Tuesday, January 31, 2006

What About Soda?

Chief Seinfeld correspondent Smoss (she of the unstolen car) sends us a Seinfeld mention regarding Super Bowl QB-to-be Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburg Steelers. SI.com tell us of 15-month old Seven Barber of Indiana, Pa., who was named after Big Ben's jersey number much like George intended to eventually name a baby Costanza Seven in honor of Yankee Mickey Mantle - only to experience much consternation when Susan's cousin who was actually pregnant liked the idea and wanted to use Seven.

SI writer Pete McEntegart chuckles over the fact Seven's grandma has already bought No. 7 jerseys in every size through adult large - just in case they aren't available when Seven is older. With the way Big Ben has been playing, looks like he could be around quite a while.

McEntegart carries the Seinfeld mention further in his next item about the temporary re-naming of Washington, Pa., as "Steeler" until after next Sunday's Super Bowl. He notes, "It seems Soda was taken."

The 10 Spot [SI.com]
Meet 'Seven' [PostGazette.com]

February Madness

A different brand of collegiate madness (unlike the NCAA basketball tournament dubbed March Madness) comes to an end tomorrow as the period begins for players to sign letters of intent to play college football. Sure all Razorback fans have followed the Mustain saga and may be ready to celebrate tomorrow - especially after the late push that brought Mustain target - and one of the state's other top HS players, Damian Williams - on board.

The Sporting News has a nice piece on the recruiting madness, Mustain Style. Not very often that a smaller state like Arkansas - unlike the football factories of Texas, Florida and California - produce the nation's top QB, so this year was, as Houston Nutt might say, "special." I guess we'll see on the field in the next few years.

Anyway, the article quotes Mustain mom Beck Campbell saying it's a "crock of crap" that Notre Dame didn't have a scholarship for him if he wanted it. The story going around was the Coach Charlie Weis said thanks but no thanks because of two other QB commitments.

Also the South Bend Tribune (hometown paper for Notre Dame) talks to Bartley Webb, a Springdale OL who is going to the Irish, about the pressures to "stay home."

You know, you tell yourself that it's silly to get so wrapped up in recruiting news and the talents and potential of 18-year-olds. ESPN writes about how the unheralded recruits end up being the best. Then the media hype gets you and you're visiting Scout.com daily to chart where Arkansas' recruiting class will be ranked. Oh well. At least it lets me momentarily forget the basketball Hogs.

Arkansas Waits to Exhale With Mustains Intent Letter [The Sporting News]
Williams to Join Mustain, Malzahn at Arkansas [ESPN]
25 to Sign for Hogs' Best Recruiting Class Ever [KTHV-TV]
Much Ado About Leaving [South Bend Tribune]
Bruschi, Flutie Among Late Signees Whoe Thrived [ESPN]

SOTU Drinking Game, Courtesy Wonkette

Wonkette (now run by guys) gives us a great drinking game for tonight's State of the Union Address (in case you're not watching the last two new episodes of Desparate Housewives off the DVR like will probably be happening in Jonworld Central).

Anyway, Wonkette advises, "Sure, 2 drinks for every mention of “God” will get you loaded — but where’s the sport? We thought we’d add a couple variations:
Every time Bush mentions Iran: 1 drink
Hamas: 1 drink
North Korea: 1 drink
Bush begins a sentence with “British Intelligence…”: Drink an entire bottle of whatever you were drinking three years ago, throw it at the TV"

Bottoms up...

SOTU Drinking Game: Straight Up-And-Down Vote, No Chaser [Wonkette]
Wonkette Reloaded [Dashboard]

Oscar Noms Out/Tuesday Download

Oscar nominations out. Walk the Line doesn't get a Best Pic nod. Revenge of the Sith gets shut out of visual effects. Yikes.

Is a Dem-Gaz writer riffing on LT material?

We're still playing the Katrina blame game.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Colors

LT pops off a good bit of media analysis by way of fresh comments from former Nightline host Ted Koppel, who laments the state of TV news these days. According to Koppel, it's not a red state or blue state bias that is driving the news these days but it's a color all right: green, The Color of Money.

LT adds his own thoughts: "Here, here. We recall a local news director once making what we thought was an appalling statement -- until we realized that that's how most news directors think. Said news director said -- and we're paraphrasing -- that he or she would rather give viewers what they wanted rather than what was deemed to be important to them.

"Sounds good if you're in a profit-making industry, but isn't journalism supposed to be about something more than making money? Aren't journalists supposed be raising the discourse, offering alternative views and showing audiences what it might not always want to see for the greater good?"

"That sort of idealism sounds quaint, we know -- we're cynics, too. But isn't still something worth striving for?"

Like the old Indian on the Keep America Beautiful ads, there's a tear rolling down my cheeck now because I agree.

Red, Blue and Green [Dashboard]

Razzie Noms Out

The annual Golden Rasberry Award (the Razzies) nominations are out for the worst at the movies for the year.

