Love What You Do

Saw these assembled quotes in a piece at Linked In (by Shane Snow). People constantly ask me why I do what I do (instead of, you know, something more traditional), and I think these quotes explain it about as well as it can be explained...

More about Sunday's Appearance

From the Beverly Villager...



DJ Landecker Discusses 'Records Truly is My Middle Name'

(July 2013) -- Author Afternoons, a book discussion event featuring Chicago area writers who read from and discuss their works, will welcome John Records Landecker, legendary disc jockey and author of “Records Truly is My Middle Name,” Sun., July 14, 3 p.m. at the Beverly Arts Center , 2407 W. 111th St.

After a 40-year career as a major market disc jockey, John Records Landecker and his former executive producer at WJMK Rick Kaempfer have written the story of Landecker’s amazing life and extraordinary career. In “Records Truly is My Middle Name,” Landecker shares stories from behind the scenes of Top 40s radio heydays and his encounters with celebrities like George Harrison, Mel Brooks, Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, The Rolling Stones and many others. The book is filled with the stories behind Landecker’s famous bits and songs, as well as photos and personal memories.

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Mich., that’s where Landecker started a radio career that would take him to Philadelphia, Toronto, Cleveland and Chicago . While at WLS in the 1970s, Landecker was named Billboard Magazine’s Radio Personality of the Year. “Records Truly is My Middle Name” was published by Eckhartz Press.

Author Afternoons is facilitated by Penny Golden and part of the Beverly Arts Center ’s literary arts programming. For information call 773-445-3838 or www.beverlyartcenter.org.

Come on out if you're in the neighborhood.

Father Knows Nothing

This week's Father Knows Nothing is a journey into the fight Twilight Zone.

You can read it here.

The Secret Rupert Tape

Last week details emerged about a secret audio recording of Rupert Murdoch conceding that he knew bribery was a commonplace event in his London newspapers.

Now Scotland Yard wants that tape.

Of course it sounds ominous, but let's remember that the Scotland Yard was often the target of the bribes. None of this can possibly surprise them. I'm starting to think that this entire investigation/news story/scandal is just a big show to make it look like everyone is shocked (shocked!).

They are about as shocked as Louis in Casablanca.

Fenway Park

My family had a great time on vacation last week. We went to Cape Cod for a family reunion, and while we were there, managed a stop over in Boston. There were a few hiccups (which will be featured in an upcoming Father Knows Nothing), but for the most part, it was a fun time.

We got to see Fenway...











We were sitting right by the Pesky Pole. What a place. Loved it. Bridget and I also went to Wrigley when we got back. I think Fenway's concourses are cleaner, and Wrigley's a little prettier on the actual field, but both places are still magical.

50 Things I've Learned in 50 Years

If you've seen the current issue of Shore Magazine, you may have read my latest "A Fine Mess" column. I love the way they laid it out in a two-page spread with funny illustrations. That magazine does such a nice job. I'm proud to be associated with it, especially in such a prominent role.

The on-line version of it is here: 50 Things I've learned in 50 Years.

It's been getting a great reaction in social media circles.

Dan McNeil Interview in the Illinois Entertainer

My July column in the Illinois Entertainer came out while I was out of town last week. I had a chance to sit in and observe the McNeil and Spiegel show on the Score (670 AM), and discovered something quite surprising.

You can read the column here.

Below are a few of the pics I snapped the day I was there.

Dan in the studio...



The pre-show meeting...



The control room for the live on-camera web simulcast...

"Recalled To Life" Now Available as an E-book

Dan Burns has been doing quite well selling and promoting the trade paperback version of his debut novel "Recalled to Life". It's been available here at Eckhartz Press for a few weeks now, and it's been getting lots of friendly publicity.

Perhaps you saw this piece in Suburban Life or this one in the Sun-Times.

Well, Eckhartz Press is also pleased to announce that "Recalled to Life" is now also available as an e-book in the Kindle format. If you have a Nook, you can also get it at Barnes & Noble's Nook Store.

If you've read it and enjoyed it, join the growing community of people at GoodReads who are giving it good reviews. Barbara Wells, for instance, wrote this: "I loved this story. Recommend this to all. I couldn't put this book down!"

