Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Musical Interlude: That Was Then, This is Now (1986)

 As The Monkees celebrated its 20th anniversary, with reruns airing on MTV 7 days a week, the band reformed and hit the road for an anniversary tour.

However, the first single off "Then & Now: The Best of The Monkees", released in 1986, "That Was Then, This is Now", has just half the foursome. Peter Tork is on guitar, and Micky Dolenz moves from behind the drum kit to sing lead. Davy Jones wasn't interested in playing on this particular track.

To appeal to the VH-1 audience, the video, airing on both VH-1 & MTV, mixes concert footage with archival clips & commercials, including snippets of legendary Ajax detergent & Oscar Mayer commercials.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Notes from around town

 Vic Christopher's family of restaurants will have a more uniform look to its menu as of today, per the Albany Times-Union

Christopher, the former Tri-City Valleycats executive turned business mogul, revealed Monday that the menus at Donna's Italian, The Tavern Bar, Little Pecks, & Lucas Confectionary, will all be the same. So, if you're away from your favorite eatery among the four, and closer to another, you'll get the same food, and, likely, the same service you're already accustomed to.

This is on the heels of Donna's executive chef, Jake Robins, and Clark House Hospitality's Paula Patterson announcing plans to depart the chain to start their own eatery in South Troy at the former Carmen's Cafe later this year. That has Christopher's seal of approval.

Stay tuned.
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Former *NSYNC singer Chris Kirkpatrick is headlining this year's 4th of July show at the Empire State Plaza, and bringing a few friends.


File photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

Kirkpatrick will be joined by revived groups LFO, O-Town (remember Making The Band back in the day?), and Ryan Cabrera (husband of WWE star Alexa Bliss) for the show. Apparently, no opening act may be needed, but we'll know when we get closer to the date.
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Staying in Albany, the city's annual Alive at 5 begins a new season in June at a familiar place.

Alive at 5 launched in 1990, the brainchild of then-mayor Tom Whalen. The concert series moved to Jennings Landing at Corning Preserve in 2003, and, except for the pandemic year of 2020, it's been an Albany tradition. The schedule has been trimmed, however, to six concerts in June & July, with a week off in the middle for the July 4 Empire State Plaza spectacular.

This year's lineup (rain site will be the Corning Preserve boat launch, per tradition):

June 5: 90's rockers Queensryche with Gozer.

June 12: Neal Francis with TV Doctors.

June 19: Lupe Fiasco with DJ TGIF & Rhakim Ali.

June 26: Boys Like Girls with The Story Boys.

July 10: Mellow Mood with Dis-N-Dat Band.

July 17: Middle Aged Dad Jam Band, featuring former members of MTV's The State, with Wild Adriatic.

The return to Tricentennial Park may be a 1 year experiment, depending on who will be the next Mayor of Albany after Kathy Sheehan ends her run in January. Trust me. I've been to a bunch of these shows at both Tricentennial Park & Jennings Landing, and the former is an easier venue to get to, especially if you're a commuter like me.
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Reading that the city of Troy is accepting bids for bands to participate in this year's Memorial Day parade in Lansingburgh, set for May 26, rain or shine. You have to believe that Mayor Carmella Mantello, a 'Burgh native, doesn't want to see the last of Troy's parades go away, but it might help if they did a better job of promoting the event, in addition to the heavily promoted free concerts that follow during the summer.

Sports this 'n' that

 Deion Sanders should stick to what he knows. Coaching and doing commercials.

During the NFL draft last week, Sanders' two sons, Shedeur, a quarterback, and Shilo, a safety, weren't picked until Shedeur was drafted by Cleveland on Saturday. On Sunday, Shilo signed as an undrafted free agent with Tampa Bay, and announced he had signed with one of the top agents in the NFL, Drew Rosenhaus. Until Sunday, Deion acted as a de facto agent for his sons, a la LaVar Ball.

Unlike La Loud Mouth, though, Deion Sanders, who shills for Chime, AFLAC, and, briefly, DirecTV, was actually a superstar in two sports. However, Shedeur has caught some heat for pre-draft statements & posturing, prompting WFAN morning co-host Boomer Esiason to refer to Shedeur as "entitled".

Prior to that, it was reported that Shedeur was pranked on Friday night by some clown claiming to be New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis. In reality, the phone scammer was Jax Ulbrich, son of Atlanta defensive coordinator and former Indianapolis head coach Jeff Ulbrich. The younger Ulbrich owned up on Sunday to having access to his dad's phone.

The irony here, of course, is that Deion started his NFL career in Atlanta, during which time he appeared in a Hammer music video ("2 Legit to Quit"), and cut his own CD, which, if memory serves, was produced by Hammer (Stanley Burrell).

Inevitably, the brothers will meet as opponents. It's just a question of when.
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Further clouding the draft is a report circulating that White House press shill Karoline Leavitt is trying to credit president Trump with getting Shedeur Sanders drafted. Both Leavitt and Trump are so clueless to think Orange Nachismo's whining on Truthless Social had anything to with the decisions of NFL owners & coaches. It didn't.

