Thoughts and Images

Flixster will remain autonomous? Yeah right! So much for Rotten Tomatoes too

2011-06-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Warner Bros. has bought Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes. Can you say Jump The Shark?

I am not saying Flixster, nor Rotten Tomatoes has jumped the shark yet. I am saying if you remember the popular Jump The Shark website and know what the TV Guide website did to it after buying it do not be surprised if you see Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes done somewhat the same way.

While I do not see WB whole heatedly dismantling those sites as JTS was done, I do see them over lording the sites with ads for their films and filtering out negative reviews about those films.

Of course there will still be IMDB for independent viewer reviews of movies if that happens. Oh, and for those that do remember and miss JTS you can always check out Bone The Fish.

Ke$ha is annoying me

2011-05-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

So lately when I flip radio stations I often hear the latest Ke$sha song, " It annoys me. You had one good song and ever since then a bunch of crap.

This place about to blow..your singing is about to make me blow, chunks that is. So shut your mouth.

But the yellow part is the good part

2011-04-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

I like eggs. I should be watching my cholesterol. Everything I read says just eat the egg whites. Simple. Problem solved right? Uh, wrong!

Duh! Hello, the yolk is the yummy part. Do the people writing articles about eggs stop the think about what they are saying? Just eat the white part? How about you just drive in reverse?! Just the white part, get real.

Most people I know would rather not eat eggs at all if they cannot eat the whole thing. Sure, I have eaten just the white part mixed in some tuna salad. Overall though, if I were to stop eating the yolk I would say my egg consumption would drop 90%. Thus I would greatly lose out on the protein benefit of said white part.

So here is to you oh delicious egg yolk. You taste so good with buttery toast and a side of bacon!

Donald Trump White House's worst nightmare or GOP's worst nightmare?

2011-04-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Donald, Donald Trump, claims he is the White House's worst nightmare. Perhaps, but what if he is the worst nightmare for the GOP in their bid for regaining the presidency?

Can Donald Trump be any more obvious that he is saying all the things he thinks right wingers want to hear? He sounds so much like a caricature he is going to make most intelligent people, regardless of ideology suspicious of him. The problem is, not everyone is intelligent.

Hence, he is just another name for the Grand Old Party to choice from. Normally, I would blow him off and say it does not matter, because he will not end up being their golden selection. With his money though, I would not count him out.

Were he to win the primary though, then all bets are off. When it is boiled down to just the top few people running for the White House (really two since everyone unfortunately ignores anyone that is non-Republican or Democrat) then all of the media will bombard him with questions and hit him with things they have dug up from his background, but are saving up.

Right now Donald Trump sounds like he is going by some Conservative play book. First he questions Obama's birth certificate. Next he gives cookie cutter answers and cute little stories anyone could easily make up to back his supposed stances.

His friend that almost had an abortion and now loves their child after not going through with it? That could be real, and it better be. The Donald better be ready to give out their name and bring them into the public to prove his story too.

Better watch out Donald Trump, or you might be the one who is fired.

If I could go back in time

2011-04-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

If I could go back in time, I would...

Shake the hand of the person who invented Ramen Noodles
Invest in Microsoft and Walmart before they got big
Slap Marcia Griffiths for the Electric Boogie song
Double Slap Mr. Cheeks for the Cha Cha Slide song
Study harder..perhaps
Use my Ipod to impress people and make them think I was some sort of god
Save Tupac
Inform people how bad things would be after George W. Bush ran the country for eight years
Find the owners of the Triangle Waste Factory and shove my foot up their ****es
Tell Raphael Palmero to just keep his mouth shut
Win, duh
Tell people why they should not board the Hindenburg
Prevent Ghostbusters II from being made
Prevent Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull from being made
Hug whoever first thought up milkshakes
Borrow a bass line from a Queen/David Bowie song and write stupid rap lyrics over it so I could become famous
Find Doc Brown, help my would be dad overt trouble with Biff, while also helping him get the affections of my would be mom, then use my DeLorean accompanied by a lightning strike at the old clock tower to get back to present day..or something like that
Explain to Nate Dogg that the Chronic is apparently not the best medicine for everything
Post humongous signs aboard the Titanic that read, "Warning: Giant Iceberg ahead"
Buy lots of BarNone candy bars before they stopped selling them
Tell Fred Savage and Ben Savage to save their money while they are young as the future does not look so bright for them
Settle the Civil War with a slap bet
Spend more time with loved ones that have passed on
Mess with the Beatles and tell them no one will buy an album with a white cover
Find Michael Jackson after his fifth facial surgery or so and say, "enough is enough already!"

Help me with more people.

Charlie Sheen bombed live? Duh!

2011-04-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well of course Charlie Sheen bombed on the first night of his live show.

What were fans expecting? His is a ranting, raving lunatic who is desperate after getting fired by CBS.

So now some suckers pay to hear his ranting and raving and are disappointed? You should be embarrassed to even admit you paid good money to see Charlie Sheen live. That is like admitting you got conned by a crackhead. Oh wait, you did!

Damn you Ruby Tuesday

2011-03-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Damn you Ruby Tuesday. You took away my Chocolate Tall Cake. Why not just cut my heart out?

Heaven

I want my Chocolate Tall Cake! I need my Chocolate Tall Cake! I MUST HAVE MY CHOCOLATE TALL CAKE!!! Hear me Ruby Tuesday?

No one wants your Double Chocolate Cake, nor your Gourmet Cupcakes...well some people might, but not me. No! I want something big, that includes chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Also some ice cream. Ice cream is a must.

Since I have no Shoney's near by I need this, as I cannot get a Hot Fudge Cake. All I had was the Chocolate Tall Cake at Ruby Tuesday. Now they have gone and taken it away from me. Why Lord? Why???

How I feel right now.

Rebecca Black absolutely sucks!

2011-03-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Black so awesomely bad? No she just plain out sucks!

She proves once again that you do not have to be talented to become famous. Unlike Will Smith's daughter, WIlliow Smith, I have no idea of where Rebecca Black came from.

Talent is overrated apparently

I heard the son was auto-tuned, but if it was I did not noticed. I do know if the voice sounds that bad, even after being auto-tuned, then something is terribly wrong. She might need to find a career other than singing. I mean some people were just not meant to do certain things. Even before using a truckload of steroids and hitting a bunch of home runs, Barry Bonds was an MVP caliber baseball player after all. So while he did cheat, it is not like he was some scrawny kid with no hand eye coordination. Please not this is in no way, whatsoever a defense of Mr. Bonds either. I am just saying..

Rebecca Black sucks. She sucks Monday. She sucks Tuesday. She sucks everyday that ends in "y," especially Friday! So jump in the backseat Rebecca, because your butt sure ain't deserving of riding shotgun with that awful song.

Kystal burgers

2011-03-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

I could sure for a Krystal burger right about now. So small, yet so delicious. Thinking about that warm, meat or whatever it is, with a pickle and mustard, stuffed between those steamed roll-like buns makes my mouth water. Mmm!

I only wonder one thing, well besides if it is real meat. Why do they call Krystal burgers and White Castles' burgers sliders? Is it because they are so small you can slide them down your throat in one bite? Is it because you can eat them on a slide, late at night, in a park, where you are hanging with some friends after partaking of some...well..

Why do they call them sliders? I want some Krystals. Damn!

Ann Coulter is now a radiation expert, apparently

2011-03-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

Ann Coulter has obviously been exposed to too much radiation. Her brain is mush.

I am sure she is just trying to quell any fear of nuclear power and lord forbid, make people cautious of nuclear power plants. She is scared this might mean that the poor, rich power companies might not make as much money.

Well you can relax Ms. Coulter, or can I call you Ann? We need energy and even many of the evil, leftist, loony, socialists, as you call them, such as the current President, are for Nuclear energy.

Unlike you though, they do believe in some regulation just to be sure we are safe. You know, not wanting our kids to glow in the dark and all. Perhaps you should have watched HBO's special on the Triangle Factory fire tonight. It might remind, or teach in your case, why we unfortunately do not some oversight.

Radiation good for you, indeed!

Do girls really want guys like in romantic movies?

2011-03-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

You ever notice that what is perceived as romantic in movies could often times be seen as stalking in real life?

Think about it. Sure, girls say they wish a guy would do one of the many "romantic" things we see in films, but would they really?

Can you say, "stalker"?

Lloyd Dobler standing outside the window holding the radio? In the movie; sweet. If some guy did that in real life though, he would have a restraining order placed on him faster than he could say, "in your eyes."

That is right ladies. Do not pretend that you really want an ex boyfriend showing up everywhere you go in disguise, like Randy, in Valley Girl. If that really happened you would get angrier than a Eminem in well, just about every song he comes out with.

