I Love Rose Marie

It's true. I'm crazy about Rose Marie. Everybody knows her as Sally Rogers.



But not everybody knows how long Rose Marie has been in show biz. She started out as Baby Rose Marie and was big in the old radio days.



Some people couldn't believe that big voice was coming out of that little girl. And as she grew up she became a popular nightclub performer.



Radio, nightclubs, Vaudeville, records, movies, Broadway, TV -- Rose Marie did them all. One heck of an entertainer. One heck of a comedian:



And more than three decades after she first started singing for her supper she could still knock you out with a song:



Today is Baby Rose Marie's 90th birthday, and I love her still. Happy birthday Rose Marie, and here's to many more.

The Terror of . . . Sheepnado!

If you're anything like me, and God help you if you are, you've probably asked yourself why Syfy (I still hate that spelling) made a movie about a shark tornado when they could have done a movie about a sheep tornado.



Oh. That's why. Right then, carry on.

Spring is Here, Spring is Here

Life is skittles and life is beer.

Inspiration

Sometimes, when I'm feeling not all that certain that intellect and romance will triumph over brute force and cynicism, I listen to this, over and over, and I feel better.  Yes, I am that big of a nerd.

Live Long and Prosper, America

I love this picture.  I love it so much.

How do I love this picture?  Let me count the ways, let me sing of my love.

It's Nichelle Nichols, our own Uhura, in the Oval Office, with the President of the United States!

Oh.  My.  God.

Okay, my little Trekkie heart can only take so much.  I'll try to calm down.

Things I love about this picture:

1.  It's the Oval Office.  What a great room, filled with power, symbolism, and history.

2.  Nichelle looks great.  79 years old, still a hottie, and I'll fight any man who says otherwise.

3.  She's wearing a Starfleet necklace.  To meet the President.  How cool is that?

4.  They're obviously happy to meet each other.  And why not?  After all,

5.  He has said that he's a fan of the show and . . .

6.  He had a crush on her when he was a younger fan.  No really!

Months ago Pres Obama was quoted as saying that he'd had a crush on me when he was younger. I asked about that & he proudly confirmed it!
— Nichelle Nichols (@RealNichelle) March 1, 2012

Well, of course he did.  What kind of red-blooded American Trekkie male didn't have a crush on Uhura?

7.  The Vulcan salute.  The President of the United States, giving the Vulcan salute, in the Oval Office.

8.  And this is the big one.  When Star Trek first aired it was in a different America.  It was in an America that had never seen an interracial kiss on it's television before Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek.  It was in an America where the sight of an African-American woman as an officer, an equal to other officers, a respected expert and leader, was unusual, and unusually important.  You may have heard the story.

And there you are.  From Star Trek to Martin Luther King, Jr., to this moment.  Take another look at that picture.  Do you see a bit of pride in Nichelle's smile?  You should.  After all, she opened the hailing frequencies.

Oh My.

Suddenly George Takei seems to be everywhere. And I love it.

Here's George with Patty Duke (Cathy was unavailable. Someone gave her a hot dog and she lost control.) doing a PSA for Social Security:



And here's George's audition tape for the Spiderman musical!



Seriously, this guy should host SNL.

You Cannot Outsmart Crazy

America's most important political commentator, Jon Stewart, says everything I wanted to say and several wise things I hadn't thought of regarding the tragedy in Arizona.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Arizona Shootings Reaction
www.thedailyshow.com
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Trivial Hoot Sixteen

Hey there puzzlers. Time for another trivia quiz. It's a Star Trek question, so put on your Academy thinking caps.

Here is a list of six Star Trek episodes.

The Naked Time. Tomorrow is Yesterday. The City on the Edge of Forever. Assignment: Earth. The Lights of Zetar. All Our Yesterdays.

One of these episodes does not belong on this list. Which one is the odd man out, and why?

Once again, the first person to answer correctly wins an ephemeral hoot and entry to our honor roll of Steely-Eyed Missile Men and Women. Have at it my fellow Trekkies.

Intellect and Romance Triumph Over Brute Force and Cynicism

Extreme Awesomeness

Trivial Hoot Fifteen

Hoo, it's been a long time since I've been in a question posing mood. We just watched the second episode of Sherlock here and noted that it echoed the canonical Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventure of the Dancing Men” in that Holmes cracked a code. In the original story it was a substitution code with stick figures replacing letters. The question then: what was the first letter that Holmes figured out? This should be elementary for even the most casual Sherlockians.

