Back to Battleground, and Holy Spirit Ringers

The Manalapan Battleground Symphony will be presenting its Spring Concert next Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Freehold. I have been performing on and off with this group for the past six years and I'm thrilled to be back to join an expanded brass section for the Gershwin Concerto in F. More information here.

Also, I will once again be performing with the Holy Spirit Ringers handbell choir at the Manahawkin United Methodist Church. I had taken some time off from this group after Nancy passed away, and I'm thrilled to be back there as well. I will be performing at a service on June 25 which will end their season.

They Might Be Tiny Toons

For your viewing pleasure, here is "Particle Man". In case you've never seen this clip or heard the song, it's basically a music video from "Tiny Toon Adventures" of the They Might Be Giants song of the same name, with Plucky Duck as the title character. The video was directed by Art Vitello, one of the top "TTA" directors. It originally aired on February 1, 1991.

Calling All Good Guys!

Tipping you all off that XM Radio's Channel 6 is doing a salute to WMCA this Friday from 4-9 p.m. Eastern. WMCA was sort of the weak sister to WABC in New York radio in the 60's, but the station did have its charms and I daresay I listened as much to WMCA as I did to WABC back then. They had the "Good Guy" airstaff that included Harry Harrison (before he jumped ship to WABC), Dan Daniel, B. Mitchell Reed, Gary Stevens, Jack Spector, Joe O'Brien, etc. The station had an incredible soundscape featuring jingles that were created by Johnny Mann, shortly before he helped create the "Boss Radio" sound with his jingles for KHJ in Los Angeles. The Good Guys were noted for their Noo Yawk attitude (since the signal of WMCA didn't have the reach of WABC, they could afford to be local) and the coveted Good Guys Sweatshirt.

Unfortunately for radio fans, WMCA went talk in the early 1970's (with the likes of Barry Gray and Long John Nebel) and is now a religious station (under the same ownership as Bwana Johnny's old stomping grounds, 970 WWDJ) - but reportedly they've gone back to using some of the old Johnny Mann jingles for kitsch value!

Memories Of Hela

Earl Kress, in his relatively new blog, reveals that he used to be an engineer and puppeteer with The New Jersey Network, and discusses a puppet show he used to work on with Hela Young (who was then known as Hela Yungst). Hela, of course, was best known to NJN viewers as the lottery hostess for 25 years, from 1976-2001, who passed away on February 24, 2002.

There's other neat items on his blog about Hanna-Barbera cartoon history so go check it out. Now. I'll wait.

6992 + 8 = 7000

We have changed our No No-Hitter number. Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen mentioned that tonight's game was the 7000th in Mets history, and upon further research, we discovered that the Mets had played eight games that ended in ties, and thus would not show up in the won/loss record. Therefore, it is now 7000 games without a no-hitter. That's enough of those kind of games, don't you think?

#6998: Bannister No-Hitter Broken Up...

Almost immediately after Gary Cohen, on SNY, said the Mets have never had a no-hitter in 44 years plus one game.

Thank you. Not.

Jinx.

Wilford Brimley, Rap Star?

Those of use who have to sit through his almost-every-break spots for Liberty Medical on "The Price is Right" every day - and especially those of us who are diabetics and don't have to get our supplies from them - will appreciate this one. It's called "The Beetis."

Six Months Goes By Too Fast

Today is the six-month anniversary of the passing of Nancy. The reason I mention this is because we still need to keep up the breast cancer fight on her behalf. The most heartening moments during those emotional early weeks of October and November were the periodic notices I'd receive from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation that some kind soul thought enough of Nancy to give some money to the cause. Thank you.

That Time Of Year Again

As the calendar turns to April, we turn our attentions to a brand new baseball season, specifically, that of the New York Mets.

I may polarize a lot of my friends, but I really cannot abide the Yankees. From the fake jerseys marketed to kids with names on the back to their haughty TV and radio announcers, there's a lot to despise before you even get to the holier-than-thou attitude of most Yankees fans.

However, my true friends bleed Mets blue, black and orange. You all know who you are.

What continues to rankle us is that the New York Mets have still not pitched a no-hit game in their existence. The little sidebar denoting games without a no-hitter will be hopefully done away with this season. The Mets have had a great spring training and there is a lot to be optimistic about, including the prospects of that no-hitter. However, we will continue to maintain the counter as long as Mets pitchers cough up at least one hit per game. Enjoy the season and maybe we'll see you at some games this summer.

Bob-Bob-Bobbing Along

You don't see this happening at PC Magazine, ever. That's because only the editor of PC World, Harry McCracken, would have the nerve to actually get Microsoft Bob to run in the WinXP world. I don't even remember Bob, and here comes Harry to jog my memory.

To put this into practical terms, Bob is to computer software as Bucky and Pepito are to television animation.

Thanks, Harry.

Read Harry's post here.

It's "Electric" (Boogie Woogie Woogie)

Shout! Factory did us all a favor with its recent DVD reissue of The Electric Company. Even though I watched the show religiously in my youth (strictly for entertainment value, since I already knew how to read), over time I had forgotten how good both the adult and youth casts were. This DVD set brought back lots of good memories of what was an otherwise turbulent period in my life.

The menacing set of eyes in the image above belong to Mr. Morgan Freeman, then just part of the Company, but now an Academy Award-winning actor with a long resume of great roles to his credit. The other performers in the picture, members of the youth cast, are June Angela, the late Gregg Burge, Steven Gustafson and Bayn Johnson - four fifths of the "Short Circus" lineup from 1973-1975 (to me, its golden era).

Except for a few cast fine-tweaks after the first couple of years - including the departure of Bill Cosby - the adult cast became a finely tuned repertory company that could hold its own with the "Saturday Night Live" gang in the comedy department. Judy Graubart, in particular, is a very funny lady. In all, I like to think of "The Electric Company" as the hipper, smarter younger sibling to "Sesame Street" - and its bastard child as well, since it didn't have the longevity or fundraising oomph as "Sesame".

If you click on the link above, you too can relive those 5:30 weekday afternoons where the Blue Beetle tried to make things right, Fargo North decoded, Jennifer of the Jungle hung out with Paul the Gorilla, and the air was filled with piercing screams of "HEY YOU GUYS!"

2006 Winter Olympics

As the dust clears from Torino, time to assess the Winter Games just ended.

I usually love watching the Winter Games - I got really hooked in '76 - but I wasn't as engaged this year as I was the last time around, the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. The difference was perhaps due to the changes in my life this year, because watching the Olympics was one of Nancy's favorite things to do too. While I did have a week at home to watch due to winter break at school, I really didn't care much about the last week's events. I even skipped the closing ceremonies - but then, so did most of the athletes. (I watched instead the "Dancing With The Stars" finale. Glad to see Cheryl Burke and that what's-his-name she was dancing with win the thing.)

Back to Torino...

What I liked: The women's curling team. Love those Johnson sisters! The curling coverage (anchored by Don Chevrier and Don Duguid) was like an island of honest television amidst all of NBC's other rah-rah hype. Also, happy to see Apolo Anton Ohno finally hit the gold, and Julia Mancuso with her tiara was a refreshing presence during the games - and she got a gold medal, too.

What I didn't like: Bode Miller. What a jake. Pocket the Nike money, then underperform for your country. Two also-rans, 3 DQ's - the Olympic Spirit, 2006 style. And the "should have stayed home" award goes to Michelle Kwan, hanging on to the last thread of her talent as a figure skater. It's time for the Emily Hughes generation to take over, and you should have known that, Michelle.

There was no one moment that defined the 2006 Games for me, unlike 2002, where Emily Hughes' older sister Sarah turned a lot of heads and won a lot of hearts with her great night of skating in Salt Lake City. 2002 was the Year of Sarah Hughes. I can't find anyone to hang that sobriquet on this year. Hopefully 2010 will be better.

2/17 LA Times Crossword

Select February 17 from the 30-day free archive, and have fun!

Do You Believe In Cartoon Rabbits? YES!

Among the reparations ABC received for letting Al Michaels move over to NBC for their new Sunday Night Football franchise (where John Madden will also be in residence, making him one of the few men who's worked for all four major networks doing football - first CBS, then Fox, then ABC, now NBC):

NBC/Universal has given back The Walt Disney Company the rights to Oswald, The Lucky Rabbit.

