Is this the 1950's again? Did I miss the ride in the souped up DeLorean? Where are the saddle shoes, bobby socks, crew cuts and Letterman jackets? Are those 45s of Fats Domino, Little Richard, Elvis and the Everly Brothers I hear pumping out of the old Wurlitzer? Hello? McFly?

Well, then explain to me the huge rash of 3D everywhere you look. 3D movies aren't enough. Oh no. No, we've got to have 3D televisions in our home now! We even have to branch out into 4D with scratch n' sniff (I've got one word - Polyester - look it up if you don't get the reference).

Ok, fine so 3D effects are cool, but how cool are they when you see them in every other movie? And what's going to happen next? Will stores start selling designer 3D glasses for those that are too chic for the paper style? Can't you just see it now. Special kiosks in the mega-plex theater filled with 3D glasses by Marc Jacobs, Playboy, Gucci, Channel, Dolce & Gabanna, Versace, DKNY, perhaps Disney and Nick will have their own lines for the tots. What am I saying? No maybe about it! If there's a market to be cashed in on you know they'll be leading the way.

Ugh! Can't you just see the Old Navy mannequins hawking them now? In a rainbow of colors for the whole family! *squee!* Combine that with the 3D effects and you'll need to be selling anti-nausea medicine at the concession stands.

Franky, I think it's just another way for Hollywood to cover up that it just keeps cranking out one crappy movie after another. Gee, if we dazzle them with 3D, not only will they pay to see it in the theater, netting us more cash, but they will hardly notice how much it sucks!

Don't buy into the propaganda people! Demand quality movies with quality stories, casting and directing, not just cool effects.

Now before you go jumping to conclusions, when I say it's sad, I don't mean that the people who participate in online dating are sad ie: pathetic. What I mean is I think it's sad that our society has, I hate to say evolved, but for lack of a better word, evolved to a state where our physical interaction with people has become so limited where we truly have a need for online dating services.

I love my computer as much as anyone. Heck! I'd be deep doo doo without it. I make my living with it. But between the internet and cell phones and texting and on and on, we have become so technologically advanced that we've advanced ourselves right out of normal social interaction.

We all have SO many friends these days! But... what percentage of those friends are from FaceBook and not actually part of your physical day to day life? (you will note I do not say 'real life') I've connected with old friends and made new ones online too, but how many of them have I actually seen face to face? Damn few. Even the actual friends that are part of your physical life you don't see as often as you might have ten years ago. Why? Because now you can text them and email them and keep up to date on FaceBook and Twitter. You don't really need to make time to be together in person to catch up with one another, you can do it through technology when it's convenient.

So it's no wonder why people have to resort to meeting potential mates via computer dating services. Their opportunities for meeting new people in person have dwindled as their virtual worlds have grown. While I am glad that the people who use those sites are finding happiness, I just can't help feel sad that they are not meeting them the old fashioned way. You see someone; you feel a spark; you flirt; you ask about him/her; all the fun and mystery that goes into meeting someone new and getting their interest. It just doesn't hold any romance to me to be matched by a computer.

And again, I love my computer. And I value all the friends I've made and reconnected with online. I just wish we didn't have to trade so much face to face time for face to screen time.
As much as we gain by being able to connect globally via the internet, we also miss out on a lot.

I'm sure most of us remember the inception of the TV Land network. It was born out of Nickelodeon's Nick at Night which used to show old TV show reruns, like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mr. Ed before it found pay-dirt with endless reruns of Sponge Bob Squarepants and iCarly. The Nick people branched out into a second network just for those viewers who were thrilled to be able to watch old reruns of I Love Lucy, Donna Reed, Hazel, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and other classic gems.

In recent years, TV Land has definitely veered away from its roots and left most of the vintage fare behind in favor of Everybody Loves Raymond and Roseanne and Home Improvement. Not that I dislike those shows. Hell, I love ELR! I know they're nuts and mean but I'd take the Barone's over my Dad and William any day! But as great as they are, it's not what I think of when I think of 'old classics'. Maybe I just don't want to think of shows I watched as an adult - or near adult - as being considered 'classic' now. Sort of like hearing your senior prom theme on the oldies station. But come on - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? Boston Legal? Are these really old enough to be 'classic TV'? To me, their programming like All in the Family and Sanford and Son is more in keeping with what TV Land is supposed to be. Maybe that's the problem. I guess that's not what TV Land wants to be anymore.

TV Land is branching out in a big way these days. They are running rampant with their own original programming. While I have to say Hot in Cleveland is one of my favorite shows. I actually DVR it while I watch it - just in case! Who doesn't love Betty White? And Happily Divorced is cute, but Retired at 35? Ugh, I can pass. I'd rather see a rerun I've seen so much I know it by heart. And now there's going to be even more new shows! The Exes which looks meh at best, despite Wayne Knight. And honestly, I can't remember what the other commercial I saw was for. Oh - and I know it's not brand new - but really - Joan Rivers' show How'd You Get So Rich? Really? Who's brain child was that? I can't believe it got renewed for a 2nd season. Joan and Melissa must know a lot of Nielsen families.

