Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Greatest Movie Scenes #41-50

41. Put your lips together and blow-To Have and Have Not (1944):  Lauren Bacall was 19 years old when she made her debut in this film. Wow. Simply wow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY4zkWUTvQM

42. A boulder- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Ford did the stunt himself. Although not a real boulder, it still could have seriously injured him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnlu-kpdOs

43. The parachute- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977): This might be the greatest Bond movie stunt. The British flag on the parachute was a nice touch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaEU_A405zA

44. Laser- Gold finger (1964): This might be the most iconic Bond scene. Do you expect me to talk? No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wyp909mQPM

45. The Indianapolis- Jaws (1975): You’d think Robert Shaw (Quint) served aboard the Indianapolis. This scene immortalized the experience of that crew during the Second World War.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nrvMNf-HEg

46. The Conversation: Pacino meets De Niro- Heat (1995): This is the scene fans waited 20 years for and neither actor disappointed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSzx_zy-98

47. The Battle- Gladiator (2000): How did the Romans conquer the world? Watch the opening scene in Gladiator. Although not completely accurate, the scene demonstrates superior Roman discipline, technology, and tactics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=331clHFsnpY

48. Win one for the Gipper- Knute Rockne: All American (1940): Even if Reagan had not become president, this scene would have been remembered. Reagan’s political career turned it into legend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIHNUt1gw7A

49. Fredo goes fishing- Godfather II (1974): Michael Corleone proved completely heartless when wacking his brother and then blaming his death on drowning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7oms_hG-Pc

50. Kong vs. airplanes-King Kong (1933): Kong was not the villain in this Depression-era film. Instead, it was the capitalists and those that wanted to conquer nature.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dytJJrpxwDw

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Greatest Movie Scenes #51-60

51. Who’s on First?-The Naughty Nineties (1945): The classic baseball sketch from Abbott and Costello.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M

52. Apes to Man-2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Thanks to Alien monoliths, mankind evolved from apes to man. In this version, tool use was the key. In real life, chimps, wasps, and octopus all use tools.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML1OZCHixR0

53. The Funeral Oration- Julius Caesar (1953): One of the great speeches in history delivered by Mark Antony. It fired the crowd up against Caesar’s assassins and changed the course of Western History.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNRoeMvzMVo

54. The filibuster-Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): Jimmy Stewart was a Republican!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWyEc7FAMTg

55. I’m Melting/Ding Dong the witch is dead-The Wizard of Oz (1939): When I worked at Comerikkka, a really obnoxious bitch got fired. People around the office sang this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfV_ENR5IZE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oVfBrD04oo

56. Girls don’t float-Frankenstein (1931): One of the creepiest scenes ever. A little girl throws flower petals into a pond. Frank digs it, so he decides to see if a little girl can float like the petals.

57. The Speech-The Pride of the Yankees (1942): Lou Gehrig probably played a few years with ALS. Amazing considering the high standard he set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbNrCxqxzgo

58. What is your major malfunction Private Pyle - Full Metal Jacket (1987): Back to back Kubrick. R. Lee Ermey basically wrote his own part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD4q3leE5Uw

59. Here’s Johnny!- The Shining (1980): Jack makes a great psychopath.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TVooUHN7j4

60. The question- Dirty Harry (1971): Once again, Clint Eastwood teaches us how to deal with criminals. While we are at it, perhaps we could deal with the ACLU the same way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnMLGkj91Og

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Merry Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8qE6WQmNus

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame: Who didn't get in

Now for the acts that did not make it this year and will have to wait for another opportunity.

The Chantels: They were the first real “girl group” to emerge and set the sound of the early 60s. However, they did not last very long and other, more famous girl groups are already enshrined.

Kiss: They scored many hits, but most of their songs lack substance. Musically, they did not provide anything earth shattering, but their stage shows are legendary. They are overly commercial, yet have a very loyal following. They represent cheese at its finest, yet are unique. These contradictions keep Kiss from being elected. On one hand, they are very rock n roll while on the other hand, they are processed cheese.

LL Cool J: With Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC in the hall, it is surprising LL Cool J did not make it. He was groundbreaking and showed hip hop was not a fad by being a consistent big seller. He also did not follow trends and did his own thing.

Darlene Love: Love belongs in the Hall, but falls in between the cracks because she rarely got credit for her work. She scored hits, but no one knew her name because producers always attributed her work under assumed names or for others.

