Hip Hop on Trump/Clinton

The website fivethirtyeight has compiled some of the lyrics hip hop artists have written about Hillary and Donald.

Check it out here.

I don't think I need to tell you that it's probably NSFW.

Chachi is Speaking Tonight

I won't be able to watch the Republican convention tonight because I'm going to the Cubs game, so it looks like I'll be missing the speech from political heavyweight Scott Baio. Doggone it.

I'm impressed by his pedigree, but I would have been more impressed if Trump was able to score Scott's cousin Jimmy Baio. Remember Jimmy from the show Soap? I'm sure you remember his appearances on Matlock, Trapper John M.D., Matt Houston, Too Close for Comfort, Family Feud, and his starring role in one of those Bad New Bears sequels.

Now, that, would have been a get.

Ailes Beefs Up His Legal Team

How seriously is Roger Ailes taking this latest sexual harrassment lawsuit filed by Gretchen Carlsen?

His legal team now includes...
*the general counsel of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
*the former campaign manager for Michael Dukakis' 1988 presidential run

LATE UPDATE: New York Magazine is reporting that the Murdochs have decided to get rid of Ailes--they only question is when they will do it. If true, that's an earthquake in the conservative media world.

What media do you use?

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

AM/FM radio hangs on as the second-most used media platform for adults. But watch out for the smartphone. Nielsen’s updated “Comparable Metrics Report” shows TV at 47% of “Average audience composition,” with the broadest-possible 18+ demo. Nielsen translates that figure this way – “TV accounts for 47% of the total average audience.” Radio’s next at 17%, and in fact it’s a highly consistent 17% with persons 18-34, 35-49 and 50+. But smartphones are already claiming 23% of the audience comp for 18-34s. So radio is #3 with them. (TV is way down with that demo, at 32%.) Even with persons 35-49, radio now trails smartphones, 19% to 17%.

Radio and TV are hanging in there, but barely. Remember that radio and television can be delivered via smart phone and tablet, however. And clearly that's where their effort should lie.

The Secret Kanye/Taylor Conversation

I know the kids are talking about this, so I thought I would post a link to the conversation.

Kanye's wife Kim Kardashian posted this conversation to Snapchat to prove that Kanye asked Taylor Swift in advance if he could call her a bitch in an upcoming song. While the conversation does seem to be friendly and courteous, he never does ask her that.

I'm on Taylor's side here.

Papa Mick

How can Mick Jagger sing "I can't get no satisfaction" in all sincerity? The man just sired his eighth child. The mother is 29, and Mick is 72.

Details are here.

His oldest child, by the way, is 45...or 16 years older than the mother of this upcoming baby.

Cleveland Billboard

This is a real billboard in Cleveland, not far from the upcoming Republican convention...

I thought it was an obit

I saw this headline on Robert Feder's column and honestly thought it was an obituary: Sun Times loses general manager to tronc.

I thought "Ooh, that sounds horrible. Hope it was peaceful and didn't involve too much pain."

Then I remembered that tronc is not a disease. It's the new name of the Tribune company.

I know I've said this before, but what an incredibly stupid name.

Not Trustworthy

Something like 55% of America doesn't think that Hillary is trustworthy, which is the #1 reason people do not support her. Of course, if they vote for the other guy, they end up supporting someone who is demonstrably provably less trustworthy, which is a little ironic. From this morning's Washington Post fact checker...

Here’s the tally so far. Three Pinocchios could be viewed as mostly false, Two Pinocchios as half-true, One Pinocchio as mostly true and the rarely given Geppetto as completely true.

Trump (52 rated claims)

Four Pinocchios: 33 (63 percent)

Three Pinocchios: 11 (21 percent)

Two Pinocchios: 5 (10 percent)

One Pinocchio: 1 (2 percent)

Geppetto Checkmark: 2 (4 percent).


