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Well, that sucked.
Sunday, that is.
Sewer problem, still unfinished, thousands of dollars of repairs ahead.
Work all day.
Blisters on my right hand.
"The Sopranos" continues to move forward at a glacial pace.
Still waiting on several people to make donations to this. (And if that includes you, sponsor me and donate already- time's running out)
Why, no, I'm not having a good day. And, like drunk dialing, angry writing is never a good idea. So I'll stop now.
ShareMay 7 was Mom's birthday. But I've written all about Mom before, all I know, anyway, since so much of her life was hazy to us- the childhood hidden from the Nazis, the lost family members, the move to America. It's weird, because I want to keep her memory alive, but a lot of her history was obscured, and she preferred it to be that way.
But she was a great mother despite the mystery. She took care of us, loved us, was there for us every step of the way until she ran out of time almost 13 years ago. May was special for us because her birthday was so close to Mother's Day, and we got to celebrate her twice within, sometimes, a week. I'd have gotten her a big honking box of See's Candies, maybe a piece of jewelry or a gift certificate at one of her favorite stores, and she would be complaining now, telling me I shouldn't have and she didn't want or need anything, but I'd ignore it because I knew she loved it and me anyway.
Her name was Phyllis Simon, born Fela Berlinsky and anglicized to Phyllis Silverman when she came to America and joined up with her relatives in New Jersey. She was a wonderful person. I miss her still. If you knew her and Googled the name to see if anyone out there remembers, oh, boy, do I remember. And every year, I'll remember again right here. Happy birthday, Mom.
ShareRemember this guy?
When I was a kid, Alan Burke was a household name in the New York area. He was considered a fire-breathing maniac. He followed in the footsteps of Joe Pyne- confrontational, conservative, loud- and had a TV show just like Pyne's, too, or Wally George or Morton Downey Jr. later on, with weirdos and outcasts and fringies as guests just to let Burke knock them around a little. The original show was on channel 5 in New York in 1966-69, and then came the show in this ad, when Burke was a weekend anchor on WPIX, in 1974. He was also on WCAU in Philadelphia in the 1970s, and that's when I lost track. Google him and you won't find much- this sketchy Wikipedia entry isn't much help, but this Hollywood.com page has a little more. I wondered where he'd gone- apparently, he died in '92, and he's been pretty much forgotten. But he was a big name at one point. And his son is this guy.
I'd never seen anything on "Alan Burke's New York" on the Net. Nothing in Google. So here it is, for the record- for a short time in the 1970's, Alan Burke came back. And thus, it exists again.
(I think the voice in this audio clip from WBT Charlotte during World War II, identifying as Alan Burke, is the same Alan Burke- he worked in the Carolinas for years before coming to New York, and he'd have been in his 20s at the time; thanks to btmemories.com)
ShareBecause I'm lazy tonight, here's some stuff other people have posted on YouTube:
A game show from about 47 years ago on local Winnipeg television, "Lucky Seven"- it doesn't get much more low-tech than this:
Irene Ryan- Granny!- taping a promo for WTAR-TV Norfolk in 1967:
Totally useless but cool to a geek like me interested in TV graphics and logos: part 1 of a 1995 presentation of CBS affiliate logos for an affiliate meeting- it's actually a lot like the videos they project on screens before the main speeches and luncheons at the NAB convention in Vegas:
And part 2:
News the 1950s way, the "Esso Reporter" at WTOP-TV Washington:
A rare sign-off from the late, lamented WKBS-TV Philadelphia:
And a sales tape from WKBS' owner, Field COmmunications (with production music I remember- a sort-of knock-off of "The Hustle" in parts)- lots of irrelevant statistics, but some great one-of-a-kind logos and IDs, including the original WFLD Chicago logl and the "Happy Days Again" syndication opening credits. Oh, and it has the clip of Darryl Dawkins shattering the backboard in Kansas City. Plus "Snipets." Here's part one:
And part two, with "Battlestar Galactica" promos, shots of print ads, and more, including a "brand-new Chrysler K-Car":
Yes, I'm a geek. A lazy, trivia-absorbing geek. Sorry.
ShareI've only briefly explained to you why we're walking in the Revlon Run/Walk Saturday, but there's a front-page article in today's Palos Verdes Peninsula News that tells it from a different perspective- it's all about my wife Fran and her battle with breast cancer over the past year and a half. This morning, knowing it would be in the paper, I couldn't restrain my excitement- I ran out at 5 am and drove up to the Starbucks where they have an honor box, and I picked up a copy hot off the press and raced home to wake Fran up with it, comparing her beaming face in the paper with her drowsy grin as she awoke to my babbling.
