Forgotten TV: Make Your Own Kind of Music (1971)

It was commonplace back in the day for networks to have summer series in place to keep the schedules fresh. Back in those days, variety shows were more common.

One such example was Make Your Own Kind of Music, which gets its name from a song that had been recorded by artists such as Mama Cass Elliott. The Carpenters were the series hosts for this 7 week NBC entry, which might've been a vacation replacement for Dean Martin, though I can't be sure.

There are no complete episodes online. Richard Carpenter holds the rights to the series, and, likely due to sentimental value after Karen's passing nearly 40 years ago, has not seen fit to release the show on DVD. This compilation features the siblings' mentor and boss at A & M Records, Herb Alpert, performing his solo hit, "This Guy's in Love With You", plus the Carpenters perform "We've Only Just Begun". The show also includes comedy writers Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses, the Doodletown Pipers, Al Hirt, and cameos in this clip from Don Knotts and Ed McMahon.



No rating.

Sports this 'n' that

If/when the National Football League begins its season, set for September 10, the traditional "Star Spangled Banner" will be prefaced by "Lift Every Voice & Sing", more commonly known as the "Black National Anthem". This gesture is a means by the league to show its support of African-American players fighting racial inequality & injustice.

The late Aretha Franklin sang this at a live event some years back.



We'll see if the league's media partners (NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN) will air the playing of "Voice" during telecasts.
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In discussing the National League East yesterday, we noted that the defending champion Washington Nationals will be without infielder Ryan Zimmerman, the last original National, and pitcher Joe Ross. Catcher Wellington Castillo, a free agent signee in the offseason, has added his name to the list of players sitting out the truncated 60 game season, which will start July 23-26.
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Meanwhile, elsewhere in the nation's capital, the owner of the NFL's Washington franchise is actually starting to buckle under public and political pressure to change the team's name. Daniel "Napoleon" Snyder has said that he will review calls to change the team's nickname. We ditched it a while ago, and have referred to them as the Trumpets the last three seasons, and before that, the Congressionals and the Hekawis, the latter a riff on the fictional Native American tribe from F-Troop back in the mid-60's. Apparently, Snyder has to change the nickname in order to build a new stadium on the site of the former RFK Stadium in Washington, as he's planning on vacating Fed-Ex Field in Landover, Maryland after the current lease runs out in a few years.

Baseball's Cleveland Indians, meanwhile, are also looking at a possible name change, this after retiring their mascot, the stereotyped Chief Wahoo, a couple of years ago. The Atlanta Braves might be next, even after they were the first to retire their Native American mascot, Chief Nocahoma, some years back.

I don't see too many high school teams that still use the nickname feeling similar pressure, do you?
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As if NASCAR needed more problems, multi-time champion Jimmie Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19, and will be sidelined for at least two weeks.
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The WWE is taking some heat for its handling of COVID-19 as it relates to its personnel, such that the company is now mandating that personnel not appearing on camera will wear masks, although some NXT trainees have been seen masked on television in recent days. Seems CEO/Chairman Vince McMahon got some bad advice from his friend, President Donald Trump. Backstage reporter Renee Young was back on Smackdown Friday night after testing positive, while husband Jon Moxley, the AEW champion, has had his title defense vs. Brian Cage pushed back an extra week to July 15. Taz (Peter Senercia), Cage's manager and a color analyst for AEW, referred to WWE's then-testing policy as "sloppy" on Wednesday, throwing shade on his & Moxley's former employers, which forced WWE to change their policy, although reportedly, they're not happy with Taz calling them out. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't screw up in the first place, and sources are pinning the blame on WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn, who, as the cliche goes, wouldn't know a wristlock from a wristwatch.

In addition, one of AEW's top heels, Maxwell J. Friedman, made it clear in a promo before a match Wednesday that the two promotions are in fact in a ratings war. Friedman, who made his television debut at age 7 on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, ended up on the losing end of a tag team match vs. members of the Jurassic Express, which includes Jungle Boy (Jack Perry), the son of the late actor Luke Perry. When the night was over, NXT outpointed AEW Dynamite in overall ratings. Both promotions, however, are stuck in Florida due to coronavirus restrictions, and can't do much traveling.

National League East Preview 2020

Baseball is back, they're saying. For how long, we don't know. The regular season begins in three short weeks. 60 games. No All-Star Game or Home Run Derby, so Pete Alonso won't defend his title 'til next year. Some traditional rivalries within leagues are on hold (i.e. Cubs-Mets) because each team with play 40 games within their own division, and 20 against the opposite division.

Thank you, COVID-19.

We'll restart with the NL East, since we took a look at the AL East back in March, and will revisit it later.

The World Series champion Washington Nationals were the latest team to exorcise ghosts of the past, dating back to the Senators and the Nats' former iteration as the Montreal Expos. Apparently, all it took was a late season comeback and surge to get to the top after everyone seemed to give up on them. Shoot, they're more popular than President Donald Trump, who was booed out of Nationals Park in October.

Ah, but as it is inevitable in this business, there is change. Anthony Rendon is gone (Angels), opening 3rd base for Carter Kieboom. The last original Nat, Ryan Zimmerman, and reliever Joe Ross will sit out the season for health reasons (COVID-19), so the champs have to fill the void at 1st base, as Zimmerman's backup last year, Matt Adams, is gone (Mets), leaving Kieboom to do some really heavy lifting on the offensive side to complement emerging star Juan Soto. The starting rotation (Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, et al) remains intact, but the real pitching question is if Sean Doolittle can reclaim his closer's job.

The Atlanta Braves had the NL's best record, then got Buschwhacked by St. Louis. Josh Donaldson turned out to be a one year rental (Minnesota), meaning Johan Camargo & Austin (Bus) Riley will platoon at 3rd. Marcell Ozuna was a 1 year rental in St. Louis, and returns to the NL East, having left Miami only because the people who help Derek Jeter run the Marlins are cheaper than a hedge fund. What may turn the tide for the Braves is the addition of the King, Felix Hernandez (Seattle), whose first big league home run was against the Mets' Johan Santana, and it was, fittingly, a grand slam. But, with a DH this season, Hernandez will have to wait to repeat at the plate, and, of course, Santana's long gone to retirement.

Speaking of the Mets, new manager Luis Rojas will be under constant scrutiny from tabloid media, in print and on radio, in New York because, well, New York. Noah Syndergaard is out 'til next year due to Tommy John surgery, leaving defending Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom fronting a rotation that also has lost Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia), but has Steven Matz and Marcus Stroman. Rojas has to hope that 2019 was an aberration for Edwin Diaz, and not a sign of being another Ed Whitson, who famously flamed out with the Yankees back in the 80's. There's a chance Yoenis Cespedes will return, shoring up an outfield that lost super sub Juan Lagares (San Diego) in the offseason. It was reported earlier this week that the Mets picked up Jared Hughes (Philadelphia) and Melky Cabrera, the former Yankee-turned-journeyman who was busted for PED's a few years back, but keeps finding work because he's a left handed bat off the bench. It's like left-handed relievers. There's enough to go around.

Joe Girardi returns to the NL East as well, this time as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, who, arguably, choked away any chance at the postseason last year. Well, they have Bryce Harper. What did you expect? Girardi reunites with shortstop Didi Gregorius (Yankees), and either Gregorius or Jean Segura will find a new position with Cesar Hernandez gone. Not only that, but 3rd baseman Mikael Franco (Kansas City) is gone, too. Harper can't do the heavy lifting by himself, and his juvenile attitude on strikeouts is the stuff of YouTube videos. Zack Wheeler is not the answer to the rotation's problems, and there was a reason he was a #4 or #5 starter with the talent-heavy Mets.

The only solution Miami will have on Opening Day at home is getting "Aquaman" star and Rocket Mortgage pitchman Jason Momoa to throw out the first ball, since apparently that didn't happen last year. Either that, or Jeter will have to come out of retirement. Joking aside, the Little Brothers of South Florida are doomed.

Projected order of finish:

1. Atlanta.
2. Mets.
3. Washington.
4. Philadelphia.
5. Miami.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Classic TV: Over Easy (1977)

PBS began branching out its programming during the 70's. Daytime was reserved mostly for the kiddo's with Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and the original Electric Company leading the pack. At night was more diverse programming for adults and/or families, such as Masterpiece Theatre (now known simply as Masterpiece), Nova, Austin City Limits, and Mystery!. The only demographic seemly unserved happened to be seniors. PBS, in 1977, decided to do something about it.

Over Easy was a talk/magazine show for seniors that could be slotted either in afternoons before the kiddo's came home, or in early evening, where the family could watch the show together. Hugh Downs (20/20, ex-Concentration, Today, The Tonight Show) served as host. The series lasted six years (1977-83), airing locally in the afternoon, as memory serves, ahead of the aforementioned Sesame Street (which aired twice daily back then).

We've previously shown an musical excerpt with actor-singer Ed Ames (ex-Daniel Boone). Here is a 1981 episode with guest Maureen O'Sullivan.



Posted in memory of Downs, 99, who passed away on Wednesday. No rating out of respect.

College students are throwing parties with coronavirus patients. It's worse than you think.......

"You can't fix stupid."---Ron White.

"Dare to be Stupid!"--"Weird" Al Yankovic, 1985.

"Stupid is as stupid does."--Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), 1994.

I know there are a lot of people who are suffering from coronavirus-induced cabin fever as we're early into the summer season. However, college students in Alabama and in Rockland County, NY, threw their brains in the garbage for a stunt that can only be described as a suicide mission of the worst order, as far as this desk is concerned.

The following video comes from Good Morning America:



Inviting infected patients just so these kids can get sick? Like, seriously?

                                           

                                          "Uh, they're getting the caps, aren't they?"

Yes, they are, Dimwit. These college clowns are this week's Dunce Cap "winners". They may think it's a joke now, but just wait until they actually feel the consequences.

Weasels of The Week: Mark & Patricia McCloskey

A group of 500 protesters marched peacefully through a gated community in St. Louis on Sunday, their destination being the mayor's residence to ask for her resignation.

En route, they encountered a husband & wife team of personal injury lawyers, wielding guns....



Mark & Patricia McCloskey are now claiming, as Mark whined to CNN's Chris Cuomo, that they're the victims here.

No, you're not. The two 60-somethings are trying to play the victim card, and, at the same time, paint themselves as supporters of Black Lives Matter. But, trying to justify the use of weapons ends up being futile. No one is buying the McCloskeys' story, except maybe President Trump, who retweeted an account of the incident on his account, only to later remove same. The McCloskeys' own lawyer only exacerbated the situation by claiming his clients were "melanin defiicent". Oh, please, stop the pain!

Enjoy the Weasel ears, Mr. & Mrs. McCloskey. As a parting gift from CNN, I'm pretty sure Cuomo can contact his brother about hooking you up with some real personal injury attorneys. Not.

Musical Interlude: A Little Bit More (1976)

"A Little Bit More" was originally written & recorded by a relatively obscure country singer, Bobby Gosh, in 1973.

Three years later, Dr. Hook just missed the top ten on the Hot 100 with their version.



This doesn't get the same kind of airplay on oldies channels as Dr. Hook's other hits, such as "On The Cover of The Rolling Stone", which lent itself to a country cover by Buck Owens (as "On The Cover of The Music City News"), "Sexy Eyes", and "Sharing The Night Together". It's a shame.