WHICH TV FRANCHISE DO YOU FAVOR? ‘LAW & ORDER,’ ‘NCIS’ OR ‘CHICAGO’?

Just asking…

Of the prevailing TV franchises, which is your favorite?

  • “Law and Order,” the original  and its variants, like “Law and Order, SVU” (with Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson) and “Organized Crime”  (a new spin-off with Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler), and “CriminaI Instinct” in syndication. Also in the mix: “Trial by Jury,” “Los Angeles,” “True Crime.” The original ran 20 seasons ; “SVU” is the all-time champ, with 22 seasons and counting.
  • “NCIS,” the original as well as the spin-offs, “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” and the not-yet-born “NCIS: Hawai‘i”?
  • “Chicago,” and its trio of red hot hits, “Med,” “Fire,” and “P.D.”?

Current new “Law” and “Chicago” series are still in production, on primetime NBC and CBS,  but the reruns are plentiful, over several platforms, on KPXO (ION TV), USA, and other streaming services.

Procedurals, featuring crime investigators and first responders, continue to be  immensely popular and are not likely to disappear anytime soon.

FYI, the “Law & Order” template is not yet over; “Law & Order: Hate Crimes” and “Law & Order: For the Defense” are also brands seeking an audience; the former might emerge on the

But to which brand are you most loyal?

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST OF THE OLD HONOLULU STADIUM?

Just asking…

What memories do you have of the old Honolulu Stadium in Moili‘ili?

Honolulu Stadium, aka Termite Palace

Yep, the place that earned the nickname Termite Palace?

The site of many football games and ILH championships?

Where rivalries were truly intense?

Where Elvis Presley’s first Hawaii concert was staged?

Where the Goodyear tire encircled the clock?

Where the Hawaii Islanders played out many baseball seasons?

Surely, you have many fond recollections … so why not share and, if you have ‘em, post vintage photos?

Which fast food icon do you like?

Just asking…

If you had to choose, which of these fast food icons do you prefer?

— Ronald McDonald?

— The Burger King?

— Jack?

Some thoughts:

Clowns have become unlikeable, so Ronald has sorta been on furlough at McDonald’s. The film “It” probably widened the chasm.

Burger King’s king is kinda creepy, if you ask me. But he’s still around.

Jack in the Box’s Jack, with his ping pong head, still has the most bounce.

Maybe you like Wendy (a cartoon image) or KFC (Colonel Sanders revived as an animated figure in TV commercials). It’s all a marketing issue.

Just curious…

MISS THE IN-STORE NIBBLES?

Remember the food nibbles you got, at Costco outlets?

Might have been a morsel of Belgian waffles, a meatball, or a piece of Kirkland chocolates.

What about the mini-cup of somen at Marukai, or a wedge of a new brownie or cookie from Big Island Candies?

The pandemic made these nibbles-on-toothpicks taboo. Back in the day, I know a few fellas who mixed 40 minutes of Costco shopping to land six to eight freebies on his lunch hour. And with coronavirus, part-time hawkers of the goodies also lost their jobs.

There’s online chatter that some Costcos on the Mainland have been giving out “dry samples” –pre-packaged stuff – but not here.

What memories do you have of these now-gone promotions?

TWO ISLE SONGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BY HEART

As a follow-up to the last Just Asking, if you’re truly kamaaina, what two isle songs should you know by heart?

Meaning lyrics, even in Hawaiian?

Two tunes come to mind:

Among other songs you should know to be a kamaaina: “E Kuu Morning Dew” and “Hawaiian Lullaby,” the latter commonly referred to as “Where I Live, There Are Rainbows. No-no-no, those are the opening lyrics.

Now get going on your song contribution(s)…