Being Heckled Via Twitter During Stand Up Act

Dan Nainan is a comedian. Josh Rogin is a reporter for the Daily Beast. During Nainan's set in Washington, Rogin was making snarky tweets about Nainan's act, critquing his jokes.

Apparently Rogin is on Nainan's twitter feed, because after his act, Nainan went up to Rogin and said: "Are you Josh Rogin?"

When Rogin nodded, Nainan punched him in the face.

It's a little more direct than the kind of heckler-put downs comedians normally use (Kevin Matthews used to say: "Hey, listen, I'm going asshole hunting in the morning, and I could use a decoy"), but it's certainly effective. On the other hand, Nainan was arrested, so he may not try this technique again.

300 Sandwiches in Exchange for an Engagement Ring

One of the "reporters" for the New York Post's Page 6 column has made a deal with her boyfriend. He said he would get her an engagement ring if she made him 300 sandwiches.

So, she's taking him up on it. Right now she's about 124 sandwiches short, but she still has her eye on the prize.

Many women are horrified by this story, but I think it sounds like a pretty fair deal. Even if every sandwich costs her $5 to make (which I doubt), and she gets another $3 for her labor (which is generous for three minutes of work), that's about a $2400 value.

I paid more than that for an engagement ring twenty five years ago. She's still going to come out ahead.

Call me a romantic.

Joke for a Thursday Morning

Thanks to "LM" for sending it...

Three ladies were having lunch. One was engaged, one was a mistress, and one was married.

While chatting about their relationships they decided it would be great fun if each of them greeted their man at the door that night wearing only a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes. They would also lunch again the next day to compare notes.

The next day, two of the woman were still giddy from the doings of the night before.

The engaged woman's fiancee saw her and said "You are the woman of my dreams..I love you" and they made passionate love all night long.

The mistress' lover didn't say a word; just trembled, took her in his arms and they had wild sex all night.

The married woman's husband came home, saw her and asked....

"What's for dinner, Batman?"

Ball Stealer

Wow. Just wow.

Shutting Down the Comments Section

Popular Science just announced they are shutting down the comments section on their website.

I'm 100% behind this decision. I've been campaigning for all news-webites to do the same. The vitriol in the comments sections of even the most banal articles is beyond belief.

Everyone has the right to free speech, but they don't have the right to it on every website. Those are privately owned.

If you feel an incredible urge to comment, create your own website or blog. It's inexpensive, and in some cases, even free. But you'll have to be accountable for what you say, instead of just peeing anonymous poison on complete strangers.

5 Years Ago Today

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

September 25, 2008…In Tel Aviv, more than 45,000 people attended a concert by Paul McCartney, 43 years after the Beatles were banned from playing in Israel because of official fears that they could "corrupt the nation's youth." He sang his solo hits as well as Beatles favorites, but the highpoint of the evening came when McCartney dedicated his performance of "Give Peace A Chance" to his late fellow Beatle, John Lennon, and sang about the folly of war, a theme that clearly resonated with the Tel Aviv audience.

This video is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the audio equipment for that show. It's a promotional/advertising piece, but it's interesting for an audio geek like me...

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




Slate ‏@Slate 14m
Ted Cruz still talking, still trying to fool you into thinking he can stop #Obamacare: http://slate.me/1eGRSxi

Ben Finfer ‏@BenFinfer 9m
Ted Cruz has officially proven he's a good enough bloviator to host sports radio.

Jay Bilas ‏@JayBilas 1h
Q: Which is longer, Sen. Ted Cruz's filibuster or Digger Phelps' story of beating UCLA in 1974? A: We don't know yet. Both are still going.

DRUDGE REPORT ‏@DRUDGE_REPORT 22m
Police: Woman Eaten By Dozens Of Hybrid Wolf-Dogs... http://drudge.tw/1fCxQmw

Robert Feder ‏@RobertFeder 10m
Help wanted: New boss for @WGNTV: http://bit.ly/1h0lKBu

Ron Smith ‏@oldiesmusic 1m
A textbook on how to issue "criticism" positively: @KenLevine Did Shelley Long try to get Kelsey Grammer fired?: http://bit.ly/18YXafr

stephen serio ‏@StephenJSerio 1h
Another Chicago CEO lets us peek in office. The hook: he has the largest collection of pre-Chicago Fire beer bottles! http://bcove.me/l9l3kdjx

New York Daily News ‏@NYDailyNews 1m
"Sexist" gorilla being kicked out of Dallas Zoo. http://nydn.us/18ph5Yz

Rolling Stone ‏@RollingStone 1m
Bono showed off his impression of Bill Clinton yesterday at the Clinton Global Initiative: http://rol.st/1ao8Njk

HuffPost Chicago ‏@HuffPostChicago 1m
Cubs score a team-record 50th home loss http://huff.to/1h0qffs

SNL is back

A few funny promos for this week's season debut...

Former Tribune Exec Gets 2 Years in Prison

Stephanie Pater was convicted of stealing more than $260,000 from the Tribune company. The judge gave her 2 years in prison yesterday.

Full details in the Chicago Tribune.

Dalai Lama Quote

This is the main reason I've chosen not to be successful... :)

Dhani Harrison

Rolling Stone has posted Dhani Harrison covering his father George's song "For You Blue"

He sounds exactly like his old man. Nice work, kid.

Dan Burns, Inside the Writer's Brain

Eckhartz Press author Dan Burns has his own website, and has been contributing blog entries.