Clinton (35 rated claims)

Four Pinocchios: 5 (14 percent)

Three Pinocchios: 13 (36 percent)

Two Pinocchios: 11 (30.5 percent)

One Pinocchio: 2 (5.5 percent)

Geppetto Checkmark: 5 (14 percent)

As you see, the ratio of Trump’s Four-Pinocchios ratings is sky-high. In fact, nearly 85 percent of Trump’s claims that we vetted were false or mostly false. A line graph of Trump’s numbers would show a very steep sky jump. By contrast, Clinton has a bell curve of a typical politician. The number of false claims equals the number of true claims, while her other claims fall mostly somewhere in the middle.

They both clearly lie. One is just worse.

The other thing that I hear is that she has proven to be a failure because of her decisions regarding Iraq, Syria, and Libya, and of course, Benghazi. I'm not going to address Benghazi because nine Congressional studies already have, and none of them found that Hillary was to blame for that. But ask yourself this question, if you feel she has disqualified herself by making mistakes in this realm, do you honestly believe that Trump will be better at foreign policy? The kill-their-families guy? The steal-all-their-oil guy? The ban-an-entire-religion guy?

I'm not a Hillary fan.

But to me, this is the easiest choice of all-time.

Wisdom

Thanks to "RS" for this one...

Steven Tyler Worried About Joe Perry

Last week Joe Perry collapsed on stage during a concert (not with Aerosmith), and the word has been that he is recovering nicely. If he is, however, he hasn't bothered returning calls to Steven Tyler, which has the Aerosmith lead singer a little worried. From UltimateClassicRock.com...

“I know they’re putting out nothing but ‘he’s recovering, he’s really good, he fainted, exhaustion,'” Tyler added. “But I know my brother. He’s just about the only other guy that’s as passionate about his art as I am. He’s always asking me to do three, four [Aerosmith] shows in a row, and I can’t. I’ll blow my voice out. I know how to maintain my career, my health, and Joe’s passionate. I don’t think he knows how to. I think he’s out there and someone’s overbooking him. They’re doing like eight or nine shows in a row, or five in a row. I think they’re all a little burnt. I think they may need to look at that. Not young anymore, y’know?”

We know, Steven. We know.

By the way, even I know that Joe not returning calls to Steven doesn't necessarily mean anything. They sometimes go years without speaking to each other.

Minutia Men, Episode 11

Rick and Dave get the low-down on Pokemon Go from a 13-year-old user. They also discuss the Roger Ailes office chase, quiz each other about names in the news, see what the Cubs were doing during the NYC blackout, and share the details of their brush with Boy George.

Listen to it here.

Emmy Nominations

This year's Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and here are the major categories...

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kyle Chandler — Bloodline
Rami Malek — Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk — Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys — The Americans
Liev Schreiber — Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey — House of Cards

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes — Homeland
Viola Davis — How to Get Away with Murder
Taraji P. Henson — Empire
Tatiana Maslany — Orphan Black
Keri Russell — The Americans
Robin Wright — House of Cards

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Bryan Cranston — All The Way
Benedict Cumberbatch — Sherlock
Idris Elba — Luther
Cuba Gooding Jr. — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Tom Hiddleston — The Night Manager
Courtney B. Vance — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Kirsten Dunst — Fargo
Felicity Huffman — American Crime
Audra McDonald — Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
Sarah Paulson — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Lili Taylor — American Crime
Kerry Washington — Confirmation

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson — Black-ish
Aziz Ansari — Master of None
Will Forte — Last Man on Earth
William H. Macy — Shameless
Thomas Middleditch — Silicon Valley
Jeffrey Tambor — Transparent

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Ellie Kemper — Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus — Veep
Laurie Metcalf — Getting On
Tracee Ellis Ross — Black-ish
Amy Schumer — Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin — Grace and Frankie

Reality Series
The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef
The Voice

Variety Series
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Real Time with Bill Maher
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

TV Movie
A Very Murray Christmas
All The Way
Confirmation
Luther
Sherlock

Limited Series
American Crime
Fargo
The Night Manager
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Roots

Comedy Series
Black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep

Drama Series
The Americans
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mr. Robot

Black Republican Senator Talks About Black Reality

There's obviously a dispute in this country about whether or not African Americans are treated differently by police than white people. Please note, however, that the only place that debate is taking place is among white people. There is no debate in the African-American community. Zero.

