Notes from around town

 Downtown Troy is starting to experience a rebirth.

In recent weeks, we've seen the Denim Library open in the former First Class Laundromat space. Troy Rewind gives the city its first video arcade since the 80's. Another cannabis dispensary has opened on Hoosick Street, next to the St. Mary's Massry Center. Really cheeky move there.

But, at the same time, citizens are increasingly angry over the Flock cameras installed in the city, with allegations that the information gathered is being shared with the federal government, which seems to be the point of the exercise in the first place.

However, overnight, someone decided that a little graffiti was in order at the Hedley building, current home of City Hall.

Photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

Now, a number of other businesses, and some vacant storefronts, have been tagged in recent months, but when the graffiti reaches City Hall, well, it's only then that the police, at the request of Mayor Carmella Mantello, are looking into the tagging, because part of it, as you can see, can be interpreted as a personal attack on the Mayor.

Some will argue that the graffiti undermines citizen groups looking for peaceful solutions. The frustration is setting in, it's clear. We know the Mantello administration is emulating the idiot squad in Washington, and it's not a good idea. The Mayor is fishing for brownie points from the White House. Not only that, but recent photos suggest that the Mayor is growing old before her time, as she seems to have aged 10 years in the last 16+ months.

Schools throughout the 518 will be closed for the Memorial Day holiday starting tomorrow, with classes resuming Wednesday instead of Tuesday. It's a recent trend, similar to starting Easter break on Good Friday, for example. Things my generation didn't have back in the day.

After exhausting their supply of last year's baseball cards, Hatchet Ace Hardware on 3rd Street is trumpeting the fact they're carrying Pokemon cards, which can be found behind the counter to dissuade shoplifters. If they do get any of this year's baseball cards, they'll also go behind the counter, mostly to keep the greedy scalpers away.

And that would be a welcome idea.

On The Air: Pop Culture Jeopardy! (2024)

 This was inevitable.

As Sony continues to expand the Jeopardy! franchise, the newest spinoff is available for online streaming.

Pop Culture Jeopardy! launched at the end of 2024 on Amazon Prime, but shifted to Netflix for season 2, which ends June 6. Colin Jost (Saturday Night Live) is the series host. Unlike the regular Jeopardy! and other spinoffs, the Pop Culture iteration has three two-person teams instead of three single contestants. The more, the merrier.

Let's take a look at a sample category. Full episodes, of course, are unavailable, other than on Netflix & Hulu.

Jost's profile has been raised in recent years, what with an endorsement deal with Blue Moon beer and his marriage to actress Scarlett Johanssen. If the core Jeopardy! needs a fill-in should something happen to current moderator Ken Jennings, Jost would be a good bet to cover.

Rating: A.

Videos of Summer: The River of Dreams (1993)

 "The River of Dreams" is the title track from Billy Joel's 1993 CD.

Look quick, and you'll see Billy's then-wife, Christie Brinkley, doing some painting. Brinkley did the cover for the CD.

Now, comes word that a bio pic, "Billy & Me", is being prepped for a release, but without any cooperation from the "Piano Man", whose former bandmate, Jon Small, & former manager, Irwin Mazur, are behind the bio, which covers Joel's early career, before he signed with Columbia. Joel is blocking the release of the film, claiming Mazur & Small don't have the rights to use his music.

Stay tuned.

An era soon to end: CBS Radio News (1927-2026)

 CBS owners Paramount-Skydance claim that they needed to terminate the radio news department because of how today's society receives their news via live streams and social media.

When CBS Radio News signs off on Friday, an era will end, and not entirely for the reasons that they claim. One commenter online suggested that some of the current radio staff, including veteran journalists Steve Kathan, Vicki Barker, Debra Rodriguez, Wendy Gillette, and others, could move to streaming. CBS gave former WCW announcer Christopher Cruise a new lease on life, and he likely could move into retirement.

Locally, WROW, a CBS affiliate forever, will simply go directly to local news updates from WRGB between 5-8 am, starting May 26. Currently, the station will run a short news brief from CBS for about a minute or so before going to local news. That they get the local news from WRGB reminds that WROW no longer has a news department of their own, and hasn't in years.

On Mother's Day, CBS Sunday Morning ran a feature piece on their radio cousins. Intro by Jane Pauley. Mo Rocca is the reporter.

You know who to blame, really. Even though CBS Radio News is non-partisan in its coverage, the decision is not entirely on Bari Weiss, or new owner Larry Ellison. It comes because president Trump, who doesn't comprehend the distinction between constructive & destructive criticism, doesn't want to hear any dissenting voices on the air.

WROW dropped CBS' World News Roundup a couple of years ago in order to streamline their morning news. What will happen when there's a breaking story after May 22, and CBS can't cover it on radio? I guess we'll have to wait & find out.

But, trust me on this. After Trump leaves office, Ellison may be forced to reconsider this ill-advised decision, and he should.

