Haines His Way

Archives => Archive 1 => Topic started by: bk on April 28, 2004, 12:00:40 AM

Title: TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 12:00:40 AM
Well, you've read the notes - true?  You're ready to post with true grit and/or grits, you're ready to ask and be asked and to love and be loved, so post away, my pretties, whilst I gird my loins against the smell of the Dead Rodent.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Tomovoz on April 28, 2004, 12:12:26 AM
Should we be asking questions about John Wayne or Glen Campbell I wonder. Maybe it is a Don Black sort of day. Maybe it is an Elmer Bernstein day.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 12:14:08 AM
Dear BK: Is there any chance that you might put together a collection of Randy Vicar tales for your follow-up to your mystery novel?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 12:28:57 AM
What a splendid idea - The Randy Vicar and the Tawdry Tales.  Yes, I think it's a must, and it must include the best story, The Randy Vicar and the Electric Socket.

Now, who in tarnation is jillysbeans?  Come say hello jillysbeans - we love your name.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 12:38:29 AM
And a very happy birthday to our proxy birthday boy, Joe.

(http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/party/party-smiley-015.gif)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 12:40:29 AM
Welcome seven GUESTS.  I'm just biding my time cause that's the kind of Guy I'm.  I'm delaying the visit to the Dead Rodent bedroom for at least another ten minutes.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Tomovoz on April 28, 2004, 12:44:34 AM
Indeed the very best wishes to Joe for his birthday. May this year be extra special in the absolute most wonderful ways.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 04:56:54 AM
Good morning, all! I see I'm the only person online right now, but there's no spy count, and I know I'm not alone.  Yesterday morning, I woke up with either a cold or a terrible allergy day:  fuzzy throat, clogged head, and a general feeling of malaise.  I took some allergy/sinus nonsense, but I'm still feeling rather cruddy this morning.  I spent most of the day working on my final Mickey-Judy number and napping.  I did listen to a classic Bollywood CD, courtesy of DR MBarnum, which I enjoyed very much.

Dear Friend BK, I cannot post my solution to the rotting body within your walls, buit was I remotely close?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Tomovoz on April 28, 2004, 05:02:02 AM
You are still not alone. Ben has been replaced. And I don't mean Ben the rodent in the wall.
There is a definite plot from Salem to have us all addicted to Bollywood it seems.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 05:18:15 AM
I was replace but I am back. Happiest of birthdays to DR by Proxy, Joe.

No questions at the moment but that may change as the day moves along.

I'm listening right now to Shirley MacLaine in Can Can (Come Along With Me) courtesy of Desmond Carrington on BBC Radio 2.

The rodents in our walls in New York are not dead. Every so often we can hear little scurrying feet late at night but we have plugged up all the various holes in floorboards and under old bathtubs to keep said rodents out of the apartment. We have, how shall I say this, a disturbed individual, living in one of the units of our small building. An individual who collects garbage (literally) and brings it back into her apartment. It's one of those crazy New York apartment stories. Efforts to remove said individual are difficult and usually lead to nothing but frustration. This all leads up to the point that when said individual brings in garbage, she also brings in rodents. But at least they stay in her apartment and in the walls of the building, not in our apartment.

Yuck, what an unseemly topic for so early in the morning.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 05:19:02 AM
And now, it's Dan-in-Toronto and me. Tom and Elmore have gone on to better things.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 05:20:22 AM
I actually ate grits a few times. When I was doing Sesame Street Live we toured in parts of the south and I remember getting up early in the morning and going to the local coffee shop and having Grits and Eggs. They weren't half bad. Rather bland, but not bad.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 05:21:41 AM
Jennifer has joined our merry throng (can 3 be a throng?). Is it still too cold for Spring in Canada? The temperature has dropped in NYC again and today we will be lucky to get into the low 50s. Spring, where are you???
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 05:22:19 AM
I am my own posting frenzy. Something I haven't been for quite a while.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 05:25:49 AM
Oh, BTW, (by the way), I saw Johnny Guitar last night. It's an off-Broadway musicalized version of the film w/Miss Crawford and Miss McCambridge. It's campy fun. I actually had never seen the entire film, only clips at various times so I didn't know the plot. The music has a country feel (obviously, being a western) and there are some funny moments in the show. A nice distraction for the evening (especially since I saw it for free).
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 05:45:50 AM
Jennifer has joined our merry throng (can 3 be a throng?). Is it still too cold for Spring in Canada? The temperature has dropped in NYC again and today we will be lucky to get into the low 50s. Spring, where are you???

I must still be asleep cause I thought you wrote this in the middle of the night.  And I was like, "I'm not there!" Then I realized it was now and I was here. :)

Oy.

Happy Birthday Joe!  You deserve a great birthday this year.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 05:47:05 AM
Spring in Toronto? Ha! Actually, I find Toronto is about two weeks behind NYC in the weather/season department.

Bette Davis and Anne Baxter were indeed perfection in All About Eve, but I'm glad Judy Holliday won the Oscar that year. Anne Baxter went on to be too mannered for my taste, but she was superb in The Razor's Edge.

On a drive south I tried grits but couldn't get them down. Gord had no problem with them, or with biscuits and gravy. That is, until he asked why the gravy was so white. (Pork fat and milk.)

DR Ben - what was your involvement in Sesame Street Live?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 05:47:28 AM
As for whether it's Spring here, well it changes by the day.  Right now it's like 35F (brrrr) with a high supposedly of about 48F.  But tomorrow apparently it's supposed to be 70F.  So who knows.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 05:51:12 AM
Re: Last night's American Idol

I really cannot understand where they came up with Gloria Estefan night.  I can understand a broad theme like "movie night".  But I hated every song that was sung last night.  And the only performance I really liked was Diana.

I have no idea who will be in the bottom 3.  I think that Fantasia and LaToya's fans will vote a lot (because of what happened last week).
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 05:51:47 AM
I was Oscar the Grouch and when I wasn't sticking my arm up Oscar's "throat" (a Stop the World reference) I was a "wacky" Keystone-type cop running around with my cohorts trying to find Big Bird who had disappeared from Sesame Street.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 05:54:15 AM
Still procrastinating before starting the workday. Just read up a bit about Anne Baxter and learned that her grandfather was Frank Lloyd Wright.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 06:03:27 AM
Well, you've read the notes - true?  You're ready to post with true grit and/or grits, you're ready to ask and be asked and to love and be loved, so post away, my pretties, whilst I gird my loins against the smell of the Dead Rodent.

Desperately need another cup of coffee before I start working since my eyes just read the above as "Dear Rodent."
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: td on April 28, 2004, 06:09:23 AM
my ASK BK DAY QUESTION:

Best Possible Cast for THE MOST HAPPY FELLA?
Using the talent pool available right now.
Later we can see dead rodents, I mean use people who have already passed on.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 06:13:23 AM
Joe - The Happiest of Birthdays!!!



Born April 28:

Joe
Penelope Cruz
Jay Leno
Ann-Margret
Saddam Hussein
Carolyn Jones
Harper Lee
Blossom Dearie
Lionel Barrymore
James Monroe

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: William E. Lurie on April 28, 2004, 06:14:48 AM
Speaking of Celeste, this week is her 85th Birthday.  There will be a special screening of "Gentleman's Agreement" tomorrow at Town Hall with the birthday girl in attendance as well as Kitty Hart, Greg Peck's son and somebody's daughter.  I don't know if I'll have time to attend, although this is a great film and holds up very well.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 06:27:14 AM



              HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS, DR (BY PROXY) JOE!


 [move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%] ;D 8) ;D 8) ;D 8) ;D 8) [/move]
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 06:41:22 AM
A question for DR Matt H (or anyone else).

Where does one put the apostrophe in frogs legs? (Sentence: Frogs legs have long been on the menu.)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 07:43:35 AM
Where does one put the apostrophe in frogs legs? (Sentence: Frogs legs have long been on the menu.)

I would guess that the correct usage would be frogs' legs, assuming that you will be serving/eating the legs of many frogs.  However, if you are familiar with a particular frog, and you were going to eat only his two legs (or three, if it's a mutant), then I suppose you could say frog's legs.  Generally, though, I've seen this item listed on menus as frog legs.

A while back DR Panni mentioned a recently published book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves (I don't recall the author at the mo') that's a straight-forward but fun take on grammar.  I've bought it and scanned through it and it looks interesting.  

(Hmmm...I'm now thinking about a comedy movie or TV show in which some character opens a "Bucket O'Frog Legs" fast food restaurant.  Does this sound familiar with any DRs?)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 07:56:18 AM
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOE!!![/move]

Question for BK:  Was the stint on the Dinah Shore variety show your only experience in the genre?  Aside from that particular experience, do you like working in that kind of format?  What were your fav variety shows of all time? (I'd like to hear other DR favs, too.)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 08:05:32 AM
Thanks, Dan (the Man). I heard an interview with the author of Eats Shoots and Leaves (I know the joke that the title is based on, but a filthy version). What really peeved her was the title Two Weeks Notice - which did not include the apostrophe.

I like the "frog legs" solution.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 08:14:58 AM
If one is going to be a stickler, I suppose frogs' legs would be correct since I suspect your order will include more than two legs. However, there are a few singular or plural apostrophe words that have passed into general use with the apostrophe being dropped. "Masters degree" is another example.

I still think Bette Davis should have won that Oscar. Celeste Holm thought so, too, even though supposedly Bette wasn't especially nice to her during shooting.

I watched Bob Hope's THE PALEFACE yesterday. Beautiful Technicolor, but Jane Russell is just too big boned a woman to be wearing frills and bustles. Makes her look huge. Universal did a nice job mastering this for DVD with SORROWFUL JONES also on the disc.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 08:39:41 AM
Thanks, Matt, for the frogs' legs.

Judy Holliday and fellow nominee Gloria Swanson were watching the Oscars that night from a New York restaurant, along with other nominees. They sat together, and it seems that Judy showed real empathy toward Gloria. Also present were Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter. What an interesting evening that must have been.

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 08:43:18 AM
Speaking of frogs' legs or frog's legs, this reminds me of something I saw on this week's The Restaurant.  Rocco was in the kitchen cutting (what I think were frogs).  But I think they were alive.  It happened so fast.  But they looked like frogs' legs and they were moving. And he was chopping.  Could they have been alive? :(
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 09:02:57 AM
elmoore: I wouldn't  be surprised if you were right.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 09:06:07 AM
my ASK BK DAY QUESTION:

Best Possible Cast for THE MOST HAPPY FELLA?
Using the talent pool available right now.
Later we can see dead rodents, I mean use people who have already passed on.

I'm not the one to ask this question because I saw Mr. Robert Weede do the show and that was it - no one will ever erase that memory and no one will ever best it.  I really don't know enough about any of the newer crop of opera singers who'd be the right age.  I saw Spiro Malas in the revival and thought him okay.  Saw John Raitt do it but he was way too old and his voice is not right for Tony.  Saw whoever did it in the PBS taping and it was okay, too - but Mr. Weede WAS Tony in the same way Mr. Carious WAS Sweeney.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 09:08:59 AM
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOE!!![/move]

Question for BK:  Was the stint on the Dinah Shore variety show your only experience in the genre?  Aside from that particular experience, do you like working in that kind of format?  What were your fav variety shows of all time? (I'd like to hear other DR favs, too.)