Get your copy today, whether you choose to purchase the beautiful paperback version, or the incredibly convenient electronic version.

Eckhartz Press Releases Chug-A-Chug

Eckhartz Press is excited to announce our very first children's book; "Chug-A-Chug" by Scott D.H Redman.

Chug-A-Chug was the result of a little boy named Will who loved trains, but would not go to sleep. His father Scott would often make up lyrics to popular children’s songs and sing them to Will to help him fall asleep. Chug-A-Chug was one of these songs. Will liked it so much that his father made it into a book with drawings that Will’s Grandma Carla had made. This “first edition” was bound, brought to pre-school for show and tell and literary history was made!

But that's just the beginning of the story. Will and his father built a large model railroad in their Chicago basement so when it came time to illustrate the real Chug-A-Chug book, it provided the perfect setting. Thanks to the amazing photography of Ray Nilsen, a commercial product photographer in Chicago, it came to life. For Chug-A-Chug, Ray used many elements pieced together to make the various backgrounds. (Examples of Ray’s other work can be viewed here.)



Cynthia A. Moore, Librarian La Plata Public Library, said this about the book: "Author Scott Redman hits the mark with this pre-school rhyming, sing-a-long book. It is wonderful to find an author that understands the read-aloud needs of parents, teachers, and librarians."

Get your copy today.

Rover Arrested

Remember Rover? He was in Chicago for a nano-second--brought in as a high profile replacement for Howard Stern. It didn't work out here, but he's been very popular in Cleveland ever since. Unfortunately that popularity took a little hit when he was arrested over the weekend. Tom Taylor's NOW column explains...

Cleveland’s “Rover” is arrested after too much Fourth of July fun. It happened early Friday morning, says WEWS-TV - about 3:40am, “an off-duty Cleveland police officer asked [Shane French] and another man to stop shooting off illegal fireworks.” The lead personality of “Rover’s Morning Glory” on Clear Channel’s rock WMMS (100.7) didn’t like it when the police officer stepped on the cigarette lighter Rover was using for ignition purposes. Rover allegedly grabbed the officer by the shirt and began pushing him. Channel 5 says “according to police, French started to walk away, then turned around and pushed the cop in the back,” saying he didn’t believe the guy was really a law enforcement officer. 37-year-old Shane French – who was briefly one of CBS Radio’s Howard Stern replacements, based in in Chicago – was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, assault, and possession of fireworks. French’s friend is looking at the same charges. Cleveland’s Fox 8 Television adds that Rover was released on $5,000 personal bond following a court appearance on Saturday.

WGN Radio Shuffles Deck

WGN made a few moves while I was out of town last week.

They jettisoned noon show host Carol Roth and evening host Turi Ryder, expanded David Kaplan's role (making him 7-Midnight weeknights), and brought back Steve Cochran (for now, in a fill-in role).

They also brought back Todd Manley as their creative services director. (Note: the photo at the link is NOT Todd Manley. Not sure where Radio Online got that pic)

I previously interviewed several of those people at Chicago Radio Spotlight (Kap, Steve Cochran, and Todd Manley). All of them were Tribune/WGN employees when I interviewed them for the first time, and now they are back.

Vacation

I'm going to be on vacation from the blog until July 8th.

A new Illinois Entertainer column will drop on July 1st, Just One Bad Century will continue to update daily, and a new Shore Magazine will come out in the meantime (including my article about my upcoming 50th birthday), but other than that, I'll be off the grid for awhile.

Have a great week or two, and happy birthday America.

Green White

One of my on-going writing projects is writing the history of Green White Soccer Club, a club co-founded by my father in 1956. Every month I write about one month in Green White history. This month it's 1977.

Today's Blackhawks Tweets

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




thecubreporter ‏@thecubreporter 8m
Typically great Posnanski piece. "Could anyone ever remember a Stanley Cup game where BOTH goalies were pulled?" http://bit.ly/14oD8ur

steve rosenbloom ‏@steverosenbloom 10m
ICYMI: Stanley Cup promise made, Stanley Cup promise kept. The RosenBlog: http://trib.in/18cFnGL

Dave Wischnowsky ‏@wischlist 12m
Was just thinking, can you imagine what Chicago would be like if the Bulls and Blackhawks ever won titles on consecutive nights?

