Forecasting the weather in Sacramento during the summer months can seem a touch repetitive. Warm this morning, hot in the afternoon, the evening will remain warm. Tomorrow? See today. However, if you are an Internet junkie like me you have no doubt been frustrated with the poor level of detail provided online. That’s not to say that there aren’t enough resources online or 5 day forecasts with sun icons lined up back to back. But, when I am searching the Internet for weather forecasting I’m basically looking for a “cut to the chase” sentence or two. Well, my friends, I have found such a sentence or two at kcra.com. As always, I must disclaim that I’m never first on the scene with anything technology related so please forgive me if this is old news.

Continue reading “Like the weather…” »

Did anybody else catch Bee columnist Carlos Alcala on “Jeopardy” last night? His take on the appearance from Monday’s Bee is a fun little read.

Carlos, who’s visited the Rag a few times, was up against a 2-day champ, a young grad student from back East. He started the first round off slow but had a great run in double jeopardy that almost put him in the lead. During that run I thought it was notable that he got the champ to change categories a few times. Also I thought it was notable that he started the “Star Wars” category. He was down going into Final Jeopardy (”Who is Nancy Pelosi?”? Seriously, that’s your “final Jeopardy” notable woman?) and since that usually takes a really obscure category to force the leader into a low wager or an actual wrong answer by the leader, he bet big but finished second. Good work, Carlos!

Bee fashion writer Leigh Grogan reports at 21Q that “several of Sacramento’s finest designers” will be traveling to L.A. to audition for season 4, which will debut later this spring. I know what you’re thinking: there are several?

It says “douchebag” in fancy letterin’

We have really missed a trick thus far in not having a “Where are they now?” category. Although it’s sort of understandable: with the steel-trap minds here the list of possible candidates would be so large as to be unwieldy. So I’d like to start with Matt Wokas.

Continue reading “Matt Wokas: Where is he now?” »

21Q’s Sam McManis beat me to the punch last week on the Lost promos for News10 starring TV’s Sawyer:

He looks into the camera with that Sawyerian smirk and says, “Don’t trust ‘The Others.’ Watch News10.”

The viewer can easily detect the barely-disguised ennui actor Josh Holloway (Sawyer) is nursing having to do promos for every ABC affiliate from here to Baltimore.

Quipped one friend of 21Q: “Yeah, Henry Gale is totally a KCRA guy.”

If you’re a “Lost” fanatic, you’ll get the reference.

Which I technically still am, but I don’t. Even with the ennui it’s still better than those Colusa Casino radio spots starring Carlos Santana.

UPDATE: Sam McManis emails:

Now, the implication by my colleague who made the Henry Gale/KCRA quip was that “The Others” aka “The Man” aka “The Establishment” would watch KCRA whereas the good guys would watch warm-and-fuzzy News10.

Yeah I don’t know why I didn’t get that. Although I like to think that Sawyer would be all over this here weblog, since he is the premiere provider of snark on the island. And thinking of him hunching over a keyboard hunting and pecking is almost as funny as when he wears glasses.

I haven’t seen the Zoo’s new veterinary hospital yet, but my wife and daughters saw it yesterday, the day after its grand opening. As you can see from the thumbnail image (all I could find), it is a rustic building in the middle of a jungle-like setting. Mrs Cool caught a glimpse inside the open door, though, and spied a fully stocked operating room with an empty operating table, which put her immediately in mind of a certain TV show about people who are Lost on an island. That tall shaggy-haired orangutan better watch out, because Pickett has got that gleam in his eye…

In my house, it’s notable when Sacramento is mentioned on TV or in a movie, even in passing. When it happens during one of my favorite TV shows it’s practically cause for a gala event at Spataro. On last night’s “Veronica Mars” our gal is on the case of the missing boyfriend: Sully, from Sacramento. Don’t think we didn’t cross our fingers and hope V, Wallace and the gang had to make a field trip to pick up some clues from the downtown plaza or the Crocker!

According to the Bee’s Lisa Heyamoto, the next installment of MTV’s “The Real World,” this time set in the mile-high city (wonder how much mileage they’ll get out of punning on that) will star a Sacramentan! As a bonus, he’ll be playing the character of the “uber-conservative who is deeply religious and against gay marriage”! Yippee for Sacramento!

Via Heckasac, a heads’ up from musician/producer J Greenberg:

Wednesday at 7pm, KVIE will air a program that I produced, and that I’m very proud of. If you have an interest in Sacramento History– particularly the strange stuff that doesn’t make it into the history books — then I hope you’ll tune in to Channel 6 for HIDDEN HISTORY…

In this program, hosted by comedian Jack Gallagher, we visit sites like the Old City Cemetery and the Sacramento Archives to unearth strange tales of Sacramento history. Things like…an airship hovering over the Capitol dome seven years before the Wright Brothers made their famous flight. Or an amateur filmmakers’ club that saved the American River Parkway…

Sounds fun!

Well, the ride to fashion stardom is over for A.J., the America’s Next Top Model finalist from right here in Sactown, sent home last night by the judges. On these talent type shows, it’s always sort of questionable for me who goes in what order–for example, you know that almost all of the remaining girls have no shot: Anchal, Jaeda, the twins. So why A.J., and why now? Who knows.

I loved when she was opening up to Tyra about how it was going so far on the show and she said she was having trouble relating to the other girls. Somehow, I thought, that’s Sacramento for you. You can take the girl out of the town, but you can’t take the town out of the girl. Know your roots, girl! (And seriously, ditch that hat thing.)

NOTE: Seriously, my wife did not write this. You know how I know I’m snarky?….