I also did four Donny and Marie shows.  I love the variety show format and have been saying for years that the first person who does one now (as long as it's good) is going to have the new ratings winner.  Dinah was a terrible show, unfortunately.  No one had a clew as to what it was supposed to be.  As far as favorite variety shows of all time - first and foremost, The Jack Benny Program, followed by Red Skelton and Danny Kaye.  I also enjoyed the first season of Sonny and Cher, and I loved the Smothers Brothers show.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: VinTek on April 28, 2004, 09:11:54 AM
Hi all,

Thought I'd pop out of lurker mode long enough to say hello and post a couple of questions.

First question:  What shows or movies were bad enough to make you walk out?  For me, the show was Aspects of Love (which played here at BK's beloved Wiltern Theater).  The movie was "The Blair Witch Project."

2nd question:  Does anyone have a spare copy of the "Haines His Way" CD that they'd be willing to sell?  My wife has decided that she likes BK's voice very much (from the Kritzer CDs.  We got those when we purchased the books at Bookfellows a few weeks ago) and I find that the person I lent my Haines CD to has lost it in a move.

BTW, I've finished all three books and will post my impressions when I get the time (short version: I liked them!  I really really liked them!).

Thanks all.  Re-entering Lurker Mode now.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Stuart on April 28, 2004, 09:30:11 AM
Hands down:  The Carol Burnett Show.  With or without the lovely Lyle Waggoner.  With or without the exceedingly funny Tim Conway (especially when paired with Mr. Korman.)  The skits, the mini-musicals, the fact that she had Kay Cole guest star one week...it was just the bee's knees, in terms of variety shows.....

Ah, the CBS Saturday nights of my youth:  All in the Family, MASH, Mary, Bob and Carol.

(Only rivaled by the ABC Friday nights:  Bradys, Partridges, Odd Couple, Room 222 and Love, American Style.)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Stuart on April 28, 2004, 09:32:10 AM
Question for BK:

Surely you appeared on aforementioned Love, American Style?  Yes or no?  Was it one of those weeks when Stuart Margolin happened NOT to be on?  (It was rare that he wasn't, wasn't it?)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 09:37:53 AM
There were a couple of shows that I never did that I should have - Love, American Style being one of them, and Room 222 being the other.  Don't know why really.

VinTek, yes be sure to post your impressions.  And I have a spare copy of the Haines CD - down to my last few but I'm happy to sell you one.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 09:38:24 AM
Now, where in tarnation IS everyone?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 09:38:55 AM
I had a nice sleep, so I must have either been very stuffed up or it must be getting a bit better.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 09:44:23 AM
Loved variety shows. I'd have to say that Red Skelton was my favorite though Carol was also wonderful, and Julie Andrews' variety show was a masterwork for the one season it ran. Ditto Judy Garland's one season run - as someone pointed out yesterday, thankfully, we have all those shows on stunning DVDs with multi-channel sound that really bring back memories.

I agree with bk about The Smothers Brothers. Their variety show was loads of fun, and I even liked their one season sitcom when Tommy was an angel helping Dickie.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 09:46:19 AM
Do talk/variety shows count?  I remember the Mike Douglas show with great fondness.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 09:59:37 AM
My favorite variety show was The Carol Burnett Show. Even though I never saw them until after broadcast, the Judy Garland Show(s) were quite wonderful when they let Judy be Judy. In spite of the problems (the Jerry Van Dyke sidekick, etc) she was able to shine through and do what she did best, which was sing and make people laugh and feel good.

I also have fond memories of Hollywood Palace on ABC.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 10:11:56 AM
Countdown to 40,000 posts.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: William E. Lurie on April 28, 2004, 10:12:50 AM
Speaking of frogs legs, tickets go on sale in early June for the Lincoln Center production of THE FROGS.  I assume they will not be using a swimming pool.  Nathan Lane has adapted the book and is starring in it along with Peter Bartlett and Chris somebody from some sitcom.

**********

Everytime I think television has hit a new low something comes along that is even lower.  I just read about the Baba Wawa baby special that is on this weekend.  She found an unwed 16-year-old pregnant girl who will give up her baby to the winning couple (out of five) who will compete for the right to adopt him or her on this show.  It will probably be the top rated show of the week, but the whole idea of it makes me ill.  It's bad enough that ABC/Eisner would televise this, but the fact that people will watch it is even worse.  I hope I am wrong and it is not a ratings winner, but that still won't make up for the whole disgusting idea of this.  I know several DRs are big fans of reality shows and I would like them to post if they will watch this and what they think of the idea of it.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 10:13:25 AM
Welcome twelve GUESTS.  Come out of lurkdom - you, too, can become a member of the Dead Rodent's Society.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 10:16:10 AM
Carol Burnett has to be my all time fave, too.  Incidently, her show provided me with a short cut into the world of musical theatre.  One week, she did one of her "Mini Musicals" that featured the work of Sondheim (I still had an audio tape of that somewhere!)  The next day I asked my mom to pick up the cast album of A Little Night Music at Korvette's.

Two other shows I liked were the Dean Martin and the Andy Williams shows.  Dean Martin was great because the guests more often than not picked up on Martin's casual manner and would behave (or misbehave) accordingly.  And Andy Williams must have been taping just down the hall from Laugh-In judging by how often members of the cast would pop up.  The format was pretty free-wheeling--songs would turn into comedy skits and vice-versa.  I liked the talking bear a lot, too.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: VinTek on April 28, 2004, 10:16:36 AM
Of all the variety shows, I think I most consistently watched The Hollywood Palace.  I felt that the Carol Burnett shows had moments of brilliance interspersed with sketches I just didn't think were that funny (too often, the players (most often Tim Conway and Harvey Korman) would break up laughing during the sketch, which ruined it for me).  I also remember enjoying The Smothers Brothers, which probably put me a little ahead of my peers (I was born in 1960).
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: VinTek on April 28, 2004, 10:18:10 AM
Bruce,

Will send you an e-mail to arrange for the purchase of a CD.  Thanks very much.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 10:18:46 AM
My pleasure.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: JoseSPiano on April 28, 2004, 10:26:19 AM
Good Afternoon!

Yeah!  Another good night's sleep!  I actually got up around 10:00, but didn't get out of bed until around 11:30... Now I'm just trying to figure out if I'm feeling still a wee bit groggy because I slept too much, or if I need to take a nap before the show tonight.  We shall see...

BK - Apparently, the variety show that ABC did with Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson on Easter Sunday was quite the ratings hit and surprise.  So much so, that they're already planning on a few more specials with them... Hmmm...

Question for BK - and others out in the LA environs - Was/is it really that hot out there in LA?  I finally caught the news the past few days, and I didn't realize you were hitting the triple digits!  And, BK, with you turning off the A/C and opening a window in order to dissipate the dead rodent smell...

Do you think any particular network - of the big three, ABC, CBS, NBC - is more suited to producing an "ole time" varitey show?  Or is more a matter of the producer?  -I still remember "The Big Show" - wished that had lasted longer.

OK - Well, I need to lie down for a bit... We'll see if that turns into a nap...

Later...

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 10:34:31 AM
Speaking of frogs legs, tickets go on sale in early June for the Lincoln Center production of THE FROGS.  I assume they will not be using a swimming pool.  

I wouldn't bet against that, yet.  There's been more water on Broadway stages during the past two years than in my swamp of a back yard.

Quote
Everytime I think television has hit a new low something comes along that is even lower.  I just read about the Baba Wawa baby special that is on this weekend.  She found an unwed 16-year-old pregnant girl who will give up her baby to the winning couple (out of five) who will compete for the right to adopt him or her on this show.  It will probably be the top rated show of the week, but the whole idea of it makes me ill.  It's bad enough that ABC/Eisner would televise this, but the fact that people will watch it is even worse.  I hope I am wrong and it is not a ratings winner, but that still won't make up for the whole disgusting idea of this.  I know several DRs are big fans of reality shows and I would like them to post if they will watch this and what they think of the idea of it.

I don't think the couples are competing--from what I've read, this 20/20 segment just follows the 16-year-old girl as she personally interviews each couple and then decides who will be the best adoptive parents.

I have to admit, though, in my sick mind I think that a reality show that had potential parents vieing for a baby would be pretty funny.  I'm envisioning Fear Factor-type stunts where the couples have to deal with sleep deprevation and poo-filled diapers.  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 10:38:41 AM
Yes, it is really that hot here.  Broilingly hot.

Any network could have a hit variety show if they found the right "theme" or people and if they did it the right way.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Sandra on April 28, 2004, 10:43:24 AM
So as I was waiting for the bus this morning, all these people in cars were driving by and looking at me like they were expecting me to do something. I thought about those crazy people you see some times at bus stops serenading everyone around them, and I decided to give it a try. So I treated the passing cars to My Funny Valentine as I waited for the bus. Isn't that a great story?

Happy birthday, Joe!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 10:44:41 AM
Hmmmmmmmm....I liked Ed Sullivan and The Hollywood Palace, especially if the "host" was good.  But consistently, I think my favorite variety show was The Kraft Music Hall....favorite with a regular host:  The Gary Moore Show.

My question for Ask BK day - if a person from LA is cast in a show that is shot in NYC - i.e. William Schallert & Jean Byron in The Patty Duke Show - do they get a "moving and living" allowance or are they on their own.  I guess I am specifically thinking of LA or NYC actors who spend 3 or four months in Toronto or Vancouver filming series.....
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 10:47:24 AM
Of all the variety shows, I think I most consistently watched The Hollywood Palace.  

My family watched The Hollywood Palace a lot, too.  But I remember it being a sort of hit-or-miss show, depending on the guest host.  Some weeks, the show was strictly a song fest, which the adults probably enjoyed but bored me right out of my seven or eight-year-old gord.  But when a comic, or even frequent visitor Bing Crosby, hosted, there was much more variety in the procedes.  

Trivia question:  what was the former, well-known name of the Hollywood Palace Theatre?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 10:53:17 AM
DR WEL: Re: this Friday's episode of 20/20 that you mentioned.

Apparently the promos for this show have been very controversial.  So much so that they changed them.

I won't watch, but IMO you misunderstood what the show is about.  The original promos might have used words like "reality tv" or "competition".   But it's not that at all.  I believe they are just following the story of a 16 yr old girl who has to choose which of 5 couples she will give her baby to.  It's not a competition, they are just documenting the process.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 10:56:16 AM
2nd question:  Does anyone have a spare copy of the "Haines His Way" CD that they'd be willing to sell?  My wife has decided that she likes BK's voice very much (from the Kritzer CDs.  We got those when we purchased the books at Bookfellows a few weeks ago) and I find that the person I lent my Haines CD to has lost it in a move.