Any Star Wars fan would cringe, especially when seeing the headline "Sequels, Remakes Dominate Razzie Nods" since the last two prequels have received some of the dishonors. But no, this year the eye of the Raz are on others. But Internet Movie Database voters did get their kicks in on Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

"Four of the five worst-picture nominees for the Razzies were sequels or remakes, led by "Son of the Mask," which had eight nominations Monday, including worst actor for
Jamie Kennedy and supporting actor for Alan Cumming and Bob Hoskins. The other worst-picture contenders were Rob Schneider's sequel "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," Jenny McCarthy's raunchy romance "Dirty Love," the TV update "The Dukes of Hazzard" and the horror remake "House of Wax" that not even Paris Hilton could save.

Sequels, Remakes Dominate Razzie Nods [AP via Yahoo!]

Monday Download

The Crinkler, not The Carver, has been apparently haunting NYC art movie houses. Slate's Bryan Curtis writes of this shadowy figure who "is the guy three rows back who crinkles plastic wrap, restlessly and maniacally, for the entire length of a picture."

The Razorbacks choke-- err lose a big lead in a road game that could've been a turning point for a program in need of a statement game. Stan Heath seems to be a nice guy and I want him to succeed. But this team, for all the talent it has, seems to lack intensity and focus at times when they need it the most - like blowing an 18-point lead to Kentucky in Rupp Arena. That could be coaching. I think Kentucky center Randolph Morris said it best. "They squandered lots of leads," he said.

And I thought the guy passing out on top of the infant and apparently killing it was going to be the sad, tragic, frustrating story of the week in Arkansas. But now a DeQueen, Ark., mother is being held for allegedly smothering her 3 children to death.

Seven for Sunday, 1/28

Last week I said I needed some new tunes. So I went out and bought some brand new songs, now I listen to something else (to loosely paraphrase an old Van Halen song). Even have a debut at #1.

So here's the top 7, based on my iPod playcount (last week):
1. Perfect Situation - Weezer - Took me a while to come to this song. But I dig it now, making up for lost time. (-)
2. Lights and Sounds - Yellowcard - I like this rocker. (-)
3. Dare - Gorillaz - Kind of techno/kind of hippity hop, I think. (-)
4. Wasteland - 10 Years (1)
5. Animals - Nickelback - A reappearance. (-)
6. Every Day is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails (7)
7. DOA - Foo Fighters (2)

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Challenger 20th


I was surprised upon being reminded by the news today was the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing 7 astronauts, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. 20 years...wow.

I remember that sad day. Was 15 at the time and in 9th grade. Just before lunch, was in Alegebra class when we found out the news. The rest of the afternoon was pretty much shot for teaching as I remember most classrooms had TV tuned to the continuing coverage. That was all anyone was talking about.

Yahoo! News Full Coverage - Space Shuttle
20 Years After Challenger [MSNBC]
Challenger Crew Families Mark Anniversary [AP via Yahoo!]
N.H. Town Celebrates McAuliffe Legacy [AP via Yahoo!]
Arkansan Could've Been On Challenger [KTHV-TV]
Seven Myths About the Challenger Shuttle Disaster [NBC]

Five For Friday, Vol. 21: Hmmm...That's Interesting Edition

So much to blog, so little time...that's what I always think. I know the twos or 5s of Jonworld regulars depend on me to keep them updated on the thought-provoking and quirky pop culture news and what ever strikes my fancy. :)

OK, I'm going to level with you. I'm drawing a blank for this week's list. So here are five interesting stories that I found in the last few minutes. I promise I'll do better next week.

1. Scientists Find Frozen Methane Gas Deposit - We need alternatives to oil. That's all I'm saying. So let's get to work devising the technology to safely and effectively make this work. "Power the globe for centuries..."
2. Scorpion Lives for 15 Months Inside Fossil - I know some folks I'd like to see living in a fossil.
3. Scientists to Hunt 'Bigfoot' in Rainforest - Nothing better to do, huh. Why not work on that frozen methane thing.
4. Man With 11-Woman Commune Had Stun Gun? - A rotund, balding 57-year-old man says he persuaded the women to live with him by chanting a spell. Oh, that and some weapons.
5. Artic Ocean Ice Crashes on Alaska Shores - A frozen tsunami, huh. Doesn't sound like fun.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Coulter Does Little Rock - Jokes About Poisoning Justice

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter visited Philander Smith College in Little Rock on Thursday, calling for the need for more conservatives on the Supreme Court and a possible prescription for achieving by getting rid of Justice John Paul Stevens, one of the court's most liberal members.

"We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee," Coulter said. "That's just a joke, for you in the media."

Yeah, funny.

The AP report says she drew boos during her lecture, including when she said the country's crack cocaine problem had "pretty much gone away."

Wonkette notices the ruckus, too. Behind the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's subscription firewall, a more detailed account of the night has college president William Kimbrough introducing Coulter calling her a conservative answer to controversial rapper Lil' Kim, "[both] attractive and sexy, long-haired blondes..." Coulter reportedly called it the best introduction she'd ever had.