Forgotten TV: Bobby Vinton's Rock 'n' Rollers (1978)

 The Bobby Vinton Show had ended its 3 year run. "The Polish Prince", whose half hour variety show had been packaged by Chuck Barris & Chris Bearde, and produced in Canada, returned to the US for a hour long primetime special for CBS right before Thanksgiving of 1978.

"Bobby Vinton's Rock 'n' Rollers", though, was packaged by Sid & Marty Krofft, their first sale to CBS since Far Out Space Nuts three years earlier. Having ceded control of ABC's Donny & Marie to the Osmond family, which moved the series to Utah, the Kroffts decided to create a similar show, but with Vinton at the front, with guests Fabian, Penny Marshall (Laverne & Shirley), Erik Estrada (CHiPs), and a reunion of Our Miss Brooks stars Eve Arden & Gale Gordon. The Kroffts were bent on making Estrada into a song & dance man, as he covered Dion's "The Wanderer", two months after he went ham on the premiere of the Krofft Superstar Hour.

Unfortunately, all we have is a network promo, queued by Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time), and narrated by Dick Tufeld (ex-Lost in Space, Hollywood Palace).

If Barris, fresh from The Gong Show, had packaged this, he'd have been tempted to bring along Gene Gene The Dancing Machine.

No rating, of course.

Classic TV: Alcoa Premiere, aka Fred Astaire's Premiere Theatre (1961)

 Alcoa Premiere was an anthology series in the truest sense of the word.

The series gave birth to a trio of series, McHale's Navy, Channing, & Wild Country, the latter of which ended up on NBC. Host Fred Astaire, like Boris Karloff on NBC's Thriller, also acted in some episodes, and we'll look at those down the line. Comedian George Gobel even guest hosted one episode, and one more was moved over from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, complete with Hitchcock getting an executive producer's credit for his Shamley Productions.

We've already seen the McHale pilot, "Seven Against The Sea". This time, we're in season 2, with "Million Dollar Hospital", with an all-star cast of then-current & future stars, including Charles Bickford, William Shatner, Ken Berry, John Banner, Arte Johnson, Reta Shaw, and Burt Mustin.

Rating: A.

When life makes art a reality. Yes, Virginia, there really is a WKRP

 Eight years after his passing, Hugh Wilson's vision, if you will, of a rock station in Cincinnati has come to life.

Wilson created WKRP in Cincinnati, which spent a total of 6 seasons on the air (CBS 1978-82, syndicated 1991-3), in which the station's format had shifted from staid muzak to classic rock.

Recently, a Cincinnati radio station, a part of the iHeart network, acquired the famous call letters from a North Carolina non-profit for a classic oldies channel that covers Ohio, Kentucky, & Indiana in its broadcast district. The playlist now consists of oldies from the 60's, 70's, & 80's, just like iHeart affiliate WTRY here in the 518.

Of course, it got some play on the local news in Cincy....

Of the TV WKRP's cast, only Gary Sandy, Richard Sanders, Tim Reid, & Jan Smithers are still with us, and I shan't be surprised if they've been contacted about doing guest appearances for the new, real-life WKRP. As of now, WKRP, nicknamed, "The Oasis", has just 3 on-air personalities. I wonder if a certain 518 doll's syndicated show will show up there soon........

Sports this 'n' that

 Open Channel D. 

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

The connections of Preakness winner Napoleon Solo had to be fans of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., even if it was the box office bomb, and not the 1964-8 series that aired on-----wait for it----NBC, which carried Saturday's Preakness......

No truth to the rumor that there was anyone named Waverly among the owners. 

I'll move on.

When part 1 of the 2026 Subway Series began Friday, fans figured that the Yankees, despite a slump of their own, would lord it over the Mets, what with the injuries that have plagued the Amazin's. Friday's Yankee win came at a price for the Mets, who lost starter Clay Holmes, the ex-Yank, to a broken leg.

But, if there is a word that describes the Mets now, after a horrid start to the season, it's resilience.

The Mets came back and won Saturday. Today, after Freddy Peralta fell into a hole with 6 walks in 5 innings, the Mets fought back. Tyrone Taylor smacked a 3-run homer off Yankee closer David Bednar to tie it in the 9th. In the 10th, Yankee manager Aaron Boone gave his detractors some fuel by moving one of his outfielders into the infield to cut off the winning run. Rookie Carson Benge hits a chopper that causes a collision between two infielders, and the Mets win the game, 7-6. Devin Williams, last year's Yankee closer, picked up the win.

The teams will meet again in September.

Weasel of The Week: Elon Musk & Matt Walsh

 Christopher Nolan's latest, an adaptation of Homer's legendary poem, The Odyssey, doesn't hit theatres until July. Conservative scum are forwarding false rumors about some of the casting, and the world's richest man, South African emigre Elon Musk, has gotten headlines for reposting and sharing such false opinions.

Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire, a shameless piece of human trash, slammed Nolan's pick of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy. Transgender actor Elliot Page has been cast in an undisclosed role after rumors surfaced that Page would play Achilles. Rapper and pariah to WWE fans Travis Scott has a small, undisclosed role. Musk posted his agreement with Walsh's sentiments.

