Plus, an all Dick Clark edition of the retro headlines with American Bandstand dancer Bunny Gibson, Bloopers producer Bryan Michael Stoller and entertainment reporter/$100,000 Pyramid winner Andy Culpepper.

Rock and Roll has lost one of its greatest ambassadors. Dick Clark, who brought popular music into the homes of millions of teenagers as the host of American Bandstand, has died at the age of 82. For decades to follow, Clark would continue to add to his iconic status with shows like $10,000 Pyramid, TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes and his annual Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Years Eve.

Shadoe Stevens, former American Top 40 host and current announcer for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, called Clark “a foundation member of the whole music generation.”

Stevens, taking part in a previously scheduled interview with Just My Show, said “He was a guy who took a simple idea and made it iconic and was a really good business man and somebody to look up to.”

The interview along with additional coverage of Clark’s passing is scheduled to be released in a new Just My Show podcast later this week.

While the story is making its way around the web as breaking news, it’s actually not a complete surprise and the city has the signed photo to prove it. Still, Springfield’s mayor is happy to see the city making headlines because of its pop culture connection.

“I think anytime that we can have some positive publicity and positive feedback is always a good thing and The Simpsons is very popular,” Mayor Christine Lundberg told Just My Show by phone. “…I know a lot of people relate to it and so we definitely can relate to the more endearing things, although we don’t have a nuclear power plant and aliens have never attacked and I…don’t look like Mayor Quimby. I’m not corrupt. And if I just had a sash though, that would be very cool.”

According to the mayor, Groening has yet to visit in recent years, but has a standing invitation to tour the city. Of course, no tour would be complete without taking a picture with the life size Simpsons display at the Springfield Oregon Museum.

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We’ll also cover as many of his classic roles as we possibly can: The Goonies, Risky Business, La Bamba, Eddie and the Cruisers, The Sopranos. There’s just too many!

And while you’re listening, pre-order his upcoming book Asylum on Amazon.com!

“Oh oh oh, ice cold milk and an Oreo cookie, they forever go together, what a classic combination. When a dark delicious cookie meets an icy cold sensation, like the one and only creamy crunchy chocolate O-R-E-O. Keeps your milk from getting lonely.”

Have truer words ever been sung? There have been many versions over the years, like this 1980s commercial featuring a young Brian Austin Green. All though, instantly transport you to another time and make it virtually impossible not to follow the instructions laid out in the original. Before you start dunking though, we have a little something to get you in the mood.

This afternoon, Just My Show celebrated Oreo’s big day by chatting with ad man Tony Jaffe, who wrote the cookie’s classic jingle way back in the early 80s.

What kind of guidelines did they give you going in? What did they say they wanted?

What was happening is that the store brands were undercutting ‘em in price. You know, like Hydrox and whatever the other was…the other competition was, and they wanted to make sure that everybody knew that Oreo was…for lack of a phrase…as put in the song, is “the one and only.” You know, and nothing could top it. So it was those guidelines and, you know, of course, everything you could do with an Oreo. Twisting it off, dunking it in milk, building a cookie tower with it. All of that stuff.

What was your process like? Did you sit around eating Oreos? Any moment where you came up with the concept that you remember?

Yeah, I remember exactly how I did it. I mean, I knew “the one and only” and I was playing the guitar and there was a song by Herman and the Hermits called Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter and I was playing that and I was singing it. And then I just played the chords and stopped singing it and then the tune just sort of popped into my and  it’s the exact same chords as Mrs. Brown, You Got a Lovely Daughter, but I started singing another melody over it and then I just wrote the lyric to it.

What’s the sort of key to writing something like that, that’s almost like entertainment and part of your culture rather than, you know, a sneaky commercial?

I always felt…no matter what I was doing that, you know, you had to be entertaining or nobody was gonna listen to whatever it was that you’re saying. And fortunately for me and working on the product, you know, it was…the cookie itself was an icon and the advertising just had to get out of the way of it.  Do you know what I mean? You didn’t want to do anything to it to get in the way of its reputation and…the thing that was neat about it is that it actually worked and even though it was higher priced than the store, you know, than the competition, it started to pull away from ‘em because of that. And the song lasted, I don’t know, 20 years or so. They were still doing it in one way or another.

But everyone still knows it so well. I mean, how does that feel knowing that it’s…part of people’s childhood?

Here’s the thing. With that song…when I did it, I knew that they would…because of the lyric as well, I knew that Nabisco would by it in a heartbeat because it just felt right. I gotta admit. I mean it just felt right. Did I know it would last 20 years? No. I mean, cause that’s really rare. But [Nabisco] did.

I took my guitar out there. I sang on the thing and I, you know, there are certain layers at the company that you have to go through, like assistant brand managers, brand managers, product brand…you know, whatever it was up the line. And we went up the line, I think we went up four layers in one day which is really rare. And then the president, his name was John Greeniaus at the time, he bought it, you know, in a heartbeat. So that was very cool.

And then, I must have done about 20 different kinds of lyrics. Because, you know, there was the first one which was the “keeps your milk from getting lonely”…and then there was “bright ideas and an Oreo cookie” where we, you know, we did all kinds all kinds of things that you could do with the cookie that were unexpected. That was the second one. I mean there was just a whole bunch of them. But the tune was really memorable…obviously. It just felt right from the beginning.

Today, the 100^th birthday of Oreos. Any thoughts on the product itself and the fact that it’s still as popular as it ever was?

Yeah. I mean, here’s the thing is that even after they stopped using the song…whoever the agency is now, they’ve been doing great work on it. You know, they’ve been true to what the brand is and they’ve done some really, you know, heartwarming stuff without being sappy. They always make you smile. So I give…whoever the agency is now, a lot of credit.

And last one, the obvious one. Do you actually like Oreos? Do you eat ‘em a lot these days?

Yes I do. I don’t eat ‘em a lot. I have to keep my body, you know. My six pack. But I do eat them.

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Cameron, who has said he found religion as a teenager during his run on Growing Pains, at times reportedly took issue with the show’s morality. “I think that the way I probably handled myself back then was a little less graceful than I would like to do that now,” he later said while appearing with his castmates on Larry King Live, the show that previously held the time slot now occupied by Piers Morgan Tonight. The TV family appeared to have worked through the issue though, with Cameron saying, “I think I’ve been forgiven.”

In light of Friday’s controversial comment, Just My Show invited another former Growing Pains actor and previous JMS guest to share his thoughts on the situation. Actor and comedian Bill Kirchenbauer played the recurring role of Coach Graham Lubbock, Mike Seaver’s teacher and occasional mentor, before starring in the Growing Pains spin off Just the Ten of Us.

Statement from Bill Kirchenbauer to Just My Show:

“When I first started working on the show, Kirk was a very nice well mannered young man who seemed to have his ego in check. Some time after he turned religious, he then started doing things like getting Julie McCoullough fired because he thought her to be an immoral young girl because of her appearance in Playboy. Not very Christian like…To denounce homosexuals the way he has, is to denounce a number of  the very people that worked on Growing Pains day in and day out to make him a very famous and wealthy man. To work in show business and have contempt for and not accept gays is like working at Disneyland and not liking children.  His statements are deplorable and just shows how he has been brain washed  by the extreme religious haters. If anything, I think people like him are ‘detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.’”

Just My Show, while generally non political in nature and a long time fan of Kirk Cameron’s work on Growing Pains, strongly disagrees with his extreme point of view on this topic. JMS has extended Cameron an invitation to discuss the issue further on the podcast.

Davy Jones had a likability and sincerity that carried over into his singing. It’s what made Daydream Believer The Monkees’ classiest and most endearing tune, if not their biggest. It’s why the news of his unexpected passing has been all over the internet. People are truly sad about this one.

Whether you think the Monkees were a legitimate band or a really good fake one, Davy was a real entertainer. Not only did his iconic voice bring him success in music, but also on Broadway and, of course, on The Monkees television series that later gained him an entirely new generation of fans  thanks to its airings on MTV. Despite co-starring in his own series though, his most memorable TV appearance may well have been his guest spot in the classic 1971 Brady Bunch episode Getting Davy Jones in which Marcia tries to make good on a promise to get Davy to sing at her prom.

“Among the television shows that I did, and I did probably 50 or 60, that happens to be one that people remember,” said actor Britt Leach, who played Davy’s manager in the episode. “My memory of Davy is that he was a dear man. It’s a very sad thing, you know, when a good guy dies, passes. It’s sad for all of us. I think he brought a lot of pleasure and a great innocent pleasure. I underline that. I think that’s needed these days.”

Leach, who’s been seen in such films as Father of the Bride and Weird Science, told Just My Show that he’s only seen the Brady Bunch episode once or twice in the 40 years since it was shot and is quick to make fun of his haircut (right) in what was one of his earliest TV roles. “I got my screen actor’s guild card in 1968 so I was only three years in and very lucky to have the job and I hope I helped out in the episode.”

While the specifics of that one day on the set are a bit hard to recall so many years later,  the now retired actor has a pretty good idea of why Davy’s popularity has endured. “We have so much garbage out there and I’m not one for censorship but I sure do like wholesomeness,” Leach told JMS. “The sweetness of the man comes through and I think that’s cherished these days.”

