Tommy Rettig as "Jeff
Miller" starring in "Lassie"
(1954-1957)

Child star Shirley Temple in her prime in the mid
1930's.

Yes, that is me with the lovely Sarah Whitcomb of the
"Jeopardy!" clue crew during my coverage of the
"Jeopardy!" contestant search in Phoenix in April, 2005.

Canyon Service? Could this old station be near the Grand Canyon?

A vintage gas station with gravity fed gas pumps. The gas
was pumped into the glass jug at the top, the quantity noted,
then released into the vehicle's tank. Pretty simple!

Blakely's gas station at 702 West Thomas in Phoenix (c. 1953)
How about that '53 Ford convertible? Notice all the oil cans
by the gas pumps. In those days cars routinely needed to add oil
between oil changes so the oil needed to be handy.

Abandoned Whiting Brothers gas station
on Route 66 in AZ.

Move Over, V. I. Warshawski, Sandra
Scott, P. I. Is here.

BLOGGER PARTY PICTURES, CHAPARRAL PARK, SCOTTSDALE, JUNE 2, 2007

New Link

I am now writing blogs and stories for the Arizona Republic and the Rocky Mountain News. The Republic just started blogs and I was fortunate enough to be chosen as a writer. Although most of the stuff I write about is aimed at the coverage area of the Scottsdale Republic, some of it is general. Please check out the link and leave some comments, I am interested in your thoughts.

Thanks, Jim McAllister

Link to Republic: http://www.azcentral.com/blogs/bloglist.php?blogtype=PluggedInsr
Link to RMN blogs and stories: http://denver.yourhub.com/User.aspx?UserID=26356

The blog will now be posted to

http://denver.yourhub.com/User.aspx?UserID=26356

Thanks, Jim

A MOVIE REVIEW AND SOME OTHER STUFF

By Jim McAllister

Just when it looked like Hollywood was going down for the count, they had a great summer. The summer of 2006 showed an increase of $200 million in box office receipts over 2005. A big part of that success has to be attributed to the continuing success of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.....QUICK MOVIE REVIEW...Have you seen "Little Miss Sunshine"? It’s a great little indie film about Olive, a young, plain, and minimally talented little girl (Abigail Breslin) who wants to attend a beauty and talent contest for girls in California. The winner of the contest will be crowned "Little Miss Sunshine" which is kind of ironic at the time of the re-emergence of the JonBenet mystery. Most of the little girls in the contest eerily remind one of JonBenet. Olive is a member of a dysfunctional Albuquerque family which includes father Richard (Greg Kinnear), a loser trying to sell a motivation program that nobody wants, mother Sheryl (Toni Collette) who strives to keep the family together, brother Dwayne (Paul Dano) who won’t speak as he dreams of entering the Air Force Academy, gay uncle Frank, (Steve Carell), and Grandpa (Alan Arkin), a heroin snorting, foul mouthed, old man. The family decides to head to California in a beat up VW microbus and that is where the fun begins as they endure a series of mishaps along the way. The movie is funny and also injects some pathos as this family is so pathetic. This film is funny, sad, and heartwarming with fine performances by the cast. Greg Kinnear continues to improve since his days on "Talk Soup." It has been out a while and you may have to look for it at the art houses but it is worth it. Run time 1:42, Rated "R".....

The cast of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE....L-R
Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Toni
Collette, Abigail Breslin. A funny little road
movie, worth seeing. (Fox Searchlight Films)

Baseball season is basically over for me as the Diamondbacks are finished after being swept by Washington this past weekend and the Reds are circling the drain. Are you ready for some football? I’m excited about the Cincinnati Bengals again this year. I know pre-season games don’t mean much as half the guys on the field will be cut by the season’s opener but I am still impressed by the way the Bengal’s romped through their 4 games. I haven’t lived in Cincy since 1967 but I never lose my home town loyalty for the sports teams, GO BENGALS!.....Speaking of Cincinnati, I recently had the privilege of interviewing Former University of Cincinnati and ten year NBA player Connie Dierking for the sports page of THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Connie played in the 1950's and ‘60's and was a great interview.....Good-bye to Andre Agassi. He had quite a career and was good enough to stay competitive in big time tennis until age 36. I’m sure we will see more of him, probably in a color analyst role for tournaments....

WILLIAM H. MACY in THE COOLER (2003)
Macy is a pro and knows that Lindsay Lohan isn't
(Lion's Gate Films)

This in from Suzanne Condie Lambert. William H. Macy, a true professional and a fine actor, comments on the work ethic of actress (actress?) Lindsay Lohan: "You can’t show up late. It’s very, very disrespectful. I think what an actor has to realize is that when you show up an hour late, 150 people have been scrambling to cover for you. There is not an apology big enough in the world to have to make 150 people scramble. It’s nothing but disrepect." Right on William H.! The thing that amazes me is that Lohan is such a non-entity in films. She is not good looking, she has no charm, and she can’t act worth a damn. Have you heard anyone clamoring to see a Lindsay Lohan movie lately? It’s the same old story, it’s not what you know but who you know and she has enough clout to keep her in the mix. She couldn’t carry Katharine Hepburn’s handbag. Kate was asked once what she thought of tardiness. Her reply? "There are no excuses"......

MITZI GAYNOR....One of the queens
of babedom from the 1950's is 75. What
a dish she was as Nellie Forbush in SOUTH
PACIFIC (1958)! (Boomer Pinups)

Can you believe Mitzi Gaynor just turned 75 and little Macaulay Culkin is divorced and 26? I don’t want to admit where that places me!.....Now we will have the "morning after" pill. I wonder what the Republican right thinks of that little morsel.....In case you need further proof that there are weird people in the world department: A guy in Kingman, Arizona started shooting at firemen who refused to rescue his cat that was stuck in a tree. He called the fire department and reported that the tree was on fire because he knew that the firemen would not respond to a cat stuck in a tree. When they arrived and saw the situation, they started to leave telling the guy to call the animal welfare folks or wait until the cat came down on its own. The man went in the house, got a gun, and came out shooting. Luckily, no one was injured and the fool was arrested by the Mohave County Sheriff’s department.....

