N e w s f l a s h !...Duran Duran will reunite. Am I too old to be excited by this?

Hell, I was probably too old the first time around. I was in college when they reached the peak of their success, and God I loved them. I suppose that's comparable to a college student of today hanging posters of the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync in their dorm rooms (yes, I had a huge poster of Duran Duran on my wall sophomore year, so nah nah nah nah on you). But I'd like to think that at least Duran Duran wrote their own songs and actually played their own instruments. And oh that Simon le Bon was a hottie. I say was because, well, like most of us, the years haven't been all that kind to him.

But, like all of those women "of a certain age" who go to those Sock Hop Reunion shows that tour the country and sit in the front row and swoon at pot-bellied Fabian or toupeed Frankie Avalon, I will be there at a new Duran Duran show, screaming for a now chubby Simon and singing my heart out.

posted at 6:26 PM | link |

Ta DA!

posted at 10:51 AM | link |

You may notice that some of yesterday's entries are not showing up until today. At least I hope they show up today! Blogger was a bit temperemental yesterday, due to the fact that Ev installed some new hardware and was tweaking the blogger user interface. I think maybe he tweaked it a little too hard.

Let's give things another try. I'll push the button on the count of three...1...2...3!

posted at 10:48 AM | link |

I feel as though I'm always picking on Romanians, but what can I say? No one else seems to be setting their heads on fire.

posted at 3:56 PM | link |

I was just visiting a site dedicated to a reel-by-reel, practically shot-by-shot examination of Alfred Hitchcock's film North by Northwest (mentioned here earlier) and I came across this perfect description of Cary Grant:

"...he mixes the light-comic sophistication of an Alfred Lunt and the music hall clowning of a Charlie Chaplin with the glamour of a fashion model and the athleticism of a Hollywood action hero."
James Naremore (North by Northwest, Rutgers, 1993)

I guess I'll be on the lookout for Cary Grant movies this weekend.

posted at 3:42 PM | link |

An umbrella is all the well-dressed Londoner needs, apparently.

posted at 3:21 PM | link |

Okay, so how many of you think Robert Blake killed his wife?

I don't know what to think at this point. Like most people, I hope he had nothing to do with it. But the chances that some mysterious stalker or stranger walked up to that car right when Blake was conveniently out of sight are pretty damn slim. Then again, the couple seemed to have surrounded themselves with shady characters. A friend of Blake's claims that the reason he knows that Blake did not kill his wife is that he had offered to kill her himself and Blake had turned him down. Okaay. Blake and Bakley (how many of you keep saying Blakely instead of Bakley, like me?) were apparently pretty shady themselves.

This is one of those disillusioning moments for me, when the illusions of celebrity built during your childhood years come crashing down around you. I'm not devastated by this, not by any means, but I'm pretty bummed out. I really liked Blake, for some odd reason. He was fantastic in In Cold Blood (1967), playing one of two ex-cons who brutally murdered a family of four in Kansas. Of course, we watched "Baretta", every Wednesday night I think it was, because my mother had a thing for Blake.

I was watching Baretta when I swore for the very first time in front of my mother. I was twelve years old, I think. Anyone remember the opening credits for that show? It was a montage of action scenes, with someone (Sammy Davis, Jr.?) singing the theme song (Keep your eeeeyyyyeeee, on the sparrow!); there was a quick scene in which Baretta was dressed as an old woman, undercover (one would hope), and some 'punk' tries to snatch his purse. Ever the tough little guy, Baretta grabs the guy's arm, swings him around and knees him, well, you-know-where. Apparently in some sort of fugue state and completely unaware of where I was (lying on the floor in the living room, watching with my mother and sisters), I witness the above mentioned assault and yell out, "Aw MAN! Right in the BALLS!"

I don't think I even knew what they were at the time.

That was one episode of Baretta I did not see.

posted at 11:09 AM | link |

Mike and George at Xcursions have posted their review of Alone. They express what I think most fans felt after watching this great episode.

posted at 10:36 PM | link |

There are so many jokes to be made here, I couldn't possibly pick just one.

posted at 4:28 PM | link |

Cute Animal Picture For Today.

posted at 3:39 PM | link |

Oh, dear. Methinks someone might have possibly turned to food for solace in the wake of his loss.

posted at 3:36 PM | link |

Good reading:

Here come da Judge! A judge orders four jackasses to shut off the TV, read some good books *and* write book reports on them. Right on, Judge Sheehan.

I remember reading about this dog attack and some of the odd aspects of the case shortly after the attack occurred, but I had no idea it was such a circus. You have to read the article - you just can't make this stuff up.

posted at 2:50 PM | link |

"There's something up there, Mulder."



"Oh, I've been saying that for years."


