Countdown to Christmas: Christmas with Carol Burnett (1968)

 From season 2:

Opera singers Eileen Farrell & Marilyn Horne are the showcase guests, performing in musical skits with Carol. Also, Carol plays a mousy reporter interviewing a Hugh Hefner parody (Lyle Waggoner), who suddenly morphs into.......well, that would be telling!

To explain away Bernie Kopell (Get Smart, That Girl) appearing during the show-closing Christmas medley, he'd taped a skit that was edited out of the show for time constraints, and was used two months later, but he was part of the chorus at the end of the night.

Some of the show was edited off this print.

Countdown to Christmas: Christmas Time is (Coming Around Again)(2018)

 The Mavericks released the holiday CD, "Hey! Merry Christmas!" in 2018. From this album, we present the bouncy "Christmas Time Is (Coming Around Again)".

In memory of singer-guitarist Raul Malo, who passed away on Monday due to cancer complications. Rest in peace.

Musical Interlude: All My Love (2024)

Tomorrow, Dick Van Dyke turns 100.

A year ago, Van Dyke made his first music video, appearing with Coldplay on "All My Love", which includes archived footage from The Dick Van Dyke Show and some of his movies (i.e. "Mary Poppins").

Happy birthday, Dick.

This week in GOP stupidity

 When is President Pampers finally going to get the message?

For the 2nd time in as many weeks, a grand jury in Virginia refused to re-indict NY Attorney General Letitia James after the initial indictments illegally brought by telegenic airhead Lindsey Halligan were tossed out two weeks ago. The statute of limitations has run out on indictments against former FBI Director James Comey, but Dumb Bondi and the Dept. of Injustice seem to think they can try again.

Uh, about that. Do us all a favor, and pound sand where you can find it.

Kristi Gnoem and the Dept. of Homeland Insecurity are having a herd of cows because a judge ordered them to release Kilmar Albrego-Garcia on Thursday. Look. You jobronies illegally detained him to start with without due process of the law, just because Donnie Diapers' consigliere, Stephen Miller, wants people like Albrego-Garcia gone on his say-so. That's not his call to make.

And, the sooner enough people come to that realization, the sooner Miller is brought before Congress to explain his xenophobic obsessions.

In Indiana on Thursday, the Hoosier state's government chose not to pander to Orange Narcissus' demand for redistricting, which led to predictable backlash from Dumb Donald II, Just Dumb Vance, and others. 

Brian Tyler Cohen explains:

I swear, if he could get away with it, Donnie Diapers would ban Alec Baldwin's "Boss Baby" movies from ever being seen again because they offend him so much. Deal with it.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the president's personal airhead, Karolame Leavitt, is trying to advance the false notion that inflation is going down, when it is just the opposite, and everyone can see right through the lies. She claims Donnie understands. No, he doesn't. He has affluenza, and wouldn't have clue one about low-to-middle class families who are legitimately struggling.

Oh, I know. Karolame wouldn't know how to spell affluenza even if you spotted her the a.

The ideal press secretary for a narcissist.

And, then, there is the small matter of the US, at the command of Donnie Diapers, seizing oil tankers from Venezuela, as a means of bullying Nicholas Maduro into stepping down. Like, I thought Maduro would be the kind of leader Mango Machismo would want to admire, but I guess they don't get along after all.

Yo, Melania. There's still time to board Air Force Done.......

Countdown to Christmas: The Stockings Were Hung (The Shadow, 1939)

 Here's a holiday episode of The Shadow from 1939, and, yeah, it's been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long since we checked in on radio's Dark Avenger.

Orson Welles stars in "The Stockings Were Hung". Disregard the fact that the thumbnail the YouTuber chose represents The Jack Benny Program.

Sports this 'n' that

 Is there a changing of the guard in the NFL?

Last season's Super Bowl teams, Kansas City & Philadelphia, are reeling.

The Chiefs' loss to Houston Sunday night ensures there'll be a new division champion in the AFC West, as Kansas City slips back below .500 at 6-7 with the loss on national television.

Philadelphia, the defending champions, have lost three straight, as the Los Angeles Chargers defeated them in overtime on Monday. Even though Dallas lost on Thursday, they're the only team with a realistic chance of catching the Eagles in the NFC East.

In the AFC East, Mike Vrabel has succeeded where former teammate Jerod Mayo failed last year, bringing the New England Patriots back into a position to win the division title.

Assuming Denver wins the West, everything old will be new again in the AFC. Cycles, you know?

"Narco", Edwin Diaz's theme, won't be blaring out of the loudspeakers at Citi Field anymore.

Diaz signed a 3 year deal with the World champion Los Angeles Dodgers earlier today at the winter meetings after an on-again, off-again run in New York. 

File photo courtesy Yahoo!.

This makes the signing of Devin Williams away from the crosstown Yankees last week even more daunting. Williams was even more erratic than Diaz last season, so the Mets will need bullpen insurance in case he gets off to a bad start as he did in the Bronx.

As for Diaz, Mets fans have turned on him on reddit already. The fickle ones always do. You'd think that after being a lights out closer during the post-season, Roki Sasaki would've been set as the Dodger closer next season, but team management still sees him as a starter. I don't need to watch MLB Network or ESPN to learn that. As more & more fans resent the Dodgers because of their ability to sign Japanese players (i.e. Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani), and the deep pockets of team management, it's easy to assume that the Dodgers could be in position to three-peat.

But, there's a caveat emptor with Diaz. He's blown his share of games during tenures in Seattle & New York. Devin Williams is not the answer for the Mets. He's just a band-aid 'til David Stearns can find someone else to complement Williams.

Moron TV: Almost Heaven (1978)

We've documented in the past how sitcoms with a religious or supernatural bent had short shelf-lives in the post-Bewitched era.

Around the time of Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait", Paramount mounted a pilot, Almost Heaven, which postulated a crisis center in Heaven which mortals can only access through their subconscious. It was meant as a comeback vehicle for Eva Gabor (ex-Green Acres), co-starring with Robert Hays & Jay Leno. As hokey as it sounds.

Of course, Hays would rebound a few months later with Angie, and Paramount thought enough of him to cast him in "Airplane!". It would take a few more years before Leno would raise his profile with his stand-up act, and we know the rest of his story.

Rating: C.

The president needs a time out

 We've previously speculated that President Pampers watches television so he can have something to complain about. Rage watching is not good for anyone's health.

Unfortunately, Donnie Diapers doesn't listen to sound advice from anyone.

After Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday to spill tea on her fellow Republicans, as the kids say today, President Pampers reiterated an earlier tirade against Greene, calling her "Marjorie Traitor Brown".

Photo courtesy MSN.com.

The Big Orange Onion can't handle criticism of any kind, even though it comes with the territory of his job. The problem is that he was never taught how to handle anything with dignity. His pitbull attitude is as phony as the rest of his facade. As more Republicans are making plans to leave office next year, Trump won't have the cushy safety net of the House of Representatives too much longer.