Edward Scissorhands?! Need we go there? That would just be creepy...

Then again in real life rich men do not fall in love with hookers. Sorry all you Pretty Woman fans.

Thoughts? Let me know what you think and subscribe if you want any future rants or other such thoughts on films.

AT&T buying T-Mobile? Boo!

2011-03-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

AT&T has agreed to terms to purchase T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG. Just great!

As the cell phone industry ages, instead of more and more choices, we seem to keep ending up with less and less. That is ironic as there are more and more customers every day.

I understand some larger companies buying up smaller companies, but pretty soon it will be down to one or two companies tops. We could be looking at a monopoly one day. Think about it:

T-Mobile bought out VoiceStream, which had bought out Powertell . Not long ago they also purchased SunCom. Sprint purchased Nextel, AT&T Cingular, Verizon Alltel. The options keep dwindling folks.

How long before Sprint is gobbled up by AT&T or Verizon? Then who is left to compete with the Goliaths? Metro PCS? They don't count. Will regulators stop the merger of the 2nd and 4th largest providers? From what I have seen in my lifetime of government, I am going to have to say, "What is no, Alex?"

Of course on a personal level, I am mad. T-Mobile actual offers a cheap price plan I can live with. I guess soon I will have to kiss that goodbye. Thank you German sellouts!

So if the merger eventually goes through, who should I go with, AT&T, Sprint or Verizon? Feedback please!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt confirmed for The Dark Knight Rises, who is next?

2011-03-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has officially been confirmed to have a major role in The Dark Knight Rises, the next in the Batman series. It is said he will play the role of Alberto Falcone.

Hmmm! Anyone seeing a pattern here. Heath Ledger, check. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, check. No, you don't see it? Okay, so maybe it is only obvious to me.

Think back about ten years or so. Remember a certain particular teen romance comedy? Yup, I am talking about 10 Things I Hate About You.

That would mean in the fourth movie upcoming in the new Batman series, and we all know it is coming (it is just a matter of time, unless of course they decide it is time to reboot the series yet again) we might see Julia Styles or David Krumholtz. In what roles, I have no idea. Perhaps The Huntress and Calender Man respectively, long time of favorites of Batman fans.

Then again, they could always get Freddie Prinze Jr. Awesome no?

Proper English - on tomorrow?

2011-03-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Lately I notice many people saying, "on tomorrow," or something similar. Why? Hello, proper English?

An example would be, "I am going to do that on today." What the H-E-double hockey sticks!? Does that sound right to you? Is that the English language we learned? Why would someone not just say, "I am going to do that today"?

Now, if for example, you were going to specify a later day in the week, I could understand, "I am going to work out on Wednesday." "I am going to rehearse on the 23rd." Those sound better. The "on" though not always necessary in those situations, but still fits.

So if you catch someone saying "..on today," or "..on tomorrow" shake your head at them in disgust for me. Thanks.

BMG Music

2011-03-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Does anyone remember BMG Music or Columbia House?

I was just thinking about how I got lots of music back before the days of being able to download songs online.

Mail order CD clubs were awesome

I had tons of CDs before I ever had Itunes. How did I get all of them? The same way many people my age or older got them, through music clubs such as Columbia House and BMG Music.

We would sign up, select our 8 to 10 free CDs and the one to six full priced CDs we had to purchase, send off along with the payment and shipping and handling, receive them, cancel, then join again later under a different name. It was wonderful.

I wondered if these music clubs were still around so I went to their websites. I tried BMG Music, but the links came up to dead ends. Next, I typed www columbia house into my browser and sure enough they are still there. But wait, they are now a dvd club. Columbia house dvd anyone?

I guess the online music evolution really did kill their CD sales. I imagine with all the stores selling used dvds and people now downloading movies it is only a matter of time before the dvd club goes the way of the dinosaurs as well.

I cannot say I really miss them that bad, but those sure were the good old days of getting lots of music without spending a fortune. It almost felt like you were getting over on them. Like you were pulling a fast one and the big companies were too stupid to even realize who was scamming who.

Who else remembers these wonderful music clubs?

Girls Scout cookies Thin Mints - I love them

2011-03-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

I love Girl Scout cookies, particularly Thin Mints.

cookies of the gods

They are a gift from the heavens. No, scratch that. They are from beyond the heavens.

Those cookies are so good once I started eating some, and even though my stomach told me to stop, I could not stop stuffing the little delights into my mouth until the box was empty. Thankfully another box was not in sight.

So if you happen to pass by some Girl Scouts selling some Thin Mints, please GET ME SOME!!! Please and thanks!

Update: Charlie Sheen suing Chuck Lorrie?

2011-03-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

Charlie Sheenless

Breaking news: Apparently Chuck Lorrie made Charlie Sheen the a$$hole he is today so Sheen is suing him in return.

Charlie Sheen feels his firing has nothing to do with his wild tirades against the Warner Bros studio and the Two and a Half Men producers. He knows it had nothing to do with his partying with escorts, nor drinking and doing lots of recreational drugs. Nope.

Charlie knows his treatment of women and his wild reputation are not what caused him to get the ax. No. He knows what the 411 is. Chuck Lorrie just hates him. Yup. makes sense.

Good luck your lawsuit Charlie. I am sure it won't get thrown out faster than you can say hooker. Maybe you can sue Jon Stamos if he gets an offer to replace you on Two and a Half Men.

RIP Mike Starr

2011-03-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

RIP Mike Starr

Mike Starr, another member of the great rock band Alice in Chains has passed away.

Starr played on Alice in Chains first two albums. Drugs likely took him, as they did former AIC front man Layne Staley.

Are drugs part of the rock image? Yes. Does it make it any less sad when we hear such news though? No. Most of us really do not want to see someone burn out. Fading away might not be graceful, but deep down we would all rather see music stars just ease into a less social existence than end up like a Kurt Cobain.

RIP Mr. Starr. May you and Mr. Staley put on a kick a$$ show for the man above.

Update: Charlie Sheen fired from Two and a Half Men

2011-03-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

Recently I blogged about one of Hollywood's most level headed, down to earth actors. That is right, I am talking about Charlie Sheen.

Well today the news broke that Charlie Sheen was fired from the hit CBS series Two and a Half Men. Why would they do such a thing? Well obviously they are just evil, rich jerks who do not care about ratings or money as much as destroying the lives of a wonderful human being. Mr. Sheen donates over half his salary to charity. Instead of partying and doing drugs like some major stars, he spends his time giving back to the community by working at soup kitchens and spending time with sick children in hospitals.

What? Wrong actor? Oops, never mind!

So what do you think of Charlie Sheen being fired from Two and a Half Men? Leave me feedback.

Google algorithm

2011-02-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

there is a new Google algorithm

There is a new Google algorithm. Here is what I have heard is now the Google algorithm. I have nothing to confirm this is correct, but you can have a look for yourself.

(Kw Usage Score * 0.3) + (Domain * 0.25) + (blackmail photos of any Google executives*.95)+(PR Score * 0.25) + (pictures of near naked, but not completely naked women*.015)+(Inbound Link Score * 0.25) + (User Data * 0.1) + (Content Quality Score * 0.1) + (mention of the words SEO and how to make money online*.01)+(Manual Boosts) - mention of the words "Bing" or "Facebook")

There you have it. I hope this Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tip helps you internet marketers out there. The new Google algorithm should help decrease content farms, pig farms and give a direct karate kick to the face of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. Hhhhyah!

Buying health insurance

2011-02-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

I am glad I soon will be buying health insurance from the company I recently started working with. Group rates make useful insurance doable. Unfortunately buying private health insurance means paying lots of money for very little coverage in return.

My Doctor if I do not get company insurance soon

When I had a plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield I was paying close to $150.00 a month for coverage with a $5,000 deductible a year. That was with me being fairly young (not in my 20s anymore, but not near 40 either), good weight, no smoking or drinking habits, no drug habits and no chronic health problems. If I actually needed something other than a lung transplant the only doctor I would be able to afford to see is a Hooter's girl who practiced medicine on the side when not lifeguarding for the summer. Seriously!

Why did I get the insurance you ask? It would be good were I to have some major accident or something. So I will not say it was all bad. Still, it was not something I could use for a regular doctor's visit if I had the flu or something like that.

I have heard many politicians say joining collectives would allow individuals the ability to pull their buying power together as a group (these same politicians are against unions though, hmmn). Unfortunately I was unable to find one of these collectives. They sound good in theory, but without a company behind them I have not found one that actually exists.

