YOUR WEEKEND UPCHEER IS HERE!

It's "FUN FRIDAY"! So, "Run-Don't-Walk" over to my NEWS at: www.michaelmanning.tv . I put the construction crew to work and it came out looking rather cool, if I may be immodest! But wait! I have more to share!! When you are finished, cruise on over to my REEL page and see what mischief I was up to at CNN Headline News in Atlanta, Georgia just a few weeks ago! Mr. King (Above) does a nice introduction. And it's under 3 minutes in case you're watching it at work on your computer and your Boss happens by. If so, I'll e-mail an excuse. Just send me a note that you were caught along with the name of your Boss (and PLEASE include Ms. or Mr. because some of these names anymore make it hard to guess the proper salutation) at michaelmaninginfo@gmail.com.

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Next, I want to reveal a prime example that should explain Why I spent more time in Detention Class after school as a kid than my 2 Brothers and Sister combined! Case in Point: I challenged fellow BLOGGER Thomas Siefert "Across the Pond" to BLOG about his propensity for coming up with absolutely hilarious script dialogue from James Bond 007 movies that will have you laughing so hard, I can only hope there's a Loo nearby to "spend a penny!" No, really! If "seeing is believing" go visit Thomas at: http://siefert.blogspot.com/. Yes, I was ALWAYS the instigator. In fact, a moronic First Grade Teacher (moronic only in her behavior but otherwise a "Hottie"!) had the entire class point their fingers at me and say in unison: "Agitator!, Agitator!!" And no, it had nothing to do with a Maytag washing machine. Let's just say, I went down my own path and leave it at that. Okay, I have some FUN news! In 1994, I landed my first big time magazine interview with my late friend and Mentor Marty Shugrue. Many of you will remember Marty along the East Coast from his appearances in Eastern Airlines Television commercials where he fields tough questions from employees inside a Miami International Airport Hangar after Frank Lorenzo lost control of the airline he was dismantling and Marty was brought in as Trustee to save it. In fact, in October, 1990 David Letterman did his Favorite "Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Fly Eastern Airlines" and he mentioned Marty, who had a great sense of humor and loved it! Long story-short, I saw a preview of the graphic art design for the "New Eastern Airlines" and thought I could do better. I was staying up the street from Eastern's towering headquarters just outside Miami International Airport at the Sheraton Riverhouse Hotel pacing until 2 a.m. when I put the final touches on my own aircraft livery design with a pen and a dinner napkin! I hired an artist to transfer my design into "a mechanical", and two weeks later my design was propped up for several months against Marty's desk on the 9th Floor Suite of Building 16 (now Embry Riddle Aeronautical University). "Project Hawk" was to raise $100 million to restart "New Eastern". But a change of strategy led to a second incarnation of Pan Am (1996-1998) and my design is now featured in a new book called "Deregulation Knock Outs Volume II". It comes out in May and you can order it from my NEWS site: www.michaelmanning.tv or by Clicking my Homepage button for Airways magazine. FUN, eh! Okay let me show you some cool photographs and if you're patient, I'll make sense of it all:

Here's Dick Smothers with Robin Lynn at Sarasota's 1220 AM News Talk Radio. One look at Robin and you'll understand why I chose Broadcasting! WOW!

Actress Judy Landers with Cliff Roles. You guys with the British accent always get the girl!

Here's my buddy Doug Miles Host of "Suncoast Magazine" with Actor Jack Klugman of "The Odd Couple"!

Here's Cliff (Again!) with another lovely lady, News Anchor Michele Jordan of ABC TV 7!

Fitness Expert Rochelle Herman borrowing my Tour Bus. No! Just kidding! It's her Tour Bus!

None of which makes any sense until I reveal this: Last month, I was a Guest on Sarasota, Florida's "SUNNY 1220 News/Talk Radio AM" and I'm being booked for a return appearance in May! Stay tuned for a date!! I think I may have told you this story. If I did, Cheers! Here it is again!

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I was walking down Main Street in Sarasota when suddenly I heard a DJ (Cliff Roles) via an overhead speaker outdoors speaking with a British accent that reminded me of my running buddy Clive in Texas. I actually turned around to see if it was Clive talking on his cell phone! No such luck. Instead, right before me was a large picture window with a "LIVE" Radio show in progress. It was really cool. They were totally unscripted and just chatting away about what was happening about town and so forth. So, I walked into the station and struck up a great conversation about the Nostalgia/Big Band format (having worked in it myself) with a guy who turned out to be the Owner! He arranged an "on-the-spot" meeting with Doug Miles, the Host of "Suncoast Magazine" who happened to know JIM WEST my good friend in Dallas and a BLOGGER on my site! Small World? You bet it is! Jim syndicated "The Music of Your Life" on 400 stations from Maine to Florida and Seattle to Miami--a dynamo! Jim is a Singer, Arranger, Bass player, Film maker, Producer, Director and Narrator who is spearheading the fight against Parkinson's disease with The National Parkinson Foundation (Listed here at the far right margin under COOL STUFF)!

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That should do it for today...HAVE A FUN WEEKEND EVERYBODY!