I recently confessed that Toto were one of my guilty pleasures, the band not Dorothy’s dog. I might as well go all the way by using one of their biggest hits as this week’s theme song. I hope the cool kids will understand.

David Paich wrote Hold The Line for Toto’s eponymous 1978 debut album. We have three versions for your listening pleasure: the studio original, Toto live, and Millie Jackson.

The featured image is of Dorothy singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow to Toto. Let’s listen in:

While we’re wizzing, a number from The Wiz:

We begin our second act with one of those radical shifts of tone this feature is known for. Call it a historical curveball but call it.

Royals & Nazis: What is it with royals and Nazis? What’s behind the fascination? Is it the uniforms, the spectacle, the unhinged rants of Hitler? Beats the hell outta me. You can’t explain the inexplicable. But Hadley Hall Meares gives it a shot at Vanity Fair.

Check it out, you might learn something. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all a Royal Scam:

Senior Roadies: I’m getting old, so I dig reading about people older than me who are still active. The NYT’s Tim Sommer has written a fascinating piece with a title that speaks for itself: These Roadies Help Stars Rock-n-Roll All Night. They’re In Their Seventies.

I know some might mock them as backstage dinosaurs but in any other field of endeavor they’d be lionized for still doing what they do. Long live the long-lived techs and roadies.

The last word of our second act goes to The Kinks:

We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.

Separated At Birth Skeet Shot Edition: I never miss a chance to kick Peter Thiel around. I know he didn’t learn how to be a Fascist at our shared alma mater San Mateo High School. Oy just oy.

Anyway, here’s a skeet pairing Daniel Craig and the Other Peter from the man who founded the Separated At Birth movement:

Separated At BirthStraight European-born movie star Daniel Craig playing strange selfish gay author people thought was rich….and strange selfish gay rich European-born investor/author Peter Thiel

— Kurt Andersen (@kurtandersen.bsky.social) 2024-12-29T19:48:27.334Z

Yeah, I know, there’s no such thing as a SAB movement. I gotta move on:

Your Weekly Oscar: Another Saturday, another OP-Sinatra doubleheader. It’s witchcraft, wicked witchcraft.

Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson?

We have another video doubleheader.

In the first segment we honor baseball’s Bob Uecker who died this week. The NYT obit headline nails the irrepressible spirt of the man: Bob Uecker, Clubhouse Wit-Turned-Popular Sportscaster, Dies at 90.

The Best Of Johnny: I talk a lot about New Orleans nice, Bob Uecker was baseball nice. More importantly, he always made Johnny laugh.

The Best Of Letterman: Henry Mancini meets Paul Shaffer on Late Night in 1988.

Classic Movie Trailer: The Magnificent Ambersons was butchered by RKO studio as a bizarre form of payback for Orson’s picking a fight with William Randolph Heart.

Shorter Adrastos: They bent the knee. There’s a lot of that going around right now.

There are unconfirmed rumors of a complete print somewhere in Brazil. I’m skeptical but I’d love to see more of Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead’s brilliant performances. I’m not holding my breath.

Saturday GIF Horse: Let’s wiz some more with Ray Bolger, Judy Garland, and Toto too. I never get tired of saying that.

Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.

Saturday Closer: Burt Bacharach died last year. Here’s part of a 2009 set from the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam.

That’s all for this week. The last word goes to the Oscar Peterson statue in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson? I never get tired of saying that. Over and out.