Bruce Littlefield's Life 101 » History of Fun

Holidays – Groundhog!

Bruce Littlefield — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:45:21 +0000

Happy (?) Groundhog’s Day, the day Punxsutawney Phil climbs out of his burrow in Pennsylvania at 7:20 a.m. in front of a crowd of 40,000 visitors to predict whether winter will “end” early. Today, he scurried back inside, indicating we’ve got another 6 weeks. But, um, he’s accurate only 39% of the time, which means he’s running neck and neck with meteorologists. Here’s my Groundhog’s Day predictions: It’s always my friend Karen’s birthday. (Happy birthday, Karen!) AND it is my day to announce to the groundhogs who have declared my barn their condo that “you will be evicted in 6 weeks!” So, you better start packing.

Holidays – Halloween in 1 Week!

Bruce Littlefield — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:03:47 +0000

So, Halloween is one week from today. And… I’m sure you have your costume, right? Okay, okay. Calm down. Let me think…. The whole costume thing came from the tradition of Celtic young men dressing up in white costumes to humor evil spirits. So, blame them.
Life 101 question is: Are you going to be one of the ones spending $3 billion on a store bought costume? Or are you the type to throw a sheet over yourself and be a “vintage ghost”? Whichever you choose, the point is FUN. Come on, we all work hard. It’s a night to live a little! Put on a costume and make yourself giggle.

Life 101 – Dog Days of Summer

Bruce Littlefield — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:04:30 +0000

Heartburn. July 4th has come and gone, and we’re officially in the dog days of summer. Professional eater Joey Chestnut gulped down 62 wiggly red wieners to take the crown at Nathan’s annual Hot Dog Eating Contest for the fifth straight year. Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas wolfed down 40 at the newly established Women’s Table to take home the pink Pepto Bismol belt. Yes, they each won $20,000, but I want to know when they’ll learn to chew with their mouths closed?

American Fun – The Super Bowl

Bruce Littlefield — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:02:10 +0000

Watch this 1967 newsreel featuring the first Super Bowl ever , which pit The Green Bay Packers against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was played in Los Angeles, and the Packers won 35-10. This year’s game, XLV, the Packers vs. the Steelers and I’ve Got a Feeling that the Black Eyed Peas’ half time performance will be more exciting than the balloons released at the first Super Bowl. Oh, and your chips and salsa and 6-foot sub are nothing compared to these super-sized Guinness World Record holders. Go ahead and try to make 3,556 lbs of nachos like they did last year in Frisco, Texas. It was 48 feet long and made with 300 cases of tortilla chips. Oh, who am I kidding, Westminster and I are watching the Puppy Bowl!

American Fun – Stupid human tricks

Bruce Littlefield — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:15:07 +0000

I’m always amazed at what humans can accomplish if we put our minds to it. As we go into the new year, we’re all setting goals, trying new things, and generally trying to do better than the year before. Well, enter Arkansan Randon Beasley, who has broken his own record and achieved the American dream: fitting 30 quarters in his belly-button! Think that’s great? Well, check out the Universal Record Database where you can see feats such as most quarters in a nose, largest hokey pokey circle, and coldest temperature in which to perform the centipede while wearing boxer shorts. And what have you done this year?

Holidays – Happy National Fruitcake Toss Day!

Bruce Littlefield — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:41:13 +0000

The fruitcake is the laughing stock of Christmas foods. Legendary Tonight Show host Johnny Carson used to joke that there is really only one fruitcake in the world, it is just passed from family to family.
Each January 3rd is “National Fruitcake Toss Day.” The Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce in Colorado hosts “The Great Fruitcake Toss,” in which the dried fruit and nut cake is propelled as far as possible like a track and field shot put. A group of eight Boeing engineers hold the all-time Great Fruitcake Toss record at 1,420 feet, achieved with their “Omega 380,” a mock artillery piece fueled by compressed air, pumped by an exercise bike.

American fun – Puppy presents

Bruce Littlefield — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:18:09 +0000

I hope your Christmas was fantastic. If you’re on the East Coast there’s a happy possibility that you’re snowed in today. So, enjoy the fun and check out this adorable collection of some of the cutest, happiest, puppiest gifts around. If this doesn’t make your heart glow, you better get it checked. And then shake that Grinch out of there before New Year’s!

Christmas History – Mistletoe

Bruce Littlefield — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:55:08 +0000

My friend singer Ann Osmond gave me some mistletoe the other night. (“With fake berries ’cause real berries are poisonous.”) And I looked up the history of Mistletoe. It dates back to Pagan solstice festivals and was once believed to have magical powers of life and fertility because of its ability to remain green and bear fruit in the winter. Given its miraculous properties, the Druids believed that whenever enemies crossed paths beneath the mistletoe, they had to lay down their arms and observe a truce until the next day. Kiss me, you fool!

Dinner Party Talk – Filmography 2010

Bruce Littlefield — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:31:29 +0000

How many have you seen?

The Golden Globes nominees were announced. Congrats to all. After I get back from my Christmas TV Tour (Philadelphia TV this a.m. headed to Chicago)… I’m going to spend the holidays going to one movie after another. I certainly won’t be able to see all 270 films that came out this year… so, I’ll settle for this amazing compilation of a special moment from every film. Congrats to the genius behind this. One of the studios should hire him!

American Icons – Oprah Book Club

Bruce Littlefield — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:16:51 +0000

She’s bringing back the classics! Just like Oprah brought Tolstoy back into style when she chose Anna Karenina as a book club pick, she’s about to put Dickens on the map this holiday season. The newest Oprah Book Club pick is A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations in one handy-dandy, 834 page volume. Just a little light Christmas reading, no? We all know Oprah is actually superwoman, but that lady can read!. Perhaps there’s an abridged version in the near future?