By Steve Rhodes
1. Definitive video proving Seymour Hersh wrong.
–
2. On The Beachwood Radio Hour #57, I talked about David Letterman losing the plot when his parody of a talk show turned into the very thing he was parodying.
In this 2012 interview with Alec Baldwin, he cops to it.
We’ve had the good luck of these people having been together for a long, long, long, long time. They all know what the expectation is. Of course, when you’re in that situation, the bad version of it is, ‘Oh, God, it’s the same thing. It’s the assembly line. We’re just building the same car over and over and over again.’
But in the old days, we just were going 20 hours a day. We’d be out on the streets, we’d be going to New Jersey, we’d be up all night shooting, and there would be contests. I can’t do that show anymore.
[W]e weren’t really interested in having mainstream people on, too. Again, I don’t know how effective it was in terms of programming; I don’t know if people noticed the different and appreciated it or just thought, ‘Oh, they can’t get very good guests.’ Now it’s completely different.
Oh, some of us noticed.
Still, when Letterman started getting bona fide celebrity guests, he [rightly] needled them mercilessly, acquiring a reputation of being mean. That ended a long time ago. His show became a very soft ride.
3. On The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #51: Bulloney, I wondered aloud if Derrick Rose asked out of that last game against the Cavs when he went to the bench for a spell. Looks like he did.
4. On The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #52, our very own Jim “Coach” Coffman explains what the Blackhawks’ biggest problem is in their series with Anaheim – and it’s not what everyone is talking about.
5. “Several veterans opened food stands to supplement their student incomes on the GI Bill after World War II, but Maurie Berman wanted something different,” the Tribune reports.
“He wanted to open something more noteworthy,” said his son, Scott Berman, 64. “A building, a tower, something with some identity.”
“So was born the friendly, family-run Northwest Side vintage drive-in Superdawg, with its order booth that looks like an airport control tower and its two 12-foot-tall papier-mache hot dogs designed in 1948 that stand on its roof.
“Mr. Berman died Sunday, May 17, of heart problems at 89, his son said.”
Here’s our very own Helene Smith’s classic Superdawg photo.
6. This piece in the New York Times by former Cub Doug Glanville reminded me of our very own Jim “Coach” Coffman’s T-Ball Journal.
7. Howard Johnson’s, Orange-Roofed Symbol of Bygone Era, Returns to Lake George.
See also the recent Beachwood post “HoJo’s Last Stand.”
8. Programming Note: After eight years or so, Natasha Julius is taking a break from the Weekend Desk but will remain on active Beachwood duty at full pay. We miss her already!
–
The Sound Opinions Weekend Listening Report: “Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos joins Jim and Greg in the studio for a frank conversation and live performance.”
–
BeachBook
* Boondoggle HQ: The $25 Million Building In Afghanistan Nobody Needed.
Obama said he’d begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan by 2011 – but the military had master plans for 10 more years.
President Bystander.
* Chicago Stories: Ladies Coloring Book Club.
Trying to decide what I hate most about this crack piece of reporting – and I think it’s the reporter.
* Chicago Judge Halts Deportation So Man Can Donate Kidney To Sister.
I’d like to thank the judge, but this report fails to name him/her.
* Report: Illinois College Chiefs Living In ‘Fantasy World’ Of Lavish Perks.
* Wisconsin Deputy Sheriff Suggest Nuking Chicago.
* Cliff Alexander Says Florida Loan Company Tricked His Poor Chicago Mother Into Violation Leading To NCAA Inquiry.
* GM Inquiry Said To Find Criminal Wrongdoing.
“Justice Department investigators have identified criminal wrongdoing in General Motors’ failure to disclose a defect tied to at least 104 deaths.”
Power and greed and corruptible seed/Seem to be all that there is.
* Audit: Sweeping Failures In Peoples Gas’ Gas Main Replacement Program.
“A state regulatory agency released a damning report Wednesday that found Peoples Gas has mismanaged its multibillion-dollar program to replace aging pipes under Chicago streets, pointing to large delays and budget overruns that could lead to significantly higher bills for customers.
“The report also raised questions about safety and the program’s overall effectiveness, finding that the swapping of high-risk, leak-prone iron pipes with new plastic lines has failed to dramatically reduce gas leaks.”
* Five Big Banks Agree To Pay More Than $5 Billion To Settle Regulatory Charges.
“Five of the world’s largest banks have agreed to pay more than $5 billion in fines to settle charges made by regulatory agencies and the Justice Department that the banks had acted in concert to manipulate international interest and foreign currency exchange rates.”
Just let that soak in.
* Wisconsin Town Vows To Drive Out Woman’s ‘Therapy Kangaroo.’
I think we could all use a therapy kangaroo about now.
–
The Gunner’s Dream
–
The Weekend Desk Tip Line: The final cut.
Posted on May 23, 2015