Diaper Don throws a tantrum. President Biden throws shade at Lauren Gropert..............

 Wednesday, President Biden visited the Colorado Congressional District represented (?) by Lauren Boebert, and reminded the citizens that the nearly $200 million and nearly 900 jobs headed their way were things that the Mile High Airhead voted against. Boebert, who never went to college---we think----derided the infrastructre legislation as "garbage". Because of their own collective selfishness, GOPers don't want their constituents to have nice things, but Biden delivers.

Personally, I'd love to see Biden make that same speech here in NY, and embarrass the GOPers here.

In Colorado, Adam Frisch, who narrowly lost last year to Gropert, gets a 2nd chance next year, and Biden just handed him some valuable ammunition. Stick a fork in Gropert. This time, she's done.

Meanwhile, Donald John Munchausen Trump, physical age 77, mental age having regressed to about 6 months old, ranted against Biden, blaming the President for the legal pickle(s) Trump has. Farron Cousins explains.

Biden has nothing to do with any of Trump's cases, but you can't make Diaper Don understand that. Trump lashes out the way a small child would.......

"WAAAAHHHHH! Biden is out to get me! WAAAHHHH!"

No, he isn't, Vasoline breath!!

Add to this the fact that Trump is now also targeting the wife of NY Judge Arthur Engoron, misled by Loopy Laura Loomer, who claims to have found a Twitter/X account supposedly belonging to Dawn Engoron, filled with anti-Trump screeds. Mrs. Engoron has said she does not have an account on X, so it's clear Loopy Loomer is intentionally misleading Trump.

"WAAAAHHH! Even the judge's wife hates me!"

You don't really know that, taking only the word of a fellow deranged lunatic.

The more Trump whines, lies, and cries on Truthless Social or on TV, the worse it's actually going to get as his court cases come into play, such that at this point next year, he likely won't be on the ballot at all. And it's his own fault.

Sports this 'n' that

 David Tepper has owned the Carolina Panthers for 3 seasons. His detractors will tell you he has already developed a reputation as a very impatient owner.

Carolina, with rookie Bryce Young (Alabama) at QB, has not won much this season, and on Monday, Tepper decided to part company with 1st year head coach Frank Reich, who was bounced by Indianapolis after last season, and assistants Duce Staley & Josh McCown. Problem is, Carolina's 1st round pick in 2024 belongs to the Chicago Bears via a trade, so Carolina won't have the same kind of luxury come April.

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Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav has done some stupid things in the year plus he's been in charge. Cartoon & comic book fans can share the horror stories.

For his latest strange trick, Zaslav now thinks that TNT NBA analyst and Subway shill Charles Barkley is fit to be a primetime host on CNN. Zaslav must think Barkley is on a par with ex-footballers Nate Burleson (CBS) and Michael Strahan (ABC, Fox). I give them six months before they make another change when the ratings tank.

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The WWE is reopening its nursery, and so is All Elite Wrestling.

Earlier this month, Smackdown color analyst Corey Graves (Matt Polinsky) & wife Carmella (Leah Van Dale-Polinsky) welcomed their first child. 2 1/2 weeks later, Alexa Bliss (Lexi Kaufman-Cabrera) and her musician husband, Ryan Cabrera, celebrated the birth of their first, 24 hours after AEW's Sammy Guevara & Tay Melo did the same.

Alexa Bliss.

Of the three first time moms, I suspect that due to injuries, Carmella may be the last one to return to the ring, unless those injuries aren't severe enough to keep her out of January's Royal Rumble in Tampa Bay. Figuring Bliss will be there. Melo could be back in AEW sometime around that same time, depending on recovery time. Congratulations to all three couples.

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After 8 seasons, the last couple plagued with injuries, pitcher Luis Severino is moving from the Bronx to Flushing.

Reports are that Severino will sign a 1 year deal with the Mets to help bolster a starting rotation that took a major hit after co-aces Justin Verlander & Max Scherzer were traded at the deadline.

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Seeing headlines reporting that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers has been cleared to return to practice. Why bother? The Jests won't make the playoffs. Better to remain healthy and start anew next year. Just sayin'.

Countdown to Christmas: A Hullabaloo Christmas (1965)

 Hullabaloo's producers got into the Christmas spirit with this holiday offering. The regular dancers were given a night off, or so it'd appear, with a group of children filling in. Host du jour Jerry Lewis plays Santa to start the show.

Tony & The Tigers, featuring Hunt & Tony Sales, the sons of Soupy Sales, and Jonathan Meredith, son of actor Burgess Meredith, are among the acts on the bill.

No rating: Just a public service.

Proof that Donald Trump will lie about anything: He bribed a doctor to give him a clean bill of health

 Last week, President Biden turned 81. Which means that, for one thing, he'll be 82 after the next election, win or lose, and if he were to win again, he'd be 87 when he is term limited out.

Despite claims that his advanced age is affecting his ability to govern, Biden looks like the picture of health compared to Donald Trump, 77, who went so far as to have a friendly doctor give him a clean bill of health he could make public, just to tease Biden. One of Trump's best friends, Vince McMahon, is 78, and, aside from spinal surgery earlier this year, is leaning more on the side of Biden than Trump in terms of physical health.

Trump's narcissistic personality is the reason for this sham of a medical report, which suggests that the doctor wasn't so much politically motivated, as Farron Cousins implies in this video, but dare we suggest that the otherwise frugal Trump slipped the doc a few bucks to make this BS?

Like, I'm overweight myself, and trying to get back to a more desirable weight. Trump just has to one-up Biden in every way imaginable, especially to keep his marks fooled. However, he lacks something that Biden has, and, in some respects, so does McMahon. Respect. Seven years ago, America elected the first junk food president since Bill Clinton, and Clinton's even in better health these days.

Give up the facade, Donald. We can all see right through you.

What Might've Been: An episode of DC Follies (1987)

 Julia Duffy (Newhart) visits the Washington bar that's home to the DC Follies. Puppet voiceovers by John Roarke, Louise DuArt (ex-The Krofft Supershow), and Maurice LaMarche (also heard on The Real Ghostbusters). Fred Willard is your bartender and de facto host.

In memory of Marty Krofft, who passed away this weekend at 86 from kidney failure.

It was 30 years ago today........

 Leon Lett, now an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys, was trying to erase the stigma of having fumbled away a sure touchdown in the Super Bowl 10 months earlier, trying to be a hero, in snow-covered Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.

Most of us can remember where we were that night. Uncle Sam Lanes was open after the annual Red Richard tournament took place that morning, and I was in the arcade, at the time located in front of the bar, so I had a view of one of the TV's above the bar. Dallas' Jimmie Jones blocked a field goal by Pete Stoyanovich. Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones and the 'Boys were celebrating. Until they weren't, once they realized what happened.

Thinking the ball needed to be recovered, Lett, in front of a national television audience again, had Cowboys fans losing their turkey dinner, if not also dessert.

Dallas, of course, would recover, and win the Super Bowl again 2 months later. The sight of coach Jimmy Johnson, now with Fox, with no hat on, with his hair frozen in place, jaw dropped in disbelief, said it best.

Countdown to Christmas: All I Want For Christmas is You (1989)

 Five years before Mariah Carey turned "All I Want For Christmas is You" into an up-tempo anthem for the holiday season, Vince Vance & The Valiants, mostly a studio band, released the song on the pop & country charts. Vance (Andy Stone) and singer Lisa Layne were the only band members at the time, a throwback to the days of pre-fab bands dating back to the 50's & 60's.

Nearly 35 years after its initial release, the song is in the midst of litigation between Stone & Carey, with Stone refiling a lawsuit that was tossed out with prejudice last year, claiming that Mariah had "exploited" the song. The truth is, both versions have their own merits, and Stone, for whatever reason, feels slighted because he's not getting his flowers for writing what was a huge hit more so for Carey than himself. Carey's version gets more airplay every year because it's the version that gained the most airplay on radio and MTV/VH1. Face it, Vince Vance & the Valiants got the Rodney Dangerfield treatement. That is, no respect, though their version does get some radio airplay these days, too.

Countdown to Christmas: Holiday Night Fever? (2023)

 "Saturday Night Fever" marked its 45th anniversary last year. Still, John Travolta returns to the guise of Santa Claus in this new spot for Capital One.

The dead giveaway, of course, is the use of the Bee Gees' #1 hit, "Stayin' Alive":

Next, I'd expect a reunion with the remainder of the cast of Welcome Back, Kotter..........

Presenting the ghosts of Thanksgiving past (1978)

 Ah, Butterball turkey was big on Thanksgiving. Today, it's lost in the shuffle with other brands moving ahead of it in terms of sales.

Back in 1978, the folks who made Butterball in those days decided on an ad campaign featuring "The Spirits of the First Thanksgiving Turkey", brought to life by actors James Harder and Mary Jo Catlett. The Puritan language comes from the King James Bible with the thee's & thou's.

60 years ago today: A nation mourns a fallen President

 I think we can all remember where we were 60 years ago on this day.

For example, I was in my crib at home. I was just 9 1/2 months old, too young to understand the day's biggest headline.

John F. Kennedy, 46, the 35th President, was shot by an assassin's bullet in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who reportedly fired the fatal shot, was himself killed by Jack Ruby not too long after, and, thus, 60 years later, people are still debating whether or not Oswald acted alone, or if there was a conspiracy against the President.

All three networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) cut from scheduled programming, or, in some markets, syndicated fare, to deliver the grim news, and suspended programming for the weekend in favor of continued coverage. Earlier this morning, CBS Radio reached back into the archives to pull one of the most famous sound bytes of all time from anchor Walter Cronkite, which is included in this video, from CBS News' YouTube channel, uploaded nearly a year ago.

There have been 2 assassination attempts against American Presidents since then. Gerald Ford was targeted in 1976, months before losing the Presidency to Jimmy Carter. In 1981, just weeks after his inauguration, Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr., but survived.

Weasel of The Week: Monica Cole

 With Thanksgiving two days away as I write, one of the holiday's best known traditions is being assailed by a conservative loser still peddling the same gimmick that got her a set of Weasel ears 3 years ago.

Yep, Monica Cole, the one-woman operation behind One Million Moms, is at it again.

Just because two non-binary Broadway actors are performing at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC, 8:30 am ET) gives Cole cause to issue a petition to boycott this year's parade. 25,000 marks have already signed. A counter-petition issued in protest got Cole's one woman scam machine confused with the Florida-based Moms For Liberty, another conservative operation that needs to be shut down. Cole is based in Mississippi.

What we're all looking forward to on Thursday.

Haters like Monica Cole and the idiots behind Moms For Liberty have been enabled by the hate speech spewed by the likes of Diaper Donald Trump, Ron DeStupid, and other Republicans pushing an anti-LGBTQ+ agenda. It needs to end yesterday.

Andy Warhol years ago prophesied that in the future everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. Monica Cole just came out of her rabbit hole to renew hers, and gets a pair of Weasel ears as her prize. If anyone needed to be boycotted, Monica, it's you. Please. Go away.

Football this 'n' that

 The Jests finally ran out of patience with 3rd year QB Zach Wilson.

Wilson was benched late in Sunday's 32-6 loss to Buffalo in favor of the unheralded Tim Boyle, who will get his first start in a Jests uniform Friday vs. Miami.

Welcome to the big time.

Yes, I said Friday. For the first time, the NFL will add a Black Friday game to the Week 12 schedule, airing on Amazon Prime at 3 pm (where normally, a replay of the previous night's game would air on NFL Network). The Jests, who were in a position to move into 2nd place in the AFC East had they swept the Bills, remain in 3rd place at 4-6, and the freefall likely will continue vs. Miami.

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Fans have noted all season that there have been more missed calls on a weekly basis, leading some to believe that there might be something shady involved, now that the NFL is endorsing legalized betting sites.

The simple truth of the matter is that until the league improves the quality of officiating, this will continue to be a problem.

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How does a quarterback get sacked 9 times, yet still win the game?

You can if your defense bails you out with 6 takeaways.

That's exactly what happened when the Giants completed a season sweep of the Washington Commanders on Sunday. 3rd string QB Tommy DeVito, formerly of Syracuse & Illinois, was sacked 9 times, but threw 3 TD passes, the defense collected six turnovers, including a 4th quarter pick-6 by Isaiah Simmons that iced the game. The Giants, who haven't had a dominating O-line in years, will next play New England, which had the bye week this week.

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With DeShaun Watson out for the year, the Cleveland Browns will turn to former Jets & Ravens QB Joe Flacco to direct the offense for the rest of the season. Flacco was the starting QB the last time Baltimore won a Super Bowl (The infamous Harbaugh Bowl over San Francisco).

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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is serving out a 3 game suspension the sins of a offensive assistant, and thus might be in absentia when the Wolverines have their annual game vs. Ohio State on Saturday. Michigan has won the last two, but it's not going to be 3 in a row. Trust me.

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Ahead of tonight's game between Kansas City & Philadelphia, a local radio station in Philly has decided on a temporary embargo on a certain singer's records until after the game. I don't have to tell you who it is, and if you don't know, you've been living under a rock the last two months. This Super Bowl rematch doesn't need any more fuel than it already has.

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I just don't get the haterizing over NBC's Jac Collinsworth, who calls Notre Dame football for the network. Collinsworth, the son of Sunday Night Football analyst & former Bengals star Cris Collinsworth, also works on Football Night in America. I've said the two sound a lot alike, and it's true, but people on social media are ragging on the younger Collinsworth because they see him as a bad play-by-play man who, unlike his father, never played in the NFL.

For what it's worth, Jac's partner, former Cowboys & Giants coach Jason Garrett, comes off as a near-soundalike to another member of the FNIA crew, Tony Dungy. Sensory overload, anyone?

Celebrity Rock: The Lullaby of Broadway (1980)

 Taxi closed out its 2nd season with a 2-part episode that saw the staff at the Sunshine Cab Company indulge in some fantasies. Herve Villachaize (Fantasy Island) guest starred in part 1. Part 2 closes with Elaine (Marilu Henner) leading the gang in a rendition of "The Lullaby of Broadway", from "42nd Street". As you'll see, Latka (Andy Kaufman) was late to the party.

