For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

 Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

Pick any era and you will have a great technological invention.

In 1953, CinemaScope burst onto the scene with, at the time, the greatest visual images ever produced on any video screen.

Beneath The 12-Mile Reef was one of the first movies using this innovation. The plot was loosely based on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” but shot in and around a seafaring town –  with picturesque views for CinemaScope to use and enhance the beauty of the images.

Academy Award-winning Robert Webb took over the reins as director.  For a big box office draw, up-and-coming star Robert Wagner was teamed with established film star Terry Moore for the leads.

Wagner’s star power would later grow with starring roles in “It Takes a Thief” and “Hart to Hart“. He also would be involved in the scandal regarding Natalie Wood‘s death a few years later.  For younger audiences, Wagner would go on to play Austin Powers‘s “Number Two” and had the recurring role of Teddy on the hit TV show, “Two and a Half Men.”

Moore, meanwhile, already was a part of hits in numerous successful films in the 1940s and had just been dubbed “Hollywood Sexiest Tomboy” in an early July, 1953 edition of “Life” magazine.  Moore had her own sea-related scandal a few years later regarding a debated marriage to Howard Hughes while aboard his yacht.

With two big stars on board, a top-notch director, a solid supporting cast (anchored by Gilbert Rowland and Gloria Gordon) and the breathtaking scenery filmed completely in CinemaScope, it was targeted to be one of the biggest films of the year.

The initial reviews for “Reef” were mixed. Viewers loved the picturesque views and storyline but critics blamed Webb’s lack of direction as to the cause of an alleged lackadaisical performance by Wagner. Movie reviewers were further critical of the director, saying that he didn’t use enough exterior shots, especially below sea level, to take full advantage of the new technology.

Still, the film has grossed over $7 million in movie rentals over the last several years alone (it cost just $1.5 million to shoot.)

It is also an historical flick, being just the third film ever shot in what would be the most popular visual movie innovation of the 1950s. Check it out and see what a vast improvement it was over films produced before 1953 – you’ll notice a big difference.

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef will be featured in the ATVN Movie Vault this Saturday, at 9:30 p.m.

To see the full listing of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

With Mother Nature finally helping out our spring sports teams with more than two consecutive days of “playable” weather (and subsequently adequate field conditions) this past week, there have been a number of interesting developments in Lehigh Valley scholastic sports to emerge.

A few include:

• In a crowded field of talented baseball teams this spring, it looks like Emmaus and Parkland are two of the teams trying to separate themselves as one of the elites in the region.  Parkland just routed another strong program–Nazareth–by a 14-2 score.  Emmaus also crushed a very good Freedom team, 9-1, over the weekend and also remains undefeated. Easton and Liberty are also among the “big schools” that have been playing well.  It should be another exciting finish in the league and district playoffs, which start less than a month from now.
• As expected, Northampton, Bethlehem Catholic and Southern Lehigh have dominated girls softball so far.  All three teams boasted a strong returning core of players and have looked very solid through the Easter weekend.
• Northwestern High School has continued its “upward trending” across the board, with all of its spring sports performing well.  The Tigers are returning baseball and softball champs and last week posted a solid victory on the lacrosse field, plus have several talented individual performances in track and field and on the tennis courts.
• The Whitehall volleyball team remains the only undefeated team in the Lehigh Valley.  The Zephyrs were denied the chance to defend their district title in the spring of 2020 due to the start of the COVID pandemic, but fields another strong team again this spring as they look to reclaim the title from Parkland.  Easton, Emmaus, Freedom, Nazareth and Northampton also have winning records in the area’s largest classification.

Keep checking back to the “SportsTalk Shop,” as we continue to follow the high school sports teams in our area and have interviews with local coaches and athletes every Thursday at 7pm on “ATVN SportsTalk.”  Among our scheduled guests include former Easton great and new Freedom Baseball Head Coach John Bisco III, members of the Central Catholic lacrosse team, and more!

Don’t forget to chime in with a question or comment during our live show or suggestions of which teams we should try to focus on this spring by emailing us. 

  Now, here’s our next installment of the best plays from our ATVN sports broadcast season to date: 

1. Astound Sports: Pleasant Valley vs. Liberty (2/22)
   
2. Astound Sports: Pocono Mountain West vs. Nazareth (2/22)
   
   
3. Astound Sports: Wilson vs. Notre Dame (2/22)
   
4. Astound Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Parkland (1/22)
   
   
5. Astound Sports:  Southern Lehigh vs. Palmerton (2/22)
   
   

 Check back next week for more information on ATVN’s coverage of local sports in our area and also more of our top highlights from the past sports season to see if your favorite teams and players make the list!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Before we continue our look back at the best plays of our recently completed high school sports season on ATVN, here’s a quick look at some of the teams and spring sports games that we’ll feature on upcoming editions of our  “SportsTalk” show, seen live on ATVN every Thursday evening at 7pm:

• Wilson vs Saucon Valley Tennis
• Whitehall vs. Allen Softball
• The Pates Park Colonial League Softball “Playday”
• Central Catholic vs. Nazareth Lacrosse
• Liberty vs. Easton Baseball
• Parkland vs. Freedom Volleyball
• Catasauqua vs. Pen Argyl Baseball
• Emmaus vs. Northampton Softball
• CL & EPC Tennis Tournaments

Keep checking our website as we look to add more teams and games as the spring season rolls on (obviously, Mother Nature will play a role in our schedule as games are frequently canceled/postponed this time of year!)
Also, don’t forget to chime in with a question or comment during our live show by emailing us.
Now, here’s our next installment of the best plays from our ATVN sports winter broadcast season…

1. Astound Sports: Bethlehem Catholic vs. Liberty (2/22)

2. Astound Sports: Freedom vs. Liberty Wrestling (1/22)
   
3. Astound Sports: Nazareth vs. Bethlehem Catholic (2/22)
   
4. Astound Sports: Dist. XI Team Finals Nazareth vs. Becahi Wrestling (2/22)
   

5. Astound Wrestling: District XI Team Finals (2/22)
   https://youtu.be/rS5WUp69FUs

Check back next week for more information on ATVN’s coverage of local sports in our area and also more of our top highlights from the past sports season to see if your favorite teams and players make the list!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Last week, we here at the Showplace began our countdown of the five best examples of a “shark jumping” ploy created by a television series’ creative brain team.

Look back to last week’s entry to find out more about this oft-used TV term and for the first two entries.

This week, we continue our countdown:

#3: Las Vegas

In 2004 one of the hippest shows on TV capitalized on the Las Vegas craze with a mystery program revolving around the behind-the-scenes views of the fictional Montecito gambling resort.

Anchored by Sonny Corleone-actor James Caan and up-and-coming movie star (and future Fergie husband) Josh Duhamel (Life As We Know It, Transformers movies), the show thrived on Monday nights despite heavy competition from Monday Night Football, Everybody Loves Raymond, Joe Millionaire and other hit shows in that same timeslot.  It regularly brought in nearly 12-million viewers each week and was a perennial Top 30 show in the lucrative 18-49 demographic throughout its first two years.

In addition to great acting, innovative technical innovations and suspenseful episodes, it was great at creating some great cliffhanger moments that keep bringing the audience back for more.

Unfortunately, at the end of season two, it went a bit too far.

In addition to leaving its audience hanging regarding one of its key cast members and an unresolved ending to who the new casino owners are and what they might do to the existing employees, the season two finale ends with the casino inexplicably being blown to the ground.

There was no mention during the episode that it was about to happen and it went down without any warning…leaving viewers shocked at what had just happened (and why?) through the entire summer hiatus.

The season three premiere introduced a new owner who announced she wanted to build a brand new, innovative casino–which looked remarkably similar to the old one.  Behind the scenes however, its parent network NBC, spent, at that time, a record amount in building a “new” set, one that inflated the program’s overall costs.

The new owner (Lara Flynn Boyle, who came with a hefty price tag after starring in films like Men In Black 2) did not test well with audiences, and she was subsequently killed off after seven episodes.  The series’ overuse of teasing cliffhangers at the end of season two started a steady decline in the show’s ratings, which suffered from the season three premiere onward.

Show creator Gary Scott Thompson, failing to learn from previous mistakes, doubled down on his jump the shark technique a year later, proclaiming (according to a March 5th, 2007 article in the “Las Vegas Review Journal”),”I’m gonna make this the biggest cliffhanger anyone’s ever seen. And if you cancel us, you’re gonna have 15 million fans pissed off at you, not me.” (By this time viewership has actually fallen below 10-million fans).