Back to Boomer. He claimed on the air on Monday, having been in Green Bay for the draft, that a number of owners took Shedeur off their draft boards because the incoming rookie rubbed them the wrong way. I shan't be surprised to think that this was actually Deion's doing.

I often referred to Ball as the Fred Sanford of stage parents. Deion, then, is George Jefferson.
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After getting screwed on a triple play that wasn't on Friday, and seeing their bullpen spring a leak again on Sunday (Ryan Stanek either won't be closing games anytime soon, or is hiding an injury), the Mets vented on Washington on Monday to the tune of a 19-5 beatdown. Ex-Marlin Jose Urena, making his Mets debut, got a 3 inning save despite giving up all 5 Nationals runs in the 8th inning. Ex-Met Amed Rosario pitched the 9th for Washington, and poured gasoline on the fire with a collection of eephus & lollipop pitches.....


The Mets are back home to play Arizona beginning tonight.

Monday, April 28, 2025

Does anyone remember Burger Queen? (1956-80)

 Everyone knows Burger King, but, for 24 years, there was also a Burger Queen chain of restaurants.

Today, many of those former Burger Queens are now Dairy Queen locations (none in NY) after Druthers purchased Burger Queen in 1980.

For five months in 1978, Burger Queen hired TV's Fish, Abe Vigoda (who was back on Barney Miller by the fall of '78), to do commercials, like this one.


There is a Druthers here in upstate NY, but they're a different breed.

Sunday, April 27, 2025

A blue suit at a funeral? Ignorance or disrespect?

 It would be news if president Trump wore something other than a blue suit.

Saturday, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, Trump stood out like a sore thumb as one of a few people adorned in blue. England's Prince William also wore blue, but the media is focusing on Trump, who might not have a black suit in his closet. Wife Melania wore a black ensemble, veil included, and blended in.


Media outlets were quick to note Trump had committed a violation of Vatican protocols for funerals, as did William, but, again, Trump attracted a media firestorm because of his reputation as a vain narcissist. He had five days to have a black suit custom tailored for him.

So, the question is asked again. Is it willful ignorance of protocol? Or is it general disrespect, since he & Francis had a number of disagreements?

I guess we'll never know.

Saturday, April 26, 2025

When Icons Meet: Mickey Rooney on The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970)

 If there was one thing Mickey Rooney & Tim Conway had in common, it was the fact that neither was able to sustain their own TV shows. Rooney had two come & go before he guested on The Tim Conway Comedy Hour in December 1970, as the series was nearing the end of its run. Fellow screen legend Dorothy Lamour also guests, along with primary musical guest Bobby Bloom ("Montego Bay"). The repertory company includes:

Art Metrano, who'd move on to The Chicago Teddy Bears the following season.

John Amos, who otherwise was recurring on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

McLean Stevenson, who came over from The Doris Day Show.

Sally Struthers, who moved on to All in The Family a month later.

Announcer-actor Ernie Anderson, Conway's best friend from Cleveland.

The first sketch has Rooney as a judge in a case where Lamour is the defendant, and Conway & Stevenson are prosecuting attorneys, and Metrano is a defense attorney.


Rooney would get one more crack at sitcom glory a few years later (One of The Boys), but that, too, would flop.

Rating: B.

Notes from around town

 Sports agent John "JR" Rickert's tenure as principal at Niskayuna High is coming to an end at the end of the season.

The district, which recently announced they would retire the "Silver Warriors" team nickname in favor of plain "Nisky" in the fall, announced Friday that Anthony Malizia will succeed Rickert as principal beginning in September.
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WROW (Magic 100.5/AM590) has added more classics to their playlist as of this morning, including artists like Duran Duran, Human League, and Whitney Houston, and Club Nouveau's cover of Bill Withers' legendary "Lean on Me".


In addition, the station has given real estate expert John Bevilacqua the boot, as of today. Bevilacqua's last show was April 19. Also, Madison Wealth Managers' experiment with replaying their Saturday hour on Sundays has officially come to an end, as the updated schedule reflects what everyone had assumed, that morning co-host Jaime Roberts is working a full 5 hour shift on Sundays, 7 am-Noon.

The current lineup:

Saturdays:

6-8 am, 8:30-10 am, 11 am-Noon: John Gabriel.

8 am: Herzog Law Firm.

10 am: Madison Wealth Managers.

Noon-6 pm: Ben Patten.

6 pm-Midnight: "Brother" Lou Roberts.

Sundays:

6 am: News, Views, & Interviews.

6:20: Albany Street.

7 am-Noon: Jaime Roberts.

Noon-5 pm: Bill Williams.

5-10 pm: Candace Curby.

Weekdays:

5-10 am: Jaime Roberts & Ben Patten.