Jeff Conaway (Bobby) was no stranger to being a song & dance man, having co-starred in "Grease" two years earlier. Henner would later appear on Broadway in a revival of "Chicago". Tony Danza would later give it ago as a song & dance man himself, learning how to tap dance as a result of this episode.

On The Shelf: Returning to the world of Superman '78, and other stuff

 As part of their New Golden Age, DC has released three new series spinning out of the current Justice Society series. 

Wesley Dodds: The Sandman takes us back to the Golden Age, alright, when Sandman wore a business suit, fedora, & gas mask to fight crime. Wes Dodds was repackaged in the 90's, via Vertigo's critically acclaimed Sandman Mystery Theatre, as a scientist who developed the formula for his gas gun and sleep gas.

The way Robert Venditti envisions it, Dodds now has a player on the other side, as someone privy to his secrets has stolen the formula. Riley Rossmo, normally a humor artist of some repute, attempts to capture the spirit of the Golden Age. So far, he's succeeded through 2 issues.

Rating: A-.

Venditti is also back at the helm for the new Superman '78 miniseries, "The Metal Curtain". Oh, boy.

A few years ago, DC experimented with an Elseworlds where Superman landed in Russia instead of the US. Consider here that Venditti is creating his own Metallo, one who is a Russian soldier. It isn't going to be the same as the Metallo we're used to.

Newcomer Gavin Guidry teams with Jordie Bellaire on the artwork, which, again, captures the spirit of the intended era, and this is meant to serve as a bridge leading to "Superman II". And, oh, yes, there is another Batman '89 book due soon.

Rating: B.

The obsession Archie Comics has with their darker version of the iconic town started with the recently completed Riverdale series. The obsession continues with the 1-off, Welcome to Riverdale, which is a bit of a riff on the 70's horror classic (?), "The Stepford Wives". Just sub Riverdale for Stepford, and you get the idea. Amber Lightstone, the evil witch thwarted by Sabrina two Halloweens in a row, returns here. However, the artwork is nothing to write home about. There appears to be a Sabrina-centric sequel on the way. Avoid if the art is this bad.

Rating: C.

For their What If? Dark series of 1-offs, Marvel turned to Blade creator Marv Wolfman to offer what they wish was closure to Wolfman's seminal Tomb of Dracula series from the 70's. Let's just say that closure is the theme of the book. No one was buying when Wolfman returned to his 80's Teen Titans creations a few years back, but this 1-shot shows he's still got the master's touch.

Rating: A-.

Legendary Pictures & Warner Bros. wanted to develop a universe where Godzilla & King Kong could exist. The movie, "Godzilla vs. Kong", wasn't exactly a winner with genre fans, so what to do?

How about a miniseries in which the two icons of the cinema meet the Justice League, as well as the Legion of Doom?

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong is set for 7 issues. In this continuity, Lois Lane & Clark "Superman" Kent are dating, which is good news. Brian Buccellato's script shows that the returning Titano is a robot this time. Shan't be surprised if there are other swerves.

There are changes to the Legion of Doom. For example, the original Toyman, Winslow Schott, is in for Jack Nimball, the goof in the jester suit who was killed in the comics while Challenge of the Super Friends was on the air 45 years ago. The Cheetah has a more contemporary, bestial appearance. Lex Luthor, Giganta, Captain Cold, Black Manta, & Grodd round out the Legion roster here. Well, in this case, less is more. Looks like fun.

Rating: A.

Can we get lie detectors in every Congressional office? Just asking for a friend

 To Republicans in this era, there doesn't seem to be a problem with either hypocrisy or blatant stupidity.

In the House, for example, Kentucky Misrepresentative James Combover dissed a Democratic colleague by calling him a "Smurf". Ok, so Comer probably has seen either the movies, read the graphic novels, or had seen the cartoons in the 80's.

That, though, is mild compared to Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, who challenged Teamsters president Sean O'Brien to a fight, right there on the Senate floor the other day. Mullin, though, is another fake tough guy, just like a certain bloviator whom we'll get to later. As Farron Cousins reminds, Mullin hid like a scared child during the Capitol riot of 2021.......

There was a headline I read suggesting that O'Brien & Mullin could get it on in an MMA fight. Uh, no. A fist fight wouldn't work, either.

After an appellate court judge in NYC lifted Judge Arthur Engoron's gag order against Donald Trump on a temporary basis, 518 traitor Elise Stefanik of Schuylerville declared victory, claiming credit after filing an ethics complaint against Engoron, as we talked about the other day. Uh, no. All she's doing is scoring points with the Orange Toddler, because I don't think the decision to lift the gag order pro tempore has any connection with her ethics complaint.

Trump, meanwhile, wasted little time after the appellate court's decision, not realizing that it is temporary, to resume his whining about Engoron & NY Attorney General Letitia James.

