That Girl

I had a crush on Marlo Thomas as a very young man, perhaps even a boy still. Hey, Italians deal with puberty earlier than most (I think anyway). I loved her show “That Girl” which was on the air from 1966 to 1971. It centered around a single working girl in the big city, pre-dating my all-time favorite sitcom “Mary Tyler Moore” which gets credit for being the first to cover this ground (MTM was on from 1970 thru 1977). The ironic twist here is that the series was created by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff who were the head writers on the Dick Van Dyke Show which co-starred none other than, yes, you guessed it, Mary Tyler Moore. Wild, huh?

I think one of the main reasons why I’ve always had affection for Marlo Thomas and That Girl was because my very first girlfriend looked exactly like her! Maybe it was a fluky coincidence, maybe it was directly connected. Who knows. All I know is that I’ll always like Marlo and that show.

Here’s the official That Girl website which has an excellent episode guide for all 136 shows.
The fourth season will be available on DVD in August which means you could own 4 of the 5 seasons. The final season will be available on DVD in the next year or two.


Here’s the memorable theme

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9rapJrbNRA&feature=related]

Here’s a sample episode in three parts called “My Sister’s Keeper”
Take note of the actress playing the nun. She’s Marlo’s sister! Their dad Danny Thomas also appears.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV5lbI7TibQ]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OozSZmSshUs&feature=related]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b6zMK0w5rU&feature=related]
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Little Brother

Commercials don’t have to suck, ya know. They can be wonderful little movies instead of queues to go to the bathroom or fast forward thru in Tivo. Check out this little gem that gets me every single time!

The tough little kid has a devious plan and works it to perfection! The music is great too. Watch the expressions on his parents’ faces at the end. Love it!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXqoRRlITzs]
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Lyrical Hip Hop as new art form

I love “So You Think You Can Dance” and have enjoyed all four seasons of it! This is their best one yet. Every dancer is so versatile. There are hip hoppers doing amazing ballroom dances and contemporary dancers doing some sick hip hop! Check out this performance last night by Mark and Chelsie who are no where near hip hop dancers but they did a wonderful job with this number. The theme was about the struggles that couples go thru due to long days at the office and job pressures. Powerful piece. Look at the emotions they express on their faces during their performance. Lyrical hip hop as art. Wow. Gotta love it.

Here’s the video which includes behind the scenes information about the dancers and the judges reviews.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yJJpjgCH3Q]
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The Courtship of Eddie's Father

Today is Father’s Day so I’m remembering one of my favorite TV shows ever, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” starring Bill Bixby. I’ve always loved that show and I think it was special to me because I grew up without a dad so I always longed for such a relationship. Now that I’ve become a father myself (I have three amazingly wonderful kids), I find that this TV show has taken on extra special meaning to me thru the years.

I really try my best to enjoy each and every moment that I am blessed to have with my children, especially the kind of moments that this show’s intro’s usually highlighted. Even during such tender, sweet moments I will get images from this show and it’ll make me smile.

The theme song is also one of my favorites, “Best Friend” by Harry Nilsson.
I remember singing that one all the time when my son was a baby and I still sing it to him on occasion, much to his dismay. Here are the words.

BEST FRIEND
by Harry Nilsson

People let me tell you ’bout my best friend,
He’s a warm hearted person who’ll love me till the end.
People let me tell you bout my best friend,
He’s a one boy cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy.
People let me tell you ’bout him he’s so much fun
Whether we’re talkin’ man to man or whether we’re talking son to son.
Cause he’s my best friend.
Yes he’s my best friend.
(scat finish).

Here’s an example of the wonderful intro’s to the show.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sJ1DLYE3LQ&feature=related]

 

Here’s a clip with a slightly different version of the song by Nillson

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv_IP4czdjI&feature=related]

 

Here’s yet another interesting variation, called My Girlfriend.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6wbPX1nM-Y&feature=related]
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Wazzup!

