O Rare Bayn Johnson!

Here's a cute sketch from "The Electric Company" which gives Short Circus player Bayn Johnson a bit of a chance to stretch out. In this Fargo North bit, Fargo (Skip Hinnant) goes on vacation and Kelly (Johnson) gets to take over. Crank (Jim Boyd) comes in and then asks Kelly to decode a message.

Johnson (born 1959) was only on "Electric Company" for two years (1973-1975) and was the replacement for Denise Nickerson. She had previously appeared on television on "What's It All About, World?" (a 1969 ripoff of "Laugh-In") and on Broadway in "Curley McDimple" (playing the title role). Almost the entire Short Circus (except for June Angela) was replaced for the 1975-1976 season and another blonde, tall, willowy Janina Mathews, was her replacement. After TEC, Bayn had a few small parts on TV series (I remember her being on "Switch") and pretty much faded from view after 1978.

Unfortunately, this clip comes from a kinescope, but I'd like to think there are nicer copies in Sesame Workshop's vault... buried under all of Elmo's fan mail.

Miss America On The Move Again

The Miss America Organization has announced today a new multiple-year deal with TLC to broadcast the pageant over the next few years, beginning with the 2008 pageant on January 26.

CMT opted not to continue broadcasting the pageant after horrible ratings the last two years, which not coincidentally were the first two the pageant originated from Las Vegas.

TLC has been a network desperately in search of an identity. Once known as "The Learning Channel", the network then went through a few phases. One was the "let's rip apart our house and redo it" phase, spearheaded by the show "Trading Spaces", a few years of which we actually chronicled here at davemackey.com, until the show got too big and too full of itself. "Trading Spaces" is now dead, killed partly by its former carpenter, Ty Pennington, who added mawkishness to the mix with his "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"; suddenly, it, "While You Were Out", "In A Fix", "Town Haul" and the like were all off the air.

TLC seems now populated by a weird mix of Teutuls, Roloffs and tattoo artists, plus the occasional appearances by grotesquely obese people and Clinton and Stacy. Now, we add Miss America to the mix - and TLC is going to hop on that one big time with a planned reality show about the pageant.

Ugh! I remember when Miss America only required three hours of our time once a year - and came to you live from the sun and fun capital of New Jersey, Atlantic City! Now it's out in Vegas and people don't seem to care. Even the Miss America Walk near the new outlet shops stops somewhere around the time Ron Ely started hosting the pageant, sidestepping that whole Vanessa Williams thing (oddly, losing that crown kicked her career in high gear).

TLC, how's this? MOVE THE FREAKING PAGEANT BACK TO ATLANTIC CITY! That's the only thing that can save it. And you.

Late Addition to the Music Calendar

Tomorrow, at the Holmdel Community United Church of Christ, I will be duetting on "How Great Thou Art" with my partner in all things, Ms. Tracy Meyer. Service starts at 10:00 a.m.

756*

The Record Book

Home Runs, Lifetime
Barry Bonds................ 756 *
Hank Aaron................. 755
Babe Ruth.................. 714

* Record achieved with the use of steroids.

"It's Madison Time! HIT IT!"

So happens that ABC Family aired the original "Hairspray" film last night, complete with the "Madison Time" sequence that does not appear in the new movie. (A version is in the Broadway musical, with Corny calling the dance moves.)

Here's a clip from the 1988 movie, cut off during Eddie Morrison's call of the Wilt Chamberlain basketball step. That's a younger and portlier Ricki Lake playing Tracy. If you can read choreography notation, here's how you can do The Madison at home, complete with all the steps for all the custom moves, from the Cleveland Box to the big strong Jackie Gleason.

It's interesting to note that The Madison did not originate in Baltimore, but rather in Columbus, Ohio.

7264: Unravelin' Glavine

Well, all Milwaukee was abuzz as to whether Tom Glavine would get his 300th win last night, but when the Brew Crew tied up the game, the point became sadly moot.

Note to Bill Webb: Cool it with the reaction shots of Mrs. Glavine.

Tom Terrific II tries again Sunday in Chicago to join the 300 club.

7263: Only Four Words

Bite Me, Ronnie Belliard.

The Cult Of The "Wilhelm Scream"

I didn't know such a thing existed until I saw this clip... it's kind of a secret joke among sound editors in Hollywood. I'll be listening to movies a little more closely for it, now that I know what it is.

Tssss! More "Hairspray"

As a music arranger, I find articles about the process quite fascinating, so here is an interview with Marc Shaiman and how he created the score and those incredible orchestrations for "Hairspray" I talked about in yesterday's post. (A couple of nasty words should not stop you from reading this.) Shaiman, of course, wrote the songs for the musical with his partner Scott Wittman.

BTW, if you recognize the name, Marc Shaiman was sort of an adjunct member of the SNL Band in the late 80's, playing piano and arranging medleys for the Sweeney Sisters sketches featuring Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn.

"Hairspray": Some More Thoughts

I went to a matinee of "Hairspray", the new musical film, with the girls yesterday (as alluded to in the previous post). Part of the fun of these movies is trying to find things that don't quite mesh chronologically. In the first five minutes of the film, I found the first one as a 1963 Chevrolet Bel-Air whizzed by, a car that would not have been made yet in the spring of 1962. And then, later on, in Motormouth Maybelle's record store, there's a copy of Junior Walker's "Road Runner" album, which the sax great didn't record until 1966. Robair thinks some of the songs on Corny Collins' countdown board came out after the events of the movie transpired, and may not ever have charted together as a group... we'll have to wait until the DVD comes out to break that down.

Whose performances was I impressed with? Well, I always get a kick out of Christopher Walken, who's playing Tracy's dad in this film (and taking over from Jerry Stiller, who's moved over into another role in the new movie). Michelle Pfeiffer is great as well as the TV station manager and she and Walken have a great number together. Allison Janney was very funny as the mom of Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes). Some of the young performers were good too such as Jason Marsden (who played Corny Collins), Brittany Snow, and star Nicole Blonsky. Bynes, as Penny, got off some good lines and did some of her trademark pratfalls. Elijah Kelley played the guy Penny falls for, driving a lot of the plot of this film.

But John Travolta? My goodness, 30-some years after "Moment by Moment", he STILL looks like Lily Tomlin! And in drag and a fat suit, he looks like a bloated Lily Tomlin! I'm sorry, I just couldn't get that image out of my head. But he did dance pretty well, shaking his prosthetic ass for the camera. (And that's probably the only time you'll ever see that phrase on this blog. Bottle this moment in time.)

The songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman were great. These songs have worked on Broadway for several years and they sound much bolder on the big screen (and have the benefit of some great orchestrations). (Shaiman, Wittman, director Adam Shankman, and original "Hairspray" star Ricki Lake - not looking anything like the chunky Tracy of '88 - all had cameos in the film as talent agents.)

The one thing I miss about this new version? "It's Madison Time! HIT IT!"

Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks.... Ohio! (hio, hio, hio)

As I'm sure you've heard by now (because you're surfing legit news sites rather than going blogging), Drew Carey has accepted the hosting vacancy at "The Price is Right", after an extensive search that saw many legitimate contenders (and Rosie O'Donnell) vie to tread the sacred ground of the Bob Barker Studio at CBS, long corded mike in hand, presiding over pricing games and Showcases.

How does this corner feel about it? Great! We've been watching Drew in action for years both as sitcom actor and as host of "Whose Line Is It Anyway", but now he gets to interact with real people trying to win prizes. The deal was literally finalized as Drew was preparing to go on air with David Letterman earlier this evening, so the Letterman crowd was the first to hear the announcement that Drew is now the Plinko Master.

