Today's Top Story...Well Not Quite, but I Care About It

From today's Columbus Dispatch:
Strickland, Dann seek near-total ban on wagering games
Governor also says he'd veto instant-racing bill

Frankly, this does not bode well for my dream of one day opening a poker room in the South Campus Gateway.

Preview of CBS Fall Schedule

So, I was just looking at CBS' fall schedule and I must say I am not impressed.

True, they did have the good sense to cancel The Class, but they have renewed Rules of Engagement, which I haven't seen, but hear is even worse. True, I probably shouldn't take other reviewers' words for it, but the truth is that I like very little that's on network TV anyway, so I probably wouldn't like this. Besides, it's got David Spade in it, and who really wants to see anything he's in.

One of their new shows is called Moonlight and it concerns a vampire who works as a private investigator. Didn't we see this done before and--most likely---better almost two decades ago as Forever Knight? Just last Thursday I decried the lack of originality in "reality" TV, but why should that genre be any different than the rest of the schedule.

Meanwhile, Cane stars Jimmy Smits and looks like Falcon Crest set on a sugar cane plantation.

Kid Nation strands 40 kids in a ghost town and tasks them with building their own civilization. Obviously inspired by the "bonk-bonk" episode of the original Star Trek. (Actually titled "Miri")

Then there are a couple of new sitcoms that look too lame to even bother dissing. They'll both last one season tops.

The good thing about CBS being the No. 1 network is that most of their schedule will be returning shows and they're only rolling out a handful of these lame turkeys. Poor NBC, which has probably slid into sixth place (out of five) by now will probably have to pretty much start from scratch.

Well, I'm done bitching for now.

See ya later!

AAAAARGH! It's "Pirate Master"

The second episode of the new "reality" series Pirate Master airs tonight on CBS.

If I were speaking to you now, you would be correct in noting a certain lack of enthusiasm in my tone. I've been turning in early every night this week and see no need to quit tonight.

Originality in "reality" TV these days is about as rare as honesty in a politician or mental stability in a cartoonist. Just about every show since Survivor is just a varitation on the basic premise of a group of strangers gathered together and eliminated one by one until only one remains to walk off with the prize.

Pirate Master, however, is a particularly egregiously derivative. It plays out like a Mulligan's stew of elements borrowed from Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother and the last couple of summer blockbusters starring Johnny Depp. I wouldn't be surprised if the "pirates" are eventually forced to sing while the "captain" and his "mates" judge them.

You get the point. It sucks. No use wasting anymore cyberspace belaboring the point. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

The Question of Sanjaya's "Friend"

We know turn our attention once again to the "Sanjaya Installation" video that popped up on YouTube a couple of weeks ago and which I embedded here last Wednesday. We leave aside the question of the true identity of Sanjaya Malakar/Bill Vendall/John Galt/Whoever and consider instead the gender identity of the person in behind Sanjaya/Vendall.

Ok, I thought upon first seeing this video, and I still believe it to be true, that this was a woman. But many people apparently think it's a man. The poster of the version of the "Sanjaya Installation" that first saw on Entertainment Weekly's site and used here introduces it by saying that "Bill Vendall and his gay friend announce that Sanjaya was a fraud." A comment on another poster's version of the video began. "Those two fags..." (I, of course, read no further. I have enough intolerant thoughts of my own--mostly directed at my co-workers--that I need read no one else's hate speech.)

So, the question is: Effeminate man or androgynous woman; which is it?

Take another look at the clip and tell me what you think.

Re-Living My Childhood via YouTube

Video "Week" continues, because, quite frankly, I just don't feel like writing anything. If I did feel like writing anything, it would be rant about how I hate horses, which would certainly not endear me to my niece Tamara, (They're stupid, ugly, smelly beasts and if I never see another damned one it'll be too soon...) and really has nothing to do with anything, especially not why I took a month off from updating this blog.

Ok, I'm ranting, so let's take a deep breath and turn to You Tube.

YouTube's great for reliving your childhood, especially if, like me, you spent 86% of that childhood plopped in front of a TV set. While poking around the site recently I found the following old commercial for what was at the time my favorite breakfast cereal, endorsed by what is, to this day, one of my favorite cartoon characters.

I really miss Pink Panther Flakes. I love the way they turned the milk pink.

In Memory of "The Big Banana": Charles Nelson Reilly

Charles Nelson Reilly died last week at age 76 and in the wake of his passing there have been fond remembrances of his years as a regular on Match Game, his role as the real estate agent on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (which, to be frank, he was the only reason to watch), and even his over the top portrayal of Hoo Doo on Lidsville, but overlooked has been one of his most memorable and bizarre roles of the 1970's, that of the "Big Banana" in commercials for Bic Banana pens.

As part of The Word's Video Week, and as tribute to one of the favorite entertainers of my childhood, here are two examples of some of Reilly's finest work:

Here's the all-singing/all dancing version:

Now For the Educational Portion of our Program...

Video Week continues with my personal favorite of all the "Multiplication Rock" segments:

Video Week Continues

Yes, it's, as you've seen, Video Week at The Word From On High, mainly because, after a month off, I want to get back into updating the blog, but I still don't really feel like writing anything nor do I really have anything important to say, so I'll just raid You Tube for a couple of more days until some inspiration strikes me or America's Got Talent debuts on NBC.

So..today's video is one of my favorite songs, and I'm sure one of yours, because everybody loves Supertramp.

Who is Sanjaya, Anyway?

So, first this vid shows up, claiming Sanjaya was merely a hoax perpetrated by an art student named Bill Vendall:

Now, another video surfaces, claiming that Bill Vendall is the hoax and Sanjaya is really real.

So, just who is real? Sanjaya? Bill Vendall? Me?

God, I'm so confused!!

From The Onion--70% of All Praise Sarcastic

To the reporters at Onion News Network who bring us this story, I can only say, "Ooooo! Good job!"

Report: 70 Percent Of All Praise Sarcastic

Impotent...er...IMPORTANT Announcement!!!

On the second day of this year's Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (its friends call it SPACE), I led a panel on the subject of on-line comics with Ryan Holgerson, Andrea "Sam" McEnaney, and Jared Koon. Even though I organized and moderated the shindig, I'm pretty much a newbie to the whole world of on-line comics, and actually had the least to contribute. I manged to learn quite a bit during the course of the hour, including several sites where I could post my comics. Later in the week, I signed up for all of them, and now Wasted Potential will be posted weekly not only on my WP blog, but on ComicSpace, Drunk Duck.com, and WebComics Nation. ComicSpace contains the entire saga so far, while Drunk Duck and WebComics Nation pick up with last week's episode. I will also be posting Pop Darts on Comic Space soon.

Now there is NO excuse for not following the mildly amusing exploits of cartoonist Norman Burns and his friends!!! The web is mine, and I'll know if you don't read it, so you better surf over there now, sparky!!!

I Got Nothin'

I'll have to finish up the SPACE report tomorrow, my friends. I have spent most of this day grappling with emotional issues and e-mail, an even as I input this entry, I am missing American Idol. So, I shall have to quickly upload this blather and run across the street to my box-like apartment to catch the rest of the show.

Talk to you tomorrw..

SPACE Wrap-Up: Day One

The Eagle has landed!

The Ray has returned!

And there was much rejoicing!

Greetings, denizens of cyber-space-land, I bring you glad tidings from SPACE (the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo) to which I boldly went this past weekend, armed only with a couple of hundred copies of Wasted Potential: Fit 2 Print, the mini-comic collecting the Wasted Potential and Pop Darts comic strips that ran in Columbus Alive! and The Atomic Tomorrow.

Except for greeting friends at their tables shortly after arriving and a late day trip around the room to do some trading of comics, I spent most of Saturday at the table. I didn't even get to the Day Prize presentation. (Of course, I announced the Day Prize winner earlier as soon as Dapper Dave Sim himself revealed the recipient's identity on his blog.) I didn't want to go because I was kind of on a roll. I had my sales pitch down and was at my most congenial and beguiling, managing to sell more books on Saturday than I had at any of the previous seven SPACE shows. (Of course, I was only charging 50 cents a book, so I made just about enough to buy myself a pizza.)

After the show closed on Saturday, Mike Lucas and I checked out the new Half Price Books location across from the Graceland shopping center. I picked up an old mass market paperback reprinting classic Steve Ditko/Stan Lee Dr. Strange stories in full color. (That's somewhat unusual, as most mmpb comics were in black & white.) I really like the mass market paperback format for comics. My collection is pretty small because they're really hard to find, but I'll pick them up whenever I come upon them.

After grabbing a bite at the G-land Subway, Mike and I went to a place called MoMo2, where the "SPACE Launch Party" was to be held. We didn't see anyone we knew and decided the place was too loud and annoying, so we split.

I had a couple of Mike's Hard Lemonades, and went to bed.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you how Sunday went.

SPACE Is This Weekend!!! HUZZAH!!!

The 8th Annual Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, held once again at the spacious Aladdin Shrine Center in the Small Press Comics Capitol of the Known Universe, Columbus, Ohio, begins in less than 24 short hours. The show expands to TWO (2) big days this year, so there's plenty of chance for you to get out there and see what all the buzz on the street has been about.

When you show up, be sure to check out my table, where I shall be offering for public sale for the first time anywhere Wasted Potential: Fit 2 Print, a mini-comics collection of all the Wasted Potential strips that have actually appeared in for real newspapers (although calling The Atomic Tomorrow a "for real" newspaper is kind of stretching the truth just a wee bit.)

If for some reason, you can not make it to the comics event of the year and still wish to own a copy of this limited edition collector's item classic, simply e-mail me at wasted_potential1965@yahoo.com and I shall enlighten you as to how we may work together to make that happen.

I'll have a full report on the show next week.

Idol Gossip: Ding Dong! Hairboy's Gone!

Couldn't post yesterday. The time that I wasn't busy preparing for this weekend's SPACE show was spent in gleeful jumping up and down for joy after Wednesday's American Idol results show!

As our 38th president famously said upon stumbling, literally and metaphorically, into the Oval Office: "Our long national nightmare is over."

Yes, my faith in the judgment of the American people has been, at least partially, restored. (Though I still have no idea why Blake ended up in the bottom 3 rather than Chris Richardson, who gave an utterly ridiculous performance on Tuesday.)

Sanjaya has left the building!!!

I have never been so glad to be wrong. I was really afraid that Lakisha was going home this week, but good taste and sense finally prevailed to send Hairboy packing. (Even though he went out by changing the lyrics of "Something To Talk About" to "Let's give 'em something to talk about; other than hair," the truth is that there really wasn't anything else to discuss about this kid, certainly not his singing talent.)

So, it looks like Simon Cowell will not be replaced by David Hasselhoff next season. Cowell, as you must know, had threatened to quit if Sanjaya actually won. (The idea of the Hoff replacing him is something I thought of just now.) I have only one question for the Cowell: If Hairboy sucked that much, what the bloody @#!% was he doing there in the first place? You, and Squiddly and Diddley--as you referred to Randy and Paula a couple weeks back, sent him to Hollywood, then passed him on to the top 24. If you didn't think he should win, why on Earth did you let him go that far? Had he gone all the way, Si, you three would have had only yourselves to blame. So quit your damned bitching and moaning already, ok?

So, what's next for Sanjaya? What is the next career move for someone who has risen to national, even international, fame by making of himself a public laughingstock? Why, the answer should seem obvious: VH-1!

After spoiling the Idol tour this summer, expect Sanjaya and his hair to either show up on The Surreal Life or in his own show; Life With Sanjaya or something like that.

