tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30915122012-01-19T21:44:37.405-06:00Your source for uninformed rants on popular culture!Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.comBlogger1201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-16048293221863310852012-01-16T20:27:00.002-06:002012-01-16T20:28:28.054-06:00

In trying to keep up my little space on the web, I thought I'd go through my playlists that won't get posted: my vinyl listening. This weekend, while pounding away at the keys, and not wanting to be distracted by putting on the TV, I just dug out some LPs. Got the ION turntable plugged into the computer anyway, and was intending to screen all my vinyl to start listing them on GEMM. I am

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-16759668398883624892012-01-11T00:07:00.002-06:002012-01-11T00:07:55.733-06:00

Some months ago, the cartoonbrew blog posted a YouTube video that had unearthed a long-lost pilot for a Howdy Doody cartoon film series, made on spec for "Buffalo Bob" Smith and NBC by animator Gene Deitch ("Tom Terrific" among many others). That film was thought lost for many years until someone unearthed a copy and posted it to YouTube. Now another long-lost film has resurfaced, this one with

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-27286263205330806802011-09-22T00:58:00.000-05:002011-09-22T00:58:14.327-05:00

Could this be the end of my all-time favorite load bar band, the New Duncan Imperials???? Goodtime's Retiring!: Holy S***! It's True!: Yes kids, that tireless dynamo of rock power and sweaty hand-outs, GOODTIME DAMMIT, is retiring from ALL FORMS of show business.  He will no...

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-91237529304899835372011-07-20T09:06:00.000-05:002011-07-20T09:06:12.406-05:00

At least not even in my relatively upscale neighborhood. As the wife and I were driving past Ogden Avenue, right on the border between Downers Grove and Westmont, we saw the lot of a car repair shop that had parked on its lot corner: a Mercedes, and Jaguar, and... a Rolls Royce. Now I'm not sure that I've ever seen a Rolls on the road at all before, let alone in a repair shop. This is in spite of

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-69582274238206164402011-07-05T14:46:00.000-05:002011-07-05T14:46:09.544-05:00

So two weeks ago we suffered through a major blackout caused by the storm through Downers Grove that was only later defined to be a Tornado. While we only lost a few tree branches, not even the worst storm damage our trees had suffered, parts of the village were ripped up pretty good. The park near us had so many downed braches being pushed to the sidewalk, it looked for a while like you could

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-67606018748894814532011-06-27T11:40:00.000-05:002011-06-27T11:40:28.329-05:00

So, I'm still not Wi-Fi enabled and mobile. But I expect to be shortly. And I'm thinking now of locations to hide or hang out while wasting time surfing the net doing my important writing. My detached garage has no electricity, though it might be within reach of my Mac Mini's Air Port. But let's say you just want to go someplace away from the usual coffee shops and just sit in a quiet spot? Here

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0Downers Grove, IL, USA41.8089191 -88.011174641.7614021 -88.0483146 41.856436099999996 -87.97403460000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-11080874863637863252011-04-08T21:30:00.000-05:002011-04-08T21:30:54.723-05:00

Your favorite first computer is baaack!

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-70187293338327147232011-04-04T09:45:00.002-05:002011-04-04T09:48:22.911-05:00

Another Warner Brothers military film rediscovered: The Cartoon Brew site discusses this film: cartoonbrew.com/classic/grampaw-pettibone-by-warner-bros-cartoons. Much lesser-known than the Pvt. Snafu, cartoons for the Army, the Grampaw Pettigrew character was thought to have been created by the UPA studio for Navy training films, but Brew researchers found the first of these was definitely

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-19470356259663685132011-03-21T08:58:00.000-05:002011-03-21T08:58:57.265-05:00

Religion, politics, and Superman vs. Flash.DC Universe: The Source » Blog Archive » Who’s the Fastest?Probably should add to that:Hulk vs. ThingThor's hammer (unstoppable force) vs. Juggernaut (Immovable object)

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1835453830399359602011-02-10T08:29:00.001-06:002011-04-04T09:50:15.370-05:00

When I'm at work and find these things, I can't post to Facebook, so here you go: Star Wars retold using icons. Iconoscope No.1: Star Wars Episode IV | DozBlogThing

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-91558130636200776992011-01-24T10:03:00.001-06:002011-01-24T10:04:58.371-06:00

Comics Code Authority is dead - Boing Boing It's not yet confirmed that the Comics Code Authority will still continue in some form; presumably not, as its membership was representatives from the very publishers that submitted to its authority. While some will look at the practice of the CCA as "censorship," the dividing lines are not as clear: publishers had to right not to submit their comics

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-22496880201441899652011-01-04T10:41:00.001-06:002011-01-04T10:41:42.211-06:00

http://www.metafilter.com/99091… It's easier to follow the links in this article than to track to the original articles it cites. Basically, Michael Pillar, "Star Trek: TNG's" show runner, detailed what went wrong with "Star Trek: Insurrection." While I might complain that I just now realized the final plot of the movie was swiped by "Avatar," is it better than the original idea of swiping from

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-15393216214862440852010-12-17T10:31:00.000-06:002010-12-17T10:31:18.394-06:00

What ca we learn by sorting every word ever printed? Can we achieve a concordance to the known universe? Not yet, but here's a good start. The cultural genome: Google Books reveals traces of fame, censorship and changing languages | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover MagazineInteresting that "The Great War" was discarded in favor of "The World War" and then "World war I" in 1938, when it must

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-44287489693654442462010-12-09T14:47:00.002-06:002010-12-09T14:49:37.567-06:00

I'm not sure of the background of this writer, but he hits plenty of nails on his head with his claim that the innovation of the Marvel Age of Comics ended in 1991. I read the phone-book compendium "Essential Fantastic Four" a while back, collecting #1-#20 of the magazine, and was impressed at how, even in the early days, the Lee/Kirby issues showed the characters actually growing and developing,

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-89587967200862457752010-11-01T09:35:00.000-05:002010-11-01T09:35:49.937-05:00

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2010/10/27/plaster-caster-mounts-mayoral-campaign/#Finally, someone who's proven she's not afraid to get her hands dirty!I actually met her once, when the Chicago Psychotronic Film Society was going on in the 80s. Don't remember if she was part of the program, or just showed up because she knew the hosts. One of those showings did run the film "Groupies" with her

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-40745488164506250212010-09-10T09:06:00.002-05:002010-09-10T09:06:48.263-05:00

One day, this be done, just for the hell of it. With lasers, solar sails, I don't know. Thanks to kottke.org

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-28632542561041760292010-08-26T12:54:00.001-05:002010-08-26T12:56:09.076-05:00

This past week, my parents were out to visit us. Largely because my dad, well retired, still looks for projects to work on, and we settled on replacing the very wobbly wood handrailing on our concrete deck. The deck over the attached garage, so one side has a ten-foot plunge onto asphalt if the railing gives way.The result was a great deck reinforced with lots of steel bolts and set screws. The

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-71816698163412813972010-05-20T09:11:00.000-05:002010-05-20T09:11:21.684-05:00

Rapping order at American Fork McDonald's not a crime, judge rules | Deseret News

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-48526838062054798752010-05-18T14:31:00.001-05:002010-05-18T14:31:15.202-05:00

MBARI News Release - Researchers solve mystery of deep-sea fish with tubular eyes and transparent head

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-15230064834405912802010-04-30T12:03:00.000-05:002010-04-30T12:03:20.849-05:00

Local News | Local boy with cancer turns into a superhero for a day | Seattle Times NewspaperGreat story, although one might what a character named "Moonshine Maid" might be doing with a DeLorean when she's not crimefighting. Bet those extra tanks in the rear aren't for gasoline!

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-44338360819714401182010-04-16T08:48:00.001-05:002010-04-16T08:54:14.864-05:00

Unearthed after nearly 60 years, a "lost" UPA cartoon, the first directed by Gene Deitch. It was a pilot for a proposed theatrical cartoon series to star Howdy Doody, but Buffalo Bob is said have hated it. Too bad. A successful series of cartoon would have kept the character popular today, as I don't think there's a lot of footage of the TV show around. Thanks to the Cartoon Brew website for

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-82591418977723982512010-03-29T22:50:00.001-05:002010-03-29T22:50:45.681-05:00

Sunday, we took Julia to Hummer Park in DG. For the first time, she decided to try out the climbing wall on the toddler jungle gym set, and just scurried right on up. This cell phone video is actually her third time going on up.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-28748977189657622372010-02-03T21:13:00.000-06:002010-02-03T21:13:36.569-06:00

Check the article by the Tribune's Maureen Ryan on "Lost." In the Comments section, I remark on the similarity between the pool the Others tried to revive Sayid in, and the "Lazarus Pit" used by Batman's nemesis Ra's al Ghul. See how the comments since all refer to the Lazarus Pit.The 'Lost' season premiere – Smokin'!

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-88898711962429542322009-10-28T10:46:00.003-05:002009-11-02T22:34:19.559-06:00

Hey, Windows 7 and "Family Guy" are a perfect fit! Both are crappy rip-offs of much better programs!Microsoft's Family Guy cancellation: Windows 7, yes; incest and deaf people, no - Computerworld BlogsPosted using ShareThis

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-70474242806817346592009-10-09T09:20:00.001-05:002009-10-09T09:21:33.101-05:00

It's just as I was suspecting. Merely Not Being George Bush is enough to earn a Nobel Peace Prize!

