Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Book 80 of 52 -- Nelson DeMille's The Gate House



The world of Nelson DeMille is apparently full of way too much detail.

It would help Mr. DeMille if someone would just plain edit him.

I was looking forward to this one too since it was a sequel to a book that I really liked... The Gold Coast.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Death Pool Recruitment

2009 CELEBRITY DEATH POOL OFFICIAL RULES
(SEVENTH ANNUAL) OFFICIAL RULES


Welcome to the official 2009 Celebrity Death Pool game! For those of you that are new to the concept, it is our time to take back from the celebrities and famous people out there that do nothing but take our money, sweat and tears as we buy their music, watch their games, read about them in the paper, or purchase their movie tickets. The object of the game is simple – Be the contestant at 12:00 Midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) on December 31, 2009 to have accumulated the most amount of points. How easy is that?

Selection of Celebrities – Think long and hard about the current health or possible health of our society’s famous folks. Choose the 20 of these famous people that you think will die in the year 2007 and write their names in a list. They can be from any forum. They can be athletes, entertainers, heads of state, writers or just folks who have garnered large scale media attention. They can be from any continent. The main criterion is that someone else can be identified by name and his or her death will be reported in a published account.

The operators of the pool will review your list and objectively accept or reject the players on your list. We are attempting to limit obscure people. Our judgments are based on results from Internet search engines and this definition of celebrity: A celebrity is a widely recognized or famous person who has commanded a high degree of public and media attention. If we reject a person on your list, you will have the opportunity to replace that person with a new choice.

Example of What We Accept and Not Accept – If they are foreign born and involved in politics, they have to be a head of state. So… Saddam Hussein would count, but you cannot pick any of his cabinet officials anymore.

This system isn’t perfect, but it is the fairest way to make sure that everyone is playing on the same level.

Entry Fee – The Entry Fee is nominal. (20 "beans" per entry. You can enter as many times as you want. It is just going to cost you 20 beans per entry.) If you are a past player, we will give you a 10% break from the fee if you sign up someone new.

Point Structure – The Point Structure is simple, and it remains the most exciting way of scoring the game. Points are determined by beginning with a 100 base point system. The age of the deceased celebrity will be deducted from the base score of 100 and a final number will be achieved. For example, if Britney Spears were to die on January 16, 2009, she would be worth 72 points. 100 base points MINUS 28 years old = 72 points.

Prize Breakdown – The most important part of this game is the prize! The total prize will be determined by how many people enter and dollar values will be determined from the following percentages: First Place will receive 80% of the final money pool and Second Place will receive 20% of the final money pool. 10% will be subtracted from the final pool total for operating expenses.

Tie Breakers – In case of a tie, there will be a tiebreaker -- whoever has chosen the most amounts of deceased celebrities. If two players tie for first with the same players, they will split the entire pot. If two players still tie for second, they will split the second place pot.

Website/Blog - The league will have a website that will be updated on a periodical basis. It will contain team choices and as many updates as we can of those that have deceased. The web address is: http://kickedthebucket.blogspot.com/ Feel free to visit the website now to see how the current year is going.

Time Frame - The official length of the contest will run from Monday, January 12, 2009 between 00:00:01 EST (12:00 AM plus one second on January 12, 2009) and 23:59:59 EST Thursday, December 31, 2009 (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds).

Submission of Picks – All submissions must be received or postmarked by Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 23:59:59 EST. They must be sent to either me through my normal hotmail address, my gmail account, or mailed to me at my home OR sent to Chris Bowman at his points of contact. Feel free to email me for that information.

The important fact is that we need the money by January 15, 2009 or your submission doesn't count. Payments can be cash, check or paypal.

Good Luck

Monday, December 29, 2008

WINNER! Papajohns.com Bowl Champions

The game was representative of the whole season... a slow start and a strong exciting finish.



I love that Mulcahy was on the field and that Schiano gave him a game ball. You go Greg.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.........

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU........

Grab some pizza and have fun kids.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Slumdog Millionairre Moviegoing Experience‏

Isn't it insulting when movie theaters have those crappy dated screen gems?

