Monday, January 16, 2017

Chicago Writers Association Awards

Really enjoyed myself at the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Awards. Our very own Pat Colander (Non-fiction book of the year) and Randy Richardson (Special Recognition) were given awards. Well deserved! Proud of them both.

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A Transition in Attitude

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Friday, January 13, 2017

Typing Joke

Not sure if the youngsters will get this one...

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Arrive Early! Seats Fill Up Fast

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Getting Ready for Inauguration Day

Thanks to "DR" for this one...















My old boss Dave Logan also weighs in...


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Everyone Loves Michelle

Seriously...I'm gonna miss these two.

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The Future of Mike & Mike

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic have been an ESPN Radio team for nearly twenty years.

Radio Ink suggests that will change soon, with Greenberg going to television.

Nothing has been announced officially about the future of the radio show.
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Thursday, January 12, 2017

Minutia Men, Episode 34


EP34 – Rick and Dave discuss colons, Trump tweets, Jenkins making a bad choice, a Cub on Rick’s street, and Rick’s brush with Harrison Ford

Listen to it here.
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My Weekend Plans



I'll be there on Saturday night to see Eckhartz Press author Pat Colander pick up her "Book of the Year Award" from the Chicago Writer's Association at the Book Cellar in Chicago.

Come on out for a fun night.

Details here.


Bobby Skafish will appearing at the Chicagoland Record Collector Show in Hillside this Sunday, January 15th from 8:45-Noon, and I'll be there too.

Click here for more information about the show.

Bobby will be selling and signing copies of his acclaimed new Eckhartz Press book "We Have Company: Four Decades of Rock and Roll Encounters"
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Ratings for Obama's Farewell Address


These are pretty big numbers: 34 million people tuned in. Five of them were in my house. I made the whole family watch it. I will never understand the hatred some people feel for this classy man and his classy family. I will miss him.

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Score Shuffles Lineup

From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Chicago’s “Score” WSCR/670 re-works the lineup after the retirement of 25-year personality Terry Boers. CBS Radio programmer Mitch Rosen’s moving Jason Goff from middays to PM drive, alongside Dan Bernstein. They’ll work 1pm-6pm. New to 9am-1pm middays with Matt Spiegel is newly-hired Danny Parkins. Chicago native Parkins left town in 2010 and has been anchoring afternoon drive for Entercom’s sports KCSP/610 in Kansas City (which means he’s been through some historic highs with the MLB Royals). His last day in K.C. is tomorrow, and he punches the timeclock in Chicago next Tuesday. Mornings on the Score continue to be Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley (“Mully and Hanley”), and Laurence Holmes does 6pm-10pm. WSCR truly did score last year with the World Series-winning MLB Cubs – in the station’s first year with the team.
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It's Real Now

Last night while we all slept, the Senate passed a budget resolution that is the first step towards killing Obamacare. One Senator attempted to add a provision keeping the pre-existing conditions ban (something President-Elect Trump promised to keep over and over again). It was voted down.

My 21-year-old son with a pre-existing condition is about to live in a country in which he will never be able to obtain private medical insurance. Ever.
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Sanity

During his press conference the President Elect called CNN "Fake News" and belittled a reporter from there, while taking a question from an actual "fake news" website Breitbart. He conflated the BuzzFeed leak with the well-sourced CNN report. Fox News was all over CNN and "the mainstream media" yesterday, who did absolutely nothing wrong. But there was one voice of sanity...

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Memes

I know it's wrong, but this whole story has a Clinton cigar, Dick-Cheney-Shoots-His-Friend-In-The-Face comedy gold type of feeling to me. I've never wanted to flex those old comedy writing muscles more...



Here's another good one...

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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Monica Crowley Plagiarism

This is another big scandal. President Trump's nominee for strategic communications at the National Security Council is having her book pulled by Harper Collins because portions of it were determined to be plagiarized.

TV Newser has the details.
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Fox News Quietly Settled Sexual Harrassment Case for Bill O'Reilly

This is not the famous "lufa" case from a decade or so ago. This is a new one that allegedly occured in 2011,featuring Former Fox News anchor/reporter Juliet Huddy.