How's poor ol' Nikki Blonsky, so wonderful in "Hairspray" (which I saw today), gonna follow that? Perhaps signing on as one of Carey's Cuties?

Another All-Star Perpsective

...from one who was there. Our longtime pal Harry McCracken, whose offices at PC World are just three blocks from AT&T Park, was at the All-Star Game and got some nice pictures. It's whetting my appetite for visiting the ballpark, which I will do in late August as part of my West Coast trip.

WSOP In A Bit Of A Decline...

Where did all the players go? There are some 2400 less players involved in this year's Main Event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Fittingly, this year's first prize has been reduced, too, from the record-breaking $12,000,000 of last year to this year's relatively measly $8,250,000.

Possibly because of the prohibitively high buy in ($10,000) without even the guarantee of making the money. Or perhaps because online poker is in decline because of questions of its legality, and there are correspondingly less Chris Moneymaker rags-to-riches stories.

I used to play online poker, never for money, just for fun. But I stopped, because I knew that eventually it would lead to me playing for money. And that's a little sick - gambling from home, without the social element.

OTOH, Tracy and I really cleaned up a few weeks ago at the 3-Card Poker tables.... at a casino, with live dealers and people watching. Lots more fun than winning at home.

Please note: if you are one of my impressionable younger readers, please realize that gambling is an ADULT ACTIVITY.

All Star Game Recap

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

JACK FM is The New New Coke

It's such a good analogy, I wish I'd thought of it. But Phlash Phelps, morning guy at XM 6, came up with it out of the clear blue this morning on his show. And he's right.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, CBS Radio has decided to return WCBS-FM New York to its classic oldies format that it had for 33 years before making the JACK FM switch in June 2005.

The format is going to be a little more strictly defined, starting with The Beatles Invasion and ending with songs from the late 80's. No early Elvis, no early 50's R&B. But there should be plenty of Motown.

Dan Taylor has signed on as morning man (supported by two other station veterans, newsman Al Meredith and weather forecaster Irv "Mr. G" Gikofsky) while station mainstay Bob Shannon has signed back on board to do Bill Brown's old midday shift. Broadway Bill Lee will do PM drive. CBS will flip the switch on the restored station on Thursday at 1:01 p.m.

WHAT? You want me to explain New Coke, too? (These kids today...)

The Summer Of Woody

In a busy summer with lots of good cartoon releases out there (starting with today's release of the complete Batfink series), Woody Woodpecker is not to be denied. Universal is going to be presenting a DVD set of the first several years of Woody Woodpecker cartoons, including all of his 1940's cartoons and some from the early 1950's, after producer Walter Lantz' brief sojourn at United Artists and subsequent temporary closure of the studio. (Many of Woody's friends will be onboard as well.) This will be released on Tuesday, July 24. (Universal, of course, previously released many of these cartoons on 8mm film through its Castle Films subsidiary - remember those? If you do, you're probably my age or older!)

In honor of said release, StoryMakers Studio is going to be mounting a special tribute to Woody and Walter on Wednesday, July 11, 2007. It is a free event at Mann's Chinese Theater. Please visit this site for more information about this special event, which will include the participation of June Foray, Leonard Maltin, Billy West, Maurice LaMarche, and animator Phil Roman. If you can't make the event you'll be able to see it online. More details at that site.

Thanks, CBS, But I'll Pass

Even if the annoying Julie Chen (whose husband runs the network - NEVER FORGET THAT whenever you watch her) weren't running the show, I'd steer clear of this year's "Big Brother" for this very reason:

On premiere night, Thursday, July 5 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), Houseguests will learn that some of them will be sharing the house with an enemy, a rival or someone with whom they have unfinished business -- in short, someone from their past who they had hoped never to see again or someone with whom there is an extreme amount of tension.

Nothing like light, happy summer viewing, huh, CBS? My TV's staying off, as promised.

Class Trip In Session

Haven't plugged Class Trip, five-piece band led by two former bandmates of mine, Jesse Frack and Mary Buck, in a while, so go to their website to see what they're up to. Most immediately, they will be at the Lighthouse on Route 9 in Waretown tomorrow evening.

I think we last mentioned Class Trip in this blog when I sat in with them one night at the old Caffrey's Silverton Hub (long gone, replaced now by Mulligan's).

So When IS Batfink Being Released, Anyway?

Shout! Factory is still maintaining a July 3 street date while Amazon is still posting a July 10 date. We'll see when it shows up in my mailbox, as part of a massive order of Five Cartoon Videos You Can't Do Without This Summer.

I'd still like to see Shout! Factory hire the guy who writes its ad copy for its website. Or at least acknowledge where the hell the words came from in the first place. Where I work, we call that... um.... plagiarism....

7234 - This One Hurts. A Lot.

The Mets have yet again lost their first no-hit opportunity for one of their pitchers, this time off a cheap-ass Scott Rolen infield hit.

Glavine will yet lead us to the promised land.

Dr. Luke Has Left The Building

And that building is the GE Building, where "Saturday Night Live" is produced 20 weeks out of the year. Dr. Luke, of course, is guitarist Lukasz Gottwald, whose career as songwriter and producer (think "Since U Been Gone" for Kelly Clarkson) has now overtaken playing in the late night show's band. So, after ten years, the guitar chair is vacant again.

The foregoing is not based on any inside information, but just wishful, fannish thinking (even a 46-year-old is entitled to such thoughts).

G.E. Smith needs to reclaim his birthright and get back in the band.

When G.E. was hired as the guitar player in 1985, the band suddenly had a face and a personality. So much so that he was named co-musical director (with Cheryl Hardwick) the next year. The band was moved to center stage and director Davey Wilson did bumpers after almost every show segment with the band, something unheard of up to that point. G.E. and his bass player, the trusty Tom Wolk, were as much a part of the fabric of the show as Dana Carvey and the late Phil Hartman, the show's hot comics of the time.

Take away G.E. beginning in the 1995 season, and the band loses that. (Do you even remember who replaced Geege that first year? It was Jane Getter for a couple of weeks, then Yoshiko Hirashige.)

We'll see how this all plays out in late September, but of course, the ultimate decision is with those entrusted with SNL's music heritage, Lenny Pickett and Leon Pendarvis.

The Last Remnant Of The Swing Revival

Yes, unfortunately, the Swing Revival is pretty much dead. Just don't tell Brian Setzer.

The artist who made the biggest waves of the mid-late 90's swing music revival with a regulation-size big band and a huge revival of Louis Prima's "Jump, Jive an' Wail" is set to tour again during the Holidays with his Christmas show. The only New Jersey stop this year is at the Count Basie Theatre on November 20. (No House of Blues this year. Sorry.)

Not only that, but Setzer is also busy wrapping up a new BSO album tentatively titled "Cuttin' Classical" (EDIT: eventually titled "Wolfgang's Big Night Out" featuring arrangements by the legendary Frank Comstock) in which the big band tackles more classical music, in the vein of "The Nutcracker Suite" (which was actually based on a Frank Comstock arrangement for Stan Kenton). Then he's going to tour with the Stray Cats. That's right - Setzer is back with Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom to give you that 80's groove and the rockabilly you crave.

I've actually lost track of how many times I've seen the Brian Setzer Orchestra. I'm thinking six, the most recent of which was with Tracy at the House of Blues last December. I even went to go see them while recovering from one of my retina surgeries, in 1998. It was my first time back behind the wheel since my surgery. It's a miracle I didn't get into an accident because my driving wasn't as sharp as usual - try it with one eye and you'll see why - but the show was great and we all had such a great time it was worth the risk.

