The news came over the wires this morning that actor Tony Curtis had passed away at 85.
Curtis served in the Navy in World War II, then transitioned to Hollywood, where he earned an Oscar nomination for his role in "The Defiant Ones", and demonstrated his versatility by excelling in both dramatic & comic roles in films as diverse as "The Black Shield of Falworth", "Six Bridges to Cross", "Houdini", "The Boston Strangler", and, of course, "Some Like It Hot", in which he co-starred with Jack Lemmon & Marilyn Monroe.
Curtis also tried his hand in television, first with the 1971 British series, The Persuaders, with Roger Moore, and later in the short-lived NBC Mystery Movie entry, McCoy, and a brief stint acting opposite Robert Urich on Vega$. Ironically, Urich would co-star in a made-for-TV remake of "The Defiant Ones", playing Curtis' character.
Now, we'll see how long it takes before Turner Classic Movies or one of its competitors clears its schedule for a Curtis tribute marathon.
Rest in peace, Tony. You'll be missed.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
What's wrong with being a male cheerleader----in middle school?
Sports fans are accustomed to seeing co-ed cheerleading teams in college football, and my high school alma mater actually had 1 male cheerleader for at least 1 season in the 80's.
Tyler Wilson is just 11, in the 6th grade. He tried out for and made a youth cheerleading team in his hometown in Ohio last month, but presently has his arm in a sling thanks to a couple of bullies who taunted and teased him repeatedly. Based on the description Tyler gave of the incident, as shown earlier today on Good Morning America, it sounds like one of the punks employed a wrestling move known as the Electric Chair, slamming Tyler into the curb. Initially, Tyler had lied to his mom about the fight, but the truth eventually came out when they discovered his arm was broken. Kristy Wilson, Tyler's mom, pressed charges against the bullies, but the harassment hasn't stopped.
As Tyler explained to George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, he's gotten additional threats just because he turned in the bullies. Well, what else was this kid supposed to do? If you say nothing, then the punks win. By taking a pro-active stand, and affirming that he'll continue his cheerleading career despite this setback, Tyler is proving that there is a way to counter the hassles created by bullies, whose artificial sense of entitlement and empowerment has for once backfired. And who knows? Maybe we'll see Tyler on a college sideline someday.
Tyler Wilson is just 11, in the 6th grade. He tried out for and made a youth cheerleading team in his hometown in Ohio last month, but presently has his arm in a sling thanks to a couple of bullies who taunted and teased him repeatedly. Based on the description Tyler gave of the incident, as shown earlier today on Good Morning America, it sounds like one of the punks employed a wrestling move known as the Electric Chair, slamming Tyler into the curb. Initially, Tyler had lied to his mom about the fight, but the truth eventually came out when they discovered his arm was broken. Kristy Wilson, Tyler's mom, pressed charges against the bullies, but the harassment hasn't stopped.
As Tyler explained to George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, he's gotten additional threats just because he turned in the bullies. Well, what else was this kid supposed to do? If you say nothing, then the punks win. By taking a pro-active stand, and affirming that he'll continue his cheerleading career despite this setback, Tyler is proving that there is a way to counter the hassles created by bullies, whose artificial sense of entitlement and empowerment has for once backfired. And who knows? Maybe we'll see Tyler on a college sideline someday.
"Elvic" gets a new job
"Elvic", of course, is former Tri City Valleycats assistant GM Vic Christopher, who on Tuesday was hired by Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian as his new Economic Development Coordinator, just a week after Christopher was let go by the Valleycats after 7 seasons. The new job will have Christopher involved in efforts to bring businesses into the city, and improve Troy's overall profile. He has the energy and the charisma, and we wish him the best of luck.
Hmmm, y'think maybe he'll dust off that "Elvic" jumpsuit and guitar and appear at the Victorian Stroll in December?
Hmmm, y'think maybe he'll dust off that "Elvic" jumpsuit and guitar and appear at the Victorian Stroll in December?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
George Blanda (1927-2010)
He will be remembered as the oldest player to ever appear in an NFL game, a feat likely to be eclipsed by Brett Favre by the end of the decade (though that's another story), but the entire sports world was mourning on Monday afternoon with news of the passing of George Blanda at 83.
Blanda, who played for the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) and the Oakland Raiders for much of his stint in the AFL & NFL in the 60's & 70's, was both a star quarterback and placekicker, something else rarely seen in the pros these days. Blanda was one of the last of the straight-ahead kickers, as the position now is dominated by soccer-style players. He retired prior to the start of the 1976 season, a month short of his 49th birthday. We see baseball players continue in the major leagues deep into their 40's. Julio Franco, for example, retired just shy of his 50th birthday after finishing his career with Atlanta and the Mets. Indeed, unless the next generation of players includes a few with the versatility and toughness of Blanda, we won't see anyone with his talent again.
Rest in peace, George. You'll be missed.
Blanda, who played for the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) and the Oakland Raiders for much of his stint in the AFL & NFL in the 60's & 70's, was both a star quarterback and placekicker, something else rarely seen in the pros these days. Blanda was one of the last of the straight-ahead kickers, as the position now is dominated by soccer-style players. He retired prior to the start of the 1976 season, a month short of his 49th birthday. We see baseball players continue in the major leagues deep into their 40's. Julio Franco, for example, retired just shy of his 50th birthday after finishing his career with Atlanta and the Mets. Indeed, unless the next generation of players includes a few with the versatility and toughness of Blanda, we won't see anyone with his talent again.
Rest in peace, George. You'll be missed.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Eddie Fisher (1928-2010)
The news has just come over the wires of the passing of singer Eddie Fisher at the age of 82. Fisher scored a number of pop hits in the 50's, including "Any Time", "On the Street Where You Live", and "Oh My Papa", the latter of which we'll present here.
Fisher's also as well known for his marriages to actresses Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, & Connie Stevens. His youngest daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher, even had a brief career as a pop singer in the late 80's-early 90's, but to today's generation, Fisher is probably better known as the father of "Princess Leia" (actress-author Carrie Fisher, "Star Wars").
Rest in peace, Eddie. You'll be missed.
Fisher's also as well known for his marriages to actresses Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, & Connie Stevens. His youngest daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher, even had a brief career as a pop singer in the late 80's-early 90's, but to today's generation, Fisher is probably better known as the father of "Princess Leia" (actress-author Carrie Fisher, "Star Wars").
Rest in peace, Eddie. You'll be missed.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
On the Air: Zevo-3 (2010)
While it doesn't officially debut on Nicktoons until October 11, the controversial new cartoon, Zevo-3, is being previewed on Time Warner's Kids on Demand channel. Just choose "Nicktoons Action", then find Zevo-3, and you're all set. The episode, "Beneath the City", the 5th episode of the series, is being previewed. Of course, The Zevo3 uploaded it to YouTube:
While I'd have preferred they'd started at the beginning, I've seen enough to tell me, quite honestly, that this show can survive on its own merits, and, as the folks at Skechers had claimed, there are no in-show plugs for their products. Regrettably, Kids on Demand is the only way Time Warner subscribers in most areas can view the show, as Nicktoons is not yet available on most Time Warner Cable systems (depends on where you live).
Rating: B.
While I'd have preferred they'd started at the beginning, I've seen enough to tell me, quite honestly, that this show can survive on its own merits, and, as the folks at Skechers had claimed, there are no in-show plugs for their products. Regrettably, Kids on Demand is the only way Time Warner subscribers in most areas can view the show, as Nicktoons is not yet available on most Time Warner Cable systems (depends on where you live).
Rating: B.
"American Idol" is on its stretch run
American Idol's ratings tumbled this past season, and critics decried the competition as the weakest in years. Not only did the series lose another of its original judges in Simon Cowell, but the two they hired the last two years, songwriter Kara DioGuardi and actress-comic-talk show hostess Ellen DeGeneres, followed Cowell out the door. I wrote about the latter a while back, when it was more rumor than fact, and was widely reported more as the latter. Since then, the rumors have been clarified as facts, and on Tuesday, it was made official that the judges' panel is back to a trio for 2011.
As had also been reported elsewhere, Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler and actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, who has previously served as a guest mentor on Idol, will join Randy Jackson on the panel next season. Tyler's hire appeared to have created a rift between the singer and bandmate Joe Perry, based on comments attributed to the latter over the summer. As for J-Lo, her presence all but ensures that husband Marc Anthony may be brought on as a mentor down the road. I believe they're still in the midst of the audition phase for the 2011 season, which begins in January.
But, as the Bard, William Shakespeare, wrote several centuries past, all good things must come to an end, and the coming season is a pivotal one for Idol. Can it regain the viewers it lost? Will the new judges be able to forge their own Idol identities, instead of trying to replace Cowell and Paula Abdul (who left after the 2009 season)? It will make for good television, to be sure, so stay tuned.
As had also been reported elsewhere, Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler and actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, who has previously served as a guest mentor on Idol, will join Randy Jackson on the panel next season. Tyler's hire appeared to have created a rift between the singer and bandmate Joe Perry, based on comments attributed to the latter over the summer. As for J-Lo, her presence all but ensures that husband Marc Anthony may be brought on as a mentor down the road. I believe they're still in the midst of the audition phase for the 2011 season, which begins in January.
But, as the Bard, William Shakespeare, wrote several centuries past, all good things must come to an end, and the coming season is a pivotal one for Idol. Can it regain the viewers it lost? Will the new judges be able to forge their own Idol identities, instead of trying to replace Cowell and Paula Abdul (who left after the 2009 season)? It will make for good television, to be sure, so stay tuned.
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