DANGER 5

My friend Matt was over the other day and suggested that we watch a fun, campy show that he had recently discovered via the internet (or something like that). The show is called 'Danger 5', and it is really fresh, funny, and different. Here's a little background on the project: 'Danger 5' is an Australian action-comedy series which first premiered on an Australian national public television network back on February 27, 2012. It's a bizarre 1960s interpretation of World War II that follows a group of five international spies on a mission to kill Adolph Hitler. And that's only where the hilarity begins because the show is just so chock-full of oddity (clearly influenced by the world of Sid and Marty Kroft) that you're sure to be simultaneously laughing AND scratching your head in a "WTF is going on here?" sorta way.

To give you an example of just how kooky things get, here's an official plot synopsis of one of the episodes titled 'Lizard Soldiers of The Third Reich':

American GIs are being decimated by Nazi dinosaurs all over the Western front. Danger 5 heads to Belgium to investigate and has a series of close shaves with a trigger-happy Triceratops and a perverted Nazi Pterodactyl. Claire discovers that the dinosaurs have all been implanted with a mysterious type of crystal, native to Antarctica and Danger 5 embark on a journey to the South Pole. Antarctica proves to be a lost plateau of prehistoric wonder where Danger 5 encounter the bizarre Dr. Josef Mengele and his sinister volcano base filled with Nazi dinosaur minions.

Does THAT give you a clear enough idea of the silliness level they're operating on? Speaking of silly, you should see the guy that portrays Hitler. Well, here you go, take a look below...

And here are yet some more stills from the crazy show...

Trigger-happy Triceratops

Here's aiming at you, kid!

Leader of the '5', known as Chestbridge (or "The Colonel")

Don't ask me! I haven't seen this episode yet...

Clearly, a Nazi Dog.

Clearly, a Nazi Nun?

Ummm...

Last, but not least, here's a promotional shot of our intrepid '5'.
L to R - Jackson, Pierre, Claire, Ilsa, and Tucker

Now, if any of that has you intrigued, you should be able to find 'Danger 5' on Netflix for your viewing pleasure. Hope you enjoy it, I sure have!

I just didn't Ga-ga-get it!

Okay. First of all, let it be known that I am a BIG Lady Gaga fan. And up until Sunday night's Grammy performance I pretty much thought she could do NO wrong... But then she arrived in that giant egg, ala Mork from Ork ("Come in, Orson"). However, I will admit that I was just as intrigued as everyone else was by the elaborate stunt. I mean, that WAS a pretty great way to make an entrance! It did beg all sorts of questions, though. Everything from like, how did she get in there? And, how is she breathing? To, what if Gaga's gotta poo-poo? Surely, her team thought of such things ahead of time and took the necessary precautions. Right? Let's hope so.

What?! I do NOT get the hat.

When it finally came time for "Gegga" to hatch, I felt it was a bit anticlimactic. At some point between the time she'd made her grand entrance and when she appeared onstage, Gaga obviously traded in her previous mode of transport for one with dramatic, interior track lighting and a sliding moon roof. Thereby allowing her smooth "eggs-it" and transition into her number, 'Born This Way'. But when she stepped out, WHAT was with the big yellow hat?? I expected Curious George to come crawling out after her! And the Madonna 'Blonde Ambition' ponytail... Puh-lease! She sure worked THAT into the dance choreography! I swear, she swung that tail around so hard and so often that I thought for sure it was gonna fly off and hit Aretha Franklin in the face! And she wasn't even there!!






Ugh, that ponytail...




























I must say, the Lady has a pretty slammin' body, and it was quite evident thanks to her tight, barely-there, latex wardrobe. But WHY did she (and all of her dancers) have to sport that weird, pointy, body modification look? The sharp shoulders and jagged facial features just seemed over-the-top to me. And besides, isn't 'Born This Way' supposed to be an anthem about being proud of WHO and WHAT you REALLY are? The way you were BORN, not the way you try and MAKE yourself for whatever reason? Don't get me wrong, I'm ALL for creativity and drama. That's what drew me to the Lady in the first place! It's just that I think she's sending out mixed messages, here, with this one. You know?






Love those glass pipes, but what's with the multiple
heads on the organ? Again, with the mixed messages...























