I’m just askin’…

And, please don’t try to blame “bad lighting” or something like that.

(photos courtesy Getty Images)

What was DirecTV thinking?

I was watching the Yankees/Angels ALCS game on Fox last night…and was shocked by a commercial that I saw.

The ad is for DirecTV. It shows the actor David Spade…and, the late comic actor Chris Farley. Chris Farley, as you may know, was an alcohol- and drug-abusive man-child, whose addictions led to his death at age 33.

The  commercial showed Chris Farley at his stereotypical worst. With the help of modern technology, an archival clip of an obviously intoxicated Farley was mixed with a current version of David Spade. Somehow, this was supposed to convince me to buy DirecTV.

What a terrible message from from DirecTV.

The commercial glorified and mocked the very abuses that killed Chris Farley. And, it portrayed Farley’s intoxicated state as something fun and goofy. The message to kids watching last night’s game: “Hey, look at me! It’s pretty fun to get all f*cked up!”

As a journalist in Chicago in 1997, I covered Chris Farley’s drug-induced death. I was outside his home at the John Hancock Center when his body was taken from the building. I’ve seen the photos of Chris Farley’s body from inside his apartment. Google them. Serious, Google them and take a look. You’ll see that he died a horrible, horrible death.

Is this the lifestyle and behavior DirecTV wants to promote in its advertising? I don’t think so.

A friend of mine defended the ad…comparing it to ads featuring old clips of the late actor Humphrey Bogart. With all due respect to my friend…sorry, this is apples and oranges. The Bogie ads were cool and dignified, showing a dashing movie star from days gone by. The DirecTV Farley glorifies the very drug and alcohol excesses that killed Farley.

DirecTV should pull those ads…now! They should not air again…especially in a program with a large audience of kids.

What was DirecTV thinking?

Shame on you, DirecTV! Shame on you!

(Steve’s note: The above photo is not from the commercial. It shows Chris Farley and David Spade in happier times: Before Farley died his horrible death…bruised, with vomit coming out his mouth.)

Okay, I know this is not a real big deal. I shouldn’t be obsessing about it.

But, it kind of bugged me. 

I was watching the Yankees/Twins playoff game on TBS last night. Just about every time they came back from a commercial, they showed a lovely shot of Midtown Manhattan…including the Empire State Building, illuminated with red and green lights. 

Red and green?  Huh?

   I was looking at the Empire State Building last night…and, it was not illuminated red and green. It was plain white (the default lighting when colors aren’t being used for special occasions).

Red and green? Merry Christmas! I expected the TBS shot to pan down and show us ice skaters at Rockefeller Center! 

Okay, I’ll get off my soap box now. Like I said…not the most important thing in the world. But, it bugged me.

(By the way…my pics here are not from last night, either! They’re stock photos, courtesy of Getty Images)

Some things simply defy explanation.

  I was walking along the Hudson River this morning…when I spotted this guy.

There he was. Wearing a very ugly suit. Sitting in an inner tube. Floating in the river.

Yup.

When I asked him why, he said simply (and I quote), “Because it’s Wednesday!” 

And, then he waved.

Oh, and that suit. Nice.

You just can’t make this stuff up!

Have you ever noticed that when you work closely with some one, over time, you start to think alike…finish each other’s sentences…even hum the same songs? 

My afternoon anchoring partner on WCBS 880, Wayne Cabot, and I shared a strange realization the other day.

We had both - totally independently of one another, and with no previous discussion - watched the same somewhat obscure movie on pay-per-view over the weekend.

  Out of the blue, Wayne asked me if I had ever seen the Holocaust-themed film, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” Surprised, I said yes…we had just watched that movie over the weekend. So had Wayne and his family!

How could that be? What are the odds? Neither of us had really heard of the movie before. In his case, his daughter had heard of it, and wanted to see it. In our case…we were simply trolling the pay-per-view listings, looking for something to watch.

And, we both ended up watching that same film that we had never heard of…and, probably at just about the same time, too!

By the way…if you ever get a chance to see “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” you should check it out. It’s a very powerful movie.

You have undoubtedly heard about the numerous April 15th “Tax Day Tea Parties” being held across the country today. Many of them are being organzed and promoted by radio talk show hosts.

Do these “Tea Parties” make legitimate points? Or, are they just silly, self-serving stunts being pushed by publicity-seeking radio hosts?

Here’s one take from the noted radio observer Tom Taylor, from his daily Taylor on Radio-Info e-newsletter:

Tax day = Stunt day?

California Republican lawmaker says “Tea parties” are radio stunts that don’t solve real problems.

