Chris Roach tagged me with this book meme, so here goes.

1. One book that changed your life?

Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton

2. One book that you have read more than once?

The Trial by Franz Kafka

3. One book you would want on a desert island?

The Bible

4. One book that made you cry?

A Lotus Grows In The Mud by Goldie Hawn

5. One book that made you laugh?

Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth

6. One book you wish had been written?

Kirlian Justice, by me

7. One book you wish had never been written?

Any Chomsky book

8. One book you are reading currently?

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks

9. One book you have been meaning to read?

An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson

10. Pass it on

Hugo and Matt Rustler and Matt Scofield

Posted by: annika at 02:38 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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I had no idea it was DMAD. In fact, I'd never heard of DMAD until today. It's not his birthday (that's June 7). Anyways, I'm up for it. Go and celebrate at Sheila's. Nobody blogs classic Hollywood better than Sheila. There are some great pictures too. Dean cooking with the Duke. Dean, Mia and Sharon Tate. Dean and the boss, naturally. Dean stepping onstage with Judy (I think it's Judy). And of course, Dean and Jerry.

Update: Youtube is amazing. Look what I found.

That scene of Dean the father kissing Dean Paul is sad, isn't it? Captain Dean Paul Martin died in 1987 when his Air National Guard F-4 Phantom crashed into Mount San Gorgonio.

Dean Paul "Dino" Martin, 35, son of entertainer Dean Martin was killed when the Phantom jet he was piloting crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains. Permission was given by March Air Force Base ATC to perform a "maximum climb" takeoff. The aircraft was seen disappearing into a scattered cloud ceiling at 4,700 feet. Radar contact was lost 9 minutes into the flight. The crash site was found on the 3rd day of searching in the San Gabriel Mountains. An investigation revealed the aircraft flew, inverted, into a solid wall of granite between two mountain peaks at an estimated speed of 560 mph. The aircraft was literally pulverized into the granite. The "maximum climb" takeoff, g forces assoctiated with this type of flight and the dense cloud cover negatively affected the pilots ability to know his position and aircraft attitude.

Posted by: annika at 09:38 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 Thanks for the link!! I'm kinda having a manic episode (ha!) - but I loves me some Dino!

Posted by: red at September 14, 2006 10:02 AM (rNgdr)

2 Oh - and I totally made up DMAD. In order to justify how obsessed I am with Dino right now.

Posted by: red at September 14, 2006 10:32 AM (rNgdr)

3 Well, it's very nice Sheila. Although someone should gag Jerry.

Posted by: Casca at September 14, 2006 11:53 AM (Z2ndo)

4 "I had the most amazing dream. I was riding on an ice cream donkey with none other than Mr. Dean Martin, and even though the donkey melted just outside of Walnut City, Dean didn't care, because that's just the kind of man he was." "Aye, he was the Dean of Martins." "Amen."

Posted by: The Law Fairy at September 14, 2006 12:06 PM (XUsiG)

5 Oh, and yes, Annika, you are correct - that is Judy, welcoming Dean to the stage for a duet at the Coconut Grove. Uhm - what I would give for a time machine!!!

Posted by: red at September 14, 2006 03:58 PM (hJ+VA)

6 Guess I'll have a scotch to celebrate. I always liked his old variety show. BTW, I am writing this only four hours after Lasik eye surgery. Its great not to need glasses anymore.

Posted by: kyle8 at September 14, 2006 04:41 PM (PBHAA)

7 Here's a classic Dino story: In "The Sons of Katie Elder", they wanted Duke and Dino to escape from jail and Duke was supposed to hide a knife and hold it to the neck of the jailor and threaten him to let them out. Duke said the didn't use knives and would never do it. The director turned toward Dino and before he could speak a word, Dino said "So, where do I hide the knife?". By the way, Dino would not appreciate any Jerry Lewis shit. He hated his ass for breaking up the partnership and striking out on his own. In the end, it was Jerry who rued the day he did so, but Dean had no use for him at all. I think I'll have a Scotch myself, although I'm pretty sure Dino drank Gentleman Jack on the rocks, or, whatever someone handed him from the audience.

Posted by: shelly at September 14, 2006 06:00 PM (ZGpMS)

8 Well, since we're going to reminisce. Deano was from the heart of union thug country, Mingo Junction, OH. Oh yeah, everything says Steubenville, but the locals always know the fine points. I love that he was such a true friend. He helped his buddy Frank during JFK's election, because he was supporting Frank. JFK's team pressured Frank and the Ratpackers not to attend Sammy's mixed race wedding to that Swedish beauty, and Deano didn't think twice about not attending. That was the end of it between Dean and the Kennedy Clan. I'm not sure if Frank attended or not.

Posted by: Casca at September 14, 2006 07:46 PM (2gORp)

9 BTW Kyle, given your extra-curricular activities. You'll need glasses again in no time. Just make sure you stop before you go blind.

Posted by: Casca at September 14, 2006 07:48 PM (2gORp)

10 Now, that is funny. But, Kyle is an easy target, he is such a weenie.

Posted by: shelly at September 15, 2006 02:59 AM (ZGpMS)

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[Just havin' a little fun at Shatner's expense. He knows I love him.]

Today is the 40th anniversary of Star Trek's first broadcast. From the official website:

On the evening of the 8th of September, following Daniel Boone, this new NBC show premiered with an episode called "The Man Trap." The angle of the story was different, to say the least: It was a love story with a sci-fi twist, borne of a relationship from the doctor's past, featuring a monster that, in the end, just wanted to live. It was moving, tragic and anything but cheesy. The viewers — at least the ones who were paying attention — were hooked.

This show proved it had something different. It had a unique life that would go on to exist beyond expectation. It stood outside of time, as it tapped into universal themes and epic struggles, and put the cosmos on notice. Things have changed! Primetime on NBC eventually proved that this was no place for something so big, so broad in scope. This three-season show, after all, would go on to spawn four live-action spin-offs, an animated series, ten movies and counting, plus a licensing empire that, to this day, embraces books, videos, exhibits and assorted merchandise.

Like other cultural, artistic or philosophical phemonena (think Mozart, Van Gogh or Jesus) this new show was largely unappreciated in its own time and only later would be seen as what it is today, a world-wide, cultural juggernaut. Thanks to a form of TV recycling called syndication, the show became a hit to generations of young, impressionable kids, including many future scientists, astronauts and actors. What's ironic is that by today's ratings standards, it would have been a hit in its original run. But back then, with only three major networks, it didn't quite pull its weight. It was only with the need to syndicate TV programs, to get more than one bite out of the entertainment cherry, did this show become what it was all along. It just needed a form of resurrection; the people who had heard of it from their parents, teachers, friends or older siblings tuned in after school, prior to the dinner hour. It turned out to be the perfect time to hit this new, fresh audience and the show became lodged in the collective minds of a nation.

Happy birthday Star Trek. And thanks Gene, wherever you are.

Update: Check out the Star Trek 40th Anniversary Carnival at A Mama's Rant. Submit your own post, if you got one.

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The Path To 9/11 starts Sunday Night. I plan to watch it not only because it has been pissing off all the right people, but also because I want to see how Sherry Palmer fits into the conspiracy.

Posted by: annika at 10:04 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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1 i think she's sexy, good actress

Posted by: Scof at September 07, 2006 05:57 AM (a3fqn)

2 i think she's sexy, good actress too

Posted by: Scof at September 07, 2006 05:57 AM (a3fqn)

3 Serious people understand that nearly all blame for 9/11 falls on Clinton and his merry band of light weights. (Every time, I see Albright I am reminded that Bill Clinton was responsible handing responsibility of the State Dept to an unqualified and amazingly stupid person.) Until now, Clinton has successfully used his cronies in the media and government to hide his responsibility. (I doesn't help that Republicans led by Bush are unwilling to play hardball and place blame where it ought.) I'm glad these idiots are getting what the deserve for their inept foreign policy. Next, I'd like to see a mini-series on his admins responsibility for a nuclear N. Korea; or perhaps his fake economic expansion.

Posted by: Blu at September 07, 2006 09:17 AM (j8oa6)

4 Scof, time for your medication. Your second of multiple personalities is coming out again.

Posted by: elmondohummus at September 07, 2006 09:18 AM (xHyDY)

5 "Until now, Clinton has successfully used his cronies in the media and government to hide his responsibility." They are still hidden in Sandy Berger's undies.

Posted by: reagan80 at September 07, 2006 10:29 AM (dFOlH)

6 It's odd that primarily rightwing commentators/bloggers were the ones who got preview privileges. Does that mean Oliver Stone also accurately portrays world events?

Posted by: will at September 07, 2006 07:28 PM (h7Ciu)

7 Forget Sherry Palmer. What we REALLY need to worry about is how we're gonna catch Michael Scofield, T-Bag, and the rest of the Fox River 8. Lastly: Much as I didn't like President Clinton, 9/11 wasn't his FAULT. It was the fault of Mohammed Atta and the rest of the hijackers.

