Nick Mayon will be joining me on the air this week. The topics already on the board for this week are as follows:
--The FIFA World Cup™.
--The oil spill and the lifting of the drilling moratorium.
--One year later, Michael Jackson is still dead.
--The Wimbledon marathon match.
--Which politicians are most likely to lose in the upcoming congressional elections (a holdover from last week).
--Your phone calls (337-232-4434 ext. 207), your e-mails (124emain@gmail.com), and much more!
You can check out 124 E. MAIN tomorrow night and every Saturday night at 9:00 P.M. Central Time online at UStream and, for those of you in Acadiana, on the Acadiana Open Channel, channel 15 on Cox Cable and channel 3 on LUS Fiber.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Guilty Pleasures: The Maury Povich Show
[EDITOR'S NOTE: We had no mail in the inbox today (shamelessselfproductions@gmail.com), so we'll skip the mailbag segment.]
Since I've been back home, I've indulged in a guilty pleasure every morning. At 8:00 A. M. each day, I turn on the television and tune into KADN and watch another fine episode of MAURY. That's right, I lower my IQ a little every day by watching the unwash of society air their problems on nationally syndicated television. This morning, I finally realized why I engage in this ritual. I watch MAURY so when I think my life sucks, there is always someone else with bigger problems than me. After all, when you hear Maury Povich announce the magic words of "You are NOT the father," you thank the Good Lord above that you aren't the guy that got the paternity test, the woman trying to figure out which of her fifteen partners is the father of her child, or the baby that's caught in the middle of everything.
An hour after MAURY goes off the air in Lafayette, THE PRICE IS RIGHT signs on KLFY. Of course, THE PRICE IS RIGHT makes anything and everything better. As these YouTube clip shows, it can even make the MAURY show more entertaining.
On Monday, my thoughts on kiddie softball parents and supporters.
Since I've been back home, I've indulged in a guilty pleasure every morning. At 8:00 A. M. each day, I turn on the television and tune into KADN and watch another fine episode of MAURY. That's right, I lower my IQ a little every day by watching the unwash of society air their problems on nationally syndicated television. This morning, I finally realized why I engage in this ritual. I watch MAURY so when I think my life sucks, there is always someone else with bigger problems than me. After all, when you hear Maury Povich announce the magic words of "You are NOT the father," you thank the Good Lord above that you aren't the guy that got the paternity test, the woman trying to figure out which of her fifteen partners is the father of her child, or the baby that's caught in the middle of everything.
An hour after MAURY goes off the air in Lafayette, THE PRICE IS RIGHT signs on KLFY. Of course, THE PRICE IS RIGHT makes anything and everything better. As these YouTube clip shows, it can even make the MAURY show more entertaining.
On Monday, my thoughts on kiddie softball parents and supporters.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC: BLOG EDITION--Episode 1
(Editor's Note: Random Acts of Music: Blog Edition will be posted every Wednesday. It shall serve as an online continuation of the WPRB radio show of the same name.)
I was driving down Johnston Street in Lafayette today when I heard the Barenaked Ladies' song "One Week" playing on radio station KSMB. While listening to the song, I picked up on a couple of references in the track that I'd never noticed before. Before we go any farther, here is--for your reference--the Barenaked Ladies with "One Week."
The first reference I caught was one of Bert Kaempfert. Kaempfert, a German-born jazz musician, composer, and big band leader, wrote such numbers as "Strangers in the Night" and "Danke Schoen," which would become Wayne Newton's signature song. Kaempfert also composed our next song. It's a piece called "A Swingin' Safari," which older television viewers will recognize as the theme song to the original version of "The Match Game" that aired on NBC from 1962 until 1967. Here is Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert and his orchestra with "A Swingin' Safari" on RANDOM ACTS.
Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra with "A Swingin' Safari."
"One Week" also makes reference to "[busting] rhymes" and being "big like LeAnne Rimes." Although Busta Rhymes isn't explicitly mentioned, the lyric, when rapped, sounds as if the rapper's name got dropped. It also gives me a cheap excuse to play hip-hop and country songs back-to-back. Without further adieu, here are Busta Rhymes and LeAnne Rimes on RAoM.
