tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44029264110939336732024-03-12T21:44:27.915-05:00IrrelevanciesPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-88115003887594333262023-10-09T10:21:00.000-05:002023-10-09T10:21:28.601-05:00TV Week listings for Friday, October 6, 1973.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihq4gz6RoSyQKMoI2BX280aHAMcGJJqGdON_MpDC8dZx0jZeCNFrZMGFrQHxvVSkDV0mxjfZvEutKF2wVtn4De-HvjcOFs5TNmGfSzoWHr0AIC88nK2CznpzUZbDmJhefNhLMTRwn5tQmEo4PaUCJmFfFu66hm5FZWy76u2xKjpTdYPJLUWWiHUCNVEqW/s1506/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="892" height="1095" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihq4gz6RoSyQKMoI2BX280aHAMcGJJqGdON_MpDC8dZx0jZeCNFrZMGFrQHxvVSkDV0mxjfZvEutKF2wVtn4De-HvjcOFs5TNmGfSzoWHr0AIC88nK2CznpzUZbDmJhefNhLMTRwn5tQmEo4PaUCJmFfFu66hm5FZWy76u2xKjpTdYPJLUWWiHUCNVEqW/w650-h1095/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%206.jpg" width="650" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In 1927, the New York Yankees were the dominant baseball sportsball team, winning 110 regular season games (in a 154 game season) and winning the myopically named World Series.</p><p>The first six batters in the 1927 Yankees lineup were known as Murderer's Row. Over the season, they had 1141 hits, collective batting average of 0.337, on base percentage of 0.411, 142 home runs, and an unbelievable 670 RBI - an average of 4.4 runs per game from just 2/3rds of the lineup. All six ended up in the baseball Hall of Fame. I'm not a big sports dude so I only recognize the names of two of them: Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.</p><p>In 1973, actually from 1971 - 1975, CBS had the ultimate TV version of Murderer's Row on Saturday night:</p><div style="text-align: left;">All in the Family<br />M*A*S*H<br />The Mary Tyler Moore Show<br />The Bob Newhart Show<br />The Carol Burnett Show</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Television is different today; networks and even most cable channels don't bother with first-run programs on Saturday nights anymore but in 1973, the three most highly-watched evenings were Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. And CBS's Saturday night lineup was one of the highest rated, most critically acclaimed, cash cow blocks in TV history. Each program is legendary to this day, each for a different reason. Some of us TV geeks lived through it and that's why - sometimes - baby boomers scoff at what TV - network and cable - has become today.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Despite the dominance of CBS, the other networks still had to broadcast something. At 7:00 PM, NBC had the long-running "Emergency," kind of a dose of adrenalin and warm fuzzies to counter-program the CBS comedies. ABC had "The Partridge Family," which was a hit on Fridays from 1970-1973, but was getting stale, so they sacrificed it on Saturdays while they burned off the final season.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And that is our dive into TV listings from exactly 50 years ago thanks to the Minneapolis Tribune's TV Week and my pack rat ways.</div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-85117915602694467122023-10-08T20:41:00.000-05:002023-10-08T20:41:53.323-05:00TV Week listings for Friday, October 5, 1973.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4f8tJCo1HeNp0qHFB07eE9F4YlcB13NaMljc8sUDGW0ka6R6NbkvFk15EZ8QSh3ah9-96z3_D8zP5wgReEZYhVsjfg8DwN_dRcJV1Jmb73pxhAl5dNEfBG3htNJy2UBvyxxgZYImRtLv1yzpzH0KfS3UDgNM8rlW5di3ppGzSrMHh_uWfYdskefNxmGq/s1364/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1364" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4f8tJCo1HeNp0qHFB07eE9F4YlcB13NaMljc8sUDGW0ka6R6NbkvFk15EZ8QSh3ah9-96z3_D8zP5wgReEZYhVsjfg8DwN_dRcJV1Jmb73pxhAl5dNEfBG3htNJy2UBvyxxgZYImRtLv1yzpzH0KfS3UDgNM8rlW5di3ppGzSrMHh_uWfYdskefNxmGq/w645-h524/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%205.jpg" width="645" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It seems I lost a couple of days. I hate it when that happens.</p><p>Back in the day, and "back in the day" was 50 years ago this week, Friday nights were BIG in television. Audiences were huge and the networks put some heavy hitters in the line up. ABC's line-up included "The Brady Bunch," "The Odd Couple," and "Room 222." Their fourth comedy, "Adam's Rib," was new this season, starring the guy from "The White Shadow," Gwyneth Paltrow's mother, and Mother Nature. A married couple, one a prosecutor and the other a defense attorney, played out their marital issues in the courtroom. I watched one, maybe two episodes and it was as bad as it sounds. "Adam's Rib" was gone before New Year's Rockin' Eve 1974. At 9:00 PM, ABC played "Love American Style," an anthology having to do with anything love, romance, and yes, sex. Especially sex. Well, it was racy for 1973 but today, I wonder. I don't recognize all the names of the guest "stars" but how about Dick Shawn, Roddy McDowell (pre-"Planet of the Apes"), Elaine Giftos, Pearl Bailey, and Ossie Davis. Doesn't sound terribly cutting edge but it was something everyone seemed to watch back then.</p><p>NBC was feast-or-famine on Fridays, leading off with the very popular "Sanford and Son." Then it was the middling "Girl with Something Extra" with Sally Field and John Davidson. Think "Bewitched," only after getting married the bride told her new husband not that she was a witch but that she had ESP. Oh, the hijinks! Seriously, ladies, after saying "I do" is not the time to spring that kind of surprise.</p><p>"Needles and Pins" was a new workplace comedy that didn't last until January. It might have been adequate for 1973 but today, we'd call the workplace a sweatshop. Or worse, you couldn't make this program today because no one makes clothing in the United States anymore. They followed that with "Brian Keith Show," about a pediatrician in Hawaii. It ran two years. Brian Keith was big in the 1970s and they tried, and almost succeeded, in capturing some of his magic from "Family Affair."</p><p>At 9:00 PM NBC ran the ninth and final year of "The Dean Martin Comedy Hour." Tonight's guests were Bob Newhart, Nipsey Russell, and Phyllis Diller, with musical guest Petula Clark, and just because, William Conrad. We think of Dean Martin as a racist drunk now but he was hot in the 1960s and 1970s.</p><p>CBS tried a few different things. At 7:00 PM, it was "Calucci's Department." If I tell you the department of this workplace comedy was the unemployment department, would you be shocked to hear that it went away after 11 episodes? At 7:30, they tried "Rollout," which was on the cover of the Tribune's TV Week this week. It had all the hallmarks of strong show - produced by Gene Reynolds, who was also producing "M*A*S*H," and instead of the Korean Conflict, "Rollout" was about World War II, so at least there would be victory at the end. Maybe in real life but not on CBS in 1973. It was gone after 12 episodes.</p><p>CBS played comedy movies on Friday nights and tonight it was "The Wrecking Crew," starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm. Yes, the same Dean Martin who anchored the NBC Friday line-up. Matt Helm was a series of movies and would have captured a lot of eyeballs for CBS that night.</p><p>Comedy continued in late night. WCCO ran a W.C. Fields movie at 10:50 PM, followed by a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. KMSP ran "Fathom" at 10:30, starring Racquel Welch and Tony Franciosa. 11-, 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old me LOVED "Fathom," and I watched it every chance I could, including, no doubt, this run in October 1973. Racquel was an American secret agent assigned on the spur of the moment to do something spy-ie, no doubt, and look good doing it. She was all of the Bond girls (ahem, "Women") rolled into one and we didn't have to waste time with Bond's toxic masculinity. It was a lot of fun, for 1973, and not to be taken seriously.</p><p>NBC ran a weekly show after the "Tonight Show" called "Midnight Special." Tonight's musical acts were Gladys Knight and the Pips, B.B. King, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Stories, who had a hit that year with "Brother Louie." There was another act I had to look up, Chris Smither. Turns out he was, or is, as he's still performing in 2023, a folk-rocker who never quite made it big, but is well regarded as a song writer and wrote a couple hits for Bonnie Raitt.</p><p>Tomorrow: As we wrap up, a visit to Murderer's Row.</p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-35585810106452314392023-10-04T21:03:00.001-05:002023-10-04T21:03:17.231-05:00TV Week listings for Thursday, October 4, 1973.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpYsqXzk3LEXXqWHqh5ZVY9920AcGP45FXmcL0TH1KCOOwvax-6Ff3L8ky4BinPQs3hrENTLOMBprqfACqfXsnc0F0y0goGXcGJT_OdMdeTLbW5BGF5jgwjYY5ds9mUKx_k_D377zr9KwU1Ho1vs_xBoSglkk6-rYW7oRIxh246Sv4o380YllnxHXAHT6/s1341/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1341" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpYsqXzk3LEXXqWHqh5ZVY9920AcGP45FXmcL0TH1KCOOwvax-6Ff3L8ky4BinPQs3hrENTLOMBprqfACqfXsnc0F0y0goGXcGJT_OdMdeTLbW5BGF5jgwjYY5ds9mUKx_k_D377zr9KwU1Ho1vs_xBoSglkk6-rYW7oRIxh246Sv4o380YllnxHXAHT6/w609-h510/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%204.jpg" width="609" /></a></div><p></p><p>On KTCA, our primary PBS station at 7:00 PM: "The Advocates," "Should the Senate Watergate Hearings Stop now?"</p><p>No. They should not stop. The hearings should very much continue.</p><p>Can you imagine how history would change if this program prompted a change in events? No, thank you.</p><p>Not a lot going on on this particular Thursday. Mainly established shows and nothing terribly exciting. I didn't watch it at the time, but the NBC program at 9:00 PM is "NBC Follies." According to IMDB, it was an attempt to mimic a vaudeville show, something from 40-90 years earlier. Tonight's guests include Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Heatherton, Wayne Newton, and Mickey Rooney. Not exactly a forward looking program. It didn't last long and NBC would take a stab at avant garde comedy a couple years later with a program called "Saturday Night," what we now know as "Saturday Night Live."</p><p>"Kung Fu" on ABC seems to be remembered fondly by many people in my age bracket, but I watched a few episodes and I thought it was pretty boring. I may have been a little young to understand it but I wasn't so young that I wasn't taken aback by having a clearly Caucasian dude play a clearly Chinese character. Next!</p><p>Tim Conway was a guest on "The Flip Wilson Show" at 7:00 PM on KSTP. Can you imagine the fun those two could have had if allowed? I wonder if their improv wasn't sanitized for the time slot.</p><p>Tomorrow: Friday was all laughs in prime time.</p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-68810317224495814602023-10-03T21:06:00.000-05:002023-10-03T21:06:20.109-05:00TV Week listings for Wednesday, October 3, 1973.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBHXM59zmSTYyxMNjjLWeetkoSBm5g4HwsgaX9gv3u6TNVv6_ETv3PkcE1CVmx64VOuN_A6fIBXGkSXcbixZrCJXn5ARUHXF41V_N_GdOEGz9eZZ8ZOY2Wc4-wwsOTl0uSrJ__8QuUBZi6lL85Cx9QZsTx9l3VT1LEeBBYUClJ71e89uxl8OjoTy8IPpg/s1074/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="900" height="673" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBHXM59zmSTYyxMNjjLWeetkoSBm5g4HwsgaX9gv3u6TNVv6_ETv3PkcE1CVmx64VOuN_A6fIBXGkSXcbixZrCJXn5ARUHXF41V_N_GdOEGz9eZZ8ZOY2Wc4-wwsOTl0uSrJ__8QuUBZi6lL85Cx9QZsTx9l3VT1LEeBBYUClJ71e89uxl8OjoTy8IPpg/w564-h673/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%203.jpg" width="564" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Before Burt Reynolds was the biggest movie star in the world (He was! Really! Late 1970s-early 1980s) he was a run-of-the-mill TV star. In 1970-71, he played a Santa Barbara, CA, homicide detective on ABC's "Dan August," alongside the guy who would become Mr Roper on "3s Company" (Norman Fell) and "The Six Million Dollar Man's" boss (Richard Anderson). In 1973, Burt was gaining traction, so CBS aired reruns of "Dan August" in the summer of 1973. On October 3, 1973, CBS was still getting ready for its new Wednesday, 9:00 PM show, "Kojak," so they burned a rerun of "Dan August." That seems crazy today, but their cost was near zero and the ratings were as good as any of their current shows, so why not?</p><p>At 3:30 PM on KMSP, the ABC "Afterschool Special" was "Rookie of the Year." An 11-year-old girl (played by 10-year-old Jodie Foster) who was the equipment manager for a boys team, takes to the field and turns out to be better at the game than most of the boys. Chaos ensues.</p><p>Also on KMSP, at 10:30 PM, they were running the syndicated "Dick Cavett Show." Tonight's guest: Katherine Hepburn.</p><p>In 1973, the marriage of Sonny and Cher was ending and their "Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" was about to blow up as well. Tonight's guests were John Davidson and Truman Capote. Truman Capote on a network variety show? That would have been worth tuning in for just for the cringe.</p><p>I see a listing on KMSP at 7:00 PM for "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," a series I never watched based on a movie I've never seen. The theme of the movie was sexual liberation and spouse swapping. I wonder how that was portrayed in a 30-minute comedy on at 7:00 PM? You'd better have found out quickly as the series, starring a young Robert Urich, would get pulled after only seven episodes. Side note: 10-year-old Jodie Foster had a recurring role in the series but did not appear in tonight's episode, apparently because she was too tired after being a baseball star in the "Afterschool Special" earlier today.</p><p>Tomorrow: Thursday appears to be the most boring day of the week, circa 1973.</p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-41450901726039234672023-10-02T23:34:00.003-05:002023-10-03T21:07:31.371-05:00TV Week listings for Tuesday, October 2, 1973.<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g7klgnpT6ajHbb2czJjjUVKvZcvLU2F1hFAJt5sOZIRN3EojYvFKv23g6wkPhqn-jydOxCJcejqfMsRrKgL7cunoxJ3rUaAbeifHTLjvUWIICq2zJ4Apr17UA1YMtbdEOoCHgspcIZ8w1TtX0Pjfh2n7h39pl7Y2shnZ8oOJy82ZQKryXf_JdG1T0h5i/s992/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="877" height="673" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g7klgnpT6ajHbb2czJjjUVKvZcvLU2F1hFAJt5sOZIRN3EojYvFKv23g6wkPhqn-jydOxCJcejqfMsRrKgL7cunoxJ3rUaAbeifHTLjvUWIICq2zJ4Apr17UA1YMtbdEOoCHgspcIZ8w1TtX0Pjfh2n7h39pl7Y2shnZ8oOJy82ZQKryXf_JdG1T0h5i/w595-h673/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%202.jpg" width="595" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The new season was kicking into high gear, as the networks were running the first or second episodes of most of their fall slates.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On ABC at 7:00 PM, season 2, episode 2 of "Temperature's Rising" starring Paul Lynde and a pre-Blazing Saddles Cleavon Little. I caught a couple of episodes but my 11-year-old self didn't find anything terribly funny about it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On CBS at 7:00 PM, it was the fourth episode of "Maude," which was getting a lot of buzz for its controversial topics, most of which are tame by today's standards but that is somewhat due to the battles that Norman Lear fought with "Maude." Esther Rolle played Maude and Arthur's maid, Florida, and she left halfway through the season to go back to the projects and anchor "Good Times."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An interesting premiere tonight, also on CBS. "Hawkins" starred Jimmy Stewart as a defense attorney. "Hawkins" was one-third of a rotating trio of shows that CBS used to imitate the success of NBC's "Sunday Mystery Movie." One of the other shows was a TV adaptation of "Shaft," starring Richard Roundtree, late of the theatrical movie. It seems audiences were confused - unlike NBC's "Sunday Mystery Movie" ("McMillian and Wife," "Banacek," "Columbo," "McCloud," among others) which had thematically similar programs, CBS put the cerebral Jimmy Stewart on one week and Roundtree's private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks the next (Hey, I'm talking about Shaft). They pulled the plug in March 1974.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML6ij3XrglEePaXomZhPS91V1G_245he5Rr4yEqvPHx4-x78XA-Kn-ejxBLiFYgIICt5zvvPqV4AYf2KI3Hm4nU2pMPlOxl5vmp0eGUIxCIDfLqrdanYICTccqszQEf6wipP1nuzYON-uE-rzNtcGRcHzi2zCK-3ioRW0sY3rDj8haeveiJFRolGZMooW/s955/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%202%20Banner%20Ad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="955" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML6ij3XrglEePaXomZhPS91V1G_245he5Rr4yEqvPHx4-x78XA-Kn-ejxBLiFYgIICt5zvvPqV4AYf2KI3Hm4nU2pMPlOxl5vmp0eGUIxCIDfLqrdanYICTccqszQEf6wipP1nuzYON-uE-rzNtcGRcHzi2zCK-3ioRW0sY3rDj8haeveiJFRolGZMooW/s320/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%202%20Banner%20Ad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">NBC had three premieres this night. At 9:00 PM, it was the critically acclaimed "Police Story." A true anthology, "Police Story" told a different story with different characters every week and the cops weren't always the good guys. It was a direct ancestor to "Hill Street Blues" and "Law & Order," among many others. It ran weekly for four years before being shifted to a two-hour occasional series for its final year.</span></div></div><p>At 8:00 PM, Bill Bixby was "The Magician." Tony Blake was a world famous illusionist, who travelled the world (we only saw him travel the United States, but still) in his private 707. He drove around in a white 1973 Corvette, and, of course, his plane had a car-sized cargo bay so he hauled the Corvette everywhere he went. Tony helped people in need by creating elaborate illusions to help them escape or expose corruption, and solved mysteries by deconstructing crimes as intricate illusions.</p><p>Halfway through the season, NBC reconfigured "The Magician." They jettisoned Tony's newspaper columnist friend and grounded the 707, as well as the pilot. They had him living in the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, and had him solving the same types of mysteries but only within driving distance in LA. They also upgraded his car, from the 1973 ducktail to a 1974 torpedo tail, still in gleaming white. My 11-year-old self loved "The Magician," even after they ditched the 707 but NBC killed the series after one season. Bill Bixby would go on to star in "The Incredible Hulk," so it's all good.</p><p>And at 7:00 PM, NBC rolled out he first episode of "Chase," a show that my 11-year-old self absolutely loved and why not? A cop show specifically designed for car chases, car wrecks, and explosions? Yes, please. The show centered around a plain-clothes task force led by Captain Chase Reddick, played to sleazy, aggro perfection by Mitchell Ryan. Get it, his name is "Chase," and his unit specializes in car chases? Layers, man. The task force's sergeant was also a canine officer, so we had a cool german shepherd in every episode. One officer was a former race driver and he drove an all-white 1973 Plymouth Satellite 4-door with a hood scoop, fat tires, and a jacked up rear end. Another officer flew a red and white Hughes 500 helicopter. Yet another officer drove a motorcycle. By today's standards, the motorcycle was like a toy, probably a Kawasaki 175, but at the time it was impressive enough (Side note: my Honda Goldwing's engine has a larger displacement than my brother's Nissan automobile. Times change). All of these officers and vehicles were mixed and matched in every episode until the ultimate, and identical conclusion, a <b>car chase</b>. The white Plymouth would growl and spin its tires, the helicopter would fly too close to the ground, and the motorcycle would almost wipe out but still keep up with the bad guys. Then the K9 dog, Fuzz, would chomp the bad guy after he ran 50 feet from the vehicle he just crashed. Finally, Captain Chase would make a sarcastic remark or pun that would one day inspire the writers at "CSI: Miami." Did I mention my 11-year-old self loved this show? It was a time to turn off the brain and wait until the adrenaline kicked in.</p><p>Alas, after 13 episodes, NBC reconfigured the show. That's a polite way to put it. They gutted it. Reached in and yanked out everything good about the show. The chopper? Gone. The white hot rod? Gone. The frail little motorcycle? Gone. The three 20-something pretty-boy officers? Gone. Now it was a show about a task force that solved crimes the old fashioned way and rarely had a car chase. The three young officers were replaced by two yawn-inspiring veteran officers. 11-year-old me was crushed.</p><p>But I liked the first few episodes so much, I saved the Tribune's TV Week from the week of "Chase's" premiere for posterity. Then forgot about it for 49 years, until I was cleaning the house a few months ago. And that is why you are being entertained by scans and recollections of TV from 50 years ago this week. My 11-year-old self says, "You're welcome."</p><p>Tomorrow: Jodie Foster and Truman Capote, but not at the same time.</p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-31477178571612302312023-10-01T21:50:00.000-05:002023-10-01T21:50:58.393-05:00TV Week listings for Monday, October 1, 1973.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RWTB0MkAx57MwxMO5CQpuhCn_wEXAk8NYmdjgZKKL-nV90x-zLQHAXSCZuUqfo8xw2Ebx_wHIMHcQdiwQQYt67DBeYNuFzOIRrLLaJsvn6Ne5JqoUxZXI7rB_AezaX0JNMB0kODhnl6m8u3-Y4FvLJObQZoYl0pDceTZyU4emDeXiSWDTauYrnbtGMsr/s1406/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1406" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RWTB0MkAx57MwxMO5CQpuhCn_wEXAk8NYmdjgZKKL-nV90x-zLQHAXSCZuUqfo8xw2Ebx_wHIMHcQdiwQQYt67DBeYNuFzOIRrLLaJsvn6Ne5JqoUxZXI7rB_AezaX0JNMB0kODhnl6m8u3-Y4FvLJObQZoYl0pDceTZyU4emDeXiSWDTauYrnbtGMsr/w555-h406/1973%20TV%20Week%20Oct%201.jpg" width="555" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here is the Monday listing from the Minneapolis Tribune from 50 years ago today. The full day listings for the PBS stations are included. Notice some very specific educational programming. You don't see targeted programming like that today, and probably with good reason. TV stations are "broadcasting," not "narrowcasting."</p><p>In prime time, "Gunsmoke" was beginning the 19th of its 20-year run on CBS, and Lucille Ball's "Here's Lucy" was beginning its sixth and final year. "Here's Lucy" was not the same as "I Love Lucy." The listing for "Dick Van Dyke" was also not the show you're thinking of but "The New Dick Van Dyke Show." Like "Here's Lucy," "New Dick" was kinda bland, riding on the coattails and carryover charm of the previous shows.</p><p>After Dom Deluise's "Lotsa Luck at 7:00 PM on NBC, came "Diana," a comedy starring Diana Rigg, late of "The Avengers" and 40 years later, would be the grand dame Olenna Tyrell on "Game of Thrones." "Diana" was essentially following the Mary Tyler Moore, workplace, homelife, sex drive formula, and it was the drop-dead gorgeous, 35-year-old Rigg's first and only attempt at TV comedy, and it would be gone after 15 episodes.</p><p>Shecky Green was the guest host of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." If I recall, Carson worked Tuesday through Friday and left Mondays for guest hosts. Notice that "Tonight" was 90 minutes long back then and it was the only talk show in late night.</p><p>Tomorrow: The reason I kept this edition of the Minneapolis Tribune's TV Week for 50 years.</p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-73952106672769070302023-09-30T20:53:00.000-05:002023-09-30T20:53:40.967-05:00TV Week listings for Sunday, September 30, 1973.