STEVE and TERRI IRWIN....The
host of THE CROCODILE HUNTER
is dead at 44. (Greg Barrett)

Recent deaths: Actor Glenn Ford, 90, Olympic champion and former congressman Bob Mathias, 75, Jazz great Maynard Ferguson, 78, and Australian host of "The Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, 44....A couple of months ago, I did a column about my favorite mystery writer, John Dunning. John is a great writer and author of my favorite mystery, "Two O’Clock, Eastern Wartime" along with the Cliff Janeway series of mysteries. John has experienced some health problems this year that required several surgeries but is slowly convalescing. I am sure he would appreciate some "best wishes". If you get a chance you may drop him a line at books@oldalgonquin.com. Thanks a lot, see you next time. JM (Comments? azjimmcallister@cox.net.)

WHEN CIGARETTES RULED THE AIRWAVES

(Originally published in the INDEPENDENT, October, 2005)

by Jim McAllister

The date is January 1, 1971. At 11:59 p.m. on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", a commercial runs for Virginia Slims cigarettes. This commercial is significant since it is the last advertisement for cigarettes ever run on television thus ending a long run of cute ads and jingles designed to impress the public with the virtues of smoking.
If you are a certain age, you probably remember most of these ads: There was, "I’d walk a mile for a Camel", "You get a lot to like with a Marlboro; filter, flavor, flip-top box" (You can also get lung cancer as two of the handsome, rugged, Marlboro men found out), "Smoke Kent with the micronite filter", and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should". When chastised by English teachers for using bad grammar (using "like" instead of "as") Winston replied, "What do you want, good taste or good grammar?" I never heard the teachers complain about, "Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch" which is equally bad grammar. But, would smokers really care as long as they had their precious smokes? There was Willie the Penguin proclaiming: "Tired of hots? Smoke Kools", Oasis touting, "Smoke the big O", Old Gold with their dancing packs and on and on, ad infinitum.
When radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh came on the air with commercial radio in 1919, a new medium was established for companies to advertise their products. Cigarettes had been popular in print ads for years. Radio, and later television, would become natural outlets for their messages.
1933 was a fateful year for young 22 year old Johnnie Roventini. In April of that Depression racked year, Johnnie was a bellboy working at the Hotel New Yorker in New York City. Johnnie enjoyed a bit of fame as he was considered, at four feet in height, "the smallest bellboy in the world" and featured as such on the hotel’s postcards. One evening Alfred E. Lyon, Vice President of Sales for Philip Morris cigarettes and Milton Biow, President of the advertising agency that handled the Philip Morris account, happened to be in the lobby of the New Yorker. They had quite a task ahead of them: How to increase sales of a little known cigarette brand. They had already established a logo of a snappy bellboy shouting the merits of their brand but felt that they needed a live version to further establish the Philip Morris name. Enter Johnnie Roventini. As a bellboy, he was required to call out guest’s names in the lobby if those individuals had messages. A routine task for many, Johnnie poured his heart and soul into calling the guest’s names. He did it in such a convincing manner that he made the person feel like the most important person in the hotel! When Lyon and Biow heard Johnnie, they decided to give him a radio audition without letting him know. They gave him a dollar and asked him to page, "Mr. Philip Morris." After a few calls of "Call for Phil-lip Morr-ees" echoed through the New Yorker lobby, they knew they had their spokesman.
When offered the job of saying, "Call for Philip Morris" over the radio, Johnnie was a bit reluctant to accept. Radio was still fairly new and he was making $25 per week at the hotel, good money in 1933. He did eventually take the job and became an advertising icon for over forty years completing his Horatio Alger journey with his death at 88 in 1998.

JOHNNIE ROVENTINI..."The smallest
bellhop in the world" was the spokesman
for Philip Morris cigarettes for over 40
years beginning in 1933. (bellhop.org)

With radio, television, and print advertising, cigarettes had a stronghold on advertising for many years. The print ads from the past are actually comical to read now. Olympic swimmer and later TV star Buster Crabbe touted cigarettes as giving him "better wind" while training. Chesterfield once advertised that you should "smoke for health." Another brand boasted that they were "recommended by doctors."
Smoking and the media have been lifelong companions. Tobacco still spends $12.5 billion per year on promotion but in the period of 2000-2002, sales actually dropped 5.5%. Still, 2,000 kids per day are lighting their first cigarette. Peer pressure is strong with kids, nobody wants to be "weird." My advice to them? Being weird beats being dead. Don’t smoke! (Comments? Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net).

LUCILLE BALL...We all loved Lucy
and she loved her cigs. This 1953
print ad shows her pushing Philip
Morris. She and Johnnie made a
formidable team. (adclassix.com)

BASEBALL, YANKEE STADIUM, AND A KINKAJOU

by Jim McAllister

Welcome to late August in the desert we love called Arizona. It hasn’t been as hot this summer as in some past years and we have actually had a few decent storms during the monsoon. Whatever the weather, it is still my favorite place to live. Here are a few thoughts that just happened to cross my mind recently.....I like Harvey Mackay’s syndicated weekly column. Last week he discussed thinking before speaking and mentioned several quotes from history that he considers really dumb. I disagree from the standpoint that although the quotes seem dumb now, they didn’t seem so ridiculous at the time. It’s easy to look back in retrospect and say , "Wow! That guy must have been nuts to say that!" If someone said in 1999 that oil would be over $70 per barrel in 2006, they would be laughed out of the room. Have you looked at the latest oil cost? Anyway, Harvey lists some good ones.