I particularly enjoyed this one, called "A Thousand Different Faces".

Here's an excerpt...

"Unless a writer writes solely for himself, for his own personal enjoyment, the goal of the writer is to get at least one other person to read something he wrote. If that one person, the reader, was to use her hard-earned money to purchase something he wrote, even better. If that single reader was to go even further and do something crazy, like actually read what he wrote, then hallelujah! And if the stars were perfectly aligned and it was “in the cards” and if that single reader made the effort to share a comment about the writing, then as a writer, he would have hit the jackpot, would have experienced the Grand Slam of Writing."

If you'd like to get inside the writer's brain, Dan's blog post is a nice start.

If you'd like to read what all the fuss is about, Dan's novel "Recalled to Life" is available right here on the Eckhartz Press website.

Nicknames on Jerseys?

According to this report, the NBA is considering allowing a few players to have their nicknames on the back of their jerseys instead of their last names, like "King James" instead of just James, or "D-Wade" instead of simply Wade.

And you thought these guys were narcissistic before...

The Most Litigious Radio Personality in the World

Remember Todd Schnitt? He's the Tampa radio personality who sued Bubba the Love Sponge for making deragatory comments about him. The jury ruled against him in three hours.

So what is he doing now? He's suing his attorney. The details are here at the local Tampa television station's website.

Here's my favorite part of the article: "Schnitt paid Campbell's firm $1 million for legal services, but he owes another million and is refusing the pay."

The only winners in lawsuits are the attorneys. After this lawsuit he's going to owe another attorney money too.

Is Radio As Good As it Used to Be?

Most people say no. From Tom Taylor's NOW newsletter today...

Researcher Mark Kassof’s online questioning of 989 adults 18-64 turns up these conclusions – when asked about the statement that “Radio isn’t as good as it used to be,” 19% agreed strongly and another 34% agreed slightly. 28% disagreed slightly with the statement, and 13% disagreed strongly...Kassof says “from a demographic perspective, 18-34s are the most negative.” 61% agree about radio not being as good now, compared to 53% of all adults. Mark says “what’s interesting is that the oldest of the 18-34s were only teens” when the 1996 Telecom Act came along, “the law that enabled ‘mega-groups’ that many blame for the decline of radio.” On balance, men are more negative about radio than women, and 18-34 men are the most negative cell of all. Where does radio do well? With 45-54 men and women.

I'm still in that final demographic, but even I admit it isn't as good as it used to be.

Jeff Garlin on the Cubs

I agree with every word he says here...

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




CBS Chicago ‏@cbschicago 2m
Obama: ‘I haven’t had a cigarette in probably six years. That’s because I’m scared of my wife.’ http://cbsloc.al/1dFYl8C

Mark A. Rayner ‏@markarayner 8m
Love this Julia Fierro quote about the responsibilities of the writer. http://tmblr.co/Zhl6IyvuXlsi #books #amwriting

John Arguello ‏@CubsDen 22m
Cubs Top 50 Prospects: 11-20 | Cubs Den http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/09/cubs-top-50-prospects-11-20/

Slate ‏@Slate 1m
AIG CEO Says Bonus Outrage Is "Just as Bad and Just as Wrong" as Jim Crow Lynching: http://slate.me/1fya6Qv

John McCain ‏@SenJohnMcCain 3m
Must-read Wash Post: "Unserious Washington - As lawmakers delay reckoning with nation's finances, we all pay price" http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-debt-crisis-deserves-a-serious-respons/2013/09/23/3c5a74c4-2468-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html …

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost 5m
In honor of F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday, here's what "The Great Gatsby" can teach you about life http://huff.to/1eDWbcJ

Bill Wyman ‏@hitsville 12m
I've just been informed that the new Sting album has a song called “The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance.”

The Daily Caller ‏@DailyCaller 14m
Harry Reid: 'We're not going to bow to #teaparty anarchists.' http://ow.ly/pa4gf

Josh Liss ‏@JoshLissSports 24m
Going for broke. Last October Nate Burleson broke his leg in a #Lions loss to the #Bears, 13-7. He's out this Sunday with a broken arm.

USA TODAY Life ‏@usatodaylife 30m
Elton John: "I worry about Justin Bieber & Miley Cyrus. Her performance ...the tongue thing freaked me." Interview: http://usat.ly/1b29iAh

The Twitter IPO

Twitter is going public soon. According to the Street, they have decided to use the New York Stock Exchange.

Twitter is hoping it goes better than Facebook's IPO last year.

Banned Book Week

The National Library Association is celebrating Banned Book Week, trying to highlight the disturbing trend of books being banned in this country. As an author, it would be a badge of honor to have the most banned book, so congratulations to Dav Pilkey, the writer of 2012's most banned book.

Captain Underpants!

My kids love those books.

Is LinkedIn Hacking Address Books?

That's the charge several LinkedIn members are making in a lawsuit filed this week.

The Wrap has the details. If it's true, it's slightly disturbing to say the least.

Radio Hall of Fame

Just got my invite to the Radio Hall of Fame dinner (November 9). Congrats to my old bosses Steve Dahl & Garry Meier, who are being inducted this year. S&G were one of the best radio teams in history; groundbreaking, controversial, and wildly creative. I feel very lucky to have witnessed it from the producer's booth for a few years.

