Road Trip

I'm taking the family on a cross country road trip. (Pray for me.) Not sure if I'll be able to post anything for a week or so. If not, I'll be back at the blogging desk on July 18th.

Happy Birthday Ringo

Ringo is 71 years old today. I love this video of Ringo performing Nilsson's "Only You." His sidekick in the video is Harry Nilsson himself, looking like he just got out of bed. John Lennon played guitar on this song too. I think it's actually quite a good version of the song, maybe Ringo's best singing ever.

CNN Shuffles the Deck

Spitzer is out. Anderson Cooper is moving up to Spitzer's slot. Jon King is moving an hour earlier. Erin Burnett is getting King's old slot. And Piers Morgan is staying right where he is.

The full details are here.

Doesn't exactly grab you, does it?

Soaps are not dying off after all

It looks like "All My Children" and "One Life to Life" will live on after they sign off at ABC. They just won't be on standard television...they're going online with the full cast and crew.

Now all my mom has to do is get a computer, learn how to turn it on, learn how to navigate the web, and learn how to bookmark a web channel. No problem. She's nearly got this VCR thing down after only twenty five years.

Rupert's in Big Trouble

Of course he's laying low at the media mogul summit in Idaho right now, but back in England, things are getting real bad. His News of the World is in deep trouble for hacking into cell phones of newsmakers, celebrities, politicians, and ordinary people. Some 4000 people in all.

It's beyond sleazy. It's probably criminal.

The 1947 All-Star Game

We're just a few days away from this season's All Star game, but this season's game won't be played at Wrigley Field.

It's only been played there three times. 1990, 1962, and 1947.

The 1947 game is today's Tale from a Bad Century.

John meets Paul

From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac this morning...

"July 6, 1957…John Lennon and Paul McCartney were introduced to each other at a church social where Lennon's band, the Quarrymen, was playing. In the church basement between sets, 15-year-old McCartney taught 16-year-old Lennon to play and sing Eddie Cochran's, "Twenty Flight Rock" and Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-A-Lula." Lennon was also impressed when McCartney showed him and the group's Eric Griffiths how to tune their guitars, something they had been paying someone else to do for them."

Roger Clemens trial

Jury selection begins today for the Roger Clemens trial.

I really want to believe he is innocent because I loved watching him pitch, but I don't.

I would be a very bad juror for the defense.

Media Mogul Summit

In my novel "$everance" I describe a media mogul summit that happens in Sun Valley Idaho. A lot of people that read my book thought I made that up, but I didn't. It really does happen every single year.

In fact, it's happening right now. This year the expanded guest list includes the CEO of Pandora.

Nothing to see here...Just every single person that controls the information we see, hear, and read meeting in one place discussing who knows what. You won't read any reports about what they talk about because it's all off the record.

The only reason I don't think a conspiracy is being hatched (although all the elements are there to hatch one) is because these guys all hate each other's guts.

Jeff Garlin

In an interview with Pioneer Press, Jeff Garlin talks about his addiction to sugar, his stage show, his career, and the pathetic team the Cubs are putting on the field this year.

You can read it here.

Dahl's next move

Robert Feder reports that Steve Dahl will make an announcement on Monday (via Twitter) stating his next career move.

I've had a lot of people ask me if I know, and I don't. I'll be waiting to hear the announcement too.

The 1962 All Star Game

A week from yesterday is this year's All Star Game. We jump the gun a bit at JOBC to talk All-Star games, and go back to the 1962 All Star game, which was played at Wrigley Field.

An unbelievable assortment of Hall of Famers played in that game.

Read all about it here.

A Redstone Takedown

Sumner Redstone recently uttered the words: "I hate litigation."

Johnnie L. Roberts does a tremendous takedown of the most ridiculous thing any human being has ever said.

Bieber's Cover Bombs

Vanity Fair put Bieber on their February cover, and it was revealed this week that it was one of the three worst selling issues of the magazine in the last twenty years.

I think it's because word got out what baseball team he roots for.

That's my theory.

Hackers had a busy weekend

One hacker got into Fox News' Twitter account and tweeted that Obama was dead.

Another hacker got into Apple's database and started publishing account information.

I guess nobody invited those guys (and lets face it, they were guys) to neighborhood barbecues this weekend. Embrace the neighborhood nerds, everyone. It will help all of us out.

