- This chart might be the most remarkable thing I've seen in months. Why is that?
1) Rambo only killed one guy, the abusive deputy, in all of First Blood, no one seems to remember that, including myself. 2) The man who compiled the list is none other than John Mueller, who currently holds the Woody Hayes Chair for National Security Studies at THE Ohio State University (and tire center.) The man is a professor at THE OSU, and he went through the entire Rambo series counting stats? 3) John Mueller, in addition to holding the Woody Hayes Chair for National Security studies and being a huge Rambo fan, is also a professor of dance at THE OSU. What? 4) There’s such thing as a Woody Hayes Chair for National Security Studies at THE Ohio State University.
- One thing I love is old commercials or ads, because more than anything, it reflects the values of the day. Some of these...wow.
- While we're talking about ads reflecting the values of the day, I remembered this ship's emblem that I saw at the submarine museum in Groton a few years back. Meanwhile, we still have a professional sports franchise called the "Redskins."
- I guess that's one way to make "Hey Ya" tolerable...
- TNT has been running Stealth ad nauseum lately, and it's the latest example of a B-movie script coupled with an A-movie budget. I don't think you'll see a better looking, yet horrible movie. I watched half of it again just because the special effects were absolutely incredible, despite the fact that the script was probably originally written in crayon. How is it they never made a video game out of this movie? The flying scenes looked like they could've been lifted out of an Ace Combat game, yet no one thought to translate Stealth into a video game?
- My parents have recently gotten into ballroom dancing, and I saw them watching what looked to be like th chinese version of Dancing with the Stars one day. They were surprised to learn that there was actually an American version of the show as well. Every season, I look at the roster out of curiosity and some names stick out. Some for comedic reasons (Cliff Clavin) some for morbid reasons (Heather Mills) and others, like Scary Spice and Joey Fatone, because they'd have a built in advantage, having dance backgrounds (incidentally, both were runners-up in their respective seasons.) It'd be like if Congress played flag football, in the late nineties, except the Republicans would have JC Watts and Steve Largent on their team. Thus, why not just go all out and do a season of just stars with dancing backgrounds. Just off the top of my head:
Paula Abdul, former Laker Girl and choreographer, she's no stranger to reality TV
Gates McFadden, former choreographer, actress, and MILF, doesn't really seem busy at the moment
Rosie Perez, former Fly Girl, haven't seen her in anything in about a decade
Britney Spears, train wreck, needs all the good publicity she can get, plus a good excuse to get into shape again.
MC Hammer, former pop star, needs to put food on the table.
Patrick Swayze, actor, has studied dance all his life
Christopher Walken, actor, former song and dance man, might be too big a name to do this, but then again, if he'd do Ball of Fury, he'd do anything.
Mikhail Baryshnikov, actor/dancer, why not pull out the big guns?
And that's just off the top of my head. I can think of others (Madonna, J-Lo) who also have dance backgrounds, but are probably too big for it. Come on, ABC, let's get this done!
- And finally...(why is the guy dressed as the Riddler?)
- "[Reagan] was openly -- openly-- intolerant of unions and the right to organize. He openly fought against the union and the organized labor movement in this country." - John Edwards
Someone kindly inform John Edwards that Ronald Reagan was the only president to have experience as the head of a labor union (the Screen Actor's Guild, `47-`52, `59-`60.) All that hair gel must be seeping into his brain.
- So I FINALLY watched the Goonies. A lot of my friends had been stunned that I haven't seen it, but I've finally done it. I liked it, although I wanted to punch Chunk in the face for about half the movie. A) he was really annoying, and B) he was making us fat kids look bad. I think I would've lost my mind over the girl that played Andy if I had seen it when I was a kid, the fact that she spend most of the movie wet and in a mini-skirt didn't help. The DVD had a bonus feature which had the commentary by all the Goonies, and you got to see them as adults, and let me say, she's still a good looking woman.
- That brings us to the next point: I renew my call for Steven Spielberg to bring back Short Round in the upcoming Indiana Jones movie. Marcus Brody came back in Last Crusade, Sallah came back in Last Crusade, heck, even Marian Ravenwood is coming back in the next one. If they don't want him on screen, at least acknowledge him in dialogue, like a phone call to him "hey Short Round, I spoke to Professor Smith at Stanford, and he's willing to give you a position on his staff once you finish your dissertation," or "Yeah, the kid in the picture is Short Round. He died during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai." Something. ANYTHING.
- The news of the Robotech live action movie reminded me of my previous idea of just reimagining Macross as a means to get around the copyright issues between the Japanese copyright holders and Harmony Gold, who own Robotech. If they just reimagine it, ala BSG, wouldn't that work around the issues? The names are already different, it's just the images and designs that are identical. Change those, and it should become an all new entity.
- Factoid of the Day That May Only Interest Me (with apologies to Peter King): The US produced half a million Purple Hearts in 1945 in anticipation of the massive casualties expected from the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. We dropped the bomb, the invasion was canceled, and we've been working our way through that supply of Purple Hearts ever since.