When it was all sung and done, I couldn't help feeling like Gaga had phoned the whole thing in. The performance just hadn't seemed Grammys-worthy to me. And after having shown up in an EGG, I think lots of people were probably expecting something a bit more FANTASTIC. Overall, I'd say this egg turned out to be pretty rotten!


~ All photos via Google Images ~

"Hey, Santa! Whatcha sellin'?" - The jolly old elf in advertising.

How can anyone say "No" to a face like that? Besides, it's freakin' Santa Claus! And WHO doesn't like him?? Well, if YOU don't, go play on the freeway. You're dumb! Plus, you'll probably get coal in your stocking...

Anyway, for the rest of us who DO still like good ol' Saint Nick, I've compiled a gallery to display just some of the finer examples of his contribution to advertising. This would also be considered an "old skool" edition, mostly because I don't think any of these ads date past the 1960s. Oh, and F.Y.I., these are only the tip of the iceberg. As I continue to sort through and find more gems, I'm sure the urge to share will be much too hard to resist! So, for now, please enjoy what I've collected below.






I really like how colorful this is! And how great is it that
the "train" is actually one of the Christmas crackers?!





























I think the detailed artwork in this is very
impressive! Love the lettering font, too!

































As if Santa wasn't already huge enough with
everyone, here he's quite literally HUGE...
He's a GIANT! Just look at how he towers
over those rocky mountains beneath him!
And I'm sure it's because he eats lots and
lots of Sunkist Seedless Navel Oranges!

 



































I can't even tell you how MUCH I absolutely
LOVE this image! It just makes me HAPPY
in all sorts of ways! Even just the name
"Ribbon Candy Rocket" makes me giddy...
Yep, I'm gay.



































I like this, but what I DON'T like is how
Jack and Betty just demand, "Bring us
Tinker Toys." WHERE, may I ask, is the
"Please" in that request? Hmm? I think
Santa ought to skip their house!



































Isn't this great? I just hope that was the
LAST house on Santa's route...
































Again, another very pleasing one to me!































I don't know about you, but a Thermos has
NEVER been on MY Christmas wish list.



It'd sure be a shame if all Santa was carrying
in his bag-o-tricks was Colgate products, huh?
He'd BETTER have some toys in there, too!

  































Not sure if this is from the 1950s or '60s, but it
rings early '60s to me, for some reason. Is Santa
actually demonstrating that the television is
slightly narrower than his own waistline?
Could that really be a selling point?



































This is quite nice.
It reminds me of Santa's Village!






























Well, that'll do it for today's gallery, kids. Check back again, real soon, to see what else is NEW at the circus! In the meantime, try to relax and enjoy the holiday season. "See" you later!


~ All images taken from the book, 'Christmas: Vintage Holiday Graphics'. Edited by Jim Heimann. Published by Taschen. ~

Vintage Drugstore Carnival: 'Scott Tissue'... When peculiar, private itching breaks concentration.

"When I asked Mary what was the matter she complained of an itching. I asked a friend's advice at Mother's Club that afternoon. She said it was probably caused by harsh or impure toilet tissue, and recommended Scott Tissue." Those were the days when advertising still used some level of discretion. Boy, nowadays we see animated bears dancing around on the T.V. with toilet paper confetti stuck on their rumps! I suppose the people who are marketing that particular product think they're being subtle, but come on... Those damned poo bears are pretty blatant! And I guess I just find it somehow more disturbing since it's trying to be all cutesy-cartoony about bears pooping and the toilet paper sticking to their dirty butts. It's just gross, you know? Not that I'm a prude, because that certainly isn't the case.

Another part of the ad text that I find interesting is where it goes on to share how experiences like Mary's "are common. Harsh tissue can cause serious inflammation. Women and girls especially, because of their peculiar requirements, need a soft, highly absorbent tissue - such as Scott Tissue or Waldorf."

Evidently, those "tissue issues" can mean some serious "sh*t" for the ladies. Or so they'd like us to think...

~ Image taken from the postcard book, "Just what the doctor ordered": Health and Grooming in the Classic Age of Advertising. Published by Prion Books Limited, London. ~

Guilty Pleasures: Kanye West on SNL

First off, I'll have you know that I do not like rap. Not. One. Bit. Secondly, I must say that I cannot stand Kanye West's arrogance. Not. One. Bit. It bugs me so much that I usually refuse to even look at him, much less listen to any of his music. So the fact that I actually enjoyed watching his performance last Saturday night, on SNL, has me completely baffled.