10 am-2 pm: Ben Patten.

2-7 pm: John Gabriel.

7 pm-Midnight: John Tesh (syndicated).

The automated "Good Times, Great Oldies" format runs from Midnight-5 am Tuesday-Friday mornings, Midnight-6 Saturday & Sunday mornings, and 10 pm-5 am Sunday night into Monday morning.

Friday, April 25, 2025

On The Air: People Puzzler (2021)

 People Puzzler spent three "seasons" across two years on Game Show Network (2021-3), after which the series went into syndication, and is out of production.

Spun from a popular feature in People, now a monthly publication after Meredith Publishing acquired it and the rest of WarnerMedia's family of magazines, the game invokes memories of classic word games like the Cross-Wits in the 70's. Actress Leah Remini (ex-The King of Queens, Saved by The Bell) serves as series host.

Let's check a sample episode.


It seems a little too easy, but then again, so is the puzzle in the magazine.....

Rating: A-.

Sounds of Praise: One Day at a Time (1975)

 After returning to Hee Haw following a hiatus in which she dealt with drug addiction, Lulu Roman turned over a new leaf, by adding gospel music to her repertoire.

In 1975, Roman performed the gospel standard, "One Day at a Time", co-written by Kris Kristofferson, on Hee Haw. Intro by co-host Buck Owens, who discovered Roman at a comedy club a few years earlier.


Four years later, Christy Lane took "One Day" to the top of the country charts. Roman would later win a Dove Award for a separate project.

In memory of Roman, who passed away Wednesday at 78. Rest in peace.

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Musical Interlude: Slit Skirts (1982)

 "Slit Skirts" was the 1st single off Pete Townshend's 1982 album, "All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes" (don't ask).. Bassist Tony Butler would later join Big Country.


Other copies of this clip have the harmonica part edited out. Don't know why.

Sports this 'n' that

 "Make a mistake, and we own you."---Kevin Kernan on the Mets, April 2015.

It's still true now, 10 years later.

As the Mets prep for a weekend wraparound road trip to Washington, they sit in first place in the NL East, 5 games clear of the Philadelphia Phillies after sweeping the Phils Wednesday afternoon in 10 innings, 4-3, finishing a 7-0 homestand. Carlos Mendoza's club is 12-1 at home, Citi Field is packed at night, maybe not so much for mid-week matinees for now, and they've got reinforcements coming, with reports that injured regulars Jeff McNeil & Francisco Alvarez could be activated in time for Friday night's game at Washington.

Brett Baty, learning how to play 2nd base as he goes, slammed a 2 run homer off Zack Wheeler early, but Philadelphia came back to tie the game, forcing extra innings. Baty could end up heading to Syracuse to make room for McNeil, but we'll know in 24 hours time.

Check the video of that epic bottom of the 10th....


The teams will meet in Philadelphia in June, but while things could be different then, the Mets have to be wary of the 4th place Nationals. New York sports a 7-2 record in the NL East, but.....

It's still early.
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Two passings to report.

Sportscaster Mike Patrick, the original play by play voice of Sunday Night Football when it aired on ESPN, passed away at 80. Patrick also called college basketball & football for the network, and was a beloved announcer.

Other than Phil Rizzuto and Harry Caray, no one got more mileage out of "Holy cow!" than Patrick.

Just hours after being placed in hospice care, NFL Hall of Famer Steve "Mongo" McMichael, a vital part of Buddy Ryan's "46" defense with the 1985 Chicago Bears, passed away after a 4 year battle with ALS.

McMichael carved out a 2nd chapter in his career when he swapped his shoulder pads for wrestling boots in the 90's, signing with World Championship Wrestling as a commentator and, later, a member of the infamous Four Horsemen faction. McMichael was a US champion with WCW, nearly a decade after making his in-ring debut, along with a number of other NFL players in a battle royal at Wrestlemania 2 in Chicago in 1986. Once his playing career was over, McMichael got back in the ring for a few years before leaving WCW and wrestling behind.

Back in Chicago, McMichael was one of several celebrities who led Cubs fans in "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch, and even got into a row from the broadcast booth with infamous umpire Angel Hernandez, who retired last year.

Rest in peace, Mike & Steve.

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

What Might've Been: Laughs For Sale (1963)

 In the early 60's, CBS owned the 10-11 pm (ET) hour on Sundays with What's My Line? & Candid Camera. In the fall of 1963, ABC tried to do something about it, and slotted the game show, 100 Grand, at 10, followed by Laughs For Sale at 10:30.

Hal March hosted Laughs, which featured three comedians performing skits and sharing jokes with March. I was but an infant when this came out, so I never saw the show. After taking a look at this, however, I wish they could release it on DVD for the sheer inventiveness alone.

This installment features Shecky Greene, Cliff Arquette (sans his alter-ego of Charley Weaver), and Paul Winchell, who brings along Jerry Mahoney.