"SEE! I told you they were corrupt!!!"

No, they're not, Fraud Fauntleroy. You are. Wake up to reality, if you can.

NY Misrepresentative Pinocchio Santos is facing an ethics complaint of his own because of his persistent lying and embellishing of his personal life, and on Thursday, Santos announced he would not seek re-election next year. Yeah, sure, and pigs will fly. Some commenters on Yahoo! are already predicting Santos will change course and run after all.

Empty-G has come out with a book, and, predictably, is already getting trashed by critics because it's full of lies & misrepresentations. Just like Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene can't keep her lies straight. Now, she's claiming Democrats did nothing to protect themselves during the riot. Wrong again! While Mullin and Hee-Hawley were hiding or running, other members of Congress were working to defend the chambers. Democrat Reuben Gallego of Arizona, for example, is an ex-Marine, and was teaching his colleagues how to use gas masks.

So what was Congress' Dumb Dora doing? Who knows?

Prediction: Greene's book of fibs will be in cutout bins everywhere except certain Georgia bookstores in due course.

Because the GOPers lie so much and so often, gaslighting their voters because it's worked for Trump, maybe we should install lie detectors in the House first, and watch them go off like burglar alarms the minute Greene, Lauren Gropert, Comer, Fibber Jordan, et al, fails to tell the truth. Especially when cameras are watching.......

Remember Libby's corned beef hash? (1971)

 Once upon a time, there was some competition in the marketplace for corned beef hash.

In addition to Hormel's Mary Kitchen brand, you had Armour, and, in this next item, Libby's. I've personally had Armour & Mary Kitchen, but the Libby's hash was off the market by the time I started doing my own shopping.

Roger Bowen ("M*A*S*H", later of Arnie) sports the Libby's sweater, conducting a pre-Brady Bunch Robbie Rist.

Robbie uploaded this to his YouTube channel.

Classic TV: Chad & Jeremy on The Patty Duke Show (1965)

 At the height of their fame here in the US, Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde began making the rounds, not only of the usual variety shows like American Bandstand and The Mike Douglas Show, to name a couple, but also doing some acting. You know, of course, that they factored into a 2 part episode of Batman, but, a year earlier, Chad & Jeremy appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Patty Duke Show on successive weeks.

As was the case on Batman, Chad & Jeremy perform "A Summer Song", but close with "Yesterday's Gone", the title of their debut album.

The odd part was, Chad & Jeremy also appeared on the Western, Laredo, completing the network circuit of the period. There was a time when Jeremy took a break, and so Chad had his wife, Jill, join him, leading to appearances on Hullabaloo & Shindig. We'll look at that another time.

No rating. Just a public service.

Musical Interlude: Charlie Brown (1959)

 The Coasters hit #2 on the charts in 1959 with their ode to "Charlie Brown", which has nothing to do with a certain comic strip icon.

The week that was in right wing idiocy

 One thing the Republicans deal in better than anyone is hypocrisy.

Proof of this is a report that revealed that Kentucky Misrepresentative James Combover, who is insisting he has evidence of some shady dealings involving the Biden family dating back to at least 2018, when Joe Biden was but a private citizen, had also loaned some money to a relative of his, but the diff is, as Farron Cousins explains, Combover went under the table......

Combover insists that Biden broke the law. He didn't, but GOPers won't accept that, obsessed as they are with getting even over 2 impeachments lodged against Citizen Pampers (Donald Trump). If the revelations surrounding Combover are brought to light on the House floor, and airing on C-Span, for example, then, suddenly, the GOPers look like the tools they are.

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Alina Habba-Dabba-Doo went on Fox No News Sunday, and claimed that Citizen Pampers will be seeking a mistrial "soon".  Yeah, sure, and pigs will fly. Dumb Donald II will be the first defense witness called back as early as today in NYC. That's not going to end well.

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Traitor to the 518 Elise Stefanik filed an ethics complaint the other day against NY judge Arthur Engoron, in a vain attempt to try to save the Tangerine Turncoat. We all know she's looking for brownie points from Diaper Don, but she's better off getting off the Trump Train to save her career, before she ends up as collateral damage in next year's election. She sold her soul to advance her career, but is it really worth it?

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With Election Day having come and gone, news comes along that conservative moron Charlie Kirk and others are whining about how America's musical sweetheart, Taylor Swift, urged her mostly youthful fan base to get out and vote during the elections.

I know this. If Kirk wanted to debate Taylor, he'd lose in about 10 seconds.

Musical Interlude: In The Navy (1981)

 From season 5 of The Muppet Show:

A group of Vikings, on a raid, break into the Village People's 1979 top 10 hit, "In The Navy", in an abridged version (due to time constraints).

This was not the first time the Muppets took a chance on the Village People. "Macho Man" was covered in a sketch in season 3, for example.