Particularly his second act of the evening, 'Runaway', had that "something" special about it. I'd almost dare to describe it as "beautifully artistic, with an edge". And whether the lyrics are heartfelt, or not, the song does convey a certain amount of humility (which is quite a foreign concept to Mr. West). I guess that's why it grabbed my attention and didn't let go. I mean, as he sings he basically admits to having been a jerk, an a**hole, a douche bag, etc. which is, after all, pretty satisfying.

But all pettiness aside, I enjoyed the spectacle of it. I liked the song; it was pretty great, even with the rap. The ballerinas were awesome. It all looked beautiful flooded in that bright white light. And dare I admit it... I actually thought Kanye was fricking fantastic!

Take a look for yourself, and enjoy the show!

It's official... I'm a total Gleek, now!

On the off-chance that you don't already know what a "Gleek" is, allow me to enlighten you. A "Gleek" is a devoted fan of Fox's hugely popular hit t.v. show, 'Glee'. If you haven't ever watched it (a whole episode, not just a clip), you're missing out on something pretty special! I'd consider any show special if it lifted your spirits and kept you feeling happy for an entire episode, but no others come to mind. It's just such a perfect mix of drama, humor and showbiz that you really would have to watch an entire episode to get an accurate feel for the magic that's going on here.

Up until last Tuesday's Season 2 opener, I had only seen a handful of episodes from Season 1. I enjoyed them, but was only on-the-fence about the show, at best. I think it was because I had an issue with its lack of reality when it came to the Glee Club's musical numbers. Some might even say they're a bit over-the-top! And it's completely obvious that everyone is lip syncing. But then it donned on me... The way 'Glee' was doing it, was the same way those old MGM musicals of the '40s & '50s were done! Don't know why I didn't realize that sooner? Besides, the creators of 'Glee' would never be accused of trying to portray any sense of reality! It's just a whole lotta fun and fantasy which happens to take place in a high school that has exceptionally talented students in their Glee Club.







Now that I view the show with this entirely new perspective, I'm absolutely loving it! I had already enjoyed the humor - Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, the nasty cheerleading coach who's hell-bent for Glee Club annihilation, is so priceless! She plays that character like it was invented just for her. Maybe it was, I don't know. The soap opera style of drama also really hooks you, if you like that sort of thing. And, yes, I most certainly do! Then, of course, the musical performances are the biggest highlight of every episode. Mr. Scheuster, or Will (played by Matthew Morrison), usually picks a specific theme for his club of showbiz kids to tailor their musical numbers to. For example, on last Tuesday's show, Mr. Scheuster announced that the new theme was "Hello", adding that they could select any songs they wanted for their numbers as long as those songs had the word "Hello" in the title. I was a bit surprised at how many other tunes there are, aside from Lionel Richie's obvious hit. See, look at that, the show can even be educational for some folks!

Well, I really don't want to bore you with my take on every character in 'Glee'. Just know that I consider every one of them to be another good reason for watching this awesome show!







P.S. - B.T.W. here's a little F.Y.I. just in case you're interested: Next week's show (Tuesday, April 20th) is going to be the eagerly awaited 'Power of Madonna' episode which will feature nothing but Madonna songs! I'm sooo there, you guys!


~All photos via Google Images~

I Love Lucy!

I'm well aware that my love for the classic 'I Love Lucy' television show is not at all unique. I mean, isn't it like the absolute most popular t.v. sitcom of all time?! As far as I know, it's still always playing somewhere on some t.v. channel, in some country around the world. I'm not sure of the actual statistics, but I think that 'Lucy' has been loved by millions, if not billions of people since the show's debut back in the 1950s! Wait, am I overestimating a bit with the billions part? I've never been good at numbers. I just know that a whole LOT of folks have been big 'Lucy' fans over the years!

Of course, I've purchased all 6 seasons and all 13 Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours on DVD. I can watch them repeatedly, and never tire of them! In fact, it's one of my favorite things to do with Tommy. We just laugh, and laugh... And it doesn't seem to matter how many times we've seen an episode. I think that's quite a testament to the show's quality. The writing, the acting, the comedy, EVERYTHING was well-done!

