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“Ron & Jen’s Great Escape” – 10-27-2021 – Ron St. Pierre & Jen Brien
by Ron St. Pierre & Jen Brien
PATHETIC PUFF PIECE
Anyone directly or indirectly impacted by the horrendous Station nightclub fire of 2003 had to be appalled by last weekend’s 48 HOURS show on CBS. Billed as “The Station Nightclub Fire: What happened and who’s to blame for the disaster that killed 100?” was a pathetic puff piece that didn’t contain any information that hadn’t surfaced in previous reporting on the fire. Even worse, the producers and the reporter who put the segment together never mentioned the club’s overcrowding that February night. Fire experts have long cited overcrowding as a key contributor for the blaze. It never came up on the package. Crickets. It basically allowed the two brothers who owned the nightclub to shift blame in multiple directions instead of looking at themselves in the mirror.
MORE “RUST” FALLOUT
The movie set shooting involving Alec Baldwin continues to be under a ton of scrutiny. While no charges have been filed yet, the investigation continues, and it appears to be zeroing in on Assistant Director Dave Hall. Hall was the last person to handle the weapon Baldwin ultimately fired resulting in the death of Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER says this isn’t the first time Hall has run into trouble on a movie set involving firearms. Hall was previously canned from the set of the 2019 film “FREEDOM’S PATH” when a gun unexpectedly discharged injuring a crew member and halting production. Still, you’ve got to figure this circles back around to Baldwin who is producing the low budget flick “RUST.” Reportedly there were multiple complaints about safety on the set and other accidental gun discharges. Doesn’t the buck stop with Baldwin and the other producers of the film?
THE PRICIEST PLACE ON EARTH
As you watch the price of a gallon of gas seemingly go up ten cents daily, don’t look to the House of Mouse for an escape from budget reality. Tickets to DISNEYLAND are seeing a major price increase and I’m assuming the MOUSE OF THE SOUTH, Walt Disney World, will soon follow suit. The lowest tier ticket price remains $104, but tiers two through five are ramping up between five and ten bucks with the highest tier $164 smackers. Just to park a car or motorcycle now will cost $30 dollars.
BRADY BUCKS
We now know what that Tampa Bay Bucs fan who gave back the ball Tom Brady threw for his 600th career TD pass on Sunday got from the team in return – and it’s some pretty good swag. ESPN says Byron Kennedy will get two jerseys signed by Brady, a helmet, a jersey autographed by receiver Mike Evans, who caught the touchdown and then handed the ball to Kennedy not knowing its significance, Evans game-worn cleats (oh boy, used shoes), season tickets for the remainder of this season and all of 2022, and a thousand dollar credit to the Bucs official team store. In 1961, Yankees fan Sal Durante was in the right field bleachers at Yankee stadium and caught Roger Maris’ then record breaking 61st home run ball. After the game he met with Maris and offered to give the ball to him. Maris autographed it and gave it back to Durante telling him to keep it and sell it to someone, which Durante later did, to a California restaurant owner for $5,000 dollars. Ahhhhh… inflation.
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Ron St. Pierre is a veteran broadcaster whose career has spanned over four decades. Ron has programmed, performed on and managed WHJJ, WPRO, WWRX, 790 The Score in Providence, as well as WBZT and WKGR in West Palm Beach and WABC in New York City. Ron also anchored sports on WPRI Ch 12 in Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He was born and raised in Pawtucket.
Jen Brien has over 20 years of radio broadcast experience having hosted shows on WPRO and WHJJ with Ron as well as her own shows on WRKO and WBZ in Boston, WXTK on Cape Cod and WHAM in Rochester, New York. Jen was born and raised in Woonsocket and served six years in the Army MP Canine Unit.
Hazel, Ron’s dog, makes regular appearances.
“Ron and Jen’s Great Escape” podcast, a more lighthearted reaction to the events happening around us, can be found on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes premiering Mondays and Wednesdays.