Kilty Larkin’s

Before rock and roll burst onto the scene, pop music was more sedate and one of its leading exponents was Patti Page. She began as a country music singer and crossed over into pop, with country-tinged records that were very popular with the public. Page was born into a poor, farming family in 1927 in Claremore, Oklahoma. Her vocal talent and good looks were to carry her away into stardom. She was Clara Ann Fowler before she assumed her stage name.

Patti Page’s break came when she was picked to sing on a local radio show, broadcast from Tulsa. The bandleader and manager, Jack Rael listened to one of her sessions and invited her to join the band he managed, the Jimmy Joy Band. Rael later became her personal manager and supervised her solo career. The first single was released in 1948, called Confess and it reached the Top 20 chart position. The follow up, With My Eyes Wide Open I’m Dreaming was a million seller.

Even more success followed when All My Love came out. It was adapted from the orchestral piece Bolero, composed by Maurice Ravel and was the first number one hit for Patti Page in 1950. Later in the same year, she had the biggest hit of her career when she recorded The Tennessee Waltz.

The face of pop music changed of course as the 1960s revolution of groups took hold. Patti Page had a loyal fan base however and remained a much sought after live performer. The last pop hit occurred in 1965 with the theme song from the movie starring Bette Davis, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Her last ever chart position was in the country charts in 1982, with the song My Man Friday, which reached number 80.

Despite her advancing years, she continues to give live performances for her fans. Patti Page has been an astute businesswoman too and started her own record label in the 1990s. She was given a special Grammy Award in 1998 for her contribution to music as the Best Traditional Pop Singer.

Patti Page has been married twice, the first time in 1956 until her divorce in 1972. Her second marriage took place in 1990. She helps her present partner to run a successful maple syrup products company. A CD release is scheduled for 2007 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma becoming a state. Patti Page is one of the contributors to the compilation, along with other Okie artists such as Jimmy Webb and Garth Brooks. The proceeds will go towards a local charity.

Marilyn Monroe pictures and likenesses are still everywhere. She has become an icon, and the standard of glamour, sexiness, and beauty throughout the world. Her legacy is carried on in modern day pin-up images by Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Scarlett Johansson, Paris Hilton, Jenna Jameson, Carmen Electra, Jessica Simpson, etc. (Did I forget your favorite?) All of these beauties, and many more, pose in the style of Marilyn Monroe pictures taken many generations ago. Some say that Betty Grable was the first pin-up Queen, but Marilyn Monroe’s pictures made the pin-up an art form.

OK, so the most obvious choice is the classic Marilyn Monroe picture where she is standing over the subway grate blowing cool air up her sexy dress on a hot city day - in the movie, The Seven Year Itch, with co-star Tom Ewell. But what if you want a more original or rare Marilyn Monroe picture, one that not everyone has plastered to the bathroom or bedroom wall?

I have seen over the years some gorgeous, stunning, and rare Marilyn Monroe pictures that seem more representative of the Marilyn Monroe who was a person, too. One of my favorites is the shot of her working out. She is laying with her back to the bench press, holding small dumbbells up in front of her. She is dressed in jeans and a bathing suit top. The photo is black and white, shot by Phillipe Halsman in Hollywood in 1952. Simple… real… beautiful.

Another staged but nevertheless telling Marilyn Monroe picture is one with her in ballerina-like dress, a strapless white and gauzy number. She is sitting on a chair, facing the camera. She is barefoot, her painted toes crossing over each other as those of a child who would fidget with her feet. She is (nervously - pretending?) hunched inward, one hand in her lap the other moving toward her face.

Marilyn Monroe picture collectors will probably already own the pin-up, Vargas Girl photo, of Marilyn naked, stretched out on red satin that matches her red lipstick, but they may not have such unique pieces as the one of her doing a Lustre Creme ad, the magazine ad she is featured in to sell Tru-Glow makeup, or Sam Shaw’s photo of Marilyn in a bathrobe, looking wistfully out of the window of what is presumably her house?

More Marilyn Monroe pictures that have appeal are the ones where she is with other celebrities. There is a set of photos of her with an old car, a set including one photo of Marilyn leaning on the car and Sammy Davis Jr. in the foreground doing a Mr. Bojangles-style kick in mid-air. Classic. Also in the series, Sammy and Marilyn are joined by Frank Worth.

