The best day of the year

As I mentioned in this earlier post (which can be found here), as this year draws to a close, I like to look back at the past 12 months and pick out my best day of the year.

For 2010, my best day was a hectic one, but it had all the elements of a great day.   

It started early and ended late. I got to spend time with several different groups of people in several different locations. And, when it ended, I felt sad that it was over, but glad that it happened.

This year, my best day of the year was spent in St. Louis, MO, my hometown, which I happened to be visiting.

It was Friday, July 23rd.

In the morning I went to a video shoot with some former co-workers. It was great to see them all and be included in the event.

Then I spent some time with a close friend and mentor discussing the past and ruminating about the future.

After that, in mid-afternoon, I headed to my brother's house for a pool/birthday party for my Dad. It was my Dad's 79th birthday.

Two of my siblings and several of my nieces and nephews were there and we swam and ate until late in the evening.

It was quite a fun day. Every minute of it was great.

So, now as 2011 begins I can only hope that I have at least one day that was as good as July 23, 2010.

But truthfully, I hope that it's more than one day. I hope that at year's end I'll have a hard time deciding which day was my best day of 2011.

I hope you face the same dilemma as well.

If you like "A Christmas Story", you'll love this

While you enjoy the 24 hour marathon of the classic holiday film, "A Christmas Story", here a few fun facts for you.

You may or may not know this, but when this movie was released in  theaters, it was not a hit. In fact, it bombed. It only became a hit after it was released on video. It was one of the first movies to have more success in the video format than during it's original release.

The writer of the film is a man named Jean Shepherd. It's based on his book, "In God We Trust, All Other Pay Cash". The film is semi-autobiographical about Shepherd's life going up in Hammond, Indiana.

When it came time to cast the voice talent to do the narration for the film, producers screened hundreds of actors. In the meantime, Shepherd had cut a 'scratch' track for the film. Scratch tracks are used for editing and are usually replaced in the final project with a professional voice actor.

Upon further examination of the scratch track, the producers decided that their search was futile. Who could read it better than the man who lived it?

So Jean Shepherd became not only the writer of one of the most famous Christmas movies of all time, but the narrator as well.

And his work in this area is outstanding. Especially when he reads the description of such things as the Bumpus hounds and the leg lamp.

If the producers had chosen another narrator, it's a sure bet that that person wouldn't have provided the amazing narrative that Shepherd seems to effortlessly infuse into the film.

The film itself has also spawned a cult following that led to an overwhelming market for memorabilia.

In 2004, an entrepreneur bought the Cleveland, Ohio, home that was used in the film. After extensive renovations, the Christmas Story House and Museum opened to the public in 2006.

The site is open year round and features behind-the-scenes photos as well as a gift shop where you can pick up your own 'Major Award'.

One of the coolest things about the Christmas Story House and Museum is that every year there is an auction for the privilege of spending Christmas in the house! All of the money from the auction goes to charity.

For more on the Christmas Story House and Museum, click here.

The final interesting thing that I want to talk about in this post is for true film fans.

It's about the director of the film, a man named Bob Clark.

Clark had an interesting career prior to directing "A Christmas Story".

He started in the horror genre with "Black Christmas" and "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things"

Then he segued to teen comedy, directing both "Porky's" and "Porky's II: the Next Day".

It was because of the success of "Porky's" that he was able to helm "A Christmas Story" and much like Shepherd's involvement, many feel that this movie would not have been the success it is without the guidance of Bob Clark.

Recently, I saw an excellent documentary about Bob Clark entitled "ClarkWorld".   

It's slightly over an hour long and features interviews with Peter Billingsley, Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Kim Cattrall, Jon Voight, Scott Baio, Mary Steenburgen and film critic Richard Roeper.

It's a fine tribute to a man who made the films he wanted to make and had a career every director would envy.  

Sadly, Clark died far too young in a senseless accident. It's a shame that we'll never get to know what other films he would have shaped for his fans.

To find out more about "ClarkWorld", click here.

                             

So kick back and enjoy "A Christmas Story" this holiday season. It's a true classic worth repeated viewing.

Year end observations

Right now, I'm thinking about two things as we approach the end of the year.

Every year around this time, I try to think about my best day of the past year.       

What makes a day 'The best day'? Well, that's all up to you.

For me it's a combination of things.

On the day I consider my best day, I was doing things I like to do with people I want to be with. It as a stress-free day that ended too quickly.

I don't have my specific 'best day' yet, but I have it narrowed down and will post it by the end of the year.

The other thing that I'm working on as the year draws to a close is my motto for 2011.

I have a motto every year. It's a personal motto and I give myself until January 31st to 'lock it in'.

Some of my recent motto's have been as follows. "Roll with the changes" was my 2009 motto. I chose this after I found out on January 8th of that year that my company was closing up shop in Los Angeles and moving out of town. 

One year, when I knew it was going to be a tough year, I used the motto "I will not be broken". I called upon this motto often that year, many times through gritted teeth. 

My 2010 motto has been "Keep moving forward". This motto helped me to tackle projects by reminding myself that I needed to do so to reach for my goals.