Well, here's a reality check for you guys. In 21st century Hollywood, filmmakers make casting choices based on, and this is the important part for you conservative peabrains, the best actor or actress available for the part!!

Of course, part of the problem is the right wing obsession with eradicating DEI in everything, undoing decades of societal progress. To conservatives, diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) are dirty words. Yo, jobronies! It's 2026, not 1946. Get a clue! A whole box of them.

"The Odyssey", as a summer blockbuster, will overcome the haterizing, and likely make a ton of money when it opens in 2 months' time. Walsh & Musk get the Weasel ears for formenting unnecessary hatred because of their closed mind mentality on today's Hollywood. They'll be sending you plates of crow come July.

That time Muhammad Ali fought a jobber (1976)

 Ahead of his boxer vs. wrestler match in Japan vs. Antonio Inoki, Muhammad Ali fought a 3 round exhibition against a lesser known wrestler, Buddy Wolfe. Fred Blassie was in Ali's corner, and Dick The Bruiser was in Wolfe's, with AWA legend, and future Hall of Famer, Verne Gagne, wearing his warmup suit as the ref.

Hearing Blassie shouting instructions to Ali, it made me think of what might've been had Blassie auditioned for a supporting role in "Rocky". Of course, we all know that "Rocky" was a mammoth hit, with film legend Burgess Meredith as Mickey opposite Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa.

I think this might've been the first time Gagne was in the same building with Vince McMahon, who conducted a post-fight interview with Ali & Blassie.

Musical Interlude: 19 (1985)

 In 1982, ABC News produced the documentary, Vietnam Requiem, more than a decade after US troops had left Vietnam. Three years later, Paul Hardcastle scored a UK #1 hit, and reached the top 40 here in the US, with "19". Veteran commercial voiceover artist Peter Thomas narrated Requiem, and some of the dialogue was sampled on "19".

Thomas, after a bazillion commercials in the 70's & 80's, would narrate Forensic Files years later.

Many thanks to Chuck Miller for the tip.

Hmmmm, this came out around the same time as Max Headroom with the digital stuttering. 

What Might've Been: The Spike Jones Show (1954)

 Bandleader Spike Jones and his City Slickers landed their first television series as a mid-season replacement in the winter of 1954 on NBC. Small problem. Jackie Gleason was already an established draw over on CBS, and Spike was sent packing after 5 months. Jones would return with three more short-lived series between 1957-61, this time on CBS.

In addition to the City Slickers, Jones also had his wife, Helen Grayko, as a featured vocalist, and recurring regulars including Bill Dana, Len Weinrib, and, in this next clip, Billy Barty.

For those of you who may only know Billy from his work for the Kroffts in the 70's, as well as his later TV & film work (i.e. "Under The Rainbow"), this is a treat in and of itself. And now you know why Billy was so at home in primetime when he made appearances on Donny & Marie (like the Osmonds, Barty was a Mormon).

Spike made a number of Soundies in the 40's, including a hysterical number, "Clink! Clink! Another Drink!", with Mel Blanc. We'll bring that out another time.

No rating. Just a public service.

Wild West Wednesdays: Gold Raiders (1951)

 The Three Stooges (Moe & Shemp Howard and Larry Fine) join forces with veteran action star George O'Brien in 1951's Western farce, "Gold Raiders". The Stooges are traveling salesmen out west, and O'Brien, a former lawman, has transitioned to being an insurance agent.

Co-author Ellwood Ullman & director Edward Bernds were no strangers to the Stooges, having worked on several shorts. The film clocks in at a speedy 56 minutes, which would be good enough to fit into a syndicated package of Westerns in the 70's & 80's if it was needed.

The Stooges, with Joe DeRita succeeding Shemp, would cowboy up again 14 years later in "The Outlaws is Coming", with Adam West. We'll try to locate that one for another day. 

An amazing resemblance. Steven Cheung actually looks like a supervillain

 White House communications flack Steven Cheung is one of the most miserable men on earth, just like his boss.

Welp, on Tuesday, Cheung lashed out at Brett Bruen, a former National Security Council official under President Obama after president Trump had left for China. According to Bruen, however, Trump, as usual, didn't bother bringing anyone with any experience in foreign affairs, thinking that his pitbull mentality as a negotiator would carry the day for him (as if).

Bruen called out Trump, stating that the immature president should've had an expert on China and/or an experienced NSC or State Dept. official on hand for briefings. Cheung, covering for his dimwitted boss, complained that Bruen was, in his eyes, a moron.

The more I read about Cheung, the more I get the feeling I've seen someone like him before somewhere. Then, it hit me. Cheung, a California native, bears some resemblance to a comic book villain.

Presenting Elihas Starr, aka Egghead, a Marvel Comics villain dating back to 1962. Not to be confused with the made-for-TV Egghead, memorably played by Vincent Price on Batman between 1966-8.

Unlike Starr, Cheung has not been held accountable for his lying and false accusations. It kinda fits, doesn't it?

Another case based on lies. Pete Hegseth wants to investigate Senator Mark Kelly again. He will fail again

 Secretary without Defense Pete Hegseth is putting both feet in his mouth again.

Just days after an appellate court ruled an earlier attempt to "punish" Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for advising current soldiers not to obey illegal orders, the former Fox No News personality is going after Kelly again after Kelly appeared Sunday on  Face The Nation, and told moderator Margaret Brennan that Hegseth had told him that it would actually take years to replenish certain stockpiles in a conversation a few days prior.

This moron may be on his way out.

Hegseth, of course, is pandering to president Trump and his base of marks, but, as was the case before, this will fail. Kelly, on Nation, recalled telling Hegseth that the conflict with Iran is proving costly to the American people, and Trump & Hegseth haven't shared with the country what their goal is. 

This latest attempt follows the report that the US Court of Appeals, per MSN, seems likely to confirm that Hegseth's attempt at disciplinary action against Kelly will fail. Hegseth has intentionally misinterpreted Kelly's remarks to suit the administration's misguided agenda.

There's a better chance that the egg brained Hegseth will wind up falling on his virtual sword, the next cabinet member dumped by Trump.

Stay tuned.

YouTube Theatre: Johnny Shiloh (1963)

 Welcome back to Wartime Mondays. This time, we're going all the way to the Civil War, and a 2-part installment of Disney's Wonderful World of Color, presented in its feature film form. Kevin Corcoran has the lead in "Johnny Shiloh", about a 10 year old drummer working with the Union Army in the Civil War. Our cast is loaded with familiar names, including Skip Homeier, Regis Toomey (Burke's Law), Darryl Hickman, Edward Platt (2 years before Get Smart), Brian Keith, Buck Taylor (later of Gunsmoke), and Hayden Rorke (2 years before I Dream of Jeannie). Enjoy the show.

In two weeks: We celebrate Memorial Day with Combat!.

On The Shelf: More Free Comic Book Day stuff

 Continuing with the Free Comic Book Day reviews:

Mad Cave decided to release black & white specials of Terrorbytes & Flash Gordon. Why did they even bother?

In Flash's case, writer Jeremy Adams just had to remind us of how Dale Arden was brainwashed into becoming the new, evil empress of Mongo at the start of the series. No sale. Seems Adams is in no hurry to repair that mistake. And that's a mistake in and of itself.

Mark Russell has been entrusted with Terrorbytes, but I'd rather see this in full color glory.

Ratings for both: C.

Over at Marvel, the House of Missing Ideas decided three features are better than two in two of their offerings.

For example, you get Amazing Spider-Man, plus Venom, and a preview of Queen in Black, which, we already know, is Hela, from Thor. More than 35 years after the debut of Venom, the symbiote concept has jumped the shark. Venom itself is now bonded to Mary Jane Watson, who's more than likely destined to return to Spider-Man's side, after her most recent beau was killed. This after some genius decided to give the Black Widow a symbiote. Right about now, Stan Lee is turning over in his grave.

Rating: None. Not worth it.

Meanwhile, the 20th Century Studios imprint offers a trifecta featuring Aliens, Predator, & Planet of The Apes, with a small tease of what we talked about last time involving the latter pair.

Rating: A-.

Dark Horse reportedly plans on a Masters of The Universe ongoing, timed to precede the remake of the 1987 live-action film. The backup feature is Dungeons & Dragons, because that franchise is still around, more than 45 years later. Take yer pick, effendi.

Rating: B.

DC's Next Level sampler offers teases of the first wave of titles, some of which are already out, including Fury of Firestorm (previously reviewed). The Jeff Lemire-penned series has been expanded from 6 to 9 issues, meaning it'll wrap in time for Christmas.

Batwoman returns, but we are not thrilled with Dani's artistic rendering of Kate Kane. At least enough time passed after the CW series ended in a debacle a few years ago. You have to be reading Batman to have an understanding why Barbara Gordon has gone to prison in Matt Fraction's current storyline. Her spinoff series won't mean anything otherwise, and we're closing in on the 60th anniversary of her debut as Batgirl. No sale.

Lobo is back as well, just in time for his big screen debut this summer in "Supergirl". The "Last Czarnian" is as rowdy & nasty as ever.

Ratings:

Batwoman: C.

Lobo: B.

Barbara Gordon: No rating.

Meanwhile, Mad Cave has launched a new Gatchaman spinoff series, Red Impulse, whose titular hero has ties to the team. That's all I can say about Steve Orlando's plot. We've seen variations on this plot before, as it's an oft-used trope.

Rating: Incomplete.

As Dynamite's ThunderCats-Silverhawks event continues, Mumm-Ra, the 'Cats' arch-nemesis, gets his own miniseries. We dig the Golden Age style aesthetic, as the villain's origins are revealed. We're less enthused about ThunderHawks, in which some characters from ThunderCats Lost don Silverhawk armor. Without being bonded. Hmmmmmm. Curious. And Silverhawks marks its 40th anniversary this year. Oy!

