You used to be able to wolf down hot wings and tequila after midnight. Now you even pass on a chili dog after 6 pm. Why?

Doctors say that over time the enzymes that aid digestion decease over time making it harder to break down food. In addition, taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen for joint pain. These substances made the stomach lining more sensitive.

To minimize the problem, experts recommend eating smaller portions and eating more slowly. (Also, try not to eat anything too late in the evening.)

Now, where did we put that habnero sauce?

Love it or hate it, you can’t escape it. Every year at Christmas time, you’re going to hear “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms. It is unquestionably the most popular of all the rock-inspired holiday flavorings.

Here are some fun facts about this timeless little ditty:

The song was NOT written by Helms. It was actually composed by two marketing guys - Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe. They were not young guys either. Beal was in his 50s and Boothe was 40.

Helms has recorded the song on multiple occasions. The original was released on Decca Records in 1957. But Bobby also re-recorded other versions for Kapp, Little Darlin’, Certron, Gusto, Ashley Records and Black Rose Records.

The song has hit the Billboard Hot 100 many times, the most recent was 2016 when it reached #26.

Despite its title, the song has actually been just as popular on country stations. In 1957, it received its first airplay on country stations before crossing over to the Top 40 stations. It has also hit the country charts with versions by George Strait, Aaron Tippin, Rascal Flatts, and Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert.

The most successful cover by a rock artist was Hall & Oates, whose version hit #30 in 2005.

We guess once the Jingle Hop had begun, it just never ended!

Before A Christmas Story, before the Grinch and Charlie Brown, most Baby Boomers’ holiday tradition was watching the movie White Christmas, the 1954 musical starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. We saw it so often, we probably knew almost every line by heart.

But here are a few things you probably didn’t know about the movie:

1. The Danny Kaye part was intended for Fred Astaire. The movie began as a quasi-remake of Holiday Inn, the black & white film that first teamed Bing Crosby and Astaire and the movie debut of the Irving Berlin song, “White Christmas.” But Astaire had announced his retirement (it wouldn’t stick) and turned the part down. It was then offered to Donald O’Connor, who accepted. Then he became ill and had to bow out. So, Kaye was the producers' third choice.

2. The musical number “Sisters” wasn’t in the original script. Crosby and Kaye were horsing around with the girls’ costume on the set. It cracked up director Michael Curtiz so much that he had the number worked up and included in the film.

3. Try and see Vera Ellen’s neck. Throughout the film, Vera is always wearing a turtleneck, scarf or other covering around her neck. No one knows why. Some theorize that there was some flaw in her neck that she was covering up. Others think it was Vera Ellen’s attempt to create a trademark look for herself.

4. While Rosemary Clooney plays Vera Ellen’s older sister, she was actually 7 years younger than her co-star. Also, Bing Crosby was a bit older than Dean Jagger, who plays “the old general” in the film. By the way, Bing was nearly twice Clooney’s age (51 to her 26!).

5. If you look closely, you’ll see future West Side Story star George Chakiris as a chorus boy in the production numbers.

6. The photo of “Benny the Dog-Faced Boy” who was brother to Rosemary & Vera is a photo of a grown-up Alfalfa Switzer of Little Rascals fame.

7. Bob Fosse worked on the film as an uncredited choreographer. It was early in the legendary dancer/choreographer/director’s career and Vera Ellen brought him on to choreograph her numbers, but without screen credit.

I'm dreaming of a Creepy Crawly Christmas!

The two biggest box office attractions of the late 1950s and early 1960s had many similarities and two huge differences.

Both were blondes.

Both were very attractive.

Both changed their names when they got into show business.

Both worked primarily in hugely successful comedies, but were also effective in straight dramas.

The differences – one embraced an openly sexual persona, the other played the perpetual uptight virgin. One self-destructed by 1962, the other was with us until 2019.

We’re talking, of course, about Marilyn Monroe and Doris Day.

Doris Day was born Doris Mary Kappelhoff. She wanted to be a dancer, but a car accident in 1937 ended that dream, so she switched to becoming a singer.

Her success in that career, combined with her good looks, landed her a film contract at Warner Brothers where she was put to work in low-budget comedies and musicals, often teamed with comic Jack Carson. The films made money and she moved up the chain, finally breaking through to A-pictures in the early 1950s.

As most of us know, Marilyn was born Norma Jean Mortenson. After a very dysfunctional childhood that saw her shuttled in and out of foster homes and orphanages while her unmarried mother was in and out of mental institutions, Monroe got into the movies by way of modeling. She started out with bit parts in movies like All About Eve and the Marx Brothers’ final film, Love Happy. Larger parts followed until she, too, made the transition to starring roles.

While initially untrained in acting, both Day and Monroe were natural talents who competed for the title of #1 Box Office Attraction as the 1950s progressed. But Monroe was stuck endlessly repeating variations of the “dumb blonde” character, while Day most often played smart career women or dedicated, spunky housewives.

Yet behind the cameras, it was Monroe who was more of a female business pioneer. Unsatisfied with both the roles and the salary her studio was offering her, she started her own production company in 1955 and stunned critics with her sensitive performance in Bus Stop. She won pay raises and more control over what roles she would play. But her personal problems eventually overcame Marilyn and she died of a drug overdose in 1962.

Ironically, the film Monroe was working on when she died, Something’s Got to Give, continued after her death with a new title, Move Over Darling, and a new star in her role – Doris Day!
It is worth considering that these two women were indisputably the biggest female movie stars of that era. Yet one was portrayed as the dangerous bad girl and the other perceived as the prudish good girl. (Ironically, Day’s real love life was almost the polar opposite of her on-screen image. At one point, she was alleged to be having relations with at least four men on a regular basis and was also involved with husbands and boyfriends who physically abused her.)