Sounds like that Fox Newsroom was no picnic for women over the past few decades.
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Biggest Story Ever or Completely Untrue?

What a bombshell last night. I think it's important to take a breath on the Trump story about being personally (pee perversion) and financially (Russian money) compromised, and the story about his campaign allegedly co-ordinating with Wikileaks during the campaign (which would be impeachable--immediately) until we let legitimate reporters and investigators vet the story. Right now it's pretty unsubstantiated. If its true, he's a goner. But it could be another example of fake news.

Of course for comedy purposes, I think he'll understand my stance on this. I will absolutely believe this Trump story... Unless he produces his long-form pee certificate.

Here's a smattering of the tweets flying around last night...







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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

See below. It was also used for McCarthy hearings, Teapot Dome hearings (the last time a Cubs owner was part of a presidential administration), and Wall Street banking hearings during the Great Depression. Sounds about right...

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U2 Delays Release of Album Because of Trump

From The Hill...

The album was "pretty much complete," and then the election happened and "suddenly the world changed."

“We just went, ‘Hold on a second – we’ve got to give ourselves a moment to think about this record and about how it relates to what’s going on in the world,'" the guitarist said.

I have friends who get very upset when artists like the Edge (and Meryl Streep) express their political opinions. I get that it bums them out when their favorite musicians or artists so strongly disagree with them. It bummed me out when Cubs pitcher Jake Arietta tweeted that he would personally drive every celebrity out of the country when Trump won. It will probably make me look at him a little differently when he pitches for the Cubs next year.

But that's the point, really. These celebrities are taking a big risk when they speak out. They are potentially hurting their own brands and their own profitablity by upsetting half the country. They know that. They do it anyway because they feel very strongly about whatever they are speaking out about.

It's called the free market. The free marketplace of ideas can lead to the free marketplace of money leaving their pockets. If it bugs you that much, that's the appropriate way to respond. Telling them they can't speak out is ridiculous.

A celebrity named Trump certainly didn't hold back his beliefs before he became a politician.
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RIP Marty Zivin

I never met Marty Zivin, but I corresponded with him many times over the past thirty years. He was a radio guy, inside and out. It's been pretty obvious to his facebook friends (I was one of them) that this day was approaching. Marty posted as often as he could, and didn't hold back with statements of despair and grief. It's a real bummer that he's gone.

Robert Feder has the details.
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Ben Fights Back

I did notice that Casey Affleck failed to thank his big brother Ben during his Golden Globes acceptance speech. Ben got back at him on Jimmy Kimmel.

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Overrated?

Colbert hits back at the thin-skinned man about to become president.

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Media Watchdogs

Who will be keeping an eye on the media from the 115th Congress? Tom Taylor's NOW newsletter has the names...

The 115th Congress begins to organize itself, and Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn rises to chair the House Telecom Subcommittee. She’s from the Nashville area and has shown interest in issues important to the music community. Blackburn succeeds former Oregon radio station owner Greg Walden as chair of a subcommittee where she’s shown herself to be a sharp questioner of witnesses. New Jersey Republican Rep. Leonard Lance is the new Vice Chair. Greg Walden now has the seniority to chair the full Energy & Commerce Committee, succeeding Michigan’s Fred Upton. Broadcasting & Cable’s John Eggerton has the rest of the Telecom Subcommittee, chosen by Walden – John Shimkus (from Illinois), Steve Scalise (Louisiana), Bob Latta (Ohio), Brett Guthrie (Kentucky), Pete Olson (Texas), Adam Kinzinger (Illinois), Gus Bilirakis (Florida), Bill Johnson (Ohio), Billy Long (Missouri), Bill Flores (Texas), Susan Brooks (Indiana), Chris Collins (NY), Kevin Cramer (ND), Mimi Walters (California) and Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania. Reps. Walters, Costello, Brooks and Flores are new to the subcommittee.
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Monday, January 09, 2017

I thought he might be dead

Hard to believe he returned to the game just one play later. No way would I have let him back out there.

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Bobby Skafish in Hillside

Bobby Skafish will appearing at the Chicagoland Record Collector Show in Hillside this Sunday, January 15th.

