Elbow room, or "Where the heck can I put this stuff?"

I like to browse through thrift stores. It's a habit that began when I was young. My family would usually spend each Saturday with a trip to the local swap meet, then to Goodwill, then to the Salvation Army. It was there that I honed my scrounging skills to become the collector that I am today. Pack rat? Oh, no, not me! I choose my items wisely! I would never buy something just to hide it away. . .or would I?

Last week, I made a trek to another local thrift store and found something incredible. Records that were still in shrink wrap. Wow! They weren't necessarily things that I would have bought for myself, but hey, they would probably be really valuable to a collector, right? So I bought a few (not all) and took them to my brother, the eBay expert. Surely he would appreciate the value of my find!

Well, he did know the value – very little, it turns out. I thought for sure that the Florence Henderson album would be worth something! :)

I'm ashamed to admit (sniff) that this has happened before. I've got the proof of it in my closet -a small stack of still-sealed records that I have bought within the last year or so. Nothing too valuable, just stuff that I thought would be good for that record store I'm going to own one day.
Well, in my dreams. Like many other people, my dreams are often larger than my ability to make them come true. It's easy to dream, harder to make the dreams a reality. It would take much more work than just collecting records to make that record store a reality. But I'm not able to do much more work.

The sad fact is that I'm just about out of elbow room. That's not necessarily because my place is full, but because there's just no good place to put stuff. Sure there are PLACES to put the stuff - the floor, under the bathroom sink, behind the toilet – but they're not GOOD places. When you run out of good places, you're in trouble. It's like the parent who gets angry at the child for not putting his toys away. Does the child have a PLACE to put his toys away? If he doesn't, then the problem is not just with the child.

I now know how museums were invented. Everybody kept on collecting stuff until one day, somebody said, “Hey look, we've got no room for this junk anymore. Let's create a big building where we can keep all this stuff so we can just go and look at it whenever we want to, okay?”

Will I be able to cure the collecting bug? Can I really reduce thrift-store shopping? Yep. But there are two problems I need to overcome.

The first problem: Buying cool stuff at thrift stores is fun. There is a surge of excitement that you get when you spot something that you'd like to have. You feel like you've found buried treasure. This doesn't happen every time you shop a thrift store, but when it does, you remember it. You feel like a privileged person who was in the right place at the right time. You feel important. It's not the same as finding something on sale at a regular retail store, because what you found is (usually) not available in a retail store. It's a very good “cheap thrill” that can also help other people. So why would I want to deny it from myself? (Yes, I know I just answered that question, but I'm trying to make a point!)

The second problem: Our brains can hold more than our closets can. We'll always be able to think of more stuff that we could actually get. If we find one book in a series of ten, we'll keep looking for the other nine. Going through our garage to get rid of junk helps demonstrate this problem. We cry out, “Hey, don't throw that away! I might need it someday!” But what we really mean is probably more like, “Hey, that's part of a secret collection I have been working on!”

So it's time to stop my secret collections – or at the very least, choose them wisely. Yeah, I'd like to own my own music store. But there are plenty of other things I'd like to do as well. There's only one me. That's both good news and bad news. It's time to choose my battles wisely.

In a few days, I'll get a small box of stuff together and (sniff) donate it to my local thrift store. Hey, why not? It's another small way of saying “thanks for the memories.” I will just need to be careful that I don't buy it back again when I shop there later that day.

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Speaking of giving things up. . .Tower Records went out of business last year. Here's a quick look back at its last days. . .

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2006/12/farewell-tower-records.html

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Stretch Monster? Oh yeah, man! He was that green monster who looked kind of like “The Abomination” from the Hulk comics! He was actually a cross between the Abomination and Mister Fantastic, as he could stretch and stretch way, way far. Much cooler than Stretch Armstrong. Stretch Armstrong was just a guy in underwear.

The Neato Coolville blog featured some posts about Stretch Monster this past week:

http://neatocoolville.blogspot.com/

Ginger's - I mean, Gilligan's Island

The name of this blog comes from a phrase that was used often on one of the most popular television shows of all time. Like it or hate it, you’ve probably heard of “Gilligan’s Island.” Last Sunday was the birthday of actress Tina Louise, who played (sigh) Ginger on the show. That seems like a good enough reason for a quick look back.

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale about a show that seems like it ran forever, but actually only ran for 98 episodes. The reason it seems like it ran forever is that it was practically “re-run” forever. Like “I Love Lucy,” “Gilligan’s Island” was syndicated across the nation after it went off the air. It is perhaps the first and best example of a show that actually grew in popularity after it was no longer in production. (“Star Trek” may be the ultimate example of this, but Gilligan works just as well).

“Gilligan’s Island” is ridiculous, and that’s pretty much exactly why we love it. In the “Unofficial Gilligan’s Island Handbook,” each of the cast members was asked what the ultimate message of “Gilligan’s Island” was. Almost all of them gave a similar answer: It was just fun.

I remember Gilligan for the silly situations, a few classic episodes, and Ginger. Oh, Ginger. . . She was my sex symbol before I knew what sex was. If the Fonz was the poor girl’s James Dean, then Ginger was the poor man’s Marilyn Monroe.

I need to note: I like Mary Ann, too! The whole “Ginger vs. Mary Ann” argument is kind of futile. It’s sort of like asking, “Which would you rather have, the perfect woman, or the perfect woman?” Well, how can I lose either way? Also, Mary Ann probably never would pretend to like somebody just to get what she wants. And we all know that Ginger would do that in a heartbeat.

The show had some profound moments. When Gilligan and the crew eat some seeds that allow them to read each others’ minds, it doesn’t take long for everyone to realize that this is not a good idea. When Gilligan gets rid of the plant where the seeds came from, no one is mad at him. That’s an interesting tale on a show that the uninformed don’t think has any merit.

Joey Greene’s “Unofficial Gilligan’s Island Handbook” was also a lot of fun for me. It came out before the Internet got “big”, and it was great to see that there were people much more obsessed with the show than I was! I think it’s still available, as are similar books by Russell Johnson and Bob Denver.

Sadly, as of today, you’ll have a hard time finding “Gilligan” on the air. But the series is available on DVD, and hopefully will be for all time to come. This is definitely a piece of the “vast wasteland” that needs to be preserved.

Sometimes, when the world is too much with me, I think about places I would like to get away to. Gilligan’s Island seems like a good choice to me. Friendly people (not counting the headhunters of course), nice scenery, all-natural foods, etc. All I would need is a radio. Of course, I would probably have to live on the other side of the island, so that I wouldn’t disturb the chemistry that can only be found between the seven stranded castaways who have captured my heart. But I suppose it might be possible to visit a certain redhead every once in a while. . .I know a really nice beach over there where we can be all alone. . .until Gilligan comes running by. :)

FAVORITE EPISODES:

SHIP AHOAX: One of the best shows I've seen in any series. Ginger's magic trick may turn into the castaways' salvation. An honestly entertaining and interesting episode.

HI-FI GILLIGAN: Something silly turns into something moving and profound. Gilligan gets hit on the head, and his head turns into a radio receiver. By the end of the episode, we get a wonderful picture of how each of the castaways cares for each other. A must-see.

SEER GILLIGAN: When Gilligan eats the seeds from a plant, he gains the ability to read minds. And we learn why it might be a good idea not to eat those seeds.

HIGH MAN ON THE TOTEM POLE: Because two heads are better than one.

ALL ABOUT EVA: Because two Gingers are better than one.

UP AT BAT: Great kiddie Halloween fun.

THE FRIENDLY PHYSICIAN: If only they could have put Mary Ann's brain into Ginger's body. . .

GHOST A GO-GO: Beware of ghosts bearing gifts!

CASTAWAYS PICTURES PRESENTS: “What's THAT?!!” It's a hand, Skipper. :)

SMILE, YOU'RE ON MARS CAMERA: A camera meant to land on Mars lands on the Island instead. The silliness factor reaches its highest peak.

TOPSY-TURVEY: Gilligan sees everything upside-down. “One professor, two professor. . .”

SPLASHDOWN: What are the chances that one of the astronauts would be named “Sol?” Dang, talk about bad luck! And talk about funny!

VOODOO: Professor as a zombie. Ginger's rain dance. What more could you want – a giant spider?

THE PIGEON: A giant spider. And a man whose pigeon flies to the island.

CLASSIC GILLIGAN QUOTES (paraphrased):
SKIPPER: Professor, what are the chances this plan will work?
PROFESSOR: Well. . .a million to one.
SKIPPER: Oh, great! A million to one! What could be worse odds than that?
GILLIGAN: A million to none!
PROFESSOR: Exactly! At least there’s a chance!

SKIPPER: Ginger, you don’t need me. You’ve got Gilligan, you’ve got Mr. Howell, and you’ve got the Professor.
GINGER: Gilligan is just a boy, Mr. Howell is a married man, and the Professor is only interested in my mind!

