You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

This has got to be my FAVORITE Christmas movie of all time...or pretty darn close. Sure, there are others that I dig a whole lot, but this one has a special spot. Don't know why exactly, probably because it's so QUOTABLE.

Seriously, how many times have you said to someone "I TRIPLE-DOG-DARE YA..." or "YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT..." Classic...beautiful.

Guys love to quote movies. Forget the fact that we never get them quite right. As long as the general thought is there, we can forgive another dude's memory lapses. I've had 20-minute long conversations with other dudes where all we did was quote movies. "Office Space," "Tombstone,"and " Anchorman" are favorites. Oh, and I can't leave out "Raising Arizona."

But back to "A Christmas Story." How many of you saw the story on CNN the other day where a teacher called 911 because some kid stuck his tongue to the flagpole? I almost fell out of my chair at work when I saw that. Like I said, classic.

And everytime I see a mall Santa, I can't help but think of this. Classic.

Eagles and Ants...

What two artists personify 80s music better than Don Henley and Adam Ant? Not many, really.

And I'm reminded of this every Friday night. Yes, I'm much older, and yes, there's much more music to choose from these days, but still, I just can't seem to shake it.

I used to live for Friday nights when I was in high school. The school week over, the weekend beginning...beautiful.

Friday night football games were a gas--I know I shared this in an earlier post, but, my buddy Duane and I rode to every home football game together my senior year...in MY car. That meant that we listened to MY music. I'll admit it, I was an Adam and the Ants freak. I made him listen to "Stand and Deliver" and "Scorpio" at least a million times. I don't think Duane ever appreciated the Ants quite as much as I did, but he never complained.

But we both agreed on some Don Henley. How could you not dig on "Dirty Laundry?" That song is AWESOME. I liked it even BEFORE I got into TV news. But of course ever since, I make it REQUIRED LISTENING for every intern I happen to work with.

The only reason I bring up my high school music habits are that I still travel to high school football games every Friday. Granted, I mostly fly these days (in SKYNEWS9 HD--how cool is that), but I drove to a couple last week. I found myself turning off the satellite radio and cranking up some old AC/DC. It just seemed to make sense.

Too bad SIRIUS XM doesn't have an Adam and the Ants channel.

May the FORCE Be With You...

Luke Skywalker is 58 years old! Whoa...now I feel REALLY old. Anybody else?

I saw "Star Wars" with my friend Scott at the Northpark Mall Theater in the summer of '77. We sat in the front row, BLOWN AWAY by Industrial Light and Magic's special effects. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Princess Leia wasn't as hot in the original movie as in "Return of the Jedi," but pretty cute nonetheless.

And...

Is it just me, or is there anyone else who sees the Star Wars "prequels" as LAME? I'm a George Lucas fan, but those three new films just leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. CGI is great, don't get me wrong, but the original three had, and still have a certain TEXTURE that's totally missing in the "prequels." And it's that texture that makes them seem somewhat believable. And don't get me started on Jar Jar Binks...

I will admit that seeing Darth Vader come to life is PRETTY COOL though. It brings Vader to a whole new audience.

Wonder how old HE is? Gotta be more than 58.

I'm Proud to be an Okie...

HOW 'BOUT THEM SOONERS? Takin' it to the Golden Hurricane with a mustache-wearin', redshirt-havin', back-up dude that's named after a Dallas Cowboy coaching legend. How's that for variety? And...the guy set a record with 6 count 'em 6 touchdown passes. Un-be-liev-able.

"We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee..."
"We don't take our trips on LSD..."

And in other football news...my MCHS Bombers lost to the Southmoore Sabrecats. Who saw that comin'? Bombers are 1-2 now...ouch.

"We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse..."
"And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all..."

I flew to Weatherford with Mason Dunn and SKYNEWS9 HD this past Friday to watch the Eagles take on the Chickasha Fightin' Chicks...yeah, the Fightin' Chicks...not the greatest mascot. You can watch the FRIDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS WEEK 3 HERE.

"I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee..."
"A place where even squares can have a ball..."

Mason and I were in Weatherford a little early, and went to a place called the Barbque Shed. Good food, and while we were eating, you could vaguely hear Merle Haggard beltin' out "I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee..." over the radio. Man, what more could you ask for, BBQ, high school football, Merle Haggard, and a helicopter ride back home. I must be livin' right.

If you'd like to hear Merle, or God forbid, if you've never heard the song, click HERE.

And belt it out along with him, like the true Okie you are (or secretly wish that you could be).

OK...I'm back. Been gone for way too long. I could make excuses I guess, but who cares. Suffice it to say I had stuff that took priority. But hey, if I've got time to post on Facebook, I've got time for this blog, right?

Stuff over the past month or so:

Vacation with the family. Good time. The kids don't argue near as much as they used to...of course that could change. Visited Fin and Feather Resort near Lake Tenkiller. NOTE TO SELF: Find a way to buy a stinkin' boat! Can't really enjoy Oklahoma in the summertime without one.






I co-hosted the OKC portion of the MDA Telethon. That was a good time as well. Ed Murray couldn't do it this year, so Doug Warner and I helped out. Wow...it took TWO of us to step in his shoes. After doing it, I have a MUCH greater appreciation of the job that Ed has done with it over the years. Donations were down, but not much really. I actually am surprised at how well it went considering the economy and all. I've been around the MDA in Oklahoma and all the wonderful people involved with it for several years, dating back to 1987, my rookie year in television. There are some great pix posted on my FB page and the MDA OKC Facebook page.

Doug Warner has left KWTV for KSLA in Shreveport, LA. Too bad, we had a helluva time during the telethon, and always had good times when we worked together. We share the same affinity for old school rap and funk, believe it or not. Doug's a unique talent, hope the folks down in Shreveport will let him "do his thang."

High school football in Oklahoma is in full swing!!! Awesome. I'm flying with Mason Dunn and SKYNEWS9 HD every Friday this season. Pretty cool, huh? You can catch Friday Night Flights WEEK ONE HERE and WEEK TWO HERE.

And...

Kanye West...the guy's a tool, what more can I say?

Things I Love About Working in TV (VOLUME 1)

Where do I start? Well, the title of this post came to me this afternoon as I was walking from my car to the newsroom. The TV tower here is well over 1500 feet tall, and there's ALL KINDS of cool weather phenomena that happens up there. And of course, what goes up...must come down.

Today there were storms in the area, and I just can't describe how awesome it is to hear the SNAP,CRACKLE, AND POP of static electricity from up above. You hear it and just know that something's coming long before it hits.

It's also an event when ice forms on the tower and on the guy wires. That ice begins to fall as soon as it becomes warmer at that altitude. And it's a show--no kidding. Some of the pieces are 6 feet long...or more, and some of them scream down at incredible speeds. And some of them just float. Luckily, more of them float than scream. I did a fun little story about the ice that you can watch here. I used to work at KOKH here in OKC, and their tower was even closer to the building than ours. I have a reporter friend whose car was totaled by falling ice--you can probably find it on Youtube. That was pretty funny actually. Sad, but funny. She got a brand new car out of it.

And of course, when there's severe weather happening, it's all hands on deck. There's an adrenaline rush that comes over EVERYONE in the place. It's kind of hard to explain--while most folks are taking shelter (and rightly so), we're efforting actual live video of the storm--from the ground, from the air, etc. The mission becomes abundantly clear.

And it's a feeling that doesn't leave just because you're not there. Many times I have been on vacation when a storm has hit, and have felt totally useless. "If I just had my camera..."

I'll probably feel the same way long after I've grown up and gotten a real job.

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

This Michael Jackson is the one I think I wanna remember. He still looked like a normal guy, he still had a serious afro, and his music was INCREDIBLE.

I got this album----yes, I said ALBUM---you know, with real vinyl and grooves and everything---back in I think 8th grade. And I spent COUNTLESS HOURS in front of the mirror trying to move like Jackson.

I wore this thing out. I carried it to every little dance that I got invited to. I took it with me when I visited my grandmother's house, along with my cool portable record player. I took it to my friends' house whenever I spent the night. Me and my buddies Duane and Lane learned every word of every song on this album (of course it helped that the lyrics were on the LP sleeve.) And being band nerds ourselves, we marveled at the skill of the horn players listed on the album credits. Those guys were awesome. Listen to the horns at the beginning of "Burn This Disco Out." OUTRAGEOUS!

Yeah, Michael Jackson became a freak. That's well documented. And I don't condone for one second the UTTERLY STUPID things that he did later in life.

But his music...INCREDIBLE. Really.

It was and still is a large part of the soundtrack of my life. I can remember what was going on in my life when "Beat It" was on the radio, when I bought "Bad," and when "Rock With You" was a top ten hit. When "Thriller" debuted on MTV, me and my friends all gathered around the TV to catch it...over and over.

It sucks when an icon of my youth dies. Makes me feel kinda old. But the thing about the whole Jackson circus is that I'm not the only one who feels this way. It's cool to see everyone else start to appreciate the music I listened to when I was 13 years old---and still do.

And if you're wondering....yeah, I DID LEARN TO DANCE...although my moonwalk is limited to when I'm wearing socks on some real slick carpet.

Here are my top MJ tunes:

"Rock With You"

Michael cryin' out for some LUV

"Human Nature"

Great slow dance song

"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"

I cannot be still when I hear this song

"The Way You Make Me Feel"

The video shows Michael almost bein' a real dude

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"

Again, I can't listen to this song without cuttin' loose

Can I Get Those Last 2 Hours of My Life Back?

A word of advice, if you really love the old "Land of the Lost,", DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT see the new one. I'm not a film critic, but I know a PIECE OF CRAP when I see one, and this new movie is a giant one.