The black surgeon who treated the cops that had been shot in Dallas spoke movingly about his fear of the police. He has experienced it too--and he's a surgeon.

And yesterday, Senator Tim Scott admitted that he has experienced it too. He's not only a Senator. He's a Republican.

Luke Russert Leaving NBC News

This is kind of a shocker, because Russert was becoming one of the best political reporters on television.

He just wants to take some time to rethink his future. He's 30 now. He was thrust into this job in the wake of his father's death. He's on a thankless horrible beat (Congress).

I say, you go, young Luke. Life's too short.

RNC Speakers

The Trump campaign announced the speakers for the RNC.

One night they will spend the whole night re-litigating Benghazi (again). Another night they will spend the entire night re-litigating the fact that Bill Clinton is a horndog (again). And while the speaker's list includes the Majority Leader in the Senate and the Speaker of the House, it doesn't include any ex-GOP presidents (two are living), presidential candidates (three more are living), or even Sarah Palin (too mainstream).

The list does include a female professional golfer, a male underwear model, four adult Trump children, Trump's wife, Trump's son's personal assistant, and Tim Tebow.

The planning meeting was caught on tape...

Drunk Passenger Urinates in Plane Aisle

The flight was from Copenhagen to Edinburgh. That's not a long flight.

But a 26-year-old drunk man unbuckled his seatbelt during the landing, went into the aisle, pulled down his pants, and started peeing. (Read all about it here)

I'm guessing you find this as shocking as I do.

During the landing? Dude, I'm already white-knuckling it here in the window seat, praying that I don't vomit. You are not helping the situation.

The Trump Radio Show

I had forgotten all about this, but Donald Trump did a radio show for a few years in New York. Don't look for the audio, it's all but wiped off the planet.

However, one person did have transcripts, and leaked them to the Daily Beast.

They have summarized it nicely for us at the link. Love the gushing comments about Hillary (NY's Senator at the time), and what he said about Robert Blake and Michael Jackson. Cannot believe that nearly half the country is seriously thinking about electing this guy president.

Wisdom

#WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/aUvLYyjE6s

— Anna Davlantes (@AnnaDavlantes) July 13, 2016

Back Tomorrow

Busy day in the office today. Will be back at the whole blogging thing tomorrow.

By the way, how sweet was that Kris Bryant homer off Chris Sale? Just sayin.

Stephen Colbert Rubs the Cubs for Good Luck

Do Not Pass Pokemon Go, Do Not Collect $200

My Twitter feed exploded over the past two days with discussions about Pokemon Go. It was everywhere. According to this piece, over 7.5 million have downloaded the app in the last week. I went into my son Sean's room to ask him about it, and he was already playing the game. He was about to go for a walk around the neighborhood to see what kind of Pokemon he could find.

I said: "How about you go to the grocery store with me? Could be some Pokemon there."

He agreed.

At the grocery store, there were about a dozen parents there with their kids, and they all had their phones looking for Pokemon (I kid you not). There were three Pokemon in the store, by the way.

I can't remember the last time something exploded like this in such a short time.

If you're late to the game, this article explains it. If you're playing it already, this article has some tips.

Messi Gets Sentenced to Jail

Not for missing the penalty kick in the finals of the Copa America.

He got 21 months for tax fraud.

However, according to this article, he may not serve a day in prison. In Spain, convicts who are sentenced to less than 2 years can serve that time on probation. That sound you just heard was Barcelona's soccer team exhaling.

Eric & Kathy Are Named to Radio Hall of Fame

Robert Feder reported the news last night. In addtion to Eric and Kathy, Steve Harvey and Michael Savage (really?) will be part of this year's class.

Of course, over the years I've had the opportunity to interview everyone associated with the Eric & Kathy show, including...

Eric Ferguson

Kathy Hart

Melissa McGurren

John Swany Swanson

Brian Whip Paruch

Mark Suppelsa

Barry Keefe

and their first program director...