WHAT? An eighty-year old cartoon character? Yes. Disney lost the rights to Oswald in the late 1920's when Universal installed Walter Lantz as the series' producer. Lantz continued to make Oswald films for years afterward, while Disney created another character - Mickey Mouse.

Now Disney's got Oswald back in its camp. What's Disney gonna do with Oswald? Stay tuned.

The First Annual davemackey.com Super Bowl Ad Review

Having worked with advertising for nineteen years and watched various commercials, good and bad, for over 40 years, I feel qualified to give this once-over to last evening's Super Bowl XL advertising efforts.

Burger King "The Whopperettes" - Yes, it's the old Burger King song, and the "Have it your way" tag line is back in force. Unfortunately, the creepy plastic-faced Burger King is in this ad, and the "Whopperettes" are this Busby Berkeley-esque dance squad all dressed as various burger toppings and condiments who literally (and painfully) fall into place on a giant Whopper. It's a girl on girl on girl sandwich, eventually. The narrator at either end of the commercial is immediately identifiable as Alan Kalter, the announcer on David Letterman's show. But what ultimately troubles me about this ad is the plastic-faced King character, and the fear that if "Have It Your Way" is back, can HERB be far behind?

Update: I've been told that the girl representing the top of the bun, whose face the camera lingers on for several minutes, is the lovely Brooke Burke, who was last seen as host of "Rock Star: INXS" last summer. Hopefully I'm not getting her mixed up with Brooke Burns, who hosted the USA version of "Dog Eat Dog".

Pepsi/Sierra Mist - Jay Mohr, who just announced his engagement to Nikki Cox over the weekend (why do guys like him get all the babes?), is the agent, which is reminiscent of that TV show "Action" he did a few years ago. Sean Puffy P Daddy Diddy Combs (or whatever he's calling himself this week) is reluctant to record with the Diet Pepsi can, but he does, and the usual forced hilarity ensues (such as in the spots last year where Diddy traded in his wheels for a Pepsi truck). Pepsi mounted a similar spot with Jackie Chan where the "stunt double" for the Diet Pepsi can is a Diet Coke can, which immediately gets crushed. (Coke is making so much out of its association with "American Idol", so they feel no need to associate themselves with the S.B.)

Much funnier was the spot for Pepsi subsidiary Sierra Mist, where the ubiquitous Michael Ian Black plays an air traveler stopped by security guard Kathy Griffin, who makes fake beeping noises while wanding Black so she can get his Sierra Mist. Griffin is just so naturally funny, the spot works. This one deserved its first quarter placement.

Degree "Stunt City" - All ads which feature "DO NOT ATTEMPT" disclaimers are immediately disqualified from further discussion. Likely we'll see this during the 2006 World Series of Poker, which Degree was all over like stink on Mike Matusow last year.

Nationwide "Gondola" - Taking a page out of Geico's book, it's a fake ad for shampoo featuring what-the-heck-does-he-do-anyway? guy Fabio. But we see the reality that Fabio is actually old and wrinkled, driving home the sponsor's message "life comes at you fast". So do birds, right Fabio?

Toyota "Camry Hybrid" - I'm sympathetic here, because I just bought a Camry convertible. It's a little boy asking his dad why the 2007 Camry Hybrid is such a great car. Simple and effective. Too bad you have to wait for the '07 Camry.

In the race for SUV superiority, Cadillac "Escalade" is as ostentatious as Toyota is practical, and we don't understand what supermodels have to do with marketing an obnoxious truck that gets about 4 MPG and will probably someday run over the kid whose dad drives the Camry. Ditto Hummer "Monsters" with its two Japanese horror-movie monsters who fall in love. Ford "Escape Hybrid" splits the difference with its ad for its SUV hybrid with Kermit The Frog (where's the puppeteer?).

Honda "Ridgeline Mudflap" - That naked lady you see on the mudflaps of trucks hops into the new Ridgeline and sees that other mudflap icon, Yosemite "BACK OFF!" Sam, behind the wheel. (Don't worry, Warner Bros. sanctioned it.)

Pizza Hut "Jessica Simpson" - That's HUT with an "H", Mrs. Lachey. And get out of here with your bastardized Nancy Sinatra song. You too, Latifaht.

Emerald Nuts - This company, which made its first big marketing splash with the Bowl a few years ago, gives us a contrived spot that spells out its name with some sentence about eagle-eyed druids under the stairs. Geez, like that sentence we remember the planets with...

Bud Light "On The Roof" - DQ'd, "Do Not Attempt" sitting in a lawn chair on your roof. I won't even GO on my roof, much less put a lawn chair up there. None of the other Bud Light spots were noteworthy. In fact, none of the beer spots were any good this year. Even Budweiser's Clydesdale spots had a "been there, done that" quality.

Warner Bros. "Poseidon" - Since when is May 12 SUMMER? By the time the real summer starts, your movie will probably have made its $20 million and moved on.

PS "Best Defense" - A genre of spot which seems to have begun with Supes ads is the WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE DOING spot. It shows people doing everyday things like swimming, taking out the garbage, and even giving a good night kiss. But they're all wearing biohazard suits! WHY? Of course, this is because people would be better protected by cleaning with the sponsor's products. Duh.

Myron Waldman 1908-2006

Myron Waldman was an animator of extreme durability throughout the classic era of cartoons and well into the television era. He has died in a Long Island hospital months short of his 98th birthday.

Waldman was one of the last living links to the Fleischer Studios, with many credits on Betty Boop and Color Classic cartoons. He was one of the few men who believed in that era that women could animate as well as men and promoted Lillian Friedman to an animator's position in his unit, at the parallel time that Walter Lantz was opening the same sort of door for La Verne Harding on the West Coast.

G. Michael Dobbs has more information on his blog.

"Your Glasses Are Ready, Mr. Teeson - er, Mr. Six"

Mr. Six Exposed?

Buses Are Back, And A New Mackey Blog

We are pleased to reopen the NJ Transit Bus Fan Page after an absence of about, gee, a year and a half? New pix and roster info forthcoming.

And I am pleased to announce the official blog of The Puzzle Brothers. We are going to be discussing our puzzle related activities in excruciating detail on this blog and hopefully be self-publishing our own pathetic creations that no editor dares touch. Enjoy!

Norm McCabe, Last Living WB Director, Dies

We are sorry to report that Norm McCabe died on Wednesday at the age of 94. He was the last living man to direct during the Warner Bros. cartoon stuido's golden era.

Born on February 10, 1911 in England, he soon moved to the United Staes and joined Leon Schlesinger Productions in 1934 as an assistant animator. He became a full animator with a 1936 Porky Pig cartoon called "Porky In The Northwoods" and soon was a key member of Bob Clampett's crew. In 1939 he took co-director credits with Bob Clampett during Clampett's brief leave from the studio, but later took over Tex Avery's unit in 1941 when Avery was fired.

McCabe's tenure (working exclusively on the black-and-white Looney Tunes) was marred by some unfortunate racial and ethnic caricatures in his pictures; acceptable at the time, these characterizations made some of his films undistributable in syndication. By the time of his final WB cartoon, "Tokio Jokio", McCabe concentrated on making pictures for the military and education and advertising concerns.

McCabe later surfaced as an animator for DePatie-Freleng Productions, and even later as an animator for the resurrected Warner Bros. cartoon studio, working on such productions as "The Duxorcist", "Tiny Toon Adventures" and "Animaniacs". He was an amazing man, working full days well into his eighties, and a valuable resource to the newer generation of Warner Bros. artists.

Dennis Marks dies

Mark Evanier reports the death of Dennis Marks. He was a veteran animation writer who with Heywood Kling wrote the majority of the Batfink cartoons.

Another Man Of Letters

I've been informed that the March 2006 Games Magazine is now available on newsstands, and one of the puzzles therein (as you can doubtless tell by the sidebar) is a 17x authored by the owner of this website called "Double Depression". I've run into a major construction dry spell, so this might be it for a while. Happy solving!

A Man Of Letters

What better person to help endorse the new word game from uclick.com than Pat Sajak? The "Wheel of Fortune" host of the last (can it be?) 25 years has lent his considerable cachet to a game called "Lucky Letters" that is now featured on his latest website venture, Pat Sajak Games. You have the opportunity to win lots of (fake) money by systematically solving crossword puzzles; along the way there are some game-show style features like the opportunity to bet all or part of your bankroll on solving a word. If you can solve the entire puzzle during the Lightning Round, then you win.

