A photo-op that almost went really awry

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Above is Richard Blumenthal, a current U.S. Senator for Connecticut and, at the time, our state’s attorney general. He gained a reputation for being very vocal and fighting on behalf of our residents, although some questioned his tactics. He showed up at a fundraiser I was co-chairing a few years back as he was running for his current seat. Continue reading

Flight attendant turned comedian: The safety speech evolved

I’ve posted here about safety presentations and things airlines like Delta are doing to modernize them. Southwest has long had a history of flight attendants with good senses of humor and a bit of playful fun, but a video going viral this week takes the cake in a very good way. Continue reading

Calvin Harris returns, in spring, with ‘Summer’

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Awhile back, when Calvin Harris was charting with “Feel So Close,” while at the same time seeing success with productions sung by other artists, he said in an interview that the days of him singing solo were over. Thankfully, he backed off that statement, as new song “Summer” is poised to be another huge anthem for him. Continue reading

YouTube has everything: ‘Dance Mix USA’ commercials

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When I was first getting into music, I was a fan of WKTU out of New York, and it led me to explore a number of dance compilations.  A big name at the time was the “Dance Mix USA” series from Quality and Radikal Records.  At their peak in the mid-90s, they were the go-to collection of dance hits, well mixed and put together, with a lot of great tracks that I recognized from the radio. Continue reading

Postmodern Jukebox shows the pliability of popular songs

postmodern-jukebox

I feel so woefully behind sometimes when I am late to the party to discover something really cool, but it didn’t stop me from being amazed by it nonetheless.  This week I was introduced to the wonder that is Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox thanks to a friend’s Facebook post. Continue reading

YouTube has everything: Today’s Special

todays-special

Children’s television in the 80s was experimental in some ways.  While more established shows like “Sesame Street” had by a certain point long since found their purpose, the proliferation of channels offered the opportunity for a broader array of programming of all types to appear.  As such, a TV Ontario-produced show, “Today’s Special,” made its way onto U.S. airwaves by way of Nickelodeon and PBS. Continue reading

An illegal jump, but what a view

There’s all sorts of things wrong with this video – how did they make it past security? How is it a good idea to do any sort of jump like this in an urban area? – yet the video itself is undoubtedly compelling. Without further commentary, check out what a group of people did when they snuck through security last fall and went to the top of the Freedom Tower.

YouTube has everything: Classic SCTV sketches

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While Saturday Night Live has lasted for nearly 40 years now, there was a point, as the original cast was moving on, that another show was set up to potentially supplant it. It didn’t succeed, but the legacy of SCTV lives on, and thankfully some of the classic bits are readily available thanks to the Internet. Continue reading