But you will enjoy the holiday shows. The Setzer group is as tight as ever with many key personnel still around like Bernie Dresel, Spazz, Rob Hioki (kickass bass trombonist) and background vocalist Julie Reiten (who, not coincidentally, is the current Mrs. Brian Setzer).

School's Out For Summer

Yes, we made it through another year. Of course, now you'll start seeing back-to-school ads.

This website will be taking two vacations: one at the end of June, and one at the end of August. So don't freak out if the No-Hitter Count has not been increased. (Of course, it would help if the Mets started actually winning games again.)

The June vacation has been scrapped. Sorry, you gotta put up with me.

Didn't Like "The Sopranos" Finale?

Could have been a lot worse were it on broadcast TV, says Ken Levine.

Mets: Now It's Your Turn

Justin Verlander has just pitched a no-hitter for the Detroit Tigers. It is the first no-hitter for the Tigers in 23 years.

Mets fans have had to wait almost twice as long as that and we're still waiting. And we're damn sick of it.

One of you Mets pitchers want to step up and prevent more embarrassment than the 7220 games we've endured so far without such a feat?

I Must Have Been Desperate!

I was actually watching some of "America's Funniest Home Videos" the other night, in spite of claims I was not going to watch TV this summer. I was struck by three things:

• Tom Bergeron could host brain surgery and make it interesting. The man is simply one of the best there is.
• The video quality is much better than in years past, where ABC editors were desperately trying to bring VHS tapes up to broadcast quality. Now with digital video, you can actually see butt crack when Junior's pants fall down.
• Isn't this what YouTube is for?

Here And Now Still Fun

Played Monopoly Here And Now again tonight.

Won again when everyone wound up landing on my hotel-adorned Times Square.

Mark Evanier Gives Two Guys The Finger

Sounds like something I did in 1982.

But we're actually talking about the annual Bill Finger Award, bestowed on two comic book writing legends. The award is named for the original writer of Batman comics.

This year's recipients are the late Gardner Fox and the very much alive George Gladir. Fox was a fellow writer for National Comics along with Finger, while Gladir still contributes stories for Archie Comics and is bearing down on fifty years service with the company, and for many of those years he was the head writer for Cracked Mazagine.

And just a thought. Wouldn't it have been nice to make it an all-Archie parlay and give the award designated for the deceased comics writer to Frank Doyle? Man, back in the day there was nothing like a good Archie story written by Doyle and drawn by Dan DeCarlo or Harry Lucey.

Playing With The Kids

Last week, when I told Frank Hughes I was coming to the High School North jazz ensemble concert, he had a proviso - "wear a loud shirt and bring your horn." Hmm. Guess I'm going to be watching from the stage, I thought.

When I got to HSN at 7:00 pm, correctly dressed and presumably a half hour early, I found the whole band on stage, ready to go. Whoops! Bungled the time. I did get my horn out and Frank pulled me the third trombone book (as this group only has two bones, the whole rationale for Frank having me sit in).

We had a wonderful concert. Some of the kids are great soloists, and you could hear Frank's voice choke up as he was having to introduce his four-year players for the final time. Frank's daughter Kelly sang some songs, including the familiar Natalie Cole version of Milton Delugg's "Orange Colored Sky" that we in the Brass Tacks regularly cursed, and a gorgeous new version of "My Funny Valentine" arranged by the great Dave Wolpe. Frank even got out his trumpet and took a solo turn on "What Is Hip?", the classic by Tower of Power, bolstered by a number of HSN band alumni including sax player Frank Hughes Jr.

None of my former students were in the group (maybe in a few years that will change), but I did recognize one of Fred Oltarzewski's boys on bari sax (I actually go way back with the Oltarzewskis, knowing Fred's brother John since high school) and of course the massively talented Neil Foglio on standup and electric bass.

It was a fun night. Frank, thanks for the opportunity, and see you at the races!

7210: What Might Have Been!

Okay, so Mr. El Duque gave up a couple of first inning hits. But he was brilliant after that, and the only other hit was given up by Smith when he went into relief of Hernandez. If Mr. El Duque hadn't given up those two hits in the first, the Mets might have had a chance at the big no-no that has now eluded them for 46 seasons.

HEY RUSSO! Your beloved Giants couldn't get it done against the Mets! Isn't it time you saw the writing on the wall?

The Mark and Earl Show

Two of the funniest and media-savvy guys to ever write for TV and cartoons have been Mark Evanier and Earl Kress. They've both been working steadily in TV and comics since the early 1970's. (Kress even wrote a few episodes of "The Oddball Couple" - unbeknownst to me, I thought he was a grizzled old vet up there with all those other guys like Dave Detiege and Bob Ogle, but in fact it was his first TV writing credit.)

They will be commandeering Stu's Show on Shokus Internet Radio this Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific. Mark and Earl are scheduled to address many topics, including some that are actually addressed by this website. Be sure to tune in if you're anywhere near the Internet tomorrow.

Rest In Peace, Charles Nelson Reilly

Some News

Well, I don't have to cancel PC World Magazine now! Everything is back the way it was!

Happy Birthday, Duke

John Wayne . . . doesn’t represent The American Man only because he was tall, rugged, straight-talking, confident and impatient. Or because the only person you could imagine having a beer with him might be General Patton. No, his real qualification, often overlooked, is that he understood that life is one long to-do list. That’s what American Men do. They live and die figuring out ways to cross items off. It’s their quintessential trait.

New York Daily News columnist David Hinckley has got it right on target as usual. Happy 100th birthday, John Wayne.

Things To Read Between Innings

Mike Bauman on why the Mets are so much better than the Yankees these days.

From a recent issue of Newsweek, the transformation of Barry Bonds as recounted by George Will.

Maybe I'll Turn Off My TV Earlier Than This Summer

With Melinda Doolittle gone from "American Idol" - who I had picked from the start, and Cheryl Burke and that guy she was dancing with from "Dancing With The Stars" - who I had picked from the start - I better stay away from the races this summer.

Cut To The Chase

Someone at DePatie-Freleng must have thought spy films were good fodder for cartoon plots, and this forms the basis of the final theatrical Road Runner cartoon, "Sugar And Spies" (1966). Still not even close to the finesse of the Jones efforts, this is better than the Rudy Larriva cartoons talked about earlier on this blog. Directed by Robert McKimson and actually made on the DePatie-Freleng lot by the regular DePatie-Freleng crew, it's one of the few DFE cartoons to have an actual score (as opposed to stock cues) by Walter Greene, whose composing skills were given more of a workout over at Walter Lantz. I apologize for the Spanish soundtrack... don't quite know how to get that off. But the intrusions are blissfully few. Here it is. (Thanks to Harry for helping me fix the autoplay problem)

I'm Turning Off My TV This Summer. Here's Why.

Today is the beginning of what we call in the TV biz the "Fall upfronts", which are advertiser presentations which double as the networks' announcements of their Fall schedules. NBC goes first today, ABC goes Tuesday, CBS goes Wednesday (and at that time, CBS would be wise to let the cat out of the bag as to who's hosting "The Price Is Right" in the fall), and The CW and Fox go Thursday.

It's a safe bet, then, that the networks are going to begin peppering us as to which of their fall shows will be the big hits. [ABC has started already flogging its new sitcom "Cavemen". STOP IT NOW.] Sometimes the ruse works ("My Name Is Earl" was flogged by NBC all summer in 2005 and once it got on the air it became a big hit), sometimes it doesn't (CBS' "Smith" which ran, what, two episodes?), but it's always annoying, especially to those of us (e.g. teachers) who don't like to have the start of Fall any sooner than it already is. Therefore, once the final new episode airs this Spring, the TV goes off. I'm probably even cancelling my cable too. So there.

And ditto to you retailers who similarly want us to buy our back to school things in early July.

LET ME ENJOY MY SUMMER!

The End Of The Gilmore Girls

John Ford, an old radio colleague of mine from the bad old days at Y107, called it a mile away.

Yeah, But Throwing Money At The Problem Never Works

Listen to this audio package that hearalded Roger Clemens' return to the Yankees. You'll probably think when you listen to this, "When did Rosie O'Donnell start broadcasting Yankees games?"

(Well, okay, it's actually Suzyn Waldman. Suz, honey, lay the heck off the caffeine, okay? And John Sterling, we can do without your "Thuhuhuhuhuhuh Yankees Win" call. Shut up.)

RANT

As the release of "The Simpsons" movie draws closer, I often wonder how much of that promotional artwork signed by Matt Groening is actually drawn by him. I'm thinking zero.

/RANT

A public service of davemackey.com

Something A Little Happy To End April On

Check this out. This is the Buddy Rich memorial concert from the mid-80's, and here's Dave Weckl sitting in with them on the Rich chart of "Mercy Mercy Mercy". At least he knows the chart!

Here's That Rainy Day

We've just learned of the death of saxophonist and arranger Tommy Newsom this past Saturday. He was the butt of many of Johnny Carson's jokes, but man could he play that saxophone. This was from perhaps his last TV appearance, in January of 2005, shortly after the passing of Carson. David Letterman paid tribute to the man he almost replaced by bringing in Newsom on tenor sax, Doc Severinsen on fluegelhorn, and Ed Shaughnessy on drum set - three "Tonight Show" band veterans - as well as a full string section, on Johnny's favorite song, "Here's That Rainy Day". If I'm not mistaken, I think this was arranged by Newsom. Please enjoy.



(Newsom, of course, was one of many fine musicians who populated the Tonight Show Band. You also had Ernie Watts and Pete Christlieb in the sax section, the trumpets were led by Snooky Young and Conte Candoli, and Gil Falco led the trombones. A very tight sound!)

7178: As Far As You Can Get From A No-Hitter

Five Mets pitchers scattered a grand total of 20 hits in the 11-5 debacle attended in person by the Mackey Brothers today. Cruddy weather and subpar expensive food - plus seats under the canopy in the Loge - combined to make this one of our least memorable ballpark experiences. Perhaps we should wait for Citi Field to be finished?

7178: See You There!

Yes, Dave and Robair will be at Wednesday's Mets game, against the Colorado Rockies. I think Pelfrey's going for the Mets that day. Of course, the weather could change things... stay tuned.

WHAMMY HEX DON'T WORK!

current mood: what do you think?

7171: Maine Flirts, While Buehrle Flirts Harder

As we remind you every day here at davemackey.com, the New York Mets have never thrown a no-hitter. And this is one of the nights where it could really hurt.

John Maine took his no-hitter into the seventh inning before being broken up by the Florida Marlins' Miguel Cabrera.

And in Chicago, Mark Buehrle is about to take his no-hit bid in the ninth inning. As a Mets fan who's never tasted the glory of this rare baseball feat, I have no choice but to put on the whammy hex. See you in a few with the results.

A Black Mark In Warner Bros. Cartoon History

Perhaps the only Warner Bros. cartoons not worthy of the name were the Road Runner cartoons produced by Format Films (acting as subcontactor for DePatie-Freleng Enterprises) under the mis-direction of Rudy Larriva. (They were bracketed by two far better cartoons actually produced at DePatie-Freleng with Bob McKimson directing.)

As his April Fool's joke, animation scholar Thad Komorowski has given us a pretty good overview of why Larriva's work is so rank. Sure, Larriva had at least one of Chuck Jones' animators aboard (Bob Bransford), but the other artists - which at times included even the great Virgil Ross - couldn't make a silk purse out of a coyote's ear. To borrow from my WB filmography, "Watch these cartoons and you'll know that WB censored the wrong 11 films!"

Larriva Road Runner
Uploaded by thadk

A Day At Millionaire: Update

My last green-room friend, Pittsburgh public radio personality Katherine Fink, played her game today and won... $8,000. I was hoping she'd go a little further, but congrats to her. She got tripped up on a question about what the actual name of the Prisoner of Azkabam (from the Harry Potter book) was.

Also, grab a copy of today's Ocean County Observer. There's a great piece about my appearance on the show and, surprise surprise, this very website is plugged! (Bonus!)

Cell Phone And Biggest Loser Update

If you're one of those lucky few who communicates with me via cellphone, you're going to be in for a wait of about a couple weeks. I have to wait until then to get a new phone and not pay a penalty to my carrier. My current cell phone, alas, is on its way out. I have a sentimental attachment to it, because it was the last gift Nancy ever gave me before she died. I'll probably keep it, although it doesn't work as well as it used to. So be patient if I don't get back to you right away, or call me on my regular phone. I'm in the book (I think).

Also, Biggest Loser update! MC is now officially out of the competition due to her pregnancy. (Yahoo!) We don't know about TC, and TM is busy counting inches, but for me, I've lost so far a total of 16 lbs. Meaning, I'm looking a lot less like Jerry Lewis on Prednisone than I did when I was on "Millionaire", taped five months ago.

A Day At "Millionaire": 2

When last we left you, our merry band of wannabe millionaires was examining the set of the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" game show. We tested out the hot seat, taking the advice that the butt is always the first and last thing to go into or out of the chair. By this time, we're all wearing what we will be seen on TV, with one more outfit in reserve if we're called back a second time. Meredith has enough clothes for five shows and maybe more in her dressing room, all courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue.

We retreated to the Green Room and watched a tape of a memorable "Millionaire" contestant. This was the gentleman who ran a music store on Staten Island and suffered considerable property damage in a flood. He won $250,000, placing him squarely in the pantheon of "Millionaire" legends. By this time, Meredith Vieira is in her dressing room at ABC and the audience, including girlfriend Tracy, is in and getting their warmup. Lunch-type food is brought out. Our day is almost half over and we haven't even taped a single show yet.

Time was when the job of game show announcer and warmup guy were one and the same. Now, since most game shows have dispensed with the announcer position, warmups don't have to worry about reading prize copy. The warmup guy for "Millionaire" is very entertaining and puts the audience in the proper mindset to enjoy five episodes taped back-to-back. Meantime, a bunch of us are backstage taping those bumpers you sometimes see of contestants waiting to go backstage, and also promos for all contestants outside of New York City (Channel 7 does not run contestant-specific promos for the show).

Finally, 12 noon occurs, the set lights brighten, and we are on our way to taping Episodes 881-885 of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". We have an air feed in the Green Room so we can watch the shows as they're being taped. The returning contestant has a companion in the audience. When director Matt Cohen gets a shot of her, Tracy is there in the background! "She's here!" I think to myself.

Shortly after the first game commences, contestant producers randomly pick the next three players to be on deck. One of those three will again be randomly chosen to go next into the hot seat. When the pool is down to two, another one is whisked out of the Green Room. This, plus random selection of question stacks, helps keep the show from being "fixed". I'm one of the lucky ones to be called! Yahoo! I'm going to be playing the game in a few minutes. (Or so I think.)

Show 1 ends. I'm still backstage.

Show 2 ends. I'm still backstage.

Show 3 ends. I'm still backstage.

After the third show there is a union-mandated meal break for the crew, so we are treated to yet more food in the Green Room. Our continuing contestant must remain separate from the rest of us, so she's eating in the hair/makeup area.

Show 4 begins taping. Our hidey-hole is a backstage area with a small black-and-white monitor, and no mikes. We actually talk and answer questions during the taping, but no one can hear us on stage because the music and PA is so loud in the studio. There are a lot of questions I know, including one about an electronic musical instrument called the Theremin. I'm thinking... "Wow! Hope my questions are that easy...."

"The next contestant is.... DAVE!"

Showtime. Before I even have time to think, I'm out of my backstage hot seat chair, and the only thing holding me back from rushing the stage and claiming Meredith Vieira for my own is the right arm of stage manager Smith Sumroy. (His dad, Jack, did the same job 30 years ago for "The $20,000 Pyramid" for ABC. I feel his heritage.)

Smith drops his arm and I rather awkwardly lumber on the stage. Like a child who's just beginning to realize he can run. I shake Meredith's hand and land in the hot seat, butt first, just as we were told.

What you saw on TV was pretty much what happened. I can share with you this tidbit... during the Phone a Friend, you can see Meredith and I talking, and you can only hear the phone sounds. What Meredith was asking there was if Bob was my identical twin, and I replied, "Yes he is."

About 15 minutes later, it was over. My ignorance on Monegasques kept me from enjoying more money than I did. We did a pickup on one of Meredith's question reads, and then I was ushered backstage by Adam Matalon to meet Tracy and fill out some forms. Tracy greeted me with a hug and kiss and said she was proud of the job I did. I filled out some tax forms, gathered up my things, and headed back with Tracy to the Lucerne. It was a lovely fall day, more like summer. We had alfresco dinner (in the middle of November, no less) with very expensive wine. Time to celebrate. I had reached my goal of getting on "Millionaire", and I'd do it again if I could.

But I can't. I can only be on the show once.

So look out "Jeopardy!", here I come!

© 2007 Dave Mackey

Dave with his $8,000 fake check. Photo by Tracy Meyer

A Day At "Millionaire"

My "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" day began months ago, with a contestant exam at the Millionaire studios in New York City. It was late June, the summer warmth just beginning, my brain bursting with all sorts of facts. The test passed, I talk to a producer. Apparently he sees something in me that wasn't picked up on when last I passed the test, so I get the postcard telling me I'm in the contestant pool.

All through the summer, I think nothing more of the postcard, as "Millionaire" isn't to tape until August. I know that the season dates have been moved up somewhat to accomodate host Meredith Vieira's new schedule with "The Today Show" so they get a lot of their taping done before Meredith even starts on "Today". So, as September turns to October, I don't think my chances are that good of getting on.

Until Monday, October 30, when a qualifier calls to tell me that I've made the show and I'm to appear at ABC Studios in New York on November 9 for a taping. Yahoo! My girlfriend and her daughters are ecstatic. We make all the necessary arrangements with the Lucerne Hotel and gather up all the paperwork we need to satisfy "Millionaire" producers that I am indeed me.

We arrive in New York the night before, on a rainy Wednesday. I have a bit of a contretemps with a pedestrian who thinks I've intruded upon his sacred crosswalk. I mutter various anatomic-derived nicknames for the man as I finally give up trying to find a parking space in upper Manhattan and give the valet my keys.

The "Millionaire" day begins in earnest at 7:00 a.m., when about a dozen contestants gather outside the studio on West 66th Street. My cab pulls up right at 7:00. We size each other up for the first time, grateful we aren't playing each other, then are led to the Green Room, where we'll be spending a LOT of our day. Meredith Vieira, meanwhile, is trading verbal ripostes with Al Roker and Matt Lauer over at 30 Rock.

We meet with our respective contestant producers. I am assigned to the senior C.P., Darren Atlee. Great guy who really knows how to create interesting stories and craft good material for Meredith to work with. We do get to know some of the other folks. One of the associate producers has come down with a very nasty cold and is debating whether or not to call it an early day. I try to steer clear of the poor girl.

We have a nice breakfast spread in the Green Room, decorated with many pictures from "Millionaire" history. While most spot Nancy Christy, Kevin Smith and John Carpenter, I'm the only one who recognizes Eddie Timanus, the USA Today sportswriter who was the first blind undefeated champ in "Jeopardy!" history.

Rich Sirop, the show's senior producer, comes in and tells us about the rules of the game and gives us some useful hints. He also notifies us the shows taping today will air the week of April 2, 2007. And yes, Meredith Vieira is hosting today, in the wake of press reports that have indicated that Meredith is bringing in guest hosts for a few weeks this year. (I can't get any more information out of Darren as to whether the guest hosts will include the rumored Tom Bergeron, so I leave it at that.) NOTE: Tom Bergeron indeed was a guest host the week of May 14-18, 2007.

The show's attorney, Francesca Harewood, comes in and tells us of the legal ramifications of being on the show and has a whole bunch o' releases for us to sign, including the caveat that will rule my life for the next five months: I am not to reveal the outcome of any games I experience, including my own. Publicity maven Trisha Miller comes in and tells us about what kind of answers we can give interviewers, and has some more forms to fill out about what local station we watch the show on and the names of our local newspapers and radio stations.

Stage manager Adam Matalon then gives us a tour of the set, so we can see the hot seat close up and walk on that precarious-looking glass floor. He tells us our eyes should be fixed on either the screen or Meredith at all times. We are taught the specific technique to get in and out of the hot seat chair, several of which are going to be backstage for practice.

Part 2 tomorrow! Lots more to tell.

Not Quite A Million, But...

Well, the "Millionaire" experience has come and gone. Recognizing that not all markets have seen the show yet, I can't say too much more about it. However, I had a blast, and from all reports both schools I teach at were thrilled to see one of their own on a game show.

I'll be doing a radio interview tomorrow on WOBM; you can listen live at the station's website about 6:40 a.m.

Scrappy Birthday, Harry

As we always do on April 2, we wish a happy birthday to our longtime pal Harry McCracken, editor-in-chief of PC World Magazine, and proprietor of his own sites, including Scrappyland, the web's best resource on that famous Columbia cartoon character of the 1930's. Cheers to you and we're all looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco this summer!

More Millionaire Stuff...

As next Thursday draws nearer, here's another article that gets just about all the facts right... except my name!

Also, I'll be doing a radio interview sometime next week with Shawn and Sue on WOBM-FM, thanks to Kevin Williams. Way back in the day, I worked with Kevin at that station and helped out with the WOBM Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.

UPDATE: Just talked to Sue Moll at WOBM. I'll be talking on air with them on Friday morning at 6:40 a.m. You can listen online at wobm.com.

Dave Mackey Wants To Be A Millionaire!

During the week of the New Jersey teacher's convention, I uncharacteristically played hooky. I usually approach the convention with a great amount of relish, but this year I had a pretty good reason to stay away. I was in New York City taping an appearance on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", and that show will air in syndication on April 5 (next Thursday). It's been an interesting five months, but I've managed to keep the secret of how much money I won on the program. We'll talk more about it after the show has aired. In the meantime, watch next Thursday.

Asbury Park Press Article

The Mets No-Hitter Count Rides Again!

Started eons ago by Robair on his old "Eggplant" blog (remember that?), we will once again be daily updating that number you see on the left side of the main page. And hopefully not for too much longer.

2007 begins my fifth decade of being a Mets fan. And lo those many forty years, the New York Mets have deprived its fans of baseball's ultimate joy - a no-hitter. There've been a number of one-hitters, and some of the Mets pitchers came very close last year. But this is the year I'd like to see one.

