Where The Crawdads Sing.

 I’ve seen what I think are Oscar Contenders this year and it’s not even November/December when they are eagerly trying to get their films in under the wire to be in on Oscar eligibility. So far I’ve seen Death On The Nile and Elvis and this film. 

So my 3rd Oscar contender is this film. Great story, with a fantastic plot twist at the end. Where the Crawdads Sing. Great performances throughout by not easily recognizable faces. That’s what I liked; it wasn’t the usual blah blah blah. I couldn’t tell you who any of the actors were. Just like back in the day who is that guy playing Michael in The Godfather? And that made this fresh for me. 

It actually stars Daisy Edgar Jones as the "Marsh Girl." And there's a good guy Tate played by Taylor John Smith, and a bad guy played by Harris Dickerson. But perhaps the greatest performance was David Strathairn as Marsh Girl Clark's attorney. Reminesent of Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird. Daisy Edgar Marsh deserved this major break and now she's off and running. We are going to see her a lot from now on. David Strathairn was amazing. You've seen him dozens of times before in stuff like Delores Claiborne and A League of Their Own, and he's always good, but he did a fantastic job here. 

The characters were developed nicely here and certainly with Daisy Edgar Jones. She had others playing the character early in the characters life but it is Jones who really fleshes out the character. When she meets the Taylor John Smith character we knew he was the good guy but then we are subjected to his letting her, and us, down on the 4th of July. Then there is the Harris Dickerson character who we thought was good but secretly knew was not the good guy he tried to portray himself as. And as I've indicated, David Strathairn gives an inspired performance even when the woman he's defending doesn't want him to. 

For fear of any kind of spoiler that is all I’ll say. But for fear it’s a chick flick it’s not. Reminded me a little of my second favorite film of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird. 

Just a heads up if you’re thinking of going to the movies but don’t know what to see. 

Grade: A-

The Jeopardy Conspiracy

Over the weekend James Holzhauer the recent most exciting champion on Jeopardy!, sent out a tweet that many think had a cryptic meaning. He tweeted something about Andrew Luck, the pro quarterback who has opted for early retirement. Holzhauer tweeted something like it must be sorrowful to reach the pinnacle of one's career and find it isn't that satisfying. The Jeopardy! conspiracy theorists read into the tweet to think Holzhauer is talking about himself and that he through his 32 day run on purpose, making Emma Boettcher the most hated Jeopardy Champion ever.

None of the theory is true. First of all Holzhauer is a competitive guy and would never through a game on purpose. Secondly he was one more game away from breaking Ken Jennings regular season winnings record in half the time. Holzhauer made roughly 2.5 million and was only $58,484 behind the Jennings record. No way was he willing to stop at that point.

Here's what actually happened. First of all Emma had also read the book about using the buzzer and therefore became a quick with it as Holzhauer was. So James as reigning champion and he started off the round. He always started on the bottom of the board and when he took his pick it was the Daily Double. Bad Luck. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. He couldn't make any money on a Daily Double. This was a huge set-back. So he went on to get through the round ahead of Emma but she kept pace because her buzzer skills were equal to his.

In the second round James was gaining a nice lead but then Emma got the first Daily Double. Another set back. My heart began to sink. This caused Emma to go outside of her playing sense [as evidenced by her following two days play], and she had to bet much much bigger than she ever wanted to. She got within striking distance. Play continued and James played well but I could tell he was becoming more down by his luck this show. And then as they continued to go, the crushing blow fell. She got the other Daily Double. She bet bigger than she would like and was ahead, and there wasn't enough money left on the board to James get the lead back before the end of Double Jeopardy.

Final Jeopardy began with James having a total of $23,400, Emma with $26,600. I had to ignore the third player, but he wasn't in this match really. Final Jeopardy Category - Shakespearean Literature. So here was the Final Jeopardy clue: "The line 'a great reckoning in a little room' in 'As You Like It' is usually taken to refer to this author's premature death."

 The answer/question was "Who was Christopher Marlowe?" The third player got it right. And so did James, but he wagered a mere $1,399 bringing his total to $24,799. The crowd gasped. Emma also got it right [as would any person who has ever seen the film Shakespeare In Love], and as James would later say he predicted, she wagered $20,201 ensuring that she could beat an all in wager by Holzhauer. She wins easily.

This was a classic case of just bad luck. From the picking the Daily Double right off the bat, to her getting both Daily Doubles in the second round, and her betting big when she didn't want to, and her having read the most effective way to use the buzzer on and on. Just good luck for her, bad luck for Jimmy. Had James been able to run the bottom row before hitting the Daily Double, Emma would never have caught him.