After the show was cancelled, along with 100 Grand, ABC gave the hour to affiliates, only to reclaim it when launching The ABC Sunday Night Movie a year or two later. We'll see about 100 Grand another time.

Rating: B.

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

A Classic Reborn: Tic Tac Dough (2025)

 We wondered if Game Show Network would attempt to revive another classic game show, as they did previously with The Newlywed Game and Catch 21, the latter a Merrill Heatter entry modeled after his 1970's hit, Gambit.

Well, we got our answer with the return of Tic Tac Dough one week ago. Brooke Burns (ex-The Chase) is the host, but she wasn't the 1st choice of GSN or NBC-Universal, which now holds the rights to the franchise. Initially, Tom Bergeron (ex-Hollywood Squares, Dancing With The Stars, America's Funniest Home Videos) had taped a pilot, but someone with either network decided to go with Burns.

Let's check out a sample episode.


It just happened to be an eerie coincidence that the series returned right before the passing of its most famous MC, Wink Martindale.

Rating: A.

Monday, April 21, 2025

Sports this 'n' that

 1st place may be on the line as the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies get together for their first series of the season tonight at Citi Field. The Mets have moved into 1st place in the NL East while the Phils have come back down to earth after a hot start, and trail the Mets by 2 games going into play tonight. A Met win would ensure they'd remain in 1st when the series ends Wednesday.
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Scary moment in Sunday's Astros-Padres game when San Diego's Luis Arraez collided on the basepaaths with Houston's Mauricio Duban. Arraez was placed on the concussion IL earlier today, while Duban stayed in the game.
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When is a home run not a home run?

When an umpire blows an obvious call like Scott Barry did Sunday in Tampa during the Rays-Yankees game.

It's still disconcerting seeing the Yankees, who are renting Steinbrenner Field to the Rays while Tropicana Field is being repaired, as the visiting team in this series. Anyway, in the visiting 8th, Aaron Judge launched what should've been a homer into the trees in left. Barry must've seen a mirage, because he called it foul. Judge would subsequently strike out, and manager Aaron Boone was tossed for arguing the call after it was upheld on replay.

Check the video:


The Yankees won anyway, 4-0.
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WWE may be greasing the skids for "Dirty" Dominic Mysterio (Dom Gutierrez) to be dismissed from the Judgment Day after winning the Intercontinental title in a 4-way match involving teammate Finn Balor, Penta, and champion Bron Breakker. Fans in Las Vegas popped for the title change, and Mysterio ran back to the ring to soak up the cheers.

The Mysterios are the 3rd father & son team to claim IC title after Curt Hennig and Curts Axel (Joe Hennig) and Rikishi and Jey Uso. Jey won his first world title Saturday, dethroning Gunther, and John Cena needed help from rapper Travis Scott to steal title #17 from Cody Rhodes Sunday.

About that piece of tainted history. While the People's Sell-Out, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, wasn't in Vegas, he'd sent Scott in storyline as an "insurance policy" for Cena, who now is presented as resentful, and, because of the way he won, weak. 

Funny how things work.

After 40 years, Aquilonia Comics finally has some in-town competition

 A little slice of home to start the new week.

Aquilonia Comics has been a downtown Troy staple since it opened in March 1985. While it's changed ownership since then, it has been a fixture along Fulton Street, currently located across from Herbie's Burgers (the former Black & White Taxi stand), and, until this week, it was Troy's only comics shop.

That's about to change.

Former Earthworld Comics staffer Andrew Falkenhainer is spinning off to open his own shop, Cromulent Comics, which had a soft opening on Saturday, and will hold its grand opening on Friday. The soft open enabled Rick Marshall of the Albany Times-Union to check the place out, and posted not only a feature article, which appeared in Sunday's editions, but also the following video.


Like Aquilonia, Cromulent Comics will be open Tuesday-Sunday, closed Mondays & holidays, and its location on Congress Street places it closer to RPI, which represents a good chunk of Aquilonia's consumer base.

The timing is perfect, with Free Comic Book Day on May 3. Now, all the Collar City needs is a movie theatre, and............!!

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Insight Sundays: He Lived With Us, He Ate With Us. What Else, Dear? (1968)

 Seems that if there were any Easter themed episodes of Insight, they're not yet available on YouTube.

That being said, this week's selection is from 1968. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (The F. B. I.), Guy Stockwell, and Bob Random, fresh off Iron Horse, star in "He Lived With Us, He Ate With Us. What Else, Dear?":


No rating. Happy Easter.

Saturday, April 19, 2025

A Classic Reborn (?): CBS almost got Jeopardy! (1977)

 Until the series moved to syndication in 1984, Jeopardy! had long been associated with NBC, and it was after the series was initially cancelled when creator-producer Merv Griffin sold NBC Wheel of Fortune.

While Wheel did move to CBS in the 80's, the "Tiffany of The Networks" almost picked up Jeopardy! in 1977. The network ordered a pilot for the revival, and, as you'll see, the set is the same one that would be used when Jeopardy! returned to NBC the next year.

