When Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams wrote "Summer of '69" in the mid-80's, I don't think he had Hee Haw in mind.
The series was launched in the summer, June specifically, of 1969, which led directly to season 2 in the fall. Actor-singer Sheb Wooley (ex-Rawhide) wrote the theme song for the show, but was not credited. In the opener, Wooley queues up a number by his alter ego, Ben Colder, among the highlights.
Here is the 1st episode:
Sometimes, the family that works together, stays together.
The original Defenders has its roots in a 1957 episode of Studio One, written by Reginald Rose ("12 Angry Men"). EG Marshall & Robert Reed are father & son lawyers in this series, which ran for 4 seasons (1961-5), all in black & white, although someone began colorizing some of the episodes, such as this one, "The Quality of Mercy":
Spun off from The Rifleman, Law of The Plainsman lasted just 1 season on NBC, as apparently, ABC, home of The Rifleman passed on Plainsman.
Marshal Sam Buckhart (Michael Ansara, ex-Broken Arrow) had appeared in 2 episodes of Rifleman, but audiences were indifferent to a series with a Native American lawman as the lead.
Check the opener, "The Prairie Incident".
This is how desperate Dumb Donald is to have his enemies prosecuted, regardless of the lack of evidence.
On Tuesday, former FBI director James Comey was indicted for the 2nd time, this time over a long since deleted instagram post of a formation of seashells reading, "86 47", which the department of injustice claims is a call for violence against the president. No, it isn't.
For someone to be "86'd" doesn't always mean someone's targeted for death. In some cases, you lose your job, and people will say you were "86'd". Unfortunately, the DOI doesn't see it that way, because they have to cater to a president with severe OCD.
Whoopi Goldberg and the panel on The View weigh in.
Harry Ackerman, head honcho of comedy at Screen Gems, must've thought he found something in Jack Warden when he guest starred on Bewitched during the 1st season.
Warden landed his first lead role the next year in The Wackiest Ship in The Army, an hour-long comedy-drama set in World War II. Unfortunately, it lasted just the one season, but not for lack of trying. Gary Collins, Mark Slade, & Rudy Solari co-star, with Karen Steele as a prospective love interest for Warden.
Jack Soo, fresh from Valentine's Day, guest stars in the opener.
"Dumb Donald is really dumb!"---Gene Rayburn, Match Game, 1973-84.
When president Trump announced he was attending this year White House Correspondents' Dinner, he was, in effect, issuing an invitation to any of his detractors, the ones with malice on their minds, to show up in Washington to take a shot at him.
On Saturday night, someone did take him up on the "invitation", but never made it to the ballroom.
Cole Thomas Allen of California, a teacher & mechanical engineer by trade, showed up armed with a handgun, shotgun, and knives, and, per a manifesto released after his arrest on Saturday, had intended to go after the president and most of his cabinet, the lone exception being embattled FBI director "Counterfeit" Kash Patel. While Allen managed to avoid building security, the Secret Service did their job, and captured him before he could reach the ballroom, which was being evacuated.
Unfortunately, there are those on both sides who believe the event was staged as a distraction from Trump's many problems, including the war he started against Iran, and, of course, the ongoing demand for more transparency on the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Well, when you've cried wolf as much as Trump has, skepticism is bound to accompany something like this.
Catering to his obsessive-compulsive need for attention, Trump hastily scheduled an interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday. Norah O'Donnell pressed Trump on whether or not the incident was staged, as people have claimed, and he denied it.
Trump's idea is to spin it to gain sympathy for the need to build his own ballroom at the White House, replacing the East Wing destroyed by Trump last year. There's no guarantee that would be any safer, Dumb Donald! Worse, this oblivious moron wants the dinner rescheduled for next month. That would mean another open invitation for a copycat to try his luck. Trump has bravery confused with stupidity. Nothing new there, though reportedly, he wanted to see what was going on when he should've complied with the Secret Service's effort to remove him from the room. Only a child would linger around out of curiosity. Then again.......!
The first thing Dumb Donald should do is show gratitude to the Secret Service for doing their jobs, maybe offering a raise. But, of course, he won't.
We're in the final week of April, and there's already been a manager firing in Major League Baseball.
No, it's not Carlos Mendoza. Yet.
Instead, Boston's Alex Cora, whose Red Sox are, like the Mets, struggling, was cut even after Boston blew away Baltimore, 17-1, on Saturday afternoon. Chad Tracy, who had been managing Boston's top farm club in Worcester, was promoted as interim manager ahead of today's matinee in Baltimore.
Mendoza's Mets have dropped 14 of their last 16, including the first game of today's doubleheader at home against Colorado. The annual Citi Field injury plague has contributed to the team's offensive funk, with Francisco Lindor going on the IL earlier this week, just as Juan Soto had been activated the same day.
I just don't think Mendoza will last too much longer.
Sports fans in Boston are grateful that the Bruins & Celtics are still playing, given the Red Sox's poor start, but it doesn't overshadow the latest scandal involving the New England Patriots.
Two months after the Patriots were blown out in the Super Bowl, coach Mike Vrabel has taken a leave of absence during the draft after it came out that he'd been having an affair with NFL insider Diana Russini, who is also married, and that this allegedly has been going on since Vrabel was coaching Tennessee a few years ago.
Owner Robert Kraft's political influence within the league ensured that Vrabel would not be investigated. The last thing Kraft wants to have happen is change coaches yet again, after Vrabel took the Pats to the "Big Game" following Jerod Mayo's one year flop.
I've a feeling a change will come anyway.
ESPN's bloviator general, Stephen A. Smith, landed his first endorsement deal since his 2 year stint for Oberto beef jerky a few years back.
CarShield may want a refund.
It's one thing when players past & present are doing ads for CarShield, which sponsors baseball across the majors, including Eric Byrnes and his Hulk Hogan wannabe act. But a marble-brained goof like Smith, who talks like he knows about sports other than basketball, but is often exposed as a poser.
I mean, would you want to buy a car from Smith, or from Ice-T?
A Vista volunteer and a Vietnam veteran are reunited in the US in the episode, "Ride a Turquoise Pony", with John Larch, Peter Duryea (Dan's son), and Jan Clayton (ex-Lassie):
"She" being ventriloquist Shari Lewis, who appeared with Howard Morris (ex-Your Show of Shows, The Andy Griffith Show) in an episode of The Danny Kaye Show.
We've seen Shari sing and perform magic in addition to her work as a puppeteer. Now, she steps into a new role as a dancer in this show-stopping number.
It's been a week since Wrestlemania, and all the attendant drama in and out of the ring. On Friday, WWE had its annual spring cleaning, and a lot of fans are displeased over some of the cuts:
Nikki Cross=3 time tag team champion, former women's champion.
Zoey Stark=had recently been activated from the disabled list, but instead of going back to NXT to prep for a return to the main roster, she gets cut. Not a good look, but WWE has cut wrestlers while injured before.
Alba Fyre=With tag partner Piper Niven on the DL (neck), Kay Lee Ray, the former NXT UK women's champ, was left as a bodyguard for Chelsea Green, wasting her talent.
Joe Gacy=Being part of the Wyatt Sicks saved his career, and he won a tag title, something he couldn't do in NXT.
Bo Dallas=The Wyatt Sicks was his way of honoring his late brother, Bray Wyatt, but getting injured hurt even more than he knew. Also, the Wyatt Sicks' feud with the MFT's was sabotaged politically.
Andre Chase=I believe he'd also been a coach at NXT, especially after Chase U was dissolved for the final time. Mostly a JTTS without the faction. Won a tag title in NXT.
Erick Rowan=Former tag team champion (with the late Luke Harper) was brought back, only to be cut a 2nd time.
Dexter Lumis=Won a tag title as a member of the Wyatt Sicks, but if WWE needs a graphic artist, maybe they'll bring him back.
Dante Chen=Got a modest push in NXT, only to have that stopped, and had last been in Evolve.
Kairi Sane=This hurts the fans more than anything. 2-time tag team champ as 1/2 of the Kabuki Warriors (w/Asuka), and was in the middle of a story arc that would break up the team if allowed to continue. Judging from reddit, Kairi has a lot of fans, and why not? 2nd time in 5 years she's been cut.
Aleister Black & Zelina=A year ago, Black returned from AEW to reunite with his wife, but instead of being pointed toward the US or Undisputed titles, where he would've had some stellar matches, uncreative kept ignoring him after losing a feud with Damian Priest.
Motor City Machine Guns=Former tag team champs with WWE & TNA, Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin will resurface soon, either in TNA, AEW, or Major League Wrestling.
Apollo Crews=One of the longest tenured of the talents cut, former US champion, mostly used as jobber fodder of late.
Santos Escobar=Former cruiserweight champ in NXT, had just returned, but sidelined again (biceps) while with AAA.
Luca Crusifino=The breakup of NXT's D'Angelo Family faction saw Crusifino move to Evolve. Never fully resolved his issue with current NXT champ Tony D'Angelo.
Malik Blade=Had moved to Evolve after tag partner Edris Enofe left a while back. Largely treading water.
Tyra Mae Steele=Was the 1st season women's champ on LFG, had a couple of matches in NXT, then moved to Evolve, and disappeared.
Tyson Dupont=The High Ryze (Dupont & Igwe) seemed to disappear after Wes Lee (Dezmond Xavier) left for TNA, then AEW.
Trill London, Sirena Linton, & Chris Island were all WWE ID signees in the Peformance Center, and never got TV time on NXT.
Meanwhile, Smackdown is reloading after taking some of the hits. The Fatal Influence faction arrived last night, with Blake Monroe (FKA Mariah May in AEW) and Ricky Saints (Starks) due soon. Rumors have Watanabe heading to either NXT or the main roster.
And after several wrestlers talked about being hassled by overzealous fans last weekend, well, the ones cut won't have to worry about that for a while. Maybe.
If you've seen the first two "Joshua Cabe" movies on Wild West Wednesdays, you have an idea about what to expect in the conclusion of Aaron Spelling's trilogy.
John McIntire (ex-Wagon Train) becomes the 3rd actor to essay the role of Cabe, after Buddy Ebsen & Dan Dailey. Jack Elam returns as Bitterroot, but we again have three new ladies as the "daughters", including Renne Jarrett, who appeared in quite a few primetime shows in guest roles in the 70's, and Louise "Liberty" Williams, who'd previously appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Chico & The Man, & Adam-12 in the previous three years.
The plot: As the film begins, Cabe is an acting sheriff, but trouble arises when a failed business deal leads to trouble. Joel Fabiani (ex-Department S) and Larry Hovis (ex-Hogan's Heroes) turn up, as does Randall Carver, later of Taxi, who'd previously appeared in the last "Cabe" film.
A couple of years ago, the owners of La Capital Tacos on Ferry Street acquired the property upon which the long defunct Troy Pork Store stood. Not long after, they set up an outdoor dining space behind the building.
Now, pending approval from the city planning commission, La Capital plans to have Troy Pork demolished, with a new building going up, which would be La Capital's new home (the current eatery occupies the former Capitaland Taxi stand).
Stay tuned.
While James Morrell, Jr., owner of Destination Kia/Nissan, is the new court jester of local advertising, Fogg's Automotive in Scotia is treading on his territory with some comical radio ads.