I didn't get an invite because I was part of the show. There were many more people that were a bigger part of the show than I was (like Bruce Wolf, Leslie Keiling, Carrie Cochran, Maggie Brock, Laura Witek, Buzz Kilman, Roman Sawczak, Dan Falato). I got it because I write about the media. But I'm looking forward to attending.

Dick Biondi

WLS great Dick Biondi was interviewed by NPR (Scott Simon of Weekend Edition) over the weekend. Great stuff.

You can listen to the interview here. The transcript of the interview is there too, if you'd rather read it.

I worked with Dick at WMJK for many years. You'll never find a more energetic person than Dick, and I've never seen anyone who can work a crowd like that man.

The playoffs

Turn about is fair play. Last night the Pirates clinched a playoff spot by beating the Cubs. On this day in 1984, the Cubs clinched a playoff spot by beating the Pirates.

Both Harry and Jack Brickhouse were in the clubhouse during the celebration.

Watch them in action at Cubs 365.

Happiness is a Warm Gun

From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, this little tidbit from 45 years ago today...

September 23, 1968…At EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles recorded "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," originally called "Happiness Is A Warm Gun In Your Hand," the title inspired by the cover of a gun magazine that producer George Martin showed John Lennon. Jim Morrison of the Doors visited the Beatles in the studio and watched them record.

Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame

Shame on me for not even knowing that the Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame existed. (It has been around for more than 20 years) I only found out because of a Robert Feder tweet announcing this year's inductees. The list is here, by the way, and includes Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts and Kukla, Fran & Ollie's Burr Tillstrom.

I knew that Tillstrom was from Chicago, but had no idea he was gay. It's not even mentioned in his wikipedia page, not that it should be. In fact, I'm hoping it's not mentioned because it isn't really relevant to his art, but I suspect that the wiki-author just didn't know. Tillstrom died in 1985, and was popular long before "coming out" was considered socially acceptable.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




Brett Taylor ‏@BleacherNation 1m
#Cubs: Ryne Sandberg is an Interim Manager No More and Other Bullets http://bit.ly/18l3aRq

daveweigel ‏@daveweigel 4m
My 26-year old brother is signing up for an Obamacare exchange. Do I give him garlic and a stake to ward off Creepy Uncle Sam?

DRUDGE REPORT ‏@DRUDGE_REPORT 7m
Houston Astros set record low as just 915 people watch game... http://drudge.tw/16lA0Wv

Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm 8m
Big Deal >>> Egypt Bans Muslim Brotherhood, Orders Its Assets Confiscated http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/egypt-bans-muslim-brotherhood-orders-its-assets-confiscated

Josh Liss ‏@JoshLissSports 11m
#Bears Henry Melton is being "evaluated this morning back at Halas Hall" for potentially serious knee injury, Trestman tells @WBBMNewsradio

Chuck Todd ‏@chucktodd 16s
Remember, this fight over funding the govt is about a 2 1/2 month continuation of funding. So we may end up seeing ANOTHER showdown in Dec

@JesseFFerguson: Politico - "Poll: Most oppose defunding effort" http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/obamacare-defunding-government-shutdown-poll-97201.html …

kippermcgee ‏@kippermcgee 2m
Morning Blend: "The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now." ~Chinese Proverb

Chicago Tribune ‏@chicagotribune 50s
Bears head coach Marc Trestman: We were "at our best when our best was needed" http://trib.in/1aYMrFS

John McCain ‏@SenJohnMcCain 2m
Must-read @MedvedSHOW @WSJ today: "Countdown to GOP Self-Destruction" http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323665504579033220194883160.html …

Steve Cochran

Robert Feder has a great interview today with the new morning man at WGN, Steve Cochran.

When I interviewed Steve during his last tour of duty at WGN, he was very unhappy working for the knuckleheads who eventually ran that station into the ground. (You can read it here) It's good to see he's happy again. He sounds like he belongs on WGN.

The Emmys

I'm guessing the Emmy Awards didn't have a huge audience in Chicago last night (because it was up against the Bears), so here's a recap of the winners in USA Today.

Notables are Modern Family for best comedy and Breaking Bad for best drama. Also, "Behind the Candalabra" won a ton of them, including it's star Michael Douglas. The biggest upset was Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom) beating Bryan Cranston for best actor.

But the biggest winner of the night, of course, were the Bears.

No More Old Style?

I missed this story when I was out of the country. Old Style will no longer be sold at Wrigley Field, because Budweiser made a deal for exclusive rights.

First they came for the veteran players, and I did not speak out because I wasn't a veteran player. Then they came for rooftops, and I did not speak out because I did not own one. And when they came for the Old Style, there was no one left to speak out.

Except for me, and I was in Europe. Doggone it.

Jim Croce

Can't believe it's been 40 years. From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey Almanac...

September 20, 1973…Singer/songwriter (Bad Bad Leroy Brown, I Got A Name, I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song, Time In A Bottle, Operator) Jim Croce and five others were killed when their small charter plane hit a tree just after take-off in bad weather in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on their way to a concert in Sherman, Texas. Croce was 30 years old.

The Hidden Ball Trick

Todd Helton pulls it off against the Cardinals. Watch it here.

Fox & Friends Had a No-Pants Rule

According to this piece in Politico (which quotes from a Brian Kilmeade interview of Gretchen Carlson), the show Fox & Friends has a "no-pants" dress code.

I have the same rule in my basement office.

Although I do usually throw on a pair if I'm leaving the house.

