Enter Sandman

I have a distinct memory of the first time I found out who Adam Sandler was.  I was sitting in a muggy, wood cabin at Herzl Camp in the middle of the Wisconsin wilderness with 10 other same-aged Jewish white children.  One kid had a CD player hooked up to speakers and they were blaring an album called “They’re All Gonna Laugh At You.”  This album had come out in 1993, which at this time must have been a good 3-4 years prior, but it didn’t matter.  The comedy that was coming through those speakers was absolutely perfect for a 10 year old boy at summer camp.

I, like most guys my age, have grown up with the Sand-man. Shortly after hearing his comedy album, I saw his breakout movies, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore.  After that, Sandler movies became appointment viewing for most sleepovers and lazy Friday nights.  Sandler’s movies at the time (and arguably now) imitated me.  They were dumb, funny, and they were crass for the sake of being crass.  They included scenes where Bob Barker was getting punched in the face for Christ’s sake!

I’ve grown up (again, arguable to the actual extent) since my days at Herzl.  My fandom for Adam Sandler has become strictly nostalgic. The last Sandler “comedy” I saw in theaters was I Know Pronounce You Chuck and Larry back in 2007.  Going through his IMDB page, I haven’t even seen his last 6 movies, theater or otherwise.  And that’s okay.  I’m not his target audience anymore.

And that’s precisely why I’m writing this blog.

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DVR and the Death of Traditional Television

The invention of the DVR has really screwed up television.

Not to be an old man here, but back in the day, the way I discovered new shows was usually through, what people in the business call, a “lead-in.”  See a lead-in is when a popular show that draws millions of viewers leads into a show that the network would like the masses to get behind.  The lead-in boosts ratings of everything around it.  It’s like the cleanup hitter of television.

But, with the invention of the DVR, lead-ins are meaningless.  I rarely ever watch a show at its regularly scheduled time.  I record and then watch at my own convenience. The show I’m watching never leads me into anything because it’s recorded and when the shows over, I move onto something else.

Because of this, I miss out on a lot of great shows.

Like a little sitcom on ABC called Happy Endings.

I’ve recently picked up on the show through hearing about it on the blogosphere.  I’m sure Happy Endings has a great lead-in on whatever night of the week it’s on TV, but I would never know.

You know why I would never know?  Because I DVR everything and I never watch commercials.  If networks are promoting their shows, I’m not aware of it.  I find out about new shows or season premiers through the internet, not the lead-ins or the promos. 

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JLo vs. LDP

Do you ever think about how two seemingly similar people can go in two completely different directions on the path of life?

Kind of deep, I know. But, let me bring it back to the shallow end for ya.

I’m not talking about anything or anyone of any importance here (shocking I know for this website), I’m talking about two actors/performers. 

When I was a kid, I loved movies that had musical numbers.  What kid doesn’t?  Somehow on the endless cycle of cable television, I found myself hooked on 2 movies in particular.  The 1987 classic La Bamba, about the metoric rise and untimely death of Ritchie Valens and the 1997 classic Selena, about the metoric rise and untimely death of Selena Peres.

These movies popped up in a conversation I was having the other day and it got me thinking.  What the hell happened to Lou Diamond Phillips? And why is JLo so popular?

See, those were the 2 stars of those movies.  LDP playing Ritchie, JLo playing Selena.  Although these movies came out a decade apart, they are nearly identical in story line.  Aside from the fact that Ritchie dies in a plane crash and Selena is murdered, they are virtually the same movie about the successful, short-lived careers of Hispanic singers. 

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Groovin' to the Tunes of WWF: The Music

We all make dumb purchases with our hard earned money. 

This is a fact of life.

Listen, sometimes you can’t pass up on bulk beef jerky from Costco, or a life-size cardboard cutout of Darth Vader. I get it. I’m not judging.

I was thinking about some of the ridiculous purchases I’ve made over the years and realized most of the came when I was a kid.  It’s not that they cost a lot of money, but to think that there was a point in time when I saw a pack of baseball cards with characters from the hit Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves on them and thought to myself, “I gotta have that!” is a little ridiculous.  

Maybe the funniest purchase that I made, and frankly made multiple times as a kid, is a collection of what used to be called WWF: The Music.  That’s right, I used to buy CD’s that only had theme songs of popular wrestlers.  Not one CD.  Multiple CD’s. As in Volumes 1-5. And not only that I think I would still buy one if saw it on the shelf of an FYE (If FYE is still business that is, haven’t seen one in a while).

So this very long preface has really been a way to justify me giving you my favorite WWF theme songs of the WWF: The Music Era.  These are very subjective, so feel free to add your own input in the comment section.

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Topher Grace is a Tool

I’ll admit it.  I sat in front of my couch for over 2 hours on Sunday night and watched the self-glorification that was the 25^th Anniversary Special for the Fox network.  It was actually pretty entertaining.

Amidst all the clips and Ryan Seacrest monologues were some cast reunions of classic Fox shows.  They were all brief and really didn’t provide much, but it was nice to see some of the actors reminiscing.

Except there was one person that was missing.

During the That 70’s Show reunion, Topher Grace was a no-show.  This wasn’t surprising.  Since Topher left the show he has tried to act like he was never in fact on the show.

People like Topher make Hollywood look bad.  I never understand actors who act like some of their work is below them now that they have matured.  It’s the same feeling of confusion I have toward singers who refuse to play a hit because it’s from the past. Topher not embracing That 70’s Show is like Kansas shunning Carry On Our Wayward Son.  Nonsense.

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