I grew up during a time when everyone’s favorite movies would be televised only once a year. It was true of the Wizard of Oz, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, and seasonal favorites like The Year Without a Santa Claus, and it was also true of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If not for our reliable mothers and the …
Just two days ago, at the Forum in Inglewood (near Los Angeles), the dazzling and ultimate showman performed what would be his final show. Earlier today, Juan Gabriel, one Mexico’s most successful artists, and a brilliant singer, songwriter and composer, passed away of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica. He was 66 years …
I’ve never shied away from saying that I love McDonald’s.I realize that it’s a bit sacrilegious to say this nowadays, but it has always been my favorite fast food restaurant.My first- and second-grade field trips were to McDonald’s. After getting a restaurant tour, we got to watch employees make French fries from REAL potatoes. And …
To the bat cave!Like a lot of kids, I used to run around the house fighting bad guys, which meant beating up every pillow in the house. The two oversized pillows on my parents’ bed were always the last to go down.I had two television heroes during that time: Robert Conrad from The Wild Wild …
When someone tells you that you’re awesome, believe them.There is no one like you. So that makes you kind of a big deal.Remember: From the start, you were a “bundle of joy.” By any measure, that’s a pretty good entrance. How you’re viewed and how you feel at the exit depends on everything that happens …
See a penny, pick it up; all day long you’ll have good luck.When I found a 1914 penny in the back seat of my grandfather’s Chevy station wagon back in the late eighties, my eyes lit up! I was convinced that it was worth A LOT of money!I knew nothing about 1914. I didn’t know …
In 1986, a five-year-old fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Jersey Zoo in the English Channel Islands. The male Silverback gorilla, Jambo, kept other gorillas at bay while he guarded the unconscious boy. Ultimately, two zoo employees (whose expertise was with birds) and EMT personnel, were able to rescue the boy after putting themselves …
I don’t think I’ve been touched by reading posts and seeing photos as much as I have today. It’s been an unusual and remarkable day of empathy. The amount of people Prince touched is unquestionable. Like most folk, I knew his music before I knew his name. Above and beyond any other form of entertainment …
This photo used to hang in a back hallway at my grandma’s house. Most of the time I would walk right by it, but occasionally — usually when I was alone — I would stop to stare at it. My dad is 19 years old in this picture, and it was taken shortly after he …
In 1984 I got to have lunch with this fascinating person in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. As an added treat, Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neil, was eating at the table next to us, and our host kindly walked us over to meet him. Today, our airport, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, …