I never meant to take this blog in such a political direction. I’ve always enjoyed arguing about politics, but that’s probably because I just like to argue anyway. I’m trying to take this back to concentrating on pop culture as well as some personal experiences and thoughts, but it’s a process. So if you’re not interested in my ranting on politics, it won’t offend me if you surf off to another site. But please come back soon.
Okay, so there’s still all these “birthers” out there. These people drive me nuts. They claim that President Obama hasn’t proven that he was born in America, which he has. I don’t want to get into all the proof; instead I think I’ll just make fun of them. If not seeing Obama’s original birth certificate is reason to doubt that he’s a natural born American citizen, here are some beliefs that make complete sense, using the same logic:
You haven’t see Obama’s penis, you’re free to doubt that he’s in fact a man.
You haven’t seen Glenn Beck have sex with his wife, so it’s okay to doubt that he’s straight.
There’s no birth certificate on file for a Jesus Christ, or a Jesus H. Christ. So it makes sense to doubt his existence.
I’ve never seen Donald Trump work, so I doubt he’s earned his money legally.
We didn’t see any signed documents by Osama Bin Laden, signing off on 9/11, so I’m not crazy to doubt he planned it.
**
I’ve been involved in political conversations with conservatives, and from time to time, I’ve referenced something said by Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Stephan Colbert or Lewis Black. Then been teased for listening to comedians. Okay, if that’s a valid dig, what does it say about those who listen to Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity? Let’s go to the tale of the tape:
Maher, Stewart, Colbert and Black have degrees from Cornell, William & Mary, Northwestern and Yale. None of the four have been divorced, and as far as I know, none of them have been addicted to drugs. Take Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity and you have what? Zero degrees, seven marriages and two confirmed drug addictions. So if I’m wrong for listening to some educated guys who make me laugh, while sharing their often on point opinion, that’s fine.
April 19, 2011
April 12, 2011
Swingers 2k11
I simply love the movie, Swingers. Yeah, I really had to say movie there, because just saying “I love Swingers” would be a completely different and false statement, which would get me in loads of trouble at home. That said, I was recently thinking about how different that movie would be if it took place in 2011. A lot has changed since 1996.
Here are a few things that I think would be different:
Mikey wouldn’t just vent to Rob about his ex, he’d blog about the pain.
When the Mike and Trent are closing in on Vegas, rather right after uttering, “Vegas baby, Vegas” Trent would Tweet, “Vegas, Baby, Vegas. #Vegas!”
The guys wouldn’t play blackjack in Vegas, opting for poker instead. “Always raise with aces. Always, baby.”
Each time the guys hit a new bar or party, they’d get out their iPhones and check in on Foursquare.
Mikey would check his ex-girlfriend’s Facebook page for updates, and find out about the lawn jockey from a profile update.
Mikey wouldn’t have left five drawn out messages on that girl Nikki’s answering machine; he would have sent her 15 text messages.
Mike wouldn’t pine over his ex, by looking at a shoebox full of old photos, instead looking at an old Myspace page.
Instead of meeting up at Sue’s pad to play Sega before heading out, they’d play “Call of Duty” online from the comfort of their own homes.
Instead of auditioning for sitcoms, the guys would be trying out for reality television shows. Rob’s big news wouldn’t be a Pluto call back, but a Real World call back.
After leaving the diner, Trent would tweet where they were and, “I would never eat there. #Imthebadguy”
There would be no going home to check messages, since no one would have a home phone, just cell phones. Mikey would constantly be checking his phone for missed calls and reporting how many bar’s he has.
Instead of arguing how long Mikey should wait to call a girl, the debate would center on the proper waiting time before sending a friend request on Facebook.
When Mike meets Lorraine, and she asks for his number, she’d also ask for his email address and someone would say “I’ll Facebook you.” His card would also have his URL, which would contain an image of the duck head from “You Bet Your Life.”
Thankfully, Swingers came out at the perfect time. So money, baby.
Here are a few things that I think would be different:
Mikey wouldn’t just vent to Rob about his ex, he’d blog about the pain.
When the Mike and Trent are closing in on Vegas, rather right after uttering, “Vegas baby, Vegas” Trent would Tweet, “Vegas, Baby, Vegas. #Vegas!”
The guys wouldn’t play blackjack in Vegas, opting for poker instead. “Always raise with aces. Always, baby.”
Each time the guys hit a new bar or party, they’d get out their iPhones and check in on Foursquare.
Mikey would check his ex-girlfriend’s Facebook page for updates, and find out about the lawn jockey from a profile update.
Mikey wouldn’t have left five drawn out messages on that girl Nikki’s answering machine; he would have sent her 15 text messages.
Mike wouldn’t pine over his ex, by looking at a shoebox full of old photos, instead looking at an old Myspace page.
Instead of meeting up at Sue’s pad to play Sega before heading out, they’d play “Call of Duty” online from the comfort of their own homes.
Instead of auditioning for sitcoms, the guys would be trying out for reality television shows. Rob’s big news wouldn’t be a Pluto call back, but a Real World call back.
After leaving the diner, Trent would tweet where they were and, “I would never eat there. #Imthebadguy”
There would be no going home to check messages, since no one would have a home phone, just cell phones. Mikey would constantly be checking his phone for missed calls and reporting how many bar’s he has.
Instead of arguing how long Mikey should wait to call a girl, the debate would center on the proper waiting time before sending a friend request on Facebook.
When Mike meets Lorraine, and she asks for his number, she’d also ask for his email address and someone would say “I’ll Facebook you.” His card would also have his URL, which would contain an image of the duck head from “You Bet Your Life.”
Thankfully, Swingers came out at the perfect time. So money, baby.
April 11, 2011
80's Vs 90's, Round I and II
I love the 80’s, really, what’s not to love. I love hearing 80’s music as much as anyone and so many movies from the 80’s are constantly playing in my mental reel. Surprisingly, even to me, I came to conclusion this weekend: the 90’s is the superior decade. Seriously, the 90’s were made up of better movies, music, television, sports and in fact, a better country.
Exhibit A. Movies. The 80’s gave us so many memorable movies. Characters we’ll always love, and refer to on a first name basis: Ferris, Daniel-son, Maverick, and Axel to name a efw. There were lines that have found their way into our everyday vernacular, “Anyone, anyone, anyone?” or “Phone home.” Mostly though, we remember these movies because they were so much fun, but were they really that good? It was a time of bubble gum pop movies. Cheese was served in excess, with a side of cheese on the side, and we ate it up. But how do the movies of the 80’s matchup with those from the following decade?
Well, they don’t. That’s the short answer. I looked at IMDBs Top 250, here comes the long answer. Of the 250 movies, the 90’s are represented by 48 movies to 28 from the 80’s. The average score of a 90’s movie is 8.59 to 8.45 from the 80’s. Three 90’s movies appear in the top 10, while the highest rated 80’s movie took 11th place. Movies from the 80’s have a nice warm spot in our hearts, and many of them are fun to watch for a walk down memory lane, but as a collection of work, it pales in comparison to the 90’s.
In fact, I could argue that the 90’s was the best decade for movies. Look at these titles: Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Schindler’s List, Fight Club, Goodfellas, Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Gump, American History, Saving Private Ryan, LA Confidential, Fargo, Heat, Big Lebowski, Toy Story, Casino and Good Will Hunting. That’s just some of the best movies from the 90’s, and if you’re collect movies, there’s a good chance you own all of them. Best of all, they’re still watchable and relevant.
90’s: 1 80’s: 0
Exhibit B, Music.
Feels like it should be a runaway victory for the 80’s right? So many great bands made their mark in the 80’s. U2, REM, Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Metallica. It was a decade of great pop singers, including some from previous decades: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen. The 80’s gave us Hip-hop and hair bands, Run DMC, NWA, Motley Crue. It was an epic decade. Thriller, Slippery When Wet, Joshua Tree, and Green are all classics.