Another thing I read was that interstate laws for insurance needed to be broken up so insurers could sell across state lines. Why that would drive the prices down. Unfortunately many of the same insurance companies, i.e. Blue Cross Blue Shield, operate in many states, just under different sub companies. Therefore I am not so sure prices would be affected much. Even when there are several choices of private insurance companies in a given state the prices are about what I mentioned previously. Apparently those who think the private sector can always work everything out with deregulation (and before you think I am some socialist, I believe in the basics of the free market, but also believe it needs supervision unfortunately) forget the one big flaw with capitalism - collusion.

Sure one insurance company could suddenly drop prices and try to gain more market hold, but then the other companies would soon follow and then they would all be making less. That or the other companies would dig up dirt and use their lobbyists to have that company buried. After all, you do not see Sony undercutting the cost of Compact Discs versus the other CD manufacturers. Nope. Heck, in the music industry though they are separate companies, they get to meet as a group called the Recording Industry of America (RIAA). Convenient isn't it?

So I guess what I am saying, is if all these so called conservatives really want people to go out there and start up their own individual businesses, they better find a way for these people to get individual insurance that is worth a darn and does not cost a fortune. There simply has got to be a better way to buy health insurance. Real health insurance!

Charlie Sheen - high on life...or coke

2011-02-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

Charlie Sheen recently said he was high on life. I guess "life" is a new way of saying cocaine, meth, heroine or some other sort of narcotic. I think he is too classy for meth or heroine though. No sir, none of that low street grade crap for Charlie. Pure Colombian snow though? Certainly. Only the finest for Mr. Sheen.

Then again maybe "life" means the feeling you get from smacking around a hooker. Yes, that's it!

Charlie Sheen partying

Or better yet, perhaps it means both. There you go! Charlie was high on some coke, slapping hoes, putting them in their place, and to him, that is what "life" is all about.

No, there has to be more. Hmm...okay, high? Check. Hooker...err, I mean escort? Check.

Now what else? Oh, I know, he was also downing a bottle of champagne. Gots to have to have the champagne to celebrate. What next? Oh yes, a donkey. Why not? Every good party needs a donkey. One donkey and female performer to go along with said donkey? Check.

So Charlie was powdering his nose, sipping on some Delphine Boutier, when some low class call girl stepped in his view of the Donkey Show, then, POW, he had to pop her one to put her into place. She awoke the sleeping giant. She better check herself before she wrecks herself. Anyways, it all makes sense now.

So you see, Charlie Sheen really was high on life.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker - right or a douche?

2011-02-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

What does everyone think of the Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, right about now?

Do you agree with his battle with public workers or think he is union busting on behalf of rich corporate fat cats such as David Koch?

Leave me feedback. Thanks.

Justin Bieber sucks

2011-02-22T04:33:00.000-08:00

Justin Bieber sucks.

That is right. Justin Bieber sucks lollipops, suckers and sweet tarts.

Oh, and when his throat is hurting he sucks lemons and honey, Halls and Sucrets.

When his breath is kickin' he sucks on Mintos, Tic Tacs and Altoids.

Tony Goldwyn - is he always the bad guy?

2011-02-21T15:37:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or is Tony Goldwyn always the bad guy? I can name three just off the top of my head:

Ghost - plays Carl, who betrays his best friend Sam (Patrick Swayze) and tries to get with Sam's wife Molly..mmmm...Molly (Demi Moore)
The 6th Day - plays..ummm...I forgot, and it is not really worth looking up..some evil dude, who gives Arnold Schwarzenegger's character (also too lazy to look up) a reason to kick butt, as usual.
The Mechanic (remake) - plays Dean, who betrays a long time business partner and tries to get with..oh, no wait, he did not try to get with anybody's wife, but gives Arthur Bishop (Jason Stathom) a reason to kick butt, as usual.

Granted I have not seen lots of movies or shows he has been in, but when I have seen him he has been the bad guy, or in the case of the remake of Last House on the Left, he was not the bad guy, but he was still had a mean streak to him (understandably so for the character I suppose).

I wonder if directors just look at this guy and go, "Gee, this guy gives me the creeps. I am gonna cast him as the bad guy," or perhaps, "Wow, I can just look at this guys and picture 'jerk.' Quick! Somebody have him read the part of the guy who betrays his best friend for some money." That or he is just not good looking enough to cast as a good guy. Who really knows.

Any actors or actresses that you always seem to see portraying a villain?

High search engine ranking optimization

2011-02-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

This blog is about high search engine ranking optimization.

Search engine rank optimization is very important for today's bloggers, especially those who do not have much of an advertising budget. To traffic to grow organically some things fellow bloggers can do:

high search engine ranking optimization

Keywords tool - use a keyword analysis tool, such as the Google's Adword Keyword Tool. Find combination of words to form key phrases that show will bring some traffic, but not so much that it will bury your page in the search engines' results.
Keyword placement - Place one of your best keyphrases in your title.
Search engine copywriting - Place some other related keyphrases in your text near the top of your blog entry.
Asset tags and labels - If your blog allows tags or labels, use more of your keyword phrases, or some of the previous ones here as well.
Optimizing graphics - Add images to your blog. Make sure that they have captions containing the best keywords. Image placement is also important.

New Ipod

2011-02-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

New Ipod

The new Ipod Touch...it does:

It feeds your baby
It changes the oil in your car
It plays the guitar
It makes you supper
It saves drowning children
It walks your dog
It finishes homework
It calculates quantum physics
It balances the budget
It does what Chuck Norris cannot do
It makes love to your spouse..better than you can
It makes the donuts
It takes your confession
It rocks
It is it

The new Ipod...it does everything.

The Rock back on Monday Night Raw

2011-02-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

The Rock was back on WWE Monday Night Raw and he is still the most electrifying man in entertainment.

In front of the millions, and millions of the Rock's fans, the Brama Bull, the Great One, the jabroni beatin', pie eating, trail-blazin', eyebrow raisin' People's Champ said he is finally back.

The Rock returns to host this year's Wrestlemania. Not only that, but he has called out The Miz and John Cena. He said what many in the crowd already knew, that since the days of "Austin 3:16" and "If you smell what the Rock is cooking", the WWE has been lame.

It took long enough, but finally, the Rock has come back home.

Guitar Hero gone

2011-02-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

Guitar Hero franchise is finished

RIP Guitar Hero!

The hit video game franchise has ended. For anyone who likes to play Guitar Hero this is a sad day, but one we knew would inevitably come.

With the copy cat games, along with so many Guitar Hero games themselves, the trend was bound to grow old quickly.

Now if only there were no more new Zelda games.

Egypt latest news

2011-02-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Mubarak resigns - Egypt's new ruler

Cario - Egypt has a new leader. Hosni Mubarak has stepped down.

After Mubarak resigned many have wondered who would take control. The answer now seems clear.

The new group taking control had heavy influence on the nation during its long history, but in recent years has largely been out of the spotlight. They felt the time was right to step in and make their presence known once again.

The new rulers wasted little time in getting to work. The first order of business was to change the national anthem, to the popular 80's dance tune, Egypt, Egypt, by the Egyptian Lover.

They were also scouting new land for possible annexation. Footage can be seen here.

More to come as the news breaks.

Keith Olbermann move puzzling

2011-02-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

I wonder if Keith Olbermann left MSNBC on his own or was pushed out.

Keith Olbermann fired

Though MSNBC was not a powerhouse in the ratings, it dwarfs Current TV.

Of course Olbermann was one of the more popular draws on the now Comcast owned cable network may have fired him, though nothing is real clear as to if they did or gave him some ultimatums about his show.

Does he think he can really make a difference with an audience of less than 25,000? Perhaps Olbermann believes his addition will get Current TV picked up by more cable companies. As left leaning as MSNBC is though, they are not headed by Al Gore. Plus they have the power of NBC behind them. Thus I do not see Olbermann helping Current TV going big time.

If anything, I think this move may bury Olbermann for now. At least until he realizes it is a mistake and takes a bigger contract elsewhere. He might realize it is not a big move and just be trying to keep his name out there for now. Only he really knows. Personally, I think he should get back to sports and leave the political talk to others. That is probably just me though.

Was Ronald Reagan a great President

2011-02-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Was Ronald Reagan a great President?

That is a question I pose. I would like whoever reads this to share their opinions about why or why not.

Ronald Reagan Presidency

Do you believe he helped end the Soviet threat of spreading communism and bring down the Berlin wall, yes or no?

Do you believe the Iran-Contra Affair marred his Presidency and should have caused him to be impeached?

Was he a great communicator or great manipulator?

Did his negotiating with terrorists and raising taxes contradict the legend many have created for him?

