Page 12
June 24 - June 30, 2016
The Town-Crier
www.gotowncrier.com
FEATURES
My Visit Home Was Going OK Until The Scrabble Game Began
When my editor called this week, looking for my column, I had to admit that I had forgotten to write it. I was on vacation at my parents’ place in Wisconsin. Of course, it was a “working vacation,” as my parents are 87 years old now. Mark and I try to help them out with a few projects whenever we are there. On the first day, Mark changed a lightbulb in the hallway, installed a dimmer switch in the dining room and assembled the new barbecue grill dad had received for Father’s Day. (“What’s wrong with my old barbecue grill?” “You have to poke a match through a hole in order to light it!” “So what? I like it!”) On the second day, I took mom shopping for a new blouse, which wasn’t
Deborah Welky is
The Sonic BOOMER so much “work” as it was dangerous — I spent $300 in an hour and a half, $150 of it on a swimsuit. (Gone are the days when I look good in any old $20 swimsuit.) On the third day, mom and I hung new curtains in the master bedroom, which meant restringing her ancient drapery
hardware, both of us teetering on chairs up near the ceiling until Mark stepped in to save us. On the fourth day, we rested — not in a Biblical sense, but in a Scrabbatical sense. The word game Scrabble has defined the hierarchy of our family for as long as I can remember. It’s important for mom to continually defend her position as matriarch, and it’s almost our duty for my siblings and me to try to dethrone her. As a result, we use the dictionary — and the rules pamphlet — early and often. But listen to what she pulled this time... I was official scorekeeper because mom said she was too tired. She had been up since 5 a.m., as is her habit, and it was now 9 p.m.
I fell for it. But about halfway through the game, she pounced. She plopped down a seven-letter word worth 31 points and got the 50-point bonus for using all her tiles. I was seriously behind. But the game isn’t over until the skinny lady crows, so I put down my word, tallied my score and got up to refill our wine glasses. (It was a blatant attempt to force her to play with an impairment, but she’s on to this and demurely put her hand over the top of her glass as I approached.) She then put down a six-letter word and reached for the bag of letters. “Wait a minute, mom,” I said. “I used one letter last time and didn’t take my replacement letter yet.” I reached for the bag, and she sat on
it, saying, “Didn’t you write down your score?” “Yes,” I answered. “And then I took my turn, so you don’t get any new letter. You missed your chance. You have to play with six.” “What?” “It’s in the rule book.” I checked. “No, it’s not.” “Well, it’s a rule.” “No, it’s not! You just made that up!” “Emmett!” (She always calls my dad in when she needs reinforcements.) “Who do you like better — Debbie or me?” Predictably, my dad kept walking. When she turned to Mark, he, too, left the room. Not to worry, mom won the game, her dynasty secure... for now.
Have We Come To The Death Of Comedy? That Would Be Sad
Americans used to be famous for their love of comedies. There were lots of funny movies made over the years, and we’ve been through the golden age of situation comedies on television. That was the past, and I wonder if we will ever really laugh a lot again. Yes, there still are funny movies. We used to laugh at the Marx Brothers or the Three Stooges or other comics who just wanted us to laugh. Now the laughs come from romantic stories or are slipped into superhero films to relax the tension. Many comedies just go nowhere. I tend to give them nicer reviews because I am so pleased to actually laugh a bit. This year, I reviewed only six movies that were actually comedies, and we’re just about halfway through. A couple, though, Hail Caesar and The Nice Guys, were good. TV is even worse. How many remember
‘I’ On CULTURE By Leonard Wechsler “appointment television” on NBC every Thursday night? That is the biggest night for advertisers, and there was a streak of some of our best comedies there: Taxi, Cheers, Friends, etc. Before that, we had great sitcoms on CBS on Saturday, such as All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore. Now The Big Bang Theory leads in on CBS, and the rest of the shows pick up its leavings. That show and Modern Family are the only two truly hit comedies.
What happened? It would be easy to point out that the world situation is awful, so people are not ready for comedy, but some of our best movie comedy was done during the Great Depression. The “Golden Age” of comedy on television was during the Cold War. A real culprit, however, seems to be political correctness. There are just so many things we are not allowed to show the world anymore. We are allowed to laugh only at targets designated by pressure groups as available. Not surprisingly, a large portion of the comedies planned for next year involve men suddenly forced to stay at home and take care of kids. Chances are, few or none of them will be minorities. Showing a white man being a moron taking care of children is one of the few funny things allowed. Jerry Seinfeld and many other come-
dians have stopped appearing on college campuses. Jokes that were funny 20 years ago bring out rage. Some targets for humor are totally forbidden. Of course, others are still allowed. We now see ads for comics that stress “clean material” or “family-friendly” when years ago there had to be warnings that there would be adult humor. Rodney Dangerfield did joke about his wife, but most of his one-liners had himself as a target. I saw a comic on a cable station this week talking about women, and it sounded like a therapy session about an ex-girlfriend. Dangerfield was funnier, a lot funnier. We have become so scared of offending anyone that much of our humor is gone. Mel Brooks became famous for doing movies that were designed to offend and were often hysterically funny because of it.