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1198539918224151932009-06-24T12:56:00.003-05:002009-06-24T14:04:23.644-05:00

I've been really too busy to fuss with my "main" blog here, what with an 8-year-old boy and a 16-month-old girl. That, and I've started writing for Examiner.com as their Chicago Craft Beer Examiner; check it out, this actually pays per page view instead of waiting for you to click on an ad!But having passed the Aloha Age (because I'm now Five-0), I started to think up lists of things I;ve already

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-29637345123866572632009-02-13T14:22:00.004-06:002009-02-13T14:37:03.358-06:00

Despite having plenty of access to Latino culture as a resident of a major metropolis, I still have not for the life of me been able to learn much Mexican folk music. You know, the songs that define the culture for an entire nation, yet here in America they're rudely appropriated from their original context to sell stuff or in an attempt to be funny. You know: "I dance! I dance! I dance! Upon a

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-42312438489806570352009-02-10T10:13:00.001-06:002009-02-09T10:48:04.961-06:00

Once again, I can look forward to the ego-stroke of seeing my name as a byline. This time it's for a collection of academic essays called "Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero," edited by Robert G. Weiner.I was able to dust off an article I written a few years ago on Roy Thomas' "Retro-World War II" series The Invaders, and All-Star Squadron and repurpose it by putting more emphasis

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-7410017570417762602009-02-09T08:45:00.003-06:002009-02-09T09:02:55.785-06:00

Since I started selling my old books through Amazon, and my old 45s through GEMM.com, I had always wondered if this might happen, and now it has: I've sold a book back to its author.I don't need to embarrass anyone by revealing the author's name. Just know that this was a vanity-published "think-and-grow-rich" book that I got as a review copy, back when I was editing a pennysaver and a quarterly

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-82327452262586283662009-01-21T08:04:00.003-06:002009-01-21T08:11:11.821-06:00

I was happily able to watch President Obama's (Let's say that again! President! Obama!) whole inauguration speech at work (thanks, Mr. Prez, for keeping it around 20 minutes). Working in an office full of proofreaders (and thus professional nitpickers), we all picked up on Obama's referring to himself as the "44th man" to take the oath of office (consternation! Grover Cleveland!) but it was

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-81322234443886496932009-01-12T09:15:00.005-06:002009-01-12T10:04:52.409-06:00

Surprised I am to find comments from "Col. Tribune" regarding my last post. But maybe I shouldn't be. Surely the Trib's web folks have search bots running all the time to find references specific to its web pages, or, more likely, when someone is linking directly to something on their page that might result in a waste of bandwidth. I actually copied the picture in the previous post and saved to

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-76971173526576019762008-12-09T14:02:00.002-06:002008-12-09T14:23:51.114-06:00

So today the Governor of Illinois gets busted in an influence-peddling scheme.Not the first time this has happened in our great state, I'll admit.But when my Google news bot directs me to the main link for the story, I'm directed to a site called Chicago Breaking News, which appears to be a money-saving pooling of resources from across the debt-ridden Tribune Co. empire. Okay, nothing else

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-32481932550028350192008-11-19T07:47:00.004-06:002008-11-19T07:56:25.099-06:00

Just filled the gas tank on the ol' Tercel again. Less than a month from the previous fill-up this time, because I made a trip to the city to show a friend the Goose Island brewpub, and detoured home by way of Flossmoor Station. So the price of gas today was at 1.999 a gallon, not quite a dollar less than the 2.769 I paid 20 days ago, but very nearly half of what I paid for the previous fill-up

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-66037238904968415362008-11-04T22:22:00.003-06:002008-11-04T22:34:39.448-06:00

McCain is giving one of the most gracious concession speeches I've heard in some time. If only he were this eloquent on the campaign trail, instead of running against the names in Obama's rolodex.And I'm still straining to see any minorities at the McCain rally.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-90239176964134028042008-11-04T22:17:00.002-06:002008-11-04T22:18:30.701-06:00

For those delusional enough to think Sarah Palin could run in 2012: just remember the rally in Grant Park tonight for Obama outnumbers the entire population of Alaska.Meantime, I'm dealing with the fact of the first President who's younger than I am.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-90861622343978177252008-10-30T15:14:00.003-05:002008-11-18T15:39:38.001-06:00

This past summer, we moved the family from Park Forest to Downers Grove. Mostly so the kids would have much better schools, but also because we wanted to be closer to where I work (and where my wife might find better part-time opportunities around the baby's schedule). At the height of the gasoline crunch, we figured that what with driving 35 miles each way, plus tolls, I would be paying out over

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-91638304257170694162008-06-09T08:42:00.004-05:002008-06-09T09:00:33.974-05:00

Took the boy the the movies for the first time in months, and we went to see Kung Fu Panda.I can admit to liking it much more than any previous animated product from Dreamworks. The Cartoon Brew blog invited comments from those who saw it (SPOILER ALERTS!), and I posted mine. Here they are, too, because why am I filling up other people's web pages while neglecting my blog for months at a time:

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-68128449348802922292008-03-31T11:20:00.002-05:002008-03-31T12:26:12.297-05:00

We've been busy bringing one of these into our lives:

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-44418693654410814952007-12-20T15:02:00.000-06:002007-12-21T10:13:00.809-06:00

Rather than another rant about the general awfulness of selection on radio stations that go "all Christmas songs" before Halloween, let's check out some links to favorite aural treats:"Sound Opinions," NPR's rock'n'roll talk show, is scheduled for a visit from DJ Andy Cizran, who each year presents a collection of found vinyl Christmas oddities. The show airs Friday, Dec. 21, and a podcast should

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-18710518385097086702007-10-26T14:29:00.001-05:002008-03-31T14:14:25.899-05:00

We visited here to help relatives with the antique fair on Sept. 29. Of course, there's only one thing I really wanted to see:Volo Auto Museum

