Happy birthday to Jack in NJ!

In this episode:

• the March NAVA meeting at the Digital Press video game store in Clifton, NJ,
• The Celebrity Apprentice starring Tom Green and Andrew “Dice” Clay,
• the horrible Heroes season three,
• finally watching the 3D episode of Chuck,
• Willie Aames’s garage sale,
• Corey Haim selling his teeth on eBay,
• Jack in NJ’s 40th birthday,
• Greg’s trip to Dave & Buster’s,
• the value of paunchstevenson.com on websiteoutlook.com,
• Google Earth vs. Microsoft Live Search Maps,
• Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope,
• Vegas Vampires (2003) starring Fred Williamson, Richard Roundtree, and Daniel Baldwin,
• Greg’s favorite vampire movies: Underworld (2003), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998), Blade (1998), My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1988), etc.,
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,
• the upcoming movie The Three Stooges (2010) starring Sean Penn, Benecio Del Toro, and Jim Carrey,
• gun stores and shooting ranges,
• an old recording of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg using racial slurs,
• pointless extracurricular activities in high school,
• and celebrity deaths (Natasha Richardson and Paul Harvey).

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Read all about it.

No, we’re not talking about Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1976 song, which was covered nicely by Three Doors Down a few years ago, by the way. It’s the infamous maple syrup smell that has wafted throughout Greater New York City at random times over the last 4 years. I’ve caught a whiff of it many times. Usually when I am walking into work. Sometimes, like just last week, the syrup smell was very pungent, in my house in the middle of the night, with all of the windows closed!

Well, apparently, after hundreds of complaints from city residents over the years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally got to the bottom of it. The city and NJ environmental departments tracked the scent (I don’t know how they do that) to a small factory in North Bergen, NJ. The factory was making something with the herb fenugreek, which are seeds that contain an aromatic compound, sotolone, that is also found in maple syrup, so they are sometimes used to produce imitation syrup flavoring.

One might think it is nice to smell maple syrup in the air, that this should mask out the foul odors which have become a punchline for New Jersey. No I say. No. If I wanted to smell maple syrup, I want to be eating a flap jack!

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Don’t forget: nominate your Lame Idiot of 2008!

In this episode:

• special guest Adam in SC,
• Greg meeting Denis Leary at Barnes & Noble in Clifton, NJ,
• knighted celebrities,
• Adam’s movie review of The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) starring Keanu Reeves,
• our review of The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) starring Matt Damon,
• our review of Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007) starring Rowan Atkinson,
• our review of I Am Legend (2007) starring Will Smith,
• Eddie Murphy as the Riddler in an upcoming Batman movie,
• Reginald VelJohnson’s cameo as Capt. Al Powell in an episode of Chuck,
• a celebrity death (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry),
• and “Christmas in Jersey City” by David W. Jacobsen.

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As we discussed in episode 106, we got to meet James Rolfe, the Angry Video Game Nerd, at the Digital Press video game store in Clifton, NJ. Here are the photos:

Flickr – Digital Press, Clifton, NJ 6/28/08

Also, while browsing the store, we discovered there’s a Desperate Housewives video game:

Why?

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In this episode:

• another trip to the Digital Press video game store in Clifton, NJ (www.digitpress.com),
• meeting James Rolfe (the Angry Video Game Nerd) and trying to get him on the show,
• the Nostalgia Critic,
• celebrity deaths (Mel Ferrer, Bo Diddley, Harvey Korman, Jim McKay, Tim Russert, and George Carlin, thanks to www.deadoraliveinfo.com),
• What Ever Happened To? (Jim J. Bullock),
• a psycho in Union Square Park claiming NASA is going to blow up Jupiter on 7/7/08,
• Project Lucifer,
• a Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling update,
• Sean Connery’s memoirs,
• Kung Fu Panda (2008) starring Jack Black,
• You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008) starring Adam Sandler,
• Kevin Nealon’s horrible acting,
• Dana Carvey’s new HBO comedy special Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies,
• Mike Myers,
• the upcoming movie Disaster Movie (2008),
• Frank Darabont’s Indiana Jones and the City of Gods script,
• the new Apple iPhone 3G and disposable gadgets,
• The Kid from Brooklyn on Last Comic Standing (www.thekidfrombrooklyn.com),
• Rob’s trip to California,
• Los Angeles vs. New York City,
• celebrity sightings (Lisa Bonet, Neil Patrick Harris, and Ryan Reynolds),
• and our listener Joe from Belleville, NJ.

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Callahan’s, a northern NJ institution in the realm of hot dog joints, has closed its last location this month, on Route 46 in Little Ferry. The small chain was begun by Artie Castrianni in 1950 in Fort Lee. That site and one in Hasbrouck Heights also closed. Really stinks for me, I used to get a burger and fries there for lunch. Leaves only places like the great Rutt’s Hutt in Clifton and a few Stewart’s locations and places similar as old time NJ eateries.

Callahan’s website while it lasts…. http://www.callahanshotdogs.com/main2.htm
Also reported on the Second Helpings blog http://njmg.typepad.com/foodblog/2008/06/bad-news-along.html

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Our interview with the Screaming Orphans at Tir Na Nog in NYC!

In this episode:

• getting Juliana Hatfield on the show,
• What Ever Happened To? (Natalie Imbruglia),
• friend and filmmaker Jonald Reyes,
• That Asian Thing on Independent Features (www.independentfeatures.com),
• The Net (1995) starring Sandra Bullock,
• a librarian at the Belleville Public Library trying to send a fax,
• our interview with Joan Diver of the Screaming Orphans at Tir Na Nog in NYC,
• Dennis Haskins,
• and the Screaming Orphans live.

Photos of the Screaming Orphans at Tir Na Nog:
Flickr – Screaming Orphans, NYC 5/10/08

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We interview Ted Danson and Ed Begley, Jr. at the Global Green Expo 2008 in Jersey City, NJ!

In this episode:

• TV newscasters (Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and Peter Jennings),
• Pat O’Brien,
• the PSEG Global Green Expo 2008,
• a summary of Ted Danson’s keynote speech,
• Oceana (www.oceana.org),
• ocean trolling,
• fish contaminated with mercury,
• fake Duracell batteries,
• the pointlessness of autographs,
• our interview with Ted Danson,
• the Paunch bad luck,
• Ed Begley Jr. (www.edbegley.com),
• a raw sewage backup in Greg’s basement,
• our interview with Ed Begley Jr.,
• Fixing the Planet (www.fixingtheplanet.com),
• The Paunch Stevenson Show All-Stars,
• a summary of Ed Begley Jr.’s keynote speech,
• recycling and simplifying our lives,
• consumerism,
• Rob’s computer mouse problem,
• gardening,
• standby power,
• reusing grocery bags,
• the lack of environmentalism in TV shows and movies,
• and Autograph magazine’s list of the best and worst Hollywood autograph signers.

Photos, video, and additional audio from the expo:
Ed Begley and Ted Danson Global Green Expo 2008 Keynote Speeches

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As I promised at the end of episode 101, we have photos, video, and audio from Ed Begley, Jr. and Ted Danson’s Global Green Expo 2008 keynote speeches.

Ted Danson photos:
Flickr – Global Green Expo, Jersey City, NJ 4/26/08

Ed Begley, Jr. photos:
Flickr – Global Green Expo, Jersey City, NJ 4/27/08

Ted Danson video:

Ed Begley, Jr. video:

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There are two environmental expos in the northern NJ/NYC area this weekend and we will be attending both:

PSEG Global Green Expo 2008
Liberty State Park
Historic Central Railroad Terminal
Jersey City, NJ
Friday 4/25/08, 10:00-3:30
Saturday 4/26/08, 10:00-5:30, keynote speaker Ted Danson
Sunday 4/27/08, 10:00-4:30, keynote speaker Ed Begley, Jr.

Go Green Expo
The Hilton New York
1335 6th Ave. (near 53rd St.)
New York, NY
Saturday 4/26/08, 10:00-6:00
Sunday 4/27/08, 10:00-3:00

Episode 101 of The Paunch Stevenson Show will feature audio from the events. It’d be great to talk with Ted Danson, Kevin Bacon, and Ed Begley, Jr.!

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