The Norwegian band A-Ha is still best remembered for their surreal half-animated video for "Take On Me", but in 1987, in support of their follow-up release, "Scoundrel Days", the band used a different concept for their first single, "Cry Wolf". You'll see what I mean as you watch the video.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Retro makes some more changes----including saying goodbye to Albany
First off, a tip of the cap to blog brother Sam Wilson for the heads-up on this item.
This week, Retro has made some changes with their programming schedule, not much that you'd really notice. For example, their contracts for Daniel Boone, The Rifleman & Peter Gunn have expired, so those shows are off the schedule. Until Monday, all were airing on both Retro & Me-TV, and now will air only on the latter. They're finally getting around to adding the Beverly Hillbillies, which I addressed a few months back. The series will air on weekends as part of a double-play block lineup that also includes Hopalong Cassidy, which also airs weeknights at 6 (ET), replacing Daniel Boone, and Cisco Kid.
Among the other treats is The Colgate Comedy Hour, earmarked to air on Saturdays at 7 (ET), and The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, which has moved in to replace Rifleman weekday mornings and also airs on the weekends. The Nelsons were last seen in my district on the Variety Channel, before the Fox affiliate here swapped that network out for first Untamed Sports, and, presently, TheCoolTV.
Sadly, the ABC affiliate here is bidding adieu to Retro after the programming ends in the wee hours of July 1, and Retro will be replaced the Live Well network, which, according to Sam, is heavy on infomercials. Shoot, infomercials to me are only good if they're shilling music collections from Time-Life. Otherwise, bleah.
Coupled with Hopalong Cassidy in the 6 pm hour weeknights is a rural comedy that predated the Hillbillies by 4 years. The Real McCoys, a brainchild of writer Irving Pincus, debuted on ABC in 1957, and lasted for five seasons there before moving to CBS for a last hurrah in 1962. Walter Brennan & Richard Crenna starred. Here's the open......
I remember seeing reruns of Real McCoys in syndication back in the 70's, and while Irving Pincus laid the foundation, Paul Henning may have improved on the concept just enough, with his vision making the Beverly Hillbillies far more successful, lasting twice as long. I wonder if there weren't any claims of creative piracy in those days, though........
My take on Retro leaving my district is this. They lost viewers to Me-TV pretty steady over the year and change since Me-TV entered the market, and couldn't justify the expense it was costing the affiliate. I wonder if that's happened in other parts of the country.......
This week, Retro has made some changes with their programming schedule, not much that you'd really notice. For example, their contracts for Daniel Boone, The Rifleman & Peter Gunn have expired, so those shows are off the schedule. Until Monday, all were airing on both Retro & Me-TV, and now will air only on the latter. They're finally getting around to adding the Beverly Hillbillies, which I addressed a few months back. The series will air on weekends as part of a double-play block lineup that also includes Hopalong Cassidy, which also airs weeknights at 6 (ET), replacing Daniel Boone, and Cisco Kid.
Among the other treats is The Colgate Comedy Hour, earmarked to air on Saturdays at 7 (ET), and The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, which has moved in to replace Rifleman weekday mornings and also airs on the weekends. The Nelsons were last seen in my district on the Variety Channel, before the Fox affiliate here swapped that network out for first Untamed Sports, and, presently, TheCoolTV.
Sadly, the ABC affiliate here is bidding adieu to Retro after the programming ends in the wee hours of July 1, and Retro will be replaced the Live Well network, which, according to Sam, is heavy on infomercials. Shoot, infomercials to me are only good if they're shilling music collections from Time-Life. Otherwise, bleah.
Coupled with Hopalong Cassidy in the 6 pm hour weeknights is a rural comedy that predated the Hillbillies by 4 years. The Real McCoys, a brainchild of writer Irving Pincus, debuted on ABC in 1957, and lasted for five seasons there before moving to CBS for a last hurrah in 1962. Walter Brennan & Richard Crenna starred. Here's the open......
I remember seeing reruns of Real McCoys in syndication back in the 70's, and while Irving Pincus laid the foundation, Paul Henning may have improved on the concept just enough, with his vision making the Beverly Hillbillies far more successful, lasting twice as long. I wonder if there weren't any claims of creative piracy in those days, though........
My take on Retro leaving my district is this. They lost viewers to Me-TV pretty steady over the year and change since Me-TV entered the market, and couldn't justify the expense it was costing the affiliate. I wonder if that's happened in other parts of the country.......