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-44784776207623246392007-10-16T14:22:00.000-05:002007-10-16T14:50:18.327-05:00

Surprise and disappointment this past weekend, as Barb and I got someone to watch the boy Saturday while we headed into Downtown to audition for "Merv Griffin's Crosswords." Yep, another game show, the last one developed by the Mervster.I had spotted an ad in the Tribune's TV page inviting aspiring contestants to call or go online to get one's name in the hopper. Well, I'm a big aspirer. I

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-85743294350577538632007-08-02T10:51:00.000-05:002007-08-02T11:41:41.285-05:00

I started this blog with a post from my 25th high school reunion back in 2002. So I went back last month for my 30th.Schaller, Iowa is in a typical rural area where female 4-H members still aspire to be named Pork Queen at the county fair each summer. Yet each year it becomes more of a promotional thing as family farms are swallowed up by giant hog raising factories. The various county pork

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-86096918046762057662007-08-02T10:31:00.000-05:002007-08-02T10:46:11.139-05:00

(A quick catch-up)What was more amazing about the cicadas than their appearance was how fast they disappeared. A few news stories about the mess their dead bodies were leaving behind, and then—gone. Guess those birds and other bug-eating critters did a very efficient job, not to mention the fact that dead insects dry out pretty quickly. Many of 'em probably just disintegrated.Interestingly, the

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-40077753790861899922007-06-11T15:24:00.003-05:002008-06-02T15:18:26.770-05:00

As of this week, the li'l bugs are swarming. This is some video (actually audio) taken during lunchtime from work.At home, we don't have as many, but we have lots more fat, happy birds. In nearby Homewood, where Dixie Highway has several trees planted along its downtown stretch, the constant traffic apparently keeps the birds, so the bugs are swarming like sparks at a campfire. In our area,

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-69248739949677801122007-04-25T10:33:00.000-05:002007-04-25T12:46:05.613-05:00

Ranting about Star Wars stamps as I did below made me think about the topic of who has and who hasn't been honored on a U.S. Postage Stamp. What group of people is guaranteed to be placed on a stamp?Only deceased U.S. Presidents. Gerald Ford gets one in July. Clinton, Carter and the Bushes each get one after their time on Earth is done. It's tradition, so no kvelling about the appropriateness of

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-6281170630197353392007-04-02T11:03:00.001-05:002008-07-08T11:18:18.901-05:00

This comes from the fine radio show "Mint," which, regrettably, is being pulled from the BBC 6 schedule:Herbie Flowers is someone you've heard, if you've heard classic rock at all. He's a session bass player who started out playing tuba on cruise ship bands in the early 60's, and began to pick up the jazz bass. During a stopover in New York he discovers the new trend of electric jazz, and starts

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-11641288524327786082007-03-30T12:05:00.001-05:002008-06-02T15:20:04.951-05:00

Before I was a comics, Star Trek and beer geek, I was a stamp collector. So I still keep up with new issues and buy cool ones to address my mail. And I know some of the rules about who can be honored on a stamp.The primary rule has been that no living person is honored on a US stamp. Traditionally, they waited until someone had been dead for ten years before putting out a stamp, except for U.S.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-92015932210353145442007-03-22T12:19:00.002-05:002008-06-02T15:57:08.812-05:00

Click here, while the link is active, for the raw footage of the overserved Chicago cop beating up a bartender:http://video.nbc5.com/player/?id=83968(c) 2007, WMAQ. All rights reserved.Without the voiceover of a news reader narrating the story, we find out that the beating ends just as the jukebox finishes playing Johnny Cash' "Sunday Morning Coming Down."Somehow eerily appropriate.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-54129297124936286412007-03-21T13:59:00.000-05:002007-03-21T14:07:54.240-05:00

If I have dreams all the time, like some say, I don't remember 99% of them. But last night was the exception.I dreamed I was surfing the Web and I stumbled upon a new web site. It started installing software that kept asking me for personal information. My address, my Soc., my phone number, passwords, names of my family, all that. Somehow I realized this was the Devil's personal web address, and

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-68271696834518093052007-02-22T13:13:00.000-06:002007-02-22T14:18:53.787-06:00

I want to try and start a little feature that I may be able to update more often than I am now (my Super Bowl rant is still coming, trust me). In the course of wandering the internet, I pick up lots of halfway interesting facts. Some are answers to questions that have been in the back of my mind for years. I call thisWhat I Learned TodayBack in 1959, the inestimable Spike Jones produced an album

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1157741326851879552006-09-08T13:43:00.000-05:002007-01-25T10:17:00.407-06:00

or; Up Mine!Okay, this is the kind of information may save your life, etc., but when it first happens to you, it's a bit unsettling.I have suspected my doctor just likes to order tests and push pills on me for every least little thing. Yes, I am carrying about 100 lbs. more than I should, and I'm flirting with diabetes and a heart condition, but it seems that every time I see him, I have to add

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1157461847034348632006-09-05T08:02:00.000-05:002006-09-05T08:37:51.786-05:00

