Pheaturing Marc Summers

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. How are you? We're into the single digits, kids. Down to the final nine. A conservative radio host who branded himself “Mr. Anti Vax” died of coronavirus... weeks after comparing the vaccination effort to Nazi Germany in a chilling final tweet. In a haunting final tweet, he said: Should say, ‘Now the US Government is acting like Nazis. Get the shot.' 3 In a haunting final tweet, he said, "Should say, ‘Now the U.S. Government is acting like Nazis. Get the shot.'" He was hospitalized with COVID-19 around three weeks before his death. The radio host made the comparison as he retweeted a promotional video designed to convince Americans to get the jab. Nikki Fried said, “The greatest generation had to defeat the Nazis to preserve our way of life, you’re only being asked to get a shot. So be a patriot. Turn off the TV and go get vaccinated.” The right-wing commentator was the host of "The Marc Bernier Show" on the radio network. The company said in a statement, “It’s with great sadness that WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announce the passing of Marc Bernier, who informed and entertained listeners on WNDB for over 30 years. We kindly ask that privacy is given to Marc’s family during this time of grief.” Speaking about Bernier's death, Volusia county sheriff Mike Chitwood told the Daytona Beach News-Journal, "I'm numb. To me, this is a death in the family." Bernier’s death comes just days after COVID vaccine critic Phil Valentine died of the virus. The 61-year-old, from Tennessee, publicly mocked the country's vaccination efforts and disagreed with mask mandates before contracting the virus in July. His death was confirmed by several of Valentine's co-workers who had spoken to his brother Mark, WKRN reports. Before catching the virus, Valentine regularly commented on the pandemic including performing a song called "Vaxman"... a parody of the Beatle's song "Taxman." Last month, Valentine announced his diagnosis on Facebook stating that it "hurts like crap." After he was transferred to hospital, his family released a statement to social media urging people to get vaccinated. And right-wing host Dick Farrel passed away on August 4th after contracting the virus. He reportedly texted friends urging them to get the jab in his final days. In a July 3rd post he wrote, "Why take a vax promoted by people who lied 2u all along about masks, where the virus came from and the death toll? (sic).” On July 1st he said, “Vaccine Bogus Bull Shid! Two peeps I know, got vaxed, now have Corona, hospitalized critical. Thank you Moderna, FOR NOTHING.” He branded Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a “power tripping lying freak." 

Britain faces increased pressure from the U.S. to hand over Prince Andrew for questioning over sex abuse claims. President Biden’s office made a rare statement amid claims of frustration over the Duke of York’s stonewalling. Andrew, 61, has resisted approaches to cooperate with a criminal investigation into dead billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged co-conspirators. Officials want the U.K. to reaffirm its “close and resilient” evidence-sharing relationship. The Department of Justice sent a mutual legal assistance request to the Home Office last year to try to force Andrew’s cooperation. Following enquiries about the Duke, a U.S. government official said, “The U.S. and the U.K. have a close, productive and resilient law enforcement and mutual legal assistance relationship. We remain in close contact on many active cases on a daily basis and will continue to seek assistance in criminal matters as we provide similar assistance in return.” U.S. prosecutors... who are unravelling Epstein’s sprawling underage sex trafficking operation... accused Andrew of “zero cooperation” last year. News agency Reuters reported earlier this month that Andrew was a “person of interest” in the Epstein probe... led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He is being considered “at least” a witness. As part of their investigation, Epstein’s alleged madam, Brit socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, has been charged with procuring girls for her former lover. The Duke also faces a civil lawsuit from sex slave Virginia Giuffre in the U.S., over allegations he sexually assaulted her. He has vehemently denied the claims in the past. His representative declined to comment. The Home Office was also contacted for comment. The Duke also faces a civil lawsuit from sex slave Virginia Giuffre in the U.S., over allegations he sexually assaulted her Cressida Dick says "no one is above the law" as she orders Met Police review into sex abuse claims made against Prince Andrew. 