Of course, he had to whine about 60 Minutes, and lashed out yet again at CBS and new owner Paramount-Skydance, run by his friend, Larry Ellison.

This would explain why Ellison is mounting a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, to keep it away from Netflix. Ellison is figuring he has to get back in the good graces of President Pampers, so he'll do what he can. However, that figures to die stillborn.

It's not helping, either, that right wing gasbag Benny Johnson falsely claimed over the weekend that former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, who've produced documentaries for Netflix, have a vested interest in the streamer acquiring WBD. As usual with these charlatans, Johnson has no evidence to support his claims.

And this latest bit of news won't help Trump's mood, either, with news that embattled ambulance chaser Alina Habba has resigned her illegally obtained post as US Attorney for New Jersey, in favor of becoming a senior adviser to AG Pam Bondi. Imagine if Beavis & Butt-Head actually had sisters, or if Mike Judge's Texas Twits were originally meant to be girls. Yeah, there you go. One idiot advising another? In the words of 80's icon Gordon Shumway, "utter chaos". South Park would have a field day.

Finally, despite singer-actress Sabrina Carpenter asking the White House to delete a video using one of her songs to promote ICE, whomever is in charge of social media basically told her, bite me. Expect a lawsuit to follow, since Team Pampers refuses to pay royalties to any artist whose music they choose to use at any given time, and they likely owe a ton of money to artists like Carpenter, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, and the estate of Isaac Hayes, to name a few.

And a lawsuit might actually force Team Pampers to finally face the music.

Countdown to Christmas: I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas (1953)

 Gayla Peevey was just 10 when she released "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas", which landed her on The Ed Sullivan Show..........

72 years later, it still gets played every December.

Countdown to Christmas: Christmas 2025 (Insight, 1977)

 Science fiction? On Insight? Yep.

This week's Insight Sundays entry is a warped vision of what was then the future, as envisioned by writer John McGreevey in 1977. Producer John Meredyth Lucas is no stranger to science fiction, having written several episodes of Star Trek during its run (1966-9).

McGreevey's script is inspired by the works of George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and the movie, "Network", which came out a year earlier. Starring Elinor Donohue (ex-Father Knows Best, The Andy Griffith Show), Sam Groom (Another World, Police Surgeon), James Cromwell, Allan Lurie, & Sparky Marcus, in one of his first roles.

Insight Sundays returns after Christmas.

Countdown to Christmas: Christmas with Judy Garland & family (1963)

 Judy Garland invited viewers into her home in December 1963 for her Christmas show. Judy is joined by her three children, daughters Liza Minelli (17 at the time) & Lorna Luft, and son Joe Luft. Jack Jones & Mel Torme are among the guests.

Sports this 'n' that

 Some people don't deserve to be flattered. Ever.

Donald Trump is one of those people.

The most immature president in the history of ever was awarded a fabricated peace prize by FIFA during a ceremony at the Kennedy Center Friday to announce the draw for the 2026 World Cup.

President Packrat then went so far as to sound off on the NFL, thinking they need to change their name and the name of the sport, since in Europe, soccer, as we know it, is known as football.

Photo courtesy MSN.com

You'll recall that Donnie Diapers stole some trophies at FIFA events earlier this year, believing he's entitled to them, so FIFA suits are pandering to him by flattering him with hollow praise and fake gifts.

I'm told Trump actually played football in school, but I have a hard time believing that, considering he comes across as a wannabe who was assigned as a waterboy......

Orange Narcissus just has to meddle in everything where he doesn't belong. Bellevue will be waiting for him....

Meghan Trainor, please call your service. Your career is over.

If you've seen her State Farm commercial with Patrick Mahomes, you know why.

As former WWE champion and Honda pitchman John Cena winds down his in-ring career, an old nemesis is being presented as being jealous that one of today's stars has the honor of being Cena's last opponent on Saturday Night's Main Event, streaming next week on Peacock.

Former World & Intercontinental Champion Gunther has the honor, and Miz (Michael Mizanin) wants to use the fact that he defeated Cena at Wrestlemania 14 years ago to justify his getting the shot. Uh, no. Today, Miz is Daffy Duck to Cena's Bugs Bunny, while the Austrian-born Gunther would be happy with the honor.

After NXT/Evolve's Brooks Jensen (Ben Buchanan) complained about not being included in the Last Time is Now tournament, NXT Creative included him in a storyline in TNA, where he, along with two other 2nd generation wrestlers, Lexis King (Brian Pillman, Jr.) & Charlie Dempsey (Bailey Matthews), and others are disrupting TNA events, but there is no continuity between TNA & NXT for whatever reason. While Jensen is getting some shine time, NXT frontman Shawn Michaels is not following through on Tuesdays, when the object, in this writer's opinion, is to get people watching both NXT & TNA programming.

In case you wonder, Dempsey is the son of William Regal (Darren Matthews).

Seems the NFL is grooming Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson as their next crossover star.

Hutchinson is appearing with Patrick Mahomes in ads for State Farm, and with ex-Pittsburgh Steeler & Head & Shoulders pitchman Troy Polamalu for the shampoo. At least Hutchinson has personality, which is more than we can say for the not-quite-wooden Eli Manning......!

Countdown to Christmas: Christmas Story (The Danny Thomas Show, 1963)

 From season 11 of The Danny Thomas Show, formerly Make Room For Daddy:

Danny is concerned that his family has forgotten what Christmas really means, so he sets out to remind them in this tune-filled half hour. Bernard Fox is the lone guest star.

A gathering of icons: The Danny Thomas Show (NBC, 1965)

 Danny Thomas had ended his self-titled sitcom in 1964. A year later, he was at NBC, producing specials on a frequent basis, as a second iteration of The Danny Thomas Show. After the first such special presented a reunion of his sitcom cast, Thomas opted for a standard variety show format this time around, loaded (and I do mean loaded) with guest stars, including Andy Griffith, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks (doing their 2000 Year Old Man routine), Mary Tyler Moore, and cameos by Dick Van Dyke, Walter Brennan, Bill Dana, & George Burns. 

Highlights: 

Andy performs some musical numbers, including a bluegrass jam of "Mountain Dew" with the Stoneman Family. Andy, Danny, & Mary use a cloth for some "impersonations", including Van Dyke, Brennan, Dana, & Don Knotts. If you think Danny's actually mimicking Groucho Marx, think again. It's actually Rich Little, who appears during the closing number. 

Danny & Mary recount Mary's audition for The Dick Van Dyke Show in a fictionalized skit, but then, Mary also leads a chorus line of Charlie Chaplin impersonators (also including Danny).

Enough spoiling. On with the show!:

Rating: A.

This week in presidential stupidity

 Donald Trump, after having the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dismantle the Institute of Peace earlier this year, now wants the agency rechristened after himself.

Trump's sycophants, like Secretary of State Marco "Polo" Rubio, will claim this honors "the greatest dealmaker in history", who has a record of having declared bankruptcy several times when his casinos were tanking. The truth is, Donnie Diapers wants to leave his mark in Washington any way he can, and screw the consequences. 

The next Democratic president, and there will be one, trust me, will reverse this, especially after Orange Narcissus is consigned to the trash heap of history

Then, Trump went on a bonkers rant, claiming "affordability" is a scam, just a month after he'd declared himself the "affordability president". Farron Cousins explains:

Also, Trump painted Somalis with an extra wide brush, claiming---without evidence, of course----that Somalis are "garbage". Sounds to me like head troll Stephen Miller wrote his press briefing.

The panel on The View weighs in.

Finally, Donnie whined and cried about Colorado Governor Jared Polis being unwilling to release former election worker Tina Peters, serving a 9 year sentence for fraud. As usual, Donnie lied about the Democrats, deflecting the truth away from himself and his allies for the zillionth time. Well, too bad for you, bub. That's really on you for refusing to publicly admit you got your butt whupped 7 ways to Sunday 5 years ago, and you're holding a grudge against the Democrats because you can't let go of 2020.

Bellevue will be waiting in 2029.

Countdown to Christmas: A Christmas Story (Bonanza, 1966)

 Wayne Newton returns to Bonanza for his 2nd & final appearance as Andy, a former ranch hand who left with dreams of being a singer. Film star Jack Oakie plays Andy's uncle. Mary Wickes (ex-Dennis The Menace) & Dabbs Greer also guest in "A Christmas Story":

You can look for this to appear on Me-TV later this month.

Sports this 'n' that

 This season, Jersey Mike's subs hired former Giants QB Eli Manning to do a series of commercials with their primary pitchman, Danny DeVito (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), where the paranoid DeVito thinks Eli's been hired to take his job. Shouldn't worry, though, as Eli has the personality of dead wood, which is why Toyota dumped him and his X-Men wannabe ad campaign a few years back.

While the ads are getting sillier and sillier, and DeVito is channeling his Taxi character of Louie DiPalma, DeVito was invited to join Eli and brother Peyton on ESPN2 last night during Monday Night Football, as the Giants took another loss, this time to New England. Now, we'll see if either Manning shows up on Sunny at some point.

TNA Wrestling is leaving corporate sibling AXS TV (both owned by Anthem) in January, and moving to, of all places, AMC.

The change takes effect January 15 with a live show in Dallas that will also stream on AMC+. One clout chasing "reporter" falsely claimed that the shift in networks also spells the end of the talent sharing with WWE's NXT division, but TNA president Carlos Silva said that's not true.

Appearing on Busted Open Radio earlier today, Silva affirmed that the WWE-TNA agreement remains in place into 2026. They initiated a new invasion storyline last month at Bound For Glory and on Impact the night prior, and there's no way that arc dies stillborn.

First, it was Juan Soto & Clay Holmes. Now, it's Devin Williams.

Williams, the erratic closer, left the Yankees after 1 season, like Soto, and signed a 3 year deal with the Mets on Monday. Reports say Williams is open to being a set-up man, assuming the Mets can convince Edwin Diaz to stay in Flushing, after another erratic reliever, Ryan Helsley, signed with Baltimore over the weekend.

Stay tuned.

Medical Mondays: One For My Baby (Trapper John, MD, 1979)

 From season 1:

Trapper (Pernell Roberts) has not one, but two issues, as he treats a widow with stomach cancer, unaware that her son (Patrick Lab(y)orteaux, Little House on The Prairie) has taken to drinking to deal with the stress.

Here's "One For My Baby":

The Labyorteaux brothers added the 'y' in later roles, such as Patrick appearing on JAG, NCIS, & a guest shot on Yes, Dear.

In two weeks: A Christmas episode, if we can find one......

And another one bites the dust........

 A Federal appeals court ruled earlier today that another of President Pampers' pet ambulance chasers, Alina Habba, is disqualified from her role as US Attorney for New Jersey due to lack of qualifications.

Being telegenic isn't enough.

Donald Trump refuses to hire attorneys who'd talk back to him. He wants less experienced barristers such as Habba and Lindsey Halligan because they're telegenic, and Trump wants to see them on TV, while his inner child is wishing they were his babysitters growing up. The appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that slapped Habba with a DQ due to Trump and Pam Bondi refusing to follow protocols in the president's insane obsession with prosecuting perceived political enemies. Habba was a traffic court attorney in Florida defending clients who had parking tickets when Trump found her. Halligan was DQ'd in Virginia late last week, though that case may be pending an appeal that would be a waste of time.

What Trump wants is an attorney who will do what he wants without question, regardless of experience or lack of evidence. What he needs and deserves is a reality check.

Insight Sundays: All Out (1975)

 This was previously posted a while ago at Saturday Morning Archives, but we're taking a fresh look at this 1975 episode of Insight.

"All Out" is a morality play about greed. Philip Abbott (ex-The F. B. I.) and Bob Hastings (All in The Family, ex-Dealer's Choice, McHale's Navy) are among the stars. 

Countdown to Christmas: The Christmas Story (Daniel Boone, 1965)

 From season 2 of Daniel Boone:

Daniel (Fess Parker) takes in a Native American couple expecting the birth of their first child. As Mingo (Ed Ames) points out, the couple also helped end a dispute between their warring tribes. 

Jay Silverheels (ex-The Lone Ranger) appears as a representative of one of the tribes sent to retrieve the mother-to-be. In the midst of a blizzard.

Watch for the climax, which suggests some divine intervention........

Keep an eye open for this one come Christmas Eve.....!

Rating: A.

Notes from around town

 A few months back, we reported that 420 Bliss, a cannabis dispensary at Brunswick Plaza, had changed its name to Just a Little Higher. That didn't last.

As much as a month or two ago, 420 Bliss reverted to that name, likely due to a falling out with the Higher chain owners in New York.

As long as cannabis remains big business in the 518, 420 Bliss will gain more competition. Stay tuned.

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Seems someone doesn't like the city government and their signs suggesting that "It's OK to say no to panhandlers".

Riding a bus to Walmart this morning, I noticed that such a sign at the Collar City Bridge had been wiped in white spray paint, and some genius scribbled an f-bomb in black ink over the white paint. While people have the option to give these folks a buck or two, there has to be the understanding that not all panhandlers are legitimately poor or homeless. That's all there is, and if there's some jobroni that doesn't like it, well, suffice to say, absent a likely visit from the police, their opportunities could be fewer & further between going forward. Just sayin'.

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One issue CDTA hasn't addressed that has been around for years is the fact that some drivers have friends and/or family members that will ride along------and stand in front of the yellow line, which is still federally prohibited.

I had friends who drove for CDTA in the past. I saw two options. One, stand behind the line close enough to the driver to conduct a conversation. Two, sit in a front seat across the aisle. I used option 2 more often than not.

Today, one driver had her friend not only staying in front of the yellow line the entire trip from Walmart to downtown, but said friend did a solid by helping passengers when needed, particularly a couple who needed help getting a baby stroller on & off the bus. Maybe the driver should petition to get her friend a job application......!

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Black Friday was a weird day at WROW.

Morning co-host Jaime Roberts had the day off, leaving co-host Ben Patten to go solo. Evening host Bill Williams handled traffic and Patten's mid-day shift, so, you figure, weekend host "Brother" Lou Roberts, who usually has the gig on such days, would fill Williams' shift. Nope. Jaime was called in to cover for Williams. Sunday evening host/promotions director Candace Curby apparently wasn't available.

Something to watch for next month, come the day after Christmas, when this could happen again.

Different, but not the same: Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

 The Fantastic Four made their Marvel Comics debut in 1961. Next year marks the franchise's 65th anniversary, and Marvel finally released a movie based on it that actually worked.

In "First Steps", we get a capsulized recap of the team's earliest adventures, plus the reformation of their first foe, the Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser), whose civilian name is given here as Harvey Elder, a homage to EC legends Harvey Kurtzman & Will Elder. Flash forward to the period of the movie, somewhere around 1965 or so (Wikipedia says 1964, but take that with a can of salt). Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian) and his wife, Sue (Vanessa Kirby), are expecting their first child. Problem is, this attracts the attention of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), who eats planets for a living. Galactus desires the child, and sends the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) to convey his request.

Yes, the Surfer is female this time. The writers flipped the traditional Surfer story, as it is Shalla-Bal who becomes Galactus' herald, instead of Norrin Radd. Predictably, Johnny (Joseph Quinn) finds her attractive, and decides he needs to convince her to call off Galactus' feast.

There are Easter eggs, including some you haven't heard about, including casting the 4 leads in Roger Corman's unreleased FF film in 1994, and a left-handed tribute to the FF's early animation history. The writers decided to skip past the oft-told origin of the FF.

Check the trailer:

Fittingly, Disney makes use of its acquisition of ABC to make it the network of choice for all things FF, a nod to the fact that the first cartoon aired on the network (1967-70). All that was missing from the space coverage was AI renditions of Jules Bergman and Frank Reynolds, and, ahhhhhhhhh, skip it!

Yes, it's cheesy at first, but it picks up the pace of drama, building to a powerful final act.

Rating: A-.

Countdown to Christmas: Christmas with Jackie Gleason & The Honeymooners (1966)

 Jackie Gleason's 1966 Christmas show features a show-length Honeymooners episode, in which Ralph (Gleason) & Ed Norton (Art Carney) take up gigs as a sidewalk Santa and his Helper to make some extra money, but run afoul of a shady type (Robert Strauss) taking advantage of them.....

The open & close were edited off this print, so we won't hear from announcer Johnny Olson.

Aside from a stint on Bewitched, Strauss seemed to be typecast as gangster-types, something he didn't deserve.

No rating. Just a public service.

Countdown to Christmas: Gabrielle (Bonanza, 1961)

 Yes, it's Thanksgiving Day, but today, we're also starting our annual Countdown to Christmas.

First up is a holiday entry from Bonanza, circa 1961. Hoss & Little Joe (Dan Blocker & Michael Landon) find a blind orphan (Diane Mountford) alone in the wilderness after her parents' deaths. She wants to find her grandfather, and that becomes a problem.........

Here's "Gabrielle":

Kevin Hagen would reunite with Michael Landon years later with a recurring role on Little House on The Prairie as the town doctor. In between, Hagen also recurred on Land of The Giants.

Happy Thanksgiving. We'll see you tomorrow.

Old Time Radio: The Aldrich Family (1939)

 The Aldrich Family, a radio sitcom built around teenager Henry Aldrich, began as a summer replacement for The Jack Benny Program, and proved popular enough to stand on its own for the next 14 years.

The series actually began as a series of sketches on Rudy Vallee's program, after it'd been adapted from a Broadway play. Ezra Stone, better known for his later work as a director (i.e. The Munsters and the TV version of Aldrich) had played Henry on Broadway, and had two tours of duty in the role on radio.

Stone left the show in 1942 to serve in World War II, and thus began a revolving door in casting the lead. Stone returned after the war for another 7 year run.

Following is a Thanksgiving episode.

We'll look at the TV Aldrich another time. No rating. Just a public service.

Musical Interlude: I Can See Clearly Now (1993)

 Reggae icon Jimmy Cliff contributed to the soundtrack of the 1993 film, "Cool Runnings", with a cover of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now", more than 20 years after Nash had climbed the charts.

In memory of Jimmy Cliff, 81, who passed away over the weekend. Rest in peace.

Back to the drawing board: Indictments against Letitia James & James Comey dismissed. For now

 First, it was Alina Habba in New Jersey, then some jobroni in California. Now, in Virginia, another inexperienced ambulance chaser, because Donnie Diapers won't hire competent lawyers, Lindsey Halligan, had her cases against former FBI director James Comey and NY Attorney General Letitia James dismissed, albeit without prejudice, because, in particular, Donald Trump and US Attorney General Pam "Dumb" Bondi refused to follow protocols in order to hasten Trump's obsession with prosecuting his perceived political enemies (i.e. Comey & James) into existence.

We're reading that there is a statute of limitations on prosecuting Comey, and that's soon to expire, so it's unlikely, barring another attempt at an end-around from Team Pampers, that they'll try Comey again. Letitia James? Not so much, but here's the thing. Prosecuting James alone would open up another can of worms for Trump, as there would be cries of not only political motivation, but also racism, coming from James and her supporters. Trump's child-like understanding of the law is, in this case, a detriment, whether he realizes it or not, and it's doubtful that he does.

CNN offers more:

Trump doesn't want to remember that the carefully created image of him built decades ago was reduced to dust during his first term.

But, that ain't all.

Now comes word that Trump has directed his so-called Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to basically conscript Arizona Senator Mark Kelly back into service for the sole purpose of having him court-martialed, just because he was one of a small handful who contributed to a video over the weekend reminding today's troops that they can legally decline orders that go against the Constitution and the law. Trump, along with Just Dumb Vance, is claiming the former military personnel in the video, led by Kelly, are wrong. Guess what, pumpkin face? They're not. You are. Deal with it.

I doubt very seriously that President Onions would pardon a turkey come Thanksgiving, but if we do hear that he did, it'd be a miracle. Just sayin'.

Notes from around town

 What is Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello so afraid of?

As she reaches the halfway point of her first term (assuming she gets re-elected in 2027), Madame Mayor vetoed legislation that would allow for council members and/or citizens to take part in council meetings remotely, something that hasn't happened since the COVID pandemic 5 years ago. She says reopening the remote streams would open the door to abuses of power.

File photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

But what if you are sick, and can't attend a meeting, Madame Mayor? Then what?

In another attack of idiocy, the mayor's office announced that the annual city tree lighting, which usually closes out the Victorian Stroll, will take place ahead of the Stroll, on Wednesday, December 3. The Stroll is 4 days later, December 7. The graphics department fumbled, though, misspelling December on the announcement. 

Dyslexia, anyone?

One would think people coming to town for the Stroll would stick around for the full six hours (11 am-5 pm) so they can see the tree lighting.

All she's doing is giving people more reasons not to re-elect her in 2 years. Just sayin'.

