Everyone has their own taste when it comes to music.

What may be considered music to one’s ears, may be considered simply torturous to others. Just because I feel that Michael Bolton sounds like a cat getting skinned alive, and that his music is some sort of cruel joke to all of mankind, doesn’t mean that some other tone deaf person has to agree with me.

One thing is for certain, whether it is the sweet voice of Bonnie Raitt or the overrated raspy voice of Bruce who stepped in it Springsteen… if it is played at decibels to make you feel that your ears are going to bleed and it is played over and over… it can be quite torturous no matter who it is.

Everyone is aware that the prisoners at Gitmo (Guantánamo Bay) were needlessly tortured by water boarding along with other degrading and unspeakable acts. 

One of the methods used was music played repeatedly and at ear piercing levels. The songs used and some of the artists who made that music are not too happy to say the least. How would you feel if one of your songs was used to torture someone? I am sure you would be horrified.

Well, Michael Stipe of REM, along with twenty or so other artists have aired their disgust, and have banned together and formed Close Gitmo Now.   

A little info on Gitmo first, before we get into which performers are saying Gitmo has to go.

Gitmo has held nearly 800 detainees in it’s history. An alarming majority of those detainees were never charged, nor went to trial. Only THREE of those detainees have ever been convicted of a crime.To keep Gitmo open is costing tax payers MILLIONS.

So what did the spokesman for the CIA say when it came to using music as torture?
He said nuh-uh.

George Little, a CIA spokesman said:

“music was used only for security, rather than “punitive purposes”

And in a 2005 CIA document, it stated,

“loud music or white noise was needed “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”

So what tunes and artists made it to the Gitmo “top 20″?

According to the National Security Archive, they used anything from the Meow Mix jingle, to the Barney theme song. They used such artists as Marylin Manson to Britney Spears. Although the Meow Mix jingle and the Barney theme song both make me cringe and is enough to drive anyone buggy, at ANY volume… I wonder if the Meow Mix or the Barney people have a problem with the fact their music was used at Gitmo? I haven’t heard anything from either of them and I have to say, if they don’t have a problem with it, then I have a problem with them.

Why would they use the Meow Mix jingle and the Barney theme if it was just “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”?
And why were detainees subjected to “variable light patterns” while this music was played? Is the CIA going to say they wanted to have a disco effect for the detainees? Although it really wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

If the CIA claims are true, then why didn’t they just use classical music at non dangerous levels without light patterns? The term liar liar pants on fire comes to mind.

Another little pesky factor besides the CIA not having the permission of the artists to use their music, is the fact that the artist’s music was used as an interrogation tool.

So which artists are pissed and saying close Gitmo now ?
Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, REM, Pearl Jam, Roseanne Cash just to name a few.

Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown

Roseanne Cash recently appeared on The Daily Show with John Stewart to tell everyone about the petition they have created which people can sign at www.closegitmonow.org

The BBC recently reported:

REM call for Guantanamo closure

Rock bands including Pearl Jam and REM have joined a coalition of musicians to support the US president’s efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The National Campaign to Close Guantanamo, which also includes former military officers, launched on Tuesday.

Many of the artists who have signed up are angry that their music was used as an interrogation tool in the jail.

But CIA spokesman George Little said music was used only for security, rather than “punitive purposes”.

In a statement, REM said: “We have spent the past 30 years supporting causes related to peace and justice. To now learn that some of our friends’ music may have been used as part of the torture tactics without their consent or knowledge, is horrific. It’s anti-American, period.”

Other artists to sign up to the coalition include Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Roseanne Cash, Billy Bragg, Bonnie Raitt and Rage Against The Machine.

On behalf of the campaign, the National Security Archive in Washington is filing a Freedom of Information Act request seeking classified records that detail the use of loud music as an interrogation device.

‘Terrify and punish’

A report published in November 2008 by the Senate Armed Services Committee report, has already made several references to the technique.

In one case interrogators played records to “stress” a prisoner, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who believed music was forbidden.

In 2003, he was questioned while being “exposed to variable lighting patterns” and repeated plays of a song called Let the Bodies Hit the Floor by the band Drowning Pool.

Jayne Huckerby, from New York University’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, said loud music was also played at clandestine prisons run by the CIA.

Following an early information request, Ms Huckerby received a CIA document dated December 2005 in which the agency explained that the use of loud music or white noise was needed “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”.

She argued that such sounds were not a “benign security tool,” but a way “to humiliate, terrify, punish, disorient and deprive detainees of sleep, in violation of international law”.

According to the National Security Archive, tracks by AC/DC, Britney Spears, the Bee Gees and Marilyn Manson were used at Guantanamo.

The Meow mix cat food jingle, the Barney theme song and an assortment of Sesame Street tunes also were played into detainees’ cells.

But the CIA insisted any music was played “at levels far below a live rock band”.

And Major Diana Haynie, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, said loud music has not been used with detainees since the fall of 2003.

Barack Obama pledged to close the Guantanamo detention camp by January, but Republican opposition in Congress has made fulfilling that promise look less likely.

 

So one of the reasons that Gitmo remains open is due to Republican opposition?
Although I am certianly not surprised by this…. WHY ARE THEY OPPOSED?
What reasons could the Republicans have to want to keep Gitmo going?