I don't know what my 2011 motto will be and I'm open to suggestions. I have a few ideas but, again, I have a time little to lock it in.

So in the next few weeks, my year ends with the memory of my best day of 2010 and (hopefully) the discovery of a positive motto for 2011.

Those crazy Golden Globe nominations

The Golden Globe nominations were announced this week with their usual amount of fanfare. 

Actually, I should say their 'unusual' amount of fanfare as I still don't understand why people go nuts over these announcements.

Let's take a look at this.

Everyone says, "Oh this awards ceremony is the precursor to the Oscars."

And why is that exactly?

The Golden Globes are a product of the tiny group known as the Hollywood Foreign Press Avocation.

There are about 95 - 100 members.

A hundred people.

I'll bet you have more than a hundred friends on your personal Facebook page.

So these hundred people pick their nominees and then a winner.

Usually there are five nominees in each category so by my calculations to win you only need slightly more than 20 votes.

20 people. That's it.

Something about that doesn't seem right.

Just as those lavish gift suites at the awards don't seem quite right.

Am I jealous or jaded? I don't think so. It's just that it's pretty hard to watch people who already have so much be given so much more when there are plenty of people who are hungry and can't pay their bills.

Will I watch the awards? I don't know. It depends on if I have something more interesting to do that night.

I might watch just to see host Ricky Gervais cut the event, and the HFPA, down to size as he did last year.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Right now anyway.

What would you do?

There's a great show on ABC on Friday nights called "What Would You Do?"    

On this show, they set up situations in public to see what people do.

For example, on one episode, they set up a woman and a little boy in a bar. Acting as mother and son, the woman drinks excessively and the little boy is clearly upset. He keeps asking his 'mom' to stop and take him to soccer practice. In almost every set up of the incident, someone stepped in in various ways. One woman waited until the mom went to the bathroom and then helped the boy call his 'father'. Some patrons told the manager about the situation, while others call 9-1-1.

I like watching this show and am fascinated by the people who step in, and by those who don't.

After each set-up, host John Quinones steps in to talk to the people who reacted to the scene.

Sometimes the things people say are quite amazing.

Recently on an episode, a young Jewish couple came into a bakery and asked a man working in the bakery to hang up a sign about an event at their nearby Temple. Again, the couple and the man were actors. The bakery worker refused to hang up the sign and berated Jewish couple.

Many customers simply left the bakery saying they wouldn't do business there. Some chastised the bakery worker very loudly. But, one man, a gentleman with silver hair and a New York accent, actually agreed with the bakery worker. His reasoning was that the couple was pushing their beliefs on someone else. He said he held no ill will toward the couple, by he was tired of pushy people and that he feels that Jewish people are pushy. He did agree that the clerk said some nasty things, but he very clearly had some anti-semetic views of his own.

Clearly, the purpose of this show is to make you ask what you would do in certain situations.

While we're not faced with many of the situations that they set up on the show, I'm convinced that everyone has had many "What Would You Do?" moments.

I can think a few right now.

The first happened a few years ago. After a meeting with my writer's group, a producer asked me to gather samples from each writer to submit for possible future assignments. I gathered all of the samples from the writers and got them ready to deliver to the producer. I checked mine again and again to make sure it had everything. I'm not sure how, but I noticed that one writer had, I'm sure, inadvertently left off the last page of his sample. I was due to deliver the material the next morning. I called and left a message for the writer and said that I was making the delivery in the morning. He never called back. I dropped off the samples as they were.

But, when I mentioned this to another friend of mine, he said I shouldn't have called the guy. He said that it was his responsibility to deliver a finished product and that his carelessness just showed why he shouldn't get the job. Then my friend said something else that was interesting.

"Aren't you in competition with this other writer? I mean the producer is looking for one writer. You could have not delivered any of the other samples and then you would have gotten the job."

He was right. I was in competition with all of the writers.

But by then it was all done. I had done what I thought was right. And, truth be told, I really don't think I would have done anything differently even if I had thought about the competition part. That's just not in my nature. Everyone in my writing group is a good writer and deserves to work. And, the hope is that if we all help each other, we will all work.

In the end, the producer didn't hire any of the writers from my group. The last I heard, she wasn't producing anything anymore.

My second dilemma happened a few months ago.

I was walking into my building at about 8:30pm and a woman was walking out. I had never seen her before. She made some comment and I responded. It was obvious that she was either drunk or high.

As she was leaving my building rather than entering, chances were high that she was going to be driving somewhere.

I could feel my pulse race, not really knowing what to do.

For a moment,  I turned away and thought, "not my problem".

But... it was my problem.

I didn't say anything, but I kind of covertly followed her out of the building. I watched to see if she got in a car. She didn't. She walked toward the main street a block away.  Should I keep  following her to make sure she doesn't get hit by a car, I wondered. But once I saw her turn onto that street without getting into a car, I felt like I'd done my duty and she was on her own. She wasn't so drunk that she couldn't walk. Did I do enough?

What about someone who may or may not be in need? Often when I'm out running I see things.

I saw a young woman sitting on a curb wailing into a cell phone. I couldn't understand what she was saying but she was crying as hard as I've seen anyone cry. I didn't stop. I reasoned that she was talking to someone so they knew what was going on. Near the end of my run, I circled around to see if she was still there. She wasn't.

Another time, I saw what appeared to be a very young girl with a baby waiting at a bus stop in very hot weather. She flagged me down and asked me how far away a street was and how long I thought it would take on the bus. She had no car seat and was just holding the baby in her arms. I wanted to tell her to stay put and I would get my car and drive her, but I was pretty far away from home at that point. I thought about waiting with her but I didn't. I kept hoping the bus would get there. I even changed my route a little to see if the bus went by. Finally, I had to turn to head home and the bus had not come yet. I thought about that girl and that baby for quite awhile.

The one that I think about a lot is the old man. I was running and an elderly man carrying a small cooler crossed about a half a block in front of me to reach the front doors of a church. He pulled on the doors and they didn't open. He seemed very upset, making wimpering noises. He rattled and rattled those doors. He clearly didnt know what to do. I didn't know what to do. I ran past him. I got about half a block away and couldn't take it. I turned around. He was gone. Had the church doors opened for him? Nope. I checked and they were still locked. I don't know where he went, but to this day, and this was over fifteen years ago, I still think about that man and wonder what was wrong with me that I didn't immediately do something.

I like to think that I would always jump in to help someone but maybe I wouldn't. I clearly didn't there. I don't know how I feel about this but it obvious that this incident still bothers me. Has it changed me? I can honestly say that I don't know.

Now to leave you with a little less dramatic "What Would You Do?" situation, here's a good one.

The other day I was driving into the parking lot of the grocery store and there was a little boy, I'd say about seven or eight years old. He was peeing on the wall of the grocery store, and get this, a woman was standing as look out for him. An elderly woman.

I shook my head in disbelief. I was making up my mind to say something when, as I got out of my car, I saw another woman step up. Of course I totally listened in. The elderly woman explained that her grandson just had to go, he couldn't wait. The woman told the grandmother that this was just unacceptable, that the boy needed to be taught to use the bathroom and not urinate in public. The grandmother was adament that she'd done nothing wrong. The boy started to cry. The woman consoled the boy but continued to disagree with the grandmother. It never got heated but the women were clearly at an impass. A man who, like me, had obviously been listening in, stepped up and pulled the boy aside. He talked with the boy and this seemed to help the boy. The grandmother and the woman  basically agreed to disagree, but the grandmother did say she would think about what the woman had said and was sorry that she upset people, especially her grandson.

Truthfully, I was glad that I didn't have to get involved. And I was glad to see that other people did step up to 'counsel' someone on proper behavior in public.

The "What Would You Do?" dilemmas are endless really. I'm sure I'll write more some of them in the future.

I am curious about your experiences in this area. Please share if you like. My readers and I would totally appreciate it.

"What Would You Do?" airs on ABC on Friday nights at 9/8c.

Big surprises at Costco

Last year, I joined the ranks of Costco cardholders. I got in through a special deal. I'd been toying with the idea of joining but wasn't sure if it would really be worth it for me. I don't buy many things in bulk as I just don't have room for 48 rolls of toilet paper and things like that.

Having said that, I'm now a Costco fan. I've found a lot of things there that are totally worth the money.

But, I am one of the few people who goes into Costco to buy one thing and actually gets in line with that one thing.

And I am almost always behind someone with a cart stuffed with items. I stand there patiently with my one item and yes, occasionally there are kind people that let me go ahead of them, but usually I just have to wait out the lady buying hundreds of dollars worth of stuff.

So, one day, out of curiosity I went to the customer service desk and asked why they did not have an express lane at the store. (And I've been to at least three Costcos in California).

The rep was very nice. She said that at many of their new stores they now have self-checkout lanes, but there was no plan to put them in the older stores.

Then she explained why. She said, simply, if you have to wait in line it's likely that you'll buy more.

And truthfully that makes sense. It is hard to buy one thing at Costco. You have to have a lot of willpower to just get the one thing you went in for.
 As if we didn't know it already, there really is a science to everything in the retail world.

And one other thing about Costco that I've noticed -- the shoppers are very friendly! Three times in the last month, I've been looking at an item and a random shopper has stopped to talk to me about it. Twice it was a woman and once it was a man. Each time, the person spent at least five minutes telling me how much they liked the item.

I like shopping in a place were people are friendly!

Now just for a little bit of fun, here's something I recently saw at Costco.

And just so you know, in the interest of safety first, I checked make sure that this container couldn't close and lock accidentally on the boy before I took the picture.

You have to commend him on his creativity. I saw him surprise more than a few people. Almost everyone that saw him laughed. One guy went and got his wife and got the kid to scare his wife. Then the three of them dissolved into laughter at the whole thing.

Just another reason to always have a camera or camera phone handy. You never know what you're going to see!

So I'll keep going to Costco. I may not buy as much as other people, but it seems to always be an interesting place to shop.

What's the fabric of your life?

Have you ever really thought about what's the true fabric of your life?

