Unwanted Nostalgia- Remembering Life Before The Internet!

Even as I write this, my internet service is fading in and out on me this morning. It's really incredible to note how quickly I have come to depend on the web as my lifeline to everything... in fact, if I had to choose between keeping the web or keeping the TV and TiVo, I think I'd have to choose the internet! When my service went out at around 6 this morning, I knew I had to contact Verizon immediately - the problem was, I couldn't get the Fios webpage up on the internet, so I had to find a PHONE BOOK! Verizon tossed a couple of them on my driveway a few weeks ago, and luckily, my wife refused to let me throw them away, so I was able to call Verizon and after a few minutes of voice mail hell, get a technician on the line. Thank God my wife is a luddite!

Bravo, Blake High School!

When was the last time you went to see a high school play? You might be surprised to find out just how enjoyable they are, not to mention what a nice, inexpensive evening out they can prove to be.

The missus and I left the kids home and went on a date last night to James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring to see its production of the musical "Les Miserables". For those of you who don't know, Blake is Montgomery County's performing arts magnet school, so it's filled with budding future professional actors, singers and dancers. We were cautiously optimistic that these high school kids would do justice to the Victor Hugo classic, but to be honest, we were blown away!

Robin and I have seen "Les Miz" on Broadway, and while I couldn't call this its equal, you could certainly put it up there with any regional theater in terms of quality - from the voices to the costumes to the sets... everything first class all the way! It certainly blew away any production I had ever done at any level through college! For just a couple of bucks more than the cost of a movie, we were treated to a great night of entertainment, and thrilled to see teenagers pour their hearts into the arts!

For those of you unfamiliar with the plot or music of Les Miserables, check out this clever synopsis courtesy of our friends at Lego!

Which Would YOU Choose?

The Pew Research Center conducted a survey with Americans to find out what's more important in their lives - wealth or free time. Personally, I think one goes hand in hand with the other. The gift of wealth creates the opportunity for more free time. Of course, right now I have more free time than I know what to do with, and this free time is slowly draining what very little wealth I have left, but set this contradiction aside for the moment and read the damn story from Reuters!

Having enough free time is more important to most Americans than being rich, according to a new poll.
Only 13 percent of more than 2,400 people questioned in the telephone poll ranked being wealthy as most important to them, while 67 percent ranked free time as their top priority, higher than having a successful career, getting married, and having children.

"Everyone wants free time to do the things they want to do, young, middle-aged or old," said Richard Morin, of the Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, which conducted the survey.
"So our desire to play unites us."

The poll also showed that people who were university educated valued career success over wealth, as did middle-aged people.

Not surprisingly, those who didn't have money, ranked wealth very highly. This included minorities, first generation Americans and less educated people.
The survey also revealed that a disproportionate number of people under the age of 30 and retirees in the group made $20,000 or less a year.
But the emphasis on wealth lessens with age, with younger people putting value on it but hardly any seniors.

"It just diminishes with time as the reality sets in that you would never be rich," Morin said. "But also, the reality sets in that you don't have to be rich to lead a very comfortable and fulfilling life."

While wealth was not at the top of people's list of priorities, 43 percent still said it was somewhat important.

Perhaps we would all find happiness washing cars. To quote the 20th century philosopher

Rose Royce, "You might not ever get rich, but let me tell you it's better than digging a ditch".

Man, I really need less free time right about now, don't I?

More Nationals Park Bashing!

The Nats won their 4th straight last night - their longest winning streak of the season - beating the Pirates at the new ballpark, 3 - 2... This was a real nailbiter - the Nats didn't score the winning run until the bottom of the 8th inning. Hmmm... I wonder how many people were there to see it!

The announced crowd at the park last night was 24,723. Again - this is the number of tickets sold, not the number of butts in seats. By the bottom of the 8th, I'd bet the crowd was at best 10,000 - because fans are already well-known for sneaking out early to avoid the crowds on Metro. My "friend", Randy Bernstein, did just that last week. He and his son Evan went to a game with an announced crowd of about 25,000. Randy tells me there were nowhere near that many people in the stands - and he also confesses to leaving in the 6th inning to beat the rush.

Now, everything I've just told you flies in the face of what Tom Boswell is reporting in his column in today's Washington Post. Boswell is almost desperate to declare Nationals Park a big success, and he's quick to point out that the team's revenue from attendance may double this season. Yeah, Tom... they've boosted the hell out of ticket prices, and the new stadium also brought in more season ticket buyers - of course revenue for the team is going to increase!

But what about revenue for the city, and for the vendors who opened concession stands on the promise of more fans?

