tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63199823850527104952024-03-19T04:48:35.653-04:00The Land of Whateverhobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.comBlogger7044125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-27820710008711191052024-03-18T18:31:00.002-04:002024-03-18T18:31:32.292-04:00MLB 2024 preview, part 2: NL East<p> In part 1, we looked at the Mets' prospects for 2024. Now, let's consider the rest of the NL East.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidaSC1U9QfRhESzRTniQ2K161QHo6_NnBwMlBB7HVll3IKAz1akHvjDL-DPNlNTUiMPlL0qGoOW_Zwz3RMRLiBA_9SwIgO2pTGu9XAPqj_2osMdRzsiKhUvSUG-TNBrCJ3V5O4Qwf8ONDOJP6ElqiCA-bKnq3wlH7Vx9sS1c5WvOju0y4-hP21cDdz2Jw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidaSC1U9QfRhESzRTniQ2K161QHo6_NnBwMlBB7HVll3IKAz1akHvjDL-DPNlNTUiMPlL0qGoOW_Zwz3RMRLiBA_9SwIgO2pTGu9XAPqj_2osMdRzsiKhUvSUG-TNBrCJ3V5O4Qwf8ONDOJP6ElqiCA-bKnq3wlH7Vx9sS1c5WvOju0y4-hP21cDdz2Jw" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta</i> has won the last 5 division titles, but hasn't been able to get out of the divisional round, eliminated by <i style="font-weight: bold;">Philadelphia</i> in 2022-3. So, how do the Braves respond?</p><p>For starters (pun intended), Chris Sale comes over from Boston via free agency to anchor the rotation. Ian Anderson starts the season in the minors and would have to be re-added to the 40 man roster to be called up. The rotation figures to have some combination of Sale, Charlie Morton, Spencer Strider, Max Fried, and any number of candidates for the 5th slot, including Jackson Stephens, Hruscar Ynoa, and Bryce Elder. We will see Anderson in Atlanta soon enough. Luis Guillorme (Mets) adds some infield insurance, and this could come back to haunt the Mets, as Guillorme joins Travis d'Arnaud in Hot-lanta. Ex-Met farmhand Jarred Kelenic (Seattle) has had a rough go in spring training, and could start the season in the minors, which explains why the Braves brought back Adam Duvall (Boston).</p><p>As for the Phillies, Bryce Harper moving to 1st base made Rhys Hoskins expendable (Milwaukee). Shaker graduate Jeff Hoffman will be a mainstay in the bullpen. The Phillies added some infield insurance by picking up Roger Clemens' son, Kody (Detroit), and Whit Merrifield (Toronto), who likely can play 1st if Harper is injured. Ex-Brave Kolby Allard adds bullpen insurance, otherwise, the rest of the roster looks the same.</p><p>After acquiring AL batting champion Luis Arraez prior to last year, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Miami</i> dipped into the AL Central again, this time signing Tim Anderson away from the White Sox. Josh Bell has been here, there, and everywhere the last few years, acquired for Jean Segura back in August. Nick Gordon (Minnesota) reunites with Arraez, and is outfield insurance. Christian Bethancourt (Tampa Bay) returns to the NL East, where he began his career in Atlanta. </p><p>In terms of pitching Miami must make do without Sandy Alcantara, out for the season due to Tommy John surgery. That's what will hurt the Marlins to the point where Arraez, Anderson, and friends will have to pick up the slack.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Washington</i> waved the white flag early the last two seasons. Adding Joey Gallo (Minnesota), another travelin' man, isn't going to help. Gallo is listed as an outfielder, but figure on him playing a good chunk of time at 1st base. There's a reason he's moved around the last few years. Nick Senzel (Cincinnati) will try to provide the offense lost when Trea Turner left for Philadelphia after the 2022 season. Richard Bleier (Boston), he of the 3 balk at-bat vs. the Mets, returns to the division. That shouldn't give DC fans any confidence. Thing is, Bleier is a non-roster invitee, so he could end up starting the season in the minors, barring injuries to current players.</p><p><b><i>Projected order of finish:</i></b></p><p><b><i>1. Atlanta.</i></b></p><p><b><i>2. Philadelphia.</i></b></p><p><b><i>3. Mets.</i></b></p><p><b><i>4. Miami.</i></b></p><p><b><i>5. Washington.</i></b></p><p><b><i>Of course, I could be wrong.</i></b></p>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-73634996445010828712024-03-17T15:21:00.004-04:002024-03-17T15:21:57.794-04:00YouTube Theatre: The St. Patrick's Day Parade---a WPIX tradition (1949-89)<p> When cable television was introduced to homes in the 518 in the 70's, that introduction also included a New York television tradition that was discontinued 35 years ago.</p><p>WPIX, now a CW affiliate, began airing the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York as a television experiment in 1949. What started as a hour-long special evolved into a 5 hour marathon by the time the parade broadcasts ended in 1989. The one constant was host Jack McCarthy, who was a children's show host for 'PIX during the 60's, and although McCarthy retired in the 70's, he continued with the parades until 1989.</p><p>Would that someone would tape Albany's annual parade, the 2024 edition taking place yesterday, for kicks.</p><p>From 1985, we have nearly half of a broadcast, 2 hours and 10 minutes worth, commercials included.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fbMzAZm6Wyo?si=-4W94JZUM9tE-lNI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>For what it's worth, today, WPIX is carrying a Mets pre-season game, airing locally on WCWN.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-49891080851939717092024-03-16T22:04:00.007-04:002024-03-16T22:04:37.711-04:00An early NyQuil commercial (1970)<p> Vicks, now a component of Procter & Gamble, introduced NyQuil cough medicine in 1966 as a complement to Formula 44, which, it appears, is no longer around, while P & G has expanded NyQuil into a whole of line of products, including a children's version and DayQuil.</p><p>In this 1970 ad, an ailing husband (Bill Fiore, predating his Right Guard ad run with Chuck McCann) is introduced to NyQuil by his wife (Louise Lasser). Lloyd Nolan (<i>Julia</i>) is the narrator.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E1s6xaXLtBI?si=56JX_IDUWnooCfxz" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-69227620215576516712024-03-15T21:01:00.002-04:002024-03-17T06:54:58.783-04:00Names making news<p> This first item slipped under the radar, under-reported by the hometown press.</p><p>It's very rare----aside from movies & novels----for schools to make administrative changes in the middle of the school year. But, that's what happened last month when Troy High principal Joseph Mariano, Jr. left to become the superintendent of the Stillwater Central School District.</p><p>Coincidentally, THS hosted Stillwater in the 2023 Class D football title game vs. Warrensburg/Lake George/North Warren on November 3. Three months later, and Mariano takes the Stillwater job.