Oh, What a Night!

Ladies and gentlemen, the past 24 hours of my life:

Thursday
10:30am - Offered a job to be a writer for Discovery Channel game show "Cash Cab".

10:31-10:59am - Mini panic attack. Had been offered another job as well and weighing the pros and cons of what to take.

11:00am - Return phone call to "Cash Cab" and accept their offer. I am officially a game show writer!!!

11:05am - Turn down other job offer. Hope that I made the right decision and not burning any bridges. Feeling pretty good.

11:05am-6:45pm - "Work"

6:45-7:15pm - Commute to studio for "Grand Slam" tapings

8-10:45pm - Watch tapings. See that I am about two inches taller than Dennis Miller. He is awesome. The shows are real nail-biters. A lot of fun and wish to still be a game show contestant one day.

10:45-10:50pm - In a cab headed towards the PATH station. See more traffic than there should be and opt to get out and walk to Port Authority.

10:45-11:55pm - Wait/Travel home from Port Authority.

11:59pm - Get home and head upstairs. Discover the door to my bedroom locked. Do not usually lock the door and therefore do not have the key to open it on me. Landlord had been there earlier to fix AC and must have locked it on his way out.

Midnight - Overtired and panicing. Consider crying (but don't).

12:01-12:10am - Get a screwdriver and attempt to pry open the lock. This fails. Decide to slumber in the captain's chair in the basement. Roommate Liz is awake and offers me t-shirt and sheets. Write note to Meg, so when she sees my backpack outside my door, she'll know why.

12:15-12:25am - Attempt to sleep in captain's chair. Lower back pain confirms this is not going to work. Debate sleeping outside on the couch.

12:26-12:29am - Take cushion from couch and bring it downstairs. Make a makeshift bed.

12:30-12:45pm - Cannot sleep. Envisioning Meg reading note and laughing, causing me to laugh.

12:46am - Meg comes home.

12:47-12:55am - Meg laughing at me. Gets me an extra blanket. And laughs. And laughs some more.

12:56-2:00am - Cannot sleep. Want to sleep so badly. Think I might not ever sleep again.

2:00-5:00am - Sleep.

5:01am - Wake up.

5:02-7:15am - Kinda doze off and on but never really fall back asleep. Hear roommates beging to stir.

7:16am - Call landlord. Landlord assumed I locked my door. Landlord wrong. Landlord says he will be there in about an hour.

8:30am - Landlord arrives with giant ring of keys.

8:31-8:35am - Landlord tries all keys. None fit my door.

8:36-8:45am - Landlord returns home to get more keys.

8:46-8:50am - Landlord tries second giant ring of keys. None fit my door. Begin to wonder if I will ever see my room again. Landlord asks for my cell and calls his wife. I return to the basement.

9:00am - Hear my cell phone ring. Landlord is not answering it.

9:01am - Run upstairs to answer phone.

9:02am - See bedroom door open. Ask landlord what happened. Landlord took the screen off the bathroom, went on roof, and even though my window has no part of the roof on it, somehow got across and opening my bedroom door from the inside.

9:04am - Thank landlord for coming in and give him key to make a duplicate. Landlord leaves. I forget to ask if my AC is fixed. Too tired to turn on AC to find out.

9:05am - Collapse into bed.

10:30am - Alarm goes off. Get ready to start the day.

Quote of the Day:
"What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens." -Benjamin Disraeli

Random Thoughts and Ramblings

It has been far too long and I apologize. So instead of long, drawn out stories, I give you another edition of Random Thoughts and Rmablings. Enjoy.

* Much congrats and love to my childhood friend Nathalie who is expecting her first child in November. Just when I finally start accepting that my friends are of the age of getting married, Nat has to up the ante and have a kid. This may take some time getting use to.

* Another congrats to my friend Alissa who is abandoning me for another Ellen. She so impressed the producers of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that they created a position just for her. She will be an Associate Producer of Human Interest Stories. I wish I could take all the credit of her success through my mentoring and friendship, but cannot. She has incredible ambition and talent and will no doubt be success in L.A. Sadly, she is probably going to win an Emmy Award before me. I best be mentioned in her acceptance speech. She also gets to reprise her role as seat fillers at the Tony Awards coming up this Sunday. She's come quite a ways from Queer Eye intern.

