Monday, September 30, 2013

Melba Moore - 9-24

Hello, and welcome back to the American Treasure Tour's tour of the record wall!  Located in the Music Room of ATT are dozens of record albums covering many different genres from the 1950s through the 1990s.  Today, we will discuss the album Melba, dating from 1976.
Hill sang(sings) rhythm and blues under the name of Melba Moore.  Her career began on Broadway, as one of the early cast members for the 1967 musical Hair.  Her involvement in Broadway has continued through the decades, while the prime of her recording career spanned the seventies through the nineties, including two albums called Melba, one from 1976 with Buddha records, the second with Epic Records two years later.  She's had a number of hits on the R & B charts as she remains in the industry.

Question:
One of the many Broadway musicals Melba Moore has performed in is Les Miserables.  She was part of the cast for the year 1995, prior to moving on to other projects.  Les Miserable has been translated into film a number of times.  During its most recent incarnation, which actor received an Academy Award for their performance?
a)  Anne Hathaway
b)  Russell Crowe
c)  Sasha Barron Cohen
d)  Hugh Jackman
e)  Helena Bonham Carter

Answer Below

Today In History

It was this date in 1780 when the treachery of American Revolutionary General Benedict Arnold was exposed upon the accidental discovery of plans had drawn up of the Patriot fort at West Point on the person of his British handler Major John Andre.  Arnold had had a series of reversals in his military career after his involvement in the victory at Saratoga which left him injured and under scrutiny by military council.  His marriage to Loyalist Peggy Shippen did not improve matters for him, and it is now believed that his young, pretty wife influenced his decision to betray the cause to the British.  Fortunately for the Patriots, the capture of Andre by highwaymen in Tarrytown, New York, prevented the plans to reach their final destination although Arnold had enough time to make his own escape.  He never received American justice and lived out the remainder of his life as a British citizen.

The process of declaring a historical or natural site a national park requires approval through Congress, which can require finagling and ponderous debate due to the potential for conflicting interests intent to slow down the process.  On this date in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt got around that problem by passing the Antiquities Act, which he used to create the nation's first national monument, Devil's Tower, in northeastern Wyoming.  Although national monuments receive less governmental protections than national parks do, they still provide for the care and preservation of sites that may otherwise not have received the sufficient votes for park status.  There are currently 108 national monuments in an organization including 401 sits across the country.

Births

On this day in 1755 was born John Marshall, a Revolutionary War veteran and one of the greatest legal minds ever to emerge in the United States.  Appointed the fourth man to be Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in the year 1801 by outgoing President John Adams, Marshall did more for American jurisprudence than arguably any other person.  He remains the longest-standing Chief Justice, having retained the position for 34 years.

Jim Henson was born on September 24th, 1936.  His impact on the world of entertainment and children's education cannot be fully assessed.  He first dabbled in the art of puppetry in the mid-50s, and managed to turn it into a lifetime specialty, developing now-famous muppets including Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, and the 
entire cast of The Muppet Show.  Between Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson reached an international audience of children of all ages.  His characters have appeared on television, in movies, and in multiple languages, educating the world on how to get along and be silly.

Quote:  When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in the world.  My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there.  -- Jim Henson

Answer:  a)  Best Supporting Actress

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