The article's great- inspiring as hell- and I could not possibly be prouder of anybody or anything than I am to see Fran's story right there on page 1.
Wanna read it? I hope you do. Click here. That's a shadow over her head, not antlers. I stand by the quotes attributed to me, although please feel free to ignore the stated age.
And once you're done, go to https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/la/secure/MyWebPage.cfm?pID=365992 and donate if you haven't yet done so. Do it for Fran and everyone else who's been faced with cancer.
And now, as Mr. Harvey would say, you know... the rest of the story.
ShareThis week's "The Letter" newsletter for All Access hits a bunch of half-formed topics, because I spent way too much time yesterday replacing a dead router:
I had a version of this Letter kinda planned out in my head, but then my router decided to die and I had to spend much of Thursday on computer issues, so instead of the originally-planned version, I'll do a few short items and we'll all go off to the weekend happy, okay? Great. But first...
1. One last time before the Revlon Run/Walk, I'm gonna... well, actually, I'm gonna send you to a front page article in our local paper about my wife Fran. It's here: http://www.pvnews.com/articles/2007/05/10/local_news/news4.txt. It explains why I've been such a pain in the butt trolling for donations for the last several weeks in a manner far better than I can muster. If you can't stand me, do it for her. We're walking on Saturday morning, and we appreciate your generosity. Just go to https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/la/secure/MyWebPage.cfm?pID=365992 to donate by credit card, or send a check payable to Revlon Run/Walk for Women with Bib Number 22179 on the memo line to Perry Michael Simon, P.O. Box 3904, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274. Thank you.
2. Let's just get it over with now, shall we? Suspend everyone. Every talk show host, every morning host, everyone who does more than read liner cards on "your station for the best of the 80's, 90's, and today"- suspended. And their producers, too. Suspend 'em all, and let's just play music. But none of that offensive hip-hop, of course, or anything else that someone might not like. Clear the decks. Nothing but "lite 'n' easy favorites." That'll keep the pressure groups and the internet "gotcha" types and the Congress and the FCC happy. No controversy, no rudeness, nothing that can be taken out of context and used against us. Of course, we'll have no listeners left, but imagine life without complaint calls! (Somewhere, a General Manager is fantasizing about exactly that)
3. What frozen yogurt and programming radio have in common: There's this frozen yogurt stand in L.A. that has people going nuts, standing in hour-long queues to get a cup of the stuff. Celebrities, "regular" people, everyone is flocking to this place. They opened up a branch near me, and we stopped by out of curiosity to see what the fuss was about. There was a long line, but the counter people offered us a taste. And it was... awful. Horrible. Sour, unpleasant... it tasted like, well, sweat. I felt like the kid in "The Emperor's New Clothes"- didn't anyone else notice that the stuff is horrific? No, they were too invested in the idea that the stuff HAS to be good because Paris Hilton and Kirsten Dunst were seen at the West Hollywood branch, and they wouldn't be seen in just any TCBY. And what does this have to do with radio? Simply that it's too easy for a PD to hire a talent or pick up a syndicated show based on what some other station's done or what they hear from others. I know this goes on- I've heard of hosts who got jobs and even syndication deals because someone in a big market made a recommendation or there were big call letters on the resume or the consultant said "this is the guy you want," but, um, the quality wasn't there. What I'm saying here is that sometimes you'll listen to a potential hire that's been recommended, who's on big stations you respect, and you'll listen and think, geez, I don't hear it. And you may doubt yourself. Don't. It's your job as a programmer to know what you want your station to sound like. And if you don't hear it, it's probably not right for your station, no matter what someone else thinks. The regrets I have about programming decisions all involve times when I let someone talk me into something that I didn't think was the right way to go. Go with your gut.
Okay, now, on to the plug. You know by now about All Access News-Talk-Sports and the Talk Topics show prep column, and what you'll find there this week includes why I won't be putting a deposit down on the Smart car anytime soon, what every Mom wants for Mother's Day, the Boston Pops brawl, why ordering fish in a restaurant is an adventure into the Great Unknown, an examination of what makes Bob Barker, um, Bob Barker, why frat boys and Cinco de Mayo don't mix, why toddlers and pit bulls don't mix, why bicycles and cell phones don't mix, why pogo sticks and nutjobs on drugs don't mix, why pennies and McDonald's don't always mix, plus a whole inexplicable newspaper feature on artificial dog testicles and much, much more, updated multiple times daily. There's also "10 questions With..." Sporting News Radio host David Stein and the rest of All Access: Net News, Net Talk, Net... er, the Industry Directory, Mediabase charts, and everything else you need to be up to date with the radio and music industries, all free, because we're generous that way.
And one more time, thanks for supporting Fran and me in Saturday's event. We appreciate every contribution and good thought. Now, it's time to walk- have a great weekend.
