We have to give a shout-out to our dearly departed Terry Zahn. My sister and I played violin at his funeral, which was held at our Catholic church in Chesapeake. Click here for a video about his personal battle with cancer, which included being active in our local Relay for Life.

While doing "research" for yesterday's Don Slater bit, I found out that Les Smith was no longer at WAVY-TV 10. I won't lie, I was a little upset. I mean, what is the news without Les Smith and Alveta Ewell?! He apparently left just about a year ago, on April 24, 2008, rather abruptly and without a real explanation.

Well, now the truth is out: as of April 25, 2009, Les Smith is anchoring at WTKR. I called him a dirty traitor, but Vivian had this to say:

"no dirtier than barbara ciara"

Good call, Asian. Let's take a moment to remember my favorite co-ed news anchor duo:



Side note: Alveta Ewell's MySpace page is an atrocity.

In recognition of the first hot day of 2009 here in upstate New York (it reached the mid-80s!), I would like to celebrate the achievements of Don Slater, meteorologist at WAVY-TV 10. Maybe my family started watching their version of the 11 o'clock news because Jay Leno was on afterward, but I have not been satisfied with another news team since I moved out of Virginia Beach. Apparently, I'm not just crazy, because they won a pile of recognition at the 2008 Associated Press news awards.

Anyway, during one of our little heat waves back in the summer of 1995 or so, my most vivid memories are of watching the Price is Right and then the news at noon with my grandma. The clearest recollection is that of a weather forecast, where we learned that the daily highs would be over 100 for the next several days and that the blacktop was so hot, you could fry an egg on it. Like, literally. Don Slater busted out a damn egg and fried it on the ground. It was amazing and made him forever my hero.

Promo for the WAVY-TV 10 Weather Team:



And finally, here is a video of a spot for the Weatherschool program he did, because you know I love me some video embeds:

(photo via Wikipedia)

So you're home sick from school. The novelty has worn off and you are bored out of your mind. The Price is Right is over, Don Slater has given you the weather, and those pesky soap operas have started. You turn to channel 15 for relief, knowing that you won't be seeing mommy-oriented commercials, even if it means you might be watching something educational instead. You hear something about phthalo blue and happy little trees, and you know it's on: Bob Ross and the Joy of Painting.

As you watch, you feel convinced that you could become a master painter of landscapes, especially ones involving trees, clouds, mountains, and water. You also feel oddly tranquil, calmed by that gentle voice. If you happen to actually be sick, you are almost certainly feeling better at this point.

Things start with haphazard-looking patches of color put on with a big brush. Rough faces of mountains and rocks appear with a swipe of a painting knife. Pine trees come to life with masterful dabs of the fan brush. Not just any pine trees - happy little pine trees. You may even have some happy little clouds floating above your happy little trees. By the time the half hour was up, an entire scene had come to life and you felt relieved that, once again, Bob Ross had done it.

If your parents were feeling generous and it wasn't TCC Saturday Enrichment Program season, you could enroll in a class at Michaels taught by somebody certified in the "Bob Ross method". You would buy all your supplies and then do some wet-on-wet oil painting, confident that all the time you spent watching the show would embue your hands with the power to do exactly the right thing. Mine did come out looking like a riverbend with rocks and trees, although admittedly rather amateur compared to Bob Ross's creations.

Bob Ross died in 1995, but his legacy lives on through Bob Ross Incorporated, who has apparently taken the time to have all clips removed from YouTube. In order to enhance your life, I scoured the web and found you this gem. It may load slowly, but it does the trick. Enjoy!

Edit: After much fussing, it appears that Youku videos don't load in Blogspot pages. Lame. Here's a link instead: Bob Ross paints High Tide

Growing up, I didn't have cable. In fact, my father still uses bunny ears and dial-up. Anyway, I was always jealous of my friends with their fancy-pants MTV, excluding me from their involved conversations about the latest and greatest parody by Weird Al Yankovich or how naughty LL Cool J's newest video was.

Then one day, as I fiddled with the antennae to get them in just the right spot, I discovered a channel heretofore unknown to me: 19. Sure, we had 3, 10, 13, 15, 27, 33, and 43, but 19?

At first glance, it seemed pretty useless - just a bunch of scrolling text and occasional beeps and boops. However, on closer examination, I realized that it was listings of hit songs preceded by three digit codes. And as I sat there, hypnotized by the numbers and letters, something at the bottom of the screen changed:



You know what happened next.

Even though the reception was often wonky and it eventually became MTV2, The Box was my one hope for social acceptance. I never did call in for a video (the idea of an unauthorized charge on somebody else's phone bill still frightens me), but I was always content to sit there watching endless repeats of Gangsta's Paradise, Amish Paradise, Dr. Greenthumb, One Sweet Day, or whatever video was the hit of the moment.

Extended clip of listings and promos: