Ulysses S. Grant and Me
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
Our 18th United States President was a prime example of a military hero being elected into office without the proper credentials to exercise the office of Commander-in-Chief. Ulysses S. Grant held office from 1869-1877 and was the first President to serve two full consecutive terms since Andrew Jackson forty years earlier, but his most notable achievement came before office, when he led the North to victory as General of the Union army during the Civil War. It was based on this popular public reception that soon catapulted him into the job. At the time, he was the youngest man to assume the Presidency and had never held public office before in his life. Read the rest of this entry »
I love the TV series That 70’s Show, and really enjoy the performance of Kurtwood Smith as the eternally-angry and insulting father Red Foreman – but it was one year prior to the show’s debut that I sent an autograph request to Kurtwood Smith on October 14, 1997. My primary reason for writing him was because of his appearance of the quirky psycho killer Barry Jenkins in my all-time favorite episode of my all-time favorite drama Picket Fences – perhaps the most appropriately cast role in the history of television. That guy really scared me. 
If you don’t instantly recognize the name M. Emmet Walsh, perhaps there’s one thing that should know about him: he hates these cans! Yes, among his nearly 200 roles in film and television, he was the mad gunman who tries to mow down Navin R. Johnson (Steve Martin) in The Jerk. In fact, movies and TV have been riddled with memorable appearances of Mr. Walsh since the early 1970’s. 