Please, Mets pitchers. Bring your A game to the mound every time out so I don't have to add one to this stinking number any more.

Before Heather Mills...

Ken Jennings Says...

So what does Ken Jennings think of last night's "Jeopardy!" three-way tie? WARNING: Post includes a very cute baby picture of Ken's infant daughter Caitlin.

CompUSA To Close Most Stores

Mark Evanier weighs in with his thoughts on the CompUSA store closings. We're losing a CompUSA very close to me, in Brick, where I bought a lot of stuff over the years, including my trusty Acer notebook (which I just upgraded to Windows Vista). I like Mark's assertion that you can shop on the Internet for computer stuff and get the same amount of personal attention you get in your average CompUSA store - none.

(Disclosure: Robair worked for CompUSA, just before he got sick in 2000.)

Van For Sale

If you go to this page on eBay, you will find that I've finally decided to sell my van. I no longer have use for it and it will soon become a redundant vehicle in my household as Tracy already has a van and it gets the job done. If you have a wheelchair passenger you transport on a regular basis, it may be worth your while to check it out. This is a very nice vehicle.

Finally!

Someone who's as sick of seeing headless fat people in TV news reports as I am!

More Boop

Here's one from the period where Betty Boop was reduced to cameo appearances in cartoons starring other characters like Pudgy, Wiffle Piffle, and Grampy. Those characters were each the invention of a specific Fleischer staff animator; respectively, Myron Waldman, Tom Johnson, and Dave Tendlar. This 1938 example, produced shortly before Fleischer moved to Miami, is called "Riding The Rails" and features Pudgy, here animated by Myron Waldman and Hicks Lokey (later a fixture at Hanna-Barbera). This one has a sprightly music score featuring lighter instruments. (There was a Popeye a few years earlier that used similar instrumentation... I think it was "Let's Get Movin'" "Cops Is Always Right".) So you see, the later Boops aren't entirely worthless.

Batfink DVD Coming!

Well, someone got the hint! Shout! Factory is going to be releasing all 100 episodes of Batfink on DVD on June 19, 2007. You can order it from Amazon here... Batfink: The Complete Series

Betty Boop Shakes Those Housecleaning Blues...

She's real fine, my 409. But I don't think that's Mae Questel as Betty...

More Fun With Popeye!

More Popeye for your Wednesday morning. Here, for your enjoyment is a 1952 Popeye cartoon, "Shuteye Popeye", complete with commentary track provided by what sounds like a couple of Italians who've been up late. They even try to read the credits but don't get past I. Sparber.

What Happens When You Try To Play Popeye Cartoons In Windows Vista?

Happy Birthday, Mark Evanier!

See what Mark's up to on his big birthday!

Another Cartoon Classic Comes To Video!

How come I'm just now finding out that one of the class DVD distributors, Shout! Factory, is coming out with The Milton The Monster Show on video on March 20? This is the one we've all been waiting for and hopefully the Hal Seeger Studios crew did a good restoration job on these. Order yours from Amazon (and we get some €'s) by clicking on the monster's good name.

(P.S. to Shout! Factory: You should really hire that writer who came up with the first line of the ad copy on your site for the Milton DVD's!)

DVD Recommendation of the Day

G.E. Smith: 50 Watt Fuse is a new documentary about the session guitarist and one-time bandleader on "Saturday Night Live". He's played with practically everyone in the business and he has some great stories he'll share with you on this DVD. If you click on the link you'll be whisked right to amazon.com and we'll get a couple of cents for each one sold through here.

ABOUT TIME, MOTION PICTURE ACADEMY!

One (or rather, five or six) Brief Shining Moment

Phoenix Productions is going to be staging Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot" at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, for the next two weekends, and yours truly will be contributing to the music of this production. Come out and see it!

UPDATE: We had our first rehearsal yesterday. We had the whole cast in and were running most of the major numbers. Some good players in the pit for this one, including violinists Tina Kovacofsky (my North Dover colleague) and Allison Flynn (former student of mine at TR North) as well as John Urspruch Jr. on trumpet. It was nice to play with at least a few people I know.

Our performance schedule is this Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m., then the following Friday is a school performance at 10:00 a.m., then Saturday at 8:00, and we close Sunday at 3:00.

Now This Is Weird?

Take a look at this promo for "Matty's Funday Funnies", a 1960ish ABC compilation of Paramount cartoons, narrated by... Johnny Olson?

MATTELL SUNDAY FUNNIES
Uploaded by NilbogLAND

Fresh Bloggage

Besides the restoration of Earl Kress' blog, we've added a couple new blogs to our Blogroll. Visit them all!

• Besides being an actress, Lisa Jane Persky is an accomplished photographer and designer. She exhibits some of her work on her weblog and also has other essays. You might remember Ms. Persky from such films as "The Coneheads" and "When Harry Met Sally..."
  
  
• J. Keith van Straaten is one of those "talking heads" you see a lot on those VH1 type shows, plus he hosted up until last year a live version of "What's My Line?" that regularly sold out a 99-seat theatre in Los Angeles. He's moved on to some exciting new projects.
  
  
• And finally, Lloyd Thaxton, perhaps the last guy on earth I ever expected to have a blog, has a blog. He was responsible for a show I actually watched as a child, "The Lloyd Thaxton Show", which was a syndicated dance-party show that used the Herb Alpert tune "So What's New?" as its theme song (and I'll bet HE doesn't even remember that bit of minutae!), plus a number of quiz and other TV shows. He's won five Emmy Awards for his work.

I Know Who's Going To Win The Next "Dancing With The Stars"

Ian Ziering. Three-peat for pro partner Cheryl Burke. Take it to the bank.

THE BAT IS BACK

Forty years ago, the late Hal Seeger did one of the very few authorized parodies of the "Batman" character, "Batfink". We have a wealth of information on the cartoons here.

But the real reason for this post is to welcome that bat with supersonic sonar radar and wings like a shield of steel back to TV! Boomerang has brought the Bat and his pal Karate back for another TV go-round, airing Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00 noon for a half hour. Each show features six Batfink adventures and they are going in episode order.

We're still waiting for the DVD release here in the US... we'd love to give you more favorable news on that, but now you folks in England will have to settle for your deluxe box set.

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Platinum Blondes

Jean Harlow, dead at 26.

Marilyn Monroe, dead at 36.

Jayne Mansfield, dead at 34.

Anna Nicole Smith, dead at 39.

You consipiracy theorists are invited to take this over.

Someday...

is April 5, 2007.

Amazing Race All Stars

Just three words: Charla and Mirna. I'm there. Even though the overexposed, annoying Rob and Amber are a part of this, I hope that those two irresistable cousins walk all over their butts.

The Second Annual davemackey.com Super Bowl Ad Review (Incorporating a Biggest Loser Update)

Yes, it's the moment you've all (some?) been waiting for. What did Dave think of the Supes ads this year?

Just a little disclaimer: I went from watching the bowl on a 50" LCD HDTV last year to a smaller set in my girlfriend's TV den. I did not have access to a DVR this year to play back any commercials that either grabbed or stupefied me, so everything's on the fly this year. (Note: all spot titles are mine and unofficial.)

The best Super Bowl spot of the year is... (Drumroll...)

Bud Light "Wedding Auctioneer" (A)

The best Bud Light ads (and there were six in this year's Bowl, making it the most advertised item) start with the smallest ideas. How do you speed up a wedding to get to the Bud Light quicker: Answer: hire an auctioneer to officiate.