The game is available in online format (the puzzle changes daily), or a downloadable version (trial version is free; full version is $19.95) with hundreds of different puzzles. Give it a try!

He Was Gr-r-r-r-eat!

In the wake of Kellogg's news that Frosted Flakes (or, as it's called, "Frosted Flakes (Of Corn)") will be served to our Winter Olympians in Torino this February, comes this appreciation of the man who gave Tony The Tiger his unique voice, the late Thurl Ravenscroft. It's written by novelist, essayist, and all around good person Elizabeth McCracken. It's also illustrated with a pic of Tony that looks like early 60's production art.

Happy Christmas To All

Christmas 2005. Yes, as you can guess, a much different Christmas (as my sister in law put it: "a new kind of normal"). But one still filled with the joy and wonder of the birth of the Christ Child, and all the reminisces of Christmases past and the hope of Christmases yet to be.

As for the heroine of Nancy's two books, "Melissa" will have a wonderful season filled with presents, music and fun.

I hope yours is as merry.

Congrats, again, Robair

Now he's making them as well as solving them: Robair has sold his first crossword puzzle to The Los Angeles Times. It is a themeless, meaning it will be appearing on a Saturday. Exact date to follow.

Thinking Pink

Merchandise tied into the release of the new Steve Martin version of "The Pink Panther" is now heading into the stores, ahead of the film's planned February 10, 2006 release date.


Animation fans will get a kick out of Jerry Beck's latest paean to the animated Panther, Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide To The Coolest Cat In Town. You'll be pleased to know that the book carries a Filmography of the Panther and friends that originated years ago on this website in our Animation department. It's been added to by Beck and our friend from Japan, Charles Brubaker. And let's give a plug to Jerry's fine websites, Cartoon Research and Cartoon Brew (with Amid Amidi).


There is another interesting book due out from the daughters of the man who helped create the animated Panther. Meet The Pink Panther, targeted to children, was written by Friz Freleng's daughters Hope and Sybil (that's Sybil pictured above).

If you click on the links to the merchandise, you can buy those and other related products and give this website a few cents in return.

December 8, 1980...

...two college sophomores, riding in a beatup old 1965 Chevrolet Malibu, northbound on the Garden State Parkway heading back from what is now Richard Stockton University, are flabbergasted to find out that somebody had the utter balls to shoot and kill one of the Beatles. We later learn that Howard Cosell broke the news to most of the rest of the world during a Monday Night Football game.

It, of course, is twenty-five years later, and I don't know if we're any closer to the sort of world that John Lennon "imagined". But he did leave us some great tunes, both with the Fab Four and as a solo act. (We even forgive him the whole Yoko thing.)

Plenty of reminders of the day, especially if you listened to Jay Sorensen's morning show on WJRZ this morning. There's no bigger Beatlemaniac on our airewaves, and you know Jay's got the goods. I believe if you go to Allan Sniffen's fine WABC tribute site, you'll find sound files of what we listened to on 770 AM that evening.

Spookiest thing: before she died, Nancy rigged up this computer to play Beatles MIDIs at random on bootup. It played a MIDI of "Imagine" this afternoon. Of all days.

Apocalypse Soon

From the AP wire:

Meanwhile, syndicator King World Prods. has also given the go-ahead for a fall 2006 launch to its one-hour daytime show featuring Food Network personality Rachael Ray. The tentatively titled "The Rachael Ray Show" has been cleared in more than 70% of the country.

Robair Wins A Crossword Tournament

At least he didn't have to wait as long as Ellen Ripstein.

Yesterday was the annual Community Blood Services Crossword Tournament in Ridgewood, New Jersey (just over the border from Paramus). At left, a picture of the winner, the one and only Robair. He won the trophy you see and a $500 check and the thrill of being North Jersey's crossword king.

The finals were a nailbiter. It was basically a two-person race, Robair, and a woman by the name of Elaine who is better known in the National Puzzler's League as "tyger". Robair had a rocky road to his finish, with 31-Down entered as ALOT rather than ATON which screwed up his crossers. But eventually he figured out one of the hardest answers, 36-Across, COTEDOR (Cote d'Or). He walked over to tyger, who finished first, to congratulate her on her win! But he saw that the F in square 24 was entered as an L on her grid, giving Robair the victory. Tough luck for tyger, a smart lady and a great competitor.

On hand to run the tournament was Nancy Schuster, a veteran crossword editor known for her many years working on the Dell magazines. Other guests in the house included New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz (who entertained with some great word games and a selection of bad clues from published NYT puzzles), Washington Post puzzle editor Fred Piscop, and constructors Paula Gamache, Michael Shteyman, and David J. Kahn.

Robair's laid down the gauntlet that he's going to be a force this year at Stamford.

The First Month...

It is now one month to the day that my wife Nancy has left us, and it feels like in some ways she's still here. Her spirit is still a large part of me. In other ways she seems to be guiding me through this journey I'm supposed to be flying solo through. My house taxes were due this week, and they hadn't been paid yet, mostly because I couldn't find the tax bill that had an exact amount. In frustration I grabbed a handful of random papers off Nancy's desk (where I do most of my work these days), and raised them above my head as if to throw them down on the ground in frustration - and there was, written in maroon lettering, 3RD & 4TH QUARTER TAX BILL - DOVER TOWNSHIP.

Whew. As if Nancy had willed it.

There have been trying moments, but we are doing fine. I want to publicly thank everyone who's given support, advice, prayers, and good wishes over the past month and change that we've been in this transition. I also want to thank everyone who went to lulu.com and supported Nancy's publishing projects based on her homeschooling of our foster daughter (who is also doing fine). In a few days when the final numbers come in I will be proud to write a nice check for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, who will benefit from all lulu.com transactions of Nancy's books in October.

There are, however, a few that I wish NOT to thank, and that is the handful of death-industry companies that have nothing better to do than to scan obituaries and identify widows and widowers to market monument stones and burial plots to. As we mentioned on this blog a few years ago, Nancy and I had purchased our final resting place already, so there was no need for these vultures to insensitively prey on me.

Jack Back At Spano's

Great news if you like a little piano with your dinner: my friend Jack Candy is back at Spano's Restaurant in Point Pleasant, starting next week. Jack's been out of action after an automobile accident some months ago in which he broke his hip. And his recovery has not been uneventful; at one point it was in doubt he'd ever play again. But he's finally well enough to take his rightful place at Spano's piano.

Jack is a tremendously talented musician who has pressed on with his craft in spite of becoming sightless several years ago, and also has had the added challenge of a kidney transplant. Even with the auto accident, none of this has kept Jack down, and the news I got today from his longtime friend Karen Hedden (who, by the way, gave him that kidney) that he'd be back at Spano's was a great emotional lift.

More about Spano's at their website.

New Looney Tunes DVD Collection Impresses

Just a sample of what restoration can do, kids... and for you original title card freaks...


See more on our WB Cartoons pages!

Great Website!

That's all I had to say upon encountering the website of veteran bass player Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, who has played with damn near everybody. That's him you hear on that opening bassline on "Maneater" by Hall & Oates, very much inspired by Motown bass whiz James Jamerson (one of Bone's heroes). There's a candid gallery with some great pictures of Tom, G.E. Smith and guest artists (like Eric Clapton and Lonnie Mack) taken during his years in the SNL Band. Thanks much to Callie Ray for passing along the link and always keeping her eyes open for this stuff over the years!

Fair Warning

I have tomorrow's USA Today puzzle. Link when available.

New Place To Sudoku

My crossword friends and I are entirely sure that the puzzle craze Sudoku will never entirely replace the crossword, but we note with interest that some of the biggest names in crossworddom are embracing this new form.

Merl Reagle, who does the great weekly crosswords found primarily in the San Francisco Examiner and online periodically at lawrence.com, now has a Sudoku online at his SundayCrosswords.com website. The neat interface allows you to enter an answer number on the big dash or mini test-numbers right below.

Will Shortz, the big guy at the New York Times, has three books of Sudoku out under his own name, published by St. Martin's Press. Link to order on Amazon coming soon, cause we gotta make money soon, y'know.

Dave's Endorsement for NJ Governor

NONE OF THE ABOVE.

