The five things

I saw a post on Ted's Take yesterday, which stemmed from The Jeff Pulver Blog, asking people to divulge five things most others don't know about them. As for me:

• Though right-handed, I deal cards left-handed.
• The current governor of Minnesota once bought me a drink.
• I was the only attendant for the bride in a wedding.
• I played a judge in a stage production of Hello, Dolly.
• I was vice-president of my university's College Republicans for a very brief time.

If you would, post your list as a comment and pass this idea along.

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FYI: The times of my posts through the middle of next week are in Eastern time, even though I'll be posting them in Central time. I know you care, right?

Gumming up the works

Just thought I'd let everyone know that the new Orbit Lemon-Lime gum (not mentioned on the link) is pretty tasty and quite potent tang-wise (not to be confused with what the Apollo astronauts sipped or the T'ang Dynasty or the Wu-Tang Clan -- the latter [well, two members thereof {the RZA and the GZA}] being part of one of my all-time favorite short sketches from Chappelle's Show).

Let the fun and/or misery begin

Much to the delight of what I would estimate to be about 85 to 90 percent of their fandom, Brad Childress has named Tarvaris Jackson the starting QB for Thursday's game against the hated Cheeseheads. This probably means that Brad Johnson is done -- at least, as a member of the purple and gold.

I'm well aware that playing a rookie quarterback -- especially one from a college program that doesn't face top-notch competition and/or media scrutiny (in Jackson's case, Alabama State) -- is not ideal, but it's either play this guy and see what he's made of so we can draft and make other transactions as necessary to suit his style of play or keep him sitting behind the league's oldest starting quarterback who definitely has looked like said signal caller. (If I had a dollar for each time I heard that on either Fox or CBS this year during their telecasts, I could've bought a round of drinks for all in attendance at Stars and Stripes [the home of the Northern Virginia Vikings Fan Club] this past Sunday.)

My prediction for Thursday (8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central [NFL Network for those outside the Twin Cities and Green Bay viewing areas; KSTP {"Channel 5"} in "the Cities"]):

Vikings 17
Packers 14

The Tara Conner Affair

I guess the reigning Miss USA gets to keep her crown after all, or, at least, so says The Donald. Seriously, who cares? Of course, in posting this rather link-laden blog entry, am I not implying "caring"? Whatever.

Other notable Miss USAs:

• Laura Harring (1985) -- Naomi Watts', er, co-star in the weird David Lynch movie (that's the most redundant statement I've made in months) Mullholland Drive;
• Shanna Moakler (1995 [runner-up, but assumed title upon titleholder becoming Miss Universe]) -- Pacific Blue to Playboy to MTV to Dancing with the Stars to fighting in clubs with Paris Hilton...oh, how the mighty have fallen;
• Ali Landry (1996) -- What has she done other than be "the Doritos girl"? Good grief! She used to be married to A.C. Slater?!
• Brandi Sherwood (1997 [ditto the Moakler Effect]) -- She is/was (?) a "Barker's Beauty"...way to parlay your pageant career into greater things there, Brandi; and
  
• Shandi Finnessey (2004) -- She's all over GSN ("Lingo," "Playmania"), so I see quite a bit of her (in between the new "I've Got A Secret" and reruns of "Match Game 73," that is)...also came in second in Miss Universe that year.
  

I watched ballet last night? What the ... ?

In my quest to watch most -- if not all -- of Robert Altman's films (this goal driven home more since his 11.20.06 passing, aged 81 years), last night, thanks to Netflix, I sat down and watched his 2003 film, The Company.

The film, which "stars" Neve Campbell, James Franco, Malcolm McDowell, and the entirety of the Joffrey Ballet Company of Chicago, has no plot to speak of and is, to my untrained, not much more than a art-house, well-photographed paean to classical dance from Campbell, who also co-produced and co-wrote (the story -- what little there is of it -- not the screenplay) the movie; as Wikipedia tells us:

She began her show career as a dancer. She trained at the National Ballet School of Canada at the age of 9, and appeared in performances of The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.

Her ambition since she was about six years old was to be a classically-trained ballerina, but after numerous injuries (pulled calf muscles, arthritis in the neck and hips, surgery on her feet, fallen arches, hip syndrome, tendonitis, shin splints, bursitis, etc.) she got a check-up from the doctor and he told her that she had practically no joints left.

I'll be the first to admit I know little, if anything, about dance -- especially ballet -- but watching a movie that had no story other than to, as stated by the director in the commentary track (to which I fell asleep), show a "day" or "season in the life of the company," with no plot points and no real characters to grab hold of and learn about (i.e., the aforementioned actors are the only professional actors in the piece; the Joffrey dancers are the other "characters"), I can't say that I particularly cared for this movie.

That being said, I'm loath to pan an Altman film upon only one viewing (e.g., I can't even begin to count how many times I've watched -- with or without commentary -- Gosford Park). Also, the way in which the dance sequences are filmed is truly masterful; perhaps, it has a lot to do with the fact that it was shot in high-def video (or something like that -- I'm not very technically-minded). Finally, one has to admire Campbell's commitment to spend months training to get back into that life and to actually perform professional dances with some of the most polished performers in this country, at least.

Besides, what other movie can boast the director of M*A*S*H, Alex from A Clockwork Orange, the girl from Party of Five (i.e., the one that's not Jennifer Love Hewitt or Lacey Chabert), and James Dean (well, sort of)?

Word o' the week

Courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and the lovely folks at Wikipedia:

sinecure (n.)
('sI-ni-"kyur, 'si-) [From the Medieval Latin sine cura without cure (of souls)] 1 archaic : an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls; 2 : an office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income

As used in a sentence: "They can't imagine why Lieberman would accept an appointment that is likely to last for only two years when he can simply stay in the six-year sinecure that he worked so hard to keep." ("The Lieberman Maneuver," Salon.com, December 15, 2006 [which offers a "way out" in terms of senatorial power for the GOP/GWB even if Sen. Johnson of South Dakota makes a full recovery]).

Merry Christmas, MST3K style

Got this in an e-mail and found it on the web at Satellite News (links added by yours truly following my rather lengthy absence from the blogosphere):

A Child's Christmas in Space
By Tom Servo

Tom: It's quiet in the cold of our own little orbit, starless and bible black. And as I look down on the big blue bean we would call home I think it so near, yet... oh, I wish on that star and I hope that in a little snow-covered house with a warm hearth and a loving family, maybe some kid is looking up tonight and wishing upon us. Oh, and how I hope sweet Santa will fly by tonight, because if he does I'm gonna reach right out and hug that big guy. Oh, for the sound of hooves against the steel hull of the ship. Oh, to see the rosy face of Santa in the porthole, offering me a Coke and a smile... (gradually becoming upset) ...of course, his cheeks WOULD be rosy because it's a VACUUM out there! I mean, Santa's HEART would explode! (becoming hysterical) But HE wouldn't feel it because the capillaries in his brain would pop like little firecrackers (Joel tries to calm him down) due to the blood boiling away in his face like pudding in a copper...OH THE HUMANITY!! (Now both Joel and Crow are trying to calm him down.) And his jolly old belly would start bubbling like a roasted marshmallow, eyes bulging and popping out... AND THE REINDEER--OH THE REINDEER!!!--keep floating like holiday floats and in turn exploding in a hail of blood and entrails! Prancer--BOOM! Dancer--BOOM!...
Joel: HEY!
Crow: Tom!
Joel: Tom, take it easy! Santa's gonna be okay, buddy.
Tom: You sure?
Joel: Yeah, give him a little credit, okay?
Tom: Phew, what a relief!

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Yes, Virginia, I am a nerd.