ShareWe did the Revlon Run/Walk for Women today. Yes, we finished. No, we weren't last, not by a long shot.
We got to the Coliseum at about 6:15 am and we were far from the first people to show up- the parking close to the stadium filled up in minutes. We browsed the booths, Fran got her survivor's cap, and then we went to the stage, where they did the opening ceremonies. After a mildly embarrassing but mercifully short aerobics session (to the tune of- OK, just take a guess- yes, "I Will SUrvive"), we had the National Anthem:
I have no idea who he is.
Everybody knows who this is:
Fran Drescher's doing the Post-Cancer Circuit now. She showed up and pushed her CancerSchmancer.org website for early detection. Good for her. As long as she doesn't make another painful sitcom. Her speech was heartfelt and stirring and entirely spontaneous, except that...
...it wasn't. The prompter was right over our shoulder. Busted!
The Nanny was then joined on stage by the event's celebrity hosts:
Ol' One-TP-square and Vic Mackey on the big screen. Sheryl Crow, for some reason, didn't sing- she just showed up, talked for a short time...
...and that was it from her. Next to me, two young girls who work for Macy's had this conversation:
"Who's that?"
"Um... It says Sheryl Crow."
"Who?"
"I don't know, she sings... where's Mandy Moore?"
"I think she's later. The guy... oh, they said he's in 'Fantastic Four.'"
"Oh, yeah... I know who he is now."
Such is fame. You can be a nine time Grammy winner and gossip column regular, and you don't have to leave L.A. to find more than one person who has no idea who you are.
The Thing... er, Michael Chiklis also spoke...
...and did a good job, although it was unclear why he was the host- he only spoke in generalities, not as someone dealing with the disease in a more immediate manner. And then the Revlon Spokesmodels showed up...
...Beau Garrett, Jessica Alba, and Eva Mendes. The first two are in "Fantastic Four: Rise Of the Silver Surfer." This explains Chiklis, who's also in the movie. Yeah, they're using a cancer fundraiser to promote a movie. That's okay- they're bringing in money for the cause. Finally, the big star of the morning...
I'll admit right here that I have no memory of any Mandy Moore songs. I know she's a singer, I've seen her on "Scrubs," but I have no idea what her songs are. I heard her this morning and I STILL don't.
We drifted off towards the starting line, pausing momentarily to watch them light the Olympic torch atop the peristyle end of the Coliseum:
And then we joined the queue on Figueroa Street inching towards the starting line...
Alongside me, of course, was My Hero, the Star of the morning, resplendent in her survivor's cap:
And we're off:
That plane is always parked there at a museum, in case you thought we'd strayed towards LAX or something.
Scenery along the way: the skyline, obscured by morning haze and the picturesque Popeye's and Mobil:
Shrine Auditorium:
USC's new Galen Center arena:
And the best landmark of all, Felix Chevrolet:
This place was along the way, although most of the folks in the walk would suggest more than just prayer to deal with cancer:
Hey, this guy's not registered! Where's his number bib?:
Finally, with paydirt in sight...
...my camera battery ran out. F. F!!! I had to make do with my Treo camera instead, which isn't quite the same. But we pressed on, heading down the fabled tunnel- the same tunnel through which generations of the world's greatest athletes passed, the tunnel Roy Campanella was wheeled through on May 7, 1959 in fromt of 93.103 fans holding up lights, the tunnel used by the stars of two modern Olympics...
...and we crossed the finish line holding hands, arms raised in triumph, because, well, if you're going to cross a finish line in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, that's what you do. And here's the Champion of All Time, one year after surgery:
No, as a matter of fact, I could NOT be any more proud of anyone or anything. That beaming face says everything.
Thank you to the many people who responded to my incessant trolling for donations both here and through All Access. Your generosity made this walk even more special- we were walking not just for Fran but for all of you, all of your loved ones and friends who have battled cancer, everyone who has had to carry that burden. With that kind of purpose and your support, this walk was a piece of cake. Maybe next year, I'll run it. But I really loved sharing it with Fran- every time I looked over at her and felt the emotion well up, it made the day that much more meaningful.
You can still, by the way, donate- use this link for the next week or two, or send checks payable to "Revlon Run/Walk for Women" (put Bib Number 22179 on the memo line, please) to Perry Michael Simon, P.O. Box 3904, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274 and I'll get them in. And thank you for helping make today one of the more special days of Fran's life, and mine, too.
ShareThis page contains all entries posted to PMSimon.com in May 2007. They are listed from oldest to newest.
April 29, 2007 - May 5, 2007 is the previous archive.
May 13, 2007 - May 19, 2007 is the next archive.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