Barry James (BJ)

Congrats to all of them.

CBS Radio Files an IPO

It's official. CBS Radio is breaking off and leaving the CBS mother ship. The Wall Street Journal has the details.

Once they make their initial money on the IPO, it's time for a fire sale. Everything must go. "Get your radio stations! Get your radio stations right here!

In Chicago, by the way, CBS radio owns WBBM-AM (and the FM station they simulcast that on), WBBM-FM (B-96), WJMK-FM (Classic Hits 104.3), WXRT-FM, WUSN-FM (US-99), and WSCR-AM (The Score). Some of the biggest and most profitable stations in Chicago.

Seth Meyers Live from the Republican Convention

Seth Meyers will do his late-night talk show on NBC live the night of Donald Trump's acceptance speech.

The New York Times has the details.

By the way, my fingers shuddered a bit when I wrote "Donald Trump's acceptance speech." This may be a boon for comedians, but I still have a hard time believing this is really going to happen. It's a bit, right?

More Ailes and Pains

They are coming out of the woodwork now. Other women who faced a similar Roger Ailes to the one described by Gretchen Carlson. And these charges go back a long way. This pattern of behavior, according to these women, goes all the way back to the 1960s.

Read this report in New York Magazine. It features six women, a few of which go by their full names. Here's one...

Kellie Boyle, 54
Former Republican National Committee field adviser

This was back in 1989. I was 29 and living in New Jersey. My husband worked at CNBC and he said, ‘Roger Ailes is coming in to be interviewed, would you like to meet him?’ I said yes! I’d worked in political communications for the Republican National Committee; so Roger Ailes was like a God. I’d read his book, You Are the Message, and I used it for a lot of training I did for candidates. I introduced myself in the green room and he was very charming and said, ‘Would you like to visit my office downtown sometime?’ A week or two later I went in and mentioned to him I was going down to D.C. the following week to sign a major contract with the National Republican Congressional Committee. He said, ‘I’m going to be in D.C. too. Would you like to have dinner before you go in?’ So we had a nice dinner at a restaurant in Union Station. There was nothing untoward about it at all. He had a driver and a car, and after dinner he said, ‘Can I take you to your friend’s?’ So we get in the car and that’s when he said, ‘You know if you want to play with the big boys, you have to lay with the big boys.’ I was so taken aback. I said, ‘Gosh I didn’t know that. How would that work?’ I was trying to kill time because I didn’t know if he was going to attack me. I was just talking until I could get out of the car. He said, ‘That’s the way it works,’ and he started naming other women he’s had. He said that’s how all these men in media and politics work — everyone’s got their friend. I said, ‘Would I have to be friends with anybody else?’ And he said, ‘Well you might have to give a blowjob every once in a while.’ I told him I was going to have to think about this. He said, ‘No, if you don’t do it now, you know that means you won’t.’ The next morning I show up to get my assignment and was told the guy I was supposed to be meeting with was unavailable. Back in New Jersey I got a call from Roger Ailes. He said, ‘How’d your meeting go?’ I said, ‘Actually he wasn’t available and I’m hoping to hear back from him.’ He said, ‘Ah, well, I’m sure you will. Have you changed your mind yet?’ I said, ‘I’ll have to pass, Roger. I’m married and really committed to my husband. No offense.’ He said, ‘Well, we’ll be in touch.’ And that was that. A couple weeks later, I called a friend who was very high up in the RNC and I asked him what happened. He said, ‘Word went out you weren’t to be hired.’

On the other hand, some women who currently work with Ailes came to his defense. Greta Van Sustern for instance said this to the Daily Beast...

"I wouldn’t stick around if this were a weird place like that. I feel bad for her. I imagine she’s quite unhappy that her contract wasn’t renewed. Based on my experience, I’ve never seen it or heard it or suspected it.”

And Ailes filed a series of motions on Friday. He's trying to get this turned into an arbitration case that is sealed and held in private. From TV Newser...

