ZTAMS BLOG

Hello! I’m sorry I missed my August Brady Bunch review, but I was quite sick. I’m all better now and here to present my review of The Brady Bunch episode #15 which is called “54-40 and Fight”. This show originally aired on January 9, 1970. I wish I could go back to the 70′s. Those were good times.

The show opens with Greg, Marcia, Peter, and Jan at the kitchen table pigging out. Alice walks in through her special door with groceries. The kids start digging through the bags looking for cookies and chewing tobacco and canned air to huff. Marcia finds the trading stamps and claims the girls have been saving them since they were little kids. Greg says the boys have been saving them too. Uh oh. Alice whips out her stash of trading stamps (a whole drawer full) and the kids are very excited. The boys want a row boat and the girls want a sewing machine. Stupid. I would have gone for the X-box or iPhone or something cool like that.

The DVD I’m watching cuts to a scene where Alice is washing Tiger. That scene is from a different episode. It’s from the one where Jan is allergic to Tiger’s new flea powder. (Episode number five called Katchoo.) Mmmm…..I wonder why they put that scene in this episode. Odd. Maybe they cut something else out and needed a filler.

They show all the kids licking stamps. That’s so gross. Do they know how much mouse poo and other stuff is on that adhesive? Why wouldn’t they use a sponge? I guess people licked anything and everything back in the 70′s.

The kids decide to combine their trading stamps and get something groovy for the whole family. The girls have 40 books and the boys have 54 books (hence the title of this episode). Cindy says “that maketh theventy eight bookth”. Smart.

The kids can’t decide on anything so they want their parents to decide for them. Carol thinks they should get a grandfather clock. Are you stupid? What kid wants that? Mike thinks they should get a pool table. I think that’s a great idea, but Carol says the girls don’t know how to play. So? Why can’t they learn? Stupid.

Tragedy strikes the next morning when Alice reads an article in the paper about Checker Trading Stamps going out of business. They only have 30 days to cash in their stamps. Oh no!

Since nobody can decide what to get, Greg and Marcia come up with the idea for a contest where winner takes all. They come up with contests involving weight lifting, swimming, hopscotch, running, ping pong, and other dumb things. Alice finally suggests building a house of cards. Alice to the rescue once again.

When they start building their house of cards, Thindy says she should go first. When Bobby asks why she should go first, she says “Because I’m a lady”. When Bobby tells her she’s full of crap, she says “I AM a lady. If you say I’m not, I’ll bop you”.

The house of cards quickly grows as the kids get more and more tense. Marcia is wearing this stupid charm bracelet that keeps getting in the way and almost knocking the cards over. Uh…..why not take it off? As they start their tenth floor of the house of cards, they show Marcia having lots of trouble because of the bracelet. I don’t understand why she didn’t take it off. Oh yeah, I guess the writers needed suspense. It’s Greg’s turn now. Just as he’s putting his card on the tenth floor, Tiger runs in and jumps on him. He falls into the cards and everything topples over. Haha.

Carol drives the girls to the store to get their sewing machine. The store is closed but they see a man sweeping the floor. Carol says “Perhaps he’ll take care of us” and they start pounding on the door. Did stuff like that really happen in the 70′s? The store is closed. Go away and come back the next day. The guy lets them in because Cindy puts on her sad face and she’s so darned cute. The store has two different sewing machines and the women can’t decide which one to get, so they end up getting a color TV instead. That way the whole family can enjoy it. That’s great and all, but why couldn’t they figure that out to begin with? Was the color TV not listed in the catalog they went through? I guess the whole story wouldn’t have worked if they had agreed on something in the beginning of the episode. Okay. Whatever. The end.

Check out my website at www.ztams.com for over 17,000 pinups and magazines. Join me on Facebook where I post a fact once or twice a day about a celebrity and include a pinup. It’s cool. Join me on Twitter where I talk about the celebrities on my mind. You should join and tell your friends. I’ll be back next month with another Brady review. Come back in three days though for another blog. Yay….

Yes, I know it’s been much longer than three days since my last blog. I got food poisoning on August 14th and thought I was going to die. I don’t know if you’re all aware of this, but don’t eat old meat. It can make you very, very sick. And if it’s really spicy meat, you can’t tell that it’s old. Anyway, I’m sure you’re all very happy to have me back.

Keanu Reeves is a bit freaky to me. I know he is loved by millions, but there’s something almost robotic about him. I love his voice. It’s very calming. The rest of him is unsettling to me. I’m not sure what it is. So yeah, I guess I’m not a huge fan but I’m not a hater either.

Keanu means butt plug in Swahili. Nah. I made that up. Keanu means something like cool breeze in Hawaiian. That’s groovy I guess. He is kind of a cold cool robotic breeze. Keanu just celebrated his 46th birthday having been born on September 2, 1964. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon which is kind of cool. You know who else came from Lebanon by way of Ottawa, Canada? Lebanezer Scrooge himself, Paul Anka. But I digress…..

Keanu lived all over the place as a kid. His dad earned his GED while in prison for selling heroin. Proud. Keanu’s mom remarried like twelve or fifty or four times or something. It was a bunch. Keanu had to keep getting used to his new daddy. That must have been tough. He got expelled from schools and ended up dropping out. That’s not really a surprise considering his upbringing. And I guess it doesn’t really matter since he went on to become a huge movie star.

Keanu started getting TV roles in the early 80′s and then started working on movies. One of his earliest movies was Youngblood with hot guy Rob Lowe. Keanu hit it big in 1989 with Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Some of his other movies are:

• Speed (with Sandra Bullock)
• A Walk in the Clouds
• The Matrix
• The Replacements
• Sweet November
• Hard Ball (my favorite of his movies)
• The Lake House (with Sandra Bullock again!)

KEANU TRIVIA TIME!

• Keanu took a 90% pay cut for his role in The Replacements so that Gene Hackman could be cast. Pretty cool.
• He also took a pay cut on The Devil’s Advocate so that Al Pacino could be cast. What a great guy!
• He learned over 200 martial arts moves for The Matrix Reloaded. That’s sexy.
• Was offered the role in Platoon that ended up going to Charlie Sheen.
• Was offered the role of Racer X in Speed Racer. That part ended up going to Matthew Fox.
• Is good friends with Alex Winter, his co-star in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
• His best friend was River Phoenix. Sad.
• Is good friends with Joaquin Phoenix.

Keanu continues to have a steady film career. He has a movie coming out next year called Passengers, and he has five more movies in development. He’s also a bass player and has played in different groups (Dogstar, Becky). My friend got Keanu sweat on her when she went to a Dogstar concert. That wouldn’t excite me. Anyway, Keanu seems like a cool dude. Yay. The end. I’ll try to be back in three days unless I eat more spicy old meat. Hey, that’s a good name for a rock band. Spicy Old Meat.

Check out my website at www.ztams.com for over 17,000 pinups and magazines. Join me on Facebook where I post a fact once or twice a day about a celebrity and include a pinup. It’s cool. Join me on Twitter where I talk about the celebrities on my mind. You should join and tell your friends. I’ll be back with another blog in three days. Awesome!

I remember setting up my wonderful and beautiful niece Nicole’s very first email account for her in the 90′s. She asked for the user name “AaronFan”. Her first crush was Aaron Carter. How sweet. I didn’t really know who he was at the time, but I eventually learned. Many teen idols fade after a year or two. Aaron hasn’t really ever gone away.

Aaron Charles Carter was born on December 7, 1987 in Florida and was pushed into show business shortly after. He started singing in the band Dead End when he was seven. Do little kids really want to do that? I wonder about young celebrities. Are they there because they want to be or are they there because mom and dad want them there? Anyway, Aaron made his first solo appearance when he got to open for his brother’s band in 1997. He was nine.

