Don't Spend One Moment On This "Ping Pong Summer"

Ping Pong Summer (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Marcello Conte, Helena Seabrook, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Susan Sarandon

Written and Directed by Michael Tully

The Story:

Radical Miracle (Conte) is going on a coming of age summer adventure with his sister (Seabrook) and parents (Thompson & Hannah). Something is going to make this his greatest summer ever...

But I was so bored and uninterested in the film after 10 minutes, I took it out and mailed it back.

Had I known it was streaming on Amazon Prime, I could have saved the mailman the trouble of moving this disc across the miles.

Michael Tully is officially on my list of directors to not bother with.

The film was painfully unfunny, not dramatic, not really anything at all.

When the greatest part of the movie is using Casey Kasem's American Top 40 to hear a long-distance dedication, it's time to move on.

Also shot to be grainy to "look and feel" like an 80s film, it only serves to undercut whatever you're trying to make as a finished product.

80s movies may have been grainy, but the best are revered classics, the worst are cringe-worthy cult classics or so bad they're cheesy good.

This film is none off those.

Final Grade: D-

Ruh Roh! "Scooby Doo, Where Are You!"

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969)

TV G

Starring  Don Messick, Casey Kasem, Nicole Jaffe, Frank Welker, Stefanianna Christopherson, Heather North

The Story:

4 Sleuths and their talking dog uncover the truth behind apparent supernatural mysteries.

Seriously, how in-depth do you want me to make a synopsis of Scooby Doo?

I'm more curious how they could get away with using an exclamation point in the title when clearly they are asking a question.

:)

Can we all assume everyone has at least seen an episode?

If not, these are the episodes to see.

The first two seasons...the best two seasons.

Everything you wanted to know about Scooby and the Gang can be gleaned by watching these episodes.

And now you know the secret of why I have so many children, and why I creatively spaced them out like I did.

This way, I can keep introducing the next generation of fans to some of the best animation and fun shows that I had the privilege to grow up watching.

;)

It could be argued that Scooby Doo is the most successful feather in the Hanna Barbera cap, and I would be willing to agree.

Naturally, I'll put the Flintstones first, but I've got a lot of love for Scooby (Messick), Shaggy (Kasem) and the rest of the gang.

Happily, aside from some Daphne switching (Christopherson to North), the gang that voiced the original Scooby episodes pretty much were given the opportunity to voice their most famous creations in many of the updated iterations that has brought Scooby and his crime solving sleuths to the screen.

That includes ascot wearing Fred (Welker) and the brainy Velma (Jaffe).

Naturally, nearly every episode plays out the exact same way, so watching episode after episode can become very déjà vu-ish, but most of the jokes and gags work just as well now as they did over 40 years ago.

My little 2 year old had recently discovered the new Scooby stuff on Netflix, but was totally enchanted when the originals were cracked out of the DVD case and watched with the family.

I even got her to say "Rooby Roo".

Now that's priceless!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: While you don't have to have children to appreciate this part of your youth, but it doesn't hurt.  And it provides cover for watching them again.  :)

Casey Kasem R.I.P. 1932-2014

Father's Day brought an end to the life and times of Casey Kasem.  A weird story with some bizarre occurrences in the last days of his life.

Basically, he had a whacked-out family.

But enough about them, this post is meant to honor and remember, at least for me, the greatest on-air radio personality in my lifetime:  Casey Kasem.

Little did I realize at the time, that I had known Casey's work much earlier in life before I ever switched on a Pop station in the 80s and became hooked on 80s music forever.

But more on that in a minute! ;)

As you can see by the picture, Casey was hard at work making sure kids of the 60s/70s and early 80s enjoyed some quality television.

I'm not sure which order I met him first, was it Shaggy then Robin, or vice versa?

Either way, he was the perfect voice for one half of two of the best dynamic duos in cartoons.

Holy Sidekick Batman, it's hard to believe that the same guy who voiced Robin could turn around and give the same life to the ultimate 60s stoner-who's-not-a-stoner, Shaggy.

But really, if you take Shaggy away from Scooby Doo, that's like taking Abbott away from Costello: it just doesn't work.

I love that Hanna Barbera kept Kasem as the voice of Shaggy for future generations as well.  It's an amazing legacy, and if he had done nothing further, I'd still be typing this remembrance for him.

But no...

Casey brought me Pop Music every weekend in the form of American Top 40.  I was there, counting them down every week, watching my favorites climb the charts while past favorites dropped out of favor.

I used the cassette function of my boom box (!!!) to make compilations of some of my favorite songs.  I even played a bunch of tapes on the school bus for those long 30 minute rides to school.  So well-played back in the day, I still think of songs that would come next on my tape when I hear them on the radio, or the squelch of stopping Casey in mid-speech as we came out of a song.

:)

When they let Casey go in the late 80s and replaced him with Shadoe Stevens, I left the countdown as well.  Would catch Casey doing his Top 10 on television on occasion,  but it just wasn't the same.

Listening to what AT40 has become under Ryan Seacrest is a travesty... arbitrary rankings, sleaze versus actual stories about the artists....

I weep for future generations of music lovers.

And today, I weep a bit for the passing of a very influential part of my growing up.

However, while I don't have Sirius XM, our local station does play replays of American Top 40: The 80s every Sunday from 8-nooon.

It's a great trip down memory lane, and one I try to catch at least a few minutes of every week.

Rest in Peace Casey, and thank you!

As you advised me every week growing up, I will keep my feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars!