Today, the men in my family took advantage of the rain and ventured to the Cedar-Lee to see "The Good, the Bad, the Weird". BTW, the title had nothing to do with the three of us. As one would expect, this was a similar story to "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly". But we had to read it, because this Western was done Korean style.

What a ride this Western set in 1930's Manchuria was. As one would expect, it pits three men who are pursuing each other for different reasons, but meet under the pretense of chasing down a map that allegedly holds the secret of a buried treasure. Eventually the Japanese army (who are occupying Manchuria) and some other freedom fighters join the chase, as well.

From the opening train robbery here, the action is as good as any you will find. The Bad guy is considered the nation's most ruthless killer. And he gets to kill a bunch of folks via some master gunplay and superior knife work. The Good guy is an awesome marksman and some of his scenes brandishing his rifle while on horseback are a throwback to the oaters of long ago. The Weird guy lives up to his billing and has an uncanny way escaping what always appears to be certain doom. They converge near the end in a classic three-way showdown.

I absolutely loved this movie. The action is top-notch, the story keeps you interested to see how it ultimately shakes out, and any of the three leads are what you want in a villain, hero or anti-hero. I know it's a couple of years old, but this Western was definitely worth the wait. The genre lives on spectacularly with this one.

"The Good, the Bad, the Weird" Intro



Meal of Links

On Memorial Day, please reflect on the ultimate sacrifice of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. All wars for that matter.

You could have used the holiday weekend for any of these afternoon projects. Uh, maybe July 4 would be better.

Woman sues Google for bad directions. She had no inclination walking down a state highway was asking for trouble.

Two big TV anniversaries today. It is the 20th anniversary of "Seinfeld", not "The Seinfeld Chronicles", which premiered on July 5, 1989. And it's also the 10th anniversary of "Survivor".

Exercise Yard

The Indians still suck. Anyhow, here are 11 choice beers from nations in the World Cup. Feel free to drink them during any Cleveland sporting event.

Visitor

53 Across: Born 5/31/1930, entertainer associated with the phrase formed by the starts of 20-, 31- and 41-Across (13 letters) Answer: Clint Eastwood

"The Good, The Bad and the Ugly"

I loved Dennis Hopper, who died yesterday. His is really an epic story of a literal climb from the depths to rise again. You can see him in films as early as "Rebel Without A Cause" to as late as "Cool Hand Luke". Then came "Easy Rider", which he also directed (he got two nominations for that), soon to be a classic. Then the downward spiral began.

When I saw him next in "Apocalypse Now", I actually feared for his life. I know that movie had lots of baggage in its backstory. It was hard to to distinguish how much he was acting or if he was just playing Dennis Hopper at the time.

Hopper on Brando



After he got out of some rather intensive rehab came two gems. "Blue Velvet", which I have to believe someone will show this week. Hopper was Frank Booth, probably the most vicious character ever. How he loved to sniff that gas. And, of course, the rallying cry, "Heineken? Fuck that shit. Pabst Blue Ribbon!" and that's when no one was drinking Pabst. I think it took many years before PBR made its own comeback.

"Pabst Blue Ribbon!" from "Blue Velvet"



Then it was "Hoosiers". He got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for this one. He was Shooter. The town drunk who knew a lot about basketball. Especially the "picket fence". He was awfully good in this one. Turner had this previously scheduled for June 1 at 8:00.

"The Picket Fence" from "Hoosiers"



Later on, he was paired off with that other original, Christopher Walken, in "True Romance". This was a Tarantino screenplay and they do a great job with his words.

"Sicilians" from "True Romance"



"Red Rock West" was another interesting film. There are people who really love this one, like me, and there are others who are kinda meh on the whole thing. One thing, for sure, the whole movie changes when Hopper, as the real Lyle, shows up in town. Great work from Nicky Cage and even Dwight Yoakam shows up. The following review stresses Hopper as a "weirdo".

"Red Rock West" reviewed by Siskel and Ebert



After that, not really much stood out for me. Yeah, he was the villain in "Waterworld" and had a memorable one-off on "Entourage". But he was the guy in "Speed" who put Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock on a bus ride for the ages.

"Shoot the Hostage" from "Speed"



Of course, he did go "Fishing With John".

He also did commercials. In the mid-90's, he was the, let's say, over eager referee in the Nike ads. I recall mental health organizations protesting these ads, at the time, because of his character. Most famously, he sniffed Bruce Smith's shoes in an empty locker room and invaded a practice to meet Sterling Sharpe: "Like a freight train, man." I thought the "ESP" one about the Cowboys fit him perfectly.

Dennis Hopper Nike "ESP" Commercial



Later in life, he did some rather fine looking Ameriprise ads with "Gimme Some Lovin'" as the background music.

Have a PBR on him sometime soon.

"Furry Vengeance" Update

Since Thursday, the list of critters that I have seen in the hood is growing. I saw the neighborhood skunk on both Thursday and Friday evenings. Both times on tree lawns between 10 and 10:30 and not sure what you do when you see one, except avoid it. Can't yell "shoo!" to it, can't chase it, can't throw a box on it. I guess you hope it leaves or gets runded over.