Coulter Jokes About Poisoning Justice [AP via Yahoo!]
Coulter to Stevens: Drop Dead -- Here, Let Me Help [Wonkette]
Author Fires Up LR College Audience [Ark Dem-Gaz - subscription req'd]

NYT Profiles the Hawks' Hammer

The New York Times coverage leading up to Super Bowl XL today included a story on former University of Arkansas defensive back Ken Hamlin, who was enjoying his second season with the Seattle Seahawks when he was seriously injured in a fight outside a Seattle nightclub after being hit in the head with a metal street sign. "Hamlin, a starting safety known for his ferocious hits and nicknamed the Hammer, had a fractured skull and a blood clot near his brain."

The Times story, "The Seahawks' Genuine 12th Man" details how Hamlin's team and teammates have supported him through his recovery (the 'Hawks continued to pay his salary although not obligated to since the injury happened off the field) and how he is supporting his team.

Hamlin's career return to football remains in question and the nightclub incident is still under investigation.

Seahawks' Genuine 12th Man [NY Times]

The Onion Counts the Top XII Super Bowl Films


The Onion AV Club, the semi-serious side of the satirical media site has a great piece this week counting down the best of the Super Bowl highlight films put together annually by NFL Films. These 30-minute recaps now don't have the artistry they had in the early days before cable, when this was an outlet for reliving those early bowls.

These were classics if for no other reason than the memorable narration by the late John Facenda and his "halting, authoratative voice." I loved em and remember back in the early 1980s, seeing them on ESPN when that network still had to work to fill the days with programming.

They always had highlight film marathons on Super Bowl week and it was tradition there for a couple years for me to catch as many of them as I could.

Super Bowl XII, the first bowl I ever watched (I was 7 at the time), made the cut. I'll admit it, I'm a Cowboys fan and this is where it started, back with the Doomsday Defense and QB Roger Staubach.

Inventory: The XII Greatest Super Bowl Highlight Films [The Onion AV Club]

Friday Download

Slate writes about author James Frey's "I'm Sorry" on the Oprah show yesterday. Oprah had featured his memoir of redemption from drug addiction and other bad stuff, "A Million Little Pieces,"..."which, as you may have heard, is full of crap." Slate says the apology had more to do with Oprah than Frey.

More Oprah...WashPost media writer Howard Kurtz talks about pundits - Maureen Dowd - contrasting Oprah's cleansing moment with the president and WMDs. "From a small-time hustler's fictitious book to fictitious WMD--well, I guess it was inevitable," writes Kurtz.

Buddy Scott emails me an alarming news story about potential evilness (gotta pronounce it "eee-vill") of Elmo. Apparently a potty training book featuring the red furry muppet has him saying at one point, "Who wants to die?"...yikes. Perhaps Evil Bert got to him. Further checking Scott's blog, he also has a report on jellyfish the size of sumo wrestlers.

Local outrage, as Drudge might headline it, as the AP reports on the death of a 3-month-old girl up the road from us. Chris Johnson, 26, faces a manslaughter charge after he was found "intoxicated and asleep in a recliner atop the girl's body." Where were the parents before they found him? Why was a 3-month-old left in a recliner? Sad, sad, sad and frustrating.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Thursday Download

Snakes Alive: LT believes he has uncovered the formula for movie magic, "Sam Jackson + a plane + snakes = box office gold, baby!" He speaks of a movie supposedly somwhere out there in development that has Samuel L. Jackson attached and a plot involving...well..."Snakes on a Plane." LT wonders, "Will any moviegoing experience be any more pure than "Snakes on a Plane"? I daresay not."

The once and future Mr. Sulu, George Takei, sat for a Q&A with Pop Candy's Whitney Matheson. Among the interesting topics, Takei recently coming out of the closet...his stint on the new Howard Stern show...and acting with William Shatner.

Budget goes up, up and away?...SCIFI Channel quotes the New York Post as saying the budget for Superman Returns has soared past $250 million. There also are rumors of trouble with reshoots and that the movie is "just plain bad."

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

You See, Honey, I Have This Meeting Tomorrow...

Thank goodness we have these Scottish researchers around to provide us with such valuable information. According to a new study from the University of Paisley (no word if Prince is on the faculty), sex can calm your nerves and even lower your blood pressure before giving a speech.

A psychologist studied nearly 50 men and women who recorded their sexual activities for two weeks and analyzed its impact on their blood pressure levels when under acute stress, such as when giving a speech. He discovered that the volunteers who had sexual intercourse were the least stressed and had blood pressure levels that returned to normal more quickly than people who engaged in other types of sex.

Sex Calms Nerves Before Speaking - Study [Reuters via Yahoo! Health]

Upon Further Review: 'Jeerleader' Photo Questioned

I see quite a few of us on the Internets have been chuckling over the purported pic of a USC cheerleader celebrating a Texas touchdown during the recent Rose Bowl. Perhaps my Urban Legend detector should've been going off...or maybe not. Wonderful legend database site Snopes.com does have an entry on it but says the nature of the photo - and whether or not it is a fake - is undetermined.