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fTx4d77julVwucMxRcucmeyWTCQBTbwBMbSI3cQfLKiVuFzOHD7JK0fXmVTwfFF0p8TJYcbJDnsNsUkA8Y7UqBmvwQzYD1fWyXOA2M2ZtIwWchjvzX5Q9qWy-6XtipMakzHbMbJSHUHqEVsKO7PNsk03G4LdOPjIfej0jALNwWww1jQnwSQuLpG3z6ob/s1492/1973%20TV%20Week%20Sept%2030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="871" height="804" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fTx4d77julVwucMxRcucmeyWTCQBTbwBMbSI3cQfLKiVuFzOHD7JK0fXmVTwfFF0p8TJYcbJDnsNsUkA8Y7UqBmvwQzYD1fWyXOA2M2ZtIwWchjvzX5Q9qWy-6XtipMakzHbMbJSHUHqEVsKO7PNsk03G4LdOPjIfej0jALNwWww1jQnwSQuLpG3z6ob/w470-h804/1973%20TV%20Week%20Sept%2030.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here is the Sunday listing from the Minneapolis Tribune from 50 years ago today. If it's Sunday in Minnesota in the Fall, there will be Vikings. On this particular day, the Vikings played the Green Bay Packers on WCCO at 12:30 PM and won, 11-3. The Vikings would go 12-2 during the 1973 season and end up playing in the Super Bowl. I don't remember how that turned out but it must have been good.</p><p>You'll notice that 60 Minutes isn't on today. In 1973, it was only broadcast from January - June and even then CBS ran it on Sundays from 5:00 - 6:00 PM - before prime time. It was hardly the ratings behemoth in 1973 that it would become a few years later.</p><p>Notice also that the network programs started at 6:30 PM and the 9:30 - 10:00 PM slots were filled by a news feature program on WCCO and syndicated (non-network) programs on the other affiliates. The networks wouldn't start broadcasting from 6:00 - 10:00 Sundays until the Fall of 1975. Having an hour-long program start at :30 minutes after the hour seems odd today but I liked it then and I like it now. The 9:30 show on WCCO was called "Moore on Sunday," and it was an institution in the Twin Cities for ages. Hosted by WCCO's 6 & 10 PM news anchor Dave Moore, "Moore on Sunday" was an unpredictable show, sometimes with hard news, investigations, opinion pieces, interviews, comic skits, and even pie-in-the-face gags on occasion. It was must-see television before we knew what that term meant.</p><p>The CBS program at 6:30 displays as "Perry Mason" in the grid but it's really "The New Perry Mason." The ill-fated reboot starred Monte Markham and Sharon Gless (pre Cagney and Lacey) and was yanked after 15 episodes. I remember watching it and liking it. If you wanted the original Perry Mason, WTCN aired a Raymond Burr episode at 10:30 PM.</p><p>The guests on "The Wacky World of Jonathon Winters" on KMSP this week were Chuck Connors (Gunsmoke), Jo Ann Pflug (not sure what her claim to fame was), Tony Orlando and Dawn, and singer Maureen McCormick. "Wacky," indeed!</p><p>Notice as well the advertising insert at 8:00 PM. Can you imagine a network promoting a 65-year-old actor as a way to hook new viewers today?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN_J3GYyk_uID5dJMcCXz9_LWB0bbHZu3iBMasHHYaazsZH0HuIa2f8fEdCAS31tq5XoFcrMr8mNwP95IghcYhxecoS3SFnFLq2dAeNPzs0M9HTjc0phlOy8uuo-tKxHx5ptUQSFn5ehXGuuX5YFymeCdNYFeWt2C75smDJL18T-lAvymJnthzo2V1PVo/s569/1973%20TV%20Week%20Sept%2030%20Police%20Surgeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="326" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN_J3GYyk_uID5dJMcCXz9_LWB0bbHZu3iBMasHHYaazsZH0HuIa2f8fEdCAS31tq5XoFcrMr8mNwP95IghcYhxecoS3SFnFLq2dAeNPzs0M9HTjc0phlOy8uuo-tKxHx5ptUQSFn5ehXGuuX5YFymeCdNYFeWt2C75smDJL18T-lAvymJnthzo2V1PVo/w208-h364/1973%20TV%20Week%20Sept%2030%20Police%20Surgeon.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p>Finally, the program on KSTP at 9:30 PM that shows as "Surgeon" is actually a syndicated Canadian program called "Police Surgeon." Believe it or not, it ran for almost 100 episodes over four seasons. I remember watching the show a few times and it wasn't as crazy as it sounds but it wasn't great. Sam Groom played a doctor who was also a police detective. Not a medical examiner or coroner but an actual detective who was also a doctor. I don't recall how cases came to his attention but he drove around Toronto in an ambulance van - with police livery, not ambulance - and interviewed witnesses and suspects and usually figured out what was wrong with his patients in the nick of time, saving the victims' lives and, I suppose, preventing a crime like poisoning from becoming a homocide. I guess "Police Surgeon" was sometimes like "House MD," only with a badge.</p><p>Tomorrow: A connection to Game of Thrones.</p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-14136028718984837772023-09-30T20:46:00.002-05:002023-09-30T20:46:49.774-05:00TV Week from September 30 - October 6, 1973<p> I was cleaning out a closet a few months back and came across a manila envelope with a couple of TV Week booklets from the Minneapolis Tribune, one of them for the week of September 30 - October 6, 1973. That's 50 years ago, starting today! This week, I'll be showing you some differences between the media universe from 1973 and 2023. It's very like me to save souvenirs for no particular reason and at first I didn't understand why I saved this particular edition but it came to me after couple days. I'll share that reason with you on October 2.</p><p>If you need someone to explain what newspaper was, or what a weekly TV booklet was, or what broadcast television was, I'm not your guy. We're just going to have fun looking at what the three-channel television universe looked like and see how different it was compared to today's 500-channel cable systems and multiple streaming service reality.</p><p>First, I should probably point out that the Minneapolis Tribune is now the StarTribune. For almost a century, the paper's owners published the Tribune in the morning and the Minneapolis Star in the afternoon. In 1982, they killed the afternoon edition and changed the morning paper's name to the Star and Tribune. Later, they dropped the "and" and pushed the two names together. When I think about the Minneapolis paper these days, which is rarely, I still call it the Tribune.</p><p>On the cover of this TV Week is a promo picture for a new 30-minute Friday night comedy on CBS called "Roll Out." It was supposed to be a World War II comedy in the style of M*A*S*H, and was produced by the company that produced M*A*S*H. "Roll Out" would be gone after January.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn3aoJrqDBaISIfQUBbG850Swc1qgYQZRscXVQlmnmh4Ljaik08CvdP3M9xF6UUKdrS09cTjEOu174_zwLeGJJc27XUbALD2MOH5ar739h7Q0dwZmQkNKYle-bAzBGtN9caEKNnwGvZvLjk-XyZ3ReAAQtQTWhPxBtrNH7cKQmlytpxJK9snWcqpz5lqs/s2133/1973%20TV%20Week%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2133" data-original-width="1413" height="657" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn3aoJrqDBaISIfQUBbG850Swc1qgYQZRscXVQlmnmh4Ljaik08CvdP3M9xF6UUKdrS09cTjEOu174_zwLeGJJc27XUbALD2MOH5ar739h7Q0dwZmQkNKYle-bAzBGtN9caEKNnwGvZvLjk-XyZ3ReAAQtQTWhPxBtrNH7cKQmlytpxJK9snWcqpz5lqs/w435-h657/1973%20TV%20Week%20Cover.jpg" width="435" /></a></div><br />When we start looking at the daily listings, you'll notice the Tribune only lists four channels. That's because there were only six TV stations broadcasting in the Minneapolis-St Paul market at the time. The two PBS stations (KTCA-2, KTCI-17) apparently weren't worth the newspaper's trouble to include in the schedule grid, although they did have a small side area each day - with small print - for readers who wanted to seek them out. The stations in the grid are your standard CBS, NBC, and ABC affiliates, and one independent. Compared to today's endless cable channels, the listings look kinda sparse.<p></p>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-5714384518349810202018-01-09T18:51:00.002-06:002018-01-09T18:51:40.257-06:00Today's LessonToday's lesson is on the subject of Home Renovation, or Home Repair, whichever you find yourself doing. When installing a toilet, you are obligated to cut off the bolts that secure the toilet to the flange. The instructions tend to say to use a hacksaw. If you find yourself using an angle grinder, and if you have an angle grinder or have ever wanted to have one, you will find yourself using an angle grinder for this purpose, get ready to spend some time prepping before you cut. Like many things in life, doing this task right will take much longer than you are imagining.<br />
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There will be sparks when grinder meets bolt. This is an incontrovertible fact yet it may be overlooked. Do not overlook this fact. It is incontrovertible.<br />
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Cover the toilet and the nearest wall with barriers of some sort. Painter's tape will do fine for the curvy parts. Heavy paper or cardboard is adequate for the walls, floor, and large parts of the toilet. Estimate where the sparks will go and cover the porcelain thoroughly. Then measure the distance from your bolt to where the barricades end, then double the distance and cover that area. Then increase the amount of the covered area by half again and cover that area.<br />
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Check for gaps in the covering and cover any gaps with tape. Check again.<br />
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Carefully decide at what level the bolts need to be cut off. Mark the bolts. The correct place to cut will be hard to see once the grinder is running. Mark the bolts well. Cut off the bolts. Use eye and ear protection. Use exhaust fans if you are near a smoke detector. The smell of burning metal is a by-product of grinding metal. This fact is also incontrovertible yet sometimes overlooked.<br />
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If you have learned from this lesson, you will now spend about 15 minutes removing your mostly-tape barricade. Your toilet will look wonderful. Do not ask how I learned this lesson. It Is Just Known. Now excuse me while I spend the next hour buffing some porcelain. That is not a euphemism.<br />
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Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-13003593873949630112014-12-09T15:04:00.000-06:002014-12-09T15:04:07.844-06:00Refinancing Semi-Debacle, the Way-Past ConclusionAlmost four years ago, I refinanced my mortgage and blogged about it as I neared the finish line in the post "<a href="http://threepartsfoolish.blogspot.com/2011/01/refinancing-semi-debacle.html">Refinancing Semi-Debacle</a>." The adventure concluded shortly after that post but not without further excitement.<br />
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Let's start with the date. In a series of e-mails where we hashed out details, my loan officer from the credit union set a closing date of January 13. She then asked me to get a payoff statement from the old lender for the 18th, which I did. On the 13th, she e-mailed me with "Urgent" in the subject. "You missed your appointment," she said. No, I didn't, I replied, you changed it to the 18th. No, she said, the appointment for the 13th stands - the 18th is the settlement date between institutions.<br />
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I see I'm starting to lose you with this riveting dialog, so let's move along. It turns out you can't trust everyone. In December, she set a closing date and asked for a payoff statement for the same date. If we had closed as scheduled then, the numbers would have been off and we might have had to start over, but only in hindsight did I find her mistake. For the January incident, she was right, but so was I for following the same pattern she set in December.<br />
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Well, my workday is generally flexible, so I grabbed my papers and set off for Minneapolis. On a normal business day, the credit union is about 15 minutes from my office. On a normal day. On January 13, 2011, the Twin Cities received 8+ inches of snow, six of them by the time I headed out. It took just over 90 minutes to reach my destination. I won't bore you - further - with tales of sitting in traffic, except for one distraction that I enjoyed.<br />
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If you are familiar with I-394 eastbound in Minneapolis, you know that there is a chokepoint where it meets I-94. We call it the Lowry Tunnel exit because as soon as you clear the exit ramp, you go through the Lowry Hill Tunnel. We Minnesotans are awfully clever with our names. 394 eastbound carries a lot of traffic and about 2/3rds of it gets funnelled into a single, curvy lane and that causes a backup on a good day and on a snowy day, it can backup four miles or so. Like this day.<br />
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As you approach the Dunwoody exit, the last one before Lowry Tunnel, a fourth lane appears on the right. It's a brief extra lane, part of an on-ramp and off-ramp pair that are less than half a mile apart. A woman came off that on-ramp and her ultimate destination was Dunwoody, so even with the backup on the main three lanes, she had clear sailing to her exit. She was also driving one of those Honda four-wheel drive cars. Should have been easy for her. However...<br />
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I was in stop & go traffic, making maybe 5 MPH. This lady could could easily have gotten up to 30 MPH or so for the minute or so needed to get to her exit. I first noticed her in my rear-view mirror, where she would travel slowly, cautiously, and dare I say safely, up to about 20 MPH, then slam on her brakes. Four wheel drive and anti-lock brakes or not, in heavy, wet snow, you slide when you slam on the brakes. Slamming on her brakes caused the Honda to slip sideways, maybe 45-60 degrees to the right of center. When she had stopped completely and regained her composure, she would straighten out, then slowly, cautiously, and dare I say safely resume her trip and get her speed up to about 20 MPH, and do the whole thing over again. I saw her do it maybe three times in my mirror, twice while she was beside me, and another three times before I lost visibility around a curve. Considering I wasn't going anywhere, it was as entertaining as anything could be at that point, but not so much for the line of people that had formed behind her.<br />
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So I eventually got to the credit union and met with a junior loan officer. We started going over the paperwork and immediately realized that it was wrong in several places. You remember all those details I went over with the senior loan officer? Yeah, it appears she got all the information and did nothing with it. So, the paperwork had to be redone.<br />
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It all worked out. Everything that had to happen between the credit union and one-payment lender happened. I got my lower rate and have saved $11,148 in interest and PMI since. I mainly like dealing with the credit union more than the too big to fail banks, but I like Suntrust's web site better - the credit union doesn't allow you to apply extra principal without making a call, for example.<br />
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My trip home that day was only 75 minutes, which was a victory in and of itself. In the scheme of things, we shall lump all my annoyances and travails regarding the refi as first world problems.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-54436583754407165052014-10-05T09:19:00.002-05:002014-10-05T09:19:35.012-05:00Let There be LightI'm putting up christmas lights this year.<br />
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I know, I know! Who am I all of a sudden?<br />
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Well, the details tell the tale. I have a 12 foot deck on the front of my house. It has your basic railing system constructed of 2x4 cross members and 2x2 uprights. I bought a single, 9 ft strand of icicle lights (LEDs, of course) that I will attach to the top railing. Nothing fancy, just a little light and less than $10.<br />
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I went with all blue because I think that looks nice, and to avoid the glare of all-white lights if any of the light peeps in the house when I have the drapes open. It's all very middle-aged childless guy who lives alone. I was tempted to get a cascading set, but that would have been $40 for the same size and I have to draw the line somewhere. Yet, there are still a couple months of temptation that I will have to resist before the lighting season is over.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-6905078681438515612013-10-13T12:27:00.000-05:002013-10-13T12:27:09.654-05:00Whither Rose McIver, or, The Cautionary Tale of Sharon StoneNo, you've probably never heard of Rose McIver. She's a Kiwi actress, born in 1988, and hardly a household name. Tonight, however, we have a watershed moment in her career - her first appearance on <i>Once Upon a Time</i>, in the recurring role of <b>Tinkerbell</b>. It may very well be Rose's big break - we'll analyze that in a few years. Tonight, however, I will be watching <i>Once Upon a Time</i> with decidedly mixed feelings.<br />
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We're not to the Sharon Stone part yet.<br />
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I first became aware of Rose McIver on Febuary 3, 2010*, when watching <i>The Lovely Bones</i>. I didn't want to see the movie. It was about a story I had no interest in, by a film maker who made two of the worst movies in the history of cinema (<i>Lord of the Rings</i> and <i>King Kong</i> (2005)). The only reason I went is because Saoirse Ronan played the lead. I was blown away by her Academy Award nominated performance in <i>Atonement</i>, and she even rescued an otherwise awful <i>City of Ember</i> a year later. I put her on my 'must-see' list and so I went to see <i>The Lovely Bones</i> despite my misgivings. It's an awful movie, full of Oscar and Emmy winners and nominees, and with a big budget, but it's all-around bad. The novel didn't translate to the visual medium at all, the acting was generally wooden, the comic relief was jarring, the back-to-the-70s look was cliched and even the amazing Saoirse Ronan seemed to sleepwalk through entire scenes.<br />
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It was bad until late in the movie, when the lead character's younger sister decided to investigate her murder. She suspected a neighbor and broke into his house. I felt I was watching a real person, not just an actor in a movie. Instead of <b>watching</b> a movie, I was suddenly <b>experiencing</b> a movie. It's the feeling every moviegoer wants to feel. It's why I see 100 or more movies a year. And in a movie with so many handicaps, one actress playing an 18-year-old girl in a life-or-death situation made the magic happen.<br />
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After that, I started to pay attention to Rose McIver. It wasn't easy, since she's from New Zealand and doesn't work steadily in the US market. But in the next year and a half, I saw her in a couple of TV movies and I noticed that she made the movies better than they had any right to be. Her style is so natural that I automatically believe I'm seeing a character - a real person, actually - and not an actor.<br />
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Then, it got even better in an unbelievable fashion.<br />
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Have you heard of the <i>Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers</i>? Yeah, well, they're still on. They change the cast and setting every year or two but the show is still being produced. It also changes its name subtly every incarnation. In 2009, Rose McIver became the yellow ranger on <i>Power Rangers RPM</i>. I'm going to spare you any references to the Power Rangers formula, except that if you fast forward through the cheesy battle and morphing scenes in <i>RPM</i>, you get a pretty good post-apocalyptic story and you can finish an episode in 15 minutes or less. I streamed all 30 episodes on Neflix in 2011. Rose McIver's scenes were out of place - too good - in a program aimed at preteens. In fact, the whole show overshot what other incarnations of Power Rangers tried to do, in scope, vision and acting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OgPgmsSFicWAUJnWGCiwQYFyg-nN48liggtUNqBkooHX2i45ffr5gOHUcJXbfXFg4mYGvlzG1IICVseZ-cL36dC7oLiIanJscit-B_PCRcCw8h85gXxLX6v_OBK8ApmoyypLcwQMvfeM/s1600/Summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OgPgmsSFicWAUJnWGCiwQYFyg-nN48liggtUNqBkooHX2i45ffr5gOHUcJXbfXFg4mYGvlzG1IICVseZ-cL36dC7oLiIanJscit-B_PCRcCw8h85gXxLX6v_OBK8ApmoyypLcwQMvfeM/s1600/Summer.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
OK, so at this point, I've got to cop to a fanboy crush on Rose McIver. I saw something funny on the internet a while back that summarizes it best - a form titled "Marital Status." There were three check boxes: "Single," "Married," and "In a committed relationship with a celebrity that neither knows nor cares that I exist." I could check box number three. At least as a joke. Which brings us to Sharon Stone.<br />
<br />
The details are somewhat different, but in the early 1980s, when I should have been studying, I watched a lot of TV, and on several programs, I noticed a 20-something cutie named Sharon Stone here and there. I developed a bit of a crush on her as well, but not quite to the same degree as with Rose. Then, in the late 80s, came <i>Total Recall </i>and <i>Basic Instinct</i>, and Sharon Stone was a star. <b>Superstar</b>. You couldn't get away from the publicity and she went from being a working actress to a tabloid name brand and I stopped liking her. I stopped enjoying her work and when her flavor-of-the-month career crashed, I didn't care. I barely noticed. Fame and success took the 1980s Sharon Stone away from me.<br />
<br />
Tonight at 7:00 (8:00 Eastern and Pacific), Rose McIver will be presented to the country - nay, the world - in <i>Once Upon a Time</i> and who knows what will happen? 7.65 million people watched <i>Once Upon a Time</i> last week. That's a lot of people who will be seeing Tinkerbell tonight, and, if I'm allowed to project a little, a few will become smitten by her. Possibly a few casting agents. Will this be the beginning of a new star or just a steady paycheck for a working actress? Will my fanboy crush crash and burn? Time will tell. I wish Rose McIver well, but at the same time, I don't want to get Stoned.<br />
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* Yes, I spell 'Febuary' the way I pronounce it. It's my blog.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-24832464737259823782012-11-07T22:00:00.001-06:002012-11-07T22:00:11.010-06:00A Day Late and Several Votes Short<br />
I was perusing a news site a few minutes ago and found this ad targeted towards me. The top one of the three.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFg8tuP119Fxa_7Mpch-z1n8UKSoONVE5hRalHakfhHAiGhff3AE1mPJ5-3Ne1c6RPHwM7Y3hyphenhyphen1UFr6v53wbV2B41uw3MNHEVipvX0XWzvLBVNB6Viep_nJ-yNcOy_R40rvpDJ_L3P0SLy/s1600/STENY.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFg8tuP119Fxa_7Mpch-z1n8UKSoONVE5hRalHakfhHAiGhff3AE1mPJ5-3Ne1c6RPHwM7Y3hyphenhyphen1UFr6v53wbV2B41uw3MNHEVipvX0XWzvLBVNB6Viep_nJ-yNcOy_R40rvpDJ_L3P0SLy/s320/STENY.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Notice the date.<br />
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Two problems. First, I'm not in Representative Stensrud's district, so directing this ad at me was problematic. Second, THE ELECTION WAS YESTERDAY. "Private Sector Know How" people should know how to control their advertising better. "Common Sense" would be to put an end date on his advertising.<br />