Ratings for both: B.

Videos of Summer: Let Your Love Flow (1976)

 50 years ago this month, the Bellamy Brothers hit #1 on the Hot 100, #21 on the country chart (WHAT?), and #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Let Your Love Flow". Since Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, is two weeks away, let's start our Videos of Summer....

A message from some famous moms

 Remember when the dairy association had those milk mustache ads?

Well, for Mother's Day, here's a vintage print ad with Shirley Jones (The Partridge Family), Marion Ross (Happy Days), & Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch).

Speaks for itself, doesn't it?

Sports this 'n' that

 In the run-up to tonight's Backlash PLE on the ESPN app (the 1st hour will be simulcast on ESPN2), various WWE personalities have appeared on ESPN programming.

Perhaps the biggest impact on sports outside WWE came from Long Island native Paul Heyman. Heyman, beloved in Philadelphia as the mastermind behind Extreme Championship Wrestling, threw his support behind his hometown Knicks in the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals, and warned the 76ers that "their season was already over". It might've seemed like typical bluster from Heyman, with the Knicks already up, 2-0, when he made this statement, but, as of today, he might actually be right, after the Knicks won again on Friday to go up, 3-0.

Your move, Philadelphia.

It has not been a good week off the field for the Atlanta Braves.

First, former announcer John Sterling, who later became an icon as the radio voice of the Yankees, had passed away, followed by former owner Ted Turner on Wednesday. Now comes word that Bobby Cox, who served two stints as manager (1977-81, 1985-2010), with a run in Toronto in between, winning 5 National League titles, 14 division titles, and the 1995 World Series, has passed at 84.

MLB has produced this video obituary, narrated by Matt Vasgersian:

There is also mourning in Pittsburgh, as former player & coach Bob Skinner passed away mid-week at 95. I never saw him play, but he served as a coach for managers Bill Virdon & Jim Leyland for several seasons.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.

Family Fridays: The prodigal daughter comes home (The Donna Reed Show, 1963)

 How fitting is it for Mother's Day weekend? Sure, college season is winding down, and when this episode of The Donna Reed Show aired in 1963 (the open carries a 1965 copyright because that was the copy the then-Decades channel had on hand), Mary (Shelley Fabares) returns home from college to visit her parents on what could be parents' weekend. The episode first aired in October 1963.

By that point, Patty Peterson (Paul's sister) had joined the show as Tricia, an orphan adopted by the Stone family.

It was 10 years ago today

 On a hot August night in San Diego, the Mets were in the midst of a weekend series vs. the Padres.

Top of the 2nd. Mets already up, 2-0, with a runner on for pitcher Bartolo Colon.......

Padres starter James Shields was already on the back nine of his career after this. MLB decided to take the bats out of the hands of pitchers for good, unless you're Shohei Ohtani, a few years later.

Two titans of television news have left the studio for Heaven

 Many of us living in the 518 grew up with investigative reporter John McLaughlin, first on WTEN, then, at the end of his career, at WNYT. McLaughlin, a graduate of LaSalle Institute in Troy and Siena, began his career in print journalism at the Troy Record, back when it was a respectable newspaper, in the mid-60's, before moving permanently to television around 1972.

During his 40+ years at WTEN, McLaughlin served as a co-host for the annual Cerebral Palsy telethon, and hosted a pair of public affairs programs that usually aired on Sunday mornings.

WTEN morning co-anchor Christina Arangio looks back at McLaughlin's career, queued up by afternoon co-anchors Lydia Kulbida & John Gray.

McLaughlin passed away at 83. His last gig was doing radio ads for a local business a few years ago.

CNN founding father Robert E. "Ted" Turner has also passed away.

Turner launched CNN in the summer of 1980, and watched it evolve, or, maybe as of today, devolve. Turner also owned the Atlanta Braves & Hawks during the 80's and part of the 90's, and even took a chance on being the 1st owner since Connie Mack to double as manager, but that didn't last. Ultimately, Turner sold CNN, Cartoon Network, and the rest of his television empire, to Time-Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery, and soon to be Paramount-Warner, barring any last minute miracles), in the mid-90's. Turner's biggest contribution to children's television was the launch of Captain Planet on TBS and in syndication in the 90's.

Wrestling fans will recall that Turner enabled Eric Bischoff to open World Championship Wrestling's bankroll to better compete with the now-WWE. This lasted for 3 years before WWE took over and defeated WCW, buying out the rival in 2001.

Turner was 87.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.

On The Shelf: An unlikeable anti-hero, and two TV favorites return

 Free Comic Book Day has come & gone, and we're taking a look at some of the goodies that arrived last weekend.

Amp Comics has the license to adapt Stephen J. Cannell's early 80's adventure series, The Greatest American Hero, getting cooperation from series star William Katt. That's the good news.

Image courtesy Amp Comics.

The bad news? While the story is set in modern times, after Ralph Hinkley (Katt) has retired, and reconnects with his son, in the process meeting his granddaughter, artist Alper Geicel, a relative newcomer, doesn't connect with the reader, which makes one long for cover artist David Mack to do the interiors as well. Oof. Anyone expecting something along the lines of the original series will be disappointed.