* You know what really, honest and truly frightens me? Those shoes that little kids wear that double as roller skates. They'll be walking and all the sudden start gliding. They totally freaks me out and don't like them one bit!!

* My home is still couch-less. We thought we found one on Craigslist. We paid for it and brought it home. Unfortunately we couldn't get it inside our home. Despite the many, many attempts we failed and is now displayed on our front porch. Worse, the person I gave it to never mailed it to the ex-couch owner. He requested I cancel the check, which I did, and which cost me an additional $30. Grrr.

* It has been a magical couple of months working at "Grand Slam". I have been working with incredible people and feel so grateful to be part of this team. I hope to work with these people again sooner than later. In the past two months I have personally researched over 1000 questions. Watch out trivia contests!! I want my free t-shirts and gift certificates and nothing will stop me. I even researched math! Nothing can stop me.

* Look for "Grand Slam" to start airing on the Game Show Network in August. I'll be sure to give a reminder just in case.

* Top 5 Most Played songs currently on my iTunes:
- Shelter From the Storm by Bob Dylan
- There's Always Someone Cooler Than You by Ben Folds
- The Warrior by Scandal
- U + Ur Hand by Pink
- Sunshine of Your Love by Cream

* Bundle up folks, because on June 23rd, Hell is freezing over. After two and a half years of utter and complete harassing, I worn my Dad down enough to pay New York another visit. Dad thinks New York is Hell, but I ropose that if he can fly halfway around the world to play with baby orangatangs, he can take a three hour train ride to visit his daughter. Only fair, right? (Although I must admit it's a tough call)

* A couple of weeks ago I made a triumphant return to Christie's auction house after a lengthy absence. There was an entertainment memorabilia preview that again lived up to expectations. The big item was a pink and gold dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", which sold for over $200,000 a couple of days later. Also featured were many lots from Laurel & Hardy, original Disney animation cells, as well as drawings of Mickey by Walt Disney. A lot of "Star Trek" stuff, including a captain's chair and costumes. Also, what was incredible to see in person was Steve McQueen's car. A hot car for a hot man. Good times.

* However, what I am not appreciative of New York are the onslaught of tourists who do not move or if they are moving, stop suddenly on the sidewalks. I hate these people with all of my heart and soul. Just move. Or if you do decide to stop, simply move to the side. Seriously people. It's not that hard.

* Season 2 of the Muppet Show is coming out in August. Awesome.

Quote of the Day:
"Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself; I am large, I contain multitudes." -Walt Whitman

Water, Water Everywhere

It has been an interesting time. What started out as something kinda funny, turned into something completely not funny.

I made a lovely steak dinner and literally just sat down to eat when the power went out at 6:45. It had been raining all day, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that it went out. It'll come back in a few minutes. Eileen and Suzanne come downstairs, we eat and light a few candles. The power will be back soon. Around 7:15 I get up and my sock is wet. I look down and the kitchen floor has begun to flood. We take the chairs and put them in the living room. I run upstairs and put on boots. It wasn't more than 2 minutes before I got back down. By now a layer of water is on the floor. We move more stuff into the safety of the living room.

We go outside to see if the power is out elsewhere. Our block is dark. A lake of water formed at the nearby intersection and the rain is still coming down. We are outside for about 10 minutes. We get back in and the floor of the living room is now wet. Trying to remain calm, we think about what to do.

Roommate Liz has all of her stuff in the basement. We grab her shoes and bring them upstairs to dry ground. We then try and get anything of Liz's that might get wet and bring that upstairs. The water is increasing exponentially. The water is as high as my boots and we are literally wading through the kitchen to save stuff. Liz comes home. The landlord also comes by to survey the situation. We even have the fire department check things out.

At 10pm the electricity returns. With the electricity back, the pumps begin working again. Over the next hour the water recedes. At 11 we go down again. Everything in the kitchen and living room is ruined. Couches, bookshelves, tables are unsalvagable. We begin sweeping and using what we have and make little progress. The fridge filled with freshly bought food is now spoiled. The smell of mildew and bacteria is overwhelming.