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And oh, yeah, the doofus lost.<br />
Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-66719294412618070392012-08-27T09:59:00.000-05:002012-08-27T09:59:14.784-05:00A Little Reality, PleaseAs I listened to the news on independent media outlet NPR this morning, their esteemed Capitol pundit, Cokie Roberts, said the presidential race was neck and neck, or some similar cliche.<br />
<br />
No, it's not.<br />
<br />
As every third-grader in this country knows, the president is elected by the electoral college. The electoral college is, with only two exceptions, determined by winner-take-all votes on a state-by-state basis. This is not news. It's why we have swing states. It's why presidential candidates aren't campaigning in California, Texas or New York this year, but spending a lot of time and money in Ohio and Florida. This is not news.<br />
<br />
So why does every joker who gives us news start by referring to the national popular vote? It's meaningless. It's less than meaningless - it's misleading. It's a lie to even mention that there is such a thing as popular vote in a presidential election.<br />
<br />
The legendary poll-explainer Nate Silver at <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/">538.com</a> has a historical/projecting chart of the electoral college race. It's not even close. As of this morning, Barack Obama has 298 likely EC votes while Mitt Rmoney has 240. It takes 270 to win. It's not even close.<br />
<br />
Nate crunched some numbers - I don't understand how but I trust him - and determined that Obama has a 69% chance of winning in November; Romney has 31%. That's a far cry from the 46%-45% story that Ms Roberts and the rest of the punditocracy would have us believe. Reporting that would give the chattering class less to chat about, I suppose, but isn't it important for people who report the news to report the news?<br />
<br />
Anything can happen in politics and November is a long ways away, but let's report the news rather than the distraction, shall we?Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-37807263700106665932012-08-24T07:49:00.003-05:002012-08-24T07:49:56.472-05:0011111<br />
I loaded a new album into iTunes this morning (Journey's Frontiers, if you must know). At the bottom of the main iTunes screen, there is a summary of number of songs, how long it would take to play them all and how much disk space they take up. Look at my new number of titles.<br />
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Didn't plan it; it just happened. I'm a numbers guy. I like seeing totally meaningless yet elegant numbers. Enjoy.</div>
Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-21416735751187145512011-11-23T12:30:00.003-06:002011-11-23T12:41:38.780-06:00Alison Scott is a Class ActI've told you about Alison Scott before and I will continue to do so because the more I listen to her music, the better I like it.<br />
<br />
Ali's latest album, <i>Chinese Whispers</i>, came out in September, 2010. I was planning on going to the CD release party at the Fitzgerald Theater in St Paul, but I had a philosophical disagreement with Ticketmaster - they wanted me to pay some exorbitant handling fees; I did not.<br />
<br />
Instead of picking up the CD at the release party I skipped, I ordered it from Alison's web site. I figured I would put the greatest amount of cash in the artist's pocket by buying directly from the artist. I bought her previous two CDs from her in person and she was nice enough to autograph those CDs. Had trouble getting the wrappers off but was very nice.<br />
<br />
For <i>Chinese Whispers</i>, there was a comment box on the on-line order form. Since she signed the other CDs, I thought she might sign this one as well, so I entered a comment, "Would it be possible to get this CD autographed? Alas, when it arrived a week later, it was still in the shrink wrap, unsigned. That's fine. I figured she might be using a fulfillment house that made signed CDs impossible, or maybe did them only in person, or charged extra, or some completely innocent and understandable reason. I took no offense and I loved the album.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XMBb81tjepvh9X_vHRjjodT_cmAVk5RNy3t43ibbZjj_5fpP6sfPu8got9odu3iKu_n7RhAkhNdAJWh17INsn-tpu_RMEJmhScEy_NnqcVeEXRt_U-gvNIqsvYOalwkAANMzHoAAEhCo/s1600/Ali-CW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XMBb81tjepvh9X_vHRjjodT_cmAVk5RNy3t43ibbZjj_5fpP6sfPu8got9odu3iKu_n7RhAkhNdAJWh17INsn-tpu_RMEJmhScEy_NnqcVeEXRt_U-gvNIqsvYOalwkAANMzHoAAEhCo/s1600/Ali-CW.jpg" /></a></div><br />
A few weeks ago, I pick up the mail and see a craft-paper media mailer package in the midst of my junk mail. Curious. I had no unaccounted for on-line orders. I looked at the addressing. To: Me. From: Alison Scott. Curiouser. She doesn't have a new CD out and when she has songs to promote, she sends MP3 attachments to her mailing list people (like me). Why would she send something through the mail to me? And the mailer was filled out by Alison herself - I look at two of her autographed CDs every day and recognize her handwriting. Curious.<br />
<br />
Once I was back in the house, I opened the package. Out slides a <i>Chinese Whispers</i> CD with a sticky note attached.<br />
<br />
"Hey Patrick<br />
<br />
We were recently analyzing our 2010 online sales. I noticed that you had sent me a note asking me to sign your CD. Nobody ever attached a note to their order before, so I've never looked for one.<br />
<br />
I feel terrible that I may have appeared to ignore your request. Sorry for the delay. Better late than never I suppose.<br />
<br />
Alison"<br />
<br />
I peeled off the sticky note to reveal a personally signed CD of <i>Chinese Whispers</i>.<br />
<br />
She needn't have worried; it didn't bother me at all. Taking care of a single fan's inconsequential request a year after a CD purchase makes me appreciate the gesture even more.<br />
<br />
Alison Scott is a class act.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-2235675881533182982011-11-04T05:12:00.003-05:002011-11-23T12:55:38.873-06:00The Best Songs You've Never Heard, Volume 3Welcome to <b>The Best Songs You've Never Heard, Volume 3</b>. <a href="http://threepartsfoolish.blogspot.com/2010/06/best-songs-youve-never-heard-volume-1_04.html">Volumes 1</a> and <a href="http://threepartsfoolish.blogspot.com/2010/10/best-songs-youve-never-heard-volume-2.html">2</a> are this blog's most popular posts by far, so I hope many, many of you enjoy this list.<br />
<br />
The first two lists were designed to introduce my sister to a wider variety of good music. Volume 3 is designed to appeal to anyone on the internet who stumbles by. I realize that some of you will recognize a few of the songs or at least a few of the artists, but I hope there are enough obscure tunes and musicians in here to expand every reader's horizons several times.<br />
<br />
Without further ado, hear are <b>The Best Songs You've Never Heard, Volume 3</b>.<br />
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<br />
<b>Mother's Finest </b>- Baby Love (1978)<br />
writer: Joyce Kennedy, Glenn Murdock, Jerry Seay, Barry Borden, Gary Moore, Martin Keck<br />
album: <i>Another Mother Further</i><br />
<br />
This is not a cover of the Supremes' 'Baby Love.' It's better. Well, you decide. Mother's Finest was from Georgia and 'Baby Love' was a regional hit way back when. When I lived in Atlanta in the 90s, people would start dancing in their chairs the moment the opening notes came from the jukebox. It's a rocking, soulful blast of adrenaline that deserves to be played loudly and often.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Boz Scaggs</b> - You Got My Letter (1994)<br />
writer: Boz Scaggs<br />
album: <i>Some Change</i><br />
<br />
Boz Scaggs has always been hard to pin down. Even his three biggest hits, 'Lowdown,' 'Lido Shuffle,' and 'Look What You've Done to Me' don't even share a common genre (Jazz-Blues, Power Pop and Ballad, respectively). He continued that trend with his 1994 album <i>Some Change</i>. 'You Got My Letter' has a country feel to the rhythm section but the instruments are jazzy while the vocals are pure blues.<br />
<br />
Like I said, Boz is hard to pin down but he's made some great music over the last 40 years and 'You Got My Letter' is right up there, with a great beat and that unmistakable voice. I get the feeling that if played live, his band would just want to keep playing the song for 20 minutes or so. And I'd let them.<br />
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<br />
<b>Bering Strait</b> - Porushka-Paranya (2003)<br />
writer: traditional<br />
album: <i>Bering Strait</i><br />
<br />
I dare you to not get up and dance or at least tap your foot when listening to 'Porushka-Paranya.' It's like hoe-down music on speed. It's also in Russian, a duet between the two female voices of the now defunct band Bering Strait. The first voice you hear is Lydia Salnikova, who is one of my Facebook friends. Really. The other is Natasha Borzilova, and both are currently trying for solo careers in English-language music. Neither is being terribly successful, which I do not understand at all. Their music is country-tinged and very good, but not selling great guns. Except to me.<br />
<br />
'Porushka-Paranya' may be in Russian, a language I do not speak, but is really in the universal language of bluegrass. And fun. And joy. And as weak as my description of 'Porushka-Paranya' is, I really wish I could play a sample to convince you right now. Hi, Lydia!<br />
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<b>Sonny Landreth</b> - Bad Weather (1992)<br />
writer: Sonny Landreth<br />
album: <i>Outward Bound</i><br />
<br />
Sonny Landreth is a blues musician from Louisiana. He has a unique style, both in his singing and the way he plays his axe. He uses a slide on his left hand but also finger-picks with his right. Its's probably trippy to watch him play and it's certainly a joy to listen to.<br />
<br />
From early in his career, 'Bad Weather' is a good example of Landreth's talent with some wild guitar, great beat and infectious lyrics. And if you can tell the caliber of a musician by the company he keeps, you will occasionally see the name Mark Knopfler listed in the credits of Sonny's albums as a BACK UP musician.<br />
<br />
As a Louisiana resident, Landreth had to record a song about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Check out his 2008 song, 'Blue Tarp Blues,' perhaps the definitive song on the subject.<br />
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<b>Jon Astley</b> - Jane's Getting Serious (1987)<br />
writer: Jon Astley<br />
album: <i>Everybody Loves the Pilot (Except the Crew)</i><br />
<br />
Jon Astley doesn't even qualify for one-hit wonder status as 'Jane's Getting Serious' - his most successful release - didn't hit the top 40 at all but it did get a lot of play on rock stations. You can, I suppose, guess the subject of the song. It's layered with some funky percussion and a cool vocal arrangement that reinforces the bewilderment of the singer. <br />
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<b>Winifred Shaw</b> - The Lullaby of Broadway (1935)<br />
writer: Harry Warren, Al Dubin<br />
As shown in <i>Gold Diggers of 1935</i><br />
<br />
Oh, you've heard 'The Lullaby of Broadway' before, but never the original version. Written for the Busby Berkely movie, <i>Gold Diggers of 1935,</i> it must have been racy in its day, lauding Manhattan babies that party all night and sleep all day, and have sugar daddies buy their favors. How scandalous!<br />
<br />
