The Real Darren Stevens

02/28/2026

Oh noooooo - 50 years!!!!

50 years ago tonight “The Mr. Bill Show” first appeared on the February 28, 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live.

During the first season of SNL, they asked for viewers to send in home movies, so Walter Williams created and shot a Super 8 film starring Mr. Bill, his fog Spot, Sluggo and Mr Hands and sent it in.

This parody of kids clay animation shows was a hit & vIewers wanted more

After submitting 5 other short Mr Bill films, Williams became a full-time writer on the show in 1978 until 1980 writing and creating more than 20 episodes of the popular Mr. Bill.

His last SNL sketch aired in 1982 season, where Mr. Bill moved to Los Angeles.

Since then he’s had a 1986 live-action Showtime film ‘Mr. Bill’s Real Life Adventures’ with Peter Scolari as Mr. Bill, a weekly series on FOX (Mr. Bill presents) and a bunch of home video releases, ads to protect the wetlands .... While it lasted, Mr. Bill was incredibly popular and cemented a place in pop culture

Sadly nothing since the late 80’s

I’m a fan ... I had t-shirts, toys, posters, pins, the books ... whatever I could find

In 2003 I even created this poster parody of a popular new movie release ... which I thought would tie in nicely with the Mr Bill franchise

So here I am hoping ….really, really hoping that SNL tonight will have a mention, clip, guest appearance - anything to mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary on the exact date that The Mr Bill Show debuted -

I guess we’ll see ???

02/14/2026

Let’s just say I have ‘issues’

Happy Valentines Day


FYI - this is not an actual issue, but it is based on an actual issue of 70’s Tiger Beat magazine with the dreamy Shaun Cassidy on the cover

02/02/2026

Thanks a lot Chappell Roan !!!

Now I have to find something else to wear to the next work party!!!!

02/02/2026

Happy Groundhog Day!!!!!

From the Groundhog News Network, here now is your 2026 recap of todays events

* Punxsutawney Phil DID see his shadow when he emerged from his den in western Pennsylvania meaning 6 more weeks of winter

* Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring after he DID NOT see his shadow

* Shubenacadie Sam who lives at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Nova Scotia was snowed in with 23cm of snow - so no result this year

* Lucy the Lobster in Barrington, Nova Scotia DID NOT see her shadow and predicted an early spring

* Fred la Marmotte in Quebec DID NOT see his shadow predicting an early spring

That’s 1 of 4 ( for this year) calling for 6 more weeks of winter… 3 of 4 calling for an early spring!!!

For those keeping track at home

In 2025
Phil saw his shadow
Willie didn’t see his shadow
Sam saw his shadow

In 2024
Phil didn’t see his shadow
Willie didn’t see his shadow
Sam didn’t see his shadow

In 2023
Sam saw his shadow
Phil saw his shadow
Willie didn’t see his shadow

In 2022
Willie didn’t see his shadow
Phil saw his shadow
Sam saw his shadow

In 2021
Willie didn’t see his shadow
Phil saw his shadow
Sam didn’t see his shadow

In 2020
Willie didn’t see his shadow
Phil didn’t see his shadow
Sam saw his shadow

in 2019
Willie didn’t see his shadow
Phil didn’t see his shadow
Sam saw his shadow

In 2018
Willie saw his shadow
Phil saw his shadow
Sam didn’t his shadow

So there we have it, yet another Groundhog Day in the books

This concludes our special coverage of Groundhog Day for this year … we return you now to your regular feed

Kids - yes you still have to go to school



Shubenacadie Provincial Park

02/01/2026

Cause I know some of you wanted to know ….

Here’s my 2026 WWE Royal Rumble ramblings:

Stage 10/10
Stage setup was impressive!!!!! Better than Wrestlemania!

Crowd 0/10
With the spectacle the stage delivered I wish I could say the same for the crowd. Almost empty stadium, non existent and very lackluster reaction, zero excitement… the tv screens during Covid matches had more presence than this crowd

Women’s Rumble 8/10
Was hoping for a Jordynne Grace win (to set up and end Jade’s horrific non existent no excitement championship reign) or Tiffany Stratton as a good comeback angle but the Liv Morgan win sets up dome nice tension within The Judgment Day after she eliminated Raquel Rodriguez.

Gotta say NXT call-ups came to play & were a highlight of this snd the mens rumble match - Sol Ruca was a star!!! Kelani Jordan, Jacy Jayne were amazing. Lash Legend gave a strong performance despite the horrible crowd reaction

Oh ya Brie Bella returned
So there’s that
No Bianca Belair, no Trish, Lita, no AJ Lee, Paige… no????