I know that denim is definitely not the fabric of my life. I can't honestly think of the last time I had a pair of jeans that actually fit me comfortably. In fact, not many people know this, but I dislike the word 'denim' immensely. So given all my issues with denim, it clearly and unequivocally can't be the fabric of my life.

I mostly wear skirts of various fabrics with my favorite skirt, made by my mother no less, being a mystery fabric. We think it's rayon, but neither of us can remember where or when we got it. I love it for many reasons, the color (mostly black with tiny white and lavender flowers on it), the fit (it's a very flattering wrap shirt), but mostly I love it because of the fabric. I can ball that skirt up any which way and that thing will not wrinkle! It's like magic fabric! If I could, I'd have shirts, skirts, and anything else I could think of, made out of that fabric.

In actuality, I guess my favorite fabric is cotton. I wear cotton shirts nearly every day. Most of the pants that I wear are a cotton/polyester blend.

So I guess, like the ad says, cotton really is the fabric of my life.

Now having said that and having planted the seed in your mind about your personal choice of fabric, here's a very funny video from CBS Sunday Morning about people who love ........corduroy. And, I'm not taking about the lovable bear in the children's books. I'm talking about the actual fabric.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

To watch the story, please go to  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7053836n&tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea

What the best seller list says about the world

The recent hardcover best seller list features quite a cast of unique characters in the nonfiction section.

In the top ten are such authors as The Rolling Stones Keith Richard, political pundunit Glenn Beck, actress Portia de Rossi, TV newsman Jon Stewart, Howard Stern "Wack Pack" member Gary Dell'Abate, singer Ricky Martin and comedian Adam Corolla.

The other two titles in the top ten are "That Last Boy" a book about baseball's Mickey Mantle and another book about Mark Twain.

Wow.

I'm not sure what this says about the book buying public. I just thought I'd point it out as it looked a little odd to me with it seeming like 'celebrity' authors had taken over a section, that while it has seen its fair share of famous authors, usually includes some more 'intellectual' titles, like offerings from Malcolm Gladwell and the like.

The books currently on this list do cover a wide range of subjects, including drug use (Richards), anorexia (de Rossi), and coming out as a gay man (Martin).

And I'm sure that former President George W. Bush's memoir "Decision Points" will hit, probably at the top, of this list shortly, where it will sit until the next big thing arrives.

If you go beyond the top ten, there are more political titles and more biographies with a splash of humor thrown in. And there always seems to be some title about a dog, doesn't there? Currently it's "Oogy", the story of an abused dog who learns to trust again.

But this is how it should be, right? Some fun stuff with some serious stuff?

I always find it interesting to see what's on this list. It seems to pretty accurately reflect the times.

I know I'm in probably in the minority in that I check the best seller list often to get ideas about what to read next.

It may not seem like much, but if just one person descibes me as well-read, then I'm happy as I think that's a huge compliment.

So while others might always be looking to see what's trending on Yahoo, I think the best seller list is a more accurate gage of what's really happening and how people feel about it.

The Pope + Condoms, and Your Votes Will Decide if a Couple Should Abort Their Child

It's quite fascinating how two seemingly unrelated stories can pop up at the same time, shaping thought and opinion about a topic. In this case, the two items fall under the category of  the resulting life and death decisions that come from condom usage, or lack-there-of.

In the first story, we have Pope Benedict, who, exhibiting a truly bizarre thought pattern, said earlier this year that distributing condoms might actually increase the spread of HIV and AIDS, changed his stance on condom usage this weekend.     

He said that condom use by male prostitutes could represent a first step in assuming moral responsibility for the risk of transmitting the disease, thus possibly reducing the number of infected individuals.

But, he said this statement in response to a question about Africa, where heterosexual, not homosexually transmitted, AIDS is rampant. 

The church has long held the stance that contraception among childbearing adults is unacceptable. Thus, condoms have long been condemned by Catholics.

Since there is no chance of conception between males, the procreation issue is mute.

At the time, the pontiff made no mention of heterosexual couples of any kind, including those that might contain one infected partner.

So, it seems that this statement has no bearing on the church's stance on using condoms as a form of contraception between consenting adults.

While it might seem to be a step in the right direction regarding the spread of HIV and AIDS, it remains to be seen if the church will make a change in its teachings regarding the use of condoms to avoid contraception.

Now, on the same weekend that this story was breaking came another story that seems just as confusing, and, unusually related to this one. 

A couple has put up a website where people can vote on whether they should abort their unborn child or not. 


You read that right. 

A married Minnesota couple, who have had two miscarriages this year, are asking the public to vote on the fate of their unborn son.

Website visitors have until Dec 7th to vote. The last day for the woman to legally get an abortion is two days later.
She will be approximately 18 weeks pregnant.

On the site http://www.birthornot.com/  they've posted sonogram photos and a history of their time together as a couple. 

Right now, there are more votes for having an abortion.  

In the interest of full disclosure, I was raised Catholic and my parents are very pro-life.

While I lean toward a fetus' right to life, I do not consider myself 'super' pro-life as I believe that I am not one to tell anyone else how to live their life. 

