Famous Not So Famous People - Part Deux

A few months ago I began to realize that our country was singularly focused on certain types of celebrities. Some of which were talented and some of which had of people name recognition. I began to realize that there are individuals out there who have reached celebrity status but are not as recognized for their talents. This is a list is dedicated to those minor but fascinating celebrities that don’t get as much notoriety as they probably deserve.

10. Seth McFarlane –Aged 37 – Roaster, Writer, Crooner and Master of Adult Animations

Seth is one of the highest paid writers in television. He is also one of the smartest guys in show business. He does a lot of the animation himself, he writes the dialogue and he voices many of his own shows. He is also an incredibly gifted musician. Macfarlane was trained by Frank Sinatra’s vocal coaches and he is an accomplished pianist. Macfarlane has appeared on various entertainment shows and performed jazz standards. Most know him as the creator of “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show” but in reality, he created a new genre of programming. If “The Simpsons” are considered an adult cartoon, his shows can be described as the very sophisticated version of adult cartoons. The content and subject matter is two degrees above a more PG “Simpson’s” show. But simply creating a show is not enough to make my list. He is also very plugged in to social issues as an activist, advocate and proponent of pot legalization, gay rights and other liberal policies. If I were ever asked what famous I’d like to have dinner with, Seth McFarlane would be a slam dunk choice. He is interesting to listen too, very entertaining and

really kind of a showbiz throwback.

9. Arne Duncan -Aged 47 – Obama’s Chicago Wingman and US’s Top Teacher

Do you know who the 16^th most important person in The United States. That’s right, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He has been pals with Barrack since their days in Chicago. Arne ran the school district their and now he runs a 71 billion dollar operation with over 5,000 employees. We can’t blame him that our schools are some of the worst in the world. I mean the man can’t take tests for every underachiever in our school system.

Erica Hill– Aged 35 - Television Chatter and The Apple of My eye….If I were single

This lovely womancaught my eye when she was Anderson's Sidekick. In an age where news stations are dominated by sexy bimbos, Erica personifys the rare blend of charming, attractive, sensible and most importantly, credible face of broadcasting. She is both engaging and reputable and really demands our attention. These days she is co-hosting The “Early Show” on CBS. Too early for me to watch but I enjoy catching her on the CBS Evening news when she occasionally fills in for vacationing regulars. In all seriousness, she is an up and coming journalist who is really tuned in and easy to cheer for.

7. Paul Maracrelli –

Aged 41 - The Verizon Guy

There are two places where you can earn millions of dollars by saying five words. The first is being a popular ring announcer and uttering the words “Lets Get Ready To Rumble.” The other is being a multi-talented actor who catches a break and asks audiences around the US “Can you Hear Me Now?” I imagine that he is constantly approached by adoring fans and asked to say those words “Can you Hear Me Now?” But for Paul, it could be worse.

On his deathbed, the doctor probably asked Gary Coleman for one last “What’cha Talking About Willis.” None the less, Paul was in his glory from 2002-2010 as the highest paid television commercial actor. Sure he has done some regional theater and various other commercials but none of them will ever bring in the cha-ching that he netted by Verizon.

6. Julie Taymor aged 58 – The Lion Queen

Ms. Taymor cements herself as probably the best ever at her craft. Since broadway musicals are a piece of the Americana experience, we must acknowledge an applaud her talents. As a director, she has earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. She has also a MacArthur Fellowship to her credit that is awarded for genius in theater. Her ultimate shining moment was in 1997 when she revolutionized The Broadway musical. With her pedigree in puppetering, she made large animals come to life in the stage adaptation of “The Lion King.” The detail, imagery and captivating creativeness of the characters is the hallmark of that shows longstanding run. It earned her 2 Tony awards and a reputation for success in stage and screen. She was set to work with Michael Jacksons “This Is It” Live tour until he unceremoniously overdosed on protofal.

Oliver Platttt – Aged 51 -The Perenial Bridesmaid of Leading Men

One of the things I love about the movies is there is always a guy/ gal who shows up in tons of films but never gets top billing. Certain guys bring in certain bucks. Would you show up to see Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Will Smith and Harrison Ford? Sure you would. But would you go to a movie to see Oliver Platt? Your first question would be? Whose is Oliver Platt? I’m sure you recognize him by the photo but until now, you never knew his name. Nor could you imagine that he appeared in 42 major films in the last 22 years. Most of them were blockbusters like, Flatliners, Indecent Proposals, A Time To Kill, Simon Birch, Kinsey, Frost/Nixon, 2012 and X-men. We also can not discount his television credits in The West Wing and Nip-Tuck. The man is the ultimate person for my list. He is everywhere but no one knows him.

