The Answer Is.....Greatness

 I was at work when I got the news that Alex Trebek has lost his year long struggle with cancer and it seemed like all the energy left my body. I have already made comments earlier in my blog postings about how Alex Trebek and Jeopardy! impacted my life so I don't want to rehash those. But I would like to say a couple of things about Alex and his impact.

1. If you truly want to know how good of a host Alex Trebek was, watch a non-Jeopardy! game show that he did (High Rollers, Classic Concentration etc.) Or even some of the failed pilots that he did (Malcom and M'ama Non M'ama come directly to mind). These are all different formats and game types. And Trebek fits into all of them like a glove. He was the consummate professional. It was a trait shared by him and by Bill Cullen, whom game show afficianados cite as the greatest game show host ever. Trebek is right there with him. 

2. Trebek may have been characatuered  as being stiff and stuffy, but that was hardly the case if you take my advice in step 1. In fact, I have heard that there are ladies who found him likeable and even attractive for that. He wa quite the ladies man in the late 70s and early 80s before marrying his wife Jean in 1990. And I have two clips that show that attraction to an extent. Ironically the first is a lady whom I mentioned in my previous musings: Nancy McKeon. She was doing a Christmas edition of a Trebek fronted vehicle called "Battlestars" (think Hollywood Squares with Triangles) and at 4:06, she said this:

Now obviously, it's a nice suit. But the man inside it makes the suit come to life. So there was an air of sexiness around Trebek in those years.

The second clip involved something I just found out today. And it's less about sexiness and more about iconography. Last year, Trebek was at the Daytime Emmy Awards, presenting the award for Outstanding Young Actress in a Drama Series. The Award was given to Hayley Erin, a young actress on General Hospital at the time. She was born in 1994. Watch her reaction to winning the award at 2:19 and forward.

She says "OH MY GOD! IT'S ALEX TREBEK!" This is a 25 year old woman. To get that reaction from her as a 79 year old man is clearly a mark of how impactful and warm and inviting Alex Trebek was. And the fact that the two clips are so far apart show the length of time that he was able to do this effectively.

3. Finally a word about the show as it relates to him. TV Guide once desctibed it as (paraphrasing here)

"A sturdy fortress in the middle of a game show land of buzzers and costumes and bells and whistles. When you entered the fortress to play the game, it was fingers on buzzers and may the best man win." 

And I bet you can watch an episode from 1986 and then an episode from 2009, and apart from the dollar values and the set and some of the material, it runs exactly the same. That is down to Trebek, who made it look so easy that it was almost nothing. But it wa something. A marvel to behold. And it took a mavel to run. God bless you, Alex. We will miss you.

Some Idle Musings

It has been a while since I have posted on here but I have been busy with my job and have really been unable to come up with one motivating topic on which to opine. So I have a couple of musings I would like to get into

1. Obviously you have noticed the lack of NFL picks this year. What with the lack of true homefield advantage and the rescheduling games due to COVID, it would be a fool's errand to get into it. I will however make two predictions. Chiefs will go to the Super Bowl and the Jets will go 0-16. 

2. 

    Dear fucking lord, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

3. Speaking of PBS, it seems the Republicans did not learn from Mitt Romney's Big Bird fiasco in 2012. Only this "Mr. Rogers" thing from the town hall seems to have cut even deeper. And the Republicans know it. That's why they sent the lady who said it, Mercedes Schlapp, onto Fox News to do damage control. And it was bad on so many levels. Not only is basically insulting a great man not a good idea, but he's a Pennsylvania icon. Pennsylvania; a swing state. There's a nice plan to win an important state. Wrong and STUPID.

4. I know young girls from the 80s might try to deny it and I know that one of the actresses might have a problem with it because of her religious feelings, but I can't deny what my eyes see and saw:

Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel) and Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon) had an intimate chemistry. I don't think it was played intentionally at all; I think it was meant to show strong friendship. But it's there. Do I believe they (the characters) would actually get together? Not really. Do I think it's possible that they got drunk together one night and decided to experiment? Absolutely. And I am clearly not the only person who thinks so. 

Also the amount of hair spray in Nancy McKeon's hair must have been ungodly.