Click here for more information about the show.

He'll be selling and signing copies of his acclaimed new Eckhartz Press book "We Have Company: Four Decades of Rock and Roll Encounters"
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KSHE

I first heard of the radio station KSHE when I was in college in Champaign. I was working at WPGU and a former WPGU employee came to speak to us. He was the program director of KSHE; Rick Balis. Rick later became my boss at the Loop in Chicago, before returning to KSHE.

I mention this because Rick and KSHE are in the news today, courtesy of the RAMP Newsletter...

KSHE 95/St. Louis was one of the very first radio stations to play rock music on the FM band, and now, almost 50 years after its November 1967 birth, KSHE is the longest-running rock station in the world. Today, in honor of its half-century of excellent service to the Rock format, KSHE launches "The KSHE 50th Anniversary Real Rock Museum" at kshe95.com.

KSHE PD Rick Balis said, "So many talented people have contributed, throughout our 50 years, to make KSHE 95 what it is today. It's actually amazing. More amazing, though, is the incredible listeners that we have had and have today. It's rare. And, we cherish those relationships. The relationships are 'generational' -- grandparents, their kids and the kids of those kids are listeners today." Balis added, "The KSHE 50th Anniversary Real Rock Museum is a tribute to both the contributors and the listeners."

Congrats to Rick and KSHE for this achievement.
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Book of the Year!



I'll be there on Saturday night to see Eckhartz Press author Pat Colander pick up her "Book of the Year Award" from the Chicago Writer's Association at the Book Cellar in Chicago.

Come on out for a fun night.

Details here.
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Championship droughts

This is a great point. I was thinking this too during the Detroit Lions game on Saturday night...

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Praise for "Monkey in the Middle"

Of all the books we've published, I think "Monkey in the Middle" has the most potential as a movie...and I'm not just saying that because Dobie and I have actually written the screenplay.

This review of the book came in the other day from Nate Weatherup...

So two months ago Dobie Maxwell gave me a copy of his book Monkey in the Middle to bring back to LA for a mutual friend and I told him I would, on the condition that I got to read it first (once an English teacher...).

Dobie is a Milwaukee native and longtime Chicago comic. He's one of the first professional comedians I ever met - he hosted my first audition showcase at Zanies in September 2009 - and was definitely the first to ever compliment me on my act and encourage me to keep at it. I've always respected him as a comic and as a mentor, so I just thought it would be fun to read his story, and find out just where Mr. Lucky got his roots.

I got about 70 pages in before life became life and I ran out of free time. I picked it back up two days ago and burned through the last 300 pages about as fast as I've ever read anything.

This book is phenomenal!

It is an incredible, almost unbelievable (unless you know Dobie), story told by a master storyteller: it's compelling, it's unpredictable, and it's laugh out loud funny and emotionally devastating simultaneously. It is straight-shooting honesty and unapologetically flawed. It's Dobie in paperback.

It's the most I've enjoyed reading a book in a very long time (and again, English teacher, I read an awful lot of books).

Go get this book. Do it. Do it now. (Click here)

I have one recommendation before reading it, however - go see his show first. And I say that for three reasons:
1) after seeing the show you'll say "ah, that makes sense," about every three pages.
2) reading the book with Dobie's distinct, Wisconsin, doesn't-give-a-rats-ass voice in your head just makes it that much more enjoyable.
3) it's just a damn good show.

Thanks, Dobie, for the years of kind words and advice, and for one hell of and amazing read.

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The Golden Globes

Her line about the Hollywood Foreign Press being most hated in the country was funny. "We are Hollywood, we are foreigners, and we are the press." Good job. The speech against Trump, however, will get her in some trouble with half the country...



But to me, Steve Carrell and Kristen Wiig were the highlight of the night...

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Clemson or Bama?

I was almost certainly going to root for them anyway, but this clinches it for me.

The coach of Clemson replicated the mood and vibe of the Chicago Cubs clubhouse this year.

Go Clemson!
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Friday, January 06, 2017

An Unexpected Ally in the Anti-Media Consolidation World

Long time readers of this blog know that I've been a crusader against further media consolidation. I wrote my first novel ($everance) about the damage and ridiculousness that ensued after the previous consolidation, and I've been a tireless advocate of anyone who helps promote this same cause.

