Oscar Blog

The Vidiots kept an Oscar blog last night. Pretty funny stuff. I've only skimmed it, but this had me cracking up:

"So we're watching Antonio Banderas sing and there's something imperceptibly different about him. Is it the hair? No, it's still flopping around. Is it the smoldering? No. He's still setting off smoke alarms in the greater Hollywood area.

Ah! Got it! His eyes aren't pleading, 'Kill me. Kill me now! KILL. ME.'

It's amazing what happens when a team of crisis workers pries 110 pounds of aging starlet off a suffocating man."

Check it out.

Back.

And feeling better. Thanks for being so patient.

The tooth is cracked right up through the root and the gum around it was infected. I'll probably lose the tooth, which is too bad, but I'm not surprised. I have a long road of dental work ahead of me, including braces, I hope, but I'm glad to be finally heading down that road.

Other than taking some major drugs and nursing my head, I haven't really been doing anything too interesting. I haven't seen any new movies, but I do have "Shaun of the Dead" and "The Clearing" waiting at home for me. I'm all caught up on "Deadwood", an HBO series I wholeheartedly recommend. Very nearly the best thing on TV right now. If you're interested, season 1 can be found on DVD, On Demand, and HBO2 is running a season 1 encore this week, starting on Wednesday night. The season 2 premiere is this Sunday, March 6. Cannot wait.

I've also gotten back into playing Playstation 2. I finished Prince of Persia last night. I really enjoyed that game and found that I was missing it almost as soon as the ending cut scene began, despite the highly stressful swordfights with the sand monsters. Next, it's back to Star Wars Bounty Hunter. I stopped at Level 6, and I think there are, like, 18 levels - it's not a good sign to be having such difficulty so early on in a game.

Then if I can ever tear myself from the TV or computer, I need to get started on painting my bedroom. I've picked the color and bought the paint and supplies - now I just need to get my arse in gear and get it done. Before and after photos will be forthcoming, I promise.

Oh, and it's suppose to snow again tonight, with anywhere from 3 to 11 inches falling. (we had another snowstorm last week, while I was incommunicado). Fun fun fun!

Alright, let's see what's going on in the world...

On Sick Leave

I'm out with a bad tooth, but I'll be back ASAP. Thanks.

SciFi for those who don't like scifi.

Space at its deepest point: "this surprisingly introspective hour of nail- biting suspense, philosophical clashes, knuckle-bruising action and steamy, interspecies sex raises a hundred other questions, too. What does it mean to be human? Is there a God? Where do civil liberties stand in a time of siege? When does cautious suspicion morph into obsessive witch-hunting? Who gets to define justice and morality? How do we decide who can be trusted in an age of covert terrorism? Does any other TV drama use female characters this dynamically?"

Tonight, at 10:00, on SciFi.

And in other beer news...

One of those why-hasn't-anyone-thought-of-this-before things: Pull your own pint. Brilliant!

It's Bush's Fault!

Drinks too sexy for pub: "A company spokeswoman said: 'It is our policy to advertise alcohol in a responsible manner and never associate it with sexual promiscuity, machismo or anti-social behaviour.'"

We'll just focus on those other positive associations, like alcoholism and drunk driving. These people need to do a better job picking their battles.

Have you seen this?

Man May Have Caused Train Crash for Wife: "The man charged with killing 11 people on a commuter train by allegedly parking a truck in its path wasn't trying to commit suicide but wanted to create a 'horrific tragedy,' according to police."

I'm sure she'll coming running back to you now, pal. Jesus. I feel sorry for the families of the victims. It's hard enough coping with the loss of a loved one to a stupid accident, but then to find out that it was intentional...God, the rage they must feel.

The Sexiest Man in the Morgue?

William L. Petersen, the dumpy heartthrob of CSI: "Like a forensic investigation exhuming a body, a simple Web search unearths a seething niche subculture of CSI: 'fanfic,' the often sexually explicit fiction written by fans that imagines TV characters living their lives in the interstitial moments between shows. Some of the literature spawned by CSI is 'slash,' or gay-themed, some is straight, but an inordinate amount of it focuses on the off-screen cavortings of Gil Grissom, the lead investigator played by William Petersen. For those of you who haven't watched the show, Gil is hardly the most obvious object of erotic longing; he's a gray-haired, slightly dumpy, middle-aged workaholic who probably smells faintly of formaldehyde, and whose social skills are inversely proportional to his forensic acumen. Whence the mystique? Why are so many people in love with Gil Grissom?"

What do you think? I can see the attraction, a little bit, but for me, it's Warrick all the way.

Dead Ringers

Twin Docs Accused of Switching IDs, Abusing Women: "An attorney has filed the latest in a series of civil lawsuits against twin physician brothers, accusing them of impersonating one another and sexually assaulting female patients in an obstetric-gynecology practice. "

Sounds eerily familiar. God, that's creepy.

The mysteries and unanswered questions of LOST.

They've created a monster: "Lindelof is the co-creator of 'Lost,' ABC's intricately plotted hit thriller about plane crash survivors stranded on a tropical island where nothing is quite as it seems. But he's also a fan of shows like the one he writes, and he's been burned enough times in the past to sympathize with 'Lost' viewers who are starting to wonder if he and J.J. Abrams know where the story is going, or if they're just piling mystery on top of mystery to hide the fact that they're making it up as they go along. "

I find it astonishing that people are already demanding answers questions raised by the show. We are only midway through the first season! The author wonders is LOST is on the same path at The X-Files and its disjointed and disappointing resolution. I agree, that is a concern, but complaining about it now? Does no one have patience anymore?

I see London, I see France...

Virginians don't wanna see your underpants.

And the snow bombs keep falling.

Good morning.

We've got another storm coming tomorrow. If you listen to the various predictions, we have anywhere from 2" to a foot on its way. I think we'll most likely end up with something closer to 6" or so. Looks like I'll be bringing work home again tonight, just in case.

Oh, I got the cutest little mouse pad at Staples this morning: aMouserug, which according to everyone here at work, everyone but me has seen before. I love it. I may need to get one for home, too.

All aboard!

OK, I'm not diggin' the engineer's cap, but Kevin Spacey is rockin' the facial hair.

Lord of the Wings

Off the Reel trailers: Movies found way off the red carpet.

If you like wearing a burka, come with me and escape.

Budding Jordan cyber love ends in divorce: "Separated for several months, boredom and chance briefly re-united Bakr Melhem and his wife Sanaa in an Internet chat room, the official Petra news agency said."

Drive-By Reviews

Dawn of the Dead - Scary; really gross; actors were good enough to make you care about what happened to them, which is important in a horror film; the humor, what little there is, works; and the opening and closing credits are awesome, as is the music. If you rent it, stay and watch the closing credits.

Van Helsing - Pretty much a stinker. I think I get what they were trying to do - I just don't think they were able to pull it off. I liked the over-the-top Dracula (Richard Roxburgh, unrecognizable from his previous big role, as the Duke in Moulin Rouge), but the rest was just an unGodly mess, pardon the pun. My favorite part of the movie was the score, and that's saying a lot, considering Hugh Jackman took his shirt off.

The Ref carries a roll of paper towels - for the puppy fouls.

Our alternative to the Super Bowl last night was Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl, described at their site as:

"Animal Planet has plays, tackles and fumbles too, only ours are much cuter! Viewers can spend the day (or maybe some time between the big plays) with a "stadium" full of man's best and cutest friends—puppies! In the midst of the official pigskin, iron match, it's the family-friendly, feel-good Animal Planet Puppy Bowl premiering Sunday, February 6, 3-6 p.m. ET with encore presentations at 6 p.m., 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET only on Animal Planet."

We switched back and forth between Puppy Bowl and Super Bowl, and I must say, Puppy Bowl was far more interesting for me. And the players were a lot cuter.

The Far-Reaching Legacy of Last Year's Super Bowl.

The Year of Living Indecently: "With Sunday's Super Bowl, their crusade has scored a touchdown. MTV has been replaced as halftime producer by Don Mischer, the go-to guy for a guaranteed snoozefest; his credits include the Tony Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors and the 2004 Democratic National Convention at which the balloons failed to drop. (His subsequent cursing was heard on CNN, but escaped government sanction because no Republicans were watching.) Fox Sports Net has changed the title of its signature program 'Best Damn Sports Show Period' to 'Best Darn Super Bowl Road Show Period.' The commercials, too, will 'be careful' and in 'good taste,' according to the head of marketing for Anheuser-Busch. Fox, which recently pixilated the bottom of a cartoon toddler in a rerun of the series 'Family Guy,' now has someone on full-time rear-end alert: it rejected a comic spot for Airborne, a cold remedy, showing the backside of the 84-year-old Mickey Rooney as he leaves a sauna. "

This is mudness.

Female soldier demoted for mud wrestling: "Four or five other members of the 105th who were spectators received counseling, Johnson said."

OK, I agree that the entire incident was inappropriate, but counseling? For what? Being stupid?

Bring On the fug

"Well, at least she looks happy"

Booty-licious

Celebrity Swag: "'I can't walk down the street without getting bothered,' the unnamed celebrity tells the paper. 'I gave up my anonymity for this job. I deserve this stuff.'"

Maybe so, but I see you were able to keep your anonymity for the quote, huh? Not so anxious for people to know you said that, are you?

I don't know the reason why Keanu declined his swag, but I feel like cheering him on, anyway. These "goody bags" are getting out of hand - $50,000.00 worth of free stuff?? That's just crazy and wrong. What do the participating companies get out of the deal? I just don't understand it.

More cowbell, baby!

Blue Oyster Cult, Playing Along With 'More Cowbell': "...a kind of cult has sprung up around the Blue Oyster Cult bit and its two magic words. 'More cowbell' appears on T-shirts, coffee mugs and buttons, and the spoof is still discussed and debated on Web sites across the Internet. It has become a stock witticism in clubs and bars as bands begin to play (indeed, one group in Upstate New York named itself More Cowbell). Snippets from the skit pop up regularly on the radio. When the cable entertainment channel E! named its 101 Most Unforgettable 'SNL' Moments last fall, 'Cowbell' ranked among the top five. "

And you can buy the t-shirt (or make one just as nice at home).