We don't know exactly who the actors are, though I have a suspicion about one, Fogg's' latest ad is a parody of Seinfeld, with actors mimcking Jerry Seinfeld & Jason Alexander. The woman in the ads is the one constant. Fogg's offered some amusement at the end of last year with a Dragnet send-up.
A couple of weeks ago, WROW hosts Ben Patten & John Gabriel switched Saturday berths.
Patten, already pulling double duty weekdays, now has the 6-noon shift on Saturdays, including moderating the Herzog Law Firm's weekly talk show at 8 am. Gabriel now can be heard from Noon-6 pm on Saturdays, in addition to his 2-7 shift weekdays. With Patten's morning partner, Jaime Roberts, going away at the end of May for a station sponsored cruise (May 29-June 5), WROW will slot Keith Andrews into Patten's primetime berth for a week, while either Pattten, Andrews, or Gabriel will cover for Roberts on May 31.
"Brother" Lou Roberts (no relation to Jaime, we think) is still with Albany Broadcasting, just with another station. He has, however, filled in for morning traffic reporter Chris Morton on a few occasions, usually on a Friday. Roberts signed off from WROW in December, but the door seems to be open for him to return in a pinch.
It's not been a good week for FBI director "Counterfeit" Kash Patel.
A lawsuit filed against an MS Now contributor was tossed out of court the same day that Patel filed a similar suit against The Atlantic. Expect the suit against The Atlantic to similarly be dismissed in due course.
Now comes word that at Patel's direction, the FBI investigated a New York Times reporter for a story on Patel's girlfriend, singer Alexis Wilkins, which Patel didn't like.
Not only is Patel acting more like president Trump with frivolous actions like this, but so is Defenseless Secretary Pete Hegseth, who dismissed John Phelan as Secretary of The Navy on Thursday. Seems that Phelan was pushing back on Trump's equally frivolous war with Iran.
We'd sooner see this guy running the Navy.....
Of course, Constantino has also gotten support from two of Trump's fellow geriatrics, Roger Stone and Rudy Goofiani. Just getting endorsed by Trump may well be the kiss of death for Constantino come primary time. Constantino sucked up to Trump with a statue of the man some time back.
This will come back to bite the GOP on its collective tuchis, you watch & see.
When Marjorie Taylor Greene decided to leave Congress, a special election took place in her home state of Georgia. Unfortunately, the voters there elected an even worse Republican doofus.
*---Fuller claims the Peach State was named for George Washington. Nope. It was for King George II.
*---Fuller claims that Braves star Ronald Acuna, Jr. is an Atlanta resident. Same for University of Georgia QB Hunter Stockton. Wrong on both counts. Stockton lives elsewhere in Georgia, and, apparently, Fuller wasn't paying attention to the World Baseball Classic, or doesn't buy baseball cards, else he'd know that Acuna is from Venezuela, which won the tournament.
The last thing they need in Washington is another imbecile in Congress, but that's what they got. And you know what Fuller's getting.......
I've often referenced Andy Warhol's statement back in the 60's that in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes.
In 1985, MTV decided to do something with that, and gave Warhol his own show. Serving as host and executive producer, Warhol launched Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes, but only 5 episodes were produced between October 1985 and sometime in 1987. I'm going to guess this was a quarterly series, one episode every three months, which fits with the 15 minutes theme. Actress-singer Debbie Harry of Blondie is our announcer, and Blondie's Chris Stein was the show's musical director.
Never saw the show, but we'll leave you with a sample episode.
"Counterfeit" Kash Patel's days as FBI director are numbered.
This is because Patel stupidly decided to file a $250 million defamation lawsuit vs. The Atlantic after the magazine reported that Patel allegedly had a number of unexcused absences, largely to be on the road with his country singer girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, and allegations of excessive drinking.
The last part we can excuse because of his being associated with the president, but that's beside the point.
Brian Tyler Cohen & Glenn Kirschner discuss this on The Legal Breakdown:
I'm a firm believer that if something isn't broken, you don't fix it.
After an epic collapse at the end of the 2025 season the Mets' front office decided to fix the roster when it didn't need to be fixed.
Star 1st baseman Pete Alonso chased the money to Baltimore. He's barely hitting .200 after going 1-4 in a loss to Cleveland on Sunday. A period of adjustment to a new team? Sure.
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and 1st base coach Antoan Richardson, who was the genius behind the Mets' running game last year, are in Atlanta, and the Braves are back in 1st place in the NL East, while the Mets, with 1st year pitching coach Justin Willard (Who? Exactly!) are in last.
Closer Edwin Diaz, like Alonso, chose to chase the money, and joined the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Diaz has struggled recently, and there are concerns that the knee issues that torpedoed his season in 2023 after the World Baseball Classic have cropped up again. Media reports have suggested a rift between Diaz and Mets management. Diaz and Dodger teammate Enrique "Kike" Hernandez co-produced a documentary about their native land, Puerto Rico, which aired on MLB Network right before this year's WBC. Like, whodathunk?
Utility ace Jeff McNeil has settled in at 2nd base with the Sacramento A's, and tortured both the Mets & Yankees when the A's were in NYC 2 weeks ago.
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo has been raking of late with Texas.
Fair weather "fans" on reddit, a mostly whiny bunch, are blaming Mendoza because they need a fall guy right now. They're ignoring the obvious signs that it's not entirely Mendoza's fault.
Star slugger Juan Soto is out with a calf injury, and has started rehab. Utility man Jared Young and infielder-DH Jorge Polanco, one of the team's free agent signings in the offseason, joined Soto on the shelf in the last week. As Mets announcers Gary Cohen & Ron Darling pointed out during one of the games against Chicago, the Mets had been a patient group at the plate, but ever since Soto went down, the patience has given way to impatience and nervous energy, and hitters are pressing, as often happens in long losing streaks like this.
