A Year of Oz: The Wizard of Oz Is All Around Us

a blog

2009-12-25T23:10:00.002-06:00

This is a blog:

http://www.totalsmartass.blogspot.com/

I think you will enjoy it.

A year

2008-10-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

Has it been a year? Almost.

That was quick.

Engulfed in Obligations

2008-08-20T23:14:00.002-05:00

Now I know why I've been so bad at updating my blog. Because there's no goddamn time for anything any more. Besides my "normal, everyday" life (wife, work, friends, etc.), I have to keep up with email, phone calls, facebook, stupid fantasy football league, and a million other things that waste my time. I shouldn't complain -- they are all self-imposed. There's no rule that says I have to update my stupid facebook status almost every day. I just feel compelled.

David Sedaris had another Oz reference in When You Are Engulfed in Flames. He was quoting the Cowardly Lion -- "I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do."

Btw, did you know Australians refer to their home country as "Oz", at least in print. And least one Australian. I don't know about the rest of them. Know how I know that? Facebook. See, this is why I have to keep up. How depressing.

Scrabuwaste

2008-08-17T23:38:00.002-05:00

There have been a number of Oz references over the last few days, but I haven't done a good job of including them here. One was in the movie Zeitgiest, which you can stream on Google. It's a bunch of conspiracy theory stuff, but pretty interesting.

Maybe I'm so bad about updating the blog because I'm wasting my life away playing Scrabulous. Right now I have the "O" and "Z" tiles. Very unfortunately, they don't count that as a word.

Engulfed in Oz

2008-08-14T15:18:00.003-05:00

I'm reading When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and came across this quote yesterday:

"It was easy to imagine that the house, set as it was on the lip of a university parking lot, had dropped from the sky, like Dorothy's in The Wizard of Oz, but with a second story."

On the train, I get some sideways glances as I try to stiffle laughter while Sedaris describes the "Stadium Buddy" or the horror of being forced to scratch a baby-sitter's disgusting back.

double whammy

2008-08-05T23:44:00.002-05:00

Two Oz references today. First, at a meeting today my boss plunked a stack of books in front of me, including this one:

Then, I was looking at a friend's facebook page and came across this hilariously amazing pic of her daughter, who is coincidentally (or not) named Dorothy:

Ozballs

2008-08-04T19:54:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to do something writing (unsuccessfully). My wife is watching Spaceballs (part of the problem). When was the last time you saw that movie? There's a whole big Oz scene when we first meet Yogurt ("just plain Yogurt").

p.s. I still owe this blog a post.

book it!

2008-07-30T22:56:00.002-05:00

My wife and I were leaving a sandwich shop in Chicago (One that has been steadily declining in quality for years now, so much so that I vowed I was done with it. We used to love this place. I don't know what happened. I don't want to name names but it starts with a "C" and ends with an "ostellos". See if you can guess it.) when Christine (wife) noticed a book in the window of a Lincoln Square record store. It was The Wizard of Oz.

I've been meaning to pick up a copy for a while so I snatched it up. $3.30 with tax. I had exact change, which is always nice. It has this cover, which is not my favorite (but as the saying goes: cheapskates buying copies for $3.30 can't be choosers):

Sad reference, part 1

2008-07-27T18:08:00.002-05:00

Today's reference was a little sad. Tomorrow's will be sad as well (it's the last of the four I had last weekend).

I was thumbing through Newsweek and came across an article on a teenager named Larry King who was murdered in a classroom because he was gay. His sexuality made another student uncomfortable, so that student saw fit to end Larry's life. It's a horrific story. You can read it here.

The article specifically mentioned the students making fun of him because he would sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Hopefully Larry found the other side of the rainbow and is resting peacefully there.

awesome Oz reference from a fellow blogger

2008-07-24T19:08:00.003-05:00

Jay Amabile of "The Sexy Armpit" has an awesome post about a random Wizard of Oz reference. Watch this video:

Then go read HERE to read the entry. I love coincidences like that. Great stuff, Jay.

I have one more reference to add from the 24-hour Oz reference marathon, but it's going to take a little more time to add than I have right now.

give me back my bike!!

2008-07-22T20:54:00.003-05:00

I feel the compulsive need to tell the entire world that my bike was stolen today. It was locked to a rack by my train stop, and while I was hard at work some broke the lock and took it.

So I'm too mad to explain the third Oz reference. That's lucky, because I can't remember exactly what it was. I just know it was in People magazine somewhere. I know I'm not supposed to read People (and usually don't), but cut me some slack today. I just lost my bike.

p.s. That is not a picture of my bike. Just a bike that looks kinda like my bike. That bike pictured is probably safe at home with its rightful owner. Unlike mine.

en Toto

2008-07-21T23:56:00.003-05:00

Oz reference #2 from the 24-hour reference fest: The song "Africa" came on in the car. You know, the one about blessing the rains or something. This song is by the band Toto.

Now the band claims that they are not named after the dog, or the Japanese toilet maker, or a part of the female anatomy if you speak certain African dialects.

But I'm going to choose not to believe them and count it as an Oz reference. They may wan to dispute that when they wrap up their third set at the Branson Missoui Casino and All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp Shack at around 2am. Zing!

That Merlin lookin' guy may put a spell on me for saying that.

(I shouldn't make fun, I sing the hell out of that song when it comes on.)

four in 24

2008-07-20T22:06:00.002-05:00

If you thought Kiefer Sutherland could get a lot done in 24 hours, I got FOUR Oz references in that amount of time. Yeah, I know, MIND BLOWING, maaaan. Well, I was excited. Because I've been so bad about updating the blog, I'll add one a day for the next four days (in no particular order).

So first I'll bust out my wife. Love the girl to death, but she's got a really bad habit. She's hopeless addicted to Days of Our Lives. She's not proud of it, but at the same time, doesn't do anything to stop. It's hopeless. How do we stay together? you ask. My answer: just barely.

Because of this nasty habit of hers, I'm pretty much up to date on who's cheating on who, who's plotting who's death, who wears an eye patch (I'm pretty sure there are several characters), who's acting skills can only rival, say, Mariah Carey's, who's died and returned multiple times, and so on. I've stopped asking myself years ago why a town of, it seems, about 40 people, has like eight detectives, seven doctors, and then a hand full of people who don't do much but walk around their houses in towels and make out noisily quite often.

So blah blah blah -- there was an Oz reference on DoOL (Dool??). One asshole came in and another asshole was reading The Wizard of Oz to her daughter. 'Nuff said.

Oh, I can do a pretty good impression of the CONSTANT look of smugness on this asshole's face:

flair

2008-07-16T22:49:00.002-05:00

These days I'm all about facebook. It's job related. No, seriously.

Today while stuck in one of those vicious facebook loops (you know -- where every page you're on leads to another thing you just can't not click on), when I came across a Wicked button on a friend's pieces of flair board.

Here it is, in all its pixelated glory.

sad reference

2008-07-14T00:17:00.002-05:00

I got an Oz reference today in a catalog I was mindlessly flipping through. But I spent the whole day at a wake and I'm too exhausted to explain the reference. My word will have to be taken at face value today.

has it really been two weeks?

2008-06-30T19:10:00.003-05:00

Has it really been that long since I've updated my blog? It's not for lack of Oz references, it's for lack of energy. Today my boss said of the internet revolution and blogging and facebooking and everything else: How do people find the time?? I guess in this case, they don't.

I promise to try harder.

Farmer's Market

2008-06-15T18:05:00.002-05:00

At a Farmer's Market this weekend, a girl had a booth set up with all kinds of little signs with different phrases painted on them. One said:

I have flying monkeys, and I'm not afraid to use them

and the other said:

No one gets in to see the wizard. No way. No how.

the end of a reference

2008-06-09T19:16:00.002-05:00

When flipping past Wheel of Fortune I spied a girl dressed as the Wicked Witch doing ... something. I couldn't tell what it had to do with Wheel of Fortune (more likely something to do with Wicked), but we'll count it.

Wait, wait, ... an Oz reference

2008-06-07T10:58:00.002-05:00

If you caught "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me" on NPR this morning, you surely caught an Oz reference at the end. P.J. O'Rouke was talking about Hilary Clinton and mentioned Dorothy, Toto, flying monkeys, and the ex-first lady dropping a house on Barack Obama.

I didn't quite get his meaning, but I know it was an Oz reference. (DVR has spoiled my life experience in that now whenever I miss something in the "real world" I think I can push a button and back it up 30 seconds.)

Not so smart now, are you, Trebek?

2008-06-05T19:15:00.004-05:00

Do you ever wonder how "smart" Alex Trebek would be without all the answers sitting right in front of him? Ever witness him get a little arrogant with contestants when he corrects a wrong answer. I would LOVE to see Trebek play Jeopardy as a contestant.

Why haven't they done that yet? I think Trebek's afraid.

On today's Jeopardy there was actually a category called "Oz" and every question was about WoO. At the end, Trebek said something about the man behind the curtain. Thanks for the shout-out, Trebek!

p.s. Who's got two thumbs and ran the category. ... This guy.

neglect

2008-06-03T22:28:00.002-05:00

Ugh. I haven't been keeping up. New job has got me exhausted. No more excuses. Starting tomorrow I'm back on the Oz watch.

Gilliam's handywork

2008-05-15T15:59:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the movie Brazil? If not, I highly recommend it. It's one of Terry Gilliam's finest movies. It features several unexpected cameos by Robert DiNero as a rouge heater mechanic (that's the best way I can describe it).

If you've seen the film you know it features many "pipes". Pipes seem to be one of Gilliam's themes. Shortly after DiNero appears on screen, he is examining a pipe and comments:

Now that's a pipe of a different color.

He says it so quietly it's almost hard to hear (I have to rewind the DVR several times to confirm). But sure enough, it's an Oz reference.

p.s. The cover of this film used to freak me out when I was younger.

Colbert's guest

2008-05-12T23:48:00.002-05:00

Stephen Colbert's guest was Dr. Mehmet Oz. The show's intro made a reference to WoO. The interview was downright hysterical. At one point Dr. Oz asked Stephen what color his urine was and Colbert responded "Colbalt Blue."

I don't watch as much TV as you're thinking

2008-05-08T13:06:00.004-05:00

Now I know it seems like I watch hours and hours and hours of television. I'm telling you, it's not true. I have a handful of shows to which, for varying reasons, I'm very loyal. The good shows I enjoy are The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, South Park, The Office, 30 Rock, and a few others. The bad shows I enjoy are American Idol, America's Next Top Model, Hell's Kitchen, and a few others. That's about it.

I record those shows in our DVR, watch them quickly without commercials, and get on with my evening.

So don't judge me because a number of my recent references have been television-related. I'm not as bad as you think.

America's Next Top Model contestant Anya did a semi-Wicked Witch impression as she described herself on a photo shoot: "I'm melting! Melting!"

Let's hope my next Oz reference is from a source that's a bit more ... elevated.

p.s. I don't see the Anya appeal...

Hell's Reference

2008-05-06T22:52:00.002-05:00

Tonight on "Hell's Kitchen" the chefs were cooking for a girl's Sweet 16 party. I wrongly assumed that the birthday girl would be an uber-spoiled, snotty L.A. teenager (see MTV's "The Hills"), but it turned out the girl actually seemed pretty sweet and normal. Shocker. On the other hand, Mom was the one who came off as uber-spoiled and snotty. There were obviously times when daughter was repressing the urge to tell her mom to shut up or suck it up. She bit her tongue.

At one point, however, one of the chefs referred to Mom as "the Wicked Witch of the West". So that was a nice Oz reference.