Please share your thoughts.

Packers win Super Bowl 31- 25

2011-02-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

Packers win Super Bowl

Dallas - The Green Bay Packers have just won the Super Bowl.

Well not really! Not yet anyways.

I predict the Packers ~~wil~~l ~~win~~ won Super Bowl 45 though, 31-17 25. Pittsburgh ~~will give~~ gave them a fight. Green Bay ~~will pull away by a two score lead and hold~~ hung on in the second half though.

Movie remakes I would like to see

2011-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hollywood loves remakes. Sometimes they turn out nearly as good, or even better than the original. Often times they fail to be as good though. Below are some movies I would like Hollywood remake.

Valley Girl - I know, I know, it will be hard to replace Nicholas Cage, but it can be done. There are still some good young actors and actresses out there. It is just hard for casting directors to find them when they focus so hard on model good looks for every role. Times have changed since this film came out, and it is definitely starting to look dated. I was tempted to put Fast Times at Ridgemont High on the list, but unlike VG, it would require replacing more than just one good actor, and not sure it could be pulled off as well.

Revenge of the Nerds - Again, finding capable people today of giving life to the characters could be a question mark, but this definitely needs to be brought into the modern age. Just think of all the nerdy things that have come around since 1983 that they could make fun of.

Used Cars - Kurt Russell was great, but I think if you put someone like a Vince Vaughn or even Callard Harris from TBS's Glory Daze in there and polish it with some new tweaks it could turn out well. It was pretty wild for its time, so now they could amp it up even more. Besides, it is not considered a classic by most so there would be few who complain about this one being redone, and even if there were, Hollywood would care less, as usual.

Re-Animator - since there seems to be a lack of originality lately, the least they could do is remake some crazier films than Halloween and Friday the 13th. Those slasher films gain little by remakes, but movies that have dated special effects might be worth the effort.

Cannibal Ferox, aka Make Them Die Slowly - The original had no deep redeeming values so no one should care if it is redone. They could find, or at least try to find, ways to make it more gruesome.

Poltergeist - If you think this is untouchable, watch it again. You will definitely notice it is slow paces, and nothing thrilling by today's standards. This one would need changes to the story to keep today's audiences captivated unfortunately.

Clash of the Titans - Just think how great this could be with modern day special effects really being pushed to the limit, and keeping true to the original screenplay...oh wait, they already remade this, and did not keep true to the old film. No, instead they thought Perseus should have a crew cut, be like a bull headed action figure like any other action movie. At least they salvaged it with their 3-D version...oh, no, that is right. That screwed that up too.

Police Academy - I am not sure if this one, like Poltergeist, just doesn't seem as great by comparison to what has come out since, or if the jokes were lame even back then. I was a child when I saw it after all. Still, I think they could somehow remake this into something new.

Nightmare on Elm Street - see Clash of the Titans above

What are some movies you would like to see remade? What changes would you like to see done, if any and what actors/actresses would you possibly like to see in the main roles?

Kim Kardashian silver paint cover

2011-02-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Kim Kardashian was upset over some photo of her that shows a nipple and butt crack. Wait, isn't there a home made sex tape of here floating around out there?

Kim Kardashian silver picture

Later she came out proud of the pictures? Maybe she is bipolar.

Kim needs to relax. I mean millions of males across the world would line up to tap that. A few funny looking photos is not going to take that away from her. She is still a strong object of sexual desire.

As for respect, well she had nothing to lose there to begin with. Kim, we never respected you to begin with. We still want to play tune in Tokyo with you though, and one out of two ain't bad.

Advice for Jay Cutler from Regina George and more

2011-01-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

Jay Cutler pumped

Relax Chicago Bears fans. Now Jay Cutler can focus on the true championship, the Mr. Olympia. Oops, sorry that is the wrong Jay Cutler. I am sorry for mixing the two up. As Regina George, from Mean Girls would say, "I know, right?"
I mean after all, The International Federation of Body Building's pro may take all sorts of anabolic steroids and human growth hormones, but at least he is not a quitter. Oh, and he has won his sport's (is it really a sport? hmmm) ultimate title.

I was surprised the Jay Cutler who plays in the NFL got so upset when he heard what his contemporaries had to say about it. I thought he would be like (another Regina George quote), "Okay, I'm going to forgive you because I'm a very Zen person... and I'm on a lot of pain medication right now. "

Kudos to Jessie Ventura for fighting the TSA. He might seem a little crazy at times, but I think he has more common sense in one pinkie than most of our currently employed politicians do. Jessie ain't got time to be felt up. Heck, he ain't got time to bleed!

Why are older actors playing younger roles?

2011-01-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

So I was watching The Hot Chick the other night. I noticed one of the actors in it playing a high school student also played one in 2009’s Fired Up!. So I checked to see how old The Hot Chick was. It turns out it came out in 2002. Not really surprising the actor, Eric Christian Olsen, is still playing younger characters, as he does look young, for his age.

Old actors playing teenagers

Not only does it turn out he was way over the age he played in Fired Up!, but he was also much older than a high school student, at least one not held back constantly, at the time The Hot Chick was filmed. He is close to 34 years of age. His costar in Fired Up!? Well he, Nicholas D'Agosto, is about 30 years old. Kind of ironic they were cracking jokes about people over 30 in the movie huh? Good inside jokes from Hollywood I suppose or perhaps just simple irony.

John Hughes was credited with having real teenagers in his movies. That is true to a point. Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, Mia Sarah, Ilan Mitchell-Smith were all teenagers. Most of us know Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck were well beyond his teenage years by the time Ferris Bueller's Day Off came out though. This goes for many other stars of his films.

Why does Hollywood constantly use older people to play teenagers? Someone suggested perhaps child labor laws, or because they want scenes that require nudity, kissing, etc that child actors would not be able to perform.

Could it also just be that Hollywood wants everyone to have a perfect image? Lord forbid a teenager in a movie have a blemish!

So do you feel since movies are fantasy Hollywood should continue to put the best possible actor/actress, regardless of age, into such roles, or should they hire more true to age? Thoughts?

Vampires not scary anymore

2011-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Vampires are not very scary now. I mean lets face it, when millions of girls have posters of today’s Hollywood vampires alongside pictures of Justin Bieber then you know times have changed.

Twilight: Justin Beiber

I admit I watch HBO’s True Blood. It is addicting. I also admit it is a soap opera. The sad thing is, the vampires in it look scary when compared to those in the Twilight movies. Somehow, I doubt the ones in the Vampire’s Assistant are much scarier.

Looking back at a teenage vampire flick from the 1980's that I loved, The Lost Boys, I remember them being somewhat similar pretty boy blood suckers. The comparison ends there though. Despite their heartthrob looks the bad guys in The Lost Boys were not falling in love with mortal girls, or anyone else for that matter. They were vampires.    They were out for blood. They had fun trying to kill people. That is what vampires do. That is until now I suppose.

Now vampires are supposed to wake up at night, pout their lips, put on some stylish clothes with lots of black in their ensembles, style their hair, and perhaps dab on some makeup. If you see one you not grab a crucifix, nor holy water.   You would not run. You would laugh and say, "Hey, emo kid, got get a ****ing tan."

It pains me to say that 30 Days of Night, which is a pretty abysmal movie, is the best vampire movie I have seen in the last few years, and I am not even a huge vampire fan. I have always preferred werewolf movies.

I imagine if I see New Moon that I will look back at Wes Craven’s Cursed as a horror masterpiece.

Yes, I know, I know, another 80’s film, Teen Wolf, did briefly try to take all the (cue lame pun) bite out of werewolf movies briefly and try to aim itself at a teen audience. That was a comedy though, and Michael J. Fox did not walk around brooding, taking himself too seriously in it.

Yes, these cool as hell new age vampires are bringing sexy back, but who is going to bring the fright back? Where is Team I Pissed My Pants or Team He Bit my Head Off?

(Cue another bad pun) The final nail in the coffin: Tom Cruise in Interview with The Vampire , in all his androgyny, put more fear into my heart than these latest so called Vampires. Now that is really scary!

Auburn proves cheaters really do win in the end

2011-01-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

Auburn pay for play

Auburn beat Oregon for the BS National Title...I mean BCS. Auburn coach Gene Chizik spoke of God being on their side tonight. I guess that means God likes dirt bags.

First of all, if there is a God, why would have not love Oregon as much as Auburn? Especially considering that everyone knows Cam Newton should be ineligible. Everyone who has seen Auburn, including in the title game saw Nick Fairley continuously play dirty. Watching him speak after the game, many would question how he made it into college.

