Day: July 21, 2023

Tony Bennnett: a long and musical life

Tony Bennett learned early that life is short and time should be savored.
His paternal grandfather had died before his father was born. Eleven years later, his dad (disguised as a girl, so he could travel with his own mom) had survived a three-week trip from Italy.
Bennett (shown here) heard that story often from his dad, he wrote in “The Good Life” (Simon & Schuster, 1998), always being reminded that he wouldn’t be here if the ship had capsized. “He made light of it, but the joke only caused me, at a very young age, to contemplate the delicate balance of my own mortality.”
Except, of course, early mortality didn’t turn out to be a problem for him. He died today (Friday, July 21), two weeks shy of his 97th birthday. Read more…

Best-bets for July 23: ominous sharks and cuddly pets

1) “Shark Week” begins, Discovery. While “SharkFest” continues on National Geographic, the original returns for its 35th year, with lots of imposing creatures (shown here). This time, Jason Momoa hosts and it’s also on Max. There are reruns all day and new hours at night: At 8 p.m., cameras are inside a fake whale carcass, to film a feeding frenzy. At 9, experts ponders the extinct MEG — some 50 feet long. At 10 is a look at attacks near posh Red Sea resorts. At 11, an hour looks back at 35 years. Read more…