June 29, 2008 by admin.

NBC reran its first episode of Saturday Night Live from 1975, featuring George Carlin as guest host. I was amazed by a few things.

First, Carlin wasn’t very funny, and didn’t get much of an audience reaction until his bit about God. Foremost in my mind, though, was how SNL has become formulaic - and how the first episode would not fit into the modern formula.

There were two musical guests - Billy Preston and Janis Ian. Preston performed early in the show; the show now has two specific time slots for musical performances (I remember only Paul McCartney defeating that formula with three segments). Carlin actually performed three or four monologues at various parts of the show. And he did not appear in the sketches. Unfortunately, now so many sketches are written around the guest host that the host’s weaknesses dictate the flow of the show.

Saturday Night (and in the beginning the word “Live” was not part of the title, due to the competing short-lived Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell on ABC) was more of a variety show, with a segment from the Muppets being the longest segment, as well as a film by Albert Brooks. There were other films (”Show us your Guns”) and numerous fake commercials, rather than the solitary fake commercial always shown now after the opening monologue. I wonder whether the writers knew that their commercial mocking multi-blade shavers would come true? (They mocked two-blade shavers by advertising a three-blade shaver! What are we up to now, 4 or 5 blades?)

Also noteworthy was the number of performers who were not part of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players that had speaking roles. This was not just a rag-tag small group of performers; it was a well-organized production with some money behind it.

The first episode also gave us our first look at Andy Kaufman and his Mighty Mouse routine, a skit that went over quite well and has stuck in my mind ever since the first performance in 1975.

I remember watching the original episode in the dorm TV lounge at Michigan State University. The show was already controversial because the local NBC affiliate in Detroit had opted against running the show, so Detroiters missed out on the first few episodes until an independent UHF station contracted to show the program.

Some of the performances were memorable, while other parts were just as dull as the current show’s mix.

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June 25, 2008 by admin.

The Netherlands has banned tobacco usage while retaining legalized (technically, decriminalized) pot. Most Dutch pot-smokers dilute their marijuana with tobacco, but now they will be “forced” to smoke their dope in pure form.

Now we’ll have a glimpse of what America would have looked like if former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders’ proposal to legalize cocaine while banning tobacco had taken hold.

Posted in Mad Science | No Comments »

June 11, 2008 by admin.

I guess it’s reassuring to know John McCain hates war, but does that actually help define his candidacy or his presidency? Maybe McCain feels he needs to assure independents, just as Obama will have to some day say that he actually loves America just to reassure people.

Posted in Why we hate politics | No Comments »

June 11, 2008 by admin.

Germans love Obama. They also love Hasselhoff.

Germans have never had a Black president, or even a top Black elected official. Would Germans - who love Obama - actually vote for Obama?

Posted in Why we hate politics | No Comments »

June 8, 2008 by admin.

Just thinking out loud here.  Scientists tell us that zebras developed stripes to blend into the shadows.  Could it be that zebras already had stripes and figured out that standing in the shadows was the best way to hide?

Posted in Mad Science | No Comments »

June 8, 2008 by admin.

Who ever designed the packaging for Microsoft Office software was an artist or an engineer, but not a marketer.  It takes longer to open the box than it does to install the product!

If you are baffled by the box, Google “how do I open a Microsoft Office box?” and you will be taken to a third-party website that will confirm that it is not you who is the idiot.

Posted in Mad Science | No Comments »

June 8, 2008 by admin.

Hardly, at least not in droves. Many are upset that Hillary Clinton didn’t get the nomination, but are they going to jump to another party? Of course not. Will they stay home from the election? Maybe. Will they leave the Democrat Party? Only if they can’t stomach the fact that a Black man is being nominated - and who wants to stand out as a racist? They’ll get over their anger and get back in line. And the Party knows it. Just like Black voters weren’t going anywhere in droves had Hillary been nominated.

The greatest exodus this year from the Democrat Party will be Republicans crossing back for the general election.

Posted in Why we hate politics | No Comments »

June 5, 2008 by admin.

When the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup Wednesday night, sports commentators repeatedly said that the Wings won four Cups in ten years.

1997, 1998, 2002, 2008 - four Cups, check.

1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 - ten years?  I don’t think so.

Posted in Detroit - Cleveland without the glitter, Math hurts | No Comments »

June 3, 2008 by admin.

Obama’s wearing a flag pin now. I guess all those who were concerned before can vote for him now with a clear conscience.

Posted in Why we hate politics | No Comments »

June 2, 2008 by admin.

We hear a lot about candidates poised to “unite the country.” Does this mean conservatives will finally accept abortion and gay marriage, or does it mean liberals will finally endorse a military presence in Iraq for “as long as it takes” and accept that the federal government has no role in assuring medical coverage for all Americans?

Until a candidate can get both sides to agree on these hot-rail issues, I won’t be convinced that uniting Americans is a serious consideration in any presidential election.

Posted in Why we hate politics | No Comments »