The NY Times stated that the estimated annual cost to operate Guantánamo Bay is anywhere from $90 million to $118 million. There are 226 detainees left at Gitmo. That is a cost of $400.000 to $520.000 per detainee. To incarcerate a prisoner in a supermax prison would be $75,000 in the US. Is anyone paying attention to this simple math? Get the facts

At a time when the US is in such an economic mess due to the carnage that was left behind by the lovely Bush administration, perhaps the millions of dollars spent on keeping Gitmo open can be used elsewhere? Ya think?

Now before our comment section turns into a shouting match between Republicans and Democrats…..
and people telling me to get my facts straight, (I only report what is out there) remember that this article is about how horrible it was to use an artist’s music to torture people AND the fact that their music was used without their consent. Not to mention what it costs to keep Gitmo going.

So if you have a comment about Close Gitmo Now or the musicians who started the petition, then that is fine. But if you want to argue about what Obama has done or not done to clean up Bush’s mess that he left behind, or the BS spin and scare tactics that the Republicans are using when it comes to the health care plan, (you know who you are, you silly teabaggers) OR if you are a Michael Bolton fan, then please go argue elsewhere. *SNICKER*

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Way back in the days when vampires used to be scary instead of sexy….
Halloween was a different beast. 

In elementary school, we would get dressed up in our costumes and march around the different classrooms in the Halloween parade. We scarfed down orange frosted cupcakes and candy right in the middle of the school day. Man, that was really living!

Going Trick or Treatin’ back in the day was also very different than today. It was an art form. 

I lived smack dab in the middle of suburbia. Our house was situated within a continual maze of friendly streets and adjoining neighborhoods. We would carefully map out the best route for the most possible coverage. This  of course would insure that we would come home with a giant sack of Halloween goodness. We would travel which seemed like miles away from our house to accomplish this.

Every year we made it a point to visit the trick or treatin’ hot spots. Like the lady who always came to the door with a bowl of nickles. She used to let us grab as many as we can with one try. For some reason I can’t see that happening today, nor would kids think that it would be much of big deal to get nickles. Well, quarters maybe. *snicker*

I remember dressing up as a gypsy EVERY single year and wearing the same skirt which was passed down from my two older sisters. The costume was topped off with a kerchief on my head worn sideways, a single gold earring sewn to the kerchief and two circles of rouge on my face. (not very PC back in those days)

Every year my mother would add a few extra buttons and bells to the skirt so it would jingle when I walked ran from house to house. It really didn’t matter what my costume looked like, since my mother ALWAYS made me wear my coat over it. Of course this annoyed me to no end and sweat would always pour down my face from wearing too many clothes.

I remember one year my mother actually broke down and bought me a costume, after caving in to my sad puppy dog eyes. We were never allowed to bug my parents for things, and I always cringed when my father would say “well..we’ll see”. That used to drive me totally nuts.
 
At the department store I picked out my favorite costume out of the stack of boxes on the table, and my mother gave me the very serious ”ARE YOU SURE?” 
I nodded my head yes like a bobble head doll. Needless to say, I was beside myself with joy.

Looking back, I get so silly when I think about that costume today. It was either a princess or cinderella costume, I don’t think the box even specified. It was nothing more than a shiny piece of blue fabric cut into a square which had a slit in the back at the top of the neck with strings to tie it closed. And it probably cost all of $2.98, if that. 

“The gown” had yellow lines painted down the front to give the illusion that it had some sort of shape, and to make it look more ”gown like”. The plastic mask that came with it had blonde hair with pink painted lips that sported an eternal smile. It really was a piece of crap. But to me, this costume was the creme de la creme.

I remember I could hardly eat my dinner that night, as I knew trick or treating was just an hour away and I had visions of fellow trick or treaters ooohing and ahhhing over my magestic costume and I couldn’t wait to show it off.

I hurriedly gobbled down my dinner and put on my costume AND my coat,  *grumble* grabbed my pillow case and bolted out the door with my sisters. By the time I got to the end of the driveway, I noticed that trying to see out of my princess mask was going to be quite the challenge, especially in the dark. My eyelashes were rubbing up against the eye holes which of course were cut way too small. I didn’t notice any problem before when I tried it on in the house in the bathroom mirror. I guess I was too busy admiring the mask and did not pay attention to it’s functionality. Besides, I didn’t want my mother to think that I had made a bad choice.

My mask problems coupled with the fact that I was running in a tube sock shaped gown and trying to keep up with my sisters, didn’t make trick or treating very easy. By the time I got to the forth house, I was struggling to climb the stairs. Mainly because I just couldn’t see the stairs through the slits in that stupid mask. A layer of sweat was starting to form between my face and the mask and the elastic was already starting to tangle in my hair every time I adjusted it, which was every five minutes. I was no longer liking my princess costume and I found myself wishing that I had worn that dern gypsy skirt again.

But all that seemed to dissapear into the night as my pillow case bulged with precious candy.
FREE CANDY!

Going back home with my “loot” for the evening, I always had mixed emotions. Should I have gone down one more street? Maybe get one more Crunch bar?

Of course since my sisters were much older, many times they would drop me off and go back out. But that didn’t bother me. I was sweaty, tired and looking forward to the best part of the evening …
which was the almighty candy sort.