John Chatz ‏@Jkchatz 13m
#Blackhawks are special because they did not let winning window close. http://www.chicagonow.com/its-never-just-black-and-white/2013/06/blackhawks-do-not-let-the-winning-window-close/ … #cnblog @ChicagoNow

TheBeverlyBrewmaster ‏@BvrlyBrewmaster 19m
People annoyed w/ hockey tweets, do what I do when you tweet about Mad Men/Game of Thrones/Doctor Who/your cat: ignore them.

Andy Daglas ‏@AndyDaglas 21m
I'd like to thank last night's gaggle of anonymous drunken hooligans for their hefty stimulus to the window repair industry in Lincoln Park.

BLACKHAWXX 88 ‏@KEVZZHERE 50m
@mullyhanley @670TheScore Shaw plays with 12 stitches in his face, cracked ribs. Derrick Rose doesn't play a yr cleared after surgery. Huh?

Chicago Blackhawks ‏@NHLBlackhawks 46m
For those of you just waking up, and those of us who haven't slept, here's Bickell and dad talking to BHTV on ice. http://bit.ly/19oKBAq

Amy Guth ‏@amyguth 47m
Blackhawks Game 6 action photos from @chicagotribune photographers http://bit.ly/19oKh4H

Viktor Stalberg ‏@VStalberg 1h
The swedes!!! http://instagram.com/p/a-3pkjRsbG/

RIP Gary David Goldberg

The producer/writer of "Family Ties" and many other shows passed away over the weekend.

He was eulogized beautifully by fellow writer Ken Levine.

In a very cynical business, Goldberg was one of the good guys.

Some Pub for "Recalled to Life"

From the LaGrange Patch, an interesting piece about "Recalled to Life" author Dan Burns. He revealed his atypical method of constructing the story...

For Burns, a 22-year resident of La Grange, that meant developing a unique process where he writes a screenplay first that he then adapts and fleshes out as a novel.

“It is completely different,” he said, “but it works for me.”

Burns said a screenplay's simplified structure helps him to see if it makes sense to expand the story into a book.

The story is also ready to film should Hollywood come calling.

“By the sheer process (of turning a novel into a screenplay), you have to make cuts, and a lot of times the essence changes because so much is cut,” he said. “People who read the book, in this case it will be what you read.”

Lots more about Dan Burns and "Recalled to Life" at the link above.

Of course, "Recalled to Life" is available at eckhartzpress.com.

Twinkies are Coming Back

The date for the return of the Twinkie is July 15th.

I still won't buy any, just as I haven't for the past thirty plus years.

It's not part of one of the three major food groups: coffee, salami, and beer.

What a Stanley Cup!

And what a great way to end it...



Now please shave.

Paula Deen

I love watching television cooking shows...it's a weakness of mine...but I have to tell you I was never a fan of Paula Deen even before I heard about her racist comments. I tried one of her recipes once, and it sat in my stomach like a boulder.

Just a tad heavy.

She was fired by the Food Network over the weekend if you haven't heard.



UPDATE: She'll be going on the Today Show on Wednesday. That should be interesting.

Cubs 365

There was some good stuff on Cubs 365 this weekend at Just One Bad Century.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Sandberg game.

Saturday was the anniversary of (Cub fan) John Dillinger's birth.

Check them out here, if you are interested.

I went to the Cubs game yesterday with my middle son Johnny and roasted (it was 93 degrees), but the Cubs won. Johnny's record is now 15-1; a statistical freak show.

The Recalled to Life Book Release Party

We had a wonderful time last night in LaGrange at the "Recalled to Life" book release party. The Hammer Boutique was packed to the gills with people coming out to support Eckhartz Press author Dan Burns. Thanks so much to everyone who came out!

