Blergh

OK here's a pet peeve of mine: when folks preface statements with 'studies show' and/or 'according to surveys' - inasmuch as, quite often, studies and surveys get tabulated to advance of agendae of virtually every stripe imaginable and unimaginable . If one must say 'studies. . .' or 'surveys. .' at least say WHICH study/survey one is using to draw one's conclusions from so the listeners may determine the validity of such claim via studying for themselves the circumstances, statisticians and purported subjects of said 'studies' and/or 'surveys'

I agree with you about that and also re babies and children but, sadly many shows seem fine without bothering to mention where a tiny child may be (or who may be caring for them)- despite them being shown born on the show maybe the immediate episode before.

Considering that both Messrs. David and Sanders had 97% Ashkenazic Jewish ancestry AND both had at least one parent who lineage hailed from the former Austro- Hungarian region of Galicia, it didn't come as a surprise that they wound up being related to each other (not to mention that they do have a certain resemblance) . Yes, it's horrific that both men's families who didn't emigrate to the US appear to have been wiped out by the Holocaust but that, sadly is also not a surprise. However; good for Senator Sanders' great-uncle for being willing to literally put his life on the line to try to spare come of his fellow colleagues knowing he'd likely pay the ultimate price. Now I'm wondering if one or both Larry David's Confederate great-great-grandfather's listed 'mulato' slaves might have been his own offspring which would mean that if they survived to have progeny, it's possible that Larry David could have African-American cousins. I'd also like to know that story of how Mr. David's Alabama-born great-grandmother moved to the New York area and whether her own parents were upset with her marrying a Yankee even if he was also Jewish.

Here's a show I wish existed "Buzz Off ,Already!" - a game show in which viewers would get the ultimate prize of being able to tell their least fave television personalities and celebs to do the above and they'd also win television sets, 'puter terminals and phones that would automatically turn on to something else for the rest of the contestants' lives so they'd never have to hear or see the celebs again!

OK, I might as well mention this here but my very first exposure to Mr. Petty's music was the song 'Don't Come Around Here No More' on MTV and, with its depraved Alice in Wonderland theme, I honestly thought he was British despite having zero trace of anything close to those accents! LOL. I used to imagine that, if I ever had reason to meet him (and NOT in a fan setting), I'd have mentioned it to him and I like think he would have been amused by my prior cluelessness. Oh and I was always grateful that he helped give the legendary Roy Orbison some of his last and best chances to shine in the Travelling Wilburys so a whole new generation was rocking to contemporary stuff from when he the latter's time came. RIP, Mr. Petty!

Thanks for that, Moose. We REALLY could use a beacon to celebrate the triumph of human spirit on a day like today! You have no idea how much these photos have made more difference than one would imagined even a day before!

I'd like to think that somehow Mr. Petty is feeling the love and admiration of so many during these moments- and that he will take that strength and use that to help those who have abruptly been torn from this world in that horrific manner in Las Vegas. Maybe it's sentimental nonsense but I do believe that until each of us leave this world, some part of us is still 'there' within whatever shattered shell remains until its our time to leave this word.

Great signs, Moose! Thanks to this thread, hopefully, it WON'T be unknown to folks how AWESOME those two Outer Banks towns are (and check out nearby Manteo with the Lost Colony play). Yep, and factoring in how there were no roads and only sporadic ferries to REACH the Banks offseason yet the Bros had to make their way there with just a few basic parts and tools makes the achievement even more awe-inspiring. Got any pics of the Dunes themselves to say nothing of the Memorial?

I used to get summons every three years like clockwork but then, after I wound up being the Lone Holdout in a case, they haven't asked me back since. I didn't mind doing and, in some ways, it was fascinating. However; I can't pretend to be have unadulterated grief over not getting summoned (and having to re-arrange my life and work for part of a week and being careful NOT to read/hear media or say ONE WORD about a case until it's been done).

Just two days after what would have been his 70th anniversary and three months after his wife's death, Monty Hall may now trying to consider a deal re the next world. It was by no means my fave show even back then but it's very tame compared to how folks humiliate themselves on TV these days. In any case, he had more interesting life than one would have thought and it's good he's back with his longtime consort so RIP, Mr. Hall.

Agree that laugh tracks that aren't too loud are okay- same with background music. Alas, few shows nowadays DON'T have overwhelmingly LOUD laugh tracks/background music that make it next to impossible to hear the joke/dialogue. Also, I hate it when they have guest stars on shows that every single performer is expected to worship and hilariously chortle at every single utterance even though if anyone else said the dialogue, the characters would normally just shake their head or groan. Actually, sometimes a 'feeble chuckle' can be wrought from an otherwise lame line re a costar's dissing reaction that wouldn't happen if were a costar to guffaw.

