TV-Fox's "Great American Band" Top 5; Delaware-Me and Mike Castle

Fox's "The Next Great American Band" is down to a top five and this is turning out to be a very good reality show.

We've got pics and video you'll find nowhere else on the Internet.

In this Delaware post, we've got a pic of me with Delaware's Rep. Mike Castle and info on the new drive to make Delaware handle finances correctly.

Pic of the Day

---

 


Fox’s “The Next Great American Band”-Down to the Top Five

Let us begin with a rant.

For my local yokel Comcast cable company has always been able to get its monthly bills out without ever a single delay.

But for me to expect my wireless modem to work without crashing six to seven times a day…that they can’t do.

On the night of this review, 11/30/07, “The Next Great American Band”, fully twenty minutes of this show ran with the sound fuzzy and awful, like a radio badly tuned off its station on the dial. I ran about the house trying every TV. Some of our televisions are hooked up to the Comcast DVR cable box and hey, they mess this up sometimes real bad too but like I said…never a problem sending out the bills. The fuzzy sound was also on another TV not connected to the DVR box so, evidently, not that I’m an expert or anything, but going out on a limb here, I assume that someone at Comcast wasn’t doing their job.

Can’t expect that a show broadcast over the cable wires should have its sound working or anything, get a grip folks. Yet the bill, always on time, never a message over Comcast’s famous phone recordings when one should call for something or other not working, that the bill will be late this month, do not bother calling, there is a problem.

Not that “The Next Great American Band” isn’t a show with music or anything and clear sound, in this case, is most required. Hey, it was Friday night and the employees of Comcast were tired. We should expect them to keep the TV sound all clear what with being so busy getting out those perfect bills and everything?

So I lost the first 20 minutes of the show and silly me, I was taping the thing and guess what? The fuzzy sound got taped as well. So a national reality show, coming down to the finals lost a major time chunk just when obtaining audience attention was at its height. If I was Fox I’d sue Comcast bejeesus.

Rod Stewart songs were the musical challenge this evening and I must be forgiven if my abbreviated review is lacking. Call Comcast.

The Clark Brothers, considered by the judges to be a real possibility to win this thing sang “You Are My Heart”. One judge, a lady, actually cried. Well hey, it was a good rendition and everything but tears are a bit over the top.

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra performed “Baby Jane” and I must say, Rod Stewart done with a large band was different.



Sixwire, a band of my own heart, performed “Hot Legs” and the children in “Light of Doom” performed “Infatuation”. I don’t know what tune Dot, Dot, Dot sang because, hey, did I tell you Comcast screwed up? I do know it wasn’t “Maggie May” and by me I can’t believe that none of the top five bands performed this tune. It’s like Rolling Stones night when not one band played “Satisfaction”.

The band Tres Bien was sent home that evening.

Because I couldn’t video tape my own segments then create a fine remix, below a video of the summary end by Fox.



Top Ten Bands in Fox's "The Next Great American Band" Fall 2007
======================
Six Wire
Tres Bien!-sent home 11/30/07
Franklin Bridge-sent home 11/16/07
The Clark Brothers
Light of Doom
Dot, Dot, Dot
Cliff Wagner and the old number 7-sent home 11/23/07
The Muggs-sent home 11/9/07
Rocket-sent home-11/9/07
Denver and the Mile high orchestra

Prior Links to Posts for "The Next Great American Band" Fall 2007
======================
The Top Ten Announced
Two sent home
Brooklyn Bridge Sent Home
Cliff Wagoner and the Old Number 7 Sent Home
Top 5, Tres Bien Sent Home

=============

Focus on TV Posts of Fame

Those Wacky TV Chefs. Includes Rachel Ray and the sexiest chef of them all.

TV News Pundits including Russert, spitting Matthews and the one I adore.

"Dancing with the Stars" of 2007, reviews, pics and videos.

American Idol 2007 and The Bachelor. One night's review with links to all the others.
===============

 


Meeting Mike Castle

I have “issues” with Mike Castle.

On Tuesday, 11/27/07, I met Mr. Castle on my weekly volunteer stint at the Sussex county Republican party headquarters. Of course I was excited and infatuated like a dopey rock groupie. Below, a pic of me and Mr. Castle, which he gladly posed for and he was a most gracious and soft-spoken fellow.



Delaware is an unusual state in that it has more senators than it has representatives. Every state has two senators per our constitution but representatives per state are granted by population. Delaware is small, so small you sometimes wonder why they bothered. Thus we have TWO senators here in the swamps of Delaware but only one representative.

Mike Castle, a Republican although I lament he is what I call a RINO…Republican In Name Only, has held the position of Delaware’s one and only Representative for the past eight terms and word is he plans to run at least one more time. Before this Castle also served as Delaware’s Attorney General, Lieutenant General and was also a two term Governor of Delaware. How many representatives in America’s House can say this?

Delaware loves Mike Castle and I should respect this. For there have been various GOP meetings when I have, yes I have, lambasted the man.

Well hey, I went for my beloved Joe Biden’s jugular a time or too as well.

But Mike Castle struck me as a man dedicated to public service. He had an air of graciousness and wisdom about him. Mike Castle didn’t get to be so beloved by tiny Delaware for no reason.

I will be forever grateful to both Joe Biden AND Mike Castle for one fact that cannot be denied, both of these beloved and repeatedly elected public servants have kept tiny Delaware on the map. They both must love this little state and on many levels I am sure I benefit from their dedication to little Delaware. Delaware is a player on the national scene and the state continually elects both of these guys. Neither, in their many years of public service, has been caught in a public bathroom playing footsie with the guy in the next stall. I’m just sayin’ …

Besides, if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to vote Democratic, by me Joe Biden’s been way better on those debates than any other Democratic candidate.