It's been a long 18 hours. Much credit goes to Eileen for keeping everyone calm and organized. There's a lot of work to be done. Gar!!!






Quote of the Day:
"Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, And don't put up with people that are reckless with yours." -Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

The King Turns 60

A very special Genius Switch wish to the King of Late Night, the patron saint of the Genius Switch, Mr. David Letterman himself, on his 60th birthday. In honor of Dave's birthday, I have donned my Late Show hat. It also helps that it is super yucky out and it was probably going to be a hat day anyways.

And not to be outdone, Happy Birthday to my Mom as well. Like me, Mom is celebrating her 29th birthday too.

Quote of the Day:
"I am the host of the Late Show, the most powerful man in American broadcasting." -David Letterman

30 Minus 1

Happy Birthday to Me,
Happy Birthday to Me,
Happy Birthday Meeeeeeeeee,
Happy Birthday to Me.

YAY!!!

The big 2-9 is not that scary yet. With that said, the day is young and I have 365 more days to accept that the 20s are behind me.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, Shirley Temples and cupcakes. You all are the best!

Quote of the Day:
"You are a person who thrives on challenge, and you often feel that you must battle your way through life, depending upon no one and nothing but your own strength, intelligence, and courage. You believe in being totally honest, true to oneself and one's own vision and convictions, even if that means standing alone. Honesty, integrity, personal honor, and authenticity are your gods, and you have no sympathy for weakness of character in others." -My Horoscope from Astrology.com

Gen. Grant, Bagpipes and Scones

It's been some time in the making, but Cheryl and I had another installment of the Day of Fun yesterday: the Day of Fun - The Wrath of the Day of Fun.

The first stop in the Day of Fun was the New York Historical Society. After climbing many stairs to the 4th floor Henry Luce III Cultural Center, we looked at many items of not just New York, but Americana. My favorite piece was the to-size model bust of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. The Luce center also had many items from colonial times and the Civil War. I particularly enjoyed the various presidential campaign buttons over the years. We then looked at original drawings of birds from the Audobon Society, before heading to the main floor. There was a special exhibit on Tiffany Lamps, especially those designed by Clara Driscoll in the early 1900s. They were all nothing less than truly spectacular. The sheer beauty and craftsmanship was overwhelming. After a short rest in the cafe, we went to the gift shop, which is honestly the best gift shop ever. Cheryl finally got her plush Gen. Grant she has been craving. In return, I bought a plush Lincoln magnet. I had to hold myself back from buying the temporary tattoos for librarians, including such messages as "I Heart the Dewey Decimal System".

After waiting what seemed like forever for the bus, we made it to Grand Central Station for the yearly Scottish festival. We weren't sure where to go, but then the lovely drones of the bagpipes guided us in the right direction. Sadly, the bagpipes were finishing up when we got there, but did get to see a demonstration of making barrels to hold whisky. I did get to see some men in kilts, but was overall disappointed in the selection. What can I say, Roddy keeps the bar high.

We were getting a little tired by this point, so we headed to the Village and to Tea and Sympathy. I guided us in the wrong direction, and we got to see a drug arrest going on. We also stopped by this awesome vintage dress shop. Tea and Sympathy was very snug. I had some scones, while Cheryl had her tea. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the 'Boken.

All in all, the Day of Fun lived up to its name. Can't wait to do it again.

Quote of the Day:
"I am always prepared for lack of intellectual discourse. I cover television." -Lisa deMoraes, television reporter for the Washington Post

Heeeeeeeeere's Conan!

Last night I went to the Museum of TV & Radio, one of my most favorite places in New York. The reason: a seminar with Late Night host Conan O'Brien and four of his writers. Rather, a seminar with Conan O'Brien and four writers who say one sentence apiece in the two hour session. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I went to these seminars all the time when I was at BU. MTR is great with their satillite series and for TV geeks like me, it's a great opportunity to see the best minds in television let their guard down and really talk about their craft and the industry.

