My Santa Barbara blonde, the last Sambo's and Salty Seafaring Pirates at Sea!

Ahhhh. Beautiful, wonderful Santa Barbara. Home of Steve Martin, Bo Derek and Oprah. Here's a view looking south toward the city.

My "Santa Barbara Blonde" - brewed exclusively at the Santa Barbara Brewing Co. in beautiful downtown Santa Barbara. Cheers.

The last Sambo's in the United States? You're looking at it.

DS Sambo's is a restaurant, formerly an American restaurant chain, started in 1957 by Sam Battistone and Newell Bohnett. Though the name was taken from portions of the names of its founders, the chain soon found itself associated with "The Story of Little Black Sambo". The story, written by a Scot woman living in India in 1899, tells the tale of a boy named Sambo who outwits a group of hungry tigers who race around a tree and eventually turn into butter. Battistone and Bohnett capitalized on the coincidence by decorating the walls of the restaurants with scenes from the book, including a dark-skinned boy and tigers. By the early 1970s, the illustrations depicted a light-skinned boy wearing a jeweled Indian-style turban with the tigers.

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 U.S. states. However in the late seventies controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term "Sambo" as derogatory towards African-Americans, particularly in Northeast states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" but by November of 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy and by 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors. Battistone's grandson, restaurateur Chad Stevens, owns the only remaining Sambo's. He expresses a desire to revive the chain.

We spent Saturday morning in Buellton, located in the Santa Ynez Valley (wine country) of Santa Barbara County (about 40 miles north of Santa Barbara) - where much of the movie Sideways was filmed - watching Laura and Mark's son and daughter play baseball (Laura is my Uncle Bob's sister - she's my age). Then we drank and barbecued at L & M's house. Neither of these kids are Laura and Mark's children.

Rick Nowak is one of my Uncle Bob's brothers and a man of many talents and compulsions. He and I toured a replica of a mid-18th Century tallship or schooner called the Spirit of Dana Point, berthed in the Santa Barbara harbor. Tom Nowak - another brother - stayed at home to pack for his Grand Canyon trip on Monday with my Uncle Bob and the other Nowak brothers, Chuck and Greg. In hindsight, that was a smart move, Tom.

Ya see, Rick got the bright idea of taking the Spirit of Dana Point outta the harbor for a spin. I informed him of the slew of state and federal laws he'd be in violation of - both on land and at sea. Let's just say Rick was on a mission, so I didn't bother trying to talk him out of it. He owns two businesses and works a regular 40-hour job on top of that and he's quite the outdoorsman, so - what the hell. I wasn't gonna be the one to piss on his vacation.

Seeing as I had little navigation experience, I asked Captain Rick (as he now wished to be referred to as) if I could at least steer the clipper out of the harbor. Begrudgingly, he agreed. I'm pointing to Rick - sorry...Captain Rick, to unleash the main sail but he reached for the coiled rope on deck. He told me he's sailed a boat this large but I was beginning to wonder.

Now, if you wanna see more pictures and find out how our crazy adventure on the high seas ended, hit Read More!

Rick got mad because I yelled (I wasn't yelling) at him to untie the main sail, saying the tone in my voice was, 'Rick doesn't know what the hell he's doing', so he said he would take over maneuvering the ship out of Santa Barbara harbor. He's a lot more sensitive than I thought. Oh, and then he has the gall to ask me to take his picture at the wheel just as we're about to set out.

As we were officially "taking the ship", I thought it customary to raise our own flag, but since we didn't plan this (or at least, I didn't plan to do this), we didn't have a flag. I suggested to Captain Rick we use his Pierogihead tee shirt but he said it cost him $19, plus $5 shipping and that he didn't wanna waste it on what would most likely be an ill-fated journey. "Do I look like a dumb Pollack?", I think were his exact words. I found this Thirteen Colony flag in a storage locker and sent up our colors. ARGHHHH!

Captain Rick said he could read one of these. But he left his reading glasses in the car and said he'd navigate by the sun. He'd said it was just like those little ball compasses you pin on your camo outfit while deerhunting.

In the event there's a threat of the ship being boarded- or if Rick refers to me as "bitch" just one more time.

Captain Rick said that in case we're boarded and hand-to-hand combat ensues, I should familiarize myself with where and how to use the billy clubs (I'm not sure what they're called).

Then Captain Rick said I had to wear a pirate patch - which he conveniently had in his pocket (there went any hope of "temporary insanity" as a plea at his future court hearing). I asked him why he didn't have to wear a patch. He told me his Cool Ray sunglasses looked enough like a patch and to just shut up and put the sonofabitch on. So I did.

