I'm taking a quick break from the pop culture world to write about my next favorite love--sports.
The NFL has now locked out its players over 100+ days and I've been mostly indifferent to the whole fiasco. This is not necessarily because it's millionaire players versus multi-millionaire owners. It primarily has to do with the coverage is a general snoozefest.
If I were to follow daily reports on the NFL, which I haven't, I would see that so and so is meeting with the Kumquat Group but nothing has been settled. Boring. Like Dan Patrick mentioned early on when the lockout began, "wake me when it's over and there is a settlement". I agree completely.
Lately I've heard there have been secret meetings the last two weeks and more are planned this week. There's also a rumor all will be settled by July 15th (next Friday). I won't hold my breath, but it appears the season might not be in shambles. And even if it is, at least I know Mizzou's season is just about two months away (Sept 3 vs Miami, OH). So losing some pro games won't be a huge loss since college will still kick off late August no matter what happens with the NFL.
On a related note, last week the NBA officially locked out their players. Charles Barkley speculated their entire season could be in jeopardy, while Commissioner David Stern said these issues take a life of their own, but "some" games might be lost. Wow.
The NHL already lost an entire season due to labor issues and seem to just now be getting their footing back. MLB is okay for now but their agreements expire at the end of this year. As Slim Pickens' character Taggart says in Blazing Saddles, "What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin' on here?"
04 July 2011
28 May 2011
Beings Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence
The title of this entry is what the name B.E.A.S.T.I.E. stands for. In all of the years that I've followed and been a fan of the Beastie Boys I just discovered that meaning within the last few years. According to Wikipedia the name was created by a former guitarist when they used to be a hardcore punk band. Yes believe it or not, the band used to play punk rock only in their early days from '82-'85. Then this masterpiece came about in 1986.
I still recall receiving my first copy of Licenced to Ill. A girl at this grocery store I worked at in high school exchanged Christmas gifts with me as we both loved music. I bought her Bon Jovi's 7800 Fahrenheit as I couldn't find a copy of Slippery When Wet anywhere so I thought it was an adequate substitute since it was the same group. She bought me the Beastie Boys major label debut.
By the way, both her Bon Jovi and my Beastie Boys were on the awesome cassette tape (!) format since compact discs had just come out the previous year and digital music was just a dream :) I laughed out loud when I recently told my brother-in-law that I rocked the cassette with my first copy of ILL. I still have that cassette in my basement along with hundreds of other cassettes slowly deteriorating. 1, 2, 3...Hot Tub Time Machine!
Now back to the future: Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Adam "MCA" just released their latest awesome creation entitled Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2 on 3 May 2011. There was a delay in its release as MCA was diagnosed with throat cancer last year. Hot Sauce Committee, Part 1 was scrapped and the tracks were updated and added to Part 2.
Of course I received my copy (compact disc!) from the fan club the day it was released and listened to it non-stop in my car. It's hard to believe the Beastie Boys have now been recording over 25 years (28 if you count their minor label releases). Boy that makes me feel extremely old as I've been following them non-stop since Licensed to ILL came out in '86.
To get even more Back to the Future-esque, MCA directed a 30 minute video for "Fight For Your Right Revisited" which includes a stellar who's who among the Hollywood industry (and a DeLorean naturally). The premise of the story is picking up where the original "Fight For Your Right (to Party)" video left off in the '80s after the party ended. The difference now is MCA is played by Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), Ad-Rock is Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) and Mike D is Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, Knocked Up). When I first heard the casting I thought "how odd are those guys going to be?" But it works very well, the guys have their mannerisms and image down to a T. Also included in the short film are actors like Rashida Jones, Orlando Bloom, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Ted Danson, Kirsten Dunst, Jack Black and Will Ferrell just to name a few. I've watched it several times to try and identify everyone involved in the process. It's an amazing piece of work, extremely funny and crazy as expected, I wouldn't expect any less from these guys. "Make Some Noise", "Say It" and "Too Many Rappers" from the new album are the songs featured in the short. Here's a link to check it out as it's a must watch. Hopefully the link stays valid for awhile.
Fight For Your Right Revisited
Obviously the Beastie Boys have and will continue to be one of my favorite bands. With MCA's bout with cancer I'm not sure how long they'll continue recording but I'll continue to buy new music the first day it's available. When I started listening to them in the '80s I was a huge fan of rap music. In fact I listened to a ton of different groups then. Looking back I can list my Mount Rushmore when it comes to rap artists. Here's the list in no particular order:
"Fight For Your Right Revisited" ends with the following words "To Be Continued, Check Back in 25 Years". As long as they keep recording, I'll keep buying. And whenever they stop recording I'll enjoy the time I had with the band.
The Intergalactic Body Movin' B-Boys Makin' With the Freak Freak continuing the Rhymin' and Stealin' til it's Time to Get Ill. So Whatcha Want?
I still recall receiving my first copy of Licenced to Ill. A girl at this grocery store I worked at in high school exchanged Christmas gifts with me as we both loved music. I bought her Bon Jovi's 7800 Fahrenheit as I couldn't find a copy of Slippery When Wet anywhere so I thought it was an adequate substitute since it was the same group. She bought me the Beastie Boys major label debut.
By the way, both her Bon Jovi and my Beastie Boys were on the awesome cassette tape (!) format since compact discs had just come out the previous year and digital music was just a dream :) I laughed out loud when I recently told my brother-in-law that I rocked the cassette with my first copy of ILL. I still have that cassette in my basement along with hundreds of other cassettes slowly deteriorating. 1, 2, 3...Hot Tub Time Machine!
Now back to the future: Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Adam "MCA" just released their latest awesome creation entitled Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2 on 3 May 2011. There was a delay in its release as MCA was diagnosed with throat cancer last year. Hot Sauce Committee, Part 1 was scrapped and the tracks were updated and added to Part 2.
Of course I received my copy (compact disc!) from the fan club the day it was released and listened to it non-stop in my car. It's hard to believe the Beastie Boys have now been recording over 25 years (28 if you count their minor label releases). Boy that makes me feel extremely old as I've been following them non-stop since Licensed to ILL came out in '86.
To get even more Back to the Future-esque, MCA directed a 30 minute video for "Fight For Your Right Revisited" which includes a stellar who's who among the Hollywood industry (and a DeLorean naturally). The premise of the story is picking up where the original "Fight For Your Right (to Party)" video left off in the '80s after the party ended. The difference now is MCA is played by Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), Ad-Rock is Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) and Mike D is Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, Knocked Up). When I first heard the casting I thought "how odd are those guys going to be?" But it works very well, the guys have their mannerisms and image down to a T. Also included in the short film are actors like Rashida Jones, Orlando Bloom, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Ted Danson, Kirsten Dunst, Jack Black and Will Ferrell just to name a few. I've watched it several times to try and identify everyone involved in the process. It's an amazing piece of work, extremely funny and crazy as expected, I wouldn't expect any less from these guys. "Make Some Noise", "Say It" and "Too Many Rappers" from the new album are the songs featured in the short. Here's a link to check it out as it's a must watch. Hopefully the link stays valid for awhile.
Fight For Your Right Revisited
Obviously the Beastie Boys have and will continue to be one of my favorite bands. With MCA's bout with cancer I'm not sure how long they'll continue recording but I'll continue to buy new music the first day it's available. When I started listening to them in the '80s I was a huge fan of rap music. In fact I listened to a ton of different groups then. Looking back I can list my Mount Rushmore when it comes to rap artists. Here's the list in no particular order:
- Beastie Boys (of course)
- Run-DMC (huge influence on the Beasties, true pioneers)
- LL Cool J (awesome lyricist, great rhymes)
"Fight For Your Right Revisited" ends with the following words "To Be Continued, Check Back in 25 Years". As long as they keep recording, I'll keep buying. And whenever they stop recording I'll enjoy the time I had with the band.
The Intergalactic Body Movin' B-Boys Makin' With the Freak Freak continuing the Rhymin' and Stealin' til it's Time to Get Ill. So Whatcha Want?
17 May 2011
I'm Back!
Wow, it's been awhile since I've visited! I've been extremely busy finishing up my final (gargantuan) thesis for my MA degree. The final tally was 82 pages including the table of contents and works cited pages. I wrote about changes in technology over the last decade and how its affected our communication. To summarize I wrote about the influence of Napster, Friendster, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook (of course) and iPhones (smartphones) which is how we access many of those social networking sites.
Webster University offers the 6000 thesis class as either a 9 week or full semester (18 week) version. I opted for the full semester version as I have a lot of things going on within my life and my family so I didn't think I would have time to complete this in 9 weeks. Plus I did not research very much before the class as I wasn't completely sure what I was going to write about. I knew beforehand that this was going to be a monumental task but I had no idea until I got into the writing process which was in mid-March.
Good thing I took the full class! My professor said the department dean was looking into removing the full semester 6000 class. Big mistake Webster! Those students working full-time and/or with children need as much time as possible for this to be complete. Besides many of the graduate students I had classes throughout my tenure were years removed from their undergrad classes and full-time employees. The full semester class caters to individuals who have a lot going on in their lives, not traditional mid 20 something types who may still be living at home with time on their hands.
Anyway I'm glad I finished the thesis. There was so many other things I wanted to include like the influence of Google, social networking blocked at workplaces, ending relationships electronically instead of face-to-face and cyberbullying issues. Cyberbullying would have been especially good to talk about with the Megan Meier incident which was huge locally then blew up nationally. But there was only so much time, I could have written probably another 10-15 pages!
My class was primarily the paper and a couple of assignments that were added to the paper, no tests, quizzes or anything else. I received an A- in the class, I'll have to follow up when I retrieve my paper to see what I earned on it. I'm glad as I wasn't completely sure that my paper flowed all that great, but it's finished--bottomline.
And my Master of Arts program is completed also. My graduation was on May 7 at The Muny in Forest Park. I was glad to have family and friends there to support me that day. I'm sorry my mom-in-law was under the weather and could not make it, but completely understand.
Since I've been working on this degree for the last two and a half years it didn't sink in that I suddenly had some free time. I guess I didn't realize it until two to three days later!
If you're bored and need a sleep aid I've included a link to read my thesis. Hopefully it's a easy read :)
Ripley docs
Webster University offers the 6000 thesis class as either a 9 week or full semester (18 week) version. I opted for the full semester version as I have a lot of things going on within my life and my family so I didn't think I would have time to complete this in 9 weeks. Plus I did not research very much before the class as I wasn't completely sure what I was going to write about. I knew beforehand that this was going to be a monumental task but I had no idea until I got into the writing process which was in mid-March.
Good thing I took the full class! My professor said the department dean was looking into removing the full semester 6000 class. Big mistake Webster! Those students working full-time and/or with children need as much time as possible for this to be complete. Besides many of the graduate students I had classes throughout my tenure were years removed from their undergrad classes and full-time employees. The full semester class caters to individuals who have a lot going on in their lives, not traditional mid 20 something types who may still be living at home with time on their hands.
Anyway I'm glad I finished the thesis. There was so many other things I wanted to include like the influence of Google, social networking blocked at workplaces, ending relationships electronically instead of face-to-face and cyberbullying issues. Cyberbullying would have been especially good to talk about with the Megan Meier incident which was huge locally then blew up nationally. But there was only so much time, I could have written probably another 10-15 pages!
My class was primarily the paper and a couple of assignments that were added to the paper, no tests, quizzes or anything else. I received an A- in the class, I'll have to follow up when I retrieve my paper to see what I earned on it. I'm glad as I wasn't completely sure that my paper flowed all that great, but it's finished--bottomline.
And my Master of Arts program is completed also. My graduation was on May 7 at The Muny in Forest Park. I was glad to have family and friends there to support me that day. I'm sorry my mom-in-law was under the weather and could not make it, but completely understand.
Since I've been working on this degree for the last two and a half years it didn't sink in that I suddenly had some free time. I guess I didn't realize it until two to three days later!
If you're bored and need a sleep aid I've included a link to read my thesis. Hopefully it's a easy read :)
Ripley docs
02 December 2010
Back...to the Future!
Everything old is new again it seems.
For years it always has seemed that Hollywood has run out of ideas for new movies as there are constant remakes and sequels to many popular movies. Some of the more recent remakes include Halloween, Friday the 13th and (going back to 1998) Psycho. The latter was a movie which should have never been thought of, cast, created, distributed, etc. as Alfred Hitchcock was a filmaking genius in my opinion. Remaking Psycho is like doing a re-recording of say The Beatles White Album. For goodness sakes you just don't mess with perfection.
Some of the remakes are good, some are bad but most seem to be generally be a introduction of a popular movie title to a new generation. This brings me to the point of today's posting.
I recently rented two movies from the corner Redbox (so convenient!) and didn't think about the fact that I picked up two remakes. One title was a movie I had wanted to see since it's release in later March, the other was a movie my daughter saw in the theatre and loved so I picked that one up for her.
First the movie I had wanted to see was Clash of the Titans.
