Applebee’s, SNL, Mike, Brooke & Robin

Watching a new TV commercial for Applebee’s, they’re using the old Tim McGraw song “I Like It I Love It.”  The lively chorus, “I like it, I love it I want some more of it” fits the idea of enjoying good eats with family and friends.  Applebee’s has been using other songs like John Sebastian’s “Welcome Back”, Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible” and the theme from the TV show “Cheers” but the mid-90’s Mc Graw song seems to work best.

TIM MC GRAW’S “I LIKE IT I LOVE IT’ SEEMS LIKE THE BEST JINGLE FOR THIS EATERY.

I still say some chain restaurant needs to use the old Paul Revere and the Raiders track “Hungry” in commercials.  “I’m hungry for those good things baby, hungry through and through, I’m hungry for that sweet life baby with a real fine girl like you.”

UPDATE ON WEEKEND UPDATE

Saturday Night Live opened their TV season with several straight weeks of live shows leading up to and through last week’s election.  Lots of political sketches and fun laughs were had and Jim Carrey has proven to do a good Joe Biden send-up.  However, Weekend Update’s Colin Jost and Michael Che have only been so so.  Their lines are O.K. but these two guys have taken to giggling at and commenting about each other’s jokes and approach.  It’s annoying. Guys, just deliver the lines, let us decide the merits of your humor.  (And no, I’m not jealous that Colin just married Scarlett Johansson.  Scar-jo did this to make me jealous.  He can have her!)

COLIN JOST AND MICHAEL CHE ARE JUST A LITTLE TOO CHEEKY WITH THEIR WEEKEND UPDATE BITS. HOW ABOUT LESS COMMENTARY BETWEEN YUKS AND MORE LAUGHS?

WHERE’S MYERS?

Speaking of SNL, I got curious over whatever happened to their alum star Mike Myers.  Yes he made a cameo in the Queen movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” plus  two ill-fated seasons of him hosting a strange reincarnation of the 1970’s “Gong Show.”  Other than that, the normally prolific Myers has been off the grid.

I looked up Mike Myers on IMDB and he does have an Austin Powers 4 movie in the works along with an un-named project for Netflix. So maybe we’ll see more of the Canadian comic’s work before too long.

One thing Mike Myers did a few years ago that is definitely worth seeing is the documentary “Super Mensch” which Myers directed.  It covers the amazing career and life of show-biz manager Shep Gordon.  Check out the trailer for what was a fine piece of film making on a versatile show-biz mover and shaker.

THIS DOCUMENTARY ON STAR MANAGER SHEP GORDON WAS DIRECTED BY MIKE MYERS AND IS WORTH WATCHING.

BROOKE, WHERE ARE YOU?

I have a love/not so much a fan thing going with CNN afternoon news host Brooke Baldwin.  I enjoy Brooke’s reporting and interviews but often take issue with how casually her on camera clothing choices can be.  In the warmer months, you’ll see Ms. Baldwin wearing skin baring tank tops and other summer garb that are more conducive to attending an outdoor pool party than they are reporting on the Presidential election and other serious news.

However, Brooke Baldwin isn’t on CNN right now.  A few weeks ago, on the 10th anniversary of working at CNN she posted a cryptic Instagram message saying Jake Tapper would ‘hold down’ her hour until after the election.  Baldwin insists it’s not a health issue (she was very ill with Coronavirus in April) and “It’s not my choice.”

This piques my curiosity.  Here we were in the heat of the election and pandemic and Brooke Baldwin has been pulled off her popular afternoon hosting show.  Something’s up and I can’t wait to find out where she lands, if not still at CNN and more important WHY was she taken off TV.

CNN’S BROOKE BALDWIN WAS TAKEN OFF THE AIR DURING THE LAST WEEKS OF THE ELECTION. IT WASN’T HER CHOICE AND I’D LOVE TO KNOW JUST WHAT HAPPENED.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBIN!

Me and my song parody partner Al Flash often contribute bits of humor in music videos to the Channel 9 Morning News.  One of our favorite subjects is co-anchor Robin Baumgarten who has a great sense of humor and is a fun muse for us to play to.

Here is the latest annual birthday song Al and I put together for Robin. 

HAPPY BIRTJHDAY TO CHANNEL 9 MORNING NEWS STAR ROBIN BAUMGARTEN. THIS MUSIC VIDEO AIRED LAST FRIDAY AND WAS WELL RECEIVED.

NEXT BLOG- Coming to terms with certain terms.