Don Grady (1944-2012)
He was a Mouseketeer before he became one of My Three Sons, for which most fans still remember him. Today, Hollywood is mourning the passing of actor-musician Don Grady after a lengthy bout with cancer, less than three weeks after his 68th birthday.
Grady, born Don Agrati, made his debut on the original Mickey Mouse Club, and was later cast in one of the sequels to its popular Spin & Marty series. Grady and co-star Tim Considine would later be reunited on My Three Sons, with Considine leaving after 4 seasons. Grady stayed with the show until 1971, when his character, Robbie Douglas, was written out.
In later years, Grady turned his attention to music, and even had formed a band while on Sons. In addition to recording, Grady composed music for movies and television, most notably including Phil Donahue's seminal talk show.
Here, Don goes solo in appearing on American Bandstand in 1964.
Rest in peace, Don.
Grady, born Don Agrati, made his debut on the original Mickey Mouse Club, and was later cast in one of the sequels to its popular Spin & Marty series. Grady and co-star Tim Considine would later be reunited on My Three Sons, with Considine leaving after 4 seasons. Grady stayed with the show until 1971, when his character, Robbie Douglas, was written out.
In later years, Grady turned his attention to music, and even had formed a band while on Sons. In addition to recording, Grady composed music for movies and television, most notably including Phil Donahue's seminal talk show.
Here, Don goes solo in appearing on American Bandstand in 1964.
Rest in peace, Don.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Another first for RPI
It's funny how things work out.
On Tuesday morning, Mark Singelais, writing in the Albany Times-Union, was all but campaigning for former RPI & NHL star Adam Oates to earn induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Oates, who played for Detroit and St. Louis among his 7 NHL stops after being an intregal part of RPI's 1985 NCAA championship team, ended up doubly blessed later in the day. Not only is he going into the Hall, along with Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure, & Mats Sundin, but he was named head coach of the Washington Capitals after spending the last two seasons as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils.
What makes this even more significant is that Oates is the first ex-RPI player to be inducted into the Hall. There weren't too many players on that 1985 team who went into the NHL to start with, as so few players from RPI and/or local rival Union have ever been drafted. Thus, Singelais had the honor to follow up his Tuesday column with a write-up in today's paper documenting Oates' good fortune. Oh, by the way, Oates, according to Singelais' piece today, is the 2nd ex-Engineer to be a NHL head coach. The other is Kevin Constantine, who has coached at San Jose and Pittsburgh. A rare breed, and a rare treat, indeed.
One wonders now what becomes of another RPI alum who became a superstar in the NHL. Will Joey Juneau, who played virtually his entire career in Washington, follow Oates into the Hall down the road? We will have to wait and see.
On Tuesday morning, Mark Singelais, writing in the Albany Times-Union, was all but campaigning for former RPI & NHL star Adam Oates to earn induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Oates, who played for Detroit and St. Louis among his 7 NHL stops after being an intregal part of RPI's 1985 NCAA championship team, ended up doubly blessed later in the day. Not only is he going into the Hall, along with Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure, & Mats Sundin, but he was named head coach of the Washington Capitals after spending the last two seasons as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils.
What makes this even more significant is that Oates is the first ex-RPI player to be inducted into the Hall. There weren't too many players on that 1985 team who went into the NHL to start with, as so few players from RPI and/or local rival Union have ever been drafted. Thus, Singelais had the honor to follow up his Tuesday column with a write-up in today's paper documenting Oates' good fortune. Oh, by the way, Oates, according to Singelais' piece today, is the 2nd ex-Engineer to be a NHL head coach. The other is Kevin Constantine, who has coached at San Jose and Pittsburgh. A rare breed, and a rare treat, indeed.
One wonders now what becomes of another RPI alum who became a superstar in the NHL. Will Joey Juneau, who played virtually his entire career in Washington, follow Oates into the Hall down the road? We will have to wait and see.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Nora Ephron (1941-2012)
Acclaimed author, filmmaker, and three-time Oscar nominee Nora Ephron passed away earlier tonight at the age of 71.
Ms. Ephron is best known for having written the screenplays for films such as "When Harry Met Sally", which starred Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan, and two more films which Ryan starred in, both with Tom Hanks--"Sleepless in Seattle" & "You've Got Mail". She also wrote the novel, "Heartburn", which later became a feature film that starred Jack Nicholson & Meryl Streep. Don't be too shocked if any or all of these films suddenly begin airing on cable in the coming days.
Rest in peace, Nora.
