Over the next eleven years, Diamond proved to be not only a talented songwriter, but an energetic performer and talented showman. He continued to play for audiences in sold-out concerts and even won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture.

On this day in history, (February 21, 1977), Neil Diamond fans remember when his in-concert TV special aired on NBC. To watch six of his classic hits played in that concert, check out the video below!

What is your favorite Neil Diamond song?

Congratulations Sheila Branyon!

Valentine’s Day is a day to share with the one you love – whether it be your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, or simply your own personal box of chocolates. There are couples who say that “every day is Valentine’s Day” and that they don’t need a token to remind them of how much they’re loved. To them, we say…What if we just gave you something anyway?

Since the new year began, visitors to the TV Ears blog, Facebook page, and Twitter page have been entering the “I Love TV Ears!” Sweepstakes for a chance to win a TV Ears Digital, valued at $229.95. The TV Ears Digital is specifically designed to give people who wear hearing aids the added digital clarity, increased power, and durability they require to fully enjoy TV.

We didn’t ask for anything in return (with respect for the essence of true love), except that entrants who wanted to might tell us who their favorite “I Love Lucy!” character was. Not surprisingly, over 70% of you said that Lucille Ball was your favorite “I Love Lucy!” character.

Results of the "I Love TV Ears!" Sweepstakes Survey

Today, we’re happy to announce that Sheila Branyon of South Carolina is the winner of the “I Love TV Ears!” Sweepstakes. Sheila, please check your email for more information!

As we enter our second year of sweepstakes, is there a TV Ears product you’d like to see us feature? Let us know!

For more information on the TV Ears Digital, visit our website.

http://www.tvears.com/digital

To like us on Facebook, click here. To follow us on Twitter, click here.

1. The show began on radio in 1949 and was adapted for TV in 1954. After a 6-year run, CBS and ABC  ran reruns through 1967.
2. Series star Lauren Chapin said she found out the show was canceled for good when she reported to work and the guard would not let her into the studio.
3. The show took place in the town of Springfield, and although the state was never specified, the town of Altoona (an actual city in Pennsylvania) was often mentioned.
4. Father ‘Jim Anderson’ was ranked #6 in TV Guide’s list of the “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time” (20 June 2004 issue).
5. In the original radio show, Jim Anderson was portrayed as a clumsy, but in the TV show his character was much wiser.
6. Ellen Drew played the mother (Margaret Anderson) in the pilot but was replaced in the series by Jane Wyatt.
7. Mother ‘Margaret Anderson’ was played in the radio version of “Father Knows Best” by June Whitley Taylor and later by Jean Vander Pyl.
8. When Father Knows Best first aired on radio, it was sponsored by Maxwell House.
9. Robert Young was the only member of the radio cast to make the transition to the TV sitcom adaptation.
10. A re-run of Father Knows Best was interrupted when New Yorker’s first viewed the news on WABC-TV that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

For more great Father Knows Best trivia facts, visit IMDb by clicking here. Do you know some Father Knows Best trivia you’d like to share? Let us know by commenting below or visiting our forum!

Watch “Father Knows Best”!

Find TV Ears products at Costco.com.

To see our full line of TV Ears products, click here to visit TVEars.com.

Win a TV Ears Digital!

TV Ears is currently running a sweepstakes to give away a TV Ears Digital Wireless Headset System to one lucky winner! Entrants have through Valentine’s Day 2012 to enter by visiting TV Ears on Facebook or by following TV Ears on Twitter.

The TV Ears Digital is valued at $229.95 and is specifically designed to give people who wear hearing aids the added digital clarity, increased power, and durability they require to fully enjoy TV.

To learn more about the TV Ears Digital, visit the TV Ears website and click on the blue “Play Product Video” button located beneath the red “Add to Cart” button.

Good luck and be sure to tell your friends about this exciting opportunity to win a TV Ears Digital!

Win a TV Ears Digital on Facebook!

Win a TV Ears Digital on Twitter!

The VA said they declined to award TV Ears the contract because they said they found the TV Ears product to have “poor sound quality, a narrow line of sight/static with head turns, a high frequency hum, and problems with lights on the device.” According to the VA, a subjective evaluation was all that was needed because the regulations authorized such an evaluation to make the decision.

TV Ears’ Digital 95+, the product submitted by TV Ears, was the only “trade-compliant” product that was submitted by the 10 companies that bid – meaning that it was the only product made in America or in another country with preferred trading status.

When George Dennis, President and Founder of TV Ears, sought to communicate with the VA’s Contracting Officer about why his company had lost the bid, he was told that she “had been advised to terminate any and all conversations” with him. On the same day, the Procurement Analyst for the Office of Acquisition and Logistics notified Dennis that they “obtained a copy (his) correspondence dated June 2, 2011 through unofficial means,” possibly nullifying any opportunity to protest the results of the bid. (This same correspondence had originally been submitted to the office of Congressman Duncan Hunter, who told Dennis that they would forward his letter to the correct office within the VA.)

