Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Recommended Reading

There's a new book out by Ron Suskind called The One Percent Doctrine. It makes some pretty amazing claims about how the Bush administration has pressed the case for the Iraq War. They're summarized in this review by Barton Gellman.

• Posted at 11:47 PM · LINK

Odds 'n' Ends

Quite a few of you are suggesting that the lead raisin in the previous video is Barney Martin, who was probably best known as Jerry's pa on Seinfeld. And I see that a number of websites say that he played a raisin in a Post Raisin Bran commercial along with a couple of other actors who later somewhat well-known — David Doyle and Ken Olfson. I've looked at the spot a few times and it doesn't look like Barney Martin to me. He may be one of the other guys in the bowl or he may have been in another commercial in the same campaign. If you want to believe it's Barney Martin though, don't let me stop you.

Been kinda busy lately. Today, I visited my Public Storage lockers for the first time in about a year and discovered a roof leak had damaged about twenty boxes of goodies, including a crate of the first few issues of Groo. Hope that doesn't mean God is not a Sergio fan.

Last night, I went back to my friendly neighborhood Sav-on Drug Store which, to the confusion of elderly patrons everywhere, is becoming a CVS Pharmacy. A sign out front promises that the new establishment will have "More convenient hours." Since the place is now open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, I can't wait to see how they manage that.

I was there to pick up a renewal on a prescription and the man behind the counter fetched it and announced, "That'll be $91.88." I said...well, here. I'll let you listen in on what I said...

ME: What? I've been getting that prescription for two years and it's always been ten bucks.

PHARMACIST: (after consulting his computer) You're renewing it ahead of schedule. Your insurance doesn't pay unless you're within seven days of running out.

ME: And when will I be within seven days of running out?

PHARMACIST: (after consulting his computer again) June 20.

ME: It's 11:54 PM. In six minutes, it'll be June 20.

PHARMACIST: And in six minutes, it'll be ten dollars.

ME: I suppose there's no point in mentioning that I'm not going to be taking that pill tonight. I am just as "out of it" as I will be in six minutes.

PHARMACIST: Right. There's no point in mentioning that. At this moment, it's $91.88.

I went to the end of the line and saved eighty bucks. Makes you wonder what the mark-up is on these pills. And the funny/sad part of it is that this particular drug is also sold over-the-counter without a prescription for $23. I'd hate to think there are uninsured people out there who don't know that and are paying the $91.88, but I'll bet there are.

By the way, I'm told by several folks that not every Sav-on is becoming a CVS. Good for them. This conversion is already becoming way too traumatic for me.

• Posted at 10:20 PM · LINK

Today's Video Link

This is a commercial for Post Raisin Bran starring a whole bunch of actors who had to go around for the next few months and answer the eternal actor question — "What have you done lately?" — by saying, "I played a raisin." I seem to recall that at least one of the thespians in this spot later became quite famous but I can't recall who it was, nor can I recognize anyone. But I do remember some rather successful actor on some talk show admitting to having been in this commercial.

I do recognize but cannot put a name to the lead singing voice which I'm pretty sure did not belong to the man on-camera mouthing to it. There was some New York-based vocalist who sang in hundreds of radio and TV commercials, and also on a lot of the kids' records done by one of several singing groups that went under the name of The Sandpipers. Isn't that same guy heard on the famous "Mighty Mouse" record that Andy Kaufman used to use in his act? I think so. As we learned back here, this batch of Sandpipers consisted of Mike Stewart, Ralph Nyland, Dick Byron and Bob Miller...so I'm going to throw caution to the wind and guess that one of them is the voice of the lead raisin in this spot. Give a listen.

• Posted at 12:50 AM · LINK