Land of Oz

Susan Boyle

Let me put in my two cents about Susan Boyle. She's gone into some clinic for exhaustion which pretty much covers just about anything from actual physical exhaustion to drug rehab to give my career a boost time outs. The biggest result of this is that so many are now complaining about her being exploited.

Well, jeez, of course she's been exploited. That's the whole purpose behind these reality shows. Take some relative unknown (or all-but-forgotten celeb) and exploit their foibles to the world. These shows are hoping for a train wreck. The more spectacular the fall, the better the show is going to do. If that wasn't the case why show the no-talent disasters at all. Weed them out during off-line auditions and only show the acts that are acceptable. Which would destroy the basics behind all these shows.

To get the full force behind Ms. Boyle, one had to hear her first, then see her after. I actually listened to an .mp3 of her earlier recording before I saw her image. To hear the voice, one thinks of Diana Krall or Kathleen Turner or Demi Moore -- and let's just say that when you do see her, she isn't anything like those. I know it's chauvinistic, but that's the world. Anyway, good luck Ms. Boyle in whatever happens for you.

Labels: celebs

The Rich Don't Get It

One article today talked about Vick's (ex-dog fighting quarterback) bankruptcy plan would allow him to keep the first $750,000 of his annual pay. After that, a percentage would go to his creditors based on a sliding scale. Another article talked about some young wife divorcing her old husband for $100 million, stating she can't live on $53,000 a week. And I'm not even going to mention the various CEOs and execs making millions.

They just don't get it. If Vick is truly going bankrupt and can't pay his creditors, why should he still be getting $750,000 before paying his debts. There's a whole lot of folks doing quite well on less than $50,000 a year. If Vick was really repentant, why does he need three-quarters of a million to live on before he pays off his debts. And that silly divorcee? As much as I hate stupid lawsuits and such, in this case I hope the lawyers get it all and both her and her husband end up working at Walmart as greeters.

Next thing you know, some executive will be expecting to be paid a big reward for running his company into the ground -- oops, that's right, it's happening too.

Labels: celebs, crime

Inauguration 2009

First, I didn't watch it. I caught bits later that night on the news and over the internet, but didn't pay a lot of attention to it. After all, it has happened 40-odd times before. However, I did read the text to his speech. The guy - and his writers - really has a way with words. That's a nice change of pace. I'm glad so many people have such high expectations about what Obama might do, but I don't really share them. I really hope he can do just a teeny portion of the stuff he wants to, but the bottom line is that it's still Washington D.C.

I don't really expect any fundamental changes in how things do, or more likely, don't get done. There's 222 years or so of entrenched bureaucracy in D.C. that won't give up its power easily. There's no way to get a good health care bill passed unless it's packed full of little tidbits like pig museums for Arkansas or maple syrup hall of fame centers for Vermont or special tax breaks on wooden toy arrows to bribe, er convince, people into supporting it.

You know what impressed me the most about the 2009 inauguration? The fact that somewhere around 2 million folks were able to get together, cheek-by-jowl, and nary an arrest was made. Considering you're lucky these days to walk through a suburban mall and not see a riot, that was amazing. Maybe it's a sign of things to come.

Mr. Obama - I wish you the very best in yours (and ours) next 4 years.

Labels: celebs, government

Election

Right now, all I see are bad choices for president. I can't decide who is the lesser evil. Everytime I do, something changes and makes my choice worse. Since this has happened a few times now, my opinions of the candidates just keeps getting worse. It doesn't help that the majority of their ads keep telling us how bad the other person is and say nothing about what they, themselves plan on doing.

First I was going to vote Democratic, until the Democrats decided they didn't need voters from my state (Michigan) to vote. So I voted in the primary for a Republican. Then the Republican I voted for lost. I thought about the Democrats again, but I really don't trust Hillary.

Once she lost, I was leaning towards the Democrats again, but some of their positions, especially in gun control, really bothered me, so I leaned towards the Republicans again in spite of some of their positions like war and privacy.

Then the Republicans were born again with Palin and I crossed them off my list. She has a way-to-strong leaning towards a theocratic form of government for me. I'd have a gun, but there'd be so many god-fearing pregnant teenagers running around, I'd be afraid to use it. So I figured it'd be best to give up some rights to maybe win others more important that Democrats support like health and welfare issues.

Now I see Barbra Streisand is supporting the common man Obama with a dinner that costs $28,500 a person (that'd better be a damn good meal), followed by a later event that will cost an additional $2,500. You'd think they include the additional event with the $28,500. And I thought I was splurging when I ate at Outback using a $25 for $20 gift card! I'm not too sure I want to vote for a party where Streisand and her ilk have no problem coughing up $31,000 for dinner and a dance.

Labels: celebs, government, michigan

Science?

One of the problems today is that we are getting are information from all the wrong people. Today I read an article about vaccines and that people see "a fight between Jenny McCarthy and Amanda Peet" that is going on over the safe use of vaccines. This fight is about whether vaccines are safe for children or not. Note the two experts mentioned here; Jenny McCarthy and Amanda Peet. It makes me so happy to see that America is turning to a couple of actresses to determine what kind of healthcare to give their kids.

Next thing you know, we'll be relying on politicians to learn from about global warming or some actor dude to teach us about psychiatry or a musician who will teach us about world peace.

How about listening to one of those boring scientists who have spent their life studying the subject? Wouldn't that be a stretch?

Labels: celebs

$tupid

Here's a few quotes from a recent story from Los Angeles about a person buying a condo there:

The widow of producer Aaron Spelling paid a whopping $47 million for a two-story condo atop a Century City residential tower that's still under construction, her lawyer said.

Her current abode, a 123-room mansion that she and her husband dubbed "The Manor," is the largest home in Los Angeles County at 56,500 square feet.

The house in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood sits on six acres and has 11 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms and amenities such as a bowling alley, doll museum and gift-wrapping room.

Related Cos., developer of the Century project, said Spelling's new digs will have a living room with two working fireplaces, a dining room for 25 guests, a 4,000-square-foot master bedroom suite and a conservatory with a rose garden, as well as a swimming pool and deck.

Goldberg said Spelling was moving in order to downscale her living space after her husband's death in 2006. She'll now seek to sell her lavish estate, which was built between 1986 and 1990, he said. (emphasis mine)

Believe me, there is no envy here on my part. Not that I wouldn't mind having a few of her millions to waste on my own. But I find it amazing that one person could be such a pig. What on earth can any person possibly do with a 4000 sq. ft. bedroom? That's over three times bigger than my entire house! Actually, when looking at new houses, we passed on an affordable 3300 sq. ft. house because the size would have been wasted on us. One of the big problems in the USofA is reading something like this in the same week where I read a letter about a local charity that gives $350 to a person so he won't be kicked out of his one-bedroom apartment (I'm guessing that bedroom is a tad under 4,000 sq. ft.). I find it a little sad that we live in a country where one person can spend $47 million on a second residence and another person can't come up with $350 to pay the rent.

Labels: celebs, gripes

Elitism

I love the presidential candidates arguing about who is the least elite. As if any of them have any idea of the average joe american. When's the last time you figure Hillary wore clothes from Sears or Walmart or grabbed a quick lunch at Macdonalds - without it being a set up photo op anyway. Come on, she made $100 million dollars in the last few years! How many common Americans have done that? Not to mention attending Wellesley College and Yale.

Obama isn't any better. His house, according to the Chicago Tribune, "a 96-year-old Georgian revival home that has four fireplaces, glass-door bookcases fashioned from Honduran mahogany, and a 1,000-bottle wine cellar...", cost him $1.65 million ($300,000 under asking price). BTW, that whole real estate deal is interesting - does anyone else notice that Obama has a lot of old acquaintances who have suddenly become bad choices? And his alma mater, Columbia University isn't exactly a community college either.

Now both of them are trying to be like what they think the average American is. Bowling, beer drinking and eating hot dogs. Let's face it, what chance does the average American really have to become president? Even if you came from average roots, by the time you've become a viable candidate, you've traveled so far from those roots, you'll be lucky to remember them.

Labels: celebs, government, gripes

Gary Gygax

Wow, talk about feeling old. I don't know how many of know of this 69 year-old guy, but he was the originator of Dungeons and Dragons back in 1974. That was back in the pre-PC days when all the games were played with pencil, paper, lots of reference books, and of course, the ever-present multisided dice.

