Bing Crosby News

On July 7, 1930, as the Great Depression tightened its grip on America, the Des Moines City Council voted to pass an "ordinance to provide for prohibition, license, regulation and supervision of public dances within the city of Des Moines." Nearly 80 years later, a group of cultural advocates is petitioning the council to overturn the ordinance, ...

Karl Malden, the film actor who died today at 97, is being remembered in religionland for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of a tough dockside priest, Father Pete Barry, in the 1954 film, "On the Waterfront.'' Malden's role is one of the most famous depictions of a Catholic priest on film.

As we are told in "A Tribute to the Black Crooners," the new show at the Black Ensemble Theater, the crooning style emerged from the bel canto tradition of Italian opera, though it was a long line of jazz performers, both black and white , who shaped the sound as we think of it today.

Jesse Marcel Jr. speaks Saturday during the Out of This World UFO Conference. GALENA, Ill.

May 29 1942 Bing Crosby records the Christmas classic, "White Christmas." It will become the biggest selling single of all time.

C.K. Dexter Haven presents his ex-wife Tracy Samantha Lord with a wedding present in Mac-Haydn Theatre's production of "High Society." Comparisons to Grace Kelly are going to be inevitable, but Crystal Mosser is confident she's going to fare pretty well in at least one category.

Bob Hope was a man of many talents: star of stage, screen, radio and TV, top banana of countless USO tours, raconteur, singer, golfer, and a mean man with a quip.

Jeanne Bolger, 81, of Martinsburg's favorite song to drive to is "Blue Skies," a 1920s-era jazz standard recorded by multiple artists including Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra and Lyle Lovett.

Today is Friday, May 29, the 149th day of 2009. There are 216 days left in the year.

Our guest contributor today is Steven Scholl. Steven is a writer on religion with special focus on the Middle East.

Denise Crosby, a prominent cast member of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," will be at Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz today to sign autographs.

HE WAS an A-list celebrity decades before the term was even invented and has been called one of the best-loved and most influential entertainers of all time.

As Bob Hope and Bing Crosby entertained millions with their "road" movies in the 1940s, so the Mike Vax Big Band has its own "road show," arguably as entertaining but playing to much smaller audiences than Hope and Crosby were able to command.

When "Going My Way" premiered on May 3, 1944, it was a surprising hit. Most movie critics had pooh-poohed the casting of Bing Crosby in a lead dramatic role, butthe "King ofCroon"proved them wrong, and it became the top-grossing film ofthe year and swept the Oscars.

The Victoria Theatre Association has announced its 2009 Michelob Ultra Cool Film Series.

Ask Billboard is updated every Friday. Submit your burning music questions to Gary Trust at askbb@billboard.com . Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S. PRESENT OF THE PAST Hi Gary, I have a special request.

But the season also offers a taste of something different, including Steppenwolf's award-winning "August: Osage County" and jazz prodigy Esperanza Spalding.

Procol Harum's hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale," with its haunting organ melody and largely meaningless lyrics, is the most-played song in U.K. public places in the past 75 years, the London-based Times reported, citing PPL, which licenses music for public use on behalf of more than 3,500 record companies.

" Easter Parade " is one of those 24-karat musical treasures. It showcased Fred Astaire and Judy Garland singing and hoofing Irving Berlin tunes in a grand entertainment that reigns as the biggest box-office hit of Astaire's impressive career.

Published: Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 3:32 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 3:32 p.m. "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail," sang composers Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins several decades ago.