PRESIDENT WILLIAM McKINLEY...
Why isn't he smiling? My advice: Stay
away from Buffalo. (Robert McMahan)

For example: In 1899 the guy who ran the U.S. Patent Office told President McKinley that he should close the Office because "Everything that can be invented has been invented." I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time as cars were arriving, the electric light was relatively new, aircraft was four years away and Marconi was working on that radio thingamajigger. What else could there possibly be? In 1949 Popular Mechanics magazine talked about the future of computers with the statement: "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." Uh, huh. How about this doozy: Ken Olsen, president and co-founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, once said that "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home. The personal computer will fall flat on its face in business." I guess these guys should have followed the advice that a lawyer once gave me. When I asked him, "What should I say?" he replied, "Don’t say anything!".....

YANKEE STADIUM..."The House that Ruth
Built" will be history in a couple of years (Newsday)

There is a guy in New York named Ryan Leli who loves the New York Mets. Leli, 18, loves the Mets so much that he counterfeited press identification credentials to get into games and mingle with the players. He actually had a conversation with catcher Mike Piazza before the Mets brass got suspicious and contacted the cops. Leli is charged with possession of a forged document, larceny, impersonation, and a bevy of other stuff and could face seven years in prison if convicted. I think that what he did was pretty cool, kind of like the guy in Boston many years ago who used to stand above the tunnel to the players entrance at Fenway Park and snatch player’s hats. Hopefully Leli will only get a slap on the wrist and I admire him for his nerve. It would be a shame if he had to do time while O. J. still walks around free.....Speaking of baseball, believe it or not, Yankee Stadium is on its last legs. A new Yankee Stadium is being built next to the old one. So much for tradition and the great memories in the old place of Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, and all the famous events that happened there since it was built in 1923 for $3 million. Nothing that involves the power freak that is Steinbrenner surprises me. Gee, George, now you can make even MORE money, like you really need it!.....

A KINKAJOU...cute little guy , huh?
He looks harmless, huh? Paris Hilton
thought so too until she was bitten.
(Blueand gold.com)

I still love baseball and although I have resisted some of the changes made in the game, I do like the wild card. If you wonder about the value of it take a look at the division races in both leagues this year. The wild card is allowing a lot more teams to remain in the hunt thus keeping the fan’s interest. One change in baseball that I have never agreed with is having World Series games at night. It’s all about greed and selling out to television. They even wanted to put advertising on the bases a couple of years ago but refrained because of the uproar over such crass commercialization. It’s bad enough that they have all those ignorant ads behind home plate.....Former football star and Monday Night

FRANK and KATHIE LEE GIFFORD...
C'mon Frank, you can smile a little more
than that. Yeah, I know (Starplus)

Football announcer Frank Gifford is 76 years old! It’s hard enough to be getting older but the poor guy has to look at and listen to Kathie Lee who claims to be 53. Frank was a cool Southern Cal guy in his youth and played many years in the NFL for the New York Giants. The famous 1958 championship game with the Baltimore Colts was not one of his best efforts but he had a nice career overall.....Flash! Paris Hilton update! She is resting comfortably while recovering from a bite from her pet kinkajou. At this moment you are asking, "What is a kinkajou?" The first time I ever heard of one was in the old 1961 pop tune from Charlie Drake called "My Boomerang Won’t Come Back". In the fourth verse of the song Drake sang: "I can ride a kangaroo (yeah! yeah!), Make kinkajou stew (yeah! yeah!), but I’m a big disgrace to the Aborigine race, my boomerang won’t come back." The kinkajou is a nocturnal, racoon like animal that is usually found in Central and South America. All rich heiresses simply must have one I guess. Oh, yeah, before I forget. The kinkajou is doing fine too.....Golf’s Ryder Cup is being played September 22-24 in Ireland. Go USA!.....(Comments? Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net. For "Rocky Mountain News" postings click "R.MT. News" in link section above.

MAURICE MY MAN, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

by Jim McAllister

The tragedy of former Ohio State University running back Maurice Clarett continues. It is a sad story that would have seemed unlikely when he scored the winning touchdown in double overtime of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl to give Ohio State the National Championship.
Clarett, who will be 23 in October, has had a roller coaster existence since his famous touchdown. He was declared ineligible for the 2003 season after being charged with falsifying a police report concerning thousands of dollars of his supposed property being stolen from a car he had borrowed from a Columbus, Ohio dealership. He eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. That incident ended his relationship with Ohio State so he attempted to enter the NFL. When his lawsuit against the NFL’s refusal to draft him failed, his life continued in its tailspin. An attempt to make the Denver Broncos in 2005 failed and in early 2006 he was charged with robbery of a man and a woman outside a Columbus bar. He has been free on bail since that time as he awaits trial which will now begin September 18. Last Wednesday Clarett was arrested by Columbus police in a violent confrontation that started with an illegal left turn by him. After subduing him by force, the police found four loaded weapons and a half consumed bottle of vodka in his vehicle. He was arrested in the vicinity of the home of one of the witnesses against him in the January robbery charge.

MAURICE CLARETT in happier times
before he was cut by the Denver Broncos
in 2005. Is he headed to the slammer
after his recent escapade? (Wash. Post)

Whew! That’s quite a portfolio for a guy not quite 23. It sounds like a redux of former Nebraska University star running back Lawrence Phillips. Phillips also had "star" written all over him but chose to pass into the dark side of life as it appears Clarett wishes to do.
You may ask: "What is it with these guys?" They pass up the chance for an education, fame, glory, and money to do stupid stuff like rob people of a cell phone. Perhaps it’s their background which has not geared them for the pressure of all that is expected of them. One of Clarett’s lawyers states that, "Universities make millions of dollars from kids and they don’t provide the necessary support and guidance to get through those still-adolescent years." To that comment, I say "baloney!". Coach Tressel of Ohio State claims that a "Herculean" effort was made to blend Clarett into college life and that he constantly resisted. I know that my friends and I never thought of robbery and carrying loaded guns in cars at Clarett’s age and we certainly didn’t have anyone advising us not to do it. We had an ingredient that you either have or don’t have and it’s called common sense. Who knows what’s the problem with Maurice Clarett? Whatever it is, I hope that he gets through it. Unfortunately, he may have a long time to think about it in a prison cell.

ED ROBERTSON and BILL GROVES have started
the Television Chronicles site at
www.televisionchronicles.com. That funny looking
diagram on the TV screen is a "test pattern" from
the early days of television. (Television Chronicles)

On to more pleasant subjects....My friend and vintage television expert Ed Robertson has started a site with Bill Groves at www.televisionchronicles.com. These guys know all you would want to know about vintage TV, a subject that is near and dear to me and anyone else interested in the old days of the tube. Included on the site are interviews with stars of the past, information about old shows, book reviews, and other good stuff. Ed has written several books about TV shows including "The Rockford Files" and "The Fugitive". Bill has extensive experience in the magazine business. I’ve looked over the site and highly recommend it.....So, what is BP up to? In case you didn’t know "BP" stands for "British Petroleum". They don’t seem to like to use "British" anymore so I thought I would mention it for them. Why would they let their Alaska pipeline deteriorate to the point where it was 80% rotted out with corrosion in certain places? Perhaps by avoiding the cost of repair it helped contribute to BP’s profits of $7 billion in the second quarter of 2006. The area of the pipeline that sprung a leak had not been inspected for 29 years! With these guys around, who needs terrorists to destroy the pipeline. Maybe Walt Kelly’s Pogo was correct all those years ago when he proclaimed, "We have met the enemy and he is us.".....

The new Cardinals' Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
The NFL has prohibited local camera crews
from recording footage of NFL games, just
another revenue stream gimmick for the league.
(Az-sta.com)

It is almost time for the National Football League season to begin and already they have dropped the ball. Greed is a terrible thing and nothing exemplifies this more than the NFL’s decision to ban local camera crews from covering the games and recording footage for local viewing. It has caused an uproar in the journalistic field and I don’t blame them. The reasons for the banning according to the NFL: The league says the sidelines are getting too crowded. Of course they are with all the "hangers-on" taking up space. Run them off, not the guys that have a legitimate reason to be there. They also say that it will stop unauthorized use of game video. Translation: It is another way for the league to suck in more revenue, what a joke. In case they forgot, and it seems that they have, all NFL stadiums but one are publicly financed. When the supply of football someday exceeds the demand, the public will have their say and the NFL may not like what they hear.....Thanks for stopping by, see you next week.....Comments? Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net.

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND A VACATION REPORT

by Jim McAllister

Barb and I had a great week in Del Mar, California. Beautiful beaches, great race track loaded with celebrity history, and some nice casinos made for a lot of fun and relaxation. We even had a little rain one day which to most people would be a vacation spoiler but to us "zonies", it was a luxury we seldom get to enjoy. One thing that takes some getting used to on our yearly sojourn to the San Diego area is the California drivers. The other day I was going down a freeway with a 65 mph speed limit so I figured, "Well, it’s California, so I guess 80 ought to be about right for the left lane. About two minutes later a guy in a truck went around me on the right pointing at me telling me to move to the right. He had to be going 95. Life on the left coast; you gotta love it.....

THE McCOYS...Rick Derringer's band from 1965.
Their big hit was "HANG ON SLOOPY" from Octo-
ber of that year. Rick is second from bottom,
he recently turned 59 and is still at it. (Rhapsody.
com)

Rick Derringer just turned 59 years old. He was the founder, at age 17, of the mid ‘60s rock group, The McCoys (big hit: "Hang On Sloopy"). He went on to do some work with Johnny and Edgar Winter and is probably best remembered for his 1971 hit, "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo", a classic for rock fans. What makes this more significant is that CNBC, the business channel, is running ads for Fidelity Investments featuring Derringer singing "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo." It’s a hilarious ad, check it out.....Speaking of birthdays, Loni Anderson just turned 60. Wasn’t she something on WKRP back in the 1970's? Also, Mr. Whipple (Dick Wilson) of Charmin toilet paper fame from many years ago is now 90.....I would hate to be an American factory worker. Many are uneducated but have had good careers through hard work and loyalty to their respective companies. They have made a fair wage, lived a decent lifestyle, and provided for their families. All of a sudden, that lifestyle is being threatened by a word that didn’t even exist a few years ago, "outsource". It’s all part of a "global economy" and has to be a huge worry for many in this country.....I never get tired of Turner Classic Movies. Yesterday was a full day of Humphrey Bogart flicks. Among them was the movie that got Bogie over the hump from "B" to "A" status, "High Sierra" from 1941. It was the last film he made where he didn’t receive top billing (Ida Lupino did). His next movie wasn’t much ("The Wagons Roll at Night") but then it was on to "The Maltese Falcon" and his biggie, "Casablanca". It was stardom from then on until his death at age 57 in January of 1957......