In one motion, Ailes’ attorneys argue that Carlson breached her contract with Fox News by suing Ailes, when her “multi-million dollar employment agreement” with Fox required settling disputes by arbitration. The motion suggests Carlson’s suit names only Ailes–and not Fox News–as a means of avoiding the arbitration requirement. “There is no legal basis upon which she can rightfully assert that she was entitled to sue Defendant Ailes in court and sully his reputation in public,” the filing says.

Please Leave Me Alone

You can read Bon Jovi's mind here. He wants to be left alone, but is practically forced to join in. Normally I would have felt sorry for Jon. That all changed when those DirecTV ads that haunt my sleep began. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really hate those ads.

The story behind the story

This Roger Ailes sexual harrassment suit has got legs (no pun intended), and people at Fox News are getting a little freaked out.

In the first place, the response by Ailes and Fox News was inexplicably tardy and delayed, even if the eventual response was predictable. (They claim Carlson is seeking retribution for getting fired, and that she was fired for bad ratings--something that is pretty easy to rebut, by the way)

But the real odd response was that all the usual outlets (including Fox News) weren't used to defend Ailes as they usually are. Instead, they pretended like nothing happened.

That's a giant red flag. Fox News believes in one approach, and one approach only. Scorched earth. If they aren't using that approach, Ailes isn't making the call. If Ailes isn't making the call...somebody is very nervous about this lawsuit.

Read the first link in this post. It sounds like Carlson may even have this on tape. If she does, yowza. It also sounds like a dam could burst about other women at the network, and what they have gone through. One anonymous producer basically admits she accepted a job there with sexual strings...just because she needed the job.

Keep an eye on this story. It could get very interesting.

Uh Oh, Cub Fans

I can always tell when Cub fans start to panic. Just One Bad Century starts to get orders for this t-shirt. Don't panic, guys. When the injured players return, and Theo makes a trade to shore up the bullpen, everything will be fine.

On the other hand, keep buying this shirt. It does help soothe your nerves.

Media Moguls Gather

When I wrote my book "$everance", I wrote about a media mogul gathering in Sun Valley, Idaho. This gathering is an off-the-record weekend at a resort where the people who control virtually all the information we receive talk about God only knows what. It sounded a little suspicious to me, so I wrote about it.

People thought I was making it up. I wasn't. It's happening again this weekend.

What are they talking about this weekend? No-one knows. But reporters who are staking it out have noticed a subtle change in the guestlist. For the first time in forever, Viacom CEO Phillipe Dauman is not there, and Sumner Redstone's daughter Shari is. Looks like the coup is complete.

Shocker

Well, at least we already know what he looks like in red and black ... pic.twitter.com/fnPo01TgcN

— ESPN (@espn) July 7, 2016

Minitua Men Episode 10

The newest episode has been posted.

Rick and Dave discuss dirty licking, funny town names, animal fact comedy, a momentous day at Wrigley, and Rick's brush with Martin Short.

Listen to it here.

Throw Back Thursday: 1999

My old pal Catherine Johns sent me this today. I love it. It's an article about a live broadcast we did in 1999. During that hot summer, we set up shop at an ice cream joint in Worth Illinois, and gave out ice cream. That would hit the spot around now.

I'm in the picture on the left, next to John. Sucking on an ice cream cone, of course.

Around the Publishing World (July 7)

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. 3 tips to burn through writer's block
These tips come from the Huffington Post...who didn't pay for them.

2. Five Tips to Help Beat Creative Burnout
For those of you counting at home, that brings our number of tips up to eight this week.

3. How to submit to The Good News Review
The Good News Review is a publication that focuses exclusively on good news. The link will take you directly to their submission page.

4. George R.R. Martin asks for tips from Stephen King
What do you do when you're a writer who has a very difficult time getting his writing done by deadline? You talk to the most prolific writer in history, who seemingly writes a book a day. How do you do it?

5. Writing Romance for Men
This sounds like an Onion article but it isn't. Good tips here for romance writers who want to attract men, and for men writing romance.