It goes without saying that Lucille Ball was a comedic genius, and she was largely responsible for the show's success, but she also had a stellar ensemble cast to both back her up and play off of. I don't think they got enough of the credit they deserved, either. A lot of the show's funny bits happened between Lucy and Ethel, especially whenever they were being catty with each other, or even in a feud and not speaking. Plus, there was always some crazy scheme of Lucy's that Ethel would get reluctantly drug into. Vivian Vance was a great actress with excellent comedic timing and delivery. Sad thing was, privately she struggled with depression. And it certainly did not help matters any that Miss Ball insisted her female co-star be heavier, and look less attractive than her. Poor plump, not-as-appealing Viv... I've always thought you were pretty. Pretty darn funny, too!






"Zorch!" "Grebbitch!"
"Itza moo-moo."

Picking only ONE favorite 'Lucy' episode would be very hard
for me, but if my life depended on it, this might be the one
to receive that honor! It's Episode #89, titled 'Lucy is Envious'.
The above still is from its classic sequence where Lucy and
Ethel are doing their best lady-martian impersonations atop
the Empire State Building. Their hilarious attempt to "scare"
N.Y.C. tourists with this publicity stunt for an upcoming sci-fi
movie ('Women from Mars') is just SO bizarrely funny and
strange, that I couldn't even imagine another comedy team
doing it. Period.






"Lucy... You got some splainin' to do!"

Most anybody who's seen at least one episode is likely familiar
with this recurring confrontation. I like how you can obviously
see here that Lucy's brain is working overtime to come up
with something, ANYTHING, to tell Ricky that'll get her out of
the pickle she's gotten herself into.




Who could forget Ethel's stodgy old husband, Fred? I don't remember if they ever said what the age difference was supposed to be between those two, but it always seemed to me that Fred could almost be Ethel's father. He was such a grumpy character, too. The more I think about it, I realize Fred Mertz is probably the one character in the entire cast that I like the very least. Mostly, I think, because he was hardly ever nice to Ethel! In fact, Fred was always putting Ethel down, making fun of her weight and just humiliating her at every turn. I always wondered what would make a self-respecting woman stay married to an awful man like that? At least, Ethel did shoot back some real "zinger" lines of her own, once in a while! I do know that it was all just pretend, and that Fred was written to be that way, but it's also known that the actor, William Frawley, didn't talk to anyone (including his co-stars) if they weren't actually filming scenes for the show. He would just arrive shortly before an episode's filming, keep to himself, perform his scenes and then leave. Needless to say, Mr. Frawley was not one to suffer small talk gladly. Or much talk at all, for that matter. Just knowing this behind-the-scenes factoid tells me he must've been a real old, grumpy man! Wouldn't you agree?






I had no idea there were 'I Love Lucy' comic books!
I wonder if Little Ricky collected them?




I always liked the concept of Ricky Ricardo's character: A suave, handsome, charming and confident Cuban who also happens to be a talented bandleader that can both sing and beat a mean conga drum. Now, notice how I said I liked the concept. Actually, I do think that Desi Arnaz represented most of those qualities pretty well, but I never have thought his voice was very good. And I can't stand it when he sings in Spanish. Terrible of me, I know...

But I DID like the way Ricky dressed and styled his hair!





"I love Lucy
and
she loves me..."

I can see why the ladies were attracted
to Desi Arnaz. But it was awful and very
sad for Lucille Ball that he was such a
womanizing Casanova-type in real life,
and couldn't ever resist temptation.






"Babalu, Babalu,
Babaluuuu Aye..."

I like watching Ricky go totally nuts on his conga
(bongo?) drum. He gets so into it that he's usually
out of breath by the number's end, and his perfectly
coiffed hair becomes a total mess. That's what I
call passion!






"Yes, can I speak to a Mr. Jass?
I believe his first name is, Hugh."

Often times, Lucy used the good old telephone as a tool
for her plotting & scheming. Could you imagine the sort
of trouble she'd get into today, with a computer and
the internet?!




Here's a couple of funny Lucy-related toys that I found around the interwebs and thought would be fun to share... But don't fight over them, children.






