Making People Feel Like Dummies: Swimming the Treacherous Waters of Sheldons

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Kevin Walsh

I’ve had some pretty memorable conversations at the checkout counter at Radio Shack:

  • “So you need a male-to-male connector…” (I was fourteen, buying some cables for my stereo–a bit startled by this apparent pickup line.)
  • “Can I please have your address?” (Perhaps another line, but I was just paying cash.)

And my favorite, when I was buying a 25-foot audio cable…

  • “May I ask what you’ll be using this for?”

The guy was implying that purchasing an audio cable to run video through a non-gold-plated triple-insulated cable may not only ruin the quality of my picture but perhaps offset the precarious balance of the Middle East peace talks.

“Thank you for shopping with us…dummy.”

Radio Shack has survived, somehow, by cornering … Read More… →

Public Education Going the Way of Netscape Navigator? Common Core, Bill Gates and BATs

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Kevin Walsh
Listen to our podcast with two leaders of the Badass Teacher’s Association, Marla Kilfoyle and Melissa Tomlinson…[powerpress url= “http://traffic.libsyn.com/mymediadiary/Final_BATs_Show_Jan26.mp3″ length=”13068921″ type=”audio/mpeg”]

“If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?”

It was a typical tenth grade essay question.  I can still see the red ink circling my first wish on my returned paper; I had written “health.”

“Good health or bad health?”

“Well, duh?”  I remember my brilliant 16 year-old sarcasm so clearly.  “Who would wish for bad health?”

And as my revenge on this injustice, I used the same technique grading papers for 25 years.  I lectured that it was a lesson in being specific.  Students need to pay attention to those details where the devil hangs out.  The kids loved me … Read More… →

Hollywood with a Heart: “Brightest Star” Producer Gives Unforgettable Gift to High School Students

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Kevin Walsh
Listen to our podcast with Jason…[powerpress url= “http://traffic.libsyn.com/mymediadiary/MMD_Jan20_2014_JasonPotash_Brightest.mp3″ length=”8092296″ type=”audio/mpeg”]

I was just giving him a call, being the nosy person that I can be…

“How’s your movie coming along?”

Former student and current producer, Jason Potash, was in New York prepping for the film Brightest Star which opens on January 31st.

“Great!” he answered, ever positive. “How’s the family?” ever quick to shift the spotlight back to someone else.

“Wish I could bring my class,” I joked. “It’d be a great field trip!”

“Why not?”

“Ha!”

“No really. We’ve got a few college lecture hall scenes and we need extras.”

Less than a … Read More… →

Top 10 Extremely Guilty-Pleasure Songs from the 60s and 70s … AKA “Umm…Yes…It’s On My Playlist”

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Kevin Walsh

I have a very patient wife and two tolerant children–particularly if I am allowed to pick the music.

peaches_record_crate

Prior to the patient folks at home, I had a very patient set of roommates in college.  The stone-age version of a playlist was a 200 lb “Peaches” crate of LPs that I would transport every year–in and out of our van, up and down three flights of stairs at the dorm, all so that people could flip through my records and say, “Oh, my.  You’ve got this” Probably holding up either an obscure soundtrack or noticing that my alphabetical listing had Adam Ant a bit too close … Read More… →

Industry Night at the Auto Show: The Top 5 Displays

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Phil DeAngelis

In sales and marketing, the best professionals need to know every inch of their product. In advertising, it is equally as important to know the ins and outs of every other product on the market. That’s why they finagle a $93 Industry Night at the Auto Show invitation for the Creative Department folks like me. A chance to peruse current and upcoming vehicles from every major manufacturer and parts retailers without having to deal with the suits and elbows that flood the floor when it opens to the public.

Admittedly, one of my favorite parts of this event each year is the simulated and virtual driving stations. Unfortunately that is not the highlight this year, as most of them are pretty forgettable. Maybe with the … Read More… →

Dumbed-Down Abbey: Mysterious Character Reboots for Season 4

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Kevin Walsh

In great peril from my family and friends, I write the following on a beloved, quality show…

To jump-the-shark is a term coined from the infamous Happy Days episode when the series started heading south. There aren’t many sharks, leather jackets or jukeboxes on the moors, but Downton Abbey could use an Inspiration Point.

Granted, Season Four is only a couple episodes old (here in the States), but a passenger can still not like the way that iceberg looks looming in the distance. In sit-coms, characters are two dimensional more than three.

Norm

You don’t expect Norm in Cheers  to suddenly weep into his beer because he … Read More… →

Welcome to the Lions Den, Coach Caldwell: Challenges Facing the Future Ex-Coach

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Kevin Walsh

Sadly, 20 months later, Coach Caldwell is ready to become the latest Ford recall… (11/3/15)

Today, the Lions announced their latest casualty–Jim Caldwell.

And one happy man, Ken Whisenhunt, is now in the employment of a far less-talented team but a far more talented owner.

