Apparently, Empty-G never read the Constitution.............

 Marjorie Taylor Greene makes it too easy.

The Georgia Misrepresentative is again calling for a "national divorce", despite the fact that she has nary a clue about how that's supposed to happen. As Farron Cousins asserts, she thinks the Democrats are causing trouble, just by following the Constitution.........

Whatever Empty-G learned in high school has been forgotten in a career filled with clout chasing and narcissism. I still think she's unhappy because president-elect Donald Trump wouldn't give her a spot in his new Cabinet. Well, he doesn't want another narcissist sharing a room with him on a daily basis.........

Hollywood Squares comes full circle: The series hits CBS in 2025

 To think this all started with a pilot produced for CBS by Merrill Heatter & Bob Quigley in 1965.

In 2025, Hollywood Squares is coming home.

The series' latest revival begins in January, in primetime, and, following the current trend, in a hour-long format that the franchise hasn't used since the ill-fated Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983-4) for NBC. Actress-turned-talk show host Drew Barrymore will occupy the center square, with former NFL player-turned-sportscaster Nate Burleson (CBS Mornings, The NFL Today) as moderator. 

Burleson, it seems, is obsessed with copying the career trajectory of Michael Strahan (Fox NFL Sunday, Good Morning America, The $100,000 Pyramid), the only difference being that Burleson has no acting credits----yet (Strahan fronted a short-lived Fox sitcom).

Hollywood Squares logo, circa 2002-4.

The downside is that the plan is for Squares to air at 10 pm (ET), starting January 29, meaning CBS wants this to be more ribald and rowdy than ever. The original series' primetime iteration on NBC was usually around 8:30-9:00 on a Friday or Thursday night.

CBS-Paramount is hoping this sticks, after the flop that was Nashville Squares in 2019 for CMT, and 2 iterations of Hip Hop Squares between 2012 and 2019.

Stay tuned.

Musical Interlude: Tonight, Tonight (1995-6)

 Smashing Pumpkins collected a few MTV Video Music Awards in 1996 for the innovative homage to the silent film era, "Tonight, Tonight", the first single off 1995's "Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness". Actor Tom Kenny (ex-The Edge), who, along with wife Jill Talley, who also appears here, was a regular on HBO's Mr. Show at the time, stars in this period piece.

Today, Billy Corgan is the owner-operator of the National Wrestling Alliance. Whodathunk that 30 years ago?

Remember CareFree gum? (1978)

 Ah, CareFree gum. The product that skewered history with a cheeky series of ads in the 70's, like this one, with Sir Isaac Newton....

Unfortunately, CareFree's not around anymore. Hershey, the last rights holder, discontinued the product in the US a few years back.

Musical Interlude: Pictures of Matchstick Men (1968)

 Status Quo had just one hit here in the US, and here it is, "Pictures of Matchstick Men". The clip comes from England's Top of The Pops:

What Might've Been: Trivial Pursuit: America Plays (2008)

 Before we discuss the current TV iteration of Trivial Pursuit, we have to go back at the earlier versions, and we'll start with the syndicated 2008 series, Trivial Pursuit: America Plays.

It had been 15 years since game show legend Wink Martindale had first adapted the board game for television, with the help of some business partners. Debmar-Mercury, which currently distributes Family Feud for Fremantle Media, handled America Plays, and tapped actor Christopher Knight (ex-The Brady Bunch) as host.

America Plays lasted just 1 season, as it didn't get cleared in a lot of cities. A fair number of stations were just unwilling to challenge the 1-2 punch of Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy!, which are still around, 16 years later.

Let's take a look at a sample episode.

Simple enough. All three iterations of Trivial Pursuit have simplified the 40-something board game to make it useful for television. The current series, on CW, is a weekly show that stands a better chance of succeeding where the others failed.

We'll look at Wink Martindale's version another day.

Rating: A.

8 years ago, he said he was "only hiring the best people". Now, Donald Trump is picking people who don't fit into their assigned Cabinet positions

 All Donald Trump wants to do the 2nd time around is disrupt the establishment even further by nominating people who either don't have the necessary experience to do the job, or are there so MAGA can troll and "own the libs".

There are rumors, of course, that Trump wants to close down the Department of Education, which is stupid on its face. I'd seen something the other day where former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, who'd served two years as head of the Small Business Administration during Trump's 1st term, was being talked about as Secretary of Commerce. The McMahon & Trump families have been friends for decades, and it was never really explained why McMahon left the SBA after 2 years. We reported previously that NY Misrepresentative Elise Stefanik is being pointed toward being UN Ambassador, the same post Nikki Haley held during the first Trump administration.

And, then, there are some head scratchers.

Pete Hegseth of Fox No News, an Army vet who served in Iraq & Afghanistan, was nominated as Secretary of Defense. His military background gets him the nod, but, otherwise, he hasn't had any experience running anything.

Trump campaign co-chairperson Susie Wiles was named Chief of Staff. The first woman to hold that distinction, so there's a little history, but, given Trump's mercurial personality, how long will she last?

Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who betrayed the Democrats to go MAGA, is being nominated for something called "director of national intelligence". Apparently, the acronym CIA is bitter for Trump.

Florida Senator Marco "Polo" Rubio is being tapped for Secretary of State. He's had a history of putting his foot in his mouth when interviewed, so that's questionable.

Florida Misrepresentative Matt "Rusty" Gaetz, who managed to avoid being charged with sex trafficking, would succeed Merrick Garland as Attorney General. Yes, Gaetz is a lawyer, but his public legal troubles raise a red flag. Like Trump, Gaetz can make all of his legal problems go away, but he's never struck this desk as being smart.

Yeah, Gaetz is a special kind of stupid.

Former ICE director Tim Homan would be upgraded to a similar role, and headlines had him as a "border czar", the same title that MAGA operatives falsely slapped on VP Kamala Harris during her failed campaign for the White House.

Back to Gaetz. Alabama carpetbagger Tommy Scrubberville, who actually has a residence in Florida, has made threats against anyone daring to vote against Gaetz. I would not be so loud with the threats, Tommy, because if Gaetz doesn't get confirmed, you could wind up in trouble, if it gets out that you're representing the wrong state.

And, now, there are rumors that telegenic but dimwitted attorney Alina Habba may be the press secretary. The key word is telegenic.

Meanwhile, the GOP has been busy in other areas.

On Tuesday, John Thune was elected as the new Senate Majority Leader, with Mitch McConnell stepping down at the end of the year instead of returning to his former role. Thune would succeed NY's Chuck Schumer. On Wednesday, Lisa McClain of Michigan was tapped to replace Stefanik as the GOP Conference Chairperson. Stefanik is expected to resign from the House to become UN Ambassador, as Gaetz also resigned from his seat. There will be a special election in April to fill Stefanik's seat, and with the redistricting to take effect in January, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, a Trump clone himself, is out of the running, as the district would no longer include Rensselaer County.

Trump made the US a laughingstock the first time, but he doesn't realize or understand that. It appears it's going to be worse the 2nd time. Heaven help us.

What Might've Been: Soul (1968)

 From Laugh-In producers George Schlatter & Ed Friendly comes Soul, one of the first specials to feature an all-African-American cast. Headlined by Lou Rawls, Joe Tex, Martha & The Vandellas, and featuring Slappy White, Redd Foxx, George Kirby, and Nipsey Russell, who doubles as announcer.

For what it's worth, Chelsea Brown would later join the cast of Laugh-In. The bit with Nipsey as a DJ is priceless.

