Classic Musical Comedy Production Number of the Month - March 2025

Woo hoo!  A five Saturday month means we get to enjoy a classic movie musical moment.  And since we are close enough to Easter...  Bravo Judy and Fred!

Dinner last night:  Japanese hot dog at Dodger Stadium.

The Great Unwashed of Walmart

 

"Well, it fit when I tried it on in the dressing room."

"Well, it looked good in the box."

No one in Beverly Hills would be caught dead in this get-up.

Happy Valentine's Day from your friendly neighborhood pimp.

Let's just hope it's stained from the outside and not the other way around.

"Excuse me, what aisle can I find the man groomers?"

Dinner last night:  Monte cristo sandwich at Cafe 50s.

It Never Gets Old

I live for this day every year.  Hope springing eternal one more time.   Why haven't they made this a national holiday yet?

Dinner last night:  Chicken sausage.

This Date in History - March 26

 

Happy birthday, Diana Ross.   I might have to widen the blog columns in order to get this picture to fit.

590:  EMPEROR MAURICE PROCLAIMS HIS SON THEODOSIUS AS CO-EMPEROR OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE.

Father and son despots.

1027:  POPE JOHN XIX CROWNS CONRAD II AS HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR.

We love you, Conrad, so, yes, we do.

1169:  SALADIN BECOMES THE EMIR OF EGYPT.

Have Barge, Will Travel.

1484:  WILLIAM CAXTON PRINTS HIS TRANSLATION OF AESOP'S FABLES.

And the moral of the story is?

1812:  AN EARTHQUAKE DESTROYS CARACAS, VENEZUELA.

But an earthquake couldn't stop Fernando Valenzuela.

1812:  A POLITICAL CARTOON IN THE BOSTON GAZETTE COINS THE TERM "GERRYMANDER" TO DESCRIBE ODDLY SHAPED ELECTORAL DISTRICTS DESIGNED TO HELP INCUMBENTS WIN RE-ELECTION.

Gerrymander as is "crooked as all hell."

1830:  THE BOOK OF MORMON IS PUBLISHED IN PALMYRA, NEW YORK.

Not the musical, gang.

1839:  THE FIRST HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA IS HELD.  

Don?

1874:  POET ROBERT FROST IS BORN.

First frost of the year.

1892:  POET WALT WHITMAN DIES.

Some sampled the last candy in the box.

1911:  PLAYWRIGHT TENNESSEE WILLIAMS IS BORN.

Midwife on a Hot Tin Roof.

1915:  THE VANCOUVER MILLIONAIRES SWEEP THE OTTAWA SENATORS IN THE 1915 STANLEY CUP FINALS, THE FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYED BETWEEN THE PACIFIC COAST HOCKEY ASSOCIATION AND THE NHL.

They were over by the end of March.  Now they're still playing in June.

1923:  COMEDIAN BOB ELLIOTT IS BORN.

Partner of Ray, father of Chris, no relation to Win.

1931:  ACTOR LEONARD NIMOY IS BORN.

Beamed up.

1931:  SWISSAIR IS FOUNDED AS THE NATIONAL AIRLINE OF SWITZERLAND.

Duh.

1934:  THE DRIVING TEST IS INTRODUCED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Still has yet to be implemented in China.

1934:  ACTOR ALAN ARKIN IS BORN.

The Russians are Here.

1936:  SPORTSCASTER HARRY KALAS IS BORN.

He died in the booth on Opening Day.  Talk about signing off.

1940:  POLITICIAN NANCY PELOSI IS BORN.

No way this birthday girl gets her picture on this blog.   It could spread a computer virus.

1942:  THE FIRST FEMALE PRISONERS ARRIVE AT AUSCHWITZ IN NAZI-OCCUPIED POLAND.

Fiends.

1943:  AUTHOR BOB WOODWARD IS BORN.

Which makes him under 30 when Watergate happens.

1944:  SINGER DIANA ROSS IS BORN.

I know somebody who saw her munching on Cheezits in the supermarket with her cart full of hot dogs.

1967:  TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE GATHER FOR ONE OF MANY CENTRAL PART BE-INS IN NEW YORK CITY.

Sanitation Department works overtime.

1973:  PLAYWRIGHT NOEL COWARD DIES.

Private Deaths.

1975:  THE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION COMES INTO FORCE.

Bring your own mace.

1979: ANWAR SADAT, MENACHEM BEGIN, AND JIMMY CARTER SIGN THE MIDEAST PEACE TREATY.

Known as Carter's singular accomplishment, they're still fighting like lunatics over there.

1982:  A GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL IS HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC.

I hear this is a stirring monument.

1990:  FASHION DESIGNER HALSTON DIES.

Of AIDs.  No surprise there.

1991:  FIVE SOUTH KOREAN BOYS, NICKNAMED THE FROG BOYS, DISAPPEAR WHILE HUNTING FOR FROGS AND FOUND MURDERED.

And you thought dogs were prime game in Korea?

1999:  THE MELISSA WORM INFECTS MICROSOFT WORD PROCESSING AND E-MAIL SYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD.

If computers can get worms, can they also get fleas?  Discuss.

1999:  A JURY IN MICHIGAN FINDS DR. JACK KEVORKIAN GUILTY OF SECOND-DEGREE MURDER FOR ADMINISTERING A LETHAL INJECTION TO A TERMINALLY ILL MAN.

I'm very concerned about the Youth in Asia.  Oh, never mind.

2003:  POLITICIAN DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN DIES.

You just know he drank.

2011:  POLITICIAN GERALDINE FERRARO DIES.

Three years before, she sat in front of me on a flight from LA to NY.  It was the day Elliott Spitzer got caught.  She was looking at her Black Berry a LOT.

Dinner last night:  Leftover chili.

Hollywood Then and Now - March 2025

Well, sort of.

On the left is the exterior shot of Jerry Seinfeld's iconic NY apartment.  On the right is the actual building used.

In the Koreatown section of Los Angeles!

Dinner last night:  Chili from Bristol Farms.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - March 24, 2025

March TV miscues continue and, on the Odd Couple, the funniest stuff may not have been in the script.

Dinner last night:  Moo shu pork at Genghis Cohen.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - Running Errands

 

So, this is not a blog entry on the Jerry Lewis movie, although I think my dad took me to see this as he begrudgingly did with every Jerry Lewis film that showed up at the Loews Theater in Mount Vernon, New York.

Nope, the errand boy we're talking about today is....me.

If you're a regular subscriber to my daily nonsense, you know that, back in the days of my youth, the world was a safer place and it was really not a big deal to send your child out into the world on his or her own.  I've told you in the past of my solo excursions to the public library or the local movie house all by my lonesome.  A ten-year-old free to roam the streets of my hometown.  

Of course, with that freedom, a curse also arrived.  If I was so self sufficient in my travels, I certainly could be used for purposes of convenience.

Yes, I was able to do errands for all the adults in my household.  And since I was the only kid residing on the premises, I had nobody to pass the buck to.  Yep, it stopped with me.

I became a quite handy tool.  And the older folks soon learned what a luxury I could be.  The errands they used to do were now completely absorbed by yours truly.  

Take, for instance, my mother.  Once she went back to work at night, she had little time or interest to do the daily food shopping.  Nope, now she had me.

We had a variety of stores within walking distance where you picked up the daily essentials.  For my folks, that was easy.  In her amazingly pretty penmanship, she'd write down the stuff I needed to purchase "around the corner."  Those two food establishments were Gene's Grocery Store and Charlie's Deli.  The latter was a favorite of mine as it also kept up the widest assortment of Hostess and Drake's cakes for that much-needed after-school calorie infusion.  But, I still had to do the shopping for the parental units.

Since Gene was also a butcher, any fresh meat had to be purchased there.  But the window of fresh meat didn't extend beyond one single item.

"Two pounds of chuck chopped."

Hamburger meat.  

If we needed any meat beyond that, the errand took me a bit further.  To 241st Street and White Plains Road where there was the Quick Way meat market.  My mom's lifelong friend Rose worked in this place and would take my mother's shopping list from my hand to make the selections.  As much responsibility as I was being accorded, this youngster was still not up to picking out the best cut of London broil.

Back to Gene's emporium, the other items I was usually sent to this store for were canned and frozen vegetables, breads, and Menner's Spanish Rice.  Never heard of the latter?  It came in a can and, back then, the only way I would eat hot dogs.  They had to be mixed in with this glop.  A taste I can still remember and, almost mystically, still crave from time to time.

All the other staples had to be purchased at Charlie's.  He was a good guy and German, to boot.  More importantly, he had a very loose criterion for what a ten-year-old could purchase.  Because, invariably, Mom's shopping list included the following:

"Two packs of Kent cigarettes."

