HAPPY HALLOWEEN (...cont'd)

Leaked still from Joel Schumacher's live-action Snow White remake (starring Rachel Weisz):

HAPPY HALLOWEEN (cont'd...) & MULTICULTURALISM WATCH

In Londonistan:

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A SCHOOL was yesterday accused of MAKING teachers dress up as Asians for a day – to celebrate a Muslim festival.

Kids at the 257-pupil primary have also been told to don ethnic garb even though most are Christians.

The morning assembly will be open to all parents – but dads are BARRED from a women-only party in the afternoon because Muslim husbands object to wives mixing with other men(!!!). Just two members of staff – a part-time teacher and a teaching assistant – are Muslim.

Yesterday a relative of one of the 39 others said: “Staff have got to go along with it – or let’s face it, they would be branded racist." [me: sadly, that's true...]

“Who would put their job on the line? They have been told they have to embrace the day to show their diversity. But they are not all happy.”

The day aims to belatedly mark Eid, the end of Ramadan.

Sally Bloomer, head of Rufford primary school in Lye, West Midlands, insisted: “I have not heard of any complaints. It’s all part of a diversity project to promote multi-culturalism.” (The Sun)
---

HAPPY HALLOWEEN (cont'd)

Today is Peter Jackson's birthday (He's 46). How perfect is that? The fantasy and Fangoria freak was born on the day of all days that the macabre mobs value most!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

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"The bourgeoisie will remember my carbuncles until their dying day," Marx told Friedrich Engels in a letter from 1867.
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And thus communism was born! Could it be so simple as to pinpoint Marxism down to the fact that Der Karl had a pizza face and was thus rejected sexually by women (or men...)?

Probably not, but it's fun to think about... as a British professor has done:

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Karl Marx, who complained of excruciating boils, actually suffered from a chronic skin disease with known psychological effects that may well have influenced his writings, a British expert said on Tuesday.

[...]

"In addition to reducing his ability to work, which contributed to his depressing poverty, hidradenitis greatly reduced his self-esteem," said Shuster, who published his findings in the British Journal of Dermatology.

"This explains his self-loathing and alienation, a response reflected by the alienation Marx developed in his writing." (Reuters)
---

Talk about your grudges!!! Sheesh. I know it can be tough to be made fun of for your looks, but to get revenge by unleashing an economic philosophy that crippled societies and killed hundreds of millions?!?!? Dang, Karl. He's totally like that villain in comic books/cartoons that vows to destroy the world because nobody was nice to him when he was a kid.

This actually explains a lot about the behavior of Hugo Chavez.

THE NEW MEXICAN VICE PRESIDENT

Tonight, at the Democratic POTUS debate, Hillary got pounded by everyone except... Bill Richardson:

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"With the crescendo of criticism of the former first lady at a fever pitch, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson at one point questioned the "holier-than-thou" attitude of her critics.

"It's bothering me because it's pretty close to personal attacks that we don't need," Richardson said. (Reuters)
---

Did that just give credence to the buzz surrounding a possible Clinton/Richardson '08 ticket??? He stood up and protected his lady!

Although, there is still buzz of a Jim Webb Veep too (I think this would be the smartest move... he's blue dog, yet critical of the Iraq war). Plus, Webb just has that VP vibe to him... you know?

And those two guys differ in their illegal immigration stance. Webb is pretty tough on enforcement and Richardson is pretty soggy. I guess it will come down to where Hillary wants to be on the issue. WILD CARD: Richardson speaks Spanish.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH (PART 6)

P.S. - In case you're wondering, here is the lineup of actresses (and the actresses whose shoes they must fill) for the The Women remake:

Eva Mendes = Joan Crawford
Meg Ryan = Norma Shearer
Annette Benning = Rosalind Russell

Uh.... good luck with that, ladies....

"THE COURTESAN HAS SUNG" - SUNSET RUBDOWN

I don't know what "courtesan" means, or what a "courtesan" is. Is it someone that's courteous? Eh... I'll look it up later. The reason I haven't looked it up is because it doesn't matter. It couldn't change my feelings for the song. Song? I guess it's a proper song. It starts somewhere in between tracks #3 and #5 on the new Sunset Rubdown album, Random Spirit Lover. (That title is an appropriate way to describe Spencer Krug's approach to song...)