One redditor said that some jobroni from Baseball Prospectus, who happens to be a fan of both the Mets & the Jests from New Jersey, claimed that the Mets needed to get out from under Nimmo's contract, which was negotiated by then-GM Billy Eppler. Not buying that at all. Current owner Steve Cohen has enough cheddar to counter-balance that contract, but when you're dealing with a fan base that tends to act like a bunch of entitled children during dark periods like this, there's no reasoning with them. Factor in Scott Boras Badenov giving guys like Alonso bad advice, and, well, there ya go.
The Mets will pull out of this crash dive soon, but not soon enough to satisfy the artificially entitled "fans". I remember saying at the end of last season that Mendoza might not finish out his contract, which is in its 3rd year. Ya know, kids, I hate it when I'm right sometimes.
The makers of Lavazza coffee might've been hoping folks would get confused with this next spot.
Last fall, Steve Carell & John Krazinski (ex-The Office) reunited, joined by a robot named Luigi, to do a series of spots for the product, like this one, which is still in heavy rotation.
The confusion? The beard Carell is sporting makes him look like George Clooney. Ya don't believe me? Scope!
Dynamite's trying something, well, radical, with Muppets Noir, a miniseries that not only sends up old school detective mysteries, but paints the gang in completely new lights.
Rating: A.
On the other side of the fence is DC's latest version of The Fury of Firestorm. Writer Jeff Lemire is crafting psychological thriller in which the nuclear man has gone completely rogue. Right now, I've got a good idea where this is going.
As a bonus, Firehawk returns to help the police get inside the complex mind of an entity that was once an ally.
Firehawk was introduced in the original Fury of Firestorm series in the 80's, and is a welcome sight.
Rating: A-.
When Ted Wolf pitched ThunderCats to Rankin-Bass back in the 80's, I don't think he'd ever imagined Lion-O and his tribe ever meeting the Silverhawks, who debuted a year later.
Writers Declan Shalvey & Ed Brisson seem to think the two teams belong as part of a shared universe, and the latest step is ThunderCats X Silverhawks, a 5 month event from Dynamite that also gives the 'Cats' arch nemesis, Mumm-Ra, his own series. There's also a scenario where some 'Cats are wearing Silverhawk armor. That may be pushing the envelope just a wee bit too far.
Grade: Incomplete.
After a recent miniseries from Mad Cave comes word that Lee Falk's legendary hero, The Phantom, will get a TV series, streaming on Netflix, I believe, within the next year. A challenge, to be sure, but then, Mad Cave took a chance on Phantom.....! Buffy The Vampire Slayer returns to comics in July at a new home, Dynamite (previously at Dark Horse). Kelly Thompson & Stephen Byrne are the creative team on the new series.....Buffy replaces Thundarr The Barbarian, as that series ends with issue 5 in June. Not enough interest in a 46 year old cartoon. Why am I not surprised?
"You can't fix stupid!"---Ron White.
It's clear that defense secretary Pete Hegseth hasn't read a Bible in some time. Why else, then, did he resort to using a Hollywood adaptation of Ezekiel 25:17, dating back some 50 years, at a conference the other day?
In 1994's "Pulp Fiction", one of the characters, played by Samuel L. Jackson, recites a line of verse that paraphrases Ezekiel. This paraphrase originated some 20 years earlier with Sonny Chiba.
The actual verse reads like this:
"I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them." (New King James translation)
Because this gaffe, like every other mistake made by the current misadministration, has gone viral, Hegseth earned himself a Dunce Cap. All anyone needs do is Google the appropriate verse, or pull out their Bibles. It's that simple.
Believe me, even fictional preachers would have gotten it right.
If you want to know what a real preacher sounds like, check this Billy Graham sermon from 1982.
So the Washington Commanders, a week before the NFL draft, unveiled an updated version of the logo that has been in place since they were the "Washington Football Team" from 2020-2.
Remember, too, that president Trump has demanded the Commanders go back to their old name, and threatened to block them from building a new stadium in Washington (the team plays their home games in Virginia) if they didn't give him what he wanted.
My advice to Harris is simple. Put it to a vote, then make it official.
While I know people sometimes have to get dentures before they reach "retirement age", Polident, in this 1985 ad, shows how some of Hollywood's seniors use the product.
Featuring Martha Raye, Scatman Crothers (ex-Chico & The Man), Henny Youngman, Yvonne DeCarlo (ex-The Munsters), and Danny Thomas, whose last series, I'm a Big Girl Now, was 5 years earlier.
What is wrong with the Mets?
The team has dropped 8 in a row, having been swept by the A's and Dodgers over the last six days, and the offense has all but vanished, scoring just 3 runs in the Dodger series.
Part of it, of course, is psychological in the absence of star slugger Juan Soto, on the IL with calf issues. Then, utility man Jared Young tore a meniscus, and he went on the IL on Wednesday. Pitcher Clay Holmes made his start on Wednesday after experiencing hamstring tightness on Friday vs. the A's.
Unsurprisingly, Mets fans on reddit are predicting manager Carlos Mendoza, in his 3rd season, may be gone before the season is over. You can't predict injuries, however, and there are those fair weather types who will hold the front office accountable for letting Pete Alonso (Baltimore), Jeff McNeil (A's), and Brandon Nimmo (Texas) leave after last season, taking away a large chunk of the offense before Soto went down.
Proof that fans in NYC are a finicky bunch.
Is this the final season for the LIV golf tour?
MSN reporters seem to think so, as players are leaving the tour, bit by bit.
The Saudi-backed tour changed networks last year from CW to Fox, hoping the wider reach of the latter might help, but it hasn't helped player morale, it seems.
Stay tuned.
If it was theatre NYC fans wanted the last three nights, they got it at Yankee Stadium.
