Today's Tune: WKRP In Cincinnati Opening And Closing Themes

Happy Birthday Howard Hesseman! The American television and film actor, best known for his work on comedy television series programmes in the 1970s and 1980s, turned 70 years old today.

Hesseman's most memorable character is from one of the best American sitcoms of all time, WKRP In Cincinnati (1978 – 1982), in which he played a DJ named Dr. Johnny Fever. Our 'Today's Tune' installment for today includes both "WKRP In Cincinnati Main Theme", the opening theme (Performed by Steve Carlisle), and "WKRP In Cincinnati End Credits" (Performed by Jim Ellis), which is obviously the closing theme. As an added bonus (Yippie!), this video includes the entire episode called "Hoodlum Rock" (1978).

WKRP In Cincinnati (Season 1 / Episode 4) - "Hoodlum Rock"

Happy 57th Birthday Alexei Sayle

Recent photo of Alexei Sayle from his web site.

I know I mentioned that Alexei Sayle was born on August 7, 1952 in the previous post, but I felt like doin' it more proper like. A post totally about Mr. Sayle. So, Happy Birthday Alexei!

My favorite Communist funnyman is a comedian, an actor (both humorous and serious) and an author. Sayle's comedy has been described as physical, surreal, alternative and in the same vein as the popular comedy group Monty Python. I suppose these are pretty good descriptions. As far as appearance, for many years he sported a shaved head with stubby whiskers, while dressed in a suit that was well undersized for his frame. Recently though, he's let some hair grow on his head along with a decent beard.

Alexei Sayle has done radio, television, movies and records. He's written screenplays and books. Even if you don't care for his political and social views, there's no denying that he is a very intelligent man, and funny as hell.

When I think about Alexei, I remember his television shows Alexei Sayle's Stuff (1988 - 1991), The Young Ones (1982 - 1984), and his appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Revelation Of The Daleks" (1985). It's all good stuff. If you haven't experienced his work, you ought to as soon as possible. To get you started if you're unfamiliar, or maybe to help you remember if it's been a while, I've included some videos below.

Alexei Sayle as DJ in Doctor Who: "Revalation Of The Daleks" (1985)



Alexei Sayle's Stuff (1988 - 1991) - Opening Sequence



Alexei Sayle's Stuff - "Interfering With The Audience"


Alexei Sayle's Stuff - "God Sketch"



The Young Ones - Alexei Sayle as Reggie Balowski in "The Bomb" (Series 1 - Episode 4)

Happy 64th Tim Reid

Recent photo of Daphne (Wife) and Tim Reid.
From Virginia Scholarship and Youth Development Foundation.

Comedian, actor and director Tim Reid was born in Norfolk, Virginia on December 19th in 1944. Reid earned his Bachelor Of Business Administration degree at Norfolk State College (now a University) in 1968, the same year he got into show business.

The early years of his entertainment career were spent with fellow comedian Tom Dreesen, a Harvey, Illinois native. Together they formed the comedy duo "Tim and Tom", which has been called the first American interracial comedy team. They published a book together about those days titled "Tim & Tom: A 'Black And White' Comedy Duo".

Reid has also directed some films, but spent most of his career in various American television series. You may remember seeing him in Highlander, Frank's Place, Sister Sister or That 70's Show. The best and most well remembered series he appeared in was WKRP In Cincinnati.

WKRP In Cincinnati (Season 1 / Episode 18) - "Who Is Gordon Sims?"

Thanksgiving Day Promotion Was Really Bad Idea

Many of you will remember a Thanksgiving Day promotion for a Cincinnati, Ohio radio station from several years ago, that turned out to be a really bad idea. The following video covers that bizarre and very unfortunate choice made by their station manager.

WKRP In Cincinnati (Season 1 / Episode 7) - "Turkeys Away"


Happy Thanksgiving!

Mask Man To The Rescue

It was great to see Washington Capitals' goaltender Jose Theodore sporting his new mask in the 5 to 3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers last night. The mask is absolutely beautiful. The Caps' team colors: red, white and blue are included, with a mostly blue background. The silver chrome cross bars originally installed across the front have been replaced with a red set. To see a feature video of that mask at Caps 365, click here.

The new mask reminded me of a former great masked American hero that we haven't seen for a while. Below is a video of that mysterious Mask Man.

Lenny Bruce - "Thank You Mask Man"

Remembering Rodney

Photo from the Rodney Dangerfield online photo album.

Jacob Cohen, better known as Rodney Dangerfield was born on this day (November 22nd) in 1921. He may have had a hard time getting started as a comedian when he was young, but once he got it together, he became a superstar. The funny looking funny man made many appearances on hit TV shows and Movies during his lifetime. I've had a lot of fun doing my impression of Rodney over the years. There are many of his best bits memorized in my puny brain. He had one heck of a wild life before leaving this world on October 5, 2004 due to various health issues. I will always respect you Rodney.

