News of the Week: Weird Ads, Good Dogs, and the Worst Way to Eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

The Pizza You Won’t Believe Is Domino’s

I’ve been sick all week – fever, body aches, raw throat, an overall rundown feeling, especially welcome in August – so I’ve had a lot of time to just sit in my reclining chair and watch television.

Oh, who am I kidding. I watch a lot of TV anyway.

Have you seen the latest Domino’s ad, the one where they give people a regular Domino’s pizza and the new New York pizza (which I think is just their old Brooklyn-style pizza only now it covers all the other boroughs as well) to get their reactions?

The taste-testers hate the regular Domino’s pizza, but then they’re given a plain box with the New York pizza inside and not told it’s also from Domino’s. They love it! They love the crust! They love the sauce! They love that you can fold it!

Okay, so these people love the New York pizza…but they don’t like the regular Domino’s pizza, which I’m going to assume Domino’s is not going to stop selling. In fact, they’ll probably discontinue the New York pizza before they’d get rid of the regular recipe. So, isn’t it kind of weird, to show customers hating your flagship product, the one you tout in every other television ad, print ad, and coupon?

I guess Domino’s deserves points for honesty, but it seems like an odd angle to take. The tagline is, “It’s the pizza you won’t believe is Domino’s,” which sounds like a joke that the Domino’s team would make in a private brainstorming session but would never want to say publicly. It’s especially odd because it wasn’t too long ago that Domino’s changed the recipe for their regular pizza and people love it compared to the old recipe.

For the record, I’ve had the New York pizza and it’s fantastic. When I’m feeling better, I’m going to order one, with pepperoni.

The Most Well-Behaved Dogs

I will wholeheartedly believe that Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are two of the most well-behaved dog breeds (I think the phrase “Good dog!” was specifically created for them), but you will never get me to believe that the second most well-behaved dog in the world is the Rottweiler.

The Rottweiler? Every bad guy in the movies has a couple of them that he unleashes on his enemies. Even Dracula’s dog was a Rottweiler!

The Cane Corso comes in at number four. I’ve never heard of that breed before. Sounds like the name of a soap opera character.

Farmer’s Almanac Says…

Every day, the local news stations have their weather forecasts. Actually, I think that local newscasts are now weather shows, with some news and sports added in too. The weather is always one of the three “top” stories, then they have the regular weather segment halfway through the show, then they do a weather wrap-up at the end of the show.

I’m dubious of their “7 day” forecasts – I should keep track for a week to see how accurate they are – so I’m extremely dubious of the new Farmer’s Almanac long-range forecasts. Apparently, this winter is going to be wetter (meaning more rain than snow) than most winters, with warmer temps in a lot of places, except for the central U.S. and Great Lakes, where it will be colder.

If you’re in one of the areas of the country where they say it’s not going to snow as much, I’d still buy a shovel, just in case.

Headline of the Week

“Food Truck to Sell Insurance for When Seagulls Steal Your Lunch”

RIP Gena Rowlands, Wally Amos, Peter Marshall, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Mitzi McCall, Billy Bean, Howie Cohen, Bob Tischler, Susan Wojcicki, Kim Kahana, and Robert Logan

Gena Rowlands appeared in such films as Gloria, A Woman Under the Influence, Faces, The Notebook, Another Woman, and The Brink’s Job. She won Emmys for the TV movies The Betty Ford Story, Face of a Stranger, and Hysterical Blindness, and appeared on such shows as 87th Precinct, Johnny Staccato (which starred her husband, John Cassavetes), Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 77 Sunset Strip, Columbo, and NCIS. She died Wednesday at the age of 94.

Wally Amos was known for his Famous Amos cookies. He grew the company from one store to a multi-million-dollar enterprise. He died Tuesday at the age of 88.

Peter Marshall was best-known as the host of the long-running game show Hollywood Squares. He was also a singer and an actor, appearing in several movies and on Broadway. He died yesterday at the age of 98.

Chi Chi Rodriguez was a colorful golfer who won several PGA tournaments and two senior majors. He died last week at the age of 88.

Mitzi McCall was one half of a comedy duo with her husband Charlie Brill (they were one of the acts between sets by The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show). She was also an actress who appeared on such shows as Seinfeld and Alright Already and wrote for One Day at a Time, ALF, and Mr. Belvedere. She died last week at the age of 93.

Billy Bean retired from baseball in 1995 because he thought baseball wasn’t ready for an openly gay player. He later went on to become MLB’s senior VP of diversity and inclusion. He died last week at the age of 60.

Howie Cohen was a part of the ad duo that came up with the “Try it, you’ll like it” and “I can’t believe I ate that whole thing” catch phrases for Alka-Seltzer. He died in March at the age of 81.

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Bob Tischler not only saved Saturday Night Live when he was brought on as a producer/writer after a terrible 1980-81 season, he produced albums by the Blues Brothers and Billy Crystal and produced National Lampoon Radio Hour. He also wrote for several sitcoms. He died last month at the age of 78.

Susan Wojcicki was the former CEO of YouTube. She died last week at the age of 56.

Kim Kahana played Chongo on the Danger Island segment of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. He also did stunts in Planets of the Apes, Earthquake, Patton, and Passenger 57, as well as on TV shows like The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. He died Monday at the age of 94.

When Kookie became a full-time private eye with the 77 Sunset Strip team, Robert Logan replaced him as the parking lot valet. Later he starred in family nature films, including The Adventures of the Wilderness Family and its sequels. He died in May at the age of 82.

This Week in History

Isaac Singer Gets Patent for Sewing Machine (August 12, 1851)

100 years later, in 1951, the Post told the story of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, a.k.a. “Mr. Singer’s Money Machine.”

Woodstock (August 15-18, 1969)

It was officially called the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, and here’s Ed Dwyer’s story on how he came to write the fair’s program book.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Better Breads Are Baked with Dextrose” (August 11, 1951)

Wait a second…some people eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the jelly served separately on the plate?

August Is National Sandwich Month

I’ve never considered myself “savvy” when it comes to sandwiches, but Curtis Stone is, and that’s all that matters. Try his Tomato and Avocado Panini with Mozzarella and Pesto or his Roast Chicken Sandwich with Giardiniera (an Italian relish of pickled vegetables).

And how about some classics? AllRecipes has a Reuben, Food & Wine has a Monte Cristo and a Cubano, and Taste of Home has the Elvis Sandwich, made with peanut butter, bananas, and bacon.

I didn’t include a recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because I’m sure you know how to make one. The right way, I mean.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Bad Poetry Day (August 18)

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Sugar is sweet

And better breads are baked with dextrose

Democratic National Convention (August 19)

The fun (?) starts on Monday night, live from the United Center in Chicago. The cable channels will have wall-to-wall coverage while the broadcast networks will have coverage at 10 p.m. ET.