Voices Inside My Head

Xmas Celebration - Day 17

2009-12-17T21:36:00.001-05:00

John Malkovich reads, Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Scared yet?

Xmas Celebration - Day 16

2009-12-16T20:24:00.002-05:00

This is that rare song that I found on one of my brother's CD's but I don't really hear much on the Christmas rotation.

Very nice.

Xmas Celebration - Day 15

2009-12-15T21:29:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that there are only 10 days left and I've haven't gotten anything yet. Aside from the tree and decorations it really doesn't feel like Christmas yet for me.

Muppets always get you in the mood.

Come in and know me better man.

Xmas Celebration - Days 11-14

2009-12-14T09:17:00.002-05:00

I got a little behind the past few days. The twins took turns getting up several times in the night. (It is teething time)And sleep has been more sporadic than usual.

I also spent a cold, dreary Sunday out at M & T watching the Ravens decimate the mighty Lions. I think I just dried out a few minutes ago.

So it's time to play catch up.

First up is the Boss. His recent concert a few weeks ago in Baltimore is still being talked about. Listen as he growls his way through this holiday favorite.

Next I'm back to movies. I still haven't seen this one about two grown men for vie for title of Mr. Christmas. But due to his work in Sunny I love Danny Devito.

The most basic Christmas song there is has to be Jingle Bells. I like the Looney Tunes version. Will Daffy ever learn?

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. Only 11 days left.

Have a Holly

Xmas Celebration - Day 10

2009-12-10T23:21:00.001-05:00

And now a holiday treat for all.

It's goofy but it still makes me laugh.

SNL Christmas Song | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Xmas Celebration - Day 9

2009-12-09T18:48:00.002-05:00

There's just something about an honest to goodness Englishman in 18th century period clothes with gloves with the fingers cut out that just says Christmas. It so Dickensian.

Plus I like Elvis Costello, so matching him up with Mr. Colbert is quite the winning combo.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

A Colbert Christmas: Colbert/Costello Duet

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

U.S. Speedskating

Xmas Celebration - Day 8

2009-12-08T19:02:00.000-05:00

Just one thing to say about this next clip.

Best SNL skit ever.

Xmas Celebration - Day 7

2009-12-07T22:16:00.002-05:00

I love a song that embodies the true meaning of the Christmas Spirit.

That's why The Kinks rendition of "Father Christmas" is always one of my favorites. A gang of toughs beat up Santa and demand money instead of toys. How touching.

Xmas Celebration - Day 6

2009-12-06T19:18:00.002-05:00

I never have been able to understand the appeal of Mr. Magoo. An old man who bumbles about due to basically being blind. His impairment causes him to get into all sorts of mishaps. And kids want to watch this?

Even more puzzling is the choice of Magoo to join in on the thousands of Christmas Carol remakes. Judge for yourself.

Xmas Celebration - Day 5

2009-12-05T09:25:00.003-05:00

Everyone has heard the John Lennon version of this song but I like this U2 cover better. Plus no Yoko to distract you.

Xmas Celebration - Day 4

2009-12-04T06:04:00.002-05:00

Charles Dickens' holiday favorite about a miser who is visited by the spirits of Christmas has been the subject of countless movies and television shows.

Here is one of those versions.

Married with Children was one of my favorites growing up so here it is in the mini-sode format. Sam Kinison as the screaming angel seems appropriate.

Xmas Celebration - Day 3

2009-12-03T06:13:00.002-05:00

The Dan Band wants to give the gift of love this holiday season.

Again and Again and Again.

And they don't discriminate.

Xmas Celebration - Day 2

2009-12-02T06:19:00.002-05:00

In 1987, Run DMC introduced the world to a new addition to the Holiday season.

Christmas Rap.

The winter season has never been the same since. Come to think of it has there been any other Christmas rap songs since?

Xmas Celebration - Day 1

2009-12-01T06:22:00.003-05:00

It's back again.

Same rules as Halloween.

My Christmas Countdown. Little surprises around each corner. But nothing dangerous. Don't be alarmed. I will also try and not repeat any of the nuggets that I used from last year.

Let Johnny Mathis in his turtleneck and good cheer lead you into the holidays.

Haddadi is NOT Borat's Older Brother

2009-11-30T22:35:00.002-05:00

Coming to you from the world of racial sensitivity is little morsel of goodness.

Los Angeles Clippers television duo of Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith were suspended one game by the Fox Sports Prime Ticket cable network for their comments about Iranian-born Memphis center Hamed Haddadi.

The pair did not call Friday night's game at Staples Center reportedly for pronouncing Iranian "Eye-rain-ian" when discussing where Haddadi came from.

The halftime and postgame pair of Michael Eaves and Don MacLean,took over behind the mike for Lawler and Smith after an offended viewer e-mailed Fox to complain.

The fan, Arya Towfighi, is also a season-ticket holder.

Just to be fair I always think that its important to hear comments made in the context so here's the clip. You be the judge.

So what I hear are two commentators who have drawn the short straw and have to watch and call games by perhaps the worst professional basketball organization this side of the Washington Generals in the mighty Clippers. It's the end of the game as the home team is once again on the wrong side of yet another defeat so they decide to crack on the minority for the last minute fourteen.

Pointless. Yes.

Thoughtless. You bet.

I don't really think it's hypersensitive to try and transfer these comments to other racial groups and then gauge the potential outrage. I understand that Mr. Haddadi isn't a popular ethnicity in this day and age but for commentators to forget themselves in such a way is simply bad form and more simply wrong.

Both men were suspended for one game.

Now that's justice.

Set Phasers to Fun!

2009-11-28T21:05:00.002-05:00

In the Sci-Fi universe there are clearly two camps.

Those that are Star Wars geeks or Star Trek (2009) nerds.

It's sort of similar to the Beatles/Elvis and Superman or Batman debates. You know, really important issues.

I am a Star Wars geek. Not the wait in line for two months trying to get tickets to Phantom Menace type weirdie. But I will admit that when I saw the teaser for the Phantom Menace in the movie theater I actually clapped and felt a chill down my spine. Weird anyway.

But Star Trek was always a totally different animal altogether. Sure they had movies and a TV show but I never really cared all that much about Kirk and his crew. There was something just so uncool about them.

So I was very interested to see the update of this nerdy gem that was put forth on the subject by Lost guru J.J. Abrams. Now there's a guy who knows how to do a cool Science Fiction movie.

I think he went the best route possible with the material. It wasn't a total reboot per-se because Lord knows there would have been a friggin Starfleet revolt if it was. Instead he went with story that shows a young Enterprise crew learning how to get along and he went with an alternate universe scenario. Now without causing my dear readers a Slurpee headache let me explain what that means.

When Time Travel is involved and you go back in time you don't know what's going to happen next. You're arrival has caused a break in time therefore an alternate timeline. So people can die and the future is unknown.

Another good idea is to include one of the old guard to pass along approval to the throngs of fans with a cameo. Send in Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy dons the pointy ears once again as a way to bridge the old and the new and I think it works just fine.

The last good idea Abrams had was to make this movie enjoyable. You know like fun. Special effects. Crashes. Fight Scenes. Alien Sex. (Well sort of)

So you have a visually interesting movie with a pretty simple premise with characters that some people care deeply about. Not a bad recipe for a franchise. I learned that they have since signed off for two more installments and I actually want to know when they come out.

For an old Jedi like me that's a good sign.

(8.0)

Muppet Rhapsody

2009-11-27T09:30:00.002-05:00

No updates yesterday. I was too full to type.

But I hope that you enjoyed Turkey Day as much as I did. The Macy's parade was the usual mix of huge balloons and bad Broadway songs. (John Stamos in Bye Bye Birdie?)While Calvert Hall finally broke their 6 year losing streak in the Turkey Bowl with a huge victory over the Donnies.

We hosted again this year and I have to say we have it down to a science. The bird comes out good every time and we have a ton of leftovers. My stamina isn't quite what it used to be and after digesting so many carbs I was napping by 5. Still a great day with family.

Today will just be a lazy type day, maybe get out the Christmas decorations or maybe not. I await the first battle reports from Wal-Mart this morning to see how many old ladies grappled over $5 pajamas.

In the meantime enjoy the Muppets latest video.

Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes

2009-11-25T06:27:00.003-05:00

I always think its a good idea to have useless knowledge at your disposal around the dinner table this Thursday. You never know when it may come in handy. Today I offer you the age old debate;

What is the difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

Although it is unclear which came first, the word yam is related to Portuguese inhame or Spanish ñame, which both ultimately derive from the Wolof word nyam, meaning "to sample" or "taste"; in other African languages it can also mean "to eat", e.g. yamyam and doya in Hausa.

The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum). The softer, orange variety is commonly marketed as a "yam" in parts of North America, a practice intended to differentiate it from the firmer, white variety. The sweet potato is very distinct from the actual yams, which is native to Africa and Asia and belong to the monocot family Dioscoreaceae. To prevent confusion, the United States Department of Agriculture requires that sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" also be labeled as "sweet potatoes".

So Yams - bigger and firmer. Sweets -softer and more oranagey.

You're Welcome.

You Gobbling At Me

2009-11-24T06:20:00.003-05:00

Things have just been extremely busy and we haven't even really gotten ready to host Thanksgiving Thursday yet. And of course getting through the school day always presents a challenge as you inch closer towards a holiday. My patience gets stretched in unusual ways.

So, I wanted a good laugh on this rainy Tuesday. The Macy's parade has been a Thanksgiving staple for years and I know we will have it on again in our house with just enough time to see if Calvert Hall can finally get a Turkey Day win too.

But check out this spot with Billy Crystal, as a Turkey (seems appropriate) and Robert DeNiro as the toughest looking Pilgrim you ever heard. He probably uses a 9 millimeter instead of Blunderbuss to hunt.

"You know Turkey-isms that I don't know."

Bud Adams Thinks You're Number One

2009-11-19T22:55:00.001-05:00

Tennessee Titans owner 86 year old Bud Adams was really happy about his team's victory over Buffalo. So happy in fact he wanted to let the home fans know how he really felt.

He was fined 25,000 by the NFL. Hope it was worth it.

When Old Men Attack!

2009-11-18T22:52:00.002-05:00

I loved pro wrestling in the 80's.

It had the comic book appeal of larger than life characters trying to pretend to smash each other into a fine jelly. The two biggest stars of that era were Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair and a match between the two back then would have broken all sorts of records. Too bad they finally got together in the 90's when both were past their prime.

Well apparently nothing has been settled since the two icons will wrestle (I guess) in Australia of all places on some sort of tour. So of course there needs to be a press conference to hype the event.

Please keep in mind Flair is now 60, while the Hulkster is a spry 56. I know both guys need money with ex-wives to pay but as Gorilla Monsoon would say, "Gimmie a Break."

Saying Goodbye

2009-11-14T12:03:00.002-05:00

The last few days I haven't really had the time or the energy to write about movies, or Michael Buffer or any of the other various things that strike me funny. That's because once again real life has decided to smack me in the face.

I've always wondered why I've taken to blogging so easily and why I enjoy writing about whatever that pops into my head, hence the blog title. The more I look at what I write about I notice that they are often silly diversions, not that there is anything wrong with that. They are things normally that I find funny and it simply distracts me from the real world. Nothing draws you back to reality like losing a friend.

Vernon Washington Brown III was one of the first people that I met when I arrived at Fallston High school to teach World History in 2002. I guess if there was one thing that I could say that would have described him was smooth. His words were always measured and they poured forth like a sage who would give advice. He always seemed under control in his speech and manner of appearance. He was just cool.

Vern coached the girls soccer and basketball teams and as fate would have it I became the boys head Varsity basketball coach the next year. So since we often had to work out practice schedules during the Winter and as anyone knows who coaches you put in a lot of hours that aren't clocked in. We were able to spend more time together and it was easy to have Vern become my friend.

Vern was always a great listener and therefore it was easy to get into conversations with him and have them last a long time. We were able to talk about almost any subject from coaching and basketball to 80's music and politics. In fact if I were ever late coming home Nicki would just ask if I was talking to Vern and that would explain everything.

But there was something that I had learned very much by accident about Vern that first year we coached together. As we talked about the upcoming season in the Harford Tech parking lot. Vern's body stopped and a smile was frozen on his face for about two minutes. I really had no idea what to make of what happened but after the episode was over I realized that he had had a slight seizure.

He explained to me afterwards that he had a major episode at work two years earlier and that he had been trying various medications and treatments to help control things. I know that was a hard day for Vern because for anyone who knew him he was a private person who compartmentalized his life. School at school and family with family. I always made sure to respect that and that's something that I think we always had in our friendship. I respected his wishes for what he wanted shared and he did the same for me.

As the years passed, Vern's condition began to worsen. In fact I can remember quite clearly it was around March 2006, which was my last season as coach and I was stepping down as Nicki and I planned to have more kids. We talked about how tired we both were after another long season but he mentioned that his right leg was giving him trouble and there were times he would almost trip over it. He said he had scheduled a trip to his doctor and hoped for some answers.

The next year Vern told me he had to stop coaching Soccer. Over the Summer he had a few complications which I later found out was a surgery. He seemed a bit better as he returned to work after missing the first quarter. But his problems only got worse.

Once again the following Summer proved difficult and he had two brain operations that had him home recovering yet again. But he vowed to return to the classroom and he did last January. He continued to fight though he had to walk with a cane and we suggested that he use a wheelchair to help conserve his energy before and after school. Often times it was me handling the duties meeting mom each day as Vern could no longer drive himself. But to his credit he finished out the year.

Finally last Summer things turned again. He would not be able to return this year and had to retire just this past October. At this point he was confined to his home in a hospital bed in his living room. I visited him a few times making sure to bring either cheesesteaks or barbeque as we talked like we always did. The last time we talked was in October. The baseball playoffs were on and myself and Jimmy Grant, who also taught with us sat and laughed and caught Vern up on all news from the school front. As usual one hour turned to three and when left we told him we'd come again.

But things happened quickly. I called his phone last week and left a message. It often took him a day or two but he'd always return calls. No return call. I feared the worst and this past Monday our faculty had been told that Vern had been admitted to Gilchrest Hospice care.

After school this past Friday, Jimmy and I drove down to visit. He was calm but not conscious. We stayed a bit and talked with his father and then congregated by the terrace to speak with others who come to visit. As we got ready to leave he noticed medical staff rushing to his room. He was gone.

Over the next week I'll find out more about funeral arrangement's as his friends and family cope with his loss. I'll question the meaning of life and my own place in the universe but I'll also remember the good times. The above picture is when we went to the Nike coaches clinic in Connecticut and met MD great Gary Williams. All three of us rushed him before he was ready to speak. We told him we were Terp fans and he smiled and said "Anything for for you guys."

As I try to make sense of everything I remember a quote from the great Jim Henson.

"When I was young my ambition was to be one of those people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here."

You did your job Vern. I will miss you.

Another remake?

2009-11-11T20:36:00.002-05:00

Alright Hollywood I get it.

You've run out of ideas. It so much easier to take basically any movie from the 70s or 80s and simply update it. Sci-Fi, Horror and Action are easy targets due to CGI and the like.

I mean all I have to do is list the last five movies I've watched. In case you haven't noticed I watch a lot.

Taking of Pelham 123 (already a 70's flick)
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra (80's cartoon and comic)
Land of the Lost (70's Tv show)

I could go on and on. But I paused today as I stumbled across a new version of 80's cable favorite Clash of the Titans. I loved this movie as a kid. Lots of cool creatures with the Greek Mythology theme and HBO showed it at least three times a day.

So let's compare:

Harry Hamlin as the hero Perseus and Sir Laurence as Zues in the 1981 camp classic

and the recent update due out in 2010

Yeah, I thought it looked cool too.

Ticket to Ride

2009-11-10T22:02:00.002-05:00

I never saw the original Taking of Pelham One Two Three made in 1974 but after seeing this update I may have too. Even if my only reason might be to see Robert Shaw in the high jacker role. I have a feeling he'd be awesome.

So I have nothing to compare this Tony Scott production with Denzel Washington as the subway dispatcher and John Travolta as the ex-con who takes over the train to extort 10 million dollars from New York City.

Both are what you would expect in their roles yet I can't really figure out why Travolta is so angry, even after they give a reason for it. But it helps to have some familiar faces not just in the leads but in the background too. John Turturro is the hostage negotiator and Luis Guzman is Travolta's second. Even Tony Soprano is in on things, this time as the mayor.

The plot moves quickly and there are plenty of jagged editing cuts and loud music to let you know serious things are about to get. The action is intense but fun although the slow motion effect gets overused a bit. But flaws and all I enjoy both actors and that allowed me to just get past it and crank up the volume and enjoy the show.

(7.0)

The Cold War Is Over

2009-11-09T21:16:00.002-05:00

Twenty years ago today a people were reunited and a tyrannical power was slowly melting away.