The final season never made it to the end of its contracted 20-episodes.  The final episode? An unresolved cliff-hanger.

#2:  Felicity

In 2007, the rookie season of Felicity not only garnished some of the world’s greatest awards for a television show, “Time” magazine anointed it, after just 20 episodes, as one of the “Top 100 TV Shows of All-Time.”

Led by creator JJ Abrams and titular star Keri Russell, the show focused on the four college years of a female student, tackling typical issues young people face, with each of the show’s seasons representing a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years.

On hiatus between seasons one and two (and before the show would be enshrined as a television classic based on its phenomenal year one reviews), legend says that the show’s creators came up with a great idea for the second season premiere:  cut Russell’s famous golden hair as an appropriate step for the actress to take–symbolizing a year of growth and development for the on-screen character between her first and second year of college.

Following the season two premiere, the show instantly lost HALF of its audience (from 4.4-milllion to 2.2-million viewers) and, despite the actress quickly adorning a wig to try to cover her trimmed, prized locks, the damage was already done.

While some viewers eventually returned (along with the return of Russell’s naturally longer hair), the show never pulled in the ratings it once had, and never won another major award again for the remaining three seasons it was on the air.

#1: Twin Peaks

The ABC Network, which has quite a history of giving bad instructions to its hit shows (see last week’s list for just one other example), had a surprise hit on its hands with the quirky cult-classic Twin Peaks from 1990-91.

The show, whose RERUNS were topping television’s #1 rated show, Cheers, for two months, was built around the “Who killed Laura Palmer” mystery that was driving the exposition for delving into a world of unique characters and supernatural events.

Despite protest from series creator/director David Lynch that revealing Laura’s killer would effectively “kill the golden goose” by removing the show’s unique suspense factor that drove the series, ABC ordered for the resolution to the show’s main mystery halfway through its second season.

The show became rudderless without its main mystery for not just the fans, but for the actors and show’s creative brain-trust alike.  With Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost distancing themselves from the show, series star Kyle McLaughlin and other actors also lost interest in the project.

The show’s ratings fell hard and was canceled at the end of that second season.  Its “traditional TV” days were history.  The central mystery premise, however, would later see life in a full-length film and a “Return” series on the Showtime Network, 25 years later.

What did you think of our all-time best/worst shark jumping list?  There were clearly other examples in TV history in which a show “jumped the shark.”  Which ones did you come up with? Email your feedback and responses to us and perhaps we will revisit this list in a future blog entry!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Before we continue our look back at the best plays of our recently completed high school sports season on ATVN, here’s a forward look at our scheduled guests and topics on this week’s “SportsTalk” show, seen live on ATVN every Thursday evening at 7pm:

• The Liberty swim team brought home individual and team gold medals at both the District XI and statewide PIAA meets. Plus, this winter there was an extra special accomplishment for the Hurricanes program. Tune in to find out more about them.
• A developing major issue over the last few years has been a shortage in the incoming group of referees, umpires and officials across the board in all sports, from the elementary/little league levels up to varsity high school and collegiate sports. People may not realize some of the more drastic measures that are seriously being considered that would radically alter the layout for the scheduling of middle school and high school sports for this fall season.  We’ll talk with local officials about the recent changes and proposals that are likely to take place if more officials are brought in over the next few months.
• ATVN basketball analyst and former college/scholastic coach Megan Kane will be filling in for co-host Keith Groller to discuss the relationships between coaches and referees on the basketball courts and the important dynamic that exists between them.

Keep checking back to our website for more information on future show topics and guests.  Also, don’t forget to chime in with a question or comment during our live show by emailing us.

Now, here’s our second installment of the best plays from our ATVN sports winter broadcast season…

1. 1. 1. 1. ATVN Sports: Allen vs. Northampton (1/22)
            
         2. ATVN Sports: Whitehall vs. Freedom (1/22)
            
         3. ATVN Sports: Nazareth vs. Easton (1/22)
            
         4. ATVN Sports: Allen vs. Parkland (1/22)
            
         5. ATVN Sports: Bethlehem Catholic vs. Northampton (2/22)
            

Check back next week for more of our top highlights from the past season to see if your favorite teams and players make the list!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

The ATVN Programming Department is busy putting the final touches on our new spring broadcasting lineup–set to debut in a few weeks.