Rational Jeff was telling Dipshit Jeff this was a bad idea from the get-go. Still, I looked at hijacking the Spirit of Dana Point as a romantic adventure, one that might spawn a great play. In a frantic moment when I thought about a mutiny early on, I was checking out places I could dump Captain Rick's unconscious body. Now where did I put that billy club?

Rick - dammit...I mean, Captain Rick wanted me to go to the bow (front) and recreate the scene from the only movie he cried during - Titanic. I said no. He didn't hit me or anything but asked if I wouldn't mention that he cried during Titanic. Oops.

I got to navigate the ship once - when Captain Rick spied this keg. It was the only time he smiled during our high seas fiasco.

There was actually some grog in the keg - it tasted like Guinness. And for about 20 minutes life was good on the high seas of Santa Barbara. We caught up on old bowhunting stories and shared with each other our life's philosophies. We even found an old costume chest. Here, Captain Rick and I are attempting to recreate a scene from 42nd Street (the camera is set to autopilot - not the ship though). Everything was going rather well. Captain Rick and I had just started the 2nd verse of "Dames" - you know, "Slims and all curvy, Sweet, shy and nervy", when the Spirit of Dana Point came to a screeching halt.

The last photo I got off was when we were actually boarded by the Port Authority. A melee broke out (that's why you can't make out anything in the photo). I never got to use that billy club, but the police did. Rick tried giving away a few Pierogihead shirts - with white lettering on red and red lettering on white - but the two arresting officers weren't Polish. Then he said he'd mail each officer a Pierogi hat but they thought that Pierogi hats were a stupid idea. I'm legally bound not to discuss anything more about the incident. Oh well...as the day turns to evening off the beautiful coast of Santa Barbara, Captain Rick and I bid you "adieu". And goodbye to you Captian Rick - I'll see you in...did they give you 30 or 60 days, Captain Rick?

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AND she's funny, too. Meet Olivia Munn.

Never heard of Olivia Munn? Neither had I - not until I saw this in the May issue of Esquire.

Munn was born in Oklahoma to mother Kim Munn and father Sam Munn. She is of Chinese
descent on her mother's side and of Caucasian descent on her father's. She began her portrayal of Milly Acuna, a teen surfer, over two seasons of the TV drama Beyond the Break on The N network. She enjoys surfing and continues to practice the sport.

In 2006, Munn moved on to the G4 network, where she began co-hosting, Attack of the Show! The network is devoted to the world of video games and the video game lifestyle. You can check out some of her antics from the show on YouTube - she's unabashedly funny (whatever that means), self-deprecating and fun to watch.

Munn will make her debut in a large Hollywood film in the upcoming Rob Schneider movie, Big Stan, where she'll play Schneider's character's receptionist Maria. Munn will also have a role in the 2008 horror film, Insanitarium. Munn has also modeled for Nike, Pepsi, Vanity Fair, Men's Health and Playboy (non-nude).

Munn reminds me of my friend Marla, who I dated for a bit here in LA - oooo, there's Marla to the left. Keep an eye out for Munn - I predict excellent things for her.

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TGIF! presents Sweet and "Little Willy"!

TGIF! will highlight a music video or song every Friday to jumpstart the weekend. This is the original line-up and a vintage 70's video of Sweet, who also performed "Fox on the Run" and "Ballroom Blitz". I love this song. Enjoy your weekend. I'm headed to Santa Barbara...

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Another Resolution Passed in Honor of Mr. Favre

The Mississippi State House passed a resolution congratulating Brett Favre on his record-setting NFL career. The bill, which the entire 122-member House signed on as sponsors of, goes to the Senate.

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Lohan to perform nude so she's taken seriously(?)

I've blogged about Lindsay "No Class" Lohan before - when she posed Marilyn Monroe-esque and for my proposed short play idea of a train wreck involving her, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears.

Lindsay Lohan is planning to appear naked in an indie film for a mere $78,944 in an effort to prove that she is a serious actress and in hopes that her melons will revive her flailing career. She has reportedly agreed to “full frontal” nudity in a role as a nymphomaniac waitress in some indie movie.

The DailyNews reports that an insider told The Sun, Lindsay doesn’t care she’s getting paid peanuts. She wants to remind people she can act and that she is worth hiring. She is fully aware of the potential of her body. Lindsay wants to build up an image as a mature, responsible actress.