My Little Lucy, My Little Lucy
What will today's adventure be?

I just had to include this one for the crazed adult
MLP collector in my life! You're welcome, Tommy.






Close your windows!
Lock your doors!
They're coming...
The Dolls from Mars!

These Kelly dolls totally cracked me up! What a
great idea. I'm thinking that I might actually need
to have these.




My second favorite episode would probably have to be Episode #147, titled 'Lucy Gets a Paris Gown'. That's the one where they're all in Paris as part of their European vacation, and Lucy decides to go on a hunger strike until Ricky agrees to buy her a Jacque Marcel dress. Ricky ends up feeling sorry for sad, starving Lucy and gives in. Then he comes to find out that Ethel had been smuggling food in to Lucy the whole time! Well, of course, he had to get even. So Ricky and Fred get a local tailor to make a couple of wacky outfits from burlap potato sacks, and a few hats out of a horse's feedbag and a restaurant ice bucket. Then they just sewed in the Jacque Marcel labels. The funniest part was watching Lucy and Ethel strut down the Paris street like they were a couple of haute couture models, or something! Classic.






"Do you like our
Jacque Marcel originals?
They are the latest
high-fashion in all of Paris."

It's too bad Lucy and Ethel decided to burn these.
But then, how could they have known that the
REAL Jacque Marcel would steal their husbands'
crazy designs and pass them off as his own?




For the longest time I felt quite strongly about wanting to meet Lucille Ball just so I could give her a BIG hug and thank her personally for all of the laughs and happiness she brought into my life. It never did happen, but I think Miss Ball knew how much she and Lucy Ricardo meant to the fans of 'I Love Lucy'. I just hope that, before her death, she fully understood how profound her impact was on both show business and pop culture.


~All photos via Google Images~

Saturday Night Gaga!

The time has come, my friends. After watching Lady Gaga's two live performances on SNL this last Saturday night, I have to admit that she's much more than just a fashion freak or a flash-in-the-pan pop singer with a big bag o' tricks. This Lady can actually sing quite well! And without any Auto-Tune enhancement! I was expecting her to just lip-sync everything, so you can imagine what an impression Gaga made on me. She also plays the piano, nicely! All of this along with bizarre costumes and fascinatingly odd dance choreography makes for a real unique talent in my book.

Lady's first performance on the show was of her hit song, 'Paparazzi'. I thought it was fantastic! She looked great, sounded great, and the way Gaga moves when she dances is just so... different. In a good way! When it was over I still wanted more, and anxiously awaited her second performance later on in the show.






"Oh, yeah, Lady Caca? Where do you think you'd
be if I, Madonna, hadn't paved the way before
you? Just give me that sad wig of yours and stop
pretending to be a female!"




Another fun, pleasant surprise of the evening was Madonna's cameo appearance alongside Lady G in the Deep House Dish skit. It was a little on the goofy side, but it's always kinda neat to see a couple of divas in a cat fight, right? Even if it was all just pretend...

And for the record, I thought that Madonna looked pretty damn good! I've been reading some not-so-nice comments in certain places, and I just wanted to throw in my two cents. For what it's worth.






Gaga's gyroscope left me all agog!
She actually wore this contraption through the entire second
performance, a medley of about 3 or 4 different songs.




When Lady appeared on stage for her second act, she was wearing the strangest, sci-fi movie prop-type-looking-thing! The closest reference point I can think of is a gyroscope. And as she moved around, so did the separate rings, moving this way and that. The thing had to take some major coordination, and lots of practice! Then, she sat down at the piano with the thing still on, and proceeded to play while she sang! Again, no lip-syncing or Auto Tuning.

When the show was over, I had the feeling that Miss Gaga was only just getting started. For a Lady who once seemed like nothing more than a cheap thrill or a guilty pleasure had now shown her true abilities to a much wider audience, and I believe because of that she will soon become an even bigger star! Keep an eye on her, folks. There's no telling how far this Lady will go...



~All photos via Google Images~

Freak Show Friday: Bobby Trendy

Hello, my loyal spectators! And welcome to the debut post for a series I affectionately refer to as 'Freak Show Friday'! Here, I will feature one lucky (or un-lucky, depending on how you see it) person every Friday that is so strange/bizarre that I just DON'T GET IT! It could be anyone from a wannabe celebrity to an eccentric artist or even a collector of bronzed doggy-doo. I made that last one up, but you get the idea. It will be kept varied and interesting for you, so you might want to go mark your calendars...