Charlie O'Donnell, the long time Wheel announcer and former announcer-sidekick to Dick Clark on American Bandstand, is the announcer for this pilot. The one tweak at the start of the game was dropped when NBC brought back the series the next year.


Don Pardo wouldn't reunite with Art Fleming until they appeared in a Weird Al Yankovic video a few years later. Pardo was exclusive to NBC.

Rating: A-.

Forgotten TV: The Silent Service (1957)

 The Silent Service was a military anthology series that ran in the late 50's. Not to be confused with a Japanese manga or subsequent movies or series under the same title.

Sad to say, this series wasn't around when I started watching TV in the 60's. YouTube, luckily, is filling the void. 

Following is a dramatization of the tale of the USS Archerfish, starring a pre-Star Trek DeForest Kelley.


I honestly think this could still get some play in high school history classes.

No rating. Just a public service.

Friday, April 18, 2025

And, then, there were female hamsters (2015)

 I'd have to guess that the ad agency working with Kia discovered that their ads starring the humanoid hamsters were missing something.

In 2015, they rectified that issue, as this ad, featuring the music of Maroon 5, demonstrates.


It's too bad they never hired voice actors for the hamsters.

What Might've Been: The Montefuscos (1975)

 The Montefuscos was a domestic sitcom centered on three generations of an Italian-American family in Connecticut. NBC had high hopes for it, placing it at the top of their Thursday lineup. Unfortunately, it was airing opposite The Waltons and Barney Miller. Enough said. The series was gone before Thanksgiving.

Joseph Sirola (ex-The Magician) led the ensemble cast, most of whom would go on to bigger things. For example, Ron Carey would join the cast of Barney Miller. Sal Viscuso resurfaced on Soap a couple of years later. John Aprea would appear during season 1 of Matt Houston before being replaced. Naomi Stevens became a dependable character actress for much of the 70's & 80's.

The following is taken from NBC's fall preview special. Joe Forrester star Lloyd Bridges narrates.


No rating. My folks were into Barney Miller.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

"Johnny Appleseed" for Hi-C 100 (1986)

 I happened across this next item whilst reviewing a video on short-lived 80's shows on YouTube, so I figured there'd be a stand-alone clip.

In 1986, the Coca-Cola Company, makers of Hi-C, introduced Hi-C 100, and recruited former Carol Burnett Show co-stars Harvey Korman and Tim Conway to promote the product. In this clip, Conway presents Johnny Appleseed as a variant on his "Dorf" persona, with Korman in drag as Johnny's mom.


Around that time, Korman was co-starring in CBS' Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills with Valerie Perrine, a spin-off from George Burns' Comedy Week. Conway was making movies with his good friend, Don Knotts.

Musical Interlude: Deck of Cards (1959)

 Spoken word records were a thing in the 50's & 60's. For example, Lorne Greene climbed the country charts with "Ringo". For another, the king of the top 40, Casey Kasem, just missed the countdown with "Letter From Elena", about a Beatles fan.

Wink Martindale, before he landed his first game show gig, was a disc jockey, like Kasem, and in 1959, he recorded "Deck of Cards", which landed him on The Ed Sullivan Show.


To be fair, I'd never heard "Deck" until Wink played it himself on his syndicated radio show, 20/20 Musicworld, several years later.

Rest in peace, Wink.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

WWE Hall of Fame 2025 class

 On Friday, WWE will have its own late show, as the 2025 Hall of Fame class will be inducted in the early morning hours of Saturday here in the East. The ceremony starts at 1 am (ET), or, 10 pm in Las Vegas.


This year's class is headlined by Paul "Triple H" Levesque, already in as a member of D-Generation X, but going in as s solo act this time, with DX co-founder and partner Shawn Michaels inducting him. Levesque's wife, Stephanie McMahon, would've been just as appropriate a choice.

The rest of the class:

Lex Luger (Lawrence Pfohl): Better known for his years in the NWA & WCW than a 3 year stint in the then-WWF (1992-5), Luger will be inducted by Diamond Dallas Page when fellow Hall of Famer Sting was unable to come to an agreement with WWE & AEW to appear in Vegas after ending his in-ring career with AEW last year. Luger was also a contributor to the short-lived Saturday morning series, WBF BodyStars, which WWE produced for USA Network in 1992.

The Natural Disasters: Typhoon (Fred Ottman) and Earthquake (John Tenta) held the tag titles in 1993, and were regional champions as singles wrestlers. Tenta is being inducted posthumously.

Michelle McCool (Michelle Calaway): The Undertaker will induct his wife, just three years after he himself entered the Hall.

Dory Funk, Sr.: Long associated with the NWA, Funk likely will be inducted by son Dory, Jr..

Ivan Koloff (Oreal Parris): Koloff won his only world title in 1971, but is better known as a tag team wrestler in the NWA & WCW, among other places.