As both "candidates" are now choosing to hide behind attack ads for their opponents, I support neither one.

GAS WAR IN SOUTH JERSEY!

Remember the good old days of gas price wars? Apparently, they're back in the South Jersey town of Bridgeton.

Two competing stations, Garden State Fuel and Major Gas, are the lowest-priced gas stations in the state, according to the website New Jersey Gas Prices. As of this evening, the Major station was pumping unleaded regular at $2.289 a gallon - now far below the price of gas just before Hurricane Katrina hit in the last week of August. (Prices in the Toms River area are now in the $2.61-2.70 range, still above pre-Katrina levels.) Garden State Fuel, at last count, was a cent above Major's low-water mark, $2.299. The whole Bridgeton-Millville area in a relatively sleepy part of South Jersey boasts the lowest gas prices in the entire state.

Be interesting to see where this one goes, particularly amid reports that the price of gas is going up on a national basis.

Update: A third station, Coastal Mart, on the same street, has also joined the fray. As of 10/9, all three stations pump regular gas at $2.289.

Back To Blogging

Mark Evanier on the TV Guide size change, and some of its Annenberg-era politics.

TV Guide became taboo in our house due to its becoming the Fox Network house organ after Rupert Murdoch's purchase of the magazine.

Me, I use Yahoo! TV to find out what is on, as well as the guide built into my set-top box. Save a tree, y'all!

Nancy's Everlasting Memorial

This is Nancy's page at mem.com. It will eventually feature remembrances from those close to her, and now has a slide show of pictures of Nancy from early childhood to just a few months ago.

Services for Nancy Mackey

Visitation will be Tuesday, October 4 from 5-8 p.m. at the Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home, Main Street, Toms River.

Catholic Mass to be held Wednesday, October 5 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph's RC Church, Hooper Avenue, Toms River.

Internment to follow at Whiting Memorial Park, Manchester Township.

Nancy Mackey 1954-2005

Sure, you probably know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And you're probably sick of hearing it, but hear me out here, folks. If you know me personally, you're probably aware that I am one of the people personally touched by breast cancer, my wife having been diagnosed in 2002.

This morning, my wife, Nancy Mackey, became one of the statistics.

A few weeks ago, Nancy was feeling just fine, not really too bad. But things just started happening. Mobility problems ensued, and we had initially suspected the bulging discs in her back.

Early on the morning of September 19, Nancy fell on her way from the living room to the kitchen. Our local police EMS whisked her away to the ER, and following more tests, the sad news came back: bone cancer, most prevalent in the lower back, and spreading elsewhere.

Nancy died at 9:40 this morning, surrounded by family. Her suffering was blissfully brief, and her passage into the next world was as peaceful as anyone would hope for.

We will link to Nancy's obituary, beautifully written by her cousin Catherine, when it's published.

The best way to honor the legacy of Nancy Mackey is to make a donation to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. If you don't feel like doing it online, the snail mail address is P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265-0309.

And if you want to donate in another way, I suggest you go to lulu.com and purchase copies of Nancy's books, "Melissa's Journey" and "Melissa's Journey: Year Two", the chronicles of Nancy's adaptation of the New Jersey Core Curriculum to serve the needs of a developmentally disabled homeschool student. All of the proceeds from this book in October 2005 will go to the Komen Foundation.

Thank you all.

Chris Schenkel 1923-2005

Saturday afternoons in the winters of my youth meant a 90-minute excursion into the world of professional bowling, courtesy ABC Sports. And the voice who brought that excitement into our living rooms for years has been stilled with the death today of sportscasting legend Chris Schenkel.

The mellifluous, smooth-as-silk voice seemed as if it was made for bowling, with its hush-hush concentration attitude (though fans today are encouraged to whoop it up as if they were at an NBA game). His voice helped illuminate the exploits of guys like Dick Weber, Carmen Salvino, Mark Roth, Marshall Holman and many others who put on the short-sleeved shirts and funny shoes, and threw that ball down the lane.

Schenkel called many other sporting events, including Olympic games (he was there when Nadia Comaneci scored her 10's), Indianapolis 500's, college and pro football games (he was one of the first to call New York Giants games on TV) and Masters golf.

DUH! Of The Week

I rarely broach Presidential politics in this blog, and I prefer that this blog doesn't get too political, but....

President Bush's approval rating in the wake of handling the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina is now 39%.

Seven of ten respondents in the survey say they disapprove of his handling of gasoline prices.

HELLO?

Mr. Bush is a Texan. He has plenty of rich oilman friends that he'd prefer become richer. That's why you're paying upwards of $3.00 a gallon for gas (although it has gone down - the station closest to my home slashed the price by A WHOLE DIME this morning!), and not $1.00 like you should.

#6968 - Benson Perfect, Until.....

A questionable double and a clean home run.

I would hate to see the Mets early next season play their 7000th game without once throwing a no hitter.

Trading Post Goes Bye Bye

Think of it as the old-style "Trading Spaces" with the sped-up footage of the room being cleared...and the episode stops right there.

After two years and one day - the site went live on September 1, 2003 - the Trading Post site hosted here has now been discontinued, due to a sea change in the way "Trading Spaces" and other shows of its ilk are now being perceived by the public and staged by the TV networks eager to suck up to corporate sponsors' wishes. We thank you for your interest and kind words over the years (yes, even you, Discovery lawyers)... but it is time for the Mackey Bros. to move on to other projects.

Sometime in the next month, the various bus sites hosted here will go back on line... watch here for more details.

#6961 - Not Tonight

Steve Trachsel just gave up a hit with two out in the sixth - exactly one more batter than Pedro went hitless on last night - to keep the most unfortunate streak in baseball alive.

So Bye, Bye, Miss America

The management of Boardwalk Hall has granted the Miss America organization its request to go elsewhere with their little pageant, which is now going to be held in January rather than September, and now somewhere other than its home since 1920 - Atlantic City, New Jersey. This sets the stage for new corporate benefactor CMT to move the pageant to Nashville, which is the most likely scenario. (And we were worried about Disney moving the whole shebang to Orlando.)

There was a time when Atlantic City pretty much just had Miss America as a source of local pride - that, and the distinction of lending its street names to the Monopoly board. But now, at a time when Atlantic City has become something much more, with its myriad shopping and entertainment options, the city is just going to let Miss America go away quietly.

And perhaps, after all, it's just as well. Bert Parks, and much of what Miss America stood for at one time, have been dead for years. There was a time where being Miss America really meant something, and many of those ladies became huge celebrities in their own right. Names like Bess Myerson, Lee Meriwether, Mary Ann Mobley and Susan Powell became household words. And Vanessa Williams became a huge star in spite of being Miss America - a disgraced Miss America who had previously posed nude for photographs which were published in a national magazine.

While the Miss America organization runs a robust scholarship program and fosters awareness of many worthy causes through its platform program, it's not the stepping stone to stardom it was years ago. Can you name any of the last 10 Miss Americas? Do you even know who Miss America is right now? Unless you have a very personal connection to one of them, you probably can't.

But you probably know who won every "Survivor" since it began.

#6960: Pedro Flirts With The No-No Again

But not as long as he did in LA a few weekends ago. He took it into the sixth inning before giving up a clean hit down the first base line. And then another one.

Howie Rose: if you come across this, you can see exactly how many games the Mets have played at left. Your guess of six thousand, nine hundred sixty something was pretty darn close.

Michael Brecker...

...is, and has been, a very talented saxophone player (who was at one time - the 1984-1985 season - sax soloist in the Saturday Night Live Band). However, at minimum, Michael Brecker is a human being, subject to illnesses, and right now he's facing a doozy of one - a bone marrow disease that inhibits his ability to produce blood cells. He is in search of a donor. I want you to go to http://www.michaelbrecker.com and go to the link on the front page that says "Michael's Current Challenge". There you will find a letter from his wife discussing the specific illness that Michael has and the steps you can take to see if you are the match that can save his life. Thank you.

More Puzzles In More Places

Check the sidebar often... you never know when new puzzles will pop up there.

Also, Games Magazine and Kappa Publishing, for whom I've authored some puzzles, have beefed up their online presence.