The Bronx Bombers walked off the LA Angels twice, but the highlight of the series was an epic duel between sluggers Aaron Judge & Mike Trout, who combined for 7 home runs in the 3 games. 4 for Trout, 3 for Judge.
And you know Hollywood loves sequels.
Wide World of Sports signed off ABC years ago, but the way smaller, niche sports are starting leagues, and getting TV deals with ESPN, you'd think Disney would want to revive Wide World.
Like, major league table tennis, anyone? You do know pickleball is a hybrid of table tennis, aka ping pong, and regular tennis, right?
"Dumb Donald is really dumb!!"--Gene Rayburn, 1973-84, on Match Game.
By now, you've read and/or heard about the DoorDash courier showing up at the White House, bypassing security, etc., to deliver some McDonald's to President Junkfood on Monday. Even a DoorDash courier has to go through security checks just to gain access. That's how it works.
And that was Donald Trump's 1st mistake after the imbroglio over the AI picture, recycled from a couple of years ago, of him dressed like Jesus, that he found and posted on Truthless Social on Sunday.
Turns out that "DoorDash Grandma" is known to Trump and his team.....
Given the prospect that the courier doesn't really work for DoorDash, I'd say the company can consider some kind of litigation for fraud, false representation, etc., but then, they'd have Mango Judas whining and threatening them in return.
Come 2029, however, it's a different story. File it away 'til then. It'll come in handy.
From Hollywood A Go-Go comes singer-dancer Roy Head with "Treat Her Right":
From season 3 of McHale's Navy:
Binghamton insists on going on a mission with the crew of PT-73 in order to win points with Go-Go Granger (Ted Knight). Of course, Binghamton (Joe Flynn) gets more than he bargained for, especially after finding the crew's secret still......
Donald Trump won't stop cosplaying as a tough guy.
On Sunday, however, he whined and complained about Pope Leo's bashing of his pointless war with Iran.
Worse, Donnie Diapers posted an AI image of himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick man, mocking not only the Pope, but Jesus as well. Fellow Republicans, including Brilyn Hollyhand, former co-chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council, denounced the image as blasphemy. Pope Leo, for his part, says he doesn't fear the Trump administration. Amen.
Meanwhile, the Department of Injustice, likely on orders from the oldest baby in America, opened an investigation against the National Football League over the allegations of overpricing subscription fees for streamers, which the DOI says is in violation of a 65 year old law, the Sports Broadcasting Act, which is in need of amendment to account for streamers such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Paramount+. That the DOI decided to launch a frivolous investigation speaks more to the fact that the league shut out Trump when he tried to buy three different NFL franchises over the years, including Buffalo & New England. The league's stance is that they didn't want someone like Trump in the league for whatever. Trump's been whining about the NFL ever since he was outbid by the Pegulas for the Bills a few years ago. Then again, the Bills have become perennial AFC contenders, something they likely wouldn't be under Trump. Same with the Patriots, who have had a resurgence this past year, and thrived under Robert Kraft's ownership.
What they're basically saying is that while Trump is a bloviating jackass, he lacks the dignity, maturity, and professional comportment of a Kraft or a Jerry Jones. While Jones is a self-promoter, he's not a shameless carny like Trump.
Basically, the league can tell Todd "Bleached" Blanche, the current acting head of the DOI, to pound sand, and go away. The timing of the investigation, which began two weeks before the draft, is suspicious on its own.
Finally, it turns out that sending VP Just Dumb Vance to Hungary to meet with then-president Viktor Orban turned out to be Trump giving Orban the kiss of death, as Orban was defeated in Sunday's election. Unlike Trump, Orban conceded defeat, ending a 16 year tenure as president.
It should be a sign that Trump should leave well enough alone about matters that do not concern him directly, but you know he won't. His ego dictates he needs a headline a day at the very least. All he did was make Orban the most famous Hungarian since Victor Borge & the Gabor sisters, Eva & Zsa Zsa, and it cost Orban his seat.
Well, the American Safety Council was right. You can learn a lot from a dummy.
After Night Gallery had ended its run, Rod Serling took on a rare commercial endorsement for Mazda.
The Japanese automaker had made its first inroads in the US four years earlier, but, for now, this was the earliest known commercial available.
"The Man From Inner Space" comes from the pen of William Peter Blatty, the creator of "The Exorcist". It is a fanciful fable of an African-American (Louis Gossett, Jr.) arriving in a spaceship, and taken to the Pentagon. Co-starring James Franciscus (ex-Longstreet, Mr. Novak) & Frank Aletter (ex-It's About Time, Danger Island).
Some radio shows had a harder time transitioning to television than others. The Man Called X was one of those cases.
Four years after the radio series had ended, ZIV Television acquired the rights to the series, and cast Barry Sullivan in the title role. 39 episodes, spanning two seasons and a calendar year, and done. For that reason, the series didn't continue in reruns after its cancellation.
From season 1, here's "The Maps", with Henry Corden (misspelled "Cordon" in the credits).
41 years ago, Vince McMahon launched Wrestlemania as a closed circuit event from Madison Square Garden. Knowing he needed more than just the wrestlers on his rosters to sell the event, McMahon banked on some additional star power.
He'd already brought in Mr. T (The A-Team) and singer Cyndi Lauper. For the big party, he added boxing icon Muhammad Ali, who'd had a brief dalliance with the company nearly a decade earlier, Yankee legend Billy Martin, and Liberace, who got into the Rockettes' legendary kick line.
Voila! A tradition was born.
In one week's time, however, when Wrestlemania returns to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the celebrity involvement will be lacking the star power of the original.
