"What European city do you belong in?" quiz...

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam. Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

Amstermdam huh? I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers...

Love, Valor, Compassion...

People Envy Your Compassion

You have a kind heart and an unusual empathy for all living creatures. You tend to absorb others' happiness and pain. People envy your compassion, and more importantly, the connections it helps you build. And compassionate as you are, you feel for them.

What Do People Envy About You?

A Seinfeldian post (without the annoying neighbors or New York rent)...

This is how I feel about work lately...

Entertainment Weekly recently released its list of the top 10 dramas on TV. Here it is...
1) 24 (Yeah!)
2) The Sopranos (Hell yeah!)
3) CSI
4) Battlestar Galactica (The most underrated, underwatched show on TV in my book)
5) Lost (Damn skippy!)
6) Everwood
7) Gilmore Girls
8) Law & Order (franchise) (Duh!)
9) Veronica Mars
10) The Shield

I think it's a decent list, but I think that House belongs on it. Entertainment Weekly actually had several more lists (comedy, reality, animated, etc.) What's your take on the list?

This is sort out of out of left field but I just realized how much I really love my shoes. I bought a pair of Blundstones quite some time ago and they're as comfortable as ever. The Aussie boots are the best footwear purchase I've ever made! They're even better than Carolina Boot Company boots. They may cost a little more, but they're worth it. Blunnies rule!


This is the pair I've got (The Tasmanian model)...
Best boots ever!

Geico commercials have genenrally been moderately clever and or funny over the last few years. They obviously spend millions on advertisting. Have you ever met anyone who actually has Geico insurance?

I watched Waiting last night. Not a very good movie by most of my criteria, but pretty damn funny nonetheless. You probably have to be or have been a waitperson to truly appreciate the scarily true nature of its content.

What's my take of this season of 24?
Frickin' awesome! That's my take.

I hate those f'ing hands-free phone things that people put on their ears. They look retarded and make people look like they're talking to themselves. Regardless of what you may think they look stupid! People that actually talk to themselves are cooler than you!

ITMFA!

Cheers,
Jason

Reunions and lame posts...

This will be pretty random...

My gas station has finally re-opened after being closed for several months for remodeling. Woo hoo! They kept the Art-Deco look about it as they rebuilt it. The garages are gone to make more room for junk food and such on the inside. It's easier to get in and out and the new pumps are pretty snazzy. It may sound boring, but I'm pretty happy about it.

Word on the street is that the Mercury Motel and Mercury Diner will be knocked down for another damn Walgreens. But then again would you turn down $3 million for your property?

Last week Jack Lessenberry had another great thought-provoking article in the Metro Times. Should we bring back the draft?

Last week's South Park was awesome! It was a "goodbye episode" for Chef. It was pretty brutal and another huge slap in the face to Scientology. Best episode ever!

Last night I went to a reunion party for the bar/night club that I used to hang out at back in the day. The place was at capacity and the times were good! It was great to see "The Non-Blogger" as well as T and K. I see "The Non-Blogger" from time to time, but not enough. I haven't seen T and K (former bartenders) in probably about 8 or 9 years. They're both married with kids now. I used to lust after these two lovely ladies. They still both look great! A large group of us went to the Coney Island across the street afterward. I didn't get home until 4:00AM. It was just like old times...

One thing that I learned about my trip to the bar last night is...
No matter how clean you think your shirt is it's filthy under a blacklight.

Today was a good day. I was invited for dinner with friends. The cassoulet was A-Okay, the wine was fine, and the conversation was lively.

I'm going to bed early tonight. I'm tired. Yesterday was my eighth day in a row working, I haven't been sleeping very well, I got home late last night...
Let's hope that I can sleep.

Borrowing from D...
ITMFA

Cheers,
Jason

70% quirky...

Your Quirk Factor: 70%

You're so quirky, it's hard for you to tell the difference between quirky and normal. No doubt about it, there's little about you that's "normal" or "average."

How Quirky Are You?

Time to grab the bull by the horns...

Your True Love Is a Taurus

Why you'll love a Taurus: Romantic and sentimental, a Taurus can provide you with the security you need. And you both share a fondness for the finest things, from great food to luxury vacations. Why a Taurus will love you: You have the honesty and direct approach that down to earth Taurus desires. And enough elegance to show a Taurus a few new decadent delights!