For those who do not follow closely, most South Eastern Conference (SEC) teams are notorious for lower academic standards than some other conferences, and for oversigning.

That is not what won for Auburn tonight though. No. God loves the little thugs apparently. Perhaps God will oversee the NCAA investigation into Cam Newton through to the end to make sure Auburn's title is not stripped from them. Now that TCU has been kept out though I do not think God will be there for Auburn.

New movie: "The Roommate" - "Single White Female" anyone?

2011-01-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

Has anyone seen commercials for the new movie, The Roommate?

It looks an awful lot like Single White Female. This goes back to what I was talking about before. Hollywood keeps rehashing the same stories over and over with new names and a few tweaks.

I understand at times, and am not opposed when something is loosely based on just the a generic premise, but some of these borderline plagiarism.

Also, if you are going to rip off someone else's work, at least pick something really good. SWF? Meh, nothing memorable. Then again maybe that is why they feel safe coping it.

Thoughts?

One hit wonders - you will never be one and done to me

2011-01-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, a subject covered repeatedly, yet that does not get old…let’s talk one hit wonders for a bit.
I am not Too Shy (Kajagoogoo) to discuss the songs I grew up with. They are not guilty pleasures to me, because I have no guilt in announcing I love these songs.    We all know Video Killed the Radio Star (Buggles). This allowed us a chance to watch MTV though, and learn to do The Safety Dance (Men Without Hats).   Ah yes, You Keep Me Hanging On (Kim Wilde) I’ve Been Thinking About You (Londonbeat).
The lead singer of (Berlin) still Take(s) My Breath Away.   If I could tell her one thing, I would say I want to Melt With You (Modern English).    I would remind her We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off to have a good time (Jermaine Stewart). It was not meant to be though. It was just another case of Tainted Love (Soft Cell).
Of course the bad side of me would like a Nasty Girl (Vanity 6). I would be hard pressed to resist the pleas of Touch Me (Samantha Fox) and I would be tempted to show her my Jungle Love (Morris Day and The Time).    A man can dream.   In reality she would tell me, “Keep your Hands To Yourself” (Georgia Satellites). Yup, I would end up Eaten By the Monster of Love (Sparks).
Wow, I need to catch my breath for a minute! Whew! All these past memories are getting to me. I think I will have a glass of Red, Red Wine (UB40). That will calm my nerves.    Okay now I am Right On Track (Breakfast Club). If you have read this far the you love these songs also, no matter how goofy they were, You know it’s True (Spandua Ballet).   Sweet Dreams Are Made of These (Eurythmics) classic hits. Unfortunately now you are only likely to hear them on the moldy oldie stations, elevators or Mexican Radio (Wall of Voodoo).
Oh Sister Christian (Night Ranger), I Miss You (Klymaxx) and your Betty Davis Eyes (Kim Carnes). You were my Obsession (Animotion). I often still wonder, Don’t You Want Me (The Human League)? I Can’t Wait (Nu Shooz) to see you again. We can get in my Fast Car (Tracey Chapman) and drive down Electric Avenue (Eddie Grant) to Saint Elmo’s Fire (John Parr). We can Rock Steady (The Whispers) like we used to. Oh yes, remember those Dance Hall Days (Wang Chung)? I will always remember The Promise (When in Rome) We made to never forget those past glory days.
I am sad when reality strikes though and it is just another Blue Monday (New Order).   I sit and stair out at The Rain (Oran Juice Jones). Yet no matter where I am, there’s Always Something There to Remind Me (Naked Eyes) of Our House (Madness). I guess there is no going back really. I sometimes feel like I have Shattered Dreams (Johnny Hates Jazz). I get over these melancholy moments fairly fast though.
Though I look mostly to the future, I still Wear My Sunglasses at Night (Corey Hart). After all, I can look to the future with no shame in the past, for I am The Warrior (Scandal) and I Love Rock N Roll (Joan Jett and The Blackhearts).
Ah, dear reader I think I know Whats On Your Mind (Information Society). You want to break out your old cassette tapes and Jam On It (Newcleus). After all, deep down inside of you there is a Freak-a-zoid (Midnight Star) waiting to bust lose. So don’t be shy. Pump Up The Volume (M.A.R.R.S.). Look Out Weekend (Debbie Debb) here we come! It’s not just the Heat Of The Moment (Asia) and these are not Rumors (Timex Social Club). You are ready to pronounce your love of these jams of the ‘80s! Don’t You Forget About me (Simple Minds) when jamming now.
Let us all give thanks. Hold your Hands To Heaven (Breathe) and praise the almighty for such a glorious period in music history. Don’t be shy. Remember that Voices Carry ('Til Tuesday).
Though we cannot Party All The Time (Eddie Murphy) once in a while we can drift away in our minds, pretending we are off to Key Largo (Bertie Higgins).   With our love for the music we will always Win In The End (Mark Safan).

Fly away G6

2011-01-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, first of all, do not get me wrong. I love the song "Like a G6" by Far East Movement.

When I first heard it, I think back in August or September, I only caught the tail end of it. That little bit caught my attention though and I kept repeating the main line in my head until I could get home and look it up.

Once I found out the name of the song and the band I looked up the video on YouTube. Not only did I start liking the song more I loved the video and was amazed it was by some an Asian group. At the time I just kept thinking," this song would be banging in the club. I hope it is still in play by the time Halloween rolls around and I am out partying."

Well, it turns out the song was still in heavy rotation when Halloween rolled around, and then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and now New Years.

I am not going to say I am tired of the song yet. That is precisely why I want the radio stations to stop playing it, so I do not become sick of hearing it. They have ruined many a good song for me, and others this way.

So take my poll to the right and let me know if you think "Like a G6" needs to be pulled from the airwaves or needs to keep playing.

WTH Thursday

2010-12-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

Is this going to heal race relations?

On one hand, if Douglas really did do as the Douglas Energy Relief Association claims it would not surprise me. Well, the intent part would not. It probably does not surprise anybody else who has spent time there either. One word describes that region of Georgia: redneck.

Truth is everyone is not racist there though. Even if they were, they would not be smart enough to set up their computer system to racially profile as has been claimed. I mean, come on, the county is known for a bar named "Homer Boone's."

If the city had performed their own investigation, I could see this being a story, but HUD is not run by the local municipality and therefore I have to believe, though still inbred hillbillies, the folks of Coffee County did no wrong, this time.

$50,000, that is it? Way to show Favre who is boss

Say you are a washed up NFL quarterback who has made millions over the years and is now a washed up prima donna. Now lets say you had sent a text message to a then team employee. Oh, lets say Jenn Sterger hypothetical. Now suppose that text message was a picture of your penis.

Brett Favre text pic

Now, two years later suppose news has come out about your penile picture. Sterger is threating to sue you. The NFL is investigating you. What do you do? Well you try to duck answering questions openly and honestly. That is what you do. The NFL persists in their investigation and comes to a conclusion though.

Should you be worried? Well you should, but in our hypothetical world, you can relax, because you are slapped on the wrist with a $50,000 fine. While huge to normal, hard working people, this is nothing to you, as you are a millionaire. Why, at this price, you now know it is safe to text penis pics to all the lovely ladies on the Minnesota Vikings cheer leading squad. Now suppose you once killed a bunch of dogs..oh wait, sorry, that is another prima donna NFL quarterback, and another story all together.

Just the person to call if you are in a domestic violence dispute

Of course the deputy marshal in question was cleared. Then again I am not going to even go into the whole good ol' boy network thing. Everyone knows it exists...well not everyone. Some people are just stupid.

Say it ain't so Hef

2010-12-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hugh Hefner is engaged again. Wow!

Hugh Hefner engaged

I have always looked up to Hugh Hefner. I mean he is like a god amongst us men. I even thought it was cool that he still dated women 1/100th his age. To hear he is actually getting married again though, just makes me feel sad. Instead of looking upon him as the ultimate player, I am now seeing him in the same light as the old guy Anna Nicole Smith married.

Will Hugh's new wife let him touch her? Does he have a prenuptial agreement to make sure she is not looking to screw him (besides in the bedroom)? Why not spend your remaining years partying with all the girls, and not just Crystal Harris?

I imagine she will be more like a nurse to him than a wife. Who knows though. Maybe true love really won her over...hahahahahaha!

Christmas movie countdown: A Christmas Story

2010-12-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be jolly. Oh, and watch wonderful holiday movies.

~~The following is a list of some I highly recommend (though I am sure you have probably already seen most of these films).~~

This started as a list of some of my favorites, but I realized it would be too long, so this post is just about my favorite: I already talked about Fred Claus, Christmas Vacation and Ernest Saves Christmas.