DANICA PATRICK...Will be driving
for the Andrettis next season. She
has improved lately with a couple
of fourths. (eforu.com)

There was a rumor that Indy race car driver Danica Patrick was going to defect to NASCAR next year. It turned out not to be true as she signed with the Andretti team and left Letterman-Rahal. She gets a lot of press for someone who appears to be average at best at what she does. Is it because she is a woman race driver and that is considered unique? Is it because she had a chance to win the Indianapolis 500 a couple of years ago and the fame from that is still carrying over? Whatever it is, she seems like a sharp lady and I hope she does well without injury in what is a very dangerous sport.....Mel Gibson joins the list of Hollywood stars to be nailed on the 101 or the Pacific Coast Highway. He joins Robert Downey, Jr., Nick Nolte, Shannen Doherty, and Bridget Fonda among others to have incidents on that road. It doesn’t help that Mel was going 87 miles per hour with a bottle of tequila between his knees at 2:30 in the morning. Once again the question pops up: "What was he thinking?".....MTV is now 25 years old! I used to really enjoy that channel when it debuted with "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles" in 1981. They had VJ’s like Martha Quinn, J. J. Jackson, and Mark Goodman playing all the videos to the hits of the day, great stuff. Now, it all seems immature and silly and I don’t think it is because I have gotten older. I think they have bad programming.....

MARTHA QUINN...A real cutie VJ from the early
days of MTV. (pessimistic.com)

TOM CRUISE...Keeping Suri under
wraps. Tom was once a member of
a Franciscan seminary (eforu.com)

What is the deal with Tom Cruise’s kid Suri? It seems that only some of Tom’s Scientology friends are being permitted to see the little guy. What is the big secret? Isn’t it just another baby from another ego inflated Hollywood star? Cruise should be happy that anything he does is still in demand. At 44 he is not getting any younger or cooler with the clientele he is seeking. At 5 feet 7 he is never going to be dark, handsome, AND tall. His movies aren’t the blockbusters they used to be either.....Tiger Woods just won another golf tournament, ho-hum. That is tournament win number 50 for him and he is just 30. I really like Tiger, he is a great champion and appears to be a really good guy.....The clock is ticking and number one draft pick Matt Leinart still is not in the Arizona Cardinals training camp.....

LANCE ARMSTRONG...7 time
winner of the Tour De France
(jsmcelvery.com)

Why would Floyd Landis take performance enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France when he knew that he would be tested afterward? Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong, where are you when we need you?.....Woody Allen’s latest film, "Scoop", seems to be doing well. I have always been a fan of Allen’s style and I’m glad to see that he is starring in his latest effort and has the gorgeous and talented Scarlett Johansson along for another appearance. She was great in Allen’s "Match Point" from last year..... The critics seem to generally dislike "Miami Vice". That’s not surprising as the TV show was mediocre at best back in the 1980's.....That’s it for now, thanks for stopping by and come back next week. JM (Comments? Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net).

I'M GOING TO DEL MAR TO COOL OFF!

by Jim McAllister

Del Mar, California is one of the really nice places in this world. It’s nice to escape the hot climes of Arizona for a week at this time of year and enjoy the beach, the race track, and the nice restaurants in Del Mar. "California, here I come" starting tomorrow!.....Harvey MacKay writes this week about the importance of manners, in particular when it comes to RSVP invitations. It amazes me how so many people these days have no clue about the importance of the RSVP notation on an invitation. Many have no idea what it even means and others are too rude to care. For the uninformed, RSVP is French for "respondez s’il vous plait" which simply means "let us know one way or the other if you are coming." Is that so difficult? Email or pick up the phone, contact the inviter, and say "Yes" I will attend" or "No", I can’t make it but thanks anyway."
Manners are sorely lacking in this country anymore and it is not just because of the RSVP situation. In the busy and selfish world we live in, many parents are too busy to teach their kids those important values that many of us learned in childhood not that long ago. Hence, you see people eating in restaurants with hats on, men stepping in front of women getting on and off elevators, and other actions that would not have happened a couple of generations ago.....

MATT LEINART...The first round
draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals.
He is still unsigned as of 7-31.
(boifromtroy)

I see where the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been basically eliminated from the league playoffs by losing last night. I’ll take a short pause while you weep over that sad news. I admire the athletic ability of these girls just like I admire the ability of soccer players but, as I have said many times, who cares?.....Here we go again with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. This is the time of year when training camp begins in cool Flagstaff and is also the time when the Cards fail to have their number one draft pick on hand because of the inability to sign him. This year it is Matt Leinart, the Heisman trophy winner from Southern Cal and personal friend of Paris Hilton. Maybe that is the reason for the stall in negotiations, they don’t want Paris hanging around Flagstaff. I’m sure the reason is the usual one: MONEY! Hey, Cardinals: With the new stadium you are going to make a fortune this year. Cough up the dough and this get this show on the road!.....

STARBUCKS original store in Seattle, Washington.
They bring new meaning to "ubiquitous." (Starbucks)

Bill Gates is a brilliant guy, so are Dell, Ballmer, Wozniak, and all the other guys that have made a fortune with computers. However, they pale in comparison to the guy who thought up Starbucks. I don’t even know his name and I’m not going to bother researching it. All I know is he took a cup of coffee and turned it into a fortune with one of the most successful companies around. He understood the yuppie culture, that constant need to be "hip" and be involved in what is "yuppie cool". Think about it: what could be more mundane than a cup of coffee? If you can sell that idea to the world I would love to see your ability at selling something that is meaningful.....Speaking of Dell Computers, you could almost pull off a sitcom on the gyrations one has to go through with their customer service department. Like most companies, Dell outsources a lot of their jobs including customer service which has been handed to the citizens of India. These folks are very nice, congenial, and helpful. There is only one problem: they are very hard to understand. If you call them two items will come in handy: an extension phone and a person on the extension that speaks the Indian language. Otherwise, you will be better off using their chat room on the Dell site as their spelling is much easier to understand than their accented English.....I see where Ken Jennings of "Jeopardy!" fame from last year, has posted a statement on his blog that is not too complimentary to the show and host Alex Trebek. He says that Alex is like a robot and that the show has gotten stale. He also criticizes the set saying that they don’t do enough to update it every year. I hope the check cleared for the millions he won on that great show before he decided to spout off. He is entitled to his opinion but isn’t his opinion a bit like biting the hand that feeds him?.....Paul McCartney has filed the papers for his divorce from Heather. He should have known better than to marry her in the first place, she was too young and headstrong for him. The May-December thing is a tough sell but his biggest mistake was no pre-nup. He is worth about 1 ½ billion bucks, at least for now. Yes, Paul, you are 64.....