In the meantime and in honor of the 45th anniversary of television’s first official “Jump the Shark” moment, we here at the Showplace are going to do something a little different this week and will be starting our countdown of the top five “shark jumping” moments of all time!

Wait…you’re not familiar with the television term “jump the shark?” OK, here’s a brief history…

In 1977 the show Happy Days, a perennial Top 5 Nielson show for its four previous years, came up with the wildest plotline in the show’s history to that point–in which the program’s most popular character, The Fonz, would jump over a shark on water skis.

The idea of the small town Wisconsin cast of characters suddenly traveling to the west coast culminating in an event that was clearly created just for a rating spectacular caused loyal fans (and many of the show’s cast and crew members) to surmise that the writers had either lost their minds or were so desperate to create an event that would bring in viewers that they took this drastic course of action.  

The result was a catchphrase that was made up for television fans and critics that has been used to describe a hit show taking a drastic change in plotlines just to create a rating grabber–only to have the ploy backfire and lead to the eventual cancellation of the show.

(Ironically, the term attributed to this show is a bit of a misnomer.  Happy Days went on to have several more successful years ratings-wise and, arguably, had several other “shark jumping” type of storylines throughout the show’s final six years before falling ratings led to the eventual program’s demise).

Today we are going to start the ultimate collection of the top five “jump the shark” events in TV history that eventually led that same show down a path towards oblivion.

Keep in mind, these are not the five wildest plotlines ever created, nor are we citing shows that employed a ratings-grabbing event, only to have the show sustain or even increase its television shares after the event took place. We are strictly adhering to the requirement that the show’s ratings would never return to the same levels after such a stunt was created/written into the show’s canon.

#5: Pretty Little Liars

The teen mystery show was a hit with the key 18-49 demographic when it launched on the scene in 2010, following the success of several novels written by Sara Shephard. The television show centers around four high school girls whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader. One year later, the estranged friends are reunited as they begin receiving messages from a mysterious figure named “A” who threatens to expose their deepest secrets.

The program consistently attracted between 2.5 to 3.7-million viewers for its first four years while its audience became perpetually puzzled at the identity of the mysterious “A,” whose actions were becoming more and more devious.

 During season five, ABC Family was anxious for a big ratings event to coincide with its recent relaunching as the “Freeform Network” and billed an episode in which “A’s” identity would finally be revealed.

It was…but the network had ordered two additional seasons of the show–one that just resolved its central mystery.

The result was that another “A,” (called “Uber A”) was created to keep the mystery going. Needless to say, storylines pretty much spiraled in several different directions through the remainder of the program’s run. Along with it went viewership totals that dropped steadily through the show’s final two years.

#4:  House, MD

British Actor Hugh Laurie played the titular character to the hilt and reinvented the way many medical dramas had been previously produced. Though brilliant but flawed, Laurie’s character would solve medical mysteries with an arrogance rarely seen among the genre’s doctors, but was becoming increasingly dependent on drugs himself. This story built for four solid years with the risks and the tensions building throughout each season.

Then, in season five, following two dramatic episodes in which fellow main character, Dr. Wilson, loses his love–partially due to House’s drug dependence, the flawed Dr. House finally checks himself into a state hospital.

After a five-year buildup to this key point of recognition and responsibility the show really set the stage for some great possible storylines involving this multiple award winning actor dealing with this serious topic, while also potentially opening up a fascinating abundance of stories involving Laurie’s character interacting with other patients going through their own medical mysteries while dealing with their own dependencies.

Instead, the culminating episode, which felt more like an after-school special, featured House joking around with another drug dependent patient–nearly resulting in the latter’s loss of life, to which House suddenly realizes abusing drugs are bad, and then he returns to his regular hospital, and resumes his old job, as if nothing had ever happened.

The show finished in the Nielson’s Top 10 throughout seasons two, three and four and attracted between 17.5-20 million viewers each week up until that point. Following House’s about-face in the season five opener, the show’s viewership quickly dropped to less than half the viewers it had sustained through its first four seasons and was never ranked higher than 42nd in its final year.

Show Producer/Film Director Bryan Singer said that the official reason the show did not return was a dramatic increase in the cost of each House episode, making it unprofitable for parent company Universal to continue the show. However, the badly bungled season five anti-climax leading to the dramatic ratings plunge and massive viewership slide in the program’s final year-and-a-half suggests otherwise.

Our list continues…next week!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

It’s been a hectic few months at the ATVN studio but we want to start our look back through the highlights of our featured sports broadcasts from the past winter sports season.
Before we do that, a quick look at our scheduled guests for upcoming editions of our “SportsTalk” show, seen live on ATVN every Thursday evening at 7pm:

• The Northampton Boys Basketball team (they were the last team in the ATVN viewing area “left standing” in the PIAA playoffs this year)
• DMV’s Tee Johnson of the Wilson (DC) Boys Basketball team, who captured both a DCIAA Championship and Coach of the Year honors in just his first year as a head coach
• The Emmaus Rifling team that captured a state championship & featured a returning individual state champ
• Local officials & referees discussing the extreme measures being considered for the next sports season if the officiating “shorten” continues (many games were rescheduled this past year because of this, with more drastic changes quite possibly taking place as early as this fall)
• Local representatives discussing the growth and early popularity of eSports
• …and more!

Keep checking back to our website for more information on future show topics and guests!
Now, our first installment of the best plays from our ATVN sports winter broadcast season:

1. Astound Sports: Catasauqua vs. Northern Lehigh (12/21)
   
2. Astound Sports: Easton vs. Bethlehem Catholic Wrestling (1/22)
   
3. Astound Sports: Emmaus vs. Northampton (1/22)
   
4. Astound Sports: Freedom vs. Bethlehem Catholic (1/22)
   
5. Astound Sports: Easton vs. Freedom Wrestling (1/22)
   https://youtu.be/N9hGUWiTyM4

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Last week, we started our highlighting of standout student-athletes from the Washington, DC region. We continue that initiative this week by honoring standout high school girls volleyball and boys football players from the DCSAA.

DCSAA VOLLEYBALL ALL-STATE TEAM
Coach of The Year: Dr. Perette Arrington, Wilson Senior High School
Player of the Year: MB Summer Campbell, Wilson Senior High School, senior
Setters: Claire Cooper, Georgetown Day School, senior; Gillian Gessert, Wilson Senior High School, junior.
Libero: Pallavi Bhargava, Georgetown Day School, senior; Kathryn Kelyman, St. John’s College High School, senior.
Middle Blockers: Jaiden Jones, DC International High School, senior; Pamela McCune, St. John’s College High School, junior.
Outside Hitters: Jada Aksu, Georgetown Day School, freshman; Erin Faughnan, St. John’s College High School, senior; Emma Gillespie, Georgetown Day School, senior; Aaliyah Howell, Georgetown Day School, sophomore 

CLASS A ALL-STATE FOOTBALL TEAM
Coach of The Year: Mike Engleberg, Maret School
Player of The Year: WR-DB Robbie Engleberg, Maret School, senior
Offense
Quarterbacks: Andrew Catron, Maret School, senior; Stephon Fuller, Richard Wright Public Charter School, senior; Chase Williams, St. Albans School, senior.
Running Backs: Tybias Barton, Bell Multicultural High School, senior; Christian Gamble, Sidwell Friends School, senior.
Offensive Line: Aaron Garnett, Sidwell Friends School, senior; Marc Lampkin, Maret School, senior.
“Athletes”: Ashton Embery, Richard Wright Public Charter School, senior; Zion Suggs, Bell Multicultural High School, junior.
Wide Receivers: Dajuan Samuel, Bell Multicultural High School, senior; Jaquan Thomas, Richard Wright Public Charter School, senior.
Defense
Defensive Line: Sean Brooks, Calvin Coolidge Senior High School, junior; Dylan Price, Sidwell Friends School, senior; Andrew Williams, Maret School, senior.
Linebackers: Gus Burns, Sidwell Friends School, senior; Luke Harmon, St Albans School, senior; Aaron Poawui, Maret School, senior; Malachai Redman, Anacostia Senior High School, junior; Alex Tilton, St Albans School, senior.
Defensive Backs: Deshean Dean, KIPP College Prep, senior; Miles Harmon, St. Albans School, senior; Malcolm Hatton, KIPP College Prep, senior.
Athlete: Neko Hagans, Anacostia Senior High School, sophomore.