This Sunday, I'm hangin' with my kids (wifey's at work) and we were eating in lower Bricktown. I thought "Hey, let's see if there's a movie we can catch while we're here." We head over to the theater and the only movie that we could catch right then was "Land of the Lost."

Now, I have said over and over that I would not see this new one. Because I really really love the OLD Saturday morning show, and I knew this would be a parody of the old show.

But, it was our only option (without waiting around), and I thought the kids might enjoy it.

It started off bad, and only got worse. I kept thinking "SURELY it will get better." No such luck.

I expect a few cursewords here and there, but not a steady stream. And no, I'm not prudish in the least bit. But when my little girl looks at me in horror every time they drop an F-bomb, it's a little disappointing, embarrassing actually. And there was more crude stuff than that. Totally juvenile.

Yeah, the old "Land of the Lost" was kinda corny, and it had some really BAD special effects, but it was never something you'd be afraid to let your kids watch. And yeah, I know, it's a Hollywood movie, but it's MARKETED TO KIDS.

So if I can't get those 2 hours of my life back, at least I think I'll swear off Will Ferrell movies for awhile.

The guy is a comedic genius, but I fear he's gone the Eddie Murphy route. That is, cranking out at least 7 terrible films for every mediocre one.

Maybe he'll do "Anchorman 2."

The Waiting Game

"They're comin'...no, never mind. Wait, here they come now...no, that's someone else."

That's a drill that most news photographers go through multiple times a day. Perp walks, press conferences, ribbon cuttings, parades, you name it--they ALL involve waiting.

I have been waiting for years--for the Governor to get to the podium, for the bad guy to get out of the police car, for the President's airplane to show up, for the Secret Service dogs to sniff through my camera stuff so I CAN wait for the President's airplane. That one always seems to take the longest, by the way.

I've probably spent at least half a dozen years of my TV career just waiting. In the snow, in the rain, in the heat, in comfortable chairs, and on back-spasm-making benches.

I've gotten very used to propping myself up or sitting just about anywhere. Matter of fact, when there's a high profile court case going on, you can catch 4 or 5 TV photogs lounging in all sorts of creative ways in the Oklahoma County Courthouse hallways.

Some guys read books, others play games on their cell phones. Some guys get brave and go get lunch or visit the bathroom. Those can be risky moves, though. I can't tell you HOW MANY TIMES I have made a bathroom run, just to get back and have to fight my way into the media scrum just to get a profile shot of the guy I waited all stinkin' day for.

Man, I HATE when that happens.

And even though I've been out of the day-to-day news mix for a little while now, I STILL find myself waiting with camera in hand very often.

Most recently, at a wedding I was shooting for a good friend. You see, every event has certain shots that you absolutely must get. Just like you've got to get the bad guy being walked out of the courtroom, you've got to get the new couple walking back down the aisle. Now that's not really a wait, because you're shooting the ceremony anyway. But...

WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

The new couple walking into their reception to all the cheering, the cake-and-punch stuff, the garter coming off, throwing the bouquet--now those are real waits. And the piece de resistance-the walk out of the reception, complete with rice being thrown, or bubbles, or whatever.

Now THAT'S a REAL wait.

And it's one you cannot deny. No matter how much you anticipate it, it will happen in its OWN TIME. It's not your day anyway, you whiner, it's HERS.

Now THAT'S one to remember.

Maybe I should change this blog to "Waits With Cameras."

CONGRATULATIONS RACHEL AND BLAKE!

Random-ness

Well, crap. Missed a whole week. Didn't mean to do that. But like I said earlier, I've only got one (1) follower, and I don't think the well-educated masses will be too disappointed if I miss a few days.

On to the random-ness...

Had the windows open tonight, and the wife says, "What's that noise?" I told her I thought it sounded like a storm siren (although why would we hear a storm siren at 10:30 PM in June?) Of course, it WAS a storm siren, from just down the road in Norman. Crap. Now I gotta pause the movie that the kids were watchin' and turn on trusty ol' NEWS9. Hook-echo-lookin' thing near Lake Thunderbird. Fairly close, as far as ROTATIONS go, but it was moving away from us. Good. I love Oklahoma, but man, does it EVER stop?

Interviewed Wanda Jackson a couple days ago. THE "QUEEN OF ROCKABILLY." Very cool lady. I mean, she toured with Elvis, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash--how could she NOT be cool? She's still goin' strong at 70-somethin. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. She even sang "Fujiyama Mama" for me sittin' in her living room. How many people can say that?

Sometimes it seems my life is a never-ending stream of cut-off notices. You feel me, dontcha? C'mon...don't be ashamed...I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YA!

Sometimes, "Money's Tight, Don't Feel Right." (By the way, that's another Earth, Wind, and Fire reference--look it up.)

And when you pay by phone, because you ain't got TIME, you gotta put up with that stupid automated voice--"Is that correct?" Yes. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that." YES. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that." YES! And so it goes, and so it goes.

Man, it can only get better.

And here's proof--the online story I posted about Wanda Jackson. http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=10518140