“Ei8ht” is not enough

My GF and I have a favorite show, called "Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht," on TLC, The Learning Channel.

It follows young parents from Pennsylvania, Jon and Kate Gosselin, and their eight children: twins girls Cara and Mady, and sextuplets Joel, Hannah, Alexis, Collin, Leah and Aaden. (Aaden, the cute lil' guy in the glasses, is my favorite!)

We get to see not only how two parents in their early 30s handle each of the kids and their different personalities, but also what it's like to get eight kids ready for everything from a day at home or a Fourth of July parade to a vacation at Walt Disney World, driving the whole family the whole way!

It's a great show (I've been trying to tell Pete of "Daddy Diary" fame to tell The Wife about it, but he probably hasn't) and all of the kids are absolutely adorable! As such, the Gosselins have been on everything from the cover of this November's "Good Housekeeping" magazine to "Oprah." Impressive, right? Not to the folks at TLC, apparently.

Because following this week's first-run episode of "Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht," they showed a show that blew my mind: "17 Kids and Counting" ... can you imagine???

Now, I see how much time and effort Pete and The Wife spend bringing up three lil' ones, and they do a great job. Jon and Kate have their hands full with eight kids (including Aaden, who's so cute!). But 17?! C'mon, those people were looking for a TV gig!

Aside from the sheer logistics of having 17 children and another on the way (that poor mother!), I feel bad for those kids. How do you not lose your identity when you have 16 (soon to be 17) siblings?

Let's hope TLC, and this family, stop at 17 kids.

In case you missed it...

...my favorite daytime TV host welcomed my favorite group of all time to her show Tuesday.
You know I've met them, right? Click here to read about it.

And you're aware I've met her, no? Click here to read about that!

No "View" except her own

Now let me preface this by saying: I've been fan of Elisabeth (Filarski) Hasselbeck for years.

She was adorable on the second season of "Survivor," and I thought it was great when she was added to "The View" in 2003. With that said, though, I feel she is totally unyielding in her support of the Republican party, and she's totally blind to the mere possibility someone else could have a valid point that is the opposite of hers. (Perhaps she should be the one covering her eyes in this pic, 'cause all she can't see any viewpoint other than her own.)

Whenever I'm changing the channels in the morning and come across "The View," she's seemingly always taking a beating from one (or more) of the co-hosts who don't share her beliefs. And, I find more often than not, those co-hosts aren't battling with Elisabeth to get her to change her mind; it's a matter of her not respecting the fact that they have an opinion that doesn't agree with hers.

Here's the most infuriating part: I agree with Elisabeth! We share many of the same political ideas! But, I am able to realize not everyone thinks the same way I/we do. With Elisabeth, it seems it's her way or the highway.

And while her staunch stances have garnered Elisabeth an invitation to the White House for a state dinner and a guest appearance on Fox News in the past, I feel they make all G.O.P.ers look like unwavering morons, unable of even being able to concede there might be another viewpoint out there, contrary to theirs.

I'm sure, despite recent reports denying it, that Elisabeth will end up on Fox News once she's done with her "View" gig. (And, personally, I'm hoping for another graceful departure, a la Rosie and Star!) Fox News would be a perfect fit for her, and I'd actually enjoy watching her on that network, 'cause when you watch Fox News, you know what you're going to get.

Until that move, though, I fear Elisabeth's unyielding positions on "The View" will make both herself and fellow Republicans look foolish.

And I promise, other than the occasional Tina Fey/Sarah Palin musing, this is as political as I'll get on "Sean's Space!"

POOF! The secrets have disappeared!

This is a guilty pleasure, but I loved watching last night's premiere of "Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed," shown locally on the My9 Network.

I ate the original series up a decade ago when the Masked Magician exposed some of the grandest magic tricks of the day on the FOX Network. Hence, I made sure to record this new reincarnation of the series last night.

I've long loved magic — both watching it and trying to perform small cards tricks and the like. I still remember going to a small magic show when I was like 5, attending it with my family at IBM in East Fishkill. To this day, I find myself glued to the TV when Criss Angel or David Blaine do something cool and newsworthy.

My senior year in college, I went to a David Copperfield show at Albany's then-Knickerbocker Arena — I'd seen all of his CBS prime-time specials as a kid — and was blown away at how, for example, he disappeared on stage and rematerialized seemingly from out of the floor directly behind my ninth-row seat!!! A dozen years later, I still have no idea how he did that one.

So ... when I have the chance (for the first time, 10 years ago) to see how they do all those amazing illusions, I was hooked! Now, with a new, 13-episode season showing how they do about 120 even better tricks, I'll be doing an illusion of my own: magically appearing in front of my TV for the next dozen Mondays to watch the show!

Now, I know many old-school magicians don't agree with revealing the secrets of the trade — a decade ago, the Masked Magician's motives were to inspire his brethren to come up with newer, more elaborate illusions — but I love the "duh factor," as I call it. I like being totally mesmerized by an illusion one minute, and learning how (many times) it's so simple to pull off, as if Duh! Why didn't I think of that?!

Nowadays, though, all you need is an Internet connection to learn the basics of the craft. Whereas I'd often take out magic books from the library when I was a kid, now I just log on to YouTube (many times, when I can't sleep) and learn card tricks and other beginner's tricks from 7- and 8-year-olds!