Apples (why did people hand out apples?) and unwrapped candy were tossed immediately and all the yucky candy like Mary Janes and “old people hard candy” was thrown in the “icky” pile. My Dad always had dibbs on the Hershey candy bars with almonds, but I didn’t mind one bit. It wasn’t my favorite candy bar back then.

I think my favorite candy bars as a child were Milky Ways and Nestle Crunch Bars. Besides my other candy favorites, which were Candy Dots, Twizzlers, Chuckles, (not the green one) Good n Plenty, Pixie Stix, and Jujubes. I never liked the wax whistles and lips. I couldn’t understand why kids would chew on those huge balls of wax. Yuck! Even back then I thought that was gross. 
Ironically today, my favorite candy bar is the Hershey bar with almonds. I find it’s simplicity equisite. *snicker*
But Good n Plenty and Twizzlers are still very dear to my heart.

So back to the trick or treating after glow….
My parents would let me choose a few pieces of candy to eat and then it was off to bed. Another one of my favorite holidays was done for the year. But at least the candy would last for weeks.

These days, I don’t hand out candy on Halloween any more.
I used to.
I would make trays of goodie bags stuffed with candy and even dressed up to hand the candy out. But now I only make goodie bags for the little ones in my neighborhood of the families of whom I am friendly with.

I stopped handing out candy when I noticed that there were really BIG and much older kids that were trick or treating. College kids. Most of these older kids didn’t even wear costumes when they came to my door. Apparently to them, wearing a “hoodie” with the hood up was considered costume.

Some of the kids, although younger, were being dropped off by their parents by CAR. An SUV would pull up on the corner of our street and about 5-8 kids would jump out. Can you imagine that? Trick or treating by car? That’s all I would have to do is ask my parents to drive us around trick or treating. They would have laughed us into the following year. NOBODY did that back then. Besides, what fun would that have been?

So between the trick or treating college kids and the other kids that were being bussed into our neighborhood, it just kind of disgusted me and I said that’s it, no more.

We decided to turn off our lights and keep our door closed. We thought that would suffice. After all, when were were kids, we never went to houses that didn’t have lights on, that was the rule. But that didn’t stop the kids around my way from ringing our bell and knocking on the door. So rather than sitting through the constant door bell ringing while trying to watch TV, we said the hell with it and decided to go out for dinner.

Our Halloween tradition these days consists of going out to dinner and perhaps a cocktail.
Gone are the days of making trays of goodie bags and going to costume parties and staying out till all hours of the night.

Tomorrow night, I will wear my black jacket and my rhinestone spider pin out to dinner. That is the extent of my costume these days. Although today I don’t have to wear my coat over it if I don’t want to. *snicker*

And to my Mom…
for all the years I put up such a fuss when I was a kid about wearing that hand me down gypsy skirt another year, I have to admit that the store bought princess costume that you reluctantly bought me was not nearly as grand as I imagined it would be. I guess mothers are always right. 

Who would of thought that the gypsy skirt that I loathed so much as a child, would end up being my fondest memory of Halloween today. *smile*

A very safe and Happy Halloween to you all!

I’ll take Johnny Depp please!
Is that the way the clients of California Cryobank sperm bank order their baby makers?

Apparently the California Cryobank has come up with the idea of matching up their sperm donors with famous celebrity faces. Are they genius entrepreneurs helping their clients make a tough decision of who they should pick as their baby daddy? Or are they just trying to make more money than other sperm banks by claiming their donors are celebrity look alikes? Or both?

How does this sperm bank match their donor’s faces with celebrities? With high tech face-recognition? Nope!
Employees of Cryobank sit around a table and put the donor’s pictures up on a screen and argue which celebrity looks like that donor the most. When they come to a consensus, they add that information to the donor’s file, and then the donor’s name goes into a huge data bank. Clients can then search the data base for a donor by which celebrity they want their child to look like.

Although clients are not allowed to see the donor’s ACTUAL picture by law, clients can  search for a potential donor by picking out a celebrity name.

Too superficial?
How will the general public weigh in on this?

I wonder if someone will pass up a donor with a better IQ, for a donor that looks like Mario Lopez? I also wonder if people out there will pick a celebrity look alike in hopes on trying to cash in on their offspring down the line, especially if their child ends up as a dead ringer of a celebrity.

Hey Kate Gosselin, this has your name all over it! Only eight kids? What’s the big deal? The Duggars have you beat by a landslide! It can be your new show! “Kate Plus Eight Plus Elvis!”
And remember Kate, there is a plus side besides the new show…which ever donor you pick… he can’t take money out of your bank account! 

Now I have seen just about every way there is to make a buck in the ol’ USA, and a lot of it ain’t too pretty. And there are some wackos out there who may try to claim that their child is the child of an actual celebrity. I wouldn’t put it past them. Far fetched? Perhaps.

But take the case  of a women trying to collect millions from Keanu Reeves. She is claiming that he is the father of at least one of her four adult children.  *snicker*
Even though Reeves took a DNA test to prove that he wasn’t the father, and he also said he never met the women, she still isn’t backing off. 
What did Reeves have to say about this whole ordeal? 
Rest assured, he didn’t say, ”eeeeeexcellent!” *snicker*

Of course Cryobank does have a disclaimer to cover their butts in this overly litigious world:

“No celebrity is meant as an exact match for any donor, nor should you assume that your future children will look like any celebrity listed.”