Laura Nyro: She is well known for writing songs for others. Perhaps she belongs in another category.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: I am shocked they did not make it. They were completely original for rock, good musicians, have a lot of hits, and have personalities which fit nicely into the Hall.

Donna Summer: Another one I thought would make it. Since they have opened the door to hip hop, the queen of disco should go in. Plus, she did mix disco with rock at times which does make her unique.

2009 Story of the Year: The Return of the Terrorists

While President Obama wishes to focus on health care and other domestic priorities, his administration is increasingly distracted by the specter of terrorism. The terrorists are coming out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Perhaps the terrorists feel safer to emerge now that Bush is out of office. Maybe it is coincidence. Whatever the reason, the terrorists seem to be back and in force both at home and abroad.

This year, the government has broken up terror plots in Texas, New York, and killed a radical Imam in a shootout in Dearborn, Michigan. Homegrown terrorists have sought help abroad. The Pakistan Military arrested five Americans that tried to join El Queda. They should be charged with treason. There seems to be an increase in domestic arrests with would be terrorists.

While the government has broken up terror rings at home, the country suffered the first terror attack since 911. On November 5, an Islamic terrorist attacked the Fort Hood. The alleged terrorist was a soldier that could not reconcile his faith with his career. This was not the actions of a deranged lone gunman. This was thought out rationally. He decided to go on a jihad and murdered 13 and wounded 30. It appears political correctness intimidated those that could have come forward to report this fellow’s behavior. He is currently charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Unfortunately, Congress refuses to hold hearings on the matter in order to avoid possible embarrassment for the Administration.

While America suffered its first terror attack on the homeland in eight years, Iraq seems relatively secured. However, the terrorists have been on the move in Afghanistan. The Pakistan military has hammered them and they have probably moved back into Afghanistan. All the while, President Obama agonized for months over a decision to send more troops to combat terrorists. He eventually decided to increase troop strength, but does not seem to know what else to do. It is entirely probable that the delay in deciding to send troops cost American lives and perhaps wasted an opportunity to nail some terrorists.

Lastly, Obama has decided to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and ship its prisoners stateside and elsewhere. There is some concern over what happens should some of these terrorists escape. Additionally, some detainees will be tried in civilian court despite pleading guilty in military tribunals. The administration has promised convictions even if the accused are found innocent. So, the integrity of the trials are questionable at best. Meanwhile, other detainees will stay in the tribunals. In both cases, the administration is making moves for propaganda purposes.

2009 will be remembered as the year terrorism reemerged. Every couple months it seemed the government was busting up another terror ring. The country also experienced the first terror attack since 911. On top of this, Afghanistan dominated much of the news as Obama dithered on whether or not he wanted to win the war there, if the war was winnable, and what victory meant. The administration even played politics with terrorists in captivity. If 2009 is any indication, there will be an upswing in terror violence on American targets over the next couple of years.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Songs of the Year 2009

Here is my list of songs of the year. I tried to go with a variety of genres as opposed to whatever I liked…

Check My Brain- Alice in Chains: It’s 1995 again. The 90s are making a major comeback. We seem to have jump skipped right over the 80s and right to the flannel.

East Jesus Nowhere- Green Day: If you are religious, this is not for you. Green Day goes off on organized religion and sings “of blasphemy and genocide.”

I Got a Feeling- Black Eyed Peas: They had quite a year. This song touched a chord. The basic premise is everyone is stressed, so let’s spend all our money and drink.

(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To- Weezer: Classic Weezer.

Mean Old Man- Jerry Lee Lewis: Jerry Lee covers Kris Kristofferson and still sounds good.

No Rest for the Wicked- Cage the Elephant: Everyone has heard this one even if they don’t know it. It’s appeared in a few commercials. Interesting that a bunch of white guys around 20 are the ones doing the Mississippi Delta thing.

Oh Yeah- Chickenfoot: Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Chad Smith bring back 80s hard rock. Since they are the only ones doing it, they had a hit record.

Outlaw Pete- Bruce Springsteen: Bruce channels old school cowboy tales into an 8 minute epic.

That’s Not My Name- The Ting Tings: This reminds me of “Mickey” from the early 80s. Who hasn’t forgotten a girl’s name the morning after?

Uprising- Muse: Muse brings back the synthesizer and sings about rebellion. This should be the Tea Party Movement’s anthem. It’s a mishmash of everything that has come before and gets played as bumper music on every sporting event out there.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Football Picks

With Indy playing tonight, I am doing my picks today.

Last Week: 4-1

Season: 50-18

Picks:

New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State over Wyoming

Beef O’Grady’s Bowl: Rutgers over UCF

Indy over Jax

New Orleans over Dallas

Arizona over Detroit

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Man of the Year

Well, it’s that time again. This is my 4th annual person of the year. This is sooo much better than Barbara Walter's thing. Previous winners include: Rahm Emmanuel (2006), Al Gore (2007), and Barack Obama (2008).

and the nominees:

Glenn Beck: Who would have thought Glenn Beck would become the next biggest thing? He helped organize the Tea Party Protests, exposed ACORN, and brought down Van Jones.

Central Michigan Football and Dan LeFevour: Does he have to graduate? LeFevour is the all-time touchdown record holder for NCAA Football, the team scored its third MAC title in four years, and
CMU is #25 in the nation.

GOP Governors: Bob McDonnell (Virginia) and Chris Christie (New Jersey) sweep into office. They won the independent vote big in a probable portent for the 2010 midterms.

Hockey Hall of Famers: Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Luc Robitaille: All members of the 2002 Red Wings and all inducted this year. There will be more Hall of Famers to follow from that team.

Leonard Nimoy: Spock returns and then lands a gig on Fringe. Not a bad retirement.

Sarah Palin: Has the best selling book of the year, became an Obama-esque celebrity, and dueled Shatner on late night.

Shaquille O’Neal: Shaq paid for the funeral of that little girl murdered after her mother sold her into prostitution.

Bruce Springsteen: Bruce had a big year with a new album. He finished a 2-year tour, spent the last few months playing entire albums live, and was the closing act for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame concert. Is it 1985 or 2009?

Sully Sullenberger: Sully landed that plane in the Hudson River saving all hands.

The Black Eyed Peas: Big year for the Black Eyed Peas with the big album, several #1 hits, and Will.I.Am's bodyguard beat up the worthless Perez Hilton.

And the winner is: Leonard Nimoy!!!

2010 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Here are the 2010 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The top 5 vote getters are elected each year. Of course, there has been rumors of vote fraud by one Jan Wenner, but that is just alleged.

and now the Class of 2010:

Abba: I don't get this one and neither does Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba. Oh well. They are best known for their disco hit, "Dancing Queen." Amazing the region that brought us the 9th century Viking invasions also gave us Abba.

The Stooges: The Stooges were punk before punk. Not sure why it took so long for them to get in. Madonna may have helped by asking them to perform at her induction. Their signature song was "I Wanna Be Your Dog."

Jimmy Cliff: Cliff is one of the great Reggae artists. His signature song is probably "Many Rivers to Cross." Although, his best known song is a cover of "I Can See Clearly Now."

The Hollies: They came with the British Invasion and should have been inducted 20 years ago. They are best known for their unique harmonies. Their hits include "Bus Stop" and "Carrie Anne."

Genesis: Genesis began as Prog Rock and evolved into a pop band. They survived the departure of Peter Gabriel by replacing him with Phil Collins. Guitarist Steve Hackett's guitar style predated Eddie Van Halen and they influenced acts such as Dream Theater. In the early days, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway stands out. During the Collins era, they hit their zenith with the Invisible Touch album. They should have been inducted long ago.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

2009 Entertainment Awards

Song of the Year: Magnificent-U2

Worst Song of the Year: Pokerface-Lady Gaga

Worst Act of the Year: Lady Gaga

Most Overrated Act of the Year and All Time: Jay-Z

Act of the Year: Blackeyed Peas

Album of the Year: No Line on the Horizon- U2

Movie of the Year: Star Trek

Best TV Show: Fringe

Best New Show: V

2009 Sports Awards

Best Team: New York Yankees

Game of the Year: CMU: 29 MSU: 27 (Like I was going to pick anything else!)

Athlete of the Year: Peyton Manning

Play of the Year: Curtis Granderson's catch against Cleveland saving the game.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sportsprose/2009/05/detroit_tigers_center_fielder.html

Thursday, December 10, 2009

2009 Quotes of the Year

1. “We’re all victims of our gene pool. Someone peed in yours.”

-Walter Bishop (John Noble) from Fringe

2. “I'm in the Batcave learning to tweet.”

-Adam West

3. “Attila liked to hang by the pool when he wasn’t raping and pillaging.”