Pretentious Van Heusen commercial

Milk

Frost/Nixon

The Wrestler (God... I really want to see this...)

The movie itself was just plain awesome.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Smelmooo Survives...

TW and I went shopping today and I was shocked at how empty the stores were...e ven though we parked in Georgia at each of the malls.

Fascinating.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Book 79 of 52 -- Artie Lange's Too Fat To Fish



Artie Lange is a frigging mess and his self destruction is a point of entretainment for me every single morning on the Sirius Howard Stern show.

This book ocntains stories that I have already heard on the show before so I am not entirely shocked by any of it.

However... it's a good read even though it's just another junkie talking.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Book 78 of 52 -- Jonathan Kellerman's Bones



I really love Jonathan Kellerman and he writes so well that you can often take his writing for granted...

His latest Alex Delaware novel is one of two things and it has been a couple weeks since I finished it.

1. Interesting...
2. Nothing new...

Whatever it is... it's a better read than other authors...

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Book 77 of 52 -- James Patterson's Cross Country



I stole this from someone else... since I was pissed off at the book.

"As a long-time fan of the Alex Cross series from Patterson, I had high hopes for Cross Country. Sadly, I was thoroughly disappointed with this book. The gruesome, sadistic murders that launch the story (and continue throughout) were over the top and clearly beyond what was necessary. I suppose the horrific nature of the content could have been forgiven if the plot itself was within the realm of believability. Although some authors push the envelope on what is plausible, Patterson's premise in Cross Country is beyond believable. The whole idea of having Alex Cross go to Africa without official sanction, support structure or even any fundamental understanding of the situation on the ground is just ridiculous. If you are a long-time Alex Cross fan, you might want to take a pass on Cross Country. If you are contemplating giving the character a try for the first time, start elsewhere - there are many in the Cross series that are far better. "

Monday, December 22, 2008

Book 76 of 52 -- Denis Leary's Why We Suck



Pretty funny...

A bit long in the tooth... but funny.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Every once in a while, in life you run into a genius with true talent......

(Thanks Bowman... )

THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. Innovative
2. Preliminary
3. Proliferation
4. Cinnamon

THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. Specificity
2. Anti-constitutionalistically
3. Passive-aggressive disorder
4. Transubstantiate

THINGS THAT ARE DOWN RIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. No thanks, I'm married.
2. Nope, no more booze for me!
3. Sorry, but you're not really my type.
4. KFC? No thanks, I'm not hungry.
5. Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight?
6. Oh, I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke.
7. I'm not interested in fighting you.
8. Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance, I have no coordination. I'd hat e to look like a fool!
9. I must be going home now, as I have to work in the morning.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Friday, December 19, 2008

Book 75 of 52 -- Kathy Reichs' Monday Mourning



Short and sweet...

Appropriate sequel to all the other novels...

It is fun and good...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Happy Birthday Tucker!!!!

Four great years... :)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Book 74 of 52 -- Stuart Woods' Hot Mahogany



An amusing romp through the surprisingly intriguing world of antiques and coin collecting, Woods' latest Stone Barrington mystery finds the popular sleuth back from the Caribbean at his favorite Manhattan eatery, Elaine's.

There, he is approached by his CIA pal Lance Cabot, who asks him to keep an eye on his brother, Barton Cabot, an antique restorer who has partial amnesia after recently falling victim to a violent crime.

Barton's former career in Army intelligence makes him a risk given his current affliction, but the plot takes a different turn when one of his pieces, worth tens of millions, is stolen from his workshop, a theft that might be related to a cache of gold coins smuggled out of Vietnam by Barton's old unit over thirty years ago during the war.

An interesting premise paired with Woods' engaging cast of regulars make Hot Mahogany another winner in the Stone Barrington series.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

SURVIVOR COMPETITIONS -- AN UPDATE

Survivor 1 in Borneo -- Richard Hatch (No Game)
Survivor 2 in Australia -- Tina Wesson (Ashfault!)
Survivor 3 in Africa -- Ethan Zohn (Ashfault!)
Survivor 4 in Marquesas -- Vecepia Towery (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 5 in Thailand -- Brian Heidik (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 6 in Amazon -- Jenna Morasca (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 7 in Pearl Islands -- Sandra Diaz-Twine (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 8 ALL STARS -- Amber Brkich (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 9 in Vanuatu -- Chris Daugherty (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 10 in Palau -- Tom Westman (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 11 in Guatemala -- Danni Boatwright (Ashfault!)
Survivor 12 in Panama (Exile Island) -- Aras Baskauskas (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 13 in the Cook Islands -- Yul Kwon (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 14 in Fiji -- Earl Cole (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 15 in China -- Todd Herzog (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 16 in Micronesia (All Stars-ish) -- Parvati Shallow (Pork Chop Express)
Survivor 17 in Gabon -- Bob Crowley (Pork Chop Express)

Overall Totals

Pork Chop Express -- 13
Assshfault! -- 3

Tucker's Nuts -- 2
FBT -- ZERO

Monday, December 15, 2008

Survivor Gabon -- The Finale



The show begins incredibly late since CBS covered the end of the Steelers/Ravens game so now we are annoyed and glad that we are home to make sure that we can see the whole show... I am guessing that before the show starts the final three are going to be: Bob, Susie, and Sugar with Bob winning it all with all or 6 of the 7 votes.

And... that will be fine by me... I really like him and Sugar a whole bunch.

The episode starts with a 2000 minute recap of the first 12 episodes of the season and we are reminded of some of the assholes and awesome people of the season... since the theme this season seemed to be a good vs evil and the good finally triumphed in the end in the last episode with the defeat of Kenny's deceptive alliance and letting the "goodie two shoes" players progress.

We are FINALLY Live at 8:40 at night... after all the fluff recap and NFL game stuff... we should find out who wins about 2 am tonight... We come back after Tribal Council and Kenny is feeling a bit betrayed... Kenny is having selective memory...

We wake up on Day 37 in the NOBAG tribe... Sugar and Bob are in a new alliance and Sugar would like to vote out Kenny and Matty... next. Sugar is the boss all of a sudden and Bob recognizes it... making me think that Bob will be the eventual winner since he is letting everyone else do all the dirty work.

They get their tree mail and they have a challenge coming up and they have to uniquely dress themselves up as warriors with cloths and face paint... Susie loves doing this... I am bored by her...

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #1
They will dig and get into some huts and there will be puzzle pieces as they go through a maze... the puzzle pieces will eventually build a hut... It's a pretty cool challenge and anyone can really win it... Sugar is the first one back with puzzles to build as Bob comes in a nice second in terms of building... and BOb wins immunity with Sugar close behind... It's important to note that Susie never found her last bag is wandering around the huts aimlessly.

We get back to camp and Kenny thinks that everyone is going to vote out Susie... Matty and Susie remain good colleagues and neither of them have any idea of where they are going to end up... It's time for some more strategy and I am mildly annoyed by all of this... They can't seem to decide about who to vote out.. Susie or Kenny... Sugar remains in control and through it all... Bob still wears a bow tie... and flaunts it to the camera.

Tribal Council arrives and Corrinne is still nto wearing a bra and Randy is still sporting that damd mohawk. Jeff keeps pointing out how awesome Bob is... and he is... Kenny is in his 12th Tribal Council and surprises me with his calm demeanour... even though he is still the "bad guy" left... he is better than most bad guys. Susie speaks and re-enforces that she is way under the radar... again... The idol deal comes up again and Kenny is feeling slighted. Bob gets himself out of it by reminding Kenny that he was going to stab him in the back... Kenny tries to talk himself out of it and looks foolish... even to the jury (save Crystal...)

It's time to vote after Kenny looks petty and stupid... even though he claims that he is safe and the editting shows Sugar squishing her face.

The results of the tallying end up being... Kenny or Susie is going home...

Kenny
Susie
Kenny
Kenny

Hasta Pasta and MB is yelling curse words at the TV... I am now rooting for Sugar to win simply because she was the last person picked by me since I didn't want Gillian at all (or Sugar) and was forced upon my team... I have won twice that way before.

We are now in Day 38 and Susie thinks she needs to win immunity in order to stay alive... and both she and Matty recognize that Bob and Sugar are way too confident ... and they should be.. TREE MAIL!