How Italians Tell Time

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




The Associated Press ‏@AP 6m
Germans vote on Sunday, and there are many possible outcomes to this parliamentary election: http://apne.ws/18fwniE -AB

Hub Arkush ‏@Hub_Arkush 6m
Can you coach turnovers out of Cutler? http://shawurl.com/sbn

Groovyhoovy ‏@Groovyhoovy 21m
President Of Nintendo, Hiroshi Yamauchi died today at 85. The coroner said he was killed by a barrel throwing gorilla.

Brookings ‏@BrookingsInst 18 Sep
Inconceivable! How Hassan Rouhani's presidential campaign broke boundaries in Iran & defied the West's expectations: http://bit.ly/1b6lZfZ

Robin Roberts ‏@RobinRoberts 1h
Happy Friday/Birthday @GMA!! 1 year ago today my sister,@SallyAnnWWL, gave me the best gift ever...the gift of life. Blessings to all...X0

Bill Zwecker ‏@billzwecker 38m
Our Town's own Bill Zehme's upcoming book to become a miniseries. http://bit.ly/15bbIrQ

Zach Zaidman ‏@ZachZaidman 40m
26 years ago today, Walter Payton scored his 107th rushing TD to break Jim Brown's NFL record in #Bears 20-3 win over Tampa Bay.

davidfrum ‏@davidfrum 1h
Congrats to Sens. Kirk and Menendez: authors of the sanctions that are forcing Iran to negotiate away its nuclear weapons program

Ron Smith ‏@oldiesmusic 1h
The headline says it all: 'Mountain Dew Mouth' Is Destroying Appalachia's Teeth, Critics Say http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/12/221845853/mountain-dew-mouth-is-destroying-appalachias-teeth

The Paris Review ‏@parisreview 12m
“I measure my life in pages. If I have pages at dawn, it’s been a good night.” —Hunter S. Thompson http://tpr.ly/12MbZnN

Please Pay Closer Attention to the Shapes on your Weather Map

Thanks to "JH" for sending this...

Jimmy Kimmel, Paul McCartney & Justin Timberlake

Jimmy Kimmel is getting more and more pull in LA. Now he's gotten the city to shut down traffic for two big time concert events. The RAMP Newsletter has the details...

Somehow, some way, Jimmy Kimmel has been given approval to create a major music-related traffic jam in Hollywood, and no one seems to mind, given the reason -- next Monday and Tuesday, September 23 and 24, a portion of world famous Hollywood Blvd. will be shut down to accommodate a couple of world-class outdoor concert events -- Paul McCartney and Justin Timberlake will perform (separately) on the street for thousands of people. According to The Hollywood Reporter, McCartney will visit Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday and JT invades on Tuesday. Prior to their live shows, which are expected to draw record-breaking crowds, McCartney and Timberlake will also appear as in-studio guests on Kimmel's show, mostly because they have new projects to plug -- McCartney is promoting his latest album, New, and JT is promoting Part 2 of the 20/20 Experience as well as his new film Runner Runner, which co-stars Ben Affleck and opens October 4.

Setting the DVR...for both nights. I've come to grudgingly respect and admire Timberlake too.

Marconi Awards

The Marconi Awards are probably the most prestigious awards givin out to the radio industry, and one of Chicago's stations was recognized last night. Radio Ink has the details...

The winners of the 2013 NAB Marconi Radio Awards were announced Thursday night at the annual NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner & Show held at the Radio Show in Orlando. CBS' WBBM-AM in Chicago was named legendary station of the year, Premiere's Steve Harvey won for Syndicated Personality of the year and Jerry Lee's WBEB in Philadelphia won for major market station of the year.

The full list of winners is here, and includes a few more Chicago winners. Eric & Kathy were named major market personalities of the year (not the their first time winning it), and WTMX Radio was named as AC Station of the Year (also not their first time winning it). One of the things that the Marconi people consider is community involvement, and Eric & Kathy's (and WTMX's) fundraising on behalf of charities is really unmatched.

(By the way, the Eric & Kathy show will be featured in my next Illinois Entertainer article, due out on October 1st)

Ann Margrock

50 years ago today Ann Margret appeared on the Flintstones as "Ann Margrock". She did a few songs including this one...

Pope Francis

Great piece about the Pope in the latest New York Times. In the article he laments the church's obsession with abortion, gay marriage, and contraception, and says that the church must get back to focusing on the most important teachings of the Bible; namely helping the least among us and showing love to our fellow man.

I must say, as a lifelong Catholic, I find this Pope to be a breath of fresh air. I know I've only lived through six papacies, but this is by far my all-time favorite Pope.

Speak Like A Pirate Day

Today is supposedly "Speak Like A Pirate Day", so I'll be using a Puerto Rican accent all day in honor of my favorite Pirate, Roberto Clemente.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




C. McPherrin FOX 32 ‏@coreymcpherrin 8m
Congrats to DePaul's Mark Aguirre & all the inductees into Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame! @GoodDayChicago pic.twitter.com/LYRrAI8gEV

Chet Coppock ‏@ChetCoppock 51m
Thanx to all who made my induction into the #Chicagolandsportshallfoffame last night so special. Especially John McDonough and jay Blunk

Los Angeles Times ‏@latimes 13m
Do more guns make us safer? Two studies suggest not, but the answer is more complicated http://lat.ms/15EpC9O

Lise Dominique ‏@LiseDominique 16m
'Does The Dog Die?' Spares You From the Saddest Part of Any Movie http://on.mash.to/16FTGlf via @mashable

Chicago Tribune ‏@chicagotribune 17m
Sting's "The Last Ship" to get pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago http://trib.in/16I9u6U

James Finn Garner ‏@jamesfinngarner 20m
Dale Sveum
Might be sorry he came.
As soon as the #Cubs become less sucky,
He'll be dumped for someone more lucky.

