I find it truely fascinating when I discover little tidbits about today’s youth. Recently, a first grade teacher quizzed her students on proverbial phrases. She began by handing each of her 26 pupils a slip with half of a popular saying and asked them to complete it. I was amazed at the number I did not known…..

1. Don’t change horses……………………………..until they stop running
2. It’s always darkest before……………………… Daylight Saving Time (true)
3. You can lead a horse to water but……………..How?
4. Don’t bite the hand that………………………….looks dirty (very wise)
5. If you lie down with dogs, you’ll…………………stink in the morning (don’t know that one)
6. An idle mind is……………………………………..the best way to relax (don’t I know it)
7. Where there’s smoke there’s……………………..pollution
8. Happy the bride who……………………………….gets all the presents (what about the groom?)
9. A penny saved………………………………………is not much (so true…. and won’t get you much gas for your car, either)
10. Two’s company, three’s…………………………..the Musketeer‘s
11. Laugh and the world laughs
with you, cry and………………………………………you have to blow your nose
12. There are none so blind as…………………….. Stevie Wonder (surprised 1st graders know who Stevie Wonder is)
13. Children should be seen and not…………………spanked or grounded
14. When the blind lead the blind……………………get out of the way
15. A bird in the hand………………………………….is going to poop on you (HAHAHA)

I came across this insightful tidbit while glancing at our copy of “Now Hear This” the newsletter from Kenwood Hearing Center in Toledo, Ohio.

No, I am not talking about Wal-Mart. This summer’s Pixar release is called Wall-E. I know very little about it other than it concerns a robot. Apparently, reaction to the concept and promotional tools has prompted talk of a remake of another masterpiece concerning a robot. That fantastic tale of Number Johnny 5 in Short Circuit (and its sequel).

For the uninitiated, Short Circuit stars Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy. The real star of the movie is a military prototype robot that is struck by lightning thereby giving the machine human personality. While on the run from his military masters, Number 5 is taken in by an animal loving peace fanatic. The robot immerses himself in culture primarily found through the television. He develops an affinity for The Three Stooges and learns to dance like John Travolta by watching Saturday Night Fever. The robot and his friend attempt to convince his creator and the entire military that he in fact is alive.

Although, it is cheesy and the special effects are quite dated. Short Circuit is good fun. “You’re mama was a snowblower.”

It may cost more nowadays to play a song on a jukebox (think the last time I played one it cost a quarter). Which brings me to another trend in musical theatre of the past few years: the jukebox musical. These are shows which include songs from artists from other genres: country, pop, rock and roll, etc. Music from artists such as Elvis Presley, Billy Joel, Patsy Cline, Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, the Beach Boys,  and Johnny Cash have each had their music be the focal point of stage shows. Smokey Joe’s Cafe was a Broadway hit which brought the Mike Stoller and Jerry Lieber songbook to the stage. Songs such as “Jailhouse Rock,” “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown,” and 36 others are the focal point of the musical revue.

An attempt was made to set the tunes of Elvis Presley to an original story. All Shook Up probably would have done better if it had something to do with the king of rock and roll or at least staged one of his better movies (many of which are better left forgotten).

Perhaps the best known jukebox musical is Jersey Boys. The turbulent history of the 1960s pop music group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is told through many of its greatest hits (“Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” and several others. Jersey Boys was the recipient of four 2006 Tony Awards; is still playing strong at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway; and has touring companies throughout the U.S. and other countries, including Australia.

So…. the next time you are playing a game and the question is asked; “What kind of music makes you want to get up and sing?” be careful. Broadway music may now have more than one meaning.

I recently received an email which directed me to a site where you can find out how many people in the United States share your name.  I thought that it would be fun to discover just how many lucky people shared my name.  To my shock, there was not a single person who has my name.  That is exactly what the result was “There are 0 people in the United States who have that name.”  That is strange, I have had that name for the last 34 years 8 months and some odd days.  I knew I was unique but did not know I was THAT unique.

Subject: How Many Are There of ME????

This activity is fun to do!   Be sure to add your name
to the bottom of  this list. 

Go to this web site https://www.howmanyofme.com/
Put in your first and last name and see how many people in the USA have your name as well.  

After me just put your name and results below like I did. MAKE SURE YOU ONLY WRITE HOW
MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME EXACT NAME. 

Send the message to your friends and remember to SEND IT BACK TO ME so  I can see how the list is growing!