Well, the sideshow is over now, and the curtain truly rises on the main attraction: The rise of Melinda Doolittle to becoming the next American Idol!

Idol Should "Give Back" To V Tech Victims

Last night, Ryan Seacrest, the Cowell and a couple of the American Idol hopefuls expressed sympathy and solidarity for the victims of Monday's Virginia Tech massacre. I think they should do more and put some money where their mouths are.

Idol's producers should take just a small portion of the cash they are raising with next week's "Idol Gives Back" event and set up a relief fund for the victims and families. If, as Seacrest boasted, one corporate giant is forking over five million bucks, half a mil or a million would be a drop in the bucket, but would help the V Tech victims and families offset medical and funeral expenses as well as further show the concern for alleviating human suffering that this big hoopla is supposed to demonstrate.

Actually, I really do expect Seacrest to announce just this type of plan on the results show tonight, and I'll be quite disappointed if he does not.

Idol Speculation: Lakisha Will Exit Tonight.

With little over an hour, as I type this, until tonight's American Idol results show, I thought I'd offer some predictions.

Safe this week:

Phil--this was his best performance yet. If he can keep this up, he might challenge Blake for a spot in the top 3.

Blake--another fine performance, and great job of finding a country song suited to his style.

Jordin--an amazing performance. Simon is right: if she can keep up that level of intensity, she's got a real shot at the Idol title.

Melinda--Her performance was HOT! I'd never heard of the song she chose, or the artist who recorded it, and as far as I'm concerned it will forever be associated with Melinda Doolittle.

The Bottom Three:

Sanjaya--What can I even say? He's Sanjaya, for Pete's sake! What the bloody hell is he even still doing there?

Chris--His nasally, twangy vocal sounded almost like a deliberate parody of country music.

Lakisha--Her weakest performance yet.

Probably Headed Home Tonight:

Lakisha. I've compared her in the past to Season 5's Mandisa, and it was country week that proved Mandisa's undoing last season. I think we've seen the last of Kiki until the tour.

Check back tomorrow to witness the unfailing accuracy of my precognitive powers.

Be Back Soon. Hold Tight

Been away a little longer than I anticipated. It's too bad I don't do a personal blog as I'd have a lot to write about. Actually, it consists mostly of failed attempts to hook up with women, which really aren't all that interesting, even to me. I'd be interested if I'd succeeded. Anyway, I'll be back in a couple of days.

And, for no good reason at all, here's a picture of Sanjaya.

Taking A Break, Lest I Burnout...

Well, after that last post, it must be pretty apparent that I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here. So, I think that it is time to step a way for a few days from the daily grind of posting my insane thoughts on this blog and take time to devote to other areas of my life that I have let slide. I will probably be back next Thursday for my weekly Idol update, so I won't be away too long. See ya real soon. Why? Because we love you!

STRAY THOUGHTS: Topic--PORN

There is an observation that I've carried around in the dank and musty backrooms of my mind for some time now, but have never shared it with anyone else because it happens to concerns pornography. Now, I realize that as a healthy adult male who is not, and has not been for a looooong time, in a relationship or otherwise "gettin' any," I really need not be ashamed that, on occasion, I's likes me some PORN!

So anyway, what I've noticed is this: As I've surfed through the world of porn sites here on the Internet (don't be expecting any links), I've encountered depictions of just about every possible combination of two (or more) human beings in a sexual situation. White guys with white chicks, black guys with white chicks, white guys with black chicks, white chicks with white or black chicks (the appeal of which, to most men, remains inexplicable, yet undeniable) and others too perverse to mention here. What I have never seen, however, is a black man having sex with a black woman, and I've often wondered why that is. Why, in a realm where it is not uncommon or unusual to see movies of a man fellating a pre-operative transsexual, is this seemingly the only taboo? What does it say about our society? Isn't that really a question best left to sociologists? More importantly, why the hell am I spending so much time thinking abut it?

God...I really need a girlfriend!