Budweiser’s True commercial campaign was a hilarious and infectious marketing phenomenon! It was a prime example of viral marketing in its most powerful form. People loved it and couldn’t wait to share it with their friends and so on. It’s been many years but people old enough still remember the original series of commercials as well as all of the countless clones it spawned!

Here are my favorite Wazzup commercials:

1. The Original that started it all.

2. The Wasabi sequel

3. The honky version that was extremely clever and painfully true!

4. The Jewish edition

5. Granny edition (false teeth version)

6. The SuperFriend’s version

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ageless rockers

I watched a cool special on PBS where acts from the 60s performed their hits (most of them in their 60s themselves!). It was so wild seeing them young in video clips and then today performing live. Their bodies might’ve aged but their hearts are forever young thanks to music.

Here’s Peter and Gordon from 1964 and then over 40 years later.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnBZTsVy_AU]

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Auditions of all 14 American Idol Finalists!

american_idol_logosvgHere they are. All 14 finalists from the first seven seasons of American Idol!
Sadly, I was able to remember them all without even using google! How many can you name?

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Solid Gold Talent

They sure don’t make ‘em like that anymore! Solid Gold was TV show from 1980 to 1989 that featured the “solid gold dancers” (see photo) that performed jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring choreography for the top songs that week. OK, I might be exaggerating a tad there. I think it helped young men get thru puberty if you ask me. When a young unknown named Arsenio Hall started hosting the show the writing was on the wall for its demise.
My favorite dancer was Deborah Jensen the brunette in the middle of the photo and starts the video off. No one gave a more sultry glare than she did.

Here she is along with the rest of her prancing cohorts.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr6H241usvY]

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American Midol

I’ve been a fan of American Idol since day one and I’ve been enjoying season seven a great deal. However, the news I just read is giving the producers a major headache and has left a sour taste in my mouth. I can’t believe what is going on this season. A major controversy among the fans is brewing regarding the contestants who made the final 24. It even involves some of my favorite performers such as the adorable 16 year old David.

Yahoo’s Music Blog started the controvery with this Valentine’s Day present about Carly Smithson/Hennessy.

They then added more fuel to the fire with this information:

On American Idol, Simon, Paula and Randy whittled it down to the final 24 contestants Wednesday night, and some of their casting decisions caused more controversy than Amy, Natalie, and Aretha combined. Not only were a few surefire fan favorites (Josiah Leming, the teary-eyed teen who lives in his car; Kyle Ensley, the geeky aspiring politician) inexplicably cast aside, but some of the contenders who made it through actually have extensive past industry experience, causing message boards to buzz with conspiracy theories about an allegedly fixed competition.

Among the suspicious singers in the Idol season 7 running are Carly Smithson, who was once signed to MCA Records under the name Carly Hennessy; Michael Johns, who used to front the major-label rock band the Rising under the name Michael Lee; onetime Star Search winner David Archuleta; former Boys N Girlz United boyband singer (and Britney Spears‘s ex-boyfriend!) Robbie Carrico; Cheyenne cast member Jason Castro; Making The Band also-ran Jason Yeager; former Arista Nashville signing Kristy Lee Cook; and Mo’Nique’s Fat Chance plus-size beauty pageant winner Joanne Borgella. Poor Josiah and Kyle never had a chance, fat or otherwise, against these pros!

Here is much more about this controversy.

I am still letting the information sink in so I don’t really know if this will ruin my enjoyment of this season or not yet. Is American Idol about finding NEW undiscovered talent? Or is it all right if it becomes a place for second chances at fame like it has for former recording stars like Carly, Michael and others who failed in their first shots at the big time? I tend to lean towards being a place for new talent who’ve never had a chance to make it big. Sort of like the Olympics used to be for amateurs until they allowed professionals in and totally destroyed the spirit of the games. I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to American Idol.

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Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone feels loved and has someone they love in their life!

Here are some nice love stories about how celebs met
http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/139/love_stories

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