Mark Edwards ‏@markedwards 25m
It's National Talk Like a Pirate Day, and if you want a cheap thrill, change your Facebook language settings to "English (Pirate).

Slate ‏@Slate 30m
Republicans are still obsessed with defunding Obamacare. And yet, it's NEVER going to happen: http://slate.me/1a6VHGO

Rolling Stone ‏@RollingStone 33m
Roger Waters says he was wrong to have sued his former Pink Floyd bandmates: http://rol.st/1a6NoLb

The New York Times ‏@nytimes 5m
Pope Bluntly Faults Church’s Focus on Gays and Abortion http://nyti.ms/1a708Br

Happy Birthday Sean Kaempfer

When Sean was born on September 19, 2002, I was still the executive producer of the John Records Landecker show on WJMK Radio. Like we did with the birth of my two other sons (Tommy and Johnny), the John Landecker show followed the pregnancy on the air. I even recorded the actual birth on digital audio tape as it was happening, and then called into the radio program with a full report live from the hospital.

His brothers were both born early in the morning (Tommy at 4 AM, Johnny at 2 AM), but Bridget was in labor DURING the show for Sean. I called into the show every hour and gave updates, some of which are referenced in the transcript below. Sean was born less than hour after the show ended that day.

This is the transcript of the call the following morning, September 20, 2002. The show members at that time were John Landecker, Leslie Keiling, and Bonnie Greene.


John: Magic 104.3, 8:14, John Records Landecker along with Leslie Keiling, that's Sister Sledge "We are Family". Rick, our producer, are you there?

Rick: I'm here.

John: You're a brand new dad.

Rick: Yes I am.

John: Bridget are you there?

Bridget: Hello. I'm here.

John: Do you have a radio at the hospital?

Bridget: No. We had one down at labor and delivery, and we were listening. The anesthesiologist thought you were really funny.

Leslie: Oh great.

John: You mean when he called him "Shakes"?

Rick: And a heroin addict, I believe.

John: Ha! So, how long do they let you stay in the hospital these days after delivery?

Bridget: 48 hours, and I'm taking every last second of it.

John: Well you sound good.

Rick: She looks good too.

John: Do you feel good too?

Bridget: Yeah. And we got a little trooper here too.

Leslie: Is the trooper in there with you?

John: No hold on a second, we're not giving anything away here. OK, so Rick. So far you have Tommy...

Rick: He'll be seven next month.

John: And Johnny...

Rick: He's 4 1/2.

John: Now people want to know. Hit it, Vinnie.

(Music: Theme song from "My Three Sons")

John: It would be my three...

Rick: Sons.

John: How big was our boy?

Bridget: 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

John: How long was labor?

Bridget: I'm not exactly sure because when we got here I was already in labor.

Leslie: That's the best way isn't it?

Rick: It really wasn't that long. I think she only had to push about ten times.

Leslie: And then went to the prom.

(Everyone laughs)

John: Let's get to the tape. Now Rick, you taped this yourself?

Rick: I did.

John: Any problems?

Rick: None at all this time. I had the surgical gloves on, and was helping the doctor. I had a leg in one hand, and..

John: Now wait a second here. What leg were you hanging on to?

Rick: I was hanging on to one of Bridget's legs.

John: Oh. So let me get this straight. You're hanging on to Bridget's leg with one hand, and the microphone in the other hand?

Rick: No, I set the microphone down on the table.

John: Oh geez. I had an image in my head here...

Rick: I'm very talented.

(Everyone laughs)

Rick: I did test levels.

(Everyone laughs)

John: The first time you didn't even know the microphone was on, the third time you're testing levels.

Rick: Exactly.

John: OK, roll the tape.

Dr. Sabbagha: Hi, hi, there it is. Can you push a little more?

Bridget: Ugh

Dr. Sabbagha: Hi there. Push push.

Nurse: Hi pumpkin.

Dr. Sabbagha: God, you're beautiful. Say something, precious.

Rick: It's a purple baby. That's Johnny's favorite color.

Baby cries.

Dr. Sabbagha: There he goes.

Rick: It's a boy!

Bridget: It's a boy?!

Rick: My three sons. Good work!

John: Rick. Guess whose crying in the studio? Oh, look, I got two of 'em crying.

Leslie: That's so beautiful.

Rick: It was soooo cool. I really got to enjoy it this time.

John: (sarcastically) Oh, and I know how hard the whole birthing process is for you.

Bridget: I actually thought he was funny this time. He made me laugh.

Bonnie: Because you hated him the other two times, right?

Rick: She kicked me in the knutchkies the first time she was so mad at me.

Bridget: I did not.

Rick: You did too.

John: Oh come on now, you two. You just had a baby.

Rick: I'm actually really proud of her. You should see her. You'd never believe she just had a baby.

Leslie: How are the boys. Are they excited?

Rick: (long pause) Uh...no.

(Everyone laughs)

Bridget: Tommy was so excited for about ten seconds. He came running into the room, held the baby, and then...hey what's in this cabinet?