I never got too much into the D&D side of the house, but spent most of my time playing board war games from places like SPI, Avalon Hill and the upstart Steve Jackson Games. We had a wargaming club, the Wichita Warhawks, at McConnell AFB in Kansas in the late 70s. We even had monetary support from the USAF Morale, Welfare and Recreation funds. Some of us played historical simulations recreating China Farm, Chariot or Chickamauga, but there was always a bunch in the back rattling dice with one guy hiding behind a three-ring binder full of notes and maps.

In the very early eighties one of my first programming projects was a game in the style of D&D called the Tunnels of Avercy hence the domain name of my woodworking site. It was written in BASIC and let you explore an underground dungeon full of monsters and treasures. I published the source code to a BBS (remember those?) many moons ago and wonder if the code still might be floating around out there - I've long since lost it.

I guess that one of the first signs of getting is seeing icons from your early adulthood fading away. RIP Mr. Gygax. You brought a lot of pleasure and companionship to a lot of lonely and strange geeks and nerds.

Labels: celebs, computers, oldies

Messy

As much as I dislike the paparazi, I glad they didn't follow the deputies' requests. Can image what a mess two disassembled photographers would make on the sidewalk?

From CNN: The two men did not comply with deputies' requests, [Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman] Whitmore said.

"They were repeatedly asked to disassemble in front of the entrances and they were obstructing traffic as well, going into the street," he said.

About 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, in front of the nearby Villa nightclub, deputies arrested photographers Christopher Gonzalez and Vagn Rauch, who were there along with 20 other photographers on the sidewalk, Whitmore said.

Labels: celebs, crime

Our Government at Work?

Let's see now, what's going on in the USofA:

Foreclosures are at an all-time high

The budget is over $1 trillion (honestly, I have no idea how big
that number is)

The war in Iraq is coming up on 4000 USofA dead, and no one knows
how many Iraqis

Gasoline just keep going up in price

The Soviets, oops, Russians are overflying our carriers with bombers

Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sudan, Nigeria, Venezuala, and on
and on

Crashing satellites

The biggest beef recall in history

Monthly mass shootings

need I go on?
And what is Congress worrying about? If a baseball player took a steriod
shot in his ass six years ago...

Labels: celebs, government, gripes

// posted by Jim-of-oz @ 2/19/2008 09:35:00 PM

$ports and Lif€

Baseball, steroids, football, video spying, NASCAR, fisticuffs, million$ of dollar$. Does anyone really believe professional sports are some kind of fairy tale land of good sportsmanship and clean living? Come on, billions of dollars are involved here. A tenth of a second faster or slower, a foot longer or shorter can make the difference between a multi-million dollar star's contract or a hundred-grand player's contract. Try figuring the advertising dollars or ticket sales difference between a 15 and 2 team and a 3 and 12 team.

With all that money involved how can anyone honestly believe that all the participants are going to be constrained by using just their natural talents. Can you really tell me that you wouldn't swap a couple years off the end of your life versus making a few million more bucks during the prime of your life if you had a chance. If you can, you are a much better person than I am.

Sure, not everyone is on the take or taking some kind of performance booster. There are honest folks out there. But I have the feeling there are a lot of shades of honesty out there. Are you going to tell me that those players who hobble around like an old man on Friday didn't take something so they can run like the wind on Sunday? Maybe they're not pumping illegal steroids or stimulants, but they gotta be doing something. And I think whatever they did will come back to haunt them in later years. But then again, so what.

OK, you might be one of those who lives to be 93 and still goes jogging. More than likely, if you make it to 75, you'll drooling into your bran fortified oatmeal. Go to an assisted living home someday and remember that the folks in there are lucky enough to be able to afford to be taken care of. Dinner time looks like an outtake from "Night of the Living Dead" as the folks who can still walk hobble their way to dinner. And you really wouldn't swap a few years of that for a few million more in your paycheck?

Labels: celebs, freedom, gripes

19 - 0

I think the Patriots are getting a bit of a bum deal out of this Super Bowl stuff. They did after all go 19 and zip. Unfortunately, instead of being known for 19-0, they are now known as the team that lost the Super Bowl.

