Week of November 1, 1985
The Soviet Union agrees to a U.S. demand for an interview
with KGB spymaster Vitaly Yurchenko to prove he is not
being coerced into returning to his homeland after three
months in the hands of American intelligence agents.
President Reagan says that defection controversies over
three Soviets including a top KGB official who has returned
to the Kremlin fold, “might have been a deliberate play” in
pre-suit maneuvering. Nonetheless, Reagan said he is
eager to get down to business with Soviet leader Mikhail S.
Gorbechev later this month, declaring, “It’s time we stop this futzing around.”
The Potomac River surges over its banks into Georgetown flooding a shopping
strip and leaving tourist areas of Washington, closed.
A federal judge rules that former middleweight boxing contender Rubin
(Hurricane) Carter can be released from jail, saying his 1977 triple murder
conviction was based on “racial stereotypes” and errors by the prosecution. U.S.
District Judge H. Lee Sarokin granted Carter a writ of habeas corpus, in effect,
overturning his conviction in the retrial of his case along with that of alleged
accomplice John Artis in the 1966 shooting of a bartender and two patrons in a
Paterson tavern.
Speaks for the first time in six years - Soviet dissident Andrei D. Sakharov tells
family members in the United States he has ended a previously unreported
hunger strike in a Gorky hospital.
“The Living Memorial” a park
named for the assassination of
JFK is dedicated in
Cambridge. It’s located next to
Harvard. Attending -
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
and JFK Jr.
Moscow - Gary Kaspanov the
chess prodigy teaks the lead
over titleholder Anatoly Karpov in Moscow. Looks like he’ll win the tournament.
Week of November 1, 1985
Passing - Retired four-star Army Gen. John H.
Michaelis (Iron Mike) of the Korean War. He was 73.
New York City and Connecticut settle a simmering
dispute over a 17 ½-cent Connecticut Turnpike token
that just happened to fit the city’s 90-cent subway
turnstiles. The controversy began in 1982 when it was
discovered that the Connecticut tokens, costing $7 for a
roll of 40, worked in the city turnstiles. At the time the
fare was 75 cents and it has since been increased to
90 cents. The use of the Connecticut tokens should trail
off as that state has discontinued tolls on the Turnpike.
Connecticut has agreed to pay 17 ½ cents for each of 2
million turnpike tokens that ended up in MTV coffers.
Technology - The FCC gives the go-ahead for AT&T to offer several new long
distance telephone services to large business owners. The new services, says
AT&T, will allow firms to streamline their private long-distance communications
networks and reduce costs. For the first time, it’ll allow room to bypass the local
telephone companies and hook up directly to AT&T.
Sports
The 9 th -inning call that helped the Kansas City Royals win game 6 of the World
Series and eventually take baseball’s championship was a bad one so says
Commissioner Peter Ueberroth. The Royals won game 6, 201 last Saturday, and
then best the Cardinals 11-0 on Sunday to win the World Series - four games to
three.
Music news -
Paul McCartney , in a “Woman” magazine article, said
about the late John Lennon, “He could be a maneuvering
swine, which no one ever realized. Now since the death,
he’s become ‘Martin Luther’ Lennon. But that wasn’t really
him either. He wasn’t some sort of holy saint. He was
really a debunker.” McCartney said Lennon was insecure,
jealous, suspicious and sometimes paranoiac about
McCartney’s songs. “For 10 years together, he took my
songs apart. He was paranoiac about my songs. We had
great screaming sessions about them,” said McCartney. “I
saw somewhere that he says he helped on Eleanor
Rigby. Yeah, abut half a line.” “No one ever goes on
about the times John hurt me. When he called my music Muzak. People keep on
saying I hurt him, but where’s their examples? When did I do it?” said McCartney.
Week of November 1, 1985
Michelle Philips, with an assist by Derek Taylor is penning a book about “The
Mamas and Papas.” Look for “The Music, the Madness, The Magic That Was…
California Dreamin’” due out this May.
MTV presents Hall & Oates in concert
this week.
The recording industry agrees to place
warning labels or print lyrics on album
covers to aid parents who want to know if
their children are buying songs with
explicit references to sex or violence.
The inscription will read, “Explicit Lyrics -
parental Advisory.” Record companies
may skip the special advisory if they print the exact words on the album cover.
Entertainment news -
Actress Patty Duke is elected as president of the Screen Actors Guild. She’ll
replace Ed Asner.
Tom Laughlin says he’s going to make another Billy Jack movie (after all these
years). “The Return of Billie Jack” which goes into production next month, and
the first of five new pictures. Laughlin will spend $12 million of the new picture
and another $12 million for promotion.
Laughlin, ever the promoter, will put up $1 million in cash prizes for theater
owners and everybody who works in a movie theater - including ushers - who
come up with the most innovative ways to help sell the movie. Laughlin told the
press that the “Billy come latelies” - an allusion to the characters associated with
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris and others, lack the
humanity at the core of Billy Jack.
Joan Collins of “Dynasty” marries Swedish
businessman Peter Holm in a private
ceremony at a wedding chapel on the Las
Vegas Strip. It’s her fourth marriage. She’s
52 and he’s 38.
Bette Midler and Mikhail Baryshnikov were
among the stars that appeared at the
Metropolitan Opera House to raise $1.3
Week of November 1, 1985
million in the fight against AIDS. Also appearing - Brooke Shields, Lily Tomlin,
the Count Basie Orchestra, Victor Borge and others.
Media - Westinghouse says it will purchase KHJ-TV Los Angeles for $313
million from Gencorp.
Television news - “ The McLaughlin Group ” - now
seen on 205 TV stations, celebrates its 3 rd anniversary.
It’s, as TV critic Tom Shales says, “where the panelists
insult each other, the moderator insults the panelists and
the panelists claim privately to be conspiring to have the
moderator overthrown.”
Saturday Night Live kicks-off its 11 th season with a new
cast and, former executive producer Lorne Michaels, who
left in 1980, is back. NBC Entertainment president
appeared on the show as a part of a parody on the nation’s wave of drug testing,
saying that all NBC shows would submit to random urine analysis tests. The host
was Madonna with musical guests Simple Minds. Gone are Martin Short and Billy
Crystal. One of the new cast members is Dennis Miller, who is also seen doing
“weekend update.” The cast also includes Randy Quaid and Anthony Michael
Hall.
MTV Pilot - Hosted by artist-turned-talkshow host -
Andy Warhol . It’s called “Andy Warhol’s 15 Minutes.”
MTV is still deciding on a timeslot. In the pilot, Warhol
interviewed Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes. .
WWF Pro wrestling on Saturday Night’s Main Event
on NBC:
Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy
and Big John Studd. Also, Junkyard Dog vs. Terry Funk,
Tito Santana vs. Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat vs.
Magnificent Muraco
Tuesday night television -
CBS - Dinosaur, Movie
NBC - The A-Team, Amazing Stories, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Riptide,
Tonight, David Letterman
ABC - Who’s The Boss? Growing Pains, North and South, Nightline, Eye on
Hollywood
PBS - Nova, War: A Commentary by Gwynne Over, Latenight America
Week of November 1, 1985
MTV - Bring on the Night, music videos
ESPN - Highschool cheerleaders championship.
The A-Team - Funk/soul/rock singer Rick James guest stars.
Tonight Show - Peter Strauss, comedian Teddy Ergeron and MVP pitcher Brett
Saberhagen join Johnny Carson.
MTV - Bring on the Night - Premiere party for Sting’s new movie.
At the movies -
Remo Williams
Silver Bullet
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Death Wish III
Jaged Edge
After Hours
Re-Animator
Back to the Future