Remembering Vietnam
Country musicians Big & Rich pay tribute to the sacrifices of our Vietnam heroes in the song and video, "8th of November." It's very touching and well done. See it at Tammy's blog.
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Badass Cars
I know you all really liked my Dukes of Hazzard banner for the car. Well, if you're a fan of the R/T, you should go here. Michele (yes, that Michele) has a post about it with some nice pictures.
By the way, I actually saw a sweet General Lee replica driving around town the other day. I wish I was quick enough with the camera phone.
Also (and this news doesn't have anything to do with Chargers, but it is related to the 70's car theme), one of the great car chase scenes ever filmed is now on DVD. The obscure 1973 film The Seven-Ups, starring Roy Scheider and Tony Lo Bianco, features a really long chase that takes place in and outside New York City. My brother, who's an expert on these things, says this chase scene is better than Bullitt's, and I can't disagree.
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That chase scene may be better than Bullitt but there's no way it's better than the one in Mitchell. Joe Don Baker vs a Mustang....mmmmm....
Posted by: Victor at May 26, 2006 09:45 AM (L3qPK)
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seven ups was a great movie for its time. Best car chase scene I ever saw was in the ORIGINAL "Gone in sixty seconds". That was also a mustang.
I had the best muscle car when I was a teenager. I had a baby blue 1969 Chevelle Malibu super sport 386 with a 4 barrel. It was awesome. I blew the engine and replaced it with a 327 and no one knew the difference. HA!
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My brother had a '68 Corvette with a 427 in it. Fastest car i've ever ridden in. He had it for about six months before he couldn't make the payments anymore and they took it back. But it was fun while it lasted!
Posted by: annika at May 26, 2006 03:03 PM (fxTDF)
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You ponsy bitches... none of you has ever been the passenger in a car with ME!!!
For what it's worth, NOTHING beats the chase scene in Bullit simply because of the McQueen factor. I have purchased a new motorcycle, so if you see someone who looks like Steve McQueen on a bike this weekend, it's probably me. Oh, not the guy who was jumping the razor wire on the old school BMW, the more mature version with the long stringy hair and extra fifty lbs of ice cream hanging off him. Well maybe something in between the two.
Posted by: Casca at May 26, 2006 03:59 PM (2gORp)
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I distinctly remember my older cousin driving us to see 'Seven Ups'shortly after it came out. He's not the tallest dude and he wouldn't move the seat forward in his Mom's Caddy. With his arms completely outstretched his toes barely reached the gas pedal and I doubt he saw the front of the hood. He looked as much like a pimp as a caucazoid teenager from the Chicago suburbs could and I didn't question him, but it was clearly dangerous.
The movie did have some great chase scenes but what's indelible was my trip to and from the theater. The Coupe De Ville had a nice size engine and our driver didn't mind proving it. The simultanious dropping of the automatic transmission into a lower gear, the four barrels gasping for air and the needle dropping on the fuel gauge while we were pressed into our seat backs was all part of my seventies experience. These are truly wonderful cars!(I wish I still had one)
Annika, I'll keep my camera handy. Not suprisingly, there are a few Generals here in north Georgia.
Posted by: Mike C. at May 26, 2006 05:29 PM (wZLWV)
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The first car i ever drove was my grandma's '66 cadillac coupe de ville. A 429 V8 with 340 horses.
Hey if you take any pictures of the General, send them to me!
Posted by: annika at May 26, 2006 05:43 PM (fxTDF)
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McQueen's a pussy. He took one look at my '67 Shelby GT500 and cried like a baby.
Posted by: Pursuit at May 26, 2006 06:59 PM (n/TNS)
8"if you see someone who looks like Steve McQueen on a bike this weekend, it's probably me. Oh, not the guy who was jumping the razor wire on the old school BMW, the more mature version with the long stringy hair and extra fifty lbs of ice cream hanging off him. Well maybe something in between the two."
Like this, Cas?
"The first car i ever drove was my grandma's '66 cadillac coupe de ville. A 429 V8 with 340 horses."
Caddie! Drove a '71 DeVille Brougham, 472 V8, thing was a boat! Heavy enough to take on an F150 in a demolition derby, crappy mileage... but man, the room. It was wild to look under the hood, see a 7+ liter engine, and actually see a lot of room between it and the firewall.
Posted by: elmondohummus at May 26, 2006 08:22 PM (Weo9k)
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Everyone should drive a Honkin Ass Caddy once in their life. Those old hoods were long enough to land a Space Shuttle on. Annika I will definitely send a picture if I spot a General!
