A Man's Gotta Do What A Man's Gotta Do

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well, it's Halloween Eve...and the last weekday before Old Hallow's Eve...and so that meant that everybody was dressed up at work...and I was no exception. There were some great costumes including a group deal with the training department as Pac-Man and the Ghouls and Zach Galafinikas in "The Hangover" which was amazingly accurate. We had "The Nightmare Before Christmas" playing on the TVs because...apparently "Halloween" was considered inappropriate. Go figure. So what was I dressed up as, you ask? Was I Chewbacca again? Nope. Couldn't find the costume since I gave it to my mom for storage when I moved to Denver. Was I a King? I have the crown, the regal robe & lion head slippers...but alas I pulled out the robe last night for the first time since I had moved (didn't need it during the summer) and apparently it was used to cushion furniture or something...because it was quite filthy...and too big for my washer. Awesome. So who was I? Well, I love low-maintenance costumes...and JL Clyde had a great idea when we had sushi last night (apparently we're regular customers now). Well, here's some clues. Think of a superhero...who plays second fiddle to the villain. Like me, he's good-looking, strong, arrogant, a little stupid, but has a lovely singing voice and can steal an entire movie with one line. Guesses? Anybody? That's right, CAPTAIN HAMMER!!! "Who?" Captain Hammer...from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. "Really?" Yes really...and the hammer is my penis, so deal with it. I cut out a hammer logo out of construction paper (and quite well I might add), put it over a T-shirt, put on some cargo pants and some black gloves and BOOM!!! It's only fitting being the bastard child of Batman & Wonder Woman, right?

As you might have guessed, this is not me,

this is character actor Nathan Fillion...

but I bear a striking resemblance.

Pictures of me are coming soon to your web...

One of the activities at work was having my tarot cards read. It had been a while since I had my cards read...since my High Priestess Bubbles moved to Vegas about 19 months ago. Well, the results were...interesting. All three cards pulled were Swords...from what I was told stand for Struggle & Animosity. Oddly enough, the first question out of her was "Is there a woman in your life?" "Ugh...no, not really. Why do you ask?" "Well, just this card I drew right here is...usually a pretty bad one for someone in a relationship." "Great, we're starting off with the usual. (Laughter between us)." "Have you felt like you've been struggling a bit or had some kind of struggles over the past few months?" "Yeah, of course. Doesn't everybody?" "But more than usual." "Ugh...I did get laid off after moving to Denver & had to return here...so yeah, maybe." "Let's see, the first card is the Seven of Swords (reading from the book) and it usually means that if you have any future business ventures or adventures...that you may want to wait a while. To do it now would mean a long struggle that would frustrate you." "Hmm, so if I were...hypothetically speaking, thinking about moving to Lake Tahoe for a new job then..." "Then you may want to wait about three months." "Sigh...where were you three months ago when I started this stuff?" "Next is the Knight of Swords. Is there a dark-haired man in your life?" "(Moment of thought) No. I have absolutely no idea who this could be." "Well, basically it's a bit of a warning where this man may try to mislead you and lead you towards future struggles." "Good to know." "Last here is the card that I was asking about earlier, the Queen of Swords. Do you know who this might be? Possibly a dark-haired beautiful woman that you have a friendship with?" "I have a pretty good idea who it might be." "Well, basically this woman is probably not to be trusted. She's prone to gossip & drama...and you shouldn't tell her anything that you don't want everybody to know." "Or conversely, if I wanted everybody to know...then maybe I should tell her...to you know, spread the word, right?" "I guess that's a good way of looking at it...but she's usually prone to trickery...and very calculating & brilliant, yet can be vindictive." "Hmm, I could see that. All good things to know. Thank you priestess lady (who I see in the lunch room once in a while)." So there you go...maybe Lake Tahoe isn't the right move for me...but I still think I'm gonna give it a go. Apparently I also have to watch out for you devilishly hot & clever brunettes...and the man in black. Anyway, here's some more factually based news...

The Apocalypse is Coming...in My Pants - A man was caught by Norwegian customs carrying a tarantula in his bag, fourteen Royal Pythons and ten Albino Leopard Geckos taped to his body, media reported Monday. The 22-year-old Norwegian was stopped in a routine check by Kristiansand customs after arriving on a ferry from Denmark, newspaper Faedrelandsvennen reported. Customs found the tarantula, before deciding to give him a full body search that revealed 14 stockings -- one for each snake -- taped around his torso. Reptile smuggling is not uncommon in Norway, which prohibits people holding many reptile species as pets, but office manager Helge Breilid at Kristiansand customs was quoted by VG as saying customs officers had been "horrified" by Sunday's catch. "Customs officers quickly realized the man was smuggling animals, because his whole body was in constant motion," Breilid told VG. When the man dropped his pants (oh yeah), the officers found 10 cans taped to his legs, each containing a lizard, he said. The man was still being held by police Monday, Kristiansand police attorney Johann Martin Kile told VG, adding he would be released upon agreeing to pay a 12,500 Norwegian crowns ($2,256) fine. The reptiles were handed over to a security firm until Norwegian authorities decide what to do with them, Breilid said. You know, if I were caught in that situation, I would try to talk my way out of it somehow. "The snakes made me do it. They took control. FOR GOD'S SAKE THEY WERE IN MY PANTS!!! You've seen the gecko on TV. He's quite persuasive. Now imagine TEN of those little bastards running around...in your pants." I would think that of all places in the world for a reptile to live...that Norway would be the worst. I mean...it's cold there, right? That's why they have to be imported...because otherwise they wouldn't survive. Anyway, odd story...and it involves snakes...traveling to new countries where they can't naturally go. Beware.

The Real La-Z-Boy - A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his motorized La-Z-Boy chair while drunk. A criminal complaint says 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson told police he left a bar in the northern Minnesota town of Proctor on his chair after drinking eight or nine beers. Prosecutors say Anderson's blood alcohol content was 0.29, more than three times the legal limit, when he crashed into a parked vehicle in August 2008. He was not seriously injured. Police said the chair was powered by a converted lawnmower and had a stereo and cup holders (nice!). Sixth Judicial District Judge Heather Sweetland stayed 180 days of jail time Monday and ordered two years of probation for Anderson. His attorney, David Keegan, did not immediately return a call for comment. I guess when you have nothing better to do in northern Minnesota, you'll sit around in your recliner and think "How could this possibly get better?" A few weeks later, you'll get arrested for driving your recliner with a two-cycle engine & a grooler into a parked car. Ingenuity - It's what makes America great!!! Who knows? Maybe he'll come out of jail in six months with a new invention...like a way of making Old Milwaukee Light out of a toilet. Actually, now that I think about it, they probably are already using that technique.

