11/30/2007 @ 9:45am PST Friday Morning, November 30th! Big Game Weekend, Another Radio Surprise and My Son Daniel's Engagement!
Friday morning rain, it feels kinda good, doesn't it? We certainly need it more than ever in the coming usual rainy months ahead. And there's a bunch of stuff on the agenda today. But before I get started, if you're out Christmas shopping this weekend, here's the perfect gift for the man in your life.
Big Game Weekend! I always look forward to the USC/UCLA football clash because no matter how good either team has played up until this annual showdown, you can throw everything out the window and expect a surprise. Just look at last year when no one gave UCLA a chance (except for me with my on air prediction, with both cheer squads and the USC band in studio), I expected an upset, because in college emotions play such a huge role in sports, and teams rise to the occasion when they're not given any respect. Just look at this year's college football season overall. Totally unpredictable by all the experts.
Another radio surprise yesterday, and emails are already coming in to me, as Kim Amidon from the long running Mark and Kim morning show on KOST was cut from her Clear Channel job too. You can read my response to one of the first emails I received this morning as a result, and my conversation with Kim yesterday afternoon, on the "Tuna Talkback" link.
And finally, I've saved the best for last. By now you all know it was my youngest son Bryan who designed this website and will be adding a final link this weekend, but it was my oldest son Daniel who suggested I register for "charlietuna.com" as a website over 10 years ago before this whole internet thing really ramped up and it was still available. Smartest thing I ever did. Daniel then slowly guided me into the new online world and nothing has ever been the same since. So between Daniel and Bryan, who are always there for any of my computer questions or IT problems, this is all possible. I can't tell you how much they've done for old Dad. But back to the story.....
After Thanksgiving dinner last week, my oldest son Daniel surprised his girlfriend Lisa with a ring and proposal. This coming less than 6 months after my youngest son Bryan has gotten engaged to his now fiance Liz.
Here are the highlights in pictures. The ring pictured below, by the way, is another custom design based on an antique-ish looking ring that Lisa saw and loved a while back, according to Daniel. It's from Torgny and Co. Jewelers in Thousand Oaks, who also created a custom ring for my son Bryan's engagement proposal. Both my sons and their finace's were thrilled with the results. Here's the Torgny and Co. website link. http://www.torgnyandco.com/
Daniel and Lisa watching what Lisa thought was going to be their annual favorite "Elf" DVD, but it was Daniel's video highlights of their times together and then what was to come it said.....
Lisa's rush of realization when Daniel pulled the ring box out of an end table drawer next to him.
Daniel begins to explain what's on his mind this night.
The tears start to come when Daniel opens the ring box to show Lisa.
The kiss quickly followed an emotional "YES"!
A vintage bottle of red wine is poured to toast the occasion.
Lisa waves off anything else to come. It's been a big enough night for her and Daniel!
Congratulations to you both and welcome to the family, Lisa!
Have a great weekend! Again the "Tuna Clips" features USC/UCLA, the latest radio firing and my response in the "Talkback" link, along with a YouTube audiophile of the last song I played on my last day on the radio over 2 months ago. New "Gallery" photos added today include an actress on one of my favorite series "24", in the actors section, a fan favorite who's now on "Private Practice" and one of the hottest bands this time of year in the "Singing Stars" group.
I'll tell you Monday about my interview with TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) that takes place this weekend for the Japan Televison Network.
Stay dry and safe today!
Charlie
11/29/2007 @ 9:15am PST Thursday Morning, November 29th! Confirmation of my annual Christmas TV taping!
Hard to believe that Chrismas is just a little less than 4 weeks away, and every year for about the past 18 years, I've co-hosted the TV taping of the annual Southgate Children's Christmas Lane Parade on Tweedy Boulevard in Southgate. My co-host for all but one of those has been Xiomara Galindo, a TV producer and host for Fox and KTLA over the years, and we'll be together again on Sunday, December 9th at 1 p.m. The 2 hour parade is taped that day and will play back on Fox Channel 13 on Christmas Day.
There's even several clips of past parades on YouTube that Xio and I have hosted, including this one from 2004. Take a look and listen.
I'll be sending out my first mass email to the thousands of you who have written me since my last day on the radio, September 17th, reminding you of the time a few days before Christmas. I'll also include any news about my future in radio for the New Year that I may know of by then. My contract with Clear Channel runs until December 31st.
THIS TIME OF YEAR DRIVES SOME PEOPLE CRAZY, HERE'S SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF THAT WILL TOO.
*You try on a pair of sunglasses with that stupid little plastic thing hanging in the middle.
*The person behind you in the supermarket runs his cart into the back of your ankle.
*The elevator stops on every floor and nobody gets on or off.
*There's always a car riding your tail when you're slowing down to find an address.
*You can never put anything back in a box the way it came.
*You slice your tongue licking an envelope.
*Your tire gauge lets out half the air while you're trying to get a reading.
*A station comes in brilliantly when you're standing near the radio but buzzes, drifts and has fits every time you move away.
*You wash a garment with a tissue in the pocket and your entire laundry comes out covered with lint.
*The car behind you blasts its horn because you let a pedestrian finish crossing.
*You set the alarm on your digital clock for 7pm instead of 7am.
*There's a dog in the neighborhood that barks at EVERYTHING. Probably this one.....
*The radio station doesn't tell you who sang that song.
*You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom doorknob to get out.
*People behind you on a supermarket line dash ahead of you to a counter just opening up.
*You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary because you don't know how to spell it.
*You have to inform five different sales people in the same store that you're just browsing.
*You had that pen in your hand only a second ago and now you can't find it.
*You reach under the table to pick something off the floor and smash your head on the way up.
In the "Tuna Clips" today, "Charlie Brown's Christmas" was on the other night, but did you know it almost didn't happen originally. Hear why on the "Clips"! Also a couple of new "Gallery" pics, and more new emails including a question about "A Tuna Christmas".
Always happy to hear from you!
Charlie
11/28/2007 @ 8:45am PST Wednesday Morning, November 28th! Jury Duty completed. Lotsa catching up to do, including something you can try at your computer that'll drive you nuts!
It was a long day at the Courthouse yesterday waiting and waiting in the Jury Assembly room for my name to be called for a jury panel, and I wound up being one of the last ones called in the afternoon, for what was to be one of the last panels. And as it turned out, I was not picked for the jury for that particular case, so I got my green jury service slip and was done for at least another year. That's one good point about the current system, the "one and done" if you're not selected to serve on a jury.
Meanwhile, I stopped for gas yesterday on the way back and the prices are still outrageous, but what about your car? Is it on the new list of the poorest performers? The 2007 Chrysler Sebring is at the top, here's the Top 5.
1. Chrysler Sebring
The '07 has already racked up six recalls for various issues ranging from a faulty hood latch to poor airbags and engine-cooling.
2. Dodge Nitro
Consumer Reports has already predicted "much worse than average" reliability and called it "unimpressive" overall. First-year buyers of the Nitro have already had to contend with up to four recalls.
3. Jeep Liberty
It has below-average resale value, a total of three possible recalls, a "Marginal" result in the frontal offset crash test, and it's only rated at 15 mpg in city driving.
4. Dodge Caliber R/T AWD
The Caliber comes with standard side-curtain airbags, but even with those, the Caliber only managed "Marginal" ratings in the side-crash test. For a small car, the Caliber may also unexpectedly gobble up your fuel budget… the little Caliber only gets 24 mpg on the highway.
5. Dodge Magnum
It will be discontinued after '08. The model has only managed a two-star depreciation rating, and it's sunk to the bottom rung in Consumer Reports' reliability ratings.
"Dancing With The Stars" has a new champ who's used to winning. It's Two-time Indy 500 champ Helio Castroneves with his partner Julianne Hough, who now has back-to-back wins with Apollo Anton having been her winning hook-up last year. Here they are in action in the finals this week!
Finally, try this while you're sitting at your computer reading this. it will drive you crazy.
Lift you right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles with it.
Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.
.....Your foot will change direction!
