What A Day

Hollywood is mourning the passing of 2 icons within a few hours of one another...Early Thursday afternoon, we learned that Farrah Fawcett lost her long battle with cancer. The Charlies Angels star passed away with longtime love Ryan O'Neal by her side in a Santa Monica hospital at the age of 62. At least we were braced for her passing. Then later yesterday afternoon, we learned of Michael Jackson's cardiac arrest and his being rushed to the UCLA Medical Center. Then we learned of his passing. The King of Pop was only 50 years old.

No doubt June 25, 2009 will go down in music history, with the Day The Music died, when the Big Bopper, Richie Valens and Buddy Holly were killed in a plane crash, with August 16, 1977, when Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll passed away, and with December 8th 1980, when Beatle John lennon was gunned down outside his New York City apartment building.

Michael Jackson leaves behind a mixed legacy, an unquestioned brilliant entertainer, but also a troubled man known for bizarre antics and behavior, and of course, his infamous trial on child molestation charges. He grew up too quickly, not experiencing a real childhood because of his constant performing schedule with the Jackson 5, while at the same time, living a perpetual "Peter Pan" like existance, at his Neverland Ranch, trying to recapture a chldhood he was denied. A sad day indeed. R.I.P Farrah and Michael.

Chicago Woodstock and my new godchild

Its been a while since my last post. A lot to catch up on.

I went to see Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire last Sunday at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The center is built on the site of the historic Woodstock festival. Its a beautiful venue, and is only took me an hour and a half to get there from Scranton. I took Rt 6 through Honesdale, then Rt 652 to Narrowsburg New York, then a couple of state routes, and I was there. If you go there, be sure to have a full tank of gas, and bring along some food, because there really isn't much up there, when it comes to restaurants, or convenience stores. Just a whole lot of farmland. And be sure to check out the Woodstock Museum. Some great footage about how the famous concert came together, and a lot of background info on the artists that performed there. Had a great time at the show, we had a little rain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the rain they had at Woodstock. Really great concert venue at Bethel Woods, with plenty of lawn room, and the people working there were very nice and welcoming.

The ride home was a little nerve racking, with miles and miles of dark 2 lane roads, with "Bambi and his extended family" potentially waiting on every curve of the roadway.

Last Friday, my niece Ashley gave birth to her second child, a boy named Sean, after his father.
I got to hold him when he was just 10 hours old. Quite an experience, and honor to be a second time godfather. Little Sean came into the world at 5:14am at Moses Taylor Hospital. Mom and baby are doing just fine.

Frankie "Avalon that is" at Mount Airy

Went to see another Frankie on Saturday night. 50's and 60's teen idol Frankie Avalon appeared at Mount Airy Casino, and put on quite a show. He did all his favorites, "Venus" "Beach Blanket Bingo" and "Beatuy School Drop Out" from "Grease", as well as "Bandstand Boogie" and "California Sun" It was a family affair at Mount Airy, because Frankie's son, one of his 8 children, serves as his drummer, and Eton Everly, the son of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers is one of his guitarists. In fact, Frankie and Eton sung Everly Brothers favorites like "All I Have To Do Is Dream", Wake Up Little Suzie" and "Bye Bye Love". At the end of the show, Frankie offered a tribute to his late friends, Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and Bill Haley. It was a good time for all, and a very entertaining show Saturday night at Mount Airy. Frankie also hinted that more legendary acts may be playing Mount Airy soon, some names include Dion, James Darren and Neil Sedaka. Stay tuned.

Terminator and John and Kate

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. I saw the new Terminator flick, and its was pretty good. Christian Bale is the new John Connor, and even Arnold made an appearance, in a rather unique way I may add. After 25 years, we finally get a real view of the post apololyptic world of the Terminators, some even giant size. I give it 3 1/2 popcorns out of 4.

So John & Kate, (of John & Kate Plus 8 fame) are on the rocks, with rumors of both Jon & Kate Gossling engaging in extra marital affairs. What of their future and the future of their show on TLC? Well, Jon could always get together with Nadia Suleman, aka The Octomom. Oh the stories they could tell. And Kate could always get together in a new reality show with Muhammad Ali. "Kate & Ali" (lol).

Too Much Voting

What a week for votes! Between Dancing With The Stars, Tuesday's primary election and American Idol, I'm worn out. I think I wrote in Adam Lambert for Mayor of Scranton and texted Chris Doherty for American Idol. Quite an Idol finale last night. I'm ashamed to say I mised the final hour. Hey, a guy needs to sleep sometime. Congrats to Kris Allen, but don't feel too badly for Adam Lambert. I'm sure he will find some work somewhere.

Big concert announcement from Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs! They announced their summer concert lineup yesterday, and its pretty impressive. LeeAnn Rimes on July 5th, Peter Frampton on July 19th, Hall & Oates July 30th, and for oldies fans, Bowzer (from Sha Na Na) and his Original Doo Wop Show on August 9th. Two more acts will be scheduled at a later date. Mohegan will have an outdoor venue for the concerts set up near the racetrack capable of seating 4600 people. Its the first concert at the Downs since Bon Jovi more than 20 years ago.

Why I love what I do

Monday night was just another example of why I love my profession. On Monday, I met and spoke with former Washington Redskin Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Theismann, who was speaking at the Volunteers of America dinner at Genetti's in Wilkes Barre. As a lifelong Skins fan, it was a thrill to meet the quarterback who led my team to its first Super Bowl title. We talked about volunteerism, and football of course.

Since I've been at Magic, I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, including my favorite band, Chicago backstage at the Toyota Pavilion. Covering the prsidential election, I met former CBS anchorman Dan Rather, MSNBC's Chris Matthews, and shook hands with Bill & Hillary Clinton, as well as President Barack Obama. Last year at the Legends Game at PNC Field, I met and spoke with former Yankees Bucky Dent, new baseball Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, Roy White, Mickey Rivers, Chris Chambliss, and Red Sox greats Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Bill Lee. Recently, I went backstage to meet Barry Manilow, after his show at the Wachovia Arena. Many famous guests have come to the radio station, including WWE wrestling champs Randy Orton & Sheldon Benjamin, and Jewel from Dancing With The Stars, and former American Idol contender Carmen Rasmussen. Thats why I love what I do.

Can't Wait for Star Trek

This is one of my favorite times of the year, the summer movie blockbuster season. I saw Wolverine last week, and will be checking out the new Star Trek movie tomorrow. The reviews are excellent, and the special effects should be mindblowing. Kirk, Spock and company, the early years. And in 2 weeks, its Terminator Salvation.

This weekend on Sunday Magazine, I will be featuring a podcast from the Pennsylvania Medical Society about everything you need to know about the swine flu outbreak. Also, in honor of Mother's Day I'll be speaking with Stacy DeBroff of momcentral.com, who has plenty of tips for busy moms, and with Phyllis Brostoff from the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers on caring for older mothers. And I'll be speaking with representatives from the Wilkes Barre Family YMCA about their "Night At The Races" fundraiser coming up on May 14th at the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 6:30am on Magic 93.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in Northeast Pa and everywhere else. Its a bittersweet time, as I lost my mom 16 years ago, but she's never far from my heart. Seeing the lilacs in bloom always reminds me of my mom, because I always picked them for her, because she loved the fragrance.