This Gilligan fan club site has plenty of fun things, including a list of Ginger’s movie credits. Check it out!
http://www.gilligansisle.com/main.html

If you’re willing to wade through a lot of pop-up ads, you can find some nice pictures of the Gilligan cast members by following the link at the site below:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/gilligansisland.html

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FROM THE ‘I THOUGHT I HAD SEEN IT ALL’ DEPARTMENT: Apparently, the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker crawled into a sack of potatoes and bit Mr. Potato Head as well, creating the super-hero “Mr. Potato Spud-man!” Or something like that. This picture is from the recent national “toy fair.“ I assume we’ll be seeing the toy around the time “Spidey 3” comes out. Until then, we can plan for the ultimate battle with Darth Tater. :)

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WEB CLAM: Do you like to eat clams? For some reason, here in SoCal, despite the fact that we are pretty close to an ocean, clams are hard to find on the menu. But I have had my share of clam chowder in my day, and I do approve of it. While searching for images of Tina Louise, I came upon Michael Marcus’ great clam Web page. (I also managed to find a Greta Garbo stamp and a picture of a dog with her puppies. Sigh. Web page surfing is not a perfect art yet.) Michael’s page has almost everything you would want to know about eating clams. Check it out!
http://www.weloveclams.com/

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THEIR OWN SERIES AT LAST! Two of my heroes will finally be getting their own TV series, albeit a very short one. The Muppet Newsflash blog has reported that Ernie and Bert will appear as animated characters in a series of 5-minute long episodes in “The Adventures of Bert and Ernie.” A handful of media outlets worldwide (including ABC in Australia) plan to air the series. I'm hoping that a kind muppet fan in Australia will be willing to trade episodes of this. (Anybody here from Australia?) You can read all about it at the blog posting here:

http://muppetnewsflash.blogspot.com/2007/02/bert-ernies-animated-adventures.html

This is a great idea. But what isn't so great is the fact that (at this time) Sesame Workshop has NO plans to air it in the U.S.! Arrgh! Why on earth not? Bert and Ernie are certainly still household names here. It would make a great insert segment for Sesame Street. So why don't they show it here?

Actually, I sort of already know why not. Sesame Workshop has been turning its sights toward a younger child audience for many years now. So they would prefer to play it safe and feature Elmo making stupid comments in front of babies than feature anything innovative and imaginative like a clay animation series. Let the rest of the world have innovation, we'll settle for forced cuteness and stupid slapstick, because it's our job to please stupid overprotective parents.

Did I actually say that? How could I say such a thing? I'm such a nice guy. . .

Hehehehehehe. . . .

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If you remember the 1950’s Superman TV show, you may recall that a few of the earlier episodes were not exactly meant for young kids. Fred Hembeck brings this up to Superman himself in his latest “Fred Hembeck Show” episode. Although perhaps some things are best left unsaid. . .

http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/?p=3451

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Congrats to the folks at Tvshowsondvd.com for their new “sale” to TV Guide. Your hard work has paid off and you have reached a higher level of blog. :) Your site is appreciated. Here’s hoping for more great coverage in the future.

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6923

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John Denver

A few years ago, I made a music compilation of most of my favorite songs. (In fact, I'm still working on it. I'm up to volume six.) The first song on the first CD-R is the first “favorite song” of mine that I can remember. It is “Take me home, Country Roads” by John Denver.

There is a statement in the introduction to John Denver's autobiography that goes something like this: “What Frank Sinatra was to the 1940s, and Elvis was to the 1950s, and the Beatles were to the 1960s, John Denver was to the 1970s – a phenomenon.” Truer words were never said. And John deserves to be placed near those music greats. I'm not sure if this is still true, but I was told that the number one best-selling LP in the history of RCA records is “John Denver's Greatest Hits.” I wouldn't be surprised – I keep finding it in old used record bins! Hey, that means a lot of people liked it. Just like the Fleetwood Mac “Rumors” LP and “Frampton Comes Alive!” :) It's a classic of its time, but John is really a classic for all times. His music reaches beyond his life and into many other lives.

For example, consider the beautiful “Annie’s Song.” Originally, the song described the feelings John had for his wife. Well, they later divorced. You would think it would be a pain for him to play “Annie’s Song” after that. But Annie’s Song wasn’t just about Annie. It was about the love we feel for many things. And as John wrote, it could just as easily have been a prayer.

John had a great voice. Check out the little-known track “Dearest Esmeralda” as a great example of his ability to bring out the best in a song. And I wish I could still sing the high notes in “Calypso.” It was so easy when I was eight. But John could still sing them years after the song came out.

He was a natural actor. Perhaps it's hard to appreciate how great he was in “Oh, God!” because he seemed as if he were just playing himself. In fact, even when he did play himself on the muppet specials, he seemed so natural that the muppets seemed all the more real. And he was naturally funny. He held his own with the muppets. Recall his great straight-man work as Gonzo talked about his mold garden. And the very funny “dog in the airplane trick” from the “Rocky Mountain Holiday” special. (This moment was edited out of the video release, darn it!) It involved John curing Rowlf’s hiccups by taking him on an airplane ride. After doing a few tricky airplane maneuvers, John cries out:

JOHN: Hey Rowlf! I just figured it out! When you push the lever backward, the airplane goes down!
ROWLF: He’s kidding me! Tell me you’re kidding me!!
JOHN: And when you push the lever forward, the airplane goes up! Far out!
ROWLF: OOOWWWWW!!!!

John once pointed out that his music differs from traditional country music in that it focuses more on the “Western” side of “Country and Western.” You need only listen to John's music and compare it to more traditional country music to hear the difference. John's songs are sometimes hard to define, except as “good songs.” Some very happy memories involve visiting my grandparents' beautiful home and me listening to the “Windsong” album in the background. The equally great “I Want to Live” album is still one of my favorites. When John teamed up with the muppets for a Christmas special and album, it was a historic entertainment event at our house!

The first concert I ever went to was John Denver - not long after "I want to live" was released. Yes, of course my mom and dad took us. :) I remember just a few tiny moments from it: John singing “It Amazes Me”; Someone in the crowd crying out as John was tuning up, “I love you, John!” John's reply, “I love you, too!” and the crowd's laughter. I remember sitting on the stairway heading up to our seats (yes, we were all sitting down), then going home early (it was way past bedtime, you know), and stopping on the way out to hear John sing “Country Roads.” Actually, John is still one of the few “big stars” I can say that I've seen in person. I'm thankful I got to go.

John and I had something in common (beyond wearing glasses sometimes, that is). He enjoyed times of solitude. Part of the reason he wanted to preserve the wilderness is that he wanted others to enjoy those times as well. Now obviously, you don't need to be in the wilderness to have moments like that. But it helps. And so does John's music.

John understood that some things in life go beyond our ability to relate them. In his liner notes to the “Windsong” album, he wrote something which could almost serve as his epitaph. He wrote that he was going to record the sound of the wind in between the tracks on the album, but found that it was impossible to capture the exact sound he was searching for. He wished for us that someday, we would be able to get away to a very quiet place, and listen to the true sound of the wind for ourselves.

May we all get to hear what he heard.

FAVORITE JD ALBUMS: John Denver's Greatest Hits volumes 1 and 2; Windsong; I Want To Live; The Rocky Mountain Collection; Seasons of the Heart; John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together

FAVORITE JD SONGS (take a deep breath, here we go): Take Me Home, Country Roads; Follow Me; Annie's Song; For Baby (For Bobbie); Rocky Mountain High; Fly Away; Spirit; Looking for Space; Aspenglow; Late Nite Radio; Singing Skies and Dancing Waters; How Can I Leave You again; Thirsty Boots; I Want To Live; Dearest Esmeralda; Calypso; This Old Guitar; A Baby Just Like You; Alfie/It's in every one of us; Noel: Christmas Eve 1913; Perhaps Love; Heart to Heart; Shanghai Breezes; For You; Dreamland Express; Rhymes & Reasons; Grandma's Feather Bed; Garden Song; Flying For Me; Wild Montana Skies; Eagles and Horses; It Amazes Me; To the Wild Country; Catch Another Butterfly; Darcy Farrow; The Eagle and the Hawk; Ballad of Spiro T. Agnew; Matthew; Leavin’ on a jet plane & many more I have forgotten to list.

JD ON VIDEO: “The Wildlife Concert”; “John Denver: A Song's Best Friend”; “Nature: John Denver: Let this be a voice.” “John Denver & The Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday”; “Oh, God!” “Muppet Show: John Denver”;

NEEDS TO BE ON VIDEO: “John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas together”; “John Denver: Rocky Mountain Christmas”; “Carpenters: First TV Special (John as guest)”;

Super ads, Square One, and Silver Surfer sings!

THE REAL COMPETITION: With the Superbowl near again, it’s time for a quick look at everything other than the game: Our favorite ads and half-time shows!