Robot Seed - Have you ever wondered what engineers do when they get bored? Besides design sexbots? Well, now you know. Aerospace engineers have designed a hovering craft that mimics the spiraling pattern made by maple tree seeds. That's right. Maple seeds. Called RoboSeed NAV (nano air vehicle), the craft has a maximum dimension of less than 4 inches (9.5 cm), making it the world's smallest controllable single-winged rotating aircraft. Other flying craft may be smaller, but they have more than one wing and are symmetrical, according to the engineers who built RoboSeed. The team also built scaled-up versions of their one-winged crafts, which have more maneuverability. The crafts' petite size and weight, along with their hovering ability and quietness make them optimal for several applications, the researchers say, ranging from radio-controlled toys to low- and high-altitude satellites and communications transponders. Winged seeds, or samaras, such as that of the maple tree are considered some of the most efficient passive flyers, and hence have been ogled by many engineers looking to build tiny flying devices. Researchers have only recently figured out though just how nature's helicopters spin. Essentially, a swirling maple seed generates a tornado-like vortex above the front leading edge of the "helicopter," which effectively sucks the wing upward to oppose gravity. Since the 1950s, researchers have been trying to create a stable, unmanned aerial vehicle that could mimic a maple seed's flight...but their attempts have been unsuccessful, typically because of instability (I mean, even the seeds fall to the ground each & every time). Until now, the vehicles have been just a single component, and so the entire craft - wing and propeller - had to twist and turn as one unit. The result was an unstable vehicle that would crash with even a slight nudge from the wind. A team from the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering got around this problem by separating the wing from the propeller and electronics package into two attached components. That way the wing could tilt up or down without moving the rest of the vehicle. "We found that it behaved a lot more like a helicopter and it was highly stable even in the presence of wind," said graduate student and study team member Evan Ulrich. The team also tweaked the shape of the wing to match that of a maple seed, where the bulk of the surface area sits toward the tip, away from the center of rotation. "For natural maple seeds, it allows them to fall more slowly," Ulrich told LiveScience. "For ours, it allows it to hover for longer and more stably." Depending on which way a maple seed is tilted it will fall in one of two modes: It either carves out a small helix shape as it falls, essentially spiraling straight down, or it carves out a giant helix shape during descent. "The difference between those two flight patterns is the wing pitch. And so by variation of the wing pitch you can control how big the helix is you're descending in," Ulrich said. That's also how Ulrich and his team control the horizontal direction of the vehicle. By carving out a 160-feet-wide (50 meter) helix, say, the craft would travel pretty far in one direction and with the tilt of the wing, the craft could then descend in a tiny helix. So what're the real future applications? The craft's first non-lab setting may be on the shelves of toy stores as a radio-controlled device, according to Ulrich. That could be months away. But he has high hopes for its scientific applications. For instance, the vehicle can stay aloft for long periods of time without power, and so could be used as a low-altitude satellite. "If you can find in the atmosphere a location where there's a thermal that is equal to or greater than your descent velocity, then you can turn off your motor and hover. It's sort of like getting free energy from the atmosphere. You can remain aloft indefinitely as long as you can stay in one of these thermals." The device could also be used as a transponder to send radio signals from the ground. "With one of these things it's simple and robust enough if you were to put a communications beacon on it a soldier could throw it up in the air and it would climb and relay a message. That's just a few months away. The vehicle is capable of doing these things right now; it can carry a payload, and it can be hand launched, and it's extremely easy to control." Further off, he envisions the device being used for higher-altitude mapping of rooms and even caves. So there you go. Next time you're out in the yard spinning maple leaves like a helicopter, just keep in mind that somebody was doing that 20 years ago...and has found a way to make them into a satellite. Pretty cool, huh?

Texting Gone Wrong - Georgia (the state, not the country) police said a misdialed number led two strangers to trade hostile calls and text messages before arranging a meeting where one shot the other. Savannah-Chatham police spokeswoman Veda Lamar Nichols told the Savannah Morning News in a Wednesday story that a 22-year old man faces an aggravated assault charge. The suspect was jailed after a 24-year-old man was shot in a CVS parking lot around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Nichols said the victim was taken to Memorial University Medical Center in serious condition. She said the two didn't know each other but began arguing through phone calls and text messages after a misdialed number and arranged to meet in the store's parking lot. The suspect was taken to the Chatham County jail. Nichols said his vehicle was damaged during the incident. We've all received random texts, right? Every last one of us. Even those of us with no friends. I could see how this might happen. Somebody got a fake phone number from a chick that he was hitting on who wasn't interested in him. So he texts her later...only to find some dude responds with "Who is this?" "This is Mike from last night at the bar." "Sorry Mike, you got the wrong number. I don't do dudes." "Oooh, so you like the ladies. That's hot." "Whatever (slur). Quit texting me." "What? Who are you calling a (slur) (colorful metaphor)?" "You (horrible thing to say in front of children)!!!" "Oh yeah, well meet me at the CVS and say it to my face if you have the fortitude." "What? Why CVS?" "Because I don't want you to bleed to death after I f**king beat your (backside) so a pharmacy would be suitable." "See ya there in 15, trick. Make sure your affairs are in order." And I think you know where it goes from here. Just goes to show...if you get a random text, kindly request who it is...and if they won't tell you or it's somebody you don't know, the conversation is over. Don't get shot over trying to be clever. Keep it to the professionals.

Well, that'll do it for tonight. Have a glorious Halloween Weekend everybody!!!

3D Anamorphic Street Paintings By Tracy Lee Stum

A professional street painter, Tracy Lee Stum, best known for her 3D street paintings, also called anamorphic or pavement chalk art.
"3D Anamorphic Street Paintings are illusionary 2-dimensional images that appear to become 3-dimensional when viewed from a fixed point through a camera lens. Tracy has been creating these types of chalk art images since she first started street painting and continues to challenge herself through this manner of visual expression."

I'll Have the Seafood Sundae Please: Eating Dessert at Pearl Oyster Bar

Excuse me, I thought I ordered the seafood platter. What the heck is this?

Our dinner started off shaky when I was handed what looked like an ice cream sundae made up of oysters and clams. It even came with the long spoon normally used to scrape out that last bite of hot fudge - this time we used it to fish out that lone oyster, floating in a pool of murky seawater. Sort of gross, even for this fish monger.

The rest of the meal was a delight. The pan roasted scallop entree was generous in size and perfectly caramelized. But the real attention should be paid to their lobster roll. I rank it in my top three, alongside Duryea's and Lunch in Montauk. I have yet to try Mary's - and look forward to the West Village faceoff. Pearl's lobster roll was huge and generously stuffed with lobster meat. The salad a perfect consistency of mayo-y goodness.  Served on a nest of addicting shoestring fries - salty, crispy heaven - they were the perfect pair.

That lobster roll explains the wait. The place is perpetually packed and doesn't take reservations. Keep your party small and just grab a seat at the bar. Quicker seating, quicker service and a quicker way to those shoestring fries.


Pearl Oyster Bar
http://www.pearloysterbar.com/
18 Cornelia St
New York, NY 10014-4138
(212) 691-8211

Did I Fall Asleep?