But in this instance, this fetus will be 18 weeks. A pregnancy is 40 weeks. That means that this woman will be almost halfway through her pregnancy. That's almost five months pregnant. I find it hard to believe that she could carry this baby for that long and then just discard it like it means nothing. 

As I mentioned, the couple has hard two miscarriages just this year which in and of itself begs for some clarification. 
What's the real story here? Do they want kids or not? Clearly they're not using birth control.

Are they just using this as a sick ploy to become famous in some way? What if the final vote is for the abortion? Will they really go through with it?

Why isn't there an option on the site to put the baby up for adoption? There are millions of couples who can't have children and would gladly raise this boy as their own.

I'm a little skeptical about this whole thing. While there is a sonogram picture with woman's name on it, that could be a doctored in some way as there are some very savvy photoshop artists out there. And, there are no pictures of the couple. 

It says on the site that they have been getting media requests. It will be very interesting if they really come forward. Can you imagine the firestorm an appearance on a morning show would create? 

Could this whole thing be made up?

Maybe this is all just a hoax by some ethicists trying to see how people will actually vote and what kind of comments this site will generate.

If this is a real couple I just wish they would have used condoms. Given this stunt, it seems unlikely to me that they'll be very good parents. And that's just what we need in this world, more idiots procreating.


Could the Pope maybe add that stipulation to condom use -- that you must have some level of intelligence, compassion and class to procreate and that all others MUST use some form of contraception?

What are your thoughts on these two issues -- the catholic church and condom use, and the site http://www.birthornot.com/.

I am truly curious to see how all this will play out.

One last vote, please!

I know that this last election wore you out. Especially with all the campaigning. Those ads! Ugghhhhh!

But there is one more thing you should vote for.

I've written about it before and I will continue to write about it as these are people that really are, with no political agendas involved, changing the world.

I'm talking about the CNN Heroes.  

In a world where it often seems greed is the only thing we hear about, it's nice to finally see some generous folks getting their air time.

And if you haven't ever watched the show on Thanksgiving night, you're really missing out. Trust me, you will be inspired and feel good about our world, for a change.

Now is the time to vote for the CNN Hero of the Year.   

You only have a short time left as voting closes on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 6 am est.

To vote, please go to: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/index.html?hpt=T2

Then settle in on Thanksgiving night and prepare to  celebrate the lives of those everyday people who are changing the world.

Consumerism at its finest

I've discovered a new website that helps me to know that I'm not alone in my frustration with customer service.

Check out The Consumerist at http://consumerist.com/

It's fascinating!

The site is full of interesting stories from consumers about customer service issues. Some are resolved, most are not.

And, readers often weigh in about how they handled similiar problems.

The site's seven official bloggers also often offer helpful information about all kinds of consumer-related things. Things like ways to avoid early termination fees or coupon codes for hot deals.

There's even a company directory that you can use to explore various topics about individual companies. For example, here's a great article on the American Airlines tab:  http://consumerist.com/2010/07/your-complete-big-ass-guide-to-annoying-airline-fees.html 

You may have guessed from the link address that the article is called "Your Complete Big-Ass Guide To Annoying Airline Fees".

This site is serious, snarky and informative, all at the same time.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

What the Week

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you're already aware that I frequently write about my television likes and dislikes.

While I have some issues with CNN (see my post on Eliot Spitzer's new show at http://akeaston.blogspot.com/2010/10/question-of-credibility.html and my continued disdain of Larry King at http://akeaston.blogspot.com/2010/07/not-really-all-that-surprising.html), I do like my Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta.

I've also recently become a fan of "The Joy Behar Show". She has a refreshing take on many issues.   

And, as a documentary fan and news junkie, I have to commend CNN on their in-depth specials, including the series "Black in America" with Soledad O'Brien.  

In this post, I also I want to give a shout out to a new show on CNN. It's called "What the Week" and it airs on Saturday nights at 10:30e/7:30p with another airing at 1:30e/10:30p.

Hosted by Pete Dominick, it's a humorous weekly wrap-up of the week's events. This past week, Dominick had a great interview with marijuana advocate Tommy Chong about the vote to legalize marijuana in California. It was quite funny when Chong said, "Well, we're getting ready to vote here in California." Dominick didn't even chuckle a little when he pointed out that the vote on the issue had taken place several days earlier and that measure had, in fact, not passed.

If this is a sign of things to come on this show, I'll most likely be checking it out with some frequency.

It helps that Dominick doesn't come off as some stuffed suit talking head, but more like your neighbor that you'd joke about politics with as you met in the street after lunging your trashcans to the curb.

I'm not going  to profess my undying love for "What the Week" yet as I have been burned by a CNN/HLN show before with disastrous results.

I loved "Showbiz Tonight" on HLN when it first aired as it seemed to truly be about the behind the scenes goings on in the entertainment industry, interviewing writers, producers and the like, but then it devolved into a mere gossip show, focusing on celebrity issues, mostly high profile meltdowns.