Leaving the Rabbit Hole

Arguing over and fretting about politics, I’ve been as guilty as anyone of doing it.  I’m embarrassed over the hours I wasted with aggressive Facebook comments, tweets, re-tweets and the like.  For the past 4 years I’ve been going back and forth with e-mails with longtime friends who are on the opposite side of my views.  The bottom line is I’m never going to change their minds and they’re never going to change mine either. It’s a stalemate. We live in a country more sharply divided than ever before and with social media those divisions grow deeper and more irreparable with each volley of arguments.  I’ve had more than enough.

WHEN IT COMES TO ARGUING AND FRETTING OVER POLITICS, I’M CRAWLING OUT OF THE RABBIT HOLE.

Folks, all that time and angst over this stuff is just not worth it.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s still important to vote and have an interest in American politics.  It’s also important to peacefully protest and try to have things changed for the betterment of the masses.  But you (or at least I) need to keep things in perspective and respect the limits of persuasion.  So many people have their heels dug in to their ideas and to engage in getting opposing views to change their minds is wasted energy. It doesn’t amount to a hill of crap.  One thing I’ve learned in teaching students with behavioral issues, NOBODY wins in a power struggle.

NOBODY WINS IN THESE POLITICAL POWER STRUGGLES AND ARGUMENTS.

This year on election day after our students were dismissed, we teachers and staff had some personal wellness activities to work on through a new program focused on resiliency.  Much of this program has to do with mental wellness as we continue to slog through the current pandemic.  There were survey questions to answer and personal reflections to make.  I got some positive insight from the activities and there will be more mental and physical wellness issues to engage in with in this program.  I sure could use them!

FOLLOWING DON DRAPER I’M WORKING ON MY PEACE OF MIND SKILLS. IT HELPED HIM DREAM UP A WORLD FAMOUS COMMERCIAL FOR COCA COLA SO WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT KIND OF SERENITY CAN DO FOR ME?

On election night I watched the 5:30 network news, clicked on some Facebook comments then shut down my concern and worry about politics.  Earlier in the day I voted and that was the best voicing of personal choice I could make.

I spent the rest of the night watching The Godfather and Godfather Pt. 2. I let go the concerns over who won each state and the local political races as well.  During commercial breaks I also logged on to Amazon to order a new alarm clock and a new pair of slippers which will be needed come the cold winter months.  It’s time for me to end my concerns over which states are blue, which are red and the like. 

I’m sure this de-politicizing is going to take some time and the positive after effects will bloom in the coming days, weeks and months.  Hey, I’ve already got a new alarm clock and warm slippers to look forward to, so that’s a start.  As it was so eloquently put in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel:

EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END, AND IF IT IS NOT ALRIGHT, THEN IT IS NOT YET THE END.

I’ll close off this blog with what is my mantra in these crazy times.

THIS OLDIE FROM A.R.S. IS THE WAY TO THINK.

NEXT BLOG- Applebee’s, SNL, Mike, Brooke & Robin.

Hitting to all Fields

Baseball season is over (shortened as it was) but I’m hitting to all fields.

A silly thing happened a couple Fridays ago.  I left my car unlocked but parked way in the back of the driveway. I usually keep it in the garage but neglected to do so this night. In the front seat I had a red Solo cup filled with about 10 bucks in coins, a case of bottled water and a jug of cat litter.  The next morning my cup of coins was stolen and 2 bottles of Ice Mountain water were taken from the case of 24 packaging.  Apparently, I had a thirsty thief rip me off.  However, the crook didn’t own a cat.

SOME THIEF WALKED AWAY WITH 10 DOLLARS WORTH OF COINTS FROM MY CAR AND 2 BOTTLES OF WATER.

Driving down Roosevelt road between Villa Park and Lombard I noticed within one mile there is not one, not two but three cigarette sales stores.  One just has a big sign saying “Cigarettes”, then there’s one called “Cigarette Town” and my favorite is a brand new shiny green and white lighted place called “Dr. Smoke.”   Dr. Smoke?   Ugh and a hard pass!  

DR. SMOKE WILL SEE YOU NOW. I’LL TAKE A PASS.

That reminds me of my teen years when I heard about a Stone Park house of prostitution called “Smoker’s Health Club.” That was back when Manheim road in that town was loaded with strip clubs. One such place was a frequent stop for a University of Illinois big wig who got nailed for misappropriating school funds. He had a habit of tipping many a stripper there.  Anytime my U of I attending buddy Willie and I would drive by, he would point to the strip club and proudly say, “That’s where my tuition money went!”