Ms. Ephron is best known for having written the screenplays for films such as "When Harry Met Sally", which starred Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan, and two more films which Ryan starred in, both with Tom Hanks--"Sleepless in Seattle" & "You've Got Mail". She also wrote the novel, "Heartburn", which later became a feature film that starred Jack Nicholson & Meryl Streep. Don't be too shocked if any or all of these films suddenly begin airing on cable in the coming days.
Rest in peace, Nora.
Weasel of the Week: Elizabeth Lloyd
At the ballpark, they always tell us to watch out for flying bats and foul balls. Then again, no one ever thinks that someone will one day file a lawsuit.
In 2010, during a game at Manchester Little League in New Jersey, Matthew Migliaccio was warming up a relief pitcher when an errant throw got past the fence and struck Elizabeth Lloyd in the face while she was sitting at a picnic table, minding her own business. Today, Mrs. Lloyd has earned a pair of weasel ears for daring to file a lawsuit against Migliaccio, now 13. According to the Prep Rally blog on Yahoo!, Mrs. Lloyd and her lawyers claim the errant toss was intentional, allegedly causing "severe, painful, and permanent injuries", and filed the misguided throw under "assault & battery".
Mrs. Lloyd isn't alone. Her husband has filed suit as well, claiming "lost services, society, & consortium of his wife", according to Prep Rally, and the Lloyds also claim that Migliaccio was involved in "inappropriate" activity.
SAY WHAT?
Was Mrs. Lloyd paying any attention to the game in the first place? We cannot say for sure. What is certain is that the Lloyds and their ambulance chasers are unfairly targeting Migliaccio for a simple case of human error. Anthony Pagano, who is representing the Migliaccio family, told the Associated Press that the Lloyds' suit is "disgusting" and "horrible", and he's right. I don't know who it was that gave the Lloyds the idea of suing the Migliaccios, but don't expect to see these two square off on Family Feud any time soon. The People's Court or Judge Judy would happily settle this case, and teach the Lloyds and their money-grubbing attorneys a thing or three. The Lloyds want $150,000, plus an unspecified additional sum for "pain & suffering". What Elizabeth Lloyd gets for now is a set of weasel ears for picking on a child for making a simple mistake. We don't even know if Migliaccio even apologized for what happened that day. If he did, it fell on deaf ears. Then again, Elizabeth Lloyd may already be blind to reality.
In 2010, during a game at Manchester Little League in New Jersey, Matthew Migliaccio was warming up a relief pitcher when an errant throw got past the fence and struck Elizabeth Lloyd in the face while she was sitting at a picnic table, minding her own business. Today, Mrs. Lloyd has earned a pair of weasel ears for daring to file a lawsuit against Migliaccio, now 13. According to the Prep Rally blog on Yahoo!, Mrs. Lloyd and her lawyers claim the errant toss was intentional, allegedly causing "severe, painful, and permanent injuries", and filed the misguided throw under "assault & battery".
Mrs. Lloyd isn't alone. Her husband has filed suit as well, claiming "lost services, society, & consortium of his wife", according to Prep Rally, and the Lloyds also claim that Migliaccio was involved in "inappropriate" activity.
SAY WHAT?
Was Mrs. Lloyd paying any attention to the game in the first place? We cannot say for sure. What is certain is that the Lloyds and their ambulance chasers are unfairly targeting Migliaccio for a simple case of human error. Anthony Pagano, who is representing the Migliaccio family, told the Associated Press that the Lloyds' suit is "disgusting" and "horrible", and he's right. I don't know who it was that gave the Lloyds the idea of suing the Migliaccios, but don't expect to see these two square off on Family Feud any time soon. The People's Court or Judge Judy would happily settle this case, and teach the Lloyds and their money-grubbing attorneys a thing or three. The Lloyds want $150,000, plus an unspecified additional sum for "pain & suffering". What Elizabeth Lloyd gets for now is a set of weasel ears for picking on a child for making a simple mistake. We don't even know if Migliaccio even apologized for what happened that day. If he did, it fell on deaf ears. Then again, Elizabeth Lloyd may already be blind to reality.
DC makes some more changes
DC's second round of cuts was announced recently. I didn't even get around to referencing the 1st wave of cuts that took effect last month, but let's address what the fall season brings, shall we?
Incoming:
Sword of Sorcery: Originally an anthology series when DC initially published the book in the early 70's, it's being revived now as an outlet to revive 80's heroine Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld. Speaking of the 80's, writer Christy Marx is better known for her television work in the 80's & 90's, including Jem and some of the Transformers cartoons.
The Talon: Spinning out of the "Night of the Owls" event in the Batman line. I guess writer Scott Snyder hit a chord with the fanboys who are still into dark & gritty characters with a weird edge to them.
Team 7: Originally published at Image in the 90's, this is another series from Jim Lee's now defunct Wildstorm studio and being knitted into the fabric of the DC Universe.
Phantom Stranger: On the one hand, he's a legacy character whose history dates all the way back to a short-lived series in the 50's, but the Stranger didn't really become an icon until the 60's, when he was reintroduced in Showcase, DC's premier anthology mag, then given his own book. However, in 2012, the Stranger is being rebooted and linked to 2013's premier event, "The Trinity War". Dan DiDio, whose first attempt at writing a regular series bombed out when OMAC was cancelled 2 months ago, now tries to reinvent another classic character with no regard to the character's storied past. He just doesn't get it.
Outgoing:
Resurrection Man (2nd series): Writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning introduced the seemingly immortal Mitch Shelley some 15-odd years ago, and thought they could find the audience that carried the book's 1st run. It didn't happen.
Voodoo:: Like Team 7, Voodoo, formerly with the WildC.A.T.S., came from Image. They thought she could carry her own book, but today's readers, unfamiliar with her past, thought, "Who is she?", and passed.
Justice League International: (2nd series): Since the Justice League line of books are not linked together in terms of continuity, editorial decided one of the secondary books was deemed expendable.
Captain Atom (2nd DC series, 3rd series overall): Originally published by Charlton back in the 60's, acquired by DC in the 80's. DC tried to recapture the success of the late 80's series, but it didn't click with readers this time.
The four new books begin with issue 0, in September as part of a "Zero Month" promotion for the "New 52" as it marks its first anniversary. There are, I believe, some skeptics thinking that "Trinity War" may be the beginning of the end, and things will ultimately revert to what they were.
As long as DC and corporate parent Time Warner put profit margins before comics history, it's going to be a mess that can never be cleaned up without someone else coming along and rewriting history yet again. The vicious circle will never be broken. Today's readers don't understand the legacy and history behind some of their favorite characters, and long-time fans, such as myself, find a greater disconnect, and there is no middle ground to be had. Yet.
Incoming:
Sword of Sorcery: Originally an anthology series when DC initially published the book in the early 70's, it's being revived now as an outlet to revive 80's heroine Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld. Speaking of the 80's, writer Christy Marx is better known for her television work in the 80's & 90's, including Jem and some of the Transformers cartoons.
The Talon: Spinning out of the "Night of the Owls" event in the Batman line. I guess writer Scott Snyder hit a chord with the fanboys who are still into dark & gritty characters with a weird edge to them.
Team 7: Originally published at Image in the 90's, this is another series from Jim Lee's now defunct Wildstorm studio and being knitted into the fabric of the DC Universe.
Phantom Stranger: On the one hand, he's a legacy character whose history dates all the way back to a short-lived series in the 50's, but the Stranger didn't really become an icon until the 60's, when he was reintroduced in Showcase, DC's premier anthology mag, then given his own book. However, in 2012, the Stranger is being rebooted and linked to 2013's premier event, "The Trinity War". Dan DiDio, whose first attempt at writing a regular series bombed out when OMAC was cancelled 2 months ago, now tries to reinvent another classic character with no regard to the character's storied past. He just doesn't get it.
Outgoing:
Resurrection Man (2nd series): Writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning introduced the seemingly immortal Mitch Shelley some 15-odd years ago, and thought they could find the audience that carried the book's 1st run. It didn't happen.
Voodoo:: Like Team 7, Voodoo, formerly with the WildC.A.T.S., came from Image. They thought she could carry her own book, but today's readers, unfamiliar with her past, thought, "Who is she?", and passed.
Justice League International: (2nd series): Since the Justice League line of books are not linked together in terms of continuity, editorial decided one of the secondary books was deemed expendable.
Captain Atom (2nd DC series, 3rd series overall): Originally published by Charlton back in the 60's, acquired by DC in the 80's. DC tried to recapture the success of the late 80's series, but it didn't click with readers this time.
The four new books begin with issue 0, in September as part of a "Zero Month" promotion for the "New 52" as it marks its first anniversary. There are, I believe, some skeptics thinking that "Trinity War" may be the beginning of the end, and things will ultimately revert to what they were.
As long as DC and corporate parent Time Warner put profit margins before comics history, it's going to be a mess that can never be cleaned up without someone else coming along and rewriting history yet again. The vicious circle will never be broken. Today's readers don't understand the legacy and history behind some of their favorite characters, and long-time fans, such as myself, find a greater disconnect, and there is no middle ground to be had. Yet.
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