Kamala (James Harris): The "Ugandan Giant", like Funk, Tenta, & Koloff, goes in posthumously, and made his last WWE appearance in 2006.

For the first time, an actual match will be included as a Hall of Fame moment. In this case, it'll be an epic match between Bret "Hitman" Hart & "Stone Cold" Steve Austin from Wrestlemania 13 in 1997. Likely replaces the Warrior Award.

The inductees will make a curtain call during this year's Wrestlemania, likely on Saturday.

Of Recent Vintage: Debt (1996)

 A lot of folks find themselves in debt for a number of reasons, whether its student loans, or credit cards, or whatever.

In 1996, Wink Martindale came up with the idea of a game show in which contestants could erase their real-life debts. Hokey, yes, but for two years, it seemed to work.

Debt, hosted & produced by Martindale, aired on Lifetime from 1996-8, a standard quiz game, one of the last ones of Martindale's storied career.

Martindale's own YouTube channel offers a studio master of an episode.


This video had been uploaded to YouTube earlier today. Minutes ago, we learned that Martindale, 91, had passed away, months after the passing of one of his best friends, Peter Marshall. Hopefully, Wink has left his channel in safe hands to keep the good times rolling. Rest in peace.

Monday, April 14, 2025

What Might've Been: What Really Happened to The Class of '65 (1977)

 One of NBC's more ambitious freshman series of the 1977-8 season was What Really Happened to The Class of '65, a midseason replacement series that premiered after Rosetti & Ryan tanked.

Tony Bill pitched the adaptation of a best selling book by David Wallechinsky (son of author Irving Wallace) and future film critic Michael Medved first to Universal, then to NBC. Bill starred as graduate Sam Ashley, who had returned to Bret Harte High as a teacher. Each episode focuses on a specific classmate of Ashley's, and what their lives had become in the 12 years since graduation.

Unfortunately, Class of '65 was slotted opposite Barnaby Jones on CBS. Ballgame over.

Venice recorded the kickin' theme song which is included in this video, along with a sample of the episode, "The Girl Nobody Knew", with Larry Hagman (a few months before Dallas), Michael Anderson, Jr. (ex-The Monroes), Jessica Walter, and Kim Cattrall.


Rights issues, either regarding the book or the music used on the show, coupled with so few episodes, precludes a DVD release.

No rating. I think my folks would've been watching Barnaby Jones.

If you don't like something on TV, don't watch it. Someone should explain that simple premise to President Pampers

 I don't know about you, but I believe that president Trump watches too much television, especially programs that end up upsetting him, like, for example, 60 Minutes.

Just because the 55+ year old newsmagazine ran articles critical of Trump's coveting of Greenland and his position on Ukraine, the oldest baby in America flew into a rage.


"WAAAAAHHHHHH!!! They're lying! WAAHHHHH!"

No, they're not. You just don't like it because you're being exposed to the world as being ill-informed on foreign policy in this country. You don't like it because they're reporting the facts, not your fever dream fantasies of emulating foreign leaders you admire.

As if this wasn't bad enough, President Onions went on social media....


If you can get past the usual self-serving BS, you get the idea that Trump watches news programs so he can have something to whine about to his base, and rile them up.

Trump lashes out every time one of the networks runs a piece like 60 Minutes did that is critical of his policies, if not the man himself. He has directed his drone at the FCC, Brendan "Used" Carr, to pull CBS' license, but he can't. Trump can't comprehend that, but he keeps trying.


"WAAAAHHHHH!! I want them off the air!! WAAAHHHHH!!!"

Mick Jagger said it best some 60 years ago. "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need." Unfortunately, that doesn't refer to what Trump really needs. Occupational therapy.

Bellevue will be waiting in 2029.

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Even sitcom legends watch Jeopardy! (1994?)

 Sometime in the 90's (we think), with Jeopardy! approaching its 10th anniversary in its current syndicated run, and 30th overall, an ad agency came up with a clever idea to have some familiar faces of the past shown watching the current version (Alex Trebek was the host at the time).

The first ad features Eve Plumb & Susan Olsen (The Brady Bunch). The 2nd has Dawn Wells & Tina Louise (Gilligan's Island), marking the 1st time Louise had done anything in connection, however slight, to the Gilligan franchise since the series ended in 1967.



Insight Sundays: Christ, Caesar, Conscience (1962)

 The early years of Insight were largely sermons by Fr. Ellwood Kieser, illustrated via historical footage, if available, or role plays.

1962's "Christ, Caesar, Conscience" is built around the development of the Constitution, with MacDonald Carey as James Madison.

If the announcer's voice sounds familiar, it should. Paul Frees served as announcer for the series for a year or two, among his many gigs.


We'll hunt up an Easter-themed episode for next week.

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Bellevue is calling for Kanye "Ye" West

 Kanye West once claimed that he had bi-polar disorder, then turned around and claimed he was misdiagnosed.

