Do You Live in the Merriest Place in the Country?
It’s August and it’s probably warm where you are and you might be wearing shorts, but let’s talk about Christmas.
Hallmark Channel, purveyors of 1,000 made-for-TV holiday romcoms that you don’t admit watching but probably do, is looking for the merriest town in America. They’ve narrowed the selection down to 25 finalists, and you can vote for your favorite.
I’m going to assume that, to most people, “vote for your favorite” means “vote for the one in your state.”
The finalists include Ashland, Oregon; Lewisburg, West Virginia; Parkville, Missouri, and Chatham, Massachusetts. Which I’ve never really considered a “Christmas” town but then again I’ve never been there in the winter. Voting ends next Friday. The winner gets to have a Hallmark Channel movie filmed in the town, plus bragging rights of being the merriest place.
They should make a movie where an online chat bot shows a woman what the world would have been like if she hadn’t been born, and then she and the bot fall in love. They can call it It’s AI Wonderful Life.
The Incredible Luna Parc
I don’t know if I could live in this guy’s house but I have to admit it’s quite impressive.
Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning
Pop-Tart … Cocktails?
The drinks created by the collaboration between the toaster pastries and BuzzBallz Ready-To-Go Cocktails sound so sweet I can already feel my teeth disintegrating.
Headline of the Week
“Amazon’s Toaster-Shaped Robotaxis Are Hitting the Road”
RIP Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Shelley Fabares, Jaye P. Morgan, Len Brown, Leslie Parrish, Michael Wright, James Lew, Janie Bradford, Bunny Levine, and Ed Frascino
Dolly Parton was a legendary country singer, songwriter, and actress, known for such songs as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “Here You Come Again.” She died Tuesday at the age of 80.
Uploaded to YouTube by Dolly Parton
Parton was profiled in the September 1979 issue of the Post and in the October 1989 issue.
Tim Curry starred in such films as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Annie, Clue, and the original TV version of Stephen King’s It (he played Pennywise). He was also a three-time Tony nominee. He died Tuesday at the age of 80.
Shelley Fabares starred on the classic sitcom The Donna Reed Show. She later went on to star on Coach and had a recurring role on One Day at a Time. She played Brian Piccolo’s wife in the TV movie Brian’s Song and appeared in the Elvis Presley films Girl Happy, Spinout, and Clambake. She also had a hit song in 1962 with “Johnny Angel.” She died Saturday at the age of 82.
Jaye P. Morgan was probably best known to TV audiences as one of the judges on The Gong Show but she was also an accomplished singer and actress. She died Monday at the age of 94.
Len Brown created the “Mars Attacks” trading cards, made into a movie by director Tim Burton. He was also a co-creator of “Wacky Packages” and “Garbage Pail Kids” cards, worked on comic books, and co-wrote books on music. He died earlier this month at the age of 84.
Leslie Parrish appeared in such films as The Manchurian Candidate, Li’l Abner, Daddy Long Legs, and Three on a Couch and in TV shows like Star Trek, Perry Mason, and Batman. She died last year at the age of 90.
Michael Wright appeared in the 1990s musical drama The Five Heartbeats and the acclaimed TV show Oz. He died last week at the age of 70.
James Lew was a stuntman and actor who appeared in an astonishing number of movies and TV shows. He died Sunday at the age of 73.
Janie Bradford started out as a secretary at Motown and went on to write several songs, including “Money (That’s What I Want),” recorded by Barrett Strong, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Flying Lizards, and The Supremes. She died last week at the age of 87.
Bunny Levine was a school librarian for 25 years and then moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. She appeared in such TV shows as Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle, Law & Order, and Gilmore Girls, as well as films like You Don’t Mess with the Zohan and Thelma. She died last week at the age of 97.
Ed Frascino was a cartoonist whose work appeared in The New Yorker, The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Times, Look, Esquire, and many other publications. He died last week at the age of 96.
This Week in History
Sacco and Vanzetti Executed (August 23, 1927)
The two men were convicted of murdering two men during a robbery but many have thought over the years they were innocent of the crime. In 1977, Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis’s legal counsel said that there was a strong possibility that the two did not receive a fair trial. Dukakis declared August 23, 1977, to be Sacco and Vanzetti Memorial Day (though he did not pardon them).
The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 (August 25, 1835)
Troy Brownfield has the wild story of how the public fell for a series of newspaper articles involving the moon, the inventor of the blueprint, and … man-bats?
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Post Toasties (August 26, 1950)
People always look so happy and excited in cereal ads.
September Is National Breakfast Month
Taste of Home has Cottage Potatoes (made with the corn flakes you see the woman enjoying above), while the Post’s Curtis Stone has a recipe for Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Chives.
The Pioneer Woman shows you how to make Perfect Pancakes, Delish has Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, the New York Times has Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins, and Serious Eats has Biscuits and Gravy.
Of course, you don’t have to make any of this. You could just buy a box of Pop-Tarts.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
National Beach Day (August 30)
Seems odd to celebrate beaches at the end of the summer.
U.S. Open (August 30 – September 13)
After a week of star-studded mixed doubles matches, the real action starts this Sunday. Jannik Sinner won’t be taking part in this year’s tournament because of a knee injury … but Carlos Alcaraz will! ESPN will have live coverage and Tennis Channel will have replays of matches and analysis.
Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}