While Marilyn self-destructed, Doris was a survivor. When her film career petered out, Day transitioned to television and starred in a long-running sitcom that left her financially independent. While she retired from on-camera work, she continued to record, releasing her most recent album (her 29^th) in 2011.

Both women represent a certain segment of America as we transitioned from the end of World War II into “the Swinging Sixties” and their film work should continue to entertain movie fans for many generations to come.

Thinking of investing in bitcoin? You might want to think again.

The first rule of investing is – don’t invest in something you don’t understand.

Bitcoin is a bunch of computer code that its backers insist is worth “real money.” Yet, the currency is literally backed by nothing at all. There is no government nor really any financial institution that stands behind this “currency.” Yes, there a bunch of speculators, idealists and, frankly, criminals who insist it is a valid currency. Yet, its value against the world’s hard currencies swings wildly (which simply reflects demand for bitcoin). Finally, do you know any place you can exchange your bitcoin holdings for a loaf of bread, college tuition or a new car?

If some “financial advisor” starts talking about bitcoin being based on “blockchain” technology – this is also just computer code. It's not magical.

Remember, if you don’t understand it, it's probably not smart to put your money there. Just ask the people who didn’t really know how the internet functioned back in the 1990s and dumped their savings into dot-coms that went bust.

Probably not, but we guarantee you, you've heard his voice.

His name is Pinto Colvig. He was active in the animation industry from its beginnings and wound up providing the voice for Walt Disney's Goofy. He also voiced Practical Pig (of Disney's "3 Little Pigs") and 2 of the 7 Dwarfs (Sleepy & Grumpy) as well as providing the barks for Pluto in the early Mickey Mouse cartoons.

In 1946, Capitol Records launched a series of albums aimed at children featuring a circus clown they called Bozo. Once again, Colvig was the man behind Bozo's voice for over a decade.

He passed away in 1967 at the age of 75.

As we age, nearly all of us develop joint pain. In our knees, in our hands and certainly in our backs.

The latest research indicates that our natural inclination to rest aching joints can actually make the situation worse. It can increase inflammation and weaken the muscles.

Experts say continuous, healthy movement is the best reatment you do, Of curse, as always, consult your physician about your particular case first!

The True Story of the Shangri-Las

The early sixties saw the rise of what are now called “the girl groups.” These were usually trios or quartets of female singers, typically working in an R&B vein. The Shirelles are perhaps the prototype, but they were joined by groups like the Blossoms, the Crystals and the Ronettes.

But there was one girl group whose public image was a little more dangerous. They were the Shangri-Las.

The girls were all students at Andrew Jackson High School in Queens when they started performing together at school dances and other functions. The act consisted of two pairs of sisters: Mary & Betty Weiss and Margie & Mary Ann Ganser (who were identical twins).

The girls caught the attention of recording entrepreneur Artie Ripp who signed them to the fledgling Kama Sutra label. It was only after being signed that the girls decided to name themselves the Shangri-Las (reportedly after their favorite Queens restaurant). Their first few recording sessions produced nothing memorable and their first attempt at a single was a flop.

At this point, a gentleman named Shadow Morton enters the picture. Morton had once been the boyfriend of Ellie Greenwich, who by 1964, had become a hit songwriter with her new boyfriend, Jeff Barry. When Morton dropped by Barry & Greenwich’s office one day, a rivalry between Barry and Morton was created in an instant. Morton told Barry that he, too, was a songwriter. Barry called his bluff and asked him to come back in a week with a song. 

Morton had never written a song in his life. But he went right to work and soon had come up with a tune he liked. Somehow, he convinced the Shangri-Las to record a demo version of the song with Morton himself serving as producer. A then-unknown Billy Joel was also recruited to play piano on that demo. When Morton played the demo for Barry, the rivalry was forgotten. Barry liked the song and agreed to put it out on his Red Bird record label. But Morton would have to re-record it with a better group of studio musicians. Morton agreed and soon “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” was rocketing up the charts in both America and the UK.

The follow-up, “Leader of the Pack” was an even bigger smash, going all the way to #1.

At this point, one of the Shangri-Las, Betty Weiss, dropped out of the group temporarily to raise her daughter. So, the other 3 continued to record and tour. They went on the road with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Drifters and James Brown (who was surprised to find out that the girls were white). It is from these tours and the many photographs of the group taken at this time that the Shangri-Las are primarily remembered as a trio.

The girls followed up their first two hits with several other records that were also successful – like “Give Him a Great Big Kiss,” “Give Us Your Blessing,” “Out in the Streets” and “I Can Never Go Home Anymore.”

While Betty Weiss eventually returned to the group, by 1966, they were a permanent trio as the twins, Margie and Mary Ann took turns replacing each other in the group’s line-up.

The girls’ thick New York accents as well as the themes of many of their songs got them labeled as “bad girls.” The fact that they had grown up in a very tough neighborhood in Queens had made them a little harder than some of their feminine contemporaries. The girls have credited their reputation with helping them avoid come-ons from over-eager male fans and the musicians they traveled with.

Most likely because so many of their singles dealt with maudlin subjects and teenage death, the hits stopped coming when music shifted in 1967 to the more complex psychedelic style.

The Shangri-Las disbanded in 1968.

Sadly, Mary Ann Ganser died of a heroin overdose just two years later.

The surviving members reunited on a few occasions for oldies concerts and last performed together in 1989. The group’s lead vocalist, Mary Weiss continues to record and perform as a solo act to this day.

Thankfully, Lassie got Timmy out of that well before trick or treat!