A STONE PARK STRIP CLUB WAS A MAJOR BENEFICIARY OF A BIG WIG FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

Speaking of men and women, I just fell into watching a hilarious show on TLC.  Every Sunday night you must check out “I Love a Mama’s Boy.”  It’s a reality show of men and women living together but they’re not yet married.  The problem being these men put much more priority on their mothers than their fiancees. I can’t see any of these guys marrying because of their mom’s interference. And their women, all smart attractive ladies, are idiots for hanging in there. In the first episode I saw, one mother urged her son to buy his lover a new silk black robe to spice up his sex life; but then he bought his mom the VERY SAME ROBE!  How gross and creepy can that be?

“I LOVE A MAMA’S BOY” IS A CRAZY REALITY SHOW AND I AM HOOKED.

Now don’t get me wrong, my mother (RIP) and I were very close but she WANTED me to marry.  Sorry, mom, haven’t met the right girl yet.   We used to speak out similar lines to an old “Seinfeld Episode.” 

Mom- “When are you gonna settle down and get married?”

Jerry- “I’m still looking.”

Mom- “How long are you gonna look?’

Jerry- “I’m going for the record!”

JERRY SEINFELD & HIS TV MOM (LIZ SHERIDAN) ACTED THINGS OUT THE WAY MY MOM AND I SOMETIMES DID.

Finally, with the pandemic and Covid cases increasing at alarming rates, I realized many of us, myself included, are living like Charlton Heston in the classic 70’s movie “The Omega Man.”  The world is in the grips of a deadly virus, many are dying and others are shutting down their lives to stay healthy, just like Heston’s character, Col. Robert Neville. 

My life is literally staying home to watch TV, driving to school to teach and making a once a week trip to Jewel and the gas station.  Outside of an occasional drive thru burger or home take-out delivery, THAT is my life.  In his top floor penthouse Robert Neville had a brass bust of Julius Caesar to talk to, I have my cat “Trouble.”  I also have my close friends on the phone and Facebook, but all of us are dealing with shrunken lives as we await a vaccine. 

AVOIDING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND LIVING AN ISLOATED LIFE WAS THE STORY OF CHARLTON HESTON IN “THE OMEGA MAN.” MANY OF US ARE LIVING THE SAME WAY.

NEXT BLOG: Applebee’s, SNL, Mike, Brooke & Robin.

Halloween Ghosts

It’s a given that the Covid 19 Pandemic has turned this year’s Halloween fun upside down like a pack of bats in a cave.  So instead of bemoaning all that’s different now, I thought I’d take a nostalgic hayride down to the Halloweens I had as a kid.  Trick or Treat!

LOTS OF MEMORIES OF HALLLOWEENS FROM THE PAST. I REMEMBER THEM LIKE THEY HAPPENED JUST YESTERDAY.

Looking back, yeah the free candy (which I’ll get to in a bit) was nice but landing sweet treats wasn’t that hard for me as a child.  I earned my candy money by mowing neighbor’s lawns and doing odd jobs. 

No, for me it was all about the costumes and dressing up as someone who wasn’t me.  Seeing my friends and neighbors do the same was equally fun.  Recalling my costume get-ups, I had a store bought Devil outfit and mask, then Spiderman, then a pretty genuine Cubs road uniform that wasn’t just a Halloween get-up. One year my mom fashioned a ‘Great Pumpkin’ outfit for me. But then in fourth grade I wanted to be Dracula.  Not a vampire, I wanted to be THE guy, the Count from Transylvania.

Two weeks before Halloween, my mother was in the hospital for back surgery so my father designed a Dracula cape and his mother, my grandma, sewed it together.  The cape was black velvet with red satin on the inside and a bent coat hanger positioned upside down and sewn inside provided the winged look behind my head.  It was beautiful and very authentic. Then all I needed was black slacks, a white shirt, fake fangs and my dad applying ghoulish make-up with the fake vampire blood dripping from my mouth.

I loved this costume so much I wore it for the next five Halloweens. In sixth grade, thanks to growth spurts, my mom had to lengthen the cape by adding more velvet and satin.  Still looked great.

A BIT OF AN OFF CENTER PIC AS I POSE IN MY WAY COOL DRACULA CAPE AND MAKE-UP.

TRICK OR TREAT On the day of our town’s annual candy hunt, I’d bolt out of school at 3:15, get home to jump into my costume, slap on the needed mask or make-up then meet up with pals to hit the door to door sweets solicits.  Up until my Dracula outfit years, me and my sister Marianne and several neighbors all went door to door together.  I don’t recall my parents ever going out with us. You rarely saw parents escorting their children.  Older brothers and sisters did the looking out as the streets and times were safer back then. My mom and dad were always busy at home handing out treats to the kids ringing our doorbell.