So while I will give my support to "What the Week",  I will not proclaim it the best show on television or anything like that, but I am truly happy to have a new entry into the news mix on CNN that is not hosted by a loud, rather annoying former attorney or a man who openly frequented prostitutes on the taxpayers dollar.
 (Please tell me, Pete Dominick, that you are neither of these things!)

Dominick is a radio show host on who's show former CNN anchor Rick Sanchez unleashed his anti-Semitic rant. People not in the know, find it ironic that Sanchez was fired and Dominick was hired shortly after their on-air conversation. What they don't know is that Dominick's show was already in the works when the controversy went down.

So let's give Dominick and the new show a chance.

Check out "What the Week" and please share with my readers and I what you think.

Your "go-to" channel

In the current television landscape, we have hundreds of channels, which include all kinds of specialty channels. There’s the “Golf Channel”, the “Do It Yourself” channel, the “Food Network”, “The Weather Channel” and so on.


Really, who’d have thought we’d have a whole channel devoted just to weather? And people   love that channel! How did we survive without it? How did we know what to wear every day?


With all these to choose from, what’s your ‘go-to’ channel? You know, the channel that you go to either immediately upon turning on the TV or that you go to when there’s ‘nothing’ else on on the other 500 channels.


My go-to channel used to be “Headline News” (HLN), and sometimes it still is. But when “The MLB (Major League Baseball) Channel” launched in 2009, that became my go-to channel. When baseball isn’t in season, ESPN News becomes my go to channel.

A female friend revealed that her go -o channels are “Lifetime” and “HLN”. A male friend listed the “Golf Channel” as his go-to, while several of my other female friends stated that they go to the “Food Network” and “HGTV” daily.

My parents go to channel is “American Movie Classics” (AMC). This has been their go to channel for years.


I think that your go to channel changes at various times in your life. I remember a time when “MTV” was my go to. Then it was “E!” for a while.

It seems that your go to channel can change because your taste changes, or maybe it’s because the content of that channel changes.   

As I said, for a while, I loved “E!”, but that was when the channel was all about behind-the-scenes of television and movies. Somewhere along the way, in my opinion, it became more about celebrity gossip. I often refer to it as “The Gossip Channel” and, I’m sorry to say, I no longer seem to be interested in anything on that channel.   


I suspect that my go to channel will change again at some time in the future, but I can’t deny that I’ll always have a go to channel.


A go to channel is a safe place. It’s a place where you know you’ll find something on that you want to see, if not for hours at least for a short time.


So sit back, grab the remote, and punch in that channel. Your go to channel will always be there for you and will never let you down; until it does, and then you’ll find another one.

When bloggers use a word that doesn't exist: Can you say unprofessional?

As I've mentioned before, I really do hate to pick on websites, and the people who contribute to that site, but this is the second time in less than a month that this website, the SportsNewser section of Mediabistro.com, has published a questionable article.

Here is a link to my last post about this site: http://akeaston.blogspot.com/2010/10/lets-define-quick-turnaround.html

Today, I point out the site because in a very short article, a mere 158 words, the writer actually used a word that doesn't exist.

And, that word is..... 'runnings'.

Here is the paragraph:

"The New York Times – gearing up for the New York City Marathon with On The Run (Look! Old guys running marathons!) – takes a look at runnings who can’t get insurance."

Here is a link to the full article: http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/run-marathons-just-dont-get-hurt_b2456

The very next line of the article is "Huh?", and I have to say that I agree.

Huh?

I checked more than one dictionary and 'runnings' is not a word. We all know that the word that is meant to be in that sentence is the word 'runners'.

It's a very stupid mistake. And a simple run of spell check would have caught it. In fact, When I ran spell check on this article, it caught it.

And, now I will ask what I always ask when I find a grammatical error on a website: Don't you have a proofreader there? And if you don't, you mean to tell me that the author of this article, couldn't, himself, proof a 158 word piece and get it right? Thank God it wasn't an 800 word piece. I shudder to think how many errors might have been made, and published, in that piece.

For the record, for this blog I do not have a proofreader and I work very hard to ensure my accuracy. If I've made an error, please let me know and I will fix it immediately.

I would love to have a proofreader!

And, in the interest of full disclosure, maybe there is a part of me that's a bit jealous of fully paid bloggers. I would love to be a fully paid blogger. I take my work very seriously. I check and re-check my work so that their are no errors.

It bugs me when someone, who is paid to do this, is careless. In my opinion, it's incredibly unprofessional. Especially when simply running spell check would have caught the error.

Love and hate in the dating world

I have a love hate relationship with “The Millionaire Matchmaker”.

If you're not familiar with this show, it's on Bravo and features Patti Stanger, who proudly proclaims that she comes from a long line of matchmakers.

In the first season of the show, the opening credits shouted that she had a 99% success rate. That figure has been deleted from the sequence and if you’ve ever watched the show you know why. More on that later.

First, let’s talk about the problems I have with this show.

As I have said before, ‘reality’ shows are not real.

And this show is no exception.

One constant with all reality shows is that there cameras are always present. How real can anyone be in front of a camera?