Again, there was enough cheese for everyone: Wham! New Kids On the Block, Tiffany, and Debbie Gibson, but every decade will have embarrassing and fun trends, especially when it comes to pop music.
If you took the top 15 bands (listed above) from the 80’s against the top 15 from the 90’s in a March Madness style bracket tournament would your #1 seeds be U2, Michael Jackson, Madonna and GnR? Or would you have to give some of those top seeds to: Nirvana, Fugees, Eminem, Green Day, Wu-Tang, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, Chili Peppers, 2 Pac, Dr.Dre, Mariah Carey, or Pearl Jam? I’m not sure how to account for acts like Madonna, who were pretty popular in both decades.
I’m not sure how that bracket plays out, but the point is, the 80’s don’t dominate in this area. Then if you consider other aspects of music, like how we hear it and play it, well the 90’s absolutely win out there. CD’s over cassettes. MTV was huge, changed music forever. Well until we could download music, which could be considered a negative, since now the masses listen to singles rather than entire albums. But you can’t discount the impact the internet had on music. Napster made a CD burner a must have item. That paved the way for the iPod.
Perhaps tomorrow I’ll tackle television and sports of the 80’s versus 90’s. If not, definitely later this week.
Exhibit A. Movies. The 80’s gave us so many memorable movies. Characters we’ll always love, and refer to on a first name basis: Ferris, Daniel-son, Maverick, and Axel to name a efw. There were lines that have found their way into our everyday vernacular, “Anyone, anyone, anyone?” or “Phone home.” Mostly though, we remember these movies because they were so much fun, but were they really that good? It was a time of bubble gum pop movies. Cheese was served in excess, with a side of cheese on the side, and we ate it up. But how do the movies of the 80’s matchup with those from the following decade?
Well, they don’t. That’s the short answer. I looked at IMDBs Top 250, here comes the long answer. Of the 250 movies, the 90’s are represented by 48 movies to 28 from the 80’s. The average score of a 90’s movie is 8.59 to 8.45 from the 80’s. Three 90’s movies appear in the top 10, while the highest rated 80’s movie took 11th place. Movies from the 80’s have a nice warm spot in our hearts, and many of them are fun to watch for a walk down memory lane, but as a collection of work, it pales in comparison to the 90’s.
In fact, I could argue that the 90’s was the best decade for movies. Look at these titles: Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Schindler’s List, Fight Club, Goodfellas, Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Gump, American History, Saving Private Ryan, LA Confidential, Fargo, Heat, Big Lebowski, Toy Story, Casino and Good Will Hunting. That’s just some of the best movies from the 90’s, and if you’re collect movies, there’s a good chance you own all of them. Best of all, they’re still watchable and relevant.
90’s: 1 80’s: 0
Exhibit B, Music.
Feels like it should be a runaway victory for the 80’s right? So many great bands made their mark in the 80’s. U2, REM, Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Metallica. It was a decade of great pop singers, including some from previous decades: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen. The 80’s gave us Hip-hop and hair bands, Run DMC, NWA, Motley Crue. It was an epic decade. Thriller, Slippery When Wet, Joshua Tree, and Green are all classics.
Again, there was enough cheese for everyone: Wham! New Kids On the Block, Tiffany, and Debbie Gibson, but every decade will have embarrassing and fun trends, especially when it comes to pop music.
If you took the top 15 bands (listed above) from the 80’s against the top 15 from the 90’s in a March Madness style bracket tournament would your #1 seeds be U2, Michael Jackson, Madonna and GnR? Or would you have to give some of those top seeds to: Nirvana, Fugees, Eminem, Green Day, Wu-Tang, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, Chili Peppers, 2 Pac, Dr.Dre, Mariah Carey, or Pearl Jam? I’m not sure how to account for acts like Madonna, who were pretty popular in both decades.
I’m not sure how that bracket plays out, but the point is, the 80’s don’t dominate in this area. Then if you consider other aspects of music, like how we hear it and play it, well the 90’s absolutely win out there. CD’s over cassettes. MTV was huge, changed music forever. Well until we could download music, which could be considered a negative, since now the masses listen to singles rather than entire albums. But you can’t discount the impact the internet had on music. Napster made a CD burner a must have item. That paved the way for the iPod.
