Ned and Stacey Now on DVD!
Intake has their
results of a 5-minute phoner with actor
Thomas Hayden Church. While I never liked Wings, I love love loved his follow up sitcom Ned and Stacey (1995-1997). Starring Church as a commitment-phobe ad exec and Debra Messing as the woman with whom he shared a fake marriage, the show folded after two seasons but not after it launched Messing's Will and Grace career as well as Greg Germann's Ally McBeal gig. (German played Stacey's dimwitted brother-in-law, a co-worker to Church's Ned.) I was thrilled to see Church surface again in
Sideways. Look for him in the upcoming animated feature
Over the Hedge (at the Indianapolis International Film Festival), as well as
Charlotte's Web and
Spider-Man 3.
BTW,
Ned and Stacey is now available on DVD! (I may have to indulge.)
Today's Game: Real Headline or The Onion?
We live in a world where we can wake up, look at the headlines and wonder what paper we're reading -- the New York Times or The Onion? So, here's a little guessing game for you today:
The New York Times or The Onion?Fox News Pundit Tony Snow Named White House Press Secretary. Fox news commentator Tony Snow named to replace Scott McClellan. NYTimes? or The Onion?
Rock Star Mick Jagger to star in new ABC Sitcom, Let's Rob Mick Jagger. Letterman writer sells sitcom to ABC about thieves who get to know a celebrity. And they really wanted Jeff Goldblume. NYTimes? or The Onion?
Critics Blast Bush for Not Praying Hard Enough. President of a conservative Christian group, The Family Research Council, says the problem is that Bush isn't praying often enough or effectively. NYTimes? or The Onion?
Environmentalists Lobby for Nukes: Christine Whitman and the co-founder of Greenpeace have been hired by the nuclear energy industry to lead a PR campaign touting the benefits of nuclear energy. NYTimes? or The Onion?
And last, but not least, as if the world wasn't weird enough already, Friday, I saw Eric Dickerson driving the district in a giant RV.
It's The Journey, Not the Destination
And speaking of "Satisfaction", it appears that the Japanese aren't getting any, sexual satisfaction, that is. In an international study released by sociologists at the University of Chicago, men and women surveyed reported being sexually satisfied at the highest levels in Austria, Spain, Canada, Belgium, and the US. Men and women reporting the lowest levels in Thailand, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Japan. (Reported by the
AP over the weekend.)
In Austria, 71% reported being happy or satisfied with their sex lives. In the US, that number dropped to 64.2%. But in Japan? Only 25.7% of respondents said they were sexually satisfied!
The University of Chicago folks think the rankings have to do with gender equality and the fact that people in more developed countries are better educated about sex and have a more satisfying sex life. Sure, but last I checked, Japan wasn't exactly an undeveloped country. And, at 25%, not even the *men* in Japan are sexually satisfied.
I don't think it's nearly that complicated. Maybe men in Japan need some assistance and it will be the next big market for ED drugs. (Surprise, surprise, Pfizer funded the study.) Maybe women just need to say to their partners something zen-like: "Listen, honey, it's about the journey, not the destination." Maybe they need better beds in Japan. I mean, who wants to do the horizontal mambo on a bamboo mat or lumpy futon.
I think the Japanese should do a study of their own. They should send a team of sexual researchers over to Austria and Spain to find out what Europeans know that they don't. Maybe it's the tapas or all that snow. The research team can help document best practices and bring them home again. I mean, they have snow in Japan -- and they have sushi, sort of like Japanese tapas, right? Maybe they all need to just relax, pour a couple of glasses of sake, get some scented candles, some of that warming gel, a sex-toy or two, and start improving their sex ranking. Hmmm, maybe this is about education afer all. I see a booming new market for college graduates in Japan. Forget teaching English, I want to teach *satisfaction*.
Rolling Stones 1; George Bush 0
I have had a thing for Mick Jagger ever since the 2001 Kevin MacDonald documentary
Being Mick. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at this mellow dad and slightly old English guy hanging out with his kids, writing music, and still hobnobbing with his pals.. (He was working on his solo album
Goddess in the Doorway.) The guy is just not the "larger than life" rock star we're used to in his onstage, lip-flapping, Satisfaction-screeching splendor. He seems to be a well-adjusted celebrity who seems to know how to deal with everything that comes with being a musician, plus he lives the life of a pretty ordinary English rich guy. Which is why I love him for this latest news.
The
Sun is reporting that Jagger is refusing to give up his hotel suite in Vienna to US President George Bush. Bush will be in town for a summit and Jagger will be there for a Rolling Stones concert. Jagger reserved the room first which doesn't mean the White House hasn't tried to get him to move so the President and his staff can have the entire hotel floor. (The Stones have most of it now.) Being President just doesn't command all the perks it used to, especially when you've lost so much respect in Europe (not to mention here at home.) What I love about Jagger is that this has nothing at all do with being a rock star (other than that it enables him to afford the suite) and everything to do with the fact that he really dislikes Bush. Sorry, George.
The Oklahoma-Bigfoot Connection?
You all know my current obsession with all things Travel Channel, and imagine my irritation with Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns was pre-empted for
Bigfootville, a documentary on the search for the ubiquitous bigfoot. But this one was all about sightings in Eastern Oklahoma! Who knew! Ada, Oklahoma and all up and down the river bottoms and wooded areas of the southeastern part of the state are apparently hotbeds for sightings of the large, hairy, and apparently smelly creature. I'm sure the Erudite Redneck will be all over this one since this part of the state is his home territory. It's all new to me. These big things would starve out in my part of the state.
My New Favorite Blog
SF Chron television critic Tim Goodman has started his own blog,
Tim Goodman, The Bastard Machine. (As someone on the WeLL said, as if 5 columns a week wasn't enough.) Lots of posts on the Sopranos, way too many on 24, and lots of yummy tidbits about shows I like.
This week's info? Love Monkey is back on TV briefly. Starting today, VH1 will show the unaired episodes.
Police Chase 12-year-old Driver
I have so many questions.
Why was a 12-year-old out at 4:30 a.m.?
How/why did he run from police...for 10 miles?
Nine-minutes to go 10 miles? That's better than 60 mph, right?
This happened in Carmel?
Oh, and...WHY WAS HE DRIVING A CAR?!!! I'm dying to know the whole story on this one. From
Indychannel.com: CARMEL, Ind. -- A 12-year-old boy was in critical condition Monday after leading officers on 10-mile car chase, police said. The pursuit ended Sunday morning in Carmel, a northern Indianapolis suburb, when the boy hit a tree, police said. A helicopter flew him to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Westfield police said.
A Westfield officer at 4:07 a.m. spotted a car traveling erratically near U.S. 31 and 216th Street, about 20 miles north of downtown Indianapolis, police said. The boy refused to pull over, leading Westfield officers and Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies on a nine-minute chase. He lost control of the car near 136th Street and U.S. 31 -- about 10 miles south of where police spotted him -- and struck the tree.
Monday Tidbits from Around the Bloggy World
"... and that readiness is very clear in Indianapolis." On the Cusp has an interview with Maxwell Anderson, the new director of the IMA.
CHOMP -- Whatalent: The Erudite Redneck has broken his Lenten fast and documented every CHOMP of that first greasy burger.
Always Look on the Bright Side! Foursquare 266 reports the national touring company for Spamalot will hit Indianapolis as part of the Broadway Series at the Murat next season. NI! NI!
Surprise Surprise! Maybe we're on to something with this Daylight Savings Time thing after all. Retail stores see jump in sales. Newsflash -- people actually get something done after work! From the IndyStar.
What the Hell Happened Last Night?!
What the hell did you people do to The Powers That Be to make them unleash that un-holy round of hell storms on us last night -- for the 2nd week in a row? Here I am, lounging on the couch reading a really bad novel when I hear *THONK* *CRASH* *THONK*. Golfballs are raining from the sky. The big ones which are 2-2.5 inches across are hitting the sidewalk and shattering. Car windows are breaking. The really huge ones are ricocheting between the buildings hitting windows -- that's the loud *THONK* I'm hearing. The noise on the roof is pretty disconcerting. I retreat from the windows to the main stairs in my apartment deciding upstairs isn't such a great place to be either.
It was over in 10 minutes. I settle in to a geeky night watching Derek Accorah channel olde English shopkeepers and murderers (this week's Ghost Towns set a record for possessions!), and damned if halfway through Most Haunted (about the time the "astral" is table tipping and turning a television on and off) the sirens go off again and the hail starts in again.
I'd chalk it up to the holy history of Good Friday, but I'm sure it has more to do with the State Supreme Court upholding the Voter ID Bill.
Update: And I just hung up with the insurance company.a) My poor car looks like someone took a baseball bat to it. The hood is especially dented up with big chunks of paint missing.
b) The building next door which still has all the old fashioned, large, paned windows is a hodgepodge of broken glass. (I can't imagine huge hail stones crashing in and skipping across the floor.) Our 95-year-old windows were replaced last summer with full modern storm windows and we had no breakage (although it wasn't for lack of the hail trying.)
c) There are lots of cars with plastic over broken windows all up and down Meridian between 32nd and south.
d) My insurance company (USAA) has so many car claims they gave me an appointment with the adjustor on Monday and said "look for the tent outside."
Full Dan Brown Verdict
For all you law geeks out there who haven't already seen this, Publishing News has a full PDF of the Dan Brown verdict.
Scroll to the end of the article.
Peonies, Indiana's Favorite, um, Flower.
Childish, yes, but it it made me laugh. Sent by a friend in Zionsville. He says the actual sign was up for about two hours before they, um, discovered their mistake. BTW, they still do have peonies. Fresh cut. $7.99. (There's a Passover joke in there somewhere, but I'm just not going there.)
Capel to Replace Sampson?
Some of us care less about Kelvin Sampson going to IU than who will replace him at the University of Oklahoma. The official position at Hoosiers Ate My Brain? Our two favorite teams are Oklahoma State and whoever's playing the hated OU Sooners.
Just like other papers,
the Daily Oklahoman uses the "breaking news" emails for really important news:
Report: Capel to be named OU hoops coach
ESPN.com is reporting that Virginia Commonwealth coach Jeff Capel will be named the next men's basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma.
The Met's Don Pasquale
Moving into obscurity here, I just have to vent about the elitist bullshit of a review in today's Wall Street Journal where Heidi Waleson reviews the performance earlier this week of
Don Pasquale at The Metropolitan Opera. She notes that the tenor singing the lead actually bowed out before the last act due to "allergies" and speculates it was because he was being upstaged by the lead soprano Anna Netrebko singing Norina. Whether or not Mr. Florez, the tenor, was so irked by Netrebko's supposed on-stage antics that he bowed out mid performance, is unknown. But, Ms. Waleson's main indictment of "hot soprano" Netrebko's performance? "Regrettably, the opening night audience loved this 'Don Pasquale'".
Well, God forbid an audience should enjoy an opera performance that Ms. Waleson herself didn't like! She seems to feel that the opera world's praise of Ms. Netrebko is somehow less deserved because the singer has "made a few questionable choices, such as an absurd DVD of opera-aria music videos released last year." Look, like it or not, opera is one of the only performing arts in the US right now with growing audiences. And it's not because companies and audiences are embracing the elitist attitudes that opera is only for the "cuhl-tured" with money. What Ms. Waleson may not have considered is that there may have been first time opera goers in the audience that night patronizing the Met because of that "regrettable" DVD of aria music videos. Ms. Waleson would have us believe that you must be a musical snob who loathes overacting and looks down upon fun in order to be *worthy* of opera -- and that this
Don Pasquale was sub-par because if it. Ptui. Good for the audience who applauded the low-brow Netrebko. I hope they keep coming back -- if for no other reason than to annoy Ms. Waleson.
Catching up...Again
Once again, I'm behind. At least my breaks in blogging are shorter. I have a million blog posts... in my head. Here's what's going on in my world:
Yoga: Good stretches, relaxing breathing, lots of incense.
Sun: The time has changed. More sun! Yea! Plus, bonus: It stopped raining.
Technology: Hello, new computer! Hello, XP Pro! Hello, cool, huge flat screen monitor. (My business partner who pulled all my old data off a 6-year-old Gateway hard drive says "
'braingirl's' Computer Ate My Brain".)
Surveillance: My apartment building is putting up new video surveillance cameras in the courtyards and grassy areas. Well, you say, you must feel lucky they're looking after your security. Well, I'd say, I would, except the reason they're putting them up is to catch the *pet owners who won't scoop after their dogs poop!*
Ahhh, I love this time of year when it just starts getting warm and the best afternoons are those spent with all the windows open in the house.