I could give a rat's ass about anything Lindsay Lohan does. What I get a kick out of his her rationale for performing nude. She assumes that taking her clothes off (which I have no problem with as an actor IF it's done in a way that's meaningful to the role) is a natural progression to be taken as a "serious actress".

If that's not the definition of a "dope", than I'm a dope. Wait - I get it now. Like how Donna Reed wasn't taken serious until she performed nude in NO MOVIES and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe (and four-time Emmy nominee). Someone call A Minor Consideration quickly.

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My drink of choice (and the Wisconsin recipe for it)

Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet.

Fill an "old-fashioned" glass with ice.
Lace the bottom of the glass with an old-fashioned mix. (*see below for special recipe)
Add 1 shot of Brandy.
Fill the glass with 7-Up.
Add two cherries (fasten the cherries to the back of an orange wedge using a toothpick if you'd like)
*The easiest way to make the Old-Fashioned mix is to take an empty wine bottle, fill it half-way with sugar, add a regular bottle of Angostura Bitters, then fill up with hot water. Shake, making sure the sugar is fully-dissolved. Now you have enough mix for plenty of drinks for your friends and family.

Actually, the Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet is found only in the drinking repertoire of native Wisconsinites (unless someone has been turned on to the drink by a Wisconsinite - which has been known to happen). If you look up the recipe in the Mr. Boston's Deluxe Official Bartending Guide, it's listed as, "Old-Fashioned". - and the Old-Fashioned that the world was/is accustomed to drinking was made with whiskey or bourbon. However, Wisconsin was once the King of Brandy Consumption in the U.S., which is why the folks there have naturally gravitated to brandy instead. (Only recently was the crown slightly taken over by the District of Colombia?, but 40% of Korbel's shipments still go to Wisconsin.)

When made improperly, which is more often the case, this drink is a disaster. This is very true if you're from Wisconsin but order the drink ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD - unless, of course, your bartender hails from the Badger State. I've tasted Old-Fashioned's in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, California and Ireland and had the bartender dump the drink after one sip.

Some claim the first use of the specific name "Old Fashioned" was for a Bourbon whiskey cocktail in the 1880s, at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen’s club in Louisville, Kentucky. The recipe is said to have been invented by a bartender at that club, and popularized by a club member and bourbon distiller, Colonel James E. Pepper, who brought it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City.

Drink Boy concurs with me that there's great contention on the proper way to make an Old-Fashioned. He found the oldest recipe going by the name of "Old Fashioned", in "Modern American Drinks" by George J. Kappeler, and published in 1895:

Dissolve a small lump of sugar with a little water in a whiskey-glass; add two dashes Angostura bitters, a small piece ice, a piece lemon-peel, one jigger whiskey. Mix with small bar-spoon and serve, leaving spoon in glass.

This closely resembles the modern day version of the recipe as found in Mr. Boston's. Most modern recipes top off an Old-Fashioned cocktail with soda water; however, purists decry this practice insisting that soda water is never permitted in a true Old-Fashioned cocktail. Many respected sources (e.g. Maker's Mark) list an Old-Fashioned as containing soda water only, dispensing with the bitters altogether. From Drink Boy - "In some areas, notably Wisconsin, brandy is substituted for whisky." (what did Jeffy tell you?).

The Old-Fashioned is also the drink of choice of the urbane, sophisticated "Donald Draper", the star of AMC's series, "Mad Men." I've consumed hundreds of these little tummy warmers - as have my family and friends. It's especially popular at Christmas for us - possibly due to the fact that when we mainly imbibed in them when we were young and first able to drink. And I have to add - the ladies LOVE my Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet's.

Cheers!

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Brett's smiling over this one...requests for Canton tix already?

Brett Favre has been retired barely a month, and his fans already are planning for his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. That's not likely to happen until the summer of 2013, but people are calling the Hall to ask how they can get tickets for the induction ceremony. "I don't recall there being the kind of inquiry there has been with Brett Favre," Hall vice president Joe Horrigan told the Canton Repository. Induction ceremonies are held at Fawcett Stadium, next door to the Hall. It seats 22,000, and it almost certainly will sell out whenever Favre goes into the Hall.

I've also been remiss in blogging about the Favre "unretiring" rumors as of late. Listen, one of Favre's reasons for retiring is the intense off-season training he has to go through and how difficult it gets as he ages. As Brett stated, it would be tempting if the Packers called him and said, 'Rogers got hurt - we need you'. But realistically, he may be "in shape" if that were to happen, but he wouldn't be in "game shape". He made it clear he is not changing his mind at this time.

“But to think that if they called me in October and told me, ‘Hey, we need you this week.’, that would be hard,” Favre said in a story that appeared on the Gulfport(Miss.) Sun Herald paper’s web site on Tuesday. “I’m sure mentally, I would be refreshed. I’d be away from it for a long time. But mentally versus physically, the last thing I’d want to do is go up and it’s ‘Oh this is great’ and all that stuff and me be excited and then just flop...You just can’t show up and play.”

I think it's hilarious that, even after retiring (though he still hasn't filed his paperwork with the league - which doesn't me squat 'cause he could unretire easily), the media won't leave him alone. THIS is why we Packer fans were so lucky to have Brett on our team - the guy's "legend" WILL NOT die.

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GREAT NEWS from the U.S. border front!

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the number of illegal immigrants apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border is falling steeply, possibly a result of the economic downturn and beefed-up security which could be deterring crossings.

The U.S. Border Patrol reported that apprehensions are down 17% to 347,372 (which is still 347,372 too many) between Oct. 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008, from the same period a year before that. Tougher state laws, particularly in Arizona, is also cited as a reason.

Now I find this next point interesting. Francisco Lopez, a 43-year-old illegal immigrant who was interviewed by the WSJ, made about $50,000 a year transporting construction material - he's also the parent of two U.S.-born children - but his work dried up and now he drives taxi. First of all - excuse my French but I can't help it - why the fuck is this guy in my country? When the WSJ interviewed him, why wasn't he then arrested and deported? This guy says, "To live in America these days is to suffer...I'm not recommending to my friends back home to come here. I'm thinking of leaving myself".

Good. Nobody ASKED you to come here, believe me. Quite frankly, I'm glad you're suffering here. I'm suffering, too. So are a lot of other Americans WHO BELONG HERE, you asshole! If things are tough in America (where you shouldn't be), go back to your country. I'll drive you to the border. And if you think the illegals lined up outside your local Home Depot or wherever they line up for work are all friendly, happy-go-lucky compadres from "Me-hi-co", guess again - and watch this video.

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Indian baby born with two faces.

SAINI SUNPURA, India - A baby with two faces was born in a northern Indian village, where she is doing well and is being worshipped as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess, her father said Tuesday. The baby, Lali, apparently has an extremely rare condition known as craniofacial duplication, where a single head has two faces. Except for her ears, all of Lali's facial features are duplicated — she has two noses, two pairs of lips and two pairs of eyes. "She drinks milk from her two mouths and opens and shuts all the four eyes at one time," Ali said.

Rural India is deeply superstitious and the little girl is being hailed as a return of the Hindu goddess of valor, Durga, a fiery deity traditionally depicted with three eyes and many arms.

Hmm. Would I want my child to live knowing she will be mercilessly tormented throughout her childhood, considered a freak of nature by society and without the hope of any type of normal life? Perhaps science - if it can't already - will be able to something for her.

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La Miniatura - $7.5 million for the "ugliest and cheapest thing in the building world"

Frank Lloyd Wright's words - not mine.

This month's Architectural Digest featured this "for sale" ad as La Miniatura is currently on the market. Built in 1923 in Pasadena for rare-book dealer Alice Millard, it was purchased in 2000 for $1.3 million and then a massive renovation took place. Nice profit in just 8 years. Tours are rarely offered as it's been inhabited - until now.

From 1917 to 1924 Frank Lloyd Wright spent much of his time in California, and there created a small number of buildings that remain classics of American architecture. Using a groundbreaking building process, which he called his "textile block system" these buildings were constructed with precast concrete blocks, molded with decoration on both sides and inset with glass to allow light to filter through in interesting patterns. The prototype was one of Wright's most famous buildings, "Hollyhock House", influenced by ancient Mayan design and built for heiress Aline Barnsdall in the Hollywood Hills. Other distinctive textile block homes of Wright's in California include the Ennis, Millard, Freeman, and Storer houses, as well as the controversial Arizona Biltmore Hotel (in Arizona).

I'm a big Wright fan. He's a native Wisconsinite like myself, and I'm researching two plays on "the greatest architect of the 20th Century". I'm particularly attracted to Wright's prairie-style homes, an innovation and philosophy set forth by Wright, as well as Taliesin, his main home in Spring Green, WI. I toured Wright's studio in Oak Park, IL last year and it was a real treat, and though these block-style homes have no interest for me, like him or not, Wright was so far ahead of his time it's not funny.

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Checkers Update! Jeff = 18, Colton = 1

What do you want me to say??? Some say, "let him win once in a while". That's against my competitive nature. You can learn just as much from losing as you can from winning. Brett Favre didn't even let his children beat him at checkers - and they'd cry.

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Psycho Bitch Naomi Campbell banned from British Airways

This after the incident that was reported last week.

At least one airline is safe. Now the rest of the world. I think we should take this measure one step further. Ban this menace to some deserted island - alone - where she can beat her clams coconuts and such and not hurt anyone.

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Ircink's solution to taggers

There's a Winchell's Donuts across the street from my office. They JUST re-painted the wall white last week because of the graffiti. I noticed the wall's been tagged already.

If it were up to me, any taggers caught in the act OR convicted of tagging would have the hands cut off. And I'll do it. They do it again - cut the other hand off. I'm sick of this bullshit. Do they have a theft problem in Asia? No - because they cut off your hand if you're caught stealing. Seems to work there, doesn't it?

Is that conservative enough for you, Scotty? I like pictures with my blog posts. Not today. I won't give the bastards the satisfaction of photographing their illegal, unintelligent, moronic, gang artwork and giving it credence on my blog.

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Elvis Mugshot for $10,350???

I'm a huge Elvis fan. HUGE. Elvis was never arrested - this was done as a joke. Some say it was for the ID that went along with his honorary drug enforcement badge he received from President Nixon, but that was a different picture.

Anyway, there's a retail specialty magazine called, Vivre - from which I received my most treasured gift one Christmas (or was it my birthday?). Excellent gifts. So I get the magazine and they're selling celebrity mugshots - Elvis, Jim Morrison, Steve McQueen and Sid Vicious - silkscreen on canvas measuring 37" x 29" - starting at $10,350 (see left, the Sid one is $28,000). What the 'ef?

Google "Warholizer". You can take your own photo - like the Elvis mugshot - and do something similar - as I've done above (you can even make high quality, larger prints) for pennies compared to the prices Vivre is offering (see above). Granted, these may be a limited edition - I notice the Elvis one says "edition of 10", whatever that means.

Thank you...thank you very much. Now sit down, baby.

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Innisfree garden

Saw this in the current issue of Architectural Digest.
If I had a house with property, I would incorporate this rustic, plankboard walkway throughout the overgrowth as well. I'd actually have more "wild" area, though you can't tell the extent of the landscaping from this photo.

I've always been of the mind that the property that a house sets on (or at least the house that I would own) - is as important if not more important than the house itself. As a native Wisconsinite, the Nature is not something to be enjoyed only while hunting or fishing a weekend here and a week there, but it is an extension of everyday life. I agree with architect Frank Lloyd Wright's philosophy (also a Wisconsin native) that, "a building is not just a place to be. It is a way to be." The core of this ideology was always the belief that architecture has an inherent relationship with both its site and its time.

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"What is that? A PLEDGE PIN! On your uniform?!"

Come on - you know the movie.

I had a very nice phone conversation with Mark Metcalf today, known famously for his role as "Doug Neidermeyer" (in picture, right) in the movie, Animal House. Long story short, my actor/writer friend, Tony, who I grew up with(he lives in NY) is directing a play at First Stage in Milwaukee. Mark has worked with First Stage and he owns a restaurant in Mequon, Wisconsin (where he also lives) called, Libby Montana (coincidentally he just sold it today). So I called the restaurant; they leave word with Mark who calls me back WITHIN THE HOUR; I introduce myself and we shoot the shit about acting and theater and long story short again - I'm emailing him my play, "Stan's Addiction" (absurdist comedy about the last smoker on Earth) to read. He'd be perfect for the role of "THE CHAIRMAN". Mark is active in theater in Milwaukee and with the Milwaukee International Film Festival (networking, baby). You never know - I would love to have the World Premiere of the play in my home state.

I'd like to have it premiere anywhere, quite frankly.

"You're all worthless and weak! Now drop and give me twenty!" (Another quote from the movie.)

Postscript: You know I've been given a lot of shit about my history of contacting celebrities for whatever the reason. 9 times out of 10, my motivation is acting or playwriting related (even my letters to Mel Gibson are somewhat "business related"). But for all those celebs I've written, emailed or called - maybe under 30? - I've heard back from Robert Conrad, (The Wild, Wild West) Earl Hamner, Jr. (creator of The Waltons), Robert Englund ("Freddy Krueger"), Gary Sinise, Daniel J. Travanti, Brandy Ledford, Karen Lamm, Robert Lamm (the group Chicago), Mark Metcalf - that's already a 30% success ratio. 2-4% is considered ideal in direct marketing. Granted, none of these people would make the Hollywood 500 list (Sinise might). That's not the point. Lesson: if you don't ask you will not receive.