This was not James tossing the match. As much as I and everyone else in the country hated it and that Chicago Librarian, he just ran into a rash of bad luck. As far as I was concerned everyone in the country that knew who Shakespeare was and had at least seen the aforementioned movie.

After all, he did say that in the course of his day job - professional sports gambler - he had lost $25,000 once.

The 2017 Oscars for the year 2016.

There was a monumental screw up and a grave injustice done Sunday night at the Oscars on February  26th, 2017. Okay there were at least two.

First, there was the total inept screw up at announcing Best Picture.

This was a ceremony of historic insults to black artists. Last year they were ignored by the Oscars. It became a real touchstone topic, so this year the the Academy changed the rules to further disrespect and discredit black folks. Let me just clear this up you racist ignorant Academy. There were more nominations of black artists this year because the product got much greater. Not because you lowered the bar somehow. You don't need to lower the bar for black artists. That is an insult. Just recognize the work they do. And when it rises above the fray, acknowledge that.

One way to easily avoid this dilemma is to simply fill all ten Best Picture categories. Fill all 10 and it would easily give a better cross section of the films, and they will undoubtedly get a better cross section of the best films.

So back to the screw ups. Price Waterhouse, the acclaimed accounting firm who gets all the Academy votes, controls the envelopes. So out of the two folks they sent to hand out the envelopes, one of the people to hand the envelopes to the presenters was so preoccupied sending out Tweets that he handed Warren Beatty the wrong envelope. Instead of getting Best Picture, he got Best Actress. When he opened the envelope, and it read Emma Stone for La La Land, he got confused and read her movie La La Land. The entire cast and crew of La La Land make their way onstage before the people come running out shouting there has been a mistake!

One of the folks from La La Land calls out to the Moonlight people, "hey Moonlight you won best picture. This isn't a joke. You are best movie." And then he held up the card for the camera to see.

That was one monumental screw up. The other was that Price Waterhouse has announced that neither of those two envelope presenters will ever be back there. That seems to be totally unfair to the woman who did nothing wrong in the execution of her duties. So this would be the second screw up. Punishing one for what the other did.

Anyway, in a year of historic happenings, Moonlight won Best Picture.

The 2016 Oscars.

For two years in a row, no Black actors have been nominated for any of the important Oscars. Chris Rock was the host for the 2016 Oscars and he didn't shy away from the recent uproar about this apparent slight. He was subtle, but effective in his opening monologue pointing out that if people really insist on seeing black folks recognized every year they should have separate categories. He pointed out that they already kind of have needless separateness by separating men and women into different categories. Great point Chris. As he pointed out, this isn't Track and Field.

Although many black actors over the years have won these awards, I guess two years in a row was the "what the?..." point. But this is a tricky one. Why? Because if somebody wins an obligatory Oscar just because they're black, that kind of diminishes the Oscars thus far earned by other wonderful black actors. But some wonderful black artists were ignored this year. So how do we fix this?

One way is very obvious. The Academy has expanded their Best Picture list to 10 possible contenders. Hold them to that. There MUST be Ten entries. If they would have done this, maybe "Straight Out Of Compton" would have been on the list.  Actually the other categories should also be expanded to at least 8 possibles.

But I hope the Academy never develops Black categories. I can still hear George Wallace saying "Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, and Segregation forever!" ringing in my ears. Let's just expand the acting, screenwriting, and other categories to 8 and have a mandatory filling of all 10 Best Picture slots, as well as Best Director slots, and I am betting that black folks will be way more represented.

I certainly hope that the Academy didn't cringe, and think "Well, we'll never hire Chris Rock to host again." I hope they listened to what he said, and take it to heart. And let him host again next year. That would look tremendous. But if you have a white person host next year, you'll get what you deserve.

And I refuse to call Black Americans "African-American." It's diminishing and degrading and shame on you if you use this term. I am going with Smokey Robinson on this one. So be a hater if you must, but I will never buy into this one.

Grow some depth Academy.

I already have a lot of problems taking a lot of snobby millionaires who all get dressed up and after doing the easiest job ever and all patting each other on the back and giving each other gold statues and getting incredible swag bags at the ultimate "Aren't We Great?" party seriously. I don't even watch the Oscars any more. And I can't even imagine how Robin Roberts was drooling over these idiots went. Sickening I'm betting.

Expand and fill the categories Academy! All your troubles will go away.

If I Died Tonight

Sometimes we all get a little down. Our lives seem boring. It seems like life is passing us by. But I was thinking a while ago, that I should be grateful for the time I've had.

