I believe in the First Amendment — not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it.
I get that age is a completely reasonable issue. It’s on everybody’s mind. And by “everyone” I mean the New York Times. Headline: “Biden’s advanced age is a big issue. Trump’s, however, is not.”
I want everybody to have fun tonight, but please be safe. If you find yourself disoriented or confused, it’s either you’re drunk or Marjorie Taylor Greene.
I love NPR — because they whisper into the mic like I do. But not everybody loves NPR. Elon Musk tweeted that it should be defunded. The best way to make NPR go away is for Elon Musk to buy it.
We really have a record to be proud of. We added 12 million jobs, and that’s just counting the lawyers who defended Trump.
I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse beat the hell out of me and got there first.
It’s great the cable news networks are here tonight. MSNBC, owned by NBC Universal. Fox News, owned by Dominion Voting Systems.
Last year, your favorite Fox News reporters were able to attend because they were fully vaccinated and boosted. This year, with that $787 million settlement, they’re here because they couldn’t say no to a free meal.
Had Dominion gone to trial, a few things might have happened:
1. They could lose. Not likely, but not impossible;
2. They could get much less money from a jury;
3. Fox would appeal, it would take years, cost a lot in legal fees, and could end up in front of a Trump-appointed court that could reverse everything.
So making a settlement is reasonable. After all, Dominion is a business. Their ultimate goal isn’t “democracy” or “justice” — it’s getting money for their stockholders and sending a message that they won’t allow themselves to be defamed.
I know we all would have loved to see Fox people testifying, but be let’s be realistic: The cultists would never change their minds even when their cult leaders admitted under oath they had lied.
For this nonfiction book, I went through every Billboard magazine album and single chart since 1964 and kept track of which albums and songs appeared where on the charts for The Beatles as well as in their solo careers. I then assigned points: 100 for a song at #1 down to 1 point for a song at #100. The higher a song or album got on the chart and the longer it stayed on the chart, the more points.
I then count them down. Each entry has a picture of the album or single sleeve, details about its release date and highest position, and a short essay on each examining why it was or was not successful (as well as giving some interesting trivia info). There were 162 singles and 164 albums that made the charts, and you may be surprised at where some of your favorites have ended up.
Then there is an introductory chapter, a chapter explaining how the charts work and have changed over the years, a complete discography, and much more that every Beatles fan will want.
“For the U.S. Beatles narrative since 1964 the group’s Billboard chart performance has served as an instant thumbnail guide to their powerful popular culture presence….Michael A. Ventrella deftly takes the story through multiple iterations of chart rules and statistics to reveal successes deep into the solo years. This is an impressive guidebook to nearly six decades of Beatles music.” ― Walter J. Podrazik, co-author All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography
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“The Beatles on the Charts is a different and entertaining way of looking at the chart success that the Beatles had and continue to have.” ― Bruce Spizer, Beatles author/historian
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“Ventrella’s insights, plus his ranking system give the familiar singles and albums a decidedly unique twist and is a fun read for both novice and expert Beatles fans alike.” ― Mark Arnold, author of Mark Arnold Picks on the Beatles
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“The Beatles on the Charts checks all the boxes. It’s a fun read, ridiculously well-researched, and presents information―specifically how and why they charted―in a completely new way…this book will rank high on your charts.” ― Charles Rosenay, author of The Book of Beatles Top Ten Lists; Beatles festival producer
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“The Beatles on the Charts not only provides invaluable information, but is written in an engaging, often humorous tone. Fans and scholars will find this book a vital addition to the growing body of Beatles research.” ― Kit O’Toole, Songs We Were Singing: Guided Tours through The Beatles’ Lesser-Known Tracks
ventrellaquest.com 