Not that lyrics need to be good - or even make sense, like Hurricane Chris' "A Bay Bay" - for me to like the song, but I generally like to have an idea as to what they're saying. For instance, one of my favorite songs this year is The New Porno's "Mutiny, I Promised You". Sample lyric:

"Heartbeat, you abandoned searches/Your lost ride/You're in my lost country now lady/Sweethearts in the crosstown wild/You don't let go/To the new live history goes with me."

Ok, cool, whatevs. But it totally jams!

And so does "The Courtesan Has Sung". Or maybe "jams" isn't the right word, but flies?... or soars, yeah... it soars!... and 70% of the time I find myself making up the words,... and it ain't no thang!

Krug uses his voice more and more as an instrument, now. In the percussive sense, and in place of instruments he may hear in his head but doesn't have lying around the room (...or that haven't been invented yet). He goes: "Oh UH oh Uh oh ooohhh OH oH oh...", blowing notes and writing melodies in mid air like a composer. Krug has real, beaded, forehead-sweat talent. We need more of him, and less or Devendra and Joanna (just typing their names is irritating...). Theirs is just a costumed parlor game, a porch swing molestation of melody and craft.

"BUT THAT'S NOT MY PENIS!"

The quote in the title of this post isn't one you hear too often in someone's self-defense, so when it is used I think we need to grab it and run with it. The story that is, not the ...

The Australian candidate of the Family First Party got busted for some not quite "family" type pictures over the weekend.

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Sydney music teacher Andrew Quah, 21, admitted photographs showing his penis and circulating widely on gay websites had embarrassed his party and made his candidacy untenable.

"But that's not my penis," Quah told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, adding one of the images may have been digitally altered.

"I might have been drunk off my face, or my political enemies might have drugged me," Quah said. "It was a mistake that I would not have committed had I been of right mind. All I know, I have been humiliated." (Reuters)
---

See... I don't think - at this point - he's so concerned about "the penis" damaging his campaign because that's already done, I think he's concerned because "the penis" isn't very... how you say? ... impressive, and he doesn't want his reputation as "a man" being tarnished.

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Quah, nicknamed "Australia's Smallest Loser" in a parody of a popular television series after the photos came to light, had been a member of Family First for 11 months, de Fombelle said.
---

Oi! Sorry about that my man. I've always heard that about the men down under, though.

WORLD SERIES: PREMATURE EVALUATION

It's over already (again...).

I sure wish the Red Sox would let the Series go more than 4 games (again...). I can't take another Series sweep. It's so anti-climactic! It's like sneaking the porno past your parents only to shoot before the first scene with "the star" comes up. [NOTE: how come straight porn only gives you one full length scene with "the star"? You generally get an abbreviated scene/tease near the beginning, but it's usually a lesbo scene which is soooo 1997. Like, are guys still into that?!?!]

But it's partially the Rockies fault, this year. Game 1 was a joke, but Game 2 saw wasted opportunities, and Game 3 saw some weak-ass managing by Clint Hurdle. Ex: Why didn't Hurdle have Todd Helton steal second after he singled in the 7th??? Is it me, or was that a no-brainer that Hurdle effed-up??? Okajima was on the mound, and he's got an extremely slow release. Plus, he was throwing offspead junk!!

Yes. Okajima struck out the next two batters, and got the third to ground out, but I'm a big believer in scenario head games. If Helton stole second with no outs, Okajima would've been rattled even more than he already was after the Holliday home run. But after he struck out the first batter he was back in the zone... inning over. (you don't get many opportunities with guys like Okajima).

Oh well. I guess it's officially football season now. I love my Houston Texans, but they're still just barely above average. Plus, they play in San Diego tomorrow and the Chargers are gonna have the football karma gods on their side because of the fires. *SIGH*........

p.s. Hey Astros, when Okajima's contract is up next year, go sign him!

RENDITION

If you're looking for some provocative anti-war dissent in your films, then 2007 hasn't been your year. Music has been the place to go: From Bruce Springsteen to Spoon to Jay-Z, pop songwriters have made the war on terror personal, taking political stances that are thoughtful instead of mailed-in.

Filmmakers, on the other hand, are making product that they think they're supposed to. A Mighty Heart and In The Valley of Elah ripped off headlines and glued 'em to the screen without filtering them through an original artistic eye. These are films that not only presume they're right, but that if you disagree - and how could you disagree?!?! - you're a monster. Their propaganda is as black-and-white as the policy they accuse their neo-conservative counterparts of dishing out.

Rendition is the latest snoozer. While it doesn't say "based on...", it's likely that director Gavin Hood and screenwriter Kelly Sane had the case of Maher Arar in mind when they made their film. Arar was captured by Canadian mounties, handed over to the U.S. on allegations he had ties to Al Qaeda, and then sent to Syria where he was likely tortured. Maher was later released without charge.

Rendition attempts to lobby for it's anti-war stance on that lone incident. Disgracefully, it also suggests that Islamic extremism is the result of torture as interrogation technique (another "Blame America First" answer to a centuries old problem...). Never has the "high-atop-a-mansion-looking-down" world view of the Hollywood elite been on such ridiculous display.

The worst case scenario cinema of Rendition is secondarily pushed through its stereotypical casting. Reese Witherspoon (America's blond, blue-eyed sweetheart?), plays Izzy, a sweet, pregnant, soccer mom married to an Arab-American who gets fingered by the evil white Republican spook, Corinne Whitman (Streep) - who just happens to be rude to her Hispanic maid as well. Over in north Africa, Jake Gyllenhall is the CIA agent with a heart of gold ("this is my first torture case" he snidely says to his boss), coming off like the cute Donnie Darko with a clearance badge. This silliness peaks when Witherspoon gets her "GIVE ME BACK MY SON!" moment when she screams "TELL ME WHERE HE IS!!!" as the guards drag her away.

Next up: Lions For Lambs. If you haven't seen the trailer, Tom Cruise reprises his "Did you order a code red!!" from A Few Good Men when he says to Streep (again) "Do you want to win the war on terror? Yes, or no? ..... YES ... or, NO?!?!".

INTEREXTRATERRESTRIAL MARRIAGE

So what's up with the new AVP movie? (That's Alien Vs. Predator for you people out there living real, adult lives...)

Is the story supposed to be that Alien and Predator made love in space and then their babies invade Earth? Cuz look at this below picture:

It's a Predalien!

My wife and I saw the trailer last weekend in front of 30 Days of Night, but we had some MEGA "wtf ?!?" looks on our faces the whole time and didn't pay attention to the plot.

All I wanna know is who's the TOP and who's the BOTTOM? My money is on Predator being the top. Although... the "dreads" on Predator might mean that it's a natural bottom. Cuz you could really grab onto those locks and go to town... or, I mean Alien could.

Ew... and what if the really kinky Aliens use that Lil' Alien in their mouths for special positions!!! FREAKY!!!

NORTH AMERICAN SCUM (PART 4)

Nonie Darwish tried to give a speech at Cal-Berkely, and the "radicals" did the only thing they know how: shout obscenities & "racist" charges - at a woman who's experienced shaira oppression first hand, mind you - because they never have a rational point to make.

I tried to post the video directly, but the provider isn't as fancy as YouTube quite yet. So please click HERE to watch it.

THURSDAY MORNING HEARTACHE

[NOTE: While reading this post, imagine that Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" is playing in the background.]

This is not what I needed first thing in the morning!!! I haven't even had my coffee yet!!!!

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On Tuesday afternoon, they arrived together at a party at Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman's home in Dallas – at which guests previewed the video game Guitar Hero III for Xbox 360.

Bush didn't play, says a source, but enjoyed watching Romo's competitive streak in action: "She was laughing at him when he screwed up a little bit in the beginning. They had a good time. They seem cute together."
---

As funny as it would be if that "Bush" was George W., it wasn't.... it was my Sophia!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!

If you didn't know... Sophia Bush is on my "shortlist". You know, the five you can crush on without your spouse/partner getting upset with you. She's so darling. Adorable. She's ready to bloom into a career and then THIS LIL' PUNK HAS TO COME IN AND SCREW THINGS UP!!

If you didn't know... that "PUNK" is Tony Romo, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. I hate him. Here's the only explanation you need : I hate the Dallas Cowboys + Tony Romo plays for the Dallas Cowboys = I hate Tony Romo.

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At one point, Romo tried his luck over the Internet against Carmen Electra, who was having a similar gathering in L.A. "I think she actually beat me," Romo told PEOPLE at the party.
---

OMG...what a bean brain!

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The pair sat next to each other the entire night while laughing and talking with their table full of pals. "When they were leaving and chatting with friends and some staff at the bar, Tony was hugging Sophia from behind, and she put her arms around him as well," adds the source. (People)
---

BLARGHHHH!! Does she know that he has a micropenis, hunts endangered species, and watches Dancing With The Stars? (to be fair... I'm not 100% about that last part...).

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE

Susanne Bier has a great movie somewhere in her. Things We Lost In The Fire is good, a step up from last year's promising After the Wedding. In fact, it's not too far a step at all - maybe just a side shuffle - because Things We Lost... could easily be retitled After the Funeral. Bier seems to take interest in the aftermaths of major familial shake-ups, but she does so without the requisite malaise and loathsome posing we've come to expect from from our stateside dramas.

Named after the 2001 album by Mormon rockers Low, Things We Lost In The Fire is a fresh take on the "spousal loss" drama, just like Low's album was a fresh rethinking of their sound. You can forget about the bad taste - momentarily at least - left in your mouth from low-end films of this genre like 21 Grams and A Mighty Heart. Take Bier's film as a response to that screen snot. (The stain on cinema left by directors like Innaritu and Winterbottom almost preconditioned me to expect Things We Lost... to take a despairing turn, but it didn't...)

Bier distills the drama down, yet keeps your interest peaked, by relying on close-ups and MEGA close-ups (she's a fan of eyeballs and eyelids) of her cast. Everyone does well with it... even the children. This technique, relying more on body language than dialogue, speeds up the story and connects the audience more directly to the drama than a wordy script would have (and who needs words when you have actors that can physically express loss?).

The end of Things We Lost... ends too many times, and Halle Berry screws up a would-be crucial scene with some serious diva histrionics, but Duchovny, John Carroll Lynch, and Del Toro all shine. Oh... and there's an excellent Captain Beefheart song mixed in for good measure.

IDIOT(S) OF THE DAY

A teacher in the small town of Tusculo,TX is facing possible criminal charges for having a Cormac McCarthy book on his ninth grade reading list.

Yep! It's true!:

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A popular English teacher has been placed on paid leave — and faces possible criminal charges — after a student's parents complained to police that a ninth-grade class reading list contained a book about a murderer who has sex with his victims' bodies.

Kaleb Tierce, 25, is being investigated for allegedly distributing harmful material to a minor after the student selected Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy's Child of God off the list and read it.

---

The majority of people in Tusculo are on the teacher's side, so this will probably fizzle out into nothing, but think about the type of parents that felt the right thing to do was get the police involved???

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[In the past,] parents have sought to ban various books, including John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, as well as books on Cuba or gay penguins, according to the American Library Association. Last year, schools or public libraries received nearly 550 requests to remove books, the Chicago-based association said.

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A book on gay penguins is cool, but Cuban penguins?!? Umm.... Helllllll no!! I would push to get that book removed too!

FRED THOMPSON MAKES A MOVE

A lot of critics gave Fred Thompson a hard time for ass-draggin' his way into the POTUS '08 race. It was hard to disagree. He comes off as kind of a slow, sluggish, takin'-it-easy type of guy, and he doesn't seem too interested in changing his behavior just to please the media and voters.

But maybe Thompson was just strategizing all along...

The presidential debates, on both sides, have become humdrum and redundant. Sound bites make for good TV and Monday morning radio, but almost 8 years of an unpopular administration has made voters hungry for real policy talk.

So when Thompson threw down the gauntlet today by unveiling his illegal immigration plan, it made a pretty big bang! For someone, like myself, that holds the illegal immigration issue up high, I am impressed.

To read the Thompson's plan, click -----> HERE

Now maybe we can hear some real talk on immigration... especially from front runners Clinton and Obama - who both voted to build a fence on the Mexican border last year - that have been fairly silent on the issue, thus far.