6. Five Tips for Writing a Successful Mom Blog
I've always encouraged this sort of blog, because it forces you to write, and gives you the bonus of chronicling the lives of your kids. Take it from me (author of "Father Knows Nothing"), you will never regret putting in the time doing that.

Happy Birthday Ringo

He's 76 years old today. Here he sings to girls who are 16...

Gretchen Carlson Sues Fox News Boss For Sexual Harrassment

If she was still sitting in that chair between doofus 1 and doofus 2 everyday, you know they would be saying a lawsuit like this is part of the political correctness problem they claim is the biggest problem facing America today. I had to say that. I've seen enough of the Barbie doll anchors on Fox News say that.

On the other hand, this sounds real bad for Roger Ailes, who has long been rumored to be a weirdo in this department. What do you do if your boss is a fat, sweaty, bloated, nasty man who offers you the choice between having sex with him or keeping your job? If you have any self respect, you say "See ya". But that also means you've lost your income--which is why sexual harrassment is a real thing with real consequences, and it must be treated as such.

Read the allegations. They sound pretty convincing to me.

(Photo: Variety)

Chicago Radio Ratings

From Tom Taylor's NOW column yesterday...

Chicago suddenly has a real horse-race in the country format, with iHeart’s upstart “Big” WEBG (1.8-2.0-2.3) seriously pushing CBS Radio’s incumbent “US 99.5” WUSN (2.8-2.9-2.6). (But imagine what WUSN’s big shares used to look like - these are now both at relatively low levels.) The CBS station retains a sizable cume advantage (about 1.2 million versus about 930,000 for “Big”). But Chicago media savant Robert Feder says that despite having “very limited marketing behind it,” Big won the 25-54 demo. Starting at the top of the standings, CBS all-news WBBM/WCFS drops from first to second (6.5-6.4-5.8), below iHeart’s highly-consistent urban AC “V103” WVAZ (6.1-6.1-6.1). V103 is tied for first in middays and nights, and wins PM drive and weekends. WBBM is still #1 in mornings and tied for first in middays. After those two, it’s Hubbard with hot AC “Mix 101.9” WTMX (4.8-4.9-5.0) and iHeart’s top 40 “Kiss” WKSC (3.7-3.9-4.4). According to Chris Huff, that’s the largest share for Kiss since October ’14. Next is Cubs-boosted “Score” WSCR (3.2-4.2-4.1). It’s a steady month for Tribune’s talk WGN (4.3-3.7-3.6). It holds onto third place in mornings. With the Cubs at the Score and the White Sox at Cumulus talker WLS (2.0-2.2-1.9), Disney-owned/ESPN-run all-sports WMVP loses ground (2.0-1.9-1.4). The Windy City’s most popular station for weekly cume is CHR “Kiss” WKSC (2,375,400).

Played Hooky Again Yesterday

Ah...summer. I probably shouldn't have played hooky again so soon after returning from vacation, but I had Cubs tickets yesteray, and son #3 was itching to go. So we went. It was hot, sticky, and the Cubs lost...but the two of us still had a good time.

Got a cool throwback jersey out of it. They were giving out 1916 Cubs jerseys in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Cubs playing at Wrigley.

Minitua Men at Taste of Chicago

Dave Stern and I will be there this Sunday @ 2:00P. If you're in the area, come on by.

Larz at CRM has a listing of all the podcasts that will be there.

Oh, and by the way, in case you missed last week's podcast, here is episode 9. Rick and Dave discuss foreign accent syndrome, the most annoying commercial on TV, Charity porn, Prohibition at Wrigley Field, and Rick’s brush with Ivana Trump.

The One-Disc White Album

Last night after the fireworks, my oldest son Tommy and I sat outside and listened to Beatles music. We discussed the fact that George Martin always insisted the White Album should have only been one album (not a double album). So...we listened to the whole thing and tried to cut it down to 14 songs. Try it...not an easy task. This is the list we came up with, and it includes cutting a big hit (Obla-di Obla-da), an iconic tune (Helter Skelter), and at least four other songs that I absolutely love.

