Sunday, November 30, 2008
WKRP In Cincinnati for Real
Image from source, FOX "News"
WKRP in Cincinnati was one of the best sitcoms of the 70s and 80s, possibly of all time. The characters created there will live on as classics forever in my mind. Not even the badly done New WKRP series could tarnish them.
Loni Anderson as curvaceous but smart receptionist Jennifer Marlowe. Howard Hessman as stoner DJ Dr. Johnny Fever (Caravella). Frank Bonner as smarmy sales guy Herb Tarlek. Richard Sanders as neurotic newsman Les Nessman. Tim Reid as groovy DJ Venus Flytrap (Gordon Simms). Gary Sandy as program director Andy Travis (with the clothes as tight, and hair as perfect as Jennifer). Jan Smithers as mousy but sexy Bailey Quarters. Gordon Jump as the clueless station manager, Big Guy Arthur Carlson. Every one unique. Even secondary characters like Carol Bruce as evil Mama Carlson, Ian Wolfe as her sarcastic butler Hirsh, and Edie McClurg as daffy Lucille Tarlek were stellar.
Now, a TV station in Cincinnati is attempting to cash in on the memories. That's OK though, since it's hard to believe somebody hadn't already done that by now. Still, shouldn't it be a radio station?
[Excerpt]
WKRP in Cincinnati ... For Real This Time
A low-power TV station has changed its call letters to WKRP, the same as the fictional radio station in the 1970s hit series "WKRP in Cincinnati. . ."
Read more at: FOX "News"
Here is one of the better episodes: Tornado
Still Going. . .Energizer Bunny Turning 20
It was all very clever in the beginning, though I'm not sure they have been for oh. . .18 years or so. Still, he keeps going, and going. . .
[Excerpt]
Still going ... Energizer Bunny to turn 20
Turns out he really does just keep going and going.
The Energizer Bunny, the symbol of battery maker Energizer Holdings Inc., debuted in commercials in 1989 and has, well, kept going ever since. . .
Read more at: MSNBC
The Onion: Gag Christmas Gift Boxes
Frivolity Break: Cowboys Herding Cats
So how difficult would it really be to herd cats? This YouTube clip gave me a chuckle (and a literal LOL), trying to show just that. Sure, it's a commercial for some data company (EDS), but it is a very good (and funny) one. And yes, I'm aware it is a couple of weeks old, but I spend a lot of time online, and I've never seen it.
Obama and the Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories
Mike Huckabee Interviews Bill Maher
Huckabee is an advocate of infusing politics with religion. That's not so unusual, but Huckabee is also extremely affable, has a sense of humor and humility, and has a scary way of making the unreasonable sound reasonable. Even his show on uber-conservative FOX "News" manages to be rather light and friendly, even when he has liberal guests on.
Here, he interviews Bill Maher, the famously irreligious host of HBO's Real Time. Maher's recent movie, Religulous is at issue here, and it's a pretty good interview. I don't think it's a mystery which person I agree with, but Huckabee manages to come off OK, despite Maher's drilling.
New Orders by Bush May Violate His Own Rules
Public health officials worry the decreased protections will result in additional, unnecessary deaths. . .
Media Punk'd: Martin Eisenstadt, Fake McCain Advisor
It was a vindication for people who'd been saying that she was basically "Miss Teen South Carolina" in hockey-mom clothes. Anyway, there were denials, and non-denials about the story. Palin herself gave a (what else?) rambling non-answer excuse that didn't convince me.
Then, a twist. MSNBC's David Shuster reported that they'd uncovered the source of the unnamed advisor, somebody named Martin Eisenstadt. Shortly after this, he retracted the story. End of issue, right? Not exactly. Shuster was lambasted by bloggers, his image everywhere, painting him as a fool and a sucker. Here on my blog, I scratched my head aloud, and wondered why Cameron wasn't taking any heat. Well, it was because I didn't read thoroughly enough to see what the blogs were laughing about.
The story goes that Martin Eisenstadt is a phony; a fraud. And Cameron's original story was not sourced by Eisenstadt, but somebody else. So apparently, Sarah Palin is ignorant for reals y'all, and Shuster (and others) were "punk'd" by hoaxsters. I still don't get why this attracted so much attention though. It would have been a better "gotcha" if the whole story had been a fake.
No less than conservative "FOX Fan" blogger Johnny Dollar came to my site, to rub my nose in it the fact that I'd gotten the story wrong. And hey, I am the first to admit I am capable of making a mistake. I'm a one-man show, running this blog between a real job and a real life. My only fact-checkers are my limited base of readers. So, anyway, here is the real story behind the story, to make up for the fact that I didn't get it at first.