Speaking of lost CDs...might someone (anyone) have a spare copy of "The Stephen Sondheim Album" WITH the extra bonus track that is not available at places such as amazon.com and footlight.com?  I lost mine (before I moved), and now since the dreaded label is no longer selling things on-line, I can't even (covertly) get it through them...which would have only been the absolute last resort...and I would have had someone else do it for me.

I loved the Carol Burnett Show.  I can barely remember watching the Donny and Marie Show...but I can remember it.  I do remember the Sonny and Cher Show.  I loved them all.

And Happiest of Birthdays, Dear Reader (by proxy) Joe!!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 10:56:24 AM
Are we on Page Three yet?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 10:57:43 AM
Yup.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Stuart on April 28, 2004, 10:57:56 AM
The next day I asked my mom to pick up the cast album of A Little Night Music at Korvette's.

Ah, Korvette's!  The BEST place to buy records.  They were always so much cheaper there.....  Where did you grow up?  Which Korvette's did you frequent?

From some of your comments, DR D-T-M, sometimes I think that you are DR Jay's and my long lost brother!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 11:00:05 AM
Wow, BK, it's still hot down there?  I had heard that it was going to be cooling off all down the coast, including LA and San Diego.

We had wonderful morning fog here and it's MUCh nicer today than yesterday.  I slept SOOOOO WELL last night.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Charles Pogue on April 28, 2004, 11:04:02 AM
Grits are very good slathered in butter and liberally dosed with pepper.  The Lovely Wife makes a mean cheese grits.  She usually makes it for our Kentucky Derby Party, but not this year.  She keeps swearing every year never to make the bourbon balls, but the popular demand for them is such that she always gives in.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 11:07:41 AM
Before it was the Hollwood Palace it was the El Capitan.  I snuck in there with my friend a few times - the stage door was always open for some reason, and the theater was dark.  

Loved Ed Sullivan, too.

Yes, the actors who shoot out of town are given living quarters and a per diem for the entire time they're there.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: William E. Lurie on April 28, 2004, 11:11:32 AM
I believe they are just following the story of a 16 yr old girl who has to choose which of 5 couples she will give her baby to.  It's not a competition, they are just documenting the process.

Since when does the mother get to pick?  That's what adoption agencies are for.  And if she has to choose between five potential couples, that sure sounds like a competition to me.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Charles Pogue on April 28, 2004, 11:13:22 AM
I walked out of the middle of American Idol last night.  It was ridiculous having these people sing latin/salsa music. It was a test of nothing.  And the band was overwhelming the singers (and my wife kept insisting the back-up singers were singing flat).  I just couldn't bear to watch these kids embarrass themselves trying to do what even many pros would look awkward and embarrassing doing.  Latin music is very specific for specific talent.  It's not for everyone; it is not like pop standards.  It was a bad choice by the producers of the show.  

Charges today by Elton John that he thinks the voting reflects racism in the recent Jennifer Hudson scandal where all three black girls...arguably the best singers in the competition...were in the bottom three.  I think it's more disturbing that arguably the three best singers were in the bottom three rather than that they were black.  Given Ruben Studdard's win last year, it's a bit of a reach to charge racism.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: TCB on April 28, 2004, 11:14:12 AM
Dear Readers I ask you:  Will there ever be another variety show to match Pink Lady and Jeff???
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 11:15:51 AM
Re: the Nick & Jessica variety show getting good ratings.

I love them, and I cannot wait until their Newlywed show starts up here again.  But I did not like that variety show.  It should have been great.  But it wasn't.  I wonder how many people who watched it actually loved it.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 11:25:24 AM
Grits are very good slathered in butter and liberally dosed with pepper.  

Okay I am officially losing my mind.

I read this to say, "girls are very good slathered in butter."

Oy.

Btw, I don't think I've ever tried grits.  What do they taste like?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Stuart on April 28, 2004, 11:28:27 AM
Dear Readers I ask you:  Will there ever be another variety show to match Pink Lady and Jeff???

There was, to some degree:  The Hudson Brothers variety show.  I believe it was syndicated, and for some reason ran on the NYC CBS station at something like 2AM on Saturday nights (actually Sunday mornings).  I can't recall why, but DR/DB Jay and I caught it one night  (I have no idea why we would have both been up so late at our mother's apartment, but we were), and in so doing caught the American television debut of someone named Elaine Paige.  She sang, amongst other things, a quite sultry version of "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You," set in a contemporary singles bar.  The rest of the show was inane drivel, as I recall, and was only barely removed from the antics going on over at HR Pufenstuf's place.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 11:30:12 AM
Since when does the mother get to pick?  That's what adoption agencies are for.  And if she has to choose between five potential couples, that sure sounds like a competition to me.

I am not sure how adoptions work.  But what they are showing on 20/20 I think, is similar to how Monica and Chandler got their baby on Friends.

The mother gets to look at various files, and then meet with prospective parents.

I do not know if this is the norm.  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: MBarnum on April 28, 2004, 11:33:01 AM
Work is very slow today. I am very bored today. So I am listening to RAAGA Internet radio which is currently playing the soundtrack to KOI MIL GAYA which is sort of a recent Bollywood remake of E.T. that I think DR JRand53 has seen and trying to look busy.

As a kid I loved The Red Skelton Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and the Ed Sullivan Show. Does Hee Haw count? We watched it a lot! LOL!

I also recall Pink Lady and Jeff and some short lived show starring Starlight Vocal Band (singers of Afternoon Delight)...I think those two shows were likely the downfall of the variety show! LOL!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: TCB on April 28, 2004, 11:40:07 AM
I tried watching American Idol last night (basically because the Mariners are playing on the East Coast this week, so the games are on early), but I could not get over the low level of talent on that show.  Granted Latin / Salsa was probably not a great choice for those singers, but that doesn’t explain the pitch problems, rhythm problems, or sustaining note problems that almost all the singers suffered through.  I kept thinking that if these six were the best of the bunch, what were the losers like (and I am not talking about just William Hung)  I have heard far better talent at most theater auditions, let alone on Star Search or Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour.  Where are the thousands of talented hopefuls, from all over America, looking for their chance at stardom?  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 11:40:54 AM
Nothing wrong with girls slathered in butter.  Perhaps I'll have one for luncheon.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 11:41:48 AM
elmoore: I wouldn't  be surprised if you were right.

My real name is Sherlock Holmes (a BALD SOPRANO reference)!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 11:42:59 AM
Re: what DR Charles Pogue said about there being racism on American Idol

I don't see it at all.  A black contestant won last year (when I actually think Clay was better).

Four out of the 7 finalists were black.

I truly believe that America simply thought Jennifer/LaToya/Fantasia were safe.  I really cannot believe it had to do with race.  IF so they would have been voted out already.

Plus those same girls have been in the top two or three many times.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 11:43:00 AM
Welcome nine GUESTS.  C'mon in - we're currently discussing girls slathered in butter.

Update:  I just walked into my bedroom expecting the worst, so imagine my surprise to find that ninety percent of the Dead Rodent odor is gone.  Hoo and ray.  I sprayed some more of the industrial strength deodorizer and both windows are open.  I wonder if the fact that it's cooler today has anything to do with it.  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 11:44:22 AM
I don't think Pogue was saying there was racism - I think he was saying that OTHERS said there was racism.  At least I think that's what he was saying.

Now, about them girls slathered in butter...
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Charles Pogue on April 28, 2004, 11:45:06 AM
I expect girls are very good slathered in butter too...though I have reservations about liberally dosing them with pepper.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 11:46:26 AM
Good news: Kelsey is feeling better.  He still can't walk much, his hips are shot, but he's eating again and responding to the attention that der Brucer and Marty have been giving him.   :)

Meanwhile, Buster is draining a glass of ginger ale that I have sitting on my desk.  (The desk and bed are next to each other, at about the same level.)  I've known that he and Marty both like iced tea, but this love of ginger ale is mainly Buster's thing.  Ah, he's finished.  I poured myself about three inches (with ice) in an old fashioned glass, and he's left me about half and inch.   :-\
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 11:47:19 AM
Oh, The Red Skelton Show!  And I did like the Jack Benny Show as well - such funny business.  I love the routine when he took a free piece of cake, came back took the rest of the cake, then the cake cutter, then the tablecloth, then the card table and sign.  

And on some show - they were going to reveal AT LAST the identity of John Beresford Tiption - they turned the wing chair around and it was Jack Benny!  He didn't have to say a word, he only made that face and put his chin in his hand....I am STILL laughing, and it has been 50 years!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!

Thanks for answering my question, MR BK, interestesting.

George which SS album do you mean?  Which songs are on it?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 11:53:02 AM
Re: What do grits taste like...

Just yesterday, on Paula's Home Cooking (Food Network), Paula Dean was making grits.  She said that they are made from ground corn, and that while they look like cream of wheat they don't taste like that at all.

Gee, corn doesn't taste like wheat!  I never knew that!   ::)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 11:57:01 AM
Welcome ten GUESTS.  C'mon in, the Dead Rodent smell is gone and we are having too too much fun.  AND, we've got us some girls slathered in butter.

I'm going for a quick luncheon and then I shall return.

Countdown to 40,000 posts - under three hundred to go.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 11:58:45 AM
George which SS album do you mean?  Which songs are on it?

The album is actually called "Sondheim:  The Stephen Sondheim Album."  HERE (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000584Y1/qid=1083178357/sr=8-7/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i7_xgl15/002-5440163-2229654?v=glance&s=music&n=507846) is the link to the amazon.com listing.  The edition available only from the dreaded website has an extra (16th) track sung by Emily Skinner.   Here are the other songs:

1. Make the Most of Your Music - Brent Barrett
2. Anyone Can Whistle - Jane Krakowski
3. Everyone Says Don't - Liz Callaway
4. Sorry/Grateful - Guy Haines
5. Another Hundred People - Alice Ripley
6. Broadway Baby - Lea DeLaria
7. It Wasn't Meant to Happen - Michele Pawk
8. Giants in the Sky - Brian d'Arcy James
9. Children Will Listen - Ruthie Henshall
10. Losing My Mind - Dame Edna
11. Moment With You
12. So Many People
13. You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Not a Day Goes By
14. I'm Still Here - Dorothy Loudon
15. With So Little to Be Sure Of/Who Could Be Blue - Norm Lewis
16. Bonus track:  ?? (I forget this title) - Emily Skinner
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: TCB on April 28, 2004, 11:59:03 AM
Jrand -- I imagine that you and I will really have the youngsters at this site scratching their heads.  John Beresford Tipton AND Ted Mack!





Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Charles Pogue on April 28, 2004, 12:06:50 PM
Yes, BK, I was merely reporting that Elton John suggested there might be racism in the vote.  I,like Jennifer, don't believe the erraticness of the voting has anything to do with racism.

