Variety is the Spice of Life, If You Understand How to Season It

I grew up with variety shows. It was an honored and respected form of entertainment. Take some funny skits, add some music, a little dancing, and some kidding around, dress everyone up and you have a show. Every star at some point had their own show, Judy Garland, Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, Red Skelton, Danny Kaye, Dean Martin and Sid Ceasar all paved the way for the seventies when I watched Donny & Marie, Captain and Tenille and one of the funniest ladies ever - Carol Burnett.

There was even a sitcom about a variety show. The Dick Van Dyke Show was about a comedy writer who wrote for the fictitious Alan Brady Show.

But by the end of the 70's the variety show was almost dead, mainly due to a smorgasbord of really badly done variety shows. Any one else remember the Brady Bunch Variety Hour? Or how about Pink Lady and Jeff? Barbara Mandrell managed to carry it on for a while longer with some respectibility, and then of course there was always Saturday Night Live which although technically it's a variety show it never was intended for families, which is what the variety show is about.

So when Rosie O'Donnell did a variety show I thought I would check it out. Now I find Rosie funny when she isn't being the angry political lesbian. And although she doesn't have a great voice, okay, she can't sing, she's usually overpowered by much better singers who carry the project while she says funny things.

The show was painful. No funny skits. I can't say anything remotely nice about Liza Minelli's performance which is too bad since she's a legend and deserves better. There was a stripper number done to a bunch of advertizing of various products they were giving away, and not only did Rosie sing badly as expected, she wasn't even remotely amusing.

I want Carol Burnett back. Bring on Eunice and Mama. I want to visit with the Queen and the guard who had no insides. I want to see the spoofs of movies.

I guess I'll have to be happy with YouTube.

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Alert! Alert!

One of my stories got published in Woman's World. The current issue (Dec 3 I think) is on newstands now but it won't be for long.

Sure some editing got done to it. But my name is on it and I got a check and another magazine to add to my list.