Today I found out something that I'm having a hard time processing. The Time Warner/AT&T merger that has been proposed, and which I assumed would sail through now that the Republicans will once again control the FCC, has an important enemy.

If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, I have a VERY unexpected new friend.

Would you believe it's Donald J. Trump? Variety has the news.
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Showing his fingers

The man who famously dubbed Trump a "short fingered vulgarian" is meeting with Trump today.

Graydon Carter, the current editor of Vanity Fair--and a constant subject of Trump's angry tweets, supposedly requested the meeting. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that one. I suspect Trump will show him the length of at least one finger.

Today's also the day Trump gets his security briefing from the intelligence community. I'd like to hear the conversation in that meeting even more. I suspect the president elect will be seeing the lengths of a few fingers himself.
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3-year-old rocks Clementi



When I was a kid and started feeling a little too big for my britches, my father used to say "Mozart was composing concertos when he was five."

Always shut me up. This video will serve the same purpose for my boys.
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Wisdom

Thanks to "OG" for this one...

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My Favorite Redneck

What he said...

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Thursday, January 05, 2017

New PD at WGCI


WGCI-Chicago (107.5fm) has named a new program director. His name is Johnnie D.

All Access has the details.
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John Oliver's One Liners About Trump & Putin

These are great...

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The Ten Most Uplifting Songs According to Science

This is a really interesting article in Inc. This is a list put together by a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Gronigen in the Netherlands. How did he come up with it: "The formula I came up with takes the number of positive lyrical elements in a song, and divides that by how much a song deviates from 150 bpm and from the major key."

Gotta admit, it's a pretty uplifting list. The number one song on this list is my middle son Johnny's favorite song in the whole world.

10. Katrina and the Waves--Walking on Sunshine
9. Gloria Gaynor--I Will Survive
8. Bon Jovi--Livin' On A Prayer
7. Cyndi Lauper--Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
6. The Monkees--I'm a Believer
5. Survivor--Eye of the Tiger
4. Billy Joel--Uptown Girl
3. The Beach Boys--Good Vibrations
2. ABBA--Dancing Queen

And this is the number one most uplifting song. It was never released as a single, and it was never a hit, but it really is an uplifting song. Makes you want to go out and do stuff...

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Why did CNN air a special about the band Chicago?

I admit that I taped it, and I'm a fan of the band, but I was wondering why in the world CNN decided to air a special about them on New Years Day. Was there something new that happened to the band? Not really. They were inducted into the Hall of Fame...nearly a year ago. Sure, they are about to go on a tour...but they do that every year. Not exactly newsworthy. Are they suddenly popular again? Nope.

So what's the deal?

The Washington Post asked the same question, and their media writer Paul Farhi delved into it.
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Outgoing FCC Nomination

From this morning's Tom Taylor NOW column...

Obama re-nominates Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel to the FCC. It’s not unexpected, and its success depends on whether Trump’s FCC policy team thinks Rosenworcel is the most acceptable Dem they can find (and get confirmed by the Senate). She’s certainly got the experience at the Commission, having joined in May 2012 to serve out an unexpired term. That term expired in mid-2015 but she was permitted to stay until the end of the 114th Congress. Jessica literally just packed her stuff and bade farewell on Tuesday – and now she’s on President Obama’s list of nominations submitted to the Senate. Obama also re-nominated Brent Nelsen and David Arroyo to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For now, the FCC has four members – Republicans Ajit Pai and Mike O’Rielly, and Dems Mignon Clyburn and outgoing Chair Tom Wheeler. Last night, Wheeler said “I applaud President Obama’s reappointment of Jessica Rosenworcel to the FCC, and hope that Congress will act quickly to confirm her nomination.” Among her supporters is the conservative Parents Television Council.

On January 20th when Tom Wheeler steps down, there will be only three members of the FCC. Look for the Republicans to slow walk this nomination (despite her obvious credentials) so that they maintain control of FCC until a new Republican chairman can be named.
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Wednesday, January 04, 2017

James Corden's Emotional Tribute to George Michael



At our family Christmas party all the nieces and aunts in Bridget's family launched an impromptu George Michael dance party. That was a pretty cool scene. Michael obviously affected people in many different generations. A great musical talent.
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Congressman's Son Grounded for Dabbing

What is dabbing? It's striking a certain pose (popularized by Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton) while dancing.