As long as you don't stalk.

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Did you ever think what would happen if...

...France just disappeared one day?

Only in France would the running of the Olympic torch be thwarted, interfered with or suspended. Not that I don't have sympathy for Tibet (which I do) and not that I don't think China should be put on notice for its treatment of Tibet and the Tibetan people (which I do) - particularly as they are hosting the summer Olympic games. However, there's one way to protest - effectively - and then there's the French way.

Bad French people. I will now boycott french fries through the running of the Olympic games in protest of France's recent behavior. Will you join me (even though I'm not sure french fries were invented in France)?

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The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

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Minnie on the brain.

You know how it is when you've just come back from a great weekend somewhere or a concert - that's all you can think about? That's me with Minnie Driver. Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs of her's - Stars and Satellites. Go to her myspace site and sample her stuff.

Not sure about the story behind this song. I guess the lyrics can mean whatever you want them to mean.

"You court the darkness like she's your lover
A girl you nailed one time And can't get over
Feverish and sleepless at night
It's only because you cannot Tear your eyes away from her

If love is the answer you seek
You're asking the wrong kind of questions.
The wrong kind of questions will keep
You asking me, asking me for love

And all the stars and satellites give you nothing.
'Cause all the satellites died.

And all the satellites in your atmosphere
They burn for you but you're cold as mars.
I know you see the light in the sky like I do
But for you they're just dying stars

If love is the answer you seek
You're asking the wrong kind of questions.
The wrong kind of questions will keep
You asking me, asking me for love

And all the stars & satellites give you nothing
'Cause all the satellites died.

I guess there's poetry in a dayless life
And profit to be made from your pain
I hope you call me up if you ever get old
I would like to see your face again

If love is the answer you seek
You're asking the wrong kind of questions
The wrong kind of questions will keep
You asking me, asking me for love

You asking me, asking me for love
You asking me, asking me for love
If love is the answer you seek
You're asking the kind of questions

If love is the answer you seek
You're asking the wrong kind of questions…"
© Minnie Ha-Ha Music, by Minnie Driver

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You did it - you finally did it.

Charlton Heston passed away this week - he had retired from public life back in 2002 as he suffered from Alzheimers. What a cruel disease (as if all other diseases aren't cruel?). One of the last of our movie icons. I enjoyed his work very much - on and off the screen.

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I love Minnie Driver! And I MET HER! AHHHHHHHH!

(Above - Minnie. Not Hotel Cafe)

And this time, she looked at me twice from stage tonite. And I MET HER!

I know - I sound like a little girl. (sigh) Ohhhh...Minnie. "Oh, Minnie you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind - hey Minnie!" That was stupid. Anyway, I saw Minnie Driver tonite/Saturday (again) at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood (again). Blogged about here in August and she kicked off my Women Celebrities I Love feature.

This time, I was alone (again) 'cause no one could go (I only found out she was playing a week ago), but THIS TIME I got there early enough to get a table about 15 yards from the stage. Whoooo! She looked gorgeous - very motherly (she's pregnant). Gorgeous, barefoot (really) and pregnant and God dammit she sounded wonderful.

When I saw her last (August) I stood in the back and I hadn't heard her CD yet. I purchased Sea Stories the next day so every song she sang tonite (plus some I hadn't heard before) I knew like the back of my hand. She has excellent stage presence (she is an actress on F/X's The Riches) and she sounds EXACTLY like she sounds on her CD. LIVE + Minnie = A+. I treasure that quality in a performer. Even the best don't always have that feather in their cap.

I shared a table with two girls from Germany and three other guys who live here in LA (but none of them are from LA - Georgia, NY and London). So, after the show Minnie comes out into the audience to greet friends and the guys from NY and London go get their picture taken with her. I had my camera with me - but I opted not to do the picture thang...for my own reasons. Instead, I grabbed her arm and said to her, "Your music moves me" (which it does - seriously...she's one of the two best female voices I've heard in over a decade) and then I said, "Good luck to you" and I walked off. She was very gracious which made me love her even more and I wanted to kiss her but I didn't want to go to jail.