- It's interesting that someone actually records these stats. Why do people predominately jump off of one side rather than the other?
- Wikipedia featured this article the other day. In other news, once upon a time, Belgium actually invaded someone.
- Speaking of Belgians, I work with a lot of them, so I probably know more things about the country than most Americans. But when I tried to think of famous Belgians, all I could come up with was Jean Claude Van Damme and Adolph Sax. I bet most people wouldn't even have Adolph Sax (inventor of the saxophone.) Apparently, trying to think of famous Belgians is a parlor game in the UK. So, how many famous Belgians can YOU think of?
- Perhaps one of the greatest scenes ever filmed. I'll admit it, I get chills every time I see it. Incidentally, I'd like to point out that 35 years after the completion of Apollo 17, the twelve Americans who walked on the moon are still the only human beings to ever walk on the moon. No other country has even sent men beyond Earth's orbit.
- Here one way the Muppets can find acceptance among today's youth, spoof a rated R movie. What's next, the Muppets spoofing Pulp Fiction? (Kermit: "Miss Piggy is nice. The Pigs in Space are nice." Gonzo: "Ratso can bake me a pumpkin pie, but that doesn't mean I'd befriend the filthy motherfucka.")
- The Dana Carvey Show only ran for six episodes, and was easily the best sketch from those six.
- Oh come on, a live action Robotech movie? Why not just a live action Macross movie? And will it include Minmei?
Many people I've mentioned this to have compared it to the Running Man. If they've basically made a game show out of Grand Theft Auto, why not Running Man? Here's my pitch:
It'd be very similar to Special Forces Manhunt on the Military Channel, the difference being, instead of a trained former SAS man like Chris Ryan, it'd be just a regular contestant, and instead of exotic locals like a jungle or a desert, they'd use the abandoned city of Prypiat in the Ukraine. The city was built to house the employees of the Chernobyl power plant, and was abandoned after the accident. (The radiation can't be that bad if they allow tours there.) Let's face it, there aren't that many large abandoned cities out there. Instead of Stalkers, the hunters would be a squad of guest special forces units from all over the world. The contestant would wear a head mounted miniature camera and have an hour head start, and would have 24 hours to reach four checkpoints in no particular order without the hunters finding and shooting them first. The hunters would be armed with paint ball guns, and if the contestant is shot with a paint ball, the game is over. The contestant would only be armed with four paint grenades, and if a hunter is painted, then they're out of the game. The action would be covered by cameras mounted all over the city, as well as cameras on a hunters and the contestant. I don't know about you, but I'd watch.
- This will never be topped. Not only did the band just spell it out a few moments prior, but it's also the state with the fewest letters. Oh, and BTW, Ohio State still lost. Just wanted to remind everyone of that...
- RIP Sir Edmund Hillary. One thing about him that I almost found fascinating was the fact that his face was on the New Zealand five dollar note. Mind you, in most places of the world, the only living people that were allowed on money would be the reigning sovereign. Here in America, no living people are allowed on money, or stamps. But not only was Hillary not a monarch, he was still alive, and he had never been an elected official. Up until Peter Jackson or Lucy Lawless came along, he was probably the first person most people thought of when asked to name a New Zealander. I always wondered if he ever pulled out a five dollar bill when people asked to see a government issued photo ID, because I'd do it all the time.
- I've posted about the show Ninja Warrior before, and I believe they've outdid themselves. If watching guys trying to work their way through an impossibly tough obstacle course was entertaining, watching women do it is way better. Since they reconfigured the course to emphasize balance instead of raw strength, there aren't any freakishly ripped women (well, except for that wrestler who I couldn't tell was a woman,) and it's usually gymnasts, dancers, and runners who do the best. And I don't think I have to explain myself if I admit that watching gymnasts, dancers and runners bounce and run their way though an obstacle course is ... strangely compelling. The only downside is I'm now more than fully aware of the poor state of dental care in Japan, but you can't have everything.
The woman in the clip below isn't the hottest one, but she's clearly the Michael Jordan of the competition, having won the competition three times.
- I just found out myself, but there's going to be a new Knight Rider TV movie next month. Apparently, it's going to be a continuation, with the Hoff making some guest appearances but no mention if William Daniels will ever cameo as the original KITT (Will Arnett, GOB from Arrested Development will be the new voice of KITT. What the hell?) And the new KITT will be a Mustang GT500, not a Trans Am, which will surely garner loud and vocal protests from thousands of Italians in New Jersey. Popular Mechanics had the dorky specs.
- You have to admire the girl's moxie. I'm sure she'll have plenty of time to think about it as she spends the next three years in a re-education camp. On a related note, I just used the word "moxie." What's the female equivalent of "balls?" Anybody?
- Speaking of Red China, I just found out there's a Chinese professional basketball team called the Beijing Ducks. Yes, the Beijing Ducks. Apparently, they play in the same league as the Buffalo Wings, the Vienna Schnitzels, the Philadelphia Cheesesteaks, and the New England Clam Chowders.