CLASS AA ALL-STATE FOOTBALL TEAM
Coach of The Year: Robert Harris, Archbishop Carroll High School
Player of The Year: DE Nyckoles Harbor, Archbishop Carroll High School, junior
Offense
Quarterbacks: Kerry Burns Jr.,Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, senior; Wyatt Hagan, St. John’s College High School, senior.
Running Backs: Jamar Curtis, St. John’s College High School, junior; Daequan Harvin, Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, senior; Juan Pratt Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, junior; Elijah Solomon, Archbishop Carroll High School, senior.
Offensive Line: Kristopher Boyd, Archbishop Carroll High School, junior; Evan Link, Gonzaga College High School, junior; Jeremiah Saunders, Archbishop Carroll High School, senior; Jordan Seaton, St. John’s College High School, sophomore.
Wide Receivers: Jamar Ebron, Archbishop Carroll High School, junior; DJ Linkins, St. John’s College High School, senior; Winston Page, Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, senior; Sean Williams, St. John’s College High School, junior.
Tight End: Nate Kurisky, Gonzaga College High School, senior.
Athlete: Malachi Baker, Archbishop Carroll High School, senior.
Defense
Defensive Line: Joseph Mupoyi, Archbishop Carroll High School, junior; David Ojiegbe, St. John’s College High School, junior; Jordan Shuler, Gonzaga College High School, senior; Dylan Stewart, Friendship Collegiate Academy, sophomore.
Linebackers: Kadari Machan, Gonzaga College High School, senior; Shon Reid, Archbishop Carroll High School, senior; Nasir Smith, Archbishop Carroll High School, sophomore.
Defensive Backs: Michael Brown, Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, sophomore; Robert Nelson Jr., Wilson Senior High School, junior; David Okechukwu, Archbishop Carroll High School, senior; Joshua Thompson, St. John’s College High School, senior; Ian Wall, Wilson Senior High School, junior

*****

We welcome anyone to share postseason accolades and accomplishments to us at any time here at The Shop by email me.

We’d love to hear from you!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

A little while back, I reached out to friends in the administrative offices in our Washington, DC region to work with them on highlighting their local high school sports programs. One of my requests was for them to share their regular “all-star” lists and other scholastic accolades for the student-athletes in the DMV region.
To make a long story short, it took some time to successfully make this happen, along with a commitment that we would be able to work together to highlight the outstanding accomplishments from representatives in this region, like we have done for student-athletes in the Lehigh Valley. The first time this happened was in the winter of 2020 and I thought we’d have regular communications and updates on the top athletes in the DC area.
Then, COVID hit!
Needless to say, sports has been put on the back burner in many regions. Some sports seasons didn’t even occur for a good number of schools in areas like the DMV. Consequently, the listings of “all-stars” were put on hold. But, as we try to finally return to semblances of normalcy, I am proud to report that these honors have returned, and we can present the latest list now made public by the DCSAA in the Washington, DC area.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY ALL-STATE TEAM
Coach of The Year: Desmond Dunham, St. John’s College High School
Runner of The Year: Marisa Poe, Maret School, senior: Caroline Gotzman, St. John’s College High School, junior; Meredith Gotzman, St. John’s College High School, junior; Olivia Guiterrez, St. John’s College High School, senior; Vivian Kelly, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, junior; Ellie Kessler, Georgetown Day School, sophomore;Caroline Lee, National Cathedral School, freshman; Elena Stanciu, Basis DC, junior; Sophie Mattheus, St. John’s College High School, junior; Lila De La Vega-Rodriguez, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, junior.

DCSAA BOYS CROSS COUNTRY ALL-STATE TEAM
Coach of the Year: Desmond Dunham, St. John’s College High School
Runner of The Year: Pierre Attiogbe, St. Albans School, junior Luke Cohen, Georgetown Day School, junior; Nicolas Grabarz, St. John’s College High School, senior; Sebi Hume, St. Albans School, freshman; Micah Lachman; Sidwell Friends School, senior; John McMurray, Sidwell Friends School, freshman; Cameron Mickle, St, John’s College High School, freshman; Paul Robinson, St. John’s College High School, junior; Liam Thomson, Gonzaga College High School, junior; Finley Tobin, St. John’s College High School, sophomore.

