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Showing posts from January, 2021

Rams Send Everything But The Kitchen Sink To Detroit For Matthew Stafford

I was very tempted to post about this huge trade that landed the Rams the quarterback that they have needed last night, but I decided to sleep on it. Let's cut to the chase. The Rams had gone as far as they could with Jarod Goff at quarterback. The front office made a huge mistake by giving him a huge contract after two really good seasons (2017 & 2018) when they really didn't need to. Rams coach Sean McVay did everything he could to design an offense that payed to Goff's strengths and minimized his weaknesses. Even so the young passer player very inconsistently and ultimately committed way to many baffling turnovers.  It became very apparent as the last season progressed that McVay was growing more and more frustrated with Goff. His mindboggling interception against the Seahawks in week sixteen seemed to cause the pot to boil over. On the play Goff rolled to his right and had a ton of yardage in front of him. Instead of tucking the ball and picking up as many yards as ...

Retro Saturday Morning: The Pink Panther Show (NBC)(1969 -1977)(ABC)(1978)

 The Pink Panther Show is a showcase of cartoon shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1978, starring the animated Pink Panther character from the opening credits of the live-action films. The series was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, and was originally broadcast on NBC from September 6, 1969 to September 2, 1978. - Pink Panther Wiki    When The Pink Panther Show first aired in 1969, it consisted of one cartoon featuring The Inspector, sandwiched by two Pink Panther entries. (Because of the number of shorts produced, two episodes feature a Pink Panther cartoon sandwiched by two Inspector entries.) The 30-minute show was then connected via bumper sequences featuring both the panther and Inspector together, with announcer Marvin Miller acting as an off-camera narrator talking to the panther. Bumper sequences consisted of newly animated segments as well as recycled footage from existing cartoons We Give Pink Stamps...

The Midnight Special: The Doobie Brothers - Long Train Runnin'

 I want to welcome you to our first installment of The Midnight Special which over time will feature some of the best music artists of the 1970s.  I chose the name "The Midnight Special" in honor of the long-running late night live rock concert showcase by the same name that ran from 1972 to 1981 when it was replaced by the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV and eventually Friday Night Videos, which is what we call our 80s music video feature.  Are you seeing a trend yet? Over it's nine years The Midnight Special featured the top names in music from ABBA to KISS to ZZ Top. The show was hosted by Helen Reddy for several years along with the legendary Wolfman Jack. In 1979 the show briefly turned away from rock artists in favor of Disco acts and the set was transformed into a pseudo dance club. That only lasted a couple of months before the show reverted back to it's original format. For our first trip back to the 70s I choose a performance by The Doobie Brothers of what ...

Hot Traxx: The Vaccines - No One Knows

 This weeks Hot Traxx is a great cover of the Queen of the Stone Age song No One Knows by British indie band The Vaccines: Who are The Vaccines: The Vaccines are an English indie rock band, formed in West London in 2010 by Justin Hayward-Young (lead vocals, guitar), Freddie Cowan (lead guitar, vocals), Árni Árnason (bass, vocals) and Pete Robertson (drums, vocals).   After Robertson's departure in 2016, keyboardist Timothy Lanham and drummer Yoann Intonti were promoted from touring musicians to official band members.   The band have released four studio albums: What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? (2011), Come of Age (2012), English Graffiti (2015) and Combat Sports (2018). They have sold two million records worldwide.   The Vaccines have toured extensively, playing with and opening up for acts such as The Rolling Stones, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Stone Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Imagine Dragons and Muse.   The band's debut al...

Analyzing Complex Political Ideas Through Sitcom Dialogue: Why Are We Back In The Paris Agreement Again?

  Sometimes understanding political issues can be tough. So I have decided to explain the futility of rejoining the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization. Let's check in with this sitcom family as they discuss the husband's new promotion: Husband: Hey honey I'm home and hey I've got great news I've just been elected president! Wife: That's wonderful dear! President, wow that's a big promotion. I'm so proud of you. Husband: Hey sweetie I gotta let you know before you check our bank account that I joined a couple of civic clubs. All the other guys at the office are in them. Wife: Clubs? What kind of clubs? Husband: Onie is called The Paris Agreement and the other is called The World Health Organization. Like I said all the guys at the office are members. Wife: Okay how much are those clubs going to cost us? Husband: Well one is about $3 billion and the other is $400 million. Wife: But honey, we were saving that money to get the roof fixed and f...

NASA Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes with Day of Remembrance

 From NASA (Press Release) NASA will honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, during the agency's annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 28. This year’s NASA Day of Remembrance also marks 35 years since the Challenger tragedy. “NASA has a unique culture that is fueled by possibility, set on a path to the next giant leap for humanity, and guided by its history,” said NASA Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk. “The lessons of our past are the enduring legacy of the brave women and men who did not put limits on what could be achieved, and we all recognize the honor of being counted among them as part of the NASA family.” Jurczyk will lead an observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which will begin with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by observances for the Apollo 1, Challenger,...

Today In History: Auschwitz is liberated

 From  History.com On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops enter Auschwitz , Poland, freeing the survivors of the network of concentration camps—and finally revealing to the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there. Auschwitz was really a group of camps, designated I, II, and III. There were also 40 smaller “satellite” camps. It was at Auschwitz II, at Birkenau, established in October 1941, that the SS created a complex, monstrously orchestrated killing ground: 300 prison barracks; four “bathhouses” in which prisoners were gassed; corpse cellars; and cremating ovens. Thousands of prisoners were also used for medical experiments overseen and performed by the camp doctor, Josef Mengele , the “Angel of Death.” The Red Army had been advancing deeper into Poland since mid-January. Having liberated Warsaw and Krakow, Soviet troops headed for Auschwitz. In anticipation of the Soviet arrival, SS officers began a murder spree in the camps, shooting sick prisoners and blowing up cr...

'Exquisitely preserved' skull of a Parasaurolophus dinosaur unearthed in New Mexico badlands

 Back in the eighties when I lived in Albuquerque I used to visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science quit frequently. I learned a lot about the prehistoric residents of The Land of Enchantment and how the majority of the state had once been part of an inland sea.  That being said, imagine my delight in discovering this really well researched article about the discovery of a Parasaurolophus (try pronouncing that!) skull in the state over at the Daily Mail: Scientists have found an 'exquisitely preserved' skull of a herbivorous dinosaur species in New Mexico, known for its weird head adornment. The skull belongs to the iconic tube-crested dinosaur Parasaurolophus, which lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 76.5 million to 73 million years ago. Parasaurolophus were herbivorous reptiles that sported trumpet-like nasal passages which they blew air into through the so-called tube on their head. This particular skull belonged to one particular spec...

Swooning For Streisand: What's Up Doc?

 This past weekend while binge watching TCM I caught a movie that I had somehow managed to miss over the years, Peter Bogdanovich's 1972 screwball comedy What's Up Doc?. The tagline for the film states: "A Crazy Comedy The Way They Used To Make Them!" and this movie delivers on that promise. Check out this car chase sequence which harkens back to the classic Keystone Cops films from the silent era.  This type of comedic car chase action would be used again in other subsequent films like The Blues Brothers (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). The film achieved something that I had believed impossible, It mad me almost fall completely in love with Barbra Streisand. Well the character Judy in the film anyway.  As my wife and I noted, Streisand is the prettiest woman in the world but she has that special something that you just can't put your finger on. In What's Up Doc? Streisand uses this magic of hers to make Judy the kind of woman you couldn't help...

Fantastic Photos From Fantasy Films: Fiery, Barbaric Mistress Of The World's Most Sinful Empire

I know it has been over two months since I last took a look into my own private collection of movie promotional images. Today I have yet once again selected an image that was created for theater owners via trade publications. The image itself is a full page advert for the 1954 epic Theodora, Slave Empress. Well good old Theodora despite being a "Fiery, Barbaric Mistress of the World's Most Sinful Empire" failed to really bring them in during the early 1950s and the film itself is relatively forgotten. In fact, just try and find out any info on this one online. Theodora, Slave Empress (Italian: Teodora, imperatrice di Bisanzio) is a 1954 film about Theodora, a former slave who married Justinian I, emperor of Byzantium in AD 527-565. It was directed by Riccardo Freda. (Honestly ... that's all Wikipedia has on this film!) IMDB at least has a plot: Teodora, a Roman courtesan and former slave girl, marries the Roman emperor Justinian and assumes the throne as Empress of R...

Today In History: George W. Bush appoints Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state

 From History.com On January 26, 2005, President George W. Bush appoints Condoleezza Rice to the post of secretary of state, making her the highest ranking African American woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet. A native of Birmingham, Alabama , Dr. Rice’s credentials included advanced degrees in political science and international relations from prestigious schools, followed by a post as Stanford University provost. At Stanford, she honed her reputation as an expert in Soviet affairs, catching the attention of the Reagan administration. In 1986, at Reagan’s behest, Dr. Rice served on the Council on Foreign Relations, and then secured an appointment as special assistant to the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1991. The first President Bush elevated Dr. Rice to director of Soviet and East European affairs in the National Security Council. She also served as the senior President Bush’s special assistant for national security affairs. President George W. Bu...

Stand With Tulsi Gabbard

 An email from Tulsi Gabbard: Aloha friend— Thank you for signing up and standing with me. Our country is facing serious challenges on multiple fronts. But I know that when we stand together, we can overcome these challenges. I am committed to upholding our Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, protecting our civil liberties, our environment, and ending regime change wars, the new Cold War, and nuclear arms race. I’d like to support leaders at every level of government who are committed to doing the same 一 putting service above self. So we’ve got work to do. Now that you’re here, here’s some first steps you can take to support this mission: 1)  Help us fight the email algorithms by marking this email as  Important  (or  Starring  it), and adding  aloha@tulsigabbard.com  to your contacts. This helps keep these types of emails out of spam and promotion folders 2)  Share this message and email with 5 friends 3)  Visit my official website...

"You Are In Front Of Me. If You Value Your Lives, Be Somewhere Else! "

 This post is in honor of actress Mira Furlan who passed away on January 20th due to complications of the West Nile virus. There were plenty of great sci fi and fantasy television shows in the 1990s including the The X-Files, Xena: Warrior Princess and an seemingly endless parade of programs with the word Trek in the title. The one show that stood out amongst all of these top-notch programs was J. Michael Straczynski's five-year space war saga Babylon 5. Many critics at the time took the show lightly but Straczynski's strong character driven stories kept me glued to my set episode after episode. Todays clip features one of the shows most dramatic and down right awesome scenes from the episode Severed Dreams. To set things up for you if you never watched the show the space station Babylon 5 has broken away from the Earth Alliance because of attacks on Mars civilians and a fleet of Earth Alliance cruisers have come to take the station back by force. There is an intense space bat...

A Gallery Of Great Monster Movie Posters - Part Dos

Written By: Ken Hulsey Sponsored by Atomic Robot  Comics As promised a few weeks back here is yet another gallery of great monster movie posters. I like to think of this little collection as "the good, the bad, the wtf and the boing." The reasons for this should become quite evident as you proceed through my hand picked selections. What did we talk about last time? Was it the elements that make up a great monster movie poster? If memory serves I mentioned a few key items including a great monster (... well sometimes), dynamic action or violence and a sexy damsel (or damsels). Well these images have all of that in spades. Godzilla vs The Cosmic Monster You would probably guess that since this is a Godzilla movie poster that it would be one of my all-time favorites ... and you would be right! The image is truly beautiful ... well as beautiful as the image of a giant dinosaur fighting a robot version of himself can be. Info: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (ゴジラ対メカゴジラ ...