Also one of my co-workers mentioned The Wizard of Oz at lunch today, but I can't remember the context.

Ozword puzzle

2008-05-03T22:37:00.003-05:00

I was doing a crossword and the clue was "Oz author".

If you don't know the answer, shame shame.

What the hell is wrong with people??

2008-05-01T18:19:00.002-05:00

There was just a story on the news that someone stole the bronze plaques off the statues at Oz Park here in Chicago. Seriously??

Utterly ridiculous.

Wiggs' shirt

2008-05-01T17:36:00.002-05:00

The gentleman we affectionately call "the Wigs" at work was wearing a shirt that said "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" on it today. I asked my friend Chris to take a picture of it for posting here, and he agreed, but alas, the day ended with no picture. Since I have no photo, my hand was forced.

Here's a picture of the Wigs:

I was going to post a picture of Chris, but it appears he deleted his myspace profile. Typical, jumping on the Facebook bandwagon. Weak.

quote

2008-04-28T10:03:00.004-05:00

I'm watching the fantastically wonderful Oz three-disc Collector's Edition (if you want to purchase it, scroll down for a link to it on Amazon). One of the bonus features is a documentary called The Legacy of Oz. Oz historian John Fricke says the following:

...It’s almost impossible to watch television for a week and not hear an Oz reference, a paraphrase of Oz dialog...

Surrounded by Oz

2008-04-23T16:49:00.002-05:00

As I type this I'm literally surrounded by Wizard of Oz materials. I can't seem to escape it! (That's a good thing.) But I can't count these as references, as it's work related. So the outside world needs to start coughing up some Oz references too.

me = neglectful

2008-04-15T22:37:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry. Oz has been everywhere but I've been neglectful of updating. There was an Oz reference on Jeopardy yesterday, and last Thursday's The Office had one as well. I should be providing more details, but it's getting late and I'm tired. You trust me, right?

Judd Apatow needs to chill

2008-04-13T16:56:00.002-05:00

Apatow is just putting out too many movies. The first few were funny, but they are becoming formulaic and repetitive, with fewer and fewer truly funny moments. I just watched Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. It was ok at best. At least it had an Oz reference. In a song about fighting for midget rights, Dewey sings:

I'm banging your drum,
your big day will come
When they remake
The Wizard of Oz.

IT TRULY IS A YEAR OF OZ

2008-04-09T22:42:00.002-05:00

Today my yellow brick road took a pretty fantastic twist. Without being able to say too much, I was very fortunate to be on the receiving end of a Wizard of Oz assignment at work. (Well, I lobbied for it a bit. But seriously, who else should get the Wizard of Oz project?)

So it truly will be a Year of Oz. I'll be doing something Oz-related practically every day for the next few months. I won't count these as official references, but I'm pretty stoked none-the-less.

If I were a monkey, this is about how I looked today:

there's something to this...

2008-04-08T23:23:00.004-05:00

Every time I post complaining that there haven't been any Oz references, one pops up a few hours later.

I've already admitted that I watch American Idol, while tonight the hippie dude (Jason Castro) sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He did the Israel [something-or-another]'ole version, which you may remember from an eToys commercial several years back.

Israel's version is stunning, and I must say, the hippie dude didn't butcher it. I was pleasantly surprised on all counts.

cold, slow

2008-04-08T17:31:00.002-05:00

Sorry no updates lately. There simply haven't been any Oz references to speak of. It's about as depressing as this winter has been. Maybe spring will bring a more fruitful batch of references.

"I Lost on Jeopardy"

2008-03-22T18:43:00.003-05:00

My wife and I have gotten into the habit of recording Jeopardy on our DVR and watching it when we're eating meals or bumming around. Today we were watching Thursday's show and one of the "answers" made reference to The Wizard of Oz. I accidentally deleted the show before I could transcribe the answer here. My bad.

p.s. Remember Ken Jennings. That guy won $2.5 million on Jeopardy. Amazing.

there will be oz

2008-03-21T16:36:00.002-05:00

There was an Oz reference today at work, but it's one of those randomly difficult to explain ones. Suffice it to say, I asked a coworker:

"So what do you think we're going for with this?"

And she responded.

"I don't know ... like a Wizard of Oz thing?"

It wasn't what we were going for, but it was a reference none the less.

my boss on the Oz tip

2008-03-19T20:08:00.003-05:00

My group has been very busy at work lately. I have a really good boss, and this morning she brought in bagels to thank us for our hard work. In her email letting us know about the bagels, she listed off a bunch a projects that were keeping us so busy, and she did so like this: "Project 1, Project 2, Project 3 ... Oh my!"

It was nice little Oz reference.

(She actually named what the three projects were, but I didn't think it'd be a good idea to post their official titles here.)

two-for-two

2008-03-15T17:32:00.003-05:00

Two days in a row. Saw a brand new commercial for "Wicked" in Chicago. Boy, it looks iffy, to say the least.

The commercial opens with the Good Witch (presumably) singing about being popular. It gave me chills. Not the good kind.

Has anyone seen it? Is it as bad as I think?

i told ya so! i told ya so!

2008-03-14T13:54:00.003-05:00

So yesterday I predicted a fresh crop of Oz references. It was in the air.

Check out this Netflix ad that just popped up on MSN's homepage today. (Or at least I noticed it for the first time today.)

That's a good start!

a prediction

2008-03-13T22:54:00.002-05:00

Okay. So 2008 started off with a tornado-like whirlwind of Oz references. I really thought they were just gonna keep coming and coming. I thought by March I'd have taken this blog public, have a team of writers working around the clock to update it while I relaxed on a beach in the Cayman Islands.

Alas, the Oz references have recoiled like a frightened turtle. My Board of Trustee now tell me they don't see an IPO on the horizon.