</p><p>On February 8, Mariano was given a send-off at Troy after 11 1/2 seasons as principal (2013-24).</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hYQWfHPyYF0?si=mcrI8oD3dJ6e-Siw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Mariano began his new job February 9, but the deal was completed two months earlier.<br /><div><br /></div><div>After a few weeks without an executive principal, the Troy district earlier this week named veteran math teacher Joshua Monk as Mariano's successor. Best wishes to both Monk & Mariano.</div><div>=================================================</div><div>Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can breathe a little easier. She'll still get to prosecute former president Donald Trump</div><div><br /></div><div>Judge Scott McAfee ruled today that either Willis or her ex, attorney Nathan Wade, had to basically recuse themselves from the case due to objections raised by another defendant in the case, Michael Roman. Wade, hours later, decided to step down. Team Pampers' attempt to smear Willis didn't work the way they'd hoped, and, now, they're stuck on the path to prison.</div><div>=================================================</div><div>It seems that anyone associated with Trump develops an unhealthy aversion to confinement.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider, then, the case of one of Trump's former advisers, Peter Navarro. After a request to further delay his imprisonment was rejected by an appeals court Thursday, Navarro decided, like an idiot, to take his case to the Supreme Court.</div><div><br /></div><div>No, you shouldn't be doing that, pal. Unless you've got extreme claustrophobia, you serve your time, and then you get to go home. Four months is chump change for first time offenders. </div><div><br /></div><div>No, the problem is that Navarro, Steve Bannon, and others think that, like Trump, they're entitled to executive privilege, but they're not. They think they're above the law, but they're not. What is wrong with a simple sentence of four months? </div><div><br /></div><div>That old ad campaign was right. The mind is a terrible thing to waste.</div><div>==================================================</div><div>Jests QB Aaron Rodgers is being offered an opportunity to be a vice president.</div><div><br /></div><div>Independent candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr., who has turned his back on his famous family due to his vaccine denials, reached out to fellow anti-vaxxer and former State Farm pitchman Rodgers, who then had to deny reported claims that he believed the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax.</div><div><br /></div><div>The idiocy of some people.......!!</div><div><br /></div></div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-51199726454026787402024-03-14T21:08:00.004-04:002024-03-14T21:08:35.523-04:00Musical Interlude: Baby One More Time (1998-2024)<p> Ex-Mouseketeer Britney Spears exploded onto the pop charts at the end of 1998 with "Baby One More Time", the title song from her debut CD. The video was shot in the same high school that housed the cast of "Grease" 20 years earlier.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C-u5WLJ9Yk4?si=xHc0tLc1qF_5K-Ij" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>In recent days, a few YouTube "geniuses" decided to do comparisons and mash-ups of Britney's original version against or coupled with Tenacious D's cover from the movie. "Kung Fu Panda 4", whose star, Jack Black, is the vocal half of Tenacious D, and hams it up at the premiere with his musical partner, Kyle Gass, and co-stars James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, & Awkwafina, among others.</div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5CcZ4ULT1Eo" title=".. Baby One More Time - KUNG FU PANDA 4 - Jack Black - Tenacious D" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Two generations of "Baby". Can't go wrong.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-1843560328841181132024-03-13T17:42:00.002-04:002024-03-13T17:42:52.451-04:00Names making news<p> You've probably seen Capital One pitch-doll Jennifer Garner (ex-<i>Alias</i>) doing an end-around toward the end of last year's writers & actors strikes to use Capital One to promote her own business, Once Upon a Farm. The ads are still running some six months later, but in a lighter rotation.</p><p>Anyway, Once Upon a Farm has a line of products that are readily available in places like Walmart. The product line includes smoothies and baby food. Once Upon a Farm & Garner are also partnering with Save The Children. <br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Honestly, I think I may try one of those fruit smoothies......</div><div style="text-align: left;">==========================================</div><div style="text-align: left;">Country icon Dolly Parton has linked up with Conagra Brands to produce a line of pastry and cake mixes. Some of the pastry mixes are stand-alone items, but the cake mixes also bear the equally iconic brand of Duncan Hines, which Conagra, formerly Nebraska Commercial Mills, purchased in 2017.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMZLkMWCkMZRxtZO9P32A4-uXPbffmvgbM1XkfYvNAdlC093na7n5wC2Ju1O2lQp23xP2KkBM3kLrayN-Of3f6BKtfngufQKco7DmMr3vY_5nHGE5v1xPkZ0lKP9i_u6-so7PqYOn607eWz6zoSnmvTOYZVSpXwz8sFCghlfHq008ZOnuhZk3LNNCRBV4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="400" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMZLkMWCkMZRxtZO9P32A4-uXPbffmvgbM1XkfYvNAdlC093na7n5wC2Ju1O2lQp23xP2KkBM3kLrayN-Of3f6BKtfngufQKco7DmMr3vY_5nHGE5v1xPkZ0lKP9i_u6-so7PqYOn607eWz6zoSnmvTOYZVSpXwz8sFCghlfHq008ZOnuhZk3LNNCRBV4" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Conagra Brands.</div><br />Yep, they're also at Walmart and other retailers. The Parton line launched in January, and serves the additional purpose of keeping the Duncan Hines name relevant. </div><div style="text-align: left;">===============================================</div><div style="text-align: left;">You know of course that Timmy Trumpet composed "Narco", the entrance theme for Mets reliever Edwin Diaz, and is also heard at other sports arenas.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, last year, Trumpet got his own baseball card, courtesy of Topps.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The company, now a unit of Fanatics, included Trumpet in its 2023 Allen & Ginter set, both in regular size, and in a smaller parallel insert. With Diaz back on the mound for the Mets, the sound of "Narco" will be heard once more at Citi Field this season. You can bet that Mets fans will be yearning for the Trumpet card to add to their collections.