A Christmas Story - Peter Billingsley and supporting cast make this a marvelous holiday treat. If you have already seen this movie, I bet at some time or another in your life you have jokingly repeated the line, "Oooh Fudge!"

Seriously though, there is a reason they play this 24 hrs on Christmas day. It rocks! Poor Ralphie just wants a BB gun. Ahem, a Red Ryder BB gun from Walmart. I mean from Gimbels, Macy's, Woolworth's or wherever people shopped back in the 1940s.

Poor little Ralphie's parents and everyone else keep telling him he is going to shoot his eye out, and it is so funny at the end when he actual does. Oh wait, that did not happen. The movie is still funny though.

There are so many good moments: the dastardly Bumpeses'dogs, the French award his father receives that leads to the electric glow of sex, the suit Ralphie's aunt makes for him, his little Randy not wanting to eat, Frick getting his tongue stuck on a pole due to double dog dare, seeing what Christmas would be like at a Chinese restaurant, or especially, when Ralphie kicked the crap out of that bully, Scut Farkus. @*$#@*!$I! In the sequel Scut, so demoralized by the beat down, gets a sex change operation. I bet you did not know that. I kid, I kid.

See how hard it is to sum up the entire movie without writing on and on about it? It is that good.

Christmas Movie Countdown: Fred Claus

2010-12-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

Fred Claus is a cute, funny little movie with both laughs and a feel good ending.

I regret not watching this fine film before this year. I caught it on TBS this month for the first time.

I think Vince Vaughn is usually great, but I also think it depends on the script he is given to some degree. That is why I had my doubts. The reviews and ratings for Fred Claus were not particularly the best. They were however more favorable than say, Deck The Halls.

Had someone told me before seeing it that Paul Giamatti would pull of a good Santa I would have had my doubts. He was far from the best on screen Santa, but for the role in this particular movie I think he was cast well.

The feel good part is what really caught me by surprise though. I expected some laughs. I just thought it might end up being shallow with no soul, again, Deck The Halls comes to mind. I was pleasantly surprised though.

This one is definitely worth checking out. See another worth checking out.

Gas prices soar once again

2010-12-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

"The world's biggest gas-guzzling nation has limits after all.

After seven decades of mostly uninterrupted growth, U.S. gasoline demand is at the start of a long-term decline. By 2030, Americans will burn at least 20 percent less gasoline than today, experts say, even as millions more cars clog the roads." - This according to Jonathan Fahey of the Associated Press.

So, why are gas prices once again going up? I thought the free market was about "supply and demand". This seems more like "bend over and take it."

The oil barons are out of the White House, but the oil companies still seem to have their way. Not that the government has enough ability, much less coherence, to stop such actions. One would hope they would at least put up a yellow light t instead of a checkered flag.

I do not think of any of us were surprised that it conveniently happened after the talk of the gulf oil disaster had dissipated like the oil on the surface of the water itself. I, myself, am shocked at the extent of the price rise though. Me thinks the oil industry is trying to make up for the losses of not being able to raise the prices slower during that period.

Ah well, perhaps one day electric cars really will be all the rage. Then the electric company can gauge us some more.

Thoughts?

Things I liked that disappeared too quickly Part II

2010-12-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

1. Boston Common – Exactly ten years after first tasting the divinity that was BarNone, I found a television show that transcended merely must see TV. It was positively, absolutely, definitely, are you crazy to not, must see TV.

This time the wicked culprits to break my heart were the clueless buffoons at the National Broadcasting Company (yeah that is right NBC, I called you out, punks).

This show starred Anthony Clark as the Zany, “Boyd Pritchett,” who follows his little sister to college to keep an eye on her. Once there he gets himself in call kinds of crazy situations, while falling for adorable Joy Byrnes, played by Traylor Howard. Of course she was already taken. More craziness ensued. Ah, memories!

Anyone who ever sees this will know Clark was perfect for the silly character role, and will know what a waste it was to cast him as a straight man another production company did for Yes Dear.

Needless to say, once fans like me were on edge for more, NBC decided to pull the plug. They similar did it with another show, which I was similarly gaining a fondness for, called Chicago Sons a year later. I think the meetings went something like this:

Boring man in suite #1: “Robert (Bob would be much too casual) this show is entirely too funny. I mean, what right minded person wants to laugh so hard? Besides, it will make Friends look bad.”

Boring man in suite #2 (Bob): “I think I follow Davidson (being even more formal he calls him by his last name). We shall proceed with cancellation and bring in a replacement that is tedious and boring. We have 13 episodes of the perfect show all ready to go with an option for more. It is called The Single Guy.

The only positive I can find is that had the show been kept around longer and gained a following, then Traylor Howard would not have been available for Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place.

Ah well, I am not the only one who has been disappointed by the decisions of some network executives, and hey, at least Boston Common lasted longer than The Hasselhoff's did on A&E.

Share your feedback on shows, etc that you liked that disappeared too quickly.

Something else I liked that disappeared too quickly.

Christmas Movie Countdown: Christmas Vacation

2010-12-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - You have to pardon me, I largely grew up in the 80's so much of my list will be comprised of movies from that decade. This was one of several very funny in a series of National Lampoon's movies starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo.

While the first couple of movies in that series lose some laughs due to being dated, this one, which does show some age, is still hilarious. I think it is in large part due to Christmas traditions not changing that much. Actually throw in some Iphones and Kindles this movie would hardly look old at all.

Randy Quad as Uncle Eddie, as always, delivers. Without a doubt, he is one of the best supporting characters in comedic films, hands down. Mix him in with a stingy boss, Chase as Clark Griswold, his extended family, lots of Christmas lights, a giant tree, a cat and you are in for a treat. What could go wrong? Everything! That is why it is so great. Buy it or rent it. Know it. Love it.

See the last movie on the countdown.

Things I liked that disappeared too quickly Part I: BarNone Candy Bar

2010-12-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

We all find things that hook us quickly and deeply. Then all too often these things disappear as quickly as they came. Sometimes their loss is so bitter you wish they had never existed in the first place.

No, I am not talking about lovers, career opportunities, hot stocks or anything like that.

I am talking about important things, things that matter. Read on to find out what is truly important, for below is my list of things I cared about, but then left me suddenly. Indeed, just thinking about them has tears welling up in my eyes.

I shall press on though, for you dear reader.

1. BarNone – This was a candy bar made by The Hershey Company in 1986. I still to this day believe they only created it merely to tease children such as myself with its chocolaty goodness.

Chocolate wafers coated by chocolate. I was in chocolate heaven. The only minor flaw was the peanuts. Even they could not stop my love affair though.

In 1993 someone decided to play God, and mess with the winning formula. Perhaps they wanted to attract even more sales. They added caramel. They lost sales.

Then that same year, they did it. Those conniving, dastardly, evil suits over at Hershey pulled it from production. Even the fine folks at Old Time Candy, who do carry many other memorable candies from years past, no longer have it available.
So yes, this was my first love lost. Please leave me some condolences and enjoy this old commercial with both fondness and sadness, as I do.

Christmas Movie Countdown: Ernest Saves Christmas

2010-12-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Ho, ho ho, Merry Christmas!

I am counting down some of my favorite Christmas movies, in no particular order.

Today I am starting with Ernest Saves Christmas. Yes, a true timeless classic. Know what I mean?

Thought the supporting cast seems merely serviceable, like they are out of a Hallmark Channel movie, Jim Varney, as the odd, but endearing, Ernest P. Worrell, along with a just cute enough/just funny enough story make it worth viewing.

The only thing I think that could have made it better? If Ernest became possessed by a demon. That would bump it up to a five star for sure.

See the next movie on the countdown.

Who will replace Urban Meyer at Florida

2010-12-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Urban Meyer is stepping down as head football coach at the University of Florida. The Gators won two national championships and played for several SEC championships while under his leadership. Meyer stepped down last year, albeit for a day or so, due to health reasons, only to return.

This time I feel it is permanent. The Gators, despite having some of the best recruiting classes the two couple of years, lost more games than they had in over 15 years. Much debate is on how much losing his offensive and defensive coordinator in successive years has hurt the program. Two years ago Dan Mullen left to be the head coach at Mississippi State and last year Charlie Strong left to be the head coach at Louisville.

With the Gator offense sliding from one of the best in the nation to 80th has led many to wonder how much of the offensive success was due to Mullens, how much was due to Superman, err, Tim Tebow, and how much of it was really due to Meyer's coaching. Meyer had success before Tebow, but he did have Mullens by his side.

Though the defense was not as bad as the offense this year, it still had it's share of struggles. Much of it can be put on the long periods of time they faced on the field due to the short possessions by the inept offense, but regardless, it also was heading in the wrong direction.