1. Back in the USSR
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Happiness is a Warm Gun
6. Martha My Dear
7. I'm So Tired
8. Blackbird
9. Rocky Raccoon
10. Julia
11. Birthday
12. Mother Nature's Son
13. Sexie Sadie
14. Revolution 1

We debated this for hours, and at one point had a few others in there instead, but this is the list we finally agreed upon. What are your thoughts?

Vacation is Over

Spent the weekend in Disneyworld with my brother's family, my sister, my wife, and my youngest son. Really enjoyed it. Hadn't been there since 1981...

Bruce Bohrer in the Daily Herald

When Buffalo Grove author Bruce Bohrer’s “Best Seat In The House! Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher” was published in 2014, the Chicago Cubs were in last place, with key players such as Starlin Castro, Luis Valbuena and Darwin Barney struggling to produce more runs than high-priced pitcher Edwin Jackson gave up.

Today’s Cubs, under manager Joe Maddon, are riding an influx of young power to sit atop the baseball world after a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Likewise, Bohrer, who recently added a popular PowerPoint presentation to his book tour, is on top of his literary (read more)

Buy Best Seat in the House

Blogging Vacation

No, I'm not going on vacation to blog. I'm going on vacation (with this little guy), and therefore cannot blog.

I'll still be posting a new Minutia Men podcast on Thursday, my Illinois Entertainer column about Leslie Keiling will still be posted on July 1st, and Just One Bad Century will continue to post throughout this whole time, but this little blog here is on hiatus until July 5th.

Have a great week!

RIP Jim Hickman

Sad news. Former Cub Jim Hickman has passed away at the age of 79.

Here's our write up of Jim from our Every Cub Ever Feature at Just One Bad Century...

~Jim Hickman 1937 (Cubs 1969-1973)
After eight forgettable seasons with three different teams, Jim Hickman was magically transformed from a perennial struggler to a powerful slugger. In 1970 at the age of 33, “Gentleman Jim” somehow batted .315, with 32 home runs, 115 runs batted in, and 102 runs scored for the Chicago Cubs. Not bad for a player whose previous career bests were a .257 average, 21 homers, 57 RBI and 54 runs scored. He also drove in a hard-charging Pete Rose with a 12th inning single in that season’s All-Star Game (probably the most famous moment in All-Star Game history). When asked to explain his surprising turnabout, Hickman replied, “I really don’t know. If I knew, I’d tell you.” His manager Leo Durocher loved him because he was a gentleman (hence the nickname) and because he would defend the boss against what Durocher considered the “trouble-making” faction of Milt Pappas and Joe Pepitone. (Photo: 1971 Topps Baseball Card)

Star Witness: A Parrot

This is a murder trial that is too strange for scriptwriters...

George Will Leaves Republican Party

I always had a soft spot for George Will because he's a Cubs fan.

Now I have another reason to like him. Will has announced he is no longer a Republican because of Donald Trump, and is urging Republicans to help defeat Trump.

George is not exactly a newcomer to the Conservative movement. He's been a prominent Republican pundit, commentator and writer since the 1970s. He joined the Republican party in 1964.

WGN Renewals

The folks at WGN Radio were busy on Friday signing contracts.

Morning man Steve Cochran has been signed through 2020.

Todd Manley, VP of Content Creation, has been signed through 2018.

Congrats to both of them.

Brexit Wins

The leaders of the pro-Brexit movement are already taking back most of their promises to the people. Many "Leave" voters are already re-considering their vote. Oy.

And Bridget and I had England on our short-list of possible sane places to live if Trump wins. Now where?

As the Sumner Turns

A few months ago, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman was assuring the courts that Sumner Redstone's health was just fine--because that's the position that helped him defeat the lawsuit of Sumner's ex-girlfriend. After the lawsuit was over, Sumner's daughter swooped in (allegedly) and led a full-fledged mutiny of the board of directors at the supposed urging of her father. Suddenly Dauman was out on his ass. Well...now Dauman is insisting on an immediate mental health exam of Sumner. From Variety...