Conan was no exception. He is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining and one of the quickest wits around. It's been quite some time since I've laughed as hard as I did last night. He spoke of the writing process and his influences in television, praising the greats like Johnny Carson and David Letterman. The best part were hearing about some of the show's happy accidents, including the Finland show.

The funniest unintentional moments came from watching the face of the moderator. For the most part, he didn't know how to react. He would have that plastic smile face and morph into seriousness the next moment. Ahhh, comedy.

All in all a great time. The MTR really is an awesome place and for doing events like this. You should check it out if you have the chance.

Quote of the Day:
"What if this weren't a hypothetical question?" -Unknown

I Am Smarter Than A Fifth Grader

It brings me great joy in announcing that I am back among the employed with an uber-awesome new job. Starting Monday, I am a Researcher for a new game show called "Grand Slam". It's a tournament style show pitting all the top contestants of game show history (Jeopardy, Millionaire, Tic Tac Dough, etc...) against one another.

I've always loved game shows and one of my greatest dreams is to be on one. But because I am in the TV industry, it's hard to get on as a contestant because you wind up knowing someone and being ineligable. So this is the next best thing. Either way I'm getting paid to know trivia.

YAY!!!!

Quote of the Day:
"Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it." -Jules Renard

Larry "Bud" Melman

I am a horrible SuperFan for not posting this earlier. Last week, a fixture in the success both "Late Night" and "Late Show". Calvert DeForest aka Larry "Bud" Melman, passed away at the age of 85.

If you've never seen the clip of him interviewing passengers in Port Authority, go to You Tube and check it out. A wonderful comic relief for the day.

I highly recommend reading this wonderful tribute by the Washington Post's Tom Shales:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/25/AR2007032501211.html

Quote of the Day:
""Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself -- a genuine, modest and nice man. To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him." - David Letterman on Calvert DeForest

The 3's

I was up in Boston this weekend to celebrate the 3rd birthday of BabyBunny. It's incredible to believe that three years have gone by so quickly. I took my rightful place on the couch and watched the giant TV. There was cake and Utz's cheese balls, which I am entirely addicted to.

As you can see, BabyBunny was thrilled to have me there:



I have such a way with children. Happy Birthday BabyBunny!!

Quote of the Day:
"It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." -Winston Churchill on Russia

Perfect From Now On

A shout out and congratulations to my friend John Sellers on the publication of his new book, Perfect From Now On. The book chronicles his love of independent music, specifically Guided By Voices.

He appreciates pop culture and is a devoted SuperFan to his many interests. John has a wry and snarky sense of humor, and I think you'll really enjoy the book. It's a good read and I highly recommend you go to your nearest bookstore and buy it. NOW!!

Quote of the Day:
"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?" --Henry Ward Beecher

Post-Oscar Round Up

Another year, another Oscars. This year's show had good intentions, but didn't completely deliver. Ellen DeGeneres did a great job, and I hope she gets asked back. There were entirely too many montages (did we really need Michael Mann's montage of America's influence on film at 11:15pm....no). The producers were wrong to wait over an hour into the show to hand out a big award (Alan Arkin winning Best Supporting Actor) and the 8:30pm start time had me feeling it was going to be a long evening right off the bat.

OK, now the good stuff. Best Dressed, worst dressed and notes:

Best Dressed:
1. Reese Witherspoon
2. Cate Blanchett
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal
4. Emily Blunt
5. Helen Mirren
Honorable Mentions: Japanese Actress from Babel, Diane Keaton

Worst Dressed:
1. Cameron Diaz
2. Kirsten Dunst
3. Meryl Streep
4. Jennifer Hudson (only the jacket part in the pre-show)
5. Jennifer Lopez
Dishonorable Mentions: Anne Hathaway, Quincy Jones, Kelly Preston (wearing leopard print to the Oscars in inexcusable)

Other Dress Comments:
* I thought Gwyneth looked gorgeous, and I loved the color, but not the
actual dress
* Naomi Watts would have been better without the sleeves
* Nicole Kidman would have been better without the bow
* Philip Seymour Hoffman needs a bath and a comb

Overall Notes:
* I am still distraught over a bald Jack Nicholson. He looks like Lex
Luthor. I don't like it.
* Do you think Peter O'Toole knew where he was? He looked like a
corpse.
* LOVED the Will Ferrell/Jack Black/John C. Reilly song. Brilliant!
* Happy to see Sherry Lansing get the recognition she deserves.
* Helen Mirren is awesome.

Quote of the Day:
"Peter O'Toole, eighth nomination tonight. Well, you know what they say, third time's a charm." -Ellen Degeneres

Good Morning (Oscar)

It's been said that something new is learned everyday. I believe this to be true. For example, yesterday I learned that something called a "5:15am" exists. That's when ye olde alarm clock went off and awoke me from my peaceful slumber. One of the things I've been wanting to do since moving to New York was to be in the audience for Good Morning America. I grew up a GMA Girl, and was waiting for the right time to see the show.

I saw that actor extrordinare, William H. Macy was going to be on show to promote his soon-to-be-on-video film, Wild Hogs. I adore him so much and was hoping this would be my opportunity to catch a glimpse. I get to the studio at 6:30am and the line wasn't long at all. We are ushered into the studio at W. 44th & Broadway. There is nothing going on in this studio for the first hour of the show, which made us wonder why there was even an audience needed. Then comes the announcement that Jerry Springer will be making his way to the studio to announce the next cast of Dancing with the Stars.



The 8am hour begins and the studio is abuzz. Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Sam Champion and Jerry Springer come in. I am in the background for Sam's weather report. Jerry Springer announces the contestants. I'm in the background again for Diane doing a segment on yogurt -- and yes, I got free yogurt. It was 9am before I knew it and the show ended. Diane waved to the masses and Robin posed for pictures.



William H. Macy was there, but was interviewed upstairs, so I did not get a chance to see him. In the future, if there's a guest I want to see, I'll just go to the stage entrance instead of going in the studio. Live and learn. I had the chance to see John Travolta, who was coming in to pre-tape an interviewed. I stood by the stage entrance for a couple of seconds before realizing that I could care less about John Travolta, so I headed home.

Today, I headed back to the Times Square studio. In celebration of the Academy Awards, they had a real Oscar that we could hold and have our picture taken with. Of course, this was too good to pass up. I'm annoyed that I always look sleepy in pictures. I would have wanted to look better for Oscar.



So it's been a productive couple of days. If nothing else, it's proof that I actually left the house.

Quote of the Day:
"It is dangerous to let the public behind the scenes. They are easily disillusioned and then they are angry with you, for it was the illusion they loved." -- W. Somerset Maugham

The Greta Garbo Theory

The Greta Garbo Theory. Greta Garbo was one of the most beautiful and talented actresses from the dawn of motion pictures. Towards the end of her storied Greta Garbo's career, she became a virtual recluse. Garbo shunned the spotlight at all costs. So when she did make an appearance, it was quite the happening. Although I cannot claim to have any great acting talent, I do have one thing in common with the esteemed actress.

It is a rarity that I leave the house on weekends. Even moreso on a Saturday night. In the big city. It is the rare special occasion that gets me out of my cocoon and out and about with people. This rare occasion was Cheryl's birthday party. Cheryl, Meg and I made it to Sessions Bar after some transportation snags. I tried to see it as an omen for me to go home, but the Birthday Girl and Meg would have none of it.

So, I drank a Coke, bopped to the 80s cover band and had my very first picture taken with J.



All in all a fun evening spent with friends and for the great cause of Cheryl's birthday.



Back to hibernation...

Quote of the Day:
"To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others." --François Mauriac

Beanpot

Once again the mighty Boston University Terriers are Beanpot champions!! This brings the Beanpot total to 28 titles in 55 outings, 3 consecutive titles and 11 in the past 13. The hated BC Eagles gave us a scare in the third, but we triumphed in overtime. Take that BC!! Whooooooo!

BC Sucks!! GO BU!!!

Quote of the Day:
"One of my theories is that men love with their eyes; women love with their ears." -Zsa Zsa Gabor

The King of Late Night

It is a momentous day in the life of the patron saint of the Genius Switch, Mr. David Letterman. It was 25 years today that "Late Night with David Letterman" premiered on NBC and revolutionized late night television, serving as an influence to many of today's top comics.

The genius of "Late Night" was that it did not appeal to everyone. The humor was dry and snarky. Characters like Larry "Bud" Melman, The Man Who Lives Under the Stairs and Peggy, the Foul-Mouthed Librarian had never been seen on television before and there was a shock and awe element to them, as well as a humorous one. Letterman took the best of Johnny Carson and enhanced it. Being on at 12:30am, he was able to be more honest and do things more daring.

A few moments in "Late Night's" history stand out. The first being Monkey Cam -- where a camera was attached to Zippy the Chimp and the show was seen through its perspective. "The Gong Show" (which Letterman often appeared on) served as a precursor to Stupid Human Tricks and Stupid pet Tricks. The first to jump in a suit of velcro, the first to dive into a bowl of Rice Krispies to "snap, crackle and pap" and the first to don a suit of Alka-Seltzer, David Letterman was daring. He was brave enough to have a high-on-acid Crispin Glover on the air, interview Bill Hicks and give a little-known disc jockey named Howard Stern his first national audience. Letterman also showcased the antics of Andy Kaufman -- including the infamous thowing of coffee in the face of Jerry Lawler, -- quite often and considers him his all-time favorite guest. R.E.M, Jon Stewart, k.d. Lang, the Wildflowers, and Bobcat Goldthwait all made their network television debuts on "Late Night". The show won for consecutive Emmys 1983-1987 for Best Writing, Variety and was the most recorded show in the 1980s.

After being unforgiveably passed over for "the Tonight Show" after Johnny Carson retired, Letterman took the show, renamed "Late Show with David Letterman", to CBS. Although now armed with a larger audience, Letterman kept this same wry humor. He enlisted the help of his Ed Sullivan Theatre neighbors. "Late Show" is not without it's water-cooler moments. In 1994, Madonna famously dropped the F-bomb 13 times. Drew Barrymore flashed him as a present for his 50th birthday. An entire hour was devoted to Warren Zevon; the last public appearance before his death. And all the while he never let little things like a quintuple-bypass surgery or the shingles keep him down.

Without David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld and Jimmy Kimmel would not be the successes they are today. All owe a large debt of graitude to Letterman and all the contributions he's made during these 25 years. In the 4506 shows (it would take 187.5 days or six months straight without a single repeat) he's done, he's proved time and time again that he merited Johnny Carson's crown as the true King of Late Night.

Keeping personal moments aside, here is a list of my favorite "Late Night"/"Late Show" moments:
10. Jay Thomas' Lone Ranger Story
9. Dave & Steve's Gay Vacation
8. The GE handshake
7. Dave's record collection
6. The Big Man on Campus
5. Dave returning from quintuple-heart surgery
4. Just Bulbs / Just Shades
3. Dave announcing the birth of his son, Harry
2. Dave and Richard Simmons going door-to-door in New Jersey.
1. Dave and his Mom playing "Guess the Pie" every Thanksgiving.

Quote(s) of the Day:
"Are we better than Letterman? No. The man is a genius and an icon for the ages." -Jon Stewart
"I love David Letterman. He's like the perfect man to me - offbeat looks, great sense of humor and super intelligent." -Drew Barrymore

Denny Doherty

A couple of months ago I was talking with a friend about music. He asked if I could go back in time and see any group, who would it be. It would have been awesome to see the Doors; Jim Morrison staggering around in a drug-fueled haze, slurring "Hello, I Love You". Or maybe the original lineup of the Who and see Keith Moon dominate a 25-minute drum solo. Janis Joplin had such a great rasp to her voice. I bet she was amazing in person. And then there's Elvis. Or the Beatles. After much thought I gave him my answer: The Mamas and the Papas.

The harmonies the Mamas and the Papas produced were revolutionary. John Phillips was a songwriting genius. There are few others more beautiful than Michelle Phillips. Cass Elliot had a zest for life which resonated through her voice. And Denny Doherty united these voices. Although they are best known for "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday", it's their lesser known songs that were my favorites. "Creque Alley" told the story of how the bank formed. "I Saw Her Again Last Night" was John Phillips revenge song for Denny and Michelle's affair. Although the group only lasted three years, their music remains timeless.