And....

"A six pack of Schaefer Beer."

Gene balked at letting me buy the latter.  Charlie, however, didn't give a shit.

So, laden down with grocery bags which always seemed to be slipping through my arms, I trudge back from Charlie's with one last parental request ringing in my ears.

"Don't shake the beer cans."

As I got a little older, I was soon entrusted to another errand.  Picking up the dry cleaning from One Hour Martinizing just over the Bronx line.  It always prompted me to ask the perennial question.  Just what is "martinizing?"  I'd always get the same answer.

"You ask too many stupid questions."

I'd double up on these treks and usually pick up the dry cleaning and the groceries at the same time.  Juggling became even harder.  And, again, I would hear the voice in my head.

"Don't drop the clean clothes.  And...don't shake the beer cans."

Another stop on the "Len works for you" tour was Bob's Candy Store also around the corner.  This was one of those lunch counter places where soda was served in paper cones that fit into plastic holders.  I'd have to pick up Dad's newspaper there as well as Mom's required monthly reading.  "TV/Radio Mirror" and "Photoplay" magazines.  I'd look at the headlines on these rags and wonder what all the fuzz was about.  Who cares about Liz and Dick?  Why is anybody concerned who was the father of Patty Duke's baby?  And does anybody really pay attention to why Liberace can't find Mrs. Right?  Luckily, this stop allowed me to take some of the change in my pocket and pick up the latest Archie or Superman comic books.  Before leaving Bob's, I had one more item on the list from Mom.

"Two packs of Kent cigarettes."

But didn't I just buy some smokes at Charlie's?

"Cigarettes don't go bad."

Oh.

Of course, my parents were not the only ones in the house who enjoyed the ease and convenience of Len's Errand Service.  There was another.

Grandma.

Food shopping was not an outsourced project in her world.  She did all the grocery purchasing she needed for the week every Thursday when she and Grandpa made their big drive to the A & P on Oak Street in Mount Vernon.  And they had beer delivered to the house every Wednesday morning when the beer guy drove his rickety truck down our block.

But, Grandma did pull me into two monthly errands and I would need to do them like clockwork on the last Thursday of every month.  Luckily, I could double up and get these done at the same time.

First was a stop at the County Trust Bank on Third Avenue in Mount Vernon.  Grandma's saving account was there.  Was I making a deposit?  No.  Was I making a withdrawal?  No.  My grandmother simply wanted her interest added to the bankbook.  I'd give it to the teller and she would have to get the account updated.  Grandma would contend that banks would steal your money if it wasn't clearly printed on your bankbook.  

Don't ask.

The next stop would be Ankerson's Drug Store on Fourth Avenue.  Oh, there were a lot of pharmacies that were closer to our house.  But, Ankerson's was the only one willing to order Grandma's favorite medicinal item.

White Cloverine Salve.  And, hell, they still make the gunk.  I just found it on Amazon.com.

It's supposed to be for cuts and burns.  Grandma used it for everything.   She might have even added it to her spaghetti sauce.  It certainly wouldn't have made it taste any worse.  But, back in the day, Ankerson's had to order the salve.  I asked the simple question one time.

Why don't you have them order a couple of boxes so you never run out, Grandma?

"You ask too many questions."

Did my grandfather ever send me on any errands?  Well, yes and no.  There would be those days where my grandmother, with dinner on the table at 430PM, would call up to me.

"The dinner is ready.  Your grandfather got lost.  Go find him."

That could only mean one thing.  I'd walk two blocks to what my grandmother called "the beer garden" or "the gin mall."  The place my grandfather could be found every afternoon from 3:30PM to 4:30PM.  Sometimes, his departure time would get a little fuzzy.  I'd bound into the saloon and my grandfather would almost always see me immediately.

"Alright, alright already.  I'm coming.  I just had one."

Dinner last night:  Sandwich.

Classic Movie Trailer of the Month - March 2025

One of the true unsung movie hits of all time.   One of my favorites and perhaps Rob Reiner's best directorial work.  Forty...gasp...years old this month.

Dinner last night:  Korean Pork from PF Chang's.

A Mini Weekend Movie Guide

 

Longtime blog readers will remember that one of my monthly pieces was a weekend movie guide, letting everybody know about the latest crap being released to theaters.

