Tkachuk..Deal or No Deal?

-Hockey thoughts first...

-I could not be more happy for Al MacInnis. The man from Nova Scotia will join the immortals in the Hockey Hall of Fame in November. Everyone knows he belongs. The sport is lucky to have someone that brings unending class and grace to it by his association with it. I'm proud to work in the same building as the Stan Musial of St. Louis hockey.

-What kind of deal will Keith Tkachuk settle for with the Blues. Seems to me that 3.5 million for two seasons is a pretty good chunk for a 35-year-old who wants to keep his family in St. Louis. No, he likely won't be able to win a Stanley Cup in those two years, but is that really Walt's priority? I guess we'll find out in the next few days.

Family/business updates...

-A bit of a tease to the upcoming music product from son Ian's rock group...Chassis... now available on-line...click here

-Recently graduated son Stewart gets his first paid acting gig after college. Woo Hoo!! And it's a good starting place. The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre at Navy Pier. More info about Stew's first pro show here.

-Our ad agency...and my studio...are re-locating to new digs. We're taking up residence in a very nice space on the lower level of my friend Roger Wigginton's thriving clothing business....Don Rodgers Ltd. We're already receiving mail at 6727 West Main, Suite 1, Belleville, IL 62223. Put it in your rolodex or contact info.

Miscellaneous...

-It seems the last place in this country where anyone could get away with playing the race card is in the entertainment industry. But, that didn't stop fired Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington from doing just that. Click here for details. Wow...either that production company has a problem...or Mr. Washington has a larger one.

-Speaking of race relations...that topic ate up a good portion of the time in the latest debate among the Democratic presidential candidates. I would expect that to continue all the way to election day because of the presence of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He will not be able to avoid the constant scrutiny of his heritage...and she will hail herself as a champion of the downtrodden throughout whatever campaign either might have against the Republican candidate.

-Friend and colleague Mike Anderson rightly points out in a comment to my latest post that many of our age lost lives in southeast Asia in the 60's and 70's. I hope my comments didn't come off as overlooking Viet Nam-era veterans when writing about the bravery of the WWII era fighting man. My thoughts were more a reaction to the viewing of Band of Brothers than a comparative of the relative characters of the generations. Admiration and gratitude runs deep here for all who serve and have served.

-Paris Hilton...what's all the fuss?

-Two car bombs found in London. Three men being sought in the Birmingham area...a center of radical Islamic unrest in Britain. Religious differences may eventually be our planet's undoing. Or is our species smarter than that?

-The one Cardinals player who frustrates me the most is Scott Rolen. He has an enormous contract. He once was a player worthy of the big money. But he seems to be throwing a sure-shot Hall-of-Fame career down the outhouse opening. Always hurt. Rarely producing when he's not. Frustrating...very frustrating. But, I'll bet I'm not half as annoyed as Walt Jockety and Tony LaRussa.

-I was happy to provide the voiceover for an entry into this year's St. Louis portion of the 48-Hour Film Project. I was on-camera for colleague Tim Snider's winning entry..When Bags Attack.. last year. This year he produced an audience favorite...but not the big prize winner. If you'd like to take a look at this year's entry...Doer of Good...(you'll need a high-speed connection)...click here

-I'm still a big Chris Daughtry fan...and I'm very far from the only one. His post-American Idol career has been nothing short of amazing. Check out the latest news by clicking here.