"Congratulations, Ken, you're not a Lion" “Congratulations, Ken, you’re not a Lion”

Whisenhunt was the chosen one.  He was the reason we all were rooting for the Chargers to lose on Sunday to Peyton Manning.  But as luck (and Lions lore) would have it, Peyton did win a rare playoff game but Kenny chose the Titans over working for his former teammate and current Lions GM, Martin Mayhew.

**You … Read More… →

Iced Tea and Rejection: Life of an Advertising Copywriter

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Phil DeAngelis

We welcome Phil DeAngelis to MyMediaDiary.  This is his first post!

Housed along many inner streets of major cities across the world, there’s a magical place where scatter-brains get paid to think and dink around all day. To pump nerf balls and adjust swivel-chairs from the ground up and then back again.

A place where anyone can wear whatever they want. And there are no rules.

Okay, so that place doesn’t exactly exist. But somewhere near the corner of “Almost” and “Not Quite” there lies the creative department of an advertising agency. For the record there are some rules, and you can’t dink around all day. But I wanted to set the proper mood.

Other than the importance of iced tea, the purpose of … Read More… →

Golden Globes & 2013 Film Trends: What Will Be the Next “Shawshank”?

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Kevin Walsh

Listen to our second podcast, a further discussion of the 2013 Movie Year-in-Review with contributing writer, Kale Davidoff.  Readers also submitted questions for this section.  Click here for more of our podcasts.

[powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/mymediadiary/MMD_Jan12_2014_MovieYearReview_KaleDavidoff1.mp3″ length=”11013329″ type=”audio/mpeg”]

I know I’ll remember Christian Bale’s terrible hairpiece years longer than Sandra Bullock dodging space debris.

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey will remind us, once again, why everyone secretly likes the Golden Globes better. The stars are all having fun. They’re at tables with drinks–there’s not nearly the pressure that falls on Oscar night. It’s more like the PSATs. And when a movie or show wins, everyone gets to run onto the stage–not just Harvey Weinstein who wrote the check.

But the Oscars are the Life cereal to … Read More… →

Attack of the Teenage Snow-Day Zombies: Resuscitating the Watching Dead

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Kevin Walsh

We heard its slow steps trudging up from the cellar—one foot was obviously dragging.  I swear we could hear the drool splashing on the floorboards.  It snarled.  It hated the daylight—even cloud-covered sunshine deflected off the snow.  We stood in its way and we were going to pay for it…

“I was in the middle of an episode!” it roared.

You may have seen the snow-day zombies in your own home.  They’re easy to spot.  They still look a bit like those pictures on the wall

—but they’re meaner and generally have distinct characteristics.

  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Dirty, standing-in-weird-places hair
  • Hunger so severe they don’t know they’re hungry anymore
  • Aggressive, attack-first tendencies
  • Extremely protective of their turf—namely, their remotes

It’s not quite the parking … Read More… →

How the Sights and Sounds of the Rose Bowl Define Our Memories in Some Type of Way

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Kale

The Rose Bowl.

Growing up in the Midwest, it’s the event that became our first memory of each New Year. For sports fans, it continues to be that special tradition that proves to us that no matter how much we may change as a person from New Year to New Year, there are some things that just need to stay the same. Sure, we watch the Rose Bowl a little differently than we did when we were kids. Instead of hot chocolate fighting off Jack Frost in our tippy toes, copious cups of coffee fight off the champagne in our heads and our stomachs, for example.

Tradition is tradition.

My friend Michael once told me that his dad taught him two things growing up: (1) … Read More… →

Converting Home Videos – From Basement to YouTube: The Cheapest Invaluable Gift You’ll Ever Give

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Kevin Walsh

Two questions guaranteed to get you the polite Umm..okay… instead of the actual Hell No!…

  • Would you like to see the videos from our two-week trip?
  • Want to hear about a dream I had last night?

    • Unless you’re bed-ridden or Sigmund Freud, you could well be stuck for at least an hour getting far too much information on what should have been a five minute conversation under the category, “You really should have been there.”

    But with the magic of a $35 do-dad, YouTube and Facebook, I’ve managed to release my captives.

    In all of our basements and attics, there are boxes of videotapes, photographs, slides and 8mm movies.  I’ve lived in constant fear of losing those treasures to fire, flooding, mold or accidental bouts … Read More… →

    Support the Next Spielberg: The Michigan Student Film Festival and Joining DAFT

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    Kevin Walsh

    Support the Michigan Student Film Festival by December 31st to be eligible for a 2013 deduction by clicking here.

    Not a bad vibe.  A room full of students who had just been honored at the 45th Michigan Student Film Festival talking with a past winner, soon to be premiering Pixar’s latest hit, Monsters University.

    In May, Dan Scanlon, of Clawson High School, flew in from Hollywood  carrying with him a special showing of Monsters University–nearly a month before its release.  Pixar allows its directors to select a charity for a special screening benefit and Dan selected three non-profits:  the Assistance League, Friends of Detroit Film Theatre and Digital Arts – Film & Television (DAFT).

