Since I spent most of the last two days doing Christmas stuff, it was time to take advantage of a Browns-less Sunday.

First stop. My Dad and I stopped in for a few minutes at the Kamms Corners Indoor Farmers Market. Got some provisions including some cheese, some fresh pasta, some jelly and some garlic butter. Brussels sprouts seem to be in season.

Then, it was off to the Cedar-Lee, where there were about 8 in attendance to see the late morning showing of "The Damned United". Yes, I went to see a movie about soccer. It was an homage to Brian Clough, "the best manager England never had". The American equivalent is maybe Billy Martin, sort of kind of.

Anyhow, the plot dealt with Clough's personal rivalry with Leeds united coach Don Revie. Revie left Leeds to coach England, after they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1974. So, Clough takes over Leeds from his rival. And lasts all of 44 days as Manager.

Michael Sheen starred as Clough. I have now seen him play three famous Brits: Tony Blair, David Frost and Brian Clough. Other familiar faces, such as Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall and the guy who worked with Jason Statham in "Snatch", filled out the cast. Not much soccer footage, although there is some archival footage of how dirty Leeds played back then.

The movie was fairly non-offensive and proved a pleasant diversion.

Meal of Links

The Best DIY Projects of 2009. I do like those Sun Jars. Those Ping-Pong Ball lights look good, too.

Tiger Woods. And modern celebrity.

Can a grapefruit-sized piece of hail kill you? And don't think I have not thought about it.

On the First Day of Christmas

Yeah, it's Christmas at Uncle Bob's house. First of all, it's Dylan doing Christmas. Then, it's Dylan choosing Brave Combo's polka, "Must Be Santa". Third, what's up with the hair?

"Must Be Santa"/Bob Dylan



Exercise Yard

Speaking of soccer, Randy Lerner must be living right. the Browns exorcised some demons against the Steelers on Thursday. Less than 48 hours later, his Other Team exorcised some of their own.

Aston Villa had not beaten Manchester United in 27 matches. They also had not won at Man U since 1983. Both of those streaks ended yesterday. Aston Villa 1, Manchester United 0

Visitor

None, on a wet Sunday.

Well, it's over. The losing streak against Pittsburgh, that is. I'll be honest, I don't know how they won that game, but first, let's concentrate on the obvious. There must be something about home night games the past two years. Since the loss to Pittsburgh on a Sunday night last year, the Browns whipped the Giants, then-defending Super Bowl champs. This year, they held the Ravens to 13 points, then mugged the Steelers, defending Super Bowl champs, last night.

Love him or hate him, Eric Mangini probably keeps his job as coach for next season, with that result. What did he say at the start of the year? There would be less penalties. They would be competitive within the division. The second time through the division, the defense has been awfully tough. Although I think they benefited by boneheaded offensive play-calling in both the second Ravens and Steelers games, you cannot argue with the result. There would be improvement by the end of the season. I think our crazy owner would give him passing grades on all three. Mangini today channeled Lou Brown by saying, "It's starting to come together."

Special mention needs to go to Rob Ryan, the defensive coordinator, and Bryan Cox, the defensive line coach. Ryan, with only one day of practice, basically designed a fun plan for the defense, which was basically throwing the kitchen sink at the Steelers. Mindful of the freak defense that Glowik installed in the defense a while ago with the Browns. You know, the one that worked for about an hour that season. Cox gets kudos because his unit has been the most decimated by injuries and they came to play last night.

Before we go all Winston Wolf on each other because of the win, here come the buts. The combination of not being embarrassed on national TV, a short week of practice and the weather conditions all came together for the Browns. The Steelers could not string together three consecutive good plays on offense and they had no answer for Josh Cribbs. None.

You do realize our QB was 6-for-19 for 90 yards last night, don't you? Granted, Brady Quinn did not turn it over, but I don't wanna hear that he "managed the game". In the second half, they had 3 three-and-outs and punted 5 times, totalling 76 yards. Yikes! You cannot tell me that you were not constantly looking at the scoreboard as it went from 13-3 to 13-6 and were just waiting for the inevitable 13-13 score? Which, for once, did not happen. As a matter of fact, the Browns best drive came with Cribbs running the Wildcat.

Brian Daboll still cannot call a game. Evan Moore seems to have come from nowhere to be a decent pass-catching tight end. Made a nice, one-handed catch for 24 yards in the first quarter for 24 yards. Next play, the Browns call for a reverse, not with Cribbs, but with Stuckey. WTF? Next play, deep ball to Massaquoi, FAIL. Next play, short ball to Massaquoi, FAIL. Momentum gone. Perfect example of Daboll's play calling meshing with Quinn's shortcomings at QB. Too many third-and-longs for my taste.

Conversely, the Steelers had numerous third down attempts, from short to medium length. And they didn't cash in on many of them. I'll give the defense credit for those stops, but again, I'm not sure how it happened.

Let's see how the Browns do in their final roadie at Kansas City. I'm glad they beat the Steelers, finally. But let's put an end to this talk about how it saved the season or how this makes up for the shitty results we've seen for most of the year. In the two Browns wins, they have outscored the opponents, 19-9.

The Floyd Reese as Czar Watch begins.

Meal of Links

Didn't we just do this? It's the year in band names. Really liked: I Was A Lover DeLorean Was A Dealer.

The White Stripes tour of Canada will be documented in a rather pricey box-set. The new trailer is pretty choice. Arrives March 16, 2010. Pre-orders...NOW!

Sears Killed My Dog.

There have been some excellent photo essays this year. here's another. The Ghosts of Shopping Past.

Exercise Yard

Catching up with Marvin "Bad News" Barnes. I don't know if he was a character or a thug, but he was always highly entertaining.

Visitor

57 Down: Chair designer Charles (5 letters) Answer: Eames

El Vez, the Lovely Elvettes and Los Straitjackets

Last night, my brother and I saw a show that has finally put me in the Christmas spirit. El Vez decided to go back on the road this year with his "Viva Christmas!" tour. If you do not know who El Vez. is, well, you should. For he is the "Mexican Elvis". He brought the lovely Elvettes with him, Lisa Maria and Priscilita. And for this go-round, he jettisoned his backup band, the Memphis Mariachis, in favor of long-time favorite, Los Straitjackets (with their lucha libre masks). And since both outfits had plenty of Christmas material to choose from, it was, indeed, the most wonderful time of the year.

The Venue: The venerable Beachland Ballroom. Obviously, one of the best concert settings in town. They had some tables and chairs set up for this one, along the left side of the ballroom. We grabbed one for the opening act, but you had to get up for the main attraction.

Stage Banter:: El Vez is pretty damn funny. Easily more laughs than any Dane Cook concert. He is from East LA, "...where we have gangs, we have crime, and really high prices for Chevy parts." He is also running for President in 2012 under the "El Vez for Prez" banner, under which he ran in 2008. This time, he is tying in the fact the Mayan calendar says the world will end in 2012. He said, "El Vez for Prez in 2012. What have you got to lose?"

