Sunday, September 23, 2007

Mr. President, You're Making Us All Look as Stupid as You

To paraphrase Chris Rock, "[picking on the President] is like calling out a retarded kid for double dribbling. You have to let some shit slide."

Now, this is a guy who apparently went to college. A man who served as the Governor of Texas, and a man who ... Ah screw it. As President, George Bush, jr. manages to make Emperor Nero look like a brilliant civil servant. One fuck up after another desensitizes the world to the sheer scope of his stupidity, and while he is his own man, this jagoff manages to make all respectable Americans look like we were shook from the same genetic driftwood as his dumbass.

In a bizarre attempt to defend his administration's Iraqi policy in a press conference last Thursday, President Bush made the following statement: "I heard somebody say, Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas." (Reuters)

Please try not to think about this too much. Trying to figure out what the Hell goes on in Dubya's head is like trying to find the nutritional value in a Twinkie. Any reference to Nelson Mandela's death is considered insensitive in South Africa. I wouldn't expect Dubya to know that what he said wasn't even remotely funny much less alone understand that he had maligned a Nobel Peace Prize winning humanitarian.

John Wayne once said of President Kennedy that while he did not vote for him, he was still his President and that he hoped he does a good job. Well I didn't vote for Dubya, and he is NOT my President. Even if Dubya manages to somehow not shove his foot in his mouth any more than he has in the first seven years of his administration, I know he has done the worst job of any president in my lifetime or in my memory.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Brett Somers was a classy BLANK



Broad. Dame. Lady.

One of the saving graces of digital cable has been the sheer amount of recycled cheese. For a while, "The Glenn Campbell Good Time Hour" was back on one of the Country channels (yes, damnit, I watched that. You want a friggin' piece of me?), Nick at Nite has given new life to old sitcoms (although still no friggin' "Love Boat."), and The Game Show Network continues to embarass those of us that grew up in the 70s with some of the best game shows ever, like "Match Game" hosted by the Mack Daddy Pimp of Game Shows, Gene Rayburn. This show was so friggin' HUGE that it gave birth to "Family Feud" with one of the biggest Game Show Pimps, Richard Dawson. Think about that for a moment.  

On Saturday, September 15th, 2007, Brett Somers died of stomach and olon cancer. While Ms. Somers' career is full of achievements in the Golden Age of Television as well as making her name as an actress in Broadway theatre productions, she will always be remembered for playing Oscar Madison's ex-wife (against real-life husband Jack Klugman), and for her spot as a long standing regular on "Match Game."

Along with other regulars like Charles Nelson Reilly, Richard Dawson, Fannie Flagg, and Marcia Wallace, Ms. Somers' wit proved that "Match Game" was her house as much as it was Gene Rayburn's. Her tongue was razor sharp, and while some if not most of her answers stank on ice, she was hillariously unfazed and took it all in stride. This past weekend, GSN ran a marathon of "Match Game" episodes to remember her. Brett Somers was one funny broad, and I'm gonna miss her.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Coney Island Lifeguard Saves Baby.... Shark



There's been some pretty heinous news lately that got me angry as Hell and made me incredibly depressed. Animals getting tortured, cyclists getting broadsided, and the environment in a general state of BOHICA and TARFU.

Every now and then I'll read a rare gem of a story that will bring a tear to my eye and make me believe that maybe things aren't so bad and there are everyday heroes. While Coney Island may be changing (there are plans underway to replace the Astroland amusement park by 2011), the beach will always be part of New York City history. Just this past Monday, Lifeguard Marius Mironescu saw a crowd of people on the beach surrounding a baby 2-foot sand shark. According to the New York Daily News article (via The Goat), Mr. Mironescu knew he had to do something to help.

"There must have been 75 to 100 people circled around the shark in the water and they were bugging out. They were holding on to it and some people were actually hitting him, smacking his face. Well, I wasn't going to let them hurt the poor thing," he said. He took the shark and swam with it until he let it free.

Wow. Thank you, Marius Mironescu. You have made my day.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Beverly Hills Police Officer D. Prenesti Is an Asshole

I have a great amount of respect for the police. While there are lots of cases of cops abusing their power from thugs like Bernard Kerik on down to cops who are little more than street thugs with badges like the scum responsible for the arrest and torture of Abner Louima, it is grossly irresponsible to assume that all cops are as bad as them. There are going to be abuses of power at any level, and we cannot confuse the abusers with those that do the badge and the job great honor.

That having been said, I sincerely think that Beverly Hills Police Officer D. Prenesti #421, serial no. 74700 is an asshole. Officer Prenesti is the kind of scum without compassion, sympathy, and the intelligence you'd find in a compost heap. Roughly two weeks ago, a cyclist was nearly broadsided by some fuckwit in a Black Ford Explorer in Beverly Hills.  According to the story on DrunkCyclist (and in detail on laist.com and in greater detail on illuminateLA.com) When the police arrived, the jackass officer (Beverly Hills Police Officer D. Prenesti #421, serial no. 74700) was abusive to the point where I would damn well hope that this "Officer" loses his badge or at the very least gets humiliated and demoted for a gross dereliction of duty. Officer D. Prenesti is nothing more than a thug with a badge. This bully showed no compassion for the cyclist, and he ignored any possible explanation to suggest that the SUV driver was at fault. On top of that, his gross insensitivity to the cyclist nearly drove her to tears, and at no point in any of these stories did I read ONE FUCKING WORD about how the officer called in for an ambulance or at least asked if the cyclist required medical assistance. And he mocked the cyclist by saying "You quote me the section of code that she violated and then I'll write her a ticket." Maybe I missed that part of civics class where it said that it was the citizen's responsibility to know the law better than the police.

Even if you don't live in and/or near Beverly Hills, remember that there are lots of things you can do. Election Day is creeping up, and I'm damn well sure that elected officials in Beverly Hills don't want or need an embarassment of this size.

1)Make Calls to the following numbers:
Beverly Hills City - Operations Bureau, Police Department: (310) 285-2101
Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce: (310) 248-1000
Beverly Hills City - Library, Mayor and City Council: (310) 285-1013

2)Email the follpwing public officials:
Mayor Jimmy Delshad - JDelshad@beverlyhills.org
Vice Mayor Barry Brucker - Bbrucker@beverlyhills.org
Councilmember Linda J. Briskman - LBriskman@beverlyhills.org
Councilmember Frank M. Fenton - FFenton@beverlyhills.org
Councilmember Nancy Krasne - NKrasne@beverlyhills.org
City Manager Roderick J. Wood - RWood@beverlyhills.org
BH Police Chief David L. Snowden - DSnowden@beverlyhills.org

Remember to report Citing officer: D. Prenesti #421, serial no. 74700

3) Contact the Press:
If you know anyone in the press, by all means tell them about this travesty of justice.

I have great sympathy for the police. They are providing a public service that not many are willing to do, and they are doing it under severe conditions. Your average NYC Cop has to wear a level 3 bullet resistant vest at all times, and it is strongly suggested that they wear the added reinforcement of a "shock plate," (a thin metallic plate to add even more protection). No matter what the weather is like, that along with the standard issue equipment is heavy. On top of that, each cop has to unfairly bear the burden of dirty, corrupt, and/or moronic cops like Beverly Hills Police Officer D. Prenesti #421, serial no. 74700. It is grossly unfair to think that all cops are like Officer Prenesti, but then again, Officer Prenesti is a scumbag who deserves to be exposed for the heartless thug he is.

Monday, September 3, 2007

DMX Is A Punk Ass Bitch

I have been a fan of Rap and Hip Hop for a very long time. I’m old enough to remember when the most scandalous thing was Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick’s “La Di Da Di,“ and when Run-DMC was considered “new school.” I used to have Earl Simmons’ (DMX) albums in heavy rotation on my iPod.

I had been thrilled to see that DMX’s strong performance in Romeo Must Die blossomed into stronger roles in Cradle 2 The Grave and Exit Wounds. I had never thought too much of his many brushes with the law, but I was nauseated by the news that the corpses of dogs were found on his property in Arizona, as well as a small cache of weapons, drug paraphernalia, and assorted cars to which the licenses and registrations did not match. Here's the story from DListed.  After researching DMX, I was further disgusted to learn that in 2002, he pled guilty to charges stemming from a 1998 raid on his property in New Jersey involving the neglect of 13 pit bulls.

And this is a guy who allegedly loves his dogs? I have to live knowing that I supported DMX, his way of life, his flagrant disregard for the law, and his abuse of animals. That stops NOW. I went through my CD collection and shattered my DMX CDs and tore up the booklets.

I want to do whatever I can to make DMX pay for his crimes, and I want him to suffer the only thing he has shown he is capable of understanding: an abrupt and unilateral boycott of anything even tangentially related to DMX. This will achieve two goals: 1) Through a drop in revenue, he will be forced to understand the heinous nature of his crimes. 2) Anybody thinking of financing or distributing movies with DMX as part of the cast will see him for the liability he really is. He will be seen as a negative publicity magnet and as a pariah no film wants or needs. This may not be fair to people who work with him and who may be sympathetic to animal rights, but DMX needs to be made into an object lesson of what happens to you when you abuse animals repeatedly and don’t learn a blessed thing.

If I am guilty of supporting DMX and his habitual abuse of animals, anybody who works with him is equally guilty. Stop him NOW. Write PETA.  Write The Humane Society.  Write The ASPCA.  Create such a storm of outrage that his label and anybody employing him knows that he is a malignant little bitch and needs to be stopped.