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With Topps/Fanatics getting back in the NFL game, perhaps as soon as this year, maybe we'll see a Taylor Swift card in that set?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-49368078927319707782024-03-13T08:27:00.006-04:002024-03-13T08:27:40.804-04:00Musical Interlude: Ship of Fools (1987)<p> World Party scored its only American hit in 1987 with "Ship of Fools". Karl Wallinger's retro-soul sound was right in tune with the times.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B2nCugGQZO0?si=ttgJVcdlonl5eG-O" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>In memory of Wallinger, 66, who passed away Monday. Rest in peace.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-18540880496684618722024-03-12T19:53:00.001-04:002024-03-12T19:53:40.101-04:00MLB 2024 preview, part 1: The Mets<p> Most folks assume that the Mets won't contend in 2024. That remains to be seen. Injuries and the team underperforming in the 1st half of 2023 led to a mid-season fire sale that saw Justin Verlander return to Houston, Tommy Pham shipped off to Arizona, and Max Scherzer went and won his 2nd title in 5 years with Texas, while Jacob deGrom, who signed with the Rangers prior to the 2023 season, was sidelined with Tommy John surgery.</p><p>So far, with 2 weeks remaining in the pre-season, the Mets' non-roster guests have played like they belong on the big club come March 28, including veterans Trayce Thompson Ji-Man Choi, and Jose Iglesias. All three can contribute as roster depth, as Choi can spell Pete Alonso at 1st, and serve notice to Alonso that he could be expendable in his walk year, a price paid for taking on Scott Boras Badenov as his agent.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5eicaV_bA-xNn3_VdlIB9qM77LIGnDcIH-BVwdRNm-5pfUlnM4buVLrI75Rp30nIOv96IVaqYOmPwAPIs1NRmmcQjckLClvdilUfGrWuUn-Mu5w3AHDU0drXyyjjVv1VkrwIG_ROBTS2T93u-Of5zlbol3APJXswpHCEPWspvOxD5zbj3JY4pBb5YKU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="384" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5eicaV_bA-xNn3_VdlIB9qM77LIGnDcIH-BVwdRNm-5pfUlnM4buVLrI75Rp30nIOv96IVaqYOmPwAPIs1NRmmcQjckLClvdilUfGrWuUn-Mu5w3AHDU0drXyyjjVv1VkrwIG_ROBTS2T93u-Of5zlbol3APJXswpHCEPWspvOxD5zbj3JY4pBb5YKU" width="320" /></a></div><br />Carlos Mendoza comes over from the Yankees as the new manager, after Buck Showalter was shown the door after 2 seasons. We'll miss the SNY crew queuing up some music from <i>Ironside</i> when there was an epidemic of hit batters during Showalter's tenure.<p></p><p><b><i>Infield: Iglesias, a journeyman whose resume includes stops in Boston & Detroit, can fill in for Francisco Lindor at short when needed, and has been tried out at 2nd as well. As much as the Mets are committed to Brett Baty & Mark Vientos at 3rd, Iglesias can play there, too. Vientos has also backed up Alonso, so there's plenty of insurance. Choi played in Pittsburgh last year after starting his career in Tampa Bay. As a plus, Luisangel Acuna, the brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuna, Jr., is a possibility to make the big club if not at the start of the season, but later.</i></b></p><p><b><i>Outfield: Harrison Bader, who was with the Yankees & Cincinnati last year, and Tyrone Taylor (Milwaukee) are dueling for the center field job, while Brandon Nimmo is being tested in left. Jeff McNeil is injured and will start the season on the injured list. Starling Marte has come all the way back from injury issues last year, and will be back in right field. Trayce Thompson can and probably will be the 4th outfielder. As already seen, Thompson can add some thunder, as he has 2 homers already in Grapefruit League play.</i></b></p><p><b><i>Catcher: Tomas Nido is back, but will likely start the season in Syracuse as a non-roster invitee, as he was squeezed out by the emerging Francisco Alvarez, who likely will start over Omar Narvaez. Mendoza apparently only wants to carry two catchers (sensible), so Nido will be on call in case of an injury. Alvarez's rookie year was just as ridiculous as Alonso's was five years ago, with half as many homers.</i></b></p><p><b><i>Pitching: Carlos Carrasco is gone (back to Cleveland). Adrian Houser (Milwaukee) replaces him in a rotation that also includes Jose Quintana, Tylor Megill, Luis Severino (Yankees), and Sean Manaea (San Francisco), whom the Mets abused the last couple of years. The bullpen underwent its usual makeover, with Shintaro Fujinami & Jorge Lopez (Baltimore) and Jake Diekman (Tampa Bay) building a new bridge to Edwin Diaz. Kodai Senga starts the season on the IL as well. Uh-oh. Assuming Senga can pitch this season, and Joey Lucchesi makes the big club in 2 weeks, the Mets will again have an embarrassment of riches on the mound. What else is new?</i></b></p><p><b><i>Tanking is not an option.</i></b></p><p><b><i>Prediction: 3rd place, contending for a Wild Card.</i></b></p><p><b><i>Of course, I could be wrong.</i></b></p>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-79730197104549897372024-03-11T18:59:00.002-04:002024-03-11T18:59:27.759-04:00Dunce Cap Award: Who else would be so willing to be embarrassed on national television during the Oscars?<p> Last year, the Academy Awards were marred by the infamous slap heard 'round the world between Will Smith and Chris Rock.</p><p>This year, the most immature adult on the planet rage-posted during the Oscars, and got embarrassed by host Jimmy Kimmel.</p><p>You'd think Donald Trump would learn by now, and so should the rest of the Republicans, for that matter, that picking fights with Kimmel and other comics never ends well. Kimmel was alerted to a message on his phone from Orange Narcissus, and read it in real time on the air.</p><p>As Jesse Dollemore explains, Trump essentially walked into a trap.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xRn5u2D5EXM?si=yk6Gp2oEiRHPCUy3" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Kimmel also took the time, not shown above, to subtly shade Senator Katie Britt, the deer in the headlights tasked with the GOPer response to this year's State of The Union message on Thursday, less than 24 hours after Scarlett Johanssen parodied Britt on <i>Saturday Night Live</i>. Britt was already getting raked over the coals after her message on Thursday before that double whammy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Earlier Sunday, South Carolina's Nancy Mace tried using the victim card, and accused ABC's George Stephanopoulos of shaming her on <i>This Week</i>. All she did was share her past experience having been raped, but in the course of being asked about Trump and his legal troubles with E. Jean Carroll in particular. Deflection 101. She refused to directly answer Stephanopoulos' questions, and social media let her have it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to Trump. He could've just let it go, but he has had a grudge ever since <i>The Apprentice</i> had repeatedly failed to win Emmy awards, and he felt the need to vent. Unfortunately, it was the wrong time, the wrong place, and the wrong victim (Kimmel). As for Diaper Don's claim about giving the Oscars to people "who deserve them", what do ya think they did last night, pumpkin face?