What Sign Is Your True Love?

Any sign will do...

A blog quiz twofer...

You Are 60% Happy

You're definitely a happy person, even though you have your down moments. You tend to get the most out of life, though there's always some more happiness to be squeezed.

How Happy Are You?

You Are Bobby Brainy

Ultra competitive, you will do almost anything to win. From pull ups to pool sharking, you're very talented. And while everyone is aware of your victories, they still (affectionately) consider you to be a little brat!

What Brady Are You?

Hot salami and bourbon breath...

Hmmm...
Where do I begin?
Work? Maybe...
It sucks!
Work has been very bad lately and it's gotten worse despite some wonderful news. There is a certain person who has worked under me for almost two years now. I have been trying to get said person fired for almost two years now, but to no avail. And now the bitch up and quits before she has a chance to get fired. There are MANY reasons that she should have been fired and I have presented them to the store manager (the Anti-Christ). They include general ineptitude, being rude to customers, condescending to customers, drinking on the job, being drunk on the job, being drunk at tastings, inability to follow direction (especially mine), sleeping around with tradesfolk, immaturity, general cluelessness, disappearing for an hour with a customer in the parking lot and coming back with messed up hair, having a breath that smells of hot salami and bourbon (it could peel paint), and being a Francophile. Yet she has managed to maintain employment. I have approached the powers that be, but they just loved her. I'm assuming there may have been something going on between her and the owner or something. She's a spoiled GP girl born with a silver spoon up her ass who went to private school all of her life and then graduated from UM with a degree in French Studies or some other bullshit. (She lived in France for a year.) I have actually heard her say that she either wanted to be really successful in business (Right away. A wine importer for example.) or to marry for money. She lives with a doctor, but sees LOTS of guys and gets dinner and a handshake out of them. And by handshake I mean sex. She recently turned 23 or 24 and she is the most clueless and naive person that I have ever met. She actually expects to become an importer right away...the actual person that travels and finds new wines to import. The only way to do that is to be the owner of the company and WORK your way up the ladder. Sleeping her way up may be a shortcut, but the top of the ladder is pretty shaky. She thought that the owner was "mean" to her and she quit without giving any notice. The owner has been "mean" to me for almost seven years now. You've got to have pretty thick skin to work in the wine business. It's not all glamour. She maintains a romantic notion of wine and the wine industry. Wine is a beautiful and soulful, but the wine industry is an ugly, calloused, political succubus. It's not a pretty business. She'll never make it. She had talked of moving to California wine country and "working" out there. I hope the ugly hand of business knocks her on her pale white ass. Oh...I'm sorry...did that sound mean? Let me tell you how I really feel about her... ;)

She was essentially a worthless body, but a body nonetheless. Her leaving really screws me. Thanks bitch!

3 years in Iraq and nothing to show for it except for lots of dead and pissed-off people. It's too bad that Dubya never accidentally snorted any Drano in his coke-binging days. 3 years later Dubya is still the world's biggest asshole, but it's had time to stretch. Some day he will have to answer for all of his atrocities and I'd like to be the first person in line tie razor wire around his nuts. (I'm not a violent person. Really!) Fuck you President Fucktard!

I once again missed out on one of my favorit traditions. St. Patrick's Day at the Gaelic League. This is probably the 3rd or 4th year now that I haven't been. I miss it. It's still the best party in town. Unfortunately most of my friends have abandoned the tradition and it's sort of lame to go alone. Oh well...at least I save a lot of money by not going. I spent my St. Patrick's day working at an Italian restaurant. It was dead...

Speaking of Irish...
When did Bono change his moniker from Bono Vox (real name Paul Hewson)? Really! Was it is before or during "The Joshua Tree"?

Thank the frickin' powers that be that The Sopranos is back on TV! I am so happy that it's back! We just got our HBO hooked up again (only because of The Sopranos) and I am overjoyed! The season premier was intense and invigorating. Tonight's episode was very good. It's going to be a very interesting 20 episodes until it ends. Great f'ing show!

It's really sad that Isaac Hayes is pulling out of South Park as Chef after all these years. He didn't say anything as they made fun of Christianity, Mormonism, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, but one episode about Scientology and he quits (he's a Scientologist). Revisit the freaky Rolling Stone article here. It really is a shocking read no matter how much you think you know about Scientology. What will Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Eric do without Chef?