Posted by: Mike C. at May 27, 2006 05:37 AM (y6n8O)
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great! i dub you the unofficial General Lee correspondent for A's J.
Posted by: annika at May 27, 2006 07:43 AM (fxTDF)
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I am honored ofcourse, but I may have offered more than I can deliever. Assuming every car show in Georgia has one of these orange Mopars I drove up to Dawsonville today only to be dissapointed at the show there. Some nice cars yes, but General no. I'm sure I've seen a few of them driving around in the last year or so but as I get older that could actually mean 3 or 4 or 6 years. I hope everyone can give me some time on this as it'll probobly take some.
I solemnly swear I will fulfill the duties of this unofficial office to the best of my ability or at least if and when I feel like it.
Posted by: Mike C. at May 27, 2006 01:47 PM (Ffvoi)
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how nice of you to spend your saturday working for annika's journal. and i'm not even paying you (thus your unofficial status).
Posted by: annika at May 27, 2006 02:01 PM (XjPe5)
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Sorta EMH, but less hair and more ice cream. The bike is also a bit more stock. 200 miles later, I have survived my ride. I didn't make it to the rolling hills of the Alps, but did climb the switchbacks of the Lagunas, and I'm kicking myself for not taking a camera. I did every type of riding there is, and saw spectacular vistas. Shit I even went down to Campo, and saw the INS rounding up illegals. Literally, they were squatting on the side of the road all young and busboyish.
Taylor's AI Audition
As long as we're looking at YouTube videos, take a look at Taylor Hicks's American Idol audition.
I think the coolest thing about Taylor's audition is when Simon asked him why he was there. He does not say, "Because I wanna be the next American Idol," which 99% of the people said.
Simon: Why you here?
Taylor: I want my voice heard.
Taylor: Why?
Taylor: Cuz I feel like I got one.
It's so simple and direct an answer, I can almost imagine the young Elvis Presley saying something like it to Sam Phillips back in the day.
I also love the fact that Taylor was so underestimated during his audition. Paula and Randy liked him, but you know they never imagined he might win. Not after that audition, which really wasn't too good.
Go Taylor! I hope he gets some good songs to sing because he could really become a star if the machine lets him.
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I think he could be a star. He has something that not just anyone has. Remember the long walk he took, playing his harmonica? Remember the choir he brought out for his last song? Remember that jacket he wore? Ugly as it was, it caught your eye, and you remember it and him.
He knows what people want to hear and see.
Fav Taylor moment: I think it was the first show w/ 24 and he sang his song and brought the house down. He was smiling and laughing and the crowd was going nuts and Ryan came out and asked him what was going on? "I don't know!" Taylor answered and I laughed long and loud.
I think he'll be freakin' huge.
Posted by: Victor at May 26, 2006 01:24 PM (L3qPK)
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Admittedly, I only saw this guy sing on the last five minutes of the last show, but I was left with the impression that as far as singing goes, this guy simply doesn't have it.
Was everyone else that bad?
Posted by: Pursuit at May 26, 2006 02:35 PM (n/TNS)
AI And BadonkadonkAmerican Idol is the best family show on TV. I'm tired of hearing some folks put it down, because there's a reason it's the number one show. It brings families together twice a week for good old fashioned entertainment that's non-political, non-violent, and safe for viewers of all ages. It's the type of entertainment that hasn't been around since the Muppets got cancelled. Sure it's least common denominator stuff, but I think that's a good thing. We need that sometimes, especially nowadays.
I hope y'all switched over to CBS after American Idol. If you had, (on the West Coast) you would have just caught Carrie Underwood trying to finish her performance of "Jesus Take The Wheel," and getting all choked up. Then about a minute later, she accepted the Academy of Country Music award for Record of the Year. And to think, only a year ago she was pretty much a nobody. It's a nice song, and I'm happy for her. Carrie also won Top New Vocalist.
[By the way, I love any industry awards show where the winners thank Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It's a little unorthodox, but hey, entertainers are often non-conformists.]
Next, I hope you didn't miss hunky Trace Adkins trying to keep a straight face while singing "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" inside a flock of nearly naked showgirls. That was some feat of concentration, although he kept turning around to check out the girls. And CBS kept cutting away from the action on the stage, which got pretty racy.
I also enjoyed watching Gretchen Wilson sing my new favorite song, "Politically Uncorrect," which features the lyrics:
I'm for the preachers who stay on their knees
And I'm for the sinner who finally believes
And I'm for the farmer with dirt on his hands
And the soldiers who fight for this land
And I'm for the Bible
And I'm for the flag
And I'm for the working man
. . .
I'm just one of many who can't get no respect
Politically Uncorrect
Back to AI. I wouldn't be going out on a limb if I predicted that Taylor will win it all. he gave three solid performances, but really impressed me with the last song because the lyrics were so awful. While Katherine tried to do justice to her lame original song, Taylor did his best to make his song fit him. I also think Taylor deserves to win because he just seems like such a nice guy.
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For some reason, the thanking of God turns me off at football games, since it implies that the losing team is a bunch of evil Satan-worshippers. Even if the Lakers were to beat the Kings and Kobe were to thank God, I wouldn't immediately assume that the Kings were Baal's servants. (A loss by the Raiders, of course, is another story.)
Predictions For Tonight's 24 Finale
Jack and Audrey will try to have sex. Audrey will attempt to delay her orgasm until Jack shouts "NOW!" They both finally give up in frustration when they realize Jack is unable to "upload" anything without Chloe's help. Jack will then confront President Logan, shoot him in the leg, and go into hiding. Rocket Romano will then perform emergency first aid, but die in a freak helicopter mishap while helping evacuate the president on Marine One. A guilt-ridden Henderson will return to CTU, revive Tony, and with the help of Barbaro's vet, create a superhuman CTU agent by attaching Tony's head to a robotic body. Finally, a plane will crash somewhere.
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What ever happened to the good old days of Peter Pumpkin?
Posted by: shelly at May 22, 2006 08:35 PM (BJYNn)
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Heh, that's pretty good. I think we could sell that.
Posted by: Casca at May 23, 2006 06:00 AM (rEC2k)
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I thought it was a pretty decent season finale. Of course, you have to put your sense of reality on hold but that's the fun of it. I was switching back all night between 24, Alias, and the NBA playoffs.(Alias used to be one of my favorite shows, but it really has gone down hill the past couple of seasons. I think it must have to do with Jennifer Garner hooking up with the no talent ass clown, Ben Affleck.)
BTW, I think it was Matt with whom I was debating the merits of Dallas. And if I recall I predicted that Dallas would win the Western Conference and eventually the title. Who is laughing now people?
The team has a relentless offense and a lot more "D" than people give them credit for.
Posted by: Blu at May 23, 2006 09:12 AM (j8oa6)
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Blu,
Who would have thought it but you and I finally have a strong agreement about something-Ben Afflack, what a stiff. He is the only person who can by comparison make Jennifer Lopez appear to be acting.
I was dissapointed that San ANtonio lost but was impressed with the Mav's. SA had no answer for Terry and PArker, who can be as effective as Terry, was clearly not at his best. Could be Tropical Langoria fever has him a bit depleted of his PBF.
Posted by: Strawman at May 23, 2006 03:13 PM (G2Zzw)
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Looks like we agree on two things, Straw: (1) Ben sucks butt and (2) this year's NBA playoffs have been outstanding. Actually, I was pulling for SA as well, but believed Dallas would beat them. Dallas is the one team every bit as deep as SA. If they get by Phoenix and meet Detroit (or Miami), I think it is that depth that will get them over the hump. I do not, however, look forward to having to watch that little dork, Mark Cuban, celebrate if his team happens to win.
Posted by: annika at May 23, 2006 04:12 PM (LcjFl)
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You mean the same Detroit team that barely beat a horrible Cleveland team?....you mean that 6-deep team that can barely score 80 points a game?
Hey, granted they play great defense. But, they have nobody than can guard Dirk or Josh Howard. (And don't start telling me about Ben Wallace. Yeah, he can block shots at the rim, but he won't even bother Dirk on the perimeter. Wallace will have to take a shot at the German.)They are going to have play a whole lot better than they did against Cleveland to beat Dallas....and that's assuming they can get by Shaq and Wade.
We shall see.......
Bobby DarinToday is Bobby Darin's birthday. He was born in 1936 as Walden Robert Cassotto. One of the greatest popular music records of all time is Darin's second LP, That's All. My dad had the original vinyl record. I say "had" because I stole it, and now I have it. Of course I can't play it, because I don't have a working record player, but so what. It's a collector's item.
The otherwise lackluster Kevin Spacey movie about Darin's life did a good job of showing how Darin changed from a bobby sox rocker to a Sinatra-esque swinger with the release of That's All. Every song is a gem, especially the most famous single to come off of that album, "Mack The Knife."
Dick Clark begged Darin not to record "Mack," but thankfully he went and did it anyways. Now, its become a jazz standard that even twenty-somethings like myself know by heart. What other song written by a communist (Bertolt Brecht) can you say that about?
On the back of That's All, they reprinted a telegram from Sammy Davis, Jr., which I love:
Really, when you talk about guys who could swing, the name Darin belongs right up there next to Frank and Sammy.
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Glad to know some younger people appreciate Bobby.
I have wanted to see the Spacy Movie and never had the opportunity. I remember his short lived comedy/variety TV show.
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Next time I have a Rat Pack party, I'll be sure to invite you. I'm partial to Dean Martin.
BTW, Have you checked out my www.thingsyoushoulddo.com site lately? I've got lots of fun things to do posted.
Posted by: irishlass at May 14, 2006 07:59 PM (n0Y00)
AI Blogging
If I have any influence at all with this blog, let me use it now.
Vote for Elliott Yao Ming tonight. He totally annihilated the competition. And the competition was exceptional. But the dude with the bad teeth fukken' rocked!
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You just knew that slimy fucking weasel was going to sell 'em out before the Prez blew his brains out. Hoping that character gets a real beat down before the shows ends.
Posted by: Blu at May 09, 2006 12:57 PM (j8oa6)
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ANOTHER dumb twat in charge at CTU fucking things up. We ALL knew not to tell him. In fact, I'm guessing that most of us would have cut his tongue out for GP, and locked him in solitary.
Heh, where's the whacko bitch who took Chloie's job? She reminds me of the women where I work. No, I'm sorry, despite rumors to the contrary, I CAN'T read minds.
And before you get all negative on the Prez, remember if it wasn't for him, that fat pig Edgar would STILL be in every episode.
Posted by: Casca at May 09, 2006 02:30 PM (2gORp)
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Forgot why I came to post in the heat of the moment. What I meant to say was, "Oh yeah? Maybe we WANT them running around on the loose talking to everyone. Ever thought of that?"
Posted by: Casca at May 09, 2006 02:32 PM (2gORp)
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While your observation may be spot-on, do you honestly think that there is ANY perimeter that is sufficient enough to contain Jack Bauer?
I think not.
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Yeah, don't you know about suspension of disbelief? On the other hand, I watch Boston Legal because it's a first rate docudrama.
Posted by: Casca at May 10, 2006 06:17 AM (rEC2k)
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Annika,
I suspect that as the writers of 24 plotted Jack's easy penetration of the Mrine perimeter so did B-C-R-W do the same for OBL. HAd he been capatured at Tora Bora the wind would have left the sails of the administration's junk sailing for Iraq.
The last thing they wanted in their net was Old Osama.
Casca, it's clear suspension of disbelief is your entire raison detre. We need to SD to accept you as an intelligent actor upon our stage and you need it to make the entire pretext of your life palatable.
Posted by: Strawman at May 10, 2006 03:27 PM (o/gnC)
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B-C-R-W is either a seventies rock group i am as yet unfamiliar with, or it's an acronym for Bush Cheney Rumsfeld and uh...
... Winona Judd?
Posted by: annika at May 10, 2006 03:56 PM (fxTDF)
The First Rule Of Lost
Hook up with a guy . . . get shot and die.
Update: Nice try Scof. But your theory, "DUI = bad career move," while it has some supporters, fails to explain Shannon's death earlier this season, right after she hooked up with Sayid. Thus, my theory is superior.
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Well Libby just walkin in all random like that, I mean she'd never been to the hatch before far as I can recall. Its fishy I tell ya, ...but perhaps they killed Libby off cuz maybe she was thinking of having sex with Hurley during their picnic, maybe a lil 3 way with Chong the Korean dude, and something that horrible needs a pre-emptive strike, so that's why she's dead.
Still I think they killed 'em off like that by surprise, it wasn't planned 'till after they got arrested, and they invented this whole crap plotline with Michael being brainwashed so as to eat up the rest of the episodes for the season, thus ensuring a interested audience for another season because we want to find out what happens once they finally kill Michael off and get back to doing...well whatever they were doing...Damn, I'm lost in my own arguement.
Today is Bobby Darin's birthday. He was born in 1936 as Walden Robert Cassotto. One of the greatest popular music records of all time is Darin's second LP, That's All. My dad had the original vinyl record. I say "had" because I stole it, and now I have it. Of course I can't play it, because I don't have a working record player, but so what. It's a collector's item.