Country singer Jelly Roll has had previous appearances with WWE. Rapper L'il Yachty? Not so much. Yachty is being positioned as a "hype man" for former NXT champ Trick Williams as he seeks the US title. Before becoming a champion in his own right, Williams was a hype man himself for former US champ Carmelo Hayes when both were in NXT.
Jelly Roll, meanwhile, is thrust into a main event feud involving current champ Cody Rhodes and former champ Randy Orton, who were stablemates 17 years ago. Instead of referencing the past, which has only been done in passing to this point, with a week to go, TKO CEO Ari Emanuel decided the Saturday main event needed some unnecessary extra juice.
Enter Pat McAfee.
Claiming mental exhaustion after a 4 1/2 month college football season kept him from returning to WWE as a commentator, McAfee made a surprise return on April 3, turning heel on Rhodes, and aligning himself with Orton.
Conflict of interest, anyone?
If I were a betting man, and I'm not, I'd say Orton's chances of leaving Vegas with his 15th world title were flushed down the drain. He & McAfee are reportedly set for a tag match vs. Rhodes & Jelly Roll at Backlash next month.
The fans would like to ask Emanuel to pass the Pepto-Bismol, this is so bad.
Last year, Emanuel brought in Travis Scott as an emissary for former champ turned TKO board member Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to screw over Rhodes. Neither Johnson nor Scott has been heard from since, and you'd think Emanuel would've learned a lesson after that debacle, but no.
Without addressing Emanuel directly, both Rhodes & CM Punk have taken shots at the TKO frontman this week, leading some to speculate that Johnson would return after all, but why bother, if he's going to skip out again after next week?
If they need a corporate stooge for Rhodes, Punk, or any other babyface to cut promos on this coming week, they already have someone available in Bruce Prichard, long McMahon's right hand man. The artist formerly known as faux evangelist Brother Love would make a good sounding board/victim.
But is Emanuel willing to take that step, as safe as it is?
Stay tuned.
I have seen Disney's adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in a more condensed form when it aired on The Wonderful World of Disney. I don't, however, remember seeing it all, as some parts may have been edited for time.
The only song in the movie was "A Whale of a Tale", co-written by future TV icon Norman Gimbel, and sung by the film's star, Kirk Douglas.
How Douglas never made a musical is beyond me.
Anyway, Douglas appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in December 1954. The world's most famous dimpled chin could've been Popeye if the comic strip hero had been adapted for a feature film back then.....
If you were planning on seeing Barry Manilow on his farewell tour, I've got some bad news.
Manilow has postponed a series of dates, including a stop in Albany at the MVP Arena on April 20, due to health concerns. Hold on to your tickets, as they'll be honored when the concerts are rescheduled.
There were already issues with Jason Kelce (Monday Night Countdown) as an on course reporter. Then, the network doubled down by having WWE superstar Michael "The Miz" Mizanin in a broadcast booth with Laura Rutledge. Give Miz credit, though, for dressing for the occasion, as dapper as usual, in a white & green ensemble. Mizanin was there to promote not only Wrestlemania next weekend, portions of which will air on ESPN, but also his new side gig as host of the Amazon Prime revival of American Gladiators.
And this was after ESPN was turned down when it requested that Pat McAfee and his crew could set up shop at Augusta, after McAfee had gotten in hot water with WWE fans a week ago for being inserted in a main event storyline at the Show of Shows between Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes, at the request of TKO CEO Ari Emanuel.
Like, if it ain't broken, ya don't fix it, but ESPN & WWE are both guilty of that. Then again, it could've been worse at the Masters.
Stephen A. Smith could've been in Miz's seat.
It's been a happy homecoming so far this week for former Mets utility ace Jeff McNeil.
Back in New York with the A's for series vs. the Yankees & Mets this week, McNeil went 4-8 with an RBI and a run scored as the A's took two of three from the Yanks. Tonight, McNeil returns to Citi Field for a series vs. his former team, for whom he played the first seven seasons of his career. Former Mets prospect JT Ginn gets the start for the A's.
Later this month, Liberty Mutual insurance is retiring the Safeco brand of personal insurance (i.e. homeowners, auto), as all of their insurance products will be under the Liberty Mutual umbrella. You might remember when Liberty Mutual sponsored outdoors programming in the 70's. I caution, however, when you visit the website, you might find mascots Limu Emu & Doug pictured on the site. The commercials are in heavy rotation, but do ya really need a reminder when online? Judge for yourself.
On Wednesday, president Trump announced he was sending a negotiating team to forge a ceasefire between the US, Israel, & Iran. Instead of hiring experienced negotiators, Dumb Donald is sending VP Just Dumb Vance, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
That tells you right away that Trump is looking out, again, for his own self-interest instead of doing it right. The faux tough guy act ain't working with the Iranians, but Dumb Donald keeps trying, such that ABC's Jimmy Kimmel suggested that they should have sent these guys:
Folks, it's going to get worse before it gets better.
Once again, Donald Trump is meddling where he doesn't belong.
This time, it's college sports, particularly football.
On April 3, Trump signed an executive order, directing the government to improve collegiate rules as it relates to eligibility, pay-for-play, and, most importantly, the transfer portal. At the same time, the oldest bully in America is threatening schools with loss of federal funding if they do not comply.
The order is set to take effect August 1, right before the start of football season. Included in the order:
Restoring the transfer system to its original model. Apparently, Trump, like a lot of fans, is sick of the transfer portal being used after football & basketball seasons.
"Five for five eligibility". Translated, athletes would have no more than 5 years to fulfill their eligibility requirements.
In other words, Trump wants to force the NCAA to go back to its outdated system. The current system, it seems, confuses Trump. Then again, he's easily confused for a man his age. Progress of any kind, whether it's in sports or in society, offends him.
Well, we've got two words for you, Dumb Donald.
Pound sand.