From Rodney's 'I Can't Take It No More' DVD

Do You Need Help Deciding Who To Vote For?

I know a lot of people had their mind made up long ago, but many are still undecided as they head out to the polls today. Well, let someone who earned a bachelor's degree in Comparative Politics help you decide before you vote. Richard Jeni gave us a lot of laughs during his time in this world, something we can all use on such an important and serious day. We miss you Richard. Now get out and vote, people!

Richard Jeni from 'A Big Steaming Pile Of Me'

Corner Gas Hockey

Since the 2008-2009 NHL Hockey season is now under way (Tomorrow night for the Washington Capitals ), I thought I'd post a few "Corner Gas" video clips that include the best sport man has ever conceived. OK, that may be a weak excuse, but I don't care. These are two of my favorite things.

Season 1 - Episode 12: "Face Off" Part 1



Season 1 - Episode 12: "Face Off" Part 2



Season 1 - Episode 12: "Face Off" Part 3

Click here to see "The Tragically Hip" / Corner Gas music video.



Season 5 - Episode 19: "Final Countdown" Clip

So, is Kiefer Sutherland a Hockey Blogger?

Fill Up With Laughs At Corner Gas

"Corner Gas" is one of my favorite TV shows. I just can't get enough of this continuously top rated and award winning Canadian comedy, created by standup comedian, actor, writer, executive producer Brent Butt. Many US fans have gotten hooked on this CTV original since WGN America started airing it last year.

Production of the sixth and unfortunately final season finished three weeks ago. The first episode of the season will air on CTV in Canada on Monday night, October 13th. It remains a mystery when WGN America will start showing the new stuff. Ending the series was Butt's idea. He would rather end the show while it's still doing well, than wait until it's grows tired and stale.

For those of you that aren't familiar with "Corner Gas", the following includes parts of a description of the show and some Brent Butt background from Corner Gas Online.

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Forty kilometres from nowhere and way beyond normal is Corner Gas, an ensemble comedy series about a bunch of nobodies who get up to a whole lot of nothing in the fictional prairie town of Dog River. StarringSaskatchewan native and Gemini winner Brent Butt, Corner Gas is a roadside service station and is also the first original narrative comedy series in Canada. So far, the series has been honoured with the numerous awards and nominations ...

... Corner Gas focuses on the life (or lack thereof) of Brent LeRoy, proprietor of a gas station that is the only stop for miles around and a hub of action on the Prairies. As LeRoy, Canadian Comedy Award winner and series creator Brent Butt returns to his native province to portray the life he would have led had he gotten a real job: pumping gas in a small prairie town.


Dog River is a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Populated by a group of regular folks, the town's many "distinguished” residents include Brent’s parents Oscar and Emma (Eric Peterson and Janet Wright), coffee shop owner Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller), his best friend Hank Yarbo (Fred Ewanuick), police officers Davis Quinton (Lorne Cardinal) and Karen Pelly (New Waterford Girl’s Tara Spencer-Nairn) and retail assistant Wanda (Nancy Robertson) ...

... “With genuine characters and a gentle pace, Corner Gas is a comedy that is instantly likable,” said Susanne Boyce, CTV’s President of Programming and Chair of the Media Group. “Brent Butt is one of Canada’s most respected and funniest comedians for a reason: he has broad appeal and a generous comedic approach."

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"Corner Gas" may be ending by Spring of 2009, but Brent already has a pilot for a new show in the works. The new show is called "Hiccups". Both Brent Butt and his real life wife Nancy Robertson, whom he met through doing Corner Gas, will be in the cast.

If you watch "Corner Gas", you'll notice it has two great theme songs. Each episode has always started with "Not A Lot Goin' On" by Craig Northey and Jesse Valenzuela. Northey also wrote the closing tune "My Happy Place". One thing I should mention about people from Saskatchewan. They don't like it when you point out how flat it is. I mean it, don't ever mention how flat Saskatchewan is.

*Photos from Cornergas.com



Brent Butt on "The Hour" after Season 5



Season 1 - Episode 6: "World's Biggest Things" Smashdown



Season 5 - Episode 14: "Contagious Fortune" Highlights

"Hey, Big Guy"

AP Photo of Gordon Jump

My teenage daughter has started referring to me as "Big Guy". What does this mean? Why "Big Guy"? I'm not seriously tall. With normal shoes on, I'm exactly 6'0". That's not that tall. Could she be referring to how wide I am? Maybe she's easing toward calling me "Wide Load". Nah, it just has to do with how important I am to her. You know, being her father and all. Shit! She's a teenager, so that sure can't be it. She's never watched a single episode of WKRP In Cincinnati, and I don't look anything like Gordon Jump's character Arthur Carlson, a.k.a. "The Big Guy". It remains a mystery.