I was saddened to hear of Denny Doherty's passing last night. I was fortunate to see Denny once. Soon after moving to New York, I saw him perform a couple of songs from Dream a Little Dream, his off-Broadway show about the formation of the group at Bryant Park. It would be the closest I'd ever get to seeing them as whole.

The Mamas and the Papas were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. With Cass Elliot's death in 1974 and John Phillips in 2001, Michelle Phillips remains the last member of the group. I highly recommend picking up or downloading one of their CDs and dream a little dream of one of rock & roll's finest.

Quote of the Day:
"You may delay, but time will not." --Benjamin Franklin

Congrats Cal!

Today is a very momentous day because my Hero, the one, the only, the greatest baseball player of all-time, Cal Ripken, Jr. has officially been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. My beloved blue-eyed Oriole got a whopping 98.53% of the total vote, the third highest percentage ever. The ceremony takes place on Sunday, July 29th.

Also, congrats to another worthy inductee, Tony Gwynn. Both Cal and Tony have been ideal ambassadors for the game and I could not be happier for the both of them.



See you in Cooperstown on July 29th! Love ya Cal!

Quote of the Day:
"A loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if it's a whisper." -- Barry Neil Kaufman

Cleveland Rocks

While friends are jet-setting to various warm places over this holiday season, I hopped on a plane to Cleveland. Not Cleveland, Hawaii or Cleveland, Barbados. Cleveland, Ohio. Because what better time to visit one of America's coldest cities than in late December?

There was an actual purpose to my visit. Ever since the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1995, I have wanted to go. Whether it be lack of time, lack of money or lack of good planning, I never made it. A few months ago I saw there was going to be a special exhibit at the Rock Hall commemorating the 30th anniversary of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. That was the extra push I needed to get myself to Cleveland. Not surprisingly, plane fare to Cleveland was pretty reasonable for this time of year. Plus I found a hotel deal that included the room, tickets to the museum and breakfast for one low price. Everything fell together perfectly. I decided to go by myself because a) nobody is stupid enough to go to Cleveland in December and b) this is something I've wanted to do for quite some time, and I didn't want to wait on others or have others wait for me. This turned out to be a good idea because...

...I was at the Rock Hall for nine hours. After moving from Boston, I had forgotten what a damp, winter wind felt like, but was quickly reminded stepping from the warm confines of my hotel through the five minute walk to the Hall. The Rock Hall is beautiful. I stood in awe, and this was just the lobby. This was the beginning of being completely overwhelmed and having tremendous sensory overload. The first thing I saw was the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers exhibit. It's not so much the quantity, but the quality. The mad hatter hat Tom wore in the "Don't Come Around Here No More" video, the shirt he wore in the "Free Fallin'" video, Mike Campbell's boots, Howie's bass, a Mudcrutch press release, the guitar Tom wrote almost every song on from Damn the Torpedoes to Echo. My favorites were the handwritten lyrics to such songs as "Refugee", "Walls (Circus)", "You Got Lucky" and "The Waiting". And listening to him sing "Refugee" while reading the handwritten lyrics in front of me. They had a great video and live performance retrospective. Some time later, I pried myself away and continued looking through the museum.

I soon came across various stage costumes, props and instruments through the decades. The corset Madonna wore during "Like A Virgin" in the Blond Ambition tour, the electric piano John Paul Jones recorded "Stairway to Heaven", the dress Michelle Phillips wore during the Monterey Pop Festival, Michael Jackson's sequined glove, Mick Jagger's US Flag/Union Jack cape, an Alice Cooper severed head and guillitine and the t-shirt and jeans Bruce Springsteen wore on the Born in the USA cover. They had great mementos from Elvis and the Beatles. Highlights were John Lennon's wire-rimmed glasses and the deed to Graceland. I had to chuckle when I saw Jim Morrison's cub scout uniform and pause a moment at his death certificate.

