30 Rock, The New Mary Tyler Moore

Look at the comparisons:
Mary Richards/Liz Lemon: Both in their 30's, single and had their share of bad boyfriends. Both have caring relationships with their boss and will go as boss' date to an event if asked. Producers with deadlines working on live TV.

Lou Grant/Jack Donaghy: Gruffy exterior, imposing figures, always want the the best for their Mary/Liz. Heart is definitely in the right place.

Sue Ann Nives/Phyllis Lindstrom: Jenna Maroney, Cerie. They say hilarious things, without meaning to.

Ted Baxter/Tracy Jordan: Both are the star of their show. I think it's safe to say they are both kooky.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a classic. All the characters were played so well, episodes were well written and expertly crafted. 30 Rock is headed there. Last week's episode in which Jack takes Tracy to the NBC psychiatrist, may rate as one of the funniest on TV. Tracy enters the room by asking the doctor, "Who's crazier, me or Ann Curry?" Jack portrays his version of Tracy's father (as Fred Sanford) which appalls the doctor, but gets to Tracy. Watch the episode on line if you missed it. You'll want to replay it so you don't miss anything. Writing and acting at it's best. Episode: Rosemary's Baby.

Labels Vs Apple

"Warner Music Group may follow Universal's lead and switch to a month-to-month contract with Apple when its current deal expires at year-end, according to The Washington Post. Warner is reportedly in talks with Sony and Universal to launch a subscription music service of its own that would compete directly with iTunes. The potential loss of another major record label, following Apple's highly publicized break-up with NBC Universal, could bode poorly for future iPod sales."

Why do the major label get it so wrong? They didn't embrace the future when digital was on the horizon. They couldn't come up with a unified system of selling music on line, so Napster just gave it away. Apple had that solution, people are comfortable with it and now they want to shun the only money they are making from digital. It becoming clearer as to why Madonna took her act to Live Nation. Major labels: look at the big picture, get beyond your short sightedness. iPods are not going away.

Songs about food

These could inspire amazing tunes. Two wonderful edibles that once I have them, I want more: the freshly made Apple Cider donuts from the Milk Pail in Water Mill and the Red Velvet Cupcakes at Two Little Red Hens on 2nd Avenue & 86th St. Another great food must have inspired this song: More Songs about Chocolate and Girls by the Undertones.

The Milk Pail is owned by members of the Halsey family who are basically settlers of the Hamptons. They first saw the donut machine at a fruit trade show 1973. They purchased it and began making their famous apple cider donuts. They add apple cider to help keep them moist and to give them a unique flavor. It's best to get them warm. The minute you enter the stand and smell those wonderful donuts baking, you must have two. Song to note: Little Green Apples (OC Smith). Note of surprise: It won a Grammy in 1968 for song of the year. The same year that Chain of Fools, Dock of the Bay, Hey Jude and Born To Be Wild all made the charts.

I've tried many red velvet cupcakes and nobody has come close to those made by Two Little Red Hens. They are rich, so 1/2 of one is incredibly satisfying. They are also lovely to look at. Beautiful red cake with a rich white frosting. It says there is a hint of cocoa in them. Maybe that's what sets them apart. Brandi Shearer is shown indulging in one (photo courtesy of Gabriel Trujillo). Song to Note: Of course one of the sappiest songs that has nothing to do with food comes to mind, Blue Velvet by Bobby Vinton. There are songs about cupcakes or have cupcake in the title but none that are worth mentioning. Other dessert offerings: Cookie Puss an homage to Tom Carvel by the Beastie Boys and Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie by Jay and the Techniques.

What a menu: Vegetables by the Beach Boys, with help from Paul McCartney. Mashed Potato by Dee Dee Sharp and Hot Burrito #1, the Flying Burrito Brothers, which leads me to plug the latest offering from Amoeba Records on 11/6. A never before heard live recording of Gram and the band from 1969.

It's Blog Action Day

There's a movement to have all blogs unite on a single issue. The inaugural issue is the environment. Al Gore has been in the news non-stop since winning his shared Nobel Peace Prize. Al Gore is the face of saving the environment these days. I met Mr Gore in Nashville at an Earth Day celebration. At the time I was working with Rosanne Cash who was performing. This was my first trip to Nashville and as I was advised, you may not know a lot of people involved in the event or otherwise, but they will know you. It scared me how accurate that was. Nashville is like Cheers-everyone knows your name. Al was the senator from Tennessee at the time and was promoting saving the earth. The initiatives then were recycle, ride your bike, etc. This was about 17 years ago and if we were doing what he suggested then, he wouldn't be winning a Nobel Prize for his work. As posted here weeks ago, it could be as simple as recycling CDs. In New York City, the recycling is not as extensive as it should be. We can only recycle plastic that is in the shape of a bottle, but we can recycle copy paper and envelops, which I'm sure a lot of New Yorkers don't know. I heard on NPR last week that water is the new oil, meaning our water resources are drying up. Don't leave the faucet running, take quicker showers. We're doing our part by putting off washing our car which is in much need of a washing. The rain doesn't clean it. To quote Sonny Bono "It's the little things, that mean a lot".....

The Mets didn't deserve to win, but the fans didn't deserve to lose.

In the blink of an eye, the season was done. The Mets were 7 games up with 17 games to play. The Mets didn't deserve to win, but the fans didn't deserve to lose. We take it the hardest. We have so much invested: mentally, physically and monetarily. This is the first year in as long as I can remember, that I did not attend a game at Shea. It was not a conscience decision. It just didn’t happen. The Mets have an awful home record-so another level of disappointment for the fans. I didn’t hear Tom Glavin’s interview after the show, but according to the Howard Stern show, he was nonchalant and brushed the loss/season off. Even Artie Lange, the biggest Met hater, said he felt sorry for Met fans after hearing his interview. Glavin who pitched a career low .1 of an inning and gave up 7 runs. He was only able to get one out. A brilliant career. A lousy finish. To be down 7-0 before a Met picked up a bat, basically sealed the team’s fate for the year. Well it will be a very long winter for us Met fans. There will be unsettled anger for months to come. Blame can go around, but ultimately the collapse was a team effort.