WKRP In Cincinnati (Season 1 / Episode 3) - "Les On A Ledge"

George Carlin, Gone But Never To Be Forgotten

Photo - GeorgeCarlin.com

George Denis Patrick Carlin died yesterday June 22, 2008 at the age of 71, due to heart failure. The memories I have of George will never die, though there were times while listening to him, I thought I'd die laughing.

Humor has always been among the most important things to me. It's one of the essential elements of life. So, I have to thank Mr. Carlin for all the laughs and all the joy he has brought to me and to millions of others. I'm not terribly fond of public speaking, but ask me to do one of George Carlin's classic bits, and you may have some trouble getting me to shut up. Listening to his albums like "Take-Offs And Put-Ons", "FM And AM" and "Class Clown" over and over again, influenced my sense of humor. It helped make me who I am, as much as anything else. I will never forget George Carlin.

"The Hippie-Dippie Weatherman"

"Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television"

Radio On My Mind

Reading about Brian May's recent efforts to save the UK's number 1 classic rock radio station got me to thinking about another one. Although they could never reach the same standards as the award winning Planet Rock, I still have a place in my heart for a fictional station known as WKRP In Cincinnati.

WKRP In Cincinnati - Pilot: Part 1

WKRP In Cincinnati - Pilot: Part 2

Lightning Hit Rock Bottom 2007-2008

This Poster shows how the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2007-2008 season is ending. How's the view from there Torts?

Thanks to Cherie for forwarding this poster from Linda.

Cake Time For Godzilla

The Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames last night, giving Olie Kolzig (a.k.a. Godzilla) his 300th career NHL win in net for the Cap's. With that in mind, I thought I'd post an E-Mail I sent Mike Vogel and the guys over at Washingtoncaps.com's Capitals Report Podcast three weeks before this (2007-2008) season started. The idea was that there were people within the Capitals organization that deserved some kind of special reward or acknowledgement, and that it would be good marketing for it to end up on national television.

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Hi guys,

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Have you ever heard of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore? They have a show on the Food TV channel called "Ace Of Cakes" on Thursday nights at 10:00 & 10:30 PM. Owner Duff & his staff make some incredible one of a kind creations. They've made many cakes involving pyrotechnics, including a car engine for Jay Leno. They make lots of cakes shaped like sports stadiums - Camden Yards, Ravens Stadium, etc. It's neat to see how detailed and almost realistic they get on cakes shaped like ships, cars, buildings, some guys head with his brains being eaten by zombies & so on.

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I keep thinking someone in the Caps Organization / Team deserves one. It would be nationwide exposure to possibly new fans as well as current ones. I'd really like to see a giant fire-breathing Godzilla cake for Kolzig's birthday. It could be a game against Pittsburgh with Zilla's fire melting Crosby's uniform exposing his pink Penguins thong panties, as he (Canadian Diving Team Captain) dives into the melting ice to put out the fire. Don't worry, those lips make a good floatation device.

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Thanks,

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Dan, Jr.

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There's no need to wait and order the cake for Kolzig's birthday. With Olie getting number 300, it's time for that cake now. Hopefully, the Capitals, the team's fan club, or somebody else with money, already has the order in at Charm City Cakes. If I had the cash, it would be on the way now!

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The podcast itself is still currently available for free download via iTunes. It was the September 13, 2007 show. Mike read my comments just after "last call" at about 58:23, shortly before the end of the show.

Happy Anniversary Lisa And Dick!

Congratulations to Lisa and Richard Head of Overlea, MD. This is a couple that will make it last. They've been doing it for years. Great to see the announcement. All the guys agree it's true. The thing that keeps them at it is that they have good taste. You're a lucky guy, Dick. Nice job Lisa!

I Like A Laugh - Travel Log Part 2

My travel agent sent me another video to help me decide where to go on holiday. It's another slide show type video. This one is supposed to include pictures of her last couple trips. She said she threw this together in a hurry, and that maybe I shouldn't show this to everybody. Well, I don't think everybody reads this blog. Almost nobody, in fact. So, here it is.

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I'm wondering if she sent the right one. Some of these pictures are a little disturbing. I'm not quite sure what she has on her mind. I'm not quite sure that I even want to find out.

I Like A Laugh - Travel Log Part 1

I've been thinking about where I'd like to go on my next vacation. It's been very hard to make up my mind. For one thing, I'm just incredibly indecisive. Also, I don't get a chance to go away very often. So, I'd like this trip to be really special. I asked my travel agent to send me a couple videos, to help me decide. Here's one she thought would be helpful.

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The first video she sent, shows the unique things about some of the places I said I was considering.

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Yeah, well......I'm not sure yet.

I Like A Laugh 02/09/2008

I thought some dirty, sexual humor would go over well today. So, enjoy the following boys, girls, etc.

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