This week we've been talking a lot about old toys, as we get ready for our Toys for Tots benefit coming up next weekend at the Majestic Theatre.
Some of the toys that have gone by the wayside were pretty amazing.
For example: the Mattel Agent Zero Radio-Rifle. Child actor Kurt Russel made a pretty convincing spy as he sold us on the benefits of this tool, essential for any member of the counterintelligence community.
It's probably considered a little too violent for the 2010s, but I want one!
You know the holidays are almost here when companies start rolling out their limited edition holiday flavors.
You can snap up minty M&M's in holiday colors, gingerbread Pop-Tarts, and peppermint flavored marshmallows. McDonalds has egg nog shakes and Holiday Mint McFlurries. Pringles even came out with pumpkin pie spice and white chocolate peppermint potato chips.
But there's one holiday item that so far is only available in Taiwan. Roasted Turkey Doritos!
Sometimes you just don't have the time to cook an entire turkey. Making the stuffing is labor intensive and even thawing the bird is time consuming. So the idea of having a snack item as convenient as a turkey flavored tortilla chip is very appealing to me! As an added bonus the Christmas tree shape is extra festive!
I just have one question...should I serve them with gravy or cranberry flavored dip?
What's your favorite holiday TV show? Is it the Grinch? Maybe Rudolph?
Do you know which show includes this line: "This commercial dog is not going to ruin my Christmas.."?
Luckily, you'll have many chances to let TV put you in the festive mood. If you like Christmas movies, the Family channel has them just about 24/7, and TBS is once again running it's A Christmas Story marathon on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. NBC gets things rolling December 1st with It's A Wonderful Life.
Schedules subject to change. Check your local listings.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer--CBS Dec. 4th at 7pm Also Dec. 14 at 7pm.
Frosty the Snowman-- CBS Dec. 8th at 7pm. Followed by Frosty Returns.
Disney's Prep and Landing, and Disney's Prep and Landing 2--ABC Dec. 9th at 7pm
Santa Claus is Coming to Town--ABC Dec.11 at 7pm.
A Muppets Christmas--CW Dec. 11 at 8pm
Yes Virginia CBS--Dec. 14 at 7pm
The Elf on the Shelf--CBS Dec. 14 at 7:30pm
America's Funniest Videos presents the funniest Christmas videos ever--ABC Dec. 16 at 6pm
A Charlie Brown Christmas--ABC December 18 at 7pm
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer--CW Dec. 21 at 8pm
A Chipmunk Christmas--ABC Dec. 22 at 7:30pm
Shrek the Halls--ABC Dec. 24 at 7:30pm
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas--ABC Dec. 25 at 7:00pm
Hendrix at 70 by Kitty Dunn,posted Nov 27 2012 11:27AM
Jimi Hendrix would have turned 70 on November 27, 2012, and it's an interesting exercise to imagine what he would have been like if he lived long enough to be a septuagenerian.
He was obviously very intelligent, if soft-spoken. Would he have tried to wield his interest in the field of politics? Unlikely, when you consider comments he made to Dick Cavett in an interview, when he said pretty soon we'd have to rely on music for our direction, moreso than politics, which was an "ego scene."
Musically, Jimi was starting to branch out into more jazz when he died. Would he have taken that further, or gone back to his rock and roll roots? Would he be playing the rock and roll revival circuit, hitting Summerfest or county fairs?
One thing I'm pretty sure of. He would NOT have been a celebrity judge on American Idol.
Check out how articulate Jimi is in this interview with Dick Cavett. It's hard to believe he was only 27 when we lost him.
Everybody likes getting great deals for Christmas presents..as evidenced by long lines and ridiculous scuffles on Black Friday. Some avoid the lines by shopping on Cyber Monday.
Others prefer to give items which they paid absolutely NOTHING for.
I saw on the web somewhere a list of some of the really crappy crappy stuff you can get for free on Craigslist, and most of those items were from places far and wide. So I decided to surf over to the free listings for Madison, and I found some pretty amazing things.
* From Oregon: 5 large 3-ring binders (Sorry Mitt, no binders full of women)
* From Mt. Horeb: antler plaques (just the wooden pieces that you attach deer antlers to. Apparently this year's hunting season was not successful).