Posted by: fatass the conqueror at September 07, 2006 09:14 PM (TNYfW)

8 Will, Please provide your proof that mostly conservatives were given preview privledges. It's not true. Both liberals and conservatives viewed the film. The liberals are the only ones upset because somebody finally told the truth about the Clinton administration. Clinton is consumed with his legacy - or what legacy he actually has besides banging interns. You are just hearing the squeaky wheels. The film also takes shot at the Bush admin. But the 9/11 was the result of the 90's and a disinterested President Clinton - not a few months of Bush. The difference between the Right and the Left is that the Right is willing to admit that Bush wasn't perfect and clearly reacted to 9/11. The Left acts as if The Pervert was on top of things from Day 1 which is quite obviously BS.

Posted by: Blu at September 08, 2006 12:52 AM (TVuWZ)

9 The difference between right and left is that when the left feels slighted by a movie the studios fall all over themselves to keep them happy. When the right feels slighted, it's up to blogs and talk radio to set the record straight. They get no help from hollywood (that RR movie being the one exception that proves the rule).

Posted by: annika at September 08, 2006 01:35 AM (qQD4Q)

10 Oh, and when the Dems feel slighted by a movie, they call out the big guns and threaten to pull ABC's license. How's that for free speech fuckazzz!!!

Posted by: annika at September 08, 2006 01:43 AM (qQD4Q)

11 This shouldn't surprise anybody. This is typical of the Stalinist Left. Hmmm, it's also very similar to the control of information in Nazi Germany. This is an example of "fear" - this is the buzz word of the week for Dems - being used in modern America that actually deserves to be compared to Nazi-like tactics. Good points above Annika. Remember that travesty of a film about the Reagans? I don't recall any Rep Senator sending letters with implicit threats to yank broadcast licenses. This shit is truly Orwellian. What are the odds of anybody on the Left standing up and calling a spade a spade? Don't hold your breath.

Posted by: Blu at September 08, 2006 01:34 PM (TVuWZ)

12 If people are too out of touch to read the 9/11 Commission report and instead believe what they see in a mini-series, they will probably still vote the way they had before. ABC states, "The Path to 9/11 is a dramatization, not a documentary", so I'll just put this in the Oliver Stone category until I see it for myself and compare it to the 9/11 Commission report. The writer of the movie is an unabashed conservative named Cyrus Nowrasteh. Last year, Nowrasteh spoke on a panel titled, “Rebels With a Cause: How Conservatives Can Lead Hollywood’s Next Paradigm Shift.” He has described Michael Moore as “an out of control socialist weasel,” and conducted interviews with right-wing websites like FrontPageMag. The problem isn’t that Nowrasteh is conservative. The problem is that Nowrasteh and ABC are representing “The Path to 9/11" as an unbiased historical drama. Promos for the movie say it is “based on the 9/11 Commission Report.” Nowrasteh claims he “wanted to match the just-the-facts tone of the report,” and describes the project as “an objective telling of the events of 9/11.” From Sourcewatch: 'Nowrasteh said that he "was provided an incredible amount of research materials and high-level advisors from the FBI, CIA, Secret Service, Diplomatic Security, etc." ' How did he get such access? I wonder how many tax dollars were spent giving him pro-Administration spin. Perhaps because he is a right-wing film producer and the administration knew that they would spin things to attempt to take the heat off GWB. The movie's account directly contradicts the 9/11 commission report (http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/index.htm), however, which states that it was CIA Director George Tenet that called off the operation, which itself never got off the ground: "Tenet told us that given the recommendation of his chief operations officers, he alone had decided to 'turn off' the operation. He had simply informed Berger, who had not pushed back. Berger’s recollection was similar. He said the plan was never presented to the White House for a decision. "The CIA’s senior management clearly did not think the plan would work. Tenet’s deputy director of operations wrote to Berger a few weeks later that the CIA assessed the tribals’ ability to capture Bin Ladin and deliver him to U.S. officials as low." [11]

Posted by: will at September 08, 2006 02:46 PM (h7Ciu)

13 "...until I see it for myself and compare it to the 9/11 Commission report." Good for you, Will. At least, you are willing to see it before passing judgement - unlike most of the Left who hasn't seen it and it passing around misinformation.

Posted by: Blu at September 08, 2006 05:33 PM (TVuWZ)

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Just my opinion, but I think the answer to "Who's the World's Greatest Australian?" goes without saying.

Exhibit A in the extended entry. more...

Posted by: annika at 09:47 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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