The Tickets: Got the tickets ahead of time for this General Admission show. As we were walking in, there was a little kid going to his first show. Now that is quite the introduction to the concert scene.

The Crowd: Outside of a couple kids that El Vez had to be careful with, because he was putting the "X" back into "Merry Me-X-Mas", it was definitely an adult crowd. When he asked if we were having a good time, I yelled, "Jes!".

The Sound: The sound was really good. Very clear when Los Straitjackets were playing holiday favorites or their own standards. And they had plenty of time to do this, because just like Elvis, El Vez and the Elvettes have many costume changes.

The opening act was a decent band that did a mix of country, cowpunk, and in general, performed quite nicely. Sadly, I have already forgotten their name. I think it was the House of something or other. They played for about 30 minutes.

The Stage: Obviously, El Vez was front and center, flanked by the lovely Elvettes. From left to right, Los Straitjackets (or the "Four Horsemen of Acapulco" per El Vez) were bass, lead guitar, drums, rhythm guitar.

The Music: El Vez was doing mashups before the word was even invented. So, on many of the tunes, he throws in his own personal touch. My favorite had to be when he channeled "White Lines" from Grandmaster Flash during "Jingle Bell Rock". All of a sudden, the Elvettes shouted "Freebase!" and I could not stop smiling. Of course, they also went through with "...Sugar!...Cane!...Sugar!".

"Jingle Bell Rock"/El Vez, the Lovely Elvettes and Los Straitjackets



Setlist: (I think)

"Here Comes Santa Claus" by Los Straitjackets
"Holiday Twist"
"Huaraches Azules" (the Spanish "Blue Suede Shoes" with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer")
"Santa's Got a Brand New Bag" (with "Boney Maroney", "Devil With a Blue Dress" and "Land of 1,000 Dances" with "FA-la-la-la-la" instead of NA-na-na-na-na")
"Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus?" (with Velvet Underground's "There She Goes Again")
"Deck the Halls" by Los Straitjackets (with "I Fought The Law")
"Jingle Bell Rock" (with Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines")
"Silver Bells" by Los Straitjackets
"En El Barrio" (ahem..."In the Ghetto" with "Silent Night" and "Souped Up Chevy Nova" to the Oasis song, "Champagne Supernova")
"Sleigh Ride" by Los Straitjackets
"A Marshmallow World" by Los Straitjackets
"Little Drummer Boy" (with Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part One)")
"Merry Christmas Pretty Baby"
"Let It Snow" by Los Straitjackets
"Joy to the World" (with "Polk Salad Annie" and Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World")
"White (Brown) Christmas" (with Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)")

Encore:

"Holiday Chicken" by Los Straitjackets
2 more Los Straitjackets tunes
"Feliz Navidad" (with El Vez fighting a blowup Santa and Snowman)

Meal of Links

Matt Taibbi explores the relationship between President Obama and Wall Street. Needless to say, he's still not happy. Also, Rolling Stone puts out their Best of the Decade Lists.

The Top 100 band names. I insist I would buy a record from a group called the Sisters Fibrosis, if that ever existed.

It was pretty obvious, but now official. No more "Flight of the Conchords".

Top 25 albums of 2009. Phoenix takes No. 1 and probably deserves it.

Exercise Yard

Every once in awhile, 3rd Bass pops into the conversation. Usually with a "Pop Goes the Weasel" reference. Here's what happened to Prime Minister Pete Nice.

3rd Bass/"Pop Goes the Weasel"



Visitor

6 Across: Pierce portrayer (4 letters) Answer: Alda

What a sad day today. I feel like Al Bundy when his barber died and he didn't know where to go for his next haircut. In what has to be the suckiest move that ever sucked, Fox Sports Radio has dropped Steve Czaban from its lineup. The Czabe and I have been sharing my a.m. commute for the past 5 years and I even listened to his evening show for a time before that.

As a matter of fact, his show was the first place I heard Frank Caliendo, lo those many years ago. I actually thought John Madden was on the air drunk or high or concussed or something. Anyhow, XM also had a replay of the Czabe's show start at Noon, so he was also my lunch time companion for most of the past 5 years.

FSR has made some really bad moves over the years, but this one was really poor. To claim Czaban sounds like Lame and Lamer in the morning is absurd.

His replacement? Steven A. Smith. You have to be fucking kidding me. I assume Screamin' A has moved to London, so he doesn't have to be at work by 6:00 a.m. And do you really want him talking at you in the morning? And which of his friends will be up at 6:00 for a nice morning chat. Clowns.

BTW, Peter Gammons announced today that he is leaving ESPN. Gotta be going to MLB, one would think.

Meal of Links

Depressing link of the day. An interactive map of unemployment in the USA.

Hitch writes about Palin. Again. And he does it well.

The top overlooked movies of 2009. I, at least, heard of "Big Fan" and "Anvil". Didn't see either one, but I was aware.

Czech yourself! Czech government allows 5 cannabis plants for personal use starting January 1.

What the hell is going with this "Jersey Shore" program? Seems like a lot of people are in a snit. I mean, it's MTV, what do you expect?

A look back at "Pee-wee's Big Adventure".

"Dexter" has one more episode. John Lithgow talks about life as the "Trinity Killer".

Exercise Yard

David Stern is insane.

Visitor

49 Across: Brockovich portrayer (7 letters) Answer: Roberts

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

Special Guest: No one. In good conscience, how can you ask someone to go to a game like this one? Uh, it's cold, we are gonna get killed and, by the way, I'm probably leaving at halftime. And that's about how it went. Arrived home just in time for the second half kickoff. Perfect.

Today's Opponent: The San Diego (Super) Chargers. The Chargers have looked awfully good lately and Philip Rivers should now be regarded as one of the league's elite quarterbacks. LaDanian Tomlinson is a mere shadow of his former self, but against the Browns, any runner is still a threat. Surprisingly, the Charger defense is getting some pub as a better unit this year. They come in riding a 6-game winning streak.

The Browns are coming off a game where Brady Quinn looked like the Quinn who got benched earlier this year. More defensive starters are out this week, the secondary especially hit hard.

As for this game, the Browns do not even come close. The Chargers have too much offense and with a defense playing better, the Browns will be lucky to be in this one.

Parking: East 6th northbound in a Delivery Zone at the corner of 6th and Superior.

Pre-Game Festivities: I arrived about a little more than an hour before the start of the game and was surprised at the lack of people walking around. Very eerie. I was able to see the Browns Spirit Flag. Do you realize this is the largest Browns flag in the world, spanning 40 yards? The national anthem was sung by some local "American idol" contestant from Beachwood. Not the horrible singer, I think it was Scott, who everyone hated.

Today's Browns Old Timers in attendance were Al "Bubba" Baker" and Erich Barnes. Baker, of course, runs Bubba's Q out in Avon. Had not seen Erich Barnes in quite a while and he looked great. Barnes, if you recall, was locally considered a dirty player when he played for the New York Football Giants. But once the Browns got him, he was merely "aggressive".

Worst Feature (For Me): Today was a tribute to the NFL's "Play 60" program. I have no idea what it is. However, it got its own video as one of the Browns dopey mascots was running around downtown to the strains of "Rocky". He eventually ran onto the field and then the kids in the program all ran out to greet him.

The Weather: Marky Nolan handled the solo reins today. Strano not there. Wind was out of the west, so the scoreboard was our friend. Temperature was 28 degrees and it didn't feel that high.

Today's Giveaway: None. Yes, the sponsors have fled this year.

Section 345: Really quiet today. Lots of muffled clapping and not much else happening. Too cold to fight, too many newbies, many season ticket holders were no shows and not much drinking going on. I am skipping the Steelers game, but will see the Raiders and the Jaguars.

Best Browns Play: I actually liked the Browns first TD. They looked like a professional team. Brady Quinn was patient in the pocket, waited for the pattern to develop and hit Mohamed Massaquoi with a spiral over the middle.

Best Chargers Play: Philip Rivers dumping a pass to a fullback, Mike Tolbert, who rumbled 66 yards for a touchdown. A perfect example of how inept the Browns are at downfield tackling. An absurd demonstration.

Although that long pass from Rivers to Antonio Gates in the third quarter was sweet. He boxed out two defenders for the long catch and it led to a Charger TD later in the drive.

Worst Browns Play: Another red zone turnover by Brady Quinn in the second quarter. This one a fumble that sucked the life out of the place. After two horrible formations/play calls on 1st-and-goal from the 2, Quinn rolls out, stalls for time trying to make a play, but a lineman hits him from the backside, causing a fumble which the Chargers recovered and the Browns never recovered from. Sadly, Quinn got sacked later in the game on the same type of play.

Second Worst Browns Play: After the Tolbert touchdown, the Chargers kick off goes out of the bounds, giving the Browns the ball on the 40. Wait a minute, a second flag was dropped. If there is a weird rule or penalty, the Browns usually find it. You guessed it, the illegal wedge penalty was called on the Browns. First time, with the new rule changes, I've seen that one called.

Best Exchange: This was earlier in the day on "Tailgate 19". Bob Golic shows up 15 minutes late. I texted them "Hey, Golic, get a better alarm clock" and they ran that. First time all year they ran a text of mine.

Oddest Browns Jersey: With all of the winter apparel today, I did not see much. For some reason, a guy wearing 9 Frye stuck out.

Food Items: Pretzel and a Mountain Dew.

Worst Scoreboard Feature: The Browns always show clips from an old Browns game featuring today's opponent. Apparently, the Browns don't play the Chargers much or beat them often, because a game from 1976 was shown. Greg Pruitt had 100 yards in the first quarter before he got hurt. Larry Poole must have had his career day as he then ran for 119. The highlight for me was Oscar Roan catching the game-winning TD from Brian Sipe and being congratulated by Gary Parris.

But it goes to show you, when you think the Browns had glory days in the '70s, they didn't. Just look at many of those names.

The Fuckin' Run: The Browns actually held an opponent to under 100 yards rushing. Mainly because the Chargers insisted on having L.T. do a Jim Brown Tribute in the second half. If I was a Charger fan, I would be pissed off, because Rivers could have thrown for 500 yards, the way the Browns were playing. And they seem d to be content to have Tomlinson do some personal tribute to Brown, who when they kept showing him, seemed disinterested in what was happening.

Worst Stat: Defense gave up 477 yards. Time of possession went to the Browns. Toss the tired defense excuse, please.

2nd Worst Stat: Probably Dink II's 6 yards per pass play.

Most Interesting Stat: The Chargers punted once.

Penalties: While the illegal wedge call was a definite highlight for the Browns, the Chargers committed one penalty for five yards. And that was late in the 4th quarter.

The Browns surprised me a little bit today. Some tight end I never heard of, Evan Moore, is making Kellen Winslow-type catches all over the field. Mainly because the Browns hadn't showed that capability all year. It reminds of the game Massaqoui had against the Bengals. And Brian Robiskie had a few catches but was not on the field a whole lot. Let's see how it plays in the future, now that there is film on these guys.

But the Browns were actually in the game until that Quinn fumble. But really, the San Diego offense could do whatever they wanted, especially through the air. The score was clearly not indicative of how the game was played.

But it was the first home game of many down the stretch and I think the players wanted to demonstrate to the home fans they still care. We'll see if that attitude carries over through the next 4 games.

Certainly, the no-shows started today. I'm guessing the crowd today was probably 55,000 with many people arriving late. Hell, there were people walking in as I was leaving at halftime. I expect the Steeler game to be better attended with dismal showings for the final two games.

The Browns lose to the Chargers in a not so close game, 30-23. They are now 1-and-11.

Meal of Links

Time has listed the Best Chefs on TV. Kind of an old-school list, it seems.

This guy decided to take a walk. All along the Amazon.

Another woman with Tiger. Jeezy creezy, I think we are up to 6 now.

This made me laugh uncontrollably:



Another wrestler, Umaga died this week. With the ubiquitous list of wrestlers who have died before the age of 50.

Bionic lenses. The alternative to LASIK.

Exercise Yard

Could the new Comcast-NBC Universal be a threat to ESPN on air and online? It is a popular topic.

Visitor

None, on a chilly Browns Sunday.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Sachsenheim Hall. Back in August, the Plain Dealer did a feature on the Best Taco Nights in town. Well, Sachsenheim Hall rated 5 tacos. I pass by this place all the time, because the Fulton Bridge is still out.

Anyhow, my brother and I finally made it there last Tuesday, and it rates very highly on my own scale. There are two things that strike you immediately. Number one is the price. 75 cents! And these babies are stuffed, they don't skimp here. The other is the choice of fillings.

So, for 75 cents ($1 for takeout) you get your choice of soft or hard shells. Fillings on this day included: Beef, Ancho Chicken Sausage, Fish, Green Chili Saxon Sausage, Black Bean & Corn, Refried Bean, Chorizo, Chili con Carne, and an Elk and Venison Combo. Certainly better than your average visit to Taco Bell. They also had empanadas for $1.50 or a 14-inch burrito for $5.95. Pumpkin Soup, Chili, a Nacho Cheese Platter and Mexican Lasagna were also on the menu.

Our bill was less than $14 for 6 tacos, two beers and a tall mixed drink. I had one each of the fish, beef and chorizo. The fish was good, the beef was very good, but that chorizo one was maybe the best one I've ever had locally. They also supplied us with their fish fry menu and that looks appetizing, as well. They have quite a gem here.

Meal of Links

Hat tip to Paul for this survey from Pew Research. I got 11 of 12, missing Question 11.

The 10 Best Movie Posters of the year. I do like that one for "Food, Inc.".

James Franco writes about his experience on "General Hospital". Performance art?

Large study just came out. No link between mobile phones and brain tumors.

Fast Food Update: McDonald's has pretty good Hot Chocolate. With enough caffeine to make anyone happy and they make it with milk (whole or skim), I might add. Not that Sonic needs a shill, but they do serve breakfast, you know. I was there this morning at 10:00 in Parma and I was the only one there. Like a scene from "2012". Virtually every McDonald's I passed had long lines.

The rise and fall of MySpace.

You gotta give "Monk" its due. It is responsible for changing basic cable programming to further develop the limited-episode series which makes for less of a commitment than network fare.

Dubai is a mess.

Exercise Yard

Famous South African Charlize Theron did not exactly "pull the balls" yesterday at the 2010 World Cup Draw. But she received their contents from such people like David Beckham. And, by God, if ESPN devoted three hours to cover this (in what may have been the best soccer program they've ever aired. i.e. No Tommy Smyth.), then it must be important. Of course, I recorded it and watched it last night.




















The United States could not have asked for a better draw. They got lumped with the English (I have Saturday, June 12, already marked for frivolity), Slovenia and Algeria. As stated many times within the past 24 hours, if the USA does not make it to the Round of 16, it will be a major disappointment. Both England and the USA will move on from Group C.

The infamous "Group of Death" goes to Group G for 2010. Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal get to beat up on North Korea and then duke it amongst themselves to advance. The biggest stars in soccer are here. Kaka for Brazil, Didier Drogba for the Ivory Coast and Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal. Ivory Coast is rumored to have the best chance to go further than any African side in the World Cup.

France, who was punished by FIFA by not getting a seed, got punished all right. By getting possibly the easiest path to the next round. They battle the host, South Africa, Uruguay and Mexico. Qualifying was a pain in the ass for France, but let's see if the runners-up in 2006 get it together before June.

What went down yesterday has fired up everyone for June.

Visitor

18 Across: Singer/pianist with the 2002 hit "A Sorta Fairytale" (8 letters) Answer: Tori Amos

OK, so I was snowed by Tiger's gumar. Or, at least, one of them. How the hell did I know he would open up the checkbook? He's like a drunk on a three-day bender the way he is writing checks now. I understand there are kids involved, but wouldn't it be cheaper to walk away with the prenup he has now, instead of the reworking that will eventually lead to a breakup anyhow? Truly strange. Of course, it saves him from having to hear these women on talk shows, but...

Lesson learned here is know who you are spending time with. Geez, the cocktail waitress could not wait to share messages from Tiger with anyone who asked, it seems. That's why the Grady Sizemore photos are so laughable. He takes pictures of himself in the mirror and sends them to his girlfriend. Somehow they get into the public domain. And we are supposed to believe she didn't forward any of those photos to her friends? No, she claims a mysterious stalker stole the photos, with no other claim of any sort of identity theft or some sort of computer break-in. I don't know, that argument seems awfully weak to me. Let's see how that one concludes, if it does.

Hey, Grady, next time. Give it a ponder...



Meal of Links

The New York Times has the 10 Best Books of 2009. I haven't read any of them.

The 10 Most Watched Shows of the decade include some surprises. How about "Joe Millionaire" and the last appearance of Michael J. Fox on "Spin City"? One obvious note, a lot of these shows are from earlier in the decade dramatizing cable's success in grabbing viewers.

How could this not be good? A Kinks biopic! Of course, focusing on the Brothers Davies. I am there.

Catching up with Kris Kristofferson. Quote from Wilie Nelson: "Everything he writes is a standard, and we've just got to live with that."

Bigass list of Christmas specials. Big weekend on Food Network this weekend. "The Year Without Santa Claus" with my fave, Heat Miser, shows up on ABC Family on December 8, December 12 and Christmas Eve.

"Family Guy" does "Star Wars" again. Right before Christmas.

The 30 Best Movie Fight Scenes. And you know the list is good when Bruce Lee, Rocky Balboa, Borat, Bourne and Bob Barker are included. Mr. Anderson and Agent Smith are Number One. Oh, this will eat up some time.

WOXY has the Holiday Mixer up and running. Great stuff.

Comcast buys NBC. I'm sensing we'll have to somehow pay for free TV.

AV Club has the Almost Best Films of the Decade and the Best Movies of the Decade and the Favorite Movie Scenes of the Decade.

The Almost list has "In The Loop". Again! This is on DVD on January 12. Other gems: "Owning Mahoney", "The Fog of War", "Shaun of the Dead", "Slasher", "Minority report" and "Rachel Getting Married". All worth your time.

Some surprises from the Best list include: "Zodiac", "Capturing the Friedmans", "Almost Sunset" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" as No. 1.

Favorites probably should have more of the actual scenes.

Let's put this to rest this once and for all. President Obama is not responsible for some sort of Muslim Christmas stamp.

Exercise Yard

The World Cup draw is tomorrow. How can I say this delicately? Charlize Theron will be responsible for pulling the balls.

Visitor

3 Down: Quaker Oats trademark (10 letters) Answer: Aunt Jemima (How's that for timing?)

Tollbooth Karma
















The Turnpike Gods must be mad at me. Yep, this is what happens when the E-Z Pass gate comes crashing down on your car or should I say windshield. The State Trooper (BTW, very accommodating) told me that's not supposed to happen. Oh, no, he dint. But, yes, it did happen. To me!

I was at the gate marked E-Z Pass/Tickets. The two people in front of me needed tickets manually, as the machine was not working. Obviously, something was not reset as I tried to get through on my sensor. Then, BOOM. I'm OK though.

The good people at "Safelite repair, Safelite replace..." helped me out. And late this afternoon, I was able to resume driving.

Meal of Links

20 things you should know about beer. Damn hippocampus.

You want a better ass? Think again. Don't cry for me, Argentina.

The best film performances of the decade. Hard to argue with most. Nice props for Christian Bale in "American Psycho" and Peter Sarsgaard in "Shattered Glass".

What if superheroes had beards? Well, they would probably get in the way.

Look what music is coming out in 2010. More like first quarter stuff, but the list looks promising.

You may wanna rethink the TV Box Set DVD as a Christmas gift. Some of them are still good.

Now here's a festival we can all get behind. The Po-Boy Preservation Festival.

Exercise Yard

The other woman in the Tiger Woods incident speaks out. She sounds fairly credible.

But there may be other women.

Visitor

38 Across: "Elder" or "Younger" Roman statesman (4 letters) Answer: Cato

Was over at Paul's for Browns-Bengals today. Sheesh, are they bad! I dare say Brady Quinn resembled the guy from the start of the season who got benched. Rushed throws when he didn't have to. Threw poorly at other times. A really shaky performance today.























Of course, the defense also gave up over 200 yards on the ground. I am getting perturbed with the excuse that the Browns defense is not really that bad, because they are on the field so much. Well, if they are not that bad, how about a three-and-out every once in a while or some regular stops?

Plus, there are still 4 home games remaining!

Browns lose, 16-7.

Meal of Links

"Screen Epiphanies" has directors talk about the first movies that mattered to them. Danny Boyle talks about "Apocalypse Now". I remember where I saw that. I even saw the feature with the added feature over at the Cedar-Lee a while back. Loved it.

Grooming wisdom for men. "46. Graduate to a drink you can call your own."

The Tao of Don Draper.

Exercise Yard

Eddie the Eagle is back. The famous ski jumper will carry the Olympic torch in Canada.

Visitor

None, on an ugly Browns Sunday.

My Dad and I were at The Bart to see CSU play Wichita State this afternoon. Yes, Saturday afternoon games are back on the schedule. I showed up, but the Vikings didn't. Godawful shooting as CSU missed 21 straight shots! Worst game at home in three years. CSU was soundly thrashed, 69-54.

Highlight: Postgame Becky Burger.

Meal of Links

50 interesting articles from Wikipedia. The discovery of human feet in British Columbia is a good one.

Someone on Craigslist needs to get pregnant. Fast. Like this weekend.

Maxim's 100 Funniest Jokes. "Tonto Kowalski", anyone.

Exercise Yard

Tough to find any good video on this, but Jimmy Bullard of Hull City is the leader in the clubhouse for this season's best EPL goal celebration. Timing is everything.

Visitor

50 Down: "The Hustler" author Walter (5 letters) Answer: Tevis

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. I was at my Uncle's house once again and it was really good. Salad with fried broccoli and cauliflower bits, turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, cranberries, rolls, desserts and probably other stuff I forgot. You know, the whole shot. Toss in some football and you got yourself a Thanksgiving Day.

Now to catch up:

I saw Best Friend over the weekend and she was all fired up about these conjoined twins. After checking on them, I understand it's a great story. But, man, I also realized I have issues on this topic.

Drew and I were at O'Rielly's earlier this week. All I could think about was hoping a Po Boy would be on the menu. It was. Drew now upgrades to Lincoln Town Cars for rental car purposes when he can. Looks like a phat ride.

Something's up with my Dad. I've seen him drink a beer last weekend and then on Wednesday, he had a scotch. Maybe it was the '80s DJ at The Happy Dog on Wednesday. The new T-shirts look pretty cool there, BTW. Question: If I have 5 Magic Hat No. 9's, can I call it Magic Hat 45?

Gale and I took in a movie before dinner yesterday. It was "The Fantastic Mr. Fox". It had all of the quirkiness of a Wes Anderson film. Only this time, there were puppets. George Clooney as Mr. Fox and Jason Schwartzman as his son were real standouts. I slso liked a cameo from Owen Wilson as "Coach Skip". He coached Whack-Bat. I can't explain the game, but it looked neat. This one is definitely worth seeing.

Meal of Links

I cleaned my plate yesterday. But it should come as no surprise that Americans waste a lot of food.

Apparently there was no sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Dublin until 1995. Amazingly, the Archdiocese never told the police about complaints until that year. But they had files on 100 priests since 1940.

Kim Jong-Il is a nutbag. A bunch of his crazy antics are detailed here.

101 places to shop online. With their discounts noted. BTW, Toys R' Us with that Midnight opening seems to be where all the Black Friday trouble occurred this year. You can get $3 in MP3's at Amazon by clicking here before Sunday.

Exercise Yard

Drudge probably has the siren up on his site. But Tiger Woods either did or didn't get in a serious car accident last night.

I'd check to see if Bill Clinton or Greg Norman were nearby.

Visitor

43 Down: Rockefeller Center muralist (4 letters) Answer: Sert

In true Thanksgiving fashion, Paula Deen gets hit by a ham. This Zapruder-like film catches it all.

Paula Deen-Hit By Ham



Meal of Links

Detroit can't bury dead. And you thought it was bad here.

The best celebrity computer ads. Of the '80s! Oh, look at the familiar faces in these commercials.

More Palin. This time on Canada's health system. Plus the ever-popular President Obama does not recognize the sacrifice troops make.

Michael C. Hall talks about "Dexter". Voice-overs, his character, etc. Season 5 already ordered.

The current state of TiVo. It's subscriber base is eroding.

Exercise Yard

Brady Quinn is dating the gymnast, Alicia Sacramone. Look for Kramer around the 2:55 mark. "Jerry, you stand on the threshold to the magical world of sensual delights that most men dare not dream of!"

Seinfeld-"The Gymnast"



Visitor

42 Across: Guitarist ___ Paul (3 letters) Answer: Les

Why would anyone be upset with the Browns loss to the Lions today?

Sure, they should have won and the defense still sucks. And sure, a third down run after the 2-minute warning would have run more time off the clock. And sure, they gave up an 88-yard game-winning TD drive, riddled with bad clock management, to a rookie quarterback, helped by one of the dumbest pass interference calls ever. A penalty so obvious, the ref had to call it.

But this game was basically played for shits and giggles. By both teams. It was like they were facing their own offenses and defenses in practice, but the results counted and everyone got paid. Save it for the games that really count.

Like next week against the Bengals.

Meal of Links

Mark Bittman with the best advice for prospective Thanksgiving chefs. Calm the fuck down!

Check out this guy. Not a fan of Lego Rock Band.

Matt Taibbi with a terrific piece on the appeal of Sarah Palin. The first WWE politician.

Exercise Yard

My football fan woes continue:

My alma mater, Miami, wins one game this year.

My beloved Michigan finishes last in the Big Ten.

And, of course, the Browns losing to the Lions on the last play of the game.

Visitor

None. On a nice, sunny fall Sunday.

Seems to me, it was another record-setting crowd at Polka Happy Hour at The Happy Dog last night. I think the limited menu is resulting in more drinking. A rather festive crowd was there yesterday and we found ourselves sitting at the bar.

BTW, my Dad got a new TV today. It was the Vizio VO320E 32-inch HD LCD TV. Looks cool, weighs not so much, rates high and Sam's Club was selling them for $338. A steal. Costco also has them for that price, but won't sell Coke products. Mmmmm.

Meal of Links

Speaking of electronics, here is a heads-up for Black Friday. BTW, the Vizio TV we got today is in a Black Friday ad for Sears and is selling for $349. Sleep in and go to Sam's or Costco. Or travel to IKEA for some free breakfast, Friday through Sunday.

Here are all of your Holiday Specials and Marathons. G4 on Turkey Day has "Big Trouble in Little China", hah! What the hell is this: "Larry the Cable Guy's Hula-palooza Christmas Luau" on CMT. Good grief.

Movie. Buttered popcorn. Medium soda. Equals 3 McDonald's hamburgers. Get a small ICEE instead!

The Best Music of the Decade. They did a good job on this one. You are starting to see more of the same records pop up on these lists.

Dog heaven, perhaps?

If marijuana was taxed, look at those tax revenues. Ohio would rank 5th, based on current production.

Palin's book tour in Indiana. FAIL.

Ricky Jay talks about his career. Love that guy.

Tim Goodman thinks it may be a good idea for Conan go to a different network. Probably not a bad idea.

Exercise Yard

More soccer match fixing in Europe. These guys never learn.

Visitor

53 Across: Rhodes with a scholarship (5 letters) Answer: Cecil

I was over at Target today at Steelyard Commons. As I was leaving, I noticed they had a three-wheel motorcycle-looking vehicle parked up front. It was done up in the red-and-white Target colors and marked "Assets Protection". Only 100 stores nationwide have one, so far.