NBC’s Today Show covered the sperm bank story, and on this video, you can see the employees sitting around a table with the donor’s picture on a screen and trying to figure out who the donors most resemble. Man, where do I sign up for this cream puff gig?

Scott Brown, communication manager of the California Cryobank said to NBC TODAY,

“It’s not that our donors look like celebrities, it’s that celebrities look like our donors,”

Oh! I see what he did there…. he is SO crafty!

You can also pick a young or older version of the celebrity too. Perhaps you would like a young Sean Connery as OO7, or the older more sophisticated Sean Connery. The choice is yours!

There are MANY stars as well as athletes listed in their data base. And let’s not forget musicians and the less than famous celebs. You can pick from Eddie Van Halen to Jackass reality star Stev-O!
I kid you not, he is on the list.
Wow, seriously…if anyone picks the Steve-O look alike, I am afraid I just don’t understand, unless he is a nuclear physicist.

 
So are there people out there opposed to this celebrity look alike baby daddy factory? YES.

Some snippets from NBC’s TODAY,

The program has its share of critics, especially in the bioethics world. University of Albany professor Bonnie Steinbock bashed California Cryobank’s celebrity-match program on CNN, saying, “There’s something strange about a culture that has stratified rigid types of beauty where everyone looks alike; now they’re trying to create children through who the actor of the moment is.”

Brown’s defense:

Not so, says Brown. While the process may seem superficial, it is actually extremely helpful in guiding prospective parents through a stressful and often confusing time, he asserts.

“Seem superficial”?
Some people would argue that it is superficial. But don’t people have the right to choose which donor they want for whatever reason, since they are the ones paying for it? And what if it does help the client make their choice?

Take the opinion of a perspective Mom who was trying to pick a donor:

“I’m flipping through the catalog with a friend of mine, feeling like I was about to recruit a basketball team, because it was just all stats.” And while she whittled down her list, the Cryobank couldn’t show her a picture of the donor — but it could tell her one of her finalists resembled Freddie Prinze Jr.
“For me, that clinched it right then and there,” she said. “I’ve always found him attractive!”

Freddie Prinze Jr.? Really? That clinched it for her? To each their own.

So matching a face to a donor may actually make some clients feel more at ease about who they pick, or actually help them to decide who to pick. I hope people have the good sense to pick donors with good qualities, rather than picking a donor because they like Orlando Bloom.
But then again, this is the land of the SUPER DUPER superficial, so nothing would surprise me.

I wonder if Cryobank’s business will be booming?

I can see it now…
Mothers with their kids are at the playground and one mother says to another,
“wow your little boy really looks like Leonardo DiCaprio! Any relation?” 

The proud Mom says, “Well no, it was donor #09756-QL5, we were really big fans of the movie Titanic, so that’s why we went with him”.

I guess if there is one guy who is a real dead ringer of a handsome celebrity, he will be in big demand and asked to come back quite often. There can be a panic at Cryobank if they run out!  What happens then?

It may go something like this:

“OMG! We are fresh out of the Ryan Reynolds look alike! Get 9087-K490L on the phone stat! Tell him we have some new vids and magazines! Yeah I know he has been in twice a day for the past month and he’s a bit tender… Chain him down again if you have to, until he puts out. We are in the baby making business people!”

MORE???

I guess in the long run it can become quite a lucrative and fun “job” if you are a celebrity look alike donor. What guy wouldn’t want this gig? At $50- $75 a pop, I am surprised that there is a job shortage for men in the US! Hell, they ain’t getting paid for doing it at home!

Tough luck for all you donors out there who look like Gary Busey (sorry Gary) or OJ Simpson. (not sorry OJ)

I imagine their “stuff” wouldn’t have too many takers and is probably passed up for the gloopus of a more hunkier looking celebrity look alike.

But things may not work out exactly the way you have planned. Even though you picked out your favorite celeb look alike, don’t forget there is a 50/50 chance that your child may be a girl and you may end up with a pretty scary looking child! And I am more than sure that Cryobank does not issue refunds for fuglies.

Very Scary Indeed!

I bet some clients just won’t really care if the donor they picked has only two brain cells….
Just as long as their celebrity knock off looks good in a tux!

Looks like Dr. Phil has a wacky gold digger to contend with.

Shirley Dieu, is alleging that Dr. Phil AND his crew, held her captive, brainwashed her, touched her naughty bits, and also paraded a nude man in front of her when she partook in a Dr. Phil’s House show.

Wow! Where can I sign up? Sounds like one hell of a weekend! *snicker*

I only mentioned some of the more juicier claims by Shirley. There are a hell of a lot more. AND she waited two years to file the case after the supposed “incidents” occurred.
She claimed that she was too afraid. Now I can understand her being afraid of Oprah…. But Dr. Phil?

Oh wait… Oprah owns Dr. Phil’s butt. I guess her claim of being afraid does sound like a reasonable explanation now. I kid.

Shirley filed her lawsuit in LA yesterday, and she will be representing herself. *laughs holding sides*
I wonder how they kept a straight face when they saw her lawsuit?