Oh TV Land, why must you forsake us? Don't stray from your crusade to keep the flicker of the classic black and white TV show blazing from our screens. Especially now that most of them have been restored and we all have hi-def TVs! Please TV Land, go back to your roots and help us go back to ours.

So... I guess it's good-bye to retro.

So, yesterday we talked about how the MDA Telethon used to be cool. People used to watch it, actually look forward to it so they could see the big stars. Volunteers, especially teenagers, across the country would work to raise funds for Jerry's Kids. Corporations would have prominently placed places for you donate your change etc and/or buy products that would result in proceeds going to the MDA.

Now you might see some of those tacky paper shamrocks in your local supermarket. You know what I mean. You pay a buck and you can have them write a name on the shamrock and it gets hung up somewhere in the store. I doubt most people even have any idea what they're for. Where are the special 7-11 Slurpee cups? Where are the collectible McDonald's glasses? Where are the 'Run your own MDA carnival' kits?

Well, I guess part of that is because it's not PC to raise for "Jerry's Kids" any more. In fact, I don't even know if they are "Jerry's Kids" any more. Jerry Lewis is persona non grata with the MDA. After many years of effort on the part of many disabled people, including some former MDA poster children, Jerry has left the building. They objected to what they call the "pity method" of fund raising and wanted the MDA and Lewis especially to change their ways and show handi-capable adults leading productive lives and how their donations could help them rather than show the children in very serious states would will likely never live to be able to be on their own or even in assisted living environments.

But let's face it people, that's what gets the money flowing. Does St Jude's show pictures of healthy, active kids out riding bikes or young adults getting married and say 'see, because you donated we were able to cure little Timmy and now he's out riding his bike with his friends. And we were able to cure Samantha and now she's grown and ready to start her own family'. No. They don't. And why don't they? Because people are more willing to part with their money when they see the people who need help right now. Right this minute. Today. Like it or not, that is the way the world is. And like it or not, you still want that money flowing, don't you? I've even read where they want the big sponsors to stop going on the telethon to give their checks since it's not like the money was raised that day, but over many months (really? Gee, who would ever have guessed that?) and what they are really doing is paying for advertising. You know what they are doing? They are saying we can choose to give our money to any charity we want and we choose this one. We think this is the one that is worthwhile and important and we hope you will to, so why don't you give what you can. That's what's going on. And who made that happen? Jerry Lewis.

But now that's all over and it will never be again. The MDA is going to see a marked difference in their totals, of that I'm certain. And it will continue to drop. They should have been nurturing someone as co-host to take over for Jerry these past few years, but none of the choices are really that good. I mean, Nancy O'Dell? I don't think so. We won't ever see anyone exhausted on there - well - there won't be any more near-24 hour stint to make them exhausted - and in tears as the tote board rolls, all choked up singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Good, bad or indifferent Jerry cared. He really did. Was he politically incorrect. Sure. He was from a different era and he was unapologetic for his views. Should he have been more PC and sensitive. Probably. Does it change how much he cared, how much he sacrificed, how hard he worked year after year even when he was horribly sick himself? No. Not one bit.

Thank you, Jerry. Thank you for 44 years plus of hard work. Forty-four years of Labor Day Telethons - plus all the years before when they were held on Thanksgiving and other days locally in New York. Thank you for never giving up no matter how ill you were or what people said. Thank you for bringing telethons, fund-raising and charities to a national level so we could learn about MD and other disorders and so millions of people could benefit from the funds you helped raise.

Let's end this post on a high note - Michael Jackson high - here he is with his brothers in 1974 singing Dancing Machine on the Telethon!

When I was a kid, my mom would insist on watching the Jerry Lewis Telethon on Labor Day. Naturally, a member of the MTV generation, I found it really annoying to watch that when so many other things were calling me on the myriad of cable channels. But, hey, I was a kid. I felt bad for the kids they showed with MD, but I couldn't fully appreciate what the telethon was all about.

But my mom, she would tell me every year, over and over, all about how Jerry Lewis dedicated himself to this cause since the 60's. How it grew from one station in New York to hundreds of stations across the country. There was a family a few doors down from us with three daughters, all several years older than me, who were very involved with groups like the Girl Scouts and school organizations that raised money for the Telethon every year. Apparently, they used to put out info on how to run your own fund raising events, like your own MDA Carnival.

She told me how back before cable, everyone who wasn't away on vacation (and even sometimes those who were) would keep the Telethon on all the time so they could see the big stars on performing and talking with Jerry. I heard about the famous reunion of Lewis and Martin, organized by Frank Sinatra. Mom choked up when she told me about the time they raised so much money that Ed McMahon and Jerry Lewis had to paint a "1" on the tote board because there weren't enough digits.