* From Waunakee: Mini-pellet goldfish food (one 8.8 ounce bag). Lest ye think the worst--the goldfish (Oscar) is fine..he just prefers the bigger pellets.
*From Madison: Ripped blue jeans, adult size, lots of rips and holes. The more rips and holes the better, I say.
*From Madison: Small dog jacket, blue. "Fitted our beagle up to 1 1/2 years."
And my favorite free gift idea of all:
*From DeForest: 1967, sturdy, salmon colored toilet. (Catch it before it swims upstream).
My dad (pictured above) grew up in the Northwoods and started hunting as a teenager. I know he got his deer quite often back in the day, but by the time I was around and paying attention, he was not exactly the Great White Hunter.
In fact, he only bagged a deer once that I can remember. What I do recall very clearly is the elaborate process he undertook to get ready for hunting. This not only included sighting in his gun, he had to get all the blaze orange clothing ready, buy ammunition, and stock up on food to enjoy while he was out in the woods.
I was a little annoyed that he always bought Hershey's Chocolate bars with him "for energy" but did not share them with me. But I was all too happy to not try something else that was part of his hunting menu: head cheese sandwiches.
Now "head cheese" looks like a bunch of spare animal parts held together by gelatinous goo, and what it really is doesn't differ much from that description.
From wikipedia: "Head cheese is not a cheese, but a meat jelly made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig, sometimes a sheep or cow. and often set in aspic. Which parts of the head are used can vary, but the brain, eyes, and ears are usually removed. The tongue, and sometimes even the feet and heart may be included."
I'm not sure if he ate that to bring out his inner warrior, or just to make venison seem tasty in comparison.
All I know is that Head Cheese Sandwich would make a great name for a band.
"How in the heck can you be Irish and not like potatoes?"
That was a question I was asked over and over as a kid..and even into adulthood. The only kind of potatoes I would eat were potato chips, tater tots, and french fries.
Mashed potatoes were abhorrent to me. When I took school lunch, I was very grossed out by the idea of chicken a la king...so much so that I said "hold the a la king" and would just have a big scoop of chicken and gravy.
At some point I added hash browns to my acceptable menu..but only if they were really crispy and served with ketchup (and thus were more fry-like).
I was in my mid-30's before I even tried potato salad. And guess what? I liked it! And I now eat mashed potatoes---and really love them if they're extra buttery or made with those baby red-skinned potatoes.
But if I were forced to eat school lunch I'd probably still say "hold the a la king."
In honor of this little episode of spud self-disclosure, here's Paul McCartney making mashed potatoes. Enjoy.
Can some one who doesn't really like Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons like the musical Jersey Boys?
It features a whole lot of Four Seasons songs...a lot of falsetto. A lot of doo-woppiness.
None of which I enjoy.
But this musical was FANTASTIC. I went Friday night to see Jersey Boys at Overture Center, and I wasn't sure that I would like it, because I've never been a fan of songs like "Sherry Baby," "Rag Doll," or even "Oh What a Night (December 1963)."
The singing is great, the story has a little bit of everything..mob drama, comedy..and a little sex thrown in for good measure. I wasn't bothered by the "authentic Jersey language" that was featured. And I really enjoyed seeing some of the older members of the audience getting into the music...some of them couldn't help but start dancing!
If you like the music of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, you'll love this show. If you change the radio station every time any of their music comes on, you'll still love it!
And you know, I may not change the station the next time I hear one of their songs on the radio. And if you go see the play, you'll understand why Franki Vallie did stuff like this chewing gum commercial.
Jersey Boys runs through November 25th at Overture Center for the Arts. Ticket prices start at $33.50. Click here for more info.
A lot of people malign the electoral college as a method for electing presidential candidates. But I have to admit, I love it.
I love watching the pundits put together the different combinations of states that would lead to the 270 votes, even thought I hate the word "pundits."
I think it all goes back to the board game "Landslide" which I got as a Christmas present in the early 70s. Basically, you went around the board and landed on spaces and got to bid on states with money, and "win votes." Sometimes you would get a tiny state with a very low number of electoral votes, and others times you'd pick up a doozie like California, which back then had 45.
I don't think the game was a real big hit, because it came out around the same time as the Watergate scandal hit, and every one was basically sick and tired of anything to do with politics.
Or maybe, they just didn't share my enthusiasm for the electoral college.