JOE DIMAGGIO in his prime. The "Yankee
Clipper" hit safely in 56 straight games
during May to July of 1941. He
went hitless in one game then hit
safely in 14 in a row. (Art.com)

"Dead or Alive", one of my favorite online sites, has a section for people to leave memories of meeting celebrities. My memory is of meeting baseball great Joe DiMaggio. It was 1974 in Chicago at McCormick Place during the Housewares Show. Joe had just begun his duties as spokesman for Mr. Coffee and as I walked by his booth, I saw him standing alone looking resplendent in a blue suit, white shirt, and tie. I did a double take as this guy was an idol to me. After all, he had been married to Marilyn Monroe and hit safely in 56 straight games in the same lifetime! I introduced myself and was pleased with his demeanor and manners as he autographed a picture for me with, "To Jim McAllister, Best wishes, Joe DiMaggio." I still have that photo framed on my office wall. Those were more innocent days. I’m sure that today Joe would be surrounded by opportunists trying to grab an autograph for its monetary value.....Thanks for stopping by, see you after Del Mar! JM (Comments, Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net)

VIEWS FROM AN INTERESTED OBSERVER

by Jim McAllister

Quickie movie review: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, (1:46, PG13), Starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci). This sounds like a "woman’s movie" but it should be appealing to everyone if for no other reason than the performance of Meryl Streep as fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly. Hathaway plays Andy Sachs, a recent graduate of Northwestern University, who goes to work for "Runway", a top fashion magazine. Her job is to be the assistant to the unbelievably demanding and temperamental Miranda. Since Andy hasn’t a clue about style she is in for a rough time but, as you will see, she is a quick learner. The job is very demanding which causes some stress in Andy’s personal life so she faces some hard decisions. Streep steals the show with her over the top performance and Tucci is also excellent. This one is worth your time.....Recent deaths: Mickey Spillane, mystery writer, author of "The Girl Hunters", "Kiss Me Deadly", "I, The Jury", and many other novels featuring Mike Hammer. Criticized by many for his hard core violence, Spillane laughed it off. He considered himself a "writer" as opposed to an "author". The difference was that a writer was a person whose books sold.....

ANNE HATHAWAY, MERYL STREEP, and EMILY
BLUNT (L-R foreground) in THE DEVIL WEARS
PRADA. Shenanigans in the world of high fashion
with Streep showing the way. (20th Century Fox)

Character actor Jack Warden is dead at 85. Two of his better known parts were in "Shampoo" (1975) and "The Verdict" (1982).....So, Katie Couric will be the new CBS News talking head beginning September 5. So what? She is being hired more for her celebrity as long time host of the "Today" show than for her knowledge and ability to report the news. I don’t dislike Katie, I just think she is a lightweight when it comes to the news. So far most of the questions about her new job seem to be centering on what outfits she will wear. It doesn’t really matter, with Fox News and CNN operating 24/7 who watches the networks anyway? Their audience share continues to dwindle every year, too much competition from cable and other sources. They don’t make any friends with their bottom of the screen promos during broadcasts either.....From Jimmy Kimmel: "So the World Cup is over, and now we can get back to our national pastime: NOT watching soccer." From David Letterman: "They’ve uncovered some personal papers of Albert Einstein. Turns out he had 10 girlfriends. Think about it: 10 girlfriends--that’s 10 different names, 10 different phone numbers, 10 different birthdays. You’d have to be a genius!".....I have to laugh every time I read about the effects of legalized gambling on certain segments of the population. Where gambling is concerned, whether it be on horses, dogs, lotteries, or casino games, someone is going to go off the deep end and lose their shirt along with their savings, car, and house. It is the nature of the business. It is also human nature to try to get something for nothing. The majority of gamblers accept gambling for what it is: A game of chance that they are probably going to lose. If most people gamble responsibly, should they be penalized for the lack of responsibility of others? Of course not, and if the casinos are closed they will go somewhere else.....

JIMMY KIMMEL with SARAH
SILVERMAN.....Kimmel is from
Phoenix and has come a long way
since hosting "Win Ben Stein's Money".
(all movie photo)

Paul Simon is making another comeback. He is playing a venue in Sun City, Arizona, the renowned retirement area. Bob Dylan has played the same place a couple of times. I guess "the times they are a-changin".....Huey Lewis and Tom Petty are both 55 and still going strong on their concert tours.....I still know a lot of people who refuse to bank online. I don’t know why unless it is because of the old fashioned fear of the unknown. Banking online is faster and safer and saves you a lot of money on stamps. If you insist on writing checks be sure to use a gel pen as it will stop a check thief. If a thief gains possession of a check that you have filled out with a regular pen, all he has to do is tape over your signature and dip the check in an acetone solution to remove all writing but your written name. A gel pen will stop this practice as the ink will not come off the paper. The world is full of identity thieves, be careful.....

PAUL SIMON...Now in his 60's Simon is still around
playing in venues like Sun City. "Where have you
gone, Joe DiMaggio?" (Kevin Mazur)

Quick notes: You must come to Phoenix for the summer. Golf is cheap, restaurants have great deals, and traffic is light. Oh, yeah, did I mention that it was 118 degrees on July 21 and 116 on July 22? Those were exceptions though; it usually is only about 110 this time of year!.....Maybe Kate Hudson finally has made a movie that will make some money. The lovely daughter of Goldie Hawn has been in some clunkers but it appears that "You, Me, and Dupree" is doing well at the box office despite being an airhead flick...... Paris Hilton now considers herself a singer. I checked out her song online today and it’s a yawner. Maybe she ought to actually go to work in one of her daddy’s hotels and see how the other half lives.....Sylvester Stallone turned 60 a few weeks ago. Can "Rocky" really be 30 years ago? Let’s see: 2006 minus 1976 equals 30! I guess it’s true.....What is the cure for the Arizona heat? Answer: San Diego, and that is where I am going in early August. As much as I love Arizona, even I have to have a break from the heat sometime.....Have a good week and thanks for stopping by. JM (Comments? Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net

MICHELLE WIE, THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, GOOD BOOK, BAD MOVIE, ETC., ETC., ETC.....

By Jim McAllister

I have no problem with Michelle Wie playing against the best men golfers. I do have a problem with her being given exemptions into several men’s events. Ok, ok, I know; she brings a lot of people to the golf course which the tournament sponsors love but isn’t it getting a bit overdone? She has yet to make a cut in a men’s tournament in five attempts. Suggestion to Michelle: You are a marvel at 16 but so far you can’t even win a ladies tournament. You want to play with the men? Go through the same qualifying process as they do and I will welcome you to the tour with open arms. Oh, by the way, whining isn’t going to help. Show me some scores.....

MICHELLE WIE...a great talent
but needs to beat the ladies before
she considers playing with the big
boys. Oh, yeah...try qualifying too.
(golfafoot.COM)

The Baseball All-Star game was a snoozer this year until the 9th inning when the American League made a nice comeback to win. The thing I enjoyed the most about the game was the singing of the National Anthem by Carrie Underwood. She is a good looking gal with a great voice but more importantly she sang the Anthem the way it was meant to be sung. Too many of the popular stars want to add their own interpretations of the song. That is a definite no-no; you don’t tinker with the National Anthem. Thanks, Carrie for doing it correctly.....One good book: "The Wal-Mart Effect" by Charles Fishman. This is an interesting look into the gigantic chain. Fishman presents a dichotomy for readers: Is Wal-Mart good or bad for the economy? The answer may be "yes" and "no". Some economists say that Wal-Mart has kept inflation in check with its low prices. Others agree but ask if it is worth the residual effects of lost jobs, plant closings, and a lack of competition. You will be interested in some of the methods used by them to maintain low prices. Fishman explains it all in 259 pages and while giving us the facts doesn’t take a firm stand either way which is good. This one is worth you time.....One bad movie: "A Prairie Home Companion" starring Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson. If you like "A Prairie Home Companion" on NPR, I would suggest avoiding this mess. It’s boring, slow, senseless, and not worth your admission price. I thought it would be out of the theaters within a week but is still hanging on at a few shows here in Phoenix. Meryl Streep must have had a bad night at the casino and needed some extra cash to participate in this drivel; if you want to see her in something more suitable to her talents see "The Devil Wears Prada". This one is about the demise of the show and that is about it. The rest is slow going and monotonous.....Recent deaths: June Allyson, 88. She amazed me and herself. She was surprised that she made it big in the movies. She appeared with all the big guys including Jimmy Stewart three times and Alan Ladd. She was never a beauty but had a certain likable charm.

SYD BARRETT, one of the founding
members of Pink Floyd is dead at 60.
Barrett was a recluse late in his life.
(Neptune Pink Floyd)

Syd Barrett is dead at 60. He was one of the founding members of rock group Pink Floyd in 1965. He left the band in 1968 suffering from mental problems and was replaced by guitarist David Gilmour.....Red Buttons is dead at 87. He was a former comedian from the 1950's who went on to play character roles in 30 movies. He won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1957 for "Sayonara".....Bob Uecker, 72, former baseball player and 35 year announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers is suing 45 year old Ann Ladd for harassment and stalking. What is it with stalkers? Can’t they take a hint?.....Mark Twain once said: "The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." So true, and that is why today words like "singer", which used to relate to someone who could actually sing (like Frank Sinatra), now relate to non-entities like Ashlee Simpson. Thanks to REPUBLIC colleague John MacDonald for that bit of wisdom.....I like to watch Texas hold ‘em poker on TV but like any good thing, it is being beaten to death which will probably result in its downfall. For the best of this genre, watch the "Professional Poker Tour" on The Travel Channel and "Poker Superstars" on Fox Sports. They are the best, the rest is just repetition.....Have you noticed how more major league sports are leaning toward hip-hop and rap music? What are they thinking? I know they want to identify with youth but these aren’t the people forking out the big bucks. There must be something involved that I don’t know about because it doesn’t make sense.....I hope everyone is sitting down for this one: It appears that the kissing friendship between Britney Spears and Madonna is kaput. Apparently Brit has given up studying Kabbalah and Madonna is in a snit over it. Don’t blame me folks; it’s all supply and demand and I don’t contribute to either of these two airheads. Blame their fans for this being even mentioned.....