There is casting. Yes, casting. Casting for the ‘millionaires’ and casting for the dates. There are not people who simply signed up with the club. There is a casting company who solicits people to be on the show. And, if you read the fine print in the credits, the ‘millionaires’ do not pay for the services if they are on the show. The services are provided free of charge for them. Now I’m not saying that they aren’t real millionaires, but, as with virtually everything in life, if you get something for free rather than having to pay for it, don’t you act a little differently about it? And why aren’t these paying customers? Oh yeah, ‘cause the paying customers might not make for good TV so you have to go out and find those people that make for good TV.

Now, having said all of this about the production of the show, let’s talk a little about our hostess, Ms. Patti Stanger.

Stanger is a 49-year-old unmarried woman. She may come from a long line of matchmakers, but as an unmarried woman, I question her true ability to actually make real matches.

This is a little like me saying to Roger Federer, the man who holds the most tennis titles in history, ‘Hey Roger, I may not have won a tournament, but I play a little tennis so let me tell you how to win your next match.”

Ok, I can get past this issue, because I love some of the other things about Patti.

And I want to call her Patti because she seems like a friend. That kind of friend who tells it like it is, and you love her for that.

Patty is the woman who really seems to understand where men go wrong with dating. She’s right on track with just about all of her critiques. In fact, I can’t think of one instance in which I have disagreed with Patti’s assessment of a man and his dating problems.

And believe me, these men have problems.

Like the guy who had a stripper pole in his living room and couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t meet a nice girl. Or the guy who owned a trash hauling company and picked up his date with his trash truck and then made her go on a pick-up call!

Patti had some very choice words for these guys.

And Patti doesn’t save her opinion for just the guys. She’s just as stern with her female clients.

In my opinion, this is almost Must See TV for folks in the dating pool, especially men.

A very brave fellow that I worked with admitted that he watched the show religiously. Ok, he’s not so brave that he wanted me to use his name, but he told me that he learned a lot about women and dating from the show. He said that everything Patti says makes perfect sense to him.

Unfortunately, for many of the men on the show, they don’t listen to Patti at all or they listen too late. Most of the matches end after one, or sometimes, two dates. This is why the earlier mentioned season one claim of a 99% success rate may no longer be accurate.

So while I find the usual ‘reality’ show problems with “The Millionaire Matchmaker”, I won’t fault anyone for watching this series.

And while Patti Stanger may not herself be married, the woman is refreshingly honest and straightforward with her clients, trying her best to teach them the ways of the dating world.

In conclusion, I believe there’s no shame in watching “The Millionaire Matchmaker”.

Those ‘real housewives’ shows? Now that’s another story.

Let's define "Quick Turnaround"

On October 6, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay made history when he threw a no-hitter in 2010 post season play against the Cincinnati Reds.

The feat was historical because it was only the second no-hitter thrown in post-season play ever.


Two days later, an article appeared on Mediabistro.com, from the SportsNewser section, about Major League Baseball quickly creating an ad about the event.


Here's a link to the  scant 108 word article: http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/

Wow. That's some news, huh?      


Amazing, isn't it? That MLB 'hurried' an ad on air to celebrate this? (You can watch the spot here: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12775649


Really? What's so amazing about this? Did anyone really think they wouldn't do something? That they wouldn't somehow use this to promote the post-season? It's an amazing athletic feat, it should be the subject of many pieces.


The point of my post is to comment on the first line of the article, "Talk about quick turnaround."


The game ended on Wednesday night October 6th at approximately 7:45pm ET.


The spot was to begin airing on Friday at approximately 6pm ET/3pm PT.


This is almost a two day lag time.


In my opinion, and I'd venture to say, many other people's as well, that's not hurrying to crank out a spot.


When I worked at Fox Sports Net, if your assigned team was in the play-offs, you were turning around spots very quickly after every game of every series. You watched the game, made notes, and worked with an editor during the game to start piecing things together so that once the game was over you only had a few shots to add, or maybe graphics to insert, to finish the spot up and get it on air.


Two days would have be a luxury.


And, after watching this spot, I'd like to point out a few things. First, the backplate, or graphic at the end of the spot, was already built and there are no other graphics or special effects in the spot. The video is straight cuts from the game. This is one of the easiest types of spots to build.


Yes, there is voice over on the spot, so someone had to write the script and then the writer/producer had to get the voice guy to read it. But all that can be done in, at most, a day. If the voice over guy is using a phone line, it can be done as soon as you can e-mail him the script and get him on the phone with an audio connection.


As I mentioned, we used to do this all the time at Fox Sports Net without any trouble, usually in under a day. Many, many times in under a few hours.


So, while I don't like to bag on other journalists, that opening line, "Talk about quick turnaround", is really a very lazy, and quite inaccurate, line.


Did this writer, who writes about sports, ever work in sports? I checked his credentials and it said he worked as a runner during the NBC Olympics, so he should know something about sports production.


Really, he doesn't even need any specific sports knowledge to about turnaround time. News organizations often turn out packages within a matter of minutes of outside footage arriving in house for editing. All you have to do is watch a newscast of any kind to know this. CNN does it on a daily basis, 365 days a year.


So let's be careful about how we define 'quick turnaround' in the future. Let's try to reserve it for instances that truly represent a quick turnaround.


For example, if that spot had aired 15 minutes after the last pitch, now that would have been  what I consider an instance of truly quick turnaround.

A question of credibility

What a week it's been in the news biz.

Oh the irony that in the same week that CNN's Rick Sanchez gets fired for anti-semitic remarks, Eliott Spitzer debuts a new show on that very same network.

I agree that there is absolutely no room in journalism for bias, racism or prejudice of any kind, thus the firing of Sanchez, in my personal opinion, is more than appropriate. As one talking head on CNN said this week, "He lost his credibility and as a journalist, credibility is everything.

Is that so? Then let's talk about the same network debuting a show this week with one of its hosts being a man who's publicly known for frequenting prostitutes.

Isn't that illegal?! Why was this man not arrested? Oh yeah, because he's Eliott Spitzer, a politician.

And now he has a show on CNN.

What about his credibility? The man is a known lawbreaker!! In fact, it's believed that he spent about $80,000 on prostitutes, while he was Attorney General and Governor of the state of New York! 

Don't some men get arrested for visiting $50 hookers? Oh yeah, he's a politician. He's clearly more important than the average man.

This guy was earning a salary paid for by taxpayers and spending it on illegal activities.

I just don't think you can convince me that this man has any credibility, let alone enough to host a political show. 

I will not watch Spitzer's show, and, again, in my personal opinion, CNN has now lost some of its credibility by making this deal with him.

Let's discuss.

Vote for something good

After my last two posts, which were about my displeasure with  a new show on E! in which brides compete for plastic surgery and KFC's advertising on young women's backsides, I thought I should post something positive.

So here's something good.

Now is the time to check CNN's Top Ten Heroes for 2010. These people will inspire you and might even renew your faith in human kindness.

And, you can vote for the Hero of the Year. For the last few years, CNN has broadcast the "CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute" on Thanksgiving night.

In my opinion, this show is a great way to end the Holiday. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely check it out. It is inspiring and more. Yes, some of the Heroes you've heard of, but some are ordinary folks who've done extraordinary things.

A few years ago, one of the Heroes was a single dad who was at a New York train station with his young daughters. He saw a man fall on the train tracks and have a seizure. With a train approaching, the dad jumped onto the tracks and held the ill man down as the train ran right over them. The train stopped just above them. The dad yelled up to the platform for someone to watch his girls.

On the broadcast when he was given his award, a camera cut away to his two daughters in the audience. One was sleeping (it was late) and the other was beaming.

That's the kind of show this is. It makes you feel all kinds of emotions.

You are reminded that good work is being done, that people are helping people, and that there are positive things going on in the world.

So check out the Heroes, cast your vote, then watch the broadcast and be moved.

Go to http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/?iref=allsearch to cast your vote.

Advertising on your ass

Wanna make some money? Well, if you're a hot college student you can make $500 for posting an ad on your ass.

KFC, who I wrote about earlier ths year for the introduction of the heart-stopping Double Down sandwich, has done it again.

Here's a pic of some lovely ladies advertising that horribly unhealthy KFC sandwich on their asses.

So classy!

So will we see ads on men's crotches next?

Let's discuss. Your thoughts?

_________________________________________________________________________

Here's a link to the article that I wrote earlier when KFC first introduced the Double Down:

http://akeaston.blogspot.com/2010/04/seriously-kfc-some-food-good-some-food.html

Bridalplasty: Reality TV again undermines the quest for self-acceptance

Just when you thought 'reality' TV couldn't get any worse, along comes this:

In a twist on the bridal-themed series, E! introduces a new competition series following brides and their pursuit of a dream wedding and a dream body through plastic surgery. In the 10-episode Bridalplasty, twelve brides battle each week to win one piece of their perfect new body "wish list." At the end, the final bride will win a complete extreme plastic surgery makeover plus a fantasy wedding where she will reveal, for the first time, her new look to her groom. Celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Terry Dubrow joins show host Shanna Moakler during the one-hour series. Bridalplasty premieres November 28 at 9p and is produced by 51 Minds Entertainment, an Endemol company.

Seriously?!

I think this is appalling!!

First, let's just stomp all over that movement where we've been trying to get young girls to accept themselves, and their bodies, as they are. Also, let's just forget the countless attempts to get all young women, Hell, women of all ages, to realize that the images on television and in magazines are all, every last one of them, doctored and should not be considered the norm.

This is terrible for women, but I don't want to leave out the male perspective here.

What about the groom when the bride reveals her new look? What if he decides he doesn't want his new 'plastic' model?

This whole show is just rife with issues. It's just wrong on so many levels.

Your thoughts?

FREE Museum Day - September 25, 2010

The Smithsonian is offering free admission for two people per household to participating museums nationwide to celebrate their 6th annual Museum Day.

Just check out their website for museums in your area that are taking part in this event. Then print out your ticket and be off!

Here's the link: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

Many museums already have regularly scheduled free admission days.

For a listing of museums in major cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago, and their free days, you can use this link: http://freemuseumday.org/cities.html