What Might've Been: Chopper One (1974)

 It was the winter of 1974. ABC needed to revamp the front of their Thursday night lineup. The network called on producer Aaron Spelling to develop a half-hour crime drama spotlighting police air patrols.

Chopper One only got 13 weeks.

What Spelling and ABC were looking for was, well, Adam-12 in the sky. A few months earlier, Adam-12 producer Jack Webb had launched Chase over at NBC, which not only had a police helicopter, but it was part of a diverse squad. Even though Chase ended up getting cancelled as well, viewers saw Chopper One as derivative of what Webb was doing.

While Jim McMullan wasn't heard from much after this series, Dirk Benedict saw his star rise 4 years later with Battlestar Galactica. Between Galactica and The A-Team, Benedict earned pop culture icon status.

Let's take a look at the opener.

I do remember seeing this with my folks. However, I don't think they stuck with it.

Rating: B.

On The Air: Skins (2023)

 No, this is not a revival of the controversial adult game show from back in the day. Instead, this Skins hews closer to the skins games in golf and other sports. In this case, it's candlepin bowling.

Skins launched two weeks ago on Candlepin Corner's YouTube channel. For those of you here in the 518 who are only now experiencing candlepin bowling at Apex Entertainment (Crossgates Mall, Guilderland), consider this a bit of a primer on a type of candlepin competition. New episodes go live on Thursdays.

Here's the opener:

If it wasn't so expensive at Crossgates (to pay the rent on the space), I'd get a group together for a weekend on the lanes. Just sayin'.

Rating: A.

An example of trying to fix something that isn't broken: The Joker's Wild celebrity edition (1973)

 We've previously documented how Jack Barry had originally thought of using The Joker's Wild with celebrities in the first of two pilots hosted by Allen Ludden.

A year into Joker's CBS run, ratings were declining, and Barry, seeing how CBS was able to successfully revive Match Game in the summer of 1973, decided to tweak Joker, modifying his original pilot from four years earlier. Barry would remain as host, with Ludden busy doing Password over on ABC. In December of '73, Barry mounted a pilot for a revamped Joker, with 5 celebrities, as in the original pilot, only this time, the format resembled that of NBC's Hollywood Squares, in which the panel could bluff the contestants if needed.

The panel this time around: Jo Anne Worley & Ann Elder (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In; Worley was also appearing on the syndicated It Pays to be Ignorant around this time), Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch), Pat Buttram (ex-Green Acres), and Marty Ingels (ex-I'm Dickens, He's Fenster).

Forgive the video quality. Wink Martindale uncovered the tape, warts & all.

Once again, CBS didn't bite, and Joker continued in the classic format for another 18 months or so before being cancelled in the summer of 1975.

Rating: B-.

Could WWE be giving up on cable television? NXT moves to the CW

 In a perfect world, WWE's three primetime shows would all be on the same network. However, in a business where profit margin is given greater priority over common sense, that isn't the case.

Presently, Monday Night Raw, WWE's flagship show, and NXT air on USA Network. Friday Night Smackdown (to use the full title for a change) is presently on Fox. Next fall is a different story altogether.

There are a few underlying factors surrounding Fox's decision not to renew their deal with WWE, which will expire in September 2024. As a result, Smackdown shifts back to USA in October '24, just in time for the series' 25th anniversary.

On Tuesday, it was announced that NXT will leave USA for CW, which has a considerably smaller audience reach than Fox or NBC, after 5 years on USA.

That leaves Raw, which marked its 30th anniversary back in January. Some rumors have it moving off USA for the 2nd time, this time to either FX or another cabler. Raw had previously shifted to TNN/Spike TV from 2000-5.

But, what about the possibility of Raw joining its sister series on broadcast television? Therein lies the problem. Since 2012, Raw has been a 3 hour program, just as WCW Monday Nitro was when it signed off for good in 2001. Fans have decried the longer format due to lack of in-ring content. By comparison, NXT is packed with wall-to-wall action and minimal backstage filler, striking the right balance. With Paul "Triple H" Levesque now firmly in charge of WWE Creative, per Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, I shan't be surprised if Endeavor, through TKO Holdings, would sign off on cutting Raw back to 2 hours, in lockstep with the other shows, in order to make it more palatable to new suitors. USA could still be in the mix, especially if they agree to the reduction in time.

Stay tuned.

Notes from around town

 The people of Troy hadn't elected a Republican Mayor since Harry Tutunjian won his first term 20 years ago. After Tutunjian was term-limited out prior to the 2011 election, the city has had a Democratic Mayor.

Now, City Hall switches back to red.

City Council President Carmella Mantello, the daughter of a police officer, finally moved up to the Mayor's office on her 3rd try, becoming the first female Mayor in the city's history.

Photo courtesy Spectrum News 1.

