Recently in Did They Just Say Fresno? Category

January 23, 2012 4:31 PM

Fresno and its 15.7% unemployment ranks No. 2 on U.S.News & World Report's "Top 10 Worst Cities to Find a Job" list -- which hit the national spotlight today when it was prominently featured on Yahoo!'s. front page

Even more troubling: Six of the top seven cities are from the San Joaquin Valley with Merced at No. 1, Modesto at No. 3, Stockton at No. 4, Visalia-Porterville at No. 5 and Bakersfield-Delano at No. 7.

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There's got to be at least a little bit of sad irony in this happening on the same day an estimated 1,500 Fresno County employees walked out of their jobs as part of a three-day strike to protest a 9% paycut.

Mike Oz

January 23, 2012 2:10 PM

No doubt this State Farm commercial that aired a few times during Sunday's NFC and AFC championships games piqued the interest of tuned-in Fresnans.

See for yourself:

For anybody wondering: Yes, Journey did play Fresno in 1983. The concert was at Ratcliffe Stadium with Eddie Money opening and drew 25,000 people. It raised $50,000 for Valley Children's Hospital and was at the time, according to The Bee's archives, the highest attended concert ever in Fresno -- and I can't think of one that's surpassed it. Nothing in the archives about how many chicks were in attendance.

Mike Oz

January 10, 2012 3:22 PM

Of all the DTJSF moments in recent memory, I can't recall one where I get more tips than Sunday's "American Dad." I guess people watch "American Dad." I didn't know. Anyway, here's a joke about Fresno and teenage pregnancy. Thanks to Ernie for the video link.

Mike Oz

December 8, 2011 1:31 PM

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Take note, Fresno. If you wanna get named a "Patriot of the Year" by Esquire, Larry Powell has set the bar rather high.

The Fresno Country Office of Education's superintendent is profiled in the mag's "Americans of the Year" section after famously taking a $200,000 annual paycut to help our strapped-for-cash schools.

By the time he retires, Powell's act will have added more than $800,000 to the coffers of the Fresno County school system, all of which has been earmarked into a discretionary fund for arts programs as well as an antibullying program called Rachel's Challenge.

Mike Oz

December 7, 2011 2:24 PM

In a recent "Daily Show" piece about California's direct democracy woes, it looks like "reporter" John Oliver is hanging in Fresno. Astute "Daily Show" viewers might have noticed the Target at the end of the clip looks a lot like the Target at River Park. And, in fact, the address visible on the building matches the address of said Target.

Hard to say for 100% certainty it's a Daily Show/Fresno collabo, but I'm willing to claim it as a DTJSF moment -- even if the F-word isn't uttered. Note: While the Target scene is at the end piece, the whole thing is probably worth your five minutes based solely on our state's foul-mouthed Democratic chairman.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
California's Direct Democracy Troubles
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Mike Oz

October 20, 2011 12:28 PM

In last night's episode of the sitcom smash "Modern Family," Phil (the father) takes his oldest daughter to visit his alma mater, which appears to be Fresno State -- though the university is never mentioned by name. Beehive reader Cliff Nitschke writes:

Did you see "Modern Family" tonight? Phil took his daughter to his Alma Mater Fresno State, but it was filmed at UCLA. They even mention street names where the Frat Houses are located. Interesting...one of the writers must have a connection to CSUF. Nice Fresno reference although it isn't directly mentioned.

How do we know it's Fresno State in the episode? The clues:

  • In the opening scene we see Phil wearing a red "Bulldog" sweatshirt, and there's a running gag between him and Claire (his wife) about whether the mascot is the Bulldogs or the Bullfrogs.
  • Claire mentions that she has a free night because her husband is "upstate" with her daughter.
  • And the clincher: When Phil uses GPS to track his daughter, he learns her location is at "Cedar and Los Alamos" at a fraternity house. (I couldn't find a Los Alamos on Mapquest, but there is indeed a Fresno intersection of Cedar and Alamos right by campus.)

By the way, it's one of the funniest "Modern Family" episodes I've seen recently.

Donald Munro

September 20, 2011 10:58 AM

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One of the perks of being named the nation's poet laureate: You even wind up in The Onion. In what you can either view as a satirical swipe at the power of poetry or just an esoteric exercise in silliness, the humor site reported this "news":

Despondent citizens from across the country began gathering this weekend outside the Fresno home of 83-year-old Philip Levine, the California State University professor and poet who in less than two weeks will assume the widely celebrated title, beginning a yearlong term in which all Americans will turn their gaze upon him in search of hope and guidance.
"We've long relied on our poet laureates as a beacon of hope in times of trouble," said 55-year-old car mechanic Chuck Burgess, who traveled from Minneapolis to keep vigil alongside the many thousands waiting for the sagely Levine to emerge from his two-story ranch house and take up his new mantle. "Their masterfully crafted verses and subtle explorations of interiority dispel the nation's fears in a way that nothing else can."

By the way: Levine will give his inaugural reading as poet laurate on Oct. 17 at the Library of Congress.

Tangentially related: Notice the reference to Levine's post as a "California State University" professor? That's the consequence of having the official name of Fresno State as California State University, Fresno. The "Fresno" gets dropped all the time. And often it's when the name of the city isn't even in the same paragraph. The more I think about it, it's a really stupid policy.

Donald Munro

August 4, 2011 11:20 AM

Jason Bateman was on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night, promoting "The Change Up," and dropped our "F" bomb while talking about things we didn't know about his co-star Ryan Reynolds.

Here's another Ryan Reynolds did-you-know: Reynolds was featured in our very first "Did They Just Say Fresno?" way back in January 2007.

[video via Social Marketing 4U]

PREVIOUSLY: Did They Just Say Fresno? 'Captain America' edition

Mike Oz

July 21, 2011 11:45 AM

Captain America The First Avenger.JPG The biggest cheer at the advance screening Wednesday night of "Captain America: The First Avenger" didn't come from the transformation of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) from a 90-pound weakling to a super hero or the debut of his cool costume.

The howls came during a scene where Captain America frees a group of American soldiers from a Hydra prison. He had gone there just to rescue his buddy Bucky Barnes.

As the soldiers pour out of the cells, Cap asks if everyone is going with him.

The character played by Kenneth Choi, Jim Morita, tells Captain America, "I'm from Fresno."

That was all Captain America needed to know.

Comic book fans will recognize Morita from the Marvel Comics series "Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos." The character - a Nisei soldier who helped the Howling Commandos - was introduced in 1967. In the movie, he's a member of the Commandos.

Now, he's got a Fresno connection.

Rick Bentley

July 14, 2011 3:57 PM

A couple DTJSF moments from this week:

First, the Fresno Grizzlies' weekend promo where they team donned and then auctioned off special Harry Potter-themed jerseys caused a minor fuss online, thanks to Buzzfeed and others. Of course, the same ol' tired Fresno jokes ensued, as seen in this Yahoo Sports' "Out of Bounds" video featuring comic Frank Nicotero. It's the second item.


Here's a recent "Tonight Show" clip with a singer/guitarist from Oakhurst trying to impress William Shatner with the help of an accordion-playing dog.

Mike Oz

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