1. There are 41 people in the US named Debbie Pugh.
2. There are 36 people in the U.S. named Kesha Davis.
3. There are 274 people in the U.S. named Evelyn
Arnold.
4. There are 292 people in the U.S. named Rose Burns.
5. There are 72 people in the U.S. named Terri
Gilbert.
6. There is only 1 person in the U.S. named Jenniffer
Kinney.
7. There are 33 people in the U.S. named Esther Good
8. There is only 1 person in the US named Rhonda
Erway.
9. There are only 2 people in the U.S. named Joyce
Antes.
10. There are 9 of us in the U.S. named Thomas
Swartout.
11. There are 12 'females' with the name Debbie
luther.
12. There are 4,461 people named Patricia Martin (oh
my!).
13. There are 1,150 ppl in the U.S. named Kelly Walker
(Kelly Daw-4).
14. There are 18 people in the US with the name
Tiffany Zimmer.
15. There are 97 people in the US with the name Donna
McGhee.
16. There are 1318 people in the US with the name
Donna Phillips.
17. There are 3859 people in the US with the name
RIchard Phillips.
18. There are 2 people in the US with the name of
Karla LaPlante.
19. There are 36 people in the US with the name
Colleen McLaughlin.
20. There are 2,962 people in the US with the name
Mary Murray.
21. There are 77 people in the US with the name Dianne
Murray.
22. There are 10 people in the US with the name Susan
Addy.
23. There 186 people in the US with the name Cheryl
Caldwell.
24. There are 37 people in the US with the name Lisa
Lea.
25. There are 337 people in the US with the name Cathy
Nelson.
26. There only one person in the U.S. named Lea
Sikora.
27. There are 1,010,592 people in the U.S. named Betty
Smith
28. There are 33 people in the U.S. named Mary
Blakeley.
29  There are 9,047 people in the U.S. named Mary
Lewis.
30. There are  487 people in the U.S.  named Charles
Grimes.
31. There are 13 people in the U.S. named Debra Fenn.
32. There are 593 people in the U.S. named Jill
Harris.
33. There are 931 people in the U.S. named Anne
Thompson.
34. There is only 1 person in the U.S. named Aletha
Shell.
35. There are only 35 people in the U.S. named Shelly
Rhodes.
36.  There are only 1 person in the U. S. named
Valorie Rouse
37. There are  140 people in the U.S. named Beth
Griffin
38. There are 143 people in the U.S. named Wilma
Jenkins
39. There are 1,081 people in the U.S. named Louise
Anderson
40. There is 1 person in the U.S. named Treasure
Wasdin
41. There are 3,777 people in the U.S. named Patricia
Clark
42. There are 22 people in the U.S. named Courtney
Mercer
43. There are 20 people in the U.S. named Clarissa
Jenkins
44. There is 1 person in the U.S. named Mikel Bean
45. There are 26 people in the U.S. named Lee Street
46. There are 1 person in the U.S. named Renea
Durrence
47. There are 51 people in the U. S. named Sandy Lane
48. There are 15 people in the U. S. named Sondra Lane

49. There are 3 people in the U.S. named Yolonda Hart
50. There are 35 people in the U.S. named Sharon
Alderman.
51.  There are 10 people in the U.S. named Leslie
Hutchens.
52. There is 1 person in the U.S. named Niki Mainer.
53.  There are 8 ppl in the US named Lucy Brinson.
54.  There are 35 people in the U. S. named Jan Bowen.

55.  There are 4 people in the U.S. named Lisa Ruffo.
56.  There is 1 person in the U.S. named Sheri
Harshman.

57.  There are 29 people in the U.S. with the name Cathy Holder.
58. There are 204 people in the U.S. with the naem Renee Richardson.

59. There are 77 people in the United States with the name Heather Gamble
60. there is 1 person in the united states named charnel hazelton

Fans of the popular NBC comedy The Office will have even more to love in 2009. The network has just greenlit a spinoff series which will have its debut in February in the highly coveted post Super Bowl XLIII timeslot (sounds like another party to me). Little has been revealed about the series, but one possible plot seems to be giving Dwight his own series to head. Hey, it worked for Frasier.

Spinoff series are either hit or miss. The earliest example I can think of would be The Danny Thomas Show giving birth to The Andy Griffith Show. Happy Days (which was a spinoff of Love, American Style) begat Laverne & Shirley, and Mork and Mindy. Today, it seems nearly impossible to find a show whose title does not include Law & Order or CSI. So, there are times when spinoff series are a good thing.

However, there have been failures to the genre. Although Happy Days did give way to two very popular shows, there was also the dreadful attempt to give Joanie and Chachi their own timeslot. While Cheers gave Kelsey Grammer’s character Frasier Crane his own series, there was also the show known as The Tortellis.

So whatever path the new series based upon the successful show takes, here’s hoping that it is another Frasier and not Joanie Loves Chachi.

Anyone have a favorite spinoff series?

Ok…. a recent trend that has come to the Broadway stage is the reimagining of Hollywood movies as stage musicals. I am not speaking of Disney animated features being adapted for the stage (I have made at least 2 postings on that subject). I have felt that the best of these cartoons easily lend themselves to staging. However, musicals such as The Producers, Hairspray, Xanadu, and most recently, Young Frankenstein all seem to be doing quite well.