Once hailed as a genius in the music industry, West, or, as he prefers it, "Ye", is now a pariah because he can't let go of his grudge against Taylor Swift. Only now he has to deal with Swift's boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end and cereal pitchman Travis Kelce.


West went on a social media tirade the other day, falsely accusing Swift of having had sex with singers Harry Styles and Justin Bieber, but having 0 evidence to support his claims. If West is not taking his meds to treat his mental illness, he's definitely on something to pull a stunt like this.

For his part, Kelce has come to his lady's defense, offering to actually fight West, according to reports. It won't come to that, to be sure, but the better solution is to let West, jealous of the attention Swift gets, twist in the wind until someone, whether if it's current wife Bianca Censori or someone else, coaxes him to take his meds and cool off.

Here's a better idea for this lifetime Weasel. Bellevue is calling.

Friday, April 11, 2025

Baseball this 'n' that

 With two weeks in the books in the 2025 season, certain teams have already fallen back down to earth.

Take, for example the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who begin play tonight in 3rd place in the NL West, 1/2 game behind San Diego, and percentage points behind San Francisco for 2nd. The Dodgers (10-4) open a series vs. the Chicago Cubs tonight, while the Giants are in the Bronx to play the Yankees, and the Padres host Colorado.

Speaking of the Yanks, they're in 1st in the AL East, percentage points in front of Toronto, after the Blue Jays won 3 of 4 from Boston, while the Yanks scuffled in losing 2 of 3 to Detroit. 2 1/2 games separate the 5 teams in the division in all, as Boston is in Chicago to play the White Sox, while Toronto & Baltimore have been rained out. The Yankees send Marcus Stroman to the hill against San Francisco's Robbie Ray.

A week ago, Philadelphia looked like they'd run away and hide in the NL East. Not so fast. The Phillies endured a nearly 3 hour rain delay in Atlanta before dropping a 4-2 decision in 11 innings to the Braves, which enabled the idle Mets to move into a 1st place tie with the Phils.

And how did Atlanta pull this off? Check it.


The Braves, sitting in last place, visit Tampa Bay at Steinbrenner Field. Philadelphia, meanwhile, continues their road trip in St. Louis, while the Mets are in Sacramento to play the A's. MLB won't allow the A's to be known as the Sacramento A's for the duration. Apparently, they want to save merch money until the A's move to Las Vegas in 2029.

It's still early.

Thursday, April 10, 2025

A costume party on Hollywood Squares (1978)

 It wasn't exactly an after dark version of the Storybook Squares, per se, but the producers came up with a costume party theme for this episode, taped in April 1978. Apparently, Vincent Price wasn't available, so Paul Williams was cast as Dracula. Victor French showed up as Chief Roy Mobley from Carter Country. Lauren Tewes (Love Boat) was the Statue of Liberty. Mel Brooks was dressed as "Chief Running Bagel". Oy vey! Paul Lynde was billed as "Son of Musketeer", not stating which of the famous swordsmen would've been the father. You get the idea.


I missed this the first time around, and, after seeing this, I'm ok with it.

Rating: B--.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Musical Interlude: We're All in The Same Gang (1990)

 In 1990, rap music took a stand against violence.

In California, for example, a group of rappers, including Ice-T, Young MC, MC Hammer, Oaktown's 3-5-7, NWA, Tone Loc, and Digital Underground, came together to record "We're All in The Same Gang".

This clip comes from The Arsenio Hall Show, and incorporates the open to the video itself, with narration by then-AWA announcer Lee Marshall. The video wall, composed of 36 small television screens, was inspired by the then-World Wrestling Federation's similar wall, which has 16 screens composing its wall.


East coast rap acts, including Boogie Down Productions, produced the Stop The Violence Movement, with the single, "Self Destruction". We'll serve that up another time.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Innocent people are being deported. The Trump administration won't admit they wrong. They should

 It wasn't enough that the Trump administration had the gall to deport more than 200 people to El Salvador, albeit without due process, claiming that all of these people were violent criminals. In reality, only a small percentage of this group were violent, and innocent people were being sent to El Salvador without a fair trial or any legal aid.

Farron Cousins explains how Trump and company insist on lying to cover their mistakes.


The Trump administration's basic attitude is this. They're basically telling these people, "We don't like the way you look. We want you out of the US ASAP, and we don't care about the consequences."

BOLLOCKS & BALDERDASH!!

A family in Tom Homan's hometown are heading back home after accidentally being sent to a Texas detention center, which puts egg on Homan's face. Fellow troll Stephen Miller had to come out of his hole to try to defend the administration's policies, but no one's buying outside of the base, despite the fact that some of that base is pushing back.

Attorney General Pam Bondi is taking the attitude that there's no way they can bring any of the innocents home. She's wrong. Trump, Miller, and the rest of the idiot squad doesn't want to on purpose.

Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green is calling for articles of impeachment against Trump, but that won't go anywhere, largely because it's too soon. Better to wait until next year's midterms, in the event that the House and/or Senate flip back to blue, then take aim at finally sending Trump away.

But I'm not holding my breath on that.

When a tortilla chip was sensitive to a man's ears (1970's)

 Frito Lay got a fair amount of mileage out of a series of commercials with actor-comic Avery Schreiber (ex-My Mother The Car) during the 70's & early 80's. All that was needed was for Avery to hear someone eating a chip, and.....!

Dick Van Patten joins Avery in this spot, uploaded by Avery's son, Josh.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Celebrity Rock: Here's Some Love (1978)

 While Donny Most was part of a combo on Happy Days, and had but one solo number ("My Funny Valentine"), there was a time when he could have rivaled castmate and pal Anson Williams for teen mag covers.

In 1978, Most recorded a cover of Tanya Tucker's 1976 #1 country hit, "Here's Some Love". There's no video footage available, so this audio clip will do.


I wonder if Donny cracked the Hot 100.......

Sunday, April 6, 2025

Insight Sundays: Packy (1979)

 As they say, God moves in mysterious ways. On Insight, any number of actors could be cast as God.

Take, for example, 1979's "Packy". Jack Klugman (Quincy, M. E.) has the title role as a talent agent down on his luck until a chance meeting with the Almighty (Bob Newhart).


Director Jay Sandrich had, I think, worked with Newhart on his self-titled CBS sitcom in addition to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, among his many credits.

Insight Sundays returns next week as we prepare for Easter.

Saturday, April 5, 2025

When MTV meant something: Yo! MTV Raps (1988)

 We previously covered this next topic over at Saturday Morning Archives many moons ago, but it's way past time to profile it here.

"It" being Yo! MTV Raps, which launched as a Saturday morning entry in 1988, and added a weekday edition not too long after.

Fab 5 Freddy, immortalized in the lyrics to Blondie's 1981 hit, "Rapture", hosted the Saturday show, while Dr. Dre (NY) and Ed Lover had the gig Monday-Friday afternoons for a 30 minute after-school treat.

In both cases, the hosts featured and interviewed some of the top names in hip-hop, but Dre & Ed brought the funny on weekdays. One popular feature was Ed doing his own signature dance, as seen in this compilation.....


Rating: A.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Musical Interlude: Illegal Alien (1983)

 While "Illegal Alien", the 3rd single from Genesis' self-titled 1983 CD, was in heavy rotation on MTV, it didn't exactly resonate with fans despite the video being satirical in nature.

Singer Phil Collins added a toupee and a fake mustache as he and bandmates Tony Banks & Mike Rutherford played a trio of Mexican immigrants looking to enter the country.


"Illegal Alien" has been slammed for its apparent racist theme, demeaning to Mexicans. Understandably, it hasn't aged well, more than 40 years later, though today's government might look at it in a skewed light......

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Baseball this 'n' that

 The Yankees won't go undefeated this season.

Arizona's Eugenio Suarez belted a grand slam off Mark Leiter, Jr. in the 8th inning to lift the Diamondbacks past the Yankees, 7-5.

Check the highlight reel:


The Yanks hit three more homers to bring their season total to 18 over 4 games, or, an average of 4 1/2 ding-dongs per game.

As for the suddenly popular "torpedo bats", it seems those have made their way to other teams, as expected.

The Mets' Francisco Lindor got a base hit using a torpedo bat in Tuesday's loss to Miami, while Cincinnati's Elly De La Cruz had a big game vs. Texas Monday, going 4-5 with 2 HR's and 7 RBI in a 14-3 blowout.

Told ya it'd catch on.
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So Atlanta is 0-6 to start the season. It hasn't been that bad for the Braves in more than 40 years. Then again, back in the 80's, they didn't have key players out with injuries this early in the season.
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San Diego locked up 2nd year outfielder Jackson Merrill for a while to come with a 9 year extension. Over in Boston, rookie Kristian Campbell now has an 8 year deal, and pitcher Garret Crochet, who came over from the White Sox in the off-season, earned a 6 year extension.

Hopefully, the Mets & Yankees are paying attention.
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Making matters worse for Atlanta is outfielder Jurickson Profar getting popped for PED's. Profar, acquired from San Diego in the winter, is gone for 80 games and ineligible for the postseason.

You'd think he'd have learned from previous cases that getting caught kills your reputation, if you have one, dead.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Musical Interlude: Workin' For a Livin' (1982)

 "Workin' For a Livin'" was the 3rd single from Huey Lewis & The News' 2nd album, "Picture This", released in 1982. Unfortunately, "Workin'" missed the top 40, peaking at #41.


True story: Unity House's social club saluted clients who were in the workforce (after a sort) beginning in 1984. This lasted just a couple of years, as memory serves, due to heavy turnover in both clients and staff. "Workin'" was the inspiration for the event.