So now that Meyer is stepping down, the question becomes, who will replace him. I have to think the top choices will be the super hot offensive coordinator from Auburn, Gus Malzahn, one of the two coordinators that left Florida recently, Boise State's head coach, Chris Petersen, or TCU's Gary Patterson.

UPDATE: I was obviously way off. The correct answer was, "Will Muschamp" ladies and gentlemen.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pork Chops and other randomness

2010-12-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

If you are going to name a restaurant “Pork Chops” you darn well better have pork chops on your menu.

Which Buffy the Vampire Slayer is hotter? Sarah Michelle Geller or Christy Swanson

An Action Thriller without a twist ending might actually seem clever these days.

Oran Juice Jones watching Buffy

I do not like wine. It reminds me of communion.

I imagine Cam Newton is upset. He probably is hurt by his father’s actions. I am sure he feels he is worth more than $200,000.

What if you put the cart before the horse, and then turn the cart and horse around?

If an indoor shopping center only contains one store can it still be called a mall?

I would not want to be a cat. As sucky as this life can be at times I do not think I would enjoy eight more.

Whatever happened to Oran Juice Jones? Anyone see him out there in the rain?

New fries at Wendy's - What was wrong with the old ones?

2010-12-05T00:30:00.000-08:00

What is with all the "improvements" these fast food places are coming up with?

I remember several years ago or so when Burger King announced they had changed their French fries I asked a friend if that meant they were basically admitting they were bad before? Well, of course we both knew the answer to that. The sad thing is their new fries may have been even worse.

A few months ago I saw Dominos Pizza had announced they have improved their pizza. Again, admitting it was not as good as it could have been. Does that mean all their customers from over the years can ask for refunds?

Personally, when I had it, I liked Dominos. Then again I liked Pizza Hutt, Papa Johns, CiCis and more. I guess with pizza I am easy to please.

McDonald's Grimace

Now I see that Wendy’s has changed their French fries. What the..??!! I liked their fries. Why didn’t anybody there consult me on this? Natural cut fries? What, so they have a little bit of skin on them, that no one will actually taste after the deep frying process? I am going to take a hunch here, and it is just a hunch as I have not been all over the United States indulging in fast food, but could Wendy’s be trying to copy the fries at the ever growing in popularity Five Guys Burger And Fries? Hmm!

Then on top of that, they now have Sea salt. Really? Sea salt? As if the iodized table salt we have been enjoying for oh so many years was no longer en vogue enough? It does not appear to be for health purposes. Are times that bad Wendy’s?

McDonalds often comes out with new products. I have nothing against that. They at least do not change existing products though. They are smart like that. Plus they know Grimace might get mad and eat one of the VPs.

I mean no one is going to demand Dominos or Wendy’s bring back their old formulas like way back in 1985 when Coca Cola brought out “New Coke,” but still, are these changes just marketing routines to draw in people because of suffering business, or are the changes really for the better?

I want your feedback.

At least Dominos did not bring back the Noid. Sea salt indeed.

Wait, what? I have seen this before, kind of

2010-12-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Hangover sequel?

Sometimes I will be watching a movie and get the feeling I have seen something similar to it before. I am sure I am not alone in this. I believe someone told me there were truly only seven basic plot lines rehashed over and over in stories, and I thought to myself, “Wow, that would explain all the man versus machine stories in books and movies. Was that one of the original seven? Was that around when William Shakespeare was picking from these plot lines, or was it only six back in his day? How would Shakespeare have handled Terminator Salvation had he been alive today to have done the screenplay? Would he have directed? Would he have allowed Christian Bale’s on site tirades?” Sorry, I digress.

When I first saw the movie The Hangover, I thought, this reminds of me Dude, Where’s My Car? Then when I started of thinking of that movie, I thought, hey, that reminds me of The Night Before, an early movie featuring Keanu Reeves, which reminded me of the 80s, which reminded me of the A-Team, which reminds me I still have not seen the movie version…but again I digress.

As previously mentioned, the man versus machine plot line has been used to death. Personally I think nothing tops The Terminator. I mean, come on, The Matrix was overrated. Admit it. There’s that man, Keanu Reeves again. Darn you Keanu, stop finding your way into my blog! I do not remember any catchy lines from that movie, and even if one had been written for Mr. Reeves, I doubt he could deliver it as cool and smooth as Arnold Schwarzenegger's “I’ll be back!” In fact he cannot deliver much at all, unless playing the dumb surfer sounding character like he did in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and his small role in Parenthood. Come to think of it, maybe he should have had a cameo in Dude, Where’s My Car? Oops, I sorry, back to the topic...

Just last year, only months apart, Hollywood delivered unto us Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Observe and Report. It seems it was just a strange coincidence though, as both camps claimed to not know about the other’s movie. I am thinking maybe they both bought the same story and based slightly different screenplays off of it, but were too scared to admit they got taken by whoever wrote the initial story, but hey, whatever, they both were successful in producing comedies that were met with mediocre reviews. Yay!

I think my favorite overused plot line is the wild party/ college frat movies. National Lampoon's Animal House (and I apologize if there was a precursor to it I am leaving out) has spawned so many wannabes it is ridiculous. Not that I am really complaining. I like almost all of these films, and love some of them. National Lampoon's Van Wilder is still one of my favorite movies. It came out around the same time as Old School, which got more attention (despite Wilder having the famed National Lampoon affiliation). I think this, plus the fact that it was not as wild as some hyped it to up to be, made me bitter towards Old School for a while. I can appreciate it now, even if I still just mildly like it.

Oh, and who can forget Bachelor Party with Tom Hanks. When I saw that movie I could not wait to grow up and throw wild parties. The getting engaged part did not intrigue me so much.

I have yet to see College, but from the reviews I have seen I am thinking I might pass on it (if anyone thinks I should give it a shot let me know). Now of course there is a new TBS television show called Glory Daze which, while is hurt by its having to meet certain television standards, thus no nudity, not much swearing, etc, is pretty impressive so far. I mean, it is set in the 80s, which is awesome, and it has a midget. I mean come on man, what is better than a midget?!

We won't even get into all the movies where adults become kids again, kids become adults or where men have to raise babies. That would be a long list.

Okay, so what movie sub genres do you like? What movies and books do you see/read that remind you of each other? Are there any pothead movies, which besides the obvious connection, have the same basic story? What about romantic comedies? What else? Tell me. Tell me now!! I want to hear from you!

The NCAA weaves a slippery slope

2010-12-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

With today’s ruling by the NCAA that Cam Newton is eligible to play in the SEC title game, the NCAA is blatantly allowing its own rules to be skirted.

Now, any student athlete can have a relative, friend, priest, etc ask colleges for money in exchange for their services. All the person who is doing the asking has to do if the NCAA comes calling, is deny that the student athlete knew about it.

Now, do not get me wrong, I am not saying if some uncle, great aunt, biological father that the student athlete does not even live with, some step dad the son stays with only a few months a year, etc goes and asks for money that a student athlete should instantly be made ineligible. This is not that case though. This was Cam Newton’s father, whom he lived with.

There is also the issue of why Cam Newton did not go to Mississippi State University if it was not about money. An MSU recruiter stated that Cam personally called and said the money was too much. Granted, the recruiter may have lied to hurt Newton or Auburn, but regardless of that statement being true, this much is true, Cecil Newton did not get the money he wanted from MSU then Cam suddenly switches his commitment to Auburn? Give me a break. I know, I know, no solid proof to identify that the two are related. I cannot see atoms, but I know they exist. Before satellites existed, before people sailed all around it, some people knew the earth was not flat. We know OJ killed Nicole.

Now I ask what if the FBI, which has not closed its case, finds out Auburn has a slush fund which it uses to pay players? What if it is even bigger than Cam Newton? Then the NCAA will have to go back and vacate Auburn’s wins, and should it win a BCS National Title, the BCS will vacate that as well. If some other school misses out on playing for the national title this year, then that happens later on, there will be much uproar, and rightly so, at the NCAA for not taking care of things in the here and now.

Ironic that Auburn just now declared Cam ineligible a day before the NCAA cleared him, as if they knew what was going to happen. Maybe their pockets go even deep enough to control such outcomes. Auburn knew the investigation was going on well before yesterday, so why did they not sit him sooner, as all the other schools under investigation this year have done with student athletes? It may not be any great conspiracy. More than likely the NCAA is just not very good. Either way, shame on them for allowing Mr. Newton, and Auburn to jump back and forth over their white line, and taunt them while doing so. War Eagle Tiger laptop stealer paid player..indeed!

