Category: Music, Movies, TV
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I’ve had the strangest dream…
Bob Newhart (1929-2024) Comedy comes in many forms, and no one was a greater master of the dry wit than Bob Newhart. With not just one, but two successful TV shows in the golden era of the TV sitcom he will remain not just one of my favorite comedy actors but one of history’s favorites.…
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This was harder before the internet.
“..Edsel is a no-go.” This was a perfect SignPost. It tripped up about 70% of the people who saw it. They recognized it, but couldn’t place it. Had I started with “Harry Truman, Doris Day” I’m sure more would recognize Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” My brother had a history teacher in High…
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SignPosts: The I-IV-V Progression
The quote above is attributed to Harlan Howard (1927-2002), an American songwriter primarily known for his contributions to country music, penning songs for Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, Johnny Cash, and a host of other first-generation country artists. It was his way of describing what makes a great country song. More recently, it’s the title of…
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SignPosts: Discord can sound beautiful
In a past life, we used to do weekly office hours meetings. You would open with a song, and then have a few minutes to deliver a message. This particularly week, the message I wanted to deliver was pretty simple: Even in the middle of Chaos, Talented People can produce Extraordinary Things. The song I…
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SignPosts: Meat Loaf (1947-2022)
I never “got” Meat Loaf or his music; it just never struck the right chord within me. I was born a little too late for “Bat out of Hell” and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. By the time our musical paths crossed again Meat Loaf was as much a caricature of himself and I was more interested…
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SignPosts: …Try and Take Over the World!
The writers flipped, we have no script, why bother to rehearse?!
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SignPosts: Good writing doesn’t need color.
“You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop…the Twilight Zone.” The Twilight Zone debuted in 1959, running for 5 seasons and over 150 episodes. It’s a testament to what you can do with good…
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SignPosts: Describe your perfect date.
From the movie Miss Congeniality (2000). I try not to repeat messages, but this one will show up every April 25th.
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SignPosts: Sokath, His Eyes Uncovered!
“Darmok” is one of the best single episodes of Star Trek ever written. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. You don’t need to be a Star Trek fan or have any prior knowledge to be moved by this episode. In “Darmok”, our intrepid heroes are sent on a mission to make contact the…
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SignPosts: Inconceivable!
From The Princess Bride (1987). It’s a classic, for far too many reasons to list. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. If you have seen it, go watch it again.