A Congressman's son tried to do it during a photo op yesterday with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and Ryan thought he was about to sneeze. Pretty funny. Although not funny to his dad, Representative Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), who grounded the lad.

Story is here.

The only reason I know about dabbing is because every time I try to take a photo of the soccer teams at our club (Green White), the kids try to strike that pose.


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Midday change at WLIT


Brooke Hunter was released on Tuesday by WLIT (93.9fm in Chicago). She's being replaced by Robin Rock, who worked here before.

Robert Feder has the details.
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A poignant trailer

This documentary debuts on January 7th on HBO. What are the odds of this? Sad that both has passed over the last week.

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The Pro-Weed Lobby

This is a pretty good example of why the pro-weed lobby is making such slow progress. We're mobilizing, we're mobilizing, we're mobilizing. Crap, now we're high.

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Radio's Top Advertisers

This is one of the more unusual top 5 lists I've seen. It's the list of the top five advertisers on radio (across the country) in 2016...

1. Geico, 46,884 commercials
2. FRIGO, 40,617 commercials
3. Macy's, 36,782 commercials
4. Mastercard, 35,402 commercials
5. Ford, 29,521 commercials

If you don't know FRIGO, it's the revolutionary form-fitting underwear from Sweden.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2017

Megyn Kelly is Said to Be Leaving Fox News

This is a big story in the conservative media world. According to this piece in the New York Times, she's not only leaving Fox News. She's leaving to go to NBC--considered to be the devil by many conservatives.

I'm sure she's prepared for a nasty backlash led by the president elect, who already hates her.
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Excerpts of Genuflections

Author Robert Herguth

Over the weekend, the Chicago Sun Times ran excerpts of Robert Herguth's brand new Eckhartz Press book "Genuflections: Famous Folks Talk About Growing Up Catholic".

You can read that here.
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David Stern in Dubai

Not literally, mind you, but he was featured in the Khaleej Times in Dubai over the weekend. Here's the interview...

Chatting with the (bald) author of a book on - ooh! guess what?

There are a few good men out there, who are willing to speak about hair fall, loss, and even balding. Of course,

David Stern is an exception. He has gone and penned a book called The Balding Handbook: The 5 Stages of Grieving for Your Hair Loss. The book is exactly as its name implies, "I go through all the five stages of grief: denial, anger and rage, bargaining, depression and acceptance, and how it applies to baldness. Excerpts from the interview...

The book is cheeky and irreverent.

"It's a parody of those self-help handbooks. I thought it would be funny to apply the "five stages of grieving" to male pattern baldness. The vast majority of readers have shared the fun and realised its humour. However, I've had a few readers (not many) complain that I'm making fun of something that some people have a hard time dealing with. I think, on some level, the book does help balding people realise that going bald isn't so bad. At least, I hope so." He insists that the book is not great literature.

What are the craziest hair loss myths you've heard?

"The best one I heard was that if you did a lot of hallucinogenic drugs when you were younger, you would lose your hair. Have you seen Paul McCartney lately? The man is in his 70s and has a hell of a head of hair. Also, the stressful job myth is bogus. Former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush still have great hairlines... although Barack Obama seems to have a few issues!"

Any outrageous hair loss solutions?

"There have been many, but I have a couple of favourites. Dead Sea Mud - rumour has it that if you slather your bald pate with the mud, you'll get your beautiful head of hair back. That's 'hair back', not 'back hair'! A couple of problems with this remedy: first, it's been proven that it doesn't work, and second, haven't they noticed how many bald people there are in the Middle East? Plus, it's pretty ironic that something that has "Dead" in its name will have restorative powers. There's also a ridiculous thought that Emu oil can help with male pattern baldness. Didn't the inventors of this remedy realise that emus are bald?"

Would you ever consider wearing a wig, or opting for a hair transplant?

