PETS | Forget Cake, Give This Birthday Girl a "Blankie" to Chew On

Our friends Shelley & her friend Reese at Reese's graduation from Guided Eyes For The Blind Inc. taken approx. 6 years ago.

Show Me the Money!

Visit GIANT FM'S official website and listen online > click here

Visit GIANT FM's Facebook page > click here

Rolling Stones, Underwood & Urban??

Based upon the framed prints behind me in the photo above, you might wonder exactly what type of music GIANT FM plays. After all, the prints are of Keith Urban, the infamous Rolling Stones tongue & lips and Carrie Underwood. That's quite diverse.  

Actually, the location of GIANT FM is also where Country 89 airs from. So you have classic rock on GIANT FM and today's country on Country 89.  Thus explaining the mixed bag of prints above the reception desk. 

TV | Everything Old is New Again

REBOOT CASTS OF 'WILL & GRACE' 'ROSEANNE' & 'MURPHY BROWN'

It started with the return of 'Will & Grace'. The original order was for 12 episodes. After the first episodes hit the airwaves, 12 episodes became 16.  Ratings soared (it became NBC's top comedy) and a second season of 16 episodes were ordered.

Last week, NBC announced they've given the go ahead for a third season of 'Will & Grace'. The reboot of  'Will & Grace' is a massive hit.

Shortly after they announced the return of 'Will & Grace', ABC made a big announcement of their own. After 20 years off the air, the network was bringing 'Roseanne' back for 9 episodes. It launched Mar. 27th and scored big in the ratings, with over 18 million American households tuning in.

THE ORIGINAL 'CAGNEY & LACEY' & 'MAGNUM P.I.'

Many longtime 'Roseanne' fans were upset when it was announced that - just as she had done in real life - Roseanne's TV character voted for Trump. In the first episode of the reboot, it is revealed that her sister Jackie was a Hillary supporter and she has not talked to Roseanne since the election.

The exchange between the sisters as they took jabs at each other over Trump & Clinton was balanced and kept to a minimum.

It's been 20 years since we last saw the Conner family, so things have changed a bit. Roseanne and Dan are grandparents to grown kids. Darlene has a daughter named Hannah - who looks a lot like Sara Gilbert when he was a teen. Her 9 year old son Mark likes to wear "girls" clothes, which lends itself to more humour and acceptance.  Roseanne's son Deejay is married to the black girl he didn't want to kiss in a school play back in the 80's and they have a young daughter.

Will 'Roseanne's' 9 episodes be extended?  I'm guessing with those kind of ratings, the answer is yea but  we will have to wait and see.

Meanwhile in the works, the original cast of 'Murphy Brown' has agreed to return for a reboot of that series, which aired on CBS.

And it's not just sitcoms who are coming back. Remakes of 'Magnum P.I.' and 'Cagney & Lacey' are also in the works.

It is indeed the era of TV reboots.

NEWS | A Global Show of Unity for Gun Control

VISIT 'MARCH FOR OUR LIVES' OFFICIAL WEBSITE HERE

REVIEW | 'Marlon Bundo' Leaps to the Top of the Charts

Today I purchased the audiobook 'A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo' and immediately fell in love with it.

For those who may not have heard of him, the "real" Marlon Bundo is a pet bunny that lives with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his family. Pence's daughter Charlotte penned a book titled 'Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Life of the Vice President' with proceeds from sales of the book going to Tracy’s Kids and A21.

Here's where things really getting, ahem, "hopping".

Comedian John Oliver, host of HBO's 'Last Week Tonight' and his team, came out with another book about the infamous rabbit, titled 'A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'. In this story (written by Marlon Bundo himself with help from Jill Twiss), Marlon falls in love with another male bunny - a move that takes aim at Mike Pence's well-documented homophobia.

The audio book features the voices of Jim Parsons (best know as Sheldon from 'The Big Bang Theory') as Marlon and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (who plays Mitchell on 'Modern Family') as Marlon's boyfriend Wesley. Also lending their voices as the bunnies garden friends are Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer and Rupaul.