Go to her myspace site and sample her stuff - please. You HAVE to listen to "Beloved" and "Stars and Satellites" (my two favorites). Both are from Sea Stories (album) and there's also her other album, Everything I've Got in My Pocket. When I hear her sing I wanna just reach into the speakers and pull her through them and set her in front of me. Soulful shit - and she writes her own stuff. Oh - she did a Marley cover and also the song "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks which kicked ASS (at first none of our group could figure out who originally did that song but then I guessed it before Driver announced it on stage - yeahhhhh for me!). Man, I hadn't heard the song since I was a kid.

The guys said they'd email the pictures they took of Minnie - I'll post them when I get'em. I did manage to snap this shot of her Audi in the parking garage though. At least that's what some people told me (I covered up the license plate for her sake).

I'm depressed. I want more Minnie. Now every time I hear "Waterloo Sunset" I'm gonna think of her...

P.S. I met Jonathan Silverman in the alley (Weekend at Bernie's). I told him I knew it was "you" but that I couldn't remember his name. Swift move, Jeff. Bet Johnny liked that one.

P.S.S. She lives in Malibu (Malibu sticker on windshield). Jason - she surfs.

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Black socks with tennis shoes???

I've been seeing this around Los Angeles a lot lately - black socks with tennis shoes. What gives? Is this a California fad? A cultural fad maybe? People back in Wisconsin aren't aware of this trend there...hmmm. I don't like it. No siree. Not one bit.

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WOW!! I finally found my cartoon alter-ego!

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New York Times poll suggests the America is "on the wrong track"

Americans are more dissatisfied with the country’s direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s, according to the latest poll.

In the poll, 81 percent of respondents said they believed that “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,” up from 69 percent a year ago and 35 percent in early 2003.

Although the public mood has been darkening since the early days of the war in Iraq, it has taken a new turn for the worse in the last few months, as the economy has seemed to slip into recession. There is now nearly a national consensus that the country faces significant problems.

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It only took 36 days for Psycho Bitch Naomi Campbell to flip out again.

Gotta say one thing - she's certainly proactive.

It wasn't a month ago that I reported Psycho Bitch Campbell's bout with a cyst that landed her in a hospital in Brazil - just read Naomi is a psycho. Seriously - with her laid up in the hospital...we're all safer.

Unfortunately, Psycho Bitch Campbell got out of the hospital.

LONDON (AP) — Naomi Campbell was arrested at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 on Thursday for allegedly spitting at a police officer, Sky News reported. Police said a 37-year-old woman was arrested at the terminal on suspicion of assaulting police. Naomi was flying to L.A.

In January 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty in New York City to misdemeanor assault for throwing her cell phone at her maid in a dispute over a missing pair of jeans. She was ordered to do community service and attend a two-day anger-management program. Campbell pleaded guilty in Toronto in 2000 to an assault charge for beating an assistant while making a film in Canada in 1998. Under an agreement with prosecutors, Campbell expressed remorse and was released without punishment or a criminal record.

Why can't she just crawl off somewhere and wither away? Is that too much for any sane person to ask?

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David Morse IS Geo. Washington, Sir!

I wrote about the HBO mini-series "John Adams" in mid-March and I continue to wait with anticipation for each upcoming episode. Two or three left to go. David Morse has been hailed as THE best "George Washington" by many critics and I have to say that I agree.

I've provided a clip from the series - George Washington's inauguration - that I would like you to watch. Please watch this clip. Paul Giamatti (who is superb in his own right) portrays John Adams and - in this clip - helps to administer the Oath of Office to our first President of the United States. It's brief; I have watched it a dozen plus times and each time I find myself getting emotional. This moment is captured brilliantly on film - the anticipation, the hesitation, the awkwardness of our new found independence, the exhilaration of victory. I believe it to be the best scene I've witnessed thus far. It is one of the most poignant moments I've ever seen on film.

THIS MOMENT is the beginnings of our country as we know it. It's the next best thing to being there.

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Did you ever think what would happen...

...if the Middle East disappeared one day?

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Separated at Birth? Rosie O'Donnell and a Pig.

Something in the news about Rosie made me wanna blog about her but I forgot what it was.

Anyway, I'm tired of Rosie O'Donnell. She berates guests and people in the media for something they've said and then she turns around and does or says something just as stupid. Why is this? Because she's in a position of power, that's why. Remember these incidences?

- The gun control debate she got into with Tom Selleck.

- Asking the Broadway cast of "Annie Get Your Gun" to remove the line, 'I can shoot a partridge with a single cartridge.' (which they didn't - they just performed another song).

- Allowing her bodyguard to carry a gun into her child's school.

- That weird video of her child dressed like a soldier.

- Kelly Ripa/Clay Aiken incident.

- Mocking the Chinese language.

- Anti-Catholicism rhetoric.

- Ongoing catfights with Elizabeth Hasselback (and why is EH on any talk show in the first place?).

- Ongoing fight with Donald Trump.

I'm elated she's off The View. Now they just have to get rid of Hasselback - and then cancel the entire show. Rosie O. has media access like most people will never experience and she uses her celebrity as irresponsibly as she uses it in a responsible manner. Just like a pig. A pig doesn't know any better.

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My Favorite All-time Clip from "Moonlighting"

Whenever I found myself in a crappy mood, I'd toss the video in the VCR with this clip. Maddie bets David he can't act "mature" for one week. If you don't wanna watch the entire scene, you can start it at the 4:10 mark and watch through 7:15. It's at the very end of that where I laugh my ass off - the "shake" gesture. Classic. My ex-girlfriend always thought my personality was akin to Mr. Addison's. How cute.

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Why won't Catherine of Aragon just shut up?

Season 2 of The Tudors just started on Showtime. Catherine of Aragon was Henry VIII's first wife and Queen of England, but as she could not bear Henry any male heirs, he tired of her and eventually married Anne Boleyn.

Practically every scene with Catherine is her standing her ground, saying she's in love with Henry and that she won't leave him and that regardless of what happens she is Henry's lawfully-wedded wife and England's only rightful Queen Consort (which she avowed until her death).

Why can't she get it through her thick head that Henry doesn't love her and doesn't want her around anymore? And why would she want to stick around in a loveless marriage? Pathetic idiot. I would've cut her head off just to get her to shut up.

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Clarification on legal document, "Ircink v. Bush" below.

It's come to my attention that the text of the legal document two posts below is unreadable even by right-clicking and saving the document to your desktop. Therefore, I have an easy-to-read version of the meat of the lawsuit if you care to read the fine print on Page 1.

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"I've got 'Orbs' in my ghost photo, too!"

See those white balls of light toward the bottom left and on the right? Those may be "Orbs", believed (by many) to be ghosts in the form of balls of light. This cropped photo is from my "ghost" photo taken aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach (to see the ghost check out the Queen Mary tour post here). Orbs are life forms that travel in groups and are believed to be the human soul or life force of those that once inhabited a physical body here on earth. Psychics claim to talk to them on a regular basis, and ghost hunters encounter them quite frequently. It is said that they are those spirits that have willingly stayed behind because they feel bound to their previous life or previous location for whatever reason. Because of this obsession they tend to become similar to a psychotic human beings. It should be said that the majority of us when we die proceed gladly and willingly to the next level of existence after saying our quiet good-byes, which means we're off to the spirit world. Then again, as stated, a select few elect to stay behind because of a refusal to move on. Apparently the longer they stay behind, the harder it is to find their way to the next level, which again, is the spirit world.

I had no idea what they were until a guy at work who hadn't seen the photo yet but whose wife is interested in paranormal studies asked me, "are there any white balls of light in your picture?" I had noticed the left corner orb before but thought it to be a smudge on my camera (but no other smudges appeared on other photographs). And another woman look at the photo and said, "oh, there's one of those orbs - that's a spirit too." Ghostly orbs are the most photographed anomalies caught on film by ghost hunters and are quite photogenic (when they want to be). They can be completely transparent or display themselves in a bright solid form. It is not hard to capture them on film in their circular form. It is theorized that ghosts prefer the form of an orb because it takes less energy thus being the mode of choice among the ghosts. The consensus is that small orbs take up the least amount of energy and apparitions and other fuller shapes take up the most. In the colder parts of the year, it seems that ghosts tend to find it easier to take on shapes other than orbs. That's when there is the most static electricity in the atmosphere. Those months being October through February. It is also believed that they are able to draw on our own energy when needed.

There are other theories concerning Orbs. I have in the past heard such theories that orbs might simply be nature spirits or airborne protoplasm as you would find under a microscope, except far more advanced. Other types of ghostly phenomenon are the vortex (funnel shaped appearance) and ectoplasm (it has a mist or foggy appearance), also called ecto mist. These are often picked up on film and video as well but are much more rare.

Now orbs can be produced by accident, and can appear quite readily on film by the elements and conditions around you. Most orb photographs are merely the result of dust or even weather conditions such as rain and humidity. Moisture, dust and airborne particles up close to the lens at the time of the flash can and will effect the results of your pictures.

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