Who The Hell Is Joe Wong?

My buddy Farrell shot me an email Thursday. Here’s the gist:

I attended the Radio & Television Correspondents Dinner last night at the DC Convention Center. Joe Biden was the main speaker. A couple of funny lines in the beginning of his speech. Also, look for Joe Wong, a comedian, who wrapped up the evening. He has a final line about global warming. I thought of you.

First, I’m impressed Farrell was at the dinner. He is the International Man of Mystery, but he’s never been a corespondent. At least he hasn’t been in the nearly thirty years I know him¹!

Second, who the hell is Joe Wong? Am I that far behind on comedians? I went to the C-SPAN site to look at the video. That’s when I found out this broadcast wasn’t even on ‘real’ C-SPAN, but C-SPAN 2–The Deuce.

Joe was introduced as having been on Letterman and Ellen Degeneres. That’s OK on a resume, but not great. He walked to the podium. If you were looking for a comedian he is not what you would have been looking for! Yet as soon as he began to speak the audience roared–and this is a very tough crowd!

Joe Wong is Chinese born, Rice educated. His accent is strong. His observations of our, now his, culture are dead on.

This was a great surprise–a wonderful surprise. I am now a Joe Wong fan.

Here’s the video from C-SPAN 2.

¹ – I met Farrell on the phone about 15 minutes before I knocked over and then met Helaine. That was a VERY good day!

  • Share/Bookmark

Everybody In The (NCAA) Pool

I like baseball and pro football. That pretty much sums up my sports knowledge. So why do I enter an NCAA pool every year? Good question. I’ve yet to get back a dime!

One of my co-workers, Swami, has run this pool for years. We used to check off our results on Xeroxed sheets. Those days are long gone. We’re all digital now. Are all pools? Is anyone still using paper?

Our pool is hosted by tournamentpools.com. It’s a pretty good example of finding every way possible to slice and dice a database. There are enough stats even for a stats junkie like me.

With no knowledge I revert to my math background. This year I also read a few articles on finding ‘unappreciated teams’ to help me along. With the first afternoon played I’m still in! Trust me that’s more than the pre-research Geoff would have accomplished.

Will I cash this year? Doubtful.

Read the rest of this entry »

  • Share/Bookmark

A Discovery While Sick

I hate to mix work with blog, but I’ll make an exception here because my email indicates if you were watching TV last night Darren mentioned I had not been feeling well and had gone home. He then proceeded to read the forecast.

I don’t ever remember leaving work minutes before the broadcast. I was in no shape to be on-the-air and am grateful to our assignment editor Michael Crowley who drove me home.

I’m a lot better now. I’ve called in sick (and canceled my eye appointment) for today but should hopefully be back tomorrow.

Pretty weak when I got home, Helaine suggested some orange juice. She brought a tall glass up to the bedroom… with a straw. I sipped.

I drink OJ from time-to-time but seldom in this quantity. All I could think of was how sweet it was. I mumbled to Helaine how it was “sweeter than sugar.”

It was then I realized, there’s not much sugary I eat at all! It’s a product of our modern society and my fear of weight gain. Any time I need something sweet Splenda is my choice. Last night taught me how far from sugar Splenda really is.

The sweet orange juice tasted good. Whether it provided the spark of energy that was really needed at that moment is debatable, though I vote yes. I do know sweet tastes good. It didn’t take long for that to sink in!

My two goals for today are to feel better and get my old metabolism back–the one that gladly tolerated sugar without any outward signs. Good luck with that.

  • Share/Bookmark

Is Buck Hollywood Proof Of My Hipness?

Michael Buckley was in the station this afternoon. Until recently he was a worker bee for Live Nation the concert promoter. No more. Michael Buckley is Buck Hollywood.

Seriously, you don’t know Buck Hollywood? What are you, my age?

Here’s what the New York Times said:

Mr. Buckley, 33, was the part-time host of a weekly show on a Connecticut public access channel in the summer of 2006 when his cousin started posting snippets of the show on YouTube. The comical rants about celebrities attracted online viewers, and before long Mr. Buckley was tailoring his segments, called “What the Buck?” for the Web. Mr. Buckley knew that the show was “only going to go so far on public access.”

“But on YouTube,” he said, “I’ve had 100 million views. It’s crazy.”

All he needed was a $2,000 Canon camera, a $6 piece of fabric for a backdrop and a pair of work lights from Home Depot. Mr. Buckley is an example of the Internet’s democratizing effect on publishing. Sites like YouTube allow anyone with a high-speed connection to find a fan following, simply by posting material and promoting it online.

Of course The New York Times only counts so much. My 22 year old daughter is probably a better authority. She went slightly delirious and totally breathless when Michael sent me a message via Twitter. I have 806 followers. He has (seriously–no BS) 478,829!

There is no secret recipe to what Michael does in front of the camera. He is just a more frenetic, more amplified, more flamboyant version of himself. Think ‘reducing’ a gravy to enhance its flavor. In online video that really works!

Michael Buckley’s product is Michael Buckley, though a more concentrated version than you’ll meet in real life.

We, the denizens of a rapidly shrinking TV universe, marvel at his ability to make a living without worrying about whatever the boss is worrying about.

I think he looks at me as a historical artifact of television. I see him as the future of video. We’re both happily impressed.

Photo by Bill Koczocik

  • Share/Bookmark

I Am The Plumber

During dinner I took a quick run into Home Depot. Marcus, wearing his signature orange apron, stopped me right away to see if he could help.

“Yes.”

It was a no hesitation answer.

“But I’m not sure I can explain what I need.”

That’s probably not the best way to begin solving your bathroom sink problems. He escorted me to Jim, the plumbing expert. I began to explain, but mostly with hand gestures and sign language.

“You know the stopper in the bathroom sink?” I began.

I was looking for the horizontal rod that connects the thing you push down with the thing that pops up. By this point Jim was probably calculating what I’ll be paying a real plumber after I screw this up!

Amazingly enough I was able to explain with enough specificity that Jim reached onto a shelf and pulled out a yellow package labeled “SINK REPAIR.”

“This?”

Holy crap–he knew.

The end of the old “Ball Rod Assembly” had sheared off after 20+ years on the job. Now it’s my turn to replace it.

I am not what you’d call handy, but I think this is a job I can do. Helaine will be standing by with 9-1 already pre-dialed.

  • Share/Bookmark

Watching The News On Aussie TV

She is gorgeous and in the past has not been shy about appearing on camera doing travel pieces in a bathing suit… a small bathing suit.

-read more-

A Full Day Wearing My Contacts

I wore them nine hours today, but was getting a little uncomfortable after seven and a half. I suspect that problem goes away with time.

-read more-

Yachts And Taxes

There was one line that stood out and which irks me–though there might be an explanation I haven’t thought of.

-read more-

Dinner For Breakfast

After a night in the ‘fridge and a trip through the microwave the meal was transformed. Yesterday’s taste has been amplified without losing any of its tactile appeal.

-read more-

Peter Graves: Have You Ever Seen A Grown Man Naked?

The part Peter Graves is probably best known for is the one he played against type: Captain Clarence Oveur in the 1980 movie Airplane.

-read more-