"Show Me", the first song performed by Joe Tex, was later covered by country singer Barbara Mandrell. Whodathunk?

Rating: B.

On The Air: Flip Side (2024)

 More than a decade ago, Jaleel White got his feet wet as a game show host with SyFy's Total BlackOut, which lasted two seasons.

White is now hoping Flip Side lasts longer than that.

Flip Side bowed in syndication and on Game Show Network in September (GSN's production arm co-produces the show with Paramount), and it's a trip. Two teams of two compete for a $10,000 grand prize by answering survey questions, a la Family Feud, but with a twist, and that's where the show's title kicks in.

Following is a trailer from GSN.

A few years ago, White and his family appeared on Celebrity Family Feud, and White obliterated the Fast Money round. If Flip Side flops, and Fremantle decides to move on from Steve Harvey, Family Feud may be White's next gig.

I'd say he's putting Urkel in his rear view mirror for good, don't you?

Rating: A-.

Names making news

 NY Misrepresentative Elise Stefanik may not be serving another term in Congress after all.

While Stefanik was quietly re-elected last week, she ended the week accepting an appointment from President-Elect Donald Trump to be an ambassador to the United Nations, the same post that Nikki Haley had. Haley's sin, of course, in the eyes of the deranged Trump, was challenging him in the primaries, because he felt entitled to the nomination this year in the first place. I've read reports that the narcissist in Trump passed up the debates during primary season because he didn't want them to happen to start with.

Please. Stefanik, 40, sabotaged her reputation in New York by hitching her wagon to Trump to advance her career. I think she'd be well served to cram some learning of languages in the next two months.

A special election is likely to fill the suddenly vacant seat in Congress.

=========================================

Meanwhile, in Georgia, a certain misrepresentative who also was re-elected last week is trolling.

Empty-G, aka Marjorie Taylor Greene, is whining because there are peaceful protests over Trump's re-election victory six days ago. As Farron Cousins explains, the protesters are exercising their constitutional rights, something that Empty-G thinks is wrong.

Personally, I think Empty-G is ticked because she might've been angling for the gig that went to Stefanik.

==========================================

As Joyce Bassett reports in the Albany Times-Union today, actress-comedian-talk show host Whoopi Goldberg (The View) is talking up the prospect of an all women's sports network. ESPN tried that a few years ago (remember ESPNW?), and, apparently, it didn't pan out. Pretty cheeky how Bassett's column included a picture from 2002's "A League of Their Own", which is being parodied by Capital One pitchdoll Jennifer Garner in a commercial that got some good rotation over the summer.

Like, as long as the network gets off the ground, and replaces something like Newsnacks on cable systems, we're all for it.

==========================================

Rudy Goofiani is stalling on paying off his debt to Georgia's Ruby Freeman & Shay Moss.

Goofiani showed up at a polling place in Florida last week, as he apparently now has a residence there, in a vintage Mercedes that once belonged to film legend Lauren Bacall. That raised some red flags. Goofiani and his lawyer are trying to save some of the items, like a watch that is a personal heirloom. Freeman & Moss are ok with letting Goofiani keep the watch, but they're impatiently waiting for him to turn over everything else. He vacated & emptied his Manhattan apartment in an effort to hide some of the assets.

Please pick up the white courtesy phone, Rudy. Your career is over.

Musical Interlude: Don't Tell Me You Love Me (1982)

 Night Ranger had a relatively brief run on the charts in the early to mid 80's, and it started with 1982's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me".

In 1987, Jack Blades joined forces with Tommy Shaw & Ted Nugent to form Damn Yankees, which lasted two albums before that so-called supergroup called it a day.

Forgotten TV: The Going Thing (1969)

 Ford, in order to better promote its 1969 model line to a wider audience, assembled a pop group, which headlined a namesake special, The Going Thing, in the winter of 1969. What isn't actually sure is what network this aired on. Ford sponsored The F. B. I. on ABC, and Arte Johnson brought one of his Laugh-In alter-egos, Tyrone, for a rare solo gig. The Going Thing singers were largely unknown, except for Janis Hansen, who was also with Sergio Mendes' group at the time. Tom & John Bahler were the musical directors.

Producer-director Bob Henry would serve in that same capacity for Flip Wilson's NBC variety hour the next year.

No rating. Just a public service.

What Might've Been: Like Hep (1969)

 The success of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In prompted NBC to commission some additional entries from producers George Schlatter & Ed Friendly.

Like Hep, billed as a special, could, for all intents & purposes, have been a pilot for a potential series. Headlined by Dinah Shore, Like Hep was paced similarly to Laugh-In, with quick skits interspersed with musical numbers. Lucille Ball (Here's Lucy) and Diana Ross are the featured guests, with Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, and announcer Gary Owens crossing over from Laugh-In. Look quick for a cameo by Lorne Greene (Bonanza).

1969 was not really a good year for Schlatter. Not only did Like Hep not get picked up as a series, but there was also the infamous bomb, Turn On over on ABC, and a game show spun off from Laugh-In, Letters to Laugh-In, hosted by Owens, ran for a few months, and no further.

There was another pilot, Soul, not to be confused with the PBS series of the same name, and featuring Redd Foxx, Nipsey Russell, and musical guests Joe Tex and Martha & The Vandellas. We'll look at that another time.

Like Hep gets a B.

A Classic Reborn: Scrabble (2024)

 40 years ago, Australian producer Reg Grundy adapted Scrabble for television, specifically for NBC. That same year, young Raven-Symone was cast in The Cosby Show as the youngest daughter of Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Cosby). Scrabble lasted five years. Cosby ran nearly twice as long.

You don't see The Cosby Show in a lot of places anymore because of the scandal surrounding Cosby. Raven-Symone, meanwhile, has become a regular presence on television in her adult years. That's So Raven and its sequel, Raven's Home. A stint on The View. Now, she's hosting Scrabble.

Hasbro, following the lead of other game show revivals, is packing two half hour games in a one hour format (think ABC's revivals of Match Game and The S100,000 Pyramid), sold the new Scrabble to the CW as part of a two hour Thursday block with the similarly reformatted Trivial Pursuit, which we'll look at another day.

The game is basically the same as before, and it marks Hasbro's first inroad into broadcast television, as their previous series were produced for cable, including a previous iteration of Scrabble.

A Raven-Symone fan channel uploaded this excerpt.

Here's to hoping Raven fares better as a game show host than Cosby did (You Bet Your Life in the 90's).

Rating: A.

Musical Interlude: Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)(1967)

 Louisiana native John Fred Gourrier, the leader of John Fred & His Playboy Band, had just 1 Top 40 hit. "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" hit the top of the charts in January 1968, bumping the Beatles out of the top slot. Ironically, "Judy in Disguise" was a play on words after a sort of "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds", another Beatles single.

In the end, America is not ready for a woman as president

 We have seen women become heads of state in England, India, Israel, Germany, and, most recently, Mexico.

Unfortunately, here in the US, a vast majority of voters decided to overlook the bigotry, misogyny, and, most importantly, 34 felony convictions, and decided to send Donald Trump back to the White House. They fell for the relentless attack ads manipulated to make Vice President Kamala Harris look bad that were in heavy rotation the last month of the campaign.

Trump ran to avoid full accountability for his crimes, and those convictions, handed down in May, will almost certainly be vacated, and his remaining criminal and civil trials will be cancelled. The voters bought into the lies about Harris being a "border czar", which wasn't true. To Harris' credit, she crammed 12-18 months worth of campaigning into 3 1/2 months, and we thought she had momentum on her side, including an appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside Maya Rudolph last weekend. NBC gave Trump a 90 second spot that aired Sunday, filled with the usual rhetoric.