I think the strangest of these creations is Xanadu. The 1980 movie was to be Olivia-Newton John’s follow-up to the phenomenal hit Grease. I’m not precisely sure why the movie flopped but it could have been the death of disco or perhaps that the movie was just terrible. It was the winner(?) of 1 Razzie and nominated for 4 others. Hopefully, I am not going to be the victim of a mob of cultists who actually liked the movie. Strangely enough 25 years later, nostalgia (or the few people who have actually seen and enjoyed the movie) must have created the necessity to revisit the movie. I wish I could dwell on the plot of the show. However, I have never seen either version and reading synopses just gave me a headache because they made little sense.

I suppose that this streak of bringing movies to the stage will continue as long as they are profitable. On the horizon a stage version of the Dolly Parton, Lili Tomlin, and Jane Fonda classic(?) 9 to 5 opens in Los Angeles in September ’08. I’m certain that I have heard rumors of a Back to the Future musical being produced. Any others? While Mel Brooks seems to be on a role, he might as well develop Spaceballs or Blazing Saddles. Or how about Road House: The Stage Version Of The Cinema Classic That Starred Patrick Swayze, Except This One Stars Taimak From The 80’s Cult Classic “The Last Dragon” Wearing A Blonde Mullet Wig (oops that was not a musical,correct?).

What other movies would make great musicals or which am I forgetting besides Footloose and Saturday Night Fever to name a few. 

Superhero teamups among characters of both DC and Marvel universes are quite common. In the 70s-lates 80s there was the “Superfriends.” More recently, a Justice League series was produced on Cartoon Network. Even crossovers between the rival comic franchises have occurred. Superman and Spider-Man have crossed paths in comic book form.

I just watched the new direct to DVD feature Justice League: New Frontier. It told the tale of one of the first times heroes such as the aforementioned Man of Steel, Batman, and Wonder Woman collaborated with other crimefighters like Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and the Flash.

What I appreciated most about the film is that it was set during the 1950-60s when the silver age of comic books was beginning. The costumes reflected the period (Superman’s crest was a red “S” on a black background and Wonder Woman wore a star-spangled skirt instead of the more familiar, without sounding too blunt, briefs). Some of the themes revealed in the movie also were indicative of the time: McCathyism, the Ku Klux Klan, communism, and fear of alien invasion were all issues portrayed.

I was also pleased with the role of the less familiar players. The Flash particularly felt that he would never be able to make as big a difference when put up alongside characters like Superman. However, the fastest man alive contributes in a huge way in combating the seemingly invincible force threatening to destroy humanity.

If there is a flaw with New Frontier, it is the choice of Jeremy Sisto to voice the Dark Knight. Each of the other characters had voices that fit but there was something strange about Batman’s. Also, something that has always bothered me about the Justice League series: can Wonder Woman fly or not? It would seem unnecessary for her to have an invisible jet (a la the live-action series and “Superfriends”) if that were the case. A friend also pointed out that when shapeshifter Jonn Jonnz is knocked unconscious would he not revert to his martian appearance? Discuss.

Since October, Drew Carey has done his best filling the shoes of Bob Barker as host of the longest-running gameshow in daytime history, The Price is Right. Six months later, he is still attempting to find his nitche. I do watch a few times a week. Today was one of those days.

The showcase was one of the most memorable ever. The first showcase had as the top prize a trip to Singapore which was passed on to contestant number two. The second showcase was a masterful stroke of foolishness.

The first prize was something known as a statointellicator. It appeared to be a prop box full of multicolored switches and doodads which also was useful as a jello mold.

Prize number two was a transrebounder. I have no idea what that device was even supposed to be used for but it looked ridiculous.

Finally, the piece de resistance was a trip to the country of Baguslovania. The contestant would be flown via OSD whose tagline is : The airline that gets you there…. although it may not be the cleanest. While in Baguslovania, the lucky winner would dine on hasty tripe tarts and take in breathtaking vistas such as short site tower and no where palace. I wonder if Baguslovania is anywhere near Liswathistan.

After the showcase was presented, Drew let everyone in on the joke by announcing that the show would be aired on April 1st and unveiled the real prize.

I attempted to find the clip to post but only was able to find the climax of the game. But little touches like this make for entertaining moments on any show.

catch the showcase here

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Ah…. opening day at Yankee Stadium, the last opening day at Yankee Stadium as the Bronx Bombers will be moving next year to the new park across the street. I was anticipating a great game with a huge opening ceremony and all the pomp and celebration to open the final season in the House that Ruth Built. Alas, it was not to be.

1;05 came and went. The sportscasters on ESPN kept promising to start the game as soon as possible. Then, the channel switched to the Detroit Tigers game. A short time later, the screen went dark announcing a blackout in the area. I then switched the channel to WGN to see if the Chicago Cubbies game was still on. They were also under a rain delay. How ironic that Chicago and New York were getting rain while Detroit was able to start their game on time. I’m sure a certain Tigers fan will have something profound to say about that.

In the end, the Cubs game started shortly after 3. However, it was raining enough in New York to postpone Yankee Stadium‘s swan song season for one day.

As of this posting, the Cubs were under another another rain delay and the Tigers were tied in the 10th inning