Some days, it just doesn’t pay to get started. Well, that’s kind of how the week has gone.
So did Google make you a millionaire or are you just back at the old stand like usual? I guess I’m one of those who just doesn’t get it. The whole dot-com thing still is a bit too much of the Emperor’s New Clothes for me…
What if they gave an Olympics and nobody came? It has been extremely amusing to watch the games and see all of the empty seats at the various venues. It’s not like this wasn’t something people knew about a few years in advance. Imagine if Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary were to get this kind of a reaction! Yet, so far no one is sounding any bells of doom, but there will likely be lots of free tickets given away next week.
And why is it that the suits at NBC in their infinite wisdom persist in the belief that we have a perpetual fondness for pre-packaged and delayed coverage of the events? For me, part of the attraction was the live coverage. As an example, I did enjoy the late night/early morning (at least here on the west coast) viewing of the Women’s Shot Put preliminaries from Olympia. The Greeks get major point in my book for having some of the Track & Field events held at this historic location.
Speaking of NBC, if you’re planning on watching the new show from Dreamworks, “Father of the Pride” when it airs this fall, I would recommend catching it the first time it airs. From the jungle drums, I’m hearing this one likely won’t make it to the November sweeps. That and this show has been in the can long enough to go stale pretty quick…
In other news, the fall will see the second season of “Quantum Leap” out for sale on DVD. Fans are already placing their pre-orders, (you can, too!) with Amazon. No word on what extra’s this one will have, but lots of folks are hoping for an improvement over the first seasons offerings. A fair number of other television shows will be making their first appearances on DVD this fall including Magnum P.I. and Seinfeld.
Movies don’t get overlooked, either. Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of Christ” out to be the big winner, but other audience favorites such as the first Star Wars Trilogy (that’s Episodes 4, 5 & 6 if you’re keeping track), Disney’s “Aladdin” in the Special Platinum Edition, and the final Lord of the Ring’s chapter, “Return of the King” – The Extended edition all promise to keep us glued to our televisions for a while yet.
It’s also interesting to see that the fourth release of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD will not (so far) include anything to commemorate Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary. The announced titles include The Mickey Mouse Club – Week One (October 3 – October 7, 1955), The Complete Pluto – 1930 to 1947 and Mickey Mouse in Black and White – Volume Two. With all of the great shows from “The Wonderful World Of Disney” that promoted improvements at Disneyland, it’s too bad that this one got overlooked. How about these? “Disneyland After Dark”, “The Golden Horseshoe Review” or “Holiday Time at Disneyland” — all from 1962, “From Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair” from 1964, “Disneyland 10th Anniversary” from 1965, “Disneyland Around The Seasons” from December 18,1966 (especially poignant as Walt Disney passed away only three days earlier), “Disneyland – From Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow” from 1968 or “Disneyland Showtime” from 1970, complete with Kurt Russell and the Osmond Brothers and the preview of the Haunted Mansion. You would have thought that some of those would have made a great set of shows to release. Maybe next year? Hint, hint…
Speaking of Disneyland, the rare item of the week on eBay has to be this Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad conductor’s hat badge. Not something seen very often, but extremely cool! A few other items likely to be a bit less pricey are a fine Union Pacific dining car menu from the “City of Los Angeles” with a fine vintage view of Main Street’s Town Square a pair of 1956 Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad tickets or how about a blank pass for the Carolwood Pacific?. Always worth a look, as you never know what treasures are out there waiting to come home to you…
One bright moment on Fox television is when Matt Dusk gets a chance to sing on “The Casino”. His album, “Two Shots” has some interesting tracks. His vocal treatment brings back those Vegas glory days of the Rat Pack, and I, for one, can’t wait for another album.
Three final items of note:
This Sunday, August 22 – Our friends at “Where The Magic Begins” in Livermore, CA are having another Pin Trading Extravaganza. Check their web pages for more details! The first 15 folks will get a free pin to start the trading. I will be on hand at the Pin Trading board. So if you find yourself in the neighborhood, stop by and say “Hello”! Should be a great afternoon!
And don’t forget the first JHM “Night at the Movies” on Friday, August 27 at Oakland’s Paramount Theater! Who could pass up the chance to see Walt Disney’s “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” in all of it’s Technicolor glory on the big screen? If you’re interested, drop Roger Colton a note at boards@jimhillmedia.com for more details and to save your space for that night. For a mere six bucks, it’s an evening you won’t soon forget!
Whew! Florida, what can we say? I have a friend named Charlie – no relation, and he lives in Tampa of all places. He and a lot of other folks (statewide) had some exciting moments last weekend. There’s a long clean-up ahead, and just getting back to normal will be a challenge. If you’re of a mind to help, lots of folks can make use of your generosity. The American Red Cross will put your donations to work in the best possible ways there for some time to come. So if you’re in the mood, that the place to drop a few bucks this week!