"I would but I'd have to relocate. If, all of a sudden, I show up to work or family gatherings with a healthy quaff, I would be ridiculed to no end. Do guys that have hair transplants think no one will notice? There should be a bald guy witness protection programme for guys that get transplants and toupees."

The balding Handbook (e-book) can be purchased on Amazon. The paperback is available at eckhartzpress.com.
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Obviously we don't *really* hate our kids, but...

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The Top 500 Songs of All-Time


No one will ever agree on these lists because music is so subjective, but I admire Rolling Stone magazine's attempt at naming the top 500 songs of all-time.

As a rock and roll fan, I'm on board with the general feel of the top 500.

Their all-time top fifty are...



50. Smokey Robinson--Tracks of my Tears
49. The Eagles--Hotel California
48. Simon & Garfunkel--Bridge Over Troubled Waters
47. Jimi Hendrix--All Along the Watchtower
46. David Bowie--Heroes
45. Elvis--Heartbreak Hotel
44. Ray Charles--Georgia on my Mind
43. Little Richard--Tutti Frutti
42. The Kinks--Waterloo Sunset
41. The Band--The Weight
40. Martha & the Vandellas--Dancing in the Streets
39. Buddy Holly--That'll be the Day
38. The Rolling Stones--Gimme Shelter
37. Bob Marley--No Woman No Cry
36. U2--One
35. The Doors--Light My Fire
34. The Righteous Brothers--You've Lost That Loving Feeling
33. Ike & Tina Turner--River Deep, Mountain High
32. The Rolling Stones--Sympathy for the Devil
31. Led Zeppelin--Stairway to Heaven
30. Johnny Cash--I Walk the Line
29. The Beatles--Help
28. The Beatles--A Day in the Life
27. Derek & the Dominoes--Layla
26. Otis Redding--Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
25. The Beach Boys--God Only Knows
24. The Impressions--People Get Ready
23. The Beatles--In My Life
22. The Ronettes--Be My Baby
21. Bruce Springsteen--Born to Run
20. The Beatles--Let it Be
19. Elvis--Hound Dog
18. Chuck Berry--Maybellene
17. Jimi Hendrix--Purple Haze
16. The Beatles--I Want to Hold Your Hand
15. The Clash--London Calling
14. Bob Dylan--Blowing in the Wind
13. The Beatles--Yesterday
12. Sam Cooke--A Change is Gonna Come
11. The Who--My Generation
10. Ray Charles--What'd I Say
9. Nirvana--Smells Like Teen Spirit
8. The Beatles--Hey Jude
7. Chuck Berry--Johnny B Goode
6. The Beach Boys--Good Vibrations
5. Aretha Franklin--RESPECT
4. Marvin Gaye--What's Goin' On
3. John Lennon--Imagine
2. The Rolling Stones--(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
1. Bob Dylan--Like a Rolling Stone

I would probably have a different #1, and I think Hendrix gets a little too much respect for his songs, but for the most part this is a pretty darn good list. If you don't see a song you think should be in the top 50, it's probably just a bit lower in the top 500.

Check out the full list here.
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Not Exactly Draining the Swamp

The first thing the new Congress passed is almost poetic--they took away the independence of the Office of Congressional ethics. From this morning's Washington Post...

Under the proposed new rules, the office could not employ a spokesperson, investigate anonymous tips or refer criminal wrongdoing to prosecutors without the express consent of the Ethics Committee, which would gain the power to summarily end any OCE probe.

Here it's spelled out in detail by Buzzfeed...



Got that? Pfew. Got rid of those pesky ethics. Full speed ahead.

LATE UPDATE: They pulled this measure today after their offices were swamped with phone calls. Don't believe what you hear about them dropping this because of Trump. His only criticism was about the timing of it, not the merits.
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Mariah Carey

How bad did Mariah Carey's New Years Eve performance go?

After it was over, she blamed the producers for trying to sabotage her.

Take a look at it, if you can...


ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos
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99 Reasons 2016 was a good year for humanity

This list comes via medium.com and features some great things that happened in the world of conservation, global health, political and economic progress, climate change, and more.