But I do agree with TCB about the level of talent this year.  For me, the show is pretty much over...If this is the best talent they could find this year, what does it bode for next year? I think it also can be seen in Simon's remarks.  I think he's getting more critical just to spice up a really, really dull show.  Of course, Randy is getting more critical as well. And actually both of them, despite the audience booing, are dead on in their criticism. But we have to remember the judges picked these people.  Poor John Stephens over people like Scooter Girl and others...It descended into a very mediocre, unexciting, and worse of all, especially for Fox, a DULL show.

Ted Mack's Amateur Hour was far more entertaining.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 12:11:28 PM
My Father loves grits and tries to force them on me whenever I visit him.  I only like grits when they're a part of hominy, which I love.

Variety shows:  this will date me.  My favorite was The Gary Moore Show, because I was crazy about Carol Burnett and Marian Lorne, and I thought it was consistently high calibre.  Carol Burnett was replaced by Dorothy Loudon, but I never thought she was as funny as Carol.  I liked Ed Sullivan but some of his guests were not so much fun as Gary Moore's, and it was sometimes a long wait for a Broadway moment.

During the 70s, I was in and out of the house so I saw television infrequently, but the Carol Burnett show was always worth watching.  Still is.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 12:15:39 PM
Number 89 one away from Page 4
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 12:16:07 PM
Am I the only one here who loved The Muppet Show?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 12:16:19 PM
Ah, Korvette's!  The BEST place to buy records.  They were always so much cheaper there.....  Where did you grow up?  Which Korvette's did you frequent?

I was born and bred in Camden, NJ.  Our Korvette's was in the wonderful Black Horse Pike Shopping Center.  And you are right, the best place to buy records.  They always had an ad in the Sunday paper, so you knew when something was coming out.  And once I started buying cast albums, I discovered their cut-out bin which became a treasure trove for me.  The toy department was something, too!

Quote

From some of your comments, DR D-T-M, sometimes I think that you are DR Jay's and my long lost brother!


Well, that could be--I always had a suspicion that I was adopted.  Tell me:  do you and DR Jay come from money? :)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ben on April 28, 2004, 12:16:27 PM
And now Presenting...


PAGE 4

(yeah, hooray, hoo and ray, yada, yada, yada)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 12:19:01 PM
Page Four Dance
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%][size=20]An-Ni-Mal!!!  An-Ni-Mal!!![/size][/move]
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 12:23:26 PM
First:  "American Idol" sucked last night.  Second, if last night's show was the first you watched, please refrain from presuming all the shows are like that one.  They have NONE OF THEM been as bad as last night's.

Fox did not put the contestants through so many mandatory "theme" nights in past competitions.  Last year, I recall, they did Burt Bacharach, and his songs are not easy to sing for most singers.  

Elton John wrote his songs for himself to sing.    Manilow, too.  Ditto Estefan.   Great songs for them, individually, but few singers can move from one to the other easily.  Chaos MUST ensue.

The pity is that the singers in this batch DO have good voices and have proven that in past shows.  But they're carted all over creation daily in special appearances,  and they are forced, week after week, to adapt themselves to singing styles different from what their personal styles are.  As a result, they are not showcased to their best advantage and it gives Simon -- who may be correct in his reaction to specific performances -- an opportunity to be "brutally honest" about a performance even Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake could not have pulled off with the rehearsal time they give the contestants.  My point:  The critiques are not fair given the circumstances under which the competition is being conducted.  That's why Paula bickers with Simon so much, I think.  She seems to get it...to take that into account.  And that may be why she's more generous in her assessments of some onerously bad performances.

I think the whole show needs an overhaul.

As for Elton John's "racist" remarks -- to hell with Elton John.  And don't shove that "Sir" down my throat here in the US of A.  He's totally nuts.  He also said that the three divas were consistently in the bottom three.  Rubbish.  Had that been true they'd all be gone.  Each had been there at least once, but that's the way things go for all the contestants.  

The three divas' fans let them down.  A couple of weeks earlier, they were all in the top three.  Unfortunately, with free, unlimited voting, the fans of the less talented desperately waged a battle to save their favorites from being the one to leave.  The result was that none of the divas' fans thought it necessary to vote hundreds of times each, and Jennifer was lost in that way...IMO.

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 12:32:07 PM
I always had a suspicion that I was adopted.  Tell me:  do you and DR Jay come from money? :)

From your mouth to God's ears.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 12:32:54 PM
Ain't it the truth TCB.  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 12:34:48 PM
During the 70s, I was in and out of the house so I saw television infrequently, but the Carol Burnett show was always worth watching.  Still is.

If they ever do something along the lines of The One Hundred Funniest Moments in Television History, Carol Burnett's entrance as Scarlett O'Hara in her curtain dress will surely be among the top five.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 12:48:10 PM
I don't think Pogue was saying there was racism - I think he was saying that OTHERS said there was racism.  At least I think that's what he was saying.


Yah that is what I meant.  When I said "DR Charles Pogue's post about racism" I meant what he wrote about Elton John saying that.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: TCB on April 28, 2004, 12:50:19 PM
Ask BK Day
[/u][/b]

I have a question for BK, or anyone else that has watched the new DVD of SWEENEY TODD.  A lot of people online have been complaining that the new DVD version has almost completely faded out the audience reactions (applause, laughter) on the DVD.  Did you notice the difference, and if so, do you think it effects the quality of the DVD?  Do you think it is something that they might correct any time soon?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 01:01:36 PM
If racism was at the heart of the voting on AMERICAN IDOL, the four black contestants would have been the first four to be voted off. As it happens, five other contestants were voted off before one black person was. Quite obviously, people thought the divas were safe and voted for others to keep them in the competition.

Quite a few wonderful people could have been brought forward to the finals in place of no talents like Leah LaBelle and Camile Velasco. But they were told they had "Broadway voices" and thus eliminated. Once we get down to the top four and they get to do more than one song NOT wedded to some artificial theme of the week, the strengths of these singers can come to the fore. All of the remaining contestants (except John Stevens) have had some incredible performances during weeks when they could sing to their strengths. But a show like last night's did NO ONE any good and made everyone look like inept singers. Not really fair because there are some gifted people still in the competition.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: William E. Lurie on April 28, 2004, 01:02:12 PM
And speaking of E J Korvettes...

Depending on what you've read it either was or was not named after Eleven Jewish Korean Vets
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 01:03:38 PM
A question for "American Idol" followers:

Given last night's "theme," how do you think Jennifer would have done in the Latin genre with an Estefan song?

Any better than Fantasia and LaToya?

Or much, much worse????
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 01:05:54 PM
Ask BK Day
[/u][/b]

I have a question for BK, or anyone else that has watched the new DVD of SWEENEY TODD.  A lot of people online have been complaining that the new DVD version has almost completely faded out the audience reactions (applause, laughter) on the DVD.  Did you notice the difference, and if so, do you think it effects the quality of the DVD?  Do you think it is something that they might correct any time soon?

I think they routed the audience applause and reaction to the surround channels and dialed down the volume a tad of the surrounds, but I didn't notice any of it missing, just a bit softer and coming from a different location in my set-up.

I don't find that problematic at all.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: JoseSPiano on April 28, 2004, 01:10:21 PM
Good Afternoon!

Just had lunch - a nice turkey and swiss sandwich from Potbelly Sandwich Works.  I had never really heard of Potbelly (except for the sorely missed restaurant in the Village), but, apparently, it's a national chain that seems to be doing quite well.  -And most of the cast of EDEN seemed to live off of Potbelly sandwiches on tour.  So... Where was I?  Well, the sandwich was good - and I even got it "skinny" - where they cut out most of the "filler" in the sandwich roll.  It's mainly a request for those on a lower-carb diet, but, for me, for now, it's mainly so I don't find myself too full.

-Now if I just get the coughing that starts to creep up on me whenever I start talking.  Guess I need to put myself on vocal rest for a few days while my throat continues to heal up.

RE: The Muppet Show -  I LOVED The Muppet Show!  -And it's one of those shows that I actually may end up buying on VHS - are they available on DVD yet?  I still remember Linda Ronstandt singing "Blue Bayou" with all those frogs.   :)

RE: American Idol - Judging from all the updates and opinions posted here, it looks like the timing with the opening of my show seemed like I good thing.  I haven't seen any of the shows past the initial elimination rounds.  -I still can't believe John Stevens is still in the running.  There's a neat article in yesterday's USA Today about the possibility of John Stevens becoming the next American Idol - and the very negative effects it could have on the future of the program.

RE: Grits - I go through phases with grits.  Sometimes I really crave them and like them, and sometimes I just don't care at all.  My mom actually used to make them for us when we were growing up.  I'm not exactly sure where she first tried them since she was born in the Philippines, and she spent most of her "early life" in the States in New England...  Probably something she picked up during her work as a hospital dietitian.  In any case, I usually like my grits with lots of butter and sugar.  However, texture is a big thing here, and the cooking technique and time can have a big influence on just how much I like them at a particular time.  I tried "red eye gravy" once... and I think that will be the only time.  It wasn't an unpleasant experience, just not one I'd like to repeat.  -I think it mainly has to do with the ham component - sometimes those traditional Smithfield-type hams are just too salty and briny for me.  And then you combine that with black coffee.. hmm...

OK - Time to get some work done before heading into the show...
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 01:13:21 PM
DR RLP, I suspect Jennifer vocally might have come up with something more exciting (you know I was a BIG fan of hers), but she couldn't have moved as well as Fantasia or LaToya, both of whom I thought were very entertaining despite lackluster vocals on ill-suited songs. I thought both of them MOVED to their music superbly, really getting into the spirit of the rhythm. It's not their fault the music itself was ill=suited to their vocal prowess. Like you, I blame the producers of the show who mistakenly think adding some guest judge/music theme each week is a way to keep the competition fresh.

I have nothing against themes that are broad enough like "movie songs" to encompass all styles of singing. If you're a talented singer, you can find something in the movies you can relate to and do right by.

But Estafan, John, and Manilow themes were short-sighted and stupid. Manilow week turned out OK because he worked obviously long hours with the contestants and rearranged the songs to suit each one of them. No surprise that the Elton John and Gloria Estafan weeks were the worst in terms of performance excellance.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 01:15:12 PM
DR Jose asked: "RE: The Muppet Show -  I LOVED The Muppet Show!  -And it's one of those shows that I actually may end up buying on VHS - are they available on DVD yet?  I still remember Linda Ronstandt singing "Blue Bayou" with all those frogs."

Yes, there is an entire series of MUPPET SHOW releases with three half hour shows per release. They're wonderful.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 01:19:08 PM
I have been watching PATTERNS, the movie version of Rod Serling's Emmy-winning teleplay about the cutthroat world of big business. I was hoping this might be a DVD of the original TV kinescope, but it was the quickly made 1956 film version with some of the same cast as the TV original.

It's a lousy budget DVD (I think I paid $5.66 for it), incidentally, with fuzzy, jittery picture and sound dialed up so loud I had to turn my receiver WAY DOWN in dire fear my eardrums were going to rupture. I still like the movie, however.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 01:20:35 PM
Am I the only one here who loved The Muppet Show?