The Museum of Hoaxes points us to some additional info about the photo, identifying the cheerleader in question as smokin' hot Natalie. They also source the photo first to a UCLA message board, and therefore calling into question the veracity of the photo.

Friday Download [Jonworld]
Who Gets Replaced at USC First? [Murray's View on Sports]
Jeerleader [Snopes.com]
The Inappropriate Cheer [Museum of Hoaxes]

Wednesday Download

Topless women and celebrities are apparently doing really good at picking stocks, according to Slate in the aptly titled "When Hot Women Pick Hot Stocks." The piece looks at some celebrity on-air stock pickers who are doing well, including Amy McCarthy, sister of Jenny, who "was up more than 20 percent" through Thursday, Jan. 19, "beating every single one of the more than 6,000 mutual funds tracked by Morningstar."

Disney makes a smart move in buying Pixar. Slate's Today's Papers column points to an LA Times story on the purchase that wonders whether the move might stifle some of Pixar's creativity.

Sean Penn's little brother was found dead. Chris Penn had numerous smaller movie roles, Kevin Bacon's cowboy-hat-wearing buddy in Footloose and one of the guys in Reservoir Dogs. No sign of foul play, according to wire reports.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Lost Together...


...or Some Guys Have All The Luck.

From Chief TV Gossip Correspondent LT, Jonworld has just learned that Lost hottie Evangeline Lilly is now engaged to fellow Lostie and former Hobbit Dominic Monaghan.

And I thought those were bad numbers. Seems they're working out for some folks.

Evangeline Lilly and Dominic Monaghan Engaged [Egotastic]

Tuesday Download

A TV-centric version of the download...

Seems Jason Lee, TV's Earl, is suffering from some bad karma, with a particularly vicious case of the chicken pox. Jonworld Medical Experts tell us that the older you are, the more serious a case of the pox can be. This has shut down filming of "My Name Is Earl" for a few weeks while Lee recovers. Bummer.

In other Earl news, Jaime Pressly tells the AP her Joy is a composite of Southern characters, including "a nasally tone she's heard from women in Virginia, the way she's seen some Arkansas women talk out of the side of their mouths, and her own fast-talking North Carolina accent." Whatever, she steals every scene she's in.

Running late with this TV news but the Lost cast gets a raise and the West Wing cast does not get re-elected.

Slate gives props to 24, which DrMike likes fo sure.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Seven for Sunday, 1/21

Familiar faces on the list this week. Maybe I need some new music. Or not. New number 1, though.

Anyway, here's the top 7, based on my iPod playcount (last week):

1. Wasteland - 10 Years (2)
2. DOA - Foo Fighters (3)
3. The Middle - Jimmy Eat World (-) - A longtime favorite that clicked with me last week.
4. Side of a Bullet - Nickelback (1)
5. Beast and the Harlot - Avenged Sevenfold (7)
6. Crawling in the Dark - Hoobastank (-) - On the same playlist as The Middle. Cool song.
7. Everyday is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails (4)

Friday, January 20, 2006

Five for Friday, Vol. 20: Dude, Where's My Car? Edition

Jonworld Friend SMoss had her car stolen on Thursday while she was at work. Bummer, huh. Heading for home and her 1988 Toyota Camry was gone. She reported it to the authorities and was getting a ride home from a friend.

Now, I'm not one to make light of a friend's misery, but this ends well and I'm glad. On her way out, she got a call from the police. Seems her car had been un-stolen, in a parking lot about a block from where she parked it. No sign of forced entry. No sign of being hotwired. Contents of the glovebox on the floor but nothing stolen. Fortunately, she's got a sense of humor about it. I, for one, was sad to think that those oil spots on our driveway might have been the only reminder of the Smoss-mobile.

So I give you my top 5 theories on why the almost car thief decided to throw this one back:
1. It wasn't a car he really liked. Didn't have an open cockpit or the right speed capabilities.
2. She forgot where she had parked it. Couldn't find the air conditioner box.
3. It was a big ruse to get a parking spot one block closer to work and not get a ticket.
4. The would-be thief was the same as took Dr. Mike's truck years back just after he moved to Dallas. Was disappointed to find this ride didn't have those sweet Norman Lab speakers that the truck had.
5. Discovered the oil leak, transmission and power steering problems in one short ride. ;)

What's In Your Media Pyramid?

Journalist resource Poynter Online points us to this discussion about what sources might make up one's "Media Pyramid." You see, it's like the food pyramid only with media. So then some Poynter journos let us in on what makes up their daily media pyramid.

Writer Eric C. Deggans opines that "whereas people spend lots of effort monitoring the food they eat and its effect on their health, media users may not spend nearly as much time thinking about their diet."

Interesting reading, and I'm all about getting as much information from as many different sources as possible in the name of seeking a well-rounded understanding of a subject or the day's headlines. This all leaves me wondering one thing: in the media pyramid, what food group does online porn go in?