Rick: And Johnny didn't even want to hold the baby.

John: Oooooooh.

Bonnie: Johnny's the middle child now.

Rick: Yup. My mom asked Johnny yesterday how his day went, and he said...Um, let's see...I went to school...I played in the park...um...She asked, 'Did anything special happen?' and he answered..."No."

John: Oh well, that will be an on-going story.

Rick: We're going to all go to a White Sox game tonight and beat up a coach. (This was the day after the William Ligue story)

John: You were gloating all morning, weren't you?

Rick: Yes I was.

John: I told you! Cubs fans are gloating all over the city. So...the name of the child is...

Rick: Sean Harrison Kaempfer

(Baby noises in the background)

John: Is that him?

Bridget: Yup. I'll put the phone up to him.

(More baby noises)

Bonnie: He sounds like a puppy.

John: OK, Sean. That's Irish for John, right?

Bridget: Yes, technically it is. S-E-A-N.

John: Harrison, I've got to guess, is...

Rick: Let's just say it's not for Harrison Ford.

John: It's for George Harrison, isn't it?

Rick: Yes it is.

John: I knew it!

Rick: But I didn't pick Sean. That was Tommy's idea.

John: And Johnny wanted to name it...

Rick: Johnny abstained.

(Everyone laughs)

John: Johnny threw his headphones down and walked out of the Security Council meeting!

Rick: That's right.

John: Well congratulations everybody. We now have Sean's first on-air performance on tape too.

Bonnie: Are his eyes open yet?

Leslie: He's not a kitten for Pete's sake.

Rick: Blue eyes.

Bridget: He's kind of dozing right now.

Bonnie: Poke him. Wake him up.

Leslie: Isn't it good that Bonnie doesn't have children? Have you taken him out for a walk yet?

Rick: We've got newspaper all over the floor...

John: Bonnie, it's a baby.

Bonnie: Sorry...

John: Well thanks for procreating.

Rick: My pleasure.

John: I'll bet it was. And now we have the vasectomy next.

Rick: Yes we do.

Leslie: And then we'll hear Rick making baby noises.

(everyone laughs)

John: Sean Harrison Kaempfer. That's a cool name. You'll have to change your answering machine message you know.

Rick: I'll do that today.

John: Cause it says, Rick, Bridget, Tommy & Johnny can't come to the phone. Well thanks guys, and congratulations.

Rick: Bye.

Bridget: Bye.

Bonnie: Of course, it will be awhile before Sean can come to the phone.

Leslie: Whoa.

John: The next time we do anything with children, you don't talk.

Bonnie laughs.

Deadline Hollywood Drama

It isn't often that the New York Times ventures into the world of Hollywood gossip, so it took me by surprise to read this article about the people who report Hollywood gossip.

Nikke Finke was the owner (and creator) of Deadline Hollywood, a pretty mean spirited Hollywood gossip site that is feared and read by everyone in Hollywood. A few years ago she sold it to media entrepeneur Jay Penske, who later also bought Variety. It's apparently been a pretty bumpy ride.

Nikki's sad.

I'm sure the Hollywood stars she has humiliated over the years feel really bad for her.

Fox News Interviews Assad

How in the world did Fox News score an interview with the Syrian president?

Would you believe it was lined up by ultra-liberal former congressman Dennis Kucinich? He's a Fox News Contributor (he is?) and had the proper contacts to make it happen.

The interview airs tonight.

A Few More European Vacation Photos

These photos from Croatia and Montenegro were all taken by one of my travel companions, my buddy Stu...

WKRP in Cincinnati

35 years ago today, WKRP in Cincinnati debuted on television. That show is one of the things that inspired me to get into radio. I absolutely loved it.

The opening theme song became famous, but to me the song that really rocked was the one they played over the closing credits every week.

According to Wikipedia, the closing theme was written by an Atlanta musician named Jim Ellis, who also wrote incidental music for WKRP. He didn't have any lyrics for the tune yet, so he sang a bunch of gibberish to give a feel for the song. Hugh Wilson, the series producer, decided to use it anyway because it would be a humorous commentary on the incomprehensibility of many rock lyrics. I think he had a point.

Sliding into a Butt

That's what an Astros player did last night. See it here from every conceivable angle.

Tom Hanks Teams with CNN

Tom Hanks and CNN will co-produce a 1960s documentary series kicking off with Kennedy assassination, and covering other important cultural milestones like The Beatles, the escalation of the Vietnam War and the moon landing. The full story is here.

If "That Thing You Do" is any indication, Tom Hanks has a pretty good feel for the decade. I'll definitely be checking this out.

Fox Sports 1 vs. ESPN

ESPN put out a press release pointing out that their ratings have gone up since the debut of Fox Sports 1.

That may be true, but I wouldn't be gloating if I was ESPN. I've been watching Fox Sports 1, and I think ESPN has reason to be worried. They seem to have more life, more ideas, and seem a lot fresher than the tired old ESPN shows.

That's just one man's opinion, but it's one man that watches a lot of ESPN.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




DRUDGE REPORT ‏@DRUDGE_REPORT 48s
Mysterious maple syrup smell covers New York City... http://drudge.tw/17JhrbF

The Associated Press ‏@AP 4m
BREAKING: US builders break ground on most single-family homes in 6 months, seek most permits in 5 years.

