The man who taught us to keep reaching for the stars

I like to remember Ed McMahon as the large, boisterous guy who announced “Heeeeeeeere’s Johnny” every night.  He was the same guy who sat on Johnny Carson’s couch and yucked it up every time Johnny told a joke.  That’s the Ed I like to remember.

I like to remember the Ed who did Publisher’s Clearinghouse commercials or made us laugh with Dick Clark on the “Blooper” shows.  I like to remember Ed McMahon as the host of “Star Search” and one of the emcee’s for the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon.

What I don’t like to remember about Ed is how he managed to get into financial trouble and barely got out of it, even if he spoofed it in a Free Credit Report.com spot.

Ah, Ed, there will never be another one like you. 

RIP, EM

Remembering Farrah

Having seen my own loved ones suffer with and die from cancer, I can only sense what Farrah’s family and friends are feeling tonight–relief and peace.

It is difficult to say good-bye, especially after a long illness.  But it’s comforting to know that the one who has left us is no longer suffering and is really in a better place. 

I can only vaguely remember Farrah Fawcett from her days on “Charlie’s Angels” and I briefly saw bits and pieces of “The Burning Bed”.  But Farrah was more than just an actress or a pretty face on a poster.  She was a mother.  A lover.  A daughter.  A friend. 

In a way it’s sad that Michael Jackson’s untimely death overshadows her remembrance somewhat but I think Farrah was a private person and would’ve liked it this way–to be overshadowed in death but remembered always.

RIP, FF

He was like my generation’s Elvis…

When I heard the news about Michael Jackson passing away on my way home from work tonight, the first thing I thought was “he was like my generation’s Elvis”.

Growing up in the 80’s the hippest radio station to listen to in the Boston area was WHTT 103.3.  And ninety percent of what they played on there was Michael Jackson.  It was usually “Billie Jean”; when it wasn’t “Billie Jean” it was “Beat It”.  Ironically I still listen to 103.3 but now it’s called Oldies 103.3.  And I was comforted tonight when I turned that station on and heard my two favorite radio personalities, Zito and Karen Blake, reminiscing along with the listeners about The King of Pop’s notorious life and music.  Thank you, Zito and KB, for being there tonight.

Would I consider myself a Michael Jackson fan?  Not really.  Although I will say I do own a lot of his music, including “Thriller” and I like a lot of his music.  I was not crazy about him as a person.  He was a bit too odd for me to like as a person, a bit too bizarre for me to understand, I guess.  But as a songwriter and performer, Michael Jackson was a class act in my eyes.  I will miss that part of him and that is the part I wish to remember.

Watching the news bits and seeing the crowds emerge on the hospital and just at various places throughout L.A. tonight really does make me believe he was like my generation’s Elvis.

RIP, MJ.

The REAL reality

I finally get reality TV.

All you have to do is pop out six to eight kids, set up a few cameras in your house for the world to watch your every move, and you’re good to go.  The problem is, nobody ever asks the kids what they think.  Oh, I forgot.  They’re too little to understand their potty training era is going to be splashed all over the boob tube for all to see.

What I’m mainly referring to here is those parental idiots Jon and Kate and their eight poor kids who are going to grow up to become horrible parents themselves.  I think these two missed the big picture when the dollar signs got in their lines of vision.

I’ve watched an entire 30 seconds of this stupid show.  Yet just from reading the headlines at the supermarket or getting a briefing from the entertainment portion of my fave radio show, I know enough about this family (mainly the parents) to realize they aren’t going to win Parents of the Year anytime soon.  What kind of parent just ups and leaves their eight kids to go traipsing around to do talk shows and seminars?  And apparently their marriage wasn’t too solid to begin with.  Did these two ever work?  Why aren’t they working now?  Oh, I get it.  This “reality show” thing IS their job! 

I just wonder where the kids will be five or even ten years from now.  What are these kids going to think?  Do their parents even know how much humility the children  may have to live with because their selfishness opened up their private lives to the world?

If the television gurus want “reality” they need to come to my house for a week.  I’ll have their heads swimming.  They’ll never want to do another reality show ever again

I know another reality show will be replacing Jon and Kate soon enough.  There is a family with sextuplets scheduled to be making a reality show.  This one seems more focused on how to give Mommy and Daddy more free time.  From what I know of this family so far, I have to give them credit.  At least Mommy and Daddy have real jobs.

So this must be the new phase for “reality” TV.  People must be really into watching dirty diapers being changed these days.  Well, I guess it beats being voted off an island.