What's In Your Media Pyramid? [Poynter Online]
The Poynter Diet [Poynter Online]

Previously:
Five For Friday: Mandatory Morning Reading Edition [Jonworld]
(Jonnote: Though these days, Pop Candy has pretty much become a regular morning stop, too.)

Friday Download

I am a Lost fan. Great, fun show. But sometimes, I feel like I'm watching a sequel to a bad Michael Caine movie. Don't forget what Zeke said about curiousity. Does he know Hanso?

Nearly 40 percent of Arkansas kids are overweight. Wait, did I forget to give my kids money for the vending machine today???

I know, it's a couple days late but Tuesday Morning Quarterback had another insightful stat this week. "In 33 of their last 35 games, the Indianapolis Colts averaged 30.6 points. In the other two, both season-ending defeats in the divisional [playoffs], the Colts averaged 10.5 points."

Elaine...errr Julia Louis-Dreyfuss says there's no 'Seinfeld' curse. Riiiiight. How did "Watching Ellie" work out for you?

Attack the Radical: So, according to one alumni group, the best way to "restore an atmosphere of respectful political discourse" on the UCLA campus is to offer students $100 to out "most extreme left-wing members of the UCLA faculty" for inclusion on an online "Dirty Thirty" list. Very respectful.

And finally, while we're on the West Coast, sports guy Murray alerts us to this hilarious photo of a USC cheerleader [check the blonde near the middle] who may not be clued in to some of the finer points of the game. As the two blondes to her left might be thinking, "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Just Keep Swimming

So the AP credits the Wall Street Journal with reporting that Disney is in "serious" talks to buy Pixar, which has made the Mouse House squillions with its string of movies, from "Toy Story" to "The Incredibles."

Pixar's chief executive Steve Jobs, who you might know from his day job with some fruit company, had previously said Pixar would take its toys and go find another movie distribution partner.

I'm sure there's no symbolism in the photo, from Pixar's "Finding Nemo" that was selected to accompany this story, which I included here. At least it seems some one on the AP copy desk has a sense of humor.

Report: Disney in Talks to Buy Pixar [AP via Yahoo]

Wednesday Download

Sinus infection. Yep, that's me. Headache - check; fever - check; facial pain - huh?; thick green or yellow discharge - Probably TMI (too much information).

You heard it here first. Vegas buddy Murray gazes into his crystal ball and sees next year's Heisman Trophy winner. Irish Eyes will be smiling.

Is Stan still the man? Much gnashing of teeth in Hogland as Razorbacks blow 13-point lead on the road to Alabama. I still think this is the make or break year for Heath, and it looks like the wheels are starting to come off now that we've hit conference play.

And also in sports, LT points to a story to file under "Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch." Seems the Indianapolis Colts upset loss to the Steelers also put the kibosh on the Indianapolis Star's extensive coverage plans for a Colts' Super Bowl trip. Editor and Publisher tells us that hotel rooms were booked, special editions were planned and books were commissioned. Ouch.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

HelloAndThanksforStoppingBy...

Tuesday Download

Check out those Golden Globes as, according to the AP, "homosexual and transsexual themes dominated Monday's Golden Globes with the key wins by "Brokeback Mountain," plus acting honors for the film biography "Capote" and the gender-bending "Transamerica." What would Pat Robertson say? I'm sure we'll hear soon. USA Today provides a blog play-by-play of the parties.

And there was much rejoicing in Hog Land as our Long National Recruiting Nightmare is over. Heralded prep QB recommits to the Razorbacks (I'll believe it when he signs the letter).

Hey you guys!!! Get the Electric Company on DVD. What I remember, other than the two shadowy silhouettes that put together words, was Spider-man shorts (wasn't Morgan Freeman the one dressed up as Spider-man?) and the Letterman cartoon.

No double-entendre there...Slate ponders "Are teachers who sleep with boys getting off?" Writer analyzes a possible gender-based double standard in the punishing of teachers caught having illicit relationships with students but says the numbers don't add up.

Al Gore? As Spicoli might say, "Hey, I know that guy."

Monday, January 16, 2006

Seven for Sunday, 1/14

OK, not too many changes this week.

Here's my top 7, based on the iPod playcount (last week):

1. Side of a Bullet - Nickelback (1)
2. Wasteland - 10 Years (3)
3. DOA - Foo Fighters (5)
4. Every Day Is Exactly The Same - My tickets for the show in March arrived in the mail. Woo-hoo! (-)
5. Seasons In the Abyss - Slayer - Never much of a Slayer fan, I did like this riff-a-licious tune and downloaded it last week for old time's sake. (-)
6. Stealing Society - System of a Down (-)
7. Beast and the Harlot - Avenged Sevenfold (4)

Saturday, January 14, 2006

What The Chuck?

I gotta be honest, I did not know some of these things about Chuck Norris.

"Crop circles are Chuck Norris' way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie the f#@! down."