I also saw a chipmunk on Friday, which is a rarity around here. Then, yesterday, I get home from a haircut about 10, and as I'm heading to the side door, a giant groundhog appears. Now I was drinking Friday, but this was the next morning. The groundhog was actually running across our front lawns. Did Kevin Spacey run in "The Usual Suspects"? Cause that's how it looked, as it was lumbering past. All out of kilter, like Kevin Spacey walking in that movie.

Meal of Links

I'm always looking for different recipes and yesterday I used this one for grilled chicken wings. They came out really, really nice. A couple of thoughts. 12 ounces is 1.5 cups or 72 teaspoons, if you have a 2-liter bottle of cola for the sauce. I happened to use RC. My wings were thawed and I didn't need a full rotation on the last try.

Joe McGinniss talks about moving into the house next to Sarah Palin. A house, BTW, the Palins actually lived in at one time, for 6 months.

Only 6 days until I get to see "Marmaduke".

Somewhere Soy Bomb is Smiling (70-second mark)



Exercise Yard

When it comes to Memorial Day weekend, I still watch the Indy 500. There is nothing like Jim Nabors singing "Back Home In Indiana"! Actually, it was a fairly dominant win by Dario Franchitti. Except for the last 10 laps, when everyone decided they needed to conserve fuel, and it got rather nuts.

Big time crash on the final lap though, as Mike Conway ended up with half a car, going airborne. Look how close that is to Ryan Hunter-Reay's head.

Conway Crash



Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday.

A constant refrain of many is that they wish the PD or newspapers, in general, would just go away. Trust me, if they weren't around, we would not have witnessed the demise of Sheriff Gerald McFaul. This is a good thing.

And when you ask why Public Officials Number 1 and 2 haven't been charged yet. Well, we just have to wait a bit longer for the good stuff.

Meal of Links

Roger Ebert deserves another Pulitzer on this review alone. He absolutely destroys "Sex And The City 2". Others have chimed in, as well.

Joe Queenan reiterates something I've been saying for a long time. The Rock could have been one of the all-time greatest action heroes. But he disappointingly opted for Disney-fare.

Your Memorial Day TV Marathons. But stay outside with these grilling tips. I have Lamb Burgers and Chicken Wings and probably some Ribs going on the grill at various times this weekend.

An Aborigine decides to donate land he oversees for a national park. If he had sold it to a mining company, he would have been one of Australia's richest men.

Infuriating art. Mine is the show that only happens because the person was on a reality show. Gems included "The Kit Hoover Show" on Fox News and the Keith Famie cooking show on the Food Network, plus Elizabeth on "The View". Maybe not art exactly, but infuriating nonetheless.

Exercise Yard

Adam Jones of the Orioles was in for a surprise when they went to Toronto to play the Blue Jays. They thought he was that other Adam Jones. You know, Pacman Jones.

Visitor

14 Down: "Stoned Soul Picnic: songwriter (4 letters) Answer: Nyro

I saw the neighborhood skunk tonight. It was about 10:00 and I was pulling out of the driveway and there it was about four houses down on the tree lawn. Just sniffin' around for some bugs. Looked pretty big, too. When I returned, I saw some walkers and wondered what the hell would you do if you didn't see it quick enough and then there it was. Probably get to the other side of the street quickly, I imagine.

Hey, I finally tested my lawn mower for a minute or two yesterday, with the first real usage coming tomorrow. As I mentioned, it is a Craftsman, but the first thing that jumps out at you is how light it is. Now the old-timers would say it's cheap construction and they may be right. Lots more plastic involved. And I'm not sure the bag is as big as my old one, although the emptying of it is much easier. But I must say, the self-propelling is much, much better on the new one. The designers and manufacturers have done a lot in the last 13 years or so.

Meal of Links

SoapNet died. I guess DVR killed the daytime-at-night network.

The FreeCreditReport.com band is breaking up. Relive the bad ones. "Ren Faire" reminded me of a Men Without Hats video. But the original still puzzles me. The guy had his identity stolen, so he had to work at a seafood restaurant?

Here is your World Cup calendar. All in a neat format in Spanish. By date, group, team, venue. Also, a nice read on Maradona. "Hand of God or Brain of Idiot?" for this year's Cup.

How to take photos of a cool place. Without those annoying people interfering.

To channel Tanya Roberts: "The grill is calling." I will get my weekend provisions soon.

HBO has been running this a lot lately. But with the return of the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup, you may wanna watch "Broad Street Bullies". I think do they do a great job of conveying how hated those teams actually were. Today, people may dislike the Yankees or Celtics and think they hate them, but back then people HATED the Flyers.

Remember the volcano that erupted in Iceland a while back. There was talk of that even bigger volcano. Well, that looks like it is going to erupt.

Oh, no. As if that wasn't enough bad natural disaster news, here come the hurricanes!

Do you know who Rickey Minor is? I know he's no Simon.

Crime has dropped a lot since the 1970's. And there are some clear reasons for it.

This reporter steals a favorite line of mine. Can you guess which one?

Ozzy, You Devil!



Exercise Yard

A Cleveland fan looks back at Tony Horton. Many great references including Banner Day (Yes, they had that), Camera Day (That, as well) and, of course, the Folly Floater.

Visitor

5 Across: Center of Cleveland? (5 letters) Answer: O'Neal

Gale and I were at last night's Indians game, courtesy of cheap tickets via StubHub. Smallest crowd I've ever seen there. I'm pretty much through with Justin Masterson at this point. He gave up four runs in the first and mercifully got pulled after throwing 95 pitches in 4 innings. Off with ye to the bullpen. Now. That performance contributed to the overall mood of the joint, which was non-existent. Plus, it took John Danks of the White Sox 112 pitches to go 5 innings. They placated us with free Polar Pop coupons on the way out.

BTW, Uncle Petey wrote about the differing careers, at this juncture, of Miguel Cabrera and Grady Sizemore. Cabrera, a career .312 hitter and on pace for 500 homers, while Sizemore...? Painful to read and Grady is due for a visit to Dr. Steadman. Uh-oh. Looks like another lost year.

Meal of Links

Here are a couple of websites titled correctly. First, Rooms with Great Views. And if you see a celeb wearing sunglasses you like, it's Sunglasses ID. For instance, MacGruber wears Ray-Ban 3025s.

Charlie Crist stopped using "Road To Nowhere" by Talking Heads for his campaign. David Byrne sues him anyway, citing damage already done.

Hey, an old band is making a new album. And that band is OMD.

Ringo Starr seems to be famous for being something other than a Beatle. Peace and love.

Rita will make a return visit to "Dexter". They are not saying much. Probably a flashback of new scenes.

With Memorial Day coming up, be aware we now have more troops in Afghanistan than Iraq.

This is hilarious. Joe McGinniss is the new neighbor of Sarah Palin. If you recall, McGinniss wrote this Portfolio piece that exposed Palin's relationship with oil companies. He also wrote "Fatal Vision" and a book on a soccer team in Italy, so basically, he's aces with me.

Exercise Yard

I thought F1 was going to New York. Nope. They are going to Austin. Brand new track and a big contract. So, the US will host a Grand Prix race starting in 2012 and presumably lasting for at least 10 years. That is great news.

Visitor

37 Across: Owens and Henry? (13 letters) Answer: Couple of Bucks

"Truck Drivin' Man"/Buck Owens

Best Friend suggested a movie and so, it was only a few pennies to see "Shutter Island". Now, "Shutter Island" was a book I did not read, but much like "The Lovely Bones", it was popular and had a big following before the movie came out.

Two things are terribly wrong with the movie. First, the score by Robbie Robertson is one of the most intrusive I've ever heard. Clearly, a "Lighten Up, Francis" would have helped. And it could have been about 30 minutes shorter. OK, there are some spoilers coming.

Apparently, it's rather faithful to the book, so that means there is a whole lot of explaining to do. For Leonardo DiCaprio is not who he seems. Ben Kingsley is a psychiatrist (he must be, he has a pipe) at this island mental institution, and he doesn't believe in lobotomies. Leo is actually a patient and is participating in what Kingsley calls the most elaborate psychiatric exercise ever taken. Well, in 1954. Basically letting Leo play act his crazy beliefs in the hopes of reality hitting home and curing him.

Much like "Sixth Sense", there are clues if you look for them. An inmate waving to Leo as he goes up to visit Kingsley, allegedly for the first time. Mark Ruffalo hands over his gun to the deputy warden and struggles with it so much, he hands over his gun and holster. That's because he isn't Leo's partner and doesn't know guns, he's his doctor, assigned to him throughout this exercise to keep an eye on him. They refuse to let Leo look at any records, because he isn't a cop, although Ruffalo gets Leo's own admission record later on. So, we get lots of scenes where you have to decide is this part of his illness or is it reality?

Overall, it's just OK, because you have to work too much to figure out things. And it is exhausting to dissect it, although for sure, certain things will bug me for a while.

Meal of Links

Twelve events that will change everything. With appropriate music! Not a big fan of asteroid collisions.

My niece and I were reading "Sleeping Beauty" today. The original, let's say, is quite different.

Just released movies may get to your TV quicker. Hey, this is probably OK for families, but if you're a single, $20-$30 only 30 days after a release is still expensive. If you missed something you really wanted to see, maybe. But that price has to come down after 60 days to be worthwhile, because you'd still do better actually attending a theater.

Exercise Yard

If you were wondering where Indy qualifying was this weekend, it was on Versus. The last hour of Bump Day was the best it's been in a long time. Two cars pulled their already qualified times and both failed to make the field.

Carburetion Day is Friday. I just like saying that. On Versus, too. And I don't subscribe to calling it "Carb Day".

Visitor

None, on a sunny Sunday.

Nike World Cup Ad

Drogba, Rooney, Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant and Homer Simpson!



Only 3 more weeks until USA-England!

Meal of Links

Marijuana seed dealer from Canada is extradited to the US. Punishment for the crime is a $200 fine in Canada. In the US, it's a 25-year jail sentence.

I guess "Law & Order" was big. It employed 5,934 actors with speaking roles and almost 21,000 total when you consider background actors. Seriously, I think I've watched maybe 10 of 456 episodes.