LeAnne Rimes with her debut single, "Blue," which cracked the Billboard Country Top Ten in 1996. Just before that was Busta Rhymes with his Grammy nominated song "Dangerous," which was released in the fall of 1997 and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Let's see THOSE two get together to perform a duet.
The last musician namedrop that I never caught until today was that of Sting. Not to be confused with the professional wrestler of the same name, Sting, born Gordon Sumner, found a great deal of success after the breakup of the Police. In 1994, he won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance with our next track. From the 1993 album Ten Summoner's Tales, here is Sting with "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" on RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC.
From 1993, that was Sting with "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #17.
That will do it for this week's edition of RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC. The moral of this week's episode is: Pay attention to the lyrics of the songs you hear on the radio. You may hear something that you never noticed before. Thanks for joining us on RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC. Good night!
I was driving down Johnston Street in Lafayette today when I heard the Barenaked Ladies' song "One Week" playing on radio station KSMB. While listening to the song, I picked up on a couple of references in the track that I'd never noticed before. Before we go any farther, here is--for your reference--the Barenaked Ladies with "One Week."
The first reference I caught was one of Bert Kaempfert. Kaempfert, a German-born jazz musician, composer, and big band leader, wrote such numbers as "Strangers in the Night" and "Danke Schoen," which would become Wayne Newton's signature song. Kaempfert also composed our next song. It's a piece called "A Swingin' Safari," which older television viewers will recognize as the theme song to the original version of "The Match Game" that aired on NBC from 1962 until 1967. Here is Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert and his orchestra with "A Swingin' Safari" on RANDOM ACTS.
Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra with "A Swingin' Safari."
"One Week" also makes reference to "[busting] rhymes" and being "big like LeAnne Rimes." Although Busta Rhymes isn't explicitly mentioned, the lyric, when rapped, sounds as if the rapper's name got dropped. It also gives me a cheap excuse to play hip-hop and country songs back-to-back. Without further adieu, here are Busta Rhymes and LeAnne Rimes on RAoM.
LeAnne Rimes with her debut single, "Blue," which cracked the Billboard Country Top Ten in 1996. Just before that was Busta Rhymes with his Grammy nominated song "Dangerous," which was released in the fall of 1997 and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Let's see THOSE two get together to perform a duet.
The last musician namedrop that I never caught until today was that of Sting. Not to be confused with the professional wrestler of the same name, Sting, born Gordon Sumner, found a great deal of success after the breakup of the Police. In 1994, he won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance with our next track. From the 1993 album Ten Summoner's Tales, here is Sting with "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" on RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC.
From 1993, that was Sting with "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #17.
That will do it for this week's edition of RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC. The moral of this week's episode is: Pay attention to the lyrics of the songs you hear on the radio. You may hear something that you never noticed before. Thanks for joining us on RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC. Good night!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Idiot of the Month Nominee: Guy Steals Car on Test Drive
Yep. That is not a misprint. Dateline: Austin, Texas. A 37-year old man, John Albert Green, and his girlfriend made off with a 1997 Mercedes after asking for a test drive. There was a slight problem, the salesman, Merhdad Mohebi had a copy of Green's driver's license, which was enough to charge Green with felony theft.
(Full story here.)
We should note that Green has not been arrested yet, but if and when he is, he'll have to kick himself for leaving behind a copy of a document that give the police his whereabouts. Our first IotM nominee: John Albert Green.
(Full story here.)
We should note that Green has not been arrested yet, but if and when he is, he'll have to kick himself for leaving behind a copy of a document that give the police his whereabouts. Our first IotM nominee: John Albert Green.
Morning Thoughts
1) I stopped by a convenience store this morning to purchase a scratch-off lottery ticket and a bottle of water before heading to the office this morning. The lady behind the counter wore a badge that read: "Hi! My name is TAAKA." Taaka? Really?! Her mom and/or her dad named her after a brand of vodka? If that's the case, couldn't they have named her after another brand of vodka, like Skyy or Grey Goose, or--even better--after a liqueur, like Tia Maria, Kahlua, or Bailey's?
2) Watched a full episode of WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW last night for the first time in over a year. It was mediocre at best. The wrestling was okay, while the promos looked scripted and contrived. I won't comment on storylines and angles because I've been out of the loop for too long. I'll give it another chance next week, but I think I'll be sticking to archived footage of old-school NWA action in the long term.
3) I'm tired of hearing people complain about the vuvuzelas at the World Cup™. It's a part of the South African soccer tradition, and I hope it becomes a World Cup™ tradition. If you want to get rid of one tradition at sporting events, let's do away with the drunk, obnoxious sports fan.
4) If you have questions or comments, feel free to e-mail shamelessselfproductions@gmail.com. Some of the best ones will be answered in a weekly post called "Mailbag" every Friday.
5) Happy birthday to Olympic-champion speed skater Joey Cheek, who celebrates his 31st birthday today. Joey won gold in the 500-meters and silver in the 1000-meters at the 2006 Turin Olympics. He also won the bronze in the 1000-meters at the 2002 Salt Lake City games. Joey is also an activist, humanitarian, philanthropist, and budding statesman who, as founder of Team Darfur, has raised awareness and funds to stop the crises in the Sudan and whose work with Right to Play has helped teach children in underprivileged areas of the world learn life skills such as teamwork, communication, and integrity, just to name a few, through sports. Joey will be a senior at Princeton University next year, and I had the honor and pleasure of getting to know him during my time there. It is also an honor and a pleasure to call him a friend. Happy birthday, Joey, and best of luck to you in all of your future endeavors!
2) Watched a full episode of WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW last night for the first time in over a year. It was mediocre at best. The wrestling was okay, while the promos looked scripted and contrived. I won't comment on storylines and angles because I've been out of the loop for too long. I'll give it another chance next week, but I think I'll be sticking to archived footage of old-school NWA action in the long term.
3) I'm tired of hearing people complain about the vuvuzelas at the World Cup™. It's a part of the South African soccer tradition, and I hope it becomes a World Cup™ tradition. If you want to get rid of one tradition at sporting events, let's do away with the drunk, obnoxious sports fan.
4) If you have questions or comments, feel free to e-mail shamelessselfproductions@gmail.com. Some of the best ones will be answered in a weekly post called "Mailbag" every Friday.
5) Happy birthday to Olympic-champion speed skater Joey Cheek, who celebrates his 31st birthday today. Joey won gold in the 500-meters and silver in the 1000-meters at the 2006 Turin Olympics. He also won the bronze in the 1000-meters at the 2002 Salt Lake City games. Joey is also an activist, humanitarian, philanthropist, and budding statesman who, as founder of Team Darfur, has raised awareness and funds to stop the crises in the Sudan and whose work with Right to Play has helped teach children in underprivileged areas of the world learn life skills such as teamwork, communication, and integrity, just to name a few, through sports. Joey will be a senior at Princeton University next year, and I had the honor and pleasure of getting to know him during my time there. It is also an honor and a pleasure to call him a friend. Happy birthday, Joey, and best of luck to you in all of your future endeavors!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Louisiana and the Oil Spill: Living on a Prayer?
Louisiana politics is not for the faint of heart. The shenanigans that go on inside of the house that Huey built would make even New Jersey lawmakers laugh. However, the recent actions (or lack thereof) by Louisiana's elected officials have those of us that normally would chuckle shaking our heads in disbelief. Instead of asking for help from the federal government in cleaning up the state's beaches, the state Seante is asking for help from God to end this disaster.
The Louisiana State Senate designated yesterday a statewide day of prayer. The resolution was introduced by Senator Robert Adley (R-Benton), who said in a press release that, "It is clearly time for a miracle for us." Adley is correct. The Gulf Coast region needs an act of God by God himself to fix this mess. However, Adley is incorrect in his assertion that "the efforts made by mortals to try to solve this crisis have been to no avail." At best, the efforts of those mortals to prevent the initial blow-out and clean up the resulting mess have been half-hearted. TransOcean and BP's gross negligence was the result of their desire to save money. The two companies, the leasee and the owner, respectively, failed to implement safety devices and shut-off valves on the Deepwater Horizon because it was not mandated by federal law. BP's use of booms, junk shot, top hats, top kills, and dispersant are no more effective today than they were thirty-one years ago. State officials have not been any more effective in their clean-up efforts. Governor Bobby Jindal has failed to declare a state of emergency and ask President Obama for federal assistance to help clean Louisiana's shores. Instead, Governor Jindal (pardon the pun) drags his feet in the sand and complains about the lack of federal involvement in an attempt to discredit President Obama's administration and to drum up support for the GOP and himself in this Congressional election year (which is also one year away from Louisiana's statewide elections). Simply put, British Petroleum and Bobby Jindal are protecting their bottom lines--BP, its pocketbooks; Jindal, his and his party's chances during the upcoming election seasons.
If a miracle is needed to fix the problem in the Gulf of Mexico, why would God want to give us a "Get out of Jail Free" card? After all, Transocean, Halliburton, and BP could have invested a few hundred thousand dollars in safety mechanisms that, theoretically, could have prevented this disaster from happening. BP could have used some of the millions of dollars it spent on its public relations campaign to speed up the clean-up process and to develop new technologies to clean up oil spills like this one. The Good Lord gave the human race the intelligence and the resources it needs to prevent disasters like this one from happening. Those responsible for disasters like this shouldn't be pleading to a higher power for a bailout when their own laziness results in a tragedy like this.
Senator Adley's resolution and the day of prayer itself were wonderful gestures, as they showed the world that Louisianians are holding out hope for a miracle that will end this disaster. However, the prayers of the faithful do not take oil out of the water or off of the beaches of Louisiana and the rest of the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Only BP and the workers on the ground have the ability to do this. Asking God to clean this mess is impractical and irresponsible. To quote Freddie Mercury, "If there is a god in the sky looking down, what can He think of what we've done to the world that He created?"
The Louisiana State Senate designated yesterday a statewide day of prayer. The resolution was introduced by Senator Robert Adley (R-Benton), who said in a press release that, "It is clearly time for a miracle for us." Adley is correct. The Gulf Coast region needs an act of God by God himself to fix this mess. However, Adley is incorrect in his assertion that "the efforts made by mortals to try to solve this crisis have been to no avail." At best, the efforts of those mortals to prevent the initial blow-out and clean up the resulting mess have been half-hearted. TransOcean and BP's gross negligence was the result of their desire to save money. The two companies, the leasee and the owner, respectively, failed to implement safety devices and shut-off valves on the Deepwater Horizon because it was not mandated by federal law. BP's use of booms, junk shot, top hats, top kills, and dispersant are no more effective today than they were thirty-one years ago. State officials have not been any more effective in their clean-up efforts. Governor Bobby Jindal has failed to declare a state of emergency and ask President Obama for federal assistance to help clean Louisiana's shores. Instead, Governor Jindal (pardon the pun) drags his feet in the sand and complains about the lack of federal involvement in an attempt to discredit President Obama's administration and to drum up support for the GOP and himself in this Congressional election year (which is also one year away from Louisiana's statewide elections). Simply put, British Petroleum and Bobby Jindal are protecting their bottom lines--BP, its pocketbooks; Jindal, his and his party's chances during the upcoming election seasons.
If a miracle is needed to fix the problem in the Gulf of Mexico, why would God want to give us a "Get out of Jail Free" card? After all, Transocean, Halliburton, and BP could have invested a few hundred thousand dollars in safety mechanisms that, theoretically, could have prevented this disaster from happening. BP could have used some of the millions of dollars it spent on its public relations campaign to speed up the clean-up process and to develop new technologies to clean up oil spills like this one. The Good Lord gave the human race the intelligence and the resources it needs to prevent disasters like this one from happening. Those responsible for disasters like this shouldn't be pleading to a higher power for a bailout when their own laziness results in a tragedy like this.