GPS for the Soul ‏@GPSforSoul 10m
“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” -- L.M. Montgomery

WPGU1071 ‏@WPGU1071 13m
Weird Fact of the Day: A study has found that the first two years of college are basically useless.

Bernie Tafoya ‏@ChicagoFile 18m
#StanleyCup will be at Millennium Park today. Will YOU be getting your pic taken with it? @WBBMNewsradio http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/09/17/stanley-cup-to-be-on-display-at-millennium-park/

Starbucks News ‏@Starbucksnews 8h
We are respectfully requesting that customers not bring weapons into our stores. Here’s why: http://bit.ly/1eNZ0ci

Chicago Tribune ‏@chicagotribune 43m
Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija, coach downplay 2nd dugout spat in 2 games http://trib.in/188c0DR

Neil Steinberg ‏@NeilSteinberg 58m
Your teenagers won't always talk to you--at times it seems won't EVER talk to you-- but their friends' parents will. http://tinyurl.com/nl9uyy3

Chris Nickles ‏@nicklesradio 1h
Tonight's Powerball jackpot 400-million big ones, odds of winning 1:175-million. So, you're saying there's a chance! pic.twitter.com/IUpi7EMP1s

HuffPost Chicago ‏@HuffPostChicago 1h
17 bizarre sex facts you probably didn't know http://huff.to/1gsPR4f

Woman Knifes Man Because of Eagles Music

Ever live with someone who played the same band over and over and over again? Well, a South Carolina woman lived with such a man--and he was playing the Eagles continuously. She told him to stop it, but he refused. So...she went into the kitchen, got a knife and started stabbing him. (He is OK)

CNN.com has the article. My favorite part of the story is this line, which of course, I was expecting to read at some point:

Police added that "all parties involved were intoxicated."

The article doesn't say what happened the next day, but I'm guessing after the Tequila Sunrise, the Witchy Woman apologized to the Desperado, who in turn, promised to Take It Easy with the Eagles music. But mark my words, One of These Nights he'll Take It To The Limit again. If she's smart, she'll be Already Gone.

Elvira

I just saw on Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac that Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira, is turning 62 years old today.

I've never met her, but I did talk to her on the phone once when I was Steve & Garry's producer during the Halloween season more than twenty years ago. The conversation went something like this…

“Hello this is Cassandra calling the Steve & Garry show.”

“Elvira?” I asked.

“That’s a character I play,” she said. “Please call me Cassandra.”

“OK, Cassandra. You’ll be on the air with Steve & Garry in just a minute. Obviously we’ll be talking about Halloween. Please hold.”

I put her on hold for a second and stared at the phone. I had that queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I picked up the phone again.

“You will be going by ‘Elvira’ on the air, right?” I asked.

“That’s not my name,” she said. “My name is Cassandra. If they want to discuss the character of Elvira, and how I get into the character, I’d be happy to do that.”

“OK, thanks,” I said. “Please hold.”

That’s when I knew it was going to be a horrible train wreck. Steve & Garry had an incredibly low threshold for actors who took themselves too seriously. I walked into the studio during the commercial break, and prepared to take my punishment.

"Elvira's on hold," I said.

“Tell her we’ll get to her after the commercials,” Steve responded, barely looking up at me.

I cleared my throat.

“Actually…there’s something you should know before we put her on.”

Steve looked up. His radar was beeping.

“What?”

“Um…well, she wants you to call her... Cassandra.”

Steve gave me the classic “Bye Bye Now” flight attendant wave.

“Get rid of her?” I asked.

"No," Steve said. The sarcasm was dripping. "I'm sure our listeners would love to hear all about someone named Cassandra."

And that was that.

Scott Redman at the Beverly Arts Center

Eckhartz Press author Scott Redman will be appearing at the Beverly Arts Center (2407 W 111th St, Chicago, IL) on Sunday September 22nd to read his children's book "Chug-A-Chug" as part of the "Get Booked" program, which encourages children to discover a love of reading.

He will read the book at 2:30 and 3:30pm, discuss how he got the idea to write a children’s book, and the process he undertook to create it. He's also bringing along a train set.

If you're in the area, bring your children and spend an enjoyable afternoon at the Beverly Arts Center.

The 2022 World Cup Trainwreck

When FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, everyone (with a brain) immediately thought it was the worst idea ever. After all, the temperatures are in the 120 degree range during the summers there. Even if they build air conditioned stadiums (which they promised to do), the fans would still have to walk to and from games in that insane heat.

So, another genius suggested they just move the World Cup to the winter. It's much nicer in Qatar (only 90 degrees or so) in the winter. What could make more sense than moving an event that has been staged in June for a century to a completely different season simply because they stupidly awarded it to the wrong country? I don't believe I'm going to write this next sentence, but here goes: I agree with Fox.

They are objecting to the latest idiotic plan. Good for them.

Move the Cup to another country, brainiacs.

Legal Drinking in Germany

My buddy Stu took this picture at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. I was there with him and we saw this with our own eyes. A boy that couldn't have been older than 3 or 4 was drinking a beer...his own beer...and so was his slightly older sister (maybe 5 years old).

In this country, that gets a call to DCFS. In Germany, it's totally legal.

My grandfather gave me my first beer when I was 11, which in retrospect seems a touch early too, but this is ridiculous.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...