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Sorry it's been a while...but I have a pretty good reason. My weekend was pretty awesome. Full of hugs, smiles, junk food, and THREE birthday parties (and another that I had to RSVP No). It started Friday night when JL Clyde came over with her laptop and we watched a few episodes of "Dollhouse", then some of this Simon Pegg show "Spaced" which was okay, and then I somehow got conned into watching an episode of "Glee." Now, I knew going into this...that I wanted nothing to do with it. Musicals, high schools, dancing, teenage drama, just nothing that intrigues me at all (except maybe the cheerleader outfits). Well, it was even worse than I thought it was going to be. Not my cup of tea at all...but luckily it was quickly replaced by images of Eliza Dushku kicking ass in stilettos. Good times.

Saturday, I went to my buddy Isaiah's daughter Seriah's 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese...and my brother & his kids were there too. (P.S. My sister-in-law apparently got fired from her job at Wienerschnitzel in the first week & may have the swine flu...and when I was told that, I laughed for about ten minutes straight) Anyway, I played arcade games with the kids and caught up with some of my friends that were there. I even won a few hundred tickets in the games...which was enough to get a few pieces of Laffy Taffy and a bracelet for my niece. What can I say? I know how to pick out jewelry for the ladies. After the party, my brother had to go to work...and my stepdad had to go sleep (he had been up for almost 3 hours) so I was kind of put into a situation as babysitter for a few hours. It was no problem though because the kids were exhausted from the party, so I put them down for a nap...and watched some of the new season of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" on Comcast On-Demand. Good times. Oh...and get this, my camera was as dead as a doornail so...here are some horrible pictures from my cell phone...

After that, we went to my Uncle Dave's 50th birthday party and do you know what's crazier & more annoying than a bunch of kids at a Chuck E. Cheese? A bunch of redneck kids in a room full of balloons. "Hey mom, if you need anything I'll be outside having a smoke." "You don't smoke." "Yeah well...I just need to get out of this room. Right now." After about an hour there, we went up to my mom's to hang out for the night. We watched "Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest" and then went to bed. The next morning, I was again thrown into the position of involuntary babysitter because my mom left early in the morning to set up my niece's birthday party and my stepdad...was into hour 20 of his slumber. It's hard to feel for the man. I know he hurts sometimes with his fibromyalgia...but it's really hard to feel for him when you ask him to do anything and he'll just try to pawn it off on somebody else...or just not do it. I'm not sure how my mom does it...but then again, she's a kind soul like me. Kairi, Vinny & I had fun though...and then we went to her birthday party...and it was awesome. Here are some pictures...

Okay, I know my phone camera sucks...

but you can tell that these balloons for a kid's party

were probably bought at an adult novelty store, right?

I mean...they were even ribbed on the shaft

That murderous evil b**ch of a fairy

Tinker Bell is my niece's favorite

After the party, my brother & I played some Rock Band. Now they have Queen...including the booty anthem "Fat Bottomed Girls" and that's awesome. Then we watched "Monsters vs. Aliens" with the kids...and it was exactly what you would expect from a kids flick. Then it was getting late so I said my goodbyes and went back home to work today. I realize this is really the quick rundown of the weekend & sounds kind of boring...but it really was a lot of fun to spend time with my family & friends. Great weekend.

Monday, I went to work...but that's lame. When I got home though, the Wingman was in town...so instead of watching the Eagles beat the Racists, I hung out with him...and we had fun. Hence why I didn't blog (that and that I didn't really have much to blog about). Tuesday was work again...and again, that was pretty lame...but then that night, instead of the Wingman (who had a sh*tty day thanks to the inequities of the Utah legal system & his b**ch of an ex-wife) taking up my night, my mom was there to hang with. She was in town with work...and wanted nothing more than to hang with her favorite oldest son...and watch "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia." Go figure.

Today...was more of the same. At work, our email went down all day Tuesday...and when they got it working again, the first email I got back...was from my old job in Denver. Apparently a certain report hadn't been filed in a while (like 6 months maybe?) and they asked me about it. Luckily it was copied to my former bosses so I didn't have to reply with a "Ugh...you b**ches laid me off 6 months ago, that's why it hasn't been done" or something like that. Thought it was funny. Also thought it was funny that the next email back was from JJ...and informing me that she saw that Sylvia Browne...and Montel Williams were coming to town...and she thought of me (because she knows how I feel about Sylvia). Good times. Also, my mom was here again tonight...but she's asleep & snoring now...so I thought I'd blog real quick...since it's only like 11 at night.

Anyway, that's a quick catchup. Halloween's just around the corner and I still have no idea what to be. I'll figure it out though. Same with Tahoe, no real news other than I asked about it earlier today...and they said they may have an update for me by the end of the week (aka two days from now) so we'll see. Glad to be back. Sorry I haven't had more elaborate or entertaining stories to tell...but I've been hanging with those that I Love. You know how it is. When you're hanging with those that you Love, then it's really only entertaining to you most of the time. Bubbles is coming to town this weekend. Maybe I'll get to see her this time. Have a great day everybody!!!

Pure American

On the occasion of the presidential elections in 2008 Harper's Bazaar published this photo of John McCain and his wife Cindy by the photographer John Huba.

The McCains are posing as pure Americans like the couple on the famous painting "American Gothic" (1930) by Grant Wood.

Jude Law’s Newborn Baby Photo Covers Hello! Magazine: Samantha Burke Introduces Sophia Lee to The World Before She Meets Dad Jude Law!

Jude Law’s baby Sophia Lee photo

Samantha Burke showed off Sophia Lee, her five-week-old daughter by Jude Law, on the conver of London’s Hello! Magazine on Monday.

Though a paternity test that proved Jude was the dad of Samantha's child following a brief relationship in New York last year, the 25-year-old brunette revealed the actor, who is currently on New York’s Broadway starring in Hamlet, has not yet visited his fourth child.

"There are no plans for it to happen at the moment, but I know he's busy.” Samantha explained in an interview that reportedly earned her $300,000.

"She's already got such a great personality. I think he'll fall in love with her when he sees her.” Samantha said. “ I hope for him to be just as good as he is to his three children by Sadie Frost. He's a great father to his three kids. She's his daughter and I believe he'll come through. I mean once you see her face, how can you deny it?”

For more on Samantha’s motherhood and Jude’s newborn baby, pick up a copy of Hello! magazine on newsstands now.

Impossible Wood Construction Illusion

This optical illusion is very well done. Can you guess the exact nature of this construction.

A-Rod Buddhist? Alex Rodriguez Reportedly to Convert to Buddhism for Kate Hudson

Alex Rodriguez is reportedly considering converting to buddhism for his lady Kate Hudson, whom he has been dating for several months.

According to a source close to Alex, Kate seems to bring great influence in the baseball player's spiritual belief change.

"It's an important part of her life," said the insider about Kate's Buddhism. "And it seems like Alex really just wants to make her happy."

Kate even was seen bringing Buddha prayer beads with her to Alex’s game at Yankee stadium last Friday (October 16). "It was a long strand of brown beads, and she and her friends would pick them up from time to time," an eyewitness was quoted as saying.

