Here's an interesting conundrum.
A couple of weeks back on Monday Night Raw, talk show host-turned manager Abraham Washington, or, A. W. for short, wearing a live headset microphone, made a wisecrack referencing basketball star Kobe Bryant's alleged rape in a Colorado hotel room during a match involving one of his men. The timing was just way off, coming as it did days after the "Dark Knight" massacre in Aurora, Colorado.
11 days later, Washington (real name: Brian Jossie) was dismissed by WWE for making those remarks and some others. Reports say that there are those in the WWE locker rooms who felt that the firing was unjust, but, again, with the company's former CEO, Linda McMahon, campaigning for a US Senate seat out of Connecticut, the last thing Vince McMahon wants is to give his wife's opposition fuel to further slam the company and the campaign. Jossie took to Twitter to take shots at the company's PG-rated content. Mere days before, he issued an in-character post pledging his support to Mrs. McMahon's campaign.
This was Jossie's second go-round with the big club, the first being in 2009-10 on ECW with the aforementioned talk show, designed as a parody of late night yakkers such as Jay Leno and Arsenio Hall. It took too long for McMahon to discover that the joke wore thin way too quickly, and Abraham Washington found himself upstaged by his sidekick, Hall of Fame wrestler-turned-stooge Tony Atlas, whose forced laughter went over bigger. After ECW was, shall we say, retired, 2 1/2 years ago, Jossie was sent back to Florida Championship Wrestling, where he split his time between managing, announcing, and actually wrestling a few matches. He was recalled earlier this year, and his ring name shortened to A. W., now presented as the owner of All World Promotions. The headset mic, I felt, was eventually going to get this guy in trouble, and it did.
Now, Dave Meltzer, of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, has raised the issue of whether or not WWE should bring back the A. W. character, preferably sans microphone. I don't think so. Since Jossie's Twitter rants went public, it sounds to me like the man has already burned his bridges with the company, but then, there have been others who did and later were welcomed back. We'll know later tonight if he's another that was invited back with a mea culpa.
So, then, who's the weasel? Is it Jossie, whose remarks as A. W. weren't scripted, allowing him to ad-lib, despite the prospect of damaging words being spoken? Or is it Vince McMahon, for pulling the plug, some say too early, in an effort to protect his wife's political aspirations? While I get the rationale in either case, what I can't figure is if it's fair to bestow the Weasel ears on one or both or neither man? Feel free to offer your opinions.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Musical Interlude: Until It's Time For You To Go (1965)
Before he was cast as one of The Monkees, Michael Nesmith had tried to make a go of it as a solo act. Using the name Michael Blessing, he made the rounds a year before his big break, with a modest single, "Until It's Time For You To Go".
After Monkees ended in 1968, Nesmith, recording under his own name, formed a new group, the First National Band, and ultimately landed a crossover hit, "Joanne", that I remember hearing on a country music channel in the early 70's. He'd later parody that with a tribute to the Japanese monster, "Rodan". Anyway, here's "Until It's Time For You To Go", taken from The Lloyd Thaxton Show:
After Monkees ended in 1968, Nesmith, recording under his own name, formed a new group, the First National Band, and ultimately landed a crossover hit, "Joanne", that I remember hearing on a country music channel in the early 70's. He'd later parody that with a tribute to the Japanese monster, "Rodan". Anyway, here's "Until It's Time For You To Go", taken from The Lloyd Thaxton Show:
Saturday, August 11, 2012
What Might've Been: What if someone else hosted Hollywood Squares? (1965)
The Hollywood Squares marked its 45th anniversary last year, but what some people might not know is that Peter Marshall wasn't the original choice to emcee the show during its initial run (1966-81).
Instead, when the pilot was shot in 1965, entertainer Bert Parks, better known as the long time host of the Miss America pageant, was in the host's chair, and, as you'll see shortly, the contestant's seats were reversed from their traditional positions. I regret the fact that the video is not in the best of shape, but what can you do, effendi?
Anyway, this was one of those deals where they made a few tweaks to get the show on the air, and in this case, it worked for the best. Marshall presided over Squares for 16 seasons, and that includes the various night-time editions that aired on NBC & syndication, and the short-lived Storybook Squares, which was originally a mid-season replacement on NBC's Saturday morning block from January-August 1969, before being revived as a special theme week edition of the parent series in the mid-70's. You see, then, that MTV2's Hip Hop Squares, currently on hiatus, has a vast legacy to uphold.
Now, then, judge for yourself and see if Bert Parks would've made an adequate game show host..........
Parks would later dabble in acting, specifically if it had to do with beauty pageants, including a guest turn as a villain on The Bionic Woman in the mid-70's. No rating.
Instead, when the pilot was shot in 1965, entertainer Bert Parks, better known as the long time host of the Miss America pageant, was in the host's chair, and, as you'll see shortly, the contestant's seats were reversed from their traditional positions. I regret the fact that the video is not in the best of shape, but what can you do, effendi?
Anyway, this was one of those deals where they made a few tweaks to get the show on the air, and in this case, it worked for the best. Marshall presided over Squares for 16 seasons, and that includes the various night-time editions that aired on NBC & syndication, and the short-lived Storybook Squares, which was originally a mid-season replacement on NBC's Saturday morning block from January-August 1969, before being revived as a special theme week edition of the parent series in the mid-70's. You see, then, that MTV2's Hip Hop Squares, currently on hiatus, has a vast legacy to uphold.
Now, then, judge for yourself and see if Bert Parks would've made an adequate game show host..........
Parks would later dabble in acting, specifically if it had to do with beauty pageants, including a guest turn as a villain on The Bionic Woman in the mid-70's. No rating.
Classic TV: Wild Kingdom (1963)
Before NBC began airing a Sunday night newscast ahead of its primetime programming, the network filled that gap between local news and The Wonderful World of Disney with Wild Kingdom, sponsored by Mutual of Omaha, at the time one of the most recognized life insurance companies. However, like Hee Haw & The Lawrence Welk Show, Wild Kingdom was cancelled in 1971, only to continue on in syndication for another 17 seasons until the program finally ended in 1988.
Producer Don Meier and series host Marlin Perkins, director of the St. Louis Zoo, had previously worked together on the syndicated Zoo Parade, and Kingdom came about as a result of meetings that Perkins had with representatives from Mutual of Omaha. 14 years after the series ended, it was revived and aired on Animal Planet, though I am not certain if the revival has continued. Perkins was forced to retire due to health reasons after the 1984-5 season, and long time aide Jim Fowler took over as series host for the final three seasons of the original run.
SupremeTeam68 uploaded the open & close.
Wild Kingdom was one of the last shows to do a direct segue into commercials, with Perkins using analogies linking a mother lion protecting her cubs to Mutual of Omaha protecting their clients' life insurance interests. In today's glut of "reality" television shows, I'd imagine the revival is out of production because it was lost in the shuffle. I never saw the revival, so the rating is based on the original series, which was, in fact, appointment viewing at home back in the day.
Rating: A.
Producer Don Meier and series host Marlin Perkins, director of the St. Louis Zoo, had previously worked together on the syndicated Zoo Parade, and Kingdom came about as a result of meetings that Perkins had with representatives from Mutual of Omaha. 14 years after the series ended, it was revived and aired on Animal Planet, though I am not certain if the revival has continued. Perkins was forced to retire due to health reasons after the 1984-5 season, and long time aide Jim Fowler took over as series host for the final three seasons of the original run.
SupremeTeam68 uploaded the open & close.
Wild Kingdom was one of the last shows to do a direct segue into commercials, with Perkins using analogies linking a mother lion protecting her cubs to Mutual of Omaha protecting their clients' life insurance interests. In today's glut of "reality" television shows, I'd imagine the revival is out of production because it was lost in the shuffle. I never saw the revival, so the rating is based on the original series, which was, in fact, appointment viewing at home back in the day.
Rating: A.
Will the spoils of success spoil the Valleycats?
It's easy to say that the Tri-City Valleycats, 2 years removed from winning the New York-Penn League title, are the surprise team in the league this year. The 'Cats sit atop the Stedler Division with a 38-14 record after dispatching Staten Island on Friday night, but before the game, they lost three key players to promotion within the Astros organizational chain.
Outfielder Andrew Aplin, among the league leaders in batting and stolen bases, and relief pitcher Kenny Long have been sent to Lancaster in the California League, while Catcher-DH Jobie Morales was promoted to Lexington of the South Atlantic League. Aplin & Morales were two of seven Valleycats selected to play in the NYPL All Star Game, set for Tuesday night in Niles, Ohio. So far, the 'Cats have made do with the changes, as, according to an article in today's Troy Record, manager Stubby Clapp indicated that Emilio King, returning to Tri-City after a stint in Lexington, and infielder Neiko Johnson, in his second season in Troy, would platoon in center field to replace Aplin. Catcher Cristian Moronta was transferred from Lexington to Tri-City to replace Morales on the roster in an even swap of backstops.
Given that there's less than a month left in the regular season, it's a surprise the Astros hadn't promoted a lot of these players sooner, and it's very, very likely that Aplin, Morales, Long, and others will eventually surface in the bigs in due course. In the Valleycats' 11 seasons, 26 players have eventually made it to "The Show", though a good number of them ended up with other teams in doing so.
And no matter how deep into the postseason the 'Cats go, there's no guarantee that Clapp will return for a 3rd year in Troy. His predecessor, Jim Pankovits, left for a job in the Mariners organization after winning the NYPL title 2 years ago. Clapp is following the same pattern as Pankovits. The 'Cats struggled in Pankovits' 1st year, then won it all. Then again, the Valleycats' better years usually are in even-numbered years, with division titles in 2004, 2006, and 2010, the latter being the championship year. Under Clapp, the 'Cats battled to stay out of the cellar last year, but got off to a stronger start this year, and so far, haven't looked back. That's more than can be said for the parent Astros, of course, once a perennial contender, but now struggling to get over .500 while preparing to switch leagues in 2013, moving from the NL Central to the AL West and a greater in-state rivalry with the Texas Rangers.
While they haven't gone public with plans, I'd not be surprised to read or hear of playoff tickets going on sale in the next two weeks, barring a total collapse on the order of the Braves and Red Sox of last year. That's the last thing fans in the home district want to hear, but the reality is that if there are more promotions in the final month of the season, that and not diminished play in the field might be what spoils the 'Cats' chances of a 2nd title in 3 years. We'll just have to see, because that's why they play the games in the first place.
Outfielder Andrew Aplin, among the league leaders in batting and stolen bases, and relief pitcher Kenny Long have been sent to Lancaster in the California League, while Catcher-DH Jobie Morales was promoted to Lexington of the South Atlantic League. Aplin & Morales were two of seven Valleycats selected to play in the NYPL All Star Game, set for Tuesday night in Niles, Ohio. So far, the 'Cats have made do with the changes, as, according to an article in today's Troy Record, manager Stubby Clapp indicated that Emilio King, returning to Tri-City after a stint in Lexington, and infielder Neiko Johnson, in his second season in Troy, would platoon in center field to replace Aplin. Catcher Cristian Moronta was transferred from Lexington to Tri-City to replace Morales on the roster in an even swap of backstops.
Given that there's less than a month left in the regular season, it's a surprise the Astros hadn't promoted a lot of these players sooner, and it's very, very likely that Aplin, Morales, Long, and others will eventually surface in the bigs in due course. In the Valleycats' 11 seasons, 26 players have eventually made it to "The Show", though a good number of them ended up with other teams in doing so.
And no matter how deep into the postseason the 'Cats go, there's no guarantee that Clapp will return for a 3rd year in Troy. His predecessor, Jim Pankovits, left for a job in the Mariners organization after winning the NYPL title 2 years ago. Clapp is following the same pattern as Pankovits. The 'Cats struggled in Pankovits' 1st year, then won it all. Then again, the Valleycats' better years usually are in even-numbered years, with division titles in 2004, 2006, and 2010, the latter being the championship year. Under Clapp, the 'Cats battled to stay out of the cellar last year, but got off to a stronger start this year, and so far, haven't looked back. That's more than can be said for the parent Astros, of course, once a perennial contender, but now struggling to get over .500 while preparing to switch leagues in 2013, moving from the NL Central to the AL West and a greater in-state rivalry with the Texas Rangers.
While they haven't gone public with plans, I'd not be surprised to read or hear of playoff tickets going on sale in the next two weeks, barring a total collapse on the order of the Braves and Red Sox of last year. That's the last thing fans in the home district want to hear, but the reality is that if there are more promotions in the final month of the season, that and not diminished play in the field might be what spoils the 'Cats' chances of a 2nd title in 3 years. We'll just have to see, because that's why they play the games in the first place.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
What Might've Been: The Adventures of Superpup (1958)
Sometimes, the noblest of ideas end up failing due to poor execution, and the final product becomes so bad (How bad is it?), that no one wants to admit it ever existed.
Producer Whitney Ellsworth, who was also an editor at DC Comics, wanted to create a series similar to the successful Adventures of Superman, but with dogs, albeit people in dog suits. In 1958, Ellsworth produced a pilot for the Adventures of Superpup, using the dog-costumed actors and puppets. After you watch this sample, you might begin to wonder if Ellsworth should've considered animation..........!
Producer Whitney Ellsworth, who was also an editor at DC Comics, wanted to create a series similar to the successful Adventures of Superman, but with dogs, albeit people in dog suits. In 1958, Ellsworth produced a pilot for the Adventures of Superpup, using the dog-costumed actors and puppets. After you watch this sample, you might begin to wonder if Ellsworth should've considered animation..........!
Edit, 4/28/22: The video was deleted after Warner Bros. (now Warner Brothers Discovery) filed a copyright claim. In its place is the intro:
Three years later, Ellsworth tried again, this time with the original pilot for the Adventures of Superboy. That pilot didn't sell, either, but ultimately was released, as was Superpup, on video. I actually had the Superboy video at one time, and later traded it, but if I can find it on YouTube, it'll eventually turn up here. Superboy, of course, would finally become a series nearly 30 years after Ellsworth's version, and has recently been reviewed on my other blog, Saturday Morning Archives.
Rating: D-.
Three years later, Ellsworth tried again, this time with the original pilot for the Adventures of Superboy. That pilot didn't sell, either, but ultimately was released, as was Superpup, on video. I actually had the Superboy video at one time, and later traded it, but if I can find it on YouTube, it'll eventually turn up here. Superboy, of course, would finally become a series nearly 30 years after Ellsworth's version, and has recently been reviewed on my other blog, Saturday Morning Archives.
Rating: D-.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Videos of Summer: Tuff Enuff (1986)
The Fabulous Thunderbirds introduced themselves to the MTV generation with 1986's "Tuff Enuff". Flanked by a half dozen hotties dressed as construction workers, Kim Wilson and the band were in heavy rotation throughout the summer. Ya know, some guys do have all the luck.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)