We met artist Susan Rackish Janssen there. Her painting inspired the cover of "Recalled to Life". She was even manning the wine-stand, pouring complimentary wine for the attendees. Eckhartz Press co-publisher David Stern and I gravitated to the food spread (Salami! We love salami!).

We were so happy for Dan Burns, who was in element, schmoozing through the large throng of people on hand. We're guessing his signing hand is a little cramped up this morning.

For those of you unlucky enough to have missed this fun event, don't forget that "Recalled to Life" is available right here at Eckhartz Press. The e-book has been submitted to retailers, and will be available soon at the usual outlets. Keep watching this space for more information.

The painting...



The artist...



The author...



The foodspread...



The crowd...

Sumner Redstone's Girlfriend Adopts a Baby

She's 42. He's 90. The New York Daily News has the details.

I'm sure all of Sumner's children (who have all at one time or another had public tiffs with their own pops) are rolling their eyes.

From the article...

Viacom spokesman Carl Folta also assures us that “Mr. Redstone doesn’t have any involvement with this child,” though a source close to the May-December pair, who were born nearly half a century apart, says the little girl is named Alexandra Red, which was shortened from Redstone. “They cut the last name on purpose so the media doesn’t find out,” says a source close to the pair. “They are not telling anyone.”

Good luck, kid.

RIP Slim Whitman

Slim passed away this week. He was 90 years old. This infomercial is the thing I'll remember about him...



It ran on television endlessly during my favorite reruns.

Lake Shore Drive 1900

This photo was tweeted by historian Michael Beschloss. Things have changed a bit in the last 113 years...

Vin Scully Tweets

I love this story. Vin Scully, the legendary baseball broadcaster (now 85 years old!), began tweeting this week.

Paid Content has the details.

According to the article, he immediately rocked it. No surprise to me. Vin Scully is one of my heroes. He's the last of the baseball broadcasting giants (though he broadcasts for the Dodgers).

Cubs-Cardinals

I'll admit I haven't been watching many Cubs games this season, but I did check out a few moments of the Cubs-Cardinals series. Those are always worth a quick perusal.

On this day in history, the Cubs actually contributed mightily to the very first Cardinals World Series championship. It's true. They traded them a pitcher who had showed up drunk 60% of the time over the previous two weeks.

That pitcher was instrumental in the World Series for the Cardinals later that year. The story and the video is here at Cubs 365.

Indecency and the FCC

Broadcasters are coming together to urge the F.C.C. to give up it's nonsensical enforcement of stringent indency rules, particularly when they are fleeting indecenies that the broadcasters themselves had nothing to do with. From today's Tom Taylor column...

Fox tells the FCC it’s time to get out of the indecency business. It demands “the full First Amendment protection bestowed on all speakers by the Constitution.” The comments by Fox are perhaps the sharpest of any of the big owners. (Read the filing here.) Though NBC Universal also says that “the agency’s current indecency policies and procedures violate broadcasters’ First Amendment rights and cannot be maintained.” It cites the tools that parents now have to “control the content available in their homes.” But Fox insists it’s time to scrap the whole indecency enforcement mechanism. Though it, like NBCUniversal and the NAB, has the fallback Plan B argument of “fix the rules.” Radio licensees are also imperiled by the confusing state of the FCC rules, and they’re filing comments, too. Emmis and Radio One join TV owners New Vision and Nexstar to suggest improving the way indecency complaints are reviewed...Entercom, Greater Media, Lincoln Financial Media, Beasley, Galaxy, Americom and other radio groups want a return to the previous standard about “fleeting expletives” or on-screen nudity. Their joint filing also says the agency should get out of the indecency enforcement business.

I couldn't agree more. The times have changed, technology has changed, and it's time for the F.C.C. to change this rule. The whole world is still laughing at our ridiculous reaction to the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction.

Cheech & Chong

They have reunited and are appearing in the Chicago area this weekend (actually Hammond)

I bought their albums in the 70s and thought they were hilarious at the time, but I fear their comedy doesn't exactly stand the test of time. Here's an example of one of their famous bits from that era...



See what I mean?