NNOOOOO YOU'RE NOT!!!  I LOVED The Muppet Show.  About 10 years ago (maybe a little less), The Family Channel (before it officially became known as the ABC/Family channel) rebroadcast a bunch of the episodes.  I taped all that I could (about 60 episodes, I think).  There are only 45 episodes available on DVD (3 episodes each on 15 DVDs).  I remember reading a book that said that there were around 120 episodes total.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 01:27:08 PM
Let me say this about grits:

Grits -- tiny particles of ground white corn.  Cooked with water until you achieve a texture you like...thin and soupy or thick and creamy.

I don't put sugar or syrup on an ear of corn, nor do I put either item into creamed corn, or just plain corn kernels on a plate.

Why on EARTH would I want anything OTHER than butter, salt and pepper on grits???????  

I would NOT.

This is some perversion created to make folks think grits could be like oatmeal and cream of wheat.  These are cereals.

Grits ain't cereal.  Grits is grits!

Butter 'em, salt 'n' pepper 'em, and eat 'em with eggs and bacon or sausage or ham and toast.  On occasion, add some cheddar cheese to the grits before serving and stir to mix until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

And I'm not going to say any more about it.

:)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 01:33:19 PM
Simon:  The past two weeks, Simon has told LaToya that she was very good.

Last night:  Simon said she needed the performance she gave -- not that her weak vocal helped her much, but that she needed the movement she added because she had become boring.

Last two weeks: Very good.  This week: She had been boring before last night.

What, out of curiousity, should LaToya have gleaned from that "insight"?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 01:36:11 PM
When you are traveling south of the M/D line, the waitress always asks you if you want grits or potatoes with your breakfast.

And what about those John Stevens death threats?  Someone is taking this show TOO seriously!

I am watching ONCE A THIEF on TCM.  Never saw it before....so far...okay.  On Monday evening, Robert Osborne said that Minnelli wanted Alain Delon for the role that Glenn Ford played in Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...MGM said no.  I guess, seeing Delon here, he would have been a more age appropriate actor to play Julio.  BUT they also had Paul Henreid, Charles Boyer, Karl Boehm, and Ingrid Thulin (though  dubbed by Angela Lansbury) and maybe they figured one more accent would have been TOO much!!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan (the Man) on April 28, 2004, 01:39:03 PM
All this talk of grits and I'm surprised no one has yet come out with

:-*  KISS MAH GRITS!   :-*
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jed on April 28, 2004, 01:47:08 PM
Re: grits...

My grandfather, born in Spokane and raised in Idaho, was stationed somewhere in the South for awhile when in the Marines during and after WWII.  He headed into town for breakfast one morning with a few other guys from the base, and the waitress, of course, asked if he wanted grits with his meal.  This clueless Northwest boy, not wanting to look a fool, replied, "Sure, I'll take a couple of 'em."
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 01:53:13 PM
All this talk of grits and I'm surprised no one has yet come out with

:-*  KISS MAH GRITS!   :-*

Thank you, Flo! ;D
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 02:01:12 PM
I'll bus that table....I'd like ta bus it to a better location!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 02:03:06 PM
DR RLP is right. Grits can be mighty, mighty tasty, but they don't need too much fancy faldoral. Salt, pepper, butter, cheese if you want to get "fancy." Most people who grow up in the South grow up eating grits or at least trying them. The rest of the world usually doesn't get tuned in to them at all.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 02:09:41 PM
Does anyone at HHW have the CD soundtrack of the Noel Coward/Mary Martin TV special TOGETHER WITH MUSIC?

I have the 2-LP set, but I never bought it on CD because I think I read somewhere (SHOW MUSIC?) that some numbers had been eliminated to make it fit on one CD? Is this right, or did I hallucinate it?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 02:11:01 PM
Given its name, I always thought grits would be something along the lines of kasha (aka buckwheat.)  You know, something with robust flavor.  Something you could chew on.  Needless to say, I was mightily let down when I had my first encounter with grits.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 02:13:27 PM
My favorite recurring segment on The Muppets Show series:

[move=up,scroll,6,transparent,100%]
PIGS

IN

[size=8]SPACE[/size]
[/b][/color][/move]
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 02:16:34 PM
Where can I try grits?

I'm serious.

Does someone have a recipe I can try? (or would it be stupid for a novice who has never tasted grits to even try?)

What type of restaurant might serve them?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 02:17:17 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!

Bruce, where did you sleep last night?

Elmore3003 GOOD HEALTH VIBES   

Sandra, how fun.  Did you get any positive reactions?

WEL, for years now, the mother gets to choose if it’s a private adoption.  

Dead Rodent smell is gone! Hoo and Ray!!

SWW good news about Kelsey.

Charles Pogue how is your little dog doing?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 02:20:16 PM
Re: RPL's question about how Jennifer Hudson would have done with salsa night.

I am more impressed with her since she left the show.  I've seen her perform a couple of times (she did a terrific duet with Barry Manilow on Ryan Seacrest's show).  I am so sad that she is gone.

I think she would have done well last night.

A). Because she is one of the only competitors to have started off slowly and improved each week.

B). She probably would have sang something that showcased her voice, over the flashy quick paced numbers LaToya and Fantasia did.

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: MBarnum on April 28, 2004, 02:22:12 PM
I too loved the Muppet Show. I often wonder if it would seem as funny if I were to watch it again today...but I am guessing the answer might be yes, judging from other DRs reactions to it!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 02:23:27 PM
I hiked in ticksville today and it was also filled with poison oak.  I just pulled a tick out of my neck  as it was about to attach itself to me.  YUCK!.  I sure hope I don’t get poison oak of top of the ticks.  I’m currently washing all my clothes I wore today and Echo’s car blanket in this great product called Tecnu.  But first I washed Echo with it which is probably how I acquired the tick.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 02:26:11 PM
I think Keith and I enjoyed the Muppets more than our children did. :D

I’m paranoid now and keep feeling things, that aren’t there, crawling all over my body.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 02:28:58 PM
One of my favorite Muppet Show episodes was with Beverly Sills (a.k.a Bubbles Silverstein).  Fozzy thought that she was Bev Sills, a tap-dancing country and western singer.  Anyway, Bev and the Muppetopolitan Opera Company sang "Pigaletto."  It was a scream!

If I remember the words correctly, this was sung to the tune of the Toreador Song from “Carmen”:
Toreador, en guardé
Toreador, toreador.
This is the only opera that I know
I learned this one in school
We learned the words in French
But even still, we don’t know what it means!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: TCB on April 28, 2004, 02:29:16 PM
Jennifer -- Most grocery stores (probably even the ones in Canada) sell grits. Most often they are found in the same section that has the hot cereals, but I have seen them in the canned vegetable section.  They come in a box and you prepare them the same way as you do hot cereal.  Most people prefer to eat them with lots of butter and salt and pepper, but some of my stranger friends in New Jersey (the Southern end of the state) liked syrup on them.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 02:32:44 PM
Shall we now discuss scrapple?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: MBarnum on April 28, 2004, 02:33:57 PM
Ugh, Jane! I understand the feeling. I was attacked by a tick when I was 5 years old. We lived over on Griffin Creek Road (where we had a ditch up above our house on the side of the mountain/hill) and us kids played in the wooded areas and by the creek all the time. Well, one Sunday morning I woke up and a tick had bored it's horrid little way into my throat. I can still remember how sick I felt over it. It was in to far to just pull out and I actually had to go to a doctor and have it cut out. Bleh!

My most vivid memory of the adventure was trying to eat Sunday morning breakfast of pancakes and bacon and thinking that the tick that was imbedded in my throat was going to eat the pancakes as I swallowed them! LOL!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 02:38:03 PM
Sounds like a BIG movie MBARNUM!

I liked The Muppet Show - especially the ones with Raquel Welch and Liza Minnelli and Julie Andrews.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Maya on April 28, 2004, 02:40:47 PM
Hello!

BK--how exciting about your movie news!  I thought about you today when I was listening to "3hree" for the first time.  The first musical, "The Mice," as you probably know, is about an exterminator and his married girlfriend.  They set mice free in people's houses in order to carry on with their affair.  Maybe there's a randy exterminator in your neighborhood?

(That sounds like it could be a story in your Randy Vicar book..."The Randy Vicar and the Exterminator.")

I love variety shows, although I'm too young to have seen a lot of them.  So my favorites are Carol Burnett (I LOVE watching the re-runs on Nick at Nite), and The Muppet Show.  I watched the latter when I was little, and my favorite episode is of course the one with Merman.  Does anyone remember that?  Watching Merm and Miss Piggy sing "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" was priceless.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Stuart on April 28, 2004, 02:41:06 PM
My favorite recurring segment on The Muppets Show series:

Mine was either the Swedish Chef, or Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and his able assistant, Beaker.

Not to mention how I laughed at pretty much anything Waldorf and Statler had to say!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 02:41:09 PM
I hiked in ticksville today and it was also filled with poison oak.  I just pulled a tick out of my neck  as it was about to attach itself to me.  YUCK!.  I sure hope I don’t get poison oak of top of the ticks.  I’m currently washing all my clothes I wore today and Echo’s car blanket in this great product called Tecnu.  But first I washed Echo with it which is probably how I acquired the tick.

DR Jane, thanks for the good vibes, but I send them back to you!  Ticks are awful, and they carry horrible diseases.  Be careful.  We need you and your positive outlook around.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 02:42:44 PM
Sounds like a BIG movie MBARNUM!

Or a BUG movie!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Maya on April 28, 2004, 02:43:04 PM
Mine was either the Swedish Chef, or Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and his able assistant, Beaker.

Not to mention how I laughed at pretty much anything Waldorf and Statler had to say!

I loved Statler and Waldorf, although their jokes were so over the top bad.  

Beaker always kind of scared me.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: TCB on April 28, 2004, 02:45:21 PM
Ugh, Jane! I understand the feeling. I was attacked by a tick when I was 5 years old. We lived over on Griffin Creek Road (where we had a ditch up above our house on the side of the mountain/hill) and us kids played in the wooded areas and by the creek all the time. Well, one Sunday morning I woke up and a tick had bored it's horrid little way into my throat. I can still remember how sick I felt over it. It was in to far to just pull out and I actually had to go to a doctor and have it cut out. Bleh!

My most vivid memory of the adventure was trying to eat Sunday morning breakfast of pancakes and bacon and thinking that the tick that was imbedded in my throat was going to eat the pancakes as I swallowed them! LOL!

Mr. Barnum, that story was disgusting.  I am starting to feel all creepy like I have ticks crawling all over me.  In fact, I just looked in the mirror, and I am looking a little green around the gills.  Do you think I might have already contracted Lime's Disease?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 02:45:22 PM
Hey! Has David Cronenberg suddenly taken over HHW???  :o :o
Dead Rodents in the walls, pancake eating ticks in people's throats, grits... What in tarnation is going on? Let's hope no heads explode.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: MBarnum on April 28, 2004, 02:46:32 PM

Beaker always kind of scared me.

