10.04.92 week in revue

Back in 1992, President Bush vetoes a bill that would regulate cable prices, saying it benefited special interests rather than the public. The IRA terrorist bombings continue on a regular basis during this week and into the next. Old Boeings go boing as some engines land before the fuselage. And a quiet week in Lake Wobegon according to Garrison Keillor.

09.27.92 week in revue

Ross Perot is back in the news this week as was Tom Foley, former Speaker of the House. Then there was Cosmo Kramer who had the ability to make his point with very little thought. One wondered whether he was a genius or an idiot. Rush Limbaugh’s television venture was short lived. A somewhat unique element to this week’s posting is the consistent color theme from randomly selected clippings. There is a clockwise progression of visuals starting with Capt. Perot.

09.20.92 week in revue

Boris is back in the news as he does some saber rattling. Is the pen mightier than the sword? A return to my original May 17 post as Brown vs. Quayle continues to ignite the media.

09.13.92 week in revue

Rather than comment on the content, here are a few notes on how this page evolved during this week of 1992. I clipped the heading, “Looking for Trouble” which lead me to the unrest in Africa clipping. Which lead me to the old west comedic character. The checkerboard and spheres were added for visual interest. The Hollywood obit of everyone’s favorite neighbor, “Norman Bates,” was added to balance out the right half of the page. The clipped blue text blanket statement was included to give graphic balance and tie in the blues.

09.06.92 week in revue

Highlights the week in 1992 was Jerry Lewis Telethon. It broke a new giving record and a record number of anti-lewites. Spike suggested students skip school to go see his movie, “Malcolm X” when it releases in November. You just cannot beat good PR. Red tape for storm victims did not start with Katrina.

08.02.92 week in revue

The big man rules the roost. Jay Leno, that is. Arsenio Hall tried to slice into the late night ratings but fell far short. Just goes to prove goods looks aren’t everything. Having a much longer reign than Arsenio, Mobutu ultimately died in exile three years later. A NASA shuttle mission made the news as well as.

07.26.92 week in revue

This week, illusionist Harry “Carrier” Bopespiel goes for the ride of his life, while Bush takes a punch at Hussein. Democratic candidates take to the road ala Dr. Richard Kimble. All three were trying to hide their real identity. The USA comes up big in Barcelona.

07.19.92 week in revue

More fun visuals this week as Saddam continues to upset everyone’s stomach. President Bush verbally decks an audience heckler. Saddam appears to take his remarks personally. The summer Olympics get under way in Barcelona.

07.12.92 Week in Revue

Ross Perot seemed to be the man for president. He talked a lot. He ran and ran and ran (his mouth) but came up short behind the Clinton machine. The road signs support his demise. Local flooding opened up alternative transportation options this week as well.

07.05.92 week in revue

Some fun this week. Clinton revived his campaign in rather amazing fashion. You will note a lean, more energy efficient Al Gore, as well. Boris Yeltsin’s yearly checkup brought new demands for the Soviet leader….getting into spandex. Doctors ordered him to get "excersized." Finally, one of TV’s earliest journalists signed off for the last time.

06.28.92 week in revue

After a participant is killed, Florida issues a ban on further bungee jumping. Tornadoes rip through the south but the gentleman in the straw hat seems more interested in the bungee jumper‘s future. During his first public appearance, the president of Algeria was assassinated by his body guard. Reason #43 for running background checks on your employees.

06.14.92 week in revue

The week will all anticipated. Boris coming to America. A tour of Kansas revealed a lot about what the Russians do not have. Profits. You go, Boris! Sears had some repair problems of their own, made worse by pessimistic reporting. Two unusual suspects show support for each other. The page design moves the eye around pretty well between positive and negative spaces. Appropriate repetition is used to good advantage.

06.07.92 week in revue

The Siege of Sarajevo was the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. The Serbs blockaded the city and residents came very close to complete starvation. Their only chance for survival depended on the success of UN airlifts from the Sarajevo airport that was opened in late June. An estimated 10,000 persons were killed or went missing in the city. The dictator/terrorist from Iraq continued to make headlines. A lighter bit of news was the ban of water canons in Boston. “You could put your eye out with that thing.”

