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The Coolest Cobra Strike You’ve Ever Seen

Every Mom at some point or another has worn a particular pair of glasses in her life.

It’s true.

As Beverly Goldberg demonstrated last night with a simple stroll past her two sons wrestling (excuse me, doing kara-te!) in the living room, she showed that she owned a pair of “Mom Goggles.”

Spoiler Alert: This is a recap of “The Goldbergs” from December 10, 2013

What are “Mom Goggles” you ask? It’s a specific type of lens a Mom sees the world through whereby which everything her child or children does is unequivocally amazing, perfect and life-altering. This special perspective is the equal combination of excitement, denial and a unique kind of love that only a Mother can give.

This guidance and encouragement can even lead to showing up at her son’s high school to threaten (in the funniest way possible) the talent show director, Mr. Glasscott, for denying her breathtaking Barry from shining a light on the world with his incredibly uncoordinated and non-karate karate performance in front of the entire school.

The performance would not be considered “cool” by any stretch of the imagination. The cool kids in the crowd would surely ridicule him.

Strangely enough though, after Beverly Goldberg’s meet-and-greet with Mr. Glasscott, that had elements of verbal karate, news broke in suburban Philadelphia the the Tri-State Talent Show Committee had overruled the high school and would, therefore, give Barry his black belt/his Dad’s robe belt back!

The only other thing standing in Barry’s was, well, a dinner roll.

And yes, this matter clearly warranted a Tri-State ruling. Those talent shows are incomparably high octane. Just be sure not to mess with the National Talent Show Committee.

While “The Karate Kid” was getting a Goldberg-reboot courtesy of director/robber with a panty-hose mask and lethal red light saber Adam, Erica was preparing to act cool by sitting in the front row to witness her brother’s genuinely spectacular knockout (KO). It’s what older sisters do (I know from personal experience). However, Pops didn’t see it that way. He saw the situation differently.

Call it “Pops Goggles.”

First, it was singing. Then, it was the banjo. The accordion was also mentioned as an alternative. No dice. Erica was as unmoved as Pops reading a magazine with “Eight Ways to Catch a Hunk.”

Then, after a frank discussion from Murray Goldberg to Mr. Glasscott, news broke again in the talent show universe when the National Talent Show Committee overruled the Tri-State Talent Show Committee to allow Barry to continue his dream of kara-te. What are the odds!? Although, it does makes sense: national would trump the tri-state.

The night of the talent show was ripe for glory, as well as a surprise or two…

The time had come for Barry to showcase his ninja skills, despite the very unusual bickering between the Tri-State and National Talent Show Committees and his Dad’s wisdom to refrain from performing with a touching story from his youth.

It was time to transform the high school auditorium into Barry’s own personal dojo.

There was just one thing standing in the way of Barry annihilating his competition: a last second realization of the humiliation of what was about to occur stage right. Then, out of nowhere, a familiar face appeared backstage. Finally inspired by her grandfather’s persistence (and a guitar with a sweet note), Erica decided to pull out her own ninja moves…

With a new, but trusty red electric guitar, Erica decided to hit the talent show audience “with her best shot” Pat Benatar style. It was sensational.

But what do you get when one Goldberg gets on stage?

Answer: Three Goldbergs!

Inspired by his sister’s courage, reception and song choice, Barry built up his own courage (and cobra strike) and took the stage for an unforgettable kara-te demonstration with zealous brother Adam. Not only did Barry and Erica shock the world/high school talent show audience that night, but a Christmas tree and a giant candy cane also got an unexpected surprise. The crowd erupted in cheers (not laughter), which led to a standing ovation of family and friends.

Even Murray was overcome with excitement and uncharacteristic pride.

What really sealed the deal was a magical move from Barry who, somehow, manged to break a piece of wood with his foot!

It looked something like this…

(It also helps if the director/younger brother replaces real wood with balsa wood)

Every parent wants their children to succeed and there are moments of unfiltered pride that may seem utterly strange and, by all accounts, bad from everybody else’s perspective. But sometimes that overzealous, unrelenting support can lead to a pretty spectacular result.

And Beverly couldn’t have expressed her love for her children any better than the following statement of poetic genius for her middle child Barry.

“No one tells my baby he can’t cobra strike!”

“Mom Goggles” can be pretty cool.