Democratic county legislator Nina Nichols had the early lead, but Mantello surged in front by the time the polls closed at 9 pm. Mantello overcame the tactical errors of her campaign that we discussed a couple of weeks back.

Personal note: In the last week leading up to the election, I received two robocalls, both from the Mantello campaign. Nichols didn't employ the same strategy, which may have proved costly. Her television ads showed her to be as plain as the morning sun.

Meanwhile, get ready for "The Singing Sheriff".

Republican Sheriff Sgt. Kyle Bourgault, a country singer in his spare time, became Sheriff, defeating former Troy Police chief Brian Owens. Despite Owens having the advantage in leadership experience, Bourgault knows the layout of Rensselaer County, and that proved to be the difference.

There is one item on Carmella Mantello's to do list that will prove to be a little challenging, though, and that is to have a styrofoam likeness of her head made for the Tri-City Valleycats' Mayors Race prior to next season.

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As of press time, it appears the City Council will have elected a Democratic president in Sue Steele, who has expressed a willingness to work with the GOP. That should be interesting.

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Aldi Markets has only been in town a few months, but the announcement Tuesday that the chain plans to close not only on Christmas Day, but the day after, December 26, known as Boxing Day in Canada, shows cause for concern. It'll give the chain's employees a little extra time off, but what isn't clear is if this will affect their Hoosick Road location. We'll soon see.

Get the waaaambulance ready: Citizen Pampers throws a fit in the courtroom

 That, of course, would be Donald Trump, in the course of 3 1/2 hours on the witness stand on Monday, doing what he does best. Lie, whine, and lash out at judge Arthur Engoron and NY Attorney General Letitia James while on the stand. Attorneys Alina Habba-Dabba-Doo and Christopher Kise ignored Engoron's requests to restrain their client, so Trump continued with the tantrum.

"WAAAAHHHH! I did nothing wrong! They hate me! WAAAAHHHH!"

You're doing this to yourself, Diaper Don, and it's a long time in coming! What Habba & Kise are forgetting is that this is not a jury trial (you can thank Habba for that oversight), but a matter where Engoron will decide how much exactly Trump has to pony up for his fraudulent financial assessments to banks, the better to enrich himself, of course. The public tantrums in the courtroom and before the press are for the benefit of his low information base.

By the end of the session on Monday, Trump and his ambulance chasers were threatening to motion for a mistrial. That ain't happening. Ivanka will testify tomorrow, and that may be the final nail in the coffin. Trump is not the fighter his base thinks he is after 8 years of non-stop Munchausen-esque embellishments of his accomplishments.

And, then, you had Habba going on Newsnacks and whining about how she, along with Kise & Trump, were treated in the courtroom. We all know who's driving the bus here. Trump won't take legitimate legal advice. The Unstable Genius is melting down before the whole world, and we won't be surprised if he is not the GOP nominee next year. He'll have himself to blame, but he'll deflect as usual, because he was taught to never be held accountable or responsible. However.......

What Might've Been: Monty Nash (1971)

 After flopping with a revival of the game show, Can You Top This?, Four Star got back into the crime drama business with 1971's Monty Nash, a star vehicle for Harry Guardino. Nash was a government agent who went undercover on his missions.

Unfortunately, Monty Nash suffered from a lack of interest from stations across the country. Insofar as I know, it never aired in the 518, though I may have to clarify that. Guardino would return two years later in a supporting role on CBS' ill-fated The New Perry Mason. Guardino would not headline another series.

Following is the opener, "The Long Ride", directed by future Cheers co-star Nicholas Colasanto, who was mostly a director until Cheers.

How none of the networks took a chance on this, I don't know.

Rating: B.

Sports this 'n' that

 It's been three days since the Texas Rangers won the World Series, beating Arizona in 5 games, continuing the trend of 1st time champions, after Las Vegas won the Stanley Cup, and Denver captured the NBA title, back in the summer.

Key to the Rangers' success wasn't so much the high priced pitching acquisitions---Max Scherzer went just 3 innings in game 3, and was inactive in the final 2----but, rather, a perfect road record (11-0), and a stellar performance by shortstop and Series MVP Corey Seager, who won his 2nd ring in 4 years (Dodgers, 2020). Relief pitcher Will Smith has won rings three years in a row, having pitched for Houston last year, and Atlanta in 2021.

After the series, reliever Ian Kennedy announced his retirement, secure in knowing he had won a ring.

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Well-traveled slugger Nelson Cruz also retired, after becoming more of a journeyman the last few seasons. His resume includes stops in Minnesota, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Washington, & San Diego.

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To the surprise of no one, MLB Network & ESPN bloviator Chris Russo went back on his promise to retire after Arizona advanced to the World Series. Seems fellow bloviator Stephen A. Smith might've had something to do with Russo backpedaling. What a shock.