REDSTATE.COM GOES "DAILY KOS" ON RON PAUL SUPPORTERS

Popular right-wing blog REDSTATE.com has banned Ron Paul supporters from commenting on its site:

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Attention, Ron Paul Supporters (Life is *REALLY* Not Fair). Effective immediately, new users may *not* shill for Ron Paul in any way shape, form or fashion. Not in comments, not in diaries, nada. If your account is less than 6 months old, you can talk about something else, you can participate in the other threads and be your zany libertarian self all you want, but you cannot pimp Ron Paul. Those with accounts more than six months old may proceed as normal

(click here if you wanna read the whole post)
---

Now we all know how irritating comments sections can get. I'm sure if I got over 500 comments a day on my blog (someday?? someday????....please???) I'd probably yearn for some quality control too. But such is the world of a blog. Wild stranglers come with the territory in an "open forum". I don't care if they wanna ban certain posters from their blog - it's their blog, after all - but I think it's silly to ban posters that aren't saying anything offensive or off-topic (unless you find Ron Paul offensive...).

It's interesting to watch the egos of blog masters behind sites such as REDSTATE and Daily Kos grow because where they once stood as voices in opposition to the limitations placed on print and broadcast media, they now seem to be setting up similar restrictions in their success.

Such is the cycle of life, I guess...

IS THAT A DOOKIE IN YOUR PANTS?

As if Louisiana doesn't have enough problems already, another town (La.'s eighth) has banned "baggy pants", and can fine lawbreakers up to $500 for a violation.

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Council member Ray Helen Lawrence said she voted for the ordinance only because she got numerous calls from constituents who consider the look a fashion faux pas. Many said they associate droopy outerwear with crime, she said.
---

Well at least she's being honest about her reasoning (or lack thereof)...

But Louisiana's not the only state doing this, it's become the cause celebre among bored legislators everywhere:

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"If we have kids going around wearing pants below their butts, it's not nice, not decent," says Timothy Holmes, a city commissioner in Opa-locka, Fla. "If you ask six of these kids, 'What are your grades?' four will tell you they're making C's, D's and F's. I see how senior citizens respond to these kids. They're afraid."

[...]

The low-slung style was inspired by the beltless pants worn by prison inmates. It spread through the hip-hop music community to urban neighborhoods and then to the suburbs. The style is predominantly worn by black youth, according to Bositis. (USA Today)
---

I still wanna ask lawmakers why this particular style is being singled out. If you're gonna argue that the legislation is based on indecency, then you gotta go after all other types of clothes that may be "indecent", right?

I would respect them more if they just said "we wanna ban these pants because we think they may be carrying gloks in them". Quit dancing around this "I don't wanna look at your butt!" line, because we know that's not true in other cases...

"TURNING COKE MACHINE, I THINK I'M TURNING COKE MACHINE...I REALLY THINK SO!"

A woman in Tokyo, inspired by the stealthiness of ninjas, has invented a way for women to instantly "disappear" if they are in fear for their safety while on the street.

Her solution? .........

A skirt that transforms you into a Coca-Cola machine!:

I immediately have a concern though...

OK, let's say you see a street tough coming and you zip yourself up in the Coca-Cola machine skirt and wait for him to pass. BUT... what if the street tough is thirsty!?!?

Well perhaps Ms. Tsukioka considered this problem, b/c she has some other skirt designs in the works:

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If the fizzy drink machine seems a little elaborate, not to mention impractical, she has also come up with the 'manhole bag' which is supposed to look like a sewer cover when you put it down so unwitting thieves walk right by without noticing it.

For children, she has a backpack that transforms into a fire hydrant.

While British women might prefer to take self-defence classes, Ms Tsukioka said: "It is just easier for Japanese to hide. Making a scene would be too embarrassing."

She admits that making the switch from skirt to vending machine might prove a little tricky "especially when your hands are shaking".

But she told the New York Times: "These ideas might strike foreigners as far-fetched, but in Japan, they can become reality."
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Yep! I freakin' love the Japanese!!

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTIN'

Remember that black dude from the first season of The Real World? You know, the "slam poet" with a Cornell West-sized chip on his shoulder? (The scenes of him doing "slam" at open mic nights were painful. I was an idealistic 17 year old when that show was on and I still saw through that doo-doo...).

Well, from there he did some "writing", been a hip-hop "expert" on VH1 shows, and "lectured" at various colleges on...stuff.

Now, Kevin Powell is running for Congress!

I don't even know what the guy's politics are. But looking at the first paragraph of his page gives us a hint:

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Legendary feminist Gloria Steinem asserts that "as a charismatic speaker, leader, and very good writer, Kevin Powell has the courage...to be fully human, and this will bring the deepest revolution of all"
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I love the "very good writer" part. Couldn't a legendary endorser think of a more exciting description than "very good"?!?!