My first victim, err, subject is the one and only "luxurious" Bobby Trendy. I think that he first popped-up on the radar back in 2002 when he was shown designing the interior of Anna Nicole Smith's bedroom on the first season of her reality show. Actually, I don't remember seeing very much designing going on in the show. What I do remember is lots of arguing between Bobby and Anna Nicole! They each had their own vision for the room and it was a constant tug-o-war. Plus, Bobby had trouble obtaining furniture and meeting his deadlines. Anna Nicole did not have the patience required to deal with Bobby, but it all made for some entertaining television. I wouldn't WANT him decorating my home, he has awful taste for both interior design AND clothing! I mean, just look at those pics!



"I never will forget, the way you
looked tonight... The lady in red"



I don't think that there's much more to be said about Bobby Trendy, other than he's obviously been out & about making "appearances" in several Hollywood parking lots. The pics clearly illustrate that! And he supposedly has his own interior design company, but the links to his website that I found did not work. It must be the current economy, right?



When I am gay, I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go...



I saved the best one for last, folks! And I think it might be visual proof of just how bad things have gotten for Bobby since the recession.


O.K., are you ready?

JoAnne Worley, The Nutty Aunt I Wish I'd Always Had!

There is just something about the inimitable JoAnne Worley that I find very endearing. Of course, I have no idea what her demeanor is like in real-life, but if she's anything like her public persona I would love to know her! Heck, I'd have her to all my family functions. "That kooky Aunt JoAnne...", we'd say. "She's such a hoot!"

Worley was born in Lowell, Indiana on September 6th, 1937 as the third of five children. Even back in high school, she was developing a reputation for being funny as she was named the 'School Comedienne' by her peers. After studying drama in college, she went on to do many professional theater productions, including musicals. It wasn't until 1968, when JoAnne landed a regular spot on 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In', that she really broke into the main stream and became a star. After about 2 years on 'Laugh-In', Ms. Worley moved on to making movies and continued to spread her distinctive personality around the T.V. landscape.

Isn't she... pretty in pink?

Growing up in the 70s, I can remember seeing JoAnne (and hearing her trademark laugh) on many a television show. Why, she was on everything from 'Love, American Style' to even 'Love Boat' in the 80s. Then there were also several game shows of which Ms. Worley was a regular on, such as 'Hollywood Squares', 'Match Game', 'Password', and even 'The $10,000 Pyramid'. I would've "bet my sweet bippy" that she had also appeared on 'The Liar's Club', but I couldn't find any record of it. I must have dreamed about that the same night I dreamed an evil Billy Barty was injecting a couple of helpless young ladies with a syringe full of terror...

As a child, I didn't always understand what everyone was laughing about, but just hearing her laugh or suddenly break into operatic song was enough to make me giggle. And the clothes she would usually wear, with all the feathers and/or boas were certainly attention-grabbing! Not to mention, she was obviously a fan of the bouffant. Quite fashionable, really!



I think Big Bird had something to do with this!

Looks like JoAnne's sharing an operatic

moment with Goldie on 'Laugh-In'.

In somewhat recent years, she's done voice work for animated productions such as Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' (she was the Wardrobe/Armoir character) and even the Sony Playstation 'Kingdom Hearts' video game. She's also played both, the role of the Wicked Witch of the West in a stage musical of 'The Wizard of Oz', and Madame Morrible in the huge hit 'Wicked'. And most recently, she even played a bit part on Disney's T.V. show 'Wizards of Waverly Place'. I think JoAnne must have a thing for Oz and wizards!

Perhaps the best thing Ms. Worley has been doing, is her work as the President of Actors and Others for Animals. It's an organization that is dedicated to the promotion of humane treatment of animals. They say their main mission is to try and curb the pet overpopulation problem by subsidizing spay/neuter surgeries, but they do so much more. Please, use the link to see all that they do!

As a kid, I dug everything about JoAnne Worley. Today, especially since I know of her efforts toward helping animals, I really admire her! Now, if we could just have her over for our next family dinner night...