10 for 10 (10th Entry)................Defining Earworm with Michael Bolton

Greetings to our blog readers in Ukraine, Turkey, and Ghana.......

Today, we bring you the 10th and final installment of our 10 for 10 series commemorating the tenth anniversary of this very blog, which went up (in its original form) on Sept. 21, 2005. It was a radically different time then as Ari the beloved family tuxedo cat was still alive. Alas, he died just shy of his 20th birthday on March 2nd, 2007. Ok, otherwise, I guess things haven't really changed that much!

We are using an image of Michael Bolton because when we hear the slang word 'earworm,' the junkbox in our minds starts playing "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?"..........which makes us wonder if Dick Cheney urged that this song be played to terrorist or terrorist suspects while waterboarding them at Gitmo, the American naval base in Cuba.

I suppose we will never know the answer to that, but we have three definitions of urban slang words/terms for you:

1) Earworm: A song that sticks in your mind relentlessly, and will not leave no matter how hard you try (applies to Michael Bolton as well as any song by Air Supply).

2) Gold digger: A person who goes out with you for for your money, or someone who dates Tori Spelling!

3) Gender ninja: A person has an uncertain gender based on their personal appearance, hmm....see also the character Pat that was once part of "Saturday Night Live".....

http://www.urbandictionary.com

The Top Ten Saturday Night Live Cast Members (according to "Rolling Stone"): Norm Macdonald is a bit miffed.....

Greetings to our blog readers in Finland, Romania and the Bahamas.........

Tonight, we list the top cast members of "Saturday Night Live" as listed by Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stone," that was written in conjunction with the sketch comedy show's 40th anniversary. The show actually first aired in October of 1975, but (perhaps for the sake of ratings) the event was celebrated by NBC on Sunday.

Norm Macdonald, a former cast member from 1993-98 who also hosted  the show's standard 'Weekend Update' segment, tweeted live during the event. It has also been reported that he was displeased to learn that Sheffield had ranked him as number #135 in a list of 141 cast members (Robert Downey, Jr., surprisingly finished last). Tim Meadows, who came in 48th, made the list known during a cameo of the 40th anniversary special.

For better or for worse, here in Sheffield's top ten:

1) John Belushi, 1975-79. (pict. top; he died in 1982)

2) Eddie Murphy 1980-84. (pict. center)

3) Tina Fey  2000-06 (pict. bottom)

4) Mike Myers (1989-95)

5) Dan Aykroyd (1975-79)

6) Bill Murray (1977-80)

7) Phil Hartman (1986-94, was murdered in 1998)

8) Amy Poehler (2001-08)

9) Gilda Radner (1975-80, she died in 1989 from cancer)

10) Chevy Chase (1975-77)

Here are some other cast members and how they ranked according to Sheffield:

Maya Rudolph (#19)

Fred Armisen (#23)

Dennis Miller (#34)

Jane Curtin (#37, we would rank her higher)

Joe Piscopo (#66, we would rank him much higher)

For the full list, check out Sheffield's article in the current issue of "Rolling Stone," it's one that has John Belushi as the Samurai warrior who was inspired by the late Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune ("Rashomon").

http://www.rollingstone.com

World Cup Lists (2 of 4): Players with Long Last Names

You think you have a tough time getting prescription medications filled at the Rite-Aid on Battleground Avenue in Greesnboro, NC? Well, imagine how you would feel if you the burden of these long and difficult names. Of course, Greece, Iran and Russia provided us with some of the longest names you would find in a Dayton, Ohio, phone book!

NOTE: If we make a mistake spelling anyone's name, it's not like we Jenny Slate on "Saturday Night Live," but even after the f-bomb incident, her career is doing well. Of course, she's no longer with "SNL."


Here we go:

1. Lazaros Christodoulpoulos. 27. Greece. Club team: Bologna (Italy)

2. Dimitris Salpingidis. 32. Greece. PAOK (Greece)

3. Alireza Jahanbakhsh. 20. Iran. NEC Nijmegen (Holland; pict. bottom)

4. Stephan Lichsteiner. 30. Switzerland. Juventus (Italy)

5. Mario Mandzukic. 28. Croatia. Bayern Munich.

6. Vincent Aboubakar. 22. Cameroon. Lorient (France; pict. center)

7. Bastian Schweinsteiger. 29. Germany. Bayern Munich. (pict. top)

8. Aron Johannsson. 23. USA. AZ Alkmaar (Holland)

9. Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu. 23. Ghana. Udinese (Italy)

10. Raul Meireles. 31. Portugal. Fenerbahce (Turkey)

11. Chris Wondolowski. 31. USA. San Jose Earthquakes (USA/MLS)

http://www.mls.com

http://www.worldcup.usatoday.com

Presidential Quotes (14 of 16): Gerald Ford

Today, we are quoting President Gerald Ford, who was president from 1974-77. Since he came to the vice presidency because of the resignation of Richard Nixon's first president Spiro Agnew, then to the oval office when Nixon resigned because of the Watergate scandal of 1973, Ford is the only American president who was not elected into office.