But something is in the air. Maybe it's spring (on the heels of a downright miserable Chicago winter). Maybe it's just life in general. But I feel a change coming. I feel like the sky is going to open up and a deluge of Oz references will come crashing down.

I feel it. So let's see what happens.

weak

2008-03-08T22:04:00.003-06:00

It's been way too long since I've had a good Oz reference. It's too bad. Unfortunately I have to use too weak ones today: a Wicked commercial on the radio and a Wizard of Oz magnet I saw at Target.

I know: weak.

Leap day reference

2008-02-29T22:44:00.003-06:00

Man, the Chicago Bulls suck this year. I thought they were supposed to be competitive.

Tonight they lost to the Washington Wizards. The Channel 5 sports commentator said:

"But they couldn't catch the Wiz, who eased on down the road."

The Bulls are about as threatening as Joakim Noah. (Hasn't Ricky Williams taught us that stoners make bad draft picks??) At least, if nothing else, they are good for a tangential Oz reference.

ERRRR!!

2008-02-28T15:30:00.002-06:00

Where have all the Oz references gone!? I'm so angry I could beat up Kimbo!

Oscars hook it up

2008-02-24T21:03:00.003-06:00

Did you catch James McAvoy's award presentation? His first words were, "There's no place like home."

Depp delivers

2008-02-24T20:41:00.004-06:00

I was looking up some info about Johnny Depp today and came across this. It was in his "Ed Wood" wikipedia entry:

Depp decided to draw inspiration for his performance from Andy Hardy, Ronald Reagan, Casey Kasem, and the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.

So I can thank Captain Jack Sparrow for today's reference. Is there anything Johnny Depp can't do?

I'll take what I can get

2008-02-20T19:38:00.004-06:00

Since Oz references have been avoiding me like plague, I'll have to use one of my wife's. Today she was on the phone at work with a contractor, who had recently been prescribed Vicodin. He told her he had never taken Vicodin before but it was great because it "took him to the merry old land of Oz."

A Year of Flashdance?

2008-02-18T09:53:00.002-06:00

While Oz seems nowhere to be found lately, for some reason it was the weekend of Flashdance. It seemed to be playing back-to-back-to-back on some channel. I couldn't escape it. Then this morning while I was in the shower the radio station played Irene Cara's hit.

As I jogged in place and shook my head back and forth wildly in the shower, I wondered if I'd followed the wrong movie for a year.

[All tasteless titles have been removed]

2008-02-15T21:53:00.003-06:00

I resisted the urge to write an inappropriate title with a bad pun in it.

I was talking to a friend today about random movie oddities and he said, "Didn't a munchkin hang himself in the Wizard of Oz or something?" The rumor is patently untrue. No one is really sure how it got started. According to snopes.com, it's a bird, which is what it clearly looks like if you watch closely. It'll look better on your TV.

Here's the video in dispute. It is clearly a bird in the background. When people get stoned enough, they'll see anything. This rumor can be hung out to dry. (Ooof. Sorry.)

Oprah checks the slippers

2008-02-11T23:50:00.001-06:00

Apparently Brent Glass, who I refer to in my January 12 entry about Stephen Colbert going to the Smithsonian, was on Oprah showing her the ruby slippers. No, I don't watch Oprah. Colbert showed the clip tonight. He was incensed that Oprah got to touch the ruby slippers, while he was denied the privilege of making a sandwich with George Washington's sword.

CLICK HERE TO READ GLASS'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE SLIPPERS AND OZ ON OPRAH'S SITE

Have some self-respect, American Pie franchise

2008-02-10T13:01:00.000-06:00

So the first American Pie movie was fine. It had some funny moments. Since then the franchise has made an embarrassment of itself. The only "star" who is even willing to participate anymore is Eugene Levy, which shocks me. He's so hilarious in the Christopher Guest films. What possible motivation could he have other than an easy pay check?

Comedy Central has been running commercials for "American Pie: The Naked Mile." I think it went straight to video when it came out. The latest commercial has a frat boy telling a midget (because, by the way, every frat boy thinks midgets are hilarious) to, "Go back to Oz, Toto." The midget corrects the frat boy with, "Toto was the dog, you idiot."

Yeah, this movie can't miss. (...At least I got an Oz reference, I guess.)

Bill Maher regains my respect in many ways

2008-02-05T00:07:00.000-06:00

Did anyone catch Bill Maher on Larry King Live tonight?

I don't know at what point in the last decade that my brain decided it didn't like Bill Maher, but my brain was wrong. He was hilarious, insightful, and intelligent on King tonight. So, Bill, my apologies. I'm back on board.

He was talking about the economic stimulus package as "like giving $5 to bum and saying ease on down the road and talk to somebody else." That being a reference to The Wiz, it counts as an Oz reference.

p.s. Did anyone see the video of Bill Clinton falling asleep in a church on MLK day? Maher talked about it tonight. I have to share, since it's downright hilarious.

AD 4 eva

2008-02-04T19:23:00.000-06:00

Arrested Development is riddled with Wizard of Oz references. The other night I caught the episode where Tobias "checks himself into jail" to research the role of Frightened Inmate #3. When he accidentally drives "White Power Bill" to commit suicide, Tobias is celebrated in classic Oz style: "You killed him. Like Dorothy. The Wicked Witch is dead. All hail Dorothy."

In the next scene, Tobias's legion of loyal inmates now refer to themselves as "Friends of Dorothy."

God bless Arrested Development.

i'm very upset with myself

2008-02-02T00:09:00.000-06:00

I'm upset because I haven't been tending to my blog. There was a fantastic Oz reference on the Colbert Report the other night, but I waited way too long to add it. Sorry for the neglect.

Now, I can't find the damn reference on my DVR. This is the second time I've done this! Unacceptable.

