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The Friday Five: Celebrating Chicago Icons, Great Restaurants and Daring New Novels

on the wings of the hummingbird — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:49:50 +0000

CELEBRATE The Late, Great Roger Ebert If you are a Chicagoan of a certain era, you probably have a

'The whole world is about to explode. Whadda you do?'

Pip Rowson — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:59:41 +0000

This post forms part of the The 05:59, Bill Murray-inspired, self-imposed, unnecessary, blog-writing challenge.

Phil: If you only had one day to live, what would you do with it?
Rita: I don’t know, Phil. What are you dying of?.
Phil: I mean, the whole world is about to explode. Whadda you do? I want to know where to put the camera.

-Groundhog Day (somewhere in the middle of it)

I am in a massive Sainsbury’s at an out-of-town shopping centre on a Friday evening. Someone I know, ‘______’, is a big fan of the Friday evening shop, and I know Friday night chores are the thing to do now so that Saturday mornings can be reclaimed.

I used to think that doing anything mundane on a Friday night was a waste of the beginning of the weekend but, in fact, I have discovered that doing a chore such as the weekly shop at this time is perfect because picking up your groceries when everyone else is out partying, or at home with a glass of wine, means that the shops are blissfully free of ‘everyone else’. Therefore a) it’s a speedy, almost joyous shop and b) you get to experience an apocalyptic atmosphere without an actual disaster having happened – perfect for a disaster movie junkie like myself.

So Beau and I are at this big empty Sainsbury’s on a Friday night. Before we go in, I head to the cash point outside and ask it for forty pounds. ‘Do you think it’s going to give me tenpound notes or twenty pound ones?’ I ask to pass the ‘time’ (four seconds) between tapping in my pin and selection and the thing giving me what I want. ‘Tenners’ says Beau. We wait. 2…1… The machine spurts out eight five pound notes. We look at each other wide-eyed. The first surprise of the night.

Inside the supermarket, it quickly becomes apparent that Beau and I are the only customers in there. I pounce of the disasteryness of the situation. ‘It’s like a film set!’ I say. ‘It’s just like everyone’s been wiped out!’
“Well… it’s a bit like that” says Beau. “But also just a bit like it’s not that busy.”
“Look at these DVDs!” I say, rushing up to an ‘impulse buy’ stand near one of the self-service tills. “These wouldn’t mean a thing in an apocalyptic situation!”
“We could use the cases as bricks in a wall” says Beau
“What would we need a wall for?” I ask.
“Well, okay, for a shelter then, plastic roof tiles. They’d be useful for something for sure.”
“And some sort of weapon from the discs themselves!” I say.
“What would we need a weapon for?” says Beau, right back at me.
“Well, okay, we’ll use them to reflect the sun and start a fire to cook our evening meal then.”
“Better” says Beau.

In one quiet aisle, a loaf of bread (Hovis, wholemeal) falls off a high-up shelf, unprompted. Splat on the floor. Beau and I look at each other. I take this look to mean mutual acknowledgement of the impending apocalypse. I suspect Beau takes it to mean ‘it doesn’t mean anything’.

Round the next bend a trolley has been abandoned. A trolley full of value goods and a newspaper with a headline that reads ‘time has come to end austerity’. I wonder whether the person pushing the trolley, picking up their ‘Sainsbury’s Basics’ dips and chips’, had clocked the headline on their paper and immediately left the shop to go to Fortnum & Mason and get the good shit before the apocalypse really sets in. I took a photo of the abandoned trolly which will be today’s ‘phone photo Friday’:

trolly apocalypse

—

Read the other posts in this series:

The 05:59, Bill Murray-inspired, self-imposed, unnecessary, blog-writing challenge
we’re up here at Gobbler’s Knob waiting for the forecast
Hey, who else could go for some flapjacks right now?
The Girl I will love

4/5: CALLS FOR ENTRY

losangelesartresource — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:17:26 +0000

The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art’s national juried exhibition F-Stop Photography Magazine Subm

#066. The Reset Button

benthereseenthat — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:01:29 +0000

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This famous quote by George Santayana sums up a very poignant idea: if we don’t learn from our mistakes or the mistakes of others, we are doomed to the same fate. How often do we long for that second chance? The opportunity to right our wrongs and fix our mistakes is perhaps why time travel is so popular as a theme. And while hindsight is always 20/20, the only way that we can correct a fatal mistake is if we are in a video game. Unfortunately, real life is much less forgiving. However, movies are not real life. As a result, some films have explored the idea of going back in time and re-experiencing something again. A “Reset Button”, if you will. While some of these “Reset Buttons” can be controlled and used by the protagonist, some are out of their control as a way to induce character growth. This week’s two films look at what happens with a “Reset Button” at your disposal.

Groundhog Day
Year: 1993
Rating: PG
Length: 101 minutes / 1.68 hours

What if you just had the worst day of your life, would you want to repeat it? I know most of us would answer with an emphatic, “No.” However, what if that day was a learning experience? Something that would change your life forever? Still “No”? OK, I’ll be the first to admit that reliving failures is not fun, but in the long run, they are good for personal development and growth. Now, the only reason that anyone would be subjected to a day repeated over and over again is probably because they are so oblivious to their faults that it takes a while for them to realize what needs to change. Of course, the flip side is that if you find yourself trapped in a never-ending loop of February 2nds, you can do pretty much anything you want, since you don’t know if February 3rd even exists anymore.

Phil (Bill Murray) has a personality that often rubs others the wrong way. After being assigned the annual piece on Groundhog Day for the fourth year in a row, he’s pretty much had it. When he begrudgingly finishes the news piece and goes to bed, he figures he’s done with it. Until he wakes up and finds that he needs to do the whole segment again, because it’s still February 2nd. After the initial frustration, he tries to use the knowledge of the day to his advantage. When that fails, he becomes depressed and tries to exit the loop by suicide. After multiple successful suicides, he figures that doesn’t work either. Finally, he arrives at the conclusion that if he’s trapped in that one day, he might as well use it to his advantage and do all the things he’s never had time for.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Year: 2010
Rating: PG-13
Length: 116 minutes / 1.93 hours

The origins of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time are directly from the realm of video games. In 1989, Prince of Persia was released as a computer game which featured a multitude of somewhat gruesome deaths, all of which would reset your character to an earlier part of the level. With this standard video game structure, one could become very frustrated when trying to get past guillotines or spikes, while always dying at the same points and being forced to replay the level again. In the 2000′s, the series was rebooted with “The Sands of Time” added, still maintaining the “Reset Button” dynamic. As a result of the entire series’ success and influence on video games, it was eventually turned into a movie in 2010, under the title of the millennial reboot.

In a realm often covered with sand, Persia can be unforgiving to anyone that would drop their guard for even a moment. As an adopted prince, Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) did his best to fit in with royalty, but could never shake his orphaned origins. This is why he is on the run after being accused of his adopted father’s death. However, two discoveries have changed his fate. One is meeting Tamina (Gemma Arterton), a princess who has noticed that Dastan now holds the second discovery: a dagger that can reverse the flow of time. While Dastan is on the run, he aims to prove his innocence and to uncover the true killer of his father. Fortunately, the mystical dagger filled with magical sand is the key to unraveling the mystery and restoring Dastan to his princely position.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2+ chances

Groundhog Day

jcraven42 — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 03:17:03 +0000

I just watched Groundhog Day, which led to the inevitable theorizing about how I would spend my eternal day. I have seen this movie dozens of times, and while it would be a lie to say that I think about it all the time it is no exaggeration to say that I have thought about this a lot. the most interesting aspect to about the Groundhog Day proposition, is not the freedom from consequence, which I would have fun with. No, the most interest prospect of being able to repeat the same day over and over is the time it affords you.

This is a fact that it takes Phil Connors rather a long time to figure out, of course he did have the benefit of seeing a movie like Groundhog Day. Once he figures it out of course he sees the possibilities. He learns to play the piano, he learns several languages, he seems to have picked up a number of medically related skills. He also, learns to sculpt and read all of the classics. Once the movie hits this point, even if it is the first time you are seeing it, you begin to think about what it is you would do with unlimited time.

It’s an interesting question, and is different from the question “What would you do with unlimited resources?”. Unlimited resources and you begin to think about things, and maybe if you have time you start to think about what you would do. But with unlimited time, it’s all about what you would do, what you would learn. You think about the things that you always wish you knew how to do, all the things you want to understand.

When I think on these things I almost always land on languages, and I definitely want to pick on an instrument or two. I would like to learn about biology, and learn to paint like the masters. I want to learn how to Blow glass, and sculpt ice, and sand. I want to Learn advanced mathematics, and various coding languages. I wish I could learn martial arts, and train in various survival techniques. I want to learn how to carpent, and how to design building, and how to build building for that matter. As the list grows, it becomes apparent that the real problem is that in our daily lives there are only so many hours and so we are forced to prioritize.

Top of the list are things that must be done; eating, drinking, breathing, sleeping, and cleaning ourselves. There goes a third of the day, so what do we do with the other two thirds? Well, most of those other things require money to do successfully, so we work, and that another eight hours a day, gone. Now we have about eight hours a day to play with, but they’re not our best eight, they are the leftovers, we gave the best up for twelve dollars an hour, if you’re lucky, and now… Well it’s now small wonder we don’t have time to do any of the things that we all wish we could. Now it no secret that there’s still time enough to do something, but once you add time wasted on television and video games you don’t have much to play around with.

Now I have successfully cut video games from my time suck, but there is still television, but I am working on that too. So, maybe you don’t really need a Groundhog Day after all, but it certainly would be amazing to get the chance. Imagine, you get the chance to finally spend all the time you need, practicing and learning, and the next day everyone sees that you have become an instant expert, in all these fields, overnight.

Anyways just, some random thoughts from my sick day.

And that’s my take on Groundhog Day.

I also did a quick painting, about 30-40 minutes, to make up for yesterdays lack of a written post. Find the painting here.

The groundhog lied

Melissa — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:07:42 +0000

On Tuesday, huge thunderstorms rolled through Austin and my training was canceled. Wednesday was still drizzly and unpleasant, so when the sun came out today, I knew I’d need to get in four or five miles on the trails during my son’s lacrosse practice.

The temperature was in the 50s (completely bizarre for April–clearly not what Punxsutawney Phil predicted) and winds kicked up little waves in the puddles left over from the rains. The normally-stagnant creek that runs through the complex even had water running through it.

I left my water bottle in my car this time, so whenever I passed it I stopped for water. Unlocking the car took more time than just grabbing the bottle, but I didn’t want a repeat of the Case of the Missing Water Bottle either.

For the first 3.5 miles I listened to last week’s hilarious episode of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me–at one point I know I laughed out loud… something about Microsoft, condoms, and virus protection.

On the far end of the eastbound trail, rains had filled up a retaining pond, a nice change from the barren spaces that have been devastated by drought in recent years.

I felt great through four miles and decided to go for five. I switched to music, turned up the volume, and ran out to the lake for the second time. I figured I’d run back to my car and that should get me to five.

Clearly I suck at estimating distance, because I heard my Garmin beep a bit sooner than I expected. I wanted to stop at the nice round number, but I forced myself to push on, to tackle that last set of short hills down and up the creek bank. I ended up with 5.28, just in time to meet B in the parking lot, done with practice.

Crowd Funding Still Not a Reality in the U.S.

JeffKoeppel — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:31:24 +0000

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the JOBS Act, the law that created the Crowd Fund Act of 2012. Although unofficial reports place the operative regulations in the “in-box” of the commissioners of the Securities and Exchange Commission, it is still illegal to crowd fund for securities in the U.S.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/?ref_=sr_1

The girl I will love

Pip Rowson — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:59:10 +0000

This post forms part of the The 05:59, Bill Murray-inspired, self-imposed, unnecessary, blog-writing challenge.

I’ve been moderately ungeeky so far about this film so far [what film? Groundhog Day that's what. Keep up. Click on the link above.] but it’s probably time for an itty bitty bit of trivia. Not my trivia, but IMDb’s of course:

The French poem Phil recites in the German restaurant [watch a clip of the scene here] was written by Danny Rubin, based on the lyrics of Jacques Brel’s “Bachelor’s Dance”. Translated into English the poem reads: The girl I will love / is like a fine wine / that gets a little better / every morning.

Firstly, what is a Bachelor’s Dance? I hope it’s like this bird of paradise dance, but I suspect not.

Secondly, is this what the film-makers/casting crew hoped would happen to Andie MacDowell? That she’d get a little better each morning? Because she doesn’t does she?

Thirdly, I really like the sound of the translation of this poetry. Something lovely and en francais made, at best a haiku, but actually just a bit boring when put into English. In the same vein, I thought I’d follow this process and make a poem out of a ‘Bachelorette’s Dance’ except translate it the other way, into French, to make it really pretty (to an non-French speaker anyways). Imagine Bill Murray reciting it in the way he does in the film clip above and it will seem all the more Romantic:

Tirez-moi
Dans tes bras,
Disons que je suis celui que vous voulez,
Si vous n’aimez pas,
vous serez seul
Et comme un fantôme,
je ne serai plus là.

original text:

Pull me into your arms
Say I’m the one you want
If you don’t, you’ll be alone
And like a ghost I’ll be gone

- from, of course, that great 19th century French poet, Beyonce with her famous sonnet All the Single Ladies (put a ring on it)

—

Read the other posts in this series:

In the Shadow of ELVIS, Perils of a Ghostwriter; Happy Easter Sunday; Bike Week 2013; Pat Tillman Run

mybadtequila — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:12:20 +0000

New soon-to-be released biography / memoirs – “In the Shadow of ELVIS, Perils of a Ghostwriter”

Hola Amigas & Amigos,

Happy Easter to All; We’re going to skip the talk of bunnies and chicks and go straight to the groundhog talk.

It’s Spring Time finally, a bit later even than Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog that mistakenly predicted an early spring on Feb. 2. The ground varmint may get his due, after charges were filed against him last week in jest. The Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, a borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, attracts worldwide attention each year. Little does, but, a few folk know that Ground Hog’s Day was filmed in the small town of Woodstock, a suburb outside the Chicago area and the house that Bill Murray awoke in every morning was the same house that my Goddaughter, Paris’ dad grew up in. Yes, Tom R. and his seven brothers and sisters grew up in that house. Tom’s father was a captain for United Airlines and purchased the house many years ago to raise his large brood. More interesting is that the story of how I became Paris’ Godfather nearly twenty years ago is shared in my latest biography / memoir – “In the Shadow of ELVIS, Perils of a Ghostwriter.”
“In the Shadow of ELVIS, Perils of a Ghostwriter” is two stories in one that intertwine to become one incredible adventure and book. This is the true story of the legitimate, illegitimate Son of the KING of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Mr. ELVIS Presley, strewn together with the adventures and perils encountered while telling of John Dennis Smith’s birthright. His secret has been closeted in the attics of the forbidden for over five decades. Now join me as I take you up the narrow stairway, through the cobwebbed doorway and together we will slowly open the creaking door, creep delicately to the darkened corner, open the dusty, wooden box, pick up the book carefully (we don’t want to awaken a sleeping scorpion), open the first page and begin to read the mystery that lies within Cave Creek, Arizona.

The biography tells of when Dennis John Smith found out who his birth dad and mother were on his 27th Birthday and how he has waited five decades before sharing with the world of his adoption and birthright. The story is intermingled with the trials and tribulations of getting this book to print and published. It is one incredible journey and adventure. A must read if You enjoyed, “My Bad Tequila” or if You’re an ELVIS fan, there are 500,000,000 of us! Hey, who isn’t an ELVIS fan? There’s even mention of Winston Churchill, Jerry Lewis, George Strait, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, Glen Campbell, Wild Bill Wichrowski, Jack Nicholson, Zona Marie, Lawrence Welk, Lou Holtz, Annette Snyder, Garth Brooks, Steve Boyce, Mike Tyson, Bret Michaels, Priscilla Presley, Ernest Hemingway and Coach Chris Peterson for all You Football fans with a dedication note to my past friend and hero – Mr. Pat Tillman.
Speaking of the former Arizona SunDevil, Cardinal football player and Army Ranger – Mr. Pat Tillman, his fund run is coming up. Pat’s Run is the signature fundraising event for the Pat Tillman Foundation. Held annually in April at Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium, the event attracts more than 35,000 participants, volunteers and spectators from across the country. Together they Run, Walk and Honor Pat’s legacy while raising important funds to support the programs created to pay tribute to his commitment to leadership and service.

Pat’s Run features a 4.2 mile run/walk, a .42 mile Kids Run for children 12 and under and a Finish Line Expo. The 4.2 mile course winds through the streets of Tempe, AZ and both events are staged so that all participants finish on the 42-yard line on Frank Kush Field inside Sun Devil Stadium, symbolic of the #42 jersey that Pat wore while he was a Sun Devil. Proceeds from Pat’s Run directly support the Tillman Military Scholars program. This year the run will be held on April 20th. Can’t make it to Arizona, no worries, there are other runs across the country allowing for Team Tillman participation, for more information, go to: http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/pats-run/

As Pat Tillman would say, “Be Inspired. Give Back. Run / Walk / Honor”

Also, to welcome all Bikers to the gorgeous spring time, here in lovely Arizona is “Bike Week” which is held from April 5th – 14th and broken down into 2 stages: Pre-Rally Days –April 5th thru 9th and Cyclefest at WestWorld of Scottsdale from April 10th – 14th. For the real Bikers & Harley Davidson lovers, the place to be seen and heard is at the world famous “Hideaway Gill” somewhere in Cave Creek, Arizona – it won’t be hard to find, just follow the rumble of the engines and the hot chicas with big boobs, some tattoos and leather shoes. C’mon down and say hello to Rico on April 4th, 5th & 6th as I’ll have a table set up for sales of the epic, award winning, bestselling novel, “My Bad Tequila,” my new Children’s book, “ARIZONA Is Where I Live” and I’ll be taking pre-orders for the soon-to-be ELVIS, Perils of a Ghostwriter” which most of the story takes place right here in lil’ ol’ Cave Creek, AZ. When YOU get here, find my favorite bartender Dawn, or Rick the manager or Mark Bradshaw the owner and tell him Rico sent you and that you want a shot of Azunia Tequila followed by a Corona. They’ll know then that you do belong to the greatest fraternity of Arizona Brothers and Arizona Sisters. Give em’ a “Like” on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hideaway-Grill/227878947315122

http://www.hideaway-usa.com/

As Mark Bradshaw would say, “Keep The Shiny Side Up, & The Rubber Side Down”

Now, to let you in on a few fun bands that I’ve listened to this past month: While visiting Palm Springs, California, I went into one of my favorite watering holes, THE PUB, where I rocked out to “Nite Fixx,” with Brian Nussle – bass, Chad Cancino – drums, Chris Hoschin – Guitar and they all share in vocals, singing great tunes such as “I Can’t Drive 55” – Sammy Hagar with Van Halen; “Rebel Yell” – Billy Idol; “Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Guns N’ Roses; “Footloose” – Kenny Loggins and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” – by Twisted Sister.

As Austin Powers would say, “YEAH, BABY!!!”

This time I didn’t have to visit a neighboring state to get some great Country / Rock with Hollywood Yates and the Wolf Pack at Harold’s Corral, again in lil’ ol’ Cave Creek, Arizona. Hollywood aka Don Yates is an Amigo of mine that I met a couple of years ago at the LZ Bar and Grill aka The Landing Zone at 2175 South Harley Drive in Yuma, Arizona for their anniversary party. Hollywood was the main act on stage and I was the only Author invited for a book signing right between the outside Tequila bar and the tattoo artist. Hollywood gave me an autographed copy of his CD, “Like We Used To” in exchange for an autographed copy of “My Bad Tequila.” A little history about Hollywood, he started out as a Rodeo Clown, then was the character “Wolf” on American Gladiators, has done some acting in movies including “The Crypt,” has done various commercials and now is concentrating on songwriting and performing. Don “Hollywood” Yates may be one of the hardest working performers in the industry. It was great to hear Mr. Yates with his band members of Jimmy, Rob, Rocky and Dave singing my favorite tune of Hollywood’s own song, “Like father, Like son, Like Hell.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbX_KWu2OS0

As Hollywood Yates would say, “Like father, Like son, Like Hell”

Well, there is “One Father” who is Great – Our Father who art in Heaven – GOD! Today, we celebrate GOD’s only Son who gave his life so that we might have a chance to live again. Happy EASTER – JESUS!

In closing, I’ll leave you with two other tunes, that of the legitimate, illegitimate Son of the KING of Rock ‘n’ Roll – Elvis Presley. Please listen to these two songs and you’ll know why I had to write John Dennis Smith’s story, “In the Shadow of ELVIS, Perils of a Ghostwriter.” When John sings “American Trilogy” you would swear that Elvis is in the House and has not left the Building.

John Dennis Smith aka John Starr singing, “World, We Will Be Late Today” – my personal favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WOq2_IEgF4

John Dennis Smith singing his Daddy Elvis’ song, “American Trilogy.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjHIzOJVkTs

And, too, I am, one of the Blue Elvi or Blue Elvis’ as seen again on Bleacher Report: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1584172-5-ways-you-know-youre-a-boise-state-fan?fb_action_ids=10200167245956585&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=article_headline&fb_source=timeline_og&action_object_map=%7B%2210200167245956585%22%3A446490058762382%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210200167245956585%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%7B%2210200167245956585%22%3A%22article_headline%22%7D
As Rico Austin would say, “Have a Double Shot of Reality”
Lots of fun things on the horizon, Uncle Rico was invited by Blue Ridge School District in Lakeside, AZ to discuss the profession of Author, Writer &/or Blogger to the High School students on Career Day. The last time Uncle Rico spoke to High School Students was at Borah High in 1985 when running for Mayor of Boise, Idaho when he was a walk-on football player at Boise State University. My, how times have changed.
On May 11th, Uncle Rico will be a featured Author on, “It’s Story Time with JD Holiday” on Blog Talk Radio at 10:00 am EST, so that means the Uncle Rico won’t be drinking much tequila the night before “Kiddy Talk.” http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2013/05/11/its-story-time-with-jd-holiday-5-11-13
It will be a fantastic time as fellow Author JD Holiday is always sure to make each reading, a fun and an enjoyable experience for Listeners, Readers and Authors. I will also be attending the Southwest Book Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM, where I will have an Author’s table #8 on May 10th, 11th & 12th sharing with AZ Author, Leslie Kohler. Rico will be one of the featured authors at the Arizona Authors Association’s booth #525 on Friday, May 10th from 9 – 1 pm and again on Saturday, May 11th from 1-5 pm. I will also be presenting on Saturday morning at 10:00 – 10:55 am on, “Success as a Writer: A discussion of Social Media – Why it is important to use; Especially if you are a Beginning Writer and/or Blogger.” We will discuss and have readings from my novels. So please pack up your bags and come to the Land of Enchantment – New Mexico. http://www.swbookfiesta.com/authors/RicoAustin.html
And then on May 19th, Rico has been chosen as the Author / Writer to represent ARIZONA in Annette Snyder’s, “Fifty Authors from Fifty States” Blog. Each week of the year, Annette features and spotlights a different writing professional across the Fifty United States. And ARIZONA is ready to be showcased on May 19th, 2013 – Arizona celebrated its 101st Birthday on February 14th, 2013!!! http://annettesnyder.blogspot.com/
As Ernest Hemingway would say, “In order to write about life, first you must live it.”
Last but not least, please “LIKE” my new page on Facebook, “ELVIS – (In The Shadow Of)” https://www.facebook.com/#!/InTheShadowOfElvisPerilsOfAGhostwriter?fref=ts

As Elvis Presley would say, “Thank You, Thank You very much”

Saludos y Vayan con Dios,

Uncle Rico
Rico Austin
Author, Blogger, Tequila Connoisseur, Co-Songwriter, Part-time Movie Star, CEO, Amigo & One Righteous Dude – MY BAD TEQUILA

“Have a Double Shot of Reality” TM

http://www.mybadtequila.com

blog.mybadtequila.com

http://site.mybadtequila.com/Guestbook.php

Hey, who else could go for some flapjacks right now?

Pip Rowson — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:59:56 +0000

This post forms part of the The 05:59, Bill Murray-inspired, self-imposed, unnecessary, blog-writing challenge.

Hey, who else could go for some flapjacks right now?

So says drunk guy Ralph in Groundhog Day. Well, I could go for some flapjacks for sure. But, where are flapjacks these days? Unlike Groundhog Day, which has stood the test of time, flapjacks have gotten worse and worse over the past twenty years. A true flapjack, to my mind, is not sticky and chewy but slightly brittle; it should have a lot of grease in it and yet not be too greasy. But the ones found in shops these days (if you can find any at all that is) are big, thick and cakey. I had a panic just now that this whole blog post would fall to pieces if I were wrong about this, about how a flapjack should be, but thank goodness, the wonderful Felicity Cloake agrees.

We can’t move at the minute for the onslaught of ‘breakfast biscuits’ like Belvita and yet, does anyone sell a simple plain traditional non-multipack flapjack? No. Many a time I’ve been ‘in need’ of a flapjack when out and about and many a time there’s been every other sort of snack but that. Who does one write to to make a request for flapjacks? Who decided that breakfast biscuits should be all the rage? I have this email in my drafts folder, waiting to be sent. Does anyone know who the addressee should be?

Dear Biscuit Big Cheese(s),

Please make some flapjacks. We don’t need breakfast biscuits, we already have digestives.

Thank you,

Pip Rowson

In the meantime (or maybe for all time), I recommend we boycott stodgy sticky non-flapjacks and breakfast biscuits and make our own batches of the original ’energy bar’. I’ve blogged a number of recipes before – for Pumpkin Pie and my grandmother’s (secret) gingerbread – but, hell, well, I don’t know what I was doing messing around telling you about those when I should have been pushing a flapjack recipe on you. My mum’s recipe is the best (of course) but I don’t have it to hand and it’s just after 6am in the morning – I’m not sure that she’d appreciate a phonecall this early. I’d snitch a mildly inferior one off of Delia but there doesn’t seem to be one online. . . she’s probably got a big flapjack copyright case against someone already. We’ll stick with Felicity C’s ‘best of’ version at the link above or below. It’s cheaper, yummier and 100% easier than Belvita to obtain in the early hours of the morning, when a Ralph-like flapjack craving calls. Have an oaty, energy filled rest of the week:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/mar/10/how-to-cook-perfect-flapjacks

Read the other posts in this series:

we're up here at Gobbler's Knob waiting for the forecast

Pip Rowson — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:59:11 +0000

This post forms part of the The 05:59, Bill Murray-inspired, self-imposed, unnecessary, blog-writing challenge.

Over the years I’ve realised that many rural, often beautiful, places have ugly, funny names. One beauty spot in the Stroud District, where I grew up, is called ‘Waterley Bottom’ and is situated right by ‘Laycombe Ditch Wood’. It was a frequent cycling destination for our family and I’m pretty sure that my parents picked it because of its (toilet) humorous name which became a good way of getting us, as kids, out of the house and active. ‘AaHa ha ha we’re going to go to ‘Watery [as we called it as children] bottom’!” we’d say.

There was no need for Harold Ramis and his screen-writing friends to conjure up a funny fictional name for the key location in Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s delivery of the real place of the Groundhog happenings– ‘Gobbler’s Knob’ – in his deadpan, weatherman way as the character Phil Connors is far more amusing.

Of course, there are many pretty place names in existence too. If we stick to the particular geographical area around Waterley Bottom for example, we’ve got ‘Frog Lane’ and ‘Tumbleyhill Wood’ which sound like they are straight out of a children’s TV programme. But then you come up against, so to speak, ‘Virgin’s Corner Wood’ and ‘Butts Coppice’. There are other ‘bottoms’ too: ‘Woefuldane Bottom’ and Longtree Bottom Covert’ to name just two.

And usually, these places are, as I said earlier, beautiful. One of my favourite parts of the British landscape to visit where I live now is ‘Butt’s Brow’ which forms part of the South Downs Way – it’s a real Sussex treat. Some come with a health warning if you’re superstitious though; I wouldn’t necessarily recommend ‘Break-Heart-Hill Wood’ or ‘Catbrain Wood’ for example.

A quick ask-around of friends and colleagues the other day proffered similarly memorable names from rural areas. Another bottom, a ‘Gravelly’ one, was suggested as was ‘Brown Willy’ on Bodmin Moor. Research in to the latter has led to today’s ‘learn something new every day’ fact, a weather phenomenon known as the ‘Brown Willy Effect’.

There was apparently a campaign last year to reinstate the old Cornish name of Brown Willy – Bronn Wennili – which serves as a reminder that many of these quirky names have pretty decent beginnings. Okay, so here I am equating ‘decent’ with ‘old’ but you have to admit that ‘Waterley Bottom’ is infinitely more interesting (okay, not infinitely but ‘lots’) than many modern naming systems. Examples of these newer names that spring immediately to my mind are from Sussex University, where I studied, which boasts the road names of ‘University Way’ (literally the way to the university), ‘Biology Road’, and the even less descriptive ‘Science Road’. There’s also ‘North- South Road’ (which doesn’t really seem to go North or South); Boiler House Hill; and, my least favourite, ‘Refectory Road’.

I’m not saying that there aren’t some rather uninspired names in ye olde countryside too, there were, after all, lots of bits of woodland to name. There’s the plain and simple ‘Thick Wood’ and also ‘Rough Copse’. And then there are some that clearly haven’t been researched properly ‘Long Furlong’ for example and ‘Wedge Wood’. But I am saying that it’s worth pouring over an ordnance survey map, Google maps, treasure maps if you can find them or, better, getting out and active and exploring the countryside, despite the fact that the ground hog has decided that we will indeed have six (and the rest!) more weeks of winter left.

Read yesterday’s part of the 05:59, Bill Murray-inspired, self-imposed, unnecessary, blog-writing challenge.

The 05:59, Bill Murray-inspired, self-imposed, unnecessary, blog-writing challenge

Pip Rowson — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:59:33 +0000

There was some stuff about Groundhog Day in the press a couple of months ago, both the day itself (February 2nd), and the film, which is (astoundingly) 20 years old this year. Groundhog Day is a film that I watched a lot when I was growing up simply because it was one of the videos that my family owned (among the others I remember being Labyrinth and Batteries Not Included) and Groundhog Day was one that we all agreed was good, and that we were always happy to watch.

The weekend after this year’s February 2nd, I was with Beau [new character - my beau], idling over a drink and the week’s news:

“Groundhog Day is twenty years old!” I say to Beau.
“No!” says Beau.
“Yep!” I say.
“Woah” says Beau.
“I know… Shall we watch it? Do we have it?”
“Yes” and “I don’t know” says Beau, “I don’t think so.”

We are in town on the Saturday, having intended to go to the ironmongers ‘to see how much those racks that go round your letterbox and catch all your post are’ but then forgetting this exciting errand within about a minute of leaving the house and, instead, going to the Dorset for half a shandy. Since we’re near Brighton’s Jubilee Library we decide to go and see whether we can rent Groundhog Day from there. The library is super busy and after managing to decipher a number of muffled tannoy announcements we realise that it’s National Libraries Day and there’s all sorts of stuff going on that means the building is especially packed.

“Do you think we should get a book out too?” I say. “It feels a bit wrong coming into a library on national libraries day and just borrowing a DVD.”
“You’ve already got a tower of unread books teetering by the bedside at home” says Beau, “I think even just one more may mean that you lose at that game of Jenga.”
“Okay” I say and shuffle toward the films.

In the comedy section, we flip through the DVDs beginning with ‘G’ but Groundhog Day isn’t there. There are two other Bill Murray films – the completely brilliant Ghostbusters and the completely terrible Garfield (Bill Murray’s reported excuse for Garfield was that he thought the screenwriter was Joel Coen when in fact it’s one Joel Cohen). I’m all ready to walk out, but Beau, who has more patience than me, is at the library computer searching the catalogue:

The film’s been on loan for two months and I wonder whether the person who currently has it in their possession will have watched the movie every one of those 61 days. It’s a popular film, reserved by another two library users who want it as soon as it’s returned. Beau and I agree that a potential six months wait before we can borrow it is probably a wait too long and so we obtain the film by non-library means.

We watch Groundhog Day on the Sunday evening and, having decided that I’d like to blog about the film at somepoint, the geeky ‘A’ level film studies student in me makes an appearance and I am pausing, rewinding and re-watching with notebook in hand until I feel like my own mini Groundhog Day is happening. Somewhere during this process I have the bright idea, which I am sure I will now regret, that I could write a blog post every day for a week inspired by Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors in Groundhog Day and that I could write each post at 05:59* in the morning in honour of the famous alarm clock scene in the film. Last week, the sun was rising at that time, now the clocks have changed there’s another two weeks before it’ll be rising at 05:59 again. This confusing, Groundhog Day-esque time, coupled with the fact that I am just about out of hibernation, means that I have chosen this week ahead as my Groundhog week.

*Of course, actually posting a blog that early in the morning may well lose me many followers who would be awoken by a beep beep of an email alert. And so I’ll be setting each one to auto-post at 17:59 Monday – Sunday which I hope is a more civilised time.

So this is post number 1, the introductory one… and if nothing else follows on the subsequent days of this week it is because I have thought to myself ‘no – one is making me do this, I am going to stay in bed instead’, and if that’s the case, let’s never mention it again okay?

Sísifo-Ben Hur

erickph — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:00:47 +0000

Una película tipo “Groudhog Day” o “Run Lola Run” en la que Charlton Heston tiene que hacer, cada vez mejor, cada una de las escenas de “Ben-Hur”. Al final,tiene que recrear toda la película en un sólo plano secuencia. (Creo que sería una película como de 6 hrs).

(!)

También, se podría hacer una versión en videojuego, en el que cada escena es un nivel, para, al final, hacer todos los niveles de corrido, en una sóla vida/toma.

Variación (1).

Un videojuego en el que debes mejorar episodios históricos reales (como un viajero en el tiempo) para, al final, lograr una utopía histórica.

Twenty years after its release, it's time to declare the comedy 'Groundhog Day' one of Hollywood's greatest spiritual allegories

Wallace Baine — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 06:43:13 +0000

By WALLACE BAINE To all those of the Christian faith, here’s to a happy and meaningful Easter Sunday

Indict the Groundhog? HUH?!

walicarr — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Wait a minute—somebody please explain this to me.

As the seasons turned from winter to spring, authorities in Ohio moved to “indict” Punxsutawney Phil, charging the groundhog with a felony charge of “misrepresentation of spring.” The groundhog didn’t see his shadow on February 2^nd, predicting an early spring. But spring brought colder-than-normal temperatures to Ohio, and the month of March has roared out like a lion with a couple of significant snowstorms in the region. For those of you who have been following more important news, here’s the story as told by the Washington Post:
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-22/national/37922275_1_punxsutawney-phil-bill-deeley-buckeye-chuck.

Now according to the folklore, if the groundhog sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. And if doesn’t the groundhog see his shadow, it means an early spring. That’s what we’ve always been told, right?

Let’s think about that a minute. If the groundhog sees his shadow, it’s supposed to mean six more weeks of winter…well, if you count six weeks from February 2^nd, that would put us just a few days before the Vernal Equinox, which is around the 20^th of March. Then, if the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow…it means an “early spring.” And what, exactly, is an “early spring”? Can anyone tell me what that is?

Seems to me like we have six of one, and half a dozen of the other.

Maybe folks were spoiled by the fact that March 2012 was the warmest March in recorded history. Well, I’ll grant you that. And I can understand that the folks in Ohio are a little weary after getting back to back storms during the month of March. But that’s certainly no reason to indict a groundhog on charges where the penalty is…DEATH!

There’s a better way for me to gauge whether we’ll get an early spring. I just take a look around the neighborhood here in Far Rockaway. I see when the daffodils planted in the front of my apartment complex begin to sprout. And every morning on the way to work, I walk past a pussy willow tree in front of a church as I walk to the Long Island Rail Road station. I check that, too. If they bloom before the start of baseball season, then I know going to be an early spring. Last year, both plants were fully bloomed at the end of March. This year, the daffodils started to push up through the February snowstorm that left us with 10 inches.

Feb 10, 2013: Daffodils pushing through despite the snow.

As of today, both the daffodils and the pussy willow tree are in bloom. Just in time for the Mets’ home opening game at CitiField on Tuesday afternoon. Looks like another early spring, at least here in New York City.

March 31, 2013: Daffodils in full bloom.

As for me and this indictment of a groundhog, well, I won’t take any stock in that. In fact, I haven’t complained at all about the weather. Now we’ve been sideswiped by those winter storms that hammered the middle of the country, but that February storm did leave us ten inches. And a Nor’easter in March made a mess of the morning commute. But still, I will not complain, not after Superstorm Sandy. My favorite laundromat still hasn’t reopened since Sandy flooded out the place; we have no idea if the owner has the wherewithal to rebuild. A friend of mine who owns one of the historic bungalows still has to finish her basement. To say nothing of the folks on the west end of the Rockaways whose homes were burned to the ground.

March 28, 2013: The pussy willow tree, ready for spring.

My post office on the east end here in Far Rockaway was the only one serving the peninsula until just two weeks ago; the other three post offices have just re-opened. My library did not sustain any damage and remained open, but the others in the Rockaways were not so lucky. There’s a mobile library to fill in for the Arverne branch, and two branches are still closed. Oh yea, and the A subway line is still out while they make repairs to the bridge and the flats that cross over Jamaica Bay into the Rockaways; they sustained major damage during the storm surge. The Metropolitan Transit Authority says the repairs should be complete by June, but no date has been set. In the meantime, we have to deal with a shuttle bus over to the mainland to connect with the train. And there’s a shuttle Train, the H train, to serve the rest of the peninsula. (The Transit Museum sells H train merchandise; proceeds go to the Graybeards, a community service organization in the Rockaways, to support their Sandy Refief efforts. check the website: http://www.transitmuseumstore.com/welcome/.)

So no, I will not say a mumbling word about the weather. So long as I can walk, schlep, or trudge through it, I will not complain. And I damn sure won’t indict a groundhog.

Life is now*

leapingtracks — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:54:47 +0000

*Eckart Tolle

Or is it?

Well folks, I am feeling like a very naughty music blogger. I have gone off piste and have had the temerity to do some reading. And some fiction reading at that.

Since I find it hard to listen to music while concentrating on other things at the same time – particularly reading – this has lead to a rather conspicuous absence of progress with the A-Z journey through the music on my iPhone. But have no fear – there’s a whole load of ‘P’ stuff waiting around the corner…

So what was it that had sufficient grip to lure me away from Project LT? Well, I implore you not to rush to switch off here, viewers – I’m not going to turn into a full-scale book reviewer overnight. But I just had to read Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. As you may see from the Amazon page, this is a book which explores the concept of a character living their life over and over again until they ‘get it right’.

The various reviewers illustrate that this is a novel which invokes a wide range of responses and emotions. I enjoyed it. Wouldn’t we all want the chance to turn the clock back and have another go at something? And if so, would we want to know that it was happening? Would we want to influence events?

This is what happens in a similar book – Ken Grimwood’s Replay. In this book, unlike that of Kate Atkinson’s, the main character dies at 43 and wakes up again in his eighteen year old body. It is this book which is thought to have influenced the brilliant film Groundhog Day (1993).

I guess while we are on this subject I should throw in Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveller’s Wife. Now, I tried to read that book about 8-10 times, bearing in mind my fascination with these time-travel ideas. But I could not get my head around the double Henry concept. If you have not read this book, you will have to bear with me here. And I accept that I am probably getting a tad too serious about a frothy work of invention. But I could really not get over the fact that young Henry aged X would know things that older Henry aged X could use when they happened to be in the same time zone together etc.

OK – perhaps I need to lighten up. And as mad as it may seem, I need these stories to hang together within the overall belief-suspending framework that re-living one’s life could happen at all.

Fundamentally though, the most important thing about these works is their common message – the importance of enjoying the one life that we do have in the here and now.

“Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.”
― Walt Whitman

I’ll welcome any thoughts about all of this that you have as usual of course. And if you have further reading suggestions, do pass them on too – I promise to get on with some music stuff first before I get too distracted again

Prosecutor Files “Charges” For Fraudulent Groundhog Weather Prediction

Adam Greenwald — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:36:21 +0000

Punxsutawney Phil is getting a lot of flack for his Groundhog Day prediction that we’d see an early spring. However, cold temps and snow storms blanketing most of the country even after the official first day of spring have many grumbling that popular prognosticator has lied in his prediction.

The Huffington Post is reporting a county prosecutor from Ohio, Mike Gmoser, recently filed charges against the furry mascot for making a fraudulent prediction of an early spring.

“Punxsutawney Phil did purposely, and with prior calculation and design cause the people to believe that spring would come early,” Gmoser said in his indictment.

Bill Deeley, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, is stepping in to take the fall for the little guy. Deeley says that Phil did indeed make a correct prediction of six more weeks of winter, but that he misinterpreted Phil’s “groundhog-ese.”

Gmoser is reconsidering the charges in light of Deeley’s taking the blame. In the meantime, we’re still waiting for winter to release its icy grip.

Groundhog to be Prosecuted?

Michael Bradley — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:38:37 +0000

Groundhog Slay: Prosecutor seeks death penalty for Punxsutawney Phil

Published March 22, 2013

Has Punxsutawney Phil given his last forecast?A prosecutor in Ohio is reportedly seeking the death penalty for the famous rodent who emerged from his home in Gobbler’s Knob, Pa., on Feb. 2 and did not see his shadow, translating to an “early spring,” according to his handlers. But Michael Gmoser, prosecuting attorney in Butler County, said Thursday that Phil’s inaccurate forecast warrants capital punishment, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

“Let’s face it, Punxsutawney Phil has let us down,” Gmoser said, tongue firmly in cheek, after filing the necessary court documents. “I awoke this morning to a snowstorm, low temperatures and howling wind.”

“Maybe it’s time for a Phyllis instead.”

- Butler County (Ohio) Prosecutor Michael Gmoser

Spring began Wednesday, but local forecasts in the Pittsburgh area and throughout Pennsylvania show a good chance of snow this weekend and into next week.

“We in Butler County, like everyone in the nation, depend on Phil to give us a breath of spring in time,” Gmoser said. “You know, Phil lives his life behind bars as it is. This is the only penalty available. Maybe it’s time for a Phyllis instead.”

But Jeffrey Lundy, vice president of the Punxsutawney Ground Hog Club, said Gmoser will have a fight on his hands if he tries to arrest the famous groundhog.

“He’s going to have to go through 15 licensed hunters to get to Phil,” said Lundy, referring to members of the club’s inner circle.“We’ll find out how good of a prosecutor [Gmoser] is. If he doesn’t know how to speak groundhog-ese, he’ll never understand a word Phil says.”

Gmoser said a reprieve is possible.

“There may be some mitigating circumstances I may not know about,” he continued. “Phil may not know his rear from a hole in the ground. That might make a difference,” said Gmoser, who decided to file the court papers to break the tension at the end of a hard day in the office.

Lundy added: “There’s a lot of things to get serious about. Groundhog Day is not one of them.”

The famous groundhog narrowly escaped death in the 1993 film “Groundhog Day,” in which star Bill Murray, sentenced to relive the same day over and over until he became a better person, kidnapped Phil and drove off a cliff into a rock quarry with the terrified critter on his lap. However, the next day, Murray’s character, Phil Connors, awoke unscathed – as did Punxsutawney Phil.

What Would You Do?

vicklinde — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:14:12 +0000

I found this on Pinterest several months ago now but I keep going back to it. I think that it is a wonderfully interesting question. I have a lot of answers but I’m not sure I can settle on just one of them. I would love to know what other people would do if you could live the next 24 hours and then erase it and start over.

Have an argument? Gauge reactions to something? Tell a truth you’ve hidden? Go somewhere you shouldn’t? Eat anything you want? Do something really dangerous? Break a law?

If it was your Groundhog Day would you rob a bank or learn to play the piano? I’ll bet one thing though…not many people would say that they would go into work. It’s something that I’ve been thinking over so often that I just had to put it up here.

I like ideas like this because it makes you realise what is important, makes you think harder about lots of different aspects of your life and what you want most. All thoughts on this very welcome. Answers on a postcard (or the comments section if you’d prefer…)

Vick.

#065. Bill Murray

benthereseenthat — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 06:01:05 +0000

Bill Murray is one of those actors that really made us laugh in the 80′s and 90′s. His name was almost synonymous with many comedic hits that are still referenced today. And while films like Ghostbusters and Caddyshack are what Bill Murray is initially known for, he has done well to keep in the acting game even today. As his career has progressed, Bill Murray has strayed somewhat from the goofball comedies of his earlier years, and has instead developed into more of the “serious comic”. While roles like Lost in Translation are good Oscar bait, his collaborations with film director Wes Anderson has created some truly inspiring performances. Movies like Rushmore, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom show that while Bill Murray is still funny, he’s funny with depth. Even though these recent films are all worth watching, this week’s two films highlight the comedy work that Bill Murray did in the early part of his career.

The Man Who Knew Too Little
Year: 1997
Rating: PG
Length: 94 minutes / 1.56 hours

One of Bill Murray’s strengths is playing characters that pretend they know what’s going on. There’s this swagger and confidence that is based in absolutely nothing that is somehow as funny as it is intoxicating. Of course, the key to that kind of personality is definitely optimism. Even if you’re wrong, even if everything keeps pointing back to the fact that you’re clueless, you take it in stride and just keep going, regardless. This is a difficult role to play because if you play it in one direction to heavily, you’ll come off as just plain stupid, but if you play it in the other direction, the character will seem so arrogant as to be offputting. The fact that it takes balance to portray the charmingly oblivious is just one of many reasons that Bill Murray is one of the great comedic actors of our time.

Have you ever wanted to live the life of a spy? No, this isn’t the beginning of Total Recall, but instead is the real situation that Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray) finds himself in after he accidentally walks in on a real crime happening, thinking that it’s all an act. He is truly impressed with the level of detail and commitment that the actors are giving to their performances. Of course, what he doesn’t realize is that he is not participating in the “Theatre of Life”, but has in fact gotten himself entangled in a plot to start the next Cold War. Not wanting to hurt the feelings of the “actors”, Wallace plays along, all the while unaware that the guns, bombs, and implications are all very real. And yet, the optimistic goof manages to survive, save the day, and get the girl.

Groundhog Day
Year: 1993
Rating: PG
Length: 101 minutes / 1.68 hours

On the flip side of Bill Murray’s 90′s comedies is the role of a man who knows what he wants, but doesn’t get it. There’s a subtle charm in the deadpan frustration that racks Murray’s character in Groundhog Day. Much of this kind of performance from Murray was later seen in his Wes Anderson collaborations (as mentioned above), when life kept throwing curveballs and his character didn’t quite know how to deal with it at first. If you want a good example of character growth, look no further than Groundhog Day. The best way you can improve yourself is to tweak all the little mistakes that you make during a day, even if it takes more than one try at that same day to accomplish this. Bill Murray’s comedic timing was spot on in this film that should be watched every February 2nd.

Everyone has those assignments they hate doing. Phil (Bill Murray) is no different. For the last few years, he has been sent out to Punxsutawney to cover Groundhog Day for a local news channel. And while this weatherman despises this annual assignment, he’s about to despise it a lot more. When he finishes the job and goes to sleep for the night, he figures that he’s done with it until next year. That is, until he wakes up the next day and has to do the whole thing over again. Naturally, he goes through a few stages to deal with this odd occurrence: using it to his advantage, multiple suicides, and (finally) using the time to better himself. After all, if you’re stuck in February 2nd forever, you might as well make the most of a bad situation.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 monumental Bill Murray performances

Bacon #: 1 (She’s Having a Baby / Kevin Bacon)

...place the blame

Stephanie — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:04:58 +0000

As winter continues to outstay its welcome, the frigid of the world are being forced to find new way

Podcast Episode 041 Show Notes - Cereal

Steve — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 22:43:40 +0000

Episode 041 of the Who’s That at the Door?!? podcast has been uploaded. Hopefully you have subscribed via iTunes or the RSS feed (links in the sidebar on the right), but if not, you can listen to the podcast using the flash audio player below, or download the show by clicking on the link below:

Download: 041_WTATD.mp3

Download Episode 041 of the Who’s That at the Door?!? podcast: Cereal

Overview: Highlights include: Harlem Shake, cereal, knockoff, Scooter, Tesco, Mike Tyson, Super Bowl, Lucy Lui, stamps, Creepy Scottish Guy, groundhog day, Balsac Billy, Mardi Gras, Valentines Day, Monopoly, Old Man Sam, Good Day to Die Hard poster, Canadian penny, Tom Selleck, Oprah, Justin Timberlake, pope, election smoke, Donald Trump, Hugo Chavez, George W Bush, Oscar Fever, Louisiana King Cake, Bone Patrol, Neil Patrick Harris, Alfred Molina, William Shatner, lawyer interviews, tweets and emails, I Call Bullcrap, Bullcrap Revenge, Craig Ferguson, Geoff Peterson, Late Late Show, Secretariat, and tootsie-frootsie ratings.

Rice Krispies / Crisp Rice

Apple Jacks / Apple Blasts

Trix / Fruity Puffs

Our Opening: Breakfast cereal knockoffs.

Yippee Ki-Yay Mother F …

LLS Openings: Lawyer interviews: Daniella from Serbia; two German girls and a lady from Springfield, Ohio; a married couple from Culver City; a guy that looked like Santa, but claimed to be Herman Melville; George from Culvina, who Craig thought looked like Sean Connery; three ladies from Canada in LA for a pharmacy conference; and Gary from Sacremento, who brought his television and film production students to the show. In other openings, Craig was looking at a book entitled Vagina; Tesco was caught selling horse burgers; Michael asked Craig not to use a certain term, so Geoff suggested faux sphincter; Craig thinks he ran into Mike Tyson in the 80′s; and Craig encourged Lucy Lui to use a particular power plug at the Super Dome during the Super Bowl.

Craig still writes letters. How did they know it was him that wrote this?

Monologues: Price of stamps went up a penny; The Creepy Scottish Guy commented about a new Obama stamp; anniversary of the first soap opera; Westminster dog show; groundhog day; Mardi Gras; Valentine’s Day; surveys; Monopoly added a new playing piece and dropped another; Old Man Sam visited to complain about the McDonald’s Monopoly game; A Good Day to Die Hard poster; Canada banned the penny; Tom Selleck and Oprah’s birthday; Justin Timberlake’s birthday; the pope resigned; Queen Elizabeth was released from the hospital; Hugo Chavez passed away; Craig had Oscar Fever.

Tweets and Emails: The Bowie jingle, the Kraftwerk jingle, and the Country jingle were all played three times each; the Eurodance and Playas jingles were played twice; the Japanese Sci-Fi Attack jingle was played once; and eleven times Craig and Geoff improvised a jingle. During the week of 1/28, the jingle was played by the Bone Patrol band. Emails include a question about the Late Late Show being live, someone going to London and Paris for the first time, a suggestion for the next pope, and advice for an aspiring young standup comic.

I Call Bullcrap! This is a game in which Steve comes up with three statements about some of the guests that appeared on recent episodes of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson; two of them are true, one of them is false. Which one do you call Bullcrap!? The answer will be revealed on this week’s podcast, and in the show notes for next week’s podcast. There is a theme this week: EARLY FILMS; which of the following statements is bullcrap?

Neil Patrick Harris had a recurring small role in the Smokie and the Bandit movies.
Afred Molina’s first movie part was in the first Indiana Jones movie.
One of William Shatner’s first acting jobs was in Judgement at Nuremburg.

You can hear the answer on the Episode 041 podcast, or read it in the show notes for Episode 42.

Here are the answers to Episode 40′s “I Call Bullcrap!”:

Don Cheadle is a golfer, and made a hole-in-one last year. TRUE!
Steven Wright is an accomplished photographer. BULLCRAP!
Guillermo del Toro is a big video game fan. TRUE!

Can you name the NEW game show theme used in Episode 41? If so, shoot us an email or send us a tweety! If you are correct, we’ll give you a shout-out, like we did Michelle Kilfoyle recently! We will continue to play this theme until someone guesses it!

Closings:

Bone Patrol closing (no cat graphic)
Monkey putting mustache on the cat
Football cat
Geoff in the cat’s neck
Iron falling on the cat
monocle and mustache cat
angel cat (twice)
zombie-killing cat (twice)
dj cat
monkey kissing the cat
hawk grabbing the cat
motorboat cat and mouse (twice)
guitar cat
bubble-blowing cat
devil cat
cat farting a bird
harmonica cat
hairdo cat
alien cat

Do We Have a Picture of Paul McCartney?

Tootsie-Frootsie Ratings:

Week of Jan 28 – 9 by Craig, plus 3 by guests and 1 by Geoff
Super Bowl Special Feb 3 – none
Week of Feb 4 – 13 by Craig, plus 3 by guests
Week of Feb 11 – 13
Week of Feb 18 – 8 by Craig, plus 1 by Geoff
Week of Feb 25 – 21 by Craig, plus 5 by guests
Week of Mar 4 – 35 by Craig, plus 6 by guests

Total for 6-week period: 118

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Dumb Bunnies

libertybelleblog — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:28:33 +0000

By now, you might be hoping that Punxsutawney Phil considers a different career path other than meteorology before next February. People have been blaming him for the less-than-spring-like temperatures that most of the nation has been having this month after he predicted an early spring. Did they call him a fraud last year when he said there’d be six more weeks of winter, but then we had summer temperatures in March? Probably not—the poor critter can’t get a break. He’s even got an Ohio lawyer on his tail. Butler County prosecutor Mike Gmoser issued an “indictment” against him today, accusing him of “misrepresentation of spring”. Gmoser alleges that Phil misled people to believe that spring would make an early arrival and that he acted “with prior calculation and design”. He even wants Phil’s punishment for his “crime” to be the “death penalty”. It sounds like Butler County, OH is running low on criminals to prosecute…surely this is all just for fun. However, I wouldn’t want to jump to conclusions—people, after all, have gone to court for some pretty petty reasons.

One of Phil’s long-time handlers, John Griffiths, stands by his furry friend, confident that he’s innocent of these “charges”. He added, “Maybe there’s just a dark cloud over Ohio.” Mr. Griffiths may be onto something. I’ve driven from one end of Ohio to another many times, and no matter how sunny it may be when I get there, by the time I hit Columbus, the weather seems to take a turn for the worse. That said, when it comes to predicting the weather, people shouldn’t put too much faith in what a groundhog says about it…but he does have a better track record than Al Gore.

Another animal that may have to look for a new gig is the Easter Bunny. He’s been banned from at least one elementary school’s Easter—oops—HOLIDAY festivities…in Madison, Alabama of all places! The principal of Heritage Elementary School, Lydia Davenport, in the interest of “religious diversity” has banned not just the Easter bunny, but also the eggs! Davenport told WHNT that because kids love the bunny, “We just make sure we don’t say ‘the Easter bunny’ so that we don’t infringe on the rights of others because people relate the Easter bunny to religion.”

HUH??? So what we have here is a holiday egg hunt without the eggs and a generic creature walking around that looks like a rabbit, but he’s not an Easter Bunny? Since when have a bunny or an egg ever been religious symbols? If she were really trying to teach religious diversity to children, Davenport and her teachers would welcome the opportunity to expose them to various religious traditions, of which colorful eggs carried by a giant bunny wearing a bow are included. Ms. Davenport, like so many public educators before her, is just bowing to the god of political correctness. It’s the same political correctness that brought us “holiday trees” and “holiday sales” at Christmastime. They’ve already successfully taken the “Independence” out of Independence Day by using the generic Fourth of July name, but maybe we can soon expect to see “holiday fireworks”. Things no longer make sense.

If you are one to welcome religious diversity and want to celebrate the real story of Easter, be sure to watch the last episode of The Bible this Easter Sunday on the History Channel. The story of the death and resurrection of Jesus will be shown, as will select stories through Revelation. It’s well worth the time and has been a ratings winner for the cable network. As of March 21^st, the series has reached 70 million viewers, which should prove to the politically correct crowd that people are starving for the Word of God.

Chicks dig me, because I rarely wear underwear - Bill Murray's Finest Roles and Performances

harmonov — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:32:10 +0000

Bill Murray is one of the finest comedic talents this country has seen since he burst onto the scene on Saturday Night Live in 1977. Over the last 36 years, he has charmed us, made us laugh and shown us his more dramatic side in his film work. The bulk of his work has been a resounding success while a few film…not so much (Wild Things, anyone?). Nonetheless, Murray is widely regarded as comedic gold and it’s hard to argue with that. In fact, his oeuvre is proof positive that this state is indeed on point.

Here are a handful of his performances and appearances that have added many pleasurable moments to my life:

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) “Delirium” – himself

While Murray only appears in one vignette in this film, it is undoubtedly the best of the bunch. That he’s in it with The RZA and The GZA from The Wu Tang Clan (the finest hip-hop group of all-time) makes it all the better. Playing a caffeine junkie, Murray is admonished by the MCs for drinking straight out of the coffee pot while smoking a cigarette – over the top Murray at his finest. That he is able to hold his own onscreen with RZA and GZA is a testament to his talent. Not that they are supremely talented actors, but coming from completely different worlds can stress the connection made. None of that here. Getting to hear Murray called by his full name every time he’s addressed is fucking hilarious. This film came out in 2003 when Murray was starting to break the comedic shell and go for more quirkier and dramatic roles. Lost in Translation, which will be addressed shortly, came out that same year. Working with director Jim Jarmusch in this film as well as 2005′s Broken Flowers upped his street cred tremendously, not to mention his work with Wes Anderson.

Here’s the entire vignette:

Lost in Translation (2003) – Bob Harris

Lost in Translation was Murray‘s first real dramatic role since The Razor’s Edge in 1984 aside from his turn as Polonius in Hamlet (although he did have a small part in The Cradle Will Rock) and it was this performance that looked as if it would net Murray an Academy Award. Alas, the voters in the Academy chose to the award to Sean Penn‘s overwrought and heavy-handed performance in the vastly overrated Mystic River instead. Sigh. It’s in this role that we see Murray deliver the full range of his talent, something that is touched on in Groundhog Day as he tries to woo Andie MacDowell‘s character. Moments of loneliness, poignancy and longing are peppered with his signature comedy and Murray really brings to life Bob Harris, his deeply flawed alter-ego. Here’s an example:

That Murray was able to pull this performance off is testament to his ability as an actor, although big ups go to both Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Coppola for their parts in the process as well – no way he is able to do this without them. I frequently imagine him in real life lamenting getting paid seven figures for doing a commercial when he should be doing a play like his character Bob Harris does. The filming of the commercial he’s in Japan to film is priceless and one of the better scenes in the film:

I know a lot of people decry this film for being too slow and boring, but this was the piece of the puzzle that was missing in Murray‘s filmography. He shows here what a full talent he really is. I will also say that his version of Elvis Costello‘s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” is pretty top-notch. This guy can do it all.

Here is the trailer:

Kingpin (1996) – Ernie “Big Ern” McCracken

The most low-brow film on this list (it is a Farrelly Brothers film after all), Kingpin has Murray playing his most loathable character of all-time. A scumbag professional bowler with a killer combover that would make Gene Keady envious, Big Ern McCracken is Roy Munson’s (Woody Harrelson) nemesis. McCracken is responsible for getting Munson into a situation that cost him his right bowling hand and his promising career as a young bowler. Since that day, Munson planned revenge, but the much-loved-by-the-public McCracken proves to be a difficult nut to crack.

Finally, Big Ern is above the law!

That McCracken is so awful is an interesting role for Murray because he never redeems himself like his characters in Scrooged or Groundhog Day. You hate him as much at the end as the first time you meet him. Murray really sells it well, though….all while drinking Tanqueray and Tab.

However, this is vintage Murray and worthy of mention among the fun roles he’s played. While this movie is the typical gross-out affair you’d expect from the Farrellys, Murray cuts above all of it and is able to play the perfect villain. That said, this is a fun movie to watch if you’re looking for mindless entertainment.

Here is the trailer:

You can watch the entire film here:

Ghostbusters (1984) – Dr. Peter Venkman

I doubt that I need to elaborate much on Ghostbusters as it has remained an American comedic/sci-fi centerpiece since it was released in 1984. The premise is three paranormal activity professors (Murray, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd) get kicked out of the university in which they work and start their own apparition removal and storage business. When Dr. Venkman’s girlfriend, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), gets possessed by the demon Zuul and announces the coming of Gozer, shit really hits the fan. The Ghostbusters, with new addition Winston (Ernie Hudson), must save humanity and specifically New York City from destruction and domination by Gozer.

All right! This chick is TOAST!

Outside of Caddyshack, this may well be Murray‘s signature role. This movie endures, largely due to Murray, to this day. My own children love this movie and both think Venkman is the best character because he’s so funny. They particularly like it when he gets slimed:

Even in his rarefied profession, Venkman seems to have issues figuring out what to do with Dana/Zuul. As we see at the beginning of the film, Venkman doesn’t put much effort into his job. This passive attitude carries over into his interaction with Zuul, which is among the funniest parts of the entire film. His delivery is perfection and you can see where doing stand-up at Second City in Chicago and working on Saturday Night Live aided him in his comedic film career so well.

I, for one, am glad that Murray is stone-walling the production of a third Ghostbusters movie. To me, trotting the four ‘Busters out again is as sad an attempt to cash in as Lucas and Spielberg doing yet another Indiana Jones film. Please. Stop.

For those of you who have been under a rock for the past 30 years, here’s the trailer:

Groundhog Day (1993) – Phil Connors

Groundhog Day is one of the better screenplays written in the last 20 years and Murray‘s performance as Phil Conners does that script serious justice.The premise of Groundhog Day is a loathsome Pittsburgh television weatherman gets sent to Punxsatawney, Pennsylvsania, on February 2 to cover the annual Groundhog Day ceremony where Punxsatawney Phil (name is a coincidence?) either sees or doesn’t see his shadow predicting the length of what remains of winter. His terrible attitude, general rudeness and overall disdain for his fellow man, especially of those who reside in Punxsatawney, are the likely cause of karma to catch up to him. When he wakes up the next day, he realizes he’s repeating Groundhog Day again. And this happens again, and again, and again, and again. As he desperately tries to break the cycle, he resorts to extreme behavior at first using his dilemma to exploit the circumstances then falls into deep depression trying to kill himself to end the cycle…to no avail.

Seriously, if I have to hear “I Got You Babe” ever again…

In what I can only imagine was a difficult shoot having to do the same scene multiple times but varying actions and dialogue ever so slightly, Murray shines. Witnessing his transformation from grumpy prima donna to a well-intentioned, thoughtful man is pure joy, one of the few times I accept a happy ending in a film. I have to ask myself, would I enjoy the ending to this film if it wasn’t Murray in the Phil Conners role? Likely not, especially since I truly detest Andie MacDowell, or better known as She-Who-Can-Ruin-a-Movie-with-the-Delivery-of-Two-Lines (“Is it still raining? I hadn’t noticed”). This is a fun movie which is open to interpretation.

Here’s the trailer:

Stripes (1981) – John Winger

Stripes is one of my favorite Murray films, although not necessarily his best. He plays John Winger, a slacker cab driver who has nothing going for him. His best friend Russell (frequent collaborator Harold Ramis) falls into this camp as well. They both decide that they need a change in their lives, so they decide to join the Army. Winger’s general smartassness immediately gets him in trouble with Drill Sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates), but also endears himself to the rest of the platoon.

After finishing their basic training on their own when Sgt. Hulka is injured, Winger and company are selected for the top secret EM-50/Urban Assault Vehicle (read: Winnebago) project in Europe. When Winger and Russell and their two MP girlfriends (Sean Young and P.J. Soles) take the EM-50 for a spin through West Germany, the rest of the platoon are forced to go after them. When they accidentally end up in communist Czechoslovakia, the platoon are captured leaving Winger and his posse to come to the rescue.

That’s the fact, Jack!

Murray‘s snarkiness is off the charts in Stripes and that’s one of the things that I love best about his characters, and John Winger is no exception. Even though he can be such a shithead, you can’t help but love him. Murray is fortunate to be surrounded by other great actors to play off of – John Candy, Judge Reinhold and John Larroquette - with perhaps my favorite ancillary character, Francis “Psycho” Soyer (Conrad Dunn) who has perhaps the most memorable monologue of the film. This film is fun and what Murray‘s early work was all about. It’s dated because of the fall of the Soviet Union, but gives a glimpse into tensions back in the Cold War…with a comedic spin.

Here’s the trailer:

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) – Steve Zissou

As Murray has gotten older, he played more crotchety and curmudgeonly characters. Steve Zissou is no exception. A once famous ocean explorer/filmmaker a la Jacques Cousteau has hit bottom when his friend Esteban du Plantier (Seymour Cassel) is eaten by a rare jaguar shark. He then motivates his team to track and kill the shark, filming the escapade. When he is about to embark, his producer tells him he has no money for the film. He is saved financially by a son, Ned (Owen Wilson) whom he fathered many years before but never reached out to. As they set out on the journey, they encounter many obstacles – Zissou’s ego, attack by pirates, mutiny by their interns and a feud between Ned and Zissou’s chief of staff Klaus (hilariously played by Willem Dafoe).

Team Zissou discussing the plan.

The whole quest is also being covered by Oceanographic Explorer journalist Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett) for an article on Steve, who falls for her. The only problem is (well, besides that he’s married) is his son Ned has also taken to her, despite her being pregnant with another man’s child. So a lot is at stake with this journey – not only Steve’s personal quest, but also his professional reputation, is under the microscope. So when shit blows up like The Godfather, he steps and tries to right the wrongs that can only be attributed to his poor leadership.

Steve with his ship, The Belafonte.

Steve is another Murray character who isn’t likeable. At all. But Murray somehow gets us to root for him to complete his quest for the jaguar shark, despite being responsible for Ned’s death, the implosion of his team and the bond stooge (Bud Cort) being kidnapped by the pirates. As I noted above, had this been another actor, would we have done so? That’s the mystique that Murray brings with him. As a man who seems like he’s just another one of the guys and very approachable, we tend to identify with him and therefore take his side despite our misgivings about Zissou. This is a shrewd move on director Wes Anderson‘s part. As in most roles where Murray plays a bastard, he does redeem himself. The scene where they finally encounter the elusive jaguar shark is very touching:

I firmly believe 2003-2005 was the golden age of the Murray dramatic comedy with Lost in Translation, Life Aquatic and Broken Flowers. I truly hope that Wes Anderson chooses to use Murray better in any future films. His characters seem like such a throwaways in The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom, especially given the robustness of the performances in both this film and Rushmore.

Here’s the trailer:

Caddyshack (1980) – Carl Spackler

This one is a no-brainer and the role that may be most closely associated with Murray. The reason is he’s fucking hilarious in this movie. Playing Karl Spackler, Murray channels the inbred golf course maintenance worker in a performance that is exaggerated, over-the-top and plainly outrageous – all of which makes the movie better. In a film that has about as many quotable moments as any film in history, it’s Murray/Karl who steal the show, which says quite a bit with comedy heavyweights like Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield also starring. Whether it’s his diatribe about caddying for the Dalai Lama or the Cinderella Story or he and Ty Webb doing cannonballs, it’s hard to deny the humor of these scenes and the value Murray adds to them.

You wore green so you could hide. I don’t blame you – you’re a tramp!

This movie is so much fun, if a little dated. It’s certainly worth the watch if you’ve never seen it and are a Murray fan. Be the ball.

Here’s the trailer:

Rushmore (1998) – Herman Blume

I’m sure folks are tired of me writing about Rushmore, but it’s hard for me to deny what a damn fine film it is. I’ve highlighted just about every aspect of this film – opening scene, ending scene, usage of Faces’ “Ooh La La”, best Wes Anderson film, etc., – but never touched on Murray‘s performance as Herman Blume with any substance. I think it is his role that has been most deserving of accolades and awards. I also think it is his most surprising performance as well.

I’m a little bit lonely these days…

Murray‘s performance as the steel magnate is filled with surprises – at times it’s comedic, others melancholic, depressive and some full of life. Herman Blume is a fully realized character where flaws abound, but not so many that we can’t empathize with him or his series of plights that crop up throughout the film. Even though his arc is secondary or even tertiary with regards to screen time, it’s no less important. His journey is as important as Max’s and Miss Cross’ as they are all intertwined. His introduction is key to setting up the character and Murray knocks it out of the park (clip runs a little long giving us the introduction to Max Fischer as well):

What rich person tells less fortunate kids to take dead aim on other rich kids and to take them down? This is one reason I love this character, and by extension Bill Murray, so much. As I’ve stated multiple times in this post, without Murray in the role, I just don’t think that this character or this film is as effective as it is. It really is an exquisite performance.

Here’s the trailer:

Since brevity isn’t exactly my strong suit, I think I’ll limit this list to ten. His role as Hunter S. Thompson in Where the Buffalo Roam could easily slide onto this list. He doesn’t play the role as insane as Johnny Depp did in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but the performance is still quite good. NIXON!The film is uneven to say the least, but it is worth a watch if for only the hotel room scene.

Another that could find its way onto this list is Tripper from Meatballs. While the film plays a little corny these days, Murray is really great in the mentor role at Camp North Star. And as far as I’m concerned, any film that features David Naughton‘s “Makin’ It” and Chris Makepeace‘s sweet hair is pretty badass.

So there you have it – Bill Murray‘s finest. I hope that Murray mixes his roles in the future as he now seems to be gravitating towards more dramatic fare. He does well when he spreads his wings and there is always a comedic angle to the roles he takes, but I miss the pure comedies he’s done in the past. I guess in the end, it just doesn’t matter. Keep doing you, Bill.

What’s your favorite Murray role or performance?

P.S. Thanks for the cameo in Zombieland. Quite amusing.

Bigger than Jesus?

James Diamond — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:25:07 +0000

This Sunday is International Chocolate Egg and Reduced Shopping Hours Day! If you’re not a follower of this holiday’s patron saint Jesus: the Great and Powerful, why not pick yourself a new Messiah in the form of a great movie character who also came back from the dead? We’re a multi-faith organisation, and our collection has something for everyone.

Gandalf – The Lord of the Rings

Sporting a beard, shabby robes, a band of followers, and using phrases like ‘fellowship’, Gandalf is a great choice for those who want an alternative to Jesus but fear too much change. He smokes a lot though, and isn’t keen on turning the other cheek when faced with an aggressive orc army.

His death is a heroic one, battling an almighty balrog up and down mountains, enabling his companions to escape to safety and push onto Mordor. Far more stagecraft and theatricality that Jesus though, as he waits whole weeks before resurrecting in some kick-ass new white robes astride a souped-up horse.

Neo – The Matrix

A new messianic figure for a new generation. Neo is a computer hacker so, instead of overturning the tables of the moneylenders in the temple, could have just accessed their Cayman Island accounts and given them all terrible credit ratings. Like Jesus though, the authorities see Neo as a dangerous and subversive influence, and ultimately kill him. His resurrection is a little disappointing, when Trinity tells him she loves him, and the resulting kiss somehow fulfils a prophecy that restores Neo’s life.

The only real drawback to following Neo is that Matrix Revolutions is more impenetrable and preposterous than the book of Revelations.

The Bride – Kill Bill

Why should men get all the messianic worship? The Bride is the Holy Trinity all wrapped up in one; parent, murdered messenger of peace, and ghost from the past. She doesn’t believe too much in the idea of forgiveness though. If Jesus had taken a samurai sword with him to the Garden of Gethsemane, then Sunday School would have been a lot fucking cooler.

She may not have technically died, but she is in a coma for years, and then manages to escape being entombed by remembering a Kung-Fu training montage. Beats rolling away a rock from a cave, anyway.

E.T. – E.T. The Extra-terrestrial

Like Jesus, and Ghandi after him, E.T. is a proponent of peaceful resistance. E.T. comes to Earth from above, and inspires 10-year-old Elliot to love, fight, and free captive animals from their certain death. He can also heal the sick (well, sick flowers), and even ascend to the heavens. E.T. dies after being captured by the government of the land, but resurrects himself and, with the help of his disciples, escapes and returns to his family in the sky.

Basically, imagine the bible directed by Steven Spielberg and scored by John Williams. Who wouldn’t get on board with that?

Eric Draven – The Crow

The devil has all the best tunes, so why not even the stakes with rock star Eric Draven. Well, that’s if you consider the ‘best tunes’ to be a cross-breed of nineties emo-metal dirges. Killed by a gang who raped his girlfriend, Draven is reborn as The Crow, and seeks to take vengeance against the men who destroyed his life.

A little selfish for a potential messiah in my opinion.

Aslan – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Basically, he’s a talking Lion Jesus. Voiced by Liam Neeson.

Hallelujah, I believe!

Phil Connors – Groundhog Day

Basically, he’s Bill Murray.

Hallelujah, I believe, etc etc.