Rating: B--.

The former WB/CW series, Supernatural, has landed at Dynamite, and the company decided to reissue the 1st issue for Free Comic Book Day. Fans of the Winchester brothers will be happy to see them back in action. Given that there was a crossover with Scooby-Doo late in the run, it won't surprise anyone if eventually, Dynamite picks up the license for Scooby, too, hoping for a sequel. We'll see, but, given how Dynamite has solicited titles as ongoing, only to see those books cut down to miniseries (i.e. Thundarr), I wouldn't get my hopes up.

The opener proves that the guys are gullible enough to fall for a con. Not what I wanted to read.

Rating: B.

Archie Comics collected a quintet of 5 pagers for World of Archie, their Free Comic Book Day entry. Always on the pop culture tip, this collection includes Betty & Veronica spinning off from the Archies to form Rock Candi, and, later, setting up shop selling merch based on a send-up of singer Sabrina Carpenter, unaware that the other Sabrina, our favorite witch, has a similar kiosk running. A time travel spoof with our Sabrina closes out the volume. September, and Oni Press taking over the franchise, can't come soon enough.

Rating: B-.

Another of the new Vertigo titles from DC is End of Life, which pretty much guarantees that its lead, hitman Eddie Stallion, is destined to meet his end once writer Kyle Starks decides to finish his story. Stallion's tale is not one of redemption, but, rather, being on the run after a job goes sideways. Oh, does it ever.

After reading the first three issues, I got the sense that had this been written in the 90's, you could've made a movie out of this with Vanilla Ice as Eddie, and Edward Asner as his pop. Wishful thinking, I know, but there is no way you can cheer for Eddie, not when the title implies the end of the story.

Rating: B--.

Quick hits: I've come to the conclusion that Archie Comics artist Dan Parent has taken to drawing covers of Sabrina in fishnet stockings & knee boots in response to DC's sexy sorceress, Zatanna, who, thanks to Jamal Campbell, has ditched the boots for heels at long last. Now, if Campbell can find Zee a boyfriend not named John Constantine, we'd be all set...............IDW is going with a modern day retelling of Zorro with Zorro's Legacy, out in July. The Howard Chaykin penned Zorro series appears to be off the calendar for the moment........Over at DC, writer Jeremy Adams has split up the Wonder Twins, with Jayna going it alone alongside Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), who otherwise is ready to pop the question to on-again, off-again lover Carol Ferris (Star Sapphire), while Zan appears in Emperor Aquaman, with the bigger story being that the twins don't need to touch to activate their powers anymore. The stories will merge later this year, but if this doesn't lead to Jayna dating Beast Boy of the Titans (which would require him to split with Raven), I don't know what does........With Planet of The Apes vs. Fantastic Four wrapping up later this month, Marvel plans to send a Predator to the ape world in July. What next? Aliens?....After Muppets Noir wraps next month, Dynamite will try a Red Sonja Noir miniseries in July. Stop the pain!

Donald Trump wants Hakeem Jeffries impeached. Guess what, Dumb Donald? That ain't happening

 With mid-term elections six months away, president Trump wants House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) impeached for calling the Supreme Court "illegitimate". All Jeffries was doing was pointing out the hypocrisy of the GOP-dominant Court after a controversial vote on voting rights favored the GOP.

"WAAAAHHHH! He's gotta go! WAAAAHHH!!"

Let's say the Democrats flip the House of Representatives in November. Jeffries conceivably could be the 1st African-American Speaker, replacing Mike Johnson. Trump, of course, is scared that this could in fact happen.

Small problem. Sitting Congressmen cannot be impeached. Expelled, yes, like George Santos, but not impeached. Of course, Dumb Donald, twice impeached himself, doesn't comprehend how governmental rules work. He just exploits his office for personal gain (and to enrich his family). As far as calling for Jeffries to be impeached just for speaking his mind, Trump has to remember that a 3rd impeachment may be headed his way if the Democrats do take over in November. Not just the House, but also the Senate. And, again, there's this little caveat to his whining......

Be careful what you wish for, Donald. Karma may be coming for you this time next year.

A tale of two New Yorkers

 One became a cherished sports icon upon returning home, and finished his career at the end of 2024. The other should've stayed retired when he had the chance, and now is fighting for his life.

John Sterling, the radio voice of the Yankees from 1989-2024, and host for several Old Timers Day events at Yankee Stadium, as well as the host-narrator of Yankeeography on the YES Network, has passed away at 87. Sterling had previously called games on TBS for the Atlanta Braves & Hawks, the latter when WTBS carried their games. In the course of his career, Sterling also called some NHL games, as well as college football, and if memory serves, his last college football broadcast was also on YES a few years ago.

MLB Network offers this retrospective.

And, then, there is America's Disgrace, Rudy Giuliani.

