The Pack Mentality

Those five men look like movie stars-don't they?
That's because they are. And it happened in the most incredible way. But that's only part of the story.

These brothers-6 in total (and 1 sister)-grew up in in a 16th floor Manhattan public housing apartment which served for 14 years as a prison for the family. Confined to the cramped apartment under their bizarre father's rule, the family of nine spent most of their lives with no contact with the outside world. The father forbade them to ever leave the apartment and held the only key to the front door. The children were home schooled by their mother, and taught never to communicate with strangers. Their only contact with real world were on necessary, supervised appointments or controlled outings to New York tourist destinations. The children were told to never cut their hair and that the outside world had "bad people in it".

The one privilege the boys father did allow was movies. And they indulged in many movies as their personal form of escape from the hell that they knew as their life. Middle brother Mukunda, was the prop master and he would make items from their favorite movies from things he had lying about the house. The boys would reenact scenes from the movies as a way to feel normal and feel free. Then in January 2010, Mukunda, then 15, decided he needed to escape and see life outside his prison walls.

Little did Mukunda know that that escape-he wore a mask he had made to resemble Mike Meyers from the Halloween movies so that he would not be recognized outside by his father-would change all of their lives for ever. Once outside, Mukunda didn't know his address so he kept the apartment building in his site as he visited a bank and a supermarket. People were afraid so he was soon stopped by police. When questioned Makunda says,

“They started asking, ‘Do you live here? Where are you from?’ And I was always taught to never interact with any people, so I didn’t say anything, you know. I didn’t give them any information on me,” Mukunda recalled.

He was placed on a psychiatric hold and sent to Bellevue Hospital for a week stay, which he loved. It was his first interaction with other people outside his family. When he returned home, his father was no longer in control. The boys then started going out together and on a chance meeting they met film maker Crystal Moselle, who they bonded with over their love of movies. Moselle ended up filming the boys for 5 years and the result is her documentary file "The Wolfpack", in theaters now. The film has bee critically acclaimed and won a Grand Jury prize at  this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Purely coincidence that one of the first people the boys meet is a film maker? I think not. These boys have a whole lot of catching up to do and they are doing it in grand style. Hollywood has come knocking and they ironically were, "ready for their closeup". But at an incredible price.

This Chick Rox!

Meet 33 year-old Justine Siegal, and as far as anyone can tell, she is the first female coach in men's professional baseball. How cool is that???
Justine is the first base coach for the Brockton Rox, an independent minor league baseball team based in Brockton, MA. Siegal, who joined the team last month, was a former pitcher and third baseman who is also married and the mother of an 11 year-old daughter. According to Brockton Rox bench coach, 50 year baseball veteran Ed Nottle, Sunday's Boston Herald reported him as saying, "People have to be given opportunities," he said. "No matter how this turns out, I think this is going to mean a lot to all the young girls out there. For that reason alone I am behind her."

It would also seem that not everyone thinks this is so cool. Some followers of The Rox have been pondering whether Siegal is a real baseball coach or if this is just a publicity stunt. Siegal was hired by Mike Veeck, part owner in the Rox team, who also owns minor shares in six other independent minor league teams. Veeck is the son of the late Bill Veeck, who at one time was the owner of the old St. Louis Browns. Bill Veeck was the architect of one of the most memorable publicity stunts in sports to date. In 1951, while running the St Louis Browns he signed a midget named Eddie Gaedel who went to bat against Detroit Tigers pitcher Bob Cain, drew a walk and then disappeared, never to be seen again.

The Boston Sunday Herald quoted Mike Veek, "She's an experiment," he admitted. "But some- body's gotta be first. That's all there is to it. It's an idea whose time has come." Siegal herself takes the skeptics criticism in stride.
"I certainly understand that it's unusual," she said. "But I consider it an honor to be a pioneer and a role model to both girls and boys."
Siegal played high school ball and summer league ball, but did not play college ball. She had one tryout with a now defunct professional women's baseball team called the Colorado Silver Bullets and told the Herald's Steve Buckley that she "blew out her arm during the tryout". Since then she has provided instruction for both male and female players and coached on an international level. While working on her Ph. D in sports psychology at Springfield College, she also worked as the assistant coach for the baseball team.

She met Veeck while speaking at a conference last summer and told him,"I want to work for you." Veek told her to send him her resume, which she did and he responded immediately. She told Veeck, "I know enough about baseball to coach and I needed a break."
As for the other coaches, they see Justine as they would any other rookie coach; one who needs to work hard and learn the job. Rox Manager Chris Carmucci reoprts to being skeptical about Siegal's contribution to the team, "The biggest thing for me was: would she be able to help us? And she has helped us." he said.

Publicity stunt or not, the move makes Brockton Rox baseball headlines and gives a deserving woman the chance to prove her worth in a male dominated arena. A bold move that may reverberate through the sport of baseball for years to come, but for now I will watch Justine as she takes her first steps into history. Mr. Veeck, thank you. I concur, it is a great idea whose time has come.

The Great Debate Of John And Kate

I am sure I don't need to tell you who these two people are. Unless you have been living under a rock in the past few months, you've seen and heard about John and Kate Gosselin. They have been America's new tabloid darlings, splashed over every magazine and newspaper in the country.
The question is WHY? Herein lies the debate.

John and Kate welcomed sextuplets over 5 years ago and added to their two child family, making them a family of eight. "John and Kate Plus 8" was born and our voyeuristic TV viewing habits were satiated by viewing the daily lives of this family with eight children. As with every great story, there is a protagonist. Kate, is certainly the main character here. Her husband John and the kids; the bit players in this drama/reality TV show.

The transformation of Kate happened right before our eyes, proof that money and power changes people, and not always for the better. There is the money; which is reported that the Gosselin's receive close to $50K to $75K per episode. At 89 episodes to date, estimates say that's somewhere in the ballpark of 6 million. Nice ballpark. Then there's the freebies; plastic surgery,(tummy tuck for her), hair plugs, products, cars, homes and numerous staff. Put that all together and the world has created it's very own monster, a la Dr. Frankenstein.

I must admit that until last night, I had never watched one episode of their reality TV show. I have however, read plenty about the drama that surrounds John and Kate. WHY? Because I cannot escape it. It's in my morning newspaper, in my mail box every Friday and on my email at least twice a week. I'm talking about US Weekly Magazine. I recently started getting a subscription and in the two months I have received the magazine, (that's 8 issues) Kate has been on the cover of every. single. one. I get e-mail updates from US Weekly and they have all lead with a new titillating detail about Kate and John.

WHY? Is this a story about a hair cut that launched 70 million viewers? Or is this a classic example of "The Britney Factor", as we are watching a train wreck of a marriage implode right before our eyes. Tabloid reports speculate on John's extra-marital exploits with a young teacher and whether or not Kate's banging her handsome body guard. The public can't get enough. She has been accused of being a cold-hearted, bully who is hardly a mother, but extols her skills as a mother daily and John is painted as the lazy, hanger-on who is better with the kids, but visibly unhappy and unmotivated. Then there's the kids. Eight beautiful little souls who will bear the brunt of all this ridiculousness for the rest of their lives, all in the name of the all mighty dollar.

Sometimes I'm not sure if it's OK to invite the press into your life and then complain about the intrusion. One could argue that although the Gosselins have created an opportunity to support and raise their brood of eight fiscally responsibly, as young, attractive adults they have acted irresponsibly and created this tabloid fervor. Others may argue that Kate is a money hungry, evil monster who cares more about keeping her next tanning appointment than worrying about exploiting her kids for profit.

It's a tough debate as long as we keep watching and buying her books. I am sure that pictures of Kate or John with a member of the opposite sex are worth a small fortune on the paparazzi open market. One thing is for sure, this drama has certainly reached a fever pitch and if someone doesn't step in soon, we may be following a blueprint for a tabloid tragedy.

Too bad Jamie Spears is unavailiable.

We Interrupt This Program For A Special Report....

Ripped from the headlines of today's news, random information and newsworthy tidbits to keep the information age pumping....

Tina Fey inadvertently puts Wellesley, MA business school on the map.


Tina Fey, when accepting her Golden Globe last Sunday, made some unlikely friends with her public "suck-it" acceptance speech at the world-wide televised event. Fey, who began her speech by saying that no matter how good she may feel about herself, the invention known as the Internet works wonders to keep her humble.
"You can find a lot of people there who don't like you," Fey said. "I'd like to address some of them now. Babson-Lacrosse, you can suck it. DianeFan you can suck it. Cougar-Letter you can really suck it, cause you've been after me all year."
Len Schlessinger, president of the small Wellesley business school, Babson College, posted a video response of gratitude on YouTube yesterday, speaking directly to the Hollywood star. Schlessinger, wearing a Babson Lacrosse t-shirt in the vid says, "Hi Tina. As you know over the last couple of days with your response to your Golden Globe Award, you've managed to put this institution on the map in ways that the academic leadership has been incapable of being able to deliver."


He goes on to invite Fey to the college's commencement ceremonies in May and invites her to get to know "the real Babson that loves Tina Fey". Brilliant, free, PR I say, but somehow I think I already know what Tina's response will be.


Chicago man makes the purchase of a lifetime.



Timothy O'Boyle, a 49-year-old Chicago "pizza guy" seems to have found his "golden ticket" when he purchased a used Chrysler 300c back in February 2008. The luxury sedan's previous owner was none other than President-Elect Barack Obama.
"There was a salesman at the dealership who said,'You'd better hang on to that car'.", O'Boyle said. "I said, 'Why?' And he said, 'Because it belonged to Obama.' I said, 'Get outta here'."
O'Boyle bought the fully-loaded car for $24,ooo.oo and yesterday put the car up for auction on ebay. The staring bid on the future Prez's one-time vehicle was $100,000. The listing for the car predicts that it could sell for as high as $1 million.
Obama, who bought the car in 2004 and drove it until 2007, traded it in to "go green", swapping it for the Ford Escape Hybrid.
O'Boyle says he was "almost too scared to drive the thing" and has kept in in a heated storage unit because he couldn't cover the insurance on the what is the true value of the car. Some people have all the luck.


If Sybil were around today.

"The United States of Tara", Showtime's newest critically acclaimed series, debuts on the cable network Sunday night at 10 pm. Created and written by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody, who also wrote "Juno", executive produced by Steven Spielberg, and starring the super talented Toni Collette, this clever series is being hailed as a "delightfully old-fashioned half-hour family sitcom".
Collette, who plays a 40 something suburban mom who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, or in more common terms, multiple personality disorder. Her personalities range from a typical 40+ super mom, to a hormonally challenged 15 year old, to a "redneck bigot", to a 1950's era June Cleaver stand in. Tara is married to a great guy Max (John Corbett of "Sex and the City" fame) and has two teenagers. The pressures of suburban life cause Tara's personalities to emerge to "clean up the messes" Tara can't handle. Movie critics say that Tara's disorder is not the catalyst for the shows comedy, rather it's the actions and reactions of the "healthy" people around her. Enough said. I'm setting the DVR right now.


Ricardo Montalban dies at the age of 88.


Ricardo Montalban, the smooth-talking, suave star, best known for his portrayal as the white suited, Mr. Roarke on TV's "Fantasy Island" died yesterday morning at his home in Los Angeles. Montalban enjoyed a long career in Hollywood, starring in movies and on Broadway stages since 1946. Most recently, he starred as a villain in the 1980's hit, "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" and, "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad".
Somewhere I think St. Peter may be out of a job, because if Heaven is anything like we imagine, Mr. Montalban will be waiting for us, lie in hand, as we arrive.

We interrupt this program for a Special Report...

Ripped from the headlines of today's news, random information and some," what were they thinking" moments for your reading pleasure:
BUST-ed!!

That would be our very own state senator, Sen. Dianne Wilkerson caught on hidden camera stuffing a $1000.00 bribe in her BRA!! This photo was proudly displayed on the front page of yesterday's Boston Herald and it is just the tip of the $23,500 iceberg she has been stuffing in her bra. Wilkerson was arrested Tuesday for taking eight bribes totaling $23k in exchange for her help in obtaining a liquor license and for transferring public land to a federal officer posing as a land developer. This isn't the first time Wilkerson has been front page fodder. No, the 54 year old, eight term senator is as crooked as a question mark and has been busted for, dare I say it, plagiarism (a la Mike Barnicle) in the Boston Globe and tax evasion in 1997 to name a few. Yet they keep electing her so she can represent our great state.
To add insult to injury, she goes on record yesterday to say, "I would like the voters of the 2nd Suffolk Senate District to know that I am staying the course of my campaign for the re-election on Nov. 4th. Not only does this represent the biggest challenge in my personal and political life, but it will test to the limit the notion of innocent until proven guilty." Ya think???

I like what this guy was thinking:

Newton entrepreneur Eric Friedberg has created a free, online game called, It's Easy To Win. Participants can go to http://www.itseasytowin.com/ and register for a chance to win cash prizes. He debuted his new enterprise earlier this month and already over 5000 people have signed up to play. Three time a week Friedberg is the online host to close to 1900 people who compete in three instant win games. Friedberg's advertiser's supply the prize money while Friedberg takes over the hosting duties.
With live streaming video randomly selecting the players, registered participants who correctly answer the questions within the time allowed, will receive their cash in the mail within days of playing online. Friedberg says he's already awarded thousands of dollars. How great is this idea? I have got to check this out since I could be considered part of his largest demographic, the 35 and older stay-at-home mothers. Friedberg also says there are a large group of people who play the 20 minute game at work. This guy's quite possibly a genius. Well maybe not a genius but one can only respect his entrepreneurial ingenuity.

Ooops Mel did it again!

That's tinseltown's own boozebag Mel Gibson, who has been in town shooting a movie, at Abe & Louie's steak house last night. The bar at Abe & Louie's is notorious around here as a premier "meat market" and we're talking Grade A. Looks like Mel grabbed himself some fine local cuts of beef. Poor Mel, did he learn nothing in rehab? No official word on whether or not he was carousing the bar or just having dinner, but judging from that awful hat and the goofy grin on his face, one can only speculate that Mel is up to his old tricks again. Good times.

Random fact alert:

Daylight is actually saving time!! A study posted in a letter in today's New England Journal of Medicine details Swedish researchers findings after looking at 20 years of records, that you are less likely to have a heart attack after the clocks turn back on Saturday and more likely to have one when the clocks moved forward in the spring. They believe that this finding could possibly be related to the extra hour of sleep we receive during the Daylight Saving time. I suggest you live it up now while the odds are in our favor!!

Just a few of today's headline making Daily Dandy's.