New (belated) Monday offering

I introduce to you a new Monday morning feature, the “Cooky Kaption Kontest” (because Kooky doesn’t work there, it just doesn’t have the right ring to it…) in which you do the fake write your own caption thing that you’ve seen a thousand times. But this time it’s on The Sac Rag and it’s local. Post your fake funny caption in the comments. We start with this photo from the Bee’s story on the dedication of the Mormon Temple:
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Offbeat film series at Fool’s Foundation

Received via email:

Shiny Object and Fools Foundation will begin an on-going weekly series of film screenings at Fools Foundation every Friday night at 7 PM. Most films are $5.00 unless otherwise noted in advance.

This all kicks off on Friday Sept 8 with a screening of “We Jam Econo: The Story of The Minutemen,” a feature-length documentary on the seminal 80’s punk band. The rest of the Sept schedule is below:

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When it’s raining men, it pours

Continuing his meteoric rise to local fame, Game Guy Scott Fera can now be seen in two places at once… on the stage at 24th Street Theater in “The Full Monty” and now in network, My58’s Host Hunt Competition. Sac’s newest TV network, which actually premieres its fall lineup tonight at 7 (2 hourlong primetime soap operas with 13 week story arcs), is holding the competition to find 2 hosts for an as-yet unannounced new show for one year. It will most likely be a show in the “Good Day Sacramento” model.

Here’s Scott’s page. One big reason I think the Game Guy deserves your vote is that he is one of a select few contestants who answered the “Pet Peeves” question honestly… some of the other contestants’ answers include “Ignorance,” “Unfairness,” “Liars and fake people” and my personal (least) favorite, “People getting away with injustice.”
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What happened to the fill-er-up?

Is it just me, or did they take away the “fill-up” at the gas station? I distinctly remember at one point in time being able to hand my card over to the attendant and say “fill-up on #3,” return and get my card and sign the thing. For whatever reason, I now am expected to tell the attendant how much gas I wish to purchase up front. I have been told that the system requires it.

Is it for my convenience? Judging by the overall surliness of your average gas station attendant of either sex, that is highly unlikely. Is it an anti-fraud measure? Can I tell him I want $300 worth of gas and then complain when he doesn’t have a giant container for me to take the other $250 worth home with me? I suppose that’s just it–it’s probably an anti-fraud measure preventing me from “acquiring” somebody else’s card and pumping $8000 worth of supreme into my friends various tricked out whips.

If that’s the case, is anybody else annoyed by it enough to complain anyway?

Flood protection bill goes down in Committee

So the CA Assembly voted down a big flood protection bill. I guess that’s even more reason to build a bigger arena…where else are we going to congregate when the levees break!

That’s right, I just Raised a Spectre. If I can’t simply argue that a backroom deal involving a tax increase that disproportionately hurts poor people and offers only a non-binding promise of a downtown sports arena is a bad idea I’m not afraid of going the fear route. I did notice something interesting in the Bee’s report about the failed flood bill:

[Bill sponsor Assemblywoman Lois] Wolk ultimately concluded it was better to do nothing and tackle the issue next year, than to do the wrong thing and pretend the issue was solved.

Interesting approach! When you’ve got a package of hastily slapped together legislation that you’re worried won’t get the job done, it’s nice to know you can just wait til next year, even if the bill involves improving a public facility or work that many say is inadequate to future needs. Who knew!?

YouTube phenoms Smosh on News10

A friend just sent me this link to a YouTube clip from News10 about the two Del Campo grads whose videos posted to YouTube as “Smosh” are some of the most popular entertainment among those with whom YouTube is popular entertainment. Apparently they have the #2 watched clip on there. My YouTube just keeps blinking “12:00” so what do I know.

Warning: watching a clip of TV news on YouTube in which you watch a clip on YouTube is only 2 layers away from smoshing your brain.

His hair registered a “point one oh”

Speaking of current and former Good Day Sacramento talent, a helpful reader emailed me just now and reminded me to point out an item Graswich included in his column today, which I will copy and paste in its entirety in case you didn’t see it:

Fly away: Rough weekend for Channel 31 Good Day Sacramento star Mark S. Allen. The TV personality was stopped by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies while driving through Sacramento Intergalactic Airport. Deputies called the Highway Patrol to test Allen’s sobriety, and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Allen can be wild and crazy on TV, but he behaved himself in custody, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said. No comment from Mark. …

All emphasis R.E.’s except Highway Patrol, which I have bolded because I thought it would be funny in a Jackie Harvey way.

(Completely beside the point: Even Graswich makes fun of SMF’s International status? I don’t know why people don’t understand this: You can fly to Mexico, which is another nation, meaning you can travel between 2 nations, which is the definition of the word international. I looked it up. I don’t want to hear anybody making fun of it anymore.)

The sorry state of local sports guys

Local sports broadcasting is at a sorry state, is it not? Most of the broadcasts have new guys right now and most of them are awkward and terrible. Danny Pommells? Arran Anderson and Keith Norton? Maybe they just need a few years under their belts. The only straight up sports guy left is Jim Crandall, and that’s pretty sad. It looks like Del Rogers is pulling double duty on KCRA and KQCA, but I’ve only seen Pommells on KCRA lately. News 10 only has Brian May.

It’s not just the new guys’ overall lack of local exposure that’s contributing to the suckification, it’s the way the new guys are being used. CBS13 (I hear good things!!) seems to almost exclusively use Norton and Anderson outside the studio, doing stupid on-the-spot reporting from behind the wheel of a racecar, stuff like that which smacks of media contracts and PR (I’m talking out my arse here but that’s the feeling I get).

While I’m on the subject of local news…
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Where’s the Big Fun?

I haven’t been to The State Fair yet, but I think my two girls will go crazy for the livestock stuff so I think we’re going to make it this year, eventually. I have to ask, however: is it just me or does attendance seem way down? Where is the traffic snarl backing up from Expo to the WX? Over the weekend I was able to drive in to the Arden Fair parking lot and grab a sweet spot outside Nordys and get out with no delay. Last night we drove past the fairgrounds at 6:30, prime fair dining time, and the lot seemed about half full.

I know my evidence is entirely anecdotal, but those are 3 major indicators that the Fair is in town and they are non-factors thus far. What gives? Discuss.