This is a remake of the 1981 film that starred Harry Hamlin, Sir Laurence Olivier, Burgess Meredith and many others. I had looked forward to this movie since I saw the commercial during the NFL playoffs earlier this year.
I thought this remake was very entertaining. From stars like Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes it was very impressive. I read some message boards commenting on it and many didn't care for the CGI effects along with the lead character's poor acting. But I overlooked all of that and took the movie for what it was--a guilty pleasure. One thing that bothered me was how terrifying the 2010 Kraken was. I thought the '81 claymation version was better probably because of how cheesy it was which added to the enjoyment of the movie. Add to that a mechanical owl and other "unspecial" effects.
In the original movie the infamous "Release the Kraken" line has to be the most funniest (not intentionally) funny lines ever. I know I'm a guy and toilet humor never gets old. Also Harry Hamlin's white guy afro was impressive! See for yourself with all of the images below.
1981 Kraken (looks like Godzilla mated with King Kong :))
For years it always has seemed that Hollywood has run out of ideas for new movies as there are constant remakes and sequels to many popular movies. Some of the more recent remakes include Halloween, Friday the 13th and (going back to 1998) Psycho. The latter was a movie which should have never been thought of, cast, created, distributed, etc. as Alfred Hitchcock was a filmaking genius in my opinion. Remaking Psycho is like doing a re-recording of say The Beatles White Album. For goodness sakes you just don't mess with perfection.
Some of the remakes are good, some are bad but most seem to be generally be a introduction of a popular movie title to a new generation. This brings me to the point of today's posting.
I recently rented two movies from the corner Redbox (so convenient!) and didn't think about the fact that I picked up two remakes. One title was a movie I had wanted to see since it's release in later March, the other was a movie my daughter saw in the theatre and loved so I picked that one up for her.
First the movie I had wanted to see was Clash of the Titans.
This is a remake of the 1981 film that starred Harry Hamlin, Sir Laurence Olivier, Burgess Meredith and many others. I had looked forward to this movie since I saw the commercial during the NFL playoffs earlier this year.
I thought this remake was very entertaining. From stars like Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes it was very impressive. I read some message boards commenting on it and many didn't care for the CGI effects along with the lead character's poor acting. But I overlooked all of that and took the movie for what it was--a guilty pleasure. One thing that bothered me was how terrifying the 2010 Kraken was. I thought the '81 claymation version was better probably because of how cheesy it was which added to the enjoyment of the movie. Add to that a mechanical owl and other "unspecial" effects.
In the original movie the infamous "Release the Kraken" line has to be the most funniest (not intentionally) funny lines ever. I know I'm a guy and toilet humor never gets old. Also Harry Hamlin's white guy afro was impressive! See for yourself with all of the images below.
1981 Kraken (looks like Godzilla mated with King Kong :))
2010 Kraken (scary eh?)
C'mon, did they have hair product in those days?
Next we have The Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith (Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's son) and Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi. My daughter saw this movie this past summer and loved it.
I decided to pass at that time as I wasn't interested because I refused to see any of the original Ralph Macchio Karate Kid movies from the '80s (believe it or not!). I know all about the original movie that also had Elisabeth Shue, Pat Morita and Billy Zabka(!). I know all of the memorable lines ("sweep the leg", "get him a bodybag"). And I know all of the songs ("You're the Best Around" and "Glory of Love"). But I refused to see it back then or any of the multiple sequels. It was just one of those movies I avoided in the '80s (along with E.T.--wow!).
Anyway, this movie was over 2 hours long, which I'm amazed kept my daughter's attention span. However I have to say wasn't incredibly noticeable. The images of China that many of us in America don't get to see on a regular basis were pretty amazing. I thought Smith also did well in a starring role. He obviously has received talent from his famous mom and dad.
To summarize, some things can be remade well while others cannot. Its always a crapshoot with these remakes that Hollywood continues to churn out. But sometimes there are gems hidden among all of crap that has been redone.
19 November 2010
16 November 2010
Scooby Doo Remix
I came across this remix while pumpkin shopping at the Kirkwood Farmers Market. I enjoy remixes that incorporate lines from the show like this one does especially from a TV show that I loved (and still do). Although the video is from the movies, the lines are from the TV show at least.
Great job Messy13!
21 October 2010
Iconic TV Mom and Dad passed away
It wasn't a very good week for pop culture as two iconic TV characters died this week.