4. Pippa Middleton – Aged 28 – The Most Famous Maid of Honor Ever

The cats out of the bag. At this juncture Pippa may be the most well-known person on my list but for all the wrong reasons. She didn’t write a hit song, win an Emmy, cure cancer or fly into space. She did wear white to her sister’s wedding and indvertently stole all the media attention. By media, I’m not talking about the standard videographer you see at a wedding. I’m talking about the 7500 videographers capturing her sister’s nuptials to The Duke of Cambridge. Her sister Catherine (Cate) married Prince William and is now heir to the throne. Pippa has maximized her family fame by being Englands famous socialite. She appears at events, offers fashion tips and will now be fodder for English tabloids for years to come. The best way to for her to retain perpetual celebrity status is quite simple….settle down with Harry.

3. Steven Levitan – Aged 49 – The Man Behind The Words

Steven Levitan is the best writer in Hollywood. This statement can easily be validated if you have your television set to ABC at 9pm EST on Wednesday evenings. Then you will agree with not only me but essentially every voting member of The Emmy Awards. In 1989, Levitan was working in advertising and took a liking to the show “The Wonder Years.” He sold a script for one of their episodes and thus a “modern” day writing legend was born. His credits include “The Larry Sanders Show.”“Just Shoot Me,” “Stark Raving Mad” and “Stacked.” But none of them can hold a candle to his gold-plated work in the comedy “Modern Family.” Once again this is not my personal opinion, this is the opinion of people in show business. In full disclosure, Levitan has a writing partner named Christopher Llyod, who is equally deserving of accolades. The truth is that neither of these guys would be recognized in public yet they are the brains behind one of the best-written shows currently on television.

2. Kinda Hibrawi -

The Arabian Painting Sevant- Aged 38

It is hard enough making it as an American painter but for Kinda, she is making it as a Syrian American Painter. Of course I can’t resist her flock of red hair but the coloring of her pastels are even more pleasant to take in. Her diverse makeup of Saudi, Lebanonese and Syrian decent is quite a mix but her westernized work is embraced by many around the world. She is a highly sought after speaker and her work is showcased in various embassies. She is currently the curator of a small art gallery in California but her talents to my list blend the best of art and inter-cultural excellence.

1. Jim Steinman

– Aged 64 – The Man Behind The Great Hits The problem of being a ghost writer is that your name often appears in very small print. The problem with Jim Steinman is that everyone knows his songs but didn’t know that he wrote them. Allow me to name a few, “Total Eclipse of The Heart.” “Making Love Out of Nothing At All,” "It’s all Coming Back to Me Now"….Then there was Meatloaf. Jim Steinman wrote nearly all of Meatloaf’s hits from the 1970’s to 2000’s. These included “Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad”, “I’ll do Anything for Love” and “Bat Out of Hell.” Steinman has worked with Barbara Streisand, Def Leopard and Barry Manilow. Quite diverse you must say. He wrote songs for the hit movie “Footloose” and wrote lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical “Whistle Down The Wind.” I think it’s very important to acknowledge greatness even when greatness rarely gets the credit. I believe behind every great performer is a person(s) that are giving them the melody to make that performer even better. That has always been journey of Jim Steinman’s career.

I Remember 9/11

I don’t personally know anyone who died on 9/11 but every time the date comes around, it is a reminder of where I was, what I was doing and how the tragedy of that day has affected my life. On September 11^th, 2011, I was a 22-year-old kid looking for a career (Funny how little changes in a decade because the job market still sucks today but I digress). It was the awkward transitional period of my life of fresh out of college to a hopeful professional career. To earn some money while I while I awaited calls from HR departments, I decided to work for a caterer.

This caterer, Gourmet Vendor, was also a reliable source of income for me while I was in college too. It was a great part time job, which was now leading to more hours since I had more available time. On this gorgeous Tuesday morning, I was assigned to work at an open house for a newly constructed housing division in Suburban Philadelphia. On the menu was popcorn, cotton candy, soft pretzels and soda. On this particular job, I was assigned to work with Mike Cotellesa, a quiet and very likable co-worker for this particular job. We were expected to meet at the catering warehouse a few hours prior to the job taking place so that we could pack up the truck and prepare for the event. My reporting time was 10am.