I've got to wonder though, is the "conventional wisdom" on the Africa and North America ignorance by Palin now considered to be entirely a hoax? Is this falsely attributed leak now like the "Memogate" Bush AWOL-ness from 2004? Part of the story turns out to be false, so the CW throws the baby out with the bathwater? I'm betting, yes.
[Excerpt]
Filmmakers Behind Fake McCain Adviser Discuss Tricking The Media (VIDEO)
Dan Mirvish and Eitan Gorlin appeared on CNN's Reliable Sources to discuss how they tricked the media by creating a fake McCain adviser named Martin Eisenstadt. The duo were able to fool such reputable news organizations as The New York Times, The New Republic, and, most famously, MSNBC, whose anchor David Schuster reported live on air that Martin Eisenstadt had been identified. . .
Watch the video at: Huffington Post
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Post-Apocolyptic Warnings from the Future!
Fair warning: if you take the bait, and check out the Left Behind series, be prepared for a lot of wasted hours, and some dreadful writing. Read my review, and save yourself some time.
Found at: Jesus' General
Frivolity Break: Cat Massage
Separated at Birth: Seth MacFarlane and Christopher Knight
This is just a frivolous post to point out something I noticed (likely others have too). I was reading about Seth MacFarlane, the creator/writer/voice of Family Guy, American Dad! and the upcoming Cleveland Show. I found it most interesting that he was booked on American Flight 11 on September 11, 2001, but missed the flight both due to bad information and a hangover.
While his cartoons have their critics, I'm a fan of both, and think it's amazing how close we came to barely knowing who he is. McFarlane seems to take it in stride, and it is true that we all come close to death many times in our lives (probably more often than we know). This is just one of those times that was huge.
Anyway, that all has absolutely nothing to do with Christopher Knight of The Brady Bunch. It's just a little window into how my brain works. Knight has turned a kid's sitcom from the 70s into a life-long career, with nearly all of his fame based on that one silly show. Or rather, one silly show, countless spinoffs and reality show tie-ins. But Knight, like McFarlane seems pretty affable too, and doesn't seem to take himself very seriously (and he was terrific on Celebrity Circus!). While I know they don't look exactly alike, they do look more alike than the various girls who stood in for the Brady sisters in all those various spinoffs!
Other Separated at Birth Posts:
Sarah Palin Looks Like?
Featured Blog: Totally Looks Like (Cindy McCain and Borg Queen from Star Trek) Cindy McCain Plagiarizes Recipes? (Cindy McCain and Jane Badler, Diana of V)
Separated at Birth: John McCain & Lon Chaney, Sr.
Horrible Monster or Presidential Candidate? (Fred Thompson and Movie Monsters)
Separated at Birth: Obscure Celebrity Edition
Sean Hannity & Lou Costello Separated at Birth
Alzheimer's Disease Linked to Fast Food?
The findings, which come from a series of published papers by a researcher at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, show how a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol could increase the risk of the most common type of dementia. . .
Batman Dead? SURE He Is. . .
In a highly controversial new storyline Bruce, who first appeared in 1939, is killed by Simon Hurt – the leader of the shady Black Glove organisation. . .
Friday, November 28, 2008
MSNBC: Right or Wrong to Cut from Mumbai?
But in expressing my dismay at the way MSNBC couldn't let go of the comedic shtick of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow to provide viewers with a steady diet of hard news and information on Mumbai during prime time, I missed a key point: MSNBC isn't a news channel any more in any way, shape or form. It is a 24-hour used-to-be-news channel that now appears to want to be a cross between Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Fox News from the left. . .
Five Members of Congress Probed for Bribery
Cartoon Network Rick Rolls Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
Black Friday: Death at Wal-Mart
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Roseanne Thanksgiving
Friends: Thanksgiving with Brad Pitt
The Simpsons: Homer's Thanksgiving Prayer
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Now I'm not saying there will be no blogging today. But it is a distinct possibility. It's Thanksgiving after all, and while some of you may actually have more time on your hands to be on the computer, I do not. The Other Half and I are off to our "home away from home," at Mr. & Mrs. Lesto's house. They're gourmet cooks, and their Thanksgivings are legendary. This is my tenth or eleventh at their house at the very least.
