Crash and Burn

Saw the sad news that Starz is cancelling Boss after this season.  It's a shame on many levels -- but mostly to the many, many local actors were used in the show who won't be doing future episodes.

Damn.  A darkly beautiful show with one of the most memorable and instantly identifiable theme songs heard in a very long time:



Too bad this wasn't on HBO instead.  Maybe then it would have gotten a wider audience.

Oh, well.  Catch it while you can.

Quick Stops

Holy crap!  NBC is gutting the male cast of Smash.  It'll be very, very interesting to see how they 'splain all this away.
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Reminder:  Kodak Gallery is closing.  They're shifting all photos stored there onto Shutterfly.com, but any projects you have in process will not be moved.  You must complete your project and order before noon tomorrow.
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If you're a home owner in Cook County, you'll want to read this to get a great idea of just what your taxes are going for this year.
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I'm off to Ravinia to see this guy:



Sure wish my pal from the Northwoods hadn't missed his flight!  He's going to miss a wonderful show.  (And we're going to miss his company.)

Take a Bow

Just blasted through the last three episodes of season one of Slings and Arrows (which, by the way, is the best television show I've seen in a very long time).  I'll be drifting off to sleep and waking up to this little gem stuck firmly between the ears:



Brilliant!

Drive-Bys

I'm all jazzed up because my favorite book of all time...

...has been made into a movie by Ang Lee, and will be released in November!

No trailer available yet, but the official website is gorgeous and this teaser looks awesome:



(Not sure I'm crazy about the casting of Tobey McGuire, though -- but that's just me.)
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Apparently there's an app for everything:

The cell phone came in handy again when they used an app that produces a strobe light to help rescue workers locate them.

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For those that despair of kids these days, here's some more good news:

If there's a Disney writer looking for a movie idea that'll make kids pump their fists with joy and leave parents teary-eyed, look no further than the real story of a San Clemente Little League team coached this year by kids. 

The team that couldn't find a coach, finally getting permission from the league to bring in two San Clemente High School freshmen to lead it, concluded an improbable season Saturday by winning the District 68 Tournament of Champions in improbable fashion. 

Coaches Chris Puckett, 15, and Cameron Shelley, 14, guided their crew of 12- to 14-year-olds to three straight victories in the tournament at Beebe Park in Mission Viejo, finishing with a 10-9 victory. 

This was a team that at the outset of the season drew smirks from some opponents because of its youthful coaches who look like they could be playing on the field. The team started with skeptical parents and an 0-2 record. But the players took the two teens' baseball tutelage to heart, improving to 6-4 by midseason before going on a 10-2 tear in the second half.

Well done, gentlemen!
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Ear Worm of the Day:




(This has been firmly embedded in my noggin since about 8:00 last night, and there is no sign of shaking it any time soon!)

Drive-Bys

Just so you know:

President Barack Obama's Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu uttered the kind of Washington gaffe that consists of telling the truth when inconvenient. According to Politico, Chu admitted to a House committee that the administration is not interested in lowering gas prices.


Chu, along with the Obama administration, regards the spike in gas prices as a feature rather than a bug. High gas prices provide an incentive for alternate energy technology, a priority for the White House, and a decrease in reliance on oil for energy.

The boys in DC are looking out after your interests, yo.
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I may not have a TV at home, but I've discovered a few shows via Hulu recently.  I'm totally hooked on Once Upon a Time, Grimm and Smash (especially Smash).  At only $7.99/month, Hulu+ is an ideal alternative to cable for me.  (Now if they'd only cut a deal with HBO for Game of Thrones... dammit.)

What other good television am I missing?
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And the survey says...

Remember my little wildy scientific survey?

Here's what I found out:

• Men are interested in lady knickers than women are, but not by much.
• Not a single female respondent carries spare pair of emergency undies.
• Very few of them have a sense of humor about it, either.
• Men care very little for what the knickers look like.
• They care very much about who is wearing them and getting us out of them, however.
• The Brits are nuts.

Thanks for responding... all nine of you!
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Giggle of the Day:

Drive-Bys

A tip of the cap to Juan Cortez for giving bus drivers a good name! (And that he's from my own town makes it even sweeter.)
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In the Chicago area we've had two little kids killed by TVs tipping over in the last week. If you've got little ones running around your house -- whether they're your own or somebody else's -- you need to read this. This is fixable, folks.
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Speaking of little ones, this list of cringe-worthy things kids have said in public is hilarious... and not the same old stuff you've seen before!
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Ah! This explains my frequent earworms!
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The Road to SNL?

My girl Betty is finally getting her due and hosting SNL. Think she'll be up to the task?



While young folks today seem to get the idea that she popped up out of nowhere as the new "Cool Nana," those of us who've grown up with her know that she's always been a sugar-coated firecracker.

In the '70s, the producers of the Mary Tyler Moore show capitalized on her sugary sweet delivery of jaw-dropping zingers:



Even back in the 80's the king of late night television got that Betty could and would do bawdy at the drop of a hat:



In the late '80s and early 90's, as Rose Nylund she could make even made up Swedish words sound not-so-vaguely naughty:

In the late '90s she more than held her own with the young, uber-hipsters of Ally McBeal:

And in the first nine years of the 21st century, she's done a string of turns on popular television, up to and including Boston Legal:

She's been a guest star for such cultural icons as Carol Burnett and the Jacksons,

She's beloved of daytime hosts over the decades from Merv Griffin to Bonnie Hunt to Ellen:

While she's been on Sajak, Leno and George Lopez...

... no late night host since Johnny Carson has used her more or better than Craig Ferguson:

So, while I'm grateful that Lorn Michaels finally got off his duff and invited her to host SNL, I really do wonder what in the heck took him so long??? (And I'm betting they get some of their best ratings ever when she does.)

You go, girlfriend!

Sunday Shows

When I was growing up in Chicago, these two shows were on every Sunday morning:

... and...

If anyone knows where I can find a video with The Magic Door theme song and Tiny Tov, let me know!