"Murphy was an optimist!"
Because you should have to chase your music September 1, 2007 11:47 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Gadgets, Music, Of Interest, Robotics, TechnologyI guess this will be on someone’s Christmas list. via Engadget
add a commentI’ve got a butt! August 31, 2007 9:49 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cool Sites, Daily Life, Family, Music, Of Being Dad, Of InterestUncle Jim has a great song that the children love (and I do too!) called "I’ve Got a Butt" on his Let There Be Fun CD. Go listen to track 8. Hit the XMKids request line at XMFan to get the full song played.
Jim Mayer, aka Uncle Jim, is an award-winning children’s music performer who has been playing children’s music since 2002. The term “Uncle Jim” is not a figurative one; Jim has twenty nieces and nephews and he knows what kids like! [Source]
He’s a Tennessean! Living in Nashville. Now which child needs to join the fanclub?
3commentsBecause on the Internet… August 30, 2007 4:51 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cool Sites, Of InterestWho follows your Twitter? August 28, 2007 11:55 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Communications, Of InterestWilliam Shatner follows mine! I wonder if Alan Shore or James Spader Twitter! WWASD!
1 comment so farMy brother lives in South Carolina August 28, 2007 9:48 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Interest, Publishing, VideoI don’t understand the question.
add a commentUnrealistic Movie Expectations August 28, 2007 9:31 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Interest, TV / MoviesThis may not really be Haslam. Sounds like a spoof comment in jest at the money Haslam stands to make from the theatre.
I think the movie theater is a great idea. I plan on going at least twice a week and can’t imagine why everyone else won’t do the same!
P.S. I’m sure you will be there at least that much.
— Bill Haslam
[Source]
But, in case this is not a joke comment, I will give an answer. And the answer is because when I take my family to the movies, I drop a C note and I don’t have $10,400 per year to spend on watching movies.
add a commentThe Regal Riviera Opens – then closes… August 28, 2007 7:46 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Juggling, Of InterestI had the pleasure of being invited to join Michael Messing as walk around entertainment for the Regal Riviera’s Open Ceremonies. I am pictured at Knoxnews. Saul Young is a fun photographer! (Note to Scripps: I would have bought the picture to use in this post but you don’t offer a digital purchase option). The event was divided into a public area and a VIP area. Unfortunately, the crowd in the public area was sparse and seemed to consist mainly of people who were "just walking by" so my juggling was concentrated in the VIP area. When the news crews started filming I was holding some very heavy juggling balls so I found myself doing endurance juggling. I faired well but dropped on camera (that always bugs me). Trying to juggle 3 pounds for more than 3 minutes straight without dropping for an out of shape, out of practice juggler is a feat unto itself! As the evening started to close, the crowd and turned sparse enough that I felt good about pulling out the torches. The Knoxville Police Department took a special interesting in this fiery activity. Maybe it had something to do with the original Riviera burning down in 1963.
The power went out shortly after the movies began but unlike certain conjecture, the juggler had already left the scene. The power returned a couple of hours later. Some discussion.
I like the look of the theatre both inside and out. The sign does not look cheap or cheesy. Looking south on Gay Street makes a pretty picture with the Tennessee Theater and the Bijou. The inside looks like a Regal theatre; nothing more, nothing less. As a college student, I recall having to take the bus to the 4 screen theatre which is now a furniture store beside Stephens Audio on Kingston Pike. That was an embarrassing way to have a date. Hopefully UT students will help make this theatre viable because I have my doubts about the downtown populace being enough to support it. Personally, I would like to see downtown a vibrant area for all kinds of theatre. ( and yes, I spell it theatre on purpose )
1 comment so farSign Up Quickly August 28, 2007 6:25 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Cool Sites, Of Interest, Software, TechnologyTwitter is awesome. That comes from someone who hated the concept in the beginning. Yuwie is no trying to make the scene. Yuwie is a referral based, paid social network. Personally, I don’t see myself using it much but I still want everyone to sign up under me!
3commentsJam ahon August 27, 2007 11:55 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Music, Of InterestThank you Pandora! Without you, I doubt I would ever focus enough to get anything done.
add a commentWhere do you get your fake news? August 26, 2007 1:30 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cool Sites, Of InterestWith BatBoy retired and Weekly World News out of business, Newscoma encourages PZT!
1 comment so farKnoxville’s Riviera Stadium 8 Grand Opening Celebration August 25, 2007 2:39 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, History, Of Interest, Theater
The new Regal Cinema on Gay Street opens this week. I will be juggling from 5pm to 6:30pm at the Opening Night Celebration. My understanding is that it is a street party although the first press release I read implied invite only. Same press release, different location.
Ah! Here is some better information. Looks like the events within the theatre are invitation only while a street party is being held for the public. I will be juggling in the street party. Watch for the fire! Michael Messing will be performing magic and there should be other entertainers.
On Monday, August 27, the Regal Riviera will host an Opening Night Celebration. On this evening, there will be an invitation-only party to celebrate the new theatre and recognize those who made this theatre project possible. The public is welcome to enjoy a “Street Party” on this evening as well. This free event will be held on Gay Street just outside the new Riviera. The “Street Party” will feature a live performance by East Tennessee’s own RobinElla and a ceremonial ticket tearing to commemorate the opening of the new theatre.
The exciting week of promotional events continues on Tuesday, August 28, Wednesday, August 29 and Thursday, August 30. Everyone is invited to these Preview Events for $1 movies, $1 popcorn and $1 soft drinks with proceeds benefiting local charities. Through September 30th Riviera patrons will be able to enter Regal Cinemas “Rediscover Downtown” Sweepstakes to win a $2,000 prize pack: $500 Regal Cinemas Gift Card, $500 Mast General Store Card plus $1,000 to spend as you like downtown. No purchase is necessary. Sweepstakes rules are available at the theatre.
On Thursday, August 30 there will be added entertainment available at the Riviera Stadium 8 with a free fireworks show presented by Pyro Shows. The night-time sky will light up at 9:30pm with a spectacular display choreographed to popular movie theme songs simulcast on WIVK 107.7 FM. The “Salute to Cinema Fireworks Show” will be easily viewed from all across downtown Knoxville with additional fireworks accentuating the Regal Riviera’s marquee on Gay Street.
[Source]
I think it is very interesting that the site of the theater is the same as the 1920’s Rivieria Theater. Good move Knoxville! From the Knox Heritage site:
510 South Gay Street – Riviera Theatre (1920)
Art Deco, two story brick with corbelled cornice, projecting engaged pilasters. Chicago window in central of three bays, flanked by two smaller windows. Vertical mullions divide top side and all windows are topped by transoms divided vertically. Flat roof. Altered storefront. GONE-Demolished in 1988.The Riviera was built in 1920 into an existing Victorian building that stood on the east side of the 500 block of Gay Street. It featured a Wurlitzer organ and the innovative “Typhoon” ventilation system. It seated more than 1,000 and was hailed as “a shrine of the silent art.” It christened what would be more than half a century of movies with DeMille’s silent film, Conrad In Search Of His Youth.
Like most theaters, the Riviera featured its share of live entertainment, from dancer Ginger Rogers to early jazz bands like the popular local orchestra Maynard Baird’s Southland Serenaders.
In 1927 the Riviera showed what was almost certainly the only big-studio film shot in this area during the silent era, Stark Love. The star of the controversial film, which included a brief nude scene, was Helen Mundy, a reluctant actress whom the director had discovered in a downtown Knoxville soda fountain. The movie was a national sensation for about a week, hailed by some critics as one of the great films of the year; then, like its ambivalent star, it was forgotten.
The Riviera burned in 1963, sending an audience who had come to watch the special-effects adventure film Jason and the Argonauts fleeing into the street. Except for the façade, it was considered a near total loss but, remarkably, was restored, less grandly, in a matter of months, and reopened with the Audrey Hepburn/Cary Grant thriller, Charade. It continued showing films until Adios Amigo in early 1976, followed by a series of second-run films the following summer; after that came a dozen years of broken dreams, as one developer after another proposed reopening the Riviera as a performing arts center, a dinner theater or an “ultramodern” office building. Though there was a sentimental effort to restore the theater in the 1970s. The rear of the building, for years, displayed a large black-and-white mural of Charlie Chaplin, clearly visible from James White Parkway.
The building was torn down around 1988 with little comment. The site is now paved for a parking lot.
[Source]
They should update that bit about the parking lot. Cinema Treasures has another reference to the 1920s Riviera. See you in the streets!
5commentsThe Boy Scouts tried to kill me today August 25, 2007 1:48 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Of Being Dad, Of Interest, Scouts
I was debating not going on next month’s boyscout outing. I enjoy the outings very much! But they can be expensive and money is heavy on my mind right now. I came to my senses and decided not to deny the boys. As a matter of fact, I’ve offered to include Sarah in the weekend’s activities. So next month, Tommy, Noah, Sarah and I will go to Camp Pellissippi for a canoe derby. We will have canoe racing and see how many people we can fit into a single boat and so forth. It should be much fun.
Scouting is very safety conscious. To do activities like this in scouting requires a medical form stating one is in good health. Water activities require a swim test within the past 6 months. My test was this morning. Just before I got in the water I slammed down my last swig of coffee. I had to do 6 laps with power strokes and then 2 laps with a resting backstroke. I was doing fine and had the lungs and strength to do a lap without even raising my head although my 2nd and 3rd lap included taking breaths just to not wear myself out. At the end of my 3rd lap, it hit me! A feeling like indigestion! I couldn’t get a full lung of air! What I wanted to do more than anything in the world was a world class belch! Have you ever had one of those? Maybe you just chugged a carbonated beverage and then you feel the need to burp but its stuck in your chest just below your sternum? If you can only work it out, the reverberating bass tones emanating from your mouth surely would shake walls and register on the Richter scale. Those last 3 laps were horrible. I wanted to be polite and not burp but I wanted to be able to get some air and not look like I was struggling to do a simple swim. What a terribly uncomfortable feeling!
I passed. I blame the coffee for the tough moment!
add a commentThink about your headlines! August 24, 2007 2:05 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : News, Of InterestShould this be "Judge Jenkins Rests"?
1 comment so farCory Doctorow calls it like it is! August 23, 2007 9:31 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Education, Health, Mental, Of Interest, SecurityFor those that don’t want to click through, that’s in reference to bulletproof backpacks.
add a commentToday’s Word August 22, 2007 2:45 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of InterestThis post dedicated to the Blue Sloth in reference to this Tweet.
- Hasenpfeffer
- A traditional German stew made from marinated rabbit. It derives its name from German Hase (technically ‘hare’ but often used for ‘rabbit’) and Pfeffer (‘pepper’). Wine or vinegar is also a prominent ingredient, to lend a sourness to the recipe.
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In American culture, the word "hasenpfeffer" is known primarily from the theme song to the television series Laverne & Shirley ("One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Schlemiel! Schlemazl! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"). In a popular Bugs Bunny cartoon, Shishkabugs (1962), a Charles Laughton-like king orders his cook (Yosemite Sam) to bring him the aforementioned dish, resulting in difficulty for Bugs.
The word is the namesake of the card game Pepper. It is also mentioned in the song "Don’t Be the Bunny" (sung by Mr. Cladwell and the UGC Staff) from the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical comedy, Urinetown, and is one of William Barfee’s words in the musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Info provided by Reference.com
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