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Boxer-wrestler-YouTube star Logan Paul hasn't won a boxing title yet, but today in Saudi Arabia, Paul won the WWE US title, needing a set of brass knuckles to defeat Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel. Given the fact that Paul has been roasted for some unsavory behavior on social media away from the ring, one would suspect he found a kindred spirit in WWE Executive Chairman and head nutcase Vince McMahon, who was rumored to be at the event along with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel.

Paul "Triple H" Levesque posed with Paul after the bout:

The last thing WWE needs now, however, is another part-timer holding a belt. It goes along with the need for social media and mainstream media attention, and some wonder how long Paul will be allowed to keep the title. I'd say no longer than Wrestlemania in April.

The part-time status accorded to Universal champion Roman Reigns, who needed illegal help---as usual---to put down LA Knight, may be one unspoken reason why Fox chose not to renew Smackdown, which moves to NBC next year. In a way, WWE/Endeavor doubled down on the part-timer controversy with Paul. That could cost them down the road.

What Might've Been: Jigsaw John (1976)

 Jigsaw John was a winter replacement series for NBC, airing from February-June 1976.

"Jigsaw" John St. John (Jack Warden, ex-NYPD) was a typical police detective of the period. Unfortunately, because there were plenty of crime dramas on the air at the time, Jigsaw John was cancelled after 4 months.

Warner Bros. Discovery owns the rights to the series.

Edit, 2/8/24: Had to change the video. Here's the intro:

Jack Warden would return to comedy with The Bad News Bears 3 years later.

Rating: B.

The daughter also lies.....

 After her two brothers, Dumb Donald II & Stupid-E, made fools of themselves in the courtroom (Stupid-E is finishing his testimony today as we write), Ivanka Trump is trying to avoid testifying altogether in her father's civil fraud trial in New York. She was supposed to be in court today, got it pushed back to Wednesday, November 8, and now, she's trying to push the goalpost back even further. As Farron Cousins asserts, Trust Fund Barbie may have something to hide, making her no different than her father & brothers.

The latest excuse making the rounds is that the 11/8 court appearance would take her away from her three kids in Florida, and, unless she & Jared Kushner haven't hired a nanny (but probably have), that doesn't hold much water. The truth is, Trust Fund Barbie is afraid of getting on her father's bad side by saying anything that would incriminate not only him, but the family as well. Stupid-E & Dumb Donald II played the idiot cards, only to get roasted online. It makes one wonder if Papa Pampers threatened to cut Ivanka out of his will if she flipped on him......!

Jokes aside, Ivanka's stall tactics will fail, just like her father's, since he can't have his pet judge, Aileen "Loose" Cannon, be flown in to take over in New York. I'd not be surprised, either, if Cannon winds up disqualified from her case due to perceptions of bias.

This is what happens when a lifetime of affluenza meets the reality of the legal system.

A primer on sex education (Room 222, 1972)

 Not many subjects were taboo on Room 222.

In season 3, one touchy subject was sex education. It begins when Principal Kaufman (Michael Constantine) announces a seminar to educate the faculty on venereal disease (VD). This, though, puts a veteran teacher (guest star Ruth McDevitt, ex-Pistols & Petticoats) in the crosshairs when a parent (Walker Edmiston) raises an objection that threatens the teacher's job.

By 1972, Walker Edmiston, a character actor with a fair number of television credits, was mostly doing voice work for the Kroffts (i.e. HR Pufnstuf, Lidsville). This episode, "I Give My Love", can still be used in today's high schools as a primer, allowing for advances in education & research in the 51 years since.

Rating: A.

What Might've Been: 8 Simple Rules (2002)

 John Ritter's final series, 8 Simple Rules, had barely begun production on season 2 when Ritter passed away in 2003, forcing ABC & Touchstone Television to revamp the series after a period of mourning for Ritter.

Ritter played sportswriter-turned-lifestyle columnist Paul Hennessey opposite Katey Segal (Futurama, ex-Married.....With Children) as parents of three, two daughters and a son, in what was meant to be a domestic sitcom for the 21st century. Kaley Cuoco, who played eldest daughter Bridget, would move on to animation herself (Brandy & Mr. Whiskers) before landing on The Big Bang Theory prior to her current gig as Harley Quinn.

After Ritter's passing, David Spade (ex-Just Shoot Me, Saturday Night Live) and James Garner (ex-The Rockford Files, Maverick) joined the show. With Ritter gone, however, the ratings began to plummet, leading to cancellation after 3 seasons. The then-nascent CW picked up rerun rights for a year or two to run the show as an after-school attraction after discontinuing its children's daytime block.

I remember being online when this aired, and my folks would watch the show in the adjacent TV room. They'd been fans of Ritter dating back to Three's Company.

Here's a short clip:

Rating: None. My folks watched it. I didn't.