Well, when COVID happened and the movie business changed, my monthly movie guide was a casualty.   But, yesterday, a billboard caught my eye about a film opening today and I couldn't resist.   It strangely epitomizes everything that is wrong about Hollywood in 2025.

Ladies and germs, I give you the new Disney edition of "Snow White."   Oh, Len, you mean the one with the seven dwarves?

Shhh.   You can't say that word any more.   They will be offended.

Who?

Midgets!!!

But, indeed, all of the so-called "dwarves" in this live-action movie are CGI-created.  Actors do the voices but computers do everything else.  Jeez, they don't even get billing in the title.  And, so, if you're a midget actor in Hollywood in 2025, your spot in the unemployment line is a permanent one.

Of course, the original 1937 cartoon was particularly fine.  But the dumbbells at Disney stopped having new ideas about 30 years ago.   They just keep remaking shit.   If a story was once live action, now it's a cartoon.  If it was once a cartoon, it's now live action.   

And around and around we go.

If you dig a little further into this swill, you'll realize that Snow White isn't...well...White.   She's played by that idiot who played Maria in the recent and unnecessary remake of "West Side Story."  This could mean that Bashful, Sleepy, and Dopey are all hiding shivs.  But, of course in 2025, it's impossible to cast anybody but an "diverse" actor in anything.   Meanwhile, the actress in question just used a public forum to say "Fuck Trump."   There goes the box office for this movie in Arkansas.

But I am hoping this turns out to be the box office thud it looks it will be.   The clowns who run this town deserve nothing else.

Dinner last night:  Leftover salisbury steak.

Another Saturday Night...

 ...and I ain't got no movie.  

Or however that song goes.

The five year anniversary of the official COVID lockdown happened this last weekend and it was a grim reminder of one of the major losses we endured as movie fans in Hollywood.

That would be the demise of the Arclight Hollywood movie complex anchored by the legendary Cinerama Dome as seen above.  The theater got boarded up with the first revelation of facial masks and, despite some optimistic rumors on-line, it remains shuttered to this day.

So sad.

I mean, it wasn't that long ago when, on any given Saturday night, you could find a movie to go see.  And usually it was playing at my theater of choice...as seen above.

This was a place to go with its lobby that resembled an airport terminal which told you which "gate" your film was leaving from.  This place was not your typical shopping mall multiplex like the dreaded AMC with its endless array of pre-feature trailers.   Nope, this is where the industry preferred to see their movies. No bells and/or whistles.  Comfortable seating and wonderful snacks.   The caramel popcorn, made on the premises, was to die for.

If you went to the Arclight Hollywood during Christmas week, you would be guaranteed of at least two celebrity sightings every time.   I saw Teri Hatcher on the concession line.   Richard Chamberlain and Pierce Brosnan in the terrific on-site restaurant that had the best French Dip sandwich in town. 

Back in 2015 when I had some health issues and then fractured my kneecap to boot, my best bud Leo came over to entertain me.   And what did I want to do on that Saturday night? We saw the latest James Bond film at the Arclight.   And I was alive again. 

Yep, it was the place to be and they did movies right.

And now it still languishes as an eye sore with plywood boards on the windows left over from the George Floyd Black Lives Matter riots.  There are rumors that a new owner has gotten a liquor license and then new in-theater restaurants are planned.   

Yet, it still sits like another example of urban plight.   True, the movie business has changed and people are more comfortable watching Oscar buzz on their sofas.  But, still, there is nothing like the anticipation of a big blockbuster playing at the historic Dome.

Movies like they ought to be.  Sadly, it's like the policeman at the site of an auto accident on the 405.

"Keep on moving.  There is nothing to see here."

Dinner last night:  Salad.

This Date in History - March 19

 

Happy birthday in Heaven, Phyllis.  Or should I say......hello, Newman.

1279:  A MONGOLIAN VICTORY AT THE BATTLE OF YAMEN ENDS THE SONG DYNASTY IN CHINA.

My kingdom for a Song.

1649:  THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF ENGLAND PASSES AN ACT ABOLISHING THE HOUSE OF LORDS, DECLARING IT "USELESS AND DANGEROUS TO THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND."

Sounds like our own Supreme Court.

1812:  THE CADIZ CORTES PROMULGATES THE SPANISH CONSTITUTION OF 1812.

I never promulgated...either junior or senior.