The former mayor, attorney, and chief sycophant to Donald Trump was admitted to a hospital Sunday, but spokesman Ted Goodman would only divulge that Giuliani was in stable, but critical, condition, leaving everyone in the dark about Giuliani's actual condition.

Update, 4:08 pm (ET): Goodman announced today that Giuliani is in the hospital to be treated for pneumonia.

Trump didn't exactly help the cause by blaming left wingers for Giuliani's condition in a post on Truthless Social in the last 24 hours. Giuliani gave up what dignity he had left by casting his lot with Trump during the 2020 election, amplifying false claims of election fraud, which Trump is still whining about 5 1/2 years later. When Giuliani began appearing on TV again about a decade ago, you could already see that his best years were behind him. But if he thought Trump would help him with his legal bills, well, he should've known that Trump is the biggest cheapskate this side of Jack Benny's radio-TV persona.

I've a feeling Giuliani may soon join Sterling in the afterlife. The Yankees, to be sure, will memorialize Sterling themselves, just as they have for other broadcasters in their employ.

Rest in peace, John.

Musical Interlude: All You Fascists Bound to Lose (2026)

 In 1944, during World War II, Woody Guthrie wrote "All You Fascists Bound to Lose", which may have been a rallying cry for the US during the war.

82 years later, actress-singer Bette Midler gathered a group of her Hollywood friends, including Barbara Hershey and Saratoga native David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) for an updated version of "Bound", adding contemporary lyrics & images taking aim at-----who else?-----president Trump.

How soon d'ya think Trump'll start whining about this?

Sports this 'n' that

 Maybe the Mets could learn something from what happened in Philadelphia earlier this week.

Rob Thomson was fired, the 2nd manager in 4 days (Alex Cora), replaced by bench coach Don Mattingly, who had come over from Toronto in the offseason. Philadelphia has since opened some distance between themselves and the last place Mets, amid speculation that Mets manager Carlos Mendoza may be the next to go, at least if you follow the drama on reddit.

Mattingly previously managed Miami and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and is the kind of experienced voice the Phillies needed.

The Mets, meanwhile, continue to be plagued by injuries. Luis Robert, Jr., one of their off-season acquisitions (Chicago White Sox) went down earlier in the week, and after Saturday's loss to the Angels, infielder Ronny Mauricio went to the IL with a thumb injury. Redditors are blaming David Stearns for some of the off-season moves, including letting professional leech Scott Boras Badenov con Pete Alonso into chasing the money to Baltimore. Alonso has been struggling, and someone suggested a trade to bring him back to Flushing.

Alonso is back in New York this weekend, but, aside from a home run on Friday, the Yankees have held him in check. The Mets will see Alonso later this season.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani mistakenly assumed Trae Young was still with the Atlanta Hawks ahead of the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. Young was traded earlier this season.

So, the Knicks blew the Hawks out of the playoffs on Thursday, winning game 6 by 57 points. The game was actually over in the 1st quarter. In Atlanta!!!

Bank on this. Braves fans will pick up the gauntlet for the Hawks when Los Bravos play the Mets later this season.

The PGA tour is at the Doral Country Club, owned by president Trump, this weekend, and, how's this for a surprise? When the players reached holes 16-18, there were no fans in sight! Meidas Touch explains:

Welp, if Trump didn't initiate the current conflict with Iran, and actually learned how to comport himself as president instead of being an elderly man on his 4th or 5th childhood, that wouldn't happen. People see the Trump name on the building, and turn away. Why should the world's worst golfer own a course? At least grand-daughter Kai (Don, Jr.'s daughter) learned the game the right way.......!

We're reading that the Saudis are pulling their financial backing from the LIV golf tour, in its 4th season, and 2nd with broadcasts on Fox (moving over from CW) after this season. Hmmmmm. People were speculating that the Saudis might not renew their contract with WWE when that runs out later this year. And speaking of WWE......

NXT fans were jumping for joy upon learning earlier this week that the PLE's for the Tuesday brand will begin airing on CW this summer. Since the network is looking for some weekend programming to complement the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts series, and fill the void created by LIV golf's departure last year, this is great news. Last month's Stand & Deliver streamed on YouTube, but this is even better. Apparently, the new deal starts with the Great American Bash in July, after the former WCW event had been set up as a 2 part episode of the weekly NXT series the last couple of years.

The once prestigious National Wrestling Alliance is back on television, as NWA Powerr began airing on Comet (check listings) this weekend. Broadcasts will mostly air Saturday afternoons at 4 pm (ET), though a special episode aired Friday night. Unfortunately, the quality of wrestling, while it seeks to revive the studio wrestling aesthetic from the territory era, has suffered under Billy Corgan's ownership. The former Smashing Pumpkins frontman should be happy with the new deal, though, as that should bring more eyeballs to the NWA & Comet.

Classic TV: The series premiere of Hee Haw (1969)

 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:

Family Fridays: The Defenders, in color (1961)

 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":

I've got something in mind for next week to start off Mother's Day weekend. You'll see it then.

Wild West Wednesdays: The series premiere of Law of The Plainsman (1959)

 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".