From age nine on, it was me and my friend from across the street, Pete Hassler pairing up in search of fun size Milky Ways and Snickers bars.  Pete opted for different costumes each year, one time he was dressed as a hippie woman which was funny and a little weird.  I think he also had some military get-ups.

THE PEANUTS GANG OUT TRICK OR TREATING. UNLIKE CHARLIE BROWN, I NEVER WAS GIVEN A ROCK AS A TREAT.

Most of us gathered our treats in a pillow case which could hold loads of snacks with no worry about breakage or springing leaks.  From four in the afternoon until six we’d systematically hit the homes in the four or five blocks around our houses.  Next it was time for a quick dinner at home, usually some soup or chili and a sandwich plus the unloading of our first filled bag of diabetes infusing stash into large metal bowls my mom laid out.

After dinner, Pete and I would meet up again and work our way east to York road and close to Butterfield Park. Then around nine-thirty it was time to work our last snack grabs on the way back home.  Two cool things I recall from those days. One, I don’t remember any snow or pouring rains on Trick or Treat night.  Also, back then it was rare to come across a home with nobody home.  At least one adult would be at the door to admire kids’ get-ups and drop a popcorn ball, mini-box of raisins or an awful orange peanut shaped marshmallow into our pillowcases.   No matter what the treat, we always said “Thank You’ then would be on our way to the next set of steps and the next doorbell. 

At the close of the night we’d go home and empty out one more pillowcase stuffed with sweets.  The one safety rule we obeyed was to not eat any of our candy until mom and dad checked everything out for razor blades, needles, poisons and other items that never ever appeared.

AT THE END OF THE NIGHT, A PILLOWCASE FULL OF CANDY WOULD BE EMPTIED OUT AT HOME,

Those full bowls of candy would last a few weeks with all family members snacking on the sweets I worked so hard to happily gather.  Those were grand times, not just because we were so young, they were great because of the innocence and the joy of homes happily surrendering some sweet eats for the kids in costumes. 

JERRY SEINFELD’S TAKE ON TRICK OR TREATING HITS THE MARK.

Happy Hallloween!

NEXT BLOG:  Hitting to all Fields.

2 Songs That Take Me Back

“Ain’t it funny how a melody can bring back a memory, take you to another place in time, completely change your state of mind.”  (Clint Black)

In the past I wrote about how the Pointer Sisters’ cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire” evoked great memories of a wild time I once had at a club in Ft. Lauderdale. So let’s turn on the ‘way-back machine’ for some more recollections.

The other day while at a store I heard a song on the p.a. that I nearly forgot about.  It was Vonda Shepard’s “Searchin’ My Soul” which you may remember as the theme song from the 90’s TV series “Ally Mc Beal.”  I never watched much of that show but thought that was a good tune.  At the show’s open you only heard a minute of it but the whole track is a fun one to check out.

Besides always liking the melody and lyrics of Ms. Shepard’s song, I have an extra positive neuro association with it.  It was New Year’s Eve 1998 and I was playing blackjack at Joliet’s Empress Casino.  Staying overnight at a nearby hotel and hoping to keep gambling for at least a few more hours I was already down one hundred and fifty dollars.  My funds were quickly being drained. 

The countdown to midnight happened and 1999 kicked in. Much of the casino broke into shouts of “Happy New Year!” with couples kissing and chugging down complimentary champagne and other drinks.  Me? I was alone that night and stayed perched in my chair at the blackjack table while fellow gamblers took a break to ring in the New Year.  It was just the dealer and me facing off for some lightning quick rounds of 21.

Just then, over the casino’s sound system, Vonda Shepard’s “Searchin’ My Soul” started blasting and I found my luck at the blackjack table started to turn.  That song runs four minutes and in that short span I not only got back to even, my chips totaled to being ahead by almost two hundred bucks!  That’s a three hundred and fifty dollar turnaround and I was thrilled.  With the speed that dealer was running the one to one game with me, she could’ve easily put out my lights, but “Searchin’ My Soul” brought me the luck this basic strategy player needed.  Whew!  Eventually the game slowed up as other players re-joined the table and I closed the night hours later winning just over one hundred dollars.

NO WONDER I LIKE THIS SONG, IT ONCE WAS THE SOUNDTRACK THAT SAVED ME FROM LOSING A CHUNK OF MONEY AT A CASINO.