The Dark Side of Oz

2008-01-29T23:35:00.001-06:00

Several people have asked me recently about Pink Floyd's masterpiece "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wizard of Oz" and whether they sync up (also known as "The Sync" or "The Dark Side of Oz"). I wrote an article about this a while back that describes some synced up points and posted the link here, but since it is buried at the bottom of my blog, and I haven't gotten an Oz reference yet today, I figured I'd repost it.

Does it work? I'd certainly say so. Is it intentional? Pink Floyd has long denied it, and I don't know if we'll ever know for sure. Try it some time. It's fun.

Click here for details on The Dark Side of Oz

goodbye yellow brick road, hello Oz reference

2008-01-28T22:22:00.000-06:00

This morning on the way to work I heard Elton John's classic "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." Did you know that album sold over 20 million copies? What a song. I thought about posting a photo of the album cover, but who could pass up the opportunity to add a ridiculous Elton John pic to their blog?

p.s. Elton John hates the internet.

at long last

2008-01-25T17:35:00.000-06:00

The dry spell is finally over. Both The Daily Show (or "A Daily Show," as they've been calling themselves since the writer's strike began) and The Colbert Report made "Wizard of Oz" references last night (1/24). They were as follows:

A Daily Show: while playing clips of some national news anchors discussing Hilary Clinton, some dude on CNN said: "...she would have melted like the Wicked Witch of the West."

The Colbert Report: referring to a photo of an old man who was a human blockhead (see photo for example of a "human blockhead," though I was unable to locate the photo of the exact old man), Colbert said, "Oh human blockhead, I think I'll miss you most of all."

We're back on track. Let's keep the streak alive.

sorry, Erica

2008-01-22T12:03:00.001-06:00

Due to the slowness of my blog due to the slowness of Oz references, I'm forced to post a picture of my friend Erica who went to see Wicked last week. She is surely going to hate me for this.

on the complete absence of Oz references of late…

2008-01-22T11:55:00.001-06:00

As is often the case with a sprinter, 2008 came out of the gate like gangbusters. Then over the last few days she completely lost steam. The Wizard of Oz has been nowhere to be found lately. Last night David Foster Wallace made another reference to the film in his David Lynch essay, but I’ve already used that one (see post from 1/5/08).

I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or what. We were red hot, and now we’re colder than a Chicago day in January (I can attest to this).

hmm

2008-01-18T01:14:00.000-06:00

Oz has come up a few times, but mostly in repeats and conversations about this blog.

Friday feels right for a good reference.

full disclosure

2008-01-15T23:11:00.001-06:00

In the interest of full disclosure, yes, I watch American Idol. Is it acceptable to watch it out of cynicism? To watch because of a sadistic pleasure derived from Simon Cowell laying into some delusional performer?

No? Still not acceptable? Fine.

Well, since the cat is out of the bag, tonight when they were montaging through the various dressed up "singers" waiting to audition, I spied the Wicked Witch of the West.

myspace stalking

2008-01-13T22:16:00.001-06:00

I was myspace stalking this evening and came across two Oz references. One was a girl I used to know who had her location set to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow, IL." Then I moved on to high school graduating classmates stalking. I found a picture of a girl that I apparently graduated with but have no recollection of whatsoever. She was dressed up as Dorothy and her friend was the scarecrow.

The Smithsonian endorses this blog (...in a way)

2008-01-12T22:23:00.000-06:00

If you saw the Colbert Report on Thursday you caught a great Wizard of Oz reference. And even beyond the reference, was the comment from Brent Glass confirming my thoughts on The Wizard of Oz.

Glass is the Director of the Smithsonian's Treasures of American History exhibit. Colbert was meeting with him to try to get his studio portrait added to the exhibit. Glass was giving Colbert a tour of the exhibit when they stopped at a glass case featuring the original Scarecrow suit and Dorothy's ruby slippers. First, Colbert asked Glass if he was a "friend of Dorothy."

Then Glass said:

"The popularity of the Wizard of Oz transcends almost anything in entertainment."

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Glass.

Colbert responded to this, "Other than my portrait." The two debated which was more important to American History: the ruby slippers or Colbert's portrait. A $50 bet ensued, and the segment will carry over into Monday's show.

it's like totally Wicked, man

2008-01-11T22:44:00.000-06:00

Wicked seems to be coming up everywhere. First, I was out to lunch with work friends today and one of them -- Erica -- mentioned she was going to see Wicked that night. I will have to go to the employee database on Monday and get her picture to post. She won't care if I post it here, right?

Then, while having dinner with my wife, a cab stopped outside the window with a Wicked billboard on top.

Oh, there was one other thing -- after dinner we came home and watched last night's (Thursday) 30 Rock. At one point Kenneth is leaving town to go back to Georgia. He's saying goodbye to Tracy Jordan and his posse, and says to Grizz, wide-eyed, "Grizz, I'm going to miss you most of all." (Clearly mimicking Dorothy saying goodbye to the Scarecrow.)

So far, the ubiquity of The Wizard of Oz in '08 has been remarkable. I just thought about renaming my blog "The Ubiquitous Oz." ...Nah, that sounds pretty pompous.

this guy...

2008-01-10T22:54:00.000-06:00

His name is Karim. He is by far one of the most beloved characters in the building I work in. He works in the warehouse and delivers everyone's mail. He is probably about 70 years old and is the happiest, most energetic guy you could imagine. He is always smiling and has a nickname for almost everyone. If he doesn't know your name he'll probably call you something like "Easy Money."

"Hey, Easy Money! How's it going?"

As Karim weaves through the cubicles and past the offices, he whistles and sings. Loud. Disruptively loud. If anyone else in the world did this, they would be reprimanded, if not worse. But Karim's whistling and singing is not only acceptable, it's a ray of light in what could be an otherwise dull day.

Today Karim was whistling Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

It was wonderful.

Oz is everywhere, I tells ya

2008-01-09T20:48:00.000-06:00

Arrested Development is up there with Seinfeld as one of the funniest sitcoms ever produced. It was downright tragic when Fox canceled it. And just as painful when it didn't get picked up by some other network. Last night I was revisiting Season 3. I watched three episodes, and one of them contained two Oz references.

I just spent 30 minutes trying to find the references and I can't. Damnit. I should have written them down last night. Anyway, I searched the internets for help, and it turns out AD has tons of Oz references. Yet another reason Arrested Development ruled.

In addition to Arrested D, I got another reference today when NPR was discussing Bush's visit to the Middle East. I wasn't paying close attention, as my dinner was burning, but some choir of Israeli kids were singing a song for his arrival. Can you guess what song? That's right, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. NPR appears to be in love with this song.

Family Guy

2008-01-08T22:15:00.000-06:00

It's 10:15 and I had just changed the channel from CNN's over-dramatic coverage of the New Hampshire primary. I needed something mindless. Family Guy was on Adult Swim. It's the episode where Peter (or Meg...I missed a few minutes) knocks out Quahog's cable. Peter is having problems adjusting to no television. He's having a nightmare and guess what happens...

...the show turns to black and white, and Peter finds himself twisting around in an Oz-inspired tornado, waving out the window to a bunch of 70s and 80s TV characters like Alf and Gilligan.

I was worried I wouldn't get a reference today. But no worries.

on tornadoes

2008-01-07T23:58:00.000-06:00

It's midnight and unfortunately I didn't notice any Oz references today. But there were tornado warnings all over the Chicago area. Tornadoes always make me think of Oz.

NPR gets in the act

2008-01-06T22:33:00.000-06:00

2008 has been fantastic so far for Wizard of Oz references. I think I'm 5 for 6.

Anyway, today while washing dishes, I had NPR on the radio. Some hip old dude was playing Dizzy Gillespie and some other old jazz. I was half-listening. Then at one point a few notes of a tune caught my ear. I missed the name of the orchestra that was performing, but sure enough they were playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

It sounded great and made me smile. Keep 'em coming, '08.

compliments of David Foster Wallace

2008-01-05T18:24:00.001-06:00

I've been reading David Foster Wallace's "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." This is a must read for any cynic who's taken or going to take a cruise. I don't think anyone could have described the oddity of a cruising experience more perfectly.

After I finished that essay, I moved on to an essay that DFW wrote about spending time on the set of David Lynch's Lost Highway. I found my reference about halfway through the essay when DFW writes:

Wild at Heart itself, for all its heavy references to The Wizard of Oz, is actually a pomo-ish remake of Sidney Lumet's 1959 The Fugitive Kind."

I don't know what "pomo-ish" means, but I was happy to get my reference.

p.s. DFW looks exactly like my wife's ex-boss. Every time I talk to him I imagine I'm talking to David Foster Wallace.

p.p.s. The pic is a Mii someone created of DFW. Hilarious.

how wicked is Wicked?

2008-01-03T22:12:00.000-06:00

It seems lately, the only Oz references I'm finding are references to the musical Wicked. This is partially due to the fact that here in Chicago, Wicked is pretty popular.

So I'm continually asking myself if I should be officially counting these references to Wicked as references to The Wizard of Oz. Finally I decided there was no reason not to. I mean, obviously one spawns from the other. So from here on out, I will no longer question the Wicked references. I won't count the same one (i.e., the same billboard or the same commercial, etc.).

All that said, this morning on the radio the DJ was talking about how Wicked is the longest running musical in Chicago (or something like that).

Reference accomplished. Conscience clear. Done and done.

Happy New Year (of Oz)

2008-01-02T23:23:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, new years day, wearily driving home from a New Years Eve party, the wife and I spied a Wicked billboard on the side of the road. We'll have to count it as an Oz reference. I mean, it was the Wicked Witch at forty feet tall.

Today I wore my Dark Side of the Moon t-shirt. I'm not counting it as a reference, it's just a cool shirt.

Fingers crossed for an '08 riddled with Wizard of Oz references...

thanks, Darlene

2007-12-28T23:20:00.000-06:00

I was at the computer, half-writing/half-listening to a History Channel show called Shockwave. They began a segment on tornadoes, and started to show twisters turning over cars and ripping through houses. I knew a Wizard of Oz reference was coming...

They were talking to a woman named Darlene who was inside a house that was lifted 120 feet in air (and caught on camera). Her exact quote was:

When I looked out my back window, it reminded you (sic) of the Wizard of Oz when the house went flying through the air.

I'm very glad Darlene survived to tell her tale, and grant me a WoO reference.

p.s. That amazing picture is from a website called The Astronomy Picture of the Day. Every day NASA posts a new, oft-breathtaking picture. I guess the government is good for something.

x-mas in Oz

2007-12-25T21:36:00.000-06:00

After several busy x-mas preparation days without any noticeable Oz references (granted, our heads are in different places during the lead up to x-mas, so I wouldn't be surprised if I missed something), x-mas Eve's reference came when my 8-year-old niece was listing all the movies she'd watched at "Nonnie and Poppie's" the night before. Wedged between a gang of Disney Princess movies and a few nature-related shows was Oz, which I was really happy to hear.

Santa brought two Oz references on x-mas day. First, when my wife and I arrived at her mom's house, on the coffee table was a new copy of "Son of a Witch," Gregory Maguire's long-anticipated sequel to "Wicked."

Then, as we watched "A Christmas Story" for the umpteenth time, I noticed that during the parade scene (right before Ralphie sees Santa), Oz characters and the witch's monkeys are featured in the parade. Also, right after Ralphie gets sent down the slide, Dorothy and the other Oz characters reappear skipping down the mall's center aisle as Ralphie's parents approach.

It was nice to see -- Film directors pay attention to details like that, so it would seem that "A Christmas Story" was paying homage to Oz.

Rock on, A Christmas Story.

ask, and ye shall receive

2007-12-19T21:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I posted that there was a shortage of Oz references going on, and today I had two.

First, I was doing some casual research for a Disney book I'm working on, and I came across this in the wiki entry for Pinocchio's friend Jiminy Crickets:

Another example occurs in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. When the group first enters the Wizard's chamber, they are startled by the Wizard's sudden thunder-and-lightning display, and Dorothy (Judy Garland) cries, "Oh! Oh! Jiminy Crickets!"

Second, while watching the news today they mentioned ticket prices for Wicked going down, or something. I was half listening, as I've heard Wicked is terrible and I'd already encountered a solid reference for the day.

Back in the saddle. Come on, Thursday, let's make it two in a row.

the cause of my neglect

2007-12-18T23:55:00.001-06:00

I've been neglecting the blog because a) I've never been so busy at work and it's the holiday season at home which means lame tasks need a-doin, and b) Oz has been nowhere to be found.

The other morning I was drifting in and out of sleep as I was snoozing Talk Radio, and I could have sworn I heard someone mention Oz, but I think I was just having a dream. Jeez, that's sad.

Come Oz references, where are you??

so close...

2007-12-11T21:53:00.001-06:00

I thought I had an awesome reference today, but alas, I got some facts crossed. I will spare me the embarrassing details.

I'll have to go with a weaker reference, but a reference none-the-less: someone brought Dunkin' Donuts Munchkins in to work this morning.

(I just discovered that each time I type "munchkins", my fingers instinctively put a "d" on the end of the word. So I keep typing "munchkinds". Weird.)

Imperial Life in the Emerald City

2007-12-10T21:09:00.000-06:00

I got a great Oz reference today while listening to NPR. They had on author Rajiv Chandrasekaran talking about his book Imperial Life in the Emerald City. With a title like that, I'm sure the book is riddled with Oz references.

This has nothing to do with my usual reason for keeping this blog, but apparently the book is about some of the terrible mistakes and bad decisions made inside Iraq's Green Zone during the war. Chandrasekaran discussed certain events, for example: when the Iraqi infrastructure was destroyed by the war, instead of American bureaucrats focusing on rebuilding it, getting electricity back on, or water and food to hungry people, or getting Iraqis back to work, they spent their time re-writing the Iraqi TAX CODE line-by-line. Umm, I don't think the people of Iraq are all that concerned about their tax rate when they're starving, thirsty, and huddled in the dark. It sounds like many opportunities to win some support of the Iraqi people were severely mismanaged and lost. Sad.

But this isn't a political blog, because I know next to nothing about politics. The book sounds very interesting, so check it out.

On a lighter note, I got my Oz reference for the day.

nearing the end of the yellow brick road

2007-12-10T00:15:00.000-06:00

alas, the weekend was light for Oz references, but i'm about an hour from completing Tin Man. i'll give a full report then.

is it just me, or do Zooey Deschanel's legs look totally whack in this promo poster?

oz kismet

2007-12-07T20:44:00.000-06:00

i was sitting in traffic this morning on my way to work and something to my left drew my attention. i looked over and was staring right at the wicked witch and the good witch.

unfortunately it was an ad on the top of a cab for the musical Wicked, but it was an Oz reference none the less.

Return to Oz

2007-12-06T17:42:00.000-06:00

also, my reference for the day came when i was talking to a co-worker about Fairuza Balk.

she asked me if i remembered the film Return to Oz. i wasn't sure, so i headed to you tube where i found this clip featuring the Wheelers.

good god, those things were terrifying. they jogged my foggy memory. i added Return to Oz to my Nextflix right away.

does sci-fi's "Tin Man" have heart?

2007-12-06T16:56:00.000-06:00

i'm about two-thirds of the way through Part One (of Three) of Sci-Fi's Wizard of Oz update -- Tin Man. so far it's had it's decent moments and it's disappointments.

the acting is up-and-down. i love Zooey Deschanel, but i think she's better suited for slightly less dramatic roles. when she's really supposed to be giving us serious emotion, she falls a bit flat.

i flat-out don't care for Neal McDonough. he's hack-y. sorry.

everyone else is holding their own.

the special effects are also a bit on the weak side. we've seen it all before in Lord of the Rings, and it was executed right. they raised the bar too high. now anything else, made-for-tv film or no, just doesn't cut it.

instead of trying to do something grand on the small screen, i wish the producers would have concentrated more on the creative aspects of the retelling. they've come up with some original ideas, but they seem to be glossing over them. it's as if "Tin Man" is trying to do too much. they'd have done well to tone down some of the grand attempts at special effects.

i've still got a ways to go, so i'll reserve further judgment for now.

the mini-series

2007-12-04T22:25:00.000-06:00

i'm about to settle in with Part One of Sci Fi Channel's "Tin Man." excited to see what it's all about.

synchronicity while researching synchronicity

2007-12-03T22:58:00.000-06:00

I was reading the Wikipedia entry about "synchronicity" and came across this following quote:

"During production of The Wizard of Oz, a coat bought from a second-hand store for the costume of Professor Marvel was later found to have belonged to L. Frank Baum, author of the children's book upon which the film is based."

Total synchronicity.

right on target

2007-12-01T16:23:00.000-06:00

today at Target i saw a greeting card with the four Oz characters on the front. it was blank on the inside.

also, regarding the Oprah reference, O was giving one of the guests shit for smoking back in the day, and they had a picture of the woman with a cigarette in her mouth, and the woman said, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Tin Man

2007-11-30T00:53:00.000-06:00

i've been so busy i haven't had time to update. just saw a commercial for "Tin Man", a sci original mini-series. it's a remake of Oz.

yesterday Oprah made an Oz reference. (i have it recorded in the DVR, i'll have to get the exact quote tomorrow)

well, "Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: The Making of 'Tin Man'" just came on. i better see what this thing is all about

ahhhh

2007-11-25T20:33:00.000-06:00

crap. been so busy i've neglected the blog.

just got back from Target where i saw about 15 Oz-related items. i'll count that.

muchkin star

2007-11-21T13:10:00.000-06:00

MSN's homepage features a video story about a munchkin who is getting a star in Hollywood. Here's a link to the story:

Munchkin gets a Hollywood star

where are you, Wiz?