Big corporations, like 7-11 etc., would have special products out to support Jerry's Kids with a portion of the proceeds going to the cause. Then, on Labor Day, you'd see some beg exec from McDonald's or wherever hand over their big check and the timpani would roll and the tote board would show a big new total of money raised. And of course, Jerry would cry, and at the end of it all he would sing "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Mom lamented in her final years how none of the really big, influential stars seemed to make time to come on the show for just a few minutes. Sure, some of them could be filming somewhere or on tour, but it used to be important for the A Listers to make time. After all, it's not as if you don't know when Labor Day is going to be. Years in advance even. I think she felt that was one of the bog reasons it had list its popularity. Frankly, I think it was cable. I mean, come on, we can see famous people and movies any time we want on TV (and now on the computer). It's not the draw it once was to see Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Joe Namath, etc. on TV because you can pretty much see them on your TV whenever you want.

But, I suppose she did have a point. After all, if something special was going to happen, maybe you would turn in. Then again, you'd probably just wait and watch it on YouTube.

Speaking of YouTube.... here for your viewing pleasure, is the reunion of Martin and Lewis. Enjoy!

Now, if you've read my book (and if you haven't, you need to!), then this sentiment needs no explanation. No matter what your feelings about the feline species, once an obnoxious blonde Amazon who can shift into an orange tabby tries to kill you, you're just never going to have the same affection for them.

But even before my encounter with the gargantuan Garfield, I wasn't much of a cat person. Oh, other people's cats were ok, because you didn't have to live with them. Sort of like kids. It's fun to visit them and play with them and even spoil them, but that doesn't mean you want all the responsibility and headaches 24/7.

I'd rather have a dog, thank you. I know, you're thinking, why don't you have a dog? Well, we did have a dog, but we had to find him a new home when mom got sick. It was horrible, having to send Buddy to a new home. Mom loved him so much. He was just a rescue mutt, but she adored him. She had had him for over twelve years. And now that she's gone, it just doesn't seem right for me to have one when I never know when I'm going to go away for a weekend or whatever. There's no one else to take care of a pet if I go away.

And while some people say with a cat you can leave them for a few days or whatever, I still wouldn't have one. They get on your counters and tables. I don't care what anyone says, you may be able to train them to stay off the counters and tables when you're home, but when you're out, they do as they please. I've gone to water plants and collect mail for friends on vacation and found their perfectly trained cats on the counter, in the sink, lounging on tables, etc. And they look at me like "What? You don't live here, what do I care what you think?"

Dogs don't do that. You train a dog, he's trained. And even if you have a stubborn dog that just really wants to lie on the couch, the second he hears anyone approaching, he's going to run and make sure whoever comes through that door sees a good dog. See - right there - dogs are smarter.

You can train dogs to do all sorts of things. What can you train cats to do? Use a litter box, come when they hear the can opener. Yay! Big deal. Dogs are company. The comfort and cuddle and have such expressive faces. Cats are aloof, they come to you when they want something out of it. If you call them and they come it's because it suits their needs. If it doesn't, they ignore you or even leave the room to get away from you. Dogs are happy to see you when you come home, no matter what. Come hell or high water, no matter what kind of day you've had, you open that door at the end of the day and there's a happy little face and a wagging tail to great you. With a cat, you might get greeted with an "oh, it's you. Decided to come home did you?" attitude.

Dogs play with you, and not with fuzzy catnip toys that you have to use to dope them up to get them to play. They want to be with you. They know instinctively when you need them to be near you. They also provide protection and a sense of security. Despite the joke signs, is any home really protected by an attack cat?

And for those of you who want to argue that cats are smarter, let me leave you with this thought.... Ever hear of a seeing-eye-cat? How about bomb-sniffing cats and drug-sniffing cats, or police squads with feline units? Cats trained to assist kids who have seizures or other serious ailments? Ever see a cat with a barrel around its neck for saving people in the Swiss Alps? Yeah, that's what I thought. Dogs Rule!!!

In a world where Hollywood can barely seem to come up with new movie material (unless it arrives in the form of a comic book, pardon me, graphic novel) I've often wondered why no one has thought to revive Love Boat. But, dear God, not as a movie!

Can you even begin to imagine the pain and horror that would be Love Boat: The Movie? *shudders* Ugh! One crotch/bodily function joke after another, interlaced with completely gratuitous nudity and more sex than an evening on Cinemax After Dark. And the cast. Ew! I can't go there. You'll have to imagine that one yourselves. It's too much for me.

However, handled properly, with the right touch of lighthearted comedy, an occasional touch of drama or pathos, maybe even a bit of mystery, it could be done. You'd need a top notch writing team. One with a proven track record at writing for ensemble cast comedies, such as Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond or even Hot in Cleveland (I can't help myself, I adore Betty White and the show is freaking hysterical!).

Americans love to laugh. It's a fact. And Saturday night TV just hasn't been the same since Love Boat and Fantasy Island left. Though, I must admit, I did like the remake of Fantasy Island with Malcolm McDowell. Very different from Ricardo Montalbán, but very entertaining just the same. A fun comedy like the Love Boat, with different story lines every week, different guest stars, etc. I think it's time for a revival!

And lo-o-ove, won't hurt anymore, It's an open smile on a friendly shore..... Everybody - SING!