[Commercial voice over: "Washington needs some very good writers, and Kevin Powell wants to bring that back! KEVIN POWELL 2008 : He believes in complete sentences."]

I don't begrudge the guy to make a stab at it, but Kev should change his campaign slogan, like .... right NOW! It's KP4C : Kevin Powell Four Congress ... oh, well I guess he means "for".

TOTALLY LAMEme

Stacy just sent this little list/survey thing over. I agree with her when she says it will be a breeze to fill out. In fact, I think I could make one of those daily tear-a-page-away desk calendars on this very thing. Hmmm... I like that. Too bad I don't have readership like Perez Hilton does b/c I would jump on that idea with calendar season being just around the corner...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List 5 things that certain people (who are not deserving of being your friend anyway) may consider to be “totally lame,” but you are, despite the possible stigma, totally proud of. Own it:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. I think concession stand workers at movie theaters need to work harder, and customers in line at the movie theater concession stand need to know what they want before they step to the register. THIS IS NOT A TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS, THIS IS A TIME FOR TRANSACTION!

2. I love defecating in a private bathroom. Being in your own locked bathroom, with a book or magazine, is a special thing. The world around you can wait. Here, you are in charge! Vulnerable, with your pants around your ankles, you let out waste while feeding your mind with (arguably) knowledge.

3. I love the 2nd Amendment.

4. I think playing sports in high school is more important than going to class. High school sports instills teamwork, companionship, and personal sacrifice. In the classroom you are too preoccupied with post-pubescent thoughts to concentrate...and The Scarlet Letter is a bore.

5. I love talk radio so much. I am obsessed with it. Talk show hosts are superstars to me. Politics, Sports, and Local are my favorite. I think people that can entertain with their voice and quick thoughts for three straight hours are a rare breed.

------>I tag Debbie, Mandy, Tom, Tommy, and Perez Hilton.

INFIDELITY

Commie chic is nothing new. It's been around since... hell, I don't know... since the first college-aged dweeb got a hard-on over Marx and Engels because he thought it would make daddy mad?

We've had:

The Che shirts...(and bikinis. yes there are even bikinis now... Google it.)

The sickle and hammer shirts...

The работники соединяют! shirts...

The Mao shirts...

The RED STAR shirts...

The Marx shirts...

I mean, the list goes on and on and on....

Just go to Urban Outfitters and you'll see a bunch. I think they have a section now: Swimwear, Petites, Juniors, Leftist Revolutionaries... Just ask the unhappy anti-capitalist capitalist behind the counter who is "sooo sick" of his job and just wishes he could work at American Apparel to point you in the right direction.

The latest trend is the Castro Cap. You know, the short rimmed, squared-top, button of a hat that actually ... and this is no joke ... constricts the blood to your brain (this explains the failure of Marxism).


Well, the Castro Caps are everywhere. If you live in a college town they are as common as t-shirts with ____ University's colors/mascot on it, white guys sporting the visor-sandals-shorts combo, and sweatpants with the waist rolled over. Obviously, I hate the Castro Caps the most because, well... I hate Castro.

So, tonight I saw the ultimate. In fact, I think I saw Fidel's 1961 doppelganger. He had the army fatigue green shirt, jeans, dark-bushy beard, and ... the Castro Cap. It was awesome because it was so ridiculous. I wanted to point it out to my wife, but she has had enough of me after I complained about Sean Penn and how he "can just go on eat a ___ and ____ on my ____."

I don't blame her. I can be quite a brat. She just wanted to talk about us, and pizza, and digital cameras. After all, I have this blog to use anytime I feel like wringing out some angst (...SUCKERS!!!).

Plus, I think she may have stood up for the '61 Fidel. I think she likes Commies. Maybe she is one. That could explain my attraction and loyalty to her. Cuz as much as I hate commies, they kinda turn me on.

SOX LOGIC

I'm not a Boston Red Sox fan, I'm a 21-year long Houston Astros fan. I'll bleed brick red and black until I die (or until they change their colors again...), but when the Astros season is over I put my karma behind Boston because I have many Sox fans for friends.

So thank you, baseball gods, for letting the ALCS go at least another game. I think most nonpartisan baseball fans can agree that they'd rather not see a Colorado Rockies vs. Cleveland Indians World Series. No disrespect, but come on...