Net worth of all US Presidents. Man, some of those guys didn't have a lot.

Exercise Yard

Formula One may come back to the United States in 2012. This time at Monticello in New York State.

Visitor

13 Down: 1968 Columbia U. protesters (3 letters) Answer: SDS

Floyd Landis finally comes clean. But then decides to take down Lance and everyone else on the former Postal Service team with him. I'm not sure what the answer is to the why now question, I take him at his word that he's tired of lying and maybe he thinks this is his Jose Canseco moment. I watched that stage in 2006 where the test came back positive. I've never seen anything like it before or since. So, maybe that day haunts him more than we know.

In typical fashion, WADA seems very interested in what Landis has to say. Especially if he has kept any sort of meticulous records. And, of course, US Cycling continues to discredit him. I'm not saying Lance did or didn't, but as the de facto face of cycling in the US, it's easy to see why US Cycling lines up with Lance. And there are a huge number of people out there who say his off-track work with LiveStrong far outweighs any on-track doping.

I think the overlooked word in all of the PED talk, is that Landis mentions a dalliance with insulin. Bodybuilders use insulin a lot as a PED and it's use as such is generally an unknown to the public. Estimates claim as many as 25% of athletes use it for doping because the tests aren't really there yet and it gets out of your system really quick.

So, with Landis today and Dr. Galea yesterday, it's a big week for the anti-doping crowd.

Meal of Links

Wow. Google TV looks cool. Me (remember I have Time Warner Cable) wants it.

Bret Michaels cannot catch a break. Gotta slow down just a bit.

Pee Wee goes to Broadway. I predict that will be a hot ticket.

Craig Kilborn is back on TV. Well, in some places. When he was on CBS, I had a long stretch of coming home late on Fridays and he would be on the TV, regardless of what time I arrived. Very strange, uncanny phenomenon.

It's the latest David Lynch movie! Well, sorta movie, it's a lengthy ad for Christian Dior.

American scientists did something awesome. They developed the first synthetic living cell.

I don't know if it's the worth of the paintings, the actual planning and process used or whatever. But in the world of theft, isn't stolen art from a museum the neatest crime?

Spaghetti westerns! And, yes, Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West" is mentioned. Saw it again a few weeks ago on Turner. Bronson is unbelievably good here as Harmonica. Only have to mine the Comments for a short time to grab this all-time quote by Henry Fonda: "Never trust a man who wears a belt with suspenders. Man can't even trust his own pants." Jason Robards as Cheyenne is superb (hell, it's a great movie) and his line in his agonizingly painful death scene is choice; "Hey, Harmonica, when they do you in. Pray it's somebody who knows where to shoot." If you have a spare three hours, watch this one. Or if you have a spare few minutes, the quotes that are quoted in the Comments are worth it.

Nice Birthday Surprise for a Bus Driver



Exercise Yard

The Indians are having a rough go of it. They have lost two games within 24 hours for the second time this week.

But the schedule afforded me the opportunity to hear two games on the radio. You have to listen to Hammy and the return of Homer Mike. Hammy ripping the opponents and Homer Mike paddling upstream once more. It's hilarious to hear the sell job they are saddled with, calling games for the last-place Indians.

Visitor

30 Down: Frontiersman Carson (3 letters) Answer: Kit

Hey, it's a Mini-Super Tuesday! With election results that mean something or not really anything.

Arlen Specter goes down in PA. Strange race, but let's face it, the true Democrat won there. A repudiation of President Obama and Gov. Rendell.

Rand Paul declares a win for the Tea Party in the Republican primary in Kentucky. A repudiation of the Republican Senator of Kentucky, Mitch McConnell. Who, much like Don King when his fighter loses and then immediately gets close to the new champ, said this: "We are spiraling further into unsustainable debt and Kentucky needs Rand Paul in the U.S. Senate because he will work every day to stop this crippling agenda." Only in America.

Looks like Jack Murtha's Congressional seat in PA stays Democratic with Mark Critz. Bill Clinton delivering big there.

Arkansas will be interesting if Blanche Lincoln can't get to 50%. If there is a runoff on June 8, look for Bill Clinton to don the cape again and save the day for her then. Not sure President Obama is helping there.

Or anywhere, for that matter. I saw Lee Fisher passed on an opportunity to be with him in Y-town today.

Oregon will be a late close and I will be yawning. A repudiation of staying up late.

Meal of Links

I hadn't seen Elizabeth Ashley in a long time. But, with only a few lines, she became a big favorite of mine on "Treme" as Aunt Mimi.

Aunt Mimi: "I think it's time for another martini."
Jeffrey (her brother): "Maybe you should have a short one this time, Mimi."
Aunt Mimi: "Oh, don't be vulgar, Jeffrey."

Seems harmless enough. A long-time ABC News producer leaves to become a high school guidance counselor. Puff piece, right? Then her ex-employees and co-workers begin to comment. The result? A media shitstorm, but really compelling reading.

Whew. I have had none of these drinks.

Modern potty patrol. DNA testing to find out who's poopin' around the condos.

There are no guarantees of success from "American Idol". Many finalists struggle.

John Lydon answers a bunch of questions. He likes skiing and boating!

Austin City Limits Music Festival released their lineup. Who knew The Verve Pipe were still around?

Exercise Yard

The Dr. Galea case heats up, as he finally gets charged. Cleveland playing an important part as a place of treatment.

Visitor

46 Across: "PBS NewsHour" anchor Jim (6 letters) Answer: Lehrer

I finally bought a new lawn mower. I replaced my old Craftsman with a new Craftsman from the fine folks at Sears. The old one still works, but is a pain in the ass to push. Oh, it's self-propelled, but it's probably 1996 self-propelled. I figure advances in technology will make this one easier to get around.

I did the old "Get Sears gift cards at Giant Eagle" trick to get cheaper gas for the mower, as well.

I am having an unveiling later this week and we'll see how it works. Look for the flyers on a telephone pole near you.

Meal of Links

The Louisiana House passed an odd sort of bill. It will allow you to bring a firearm to church. Oh, the individual places of worship would have to approve, but hey now, doesn't that sound a mite risky?

Maureen Dowd sticks up for Elena Kagan. Brilliant parody.

How your brain makes memories. A rather lengthy read, if I recall. Something about hippos on campus.

Exercise Yard

I imagine Johnny Cash riffing on Slim Pickens: "What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?!" San Quentin inmates are now playing tennis.

Visitor

None, on a cool Sunday.

I don't really want to talk about the Bruins. They only lost a Game 7, in a series they were leading, 3-0.

The Preakness wasn't that great either.

So, with the World Cup getting closer, time to catch up on soccer.

The EPL concluded play with Chelsea as champs. Today, they handled Portsmouth in the venerable FA Cup to conclude the English season and complete a rare double. Didier Drogba, straight from the cover of Vanity Fair, nailed the gamewinner on a very nice free kick.

Drogba Free Kick



The two things I took away from the match: The pitch at Wembley was awfully spotty and rightly criticized. And Prince William is losing his hair!

As for next year's EPL. Those relegated included Burnley, Hull City and Portsmouth. Moving up are returnees Newcastle and West Brom. Cardiff City and Blackpool play next Saturday for the final Premier League slot.

Tottenham gets the all-important fourth place and joins Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United in next year's Champions League.

So, what's next? Fox has moved the Champions league Final, Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich from FX to the big network. That airs next Saturday at 2:00. Look for TMZ to be pre-empted.

The first World Cup match? Coming soon on June 11.

Meal of Links

The 50 Greatest Samples of Hip-Hop. You get the originals and their modern counterparts. Yes, even David McCallum got sampled on an all-timer by Dr. Dre. And that's only #40.

Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson have a new project. "Music For Dogs"!

Do you realize Kate Bush only toured once? Never came to America.

"Law and Order" (the original) finally gets cancelled. Other versions are still on, though.

Exercise Yard

You know, you sit down for a night of boxing on HBO and nothing can deflate you more than hearing these two words: Paulie Malignaggi. And then I find out that Lennox Lewis isn't calling any more fights on "Boxing After Dark" and this was the first broadcast without him. He wasn't the greatest, but definitely better than George Foreman.

Back to Malignaggi. I just can't stand the guy. Never thought he was any good. Only has 5 KO's, but yet, HBO keeps promoting him as someone I should take seriously. But I can't. My ears perked up, however, when I realized he was in a match at 140 lbs. with Amir Khan. Khan is very popular in the UK, and this was his first fight in the US.

Remember, boxing is the art of making your opponent participate in his own ass whipping. And Malignaggi obliged Khan by not moving. Stood right in front of him and ate leather for 11 rounds until the ref realized something his corner didn't. He was getting his ass handed to him. Then a funny thing happened. I started to not feel sorry for the "Future Legend" Malignaggi, but I realized he didn't have any quit in him. And, really, that's all you can ask from a fighter.

Amir Khan wins on a stoppage in the 11th. He was tossing a shutout at the time.

Visitor

38 Across: He played Will Scarlet in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (15 letters) Answer: Christian Slater

Why do we torture ourselves by following these teams? Because we love to be tortured! I mean, would we really know how to act if we ever won one of these things? But this Cavs loss was a killer. I can't believe they were knocked out a round earlier than last year. It just doesn't make any sense. They are regressing with better talent.

Oh, there will be lots of blame to go around. I'm not sure we'll have Mike Brown to kick around anymore. He is the third longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference behind Doc Rivers and Mike Woodson. Doc is making noise about leaving the Celtics and I suspect Woodson and Brown are on shaky ground. Avery Johnson is available and I love the way he talks. Hire him.

And I think LeBron stays, so there's your Cavalier summer.

Cavs lose, 94-85. Game over. Series over. Season over.

Meal of Links

The 40 Best Cartoon Characters. With Video. Dr. Doofenshmirtz is Number 8! OK, no Pink Panther, no Foghorn Leghorn, and Daffy Duck is much, much better than Number 19.

The music from "Treme". Shows up every Monday.

New Coke machine gives you a choice of 104 flavors. 335% more flavors than Baskin Robbins.

Look what else you can get in a vending machine. Pizza!

I dunno. I think I'd be more impressed if movies were not his job. But he's viewing "100 Movies in 100 Days". I am probably jealous.