Wow, representing yourself, huh Shirley?
No surprise there. What lawyer in their right mind would even touch this case with a ten foot pole?
After all Johnnie Cochran is gone. *snicker*

Apparently, Shirley is not a stranger to filing cases. She has a history of being slightly litigious to say the least AND to make this case more snarkier, she filed for bankruptcy last year. Sounds like Shirley is in need of some cash.

A snippette from People:

“It’s unclear how much she is seeking in damages but Dieu – who filed a malpractice suit against an Orange County hospital in 2002 and sued a car dealership in 2007 – is acting as her own attorney, and her filing is filled with misspellings and grammatical errors.”

“Misspellings and Grammatical errors?” Sounds like I filed it! *HA!*

Eonline had the whole story:

Dr. Phil’s Bedside Manner: Brainwashing, Groping, Falsely Imprisoning?

We don’t know what the disease was, but this is one instance where the treatment was definitely worse. Much, much, creepily worse, if the allegations are true.

Dr. Phil McGraw was on the receiving end of a bizarre and damning, to say the least, lawsuit yesterday, with a former female patient of his alleging that the TV doctor and select members of his production staff held her captive, brainwashed her and subjected her to constant exposure by a naked man, among other accusations.

As if that weren’t enough, she also claims that McGraw even once groped her during a therapy session.

All told, the 56-year-old Shirley Dieu is suing McGraw, Paramount Pictures, which produces his show and on whose lot the alleged captivity took place, two show producers and another doctor, for brainwashing, indecent exposure, illegal touching assault and battery, public ridicule and humiliation, mental and physical abuse, fraud, negligence and intentional harm, practicing without a license, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and preventing a witness from reporting a crime.

That’s it—one more batch of scandalous talk show host allegations and we’re looking at a trend.

Dieu is representing herself in the case and filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday over the incidents, which she claims went down almost exactly two years ago to the day. There’s no word on why she waited so long to file the suit, but more pressing legal matters could be to blame. Dieu filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and seems to have a rather sue-happy past.

As for the current list of alleged wrongdoings, Dieu claims they took place between Oct. 9 and Oct. 11, 2007.

While she does not specify why or for what ailment she sought Dr. Phil’s assistance, she claims she was held captive in his Hollywood studio, itself bordered by 12-foot walls and fences, where despite repeated attempts to escape she was told to stay and even physically prevented from leaving.

She claims she was unethically and illegally being treated by McGraw, who she claims is not licensed to practice in California. And while her diagnosis is unclear, she makes no bones about the prescription.

Dieu claims she was “forced to be in the same room with a completely naked live man while he exposed his entire naked body, genitals and all.”

During her involuntary stay, she says staff not only prevented her from leaving but cut the phone lines when she attempted to call 911. She says she was denied access to her cell phone and was routinely promised food, books and other items which never materialized.

At one point, she claims she “was told to sit in one spot for an unrealistic amount of time and told to not leave her seat.” When she attempted to get up, she was “touched inappropriately in order to prevent her from escaping.”

Dieu also says she was “brainwashed to trust her captures” and “programmed” to believe she was in a safe environment and receiving “real therapy from a licensed doctor.”

According to the court documents, she says she suffered public ridicule and humiliation when she was subjected to edited tapings that “mislead the public” and warped her depicted personality.

As for the TV doctor, she claims that during an Oct. 9 therapy session with Dr. Phil, she “was touched on her left breast.” She went on to say that she was afraid to say anything about it at the time, but that she was “touched improperly” by some of the other defendants (other than McGraw, she doesn’t name names).

 She claims the experience resulted in severe trauma and caused her to seek therapy—well, more therapy—and led to her hospitalization.

She is seeking unlimited general damages, punitive damages, exemplary damages, fees and court costs.

Now I am not a fan of Dr. Phil in ANY capacity.
First off, he is NOT a doctor. I find his voice very annoying, and I can not stand his ”Dr. Phil-isms”.
Like…”You are prettier than a speckled pup in a red wagon“. (someone actually said that to me in Tennesee once… I almost married him)

Sorry Shirley…
I just can’t picture Dr. Phil, ”the chrome dome” sexually or mentally abusing anyone. And it makes me queasy just to think about it. *shudder*
I wonder if his wife Robin calls him “Quick Draw McGraw”?
*double shudder*

I digress…
So I think it is safe to say that Dr. Phil won’t be spending any time in the pokey. I can be wrong though. 
You never know. I was a bit shocked over the whole David Letterman scandal.
But if I am wrong… I will eat my hat. (note to self… buy a hat)

After Dr. Phil was made aware of Shirley’s lovely lawsuit and he stopped laughing, (I can only assume) he had this comment:

“All of Shirley Rae Dieu’s claims are without merit. As with all of the occupants of the DR. PHIL House, Ms. Dieu participated voluntarily, having submitted her personal story with the hope that she could confront, and overcome, her individual issues.”

I think that is a nice way of Dr. Phil telling Shirley to stick it wear the sun don’t shine.

Perhaps Dr. Phil can offer Shirely some much needed counseling?
Oh snap!