Honestly, I'm not a big Patriots fan. Before this season, I knew almost nothing about them - and still don't, really. But you know, 19 and 0 is something to be proud of. I wish they could've taken it all, but their season is something that very few have done or will do. Good job Patriots.

However, my team has always been the Packers - there's a real football team playing in a real conference - the black and blue conference. And you know, even if they didn't get to the Super Bowl, old Favre and his bunch did pretty darn good this year. So, congratulations Patriots, and watch out for the Packers next season.

Labels: celebs, rave

BBC

As you probably know, just check out the links on the right, I read (is that red or reed the BBC News pretty often. There was a placement on their website that I thought was interesting. See the attached screenshot. That isn't retouched in anyway. The two on top just happened to be above the two mentioned below. Both being excellent standouts by the way. :-)

Labels: celebs

O.J.

Here's another news article title, "O.J. Simpson ordered to surrender Rolex." No, I didn't click it to read it. You know what? I really don't care. I didn't follow the trial that much. Other than the few/many sound bites that made it into the news and American culture, I really don't know what was going on out there.

I sometimes wonder though, what if he really is innocent? Can you try to imagine what he is going through now? After all, 12 people sitting in the courtroom thought that. They couldn't all be bribed or brain dead - well, maybe brain dead. As much as I like Jay Leno, he's made it aboundantly clear that he figure O.J. did it. And granted, O.J. was just involved in a pretty bizarre adventure in Las Vegas, but after all these years living as he has had to, can you really blame him for being a little off?

After all, we are supposed to hold sacred that a person is innocent until PROVEN guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. In many ways, I'm surprised we convict as many as we do.

Labels: celebs, crime

Celebs

Yeah - I'm lowering myself and jumping on the celebrity overdose bandwagon.

Was it fair? Did Spears, lest we forget a mother of two, deserve to be held up against the standard of her once fantastically toned abs, sculpted by sessions of 1,000 tummy crunches? Or was she asking for it by choosing that unforgiving black-sequined bikini?

Of course it isn't fair. Celebrities aren't treated fairly in anyway shape or form. Why should an actor get paid hundreds of thousands (or millions) for making a movie when local cop who just saved my life is only making $60,000 a year? Is the fact that an actor can memorize lines and not look at the camera worth that kind of reward?

I haven't seen her performance, but I have seen a few photos of Britney on the stage. First, she's still a very good looking entertainer. But yes, I think she asked for it, by appearing in the clothes she wore. Yes, she's a mother of two, but I'm not watching her (and I don't think too many others are either) as a mother of two, but as a hot, blond singer/dancer.

If she wants to be judged as a mom, then she should be wearing some Lawrence Welk leftovers and leave the jumping and grinding to the next generation of youngins. The reason celebrities are celebrities is that they are people who transcend our humdrum life. As much as I think I would like to, I hope I don't meet Jennifer Anniston or Demi Moore in raggedy sweats buying a Big Gulp at the local 7/11. I think it would end up being a big disappointment. Jennifer and Demi aren't really any better than me or my friends and seeing them in the same setting as the beer-drinking slob next door would tarnish an admittedly, unreal image.

Often, actually attaining your dreams for real can be a crushing disappointment.

Labels: celebs

What Was He Thinking?

Here's my nominee for the 2007 What Was He Thinking competition. Here's a guy who gave up a $110 million career so he could win a few $50,000 dog fighting awards. There are a lot of folks this year who have been showing little common sense, from pandering politicians, to money-grubbing CEOs to drunk, disorderly and dumb celebrities, but Mr. Vick seems have taken the cake.
And for all of you who said he should get the benefit of the doubt, oops. I don't think there's much question about his guilt now.

Labels: celebs, crime

Disappointment

Did you hear the latest from NASA - drunk astronauts in space. Some more heroes take a dive. Dog fighting quarterbacks, drug injecting bike riders and baseball players and game fixing basketball refs.

You know when I first read and thought about this I was pretty disappointed. Then as I started to type, I came to the realization that nothing has really changed except the media reporting of this stuff. First I thought how disappointed I was that an astronaut would be drunk before flying - and then thought about Chuck Yeager who almost missed his Mach 1 test flight because he hurt himself the night before while drinking.