March of the Dead Survivors

Ugh... this is one of our absolute least favorite parts of the whole show and every single finale... ever... We are forced to remember each of the people voted off during the season... Let's walk down memory lane as each of the finalists are forced to say something nice about each of them... even Randy...

Michelle Chase -- Who?
Gillian Larson -- Blech...
Paloma Soto-Castillo -- She "killed" herself...
Jacque Berg -- She got screwed...
Danny Brown aka GC -- Just a plain dope...
Kelly Czarnecki -- I forgot all about her...
Dan Kay -- He was too dopey for his own good.
Ace Gordon -- Slimy and yet... lasted this long...
Marcus Lehman -- He was a perfect person and yet... I liked him.
Charlie Herschel -- Broken up "bromance" led to his defeat.
Randy Bailey -- I wonder what he did each week since his only friend was his dog.
Corinne Kaplan -- *crickets*
Crystal Cox -- Probably poorly editted, but not my favorite...
Kenny Huang -- Gamer that took the appropriate beating in the end...

It's time for the FINAL IMMUNITY CHALLENGE... This is the first time that I can remember that it isn't an endurance challenge... they have to be the first person to build a 10 foot tower out of tiles... If after 30 minutes, no one has done it... the highest tower will win...

There are a lot of collapsing towers and Bob -- who you would think would win the thing -- can't seem to do anything right... Sugar and Susie keep building weak and collapsing towers while Matty builds a solid... solid tower and the suspense starts building as it hits the 25 minute mark... With 30 seconds left... Susie is in the lead... and no one can catch up in time...Susie actually wins... Who saw that one? Not me. Our gut reaction is that Bob goes home... but I doubt that Sugar and Bob will let that happen easily.

They get back to the camp and everyone is wishing Bob good bye and Sugar is crying... and they all admit to him that they have to write his name down since they all think that he will win in the Tribal Council. Then... Susie starts talking... and I get nervous... since she should just shut the f*ck up... especially she shouldn't want to alienate Bob's vote...

For five minutes... Susie just keeps talking and annoying the viewing audience... Why don't they work together... ???? and then... they DO!... Sugar can't stand that Bob is going to go home... so they discuss pursuing a tie... Bob goes off into the woods and practices starting a fire in case he has to do that in a tie breaker...

Tribal Council begins... and Bob is the one who identifies that he has the target on his back... Matty admits that he has no choice since Sugar saved him once and Susie has the idol... Sugar can't decided b/c Matty is a "brother" and Bob is like a "dad." Matty is looking better after this... Everyone feels really and it's hard to vote for anyone since Susie has the idol... Bob breaks down and this is the nicest Tribal Council EVER.

Bob
Bob
Matty
Matty -- TIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Firemaking Tie Breaker Challenge Between Matty and Bob
First person to build a flame long enough to bust a string wins... and they start... Bob is deliberate... and Matty is a bit more anxious... Bob gets a fire and tries to build around it... it goes out... and then... like a Phoenix... it comes back! At this point... Bob can't lose... and he doesn't... Bye Bye Matty... you played a good game and survived it... as long as you could... (the whole time...we had to look at shit face Corrinne making stupid faces and we actually hate her... it's sad that we can dislike someone that much... )

The final three are Susie, Bob, and Sugar...

Day 39 arrives and they are all really proud of themselves... I am not going to write about any of it... Ok... they do light up the camp and it went FAST...

FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL

It's time for the petty and bullshit questions from the jury after opening statements.

Susie thinks she deserves it simply because she "tried." Bob thinks he deserves it because he played with gusto and his heart. Sugar thinks she deserves it because she played a perfect social game even though she lied a few time... and of the three, she played the best strategic game.

Charlie is up first. He asks the ladies the first question and it's a good question about why they should vote for them for first when in a previous episode they were ranked last and second to last. Sugar's answer blows. He focusses on Bob next and Bob accepts him for being gay. (Seriously...)

Crystal is up second. She attacks Susie for riding coat tails. She tells Bob that Sugar "remote controlled" him up and down... huh? Bob agrees with that. Crystal is upset that Sugar voted her out... why? Sugar was upset that she was rude to people and asks for forgiveness.

