Hucklebug, Episode 137: RIP Ron Silver, shout-outs, Hucklebug Business, movies (Stennie: Cinema Paradiso, Pygmalion, Danielson: A Family Movie, Bet: none!, the curious fate of Deadhead Miles, lowlights & highlights, fuck-offs & you-rules, Humdingers!
Music: “The Hucklebuck,” performed by (respectively): Tommy Dorsey, Kay Starr, Lee Rocker, The Radiators, Frank Sinatra.
Tell Granny good luck with her surgery. And Betster, we did have the same crud because I was sick the entire time my boss was out of town too. I hope you’re finally better—I’m finally fever free and feeling mostly better. Woo!
I’ve been watching Sesame Street “Old School” (episodes from the first couple of years), and today I saw a clip with no less a a person than Alan F. Arkin himself. He was doing a bit about a man who couldn’t sing, but could only make a weird noise.
Topic suggestion: Alternate foods—the good, bad, and the ugly. I’m talking about things that mimic a brand name food but aren’t quite right. Now that I have a one-year-old, I’m an expert on goldfish. I’m munching on Annies Cheddar bunnies, and I realize that I like them much better than goldfish. Trader Joe’s used to have a mirror version, and they weren’t quite right. I saw some vegan snack cakes the other day (didn’t get them). The only thing that surprised me about those is that the originals aren’t vegan—I didn’t think there were any natural products in the Hostess food line. Color me surprised. (okay, I know it’s a lousy topic, but it’s Sunday night, no comments yet, and I’m really tired)
The show sent me back to my SCTV DVDs to find the MacArthur Park bit from Mel’s Rock Pile, which you can see it here:
http://www.videosift.com/video/SCTV-Mels-Rock-Pile
Something to note is the wonderful Mel Slirrup dance, which you see at the very end. If Eugene Levy wasn’t a genius, I’m U Thant.
I also send best wishes to Bet’s mother. It’s never easy to watch a parent go through such pain so do take care of yourself, Bet. Here is a pick me up smoothie that I find does wonders. I don’t measure so it’s up to you how little or much you want of the main ingredients.
Smoothie Recipe
rice milk or almond milk (cow’s milk or soy milk is not really desirable)
frozen mango squares
frozen strawberries (if you don’t have strawberries, you can use as many Vitamin C crystals as you can stand and/or that you have in your vitamin cupboard)
blueberries (frozen or otherwise)
frozen pineapple
***the frozen fruit is so that you don’t use ice which makes the smoothy watery***
2 to 4 bananas
4 to 6 drops of stevia. If you have splenda, you can use splenda if your body does not react negatively to it.
1 tablespoon of flax oil
one peeled and cut up apple
If you want to make this more green, you can add a pound of spinach leaves or two tablespoons of spirulina. If you don’t have frozen fruit, you can use tofu or an advocado as a thickening agent.
An evening pick me up smoothie:
3 to 4 bananas
rice or almond milk
2 to 3 tablespoons of dandelion root coffee or one tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa.
***Dandelion Root is a great coffee alternative without the caffeine. You can pick up a container for around $10. to $21. depending upon the size of the cannister so it’s an extremely cheap substitute.***
splenda or stevia to taste
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I couldn’t help but laugh at the derision shown to various songs and artists because most of them were on my Itunes playlist. I’ve even gone to (gasp!!!) a Celine Dion concert. What’s worse?: Going to a Celine Dion concert or buying the soundtrack to GREASE II.
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I just can’t believe that Natasha Richardson has died. You expect that from someone older, but not such a young, vibrant woman. I feel for Liam Neeson because I imagine he’s going to torture himself with should have dones. How eerie is that Vanessa Redgrave played Joan Didion (who lost a daughter) shortly before her own daughter died?
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Apologies for any typos as I’m VPN-ing once again.
Took Bet’s advice and skipped this episode. Thanks!
No, just kidding.
1. I understand your frustrations with investigative news reporting not doing their job. That fucking WHAT WOULD YOU DO? thing courtesy of ABC News nearly got me killed in Mexico City. Just thinking of it gives me a headache. It’s a long story, but let me explain…
A colleague and I were walking one night to dinner, when directly in front of us, two cabbies started an altercation, which quickly escalated to exchanging punches. The larger of the two was so angry that he finally connected a hard right to the smaller man’s face, knocked him down, and then began stomping him into the sidewalk with his boots. Pretty scary stuff.
Well, my colleague says, “You should stop him.” and I responded something along the lines of:
HELL NO!
It ain’t my civic duty to risk my life in a foreign land over some argument that I have no stake in. I’m not gonna be the next person in the line of fire. I don’t speak Spanish well enough not to end up in the hospital. Go find a police officer to stop him, if you like.
And that’s what we did, because this fight took place in a highly visible area of town crawling with security personnel. And then we resumed walking to dinner. The whole while, I was berated by my colleague, because she thought her husband would stand up to this guy because they’d watched WHAT WOULD YOU DO? on TV the week prior, where they showed ordinary people who were so wrong in just ignoring public cries for help.
I wanted to tell her she was more than welcome to invite her husband to try it himself, or if she felt strongly enough, to start fighting her own battles. Or instead—next time, wait until I can sell tickets, because I could make a fortune on the ass-kicking of the century.
Fuck ABC, fuck WWYD? and fuck that stupid cabbie for not being able to take a punch. Where’s the Tylenol!?!?!
Sorry for the rant. I’ll stop complaining and just link to this article from the Onion AV Club about the subject:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/abc-news-wants-to-prove-youre-a-bad-person,25270/
2. Incidentally, I saw Stennie’s Colbert shout-out live. It was the same night as the Cramer appearance on TDS. Kudos!
What happened to the brilliant comment I sent Monday??? FRRUSTRATING!!
Are the Danielson people the Christian music equivalent of Wing? Here is Wing “singing” Close to You:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxieTbKtqLc&feature=related
Well, Bet asked for another quiz, so here you go. Name these 80s songs:
1980
I don’t know why sometimes I get frightened
You can see my eyes, you can tell that I’m not lyin’
All your life you had to stand in line
Still you’re standing on your feet
1981
They subjugate the meek
But it’s the rhetoric of failure
I’ll be your bleeding heart
I’ll be your crying fool
1982
Spare us the theatrics and the verbal gymnastics
We break wise guys just like matchsticks
Slumped by the courthouse with wind burnt skin
That man could give a fuck about the grin on your face as you walk by randy as a goat
1983
People on their way to work, baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flames
I never took the smile away from anybody’s face
And that’s a desperate way to look for someone who is still a child
1984
Where are all the people going
Round and round ‘til we reach the end
Hey there, where you going with that load of nothing in your hand
I said hey there, through this green and pleasant land
1985
What’s the matter with your world
Was it a boy when you wanted a girl
Don’t you know it’s not easy
When you’ve gotta walk upon that line
1986
Once in a while, two people meet
Seemingly for no reason they just pass on the street
Well, I would keep it above, but then it wouldn’t be sky anymore
So if I send it to you you’ve got to promise to keep it whole
1987
Cerebral rape and pillage in a village of his choice
Invisible man who can sing in a visible voice
We stood at the altar, the gypsy swore our future was right
But come the wee wee hours, maybe baby, the gypsy lied
1988
She calls my name, pulls my train
No one else can feel my pain
Beat is for Sonny Bono
Beat is for Yoko Ono
1989
I live my life to be with you
No one can do the things you do
London, Washington
Anywhere you are I’ll run, together we’ll be
I’ve raised this issue before, but . . . if you’re playing something on a kazoo, whistling or just humming, no one knows—or has any reason to assume—that it’s the (beloved, timeless) Judy Garland version or the (loathsome and played-out) Izzy K cover. See, e.g., In re “Believe” as performed by Cher and Robbie Fulks. http://adrinkingsong.blogspot.com/2007/07/who-could-ask-for-anything-more.html
Of course, we all want to give Bet the benefit of the doubt, but it doesn’t matter what’s in your head, only what the listener believes or understands your intention to be. You’re probably good to go here, if only because most people default to the Judy G version; I, for one, though, couldn’t help finding it a little too ironic* that you’d be playing that song so soon after vilifying the uke version.
*Actually ironic, not Alanisally ironic.
All that said, since we’re all about goodwill and fence-mending here at Middlebrow Industries, Inc., here are some links for your clicking, listening, and cross-cultural enjoyment:
Jan Pehechaan Ho video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhTcVHgPgT4
Jan Pehechaan Ho lyrics (in Hindi)
http://www.dishant.com/lyrics/song-39736.html
Translation (in comments, scroll halfway down or so) http://www.thereisnocat.com/showme38.html
Correction!
The first song for 1983 should read:
People on their way to work, baby what did you expect
Gonna burst into flames
Stennie, do you tweet when something you write shows up on NoFactZone? I went there a couple of times to look for your stuff and couldn’t find it. Or am I blind??
I liked both Cinema Paradiso films equally as different films since the stuff in the director’s cut really does change things—not negatively, though.
AIG can ALWAYS fuck off.
I thought it was a tremendous show despite the warning on the label.
I’m catching up!! Sorry I’ve been behind—been busy with Jay ThePal. I’ve been shooting stuff almost every day with him. He’s even got a girlfriend, well, sort of. (Long story). Check out jay.thepete.com if ya wanna watch! Thanks!!