Kappa Puzzles
Games Magazine

Baseball Closer To Home

Last night, the Toms River American Little League team came up short in their effort to gain another World Series berth. Toms River, of course, is most noteworthy for its 1998 team that won the World Championship. (The town is blessed with among other things exceptionally good youth baseball camps.)

While I'm disappointed that the team is going no further, I'm proud of our town's young athletes, and it's also a source of personal pride because two of those young men were in my instrumental music classes at North Dover Elementary and one used to live right down the street from me. We'll get 'em next time!

6951: No Hitter, Minus Five Batters

Pedro Martinez took a no hitter into the eighth inning and was rewarded with a loss. When I was in the shower this afternoon before the game began, it was almost an affirmation: "Pedro is going to pitch a no-hitter today." On my way to the gig in Little Egg Harbor today, I kept hoping that today was indeed going to be the day. But alas....

Like I said, it's gotta happen. You just can't go all this time without one.

The "Journey" Continues

Nancy Mackey has released the second volume of "Melissa's Journey", the adaptation of the New Jersey core curriculum standards to meet the needs of profoundly disabled individuals in a home school environment. Go to http://www.lulu.com/nmackey for more details.

News Blues: Life After Jennings

ABC backhandedly spotlighted what is increasingly wrong with television news by showcasing what was so right about it for two hours of primetime last evening.

ABC blew out its irresponsible "Brat Camp" show (two kids have gotten back into trouble since the taping - don't you know by now that TV doesn't solve problems?) for a commercial-free tribute to Peter Jennings, the ABC anchor and reporter who died over the weekend.

There was much footage of Peter all over the world reporting, finding facts, satisfying his (and our) curiosity about issues as far ranging as the existence of Jesus and why Daddy beats his kid for not performing on the baseball field. Great historical footage, too, of Jennings' first foray into network news, anchoring the ABC evening news way back in 1965, when his competition was three guys named Huntley, Brinkley and Cronkite. One wonders how the mature, field-savvy Jennings would have stood up to those three icons. (Eventually, David Brinkley joined ABC and teamed up with Jennings on election night and other occasions.)

At the anchor desk, Jennings excelled in knowing when to add to the story with words, and when to shut up, during live special reports. But thankfully, Jennings spent as much time away from the anchor desk as he did at it.

The tribute showed clearly that as long as TV is obsessed with constant cross-promotion and getting high ratings, there can never be another Jennings (a point echoed by the likes of Lynn Sherr, Barbara Walters and others) and you might as well hire a fluffy newsreader away from Fox News Channel who's never even had a passport but can tell you more than you need to know about Jacko. It was almost like watching a funeral for TV News the way it was in the days of integrity.

I Wanted Her To Be A Hilton

I saw the finale on Tuesday night of "I Want To Be A Hilton" and was absolutely rooting for Jackaay Watt, the landscape yard worker affectionately known as "Trailer Park Barbie". However, it was not to be as Jaret Cellmer of Texas was awarded the prizes, trips, luxury.

Jaret's speech at the end was not the most polished thing I'd ever heard, while I was happy to see both finalists cleaned up real nice. But if I ever need a ton of gravel for my yard, Jackaay will be the first person I call.

Now, about Kathy Hilton. What a magnificent presence on this show! I find it hard to believe she has two real flighty girls as daughters. It also bears mentioning that Kathy Hilton was the non-actress of the three Richards sisters. You may have heard of her sisters Kim and Kyle, both of whom were very popular as teens (Kim was best known as McLean Stevenson's daughter on "Hello, Larry").

LA Times Puzzle

Here is today's LA Times puzzle! Enjoy!

#6944: Four Is Still Not Zero

In spite of a brilliant performance by Jae Seo today and a win to go with it, the Mets are still holding on to that distinction that in 44 major league seasons, no pitcher wearing the team's uniform has thrown a no hitter.

C'mon, Mets. Sometime before I die.

Ladies And Gentlemen, The Incomparable Labamba

For the last four days of July, I was a devoted attendee of Toms River Fest. (In spite of my employment with the Toms River Regional Schools, I could not volunteer this year due to the care our foster child requires. I was content to attend in that case.)

I was excited to see Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and seeing them brought back good memories of seeing them 20 years ago at some concert, I don't remember where (maybe it was at the Pony, perhaps the old Tradewinds). Bob Bandiera always used to hang around Y-107 because he would routinely record at the studio down the street, so it was great to see him again.

And this guy? Best damn bar band trombone player in the world, Richard "Labamba" Rosenberg, known to all as the goofball in the purple suit on the Conan O'Brien show (and one of the few things worth watching about the show), and leading the horn section into battle on a Sunday afternoon just west of Gernerd Field on the campus of Toms River High School North. (Photo by me. Do not take.)

Auspicious Anniversary

My crossword-creating career, such as it has been, officially kicked off one year ago today with a submission to Games Magazine entitled "Signals". I was going to post the puzzle, but I can now see that it is a subpar effort no editor would touch.

It did have some colorful words such as WIEZ (which was Pauly Shore's old MTV nickname), KUMAR (as in "Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle"), and NANTZ (which is the sportscaster Jim, which was actually misspelled once in a Liz Gorski puzzle in a Simon & Schuster edition). But for those words there were some real clunkers!

Egyptian ferryboat patron - AKEN
Its capital is Taillin - ESTOVER
Classical guitarist Asaad - ODAIR
Folksinger Cargill - ACIE
Acct's concern - TCO

That's four fairly obscure words and a meaningless abbreviation in a puzzle that should really be no more than Wednesday difficulty.

I have since created about seventy puzzles, mostly 15x15, with a few 17's and a 23 thrown in for good measure. Editors have accepted seven of my puzzles so far: three for Games, two for LA Times Syndicate, and one each in USA Today and The New York Times. That's only a .100 batting average, but I'm still learning and still honing my skills.

Robair has created significantly more puzzles but has yet to make a sale, in spite of a very innovative puzzle sitting on Will Shortz' desk right now that... no, I won't spoil that just yet. You'll hear of it soon enough when it happens. Meantime, watch soon for some news of coming attractions (as I alluded to this morning).

Site News And Notes

• We'd like to thank some of our longtime correspondents for checking in with us, asking about the whereabouts of some areas of the site. Specifically, a shout out to Lew Del Gatto, now formerly of the Saturday Night Live Band, hanging it up after 30 years (more or less) with the show, and to toonatics Greg Method and Charles Brubaker, adding a couple elusive Blue Racer credits to our 70's DePatie-Freleng filmography.
  
• We are most likely going to be taking down our Trading Spaces pages for good, due to a sudden downturn in interest in the program, not only on our part, but on the public's.
  
• The New Jersey Transit and Public Service Bus pages are going to be going back up sometime in the fall due to their historical significance.
  
• Watch soon for an announcement of a new joint effort between two of the three Mackey Brothers. If you've been following my recent exploits, you're sure to enjoy it.
  
• On a somewhat related note, Rich Norris has informed me that my latest LA Times Crossword puzzle will be appearing one week from today, next Tuesday, August 9, 2005. Look for it in your local rag. (Incidentally, the name "Lila Cherry", under which I was credited, is a pseudonym for Norris, which anagrams into "Really Rich". Hopefully, Mr. Norris will be crediting me properly this time.)

Today's Puzzle

Click here to do this puzzle online

Conan O'Brien - My Take

I'd like to elaborate on a comment I made on Amy Reynaldo's blog about Conan O'Brien.

There was a word in the NY Sun crossword today CRUNK. I was confusing it with "Krunk", the all-purpose stuff mentioned numerous times on the Conan O'Brien show, "back when it was good", I mentioned.

The truth is that Conan's show just ain't that good any more.

Case in point: about a year ago, one of Conan's newest little bits of business was showing random clips from episodes of "Walker, Texas Ranger", which is a show that appears on a network that had been recently came into the NBC family, USA. He would push some sort of lever on his desk and there's Chuck Norris kicking the teeth out of someone under the thin guise of being a Texas Ranger. (Far as I know, in real life, Texas Rangers don't kick people.)

Since I had developed quite the aversion to "WTR" (which, by the way, was a show my wife just loved), I really didn't think that much of the bit, and that was about the time I decided I should really be in bed at 12:30 to be awake to teach the kiddies the next morning.