I have great parents that provided for me the perfect childhood. They are simple people and we were middle class, but my Dad, although uneducated was very wise and understood how to make a little money a lot of money. They always pushed us in the right direction. Although my Dad was the youngest of 6, I was the first grandchild of his parents to get any kind of degree. My brother got the first Bachelor Degree. I and both my siblings all have Bachelor Degrees now. We are the only ones of all 27 grandchildren of the above mentioned grandparents to have Bachelor Degrees.

And a great childhood is not all that common. I was once at a training session designed to teach us how to be Substance Abuse Counselors. They asked "How many people here had a normal childhood?" I put my hand in the air. And then I slowly looked around. Mine was the only hand in the air. The guy asked me, "So you had a normal childhood?" As I looked around I answered, "Apparently not."

So I had that. But beyond that I have the love of a great woman. I have four wonderful kids. I am so lucky.

And in this crazy life I have:

I have been in movies, I have seen the Mona Lisa, I have stood in the shadow of Big Ben, I've been to the top of Pike's Peak, I drove the length of Route 66 (twice) when it still was actually Route 66, I stood on the top of the Eiffel Tower, I was in the studio and saw The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, I have seen the St. Louis Arch, I have been to Graceland, I have been in a hot air balloon, I have read "To Kill A Mockingbird", and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," I have been in 11 countries, I have been to the Civil War battlefields Gettysburg, Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, I've seen the Cubs play in Wrigley Field, I've been to Appomattox where the surrender was signed, I've seen the VietNam Wall, I've been to the Lincoln Memorial, I've stood and gazed at the Hollywood sign, I've toured the White House, I have gone through The Christmas Story House, I have been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame five times, I have been to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. I have been to FBI headquarters. and seen the top ten most wanted on the Wall. I have been to the Mayberry Days celebration many times, I have met Don Knotts, Hal Smith, George Lindsay, Betty Lynn, and many others of the cast of The Andy Griffith Show, I have been to Key West, I've stood in two states at once, I have acted and directed in live theater, I have had a 7 course meal served to me in a Frank Lloyd Wright house, I own a Corvette, I've been to the grave of Hank Williams, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Lee, James Dean, and Gerald R. Ford. I've been to Spoon River, I have been to the childhood home of Helen Keller and stood next to the pump where the miracle happened, I've stood in front of "NightHawks at the Diner"by Edward Hopper, I saw the MC5 live, I saw "American Gothic" live and in person, I started "The Great Death List Society" and "The Armchair Football League" (a fantasy football league back in 1982 when nobody was doing this), I have been to the original Lambert's Cafe - home of the Throwed Rolls in Missouri, I've played pinball with Bruce Springsteen, I have seen Bob Dylan in concert four times, Mort Saul once, as well as George Carlin. I played pinball with Bruce Springsteen and have seen him in concert at least a dozen times. I knew all three of the "Flaming Rat" record store owners personally. I have been in the SUN studios and the FAME studios where virtually all of my favorite music (sans Beatles) was recorded. I've seen the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, The Surf Ballroom (the last place Buddy Holly ever played), and the Field of Dreams. I know who the Swampers, The Wrecking Crew, and The Lemon Fog are. I have been an entrant in ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. I have been to our nations archive and seen the real Constitution and the Declaration of Independence up close and personal.

All in all George Bailey, you've had a wonderful life.

She might have become stiller, but her legend lives on.

This week Ann Meara passed away.  She began her career as half of the comedy team of "Stiller and Meara" and in the early sixties they would often appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. That is where I first came to know them. They were supposed to be a comedy team, but honestly, how they ever made a living baffles me. They were not remotely funny. Not even a little bit. They could not even garner a smile out of me. But still I liked them. Why? Because they seemed like such real, genuine, and sincere people.

As we found out in subsequent years, the only reason they weren't hysterical back then is because they were totally in the wrong genre. Once they both began acting independently in TV sitcoms, their individual genius emerged. This leads me to believe that they both knew they had something, but just didn't know what it was.

Jerry Stiller is a man of great renown, appearing often on "Seinfeld", and being a regular on "King of Queens", both hits by any account. He still does guest shots in TV and movies and is wonderful every time.

But so did Ann Meara. She did wonderful work on a myriad of TV shows, and in fact got nominated twice for Emmy's for her work on "Archie Bunker's Place" - a follow up of "All In The Family."

I never met the Stillers. I never got to converse with Jerry, or his son Ben, or his daughter. And I never met his lovely bride of 61 years. But somehow I feel like I know them. And I would bet my last dollar that they are loving and adorable people.

Although I never had the privilege of meeting Ann Meara, I'll bet she was a sweet, loving person whose company I would have thoroughly enjoyed. I somehow in my gut just feel like we lost a wonderful lady this week. And I am confident in my estimation that Jerry Stiller is devastated.