FAVORITE ADS: My favorite Superbowl ad (so far) would have to be the Visa “Superheroes” ad. Hey, I love team-ups! And how can you not like an ad with Spidey, Thor, X-men and Underdog! Great stuff. This photo comes from the site below:

http://www.adjab.com/2005/02/06/marvel-visa-check-card-super-bowl-commercial/cial/

One year, our local newspaper did a story about a classic car that was going to be used in a Britney Spears superbowl ad. Watching the game with my friends that year, I told them to watch for the car in the Britney ad. When Britney came on, she was dancing in the foreground with the car behind her. “There it is!” I said. “There’s the car!” My friend Tim replied, “What car?” :)

FAVORITE HALF-TIME SHOW: Tough one. Michael Jackson’s was memorable, as was the Rolling Stones’. And of course, there was Indiana Jones’ quest for the trophy. Let’s call it a three-way tie: Jackson, Jones and Stones. Wait, there’s Paul McCartney, too! Can we have a four-way tie? Sorry, Janet Jackson doesn’t make it. The “wardrobe malfunction” may have been memorable, but nothing else about that half-time show really was.

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SQUARE WHAT? You’ve all heard of Sesame Street, but do you know what “Square One TV” is? It’s another show by those Sesame Workshop (SW) people that is sadly not as well-known. I’m sorry to say that I missed out on much of the Square One phenomenon the first time around. I was in my teens at the time it debuted, and slowly weaning myself away from PBS kids’ shows. (Hard to believe, I know. But as you can see, I never left them completely.) :)

Since then, though, I have been gradually re-introduced to “Square One,” and I have learned to appreciate the show a lot more. The show actually was based on a good idea - to teach math skills the way other SW shows taught reading skills. In some ways, math is tricky to teach via the tube, but if nothing else, Square One helped kids adjust their minds into math mode, giving them the raw material to understand math concepts. And it was smart and funny. The humor of “Mathnet” and “Dirk Niblick” extended beyond most kids’ shows of the time - and of our time. Those are my two favorite recurring skits from the show, and they are missed. (If you’re a Roger Ramjet fan, you will definitely like Dirk Niblick!)

The show has many fans, and some of them gathered together in the Big Apple over the weekend to celebrate the (gasp!) 20-year anniversary of the show! That’s quite awesome that there are enough dedicated fans to not only create a fine web page, but actually meet up and talk about it. Hey, think about it - I don’t know of any “Sesame Street” adult gatherings.

They’re cool people and you can commune with them over at the Square One TV forums in the links section.


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WILL THE RECORD GO PLATINUM? Speaking of great team-ups, remember “The Silver Surfer?” He kind of looks like an “Oscar,” except that he is silver, and he rides around the universe on a silver surfboard. Well, with a mode of transport like that, it was only a matter of time before he followed in the footsteps of the Beach Boys! This picture comes from a cartoon drawn by Fred Hembeck, and you can read a longer version at “The Fred Hembeck Show” at the link below. This column is a treat for Beach Boys fans, too, so catch a wave over there.


http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/?p=3202


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ANNE FRANK ON FILM: In my January 27 post about Anne Frank, I failed to mention that there is actually footage of Anne Frank on film! You can see it in the documentary “Anne Frank Remembered.” It is very, very short (maybe one second long) and features Anne looking down from a tall window. Very short, very historic. Isn’t it interesting how more & more stuff about Anne Frank is gradually being revealed? First missing pages from her diary are returned, then the Otto Frank letters. . . It makes me wonder if somebody isn’t hoarding another diary somewhere. :) But check out that documentary for more about Anne.

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PERHAPS LOVE: The other day, I saw a John Denver album I had never seen before called “Love Songs.” I was all excited to tell the world about this new album, only to learn after an Internet search that it has been out for over a year! Out of the loop, man, out of the loop. Looking at the track list makes you realize that John had a flair for the romantic just as he had for the wilderness. Only real problem is that the song “For You” isn’t here, and that is certainly one of John’s best love songs. (Check it out from his “Wildlife Concert” if you haven’t already) Many long-time fans who already have huge J.D. collections may pass this CD by, but if you’ve always liked “Annie’s Song,” (admit it, it’s a classic!) here’s a chance to get something special for your valentine.

More about John next time, assuming no new emergencies.
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Anne Frank: The first blogger?

Hello, Kitty!

No, I’m not talking about Hello Kitty, I’m talking about the way Anne Frank used to begin each entry in her famous diary. (She actually wrote “Dear Kitty”) The diary is deservedly a classic as well as an important historical document. As I heard the news the other day that some letters from Anne’s father were going to be released, I thought about Anne and the horrible book report I gave in Jr. High School. But I also realized that in some ways, years before the Internet, Anne was the first blogger.

Think about it. Why did Anne write the diary? I don’t think she ever showed it to her family. I don’t think she planned on releasing it to the world after the war. Basically, I think she wrote it for two people - herself and Kitty. Who is Kitty? I can’t answer that question for Anne, but as far as you and I are concerned, Kitty is you and I. Kitty is the “secret reader” of the diary. Kitty is the person who wasn’t there in the flesh, but in the spirit. Kitty was any person who might read the diary.

Anne Frank was a girl who had many dreams. Kitty was the dream that someone would read the diary someday. And boy, did we ever. A worldwide best-seller, the diary has been made into a play and a few movies. (FYI: Natalie Portman played Anne in a production of the play!)

Just as an aside, while there are many fine films about Anne, many of them focus more on the horrors of the war than on Anne herself. It’s sometimes so easy to forget that she was a relatively normal girl going through many of the same problems growing up that we all do. She just happened to be in a horrible situation. Considering the way she was forced to live, it’s inspiring that her feelings were as normal as they seemed to be.

At the very beginning of the diary, Anne Frank writes a message to her new friend Kitty. It is a moving message for you and I as we begin to look at life in the eyes of a young woman in hiding:

I hope I shall be able to confide in you completely, as I never have been able to anyone before, and I that you will be a great support and comfort to me.

Okay, stay with me here. . .

Why do we blog? Let’s face it, I don’t have millions of people reading this stuff. I’m not getting paid. So why do I do it? I think I do it for two people - myself and Kitty. Although this blog is not written like a diary, it contains things that I think about and that are small parts of my life.

When you read my blog, you get a tiny glimpse into what I’m thinking about, even if it’s not my “main focus” all the time. I am sharing things with you just like Anne did, in the secret hope that as you read, you might be able to learn about who I am.

One of the reasons that I put off creating a web page for so long was that I could never find one complete subject that satisfied me. For example, I like the muppets, but I didn’t want to do a web page with only the muppets. I don’t think about the muppets 24 hours a day! It’s the same thing with all those other subjects in the links section. None of them are completely “me.” The blog allows me to touch on many different things I enjoy, not just one subject all the time. That keeps it fresh and fun (for me, anyway).

No work of art can ever completely capture the life of another person. Art doesn’t work that way. When we read Anne’s diary, we get a peek into her heart, but that’s it. It’s the same with any writer or artist. Likewise, our blogs provide a peek into our hearts, and that’s all. But what a sight.

I seriously doubt that anything written in this blog will ever be as good as Anne’s diary, or made into a play or a movie. (I follow the advice of my friend Forrest Gump: “Don’t ever let them make a movie of your life!”) But what is here is some fun, and hopefully some stuff that will help you. I know it helps me. Thanks again for reading.

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ANOTHER BOOK BY ANNE FRANK: Did you know that Anne Frank wrote another book, and that in some ways it’s better than her diary? No, I’m not kidding! It is a collection of stories she wrote called “Tales from the Secret Annex,” and it is a fabulous collection of her fiction and fantasy. It gives a peek into Anne’s heart that the diary doesn’t always do. Some of her stories remind me of the style of “The Little Prince.” It’s short and sweet and worth a read!

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FLYING FOR ME: It was about this time in 1986 that the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in a terrible accident. We lost seven crew members, and we almost lost two celebrities who came close to being on that flight! Read all about it in my archives at this link:

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2006/05/big-bird-and-space-shuttle-challenger.html

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A year (more or less) of YouTube

It’s been about a year since the “YouTube” web site began to catch on with the web surfing public. And it’s been quite a trip, with many people blogging by video rather than by text. I’m not on Youtube yet, but being a video collector, I can see its appeal.

Most Youtube videos are required to be ten minutes long or less. While that’s not enough time for a “real” movie, that’s more than enough time for a casual web surfer to enjoy a short clip. And there’s a lot of programming that lends itself to short clips - commercials, Sesame Street, cartoons . . . Wait, did someone say “Sesame Street?” Yes, folks, some kind Sesame collectors have put up some great clips from their collections on Youtube, and it’s been fun to watch them again. One gentleman has been posting a few Sesame clips that were originally from my collection, and I’m glad to have had a (very) small part in sharing them with others (He does all the hard work, I just gave him the clips).

The files download to your computer rather easily as long as you have three main things: The “flash” program installed (you can download it for free), a reasonably fast processor (my five-year-old computer had some issues with Youtube) and a super-fast Internet connection. YouTube on dial-up still works, but as you can imagine, it is very slow. I wouldn’t want to wait around to download a ten-minute Youtube video with dial-up unless I had an afternoon to spare, which most of us usually don’t.