    Mr. Scanlon was only nine when DAFT first recognized … Read More… →

    Walt, Jim and George: The Wonder of Storytelling

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    Kale

    I just saw “Saving Mr. Banks”. To my surprise, it was nothing like “Saving Private Ryan”. Regardless, it was a good flick. Without spoiling much, Walt Disney ends up convincing writer P.L. Travers to hand over the rights to her beloved “Mary Poppins”. Throughout the film, Ms. Travers struggles in letting her characters go to be turned into a typical, jolly, Disney musical filled with laughter, joy, cheer, redemption—all of the things that Ms. Travers knows all too well rarely find their way into the truths of the world.

    There is a line in the film, where Ms. Travers is told that Dick Van Dyke, “one of the greats”, will be playing the character of Bert. Her response is that of pretentious laughter as she … Read More… →

    Mad Magazine’s 1976 Christmas Issue: Still Relevant, Still Memorized–Years Later

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    Kevin Walsh

    It was a Christmas party when my wife first called me “The King of Useless Information.” I fell into the trap and correctly answered the question, probably too quickly, “Who played Gopher on Love Boat?” Fred Grandy. Who didn’t know that??

    But the title really had its roots in 1976, the year I began collecting Mad magazines as a fifth grader while waiting for my mom in the checkout at the A&P. Like my son’s favorite episodes of South Park, Family Guy and The Simpsons, each issue is a time capsule of current events and a cross-section of American culture and attitudes.

    Cover

    … Read More… →

    Christmas Carol Demolition Squad: Revisiting a 3 and 5 Year-Old’s Medley, Thirteen Years Later

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    Kevin Walsh

    It’s just six minutes of random videotape from thirteen years ago as the kids decorate a Christmas tree.  It’s funny what passes for nothing at the time but turns into family legend.  Thanks to my kids for letting me post these brief video clips and for not minding an interview on-location a couple days ago (final clip).

    The 2000 model of Abby (3) and Aidan (5) had decided it was time to add the candy canes to the tree.  As a kindergartener, it was very clear to my son what the pecking order would be–and not just for tree-trimming .  My daughter, in a calm “no,” simply vetoes the maneuver and moves to the front of the line when dad asks for a song.

    She … Read More… →

    Fortune OR Glory: The Case for “Temple of Doom”

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    Kale

    This past Wednesday was Steven Spielberg’s birthday. I’m not gonna go on here and ramble about how this gentleman has affected my life, because I think that, for any aspiring filmmaker, that need not be explained. The guy turned 67. Sixty-seven! Yet, I stop myself from calling him old, because to have that kind of body of work at 67 is just ridiculous, even for Steven Spielberg; the kind of body of work that makes 67 continue to feel like 27. I guess a sizable bank account helps, too.

    As a birthday gift to Mr. Spielberg, I thought I’d write a piece defending one of his most divisive of films: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. This is one of those films that the … Read More… →

    All I Want for Christmas is Bronchitis: A Scrooge and Healthcare

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    Kevin Walsh

    I’m sure that Hell is a waiting room.  And I suspect that “Kelly and Michael” is on the TV there as well.

    I’d been hedging my bets, waiting for the really nasty cold from ten days ago to fade away.  Two days off work, leaving me just three in my sick-bank (after 17 months on the new job) combined with 17 hours sleep per day and I thought I had it licked.

    But the cough persisted through Day 6 and brought me to the real answer why Victorian homes had separate bedrooms for the husband and wife.  Antibiotics weren’t invented yet and the snoring/wheezing/coughing of one spouse would end in either exhaustion for the other–or murder charges.  So I moved down to our guest room … Read More… →

    The Facebook Birthday Fix: Evidence for Defending Your Life

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    Kevin Walsh

    Today is my wife’s birthday and, like a true Facebook lurker, I can’t help but drift into her page and see the many greetings coming from all walks of her life. Patrice is one of those rare people whose default setting is funny, matter-of-fact, wise, generous, caring and, somehow, so modest she thinks she isn’t really any of these. Small wonder that she’s had the same girls in her scout troop for over ten years. Reading the posts of all the lives she’s touched, I’ve am impressed by how many agree with her wise husband.

    Facebook has made it incredibly easy for me to be considerate. It sends me nudges about my friends’ birthdays and has moved their big days to the top-right of my … Read More… →

    Newsflash! Michigan Company Moves to Michigan – “Right-to-Work” Righteousness by Gov. Snyder

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    Kevin Walsh

    I received an email today from the governor.  Rick Snyder proudly announced that a Michigan-based company has decided to move to–Michigan, of all paces.  There it was, right there in my in-box, under the double-meaning title:  “This is what it’s all about.” subject heading…

    This is what it’s all about.  Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the Michigan’s governor signing into law “Right to Work” under the promises that it would make Michigan more competitive, attract new companies and give employees more options.

    Despite all the evidence to the contrary, that all of the RTW states’ employees have a lower standard of living without unions, despite the governor himself stating that the issue was divisive, despite the doors being locked from the public during the … Read More… →