A few weeks ago, I chanced into the living room at about 12:50 a.m., and decided to keep it on NBC until such time that "Street Smarts" (which, unfortunately, has been cancelled after five seasons) started on GSN. There's Conan O'Brien, sitting at his desk... and he's got the lever... and he pushes the lever... and there's Chuck Norris kicking the teeth out of someone!

Jesus Christ! At least when Ernie Kovacs did seemingly repetitive things like "The Nairobi Trio", he gave them different little things to do every time. But this "Walker" bit hadn't changed ONE IOTA since Conan introduced it. And not only that but I hear that Conan still does his "In The Year 2000" bit... and it's 2005. (He's still got the great Labamba doing that falsetto bit, which is good because Labamba is a killer bone player.)

And Conan is taking over for Leno in 2009?

Hopefully there'll be someone better who hasn't come to the fore yet to take over for Dave on CBS when his time is up.

It's hard for me to say this, as back in the day, I used to be one of the happy recappers of Conan's show for a fansite, but... now, I'd have to drink rather heavily to appreciate his brand of "humor".

S--t! Did I Just See The Word S--t On My TV?

I wish I had the evidence on this, but I'm at my non-TV'd computer right now.

During "So You Think You Can Dance" on the Fox Network, there was a brief closeup of a prospective auditioner in her bedroom. Right in the shot was a poster, one of the words of which is a popular four letter word for solid human waste. I couldn't read the rest of the poster due to the TV PG D-L bug covering it up.

This may only have been apparent to HDTV viewers, as it was at the extreme left of the HDTV screen and may not have survived the crop into 4:3.

Number Two

Sometimes I think there's no hope for society.

On my way back home from a weekend in Atlantic City Sunday night, I saw a car pulled over on the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway. Standing outside in full view of all passing motorists was one of the younger occupants of the car, who had decided to do a Number One right then and there. Less than a quarter mile from an off ramp that would have led to gas stations, restaurants and stores that have open public bathrooms.

I didn't think to check the car for out-of-state plates or perhaps an up-north car dealership decal that would have tabbed our peeing friends and his parents as BENNIES. But methinks that's what was going on there.

Hey, Gov. Codey! How's this for a slogan?

The Jersey Shore: New York and Northern New Jersey's Toilet.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL E-MAIL CORRESPONDENTS

All e-mail addresses on the davemackey.com domain are no longer valid.

If you need to contact me with a question or information about this website or any of its components, or had been legitimately corresponding with me on a davemackey.com address, the new public address is davemackey.com@gmail.com.

SPAMMERS: you will be reported to all applicable authorities should you spam, phish, spoof or otherwise abuse this address. Don't even try it.

All Of A Sudden, I've Become Lila Cherry

The thrill of seeing the LA Times puzzle in print was inexplicably deflated when I saw Lila Cherry's name credited to the puzzle instead of my own. Check your local papers and see if the puzzle is credited to Lila Cherry but the first across clue is "Conde Nast women's magazine". That is indeed my puzzle.

Puzzle's Theme

Obviously, the theme of the puzzle has panned out to be great film directors who never were awarded an Oscar, in spite of tons of nominations and critically acclaimed work. The theme came to light the morning after the Oscars, when I watched in relative horror as Martin Scorsese failed to stride to the podium for on his fifth nomination.

I did some poking around the Oscar annals and came up with a hefty list of other directors who were in the same boat as Scorsese - and the two who best worked in the context of the crossword were Stanley Kubrick (who should have at least gotten a nomination for "Full Metal Jacket" and whose other nominated films included "Dr. Strangelove", "2001" and "Barry Lyndon"), and Alfred Hitchcock (whose 1960 nomination was for a little film called "Psycho", one of the most terrifying cinema experiences ever).

Two weeks from today we have the USA Today puzzle, and post game discussion to follow.

Building A Better INXS

I saw the first episode of "Rock Star: INXS" which is running three nights a week through the summer and early fall on CBS. The conceit of this show is to attempt to find a new lead singer for INXS, which has been largely without one since frontman Michael Hutchence did himself in.

So on the reality show landscape we have now overlaid the rock and roll lifestyle. Therefore, while we anxiously wait for Smoking Gun to find drug busts or DUI's on these folks, we are going to bet the farm on the red-tressed, multiply tattooed Heather to win this thing and take INXS in a new direction as its first-ever female lead singer.

What is really buzz about this show is they somehow got Dave Navarro involved. The singer, who is most famous for stints with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction (as well as his marriage to Carmen Electra), is sort of a host, sort of an honorary member of INXS, and Brooke Burns is sort of a host as well.

I'd rather watch something like this than the increasingly artificial "Big Brother" and its constantly artifical host, Mrs. Les Moonves.

LA Times Puzzle Tomorrow!

The proprietor of this website makes his newspaper crossword debut tomorrow as the author of the July 13, 2005 Los Angeles Times Crossword Puzzle. If you want to solve the puzzle online, you can go to the Los Angeles Times site and look for the link to Crosswords. You may need to register to do this. While not entirely necessary you can solve the puzzle offline by downloading the puzzle file (lat050713.puz) and playing it in the free Across Lite software you can also download at the LA Times site.

You can also do the thing in the newspaper, in pen and ink, just like our fathers used to on the train out of Ronkonkoma.

Wait! How do I know if my newspaper carries the LA Times Puzzle?

Very simple. Check your newspaper today (Tuesday) and look for a crossword puzzle. (Not that 11x13 "chumpword" puzzle. It's regulation size, 15x15.) If the puzzle that appears on 7/12 is from Tribune Media Services (distributors of the LA Times Puzzle), and the first Across clue is "Cairo's river", then you're in business.

The puzzle may or may not carry a byline; today's is by Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke.

The editor is Rich Norris, and looking over my original clueset for this puzzle, I expect changes especially since this is a Wednesday puzzle (and also because that's what editors do). He also changed the grid some because the original had a word which could be construed as an ethnic slur in it, but clued very innocently. Reminds me that there's a report, maybe apocryphal, that Eugene T. Maleska, the esteemed former editor of the New York Times crosswords, once ran a puzzle that included a clue "The ____ mightier than the sword". Mmm-hmmm.

Once the smoke clears (because I don't want to spoil your fun of doing this puzzle), I will discuss the particular theme. Until then enjoy the puzzle.

Check at the sidebar over to the left for other upcoming dates... we've been shipping out tons of puzzles lately and hopefully will make a few more sales with them.

"Melissa's Journey"

Nancy has graciously asked me to talk a little about that book that has been appearing in the sidebar of my Blog for the last few weeks.

"Melissa's Journey" is the true story of how the New Jersey State Core Curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of a multiply-challenged individual we call "Melissa" in the book (confidantes know her by another name; we had to change it due to privacy concerns). The book covers the period between July 2001 and July 2002 and makes some very interesting side trips, including how the curriculum and plans were adapted to cope with the September 11, 2001 tragedy.

The target audience for this book is homeschool parents who wish to adopt their state standards in their program. I suggest if you're in this category, you should go to lulu.com and read more about this project.

Another volume is in the works, by the way.

If Real Life Were Like "Reality" TV

Every other t-shirt, hat, and license plate would be fuzzed out.

Think about it.

Next Brass Tacks Dates

We have been lax in updating these, as our vocalist Jim reminded me last night.

Monday, July 4 - Barnegat Docks, 7:00-9:00 p.m. followed by fireworks (Thanks for coming!)

Friday, July 15 - Sea Oaks Country Club, Little Egg Harbor Township (Dinner dance)

Saturday, July 23 - Ocean County Library, Toms River (Free concert)

The official Brass Tacks site is NOW UP! http://www.brasstacksorchestra.com

that was annoying™

My partner in crime, Robair, informs me that there are BACK TO SCHOOL displays up at Staples already!

There are some schools that aren't even finished yet and Staples is worried about making sure Johnny has enough looseleaf paper to make it through the school year.

Between that and the TV networks incessantly pushing fall shows before the calendar reads July 1, can't we just enjoy summer for a change?

A Face That Can Sell Vacuum Cleaners

Remember Trading Spaces? That show that used to be on TLC where people swapped houses and redecorated rooms? I have no freaking idea about the show that replaced it, but what we miss most about the old TS are the people. Those who are walking zombie-like around the hostless landscape of the post-Paige Davis TS are doppelgangers for the real stars of the show.

Take for example this lady. You will remember Genevieve Gorder as the very blonde, very buxom, very crafty designer of many great rooms. Along the way she became the spokesperson for Swiffer. Six months or so ago, Swiffer was all set to roll out the new Sweep Vac, but ran into some recall snafus and an entire ad campaign with Genevieve was trashed. Well, the bugs are out of the vac, and Gen rides again with her most appealing commercial to date for the Swiffer folks. Here's a teaser image; more to come next week sometime when I get back from a couple of days R&R. (Today was the first day of my summer break. I trimmed my lawn and changed the oil and washed and cleaned out my van. That's a big accomplishment for the first day.)

New Blog

Of all the years to pick to be a rookie at Stamford, why did it have to be the year Amy Reynaldo buzz-sawed through the joint, winning B and dashing all my hopes for top rookie? Read her blog, just started this morning, and see what other interesting stuff she has to say about crosswords and other matters.

Puzzle Update

The August 2005 Games should now be on newsstands. Look for my latest published puzzle, "In The Chips" on page 19.

It was announced this week that The New York Times will now be paying out the highest rates in the puzzle industry as of July 3 - $125 for a 15x15 daily, and $600 (!) for a 21x21 or 23x23 Sunday. When Will Shortz was appointed puzzle editor of the Times in 1993, these rates were a mere $50 for a daily and $150 for a Sunday, so Will is cognizant of the fact that the Times puzzles are the best in the business and their constructors should be so compensated.

I found out from Will in the process of congratulating him on the rate raise that my first NYT puzzle will be appearing within a few weeks (as coyly noted a few weeks ago). When I get a definite date, I will let you know.

Personal to S.A.

The little flaps on the shirt go under the tie.

(Hope someone translates that little fashion tip.)

#6892: Oh, So Close

Pedro Martinez has been the most exciting pickup on the Mets, and once again he has delivered a solid victory. Unfortunately, along the way, he gave up two hits and took his no-hitter into the seventh inning.

I am dead solid convinced that if anyone is going to break this 43-year curse, it's got to be Pedro.

PARTY TIME

Of course, I said the party doesn't begin until I sell a crossword to the New York Times....

Come See The Tacks

Never too early to get out and playing for the people again, so the mighty Brass Tacks Orchestra takes its act to the people this Wednesday, June 1, 2005 for a free outdoor concert at Veterans Park in Bayville, just off Exit 77 on the Garden State Parkway. 6:00 p.m. (the concert was part of a rally for Gubernatorial candidate Robert Schroeder).

The Tacks will also be at Barnegat Docks for July 4 (fireworks thereafter) and at the Ocean County Library in Toms River on Saturday, July 23, as part of the Carousel of Music. This is always one of our best concerts of the year so come out and enjoy. (Don't forget about the Dover Township Municipal Band every Friday night in July and August, an Ocean County tradition.)

The Sea Oaks Father's Day Dinner Dance has been CANCELLED. We will be appearing next at Sea Oaks on July 15.

Puzzled Yet?

Puzzles by yours truly are beginning to take over the world. Besides pending puzzles for Games (August 2005) and Los Angeles Times (date TBA), I've just been informed that I'll be making my USA TODAY debut on Wednesday, July 27.

Sweeps Marred By Paramount TV

And with the "American Idol" finale in the books, our long national nightmare - otherwise known as the May 2005 Sweeps - is now over. (Granted, we still have the "Street Smarts" tournament finale at 4 a.m., but everyone will be asleep by then.)

What was the low point of the Sweeps? Paramount Television has to be called on the carpet for its extensive coverage of the wedding of child rapist Mary Kay Letourneau to her victim. I saw nothing romantic or fairytale about the whole thing. M.K.L. was a teacher who violated one of her students. This does not redeem what she did.

And Paramount's sponsorship of their nuptials - they will deny it up and down, but I'll bet they covered everything from the cheesy wedding band to the stale coldcuts that were served at the reception - almost screams out for a boycott of their programs by anyone who thinks that this is helping our nation's moral fabric go straight to hell.

Anyone remember when "Entertainment Tonight" used to cover ENTERTAINMENT? Me either.

And speaking of newlyweds, CBS, please, no more "Rob and Amber" ANYTHING. Don't put them on "Big Brother" with Mrs. Les Moonves, or anything else of the sort.

It's Carrie

We breathed a collective sigh of relief. The country girl from the midwest bested the stars-n-bars Southern rocker, but we got a pretty good show in the process as all of the finalists were paired (or tripled) off with (we're told) their own idols to perform duets. Some rang pretty true: Bo's take on "Sweet Home Alabama" with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Carrie joining up with Rascal Flatts. We're still pretty darn convinced that Vonzell Solomon would have been a great Idol after her duet with Billy Preston on "With You I'm Born Again".

We applaud the selection of Carrie Underwood because we're still smarting over last year's selection of Fantasia Barrino over Diana DeGarmo. It wasn't a very good year for the 2004-model Idols as neither made much of a dent on the music map. (I think William Hung got more work than either of them put together.) Compare that to past Idols like Kelly Clarkson and '03 runner up Clay Aiken (both of whom are coming to Toms River this summer - check this out), who are still on a lot of people's lips. But we're looking forward to a fresh voice on the country scene and hope to hear some great stuff from Carrie Underwood.

AI: Who Will Win?

Other bloggers have been chiming in on who they think is going to win "American Idol" tonight - we're still waiting for a prediction from fellow crossword constructor Stella Daily, who's been following the competition for some time (she's a singer herself). Up until last night, I really thought Bo Bice was going to take it. Now it seems to be a tossup.

Bo sang well, but his material was a little on the dreary side. While Carrie had some good songs (including a Martina McBride cover), her pitch was all over the place.

I had to keep in mind what I'd been telling my sixth-grade students the other day during their auditions for their positions in intermediate school band next year - you're going to be nervous during an audition. Some of the AI advisors (as I call Randy, Paula and Simon - they don't really sit in judgement and don't really have a sway over who ultimately gets in) had read the nerves on both contestants' faces, including the usually unflappable Bo.

If Vote For The Worst is to be believed, tonight's winner will be Carrie Underwood. And in some small measure, I agree. But neither of the two finalists are going to be poorer for the experience; both will get record deals in some way. And my favorite, Vonzell, already had a small album out; someone's gotta get that one bigger distribution, or at least a chance to record some new stuff now that she's been through the "Idol" finishing school.

Why I Won't Be Watching The Indy 500 This Year

Mostly because I'm marching in a parade, but I'm a little taken aback by all this media fuss over Danica Patrick.

Where oh where were you people when Sarah Fisher was in the same situation just a few short years ago? She was at Indy. She even won a pole for one Indy Car race. But here comes the infinitely more marketable (read "prettier") Danica, who is driving for owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman, and everyone wants a piece of her now.

With Sarah in NASCAR now (she's racing the 20 car in the Grand National West series), we'll likely be reading about Sarah winning her fifth Daytona 500 years from now. And then I will say "Told you so."

UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star recently interviewed Sarah, who is going to be tangentially involved with the 500 (as a spotter for a driver whose chief mechanic is Sarah's boyfriend). Her thoughts on Danica Patrick? "When I first started in these things, it was my first job right out of high school. I was just kind of thrown in. I'm happy that (a woman) finally has the opportunity to step in with first-class equipment. I just wish it was me."

So do we, Sarah.

Who Wants To Win An Emmy?

Sure, she's already got a shelf full of them for hosting "The View", but Meredith Vieira has definitely arrived with her Emmy win tonight for hosting the daytime version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".

Oh, there was plenty of hue and cry when she was picked, but she was right for the role from the start, and with 585 episodes already in the can, she's going back for at least a few seasons more. Of course, someday ol' Dave will be sitting across from Meredith getting questions (and a kiss at the end - who doesn't get a kiss from Meredith upon leaving the show?)

The picture, by the way, is not a trick photo - it is from when Meredith actually played a celebrity episode of the ABC version of the show.

More Puzzles From Dave

We wish to apologize for problems with the Blog over the past few days. Every so often, the Falkland machine hiccups and forgets we have Blogger to deal with, and we have to tell it we're here. (This was a similar to a problem we had once when our former host had a hardware failure.)