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdOT1dmEP-DnXapNZ-NYrvX9BFRMenQrL7dqa-AaBu-EAYEFn0HBsBY7WK6ea5oES5t04GFk0v7ny3I_mdq-V9JGFvxbkhc0ldUPYcv76b77_Gz1aeeuf8RRiKsh7Wc2-O6Tt16IfJakNfqqLEkfPsZmwkoCinsDVIZRSaLk7LzatFZ5pV1eS02Bk1y_Y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdOT1dmEP-DnXapNZ-NYrvX9BFRMenQrL7dqa-AaBu-EAYEFn0HBsBY7WK6ea5oES5t04GFk0v7ny3I_mdq-V9JGFvxbkhc0ldUPYcv76b77_Gz1aeeuf8RRiKsh7Wc2-O6Tt16IfJakNfqqLEkfPsZmwkoCinsDVIZRSaLk7LzatFZ5pV1eS02Bk1y_Y" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"WAAAAHHHH!! I hate Kimmel! He sucks! WAAAAAHHHH!"</div><div><br /></div>You're just jealous because he has better writers than you do.</div><div><br /></div><div>Haven't seen the fast national ratings on the Oscars, but I'd imagine Kimmel took the numbers up from last year, and skewering Trump & Britt had something to do with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The one thing more than anything that Trump has presided over the last 9 years is the dumbing down of the GOP. That, more than anything, could cost him in November. That said, the Annoying Orange gets another Dunce Cap, which he can pass to Mace or Britt, since he has so many....<br /><br /></div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-39538156365095939332024-03-10T17:05:00.006-04:002024-03-10T17:05:59.848-04:00What Might've Been: Square Pegs (1982)<p> <i>Welcome Back, Kotter</i> had been off the air for three years. The boys from <i>Happy Days</i> had gone on to college and adulthood. Former <i>Saturday Night Live</i> writer Anne Beatts saw an opportunity to develop a new high school sitcom that, like <i>Kotter</i> before it, was in a contemporary setting.</p><p><i>Square Pegs</i>, Beatts' creation, lasted one season on CBS due to low ratings, and, depending on sources, reports of drug abuse on the set, due to the number of young actors in the cast, some of whom were minors. I can add another factor. It aired Mondays, opposite <i>Little House on The Prairie</i>. Thanks for coming.</p><p>It can be said, however, that this was the series that helped build Sarah Jessica Parker into the major star she'd become years later. Amy Linker, Jami Gertz, and Tracy Nelson were among the co-stars. The Waitresses performed the show's theme song, and their two biggest hits, "I Know What Boys Like" & "Christmas Wrapping", were used on the show. Other music was composed or curated by Paul Shaffer (<i>Late Night With David Letterman</i>) and jazz musician Tom Scott.</p><p>In "Pac-Man Fever", the title derived from Buckner & Garcia's summer 1-hit wonder, the addition of video games in the cafeteria causes issues for Marshall, the class clown, which leads to an intervention with Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello).</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lknIRkoPU44?si=v_qQZaHLf0Ptes65" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Rating: B-.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-41844755820332011512024-03-09T09:35:00.002-05:002024-03-09T09:35:59.429-05:00Musical Interlude: She Works Hard For The Money (1983)<p> Donna Summer topped the R & B charts, and peaked at #3 on the pop & dance charts in the summer of 1983 with the title song from her Mercury Records album, "She Works Hard For The Money", an ode to the working woman. Check the dance sequence at the end of the video, with women from all kinds of professions, including waitresses and police, dancing on the street.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1GlJ1lFvkK4?si=Qf4TB_2-2kj7g3mc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Donna followed up "Money" with "Unconditional Love", featuring Musical Youth, which was also the last time American audiences would see Musical Youth. However, a few short years later, Donna would change labels again, this time to Atlantic.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-33833711672422288532024-03-08T20:29:00.001-05:002024-03-08T20:29:56.370-05:00Old Time Radio: Monitor (1955)<p> Over the course of 20 years on the air (1955-75), NBC Radio's <i>Monitor</i> was an eclectic mix of news, sports, interviews, and music. In just its 2nd weekend on the air, <i>Monitor</i> ran for an amazing 40 hours. This format was later discontinued due to affiliates not interested in a network program taking up all that time.</p><p>Hosts & announcers were billed as communicators, and they were just as eclectic as the show's format. A who's who of "communicators" included the likes of Jim Backus, singer and later NY radio personality Jim Lowe, Dave Garroway, Hugh Downs, and game show icons Art Fleming, Monty Hall, and, in this excerpt from 1970, Gene Rayburn, in between <i>Match Game</i> runs (in fact, this was Rayburn's last gig for NBC, as he'd leave for CBS 2 years later), who interviews Jimmy Stewart. A Stewart photo montage is the video.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-90wJy5J3cA?si=-jlmSAqOp5ObPTuH" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>No rating. Just a public service.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-75980591007911725932024-03-07T11:20:00.001-05:002024-03-07T11:20:06.063-05:00Weasel of The Week: Bruce Blakeman<p> Mr. Blakeman is the Republican County Executive who made the news recently when he signed an executive order banning women's sports teams who have transgender athletes from using gyms and other athletic facilities in Nassau County, where he is the county executive.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH1huybfxCk9cf_9R_Nv67infftpJq5BWly--ODqNxtQpBKMof2e1EOxbT9AN7RPmnOn4siaOk9Rn1NDCCTBEzqBE8YO3xusfW5XWaOdqtmWOJAGMJWVtnj8I3VIJiNAnjQp2MfUFvI-K5Zx4B59d5Nnd1EoautvD2XZyEyimYT1Yw-fAGqSNbi_p1Cp4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH1huybfxCk9cf_9R_Nv67infftpJq5BWly--ODqNxtQpBKMof2e1EOxbT9AN7RPmnOn4siaOk9Rn1NDCCTBEzqBE8YO3xusfW5XWaOdqtmWOJAGMJWVtnj8I3VIJiNAnjQp2MfUFvI-K5Zx4B59d5Nnd1EoautvD2XZyEyimYT1Yw-fAGqSNbi_p1Cp4" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo courtesy <i style="font-weight: bold;">Albany Times-Union</i>.</div><br />What Blakeman and fellow GOPers in similar positions of authority across the country are trying to do is marginalize LGBTQ+ citizens for no other reason than the very existence of the LGTBQ+ community runs counter to the GOP's misguided agenda.<p></p><p>Two weeks ago, Blakeman signed an executive order encompassing more than 100 venues, including ice rinks, ballparks, tennis & basketball courts, etc., because of the belief that men transitioning into women have an unfair competitive advantage, based, they say, on scientific facts.