Proceeds from sales of 'A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo' will help LGBTQ organizations The Trevor Project and AIDS United.

'A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo' sold 180,000 copies in two days and shot to the top of the Amazon charts, quickly outselling the Pence version of the bunny's adventures.

Although dubbed by some to be a controversial parody, make no mistake 'A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo' is an enchanting children's book with a very valuable lesson.

Both bunny books are raising money for worthy causes and although her parent's feet may be thumping, Charlotte Pence says she is flattered by John Oliver's Marlon Bundo book, telling CNN she purchased a copy.

The audiobook is available for only $1.95 and a second run of the print edition is currently underway.

IN MEMORIAM | Dakota

“Dogs leave paw-prints on our hearts” 

– Author Unknown

SCRIBBLES VIDEO | Having a Blast!

This isn't a typical recap of a member of my family's birthday celebration. Those Scribbles videos are usually 2 or 3 minutes long, feature photos & video clips and generally include the singing of the renown "Happy Birthday to You" song. 

Although this video does begin with that traditional birthday fun, it's what follows those first few minutes, that makes this 17 minute video unique.

Each year I come up with a theme or gimmick for my mom's birthday and this year it was a very special game called Birthday Blast. Those who attended the party at my place on Feb. 11th had a chance to win over $50 in prizes, by playing Birthday Blast and now all of YOU get a chance to play along.

Everything will be explained in detail throughout the video, but if you do plan on playing Birthday Blast. you'll need a piece of paper and something to write with.

Asking you to sit through 17 minutes of birthday stuff may be a bit much for some of you, but compared to the insurmountable amount of time it took to put this puppy together, perhaps it's really not that unreasonable of a request.

Have fun....Opps! I mean, have a Blast.

YOU'LL NEED  PAPER & A PEN TO PLAY ALONG 


Inspired by a Whammy!

In the Birthday Blast game, contestants were asked to select from 3 clips in hopes of revealing prizes, and not every clip was a winner. Some clips contained "No Prize" but instead of simply stating that, I came up with brief clips of me as different characters who let players know their "prizeless" status. 

The idea for this silliness came from the classic game show, Press Your Luck.  On that show contestants earned spins on a giant electronic prize board. Various dollar amounts and prizes randomly lit up on the big board and players would hit a button to stop on one of the prizes. Often players would rack up several thousand dollars in mere minutes. 

But there was a catch. Some of the game board squares featured characters called whammies. If a contestant landed on a whammy, they lost all their prizes and an animated whammy would appear on screen, creatively robbing the player of their money.  

It was those damn little whammies that inspired me to get into character to cleverly let players know there'd be no prizes that time around. 

SCRIBBLES VIDEO | The Case of the Succulent Succulents

As an adjective, the word succulent is often used to describe food and means juicy, moist, tasty or luscious. When used as a noun, succulent refers to a type of plant (similar to a cactus.)

At my sister Kim's recent birthday party held at our mom's place, the astonishing birthday cake - created by Kim's talented daughter Erin - was both succulent and, well... succulent.  It was definitely delicious and it was also decorated with edible succulent plants, flowers and even rocks (which were candy-coated pieces of chocolate.)

Naturally, Kim was the star of the day, but that stunning cake was definitely a close second. Here's a peek at both...

If you read the credits at the end of this video, you will notice that the music used in this clip ('Funk Me') was created by me!! This is the second instrumental tune I have put together (with help from an app called Garage Band) for use on a Scribbles video.  

Recently, You Tube blocked a Scribbles video because it featured a portion of a strictly copyrighted song. Usually artists allow you to use their music with the stipulation that ads could appear on your video. But in this case it was a resounding "No" and the video was blocked, meaning no one would be able to view it. 

Creating original musical pieces will definitely ensure THAT doesn't happen again. 

ME | Going On-Air on GIANT FM for a Classic Clips Challenge

Did you hear me on the radio Wed. Mar. 14 around 1:25 pm?

I was on classic rock station 91.7 GIANT FM. 