AARON CARTER TIDBITS

• Is a big Bruce Springsteen fan.
• Has dated actress Hilary Duff.
• Younger brother of Backstreet Boy member Nick Carter.
• Has a twin sister (Angel).
• Got a scuba diving certificate at age 8.
• Has dated Lindsay Lohan.
• Very talented and can play many different instruments.
• Was engaged when he was 12. Okay, maybe he was a bit older but not much. He broke it off a few days later. Good choice.

Aaron is also an actor, having appeared in such TV shows as Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Family Affair, and 7th Heaven. He has appeared on Broadway in the musical Seussical. Some of Aaron’s movies include Fat Albert and Popstar. I actually watched Popstar which Aaron had a starring role in. I didn’t watch it to see Aaron. I watched it to see a former love of mine, Leif Garrett. Leif played the janitor. Fitting.

I watched Aaron on Dancing with the Stars last year. He and his partner finished fifth. I felt bad for him because he tried so hard and I could see the disappointment in his eyes each time the judges critiqued him. I’ve been in that situation. Not with dancing, but with my music. I would try so hard but never knew exactly what my teacher wanted. There are some things that are hard to teach/explain. I applaud Aaron for his hard work on that show. Maybe it’s an age thing. I don’t know. I just remember always feeling bad for him because he worked so hard and it seemed like the judges were always putting him down. Balls.

I believe Aaron is hard at work on some new music. He seems to have done so much already in life and he’s barely just 20. I hope he doesn’t get burned out and I hope he’s doing what he truly wants to do, not what others want him to do. He’s a talented guy and hard working. I expect we’ll be hearing about this “kid” in the future.

Check out my website at www.ztams.com for over 16,000 pinups and magazines. I have a ton of Aaron Carter at all different ages. Join me on Facebook where I post a fact once or twice a day about a celebrity and include a pinup. It’s cool. Join me on Twitter where I talk about the celebrities on my mind. You should join and tell your friends. I’ll be back with another blog in three days. Awesome!

Welcome to my 11th review of The Partridge Family. This episode is titled “This is My Song” and originally aired on December 4, 1970. It’s about when Keith can’t come up with any new songs. He’s going through a dry spell. He’s all panicked and stuff because the group has to record a live album in two weeks. Talk about pressure! Poor Keith. Anyway, Danny tries to help out by writing songs. Yeah, right. Danny’s songwriting skills consist of copying. He first comes up with Born Free and Moulin Rouge before copying Keith’s song. Once again, the episode features the awesome Danny Bonaduce. BTW, this is one of the few episodes not to have any guest stars.

The show opens with Reuben on the sofa snoring very loudly. Why is he there? Shirley is reading on the sofa next to him and scratching the family dog, Simone. (He disappeared after the first season.) Laurie and Danny are watching TV (Moulin Rouge). Keith walks in with his shaggy doo and Reuben (who is now awake thanks to Danny) jumps on him about a new song. They have a live record date in ten days and Keith is supposed to write a song. Since Keith is going through a dry spell, Danny decides to help by “knocking out a couple of songs”. Is that anything like knocking out a transvestite?

Danny has thought of a great new song. He calls Reuben over (and away from his date with Bonnie Kleinschmidt) and asks Laurie to write the song down while he sings it to her. Reuben and Laurie realize that what Danny is humming is the song from the movie they watched last night (Moulin Rouge). Susan Dey actually sings in this scene and sounds great. I wonder why she never made an album. If Danny Bonaduce can put out an album….. I’m just saying.

Danny comes into Shirley’s bedroom to whistle his newest song for her. It turns out to be Born Free. Why he so stupid?

Keith finally has an idea for a new song and excitedly rushes into his room to work on it. The rest of the house is asleep except for Shirley who tells him not to stay up too late. Keith continues to pound out his new song on the guitar all the while Danny is in the next room taking it all in. The walls are apparently very thin and Danny is able to steal Keith’s song, but Danny doesn’t know it’s Keith’s song. He’s asleep! He’s learning Keith’s song by osmosis.