The Berenstain Bears, first introduced in the 1962 book The Big Honey Hunt, have also appeared in several TV specials, two separate cartoon series and a variety of toys and products.

“These two people, Stan and Jan, were married forever, were dedicated educators,” The Berenstain Bears voice actor Brian Cummings told Just My Show. “They loved the kids and they loved doing things that were good for kids. So every show was destined to have a point and to have a purpose and to mean something to kids. And I think over the long term, stuff that really means something survives over things that are just merely entertaining.”

Cummings, who has voiced characters in countless animated series including DuckTales and G.I. Joe, played the part of Papa Bear in the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon that aired on CBS.

“I think that the thing about the Berenstains are it’s a family,” Cummings said by telephone, shortly after learning of the author’s passing. “It keeps the comedic stuff that people laugh at, so dad’s a bit of a buffoon sometimes, but not a total one. He has some wisdom. It’s just that he kinda needs to be completed by the strength and the intellective mom. And the two kids are..I think people related to them because it relates to their lives.”

Cummings says that while the characters’ creators were not frequently present for the show’s production, it was very obvious that they were highly involved. It’s their vision, he says, that’s responsible for the series’ success.

“There are some things that are done for little kids that don’t have great stories and great production values and great characters,” he told JMS. “Berenstains did and it started with Stan and Jan. It’s like Dr. Seuss’s stuff was great because it came from the mind of Ted Geisel. And that was Dr. Seuss being intuitive and knowing what he did and doing it well. Stan and Jan were the same way.”

The orange Dodge Charger, famous for its bolted doors emblazoned with the number 01, has drawn criticism over the years for the Confederate Flag that covers its roof. The flag has long been the center of debate among those who find it racially offensive and those who consider it merely a symbol of southern pride.  

“The image of the Confederate flag is not something that should play an official role in our sport as we continue to reach out to new fans and make NASCAR more inclusive,” said NASCAR spokesman David Higdon in a statement printed by the Associated Press. Watson addressed the issue on Twitter where he can be seen in a photo with the famous car. “The track ask me to drive it,” Tweeted Watson. “I bought [the] car because of the Dukes Of Hazzard show, I don’t stand for the flag.”

In 2007, Just My Show raised the issue with Dukes of Hazzard star Tom Wopat (seen in photo), who said that at the time of filming, the Confederate Flag wasn’t nearly as politically incorrect as it is today. “Obviously, there’s problems with the Confederate flag,” Wopat told Just My Show. “You know, that’s inherent.” But the actor also believes that the show maintained a strong fan base in the black community. “I think you’ll find a huge huge majority of them did not…I mean didn’t really take that as a personal affront,” he said. “I think we were a huge hit among the black populace…and I don’t know that I can back that up, but I’d be willing to bet.”

So what’s your take? Did NASCAR make the right call or cave in to political correctness? Share your opinion our poll.

Just My Show had a chance to talk with Merrill and Rubicam about Whitney’s passing last night in the hour leading up to the Grammy Awards.

I’m not seeing a lot of the fans and the media focusing in on [Whitney’s problems]. It seems like people are putting that aside and just kind of going back to that time where she was the biggest thing in the world and, just emotionally, really being shocked and connected to how good she was. Is that what you’re finding?

Shannon: Absolutely that’s what I’m hearing because you could, you know, dig not very deep at all and come up with plenty of lurid sounding material regardless of its truth or not. But I think people really want to honor her and they’ve been touched by her deeply and they loved her joy factor and they loved her soaring beautiful voice and they want to celebrate that because she was a gift in their life and that’s how they’re feeling and they didn’t experience all that other mess and that isn’t what they would want to think of her as.

George: It’s not what we want from our icons, you know? I think many of us were hopeful that Whitney would be able to overcome some of her travails and from what I hear, it sounds like she’s about to come out with a movie project with Jordan Sparks and, you know, people are lauding it. It sounds like it’s gonna be, you know, a big deal and it sounds like there were aspects to her life that were coming together. So, you know, it’s hard to know. We just don’t know enough yet to talk about that side but…

Shannon: That will never be known.

George: Yeah, maybe not.

Shannon: You know, I think that’s a tough one. She was truly experiencing numerous meltdowns and that’s a sad thing for people to watch and so they very naturally want to focus on how great she was.

George: Yeah. I think so. Yeah.

We don’t generally try to rank singers historically, you know, in the same way we might rank shortstops and quarterbacks. If you had to though, where does Whitney’s voice stack up among the all time list of great female voices?

Shannon: I put her right up there with Billie Holliday and with…Janice Joplin. So Janice Joplin and Billie Holiday and Whitney. I mean I think, in their very different ways, they’re all just glorious.

