Quick Hits

- My father's favorite crooner, Al Martino, died today. Martino, 82, had a list of hits in the 1960's but it was his role as Johnny Fontane in The Godfather which, perhaps, netted him more fame. Martino's character of a close-to-washed-out singer/actor Fontane was the reason why the immortal movie line of "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" was uttered. Fontane was bidding for a key role in a movie which would put him back at the top of his profession, but a Hollywood producer had no intention of giving him the role. The line, uttered by Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone, would become the most famous phrase from the movie with the resulting scene (think horse and satin sheets) becoming an all-time movie classic.

- The Wall Street Journal has passed USA Today as the largest circulation newspaper in the U.S. The Journal now has a paid circulation of over 2 million readers with USA Today at 1.88 million.