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It practically gallops!

Hoping Fringe

One of my favorite shows has its season finale tonight. I’m pleasantly surprised that “Raising Hope” is having its season finale rather than its series finale. Fox already renewed it for a third season.

The show keeps getting better. I especially loved the Valentine’s Day episode when the Chance family enlisted the help of an improv troupe to help Jimmy win the affections of Sabrina. I also liked the plot twist that revealed Sabrina is just as weird as the Chances.

Last week’s episode ended with a cliffhanger that sets up tonight’s finale. Nancy Grace spoofed herself as the host of an “Inside Probe” documentary about the serial killer who is Hope’s mother.

Another of my favorite shows may not be so lucky. “Fringe” has its season finale on May 11. Low ratings may mean that the episode will also be the series finale. Zap2it reports that they shot two endings for the episode. One would be the series ending, the other would be a cliffhanger for next season.

As I write this, I’m listening to a podcast interview with John Noble, who plays Walter Bishop on “Fringe.” It’s intriguing to hear him speak with an Australian accent, which he doesn’t do on the show.

April 17, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

Regional Philbin

It happened fast. Avi Vieira and I were recording some footage for SMOMOtv when Taz Cable said, “you’re going to go live.” Before long, we were streaming video on Livestream.com and talking about the results of a brainstorming meeting that had happened earlier in the afternoon. You can watch the archived broadcast below.

Avi and I host a program called “The Daily Hub,” which is seen on 25 screens (so far) at retail locations in the Smokies. In yesterday’s live feed, we revealed plans for additional shows. She will host “Avi’s All Access” and I will have a show called “Frank and Quirky.” I liked that its initials are FAQ, as in frequently asked questions.

During our “host chat,” Avi and I joked that we wished to emulate Regis and Kelly. She wants to be the Regis. I pointed out that Regis is twice as old as Kelly. Avi and I have an age difference that is about the same as Regis and Kathie Lee. When we watched the replay later, Avi said that a microphone glitch accidentally made it sound like one of her comments was censored. Watch and see what you think.

April 10, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Jinkies, Jenkins!

As more and more viewers of “Dancing with the Stars” jump aboard the Katherine Jenkins bandwagon, I can point to a year-old blog post that I wrote about her singing voice. I have enough credit on my Amazon.com account to buy one of her albums. I’m having a hard time choosing just one. My first reaction is to buy either “One Fine Day” or “Serenade” but I’m going to have to listen to all the 20-second samples that Amazon offers before deciding. So far, I seem to be partial to her covers of songs I recognize, like this version of an old Bryan Adams song:

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

Crock o’ Style

After a recent Einstein Simplified show, one of the audience regulars was seated at the bar in the lounge at Side Splitters Comedy Club. She was checking Pinterest on her smart phone, looking at recipes. One was so interesting (or is it Pinteresting?) that she had to show the people standing nearby.

The name said it all: Rocky Road Crock Pot Cake. Almost all the Pinterest posts had the same picture of a crock pot with miniature marshmallows and chocolate chips atop a chocolate cake. It looks easy to make. Basically, you put cake batter and pudding in a crock pot and leave it there for three-and-a-half hours. At the end, you top it with marshmallows and chips. When it’s done, you spoon it out like a trifle.

There are some online videos of people making the cake in a crock pot. My favorite was the cooking segment of a local newscast in Roanoke.

March 30, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Batkini Traffic School

Frank & Jere sitting in the original Batmobile at Barris Kustom Industries The original Batmobile is in one of the family photos that my daughter and son used to decorate the tables at my wife’s surprise party. While working at Power 106, I had the opportunity to meet and interview George Barris, who created an astonishing array of custom vehicles for TV and movies. He had just restored Batmobile #1 from the TV series. There were others that were used for stunts and promotional appearances. The interview went well and George invited me to come back to his North Hollywood showroom with my family. We timed the return visit to occur while my friend and former WAVA colleague Janet Elliott was in town.

A popular new video on YouTube shows a drag race between two replica Batmobiles. One looks like the 1966 classic and the other is a copy of the car Michael Keaton drove in the 1989 movie. Marisha Ray, who bears a resemblance to Poison Ivy and may have an affinity for Dexter Morgan, hosts the debate between two comic-book fans. She sides with the 1989 Batmobile and makes a bet with the fan of the 1966 version. The loser has to wash the winning car while wearing a bikini.

March 23, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments 

Sat Down Beside Her

If no one but my children read my blog, it would be absolutely fine with me. I consider myself fortunate that my two kids are my two most faithful readers. They are usually the first to notice a typo or other glitch and let me know. For example, my daughter found a broken hyperlink in Tuesday’s post that I was able to fix as soon as I got home from work.

Yesterday, she sent an email that cracked me up. The subject line was “Google knows you well…” The message read: “I was browsing your blog when along came a spider… see attached.” The attachment was a screen capture of my website with a very bizarre Google Ad displayed.

The image in the ad could also be a scorpion with a human skull. Or maybe it’s a locust. Either way, I’ve hit “refresh” a dozen times hoping to see the ad myself. I’m curious to know what it’s advertising. I still haven’t seen it because the ads I’m getting are geared toward my local area. Since my daughter lives near our nation’s capital, perhaps the ad is for whichever political party you currently oppose.

March 15, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

Consternation

notification of Amazon.com Subscribe & Save cancelation Is there a March Fool’s Day? I hoped for a moment that the notification from Amazon.com was some sort of joke or error. My Bran Buds subscription has been canceled.

About two years ago, I discovered the health benefits of adding a lot more fiber to my diet. Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Buds are an easy way for me to get psyllium husks without having to drink some gritty mixture. I use the cereal as a salad topping. Sometimes I mix it into yogurt, especially Key Lime flavor. The cereal combined with the yogurt tastes like a slice of Key Lime pie.

My subscription to Bran Buds lasted thirteen months. Each month, I received a carton with four boxes of cereal at a cost much less than the supermarket price. The Walmart price is higher than Amazon but slightly less than Kroger. I should have bought some the other day when I was buying makeup.

March 2, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

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