05.24.92 week in revue

The Indianapolis 500 dominates the week, although I am not a huge fan of people going in circles. The 500 image anchors the page and the repetition of two major headlines forces the eye from top to bottom, left to right. At this point, you may create your own pun if you feel led to do so. Ironically, Leno started and ends his reign as host during the same week. There we go in circles again. And Limbaugh proves you cannot lose weight sitting 15 hours a week.

05.17.92 week in revue

Many in the media tired of Carson in his later seasons, complaining that his material was routine, old and stale. Not unlike David Letterman in recent years, he seemed to be on auto pilot as time passed. Carson borrowed comedic characters from other entertainers, of course, like Steve Allen and Jonathan Winters, yet he remains an icon of class and comedic talent of the highest order. Other entertainment news centered around barbs between “Murphy Brown” and Vice President Dan Quayle. And the bubble finally burst for The Champaign Music Maker.

Murphy Brown dominates the design by shear size. But the Carson montage sprinkles down into Lawrence Welk and the eye returns back to Brown. The Quayle photo and two other text blocks, one of which indicates a difference of opinion between Hollywood and "everyone else," balances out the page.

05.10.92 week in revue

For many, the big news of the week was the space walk and retrieval of a wandering satellite. Ironically, this week in 2009 has another dangerous space walk mission. The graphics play off this theme. Sadly, Percy Dovetonsils had no part in the historic space walk. For those familiar with the innovative Ernie Kovaks, a pioneer in satiric skits and characters long before SNL, Percy was the soused poet in stunning eyewear who loved to share his poems, giggling all the while between sips of his martini. In another bazaar portrayal, here in the states we saw a lot of Barry Humphries, alias Dame Edna Everage. Humphries’ long-standing comedic character brought international fame.

The layout design works fairly well here. Where English is the standard, we tend to read top left to lower right. The visuals here help take the eye on that journey. There is repetition in the horizontal headlines and the circle theme. The earth graphic and the square, space image offer a balance on the page.

05.03.92. The Week in Revue.

Alright. Enough with the teasing. Go back seventeen years near the midway point of the year. I start there because the first Sunday in May is the 3rd for both 1992 and 2009. What started as a whim turned into a full year obsession of sorts. Scrambling to find the right image got harder as 1992 came to a close. Burnout. But as I look back they still make me smile.

This week’s focus is on the U.S. Postal Service’s efficiency, a UN maintenance worker tidying up and another attempt to keep Congress from raising their own salaries. Teddy is not pleased. If you have seen the classic movie included here, you know the script includes a political machine bent on destroying an opponent.

A frequent inclusion for this montage will be the obligatory celebrity obituary. Obscure news, like the ban on bungee jumping in Florida or the ban on water cannons in Boston, will also be included in this revue. Hope you enjoy this 52-week mystery tour.

So if you were born before 1975, maybe you can say, “Oh yeah…I remember that.” Or, “Dude! This is all pretty obscure.” if you were born in 1990.

Beginning Sunday: A Weekly Revue of 1992

I was thinking way back when that I might have fun with news headlines. A montage of images, clipped news source headlines and text that highlight the week. I added artwork to tie it all together for a cohesively designed page. Visual and word puns. Satire. Subtle social glimpses. Some images were begging to be added simply because they worked in conjunction with another image or graphic. For each week, it was more about design than social commentary.

It is not an original idea, of course. I simply undertook it as a challenge. These were completed pre-computer days so all work was done by hand. Though perhaps entertainment news and personality heavy, you might find it fun to see what you remember or what you have forgotten. Some entries were for my own amusement so you will not recall every item each week.

I have posted a few slices today as teasers. Like Mike Tyson’s infamous trial and getting his head knocked off by a member of the opposite sex. The latter never really happened. Jeffrey Dahmer. Mikhail Gorbachev spot remover. The death of Alex Haley.