5. We are approaching Christmas time, which it means it is the evil return (although some people would probably be more preferable this year) of the Hallmark Christmas movies. Last year, I went into a diatribe over the generic plots of the movies and the fact that they all seemingly had the word "Christmas" in them. Well in 2020, Hallmark, SOMEHOW, made 23 of these movies. TWENTY-THREE. Where did they make him, in a sealed chamber? A Truman Show like bubble? Anyway, out of the 23 new movies, how many of the movies had the word "Christmas" in the title?

19.

NINETEEN.

Here we go:

"Chateau Christmas", "On the 12th Date of Christmas", "Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater", "Christmas with the Darlings", "Christmas in Vienna", "A Timeless Christmas". "A Nashville Christmas Carol", "The Christmas House", "A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado" , "Good Morning Christmas!", "Christmas by Starlight", "Five Star Christmas", "Christmas Waltz", "If I Only Had Christmas", "Christmas in Evergreen: Bells are Ringing", "Christmas She Wrote", "Cross Country Christmas", "Christmas Comes Twice" AND "A Christmas Carousel"

SIGH

Riding the New Wave: My Top 5.

During this period of alone time and working, I have really focused in on where my musical tastes lie. Sure, Queen is my favorite band, but I seemed to have favorite songs all over the place and spectrum of music. It was curious to see if I could get it into a certain genre or time period. And I have seemed to have landed on the early to mid 1980s, aka the New Wave (or post-punk) era. Stuffed to the brim with smooth, sleek, synthesizers combined with leftover angst/anger and self reflective lyrics from the punk rockers. So, in no particular order, I will present my favorite top 5 New Wave Songs:


                                                   Every Breath You Take: The Police

Otherwise known as "The Stalker Song" It is very interesting to see how a song that has such sinister lyrics sound so much like a love song. And that comes down to Sting's delivery of the lyrics and the nice guitar riff/rhythm from Andy Summers. It creates a romantic feeling even though the lyrics are about stalking. A brilliant trick, even with no synthesizers

(Keep Feeling) Fascination: The Human League

As Meghan Trainor would say, it is all about that bass. The bass line on this is slapping good. The different tones of voices from the 4 members means you are coming at the song essentially from 4 directions. So even though some of it is basic gibberish ("best of plans they slayed?"), it's a solid song that I personally like more than their well known hit from the era "Don't You Want Me?"

Blue Monday: New Order

Like a lot of people my age or younger, I first heard that driving synth bassline in the "Wonder Woman: 1984" trailer. And it immediately stuck in my head. Then I went to listen to the song and more flesh was added to it, including those almost robotic like deliveries of the lyrics by Bernard Sumner. In fact, looking at studies of the song, that might have been intentional, because the song seems to deal with somebody abused and mistreated by another, almost servant like. Interesting.

Drive: The Cars

The only way I can describe this song is a cacophony of sound. From the synthesizers playing in the foreground to the crashing drum, it just is so powerful. And it completely sets the tone for this ballad about heartbreak and longing. It effortlessly fits the era. Also of note is the fact that the Cars are the only American band to have a song on this list, which really speaks to the strength and impact the British had on this era of music. But the Cars get in with a cracker

It's My Life: Talk Talk

I'll be honest. Talk Talk is a band that really helped me focus on the new wave era as a breeding ground for new music for me. This song was famously covered by No Doubt, and it is an okay cover. But, while Gwen Stefani sang it edgier with more bite and anger, Mark Hollis sings it with more melancholy and almost a touch of naivety. Combine that with the synthesizer laid on the top and that funky bassline (which comes with a jig in mimed performances) and you have a perfect song for that era.

Thank you for indulging me and talk to you next time. 

Random Thoughts #2 or #3 or ...

I haven't typed in my blog for awhile, so I decided to put up some random thoughts:

1. One thing that I feel I am safe in saying during this social "upheaval" for lack of a better word, is that police training procedures NEED to be updated. In all of these police brutality situations, a common thread I see is a lack of tact when it comes to reacting to situations. The George Floyd murder is a clear example of this; as well as the incidents in Buffalo and Atlanta. I'm worried that just out and out disbanding police forces will lead to more anarchy so I don't agree to do that. However, something has to be done about this. And psychological training about how to handle situations as well as better and stricter psychological screening of applicants is needed.