Because mornings and I rarely agree. My plan was to wake up at 930am, leave the house at 9:45am and arrive at the warehouse at 10am, When I awoke that day, I was completely unaware that death and destruction had already struck in America. Since Philadelphia and New York are 100 miles apart, there was no way for me to know what has already taken place. Being tired and limited on time, I never bothered to put on a television. When I jumped in my car, I immediately blasted my Meatloaf CD to wake me up a bit in put me in a good frame of mind for that day.

I arrived at the warehouse at precisely 9:59am. This is when I first learned of the terrorist attacks. My boss, Brad, had a small TV at the warehouse. Mike had already arrived and the three of us watched endless replays of the towers collapsing. Even still, I didn’t know the facts nor did I comprehend the magnitude of the situation. My thought process was that that most people had exited the buildings before they had collapsed. I also thought the flights were not commercial airliners but smaller airliners. My initial thought was that the death toll was less than 100 people, which is still tragic but not enough to change the world.

There were virtually no calls coming through to my cell and there didn’t seem to be any panic or urgency from what I can see. Mike and I packed up the truck and headed to the job. On the way, we put on the radio but every channel was overtaken with national news services. This was the first time I ever experienced this kind of thing in my life. The fact that the news took over all of our rock stations led me to believe that this was much bigger then I initially suspected. I recall hearing early reports of 10,000 + deaths. I remember looking at Mike and thinking, how can we even serve at this event? Not to mention, will anyone even show? After we finished setting up, we stood there paused in time. We were worried about finding a plug for a portable popcorn machine and in New York, Washington and Western Pennsylvania; people were worried about whether their loved ones survived the horrific events.

After about 45 minutes, the host of the open house soon realized what we had already known…no one wants to see or buy a home when our country was under attack. We began to pack things up and head back to the warehouse. The next few hours were a blur, we were captivated by the news reports but we both decided that we need to quickly clean up the supplies and head home. When I arrived home, my parents were not back from work but I was able to reach them on the phone. My sister was at her boyfriends at the time (now husband) and my brother had just arrived back from his day at work. At the time, he was just a few weeks into his new relationship with his girlfriend (now wife). I remember sitting on the sofa and flipping through the channels. ESPN had now focused on how the attacks would be affecting sporting events; MTV suddenly became a news reporting channel. Even the premium channels changed format. It became all 9/11 reports all the time. This continued for at least a week.

The visions constantly replayed in my mind for the next few weeks. I remember the first time I saw actual footage of the planes slamming into the Twin Towers, I remember seeing hoards of people running down the streets of NY to avoid getting hit with the mushroom clouds and I remember seeing people place missing person posters in and around the destruction and damage. Deep down, they knew what we already known along but they just wanted the world to see that the deceased had names, fruitful lives and families who loved them.

3,652 days have passed since September 11^th, 2001. From a personal standpoint it’s been the busiest 10 year of my life. I aged from 22 to 32 really quick. I have lived in 5 different places. I have since had 6 full-time jobs, 10 girlfriends and one wife (I got to stay committed to something). I didn’t even meet my wife till 3+ years afterwards. Now, I’m months away from having a kid of my own. My brother and sister who were each early in relationships with their respective girlfriend and boyfriends at the time, I have since married those individuals and have each had two children since 9/11. People have come and gone in my life, including my grandmother.

Ten years is a long time but for those who lost loved ones on 9/11 it probably still feels like yesterday. It’s a day that may have not changed my life directly yet it still has a profound personal effect. The way we profile people, the method of how we secure public passageways, the way we invest our money. It all stems to the events of that one day. It stings but there is still a moment of thankfulness. I am fortunate to be able to live my life and progress in my life but for many others, their lives will never be the same. I remember 9/11.

MAN AND WOMAN TO HAVE BABY!!!

For Immediate Release

Man and Woman To Start Family

Warrington, PA – Representatives from the Rosenbaum family have confirmed that Ryan and Pamela are set to begin their family in mid/ late January, 2012. Both parents are super-excited and as you can see by the video below, Grandmother-To-Be is also thrilled.

This is will be Pamela’s first child and this will be Ryan’s first child…that he knows about. The baby is set to be born at Abington Hospital or in front of a television, whichever is more convenient for Ryan at the time.