AJ v Gunther 7/10
Decent match … we knew it was coming. Again the limited audience that was there didn’t deserve for that to be AJ’s final WWE match. He kept his gloves on to fight another day … whether TNT or AEW so we haven’t seen the last of the Phenomenal 1

Sami v Drew 3/10
This could’ve been dealt with on Raw or SmackDown couldn’t it? Love both characters but not the most exciting match. A surprise Sami Zayn win would have set up for a bloody vengeful retaliation from Drew McIntyre storyline but oh well

Men’s Rumble 5/10
Starts with masked person taking Bronn out before he gets to the ring … who is the masked person? I’d say Logan Paul

But anyways …

Again NXT call-ups were killer! Je'von Evans showed everyone why he belongs! Amazing! Trick Williams was good - omg Oba Femi...such presence! They should have left him to tie or beat Brock’s elimination record. Speaking of Brock - the stand off with Oba were nice but really went no where, could have built to something… oh but wait Brock is only there part time

La Parka … not really sure it was the actual La Parka but ok
Powerhouse Hobbs or Keyes wasn’t a good showcase for a debut.
Mr Iguana always good to see

El Grande Americano and ‘original’ … would have been much more interesting if when intro music played both ‘Americano’s’ came out, wearing identical costumes, did the Spider-Man meme point at each other then broke into a fight with each other and never made it to the ring

Jey Uso …. Jey Uso was a joke… he’s become his own parody. Yeeting to the ring wasting his 2 mins and then continuing to play it back in the ring was an absolute joke. Come on Jey - do better … you know you can
While everyone was yeet’ing we miss Brock getting eliminated

No other surprises in the ring . no Jericho

Well I guess Gunther pulling double duty at entrant 30 was a surprise
A bigger surprise would have been for him to win it!!! Talk about building his story arch of the career killer!!! Ends AJ’s career snd eins Royal Rumble on the same night!!!!
Sets him up to take down Brock next … which would have been another good in ring staredown had Brock not been eliminated

No surprise with the Roman win
I would’ve gone for an LA Knight win, would have been a good surprise push for his anti Vision storyline … and would have had everybdy calling for L A Knight - Yeah!

One last thing … that half empty stadium and lackluster crowd really really sucked

Paul "Triple H" Levesque

12/15/2025

Today is CHUO 89.1 FM’s last day of live broadcasting …. Sad

Housed at the University of Ottawa campus, CHUO FM has been active in different forms since the mid-70s and just recently failed to reach its fundraising goal.

It’ll fulfill its CRTC requirement with pre-recorded content until March 2026, when it leaves the air for good …. Just sad

All because approximately 3.8% of uOttawa students refused a levy of $5 a term…. Really sad

It’s sad that the students see no value in radio.

Even worse that they saw no value in their own radio station!!!!

This hits hard in that, for better or worse, this was where back in 1986-88 when it was known as CFUO, a young Darren Stevens got his radio start …

I’ve posted about this a few years ago and the free reign that I was given, how it allowed me to open up and catch the ears and attention of listeners … and future employers

I wasn’t the only one - Other notables who got their ‘start’ at CHUO are my friends Tom Green, Adrian Harewood and quite a few others

Dug out some old posters, pics, etc

11/23/2025

I SURVIVED!!!!!

Flashing back to 1978

“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

The infamous quote was from “Turkeys Away” the Thanksgiving episode of WKRP in Cincinnati

From the series first season, it aired Oct. 30, 1978 … just before Halloween, and almost a month ahead of actual U.S Thanksgiving which was on November 23rd, 1978

TV guide called it one of the greatest episodes in TV history.

Agreed

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends

11/10/2025

50 years ago … and the legend lives on


November 10, 1975 - The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a Lake Superior storm with the loss of the entire crew of 29.

She was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes when she launched on June 7, 1958 …and she remains the largest to have sunk on Lake Superior

Other than the Titanic, the Edmund Fitzgerald is perhaps the best known shipwreck in history, a large part of that is due to the hit song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" written, composed and performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot who drew his inspiration from a Newsweek article titled "The Cruelest Month" published in the November 24, 1975, issue.

The song appeared on Lightfoot's 1976 album 'Summertime Dream' and the single version hit number 1 in Canada barely a year after the disaster on November 20,1976

11/08/2025

On November 8th, 1971 Led Zeppelin release ‘Stairway To Heaven’ on thier 4th studio album commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV

What did they slow dance to at school dances before this?

Enjoy this classic from SCTV

SCTV - parody commercial for Stairway To Heaven LP This video is for historical purposes only. This content may contain materials that may not be reflective ...

11/07/2025

60 years & still Poppin’ Fresh

Poppin’ Fresh, widely known as the Pillsbury Doughboy, was ‘conceived’ as an idea by Leo Burnett Advertising Agency ad exec Rudy Perz and fleshed out the concept with copywriter Carol Williams on March 18th, 1965
After a little time ‘in the oven’ and 8 months later on November 7, 1965 Poppin’ Fresh popped out of the oven & onto our tv screens in his debut commercial for Pillsbury crescent rolls

Since then, Pillsbury has used Poppin’ Fresh in more than 600 commercials for more than fifty of its products…. Added a wife, Poppie Fresh in the 70’s and later an entire family their children Popper (son) and Bun-Bun (daughter), and his grandparents Granmommer and Granpopper. his Uncle Rollie, the family dog Flapjack, and the cat Biscuit.  

Yes - Nothin’ says Lovin’ like something’ from the oven

If you give me a ❤️ I’ll give you a belly poke

Pictured 1972 Poppin Fresh & 1973 Poppie Fresh toys