The Big Switch

Although the big D-Day switcheroo has come and gone (for the switch to digital cable), apparently there are still hundreds of thousands left with their bunny ears and a bunch of snow. 

Why is this?  Were these people livingin a cave back in February when it was initially announced this was going to happen?  Did they think it was a joke of some kind?

“Ha!  Digital cable my ass!  Who are they trying to fool?  My roof antennae and router have been serving me well for the past thirty years!”

Well, think again Mighty Magic Joe in East Bumfuck West Virginia Appalachian Mountains.  The Big D has come to stay and if you didn’t get a box to help you with the switch, you weren’t able to get your morning fix of Spongebob today.

Finally…

got to see “Angels and Demons” this weekend.  I wasn’t as disappointed by it as I thought I would be.  I figured with a book that good, no movie could live up to it.  Well, in my opinion, it did.  Of course, there’s a few things I would’ve changed.  But I liked how the movie ended better than the way it ended in the book.  I thought there could’ve been more conflict between Langdon and the Hassassin and they could’ve worked Langdon into his death, like the book did.  Nope.  They did it Hollywood style and had to send him out with a car bomb.  I knew when he got in the car it was going to blow.  No suspense there.

I could go on but it would be fruitless.  It’s just unfortunate that such a great story has to be twisted downwards to fit a two hour and twenty minute movie.

I also know I’ve been watching too much of my “Bosom Buddies” DVD because each time I saw Hanks all I could keep thinking was “it’s Buffy”!

My latest dis…

One thing I’m dissing these days is Weight Watcher’s yogurt.  I only bought it because it’s a little cheaper than Yoplait and it’s one less point.  Well, you really DO get what you pay for.

Walmart only carries four different flavors of WW yogurt, the best of which seems to be the berries and cream.  Well, they only had one of those on the shelf this week.  They had a TON of cherry cheesecake.  Trust me.  It sounds better than it tastes.  First of all, I’m not a big fan of cherries.  So that doesn’t help.  The best way to describe the cherry cheesecake yogurt is to say it tastes like Pepto Bismol.  It looks like it too.

Needless to say, lower points and price or not, I’m going back to Yoplait.

The passing of the torch…

So “The Tonight Show” reins have officially been handed over to Conan.  When Jay left he said the show was #1 in the ratings; I know it’s only been a few episodes, but if the show continues on like it has the past few nights, it won’t stay #1 for long.

The most entertaining thing about the past two nights was Conan’s debut.  Watching Conan run across this great country of ours to get to LA only to discover he left the keys to the set on his desk back in NY was worth a giggle or two.  It went downhill from there FAST.

On Monday all I kept thinking was “it’s Monday.  Where’s Headlines?”.  It used to be worth staying up past midnight on a work night to see Jay’s Headlines.  I think I always slept better Monday nights because I’d laughed my ass off before heading to bed.  Conan isn’t going to do that for me.

I noticed one of Conan’s first jokes was about the Clippers, something stolen from Jay, and I wondered if Conan realizes the Clippers aren’t even in the playoffs.  He even seemed a little nervous at first.  I can see why.  I’m sure he doesn’t want to be the one to bring the show down.

And what’s with that Andy guy standing at the podium?  He’s annoying as hell.  If you are the host of a show and need a “right-hand man” standing at a podium to lead you on, there are going to be problems.  Not to compare but John Melendez would introduce Jay and, except for a few episodes where Jay did include him in some stunts, would just sit back and let Jay work.  There was none of this standing at a podium like he’s going to make a speech or something.  What’s that all about?  Even Ed just sat back on the couch and let Johnny do his bit.

I know when Jay started out it was rough going too.   Hopefully Conan will pull through.  But I don’t think I’ll be watching to see if he does.

Meanwhile, I anxiously await Jay’s return in September…

Gee, I’m bored…I think I’ll play with some plutonium

Doesn’t Kim Jong have anything better to do than restart a plutonium plant, threaten South Korea and fire off nuclear missles in the hopes he can reach the United States?  Can’t this guy read a book?  Maybe catch a movie?  Take up fishing?  Anything to keep him busy and his mind off of WEAPONS?

Introducing the ultimately unconfident Dimitri

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve already heard this nutcase’s voicemail to a woman named “Olga”.  If not, here’s the link to have a listen on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acERZQIAjUk

Thanks to KB and Zito for sharing with us this week.  I had a good laugh.  Can you say CREEP? 

Of course when I learned he was for Toronto, I wasn’t surprised.  Actually, he’s not the first self-centered, unconfident pervert I’ve ever heard of from Toronto.  I’ve actually MET one!