It has been a year since Chadwick Boseman's passing and everyone is paying tribute to the late Black Panther star. Marvel Cinematic Universe stars like Lupita Nyong'o and Mark Ruffalo are honoring Boseman and his short yet meaningful life. On August 28th, 2020, the world stood still when it was confirmed that Boseman had passed away. The Black Panther actor died in his Los Angeles home due to complications related to colon cancer. Only his close family and friends were aware of his condition so everyone was shocked that Boseman had been sick for a long time. It has been a full year since Boseman's passing and people wanted to remember the Captain America: Civil War star in their own ways. For Nyong'o, this meant sharing a sweet photo with Boseman along with a heartfelt caption. "I did not know that I could miss both his laughter and his silence in equal measure. I do. I do... One year after his passing, the memory of @chadwickboseman remains this alive in me," Nyong'o wrote. Ruffalo and the official Marvel Entertainment Twitter account also honored Boseman with heartbreaking tweets. Millions have done the same, causing the late actor to trend on social media. Needless to say, Boseman lived a short life but he affected people around him in the best possible way.

That's a wrap for "Umbrella Academy Season 3" and we got the news from the best possible sources. The cast of the Netflix series has confirmed the production wrap in an awesome new video. The new video was shared by the official "Umbrella Academy" Twitter account and it starts off with Elliot Page confirming that production has wrapped. "I'm stoked 'cause I can't wait for you to see it and sad because I'll miss everybody," Page said. All the cast members have the same thing to announce except David Castañeda, who says there's "a two-for-one special on the hotdogs at the corner stand of Amar and Valinda." He then reveals it's a joke and confirms the "Umbrella Academy Season 3" wrap. It's great to know that the third season of "The Umbrella Academy" has finally finished filming. After all, there were concerns about the next season being delayed if production isn't completed by the end of the year. Luckily, the cast and crew worked hard on the series and I can't wait to see "Season 3." Although production has finally wrapped, it might still be a long wait for "The Umbrella Academy Season 3." It has been confirmed that the next season will not air until next year. Nevertheless, fans strongly believe that it will all be worth the wait. The "Umbrella Academy Season 3" has not yet been given an official release date. However, the series is already expected to return on Netflix in 2022. 

The first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home has truly been an amazing revelation although it didn't reveal too much about key characters who will appear in the film. However, a new trailer featuring footage from the 90s animated series finally shows us all those awesome heroes and villains who were only teased in the original one. People had been waiting for the Spider-Man 3 trailer for a long time and it didn't disappoint when it was finally released. Although the teaser gave us a glimpse at the Sinister Six and Matt Murdock's return, these characters were not openly shown in any of the footage. We didn't get to see all those characters but they are all in the fan trailer created by YouTuber 100BombsStudios. The new video uses footage from "Spider-Man: The Animated Series" with the audio from the No Way Home trailer. In addition to that, you can find footage from "The Incredible Hulk Animated Series." It's an interesting mash-up that satisfies our need to confirm Matt Murdock's appearance in Spider-Man 3 and debunks the villain that attacks Peter Parker (everyone is convinced it's the Lizard). Hopefully, we'll get more confirmations in the next official trailer for No Way Home in the next few months.

Instead of doing this blog thing I should be listening to this album...

Ummm... maybe not. So, remember that 90s TV show "Dinosaur"? It is more scary than I remember. 

This is how you all look doing the Milk Crate Challenge...

Hahaha. I was watching CNN over the weekend and I saw this... 

Good news! Money can be an uncomfortable topic sometimes, especially when the subject of finances or class is brought up by your partner's parents during the first dinner you've ever had with them... Shaming someone for not making enough money according to an arbitrary standard you've set is never acceptable, but assuming things about people just because of their income or their background can also be shady behavior. Of course it's understandable for parents to have the urge to protect their adult children, but going out of your way to make their new partner uncomfortable the first time you meet them is a risky move. Unless you have a valid reason to shut a relationship down, it's best to keep the first "meeting the parents" session light and breezy and save the brutal grilling for post-Thanksgiving cocktails or the family group chat. So, when a frustrated man decided to consult the the Phile about whether or not he was wrong to wear a fancy watch to meet his girlfriend's parents, I decided help deem a verdict. 

"Am I wrong for wearing a nice watch to meet my girlfriend's parents? We've been together for about 6 months and I have loved every minute of it. This incident happened yesterday. I have a passion for watches and I consider myself a collector. For context, I come from a wealthy background and through that, I was able to create a business with a friend after college. Things have really popped for us over the last 3 years through a combination of hard work (over 100 hours/week for the first 2 years) and luck. As of right now, my partner and I both stand to each make about 8 figures this year. I'm doing well but I also prefer to save rather than spend if I can. I was always taught the age old cliché that "money talks but wealth whispers." I live in a nice, but relatively modest house in a great family neighborhood, it feels like home to me so it's all I really need. The only things that I really put money into are my passions: watches, golf, and music gear. So she and I were getting ready to go meet her parents who are from out of state on their way to their vacation. This was the first time I met them so I was a little nervous. My girlfriend works as a trainer and comes from a solid middle-class family. She said her dad is a very hard worker but he could sometimes be a bit tough with new guys. So we get ready to go meet them at the restaurant, which was a perfectly nice place by the beach, and I threw on a pair of nice shorts and a polo along with my daily watch, which is a Rolex Batman GMT that I've had for 4 years. Putting it on is habitual. I don't really think about it. When we got to the restaurant we exchanged greetings and got to our table. Everything was going good. Halfway through her dad glances down at my wrist and asks to see the watch I had. I took it off and handed it to him and he looked at it for a second and just goes, "Do you expect me to be impressed by this?" I asked him what he meant and he just says, "This stuff may be impressive to 'your people' but my daughter isn't some trophy for you to flaunt! I'm not going to let my daughter get close to you just for you to get tired of her and leave her heart-broken. I know your kind." I had more than enough. I told him he knows nothing about me or my character we left the restaurant. I got pretty worked up on the drive home. She kept telling me that it wasn't my fault and she's never seen him act like that before but then she said, "I guess you can't wear a watch around him." That got me thinking. Was I the asshole here? Should I have not worn the watch since it was a first meeting? Was I wrong for getting up and leaving? I know I wasn't trying to prove anything to the guy, I was just wearing something that I always do. But then I start thinking that I must've not read the room properly. I feel terrible about what happened." Your girlfriend's dad is a tool. If you were waving it around in his face that would be one thing but just wearing it on your wrist is another. People offended by this says more about them than it does about you. It's not your fault that he has an enormous chip on his shoulder. Sorry that her dad is a jerk. Hope things can get smoothed over. But guys like that aren't known for their apologies. I feel bad for your girlfriend, but it would have been nice if she stuck up for you. Her dad was completely out of line and she's not much better for backing him up. What bizarre behavior. You weren't wrong to wear the watch, but perhaps this dad was picking up on something other than the watch to have that kind of reaction. Good luck, everyone! If you have a problem you'd like my advice on then email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. 

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Now from the home office in Pot Jeff, New York her is... 

Top Phive Things Said By People Who Are Single

5. My ex said he couldn't live without me and I recently found out that he's still alive. Mean are always lying unprovoked. 

4. I'm single because I hate people but I want to find one person who I don't hate who also hates people but doesn't hate me. 

3. I'm so single I don't even charge my phone at night. 

2. You're only like 3 toxic relationships. 2 emotional breakdowns and one rock bottom away from finding your soulmate. 

And the number one thing said by a person who is single is...

1. Called my ex just so I could apologize for things that weren't my fault again. 

On the Chilean flag...

Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jefferson, shall we?

Looks like a pleasant day there. 

Phact 1. Earthworms do NOT surface to avoid drowning when it rains. Instead, they come to the surface to move overland. Since worms breathe through their skin, the skin must stay wet in order for the oxygen to pass through it. Earthworms can actually survive for several weeks under water.

Phact 2. It would cost over $300 million to be a real-life Batman. 

Phact 3. Leonardo DiCaprio blocked a film he was in from being released in the U.S. and Canada. The producer of the film has released it on the Internet and drafted a letter to Leo about it. 

Phact 4. "The Drew Carey Show" used to do April Fools Day episodes filled with intentional mistakes and fans would win prizes for mailing in all the ones they caught. 

Phact 5. In the early drafting of Star Wars, Stormtroopers carried lightsabers, and there were female Stormtroopers.

Today's guest is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and talk show host. He is best known for hosting "Double Dare" for Nickelodeon, "Unwrapped for Food Network," and recently he was executive producer for both "Dinner: Impossible" and "Restaurant: Impossible" also for Food Network. Please welcome to the Phile... Marc Summers.

Me: Hey, Marc, welcome to the Phile. I am so glad you're here. How are you? 

Marc: Thank you very much, that means so much. More than you know and I'm good. 

Me: "Double Dare" first came out in 1986. That's 35 years ago! That's crazy, right? 

Marc: Thirty-five years ago? That's mind boggling to me. I just started to realize it over the last couple of years it's fascinating to me why so many people are attached and hooked on what happened on a show in 1986. 

Me: The show had come back a few times and left again. Why do you think "Double Dare" was and is so popular? 

Marc: I don't know why that is. 

Me: Did you like working on that show with those kids? 

Marc: The deal was I never wanted to host a kids show. I wanted to host a grown-up game show and so when I went out there to approach that my idea was I'm doing "Jeopardy," I'm doing "Wheel of Fortune" and so I always treated the kids as equals. I never said in a squeaky voice, "Do you have a girlfriend, Bobby?" I treated them like adults and I think they appreciated that because if you might remember from time to time I would make fun of them in the nicest possible way. Usually I'd get notes from Nickelodeon but they were all with me. They did a focus group and they said I was some sort of big brother or crazy uncle. They kind of got it which was fantastic. 

Me: I would have loved to be the host of that show. How old were you when you started to host "Double Dare"? 

Marc: I was 34. I'm 70-years-old now. I had thought it was never going to happen, I had thought my career was over with. I had been trying for 13 years to become a game show host and nothing was clicking and for whatever reason the right time and the right place the whole "Double Dare" thing happened which put me on the map. 

Me: Did you have to audition for the part? 

Marc: No, I'll tell you that happened. I had a friend, Dave Garrison who was a ventriloquist who got the phone call initially. He called me one night and said, "I'm tired of doing this performing thing, I'm going to work behind the scenes and become a producer. I got a call, I don't know what this is, I've never heard of the network, it's called Nickelodeon and it's a game show, I don't even know what it's called. Why don't you go to the audition instead of me?" So I did. Today you couldn't even walk into an audition unless you were called to set it up and all that stuff. I just walked in and said, "I'm here for Dave Garrison, Dave couldn't make it so he asked me to fill in." I was the first guy to audition in L.A. They auditioned 2000 people in New York and didn't like any of them and decided to come to Los Angeles so I was the first one to audition. I got out and called my agent and said, "I just want to let you know that I just auditioned for a show called 'Double Dare' for Nickelodeon and I'm going to get the show." And he goes, "Yeah, I've got ten other clients going today so good luck on that." Then I get a phone call to do a call back in July and then I got another call back in August so I auditioned for them three times. 

Me: So how did you find out you got the part? 

Marc: The producer and casting director, I called them at the end of August and I said, "You guys are supposed to make a decision. What's the deal?" They said, "Well, we're really confused here." When they had done the initial auditions they used grown-ups to play the part of the kids and they said it was me and another guy they really liked but they had never seen us with kids. So I came up with the concept of flying me and whoever this other guy was to New York and put us into a studio with kids. So that's what they did, that Labor Day weekend in 1986 they flew me and this other guy and to this day I don't know who it is, flew us to New York. We both went into the studio and did the shows and the next day they called me and said I got the job. 

Me: So, you always wanted to be a game show host? I think that would be the best. 

Marc: I've been watching game shows since I was a kid and Barker was my idol. 