First Barbara Billingsley (aka June Cleaver) passed away on Saturday the 16th at the age of 94(!). While the show she's most known for (Leave It To Beaver) is very popular it wasn't one of my favorite shows. I watched episodes of this '50s show when I was younger and admit I was entertained by Beaver and Wally's hi-jinks. And I can see the show's appeal when it was on, but I don't think this show has stood the test of time. That's probably why you can no longer catch reruns of this show.
Then Tom Bosley (aka Howard Cunningham) died on Tuesday the 19th at age 83. His show Happy Days still remains a TV staple particularly because of the wildly popular character The Fonz. While Mr. Cunningham had great presence in the show and had many funny lines and banter with "Mrs C.", it was The Fonz who defined this show.
In fact a term "jump the shark" came from an episode of Happy Days and is used by many people today. This refers to an episode where The Fonz jumps over a shark on his water skis. The meaning of the term comes from a belief that a popular show gets to a point where it has peaked and it then goes on a downhill slide before it is cancelled or ends its run. There was a website jumptheshark.com which chronicled all of the elements involved when a show "jumped the shark". These elements include things like births, a new kid, singing, live audience and my favorite--Ted McGinley(!). I had not visited the site in awhile and now it looks like it has been sold to tvguide.com. But it still has some of the interesting tidbits and facts about many popular shows.
Anyway, back to Happy Days. My fondest memory of this show ironically is something that never happened during its run. Weezer's video for "Buddy Holly" featured some of the characters from the show particularly The Fonz and the dance he does. What a great homage to the show.
And my fondest memory of Barbara Billingsley wasn't from Leave It To Beaver, it was her classic scene from the movie Airplane. Enjoy the clip below. If you haven't seen it, it is one of the best parts although there are so many crazy scenes throughout the movie.
For the record my top three favorite TV moms are (in no particular order): Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show), Louise "Weezie" Jefferson (The Jeffersons) and Edna Garrett (The Facts of Life) who technically wasn't a mother but was a housemother to the Eastland girls.
My favorite TV dads would be: Cliff Huxtable, Steven Keaton (Family Ties) and Red Forman (That 70s Show).
Goodbye Mrs. Cleaver and Mr. C.
First Barbara Billingsley (aka June Cleaver) passed away on Saturday the 16th at the age of 94(!). While the show she's most known for (Leave It To Beaver) is very popular it wasn't one of my favorite shows. I watched episodes of this '50s show when I was younger and admit I was entertained by Beaver and Wally's hi-jinks. And I can see the show's appeal when it was on, but I don't think this show has stood the test of time. That's probably why you can no longer catch reruns of this show.
Then Tom Bosley (aka Howard Cunningham) died on Tuesday the 19th at age 83. His show Happy Days still remains a TV staple particularly because of the wildly popular character The Fonz. While Mr. Cunningham had great presence in the show and had many funny lines and banter with "Mrs C.", it was The Fonz who defined this show.
In fact a term "jump the shark" came from an episode of Happy Days and is used by many people today. This refers to an episode where The Fonz jumps over a shark on his water skis. The meaning of the term comes from a belief that a popular show gets to a point where it has peaked and it then goes on a downhill slide before it is cancelled or ends its run. There was a website jumptheshark.com which chronicled all of the elements involved when a show "jumped the shark". These elements include things like births, a new kid, singing, live audience and my favorite--Ted McGinley(!). I had not visited the site in awhile and now it looks like it has been sold to tvguide.com. But it still has some of the interesting tidbits and facts about many popular shows.
Anyway, back to Happy Days. My fondest memory of this show ironically is something that never happened during its run. Weezer's video for "Buddy Holly" featured some of the characters from the show particularly The Fonz and the dance he does. What a great homage to the show.
And my fondest memory of Barbara Billingsley wasn't from Leave It To Beaver, it was her classic scene from the movie Airplane. Enjoy the clip below. If you haven't seen it, it is one of the best parts although there are so many crazy scenes throughout the movie.
For the record my top three favorite TV moms are (in no particular order): Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show), Louise "Weezie" Jefferson (The Jeffersons) and Edna Garrett (The Facts of Life) who technically wasn't a mother but was a housemother to the Eastland girls.
My favorite TV dads would be: Cliff Huxtable, Steven Keaton (Family Ties) and Red Forman (That 70s Show).
Goodbye Mrs. Cleaver and Mr. C.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)