The Babe, who Bonds is usually negatively compared to, wasn't exactly a church mouse either. From what I understand, he wouldn't pass up a bourbon or a babe if offered. And does anyone really think that ref was the first to fix, or try to fix, a game? Back around 200 a.d. or so, Dikon, the son of Kallibrotos, was bribed to change his nationality. And let's face it, most stock car racers - in fact just plain automobile racers - probably wouldn't know how to race according to the book.

So, actually nothing has really changed, just our perception of it. We seem to think everyone needs to be perfect now. Back in the Civil War and World Wars we had generals who womanized and drank. Soldiers fought and cussed and carried on and the world continued. How many bomber crews in England do you think might have had a wee nip or two before taking off - after all, their chances of making through their tour was about zilch.

Labels: celebs, gripes, oldies

Ads

Here's something that's pretty weird. And I'm guilty of it myself. Think about the t-shirt or shoes you wore last - or maybe are wearing now. One of those probably has a logo on it. The logo identifies the company who sold it. Now think about logos for awhile.

Tiger Wood gets paid millions to wear a logo in the hopes that you or I will figure that wearing that logo will make us a better golfer. Michael Jordan would get paid millions so that a company could use his name and face to sell basketball shoes. The idea being that if you bought those shoes (you being 5 foot 8 and 220 pounds) you could approach the easy grace in playing basketball that Jordan did. Sure it does.

However knowing that doesn't seem to make much difference. Why do people pay companies who pay stars to wear their clothes to wear their clothes. (oddly that sentence seems correctly, if awkwardly written). Why after paying $15,000 for a VW Beetle do I pay an additional $15 for a VW Beetle t-shirt and not $6 for a no-brand JCPenny t-shirt (which of course has a JCPenny logo on it someplace).

I guess in some cases, like the Beetle t-shirt, we buy stuff to show support for the stuff we buy, or maybe in more logical cases for stuff we can't buy. I once looked high and low for a Caterpillar hat (back in the days when logoed accessories weren't quite so common). I knew I'd never buy a Caterpillar bulldozer or front-end loader, but I really liked the idea of Caterpillar. Who knows why. I don't really think they're any better or worse than dozens of other brands of heavy equipment. Why not an International Harvester cap - since I drove those as well.

What it boils down to is that somehow the gnomes at Caterpillar's marketing agency did good. They managed to make me believe that Caterpillar is cooler than Komatsu (not that I'd ever heard of Komatsu in the 70s). The same kind of folks using the same kind of psychology have also managed to convince many of us that wearing a Michael Jordan branded shoe is so much better (by $100s) than a generic New Balance sneaker. Kind of scary isn't it?

Labels: celebs, gripes, scams

Vick

I don't really have too much to say about this guy. His is a problem that is more society than one overpaid athelete. The problem is that we feel no guilt in paying some kid millions to play a game. And supporting that kid from grade school until he's dumped after an injury or old age tosses him out on his keester.

You got to know that a kid like Vick was treated with kid gloves from the time it was noticed he could throw farther and run faster than any other kid on the block. What do you guess his high school and college days were much different than you or me - assuming you were lucky enough to be able to afford college.

I have no idea whether Vick was involved with dog fighting or not. I really don't care one way or the other. He's more guilty of success than of anything else. He may really have not known what was going on at his house - but it doesn't matter since it was his home. I'm guessing that the "friends" of his who were renting that house were hangers on interested in more what they could leech from Vick rather than help him out.

He's paid big bucks to play in a sport where violence and brutality are not only encouraged by rewarded. How many librarian majors do you know who are pulling in millions a year because they managed to teach some kid? Do you figure that cop you just sneered at when she drove past will get a signing bonus after keeping some punk from sticking his knife into you? Naw. Some rich, spoiled kid is going to get those big bucks because he can hit harder, throw farther or jump higher than you do.

Labels: celebs, gripes

America's Got Talent

Not this year it doesn't. I really enjoyed AGT last season. They had some super acts - acts that went beyond simple singing. There's more than enough programs dedicated to singers, but few that have general talent on it. And make no mistake, I have no talent as an entertainer, so I'm talking from a strictly no-talent viewpoint (which is still more talent than some of last night's acts).