Considering we only caught the last half hour of the MDA telethon, why do I want to comment on it? Especially, why am I pushing off other posts I wanted to write in order to do this? Partly, I guess, because of the great comments on the telethon that Mark Evanier provides. My comment is that what with Jerry having mellowed out considerably in his autumn years, there's one thing that consistently

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1156385587397838362006-08-23T20:55:00.000-05:002006-08-23T21:37:23.193-05:00

Catchup time. Should have written this a month back because I actually have a Mickey Spillane story. Rather, it's a story that Spillane told a lot, but it hasn't had much currency on the web yet. So here it is.I saw Spillane at the 1995 Chicago Comics Convention (or as it's now known, WizardWorld Chicago. What was he doing at a comics convention? Well, it's well documented that Spillane got his

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1152721499679885122006-07-12T10:18:00.000-05:002007-04-17T22:03:28.392-05:00

Yes, I do understand the rules of blogging. You've got to keep posting fresh stuff every day or so. Then people will come to read, then maybe they'll click the ad links. Maybe when we move to a new house I can find the time.But now, I must finally make time to post this bit of personal news: I've been published! Yes, I not only play a writer on the blogosphere, but I do it in real life! And

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1149771541121114442006-06-08T07:20:00.001-05:002008-06-02T15:22:14.298-05:00

Best news I could get on my birthday yesterday was the announcement that all parties concerned have finally reached an accord that will allow the complete library of classic Popeye cartoons to come out on home video, starting sometime next year. Be it known that except for a few shorts which slipped into the public domain, there has never been a legitimate home video release of the Popeye shorts.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1139343179626261882006-02-07T13:55:00.000-06:002006-02-07T14:15:31.330-06:00

This came from a thread on cartoonist Scott Shaw!s excellent Oddball Comics forum. I'm turning it into an e-mailable post. If this comes back to your in-box a year later, I'm to blame.So, which writer was most concerned about his reputation after his death?Charles Dickens?Walt Whitman?Mark Twain?Ernest Hemingway?or Bob Kane?Now, to be fair, some of the authors' simple markers are next to much

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1138898728418395782006-02-02T10:39:00.000-06:002006-02-02T13:58:11.816-06:00

Today, over one thousand morning jocks will be playing drop-ins of dialogue from the movie Groundhog Day. Five hundred of them will play the same piece of dialog over and over after every song or commercial.We get it. The movie was about a guy forced to live the same day over and over. It's already been thought of. So come up with something new.And replaying your entire show the day after

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1136560246077135242006-01-06T08:30:00.000-06:002006-01-06T09:10:46.086-06:00

Wednesday morning at work, all three newspapers sold in our dining room -- the  Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, and USAToday—had the story that the 13 miners trapped in the West Virginia coal mine had been rescued. I saw these after driving to work, hearing that there had in fact only been one survivor.I thought at the time that these were, after all, the suburban editions, which had to be printed

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1134408997283252722005-12-12T09:21:00.000-06:002005-12-13T09:51:08.966-06:00

Richard Pryor is on an odd personal list of performers whom I like or admire, but I don't possess a single copy of their work. There are many reasons why I haven't bought a Pryor album. At first, it was because I just didn't enjoy hearing the kind of language he used on his routine (that's, there's little prude hidden beneath my Rabelaisian exterior). Then, when I was in college and playing

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1134137893553910942005-12-09T08:10:00.000-06:002005-12-09T09:52:12.546-06:00

Those reading this blog in the far distant future on Archive.org may remember Chicago's Rush Hour Blizzard of 2005. Planes sliding off the runway, snarl-ups all over the place. I found myself trying to get from Downers Grove to Park Forest during the worst of it.I had already needed to stop off for an oil change along the way, so I finished that while still on Ogden Avenue in Downers (Click the

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1130390176078803872005-10-26T23:54:00.001-05:002008-06-02T15:28:52.840-05:00

Boy, the whole World Series came and went before I even had the time to write anything about it, mostly owing to a heavy, heavy deadline. Should I carp about Fox Sports dismissing the Astro's "homer" in Game 3 instead of replaying it five times a minute like they did for every bad call that went the Sox' way? And with failed president Bush in the crowd, too. Gues Fox Sports is every bit as "fair

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1128106616375816392005-09-30T13:51:00.001-05:002008-06-02T15:31:32.502-05:00

All right, I'm seriously behind on a paper about "Star Wars" that I had promised over a year ago, but having just re-watched "The Phantom menace," I must get this out of the way:SebulbaDick DastardlySurely other people have commented on this. Sebulba did absolutely nothing in the movie that Dastrdly didn't do in "Wacky Races." And Sebulba was no Paul Winchell, either.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1125593571332090362005-09-01T09:06:00.000-05:002005-09-01T12:20:04.706-05:00

The theory is that if I use the words New Orleans and Hurrican Katrina and Disaster enough, the ads above me will show links that you can click on to donate money... without my having to spend anything. Or maybe you'll be told that just clicking on an ad banner somewhere will bill the advertiser money that will be earmarked for hurricane relief in New Orleans and Mississippi (there, I've said it

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1121882666011095162005-07-20T13:04:00.000-05:002006-07-12T12:35:38.110-05:00

"He's dead, Jim!"Sorry, but everybody else is saying that. Or "Aye canna get any more power to the warp drive, Cap'n! I'm completely dead!"

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1118953678328804232005-07-16T15:14:00.000-05:002005-07-20T13:21:12.903-05:00

As much as I enjoy oldies music, there's a very big flaw in the way it's been presented on the radio: there's nothing new!Once a playlist for an oldies radio station has been set, there seems to be an Iron Curtain around it that prevents any songs from being added or removed. Each Memorial Day weekend, the Chicago oldies station, WJMK-FM, would present a "Memorial Day 500 Countdown." This

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1119289902783174922005-06-20T11:35:00.001-05:002008-06-02T15:32:48.213-05:00

This week, the Chicago Sun-Times is running a special report on the 25th anniversary of the release of The Blues Brothers. Click the title of this post to go there now!Read it now? Okay. In 1980 I was DJ'ing a novelty record show at Iowa State University called "The Mutant Patrol." John Candy got scheduled to do a comedy performance, "An Evening With Johnny LaRue." As the guy playing the comedy

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1118764352814790252005-06-14T10:45:00.000-05:002005-06-14T10:52:32.820-05:00

Wait a minute! Michael Caine is playing Alfred the Butler in "Batman Begins." And nowhere in the movie does anyone ask him "What's it all about?" Or whether it's "just for the moments we li-i-i-i-ve?" Where's Dionne Warwick when you need her?

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1118428900537734112005-06-10T13:29:00.000-05:002005-06-18T14:58:52.423-05:00

On the occasion of Anne Bancroft's death this week, every radio station that reported on the news, even the all-news stations, felt the need to illuminate the story with a drop-in of dialogue from "The Graduate," or a snippet of the Simon & Garfunkel song, "Mrs. Robinson." And then, in the obit story itself, they tell how Ms. Bancroft wished not to be remembered only for her role in than movie.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1112203092490918822005-03-30T11:16:00.000-06:002005-03-30T13:56:35.516-06:00

Senator Norm ColemanWashington, DCDear Senator,I'm pleased to see you expressing your concerns about the investigation into the United Nations' "Oil for Food" deal with Saddam Hussein.Perhaps now you will also investigate Ronald Reagan's "Oil for Nerve Gas" deal with the same dictator. And George Bush's "Oil for Anthrax Spores" deal.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1107970777725434182005-02-09T11:08:00.000-06:002005-02-09T11:39:37.726-06:00

I realized I didn't have a lot to say on the topic of Johnny's passing that wasn't just rehashing all of the stories from people who were a lot closer to the subject. My personal experience was of creeping out of bed around the age of 9, and creeping to the grated hole in the floor of our upstairs hallway to listen while my folks watched the "Tonight" show. I distinctly remember the many visits

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1107966836778207002005-02-09T10:28:00.000-06:002005-06-10T13:43:52.686-05:00

I first started my little web site way back in 1995. One of my plans for the little darlin' would be to compile a Dictionary of Pop Culture References, where I would cite and define terms springing from TV and movies, to enlighten people of future generations. Somehwere out there, f'instance, is a guide to celebrities and topical references namechecked in the Looney Tunes (which I can't find to

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1105394090790875942005-01-10T15:44:00.000-06:002007-01-25T10:33:03.105-06:00

Here I am at my new location (same company, different division), which I started last week. It's an office where a lot of other division are being crammed in as they prepare to move to a new corporate HQ and continue the shakeout from a recent merger.But anyway, there's a trash bin not too far from my new desk here plenty of stuff has been disposed of following moves by many personnel. Last week,

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1101309992445293492004-11-24T09:15:00.000-06:002004-11-28T21:39:31.626-06:00

So, which pop song's use in a commercial represents the greatest sell-out of a generation's attitudes?Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'n Roll" for Cadillac? The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" for Pontiac's G6 "Oprahmobile?" The entire Who catalog for everything from the Hummer to cholesterol drugs? Jefferson Airplane's "Volunteers" for E*Trade?I was going to mention using Devo's "Uncontrollable Urge

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1100802463900749792004-11-18T13:14:00.000-06:002004-11-19T08:43:24.030-06:00

I went to my home town of Schaller, Iowa the first weekend of November. While visiting with the family, I went for a walk to see the uncommon phenomenon of a "bin-buster" harvest. Yes, this unappetizing-looking mess is the sign of a good harvest: so much corn there's room in the silo, so they have to pile it on the town streets. Here they're loading it for shipment as fast as trucks can line up

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1098383084661695672004-10-21T13:11:00.000-05:002004-10-21T13:24:59.486-05:00

A true story: As I was walking into the tunnel that connects the Thompson Center to the building across the street, I passed a little food stand selling Middle Eastern specialties. A woman was drilling the counterperson: "Are you sure your French Fries are homemade?" "Homemade?" "Right! Not frozen at any time." I laughed, but only to myself. We're talking sticks of starch deep-fried in oil. Is

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1097686682576808802004-10-13T11:35:00.000-05:002004-10-13T12:13:21.680-05:00

I decided to sign up for posting ads by Google on this site. After all, we all have the dream of just putting up something on the web and letting the click-through fees roll in. Of course it's not nearly as simple as that. This is also a game we can play, like Mad Libs. With the range of topics I've blathered on about, it should be interesting to see what ads pop up relating to my subjects. For

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1097506622383587182004-10-11T09:15:00.000-05:002004-10-11T12:08:15.350-05:00

Chris Reeve was not really "my" Superman. (Know what I mean? In the way that each generation of British kids defined themselves by who "their" Doctor Who was.) As a tyke, I had reruns of "The Adventures of Superman," the George Reeves series, every afternoon, right after the local Cartoon Carnival (which ran only Warner Bros. and Popeye cartoons. Why mess with perfection). But anyway, George's

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1092928004641771822004-08-19T10:03:00.000-05:002004-10-11T12:06:03.956-05:00

I finally broke down and got a cell phone this week. It was necessary because I borrowed the wife's phone over the weekend and the antenna nub broke off in my pocket. It was a 4 year old phone so it wouldn't have been worth fixing. Besides, with the new bairn in the house, we decided we both needed to be instantly reachable. We ended up renewing with AT&T Wireless, even though signal coverage at

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1089726691147290982004-07-13T08:42:00.000-05:002004-07-19T13:48:57.070-05:00

Been away so long I hardly knew my face... Various events in our lives have necessitated my absence from this page, as once was documented in my companion blog, "Bringing Ivan Home." Always meant to come back here, though. As a stopgap, here's a fun link we can all enjoy. Lileks.com is a treasure trove page maintained by a columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, whose office seems to be too

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1084501382149494292004-05-13T21:18:00.000-05:002004-07-13T09:40:26.153-05:00

Impressing your friends with your Oscar savvy I did promise this a while back now, didn't I. Alright, here are a few things you can use next time the Oscars roll around: Documentary Feature and Short Subject awards. Other observers have picked up on this independently, so it should no longer be a surprise. The documentary awards are almost always given to films about, in this order: The Holocaust

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1084313872380062892004-05-11T17:17:00.000-05:002004-07-13T09:41:04.640-05:00

Giving Up Beer for Lent; Drnk_McDermott makes a huge sacrifice: A RateBeer Feature I wrote this about my experiences trying to "do without" like a good Catholic boy, and posted it to the Ratebeer.com website. Enjoy.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1078235738153406072004-03-02T07:43:00.000-06:002004-07-13T09:42:07.646-05:00

So of course Sean Penn is getting some pipe for his clearly unprepared Oscar acceptance speech, which opened with "One thing actors know, besides the fact that there were no WMD's..." But waitaminit! There were no WMD's! And people who suggested there weren't were being called traitors! Who's turned out to be smarter: George W. Bush or Jeff Spicoli? Both seemed to have had the same high school

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1078161183766377942004-03-01T12:10:00.000-06:002004-07-13T09:42:35.123-05:00

Despite my affected cynicism, I'm just a sucker for the Academy Awards. I usually think of myself as being able to reliably pick the minor and technical awards based on previous observations (which I'll summarize below). But had I gotten up the gumption to enter, say, the Outguess Ebert contest, I would never have thought to punch a straight party ballot for "Lord of the Rings." Wanna bet the

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1078158479929064242004-03-01T10:27:00.000-06:002005-06-17T11:24:56.380-05:00

So today's the day the place I work at merged with Moore Wallace and changed its stock ticker from DNY to RRD. To commemorate the event, our office was invited to the posh lounge to watch our new CEO ring the opening bell at the new York Stock Exchange, an honor already bestowed to the likes on Martha Stewart, Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Mr. Potato Head.We're gathered around

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1075815562588770102004-02-03T07:39:00.000-06:002006-07-12T10:16:48.563-05:00

I realize that I'm just adding to the frenzy by commenting on Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl, but as an allegedly cultural observer, I must! I MUST!!!I actually did not see the incident in question; I looked away from the screen for that instant or two. What I did see was the amazing ending to one of the best Super Bowls ever (had the Panthers gone for and made the extra-point kicks instead of

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1074285088215593572004-01-16T14:31:00.000-06:002004-01-16T14:48:17.390-06:00

At the first of the year, I have to suspect that drugstore pharmacists have the most thankless job around. January has now become the time that millions of workers and retirees see their prescription drug benefits switched to a new provider or a new cost-cutting plan--cost-cutting for the company providing it, that is. While waiting for my daily meds at the Walgreens counter, I saw people who had

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1072186813549753392003-12-23T07:39:00.000-06:002004-01-16T14:50:32.326-06:00

I saw these driving up I-65 from Indianapolis this weekend, meaning millions of people have already seen 'em, but here it is anyway: The "Flying J" truck stop chain's usual series of billboards now proudly proclaim themselves to have "WiFi Hotspots." There have already been Starbucks at the oases on the Indiana Tollway, and I believe they're coming to the Tri-State in Illinois. This was the first

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1071270449369479092003-12-12T14:18:00.000-06:002005-03-30T14:25:56.483-06:00

I�m back from a long stretch of business and distraction with a couple stories about my adventures in beer geekdom. Although you can probably substitute �Wine,� �Cheese,� even �Cigars� for �Beer,� and there�s a similar story out there.Back in November, my homebrew club, BOSS, held its usual meeting with samplings of various beers. We popped open one bottle from a brewer with a good reputation for

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1069190892498586072003-11-18T15:12:00.000-06:002003-11-18T15:31:16.030-06:00

No, I mean it. I had even been planning a new blog dedicated to collecting photos and stories demonstrating how pitiful Cub fans are. But a little while ago, I caught an A&E �Biography� episode about Siegfried & Roy which had, of course, been hastily updated to cover Roy�s being attacked by one of his tigers. The story also showed the hoardes of crying fans gathered outside Roy�s hospital,

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1069188011510990692003-11-18T14:40:00.000-06:002003-12-12T17:33:03.200-06:00

I'm trying to place links to other places where I've written pithy or worthwhile stuff. Here you can find an index of comments I've left about movies on the Internet Movie Database. Worth a try. Also, when I contributed a plot summary about the "Fargo" TV pilot, it was indexed under this search link. Finally, wayyy back in college, my roommate Tim was building a card file on which he had entered

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1066243918031530702003-10-15T13:51:00.000-05:002004-10-13T12:19:54.066-05:00

So just how is a guy trying to catch a foul ball going into the stands responsible for eight runs? Don't Cubby errors have something to do with it?

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1066233098391726412003-10-15T10:51:00.000-05:002004-10-21T13:11:24.420-05:00

Here's a sampling of Cub fan reaction to the "fouled ball," from the Oct. 15 Sun-Times, in brief: BY GREG COUCH Staff Reporter Five outs from the World Series, and Florida's Luis Castillo hit a fly ball that went to Cubs left fielder Moises Alou. He drifted over toward the stands and jumped for the ball, but then a young man in the crowd in a dark shirt, Cubs cap and headphones reached over

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1065014812160994602003-10-01T08:26:00.000-05:002004-09-03T10:29:52.400-05:00

Gosh, darn it, I've been wanting to tell this one for weeks, and it slipped my mind. After going on for some length on my previous posts about the "proper" way to memorialize the passing of a well-liked entertainer, I think Sheb merited the one I had in the back of my mind. No speeches, no cheesy cartoons of the guy meeting St. Peter... as the composer of the Hee Haw theme (and now that there

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1064585044909154442003-09-26T09:04:00.000-05:002003-09-26T12:14:05.356-05:00

Well, the state of Iowa has this program that tries to lure its college graduates to relocate there. Last night, they had a reception at the Chicago Cultural Center, with a meet and greet with Governor Tom Vilsack (whom we'd met previously when they did the same thing in 2000). So what did I get out the event? Well, Vilsack, despite being a native of Pennsylvania, has the laid-back Iowan thing

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1063898011406509882003-09-18T10:13:00.000-05:002004-10-13T12:00:45.663-05:00

When two famous people have the bad luck to die on the same day, or at least so that their deaths are noted in the news on the same day, we can help but compare their relative contributions to our culture. So we note that the Chicago Tribune put Johnny Cash?s obituary on their September 13 front page, while John Ritter was in the Tempo entertainment section. This also despite the fact that Ritter

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1063125235901716502003-09-09T11:33:00.000-05:002003-09-09T11:43:20.636-05:00

Ooooh... I can't wait to see if any editorial cartoonists touch this one! Then again, I haven't seen any Warren-Zevon-meets-St.-Peter gags, so that string may finally be played out!

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1063039290497217182003-09-08T11:41:00.000-05:002003-09-08T13:00:23.086-05:00

I'm waiting for someone to suggest this to Bush as he now goes begging "that irrelevant debating society" for help in Iraq.

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1062768634664988762003-09-05T08:30:00.000-05:002003-09-05T09:20:17.980-05:00

What did we do over the Labor Day weekend? Rather than make any big plans, I just said to Barb on Saturday, �Let�s go for a drive and see where we end up.� Spontaneous holidays are a sort of fantasy I have.We headed south on the Historic Dixie Highway�I suspect any highway that leaves any northern city going south is named �Dixie Highway.� We�ve gone down this route before, prowling antique malls

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1062534410061743362003-09-02T15:26:00.000-05:002003-09-08T11:39:43.346-05:00

Woe unto Bat-fans who don't have the Trio cable channel. Every couple of months, they run a "Brilliant But Cancelled" promotion featuring network shows that died before their time, like "Ernie Kovacs," "East Side/West Side," etc. (though it's a stretch to put "The PJs" into that category, if for no other reason than they had a three-season run). For September, they've dug up some cult favorite

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1062523667770639822003-09-02T12:27:00.000-05:002003-09-02T12:38:49.620-05:00

Another Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon has come and gone, and again I am compelled to watch it waiting for a train wreck. Now understand, that even though Jerry's motive for working this event for nearly 40 years has never been explained, and his statements in defense of his "kids" border on the bizarre, it is still a good cause that focuses lots of attention on a disease that otherwise wouldn't

Mark McDermotthttps://profiles.google.com/108689763137268858147noreply@blogger.com0