Today's Best Tweets

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




Los Angeles Times ‏@latimes 36m
Stephen Colbert rarely breaks character, but his beloved mother's passing prompts one of those times. http://lati.ms/me2qm

Bob Woodruff ‏@BobWoodruff 2h
James Gandolfini committed much time 2 wounded current war veterans-I met him after I left the hospital w/my own injuries. I truly miss him

Beth Fouhy ‏@bfouhy 10m
Just remembered Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign video spoof of the Sopranos final diner scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shKJk3Rph0E

ChicagoNow ‏@ChicagoNow 23m
RT @670TheScore: Report: Hernandez will be arrested in connection w/ Mass. murder http://cbsloc.al/12NOA65

Talking Points Memo ‏@TPM 1m
Reports: Howie Kurtz to join Fox News http://bit.ly/146XpEt

Brian Stelter ‏@brianstelter 3m
CNN spokeswoman thanks Kurtz & says "Reliable Sources will continue on CNN, and will be hosted by a variety of people in the coming months."

The Daily Beast ‏@thedailybeast 4m
‘Star Wars’ Casting Call Revealed http://thebea.st/11AYjHS #cheatsheet

Rob ‏@rlincolnharris 26m
Blackhawks-Bruins: A Series To Savor | ChicagoSide http://chicagosidesports.com/blackhawks-bruins-a-series-to-savor/ …

Sarah Silverman ‏@SarahKSilverman 27m
Ate pot before I played basketball. Noticed myself saying "not on my watch" a lot.

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost 28m
John Paul II takes another step towards sainthood http://huff.to/1bWjWqC

RIP James Gandolfini

This was a shocker last night. James Gandolfini is dead. He was only 51 years old. That's waaaaaay too young (says the man about to turn 50). Of course, Gandolfini will always be remembered as Tony Soprano. The clip below is an examination of The Soprano's place in television history.

Marketing Superman in Church?

This AP article claims that's exactly what Warner Brothers is doing.

The studio enlisted Christian-focused firm Grace Hill Media to promote "Man of Steel" to faith-based groups by inviting them to early screenings and creating trailers that highlight the film's religious themes. They also enlisted Craig Detweiler, a Pepperdine University professor and author of "Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century," to create a Superman-centric sermon outline for pastors titled "Jesus: The Original Superhero."

Wow. I would have loved to have been in the meeting they decided that was a good idea. "We missed the boat on The Hulk," I imagine one of them saying. "Remember, Jesus was transformed too when he was resurrected. Same thing."

Marc Alghini

WXRT is about to lose one of their long-time staffers. That's something that doesn't happen everyday. From today's RAMP newsletter...



Marc Alghini will soon be leaving Chicago and Google-Mapping his way to Peoria, IL as the newly named PD/morning personality for Advanced Media Partners' Triple A WWCT. He replaces current PD Harry Wareing, who remains with the station as a consultant. Alghini has spent the past seven years with CBS Radio Triple A WXRT/Chicago, serving as Morning Show Producer and overnight/weekend air personality. "Marc brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and creativity to 'CT that will impact the station from his first day; assets that will help grow the station as a whole," said Advanced Media GM Michael Rea.

The first job offer I ever got from a radio station was from WWCT. Phil Manicki (currently at the Drive) was the PD at the time, and offered me the overnight shift on the same day that Steve and Garry offered me the job to produce their show. Believe it or not, it was a tough choice for me. I think, in the long run, I made the right pick, but I've always appreciated the offer from WWCT.

Garfield is 35

On this day in 1978, Garfield made his first appearance in a newspaper. Now he makes daily appearances in my house. My ten year old likes to tell me Garfield strips. I love the kid, but listening to Garfield comic strips re-created by a ten year old is very close to torture.

Today's Best Tweets

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




Scott Powers ‏@ESPNChiPowers 3m
No sign of Hossa yet for the morning skate. Everyone else appears to be here.

Dan Rosen ‏@drosennhl 1h
Since going to best-of-7 format in 1939, teams leading the Cup Final 2-1 have gone on to capture the Stanley Cup 83% of the time (39-8).