In the "Tuna Clips" today, "unusual" Christmas songs to say the least, the "Gallery" link with some new pics of Victoria Secret models, an emmy award winning actress and "Weird Al". "Tuna Talkback" has more of your emotion filled emails, and I hope to have the last new link up on the home page this coming weekend.
I've been called to Jury Duty today, so this will be short. Check the "Tuna Clips" column for my visit with Len Goodman, "Dancing With The Stars" senior judge, while we await the winner of tonight's TV finale. In the "Gallery" link, there's also a picture of Len and I this past year when he stopped in. More new emails in the "Tuna Talkback" section, and I'll let you know tomorrow what happened today in the Courthouse (Unless there's a gag order:)
Charlie
11/26/2007 @ 8:50am PST Monday Morning, November 26th! Big Thanksgiving Weekend!
First off, No Jury Duty today. I called yesterday and did not have to report this morning. I'll check again tonight.
How was your Thanksgiving weekend? It was a really tough one again for Malibu residents. 53 homes and 27 outbuildings were lost in the Saturday fires, 34 other homes were damaged and as many as 14,000 people fled the blaze which is rumored to have been started by some partygoers at one of the regular gathering sites residents have complained about to authorities.
The fire scorched 4,720 acres (more than 7 square miles) and is expected to be fully contained today, thanks to the efforts of our heroic firefighters who were standing by, having given up their Thanksgiving with their families to be ready for the Santa Ana winds. You just can't thank the firefighters enough for what they do for us every year!
Some great football games and pretty good basketball too this weekend too (unless you're a Lakers or Clippers fan), and according to the stats, more than 147 million shoppers hit the stores over the Black Friday weekend (up 4.8% from last year), but they only spent, on average, $347.44 Thursday through Sunday (down 3.5% from last year). Friday itself was up 8.3% in sales over last year.
The Big excitement for my family though, was my oldest son Daniel's proposal to his girlfriend Lisa with a DVD video and a hidden engagement ring right after Thanksgiving dinner, and through tears of surprise and happiness, she said "Yes"! So that's both sons getting engaged to their future brides within 6 months of each other. Pretty exciting year!
Here's a cute video to kick off the week!
"So This Bird Walks Into A Store....."
And here's something for the season, A Christmas Tree Ornament Calculator. Go to the link and you can calculate the exact number of ornaments you'll need for your tree just by entering the height and base width of the tree.
Be sure and check the "Tuna Clips" today. The Disney Dickens Christmas Carolers kick off the Christmas spirit at the Magic Kingdom! New photos in the "Gallery" link today and got a bunch of the latest emails in the "Tuna Talkback" section.
Happy Monday!
Charlie
11/23/2007 @ 9:55am PST Friday Morning, November 23rd! Black Friday! Why aren't you shopping instead of reading this?
Every year stores seem to kick off the Christmas shopping season as quick as they can after Thanksgiving, usually opening as early as 4 and 5 a.m. this morning. I saw a Best Buy store on TV last night that opened at 10 p.m. for shoppers all the way till late tonight.
I wonder how many will be online today though, doing their shopping on the internet. The past few years, this coming Monday is usually the busiest day for e-commerce, even earning the matching nickname "Black Monday". 43% of the online retailers recently said in a survey they will offer discounts, free shipping and free gifts on Monday too. 77% of the internet firms reported their sales increased substantially on that day last year.
This coming Sunday night is what used to be called the Hollywood Christmas Parade, but since it came to an end because of financial problems, and was resurrected by the Los Angeles City Council, it's been renamed the Hollywood Santa Parade with Bob Barker as the Grand Marshall. It will taped by Channel 5 for broadcast at Noon on December 16th.
Channel 5 by the way kicks off a nostalgic look back at all the original great Television programs of the past beginning tonight with a couple of original episodes of "The Jack Benny Show" at 11 p.m. after their 10 p.m. news which will also feature some classic footage of historic events in the Southland. Among some of the golden age of TV shows that will be featured "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Bonanza", "Dragnet", "Lassie", "The Honeymooners", "The Little Rascals", "Gidget", "I Spy", "McHale's Navy", "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Three Stooges", "The Monkees", "Cheers", "Laverne and Shirley", "Happy Days", "The Partridge Family", "Father Knows Best", "The Brady Bunch", "Leave It to Beaver", "The Twilight Zone", "Gilligan's Island", and "Star Trek" to name just some of what will be featured. It will run until Monday Morning when the KTLA Morning Show will finish with Current and Retro highlights of Channel 5 over the decades.