HuffPost Chicago ‏@HuffPostChicago 4m
#ICYMI: Bill Daley drops out of the running for Illinois governor http://huff.to/1elpel4

Lisa and Ray US99.5 ‏@LisaandRay995 7m
OMG! Group of college buddies make friend get Bieber tattoo for losing Fantasy Football League! WATCH HERE http://bit.ly/1gsXCXV

Marcus Leshock ‏@marcusleshock 13m
Consumer jet packs are coming. What could go wrong? http://www.patspapers.com/story_stack/item/jetpacks_are_coming …. (Via @patkiernan)

Eric & Kathy ‏@EricandKathy 10m
Men: The best item to have at home to impress a woman is fluffy towels. #MIXMindBender

Jon Swerens ‏@jonswerens 43m
So, wait. The Pirates lead their division, and the Steelers are 0-2? WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?

Chicago Tribune ‏@chicagotribune 33m
Timelapse video: Salvage crews pull the shipwrecked Costa Concordia upright http://trib.in/199DMNq

Ben Bradley ‏@BenBradleyABC7 14m
Average speed on Amtrak's Chicago-Indy line: 39 mph. Not quite "high speed rail" is it? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864604579069290200409018.html

Duane Dudek ‏@TheDudekAbides 32m
I propose a death match between the Headless Horsemen of Sleepy Hollow and the Fox game day robot.

jennifer bendery ‏@jbendery 37m
So a man who'd been treated for hearing voices, with a past gun offense, legally purchased a gun and had clearance into Navy Yard. Got it.

New York Daily News ‏@NYDailyNews 3m
Aaron Alexis used same weapon as Newtown, Batman killers. http://nydn.us/1eY85wH #NavyYardShooting

New

I really like Paul's new song. I like the video too...



The guy knows how to write a melody, doesn't he?

The Navy Yard Victims

The Washington Post has a writeup about some of the victims of yesterday's shootings. The press coverage over the next days and weeks will focus on the sicko who shot these people (and why), but I thank the Post for telling us a little bit about the innocent victims. We need to put real faces on these people or we will continue to be desensitized to the carnage.

I won't be watching the news the next few days because it will depress me once again. We're going to hear the same old stuff from the gun nuts. "If everyone in that place was armed, they would have shot him sooner."

They say those words seriously, as if it's not completely insane to live in a country where everyone is armed and ready to shoot. If they succeed in turning this country into a 21st century version of the Wild Wild West, I'm looking for a new country.


(By the way, if you were watching the disgraceful coverage yesterday, the media once again incorrectly identified the shooter. How you'd like to be the guy they incorrectly named?)

RIP Jerry G. Bishop

I always had him on my interview wish list, but never got around to interviewing him. The great former WCFL jock (and the original Svengoolie) Jerry G. Bishop has passed away at the age of 77. Robert Feder has all the details.

I once interviewed his Svengoolie successor, Rich Koz, and this is what he said about Bishop, the man who gave him his big break:

The job with Jerry actually came about when he was leaving WFLD after they cancelled his Svengoolie show - he was in talks with NBC for both radio and TV, and he thought enough of me to try and get me involved as part of his team for the radio side. He did some fill in at WMAQ, with me filling the afore-mentioned sidekick/producer/goofball role- and, when they brought him in full time- first, in afternoon drive, then in morning drive- I went along for the ride.

It was a great gig, other than having to get up so early for the morning show- we’d ride in, going over the papers, and he’d read something about Dean Martin, and say-“let’s do a bit on this- you be Dean!” I’d write stuff and be about 85% of the characters and “celebrities” that called in- I’d write song parodies for him, invent new bits, and we’d do sponsored commercials as bits- for example, I played the president of a lumber/home improvement chain, playing him as a sort of dopey guy, in a running series of live read commercials, and they went over really well.

Plus, on Monday mornings, when the show started an hour earlier than usual, for a while, Jerry had me do that first hour by myself! Jerry was the best--very generous, and, as I’ve always said, the guy who’s responsible for me getting into the broadcasting business…so blame him!

In the mid seventies, someone at a local TV station had approached Jerry G. about maybe doing a summer gig reviving his Svengoolie character. At that time, Jerry felt he didn’t really want to do so, part of the reason being that he was thinking that- someday- he might actually want to run for a political office- and didn’t want his opponent holding up pictures of him as Sven saying “THIS is my worthy opponent?!” But- he already felt confident enough in me that he suggested that I could be the Sven character- as “Son of Svengoolie”- and he would produce and write it with me.

We had some false starts on it, and it didn’t really go anywhere- until Jerry was about to leave for the west coast, and asked what I planned on doing. I said I might try to pitch a TV show to local stations- and he said that, if I wanted to try and do the Son of Sven bit, he’d give me permission. It’s a long story, but, it finally ended up at WFLD- with me doing the Son of Svengoolie- in my original audition, I looked exactly like Jerry’s character, but, since they felt that looked too dated, I devised the look that finally premiered.

My character was pretty much based on how Jerry played the character, layered on my own personality, with the accent being, as Jerry puts it “Bela Lugosi crossed with Lawrence Welk!” I did the character there for 6 and a half years- and, even after that, was requested to do the character for appearances, radio and TV guest gigs- right up until I came to WCIU.

When I was taking the job here, Jerry was in town, and we talked about it- I mentioned that, even by the end of my WFLD run, there were people who said “SON OF Svengoolie? Who’s Svengoolie?”-and that I thought I might shorten the name or something. Jerry said –“I tell you what- you’re all grown up now- just be Svengoolie!” It was nice of him to hand over usage of the name to me.