Mother-To-Be, Pamela is been experiencing lots of odd cravings like California rolls, milkshakes, donuts and mac and cheese. She has also been extremely tired and constantly nauseous. She apparently is the first pregnant woman to experience these symptoms. The Soon-To-Be Parents are eager to share the news with the world. In order to answer the questions that frequently proceed such an announcement, the Soon-To-Be Parents would like to state the following:

They will be finding out the babies gender in September. The babies name will begin with a “’B’ , ‘H’ , “M” or “R’” in honor of deceased relatives whose names began with those letters. The baby will hopefully get its looks from its mother.

The baby will grow up of the Jewish faith. He//She will be loved unconditionally….as long as He/She doesn’t

A. Grow up to be a Cowboys fan

Or

B. Pick up a side job at Double Visions

Pamela and Ryan are happy to not only celebrate this joy with friends from around the world but they are even more excited to share this joy with their parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Press and Media are invited to join us for the bris and or baby-naming at date to be announced shortly after the water breaks.

The Rosenbaums are a kind lovable couple who currently reside in Warrington until they can find a buyer or the government intercedes. They met in 2005, while doing community theater. They were engaged in May, 2007 and married in November of 2008. This August they will be married for 1000 days.

THE PIANO PICTURES OF LIFE

I apologize for my long delay in writing. This blog is my canvass for laying out my opinions and thoughts. I try to always put a positive spin on things but over the past few months there have been some life-altering events that have rocked my world. At the time of these events, my emotions were too raw to express in words. I choose to take a breath and allow time to be my vehicle to gather my deepest thoughts and put it into a writing prose.

These life-altering events all fall under the common theme of Life Cycles. I hope you can stick with me through my philosophical view of what can be often deemed a mundane subject. One of the most often used phrases of all time is “There are two guarantees in life; Death and Taxes.” I have a slightly different saying that excludes any references to the IRS. My saying goes like this:

There are two guarantees in life, Birth and Death. It is what you do in between those events that really matters.

Life is often measured in milestones and stepping stones. We are born, we learn to walk, we learn to master the use of the toilet, we learn the alphabet, we graduate from various schools, we have our first kiss, we learn to drive, go to college, get married, have kids of our own, master the art of canasta and eventually die. Not all in that order. In my family, there is order to all of these achievements…until recently. I think many of you who are close to me know where this blog is going but I feel as though it will be more crystallized after hearing about my personal anecdote.

My father plays the piano. Since as long as I can recall, my dad would strum away on the piano that sat in our family’s living room and I would sing a long. Sometimes my brother would sing too (until he became too cool for it). We tried to keep my mom and sister out of it for musical purposes. Above the piano hung three symmetrical pictures. One was of my brother as a young child, one was of my sister as a young child and the other was of me as a young child. It was in chronologic order. In 1987, my brother’s childhood picture was replaced with his Bar-Mitzvah picture. Four years later, my sister’s picture was replaced with her Bat-Mitzvah picture. The following year, my picture was replaced with my Bar-Mitzvah picture. Everything was in order and it was my parent’s way of documenting our life cycles.

In 2002, my sister was married to her childhood friend. Thus her Bat-Mitzvah picture became her wedding picture. Subsequently, my brother was married in 2004 and his Bar-Mitzvah picture became his wedding picture. For the next year or so, my Bar-Mitzvah picture looked odd next to the two wedding pictures. So Mom and Dad replaced my picture with the one of me and Pamela (My then girlfriend/ eventual wife). We were only dating for 8-9 months at the time but I guess my parents had a strong intuition.

As an aside, I recall my in-laws coming to my parent’s house for the first time and their eyes were immediately drawn to the “Piano Pictures of Life.” I think they felt that being positioned next to two wedding pictures gave me and Pamela’s picture a more suggestive outcome. Never the less, we were married in 2008 and the suggestive picture was replaced with the real wedding day photo. In my parent’s eyes, the “Piano Pictures of Life” came to a full revolution. Everything was as it should be. Complete quid pro quo.

A few weeks ago, we learned that my sister’s pictured marriage was shattered…metaphorically speaking. Without going into great detail, her husband decided to leave her after 9 years of marriage. It has left an enormous hole in my sister’s heart and has left the rest of us quite befuddled on how this can occur. My maternal grandparents were married over 50 years, my paternal grandparents were also married over 50 years, my parents are married over 40 years. These things don’t happen to our family.