In 2 weeks: The Three Stooges in "Gold Raiders".

The paranoia & desperation of the Trump administration on full view

 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.

"Counterfeit" Kash Patel is trying to save his job, amid rumors he might be the next one to go. If he & Todd "Bleached" Blanche can't gain a conviction from this, it won't matter, because Patel will almost certainly be gone, and maybe Blanche, too.

Oh, but that ain't all.

On the same show, former attorney Alina Habba was a guest, and her choice of words couldn't be more ironic, in that she claimed she did her job for Trump's "pleasure". In what way?

And, then, you have FCC "chairman" in name only Brendan "Used" Carr making more threats against ABC & Disney, even asking for a review of broadcast licenses of Disney-owned ABC affiliates, just because Jimmy Kimmel made some jokes ahead of last Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner, with some clever editing. Even Melania Trump was offended, or at least was encouraged to lash out at Kimmel.

Again, it is intentional misinterpretation to justify the misplaced anger.

As Whoopi said regarding the Comey indictment, it is another distraction from the growing myriad of issues facing Trump, who, of course, was made to look like a chump when King Charles of England addressed Congress Tuesday. Decorum is something of a foreign concept to Trump.

This indictment won't net the result the president wants. And ain't that just too bad.

Wartime Mondays: The series premiere of The Wackiest Ship in The Army (1965)

 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.

When you realize the president is too stupid to understand he invited a near disaster to take place

 "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.

He also did what he does best, whining about O'Donnell's line of questioning. Yo, you asked for the interview on short notice, Mango Judas.

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.

Sports this 'n' that

 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?

Insight Sundays: Ride a Turquoise Pony (1972)

 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):

Insight Sundays will be on hiatus for the next four months, returning in September.

What else could she do? (The Danny Kaye Show, 1964)

 "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. 

I'd say she could've given Ann-Margret a run for her money, don't you think?

The season of the turk comes to WWE

 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.

Trill London

Sirena Linton

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.

Chris Island

Tyriek Igwe

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.

Chief Creative Officer Paul Levesque (Triple H) has to share the blame with his corporate overlords at TKO Holdings, as some of the above were in active storylines or regularly featured. After New Japan star EVIL (Takako Watanabe) signed earlier this week, the cuts were made to move some money around. Many of the above talent will resurface in due course, but this wave of cuts gave fans more reason to hate on WWE/TKO, as if they didn't already have enough reason.

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.

"Family" Fridays: The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

 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.

What Spelling was hoping for was to turn this into a regular series, but Westerns as a genre were moving toward Boot Hill.

Next week on Wild West Wednesdays: Law of The Plainsman, with Michael Ansara, and on Family Fridays, it's father & son crime drama on The Defenders, with EG Marshall & Robert Reed.

Notes from around town

 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).

Get ready to say goodbye.

Troy Pork closed 18 years ago, leaving shoppers to have to go to Price Chopper or Hannaford to get Bilinski's hot dogs, for example. La Capital's success has shown it's outgrown its current space. Given how slow construction projects progress in this town, the new La Capital, if approved, would open next year or in 2028.

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.

More examples of GOP stupidity

 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.

This moron's days are numbered in Washington.

That, friends, is clear abuse of power. Wouldn't be surprised at all if the FBI is forced to drop the investigation against the legendary paper.

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.....

Closer to home, it appears that the GOP will need a primary to determine who will fill Elise Stefanik's seat after the Schuylerville native resigned from the House. State GOP leaders have chosen Robert Smullen, but Amsterdam's Anthony Constantino, CEO of Sticker Mule, was endorsed by President Pampers on Wednesday.

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.

Dunce Cap Award: Clay Fuller

 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.

No, he'd never be mistaken for Donald Trump, Jr.

Clay Fuller won the election, and in one of his first speeches since then, brought the stupid. Oh, did he ever!!

*---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.......

Fuller just needs to take a ride to Marietta, where the Braves' home park, Truist Park, is located, and take in a game or three, or do some sight-seeing when he's home from Washington. And that sight-seeing should include a local library.

What Might've Been: Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes (1985)

 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.

Fear of facts: Kash Patel files suit vs. The Atlantic. Stick a fork in him

 "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:

The truth hurts, doesn't it, Kash? Of course, it does. The suit, of course, is baseless, and without merit. Remember, this is the same dunce who wrote a children's book, trying to make Donald Trump out to be a hero, and that tanked in most of the country.

Prediction: The suit gets thrown out with prejudice. Patel, then, is likely gone from the FBI before the end of the summer at the earliest.

What is wrong with the Mets?

 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.

On Sunday, another ex-Met, outfielder Michael Conforto, with his 3rd team since leaving NY, haunted his ex-mates yet again, this time with the Chicago Cubs. His pinch-hit double helped the Cubs come back to sweep the Mets, sending Carlos Mendoza's club to its 11th straight loss.

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.

Two old Office friends reunite (2025)

 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!

Clooney was doing ads for Nespresso from Nestle, and also doing vodka ads.