News of the Week: Game Shows, Ugly Dogs, and How About Some Cheddar Cheese Ice Cream?

Random Notes

A couple of weeks ago I predicted that someone like Ryan Seacrest would be named the new host of Wheel of Fortune. Well, I’m a prophet.

On the show that airs after Wheel of Fortune (or before, depending on where you live), the Post was featured in a clue last week. It was about the 1899 article “The Lost Art of Conversation.” (The contestant got it right!)

The Supreme Court made a ruling this week, and while I rarely go into politics, I will say the most interesting tidbit mentioned in the decision is that the word gerrymander comes from the last name of Massachusetts delegate Elbridge Gerry, who drew a legislative district that looked like a salamander.

Anyone who thinks that Pepsi and Coke taste the same is crazy. Related: Anyone who thinks Coke is better than Pepsi is crazy (though I like both).

I made an appointment to get my driver’s license renewed, and the only openings they had in several locations in a 20-mile radius were two spots in the morning a month from now.

Starting July 9, stamp prices will rise to 66 cents and the cost of mailing a postcard goes up to 51 cents. Still a deal if you ask me.

When I was a kid I was really into space and meteor showers and spent many nights just looking into the night sky from my backyard. One time a meteor flew over my head, so close it made a “whooshing” sound. I swear it happened! Anyway, today is Meteor Day.

Save Turner Classic Movies!

There’s stuff happening over at TCM that is starting to make fans nervous.

Even though Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav keeps reassuring devotees of Turner Classic Movies that he really loves the network and wants it to continue, it’s also true that the company has made many cuts to the beloved film channel. They got rid of TCM Underground, the overnight programming of weird, interesting movies and shorts; they got rid of the TCM store (though I’m not sure if that was separate from any major corporate decision); and several top executives were let go recently, as well as the person who was in charge of the annual TCM Film Festival.

Those don’t seem like the moves of someone who actually enjoys film and television, and many fear that a lot of the touches that make the network unique and fun — such as the intros and outros by hosts like Ben Mankiewicz and Eddie Muller — might be cut too, which would be crazy.

Luckily we have some heavy hitters on our side, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson, who were so concerned they had a meeting with Zaslav. It looks like the meeting went well: The head of programming kept his job, and Spielberg, Scorsese, and Anderson were brought on as TCM curators. Mark Hamill has joined the fight too.

If I could only watch one network for the rest of my life it would be Turner Classic Movies, so this is important to me and other fans.

The World’s Ugliest Dog

His name is Scooter, and some may say that winning the “ugliest dog in the world” contest actually makes him really cute. (But he’s pretty ugly.)

Come on Down (To Glendale)!

CBS Television City is an iconic place, home to such shows as The Price Is Right, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and The Young and the Restless (and The Carol Burnett Show was filmed in the same exact studio where The Price Is Right was). The building was sold a while back, and now it’s being renovated, which means all of the shows that film there are going to have to permanently move to a new place (the new owners are keeping four of the old sets but changing the others).

The shows that currently film there will move to Haven Studios in Glendale, California. So contestants on The Price Is Right will have to play Plinko in a new place, and all of the buildings of Genoa City, Wisconsin, and the town’s cheating, emotional residents will have to move to Glendale too.

Goodbye, Good Humor Toasted Almond Bar

Another once-popular ice cream treat has gone away. Joining the Choco Taco in ice cream heaven is the Good Humor Toasted Almond Bar, which was actually discontinued last summer. With the new summer season beginning, fans are just noticing now (which might be the reason the bar was discontinued).

Couldn’t they just move the Good Humor Toasted Almond Bar to Glendale?

RIP Julian Sands, Frederic Forrest, Nicolas Coster, Julie Garwood, John B. Goodenough, Sheldon Harnick, Joseph Pedott, Haim Roet, Teresa Taylor, Henry Petroski, Dean Smith, Ryan Mallett, and Kristina Holland

Julian Sands appeared in such movies as A Room with a View, Leaving Las Vegas, The Killing Fields, Phantom of the Opera, Arachnophobia, and the Warlock films. On TV he made appearances on Smallville, 24, Gotham, Person of Interest, and The Blacklist. He died in January at the age of 65.

Frederic Forrest appeared in such movies as Apocalypse Now, The Rose, One From the Heart, and The Conversation, and TV shows such as 21 Jump Street, Lonesome Dove, Quo Vadis?, and Murphy Brown. He died last week at the age of 86.

Nicolas Coster appeared in such films as All the President’s Men, MacArthur, Reds, Stir Crazy, and The Electric Horseman. He also appeared on TV shows like The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, Our Private World, The Facts of Life, Dallas, and Magnum, P.I., as well as several soaps, including Santa Barbara, All My Children, and The Secret Storm. He died Monday at the age of 89.

Julie Garwood was a best-selling romance novelist. She died earlier this month at the age of 78.

John B. Goodenough won the Nobel Prize for creating the lithium-ion battery. He died Sunday at the age of 100.

Sheldon Harnick was a Tony-winning writer who wrote the lyrics for such Broadway shows as Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me, and Fiorello! He died last week at the age of 99.

Joseph Pedott didn’t invent the Chia Pet, the Clapper, or the ‘Ove’ Glove, but he was the advertising and marketing entrepreneur who bought and improved them and launched them worldwide. He died last week at the age of 91.

Haim Roet was the man who came up with the practice of naming the victims at Holocaust memorials. He died last month at the age of 90.

Teresa Taylor was the drummer for The Butthole Surfers and appeared in the 1990 cult film Slacker. She died Sunday at the age of 60.

Henry Petroski was an engineer and professor who wrote such critically acclaimed nonfiction books as The Pencil, The Toothpick, and To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design. He died earlier this month at the age of 81.

Dean Smith won a gold medal for sprinting at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, which led to a long career as a stuntman and actor. He died last weekend at the age of 91.

Ryan Mallett was a quarterback for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens. He died Tuesday at the age of 35.

Kristina Holland played Tina on The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and was the voice of the daughter on the ’70s animated show Wait Till Your Father Gets Home. She died in February at the age of 78.

This Week in History

The Lottery Published (June 26, 1948)

The classic Shirley Jackson short story (you probably read it in high school) was first published in The New Yorker.

26th Amendment Enacted (June 30, 1971)

It gave 18-year-olds the right to vote in elections.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Out of Ice Cream” (June 27, 1953)

It’s okay, kids, there seems to still be plenty of cake!

July Is National Ice Cream Month

Yes, I could link to recipes for chocolate chip or vanilla or coffee ice cream, but if you make your own ice cream, those are flavors you probably already know how to make. So let’s try the exotic flavors, like this Granny Smith Apple Sorbet, this Sour Cream Ice Cream with Strawberries and Brown Sugar, or this Roasted Garlic Ice Cream with Raspberry Preserve Ribbon. If you’re really daring, how about this Cheddar Cheese Ice Cream or this Blue Cheese Ice Cream with Chocolate Fig Swirl?

And if you miss the Good Humor Toasted Almond Bar, you can make your own at home.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Wimbledon Begins (July 3)

Carlos Alcaraz and others will try to stop Novak Djokovic from getting a record-tying (with Margaret Court) 24th Grand Slam. Make a Pimm’s Cup and watch the coverage on ESPN, ESPN2, and Tennis Channel.

Independence Day (July 4)

Besides concerts and fireworks, the other way to celebrate the day is with food. Burgers! Hot dogs! Potato salad! The Girlfriend from AARP has several red, white, and blueberry recipes, including a Blueberry Mojito and Blueberry-Dijon Chicken.

The Girlfriend From AARP sounds like the title of a Hallmark rom-com.