Perhaps tomorrow I’ll tackle television and sports of the 80’s versus 90’s. If not, definitely later this week.
Fore!
First, it’s important to understand that I don’t enjoy golf. My father has long tried to get me hooked, and I mean that in the most addictive sense, as I’m convinced he needs a 12-step program. But the needle never took. I enjoy walking around on a beautiful course, but the game seems too slow to me, and guarantees one thing: frustration. What’s the point of spending all that money just so I end up breaking clubs on trees?
Secondly, I’ve never been a fan of Tiger Woods. I’ve been awed by his accomplishments, that by their nature I really could care less about. Great, he dominated golf, it was still golf. Yet, somehow I was always aware and appreciated just how much he dominated his sport. As a sport fan, I had to notice it, just as I have noticed what Jimmy Johnson has done to NASCAR. Although, I’m not sure either is a sport. But if ESPN covers it, I’ll end up being pretty aware. So thanks for that Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.
I’ve also long thought that Tiger was a first class jerk. My father and I argued years ago about the possibility, or as I put it, probability, that Tiger used steroids or HGH. It’s long been my stance that the majority of athletes are taking something to help, and we want them to. Then when Tiger treated his family with less respect than I’ve ever treated anything that I hated, I was pretty sure he’d be easy to hate for the rest of time.
Something happened though, and I can’t say I cheer for him, but his losing as made me realize something. Had he done all those horrible things to his family, and that’s the only victim, not his fans and not the game of golf. But if he had wrecked his family and gone on winning like he always had, it would have been completely disgusting, and I believe, proof that he was a psychopath and not a sociopath. He would have been the Dexter of golf. But Tiger lost, he lost his game and he seemingly fell apart. The guy, who always found a way to win, was finding new ways to lose. The machine that never missed a cut was no longer a guarantee to make the cut. The immortal, didn’t look mortal, he looked completely flawed. Tiger’s fall of grace was actual evidence that he felt regret, and that made him human.
So when I checked my phone Sunday, and he was making his move, I began to hope that Tiger would win. Not because I care about golf, or even about Tiger, but because it would have been a great story. At this point in my life, the story interests me as much as anything else in sports. Especially when my team isn’t involved, winning and losing is secondary to me. I want the best story, and I prefer that the story be legit and not scripted.
When I got home from taking the Kyd to a movie yesterday afternoon, I actually flipped on the Masters. I wanted to see Tiger win, so I could witness the emotion that was sure to follow. To hear the roar of the crowd, and that’s one thing golf fans do well, they roar like Mufasa. When Tiger practically fell into the arms of his caddie, after winning the British Open in 2006 following the death of his father, he sobbed like… well like a guy who lost his father. Tiger has spent the better part of 20 years now crafting an image and protecting a brand, then he took a driver to both and smashed them to bits on Thanksgiving night in 2009. Had he won, or when he wins, we’ll see some real emotion. And it’s going to be great.
I’m not cheering for Tiger, I just want to get caught up in a great story.
Secondly, I’ve never been a fan of Tiger Woods. I’ve been awed by his accomplishments, that by their nature I really could care less about. Great, he dominated golf, it was still golf. Yet, somehow I was always aware and appreciated just how much he dominated his sport. As a sport fan, I had to notice it, just as I have noticed what Jimmy Johnson has done to NASCAR. Although, I’m not sure either is a sport. But if ESPN covers it, I’ll end up being pretty aware. So thanks for that Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.
I’ve also long thought that Tiger was a first class jerk. My father and I argued years ago about the possibility, or as I put it, probability, that Tiger used steroids or HGH. It’s long been my stance that the majority of athletes are taking something to help, and we want them to. Then when Tiger treated his family with less respect than I’ve ever treated anything that I hated, I was pretty sure he’d be easy to hate for the rest of time.