A "3-way" from Skyline Chili of Cincinnati, Ohio.
A delicious treat any time of the year (Skyline Chili)

Quick notes: Chili is a year round food especially if you are from Cincinnati like I am. I laugh when I see chili advertised as "in season", it’s always chili season!....Dan Rather working for Mark Cuban? Interesting, stay tuned on that one.....Oil is pushing $80 per barrel, better put a lock on your gas tank.....Christie Brinkley is ditching husband number 4, Billy Joel seems like a long time ago....I just heard a song by Cream, "Sunshine of Your Love" from about 35 years ago. Why can’t these groups come back?.....Tom Cruise was so good in "Risky Business" in 1983. Why did he have to get goofy after that? I think he dumped Kidman because she was taller than he was.....I wish Lance Armstrong was still riding in the Tour de France. That guy is amazing when you look at what he has overcome.....Of today’s actors, Johnny Depp is the best.....Keira Knightly is a real dish but is very undernourished looking. I hope she is not starving herself, I loved her in "Bend it Like Beckham".....That’s all folks! See you next week and thanks fore visiting. JM (Comments? Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net)

SOUNDSTAGE, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, HEDY LAMARR, AND OTHER THOUGHTS....

by Jim McAllister

SOUNDSTAGE is back! That’s right, the great rock showcase opened a new season last Saturday night (check local schedule to be sure of broadcast time) on PBS. The first show starred Robert Plant and he sounded the same as thirty years ago in his Led Zeppelin days. Last year they featured John Mayer, Heart, Chris Isaak, Lindsey Buckingham, and others. If you like good rock with no commercials, don’t miss SOUNDSTAGE. As long as I am plugging PBS, don’t forget AUSTIN CITY LIMITS. It’s been on for thirty years and is still going strong with great acts.....What and when was the first rap song? Some may disagreee but I think I am right with "Rapture" from 1980 by Debbie Harry and Blondie. Check it out sometime if you are not already familiar with the tune. It helps if you listen to the extended version ("Fab 5 Freddie told me everybody’s high").....

SHIRLEY MANSON of GARBAGE.
GARBAGE is a highly regarded
techno-pop group founded in
1993 and is featured this week
on SOUNDSTAGE. (PBS)

Did anyone see Mariah Carey recently on Jimmy Kimmel’s show? She brings new meaning to the words "breast enhancement". She looked good at 36 and was very congenial with the audience and Jimmy. I was wrong about her when she first came around in the ‘80s. I thought she would be another flash in the pan a la Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and Kim Wilde but she has managed to remain on top a long time despite setbacks like the ill advised "Glitter" in 2001. Did you know that her name was derived from the song in the movie and stage play, "Paint Your Wagon" (stage 1951, movie 1969). Remember "They call the Wind Maria"? Her parents added the "H"....How does Rob Schneider continue to have a career? His Deuce Bigelow movies are an insult to anyone with a brain and are continuously panned. I admire his attempts to tweak the nose of political correctness but the guy just isn’t funny. Let me know if you feel differently, I would like to know what you see in the guy.....Those of you who like the fare on Turner Classic Movies are familiar with Hedy Lamarr (1913-2000). I saw her in a couple of movies lately, "Boom Town" (1940) and "H. M. Pulham, Esq." (1941). If ever there was a more beautiful woman in the movies, I would like to see her. Late in life, she was arrested in Florida for shoplifting, a sad ending to a beautiful gal.....I wish all the rain flooding the eastern United States could be channeled to the west. We are in a constant drought in Arizona and could use all that unnecessary water flooding the east.....Wouldn’t it be funny if we landed a camera on Mars and some guy was standing there waving back at us?.....

HEDY LAMARR with SPENCER TRACY in
BOOM TOWN (1940). Hedy was one of the
Hollywood's most beautiful besides being a
fine actress. (Hedy lamarr.com)

The July edition of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS contains a fine article on the joys of mountain climbing by my good friend and former cohort from the INDEPENDENT in Scottsdale, Brendan Leonard. It is a nice piece with some great accompanying photos and is worth your time. Brendan now works for the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS in Denver and is enjoying the cool weather .....This week’s list of annoying people: Brad and Angelina, Tom and Katie, Britney and K-Fed, Ben Bernanke, Sean ("Puff Daddy", "P-Diddy", "Diddy") Combs, Ashlee Simpson, Paris, and Tori Spelling. You might be saying, "How can you put Bernanke with those Hollywood types?" He annoys me because every time he raises interest rates, my portfolio decreases. Now, that’s annoying!.....Moose, the Jack Russell terrier who tortured Frasier every week as "Eddie", died recently at 16. That dog was great on that show! Other recent deaths: Kasey Rogers, who played Louise Tate on "Bewitched", is dead at 80. About the only one left from that show is Tabitha. Comedian Jan Murray is dead at 89. He was the quintessential Catskill Jewish comedian and hosted some game shows on TV many years ago. Ken Lay is also dead; he was 64. They attributed it to heart failure undoubtedly due to the stress of the Enron situation among other things.....

MICK JAGGER....still touring and singing
"Satisfaction" at 63. (Yahoo.music)

Is there anything more boring than World Cup Soccer? I think it is to the credit of the United States that we ignore this monotony. What is the excitement in watching a bunch of guys run around all afternoon faking life threatening injuries, just to see a 0-0 score. Then, they have to have a "shootout" to determine the winner. Suggestion: Eliminate the game and just have the shootout or make the field smaller and the goal wider. I want to see some 10-9 games.....The May/June edition of "AARP, The Magazine" has a picture of Paul McCartney who is now 64 years old and still going strong. Can it really be 42 years since "I Want to Hold Your Hand"? The Beatles turned the pop music world upside down in 1964 while leading the British Invasion. Ringo is still around with Paul but John Lennon and George Harrison are gone (1980, 2001).....Speaking of the British Invasion, my favorite Mick Jagger quote still echos today as Mick turns 63 this year and is still touring. While in his 20's he said that, "I would rather be dead than singing "Satisfaction" when I’m 45." It’s all right Mick, a lot of us don’t always keep our word....See you next week! JM (Comments? Questions? azjimmcallister@cox.net)