This guy loves flushing toilets. I am not sure if there any members of the Brown Trout Club, but I think it's safe. Literally, Toilet Humor.

7 things you need to stop doing on Facebook. Perhaps, joining should be on there.

A Warhol self-portrait goes for $32.6 million. The new owner is Anonymous Bidder.

Great news. The "Rockford Files" remake is floundering.

Exercise Yard

Drew Bledsoe scores. With wine. Robert Parker rates it a 91-94. Outstanding.

Visitor

44 Across: Comic Cheech (5 letters) Answer: Marin

I was over at the Capitol last night. They have a pretty good deal on Mondays. You get in for $5. $1 off pop and candy. Plus if you buy popcorn, you get a like-sized pop tossed in for F-R-E-E, that spells free. So, Gale and I met over there to see "Iron Man 2".

It wasn't as good as the first one, but, then again, how could it be. I really like Sam Rockwell, but as head of Hammer Industries, he seemed to be onscreen more than Robert Downey, Jr., who is really good again as Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts was a waste this time (great cameo though by Bill O'Reilly, who called her a pinhead!). Don Cheadle is on the scene as Rhodey. Scarlett had a big fight scene that was obviously CG'ed, but she's Scarlett, so... Mickey Rourke was a villain who was fascinated by these "electric whips", which must be his trademark, but he was generally underwhelming. I thought when Samuel L. appeared as Nick Fury, it let me know I was actually at a movie I was interested in and he only had a handful of scenes.

Worth it to get a look at that Audi convertible and for Downey and Rockwell. Otherwise, meh.

Meal of Links

I don't have a dog, so I'm always looking for things about dogs that are fascinating. Well, in Greece, there is Kanellos, the protest dog.

California vs. the World.

101 Movies worth watching more than once. I had to go to effin' Photo Number 91 to see if "Robocop" made it.

Doors doc. PBS. Tomorrow.

The Miss USA glam shots. So much for being a scholarship contest. Well done, The Donald, well done.

Forget Gitmo. We have Bagram now to deal with.

Exercise Yard

Leitch writes about a campaign NYC should launch to steal LeBron. I think he stays.

Visitor

47 Across: Germany's von Bismarck (4 letters) Answer: Otto

I had to DVR the Cavs game today and it's a good thing I remembered to record the following show in case the game ran past its prescribed time. So, while everyone was watching the agonizing finish, I was preparing to watch the start of the game.

I think it's easy to pinpoint this one. Just a really bad start to the 4th quarter. The Cavs had clawed their way back into the game, but played a fairly pedestrian defense for the first 4 minutes of the last quarter. And then they finally scored their first basket in the quarter with about seven minutes left in the game.

Too bad. The Cavs mainly went seven deep but wasted a supreme effort by Shaq today and they still can't guard Rondo. But they got outrebounded and shot poorly (4 of 21 on threes).

Cavs lose by 10.

Meal of Links

My brother and I decided we were gonna see "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". Thought we'd see it at the Capitol, but had to motor to the Cedar-Lee because of a lack of an early afternoon showing. You know, because of the Cavs. This was a Swedish thriller. Yes, we had to read it. I wasn't sure how to react because there were more than 20 people in the theater.

Kudos to the Swedes, it was a good one. Some rich guy hires a disgraced journalist to solve a family mystery. With the help of the goth chick in the title (who had tats, piercings, and some deep secrets), the mystery deepens. Geez, we had Nazis, a sadistic legal guardian of the tatted girl, great research techniques (spycams, hacking, etc.) and a really good story. Definitely more than an episode of "CSI: Hedestad". The title character has that really intense appeal we haven't seen since, oh, I don't know, Nikita, way back when or maybe Lola more recently. Of course, the American rework is already being discussed.

We also got to see trailers for The Good, The Bad and The Weird" (a 2008 South Korean western), "Looking For Eric" (finally the 2009 Cantona movie arrives, "I am not a man, I am Cantona"), and "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" (the new doc). They all looked worthwhile.

Is there a cure for alcoholism? It might be baclofen.

We need one of these around here. The Soda Pop Stop. I mean the dude still sells Jolt.

Exercise Yard

CNN has a list of the Top 20 Sportscasters of All Time. Hard to see any major omissions here.

BTW, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the present-day Indians link to their past, Sandy Alomar. Here is Sandy coaching first base really hard yesterday.

















Visitor

None, on a brisk, sunny Mothers Day.

I took my Dad to the Indians game today. Stopped off at Alesci's for the requisite fuel for the game. Bloody Marys! We went today, because it is one of those rare 1:00 starts on a Saturday.

Half-price tickets on box seats today. Section 146, Row Z, on the aisle. Using the club seats for cover from the elements. It was the Indians against the Tigers or, if you prefer, Justin Masterson vs. Justin Verlander. The first time I have seen two Justins square off on the mound.

It was rainy. It was cold. It was windy. I looked at the calendar...it's May! Game time temp was about 52, wind chill (if they have one this late in the year) was brutal. And I had to buy a winter hat because my cap blew off not once, but twice into people in the next section.

Look how great the field looks.


















The Tribe is so bad these days, they now conduct a pre-game prayer.

















Old Glory really got stretched out today. Wind so bad, they took it down after the anthem.

















The weather did not dampen the spirits of the huge crowd on hand.

















Justin Masterson did not pitch that badly today, in getting a no decision. In 6 innings, he gave up 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks and had 8 strikeouts.


















Miguel Cabrera is only leading the league in hitting for the Tigers.

















A rarity. Travis Hafner on base. He had 3 hits today, including a double.


















Justin Verlander looked strong for a time today, but finished badly, giving up three runs in the 6th. He had 9 strikeouts, gave up 4 hits and walked 4, in 6 innings.

















Grady Sizemore looks fearless at the plate.

















Then you look at his stats. Ugh! He struck out 3 times today.

















Jhonny Peralta looking rather Jhonny-like at the plate. Whiffed twice today. As a matter of fact, the Indians struck out 15 times today.

















One of my favorites, Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers. Maggs is still getting it done.


















Kerry Wood arrived in the 7th inning straight from rehab in the minors. Maybe he was rushed. He gave up 3 runs after he got the first two batters out and did not finish the inning.

















Tony Sipp relieved for Wood and did a nice job. A Luis Valbuena error cost him a run.

















Yep, he's still there.

















Needless to say, we didn't get to see the Progressive Car light up, twirl around or do whatever it is supposed to do when the Tribe homers.

















Oh yeah, the Tribe lost 6-4.

Meal of Links

From the department of: In Case You Weren't Looking. KBR just won a no-bid contract with the Pentagon.

3500 channels on your PC! What's the catch? It doesn't work.

Sarah Palin endorses Carly Fiorina for Senator from California. Doesn't realize she is not the true conservative in the race. They gave her a pass on her McCain endorsement. here? Not so much.

Election Results from the UK



Exercise Yard

Another fan got tasered yesterday. This one at the Players Championship.

Visitor

7 Down: First "Mission: Impossible" production company (7 letters) Answer: Desilu

I admit it.

To this day, if there is anything written about "Twin Peaks", I just gobble it up. So, here's another one dissecting the third hour and then chronicling the rise and deep, deep fall of the series in Season Two. It includes many clips, including perhaps my favorite subtle one where Johnny Horne is eliminated in the Tibet sequence. You had to be there. And, if you only have time for one clip, watch the dwarf. BTW, read the Comments. It certainly jogs the memory. I think I had forgotten about Harold Smith. Geez, that subplot, one of many in Season Two, just sucked the wind out of the series.

Meal of Links

Ernie Harwell died the other day and there were many good things written about and by him. We were very lucky to be within listening range of his voice. His Hall of Fame speech. Ernie allows a sportswriter to shadow him. Mitch Albom with some memories. Joe Posnanski shares some thoughts. Hard to believe his first game with the Tigers was right after the Harvey Kuenn-Rocky Colavito trade.

Drinking Songs! I actually have several of these in my collection. I'm a huge fan of "The Alabama Song". Richard Butler does an awesome version on that Kurt Weill tribute album I have laying around here somewhere.

More reality series. Starring Hasselhoff, Saget, Danza and Dee Snider. The Hoff may actually die in his. I heard this week he was in some sort of Gumball Rally. Yep, it visited Canada this week. I wish I had a spare $45K. I would do that in a heartbeat.

Jack White says Meg White has conquered her anxiety. No reunion yet.

Remember George Costanza's fiance, Susan? She now plays the ukulele.

Doofus who can't spell ruins stock market for a time. Whoops.

Exercise Yard

His best rant since last year's grades. I think it was Kobayashi who got an F-Minus on that one.

Drennan Goes Off On The Tribe



Visitor

58 Across: '50s-'60s TV Earp portrayer (6 letters) Answer: O'Brian

For the British elections, Eddie Izzard talks about a "Brilliant Britain":



Meal of Links

Creepy babies in film. Requisite "Trainspotting" and "Eraserhead" nods.

Are we seeing more trailers at the movies? You betcha. Theater owners are getting paid for the first time to show them.

Christopher Walken goes home to Queens. Sort of a neat look at his past.

This year's Webby Awards. The five-word acceptance speeches are on June 14.

"Family Guy" hits a nerve. Again.

Details about the Times Square Almost-Bomber. Geez, it has a slapstick quality air around it, no?

Another form of protest on the Arizona law. The Phoenix Suns will don the "Los Suns" unis on Cinco de Mayo. Baseball's All-Star game is in Phoenix next year and the rumblings for a pullout are already there.

Exercise Yard

Is Formula One coming to New Jersey? I realize Jersey city is in the shadow of NYC, but this is a surprise.

Visitor

20 Across: Roger Clemens has won it seven times (12 letters) Answer: Cy Young Award

Things I've tried lately:

I had Key Lime Drink, fruitsense from Old Orchard. Absolutely terrible.

Of course, we've all had Sun Chips. But have you had them in that new compostable bag? Yikes, try and sneak that into a theater. They admit the bag is loud, because it's compostable, but wait for your neighbors to complain. I imagine even your pets are wondering WTF.