In the "Tuna Clips" today is one of my conversations with the Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant, and his long association with the Parade, as well as being the master of ceremonies for all the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star installations.
Speaking of stars, more new pictures posted in the "Gallery" link today and a bunch of recent emails from you fans in the "Tuna Talkback" section.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend so far, and I'll leave you one of the most popular YouTube videos this past week, especially for you fellow cat lovers.
Monday, Jury Duty! I'll keep you posted on whether I get picked, and if I do, I hope it's at least a celebrity to make it interesting:)
Hope you have a great Turkey Day and some fun too. Here's some Tuna Toons to get you started!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Charlie
11/21/2007 @ 8:00am PST Wednesday Morning, November 21st! All set for Thanksgiving? I've got some last minute notes for ya!
It's the day before Thanksgiving, and just a bunch of little bits and pieces today!
Yesterday, I did the "Ed Sullivan Rock N' Roll DVD" infomercial that will get a test run around the first of the new year. What a blast! There will be 7 DVD's that have 126 different musical artists from over the years of the Ed Sullivan shows. It includes everyone from Elvis to the Beatles, Sonny and Cher, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, The Doors....The list of stars is incredible and 80% of the acts are now in color, since a lot of us only saw them on black and white TV's before color was introduced. I told the Producer I had to get my own copy of this DVD collection. It is a musical history book come to life because all the acts were "live", no lip synching back in the 50's and 60's! I'll let you know when you can get it.
Got the Japan Television Network interview with me scheduled for a week from this Saturday. It's part of a new weekly music documentary program on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. They want to have me talk about the Eagles back in the 70's when they began here in Los Angeles. Portions of one of the very first interviews I did with Glenn Frey when their first hit "Take It Easy" hit the charts will be featured, as well as my take on their impact on the music trends back then, and a couple of stories of my playing softball with Glenn Frey on some Celebrity teams. Glenn was very competitive to say the least!
Thank you again for all the Thanksgiving wishes in your emails! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow too, with all your friends and family. A lot of great football is coming up over the next few days, and how about those Lakers and UCLA basketball teams lately. They both are looking great!
Here's a little Thanksgiving Trivia Quiz link you can have some fun with!
In the "Tuna Clips" today, it's Tuna Talking asking listeners "What are you thankful for?", in the "Gallery", some new pictures, including the beautiful judge from "Dancing With The Stars", Carrie Ann Inaba, and more great new emails in the "Tuna Talkback" link!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Charlie
11/20/2007 @ 9:25am PST Tuesday Morning, November 20th! Lotsa stuff going on as the Holidays arrive!
Just 2 days till Thanksgiving, and things are getting busy. Yesterday I was taping ahead some of the Christmas/New Years break TV shows for "Cinema, Cinema, Cinema", a weekly international movie countdown show that I do the voiceover for, and today I'm headed into Hollywood for an infomercial taping session that I'll host with a voiceover that highlights all the rock n' roll acts on the Ed Sullivan shows over the years of the 50's and 60's. This should be fun as I grew up watching Ed every Sunday night on CBS. He had all the top acts of the era first, from Elvis to the Beatles to the Rolling Stones, and these will all be coming out on DVD.
Then I just got an email from TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) Japan's television network, wanting to interview me toward the end of next week for a new show they're producing that centers on the music and artists of the 70's. Apparently they consider me an expert on that decade, since I was on the radio in L.A. since 1967. We're going to try and coordinate schedules since I explained I am on call for Jury Duty starting next Monday, and you all know how that can go sometimes.
THANKSGIVING MYTHS VS FACTS
Myth: The pilgrims wore only black and white clothing. They had buckles on their hats, garments, and shoes.
Fact: Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the seventeenth century and black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions. Women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown.