And then I came across...It. The Steven head. An exact replica of Steven Tyler's head. It is still creepy after all of these years. Now it's in glass casing. Probably to keep people like me from compulsively poking it. It was among the outfit Steven wore promoting "Pink" on Letterman, the iconic scarfed microphone stand and the long black trenchcoat Joe Perry wore in the "(Dude) Looks Like a Lady" video. I admit I did spend some time at a distance watching people look at the AeroArtifacts. It made me happy to know that in some tiny, tiny, microscopic, single atom-sized way, I was part of their history. There were other special exhibits dedicated to Roy Orbison, Rick Nelson (a childhood crush of my Mom), the Clash and Jimi Hendrix. It had been about 2 hours by this point, and I had yet to leave the basement. Sadly, I was not allowed to take pictures of the objects in the museum. It's just more incentive to get to the Rock Hall for yourself.

I was trying so hard to absorb everything, but after awhile, everything seemed to blend together. I watched 5 documentaries. My favorite was a tribute to all those who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was on three giant screen and in surround sound. Another was on the songwriting process and the legacy of musicians. Another favorite was a 15-minute review of MTV and the music video. They cite Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson and Madonna for revolutionizing the music video, and although I agree, think Aerosmith should have been included in my completely unbiased opinion.

The best part of the Rock Hall is -- to sound cliche -- the music. I felt completely in my element there. All these incredible genres of music equally represented and respected. To hear Jerry Lee Lewis and the next moment hear Billie Holliday, then Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" and Elvis Costello then Cream to "Dance to the Music" by Sly and the Family Stone. It was fantastic. Since I went on a Wednesday (it's open until 9pm instead of 5pm) and during an off-time of year, it wasn't crowded at all. I could take my time and really take in everything. That definitely enhanced the experience.

I did indulge in one guilty splurge. In the gift shop, there was a glass case of rock memorabilia for sale. I spotted a lapel pin no more than 1.5in across. It was from defunct Washington, DC radio station WAVA promoting a 1984 Billy Joel concert at the Capital Centre. I saw the price and winced, but knew I had to have it. WAVA was the best rock radio station in Washington, DC during the 1980s (yes, even better than DC101), before it changed overnight to Christian Rock in the early 1990s, breaking the hearts of me and of all my middle school peers. The Capital Centre was the storied arena where I saw my first Billy Joel concert in 1993, as well as many other memorable events. The Capital Centre was reduced to rubble in 2002 and now a shopping center. So really, I had no choice.

I cannot praise and recommend the Rock & Roll Hall of fame enough. This is definitely a place I will visit again.

And as an added highlight, I get to see my friend John Chandler, aka the Best Sportscaster in Cleveland. I haven't seen John since commencement and had a great time catching up. Plus, I even saw him on TV during a sportscast. He is definitely worthy of his moniker. Also, a big congrats to him on his engagement.

So all in all, a wonderful trip to Cleveland. I may not have been swaying in a hammock on a tropical isle, but I doubt I could of had any more fun anywhere else. Cleveland Rocks!





Quote of the Day:
"[I]n America and in Europe, you've seen groups of people form themselves into generations. That's a big mistake. That's wrong. ... Look at my generation. How did that work? Jimi Hendrix. Brian Jones. Janis Joplin. Keith Moon. The list is fucking endless. They're dead people. My life is full of dead people. My friends are dead. My friends. They might be your fucking icons. They're my fucking friends." --Pete Townshend

The Worst Christmas Present Ever. Ever.

This is the worst Christmas gift I have ever recieved:



There are so many things wrong with this.

1. It's an elf.
2. I have never collected dolls or anything of the like.
3. Seriously, look at it.
4. Before I opened it, the person preferenced it by saying, "I think everyone should have one of these."
5. It has bells on it. At 6:30am the day after Christmas, my Mom awakes me to go post-Christmas shopping. She does so by shaking the elf so the bells ring and pushes it in my face. I opted for sleep instead of the mall.
6. Somebody actually saw this in a store and thought, "I think Ellen should have this."
7. It's an elf.

Quote of the Day:
"When the game is over, the King and the pawn go back into the same box." --Italian Proverb