2. It's very interesting that spikes of COVID-19 are going up at alarming rates all over the country while in New York and New Jersey, the spike has not really occurred. Hmmmmmmmm….. maybe the rest of the country should have taken this more seriously like we did in the tri-state area?  (sarcasm totally intended).

3. I have used this quote before and I actually discovered it watching a Bill Bixby-hosted special on whether Elvis was dead or alive or not from the late 1980s. It is from the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald and it perfectly shows where this country is not doing well IMO.


"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."

4. Just a self indulging note here. Bill Cullen is considered by many aficionados to the be the standard of game show emceeing. Here he is in an interview in 1979 with GMA talking about what he fears about game shows of the time and what he sees of game shows in the future. Very prophetic I believe.

Breaking the Rules of Etiquette in the Land of Confusion

During my previous post research, I learned that perhaps another thing led to Lindsey Shaw being abused on Twitter. Apparently, she made some pro Trump remarks on Twitter and something like that.

This factoid, combined with the events of the past few days, has led to a very interesting conclusion. One that I have battled with during my ride home from work and one that I am going to bring to a head right now.

I am about to break one of the cardinal rules of etiquette. But I feel that I have no recourse in the matter. I have been dancing around it a bit, mostly pushing it down. But I have to get it out there because I feel that I have no other choice. It is bothering me, but not in the way that you believe. So here it goes.

My parents voted for Donald Trump.

Not because they were racist, not because they were bigots, not because they were anti-semetic, not because they were filled with violence, not because they were "STUPID", not because they were sexist.

Basically they voted for him because they thought he would do a better job with the economy than Hillary Clinton.

That's it. That's the reason.

YET, going onto Twitter and seeing celebrities and other folk go after the VOTERS of Trump, not just him, makes me feel very angry. Because the way my brain works is they are insulting a generalized group, they are insulting my parents. And, through a transitive property, they are insulting me. This is how my brain works. And that is partially why whenever a Trump comment or joke is made, not to mention the repetitiveness, I feel a bit sad.

And on the drive home from work today, I felt that I had no recourse but to share this, because I don't like it. And I need some relief from it. I'm sorry but I had to do it.

The Rutbreakers: Lindsey Shaw and Fandoms Gone Wild

In the mid 2000's, I was in high school. And to be honest, I don't really remember what I watched on television. I had watched Nickelodeon in the 90s, during their "glory" years. But by 2003-4 I wasn't really in tune with them.  They were experiencing the major challenge from the Disney Channel and their young factory of stars. But anyway I digress....

The show "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" was a show aimed at my demographic or at least a year orso before my status at that time. But again, I was not really into Nickelodeon by that time. So I knew the show existed but I knew very little about it. I knew there was a boy and a girl and a spunky friend and that the boy and the girl had feelings for each other and that was about it. But this is where my "talent" for finding rabbit holes comes into play.

So a few days ago, Nick Rewind posted a video about and it made its way to my attention and I looked at it, again not really going into much nostalgia. But it did make me curious for the classic question of "Where are they now?" And this is where the rabbit hole begins.

Lindsey Shaw played the female role on the program, but that is just the jumping off point. She is probably more famous to the younger generation (aka my three nieces) as playing a recurring character on the show "Pretty Little Liars". On the show she has a lesbian relationship with one of the main characters and this lead to my fascination.

Apparently, Shaw had alcohol and drug problems (she's a child star, surprise surprise) But more than that, she was allegedly chased off of social media by fans of a ship involving her love interest and another character, including fans of said ship sending a petition around asking her to kill herself This is the main crux of the issue that I wanted to speak about.

I think fans in general have gotten way too much power through the use of social media. And along with that power comes entitlement. Fans feel that they deserve what they want to see, which is an aspect of fandom in general. The character or show belongs to them, in their eyes, because the show is so familiar to them and the fans are the ones that make it successful. Kind of like buying a stock.

And social media has allowed people to make these views public and go to war with other fanbases and even fans of the same show over these opinions. A show that seems to have that hold right now is Riverdale  However I don't wish to go into that, because trying to demystify Riverdale would be akin to taking on the task of how to launch a rocket or how to make flying cars work etc.

One of the main reasons I cooled off my love of Doctor Who was this infighting over quality and characters and their arcs amongst the fans. I have written an earlier blog post decrying modern fandom aspects and to me, the story of Lindsey Shaw seems to prove it even further and drives the point further home.