George: I also would just add that I think Whitney defined another category…and I think there have been singers that, you know, that have come along since that learned from Whitney, that grew up with Whitney, to learn how to sing…but I just don’t think I’ve heard anybody on par with her. There are some wonderfully expressive singers, you know, as Shannon said. We have a great crop that are gonna be out there tonight. Adele is a phenomenal singer. There’s just a quality in Whitney’s tone when she was in her prime. I just don’t know if anyone’s achieved that before.

People may not realize, I certainly didn’t realize that How Will I Know was originally written for Janet Jackson. Looking back, was that the best rejection you’ve ever gotten or would it still have been a hit if Janet sang it?

George: Boy, good question. Well I think where Janet Jackson was in her career, she was heading in a completely different direction. She was about to do her Control album with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis…and it was, you know, it was a complete departure from the lighter, breathier pop, R&B sound that she had going. So when we wrote How Will I Know and Shannon sang the vocals with a quality, you know, similar to the way Janet was singing at the time…You know, I’m sure when it was sent in, they thought “nice song but it’s not really the direction that we’re going.” And as songwriters, when you write songs for other people, you know, that’s something that you become aware of. It’s either right or its not. So we’ve been blessed, fortunate that, you know, we’ve had people excited about our songs and sing them and have, you know, iconic success with them as well. So we have that to go along with the many times that we’ve also heard that the song wasn’t quite right.

Shannon: Right, but I think, you know, in the case of How Will I Know, we were just so fortunate that it ended up in Clive’s [Davis] hands and then he passed it along to Narada Michael Walden to record with Whitney and all of the right elements came into play and made it a successful song. I mean, successful beyond imagining.

George: Yeah.

Shannon: And for us to hear her voice on that song and how she lifted it up into another stratosphere, was really something.

I think How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody seem straight forward in terms of the meaning of the songs but is there anything about either the lyrics or sort of the writing process of those songs that people might be surprised to hear?

Shannon: I think that they might be surprised to know that as I was writing the lyrics to I Wanna Dance With Somebody, there was a little bit of darkness in my feeling about it. That real sense of longing and loneliness that someone can feel when they realize they don’t have a plan for the evening and they don’t have someone to connect with, someone to go out and have fun with and to, not just go and dance dance with, but to do that life dance with.

George: I think Narada and Whitney conveyed that really well too because it was such a party, you know, in the chorus like that but there’s that pause, you know…”But when the night falls, loneliness calls.” It’s just that little pause before the open breasted chorus, you know?

Shannon: Yeah, well and George and I one time did a version of that in performance where we opened it up as a balled and it makes a beautiful ballad cause it’s sort of a mournful quality to it as well as a celebratious dance floor song. You can do it either way.

How has your experience with these songs and Whitney changed your life?

Shannon: Immensely.

George: Forever.

Shannon: She brought us a visibility that I don’t think we would have achieved had she not recorded our songs. And she also gave us confidence we probably also would not have had going forward as songwriters and as performers for Boy Meets Girl. So that was a huge change for us. I really think that it was everything. It made the difference. And I’m just incredibly grateful to her for that. And for making the experience being in the music business so joyous for us.

How do you think Whitney may have changed the game in terms of her influence on other artists…or did she just do it a lot better?

George: I think she just upped the bar, yeah. I mean we already talked about the fact that Janet Jackson was presenting pop R&B with that sort of breathy sort of, you know, light quality and that was, you know, that was accepted, you know…but there was nobody, I mean nobody in the modern age…I mean Aretha was still having hits. I mean she did have Pink Cadillac and all. But, you know, nobody past the 60s had really defined R&B like she ended up doing…She stepped into the role and created a genre I think.

Shannon: Yeah, I think she mixed in more of a pop sensibility.

George: There was. There was a raw…our original demo for I Wanna Dance With Somebody was kind of a rock demo. So I think there’s a level of intensity that she also conveyed. I’m not saying it was cause of the demo. I’m just saying…I think it suited her because she was aggressive. It wasn’t just passive.

Any final thought on, you know, a particular sort of moment in the experience, in the connection with Whitney that means something extra special to you, or any particular way you’re gonna remember her?

Shannon: I’m going to remember hearing her on the radio because the radio was, at the time, the prominent delivery system for music, and I’m just going to remember hearing her on that car radio going by the house and feeling, you know, like she was, she was my girl.

George: Yeah…I will always forever be proud of, you know, our linkage with her through our songs and…these are somewhat sad days and, you know, I go between celebration and tears right now and, you know, it’ll be a while before we can completely celebrate again. But I have to say, you know, she was unique and there’ll be no one that can ever step into those boots. She did it her way.

Learn more about George and Shannon at boymeetsgirlmusic.com.  -  “Like” Just My Show on Facebook. Follow Just My Show on Twitter.