Today may be “tax day”, April 15, but State Senator Abe Maldonado looks at the kind of headline-grabbing stunts being egged on by KFI, L.A.’s John & Ken and says “It’s crazy. While my state melts and burns, these folks are making money selling ads. All they care about is money in their pocket.” The KFI (640) duo’s latest effort is to agitate for the recall of one of the six GOP state legislators who voted to pass the current state budget. Maldonado says (in a column by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Carla Marinucci) that elected-official recalls “are just games to these people”, but they cost the taxpayers money and time. He says John & Ken – who no doubt revel in the attention – “are in it for the ratings, not for the people of California. I’m sure they live well, and the people of California have to pay.” Maldonado says “The Republican Party needs to be working on creating more jobs and improving the economy” – and one of his proposals is to allow open primaries. He says that idea will be hated by “the radio guys and the web guys…they can’t win elected office. They’re wannabe elected officials who can’t make it.” Of course John & Ken aren’t the only radio wiseguys convening “tea parties” today.

I hope every one had a nice Easter. For those of you celebrating Passover, I wish you continued safety and happiness through the end of the holiday.

  My wife and I celebrated Easter by going to brunch at the Waldorf. It’s a tradition we started a couple years ago, but interrupted last year when we had relatives in town. It was nice to dress up all fancy and go to brunch. Was the brunch worth the price? Of course not. Hey, I like ham, shrimp, little quiche thingies and the rest of the giant buffet as much as the next guy…but, really. I think my first used car (granted, more than 30 years ago) cost less! That’s okay. Like I said, the fun of it was dressing up and going to brunch. We liked that. And, the lobster-and-filet eggs benedict was pretty darn good!

The Yankees lost yesterday, so my superstitious streak comes to an end. After the Yankees lost their first two games of the season, I took desperate measures and squirted myself with Derek Jeter Driven cologne. And, they won. The same scenario repeated the next two days. But, now that they’ve lost, the cologne’s going back on a shelf under the bathroom sink.

The Mets play the first regular season game in their new ballpark, Citi Field, tonight. It should be fun for Mets fans who suffered through so many years of Shea Stadium. I hope the Mets win tonight against San Diego. No team should lose the first game in their new ballpark!

So, we rescued the captain and killed the pirates? Good. Now, we just have to figure out what to do with the pirate who was captured. He’s apparently just a kid. A kid capable of kidnapping an innocent sea captain…but just a kid.

I’m glad to see the Obama girls have their dog. They’ve named him “Bo.” How long til some one finds the name offensive for some ridiculous reason?

It’s always nice to see sunshine on a Monday morning. It gets the week off to a good start!

After the Yankees lost their first two games of the season, I decided that desperate times called for desperate measures.

Something had to be done.

And, I had to do it.

So, I found a bottle of Derek Jeter “Driven” cologne that I had somewhere in the bathroom…and gave myself a couple of squirts. 

The Yankees won.

So, I did it again yesterday.

And, the Yankees won.  Again.

Okay, I’m not superstitious (yes I am!)…but I’ve given myself a couple more squirts of “Driven” today.

Can the Yankees make it three in a row?

  At least according to this picture, about the size of a bicycle and a bag of New York City trash!

We see more and more of these little Smart Cars buzzing around the streets of New York and elsewhere. They’re odd looking things, aren’t they? I guess they really come in handy when it’s time to park - they sure don’t take up much space (about as much as a bike and a trash bag!).

At least it’s bigger than the strange Segway/GM “PUMA” that was rolled out the other day. If those things could fly, they’d be right out of the Jetsons! 

I don’t think I’d want to get into an accident in one of these things.

Come to think of it, at 6′5″, I’m not sure I could climb into one of these things. Or, if I got in, if I’d be able to get out!

No thanks. I like my legroom.

(Segway/GM “PUMA” photo courtesy Getty Images)

Okay, I apologize for being away for a while. You want to hear my legit - but still really lame - excuses?

#1. My home laptop died. Seriously, just up and died. That was about a month ago. I could still get email on my Palm Treo handheld, but the concept of blogging from home went away in a hurry.

Well, hooray! I’m now the proud owner of a new laptop. So, no problem getting back to the blog, right?

 Um…

#2. I forgot my blog log-in password.  I have so many passwords for so many things that I just plain forgot it when I didn’t use it. I had to go digging through some old emails from web editor Roxanne Geyer to find the password.

Yes, I know…such drama.

So, now I have a new laptop and my log-in password. And, my first post is about a 70 year old ex-boxer!

I ran into Chuck Wepner tonight at Rosie Radigan’s in Jersey City. Chuck was once known as “The Bayonne Bleeder.”  He was a journeyman heavyweight who went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali in 1975. He lost, but he went 15!

He even knocked down Ali in the 9th round. 

Silvester Stallone later admitted that he watched that fight…and, that Chuck was his inspiration for “Rocky.”

At the age of 70, Chuck looks great! He has his wits about him, and still works as a wine and spirits distributor. And, he’s a really nice guy…who let some guy he’d never met pose for a picture with him!

  Chuck says there’s a move being made about his life as “The Real Rocky”…with Vince Vaughn to play Chuck Wepner. Should be interesting.

You never know who you may run into a dinner. And, to think that I thought Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy - who was there when I walked in - would be the most famous person I’d see at Rosie’s!

Aren’t you glad my blog is back?