Myth: The pilgrims brought furniture with them on the Mayflower.
Fact: The only furniture that the pilgrims brought on the Mayflower was chests and boxes. They constructed wooden furniture once they settled in Plymouth.
Myth: The Mayflower was headed for Virginia, but due to a navigational mistake it ended up in Cape Cod Massachusetts.
Fact: The Pilgrims were in fact planning to settle in Virginia, but not the modern-day state of Virginia. They were part of the Virginia Company, which had the rights to most of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The pilgrims had intended to go to the Hudson River region in New York State, which would have been considered "Northern Virginia," but they landed in Cape Cod instead. Treacherous seas prevented them from venturing further south.
USELESS THANKSGIVING TRIVIA
" When the Pilgrims were sailing to America in 1620, what game did they play? (Darts)
" Ben Franklin tried to get the turkey, named the national bird.
" Neil Armstrong's first meal on the moon was turkey.
" A turkey has about 3,500 feathers.
" What was one of the main reasons that the Pilgrims stopped at Plymouth Rock? (Because they ran out of beer)
" At the very first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621 they feasted on deer meat, turkey and what else? Popcorn brought by the Indians
" How much vitamin turkey feed is necessary to raise a 30 lb turkey? (84 lbs.)
" Running speed of wild turkeys? (25 mph)
" Turkey meat gobbled up last year by the average American? (18.1 pounds)
" The first settlers weren't called Pilgrims. They referred to themselves as Saints.
Oh, and the answer to yesterday's WORD PUZZLE......
See if you can guess what all these words have in common :
In all of the words listed, if you take the first letter, and place it at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the same word.
Did you figure it out??? (Yeah, I didn't either)
On the "Tuna Clips" today, Thanksgiving themed movies! Can you name any, well I came up with a few from over the years and the titles are quite appropriate. More photos added today in the "Gallery" and among the new emails posted today, Julie Smith wondered if I had gone back home to Nebraska. Actually it's almost freezing there today (35 degrees), so with my California blood now, as much as I love my home state, that would be tough to make that adjustment again.
I'm quite happy here, now I just have to find a new job or two if Clear Channel doesn't offer anything by the end of my contract on December 31.
Thanks for all your good wishes and thoughts. They mean a lot!
Charlie
11/19/2007 @ 7:56am PST Monday Morning, November 19th! Pictures Today! The photo "Gallery" is officially up and linked!
Thanks again to Bryan, my website designer son, the photo "Gallery" is up today and from now on, I'll be posting pictures in the 6 catergories - Actors, Actresses, Comedians, Singing Stars, Sports Icons, and Faces of L.A.
Thanksgiving coming up this week and We will pay 11 percent more for the traditional Thanksgiving meal this year, thanks to higher energy costs. The American Farm Bureau Federation said Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people with customary dishes like turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie will cost an average $42.26, up $4.16 from $38.10 last year.
A higher turkey price was the largest contributor to the increase in the cost for this year's feast. A 16-pound turkey cost $1.93 more this year at $17.63.
~~ Higher fuel costs to deliver the turkey and other food items also pushed up the price for this year's meal.
~~ Other items that increased in price this year include a gallon of whole milk at $3.88, a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix at $2.13, three pounds of sweet potatoes at $3.08 and a 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries at $2.20.
And since we're talking turkey today, have fun with this Thanksgiving Holiday video link that at least half a dozen listeners sent to me! Caution: It may trigger some extreme hunger!
Got a great puzzle today! See if you can guess what all these words have in common.
1. Banana
2. Dresser
3. Grammar
4. Potato
5. Revive
6. Assess
7. Uneven
I promise I will have the answer for you tomorrow.
As I mentioned earlier, check out the new photo "Gallery" link, up and running today! In the "Tuna Clips", Part 2 of my friend, the legendary Wolfman Jack's visit with me in 1994, when he told me the hilarious story of a gun battle at XERF, the Mexican radio station that he broadcast his nightly show on all over North America. More great new emails too on the "Tuna Talkback" link! Thanks for your tremendous support. I really appreciate all your comments!
