HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.
(THEME)
This is Doug Johnson.
On our show this week: a new album by Sam Phillips … and theend of the popular television show “Friends.”
But first … the story of Smarty Jones.
Smarty Jones
HOST:
Smarty Jones is three years old,and a champion. This horse won the Kentucky Derby. But, as GwenOuten reports, this is the story of a champion that might never havebeen.
ANNCR:
Smarty Jones is from a farm in Pennsylvania, in the town of NewHope. His owners call it Someday Farm. Patricia and Roy Chapmanhoped someday one of their horses would win a major race. They haveraised horses for the past twenty years. But in two-thousand-one,the man who trained their horses was killed. His stepson facesmurder charges.
The Chapmans were so saddened by the loss, they wanted to get outof the business. Their new trainer, though, got them to keep SmartyJones and one of their other horses.
But then came an accident last year. Smarty was training. Theyoung reddish brown horse was at the starting gate. Suddenly hejumped up. His head crashed into the heavy metal gate.He fell to theground, and stayed there.
John Servis, the new trainer, says he thought the horse was dead.He says months passed before it was clear that Smarty was allbetter.
Smarty Jones raced only six times before the Kentucky Derby onMay first. He won all six times. He became the first undefeatedhorse to win the Derby in almost thirty years. The last one wasSeattle Slew in nineteen-seventy-seven.
Smarty Jones’ rider, Stewart Elliott, has ridden in thousands ofraces. But he and his horse had something in common. Neither hadcompeted in the Kentucky Derby before. The race was also new to theChapmans and John Servis. Seventy-seven-year-old Roy Chapman watchedfrom a wheelchair. He has emphysema and needs an oxygen tank to helphim breathe.
Smarty Jones earned a record amount for a day in horse racing.The Chapmans received more than eight-hundred-fifty-thousand dollarsfrom the Derby. But they also received five-million dollars. Thiswas a one-hundredth anniversary bonus for any horse that won tworaces in Arkansas and the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones did exactlythat.
But the Kentucky Derby is only the beginning of the Triple Crownof horse racing. Next is the Preakness Stakes in Pimlico, Maryland,on Saturday. Then comes the Belmont Stakes. No horse has won theTriple Crown since Affirmed in nineteen-seventy-eight.
End of “Friends”
(MUSIC: “Friends” theme)
HOST:
A listener asks about the Americantelevision series “Friends.” It ended last week after ten years,though the show will live on in repeats. Our friend Jing Lili, aChinese college student of English education, asks if “Friends”truly represents American life. The answer is … it depends.
Yes, many young adults do form a small group of close friends.And some of them may share a place to live. This is especially truein big cities like New York, just like on the show. They save moneyand might have a lot of fun together. Some might even fall in love.But, no, the situations on the show were not always realistic.
For example, in the first season, Rachel — played by JenniferAniston — is about to get married. But she runs away from herwedding. Yes, this does happen sometimes. But would someone still inher wedding clothes head for a coffee shop?
Later, the man Rachel was supposed to marry goes on theirhoneymoon trip anyway. But, instead of Rachel, he takes one of herwedding attendants!
“Friends” came on N.B.C. television in nineteen-ninety-four,starring six actors: three women and three men. The writers gaveeach friend something that the others could joke about. Monica, forexample, had to have everything clean and organized. Joey was goodlooking, but not very smart. All the friends had one thing incommon, though. They were are all looking for love.
Marta Kauffman and David Crane created “Friends.” Their show wasnominated for fifty-five Emmy awards. This year it won the Emmy forOutstanding Comedy Series.
“Friends” became part of popular culture. Real-life friends wouldgather to watch the show. Nielsen Media Research says more thanfifty-one-million people in the United States watched the finalepisode last week.
We leave you with a clip from that show. Monica and Chandler –played by Courtney Cox Arquette and Matthew Perry — have alreadygotten married. Now they are in a hospital. They are going to adopta baby boy who has just been born. But they get some surprising newsfrom the doctor:
MONICA: “I’m gonna love you so much that no woman is ever gonnabe good enough for you … “
BIRTH MOTHER: “I’m tired.”
DOCTOR: “Ah, you don’t have that much time to relax, the otherone will be along in a minute.”
MONICA: “Uh, I’m sorry, who should be along in a minute?”
DOCTOR: “The next baby should be along in a minute.”
MONICA: “Uhhh … we only ordered one!”
(MUSIC: “Friends” theme)
Sam Phillips
HOST:
Sam Phillips, the female singerand songwriter, has a new album. It is called “A Boot and a Shoe.”Here’s Faith Lapidus.
ANNCR:
Billboard magazine says Sam Phillips sings a ray of light intothe darkness on her new album. “A Boot and a Shoe” opens with a songcalled “How to Quit.”
(MUSIC)
This is the eighth album for Mizz Phillips … under the name ofSam, at least. “Sam” is what she was called as a child. She used tosing Christian pop music. Back then she used her birth name, LesliePhillips.
In the late nineteen-eighties, Mizz Phillips left the Christianrecording industry. She wanted more artistic freedom.
Yet her music is still highly spiritual. She sings about humanweaknesses and failings. But her songs are also about thepossibility of renewal, as in this one, called “Love ChangesEverything.”
(MUSIC)
Sam Phillips works all the time now with the famous musicproducer T-Bone Burnett. In nineteen-ninety-one, they got married.
We leave you with Sam Phillips and another song from her newalbum. This song is called “I Dreamed I Stopped Dreaming.”
(MUSIC)
HOST:
This is Doug Johnson.
Our program was written and produced by Caty Weaver. And ourengineer was Tony Pollack.
I hope you enjoyed AMERICAN MOSAIC. Join us again next week forVOA’s radio magazine in Special English.