Wow.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Friday Download

In art-imitating-life news today, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert of the spoof talk show "The Colbert Report" is feuding with the Associated Press over a word he says he coined, "truthiness." Colbert says the word means "truth that wouldn't stand to be held back by facts."

One-time stage ornament on MTV's 1980s game show Remote Control, Kari Wuhrer, is suing ABC, saying she was fired because she is pregnant.

And Axl Rose is getting ready to release his new album! No. Just kidding. He's suing a car dealership.

But that's not all the legal news, one of the two Lost actresses recently busted for traffic violations in Hawaii has lost her license.

Five For Friday, Vol. 19, Potent Quotables Edition

Had been talking a lot of "Pulp Fiction" with coworkers in recent days, introducing some Tarantino neophytes to the non-linear theatric masterpiece.

There are so many great quotes in that movie that it got me thinking of the movies I find myself quoting the most. And comedies always seem to have the edge when it comes to movie quoting, I think. Oh, and the Coen brothers are the king of the quote.

So, this week we look at what in my opinion are the most quotable movies of all. Of course, this is all subjective, there are lots of great movie quotes but I'm looking for particular movies that have more than their fair share of great lines.

And here are the movies that I end up quoting most often and seem to hear others doing the same:
1. Pulp Fiction - "If I am curt with you, it's because time is a factor here."
2. (tie) Star Wars - "The Force is strong with this one."
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - "I fart in your general direction."
4. Raising Arizona - "Boy, you got a panty on your head."
5. O Brother, Where Art Thou? - "You two are just dumber than a bag of hammers."

Honorable Mention:
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - "Sooo that's the way it is in their family."
Anchorman - "I love Scotch. Scotchy...Scotchy...Scotch."
Wayne's World - "If you're going to spew. Spew in this."
Clerks - "I'm not even supposed to be here today."
A Christmas Story - "I triple dog dare you."
Animal House - "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

Those Responsible For The Cartoons Have Been Sacked



Seems the editorial cartoonists at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had Monty Python on their mind this week. Who can blame them, since "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is - in my opinion - one of the funniest movies of all time. But in two days, two different cartoonists have made "Grail" references, first with John Deering on Thursday having Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito being put to the ridiculous query about the weight of an unladen African swallow. Then, the next day, David Cox compares the ongoing Republican scandals to the clueless Black Knight.

It's either a funny coincidence, or perhaps the editorial page is now being directed by 40 specially-trained Ecuadorian Mountain Llamas. I do wonder sometimes.

Calls to mind the funny coincidence LT spotted recently when two different editorial cartoonists used the same joke - albeit not Pythonesque - to portray Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice and her denials that the U.S. used torture in interrogations of prisoners in the war on terror.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Eye Witness

The Associated Press is vouching for the photos of a supposed one-eyed kitty that circulated across the Internets in recent days. The owner says the kitten was born with one eye and no nose and died within a day. Skeptics questioned a kitten being born with its eye(s) open.

But now the AP weighs in: "AP regional photo editor Tom Stathis said he took extensive steps to confirm the one-eyed cat was not a hoax. Stathis had [cat owner Traci] Allen ship him the memory card that was in her camera. On the card were a number of pictures -- including holiday snapshots, and four pictures of a one-eyed kitten. The kitten pictures showed the animal from different perspectives."

Not a Hoax, One-Eyed Kitten Had Bizarre Condition [AP via LiveScience]
Bloggers Eyeball Cyclops Kitten Story [CNET News]

The Death of Blockbuster

LT does remind me of a great story from Slate, about how Wal-Mart outflanked Blockbuster on DVDs (selling DVDs at such low costs that buying instead of renting was just as convenient) and as a result set up the probable death knell for the rental chain - and possibly for all brick and mortar movie rental places, given the growth of Netflix and video on demand.

The piece is another fascinating piece on the movie biz from Jay Epstein. Last week, I mentioned his article on the concession economy driving the movie theater business.

Hollywood's New Zombie - The Last Days of Blockbuster [Slate]
Wednesday Download - Jan. 4 [Jonworld]

Snark Attack

Without getting too meta...I'm talking to LT yesterday about the overabundance of snarkiness in the media. He goes and does up a Dashboard post mentioning that phone conversation and a new article on the same subject. So now I'm linking to his post about our previous conversation.

There will be a test later. We also debated the difference between snarkiness and passive aggressiveness. I thought they were close to the same thing, he disagreed, saying snarkiness was more overtly aggressive. Now discuss.

BTW, LT, so much for off the record phone conversations. Maybe I'll post something on your....oh wait. ;)

Jump the Snark, Part II [Dashboard]

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Tuesday Catchup

So I was a little under the weather and spent the day napping, hoping to avoid a real sickness. I didn't even have to resort to the clammy hands. Missed you all in the blogosphere. Just turned on some DVDs in the bedroom and dozed on and off all day to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," some Seinfeld Season 4, "Matrix" and "Matrix Reloaded." I feel better now.