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There is ongoing road work along Sage Avenue, near RPI, prompting CDTA to reroute a couple of their buses. However, as I was returning from a shopping trip the other day, I could see that there really hasn't been any progress, and crews aren't working on the weekends, with the holidays right around the corner. You'd think they'd want to get this done before RPI students leave town for Thanksgiving break on Wednesday, but we'll see.

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Albany dining icon Jack's Oyster House will reopen next month for a few weeks, then close for full renovations, to reopen for good (we think) sometime in mid-to-late 2026. You know how slow some of these projects can be. The new owners have good intentions, so, again, we'll see.

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More from Mayor Mantello: Madame Mayor took time to appear on Albany Broadcasting's Albany Street Sunday in a phone interview recorded earlier in the week with host Bill Williams, to promote Thursday's Turkey Trot. Mostly nothing burgers.

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Normally, you wouldn't see it happen, but happen it will.

The Troy Foundry Theatre brings back David Girard's one-man production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, opening December 5 at the Waiting Room on 3rd Street. Two nights prior, the Theatre Institute at Russell Sage College will present a musical version of "Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief", which runs through December 12. Both productions offer matinees during the Victorian Stroll on the 7th. Tickets start at $15 for both. Hmmmmmmm.

On the shelf: Thundercats solo specials, and the return of an 80's cult favorite

 As Dynamite's adaptation of ThunderCats approaches its 2 year anniversary (and it seems it'll surpass Marvel's 2 year output), the publisher is offering some 1-shot solo specials of some of the key characters.

Pumyra is one of the key players in the spin-off series, ThunderCats: Lost, which wraps next month. The book flashes back to her childhood, and the sacrifices that her father made to protect the family. I've a feeling Pumyra and the rest of the Lost team will be fully integrated into the main book soon.

Rating: A-.

After a miniseries several months back, Cheetara gets a solo 1-shot, but artistically, is not in line with the earlier work. Newcomer David Coussens seems to be missing some spark, and Cheetara doesn't look the same as normal.

Rating: B--.

Panthro gets his own book, and, like Pumyra, it has ties to ThunderCats: Lost. Writer Ed Brisson wrote all three books, and seems to be in line to take over the main book should Declan Shalvey leave at some point. However, he's got work to do. And I know a better writer who can move him aside, as we'll discuss in a moment.

In short, Panthro's tale is also a character study, and a fair one.

Rating: A.

Marvel & Dynamite have united the Fantastic Four and Disney's Gargoyles in a pair of 1-shots, one for each publisher, that also insert some Marvel characters that haven't been seen in forever. Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman wrote both books, making use of an old Iron Man foe, the Grey Gargoyle, and Isaac Christians, a human-turned-Gargoyle from The Defenders dating all the way back to 1980, in the first, and an evil Gargoyle who was a foe of the Hulk back in the day. Plus, Dragon Man, or, Dragonus, factors into both. Further, David Xanatos meets Tony Stark. How cool is that?

So not digging the Skottie Young cover to the Marvel 1-shot, though. Then again, Dynamite is using an artist to remind ThunderCats fans of the atrocity that was ThunderCats Roar from 5 years ago. Ugh.

Rating: A-.

With Blue Falcon & Dynomutt set to end, and, as noted above, ThunderCats: Lost finishing, plus Silverhawks ending with 10 issues, but with a promise of a return, Dynamite is reaching into the Warner vaults again, this time for a futuristic hero, also from 1980:

If you've ever wanted to see Thundarr in comics, now's your chance, starting in January. Dynamite also is bringing Archie and friends back in February for a miniseries crossover with Army of Darkness. Hey, we wouldn't mind the gang from Stranger Things cross paths with Sabrina, but so far, Dark Horse has passed. Their loss.

And if you want to see Archie and Scooby-Doo, that might be something for DC.....!

Insight Sundays: Watts Made Out of Thread (1968)

 YouTube describes "Watts Made Out of Thread" as a wild comedy about redemption. Paul Frees returns to Insight (he was the announcer during season 1) to voice a pair of figurines. Otherwise, our cast consists of Roscoe Lee Browne, Harold Gould, and Alice Ghostley (Bewitched):

When Icons Meet: Elvis on the Milton Berle Show (1956)

 Everyone knows Elvis Presley made his first television appearance on Milton Berle's variety show. Well, here it is, from 1956. The audio is down at first on "Heartbreak Hotel", but things pick up in time for "Blue Suede Shoes":

Family Fridays: Thanksgiving with the Andersons (Father Knows Best, 1950)

 A little change of pace, as we're reaching back for some old time radio to start our climb to Thanksgiving.

First up is a 1950 episode of Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young. This would be from season 2, in 1950.

Next week, we start our Countdown to Christmas.

Gomer & Duke get breakfast via special delivery (1964-5)

 Here's an in-show ad from season 1 of Gomer Pyle, USMC:

Gomer (Jim Nabors) gets a package in the mail from Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith, who appears near the end of the ad), which gets the attention of Duke Slater (Ronnie Schell)........

Post, at the time a unit of General Foods, was one of the sponsors of both The Andy Griffith Show & Gomer Pyle, among a fair number of primetime shows across the networks. Too bad Gomer never met Linus The Lionhearted, whose Saturday morning show bowed the same season......

Classic TV (?): Gene Gene makes his debut. So does the Unknown Comic. Just another day on the Gong Show? (1976-7)

 Two weeks ago, we featured a skit from The Carol Burnett Show in which Eunice (Burnett) appeared on The Gong Show.

Well, Carol stuck around long enough to actually introduce Chuck Barris for a day, and oh, did Chuck get roasted, or what? The Family skit was, I believe, part of this taping, with judges Jamie Farr (M*A*S*H), Jaye P. Morgan, & Allen Ludden.

As the header says, Gene Gene The Dancing Machine (Gene Patton) makes his debut, billed as "Gene & His Magic Feet", but you know he'd soon become a semi-regular. The Unknown Comic (Murray Langston) also makes his Gong debut. Unfortunately for the contestants, with Carol as an "opening act", it was difficult to follow.....

Chuck's jokey intros of the judges fell flatter than usual.

Rating: B.

The week so far in presidential stupidity

 After a bill to officially release the files on the late Jeffrey Epstein swept through Congress, it won't surprise anyone if Orange Beavis himself, president Trump, reneges on his promise to sign the bill into law.

On Friday, aboard Air Force One, Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey tried to ask Trump if he would keep his word, and sign the bill. Donnie Diapers cut her off and fat-shamed her for no reason.

"You're not being nice to me! WAAAAH!"

Funny how a 79 year old, overweight man with the comportment of a toddler would do that.

But that ain't all.

After being interviewed by ABC's Mary Bruce, reports surfaced that Trump is again demanding that his lapdog at the FCC, Brendan "Used" Carr, revoke ABC's broadcast license, which is something Carr does not have the authority to do, but Donnie Diapers doesn't understand that.

This is all he understands:

"WAAA! She's mean! Take her network off the air! WAAAH!"