Kenny is up third. Why do you deserve my vote -- to Susie? Sugar really scarred a future The Pick Up Artist contestant forever... and Sugar voted out Kenny b/c she thought he was a bigger threat... Kenny will never trust another woman. The DEAL b/t Bob and Kenny comes out again... and nothing new is revisited.

Turd Face is up fourth. Susie -- if I give you my vote, will you have your vocal chords removed? OF course not. Bob... make me hate Sugar... and he does it in a nice way. Sugar... You are unemployed, uneduated, and leech to society. She gets meaner and ruder to her... She is the worst human being ever.

Marcus is up fifth. He is a physician and sees people in their worst moments. He attacks Susie for something... and he asks Sugar if he will use part of her $ to honor her father... Of course she will. Bob... when were you ever responsible for your decisions out in the jungle? Bob says... I never had a chance to.

Randy is second to last. Randy HATES Susie.. and is almost as much of an asshole as Corrinne is. Sugar laughed at him when he was voted out and why did she do it? He was a jerk. Bob did the same thing... why? Randy doesn't want to vote for Susie... and Bob apologizes for something.. even selling out Sugar.

Matty is up last... Susie... why are the other two less deserving... I am not sure what her answer is or means... Sugar, please reveal something that she did that is evil... Good answer with... "I broke Kenny's heart." Bob, why are they more deserving? "I don't think they are..." Matty's stumped...

No final statements... it's time to vote...

Marcus' vote is hidden.
Matty votes for Susie.
Crystal's vote is hidden.
Corinne votes for Bob
Charlie's vote is hidden.
Randy says "ALl three of you... kiss my ass."
Kenny takes his time and picks... who knows?

See you in December... in Los Angeles...

Jeff walks away and then onto the live set... time to tally the votes.

Bob
Susie
Susie
Susie
Bob
Bob
Bob

WOW... that actually made me nervous... and I am glad to see him win... We are shocked that Sugar got NO votes... interesting...

Tucker's Nuts
8. Bob Crowley (16) -- WINNER
5. Susie Smith (9) -- FINISHED IN SECOND PLACE
9. Jessica Kiper (17) -- FINISHED IN THIRD PLACE
6. Matty Whitmore (12) -- FINISHED IN FOURTH PLACE
7. Randy Bailey (13) -- Booted Week Nine
1. Charlie Herschel (1) -- Booted Week Eight
3. Jacque Berg (5) -- Booted Week Three
2. Paloma Soto-Castillo (4) -- Booted Week Two
4. Michelle Chase (8) -- Booted Week One

Assshfault Warriors
1. Ken Hoang (2) -- BOOTED WEEK TWELVE (FIFTH PLACE)
7. Crystal Cox (14) -- BOOTED WEEK ELEVEN!!!!
3. Corinne Kaplan (6) -- BOOTED WEEK TEN!!!
8. Marcus Lehman (15) -- BOOTED WEEK SEVEN!!!!
2. Dan Kay (3) -- BOOTED WEEK SIX!!!!
4. Ace Gordon (7)-- BOOTED WEEK SIX!!!!
5. Kelly Czarnecki(10)-- BOOTED WEEK FIVE!!!!
6. Danny Brown aka GC (11) -- BOOTED WEEK FOUR!!!!
9. Gillian Larson(18) -- BOOTED WEEK ONE!!!!!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Rachel Getting Married Movie Going Experience

This was a difficult yet powerfully sweet movie to watch... and Anne Hathaway and the sister were awesome. My wife loved Debra Winger and I am still having trouble recognizing her... amazing.

Hennessy Commercial from the 1980s.... Or was it?

The Haunting of Molly Hartley

The Class

Synedoche, New York (Phillip Seymour Hoffman is in everything!)

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Milk Moviegoing Experience

An incredibly full and quiet movie theater... and quiet the whole movie since the movie was an incredibly powerful and awesome film.

Bond Smirnoff ad

BOD Man (Not appropriate to the audience... believe me... )

Revolutionary Road (This actually made me want to see it... )

The International