Add in the Cubs World Series and you get 100.
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A tribute to those we lost in 2016


This month's Illinois Entertainer is out and features my tribute to some of the broadcasting pros we lost in 2016.

You can read it here.
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Monday, January 02, 2017

More Reviews for Gel Strong



They have been coming in over the holiday season, posted on the Gel Strong page on Facebook...

Mark Gelinas, Congratulations on your great book about perseverance, staying positive, and rolling with the punches. It was a great read. I’m sorry that you and Donna have had to endure such shit, but to come through it as you have is incredible. You are both are an inspiration to me and I’m on your team forever. Stay strong and love to you both.
--Bill Fasth

I finished the book, I loved every sentence. I feel like I knew all of it from seeing Donna but I read your version. You are s pillar of strength. Love what you wrote to me when you signed it. You guys are an inspiration. Love you both!!❤️❤️
--Mandy Jackson Gispert

What a wonderful, honest rendition of what you have been through, Mark Gelinas. Your book - and you - are nothing short of amazing. I am so proud and honored to know you and Donna Frederick Gelinas. Thank you for sharing your story. ❤️💚💙
--Chelsie Butler

Hey Mark Gelinas, your book made me laugh and cry all the way through. It was touching and heartfelt and funny and honest, and as hard as I'm sure it was to write, thank you for sharing your journey. I'm a fan!! 💖
--Kimberle Swaak

It really is an inspiring tale. If anyone you know is going through the struggle with chemo and/or radiation or worse, they may find some real comfort in Mark's tale. Find it here at Eckhartz Press.
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Friday, December 23, 2016

Happy Holidays!



Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

I'll be back at the blogging desk in January.

Enjoy this classic from "Father Knows Nothing"...



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Thursday, December 22, 2016

Minutia Men, Episode 33


EP33 – Rick and Dave discuss the whipped cream shortage, sitcom doctors and dentists, a truly boozy flight, a 37-year-old rookie, and Rick’s brush with John Mahoney.

Listen to it here.
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Penny Stock

How much financial trouble is Cumulus Broadcasting (owners locally of WLS-AM, WLS-FM, WLUP & WKQX) experiencing these days? Tom Taylor's NOW column explains...

It happened – Cumulus stock closed below $1 a share, less than three months after the one-for-eight reverse stock split that should’ve repaired the share-price problem. If “CMLS” continues to close below a buck a share, the NASDAQ exchange will shoot off another de-listing warning letter, and give it 180 days to work out the issue. Yesterday’s trading volume was much lighter than usual, during this holiday week. But even so, it was down two pennies to 98 cents. A couple of times it touched 95 cents a share.

That's very bad.
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime

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This is Everything that's Wrong with America

I think the headline speaks for itself: Suit: McDonald’s ‘Value Meal’ Costs More Than Buying Items Separately

From the CBS reporting: "James Gertie of Des Plaines tells The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald that bundling two cheeseburgers, medium french fries and a drink at $5.90 is 41 cents more than when individual items are purchased."

Seriously. What lawyer took this case? Why in the world is this being allowed to proceed?

Here's a tip, James Gertie. Buy the items seperately and save yourself 41 cents.

For cryin' out loud.
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Robert Murphy out at WLS-FM

Another great is shown the door. Here's the saddest quote from the Robert Feder article about Robert Murphy's departure. It comes from Murphy himself...

“A lot went right, not sure what went wrong,” he said of his three-year run. “I did have some difficulty adjusting to what management wanted, and at times I was not really aware what indeed they did want. So I just tried to do good radio and hope for the best.”

I've been there before. Sounds like they had already made up their minds to go with a cheaper option, so they let him twist in the wind until his contract ran out.

I hate to see that. Especially with a talent like Robert Murphy.
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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

2017's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class

From Rolling Stone magazine...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year's inductees: Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Journey, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra and Joan Baez will all join the class of 2017. Chic's Nile Rodgers will be given the Award For Musical Excellence.

Should be interesting to see if Steve Perry plays with Journey, or if Jon Anderson plays with Yes. Neither have been in the band now for many years, but both are undoubtedly remembered as the "voice" of those bands.
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Cubs are #1

Not just in the standings. From the Chicago Tribune...