1848:  WYATT EARP IS BORN.

Jeez, that makes Hugh O'Brien really, really old.

1861:  THE FIRST TARANAKI WAR ENDS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Isn't this the new pitcher on the Yankees?

1865:  DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, THE BATTLE OF BENTONVILLE BEGINS.  BY THE END, CONFEDERATE FORCES HAVE RETREATED.

If my history dates are correct, they're in the bottom of the ninth inning.

1891:  SUPREME COURT JUSTICE EARL WARREN IS BORN.

Report coming.

1894:  COMIC MOMS MABLEY IS BORN.  

My grandmother loved her on the Merv Griffin Show.

1895:  AUGUSTE AND LOUIS LUMIERE RECORD THEIR FIRST FOOTAGE USING THEIR NEWLY PATENTED CINEMATOGRAPH.

Raisinets, please.

1906:  NAZI ADOLF EICHMANN IS BORN.

Makes you wonder if anybody in Germany names their kid "Adolf" anymore.

1914:  ACTOR FRED CLARK IS BORN.

One of several Harry Mortons on the Burns and Allen Show.

1918:  THE US CONGRESS ESTABLISHES TIME ZONES AND APPROVES DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME.

Before this, was it really the same time in NY and LA???

1921:  ITALIAN FASCISTS SHOOT FROM THE PARENZANA TRAIN AT A GROUP OF CHILDREN.

Killing kids???  Now that's real terrorism.

1931:  GAMBLING IS LEGALIZED IN NEVADA.

Vegas, baby!

1933:  ACTRESS PHYLLIS NEWMAN IS BORN.

She was married to songwriter Adolph Green, so you know Miss Newman didn't really judge people by their looks.

1941:  DURING WORLD WAR II, THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, THE FIRST ALL-BLACK UNIT OF THE ARMY AIR CORPS, IS ACTIVATED.

Screenplay pending.

1943:  FRANK NITTI, THE CHICAGO OUTFIT BOSS AFTER AL CAPONE, COMMITS SUICIDE.

Gee, was it something we said?

1944:  ASSASSIN SIRHAN SIRHAN IS BORN.

Rot in jail, you miserable piece of Arab shit.

1945:  OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN, A DIVE BOMBER HITS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS FRANKLIN, KILLING 724 OF HER CREW.

Enjoy that, you rotten Japs.  It will be time to say sayonara soon.

1945:  ADOLF HITLER ISSUES HIS NERO DECREE ORDERING ALL INDUSTRIES, MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, AND COMMUNICATION FACILITIES IN GERMANY TO BE DESTROYED.

Hmmm, something to hide?

1947:  ACTRESS GLENN CLOSE IS BORN.

As a result of a fatal contraction.  I don't know what that joke means, but I have nothing else to write.

1954:  JOEY GIARDELLO KNOCKS OUT WILLIE TORY IN ROUND SEVEN AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN IN THE FIRST TELEVISED BOXING FIGHT SHOWN IN COLOR.

The Wonderful World of Cuts Above Your Forehead.

1954:  WILLIE MOSCONI SETS A WORLD RECORD BY RUNNING 526 CONSECUTIVE BALLS WITHOUT A MISS DURING A POOL EXHIBITION.

Showoff.

1958:  THE MONARCH UNDERWEAR COMPANY FIRE LEAVES 24 DEAD.

Life is all too briefs.

1962:  MUSICIAN BOB DYLAN RELEASES HIS FIRST RECORD ALBUM.

I have heard from people who have dealt with him that 1962 might also be the last time he took a bath.

1966:  TEXAS WESTERN BECOMES THE FIRST COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM TO WIN THE FINAL FOUR WITH AN ALL-BLACK STARTING LINEUP.

That hadn't happened yet??

1974:  ACTOR EDWARD PLATT DIES.

Sorry about that, Chief.

1979:  C-SPAN BEGINS BROADCASTING.

Purely for those who needs naps during the afternoon.

1987:  TELEVANGELIST JIM BAKKER RESIGNS THE PTL CLUB DUE TO A SEX SCANDAL AND HANDS OVER CONTROL TO JERRY FALWELL.

As if that's an improvement.

2005:  AUTO DESIGNER JOHN DELOREAN DIES.

Virtually no Blue Book value now.

2007:  ACTOR CALVERT DEFOREST DIES.

Better known as Larry "Bud" Melman.

