Slapdash Sunday: Showbizery Leftovers, I think ... Well, They're Free! ...

Where do we start. How about Ella in the background, under the L'Amyx tea tent in Oaktown, as the locals call the place.

Country & Western, like opera, it never got me. But oh, what a soft lyrical high: A sweet Japanese singer crooning "Country Road," as to infuse this classic with Great American songbook cache. So perfect on a mellow morning. And where should I be going, if anywhere. I was thinking, why not a Best of TV Commercials DVD? Or is there already one. That Geico character, the Pizza Whisperer, the gosh-oh-my! Progressive Insurance gal. AND, did you see the spaghetti lady getting whipped in her face by a thin noodle on the tip of her proper fork lashing out against it?!!!!!HaHaHa!!! I'd love seeing all of these amusing characters together in the same shoot, kind of a trade-talk chat, stars in their own right. BTW: Can TV get any creepier than the way those drugs ads are followed by nerve-wracking warnings: CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR IF, UPON INJECTION, YOU FEEL DEATH KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR.


Here's to Betty White, about to appear in yet a new sitcom. I love this lady. Remember her in the 1950s. She reached sit-com heaven in The Golden Girls. All five of those women held their own, so did, in a similar way, all four of the I Love Lucy principals. I know Lucy was central, but all three others were absolutely spot-on before "spot on" meant anything to anybody, tweet tweet!

Showbiz David Sounds Off -- That's ME in a big headline at the top of page A3 in the Baraboo News Republic, sent to me by Baraboo's dapper man for all seasons, Bob Dewel, in this instance twirling his columnist's pen over my Circus World Museum posting. The size of my name in print makes it a rare first for me. Maybe there's something to be said for big fish/small pond. I always preferred the other option, and have yet to conquer either. Tickles me, it does ... And while we're in Ringlingville, Sir Bob reports that two retired profs are handling the library archives. Nice to know somebody's minding the stacks ...

So what's all the 3D fuss about? May I tell you, World, Been There Done That, back in the early fifties, when upon entering the movie house, you'd be handed a flimsy cardboard thing to wear in front of your eyeballs, sit back for the special effects -- monsters and weapons shooting off the screen right into your face! ... Short lived then, and I'm predicting short lived now. Gimmicks. Give me a break, Obsolete Electronics On Demand; Didn't they just foist Blue Ray onto the consumer, Hi-Def before that, and already Blue Ray is looking older and quainter by the minute as talk turns to 3D. Does anybody still own old black and white Zenith? ...

Missing Jay at 10 PM. Was nice to have his opening jokes, sometimes boffo. Have switched back and forth in record mode between Jay and David, and have said farewell to both. Neither show ever made me a regular convert, nor will 3D get me back. Paul Shaffer in 3D?

Back to Baraboo, for a moment of bijou envy: The thought of the epic silent film Metropolis lensing at the Al Ringling Theatre, with a live orchestra no less, nearly gives me goosebumps. Does this little town know how lucky it is? They can thank one of the Ringling Brothers. Those guys were so far reaching in their day. Even pitched a "black tent" on the midway around 1897 to show a fascinating new entertainment invention called "motion pictures" ... If there is to be another Barnum, might that be, say, Donald Trump? Gotta say, watching him recently on Letterman, he does impress ...

Here we are, and you're still waiting for a main course. So am I. Bits and Pieces. That kind of a day. Have a cup of Genmaicha (promise, it doesn't produce side effects). And may you find better amusement inside the other tents. However, should you experience strange flashes or sudden bouts of dizzy spells, including but not limited to diarrhea, vomiting, headaches and stomach pains, gout or arthritis or nausea, do consult your doctor at once ...

Bye.