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THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: 
... with THE WRECK of the EDMUND FITZGERALD: The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee. Nov. 10th is the 50th anniversary of the 1975 wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald -- 729 feet-long, 75 feet in breadth, 39 feet in depth, weighing 13,632 gross tons -- an ore bulk carrier with a capacity of 25,000 tons. When it was launched on June 7 1958, at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan, Fitzgerald was the largest ship on the Great Lakes. Here's misty, water-colored video of the launch. The "Queen of the Great Lakes" sank in the eastern end of Lake Superior during a fierce storm -- including snow squalls -- that pounded the ship with 30-foot waves. The crew of 29 men perished; without witnesses, a definitive reason has never been determined. A Coast Guard report suggested that faulty hatches failed to keep water out of the ship's cargo holds, though others believe the ship struck an uncharted shoal and took on water. A documentary created and aired by the Discovery Channel concluded the loss was due to freak waves that overwhelmed the faulty hatches. After the wreck, the Rev. Richard Ingalls went to Mariners' Church in Detroit and rang its bell 29 times, once for each life lost. The church continues to hold an annual memorial, which includes reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell. Here's video of Rev. Ingalls recounting that night. More than 250 people gathered at the church for the 40th anniversary, which was expanded to remember victims from all tragedies on the Great Lakes. And here's a remembrance from a brother of one of the lost crew members. At the request of family members surviving her crew, Fitzgerald's 200 lb. bronze bell was recovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in 1995, as a joint project with the National Geographic Society, Canadian Navy, Sony Corporation, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The bell is now on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Here's a brief video from one of the underwater explorations of the wreck. Fmr newsman Larry Elliot recalls the remote expedition. And here is a story from one of the two scuba divers to ever reach the sunken hull. Throw in the 3-D animation, and you'll feel just like Bill Paxton. The 50th anniversary brings new documentaries -- short, medium, and long. And events across the state of Michigan this weekend. The Smithsonian has an interview with John U. Bacon, author of the recent book The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Wisconsin Public Radio interviewed Ric Mixter, a documentarian and author of several works about the wreck, including his latest, Tattletale Sounds, the Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations. The song by Gordon Lightfoot spent 21 straight weeks on the pop charts, peaking at No. 2. Here, Lightfoot discusses writing the song, and the lyrics he's changed. NPR reports that it was recorded in one take. And there's a homemade video for it, which I highly recommend. Beats the tar of Celine Dion! And here are six cover versions. (PS: Ken King -- who has lived on the U.P. of Michigan, says the gales of November are quite something.) *** THE DOOBIE BROTHERS play a Tiny Desk Concert. WRECKLESS ERIC shares a reworked version of “Lady of the Manor.” DE LA SOUL shares "The Package." SHUDDER TO THINK return after 27 year with “Thirst Walk” and “Playback.” SILVERSUN PICKUPS shares "The Wreckage." THUNDERCAT and CANDY CRUSH SAGA cover Diana Ross’ “Upside Down.” JOURNEY plans to go their Separate Ways. GILSON LAVIS, who drummed for Squeeze during the band’s most popular and successful period, has passed away. He was 74. THE RUNNING MAN: Edgar Wright on Shooting Glen Powell Naked in the Freezing Cold, and Getting Stephen King’s Approval. GREMLINS 3: Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus are brining them back for 2027. MICHAEL: The King of Pop's biobic has a trailer online. THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE: Amanda Seyfried's next oscars bid has a trailer online. AMY MADIGAN: She was almost out, until Weapons pulled her back in. MARTIN SCORSESE guesses his movies from the Letterboxd reviews. CAROL BURNETT donated her awards to UCLA. A HORSE acts as an Uber for a cat. ONE TORTOISE rescues another. A DOGGO: This isn't a dream... this is really happening!"
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