March 16th marks the 42nd anniversary of Janis Joplin’s one and only performance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Here is a little background on Janis Joplin on The Ed Sullivan Show. Janis rose to fame with Big Brother Holding Company in 1967 following a rousing performance at The Monterey International Pop Festival.  Two years later, Janis’ run with the psychedelic rock band...

This year Elvis Presley will be declared an honorary citizen of Budapest, Hungary and have a city landmark named after him.  Mayor Istvan Tarlos and the city council announced plans to bestow this honor on Elvis due to the singer’s sympathy and solidarity with the Hungarian Revolution against the communists in 1956.   Elvis actually made his feelings known about this issue on his third and final Ed Sullivan Show appearance. During

This weekend, The  83rd Academy Awards will be held in Hollywood and one of the favorites to take home multiple Oscars is the psychological thriller Black Swan directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman .  Black Swan is nominated for 5 Oscars - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.  The plot of Black Swan is set around a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan...

With February being Black History Month, here is a look at how The Ed Sullivan Show helped break through the color barriers of network television and the entertainment industry.   One of the most important contributions Ed Sullivan will be remembered for is how he bucked the system and embraced African-American performers helping promote them to a national television audience. When faced with criticism by white viewers and advertisers, Ed Sullivan refused to back down.  Ed never wavered when southern sponsors threatened to pull advertisements because he kissed Pearl Bailey on the cheek or shook hands with

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here is a list of love song performances from The Ed Sullivan Show: 1. The Beatles - "I Want To Hold Your Hand" 2. Sonny & Cher – "I Got You Babe" 3. Elvis Presley –...

Tomorrow marks the 46th anniversary of the passing of one of America’s all-time great singers and performers: Nat King Cole.  Nat King Cole was a favorite of The Ed Sullivan Show appearing 13 times during the show’s 23-year run.  During that time he also became a close personal friend to Ed Sullivan. With February being Black History month, I...

This Sunday, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger will perform live at the Grammy Awards for the first time in his career.  For a rock legend with such a storied career, it is hard to believe he has never performed on this stage. Jagger has appeared on a Grammy telecast once before, via satellite with The Rolling Stones during the 1986 show, when the band was given the Recording Academy Lifetime...

On this day 47 years ago, The Beatles made their first live American television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. In the weeks leading up to the historic performance, The Beatles had already hit number one on the U.S. charts and the anticipation surrounding their arrival from England had not been seen around The Ed Sullivan Show since Elvis Presley in 1956. When the Beatles landed at New York’s JFK...

  On January 31, 2011, stand-up comedian Charlie Callas died in Las Vegas at the age of 83.  Callas had worked on television and in film for over five decades.  He was a regular on variety shows, appeared in numerous Mel Brooks films and toured around with Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones in the 1950s and 60s.     Callas actually began his career as a big band drummer working with Tommy Dorsey before transitioning into stand-up where he...

On January 24, 2011, David Frye, best known as a comic satirist and President Nixon impressionist, passed away in Las Vegas at the age of 76.  David Frye began his comedy career while in school at The University of Miami, performing his bits at campus shows and clubs.  After serving in the Army, he moved back home to New York and performed for free in nightclubs doing impersonations of entertainers like Kirk Douglas and