</p><p>On March 1, NY Attorney General Letitia James sent a cease & desist letter to Blakeman, who decided on Wednesday to file suit against the state, and asking a Federal court to affirm he has the right to issue the ban. The following comes from the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Times-Union</i>:</p><p>"<span style="font-family: var(--fontJ),var(--fallbackFontJ); font-size: 1.125rem;">The order requires any teams, leagues or organizations seeking a permit from the county’s parks and recreation department to “expressly designate” whether they are for male, female or coed athletes."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: var(--fontJ),var(--fallbackFontJ); font-size: 1.125rem;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Bollocks & balderdash!!</i> As AG James pointed out in her March 1 letter, Blakeman's order is discriminatory, transphobic, and would create more problems for trans and cisgender women than Blakeman had even bothered to consider, if at all. He doesn't have a problem with trans men playing with cisgender men, so why target trans women? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: var(--fontJ),var(--fallbackFontJ); font-size: 1.125rem;">The problem is that while we do live in a more accepting, inclusive society in 2024, GOPers like Blakeman would rather push our society back, back, back, back to at least the 50's, and shove the LGBTQ back into the closet. That ain't happening. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: var(--fontJ),var(--fallbackFontJ); font-size: 1.125rem;">The bottom line is that Blakeman will lose this suit, and his ban will end up rescinded because of its discriminatory nature. That alone earns Blakeman a set of Weasel ears, certainly deserved because he, like so many other GOPers, has his head in the sand.</span></p>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-39972052855468069632024-03-06T18:58:00.002-05:002024-03-06T18:58:56.077-05:00On The Shelf: An Archie hero returns, and so does a classic black & white magazine<p> In 2012, Archie Comics made a concerted effort to relaunch its superhero line, with a new generation of heroes inheriting the mantles of their Silver or Golden Age predecessors. Unfortunately, <i style="font-weight: bold;">New Crusaders</i>, for example, suffered from poor distribution, as there wasn't a lot of interest in reviving what most fans see as 3rd rate or lower heroes.</p><p>From that era came Ivette Velez, the new <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jaguar</i>, trained by the original himself, Ralph Hardy. 12 years later, Velez lands her first solo adventure in the latest 1-shot from Archie as it continues to try to reinvent the Crusaders.</p><p>Writer Keryl Brown Ahmed serves up a story of Peruvian mysticism that ties into the Jaguar's history. Velez isn't the first female Jaguar. DC's Impact line had the first back in the 90's, and it appears she's been retconned out, which is too bad. Get past the helmet that Ivette wears as Jaguar, and enjoy the ride. Now, you have to hope enough people were interested to coax Archie into following up.</p><p>Rating: A-.</p><p>Titan Comics & Heroic Signatures have revived <i style="font-weight: bold;">Savage Sword of Conan</i>, the original version of which launched 50 years ago at Marvel. Roy Thomas, long associated with Robert E. Howard's barbarian icon, from writing a bazillion stories for Marvel back in the day, as well as at Dark Horse, wrote the foreward for the first issue, giving his blessing to this 21st century reboot. </p><p>A bonus is the beginning of a serial starring another of Howard's heroes, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Solomon Kane</i>, written & drawn by Patrick "Patch" Zircher, who does a better job with Kane than Marvel did back in the 70's. I'm sold.</p><p>Rating: A.</p><p>Dynamite adds to its WB/Hanna-Barbera line in May with <i>Space Ghost</i> in an all new series, and with <i>Jonny Quest</i> featured at Free Comic Book Day on May 4. Dynamite is giving <i>Space Ghost </i>a revamped origin, which casts aside what Joe Kelly came up with at DC some 20 years ago. The creative team for <i>Quest</i> remains a secret.</p><p>We told you how a prominent artist had landed a gig doing variant covers for <i style="font-weight: bold;">ThunderCats</i>, and, possibly, also <i style="font-weight: bold;">Space Ghost</i>. Now, in the words of the late Paul Harvey, comes the rest of the story.</p><p>The artist in question is 518 resident John Hebert, who has a deal with a Canadian company for exclusive variants, such as the one shown below.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbXSKd-OhCGeATr-aWfPcnKI4dcZXGV8J9PuZ1YopO4uMvyx9Q07VlvCKuIKCIlU1uNANfM1QZu2vma8QR3-0Hv03E7OFef83q7L_j718e0IPyuh1e26nK13PGKfnSnNhmcvJ6U_pS8nu6jrKfPa7Pdb6kF9zaTHvqz9JCNz9_SSBBCtP4jwG_KC-MiQ0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1300" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbXSKd-OhCGeATr-aWfPcnKI4dcZXGV8J9PuZ1YopO4uMvyx9Q07VlvCKuIKCIlU1uNANfM1QZu2vma8QR3-0Hv03E7OFef83q7L_j718e0IPyuh1e26nK13PGKfnSnNhmcvJ6U_pS8nu6jrKfPa7Pdb6kF9zaTHvqz9JCNz9_SSBBCtP4jwG_KC-MiQ0" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">ThunderCats </i>copyright Warner Bros Discovery.</div><br />Unfortunately, we can't show you the whole thing, but it is available for purchase. We're digging.<p></p>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-4304069184146264032024-03-05T17:54:00.004-05:002024-03-05T17:54:44.538-05:00Nikki Haley finally wins a primary. Unfortunately, her opponent needed to steal the limelight<p> Most political observers are concerned about whether or not former UN Ambassador & South Carolina governor Nikki Haley will hold to her promise to stay in the GOP primary race to the end after today's Super Tuesday wave of primaries.</p><p>On Sunday, Haley finally picked up a win in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC, to you laymen), blowing away Orange Narcissus (Donald Trump, of course) by nearly 30 percentage points. While history was made, with Haley the first woman to win a GOP primary for president, and the fact that the margin of victory suggests that Washington as a whole is tired of Trump and his tired rhetoric, Trump, ever the sore loser, had to whine about it on Truthless Social, continuing to denigrate and insult Haley as he went.</p><p>Farron Cousins explains.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z2UKwuBG0vA?si=PNq39HEaeoz30Q2Y" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Ol' Diaper Don just had to have the spotlight, didn't he? Couldn't let Haley have her moment in the sun. While most experts assume Trump will lock down the GOP nomination with a dominating effort today, that's not guaranteed, not with all those legal issues holding him down like an anchor. Trump knows nothing about humility and dignity, never has. All we get from him are moments like this......</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD8nJCHJYZEmCH0KfwouK9SLXVFxTpSdIDfR1MJe6Km9PHTfj0lV8g8rlNttPKkxXJIHx3CYNfF_FDIm-iqY3p-BctMwhRWCJjepjAtfw4srV242Py8BE96_cEy1qVoOhZZ_0ukydWFsJbGsjb0CR1xrHq7tU34Tmsv35jO_e5XlKkBPpg1ylE9Y1czdw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD8nJCHJYZEmCH0KfwouK9SLXVFxTpSdIDfR1MJe6Km9PHTfj0lV8g8rlNttPKkxXJIHx3CYNfF_FDIm-iqY3p-BctMwhRWCJjepjAtfw4srV242Py8BE96_cEy1qVoOhZZ_0ukydWFsJbGsjb0CR1xrHq7tU34Tmsv35jO_e5XlKkBPpg1ylE9Y1czdw" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"WAAAAAHHHHH!!! She beat me once! It doesn't matter! I'm better! WAAAAHHHH!!!"</div><br />It will matter, O Sultan of Spray Tan, if she wins a few today, after you tried to steal her momentum.</div><div><br /></div><div>In fact, to Trump, it doesn't matter who the last challenger standing against him is. He plays the same tired tune, no matter what, and it's sickening. Even school bullies grow up, mature, and make an honest living. Trump, at 77, is making today's toddlers look like future Rhodes Scholars by comparison with his poor social graces and behavior. Trump, you see, is the one guy your folks warned you about as a kid, and, yet, this orange bogeyman isn't so scary anymore. Borderline tragic is more like it.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-27885776210060029772024-03-04T18:04:00.001-05:002024-03-04T18:04:08.631-05:00A contestant reunion, and a self-appointed media nanny on the same show? Yep. (To Tell The Truth, 1990)<p> It was a sweeps stunt for the ages in November 1990.</p><p>NBC & Mark Goodson decided to bring back a trio of now-adult challengers who had appeared on the syndicated<i> To Tell The Truth</i> in 1972. The common link? Panelist Kitty Carlisle. </p><p>John Cher appeared as a youth in 1972, and would fulfill his dream of being a fashion designer by the time he and his imposters returned to <i>Truth</i> 18 years later. Carlisle is joined by baseball player-turned-cable personality Jay Johnstone, Vicki Lawrence-Schultz (as she was known back then), and another old school <i>Truth</i> regular, Orson Bean.</p><p>In game 2, Terry Rakolta, who launched a one woman crusade against Fox's <i>Married...With Children</i> a year earlier, is the subject.</p><p>Lynn Swann is the moderator.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lQ74DxvBjJ4?si=Z6uCXZ_CobgsxFCv" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Rating: A.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-54261357359495705592024-03-03T22:03:00.004-05:002024-03-03T22:03:48.904-05:00Musical Interlude: Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1979)<p> Michael McKean has been one busy dude.</p><p>During a break from recording <i>Laverne & Shirley</i>, McKean, along with Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, appeared in a 1-shot special, <i>The TV Show</i>, which marked the debut of their band, Spinal Tap.</p><p>The special was largely a parody of <i>The Midnight Special</i>, with Rob Reiner (ex-<i>All in The Family</i>) posing as Wolfman Jack, albeit with a slightly smaller beard. The skit/video, with the band performing "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare", started the ball rolling for Spinal Tap, although Guest, as Nigel Tufnel, was also playing with McKean and David L. Lander as Lenny & The Squigtones, and, as we've already documented, the Squigtones appeared on <i>American Bandstand</i> that same year.</p><p>As you'll see, Spinal Tap didn't develop their iconic looks just yet. McKean has a long hair wig more befitting a Southern rock band, like, say for example, the Marshall Tucker Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Here's "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare":</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jzuxUSab_7c?si=gcnhKRwHbu3m4YW4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III was on keyboards for this track.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-89677782510314938552024-03-03T15:36:00.002-05:002024-03-03T15:36:57.023-05:00What Might've Been: The Secret Life of James Thurber (1961)<p> Most of you might remember when Sheldon Leonard had produced <i>My World...And Welcome To It</i>, based on the works of James Thurber, with William Windom in the lead, in 1969. But, what you might not know is that this was actually the 2nd attempt at bringing Thurber's vision of humor to the small screen.</p><p>Eight years earlier, Four Star took a chance, and with lawyer Jules Goldstone, the legal advisor to Thurber, serving as executive producer, served up <i>The Secret Life of James Thurber</i>. Comic Orson Bean was cast in the role of John Munroe. Check it out.</p><p>Take note that at the 24 minute mark, the episode actually ends, and Bean introduces the rest of the cast.....</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eR6sj1tkjnM?si=X7i4RFh2Jc-zYdIu" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>We've discussed how sitcoms were not Four Star's strong suit, no matter how they tried. They even had an unsold pilot with movie icon Bette Davis, for example. Credit to Goldstone, a Schenectady native, for having the patience to wait for the opportunity to try again came along. Goldstone passed away in 1980, so he wasn't around for the remake of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", more than 30 years later, with Ben Stiller in the role made famous by Danny Kaye.</div><div><br /></div><div>Orson Bean, of course, is best remembered for a long stint as a panelist on <i>To Tell The Truth</i>, and would finally land a significant primetime gig years later, in a dramatic role, on <i>Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rating: B.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-45095630430605600112024-03-02T21:13:00.005-05:002024-03-02T21:13:48.471-05:00What Might've Been: Palmerstown USA (1980)<p> <i>The Waltons</i> was nearing the finish line---it would end its run a year later---but CBS wanted another series set in the same era in history, the Great Depression. To achieve their goal, the network turned to best selling author Alex Haley (<i>Roots</i>), and one of the most prolific hitmakers of the 70's, Norman Lear, who still had three series on the schedule (<i>One Day at a Time, Archie Bunker's Place, The Jeffersons</i>) by 1980.</p><p>Haley created <i>Palmerstown, USA</i>, which bowed in March 1980 as a short season series, returning a year later. Lear was credited with developing the series based on Haley's vision. Haley also wrote some of the teleplays for the 2 season series, which also marked the series debut of Michael J. Fox, 2 1/2 years before <i>Family Ties</i> made him a superstar. Fox had previously appeared on shows such as <i>Trapper John, MD</i> in guest roles before being cast for <i>Palmerstown</i>.</p><p>The series hasn't been seen much since a brief run on GetTV in 2017, but it deserves to remain on the air somewhere, like, maybe, on Aspire or BET. Sony owns the series and GetTV, so the placement then made sense.</p><p>A Lear fan channel, the Norman Lear Effect, put together the 2-part episode, "The Black Travelers", with guests Otis Young (ex-<i>The Outcasts</i>), Scatman Crothers (ex-<i>Chico & The Man</i>), and Morgan Freeman (ex-<i>The Electric Company</i>):</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uhrJdyHsdsc?si=xJevGaojfgyHr6YT" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>As memory serves, <i>Palmerstown</i> aired on Tuesdays in its first season, at least, and my parents weren't interested. It was either movies on the cable, or, if they missed an earlier episode, <i>Sheriff Lobo</i>. Series regular Bill Duke would later resurface after a string of character roles in movies and TV, in a villainous role on <i>Black Lightning</i> just a few short years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>No rating. Just a public service.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-55332384452214368372024-03-02T10:26:00.001-05:002024-03-02T10:26:34.076-05:00Weasel of The Week: Aileen Cannon<p> Florida judge Aileen Cannon was appointed to her position by then-president Donald Trump a few years ago, and it's clear from her conduct in the classified documents case she was assigned to that she feels obligated to do a solid for Trump, and do whatever she can to push the goalposts back, if you will, on the case. </p><p>It was revealed Friday that Cannon had decided to postpone the case, scheduled for a May start, indefinitely. Couple that with the decision to allow the identities of federal agents and potential jurors and/or witnesses to be revealed, leaving them vulnerable to death threats from MAGA goobers, which, as Farron Cousins will point out, has already started, and Cannon is looking to be shot off this case, and possibly looking at things from the other side of the bench, if special prosecutor Jack Smith has his way.</p><p>Farron explains:</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d3DTEmM-HBM?si=QPJ2Ug1UU_yxlUFw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Pushing the case back to July or August would've been fine, but Trump ambulance chaser Todd Blanche suggested it should be after the election, in the hope that Trump wins a 2nd term. Farron will likely discuss the decision to postpone in a later video, but it is clear that Cannon is compromised, and has been from the get go.</div><div><br /></div><div>Trump is that scared that he may lose again. That's obvious, but Cannon can't save him in every case. It's looking like his minions are also going down in flames in Georgia trying to smear Fani Willis. For now, though, Cannon gets something Trump's got plenty of. Weasel ears, for compromising the integrity of her position to support the man who gave her the job in the first place. One wonders if she's not spent time at Mar-a-Lame-O on the side, along with some of the other women who've pledged their support to ol' Diaper Don, like Kryin' Kari Lake and Empty-G......</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-84053102966763541082024-02-29T17:34:00.002-05:002024-02-29T17:34:26.167-05:00Musical Interlude: Baby, I Need Your Lovin' (1967<p> Johnny Rivers peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 with a solo cover of the Four Tops' 1964 hit, "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'", which got him booked on <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i>. Rivers would follow this up with another Motown cover, this time Smokey Robinson's "Tracks Of My Tears":</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kERga4ZOoA4?si=vybQbamwoII1mbbk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Rivers retired from touring in 2022, and his interpretation of "Baby" gets as much airplay on oldies channels as the Four Tops' version.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-70497353104369231222024-02-28T19:09:00.004-05:002024-02-28T19:09:58.650-05:00What Might've Been: Half Nelson (1985)<p> A NY detective moves to California not only to become a PI, but also an actor. Unfortunately, viewers voted with their remotes, and <i>Half Nelson</i>, a spring replacement series from Glen A. Larson & 20th Century Fox for NBC, was gone in 2 months in 1985.</p><p>Before "Home Alone" & "Goodfellas" made him a box office attraction in the 90's, Joe Pesci top-lined in the title role as "Rocky" Nelson. The title refers to Nelson's relatively short size, not a wrestling hold that the show actually gets its title from. Nelson joins up with the Beverly Hills Patrol, and, well, I might as well say it, he looks like a football running back opposite three of the game's greatest defensive stars, Fred Williamson (his first TV gig since, I think, <i>Julia</i>), and Miller Lite pitchmen Dick Butkus & Bubba Smith, who'd co-starred in <i>Blue Thunder</i> a year earlier. Victoria Jackson moved over to <i>Saturday Night Live</i> a year after this series ended.</p><p><i>Half Nelson</i> is also notable in that its other star attraction is Dean Martin, in his final series for NBC. The <i>Celebrity Roasts</i> were, or, had come to an end by this point. Martin also sings the show's closing theme. Robert Jason co-wrote & sings "LA, You Belong To Me", the opening theme.</p><p>This sample episode features a rare appearance by the Bobby Troup Trio, marking the return of Troup (ex-<i>Emergency!</i>) to NBC. John Beck, who also guests, had appeared with Butkus on <i>Matt Houston</i> three years earlier.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RirYVLtBfhs?si=r3Bbo8qjbP9xFm25" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>What did this show aspire to be? A little mix of <i>Vega$</i>, albeit set in LA (only because another movie icon, Tony Curtis, appeared in the first season of that series), <i>The Rockford Files</i>, which occupied the same time slot <i>Nelson</i> had years earlier, and Larson's 1st entry for Fox, ABC's <i>The Fall Guy</i>, only with PI's instead of stuntmen.</div><div><br /></div><div>My folks passed on this. Movies on the cable, and, in April & May, baseball, had their attention. From what I've seen, this merits a B.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-275767103579796812024-02-27T19:32:00.002-05:002024-02-27T19:32:09.320-05:00What Might've Been: Foul Play (1981)The actors & writers' strikes of 2023 has had an effect on this season's primetime schedule, but it's nothing new.