I'm normally bullish on Bush Baked Beans. But, my God, Giant Eagle Onion Baked Beans are really good. Much, much thicker. And cheaper. Sometimes, I think a fourth of those Bush cans are sauce, but the GE cans actually have lots of beans.

With Cinco de Mayo nearing and no Bohemia the other day at Johnny Mango, I opted for Modelo Especial on tap. Boy, that hit the spot on a warm day.

Lay's came out with this new type of natural potato chip recently. The Garden Tomato and Basil is an odd flavor, at first, but it's tasty thereafter. The Tangy Carolina BBQ needs some work (I think Snyder's BBQ is the best by a mile). I still lean towards the Lay's Baked or Kettle Cooked variety when I get chips, which isn't that often.

For bagged salads, I've been in the bag for Fresh Express for a long time. I always get the Romaine. But I think I'm being slowly converted to Dole's Leafy Romaine. It's at Marc's. I don't know, it seems to taste better to me.

Mid's Salsa Italiano, get the Medium. When you don't wanna mix your own, you could do worse in a pinch. Full price, probably not, but Marc's had a coupon.

The best-tasting normal Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns out there have to be Pepperidge Farm. But whenever I'm in the mood for whole wheat buns, most of them are pretty flimsy. But then I discovered Nature's Pride 100% Whole Wheat Bakery Buns. Now, we're talking. Easily handles any sandwich you make.

Meal of Links

The Top Ten reasons you should quit Facebook. Quit it? I'm barely on the damn thing.

Who knew? Polar bears and grizzly bears are now mating. I have no idea what the consequences may be.

That oil spill in the Gulf changes everything.

Exercise Yard

Hey, what was with all that low scoring golf today?

Ryo Ishikawa shot a 58 in Japan and Rory McIlroy shot a 62 at Quail Hollow.

Needless to say, they both won. Combined age of the winners? 38!

Visitor

None, on a really lazy Sunday.

"Rain On The Roof"/The Lovin' Spoonful



Check out the Monty Python-like audience at the end.

The Kentucky Derby was run today pretty much how I expected it to go down, but I didn't get the win. They ran the half in 46 flat, which was some ticks slower than I thought, maybe because of the sloppy track. Of course, I had Ice Box. He ran one of the most adventurous races you'll ever see. He layed back as I thought he would and had to eventually maneuver off the rail and go 5, maybe 6 wide to make his stretch run.

Certainly had lots left at the end, but still finished two-and-a-half lengths behind Super Saver, a horse my brother had in a blind draw. So, at least, someone won around here.

Here's the line on Ice Box from the Daily Racing Form:

"ICE BOX steadied early in traffic, was outrun for 6 furlongs, made a bold inside run leaving the three furlong marker, steadied when blocked nearing the stretch, angled out, steadied for a sixteenth of a mile once in the stretch, swung out near the furlong marker for a clear path then closed a late gap to be steadily getting to the winner late."

That's exhausting just reading it.

A couple of notes regarding NBC's coverage. As usual, they do a fine job on race production. But I was a bit surprised during the week how NBC kept promoting the fact that lots of women watch the Derby. It didn't hit me though until I tried to find the coverage of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday to truly grasp what this meant.

I left work to get home around 5:30. Turn on ESPN...nothing. How about ESPN2...nothing. Uh-oh. Maybe NBC? Nope, Dr. Phil is on. Let's go through the channels. Oh, here's a maybe. Bravo. WTF? Time Warner Cable had it listed like this: "Real Housewives of New Jersey at the Kentucky Derby (Special)". If they hadn't shown a live odds update on the Oaks at that very minute, I would have never known.

Today, NBC starts their coverage at 4:00. Seems like a long telecast now that the Derby goes off later than it used to, today at 6:32. So, what they do in that first hour? More cross-promotion with Bravo. This time with Al Roker and "Top Chef".

You have expected Johnny Weir to show up. Wait a minute, he did...


























Thank goodness Marisa Miller attended.


























Meal of Links

I had a coupon I needed to use at Johnny Mango last night. No more Bohemia there, shoot! I enlisted Gale and, lo and behold, she saw Fun Frank and Friend at work and they showed, as well. Let's see, Mojitos and lines like, "The last time I was in Brazil...". Went with the standard quesadilla, but the BBQ Chicken looked good.

And I happened to see Cleveland's new food truck, Dim and Den Sum, zipping down Bridge Avenue. Spiffy paint job.

An interview with Brian Eno. I am still fascinated by this guy. He's so smart.

Got an e-mail that lala was shutting down. More Apple vs. Google stuff.

"Family Guy" hits Episode No. 150 tomorrow.

Exercise Yard

The Cavs had a huge Game 1 win against the Celtics tonight. But, after that first half, do you think they kinda stole that game, even though they were at home? Thanks, Mo.

LeBron scored a whole bunch of points, but it certainly looked like he didn't want to hurt that elbow. After seeing him at the start of tonight's game, I think he wanted to get through this game, then go full tilt in Game 2 on Monday. Because Game 3 is not until Friday.

Not sure, but let's hope. I'm not sure even he can toss in 35 on cruise control each game.

Visitor

28 Down: "Desert Fox" Rommel (5 letters) Answer: Erwin