I read that Warner Brothers has green-lighted a remake of The Dirty Dozen. Say it ain't so. Please don't fuck with a classic! Don't even dare try replacing Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, Donald Sutherland, and Telly Savalas! Any attempt at a remake will just be stupid! I hope they don't get any ideas about Kelly's Heroes...
If the name Pauly Shore comes up I'm screaming...

Peter Tomarken, the host of Press Your Luck in the 80's, died when the small plane he was piloting crashed. His wife also died in the crash. He was 63.

I've been invited for dinner at friends' next Sunday for cassoulet. Mmmmmmmmmm...cassoulet. I love cassoulet!

Earn a spot on VH1 and Entertainment Weekly's new show "The World Series of Pop Culture" by testing your pop culture IQ on VH1.com! A pop culture test will be administered live on the site at both 7PM and 10PM EST on Wednesday, March 29th. I'm going for it! Why don't you?

How would you re-cast The Dirty Dozen (don't worry about replacing each character with a specific actor, just come up with 12 people that would make it not suck so much)?
Here are some of my thoughts...
Ving Rhames (Terrence Howard is too small and Lawrence Fishburne is too old) for the Jim Brown spot, Russell Crowe, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Stormare, Edward Norton, Sean Astin (humor me...he just did a great job on 24), Keifer Sutherland (daddy was in it...why not?), Michael Imperioli, Michael Rappaport, Lou Diamond Philips (he needs the work), Peter Saarsgard, and Willem Dafoe.

Cheers,
Jason

Poop-stirrer in big-ass trouble... (FU WDET?)

Michael Coleman, the new WDET General Manager that has f'ed everything up but good, is being charged with embezzlement. The once-great public radio station has gone to the shitter since Coleman's takeover. I hope that he's found guilty and sent to prison. He deserves prison time simply for his line-up change and firing of Martin Bandyke, Willy Wilson, and Judy Adams (I'll defend her position, not her show). As the station is about to enter its first pledge drive since the new regime I'm sure that they will see a big drop in support. I'm certainly got giving (for the first time in about 10 years) or answering phones (I've done that too). There are a lot of pissed-off Detroiters! I don't want to come across as racist, but I'm not a big fan of "News and Notes" (aka "Angry Black News"). The "Tavis Smiley Show" was fine, but "News and Notes" is a bit of a slap in the face to caucasians. In fact, the line-up change has a bit of a racist feel to it. I don't think that Michael Coleman likes whitey too much. I sincerely hope that some serious changes come to WDET and it soon becomes at least a shadow of its former self...the greatest radio station anywhere! Bring back Martin Bandyke and save the airwaves!

Cheers,
Jason

"Black & White"...

...by Three Dog Night was the number one song the day I was born. Find out what what was number one when you were born here.

Writer quiz...

You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer

Your ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet you're from. And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi. Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics... Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

So not funny for 28 years...

I looked on IMDB and discovered that Jim Belushi started his career in 1978. That means that he has miraculously been riding the coattails of his brother for 28 years. Kudos to the guy that can last 28 years in the comedy business without making anyone laugh. Horatio Sanz must have a mentor...

Cheers,
Jason

I'd be curious to see what John Belushi and Graham Chapman would be up to if they were still living...

Subtitles make me feel smart...

Not a very exciting week, but at least I survived another one. My work week was shitty and predictable. I've resigned myself to the fact we're a bunch of mushrooms at work. We're kept in the dark and fed a bunch of shit. I'm sure you're accustomed to that at your own jobs.

