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It practically gallops!

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 

The Phantom Knows

In the days before DVRs, I would have popped out the tab on the VHS tape immediately after recording “The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall”. Now, I wonder how long I will have room to save the show on my DVR. The excellent production starred Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine. After the curtain calls, there was a special guest appearance by Sarah Brightman and past Phantoms Michael Crawford, Peter Jöback, John Owen-Jones, Anthony Warlow, and Colm Wilkinson. The group sang an amazing version of the title song.

East Tennessee PBS pledge drive - March 11, 2012 - Frank Murphy at "Premium Desk/Monitor" The special episode of “Great Performances” aired on East Tennessee PBS during their quarterly pledge drive last night. I solicited pledges on-air from the premium desk while volunteers from the Knoxville Opera worked the phones. They cranked the volume on the studio monitor during the musical. Earlier in the evening, the phones were staffed by a group from a website called “What’s Happening George?”

“The Phantom of the Opera” is one of the few stage productions I’ve seen more than once. My first experience was at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The tickets were a gift from my mother-in-law, who also gave tickets to my wife’s sisters and their husbands. My wife and I saw the play at least twice more in Los Angeles. I remember taking our kids to see it when they were old enough. The song “All I Ask of You” has special meaning in our family. My wife and her friend Clint Butler sang the duet at the weddings of several of their friends and classmates.

Watch Clip from The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall on PBS. See more from Great Performances.

March 12, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

Mug Stash

The American Mustache Institute has proposed a $250 tax credit for Americans with moustaches. By the way, my spell-check software says it should be “mustache” but I prefer “moustache.”

Moustache Mug promotional item from Fox's "Breaking In" While the Washington Post is tired of moustaches, the folks at Fox still appreciate the handlebar moustache life. Just in time for Mustache March, they sent moustache coffee mugs to Fox VIP members, myself included. The ceramic disguise serves to promote the season premiere of “Breaking_In,” which returns to the schedule on Tuesday night after “New Girl.” The fun-loving design is similar to a set of mugs by Peter Ibruegger.

March 6, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

Vladivostok Rock

Trans-Siberian Orchestra founder Paul O’Neill said, “In my opinion, Mozart was the world’s first rock star and Beethoven was the world’s heavy metal star.” The quote was included in the TV special “Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Birth of Rock Theatre” which aired on East Tennessee PBS last night and will be repeated on Wednesday night.

I had the privilege of appearing on the East Tennessee PBS pledge breaks during the Trans-Siberian Orchestra special and the show that followed, “Downton Abbey: Behind the Drama.” My main responsibility was to push the premium items that members receive as thank-you gifts for larger pledges. For a $200 pledge, viewers received a pair of tickets to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s upcoming Knoxville concert.

East Tennessee PBS pledge drive - March 4, 2012 - Frank Murphy at "Premium Desk/Monitor" The management and crew of the TV station make me feel very welcome whenever I’m there. Last night was my first opportunity to try applying the bronzer that I bought last Tuesday. I get to use it again next Sunday when I’ll be on during the pledge breaks in “The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall.”

March 5, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Monroe Machine

The TV show “Smash” and the movie “My Week with Marilyn” have me on a little bit of  a Marilyn Monroe kick. Watching Monday’s episode of “Smash,” I wondered if Megan Hilty was imitating Marilyn or if she was imitating Michele Williams’ portrayal of Marilyn. I plan to seek out some original Marilyn Monroe movies to see the real deal.

Movie-themed items in room below Capitol Theatre stage Half of Einstein Simplified performed at the Capitol Theatre on Tuesday night. The rooms under the stage are decorated with Hollywood-themed items and gaming tables. A large Hollywood sign and a statue of Marilyn from “The Seven Year Itch” dominate the room.

They have several paintings of Marilyn, Elvis Presley, James Dean and Humphrey Bogart together. In one, they are at a bar. In another, they’re playing poker. The combination confuses me. Dean died in 1955 at age 24. Bogart died in 1957 at age 57. Monroe died in 1962 at age 36. Presley died in 1977 at age 42. The same four were poorly represented at a wax museum in Gatlinburg a few years ago.

There are interesting items everywhere you look. Two of my favorites were a leg lamp like the one from “A Christmas Story” and a framed photograph of the Nicholas Brothers dancing to “Chattanooga Choo Choo.”

February 16, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Houston Problems

Entertainment Tonight’s report on the death of Whitney Houston would have received a failing grade in any journalism class. The audio alone might have passed but the combination of pictures and graphics shown on screen during their “Whitney Houston Death Investigation” was inaccurate.

They recapped the singer’s final days beginning with video of her leaving a nightclub at 1:10 a.m. Friday. Then they showed old footage of Whitney arriving at a party with Clive Davis while saying that she had checked in to the Beverly Hilton on Wednesday for this year’s pre-Grammy party. They had video from Thursday night, when Whitney jumped on stage for an impromptu performance with Kelly Price.

The misleading images started with a slide that read, “Friday Night Heavy Partying?” The accompanying audio said “reports that Whitney and her entourage are heard partying hard in the rooms on the fourth floor of the hotel” but the picture of a sweaty and disheveled Houston was taken by paparazzi out in public.

The next slide read “Saturday 3:43 p.m. 911 Called” with a photo of Whitney looking normal. After that, a slide saying “Saturday 3:55 p.m. Pronounced Dead” with a photo of a body bag on a gurney inside the coroner’s van. That image was nine hours premature.

Next came an accurate slide reading “Sunday 12:49 a.m. Whitney’s Body Goes to Coroner” along with the same photo of a body bag. Anchor Mark Steines hyperbolized: “a media frenzy surrounds the truck but only ET has the sobering shot that proves the sad news is indeed true: we have lost a legend.” In reality, the shot only proved that somebody had died at the hotel.

Houston’s body was still in her hotel room while the pre-Grammy party took place in the ballroom. On Saturday night, I looked at the Twitter feed for the Beverly Hilton. At 9:43 p.m. they wrote, “The Beverly Hilton wishes to extend its profound sympathies to the family and fans of Whitney Houston.” Eleven minutes later they posted, “Arrivals starting for Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/neXyyv0I“

February 13, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Screwy, Ballyhooey

American Idol Reviving Salts Hollywood week is my favorite part of “American Idol.” To me, the early auditions drag on too long and Hollywood week doesn’t get enough air time. This year, Fox is promising “the most intense Hollywood week in the history of ‘American Idol.’ A quick look at the footage reveals fainting spells, dramatic falls, frayed nerves, ambulance rides, and agonizing tension… and that’s just scratching the surface.” The previous quote accompanied a bottle of Reviving Salts that I received in the mail yesterday. Are they for the bathtub?

I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t the only person who replayed in slow-motion the unfortunate fall off the stage by Symone Black at the end of last night’s episode. Rather than assure us that she was okay, “Idol” turned her accident into a cliffhanger for tonight’s episode.

February 9, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

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