Diving Without a Cage

“Shark Tank” is a popular television show on ABC that highlights the complexities, tribulations, success and wild creativity of burgeoning entrepreneurs. These aspiring capitalists are usually met with harsh realities (and some praise of course) from the show’s all-star business panel, featuring Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary (aka-Mr. Wonderful), Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec. Each of these businessmen and businesswomen has a great (and in some cases surreal) success story in starting a business and subsequently building an empire.

If there’s a puppy around, then you’ve certainly got the attention of Mr. Herjavec (Hint: no matter the product, bring a puppy!).

The expert panelists listen to a pitch, which comes with an offer that reveals what the person(s) believe is their company’s valuation along with a percentage of ownership for a Shark if they are to invest. The Sharks investigate the product and then engage in an exchange focused on the company’s financial house in an attempt to find any leaks or faulty structures.

This process can be as stressful as, well, starting a business. The great catch of the show is that if one (or more) of the Sharks like the product and/or company, then they can accept the entrepreneur’s offer for capital investment and a percentage of the company or make a counter-offer, all with their own money. Not the show’s money, but their personal money. Consequently, the deals are difficult to come by on this show. There have been some great ideas that were passed on because of one lagging metric, statistic or personal characteristic. However, if a deal can be made, the deal will almost certainly pay immediate dividends because of the popularity of the show. This has been proven in seemingly countless testimonials by former deal makers.

For a show that plays at 9:00 p.m. on the now prime time-less Friday night, “Shark Tank” has done tremendously well. According to “TV by the Numbers,” last week’s episode saw an all-time series high in ratings with 7.5 million viewers. It “equaled a season high in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6). It was Friday’s #1 TV show on both counts.”

It’s a perfect show for America because of the country’s history and necessity for the entrepreneurial engine, then and now. Each member of the panel is a self-made/entrepreneurial millionaire or billionaire. The fortunes, the products and the jobs these individuals have created are undeniably impressive. It’s remarkable what these people, like so many other hard-working Americans, have built from the ground up.

And yes, they/we did build that with hard work, long hours, incredible levels of uncertainty and risk, ingenuity, courage, business savvy and a wherewithal to survive.

It’s very difficult to start and/or run a business, despite what some may foolishly believe.

As a fan of the show, it was exciting to watch a clip recently of a well-known pitchmen who appeared on “Shark Tank.” It’s from a few years back, but it should bring back some fond memories…

Saved by the bonds of business and friends.

Happy Monday!

The work week can feel like a treacherous labyrinth with a myriad of turns and trick doors that lead to only one rewarding exit. And once Monday morning hits, it can hit hard. Loosely planning our schedule for the week Sunday evening is instantly translated from an outlook to reality when our alarms abruptly ring Monday morning. It’s here and it’s real.

How are we supposed to approach the work week with this unwelcome jolt of musical tunes/tones?

Some days require laughter, some days require inspiration and some days require the mental equivalent to coffee with shots of acute cognitive awareness…with a timer.

This may even come from somewhere you never expected. But when you arrive and realize how to play the game, you never want to leave that place.

Happy Monday!

The Sound of Something Familiar

“The Sound of Music” is widely considered to be one of the best (if not the best) musicals ever written and performed, both as a play and as a major motion picture in 1959 and 1965, accordingly. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer both gave unforgettable performances as Maria Rainer and Captain von Trapp in the film adaptation (plus we can’t forget about all the von Trapp children!). The movie received great acclaim with an Oscar for Best Picture.

It’s a beautifully entertaining classic now and forever into the future.

Last night, NBC attempted to revive the magic of “The Sound of Music” with a live 3-hour performance (with a commercial here and there). Favorite scenes and songs were portrayed and sung by the cast, led by Carrie Underwood, who took on the iconic task of Maria. Of course, there was “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and “Do-Re-Mi.” However, let us not neglect for even another second about all of us universally recalling “My Favorite Things.”

Did Carrie Underwood do well? Was the high-pressured production worth the extraordinary effort? That answer will likely vary depending on one’s allegiance to the masterful film and Julie Andrews herself, but I found myself thinking of a different adaptation last night. Well, maybe just one specific scene 20 years after the sensational release of “The Sound of Music” movie.

It came to me like a dream…

Julie Andrews vs. Chevy Chase: It’s a toss-up (not really, but both give classic performances, just for different reasons)