I do have some good news, and it's not that I saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. (Believe me, I tried to get Geico when it became available in NJ, but that fell through for reasons I care not to recount.) I will be having some more crossword puzzles published. Two more for Games Magazine! I'm becoming part of the furniture over there. Run, don't walk, and get the July issue of Games World Of Puzzles to do my 15x called "Celebrity Pantry." And I have one coming in the August 2005 Games Magazine. Don't forget, my LA Times puzzle is coming soon (and I'll let you know as soon as Rich Norris puts it on the schedule).

When I finally crack into the NY Times, we will have a party somewhere to celebrate. You'll learn more if it happens.

No Phishing Allowed

When banks I don't even have an account with start sending me mail on my otherwise unpublished address to update my "account" information - including such private details as my mother's maiden name and my social security number - then it's time to change my private e-mail address.

Therefore, within the next several weeks, if you regularly correspond with me, you will be given a brand-new top-secret e-mail address to use - and it will no longer be on the davemackey.com domain. In fact, we're not telling you where it is going to be... at least here. This is also in part due to the technical problems we've been having of late (See above post).

Moving The Neck Further Down The Bottle

We note with bemusement Governor Codey's just-revealed plan to install a third traffic lane on the Garden State Parkway between Exit 80 in Toms River to Exit 63 in Manahawkin.

All this does, IMHO, is moves the traffic bottleneck down further. Right now, it's a zoo getting off the parkway in Exit 80, just before the final three-lane stretch merges down to two, anytime in the evening, most of all a Friday evening when the parkway becomes rife with bennies. It's the residents of Manahawkin and Long Beach Island that are going to feel the inconvenience when their third lane disappears, sometime in the early part of the next decade.

Why not just widen the damn thing all the way down to Atlantic City? Much of the Parkway traffic now is tour buses and others wanting to get down to that gambling mecca.

"Move On Up"

I've never been a big fan of the ageless technique of co-opting songs for use in ads. That said, I'd like to publicly chide Toyota for taking Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up" and turning it into possibly the next "Nobody But Me" (classic song turned into a commercial pass-around). Everyone's gonna glom onto this song, and that's pretty sad, considering it's one of Mayfield's lesser-known treasures. I'm not sure I wanna hear it every five minutes in commercials touting gas-guzzling, too-big-for-their-own-good SUVs.

Paul Shaffer took the tune down a few keys and arranged it as bumper music (remember that?) for the Saturday Night Live Band, and later pulled it out on episodes of "Late Night With David Letterman" on nights when the Tower Of Power Horns sat in.

The only nice aspect of the whole deal is that a few bucks is going to Mayfield's estate (he died in 1999, years after an accident that caused neck-down paralysis).

#6878: Not The Day For Jae

Never mind. Jae Seo will not have a no-hitter. He gave up a two-out hit in the fifth.

#6878: C'mon, Jae!

Jae Seo has no-hit the Phillies through four. Five more innings. Fifteen more hitters. Do it, man.

WARNING

As always, any mail sent to any address at davemackey.com is subject to being discarded unread. Any sender name and subject line combination that even smacks of spam or vague content is grounds for immediate deletion. You've all been warned.

What A Wynn-derful World

Lest this become a baseball blog, we remind you that we still have our Trading Spaces Store in operation.

Soon to be added is the book Yes You Can: Home Repairs Made Easy, by veteran Trading Spaces carpenter-babe Amy Wynn Pastor. Yes, we make no bones about the fact that she is a remarkably good looking woman. But can she ever build things! And the book - which I browsed tonight at my local bookstore - is a treasure trove of hints on how to do practically everything around your house, from fixing leaky toilets to painting. It's written in a straightforward style and for you Amy Wynn fans there are plenty of pictures of your home improvement heroine. If you click on the hyperlink, you can get the book from Amazon and throw a few cents toward the continued operation of this website.

Baseball As Usual

You're the CEO of a large international corporation that does business in all corners of the world. Due to circumstances beyond your control, your employees underperform. Do you:

a) call together your COO, your CFO, your other high ranking officials, for a skull session to see what you can do, or

b) throw together a statement to give to the press saying "Enough is enough", chastise your entire staff for not acting like "true employees", and publicly call for your staff to pull it together?

That is why baseball is such a wacky business.

#6854 - Mets Come Close To That Elusive No-Hitter

As close as one can come without getting one. Aaron Heilman hurled a one-hitter - the only hit coming from Luis Castillo - against the Florida Marlenes tonight as the Mets streaked to their fifth consecutive win after starting the season with five straight losses. It was, in fact, Heilman's first complete game.

This has got to be the year. Maybe tomorrow? Pedro is going up against Al Leiter.

#6851: Pedro Comes Pretty Close

Thank goodness the Mets took one from the Braves. And Pedro Martinez was the man today as Mr. Who's Your Daddy only gave up two hits.

The no-no could come this year if Pedro keeps doing what he's doing!

"Trading Spaces" Fansite Reopens With Four New Recaps

About two years ago, your webmaster began watching a humble but growing little cable TV design show called Trading Spaces. It had an interesting premise, two neighbors swap rooms for two days and redecorate a room for $1000 or less, with the help of a professional designer and a carpenter.

In spite of our championship of the show (and a lot of good vibes from those who worked within the show), Trading Spaces was on its way to becoming one of cable's biggest hits.

Until the day that people stopped watching it.

Then the show's producers and network got pretty desperate, and started making changes to rekindle people's interest in the show. The winds of change were apparent with the beginning of this season, where there were now a selection of rooms to choose from and one being a jackpot bonus room worth more money, plus a more "verite" feel to the proceedings that made these new episodes a chore to recap.

Now, TLC is on the verge of premiering a new, reformatted Trading Spaces that bears only a vague resemblance to the original format, with the chief difference being that the show has lost its central guiding presence with the dismissal of hostess Paige Davis. We feel that the new TS is going down the wrong road, emphasizing homeowner/designer/carpenter conflict and the sort of pathos that typifies everything that has gone wrong with the genre (see under "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"), rather than the giddy, harmless fun of the original.

For those reasons, Dave and Robair present the new Trading Post Goes Old Skool, which will now feature highlights and recaps from the first four years of the show. It's almost as if Season 5 never happened, with the exception of one celebrity show that hews to the old format as done in Seasons 1-4. We may be expanding the site's focus to include Trading Spaces Family, which has happily stuck with all the original trappings of the 2001 vintage TS, from graphics and theme music to attitude.

We hope you enjoy our take on these older shows, many of which are no longer being aired.

Intel Presence In Computer Commercials Gets Even More Obnoxious

I think it's a co-op requirement, but for years any computer commercial that has made mention of Intel processors have always had to stop dead for five seconds so that Intel's logo animation and theme can be played.

It's gotten worse. Intel, apparently, now wants its logo to be a certain size on the screen. Mainly, MUCH LARGER. So much so, that Dell now has to move its end-of-spot tagline out of the way to make way for the Mega-Intel logo.

Makes me glad I have AMD chips in all my machines.

Crossword No. 2

My first published crossword puzzle appeared around the first of the year in the February 2005 Games Magazine.

I've just sold a second, and for the first time, it'll be in the newspaper. I will be having a puzzle within the next few months in the Los Angeles Times. This puzzle is syndicated around the country by Tribune Media Services, and is bylined so you'll open the newspaper and when you see "Puzzle by Dave Mackey" on there, you'll say, "Hey, I know that guy" or "Hey, that's my son's music teacher!" or "Hey, this puzzle is too *%?/#&@! hard!" (Actually, it'll run midweek, so it is not that hard.)

After the puzzle appears, I'll tell you what led to its creation.

Of course, we don't open the champagne around here unless and until I sell a puzzle to the New York Times.

Mets No-Hitter Watch Moves To DaveMackey.Com

I am pleased to be hosting the Mackey Bros. annual countdown (or count up) of major league baseball games since a New York Mets pitcher has thrown a no hitter. Robair hosted the count last year on his now-dormant Eggplant blog.

The last time a Met has pitched a no-hitter is ... well, NEVER. For all the great pitchers the Mets have had over the years - Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Dwight Gooden, Bobby Ojeda, and most lately Tom Glavine - no Mets pitcher has ever been able to retire all 27 batters. With Pedro Martinez on staff this year, we've got a good shot. And The Yankees will NOT be his "daddy" this year!

This is my 40th season as a Mets fan. I've waited long enough. So has Robair. C'mon Pedro! And Let's Go Mets!