Bye Bye Cyndi

 

So, to maintain my vaulted status with the Hollywood Bowl, I have to buy tickets for five different concerts every summer.  Now, there are years where I am okay with four events but hard pressed to find a fifth one I really want to see.  This was one of those years.   

Four was easy.   The fifth, not so much.   Under consideration?  Josh Groban.  Meh?  Chicago?  Already seen whatever passes for Chicago in 2025?  A tribute to Black Movie soundtracks?   You're kidding right?

So I settled for Cyndi Lauper on what is supposedly her last concert ever.   Not that I have anything against her.   I've enjoyed the three or four hits she's had.  She would not be my first choice.   But, as far as this fifth selection, she was.

This led to one of the more bizarre Bowl evenings ever.   First off was the majority of the crowd.   I would not have been surprised to hear that this tour was a joint sponsorship of AARP and Jenny Craig.   You get the picture.   If you were an older overweight single woman living in Los Angeles, you were not home this night.

Entering the Bowl, there were signs all around alerting the crowd that the event was being taped for a TV special.  Now most of the Bowl events are taped, but it was noteworthy that they were making a special case to notify us.  Hmmm.

There was an opening act.  Some 30-year-old flaming Gay singer named Jake Wesley Rogers who peppered his act with unintelligent songs and pointed barbs at the federal government.  He concluded by saying that he hoped we would see him again soon.   I would say that was possible if you shop at the West Hollywood Gelson's where he will likely be the new grocery bagger.

We moved mercifully onto Ms. Lauper and the first hour of her performances were songs depicting her life's journey.  Songs, of course, that nobody ever heard before.   

Special guests were promised and ultimately delivered in the second half.  Suddenly, Joni Mitchell appeared for a number.   Cyndi enjoyed doing it so much that she announced they would sing it again.   This was my first clue that the TV taping was running roughshod over the evening.   

Out came John Legend for one of her hits.  They sang it and, three quarters of the way in, they stopped so they could restart it.   I began to realize that this was turning into a "Friends" taping.   A mult-cam sitcom that routinely does scenes several times.

The same happened when Cyndi did a number with SZA (anybody?).   At least, it gave me extra time to figure out who the hell she was.

As weird as this evening was, the final number "Girls Just Wanna..." made it all worthwhile when special surprise guest Cher appeared.  It ended with a round of fireworks.

When it was over, there were murmuring of a second go.   But, the Bowl was now up to his 11PM neighborhood curfew.   And somebody probably realized there were no more fireworks left.

Indeed. an oddity of an evening now completed.

Dinner last night:  Had a late lunch so nothing really.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - September 1, 2025

Another Labor Day without Jerry Lewis.  Except on this blog.  Enjoy watching him putting up a TV antenna.

Dinner last night:  Hot Honey Chicken and Potatoes.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - One Last Woof

 

I've used this old, old photo of my childhood dog, Tuffy, before.  Sadly, it's the only snapshot I have of my beloved Beagle.  It's also the old picture I have of our hideously ancient kitchen.  But I digress...

Here in Los Angeles, kids have already gone back to school.  Two weeks before Labor Day and that would suck if I was still learning my reading and writing. Back in my hometown of Mount Vernon, New York, our first day back into the dungeon was always the Wednesday after Labor Day.   You dreaded that day like no other.

Of course, the telltale signs had creeped up for several weeks prior.  On TV, you'd see more and more commercials for the new Fall shows.  You'd notice that, at 8PM, it was darker today than it was yesterday.  And, on some days, there was a crispness in the summer air that was a portent of the fall.   Somebody up my neighborhood block would then be tempted to pull out the football for a game of touch in the street.

And, every year, as summer closed and school approached, I would start to have guilt feelings that I needed to purge quickly.  

Had I not played with my dog enough this summer?

I've written the tale here before of how Tuffy came into our household.  She was a birthday present to me when I turned eight years old.   Technically, she was my dog.  And I consumed much of her time in the early years.  There, of course, was the day that I wrote about here as well.   When she went into the vet's office for the surgery that would spay her.  I suffered the same pains and wound up in the nurse's office, convinced that my dog was going to die mid-operation.

For the first few years, Tuffy and I were inseparable.  But, then, as I got older, I was distracted by school, friends, and play.  Suddenly, my dog became our dog.

With both my parents working at night, it fell to my grandmother to be the guardian of Tuffy while everybody was out of the house.  Sure, my dad would take her out for a walk when he came home from work at midnight.  But, for the most part, Tuffy became the property of Grandma downstairs.  The dog would be down there most of the day, following my grandmother's daily schedule to a tee.

Lunch at 11AM.  Tuffy would wait by the table for scraps.  If the door between our part of the house and Grandma's was closed, Tuffy actually could turn the knob with her paws.  

While Grandma took her "beauty rest" from 1PM to 2PM, Tuffy did the same and stretched out on the area carpet between the living room and the dining room.  If it was particularly hot during the summer, she would opt for the cool linoleum floor underneath the dining room table.

At 4PM, Tuffy was back at Grandma's kitchen table as dinner was consumed.   She would always get to lick the plate or suck some stale bread soaked in whatever gravy or sauce had been consumed that day.  My grandmother would then go sit in the yard for a couple of hours.  Tuffy would be nearby, leashed to the railing of the backyard steps.

It was a simple summer life for the two of them.

Until the end of August when I would feel compelled to disrupt the routine.  I would suddenly realize that I would be separated soon from Tuffy.  And, after all, she was still my dog.  It was as if I needed in two late August weeks to reinforce that fact that I was still in charge.  And could see to my dog's every want and need.

Suddenly, I was the one walking her.  Almost all day long.  I would walk her ten blocks to the Fourth Avenue shopping district.  We would walk proudly to the 241st Street shopping district in the Bronx.  We'd walk to the Penn Central train station on Mount Vernon Avenue.  I was clearly overcompensating.  And, while probably not thrilled by the sudden spurt in activity, my dog never wavered in loyalty.  For those two weeks.

We'd play catch in the yard.  For hours at a time, we'd engage in a tug-of-war battle over an old sock.  I took care of all the brushing.  And, in one foolhardy attempt to really show my control, I tried to give her a bath in the yard.  The one who wound up soaked was me.

Then, almost instantly, I was back in school.  And Tuffy was undoubtedly delighted to go back to her normal, quiet routine.

When I went away to college, our time together became even less.  And, unlike those Augusts where I felt that I needed to exert my authority, I did even less with the dog.  It went from my dog to our dog to their dog.

Before I knew it, Tuffy had every ailment in the world.  She had somehow lasted to the age of eighteen.  But there was a tumor growing on her jaw and one August morning, she couldn't even stand.

Grandma was too upset to comprehend.  This was amazing since she was the one almost two decades before who had asked the question.

"What do you want to bring a dog in the house for?"

My dad was a bit in denial as well.  He must have enjoyed those midnight strolls more than he admitted.

It was up to me.  I made the call.  It was time.

On one last August day, Tuffy was my dog all over again.

Dinner last night:  Hot dog at the Hollywood Bowl.

Classic Musical Comedy Production Number of the Month - August 2025

Woo hoo.  A five Saturday morning gives us the opportunity to enjoy a great musical comedy production number.  "The Sound of Music" (movie) is 60 years old.  Here's my favorite number from that wonderful musical.

Dinner last night:  Grilled peaches, burrata, and proscuitto at the Courtyard Kitchen.

Len's Jukebox of the Month - August 2025

 Summer's end.

Dinner last night: Roasted chicken pieces.

Hollywood Then and Now - August 2025

The changing landscape of Hollywood.  Or not.   Here is part of the Desilu lot back sixty years ago when they owned part of Paramount.

 Years later, Desilu is gone but Paramount exists for now.   The globe on the corner of the roof is intact.

Dinner last night:  Not hungry so just some frozen lemonade at the Dodger game.

This Date in History - August 27

 

It's Wednesday, so let's say happy birthday to Tuesday...Weld, that is.

410:  THE SACKING OF ROME BY THE VISIGOTHS ENDS AFTER THREE DAYS.

Who knew the Visigoths had such good tackles.

1172:  HENRY THE YOUNG KING AND MARGARET OF FRANCE ARE CROWNED AS JUNIOR KING AND QUEEN OF ENGLAND.

But who got Homecoming?

1776:  IN THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND, IN WHAT IS NOW BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, BRITISH FORCES DEFEAT AMERICANS LED BY GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON.

And this is why Jackie Robinson didn't speak with a British accent.

1798:  WOLFE TONE'S UNITED IRISH AND FRENCH FORCES CLASH WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN THE BATTLE OF CASTLEBAR.  THIS RESULTS IN THE CREATION OF THE FRENCH PUPPET REPUBLIC OF CONNACHT.

I love puppets.

1813:  FRENCH EMPEROR NAPOLEON I DEFEATS A FORCE OF AUSTRIANS, RUSSIANS, AND PRUSSIANS AT THE BATTLE OF DRESDEN.

Not bad for a guy with one arm in his jacket.

1832:  BLACK HAWK, LEADER OF THE SAUK TRIBE, SURRENDERS TO US AUTHORITIES.

Black Hawk Down.

1859:  PETROLEUM IS DISCOVERED IN PENNSYLVANIA LEADING TO THE WORLD'S FIRST SUCCESSFUL OIL WELL.

Paging Jed Clampett.

1861:  DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, UNION FORCES ATTACK CAPE HATTERAS, NORTH CAROLINA.

Usually it's just hurricanes.

1896:  ANGLO-ZANZIBAR WAR - THE SHORTEST WAR IN WORLD HISTORY (45 MINUTES) IS HELD BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND ZANZIBAR.

Fits perfectly into an hour with commercials.

1908:  PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON IS BORN.

I ask for your help...and God's.

1916:  ACTRESS MARTHA RAYE IS BORN.

On this day, she didn't have any teeth either.

1921:  THE BRITISH INSTALL THE SON OF SHARIF HUSSEIN BIN ALI AS KING FAISAL I OF IRAQ.

Well, Faisal is shorter to write on checks.

1927:  FIVE CANADIAN WOMEN FILE A POSITION TO THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA ASKING "DOES THE WORD PERSONS INCLUDE FEMALE PERSONS?"

These days, I'm wondering if the word persons refers to male persons.

1942:  MUSICIAN DARYL DRAGON IS BORN.

The Captain with Tennille!

1943:  DURING WORLD WAR II, JAPANESE FORCES EVACUATE NEW GEORGIA ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC THEATER.

What did they always call it a theater?   This is not a show I wanted to watch.

1943:  ACTRESS TUESDAY WELD IS BORN.

Oddly enough, August 27, 1943 was a Friday.

1964:  WALT DISNEY'S "MARY POPPINS" PREMIERES AT GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATER.

A great movie.

1964:  COMEDY STAR GRACIE ALLEN DIES.

I hope she didn't have tickets to see "Mary Poppins."

1971:  AN ATTEMPTED COUP D'ETAT FAILS IN THE AFRICAN NATION OF CHAD AND THEY BLAME EGYPT.

Or Jeremy.

1971:  PUBLISHER BENNETT CERF DIES.

Now his line is "Corpse."

1975:  ETHIOPIAN EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE I DIES

Highly not breathing.

1985:  THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT IS PEACEFULLY OVERTHROWN.

Er, excuse me, we're taking over now, thank you.

1996:  ACTOR GREG MORRIS DIES.

Mission:  Really Impossible Now.

2003:  MARS MAKES ITS CLOSEST APPROACH TO EARTH IN NEARLY 60,000 YEARS.

When those Martians get a good look at this place, they'll wait another 60,000 to come back.

Dinner last night:  Salisbury steak.