ANOTHER MUSIC MEMORY FROM THAT TIME

1/1/99- Late the next morning, I woke up and headed to my hotel’s indoor pool to do an hour’s worth of laps before checking out.  A serious blizzard was forecast to start in a few hours and I wanted to be rested and ready at home. 

Heading north on I-55 I was channel surfing on the FM band and came across a song I never heard before, Sister Hazel’s “All for You.” Great track and lead singer Ken Block’s voice had me drawn in.  At the time I was working in country radio at US*99 and was missing out on some music heard on other stations. 

The chorus of “All for You” was quickly burned into my brain.  Later that afternoon when the blizzard arrived, I kept shoveling and moving piles of snow to the rhythm of Sister Hazel’s song.  To this day, whenever I hear that tune, it takes me back to the first day of 1999 and me moving mounds of snow.

STARTING 1999 WITH A TUNE I NEVER HEARD BEFORE WAS FINE BY ME, THANKS TO SISTER HAZEL.

NEXT BLOG– Trick of Treat memories from my youth.

Playing The Outfield

TONY LEWIS, THE OUTFIELD’S LEAD SINGER IN YOUNGER DAYS AS THE BAND RELEASED THEIR DEBUT DISC “PLAY DEEP.”

Tony Lewis died this week at the way too young age of 61.   He was the lead singer of the English rock band The Outfield.  I never knew Tony’s name before his death but his vocals soared WAY high and were unmistakable. The band’s 1985 debut album “Play Deep” was a mainstay on my turntable.  At the time, a friend of a good friend of mine was promoting music for Columbia, the group’s record label and his enthusiasm for this disc was understood.   Side 1 was front loaded with great songs.  Let me run through those first four cuts because they’re worth talking about and hearing.

Cut 1. “Say It Isn’t So.”  This was the lead single but it barely made the top 40 on the pop charts. A total mystery to me because it’s the kind of track that grabs you and doesn’t let go. I do remember years later being at a couple of Bears-Buccaneers games in Tampa and at every kick-off the Bucs had, they’d play the  opening riff and the lyrics “You  got me all screwed up” over the P.A.

THIS ALBUM OPENING SONG JUST JUMPS OUT AT YOU AND IT WON’T LET GO.

Cut 2. “Your Love”.  This was The Outfield’s most popular single and it got to number 6 on the U.S. music charts in 1986.  I could surely identify with the lyric, “You know I like my girls a little bit older.”

THIS WAS THE OUTFIELD’S BIGGEST AMERICAN HIT SONG.

Cut 3. “I Don’t Need Her”.  This was a song I turned to when in a frustrated situation with members of the opposite sex. It made me feel better, even if for just a little while.

HEALING FROM A SONG LIKE THIS OFTEN WAS NEEDED.

Cut 4.  “Every Time You Cry”. A damn good power ballad that had me from the opening chords and one I still enjoy hearing to this day.  Put it this way, I have an outline for a teen love story (title is under wraps because it’s damn good if I do say so myself) and for the longest time I’ve planned to feature this song in the script at a key moment. 

I HOPE TO PUT THIS POWER BALLAD INTO A SCREENPLAY I’VE OUTLINED.

If Tony Lewis’ death at age 61 tells us anything, it’s that this life is a short one. And I’d better get off my can and write the whole script so I can put that Outfield song in it. 

NEXT BLOG- A couple more music memories to share.

A New Round of ‘Have You Ever’?

BE HONEST WITH YOUR ANSWERS AS I ASK A FEW QUESTIONS.

Random curiosity time as we play a new round of “Have You Ever.”  Look over this list and see how many queries you can answer “Yes” to.

HAVE YOU EVER:

SUED SOMEONE?

STOLEN CABLE CHANNELS?

BEEN TREATED FOR A DOG BITE?

TURNED DOWN A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL?

BEEN TURNED DOWN PROPOSING TO SOMEONE?

CANCELLED AN ENGAGEMENT OR A PLANNED WEDDING?

WALKED OUT OF A MOVIE LONG BEFORE IT ENDED?

CAUGHT A BALL AT A BASEBALL GAME?

SCORED A GUITAR PICK OR OTHER STAGE SOUVENIER AT A CONCERT?

CHANGED A FLAT TIRE YOURSELF?

IN “CABLE GUY” MATTHEW BRODERICK PAID OFF JIM CARREY TO SCORE SOME FREE CABLE CHANNELS.

HAVE YOU EVER:

DRIVEN OR BEEN A PASSENGER ON A MOTORCYCLE?

JUMPED A CAR’S DEAD BATTERY?

HAD A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE?

THROWN UP ON SOMEONE? (AND NOT AS A BABY OR TODDLER)

CREATED A RECIPE THAT OTHERS ASKED FOR?