Ford's presidency and Nixon's scandals became fodder for the early years of "Saturday Night Live," which premiered in 1975. A young Chevy Chase, who turned 70 in October, frequently made fun of Ford, while his "SNL" co-stars Dan Aykroyd played Ford and John Belushi played Henry Kissinger in skits which were co-written by Al Franken, who is now a Democratic senator from Minnesota.

Here is Ford's quote: "I am acutely aware you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me with your prayers."

http://www.geraldfordmuseum.gov/

http://www.geraldfordfoundation.org

Where's Billy Bragg?

Somehow, we can't imagine that folk/rock singer Billy Bragg, also a left-wing activist, is one of Newt Gingrich's favorite singers. And, we certainly can't imagine Bragg would be in the former arch conservative house speaker's I-POD. But, several years, a right-wing prime minister of Australia said he was a big fan of Midnight Oil, a band known for their progressive politics as much as their awesome songs like "Beds Are Burning."

Tonight, Bragg is performing at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, a city that is still recovering from a bombing incident at the end of the Boston Marathon. We personally can't imagine a better way to get away from it all than listening to Bragg, who in our views gives awesome concerts.

From Boston, he heads to the Southgate House Revival in Newport, Kentucky, on Tuesday.

Bragg then headlines at the  Ark in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Wed.,which is also home to WBCN, the student run radio station that was recently featured in a "Jeopardy" category because apparently the late Gilda Radner, an original cast member of "Saturday Night Live" got her start there.

Then Bragg, a British singer who was recognized earlier in his career for his outspokenness about the recently deceased Margaret Thatcher,  heads north to Canada for gigs in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.


This entry is a slight take-off on "Where's Waldo?"

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

http://www.wbcn.org

http://www.theark.org

http://www.southgatehouse.com

http://www.whereswaldo.com

10 People Who Will Decide Election (8 0f 10)_ Minnesota

Name: Olga Bentzen (fictional person)

Age: 86

Occupation: Retired bank clerk

Residency: Hamel, Minnesota (suburb of Minneapolis)

Political Affiliation: Independent leaning Democrat

Will Likely Vote for: Barack Obama

Today, we continue our series with a look at Minnesota, which is arguably the most unpredictable state in the union. Minnesota is represented by both Cong. Keith Ellison (D), the first Muslim elected to Congress, and Cong. Michele Bachmann (R), who is about as far right as they come. Minnesota is also represented by Sen. Al Franken (D), a former comedian and "Saturday Night Live" writer/performer, who is one of the most progress U.S. Senators.

Minnesota has a rich political tradition as Walter Mondale (pictured above) is from the state; Mondale was only able to win his home state and Washington, DC, against Ronald Reagan, but then again he did tell the truth about the need to raise taxes (and, people wonder why politicians lie or fudge facts).

Currently, Obama is winning Minnesota 50-4, according to "Politico." The bigger concern for the Obama campaign as it tries to win key midwestern swing states from Mitt Romney is Wisconsin since Romney's tag team partner Cong. Paul Ryan is from there. In our view, Ryan is just slightly more progressive than Bachmann and it will be interesting to see how having someone who is arguably as far right as both Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin on the ticket will play out for the Romney campaign.

Saturday Night Tweets_ Syria, Egypt and Saturday Night Live

There were many eye-catching tweets tonight about all the chaos in the world. To explain these images, they are of: 1) Cong. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a blue bird in Oklahoma, which are using for Twitter since their logo is a blue bird and an Amish family in Pennsylvania.

Let's get started:

1) @KeithEllison (Cong. Keith Ellison): "Keith will be on @meethepress tomorrow discussing the events in the Middle East and what it means for U.S. foreign policy, tune in!_staff."

2) @SamuelCookill (Sam Cook III): "@moveon_ I am voting Obama because, even though I'm a Republican, he puts small business first."

3) @HuffingtonPost ("Huffington Post"): "Netanyahu calls Iran containment policy ' a new standard of stupidity' " (this is in reference to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu).

4) @dailykos ("Daily Kos"): "Daily Kos Elections Polling Wrap: New poll confirms Pennsylvania a near certain blue state for 2012."

5) @Hanyghoraba (Hany Farouk Ghorab, Egyptian activist): "Salafi Preachers are the kind of people who are willing to kill you to convince you that they are peaceful and not killers."

6) @KenRoth (Kenneth Roth is the director of Human Rights Watch): "#Syria killing in August topped the bloodiest month in Iraq or Afghanistan, not to mention any Arab Spring state."

7) @LukeRussert (Luke Russert is the son of the late "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert): "Remember to DVR @SNL tonight. Going to take a wild guess and say #Obama or #Romney or both will get roasted."

http://www.hrw.org

http://www.moveon.org

http://www.keithellison.org

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.dailykos.com

Thoughts on the GOP Convention_ The Empty Chair

Last night, we witnessed the surreal attempt by Clint Eastwood to pull off an Eddie Murphy as he made a failed stand-up comedy routine at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., with an empty chair to represent President Barack Obama, which he referred to as 'Invisible Obama.'

We have to wonder what objective journalists like Gwen Ifill of PBS and Brian Williams of NBC were making of this, but liberal commentator Cek Uygur was having a blast making fun of Eastwood's speech on Current-TV.

Assuredly tonight's production of "The Lion in the Winter" (not a Shakespeare play) at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va., should be considerably more entertaining than last night's Eastwood debacle.

We actually watched close to seven hours of coverage of the Republican Convention, even though I am more likely to throw out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game than vote for the Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan ticket. The 'Nats, by the way, have a home game with the St. Louis Cardinals tonight.

We are going to cover our thoughts on the GOP convention in an unconventional manner as we use these seven terms to describe the events we witnessed on PBS and Current-TV. : Nutella, Saturday Night Live, Tim Robbins, Attila the Hun, Kurt Cobain, Jordyn Wieber and New Zealand. Yes, we got the idea form Mad Libs:

"New Jersey governor Chris Christie of New Jersey reportedly ate seven bagels with Nutella backstage before his prime time speech on Tuesday night, which was one of the highlights of the Tampa Republican convention. Though the partisans gave mostly red meat speeches, the Republicans are hoping that comparing president Barack Obama to Mao Tse Tung will persuade an undecided voter in Akron, Ohio, to vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket, which is almost as brilliant as getting Clint Eastwood to host 'Saturday Night Live.' After the Eastwood fiasco, Karl Rove might say getting Tim Robbins to speak in Charlotte, NC, at the party convention would help even things out on Fox-TV. But, we fully expect David Axelrod to ignore him. Paul Ryan proved he is hip as he mentioned that bands like Nirvana are in his i-pad, but he also laid it out clear that he is to the right of Attila the Hun, which is a vital characteristic for today's Republican Party.   Every Olympic athlete except Jordyn Wieber, an Olympic gymnast who won team gold in London, was brought on stage to make hollow testimonials about how Romney is as great as Superman. After Marco Rubio's speech which was a prelude to Romney's big talk, many Democratic voters will likely attempt to get political asylum in New Zealand should Batman and Robin actually get elected."

http://www.madlibs.com

http://www.nirvana.com

http://www.ohiodems.org

http://www.floridadems.org

http://www.nuttelausa.com

http://www.jordynwieber.com

http://www.newzealand.com

http://www.nationals.com

http://www.amercianshakespearecenter.com

Quote of the Day/Week-Jimmy Carter

We continue our posts of the last eight American presidents with a quip from the 39th president and the first one from the state of Georgia, Jimmy Carter.

In addition to being a former president, Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

After his presidency, Carter founded the Carter Center, a non-profit group dedicated to human rights. He was also a key figure in the development of Habitat for Humanity.

Carter is also a fan of music, and his favorite singers include Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson.

Dan Aykroyd played Carter on "Saturday Night Live" as did Joe Piscopo, who was the only "SNL" player to perform as Ronald Reagan and Carter.

Carter is the same age as former president George H.W. Bush, who is slightly older than Carter. Both former American presidents were born in 1924.

Here is Carter's quote:


"Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political social boundaries."http://www.cartercenter.orghttp://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org

Quote of the Day/Week-Tina Fey

One has to ask Malcolm Gladwell, the "New Yorker" writer who has written about how the mind works, if Tina Fey's birthday, which is on May 18, had anything to do with her many major successes, including being a writer/performer for "Saturday Night Live," writing the screenplay and acting in "Mean Girls" (2008), creating and starring in the hit sitcom "30 Rock," somehow finding time to give birth to two children and being Republican candidate John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election.

We are quoting Fey because she was born in the same year as us, which is 1970. Whoops! We somehow forgot that Fey has also written the best-selling memoir "Bossypants." And, she wasn't actually McCain's running mate, but she did play Sarah Palin on tv.

