Here for your listening pleasure is a sneaky leak of Adele’s smokey new theme for Skyfall, the upcoming James Bond film starring Daniel Craig. Daniel Craig happens to be my neighbor. And, I’ll tell you, he’s as handsome in person doing crunches at the gym as he is as James Bond. And, you’ll probably agree that Adele does the legendary theme songs of the James Bond franchise proud.
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a once in a lifetime election going on this fall… right now! We ALL must do our American duty and vote for The Price Is Right’s first male model. (For pop culture fans, I had a male model as one of the “Beauties” in my 1990s play Game$how.) Will it be Clint, Nick or Rob? Watch their videos and vote for them here. Now, that’s an election! And if you want to take the Price Is Right trivia quiz… Come On Down!!!. In other news, there’s a debate tonight…
This is either a joke of universal proportions or a sign of the Apocalypse! Right? Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta can not, would not, did not make a Christmas album! Did they? And… if they did, what toddler did they hire to use a Sharpie to color in Travolta’s hair? And… speaking of hair, if they did, why in curly-headed heck did Barbra Streisand sign on to that mess? There. That’s as mean as I can be. And in other news, Christmas is only 83 days away. Get your Christmas Countdown Clock here. And, if you’ve suddenly got nostalgia fever, go ahead and order your copy of You’re the One That I Want.
Today is LOVE AN ELDER DAY. What can you do? Here’s a Life 101 idea: Let’s press pause on our politics and share some compassion and kindness with someone who can’t get around the way they used to! Introduce yourself to an elderly neighbor. Send a greeting card. Do an errand for someone frail. Drop by a nursing home and play a round of Scrabble. Hug your grandparents! Visit LoveAnElder.org for more info while I call my Mom & Pop.
You’re as young as you act… I mean feel. Today’s my birthday and that always brings about a lot of thinking. Age, as they say, is just a number. And, as I say, mine is unlisted. Ha! But I do think Abraham Lincoln’s Life 101 thought about age is the best, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” That’s why I’ll fill a friend’s car with balloons, skip down Broadway, and try on a mannequin’s wig… It makes me feel alive. (And when the store manager wags her finger and rips the wig off my head, that makes me feel young!) Hey, have some fun this weekend. It’s my birthday.
I’m not sure it will make me visit, but Staten Island is getting the World’s Largest Ferris Wheel! The 625-foot “New York Wheel” will cost $230 million to build and will attract 4.5 million riders annually. New York City’s oft joked about borough (that got its name when Dutch explorers came into New York harbor, spotted land, and asked themselves: “‘s dat en island?”) is hoping it will be an image upgrade. This is no joke: Borough president James Molinaro responded to the news by saying, “It’s a game-changer for Staten Island. We’ve gone from having the world’s biggest dump to having the world’s biggest wheel.” Um, seriously?
Want some Fall fun? Have you ever tried your directional skills in a corn maze? My neighbor in the Catskill’s is Paul’s Farm. Every year, Farmer Paul (in Hurley, New York) creates corn maze brilliance and this year he’s outdone himself! He’s created The End of the World as per the Mayan calendar (Check out the intricate Mayan symbol at center.) It’s six miles of fun! While you watch how a corn maze is made, I’ll be like J Lo and say “I’m going in!” And I will not be one of those people who call 911 to get out!
Today, because of a young 16-year-old named Ella Henderson, I get to talk about one of my favorite icons, the one-named “Cher.” If you haven’t seen Ella’s tear jerking performance of Cher’s #1 hit “Believe” on X Factor, it’s a MUST WATCH. Americana fact: Did you know that Cher is the only female performer in music history to have had U.S. No. 1 singles in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. She was only 16-years-old when she met Sonny Bono in a Los Angeles coffee shop in November 1962. They started performing under the name “Caesar and Cleo.” Let us now put on our hippie chic and sing a salute to the Sonny & Cher Show. Now might be a good time to ask you if you own a Cher Half Breed Barbie (photo at left or get one here!) Hint, hint: Christmas is 3 months from today! For all things Cher, check out the Cher Scholar. Hey, anyone want to go with me to the Cher convention?
Summer is officially over. (So, let’s hide all those copies of 50 Shades of Grey, shall we?) Yep, Fall is upon us. It’s back to school! And I’m back at my homework assignment of bringing you a knapsack full of American fun everyday. How was my summer? Besides doing a little TV work, I spent the last two months finishing my new book. (Details to be announced soon.) But for now, pull out those sweaters, I feel fun in the air. What’s great about fall? Changing leaves, no grass to cut, the smell of chimney fires, cuddling, hot soup, and… planning my Halloween costume!
I had a ball… a Bocce ball… on Good Afternoon America. John Elliott & Lara Spencer are doing an amazing job of putting fun back in the afternoon, and I must say that Lara and I were separated at birth. We both are addicted to garage sale shopping. She’ll brake for ’em. I’ll camp out in seedy hotels waiting for a big one. Watch our segment on ABC. If you’re not inspired, I’ll eat a badminton racquet. And get out there and go hunting! There’s gold in them there hills!
