H-e-l-p! They must have needed somebody!: All the world is, of course, abuzz and in wonderment if Beatles legend Paul McCartney passed through Bloomington-Normal the other afternoon. This is even more outlandish: Apparently he actually did. | Read more Flick

While you might have recently been on vacation last week to cap your summer, McCartney apparently was on his, too.

Paul McCartney? The musical mantelpiece for an entire age? Where does an international icon go for vacation?

These days, if you had not heard, his magical mystery tour is getting his kicks on Route 66.

According to the Chicago Tribune, quoting the London Telegraph that quotes "friends," McCartney, 66, and his new flame, Nancy Shevell, 47, found the beginning of Route 66 one afternoon last week while in Chicago and, ensconced in a 1989 Ford Bronco, "headed south on the hard road" to "leisurely" do the 3,000-mile road trip on the "storied" highway. It was reportedly so Nancy could get "a wish" and the "two lovebirds could bond through the heart of America."

As if that is not romantic enough, Paul reportedly even packed his guitar.

At 11 a.m. on their first day out on the road, they are said to have stopped off at the Route 66 Welcome Center in Joliet.

By 5:30, they are known to have been at a Circle K in Springfield to fill up on low-lead, where Paul also posed for a picture (seen on YouTube) with a cadre of male fans.

Of course, that means that at - say - noon, McCartney was tooling Pontiac. By 4, he was probably low-riding Lincoln.

Between that of course is what Paul confronted in B-N, where Route 66 starts on Shelbourne, then veers onto Pine, then onto Linden, then onto Willow, then onto Main, then onto Wood, then onto Morris which these days is also closed because of construction.

Two lovebirds trying to bond their love by driving "romantic" Route 66?

After confronting the remnants of it here, they must have been ready to turn around here and go back to Chicago.

And wouldn't it have been more fun if they had been driving a Beetle?

Today's deep thought

As mulled by Gary Dreher of Chenoa:

"I have been a Cubs fan for more than 50 years. Do you know if that makes me eligible for handicap license plates?"

Radio daze: While all forms of the media suffer a bit these days as the world transitions to the Internet Age, radio still takes a solid No. 1 for job insecurity.

Take Maria Henneberry.

An ex-WMBD reporter and WYZZ anchor, Maria most recently has been a cornerstone at Cities 92.9, a B-N FM entry, hosting a talk show on topics like politics, family issues and daily news.

On Sept. 27 in Crystal City, Va., Maria will, in fact, also make national news when she accepts the Association of Women in Communication's National Headliner Award, an honor already bestowed to such folk as Barbara Walters, Rita Cosby, and even Heloise.

But Maria probably won't mention her Cities 92.9 gig.

That's because she walked into work the other morn - it was even her birthday - and was asked to step into a manager's office for a moment.

That also was her last moment.

She was dismissed "immediately," with word that the station is "taking a new direction."

Those are famous words in radio. Last words as well … stay tuned.

Some guys just don't have much luck: For instance, there is the 54-year-old in Normal who, according to police reports, is living at a motel during a separation from his wife and the other day found a 24-year-old who, for $100, agreed to - shall we say - indulge in a very special moment with him.

In preparation, he wined her, he dined her, he bought her clothes and moments before the $100 deal closer, he asked her to give him a moment so that he quickly could jump into the shower.

That's when he stepped out to quickly discover she was already gone, having also quickly stolen $300 from him.

The man called her cell phone and left a message of his high displeasure.

A male voice returned the call telling him not to "ever" call the female again or he would "slice him up."

That's when the man called Normal Police to report someone that had stolen his cash, part of which he had offered to a woman for an act that would have gotten him arrested in the first place.

We won't even go into what must have happened when he told his estranged wife about his memorable night out.

Contact Bill Flick at flick@pantagraph.com. More Flick at www.pantagraph.com/flick.