LOL Maya! I was picturing a tiny toddler Maya with you eyes becoming huge as you scurry to hide behind a big chair until the segement with Beaker is over
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 02:52:17 PM
Let's hope no heads explode.

Oh.  A Max Headroom reference.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 02:52:37 PM
I thought it was Statler and Hilton.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 03:02:37 PM
Ask BK Day
[/u][/b]

I have a question for BK, or anyone else that has watched the new DVD of SWEENEY TODD.  A lot of people online have been complaining that the new DVD version has almost completely faded out the audience reactions (applause, laughter) on the DVD.  Did you notice the difference, and if so, do you think it effects the quality of the DVD?  Do you think it is something that they might correct any time soon?


I've read the reports - I still have the laser so I'll do a comparison later - the audience reaction on the DVD is barely audible, which I did find strange and not what I remember.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 03:03:06 PM
Elmore3003 you are so sweet thanks, especially for reminding I might catch something, like Lyme Disease from them. LOL

MBarnum I have never heard of anyone having to have a tick cut out of them.  I hope it wasn’t as big as the “biggest tick I have ever seen” I once pulled off Echo-yuck, yuck, yuck. Just crawling on me is bad enough.  Keith came home and checked me for ticks and couldn’t find anymore.  Then he pulled off a good number from Echo and said “WHERE DID YOU GO”.  BTW we went to Enchanted Forest in the Applegate.  Do you know it?

I had to take a break & go remove more ticks from Echo.  One had just burrowed into a very sensitive spot on her underside and I had difficulty removing it.

We speak of such charming things here, dead rodents and ticks to name a couple.  I don’t even want to mention Jennifer’s live frog question. :P
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 03:04:15 PM
Aughghghghghgh!

I just got an e-mail from Rhino Handmade telling me three of their limited titles are now sold out.

And for the first time, a soundtrack has SOLD OUT!

And are you ready for it?

Really READY for it?

REALLY really ready for it?

It's.....

...it's.....

........it's "Lucy MAME"!!!!!!

I SWEAR TO GOODNESS!

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 03:04:50 PM
Who'd a thunk it!??!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 03:04:52 PM
LOL Panni.  I didn't see your post while I was off removing more of those things.  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 03:05:25 PM
You won't believe who I just got off the phone with.  Benjamin Kritzer.  Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I just had a conversation with Benjamin Kritzer.

I'd gotten an e-mail from Mr. Mark Bakalor saying that Mr. Kritzer had contacted us and would like to talk to me.  I called him.  Turns out he was nosing around the Internet and saw the book.  He bought it and loved it and wanted to tell me so.  He also bought some t-shirts and hats.  He didn't know about the other two books, which he's now going to purchase.  He's four years older than me, but he totally identified with everything, despite having grown up on the other coast.  His name is also pronounced Kreyetzer rather than Kritzer (it).  Isn't that funny?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: JoseSPiano on April 28, 2004, 03:06:37 PM
DR MBarnum - OK - A tick (tic - ?) in your throat!?!?!? Ewwww!!!!!  *Of course, I still remember during my one and only visit to the Philippines when I was six years old - even though we slept underneath mosquito netting, we were still told to make sure we slept with our mouths closed so that cockroaches would not go in our mouths while we slept.  EEEWWW!!!!!!!!

DR elmoore3003 - La Cantatrice Chauve is my favorite Ionesco.  I still remember a wonderful "touring" production that I saw while I was in college.

DR Jay - Did you say scrapple?  YUMMERS!!!  I know I shouldn't like it - well, love it - but I do.  I remember the first time I tried it was when I was working summers for Coast Guard HQ in DC.  The cafeteria would serve it on biscuits or toast.  So good and salty.  I still keep meaning to make it up to Philly to try to the more "famous" types at the markets and restaurants up there.  *And the Aunt Sarah's Pancake House chain in Richmond - and elsewhere - actually deep fries(!) their scrapple after coating it lightly in flour.  Wonderfully crispy - if untraditional.

OK - Time for the show...
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 03:07:22 PM
You aren't teasing-great story. :)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 03:10:06 PM
And the Aunt Sarah's Pancake House chain in Richmond - and elsewhere - actually deep fries(!) their scrapple after coating it lightly in flour.  Wonderfully crispy - if untraditional.

Mmmmm.  Deep fried breaded fat.  Nummers.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 03:11:15 PM
I ate lunch at Todai - I've noticed on my last few visits that it's getting really bad.  Today was my last time for quite a while.

Countdown to 40,000 posts and girls slathered in butter.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 03:12:31 PM
Welcome ten GUESTS.  Come on in - we're going to tell the story of The Randy Vicar and the Electric Toothbrush.

Meanwhile, WEHT dear reader Jenny?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 03:13:34 PM
Good gracious! Of all the soundtracks to sell out, that awful Lucy/MAME. Wonder if that would interest Warners enough to press a limited numbers of DVDs of the film? As awful as it is, I'd buy the DVD just for the wonderful work of Robert Preston, Jane Connell, Audrey Christie, Don Porter, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Bea Arthur.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Maya on April 28, 2004, 03:13:42 PM
LOL Maya! I was picturing a tiny toddler Maya with you eyes becoming huge as you scurry to hide behind a big chair until the segement with Beaker is over

Hehe...that probably wasn't too far from the truth.  I loved Animal though...I just thought he was the epitome of cool back then.

BK--Jenny has been busy with "Hello, Dolly" but I imagine she'll be around soon!  She loves this site too much to be away for too long.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 03:14:46 PM
Keith came home and checked me for ticks and couldn’t find anymore.  

Interesting.  Sounds like a foreplay game of some sort, if you ask me.  But hey, if that's what it takes to keep your marriage healthy, I say go for it.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 03:20:44 PM
For those of us not particularly interested in girls slathered in butter, I offer an alternative.


Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 03:23:36 PM
I ate lunch at Todai - I've noticed on my last few visits that it's getting really bad.  Today was my last time for quite a while.

And you couldn't say "Today was my last time at Todai"...?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 03:24:17 PM
For those of us not particularly interested in girls slathered in butter, I offer an alternative.

Wouldn't a picture of Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris been more apropos?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: MBarnum on April 28, 2004, 03:24:57 PM
thanks MattH! That is just how I like my bread buttered!!!!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 03:25:36 PM
Remember.  There is no groaning at HHW.com.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jay on April 28, 2004, 03:25:51 PM
And no moaning, either!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 03:30:00 PM
I can't stop itching, psychological or not.  I'm going to take a shower and wash my hair.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Charles Pogue on April 28, 2004, 03:34:45 PM
Jane, Blind Cully prevails.  Seems to be negotiating his way around the house better and fewer accidents.  He sleeps alot and seems to be losing weight...we're having him tested for diabetes.  But he's also just old.

Garry Moore was my favourite variety show that I only heard, rarely ever got to watch because it was past my bedtime. But my parents watched it and I would listen to it from my bedroom upstairs.  I actually have an autographed copy of Durward Kirby's autobiography.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 03:41:05 PM
Wouldn't a picture of Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris been more apropos?


Maybe for you, definitely not for me.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 03:41:18 PM
Does anyone at HHW have the CD soundtrack of the Noel Coward/Mary Martin TV special TOGETHER WITH MUSIC?

I have the 2-LP set, but I never bought it on CD because I think I read somewhere (SHOW MUSIC?) that some numbers had been eliminated to make it fit on one CD? Is this right, or did I hallucinate it?

Matt,

I have that CD but not the LPs, so I can't compare. The notes say "Over 60 minutes of music." There are about 45 selections - some mini. I don't have a CD burner, but I'm sure I can get a copy made. Just let me know - my pleasure.

 
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 03:51:03 PM
Well I am watching MADE IN PARIS with Miss Ann-Margret and hoping she starts doing some dancing soon (choreographed by Benjamin Kritzer's teacher David Winters) because the rest of it is bad, bad, bad.

I love fashion shows in movies - somebody should have broken all of Helen Rose's pencils.  ;D

http://movieline.standard8media.com/reviews/made_in_paris.shtml (http://movieline.standard8media.com/reviews/made_in_paris.shtml)


Whew!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 03:55:17 PM
Oh dear, I bought the Lucy MAME cd!  

MR BK - what a trip speaking to Benjamin Kritzer!  Maybe someday someone will use MY name on a book and I can get a t-shirt!

DRCP - remember when Rocky and Bullwinkle went in search of the Kurwood Derby?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 03:58:52 PM
And you couldn't say "Today was my last time at Todai"...?

Or, "Todai..to die for no more...."
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jenny on April 28, 2004, 04:01:46 PM
Meanwhile, WEHT dear reader Jenny?

(Blushes and waves timidly)

I hate falling off the face of the earth because it's always very embarrassing to return.

Hi.  :)  I missed you guys!  :)

"Hello, Dolly!" has come and gone, and it went very nicely if I may say so myself.  I'm now awfully sick, so I'm attempting to recuperate while not missing any more days of school.  Despite der Brucer and my best efforts, it seems that I will probably be going to summer school for chemistry.  Though I was very upset about this at first, I was just offered a summer internship with American Ballet Theatre (doing stage crew at the Met...pretty darn neat!) that I could accept while still attending summer school, and I plan on applying for a few other internships and evening theatre classes as well, any of which would make the experience significantly less painful.

I don't have much else to say!  A very happy birthday to Joe, and I hope that all is well in the world of HHW.

Ask BK Day: A very simple question.  Which is the second Kritzer book?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 04:02:29 PM
I want to know what caused the smell in BK's bedroom.

Is it possible that a stray sock died under the dresser?

Or might it be more sinister?  Could an overnight guest have stumbled, on the way out in the early morning hours, and gotten trapped in a hidden compartment within BK's walls?

Maybe...just maybe...BK's entire house is a universal "corn field" for flying and crawling things to be wished into....
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 04:08:31 PM
Charles Pogue I’m glad Cully is maneuvering his way around the house better.  I was thinking about him yesterday, before I read about Kelsey.

Jenny you had a lot to say and it was all interesting.  Congratulations on the internship offer and hope you feel better soon.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 04:08:56 PM
Uh - oh, be careful what you wish for....A-M just danced and the movie didn't get any better.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: DearReaderLaura on April 28, 2004, 04:10:24 PM
Happy Birthday to Joe!

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: DearReaderLaura on April 28, 2004, 04:25:54 PM
Yesterday I took a walk along the rim of the Grand Canyon, and this is what I saw:
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 04:30:47 PM
I think elmoore had the right guess - dirty rats in the wall, if you get his meaning.

Jenny, second book is Kritzerland, third is Kritzer Time.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Ron Pulliam on April 28, 2004, 04:37:46 PM
But BK, didn't you have something nesting in your chimney?  Any chance that chimney adjoins your bedroom?

Maybe there's a dead rat (or somethin') wedged in the chimney????