OK, here's something else: Back in 1903, the Dayton, Ohio based bicycle shop proprietors Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved on the sand dunes of the North Carolina Outer Banks what untold numbers of industrialists, nations and empires had been trying to achieve without success: design and test a machine that could produce heavier-than-air flight. What's a bit unknown here is that the actual locale they achieved this in (which has an onsite museum commemorating the duo complete with a Flyer One prototype aircraft) was a place called Kill Devil Hills. However; when the news was made known the general public, most news editors used the name of the nearby town of Kitty Hawk because they didn't want to chance any readers being offended by the true location's name!

OK, on another note, in Japan folks wear face masks in public places in an effort to keep OTHERS from catching any contagious respiratory ailments.

Re Mr. Hefner's possible resting place next to Miss Monroe: Two things that need to be kept in mind. 1. Her ex Joe DiMaggio had red roses sent to her resting place thrice weekly for over 20 years (only stopping when he discovered folks were stealing them for souvenirs)- and NO move can take away from that gesture of devotion. 2. She's been in that spot for 55 years now- longer than she walked this mortal coil (much less had any dealings with Mr. Hefner). Hence; if one believes her spirit were to have any POV re her new neighbor, it could possibly be 'Meh. So what? Who cares that a 91-year-old corpse is next to me when I had dreams of DiMaggio for decades AND we've settled our differences and have been reunited in the next world'.

I remember being appalled by all that when I saw it during its first run- and let's not forget that before that he'd bullied and terrorized his wife &kids and totally destroyed the family home ALL because he was obsessed with that Devil's Tower shape and nothing any of them said or did made any difference. What was most infuriating was all that was played for laughs and the audience was supposed to ID with him and feel his family deserved it because they were 'unenlightened' (and the movie in general seemed condescending to their working class roots).

Mr. Booth's most notable role was playing 'Mike' in "Till Death Do Us Part" which Norman Lear himself would cite as one of the　the inspirations for "All in the Family". However, his Mike was somewhat less sympathetic than Rob Reiner's would be in that he was a layabout who openly and cheerfully was willing to live off the government doles as opposed to the Stateside character only living with his in-laws due to being in college. In any case, Mr.Booth had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's for 13 years before his death and that had to have been a nightmare for all concerned.RIP, 'Randy Scouse Git'!

Re Jerry Lewis disinheriting his 6 sons and even the grandkids he never even met: consider the source. I mean, it would have been one thing had he been a doting father and a fair-minded grandfather but to the best of my knowledge, he never was that so it would be best if all the above just consider　themselves lucky to have survived him (those who did) and make the best of their lives not having to ever deal with him again!

If only starlings had STAYED a murmuration in North America! They're not native to here but what happened was that around 1890, some big wig got the idea to make New York's Central Park more cultural by having EVERY single bird mentioned in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets brought to the park. Most of the birds died after the first harsh winter but those dozen pairs of starlings had no problems with winter nor were there any North American predators interested in them so it wasn't too long before they and their descendants took over Central Park and then overran the NYC boroughs before spreading to the rest of the the US and the rest is history.

James Woods has always emitted creep vibes on screen to me so the latest allegations don't surprise me! And, on a shallow note, I've never understood the appeal of someone who looks like a hotheaded flounder- even during his own youth.

THANK YOU!!

Great pair of posts, Sandman! Loved the one about the Hanna -Barbera clothed animals (though how that would have helped Yogi Bear who just wore a hat with a collar and tie around his neck is a mystery though not as much as how a fabric collar would stay attached to a live bear's skin). Oh, and as long as we're talking tanks, they got their name in WWI when the British First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill helped promote these motorized vehicles that were supposed to roll through trenches but wanted to keep the true nature of these vehicles secret as long as possible so he termed them tanks so the factory workers would think these were meant for mobile WATER tank containers !

Considering how much hard work he did to help the victims of Katrina rebuild their lives and the facts that he's a fairly good entertainer and I haven't heard anything really 'off' about him, I hate to do this but I have to admit that I can't stand Harry Connick, Jr. as a TV personality. I tried watching his talk show and he seemed SO over-the-top, mugging and grating that I couldn't stand it and I felt sorry for his shy daughter who seemed to wish she was anywhere but there.

I feel especially sorry for Mrs.Bolling who already had WAY too much on her plate re her husband's questionable activities but who now has to endure what has to be the absolute WORST thing that can happen to a parent! I know nothing about her but I hope her family and friends reach out to her to help her endure. RIP, Mr. Eric Bolling.

When I was a kid, I remember being impressed seeing a Model T Ford on the road with an official State 'Antique Auto' license plate. Guess what happened today? I saw a car I recall my parents driving with that very same official State 'Antique Auto' license plate! Talk about knowing one's gettin' old. LOL

By virtually all accounts, Stephen King appears to be a very nice, amiable person but I'm rather puzzled as to why he writes such disturbing stuff. I know he can write whatever he wants and there's a market for it but, really, was there truly a need to revisit a tale about an evil clown who terrifies children on a horrific scale in an otherwise nostalgic small town? What's most unsettling here is that, like the "Star Wars" novelizations, this seems to be reveling in evil and sadism rather than focusing on having good triumph over evil.