This story really puzzled me. I really liked Randy Quaid. I enjoyed him in the FIRST National Lampoon’s Vacation and of course Kingpin, just to name a few, but I  had no idea that Quaid and his wife were such scumbags.

I was shocked to read that Randy and his wife skipped out of a local hotel after racking up a $10,000 bill. I was more shocked when I read that this wasn’t the first time they did this and that they were on the lamb.

They were later caught and arrested in Texas. They were charged with three felony counts. One of those was for burglary. WTF did they take ALL the towels from the hotel? Having their credit card declined was the icing on the cake. Wow.

Either they are flat broke, or maybe drugs are involved? I find it hard to believe that the Quaids would just do this for kicks.

So I dug a little and found out they also went after CBS a long time ago and also went after the makers of Brokeback Mountain.

Hmmm… I am starting to see a pattern of delusional thinking and a “the world owes us everything” complex.

 Eonline wrote:

It seems not even Hollywood stars are above the odd dine-and-dash. Or, in Randy Quaid’s  case, resort-and-dash.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department has issued arrest warrants for the actor and his wife, Evi Quaid, after the duo allegedly skipped out on a $10,000-plus bill at a local hotel.

“The three charges that both are facing are burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy,” sheriff’s spokesman Drew Sugars tells E! News. “All three are felonies in this case.”

While the reason for the defraud charge is apparent, the conspiracy and burglary counts were included as officers believe that the couple—who seem to have a history have a history of this type of behavior—never had any intention of paying for their stay.

Authories have not identified the hotel in question, but, according to RadarOnline, back in June the couple cozied up at the ultraluxe San Ysidro Ranch, only to be notified soon after their arrival that their credit card had been declined. The Quaids, who were nonetheless allowed to continue with their stay, told hotel management they were waiting for a replacement card to be sent to them.

In the meantime, they continued racking up their five-figure tab, eventually departing from the ranch a week later. Unfortunately, as went the Quaids, so went any hope of payment.

After what the hotel claims were multiple attempts at recouping the bill, management turned to police, who launched an investigation into the matter.

Should the on-the-lam duo be caught, their bail has been set at $20,000 each.

Randy Quaid no longer has a publicist and, like the sheriff’s department, we were unable to reach him for comment.

UPDATE: The Quaids were arrested in Marfa, Texas, Thursday for allegedly rooming and running at a local hotel. Bail has been set at $20,000 each.

To add to the drama, some snipettes from RadarOnline :

RadarOnline.com spoke to a source close to the investigation, who confirmed that Randy and Evi also owe the Hotel Bel-Air $17,000 in unpaid hotel bills and are holding on to a rental car that has been reported missing by Hertz Rent-A-Car.

Sources tell RadarOnline.com that Randy and Evi failed to return their rental car and are currently keeping it stashed away at their home in Marfa, Texas.

 
Back in 2008, RadarOnline reported:

26 members of the Lone Star Lovecast claimed Randy physically and verbally abused them, the Actors’ Equity Association banned the “Brokeback Mountain” star — brother of actor Dennis Quaid — for life and fined him more than $81,000 in February 2008.

 
From TMZ:

Randy Quaid’s wife allegedly went nuts on four people, claiming they were all a part of a Hitleresque plot against her husband.

Hitleresque plot?  *holding my sides while laughing* 
Yeah, ok Evi…. Paranoid much?

I guess I have been living under a rock. I had no idea that the Quaids were such loons. Randy Quaid has been in a myriad of movies over the years. Perhaps his hook up with nutty wife Evi has caused him to go off the deep end and throw his career away. 

Even if they are off their nuts, do the Quaids actually think that they are above the law and wouldn’t eventually be caught? Or are they drug addicts and just don’t give a crap?

I mean, this isn’t the 1970’s when stars got away with a lot more shenanigans way back when. What makes them think they can get away with running up hotel bills, stealing from hotels and not returning a rental car? *shakes head*. Sounds like they could be fueling a hefty cocaine addiction to me. Just saying….

In the words from the theme song from the 1970’s show Baretta … “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time”
(Speaking of which… Rober Blake? *cough* )

Not quite sure if the courts will only be giving the Quaids slaps on the wrists. Considering that this was not the first time they did this, their history of nuttiness and the amounts they owe these hotels are pretty darn steep.

If they only receive a slap on the wrist, then I blame the courts for letting stars live above the law. It happens all the time. Hello George Michael and other stars! You know who you are.

I sincerely doubt a slap on the wrist would act like much of a deterrent from the Quaids pulling another Bonnie and Clyde in the near future. I think their crimes would only get bigger.

Hey Quaids! Why not knock off a bank next? Who cares? After all you are the Mighty Quaids! Right?

I don’t think I will ever look at Randy Quaid again the same. And Evi? Never cared about her in the first place. Throw her punk ass in jail.

Randy on the other hand, seems to be getting more and more nuttier like his alto ego, “Cousin Eddy” every day. Ewwwww!

UPDATED PHOTO FROM ARREST:

Yes the news is out. Dawn turns the big 4-0 tomorrow. Many great things have happened on August 15th. It was the first day of Woodstock, and back in the 60’s the Beatles played Shea Stadium, just to name a few.

Many talented people were born on the 15th, including Julia Child, jazz great, Oscar Peterson, Sir Walter Scott, and oh yeah…. Dawn of Glosslip.

