2
Growing Pains - 12.9
Perfect Strangers (Tues) - 12.9
Murder, She Wrote - 12.7
Hunter - 12.7
60 Minutes - 12.5
Matlock - 12.4
Newhart - 11.7
Designing Women - 11.6
Hooperman - 11.2
Blue Skies - 11.1
J.J. Starbuck - 11.1
Movie -Crash Course - 11.0
Miami Vice - 10.9
20/20 - 10.8
227 - 10.7
Monday night television -
CBS - Blue Skies, Newhart, Designing Women, Magnum, P.I.
NBC - ALF, Hogan Family, Movie
ABC - Special/Drugs, Why This Plague? Lace
PBS - Adventure, The First Eden, Origins
On MTV nights - Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Syndicated - Morton Downey Jr. (usually airing
latenights).
MTV bans a video by Neil Young “ This Note’s
For You ” because it mentions such commercial
Week of July 6, 1988
products as Coke, Pepsi and Budweiser dog Spuds MacKenzie. The video is a
spoof of pop-star pitch people like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Eric
Clapton.
Radio news - another major-market AM station drops music in favor of talk. It’s
no surprise that KFI-AM (640) in Los Angeles is going talk this week. They bring
in Tom Leykis from talk station KFYI in Phoenix to do afternoon talk. Gary Owens
and Al Lohman - two well-known disc jockeys, remain in mornings. KFI had been
airing talk blocks - but now, the music is completely dropped.
Concert news - Poor ticket sales
plague the “ Monsters of Rock ” tour
since it began in the East a few
weeks ago. Promoters are
abandoning plans for second shows
in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The marathon show consists of 10
hours of Van Halen, Scorpions,
Dokken, Metallica and Kingdom
Come.
Concert news - Prince opens his
“Lovesexy” world concert tour in Paris this week with a three-night stand. Concert
dates are set for Milan, Marbella and London in July.
Syndicated radio - Oldies show heard around the country -
on 250 stations - “Live From the 60’s” With The Real Don
Steele.” Produced by L.A. radio veteran M.G. Kelly.
Music - Michael Omansky of RCA
records is using a 900 line to promote
“He’s The D.J., I’m The Rapper” by
D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince .
If you call 1-900-909-JEFF, you’ll get
details on the group’s background,
interests and thoughts on recording
their album (listed below). It’ll cost you
$2 for the first minute and 35 cents for
each additional minute.
Week of July 6, 1988
Back on the Country music charts and movin’ up - Buck Owens is back with a
single. He’s teamed with Dwight Yoakam for “In The Streets of Bakersfield.”
Top Video Cassette rentals -
Fatal Attraction
Throw Mama From The Train
The Witches of Eastwick
Overboard
Full Metal Jacket
The Untouchables
Nuts
Baby Boom
The Running Man
Adventures in Babysitting
Pop music this week in 1988 -
The Flame - Cheap Trick
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def
Leppard
New Sensation - INXS
Mercedes Boy - Pebbles
Roll With It - Steve Winwood
Hands To Heaven - Breathe
Hold On To The Nights - Richard Marx
Make Me Lose Control - Eric Carmen
Nothin’ But A Good Time - Poison
Nite and Day - Al B. Sure!
Lost In You - Rod Stewart
Rush Hour - Jane Wiedlin
Sign Your Name - Terence Trent D’Arby
Foolish Beat - Debbie Gibson
The Valley Road - Bruce Hornsby & The
Range
Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson
1-2-3 - Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound
Machine
Some top albums -
Hysteria - Def Leppard
Appetite For Destruction - Guns N’ Roses
Faith - George Michael
Stronger Than Pride - Sade
Week of July 6, 1988
Open Up And Say...Ahh! - Poison
Ou812 - Van Halen
Dirty Dancing - soundtrack
Tracy Chapman
More Dirty Dancing - soundtrack
Let it Loose - Gloria Estefan & Miami
Sound Machine
Scenes From The Southside - Bruce
Hornsby & The Range
Now and Zen - Robert Plant.
Other Albums -
He’s The D.J., I’m The Rapper - D.J.
Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Bad - Michael Jackson
Lap of Luxury - Cheap Trick
Pebbles - Pebbles
Tougher Than Leather - Run-D.M.C.
Roll With It - Steve Winwood
Savage Amusement - Scorpions
Kick - INXS
The Hardline According To Terence Trent D’Arby
In Effect Mode - Al B.Sure!
Conscious party - Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
Whenever You Need Somebody - Rick Astley
Lovesexy - Prince
Richard Marx - Richard Marx
Red Strikes Back - Elton John
Top Country Hits
Set ‘Em Up - Vern Gosdin
If You Change Your Mind - Roseanne Cash
Don’t We All Have The Right? - Ricky Van Shelton
Talkin’ To The Wrong Man - Michael Martin
Murphey/Ryan Murphy
Baby Blue - George Straight
Just One Kiss - Exile
Bluest Eyes In Texas - Restless Heart
Sunday Kind of Love - Reba McEntire
Don’t Close Your Eyes - Keith Whitley
The Wanderer - Eddie Rabbit
Week of July 6, 1988
Givers And Takers - Schuyler, Knoblock and Bickhardt
Country Albums -
Alabama Live - Alabama
Reba - Reba McEntire
If You Ain’t Lovin’ You Ain’t Livin’ - George Straight
The Royal Treatment - Billy Joe Royal
King’s Record Shop - Roseanne Cash
Chiseled in Stone - Vern Gosdin
Wild Eyed Dream - Ricky Van Shelton
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - George Straight
Born To Boggie - Hank Williams Jr.
Wild Streak - Hank Williams Jr.
Heard in clubs (Let’s dance) -
Theme From S-Express - S-Express
The Party - Kraze
Jingo - Jellybean
I’m Tired of Getting Pushed Around
- Two Men A Drum Machine & A
Trumpet
What’s On Your Mind - Information
Society
Bass (How Low Can You Go) -
Simon Harris
The Right Stuff - Vanessa Williams
Beat Dis - Bomb The Bass
At the movies -
Big - Tom Hanks
A Fish Called Wanda - John
Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin
Kline, Michael Palin
Arthur 2 (on the rocks ) - Dudley
Moore, Liza Minnelli
Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?
Phantasm II - James Le Gors, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm, Paula Irvine,
Kenneth Tigar
The Great Outdoors - Dan Akroyd, John Candy
Coming to America - Eddie Murphy
DA - Barnard Hughes, Martin Sheen, William Hickey, Doreen Hepburn
Week of July 6, 1988
Shot Circuit 2 - Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean, Cynthia Gibb, Jack Weston,
Tim Blaney
Rambo III - Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna
Beethoven’s Nephew - Wolfgang Reichmann, Dietmar Prinz, Jane Birkin,
Mathieu Carriere
Bull Durham - Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson,
Robert Wuhl
License to Drive - Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane, Richard Masur
Big Business - Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin
Willow -
A World Apart - Barbara Hershey
Red Heat - Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi, Peter Boyle, Ed O’Ross