At the end of the week, the Mets will see an old friend in a visiting uniform for the first time this season.
Jeff McNeil is already in town with the Sacramento A's, as they're playing the Yankees before going across town to Citi Field on Friday. McNeil went 2-3 with a walk & a run scored in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday.
The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are mourning the passing of one of their icons of the 70's.
Davey Lopes was part of the fabled Dodger infield during the 70's and early 80's. Lopes spent the last few years as a coach with the Dodgers & Washington before passing away Tuesday at 80.
Once the Dodgers get back from their road trip, if it hasn't happened already, they'll likely add a patch with Lopes' #15 to honor him.
I don't think it surprises anyone that CarShield's national ad campaign with former major leaguer and MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes is turning off a lot of people, due to Byrnes' over the top delivery.
Wrestling legend Ric Flair, on his 2nd tour of duty with CarShield, appears at the end of a couple of the ads in a broadcast booth, headset and all. We prefer rapper-actor Ice T (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) over Byrnes any day of the week.
MLB teams are using either active players, like the Yankees' JC Escarra & Oswaldo Cabrera, or retired stars, like Howard Johnson, representing the Mets, in localized ads.
Lancer, some might think, was CBS' long delayed response to NBC's long running Bonanza, except it was on a different night.
In the opener, Murdoch (Andrew Duggan) reunites his two sons, Scott (James Stacy), who has returned home from Boston, and Johnny (Wayne Maunder, ex-Custer), promising them each a share of their land in exchange for driving out some outlaw raiders.
Joe Don Baker and future icon Gordon Jump are among the guest stars.
In 10 days, WWE will induct a new class into the Hall of Fame, part of Wrestlemania weekend, a weekend that also sees unfunny comic Tony Hinchcliffe get roasted, and Fox NFL Sunday analyst Rob Gronkowski, supplanted by Tommy Lee Jones as the pitchman for USAA, hosting an after-party during the weekend.
This year's class:
Stephanie McMahon: You knew this was inevitable, after husband Paul "Triple H" Levesque had been inducted twice as a faction member (Evolution, DX), that Stephanie would get her flowers.
AJ Styles: Newly retired (at least in storyline), Styles (Allen Jones) appears to put a cap on a nearly 30 year career in the business, between WCW, TNA, New Japan, Ring of Honor, & WWE.
Demolition (Ax & Smash): Two time tag team champions in the late 80's, Ax (Bill Eadie) & Smash (Barry Darsow, the 2nd man to essay the role) became just as much an iconic team as the team they were emulating, and would ultimately feud with, the Road Warriors.
Dennis Rodman: The NBA maverick joined the NWO in WCW in the late 90's. Rodman goes into the celebrity wing of the Hall.
Bad News Brown: Brown (Allen Coage) brought martial arts to the WWE in the late 80's, when he was signed away from Stampede Wrestling in Canada. While he was never a champion in WWE, Brown had memorable feuds with Roddy Piper & Bret Hart. First WWE wrestler to use an enziguri, which was his finisher, under the label, "Ghetto Blaster".
Sid Vicious (aka Sid Justice, Sycho Sid): In one of his last interviews before his passing, Vicious (Sid Eudy) claimed that one reason he hadn't already gone in the Hall was because of issues with Vince McMahon. Along with Demolition, Sid goes in as a case of fan service, and despite being a heel most of his career, he accrued a fan following no matter what.
Memorable moment:
"The slam heard 'round the world" (Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant, Wrestlemania 3, 1987): Nearly 7 years earlier, Hogan was a heel who actually slammed Andre at Shea Stadium, something that was kept quiet because it was a non-televised event. In Pontiac, Michigan, the roles were reversed, with Andre now a heel, managed by Bobby Heenan. Despite a perceived botch, Hogan slammed Andre, leading to the finish of their match. Andre would get a tainted piece of revenge 11 months later.
The fun begins at midnight (ET), or, 9 pm on the West Coast, on April 17.
Byron Allen (ex-Real People) moved back in front of the camera with Comics Unleashed, a talk show in the style of, say, Politically Incorrect, which launched in syndication in 2006, and ran for 10 years.
CBS first came calling when James Corden decided to end The Late, Late Show a few years back, and Unleashed was added to the network's late night lineup. After Taylor Tomlinson's After Midnight ended last year, Unleashed came out of the bullpen once more.
Today, it was announced that Unleashed will move to 11:35 pm (ET) starting in May after Stephen Colbert and The Late Show come to an end. Allen's revival of the former ABC game show, Funny You Should Ask, hosted by Jon Kelley (ex-Extra), currently in syndication, will slide into the 12:35 am slot.
Now, let's go back to an early episode with Dane Clark, David Brenner, & George Wallace.
The bear, in this case, would be Iran.
Yes, there is an unpleasant history between the US & Iran, mostly illustrated by the hostage crisis between 1979-81. But, on a day when he should've actually done the smart thing, and gone to church like millions of others, Donald John Judas Trump opted for a sllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooow motorcade through Washington. Sometime Sunday morning, he issued a fresh threat to the Iranian government to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, claiming he'll have power plants & bridges in Iran bombed tomorrow.
In a potty mouthed post on Truthless Social, Trump made this threat, mocking the Iranians by stating, "Praise be to Allah".
Trump is grossly unpopular with most of the country here because a lot of Americans have grown tired of his act. When he talks to news outlets like Fox No News or NBC, you can't really tell if he's telling the truth (he usually isn't). He just gives interviews so he can be on TV and get a headline or three. At the end of the day, it's all about him. It always is. The more he plays up his faux tough guy act, the worse it's going to be for everyone.
From season 5 of Happy Days:
Suzi Quatro debuts as Leather Tuscadero, whose sister, Pinky (Roz Kelly), had been written off after her debut a year earlier. A reformed thief turned musician, Leather makes the scene with a cover of Chuck Berry's legendary "Johnny B. Goode", aided by Richie & Potsie (Ron Howard & Anson Williams) on guitar, and Ralph (Donny Most) on the piano. Don't think the guys were actually playing, though, but, rather, miming.
Of course, it's a truncated version on air.
Most of us know Druski from the T-Mobile commercials with Zoe Saldana. Today, more people are finding out about him after a skit he performed went viral, and roused the anger of Erika Kirk, nearly 7 months after the murder of her husband, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Druski, to his credit, checked all the legal boxes before he went ahead and had himself made up as a lookalike for the widow Kirk, though he never mentioned her by name in the skit. In truth, the skit was all about conservative women in general.
Encouraged by fellow right wing dimbulbs, Kirk has threatened to sue, but she has no case. It is the knee-jerk reaction of right wingers to threaten litigation when offended.
Check out this side-by-side comparison between Kirk (on the right) and Druski (on the left):
Frustrated by the inability of the Department of Injustice to prosecute political enemies despite 0 evidence of any crimes, president Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier today.
However, there are also reports that have EPA director Lee Zeldin being considered for the AG's job. Unfortunately, Zeldin already has one strike against him, since Trump doesn't like failure of any kind. You'll recall that Zeldin was beaten like a rented goalie nearly 3 1/2 years ago for NY Governor. His work at the EPA has been under the radar while drones like Bondi and former Homeland Insecurity secretary Kristi Gnoem were getting unfavorable headlines.
Blanche has been a personal attorney for Trump before being named to the DOI. As such, Trump wants to wait & see if Blanche can give him what he wants before taking the interim label off. Commentators such as Brian Tyler Cohen are sounding the alarm that House Oversight Committee Chairman Gomer Comer will cancel the deposition for Bondi, scheduled for April 14, to protect the Orange Onion. Democrats on the committee, of course, will force Comer to allow the deposition to take place. That's how scared Republicans are of letting the truth slip free on anything.
The return of South Park can't come fast enough for these clowns.
Already, there are online polls to ask who'd be next to go. Unfortunately, Comer's not on the list, since he'd have to lose his seat via election, but FBI director "Counterfeit" Kash Patel seems to be the frontrunner to be the next scapegoat. We'll probably hear something right around this time next month.
Stay tuned.
Donald Trump is not a Christian. Never has been. He pretends to be one to do what he does best, grift his supporters dry.
The last two days have provided us with irrefutable proof, unless you're a MAGA supporter, willfully ignorant of the truth, of this.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Trump is building a "library" in Miami that looks more like a shrine to his overinflated ego, complete with a golden statue in his likeness.
Exodus 32, anyone?
Do the 10 Commandments ring any bells?
The literacy-challenged Trump won't set foot in a church unless he needs to, but he's got enough Christian pastors, mostly the prosperity gospel variety, committing blasphemy by supporting this fraud.
On Wednesday, televangelist Paula White-Cain, wife of Journey keyboard player Jonathan Cain, and an advisor to Trump since 2002, compared Orange Judas to Jesus Himself.
Yeah, sure, tell another tall tale.
If anything, Trump is the diametric opposite of Jesus. Selfish instead of selfless. He continues to con the evangelicals and the prosperity gospel types, right along with the rest of the marks, and this is even after he's been on the record stating he's not even sure he's actually going to Heaven.
Spoiler alert: unless he actually has an epiphany that prompts him to publicly accept Jesus as his Savior, his afterlife is trending in the opposite direction. This latest dog & pony show is a distraction from everything else.
News flash: God doesn't like being mocked. Trump will discover the reality of that in due course.
From season 2 of The New Hollywood Squares:
During the course of this iteration's three year run (1986-9), producer Rick Rosner was looking for a theme for April Fool's Day.
Well, I've spoiled it already. Joan Rivers swaps places with John Davidson for the day, although it seems Shadoe Stevens didn't get the memo.......!
Nearly 40 years later, Shadoe is heard at the end of this video, as he's now the announcer for the Game Show Vault channel.
While today is April Fool's Day, president Donald John Pinocchio Trump thinks every day is April Fool's Day, since he deceives his base so, so much.
That being said, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the oldest baby in America is whining that he can't build his precious ballroom at the White House after a judge told him he had overstepped his bounds.
Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled Tuesday that Trump had overstepped his authority by destroying the East Wing of the White House last year, just so he could have a ballroom, even though, if memory serves, the East Wing had a ballroom in it, in the first place.
Trump's argument, baseless as usual, is that he doesn't need Congressional approval for any of his vanity projects.
Now, you know that Trump doesn't like being told, "no", on anything. The White House is not his personal property, unlike the land he owns in New York, Palm Beach, etc.. He had no right to destroy the East Wing, just to satisfy a fever dream of his. He wants Mar-a-Lago North, but watch. Once he's out of office, the ballroom, if it's completed at all, will either be torn down, or reconfigured into the new East Wing, and put to better use.
Judge Timothy Kelly declined a bid from Team Pampers to dismiss a suit which claims resident quack Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Department of Health & Human Services broke the law by declining Freedom of Information Act requests.
Judge Randolph Moss said that Trump could not terminate funding for PBS & National Public Radio, stating that it violates the 1st Amendment. The executive order, signed in May is unconstitutional, and has been permanently blocked. Fans of PBS & NPR are rejoicing.
Finally, Judge Amit Mehta is allowing a suit connected to the 1/6/21 riots to move forward. You'll recall that Trump tried to claim presidential immunity, but, as a beaten incumbent candidate, he has no immunity.
With the onset of old age comes the knowledge that Trump just refuses to read anything. Blame it on his ego, and how he was raised, knowing it will lead to his final downfall.