DCSAA BOYS’ SOCCER ALL-STATE TEAM
Coach of the Year: Brian Schultz, St. Albans School
Player of the Year: MF Wayne Frederick, St. Albans School, senior
Goalkeepers: Johnathan Baunsgaurd, Washington International School, senior; Brian Ford, DC High International School, senior.
Defenders: Antonio Giorgiani, Washington International School, senior; Rich Kirkham, DC International School, junior; Colin Predergast, Gonzaga College High School, senior; Leo Siegel, St. Albans School, junior.
Midfielders: Lowen Jamison, St. John’s College High School, freshman; Rustin Khostravi, St. Albans School, senior; Cooper Laine, Wilson Senior High School, senior.
Forwards: Nicholas Laffey, St. John’s College High School, junior; Kadin Nuri, DC International High School, junior.

DCSAA GIRLS’ SOCCER ALL-STATE TEAM
Coach of the Year: Ryan Alexander, Sidwell Friends School
Player of the Year: F Kiki Rice, Sidwell Friends School, senior
Goalkeepers: Shelby Pollard, St. John’s College High School, junior; Caroline Roy, Maret School, junior.
Defenders: Giulia Balestrieiri, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, senior; Lila Brown, Sidwell Friends School, senior; Kaeden Koons-Perdikis, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, junior; Farah Salam, St. John’s College High School, senior.
Midfielders: Lucy Harlee, Wilson Senior High School, senior; Gemma Maltby, Sidwell Friends School, senior; Emily Rubio-Garcia, St. John’s College High School, junior.
Forwards: Gabi Green, Sidwell Friends School, freshman; Jacquelyn Shores, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, sophomore.

*****
We have not forgotten about some of the other sports played in the DMV this past year and will honor those athletes and teams next week here at The Shop!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Showplace is featuring prominent female-driven classic programs and women who “changed the game” and made a lasting impact in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Today we present part two of a special feature on the legendary comedian, Gracie Allen.
In the 1930s the George Burns and Gracie Allen radio and later television shows not only became one of the top, but it also was one of the pioneers who developed a format that still is very prevalent in today’s television shows-the sitcom.
In fact, the television program also became a trendsetter in that it became a show within a show. Long before Seinfeld gave a monologue interspersed with clips from his personal life, Burns delivered one-liners to the audience framed around the zany adventures of his wife.
At the end of the program a quick exchange would take place between the husband and wife comedy duo as they interplayed with the audience, culminating with Burns setting his wife up for the classic lines:

George: “Say good night, Gracie”
Gracie: “Good night Gracie!”

Gracie Allen also pulled off some of the funniest and most elaborate pranks in America at the times where the nation needed them the most.

During the Great Depression, Allen pulled off one of the most successful publicity stunts in entertainment history with a year-long search for Alan’s supposedly missing brother.
During the tense year of 1940 with a threat of war looming around the world, Alan kept the country laughing with a run for the president of the United States on the new “Surprise Party” ticket, which culminated in a book with photographs from around the country and even an official endorsement from the President of Harvard University.
During World War II, her publicity stunts included being the subject of the “Gracie Allen Murder Case” mystery and a piano concerto that was performed live at the Hollywood bowl consisting of Allen playing an entire arrangement with just one finger.
Allen’s increasing anxiety over stage fright–something she battled throughout her entire career–finally forced her to retire from the Burns and Allen television show and virtually any public appearances. Though her husband tried to carry on with the show for one more year, the program was not nearly as successful and was canceled.
Sadly, Gracie passed away from a heart attack within a year.
The Gracie Award is presented by the alliance for women and media to recognize exemplary programming created by women in radio, television, cable, web-based media and for news, drama, comedy, commercials, public service, documentary and sports productions.
Bea Benaderet who worked extensively with both Allen and Lucille Ball throughout both comedians’ careers was quoted in an April 24, 1966 article of “Democrat and Chronicle” declaring that “Gracie was the greatest actress of all time.”
It would be hard for anyone to disagree. You can see the comedy genius of Gracie Allen for yourself on the Burns and Allen Show every Sunday morning at 11:30am on ATVN.
To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.