Yeah, I got to hang out with Bruce Springsteen and President Obama on the day before election day.
Jonathan and I hung out in the press area, and while he manned the recording equipment, I wandered around to get the best view. And of course..the best sound, which turned out to be right behind the sound board, of course.
I had seen Bruce 8 years ago when he stumped for John Kerry, so this experience didn't have the "wow" factor for me that that one did, but it was still pretty cool. And it was the 2nd time I got to see a sitting president live. I must say he was more inspiring than Jimmy Carter, who I got to see (and shake hands with) back in 1979.
Here's Bruce with the campaign song he made up, especially for the President.
It was just announced that some folks who really love New York and New Jersey will headline a benefit to be broadcast on NBC and all the NBC Universal networks Friday night at 7pm central.
Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Sting, Christina Aguilera, Jimmy Fallon and newsman Brian Wiliams are all scheduled to appear for the concert that's being called "Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together."
Money collected will go to the American Red Cross, which is providing food, shelter and other support to those affected by the hurricane and other disasters. To donate, visit RedCross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
The Broadway musical Wicked has flown back into town, thrilling fans at the Overture Center now through June 9th.
I got a chance to see the production for the 2nd time last night, and once again was blown away. Even though I saw Wicked in 2010, I had...
Today we traveled back to 1975 for a Rendezvous with The Hudson Brothers. This song didn't make it to high on the charts, but Kitty enjoyed it. Her favorite brother was Brett. She also loved their television show. We've included a skit from...
I'm not sure why Pete Yorn decided to name his new music project after a European cave dwelling aquatic salamander, but if he stops by to play us some songs in Studio M, we'll have to ask him.
The Olms is a collaboration between Pete Yorn and...
Today's song was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. It was inspired by the 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago. No one was inspired by the song this morning. It was rejected by almost all the listeners.
Today is World Goth Day, a day to celebrate the post-punk, anti-establishment, dark clothes-wearing subculture.
I'm pretty sure I was a Goth for at least for little while, for two reasons.
1) I almost hardly ever wear pastels.
2) I used to...
Hello to all from Nfusion. Another round of challenges has moved beyond us all. Congrats to those of us lucky enough to have survived to this point. Sad to see the others eliminated as they were all very creative and talented. Good Bye to our new friends...
This morning it seemed like just about everyone was in the mood for some Funky Cold Medina...except Kitty. This ridiculous song made it all the way to number 3 in 1989. Jonathan says any song that references advertising dogs from the 80's has got...
Madison's summer music festival season kicks off this weekend with Brat Fest at Willow Island, where there are more bands than you can shake a bratwurst at! Check out the Brat Fest website to plan your itinerary.
Next up is the Marquette...
The Broadway musical Wicked has flown back into town, thrilling fans at the Overture Center now through June 9th.
I got a chance to see the production for the 2nd time last night, and once again was blown away. Even though I saw Wicked in 2010, I had...
Today we traveled back to 1975 for a Rendezvous with The Hudson Brothers. This song didn't make it to high on the charts, but Kitty enjoyed it. Her favorite brother was Brett. She also loved their television show. We've included a skit from...
I'm not sure why Pete Yorn decided to name his new music project after a European cave dwelling aquatic salamander, but if he stops by to play us some songs in Studio M, we'll have to ask him.
The Olms is a collaboration between Pete Yorn and...
Today's song was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. It was inspired by the 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago. No one was inspired by the song this morning. It was rejected by almost all the listeners.
Today is World Goth Day, a day to celebrate the post-punk, anti-establishment, dark clothes-wearing subculture.
I'm pretty sure I was a Goth for at least for little while, for two reasons.
1) I almost hardly ever wear pastels.
2) I used to...
Hello to all from Nfusion. Another round of challenges has moved beyond us all. Congrats to those of us lucky enough to have survived to this point. Sad to see the others eliminated as they were all very creative and talented. Good Bye to our new friends...
This morning it seemed like just about everyone was in the mood for some Funky Cold Medina...except Kitty. This ridiculous song made it all the way to number 3 in 1989. Jonathan says any song that references advertising dogs from the 80's has got...
Madison's summer music festival season kicks off this weekend with Brat Fest at Willow Island, where there are more bands than you can shake a bratwurst at! Check out the Brat Fest website to plan your itinerary.
Next up is the Marquette...