The Nats have not had a sellout since opening night, and no matter what happy spin they put on it, they can't be happy with an average attendance of under 30,000 fans - a figure that is boosted by heavier weekend crowds - midweek games have drawn closer to 20,000. The Nats are going to make their money no matter what - DC has to pay for the stadium whether people are going to the games or not.

City residents better hope for more - and longer - winning streaks!

The Next Humorist-In-Chief?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - No matter what the issues are, no matter who has the most impressive bona fides - the next and every President of the United States will be elected based on the personality he or she exudes. This is why George H.W. Bush beat Mike Dukakis, and also the reason his son beat John F.-ing Kerry. Would you want to be stuck next to either of those Dems on a cross-country bus ride?

The personality factor is the reason why it has become a standard practice now for all of the candidates to appear on Leno and Letterman... Daily Show and Colbert... and it's a big reason why I think ultimately that Hillary Clinton is in trouble. She has had her moments on the comedy circuit, but I don't think she sells it nearly as well as John McCain or Barack Obama.

Interestingly enough, I have seen McCain give policy speeches before, and he can be like watching paint dry. But he is also known for having a great sense of humor... As for Obama, he took his turn on Letterman last night, handling the Top 10 list chores from the home office, and I think he acquitted himself well:


Now, by way of disclaimer... I may be underestimating Hillary Clinton, because I'm a man and she does not do particularly well with men. But considering we're the gender that has kept the Simpsons on the air... that we're also responsible for every one of the 30 or so Police Academy movies in existence... and that we make up nearly half of the available voting pool out there, Hillary better start getting her funny bone on!

The Death Of Four Dollar A Cup Coffee?

Starbucks has announced a 21 percent drop in year-to-year earnings, as the recession has perhaps finally proven to be the silver bullet to kill the mega-coffee beast. I have never understood the allure of paying way-over premium prices for coffee, even as my own wife has made it a daily part of her caffeine routine. I always took solace in the fact that I made my morning java stop at Seven-Eleven, and paid less for my 24-ounce fix than Robin did for her 16-ounce glob of sugary coffee-like goo... At least we balanced each other out that way. I guess in hindsight, Starbucks was the perfect symbol of the good times... Charge more for common goods, put a "premium" label on it, and buy up a cache of wheelbarrows to cart the cash away. Well, where are the good times now? Pretty soon, the baristas will be joining me in the unemployment line!

You Can Find Anything On The Internet - Even Time Capsules!

Yesterday, I told you that I found this picture while googling myself. The snapshot took me kind of by surprise because it's 30 years old, and I didn't put it on the internet myself. So where did it come from?

Well, my friends - upon further investigation, I discovered that this is my very first publicity shot! It comes from the website of my high school friend, Stuart Basinger, who had a lifelong dream to make his very own James Bond film. Flashback to the summer of 1978... Stuart had just graduated from Springbrook High School, and I was about to become a senior. With high school out of the way and college just a couple of months off, Stuart gathered his Super 8 camera and a bunch of his friends and proceeded to start production on his own version of "Moonraker". Stuart starred as 007, and I played the villain, the notorious Sir Hugo Drax. We spent much of that summer filming the project, but it was not actually completed until just a few years ago. Stuart did a fantastic job of making his dream finally come true, and I strongly recommend you read the complete story behind the movie here.

For me, discovering Stuart's website was truly a time capsule... You see, much of the film was shot in my childhood home, as well as at my Dad's beach house in Rehoboth.

This is my friend, Ray Whitten, who played one of my henchmen. He's sitting in front of the fireplace in my living room - a room that I basically have not seen since 1979. It was used as Drax' "secret island lair".

This is 007 himself, Stuart Basinger. He used my friend Bob Bell's brand new 1978 Toyota Celica, which actually belonged to Bob's Dad. We used the Celica as Bond's vehicle because it was the closest access any of us had to a "sports car". Stuart is standing in front of my Dad's beach house, which doubled as Drax' mansion.

It's one thing to have this kind of nostalgia stuck in a cardboard box in the garage... but to discover it unexpectedly online was a true delight!

By the way, if you TRULY have no life, the entire movie is now available in four parts on youtube, and it's actually become quite a cult classic for big Bond fans. Stuart's "Moonraker" is regarded as one of the all-time best Bond "fan flicks", and I'm honored to have played a small part in it. If you scroll ahead to the 1:10 mark in the clip below, you can see Bond visiting Drax at his mansion (aka my Dad's beach home). Enjoy my stellar acting job - NOT!

Stuart is now a digital video editor for the Fox News Channel, where he toils daily turning Republicans and Democrats into modern day Hugo Drax-es. Many thanks to him for the trip down memory lane!