As hard as it was for me to wrap my head around this event it didn’t truly sink in until two days later when I walked into my parent’s home. “The Piano Pictures of Life” had been changed. My brother’s wedding picture stayed up as did mine. My sister’s picture came down. My sister sat in the other room in a pool of tears and my young niece was asking why Mommy and Daddy’s wedding picture disappeared from above the piano. It was hard to contain myself. I went to the bathroom, had a bit of a cry and returned to the piano area, where my sister and my parents sat with a gloom that I have never seen before in my life. I can’t even begin to put it in words.

The point of my story is that every family has their own little way of recognizing life cycles. Our family seemed to celebrate life’s progression through pictures above the piano in our parent’s house. Who knew that sometimes life can regress too?

It seems as though Mom and Dad have recently filled that space with a picture of their 4 adorable grandchildren. It does seem to radiate some more joy around the piano. I suppose one day my sister will learn to smile again and I’m positive she’ll find that same love and joy she put forth in her nine year marriage. I look forward to that day when a new picture emerges. I can see my Dad playing the piano, looking above and knowing that the “Piano Pictures of Life” have once again been restored in perfect harmony.

MY IDOL ODDS FOR SEASON 10

It’s that annual time Folks. Since its getting harder and to keep up with the Oscars movies. I'm sticking with reviewing the 24 wannabes of American Idol'ers fighting for our phone votes and now online votes.

By the way, the new addition of voting online is part of an Idol producer conspiracy to brag about how many people voted this season thus creating the perception that Idol is bigger then ever. In reality, the interest / intrigue is probably up this season but like previous seasons the viewer numbers are dropping quicker than Charlie Sheen movie deals. To spare idol the embarrassment of poor television ratings, the producers added online voting to get them over the “numbers are dropping focus.”

The truth is that there are a few surprising things that I am enjoying about this season thus far. Let’s start with the judges. Randy Jackson has taken on the role of the mean guy. He seems to be more comfortable as the elder statesman and at times been brutally honest. Something he lacked as the 3rd wheel of past seasons He still doesn't have the charisma and wittiness of Simon Cowell but Randy’s minor faults are compensated by the addition and attention of Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo) and Steven Tyler. When I first heard that J-Lo and Tyler were taking over the judge’s chair, I was not enthralled nor excited about change. I am a traditionalist. It seemed like producers were putting a band-aid on the corpse of American Idol.

Now that we are a few weeks into this season, I find myself harping on each of their critiques. Quite frankly, they have a lot more credibility then Simon can ever offer. Simon provided wit but he never performed to sold out performances like J-Lo and Tyler. the corpse is now slowly resurrecting.

With that being said, every Idol has been taped thus far. That includes the performances tonight and tomorrow (Thursdays result show will go live). When the show goes live, we’ll be able to better determine if Tyler and J-Lo are solid judges or just easy to edit.

As for the talent. Let’s all just agree that this is the best group EVER. I know every year the judges hit the talk-show circuit and are forced to give the “best ever” rhetoric. But this year it's true for a definable reasons.

A. A. As I mentioned earlier, these judges actually know who can truly perform on stage. When you are a seasoned pop star, you have an eye for these sort of things as opposed to a record producer that sits at a desk with a CD player listening to endless El Divo tunes.

B. B. The extra rounds in Hollywood really weeded out the talent this season. In the past, they came to Hollywood with 150+ good accapella singers. This year they had 300+ and they really put them through the ringer. First the old “sing for me on stage with all your peers listening" round. Then the over-emotional/ grueling group performances. Then a Beatles Duet/Trio in 24-hour Vegas challenge. Then one more “sing for me in front of your peers” challenge.

Unlike past years, I agreed with almost all of the Top 24 Picks. My initial thought is that the boys are a bit stronger then the gals. I have 6 guys in my final 10 but I do have a female winning this year. My other thought is that because of the overall strength of the males, we lost 2 to 3 solid talents. Namely Fat Bieber (Jacee) and Gods Saint (In my opinion) Chris Medina. My Idol conspiracy Gods tell me that each of those guys had such a nice story and demeanor that it would have been a disadvantage to the other contestants to keep them on the show. How could you not cheer for a guy who stays faithful to his fiancée despite her being in a near vegetative state? It just breaks my heart.

As for predictions. I once again set the odds using a few set of Idol principles. None of them being a talented singer. Lets be honest. They are all quite talented at this point. Otherwise they wouldn’t have made it thus far into the show. Sure some may eventually crack under the pressure but when you set odds, you have to think of the people voting.

A. Soccer Moms – Who will be voting for the hottest guy –I’m not sure but I’m guessing Jovany Berretto since he showed us his Abs

B. Gays – Who will be throwing their support behind Brett Lowenstern

C. The Teenagers – Who stick behind other teens – Scotty McCreery and Thia Megia, Robbie Rosen

D. The other things to look out for are humbleness (So long Jordan Dorsey and Clint “Trendy Glasses” Gamboa). Hello Robbie Rosen, Casey Abrams and Naima).

E. Idol voters also like contestants who fly under the radar/ don't get a lot of early camera time due to lack of personality (Lee Deywze, David Cook, Kris Allen)

F. Storyline – From scrubbing the toilets (Naima and Lauren) to battling back from a motorcycle accident (Stefano), Julie Zorilla (Defecting from Columbia) and everything in between. Everyone wants a good story to go with their Idol.

So when you add voting demographic +likability+ under the radar personalities+ good storylines. You have to put the odds like this:

Jordan Dorsey – 250:1

Kendra Chantelle – 235: 1

Tatynisha Wilson – 200:1

Rachel Zivita (aka Girley Gaga) – 195:1

Karen Rodriguez – 170: 1

Clint Jun Gamboa – 150: 1

Lauren Turner – 100: 1

Tim Halperin - 60: 1

Haley Reinhart – 56: 1

James Durbin (The Straight Lambert)- 45: 1

Scott “Turn Out The Lights” McCreery- 87:2

Thia Megia – 40: 1

Lauren Alaina – 79: 2

Jovany Barreto – 30: 1

Jacob Lusk – 25: 1

Ashton Jones – 22: 1

Brett "The Jewish Carrot Top" Lowenstern – 20: 1

Stefano Langone – 18: 1

Naima Adepo – 16: 1

Robbie Rosen – 15: 1

Pia Toscano – 12: 1

Casey "Seth Rogen"Abrams – 10: 1

Paul McDonald – 8: 1

Julie Zorilla – 5: 1

As for my personal favorite 6;

Casey "Seth Rogen"Abrams - Who by the way was rushed to the hospital last week and was released so he could perform in Fridays taping.

Brett "Jewish Carrot Top" Lowenstern

Naima Adepo

Thia Magia

Julie Zorilla - Seems sweet and musically inclined

Robbie Rosen (We are both jews with the "RR" initials + our last names are similar

If I Were A Rich Man!!

Let me ask you all a very personal but rhetorical question. What do you think about before you go to bed each night. Like most of you, I have a lot of stressful things occurring in my life so to ease my mind, I can only think of one thing....Money.

I'm not greedy, I'm not materialistic, I'm also not counting on having any of it but if money does come my way, I already have it quite figured out. I actually have a notepad next to my bed to record new thoughts on how I would handle my new fortunes. I would now like to outline some of my ideas with you.

Tonight the Mega Millions jackpot is at $330 million dollars. I have 4 tickets (fingers crosses). When my numbers come onto the screen, I will calmly awake my wife and inform her that tomorrow would be her last day of work...ever. Next I would break something very expensive. Why? Just because I can.

After the shock wears off, I will hire a lawyer and financial planner to protect me right away and make sure this shit is really legit. I will then walk into The Mail and Parcels Store in Warminster, where I purchased the ticket and tell the owner, Ed, who by the way is a terrific business owner, that we are now each wealthy. He gets a $1 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket + I will give him another $1 million because he is a good dude and he gets all my packages mailed on time.

I would opt out of the silly annuity plan. I won't test my limits of living for an infinite amount of time. I just want the cold hard cash in the bank. That automatically reduces my payoff to roughly $162 million. Somehow I'll manage to live with that. I will then immediately consult with my financial guy to make sure Uncle Sam gets his share, which knocks me down to roughly $122 million...Once again, it's still enough to make it Pamela's last day at work. Fortunately I won't have to quit my job because it was lost back in August, which make me winning that more important and this juncture in my life. I will act in a mature manner is I tease any past employers who may have evil to me by putting a hundred dollar bill on a very thin string and watching his face every time I pull it away but I digress.

My $122 Million

Family Ties

For me it's all about family first. Mom and Dad get a cool $6 million as does my in-laws, my sister/brother-in-law and my brother/ sister-in-law. By virtue, I've taken care of nieces, nephews and future generations of Rosenbaums.