In the movie, the song is used to introduce one of Berkeley's patented musical numbers. The stage curtain opens. An up-tempo, full orchestra tune - the one you recognize - plays. A small white disc appears at the extreme rear of the stage. The singer, not yet visible, begins singing the lyrics that will become iconic. The disc becomes larger. After about half a minute, you realize the growing disc is actually the singer's face, and the camera is dollying in towards her. By the time the song ends - it's barely two minutes long - the singer's face fills the screen, and she sings the last part in extreme - extreme - close up. The movie then goes off on an extended production number that is as complex as Shaw's song was simple, at one point having hundreds of dancers synchronized inside a restaurant, and tap dancers viewed from underneath a glass stage.<br />
<br />
Many people have sung 'The Lullaby of Broadway,' but only Shaw really captured it - the only one that could call it original. The fidelity is a bit thin for the modern ear, but it's a wonderful throwback.<br />
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<br />
<b>Pink Martini</b> - Lilly (2004)<br />
writer: China Forbes, Thomas Lauderdale<br />
<br />
First, my history with Pink Martini. Until I heard 'Lilly' in the background of a movie a while back, I had none. No history. Never heard of them. I downloaded 'Lilly,' then used Wikipedia to see who they were. Pink Martini's genre is World Music. I guess that means they have a brass section, extra percussion and occassionally sing in languages other than English. Lead singer China Forbes is in my music collection with exactly one other song - the pop-kitsch theme to the 1996 movie <i>Clueless</i>.<br />
<br />
A few months ago, Scott Simon interviewed the band on National Public Radio's <i>Weekend Edition Saturday</i>, and introduced them by saying that regular <i>WESAT</i> listeners need no introduction to Pink Martini. Waitaminute. I listen to <i>Weekend Edition</i> every Saturday and have for over a decade. Either Mr Simon was exagerating or I'm just not retaining information in my old age.<br />
<br />
'Lilly' is arranged in a 1940s-era saloon style, rhythmic, silky-smooth and brassy. I can picture it being sung in a smoky Rick's Cafe Americain by a band in tuxedos. Lilly is a bad girl - a classic and beloved temptress. Witness the opening lyrics:<br />
<br />
"Lilly comes when you stop to call her <br />
Lilly runs when you look away<br />
Lilly leaves kisses on your collar <br />
Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, stay!"<br />
<br />
I've had a few Lilly's in my life. I could use another one once in a while. The song - unlike the titular babe - is a keeper.<br />
<br />
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<b>Quarterflash</b> - Crazy Quilt (2008)<br />
writer: Marv Ross<br />
album: <i>Goodbye Uncle Buzz</i><br />
<br />
I put Quarterflash songs in the previous volumes of <b>The Best Songs You've Never Heard</b> and I did it for a reason. They're very good. For the past 30 years I have not been able to understand why the band never caught on with the pop music public. In 2008, the leaders of Quarterflash put out a solo album and slapped a disclaimer on the label admitting that they were the only members of Quarterflash to appear on the record. A classy thing to do.<br />
<br />
The melody of 'Crazy Quilt' caught my ear first. It's bouncy and kind of happy. Rindy Ross' vocals are unmistakable. It starts out with the singer telling us that she's worried about her friend, a quilter, who obsesses over her quilts, driving herself crazy trying to make them perfect. In the third verse, the singer tells us about herself and uses the same words to describe how she obsesses over the songs she writes. In other words, we're all part of the same crazy quilt.<br />
<br />
Unlike most Quarterflash songs, where the instrumental break features a saxophone solo, 'Crazy Quilt' uses what I believe to be a flute, probably played by Rindy Ross. It's melodic and very soothing. 'Crazy Quilt' would fit right in with the music on any Adult Contemporary radio station.<br />
<br />
My sister-in-law CJ is a quilter. Unlike the crazy quilter in the song, CJ makes quilts in copious quantities - she doesn't have time to obsess, and they all look fine to me. After I discovered 'Crazy Quilt,' I gave her a copy to see if she'd enjoy a cute and melodic song about her hobby/lifestyle. When she gave it back, she just shrugged. We don't talk about music anymore.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Henry Lee Summer </b>- Hey Baby (1989)<br />
album: <i>I've Got Everything</i><br />
<br />
'Hey Baby' is the only song in my collection by Henry Lee Summer. It hit number 18 on the pop charts so some of you may have heard it. 'Hey Baby' is your basic three-chord uptempo rocker about, what else, trying to land a babe. It could easily be mistaken for a Bryan Adams or John Mellencamp song, in the best possible way. <br />
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<b>Ellen Reid</b> - Anybody Will Do (2001)<br />
writer: Ellen Reid, Greg Wells<br />
album: <i>Cinderellen</i><br />
<br />
Ellen Reid is usually the back-up singer for Crash Test Dummies, a band I find unlistenable unless Ellen is singing lead. 'Anybody Will Do' is from her only solo album to date, and the only song from that album I've been able to find. Ellen has a great style and voice, and I would love to have more of her in my collection.<br />
<br />
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<b>Deadeye Dick</b> - Marguerite (1994)<br />
writer: Caleb Guillotte<br />
album: <i>A Different Story</i><br />
<br />
Like many people, I thought Deadeye Dick recorded only one song, the gimmick-laden but totally wonderful 'New Age Girl.' Nine years ago, I was perusing my buddy Joel's CD collection and saw that he had the album where 'New Age Girl' came from. I decided to rip a high-quality version of 'New Age Girl,' and, since it required no extra effort, ripped a copy of the full album and boy am I glad I did. The entire album is superb.<br />
<br />
Deadeye Dick is a remarkably tight band and Caleb Guillotte is a fantastic singer and songwriter. 'Marguerite' is an uptempo pop song with great lyrics and wonderful harmonies. I relistened just prior to sitting down to write this and I'll be dog-goned if the song isn't about missing a woman who died. Even without that extra meaning, perhaps in spite of the morose undertone, it's still a great, catchy tune.<br />
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<b>Kathy Mattea</b> - Quarter Moon (1991)<br />
writer: Bob Millard<br />
album: <i>Time Passes By</i><br />
<br />
Unlike Pink Martini, Kathy Mattea truly needs no introduction. <i>Time Passes By</i> was her sixth LP, going top 10 on the country charts and top 100 pop, but who really listened to little old track 7? 'Quarter Moon' doesn't fit within the rest of the Mattea canon - it's a bluesy, soulful tune about someone with nothing to lose.<br />
<br />
"Quarter Moon better than none when you travel the night road<br />
Quarter Moon better than none when you carry a light load"<br />
<br />
Kathy's never been shy about branching out from country but this is her only dive into the blues pool that I'm aware of. I kind of wish there were more. In 'Quarter Moon,' her powerful voice is subdued and she uses just a simple accoustic arrangement for the music. Simple, elegant and fantastic.<br />
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<b>India Arie</b> - Ghetto (2009)<br />
writer: Branden Burch, India Arie Simpson<br />
accoustic version as aired on NPR, recorded in Studio 4A<br />
<br />
India Arie needs no promotion from me. She's had four top ten albums and is no stranger to the R&B singles chart. Yet, when she was promoting <i>Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics</i> on <i>Weekend Edition Sunday</i> in 2009, I had never heard of her. As part of the interview, she did a live version of 'Ghetto,' a song on the album that wasn't released as a single. With just a rhythm guitar for backing, her soulful delivery blew me away. It's a very politically astute song as well, making the statement that the impoverished areas of the third world look an awfully lot like the ghettos and slums of the United States.<br />
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To find this version, go to NPR.org. Search with these keywords: <u>India.Arie: 'Love And Politics,' Live In Studio</u>. Watch the performance of 'Ghetto' recorded March 8, 2009, and/or listen to the whole interview.<br />
<br />
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<b>Alison Scott</b> - Crazy Game (2007)<br />
writer: Alison Scott<br />
album: <i>Wish on the Moon</i><br />
<br />
I've mentioned Alison Scott before, but for those too lazy to follow <a href="http://threepartsfoolish.blogspot.com/2010/07/alison-scott.html">this link</a>, she's a Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter working in any number of styles. I thought she did blues at first, then jazz, then pop, then who knows what. She even insists on rapping sometimes. No matter what style we call it, she plays catchy, soulful stuff that is downright irresistable.<br />
<br />
'Crazy Game' was the first Ali song I heard and it's still my favorite. I could have picked any number of songs for this list from her latest LP, <i>Chinese Whispers</i>, such as 'So Why?,' 'All the Good's Gone,' 'Long Way Down' or 'When the Needle Hits the Groove,' but for today, 'Crazy Game' is the one. Anyone who has ever heard a good song, and if you're reading this you obviously have, then you'll recognize Alison Scott's 'Crazy Game' as an immediately memorable, great song. <br />
<br />
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<b>Steve Lukather</b> - Stab in the Back (2008)<br />
writer: Steve Lukather, Randy Goodrum<br />
album: <i>Ever Changing Times</i><br />
<br />
I've pledged to write up this song without going off on a tangent about how Steve Lukather is one of the best guitarists in the history of the instrument, so give me a minute.<br />
<br />
OK. Luke, as he is known to his fans, was the lead guitarist for Toto and started releasing solo work starting in the late 1980s, during his Toto downtime. Fast forward to 2008, when he releases his first solo album in ten years. Its style is all over the road, something Luke fans seem to appreciate. The song that grabbed my ear first was 'Stab in the Back.' It's an allegory for music deals where the artist gets screwed but more importantly, it's a chance for a couple of patented Luke solos. The man can play.<br />
<br />
'Stab in the Back' is a very jazzy tune, with melodic vocals and some almost whimsical guitar licks. If the lyrics didn't contain mentions of cell phones and voice mail, you'd think it was a song off a Steely Dan album from the 1970s. It's that good.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Susanna Hoffs</b> - So Much for Love [edit] (1991)<br />
writer: John Hanes, Patricia Gilbert, Peter Dunne, Hilary Hanes<br />
album: <i>When You're a Boy</i><br />
<br />
In the Summer of 2008, I decided to flesh out my collection of artists that I appreciated but didn't possess their entire discography. Susanna Hoffs was one of those. You may know her as one of the Bangles. I picked up her 1991 album cheap - it may have been a penny - and loaded it on my music player. It's a fairly funky album but on my first listen-to, I wasn't impressed. On the second listen, though, something clicked.<br />
<br />
At that time I was living in a sub-let apartment in a should-have-been condemned building/slum across the street from my office. It was literally a three-minute cube-to-hovel walk. On a hot June or July day, walking back to the office from lunch, cut 7 from When You're a Boy started playing. The third verse caught my attention.<br />
<br />
"I got a contract to protect my labor<br />