There were more things that came up including behind the scenes drama on PLL (yawn) and the fact that she dated the actor who played "Ned" in that old series for a year orso after the show ended, which kind of makes sense because if you are around somebody in that working environment at that time of hormones, it's not surprising that you would feel an attraction to them

But at the end of the day, this whole digging shows the evil power of fandom and the positive power of curiosity. I would not have known about this whole thing if I didn't have a that sense of discovery and curiosity to go down the rabbit hole. And I think during this trying time, knowledge is definitely power and learning about things by turning over stones, no matter how insignificant they seem to be at the time, will lead to some interesting findings. 

He's Lost His Marbles

During this coronavirus period, we have lost basically every sport and are searching for relief. That is where I, in my wanderings, came across a trend that is seemingly gaining momentum in the cyber world. It has even garnered an article on TIME's website: https://time.com/5803841/marble-racing-videos/

Yes: Marble racing.

So I had to check it out, and as has happened to a lot of people, I find it pretty cool. The games and races they do are created especially for marbles to race and compete which is very interesting in itself, but that is not the main reason that I think this has taken off. Quite honestly, it's the announcer of these events; Greg Woods.

He does something very great in his performance. He treats these marbles races seriously as if it is a major sports event, but not overtly seriously. There is a light quality to his voice which gives the impression that he still knows that he is commentating on marbles rolling around on a track (which can be hypnotising; I can attest to that because I had a big marble set I liked to play with when I was a kid).

I joked on Twitter that we have found the new voice of Monday Night Football. But in all honesty, he is probably best suited to be doing this. I hope he gets more attention as this crisis progresses and this viral sensation continues to grow.

More like Tin

During my job in the BJ's, I hear a lot of music on loop and a lot of it is good and some of it is very awful, IMO (My opinion of Sheryl Crow is now that she deserved Lance Armstrong  for the music she made in the early 2000s. In fact, Lance wasn't enough for that drivel).

However,this particular song that I am pontificating about today has been one that I have heard and thought it was okay. It's a child pop like song about boys and girls and wishing them well in life and in future (In fact, I thought the lyric was "with more to come". Thanks garbled PA system!)

Now having seen the video accompanying the song, I wish I had been correct because this is pretty bad.

Not that I don't appreciate the message of the song and the video but it is carried out in such a heavy handed and cliche way that it makes it look absolutely ridiculous.

Let's start with the locker girl (0:13-0:27) (who obviously has been cutting herself which should not be made light of in any way). They call her "vampire girl" WHY? She's a goth, or even emo. Not "vampire" Nobody uses the term "vampire" to describe a goth. They use the terms goth or emo. And then this little douchebag stuffs paper bats into her locker, and makes a vampire pose at her. By doing this, the boy has made himself look more nerdy than the object of his ridicule. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the girls who are alongside him are secretly thinking "We're not getting paid enough to be this guy's wing women". Shame on the concept.

Now to the next problem; the dancer (0:35-0:50). Have these football players ever hear of Lynn Swann, the HOF WR with the Pittsburgh Steelers? HE TOOK BALLET AND THAT MADE HIM A BETTER PLAYER. So not only are these guys erroneously making fun of a guy dancing, BUT THEY'RE FUCKING FRAUDS WHO DON'T KNOW FOOTBALL HISTORY. Shame on them. I hope they feel better during their 10 game losing streak when they are facing teams of guys that take ballet. DUMBASSES.

Now to the next three bits starting at 1:03.

The bulimic: The girl has bulimia and is being made fun of. That's not the bad part. The bad part is at 1:38 where it can be interpreted as if the song is saying "It's okay to have bulimia" NO IT'S NOT. BULIMIA IS A DISEASE THAT CAN KILL!!!!!! SHE NEEDS HELP. So the video is completely off the message

The skateboarder: NO COP IN TODAY'S WORLD WOULD BREAK A SKATEBOARD!. The cop would just tell her to go home if there's a curfew. And then they would probably guide the teenager home. NOT BREAK PERSONAL PROPERTY FOR WHICH THEY COULD GET SUED. Especially in a world where police brutality is such an issue. That is dumb.