I saw a preview performance many years ago of The Producers, the original movie. No one had any idea of what we would see, and the salute to Nazism had people falling off their seats laughing. Some places, including universities, have now banned it as being offensive to Jews… just about all of whom loved it. Brooks has said that he could never get Blazing Saddles done today because of the racist humor. That the humor generally was aimed at racists no longer makes a difference. Of course, Young Frankenstein is still OK since we’re allowed to laugh at vampires, because they don’t exist. We need to have comedy that punctures the egos of the powerful, and these days that also includes pressure groups. No one protested Chris Rock’s gibes at racism at the Academy Awards or his one-liners See WECHSLER, page 14
ALL PAWS ANIMAL CLINIC WELCOMES
DR. JESSE SKINNER!
Dr. Skinner will be accepting NEW PATIENTS. We are extremely excited to have him join our team and are looking forward to our patients and pet parents meeting him too! Dr. Skinner is a Palm Beach County Native. He attended Lake Worth Community High School, Go Trojans!
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® | Wellington
He discovered his interest in medicine while deployed in Afghanistan with the Florida Army National Guard. Upon returning home Dr. Skinner decided to combine his new found interest with his love for animals and pursue a career in Veterinary medicine. He attended FAU and graduated Cum Laude with a degree in psychobiology. Dr. Skinner obtained his doctor of Veterinary medicine degree at North Carolina State University. During his tenure at NCSU he received the award for excellence in junior surgery and the AAHA award for proficiency in Primary Care. His professional interests include, surgery, geriatric care, clinical pathology, ultrasound and internal medicine. Personally Dr. Skinner enjoys spending time with his wife and fur family, two dogs, Trouble and Namani.
561.618.3065 twomenwellington.com
1011 North State Road 7 • Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 (561) 790-9225 • www.allpawsanimal.com
Each franchise is independently owned and operated. U.S. DOT No. 1581694 | PBC No. MV772 | FL IM No. 1221
THE WESTERN BUSINESS ALLIANCE
The Western Business Alliance, Inc. A new era in building business relationships.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Management Accounting and Payroll Solutions LLC Management and Accounting and Payroll Solutions LLC has been serving both domestic and international clients for over 25 years. Services offered include basic QuickBooks consulting, payroll, tax preparation and representation, and CFO services. An experienced and educated staff will assist you in all of your individual and business financial needs. We pride ourselves in our excellent service at reasonable rates. For more information, log on to www.MapSolutionsLLC.com
The Western Business Alliance is an alliance of businesses committed to strengthening and supporting our members through economic growth, education, and community awareness. Join now and see for yourself. www.TheWesternBusinessAlliance.com 561.600.3820
TWBA July 5th “Business Over Easy” The Western Business Alliance would like to invite its members to our “Business Over Easy” No Fee to attend. Just show up. Buy your own coffee or Breakfast and connect with other TWBA members as you grow together in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. (Members Only, Please.) We meet on the 1st Tuesday each month at: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM at the Wild West Diner 12041 Southern Blvd, Loxahatchee, FL 33470 Phone: 561.469.2333
Welcome New and Renewing TWBA Members
Bruce L. Elkind, DDS, PA ....................................................... Bruce L. Elkind, DDS
Lebrun Insurance Agency, Inc............................................... Philippe Lebrun
PlanMember Securities Corporation ......................................Bonnie Douglas
Card Solutions International ................................................ Jay Broder
Lorrie Browne Interiors........................................................ Tim Chance
Prestige Coupons ...................................................................Carolyn Monroe
Costco ................................................................................. Deadra Bryan
National Planning Corporation ............................................ Stas Politis
Print It Plus............................................................................David Leland
Heath & Joseph Real Estate ................................................. Andrew Burr
Palm Beach Aquatics Inc ....................................................... John Natale
Seagull Services .....................................................................Christopher Price
Keane Telecom Solutions, Inc............................................... Lynne Keane
Palm Beach Habilitation Center ............................................ Gary Strother
Snyder Chiropractic ...............................................................Dr. Scott B. Snyder
KPA Promotions & Awards, Inc ............................................ William Brasmar
Phelps Media Group International ........................................Julie Tannehill
The People’s Adjuster, LLC ..................................................... Brian Shipley