So, if you've come looking for new posts, it is very unlikely to happen. I could get home early of course, but likely not. So, while you're here, by all means, scroll down. Aside from the usual politics and news commentary, I have a couple of fun Thanksgiving posts up, such as a Planes, Trains and Automobiles compilation, and WKRP in Cincinnati's "Turkeys Away" episode! Enjoy, and don't eat too much!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Blast from the Past: WKRP "Turkeys Away!"
Democrats Respond: Thank You, Sarah Palin!
Al Franken Camp Finds Missing Votes; Not to Be Allowed
Coordinated Terror Attacks in India
Slinky Lady Dies
Betty James, who came up with the name Slinky for the stair-walking spring that has delighted children for more than 60 years and who ran the toy company after her husband, the inventor, left it and his family in 1960, died Thursday in Philadelphia. She was 90 and lived in Hollidaysburg, Pa., where the company, James Industries, is located. . .
William Shatner's Reaction to New Star Trek Film
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
What's Up With (Still) President Bush's Jaw?
But Boehner's grimace is pretty obviously a facial tic. He's probably not aware he's doing it. Bush's looks more serious than that. It's a waggle more than a wiggle, a jut outward and to the left. It alternates with tightly pursed lips. What the hell does that to his face? Is his slurred (schlurrred) speech part of the problem? And why does it come and go from speech to speech? Is he just drunk? Medicated? Is it a holdover from his cocaine-binge days? This just bugs me. I hate unsolved mysteries.
Slurred speech 'n' coke jaw, before a captive audience at Fort Campbell. Junior's RIPPED.
Found at: Democratic Underground
The Young Turks on Colmes Leaving Hannity
Department of Irony: Ann Coulter's Mouth Wired Shut?
Mormons Investigated for Election Impropriety
[Excerpt]
Probe into LDS Church's Prop 8 donations going forward
California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) confirmed Monday that it will investigate allegations that the LDS Church failed to report nonmonetary contributions to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign.
An independent nonprofit organization, Californians Against Hate, called for the investigation after the measure passed earlier this month, effectively ending same-sex marriages in that state. . .
Read more at: Salt Lake Tribune
Florida Rules Against Anti-Gay Adoption Ban
Bill O'Reilly: Most Hated Man on Television?
Delusional Republicans "Thankful" for Sarah Palin
Hannity & Colmes Soon to be Just Hannity
Alan Colmes, 58, the liberal half of the 9 p.m. show, will leave his daily hosting duties at the end of the year, the network announced Monday. . .
Thanksgiving's Best Movie: Planes, Trains & Automobiles
I would say the list for that genre is pretty short, but even if it wasn't, Planes, Trains and Automobiles would still have no trouble making the top of that list.
Starring Steve Martin and John Candy, it contains more laughs per minute than most comedies, maybe even surpassing Airplane! and What's Up, Doc? Marred only by a sappy ending, and an atrocious 80s soundtrack, it is simply one of the best comedies of all time. Surely John Candy's best movie, and possibly Steve Martin's as well (though All of Me might nudge it out), PT&A can leave you laughing days later, and you'll be quoting it for years to come: "I want a f***ing car, right f***ing now!"
WARNING: Clips may contain hilarious profanity (and had to be rearranged this year, due to changes in the YouTubes). . .
#1 - Car Rental - This clip with Edie McClurg is one of the funniest scenes in comedy history, and was severly butchered in TV airings. Enjoy it uncut here.
#2 - Those Aren't Pillows! - John Candy & Steve Martin share a romantic moment.
#3 - Doin' the Mess Around - When I hear this song, I don't think of Ray Charles, I think of John Candy.
#4 - You're Going the Wrong Way! - How do they know where we're going?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Pardon Me! Who's Looking for Favors from Bush?
The Sarah Palin Turkey Slaughter, Part III
The Sarah Palin Turkey Slaughter, Part II
The Sarah Palin Turkey Slaughter, Part I
Source: AmericaBlog
Coleman Leads Franken in Minnesota; Sort Of
More Bush Emails Go Missing?
Franken and Coleman Challenge Ever More Ballots
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Media Bias, Revisited: Barack Obama and John McCain
I can't believe that this notion of a pro-Obama media bias is taken remotely seriously for even one moment. Imagine for one moment if Obama had a pregnant out-of-wedlock daughter, and that the father had a Facebook page proclaiming himself to be a "proud Black Panther" instead a "f-in' hillbilly" or whatever it was that moronic redneck Alaskan kid said about himself. Imagine for one moment if Obama had any association at all with a Kenyan witch doctor who "blessed" his candidacy. Imagine for one moment if Obama did not know the difference between Shia and Sunni. Imagine for one moment if he needed an aide to whisper in his ear that no, militants in Iraq were not being funded by Iran. Imagine for one moment what would happen if Obama suggested that there's such a thing as an Iraq/Pakistan [border], as McCain did. Imagine for one moment if Obama stated, "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should." Why was McCain never asked to explain in detail (let alone apologize for) his association with louts and criminals like Hagee, Renzi, Land, etc? Why almost no media comments on jaw-dropping flip-flops on abortion, creationism, immigration, intervention abroad, tax cuts for wealthy, etc. Meanwhile, days of cable news coverage is dedicated to Obama not wearing a flag pin. To the strangeness of his name, to his middle name, etc. Pro-Obama my rear end!
David 11.23.08 - 12:20 am
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Candace Gingrich's Open Letter to Big Brother Newt
Get Ready for Obama Derangement Syndrome
Blast from the Past: The 1984 Television Season
Somebody put together these clips from the 1984 TV season. That's the year I graduated high school, so I have a keener memory of some of these shows than in the intervening years. But even I don't remember all of them. Anybody remember Empire? How about The Master? Yeah, me neither! So, here we go, the shows of 1984. . .
Shows include, in this order: Masquerade, Lottery, Riptide, Empire, Legmen, The Master, Blue Thunder, TV Bloopers & Practical Jokes, The Four Seasons, Airwolf, Partners in Crime, Cover Up, Finders of Lost Loves, It's Your Move, St. Elsewhere, People Do The Craziest Things, Who's The Boss, Night Court, Knight Rider, Punky Brewster, E.R., Hot Pursuit, Mike Hammer, Diff'rent Strokes, Jessie, After MASH, Hawaiian Heat, Falcon Crest, Call To Glory, Charles in Charge, Dreams, Foul up Bleeps & Blunders, Three's A Crowd
Rovian Alternate Reality Breaking Down: Bachman
This latest attempt at re-writing history has utterly failed. Nobody believes her. And that is something of a victory, a--dare I say it?--change we can believe in! For the last eight years, we liberals have been stupefied by the constant stream of "reality creating" spearheaded by Karl Rove. We'd hear the President (or Dick Cheney, or Donald Rumsfeld, et. al) say something on Monday, say he didn't say that on Wednesday, and have Wednesday's proclamation become accepted fact on the Sunday morning shows.
Occasionally, they would get busted. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or Countdown with Keith Olbermann would show two clips side-by-side, contradicting the obfuscation. And once again, liberals would sit slack-jawed, with proof positive that they were right, and yet the general public just wasn't seeing it. Thankfully, those days seem to be ending. Dare we hope that Karl Rove's political machine is really, most completely dead? That it's so rusty and broken that it can't be rebuilt, or given replacement parts? Nah, I'm sure they are hastily building a new one, though they may have to start from scratch. Let's just hope people aren't so gullible from now on.
Friday, November 21, 2008
My Cat Hates Me
Is She or Isn't She? Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
Clinton Decides to Accept Post at State Dept., Confidants Say
Anatomy of The Christmas Shoes, Revisited
Last year, I wrote my own critique of this song. Here it is again if you missed it. Maybe in the next couple of weeks I'll revisit this again, with a few more observations. For now, here it is in its original form.
ORIGINAL POST:
I’ve been wanting to write my own version of "The Annotated Christmas Shoes," since I read the original on Diary of a Blood Ray (now known as The B Pryde Machine) years ago. The first time I heard the song, my reaction was much the same as his. I wasn’t moved to tears. I didn’t find the song precious or heartwarming. The song actually kind of pissed me off.
The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that this song was brainstormed (if you can call it that) to be as manipulative of people’s emotions as possible. I can envision the writers sitting down to write a sappy Christmas song, trying to pluck the heartstrings until they frayed. Now that the season is upon us, this hideous song has already started to play. And play. And play. And I just can't take it.
So, taking a page from Blood Ray (and hopefully, not stepping on his toes too much), here is my own version, which I call "Anatomy of The Christmas Shoes." Put on your glasses, I'm shrinking the font because of length.
The Christmas Shoes by NewSong
It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line OK, It sets the scene, and it’s not so bad yet. It does manage to telegraph what’s coming though.
Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood Still setting the scene, and there’s the obligatory tryin’ as though "trying" wouldn’t be heartwarming enough.
Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously Here’s where my cynic antennae start going up. I’m thinking the writers picked a boy, because a girl would just naturally do something nice for her mom. So, yeah, let’s make it a boy, to make it more poignant.