I guess if someone shoplifts, they can hop on this cycle and chase them down. I'd like to see it in action. But I guess the real reason is to patrol the parking lot and provide outdoor security.

Meal of Links

Have the laughs on this past week's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ever been better? Looks like Leon will kickstart the Middle East peace talks.

Hey, you wuss! Make your own pie crust!

NME lists its 50 best albums of the decade. Not bad.

The 25 Best Live TV Moments of the decade. Includes the mother of Bill Hicks receiving Letterman's apology. Early White Stripes on MTV. Lots of sports, but no Ron Artest, which is easily Top 5 material!

A review of Palin's book. "It moves as quickly as possible to its real raison d’Atre, a methodical re-imagining of her entire political career replete with more excuses than a Cleveland Browns post-game press conference. Palin has never done anything wrong." Nate Silver says she will run in 2012.

Kurt Vonnegut writes a letter from the war. Read the crap that guy lived through.

Bill Maher keeps coming on earlier. Now it's 9:00 p.m. on Fridays, starting in February.

The Best Metal of the Decade.

Exercise Yard

The coach of my alma mater is a wise old man. Listen to Charlie Coles respond to a question of how the Kentucky game got away from Miami. Lowly Miami lost on a last-second shot, BTW.



Hey, Australia! Wrestling is fake! Not front page news.

Visitor

18 Across: "Seven Year Ache" country singer (11 letters) Answer: Rosanne Cash

My brother and I were at The Bart today for the opener on CSU's home basketball schedule against Wilmington. The issue: The game started at 11:30 a.m. As luck would have it, we were able to secure a 4-hour meter right by our entrance that had 1:46 still remaining. A few quarters later and we were good to go.

Of course, when you start a game at 11:30, you cannot expect many people to attend. By our count, it was between 300 and 350 people. Whatever possessed CSU to do this, they need to remove that thought from their collective mind. But starting at Midnight tonight, ESPN has 24 hours of basketball, so let's be glad we didn't get that 6 a.m. timeslot that St. Peter's and Monmouth have tomorrow morning.

The stat that jumps out is that Wilmington shot 57% for the game. Oh, CSU won, 99-74, but it was a game that answered no tough questions about the team. Basically, a glorified scrimmage.

Then it was off to the Parkview for lunch.

Meal of Links

Adweek is taking votes on the Best Ads of the 2000s, (Non Super-Bowl Category). Remember, VW's "Bubble Boy" had "Mr. Blue Sky" as its music. The Starburst one remains uncomfortably freaky.

"Easy Rider" stops then. And now.

Edward Woodward died. He was the star of one of my favorite shows, "The Equalizer". For the first part of its run, an excellent show.

And that Stuart Copeland theme:



The Best American Breweries of the Decade. No locals.

Lou Dobbs had 8 million reasons to quit CNN. Very amicable.

Ken Ober died, as well. He was the host of MTV's Remote Control. The one that gave us Colin Quinn and Cousin Stickpin. To this day, we still do a little "Dead or Canadian?". And he was also on a Jenga commercial which you would always watch and say, "Hey, there's Ken Ober."

Hitch writes about Palin.

Exercise Yard

The Bill Belichick gaffe is still raising eyebrows. But can you believe how many pundits are still saying it was the right move? Folks are quoting these stats about how the Patriots have gone for it on fourth down x number of times and how many times they were successful.

But I have yet to see a study break down those incidents. There is a huge difference when going for it on 4th down in the second quarter on an opponents 30-yard line than when he went for it last night.

Visitor

23 Across: God of thunder (4 letters) Answer: Thor

Kind of a weird Sunday again this week. No Browns game today and since I am passing on Monday night's game, I don't have to witness anything in person regarding the Browns for a while. Then tomorrow, I have an off-day, so I can watch Cleveland State play some bizarro world 11:30 a.m. game.

But I did learn some things today:

Robitussin-on-the Go: What a great idea for the addicted.

GEICO commercial: I've given up on the "I'm a pothole" ad.

Al Michaels hates fireworks!: He wanted to go off on indoor fireworks.

Cincinnati Bengals; The second Ravens game won me over. And with their upcoming schedule, they are in.

Cleveland Browns: Weird day in the NFL. Bad teams won some games or almost won. An omen?

Colts-Patriots: What a bungle by Belichick. Punt the ball!

Meal of Links

The Onion with yet another classic. Could not stop laughing at that one.

She blinded me with science. And hit me with technology.

Can a convict get anything he or she wants for their last meal? 24 tacos seems a bit much.

Lt. Bookman soles another case. Can't stand ya.

Exercise Yard

Manny Pacquiao delivered another gem of a fight in beating Miguel Cotto. The promoters love him because he gets the PPV viewers. The fans love him because he is always coming forward. Plus, he now has won belts in 7 different weight classes.

If he fights Floyd Mayweather, they break the bank.

Visitor

None, on a not-too-exciting Sunday.

I had a busy day today. Did you know today was America Recycles Day? Or, maybe it's tomorrow. Anyhow, I took my old computer to get recycled today. Yes, my Sony VAIO from the Dark Ages gets sent to PC Heaven. Actually, it doesn't reach heaven or purgatory, so it's probably in limbo, even though the Pope banished that a few years ago.

But, I also did three things you normally can't do in November around here:

A. Wear shorts outside. While running a bunch of errands this a.m., I could not believe how warm it was, so off with the denims.

B. Mow the lawn. Incredibly, I mowed the lawn today. I thought it needed one more shot before winter. By far, the latest I've ever had to mow.

C. Grill outdoors. My Dad bought some steaks a while back and had them frozen for a few weeks. I thought last week we blew it, by not grilling them then. So, we made sure we had them ready for today's weather. He must have picked them up from the BrontoBurger aisle at Buehler's. I know when he got them, they were dirt cheap, but jeezy creezy, they must have been 24-oz. ones. That means leftovers!

Meal of Links

Hunt4Tunes allows you to listen and download tunes. I just listened to "Dr. Detroit" by Devo, "Blue Orchid" by The White Stripes, and "Cities" by Talking Heads. Far from comprehensive, but it is "F-R-E-E, that spells free.".

This is great news. The Who will play "The CSI Song" at the Super Bowl. I think Roger's voice can hold up for 15 minutes, can't it?

Some excellent rock photos from Jim Marshall. My favorite of the bunch here may be the Slick/Joplin one. But these are all good. The Who is in there, as well.

Dear Santa, I don't ask for much. But this new book, "Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!" is going on my Christmas list. Cookies and cocoa on me, dude. Thanks!

We are running out of bluefin tuna. What do you do if you run across one though, eat it? It may be the last one.

The one-of-a-kind David Lloyd died this week. Look at the TV shows on his resume.

Newsweek has a list of comedians who aren't funny. If the person I am thinking of, is not on this list, then this list sucks. Yep, he's on it, at a charitable #4. Poor Emo and Yakov, though.

35 Awesome Science Fair Projects. With pictures.

There was a linebacker I noticed from Iowa today with the name of "Angerer". It made me wonder what Ed Anger was up to. He's still angry!

Exercise Yard

Even the Most Interesting Man in the World (Complete with purple shirt. Hah!) loves TCU football. "Stay horny, my friends."

Visitor

30 Across: Voice of Mr. Magoo (9 letters) Answer: Jim Backus "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" bothered me intensely upon my first viewing.

Let's not forget those who served on Veterans Day today. My Dad even took advantage of the free steak from Applebee's today. On Monday, Gary Sinise invites vets to grab a free dinner at Golden Corral. Nice gestures all. I'm sure before the Browns game on Monday night, while some bozos are protesting, Randy Lerner will have some sort of Veterans Tribute. The Browns commitment to honoring veterans is truly the only thing they do consistently well.

Meanwhile, I had some Veterans-related messages from organizations I support in my Inbox. A couple of those are the IAVA and The Pat Tillman Foundation.

Meal of Links

The elves are back. Is it now old?

The 100 Best Films of the Decade. A UK version. Again, "In The Loop" with a mention. Gee, you forget that "Memento" came out in 2000. The Top 11 are kinda cool.

Jon Stewart is on a roll!

The charms of Reality TV. The debasing of bad acting is one. Here are the best reality shows. Some love for "I Bet You", a tiny bit for "Cash Cab".

Sarah Palin and her latest crusade: "In God We Trust" on dollar coins. Maybe Lou Dobbs can join her, now that he has free time.

Exercise Yard

What a great thought. The Aaron Rodgers Sack Tracker. Even with an offensive line that bad, the Browns failed to join the party.

Visitor

17 Across: Senate minority leader McConnell (5 letters) Answer: Mitch

I had to drop off some Browns tickets to Kevin last night, so I got a taste of the pre-concert Springsteen crowd. I am not sure the buzz exists like it used to. When I worked Downtown, it was electric when the guy showed up. Especially for that Stadium concert, absolutely a huge event at the time.

Over time though, I guess everyone gets a little older, more sedate, and he did not sell out the Q. But the show got a rave review.

Meal of Links

The AV Club has started up its Best of the Decade features. So far, it's One-Season TV Wonders, Late Night Comedy/Talk, and TV Movies/Miniseries. Nice props for "Andy Richter Controls The Universe", but no "Knights of Prosperity"?

"Shit My Dad Says" moves from Twitter to TV. "I wanted to see Detroit win. I've been there. It's like God took a shit on a parking lot. They deserve some good news."

A droplet of water reveals the face of Ringo Starr. Don't send him any mail about it, though. Peace and love.

Count Chocula is the most powerful vampire of them all. Why? He has no weaknesses.

Saint Sarah. This guy reads, then writes about, the 4700-word essay on Sarah Palin so you don't have to.

Arby's is one of those fast food places I visit maybe a couple of times a month. But this sums up why they are so low on fast food chain. My issue is they have lots of choices, but most of them are really bad for you. Especially the sandwiches you think might be OK, like the Market Fresh Turkey on Wheat or the Turkey Reuben. And the guy is right, what is memorable to eat there? I think the Chocolate Mint Milk Shake may be the only thing that currently stands out. In addition, their combo prices are exorbitant.

Exercise Yard

Golf balls are destroying the planet. Lost ones, that is. Claims are it takes between 100 to 1,000 years for a golf ball to decompose naturally. I think I've had sandwiches that take that long, too.

Visitor

43 Across: Soccer immortal (4 letters) Answer: Pele

Old habits die hard, I guess. Even though I did not bet this year, I still watched the Breeders Cup. It was at Santa Anita and that means you get to see the Turf Sprint, which kind of has that "over the river and through the woods" vibe going. California Flag took that in a romp.

The highlight for me was picking Vale of York in the Juvenile, which was a nice 31-1 pick. And although Zenyatta and her Girl Power victory over the boys in the Classic was the best story of the day, the announce crew was so over the top during the prerace, I thought they should have just installed a Zenyatta Cam as a feature. Good grief! She has these funny, pawing at the dirt moves with her front hoof and, of course, that led to a "Dancing With The Stars" clip with that Len guy. Terrific close by Zenyatta, though.

That race was also marred by a horrible loading of the horse, Quality Road, into the starting gate. They even said he was a Juvenile Delinquent before the race, but they put the hood on him to load him and then all hell broke loose. Call me silly, but I don't think he liked the hood! He became the first ever gate scratch in the history of the Breeders Cup.

The Best Race In America...the Turf Sprint at Santa Anita



Quality Road says, "Oh, no, you dint!"



Zenyatta Beats The Boys



Meal of Links

Yep, he's my Congressman. Dennis Kucinich votes, once again, with his head. Check out the other Democratic No votes. Many of those Democrats are in districts that McCain carried in 2008 with huge margins.

It's TubeRadio. This sorts through videos on YouTube and you can make your own video playlists. I decided I hadn't heard "Squonk" in a while. And it found it and stored it easily.

Do we really need snoods? Skorts? OK, I guess. Sporks, yes. Snoods? Not so sure.

Exercise Yard

Today was a day I crammed in a lot of stuff. For instance, this morning, I watched Chelsea-Manchester United. I'm glad someone else noticed this besides me. I actually replayed it a few times and laughed each time.

BTW, Chelsea won, One-Nil.

Visitor

None, on what may have been the last great weather Sunday of the year.

Last night, I was at The Happy Dog. I must say, it was the largest crowd I've seen there since the smoking ban. I know there was an after-party for the Made in the 216 Shoppe, but there were lots of people there.

It was a younger, dare I say hipper, crowd than normal for polkas. But they may have stumbled upon the cheap night out lure with the hot dogs (had mine with sriracha, cheddar, dill pickle and potato chips) and fries or tots. That means more drinking! I had my first Christmas Ale of the year and it was good.

Uh-oh, first ale and now my Christmas list is done. The holiday tidal wave has started.

Meal of Links

The cult of "Hoop Dreams" continues. Roger Ebert writes about the 15th anniversary viewing in Chicago (complete with Siskel & Ebert review). You can see it here, but 3 hours of computer viewing may be a bit much.

John Lithgow talks about his role on "Dexter". I think we are heading into the last 5 weeks on that series. I get a little of my Sundays back after this week with "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Bored to Death" wrapping up.

A Benny Hill stamp was rejected by Royal Mail because of his saucy antics. What a shamockery.

Tom Tancredo throws out some BS on veterans and healthcare and gets owned. Same tired act. I hate it when vets get played like that. Way too many people talking out of their ass, when it comes to veterans affairs, without checking the facts.

There is actually a debate over the shortest sentence using all the letters of the alphabet. The Wiki version just sounds better.

I'm glad someone likes "Robocop" as much as me. I'll watch that anytime, anywhere.

There is no question, I am a Trader Joe's honk. But their Organic Raspberry Fruit Spread is unbelievable. All other brands are now on fail.