Being a big Kevin Smith fan, I was excited to see this online but forgot to post it. He's posted a teaser trailer for "Clerks 2" the sequel to the low budget indie flick that gave us such immortal lines as: "I'm not even supposed to BE here today." and "Hey, try not to suck any d&&! on your way through the parking lot!" Yes, family entertainment.

And Slash says the long-awaited (and to say long-awaited is almost a joke itself) new album from Axl Rose and the remnants of Guns N' Roses, "Chinese Democracy," will be out this spring. Riiiiiight....

Monday, January 09, 2006

A Mess of Peppers

Seems there's a new Red Hot Chili Peppers album (or 3?) on the horizon. I do like me some Peppers. The double album is set for an April release. Thanks to Pop Candy for putting me on to this tidbit.

Monday Download

Dashboard gives us the downlow on the downloads. And promises to point us to some interesting free music going forward.

The Wash Post's Howard Kurtz devotes some more of his media column to analysis of the clusterf*** that was the reporting at the scene of the West Virginia mining disaster. First the 12 miners are reported miraculously alive...then hours later turns out they weren't. As Kurtz writes, "While the mining company's refusal to correct the misinformation for hours is inexplicable, the situation was exacerbated by the journalistic reluctance to say the facts are unconfirmed and we just don't know. Experienced journalists should have understood that early, fragmentary information in times of crisis is often wrong." He goes on to question before-the-fact reporting of mining safety.

More journalistic navel gazing on what went wrong with the miner coverage comes courtesy of the always useful Poynter Institute and some of its faculty. Writes Aly Colon, "Even radio, TV and Web sites, with their immediacy, can get the news wrong. What matters is how they go about getting it right."

Get those pics (and hope he's not wearing a beret). The Washington Times says some in the Bush Administration are trying to quickly round up any and all photos of the president with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to corruption charges last week.

Sure he was runner-up before, but is there any doubt now who the most offensive player in the ACC is errr...I mean offensive player of the year. Hopefully, Marcus Vick will clean up his act and be successful because despite what Charles Barkley famously said once, professional athletes are role models to many young people and Vick now is saddled with some pretty heavy baggage.

UPDATE: And Mr. Vick's baggage just got a bit heavier. Monday he's arrested for pulling a gun on some teens. Good lord. Looks like he's trying to Maurice Clarett himself into another classic story of wasted potential. Thanks for the heads up Paul.

Seven For Sunday, 1/7/06

Back after a week off with the first JP music chart of the year and the iPod went retro for most of the week.

For the week ending 1/7/06, based on my iPod playcount:
1. Side of a Bullet - Nickelback - A new #1. Thanks to buddy Mike for putting me on to this one during a recent music email session.
2. We Will Rock You - Queen - Got on a Queen kick this week, mainly fueled by 5-yr old LP, who loves this one. And who can blame him?
3. Wasteland - 10 Years - Nice song that Official Wife of JP put me on to a while back and it took a while to grow on me.
4, Beast And the Harlot - Avenged Sevendfold - More met-ul goodness.
5. DOA - Foo Fighters - Not dead yet.
6. Hella Good - No Doubt - More retro from my iPod. This has such a rockin' good groove.
7. We Are the Champions - Queen - And you can have "We Will Rock You" without its companion.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Five For Friday, Vol. 18: Murray on NCAA Football Edition


This week I turn to Chief Jonworld Sports Correspondent Murray for the top 5 list. Still riding the excitement of the NCAA football national championship game, I was trying to think of some related list. My Las Vegas buddy helps me out with his list of the best college football games of the year. I can't really argue with him because I couldn't think of any that would top it.

Check Murray's top five, led by the USC Trojans come from behind win over the resurgent Notre Dame Fighting Irish...followed by USC's Wednesday loss to Texas.

Murray hits the highlights of each game.

Top 5 NCAA Games of '05 [Murray's View on Sports]

Friday Download

Paul, "my libertarian friend" as I always introduce him, emailed me an interesting story yesterday. Seems a German filmmaker has a new documentary suggesting that Cuba was behind the assasination of President John F. Kennedy. A former FBI agent says an investigation into the link was aborted "because proof of a Cuban link would put him [Lyndon Johnson] under irresistible pressure to invade the island, a year after the Cuban missile crisis had brought the United States and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war." Get Oliver Stone on the phone. I've got a plot for JFK2.

Slate's Sports Nut, Robert Weintraub joins the din of analysts correctly pinpointing the reasons for USC blowing their chances at a 3rd straight national championship, losing to Texas 41-38. Blown opportunities, mistakes and bad decisions throughout, aided by an All World performance by Texas QB Vince Young, who Weintraub says "combines the best attributes of Michael Vick, John Elway, and long-striding former University of Arkansas QB Matt Jones." I was thinking during the game how much more scary Jones would've been had he had the throwing arm that Young has.