Senator Adley's resolution and the day of prayer itself were wonderful gestures, as they showed the world that Louisianians are holding out hope for a miracle that will end this disaster. However, the prayers of the faithful do not take oil out of the water or off of the beaches of Louisiana and the rest of the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Only BP and the workers on the ground have the ability to do this. Asking God to clean this mess is impractical and irresponsible. To quote Freddie Mercury, "If there is a god in the sky looking down, what can He think of what we've done to the world that He created?"
Friday, June 18, 2010
IPA'S RETURN FROM EXILE
Eighteen days ago, I walked out of FitzRandolph Gate as a newly-minted graduate of Princeton University. Four years of studying and struggling through an Ivy League institution had finally paid off. In a matter of hours, I would be on an airplane flying back to Louisiana with the most expensive piece of paper I would ever own. I had the world on a string, or, at least I thought I did.
Nearly three weeks later, I've discovered the string through which I held the world had been cut. The luxury of living life at my own pace and on my own terms has disappeared. I'm unemployed and broke, and it doesn't look like this situation is going to change in the immediate future (read: tomorrow or next week). I still have umpiring to fall back on, but making $20 an hour for 20 hours a week isn't going to pay a car note or the rent. For the time being, I'll be living at home and driving my mom's car around Lafayette during the day.
Although I don't have a broadcasting job yet, I will still keep my face in the media. Of course, unsuspecting news directors will be receiving my résumé and demo reel, but while I'm in job limbo, I'll be returning to the Acadiana Open Channel. AOC has a special place in my heart. It's the TV station on which I got my start in media some twelve years ago, and every summer for the last three years, it has given me an outlet to hone my on-air skill while away from the confines of WPRB-FM/Princeton. Again, it doesn't pay, but it keeps me on the air and helps me better my on-air talents. Furthermore, this blog will serve as another outlet. During the course of the coming weeks, I will post my thoughts on news, sports, pop culture, and anything else that tickles my fancy.
This blog will be a combination of the programs I've hosted over the last five years. The news and views of WPRB's THE WEEK IN REVIEW, the sports commentary of TIMEOUT, and the music musings of RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC (from which this blog's new name was taken), and a potpourri of other topics (124 E. MAIN) will be rolled into one and presented in this forum.
In honor of the relaunch of this blog, here is a clip of another famous debut. It also includes a warning that is apropos for this website.
Nearly three weeks later, I've discovered the string through which I held the world had been cut. The luxury of living life at my own pace and on my own terms has disappeared. I'm unemployed and broke, and it doesn't look like this situation is going to change in the immediate future (read: tomorrow or next week). I still have umpiring to fall back on, but making $20 an hour for 20 hours a week isn't going to pay a car note or the rent. For the time being, I'll be living at home and driving my mom's car around Lafayette during the day.
Although I don't have a broadcasting job yet, I will still keep my face in the media. Of course, unsuspecting news directors will be receiving my résumé and demo reel, but while I'm in job limbo, I'll be returning to the Acadiana Open Channel. AOC has a special place in my heart. It's the TV station on which I got my start in media some twelve years ago, and every summer for the last three years, it has given me an outlet to hone my on-air skill while away from the confines of WPRB-FM/Princeton. Again, it doesn't pay, but it keeps me on the air and helps me better my on-air talents. Furthermore, this blog will serve as another outlet. During the course of the coming weeks, I will post my thoughts on news, sports, pop culture, and anything else that tickles my fancy.
This blog will be a combination of the programs I've hosted over the last five years. The news and views of WPRB's THE WEEK IN REVIEW, the sports commentary of TIMEOUT, and the music musings of RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC (from which this blog's new name was taken), and a potpourri of other topics (124 E. MAIN) will be rolled into one and presented in this forum.
In honor of the relaunch of this blog, here is a clip of another famous debut. It also includes a warning that is apropos for this website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)