Author: Shari

WGN Radio: CNN’s ‘Somebody’s Gotta Do It

Shari

Mike talks about his past, present happenings in Baltimore, and the future with the new season of Somebody’s Gotta Do It. Dave chats with tv host, narrator and actor Mike Rowe about eight seasons of Discovery Channel’s ‘Dirty Jobs’, eleven seasons of ‘Deadliest Catch’ and his new CNN series ‘Somebody’s Gotta Do It’, as well as life as an opera singer, his messiest assignments and the recent upheaval in his hometown of Baltimore. Listen to the interview – WGN Radio

Fridays With Freddy: Am I Aging?

Shari

Half of these pictures were taken one year ago today. The other half were taken a few moments ago. Question – is it just me, or am I aging and growing at the speed of sound? The biped looks more or less the same, but I’m damn near unrecognizable. How is that possible? How large will I become? At this rate, I’ll be the size of a horse by 2018. I’m worried. Fred Mike’s Facebook Page

Bobblehead News & 3-Day Auction!

Shari

As you may have heard, my odyssey to mass-produce a high-quality, competitively-priced Bobblehead entirely in the USA is now complete, and the results are coming to a future episode of Somebody’s Gotta Do It. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that much of what I suspected was confirmed. We succeeded on the “high-quality part,” but fell short on “competitively-priced” and “mass-produced” part. The reasons for this are complicated, and best explained by actual economist. But the bottom line is this: it is simply impossible in today’s global market to mass-produce a high-quality, American-made Bobblehead, at a competitive Read More

Off The Wall: Baltimore Riots

Shari

Catherine Beck Shoup Today at 9:22am We could use your perspective right now as a hometown hero, Mike. I have shared some pictures with a more positive perspective on my page, and hoping you can comment on this situation for the millions who listening to you. I know you don’t get into politics, but Baltimore could use a little wisdom, Mike Rowe style. Hi Catherine I doubt that I could write anything more wise or positive than what you’ve already shared on your own page. As for heroic, I’ll go with the attached images. Secondly, to the hundreds who have Read More

A Sign of the Times

Shari

Those of you who caught SGDI two weeks ago will recall Craig and Rory May – the father and son blacksmiths who forge hot iron into amazing works of art up in the Colorado Rockies. I spent a day at The Dragon Forge last Fall, where I was reintroduced to the joys of blisters and second degree burns, as well as the absolute futility of complaining about such things to men like Craig and Rory. As Craig likes to say, “There’s no crying in blacksmithing.” Indeed. There is however, a fair amount of generosity, which brings me to the point Read More

Mrs. Frazier’s Exploding Toilet

Shari

Once upon a time, (2005, as I recall,) a nice lady named Mrs. Frazier awoke to an unaccustomed sound emanating from the lower level of her modest home in Staten Island. It began as a “gurgling,” evolved into a “babbling,” and quickly grew into a series of growls and barks, interspersed with the sounds a giant might make if he were trying to clear his throat of all the phlegm in the world. Alarmed, Mrs. Frazier stood at the top of her stairs and peered cautiously down, wondering why some escaped demon from hell had chosen her home to chew Read More

Fridays With Freddy: Women

Shari

Women. Every time I think I understand them, something inexplicable occurs. Last week for instance, I was taking my biped on his usual stroll through the finer parts of Cow Hollow, watching with my usual bemusement as he went about the business of meeting and greeting the hoi polloi, when out of nowhere a pack of females descended upon me with a level of urgency not typically associated with a random sidewalk encounter. In and of itself, this level of excitement is not unusual. I am adorable, after all, and people are often compelled to grope and ogle me on Read More

ADWEEK: My First Big Break

Shari

How Mike Went From the Opera to Somebody’s Gotta Do It. The CNN host never wanted a 9 to 5 gig By Chris Ariens Mike Rowe got his first big break in TV because of a bar bet and a pencil. Rowe, the longtime host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, who now presides over CNN’s Somebody’s Gotta Do it, told Adweek the key to landing the job of your dreams isn’t by doing something you love, but by doing something you’re good at. “Learn to love it later,” he says. Adweek.com

50 Shades of Doug

Shari

About that last video…(see below) Some of you know my old friend Doug Glover. Doug is a gifted and mostly fearless cinematographer who has excelled in his chosen field. But Doug also suffers from chronic disappointment, brought about by years of concessions and professional compromise. On Dirty Jobs, Doug was beset by a host of environmental challenges, including but not limited to very high places, very tight places, very wet places, and of course, a constant rain of feces from every species – much of which wound up on his lens. Somebody’s Gotta Do It is not quite as hellish, Read More

CNN: The art of lucha libre

Shari

Ryan Bergeron, CNN Clothes may make the man, but a mask transforms him into something more. “With just this mask, the life is changed,” Manuel Quiroz says. “Because when you put the mask on, you feel bigger.” Quiroz has become the go-to mask and costume maker for a new generation of fighters in the world of Mexican freestyle wrestling, known as lucha libre. The work is a labor of love for Quiroz, who spends 15 hours a day sewing the detailed masks and gear from his home in South-Central Los Angeles. When CNN’s Mike Rowe wanted a taste of the Read More

Hospitality

Shari

A quick word if I may, in defense of hospitality, customer service, and hope for the species. Last night, after a four-hour drive from Quitaque to Abilene, the crew and I were equal parts ravenous and exhausted. By the time we checked in to another Holiday Inn, the only place in town still open was The Taylor County Taphouse. According to Yelp, they serve dinner till midnight all week long. In reality, The Taylor County Taphouse closes at 10pm on Tuesdays, which made our arrival at approximately 10:15 completely useless and utterly heartbreaking. The remaining staff was very polite, but Read More

Fridays With Freddy: Let Them Eat Cake!

Shari

“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche!” Little help, si vous plait? On our morning stroll, the biped stopped to consider this sign, which he described as “ironic.” Is it? I found it merely sarcastic, or perhaps sardonic, with a touch of snark. But maybe I’m wrong? The sign is an advertisement for Kara’s cupcake shop. Kara makes delicious gourmet treats that I’m not allowed to have on account of chocolate being deadly. (Is that ironic, or just tragic?) Kara’s delicious cupcakes cost over $3 a piece, which may or may not be a problem, assuming you have a job, and some Read More

Big Gulp Justice

Shari

A couple of weeks ago, I was stuck in traffic on Lombard Street, desperate to get across the Golden Gate Bridge for a meeting I was doomed to miss. As I quietly cursed the faceless bureaucrat who approved road work during rush hour, the guy in front of me threw an empty Big Gulp out the passenger window. I watched the giant cup bounce around the street, roll into the curb, and come to rest on the grate of a storm drain. The guy was driving a Prius, and the irony was just too much to bear. I hopped out Read More