Hi-Tech USB Port Rechargeable Batteries
July 22, 2009 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under ENVIRONMENT, FEATURED, TECH
Finally! Someone’s come up with a way to charge AA batteries right from a USB port on your desktop or laptop computer. No more worrying about whether you remembered to pack that extra bulky charger and cords or if you remembered to charge/top off your batteries the night before.
While a little more expensive than buying a regular NiMH rechargeable battery and charger, the space saving of not HAVING to carry around a charger more than makes up for it. And if needed, these batteries can be charged in many popular brands of smart chargers (in case your USB ports are busy.) Read more
The Curse of the 3 Strikes Again…
June 26, 2009 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under FEATURED, MUSIC, TV SHOWS
Wow, what a tough week in Hollywood and for all those who grew up watching and listening to them: three icons gone before you could blink. And how sad is it that all three were going through some of the toughest times in their lives when they passed?
First Ed McMahon, he of the TONIGHT SHOW 2nd chair, STAR SEARCH and TV’s PRACTICAL JOKES AND BLOOPERS, passed at the age of 86. It appears that the bone cancer he had been suffering, among other health problems, may have contributed to his death. (No doubt the added stress of being in financial trouble and on the verge of losing his home didn’t help… Too bad he couldn’t have been enjoying his golden years instead of having to hawk Cash for Gold to make ends meet!)
Then, just when we were getting used to his being gone, Farrah Fawcett loses her battle with cancer at 62. (How weird is it that all of the original Angels ended up with cancer? I’d seriously want to check out where they were filming for nuclear waste products!!)
While I actually liked Jacklyn Smith the best of the three original Charlie’s Angels, the chemistry of the three leads together made for a fun show. Unfortunately, like many actors who leave successful shows before the storyline is really ready to let them go, Farrah’s career never really ever took off again. She ended up being known more for the men in her life and the best-selling (cheesecake) poster of all time and now for dying of a really embarrasing form of lower body cancer. How sad is that?
Then, before we all stop reeling, the biggest shock of the week happens. Ed McMahon was getting up there in years and Farrah had been battling cancer for a while, but Michael Jackson always seemed to go on and on no matter what bumps and bruises tossed his life. Then, he gets accidentally done in at only 50 by the doctor that’s supposed to be watching his fragile health? (That’s just one of the many rumors running rampant right now… Among the thousands that no doubt will spring up and grow and take on a life of their own as the days, weeks and months go by.)
I’m sorry to say I don’t really miss this Michael much. I miss the Michael of the earlier years, the one who hadn’t gotten twisted so much by either his father or all the money or just finally being unable to cope with all the fame and pressure. I miss the originality of his early music, the magic he seemed to have lost as he lost his own way, personally and financially, not quite seeming to live in the real world anymore. It’s too bad that it looked all downhill for him, no matter what he did.
RIP to all three. May they now have the peace and tranquility they seemed to have lost so late in their lives…
What a week…
From Taking Lives to Saving Lives
June 8, 2009 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under FEATURED, TV SHOWS
How annoying is it to start watching a show, only to realize it’s already been cancelled? SCI FI Channel is one of my favorites, but they’re also one of the most frustrating in that they seem to pick up shows I never saw when they were first out, didn’t realize how great they were, only to find out that the 13 eps are all that there are and most likely ever will be. Read more
2009 Tony Awards
June 8, 2009 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under ACTORS, FEATURED, Michael T Weiss
Last night’s Tony Awards show was a nice surprise. It seems they have finally taken a page from Hollywood and decided to provide "teaser trailers" to the nominated shows, whether it be through extended musical numbers by the original artists or through short film shots from the plays in question.
In this day and age of tight economics, people want an idea ahead of time of whether their money will be well spent. And given last night’s performances, I sure wish I had more money and could take the time off to go to Broadway! Read more
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince Coming Jul 15th
June 7, 2009 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under FEATURED, MOVIES
After an extra long wait (first due to the writer’s strike, then to Hollywood’s deciding to push it back some more), HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is finally coming out July 15h. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Michael Gambon, this film also brings back such favorites as Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Tom Felton and Julie Walters, while adding some new actors to the mix: Jim Broadbent brings Professor Horace Slughorn to life, while Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (nephew to Ralph Fiennes) gives us insight into the young Tom Riddle aka Voldemort. Read more
Vintage Gibson Guitars – Investment?
February 14, 2009 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under FEATURED, MUSIC
Vintage 1959 Gibson Les Paul Flametop Guitar
In this day and age where cash seems to be worth less and less, there still are a few items that seem to appreciate with age. One of those categories appears to be vintage guitars, especially vintage Gibson guitars.
In recent years, Gibson guitar collectors have been known to pay as much as $400,000 (yes, that’s a 4 with 5 zeros!) for a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Flametop. According to Jay Boone, owner of Emerald City Guitars in Pioneer Square, that particular guitar was sitting under a bed gathering dust for 40 years, unbeknownst to the adult children in the family in Illinois who discovered its worth after seeing some press about Boone and its sister guitar.* Read more
Danger, Will Robinson, Robot Has Left the Ship
January 19, 2009 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under FEATURED, TV SHOWS
Bob May, the actor who most likely will be forever known as Robot from LOST IN SPACE, has passed away at the age of 69 from congestive heart failure. He began his career in Hollywood at the age of 2, when his grandfather, vaudevillian Chic Johnson, had him appear in his comedy show HELLZAPOPPIN. After trying his own hand at vaudeville for awhile, May decided to go after television roles.
He acted in such TV series as THE TIME TUNNEL, McHALE’S NAVY and THE RED SKELTON SHOW. He also worked as a stuntman on CHEYENNE, SURFSIDE 6, HAWAIIAN EYE, THE ROARING 20S and STAGECOACH in the ’50s and ’60s.
But it wasn’t until 1965, when he was chosen to play Robot in LOST IN SPACE (because he could fit in the suit according to legend) that he became a long-standing cult favorite – unseen, but forever recognizable whenever it uttered the legendary, "Danger, Will Robinson." (What usually only die-hard fans realize, though, is that May didn’t provide the robot’s distinctive voice–that was done by announcer Dick Tufeld.)
He enjoyed his role as Robot, once telling people he had come to consider the suit a “home away from home.”
Even after the series ended, May spent many years attending fan conventions and memorabilia shows, keeping the spirit of Robot alive.
R.I.P. Robot!