Pacing 'round like little boys do Filler. You can’t really pace in a line, and little boys don’t do it more than anyone else, do they?
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes Yes, the titular shoes. Why shoes? I’ll tell you why shoes. Because if the writers made it a hat, bra, panties, dress, or almost any other item of clothing a woman might wear, he’d seem gay. Believe it.
ContinuedHis clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe The scene was set, but this goes wayyy over the edge. Apparently, this is to show that the boy is poor. What it does for me is tell me that his parents aren’t taking care of him. He’s wandered away from home, unsupervised. He’s wearing rags, and he is filthy. What kind of home does this kid come from?
And when it came his time to pay I couldn't believe what I heard him say Cheesy writing to get to the chorus. You couldn’t believe it? Really?
[Chorus:] Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please Because a dress would be too gay, remember. Also, this line is jarring. "Shoes" is so far from rhyming with "please," it almost audibly shrieks out, doesn’t rhyme, doesn’t rhyme!
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size Maybe he’s a little gay after all. What little boy knows his mom’s shoe size?
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time Where was Daddy when you needed a bath, and your clothes wore out?
You see she's been sick for quite a while Another line to make you feel sad, Mama’s dying on Christmas. OK, I won’t pick this one apart yet. . .
And I know these shoes would make her smile One of the more baffling parts of the song. Shoes might be the very last thing on Mama’s mind right now.
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight OK, back to Mama dying on Christmas. Apparently, she’s not only dying, she’s dying of one of those women’s movie/soap opera diseases that doesn’t disfigure you. I mean, if all it takes to make her beautiful is a yummy pair of shoes, she can’t look too bad, can she?
And I haven’t even mentioned the cloying, syrupy, calculated to make you cry "if Mama meets Jesus" part. People! If this stuff works on you, you need to know that you’ve been played!
He counted pennies for what seemed like years Because that makes the story somehow more precious. If he simply was short a bit of paper money, it wouldn’t seem so annoying/cute.
Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here" This kid is not only alone, filthy and in ratty clothes, he’s too young to know how to count money. Interesting.
He searched his pockets frantically I’m with Blood Ray, this kid’s a grifter. And a good actor too.
Then he turned and he looked at me Sizing you up, no doubt. . .
He said Mama made Christmas good at our house Though most years she just did without Laying it on a little thick there, kid.
Tell me Sir, what am I going to do, This kid is far too articulate to match up to the rest of the song. Maybe he’s not just a grifter, but a midget grifter.
Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes I’d swallow it if it were almost anything but shoes. What kid—especially a boy—would get so set on shoes? Does Daddy force Mama to go barefoot at home? Is that what’s going on here? Is Daddy abusive? Maybe Mama’s going to meet Jesus, and Daddy says there’s not much time because Daddy’s gonna kill her?
So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out I’d have rhymed that better. Finish it with, "’cause my heart had come around" or something.
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said Mama's gonna look so great Sorry, I still don’t get it. If Mama’s only problem with "looking great" is footwear, she had options. Socks, maybe? And it still doesn't rhyme. They should've spent less time being cloying, and made the friggin' thing rhyme.
[Chorus] Worse the second time around.
[Bridge:] I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love What? How? Maybe being an agnostic obscures this for me, but how does an untended, filthy kid, lousy at math, but speaking in verse, whose Mama is dying on Christmas Eve from a mystery disease that leaves her pretty except for her gnarly feet--show you heaven’s love?
As he thanked me and ran out As fast as his feet would carry him, I’m sure, just in case you caught on to his con.
I knew that God had sent that little boy Couldn’t God have worked a slightly more relevant miracle? What’s more important, a little boy being robbed of his mother and Christmas in one fell swoop, or for a bad singer/songwriter to learn the meaning of Christmas?
To remind me just what Christmas is all about. Yeah, yeah, we could have written that line, knowing what came before. It’s like when there was a hurricane in Mexico that destroyed a church, killed almost everyone, but it was a "miracle" that a plaster statuette of Jesus survived intact. The miracle, apparently, that Jesus saved his own butt. And the singer of this song? I really don’t know. And neither does anybody else. It’s worth mentioning that the last chorus is sung by a children’s choir, and the last line delivered by a single boy’s warble: If Mama meets Jeeeesus. . .tonight. . . Which really. Pukes. Me. Out.
The song is quite simply calculated to make you tear up, say "awwwww," and have a vague feeling that you should play it over and over again every year. The song is also ripe for parody, and I hope one day a talented writer (you listening, Blood Ray?) comes up with a song that simultaneously skewers this song, and outsells it.