Was he right all along? Wouldn't that be a hoot.

posted at 12:33 PM | link |

Oh, this poor little girl. I was bitten by 1 tick once, and I'm still skeeved at the memory.

posted at 5:30 PM | link |

V i r u s W a r n i n g

Users of Microsoft Outlook beware - there's a new e-mail worm on the loose. It's called "Homepage", and works like the Anna Kournikova worm that recently made its way around the world (and into my office). If you get an e-mail with the subject line "Homepage", the message "Hi! You've got to see this page. It's really cool ;o)" and an attachment named homepage.html.vbs, delete it. Do not open the attachment.

Looks like I'll have to go into the office a little early tomorrow to make sure all hell doesn't break loose!

posted at 5:22 PM | link |

Well, Whadya Know

Why do we call a test for authenticity or usefulness the
"acid test?"

The origins of this phrase were quite literal. More than a century ago, when much
of the population lived in rural areas, the itinerant peddler
was an important person. Not only did he sell all sorts of
manufactured goods otherwise unavailable, he also bought old
objects made of gold. For this purpose he needed an easy way
to estimate the gold content of, say, an old spoon. He did it
by nicking it slightly and pouring nitric acid on the
indentation. The color the liquid turned revealed the
percentage of gold present.

[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]

When do bears emerge from hibernation?

Some trivia books still try to pose this as a trick question, stating that bears don't emerge because they never hibernated in the first place. The bear's body temperature doesn't fall as much as that of other hibernating animals, and this was once thought to disqualify them as true hibernators. But now we know that their higher body temperature is simply a function of their larger size.

Like other hibernators, bears don't sleep through the winter, but rather wake up periodically and eat what they've stored in their cave. They emerge for good when average temperatures are above freezing.

[source: The World Book Encyclopedia]

posted at 5:04 PM | link |

From abcnews.com's Crime Blotter:

B A Y C I T Y, Mich. It would have taken a miracle for convicted robber Chad Gabriel DeKoven to win his lawsuit demanding he be recognized as "Messiah-God," released from prison, and given millions of tons of gold and silver.

Michigan District Court Judge David M. Lawson dismissed the convicted armed robber's suit, calling it "patently frivolous, implausible, unsubstantial and devoid of merit."

In his 200-page court filing, DeKoven also demanded a full pardon, public acknowledgement from Israel that he is King of Jews, peace in the Middle East, safe passage for Osama bin Laden, and the return to the United States of all American military personnel within 90 days.

Additionally, he asked for thousands of animals such as bison, fish and mollusks.

The judge, however, was unmoved by DeKoven "scientific" proof he was God.

"The plaintiff's overwrought attempts to judicially establish 'scientifically' through numerology, symbolic name analysis, and sheer repetitive assertion that he is the Messiah or Messiah-God are unconvincing and clearly baseless," Lawson wrote.

"The plaintiff has no constitutional right to be recognized and treated as the "Messiah-God" or any other holy, extra-worldly, or supernatural being or power," he concluded.

I wish you could see the smile on my face right now.

posted at 4:20 PM | link |

New Invisibles Quiz!

posted at 2:19 PM | link |

Red has updated GeekSpeak with Vienen reviews.

posted at 1:53 PM | link |

I could spend hours here: Last Words, a site that indexes and explains the famous last words (both real and supposed) of real and fictional people. I've only read one page, but I am enthralled already. Some are inspiring, while some are just plain funny. For example:

Hilton, Conrad N. (1887-1979)

"Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub."

Conrad Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico, and began his career by renting out rooms in his adobe home. He took a job as a local bank cashier and was so successful that he soon purchased a bank of his own. He assumed control of a small hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919 and over the next sixty years built an international hospitality empire. On his deathbed just before he died, Hilton was asked if he had any last words of wisdom for the world.

posted at 1:46 PM | link |

The funnieset thing I've read in a long time. If you've ever read People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the world, you'll know what I mean.

posted at 1:33 PM | link |

I turn my back for a second and they go and end the strike. In order to protect themselves in the event of a writer's strike, Hollywood brass had been ordering up as much new programming as quickly as they possibly could. "This gives us the flexibility to start some shows earlier, make lots of episodes and have fewer repeats," one network executive told industry publication Daily Variety. "You'll also see a lot more shows in mid-season."

More doesn't always mean good, though, does it?

posted at 1:30 PM | link |

I had a great weekend in New Jersey. I was visiting with my college roommate, who is married and has four kids now, all beautiful. As I was driving down the Garden State Parkway, I realized that we have known each for just under 19 years, half our lives. The occasion for the visit was her second eldest's First Holy Communion, but we managed to get in a few good moments together, even amidst all the domestic craziness. Heck, we even closed the bar we were at on Saturday night. Good to know some things don't change.

Sorry that I still haven't posted any new links. I have, however, posted my Vienen review on the ex post facto page. I don't have time for more than that right now - The Sopranos is on in 15 minutes!

posted at 9:46 PM | link |

I'm home! Unfortunately, I don't have the time to post anything new right now. I'll catch ya later on.

posted at 2:42 PM | link |