But the point of this post is to stir the pot a bit over the ninth inning of tonight's game (Game 5 for you readers in the future...). Here it is : I think Francona should have let Josh Beckett pitch a complete game.

I understand the baseball logic behind the decision not to:

1. The bullpen needed to get some work so they won't be 4 days cold going into Game 6.

2. Why push Beckett's arm when you have a 6 run lead?

3. Beckett was over the 110 pitch count, in a ALCS game. Duh!


but hear me out...

Josh Beckett was on fire. He was so dialed in that even after he left the mound, and watched from the bench, he still had the tunnel vision in his eyes. I have no doubt he would've gone 3 up, 3 down in the ninth. In the meantime, Papelbon finished the game, but he looked pretty shaky.

Look. The Indians rode into Game 5 on a high. They had their workhorse going, they had home field, the felt invincible. Beckett popped that balloon... BIG TIME! And if Francona woulda let him go the full nine, I think it woulda been a sword across the throat for the Indians.

I know, I know.... I'm a third party observer here - and I still think the Sox did exactly what they needed to do tonight - but letting Beckett go nine would've just turned those screws a little bit more, assuring that the Sox are still playing next Wednesday night at Fenway.

In the mean time, Becksy, enjoy those Beantown ladies when you arrive back in Boston tomorrow...lucky Chowd!

R.I.P. DEBORAH KERR (1921-2007)

Immediately I have to say that Deborah Kerr means something to me because of Michael Powell. Kerr starred in his films : The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Contraband, and Black Narcissus. All should be seen, especially Blimp and Narcissus.

Other great movies starring Deborah Kerr (an abbreviated list): An Affair To Remember (1957), Julius Ceasar (1953), The Sundowners (1960), Heaven Knows Mr. Allison (1957), Separate Tables (1958), and personal favorite Tea and Sympathy (1956).

Movies I loved her in, but didn't care for the movie: The Arrangement (1969), The Innocents (1961), Kings Solomon's Mines (1950), Bonjour Tristesse (1958)

THE " i " WORD

As you probably know by now, NY governor Eliot Spitzer wants to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. I don't think it's an entirely bad idea b/c it could possibly force very poor illegal immigrant drivers to go through some behind-the-wheel training.

However, I DO think it's a terrible idea to make the illegal's licenses indistinguishable from legal citizen's licenses... which Spitzer intends to do:

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Already, as of Sept. 24, under Spitzer's orders, the state's Department of Motor Vehicles has ceased stamping legal visitors' licenses with the word "temporary." By April 2008, even illegal immigrants will be able to walk into the DMV with a foreign passport and emerge with a driver's license indistinguishable from yours or mine.
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Because driver's licenses are so often used as a form of ID, shouldn't those IDs make it clear that the illegal is not a US citizen?

So...

I've used the term "illegal" four times (er, five now...) in this post. I did it on purpose, because a Democratic legislator in Duchess county said one of the most ridiculous things of the year while debating the proposal this week:

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"Democratic legislator Fred Bunnell equated that using the word "illegal" to describe undocumented immigrants was the moral equivalent of using the "n" word. (Yahoo)
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Ahh.... the good ol' race card. Well played Bunnell. And I mean that! sincerely!... cuz when that card is played it means the other side just won the debate.

Unless... by "n" word, the good legislator meant "neat", "nifty", or "New Yorker"... which, if the open borders continue to bleed, "illegal" and "New Yorker" might just be one and the same.

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA UNLEASHED!!!

Francis Ford Coppola says that the aging stars of Hollywood are lacking the "kind of passion to do a role and be great".

Maybe this is inspired by his upcoming back-to-my-roots film Youth Without Youth.

I'm sure there is some playful jib-jabbing and elbow nudging in all of this - especially since FF is just as guilty of the things he rants against - , but here it is anyway:

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Coppola on Al Pacino:

"Pacino always wanted to do theatre ... [He] will say, 'Oh, I was raised next to a furnace in New York, and I'm never going to go to LA,' but they all live off the fat of the land."

Coppola on Jack Nicholson:

"I don't think Jack would [go after a challenging role]. Jack has money and influence and girls, and I think he's a little bit like Brando,... except Brando went through some tough times"

Coppola on Robert DeNiro: