I have heard of two possible heirs to the seat about to be vacated by New York Senator Hilary Clinton, one that sounds at least plausible, the other laughable at best.  Fran Drescher that nasally toned actress who graced television screens a few years back as a domestic goddess has announced that she has her eye on the prize.  One would hope that her political saavy is better than the one she exhibited as The Nanny.  By the way, did you know that she was in the cast of the motion picture Saturday Night Fever?  She played the role of “Connie”.  Sorry I don’t know anymore beyond that.  For all of you This Is Spinal Tap fans, Ms. Drescher played Bobbi Flekman.  Of course, she could be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger and be the next politician whose voice you cannot stand. Although she could take her aspirations beyond the governator.  I’m glad I do not live in New York.  By the way, another possible candidate is the totally unknown Caroline Kennedy.

I usually enjoy watching Barbara Walters and her announcing of the 10 Most Fascinating People of the Year.  I usually am surprised to find out who the most fascinating person of the year is; however, aside from a few this year was far from surprising and even less fascinating.  I’m sorry, but Rush Limbaugh just does not make me stop and listen to his political views on the radio… and his pick for Republican Presidential candidate in 2012?  None other than another political figure who made the list, Sarah Palin.  Which led to another person on the list, former Saturday Night Live cast member, Tina Fey whose characature of the former vice-presidential candidate may or may not have been a factor in the Democrats assuming the White House.

Not all of the figures in tonight’s special were from the political arena.  Four of them were on primarily to promote their new movies coming soon to a theatre near you.  Will Smith was promoting Seven Pounds.  Tom Cruise (who seems to be on most of Bawa Wawa’s specials) promoted Valkyrie.  And don’t forget the current “it girl” amongst the tween set: Miley Cyrus and coming soon… Hannah Montana The Movie (I guess the movie this fall was a concert film).  Frank Langella (whom I most recall portraying Perry White in Superman Returns … although I know he has been in a host of other roles) is reprising his Tony winning role in the film version of Frost/Nixon.

In previous years, I have often noticed that Ms. Walters usually lists people whom she has interviewed earlier in the year and recently for that matter.  Within the last month, she has interviewed both this year’s top person and the world’s first “man” to give birth.  As for the top person, it does NOT take much of a genius to figure that out.  During the last fifteen minutes, I was just saying “Come on already.”  Although, I thought the most fascinating person on the show was Olympic gold medal record-breaker Michael Phelps.

At least The Office did not disappoint.

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While listening to the radio this morning and the poll question of the day, I was reminded of my post a few days ago. The question: “Who do you prefer… Billy Joel or Bruce Springsteen?” Myself, I much prefer the Piano Man to the Boss. Joel’s music is so much more melodic and he has crossed over into other genres with his own music. Although it is one of those “jukebox musicals” with little to no plot, Movin’ Out was nominated for a handful of 2003 Tony Awards and won two (one for Mr. Joel’s orchestrations). In 2001, the accomplished musician composed an album of classical piano pieces entitled Fantasies & Delusions. In the end, Springsteen defeated Joel by ONE phone call.

The intriguing thing about all this is that the two performers will be sharing the stage (I’m not sure if it’s for the first time but have seen no evidence to the contrary). However, the ticket will be quite costly. On October 16th, the two will show their support for Barack Obama for his “last event in the Tri-State area before the election.” The concert will be held in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Tickets for the event start at only $500 for balcony seats. Starting at $2500, you can enjoy “premiere seating”. Or for the paltry sum of $10,000 you can enjoy “lounge seating.” Peanuts, right? Thanks, but I’ll stick to the recordings. Perhaps our friend from Liswathistan will be able to make an appearance.

Today marks the half-century mark for one of the strangest, most celebrated (in his heyday), and most controversial performers ever to dance across a stage. At one time, the mere mention of Michael Jackson’s name sent teenage girl’s hearts a-flutter. Now, it seems that it sends chilling thoughts of child abuse charges, skin color changing, surgical mask wearing, and sleeping with chimpanzees. I do remember when he was rightfully given the moniker “The King of Pop,” but 1983-84 was some time ago and most people born just a few years after that would wonder what all the fuss was about. In fact, they frequently laugh at the mere mention of his name (as most people do… even most of his fans wonder what happened).

I remember vividly my experience with most things Thriller: the album itself (still the world’s largest selling of all time), the video, the sequined glove, the marketing, and the introduction of the Moonwalk during the 25th anniversary of Motown. I remember seeing the video while staying overnight with my cousin. My uncle stayed up with us as he was a fan going back to the Jackson 5 days. At the time, it was on of the scariest things I had ever seen. A tribute to the old creature features of the 50s and 60s. Zombies, werewolves, creatures rising from graves. Even Vincent Price’s voice made an eerie appearance in a “rap” toward the end of the 14-minute movie. Days later, the video was banned from network airwaves and was only allowed to be played on MTV after 10pm.

In 1984, the phenomenon sparked the “Victory” reunion tour of Michael and his brothers. While visiting our relatives in Texas that summer, the group was performing in Dallas. And not forgetting the hair-burning incident during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.

Although Wacko-Jacko is now almost in total seclusion, at one time he was a powerhouse of performing dominance seemingly invincible. However, his success with Thriller was never surpassed as rumors began to take control of his life just as its popularity was at its peak.

This title refers to a hilarious skit performed on The Carol Burnett Show as a spoof of those neverending daytime soaps. If you watch one episode and wait a year you haven’t missed anything. However, I have read articles that suggest that they are good training for the professional actor as pages of script need to be memorized in a very short time. Thanks again to my morning radio news I learned that a young man from my neck of the woods has recently left the soap As the World Turns to become a cast member of the primetime series, Friday Night Lights. Since i am unfamiliar with either show, I can only wish Zach Roerig the best of luck in his new role. Some of today’s (and yesterday’s) big names got their starts steaming up daytime television.

• Morgan Freeman
• Marisa Tomei
• Tommy Lee Jones
• Mark Hamill (before he became Luke Skywalker and the animated voice of the Joker)
• Leonard Nimoy (played a drug addict who checked into General Horsepital (oops Hospital…) thanks Mom)
• Demi Moore
• David Hasselhoff (HIM AGAIN… definitely one of yesterday’s so-called stars (sorry if I offend any of my European readers).. grudgingly included… thanks again, Mom… I dunno how she remembers all these so well)

These are of a few of the famous alumni of the suds. Since no one within my reach can think of any others, I will leave it open for further comments. But as I know that none of my regular readers have an undying passion for All My Dingbats, The Young and the Breastless, One Life to Die, or any of the others, I will leave it up to those silent critters from other parts of the US, Germany, Sweden, Canada, and wherever else you may be hiding.

I was not entirely sure on which blog I should post this entry.  It seems like a retail horror story to me; however, it did not involve me and it concerned a wanna be singer so I guess it fits this site more (although the  genius in question could certainly have fit right in on the Blog for Genius’ site).  It seems that a young man by the name of Timothy Tackett WAS employed at a Burger King restaurant in Xenia, Ohio.  For a birthday prank (on his own birthday), he decided to take a bath in the facility’s industrial size sink and post it on his MySpace site.  Any GENIUS would realize that he probably would not be doing himself any favors by doing this.  Not only  did he get himself in trouble but the manager in charge of the shift and at least one other employee are no longer working at that particular establishment.  One can see where the young man picked up the nickname “Unstable.”  One has to wonder what other pranks he has pulled.  The worst I ever had happen while working on my birthday is being serenaded by a strange fellow from Listhwathistan over the intercom which was not a bad thing at all.

Burger King Does Not Want Its Employees To Take Baths

I’m not entirely sure if this will help the young man in his singing career but it is reported that his MySpace account has seen a large amount of visits since the incident occurred.  Good luck Mr. Unstable.

Well… at least Mr. Lucas has done something right. He recently acknowledged the fact that any future adventures of Indiana Jones MUST have Harrison Ford in the titular role. There will be no passing of the fedora and whip to his son “Mutt” Williams in the near future. The final scene of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull alluded to that when THE hat was seen blowing into the church and Dr. Jones snatched it away from the young upstart. Of course I would say that as much bad press as Shia LaBoeuf has been getting as of late, he may find it difficult to find work if he continues on what seems to be a downward spiral.

In this article, Mr. Lucas also speculates on the future of his other cinematic series of films including the opening of Star Wars: Clone Wars this weekend.

Enter to win free movie tickets for an entire year on Fandango!

I have previously discussed the number of famous (and infamous) celebrities that have gone through the revolving door that is the long-running revival of the musical Chicago. I still have my suspicions that the sole reason it is still continuing to attract crowds is its ability to draw tourists to see the latest headline grabber or long since faded has been attempting to step on stage. The latest addition is almost enough to make one lose their faith in the theatre (i am not one but…). Paris Hilton was offered the chance to assume the role of Roxie Hart. However, she has been swamped with so many other Broadway roles that she had to graciously turn down the offer. Some of those include (but are not limited to) The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas and The Great American Trailer Park Musical. I’m sure that there are other shows befitting the millionairess.

In actuality, the hotel princess had to decline when she found out that she would actually have to do something and learn lines that contained words that she never knew existed. Words beyond her usual utterances of: “That’s HOT… He’s Hot… She’s Hot… Everyone’s Hot.” She also found the six-day weeks quite rigorous and couldn’t possibly fit them into her active schedule. Poor Princess.

But can the producers come up with any better (or not so much better) casting decisions… please give your advice, someone may actually read the blog and follow it (even those reading from Sweden, Japan, and other far off countries) It seems to me that nearly everyone has had a tour of the windy city.

Artist Song Name Composer Composition Instrument

Strangely enough, Miss Hilton is reportedly being featured in the newest edition of Guinness Book of World’s Records  as “The Most Overrated Celebrity.”

Superhero comic books can be fickle things. They continuously shift from one interpretation to another I believe to adapt to the times and conditions in the “real world.” One of the greatest villains in all of superhero legend is The Joker . However, it has never been stated definitively how he came to be or even what his backstory is. There have been multiple interpretations involving a vat of chemicals that he falls into that gave him his distorted image with that ever-present maniacal grin, green hair, and pasty-white face. For purposes of plot alone, the 1988 Tim Burton directed Batman suggested that the caped crusader was ultimately responsible for the fiend’s condition. Some comics stories suggest that these interpretations are nothing more than lies concocted by the Clown Prince of Crime himself and that we will probably never know the real story. In fact, in the graphic novel,Batman: The Killing Joke , the villain does not seem to remember just how he came to be. “Sometimes, I remember it one way, sometimes another…if I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice.”

Over the years, the Joker has been the instrument in two major tragedies in The Dark Knight’s history (or three if you are going to follow Tim Burton’s interpretation). In the aforementioned The Killing Joke, he shoots Police Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara in the back rendering her paralyzed and ending her career as Batgirl. However, Barbara later returned as the heroine Oracle who uses her computer expertise to aide in the fight against crime.

Another incident involved Batman’s closest ally, Robin the Boy Wonder. After Bruce Wayne’s “youthful ward Dick Grayson” matured he became known as Nightwing and left the Batcave. A new Robin was introduced in Jason Todd. In Batman: A Death in the Family, The Joker captures Robin, beats him to a pulp and locks him in a warehouse set to explode minutes before salvation arrives. In a twist, the comic writers allowed the public to determine the new Boy Wonder’s fate. One 900 number would have him be saved; the other would bring his end. Ultimately, reader’s brought the life of the young sidekick to a close. So, the Joker was the catalyst but the public killed him. This incident only intensified Batman’s desire to apprehend his arch-nemesis and put him away for good. Now where is the fun in that?!

On Friday, audiences will see a new, even darker, more sinister Joker as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. Who knows what interpretation will be presented for the villain. For more on the history of one of the best characters in comic book legend click on the link

The Dark Knight : Enter to win a trip to Hong Kong!

As I recently learned there is New Kids on the Block reunion tour; however, one group you will probably not be seeing soon is Culture Club, that wonderfully odd 1980s pop group led by the ultra-colorful, ultra-fruity George O’Dowd (more commonly referred to as Boy George).  Boy was planning a 30-day United States tour to begin on July 10 (thank goodness, no unwanted surprises).  However, he was denied a visa due to charges  that accused him of “falsely imprisoning a Norwegian male escort”.  Please tell me how it would not be false to imprison another person.  Although he plead not guilty to the charges, the US government still denied the cross-dressing performer the visa.

Culture Club enjoyed their (what now seems much too long) 15 minutes of fame with songs such as Karma Chameleon.  I think there were a few other successful songs but obviously less familiar.  Yet another group that seemed good when you were about 10 years old that make you shake your head and wonder why.

Has he not been in trouble with the law before.  If memory serves, he was sentenced to community service a few years ago and seen picking up garbage?  I do recall the Broadway musical Taboo that he wrote the lyrics to and Rosie O’Donnell financed a few years ago that lasted entirely too long.  A good suggestion for any theatre group.

I suppose if you live across the Atlantic, you could catch Mr. George on his United Kingdom tour.