In the end, America decided to again go with a familiar name, despite a younger, energetic opponent. Voters were willing to put aside the clown show 10 days ago at Madison Square Garden, filled with racist "jokes" and speeches. They gave in to fear. Some, we can argue, offered sympathy after a bullet grazed Trump's ear in a rally in Pennsylvania 4 months ago.

Eight years ago, Trump supporters chanted, "Lock her up!", in reference to Hillary Clinton, who never saw a second in jail after all. The fear the media has now is that Trump will surround himself with sycophants willing to do what he wants without question. It's been rumored that Trump's pet judge in Florida, Aileen Cannon, could be Attorney General, replacing Merrick Garland, as a reward for her bias in one of his cases. Cannon isn't even qualified to be a law clerk.

More than a century ago, Grover Cleveland was re-elected after losing his first bid for a second term. Today, he has some rather dubious company in Trump.

To the voters who finally gave Trump the popular vote, which he lost in 2016 & 2020, on his 3rd & final try, pray that the worst doesn't come to pass after all. But, due to your collective ignorance of facts & common sense, plus the fact that Trump was the worst president ever the first time around, you deserve this:

Quincy Jones (1933-2024)

 You know his iconic themes from Ironside and Sanford & Son. You know the hits he produced for George Benson ("Give Me The Night"), Michael Jackson ("Thriller"), USA For Africa ("We Are The World"), as well as Lesley Gore, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, and much, much more. To his friends and fans, he was simply "Q".

On Sunday, Quincy Jones passed away at 91. The Chicago native was one of a select group to win entertainment's Grand Slam (Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, Tony) in the course of his career. Jones also composed the music for the Roots miniseries, and his 1962 composition, "Soul Bossa Nova", became the theme of Mike Myers' "Austin Powers" movies (1997-2002).

"Soul Bossa Nova" was released on Mercury. Jones then released "The Streetbeater" (the Sanford theme) on A & M in 1973. His final run on the charts came in 1989 when his album, "Back on The Block", produced the hit single, "I'll Be Good To You", sung by Ray Charles & Chaka Khan.

I thought about using a more recent rendition of "Soul Bossa Nova" from The Late Show With David Letterman, but opted for the 1962 recording.....

Jones was one of several celebrity guests who appeared in Jamie Foxx's video for "Blame It" in 2009.

Rest in peace.

On The Air: News, Views, & Interviews (1950's-present)

 News, Views, & Interviews is the longest running public affairs program on local commercial radio, launching sometime in the 50's, and hosted by Art Mitchell. Today, Aaron Mair is the solo host, working without a moderator, and, as we've documented in this space previously, the half hour show is reduced to 20 minutes or so when it airs Sunday mornings on WROW, which edits out the commercials.

Mair records the show in mid-week, and although he's been flying solo as host for 2 years now, Mair is still a wee bit nervous in the studio, even though he's the one conducting the interviews, not the interviewee.

Local activist Nell Stokes has not only been a guest in recent years, but, during the 90's, she hosted the show. Veteran DJ Joe Condon was the moderator until his retirement in 2022, but Albany/Pamal Broadcasting is too cheap to find a new moderator to help Mair along. Conversely, weekend DJ Bill Williams has taken over Albany Street after Brian Cady was bounced in February, and is rolling along nicely.

Ms. Stokes has her own YouTube channel, from which we get this 1995 episode, clocking in at 46 minutes, and, based on Condon's intro, aired at night. The guest is then-WNYT anchor Elaine Houston, who retired in December 2023.

I think Interviews also airs on other Albany Broadcasting channels with commercials in place (i.e.JAMZ 96.3). Today's episode with state assemblyman John McDonald, the former mayor of Cohoes, was set for 2 commercial breaks, but WROW bounced out at 6:20 am (ET) for Albany Street.

Rating: B.

Sports this 'n' that

 Hot stove league season has begun, with three prominent pitchers entering free agency.

The Mets' Sean Manaea opted out of his contract. So did Blake Snell in San Francisco, and Gerrit Cole with the Yankees.

World Series Dunce Gerrit Cole.

However, the Yankees, per Yahoo!, could retain Cole by adding another year to his deal, which had four more years to run.

The common thread, of course, is that all three pitchers are represented by reprehensible con man Scott Boras Badenov, who wants his myriad of clients to chase the money in free agency. He's the one to blame for the opt out clause in a lot of contracts. All this grifter is interested in is fattening his wallet even more than it already is.

The Mets, quite honestly, need Manaea back, but Boras instructed him to opt out after the season he had in Flushing. Snell wasn't exactly a Cy Young winner in San Francisco, so what make him & Boras think he'll make more money elsewhere? Cole, if he decides not to return to the Bronx, didn't endear himself to Yankee fans in the World Series with his "traffic cop" gaffe Wednesday night, but it was a sign that his best days are behind him, too.

The Yanks also declined the option on first baseman Anthony Rizzo, perhaps a sign they'd want to lure Pete Alonso away from the Mets. Hmmmmmmm.

============================================

Karma came a'callin' in Happy Valley Saturday morning.

Prior to the Penn State-Ohio State game, which aired on Fox, ESPN's College GameDay was in State College as well, and Jason Kelce, in his first season with ESPN, was confronted by a pea-brained Penn State student.

To make a long story short, this jabroni, with a cell phone in hand, recording the incident for his own amusement, claimed, falsely, of course, that Kelce's brother, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, was gay for being in a relationship with singer Taylor Swift.

I honestly think this kid either left his brains in his dorm this morning, or had already finished a six pack from the previous night, because he clearly was asking for trouble. Jason Kelce turned, snatched the phone, and spiked it to the ground. What was the student thinking?

As for the karma? Penn State got spanked by Ohio State.

===========================================

It's clear Michigan will not repeat as National Champion this year.

The Wolverines were routed at home, 38-17, by the current #1 team in the country, Oregon, this afternoon.

Then again, former coach Jim Harbaugh isn't exactly doing much better in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers.......

Dodgers win the World Series after a defensive tank job by the Yankees

 After signs of life in game 4 on Tuesday, the Yankees were looking to take the World Series back to Los Angeles by beating the Dodgers in game 5 on Wednesday night.

For four innings, it looked like mission accomplished. Gerrit Cole looked like an ace. Looked like the Cy Young award winner of a year ago. He held the Dodgers hitless through 4 innings.

But, in the 5th, Cole and the Yankees ran out of gas.

Aaron Judge, who put the Yankees up, 2-0, in the 1st with a homer, had a routine fly ball clank off his glove for an error. On the next play, Anthony Volpe tried a force out at 3rd, but the ball deflected off the glove of Jazz Chisholm, Jr. for another error.

Then, with the bases loaded, Mookie Betts hit a ground ball to 1st baseman Anthony Rizzo, but, instead of covering the bag, Cole directed traffic, and got caught catching flies as a run scored, and Betts sprinted to 1st without a throw. Next, Freddie Freeman locked up Series MVP honors with a double that plated two more runs, and he'd come around to score shortly thereafter, tying the game at 5 going into the home 5th.

Cole came back for the 6th, but he was clearly gassed.

Let's look at the highlights.

Cole and Juan Soto will be free agents, and agent Scott Boras Badenov will want them chasing the money. Cole is opting out of his contract, a Boras tactic, but that 5th inning may have been what wrote his ticket out of town if he does decide to leave.

And, for his gaffe in that 5th inning, Cole gets this:

We'll send one to Yankee manager Aaron Boone, who may have had his last game in the Bronx, as well. His decision making was questionable for much of the post-season.

As for the Dodgers, the passing of 1981 hero Fernando Valenzuela last week, after clinching the NL title, galvanized them even further. Small wonder a lot of people felt that tipped the Series in LA's favor.

Now, can the Dodgers repeat as champs? We'll find out this time next year.

Musical Interlude: It's a Mistake (1983)

 Men at Work's final single from 1983's "Cargo" was the satirical "It's a Mistake", which starts with some stop motion animation, then goes on as a musical anti war anthem.

The Bethlehem swatter's been found-------in Canada

 Last month, Bethlehem High was deluged with phone threats directed at the football team, among other things. One game was cancelled. A men's soccer match vs. the same opponent---Christian Brothers Academy----was postponed twice before it was finally played earlier this month, right before sectionals.

We're now learning that on October 25, an arrest was made-----in Canada. Specifically, Halifax, Nova Scotia. A 14 year old was charged with making the threats, but for now, the charges are only within Canadian confines.

"We're still working with the FBI. I hear they want to send this kid to New York, wherever that is!"

Since this Weasel is a juvenile, his name is not being released. It has been confirmed that this punk was spoofing internet IP's and phone numbers to keep authorities guessing. If you thought this was all a joke, son, it isn't.

Swatting calls can be hazardous, not only to law enforcement, but also innocent citizens targeted for no other reason than someone else's sick amusement. 

If only this dweeb would've done something even simpler, like Bart Simpson for example.

I think The Simpsons ultimately scaled back or retired the phone pranks.

In any case, in this writer's opinion, because of what happened at Bethlehem, based in Delmar, this kid should be extradited to Albany to be held accountable, tried as an adult, and get a few lessons on what real comedy is meant to be. As I've already spoiled, our Canadian John Doe is this week's Weasel of The Week.

What Might've Been: Born Free (1974)

Born Free, by Joy Adamson, was adapted into a TV series by Columbia Pictures Television and NBC in 1974, with Diana Muldaur as Adamson, an Gary Collins (ex-The Sixth Sense) as George Adamson in the tale about the Adamsons & their adopted pet lioness, Elsa.

NBC's mistake was putting the show on Mondays, opposite Gunsmoke (in its final season) and The Rookies. Thanks for coming. Born Free barely made it to Christmas.

At home, my folks were into Gunsmoke, and Born Free was barely, if at all, considered, so no rating.

In this sampler, Juliet Mills guests as a surgeon transitioning into a bush doctor traveling by plane. Hal Frederick (ex-The Interns) co-stars.

The episode reunited Mills with her former boss at 20th Century Fox, David Gerber, who was the executive producer of Nanny & The Professor, and had the same gig at Columbia on this series and a few others (i.e. Police Story).

On The Shelf: Some Halloween treats (?), and a local news weekly returns

 Ahead of their forthcoming animated series on Max, starting in December, the Creature Commandos have returned to comics.

Originally introduced in Weird War Tales (1st series) in 1980 as a World War II superteam, the Commandos have been rebooted and repackaged as a modern day unit that answers to General Wade Eiling, and, unbeknownst to the team, Brainiac is also involved.

You have a patchwork Monster of Frankenstein, "Lucky" Taylor, who can actually speak in this series. Vincent Velcro, the vampire, is now presented as a modern day teenage or 20-something punk with a criminal record (the original Velcro, aka Velcoro, was an Army deserter). The werewolf is now a woman, Wanda Griffith (the original was a Southern boy, Warren Griffith, with a speech impediment). Dr. Medusa is still around, and Matthew Shrieve, the team's commanding officer in the original series, has been rebooted as well, now with a prosthetic, weaponized left arm.

The splash page offers a direct shot at Marvel with the logo design recalling early 70's Marvel, before Stan Lee put his name on every splash page. The use of Brainiac almost guarantees some Justice League involvement in this 6 issue series, written by actor David Dastmalchian. We'll see how this plays out.

Rating: B.

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For 36 years (1978-2014), Metroland was an alternative news weekly that covered just about everything. In its pages. It also introduced readers to writer-artist Matt Groening, whose Life is Hell strip predated The Simpsons by a few years.

As of Friday, Metroland is back.

Singer-songwriter-stand up comic Erin Harkes acquired the rights to Metroland earlier this year, and the first issue in 10 years dropped on Friday, and it's like it never left. Former writers like OP Callaghan, Byron Nilsson, and Al Quaglieri have moved on, and Harkes has rebooted with a new staff. The energy is there, and a few advertisers (i.e. MVP Arena) from the old days are on board.

Thank you, Erin.

==========================================

Marvel's annual Crypt of Shadows 1-shot is more of the same as last year, this year hosted by their rebooted Agatha Harkness as a means of promoting Disney+'s Agatha All Along. This volume includes a Blade team-up with Jack Russell, the original Werewolf by Night, predating the events of the Blood Hunt miniseries, and Namor & Man-Thing are an unlikely pairing.

Rating: B--.

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Archie Comics figured that in order to sell more copies of their annual Halloween Spectacular 1-shot, they needed to add Archie Andrews himself to the mix, along with Betty, Veronica, and Jughead.

The usual all-new 5 page story has the gang meeting Sabrina's nemesis, Amber Nightstone, and the Wicked Trinity. Unfortunately, writer Ian Flynn took the Image Comics approach, and dropped us right in the middle of the action, which is always a mistake in my book. While Jug is supposed to be a Frankenstein Monster, despite that omnipresent beanie, the colorist forgot to add the green makeup on the cover. Archie does not turn into a werewolf in the story, contrary to said cover, though Sabrina does wear the same outfit, fishnet stockings included.

As for Amber, what self-respecting witch actually wears fangs?

The reprints are of more recent vintage, including appearances by the Superteens and Mighty Crusaders.

The covers declares this volume as "The official comic book of Halloween". No, it isn't, when your lead story is just 5 pages. This should've been a book lengther. We love the artwork from Steven & Lila Butler, but Flynn needs to remember how to write longer stories.

Rating: B-.

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DC Horror in 2024 lacks the hosts of yore, which were co-opted by Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, et al, 40 years ago, and the aforementioned David Dastmalchian is heard from again with a Dollhouse story that, if you're not familiar with the concept, will confuse you. Superman does not appear, as the cover is misleading. Wonder Woman does figure into the 2nd story, but it is forgettable.

Rating; C-.

The worst kind of political smear is when an innocent voter's remarks are used for the wrong reasons

 A supposedly non-partisan political action committee (PAC) is under fire for using footage of an NBC News interview with a Philadelphia woman without the woman's consent in a pro-Donald Trump ad. 

The Restoration PAC cherry-picked portions of an interview Kim Burrell gave to NBC in July, before President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid to continue a national smear campaign against VP Kamala Harris. NBC did a follow-up so Burrell can set the record straight.

Unsurprisingly, reps for Restoration and the Trump campaign refused to respond to NBC's requests for comment. Whomever created the ad under the Restoration banner was in the tank for Trump, and, for all we know, could've been working independently to do a solid for the former president. The last thing Trump needs, of course, is another defamation lawsuit tied to him.

Stay tuned.

World Series 2024 preview

 There are those that will claim Major League Baseball & Fox got what they wanted for the World Series, which begins tonight in Los Angeles.

They wanted the two biggest stars in the game, the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and the Yankees' Aaron Judge, both in their first Fall Classic, on the biggest stage, and they got it. To them, the dreams of another Subway Series between the Mets & Yankees would have to wait.

Confined to DH as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, Ohtani had a season for the ages. Only San Diego's Luis Arraez winning the batting title kept Ohtani from the NL Triple Crown. Judge was just being his usual self, part of an imposing middle of the batting order, flanked by Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, and/or Austin Wells, the latter of whom had a breakout season, while Stanton regained his power stroke in the AL playoffs.

In the Dodgers' defense, the Mets did them a favor by ousting NL East champ Philadelphia, adding to the misery of Phillies slugger Bryce Harper, who left Washington for Philly before the Nationals won it all 5 years ago. Soto was a part of that 2019 Washington club, and now seeks his 2nd ring.

Winning another title would give the Yanks a chance to re-sign Soto to a longer contract, although Soto's agent, Scott Boras Badenov, would rather have Soto chase the money and seek his fortunes elsewhere. Boras doesn't get it. His shell game tactics are dying out, but that's for another time.

New York's already seen one tickertape parade this week (The WNBA's Liberty), and would love to have another if the Yankees avenge their 1981 loss. Gerrit Cole takes the ball tonight for the Yanks, opposed by Jack Flaherty. Ohtani aside, the Dodgers do have some issues on offense, with the questionable health of Freddie Freeman, who's also seeking his 2nd ring (Atlanta 2021), nursing an ankle injury.

For the pride of New York, the pick is the Yankees in 7.

Of course, I could be wrong.

The desperation is strong in 518 Republicans

 12 days before election day, and the desperation in the Republican party has hit close to home.

In radio ads, state assemblyman Phil Steck's campaign, while not saying his opponent's name, is tying Republican challenger Jeff Madden to Ohio junior senator and GOP VP wanna-be JD Vance, stating that Madden is parroting GOP falsehoods in an effort to malign Steck.

Steck and his campaign won't say Madden's name to avoid giving him any free publicity. In other words, the challenger has to earn his bones, if you will. Much like Marc Molinaro's campaign is smearing challenger Josh Riley, Madden reportedly has accused Steck in relation to illegal immigrants entering the country.

The immigration issue is exaggerated. This country was built on immigration, remember, but today's GOP wants you to think that all migrants crossing from Central or South America are bad. They're not. 

And, then, there is Joe Mastroianni.

Mastroianni is also looking to unseat a veteran assemblyman in Angelo Santabarbara. It was on the news overnight and this morning that Mastroianni had taken a campaign flier mailed by Santabarbara's campaign out of a prospective voter's mailbox, subbing in one of his own, pocketing the rival flier, and walking off, ignorant of the fact that this was caught on video.

This case has gone national, as Jesse Dollemore will explain.

Let's be clear. Neither Madden nor Mastroianni has even a shooter's chance of winning in 12 days. This is desperation in its purest form. Mastroianni is lying and deflecting. Chuck Miller's take on this earlier today is worth a look:

Hey! Real “election interference” in the Capital District, caught on video! – Chuck The Writer

And Donald Trump and his flacks want to whine about "election interference" when it isn't happening? That's become boring. The real interference is from Mastroianni, resorting to a form of voter suppression, basically trying to force the voter to vote for him. That ain't happening, especially now that this case has gotten mainstream attention.

Steck & Santabarbara will be just fine. In four years two more wanna-bes will try to topple them. Life will go on, and Madden & Mastroianni will be footnotes in history.

Sports this 'n' that

 Lost amidst the football & baseball over the weekend, the NY Liberty won their first WNBA title on Sunday, defeating Minnesota in 5 games. It wasn't so long ago that James Dolan had sold the team, and the Liberty have flourished under new ownership. Belated congratulations.

==========================================

Jests owner Woody Johnson unwittingly gave his team the kiss of death Sunday in Pittsburgh when he invited Orange Narcissus himself, Donald Trump, as a guest at the Jests-Steelers game. Johnson had served as an ambassador under Trump, and this was a way of returning the favor to his old boss.

Unfortunately, the Jests blew a 2 point halftime lead, and lost, 37-15. This Sunday, the Jests look to complete a season sweep of New England, after 8 years of having it done to them. Yeah, right.

===========================================

The World Series is now set, after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Mets on Sunday, 10-5, to win the NLCS in 6 games. Los Angeles now will host the Yankees, starting on Friday night.

Less than 48 hours after the game, one of the team's icons of the 80's passed away.

Fernando Valenzuela, who as a rookie not only won the Rookie of The Year in the National League in 1981, but also the Cy Young Award, and helped the Dodgers defeat the Yankees in 6 games. Valenzuela would win another title 7 years later, as the Dodgers defeated Oakland.

In 1990, Valenzuela added one more milestone. Vin Scully takes us back to a June night vs. the Cardinals.

In recent years, Valenzuela was a color analyst for the Dodgers' Spanish language broadcasts until taking ill earlier this year.

Rest in peace.

Weasel of The Week: A petty, orange clown

 Earlier this summer, after accepting the Democratic nomination for President, VP Kamala Harris shared that she had worked at McDonald's as one of her first jobs during her youth.

You and I can relate to her, you see. My first job was a summer job between my junior & senior years in high school, for example, working with a senior custodian in the Troy school district.

Donald Trump, the Archduke of Affluenza, however, isn't buying Harris' honesty. He claims she's lying, but, then again, he lies virtually 24/7/365/52. Truth is a stranger to this 78 year old charlatan who's only running to avoid accountability for his crimes, and prison.

On Sunday, in the small town of Feasterville, Pennsylvania, a local McDonald's closed its doors to the public for about an hour or three, and worked with local Trump campaign volunteers to have Trump put on the act of working at the drive-thru. Of course, Trump committed a boo-boo by not wearing a hair net and gloves on the job----which are mandatory for food service workers in this era! The lack of a net I can see, given Donnie Diapers' vanity. The lack of gloves? Not so much.

Jesse Dollemore fills us in.

I wonder how much Trump paid this McDonald's franchise to play along with this charade. Common sense would've been to lose the bronzer for a day, wear the hair net & gloves, and be humble, but the latter is something Trump doesn't know thing one how to be. Kinda like the reaction to work from this guy........

In 15 days, America will vote with their hearts, and give the Annoying Orange a real reality check. Of course, Trump is also a lifetime Weasel, which goes without saying.

The Yankees advance to the World Series. Who's next?

 It has been 15 years since the Yankees have won a World Series title. They foiled the Philadelphia Phillies' bid to repeat back in 2009, but it has been frustration since for a franchise whose fan base isn't satisfied unless they win it all.

Saturday, the Yanks needed 10 innings to eliminate the Cleveland Guardians, and the author of that win was outfielder Juan Soto.......

Now, the Bronx Bombers await either the Mets or the Los Angeles Dodgers, who resume the NLCS tonight at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers lead, 3-2, but reportedly will have the bullpen pitch this elimination game. This strategy backfired in game 2 last Monday, so is Dave Roberts tempting fate again?

I've read of people who believe that MLB and Fox want the Dodgers in a rematch from 1981. They're less convinced of a Subway Series rematch, the last of which was in 2000. Why would Fox want Yankees-Dodgers? A matchup of two of the biggest names in the game, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, both of whom would be in their first World Series. Judge is already there, but will Ohtani join him? 

Stay tuned.

Musical Interlude: What Does it Take (To Win Your Love)(1968)

 Junior Walker and The All-Stars are best known for "Shotgun". However, another Walker track, "What Does it Take (To Win Your Love)", has been getting some heavy play on local oldies channels of late.

Who actually needs a cognitive test? It ain't the vice president!!

 After Vice President Kamala Harris took Fox No News' Bret Baier to school on Wednesday night, Donald Trump flipped out yet again.

Baier, who is supposed to be a respected journalist, was given his orders to push the false narratives to try to unnerve Harris, who, at 59, is nearly 20 years Trump's junior. To her credit, Harris wasn't having any of it. As Farron Cousins explains, Donnie Diapers went ballistic.

We all know that Trump can't deal with strong, assertive women, especially women of color such as Harris, Judge Tonya Chutkan, and NY AG Leticia James. He would later go back on Truthless Social and again demand that CBS be stripped of its broadcast license, which the FCC has already rebuked him for, and that President Joe Biden be reinstated as the Democratic nominee. Sorry, but that ship sailed when Biden withdrew three months ago. Trump wants Biden, because he believes the current chief executive is an easier opponent, and because he's frustrated that the GOP's efforts to smear Harris have failed spectacularly.

Then comes word that Donnie Diapers also is trying to force a fresh Non-Disclosure Agreement on adult film actress Stormy Daniels, so he can avoid paying her what he owes. He's that allergic to spending his own money. This is why he'd rather repeatedly grift his marks. Unfortunately for Trump, it would appear that scheme didn't work, either.

When the official results come in somewhere between November 5-6, someone's going to need to give Trump a sedative, and if he decides to flip out again, well, I don't think I need to tell you what'll happen next.

Musical Interlude: Keep on Dancin' (1965)

 Before he got the wrestling bug, Jimmy Hart was a vocalist for the Gentrys, whose one big hit, "Keep on Dancin'", still gets heavy airplay on oldies channels nearly 60 years later.

Larry Raspberry is the lead singer, front & center in this clip from Hullabaloo:

Kamala Harris goes on Fox News. Donald Trump wimps out on interviews on CBS & CNBC

 Bob Raissman, long time sports media columnist for the New York Daily News, refers to interviews that tend to pander to the subject as "twinkie munches". This is why Donald Trump gives a lot of time to Fox No News' Spam Hannity and Laura Inkblot.

He was supposed to appear on a special Monday edition of 60 Minutes 10 days ago, on a show where VP Kamala Harris, his opponent, was also appearing in a separate, pre-taped, interview. Trump wimped out at the last minute, and had his press flunky, Steven Cheung, offer excuses. 60 Minutes co-anchor Scott Pelley, however, had receipts, stating that Cheung, on behalf of Trump, had originally agreed to the interview. Trump, of course, couldn't handle that very well......

"WAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Since then, Trump has cancelled a scheduled interview with CNBC's John Kernan, a conservative commentator.

Wednesday, Trump had a town hall on Fox No News, with Harris Faulkner pitching the usual twinkies in front of a crowd of Trump supporters, all women, and edited to try to avoid the obvious. Meanwhile, Harris was interviewed by Bret Baier, who clearly was under orders from his bosses to try to make Harris look bad. It didn't work. Harris pushed back at Baier. After the interview, Fox No News went into spin mode to try to soothe the damaged psyches of their audience. Pundits like Farron Cousins & Brian Tyler Cohen could see right through the spin, and declared that Baier was made to look like a chump.

With less than three weeks to the election, there are polls that skew in favor of Trump by design. There are polls that consistently favor Harris. The GOP will stop at nothing to try to throw the election in favor of Trump, so he can avoid the inevitable, facing either jail time, or, if his mental issues are as bad as many of us think they are, in a rest home, preferably with rubber padded walls. 

Know this. If Trump does lose on November 5, he'll try to whine and claim it was rigged---again-----because he can't accept losing gracefully. You know you're getting this:

Spook Rock: Danse Macabre (2023)

 Wait. Duran Duran? Spook rock? Yup.

"Danse Macabre" was released a year ago, with the title track as the lead single. The video uses puppets, among other things, with the band in Halloween themed makeup.

2024 ALCS preview

 For the 2nd straight night, sports fans in New York will have their remotes in hand, as the American League Championship Series gets underway, with the Yankees hosting the Cleveland Guardians, while, across the river in New Jersey, the Jets host Buffalo on Monday Night Football. The Yanks-Guardians game gets a headstart, set to begin on TBS just after 7:30 (ET), which should be after the Mets & Dodgers conclude their business at Dodger Stadium.

Alex Cobb gets the start for Cleveland, while Aaron Boone is entrusting Carlos Rodon to open the series for the Yankees. New York will follow with Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, & Luis Gil in games 2-4, in that order.

Cleveland is coming off a 5 game ALDS victory over Central division rival Detroit, reaching the ALCS for the first time in 8 years, hoping to return to the World Series. One would think that the Yankees might be the beneficiaries of extra rest, but as we saw with Dodgers-Mets game 1 last night, that's not always the case. The Dodgers rode the momentum from eliminating San Diego on Friday to a 9-0 rout last night.

Thus, it's the momentum of the Guardians that the Yankees have to blunt, first & foremost. The Bronx Bombers would love to get superstars Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, & Giancarlo Stanton to the Fall Classic, just as much as Cleveland would like to reward their MVP candidate, Jose Ramirez. The Guardians also acquired playoff hero Lane Thomas from Washington at the trade deadline, and Thomas is 5 years removed from winning a ring with the Nationals.

Cleveland would love to have some more positive vibes in the fall, considering the Browns are in the basement of the AFC North at the moment. Fans in New York will be busy all week, between the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Islanders, Jets, and preseason basketall with the Knicks & Nets.

I would concede game 1 to Cleveland if Rodon isn't on his A game, based on what I've seen this season.

That said......

The pick: Yankees in 6.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Musical Interlude: Just so Lonely (1981)

 Up until Chuck Miller posted this next video on his blog on Friday, Get Wet had been consigned to the land of forgotten bands.

The group's lone top 40 hit, "Just so Lonely", peaked at #39 on the Hot 100, but was more successful in Australia, peaking at #15. Go figure. What I do know is that WTRY, when it was home to American Top 40, had this in medium to heavy rotation for a while in the spring-summer of 1981.

The video being set at what looks like a high school dance seems appropriate.......!

It's going to feel like 1988 again. Maybe

 The National League Championship Series is now set, and it's a rematch from 1988, as the Mets will face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

To be fair, no one expected the Mets to get this far, but the addition of veteran infielder Jose Iglesias, now moonlighting as a singer in his spare time, and riding a promotional appearance by McDonald's mascot Grimace at Citi Field, have gotten Carlos Mendoza's club to the NLCS for the first time since 2015. They defeated two divisional champions in Milwaukee and Philadelphia to get here, and taking down perennial NL West champion Los Angeles? That would be icing on the cake.

But, these are not the Dodgers of Tom Lasorda, Orel Herschiser, and friends, any more than these would be a reincarnation of the Keith Hernandez-Gary Carter-Darryl Strawberry Mets of the mid-to-late 80's These Dodgers, in the last two offseasons, acquired Freddie Freeman, long a Met killer from his days in Atlanta, and Shohei Ohtani, whose otherworldly performance this season has all but assured another MVP award, absent a late surge for the Mets' Francisco Lindor.

As for how the Dodgers got here? Check this.

As with the Brewers & Phillies, the Dodgers dominated the regular season series vs. the Mets, but this is not the same Mets team they saw in the spring, not by any stretch. Kodai Senga missed most of the season, save for a spot start in September, and made a cameo appearance in the NLDS. He's going to pitch in the NLCS, facing his countryman Ohtani, to be sure. The Dodgers went the full 5 vs. San Diego, and they should be prepared for a likely 7 game series with the Mets.

A friend asked me the other day if there was a chance for another Subway Series between the Mets & Yankees. Those chances are getting stronger every day.

That said.......

The Pick: Mets in 7.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Musical Interlude: Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1965)

 The current iteration of Herman's Hermits will be hitting the 518 next month as part of a nostalgia tour with Gary Lewis & The Playboys and The Grass Roots. 

But, let's take a trip back to 1965 and The Ed Sullivan Show for Peter Noone and company with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter":

What Might've Been: The Family Game (1967)

 Imagine The Newlywed Game with kids. Chuck Barris thought this might work just as well, but The Family Game wasn't a big hit.

The Family Game aired on ABC from June-December 1967, with Bob Barker (Truth or Consequences) as host. The series ended up finishing a few days after Christmas.

Nearly 20 years later, Barris tried mounting a new version, with Jeff MacGregor, who'd been entrusted to revive The Dating Game, as host. That pilot went unsold.

Let's take you back to 1967.

No rating. I was only 4 when this was on the air.

Musical Interlude: By The Time I Get To Phoenix (1967)

 Jimmy Webb wrote "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" nearly 60 years ago, and it was first recorded by Johnny Rivers on his album, "Changes". Two years later, the definitive version was released by Glen Campbell.

Creepy TV: Creeps (1955)

 When we last looked in on The Three Stooges, we saw "The Ghost Talks". Six years later, it was remade as "Creeps", with the boys doubling as their own sons while footage from the earlier film was redone.

Rating: B.

2024 Division Series preview

 3 of the 4 Wild Card series ended Wednesday. The last one just ended as these words are being written. Allow me to quote the late Vin Scully:

"In a season that has become improbable, the impossible has happened!"

The Mets, left for dead in the NL East at the end of May, and trailing 2-0 in the 9th at Milwaukee, scored 4 runs off Brewers closer Devin Williams to eliminate Milwaukee, sending the Brewers to their 2nd straight Wild Card loss (they were eliminated by Arizona last year).

Next stop for the Mets: Philadelphia, and a resumption of hostilities with the Phillies.

Now, with 8 teams left, let's take a look at the Division Series:

National League:

San Diego @ Los Angeles: The Padres dismissed Atlanta in 2 straight, and now they get another go at their divisional rivals, the Dodgers. Unfortunately for San Diego, one of their aces, former Tri-City Valleycat Joe Musgrove, left Wednesday's game with an injury, and may not be available for the Dodger series.

For Shohei Ohtani, the presumptive NL MVP, it's his first postseason, and you know he wants to make a lasting impression. However, Freddie Freeman is questionable because of an injury, and we'll know come Saturday night if he's ready to go. Clayton Kershaw may have a World Series ring, won 4 years ago, but he's still had some postseason issues.

The familiarity of these teams in the regular season will play a role in this series. This Dodger dynasty is on fumes.

Pick: San Diego in 4.

Mets @ Philadelphia: Philly may have won the season series, but the Mets have now gotten off the deck twice this week to advance. There was a time not too long ago where the Mets used Citizens Bank Park as a 2nd home park, and with the momentum New York now has, it may be again. The Phils have that human albatross, Bryce Harper, who's still looking for his first championship, having been denied two years ago. The Mets want to extend the season to try to coax Pete Alonso, who won tonight's game for them, into defying his greedy agent, Scott Boras Badenov, and staying in Flushing. David Peterson, who was the closer tonight after that 4 run top of the 9th, will start at least one game, probably at home, unless his low pitch count allows him to go on Sunday.

Don't forget that the Mets already have one improbable win over the Phils in London back in June. There's more magic where that came from.

Pick: Mets in 5.

American League:

Kansas City @ Yankees: A classic postseason rivalry is revived. These teams met 4 times in October in a 5 year span (1976-8, 1980). It's a different era, of course, but you know those classic playoffs will be revisited this weekend. Ex-Met & Padre Seth Lugo started Wednesday's series clincher over Baltimore, but didn't finish 5 innings. He returns to New York as an elite pitcher after finishing his Mets tenure as a reliever. 

After Gerrit Cole & Carlos Rodon, does Marcus Stroman return to the Yankee rotation. I'd say, yeah. They need his veteran experience. The Yankees' lethal offense (i.e. Juan Soto, Aaron Judge) will be the difference in this series.

Pick: Yanks in 4.

Detroit @ Cleveland: Another series involving division rivals, the Tigers & Guardians will get after it. Let's not forget that this is the 40th anniversary of Detroit's World Series run, when they beat San Diego in the Fall Classic. The Tigers have the momentum after sweeping Houston, and I can see a 1st ever Tigers-Yankees LCS.

Pick: Detroit in 3.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Creepy TV: The Ghost Talks (1949)

 The Three Stooges are movers tasked to remove some items from a reputedly haunted castle, and meet a suit of armor housing a ghost. Here's "The Ghost Talks":

Rating: B.

Musical Interlude: The Straw Hat Song (1968)

 From season 1 of The Mothers-in-Law:

Executive producer Desi Arnaz moved in front of the camera for a 2 part episode, culminating in a musical number in part 2, which we're showcasing. Son Desi, Jr. plays a courier who is recruited to play drums for a show in Mexico.

Following is "The Straw Hat Song". The show's regulars (Eve Arden, Herbert Rudley, Jerry Vogel, Deborah Walley, Kaye Ballard, & Roger C. Carmel) join the fun at the end of the song.

A few months later, Desi, Jr. and sister Lucie were cast on their mom's show, Here's Lucy, and both would make their fair share of TV-movies, albeit separately.

As the silly season begins, part 2

 In a couple of hours, the AL Wild Card begins. Later this afternoon, the NL Wild Card gets underway, as the last two spots were filled yesterday.

The Mets & Atlanta split a doubleheader, and people are still talking about how the Braves bullpen choked away a 3-0 lead in the 8th......

So, here we go:

Mets @ Milwaukee: The Brewers won 5 of 6, including 2 of 3 over the weekend. The Mets return to beer country to try to pick up where they left off in Sunday's game. Keep in mind that the Brewers don't have their #1 star, Christian Yelich, out for the year. Luis Severino, who pitched in a few playoff games with the Yankees, gets the ball today, with Sean Manaea to follow tomorrow. The Mets enter this series looking to even things out with Milwaukee, and, in this improbable season.....

Pick: Mets in 3.

Atlanta @ San Diego: A Met sweep Monday would've meant a rematch from 2022, but that ain't happening. After an emotional doubleheader split, Atlanta needs to regroup, but can they? It isn't enough that Philadelphia ended the Braves' run of 6 straight division titles. The Phils don't want to see the Braves the rest of the year. With Chris Sale questionable due to back spasms, the Braves' already battered rotation is in deep trouble, and the Padres would like a shot at revenge against Philadelphia.

Pick: San Diego in 3. 

Of course, I could be wrong.

As the silly season begins........

 Major League Baseball's postseason begins tomorrow. As of now, the AL bracket is set, as the Yankees claimed the top seed with 94 wins, followed by Cleveland with 92. The NL? Pending the outcome of the 2nd game of today's Braves-Mets doubleheader, either Atlanta or Arizona, last year's NL champion, will advance. We'll have the NL bracket tomorrow.

American League preview:

Wild Card:

Kansas City @ Baltimore:

Once upon a time, both teams were in a position to win their divisions. The AL Central was that wide open for most of the year, absent the historically putrid Chicago White Sox. Baltimore collapsed late, enabling the Yankees to win the division.

The question, of course, is can the Orioles recover? Kansas City hasn't seen the postseason since beating the Mets in 2015, so they're hungry. There'll be some Royals fans here in the home district, as manager Matt Quatraro grew up in the 518, and graduated from Bethlehem High. You can argue that this would make the Royals a sentimental favorite in some corners of this region.

However, Baltimore, galvanized by last year's run, will be prepared to go further.

Pick: Baltimore in 3.

Detroit @ Houston:

The Astros won another AL West title, but not in as dominant fashion as per normal. No, they had to get up off the deck, and overtake Seattle to claim the title. Detroit was one of those teams that was in the AL Central hunt most of the season, and even led at one point. Like the Royals, the Tigers are young and hungry. Houston advancing is not guaranteed, but......!

Pick: Houston in 3.

The Division series pairings will be decided by the two wild card series. The way we see it, it'll be Baltimore renewing hostilities with the Yanks, while Houston goes to Cleveland.

We'll see if that does come to pass. Of course, I could be wrong.

Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024)

 While I was at church this morning, the worship team was warming up with a few bars of Kris Kristofferson's country gospel classic, "Why Me Lord". The drummer then told me in an aside that Kristofferson had passed away.

Confirmation came several hours later with a headline on Yahoo!, which had gotten the information nearly 24 hours after Kristofferson had passed away at 88, three months after his birthday.

Kristofferson not only scored a massive hit with "Why Me Lord", but also wrote hits for other artists, including "Me & Bobby McGee" (Roger Miller, Janis Joplin), "For The Good Times" (Ray Price, Ray Stevens), "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" (Johnny Cash), and "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (Sammi Smith, Gladys Knight & The Pips). He had essays published in the Atlantic Monthly that earned him his first acclaim as a writer.

Kristofferson played rugby in high school & college, and served in the Army before heading to Nashville in the 60's. He also turned to acting, with roles including "Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid", "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", "Convoy", "Semi-Tough", "A Star is Born", and the "Blade" trilogy with Wesley Snipes. 

The following clip is of Kristofferson performing "For The Good Times".

Rest in peace, Kris.

When Oxydol was a major detergent (1960's-70's)

 Here's a block of commercials Procter & Gamble produced for Oxydol laundry detergent. Pat Carroll (ex-Make Room For Daddy) stars in 3 of the 5 ads, including one with Bill Fiore as a salesman, perfecting the sad sack character he'd later use in Right Guard ads with Chuck McCann.

P & G sold Oxydol off in 2000, and it's changed hands again since, such that you'd be hard pressed to find it at supermarkets these days.

What Might've Been: Easy Street (1986)

 After flopping in a crime drama, Partners in Crime (with Lynda Carter), Loni Anderson returned to NBC with Easy Street, a sitcom that cast Anderson as an ex-showgirl who caught a break marrying into wealth, but runs into opposition when her husband dies, and the in-laws want her out, even after she's moved her uncle (Jack Elam, ex-Struck by Lightning) and his best friend (Lee Weaver) into the mansion.

For Anderson, this also meant a mini-WKRP in Cincinnati reunion. Hugh Wilson produced, wrote, or directed most episodes. Max Tash served as a producer. In this sampler, Richard Sanders guest stars.

The series lasted just one season. Anderson, Sanders, and WKRP would return in syndication 4 years later for a 2 year run.

Rating: B-.

Creepy TV: The Munsters (1964)

 While ABC & Filmways adapted Charles Addams' long running strip, The Addams Family, into a sitcom, CBS opted for an original idea. 

Norm Liebmann & Ed Haas developed an idea from fellow writers Allan Burns & Chris Hayward (Rocky & His Friends) into The Munsters, which, like Addams, ran for 2 seasons. Herman (Fred Gwynne, ex-Car 54, Where Are You?) was a Monster of Frankenstein who worked the night shift (of course), for a firm. Grandpa (Al Lewis, ex-Car 54), a vampire, spent most of his time in a lab. Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) was his granddaughter, another vampire. Eddie (Butch Patrick) was a werewolf, as you could see. Marilyn (Beverley Owen, later succeeded by Pat Priest) was the lone human in the family, but the exact nature of where she stood in the family tree was never really clarified. As a result, she remained a bachelorette for the entire series, as all of her dates were chased off, scared.

In the opener, Marilyn wrangles an invitation for Herman & Lily to attend a costume party. Mabel Albertson, who would also recur on another freshman fantasy-com, Bewitched, Linden Chiles, and Frank Wilcox (ex-The Untouchables) guest star.

Turning 60 this week, The Munsters remains a beloved favorite of baby boomers on cable and, before that, in syndication. After the 1966 theatrical feature, "Munster, Go Home", the series would not see any sort of revival until the 80's.

Rating: B.

The poster child for gaslighting loses his license in Washington, DC. Rudy Giuliani needs to just give it up

 America's Disgrace, Rudy Giuliani, was disbarred in Washington, DC, today, for the same reason he was disbarred in New York earlier this year. He just won't stop alleging non-existent election fraud.

Already on the hook for nearly $500 million owed to mother & daughter election workers Ruby Freeman & Shay Moss in Georgia, Giuliani keeps digging a deeper hole for himself every time he appears in front of a camera, continuing to claim without evidence that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. It wasn't, but an attorney for Giuliani maintains that the former attorney general and NYC mayor actually believed there was fraud. Only because longtime pal Trump said so, actually.

Talk about gaslighting. Meet the poster child.

Giuliani, like many of Trump's supporters and allies, went all in on the phony fraud claims, but what is it going to take to make an 80 year old man understand that he's been wrong all along?

His association with Trump has caused plenty of collateral damage for Giuliani in the last two years alone. To wit:

Son Andrew failed in his bid for governor of NY 2 years ago.

Rudy's WABC radio show was cancelled earlier this year for the same reason he was disbarred. He just won't give up on the "fraud".

Rudy, taking advice, and a paycheck, from Mike Lindell, tried to start a line of coffee. DOA.

To borrow from ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, Rudy, please pick up the white courtesy phone. Your career is over.

The Orange Brat is now threatening our citizens & soldiers overseas

 The "orange brat", of course, is Donald Trump, who posted another deranged screed on Truthless Social, claiming that if he is elected, American soldiers & citizens living and/or working overseas will be subject to arrest and jail if they vote.

Bollocks & balderdash!!!

This just illustrates yet again the desperation of the former president, who can't accept the fact that voting is not restricted to domestic citizens. He didn't have a problem with this in 2016 and 2020, did he? Of course not, because he didn't think of it at the time.

Trump is that scared that he is going to get blown out at the polls November 5, and is conditioning his Legion of The Brainwashed and his drones in Washington to believe the election is rigged against him. Again.

The man is not well, mentally, it's that obvious at this point. He is paranoid, scared, and desperate. Farron Cousins breaks it down.

Sure, Trump's mini-me, Steven Cheung, will try to spin it, but it won't work.

This is the lasting image we'll have of a 78 year old man with the mind of a toddler:

Soldiers stationed overseas and their families have cast absentee ballots for years. That isn't changing, just because Trump wants to game the system. 

Bellevue is still waiting.