I do realize that just finding talent isn't what this show is all about - not matter what the "Hoff" says. It's just about about generating controversy to get people (like me) to bitch about it and get more people to watch and see what the bitching is about. Be that as it may, there were some real odd choices of "talent" for this season's final twenty. I thought they picked the wrong magician to send to the finals - and last night proved me correct. The semi-final magic act was something I could have done and I can't do magic. The flash and pizazz of the other magic act was greatly missed.

They put two "dancers" through to the semi-finals who are worse that no-talent. One is a Bollywood wannabe who has as much rhythm and talent for dancing as I do. And I don't. The other so-called dancer out-weighs me (no easy task) and dances worse than the Bollywood boy does. I don't want to watch a show where the talent has less talent than I do. I have better ways to waste an hour or two.

There were some martial artists who could make the moves, but it often seemed they were doing them independently of each other rather than as a group of four. There often seemed to be one guy just enough out of time to be noticeable. That may be good for that individual, but not good for a group of four. Most of the other singers were good, but then singers aren't all that rare. They can't seem to put enough shows on TV to fit all the singers. One singer did things a little different, so I hope she makes it through and there was a cowboy roper who, while limited (you can only twirl a rope so many ways), at least did something different.

I hope the second half is going to be better because this first group was really poor. I was so disappointed I didn't even both to vote - while last year, I couldn't wait for the voting to start. There are a couple of performers in the next group I have some hope for, but overall, what a waste.

Labels: celebs, gripes

Paris Hilton

Last entry on this $ubject. I'm actually feeling a little ashamed of climbing on the PH bandwagon. I officially don't care anymore what happens to this little, er, whatever...

Labels: celebs, gripes

A Load of Crap

Gee -- who would have guessed. After three days of a 45 day jail sentence that was shortened to 23 days a rich spoiled brat gets to go home. Her punishment? Staying at home for 20 days. I haven't been there, but I doubt that staying in her home is going to be any hardship.

Her dirtbag lawyer says, "[Hiltion is] really being punished because of her celebrity". No, you dingbat, she's being punished because she repeatedly drove with a suspended license. Flaunting the law has nothing to do (although is often associated with) being a celebrity.

It's beginning to look like California is a celebrities' "get out of jail free" state. Whether it's drugs, drunk driving, molesting kids, driving with a suspended license or murder, if a celebrity does it in California, they've got a good chance of getting off.

I hope it doesn't happen, but the next time Hilton has an accident I'm hoping she hits and hurts another celebrity instead of some poor shmuck who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time driving a cheap Chevy or Ford. This is the kind of stuff that just really pisses me off. If there was really justice, maybe Blake would shoot Hilton behind the wheel of her car causing her to lose control and runs into OJ forcing his Bronco off the road down a cliff running over Jackson just before he gets his creepy white hands on another 10 year old while Macauley looks on.

Update: I didn't see this until just now: Actress Michelle Rodriguez was released from jail early, after serving less than a day of a 60-day jail sentence, authorities said Tuesday.

Labels: celebs, crime, driving, gripes

Harry and Army

From the BBC News: "But the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, has confirmed the Prince will not go with his regiment, the Blues and Royals [to Iraq]."

I see a couple of problems with this. Number one, why was Prince Harry allowed to join (and go through all the expensive training) of the army if he isn't going to be allowed to perform army duties. The other problem is what the hundreds of British families who have lost folks in the war must be feeling. know RHIP, but either the Prince is in the army and plays army, or keep him out of the army.

Yes, he is royalty. But the only thing that really means is that his parents and his parents's parents were born of royalty. I guess being an American gives me a different look at royalty, but let's face it - he's still human. Why spend all the time (and money) training him when he won't be used. And is his birthright really that much better than the other poor blokes who've been shot or blown up in war?

This is really one of those things that really bugs me. Like all the hassle over Paris Hilton and her jail time for driving with a suspended sentence. Why is there such a stink over her jail time. Toss her in the clink and be done with it. It's not like she's the first person to ever get busted for driving drunk, then driving illegally, then doing it all over again. Like I'd get a second and third chance. And just to give you a little insight - I did spend 22 years in the military, and I'm not, unfortunately, royalty nor do I belong to rich parents.

Labels: celebs, military