<div><br /></div><div>Similarly, the 1980-1 season was also delayed, forcing the networks to scramble to fill programming. </div><div><br /></div><div>In fairness, that might've been why a TV version of the 1978 comedy adventure movie, "Foul Play", was left ignored by viewers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Co-executive producer Thomas Miller (<i>Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley</i>, etc.) had that same gig with this 1 hour drama, which had only 5 episodes air before the plug was pulled in March 1981, only for those same 5 to be replayed in August.</div><div><br /></div><div>Barry Bostwick stepped into Chevy Chase's gumshoes, with Deborah Raffin filling Goldie Hawn's role as the dutiful girlfriend. That <i>Foul Play</i> aired at 10 pm (ET) meant ye scribe wasn't watching, as I was usually in bed by that point, with school the next morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following is a sample episode, "Play it Again, Tuck", as seen on TV Land, with William Windom, the Rice twins (Greg & John), and Mary Jo Catlett.</div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n2eLB73zSJw?si=LObQF9N6bh_QBmPN" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>No rating.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-65917044326955437712024-02-26T19:56:00.005-05:002024-02-26T19:56:51.023-05:00A Classic Reborn (NOT!!): Charlie's Angels (2011)<p> 30 years after the original <i>Charlie's Angels</i> had solved their final case, ABC decided to dust off the concept, but there were too many problems, leading to a quick hook.</p><p>The new <i>Charlie's Angels</i> had a lot to live up to, and not just the original series (1976-81). There had been the movies featuring Drew Barrymore. ABC entrusted writer-producers Alfred Gough & Miles Millar, fresh from <i>Smallville</i>, to breathe fresh life into the franchise.</p><p>The problems?</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">*Location: </i>The series was relocated from Southern California to Miami. This was the biggest mistake.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">*Casting:</i> Millar & Gough went with mostly unknowns for the three leads, the most famous name in the group being Minka Kelly, who at the time had been the armpiece of Yankees star Derek Jeter (they subsequently split). Former football player turned actor and Old Spice pitchman Isaiah Mustafa appeared in one episode at least as a detective. Millar & Gough wanted Robert Wagner as the voice of the never seen Charlie Townshend (voiced by John Forsythe in the original series), but when Wagner had a scheduling conflict, Victor Garber (ex-<i>Alias</i>) was brought in instead. Ramon Rodriguez was cast as John Bosley, repackaged here as an ex-hacker.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">*-Scheduling:</i> ABC, perhaps wary of past reboots, slotted the new <i>Angels</i> on Thursdays, just as they had done with the reboot of <i>Night Stalker</i> a few years earlier, when the original series had always been on Wednesdays, either at 9 or 10 pm (ET). I think this version was on too early (8 pm).</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">*-Missing the Spelling touch:</i> Sony, which owns the rights to the franchise, produced this themselves, leaving Spelling Entertainment out of the loop. This, then, would explain the shift in setting from California to Miami, since a majority of Spelling's crime dramas were based in SoCal.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">*Plotting</i><b style="font-style: italic;">:</b> In order to fit Minka Kelly in the mix, one of the three other Angels was killed off in the opener, as you'll soon see. As a result, this played more like another Gough-Millar bomb, the adaptation of DC's <i>Birds of Prey</i>, with so much angst.</p><p>Let's check out the opener:</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7UFAyn_sipo?si=N2sQct3s_JzGOV0L" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>As we've previously discussed, Universal and NBC, having learned nothing from this debacle, tried the same relocation trick with their remake of <i>Ironside</i> two years later. That lasted a bit longer, though it was gone before the holidays.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Dynamite Entertainment obtained a license to adapt <i>Charlie's Angels</i> a few years ago, they went with the original trio. Smart. Unlike this dud.</div><div><br />Rating: C-.</div>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6319982385052710495.post-70834884907907320902024-02-25T14:01:00.001-05:002024-02-25T14:01:06.381-05:00Ramona Fradon (1926-2024)For long time comics fans, this is a gut punch.<div><br />Ramona Fradon, who spent two lengthy runs at DC in the 60's & 70's, and also succeeded Dale Messick on the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Brenda Starr, Reporter</i>, strip, passed away Saturday at 97.</div><p style="text-align: left;">At DC, Fradon co-created Metamorpho, and penciled most, but not all, of the comics adaptation of <i>Super Friends</i>, beginning with issue 3, and ending with issue 41, at which point inker Romeo Tanghal was promoted to penciller while Fradon left to work on <i style="font-weight: bold;">Brenda Starr</i>. Fradon also pencilled <i style="font-weight: bold;">Plastic Man</i> when DC revived the series in 1976 for a short run, and drew Plas, seemingly for the last time, in <i style="font-weight: bold;">Super Friends</i> 36.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Fradon retired from <i style="font-weight: bold;">Brenda Starr</i> in 1995, and continued contributing to comics until her final retirement last month.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Fradon briefly worked at Marvel, but a planned issue of <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Cat</i> never saw the light of day, and a 1-shot of <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fantastic Four</i> was not very popular with fans.</p><p style="text-align: left;">To give you some idea of her art style, well, you might like her take on Wonder Woman and a certain polarizing political figure.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQP2D7NQ8ZrKOGtPY1kV_CHEfjfD9_XzeiJSiIR_d-HbssRPgdkEND_4sLAOCz1NixJ6MXTRYJrxuWvDvqYJz7xl0U_xleJG196ubHmucxIO34kkTr4bJalxDt52WTtmky4f4iEBX2hUcO4FLNdBFucXLFhXN84jhLo07-tyyvapzETH-V9yKNsJDaLfk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1537" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQP2D7NQ8ZrKOGtPY1kV_CHEfjfD9_XzeiJSiIR_d-HbssRPgdkEND_4sLAOCz1NixJ6MXTRYJrxuWvDvqYJz7xl0U_xleJG196ubHmucxIO34kkTr4bJalxDt52WTtmky4f4iEBX2hUcO4FLNdBFucXLFhXN84jhLo07-tyyvapzETH-V9yKNsJDaLfk" width="184" /></a></div><br />Rest in peace, Ramona.<p></p>hobbyfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089664500077967952noreply@blogger.com0