Musical Monday

This week for Musical Monday, instead of the typical old school or Broadway tunes, I figured why not showcase some new blood. So, please enjoy "Fireflies" by Owl City.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy 5/30

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Quote of the Week

Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they're open

Pathetic, just pathetic

When I was growing up, I loved getting up on Saturday morning and watching cartoons. One of my faves in the early 80s was Hulk Hogan's Rock N Wrestling, even though I wasn't into wrestling at the time. That came later.

Thinking back to how much I looked up to Hulk makes this story and pretty much everything that has gone on with that man since then, just plain pathetic.

Hulk Hogan is suing over a commercial for Cocoa Pebbles cereal.

The Hulkster says Post Foods stole his likeness to depict him suffering humiliating defeat to Bam-Bam of "Flintstones" fame.

Terry Bollea (Hulk's real name) filed the lawsuit in Tampa District Court alleging misappropriation of name and likeness and false endorsement.

In the commercial, a character known as "Hulk Boulder" with long blond hair and a blond Fu Manchu mustache takes part in a "Cocoa Smashdown" against various "Flintstones" characters. He defeats Fred and Barney in the ring, begins to reward himself with a bowl of cereal pulled from his championship belt, but then is ambushed by Bam-Bam. According to the complaint, "Hulk Boulder is shown humiliated and cracked into pieces with broken teeth, with the closing banner 'Little Pieces...BIG TASTE!'"

Hogan points out that he wrestled in the late 1970s as "Hulk Boulder" during his transition from Brutus Beefcake's tag team partner to WWF icon. The complaint lists all sorts of tidbits about his career, such as the fact that he was the most-requested celebrity of the 1980s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and had the single biggest 900 phone number from 1991 to 1993.

Hogan's attorney, Joseph Bain, is clearly trying to show his client's celebrity endorsement is worth something, although he left out the part where Hogan extolled his Hulkamaniacs to eat their vitamins every day

I realize that there is this thing about defamation of character and all, but there comes a point where you just have to let it go and laugh. I've seen this commercial a few times, and I didn't even think of Hulk Hogan until I heard about this. Here, you be the judge...



If he must sue then for anything, it would be for the name, since apparently he did use the name Hulk Boulder, but to sue just because he's pissed they used his likeness. WTF?!?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, in today's society we are too quick to sue over little things like this, especially those that are washed up like Hogan. Such a shame. It's pathetic, just plain pathetic!

Retro Commercial Friday

you know you wanna sing along...

Winding down

So, my Entrecard days are coming to a close...at least for the summer. It appears as if this is none too soon.

The past few days in my inbox, there have been these blogs that are obviously nothing more than spam/virus blogs. It's about 20-30 of them, right there together. If they are real blogs, then that person is just missing out, because I'd rather not take the chance on opening them up and getting a virus or something.

In other news, this time next month I'll have a new desktop. The old one hasn't worked since Hurricane Gustav came in here and knocked power out for a week. We believe it got fried, but it was acting a bit wonky before then, and apparently, at one time, one of the neighbors tried to install a cooling fan and did it wrong, so that may have been an issue, as well.

Either way, it'll be good to have a new comp and clear up a ton of memory from my laptop.

So, in these last days of EC, I feel like I've already checked out and its just like going through the motions now. Sad, but true. Oh well, a few more days won't hurt.

Scary

If there is one thing I have learned in reading various blogs, its that we all have different political views. There is nothing wrong with that. Its like preferring chicken to fish. No big. However, when folks start thinking that textbooks are too liberal, there is a problem.

I'm speaking of this issue down in Texas where they are proposing changes to the facts because they are too "left-leaning". WTF?!?

Texas Board of Education votes to change textbook curriculum and creates a controversy. Friday, in a 9-5 vote the Texas Board of Education approved changes to elementary, middle school and high school curriculum to bring what they called balance to it. The new values are called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

"What we have is the history profession, the experts, seem to have a left-wing tilt, so what we were doing is trying to restore some balance to the standards," board member Don McLeroy said.

Because the state of Texas has 4.7 million public school students out of the 55 million nationwide, many textbook publishers adapt the textbooks after needs of Texas because they are one of the major buyers.

Many news reports state that these changes in Texas may affect every state and every American, including Utah.