After the restaurant on Friday I went with my friend Lisa (a waitress) to WAB (Woodward Avenue Brewers) to celebrate the 30th birthday of two wonderful waitresses, Colleen and Jen. Both are really sweet, awesome gals. I couldn't miss the celebration as I've worked with both of them for probably 5 years now. WAB hasn't changed much since the last time I was there about 6 years ago or so. The beer still sucks. The porter I was drinking was okay at best, but I tasted Lisa's hefeweizen and it tasted like bubblegum. Nasty! She returned it. We actually closed the place. I don't go out for drinks with the restaurant people often because I can't afford to. They still go out for drinks every night! I'm a very generous tipper and I like to buy people drinks. I'll go out once in a great while. I only work at the restaurant one night a week...I'm not going to spend it all. It was fun though. They had a private room with their own bar. I headed home and by the time I got back to my end of town everything was closed and I was hungry so I was forced into White Castle (I'm not complaining...). The White Castle on Telegraph has a bowling alley on one side of it and a dive bar on the other called Rose on the Road. Local band Benny and the Jets play there occasionally if that says anthing... It was about 2:30 AM and I was waiting in the drive-thru when I noticed a stretch limo waiting in the lot and girls in puffy dresses loading things into it. I then noticed a tent in their enclosed "deck" area and balloons decorating it. Sweet! A white trash wedding reception! The worst of which I've encountered since the infamous Andoni's white trash wedding reception. To make it worse I counted 7 pick-up trucks and 2 cars left in the lot. Sweet! Congratulations guys! You've already been related for twenty years, but now you've got a ring saying it's okay to have sexual relations with each other. Well...maybe not okay...

Remind me some time to tell you about the Andoni's incident...

Stayed up way to late watching the season finale of Battlestar Galactica after the White Castle incident. I taped it. Great frickin' episode! I love the original in its campiness, but the new one really does rock! It's very dark and contemporary touching on many current American polital issues.

I had another Saturday off, but I didn't do much with the earlier part of the day. I couldn't fall asleep after Battlestar Galactica because it was pushing daylight outside when I went to bed. I pretty much just hung out at home watching some TV and reading a bit. I did end up going to Glen's store and buying an assload of CDs (1 assload = 3.72 reams x 2.84 metric tons + 3.47 cubic feet according to the conversion chart in my old Pee Chee folder). Among the CDs I bought were the new Neko Case (frickin' amazing album!), the new Maximo Park, the new Elbow, the new Stereolab, a bunch of jazz (including Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, Ben Webster, Lester Young, and Hank Mobley), and some used stuff. A good day at a great store! BST was working and I would see him later at his house to watch some movies.

Brian later hosted a viewing of Yojimbo and Stalingrad. It was just Brian, Kathleen, Glen, and myself. Brian and I were the only ones to have seen Yojimbo before. We began by watching Yacht Rock as an appetizer. Hilarious! I've seen Yojimbo a couple of times before. It's my second favorite Akira Kurosawa film after The Seven Samurai. I love Ran and Rashomon, but the comedy of Yojimbo really strikes a chord. It was the inspiration for Clint Eastwood's A Fistful of Dollars as The Seven Samurai was the inspiration for The Magnificent Seven and The Hidden Fortress was the inspiration for the orignal Star Wars. Akira Kurosawa frickin' rocked! He and constant star Toshiro Mifune were perhaps the best director/actor combo ever! They complimented each other beautifully. Please see Yojimbo or any other Kurosawa film if you haven't. You'd be doing yourself a huge favor.

The second film was Stalingrad. The story follows a small group of German stormtroopers in the same Batallion in the battle of Stalingrad. It's rough, honest, hard to take, and very well done. This film has you sympathizing with the Germans as in Das Boot. Even German soldiers can be humanized. Most, after all, were following orders. Don't read anything into this! I'm not endorsing Germany during WWII! The film doesn't get as exhausting and involving as Das Boot, but it's still a helluva film. It's in German with subtitles. Obviously, as in history, they get their asses handed to them. Worth a rental or Netflix!

Subtitles have a way of sorting out the riffraff...

Unfortunately I had to work today (Sunday) because I had yesterday off. Work sucked. 'Nuff said. I came home from work, quickly changed clothes, and then sped out the door to get together with friends for dinner. I haven't seen them in a while and they just got back from northen Italy last week. It was great seeing them and hearing about their trip. They were very awesome and brought me back a bottle of grappa. Cheers to that! I got home and then very much enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking on Masterpiece Theatre. Rupert Everett did a fab job! Who knew that there were foot fetishists during the time of King Edward VII? O jeez...now I'm going to get googled up the wazoo by a bunch of pervs. But then again I haven't been googled up the wazoo in a while...

I just found out that a friend of mine is going to be on Trading Spaces. He and his girlfriend are being filmed in Austin this week. Cool!

Last night when I was driving home from Brian's there was a wicked-bad thunderstorm. There's really not much as beautiful as the night sky being illuminated an eerie and crisp blue by a sustained lightning strike. The contrast of the the background against the sky and the odd lighting of the trees is really a sight to behold...even if it is just for a second. It's a little bit like being in a photo negative. It's even better in the spring or summer when there are still leaves on the trees. The colors of the curled leaves intensified and electricfied against the green sky are something not of this world. So...I urge all Republicans to stand under a tree during the next thunderstorm.

Not to make light of the situation, but Yanni was arrested for battering his girlfriend. Yanni folks! Yanni.

White or yellow subtitles? What's your pick?

What did you draw on your Pee Chee folders?

Cheers,
Jason

50% Irish, 50% Swiss, 50% German

You're 50% Irish

You're probably less Irish than you think you are... But you're still more Irish than most.

How Irish Are You?

Thank goodness for Guinness...

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Sweet! I was really hoping I wouldn't be PBR.

Calliente...

They opened a new Moe's Southwest Grill across the street from work. It's the first business to open in the cursed new development. I had never heard of them so I went online and discovered this. A blog completely dedicated to burritos...now that's pretty cool!

Oh yeah! I tried Moe's last night...overpriced and overwhelmingly average.

Thankfully I had some Cholula hot sauce in my cupboard to spice things up. In a world of retardo-hot sauces like Pure Cap, Da' Bomb Ground Zero, and Dave's Insanity Private Reserve it's nice to know that there's still just a simple but great hot sauce out there. I've loved Cholula for years. I can certainly handle it hotter than Cholula, but Cholula has the perfect balance of heat, sweetness, and flavor. It's great on just about anything.


Cholula- The world's best hot sauce! (In my humble opinion)

What's your favorite way of spicing things up?

Cheers,
Jason

It's not easy being olive green...

You Are Olive Green

You are the most real of all the green shades. You're always true to yourself. For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

What Color Green Are You?

None of the substance you've come to expect...

Have you seen the new "Vee Dub" (VW) commercials with Peter Stormare (Fargo)? WTF? I don't know if I love them or hate them. I think maybe I'm in love...

Another brutally honest opinion column from Jack Lessenberry in the new Metro Times. This one is about the toilet that is Michigan's economy. The Detroit area is not only one affected. Outsourcing is slowly (?) killing us...

Why do they show maybe one new episode of Lost a month?

I was happy to see Howard Hessman on last night's episode of House. Where has he been? (A note to FOX- Please stop f'ing with the scheduling of House and 24 in order to better accomodate American Turd.)I see that Max Gail (Grosse Ile's own) has a gig too (on the new Sons and Daughters). I vaguely remember him being on some show in the eighties, but all I really remember is Barney Miller. Dabney Coleman has a gig now too. It seems that all the people I was thinking about (ie. Whatever happened to?) are all getting a second or third wind in the acting game. Where's Judge Reinhold? He deserves a comeback. Where is anybody from The Loveboat? Seriously...

I have another Saturday off (the second in 16 or 17 years). I still don't know what to do.

I think I may start going to more movies by myself. I caught one of the five Oscar-nominated films and wanted to see them all. The people that I normally see movies with on my regular Sundays off are fantastic friends, but they never want to see anything good and I'll usually settle on something monumentally craptacular. And I rarely get a chance to see anything at the Main, the Maple, or the DFT. At least I have Neflix to catch up on all those that I've missed...

Sorry for the lack of cohesion in this lame-ass post.

Cheers,
Jason

They shoot Congressmen don't they?

Congress renews the Patriot Act by two votes. Please place all your freedoms in the box and security will walk you out...

And completely unrelated...
I finally saw City of God on DVD. It's a great movie if not a little brutal. The cinematography is stunningly creative and beautiful. See it!

How's work? Don't even ask...

Cheers,
Jason

Boom Crash Pow! A post-Oscar post... (The Facts of Life connection continued)

58.8%!

Not great, but not too shabby. I went 10 for 17 in the Oscar pool that I was in. I was 4 for 6 in the "Big 6". I had predicted that Brokeback Mountain would win best film, but I'm ecstatic that Crash actually ended up winning. Hopefully more people will be inspired to rent/buy Crash. It's a great film that everybody needs to see!

It was neat to see Grant Heslov, who was nominated for writing and best film (as producer), is also a fairly prolific character actor. He's been in everything. It's the guy on the left. (Who knows who the other guy is?)


The "In Memoriam" tribute was humbling and tearful as always. I'm surprised that Don Knotts was not included.

What was up with that bow-like thing on Charlize Theron's dress (on her shoulder)? WTF?!? It would have been a great dress without the damn thing. Keira Knightley's beauty just knocked me on my ass. The recent Vanity Fair cover with her and Scarlett Johansson makes my heart go pitter patter and something in my pants go boing! (Sorry for that one.)

Robert Altman received the honorary Oscar this evening for lifetime achievement. Altman is truly a legendary director and is a master artist with films such as Nashville, The Player, Gosford Park, MASH, 3 Women, and Kansas City under his belt. (No comment on Dr. T and the Women). I'm very happy that he received the award as I think he is one of the greats. I think that Short Cuts is the artist's master-stroke. Anyone who can make a film like Short Cuts deserves something big!

Congrats to Jon Stewart on a job well done! The laughs were light but the crowd were comatose.

It all comes down to The Facts of Life...again! Paul Haggis, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov all have The Facts of Life connections.

Kudos to Crash! Watch it now!

Today's wine recommendation-
2004 De Lisio McLaren Vale Grenache- Wow!!! This is blockbuster shit! I normally refrain from using vulgarities when reviewing a wine, but this wine is the dog's balls. I tasted this a few weeks ago (against 2003 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape) and it was simply profound! The Vieux Telegraphe was "nice...nice...not thrilling, but nice" (History of the World Part I). The De Lisio was "SHAZAMMMM!" The color is very deeply concentrated purple/black for a grenache. I could smell it for hours. The nose is full of blackberry jam, blueberries, raspberries, melted licorice, cedar, and vanillin. The palate is powerful with expansive bursts of blackberry puree, blueberry, cigar box, and lush vanillin from oak. The alcohol comes in at a whopping 16.5% (on the label) but it doesn't show any heat. The alcohol and the fruit are married beautifully. This bottle is a deeply concentrated/extracted hedonistic pleasure bomb that explodes like a Molotov cocktail on the nose and palate. The finish is almost endless. This is the best grenache that I've ever tasted! Run, don't walk to find this extremely limited offering! Pardon my language, but it's like getting a blowjob from a toothless angel.
About $55.00.

Cheers,
Jason

Pre-Oscar post...

I got home from work and was happy to discover the Independent Spirit Awards on AMC. I watched it last year and quite enjoyed it. It always airs the day before the Academy Awards. I enjoy it because there are no pretenses, drama, or tuxes. It's a a casual affair (jeans) and swearing is abundant from both presenters and recipients. And how can you go wrong with Sarah Silverman as host? She's lovely, beautiful, and has the mouth of a filthy trucker. And where else will you find Rosie Perez and Henry Rollins as co-presenters?

In more movie news here are my Oscar picks for the Oscar pool that I'm in...
Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain
Best Director: Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti for Cinderella Man
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener
Best Original Screenplay: Crash - Paul Haggis
Best Adapted Screenplay: Capote - Dan Futterman
Costume Design: Memoirs of a Geisha
Original Score: Munich
Original Song: "It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp" - Hustle & Flow
Best Visual Effects: King Kong
Best Animated Feature Film: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Best Documentary Feature: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Best Documentary Short: God Sleeps in Rwanda
Best Live Action Short: Six Shooter
Best Animated Short: One Man Band

These are the things that I think will win, but are not necessarily my personal choices as to who I think should win.

I just received my new Entertainment Weekly and they listed "The 25 Worst Sequels Ever Made"-
25)The Matrix Reloaded
24)The Next Karate Kid
23)Porky's II: The Next Day
22)Teen Wolf Too
21)Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
20)The Godfather Part III
19)Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise
18)Battle for the Planet of the Apes
17)Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
16)Ocean's Twelve
15)Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
14)Conan the Destroyer
13)The Sting II
12)Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace
11)Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
10)Jaws: The Revenge
9)Speed 2: Cruise Control
8)Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
7)The Fly II
6)Weekend at Bernie's II
5)Batman & Robin
4)Blues Brothers 2000
3)Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha' Hood
2)Caddyshack II
1)Staying Alive

What's your take?