2007-11-19T23:29:00.000-06:00

Dorothy? ... Toto? ... Tin Man? ... Flying monkeys? ... Wicked Witch? ... Man behind the curtain? ... Horse of a Different Color? (an effect WAAAAY ahead of its time) ... Tornado? ... Lollipop Guild? ... Hot air balloon? ... Scary witch socks? ... Scarecrow slipping around Oz? ... Somewhere over the rainbow? ... Oh wee oh? ... Dude allegedly hanging himself in the background even though it's clearly the silhouette of a bird? ... Where are all my WoO references?!?

I did see a commercial for Wicked today. Does that count? I hear that thing is an abomination.

do kids hate tornadoes?

2007-11-16T23:40:00.001-06:00

Today was day two of the photo shoot for the dance book, and again the Oz came up. I was talking to a co-worker about how I was specifically told, by decree of my boss's boss, not to include anything "tornado-related" in any children's books I work on.

"I guess the higher-ups think kids don't want to read about tornadoes..." I postulated.

"But what about Wizard of Oz?" my coworker asked.

I smiled. Then I got my little notebook and wrote that down.

p.s. I didn't come across anything overtly Oz yesterday, but we'll turn a blind eye this once.

a good day to be the Wiz

2007-11-14T17:49:00.000-06:00

This morning I had a photo shoot for a children's dance book I'm editing. It basically involved three little girls dressing up like three different Disney Princesses.

Cinderella was wearing sparkly silver shoes and kept clicking her heels together and saying, "There's no place like home." Then she'd giggle.

A few hours later I asked Belle (Beauty and the Beast) what she dressed up as for Halloween she proudly exclaimed, "Dorothy!" I asked, "From Wizard of Oz?" and she shot me a no duh look. I smiled to Belle's mom, who added, "She's obsessed with that movie."

It's only 6:10pm and the Oz has already come up twice.

Oh, and I didn't get a chance to update yesterday, but when reviewing my work for the dance book we shot today, someone referred to one of the dance moves, which involved the child clicking their heels together. The individual sarcastically commented, "Gee, wonder where you got that move from..."

AMAZING - the power of Oz

2007-11-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

As you'll see from my post 20 minutes ago, I'd all but given up on a Wizard of Oz reference today. Well, the Good Witch must have heard my plea because no sooner did I post that than I pulled up the San Fran - Seahawks game on the DVR.

I was watching Chris Berman's "Fastest 3 Minutes", in which he quickly recaps the key games of the week. I usually skip this three minutes, as those overly-zealous ESPN guys can be annoying, but for some reason tonight I watched. Half way through the segment Berman was making fun of a stupid play by humming the following melody: dat da-da da-da da-da-duh, da-da da-da da-da-duh. ... If I Only Had a Brain.

The Gods of Oz are smiling on my little experiment.

a slow day

2007-11-12T21:21:00.000-06:00

It's 9:30 on Monday and I'm just sitting at my computer writing and half-assedly watching a boring Monday Night Football game. The odds of an Oz reference at this point are slim. So much for our theory. Twos to be disproved. Great.

I'm not giving up yet, though. Maybe I missed something today because my Oz radar isn't sharp enough.

Oh, my wife did mention earlier that if our future kid is not cool we'll make him watch the WoO synced with the Dark Side. ... Like that'll make him cool. That'll just turn him into a stoner.

... No, I'm not counting that one.

Does Dark Side of the Moon count?

2007-11-11T11:04:00.000-06:00

This morning I was in the shower and I thought to myself, "I need to keep my eyes open for 'Oz references." Just then I looked up at the t-shirt I was going to wear under my sweater. It was a Paul Frank tee I got at the Village Discount Outlet -- a Salvation Army-like resale shop. It has a decal on the front. I only bought it to wear a black shirt to wear under long sleeve shirts so you'd never see the decal.

The decal has two beams of light on it. One is a white beam and it's passing through a glass house, which is having a prism effect on the light. When the light passes through the house/prism, primary colors are emerging on the other side. The shirt is paying homage to the cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

You've probably heard about the old rumor/myth/urban legend that you can sync up Dark Side with the 'Oz with some interesting, if not stoner-friendly results. Not the least of which is the cover of the album -- white light transforming into color, just like the blank and white film transforms into color.

My friends and I have done "the sync" a number of times. In fact, I wrote a short article about it here:

Syncing Wizard of Oz with Dark Side of the Moon

So Paul Frank is referring to Dark Side, which could arguably refer to the 'Oz.

One Year of Wizard of Oz references

2007-11-10T20:35:00.000-06:00

For some time now, my friend and I have shared a theory that every single day we encounter at least one reference to Victor Fleming's masterpiece The Wizard of Oz. This film has become so woven into popular culture that if you pay attention you will be astounded at the frequency of 'Oz references. Songs, TV shows, conversations, ads, other films, colloquial saying ... the list goes on and on.

I will not seek out these references. They have to occur naturally and unforced.

It's not in my interest to overly stretch an occurrence to count it as a reference. I will try to be a fair and unbiased as possible. I'm merely a scientist testing a theory. Also, I'll try not to reuse references -- if there's a commercial with a yellow brick road in it, I'll only cite it once.

I will be updating this blog daily (unless impossible, in which case I'll record past references and update back dates when I'm in front of the computer.) Check back often to see if the theory holds water, or melts in it.

As I write this, TBS is airing the 'Oz. I'd say that counts as today's reference. (There was another one early this morning but I forgot what it was -- which won't happen again now that I'm officially doing this.)