Kate's mother Goldie Hawn is also active in the faith and has even met the Dalai Lama. "Goldie more than approves of Alex, If he becomes a Buddhist, it'll only seal the deal." continued the source.

Fire me up some Ancho Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ancho Chicken Tortilla Soup

Don't be intimidated by the unfamiliar ingredient in the title. This is a quick soup that tastes more complex than it actually it is. The addition of Ancho Peppers to traditional chicken tortilla soup lends a sweetness and depth of flavor your guests will marvel at. Dried ancho chillies are the mildest of the chilli peppers. They can be found in most gourmet food stores, though in a pinch, you can pan roast a few poblano peppers, as ancho chillies are just their dried variety. Fire it up!


Ingredients:

6 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
2 large ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed
1 quart chicken stock
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ears corn on the cob, husked, kernels removed or 1 cup frozen kernels, defrosted
1 large red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
1 red chile pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon honey
1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 cups water
2 limes
2 ripe Hass avocados, halved
Sour cream, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the tortillas into 1/2-inch strips and scatter on large baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and bake until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and reserve.

While the tortillas crisp, add the ancho chiles and the chicken stock to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chiles are tender. Remove from the heat to cool.

While the anchos simmer, heat a medium soup pot with vegetable oil over high heat. Add the corn and saute until charred at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat a little, add the onions, jalapeno, red chile pepper and garlic. Season with cumin, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Saute for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes.

Puree the anchos and the stock in a food processor, then add it to the soup pot. Stir in the honey and the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Thin the soup with 1 or 2 cups of water and simmer over low heat to combine flavors, about 5 minutes.

Zest and juice 1 lime and add to the soup pot. Seed and dice the avocados and add to a small bowl. Dress with the juice of the remaining lime.

Pile some crispy tortilla strips into each soup bowl. Top with diced avocado and ladle the soup over the avocado. Garnish with sour cream and whole or chopped cilantro leaves.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/ancho-chicken-tortilla-soup-recipe2/index.html

Left over anchos? They make a fantastic rub. Great on shrimp or pork. I like this recipe from Tyler Florence:
Slow Grilled Ancho Rubbed Pork
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/slow-grilled-ancho-rubbed-pork-recipe/index.html

A Lock of History

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

No update on the job front in the past few days...but hey, I'm still optimistic. The Wingman stopped by on short notice last night and we had dinner at Winger's (they have some pretty good wings) and watched some "Californication" and we've realized that the show's gimmick is David Duchovny having sex with a different hot chick every episode (one episode was questionable, it needed some elaboration because it was an ex-girlfriend from a previous episode) but we're pretty convinced that his contract for that show states that fact and that there must be at least two references to him having a gigantic penis per show. Pretty uneventful evening other than that. The city shuts down after 9 PM and the gentlemen's clubs suck balls (the bad way) here in Utah anyway. Seriously, you get more at a dance club. That's why the drinks are more expensive. Now you know the drill. No need to thank me. Go to Vegas. Also, on a little side note, apparently my Wingman stumbled upon an erotic short story that I wrote one night when I couldn't sleep on my laptop...and he thinks that I might've missed my calling. I may have to look into a little side career as a smut novelist / sex addict like David Duchovny's character...with different neuroses. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on that too. Here's some news...

This Week in Celebrity Hair - A pile of hair believed snipped from Elvis Presley when he joined the U.S. Army in 1958 sold for $18,300 on Sunday, according to a Chicago auction house. The King's hair was one of about 200 items of Elvis memorabilia collected by the late Gary Pepper, who was the president of the Tankers Fan Club set up for Elvis fans. The top price of $62,800 was paid for a cream collared cotton shirt with the monogram EP that came with a magazine showing the King wearing the shirt (or at least one similar, wink wink). It had been expected to sell for between $2,000 and $4,000. A red ultrasuede shirt, which was also expected to sell for between $2,000 and $4,000, and was also believed to have been worn by Elvis sold for $34,000. Chicago-based Leslie Hindman Auctioneers posted the results of the auction on its website, saying the lot of hair sold for $18,300 which topped the expected price of between $8,000 and $12,000. All prices on its website included the buyer's premium. The auction house said the hair was given to Pepper to mail to Presley fans. No DNA test was carried out on the hair but the auctioneer quoted "an expert in celebrity hair authentication," John Reznikoff, saying it matched the Elvis hair he has in his collection (dark & highly stylized?). No details of the winning bidder were immediately available. Elvis died (yes, he did, deal with it) in 1977 at the age of 42. That's right. Over eighteen grand for a lock of hair...that may or may not really be that of the King. That's even more appalling than the fully-loaded Mercedes S-Class for a cotton shirt. At least with that you can wear it and stay warm. I guess when Cloning's a big thing again the hair might come in handy...but until then some Elvis fan just has entirely too much money to spend. I'd hate for this to happen...

Celebrity Hair: Part 2 - A Cleveland museum has learned that what it thought was a lock of hair from aviation heroine Amelia Earhart...is just thread. A group looking for DNA evidence of the pioneer aviator on a Pacific island recently asked the International Women's Air and Space Museum for a sample of the "hair" for comparison. Museum executive director Toni Mullee says an analysis determined the specimen was thread that looked like hair. Mullee says the museum acquired the artifact 20 years ago from the Smithsonian Institution, which had gotten it from a Pennsylvania man. The museum has had it on exhibit next to a book with an anecdote about a White House maid who saved some Earhart hair from a wastebasket. Mullee says the thread will stay on display, with a full explanation. Probably ending with "so...enjoy this piece of string...that may be from a wastebasket in the White House...or from the pocket of a snake oil salesman from Scranton...or it may have something to do with Amelia Earhart. We don't know. It's part of the Mystery that is History." That's like the Elvis fan that bought the lock of hair finding out it's a chimpanzee's ass clippings from a local zoo.

One The Next Episode of Cops - Where's the video footage on this one? Police in Naples are on the lookout for cocaine. Somehow, they lost their stash. A 2-gram packet was discovered missing this summer from a narcotics kit used in training. Two officers lost it in April...but they're unsure where. It could've been the police parking lot...or an airport rental car, but the likely spot was a hotel (yeah, that's where I lose my blow too). The veteran pair checked out the kit to train their police dogs, but the one who usually handles the drugs was called to a scene. By the time she returned, the dogs were energetic and destroying the room (maybe they found something left in the room from the night before?). The officers said they were focusing more on straightening up the hotel room than collecting the drugs, so the bag probably got left. Best part, they weren't reprimanded. Supervisors say it was an honest mistake. So...to just point out a few keys things about this story. What they think happened...as SIX MONTHS AGO, this cocaine was lost during a training exercise...and it wasn't realized until just now. Also, only one out of the three cops there was certified to handle it...but that one (mmm, a lady cop) was the person called to a scene...leaving behind two long-time veteran cops (who still weren't certified to handle drugs for whatever reason) with two K-9 officers...in a hotel room (or parking lot or rental car) and a few lines...er, grams of cocaine...waiting for the lady cop to come back. What exactly were they supposed to do in the meantime? What kind of a call was she called on? And when she did come back, the cops had lost control and the dogs were running things. Needless to say, there's a lot of holes in this story...and sure, it's only two grams...but if it were two kilos, then what? Oopsy? I know if I'm ever found with two grams (not sure why that'd ever happen) then I'm going to try to remember this story. "Maybe it was left in this seedy motel room during a training exercise." "Not likely...but what about this woman you're with? She's obviously a prostitute." "HEY!!! That's my girlfriend...ugh, Carmen you're talking about." "According to her ID, her name is Rachel." "B**ch, you lied to me!!! How could you?" Sigh...why does every story I tell start with something funny...and then end with me being arrested in a motel room with hookers & blow? Not really sure if that's an episode of Cops or Cheaters though. They both have their moments...er, so I'm told.