The Lovable Winners are ranked No. 1 in FanSided's inaugural Fandom 250, which ranks the 250 most rabid fan bases in sports, movies, music and even politics. Cubdom got the nod over "Star Wars," the science fiction movie franchise legendary for its fan devotion.
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Around the Publishing World (December 20)

At Chicago Author Solutions (a division of Eckhartz Press), we stay on top of happenings/trends in the publishing world to help out busy writers who are spending their time doing what they should be doing: writing.

1. Tips for Poets
Writer's Digest talked to a handful of published poets and got some good advice. My favorite is: "Don’t love everything. Hating certain types of poetry helps define your own aesthetic."

2. Tips for New Writers
These tips are provided from a PR perspective (PR Daily), but they are actually quite useful to all writers.

3. Tips for writing short stories
TIf you're a short story writer these are important things to consider before you send out your short stories to publishers. My favorite writing tip: "You need to know way more about your story than you tell to your readers." My favorite marketing tip: "Accept semi-pro payments as you build your name and career."

4. Tips for New Bloggers
As someone who has written a blog now for ten-plus years, I agree with all of the tips in this article.

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Chicago Radio Ratings

From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Chicago stories include the inevitable rise of iHeart’s hot AC/Christmas WLIT and the expect post-World Series hangover of CBS Radio’s sports “Score” WSCR. Just like last year, WLIT can’t quite catch CBS Radio’s news WBBM/WCFS for first place. The ’BBM combo’s steady (6.8-6.5-6.4) and stays #1, despite not being #1 in any discrete daypart. Second is WLIT (3.1-2.9-6.3), and it’s #1 from 10am through 3pm. Third is iHeart’s urban AC “V103” WVAZ (5.8-5.7-6.2, and #1 at nights and on weekends). Fourth is Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” WTMX (4.9-5.3-5.4, and #1 mornings with Eric & Kathy). Fifth is Tribune’s talk WGN (4.3-4.0-4.2, and third in mornings). Further down, Hubbard began using the Seattle-based Brooke & Jubal morning show on AC WSHE as of November 14, and mornings were unchanged. Total-week WSHE is steady (2.4-2.6-2.7). Country radio’s closely watching the cage-match between CBS Radio’s revamped “US 99” WUSN (2.5-2.2-2.3) and iHeart’s “Big” WEBG (2.2-2.0-2.1). Cumulus talker WLS is basically flat during this election season (2.2-2.2-2.1). Top-cume station is iHeart’s top 40 “Kiss 103.5” WKSC at 2,218,200. In AQH share, it’s #6 (4.4-4.0-3.9).
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2016 Wasn't a Bad Year for Everyone


It was great for the Cubs and Donald Trump.

Turns out, it was also great for Disney. They pulled in $7 Billion in movie box office sales alone, thanks to Rogue One, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Finding Dory, Moana, Zootopia, The Jungle Book, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made its debut in December 2015.
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Monday, December 19, 2016

SNL Says Bye to Obama

With a Run-DMC-style rap song with Chance the Rapper...

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RIP Bob Coburn

He was a very famous disc jockey in Los Angeles (KLOS), but he was also known nationwide as the host of the rock and roll interview show "Rockline". Bob Coburn passed away yesterday at the age of 68.
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SNL Skewers Trump

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Vanity Fair Subscriptions Rise

Remember this tweet from last week?



Well, after that tweet, something really great happened. Vanity Fair got 13,000 new subscribers in one day!

That really makes me happy for some reason.
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As the Sumner Turns

Sumner Redstone is stepping down from the Viacom board after their upcoming February meeting. This will mark the first time since 1987 (when he bought Viacom) that he will not have a say in the company.

Of course, he's essentially been medically unable to have a say for a while now, so this is more or less an acknowledgement of the obvious.

Sumner is 93 years old now.

Variety has the further details.
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Bob & Marianne are back on the air

Bob Sirott returns to the call letters and frequency that made him famous, WLS-AM 890. He and his wife Marianne Murciano will be filling the 10-noon shift there every day--which moves Rush Limbaugh to Noon-3pm and Steve Dahl to 3-7pm.

Full details at Chicagoland Radio & Media.
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