Unfortunately, the system can be (and is being) abused. There’s a lot of crap on Youtube that young people (or any people, for that matter) probably shouldn’t see. They make an effort to keep things relatively clean, but as it is written, “seek and ye shall find.” Youtube is a site that most careful parents would probably want to block from their kids. That’s a shame, because a system like this has the potential to bring a lot of kid-friendly material as well.

Here’s a list of just some of what I’ve seen posted in the past year:

The long-lost Sesame Street “trash in the park” music short (a favorite)
Green Grover & monsters play “first & last” (Circa 1969)
Ernie writes a story (the clip from “Forest Gump”)
Michael Crawford’s farewell at his last “Phantom of the Opera” performance
Clips from “Return of the Ewok”
Bob, Gordon, David & Luis sing “Gimmie Five!”
Partridge Family Rice Krispies ad
The “Friends” underwear promos
Cookie Monster PSA from late 1970s
Jack-in-the-Box clown blows up (from early 1980s)
John Denver raisin bran commercial
Sylvania TV ad with Will Lee (Mr. Hooper)
Carpenters - “Thank you for the music”
Arcadia - “Goodbye is Forever”
Star Wars drunk driving PSA
Some idiots dressed as Pac-Man characters running through a library

Note that some of these clips are no longer available. There’s another fault of Youtube. If someone takes it down, it’s gone. You have to download the clips to your computer, and while there apparently is a way to do it, Youtube is not publicizing it, and it may not be worth it for the casual web surfer.

So why not just trade ALL video over the web now? Well, if you compare the video quality of your average YouTube video to the DVDs and tapes in your home video collection, I think you’ll find that the DVDs and tapes come out on top. Even the very clear Youtube clips wouldn’t look so great if you blew them up big enough to show on your wide screen TV at home.

The method I use to save the videos I like is definitely not perfect, but it “works for me,” as they say. I set up a video camera in front of the computer screen and turn up the volume on the speakers. Primitive, huh? (It reminds me of the days when I would put my tape recorder next to the speaker on my beautiful blue monophonic Lionel record player.) But if you want to watch a Youtube clip on your regular TV, I think for right now, this is one of the easiest ways to do it. I end up with a “video-friendly” copy rather than a computer file.

So YouTube is a lot of fun, and a step forward in video sharing. Still, I’m hoping for a day in the future when good quality video will be able to be downloaded from the web without much hassle. We’re already practically there when it comes to music, so can good video sharing be that far away?

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Just a slight update for die-hard Carpenters fans - that gathering in Downey has been rescheduled for 2008. That gives you another year to save up for the $100-plus ticket. :) Also, some museums have scheduled that “Jim Henson” exhibit for 2008. If they move the Princess Diana celebration to 2008, I may have to delete that January 1 post.

Check out the “Classic Sesame Street” section at the Muppet Central forum (in the links section) for an ongoing list of Sesame St. clips on Youtube.

The Chicken: In praise of poultry

Longtime San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn is getting a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He’s a great player who built a reputation for reliability. Speaking of reliable, let’s talk about somebody who, according to his web page, performed at more than 5000 games before missing one. (And somebody who at one point was on Tony Gwynn’s bad side, but more about that later) - ladies and gentlemen: THE CHICKEN!





Don’t laugh. Well, on second thought, go right ahead. Neither the chicken nor I would mind.

As a baseball fan in San Diego in the 1970s, you had to learn to put up with a lot of things that weren’t so great. The Padres were relatively new, and relatively inexperienced. There is a sadly true story about Padre team owner Ray Kroc getting on the loudspeaker after the game to complain about the terrible playing by the team. The team needed help, and help came from a rather unexpected source. No, not Ronald McDonald - a chicken. The costumed character from KGB radio began to make appearances at Jack Murphy (now Qualcomm) Stadium during major sports events.

Perhaps it’s hard for die-hard sports fans to understand why the Chicken is so important to the history of the Padres. Perhaps you had to be a kid as I was, enjoying the funny guy in the costume much more than I could understand the game. Perhaps you had to be there to hear the low roar of laughter that seemed to be almost constantly coming from the stands.

All he did was make the fans happy - which was just what the Padres needed at that time.

The Chicken was proof that it was okay to do silly things as an adult. When you think about it, there aren’t too many celebrities whose humor appeals directly to children. I’m thinking of the many stars “Saturday Night Live” has helped develop. All great, but not always funny for kids. The Chicken is pure slapstick fun in an era when the classic silent slapstick greats seem to have vanished.

At one point, the Chicken received a job offer from another individual who was offering more cash. Folks, this was on the news! All of San Diego held its breath for a few days, until finally the Chicken chose to stay with KGB and the Padres, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. He was really every bit as much a sports celebrity as Randy Jones & Rollie Fingers were at the time. He was certainly as well-known.

Sadly, it was not long after that when KGB and the chicken parted ways. Now my memory is sketchy on this, but I seem to recall a news clip on “Real People” about KGB hiring somebody else to play the chicken, and this new guy GETTING BOOED RIGHT OUT OF THE STADIUM! That’s how loyal San Diego was to the original chicken!

Not long after this was the “Grand Hatching.” The Chicken would return, this time on his own terms, and in a new costume. The stadium was sold out, and everyone who wasn’t there was watching it on TV. What on earth would he look like? My brother and I still remember seeing that giant egg being lifted off a truck and onto the field at the stadium. Suddenly, it bursts open, and out comes the Chicken we know today, and the crowd roars! If you didn’t love sports in San Diego, you might not understand what a big deal this was. But we did. And we still do.

A little later was kind of a historic night in my life - the birthday celebration of Ray Kroc. It was held at the stadium and - well folks, it was great. I don’t remember anything about the game. But man, what a show. Skydivers landing in the middle of the stadium! A giant birthday cake with the Chicken and Ronald McDonald inside! Confetti! Grimace! Hamburglar! A phone call from Ronald Reagan! A free cap! Kroc riding into the stadium in his white limo and the chicken bowing down to worship him! This cheesy fun really was a great night for a young kid.

As I grew up, so did sports in San Diego. The Padres were certainly becoming a force to reckon with, thanks to some great players like Tony Gwynn mentioned above. And who could ever forget 1984 - the year we won the pennant! It was a great moment in San Diego sports history. And as sports became more serious, people began to actually watch the game more than the mascot.

Sadly, for some, the chicken’s antics began to be more annoying than fun. This quote from Barry M. Bloom sums it up well:

The guy in the Famous Chicken outfit hatched his act here when the team on the field was just a supporting cast. There was the night in 1984 when he played Indiana Chicken and rode a horse across the field during a no-hit effort by the Cardinals' Ricky Horton. The horse came to a halt and decided to fertilize left field. Horton didn't get the no-hitter and the Chicken was banished, forced to buy tickets and perform in the stands.

09/22/2003 9:00 AM ET Good times at the QBy Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

So many Padres began to turn against the Chicken, as did many sports fans. As longtime San Diego sports commentator Ted Leitner is fond of saying, “It’s only a game!” But when you dedicate your life to the game, as Tony Gwynn did, then perhaps you can understand why everyone got upset.

Perhaps the lowest blow of all was when the Chicken was actually kicked out of Jack Murphy stadium during the Super Bowl in San Diego! He didn’t go to work, he was just there as a fan to enjoy the game, but he was a fan in a chicken suit, and apparently the guys in the real suits didn’t approve of the attention he was getting, so they chucked the chicken. Perhaps understandable, but sad. We’d come a long way.

Thankfully, the Chicken and sports fans have pretty much made peace with each other. He has since taken his show on the road. He’s been making fans happy across the nation just as he used to do in San Diego. He still drops by to visit once in a while - this time as an honored guest - and is always welcomed back with cheers and laughter. The laughter continues, and hopefully will for a long time.

And as Jerry Coleman said, you can hang a star on that baby.

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Yay! The Chicken has a web page full of pictures (like the one above) and more cool things. Check it out!
http://www.famouschicken.com

Say, does ANYBODY out there have any episodes of “The Baseball Bunch” with Johnny Bench & the Chicken? The show was on the air in the early 1980s and ranks as a lost childhood classic show (along with “That’s Cat” and “The Froozles!”) If you’ve got them, please e-mail me at sesarognospam@yahoo.com for a video trade. But take the "nospam" out of my email address before you do.

Fred and Courteney

This post is all about two people I like a lot - but in different ways. Believe it or not, there is a connection between Fred Rogers and Courteney Cox Arquette, and if you read on, you’ll learn what it is.

Let’s begin with Courteney. It all began in 1985 when I first saw “Misfits of Science.” The show featured Courteney as “Glo,” the girl with the telekinetic powers. Well, let’s just say she moved me as well. Dang, she was beautiful. Remember, this is before the Internet, so I couldn’t go online and look at pictures of her. So I watched that show as much as I possibly could, but that wasn’t long, because the show went off the air very quickly. RATS! The love of my life was gone!