Cheaters Get Whipped? - Most Bruneians want husbands who cheat on their wives to be whipped, according to a recent survey in the Muslim-majority country. The survey, conducted by website brudirect (www.brudirect.com), found that 76% of 272 respondents said men should be whipped for having affairs, while only 55% said unfaithful wives should receive the same punishment. "The result of the survey is an indication of the pent-up feelings that women harbor against irresponsible men," an unnamed social worker from Brunei was quoted as saying on the website. The oil-rich state of Brunei, located on Borneo Island, has a population of almost 400,000 of which 66% are Muslim. So what do you think? Should unfaithful spouses be physically punished? Just husbands? Just wives? Honestly, in this instance, I don't know if it's just the pent-up feelings that women harbor against irresponsible men...or maybe that women are just evil & unforgiving in matters of the heart. I'm not a Bruneian scientist (at least that I know of). By the way, you know I just wrote that to try to get a response out of you ladies...so please, don't let me down. You know I love your way...everyday. I'll even start. I personally believe in the sanctity of marriage...so yeah, I'm down with a little physical punishment for cheaters...but then again, some people pay good money to be whipped. I'll tell ya, one industry that I'm sure hasn't been horribly effected by this economic recession is the Guild Of Domantrixes & Sadomasochists (GODS). I don't know though. What do you think?

In the meantime, on a completely different note, I'm going to spend the weekend with my family and enjoying my niece's 3rd birthday party. I'll be sure to have pictures of the little cutie...and probably her little brother too. It should be awesome. Have a great weekend everybody!!!

Panda Bear Optical Illusion

Can you see a panda bear in the picture above? Is is not that hard to rectify that the Panda Bear in the image, If i can see it then i think that everyone can spot it easily.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Leaving “Melrose Place”

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and her co-star Colin Egglesfield will be moving out from Melrose Place after her final episode "Who Killed Sydney?” murder mystery air in January next year.

The show's executive producer Todd Slavkin has confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly, "We felt that once the murder mystery [involving their characters] was resolved, the tone of the show was going to shift ... and [Simpson-Wentz's] character would move on."

But original Melrose vixen Heather Locklear has returned to the show for upcoming episodes that will premiere next month. And she is "... in every episode moving forward. She's a major focus [of the show]." according to Slavkin.

Simpson-Wentz and her costar "took it like professionals. When you go into a show you never know what's going to evolve and what the possibilities are . . . it wasn't a complete shock”, Slavkin said.

Avril Lavigne & Brandon Davis Moving In Together?

It was announced on September that Avril Lavigne and ex Deryck Whibley split up after three years of marriage, and now sources say Avril is moving in with her “oily oil heir" lover Brandon Davis!

A friend of the 25-year-old punk pop prince tells In Touch, “Avril is selling her home where she lived with Deryck, while Brandon still lives in his family’s Bel-Air mansion….They both needed a place to live, so they decided to move in together.”

It was revealed that Avril and Brandon has been house hunting in Beverly Hills and Hollywood Hills this week.

"She and Brandon aren’t sure where the romance is headed, But Brandon has never lived with a woman before, so it’s a big commitment on his part.” the insider says.

Sunshine - Illustration by Dimitri Kozma

A very sunny and bright illustration with a new graphic style that I'm exploring. I made this vector painting today and liked the happy feeling. Enjoy!

Click to enlarge.

Mondrian once more

Chinese actress and pop singer Fan Bingbing featured on Harper’s Bazaar China for the month of January 2008.


Maybe it’s not necessary to say that this is also a Mondrian quotation.

Turtles In Time

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Yesterday was an extremely lazy day...but it was a lot of fun too. I spent the morning cleaning my apartment & cooking while listening to some classic Jay-Z, some for the first time in a few years. Good times. I'm sure some of my neighbors were wondering what the hell I was doing rocking out to "Reasonable Doubt" on a Tuesday afternoon...but it was a nice throwback to my early high school days. I also made quite possibly the most delicious lunchtime meal ever made. Have you ever wondered "How can this chili mac & cheese POSSIBLY get any better?" Well, I've found out how. You mix some crumbled blue cheese...and some crispy bacon bits into it. You're welcome. Now go forth and share $teve's Silly Mac with your friends & family. Warning: Though it is INSANELY delicious, the mixture of this meal with a breakfast high in fiber and vegetables can lead to excessive flatulence and perhaps a case of the bubble guts. Now I can't comment on the smell (various nasal injuries over the years) but given the ingredients, I'm assuming it would be at least...earthy. You've been warned.

Another throwback to the childhood days came a little later in the day. I started playing my PS3 when I got a call from my brother. Apparently he & my buddy Isaiah were doing the same...and we decided to play "TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled" which is classic 1991 arcade game, now in 3-D for the PS3. See, back in the day, the three of spent the good portion of our allowances playing this arcade game...and a good deal of our free time playing ninja turtles in fields with stick weapons and bandanas...as all the cool kids do. So, to be in our mid-to-late twenties and play this game again (from beginning to end) was a fun time...especially with being able to strategize & talk sh*t from a few counties away thanks to new technology like the internet and Bluetooth devices. It was like we were ten years old again...just with stuff like jobs and bills and kids and ex-wives. The plan to rob a bank dressed as them still sounds pretty awesome to me...but yeah, still reserved for the virtual world at this time. Playing the game together was a lot of fun though. After that, I got "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" through Netflix and decided to watch it again, basically give it a second chance...and it still was pretty damn horrible to watch. I basically ended up fast forwarding to the action sequences...and shot with Megan Fox...and that's really about the only way to watch it...and you can get the full experience in less than an hour. No need to thank me, just pay it forward. Now here's the news...