The mophead: Probably the most normal of these situations, except for this. The boys are standing in front of an easel in the middle of the gym, probably a list of who made the team and who didn't. Why are the boys wearing jerseys? When did they get them? How can they have jerseys when they are just finding out that they are on the team? When that sort of mental lapse is the least of the mistakes, then you have found a massive piece of shit.

The rest of the video is fluff, apart from the weird shaped crown that looks like a model piece for animators of "Frozen". But these earlier setups are horrifically bad. What type of person or genre would allow that type of smack in your face messaging involving errors about modern culture and and behaviors?

Sparrow Records, who helped produce it, is a Christian music label.

Britt Nicole, a Christian singer, used this as her first mainstream single. It finished at #83 on the Billboard Hot #100.

Christian Pop. As Hercule Poirot would say "But of course."

My advice for the people looking for the message. Go watch Fred Rogers. He did it with more dignity and much much fewer errors.

Championship Game Picks and a word about News Cycles

First I would like to announce that my predicted SB matchup will be:

The Kansas City Chiefs vs. The San Francisco 49ers 

And now to a point that I have just been thinking about. A week ago, there was fear in the nation as it was "predicted" by many that we were about to enter WWIII because we killed an Iran General.

It was basically the same doomsaying that happened after Trump was elected.

Iran then proceeded to bomb a US Military Base (with no casualties) followed by seemingly accidentally shooting down their own airliner.

And that was it. No doom. No cataclysm. Just back to ordinary lives. Trump now has to go to trial in the Senate and the Democrats continue to try to find a candidate that can beat him.

The 24 hour news cycle can give a lot in having time to go in depth on many different stories if need be. But it also obfuscates quickly certain stories that happen and then go by the wayside.

CNN came to prominence with their coverage of the Gulf War in 1991 and it seemed to hook people intently. And now we are seemingly conditioned to this cycle. We ingest news, make a big stink about it and then go onto the next story, unless there are other angles to be told that can interest viewers in same stories (The whole Trump investigation seems to be of this nature).

I just find it fascinating how we think the we're entering WWIII one week and then prepping for football championship games the next. Whiplash indeed. 

NFL Picks: Divisional Round

1-3 in the Wild Card Round. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH


Well let's move forward. To be honest, this crept up on me so I will keep it brief.

Vikings @ Niners: Haven't been impressed with the Niners coming down the stretch, Vikings pull the upset like they did back in 1987.

Victory: Vikings

Titans @ Ravens: Titans keep it interesting for awhile, but Ravens pull away.

Victory: Ravens

Texans @ Chiefs: This is a revenge game for KC. Unlike the Saints, I don't think they will fail

Victory: Chiefs

Seahawks @ Packers: Just like Tennessee, Seahawks will keep it close, but Packers will win ugly like they have done all year.

Victory: Packers

NFL Picks: Wild Card Edition

So Before I get to m picks, let's wrap up my year's record

Points: Saints, Dolphins, Titans, Rams, Niners

5-7 (meh) for a final total of 118-106

Victories: Bears, Falcons, Saints, Jets, Packers, Titans, Cowboys, Eagles, Ravens, Rams, Broncos, Niners.

12-4 for a final record of 165-90

Now in the wild card round, I don't use the point spreads because winning is the name of the game. 4 games and here we go:

Bills @ Texans: The Texans have hosted a grand total of  5 playoff games on WC weekend and they are 3-2 in such games. Their 3 wins consist of 2 wins against the Bengals, who haven't won a playoff game since 1991, and a Derek Carr-less Raiders team. I think the Bills have the mentality to go into Houston and win this game. And I think they will. Close, but the Bills will win.

Victory: Bills

Titans @ Patriots: Pats assistants have had some success against Belichick of late. But I just don't see Tennessee going into NE; which might be Tom Brady's last game there, and winning. Close for 2 quarters and the Pats pull away late

Victory: Pats

Vikings @ Saints: This has bloodbath written all over it. The Vikings are down to about 4 healthy CBs going into this game. The Saints want revenge for what happened 2 years ago in Minnesota. And I think they will get their pound of flesh and then some.

Victory: Saints

Seahawks @ Eagles: This is the most interesting game of the weekend. Both of these teams are very inconsistent. But at the end of the day, Russell Wilson will find a way to bring his team to victory. This is Carson Wentz's first ever playoff game and I think it will show a bit, especially at home. This game will also be close but I think the Seahawks win.

Victory: Seahawks