Only $98 million left

Digging Out of A Hole

Between cars, credit card bills, school loans and bobbleheads I have pretty close to $75,000 owed in debt that needs to be paid off...Boom...done. Pamela, also wants to move. Money can easily buy any house we want but part of me wants us to be modest and not go overboard. So I'm thinking a $500K suburban single with a nice yard, big basement, classy kitchen, would be good. Like I said, I don't want to overdo it so I'm only hiring 12 housekeepers, 4 innkeepers and 6 gatekeepers for my new guest home that will surround my 15 million dollar mansion. I'm kidding, $500,00 for the house, maybe a small modest beach condo to go with it My goal is to live for at least 5 years without paying a single bill. That means my utilities, cellphone, insurances, will all be prepaid...No More Bills. This will all take a million to happen.

Only $97 Million Left

Remembering Those Special Teachers:

I never forget those educators who have had a profound effect on my life. I will identify 3 specific teachers / professors, who have given me confidence when my hope was down and have instilled me with the tools needed to face the world each day. What else can you give those who graciously took my virginity. They each will deserve 1 million dollars each for those fond memories. Don't laugh. they asked me how big is a yardstick and I showed them.

Only $94 Million Left

My Social Profit-Network.

I currently have 763 friends on Facebook. Some I like more then others but all will be part of my social network profit. I will be handing over $5,000 to each friend in my network. It'll be my Oprah moment...You get $5,000, You get $5,000, You get $5000. So please don't befriend me or you won't get your money. If you are currently not on my friend list there is still time. Because I am vein, I am offering 237 lucky people the opportunity to be on my friend list. Just send me an essay on why you should be worthy. The reward is not only the opportunity to be my fake friend, which is enough to make anyone feel good but you will also receive my $5,000 gift. Thats $5,000 to 1000 Facebook Friends. Thats $5,000,000 million....keep checking my facebook status for some big news.

Only 89 Million Left

Charity

There are some charities that are near and dear to our hearts. We actually donated some of our wedding money to Stand-Up To Cancer, Broadway Cares and The American Heart

Association.

I will be adding to that list, Golden Slipper Club

and Charities and The Juvenile Diabetes Association. Each will receive a million dollar donation. I will then hold a contest and grant 4 million dollars in endowments, grants and scholarships for worthy artists and hard-luck scholars.

Only 80 Million Left

Time To Help My Close Friends

We all have friends who are struggling in one way or another. Maybe they need that lift to finish paying on school loans, need some money to

start a small business, want to start a 529 so their kids can go to college, maybe have some kind of medical hardship. I'm investing 1 million to help my friends in need.

Only 79 Million Left

Helping Out The Homeless

I want to surprise 3 homeless people and award them with 1 million each. There is a duality to this gesture. In order to receive my gift, the will need to let me document the next 365 days of their life. I think it will be an interesting project and make for an awesome documentary movie filmed by my awesome wife. The one caveat is that they will not be allowed to use any money for gambling, drinking or smoking...Good Luck future homeless stars.

Only 78 Million Left

F-U Money

Now that I took care of everyone else, it's time to do some things I always wanted to do.

Pamela gets a boost to our videography company. More cameras, more advertising, more employees, more workspace and hopefully more jobs.

While she is busy with her video editing, I will be buying luxury box seats for every professional sporting event in Philadelphia. Once again, I share this gift with my friends. Anyone interested in a good seat for the Flyers, Sixers, Eagles and Phillies, give me a call.

Lastly, I will use the money for travel. Like with everything, there will be a twist.

A. I will be taking all the guys in my fantasy football league to Clearwater, Florida for a week to see our Phillies play in pre-season baseball. 12 guys on a warm Florida beach in the city that gave us the first Hooters. All expenses paid by your friends at Mega Millions (via Ryan Rosenbaum).

B. I'm Taking 250+ family and friends on a Cruise in 2013 to help celebrate me and Pamelas 5th wedding anniversary.

C. I'd also like to go Africa, Australia and China (not all in that order).

Ok That leaves me about $73 million...Sounds about right.

I'm gonna invest nearly all of it and live off the interest. Conservatively speaking that'll bring in 10% a year. So in less then 10 years, We'll be back where we started. So we can spend it all again.

So in closing, I'd like to say that winning the $330 million dollars would be somewhat satisfying but sharing it and helping others would be the ultimate satisfaction. Its nice to have something to think about before I go to bed each night but it would be so much better if that bed was gold-plated with diamonds.