- Documentary on Attila the Hun

4. "I started to cry and I said, 'I'll never be able to climb up that hill,' And he lifted me up in his strong, gentle arms and said something I will never forget. He said, ‘I‘ll help you if it takes all day. I know you can do it. There is nothing that you can't do.”

- Ted Kennedy Jr at his father’s funeral

5. “I’m the Reverend Jesse Jackson.”

- Jesse Jackson after being misidentified as Al Sharpton on MSNBC

6. "I think he's that good a melodist, but he's a wanker." Bono added that Martin was "obviously a completely dysfunctional character and a cretin, but he happens to be a great melodist and up there with Ray Davies, Noel Gallagher and Paul McCartney."

-Bono on Chris Martin of Coldplay

7. “I never understood how a great man, a nice guy coached the Bad Boys.”

-Charles Barkley on Chuck Daly

8. “Like Kennedy, we failed to give the Cubans air cover!”

-Pat Buchanan on Watergate

9. “There is no I in team, but there is in win.”

-A humble Michael Jordan at his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame

10. “Kill All The Lawyers!”

- Sandra Day O’Connor at a Shakespeare reading

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Douche Bag of the Year

Now it is time for my first annual Douche Bag of the Year Award. There were about 20 contenders. I narrowed it down to ten. Here are the nominees for Douche Bag of the Year:

1. ACORN: Now we know what community organizers do. They organize pimps and hos!

2. Anita Dunn: The former White House Communications Director and all around lousy human being loves Chairman Mao and likes to quote him to students. Mao killed 60 million.

3. Global Warming Advocates: Turns out they are not only wrong, but cooking the information as well.

4. Perez Hilton: Gets mad at Carrie Prejean for supporting “traditional” marriage, attacks Fergie, and the cries on his webcam after someone in Will.I.Am’s entourage beat him up. He was the odds on favorite to win this until recently.

5. Notre Dame University: Refusing to go to a bowl game against CMU. COWARDS!

6. Barack Obama: Barack Obama is now the most disliked president of all time at this stage of his presidency. No president has been as low in the polls 11 months into office as Obama. The stimulus failed, the job seminar was a useless photo op, he’s ignored the economy to focus on a health care plan NO ONE wants, Iran has completely snubbed him, it took forever to decide to help the troops in Afghanistan, and world leaders consider him a joke. Lastly, he keeps blaming all the world’s problems on the Republicans, but he was in Congress just as responsible as anyone else for today’s problems. On the bright side, he is going to do a holiday special with Oprah.

7. Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow: If you liked Joseph Goebbels and Eva Braun, these two are for you! Goebbels may have been less hateful than Olbermann.

8. Reality TV Wannabes: Balloon Boy. White House Party Crashers. One of these days, these reality star wannabes are really going to hurt someone.

9. Kanye West: How do you diss Taylor Swift??

10. Tiger Woods: This has become rather amusing. Karma strikes a true phony.

The Winner: Reality TV Wannabes!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Political Quotes of the Year

1. “He’s God!”

-Evan Thomas on Barack Obama

2. “Leave us alone. That’s all we want. Leave us alone.”

-Person at a health care Townhall

3. "There is certainly no pay-to-play involved, because I don't have no money,"

-Illnois Senator Roland Burris

4. "On a more serious front, I sincerely hope that when the president goes in for his annual check-up, the doctors at Bethesda will do a brain scan. Surely something must be terribly wrong with a man who seems to be far more concerned with a Jew building a house in Israel than with Muslims building a nuclear bomb in Iran."

--columnist Burt Prelutsky

5. "My husband is not secretary of state, I am. If you want my opinion I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channeling my husband."

-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

6. “You lie!”

Representative Joe Wilson during an Obama speech

7. “We controlled the media for a year.”

-Anita Dunn: White House Communications Director and all around lousy human being.

8. “There’s usually not a good reason and then the third lesson and tip actually comes from two of my favorite political philosophers - Mao Tse Tung and Mother Teresa, not often coupled with each other but the two people that I turn to most to basically deliver a simple point, which is you’re going to make choices.”

- Maoist Anita Dunn (quoting Mao is like quoting Hitler)

9. “China is such a populous nation, it is not as if we cannot do without a few people.”

