After all, is there anything else going on my life right now? Sure doesn't seem like it...

I'll open this post with yet another anniversary (what is it about years that end in 2 and 7 anyway?!). Shockingly, this one doesn't involve Madonna (though, I was late to mention the 25th anniversary of her first single, "Everybody", which was October 6. I am sure she'll never forgive me for that...)

(Lil' Maddy: How fucking dare you forget my anniversary!)

Hey! Watch your mouth, little lady! Don't make me wash it out with soap!

(Lil' Maddy: I already saw enough soap this week... But, at least my hair is shiny and clean again.)
(Lil' Breathless: Yes, mine too. Much better.)

Yes, I washed the ladies' hair this week.

(Lil' Maddy: Well, my hair looks great, at least. Can't say the same for Grandma over there...)
(Lil' Breathless: HEY! I am not old!)
(Lil' Maddy: Yes, you are. You were an adult back in the 1930's. You're old enough to be a great grandmother. Great Grandmother Breathless!)
(Lil' Breathless: Shut up, Maddy! Besides, when were you born?)
(Lil' Maddy: Uhh... Ummm... 1981?)

*clears my throat*

(Lil' Maddy: Okay.. *mumbles* 1958.)
(Lil' Breathless: And since it's 2007, that means you're....)

*takes the two of them to the closet as they argue, and closes the door* You two can carry on in there. I have a post to work on!

So, where was I? Oh, yes, the recent anniversary. Yet another sign that time is flying by, and that I'm no longer a spring chicken myself. I wanted to post about this a couple days ago, but it got pushed back, thanks to doing some work on my computer (work I'd been dying to do for months, and finally decide to do this week).

We get to take a trip back to 1987, and the final season of The Facts Of Life. You know, the show that gave us Blair, and Jo, and Mrs. Garrett, and Tootie - err.. Dorothy.

Of course, it's not the season in particular that I am taking a trip back to, but the 10th episode of the season, which originally aired November 14, 1987, titled "Up From Down Under".

The episode kicks off with the entire household being woken up by the doorbell. After a rather amusing argument about who could be at the door in the middle of the night (a neighbor? bad news? a burgular?), Jo finally decides to ask who it is. The person on the other side says she's "Franny", at which time Andy opens the door ("Who cares? She's a girl!").

We finally get to see "Franny", who says "G'day, mate. Sorry to lob in on you like this. Is Mrs. Garrett here?". America has just been introduced to one Sherrie Krenn, then-17-year-old actress from Australia.

(Pippa: How does this look for my American debut?)

The rest of the episode consists of "Franny" being found out (she's actually Pippa McKenna, who took her friend Franny's invitation to come to Eastland as an exchange student - which explains why "Franny"/Pippa was looking for Mrs. Garrett, not Beverly Ann), her father coming to take her back, Pippa sneaking back, and her father finally deciding to let her stay in America, since he's almost never home (what was mentioned in the script, but not the episode itself, is that Pippa's mother had passed away years ago).

We would then get to spend the rest of the season being entertained by Pippa - Pippaisms, her fantasies over cute American celebrities, and of course singing. After all, it wouldn't be right to forget about Pippa taking part in a rock band.

Of course, come June 1988, the series would finally come to a close. And that was of course, would be the last we would see of Sherrie Krenn.

(Waits, expecting to hear someone clear their throat. Doesn't, then realizes Lil' Maddy and Lil' Breathless are still arguing in the closet, and Lil' Wondy is standing on the desk alone).

Well, of course, Sherrie went on to appear in a few other things in the next few years - An American Summer, Exile, a guest appearance on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air...

Well, and, she did release a pop album in 1992 as part of a pop duet called Colourhaus, with the album titled Water To The Soul...

And, yes, of course, I am teasing. A few years later, Sherrie Krenn - whom everyone seemed to refer to as Little Sherrie Kern (complete with mispronouncing her first name) decided to come up with a stage name. With an Austrian father and Australian mother, she decided to adopt a last name with "Aust" in it. Which is why for a decade now, "Little Sherrie Kern" has been known as Sherrie Austin, the Queen of Country Music.

Happy 20th anniversary on your "American debut", Sherrie! Here's hoping we do get to hear more from you soon.

As well as being busy working on my computer, I got to spend time with my father this week. He drove in from Dallas last week, arriving on Friday, and just left this morning.

I spent some time with him on Sunday and yesterday. We went out for miniature golf and dinner on Sunday, and yesterday we spent time with my sister (Yes, the one I had the blow-up with a few months ago. And, yes, it went pretty well).

Sunday was fun (even though, to no surprise, he whooped my ass.). But Thursday was special.

I finally got to go over and see the apartment that my grandmother moved into when she finally moved after nearly 50 years. Very nice place. Makes me wish I could lie, say I'm 55, and get an apartment there!

After that, we went over to see my father's friend Herb, whom I haven't seen since 1988. Herb was nice enough to let my father stay there while in town, so he wouldn't have to waste money on a hotel. Thank you, Herb!

What's funny (and if my father or Herb ever see this post, oh boy!) is that Herb had thought we hadn't seen each other since I stood up around his knee. That wasn't the case, of course. Because do I have a story that would make the two of them faint...

Summer of 1988, Herb celebrated his 50th birthday, and my father brought my sister (the one who lives in Texas, not the one that came with us yesterday) and I along to his party. Among the notable things I recall from the party were Herb's cake (with a large chocolate hill on it, saying "Over the hill.. Life begins at 50!"). And... A stripper.

When it was time for the stripper to make her appearance, everyone under 18 was kicked out to the backyard... Except for two. My father (either from having a few beers, or genuinely not caring) laughed and told Herb he really didn't care if we saw that or not.

So, yes, on the day where Herb celebrated the big 5-0, I saw a pair of breasts, in the flesh, attached to the chest of an adult woman, for the first time...

I normally have a very good memory. But you can now see why I sure as heck didn't forget Herb's 50th birthday bash! :P

Since we're now exchanging emails, I may have to email that little story to him someday, just to see his reaction!

Lastly, we move onto The Drew Is Right, because yesterday marked the one month anniversary of The Drew Carey Era (which, ironically, was the 20th anniversary of another big day in TPIR history - on October 15, 1987, Bob Barker emerged from door #2 for the first time... with his hair now a silverish-white, since he had finally decided to quit coloring it).

While there are some things that are still taking some getting used to (like hearing Rich introduce "DREEEEEEEEEEEW CAREY!" and not Bob, or looking at the set thinking "Wait a minute!"), overall I am very pleased with the show so far.

Drew, while not Bob (and not trying to be Bob), has brought his own energy and humor to the show, which I am enjoying quite a bit. Whether it's jumping up and down with the contestants, or having fun after a contestant slipped up and called him Bob ("$750... $750... Bob. Thank you. Thank you very much. No, really. It's okay. Bob is everywhere on this stage, and I love it!", and after that contestant won his way up on stage "Welcome to the stage, Shaun! Great to meet you, buddy! I'm Drew Carey, I'm the new host!"), or having some fun with Double Prices ("Hold my hand. Say 'Shazam!'" - and that is Shazam as in the 1970's TV show featuring Captain Marvel, not Gomer Pyle!), Drew has helped keep the show fun.

I had been opposed to Todd Newton being the host for some time, and that's not because I dislike Todd. I like Todd, a lot. But Todd tries to be Bob, and I felt the worse thing the show could do is bring in "another Bob". It would've come across to me like the staff was saying "Yeah, Bob is replacable. We can just bring in Bob Barker II." What the show truly needed was Drew Carey I (or some other host I).

Sorry, Todd.

Yes, the set is still taking some getting used to. What do you expect? I spent 28 years on the old set. You can't teach an old diva new tricks, after all. I mean, yes, the set looks good. But it's going to take some time for me to not look at the turntable, expecting pentagon-shaped walls and three-colored schemes. Or looking at the doors expecting wider door frames that curve in at the bottom. It's going to take time, just like it took time to getting used to the fact Johnny isn't announcing... Or Bob isn't hosting.

One thing that happened with the show that brought a huge smile to my face, though, took place a couple weeks ago, when after 36 seasons, we finally got a special Halloween episode - complete with a giant caulderon on the audience platform, Drew with vampire teeth walking out like a monster (he quickly ditched the teeth, though), Rich trying to talk like "an Italian vampire", the models in costume (Gwen as Vampira, Brandi as a zombie bride with an axe in her head, and Phire as a mummy), and an absolutely hilarious Showcase ("The time that a vampire was a contestant on TPIR", complete with a One-Bid display showing "666", Brandi as Fang the vampire, and The Dob appearing as an Italian chef). While this was something we definitely would've never seen with Bob hosting the show, it was a ton of fun, and not only do I hope we see more of them in the future, but that this could mean the return of April Fool's Showcases... After all, it has been too long since they've tried to give away replicas of 1964 Valiants, or trips to Bakersville, Hoosian and Meeskite.

Sure, Drew is still a "work in progress". He's learned about 75% of the games so far, and we're still getting episodes with fairly predictable lineups (and will until late winter/early spring). But he'll get the games down soon enough, and in the meantime he's making up for his lack of experience by having fun and giving us a lot of laughs.

Besides, when you think about it, Bob Barker wasn't Bob Barker back in October 1972, either. He was still a few years away from loosening up and having fun during the show as well, and the predictability factor was far worse back in 1972 than it is now, thanks to the fact there were only a handful of pricing games early on.

I'll always miss Bob, of course, but Drew has kept the show fun. It'll never truly be the same, but it's still pretty damned good.

Giving the body of Bob's career an A+ for a grade, I'll have to give Drew a month or so in a B+, maybe an A- - and likely to find himself at an A once he has all 75 or so games memorized (which will come soon enough).

As far an A+? We're talking years, if ever. But, then again, there's only one Bob Barker. There have been a lot of game shows hosts over the last 50 years, and few who are even in the same class as Bob. Coming close, but not quite as good, is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Lastly, let me close this post by saying to Farmer Boys restaurants, and everyone else who thinks we need to hear "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland" and other similiar music: CAN'T WE GET THROUGH THANKSGIVING FIRST, PLEASE?!

Labels: Barker Worship, Lil' Maddy, Mi Vida Loca, Stone Cold Sherrie Austin, The Drew Is Right