Many years ago, when I was a small-town newspaper reporter, Al Gore announced his candidacy for president in his home town of Carthage, Tenn. Access was tightly-controlled — the downtown area was closed to traffic, and everyone had to park at a high school on the edge of town and ride buses to the town square. After…

They have, for at least a year or two, made a Bob Ross version of Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip — two or three pouches of flavored and colored sugar crystals, with a white candy stick which you are supposed to lick and then dip into the sugar powder. (In the case of the Bob Ross product, the white candy stick is shaped to…

Here it is:

I loved the all-star Top Ten list on Letterman’s last episode. The theme was something like “Things I want to say to Dave,” and they bring Julia Louis-Dreyfus out and hers is “Thank you for letting me be a part of *another* hugely-disappointing series finale.” Then they cut to Seinfeld, who had delivered one of the…

The museum was completely remodeled right after my visit, so the exhibits won’t look the same, but this will give you a general idea: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iKbmhRsR7AZ8WsxA7

This is a goofy comment, I know, but if you’re ever passing through East Tennessee (such as vacationing in the Dollywood / Smoky Mountains area or doing business in Knoxville), you need to go to the Bush’s Beans Visitor Center. It’s a fun and fascinating little museum, across the street from their flagship cannery and…

How did you not do the story about Stoned Wheat Thins on 4/20?

RiffTrax, the most successful of the unofficial Mystery Science Theater 3000 spinoff projects, has made Golden Corral a running punchline. Someone in the movie being riffed will say, for example, “It’s not great, but it’s our only option,” to which one of the riffers will reply “.... Golden Corral’s new slogan.” This…

Grillo’s are really good pickles. I also want to show some love to Bubbie’s, which are also sold refrigerated — in my local small-town Kroger, they’re in a dairy case with various vegan cheeses and whatnot. What makes Bubbie’s unique is that they’re fermented, not infused, which is a slightly different flavor, and…

Here in the southeast there’s a chain called United Grocery Outlet (some locations are just Grocery Outlet, and a few are Bargain Barn), which is sort of like a Big Lots for just groceries. You can find some interesting things there, but it’s always a mixed bag. The stores also include non-outlet dairy and meat…

He was also great as Chris Kraft in “From The Earth To The Moon.” Not a huge role, but he was so memorable in it, as he is in just about everything.

PBS had a great documentary a few years ago on Tupperware’s origins and history. The product was invented by Earl Tupper, but a woman named Brownie Wise developed the home sales model, as well as the annual “Jubilee” sales conferences, and became one of the first prominent woman executives (she was the first woman to…

Many years ago, I went to visit family in Southern California and we went to a Mexican restaurant that served, so help me, “fortune tacos” at the end of your meal. They were obviously a commercial product, cellophane-wrapped, and made of the same stuff as fortune cookies, only with a hint of cinnamon, and in the shape…

I am always freaked out by Applebee’s ads, because their VO guy sounds so much like the late James Coburn that it’s eerie. 

Came here to say this.

When I first heard about “The Continental” a few years ago, my mind immediately went to the lecherous character that Christopher Walken played several times on SNL. And every other time I’ve seen the title, my mind has gone to exactly the same place.

Or they can have Ed Wood’s chiropractor hold a cape over his face.

Back in the late 1980s, when our local small-town McDonald’s had a local franchise owner (who was also a magician and made appearances as the go-to Ronald for Middle Tennessee!), they had a big inflatable Ronald McDonald (head, shoulders and arms) on top of the restaurant. Someone stole it, slashed it up and left it…

Some time after this, when I think more people were aware, Lane would go on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and Letterman would always ask him, “How are Marge and the kids?” I always assumed (and hoped) that Lane was in on the joke, and he’d usually make some game reply.

I love “Design For Living.” It’s a lot of fun, and, as you say, surprisingly risque for people who aren’t familiar with pre-code talkies and think that all of the Golden Era was squeaky-clean.