I got it worded so it always works out in my favor<br />
Got no loose ends to untangle<br />
I got a written guarantee that covers every angle<br />
So much, so much for love"<br />
<br />
Until you listen for yourself, you have to imagine those words being sung by the voice that sang 'Manic Monday,' 'Eternal Flame' and the last verse of 'Walk Like an Egyptian.' It's very cynical, very funky and very fun. I think Susanna's record company missed out by not releasing 'So Much for Love' as a single 20 years ago.<br />
<br />
You may have noticed the word "edit" in the title above. After maybe a dozen listens, I realized the song was broken. Like many pop songs, 'So Much for Love' was arranged in the format of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus. I used my WAV editor, found a couple of natural edit points and killed the first chorus, changing v-c-v-c-v-c to v-v-c-v-c. The song flows better and builds up more musical tension this way, but if you don't have the ability to edit music files, hey, the stock version is still a great song.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Kay Hanley</b> - Satellite (2002)<br />
writer: Kay Hanley<br />
album: <i>Cherry Marmalade</i><br />
<br />
I love Kay Hanley's voice. It hits a resonate frequency deep within and brings me great joy. I don't always love her song selection and her propensity to drop the F-bomb makes me a little uneasy, but what can you do? Instinct tells me to put my favorite Kay song on this list, but the purpose of <b>The Best Songs You've Never Heard</b> is to expose you to great songs, not force you to like my favorites, even if they are sometimes one in the same. Having given it that much thought, I have chosen a Kay Hanley song that demonstrates her amazing singing and songwriting ability, even if it's not quite my actual favorite Kay song.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to 'Satellite,' from her first solo LP. She sings in a straight-forward pop style, with easy to understand lyrics and a chorus that is catchier than chicken pox at day care. I picked 'Satellite' in part because it uses overdubbing both to give her voice depth and so she can sing harmony-back up vocals herself. Those harmonies pop 'Satellite' up to a whole 'nother level of pop song.<br />
<br />
The song is a fairly opaque look at a break-up, one with dumper's remorse, I guess. The second thoughts allow Kay to sing with a little more emotion than on many of her songs, yet 'Satellite' is ultimately a happy sounding, up-tempo song. And you just have to love a song where the lyrics rhyme "black coat" with "Veuve Cliquot." I had to look it up - Veuve Cliquot is a brand of champagne. No, I have no idea what the word Satellite means in the context of the lyrics - it sounds like a person's name. No, she doesn't drop the F-bomb in this song.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Joan Osborne</b> - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? (2007)<br />
writer: William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, James Dean<br />
album: <i>Breakfast in Bed</i><br />
DVD: <i>Standing in the Shadows of Motown</i><br />
<br />
You've obviously heard the song 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?' This cover version was created for the documentary <i>Standing in the Shadows of Motown</i>, the story of the musicians behind the incredible success of Motown Records in the 1960s. The musicians playing on this cover are (mostly) the same ones that played on Jimmy Ruffin's original version in 1966. Who woulda thought that Joan Osborne had so much soul?<br />
<br />
I recommend watching the whole movie <i>Standing in the Shadows of Motown</i>, but at the very least, check out Joan's version of 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?' beginning at the 1:11 point in the movie. It's better than the original.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Steve Forbert</b> - On the Streets of This Town (1988)<br />
writer: Steve Forbert<br />
<br />
Everybody has heard Forbert's 'Romeo's Tune,' with its infectious piano and his sandpaper voice, but 'On the Streets of This Town' is a better song. It's a simple moving-on ballad with a sparse four-part arrangement that makes the most of that rough voice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Kenny Wayne Shepherd</b> - Everybody Gets the Blues (1995)<br />
writer: Angel Michael<br />
album: <i>Ledbetter Heights</i><br />
<br />
I'll close with one of the best feel-good songs in the history of recorded music. It's from Kenny Wayne Shepherd's early, hit-making days, but 'Everybody Gets the Blues' was not released as a single. It's a powerful, fast, exciting song that is a celebration. If something's got you down, it won't seem so bad after you listen to 'Everybody Gets the Blues.'<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And that concludes volume 3. I won't promise a volume 4, certainly not anytime soon. I will make an offer to burn a CD of this list for those of you who know me personally. For the rest, you will have to seek out the music through regular channels. I guarantee that many, no, most, no, ALL of the songs here are worth seeking out.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-89863474794364069542011-09-25T08:59:00.001-05:002011-11-04T04:23:03.163-05:00Let's Let Apple Be the Change We Want to SeeI read that Apple Inc is sitting on $76 billion in cash. Good for them. Apple puts out products that people want to buy and they make a profit on it. Fine by me.<br />
<br />
$76 billion is more than the annual GDP of over half of the countries in the world. Granted, some of the countries are pretty small but Apple is just one company in one industry. We can conclude that Apple is successful and profitable.<br />
<br />
Yet, this all-American company, selling phones, computers and music players to Americans, doesn't build anything in America. Everything they make is outsourced to Mexico or China. I understand that business is cyclical and that bad times will surely follow good, but with a $76 billion cushion, shouldn't Apple move all of their manufacturing back to the United States? Most companies will say that they outsource to save a few percentage points on manufacturing costs, but when your profits are so huge that you have more cash on hand than the United States treasury, can we let Apple use that excuse? Shouldn't we, the American consumer, insist that they become an all-American company?<br />
<br />
Hey, guy who replaced Steve Jobs as Apple CEO - Time to open some factories in the United States, dude. Now.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-25372401128155287092011-08-22T08:28:00.000-05:002011-08-22T08:28:19.601-05:00Who is Kim Kardashian?And why should I care that she got married this last weekend?<br />
<br />
Don't actually tell me, I don't really want to know. Just stop putting her picture on the front page of every web site I visit.<br />
<br />
Whoever this woman is, there have got to be many, many, many more legitimate news stories to lead with. How about the need for a trillion-dollar stimulus to get the economy going again? Famine and genocide in Africa? Kim Kardashian is more important than genocide, famine and joblessness?<br />
<br />
Please.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-15992988441817627712011-06-19T12:38:00.001-05:002011-06-19T12:40:49.798-05:00And the Hits Don't Stop Until We Get to the TopIn addition to my regularly posted glance at 10 songs that my music player played sequentially on Friday, let's analyze what are my de facto favorite songs.<br />
<br />
First, the random songs from Friday past:<br />
<br />
Pat Benatar - <b>Its a Tuff Life</b><br />
Joni Mitchell - <b>You Turn Me on I'm a Radio</b><br />
Fats Domino - <b>I Hear You Knocking</b><br />
Pink Floyd - <b>The Dogs of War</b><br />
Dana Glover - <b>It is You (I Have Loved)</b><br />
From the harsh, operatic Pink Floyd tune to Glover's super-syrupy ballad. Jolting on paper. Harder on the ears.<br />
Kathy Mattea - <b>Give It Away</b><br />
Bangles - <b>Stealing Rosemary</b><br />
George Benson - <b>Jamaica</b><br />
Charley Pride - <b>Is Anyone Going to San Antone?</b><br />
Reba McEntire - <b>I'm Not That Lonely Yet</b><br />
<br />
<br />
I built a new computer two years ago this week. I loaded a fresh version of iTunes and imported all my music with playcounts of 0. Most of the time, I listen to a playlist that plays songs at random, excluding songs that have been played in the past four months or so. To listen to a song again, I would have to play it as part of an album, select it manually or drop it into a special playlist. Manual is work - I select songs to replay infrequently. Most songs in my collection have 4 or 5 plays. You can see which songs I've chosen to listen to manually because they have higher counts and sometimes quite a bit higher. Now, two years later, we can see some definite trends about what I like to listen to based on playcounts above the random baseline. And I'm surprised by the results - no Beatles, no Rolling Stones, no Boston, nothing that would be considered "classic."<br />
<br />
Four songs tied for 13th place with 13 plays.<br />
Bering Strait - <b>Porushka-Paranya</b><br />
Natasha Borzilova - <b>Real Fight</b><br />
Natasha was one of the two singers for Bering Strait. Just a coincidence that she has two songs back to back.<br />
Pink Martini - <b>Lilly</b><br />
Shannon Curfman with Joe Bonamassa - <b>The Core</b><br />
I've mentioned Shannon before. This is a remake of the 1977 Eric Clapton - Marcy Levy song.<br />
<br />
Two songs tied at 11th place with 14 plays.<br />
Jim Capaldi - <b>Love Hurts</b><br />
Sarah Shannon - <b>What's Mine</b><br />
Every song I have of Sarah's has a higher-than-average play count. I wish I had more of her than just 24 songs.<br />
<br />
Two songs with 15 plays come in at number 9.<br />
Debbie Gibson - <b>Only in My Dreams</b><br />
The Jayhawks - <b>Save it for a Rainy Day</b><br />
The Jayhawks are from Minnesota. I also have an acoustic version of <i>Save it for a Rainy Day</i> with four plays, so maybe they get extra credit.<br />
<br />
Another pair tied for 7th with 16 plays.<br />
Soul Asylum - <b>Runaway Train</b><br />
Another Minnesota band<br />
Kay Hanley - <b>Satellite</b><br />
I've also mentioned Kay before. Her voice is amazing. Of the 16 plays for <i>Satellite</i> in the past two years, probably 12 came in the past 12 days. I remember listening passively at work about two weeks ago and hearing a really fabulous song. When I got home, I played <i>Satellite</i> again and realized I had never really listened to the song before, not fully. I don't understand how that one got by me - I've had the album for over three years - but now that I'm aware of it and truly appreciating it, I'm going to listen to it over and over and over.<br />
<br />
6th place, 17 plays<br />
Amanda Abizaid - <b>A Place in Time</b><br />
This is the theme song to the TV show <i>The 4400</i>. It's only one minute long but it's pretty much perfect. It's just over too soon.<br />
<br />
In 5th place with 19 plays...<br />
Alison Scott - <b>Smash and Grab</b><br />
From Ali's most recent album, which I bought on September 1, 2010.<br />
<br />
4th place, 21 plays<br />
Jim Capaldi - <b>That's Love</b><br />
This was my most listened to song before I built the new computer.<br />
<br />
3rd place, 23 plays<br />
Alison Scott - <b>Crazy Game</b><br />
One year ago, I had not heard of Alison Scott. In the past 360 days, I've met her, purchased all of her music, and spent many hours enjoying listening. <i>Crazy Game</i> is the first song of hers that I heard and still my favorite, if I had to choose.<br />
<br />
2nd place, 31 plays<br />
Kay Hanley - <b>Mean Streak (Do You Miss Me, Too?)</b><br />
Plus two live versions with a combined 12 plays. That pushes <i>Mean Streak</i> up to 43 total plays, but not quite enough to hit number 1...<br />
