Category Archives: Television/TV

“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Haunting Horror Host Harmonies! (Halloween 2014: Part 4)”!

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Hi, everyone!

It turns out I misread WNUR’s schedule, so we actually have one more Halloween-themed jam session to squeeze into the spooky season!

On October 10, Rich Koz (a.k.a. “Svengoolie”) was honored for his thirty-five years as Svengoolie (formerly “Son of Svengoolie”) at the Museum of Broadcast Communications (Museum.tv) in Chicago. It was an amazing event, and I highly encourage all of you to go to the MBC and check out all of the great exhibits they have there––– including, of course, the brand new Svengoolie exhibit that was unveiled that night! The exhibit includes his original coffin that was also used by Jerry G. Bishop, the original Svengoolie.

Mr. Goolie himself (and me) at the MBC! It’s always great to see you, Sven!

Also, October 31, 2014 has been declared “Svengoolie/Rich Koz” day in both the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois in his honor. Congratulations, Rich Koz! You certainly deserve it!

Of course, in case anyone hasn’t heard yet, the Queen of Halloween herself, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, is hosting a brand new series on Hulu (Hulu.com), entitled, 13 Nights of Elvira, that I also highly recommend!

So, with all this news about horror movie hosts, what else can we do this week but jam to some…

… Do people in “Berrrwyyyn” get this show?

“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Terror-ific Trick-or-Treat Tunes! (Halloween 2014: Part 3)”!

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Hi, everyone!

Well, the bad news is, we’re wrapping up our month-long theme of Halloween harmonies to haunt our heads and really get us into the spirit of the spooky season.

… The good news is, we have a fearfully fun jam session to wrap it all up as tightly as a mummy!

Last week, we jammed to songs about both the supernatural and the sci-fi sides of Halloween.

This week, we’re so close to the actual holiday, we’re just going to dive into our bag of tasty tunes to dig out some…

I got a “rock”… Get it? “Rock,” like “rock music”? Never mind…

“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Supernatural and Sci-Fi Songs! (Halloween 2014: Part 2)”!

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Hi, everyone!

We’re continuing on with our month-long theme of Halloween harmonies to haunt our heads and really get us into the spirit of the spooky season!

Last week, we jammed our way through the roster of the various creatures that tend to lurk around this time of year. But have you ever noticed that the scares that surface at this time each year tend to fall into one of two categories?

Well, this week, we’re going to look at both sides of the coin, with a series of…

Well, as long as it’s not a cursed coin…

“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Monster Melody Mash-Up (Halloween 2014: Part 1)”!

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Hi, everyone!

It’s time! It’s October, so it’s high time that we all got into the spirit of the season! Now this time of year brings a diverse menagerie of creatures our way, so let’s use this week’s jam session to see what we’re up against! It’s time for…

For…

Robin Williams

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First and foremost, I want to give my deepest and sincerest condolences to Robin Williams’ family and friends and all who knew him.

I never, ever thought I’d be writing something like this. I don’t feel qualified to write this. After all, I never met Robin Williams. I’m not a comedian, or a professional writer or performer (yet). Who am I to write about a genius––– and I do not use that term lightly––– like Robin Williams? Furthermore, who am I to feel like I lost someone when I heard that he left us far too soon?

Perhaps I don’t deserve to write this. Perhaps I don’t deserve to feel this loss. But I do feel like I have to say something, so I will. I do believe that Robin Williams is, and will always be, a prime example of how we can inspire and help people we’ve never met in ways we can never even imagine.

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“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Melodies for Mom and Ditties for Dad”!

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Hi, everyone!

That’s right, after a brief hiatus, we’re back to jammin’!

I hope you had a great Mother’s Day, no matter how you personally relate to the day. So, in honor of Mother’s Day, as well as Father’s Day, which is right around the corner (Sunday, June 15), this week, we’ll be jammin’ to…

Mamma Mia!

“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Monetary Melodies”!

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Hi, everyone!

I apologize in advance for reminding you of this… but on April 15, income taxes are due.

But wait! Whether you’re still working on them, are still putting them off, or are actually already done and just want to enjoy your accomplishment, we have a great jam session for you, as we jam to…

Cha-ching!

“Jammin’ with Jamie” Theme: “Marvelous Muppet Melodies”!

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Hi, everyone!

I survived my third Dance Marathon (nudm.org)… only to immediately get very, very sick at one of the worst times possible (not that there’s ever a good time to get sick!).

On the bright side, I met Svengoolie (Svengoolie.com) again at the Brookfield Zoo AAZK Spaghetti Dinner (BrookfieldZoo.org), benefitting Vital Ground!

Hi again, Sven!

Hi again, Sven!

But after a couple of weeks off, we’re back to jammin’, and my goodness, do we have a great theme to jam to this week!  I’m going to be honest: I’ve wanted to do this theme for a while, but I wasn’t sure how to tie it into a current event or season, and I also wasn’t sure how it would go over with my fellow Jammers.  But now, not only do I have the perfect current event tie-in, but I’ve also been jammin’ with all of you long enough to realize that this is right up our (awesome) alley!

So…

“It’s time to play the music!  It’s time to light the lights!  It’s time…”

Hi ho!

“I’m Just the Middleman,” Part 1: The Spontaneous Poster Introduction!

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Hi, everyone!

In May of 2008, my family and I went out to a mall for dinner. This particular mall always had various ads on posters that rotated up and down in little “stations” throughout the building. We’d look at them, but wouldn’t really pay too much attention to them unless it was advertising a movie that we already knew and were excited about.

But on this particular evening, one of the posters drew my attention––– to the point where I stood in front of the station through countless rotations just so I could take it all in. I had to memorize it so I could remember every detail of it later. I had no idea how long the mall would keep the poster in the rotation, and did not want to risk it disappearing and forgetting about it.

This is what I saw:

This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: this stood out.

This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: this stood out.

“Sands of Zanzibar!” What is THAT?!

Spend Saturday Night with “Svengoolie”!

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Hi, everyone!

I’ve been writing quite a bit about my radio show, Jammin’ with Jamie, lately, so I think it’s high time I actually, well, wrote about something else!

It’s officially Halloween season, so I’ll write about something––– or rather, someone––– often associated with Halloween. Despite this association, however, he’s around all year long, and if you ever need something to lift your spirits (pun intended) at the end of the week on a Saturday night, he’s there to help.

If you’ve had the best week of your life, he’ll make it even better. If you’ve had the worst week of your life, he’ll help you end the week on a high note. I can say both of these statements with certainty because I have experienced both. No matter what your mood may be, he’ll brighten it. You’ll find yourself smiling, laughing, and thoroughly enjoying yourself.

His name is Svengoolie. And if you haven’t seen his show, you should. Scratch that: you need to. “Who’s Svengoolie?” you ask?

This is Svengoolie! (And me. At White Castle.)

This is Svengoolie! (And me. At White Castle.)

Tell me more about Sven!