Prospecting

This is good to see. Instead of spending money on high priced over the hill free agents, the Cubs are starting to spend their money on high priced youngsters with potential.

Here's an example.

Poosh 'Em Up

Tuesday is Great Nicknames day at JOBC, and this week we feature a man they called "Poosh 'Em Up."

Read all about him here.

Happy Birthday America!

Are you really 235? No way. I bet you still get carded.

I'm on assignment today in Indiana and Michigan for Shore Magazine, but I'll be back at my blogging desk tomorrow.

Have a great July 4th!

Milo

This week's Cubs Hall of Famer at Just One Bad Century is probably my least favorite Cubs announcer ever...Milo Hamilton.

Milo never clicked with the Cubs, but he did do the play by play of one of the biggest baseball moments of my childhood.

Read about him and listen to that moment here.

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest Father Knows Nothing column at NWI Parent. This week's is called "Toilet Trouble"

You can read it here.

This week in 1908, 1945

Every weekend JOBC goes back in time to the last year the Cubs won the World Series (1908) and the NL Pennant (1945).

This week in 1908, the King of England opens the Olympic Games in London, Milton Berle is born, and the Cubs are in first place.

This week in 1945, the Allies divide up Germany, Abbott & Costello release "Who`s On First" and the Cubs win 24-2.

Michael Landon

Michael Landon passed away twenty years ago today. I found this little gem on YouTube: the Michael Landon roast from 1975...

Bruce's Eulogy for Clarence

It's beautiful.

Rolling Stone printed the entire text.

Reagan's in the Hall of Fame

Robert Feder has details about the latest Radio Hall of Fame nominees, and he's not very happy that the Hall didn't follow it's own rules in nominating Ronald Reagan for his time at WHO in Iowa.

I'm not sure where I come down on this one.

On the one hand, it is a little fishy to ram this through, and it does smell like a political statement because Reagan didn't really do radio very long (five years) and museum curator Bruce DuMont is a die-hard Republican. On the other hand, Reagan was a Cubs announcer during his radio days.

I do have a soft spot for Cubs announcers.

Randy Michaels

Radio Ink writes a piece this morning trying to make you think these Randy Michaels' hires are all misdirection...

Randy Michaels has never been one to stage a complicated ruse or wage a campaign of disinformation has he? Somehow, without even saying a word, Michaels has everyone convinced he's going to flip one, maybe two stations, to some sort of FM news or talk. Of course, all indications, according to media journalists and radio reporters believe some sort of format flip will happen in either Chicago or New York. Maybe both. The Sabo hire helps that theory along. But what if Michaels is just playing everyone to see if he can get Dan Mason to make the first move? Mason's CBS owns WBBM-AM, the news leader in Chicago and powerhouse New York stations WINS-AM and, of course CBS-AM. One Chicago insider told Radio Ink, "Randy is very good at yanking people's chains."

If you say so, Radio Ink. I think the fact that he has hired Charlie Meyerson and Rob Hart, (both former Chicago Radio Spotlight interviewees) and a talk radio consultant to run the joint (Sabo) says he's flipping at least one of the stations in Chicago. Of course he is. Right now they're doing rock (The Loop) and alternative rock (Q-101). One of those formats (or both) is a goner.

Beck's Replacement

Starting on July 11th, Fox News will have a new show in Beck's old time slot. Here are the details, via TV Newser...

"The Five" will feature a roundtable of five Fox News personalities from among the network’s deep bench of hosts and analysts, including Greg Gutfeld, Juan Williams, Dana Perino, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Geraldo Rivera, Andrea Tantaros, Eric Bolling, Monica Crowley, Bob Beckel and Kimberly Guilfoyle."

And no chalkboards.

Battle of the Tweets

Or is the proper word "Twits?"

Whatever the term, two Twitter heavyweights are fighting.

In this corner, The Village Voice. In the other corner, Ashton Kutcher. The subject: Teen Prostitution (believe it or not)

Is it just me, or do twitter fights have the same feel as girly hair-pulling slap fights?

Sights & Sounds

Sights and Sounds this week features a newsreel about the 1962 All-Star Game, and audio of Harry Caray talking about his own death.

Watch and listen here.