BCS Shakeup? - This story is really just ridiculous to me. I'm a huge fan of college football and all...but come on. A senator whose undefeated home state school was bypassed for the college football national championship last season urged President Barack Obama on Wednesday to ask the Justice Department to investigate the Bowl Championship Series, citing Obama's own concerns about the way the top team is crowned in building a case for action. "Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform," wrote Utah Senator Orrin Hatch in a 10-page letter to Obama calling for an antitrust probe of the BCS. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter (for a nominal fee). Shortly after his election last year, Obama said he was going to "to throw my weight around a little bit" to nudge college football toward a playoff system (he said a lot of things). Obama and Hatch are among the many critics of how the BCS (a complex system of computer rankings and polls that often draws criticism) determines its national champion. Hatch, who held a hearing on the BCS in July, told Obama that a "strong case" can be made that the BCS violates antitrust laws. Under the BCS system, some athletic conferences get automatic bids to participate in top-tier bowl games while others don't, and the automatic bid conferences also get far more of the revenue (and yet, he doesn't understand why they get automatic bids). Hatch's home state school, the University of Utah (GO UTES!!!) is from the Mountain West Conference, which does not get an automatic bid. The school qualified for a bid last season but was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated (and the same thing happened four years earlier too). The system "has been designed to limit the number of teams from non-privileged conferences that will play in BCS games," Hatch wrote. Hatch said the BCS arrangement likely violates the Sherman Antitrust Act because, he argued, it constitutes a "contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce," quoting from the law. He said the system "artificially limits the number of nationally-relevant bowl games to five. The result is reduced access to revenues and visibility which creates disadvantages to schools in the non-privileged conferences." Hatch is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights. The senator said the hundreds of millions of dollars generated by college football "are hardly trivial sums," given that many schools use such revenue to fund things like other athletic programs. The Justice Department said it would review the letter and respond as appropriate. The White House declined to comment (probably because it's a f**king house). The chairman of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee, Harvey Perlman, said, "Like a majority of presidents, commissioners, athletics directors and coaches, we stand behind the BCS as the best way to identify a national champion." Perlman, who is chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, noted that 120 schools compete through the season for the opportunity to play in four major bowls and the national championship game. "No effort should be made to take away some of the best traditions of college football, which include the bowl games. Most importantly, our attorneys have done exhaustive reviews over the years, and we are confident that the BCS is in full compliance with the laws of the nation." Alan G. Fishel, an attorney for the Mountain West Conference and Boise State University, backed Hatch's effort. "If the government can look at the concentration of money in railroads, telecommunications and software developers, then why not the big business of college sports in America?" he said. Hatch's letter comes a few days after the BCS released its first standings of the year. And on Monday, a group of college football fans launched the Playoff PAC, with the hope of electing more lawmakers who will pressure the BCS to switch to a playoff system. Several lawmakers have introduced bills this year aimed at forcing a playoff system, but none of the bills has advanced.

Why is this ridiculous? We all know why the BCS is the way that it is. Certain schools & athletic conferences finance the bowl games through corporate sponsorships, boosters and whatever else...so they natural get the vote in how certain things are determined. It's just how it is. Now, anti-trust laws may be broken...but the same laws are being broken when you restrict things like child labor, minimum wages and other aspects of a business or industry. Basically, it's similar to why Big Oil has its political pull...or why we didn't have electric cars until very recently when the market demanded it. Those who have the money & have the political pull can make the rules. The real reason this is ridiculous though...is because there are so many other concerns out there that the government should be focusing on...besides how the champion of one collegiate sport is determined. What should be more important is how we're going to get more kids into college...or make their high schools better...or elementary schools better by using the funding from these college sports. Oh, is that too small potatoes? How about Healthcare? How about this worldwide economic clusterf**k? World Peace? Global warming? The coming Apocalypse? Let's try to focus on the big issues and not get distracted by these kind of things. Senator Hatch, I've got your back. I too believe that the University of Utah was jipped on a chance at TWO National Championships...but I'd happily hand the trophy over to the University of Toronto if it meant I could afford to get sick in my own country. I'm frankly more concerned about being devoured by a f**king anaconda than whether a school gets a trophy saying how awesome they are. That's just me. Let's take care of the big things...and the little things will take care of themselves. Honestly, if we want a fair shake at the National Championship, we have to fill a 100,000 seat stadium every Saturday like some of the other big colleges AND create a fine football product. Time will tell if that'll ever happen. In the meantime, we'll take on the underdog role. Again, go Utes!!!

Music & Exercise - So a mere 25 years after the Walkman came into play, there is some hard-hitting scientific evidence confirming the connection between Music & Jogging. With the Fall marathon season in full swing, thousands of runners are gearing up for the big day. Just as important as their broken-in shoes and heart rate monitor is their source of motivation, inspiration and distraction: their tunes. Running with music has become so common that the two biggest names in both industries, Nike and Apple, have been joined at the hip with the Nike + iPod combination. So, what is it about music and running, or any exercise, that feels so right? Several recent studies try to chase down the connection between our ears and our feet. For the last 20 years, Costas Karageorghis, a sports psychologist at Britain's Brunel University, has been setting the research pace for understanding our need to groove and move. In addition to his lab research, Karageorghis has helped create a half marathon in London that tries to find the perfect music mix of live bands based on his research of human reaction to rhythm. The second annual "Run to the Beat" event was held a few weeks ago with 9,000 laboratory rats, er, runners either enjoying the live music or listening to their own mix of tunes on their MP3. Karageorghis even offered a scientific selection of songs based on his findings (found on the link). According to Kargeorghis, there are four factors that contribute to a song's motivational qualities: Rhythm Response, Musicality, Cultural Impact and Association. The first two are known as "internal" factors as they relate to the music's structure while the second two are "external" factors that reflect how we interpret the music. Rhythm Response is tied to the beats per minute (bpm) of the song and how well it matches either the cadence or the heartbeat of the runner. A song's structure such as its melody and harmony contribute to its Musicality. The external factors consider our musical background and the preferences we have for a certain genre of music and what we have earned to associate with certain songs and artists. Picking the right music can have several benefits. Syncing beats per minute with an exercise pace increases your efficiency. In a recent study, subjects who cycled in time to music found that they required 7% less oxygen to do the same work when compared to music playing in the background. Music can also help block out the little voice in your brain telling you its time to quit. Research shows that this dissociation effect results in a 10% reduction in perceived effort during treadmill running at a moderate intensity. In the current study, published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 30 subjects synchronized their pace to the tempo of the music which was 125 bpm. Before the experiment, a pool of music was rated using a questionnaire tool (the Brunel Music Rating Inventory) which then selected the most motivational pieces for the treadmill test. The subjects were given a choice of either pop or rock music. When compared to a no-music control, the motivational synchronized music led to a 15% improvement in endurance. "The synchronous application of music resulted in much higher endurance while the motivational qualities of the music impacted significantly on the interpretation of fatigue symptoms right up to the point of voluntary exhaustion," Karageorghis reported. Matching the beats per minute of our music with our exercise heart rate also takes an interesting non-linear path, according to research. Karageorghis found that when our hearts are performing at between 30 and 70% of maximum, we prefer a somewhat linear increase from 90 to 120 bpm. However, when we reach our anaerobic threshold between 70 and 80% of maximum, we prefer a jump in rhythm from 120 to 150 bpm. Above 80% of maximum heart rate, a plateau is reached where even faster music is not preferred. Another new study by researchers from Liverpool John Moores University, and detailed online in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, looked at the tempo angle differently. Instead of a mix of different songs at different tempos, they asked a group of cyclists to pedal to the same song over three different trials. What the subjects did not know is that the researchers first played the song at normal speed, but then increased or decreased the speed of the same song by 10 percent. The small change was not enough to be noticed, but it did have an effect on performance. Speeding up the music program increased distance covered/unit time, power and pedal cadence by 2.1%, 3.5% and 0.7%, respectively. Slowing the program produced falls of 3.8%, 9.8% and 5.9%. The researchers concluded that we increase or decrease our work effort and pace to match the tempo of our music. Finding the right beat has now become even easier with a software plug-in tool called Tangerine. By integrating with your iTunes library, it can build a custom playlist based on the BPM range you provide, while arranging the songs in several different tempo shapes including warm-ups and warm-downs. With the right mix, your brain and feet will be in perfect harmony. So get out there & start jogging!!!

Now that I've bored you with science, I'll leave you be for the evening. Tomorrow, maybe I'll have another update on my professional career...but then again, probably not. Have a great day everybody!!!

Nicole Richie Newborn Son Sparrow First Pictures

Nicole Richie and her rumored husband Joel Madden are showing off their 6 week old son Sparrow Midnight James Madden in the latest issue of People magazine.

"I couldn't be happier. The only thing you want is for your kids to be healthy and happy, and they are. I'm right where I belong." Nicole tells the magazine during an interview at their home in Los Angeles.

And Sparrow's big sister Harlow has been helping mummy to take care of her baby brother. "I'm glad I had a girl before I had a boy," says Nicole. "She just loves him so much." and adds Joel, "She's very gentle with him.”

For more on Nicole and Joel's expanding family and their newborn son, pick up the latest issue of People magazine on newsstands this Friday.

Apotheke: Legitimizing my "Health Drink"

Health Drink [helth dringk]   Noun.
   1. A drink that restores soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment: normally after a night of binge drinking.
   2. Any drink before noon.
   3. An alcoholic drink you pass off as part of your recommended five servings of vegetables and fruit, due to that delightful splash of cran. You know who you are.
Origin: Whoever invented the Bloody Mary. My hero.
Synonyms: the hair of the dog; pick-me-up; refresher; lifesaver.
Based on the Random HEAT Dictionary.

Drink to your health!! 

Just the excuse we all need. And it's the excuse for Apotheke, a speakeasy tucked away on the most random street in Chinatown. Looking like tourists, we were finally showed the front door, thanks to the help of a kind local, who knew where our destination had to be. Because we certainly weren't shopping for daikon at 11pm on a Saturday.

It wasn't easy to find, but opium dens don't exactly advertise, and Apotheke set up shop in an abandoned one on Doyers Street. This time around, 250 cocktails replace the hallucinogenic. Although absinthe cocktails can be found on the menu, under the heading Euphoric Enhancers. Other cocktail categories include Health and Beauty (cucumber, lychee, rose hips), Pain Killers (spicy, pepper laden), Stress Relief (chamomile, lavender infused), Aphrodisiacs (bubbly and cognac) Stimulants (espresso laden), and Pharmaceuticals (herbal remedies). I was particularly fond of the Lychee Three Ways, a health and beauty enhancer that made my skin glow!  ...I swear it wasn't sweat. 

Hidden and secret it is not - jam packed with a line of eager patrons outside, tolerating the rain. Alas, there ain't much else going on in Chinatown late on a Saturday night. Unless you like daikon.

Apotheke

9 Doyers Street

http://www.apothekebar.com/

Rihanna New Single “Russian Roulette” (Audio)

Rihanna debuted Russian Roulette, the first single from her upcoming album, Rated R, on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show Tuesday.

The video for the song, directed by Anthony Mandler, is expected to premiere in primetime on ABC later this month.

Rated R, Rihanna's fourth album, will be available in the physical and digital marketplace on Monday, November 23.

Eagles Pay It Forward

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

This weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday morning, I had work...but it was okay because I was done by 3 PM and had the rest of the day to be lazy, if I so chose. Saturday night, JL Clyde & I went to the Ingrid Michaelson concert...well, at least to the line. We stood there in a daunting line that wrapped around the block, without tickets, surrounded by teenagers, 90% jailbait (seriously, I think I was the only straight guy there without a wife) and JL Clyde had been sick for the past few days so she was drained. After a while, she just suggested that we bail, go get some gelato & watch some horrible movies...and that we did. We watched "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" and "Tenacious D & the Pick of Destiny" and saved about twenty bucks each. Not a bad day.

Sunday, I started doing a bunch of laundry and what-not...then headed over to my dad's to watch football (congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on getting their first victory in a full year & making my dad happy). We caught the last quarter of yet another Favrish comeback, then the first half of probably the worst beatdown I've witnessed outside of a video game where the Patriots added a victory against the Titans 59-0 in the snow, then they switched to another game...but it didn't matter which because I was just watching the bottom line score of the Eagles / Raiders game. As any fellow Eagles fan can tell you, it's simply ridiculous that the Eagles lost to the Raiders...but I know the back-story...and am going to share it all with you. Remember the Christmas Miracle last year? Of course you do. Where the Eagles had to win their final game and three other teams had to lose for the Eagles to go to the playoffs? Well, if you remember, the last piece of that puzzle...was the lowly Raiders defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in another great father-son back-story). So a few hours earlier Sunday, the unexpected happened...and the division rival Chiefs got their first win of the year, the Raiders needed a win to stay out of a tie with them for the worst record in the division. That being the case, they called in a favor from the Eagles, "Hey, we helped you get to the playoffs last year. Can you give us a freebie?" Being an organization of great honor, they agreed...and tried as hard as they could to lose a game to the Raiders...but it was no easy task. You see, the Raiders are absolutely horrible. I mean, dreadful as a franchise. The Eagles played their absolute worst...and still could only give them a four-point lead. It became evident that after the 86-yard Zach Miller touchdown in the first quarter (which the more I look at it seems like the Eagles were really laying on the cheeziness with all of the flagrant missed tackles, I was afraid that the referees would catch on) but even after that, they just couldn't get the Raiders to score more points to make it a respectable game. Apparently it's a difficult task to be a worse football team than the Oakland Raiders...but somehow the Eagles pulled together...and managed to return the favor from last year by keeping the Raiders out of the AFC West cellar. Great job guys. Now just win the rest of your games. I don't think you need to repay any more favors this year. So yeah, the Bears / Falcons game was pretty good too...and I got to hang with my dad & have a steak dinner. That was my weekend. How about yours?