Her quote seems like a fairly accurate as one would imagine that Fey has exceptional time management skills, and perhaps she drinks as many cappuccinos as cartoonist Shanon Wheeler's creation Too Much Coffee Man.

Here it is:

"I am constantly amazed by Tina Fey. And I am Tina Fey."

We often wonder here if celebrities ever visit our blog to check out our quotes, but we imagine that at this very moment Fey is in her dressing room talking to her "30 rock" co-star Alec Baldwin while simultaneously memorizing lines that she probably wrote herself!

Incidentally, Matt Damon, whom we quoted last week, had made frequent guest appearances as an airplane pilot on "30 Rock."

Special Quote of the Week- Gilda Radner

Today, we feature a quote from the late comedian/actress Gilda Radner (1946-1989) who succumbed to cancer at a young age in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Radner was best known for her variety of "Saturday Night Live" characters, including Roseanne Rossannadanna (pictured here), during the original years of the show in the mid and late 1970s.

Here is Radner's quote:

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now, I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, or ending."

Quote of the Week- Gerald Ford

Today, we conclude our series which has featured quotes from the last 12 presidents before Barack Obama, starting with Franklin D. Roosevelt (we ran quotes on both blogs; the other one is The Daily Vampire which features a quote from Jimmy Carter today).

Virtually every president in modern times has played golf, but the game is asscoiated with Gerald Ford and Dwight D. Eishenhower more than anyone else, so for that reason this quip seems to be the most appropriate:

"I know I am getting better at golf because I am hitting fewer spectators."

The Gerald Ford Museum in Ann Arbor, Mich., is featuring an exhibit on the president's visit to Mao Tse Tung's China and a special exhbit on Betty Ford is running until Feb. 27, 2011.

SIDEBAR: Of course, we have to mention Chevy Chase whenever we mention Gerald Ford since the president's clumsiness was lampooned by the then-emerging star on "Saturday Night Live" in 1975. Chevy Chase, Md., happens to be a DC-suburb. And, our favorite DC suburb Bethesda, Md., is just a few zip codes over from there. If one is in Bethesda, they may want to visit The Lebanese Taverna (apologies to those of you who think a Turkish-American should only promote Turkish restaurants; we love Tallula's in Chapel Hill, NC, btw). The joint in Maryland is offering cooking lessons this month focusing on dishes like spinach salad and quince tarts. I guess one of the ironies of living in a small town is that I am one of the few people I know who thinks living in the 'burbs would be simply awesome!

Pardon the Interuption...

Yes, it was one of those weeks. I was trying to contact the local travel agent in Omaha, Nebraska (now where I actually reside, not even close!) and arrange a getaway-from-it-all trip to La Paz, Bolivia, but then a call came through call-waiting. Actually, there were two of them. One was from my mom, and the other from boss. So much for sneaking away to the Andes!

But, for those who can sneak away to the DC Improv Comedy Club in Washington, DC, there will be a performance from former "Saturday Night Live" news anchor Norman Macdonald from Oct. 28-31, which interferes with both Turkish Republic's Day (Oct. 29) and Halloween (for those in Adana--Turkey's fourth largest city--that day in Oct. 31). Are the rumors that Macdonald actually, somehow went out on a date with supermodel/actress Elle MacPherson true?! It's hard to believe she is 47 years old now!

Quote of the Week-Dan Aykroyd

Today, we recognize the 50th anniversary of Second City with two quotes from two of the troupe's most famous alumni. We quoted the late John Belushi on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire."

Here we quote his "Blues Brothers" and "Saturday Night Live" co-star Dan Aykroyd, who I met at the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Va., a few years ago. Aykroyd also founded The House of Blues, which has a venue in Myrtle Beach, SC, among many other places.

Second City, which was recently profiled on NPR, is also touring the country. They will perform in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, but those living here in Virginia, can catch them perform at The Warehouse Theatre in Lynchburg on March 12, 2010, and at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., ( a Washington DC suburb) on March 13, 2010 (whoops, I almost typed 2020.....I suppose that might work for someone like my sister who plans everything well in advance!).

Here is the quote from Aykroyd, which also ties in well with our previous entry although I'm not sure that Versus will air any games with this particular team though they are showing the Flyers-Penguins game tomorrow night:

"I do want to say hello to my neighbor Mr. Erskine. But you have to be a Flames fan in Calgary."

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Gumby

I would write more, but there is a pizza in the oven and for some reason I want to watch the Washington Wizards-Indiana Pacers game on tv, but I will conclude with an insightful quote from Eddie Murphy from his days on "Saturday Night Live:"

"I'm Gumby, damnit!"