Matt Spiegel ‏@MattSpiegel670 12m
Great stuff here on the Blackhawks power play from anonymous NHL head coaches. http://www.nhl.com/ice/m_news.htm?id=674406 …

alan cox ‏@alancoxshow 5m
Thank you baby Jesus. Sofia Vergara's poolside thong selfie: http://tinyurl.com/n6cl5fe

Andy Richter ‏@AndyRichter 13m
Is it just me, or does it seem like we have a much more casual attitude about alien anal probes than we used to?

Joel Denver ‏@jdenver 17m
Who Are The Top 50 'Not So Hot' Looking DJ's? | http://AllAccess.com http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/119536/who-are-the-top-50-not-so-hot-looking-dj-s … via @allaccess

Chipper Jones ‏@RealCJ10 31m
Boy I'm glad I retired! Would not wanna face Harvey and Wheeler 5 or 6 times a year for the next 10yrs. Those boys were electric yesterday!

Alex Walsh ‏@ajwalsh08 18m
Student loan debt has doubled in 5-year span, to nearly $1 trillion http://dlvr.it/3Xgqcz

Half Acre Beer ‏@HalfAcreBeer 31m
Beautiful weather calls for beautiful beer. Cuda is unleashed today at noon. http://instagram.com/p/avsMl4gteP/

Paul M. Banks ‏@PaulMBanks 37m
Tim Donaghy describes how the NBA allegedly fixes games (exclusive): You remember Tim Donaghy? http://bit.ly/19RuquW

Hastings Killed in Auto Accident

He was a fearless war correspondent, the man who brought down Gen. McCrystal when he published his expose about Afghanistan, but he died on a highway in Los Angeles.

Sad news. He was one of the few members of his generation that had real star potential in the world of journalism. He was only 33 years old.

Even Fox Has Scruples

A Fox Business Channel commentator was paid $50,000 to tout stock, which is about as bad as it gets in the media scruples world.

To Fox's credit, when they found out about it, they fired the guy.

Although, those scruples have only been recently added to their approach, according to this little excerpt buried in the Marketwatch article...

On Tuesday afternoon, though, Fox terminated Smith’s contract on the basis of its contributor policy, according to a spokesman. Smith, by text message, confirmed the news. Asked earlier whether he had violated Fox’s rules, Smith said, via text message, “that policy was added late last year … my contract was not subject to that clause …”

I'm not going to quibble. At least they did the right thing.

I have a friend who follows the markets closely (as his job), and he always tells me to ignore any stock being pushed by any television commentator. "Once they are pushing it on television," he tells me, "you can be sure they've already sucked all the money out of it. Now they are making money off of you. The smart money is peddling it to the dumb money."

And the dumb money is me and you.

Netflix Creates Family Page

I know I'm late to this Netflix game (they have 36 million subscribers), but I really like the way they do business.

Their latest effort is a Family Page to help keep the kids occupied on long trips and summer vacations. As someone about to head out on one, it's speaks to me. So much so, I may even subscribe for the first time ever.

Like I said...a little late to the party.

Paul McCartney's Birthday

He's 71 years old today. I thought I'd have him sing to himself...

The Tribune Sale

It's been openly acknowledged that the Tribune is for sale. Have you heard, however, how many different offers they've gotten?

Would you believe 40?

So says today's Tribune.

Tasteless Radio Gets the Ax

I've always said that the only thing that offends me is people that are easily offended...but, I feel like I need to add something to the list. Another thing that offends me is making fun of sick or disabled people. Why on earth would you do that? It happened in Atlanta. From Radio Ink...

Radio received national attention Monday for all the wrong reasons. But, the punishment was quick and severe. Lincoln Financial Media Atlanta Senior Vice President and General Manager Rick Mack says Nick Cellini, Chris Dimino, and Steak Shapiro, formerly known as "Mayhem in the AM," on 790-AM The Zone in Atlanta have been fired. The three were let go after making fun of former new Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason. Gleason is suffering from ALS, is in a wheelchair, and has lost most of his motor skills.

Get it? Whoa. OK, that's impossible to defend.

Happy Birthday To My Bride

She still looks exactly like she did on our wedding day, nearly 22 years ago. Happy birthday, Bridget.