Something happened though, and I can’t say I cheer for him, but his losing as made me realize something. Had he done all those horrible things to his family, and that’s the only victim, not his fans and not the game of golf. But if he had wrecked his family and gone on winning like he always had, it would have been completely disgusting, and I believe, proof that he was a psychopath and not a sociopath. He would have been the Dexter of golf. But Tiger lost, he lost his game and he seemingly fell apart. The guy, who always found a way to win, was finding new ways to lose. The machine that never missed a cut was no longer a guarantee to make the cut. The immortal, didn’t look mortal, he looked completely flawed. Tiger’s fall of grace was actual evidence that he felt regret, and that made him human.
So when I checked my phone Sunday, and he was making his move, I began to hope that Tiger would win. Not because I care about golf, or even about Tiger, but because it would have been a great story. At this point in my life, the story interests me as much as anything else in sports. Especially when my team isn’t involved, winning and losing is secondary to me. I want the best story, and I prefer that the story be legit and not scripted.
When I got home from taking the Kyd to a movie yesterday afternoon, I actually flipped on the Masters. I wanted to see Tiger win, so I could witness the emotion that was sure to follow. To hear the roar of the crowd, and that’s one thing golf fans do well, they roar like Mufasa. When Tiger practically fell into the arms of his caddie, after winning the British Open in 2006 following the death of his father, he sobbed like… well like a guy who lost his father. Tiger has spent the better part of 20 years now crafting an image and protecting a brand, then he took a driver to both and smashed them to bits on Thanksgiving night in 2009. Had he won, or when he wins, we’ll see some real emotion. And it’s going to be great.
I’m not cheering for Tiger, I just want to get caught up in a great story.
April 08, 2011
Quality Television
It’s like my birthday, only a few months later. While some of my favorite television shows, recently had their seasons come to an end, a new promising show has surfaced and the “Friday Night Lights” season 5 DVD has been released. I know, I’m pretty stupid for not being able to wait till April 15th and watch an episode a week on NBC, but Netflix has spoiled me. Being able to get wrapped up in a series, and watch multiple episodes a night, and even watch entire seasons within a week, it’s like they reinvented how to watch TV.
The shows that came to an end: “Californiacation” “Southland” and “Shameless.” A formidable trio, make no mistake. So now I have my beloved FNL in the mail, and last Sunday AMC launched what looks to be another home run, “The Killing.” While “The Killing” isn’t an easy watch, it’s so well done. Fantastic acting from mostly unfamiliar faces, and a few that you know you’ve seen only you can’t place them, and phenomenal writing in the first two episodes.
The promos centered on the mystery side, “who killed Rosie Laresen?” And I think this is a mistake, we’ve seen that before with “Twin Peaks.” This is everything Law & Order ever wanted to be. Gritty and real, and shows us all sides of a horrendous situation. Best of all, it won’t be resolved in 46 minutes. AMC shows don’t need gimmicks or marketing to sell me, they have something better: quality. “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” are two of the best shows of the last decade, easy. I have to admit that I haven’t watched “Mad Men” yet. I’m saving it for a long weekend; I can’t imagine so many people I respect could be so wrong.
The shows that came to an end: “Californiacation” “Southland” and “Shameless.” A formidable trio, make no mistake. So now I have my beloved FNL in the mail, and last Sunday AMC launched what looks to be another home run, “The Killing.” While “The Killing” isn’t an easy watch, it’s so well done. Fantastic acting from mostly unfamiliar faces, and a few that you know you’ve seen only you can’t place them, and phenomenal writing in the first two episodes.
The promos centered on the mystery side, “who killed Rosie Laresen?” And I think this is a mistake, we’ve seen that before with “Twin Peaks.” This is everything Law & Order ever wanted to be. Gritty and real, and shows us all sides of a horrendous situation. Best of all, it won’t be resolved in 46 minutes. AMC shows don’t need gimmicks or marketing to sell me, they have something better: quality. “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” are two of the best shows of the last decade, easy. I have to admit that I haven’t watched “Mad Men” yet. I’m saving it for a long weekend; I can’t imagine so many people I respect could be so wrong.
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