As always, the first person to give me the correct answer gets an ephemeral hoot and gets his or her name added to our list of Steely-Eyed Missile Men.

Geek-in-Chief

As you and most of the free world have probably heard by now, President Obama will appear on an upcoming episode of MythBusters. At first I wondered why. What is his hidden purpose? Then I heard the details. The arch-liberal has ordered Adam and Jamie to retest the Archimedes death ray. Clearly this is all part of a plan to replace our nuclear weapons with a solar powered alternative. Well that didn't work when Jimmy Carter tried it, and it won't work now!

I wonder if we can get people to start spreading that around the interwebs as a serious conspiracy theory? That'd be cool.

As soon as I heard that the president would be on MythBusters I knew we'd start seeing the Obama-haters making the usual idiotic comment about “more important things to do.” What some so-called patriots don't understand about the American system of government is that the president has two constitutional roles. He is the head of government and the head of state. In most of the world's nations these roles are separated. In the UK the head of government is the prime minister, the head of state is the monarch. In Germany the head of government is the chancellor, the head of state is the president. In Finland the head of government is prime minister, the head of state is the president. In America both jobs go to one person. As head of government he does important stuff like propose legislation, veto bills, run the executive branch, and command the armed forces. As head of state he is the embodiment of our national spirit. Like a walking, talking flag, he is the symbol of what we think of as American virtues. He hands out awards to writers and artists. He poses for pictures with Boy Scouts and astronauts. He calls the winner of the Superbowl and meets the World Series champions in the Rose Garden. And this president encourages math and science.

According to what I've read, the announcement occurred during the first ever meeting of a president with science fair winners. If that is so I am astounded. It seems the most reasonable thing in the world that the president would boost American science education in this way. If Mr. Obama is the first to do this then he deserves high praise for this wise and proper exercise of his office. And what better way to get lots of young people excited about science than to appear on the most popular of science popularizing TV shows, MythBusters?

Will a pro-science president encourage learning and lead to a generation of more educated Americans? It's plausible. And if things work out, we might even end up with a solar powered death ray.

Mr. Monk and My Mental Vacation

I just took a little business trip. It involved four flights and lots of time sitting in airports, so I figured I'd need to bring an extra book. It needed to be small and I wanted something not too challenging. That would usually mean an old Star Trek novel, but this time I grabbed a Monk mystery.

Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse was kind of fun. It is the first in the series by Monk writer Lee Goldberg. The troubled detective and Natalie, his Dr. Watson, investigate the murder of a firefighter's dog. If you are familiar with the Monk TV series you can probably guess that Monk is, coincidentally, called in to investigate an unrelated murder that is, in fact, related. Then, through a series of remarkable observations, leaps in logic, and what seem to be lucky guesses, Monk solves the crime.

The Monk mysteries aren't the kind where you are intrigued by the puzzle. They are the kind where you enjoy seeing the engaging characters overcome a problem. And the characters are engaging, but only if you've seen the TV series and have a fondness for it. As a stand-alone novel this is pretty weak stuff. Not that Goldberg doesn't try. He works to flesh out the characters and does a nice job, but the fun of something like this is that you already know the characters.

A book like this doesn't really want a review. It is light, simple reading for people who enjoyed the series; pleasant, if you don't let yourself think too much about it. Good for planes, trains, and those days you want to give your brain a vacation.

Tribbles!

I just love everything about this poster.  Via

Answer Fourteen – The Shipless Trek

An official Hoot to Jaquandor who correctly answered our last trivial question. Skilled craftsmen have carefully inscribed his name on our illustrious honor roll of Steely-Eyed Missile Men.

The only episode of Star Trek that did not show the interior of the Enterprise was, as Jaquandor told us, “All Our Yesterdays.” It began with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beaming into the library and meeting Mr. Atoz. It ended back in the library.  Scotty was only heard on the communicator and never seen.

This episode was also memorable for featuring Mariette Hartley as the scantily clad Zarabeth. Spock was quite taken with the temporally exiled beauty and they engaged in some highly illogical canoodling in the cave. According to the novel Yesterday's Son, this resulted in a Spock's son, Zar. The Trek Trinity met him by taking a little trip through their old friend, the Guardian of Forever.

One more fun fact about “All Our Yesterdays;” it was the third and final episode directed my Marvin Chomsky. Mr. Chomsky, who also directed “And the Children Shall Lead” and “Day of the Dove,” has a famous cousin -- a guy from MIT named Noam. Marvin has three Emmys. Noam, none.

What Happens in Jellystone Stays in Jellystone

Um . . . wow.  Well, as long as they're happy, I guess.

Do Not Try This At Home

Amazing Colossal Man Myth?  Plausible.

This could totally happen.  The enraged Hyneman is nearly impossible to contain.

Via.

Happy Trails

There is something sad about the upcoming auction of Roy Rogers' stuff at Christie's. It seems to mark the final passing of a particular type of Americana, the singing cowboy. Seeing old Trigger, Buttermilk, and Bullet on the auction block is just plain wrong. They should be in the Smithsonian.


Action!  Thrills!  Adventure!  Romance!  Singing!  What's not to love?

Roy and Gene Autry and Tex Ritter and a whole bunkhouse full of minor players rode off into the sunset a long time ago. The place they made in American pop-cultural history should be remembered and honored. I'm glad that Roy's old group, the Sons of the Pioneers, still performs regularly, as do such fun western swing acts as Riders in the Sky. It's nostalgia, it's hokey, it's cornball, but I'm mighty glad that someone is keeping those campfire embers glowing.

Well Done, Mr Nimoy

After six decades, Leonard Nimoy has decided to retire from the acting profession. He will be officially finished after today's final trip to Vulcan (really, that's where he is today). A veteran of stage (my parents once saw him as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof) and screen (big and small), he did voice-overs, directed, wrote, and, of course, sang. I will miss seeing him work, but if he feels it's time to rest, you can't say he hasn't earned it. Of Mr Nimoy I will say this – I am, and always will be, his fan.

The Mystery of Uhura's Armband

Calling all fellow Trekkies! I have a run across a puzzlement. The other day I was watching “City on the Edge of Forever,” which is certainly the best episode in the canon. In the first scene in which the Enterprise is passing through some bumpy temporal something-or-others we see Lt. Uhura in her usual place on the bridge, doing her usual job, wearing her usual uniform, but with an odd variation. Around her left forearm she is wearing a black armband. When she joins the landing party in the next scene she is not wearing it. It is never mentioned or seen again. What is it? Why is it there? I've looked around for an answer and found nothing. Memory Alpha ignores it. I've run into discussion and speculation but no answers.



I have a theory that is far more likely to be wrong than right, but I rather like it. The episode was shot in early February of 1967. On January 27, just a few days before, the crew of Apollo 1, Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, and Ed White, were killed when a fire broke out in their command module while testing the equipment. I speculate that Nichelle Nichols was wearing a visible sign of mourning. On the other hand the reason may be perfectly mundane.

So I ask you, oh wise and knowledgeable hive mind of the internet, what do you know? Can you finally solve the mystery of Uhura's armband?

Kathryn Kuhlman On Ice

I remember watching the Miracle on Ice 30 years ago today. I remember how nervous I was. Team USA was ahead with only a few minutes left. The dangerous Soviet team was pushing hard, trying to even it up, and I was wishing that the clock would move faster. I just wanted the game to end before the red team could get one past Jim Craig. And then 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . yes, I do believe in miracles Al.

It was something like a miracle. The Soviets were the best professional team in the world. The Americans were a bunch of college kids, a lot of them Boston University Terriers. It was amazing.

Those were tough times for America. We had just dragged ourselves out of the 70s. Vietnam and all it carried with it, Nixon and Watergate, civil unrest, race riots, recession, oil embargoes, stagflation, Carter and malaise. If you think national pride was at a low ebb during Bush’s second term, you don’t remember the 70s.

And then a miracle happened. People stood up in taverns around the country and sang the national anthem. Because the felt like it. People began to chant “U.S.A.” Americans began to feel good and even a touch of pride. It was something we had grown unaccustomed to.

That’s something that will never happen again. Not just like that anyway. It wasn’t just that our kids had beaten our arch-enemy’s winter soldiers. It was the way a simple game made us all feel. That was the miracle.