Dawn’s Birthday also happens to fall on the same day as Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. I know how tickled she  is about that. *snicker* 
I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to a very special lady.
Queen also wishes Dawn good health, wealth and romance. That should about cover it.

Happy Birthday Dawn!

If your planning a trip to the Big Apple, perhaps you might fancy a celebrity to show you around town? Who wouldn’t like that? Well, it’s completley possible now. Huh? Yep! I kid you not. A company called The Big Apple Greeters has been hooking up celebs with tourists to really give them a big welcome to New York City. One couple who participated in a tour, even had lunch with their celeb!
Now before you start thinking that this little outing would only be  a pipe dream because it would be way out of your price range, think again… IT’S ABSOLUTELY FREE!
What’s the catch? NONE! Well, of course they are not going to pay for your hotel or how you get there. DUH. But the tour is FREE!

The Big Apple Greeters have been around since 1992, and have volunteers showing out of towners their neighborhoods, and other places of interest. But now the greeters include volunteer celebrities. Tiki Barber and Sopranos star Dominic Chianese were on hand at City Hall recently to advertise that they are more than willing to hang out with people for the day. How cool is that?
I am sure NY would be a lot more fun if Dominic aka Corrado Jr. Soprano who was born and raised in the Bronx showed you around the Bronx and then shared a plate of ronies and some Chianti after. Salute!

The Associated Press reported:

NYC group offers literal way to follow the stars.
Tourists like to spot celebrities in New York City. Now they can hang out with them.
A volunteer tour organization called Big Apple Greeters is offering free personalized tours led by celebrities. Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber and “Sopranos” star Dominic Chianese were at City Hall on Wednesday to advertise their services.

Barber says he recently showed a Colorado couple around town and had lunch with them at one of his favorite spots.

Chianese says he loves New York and wants to show visitors a good time.

Organizers say celebrity hosts can’t be requested and will be randomly assigned. The tours are free.

Really, how can you beat this offer? Someone can show you NY who really knows and loves the area, you get to meet a celebrity and hang out, take some pics to show off your friends and family and again, it is FREE!
Sounds like it’s too good to be true!
But don’t take my word for it, you can visit their website and see for yourself.

Some snippets from the Big Apple Greeters website:

Founded in 1992 with a mission to enhance New York City’s worldwide image and enrich the New York experience by connecting visitors with knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers. Big Apple Greeter’s core program is its free-of-charge Greeter program which connects visitors with New Yorkers of all ages, conversant in over 20 languages. Greeters, who are all volunteers, accompany visitors on 2-4 hour informal visits to New York City’s neighborhoods in all five boroughs.

Big Apple Greeter is a non-profit organization that matches visitors with friendly and enthusiastic New Yorkers who are happy to share the city they love. A wonderful experience for families, friends and individuals traveling solo, Greeters help travelers feel welcome and get more from their stay in the Big Apple.

The New Yorkers who serve as Greeters are all volunteers, come from varied backgrounds and can welcome visitors in 22 languages. The office staff, also mostly volunteers, matches Greeters to visitors according to language, neighborhoods requested, and interests, when possible.

Who knows, maybe you will get the chance to be rub elbows with Donald Trump over some caviar in the city that never sleeps! Well I wouldn’t consider that much of a treat, and I highly doubt The Donald (eeew) would volunteer his precious time, of course unless it involved making him money in some way. For me? I would rather hang with Dominic Chianese any day.
I think this is a GREAT program and I totally approve! And the FREE part aint’ so bad either!

The Big Apple Awaits You!

But what they ended up with was Big Bang Fact:  If one uses enough explosives, one will rock a town:

“It was a boom that was just — I had never heard anything like that before, it was really weird,” said Sherril Stephens.

The explosion was so big it shook the town of Esparto, knocking Stephens off her couch and breaking her front window.

“Course all the neighbors ran out into the street. We didn’t know what was going on,” said Paul Williams, who heard the explosion.

Some people said they thought it was a plane crash, others, a house explosion.

The smoke and dust rose from the site about a mile from town.

It turns out the Discovery channel’s Mythbusters were taping an episode there.

They were trying to literally “knock the socks off” a mannequin by igniting 500 pounds of ammonium nitrate. But the explosion was a lot bigger than they expected.

“It felt like a house blew up, straight up,” said Paul Williams.

Williams was working at local school when he said he heard and felt the big boom.

“We were just scrambling to find out what was going on because we got kids out on the playground,” Williams said.

Williams said the school and others in town should have been notified the blast was going to happen.

Chief Barry Burns, of Esparto Fire Department, had several firefighters on hand for the explosion. He said he made the decision not to notify anyone in town for safety sake.

“Mythbusters is supposed to be a really popular show. Everybody would have been out there. We would have had to cancel it because it would have been too dangerous,” Burns said.

For most people like Stephens they don’t mind the inconvenience.

Stephens’ window was replaced that same day compliments of Mythbusters.

“It was fun, really fun,” Stephens said.

Now, she said she can’t wait to see the show.

Mythbusters told KCRA 3 they replaced a handful of broken windows.

There is no word on when the episode they taped there will air.