- Chairman Mao (to add some context to Dunn's stupid comments)

10. "It's bullsh*t. It's disgraceful. You wonder which side they're on,"

- Congressman Peter King on the CIA investigation

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Speech of the Year: 2009

Daniel Hannan MEP attacks British PM Gordon Brown, becomes an internet sensation, and American hero despite being British. He attacks leftist economic and regulatory policies which have failed Britain. It serves as a warning to the U.S. about the goofy policies advocated by the Obama Administration.
The Youtube video and text are included...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94lW6Y4tBXs

The speech:

'Prime Minister, I see you've already mastered the essential craft of the European politician: namely the ability to say one thing in this chamber and a very different thing to your home electorate. You've spoken here of free trade, and amen to that.

Who would have guessed, listening to you just now, that you were the author of the phrase 'British jobs for British workers,' and that you have subsidised - where you have not nationalised outright - swaths of our economy, including the car industry and many of the banks.

Perhaps you would have more moral authority in this House if your actions matched your words, and perhaps more legitimacy in the councils of the world if the United Kingdom were not sailing into this recession in the worst condition of any G20 country.

The truth, Prime Minister, is that you have run out of our money. The country as a whole is now in negative equity. Every British child is now born owing around £20,000. Servicing the interest on that debt is going to cost more than educating the child.

Now, once again today, you have tried to spread the blame around. You spoke about an international recession, an international crisis.

Well, it's true that we are sailing together into the squalls but not every vessel in the convoy is in the same dilapidated condition. Other ships used the good years to caulk their hulls and clear their rigging - in other words, to pay off debt. But you used the good years to raise borrowing yet further.

As a consequence, under your captaincy, our hull is pressed deep into the waterline under the accumulated weight of your debt.

We are now running a deficit that touches 10 per cent of GDP, an almost unbelievable figure - more than Pakistan, more than Hungary; countries where the IMF has already been called in.

It's not just that you are not apologising - like everyone else I've long accepted that you are pathologically incapable of accepting responsibility for these things - it's that you are carrying on wilfully worsening our situation, wantonly spending what little we have left.

In the last year 100,000 private sector jobs have been lost and yet you have created 30,000 public sector jobs. Prime Minister, you cannot carry on forever squeezing the productive bit of the economy in order to fund an unprecedented engorgement of the unproductive bit.

You cannot spend your way out of a recession or borrow your way out of debt. And when you repeat, in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we are well placed to weather the storm, I have to tell you, you sound like a Brezhnev era apparatchik giving the party line.

You know and we know and you know that we know that it's nonsense. Everyone knows that Britain is worse off than any other country as we go into these hard times.

The IMF has said so. The European Commission has said so. The markets say so, which is why the pound has lost a third of its value.

In a few months, the voters will have their chance to say so, too.

They can see what the markets have seen: that you are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government.

-Daniel Hannan MEP to British PM Gordon Brown

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1165027/An-internet-sensation-Tory-told-Brown-face-hes-disaster.html

Football Picks

Last Week: 3-2

Season: 42-16

Goodbye Bobby Bowden! This really is an end of an era. I hate FSU, but Bowden brought speed to football.

Picks:

Florida over Alabama (only because Mel Kiper picked Alabama)'

Cincinnati over Pitt

CMU over Ohio

Texas over Nebraska

Bengals over the Lions (Good lord, even the Bengals are better than the Lions)

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Greatest Movie Scenes #61-70

61. Head in a box: Seven (1995): Yeah, Gwenyth Paltrow getting beheaded by Kevin Spacey should probably rate higher...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnV6Lu0dmkI

62. Butch and Sundance vs. an army: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): Now THAT is a way to go out.

63. Lector meets Clarice: Silence of the Lambs (1991): Welcome to Hell Clarice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGG84nUlgYg

64. I never drink wine: Dracula (1931): Poor Renfro...he is receiving an ominous warning and does not know it.

65. They call me Mr. Tibbs: In The Heat of the Night (1967): Ties into the Civil Rights Movement. Want to understand the South prior to the 70s, watch this one.

66. The Shower: Psycho (1960): ree ree reee reee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4

67. Get your stinking paws: Planet of the Apes (1968): Charlton Heston must have the largest catalogue of great quotes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbpsXAJguYo

68. Don‘t Stop at the Tollbooth : Godfather (1972): Sonny pays the toll.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e55LYplVo8

69. Bonnie and Clyde eat lead: Bonnie and Clyde (1967): This may have been the first super violent film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhIZ9URHlrQ

70. Eastwood rides into hell: Unforgiving (1992): Eastwood rewrites the Western again.