Playing Catch Up: Rockstar and Anakin

I always vow to get back to regular updates, then I only pull it off in bursts of activity.

Among the things catching my eyes as I roam through the series of tubes.

• A Ferrari ain't no pod racer - Hayden Christensen spends 8 hours with tow truck driver when car breaks down. Born again tow truck driver doesn't recognize the actor.
• Thanks to my cousin Chris for emailing me this story about Sen. Ted Stevens willing to go to on The Daily Show and explain his Theory of the Tubes.
• Sure, I've been watching Rockstar: Supernova. I think the talent across the whole group isn't as strong as last year, but I still have some favorites: Storm, Toby, Dilana and Lukas (of course, my friend Heather ruined Lukas for me by pointing out the similarities between him and Azrael Abyss). But oh my...Storm. And why is the tone deaf chick who just doesn't seem to get it, Zayra, still on the show?!!?!
• And Arkansas Business lets its hair down as Ladder blogger and Jonworld buddy Lance noted this week that Metallica has finally gone the iTunes route. One might not normally think of the AB readership as having many 'tallica fans (of course I'm one) but don't you think Warren Stephens probably has Kill 'Em All tucked away somewhere?

I promise more soon.

Barkley Switches Teams

No, not like that...not that there's anything wrong with it.

Former NBA star and Alabama native Charles Barkley says he's a Democrat now that the Republican Party "has lost their minds." Barkley, who once said he'd run for governor in Alabama as a Republican, criticized the Iraq war and other topics in a speech, where he said he realized there was more to life than "playing basketball and stockpiling money."

Then he had to go and give a shout out to my state:

"If it wasn't for Arkansas and Mississippi, we'd be dead last in everything. I think we can do better."

N*Sync's Lance Bass Reveals That He's Gay [MSNBC]
Barkley Eyes Alabama Governor's Race as a Democrat [USA Today]

Sympathy for the Richards

Blog buddy Alan over at Some Final Thoughts brings up this week's news about a pardon for Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards for a 31-year-old traffic violation in Arkansas. Bass player, governor and potential presidential candidate Mike Huckabee apparently had some sympathy for the reckless driver. (sorry) Ark Dem-Gaz editorial cartoonist John Deering puts it all in perspective [see above].

Alan notes that the Stones haven't had a permanent bass player for a while and the governor will soon be term limited out of his job...

But I'm sure Richards is resting easier now. And the governor saw the story get picked up by media far and wide, providing him some cool points. Too bad we can't get him on Arsenio.

Governor Huckabee Pardons Keith Richards [KTHV]

YouTube, MyTube...Really, It's a Series of Tubes

I'm as much a follower as the next guy. I've been enjoying the YouTube site with its massive amounts of video clips. I get nostalgic looking at old Duran Duran videos...laugh at the classic (and informative) Animanics "Countries of the World"...enjoy all the viral videos of the moment.

You know. I laughed. But maybe Ted Stevens was right when he said:

"The Internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck. It's a series of tubes."

Or maybe he's just a crazy old man who doesn't really know jack sh!t about computers or the Internet.

What's that Sen. Stevens:

"I just the other day got - an Internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why? Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the Internet commercially."

YouTube Serves Up 100 Million Videos a Day Online [Reuters]
Internet 'Tubes' Speech Turns Spotlight, Ridicule Onto Sen. Stevens [San Jose Mercury News]

'Look Sir... Droids'

NASA is looking to Star Wars for ideas. One scientist wants to see small, relatively inexpensive "smart" satellites that can "fly in formation" and conduct scientific experiments and exploration. Some test droids are up on the space shuttle now.

Said the scientist, a lead researcher at MIT:

"I rented the first 'Star Wars' movie and showed (a) class the scene where Luke is practicing the use of the Force with a floating droid," Miller told the Christian Science Monitor. "I said: 'I want three of those. How do we start doing this?'"

The results came in the form of 9-pound spheres the size of bowling balls, each crammed with computers, sensors and thrusters that allow the satellites to maneuver individually and en masse with precision.

NASA to Use Space Age 'Droid' Satellites [UPI]

Watching, Waiting

And this morning, there's news of the failing health of Arkansas' lieutenant governor. The Arkansas Times blog says Lt. Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, who pulled out of the governor's race last year after his cancer diagnosis, is in "grave" condition at UAMS. He reportedly returned home after a second failed bone marrow transplant to treat a blood disorder that can lead to leukemia.

UPDATE: Rockefeller died Sunday.

'Many of the truths we cling to...

...depend greatly on our own point of view."

Well, said, Obi-Wan.

Or to offer an example, ripped, as they say, from the headlines:

"We're moving along in a positive direction in many, many areas," said the U.S military's top spokesman in Baghdad. Or, as Iraq's national security adviser put it to Al-Jazeera, "We are at the gates of civil war."

Today's Papers [Slate]
Prime Minister Urges Unity, 'Love' [LA Times]
Iraqi Violence Escalates While Government Calls for Unity [Online Newshour]

*crickets chirping*

I know, it's been pretty quiet around here. But in my defense, there are many other blogs with many more cobwebs (Dr. Mike anyone?!?!)

Haven't had as much time to devote to it lately...then I see blogworthy things but others beat me to the punch.

Saw Superman Returns...it was OK. Nicely done but not outstanding. Gimme more Batman or Spider-man. I'm even jazzed about that Transformers movie. Really looking forward to Clerks 2.

Saw Pirates of the Caribbean 2...I liked it. It was pretty good. Though a little longish.

So Boom!

The whole Jonworld Family enjoyed Sherwood Family Festival last night, spreading out a blanket at crowded Sherwood Forest to await the fireworks.

Just as the fireworks show got underway, 4-year-old Alli says, "I need to go to the bathroom real bad. I don't want to watch the fireworks." Well, she did return after a trip to the Port-o-Potty and sat through the rest of the show. She later admitted she was glad she stayed.

On the walk to the car, 6-year-old Lucas asks this nugget (without any apparent set up): "Did you like it better when I was in mommy's tummy or do you like it better now when you have two extra people in your family?"

Caught a couple of camera phone shots of the fireworks - like the one above. Guess I'm glad I didn't photograph any kids and post em. After reading this, I think it's well-intentioned but kind of a misguided and silly position to take.

City Tells Photographer It Doesn't Want Pictures of Kids' Sports on Web (subscription required) [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]

Paul and Yoko Come Together???

I wouldn't have believed it but apparently the debut of that new Beatles-Cirque du Soleil mash up in Vegas "Love" brought out the surviving Beatles - Paul and Ringo - along with Yoko Ono and others in the "family."

Says Fox News:

"For the premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s stunning new Beatles show, “Love,” at the Mirage Hotel, a group of people came who have not been in the same room since — well, I don’t know — came together for one night only. Who would have thunk it?

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison — Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison — united for a moment in time to honor the group's historic accomplishments."

And not just were Paul...and The One Who Broke Up The Beatles in the same room...

"As on the stage when “Love” concluded to resounding thunderous applause, standing ovations and tears, McCartney actually kissed Ono. Time stopped. Hell froze over. Ono, who wore a bright white suit and a matching big white floppy hat which she wore all night, kissed him back."

In addition, John's first wife, Cynthia was there too. Awkward.

Would "love" to see the show, for sure.

"“Love” is just an exhilarating, phenomenal show; one that will not only revive the Beatles catalog but bring their music to a whole new generation."

Beatles 'Reunion' [Fox News.com]

Earlier on Jonworld:

Five for Friday: Beatlemania Edition [Jonworld]
For John [Jonworld]
Beep Beep...Beep Beep Yeah! [Jonworld]
Five for Friday: Desert Island Jams Edition [Jonworld]

Been Away So Long I Hardly Knew the Place...

Back in town now after a weeklong family vacation to St. Louis. It was no mere vacation. It was a quest. It was a quest for fun.

And fun we found. There was the arch, Six Flags (loved that Batman ride), Grant's Farm, the riverboat, the Cardinals (who decided to snap an 8-game losing streak with a thrilling bottom of the 9th rally in our honor), and the zoo (loved the weeks' old giraffe and the frigid penguin habitat) There also was the lovely hotel, across the street from said arch. It featured a rooftop swimming pool. And we had fun, fun, fun, til it was finally time to load up the family truckster and head for central Arkansas. It was certainly good to sleep in my own bed after 5 nights on a sleeper sofa.

Got some catching up to do, but gotta get some more sleep now.