Cut to the next morning while Danny is singing “his” new song to Laurie, Shirley, and Reuben. They compliment him and tell him how great he is. Keith comes running in from a morning jog looking like a cartoon character. When he hears Danny’s new song, he starts freaking out. He says it’s his song that he wrote last night. Nobody believes him because he sucks.

Shirley and Keith are in his room and realize how paper thin the walls are when they hear Danny and Chris laughing. Keith purposely writes a piece of crap song to see if Danny will steal it again.

Danny comes down to breakfast the next morning and is depressed because he wrote another song last night but it’s garbage. Keith plays the POS song on the guitar and Danny accuses him of even stealing his poo. Everyone laughs.

Cut to the live concert. Shirley is trying to make Danny feel better by telling him he made Keith’s song better. Uh huh. Keith introduces the song as a collaborative effort between himself and Danny. They sing the song, but it’s not David Cassidy’s voice. I guess this song was recorded with the pros before they knew David could sing. But wait! There’s about two lines in the bridge where Cassidy is singing. What the hell? Odd. Did they think nobody would notice?

Did Tracy have a speaking line at all in this show? The song they sang was a bossa nova with some syncopation (off the beat rhythms). Tracy nailed her part a couple times on the cowbell. I was impressed.

The tag of the show is Danny wanting to bring back the bunny hop. He thinks it would be nice if they all hopped off stage after the concert. Danny, why you so stupid?

Check out my website at www.ztams.com for over 16,000 pinups and magazines. I have over 500 items of The Partridge Family. Join me on Facebook where I post a fact once or twice a day about a celebrity and include a pinup. It’s cool. Join me on Twitter where I talk about the celebrities on my mind. You should join and tell your friends. I’ll be back with another Partridge review next month, but I’ll be back with my next blog in three days. Yep.

I think Susan Dey is beautiful. I never gave her a thought when I was a kid watching The Partridge Family. I was busy drooling over Jeremy Gelbwaks (Chris Partridge) and learning all of their groovy songs. Now that I’m an adult, I see that Susan Dey was a really beautiful girl.

Susan Dey was born Susan Hallock Smith on December 10, 1952 in Illinois. She was 17 when she got the job of Laurie Partridge on The Partridge Family. She was discovered modeling in New York when she was offered the job. During the filming of the pilot and some of the early episodes, she had to live with a guardian until she turned 18 (December 1970). She had no acting experience at all when she started on The Partridge Family.

In addition to Laurie Partridge, Susan Dey is also well known for her role as Grace Van Owen on the drama series L.A. Law. Her second big hit of her career ran from 1986 to 1992. She won a Golden Globe for her role and was nominated for numerous other awards.

Susan was not part of The Partridge Family reunion on The Today Show earlier this year. I think Danny Bonaduce made some smart ass comment but David Cassidy seemed sincere when he spoke into the camera and said he loved her. She had always kind of stayed out of the limelight. I can’t recall her ever being in trouble or in any kind of scandal. It’s odd that nobody seemed to know the reason why she didn’t do the reunion. Maybe she just didn’t want to.

Susan Dey was a beautiful young girl and went on to become a classy actress. She stayed out of trouble and kept her nose clean. Her last acting credit was in 2004 and she seems to have just disappeared since then. Maybe she’s off enjoying life with her husband. I find it VERY impressive that she had a successful acting career beginning at a young age and was able to leave Hollywood with no scandals or issues that plague so many of the child actors. I wish her the best and hope she’s happy in her life.

Check out my website at www.ztams.com for over 16,000 pinups and magazines. I have a lot on Susan Dey and all of The Partridge Family. Join me on Facebook where I post a fact once or twice a day about a celebrity and include a pinup. It’s cool. Join me on Twitter where I talk about the celebrities on my mind. You should join and tell your friends. I’ll be back with another blog in three days. Woo Hoo!