Fun FactThe IRS estimates it should take you about 4 hours and 33 minutes to fill out the 1040, plus 40 minutes to copy, assemble and send it to the IRS — after you've spent 5 hours and 40 minutes getting your records together and learning what you need to know about tax laws.
AR JINX HITS CAVS
[I wrote] “Well, it seemed to take a few days, but your jinx on the Cavaliers kicked in. Thanks a lot!”Dear Amy, sorry. But you are right. Last week, I featured the Cavs and they followed it up by going 1-2, including a loss against a Charlotte team that was without Emeka Okafor, Brevin Knight and Sean May. Even their win against Utah was an “ugly, grind-it-out” affair, according to coach Mike Brown.
The Amico Report has long history of jinxing featured teams -- which are just 3-14 following newsletters this season. Dallas has lost just 11 games all year, and TWO came just a few days after receiving praise from me.
Honestly, I hope to stop writing about this, but it just keeps happening. That said, I will gladly accept money to NOT write about your favorite team. Or better yet, accept money to write about a team you hate.
I usually love Jack Black, but I couldn't get into the whole setup. I was working on other things while Nacho and Snakes was on, so maybe being distracted played a part of it?
Not paying attention probably allowed me to upgrade Snakes to "meh," actually, although I was paying a lot of attention to the scenes with Taylor Kitsch (aka Riggins on Friday Night Lights — an amazing show, people! Watch it!). Sadly, he only has about five minutes of screen time, max. Since I thought the whole thing was supposed to be a cheesy B-movie, I was confused to see a novelization of the movie on the shelf at the library yesterday. Why would you read the book instead of — or in addition to — the movie?
Dreamland is also meh. Parts of it struck me as funny, although I think the movie wants to be a serious coming-of-age drama. It's hard to believe the situations and choices and not yell at the screen about what idiots these people are. (Note to self: If you need a ride somewhere, do not tell the person who is driving you through the desert that you want to break up until AFTER you get there — unless you are wearing comfortable shoes and carrying a canteen.) I did like seeing John Corbett again, and I liked the song that Gina Gershon and ? (the guy who played her husband — I could IMDB it, but I don't really care) played.
I didn't care much for the new movie. First of all, the film is hyper-violent. It's rated PG, and all of the chop-suey bashing and trashing is bloodless. But there are so many fights, so many crashes, and so many knock-down/drag-out scuffles in this flick, many parents may find themselves actively worrying about their little ones sitting next to them. Even worse, the filmmakers don't seem to have much faith that the Turtles are interesting enough characters. So they overstuff the movie with a menagerie of nightmarish demons, creatures, human mercenary ninjas, and other sinister lifeforms and saddle the movie with an opening-a-portal-to-Hell storyline ripped right out of Ghostbusters, Stargate, and Alien vs. Predator.
Rather than have them review last week's performances — which I've already done, you've already done, 5,000 other blogs and fan sites have already done, and for all I know half the junior high English classes in the country have already done as an essay assignment — we asked each of them to pick a finalist who has potential but needs to step up his or her game.
Heh. I keep typing Colber (without the t) because I'm saying it to myself in my head as I type. At any rate, now I'm trying to figure out when I'm going to visit my sister in NY and when we will head to NYC for a few days. On one hand, it would be cool to see people I know who are going to BookExpo in NYC, but on the other hand, I think The Colbert Report and The Daily Show are usually in reruns the week of Memorial Day, and it would be even cooler to see the show in person. But it really all depends on my sister's schedule, so we'll see.
It arrived on Friday morning, and the only thing better than the easy-open Amazon envelope it came in was the actual book.
Selections from the table of contents:
Apparently I am smarter than the average bear by 40.2 percent. Yay, me.
Anyhow, since the office is free from pretty much all authority figures today (unless you count JesusCam — a running joke about a security camera hidden within the oversized crucifix hanging near the door), I have no real reason to buckle down and get some work done. Well, except for the fact that I goofed off a bit all week and need to have two projects finished by the end of the day so I can be ready to start something new on Monday. So. . . yeah.
Neanderthal TV
Those Geico ‘‘cavemen’’ shouldn’t be so upset after all – they may get their own television series.
ABC said Friday it had ordered a pilot for a comedy, tentatively titled Cavemen, that features the characters used in a series of ads by the insurance company. In the ads, cavemen appear insulted by a Geico pitchman’s claim that the company’s Web site is so easy to use that ‘‘even a caveman can do it.’’
I am so tired of the incessant chiming every time I (or my passenger) don't fasten the seatbelt. Because it's too easy just to wear that d@mn thing and get it over with, I've been devoting extensive amounts of time and brain power to figure out how to get the car to shut up about the seatbelt already.
Next up? Illusionist vs. Prestige.
Teddy on TV: Are the Muppets Due for a Comeback?
From the "Oooh, I REALLY Hope This Happens" file ...
This week, Walt Disney Television confirmed that it is considering the launch of a new Muppet TV show that would be a spoof somewhat of the reality TV shows currently flooding primetime. The series would reportedly follow Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie and the rest around in a mockumentary style format. A 10-minute pilot episode has been filmed and is now making the rounds. So, it will likely be 2008 at the earliest if this ever becomes an actual series.
If it does, though, how cool would that be?!
Of course, this could be one of those series that ends up being a better concept than a finished product. Kermit and the gang haven't really been that edgy since Master of Muppets Jim Henson went toes more than 15 years ago. But this could really be something if the writing is there and the Powers That Be are willing to take risks. Imagine if all of the Muppets we've known over the years are really just characters who turn on their quirks when the cameras are rolling, but are entirely different frogs, pigs, bears, whatevers off camera.From the press release, though, it sounds like a show similar to "The Restaurant." The new program will follow the various Muppets as they try and re-launch a new version of "The Muppet Show" for the 21st Century. But even that would be really funny and interesting, as Kermit and Co. look to get financing, secure a theater lease, track down all of the old talents, and audition new Muppets.
The possibilities are endless! If this proves successful, they could continue to churn out reality spoofs like a full-blown, "Muppet Idol"-type show in which various Muppet wannabes vie for a spot in the hallowed rotation. OR, what about a "Survivor"-type show where the Muppets are forced to rough it on some isolated island in the South Pacific.
No word yet on if Rob-and-Amber Muppets are in the planning.
Copyright (C) 2007 Teddy Durgin.
All rights reserved.
"Never read a book through merely because you have begun it."
— John Witherspoon
Dr. John Witherspoon (1723-1794) is best remembered as the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, as a representative of New Jersey. Born and educated in Scotland, he served two Protestant Scottish parishes before emigrating to America in 1768 to become president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton). He served in the Continental Congress (1776-82) and, after the American Revolution, in the New Jersey legislature.
I saw in the Akron Beacon Journal ENJOY section the text announcement about the Kevin Smith show at EJ Thomas, with the last line "Sold out"!
I called the phone listed (ticket office) 330-972-7570 and they confirmed it was sold out — no tickets available. They had been available online previously.
Dad
Nice photo!