- For those of you who ever wondered what would happen if you were to throw an iPod or 53 Hot Wheels cars in a blender, this is the website for you. Why anyone would ever need a blender powerful enough to grind up several hundred carats of cubic zirconia is beyond me.
- I discovered Craig Ferguson's talk show over the break, and he's quite funny. Conan is more college humor, while Craig is more British comedy. I guess it just depends on what you're in the mood for. Most of you know I have a pretty bad Sean Connery impression that I'm more than willing to break out, so this is the most appropriate Craig Ferguson clip to post:
- The main story here isn't even the biggest story. The biggest story is that this kid is kid number twelve, and every other kid has weighed at least 11 lbs. That is one tough woman. (Not as tough as Vasquez, but still...)
- Three lists, all three of which should've been reversed:
Bad James Bond Puns. Maybe the "I thought Christmas only came once a year" line wasn't as bad as "I believe he's attempting reentry," but it was delivered by Pierce Brosnan, and not Roger Moore. You kind of expect Roger Moore to deliver lecherous lines like that, just like you'd expect Moore's Bond to grow up to be an old man who tries to pick up women a third his age in bars using bawdy pickup lines while wearing a smoking jacket with a dickey and swishing a snifter of brandy. But Brosnan? Totally out of the blue. And while The World is Not Enough wasn't that good to start with ("I'm a new-cu-lar scientist...") the Christmas line was the final nail in the coffin.
Greatest music videos. Those of you who know me know that I believe that "Crazy" by Aerosmith is the greatest music video of all time. For those of you who don't know me, I believe that "Crazy" by Aerosmith is the greatest music video of all time. The song isn't even that good. Like most Aerosmith videos of the day, it starred Alicia Silverstone, but as an added bonus, you've also got Liv Tyler, plus the super duper added bonuses of Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler dressing up as Catholic schoolgirls, as strippers, and skinny dipping. (I can't imagine why Steven Tyler would cast his own daughter here, and frankly, I don't want to know.)
And finally, trashiest fan bases. Because you knew on football saturdays in Ohio, no fries and moonshine were being made and no couches were being burned (yet.)
- Ryan Mallett, who hardly knew ye. I won't pretend to be able to predict what would happen if Mallett had stayed, but I would like to say how I have my qualms with Rich Rodriguez, and it has nothing to do with coaching. Some of you may remember how disgusted I was when Lee Bollinger left Michigan to be president of Columbia. I felt that we had been used, that we had only been a mere stepping stone, and I wanted a university president that ultimately wanted to stay at Michigan and go nowhere else, and how Jerry Ford would've been perfect for the job. But at least Lee was a Columbia alum. Not only does Rodriguez have absolutely no ties to Michigan, the state or the school, he grew up in the state of WV, attended WVU, and most of his coaching jobs prior to Michigan have been in the state of WV, and he quit his contract at WV to come with us. Why would we want a man who doesn't honor his contract? It's like how no one ever trusts spies or defectors. These people betrayed their own countries, why would they have any loyalty to us? Why would Rodriguez have any loyalty to us? We're just a paycheck to him. At least Les Miles was a Michigan man, and I can respect a man who wants to work for his alma mater.
- Caught the first two eps of the new season of Law and Order. I was very curious as to what they were going to do with Jack McCoy as the DA. I hope it's just temporary, as Sam Waterson is a fine actor and making him the DA just reduces his screen time. This is not to say that I don't like Linus Roache, on the contrary, I've liked him ever since he turned in very sympathetic performances as the Purifier in Chronicles of Riddick and as Thomas Wayne in Batman Begins. He does need to work on his American accent though, which is strange because he sounded fine in Batman Begins. It seems like he's overdoing the New York accent. I also don't like how he occasionally dresses like a mobster (black shirt, black suit, purple skinny tie in one scene.) He's an executive assistant district attorney, and he dresses like he manages a strip club? I also like Alana de la Garza's new look, she looks a lot more professional. Last season, with the jet black hair and porcelain skin, she looked more like one of Dracula's brides than a civil servant. I thought they went overboard on the hotness factor when they cast her anyway. The woman had a Maxim spread before she was on the show, for heaven's sake. There's no way a civil servant in ANY country looks like her. Jeremy Sisto's character seems okay, but there's nothing really to distinguish him from Ed Green. Briscoe and Fontana were far more experienced, and Cassady had too little experience, but Lupo seems to be at the same level as Green. It'll be interesting to see how it develops. One thing that bothers me is the fact that they said Lupo was working overseas with NYPD intel, and how he's broken hundreds of cases, often without backup. NYPD has personnel overseas working cases? They have jurisdiction? New episode tonight, we'll see.
- I want to do a posting on top twelve Attainable Chicks. (Yes, top twelve. I like the dirty dozen theme.) Michelle Trachtenberg and Zooey Deschanel are mortal locks to make the list. Any suggestions?