HAD AN IRS AUDIT?

CAUGHT A FISH?

BEEN THROWN IN FACEBOOK OR TWITTER JAIL?

HAD A LETTER TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHED IN A NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE?

LEARNED ABOUT A DEEP DARK FAMILY SECRET?

WHO CAN FORGET WHEN HOWARD SPRAGUE, ON HIS FIRST FISHING TRIP SNAGGED THE INFAMOUS FISH “OLD SAM’?

I can answer “YES” to 9 of these 20 items.  Which 9? Well, I HAVE jumped a car’s dead battery and I have caught a fish or two.

NEXT BLOG: A couple of songs that take me back,

Late To The Prom But Still…

It only took me two years but I FINALLY watched the Netflix hit movie “Bird Box” starring Sandra Bullock.  I really enjoyed this thriller with only one criticism. While Sandra experienced numerous harrowing physical challenges throughout the film, why was her face make-up so spot on and red carpet perfect at all times?  It’s damn near the end of the world and Sandra Bullock’s face looks camera ready for a visit to “The Today Show.”

YEAH IT TOOK ME LONG ENOUGH BUT I FINALLY SAW “BIRD BOX.”

But never mind that.  For those who haven’t seen “Bird Box, the film is about a mysterious wave in the air that if people open their eyes and see it, they immediately kill themselves, often taking other people with them.  The big warning is you need to avoid looking, even slightly glancing at this mysterious effect or the pandemic will end your life.  You shield your eyes by wearing a blindfold.  However, some people balk at wearing the blindfold.  They refuse to cover up, even if that means their death.

Hmm.  Covering up to protect oneself and others.  Where have I heard this lately? 

Yes, I found this to be maybe not irony but at least relatable circumstances to today’s back and forth on whether people should mask-up to protect themselves and others from the Coronavirus. 

There was more to “Bird Box”; lots of strange voices in the air, havoc and paranoid hatred between characters and senseless self-destruction.  At every turn of this story I kept relating matters to what we’re experiencing today with the pandemic.  When “Bird Box” ended I took a few deep breaths and wished better for our current situation with the Coronavirus.

IN “BIRD BOX” ONE MUST BLINDFOLD THEMSELVES TO AVOID DYING. REMINDS ME A LITTLE OF OUR CURRENT ‘MASK UP’ ISSUES WITH THE CORONAVIRUS.

OTHER SHOWS- During my weekend I caught some other good shows. The four part series “Challenger: The Final Flight” shares chilling stories from rocket tech people who tried to prevent the 1986 space shuttle disaster from happening.  This was another offering from Netflix.

THE FACTS AND BACKSTORY OF THE CHALLENGER’S ILL FATED FLIGHT WILL STUN AND AMAZE YOU.

One more from Netflix was “The Social Dilemma” which delved into the ‘Big Brother-like’ tracking social media does on all of us.  What made this 90 minute documentary so good is the experts sharing well-heeled cautions on screen were former high level tech people from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other services.

THE “SOCIAL DILEMMA” IS AN INSIGHTFUL LOOK AT JUST HOW DEEP SOCIAL MEDIA GETS INTO OUR LIVES AND AFFECTS US.

Finally, HBO has a new special “Wildcard: The Downfall  of a Radio Loudmouth.” This story covers New York radio sports talk show host Craig Carton.  He has a wild story to share and you don’t have to be in radio to be entertained by Carton’s saga.

THE UP AND DOWN LIFE AND CAREER OF RADIO STAR CRAIG CARTON IS SHOWN IN THIS HBO DOCUMENTARY.

Next Blog- A new round of “Have You Ever.”

Some Of My Guilty Pleasures..

THERE’S NOT A PERSON ALIVE WHO DOESN’T HAVE A FEW.

We all have them.  An ‘uncool’ song that gets to us, some offbeat movie that you can’t see enough, a snack that others may turn their nose up at and so on. I’m talking about guilty pleasures.   Those items or happenings we turn to for a laugh, smile or just to feel good. They may or may not make sense. Doesn’t matter. So here are some of my personal guilty pleasures.

POOP SCENES IN MOVIES– Call it juvenile, immature, call it dumb, but anytime in a movie when someone has to unload their bowels in a furious hurry, I crack up.  I’m talking about clips like Jeff Daniels in “Dumb & Dumber”, “American Pie’s” Finch being stuck in a poopy mudslide while in a girls bathroom or the infamous bad Mexican food puke and crap scene at the bridal shop in “Bridesmaids.”  Forgive me.

THE BRIDAL BATHROOM GROSS OUT SCENE IN “BRIDESMAIDS’ STILL CRACKS ME UP!

LOVING THE MONKEY BOY When watching the movie “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, if Steve Martin playing Ruprecht the Monkey Boy doesn’t crack you up, then we have nothing more to talk about.

OF COURSE YOU CAN GO TO THE BATHROOM RUPRECHT.

For another pleasure in the gross-out category, there’s my watching the TLC series “Dr. Pimple Popper.”  It makes no sense that I find normal bare feet disgustingly impossible to look at but can easily watch Dr. Sandra Lee squeeze gooey custard from her patients’ cysts, lipomas and other skin growths. 

I SPARED YOU A GROSS OUT PIC OF DR. LEE LANCING SOME BASEBALL SIZED LIPOMA AND SEEING A FLOOD OF DARK BROWN GOO FLOW OUT OF IT.

EAR CANDY- Anytime I’m in a mood to hear some bubblegum music from the past, I turn to You Tube and Debbie Gibson’s hit “Only in my Dreams.”  That song is the quintessential 80’s pop song, there are none that come close to it.

DEBBIE GIBSON’S LATE 80’S DEBUT ALBUM WAS A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF CONTEMPORARY POP MUSIC.

SAY YES TO JESS And when I’m looking for a pop song with some country twang, I turn to Jessica Simpson and “Come on Over.”  Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo once described his former lover Jessica as being “sexual napalm.”  I guess we’ll have to take his word for it.

JESSICA SIMPSON TURNS THE TABLES ON A BOOTY CALL WITH ‘COME ON OVER.”

ATKINS ANYONE? I’m a Rob Lowe fan. Although I’ve never tried the snack foods from the Atkins Diet people, I like seeing actor Rob Lowe doing TV pitch work for those treats.  Lowe is a great choice to rep Atkins peanut butter snacks and other meals.  Four years short of 60, the guy still looks youthful and keeps things light and easy when talking up the eats.  While many dismissed Rob Lowe as a lightweight ‘pretty boy’ I never did. I get the impression that Rob ‘got it’ and never took his reputation too seriously.  Also, he’s over 25 years sober, been married to the same woman (four years older than him) for almost 30 years and they’re raising what appears to be two normal and happy sons.  If you ever want to see the former “Parks and Recreation” star at his sinister best, check out the movie “Bad Influence.”  And you’ll find Rob Lowe at his creepiest best as the Liberace’s plastic surgeon in “Behind the Candleabra.”

ROB LOWE SHARES THE WONDERS OF ATKINS DIET FOOD. IF THAT’S HOW HE MAINTAINS HIS YOUTHFUL GOOD LOOKS THEN I’M IN!

If you want to see another star not take themselves so seriously, try the “Funny or Die” clip starring former “Baywatch” hottie Nicole Eggert.  I was never into “Baywatch” but she won me over with a return to her lifeguard gig. A couple of years ago Nicole jumped into the “Me Too” movement claiming actor Scott Baio had sex with her when she was underage, this in spite of previous statements she made about being of legal age when first having adult relations.  But let’s drop that and dig on the ‘Funny of Die’ bit.

NICOLE EGGERT RE-VISITED HER “BAYWATCH’ DAYS IN THIS FUNNY OR DIE CLIP.

There are plenty of movies I enjoy watching again and one of them is “Magic Mike” (yeah, yeah, the male stripper film). To me the night club/dance scenes are the dull ones but the story away from the club is worth seeing. I especially like how “Magic Mike” closes out with a yet to be acted upon romance that is about to start up.  (And don’t cry ‘spoiler alert’ on this one, you’ve had eight years to see the damn movie)

THIS CLOSING SCENE FROM “MAGIC MIKE” WAS SWEET AND SULTRY IN A SUBTLE MANNER.

So those are some of my secret little enjoyments.  Silly and fun for me yes, and a little dumb. I humbly plead “Guilty!”

NEXT BLOG- Another round of ‘Have You Evers.’

Remembering Tom Petty

On October 2nd 2017, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Petty died from an accidental overdose of prescribed pain killers.  Much like the 2016 deaths of David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Prince, this passing was a major shock and it hurt millions of music fans really bad.  Very few knew of Bowie’s cancer, Frey’s intestinal afflictions or Prince’s drug issues.  Turns out Tom Petty was in overwhelming pain from a bad hip but despite doctors recommending surgery and delaying a 40th anniversary concert tour he soldiered on. 