GIANT FM is currently running a contest called Classic Clips Challenge. Unlike most contests, this time it's the station that calls the listener at set times throughout the day.

To enter the contest (like I had) you gave them your name and number and which time slot and day you would like them to call you.

You get $91 just for answering the phone! Then they play 3 clips from classic rock songs. If you can tell them the 3 artists that sang those songs, you're entered in a draw to win a truck.

I like listening to DJ Kristy Knight (or "KK" as she goes by) between 9 am and 2 pm. They play the contest at 1:15, so when I entered I said Wednesdays at 1:15 would be a good time to call me.

And Wednesday shortly after 1:15 pm, that's exactly what she did!

My caller I.D. didn't have a name but under the phone number it said Welland, ON, which is where the station is located. There was little doubt, it was KK calling and I answered the phone.

We talked a few seconds before going on air, then we went live. KK said my name and we exchanged a little banter. She mentioned that won $91, "just in time for St. Patrick's Day".

Then they played the 3 song clips. I knew who sang the first and third songs, but drew a blank on the second song, so (sigh) my name didn't get entered for the truck.

But I had 91 more dollars than I had a few minutes ago and all I had to do was talk on the phone for a few minutes and I got to be on the radio with one of my favourite DJ's.

It was a pretty awesome experience. 

ART |

REMINDER!

PETS | This Little Piggy....

In this summer 2015 flashback, Murphy, the Portuguese Water dog, hangs out with the girls for a mani-pedi. LOL

The photo was taken by our friend Renee whose twin nieces were enjoying some time on Renee and her husband's pontoon boat.

Murphy may not have gone for any colour on her nails, but her teamwork with the others as she joins in the circle really made the grade.

Let It Snow, Man!

Always Remembered

It's hard to believe 7 years have gone by since young Ricky Holditch left us. His sister Tammie posted a touching tribute to her brother on Feb. 28th (the official "7 years date")  It was very well-written and spoke of how time hasn't changed the pain she still feels and that there's not a day that goes by where she doesn't think of him.

Scribbles created the Ricky 4Ever page in 2011.  As long as there's a Scribbles, there will always be a memorial page for this amazing guy who was taken far too soon.

VISIT RICKY 4EVER PAGE - CLICK HERE

VIEWPOINT |

Scribbles Relies On Facebook ...Even When it Hurts 

Back in the day when I had a job, a car and a life, I saw many of you fairly often.  When we were together we shared stories and took photos and they would often end up on Scribbles.

These days, getting together with others is a rarity. There's many reasons for that, which include no longer having a car (SOB, I miss "Betsy" my beloved dark green '96 Ford Taurus.) and my health issues, which often dictate when or if I get out at all.

Thankfully there's Facebook which is a tremendous source of info and photos for Scribbles.

I enjoyed going on Facebook to discover your latest adventures, through photos and words. With your permission, I would then take the fun stuff you had posted on Facebook and turn it into exciting Scribbles stories.

Many of you continue to use Facebook to entertain and inform your friends about the things that are happening to you and your loved ones, and I still love to use this stuff on Scribbles and would be totally lost without it.

Over the past couple of years, there are more negative items being posted and shared on Facebook than ever before. Some of it comes from Facebook itself, with its "algorithms" and "suggested posts" but much of it is featured on some of your Facebook pages. Hell, I've done it myself sometimes, by sharing an unbelievable thing Trump tweeted or did.

Certainly everyone is free to post anything they wish on Facebook (well, almost anything) and I get that I can't act like an ostrich, hiding its head in the sand to avoid the harsher elements of life.

But I can limit my exposure to negative things and make a conscious decision not to feature those things on Scribbles or my Facebook page.

In fact, right now, I believe I not only CAN limit how much negativity I allow into my life, I MUST limit it, for the benefit of my health.


Your Neurotic (But Working on It) Friend,

Ken

INSPIRING |

KIDS | Siblings Enjoy a February Filled with Birthday Cake & Winter Fun

MUSIC VIDEO | 'Most People Are Good' by Luke Bryan

It's hard not to feel like the whole world's gone insane these days, but Luke Byran is here to say it ain't necessarily so, in the down-to-earth song 'Most People Are Good'.

The line I like the most is "I believe if you just go by the nightly news. Your faith in all mankind would be the first thing you'd lose." It really speaks to me. I am now limiting my exposure to the news. It may sound like that ostrich with it's head in the sand approach AGAIN, but for my own self preservation, right now less is best when it comes to the gloom and doom of the nightly news.
 

HOME STYLE | Do-It-Yourself Shelves

 

What a great idea! Those old crutches makes a very modern looking shelf unit. We first posted this in Feb. 2014.

KIDS | Precision Driving

 This special encore post was first featured on Scribbles Jan. 2015.

CLASSIC SCRIBBLES COMICS | Rufus & Rex

PHOTO ART | Emotional Rescue

ME | Ready for Blast off!

PHOTOS FROM 2017'S BIRTHDAY FOR MY MOM 

UPDATE:
Despite a whopping amount of snow, followed by freezing rain, the Birthday Blast event was still a go. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the game I created. More on all this, coming in the weeks ahead. 

Creating new Scribbles posts has taken a back seat to preparing for my mom's big birthday bash, which is being held at my place Feb. 11. As you know, each year for as long as I can recall, I've hosted my mom's birthday celebrations.

What sets them apart from other birthdays is that each year there's been a theme or game created. We've had Valentines theme,  Zebra theme (my mom collects zebra stuff), a Grammy Award Extravaganza, Rock n' Roll Oldies theme as well as cool games that I created like our version of Family Feud and the amusing Hot Potato Game.

This year I've got another original game for the gang to play. It's called Birthday Blast and I've been having a blast putting it all together There's lots of prizes to be won but whether or not our "contestants" win them depends on what clip option they pick. Some will reveal prizes while others will offer "No Prize".

I have been working on the Birthday Blast game for several weeks and might put together a video all about it after we've actually played.

In the meantime, below is an extended video that I created for last year's party for mom. The theme was "Another Birthday" and we all gathered for the debut of my video of the same name. It's heavy duty family birthdays with a sprinkling of others, in this 22 minute creation.

JOE FRIDAY |

ENTERTAINMENT | Grammy's Honour Sir Elton John in All-Star Special

ARTICLE & PHOTO COURTESY CBS

With a career spanning more than three decades, 35 gold albums, and 25 platinum, and more than 300 million records sold, Elton John has left an indisputable mark on music, which includes more than 4,000 performances in more than 80 countries.

That's why mere days after the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, CBS, the Recording Academy™, and AEG Ehrlich Ventures will celebrate the legendary career of the five-time GRAMMY winner by presenting a new concert special entitled Elton John: I'm Still Standing - A GRAMMY® Salute.

The live concert was held Jan. 30 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and broadcast later in 2018 on the CBS Television Network and CBS All Access.

In addition to Elton John taking the stage to perform a selection of his greatest hits, there will be blockbuster musical talents paying tribute to the artist, including:

- Miley Cyrus
- Kesha
- Miranda Lambert
- John Legend
- Little Big Town
- Chris Martin
- Maren Morris
- Sam Smith
- Keith Urban

...and many more!!

"Sir Elton John is an international music legend who has captivated audiences across generations for more than five decades," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "His creativity, dynamic presence, and melodic virtuosity have positioned him as a cultural icon, and the Recording Academy is pleased to honor his immeasurable contributions to the music community."

"Elton John is an undeniable force within the music industry, and I can't think of a better musician to honor at this special GRAMMY Salute," said Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of AEG Ehrlich Ventures. "We're proud to pay tribute to his artistry, and can't wait to see what the participating musicians have in store for this momentous celebration of Elton's work."

Elton John: I'm Still Standing - A GRAMMY Salute continues the tradition of previous Emmy®-winning TV specials presented by CBS, the Recording Academy and AEG Ehrlich Ventures, including Sinatra 100—An All-Star GRAMMY Concert, Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life—An All-Star GRAMMY Salute and The Beatles: The Night That Changed America—A GRAMMY Salute.