Do you know Jack? Media Notes talks of Republicans suddenly shy to mention ties to the convicted lobbyist who reportedly could implicate several members of congressmen for wrongdoing. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence that, according to Nexis at least, Fox's Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly uttered not a word about Abramoff this week. And if this was a convicted lobbyist who funneled big bucks to Hillary Clinton, they'd be just as bored by the story," Howard Kurtz writes. Not much on Drudge either.

Drudge does point out the latest wacky statements by Pat Robertson and the Iranian president, this time concerning the severe stroke suffered by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Evangelist Robertson says the stroke is God's punishment. The Iranian guy - who recently made statements denying the Holocaust and saying Israel should be wiped from the map - is hoping Sharon dies.

And on this date in 1994, the brutality that is women's figure skating burst into the national consciousness with the attack on Nancy Kerrigan on orders from rival Tonya Harding. Just remember the 2006 Winter Olympics are around the corner.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Thursday Download

What a game. I was glad to see a national championship game live up to the hype. Although I was cheering for USC (theoretically them winning makes the Hogs marginally look better since then we can say at least we were obliterated by the national champion 70-17), Texas made the plays and was every bit the champion when it counted. Vince Young. Wow.

Slate's always informative Explainer column tells us that USC Championship T-shirts might be on their way to Haiti.

Wash Post's Howard Kurtz is finally back from vacation and analysis the "they're alive!"..."no they're not" snafu in the tragedy of the trapped West Virginia coal miners. Locally, LT's Dashboard sarastically notes the Dem-Gazette (whose print editions also carried the "they're alive" headlines) didn't offer much in the way of late breaking news or updates on its Web sites. The D-G still doesn't seem to know what to make of the Internets.

And Jonworld reader Alan G joins me in getting all "caught up" in the excitement over the discovery of the world's largest prime number. He writes, "Unable to restrain the generated excitement, I ran and grabbed my calculator and of course my slide rule. And as the minutes and hours slowly slipped away into the night, I lavished myself in the world of mathematics. And in the wee hours of the morning when the old mind was exhausted from hours of mathematical fantasies I laid my head down and gathered in a bit of rest. ...

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Mathematicians Gone Wild

I'm sorry. This is an interesting story and all, but when I read the earnest quote: "We're super excited," said Boone, a chemistry professor. "We've been looking for such a number for a long time."... I can't help but picture Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds yelling "NERDS!"

Then again, maybe I'm just jealous. Math guys usually make more money than journalists. Heck, congrats, they've been looking for this mythical number for years.

Missouri Researchers Find Largest Prime Number [AP via Yahoo]

Long Dry Winter

The drought conditions that have caused massive wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma have extended into Arkansas. Fortunately until now we haven't had any fire problems - only the lingering danger - and thus no media attention. But you know, where there's smoke, there's fire and where there's fire, there are cameras and satellite trucks.

It has been awfully mild and unseasonable so far this winter in Arkansas. And it doesn't look to change any time soon. It was 74 degrees on Jan. 1! According to the National Weather Service, Arkansas experienced the driest December on record last month and 2005 was the 2nd driest year on record in the state.

Meanwhile, California gets deluged.

Wildfire Smoke Cloaks Ark.'s Bathhouse Row [AP via Yahoo]

Wednesday Download

Trying something new. Since I scan the headlines every morning and a lot of times I see something blogworthy or that piques my interest...but then I never find the time to come back to it. So maybe I'll once again rip an idea off other blogs and try some quick hits.

Wonkette points to an LA Times news analysis about the dark cloud hanging over the Republicans: the plea agreement struck with lobbyist Jack Abramoff. "The corruption investigation ... shows the significant political risk that Republican leaders took when they adopted what had once seemed a brilliant strategy for dominating Washington: turning the K Street lobbying corridor into a cog of the GOP political machine," they write.

Slate writer Edward Jay Epstein logs another installment in his ongoing analysis of the movie business, this time looking at the concession economy that drives theaters - AKA why you pay $10 for a bag of popcorn and a Coke. He quotes one theater owner as saying the cupholders built into seats are "the most important technological innovation since sound" because it keeps the moviegoer drinking up.

Speaking of the movies, "Sith Happens" says E! Online via Yahoo as Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is proclaimed the highest grossing movie of 2005. Raking in $380 million, it surpassed the #2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by just over $100 million.

The Onion offers "Cold and Flu Prevention Tips." Keep that phlegm flying. ;)

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Monday..errr Tuesday Download

Stuff catching my attention this morning:

David Lee Roth buzzdee-buzzdee bops his way onto the airwaves to try to fill the shoes of Howard Stern. Roth is 50 now. 50?!?

Throw another blog on the fire, he says, and the Internets will indulge. Buddy Mike or, as we from our circle of Univ of Ark/Apt 108 alums know him: Murray, launches his blog, Murray's View on Sports. Murray focuses on his love of sports and, in his early Jan. 2 post picks Ohio State over Notre Dame in the Fiesta and Georgia over West Virginia in the Sugar. So he was half right.

This is a couple days old but still interesting: Matt Drudge, King of the Box Office? Can his snarky Web site, make or break a movie? Some say yes and offer up King Kong as proof.