I saw Petty and his ace band the Heartbreakers in concert three times, one of those shows being when he toured with Bob Dylan.  The Gainesville Florida native’s final tour, a 40th anniversary celebration (which was his most successful) finished just days before he died.  

TOM PETTY ONSTAGE DURING HIS LAST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL CONCERT TOUR.

Since the first time I heard the jangling Rickenbacker guitars of “Listen to Her Heart” (one of my ALL TIME favorite songs in any genre) on FM radio, I was always up for whatever new works Tom Petty produced.  He did it with simplicity but not monotony and decades later his music never sounds dated.   Then in 1979 his “Damn the Torpedoes” album brought songs like “Refugee”, “Don’t Do Me Like That”, “Here Comes My Girl” and the hard edged “Even the Losers.”  From then until his death, very few rockers (including Springsteen, Seger, Mellencamp and even Elton John) have been more consistent in writing, producing and releasing quality material.

Petty’s work reminds me of country music’s Alan Jackson.  Since the late 80’s A.J. quietly put together an impressive list of hit songs and albums that stand up to any of his contemporaries and the younger stars as well.  Jackson is not Garth Brooks or George Strait or Blake Shelton but he didn’t have to be or want to be.

Petty had themes in his lyrics.  They included the waiting and want for righteous love. There was also the aim to get OUT of bad relationships “Don’t Come Around Here No More” (which also brought us one of the wildest music videos of all time) and defiance in songs like “Change of Heart” and “Won’t Back Down.” Petty’s songs were written from the view of an outsider looking for an angle into satisfaction. Millions of fans can identify with that. 

GONE TOO SOON FOR SURE. I DON’T KNOW MANY WHO DIDN’T LIKE AND RESPECT THE MUSIC AND THE MAN.

Several years before his death, Tom Petty was interviewed by Anthony Mason for CBS Sunday Morning.  After watching that feature back then, I realized he was the coolest rock star of my time. There’s no question about it.  He was cool because he didn’t TRY to be cool.  No following musical trends of the day, fancy hairstyles, fashions, no onstage preening or funky attitude.  Mason noted that he had a reputation for being laid back and Petty disagreed saying he was determined and had a lot of energy, he just didn’t speak unless he had something to say.  Not courting the limelight, not being needy for it is something I count as a major factor’ in being cool. That and being steadfast and true to one’s own convictions.

For forty years he compiled his music, and collaborated with others like Stevie Nicks, a hero of his youth Roger McGuinn and of course the Traveling Wilburys made up of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne.  When the Willburys went to work as a group, Tom was in awe of all who he played with but held his own as a contributor.  One day rock legend Carl Perkins stopped by a studio and Petty was wide eyed telling others in hushed excitement, “Hey, it’s Carl bleeping’ Perkins!”

PETTY SAID THE BEST PART OF BEING A TRAVELING WILBURY WAS HE FELT MORE NORMAL, NOT HAVING TO BE THE MAIN ATTRACTION.

In the Martin Scorsese documentary “George Harrison Living in the Material World”, Tom Petty shared the best stories on George, the Wilburys and Roy Orbison’s death. One of the last on camera chats Petty had was in the “Echo in the Canyon” documentary as the 60’s California music scene was aptly paid tribute to.  It was in this film that I learned from Tom that a Rickenbacker guitar is pronounced with the ‘short A’ sound like “Backer”, not ‘Bocker.’  If anyone would know this, it would be him.

TOM PETTY OFFERS UP HIS GEORGE HARRISON UKULELE STORY.

Besides the music, there are other things I liked about Tom Petty, like the personal friendship and on camera fun he had with Garry Shandling on both the “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” and the “Larry Sanders Show.”  On “Sanders,” seeing him get into a backstage skirmish with actor Greg Kinnear and Country star Clint Black was hilarious. 

GETTING SERIOUS AND FUNNY ON “THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW.”

There’s so much more I could write in appreciation of Tom Petty and I’m glad I had that admiration for him many years before he left us.  Often times it’s AFTER a star is gone that we say, “Ohh yeah, that guy!  Sure, I was a fan but I forgot about how much I liked his work.”

I’m going to close off this remembrance of Tom Petty with two things. A recording made with his band that shows an off the cuff approach to covering a country classic. And enjoy the talk they do after the song.

Then the link to the CBS Sunday Morning feature.  After listening and seeing these two, I bet you’ll agree that Tom Petty was the coolest rock star of our time.   

THIS PETTY PROFILE IN 2009 CONVINCED ME HE WAS THE COOLEST ROCKER OF MY GENERATION.

NEXT WEEK’S BLOG: Some of my admitted “Guilty Pleasures.”