Hay guize…I got some windows that could do with some replacing that I can’t afford to have done, so if you ever want to tape an episode where you blow something up in a cornfield surrounded by more cornfield, feel free to give me a holla, okay?  (brosnanfan (at) gmail (dot) com)

I know that the video (the sound cuts out towards the end, I don’t know why, it isn’t my video, who are you to judge???) is not of the explosion mentioned in the article, but it is cool nonetheless, and it is one of my favorites…of course, featuring the exploding pen from GoldenEye.  What did you expect from me?  How long you been reading here?

That’s all I got.  And remember…please don’t try this at home.  We’re what you call experts.  I’m outta here!

Thank God, it’s Friday!

I was just transported back to 1987 when I saw this video.  I totally remember when this movie came out…yeah, it was pretty cheezy and corny, but come on.  Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd.  Whaddya gonna do?

I love how Dan is just basically doing the Blues Brothers dance with a new partner.  He only knows a few steps, but the ones he knows he does with conviction, and isn’t that what counts?  And what’s not to like about Tom Hanks, pre-Oscar?  He’s still in his nutty, zany phase in this movie, and so what?  He wears it well.  (Oh, and cookie if you catch the one second clip at the end.)

This movie holds a special place in my heart…no, not because of its wonderful cinematic qualities or the many awards it won or because of the uplifting, heartwarming message it conveys, but because I had a best friend/pseudo boyfriend (he never really could make up his mind, which is probably why he never moved up the ladder to “real boyfriend”) at the time who was Dan Aykroyd’s Joe Friday personified.  He looked like him, he dressed like him, he acted like him, he could do the Joe Friday impression, he even worked in the police station and had a blue shirt.  Ah, memories…

Maybe I’m sharing too much with you people.

I so know what DVD I’m gonna rent this weekend!

Well, that’s all I got.  Now you kids be good and be sure to put away your goatskin pants when you’re done with them.  I’m outta here!

You won’t have Michael Jackson to kick around any more!

Well, he did it…Michael Jackson, frail and tottering and acting drugged, made the announcement that he is definitely playing London one last time (I’ll still believe it when I see it):

[The] trembling, gaunt figure in front of the microphone stumbled over his words just long enough to tell everyone he loved them – before saying an emotional goodbye. [...]

‘This really is it,’ he said. ‘When I say this is it, it really means this is it.’

And just in case anyone failed to pick up on the message, he added: ‘This is the final curtain call.’

Quite whether that was worth a five-hour wait in the refrigerator temperatures of the 02 Arena was the subject of much discussion afterwards among those who had so loyally endured the queueing marathon.

What was billed as a press conference turned out to be four minutes that failed to change the world. But, don’t worry. There will doubtless be masses of hyped up non-events like this one throughout what is certain to become the Summer of Jacko. [...]

It has been 12 years since he toured, the last several of which have been shadowed by erratic behaviour, tarnished reputation and concerns over his health.

He might have been punching the air and giving victory signs yesterday but his heavily-caked face failed to mask the uncomfortable impression that here was a middle-aged man who looked and acted as if he was on painkillers.

Now, don’t forget this is in London, so you’re going to have to pony up some dough; after you pay air fare, tickets for Michael’s shows should run around $70-$106 USD (£50 and £75 UKP).

Also this week, Britney Spears kicked off her new Circus tour, with tickets going anywhere from $90-$750 a pop.  So, this beggars the question:  In this recession, when people are losing their homes and being laid off left and right and wondering just how they are going to put dinner on the table, would YOU pay that kind of money for tickets?  I think you already know my answer.

Thinking of these two also brought to mind this snippet, talking about how both Brit and Michael are horrors to work with in the recording studio:

If only Britney Spears could sing in studio the way she’s able to cash in on her All American smile she’d be much more pleasant to work with, according to one of her New York record producers. The shapelessness of her psyche during recording sessions transcends into a living recording hell. The incensed producer said Spears has the blank schizoid fever of white southern trash when it comes to laying down her vox. “She’s the only artist I’ve ever worked with where it takes at least 250 takes to record a vocal,” the producer told IUC. “If you could hear just her voice tracks on solo play you’d have to block your ears. You hear the blank tones of her annoying southern drawl. Simon Cowell would have a heart attack hearing her.”
Another pop icon the producer had stirring memories working with was Michael Jackson. “Michael was impossible to deal with from the second he stepped in my studio,” the Grammy award winning producer said. “He requested mineral water from Norway and refused to wear headphones to record his vocal. That’s the biggest nightmare to work with. Imagine, no headphones and all the background noise filtering through. It’s almost impossible to clean up in post production.”

Searching through videos, I found this little gem of Michael and Britney performing together at Madison Square Garden in 2001  (sadly, shortly before the terrorist attacks).  It shows that even as recently as 2001, Michael could still sorta-kinda bring it (even though this was basically a rehash of a previous Grammy performance) and Britney looked pretty good pre-Kevin, although all Brit does is wander back and forth across the stage and shakes her booty a little while leaving Michael to do the actual work.  It just ticks me off that they goofed with a great MJ song…you know, from back when he was actually trying.  Putting Brit’s voice on there made it toothachingly awful…at least we know Michael can sing when he wants to.

Well, y’all enjoy…I’m outta here!