And the true collector of Marilyn Monroe pictures will have the rarest of images: Marilyn on the cover of the very first issue of Playboy, on the cover of a May 14, 1956 issue of Time (where she is depicted in sketch illustration), and on the cover of LAFF, a "humorous picture magazine".

But the best of Marilyn Monroe pictures may be those taken before she was Marilyn Monroe. Norma Jean is in bathing suit, on the beach, or in vibrant red sweater, standing at the shore in Mexico and captured by the early tintype photography or the brilliant color photography of William Carrol in 1945. Of course, there’s the rarest of pics of Marilyn/Norma Jean: of her as a baby, sitting on her mother Gladys’s lap at the beach… adorable as ever. Goodbye Norma Jean - we still love you.

Remember when tattoos and random body and face piercings were actually considered unique? Well, now take a gander at our present society. If you’re trying to be unique these days, I suggest you steer clear of the redundant and all too played out tattoos and body piercings. They might as well be a brand on cattle anymore. Who doesn’t have a tattoo on their lower back or a cliche tongue piercing? Other than yours truly, I don’t know too many people who don’t flaunt some type of body art or piercing. So if you’re shooting for originality, go for something a little more creative, and hopefully less painful.

One of the most common and most popular bodily holes to acquire these days is the tongue piercing. It appears that every rebelling teenager wants one. Do they even know the story behind the tongue piercing? I doubt it. While you may find the standard barbell though the tongue rather refreshing and different, you might want to think twice before heading to the local tattoo/piercing parlor downtown. Have you ever considered the repercussions to this trite attempt at autonomy? What if your tongue piercing becomes infected? Did you know that the hole in the tongue seals back up incredible fast? I hope you’re not planning on taking it out.

Probably the biggest factor of all concerns your precious choppers. Have you been to the dentist lately? What does your oral physician have to say about the almighty tongue piercing? I was absolutely shocked a couple years back when I visited my dentist with a cracked molar. This was the first tooth I had ever cracked in 30 years. I will NEVER chew hard candy again. And that goes the same for ice cubes. These are the usual culprits when it comes to cracked or chipped teeth. After conversing a little with my dentist, he started reeling off about the dangers of a simple tongue piercing. He claimed the standard barbells are terrible for your teeth. Apparently teenagers are constantly flipping them around in their mouths, which sadly results in a split tooth. He said the trend’s appeal baffles him, however brings him loads of business.

Therefore if you are considering a tongue piercing, I suggest you do your research first. Although the concept may sound appealing, it just might cause you future grief, not to mention a fat dentist bill.

Personalized items are always popular. Whether you are giving someone a nameplate for their office door or monogrammed towels they will appreciate the gesture.

People who have an artistic flair might consider using their talent to make gifts for those they care about and perhaps even make some extra income. By using your ideas you can design your own t-shirts and either give them as gifts or begin your own business.

To design your own t-shirts is relatively easy. You simply decide on what you’d like to appear on the t-shirts. You might choose to design your own t-shirts with a particular image. In the case of making personalized t-shirts you can offer a service in which you take a standard photograph and transfer that image to the t-shirts.

You can offer this service to anyone wanting a t-shirt bearing a certain image. It might be a picture of their child, parent, spouse or a treasured friend. To design your own t-shirts in this way will require some equipment and a good stock of plain t-shirts. Hey, while you’re at it, can I have a Beatles t-shirt? XXL please.

If you’d rather design your own t-shirts that contain a company’s logo or catchphrase this can also be a profitable small business. After consulting with the company on the design that they are looking for you can fulfill their order of t-shirts. The plain t-shirts are generally quite inexpensive for you to purchase and after you design your own t-shirts with the logo or phrase you can sell them for a nice profit.

Amateur sports teams often are looking for inexpensive t-shirts for team players. In this case you can design your own t-shirts that represent the team’s colors as well as the player’s names. Children love having a t-shirt that is made especially for them especially when they are playing a team sport.

When you design your own t-shirts you can express your own personal sense of style. Even if you design your own t-shirts simply to supplement your own wardrobe, you’ll be proud of the accomplishment.

Take a plain white t-shirt and add your own individual twist to it. What was once an unimaginative piece of clothing suddenly will now become a fashion focus. When you design your own t-shirts you are expressing your individuality to the world.

Chances are that the first time you attempt to design your own t-shirts you’ll be hooked. Your wardrobe will soon be full of your own creations. Oh, thanks for the Beatles t-shirt, now how about Led Zeppelin?