So here’s a tip of the hat to this graceful public servant and a cybersmack to yon editress who should respect the service Mike Castle has given the state of Delaware. While I’ve disagreed mightily on many of Castle’s votes, I acknowledge that such votes were always for the benefit of Delaware.

Now we return to our regularly scheduled program and I am free to lambaste Mike Castle, Delaware RINO and Delaware patriot.

That Pesky Transportation Trust Fund

So tiny Delaware was, oncit upon a time, in need of updated and more modern roads that locals can better travel the state without thinking they are in rural Iowa. Not that there’s anything wrong with rural Iowa, but Delaware does have a bustling ocean front area that can only be visited by a drive on country roads that hardly encompass the excitement and air of an exciting destination ahead for those travelers. And heaven forbid when the gamblers the state wants to attract finally get here they probably think they are in Mayberry RFD.

Some years ago, the Delaware legislators got it into their heads that certain sources of revenue would be put into a SEPARATE fund and would be allocated only for the sole purpose of bringing Delaware roads into the twenty-first century.

As always happens when separate funds are established, it almost never works out that way. For the existing roads need repairs, DelDot employees must be paid, expenses rise. So money is removed from this so-called trust fund to pay for ordinary expenses that should be paid for from tax revenues. And goodness knows we don’t expect the elected legislators to do their job and increase taxes to meet the budget, or even more horrible at least to Democrats, consider cutting some expenses.

The former head of the Sussex county GOP, one Dave Burris, is now head of The Delaware Taxpayer Coalition, recently sought folks much like myself, to sign a petition for Delaware legislators urging them…well urging them to do their damn job. Which would be what they agreed to do. Which would be to keep the monies in the transportation trust fund separate from ordinary expenses and use the funds to improve and upgrade Delaware roads.

Evidently Burris’ little petition has the folks in Delaware legislator land all nervous, as well they should be.

Thank you for contacting me about this issue. I agree that we should start moving operating expenses out of the TTF but we also have to figure out how to fund the $350 million out of the general fund. That is the difficult part- adding $350 million back into the budget, almost a 10% increase. It sounds easy just to move the costs back but it is not that easy. There are two funds- the General Fund and the TTF- and they are funded through different mechanisms. The TTF gets its money from the gas tax, motor veh. fees and other fees charged for services such as tolls. It is a rather static fund with no inflationary increases. That is why we had to raise motor veh. fees and tolls this year. The TTF was efficient until all the costs were moved into it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you take a static source of income and add hundreds of million dollars in inflationary costs, the fund is going to go broke. That's where we were this year hence the raising of fees. The General Fund is funded very differently with taxes, lottery, escheat money etc. By law, we can only spend 98% of anticipated revenue (smartest thing we ever did). That revenue is already budgeted for so, if we move expenses out of the TTF, we have to find an addition $350 million in revenue or cut the same amount in other services! Where do we start? Ask any legislator if they want to cut anything in their district. The $350 million saved in the TTF has to stay in the TTF. That's the problem and it is not easily fixed but we have been talking about it and it will definitely be a hot item this year on JFC.
Pete

Above is an email I received from Pete Schwartzkopf, a Delaware representative, in response to the petition. Pete, yes son of the famous Desert Storm general, is what I lovingly call a DINO…as he is a, heh, Democrat in Name Only.

I will give Pete one thing…he did take the time and trouble to respond and he also, per his narrative, stated the truth, plain and unfettered.

So if we are to begin using the Transportation Trust Fund as it was originally intended and legislated, well damn, we’ll have to replenish the budget from OTHER sources. Well DUH. Not that we all don’t have households and budgets and we do get this out here in la-la land.

So how about the Dems consider cutting some of Nanny Minner’s buddies that she’s given useless jobs to all over this little state that they will continue to vote for Democrats?

Like the households we manage, we do understand the concept that at times, expenses must be cut. An expense cut is as much money as the equivalent revenue. Somebody needs to teach Democrats this concept.

Democrats, especially those in Delaware, never see that bit about manning the budget. Like their national counterparts, Delaware Democrats only see more taxation as a solution for balancing the budget.

FOCUS ON DELAWARE
========================

If seeking information about Delaware politics or Delaware restaurants, look no further. Below just a few of the informative Delaware posts that can be found on this Blog.

John Atkins couldn't keep his mouth shut. This once up and coming local politician also couldn't stop drinking and driving. This detailed story of how one Delaware county's GOP got rid of he who took up all the political action and replaced him with a decent Republican has lessons that the national RNC could learn.

The Possom Point Players are a Sussex county specialty but beach faring tourists can enjoy the talent as well. Here's a review of this organization's 2006 featured Christmas presentation.

Rehoboth Beach's "Big Fish Grill" has a lot to offer in terms of seafood but ambience...not so much. Here's a review of this Delaware eatery.

Jake's "Seafood House" in Rehoboth Beach... it's kinda like a Ruby Tuesday with emphasis on fish. Here's a review on an anniversary trip to this restaurant.

Delaware needed a new slogan and asked its citizens for suggestions. Which I did. Heh. This post had them all rolling in the aisles.

It's not ALL about Rehoboth. The "Bethany Blues" restaurant is a great place with fine food. I consider one of the better restaurant reviews I've ever written.

Introducing the Next Governor of Delaware. Standing alongside my own fine self, of course.