Magnum, p.i. circa 1984: T. C. sends a text message.
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Ahead of Its Time
Posted in Commentary, Pictures, Television
Tagged Anachronisms, Commentary, Magnum p.i., Pictures, Roger E. Mosley, Television, Theodore Calvin, TV
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Social Media Onslaught
I decided upon crossing the 20,000 visitor threshold to make the Facebook fan page for this site “live.” There’s not all that much there yet besides some links to recent posts. However, it does provide the opportunity to “like” The Axis of Ego on Facebook should you so desire.
And I’ll throw in a shameless Twitter plug as well.
As always, thanks for your support.
No Laughing Matter
Seen at the Richmond International House of Airplanes Airport:
Upon arriving at the security checkpoint, I announced loudly that “A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into an airport . . . ” at which point I was quickly tackled to the ground by TSA personnel*.
________
*While this may not strictly be true, it’s revealing that guns, knives, and jokes all get lumped into the same category in this era of American history.
Posted in General Culture and News, Pictures
Tagged Airports, General Culture and News, Homeland Security, Jokes, Pictures, Richmond, RVA, Security, Terrorism, TSA
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Awkward Moments in Entertainment History: Arthur Godfrey Fires Julius La Rosa
The television landscape of the 1950’s looked nothing like what we know as the medium today. Putting aside the technological advances of the past half-century[1], the biggest difference between that time and the present is audience fragmentation.
Greater choices within and without television have continually lowered the bar for what constitutes a “successful” audience share. For example, American Idol has been the top-rated show on television for several years, but only commands about a ten rating. A show couldn’t have cracked the top twenty-five as recently as the 90’s with a 10.0.
Although the total television audience was smaller because the population of the country was lower and fewer people owned televisions, the most popular shows scored ratings that dwarfed the numbers of modern programs.
The pie was smaller, but the slices were massive. The mainstays of the formative years of television were few but powerful. One of these was a former radio star named Arthur Godfrey.
Posted in Commentary, Television
Tagged Arthur Godfrey, Awkwardness, Commentary, Julius La Rosa, Television
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Rules
I experienced something instructive while covering a high school baseball tournament a few months back. Our local minor league baseball team graciously afforded its stadium for use in the event.
The stadium closes its upper deck for purposes of the tournament because high school crowds are nearly always small enough to fit into the lower seating area. Indeed, none of the games of this tournament even came close to testing the capacity of the lower section.
Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News
Tagged A Very Special Blog, Commentary, General Culture and News, Rules
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The Laziest Thing I’ve Seen This Year
Posted in General Culture and News, Pictures
Tagged Coke, General Culture and News, Laziness, Pepsi, Pictures, Vending Machines
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Revenge of the Nerds
What set Money in the Bank apart from the standard professional wrestling events of the past few years wasn’t the hot crowd in Chicago, or the slick production values, 
or even the great in-ring work. Every WWE pay-per-view features at least some of those qualities, if not all.
No, what made MITB so extraordinary (and what will make it memorable[1]) was the booking. Specifically, the outcomes of two matches: Daniel Bryan’s triumph in the Smackdown Money in the Bank match, and, of course, C. M. Punk’s victory over John Cena in the WWE Title contest.
Both represent triumphs by what might be termed “internet darlings.” Punk, who is listed at 6-foot-1, but is likely south of that number in reality, and Bryan, who is billed at under six feet tall, don’t fit the conventional mold of WWE superstars.
Posted in Commentary, Sports, Television
Tagged CM Punk, Commentary, I Want Wrestling, John Cena, Professional Wrestling, Punk, Sports, Sports Entertainment, Television, Vince McMahon, WWE
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Portrait of a Cereal Killer
My “normal” eating habits properly may be called neither “great” nor “terrible.” I certainly overeat on occasion. I also rarely eat a lot of sugar. I don’t eat as many 
vegetables as I should. I do make a point of eating fresh fruit every day. The only cereal I eat is Cheerios. Not honey-nut, not frosted, not apple cinnamon. Plain, old Cheerios. The kind you would feed a toddler.
Each of the above guidelines evaporate upon my arrival in Chicago for my annual summer vacation. I go there to visit my best friend, his wife, and their young son[1]. My dietary patterns during that particular week could best be described as “borderline-suicidal.”
Perhaps in an effort to ward off future transgressions through record-keeping, or maybe just to fill up space within these virtual pages, I decided to keep a log of the regrettable cuisine choices I made during my time in the Second City.
Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News
Tagged Blueberries, Cereal, Chicago, Commentary. General Culture and News, Diet, Food, Gluttony, Nutrition, Vacation
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Talking Points FTW
Opposition leader Edward Miliband of the UK Labour Party does us the favor of breaking off a little piece of what sometimes makes modern politics so depressing (comical?). Here are his responses to a series of questions in the wake of a strike involving public sector unions:
What’s especially curious about his refusal to deviate from a rather short script is that Miliband is actually in general agreement with the Prime Minister that the strikes were a poor tactic. On the other hand, a portion of the Labour base apparently feels betrayed by Miliband’s refusal to back the strikes. Maybe his, ahem, careful choice of words can be attributed to a balancing act between opposing the work stoppage while not wanting to wound some supporters too deeply.
This all reminds me of an old SNL presidential debate sketch wherein George Bush (Dana Carvey) finishes his answer with time to spare, and simply repeats his catchphrases over and over until the balance elapses. Bravo.
Posted in Commentary, Politics, Videos
Tagged Broken Records, Commentary, Edward Miliband, Labour Party, Politics, Repetition, Talking Points, Videos
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The Axis of Ego 
Awkward Moments in Entertainment History: Pat Boone Wigs Out
As his core audience began to age, and tastes began to change rapidly in the mid-1960’s, Boone wisely transitioned into a lucrative (albeit smaller in scope) career as a Gospel and country artist. His emphasis on Christian music earned him a fanbase that was less “pop” and more “mom and pop.” It also earned him a place in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
That served him well as he aged, maintaining him as a viable niche artist who could consistently sell albums to audiences who also enjoyed country and western music. As a result, Boone would promote his material on shows directed at those folks who were kindred spirits as it pertained to Gospel music, and who were also old enough to remember his heyday.
One such appearance took a turn for the awkward.
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