The board voted to approve discussions of the "solvency of long term entitlements, such as Social Security and Medicare"; and an examination of why "the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America and guaranteed its free exercise by saying that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and compare and contrast this to the phrase 'separation of church and state.' "

They also voted "to add a direct reference to the election of President Barack H. Obama."

Students will be required to become familiar with Thomas Jefferson’s political philosophies, according to CNN.

I don't see what the reasoning is to change textbooks. They've done just well all these years. Why mess with a good thing?

I'm not sure which is scarier, the fact that they're changing this, this guy's warped views, or the fact that this will affect textbooks all around the country.

Musical Monday

In honor of the end of the school year, please enjoy Alice Cooper's "School's Out"

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy 5/23

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Quote of the Week

It takes an entire village to raise a child.

Retro Commercial Friday

It feels so good

Ah, the last day of school. As a kid, I loved this day, and hated it at the same time. Many of the people I had grown close to over the past 9 months I wouldn't see for another 3, some would move away or head off to different schools and such, but such is the way of the world. On the other hand, its the last day of school. AS Bugs Bunny would say, "No more teachers, no more book, no more teacher's dirty looks!"

Today is the last day for the students. I can just imagine their elation. However, us teachers still have 3 days of meetings to deal with, but even so, today is it. Well, actually for me, it ended Monday. I had to actually give a final for band!!!! WTF?!? That's a topic for another time, though.

I can say that it does feel great to know that this time next week, I'll be able to relax a bit. Of course, it won't last long, as I did promise the little woman to find a summer job of sorts, but I'll worry about that next week.

For now, I want to enjoy this last day of school and then wait for my vacation to start.

Update and the future

As my loyal readers will know, last week was not a highlight for me. I want to thank you all for your support, though. Yes, I may not know any of you in person, but your kind words helped me through a rough patch.

To update the situation, we are working things out. Things aren't back to normal, yet, but given time, I believe they will be. It's just going to take some time.

Now, I've made a decision about what to do with this blog and Entrecard. If you'll recall a few weeks back, I said that I was going to leave EC for the summer and did not know what the fate of this blog was going to be.

Well, here's the verdict. I'm still leaving EC for the summer. You'll still be able to drop if you like, but I won't reciprocate until after Labor Day, if I make the decision to ultimately keep it after my "vacation" from dropping.

I'm not going to stop anyone from advertising here just because I'm leaving, so feel free to buy up all the space you want. I'm sure it'll be pretty cheap in a couple of weeks.

Now, what is going to happen with my blog? Nothing. I will still be blogging on a regular basis, complete with my weekly features "Eye Candy", "Musical Monday", "Quote of the Week", and "Retro Commercial Friday".

Once again, I want to thank you all for your support during my trying time last week. I only wish I could return the favor if any of you ever get in a similar spot (let's hope not, though).

Musical Monday

Last week, we lost a true icon and jazz legend, Lena Horne. Please enjoy her rendition of "Stormy Weather"

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Eye Candy 5/16

Due to the events of this week, there will be no eye candy this week. Pending a major upheaval, it should be back next week, though.

Enjoy your weekend!

Quote of the Week

Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.

Retro Commercial Friday

Quote of the Day

A corn dog is a hot dog with a delicious sweater

3D Movies: Profit or Piracy

So, we've all seen the increase in the number of movies getting a "3D-Treatment" lately. Just in 2010 alone, we've had the following movies (released or upcoming) in "3D" regardless if they were originally intended for 3D or not:

Alice in Wonderland
Clash of the Titans
How to Train Your Dragon
Shrek Forever After
Toy Story 3
Despicable Me
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Step Up 3D
Piranha 3-D
Legend of the Guardians
Alpha and Omega
Jackass 3D
Saw VII
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Tron Legacy

With many more to come in 2011.

But the question that seems to come to everyone's mind lately is: "Is this necessary?"

Well, some would argue that "Yes, it's necessary. We need the profits." But if that's true and the latest trend of 3D movies is simply because of profits, then why are they limited to the number of theaters that can show 3D movies?

Do we (The viewing audience) really have access to the 3D theaters that people tend to think we do? Most of the theaters aren't equipped to show 3D in really good quality because they are physically designed to show 2D movies. The seating, the sound system, the size of the screen, the projection equipment. Most of these items are still designed to project (and view) a flat-image (2D) on a screen. Sure, they might be nice and comfortable and even highly enjoyable theaters in their own rights, but they are physically limited to show 2D movies for now. Not everyone has the projection equipment to properly show a 3D movie, especially now that a lot of projectors are digital. While their image quality is sharp and detailed, they just aren't quite sophisticated enough to project the image properly to get truly 3D images. It's one of the things that made Avatar's film-making techniques so interesting. The cameras were designed to take into account the limited abilities of the projectors that were going to be showing the movie in 3D.

(It's getting so bad, that even playboy is going 3D

But it's also a matter of "coverage" as well. If the main reason that people are looking forward to 3D movies to make a bigger profit from movies, then why are they limited in the areas they can show 3D movies? IMAX is one of the biggest 3D theaters, but they aren't everywhere. In fact, if you look closely at the IMAX theater locations you see a massive disparity regarding their ability to show a movie to everyone. I'll use Charlotte NC as my example of what I mean. Charlotte NC, is reportedly the biggest city between Atlanta GA and Washington DC (Some say Baltimore). Yet, there are a total of 3 IMAX theaters within 50 Miles of the center Charlotte, and only 2 of those are capable of showing 3D movies. Raliegh (State Capital of North Carolina) only has ONE IMAX theater, and yet it's the second biggest city in the state. Clearly, if they are looking for 3D movies to earn a bigger profit for the movies, they can't rely on IMAX theaters to get the money.

So, is it really profits? Movie theaters have raised their prices for various reasons. The economy is something that has to be taken into account with ticket-prices, as are a variety of factors. But everyone's assumption from movies like Avatar, Up, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and others, appears to believe that a movie in 3D is justified in increasing the ticket-prices to see the movie.

But maybe there's something more than just "making a profit" in regards to 3D movies. Maybe it's more to do with the fact that 3D movies are harder to pirate than your typical 2D movies. As it stands right now, a 2D movie can easily be pirated and leaked onto the internet without any problems with image-quality or wasted "conversion time". However, when you have a 3D movie, it makes it a little more difficult for pirates to get a good quality-image of the movie and leak it to the internet. Or rather, it's going to be of a "lesser quality" than the one you will see in the theaters, making the pirated copy seem even less enjoyable (or likely to be viewed online).

As good as the current equipment is for pirating movies, they don't have the technology available to properly take into account the 3D conversion for now. Their images seem to be either blurry or fuzzy, or in some cases doubled due to the 3D technology to convert the image. Back in the "older days", this was better seen with the Red/Blue image-overlap that required the old 3D glasses to watch the movie. When someone tried to copy that image without the glasses, the image was often going to cause people headaches. Today's technology includes such features as "filtering" the image (Removing the need for the Red/Blue glasses) or by "synchronized" projection (different frame rates that are filtered through the glasses) or by "depth projection" (controlling where the image is focused in relationship to the screen itself). Because of these factors, it's virtually impossible for a person to copy the converted 3D digital film to a basic 2D image without loosing some picture quality.

So, which one is it? Is 3D being used to make a profit because movies like Avatar and Up were really big successes that people paid to see? Or is 3D used to prevent pirates from leaking a movie onto the internet early, as was saw Iron Man 2? Or is it really a combination of the two factors? Is it possible that by using 3D movies, you have a lower chance of having someone pirate your movie and get a bigger profit when it's shown in more expensive theaters?

Well, honestly I can't answer for Hollywood directly. Personally I do think it's a little bit of "both" options. They use 3D to help cut back on piracy of films while getting a bigger "opening" in theaters upon it's release. As we've seen with movies like Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans and others, that "opening weekend" is really needed. Because as it is now, more movie tend to have great opening weekends and then drop in box-office figures. Although, in some respects I think that has to do more with the movie itself than if it's in 3D or 2D. If the movie is good, it's going to stick around and make money. If it's not that great, it's going to open big and then drop off after everyone who wanted to see it has finally seen it.

But for now, expect more movies in 3D --- even if they don't need to be in 3D to begin with.

Patterns

For those of you that still watch television (there are so few of us these days), I want you to think of the (current) shows you really like.

Now, think of the shows that are really popular and that your friends watch. Do they match up?

I know that they don't with mine. Save for a couple, mos of us watch the shows that end up being canceled.

I say this because it brings to question what the Nielsen boxes really measure. Sure they're supposed to tell networks which shows are being watched by a select group of people, but of those groups, how many match up with your group of fiends?

Not many in my group, that's for sure. So, with the rash of shows the past 3 or 4 years that have been canceled without really getting a chance because networks have been relying on these boxes to tell them what's going on with folks' viewing patterns, one has to wonder...how accurate are they?

If I were to take my group of friends and gauge their viewing patterns, I can guarantee it would be totally different than what networks think is popular.

Could this be the end?

So, the little woman and I had a fight. Well, more like she talked and I listend. Apparently, she has come to the decision that our relationship is no longer a relationship and that we've become roomats that sleep in the same bed.

I won't deny that our relationship has gotten a bit stale lately, but I wouldn't go that far.

What this boils down to is that she pretty much wants to end it. This would not be a problem, except that we live together, so a break up means someone has to go. Since I moved in to her house, that means me.

Now, nothing is official yet. We've had fights like these before, but never one of this nature.

Last time we had one was like a couple years ago before Xmas, and it had something to do with student loans.

I love her with all my heart, and I hope that we stay together, but I get the feeling that this may indeed be the end.

If that is the case, I may not be blogging for awhile, so if I disappear, you will know that we've seperated.

I just needed to get this off my chest and give you all a heads up. Thanks for readng!

Musical Monday

This week's Musical Monday is a little more modern day. Enjoy Shakira's "She Wolf"

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy Mother's Day edition

This week's edition of eye candy will focus solely on the hot moms. Next week, we will return to our normal selections, and don't worry, come Father's Day, the guys will get the same treatment.

It hasn't been easy narrowing these down like this, but I think I did a good job.

Hot mom from TV: Lois Griffin

Before I get grief for this selection, let me explain. This category for hot mothers on TV. The fact that she's animated aside, Lois is quite the hot mom. Oh, and this my list, so :P

Hot mom from the music world: Shania Twain

There were many to choose from to earn this spot, but in the end I chose Shania. Now, I'm not a fan of country music. As a matter of fact, I hate the stuff, but I am a fan of beauty, and Shania has loads of that.

Hot mom from the modeling world: Cindy Crawford

In this day and time where models are lucky if they weigh as much as the clothes their wearing, its always nice to remember that it wasn't that long ago that the likes of Cindy Crawford were skinny, but healthy. She still has that figure, even after giving birth to two children.

Hot mom from the movies: Stifler's Mom from American Pie (Jennifer Coolidge)

I had trouble picking this one, there are so many from Halle Berry to Kate Beckinsale, and all those in between, but then I thought about the movie American Pie, which is responsible for bringing the world the term "MILF", but it was Jennifer Coolidge who gave life to that word, so she gets this spot, even though she isn't a real mother.

Classic/retro hot mom: Morticia Adams from The Adams Family

In the classic category, it was a toss up, but finally came down to Morticia and Claire Huxtable. With a flip of a coin, Morticia is the winner.

Songs for Mother's Day

As it is Mother's Day, I feel I should share a trio of songs that are for the Mother's out there.

First off, we have Boyz II Men's "A Song for Mama" This one makes my mom cry every time she hears it.



Next we have a touching song from the rap world, 2Pac's "Dear Mama". One of the few rap songs my mom actually likes.



Finally, we have "I'll Always Love My Mama" by The Intruders. No explanation needed.



Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Happy Mother's Day

Quote of the Week

Television nudity is accepted in Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia. Why not the United States?

Retro Commercial Friday

Curves are beautiful...but ABC and Fox think they're obscene, apparently

There has been an uproar the past couple of weeks about this commercial for Lane Bryant.



Now, after watching that, did you see anything obscene about it? I know I didn't. Of course, I'm a red-blooded, straight male who likes big breasts, so I'm a little biased, but that's beside the point. Fact is, she is a beautiful, curvy woman who isn't stick thin.

Apparently, though, this ad is obscene. At least Fox and ABC seem to think so, because both have banned it, although I did see it this week near the end of American Idol on Fox.

They're "defense" for banning this ad is that it shows too much skin. Yeah...whatever!

Sure, she's showing some skin, but this is a lingerie ad, and honestly, she's way more covered up than those twigs with implants you see in the Victoria's Secret commercials, or the sequined cloth costumes seen on Dancing With the Stars (just to name a couple of examples).

This brings up the question...was this ad banned because she's a bigger woman? I hate to go there, because I feel taking that route is almost as bad as playing the race card, but it sure seems that way.

For whatever reason, the powers that be at these two networks feel that we would be offended by this ad. As I said before, I'm far from offended. If anything, the constant bombardment of twigs in ads is more offensive. The only thing offensive about this commercial for me, is that she covered up at the end!

Like many out there, the way this has been handled by ABC and Fox makes me lose what little respect I have for both networks. I'm curious to know what you think about this, though. Are you offended? Is it too much skin? Is it a weight issue?

Quote for the day

How did the "keep off the grass" signs get there?

Decision

As my faithful readers are more than aware, I have been toying around with the idea of leaving Entrecard. Well, this week, I've noticed a lot of my normal droppers/dropees stating that they will be leaving because of viruses, worms, and such that they have picked up during the course of dropping.

For this reason, I will be following them. However, I am not going to leave the site altogether...yet. At the end of the month, I'm planning on going on a hiatus for the summer.

I'm still working out what my plans are for this blog, but I wanted to give you all a heads up.

Musical Monday

Hapy Musical Monday, everyone! This week, I'm gonna take you back to the 80s with an R & B classic from the Whispers. Please enjoy "Rocksteady"!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy 5/2

Female Hottie: Ashley Graham

Our first hottie for the week is currently at the center of a controversy because a couple of networks refuse to air her Lane Bryant commercial because they feel it shows too much skin. I will be blogging about this before the end of the week, just haven't gotten around to it, yet. Plus-size model Ashley Graham is quite fetching, though. In a world where it appears as if women have to be stick thin to be beautiful, it is great to see a real woman with real curves and real beauty.

Male Hottie: Josh Groban

This week's male hottie comes to us from the music world. Josh Groban isn't as well known as say Usher, Sting, Justin Timberlake, and others, but he does garner respect. In the short amount of time he's been around, Josh has released 5 albums, 4 of which made it to the top with 2 #1s and a #2. Women swoon over this guy's voice for some strange reason.

Random hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Holly Valance

Our random hottie comes from the God-awful movie National Lampoon's Pledge This!. Holly Valance is an Australian actress/singer who is best known in the states for her roles in Taken and D.O.A.: Dead or Alive, as well as guest appearances on Valentine, Entourage, CSI: NY, a memorable 5 episode stint on Prison Break. Who knows what the future holds for her, but I'm hoping we see much more of her. Be on the lookout for her in 4 upcoming movies Luster, Red Herring, Surviving Georgia, Big Momma's Boy, as well as a return to TV at some point in time.

MILF: Gina Torres

Gina Torres is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood today, in my opinion. With roles in everything from Xena, Pushing Daisies, Cleopatra 2525, Firefly, Gossip Girl and her movie roles The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Serenity, I Think I Love My Wife, as well as voice work (mostly in Justice League cartoons), Gina has done everything but sing and dance. She and hubby Laurence Fishbourne welcomed a baby girl in 2007.

Classic/Retro Hottie: Bernadette Peters

Our classic hottie for this week is the divine Bernadette Peters. I honestly could not remember where I first saw until I did a little research and remembered that I first became aware of her in Annie. Bernadette has had some roles on both the big and small screen, but she is best known for her time on Broadway, much in the way we think of Kristin Chenoweth today. I never realized it before, but she lent her voice to Rita in the "Rita and Runt" segments of Animaniacs. The woman can do it all.Currently she is working with her numerous charities and writing a second children's book.

Quote of the Week

Fact of life...After Monday & Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F !!

April Top Droppers

I want to take a little time and give a word of thanks to all that continue to read and drop on my humble little blog, and acknowledge my top droppers! You are all appreciated!

Sparkle
The Way I See It
Hugz Before You Go
CAP News
AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles
Everyday Living
Rambling Stuff
Nut Case 1
Funky Town Disco Music
Losing It - Getting Fit