A-Team Movie Update - Who didn't like the A-Team? The group of disavowed mercenaries helping out the helpless...for a price. It's taken them long enough...but Hollywood's now well on the way to making it into a movie (and probably series of movies). They've announced that South African filmmaker turned "District 9" lead actor Sharlto Copley has apparently been offered the role of Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock in Fox's upcoming "The A-Team" feature film reports Blackfilm. If true and accepted, Copley would take on the role made famous by Dwight Schultz in the 80's series. In that he was a highly skilled helicopter pilot who was officially declared mentally unstable and spent much of the series residing in a psychiatric hospital (though its hinted more than once his insanity is a ruse). Copley would join the already confirmed Liam Neeson ("Taken") playing the leader John "Hannibal" Smith, Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover") playing Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck and UFC fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to play Sgt. "B.A." Baracus in the adaptation directed by Joe Carnahan ("Smokin' Aces"). Shooting is already underway in Vancouver for release next Summer. Can't wait to see it.

Wackiest US Attractions - Alliance, Nebraska's automotive replica of England's famed Stonehenge has been named the No. 2 wackiest attraction in America (and only a four-hour road trip from Denver). Carhenge uses old cars painted stone gray to replicate the stone formations found at Stonehenge. Carhenge received the wacky recognition from the travel advice site, TripAdvisor, as part of a list of the nation's ten wackiest attractions. The only attraction deemed wackier than Carhenge...is the toilet seat museum in San Antonio that features more than 800 decorated toilet seat lids but no bathroom. Go figure. Also making the Top 10 list are Stone Henge II in Kerrville, Texas & the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas (which is basically three Caddys sticking out of the ground). My personal favorites from the list are the House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin (seen it firsthand and it's awesome), the Museum of Pez Memorabilia just outside of San Francisco & the 17,400 pound ball of twine in Darwin, Minnesota. No go forth and see these crazy things. You deserve a vacation.

Shocking News Out of Detroit - So a pro sports franchise is finally leaving Detroit after a lot of rough years for this city. The interesting thing is...that it's the one team that's had a lot of success over the last decade, the WNBA's Detroit Shock. Yes, the ladies that have won three of the last 7 WNBA championships under the expert coaching of bad boy Bill Laimbeer have announced that are moving their franchise to another city, one with more financial opportunities & a fiery fan base that hasn't been as thoroughly ravaged by the economic downturn of the past few years. That city...is Tulsa, Oklahoma. Last week, a group of investors in Tulsa said they would formally apply to the WNBA to purchase a franchise. Lead investor Bill Cameron has said his group, called Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC, will exercise its option to buy a WNBA team and expected a decision from the league by the end of October with the goal of having a team in Oklahoma next season. Cameron and fellow investor David Box (both Oklahoma City businessmen) announced last month that former Tulsa and Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson would serve as the WNBA team's coach and general manager if Tulsa landed a franchise. A spokesman for Cameron and Box did not immediately return phone messages left Monday, and Richardson didn't immediately return a phone message left at his Arkansas home. The Shock had a lot of success on the court, but not in the stands in a state with four major professional teams along with Michigan and Michigan State athletics. In the 2003 WNBA finals, Detroit did draw 22,076 fans — setting a record for the largest crowd to watch a women's professional basketball game — but most games were sparsely attended with a curtain covering up the upper level of The Palace of Auburn Hills. Tulsa, with about 385,000 people, would be the second-smallest city with a WNBA franchise (after Uncasville, Connecticut). The team would play at the BOK Center, which holds about 18,000 and opened last year. Cameron and Box are members of the ownership group of the Tulsa Talons of arenafootball2. Cameron also is part of the ownership group of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. That group bought the then-Seattle SuperSonics and the WNBA's Seattle Storm in July 2006, but sold the WNBA franchise to Seattle investors before moving the NBA franchise to Oklahoma City last year. The Shock's move would give the state of Oklahoma two professional basketball teams. Why do I mention this? Because somebody has to talk about the WNBA dammit...and I've taken it upon myself. By the way, did you know that the Phoenix Mercury won their second straight championship last week? No, you didn't. Why? Because there's only a few of us out there that Love the ladies like I do...and even fewer still with the financial means to do something about it. I hope the city of Tulsa enjoys their WNBA franchise. I sure miss the Starzz (who are now in San Antonio playing games near the Toilet Museum).

I don't really have a lot else to talk about today. Maybe tomorrow I'll have another fun adventure to share with you...but until then, have a great day everybody!!!

Dear HEAT, What's Hot?

Dear HEAT,

We are:
Three New York guys are taking out three girls from philly who are visiting for the weekend. Only one of us has met one of the girls, so the other 4 people involved have never met each other.


We want:
Neighborhood downtown on the westside
Price range either cheap and chic or the appearence of high roller with out spending too much $$
Somewhere nearby to keep the cocktails flowing!

What's HOT?
 
Wilfe and Nell: 228 W. 4th St., nr. Seventh Ave.

West Village gastropub with surprisingly good food, great drinks and solid beer selection. It's almost always bumping with a good crowd and has long wood communal tables, perfect for your party size. It's just noisy enough to drown out those awkward pauses and definitely encourages a party atmosphere. Plus the Philly girls can feel at home with the cheese steak's Irish cousin: the corned beef sandwich. Covered in gruyere cheese and served with THE BEST pickles from a neighboring borough, it's a sure thing. It's also located on a great block for post dinner drinks if you want a change of scenery after dinner. There's a nice cocktail bar across the street that is usually spewing with people as well as a fun tequila lounge called Diable Royale, where you MUST get their house drink: the Ricky. 1/4 frozen margarita, 3/4 mexican beer. Goodnight!

Keste Pizza e Vino: 271 Bleecker St., near Morton

Out of towners almost always come to NYC looking for a good slice - if you want to make a night of it, this is the place. It gets a young, west village crowd looking for carafe's of good wine and gourmet pizza. Your choices run from your basic Margharita with grape tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil and extra virgin olive oil, to a little more off the run options like the Pizza de Papa: butternut squash cream, imported smoked mozzarella, and artichokes. It's small and lively - which means there's normally a crowd waiting to sit, so make sure to have a reservation. Grab a beer afterwards at Vol de Nuit, a Belgian beer lounge found in an old carriage house, with an outdoor courtyard and multiple bars: 148 W. 4th at 6th Ave.

Or for a taste of home, take the girls to THE Philadelphia Eagles bar: Town Tavern, but dont tell them I sent you.
Floriencia 13: 185 Sullivan St., near Bleeker St

Nothing breaks down the barriers quite like tequila. If you need another reason to go, the food is pretty legit as well. Mexican food with a Californian flare means you wont feel like a complete glutton when you leave. They also play a good soundtrack and lure a fun crowd. My choice for after dinner drinks would be Little Branch, a speakeasy on Leroy St and 7th ave that specializes in fantastic cocktails and live jazz music. If you're looking for something a little more lively and a little less classy, The Back Fence will suit the bill. Just dirty enough to allow the full effects of the tequila to come through, it's a red neck inspired bar with raging music that you'll find just down the street: 155 Bleeker St

Some more food for thought:

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria: another pizza option by Mario Batali, caters to large crowds
Alta: small plate Italian
Barbuto: classic italian
BLT Burger: b/c who doesnt love a good burger
Extra Virgin: American fare with a Mediterranean twist - great neighborhood, good crowd

- The HEAT