Cyndy Canty’s Blog

Ok, is this not THE most adorable little dog? Click on the video link and see for yourself. (or copy and paste this URL into your browser.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7bGBUlx2M

Hey, check out this very cool new video put together by the Michigan Production Alliance…all sorts of creative folks reminding Hollywood that we’ve got it happening right here in the Great Lakes State. My dear friend (and Siobhan’s godmother) Liz Larin is the guitar-wielding babe!

Turn up the sound and click here:

http://www.iliveinmichigan.com/videos/I_live_in_michigan.mov

Hearing the news that Michael Jackson has died of cardiac arrest this afternoon, I can’t help but think back over his astounding career. Who doesn’t remember watching that astounding little kid out there in front when the Jackson Five first hit the TV and radio scene?

It’s no exaggeration to say that little boy grew into one of the iconic entertainers of our time.  I saw him perform at the Palace in 1988 and he was at the top of his game. The singing, the dancing, the non-stop procession of huge hits…it was one of those shows I’ll always remember.

The sad, strange turns his life took through the 90’s and 00’s is something we all watched. How could you not? It was the proverbial train wreck. Saddening. Appalling, as we heard a stream of ugly accusations regarding children. Where and how did it all go so wrong?

I remember being sent to cover a visit he made to Detroit in the mid-90’s. He stopped by Children’s Hospital of Michigan to bring toys to a pediatric unit.  My cameraman and I happened to find ourselves right by the entrance as Michael’s van pulled up. Out poured a phalanx of huge bodyguards, and then out stepped Michael: tiny, frail, waif-like, surrounded by these behemoth guards. I thought to myself, what a hell of a life!!  Do you think he knew that’s what he was getting into when he and his brothers were growing up in Gary, Indiana and seeking fame and fortune as singers? Would any of us want to pay that sort of price for fame and celebrity?

All I can say tonight is…I hope this tortured soul has found some peace at last. Your thoughts?

We talked this over on the show: are we Moms doing a disservice to our kids by not teaching them basic housekeeping skills? I’ve found myself falling into the “it’s faster and easier to do it myself” trap when it comes to ironing, laundry, etc. I have friends who confess to the same thing. And during the school year, we’re juggling loads of homework, plus cross-country and track (with daily after-school practices), dance classes…oh, and did I mention all the homework?

Now that it’s summer, I’ve realized I need to get my kid up to speed on those basic skills like laundry, ironing…and I know she LOVES to get into the kitchen so I’m going to guide her in planning, shopping for & making meals.

To be brutally honest, haven’t most of the Moms of today had to let those old “home ec” skills slide from the way our Moms and Grandmas kept house? We’re working AND we’re hauling the kids to those sports practices, games, dance lessons, etc.

What do you think? How far do you take your housekeeping standards? How much housework do you have your kids do…boys and girls?

So, what do you think of this photo of Kate Gosselin have a less-than-magical-moment with one of the sextuplets?? Click here…and share your thoughts.

http://www.popeater.com/television/article/kate-gosselin-spanking-leah-photos/529806

We had fun with this question this morning: if you could bottle up a smell, what would it be?

I said my top choice was that sweet “baby head” smell my kids had all those years ago. Ahhh. What I wouldn’t give for a whiff that would take me back 15 or 25 years.  Fay voted for the smell of a freshly cut lawn. Mike loves the scent of grilled onions. And sentimental sweet Jim would bottle the scent of his wife Lynn’s hair. And Kam? She loves the smell of a hardware store. Me too, because it reminds me of going to the hardware store with my Dad (gas stations and tire stores do it too, at least for me.)

Sentimental, wacky, puzzling, funny: what smell would you bottle up and why?

How about you

Imagine this being your daughter! An 18 year old Belgian girl went to a tattoo artist and asked him to put three stars on her face. Then, she claims, she dropped off to sleep while he worked…and woke up to discover THIS:

56 stars!!  Kimberly Vlaminck is suing the tattoo artist for $20,000. He claims she knew exactly what she wanted and the trouble started when she got home and her dad hit the roof and her boyfriend broke up with her.

I’d just like to know: who would be able to fall asleep while someone’s tattoo’ing their face?!?!?!

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21st. So, thinking of Dad, here’s the question: what’s the BEST TRAIT you inherited from your Dad? Maybe it’s something serious, maybe it’s a goofy talent…whatever it is, share it with the rest of us!

If you’ve listened to the Magic Morning Show even casually, chances are good that you’ve heard me talk about my involvement with Honor Flight Michigan. Our goal is to take as many of Michigan’s World War II veterans to visit their Memorial in Washington DC as we possibly can. There’s no cost to the vets, while volunteers who accompany the flights as Guardians pay their own way for the honor of helping these men and women make their journey. The Honor Flights I’ve done have been among the most powerful experiences of my entire life, from getting to know the vets….

…to helping these old warriors make this special pilgrimage…

…and watching them grow proud as they share memories with old comrades…

 

Well, these Honor Flights aren’t free.  Honor Flight Michigan is constantly trying to raise enough funds to get the vets still on our waiting list to Washington . Time is so important because time is not our friend as we work our way through the waiting list of over 300 elderly vets.

So, meet  The Flyboys!

These Oakland County men are all Army Air Corps  vets.All of have been on their Honor Flight. Most served aboard B-17’s (The Flying Fortress) like the one you see in this picture. She’s the Yankee Lady…and she lives at Willow Run Airport. The Flyboys have come up with their own plan to raise money to send more vets to DC.: they are selling raffle tickets for just $10 each. The prize: a flight aboard the Yankee Lady for a group of 4! I took this flight out of Willow Run with the Flyboys and believe me, it is an experience you will never forget. You take off from Ypsilanti, listen to those powerful engines and get a glimpse of what it must have been like for the Flyboys and the other vets as they took off under the cover of night for dangerous bombing runs over Nazi-occupied Europe.

There are only a limited number of raffle tickets available. They’ll hold the drawing on July 31st. You can get tickets by leaving a message on the Honor Flight Michigan hotline, 248-744-0286. Or email me through the Magic website with your contact info (for privacy purposes, don’t post it here) and I’ll get you in touch with the Flyboys & the raffle tickets. Don’t wait. For anyone who’s a WWII buff, old or young, this is a very special chance to help get these heroes to Washington. And the raffle tickets are only $10 each, so you can buy a few chances at a B-17 flight, and help The Flyboys help Honor Flight!

The Flyboys will be selling raffle tickets at Laurel Park Place this Saturday, Jnue 20th from  12-5pm. Come meet them, say “Thanks” and buy some raffle tickets. They’ll be at the Food Court at Laurel Park Place on Six Mile just West of I-275. How about a Father’s Day gift : a chance at a flight on the Yankee Lady and helping Honor Flight?

Meantime, meet some of the Flyboys through these fantastic photos taken by Honor Flight Board Member Brad Ziegler on the day they flew in the Yankee Lady. For every one of these men, it was their first time back in a Flying Fortress since World War II!

B-17 Navigator Bill Rosnyai

B-17 Pilot Bob Stachel

B-24 Bombardier Murray Cotter

 

Thanks in advance for helping Honor Flight. Write me through the Magic website for more information on the raffle or pancake breakfast. If you’re interested in getting a WWII vet on the flight list, signing up as a volunteer Guardian or donating, go to www.honorflightmichigan.com

A news story out of California caught my eye. Police have arrested a woman  for allegedly trying to kidnap her 21 year old daughter’s boyfriend in hopes of getting him as far away from her daughter as she could possibly get him. Police say Mom and a friend went to the young man’s home and tried to tie him up with duct tape. She and the friend were arrested on suspicion of attempted kidnapping.

So, that got me wondering: what would you do if YOU were this Mom and your daughter’s boyfriend is a total jerk? Have you ever taken “extreme measures” to keep your kid away from someone you don’t like? OR…what lengths did your parents ever go to in hopes of keeping someone away from YOU?