TV Ears is a U.S. made product with over 2 million customers. Dennis decided to have the TV Ears product tested by an independent acoustic measurements testing lab.

In a report dated October 11, 2011, Nevada Sound Research LLC (NSR) addressed all four claims that the VA reported as reasons that TV Ears did not win the VA bid. When sound quality was tested by NSR, it was reported that “overall sound quality is at best extraordinary, with no loss of consonants (Speech Intelligibility).” With regards to line of sight, test results showed that “both transmitter and headset receiver’s infrared signal (operating at 95 KHz) have extraordinarily wide angle distribution over a very large range.” The hum reported by the VA was regarded by NSR as “normal volume hiss (that occurs when) no program material is being played, and which disappears during normal use of the audio device.” Furthermore, stated NSR, “TV Ears does not display any unusual noise level at 60 Hz that would be audible during the use of the product by the consumer.” The final claim made by the VA that lights did not work on the device was also evaluated. NSR tested this claim as well and reported that “Results are all lights in all functions appear to operate throughout all modes and show no signs of malfunction.”

Nevada Sound Research’s lab results concluded that “the problems encountered by the Veterans Administration and stated in the denial of product acceptability (are) without merit” and that “the test results clearly demonstrate the product meets or exceeds all claims made by the manufacturer.”

TV Ears appealed this matter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In its appeal, the Company made the arguments discussed above about the quality of the TV Ears product and the testing that led to the VA’s decision, and referenced the results of the testing by Nevada Sound Research. On November 21, 2011 the GAO advised TV Ears that its protest was being dismissed because it was not timely filed with the VA. The VA told TV Ears that the Company’s protest was addressed correctly and was received by the VA agency in time, but that Congressman Duncan Hunter’s office faxed it to an individual other than the addressee within the VA, nullifying the protest. The contract still remains awarded to a company whose product is made in China.

The show, which premiered on ABC in October of 1962, was nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys during the course of its 4-year run. But according to actor Ernest Borgnine, he had little support when he first accepted this television role.

“When I decided to go into making ‘McHale’s Navy,’ people said, “Why are you lowering yourself?”  Lowering myself?  What do you mean, lowering?  It’s all show business, isn’t it?  I mean, whether you’re in front of a small camera or a big camera, it makes no difference, you’re still entertainment,” Borgnine said in his interview with EmmyTVLegends.org.

During the 2008 two-and-a-half hour interview, McHale also recalled his own enlistment into the Navy, the production schedule for McHale’s Navy and his impression of his fellow cast members, as well as details about his personal and professional life on and off screen.

This Tuesday, January 24, 2012, the actor had something greater than surviving with a crew of individuals whose unmilitary antics often got them into trouble – he turned 95! He shows no sign of slowing down either. According to the Emmy TV Legends blog, Borgnine’s carreer continues to move ahead at full steam -  his next appearance will be as “Rex Page” in the film The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez, due out later this year.

Please enjoy Part 2 of 3 from Borgnine’s 2008 interview with EmmyTVLegends.org below. In this part of the interview, Borgnine talks about how the series McHale’s Navy came about and his initial reluctance.

To encourage those who have not yet had the opportunity to experience the benefits of the CapTel 800i captioned telephone, we are currently giving away a FREE TV EARS 3.0 + FREE SHIPPING to anyone who purchases a CapTel 800i telephone via the TV Ears website or by calling TV Ears.

For just $99, we will send you a CapTel 800i phone AND a TV Ears 3.0 (regularly priced alone at $129.95)

About the CapTel 800i

The new CapTel 800i captioned telephone combines the convenience of an amplified telephone with the text capabilities of the Internet, showing you helpful captions during your phone conversations. The captions are provided by a service that automatically connects to every call via the telephone’s Internet connection.

About TV Ears

Doctor recommended TV Ears has helped thousands of people with hearing loss hear the television clearly without turning up the volume! With TV Ears technology, you set your own TV Ears headset volume and tone while others set the volume of the television to a pleasant level or even mute the volume altogether. Imagine watching television with your family again and hearing every word clearly. As thousands of our customers have said, “TV Ears has changed our lives!”

Click here to take advantage of this limited time offer!

We shared our story because it didn’t seem right. Something didn’t add up. It turns out we’re not alone. Read below to learn the story of Wichita Hawker Beechcraft Corp., a story which uncannily parallels what happened to TV Ears. We the People cannot permit our government to hand out lucrative contracts to foreign entities when there are capable, hardworking, businesses and families in the United States that need to, and deserve to, be supported. Please help us spread the word and bring light to these stories by sharing this post.

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The Wichita Eagle: Hawker Beechcraft files suit over Air Force contract

Wichita Hawker Beechcraft Corp. filed suit Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims questioning the Air Force’s decision to exclude its AT-6 aircraft from a contract potentially worth nearly $1 billion. The action comes after the company was notified that the Government Accountability Office had dismissed its initial protest. “We think we were wrongfully excluded from the competition,” Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture said Tuesday. “We don’t understand the basis for the exclusion, and frankly, we think we’ve got the best airplane. “So we’re going to take every avenue available to us to make sure our product is fully evaluated and recognized for what it is. … There are several issues here that just, frankly, don’t make sense.”

For the past year, Hawker Beechcraft has competed against Brazil-based Embraer for a contract to supply 35 aircraft to the Air Force. That number could grow to 55 and be worth up to $950?million. Deliveries were scheduled to begin in 2013.

The AT-6, adapted from the company’s T-6 trainer, was designed for counterinsurgency, close air support, armed overwatch and homeland security. The company has said that winning the contract would keep its T-6 production line running after 2015, when final deliveries of the trainers to the U.S. Navy are scheduled to take place.

If Hawker Beechcraft wins the contract, it would preserve 1,400 U.S. jobs at 181 companies in 39 states, the company said. That includes 800 at Hawker Beechcraft, Boisture said.

In November, the Air Force informed Hawker Beechcraft that it had been excluded from the competition in what is called a “pre-award exclusion.” The company has been trying to learn the reason for the action.

The company filed an inquiry with the GAO for a review of the exclusion and a protest. In dismissing Hawker Beechcraft’s protest,
the Air Force said the company missed a three-day deadline to file a request for a debriefing and a 10-day deadline to file a protest, the GAO’s report said.

“That’s what the Air Force is alleging,” Boisture said. “There comes a point, though, where the facts of the matter would seem to be more important than the procedural correctness.”

A Pentagon spokesman said, “Hawker Beech has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office. Because of this protest, we cannot comment on a matter pending under litigation.”

Hawker’s exclusion leaves Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano as the lone contender. Embraer has teamed with Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corp. and has said it would build the turboprop in Jacksonville, Fla., should it win the contract.

In its report, the GAO said the Air Force found Hawker Beechcraft’s bid “technically unacceptable,” one that would result in an “unacceptable mission capability risk.” It did not give more detail. That wording was in the Air Force’s letter to Hawker Beechcraft notifying the company that it had been excluded from the competition, Boisture said.

Boisture said the AT-6 has been evaluated and proven capable through a multi-year program led by the Air National Guard. Hawker Beechcraft and its partners have worked with the Air Force for two years to develop parameters for the light air support competition and invested more than $100?million preparing to meet the Air Force’s requirements, he said.

To continue reading this story, which was published on December 27, 2011 by The Wichita Eagle, please click on the following link:

The Wichita Eagle: “Hawker Beechcraft files suit over Air Force contract“

The follow-up to this story is that the government has since halted its contract with Hawker Beechcraft’s competitor Sierra Nevada Corp. after the suit was filed. To read the follow-up in full visit The Wichita Eagle:

The Wichita Eagle: “Air Force temporarily halts contract after Hawker Beechcraft suit“

*Please share these stories and contact your local representatives and senators by following the links provided by clicking here

What is your favorite episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show?

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a light-hearted comedy about a young, single woman named Mary Richards who worked as an associate producer in a small television newsroom. The show, which aired from 1970-1977, won 3 Golden Globes, 7 Emmys, and a host of other awards (click to view).

Also starring in the show was Edward Asner, who played Mary’s boss “Lou Grant”, Gavin MacLeod, who played the humorous writer “Murray Slaughter”, and Ted Knight, who played Anchor Man “Ted Baxter”. Later, Valerie Harper joined the cast as Mary’s friend “Rhoda Morgenstern”.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is beloved by all generations, but what episodes do audiences enjoy the most? The following 5 episodes are considered the “Top 5 Episodes of All Time”, according to Hulu.com. Click on the links to view these episodes.

1. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady – Season 3, Episode 24

“Mary and Rhoda’s friendship is strained after Rhoda borrows money to set up her new plant store and then doesn’t pay Mary back.” (Hulu)

2. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Put on a Happy Face – Season 3, Episode 23

“Once Mary gets nominated for a Teddy Award everything starts going disastrously wrong for her at work—and at the awards dinner.” (Hulu)

3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Remembrance of Things Past - Season 3, Episode 22

“Against her better judgment, Mary gets drawn back into a romantic affair when an ex-boyfriend who broke her heart returns to Minneapolis.” (Hulu)

4. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Murray Faces Life – Season 3, Episode 21

“Murray sinks into a deep depression and feels life has totally passed him by after he learns that a former writing classmate has won a Pulitzer Prize for journalism.” (Hulu)

5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: What Do You Say When the Boss Says, “I Love You”? Season 3, Episode 20

“Lou Grant realizes he’s in over his head when the new boss at the Television station turns out to be a woman—who promptly falls in love with him.”

Do you have a favorite episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show? Please share it below!