The other Bud Light ads ranged from just as good to "Ehhh.." in this order:

• "Face Slapping" (A-), with face slapping replacing fist bumping as a custom. I didn't count, but there must have been more slaps to the face in this one spot than in a whole week of MyNetwork TV.
• "Hitchhiker" (B+), another funny idea with a guy looking for a ride, armed with an axe and a case of Bud Light.
• "Talking Apes" (B)
• "Rock Paper Scissors" (B-)
• "ESL Class" (C+) - I marked this down due to some sad stereotyping.

FedEx "Names" (B); FedEx "Moon" (B)

FedEx ranks high because of their ideas, and "Moon" would have been a contender due to its odd length (45 seconds), but the use of tired old pop music in the background cut this one down a grade. Spots losing points for this reason also included Budweiser "Dalmatian Wannabe" (B), General Motors "Fired Robot" (D), InfoUSA/Salesgenie.com (D), and Coca-Cola "Fountain of Youth" (C)

Hewlett Packard "Chopper" (C)

TLC's Paul Teutul, Sr. shows us how computers figure into his Orange County Choppers operation, everything from bike design to bookkeeping. "And my sons download a ton of music!" This spot would have been an A if not for the annoying, gratuitous, co-op requirement at the end.

GoDaddy.com "Marketing" (F)

I go to Network Solutions for my domain names. When you buy a domain from GoDaddy, they make you buy other stuff as well (per a disclaimer). Probably adware. And the ad was horrbile. Where do they find these skanky chicks? eHarmony.com? And GoDaddy gets an F- for repeating the same spot later on. Hey, if you're gonna spend $2.6 million to be in the Bowl, BRING A DIFFERENT PIECE OF CREATIVE FOR YOUR 4Q SPOT!

Sprint Power Up Mobile Broadband (D)

Disguising your commercial as a pharmaceutical ain't funny anymore. It'll probably be grounds for an automatic deduction, like....

Toyota Tundra Pickup (C, both ads)

These two and the Doritos homemade ad (also C) automatically lose one grade for "DO NOT ATTEMPT" - proving the ultimate creators of these ads are the lawyers.

Disney "Meet The Robinsons" (D)/Lions Gate "Pride" (F)/Touchstone "Wild Hogs" (C)/MGM "Hannibal Rising" (C)

Movie trailers are actually a breed apart because they're not actually created for the Bowl, and as thus will not be considered for the Super Bowl XLII roundup. "Pride" sounds awfully deriviative, a true-story movie about black college sports. "Meet The Robinsons" - Disney, go back to cel animation, PLEASE! The others, ehh. At least they're not for movies you won't actually see until mid-August. Also in the "existing creative" department were Flomax, Snapple Green Tea (which has corn syrup as its second ingredient, so that's their deal), and T-Mobile (Barkley in an ad was a great idea).

Chevrolet "HHR" (D)

And this is what you send you kids to college for? To make sorry ads like this? In the age of YouTube, we now have rank amateurs doing the commercials, people taking their clothes off over an SUV. (Jesus God.) The NFL has similarly announced that next year's halftime entertainment will be Brookers.

Emerald Nuts "Robert Goulet" (B)

Easily Emerald Nuts' best creative yet, because they aren't trying to force their initials on us in some new "clever" way. Raise your blood sugar by eating Emerald Nuts, or else Robert Goulet will show up. (Funny, when my blood sugar is low, I get visited by Jerry Van Dyke.)

Nationwide Insurance "Kevin Federline Loses His Cred And Winds Up Working In A Fast-Food Joint, Demeaning The Entire LEGITIMATE Restaurant Industry In The Process" (D)

If only it were a good ad.

Bud Select "Shula vs. Jay-Z" (C)

Thankfully rap stars weren't as in evidence as in years past, as the NFL seeks to distance itself from that element. Jay-Z gets off Beyonce for 30 seconds so he can play a neat football game with Don Shula.

Honda "CR-V" (F)

The Bullymobile as Vegas act. It's not the second coming of Elvis. Honda did have a much better ad later in the game, its (B) effort showing cars doing the old obstacle course weave around gas pumps, effectively showing their economy.

Garmin "Mapzilla" (D)

The only ad for a gee-whiz gadget (no Wii? No Windows Vista?) should have been much better executed than it was. It looks cheap (on purpose?)

Revlon Colorist "Sheryl Crow" (F)

Damn, they got the addresses for CBS and Oxygen's traffic departments mixed up AGAIN!

Taco Bell "Taquitos" (C)

Now that it's apparently safe to eat at Taco Bell again (where's those coupons luring us back in, guys?), they give us talking lions. Ooooo-kay.

At least the game was pretty good, if one sided this year (the Colts won, in case you didn't hear), and Tracy's homemade chicken fingers (my only Super eating, considering I'm at -8 for the diet now) really hit the spot! So it wasn't a total waste of times. But clearly, Madison Avenue has to BRING IT next year, or I won't watch at all.

...And a Side of Kress With That, Please...

Earl Kress is back blogging after an almost four-month absence. Earl, a writer for television for the last thirty-some-odd years (his first credit was for "The Oddball Couple" in 1975) and an expert on animation, has a very entertaining blog.

What's Creepier?

(With apologies to former WOBM news anchor Ken Cooper, whose often thought-provoking newsroom games of "Who's Worse?" often overspilled into the ad sales and traffic departmerns)

1. The repopped Orville Redenbacher

2. "I'm Art Buchwald... and I just DIED!"

The others?

TM: No change in the weight, but her body fat percentage did go down. Good for her on that count!

TC: +2 after the first weigh in (uh oh!)

So seems like I'm winning so far. Nyeaah!

Still Losing...

Official two-week weigh in today. We are -6 from the original total, and feeling quite good. Still gotta work on getting it down further. We are far from done.

Michael Brecker 1949-2007

The sax player, one of only three people to solo over the theme song of "Saturday Night Live" over the years, has lost his battle with leukemia.

TBL, Day 3

Wednesday morning, I weighed in at -2 from the base weight. I did about 25 minutes on the treadmill and ate a little too lightly. I experienced low blood sugar in the afternoon, ate some dinner, and was out for the night at about 7:30. Will try to eat a little more substantially, but not to excess.

TM got on the scale today and did not like what she saw, but rationalized that it can only go down from there. No word from MC or TC, the other two combatants in this battle royal, just yet.

I'm A Loser... And I'll Prove It

At one of the myriad of holiday parties I attended, my girlfriend and her sister and brother-in-law agreed to a Biggest Loser contest among the four of us. In order to keep things honest, I will be posting my progress here. I'll let you know how the others do (initials only) as I find out. My inital weigh in is 234 lbs. Kind of on the chunky side, but I have been as low as 180 in my adult life and if I can get down to 200 again, I'll be pleased, but 175 would make me absolutely ecstatic. Our goal date is June, when we all convene at my girlfriend's parents' beach house on Long Beach Island. So we will see how we all do. Time to hit the treadmill!

Joe Barbera Dies

Harry McCracken has quite an acerbic take on the passing of Joseph Barbera, the more creative half of the Hanna-Barbera animation partnership formed way back in 1939.

My memories of watching the early Hanna-Barbera stuff are a little rosier... maybe when I have some more time, I'll share....

