News from me - May 13, 2001

May 13, 2001

OKAY, HOW MANY OF YOU reacted to the news that Perry Como had died with the thought, "Perry Como was still alive?" And how many of you instantly thought of that great SCTV sketch about him?

THE PICTURES ABOVE come from eBay, where someone occasionally sells a Fizz Nik — a wonderful invention I had as a kid. Basically, you put a scoop of ice cream inside the Fizz Nik, stuck it in the mouth of a bottle of soda pop and drank the soda through the Fizz Nik. This was all described in the article I have on here about L.A. Kid Show Hosts (click here) but I didn't have photos until now. I also didn't have a photo of Perry Como to put up here today. By the way, I went ahead and purchased the Fizz-Nik at right off eBay and of course, since it's still in its original package, I'm not about to open it and spoil its "virgin" condition. So I'd have to find and purchase another one if I actually wanted to use one again and I have decided not to do this. They were fun but they weren't that much fun.

TWO ARTICLES to recommend: We previously directed you to Eric Boehlert's amazingly-accurate article that predicted why the XFL would flop. (Here's the link again) Now that it has flopped and flopped big, Mr. Boehlert is entitled to write an "I told you so" piece...which he has done and which you can read at this link.

ALSO, for those of you still straining to make sense of all the press recounts of who won Florida — and they're far from over — the most recent is well summarized and analyzed in this piece in the Miami Herald. Essentially, it's a list of silly errors that voters made which cost Al Gore the presidency. They don't mention it there but now that Florida has decided to stop using the punch-card "votomatic" devices, they're selling off the old machines on eBay. Honest. Go there and do a search if you don't believe me...but don't think of buying one. They're about as good for tallying votes as the Fizz Nik.

FOR THOSE OF YOU in Southern California: Next Sunday evening, May 20, the Alex Theater in Glendale is hosting a one-time-only salute to the late Steve Allen featuring — among others — Don Adams, Sid Caesar, Norm Crosby, Rodney Dangerfield, Dom DeLuise, Stan Freberg, Shecky Greene, Charlton Heston, Don Knotts, Art Linkletter, Rich Little, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., Louis Nye, Jonathan Winters and a "big band" comprised of musicians who worked with Steverino. I'll be there. If you want to be there, you might want to hurry to the Telecharge website, where a few seats are still available. How can this not be a wonderful evening?

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