Clerks 2

I finally watched this last night and it didn't disappoint - very funny and very shocking. But it certainly didn't have the same feel as the original black and white version of the original. Jay and Silent Bob make multiple appearances. Always gold.

Ann Curry Joy

My nemeses Ann Curry is filling in as co-host of the Today Show this week. This always makes me excited because I get to see her overact and then panic and say something confusing. There was a gem a second ago. Matt: "No one ever likes their driver's license photos. [Looking at Ann] How's yours?" Ann: [Overacting] Oh! Gosh! Ummmmm! [Puts hand up to confusingly block her face from Matt.] No. Haven't seen it for years." What?

Stuff I Didn't Know

Gerald Ford was a huge "War On Drugs" fan. But I'll let the man rest in peace this week.

Ralph Stebbins

Never heard of him? Me neither. But this Michigan man won a $208 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot with his wife in April of 2005. On Saturday, less than two years from striking gold, he died of a heart attack.

Hey, Now

Jessica Biel at Christmas on the beach. More pics. But I fear her bench pressing abilities.

Final Bows

I love "The Year In Review" stuff whether it be on TV or a magazine. I was looking through Newsweek a second ago and had forgotten that these people had died this year: Dana Reeve, 44 (wife of Christopher Reeve) Al Lewis , 82 (Grandpa Munster) Kenneth Lay, 64 (well, I hadn't forgot, but needed to be reminded) Corretta Scott King, 78 Ann Richards, 73 (Ok, I remembered this one) Lloyd Bentsen, 85

Two Great Inventions

TIVO and a wireless home network. Two of the greatest inventions in the history of . . . you know.

It Would Be Inappropriate . . .

. . . to link to this old SNL skit today. And here's an interesting fact about Ford: He was born with the name Leslie Lynch King on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. When he was just two weeks old, his parents divorced, and his mother moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he grew up. His mother remarried, and he was adopted and renamed after his stepfather, Gerald Rudolph Ford.

I Thought It Was Funny

In case you missed it, the oddly named and sponsored Bell Helicopter Armed Services Bowl was played in Fort Worth last week. Funniest line I heard after the fact: "I think I've now been persuaded to buy a Bell helicopter."

Drive In Days

The Gemini outdoor theater used to be on 28 acres at the corner of Central Expressway and Forest Lane in Dallas. Although the theater had been closed for years, the vacant property sold over the last couple of days for over $20 million. The original newspaper ad for the grand opening of the theater is here. But despite never attending a movie at that theater, it still is the basis for one of my grandest memories. My family and our neighbors were all piled into one car one night as we went to Dallas to eat. I was just a kid so I'd guess it was in the early 1970s. There we were, rolling down the freeway, as we passed by the Gemini Theater. It was already dark so one of the movies was already rolling. And then, shockingly, there it was: A topless women on the big screen! And perfectly visible from the highway. Not just a glancing shot, mind you, but a full fledged scene with the camera remaining on her ample . . . well, you know. Chaos broke loose in the car as the kids (and some adults) scrambled for the best look at the screen while a couple of moms scrambled to protect the kids from this glorious wickedness. I was shocked. And overjoyed. But the funniest line came from someone in the car who screamed, "Look out! Someone on this freeway is gonna wreck because no one is watching the road!" It had to be the most dangerous stretch of roadway in the Southwest proper.

That Guy Is Having The Greatest Time In The History Of Ever

Todd Heisler - 2006 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Feature Photography

Explained: When 2nd Lt. James Cathey’s body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. (Other photos by him, including a larger version of this one, are here.)

Rep. Virgil Goode Jr. Don't Like Them Muslims . . .

. . . especially when one gets elected to Congress. Source. Sheesh.

Santa on "Cops" - Very Unstable

Tara Reid

The News Of The Day

"Former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford talks with his Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld (L) and Rumsfeld's assistant Richard Cheney (R) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in this April 28, 1975 file photo." I suppose that "Richard Cheney" is "Dick Cheney" but the resemblance doesn't jump out at me.

Stop Down

James Brown - The Hardest Working Man In Show Business

Two thoughts: (1) He had the funniest bit at the end of every show. He would act like he's running out of energy as he walks off stage, and some guy would always come out and throw a flowing robe over his shoulders. At the last moment, he'd throw the robe off and fire off that crazy James Brown dancing. (2) Eddie Murphy did a great James Brown "Hot Tub" skit years ago on SNL. Here it is (complete with the flowing robe.)