Scott Bradley Emerges From Carl Stalling's Shadow

Jerry Beck tipped me off to this CD release of Scott Bradley scores from M-G-M cartoons of the 1950's, and I immediately ordered a copy. It arrived a few days ago and I just finished listening to this massive 2-CD set. The sound quality is sparkling throughout and it includes some of the better efforts by Bradley of the period, including the funny "Pecos Pest" score featuring Shug Fisher (former member of the Sons of the Pioneers) singing for Uncle Pecos, the mouse guitar genius who always seems to be breaking strings... and looks no further than Tom's whiskers for new ones. Some of Tex Avery and Michael Lah's cartoons are also represented here. This was well worth the money!

With only 3000 copies of the CD pressed, you better act fast if you have any interest at all in cartoon music and you want this in your library.

Set Sail With PC World

What better way to spend part of your cold winter than a tropical cruise complete with computer technology lectures? It's being put on by a company called GeekCruises.com, and the media sponsor of this cruise is PC World Magazine. Editor-in-chief Harry McCracken will be among the experts to give several chats on topics such as computer freebies and the new Vista operating system. (Harry's own blog has been a little content-sparse of late... that's the price of being successful, I guess.)

"What You Do In Illinois Matters To Millions Of Americans"

I don't know about you, but I sure winced at the news stories from earlier this week that made mention of the fact that Michael J. Fox was "stumping" for double-amputee Illinois congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth.

Wait Till Next Year

After last night's crushing loss, it's going to be a long wait until next year. But wait we must. Mets in '07!

The Team. The Time. The Comeback

IF these 2006 New York Mets are a savvy bunch that has one eye cocked towards the history books, they will look to the team of 20 years ago that proved they could get it done with backs to the wall.

They will remember Game 6 against Houston, possibly the most thrilling League Championship Series game ever played, and realize that they, too are capable of coming back from elimination.

Then they will remember those 1986 Mets who came back from an even deeper hole - just one strike from being World Series losers - to win a championship against the Boston Red Sox under the most unbelievable of circumstances.

Let's get behind those Mets. I'm not thrilled at the prospects of a St. Louis-Detroit World Series.

Just a Few Quickies

• A reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please participate where possible and give to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Ladies, if you're of the age or inclination, schedule that mammogram. We've lost too many marvelous women to breast cancer, including my late wife Nancy who died a year ago this month. Chances are, someone close to you has been touched as well. So go do this.
  
• More October loss, and not of the baseball variety: one of my dogs, Princess, had to be euthanized yesterday with a potentially fatal condition. I did not want her to live and suffer, even though I felt she still had a lot of life and spunk left in her. My wife and I adopted Princess shortly after we got married. My yellow lab, Macho, remains with the household, which now stands at one man, one dog.
  
• Go Mets. Glavine pitched a great game last night and the Mets are poised to take the last game Saturday in Chavez Ravine, as the Yankees head for Tiger Town... good luck. My 40 years as a Mets fan have paid off very nicely in two world championships, but that 2000 loss to the Yankees still stings. Let's erase that stigma!
  
• Things We'd Like To See Department: Rudolph Giuliani at a Mets game.

Hooray For The "Here And Now"!

Back in July, I decried Hasbro's decisions to give the 70-year old Monopoly property trading game a makeover by changing all the place names and eventually doing away with paper money.

Well, on a whim, I decided to purchase the Monopoly Here And Now edition. (You can, too, by clicking on the link, and we get a few cents every time you do.) The prospects of more money and enhanced places (and updated graphics) seemed like it was worth checking out, so my girlfriend and I went ahead and started a game, using variants of the standard rules that seem to be used in a lot of places (such as a "Free Parking" jackpot).

This version takes you to a world original Monopoly creator Charles Darrow could never have imagined. We liked the new gameboard with photo depictions of places from Jacobs Field (the new version of Mediterranean Avenue) all the way to Times Square (this version's Boardwalk). Ever wanted to buy Disney World, or the Las Vegas Strip? Now you can. The original, as you recall, just had place names (all streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey), and spartan graphics. The paper money (no credit card system just yet in the U.S. version) has been freshened up, with denominations bumped up by $10,000, but with the same colors we're all used to (the $10,000 bill is white, while the big kahuna, now the $5,000,000 bill, is still that enticing gold color that cries out "Give me five $1,000,000 bills in trade"). Railroads have given way to airports - O'Hare, JFK, LAX, and Hartsfield. The Electric Company and Waterworks have been supplanted by the more moden "Cell Phone Provider" and "Internet Service Provider". There are new game pieces including McDonald's French Fries, a Motorola cell phone, and a New Balance running shoe. (There's still a dog.)

What my girlfriend and I got the biggest kick out of were the new Community Chest and Chance cards. You now go to Jail (do not pass "Go", do not collect $2,000,000) for identity theft or insider trading. The Get Out Of Jail Free card now reads, "You've been acquitted!" Even though the Atlantic City place names are no more, one of the good cards (I don't remember if it was Chance or Community Chest) says, "You've won a big jackpot at the Atlantic City casinos!"

It was a nice update of the game, still holding enough of the traditions of the original (including the classic rules still in place about buying property and going to jail when you roll doubles three times in a row). And, I beat my girlfriend quite nicely when she landed on my three-house Pioneer Square, Seattle - formerly New York Avenue - one time too many.

Marketing 101, Infomercial Style

Which "do this from home" babe would you rather call up?

I thought so.

The commercial on the top has been running for several months. The commercial on the bottom has been shipped to some stations/channels who find the lady's cleavage (on display virtually throughout the commercial) somewhat distracting.

Next week, we get into the mise-en-scene of Mick and Mimi...or not.

"Everybody Loves A Clown, So Why Don't You?"

This weekend is for getting silly in Seaside Heights. Although the formal festivities have been going on for a few days now, the 25th annual Clownfest kicks into high gear on the Boardwalk in Seaside today and tomorrow. I will be participating as musician in today's 2 p.m. concert with the Funny Factory Clown Band on the Franklin Avenue stage, and in tomorrow's parade on the Boardwalk as a member of the Hobo Band. Plenty of fun for all ages the next couple of days.

I've worked the Clownfest for about six or seven years now, but no Clownfest was more poignant than the one that took place in September of 2001, mere days after the September 11 terror attacks. As the world was slowly awaking from the malaise immediately after the towers fell, the clowns were there to remind us that we had a lot left to live for in a great country. It was a wonderful day that year and one of the most rewarding days I ever spent as a musician.

Now It's Your Turn, Mets

Last night, a no-hitter was thrown in the majors for the first time since Randy Johnson a couple seasons ago.

Unfortunately, that no-hitter was not the first one for the Mets, but the fourth one for the Florida Marlins.

It's injustice that a franchise that's only been around for 14 seasons now has four no-hitters while the Mets, in 45 years, still haven't tossed one.

Where's Your Conscience, NBC?

I didn't watch more than a few minutes of the Emmy Awards last night. But the hue and cry over a skit involving a plane crash, unfortunately on the same day as a plane crash that claimed many lives in Kentucky, makes me wonder if anyone at NBC knows how to think.

Friz Followup

Reading over the other blog posts generated by Friz Freleng's centennial yesterday (some say he's older, but I'm sticking by that 1906 birth date), I direct you to this insightful post about the 1956 cartoon "Three Little Bops", written from the standpoint of jazz history.

I never really gave any thought to the music in that cartoon being anything other than bop, but it really isn't Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie style bop. As performed by Shorty Rogers and his band, it's more small-group West Coast uptempo blues. Stalling or Franklyn would have just massacred the music style (just imagine Franklyn slating the recording session... "PRODUCTION NUMBER FOURTEEN TWENTY-NINE!"), and the fresh approach to the soundtrack (using Stan Freberg instead of Mel Blanc to sing the song) really helped make it a unique cartoon.