And here's their "10 Best" sequels-

1)The Godfather Part II
2)The Empire Strikes Back
3)The Silence of the Lambs
4)Aliens
5)The Road Warrior
6)Before Sunset
7)Terminator 2: Judgement Day
8)Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
9)For a Few Dollars More
10)Toy Story 2

Do you agree?

In other entertainment news...
The Sex Pistols refuse to attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. At least that's punk!

Cheers,
Jason

Soda quiz...

You Are Dr. Pepper

You're very unique and funky, yet you still have a bit of traditionalism to you. People who like you think they have great taste... and they usually do. Your best soda match: Root Beer Stay away from: 7 Up

What Kind of Soda Are You?

Value profile quiz...

Your Values Profile

Loyalty: You value loyalty a fair amount. You're loyal to your friends... to a point. But if they cross you, you will reconsider your loyalties. Staying true to others is important to you, but you also stay true to yourself. Honesty: You value honesty highly. You're unflinchingly honest, even when it's not easy. For you, integrity is very important - in yourself and others. People may not always like what you say, but they know they can trust it. Generosity: You value generosity highly. So much so that you often put your own needs last. There's nothing wrong with having a caring heart... But you may want to rethink your "open wallet" policy. Humility: You value humility highly. You have the self-confidence to be happy with who you are. And you don't need to seek praise to make yourself feel better. You're very modest, and you're keep the drama factor low. Tolerance: You value tolerance highly. Not only do you enjoy the company of those very different from you... You do all that you can to seek it out interesting and unique friends. You think there are many truths in life, and you're open to many of them.

The Five Factor Values Test

So that's why Tom Cruise is such a nut-job...

I really don't know what to post about...

There's a lot of really crazy shit going on at work. I can't really talk about it. Lots of thinking to do...

I guess I'll just do a round-up of the week so far or something...

I'm really enjoying the new season of 24. It's the first season I've watched and it's pretty damn addictive. Sean Astin's character is a really, really big prick! Reminds me of someone I've worked/am working for. Good job Mr. Astin. He's more than just a Hobbit...

I also watched the Sphinx Competition on PBS on Monday. It's a competition of Detroit area kids/teens in classical music that are of Africian American or Latino descent. The five laureates that played were all STUNNINGLY talented! I'm going to pay more attention next year and see if it's at all plausible to see it in person. Detroit's musical future is bright as long as there are kids like these around.

House was not on again last night because of American Idol. That really sucks! I watched Amazing Race in its place (season premiere). I hope that the nerds or the hippies win. I really hope that the married couple with the overly aggressive/pushy husband loses quickly. Hopefully the husband will fall off a cliff or something. Go nerds!!!

Great, great article in the new Rolling Stone on Scientology! It's even more f'ed up than you ever imagined. There's even reference to the great South Park episode and how it's been banned from airing again. It's a long read, but very, very interesting. If you were lucky enough to see the South Park episode before the banning just realize that that crazy story about the truth of Scientology is actually...TRUE. Scientology is a cult people! A cult! (I once heard that Scientology came about as a drunken bet between Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and L. Ron Hubbard to see who could create a religion first. I wouldn't be surprised if it's true.) The tenets of the church are insane! I don't want to openly mock any religion, but seriously folks...INSANE!



Famous Scientologists


Another interesting thing in the new Rolling Stone. Every issue on the Charts page they list the top 10 sales of a different record store. This issue they actually featured Dearborn Music. I don't think I've ever seen a Michigan record store listed in the 18 years that I've subscribed to Rolling Stone, let alone an awesome store like Dearborn Music. It's no Switched On CDs, but it's still one of the best record stores around.

Here's the most accurate, blunt story on the Detroit Zoo. Once again Metro Times writer Jack Lessenberry nails it! Sad but true. The zoo will stay open, but there is an ongoing racial battle between the city of Detroit and the suburbs...and it's only going to get worse. Tonight's news stated that the City of Detroit is releasing control of the zoo to the Detroit Zoological society.

I'm a little pissed that I've been scheduled to work on the day that some of us are supposed to go curling at the Detroit Curling Club in Ferndale. I missed the first time out too.

Sorry for the boring-ass post.

In case you're not aware I've been trying to revive the old saying of "23 skidoo".
23 skidoo! Use it to excess!

Cheers,
Jason

Moderately open minded me...

You Are 68% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?