Protect Yourself And Your Family
January 4, 2013 by 4 Comments
”Term” insurance forms the base of every life insurance policy. Think of it as renting a safety net: The owner pays a fixed premium toward a concrete payoff over a specific time. If you die during this period, the insurance company pays the promised amount. When the policy reaches its deadline, the coverage vanishes.
Whole life offers term insurance’s set payoff for a set premium, except this policy doesn’t come with an ending date. You’ll pay the premium for the rest of your life, unless you decide to cash in and receive the cash value as a lump sum.
According to the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, “the cash value of a policy is different from the policy’s face amount. The face amount is the money that will be paid at death or policy maturity. Cash value is the amount available if you surrender a policy before its maturity or your death.”
Inspiration Of A Television & Music Legend: Andy Williams
September 27, 2012 by 14 Comments
RIP Mr. Williams
By David Hinckley / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Andy Williams, one of the last crooners from the golden age of easy-listening pop music, died Tuesday at his home in Branson, Mo. He was 84.
Williams, who had been battling bladder cancer, had divided in time in recent years between La Quinta, Calif., and Branson, where he owned the Moon River Theater — named after the song that had been his signature since 1962.
Williams came across for six decades on concert stages and television shows as the ultimate Mr. Nice Guy, as well known for his warm, genial personal style as for his music.
He had only one major brush with tabloid celebrity, when his ex-wife, Claudine Longet, was charged in 1976 with accidentally killing her new boyfriend, skier Spider Sabich.
Williams, from whom Longet had been divorced a year earlier, escorted her to court, attended the trial and helped pay for her defense.
She was eventually sentenced to 30 days in jail and then married her attorney a few years later.
Williams married Debbie Meyer in 1991 and remained with her until his death.
ANONYMOUS/AP
American singer Andy Williams and his wife Claudine Longet, shown upon arrival at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London, on Dec. 19, 1974 for the Royal Charity World premiere of “The Man With the Golden Gun.”
Andy Williams was as well known for his warm, genial personal style as for his music.
Williams had one of the most successful music-and-TV crossover careers of his generation.
He went solo as a recording artist in 1953 and started his TV career as a regular on the Steve Allen’s “Tonight Show” in 1954.
He hosted his own TV variety show from 1962 to 1971 along with popular holiday specials into the 1990s.
He recorded eight albums of Christmas music, tagging him with the affectionate nickname “Mr. Christmas.”
During the warmer months, he was in great demand for movie theme music. Beyond “Moon River,” he recorded themes as diverse as the dark “Days of Wine and Roses” and the saccharine “Where Do I Begin” from “Love Story.”
His association with “Moon River” began when composer Henry Mancini asked him to sing it at the 1962 Academy Awards. It won the Oscar and quickly became Williams’ most popular song — though it was never released as a single.
His only No. 1 radio hit was a cover version of Charlie Gracie’s 1957 rockabilly song “Butterfly,” but he kept his popularity with easy-listening fans for decades, racking up 18 gold and three platinum albums.
Reflecting his reputation as a mainstream concert artist, Williams sang the National Anthem at the 1973 Super Bowl. He also hosted seven Grammy Awards shows, from 1971 to 1977.
He was politically active, and while he described himself as a “lifelong Republican,” he campaigned in 1968 for his friend Robert F. Kennedy. He sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at Kennedy’s funeral that year.
Williams hosted his own TV variety show from 1962 to 1971, along with popular holiday specials in to the 1990s.
ANONYMOUS/AP
Andy Williams performs a song on a television show on May 12, 1961. Emmy-winning TV host and “Moon River” crooner Williams died Tuesday night, Sept, 25, 2012 at his home in Branson, Mo., following a year-long battle with bladder cancer.
In 1972, he campaigned for George McGovern, and when the Nixon administration tried to deport John Lennon, Williams became an outspoken defender of Lennon’s right to stay in the U.S. In later years, he criticized Barack Obama for taking the country “too far left.”
Born in Wall Lake, Iowa, Williams began singing in the Presbyterian church choir and joined his three siblings in the Williams Brothers quartet.
They sang on radio programs in the Midwest and backed Bing Crosby on his 1944 hit “Swingin’ on a Star.” They also appeared in several movies.
Williams went solo in 1953 and had his first hit with “Canadian Sunset” in 1956.
He was also a shrewd businessman. He eventually acquired the masters to all the music from his first label, Cadence, where his colleagues included the Everly Brothers and the Chordettes.
He launched his own label, Barnaby Records, which had hits with Ray Stevens and released the first album of a then-unknown singer named Jimmy Buffett. Earlier, on his TV show, he had introduced the Osmond family.
He opened the Moon River Theater with his brother Don in 1992. It was the first Branson theater not directly tied to country music, and paved the way for a broader range of artists to start playing in Branson.
He was also a major golf fan, hosting a PGA tournament in San Diego from 1968 to 1988.
He is survived by Meyer and three children from his first marriage, Robert, Noelle and Christian.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/andy-williams-dead-84-moon-river-crooner-loses-battle-bladder-cancer-article-1.1168594#ixzz27bjUTRsW
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