Thankfully, “Misfits” wasn’t the end for Courteney. She stuck it out and eventually landed another role on “Family Ties,“ a show I was already watching anyway! She appeared on the show as Alex P. Keaton’s rebound girlfriend. Boy, what a rebound. Of course, they kiss only a few minutes after they meet, which is the way relationships work in TV land. She provided some unintentional competition to the equally lovely Justine Bateman, who played Alex’s sister Mallory. Courteney and Justine on the same show! Rowr!

A bit later “Family Ties” had gone off the air as well. (Not again!) But Courteney being the strong person she is stuck it out, and landed a role on another show called “The Trouble with Larry.” In the first episode, the lead character walks up to Courteney and, believing she is somebody else, gives her a passionate kiss.

What did I tell you about relationships in TV land?

Anyway, that show went off the air quickly as well. The “Courteney curse” strikes again. I suppose that could have been the end of some people’s careers, but she got by with a little help from her “Friends,” and starred on one of the most popular shows of the past few years. What do I think of “Friends?” Well, like so many shows, Friends has a few funny moments surrounded by a bunch of unfunny ones. “Friends” can be fun, but that’s about it. It’s not a show I watched regularly, even though I liked Courteney and the cast. There just wasn’t enough on it to keep me interested. Real life friendships don’t work out the way they do on "Friends." Plus, my main TV-watching years were beginning to fade as college arrived and kept me busy - and thinking about the future.

I definitely still like Courteney. Attractive and smart, it’s no surprise she took her time picking out a husband. Courteney is married to David Arquette whom she met while filming the “Scream” series. (And is it just a coincidence that the two of them were tied up together in the third movie? Hmmm.) But before she met David, Courteney had a relationship with actor Michael Keaton, who played “Batman” in the 1989 film. But Keaton was not always working on-screen. Early in his career, he worked behind the scenes in Pittsburgh on a children’s show called - MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD!

If you’ve seen the documentary “Fred Rogers: America’s favorite neighbor,” you already know all this. Michael Keaton hosts the documentary and even shows a brief clip of when he appeared on the show. Fred Rogers also tells a funny story about Michael Keaton when he was working “Picture Picture”. Man, what a cool thing to put on your resume! “And I worked ‘Picture Picture’ on ‘Mister Rogers!’” I think this documentary is out on DVD, so try to pick up a copy if you can. It’s great fun for fans of the show & brings back a lot of memories. Remember the “Purple People?” Too much, man.

Fred Rogers’ impact on my life is huge. Like many others, I learned from him, made fun of him, and then revered him when I realized what he had done, and is still doing. Fred Rogers cared about the heart of children so much that he dedicated his life to helping them deal with their inner feelings. And he’s still helping me deal with some of mine today. There are times when we all need to hear that people can like us exactly as we are.

I don’t always write to celebrities, but when I heard that Mister Rogers was retiring, I wrote him a letter. He wrote back a short letter in return. It’s one of my treasures, as are my memories of the show.

But what about the future? I mentioned in December that many PBS stations no longer carry Mister Rogers at all. Well, it looks like even the folks at Family Communications (Mister Rogers’ production company) understand that the show won’t be around forever. Here’s a clip from an article about a new show that Family is working on:

Mr. (Kevin) Morrison acknowledged that individual PBS stations make decisions about what shows to carry and FCI continues to support "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," but he also understands the reality of the television business.

"We're on PBS and will be into the foreseeable future, but I think no one has any doubt about the fact that one day it won't be on," he said.

"I still think there's so much good about the 'Neighborhood' that I would want it to go on as long as it can, because I think it's ageless," Mrs. Rogers said. "But there are some dated things about it."

(From the article, 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' firm plans new TV series; Thursday, December 28, 2006; By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

And so it goes. This is why preserving video is so important. I want others to know about Mister Rogers’ and I want other kids to enjoy his show. My dream is that someday virtually all of the episodes will be available for download or something like that, and we’ll be able to enjoy them for all time to come. Until then, we have our memories, which is really almost as good.

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If you have some older episodes of Mister Rogers on videotape, I would be interested in trading with you. I have several, but I am looking for early (pre-1977) episodes that I don’t already have. Send me an e-mail at sesarog@yahoo.com and let me know what you’ve got.
You can find out which episodes of Mister Rogers will be airing on PBS by checking out the link at the Family Communications web site: http://www.familycommunications.org/.

New year links

Surprise! It’s 2007, and it should be the beginning of several fun things.

Like what? Well, if you’re a Carpenters fan, a fan gathering is being planned in Downey during the summer. You can get more information by following the link at http://www.goodyfourshoes.com.

You prefer religious music? Jim Strathdee will be making some Southern California appearances in March. Jim is the co-author of "I am the Light of the World," a favorite religious song. You can find out more by checking the schedule on this web page: http://www.strathdeemusic.com.

You prefer a big, big show? Well, if you have a big, big budget, you can try to buy a scalped ticket for the Princess Diana celebration in Britain. Yeah, I know, I won’t be going either. But I sure hope somebody tapes it. This is, to my knowledge, the first time that Andrew Lloyd Webber has teamed up with Duran Duran. :) This is the concert that was sold out by the time everyone heard about it. They’d better put it on TV for us in the states. It should be a fun time.

You prefer fantasy? It’s the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, and there will be a fan celebration in Los Angeles this summer. Find out more at http://www.starwars.com/community/event/celebration/news20060526.html

You prefer to stay at home and watch a video? Well, we have more video rumors than real news at this point. But according to tvshowsondvd.com, 2007 could bring new DVD releases of favorite shows like Happy Days, Odd Couple, Mork & Mindy, Davey & Goliath, and Men Behaving Badly (U.S. version). Want more info? Check out www.tvshowsondvd.com.

You prefer to stay at home and watch something sexy? Hmmm. Well, how about the new Courteney Cox series, “Dirt?” It airs on the FX network and although I haven’t seen any episodes yet, it should be pretty good because hey- it’s Courteney. Look, the woman is practically the only reason I was interested in the show “Friends” at all. Love that catsuit. I will have to do a longer blog about Courteney soon. As far as my fantasies go, there’s a lot of “dirt” to dig up.

You prefer museums? Well, if you like dinosaurs, you may like the new creation museum planned to open this summer. The museum’s focus is on world history from a biblical perspective & answering arguments about the bible and science. I’m familiar with some of the people who are working on the museum and they are certainly dedicated to teaching people about these things from both a scientific and biblical perspective. You can find out more by visiting http://www.answersingenesis.org/museum/

Not your museum “cup of tea?” Well, at this point this is only a hope, but the great Muppet Newsflash blog reports that the Jim Henson society is putting together a museum exhibit on his life which may feature some of the muppets on display. This would be great - although the muppets have been on display in museums before, this would be the first time we would get to see some of them since the original “Art of the Muppets” exhibit from the early 1980s. That was well over 20 years ago. I’d love to see them again if given the chance. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for this to become a reality later this year. Learn more about it here: http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibits/henson/main.htm

You prefer comics? Well, after you get back from the San Diego Comic-Con this summer, you can pick up the latest copies of “The Complete Peanuts,” set to be printed later this year. You can pick up the years 1959-1962 right now, and if you’re a Charlie Brown fan I would advise you to do so. The sixties were a kind of “golden age” of the strip, and this is a chance to own good hardbound copies of them. They are replacing my old Fawcet Crest pocket books that are doodled over with my own drawings of Snoopy and friends from when I was six or so. (I can’t throw them out, because they’re my early art! They might be worth a lot of money someday! Really!) Find out more about the books by following the link at http://www.snoopy.com.

What about me? Well, I hope to keep working and hopefully finding new ways to share my talents with the world as well as new ways of reaching out to others. Sounds corny, I know, but that doesn’t make it wrong, folks. I would love to finally work on that home movie I have dreamed of making with some friends. I’ve been dreaming about it for years, and putting it off, knowing how difficult it would be just to get everybody working together on it. God grant me the strength to get started. And God bless my patient friends, and if you read this blog, that probably includes you.

Christmas with Daniel

Christmas is where you find it. This Christmas story has nothing to do with the actual holiday – and everything. The story is from episode 1550 of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the classic PBS series.

Since Fred Rogers' death, I have collected several episodes of the show (anybody have any really early episodes? Contact me for a trade!). This episode aired earlier this year and hopefully will be rerun for many years to come. That's assuming MRN will stick around. Sadly, many stations have dropped it from their schedule.

Anyway, the story opens with Daniel S. Tiger attending a bass violin festival (long story, folks). During the festival, two of the characters decide to put on a puppet show using bass violin puppets. The play begins with the two bass violin puppets talking to each other – the tall one is the older brother, the short one the younger brother. The older brother decides he doesn't want his younger brother playing second fiddle to him anymore, so he tells him that he is going away to play with his older friends.