Look, dude, I'll explain it to you again, even if you can't be bothered to actually comprehend the message. Criticism comes with the territory. Always has, always will. Just because you have the basic understanding of a kindergartener, doesn't mean you can wave it off and disrespect anyone who doesn't agree with you.

And, then, there is a recent case where Trump was in conversation with Just Dumb Vance, actually told Vance while being interviewed by another female reporter, "I just like to watch her talk".

CNN's Anderson Cooper had Ana Navarro, a CNN contributor in addition to being a part-time panelist on The View, on his program, and expressed disbelief, as it seemed Trump dismissed yet another woman just doing her job, this time going so far as to call her, "darling". Flirting while being interview ain't part of your duties, fella. The perception, unfortunately, is that the White House staff accepts it because "it's what he does". Translated: Orange Beavis ain't changing his habits for anyone, ever.

Sooner or later, the Archduke of Affluenza will find out the hard way how wrong he's always been. Preferably sooner.

Wild West Wednesdays: Mission to The Mountains (Death Valley Days, 1960)

 There are those occasions when the white man will work with a Native American to preserve peace. This installment of Death Valley Days dramatizes such an event. Wayne Rogers & John Hoyt star in "Mission to The Mountains":

A few short months later, Rogers would land his first lead role in a series in the short-lived Stagecoach West.

We're going to be scouring for Christmas episodes of various westerns starting in 2 weeks.

A most unlikely cover: Charlie Brown (1964)

 The Kim Sisters, from Korea, covered the Coasters' classic, "Charlie Brown", on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. The added instruments were either pre-recorded, or live off to the side.

My head is still spinning.

Sports this 'n' that

 Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo may be out for the season with leg issues, but that didn't stop him from showing up on Monday Night Raw at Madison Square Garden, along with a few teammates, including fellow rookie Abdul Carter, and in the company of Netflix personality Andrew Schultz.

Schultz & Skattebo were being interviewed by Jackie Redmond when the men of the Judgment Day disrupted the proceedings. This led to Schultz & the players tussling across the barricade with Finn Balor, JD McDonaugh, and Dominik Mysterio until security intervened.

Mission accomplished. This set-to ultimately wound its way to ESPN and other media outlets, which is what WWE wanted.

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Current Intercontinental champion & Honda pitchman John Cena may be retiring next month, but it hasn't taken WWE long to figure out what's next.

It's being reported that, come April, Cena will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, less than a year after his last match, set for December 13 in Washington. Normally, they'd go against the usual rules for induction for a wrestler who had passed away, as they did for Eddie Guerrero, after his passing 20 years ago.

Well, they do say anything can happen......

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While we're still nearly 3 months away from the Super Bowl, the NFL is banking on music fans to stay tuned during next week's Thanksgiving games.

The league announced over the weekend that Jack White of White Stripes fame will perform in Detroit at halftime of the Lions-Packers game. Post Malone will be in Arlington for the Cowboys-Chiefs match, and L'il Jon will be in Baltimore for Ravens-Bengals.

For the networks, it helps that November is a ratings sweeps period.

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So we're reading that ESPN's resident imbecile, Stephen A. Smith, is whining about how NY Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and NY Senator Chuck Schumer have all turned down invitations to appear on his new political talk show.

Like, can ya blame them? Screamin' A walked out of a NewsNation town hall he was co-hosting last month. He's so clueless about politics, like he is about any sport other than basketball (and even that is a reach), he'd be flame broiled by Newsom & AOC, who could probably concoct a recipe for roast dork.

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Less than a month after getting bounced by Penn State, James Franklin has landed a new gig. He'll take over at Virginia Tech next year. That's gotta be a record.

Medical Mondays: A Little Fun to Match The Sorrow (Ben Casey, 1965)

 After the breakup of his partnership with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis had a good amount of success going solo in movies. His first self-titled variety show, however, was abruptly cut short after three months in 1963, but other than that, Lewis became a tireless advocate for a cure for muscular dystrophy, a cause that would lead to the annual telethons every September for several decades.

Lewis also began to take on more dramatic roles, such as this one, from season 4 of Ben Casey. Lewis plays a doctor who uses humor to mask his true concern for his patients. Lewis also directed the episode, which also features Tige Andrews (ex-The Detectives) and James Best.

A few years later, Lewis would direct & guest star in an episode of The New Doctors, a component of The Bold Ones, dedicated to muscular dystrophy.

In two weeks: Trapper John, MD.

Baby be unhinged: An Indiana Senator gets swatted after America's oldest baby complained about him

 Does Orange Narcissus (Donald Trump) have any idea what he's saying at any time?

On Sunday, Trump falsely claimed the Democrats were deflecting away from the "great success" Republicans have had, and pushed for the release----finally---of the files on his former friend, Jeffrey Epstein.

No, Dumb Donald, you're the one deflecting. As usual. The release of the files is bi-partisan in nature, as both major parties feel the public has a right to know.

But, oh, that ain't all.

The orange toddler is also complaining about Indiana Senator Greg Goode refusing to redistrict state maps to favor the GOP, as Trump wants.

So what happens? Goode and his family were the victims of a swatting incident later Sunday. Dumb Donald's MAGA acolytes took action, and hopefully, this time, they get caught and held accountable.

Meanwhile, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reportedly is getting death threats because of her feud with President Pampers. A construction company Greene's family owns received a pipe bomb threat. Greene, too, has been swatted, this time with fake pizza deliveries.

However, Loopy Loomer claims this is fake. Unfortunately, Loomer made a fatal mistake. She claimed to call the police in Rome, Georgia, but Greene's company is in Alpharetta, not Rome, so Loomer, like Trump, is lying. Nothing new there.

Let's understand one salient point. Dumb Donald doesn't like being told "no" at all. Loyalty is a one way street with him. Even though he issued a pardon to America's Disgrace, Rudy Giuliani, the other day, he's not doing anything else that would help Giuliani, like picking up the tab for Giuliani's legal bills.

Finally, President Pampers renewed his call for NBC to dump Late Night host Seth Meyers, just because Trump can't take a joke. FCC Chairman Brendan "Used" Carr reposted Trump's message, but this threat isn't going anywhere. Notice how Donnie Diapers hasn't said anything about James Austin Johnson's portrayal of him on Saturday Night Live. Yet.

It's time to cut the cord, Donnie. For everyone's sake, yours included.

Classic TV: Bachelor Father (1957)

 A wealthy attorney acts as a surrogate father for his niece, leading to all sorts of standard sitcom fare for its day.

Bachelor Father spent 5 seasons across three networks (CBS, ABC, NBC), with John Forsythe in the title role as lawyer Bentley Gregg, and Sammee Tong as his personal assistant, Peter. Currently, the series airs on Cozi TV at last check, but the series was used as replacement programming for cable superstations that had to adhere to the syndication exclusitivity (Syndex) rules of the 90's.

Following is a sample episode about a common social issue of the 50's. Teenagers and phones.