Wal-Mart scowls at a hoilday tidal wave. They want a tsunami, so they came up with a Holiday Price War!!! Geez, a Blu-Ray DVD Player for less than $150. That is a very good deal and it's a Sony!

Might as well play it now....

Steely Dan/"Black Friday"



This was absolutely hilarious:

Stewart as Beck (not Rod as Jeff, but Jon as Glenn)



Exercise Yard

This is part of the reason I like "Curb Your Enthusiasm". You never know what you will get. Last week, Larry was debating the merits of Derek Jeter with a stonemason.

Visitor

42 Down: Ace of Base genre (7 letters) Answer: Euro Pop

The Yanks haven't been World Series Champs for 24 hours and there are baseball moves already. Manny Acta, get to work!

Meal of Links

Depp and Jolie? In the same movie? That has to be good.

I didn't even know Echo and the Bunnymen were on tour. Moot point, now that it's cancelled. Not due to illness, breakup nor lousy ticket sales, but profit taxes. WTF?

All of your Ft. Hood news is here.

Exercise Yard

God bless the World Cup! Chilean models pose to get tickets to the event. It's a beautiful game.

Visitor

46 Across: Jaime Sommers, TV's "_____ Woman" (6 letters) Answer: Bionic (Today's puzzle was by Xan Vongsathorn)

A trip down Memory Lane. Here is a page (click for larger view) from the PD TV Week some 36 years ago. This predates remotes, cable, VCRs for the most part.

A few things jump out:

At 4:00 on Channel 8, it's "Vin Scully". It must be "It Takes Two", which I have erased from memory.

30-minute soap operas.

Channels 23, 43 and 61 not yet 24-hour operations.

Shows designated Black and White.

Day and night versions of "The Price is Right".

Channel 8 has "Thrill Seekers" on at 7:30!

"Porter Wagner" on Channel 23. Spelling errors back then, too.

A Cleveland Crusaders game on Channel 43.

Meal of Links

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will host the Oscars. On paper, that sounds terrific.

The top 50 Movies of the Decade. By my count, I saw 22 of these in the theater. The most recent miss was "In The Loop" which was at the Cedar-Lee this past August for about a minute.

Nate Silver breaks down the election. I think the standout number is young people reverted back to voting form in an off-year election. They don't show up all the time.

Exercise Yard

Derek Anderson is bad this year. Now we have proof he is historically bad. In the last 40 years, through the first 8 games, Anderson's QB rating is the 14th worst. Some really bad QBs have made this list, as well.

BTW, here is what George Kokinis did every day at the office. Advance to 5:54.

The Penske File



Visitor

46 Across: Retailing pioneer R.H. ____ (4 letters) Answer: Macy

Randy Lerner has apparently gone off the reservation. Yesterday, he does the old staredown at his own team in the tunnel to the locker room. "I want them to see me.", he says.

Then today, I find out he is meeting with the two "fan protesters". Great PR move on his part, I guess. But these two jamokes think they can actually change things. I can't think of anything they can tell Lerner that he doesn't already know. My guess: He'll charm the rubber masks off of these guys and the protest will be quashed after this meeting.

To cap it all off, the Kok of ManKok got canned. Yes, George Kokinis, the Claude Rains of Berea, was fired today by the Browns. Obviously, Lerner asked the question, "Who's responsible for this roster?" Then Eric Mangini produced a copy of George's contract, while pointing at George, where it stated explicitly he had control of the 53-man roster.

So, the man least responsible for this mess gets the axe. Lest we forget, Randy Lerner also had this type of internal strife after Year One of his reign, when it looked like Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel might be out in a power struggle with John Collins. Collins was prepared to fire Savage, with Crennel then resigning in protest. In a giant swerve, Collins was then asked to leave.

As Bruce Hornsby likes to say, "Some things will never change..."

Meal of Links

This guy hates soft drinks. Bastard.

If you donate a kidney, look out. You'll now have the dreaded pre-existing condition.

An ode to old dogs.

Pearl Jam closed the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Halloween. Naturally, they dressed as Devo.

"Whip It" by Pearl Jam



Walken Reads Lady Gaga



Exercise Yard

Manu Ginobili had great success taking care of that bat the other day. Now for the bad news. Rabies shots.

Batman



Visitor

50 Across: "The Avengers" heroine, to Steed (7 letters) Answer: Mrs. Peel

Another Halloween has come and gone. At first, I thought there were no Caucasians trick-or-treating. But man, it was starting to get cold, so after 60 minutes of distribution, I ran out of the candy I wanted to give away.


















Best Costume: By far, Michael Jackson. The kid had it down. Sunglasses, hat, glove, shoe, jacket. It prompted this exchange:

MJ (in full character): "Trick or Treat-ah!"
Me: "Michael, I thought you died."
MJ: "Naw, I'm still around."
Me: "Still a Thriller, eh?"

Second Best Costume: Captain America (with shield).

Third Best Costume: A penguin. Not THE penguin, A penguin. Off the charts on the "Awwwwwww!" Scale of Cute.

Worst Costume: Guy pulls up in a Time Warner Cable car. "Hey, that guy is dressed like The Cable Guy!". I really need an audience of more than 2 neighbors on Halloween.

Second Worst Costume: Guy on crutches trying to catch up with his family, is in the middle of the street until he arrives at my neighbor's sidewalk.

Me: "I take it that's not a costume?"
(Crickets)
(Family gets candy, he walks away)
Me: "Apparently not."

Third Worst Costume: Some kid was dressed as Matt Hasselbeck, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. A big WTF.

Worst Trend: Clueless kids being escorted around in strollers by Moms. Seemed to be a candy grab for the Moms, while Junior had no idea what the hell he was freezing his ass for. Although someone texted me saying Mom was looking for a certain type of candy...Sugar Daddy.

Best Trend: No Halloween lights on the block this year! Oh, we had a gravesite and someone had scary music playing, but I did not have the orange-and-black wakeup call this year.

Second Best Trend: Not once did I have to ask someone: "How old are you?". As Tim Robbins once said, "...you know, for the kids."

Favorite Candy: Kids were choosing the Nestle Crunch. I had thought that was surpassed a long time ago. Really, it's the first time I gave that away in eons.

Meal of Links

How to build a bigass HDTV antenna. I'll never do it, but I must say, Time Warner Cable remains the devil. I had two days this week where more than half of the HD channels were not even tuned. Of course, after I make an appointment for service, they magically appeared later the next day.

Ten Sex Scenes Involving Costumes. Meh.

Making a case in the defense of extreme pornography. Let's just say, Roman Polanski gets more coverage than these folks.

"Dexter" is still pulling in viewers. It is the one show I never fail to watch. I rather liked Deb's crying scene last week. Done a la David Lynch, I thought. Not the weepy, whiny stuff, but the real-life-can't-catch-your-breath stuff.

Exercise Yard

How the World Series may have turned last night on a stupid pitch. As memories of Sam McDowell suddenly enter my head.

Visitor

None, on a refreshed Daylight Savings Sunday.