"The Right Stuff" for October

While October is a fun month for me for various reasons, it's one that bring attention to a serious cause: namely, the fight against breast cancer.

Like many of us, New Kids On The Block singer Danny Wood has lost someone he loved to this disease. His mom, Betty, lost her fight to breast cancer almost 10 years ago.
Back in the day, the New Kids' moms were almost as famous as their sons among us fans, as they were featured on several talk shows, etc. During the New Kids' current tour, a picture of Betty Wood is shown at the end of a montage of people we've lost (Donnie's dad, among others) since the guys were last together in 1994.

As a tribute to Danny's mom and her fight with breast cancer, the New Kids are selling women's tank tops with the above logo on them, with the proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You can click on either of the images in this post for a link to buy the shirts.
In between songs during their new tour, the New Kids take the time to display the shirts (seen above) and remember Betty and those like her who are no longer with us.

For more on Danny's tribute to his mom, click here to head over to his Web site dedicated to her, on which you'll hear "My Angel," the song he wrote to remember Betty.

Just Hangin' (Tough) with old friends

How to put this into words? Um ... let me try this: The New Kids On The Block reunion tour is absolutely amazing!!!
I saw Donnie, Danny, Joe, Jonathan and Jordan first at the Izod Center in New Jersey on Tuesday, and then the next night at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.

Crazy New Kids fan, you say? You bet I am!

For those unfamiliar, here's a little background: I've been a New Kids fan since their first hit single, "Please Don't Go Girl" came out in 1988. When the guys came to Poughkeepsie's Mid-Hudson Civic Center in July '89, I was unable to go to either of their shows — they played a Thursday gig then added a Friday concert — so I'd been waiting since then to see my first New Kids concert. I got a glimpse of the excitement back in May when they did a 15-minute set as part of Z100's annual Zootopia concert at the Izod Center. That was also the same day (through both sheer determination and a lil' bit of luck) I was able to actually I met the guys before the show!!!

OK, so fast-forward to Tuesday night, when my GF and I danced and sung along as the New Kids played their first full concert in America since 1994! (They started their new tour Sept. 18th in Toronto.) The next night, a fellow New Kids fan here at the Journal and I saw the guys in Long Island.

The best way to describe the experience: It was the most amazing concert I've ever seen in my life!!! Don't believe me? Just check out this video clip I shot at the Long Island show...



I mean, they did just about every hit they've ever had — everything from the aforementioned "Please Don't Go Girl" and "You've Got It (The Right Stuff) to "Cover Girl" and "Step By Step" — to about half of their new CD, "The Block," including "Dirty Dancing" in that video above. Their final encore, the energetic and iconic "Hangin' Tough," was the best way to cap the night.

It was like living my high school years all over again, except instead of listening to CDs, the guys were right there, standing just feet in front of me, singing the songs I listened to ad nauseum.

And sing they did. There was dancing, too! In all, the guys played more than 20 songs — almost all of which were meticulously choreographed — putting together a show that lasted more than two hours. (And that's not even including opening act Natasha Bedingfield, who sounds great live.)
There was an immense main stage, complete with smoke, pyrotechnics and a giant video screen behind the guys that only served to complement the singing and dancing.

But, wait ... there's more!

Emerging through the crowd, the guys came out to a second, smaller stage mid-way through the seating area on the floor, where they performed two new songs — "2 In The Morning" followed by that "Dirty Dancing" — and their classic, "Tonight."

Bringing their music (literally) to the people this way, the guys got up close and personal with fans, the ones who've supported them for the past two decades, and made a lasting connection.

For a tour fans like me have waited 14 years for — and that many people thought would never happen — the New Kids pulled out all the stops, making every day, every month, every year of the wait worth it. And the best news: It's only just beginning. They're heading out across America, then Mexico and Europe over the upcoming months.

Now, I know, some of you are thinking, Dude, you're a guy and you're a New Kids fans?! You betcha! Hey, I've heard it all since I was in high school, and none of that "negativity" (as Donnie would put it) bothers me at all.

I always viewed the New Kids as positive role models — guys you'd want to hang out with and play pool or basketball with. And now, I can add (first-hand) that they put on an amazing concert, and really appreciate their fans ... even if a few of them are guys, like me!

So keep watching out for me, fellow New Kids fans; the guys come back to Madison Square Garden in October. While I haven't finalized my plans, you might find me again in the crowd, singing along with my favorite group of all time in the world's most famous arena!

Out of "The (Starting) Block"

In less than four hours, my fav group of all-time, the New Kids On The Block, kick off their world tour in Toronto!The guys, seen here performing "Step By Step" on their Sept. 1st performance on NBC's "Today" show, will be playing to sold-out crowds first here in North America and then over in Europe.

A fan since I was a freshman in high school, I've already got my tickets for two shows next week ... and I'm working on a third concert for next month! (Surely you remember I saw them live for the first time back in May, when I met the guys!)

Stay tuned to "Sean's Space" for reports from next week's shows! Until them, I'll keep listening to the New Kids' first CD in 14 years, "The Block," and guess which of the new songs they'll play live!