“But I want to play with you!” the younger brother cries. “Sorry,” the older replies as he walks (slides?) away from the younger brother. Alone on stage, the younger brother begins to cry. “Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo-hoo!” After a few moments, forgetting that it's only a play, the shy Daniel Tiger walks up to the crying bass violin. “I'll play with you,” he says.

If all we ever do this holiday season is make someone feel that they are not alone, and that we care for them, then we probably will have fulfilled more of the work of Christ than we could ever imagine. But heed a word of warning: it will only work if you meet THEIR needs, not just your own. Don't kid yourself: True love involves bravery. I wish we could always be guaranteed that we would be loved in return. That would certainly make the job easier.

If I were in charge of Heaven, the first rule I would make is, “All right, from now on, nobody will ever be without love again. Everybody will always have someone special to hold them and help them when they need it. Everybody will always be loved.”

This holiday season, I wish for you – and for me – the love of someone very special to fill your heart, whether that someone be a family member, a friend, the Lord, yourself, a fantasy, or even a certain striped tiger.

Farewell, Tower Records

Let me begin by thanking Time Magazine for making me person of the year. I appreciate it, guys. But I wish you could have used a better picture of me for the cover. :)

Speaking of me, it seems that “I” (or somewhat tech-savvy people like me) have been blamed for the demise of Tower Records, one of the largest independent music stores. The week of December 17 should be their last week of business. Responding to a local ad last week touting their huge sale, I visited two regional Tower Records stores. Sure enough, by this time most of the “big name” music stars had left the building. But being the scrounging expert that I am, during my 2-store Tower shopping spree I was able to find (but not always buy) material from Kelly Clarkson, Enrique Iglesias, Heart, the Roches, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Pete Seeger, John Denver, Raffi, Enya and the soundtracks to both “Superman” and “Follow that Bird.” That's not too bad for stores that were probably nearly 75% empty.

With any luck, soon I will make my last visit to a Tower Records near my family's home. And if I'm not too hurried by crazed shoppers, I'll take a moment to be thankful.

Why am I bothering to make the trip when the stores are practically empty now? Ah, that's the glory of music stores. There's always that tiny chance that you'll find a real treasure. And that was the power of Tower. Music fans shopped Tower Records because of the great potential of finding something special. Most of the places you buy music today (including many Internet sites) don't have that kind of draw. They may have a large selection, but they don't have a UNIQUE selection, or even a GOOD selection. There is a difference.

Tower's demise has been blamed on the rapid rise in Internet music downloads. I don't have an iTunes account (yet), and I don't download much music from the Internet. Yet I haven't been doing much music CD buying either. Why not? Two main reasons:

1. The high cost of music CDs
2. The lack of music I want to buy

I'm not too old yet, but I already feel that I'm out of the loop as far as modern popular music is concerned. Although there are certainly some fine artists out there, most of the acts hold no special appeal to me. And I don't think I'm alone. Do you know what the number one single in the nation is right now? Do you CARE? Hey, how long has it been since you even bought a single? How long has it been since ANYONE has?! I'm only partly kidding. The demise of Tower is visible evidence of a general “who cares” attitude toward collecting popular music that is permeating our culture. It's sad. Music is usually a good thing, and diversity in music is appealing. With Tower gone, some of our choices are also gone. It's like we're being punished for not spending more money on music.

The music CD craze was a great opportunity to get good-quality copies of some of our favorite albums. But now, we've already got most of those albums on CD. While I may like a band, if I've already got all the songs by them that I want, I probably won't make the effort to buy a lesser-known album by them. So with us old guys completing our collections and the young guys moving over to the Internet, Tower Records was in a bad position which it ultimately couldn't recover from.

But there are plenty of albums out there that STILL haven't made it to CD. And I would definitely have purchased music from Tower Records if they had carried classic albums by the Centurymen, the Gamble Folk, Lorin Whitney, Marj Snyder and of course – THE UNRELEASED 1970-1985 SESAME STREET RECORDS! (You knew that was coming, didn't you?) But sadly, because these are such “niche” markets, I have to rely on my analog stuff.

On a somewhat related note: The success or failure of the new HD radio will rest on how important it is to the average listener. But if consumers think that paying too much for music is bad, it's doubtful that they will be willing to pay too much for more music – or more talk shows. Hence the initial weakness of HD radio. Frankly, I haven't heard of much material on it to justify getting it. There we have the two reasons again: Too costly, and not enough good material.

What's the future for pop music consumers? Internet downloads bring the price down. But at the cost of album aesthetics and the enjoyment of browsing the record bins. Will future generations miss the fun of picking out who is who on the Sgt. Pepper cover?

As a longtime music collector, I regret the passing of Tower. The store had a lot of potential. That's what brought us in. Let's hope that some other stores will be able to at least try to carry the tradition by providing a good selection of the music we can't find anywhere else.

One year anniversary; Meredith Vieira

Has it really been a year? Wow. One year ago, these Santas crossed this “Abbey Road”-style street to herald the beginning of my blog site. That means it’s been about 365 days. I’m sure there haven’t been 365 postings. I don’t think there have even been 65 postings. Blogging is fun, but it sure isn’t easy. Real life always takes precedence for me over my Internet musings, so I focus on that first and blog when I have the time. But one reward is certainly the fun I get from sharing my thoughts and information with others. Thank you for reading, and for your patience.

Speaking of Abbey Road, blogging friend and Beatles fan Fred Hembeck has written a review of the new Beatles “Love” album. Short version: He loved it. :) You can read his review at this site:

http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/?p=2722

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Now I know that some of you out there may not believe in Santa Claus. One common argument is, “How is it possible for one man to fly all around the world in one night and deliver all those presents? One person can’t do that much!” Well, allow me to introduce you to Meredith Vieira. You may already know her from her work on “The View,” “The Today Show”, “60 Minutes” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Meredith is also a mother of three and - get ready - she’s got a blog! A BLOG! Folks, if a woman as busy as Meredith can find the time to BLOG, then as far as I’m concerned, Santa can deliver all those presents! Dang, is there anything Meredith CAN’T do? We’ve seen her sing, tap dance and- hey, that’s right, she sings! Hmmm. She’d make a fine Christine from “Phantom.” Matt Louer could be the Phantom, and Willard Scott & Gene Shalit could be Andre and Fermin! Hello, NBC?

Meredith even answers some questions from readers at her site. Here’s one:

How do you like your new job compared to The View?

Posted by jkruger95@msn.com on November 18 at 07:41pm

It’s kind of like apples and oranges. I loved doing The View but it was time for a change and this a perfect fit for me right now because it combines much of the free spirited nature of The View with serious journalism—something I did for 20 years. The biggest change is working with a man, after being surrounded by four vaginas for nine years.

Now comes my request - if anybody out there has episodes of “The View” from late 2000, please e-mail me for a possible video trade. I’m looking for a few episodes from just after Meredith lost the World Series bet with Barbara Walters. I have a few clips of Meredith to trade with as well. You can reach me at my new e-mail address (please take out the “nosp” from the e-mail or it won‘t get through): sesarognosp@yahoo.com.

Here’s the link to Meredith’s blog: http://meredithtoday.ivillage.com/entertainment/

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Sarah Brightman; Justine; blogging from prison

My recent obsession with “Phantom of the Opera” has reintroduced me to Sarah Brightman, who played Christine in the original production. Sarah has a new DVD and TV special airing on PBS this month. I’m not much of a classical music fan, so admittedly, I’m biased toward her “Phantom” work more than anything else. But the “Diva” special (that’s what it’s called, don’t be mad!) showcases her other work as well, and her vocal talents really shine. I enjoyed the beautiful “Pie Jesu” at the beginning of the special.

The video for “Phantom” was fun, albeit cheesy. But that’s the way I like it. Ask anyone who’s seen my home movies. :) Also included was the lovely “Wishing you were somehow here again.”

The one weakness of the special is that there was more “talk” than “action.” Sarah gives in-depth information about each of her videos, and in most cases these segments take just about as long as the video itself! Like the “Electric Company” special I wrote about last month, there’s a lot more material we could have seen, but didn‘t. As the PBS hosts will tell you (several times), there are more of her videos on the DVD than in the special.

You can check and see if the “Diva” special is airing in your area by following the link at Sarah’s web site: www.sarah-brightman.com

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Speaking of sadism, (or masochism, depending on your point of view), the “tv shows on dvd” web site announced on Dec. 1 that the U.S. version of “Men behaving badly” is coming to DVD. I rarely watched the show, but as a Justine Bateman fan, I am obligated to let the world know. Sigh. I do miss “Family Ties” sometimes. :) Actually, I would enjoy seeing Justine again. She’s still acting & most recently appeared in a movie on the Lifetime network.

Justine ranks up there along with Courteney Cox, Lea Thompson, Carrie Fisher and Sabrina LeBeauf as one of the “hot chicks of my teen years.” That’s not to say that they aren’t hot now. That just means that when I was a teen, these were some of the girls on TV that I - well, you know where I‘m going with this.

The DVD set is scheduled to be released in February. Keep checking tvshowsondvd.com for updates.

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Last month I rambled about Dr. Kent Hovind getting arrested for tax fraud. At the time I complained about Mr. Hovind’s attitude and his questionable priorities. Well, Kent is in prison and contributing to his blog at cseblogs.com (how he‘s doing this I'm not sure. Carrier pigeon, maybe?) It sounds as if he has made lemonade out of a very bad situation. Here‘s a quote from his site:

I have also been teaching math and science to some of the others. It is great to see convicted drug dealers get excited when they learn fourth grade level math for the first time. I have spent quite a bit of time with one 29-year-old man who cannot read at all. I have been teaching him phonics and we are reading Genesis 1, 2, 3 and John 1, 2, and 3. His face lights up when he sees that he can do it. I offer commissary items like soup or coffee to men who memorize Bible verses. There is no way to describe the joy that they show when they get it right. Many have never memorized scriptures in their life, and maybe that is why they are in jail. Scripture helps us to “cleanse our ways” Psalm 119:9-11.

I don’t support Mr. Hovind, but I do support people who help others. If Kent wants to help people learn mathematics and how to read, then I won’t razz him for doing that. Keep up the great work, Kent.

Review: Electric Company's greatest hits and bits

If you enjoyed the classic PBS show “The Electric Company,“ and you can brace yourself to sit through a PBS pledge drive, you should enjoy “The Electric Company’s Greatest Hits and Bits.” It’s a 90-minute (counting pledge drive time) special airing on many PBS stations in the next few weeks. It aired in my neck of the woods recently.

The show was obviously produced for us grown-ups who watched Electric Company in our youth. A few classic clips are shown -- most notably classic Tom Lehrer songs “L-Y” and “Silent E” -- but these tend to take a back seat to the documentary style of the show, which features interviews with cast members, most of whom I have not seen since the show went off the air. I’m thankful they’re still with us! And watching the clips gives you a great appreciation for their incredible talent. Even the “lesser-known” actors hold their own very well with the more established stars. This cast was truly -- sorry folks, I can’t help it -- an “electric” company.

The interviews are entertaining and give a good indication of the fun that must have been a part of being on the show. I especially liked the story of Skip Hinnant’s reaction to finally “getting the joke” about Fargo North. I have to admit, I didn’t get the joke myself for a few years!

Morgan Freeman fans in particular should enjoy this one. Although Morgan isn’t interviewed, the cast has fond memories of him and his comedic talent really shines. And he sings well, too! According to Rita Moreno, it was Morgan’s idea to add the “uhh, uhh, uhh” into the Easy Reader theme song. Hey, that’s genius! That song wouldn’t be the same without the “uhh, uhh, uhh!”

Only complaint: show more clips! We saw some great clips from the show, but many of them were edited slightly. And there were quite a few characters barely (if at all) mentioned (Jennifer of the Jungle, Short Circus, Pedro, etc.) Seeing favorite clips like “L-Y” and “t-i-o-n” was great, but there’s a lot more material we could have seen.

(Side note: There are plenty of good songs from the Electric Company -- including many sung by Morgan Freeman -- that have never been released commercially. It would probably be worth it for Sesame Workshop to delve into its archives and create a good collection of these. I‘m hoping that I’m not the only person in the world who remembers “Sweet Sue at the Sweet Shop!”)

So all in all, this is a real treasure for fans of the show & it gives the non-informed a general idea of what the show was like. Check your local listings and be sure to watch it if you can. And if it's not airing where you are, you can pick up "Best of Electric Company" DVD sets now, which is, of course, very cool! This is the first time that this material has been released commercially, so it's good to know that there are a lot of other fans out there. "Uhh, uhh, uhh!"

Spitting out the bones

Okay folks, this is one of those “long stories” that can never fit into one complete blog posting because it is so complicated. But I will try to give you as much info as I can without going too crazy.

According to the Pensacola News Journal, On July 13, 2006, evangelist Kent Hovind and his wife were arrested “on 58 federal charges, including failing to pay $473,818 in employee-related taxes and making threats against investigators. Of the 58 charges, 44 were filed against Kent Hovind and his wife, Jo, for evading bank reporting requirements as they withdrew $430,500 from AmSouth Bank between July 20, 2001, and Aug. 9, 2002.”

I had the chance to attend one of Kent Hovind’s lectures at a church service near my home. I had first heard him as a speaker on Sky angel’s “Creation” program and had listened to some of the material on his web site. He’s a fine speaker, and despite a few disagreements I had with his views, I felt he had some good things to say as well. As he said, “You have to learn early in life to eat the meat (the good things) and spit out the bones (the bad things).”

Outside the main sanctuary, there was a table set up with several of Kent’s videos for sale. I didn’t buy any -- and I didn’t fault Kent’s ministry for trying to sell them. There are plenty of other ministries offering materials for sale.

But then came the offering. The plate came around, it was said, for Kent’s ministry, and I put in a small gift. Then, a few minutes later, another offering came around. This time for the church itself. Hmmm. I don’t think it’s wrong to have more than one offering for more than one need. But I had already given as much as I had planned to give! Although I support the church, I felt like I was being cheated. Perhaps it wasn’t right for me to feel that way, but I did. Now, I learn that I may have good justification for feeling cheated.

Mr. Hovind was found guilty last week of tax fraud. He's in prison right now awaiting sentencing.

A very wise teacher I once had gave a good explaination of why good ministries go bad. He was referring specifically to TV evangelists, but I think the same rules apply to many situations. People begin with very good intentions. They honestly want to serve the Lord. But because they're ultimately following only their own hearts, they begin to do stupid things that ultimately destroy their ministry.

At the very end of his “Questions and Answers” seminar (part 3), Kent Hovind gives himself away. The reason his ministry (and so many others) is so popular is that he has found his audience. He speaks to the people who want to hear him.

Friends, please understand that I am not trying to badmouth a believer, or anyone’s beliefs. But Kent Hovind’s problems are familiar. They represent a mindset that is all too common among people- not just evangelical Christians, but people in general. The attitude is, “I am correct, and I am going to do whatever I want to do, no matter what anyone else says.” Although they may try to justify their actions from the Bible, their underlying selfishness is so obvious that it’s almost painful. It’s not just Kent -- I’m sorry to say that I could give you a list of people who seem to display the same attitude.

It is not so much a question of who is wrong or right. It is a case of “actions speak louder than words.” Kent seems to be saying, “I don’t have to pay taxes. I’m a special case.” Well, even if he is, what does that mean for me? Nothing, because Kent’s stand is for himself and his ministry, but not anyone else.

Hey- aren’t all Christians “owned” by God? Doesn’t all the money that we make ultimately belong to God? Then why should I have to pay taxes on God’s money? If Kent doesn’t have to pay taxes, neither should I. Well, you can bet the IRS isn’t going to let that excuse fly, can’t you? At least, not with me.

Remember “Eat the meat and spit out the bones?” Well, if the charges are correct, Kent refuses to spit out the bones of income taxes. He won’t “turn the other cheek.” Whether you agree or disagree with him, his arrogance is a real thorn in his side - whether the attitude is justified or not.

I don’t know . . . Maybe this is what is required of someone to be a spiritual leader. (Remember Jesus throwing out those who sold goods in the temple?) Maybe this arrogance is what is required for us lowly people to take notice and say, “Hey, if he can stand up for what he believes in, why can’t I?”

But of course, our zeal is no match for our leaders’ zeal, and if we can’t get it from them, we are forced to go within ourselves to find it, where we realize that it was there all along, and that we don’t need to become arrogant to show it off to the world.

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You can read more about Kent’s ministry and download some of his talks at www.drdino.com. If you like the Loch Ness Monster, don’t miss Kent’s seminar part 3, where he dives into the issue of dinosaurs . . . that may still be living?
You can read Kent’s comments about his arrest at www.cseblogs.com.

Star Wars toys

Here we see two extremely rare toys, and no, I never had either of them! Blue Snaggletooth and Yak Face are arguably the two rarest "Star Wars" figures from the original Kenner line of figures. Yes, my friends and I used to collect them. And they were great. Actually, like the Sesame St. playset, the little details tended to make them more fun.

I still remember the day my Dad pulled out a C-3PO figure from a bag. He told us that if we were good & got good grades, etc., we would be able to get it. Which is bad parenting, but it worked. We were good. And we eventually collected many of the figures and original toys. The toy room seemed to become the Star Wars toy room for a time.

The figures played a role in what I consider one of the funniest home movies we ever did. We tried to re-create scenes from the film using the figures and the playsets. You should see it. Strings are everywhere. Hands and arms are everywhere. It's classic. I guess I shouldn't laugh, because even in my recent home movies you can still see hands and arms everywhere. Oh, well.

If you were to ask me when the Star Wars toy boom began to die down, I would have to say it really began with the "Micro collection." The Star Wars micro collection was a limited series of toys and figures that began a little bit after "Empire" came out and just prior to "Jedi." It was made up of small metal figures rather than the plastic action figures, and it included several scenes/sets from the films, including the Wampa ice cave & the Millenium Falcon.

The micro collection was essentially too much for a collector to take! I mean, how would you like to collect hundreds of figures and toys, only to learn that now, you need to collect a totally NEW Millenium Falcon, Wampa ice cave, etc. ? We (and by we, I mean our parents) can only afford so much!

So we had to accept the fact that we couldn't afford everything. And accepting that fact made us reason, "You know, maybe I don't need to get EVERY single figure that comes out. . ."

So economics forced us to grow up and look at collecting differently. That, coupled with puberty (someday I will do a lengthy blog about that one!) made us understand that collecting every single figure wasn't the major goal of our lives. So we stopped collecting, and some of us (gasp!) actually gave up our collections. But that's okay, the toys did their part (See the Elvis teddy bear post in August 2006 for an explaination of this).

Now the original Kenner line is considered classic, and even an old beat-up Darth Vader figure with its head chopped off could probably sell for at least $1.00. It's great to look back on the toys and sometimes even play with them again, but I don't feel the need to go out and complete the collection.

I'm just thankful for what I've got.

Fisher-Price Sesame Street

Along the lines of the Elvis teddy bear incident, I thought I could take a look back at some of the toys I used to enjoy as a kid that hopefully many of you remember as well. Many of these toys are no longer in my posession, forcing me to look to eBay to find suitable photographs. :)

The original Fisher-Price Sesame Street play set was great. Unlike many toys of today, the "action figures" (actually Fisher-Price little people, I know) were included with the toy! No batteries, no electronics of any kind. Yes, just a doll house, I know, but a Sesame dollhouse! Looking back, what made this thing so unique was how accurate it was. The stickers on the toy were a great representation of the actual set. For example, to the left of Hooper's Store was the door leading up to Bob's apartment. (It was just a sticker, it didn't open). That's a detail that might get missed by most non-Sesame fan people.

One big mistake- they put Ernie and Bert's apartment on top of Susan and Gordon's apartment. Actually, they live in the basement right below Susan & Gordon. But oh well. When you peek inside E&B's place, you get to see more of those great details. Bert's bottle cap collection is on the wall, along with the portrait of E&B. And when you peek into the bathroom door, you see in the bathtub- yep, you guessed it, Ernie's rubber duckie.

The original set included, IIRC, Gordon, Susan, Mr. Hooper, Big Bird, Oscar (who looked just like a trash can until you lifted the lid), Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert. Later on, they created other little people not included in the original set. They were: Sherlock Hemlock, Roosevelt Franklin, Herry Monster, Grover Monster, The Count, Prarie Dawn and Snuffy. Somehow we lost the Gordon figure for many years until one day Dad found him in the bottom of our toy chest. I remember that moment well. At last the lost figure was found!

In Susan and Gordon's apartment, we see a portrait of the Count on the wall. And the set includes a TV set with only one channel. It shows Grover counting to three- twenty-four hours a day. :) You'd think Sesame Street would have more original programming.

The apartment above Hooper's store is Mr. Hooper's apartment. There's a painting on the wall of Big Bird which is signed something like, "To my good friend, Mr. Blooper." Now the problem with having all those extra figures was that they didn't have a place to live on the Street. That meant that EVERYBODY had to live in Mr. Hooper's apartment! It must not have been a very comfortable time for those guys. Thankfully, I guess they all have places of their own now.

So the attention to detail - even if the details were'nt always 100% accurate - was definitely a highlight of this toy. I'm glad I can remember those little things all these years later.

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If you're interested in muppet/Sesame toys, you may want to visit the Muppet Central forum in the links section & talk with other zany collectors. :)

Phantom of the Opera

I first heard the music from "Phantom of the Opera" on, of all places, the Jerry Lewis labor day telethon. They showed a video clip of "Music Of the Night." The beautiful song stuck with me, and I eventually got ahold of Michael Crawford's "Andrew Lloyd Webber" album, another real treat. But I never actually got to see the play, and I didn't get to see the Phantom movie when it was in the theaters. But I enjoyed the music that I had heard, and so one evening recently I decided to rent the movie.

Let's see. . .I think I cried about three times. Something like that. And it's been a long time since a movie has brought me to tears.

The story is about a young woman named Christine who becomes a popular singer at the Paris opera house. She even has her old boyfriend, Raoul, come to visit her and share his feelings of love for her. Sounds like a charmed life, right? But all is not well. You see, lurking beneath the opera house is part of the reason that Christine is such a great singer. She has been taking lessons from an "Angel of Music" -- an angel that was promised by her father before he died. Could this "Phantom of the Opera" be a true messenger from beyond?

Some of the most moving moments in the film come in places you wouldn't expect. At one point, Christine pays a visit to a cemetery. The song "Wishing you were somehow here again" shows us the heart of Christine and demonstrates her struggle to let go of the past. So we get a peek into the hearts of both Christine and the Phantom (and even a bit into Raoul's heart - his love for Christine is true. At the climax, he urges Christine not to "throw her life away" for his sake!)

At the end (I'm trying hard not to give anything away, folks, but it's not easy), the Phantom is brought to see the error of his ways, but the way this is brought about is completely unexpected. It has to do, I think, with the sharing of one's heart with someone else. It was a way of showing the Phantom, "You are not alone."

This film is awesome. An all-around great movie. Incredibly moving and beautifully filmed and acted and sung. I'm now a fan and have been keeping my eye out for Phantom-related information. I bought the soundtrack album and a cassette of the Broadway version (also awesome!). The movie was all I had hoped it would be - a beautiful, tragic story set to some beautiful music. Sadly, it seems a lot of "Phantom" fans don't like it for various reasons (It's not Michael Crawford, I hate her dress, etc.). Friends, let's not throw away something that's good just because it isn't perfect.

I've been humming the music to myself for days. I'd love to be in this show, but the problem is I want to play too many people. I want to be the Phantom, Christine, Raoul, Carlotta, those two opera owners, the cast of "Masquerade," etc. Hey, maybe I could do a "one-man" Phantom concert! Hmmm. . .

Here are some comments from two old friends of mine:

ERNIE: Hey Bert, what does he EAT? How does the Phantom eat?
BERT: I don't know. Maybe he catches fish in his little moat down there.
ERNIE: Oh, there are no fish in that water, Bert.
BERT: How do you know?
ERNIE: Well, he lives under the city, right?
BERT: UGH! The Phantom of the toilet!
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Anyway, if you're looking for a great musical, I'd definitely recommend this one. Just watch out for that chandelier. . .

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Here's the official movie site:
http://phantomthemovie.warnerbros.com/

Yes, it really is still playing! Here's the web site of the play:
http://thephantomoftheopera.com

You can commune with other Phantom fans here:
http://www.phantomoftheopera.com/modules/news/

Mel carrying (sigh) Jodie

Can anything good come out of the recent Mel Gibson incident? Well, this picture of Mel carrying (sigh) Jodie Foster is the best thing I can think of so far.

Elvis' teddy bear and yours, too

The headline writers are going to have a field day with this one. Here are just a few I've seen so far: "Teddy bear all shook up by hound dog" "Elvis' teddy bear bites the big one" "Too much to bear."

Did you ever wonder what happened to the teddy bear you once owned as a child? Well, keep it in mind as you consider this tragic teddy tale: Mabel, a teddy bear once owned by Elvis Presley was unfortunately torn apart by a guard dog who was supposed to protect it. That dog is out of a job. Would YOU hire that dog to guard something of yours? I've noticed one site already considering publishing info. about how to kill a dog. Here's a quote from an article:

"Barney has been a model guard dog for more than six years. I still can't believe what happened," security guard Greg West was quoted as saying after the attack on Tuesday night. "Either there was a rogue scent of some kind on Mabel, which switched on Barney's deepest instincts, or it could have been jealousy. I was just stroking Mabel and saying what a nice bear she was."

Sad? Yes, but consider something. That teddy bear did its job. Its job was to make Elvis happy, and it has done that. It also made other people happy, including (I hope) Somerset aristocrat Sir Benjamin Slade, who bought the bear at an auction. I'd like to think that he got some kind of satisfaction by owning the bear, even if it was only for a short time. (He may have lost some money in the -forgive me- bear market, but aren't teddy bears supposed to be worth more than money?)

It's the same with your old teddy and mine. It's the same with all the wonderful things from childhood. They did their jobs. We love them and in many cases we miss them, but whether we have them or not, we're thankful they were there, and we still have the good feelings that we had when they were there. That's part of what's good about being a grown-up. We have a greater capacity to make ourselves feel good all by ourselves.

Who would have known a teddy could force me into such profound musings. . .:) As Huey Lewis said, "that's the power of love. . ."

Since this is a news item, it's possible these links will be obsolete quickly, but for now, here's a link to the story. If it doesn't work, try searching for it using Google News in the links section to the right.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060803/od_afp/afplifestylebritain_060803170941