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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 

Choosy Mothers Choose GIF

Krisha Newport stopped by my remote broadcast on Wednesday. She was on her way to a planning meeting for the Gatlinburg Improv Fest, which starts five weeks from today. The entry deadline is January 25. The festival will run February 23 to 26 at Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre, located at traffic light #3 in Gatlinburg.

The headliner is a one-man musical improv act called 6 Guitars. The star, Chase Padgett, had to buy a new guitar when his home was burglarized recently.

Krisha said there will be an improv jam, in which all the participants get to play improv games with each other. Although I’ve been doing improv for over ten years, this will be my first improv festival and I can hardly wait. I saved a few bucks by signing up Einstein Simplified before the early registration deadline last month.

January 19, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

Peanuts and Cracker Jack

The Christmas gifts that my friend Bean and I exchanged had a childhood flair to them. I sent him peanut butter and jelly from Blackberry Farm, the world-class resort in Walland, Tennessee. Coincidentally, our mutual friend Jimmy Kimmel received a surprise trip to Blackberry Farm for his birthday last November.

Christmas gift from Bean: photo of 1969 Mets victory celebration Bean sent me a fantastic framed photo of the New York Mets winning the 1969 World Series. That event sealed my fate as a lifelong Mets fan.

Perry Simon is a lifelong Phillies fan, so it’s understandable that he hates the Mets the same way I hate the Phillies. The other day he posted a link to a great story about Mr. Met, the lovable mascot for my team. I was amused by Perry’s take:

Here’s a whole article on the travails of Mr. Met, the cheery mascot of the troubled New York Mets. I’m not sure what the point of the thing is, but Mr. Met always seemed to be a pretty lame mascot to me. I mean, what does he do? He’s a guy with an enormous baseball for a head. Um, okay.

Perry’s comments are hysterical because the mascot for his team is the ridiculous Phillie Phanatic, a cross between Big Bird and a radioactive aardvark. Without his Phillies shirt, who would know what the Phanatic stands for? Even in street clothes, it would be obvious that Mr. Met lives and breathes baseball.

January 10, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

The Brew Crew

Kim Leslie came down the stairs as soon as I arrived at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Lauren, the manager on duty, smiled and said she had given Kim one of the same buzzers used to tell patrons their table was ready. When I gave my name at the hostess stand, Lauren activated the buzzer.

I’ve known Kim for years. We worked at different Washington radio stations but had mutual friends. She is now on the air in Nashville. When I read on Facebook that her family was on their way to a vacation in Gatlinburg, I suggested that they have dinner at the Brewery. I had plans to be there for a live video feed on SMOMOtv.com with Taz Cable.

My blogfather, Rich Hailey, and his wife Lissa were also in attendance. I mentioned them as well as a Twitter message I received from Travis Quick, a fan of the Brewery’s Turkey Creek location. Taz and I were on just as the Champs Sports Bowl ended. I was rooting for Knoxville Catholic High School alumnus Harrison Smith, who was playing his last game for Notre Dame. Unfortunately, the Fighting Irish lost but Smith is likely to play again next year in the NFL.

December 30, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Goner and Blitzen

bloody deer of lights An unusual lawn ornament got our attention as my wife and I drove to one of the three Christmas parties we attended this past weekend. I thought it was funny but my wife said it was an assault on her eyes.

There were several pre-lit rattan reindeer on the lawn. It looks like the homeowner hung one of the deer from a tree and then strung some red lights from the deer to the ground. When I looked up the name of the lawn ornaments, I found a picture that made me wonder if the homeowner got the idea from a hunting and fishing site called The Jump.

December 13, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

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