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman is pushing for an immediate medical exam of Sumner Redstone, as the two longtime allies continue to battle over control of the entertainment conglomerate. Dauman made a motion to a Massachusetts family and probate judge “because Mr. Redstone’s mental condition is ‘in controversy’ and good cause exists for ordering an examination in light of, among other things, the lack of equivalent alternative evidence of Mr. Redstone’s mental condition.”

I gotta grab some popcorn. This is a doozy.

Rush Limbaugh Update

It won't be anywhere near his old deal, but don't worry about Rush. His the-other-side-is-wrong-about-everything-and-I-am-right-about-everything audio-poison-festival will still be around (how do you really feel, Rick?). From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

It’s up to him whether he signs, but the deal’s reportedly on the table in front of him. (Or on his Mac computer screen.) Tuesday’s NOW lead story said “All’s quiet on the Rush Limbaugh renewal front,” and that’s probably because Premiere boss Julie Talbott wants it that way. She wants a nice clean renewal with no drama. But the circumstances are so different from 2008, when Premiere signed Rush to a reported eight-year deal worth $400 million. Rush is now 65 and almost certainly isn’t looking at another eight-year contract. There may be option windows, but the initial term’s probably not eight years. Other ways 2016 is different – Rush’s show has ratings issues in some (not all) key markets, and it also isn’t bringing in the ad revenue it did in 2008. Same for those fat affiliate fees in some markets like Boston. (Though Premiere mines gold from ancillary ventures such as the website and subscription newsletter it runs for Rush.) At one of Rush’s renewals, he reportedly asked for and got a plane. But how many more perks does he want or need? The question about Rush’s future with Premiere is relevant because his deal’s up – and he’s not likely to jump ship to SiriusXM or take the Glenn Beck route and start his own venture. Premiere wants to keep him happy and in the fold. But how much are they willing to spend? Expect an announcement pretty soon.

Minutia Men, Episode 8

Dave valiantly fights through heartburn, Rick presides over technical Armageddon, and they discuss baby Cheerios, vanity plates, The Rolling Stones at the Playboy Mansion, and Rick’s brush with Dennis Hopper.

You can listen to it here.

HBO Cancels "Vinyl"

The Hollywood Reporter has the behind the scenes reasoning by HBO, but I really think it came down to one reason.

It wasn't very good.

And I really wanted it to be good, too. It had all the elements I thought I would love, but I just didn't. Mostly because the lead character was such an unlikable one.

Late Night at the Conventions

It looks like the Republican and Democratic conventions are drawing a crowd they don't normally draw: Late night comedy shows. Add Stephen Colbert to the list of late night hosts who will be doing their shows from the convention. Bill Maher has already announced that he'll be there, and so will the Daily Show. Samantha Bee might be there too.

Good. We'll need some comedic relief after watching whatever the bozos at those conventions have programmed for America.

Knew This Was Coming

Moments after the Bulls announced they traded Derrick Rose, I got this in my e-mail box from "PM"...

Around the Publishing World (June 23)

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. Improve your writing by studying critical thinking
This seems like a no-brainer, but how many writers actually do it? A mind opened leads to a pen being opened. (See? I just thought of that bumper sticker-quality phrase right there)

2. The biggest e-book sales-killers
You won't be surprised by the insights at justpublishingadvice.com, but it bears repeating. For one thing, don't believe it when people say they don't judge books by their covers...even e-books.

3. How to Become a Successful Playwright
This is advice I couldn't give you because I know so little about the theater. Backstage (the magazine) on the other hand, is the expert. Great advice here.

4. Three Ways Authors Can Plant Meta-Data In Their Book Blurb
This is really getting in the weeds of digital marketing, but it's an area most authors don't bother researching. Definitely worth a read.

5. Writing Tips from Deena Goldstone, Author of "Surprise Me"
The Penguin/Putnam author has been published by one of the big boys, so she presumably knows a thing or two about her craft. My favorite insight in this piece is: "Surprise yourself when you're writing."