Two of my favorite versions of our National Anthem are on You Tube. One is by a group of 5 little girls in Texas before a college basketball game. The other is Smokey Robinson in 1986 before Game 5 of the World Series.
Take a couple of minutes and enjoy! Eat your heart out Rosanne Barr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZUoV_iw0II
(Originally posted on May 18th, 2007)
Remember the last time you learned a “life lesson?”
When we were kids we learned those life lessons everyday. You know the ones I mean, “dirt … bad, ice cream … good,” “cute little dogs will bite,” “cats don’t fetch,” “kissing dogs good, kissing girls better.”
At 24, I ran my first triathlon. I was a rather studly Marine type guy and thought the swim, bike, run thing would be fun. I thought that I’d sort of accumulated most of all the “life lesson” thingies already.
I was wrong.
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DID YOU SEE SERGEANT TONY ON TLC WEDNESDAY NIGHT, JULY 4?
Many of you will remember that last October I went to Nashville to be part of a TLC network show called “Honey, We’re Killing the Kids.” I played the part of the exercise/drill instructor/drill sergeant working with an out of control family. It may be rebroadcast at some point and we can all enjoy making fun of my national TV debut! If you see an episode on the TLC schedule called “Growing Pains,” that features parents Ray and Patty in Nashville, that’ll be the one!
I love watching women’s tennis. I’ve been a fan since Chris Evert was dating Jimmy Connors. I hated Jimmy cuz I had a crush on Chrissy. Men’s tennis is often boring, especially on hard surfaces. Big serve (usually an ace). Or if you’re lucky, big serve and one volley. Boring.
Anyway, all that to say, I’ve been a fan of women’s tennis for a long time. The women’s game is one of beauty, athleticism, precision, drama, and short skirts.
All of that is over now.
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I’ve been a little delinquent in my movie reviews. Several of you, believe it or not, actually ENJOY these reviews and ask for them! I’d planned on writing up my race report from the Half Ironman Triathlon before I turned to the cinema, but I’m having some difficulties writing the tri report. So, here’s what’s up at the movies.
“Knocked Up” is a goofy, irreverent, farfetched story that begins with a one night stand between a hottie named Alison, played by “Gray’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl, and Ben, a quintessential LOSER, played convincingly by Seth Rogan.
The one night stand, as the title implies, becomes a drunken night of poor judgment that leads to an unplanned, unwanted, and disastrous pregnancy, aka, “knocked up.” Despite the fact that Alison, a smart, healthy, stable, intelligent, and career-mined hottie, and Ben, a goofy, sophomoric, directionless, ambitionless knucklehead, have NOTHING in common, they attempt an ill-conceived relationship to follow their ill-conceived conception.
Ben, along with his fellow underachieving roommates, gives us a lot of frat house humor, which is essentially middle-school-boy pornographic fantasies, foolishness, and stupidity. Alison’s married sister, Debbie, played by Leslie Mann, is a wife who’ll inspire single men everywhere to remain so!
“Knocked Up” is funny in parts, awkward in parts, poignant in parts, and downright stupid in parts. Not worth the night time ticket price, but not a bad choice for a matinee or rental. I give it two and a half disposable diapers out of five.
“Pirates” and “Oceans” are in the theater too. Loved ‘em both and would see both of them again. I give “Pirates” four and a half skull-n-crossbones. I mean, WHO doesn’t love pirate movies?! And “Oceans” gets four and a half fake noses (you’ll have to see the movie) out of five!
“Shrek” and “Hot Fuzz” are fun movies for different reasons. “Shrek III” is good, but not great. The other “Shreks” were better. “Hot Fuzz” is an action-comedy-thriller-cop-n-buddy-movie made by the same blokes from the UK who gave us “Shawn of the Dead,” the only comedy-zombie movie I like. Reuniting some of the same cast members from “Shawn,” “Hot Fuzz” is a tongue in cheek spoof of movies like “Bad Boyz” and “Point Break.” I actually liked it better than “Shrek.” So I give “Shrek III” two and a half donkeys out of five. “Hot Fuzz” gets three and a half peace lilies (again, you’ll have to see the movie) out of five!
That’s the movie review for now. In the queue are “Mr. Brooks” and “Waitress.” See you at the consession stand!
Here on the eve of my first Half Ironman Triathlon, I thought I’d repost the story of my first triathlon. Enjoy!
Remember the last time you learned a “life lesson?”
When we were kids we learned those life lessons everyday. You know the ones I mean, “dirt … bad, ice cream … good,” “cute little dogs will bite,” “cats don’t fetch,” “kissing dogs good, kissing girls better.”
At 24, I ran my first triathlon. I was a rather studly Marine type guy and thought the swim, bike, run thing would be fun. I thought that I’d sort of accumulated most of all the “life lesson” thingies already.
I was wrong.
Read the rest of this entry »
Occasionally I attend a movie that is so bad that it makes the petroleum product sold at the snack bar — nacho cheese sauce — look tasty. I thought that “Grindhouse” or “Glitter” would never be eclipsed in the area of worst movies ever made.
I was wrong.
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I didn’t love Raymond.
I wasn’t a fan of Friends.
I didn’t care for Will & Grace.
And Seinfeld wasn’t much better.
Oh, those shows were funny, no doubt about it. (Seinfeld still kills me in syndication!)
So, why didn’t I like them?
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I saw “Black Snake Moan” and “Zodiac” this weekend. If you’re old enough to remember the Zodiac killings in California, then you’ll probably like this movie. But be warned, it’s waaaaay too looooooooooong. It’s not scary. It’s not suspenseful. And the actors do a minimally acceptable job. But what you might like is the time capsule effect of the movie. The music, clothes, and low tech life of that time period are all captured in the film and are pretty nostalgic, I thought. “Black Snake Moan” is Christina Ricci’s skanky softcore porn movie with a blues soundtrack. Samuel L. Jackson does a good job playing Samuel L. Jackson. And Justin Timberlake does a great job playing a sissy-boy-bed-wetter. You’ll be hardpressed to find a single scene where someone in need of a shower isn’t smoking a cigarette. I felt like I needed to take a shower after I saw it. “BSM” gets 2 1/2 cigarette lighters out of 5. And “Zodiac” gets 2 old fashioned black telephones out of 5.
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Remember the last time you learned a “life lesson?”
When we were kids we learned those life lessons everyday. You know the ones I mean, “dirt … bad, ice cream … good,” “cute little dogs will bite,” “cats don’t fetch,” “kissing dogs good, kissing girls better.”
At 24, I ran my first triathlon. I was a rather studly Marine type guy and thought the swim, bike, run thing would be fun. I thought that I’d sort of accumulated most of all the “life lesson” thingies already.
I was wrong.
Read the rest of this entry »