:)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 05:01:59 PM
Well, I know the truth about the Rats in the Walls (a Lovecraft reference), and who they are.  I even know some of them.  To quote a show I love, They Had It Coming!

Now, I have to tell you all that I finished KRITZER TIME this morning, and I didn't want it to end.  I know there are a million biographical novels out there, but BK's collection of eccentrics, nostalgia, comedy, tragedy, loss, despair, and ruminations on the human condition have made these three Kritzer novels (which I really consider one novel published in three installments) the closest thing I've read  to a Dickens novel in a long time, mostly DAVID COPPERFIELD, but I caught a few traces of GREAT EXPECTATIONS as well.  Those of you who have yet to become swept up in the Kritzer saga have much to look forward to.

When I saw THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL in 1979, I knew that I wanted to know and someday work with its talented author.  After reading the Kritzer books, I wish Benjamin had lived in Ohio and been my best friend.   We could have raised hell together.

Thank you, Dear Friend BK.  I look forward to your next.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 05:10:15 PM
DRMATTH you are right, Janie Russell was "big-boned."  :o
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Danise on April 28, 2004, 05:24:53 PM
Evening all!

Happy Birthday, DR Joe!   May you be blessed with all manner of good things.

My ask BK question:  

When you get a call to do a part, do you find you have to take extra good care of you?  I mean like not get sunburned or a cold or such so you will look “right” for the part?  Or with make-up/special effects, can they make you look normal even if you look like a cooked lobster?

My other question of the day: Tipping.  I spoke with some friends of mine down at work about how much to tip certain people on my trip.  Much to my surprise, they all said their husbands take care of that so they weren’t sure.  Since I somehow managed to miss putting a husband on my list of things to get for the trip, I need ask you trip savvy people, how much should I give the following people:

The guy/gal that is going to pick me and the luggage up and drive me to/form the airport.
The guy/gal who takes my luggage at the airport.
The guy/gal porter at the hotel.
The maid.  And I have several questions about this.
Should I leave money for her every day or just one big tip when I leave?
WHERE do I leave the money?  On the dresser?  Should I put it In an envelope?  Or do I give it directly to her?
How much should I leave her?  
The cabbies.  How much of a tip should I give them?  I think I’ll only be using one cab to/from  the BWW concert at Joes Pub.  Anyone know how far that is from the Milford and how much I should expect to pay in fare and tip?

Is there anyone else I should tip? Besides at the restaurants, I think it’s 10% of the meal there.

Many thanks!

BTW, My Dad used to call grits "Georga Ice Cream".  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: MBarnum on April 28, 2004, 05:30:59 PM
DRMATTH you are right, Janie Russell was "big-boned."  :o

Those bones could put an eye out!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: MBarnum on April 28, 2004, 05:32:53 PM
Just got a delivery from Alpha DVD (www.oldies.com) and now have several old 1930s murder mysteries to enjoy:
THE PHANTOM BROADCAST
MURDER AT GLEN ATHOL
MIDNIGHT PHANTOM
GREEN EYES
THE KING MURDER
THE WOMAN CONDEMNED

I had never heard of any of them but they were cheap (5 bucks each) so I took a chance!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 05:33:52 PM
Thank you, elmoore.  Now that you've finished the three, do your amazon and barnesandnoble reviews as well as posting your thoughts here on the KT board.

Danise: I don't do anything special when I get a part (let's face it - it's very rare when I do an acting gig - haven't done that regularly since 1983) - I try to stay out of situations where I could catch something, but that's about it.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 05:34:32 PM
Loved variety shows back in the good old days. Watched them all. Faves: Garry Moore Show, Carol Burnett Show, Ed Sullivan, Smothers Brothers, Dean Martin, sometimes Sonny and Cher, I even used to like Mitch Miller and his bouncing ball.
Last month PBS had on some Sinatra specials (with Ella, Jobim, etc.) Boy, were they good!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Danise on April 28, 2004, 05:36:01 PM
Jane, I forgot to put about the ticks.  Our horses and dogs used to get them (can't say I ever remember having any on me) but we used to light a wooden match, blow it out then touch the tick with it.  It would detatch itself very quickly no matter how deep it was buried.  You might want to try that.

Ticks carry lime disease so I hope Echo has had her shots for that!  B & B get theirs every year even though I haven't seen a tick on them.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 05:36:48 PM
Countdown to 40,000 posts.  I'd say we're getting within spitting distance, wouldn't you?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 05:46:01 PM
Now, now, now (that is three nows), no lulls.  Let's talk about girls slathered in butter.  Let's talk about more hot pies.  Let's tell the story of The Randy Vicar and the Swizzle Stick.

It is so nice to be able to walk into my bedroom and not smell any Dead Rodent.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Danise on April 28, 2004, 05:47:08 PM
Ok, but no spitting.  That's a nasty habit.  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 05:47:15 PM
Do you know that if I made another one hundred and seventy posts this evening that not only would we reach 40,000 posts, but I'd personally reach 4,000.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 05:48:00 PM
My other question of the day: Tipping.How much should I give the following people:

The guy/gal that is going to pick me and the luggage up and drive me to/form the airport.

If it's a shuttle with other people - I usually just give one dollar per bag that they have to take on and off the vehicle (If you have two big bags and a tiny bag - count that as two bags total)


The guy/gal who takes my luggage at the airport..

Same thing.

The guy/gal porter at the hotel..

Same. But you might add a bit extra if he takes you up to the room, shows you how to work the AC, etc.

The maid.  And I have several questions about this..
Should I leave money for her every day or just one big tip when I leave?
WHERE do I leave the money?  On the dresser?  Should I put it In an envelope?  Or do I give it directly to her?
How much should I leave her?.


One tip when you leave. If she hasn't done anything other than her usual job, I just leave a dollar a night in an envelope with "Maid" written on it. On the desk, or anywhere visible. (if you're at a terribly posh hotel, this would be more.)
BTW - If a maid or housekeeper comes to your room on some special mission - you've asked for an extra blanket, etc. and you're there - give her a buck.

The cabbies.  How much of a tip should I give them?  I think I’ll only be using one cab to/from  the BWW concert at Joes Pub.

Depends. Someone from NY should get this one. I tend to overtip in cabs.

Anyone know how far that is from the Milford and how much I should expect to pay in fare and tip?

Don't know.

Is there anyone else I should tip? Besides at the restaurants, I think it’s 10% of the meal there.

NO on the 10%. Tip at least 15%. I always leave 20% - which is not unusual.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 05:52:33 PM
As for anyone else to tip - you'll be able to tell - For example, if anyone at the hotel has been particularly helpful and friendly - the doorman, for instance, give him/her a small tip as you leave.
This will be his face:  ;D
 
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 05:57:07 PM



.

Same. But you might add a bit extra if he takes you up to the room, shows you how to work the AC, etc.




The cabbies.  How much of a tip should I give them?  I think I’ll only be using one cab to/from  the BWW concert at Joes Pub.

Depends. Someone from NY should get this one. I tend to overtip in cabs.

Anyone know how far that is from the Milford and how much I should expect to pay in fare and tip?


All right, DRs Panni and Danise, let me see if I can help here.  Taxi fares just went up again.  I believe the taxi from midtown to the East Village will run you around $8.00, and since a 20% tip would make it $9.60, I'd estimate around $10.00 each way.  This may be high, but I don't think so.  Any other New Yorkers want to jump in here?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Danise on April 28, 2004, 05:57:19 PM
Thanks Panni!  I really wasn't sure and I don't want to be mean or cheep.  I honestly just wouldh't have known what to do.

 
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 05:59:34 PM
I'm generous with taxi drivers because I hate figuring out the change.  

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Danise on April 28, 2004, 06:00:26 PM
Thank you also, Elmore.  You must have posted the same time I did.  I didn't see your post.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Emily on April 28, 2004, 06:01:19 PM
Good evening all!

Or... as I originally typed that: Godd eveing all!

BK - I wish there was a series of books with a character with my exact name.  Mr. Kritzer (non-fiction) is a lucky guy - and you're even luckier to have gotten the chance to hear from him via this site.  A lovely story

Jennifer - If Rocco was cutting up live frogs, he is clearly is just as bad at being a compassionate carnivore as he is at managing his restaurant ;)

Grits = gross.  Or at least the ones I had while I was in M-I-DOUBLE "S"-I-DOUBLE "S"-I-DOUBLE "P"-I a few years ago.  But then I am not a big fan of black pepper and the grits I had were covered in the stuff.

Happy Birthday Joe!!! :D
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 06:03:31 PM
I'm watching Applause - the TV version with Miss Lauren Bacall.  I never heard of the girl who's doing Bonnie Franklin's part - not then, not now.  WEHT?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Danise on April 28, 2004, 06:05:24 PM
Hope you don't mind but I did a copy/paste to a word doc then I'm going to download it to my PDA so I'll have it with me in case I forget.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 06:05:58 PM
I'm generous with taxi drivers because I hate figuring out the change.  

I'm generous because I'm glad to get out alive.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 06:06:20 PM
I'm generous with taxi drivers because I hate figuring out the change.  


I start calculating about two or three blocks from where I'm going.  I round it up to the next dollar and then calculate the tip.  If the meter says $5.10, I'd still round it to $6.00 and with a $.90 tip, it's $7.00.  The cabbie makes out well, but they deserve it for enduring New York traffic.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 06:08:00 PM
Hope you don't mind but I did a copy/paste to a word doc then I'm going to download it to my PDA so I'll have it with me in case I forget.

That'll be 20%, Danise.  ;)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 06:12:25 PM
Jane, I forgot to put about the ticks.  Our horses and dogs used to get them (can't say I ever remember having any on me) but we used to light a wooden match, blow it out then touch the tick with it.  It would detatch itself very quickly no matter how deep it was buried.  You might want to try that.

Ticks carry lime disease so I hope Echo has had her shots for that!  B & B get theirs every year even though I haven't seen a tick on them.


We have a special pronged gadget that is great for removing ticks.  It is much easier than lighting a match.  

The vets we have gone to in Ashland didn’t think we should vaccinate her for Lyme disease so we stopped.  Each area is different.  This afternoon, after elmore mentioned my safety, it made me think we should get her tested for it.  I’m going to talk to the vet tomorrow.  Thanks for mentioning it.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 06:14:14 PM
I'm watching Applause - the TV version with Miss Lauren Bacall.  I never heard of the girl who's doing Bonnie Franklin's part - not then, not now.  WEHT?

Is it Penny Fuller? She was in Miss Rose White (her boss - can't remember what I called her - Miss Something)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 06:16:44 PM
Looked it up on IMDB ...Miss Ryan.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Danise on April 28, 2004, 06:16:50 PM
The check is in the mail, Panni!  