Three years after the series ended, Forsythe returned with a self-titled sitcom that lasted one season on NBC, then returned to CBS with To Rome With Love, which ran for 2 seasons. Finally, he returned to ABC as his career reached its peak (Charlie's Angels, Dynasty).

Rating: B.

Celebrating the simple: The Three Stooges Greatest Hits (1997)

 Columbia-Tri-Star marked the 75th anniversary of The Three Stooges with a primetime special airing on ABC. 

Martin Short (ex-SCTV, Saturday Night Live, The Associates) serves as host, with a pastiche of archived film footage, sorted by topic, including the boys' run with Ted Healy. Barry Williams (ex-The Brady Bunch) and Little Richard are the guests, with the latter performing a cover of "The Curly Shuffle".

Burton Richardson is your announcer.

Missed this the first time because my folks weren't Stooge fans.

Rating: A.

Musical Interlude: Take Me Out To The Ballgame (1955)

 From season 4 of I Love Lucy:

Harpo Marx is the special guest, and serenades Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) & Carolyn Appleby (Doris Singleton) with a cover of the baseball standard, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", on his harp.

And where was Lucy? She'd spent the episode wearing various disguises to deceive the nearsighted Carolyn, but it all unravels when she meets Harpo, leading to the famous mirror sketch. Lucille Ball had appeared in a Marx Brothers film 17 years earlier, and Harpo was her favorite among the brothers.

Found: A line MAGA women won't cross. Well, maybe

 On Wednesday, Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva was finally, formally sworn in by House Mis-Speaker Mike Johnson, the ceremony delayed in part due to the government shutdown, in part due to Johnson continuing to carry water for president Trump to block the release of the so-called Epstein Files.

As expected, Rep. Grijalva voted for the release, and a torrent of e-mails were released, revealing some potentially damning information about Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died under questionable circumstances six years ago. The vote was bi-partisan, with a number of prominent Republicans voting for release, including Trump allies Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), Lauren Boebert (Colorado), & Nancy Mace (South Carolina). For the women, the Epstein files represent a line they were not willing to cross. Greene in particular has become a critic of Trump in recent weeks, something Orange Beavis has dismissed as "an act". Well, maybe, maybe not. Boebert's hands aren't exactly clean, of course, given the scandal that erupted a while back on a date night at a theatre production of "Beetlejuice". Still, it is very telling that these three, who've been prominent in headlines the last few years, feel trying to protect Trump in this case is a bridge too far.

Whodathunk she'd come to her senses?

And, then, there's Megyn Kelly.

Now a podcaster after getting chased off Fox & NBC in recent years, Kelly caused a stir with some remarks in relation to the case, and her verbal waffling on Epstein might make Kellogg's and its Eggo brand jealous. Fellow blogger Chuck Miller offers this:

Megyn Kelly and weasel words – Chuck The Writer

Trump is trying to dismiss the e-mail mass release as part of a Democratic hoax. Sorry, Donald, but that ain't happening. While e-mails can be faked, you can't just wish them away. Remember, the vote was bi-partisan. In other words, fella, your own party wants to see those files, right along with the Democrats, and all of America.

While there is a belief that Trump might not survive his 2nd term due to health issues, more physical than mental, by the way, due largely to his age and poor physical appearance, he cannot hide from the reality that his past is what will ultimately bring him down.

As you could probably surmise, Megyn Kelly gets the Weasel ears this week. Thanks, Chuck, for helping me with that decision.

Sports this 'n' that

 In two weeks, the Detroit Lions will have their annual Thanksgiving game, but the wags are already chirping that their halftime show be even better than what the NFL has planned for the Super Bowl in February. 

With all due respect to Bad Bunny, one of the hottest artists today, Detroit, with its own rich, diverse musical history, reached out to one of their own in Eminem to help produce their Turkey Day halftime show.

What? You were expecting Kid Rock? Shame on you!

14 years after the Lions raised eyebrows by booking Canada's Nickelback, the team and the league have turned it around with Eminem, whom we know isn't a fan of the current president, so you have to figure there's more whining coming from the White House.......!

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It's rare for multiple repeat winners come awards time, but it's happened this week in Major League Baseball.

Detroit's Tarik Skubal won his 2nd straight Cy Young. Cleveland's Stephen Vogt & Milwaukee's Pat Murphy repeated as Managers of The Year. Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes, last year's NL Rookie of The Year, captured the NL Cy Young, which merited a call from Dwight Gooden, who turned the same trick with the same two awards 40 years ago with the Mets.

NL MVP? Who do you think? Shohei Ohtani repeated, winning his 4th award overall.

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Until this week, the Annika, named for LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam, wasn't getting much mainstream buzz.

This week? Different story.

First, the LPGA invited Indiana Fever star and Gatorade pitch-doll Caitlin Clark, who missed most of this season with injuries, to take part in the Pro-Am. Teammates Lexie Hull & Sophie Cunningham shared caddy duties.......

Today, Kai Trump, the president's granddaughter, given a sponsor's exemption, played her first round as an amateur in an LPGA event. Unfortunately, Ms. Trump finished dead last after 18 holes, despite getting some pointers from potential future stepfather Tiger Woods (Dumb Donald II is Kai's dad). Kai finished at 13 over par. At least, she played honestly, unlike her grandpa, a notorious and reputed cheat on the course.

Like, she's just 18, and will attend Miami next year to play for the Hurricanes. There'll be other tournaments.

This week in presidential stupidity

 The reason that mainstream media won't address the obvious elephant in the room, if you will, that being president Trump's mental issues, is because they don't want to upset a 79 year old man with self-esteem issues who's prone to filing lawsuits at the drop of a hat because he's sooooooooo easily offended.

Unfortunately, President Onions has given us plenty of ammunition this week alone.

For starters, he wants the Supreme Court to overturn the liability judgments against him in favor of journalist and former cable personality E. Jean Carroll, cleaning up the mess that telegenic airhead Alina Habba had left. Farron Cousins explains.

Of course, we know why Trump wants the verdict overturned....

"WAAAAHHHHH! I don't want to give money to someone I don't know!!! WAAAHHHHH!"

Stop lying, Fraud Fauntleroy. There's evidence that says, yes, you were acquainted with Carroll back in the day, but the problem lies in that pumpkin-sized cranium of yours. It's falling apart, fella.

And, then, there is the matter of Dumb Donald claiming we don't know anything about magnets. Here, again, is Farron.

I can debunk his claim myself. I have a pair of disc shaped magnets on my desk at home that I can use as paperweights. I have other magnets on my refrigerator. We learned about magnets in school, but, then, we really don't know if Trump actually engaged in any real learning.

And we have this from a correspondent in Philadelphia:

"He probably majored in playing hooky!"

Seems likely.

The doctors that get paid to lie for Trump should reconsider their career choices at this point. The man is suffering possible signs of dementia or Alzheimer's Disease, but is too afraid to admit anything, out of fear that he would appear weak to his base, shattering a 10 year old delusion.

You don't need the X-Files to reach that conclusion.

On DVD: The Three Stooges in False Alarms (1936)

 It's been a while since we checked in on The Three Stooges.