Turkey versus Ham

2010-11-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

So Thanksgiving came and went recently. Of course only hours eating a huge meal at my sister’s house, the main dish being turkey, I asked, “Ham for Christmas?” as if I did not know. My sister, like my mother before her, always does a turkey with all the fixings for Thanksgiving, and a ham for Christmas. Have I mentioned that I love my sister dearly? Now on the other hand, one of my other sisters bakes a turkey for both holidays. I still love her dearly too though.

Turkey vs. Ham

Recently, bringing the topic up among friends I have discovered others have turkey on both days and some ham on both days. Some people do not even have ham or turkey either day. I know crazy right? I sometimes wonder what kind of world I am living in.

Anyways, I love turkey, especially with some stuffing, home made gravy, mashed potatoes, peas...you get the picture. Still, my love for it only goes so far. I mean, ham needs its place as well. Think of that juicy, pretty pink (don’t go there) spiral cut, honey glazed, scrumptious, tender ham. Mmmmm! Got your mouth watering doesn’t it? Why would anyone not want the best of both worlds? Why make both holidays the same? I could understand having one or the other on Easter, as there is not another suitable traditional holiday meat (though Easter Tenderloins might not be a bad idea). That is months apart though so whichever you choose for that day will seem fresh again.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are only about a month apart. On top of that, most people end up eating Thanksgiving leftovers for days, nay, weeks afterwards. So am I irrational for thinking turkey again on Christmas is wrong?

Please Rate or Leave me your feedback.

What if it was your life? Wasting money on movies

2010-11-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

Bad day at work

2010-11-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Deke's Delusions of downtown Augusta

2010-11-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

This is a quick little video I made over a year ago. In honor of Deke winning the Mayor's race I thought I would share it here.

Cheers and Jeers for Halloween

2010-11-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite holidays has just come and gone. I must say I had my fill and I am ready to move on. So bring on the Christmas inundation. Ha! I am just kidding.

Cheer to the amount of horror movies and programs on cable this year for Halloween

I feel the genre was well covered. Not to say that there is usually lack of Halloween specials, but sometimes I find there are only horror movies the day of, or week leading into Halloween. This year I found there to be horror movies spread out over the entire month of October.

Kudos to AMCs Fearfest. I had never really watched all of the Friday the 13^th movies, but now I think I can safely say I have, and really, how can you go wrong with the Halloween

movie franchise. The name says it all.

Kudos to IFC and some other channels for showing some lesser known movies I had not

had the privilege of hearing about before. I could see why Maniac was not a huge hit, but could also see why it walked the line of favorable and unfavorable reviews on IMDB.

Kudos to Starz for premiering the remake of The Crazies on

Halloween. Perfect timing!

I must not forget some other mentions such as Dr. Giggles on Encore, or Pumpkinhead on This.

Finally, I once again got to watch It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on ABC. What could be better?

Jeers to the costumes I saw this year

I imagine the economy played a role in many a rehashed or low budget costume. Still, I was shocked that no one I saw out had on a Jersey Shore costume. They only reason I did not personally dress up as “The Situation,” is that I assumed there would be plenty of others in JS costumes out and about. I did not want to be one of many. I thought maybe someone would even go further and buy a JS costume, then put a twist on it, such as a Zombie Snookie, a blood sucking Paul D or She Wolf J-Wow. That would have been awesome. I

had no such luck in seeing such thing though.

Last year I saw a Lego Man, a Billy Mayes and more. This year the contest winner at the club was someone dressed as Jake Sully from Avatar. Not bad, but the fact that was the best and most original costume says volumes.

Cheers to all the trick or treating I witnessed

I do not personally have children, nor live in an actual house, so I have not been privy to the trick or treating scene in some years. All I can go on is hearsay, but word was that children did not partake in trick or treating as much as in the old days. New options for children and new fears for safety were cited as the reason for such decline. However, I am happy to report that I went with some friends to help take their kids trick or treating and saw tons of ot

her kids out in cute costumes going door to door. I also am happy to say most of the people in this neighborhood were home, with their porch lights on, and candy at the ready.

Not just any candy either, but good candy. Cheap Candy Corn be damned! Ha! Seriously though, seeing the tradition alive and well warms my heart.

Jeers to VUE Lounge in Augusta for poor business practices

We chose to go there because last Halloween they let people in costumes in free and it had a great crowd of people with original and diverse costumes. While we did call ahead to learn there would not be free cover this year, my friend’s wife was told $10 for guys and $5 for girls over the phone.

Once at the club, we did pay said cover prices. So that was not a problem. However, when my friend’s wife and I had to take my sickly friend outside (starting to the drinking at noon is never a good idea kids), I found out I was not allowed back in immediately to gather up our remaining friends who had rode with us. Though it was not exactly the club’s fault that a certain cell phone carrier had no service inside the club, the manager could have let me in to collect my friends once I explained this to him. Instead he said I had to get at the back of the end of the long line to regain entrance.

On top of that, I heard them start telling the people in line who had not yet been in that the cover charge was $20. I asked why they had raised the price, and they said because they were at occupancy and they could. A few minutes later I heard them tell some people $30!

This was good for me, as it thinned the line out. So not only did the club lose those customers and not even get $10 cover from them, but they lost any monies those potential customers were willing to spend on alcohol sales. Great business sense huh?

While in a way this shows the free market system somewhat working by way of people voting with their wallets, had my friends and I come up to the club an hour or so after calling we would not have paid the price they quoted to us. Plus had we, or anyone else who went in while the price was still $5-$10 called our friends and told them the price, they would have waited in the long line just to get to the cashier to find out that no, in fact the price was more. Thus they would then have to choose between paying the higher fee or going elsewhere and loosing much of the precious time to celebrate (last call is at 1:45 AM in Augusta after all). This to me again stresses that without any regulation or rules in place businesses will not use common sense and self regulate their own behavior.

Therefore, I write with the utmost sincerity, I hope you change your management DOODOO Lounge, I mean VUE Lounge, or go out of business.
To put it mildly, they suck.

In Summation

Overall, as usual, Halloween was great. There were a few disappointments, but that is life. I am glad it is over for now, but will be excited when Halloween 2011 rolls around.

Oh, and P.S., thanks for my good friend Stephen for showing me the movie Gingersnaps. I have been craving a good werewolf movie!

Not false advertisement, just misleading advertisement

2010-10-21T10:17:00.002-07:00

Recently a new gym has been advertising their imminent opening here in Augusta, GA. They are mailing out advertisements that state, " Just $10 per month. No Gimmicks. Month to Month. "

So me and a buddy of mine went by their makeshift office space to speak with them. Right there on a hanging banner the words read again, "Just $10 per month. No Gimmicks."

A gym sales employee showed me and my friend photos of what the gym would look like, the layout, equipment to be featured, training info, etc. So I asked about the $10 a month. She told me why yes, I could sign up now and pay just $10 a month with no contract, and the only catch was that I had to give 30 days written notice to cancel. Sounds great doesn't it?

I, being skeptical, asked, "So I can bring you $10 each month and be a member? Well no, not exactly. This is where things go sour. Ms. Gym Sales Employee explains that to get the $10 a month deal, I have to allow automatic deduction from my bank account. Hmmm! Isn't that a gimmick?

So, even though I have a pretty good idea why, having read up (see numbers five and six for example) on many horror stories (or see Health Club Memberships) of how gyms keep drafting payments (maybe read this or this or this or this or this or this or this or or this or this to name a few) from people who have requested their memberships be cancelled, or overdraft on the agreed to monthly amounts, I ask anyways why the gym needs access to my bank account versus me bringing in the $10 monthly. I tell her I would gladly pay up front for the final month. Ms. Gym Sales Employee explains, that they want to keep certain rift raft out of the club. She tells me I would not want certain individuals next to me on a treadmill. I wouldn't? How would she know who I would and not want next to me. Hmmm, I guess she can read my mind. I want stupid old people that are easily conned next to me on the treadmill over someone who is sound with their money.

I proceed to inquire whether someone has a bank account, or more so whether someone allows them access to their bank account has to do with the type individual they are. Lord forbid some smelly homeless man keep scraping up $10 each month and decide to use it to stay fit versus buying food or booze. Ms. Gym Sales Employee said any old body can bring in $10 a month. I asked, "Well, yeah, and if they can don't they have the right to the advertised deal?" Apparently not. She said without giving access to draft payments the only option was to sign a two year contract.

The next time I go to sit down with these type people I will come in singing this little diddy.

Brick Pond park 7/29

2009-09-04T12:32:00.001-07:00

Augusta Canal 09/02/2009

2009-09-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

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2009-01-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

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