Me: So, how did you break the news to Dave that you got the part? 

Marc: Dave was very thankful and happy for me and he went on to become a huge producer in Los Angeles. Unfortunately he passed away in 2004 very young, he was about 60-years-old. But Dave was very positive, and we worked together many times. In fact he was the first producer of "What Will You Do?" We ended up working together on Nickelodeon and a whole other form where he was telling me what to do. It worked out great. 

Me: So, what was your favorite obstacle on the show? 

Marc: The gum ball machine was my favorite obstacle, that one was just fun for some reason. 

Me: Did you ever do them yourself? 

Marc: I always tested the obstacles and physical challenges. 

Me: You did? Why? 

Marc: Because I figured if the kids did I should know what it felt like. There was a moment of when I dived into that thing for about two seconds I didn't know what planet I was on and all of a sudden the bottom thing opened and I was out in civilization again. That was kind of fun. 

Me: How did the courses get designed? I bet that was a fun job. 

Marc: The reality of it is we had a budget of two space camps giving away in a five episode shoot and sometimes kids would run the board and win three in a row and then we had to make the obstacle course harder hoping they wouldn't win because they'd throw us over budget. But when we built the hardest obstacle courses they seemed to do them and then sometimes we went 7, 8 or 9 shows with no wins and we built the simplest ones ever and they couldn't do it. We never knew, it was about their athletic prowess. We would walk them around the course prior to them doing it and give them all the hints. 

Me: Okay, so, you and I have something in common, Marc. We both have OCD. Your might be worse than mine, I'm not sure. Was living with OCD a big problem with you doing the show? 

Marc: It was not and I'll tell you why. All I ever wanted to do was to host a game show and so there I was doing it, and I had had this issue. They would tell you that sometimes they'd like to trash me, dump me into the pools, fill me with whip cream and what other substances. Then when we were off the air I wanted to take off that shirt and jump in a shower because I was a mess because I didn't like that feeling. But I was laughing, I was enjoying it, I was loving every moment of it because I got to the goal and the place I wanted to be. 

Me: You wrote a book about it, right? 

Marc: Yeah, I was able to help a lot of people in the process. 

Me: That's cool. You always looked happy on the show. So, where did the name "gak" come from? I think that's how you say it. 

Marc: We were shooting initially in Philadelphia because Nickelodeon didn't want to spend a lot of dough and the prices in Europe were extremely high. There was a PBS station in Philadelphia that wanted to get into the production business so it was sort of we need you, you need us, so we moved out there. The guys that worked on the crew were the nicest, smartest guys I ever met in my life but there was a certain dabbling going on with a certain chemical substance we shall say. Little did we know the street term for heroin was "gak" and so when we were making the slime certain guys on the crew would say, "So, who's making the gak today?" So gak sort of stuck and Nickelodeon thought it was a funny word, little did they know at the time. 

Me: That's funny. So, what's the deal with this documentary about you called On Your Marc? 

Marc: Actually it's not me, it's a guy named Mat Klickstein who wrote the book called Slimed about the history of Nickelodeon. Mat came to me when he found out I was doing this one-man show and said, "We should do a documentary on you." I said why? Why would anybody want to watch a doc on me?" And he said, "You'd be surprised." So I thought about it and at first I was negative about it and to this day I'd say he talked me into it and I'm glad he did. 

Me: So, what is on the doc? 

Marc: It follows me with the process of rehearsing and doing the one-man show but also other things I do. Charity events, many things that work out extremely well. There's interview with Neil Patrick Harris, Ryan Seacrest, Guy Fieri and Seth Green. 

Me: Cool. I have to check it out. Thanks so much for being on the Phile. I hope this was fun. 

Marc: It was, Jason, thank you.

That about does to for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Marc for a fun little interview. The Phile will be back on Wednesday with Phile Alum Jon Bon Jovi. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Flip the pancake. 

Give me some rope, tie me to dream, give me the hope to run out of steam, somebody said it could be here. We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year. I can't count the reasons I should stay. One by one they all just fade away...