So, hey, let's say a little prayer to help the family through this. Jerry, keep your chin up. You had 61 years with a wonderful lady.

My Boot Heels Might Be Wandering

I ran into a dear friend in the store the other night. She is a very smart woman and an in my opinion accomplished artist (actress) in her own right. We were just talking and then she recommended I see the film "Searching for Sugar Man". I said I would try and see it on her recommendation. She said "This guy is better than Bob Dylan." I replied "Nobody is better than Bob Dylan." Her reply was "This guy can write AND sing."

To say this guy can write and sing seems to put emphasis somehow on the vocals and I would think that if you gauge Bob Dylan by the vocals, I would respectfully submit that you have missed the whole point. Dylan is not a singer/songwriter like James Taylor or Cat Stevens. He is a poet who chose to send us his poetry through song instead of just text.

Let me start by saying that Bob Dylan is a poet of extraordinary caliber, and I truly believe he is the poet of a generation. I believe that from 1963 through his album "Blood On The Tracks" the muse of genius sat on his shoulder and gave him an extraordinary abilities. Bob Dylan must feel somewhat gratified to know that several major universities have courses in the poetry of Bob Dylan. His name will be revered generations from now along with Dickinson, Whitman, Kerouac, Ginsberg, Van Doren, and Williams. And I sincerely believe aside from perhaps Dickinson, his name will rise to top.

If someone was actually greater than Dylan, their face would be on the cover of TIME and NEWSWEEK several times this year, and for years to come. I must confess.....I don't know what the hell she's talking about.

So let me go back a bit.

I was pubescent teenager. I was in the home of my second surrogate family the Springers, and saw the open door to the top of the stairs where my surrogate sisters slept. At the top of the stairs there was an album cover propped up and it was the cover of Dylan's Blonde On Blonde. So I thought "if I want to be as cool as my surrogate sister Valkerie, I have to get this record." So I went to the store to get it. But they were sold out. So my first ever album buy was the substitute The Freewheeling Bob Dylan. And oh buddy, my life changed.

Okay, I'm man enough to admit that the other album I bought that day was Herman's Hermit's Greatest Hits. but I don't remember whatever happened to that. But Bob Dylan's Freewheeling Bob Dylan, preoccupied all of my time. Not just the anthem Blowin' In The Wind, but Talkin' World War III Blues, and the powerful Masters of War and A Hard Rains Gonna Fall. I knew then I was on to something and started buying Bob Dylan albums as fast as I could afford them.

Okay, maybe Dylan isn't the first name anybody ever thinks of when they think of singers. But neither is Mick Jagger, Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, or Louie Armstrong. But geniuses each and every one. Armstrong invented a music genre and the great American art form, but Dylan had the poet's muse.

My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming.

Also:

I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it.

And:

Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

- Mr. Tambourine Man

If Dylan had never written anything other that "Mr. Tamborine Man" he would have been a legend to me, and I realize my brief snippets of lyrics don't do it justice. But he sailed on "ships with tattooed sails", and asked "where you want this killin' done? And God said out on Highway 61",  and "there must be some kind of way out of here, said the Joker to the Thief", and "Senators and Congressman, please heed the call, please get out of the doorways, get out of the halls, for the Times They Are Changin'." And of course the incomparable "Like A Rolling Stone."

If you don't own "Blonde On Blonde" go out and buy it now. I'll wait.......... It is the only record I have purchased in every format. Vinyl (twice, wore the first out), 8 track, Cassette, CD, and download.

Everyone should own "Blonde On Blonde", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Bringing It All Back Home." Listen to these three albums all the way through 5 times and tell me I'm not right.  And then branch out to ""The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", "John Wesley Harding", "Blood On The Tracks", "Nashville Skyline" and "Desire." What an extraordinary trip.... so far......

No, Bob Dylan may not be the greatest singer of our time, but Bob Dylan was our time. And that is something for us to marvel at in it's own right. And so my dear friend, my sad-eyed lady of the lowlands, I say again, nobody is better than Bob Dylan.

The Spring Trip home, 2014.

My wife says I need to follow up on my post of December 17, 2013, wherein I implied we were going to do some specific things in our trip home from Pensacola College in the spring of 2014. Which we did, but she chastised me because I failed to report on it.

This year on the way home, instead of heading into Mississippi, we stayed in Alabama. We stopped in Alabama and saw the incredible grave of Hank Williams. It's the best I've seen, and I have been to many. I thought Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee's were something, but the Hank Williams was very impressive.

From there we headed north, naturally, and swung over to Florence, Alabama. I wanted to go there for many reasons. First of all, it's close to Muscle Shoals, the home of where a lot of the music I love was born. We were able to visit the FAME studios. (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises). This is where Aretha Franklin cut "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You." Wilson Pickett did most of his great stuff here. Otis Redding recorded here. Duane Allman slept in the parking lot until they'd let him in on the sessions. That's him on Wilson Pickett's "Hey Jude." He takes off on a riff that virtually invented "southern rock." The usual 20 minute tour turned into an hour and a half for us because the manager took an instant liking to me. I got to play a guitar that Duane Allman used to noodle around on (among others), and my wife got to play a piano that has been played by everybody from Aretha Franklin to Alicia Keyes. And she got to play the organ that was played during the opening of "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You."

Then we stopped at the other Muscle Shoals studio where everybody and their brother recorded. Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, too many to list. This is where The Rolling Stones recorded "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses."

Once back in the hotel, the wife was flipping through some literature, and mentioned that there was a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Florence. So that was added to the next day's itinerary.

The next day we were able to visit the childhood home of Helen Keller and yeah, I even got to stand at the pump. I have Assistant Directed this play, and I was in this play once, and the whole Helen Keller miracle is one of the great American stories. Then we were able to visit The Rosenbaum House, the Frank Lloyd Wright creation in Florence, Alabama. I loved it and befriended the director who gave us the royal treatment, because I mentioned I was a docent at the Meyer May House in Grand Rapids. It was a wonderful visit.

From there we visited the childhood home of W.C. Handy, whom some consider 'father of the blues'. And after we visited the University of North Alabama, (alma mater of George "Goober" Lindsey) and see the extensive George Lindsey exhibit there.

It was, as always, a great trip. I love the south. If they weren't all red states, I would live there. I will live in Florida someday. And that state goes either way......

Brief Sports stuff

The Detroit Lions couldn't seem to get it done over the best record in the NFL Arizona Cardinals today. But still I think they are going to end up with the best Lions record in a long long time. I said at the time I thought Caldwell was the guy, and he hasn't let me down.

Of course MSU took Maryland to the woodshed, but last week against Ohio State they just ran into a better team, a team that had a great game plan and they executed precisely. I wish the Spartans could have  presented their best game, but things happen. Ohio State is, and always will be, a contender. MSU is too, but it wasn't their day.

That's about all I have sports fans. Go Red Wings!

San Fran

San Fran Claims the World Series! I was rooting for them, but secretly thought it was going to be all about KC at home in game 7. I would think San Fran might really want to reevaluate letting Sandoval go. He gave the wink and then went on to get...what?...3 hits? And then with some fast base running and catching the final out. Not a bad night. Letting him go to free agency? Give the guy a mega raise and keep him!

Sports Notes for this week.

Peyton Manning last night threw 4 TD passes to go past and then some on Brett Favre's pervious record of 508. The astonishing thing is, Manning has broken the record in 243 games, a record it took Brett Favre 302 games to set.

The University of Michigan of course needed an extra week to rest up before seeing Michigan State this coming Saturday. Just once I would like to see the playing field even for this game. Just once. Usually for the first game MSU has to play Notre Dame, and UM had to play The Milwaukee Driver's Institute. There is always something in the schedule to give UM a presumed advantage. Well, maybe the schedule makers will start seeing it a little differently after next Saturday when yes folks....we make Michigan our Bichigan. How much longer will the schedule makers not realize who the big power is now? By the way, the top three players that committed to Michigan, have now "uncommitted" or whatever that is called. They obviously have NFL ambitions, and they know they aren't gonna get there by playing for a nowhere losing team. U of M....3 losses in September...first in the history of the school, and then losing to Rutgers......

The World Series promise to be fun as always, and seriously, is the best baseball of the year. As it stands tonight, they are tied at 1 game apiece. The first game was all San Francisco, and last night it was all about Kansas City. Interesting series for other reasons too. Who ever thought these two teams would be the match up? Neither team won its Division, and neither team even won 90 games. The Giants finished six games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and won eight fewer games than the Nationals who entered the post-season coming off a season 96 wins....but the most unlikely team got it done. Same in the AL. The Royals finished a game behind the Detroit Tigers, and won nine fewer games than the Angels (whom they swept in the Division series) and even fewer than the Orioles who they swept in the Championship series. But it's things like that that make me love baseball.

The Lions head to London, England to play their game this week, and I hope it's not too distracting for them. I do hope they get the job done, and although I was the lone voice amidst my sports buddies  when I thought Coach Caldwell could be the one to get the job done when he was signed, I'm confident they too like him more with every win. And the Lions have been officially dubbed the No. 1 Defense in the league. I hope their good fortune continues. The fans deserve it.

The Big Game.

Can anyone tell me why U of Michigan always manages to finagle an advantage in the schedule with Michigan State? Just for once, I would love to see State take these bitches on, head to head in a straight up confrontation. Usually Michigan sees The Milwaukee Drivers Institute, while State sees Notre Dame. And then they see each other. But sometimes, like this week, State battles Indiana, while Michigan gets the week off to rest up for "The Big Game." Please just once, make this fair. And we State fans in the Big Game, will knock these worthless SOBs into next week. Oh but wait, unless Michigan might have to see Ohio State. In that case, they get another week of rest. What a bunch of  bitches.

This weeks Sports Round Up

Okay Sports fans, listen up. This is how I saw things:

Michigan took it on the chin again this week by losing to Rutgers. This is sad. How many other Big 10 teams will fall to Rutgers this year? Probably none. After a 3 loss September (which had never happened before in the history of the school) to come into Rutgers and get beat...well it certainly will test the meddle of the Michigan fans.

As a State fan, I was delighted to see MSU beat a very good and talented Nebraska team. I predicted by 7 and I would have lost that bet, but hey a win is a win.

In the NFL the Lions did what they are so famous for. They get a healthy lead and then quit doing the things that got them that comfortable lead. They get conservative. They don't try and score, they try to sit on a lead. And of course they get their butts beat. I had hoped for more out of this coach. I wonder if there are calls coming from upstairs that ruin the Lions. The coaches change but the formula seems consistent. Get a lead and sit on it and lose. I have made lots of money in my betting life by consistently betting against the Lions and this is the reason why. They get a lead and then become shrinking violets, preferring to sit in the corner and hoping the other team will just quit.

The Lions see Minnesota this week, and I like them to win. They may be the only team of our nearby teams to win.... Chicago sees Atlanta, and Green Bay has to deal with.......

The Detroit Tigers were disappointing to say the least. Baltimore came in and made a 3 game easy sweep telling the Tigers to get to the curb. Hey it was a good year, and I'm not complaining really, but this is a better team than that and I was hoping for a better show of it.

Peyton Manning threw his 500th TD last week, and I loved it because it continues to show the Colts what idiots they are. This guy will be a Hall of Fame legend and his successor will not be. Come on Denver! Be the great team we have come to expect! (My son is a Denver fanatic, so to keep peace in the family....) And Manning should break the TD pass record in the next few weeks.

It is officially "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" and yet the NFL remains oblivious. They are still trying to tout Breast Cancer Awareness and sweep two weeks off for knocking your fiancee out under the rug. In light of all the controversy surrounding the NFL and its lackadaisical attitude regarding domestic violence, it looked as though they were going to finally take the issue seriously. But as quickly as the public loses it's attention (usually takes a week) it back to business as usual.

Stay tuned sports fans...

Game Changer.

I've decided to retool this blog. Too much fluff. I have to get serious here. I have a lot of hits here, so let's make it worthwhile. No TV or movie reviews, but talk about TV or Movie trends. Sports round-ups, and any other news of the day -sans political (have another site for that) - so if you are up for the new King of the Whole Darned World, stay tuned.

Sit-Coms

Although, I have had nearly 12,000 hits on this blog site, I just don't get here as often as I used to. I also review Mom and Pop diners on "GreasySpoonHandbook" and movies, TV, music, and books on "It's ON!" at "flixtubetunespages.blogspot.com and I tend to spend the most time on them.

I am beginning to formulate an idea for a post to talk about the greatest sit-coms of all-time to put on my "It's On!" blog, but I am kind of stuck....I originally was going to make it a top ten list, and I rather easily filled in the first nine slots, but then I got to the tenth place and became stuck.

So here is the way it went.

All Time Greatest Sit-Coms:

1. I Love Lucy.
2. The Andy Griffith Show
3. The Dick VanDyke Show
4. The Honeymooners
5. Seinfeld
6. Cheers
7. Frasier
8. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
9. All In The Family

and then there is number ten.....

Should it be........
Arrested Development
Modern Family
Everybody Loves Raymond
Will and Grace
Get Smart
The Addams Family
The Bob Newhart Show
The Cosby Show
or
Taxi
or what am I forgetting?

Maybe I should just make it a Top 25......

You know.....The Grammy's Ain't All That.....

I guess I could get a little more excited about the Grammy's if they held just a smidgen of credibility. Elvis won three Grammys. All for his Gospel records. The King of frickin' Rock and Roll, after all.

But there are many folks that never won a Grammy at all. Can you say ¨Guns and Roses? How about Tupac Shakur? I don't as much about Rap as I should but my nephews all tell me Tupac was the man! Snoop Dogg never won one either, but he has a tendency to put people off, and the Grammys as much or more than any other awards are a popularity contest more than an artistic recognition. Katy Perry's never won a Grammy, but hey she's young, and I think she is nominated this year. We'll see. 

Hard to believe, with an astounding body of incredible work, that Diana Ross has never won a Grammy. Diana Ross, for crying out loud. One of the pivotal voices of Motown, and a significant part of the American songbook. 

But there are others. Perhaps even more astounding that were overlooked. How about Queen? "Bohemian Rhapsody" is being sung along with right now somewhere by a carload of teenagers. But they never won a Grammy. Nor did The Grateful Dead. American Icons. The Dead. Bands of followers known as Dead-Heads. Historic rock album's like "Workingman's Dead", and "American Beauty". But no Grammy.

Bob Marley. A Golden voice. The inspiration to a group of British kids, notably Sting, who were good in their own right, but never as good as the master. Reggae became a major part of the music scene thanks to Marley, but sadly, according to the Grammy's will not be held in anymore favor than his great-great-great uncle Jacob. 

But now it gets even more serious. Really? Can you believe The Who never won a Grammy? The Who. So when you're watching the Grammy's, if you're actually going to, just don't get fooled again. If they didn't recognize The Who, then what the?....

And now (drum roll please), the coup de gras. The ultimate, are you fricking kidding me? of all times. Led Zeppelin never won a Grammy. Led Zeppelin. Would make anybody's top ten on "Best Bands Ever" List. Led frickin' Zeppelin. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page. And of course anyone with half a brain can come up with the names John Paul Jones and John Bonham. What a band. Icons. But apparently not good enough to win a Grammy.

So soon the Grammy's will be on TV. But remember; it's only a popularity contest. 

On the Road...my version

I have two daughters that both attend Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida. For the last two Junes, we have to take one and then both girls down to school. They work down there all summer and it is deducted from their tuition bill. This is a great deal for them.

It's a great deal for us too. Because although it's a quick two day trip down there, and the mandatory stop at Sonny's Bar-B-Que, it's a nice leisurely three or four day trip back. We have a ball on these trips back home.

The first year we went home via Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is as different from Nashville as day and night. Memphis is in the south, and ironically, Nashville isn't. I know that doesn't make sense, but if you visit both places, it will make sense.

I finally got to visit Graceland. (By the way I am constantly getting to achieve life-goals with my wife. More than any other time in my life. This woman is tremendous.)  We had fun there, but quickly abandoned the headsets, because seriously I know more about Graceland than that recorded tour could ever hope to know. It was a blast. From there we went over to what I consider America's mecca, Sun Recording Studios. I was in awe. Standing in the room where so much of my favorite music ever happened. Same walls. Same tile on the ceiling. Same everything. I even got to hold the mic and stand in the spot where Elvis first did "That's Alright Mama", virtually inventing rock and roll.

The following year, last June, we headed north again, but this time I wanted to visit Tupelo, Mississippi. The birthplace of Elvis Presley. It was awesome. Tupelo, or as my wife called it, "Tupellio", I will never know why she couldn't get it right, is a wonderful town that needs all of you to visit. I loved Tupelo, and honestly, Mississippi is one of my favorite states. There is something dark and mysterious there. Anyhow after enjoying Elvis' birthplace and the restaurants he used to go to, etc. we were off. I was determined to cross the state so that I could get my picture taken at "The Crossroads". The crossroads where Highway 61 crosses Highway 47, the spot where Robert Johnson made a deal with the Devil, to be the greatest bluesman ever. I had my photo op. On our way out of town, I stopped in front of an abandoned gas station. There was a huge sign in front of one of the broken windows that said "NO LOTERING" and there must have been 14 guys out front. I stopped and asked if I could get a pic and reluctantly they agreed. To me the icing on the cake was that "Loitering" was misspelled. We headed to Memphis, but by the time we got there, my wife Penny wasn't feeling well at all, so we decided to keep on moving. We made it to somewhere in Missouri. Since we try not to eat at chains on the road, we ended up at Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, Missouri. What a treat that was! You holler roll and they throw one at you from across the room. What fun! Later I found out this place has been one the Food Channel among others.

The next morning we headed to Springfield, Illinois, passing the St. Louis Arch in the process. When we got to Springfield, everywhere was booked up, but we did manage to get a room at a place that was actually the first ever Holiday Inn built on Route 66. One wing of the original place was incorporated into what had become a concourse for a restaurant and comedy club. It was kind of fun.....no elevator though....

We were able to visit Lincoln's home, the Lincoln Presidential Museum (the best of them all, supposedly, but still make sure you visit the Gerald R. Ford in Grand Rapids, Michigan), The Frank Lloyd Wright 'Dana Thomas House', and Lincoln's Tomb. I absolutely love the sculpture at Lincoln's Tomb. It's the best I've ever seen.

And Springfield features Coney Dog. A hot dog on a stick. Corn dog?, I ask. "Only better!" was the girl's reply. A Corn dog, but instead of a cornbread based coating, more of a flour coating, so it was more like a regular hot dog, but on a stick. Great fries.

From there we headed home. But it was a fun trip home. My wife is a blast and she always makes sure to indulge me in my wants...like the Lincoln Museum etc. That's just who I am and she gets that.

Like when we visited Fredricksburg and posed on the wall you're not supposed to touch......

Next year? Helen Keller's home, and the whole Hank Williams thing in Alabama.

What are the Greatest Sit-Coms?

I have been musing about this lately. I want to write something about it. Here's what I'm thinking. What am I missing? And please don't mention the one-note "Big Bang Theory."

1. The Andy Griffith Show
2. I Love Lucy
3. All In The Family
4. The Dick Van Dyke Show
5. The Honeymooners
6. Frasier
7. Cheers
8. Seinfeld
9. The Wonder Years
10. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
11. Everybody Loves Raymond
12. The Bob Newhart Show
13. Parks and Recreation
14. The Office
15. Modern Family


and I have got to find a way to give a shout out to one of the funniest short-live sitcoms ever: "Bakersfield PD".

Daughters

I was blessed to have two sons biologically. I made a weird, and as it turns out, not well thought out deal with my wife that if we had boys she would get to pick the first names and I would get the middle names, and if they were girls I would get to pick the first names and she the middle names. Well, we had two boys. She picks the first name of Jacob...and I go for the whole Wyatt Earp thing, and pick "Wyatt". This was in 1985 folks. I know it has become popular since, but it wasn't then. For the second boy she chose Bradley, and I was in a particular Bob Dylan mood then and went for the name of Dylan. Shortly thereafter "Beverly Hills 90210" happened and the name Dylan went viral. But my boy pre-empted all of that. If I would have had a third son I was going to put my foot down and I alone would name my son. His name would have been "Addicus Finch Fales."

But I didn't have a third son. Instead I was given different step-children for a little bit, until finally I was blessed with two daughters. I finally found the woman I was meant to be with, and besides giving me the wife I was always meant to have, she blessed me with two beautiful, intelligent, incredible daughters. I mean these are the real deal.

 When I first arrived on the scene, the girls were teen-agers, and as we all know, this is the toughest part of anyone's life. And these girls were wounded. They were reeling from the abandonment of a father that was experiencing commitment issues, and where he wanted to be in life, and exploring a new love. And there I was. Not-so-suddenly on the scene. And so I was handed his two wounded daughters.

Can I say right from the start that I was confused? Daughters? Really? From a guy with only sons? What kind of cruel joke was this?

The older, from the beginning, sort of gave me the "cold shoulder". I prefer to think that she built up walls. The younger clung to me immediately. I was just what the doctor ordered. I was destined to fill a gap that her Daddy had left.

It has been a struggle to say the least. But the struggle I am experiencing has been life changing. I truly love my daughters as much as my sons. Being a positive male role model for daughters has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. My older may never come around. That's okay. Although the last card I got from her was signed "love", and that meant the world to me. But my younger and I are, at least to me, as close as two human beings can be. I love that little girl more than words can describe. I love her, worry about her, stress about her, think about her, wish I was there with her, everyday of my life.

These girls are awesome people. They are going to change the planet. Wish me luck on trying to guide them on the right path. Wish me luck in trying to be a positive role model. And for me here in Michigan, while they are in Florida, I guess all I can do is love their mom with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my being.

Good luck, my sweet daughters. Change this planet. Make it better. I have your back. But you've got my heart.

Small Town Life, I love you.

We went to the Park near our home tonight and heard the town band play. There were a few bad notes, but we just dismiss them. We were in a lovely park close to the gazebo where the band was set up,  and the temperature was perfect. The sun was out but we were in the shade. The park is by the river and there were Sam Clemens wannabes down playing in the water. The band, in their Danish garb were wonderful. The kids in the river were wonderful. They brought out little girls twirling flags and twirling batons and they were so cute I almost couldn't stand it. As it got darker the beautiful street lights along the Fred Meijer trail by the river came on, adding to the magic. And of course the Danish Festival Queen and Runner-Up along with Junior Queen came out. Can you say....Awesome?!

And they were selling bottled water to benefit this, and ice cream to benefit that....this is small town life.

I love you Grand Rapids, but I will never give up the thrill of this small-town life for you. Sorry. But this is just too wonderful. Life is so wonderful.

A really perfect night with the woman I love in bag chairs to watch the town band on a night in August...folks, life isn't perfect, but it ain't all bad.