New 'Amazing Race 9' Cast: A Closer Look at David Spiker & Lori Willems

It's time to take a closer look at new TAR racers David Spiker and Lori Willems. CBS has dubbed them the DATING couple. David is a 30 year old musician while Lori is a 25 year old Pizza Hut manager. Both hail from Manhattan, KS. (Not quite like Manhattan, NY.)

From their CBS bio:
They've been dating for about three years. She's ready to settle down, but he wants to be more established in his career before marriage. David thinks he's intelligent and compassionate, but hasn't traveled much. He's looking forward to the traveling aspect of the race. He's scared of heights (there's always at least one of those each season).

Lori thinks she's energetic, understanding and willing. (Always fine qualities for Pizza Hut managers!) She thinks she's more spontaneous than David as he always likes to have a plan. She said they're both looking forward to traveling throughout the world and experiencing other cultures.

Well, good. I think these two may be very refreshing to watch this season. I personally doubt they'll be the best racers ever on the show, but something seems to tell me they're nice folks.

Here's a few links I found about David (not just TAR stuff):
The Pembertons lawrence.com (Good ol' whiskey rock 'n roll!)
Ruskabank lawrence.com (alt/indie rock) I was never too thrilled with old school ska music, so new school probably wouldn't mix well with me. The good ol' whiskey rock 'n roll, good! Free downloads of the Ruskabank music are available at the link.
RockKansas.com - Live Loud Local
RockKansas.com - Live Loud Local <-- second story
Kansas State Collegian: Breeding new sounds 10/01/02

All of my blog entries regarding 'The Amazing Race' can be found at this link.

New 'Amazing Race 9' Cast: A Closer Look at Scott Braginton-Smith & John Lowe

It's time to take a closer look at new TAR racers John Lowe and Scott Braginton-Smith, dubbed by the producers as LIFELONG FRIENDS. They met in high school, so it's not quite lifelong. Scott's 41 years old and calls West Harwich, Mass., his hometown. Meanwhile, John is 38 and is from Dorchester, Mass.

According to their official CBS bio, John admits to be too controlling at times while Scott isn't controlling at all. Hmmm. John is single, currently living in Boston and they list his job as a wealth manager and artist. Okay. I want to be a wealth manager, too! Will wealthy folks send me money to see how well I manage it? Or mismanage it, most likely. Um... never mind. John has two Great Danes -- cool dogs! He's scared to fly, so he hasn't traveled extensively. He completed the 250 mile AIDS Bike Ride from Boston to NYC, so he may have some determination.

Then there's Scott. He's single and living in Cape Cod, Mass. He's in sales (which could be anything, I guess). From the bio: "He describes himself as a fun and gregarious person whose personal motto is "live, live, live." He claims that the most exciting moment in life has yet to happen." Well, it sounds like he has the spirit.

I want these two to be Chachas-like, but I don't think they will be. Long time TAR watchers know to whom I refer. Scott seems like he'd have a ChaChas personality, but I don't know about John.

Other than all the 'Amazing Race' stuff out on the web, I couldn't find out much about them. One Boston paper had a correction listed. When they made the cast announcements, they initially gave John's age as 8 years old.

Remember! All of my 'The Amazing Race' blog entries are neatly compiled for easy access here. All 'Survivor' related entries are linked here. Everything else is the wild, wild west.

TV Newsy Bits - Weekend Edition (Feb. 4-5, 2006)

It's time for those TV related naughty newsy bits! Here's the television and entertainment related stories which caught my interest as I poked around the web this weekend:

• Deal or No Deal and The Apprentice Seasons to Begin February 27th
• Reality TV Links - Casting Call - Big Brother 7
• Reality TV Magazine: SwayGate – American Idol Producer Clarifies The Rules
• Delay of game: Super Bowl held back 5 seconds

Al "Grandpa" Lewis, Dead at 95

Although some obituaries are listing his age at 82, Al Lewis was indeed 95 years old at the time his his death on Friday. He was born April 30, 1910.

I have a lot of memories of "Grandpa Al." I watched him on 'Car 54 Where Are You?' and 'The Munsters.' I've been to his restaurant Grandpas in Manhattan (long since closed). I watched with interest as the rather eccentric, but very intelligent, candidate ran as the Green Party candidate for Governor of New York in 1998. I saw him on the streets of Greenwich Village. His passing is not all that unexpected due to his age, but sad nonetheless. He led a long and full life. May he rest in peace.

Here are some of the websites with interesting things about Al Lewis:

• the MUNSTERS - A Classic Comedy TV Sitcom
• Grandpa Munster Goes to Albany? - May 17, 1998 - E! Online News
• Al Lewis (III)
• INTERVIEW WITH AL LEWIS

Last Night's SNL with Steve Martin and Prince

Call me old school. Call me a 'Saturday Night Live' purist. You can also call me delighted when I first heard Steve Martin would be hosting SNL on February 4th with the musical guest Prince. Whoa! A reason to watch SNL! A reason not to watch the 'C.S.I.' reruns or hit the sack early!

Y'see, I'm one of those who had to watch 'Saturday Night Live' before VCRs were about back in the 70s. I remember I was in college in upstate NY when the show had its debut. That area's NBC affiliate refused to carry the premiere as it was so avant garde for the times. Oh, my! Just what would these whacked out Not Ready for Primetime Players say or do on live television at that hour? There was an outrage and the area got its SNL from the second show on. (Remember, we were revolutionaries and all... we knew how to get action!)

In those golden years of SNL, Steve Martin was more than a guest host. He was, although not an official cast member, a huge part of what made SNL so great during those years of Curtain, Ackroyd, Belushi, Chase and more. We got small while watching him, ran out and bought condos made of stone-o, wore mismatched tight pants and shirts while being wild and crazy guys and walked around pointing our index fingers skyward. Oh. And somewhere around I have my banjo and arrow through my head tiara. I think of 'Saturday Night Live' and it's those days, Steve Martin and that cast, which comes immediately to mind. These days I can take or leave the show (mostly leave it). I know I'm not the hip young demographic they want for the audience, whereas I certainly was that demographic for the show's early years.

Ah, but to last night...
An almost classic opening with Steve offing a Baldwin so he could be the guest host with the most appearances. I was snickering before I even heard the words, "It's Saturday Night Live!" For nearly the first hour, Steve was in every skit full of his Steveness and showing he still rocks after all these years. He definitely got in some promo ties for his new 'Pink Panther' movie, but he also shined. From the Viagra Meter opening to the "Don't Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford" skit to "Quick Zoom Theater" to the "Oprah - It's the truth that it's a lie" skit, he had me going. I think my favorite skit of the night was his corporate appearance (hoping to hype 'Pink Panther') which turned out to be for Hamas. "Should I be known as an anti-Semite or should I publicize 'Pink Panther' ? What would the studio want me to do?" He was a hoot in the skit!

Then there's Prince. I like Prince. I've always liked Prince. After all, all the critics in New York love him. His first song was great -- a rocking bluesy song about "Ain't No Fury Like a Woman Scorned." It had me boogeying in my chair a bit. His second song, not so much, but still decent.

Hey, I know Prince has had some rather um... unusual times (like when he wanted to be known as a symbol), but talent? He's got it. He can rock; he can dance; he's theatrical; he can sing the blues; he's innovative and creative and he's always an interesting show. Thumbs up to his appearance last night! The only thing which would have been better is if he had burst into the "Prince Show" skit.

I don't know if it's that I'm living in the past, perhaps that's why last night's 'SNL' really hit home and most of the current stuff -- with the exception of the news update segment with Tina Fey -- misses its mark with me. I just don't know. But I thank 'Saturday Night Live' (and Steve Martin and Prince) for last night's show. It brought back a bit of the magic of the show for me.