#WhatsHappening for January 2, 2017

Good morning, kids. Welcome to the New Year. I don't know about you, but I'm glad it's almost time to go back to work- maybe now the folks around my neighborhood can lay off the mortar fire that had been going on since Friday.

I've been watching The Twilight Zone pretty much all weekend (yes, despite the fact that I have the entire series on BluRay). It really is one of the best shows ever to run on television and its resilience, despite its age, is wonderful.

Take, for instance, this closing narration from "He's Alive" (1963), written by Rod Serling:

"Where will he go next, this phantom from another time, this resurrected ghost of a previous nightmare – Chicago? Los Angeles? Miami, Florida? Vincennes, Indiana? Syracuse, New York? "Anyplace, everyplace, where there's hate, where there's prejudice, where there's bigotry. He's alive. He's alive so long as these evils exist."
"Remember that when he comes to your town. Remember it when you hear his voice speaking out through others. Remember it when you hear a name called, a minority attacked, any blind, unreasoning assault on a people or any human being."
"He's alive because through these things we keep him alive."

Or this, from "Deaths-Head Revisited" (1961), also by Serling:

"There is an answer to the doctor's question: All the Dachaus must remain standing."
"The Dachaus, the Belsens, the Buchenwalds, the Auschwitzes – all of them. They must remain standing because they are a monument to a moment in time when some men decided to turn the Earth into a graveyard. Into it they shoveled all of their reason, their logic, their knowledge, but worst of all, their conscience. And the moment we forget this, the moment we cease to be haunted by its remembrance, then we become the gravediggers."
"Something to dwell on and to remember, not only in the Twilight Zone but wherever men walk God's Earth." 

These words are no less powerful- or pertinent- today than they were 50+ years ago.

And how many people are willing to ignore the lessons they taught.

"Maybe this outfit will
make people forget
I haven't been popular
in a decade."

You know what's more surprising to me than Mariah Carey's failure at the New Year's Eve festivities? It's the fact that people still actually think she's talented. Lip synching (or not lip synching) through a song that was popular 25+ years ago- yeah, that's a show I want to see.

Oh, wait... no, I don't.

Psst...
Doesn't Lacey look like a tanning lotion OD?
Oh... sorry about the OD joke!

After years and years in developmental limbo, a stage musical based 2004's "Mean Girls" will finally premiere later this year.

No casting has been announced for the musical- which is being partly scripted by Tina Fey, writer of the movie- and neither have plans for a New York run. The show is set to debut at the National Theatre in Washington on October 3rd.

Fey's husdand, Jeff Richmond, will compose the music for the show.

Wonderfully amusing movie- but a musical? And, will their "Cady" suffer a post-show meltdown- turning into an raging alcoholic, drug addict?

Attorneys for Run-D.M.C. have filed suit against Walmart, Amazon, Jet and others for more than $50 million over alleged trademark infringement.

The suit claims that the defendants "trade on the goodwill of RUN-DMC" by using the group's name and, in some cases, its logo, on shirts, purses, patches and other products and that these items "confuse the public as to the source of origin and endorsement of its products.

In addition to the $50 million, the suit seeks attorney's fees, accounting of all sales of the defendants' products that were advertised as being related to Run-D.M.C. or directly use its trademark and an injunction and restraining order against sales and promotion of these products. 

That is some scary hair.

The Kinks' co-founder Ray Davies has made the Queen’s 2017 New Year Honours list.

The honor makes Davies now Sir Ray Davies. 

"Initially I felt a mixture of surprise, humility, joy and a bit embarrassed but after thinking about it, I accept this for my family and fans as well as everyone who has inspired me to write," Davies told the BBC.

Interestingly, his brother Dave- the other founder of the band- was not honored.

Wallingford, CT police say two people were dead and two injured after a shooting outside a Meek Mill concert Friday night. A spokesperson said officers responded to reports of shots fired outside the Oakdale Theatre and the two wounded had suffered "non-life-threatening injuries" were taken to hospitals.

The names and ages of the victims haven't been released and there was no information on suspects released- nor was the violence linked to the performance or the rapper.

Sales of George Michael's Ladies and Gentlemen- The Best of George Michael saw a 5625% jump after his death on Christmas day, reappearing at #8 on Billboard's album chart this week.

Birthdays today include: Doug Robb of Hoobastank; Ricky Van Shelton; and Chick Churchill of 10 Years After. #MusicalBirthdays