Cable Bundles A Thing of the Past?

For those of you who watch a lot of cable television, this news should be of interest to you. Somebody in congress has come up with a bill that would prevent cable companies from making it mandatory for customers to buy cable channels in bundles. In other words, the idea of the bill is to allow customers to buy only the channels they want.

At first glance, this seems like a great idea, doesn’t it? I mean, how cool would it be to buy only the channels you really use, so you can get rid of festering crap like MTV, BET, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, CSPAN, PAX, Lifetime, Oxygen, and other channels like this, and only pay for the good ones.

Who wouldn’t like to see less Disney and Nickelodeon channels? Wouldn’t it be great to see smaller numbers of political news channels? Or not so many “golden oldies” TV channels – I’m really getting sick of channels calling the Cosby Show, Golden Girls, and the Jeffersons as classics.

However, I smell a rat. When bundled, each channel probably costs an average of 50 cents (or something like that). However, unbundled, some stations may jack up their costs – like ESPN and the Comedy Channel (two channels I love). I can see this ending up in us having to pay more for the TV we want to see. The cable companies probably secretly love this.

Additionally, channels that still provide us with creative and thought-provoking television may be left for dead, and will simply go away. Channels like the History Channel, Bravo, A&E, Discovery Channel (and channels of this ilk) will probably become a thing of the past. The few channels that are left over will probably be bought out by super-corporations, who will market to the lowest common denominators – ensuring that we HAVE to watch thought-siphoning programming like Fear Factor, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Yes Dear forever.

I Can See Why They Call it Black Friday

I’ve never been one to attempt the perilous act of journeying to the local malls and department stores on Black Friday – mainly because of our annual day-after-Thanksgiving football game (by the way, we finally smartened up this year – we played touch football instead of tackle … and I’m still really f-in sore).

But after seeing the footage of some local discount stores, and the absolute lack of civility at said locations, I don’t think you could pay me to go out and do my shopping on Black Friday. I understand there were some really great deals – Best Buy had laptops for $200, and I think that Target was selling 20-inch flat screen tvs with dvd players for $80 – but I probably would be thrown in jail after my complete breakdown at one of these stores.

Thank goodness I got most of my shopping done early. Don’t get me wrong – I still have stuff to buy, but I’ve learned to be smart and buy a little early.

I think some of these lunatics who go out at 4:30 in the morning, and fight tooth-and-nail for some of these items should really take a look in the mirror and have a heart-to-heart with the idiot that is looking back to see if this is truly what the Christmas season is all about.

Are ya Ready for Some Turkey!!!!

Thanksgiving is once again upon us. There is nothing like a nice turkey dinner with family, watching the stinkin’ Cowboys get their butts handed to them. It can only be sweeter in Delco if the Interboro Bucs can knock off the Ridley Green Raiders.

In addition to the main things I’m thankful for (family, friends, health), I wanted to share some “odd” things I’m thankful for:

1. I am very thankful for the fact that turkey is traditionally served for Thanksgiving, and not ham. I can’t stand ham. The mere thought of it makes me want to throw up in my mouth.

2. Plumbing, and especially flushable toilets, are very important to me. I have family (on my mom’s side) that live in the mountains of Bavaria, and up until recently (maybe 15 years ago), they had no plumbing in their house. This meant using an outhouse. Let me tell you, this was won of the absolute most-sobering experiences (related to going to the bathroom) that I’ve had to go through. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a faster growler in my life.

3. Internet Radio. You’ve seen some of my rants with regards to terrestrial radio (by the way, couldn’t they come up with a better word to describe normal radio than “terrestrial?” They may as well call it “steaming pile of” radio.)

4. Heaters and air conditioners are a godsend. It was colder than the relationship between democrats and republicans this morning. The heater in my car made me quickly forget that feeling.

5. A bar right up the street from my house is a nice “luxury” as I won’t have to drive anywhere tonight for a Thanksgiving toast.

6. Certainly a 4-day weekend is a wonderful thing. This is the time of year we get to act like the French (sub-30-hour work week).

7. I’m thankful for the few remaining creative people in movies and TV who have given us such wonderful shows as: My Name is Earl; The Office; Arrested Development; Family Guy … as well as movies like: Anchorman; Napoleon Dynamite; and Old School.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

An Empty Roll ... NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I discovered yet another one of those overlooked great feelings this weekend … I ran out of toilet paper when I was taking a growler, and to my surprise (and good fortune), I had remembered to bring a spare roll up previously. Isn’t that a great feeling when you realize that there is another roll? It’s almost like finding a $10 bill in your jacket or pants pocket … almost.

Of course, running out of toilet paper and not having any backup toilet paper is one of the worst feelings. Sometimes you could get by with tissues, but the paper is so thin, and sometimes your finger goes right through and you get that disgusting moist feeling on your fingertips, and you know that you are going to have to overload on soap and a scrubber.

But, if there is no more toilet paper AND no tissue paper, then what? You could pull up your pants and go to the closet to get another roll, having to do that Fred Sanford walk to make sure that your underwear does not get anywhere near the mud. Or, you could use a towel in the bathroom and immediately throw it in the hamper. Or, you can just use your underwear and throw that in the hamper (or in the trash, I guess). This could be one of those “NFL – You Make the Call” commercials.

Turn Signals Are There For A Reason, Dammit!

I’ve ranted about this before, but I swear that less and less people are using their turn-signals. Apparently, these misguided people think that most of the population have some form of ESP that enables them to come to some sort of divine understanding that the person not using the turn signal is indeed going to turn. Unfortunately, we don’t have this at our disposal, but we do have the turn signal, so use it, dammit!

Look, if you are in the turning lane, I’m not as upset with you, because I know that you are going to turn. BUT, if you are in a lane next to me and all of the sudden start veering into my lane without using your turn signal, it bothers me … for a number of reasons. First, it is extremely dangerous. If, for some reason, I am not paying attention to the road that very minute, I could be ramming my car up your ass. That is not cool, and potentially costly. Second, I feel that you don’t have enough respect for me to even offer me a turn signal before entering my lane. Thirdly, you basically piss me off, which makes me more aggressive and potentially dangerous. Do us all a favor and use the signal, OK?

Another driving issue I have is with passive and slow drivers who, for some reason or another, decide that they MUST be in the left lane of a highway. Most people of average intelligence or above know that the left lane is usually designated as the passing lane … or the lane for people with lead feet. But some mongoloids who found a loophole in the system to be able to secure a drivers license, still continue to clog up the left lane, which, in times of rush hour, causes massive delays AND potential for accidents. Stay in the right lane, douchebags.

Finally, I believe we should have separate roads for old people. They are a danger on the road (not all, but quite a few). Oh, how I love to be behind a car where I see only blue, frail knuckles on the steering wheel. These people basically don’t even give a crap anymore. If they get into a car accident, oh well – it gives them something to talk about when they are playing Earl in chess at the local park. “Guess what happened to me today Earl? I caused a 10-car pile up, killing 12 people, and worst of all, I crapped my new shiny pants that I bought from K-Mart.”

Yes – thank goodness its Friday.

Christmas Shopping Blues

It’s creeping up on us. That time of year. You know, that time where you spend frivolously on gifts and presents, and try to reach expert-status with regards to your gift-wrapping skills

** On a side note, I suck at wrapping gifts … or at the very least, I’m inconsistent at it. My mom once made me rewrap my presents after she glimpsed the wrapping train wreck that I had produced.**

I normally love buying gifts for family and close friends. Unlike most others, I actually enjoy the whole Christmas shopping experience – even shopping at crowded stores with precious few parking spots.

However, I do not enjoy shopping for my parents. They are practically impossible to shop for. I once bought a wok for my mom when I was 13. I thought it was the coolest gift in the world. Unfortunately, I didn’t take into account that my mom was German, and would never have any use for a wok. Fortunately, she took me aside after she opened the present and informed me that my purchase was indeed stupid. I took the wok to college unopened.

I remember the “Santa’s Workshops” our Elementary School used to have around Christmas. This would be like a mini Christmas shopping experience for students. I bought my dad a screwdriver set once from this workshop. The screwdrivers were all the same, but they had multi-colored handles. I thought, at the time, that this might be the greatest gift ever purchased.

Why do I bring this stuff up? Well, I need help. I need some ideas and suggestions on something to get my parents for Christmas. Let me add, that they do not like gift certificates. They think this is a cop-out. Any suggestions (both serious and humorous) are greatly appreciated.

The Heart of the Civil War

Have you ever gotten the feeling that (a) somebody is watching you, and (b) that person doesn’t want you around? That’s the feeling I got in Gettysburg this weekend – not the whole time, mind you, but definitely on a few occasions.

My wife and I traveled to Gettysburg to celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary. We did the same last year, and it looks like it will become a tradition for us. My wife fell in love with the place when we drove through it on the way to Mont Alto a few years ago.

Obviously, Gettysburg is bursting at the seams with history. For those of you not familiar (possibly retarded), this was the scene of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Many people lost their lives not only on the battlefield, but also in downtown Gettysburg.

There are so many tours of not only the battlefield, but also of some of the houses, cemeteries, and locations that will forever be “historic” and possibly cursed, thanks to the civil war.

I love history, and I love hearing stories and legends, so Gettysburg is always a welcome destination to me. But, I’ll tell ya, walking through the Schriver house gave me a bad feeling. Thankfully, I walked through it during the day, because had we done this at night, I may have screamed like a little baby.

This probably would’ve been the same result, had my wife and I done the ghost-hunting tour at one of the many cemeteries in Gettsyburg (I vow to do this next year, though!).

Love Those Tidbits!

Thank goodness it is Friday. And because of that, I am too happy to rant on anything, so I’ll share some random thoughts.

1. Hey, finally a reason to visit New Jersey besides Atlantic City and the beaches! Gas prices have fallen to under $2.00, the site of this left me misty-eyed.

2. The SEPTA strike is finally over, and traffic is much more manageable again. I am guessing that there probably is corruption in SEPTA (it seems like corruption runs rampant in businesses and companies that have no direct competition), so I’m wondering what, if anything, can be done to prevent these strikes that seem to loom over our heads every 4 years or so.

3. Ryk and I were talking the other day about a stupid topic – no surprise there. I thought I’d share it with you and see if you can help us answer this vital question – If a pack of clowns fought a pack of mimes, who would win?

4. I’m not sure if any of you heard this, but something monumental is going to happen at the Sixers game tonight. A new form of entertainment will grace the presence everyone in attendance at the Wachovia Center. A group called “The Beefcakes (I think) will perform. The interesting twist is that the Beefcakes are a group of obese men. I hope to see highlights of this.

An Enlightening Discover

So, I was at work the other day, getting bored with listening to WMMR playing Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Nickleback, and Three Doors Down for the third hour in a row, and I decided to look up some modern rock streaming audio on the internet. To my pleasant surprise, I found a station in London that played great-sounding songs that I have never heard before. It was refreshing to not hear the same monotonous crap over and over again.

I’ve openly complained about the lack of creativity that local radio stations in the Philadelphia market have, and I’ve known that a good alternative to this would maybe be internet radio streams (or just internet radio stations), but I’ve never had the time nor the motivation to try to find a good one. Little did I know, it is incredibly easy – just by typing in streaming modern rock (or streaming classic rock, or streaming heavy metal), one can have a seemingly endless selection of music at his/her fingertips.

I know that satellite radio is the big rage, but with increasing hot spots and Wi-Fi availability, I’m guessing that this could be a huge market – especially if an automobile manufacturer would jump on board and put in some sort of internet radio device (I’m sure somebody has thought of this … if not, I just gave up a billion-dollar idea … your welcome).

Another neat product that can make any/all of us our own DJ’s and program directors is a program called “Pirate Radio.” It basically is a program that creates an internet radio station on your computer. The program itself is only $29.99, and can be found at www.pirateradio.com (great Christmas gift, if one does not know what to get for Karl). I’ve listened to a few of the stations here, and although not all of them are good, there are some really creative outlets here.

1. Anyone else think the BCS system in college football is retarded? Seriously. Why no playoff system? Obviously, the short answer is money. They make a ton of money on all of these crazy bowl games (The Weed-Eater Bowl, Blockbuster Bowl, Outback Bowl), and they fear they would lose money if they ‘did the right thing’ by creating some sort of playoff format. Hey, even if the NCAA did a 4-team playoff, it would be better than the muck they have now.

2. I had the pleasure of seeing Brian Regan this weekend. I believe I mentioned that in a previous post. He is one of my top-5 favorite comedians of all-time, so needless to say, I was stoked to see him, and he did not disappoint. In case you are interested, the other 4 on the list (in no particular order) are as follows:
a. Bill Cosby – He was one of the first comedians I remember seeing. His “Himself” show was (and still is) one of the absolute all-time greatest stand-up shows I’ve ever seen. Yes, he sucks now, and his Cosby Show was not so good, but he was awesome once.
b. Eddie Murphy – Speaking of being awesome once, has there ever been a comedian that had 3 huge hit shows in a row (Comedian, Delirious, and RAW)? Yes, he was much different than Cosby, and he cursed a ton. But, man, those shows were gold. Maybe he should put another one of these out, now that his career stinks.
c. Richard Prior – Talkin’ about shaking up the industry. This guy was a pioneer when it came to both sexual and political humor. I remember buying an album of his when I was like 10 years old. I had to put the volume really low, because not a sentence went by that he didn’t curse. Brilliant insight, though.
d. Bill Hicks – It is a shame this guy died so early. He could’ve been the best (in my mind, he was the best). Very political in his viewpoints, but his stories always had a point, and they were always funny (even though sometimes you felt guilty laughing at them).

Sick of Politics

Look, I’m not on the left, and I’m not on the right, and maybe that is why I get so sick of politics so quickly. Obviously, nobody is ever going to agree with everything somebody does in office (unless you are so far to the left or right, that you don’t give a flying f**k what the person does in office, as long as he/she is your man/woman). All I ask for is competence. I know, it seems easy enough, but why can’t we get anyone from any side who is competent enough for office?

Just in case you think I’m picking on one specific person, this goes for every level of the political system, from the grass roots all the way up to the big house. I am so sick and tired of hearing about controversies, scandals, lobbying, and the whole “us against them” mentality that the liberals and conservatives have. Aren’t you supposed to be working for the people you represent, and not your own stupid political parties? Isn’t it easier to work together to get things accomplished, instead of using the party-line as an excuse why you won’t work with others?

Is there anybody in politics who is not corrupt? Why can’t respectable people run for office, and not get thoroughly embarrassed because the political machine was able to dig up something that the person did when he/she was a teenager?

I know this will never work, but I want the 2 or 3 people who read my website to make a conscious effort to only vote for politicians who promise to work together with other people. I don’t care about which side of the fence you are on, as long as you make sure that the person running isn’t a total stubborn jerk who doesn’t care about you, but is only concerned about the company line (also, it would help if the person doesn’t owe any people/companies a lot of favors).

Just a Few Notes...

Got a little busy at work, but I didn't forget about you guys. Here are a few thoughts to keep you amused:


1. My fantasy football team has now lost 3 games in a row by 1 point. Is this a new modern-day fantasy football record for despair? Funny thing is that I was either tied or in the lead going into Monday night, and was winning until the last quarter of the game. Life sucks sometimes, doesn’t it?

2. In my humble opinion, NBC should be moving the shows “My Name is Earl” and “The Office” to Thursday night to bring themselves back to the hey-day of Thursday night comedy on NBC. Those two shows are possibly the best comedy shows on network television right now (along with Arrested Development, the Simpsons, and Family Guy).

3. I’m going to see Brian Regan on Saturday night. If you’ve never heard of this guy, Google his name, and go to his website. Here’s the problem – Penn State plays probably the most important game of their season against Wisconsin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. I gotta hope the game is in hand by 7:00 p.m. (this is when we have to leave for the Brian Regan show).

I thought I’d pass along some more thoughts, brief observations, concerns, etc.:

1. I discovered another thing I truly hate, and that is throwing a party in which only half of the people who responded that they were showing up to said party actually come, and most of the people who don’t show up, don’t even bother to call to let you know they won’t be there. I think it is beyond rude, and goes as far as being very disrespectful. Instead of purchasing a ½ keg of beer, I could’ve bought a few cases of beer and saved money (and not wasted so much beer – something I really hate to do). I believe in Karma, so I’m really hoping that “what comes around, goes around.”

2. Can Penn State win the Big 10 title? As of right now, their destiny is in their hands. Of course, this was also the case in 1999, when they fumbled the ball (no pun intended) around the same time. I hope this year’s team is different. Wouldn’t it be great for Joe-Pa to get one more Big-10 title under his illustrious belt? If this happens, he might very well retire, but at least the program is in good hands again.

3. A few more things I really hate/fear:
a.Noticing the roll of toilet paper is empty after taking a “growler.”
b. Cutting too much of your finger-nail off.
c. Chewing on tin-foil

4. I hear Paris Hilton’s new cd is out. I’m wondering if this will outsell William Hung’s cd, or her porno dvd, for that matter.

5. I can’t believe it is already Halloween. It feels like just a few weeks ago, I was in shorts and a t-shirt with the air-conditioning on … now granted, the fall has been on the warmer side, so that may have only been a few weeks ago, but still…

Ghoulish Tidbits

Since I don’t have anything really important to talk about (I know – since when have I ever had anything important to talk about), I’ll set you up with some tidbits:

1. I love Halloween – I love dressing up for Halloween. I guess it may be because my mom never let me get cool costumes as a child. I was the guy dressed up as a hobo every year – my mom would save the pants that I put holes in, and she would patch them up and save the clothes for Halloween. Other people got to be vampires, and ghosts, and He-Man – I was the hobo. Here are the five costumes I’m most proud of (that I developed):
* Mick Jagger – I dressed like him in college. I borrowed a girl’s purple stretch pants, and put make-up on and everything. I even lip-synched to “Start Me Up” at a party. Very cool.
* Drew Carey – I borrowed my dads pants, shirt, and jacket; used a pillow, and got black glasses. I won for best costume.
* Ric Flair – My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I got a black robe, put all kinds of sequins on it, I got a blond wig, black boxers, and a championship belt. I ruled.
* Heino – If you don’t know who this is, google him. I got a blonde wig, red suit-jacket, little guitar, and a picture of mountains that I attached to the suit jacket. It ruled!
* Napoleon Dynomite – I’m dressing like him this year, because I rule!

2. I think one of the biggest fears I have is the toilet bowl overflowing. I’ve never actually had this happen to me, but I’ve been close on more than a few occasions. God, what a rush when the toilet finally flushes!

3. Besides Forsberg and Gagne, are there any other Flyers that can score?

4. Am I the only one who thinks that naming Hurricanes after the Greek Alphabet is stupid? Hurricane Beta??? C’mon! I have some suggestions:
* Name them after fast food restaurants: “Hurricane Bob’s Big Boy just rammed into the Gulf Coast.”
* How about naming them after animals, but really cool ones like “Hurricane Wolverine.”
* Name them after cool movie characters, like “Hurricane Boba Fett.”

5. Does anyone else feel ripped off that after Howard Stern leaves, the east coast gets David Lee Roth, while the west coast gets Adam Carolla? Has any rock legend (besides Gary Glitter) dropped so quickly?

Another One Bites the Dust

Well, it looks like the volatile Philadelphia radio landscape has claimed another casualty. 94 WYSP has changed formats from a rock station to – get this – an FM talk station. As if this radio market was already suffering from a lack of musical choices, it was dealt another blow. Now, I admit that I haven’t listened to WYSP a lot for many reasons. A big reason is because Stern was getting monotonous with his daily “Sirius Satellite Radio” banter (and Preston and Steve are much more compelling and interesting on 93.3).

But, WYSP’s musical selection has been dropping quicker than Paris Hilton at a sausage convention. The station really should’ve considered naming itself the “Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zeppelin, and Metallica station with a touch of Stained and any other band that sound like Limp Biskit.” I think if WYSP tweaked their music to include a larger variety of groups that didn’t sound exactly the same, they would’ve had more success, but when a company is corporate owned, creativity is usually the first thing to go. It’s all about the bottom line and reaching the common denominator, and that means if Limp Biskit has a great new song, we need to find bands that sound exactly the same, because they will probably produce hits as well.

I like WMMR, but sometimes they play too much Zeppelin and Ozzy too. I wish I had variety. 102.9 is ok for a classic rock fix, but after about 15 minutes, it gets old. I wish somebody would get the balls to put on a station again like WDRE (back in the early 1990’s). Did I like every song that was on this station? No. But, I did like the fact that I could put this station on, and know that I wouldn’t be hearing the “same old, same old” over and over again.

Terrestrial radio is reeling because of the increasing popularity of satellite radio. They don’t know why it is so popular. Maybe, if they just stepped back and looked from an outsider’s perspective, they’d realize that terrestrial radio is no longer creative and all of the channels are starting to sound the same. Niche markets are no longer cultivated like they used to be by terrestrial radio. These niche markets are now being exploited by satellite radio, and people are willing to put up the $12 a month in order to get this programming. This warning sign has unfortunately not been noticed, and the landscape will continue to change to try and get the “new packaged” thing.

** By the way, I though BEN-FM was cool at first, but it sucks. They are obviously competing with other bland stations like B-101 and 104.5. The “variety” they tout is crap. I hate Philly radio.

You Go, Jason Bateman!

I've always been a Jason Bateman fan - all the way back to the time he was making appearances as Ricky Schroeder's "Eddie-Haskall-like" friend on Silver Spoons. He, of course, moved on to be a compelling character on such semi-hits as "It's Your Move" and "Valerie's Family," but then, for some reason, he seemed to have fallen off the face of the Earth for more than a decade.

Then, thanks to the grace of God ... and maybe Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, he made a triumphant return as a supporting actor in such funny hits as "Starsky and Hutch" and "Dodgeball." Now, his career recovery, which is almost Travolta-like, is reaching new heights with a hilarious sit-com called "Arrested Development." The good news is that it is that the critics love it. However, for some reason (maybe it is because FOX promoted it about as about as strongly as PBS shows are promoted on network television). The cast is top-notch, and Bateman - as the central character - plays an amazing straight man. The premise is nothing new - a dysfunctional family - but the writing and camera work is excellent. This show is one of the best sit coms currently on network television, along with Family Guy, My Name Is Earl, and The Office.

I have two suggestions. First, to Justine Bateman - the once hot sister of Jason Bateman (I haven't seen her in a while, so I don't know if she is still hot - I suggest that she find a way to sleep with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, either of the Wilson brothers, or Will Ferrell. Maybe this will get her parts in movies that could help revitalize her career.

Second, if the Zucker brothers start getting heavy into the spoof comedies again, Jason would make a great straight man.

Slime, Slime, Slime.

After the last few years of “He said, he said” crap going on in our nation, I’m sick of politics. However, an interesting situation occurred in our great city of Philadelphia yesterday involving a city councilman, who is the target of a federal investigation, who had to be escorted down from City Hall's glass-enclosed observation deck by the police commissioner Thursday. The councilman’s name is Rick Mariano, and he seems to be a lightning rod for controversies – of course this seems to be a prerequisite to be a city councilman or to hold any sort of government-related job in the city.

From everything I’ve read and heard about, not just with this case, but with anything going on in Philly, it is not shocking that Philly dropped the ball when it came to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Aquarium that is now located in Camden, and any of the other venues that are now along the Camden Waterfront. The corruption in this city makes city corruption in New York and Chicago look like jay-walking violations.

I know there is no easy answer to this question, but why can’t anyone get elected to a government position in Philly who isn’t a slime-ball, and who isn’t corrupted? Certainly, money talks, and people in these positions have the backing of very rich people (just like our federal government – isn’t that funny). I just hold out the hope that enough people get fed up with the crap shoveling that is going on in the City of Brotherly Love (yeah, right).

Quick Hits

I feel uninspired today, so I must apologize. I guess it was the combination of playing Mario Golf and watching the World Series of Poker last night. But I do have some quick thoughts that may or may not be of interest. Here goes:

1. Does anybody else besides me think that Hamburger Helper rules? I used to laugh and belittle those commercials with that “Chef’s Hand.” Actually, they probably still are stupid, but man, the creations taste so good, and they only take a little time to make. I made the Cheeseburger Macaroni one last night, and it was scrumtralescent (a word that Will Ferrell made up).
2. There are so many acorns in my back yard, that the squirrels are now wearing stretch-pants and elastic flannel shirts.
3. Christmas is almost two months away, but the stores (such as Macy’s) are in full holiday swing already. Screw Halloween and Thanksgiving, let’s make Christmas 3 months long!
4. With all these remakes out or in the process of coming out, why not just shut the doors to movie companies altogether? Obviously, they’ve lost their desire to be creative, so why not just re-release the originals in the theatres? First, this would be way less expensive, and second, the originals are so much better than the remakes. Maybe the $10 ticket prices could come down to a more reasonable level .. ah, I guess I’m not making any sense.
5. Is anybody out there thrilled with the idea of David Lee Roth replacing Howard Stern? I know, Stern has been getting really boring in the last year or so, talking about his move to satellite radio. What is Dave gonna talk about? Unless he brings in Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar and stages elaborate fist-fights with them, I don’t think his “schtick” will last very long. Hey Philly, try Preston and Steve on 93.3 WMMR – they really do rock.
6. I'm currently listening to a cd called "39 Minutes of Bliss" by a group called "The Caesars" in my car. I absolutely love this cd, and yes, I know it has been out since 2003, but I just got it. You may recognize the one song from a commercial - it is called "Jerk Out," and it is way too addicting. The group sounds somewhere between an early Beatles or Stones and the Hives or Vines.

What Gives with the ND Rankiing????

I’m sick of Notre Dame and the privileges that they receive from the NCAA, especially in college football. Does anybody realize that they have lost 2 games and are in the top 10? How is this possible? Did God have a vote for the Irish? Is there some conspiracy with the IRA that we haven’t been told of?

The Irish lost to USC this weekend in the very last seconds. Yes, this was pretty impressive, but THIS was Notre Dame’s Super Bowl. They’ve been preparing for this one for two weeks, and the game was a HOME game. That means that Notre Dame has lost both of its games at home this season. Does this sound like a team that should be in the running for a BCS bowl???? I am thoroughly disgusted.

Notre Dame came into Saturday’s game ranked ninth in the country. I have no problem with that ranking – ND has won some impressive game. But after the LOSS, Notre Dame is still ranked 9? Has this ever happened in college football history – a team losing and still being ranked 9th? I’m pretty sure some people were toying with the idea of actually putting ND at 8 or 7 after the loss. If the Irish won that game, they probably would’ve been ranked 1. I am so sick of this school and all of the liberties that are given to it.

Maybe it is the fact that they have an exclusive contract with NBC. What is NBC thinking on this one? They cannot show any other college football games because of this. Also, Notre Dame plays about half their games a year on the road, which means NBC can’t cover those games either. Is it worth the 5 or 6 games a year? Half of those games are against teams that aren’t even that good.

I like Charlie Weis, and I think he’s a great coach. But, man, do I hope that he fails miserably at Notre Dame. I want this arrogant college to finally have to choose a conference to play in, instead of waving that annoying “We are independent, and we love it” banter around.

Oh yea, and they lost on Saturday even though they wore those precious green jerseys. Shouldn’t that knock them out of the top 20?

John Mayer Trio Opening for the Stones? What Gives?

First, I’d like to apologize to all of you John Mayer fans, as this will not be flattering to the young pop-folk star (or whatever he is).

When I heard that the Stones were going on tour again, needless to say, I was quite excited, and of course, happy in my pants. I got even more excited when I heard some of the possible opening bands – Beck, Pear Jam, Metallica? How cool would that be to see any of these three bands? Surely, Philly is an important-enough city for a super-show like this to be planned for.

Then, I read that John Mayer would be opening for the Stones in Philly. The blood rushed from my head, as I tried to comprehend such a terrible choice for an opening band for a Stones show. Were they serious? Would there be a second, more intriguing opening band? Unfortunately, no. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh get Pearl Jam, and Hershey Park gets Beck. What’s with that? Why do these two second-rate towns (sorry, guys) get first-rate opening bands? Why does Philly always get the crap bands? I was obviously pissed.

People told me that John Mayer did a nice job at the show, but I had no motivation to go see the guy. Couldn’t they get Bon Jovi? What was Thorogood doing that night? Hell, even the Hooters woulda been better than Mayer. Why does Philly always get the shaft? I want answers, dammit!