2008:  AUTHOR ARTHUR C. CLARKE DIES.

2008:  An Eternal Odyssey.

2008:  ACTOR PAUL SCOFIELD DIES.

A Man for All Seasons, Except Late Winter 2008.

2011:  AFTER THE FAILURE OF MUAMMAR GADDAFI'S FORCES TO TAKE BENGHAZI, THE FRENCH AIR FORCE LAUNCHES OPERATION HARMATTAN.

It's amazing that people still don't know what happened to our people there in 2012.

2013:  PORN ACTOR HARRY REEMS DIES.

So when is the erection....of his monument?

Dinner last night:  Leftover salisbury steak.

Len's Recipe of the Month - March 2025

 

When you hear the words "salisbury steak," your mind immediately races back to the school cafeteria.   Or Stouffers in the frozen food section.   People don't actually make this at home, do they?

Well, apparently, most on-line chefs do.  At least the ones I follow.  And the whole concept...which is really nothing but glorified hamburger...has to taste better when it's homemade.

That was my challenge.   And I did well.

The best news is that you can make this in a skillet or a Dutch oven without dirtying a lot of prep plates.  

Start with a pound and a half of ground chuck beef.  Put it in a bowl with the following:

1/3 can of French onion soup.   You'll use the rest of it for the gravy.

1/2 cup of bread crumbs.   

1 egg beaten.

1/4 cup of whole milk.   

Salt and pepper.

Mix this all with your hands until everything is well incorporated.  Then mold the mixture into four oval patties.   Place in a well-heated pan or Dutch oven with some EVO.   

While the meat is searing, slice up two shallots in lieu of the expected onion.  The shallots provide a neat sweetness to the gravy.

When the patties are browned, remove them to a plate.   Empty the excess fat and, to the pan, add the following:

1 cup of Baby Bella mushrooms sliced.

Add some EVO and a tablespoon of butter.   Saute for a few minutes.

Pour the rest of the onion soup into a bowl and stir in a tablespoon of flour until the mixture is smooth.  Then add in the following.

1/2 cup of ketchup.

1/4 cup of water.

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.

1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder.

Some garlic powder.

Pour this over the shallots and mushrooms.  Now nestle the meat back into the skillet.  Lower the heat to simmer and put a lid on it.  Let it go for 45 minutes.  

Then enjoy with your favorite veggie.  And flashback to that cafeteria lunch when you were worrying about a geometry pop quiz.

Dinner last night:  Leftover Chinese food.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - March 17, 2025

Blooper March presses on and today we see that even the top notch cast of Frasier had their moments as well. 

Dinner last night: Homemade Salisbury steak with mushroom and shallot gravy.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - Yesterday in 2007

 

This blog had to start someplace.  Meanwhile, 6,591 blog entries later...

Day One

Jell-o, this is Jack Benny speaking.

Well, not really. But I am commencing a new chapter in my world. I have been intrigued by some of the personal blogs I have read from friends, people in the industry, etc.. I never really got into doing a daily journal, but this might be a good venue to start.

I can muse everyday on whatever is on my mind. Hopefully, this will be a good way to stay connected with folks. And, this is an ideal offshoot of that Christmas newsletter I do---an annual device which has obviously been well-received, although I start it as a complete goof.

It will take me a while to learn how to upload pictures and all those other do-hickeys on my computer. And I am sure that, at some point very early on, I will write a completely captivating entry only to lose it in cyberspace.

I will have to learn not to vent on anyone I know personally, as they could potentially read it and stop sending me Christmas cards. Will this be a politically correct forum? I see no hands raised. That's good. It means you have been paying attention to me all these years. For instance, if I wanted to comment on "American Idol", you will not be surprised if I refer to that Sanjaya guy in terms that will signify his heritage from a God-forsaken country in this world where the flies are bigger than the meal on your plate. By the way, I now understand how that kid is surviving from week-to-week when he sounds like Rose Kennedy doing a cabaret act in Vegas. All his calls have been outsourced. If he somehow goes the distance, I am guessing the first contract he will sign is with Dell Computers. And I am thinking he has tons of support in this country. Go into any Seven-11 when they open up the Idol phone lines and tell me if the counter help isn't on a cell phone at the time.

Voila......c'est le blog pour Thursday, March 15, 2007.

Classic TV Theme of the Month - March 2025

This show was on the hottest thing on TV sixty years ago.

Dinner last night:  Spicy Japanese noodles.

Why Fotomat Went Out of Business

 

More photographic torture. Proof that this is one strange country. Take, for instance, the twisted young miss above. I suppose some guys will find this impressive. Actually, I do. Bravo. Honey, are you on Facebook? We should be friends.

The strange thing is that neither of these kids know this man. When does your local neighborhood predator pose for photos?

To all those women who think they are beautiful when pregnant: you're not. Call me when the kid is out and already teething.

A new movie is opening: Nightmare on Easter Sunday.

I'd love to see what this family looks like five seconds later.

"What do you mean that I have a pre-existing condition?"

And this is a family that probably has hand sanitizers all over the house.

When narcolepsy strikes on your wedding day...

"Whacha mean you want some sugar? I already gave you plenty."

Dinner last night:  Chicken sausage and onion rings.

RSVP: Gratefully Decline

 

With 10,000 streaming services at our fingertips, the need for content to fill all those portals is at a high demand.   And one of the genres most used is that tried-and-true "rom com."   It seems like two or three new ones show up every day.

And, much to our chagrin, "You're Cordially Invited" was one that I was inexplicably compelled to watch.  Why?   You got me.

Indeed, as rom coms go, this is one of the worst.   There is nothing remotely funny or sweet or cute on any frame of the film.  Somebody named Nicholas Stoller wrote and directed it and hopefully he's one of the people that Trump will have deported soon.   I mean, if you're going to attempt a romantic comedy, try and have both of those descriptive words covered in the final product.

The couple here is played by Reese Witherspoon and the grossly overrated Will Ferrell and the only chemistry they have was probably shared in high school.  This is the couple voted most likely not to be a couple anywhere.   Did the director even know how much of a flatline these two had?

The plot is equally barren.  Ferrell is a single dad who books a resort hotel for his daughter's wedding.  Meanwhile, Witherspoon is a TV executive who books the same venue for her hillbilly sister's wedding.  And, due to a snafu, the hotel books both weddings for the same day.  This prompts the two leads to try and sabotage the other's plans.

Make sense?  Please say no.

To make matter worse, Ferrell's daughter looks nothing like him and, in an ever changing stab at diversity, the girl is either Hispanic or Indian.  Nobody seems to know.  Nobody really should care.

Sadly, there are dozens of lousy rom coms that get made every single day.  You just have to figure out which one of two hundred is halfway decent.   Trust me when I tell you this is the template for a really bad one.

LEN'S RATING:  Zero stars.

Dinner last night:  Leftover meat loaf.

This Date in History - March 12

 

Happy birthday, Barbara Feldon.  Any excuse to use your photo on this blog is fine by me.

 538:  VITIGES, KING OF THE OSTROGOTHS, ENDS HIS SIEGE OF ROME AND RETREATS TO RAVENNA, LEAVING THE CITY IN THE HANDS OF THE VICTORIOUS BYZANTINE GENERAL BELISARIUS.

Yes, I typed that long sentence.  All by myself.

1622:  IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA AND FRANCIS XAVIER, FOUNDERS OF THE JESUITS, ARE CANONIZED AS SAINTS BY THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

Which means they're all destined to be high school names.

1811:  DURING THE PENINSULAR WAR, FRENCH MARSHAL MICHEL NEY DELAYS THE PURSUING ANGLO-PORTUGUESE FORCES AT REDINHA.

He said "ney, ney."

1864:  DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, THE RED RIVER CAMPAIGN BEGINS AS A US NAVY FLEET ENTERS THE RED RIVER.

Didn't that also wind up as a John Wayne movie?

1868: HENRY O'FARRELL ATTEMPTS TO ASSASSINATE PRINCE ALFRED, DUKE OF EDINBURGH.

Word of advice: if you're going to assassinate a leader, you better get it right the first time.

1881:  ANDREW WATSON MAKES HIS SCOTLAND DEBUT AS THE WORLD'S FIRST BLACK INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER.

There would be a few more.

1894:  COCA COLA IS BOTTLED AND SOLD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MISSISSIPPI.

When does the diet version come out?

1912:  THE GIRL SCOUTS OF AMERICA ARE FOUNDED.

Two boxes of Samoas, please.

1918:  MOSCOW BECOMES THE CAPITAL OF RUSSIA AGAIN AFTER ST. PETERSBURG HAD HELD THIS STATUS FOR 215 YEARS.

I guess the people of Tampa got pissed.

1921:  SINGER GORDON MCRAE IS BORN.

Also a well-known drunk.

1923:  ASTRONAUT WALLY SCHIRRA IS BORN.

Que schirra schirra.

1928:  IN CALIFORNIA, THE ST. FRANCIS DAM FALLS.  THE RESULTING FLOODS KILL OVER 600 PEOPLE.

So, where's the nursery rhyme song?  St. Francis Dam falling down, falling down.

1933:  ACTRESS BARBARA FELDON IS BORN.

If there is any poetic justice, she should live to be 99.

1933:  PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT ADDRESSES THE NATION FOR THE FIRST TIME.  THIS IS THE FIRST FIRESIDE CHAT.

Stoke those logs, Eleanor.

1946:  SINGER LIZA MINNELLI IS BORN.

Or I could have written it as "JUDY GARLAND GOES INTO LABOR."

1947:  THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE IS PROCLAIMED TO HELP STEM THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM.

Yeah, that worked well.

1947:  POLITICIAN MITT ROMNEY IS BORN.

Why wasn't it "Glove Romney?"

1950:  ACTOR JON PROVOST IS BORN.

Lassie!!!!

1967:  SUHARTO TAKES OVER FROM SUKARNO TO BECOME ACTING PRESIDENT OF INDONESIA.

Don'tcareno.

1973:  BASEBALL PLAYER FRANKIE FRISCH DIES.

The Fordham Flash!

1978:  ACTOR JOHN CAZALE DIES.

Big mistake, Fredo.

1993:  SEVERAL BOMBS EXPLODE IN MUMBAI, INDIA, KILLING ABOUT 300.

Ooops, there goes the call center.

1993:  NORTH KOREA SAYS THAT IT PLANS TO WITHDRAW FROM THE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY.

Thousands of dogs will tell you.  Don't trust them.

1993:  THE BLIZZARD OF 1993 PUMMELS THE EAST COAST OF THE US.

I remember it well.

1993:  JANET RENO WAS SWORN IN AS THE US' FIRST FEMALE ATTORNEY GENERAL.

Where does Reno go when she wants to get divorced?

2001:  TV PERSONALITY MORTON DOWNEY JR. DIES.

And cigarette sales fall through the floor.

2009:  FINANCIER BERNIE MADOFF PLEADS GUILTY IN NY TO SCAMMING 18 BILLION DOLLARS.

So that's how much he "made off" with?

2011:  A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN JAPAN MELTS AND EXPLODES.

Thanks again, Japan.

2020:  DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE US SUSPENDS TRAVEL FROM EUROPE.

And the first one they should have banned was Anthony Fauci.

Dinner last night:  Leftover SPO.

Moron of the Month - March 2025

 

Jake Tapper is one of those pseudo-journalists who works at CNN and masquerades as a fair and balanced reporter.   At the same time, he regularly displays his biased opinions to anybody who will listen.   Of course, there aren't many ears these days if you believe the plummeting ratings.  These days, the only way people can see CNN is if they are waiting for a plane at LaGuardia.

Now, for the past four years, Tapper has been one of those heralded dementia deniers.   According to him, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Joe Biden.  I mean, the man could have shown up with oatmeal on his shirt and pee stains on his pants (I am told by a reliable source that the latter regularly occurred) and Tapper wouldn't have noticed.

So, out goes Joe and even the staunchest of Democrats couldn't deny the rumors.  And, suddenly, one month after Biden is shown the door, Tapper releases his new book.

Hmmmm.

It appears that one of the people not paying attention to Jake Tapper was Jake Tapper himself.   So, apparently, he knew all along and just didn't say it in public.  Until now when there's a few dimes to be gotten.

No, Jake Tapper didn't have a sudden epiphany.  He didn't wake up last Tuesday, have a bowl of Fruit Loops, and decide to write a book that day.   Indeed, much of it was likely ghost written by the other guy on the cover.   But, obviously, this was a book in the works for a while.   And being written at the same time that Tapper was spewing his garbage on CNN.

And they wonder why nobody trusts the news media any more.   

Dinner last night:  Leftover General Tso Chicken.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - March 10, 2025

March Blooper Monday continues with this gem from the Carol Burnett Show where Tim Conway breaks up the cast.

Dinner last night:  Sausage and peppers.