Jane, I'm sorry I should have said you could get it too.  
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on April 28, 2004, 06:32:45 PM
DR Panni,

Your tipping style is much like mine, and quite different from most other Torontonians I've met. I have found Torontonians to be really stingy in the tipping department - and the odd thing is that cab drivers don't even complain. I've shared taxis with people from my building, and have often found myself in the position of slipping the driver another buck when I'm not handling the moolah. I have one friend who is extraordinarily wealthy, and her husband's tipping practices are appalling. I got to talking one day with a retired CN porter who lives in my building, and he told me that working stiffs were always his best tippers.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Panni on April 28, 2004, 06:40:29 PM
Dan-in-TO - I think most Canadians, not just Torontonians, are stingy tippers. Glad to hear you're not one of them!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 06:41:47 PM
No, Penny Fuller is Eve, both on B'way and TV.  It's Debbie somebody.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 06:42:01 PM
Debbie Bowen I think.  WEHT?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 06:43:05 PM
I just did research on the blood test for Lyme Disease.  It isn’t very accurate and not worth doing on Echo since her symptoms are different.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 06:44:39 PM
DearReader Laura you outdid your self with that photo.  Do you often walk the rim of the Grand Canyon?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 06:52:43 PM
MBARNUM - it was said in 3-D Jane could put BOTH your eyes out!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 06:56:49 PM
I remember seeing part of a commercial for some movie starring Jayne Mansfield (I think) and she walked into a room and said, "Step back gentlemen, I take deep breaths."  That line always made me laugh.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 06:58:25 PM
Page Eight Dance!

(http://www.gifs.net/animate/alien.gif)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 07:08:55 PM
Click here for a REAL dance treat.

http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~alexann/ (http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~alexann/)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 07:18:34 PM
BK, did you ever figure out why the dead rodent smell just disappeared?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: elmore3003 on April 28, 2004, 07:22:39 PM

Thank you, elmoore.  Now that you've finished the three, do your amazon and barnesandnoble reviews as well as posting your thoughts here on the KT board.


I did the KT Board.  I have to think about what I want to say on amazon.com and B&N; my reviews are so somber, I don't know if I'd attract or repel potential readers who would love the books!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 07:24:01 PM
Re: tipping

I think it's easier to figure out for restaurants or taxis.

And of course you are supposed to tip the guy who brings your bags up to your room.

But there are some areas that are less clear.  For example does everyone tip their hotel maid?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jennifer on April 28, 2004, 07:29:37 PM
I won't spoil American Idol. But I thought how they split the groups was the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 07:50:39 PM
MBARNUM - it was said in 3-D Jane could put BOTH your eyes out!

At first, before I remembered,I saw my name and wondered what you were saying about me-LOL
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jane on April 28, 2004, 07:53:15 PM
Jennifer I don't consistently tip the maid, but I'm trying to be better about that.  I won't tip if the room hasn't been cleaned well.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 08:22:24 PM
RE: The Muppet Show -  I LOVED The Muppet Show!  -And it's one of those shows that I actually may end up buying on VHS - are they available on DVD yet?  I still remember Linda Ronstandt singing "Blue Bayou" with all those frogs.   :)
We recently bought four DVDs of the Best of the Muppet Show.  Each has three episodes, introduced by Jim Henson's son Brian (the new voice of Kermit), with some cut scenes and other stuff.  But let's face it, the real deal is the shows themselves.

Since the discs have no "volume" numbers on them, I'll have to identify them by their spine colors:

Lime Green: Peter Sellers, John Cleese, and Dudley Moore.
Tangerine: Harry Belafonte, Linda Ronstadt, and John Denver.
Deep Turquoise: Elton John, Julie Andrews, and Gene Kelly.
Goldenrod: Mark Hamill, Paul Simon, and Raquel Welch.

They were real cheap at WalMart when we bought them, but I'm not sure if the sale is on now.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 08:30:37 PM
I’m paranoid now and keep feeling things, that aren’t there, crawling all over my body.
Just imagine that they are Keith's hands.  You'll feel better.

Well, it might help.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 08:37:06 PM
RE AMERICAN IDOL tonight:  :D
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: JoseSPiano on April 28, 2004, 08:37:35 PM
Good Evening!

-Good show tonight.  The audience, however, was a bit so-so... mainly a bunch of middle school and high school private school girls.  I don't mind the school groups, but, unfortunately, by the time they've gotten to the theatre, they've usually spent the entire day touring the city, eating some major dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe... and THEN they "have" to sit through a show... Ah, well...  They did applaud nicely during the curtain calls.

OK, enough talk about ticks.  After my possible diagnosis of Lyme disease last week...  ugh..  :o

As for tipping...  Just make sure you have a good supply of ones and fives on you - yes, I know that can get bulky in a wallet, but it's necessary.  There have been a number of times where I've ended up overtipping a bell captain just because I didn't have small bills in my wallet.  However, sometimes that has paid off.  -The last time I was in NYC, I ended up tipping the guy $10 just for showing me up to my room - I just had an overnight bag with me.  But each time I saw him downstairs, he always made sure to check in with me, and ask if I needed any suggestions for where to go for dinner, etc.  -And he came in real handy when I wanted to grab a cab during a particularly crazy time of the day.  -Plus, he was darn cute, so...  ;D

As for getting to the Public - I'd take the subway.  Very convenient, and the Public is only two blocks aways from the stop - which I can't remember right now.  However, if a taxi is the way you must go, just be sure to time your trip correctly.  Rush hour is always bad, and pre-theatre time can be worse - depending where you grab your cab.  It's worth the extra walk over to one of the less congested Avenues to grab a cab downtown.

And as for tipping cabbies - like others have mentioned, I usually just base it on what I can give the cabbie without having to worry about getting change back - again, if I have enough small bills in my wallet.

And as for tipping in restaurants, 20% has become the norm.  In NYC - and other cities, I usually just double the tax.  Easy-peasy.  *Does that whole conundrum still exist as to whether you tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?  *Oh, and if I'm eating somewhere "cheap", I usually tip at least what the waiter/ress would have made for the hour.  So, if my bill comes to $5.50, I usually leave $8.00.  -Yes, I have too many friends who are actors... who wait tables.

Ok - Time for my pre-bedtime tea...

Goodnight.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 08:38:38 PM
And you couldn't say "Today was my last time at Todai"...?
Todai, Todai
I'll eat no more Todai
Todai will be no more 'til I starve...
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Matt H. on April 28, 2004, 08:41:41 PM
That still of Jane Russell was from THE FRENCH LINE which was filmed in 3-D, wasn't it?
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: JoseSPiano on April 28, 2004, 08:46:35 PM
Oohh...

Guess what I just had with my tea?!?!?

Guess?!??!

HUH!?!?

Well.. I just had a Special Edition Almond Joy - White Chocolate, Pina Colada.  Quite interesting, and actually pretty good.  And the pineapple flavor wasn't too cloying, so...

Now let's see if I sleep tonight...

 ::)
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 08:56:31 PM
Re tipping, der Brucer and I heard a couple of horror stories tonight over at the Purple Parrot.

There was a Women's Conference in town a couple of weeks ago, and Heather (whom I happen to like) was working the upstairs bar with Will.  One of the Conferencees came up, ordered about sixteen dollars worth of drinks (including a couple of frozen drinks), and only put down a quarter for a tip.

Apparently some of her friends got on her case about undertipping, so she left another 50 cents on the bar.

It gets worse.  Another group of women came in, when Heather was working the downstairs bar, and went upstairs.  Aparently Mike was working upstairs, and got a bit miffed when one of the women told him "We don't tip men."  He shot back "Well, then you'd better not expect any service."  The woman stormed out of the place, spewing epithets, and started spreading word around town that the P. P. "doesn't serve women!"  

At some point, we've got to start using the phrase "Female Chauvinst Pig."

Note to Danise: TIP EVERYBODY!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 09:00:18 PM
As for Jay's question earlier, der Brucer and I love scrapple.  No, it's not really all the anonymous parts of the pig.  It's also quite tasty, and much leaner than bacon.

We've been sampling the marketed brands since moving to the east coast, but today we dropped by a local produce market which sold their own scrapple and sausage.  We may be pigging out soon.

Remember, no groaning.

 ;D
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: DearReaderLaura on April 28, 2004, 09:10:09 PM
Jane: The canyon is about four hours away. It was my first trip up there in years.

Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Jrand73 on April 28, 2004, 09:24:03 PM
Yes MATTH - it was!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: TCB on April 28, 2004, 09:53:08 PM
Those bones could put an eye out!

Mr. Barnum, sometimes I question your sexual preference!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: S. Woody White on April 28, 2004, 10:37:25 PM
Mr. Barnum, sometimes I question your sexual preference!
That's not sexual preference, that's a worker's comp claim in the making!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Tomovoz on April 28, 2004, 10:38:36 PM
Welcome Beekay. I am not alone on this side of the world. Despite the intitials he is for real!
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 10:45:02 PM
I'm back.  I totally forgot that I'd told someone I'd go to a reading of their film script.  It was supposed to start at seven and I remembered at seven-twenty.  I zoomed over to Burbank and arrived at seven-forty-five.  I walked in the door, they shoved a script in my hand and I found I was part of the reading.  I'd arrived literally five lines before my first line.  Who knew?  I thought I was going to listen, but I ended up reading several parts.  I jumped in with verve and never looked back.  All the others reading were amateurs except for the terrific Paul Dooley.  I hung afterwards and we had quite a nice chat.

I'm going to eat some chips, then I must write tomorrow's notes in a trice.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: Tomovoz on April 28, 2004, 10:51:19 PM
Late post: Favourite muppet shows were with guest artists. Rita Moreno and Charles Aznavour.
Favourite sketch was probably "Camelot" (I got the horse right here. Belongs to Guenevere). Also loved Pigs in space and of course the wonderful Swedish Chef.
Variety: Carol Burnette Show and "The Entertainers" (also with Carol).
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: bk on April 28, 2004, 11:40:33 PM
WUSSBURGERS, one and all.  Someday we're going to rediscover our late-night frenzies from our glory days - when we would all post until the wee small hours of the morning.
Title: Re:TRUE GRITS
Post by: George on April 28, 2004, 11:50:55 PM
We recently bought four DVDs of the Best of the Muppet Show.  Each has three episodes, introduced by Jim Henson's son Brian (the new voice of Kermit), with some cut scenes and other stuff.  But let's face it, the real deal is the shows themselves.

Since the discs have no "volume" numbers on them, I'll have to identify them by their spine colors:

Lime Green: Peter Sellers, John Cleese, and Dudley Moore.
Tangerine: Harry Belafonte, Linda Ronstadt, and John Denver.
Deep Turquoise: Elton John, Julie Andrews, and Gene Kelly.
Goldenrod: Mark Hamill, Paul Simon, and Raquel Welch.

They were real cheap at WalMart when we bought them, but I'm not sure if the sale is on now.

You can get the whole Muppet Show DVD set (well, the 15 discs that are available) directly from Time-Life (http://www.timelife.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=Vp_9BMBlXHjqTID18u-9COar9SfjO1OynTQ=?ProductSKU=18052).  This link also lists the discs and what episodes are on each.  I was going to get the whole set when I got my income tax refund, but I after I got my car serviced, I spent most of what was left on CDs.  :D Oh well.