In "False Alarms", the boys are firemen who just can't seem to stay out of trouble, especially when it comes to their girlfriends. Ohhhh, boy.......

Rating: B.

Musical Interlude: She's a Mystery To Me (1989)

 Roy Orbison's final CD, "Mystery Girl", was released posthumously after the singer passed away in December 1988. "She's a Mystery To Me", the 2nd single, had a video release in April 1989. Ali Hewson, the wife of U2 singer Bono (Paul Hewson), is the featured actress in the video.

Yes, Bono was a co-producer on the album, along with T-Bone Burnett, Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, and Orbison's widow, Barbara.

A Veteran's Day Special: The Little Trooper (Death Valley Days, 1959)

 I was going to save this for Wild West Wednesdays next week, but, with today being Veterans Day, I thought this might be something worth looking at, considering this episode of Death Valley Days aired earlier today on Grit.

A 4 year old boy wanders off an Army base, leaving his mother worried, as "The Little Trooper" walks in the desert, putting himself in danger with Apache chief Geronimo in the vicinity.

But, oh, little did we know, until it's explained at the end of the show, who this little boy would grow up to become......

I've seen this gimmick in comic books where the hero meets the younger self of a future famous person (i.e. JFK). TV's done it, too, as this serves as an example. In fact, the 1982 sci-fi series, Voyagers!, took this premise to the nth power.

Rating: A. 

We'll have another installment of Death Valley Days next week, as planned.

The rest of the story about the president's debacle at the Commanders game

 If Donald Trump thought he'd be roundly cheered at the Lions-Commanders game Sunday, he was way wrong.

Sure, Detroit receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown pointed in the direction of the rhythm-challenged Trump and did Trump's infamous attempt at dancing after a touchdown, acknowledging the presence of a president born with two left feet.

However, it's clear that the crowd reaction had an effect on Trump:

The most polarizing, immature president in history was booed instead of cheered, despite his staff's attempt at spinning it in the opposite direction. Trump attempted to swear in new members of the military, which is why "Secretary of War" Pete Hegseth was at the game, but that should've been in a more private setting. Of course, Trump got booed doing that. He tried to bigfoot the game to feed his ego, and, as we reported yesterday, he bailed out early, as Detroit rolled, 44-22.

Ya should've known better than a stunt like that, fella. Deep down, this is how he feels:

"WAAAHHHH! They hate me! WAAAAHHHHH!"

Well, of course. You're doing everything wrong right now, guy. They know you don't care about them, although your supporters/marks may be the last ones to realize that.

Maybe the next game you should attend might be more your speed, like a badminton tournament.

Musical Interlude: Joyful, Joyful (1993)

From "Sister Act 2: Back in The Habit":

Lauryn Hill powers this rendition of "Joyful, Joyful". Hill would make her way onto the Top 40 a year or so after "Sister Act 2".

16 years later, Casting Crowns released a new interpretation of "Joyful" based on a work by Beethoven. How Hill's version didn't chart, I don't know.

Sports this 'n' that

It isn't very often that the Giants will cave to fan pressure, and fire a head coach in mid-season. Ben McAdoo was the last one to get sacked mid-season, until today.

Brian Daboll, halfway through his 4th season, was fired today after the Giants got off to a 2-8 start, this after Big Blue blew another 2nd half lead.

After rookie QB Jaxson Dart was knocked from the game with a concussion Sunday against Chicago, the Bears rallied to beat the Giants, 24-20, and, as it turns out, sealing Daboll's fate. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was named interim coach.

It won't get any easier for the Giants, not with the North division leading Green Bay Packers coming to the Meadowlands next Sunday.

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3 1/2 years ago, Mercedes Mone, then known as Sasha Banks, and Naomi left WWE in a dispute with then-owner Vince McMahon over creative direction. While Naomi has since returned, and is currently on maternity leave, Mone is on a championship streak, raising the profile of various independent promotions globally while remaining the TBS champion for AEW.

Given what happened Saturday prior to AEW's Collision, it seems as though Mone could've had time to give an old friend some career advice.

Nixon Newell (fka Tegan Nox in WWE) and her tag team/life partner, Miranda Alize, were scheduled to face Taynara Conti, another WWE alum, and Anna Jay, in a tag match, but left when they found out they were only getting 3 minutes of match time. Newell stated on social media that she had requested extended time for the match, up to 5 minutes total time, it seems, but was turned down, as she felt 3 minutes was not enough for the 4 women. She's certainly used to that from her days in WWE. Newell & Alize are unsigned free agents, and this setback might be problematic down the road, even though Newell has said there's no bad blood, and she denied rumors of a confrontation backstage with Megan Bayne a week earlier.

Where was Mone? Out of the country, defending one of her many championships.

To be continued.

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America's oldest baby, President Pampers himself, Donald Trump, doesn't realize that when he shows up at a sporting event, he's not the most popular guy in the room.

It happened again on Sunday, when he attended the Washington Commanders' home game vs. the Detroit Lions, a renewal of an ancient rivalry dating back decades. Trump was booed by the fans, and left during the game, probably once he realized the Commanders weren't going to win the game. Detroit blew out Washington, 44-22.

Trump is further stigmatizing the Commanders' fan base by demanding that the new stadium being built in place of long-demolished RFK Stadium in Washington be named after him. He thinks it might be beautiful, but fans disagree. He gave the Commanders the kiss of death just by showing up on Sunday.

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We could've noted this over at Tri-City SportsBeat, but it fits here more appropriately.

"It" is the news revealed over the weekend that Yankees GM Brian Cashman, along with the late Gary Carter, who helped the Mets to their most recent championship in 1986, is among the 2025 Class of the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame.

The induction took place yesterday in Gloversville. Joining Cashman & Carter are:

Infielder Joe Panik (San Francisco, Toronto, Miami, Mets, Cincinnati).

Frank Catalonotto (Mets, Toronto, Texas).

Brian Cogan (Yankee prospect).

Chris Dedrick, coach of Columbia High.

Mets photographer Marc Levine.

Pitcher, and, later, broadcaster Jim Kaat (Yankees, Minnesota, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Chicago White Sox). Was last seen calling baseball on MLB Network.

Aside from media reports, ya wouldn't have known, since the local Hall doesn't get the same kind of lover as the National hall on Cooperstown, which has their party every summer.

Musical Interlude: Blue Moon (1939)

 From "At The Circus": Harpo Marx has an audience appreciating his abilities as he performs "Blue Moon":

Insight Sundays: High Powder (1981-2)

 This installment of Insight is literally a family affair.

Dick Van Patten (Eight is Enough) is joined by sons James, Nels, & Timothy, the latter wrapping up The White Shadow, in "High Powder", billed under the Reflections series. Timothy plays a skiier who has to make a choice when he sees a teammate accepting drugs.

John Laughin (The White Shadow), Ralph Macchio, Christopher Connelly (ex-Peyton Place, Paper Moon), and Grant Goodeve (Eight is Enough) co-star.

It's also a reminder that winter is right around the corner.