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It practically gallops!

Heart Murmurs

Naturally they asked me to deliver a line about end-of-life stories. Janene Satterfield and I recorded a promo for SMOMOtv last week. In it, we asked viewers to submit their Valentine’s Day stories. They might be about Smoky Mountain Sweethearts or Not-So Romantic Confessions of the Jaded. The final category is for tear-jerking stories about the elderly or those who have passed away. Call toll-free 855-SMOMOTV ext 105 to tell your story.

February 6, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

Fest Up

The show schedule for the Gatlinburg Improv Fest was posted the other day. Einstein Simplified will perform on Friday, February 24 at 9:30 p.m. and on Saturday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m.

A weekend pass for all shows Thursday-Saturday is available for $100
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Thursday February 23, 2012
6:30-7:30 Welcome!
8:00-9:00 Sweet Fanny Adams, Gatlinburg, TN $10
9:30-10:30 TBA (tentative)

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Friday February 24, 2012 – day pass is $40 for all Friday shows, or individual show prices below
5:00-6:00 Shenanigans, Cleveland, TN $10
6:30-7:30 Obv-prov, Cleveland, TN $10
8:00-9:00 Six Guitars -Chase Padgett, Orlando, FL $12
9:30-10:30 Einstein Simplified, Knoxville, TN $10
11:00-12:00 Sweet Fanny Adams, Gatlinburg, TN $10
12:30-1:30 *Sweet Fanny Adams. Gatlinburg, TN – late night invitational (tentative)

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Saturday February 25, 2012 – day pass is $50 for all Saturday shows, or individual show prices below
3:30-4:30 Sweet Fanny Adams, Gatlinburg, TN $10
5:00-6:00 Obv-prov, Cleveland, TN $10
6:30-7:30 Einstein Simplified, Knoxville, TN $10
8:00-9:00 Six Guitars -Chase Padgett, Orlando, FL $12
9:30-10:30 Reasonably Priced Babies, Asheville, NC $10
11:00-12:00 Shenanigans, Cleveland, TN $10
12:30 -1:30 *Sweet Fanny Adams. Gatlinburg, TN – late night invitational (tentative)

I’ve started looking up the other groups who’ll be sharing the stage at the Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre with us. I found a Facebook page for Reasonably Priced Babies from Asheville and a YouTube channel for Shenanigans from Lee University. Here’s a video of Shenanigans playing “Dead Bodies.”

February 5, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

In Plain Sight

Allison Kropff left WVLT four months ago. I hadn’t heard any official word about her replacement but I wasn’t looking in the right place. The news has been on Twitter for over a month.

Amanda Hara of Newschannel 5 in Nashville posted a tweet on December 30th stating that she is headed to Knoxville to be the main anchor for WVLT. She starts her new job on February 13. I wonder if they will put her on the air right away or if they will wait until the end of February sweeps. It wouldn’t surprise me if she’s in the audience at Star 102.1’s Dancing with the Knoxville Stars to support her colleague Lorena Estrada.

Amanda has posted a few things about visiting the area and house-hunting in Knoxville. She is already familiar with Appalachian moonshine legend Popcorn Sutton.

Amanda displayed a sense of humor while chasing a stray peacock in a 2010 report. Her bio has some jokes in it too:

  • Amanda Hara is an Emmy and Associated Press Award winning Journalist whose parents violated child labor laws when they allowed her to start a small neighborhood newspaper at the age of 8.
  • In an attempt to ditch Amanda in Seattle, Washington (their hometown) her parents moved to Williamson County six years ago. Much to their dismay, Amanda followed.

Here’s a recent example of her work:

February 4, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

Contra-tution

Bacon cheeseburgers are delicious. All restaurants should serve them. In fact, the government should force Indian restaurants and Kosher delicatessens to serve them too. Better still, the government should force Hindu and Jewish business owners to give free bacon cheeseburgers to their employees. Wouldn’t that be great?

Of course that would never happen because the First Amendment protects the religious liberty of Hindus and Jews. They would never be forced to violate their religious beliefs. However the government has ordered all employers to offer types of health insurance that violate Catholic beliefs. Catholic bishops want an exemption for Catholic-owned institutions.

It doesn’t matter whether you believe pork is edible or unclean. You still respect the beliefs of those who disagree. There’s no valid reason for the government to force a Catholic school or hospital provide free contraception to its employees. It could be that the government believes contraception is a good thing that must be forced on those who disagree. Or it could be sinister plot to force Catholics out of the hospital and charity business. Either way, the government is forcing Catholic institutions to disobey the law.

My friend Frank Weathers has created a petition on the White House’s website for those who object to this clear violation of the First Amendment. It’s not about whether or not you believe in contraception. It’s about whether or not you believe in the Constitution.

February 3, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | 1 Comment 

Bacon Power

An article about a cookbook prompted me to buy a cupcake yesterday. The photo on the cover of “The Butch Bakery Cookbook” shows a cupcake topped with bacon. I immediately remembered reading a blurb about maple bacon cupcakes being sold at The Cup this month.

I had some errands to run, one of which put me in the same shopping center as The Cup’s Bearden store. I bought one cupcake to split with my wife, despite the staff’s suggestion that I buy two.

Maple Bacon Cupcake from The Cup - 2/1/12 It was a great cupcake, that I would highly recommend. Candied bacon is used as a garnish on top. If there was more bacon under the icing, I didn’t notice it. Pecans were infused into the cake and more were placed on top. The delicious maple icing was the most dominant flavor. The combination of tastes reminded us of breakfast, not dessert. I had poured us each a glass of milk but my wife said she would have enjoyed a glass of orange juice instead.

February 2, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

Base Pay

The Knox County School Coupon Book includes a coupon for a pay-per-view movie from Xfinity. My wife and I plan to redeem the coupon when we get the bill for the movie we watched on Sunday. I feel like we got a bargain because we chose one of the more expensive movies. The HD version of “Moneyball” cost $5.99 to rent.

The movie tells the story of the Oakland A’s as they assemble a team of “misfit toys” at bargain prices. The general manager and his assistant sign players who are good at getting on base but have been overlooked by other teams for various reasons. I had no recollection of whether or not the A’s made it to the playoffs in 2002. As a result, the pennant race in the movie was exciting. The filmmakers also did a great job of building suspense as the A’s attempted to break the record for most consecutive wins during the regular season.

My wife and I like to see as many of the nominated films as we can before the Academy Awards ceremony. Best Picture nominees “The Help” (which we’ve already seen), “The Tree of Life” and “Midnight in Paris” are available on demand. For some of the others, we’ll have to make another trip to Downtown West.

February 1, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Frankly Speaking

The serial killer in Bobcat Goldthwait’s new movie is named Frank. Naturally, that caught my eye. “God Bless America” will be released via On Demand on April 6 and in select theatres on May 11.

Joel Murray plays Frank, a terminally ill man who goes on a killing spree. Reminiscent of “Dexter,” Frank only kills those whom he thinks deserve to die. He goes after reality show stars, bigots, people who talk in theatres and people who park poorly.

Joel is one of the very talented Murray brothers. I remember him from the Jay Thomas series “Love & War.” Jay arranged for me to play an extra at a movie theatre in one episode. Coincidentally, Joel’s brother Bill plays a character named Frank in “Scrooged,” in which Bobcat played a part.

Bobcat wrote and directed “God Bless America.” I wonder if the killer’s name has anything to do with a voiceover that Bobcat did for Walmart recently. When you click on frankthefruitcake.com, you see a talking fruitcake that has Bobcat’s distinct voice.

January 31, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

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