<br />
1st place, 44 plays<br />
Kay Hanley - <b>Tell Him No</b><br />
Last year, when I did a one-year <a href="http://threepartsfoolish.blogspot.com/2010/06/one-year-of-music-on-new-computer.html">update</a>, these two songs were also 1-2, and by about the same ratio. Again, I'm being consistent. I will ponder to myself whether I'm too consistent. I just love Kay's voice and her phrasing. I don't love every song of hers but isn't that how it goes with art?<br />
<br />
I find it interesting that only four of the 16 songs mentioned ever hit the Top 40 and only one was a top 10 hit. Don't know what it means but I find it interesting.<br />
<br />
Now that I've got this post out of the way, I wonder what I should do with the rest of the day? Maybe I'll listen to some music.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-88834538635934075332011-06-12T15:26:00.000-05:002011-06-12T15:26:08.849-05:0010 Random Songs on FridayAlthough the year of release of these songs is across the board, eight of the ten are big acts from the 1970s.<br />
<br />
Highway 101 - Who's Lonely Now?<br />
Joni Mitchell - Help Me<br />
Alison Scott - Rock Me Sweetly<br />
Boston - What's Your Name?<br />
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - You'll Accompany Me<br />
Donnie Iris - She's So Wild<br />
Jackson Browne - Hold Out<br />
Dire Straits - Iron Hand<br />
Steve Miller Band - Space Intro + Fly Like An Eagle<br />
Lynyrd Skynyrd - That SmellPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-35737007044616756242011-06-03T20:20:00.000-05:002011-06-03T20:20:15.551-05:0010 Random Songs on FridayNo post last week, as I took Friday off of work and listened to podcasts all day. Today I worked and listened to 88 tunes. Here are a random ten:<br />
<br />
Chynna Phillips - Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me<br />
Eddie Money - Give Me Some Water<br />
Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar on Me<br />
<span style="color: blue;"> A serendipitous pairing. <em>Give Me Some Water</em>, then <em>Pour Some Sugar on Me</em>. Sounds like someone wants to be covered in a simple syrup.</span><br />
Little River Band - Lonesome Loser<br />
Kathy Mattea - Guns of Love<br />
Doobie Brothers - Echoes of Love<br />
<span style="color: blue;"> Another serendiptous pairing. Of course, the sounds that <em>Guns of Love</em> make would be <em>Echoes of Love</em>. Duh.</span><br />
Susan Tedeschi - Back to the River<br />
Sweet Sensation - Sad, Sweet Dreamer<br />
Gerry Rafferty - Right Down the Line<br />
Daryl Hall and John Oates - Getaway CarPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-12285867906153587632011-05-30T21:34:00.000-05:002011-05-30T21:34:07.017-05:00Bon Voyage, Liane HansenYesterday was the last broadcast of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday with Liane Hansen. Liane has been with NPR for 35 years and host of WESUN for over 20, so no one will begrudge her retiring. Yet it's a little sad to see her go.<br />
<br />
I've been listening to WESUN regularly since 1999, and since I installed a client in my computer to record off the radio, I haven't missed a single program in ages (circa 2003). Liane has introduced me to hundreds of newsmakers, entertainers, analysts and other notables. Organizing my Sunday morning around the 7:00-9:00 AM block has kept me informed, entertained and well rounded for over a decade.<br />
<br />
My first real memory of Weekend Edition Sunday, of course, had to do with listening to the Sunday puzzle and enjoying it so much I sought out the program the next week. And the next. And the next. The Sunday puzzle is run by Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword editor. I, and several million regular WESUN listeners got to know Will before he got all famous starting it 2005 or so. The genuine friendship between Liane and Will comes across on the radio. Will's puzzle segment will be continuing post Liane.<br />
<br />
It was a Sunday puzzle where I first heard the name Britney Spears (What entertainer's name can be anagrammed "Presbyterian?"). Being well rounded doesn't necessarily mean having one's finger on the pulse of pop culture, don't ya know, as Britney had been around for several years prior to that puzzle. Ironically, it was fill-in host Lynn Neary who had the biggest influence on my musical world when she interviewed singer Sarah Shannon in April, 2002. I immediately fell in love with her voice and still listen to Sarah as often as I can. Hey, a song of hers just popped up on my random playlist as I wrote this.<br />
<br />
Liane Hansen has been that friendly voice on the other side of the radio for over a decade but a lifetime ago, I used to be a person inside the radio. I know my impression of her is not reflective of reality - people are never exactly who they appear to be in the media - but it's hard not to get attached to someone whom you bring into your home week after week, is very professional and just so nice. So off to retirement Liane, whoever you really are. I have enjoyed having you in my life for the past twelve years.<br />
<br />
Liane will be replaced on a permanent basis by Audie Cornish, an NPR reporter and fill-in host. I've heard Audie file lots of stories and appear on WESUN several times. About the time I first became aware of Audie, I also saw a movie with actress Abbie Cornish, so my brain cross-wired them. This is my mental image of Audie Cornish:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJETNW98LX3r-jHRrXaVFDa06BcXfszj1doF3zjugOV4gjC6zaC3RfB0ufBWlWL9-Nf1lgTH_5hOAqtBcXLA4gQAhHpJEq3UUxxyLefLUSPOXjxW3TcTYhTh5JJzFRuCX5ybUzWs0-pb5/s1600/abbie_cornish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJETNW98LX3r-jHRrXaVFDa06BcXfszj1doF3zjugOV4gjC6zaC3RfB0ufBWlWL9-Nf1lgTH_5hOAqtBcXLA4gQAhHpJEq3UUxxyLefLUSPOXjxW3TcTYhTh5JJzFRuCX5ybUzWs0-pb5/s200/abbie_cornish.jpg" width="143" /></a></div><br />
I don't ever need to know what Audie really looks like. I'm quite content thinking she looks like Abbie.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-24485286717077316822011-05-22T06:27:00.001-05:002011-05-22T06:28:06.392-05:0010 Random Songs on FridayWalter Egan - The Blonde in the Blue T-Bird<br />
Van Morrison - The Lion This Time<br />
Pretenders - Jealous Dogs<br />
Susan Tedeschi - Gonna Move (live)<br />
<span style="color: blue;">From her 2004 album <i>Live in Austin</i>. I like the studio version better but this one's OK.</span><br />
Kylie Minogue - Stars<br />
<span style="color: blue;">It's been a while since I've loved a Kylie song but I just can't stop listening.</span><br />
Chicago - Hot Streets<br />
Karen Mok - Candy Kisses<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Karen is a movie star and singer based in Hong Kong. <em>Candy Kisses</em> is in both English and Chinese.</span><br />
The Mamas and the Papas - Creeque Alley<br />
<span style="color: blue;">If you listen to the second verse closely, you'll hear that Cass Elliot attended Swarthmore College.</span><br />
The Police - Every Little Thing She Does is Magic<br />
Carla Thomas - Something Good (is Going to Happen to You)Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402926411093933673.post-20472543246321042202011-05-15T09:36:00.001-05:002011-05-15T09:37:08.524-05:00Take a Look at This<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I upgraded a monitor a little while ago. The price of large monitors came down to a reasonable point, so I decided to replace a fully functional 19" LCD with someting larger. I went with a 28" I-Inc. Yes, I said 28" diagonal measurement. No, I had never heard of I-Inc, either, but it's working just fine.</div><br />
Here is a before and after comparison. Yes, my computer desk exists in a constant state of clutter.<br />
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaPdj_34qzZArPi2x1V2MX-p8sPVxgG2OSQFEWu58hgu7TD-cxKfRjTgetqua5hxAMA4s9vFhGGV-SGHxJI5h8XC22SpZkAQ5f1XBZVfTUY9BN_i5vjKvnk6HDy6DPwW0l2mb1A_s9yG8W/s1600/OLD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaPdj_34qzZArPi2x1V2MX-p8sPVxgG2OSQFEWu58hgu7TD-cxKfRjTgetqua5hxAMA4s9vFhGGV-SGHxJI5h8XC22SpZkAQ5f1XBZVfTUY9BN_i5vjKvnk6HDy6DPwW0l2mb1A_s9yG8W/s400/OLD.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZzzuKq8zSTILn7mCqtMsSdhTBqhOO_62C_yGCCjvY6g_N4yHD5nOEivRVUMXvPdcKplDqLXfTxlgXNHeYbh5595wImOW8T7OhxWgKQMhTSfwj6ZVVjZOAueOOkOlJ1uqJVFt8aOmxQ_r/s1600/NEW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZzzuKq8zSTILn7mCqtMsSdhTBqhOO_62C_yGCCjvY6g_N4yHD5nOEivRVUMXvPdcKplDqLXfTxlgXNHeYbh5595wImOW8T7OhxWgKQMhTSfwj6ZVVjZOAueOOkOlJ1uqJVFt8aOmxQ_r/s400/NEW.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
To give you an idea of of the scale, that poster of <i>Ramona and Beezus</i> is 27" wide. Oh, and the scrumptious young lady in the background picture on the new monitor is Eve Myles, in a promo picture from the BBC series <i>Torchwood</i>.<br />
<br />
So you're wondering why the monitor on the right is sideways. It's because web sites are taller than they are wide, like a sheet of paper. When you view web sites on a conventionally-oriented widescreen monitor, you have a bunch of unused space on the right side and you have to scroll down numerous times to get to the bottom of the page. By flipping the monitor, most web pages fit perfectally side-by-side, and I don't have to scroll as often as you do to get to the bottom of the page. It's not just web pages, some spreadsheets, word docs, programs and pictures like to be vertical, so I like to have one horizontal and one vertical monitor.<br />
<br />
With the new and exciting, however, comes some downsides. The new monitor's native resolution is 1920x1080 with 32-bit color. However, my computer wll only support 1920x1080 at 16-bits. That may not sound like much of a difference, but it's huge. Colors turn grainy and are generally unviewable, so I've opted to run the monitor at a resolution of 1680x1050. That doesn't give me the real estate I'd hoped for but at least the colors aren't headache-inducing. I could get a new video card that would support a higher resolution but that increases the overall cost of the project and, most importantly, it's one more decision to make so I haven't done anything about it yet.<br />
<br />
Another downside is realizing that the vertical monitor is a piece of garbage. When I got it in 2007, it was fairly expensive, and as a Samsung 23", it was considered top of the line. Right from out of the box, I thought it looked no better than the generic 19" next to it. The Samsung also wasn't very bright, but I just went with it. Then the power switch broke. You can't turn it on or off with the power switch anymore, but by using the menu or auto buttons on the bottom. The problem with the menu button reassigning itself as a power button is that I can no longer adjust the brightness. Now sitting side-by-side with a very bright 28" monitor, the Samsung looks remarkably dim. To sum up this downside, the new monitor has shown me that I really need to upgrade the tall monitor as well, which would, by definition, double the cost of the upgrade project. Another decision I don't want to make.<br />
<br />
I'll leave you with the full image of the <i>Ramona and Beezus</i> poster, in case you aren't familiar with it and, really, just because it's cute. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOty0mfl4F70HfNw5-XDqAuMmb-6Z4aPVJgUbd5EoH-5kh4WiKW8yHMXcnGCYLwevtnFk5v7z-vXR9WjnHBDV2chyphenhyphenTGWcVstihBx4z57FP0i4ap4aV6R99eqJxK8Kk02h7fX10dlnsOQK/s1600/ramona_and_beezus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOty0mfl4F70HfNw5-XDqAuMmb-6Z4aPVJgUbd5EoH-5kh4WiKW8yHMXcnGCYLwevtnFk5v7z-vXR9WjnHBDV2chyphenhyphenTGWcVstihBx4z57FP0i4ap4aV6R99eqJxK8Kk02h7fX10dlnsOQK/s400/ramona_and_beezus.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286520896609017879noreply@blogger.com0