The LuLac Edition #20, June 2nd, 2006

.......................... ABC TV aired what appears to be the final show of the season entitled "Commander In Chief" starring my girl, Geena Davis. Industry insiders report that Wednesday night's episode might be the final one altogether since the show has had production and wriiting problems from the start. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won for best new drama. Whether the show will be retained by ABC is anyone's guess. After starting out strong in the Fall, the program faced off against "American Idol" and lost steam afterwards. The final episode had the President (Mac Allen) suffering from a ruptured appendix. Her arch enemy, Nathan Tempton (played by Donald Sutherland) leaves his Speaker of the House position to take over for the incapacitated President for about a day. Two things struck me about this final episode, the closing line where Allen chases Templeton out of the Oval growling like a menopausal dominatrix, "Now get the hell out of my office!!!" and the fact that the 49 year old Davis is even more beautiful WITHOUT makeup.

C O R R E C T I O N..............In last week's story about Bill Scranton, Junior, we said he went to California's Silicone Valley after losing the 1986 Governor's race. (That would be, uh, me, not the former Ltn. Governor on the prowl in Silicone Valley.) He was in Silicon Valley.

MEDIA WATCH...............WVIA TV's "State Of Pennsylvania" did a wonderful job on the revitalization of Wilkes Barre. Host Bill Kelly was excellent, as always. Donning hardhats, at first glance the show looked like an episode of "The Coneheads". The show was live from the proposed new theatre complex. Mayor Leighton was on the program as well as representatives from the Wilkes Barre "let's bring in some more $7.00 an hour jobs" Chamber of Commerce. (See commentary).........................If you did not catch PCN's "Journalists Roundtable" last week, it is being re-run this week with Shamrock Times Tribune guests Pat McKenna, Scranton Times-Tribune, Borys Krawczeniuk, Scranton Times-Tribune and Jim Gittens, The Citizens Voice, Wilkes-Barre. Tune in as host Bill Bova tries to stutter and meander through two short sentances and try to turn them into cohesive thoughts. It is quite an adventure watching him host that show.

COMMENTARIES..............A few weeks ago, I was going through my attic looking for old radio shows I plan to have transferred onto CDs as well as some historical data for this blog. I came across a Chamber of Commerce marketing piece from the early 1960s which touted Wilkes-Barre's great location to Philadelphia and New York, the fine recreational areas for hunting and fishing as well as an "eager and willing workforce" that can "adapt easily to any new business endeavor". Translation: the sons and daughters of the coal miners and the railroaders will work cheap. Now, forty five years later, you'll see the same line about the "good, solid work ethic". As I sat and watched the WVIA TV program and heard the representatives of the Chamber try to sound as if they knew what they were talking about, these questions came into my head. The Chamber was one of the entities that let the downtown get this way, and now they want to take credit for a rvitalization? When no new jobs of any financial note come into the area, is that the reason why the Chamber is sooooooooooooo very interested in the downtown? I wonder how Stephen Barrouk's son is doing in the Leighton administration? (Well maybe the Chamber wants to bring in high paying jobs, like one at a time!!!) And finally, remember Mayor Michael Lombardo of Pittston who decided not to run for reelection because he got a high paying job at the Chamber in Wilkes Barre to produce and bring in high paying industry employers? Has anyone heard or seen him lately? And how's he doing with those high paying industry jobs? Workers with that "good, solid ethic" want to know.

BLOG ADDRESS NEWS................Pass this blog address along to friends and inerested parties. The first, is the LuLac Political Letter address, http://lulacpoliticaletter.blogspot.com/, the second is for a blog entitled AUTHOR: DAVID YONKI http://authordavidyonki.blogspot.com/ (a story of how my book "A RADIO STORY/WE WISH YOU WELL IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS") was concieved, published and is doing on the stands and in the stores.