WHICH QUENTIN TARANTINO CHARACTER AM I?

Well, that's a question that's been on my mind for years. Now, thanks to a quiz on Facebook, I finally have the answer:

Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction

A tough guy with a taste for the best foods (five dollar shakes and Royals with cheese) Vince is loyal, reliable, dependable, a good dancer, and the guy you want plunging a needle into your heart if you ever accidentally snort heroin.

I never thought I was that good a dancer, but I do like those five dollar shakes and Royals with cheese.

BABE OF THE WEEK: 80s ROCK BABE EDITION

This week's babe is my favorite Bangle, Susanna Hoffs. Susanna is also my favorite member of Ming Tea. She single-handedly made The Allnighter almost watchable. And she's the only person who could make me even consider walking like an Egyptian. If you want to see more of Susanna, check out her Myspace page and the official Bangles website.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY:SEPTEMBER 28, 1973

On this date in 1973, a bomb was detonated at the IT&T building in New York.  The device was placed in the company's Latin American section.  It caused extensive damage to several offices, but no one was killed or injured.  Another bomb was detonated that day at IT&T's Rome headquarters.  The Weather Undergound took responsibility for the bombings, which they claimed were in retaliation for the company's role in the coup that took place in Chile earlier that month. 

Further reading:

Wikipedia - List of Weatherman actions

1001 USES FOR DUCT TAPE

Better make that 1002. I'm not normally an advocate of taking the law into your own hands, but sometimes... Check out the video below from WTEN News10, and you'll see where duct tape and justice intersect.



Further reading:
WTEN - Local VFW enacts own form of justice against flag burner
Albany Times Union - Flag action draws salutes

And remember folks, duct tape is like The Force in Star Wars: It has a light side. It has a dark side. It holds the universe together.

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"This is television, that's all it is. It has nothing to do with people, it has to do with ratings! For fifty years, we've told them what to eat, what to drink, what to wear... for Christ's sake, Ben, don't you understand? Americans love television. They wean their kids on it. Listen. They love game shows, they love wrestling, they love sports and violence. So what do we do? We give 'em what they want! We're number one, Ben, that's all that counts, believe me. I've been in the business for thirty years."

-Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), The Running Man (1987)

SPAM SAMMICH

Here are more tasty treats from my email spam filter:

I very cheerful and optimistical girl
Really? Well I very cynical and pessimistical guy.  Whaddya think of that?

Your last chance
You said that the last time.  And the time before that.

Clinton crossed the line
Again? What did Hillary do to him this time? If she kicked him in the nads again , I hope she videotaped it.

Videos of explosions
Demolition p0rn, my favorite.  Ok, second favorite.

Hola, remember our chat?
Buenos días.  No, no recuerdo.

Your IP is watched
Keep your eyes off my IP!  Pervert.

Catch envious looks in changing room
I better not be catching ANY looks in the changing room.  And keep your eyes off my IP, dammit!

Why didn't you appear?
Transporter malfunction. Sorry. Scotty's trying to figure out what the problem is.

Take the blue pilule and she will show you how far the rabbit hole goes.
Hopefully it goes all the way to a dictionary that has a definition for pilule.

I can't find my love
Your love will be in the last place you look. Just like everything else you have trouble finding.

The magic melody for your ?flute?!
No, thanks. Got anything for a bassoon?

May you live a happy life!
May I?  Please?

From Mrs Elizabeth M.Tinambacan
I know her. She's the lady in Nigeria with $70 million to give me, right? Just leave it in a bag on my front steps. Thanks.

Cialis-new intimae fragrance
A Cialis fragrance? What does it smell like, a hardon?

Climb her hot Everest!
I thought Everest was covered in snow and ice. What gives? Is this because of global warming? Does Al Gore know?

'Taylor the Tailor' helps stars dress for success 49 min
How long does it take to dress for failure

Restless sticking ability is true!
No it isn't. I looked it up on Snopes. Restless sticking ability is FALSE.

I shall write more about myself
Go for it. Science fiction is very popular these days. Fantasy too.

And each of them said, 'How wise we are
And each of them was wrong.

Are you not against closer to dialogue?
I am not against being opposed to closer dialog, provided it's done far way.

I will be happy to learn you closer
Don't be too sure of that.

Make your hammering fantastic
My hammering's fine. Got anything to improve my screwdriving?

I am very single
Usually, "a little bit single" is sufficient.

I has decided to write to you
I is delighted to be hearing that.

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe, actress Kathleen McClellan, played Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend Melissa in the Seinfeld episode "The Apology." This episode explained the difference between "good naked" and "bad naked." I'll leave it to you to decide which category Kathleen would fit. If you didn't see "The Apology," and you're desperate to know what the hell I'm blogging about, you can read the script here.

LIFE GOES ON... AND ON... AND ON...

Notes from my life:

Three of the four people in my house have been sick. I'm not sure if it's the pig flu, sinus infections, or just bad colds, but we've been coughing and hacking for the past few days. And there's been sinus congestion, lot's of sinus congestion. I felt so bad last Friday that I took a sick day. That's something I almost never do, by the way. My younger daughter is (so far) the only one unaffected (or is that uninfected?). I'm not quite over it yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My wife, on the other hand, is still in the middle of it. She has coughing fits that keep her awake at night. They keep me awake at night too. Misery loves company, right?

The new TV season has started, but nothing has really caught my attention yet. I'm still waiting for 24 and Chuck, but I guess we won't see either of those until after next year. For now, I'll have to settle for my Friday night shows: Monk and Psych. It's just as well, maybe I'll do more reading.

I had to take a computer based training (CBT) course at work yesterday. Mind-numbing dullness of epic proportions. I finished it twenty-four hours ago and my brain is still fogged over.

I won the most recent weekend caption contest over at RT's. Special thanks to RT for judging my snarkification worthy of note.

I've been trying to bring my lunch to work more, as opposed to buying some tasty-but-deadly fast food. I was out shopping for something for sandwiches when I saw this shaved French dip deli fresh meat from Oscar Mayer in the store, so I decided to give it a try. It gets a very enthusiastic thumbs-up. It's not cheap, but it's worth the price. And it still costs less than that Five Guys bacon double cheeseburger I might otherwise have.

I was thinking about this post at Searching For A New Tomorrow, and one of my comments about it, when a certain Seinfeld episode came to mind.

I can't wait for Friday. I hope the weather's good this weekend. I have a pool to close and a deck to stain.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 22, 1975

On this date in 1975, 45 year old Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in San Francisco, CA.  The attempt--which came seventeen days after Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme tried to kill the President--was foiled by a bystander named Oliver Sipple (he's the man on the left in the photo above, reaching for the gun).  Sipple, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, grabbed the gun as Moore pointed it at President Ford.  The gun discharged, but the bullet missed the President.

Moore had previously been investigated by the Secret Service, but they concluded she was not a threat.  Well, nobody's perfect, not even the feds.  She was arrested on an illegal weapons charge the day before the assassination attempt, but was released by the police.  I guess the local cops aren't perfect either.

Sara Jane Moore was convicted of attempted assassination and sentenced to life in prison.  She was paroled on December 31, 2007 at the age of 77.

Further reading:

Time - "The Assailant: The Making of a Misfit"

Wikipedia - Sara Jane Moore

DEPLOY THE "LASER"

And you thought Sean Penn went to great lengths to foil the paparazzi.

'Anti-paparazzi' device fitted to Abramovich yacht

The London-based Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is reported to have fitted his 550ft mega-yacht Eclipse with the ultimate deterrent. Not content with anti-missile defence system to thwart pirates and terrorists, and a mini-submarine in which to escape should all else fail, he has apparently ordered a laser shield designed to 'knock out' photographers' digital cameras.

According to a report in the Sunday Times, it uses infrared lasers to detect the electronic light sensors - known as charge-coupled devices - in any cameras being operated nearby. "When the system detects such a device," the paper reports, "it fires a focused beam of light at the camera, disrupting its ability to record a digital image".

I guess it's safe to say that this guy really doesn't want his picture taken.  He could've saved himself some money, though.  Sean Penn doesn't get harassed by the paparazzi anymore, and he doesn't use lasers.  Of course no one wants a picture of Sean Penn these days.  I guess that's the secret of eluding those camera-wielding vultures: be boring.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 18, 1975

On this date in 1975, heiress-turned-hostage-turned- revolutionary Patty Hearst was arrested by the FBI in San Francisco. And so began her transformation from radical chic to jailhouse geek. She was tried, convicted, and given a seven year sentence that was commuted in 1979 (thanks Jimmy!). She was pardoned in January 2001 (thanks Bill!).

Further reading:


Patty Hearst article at CrimeLibrary

Wikipedia entry on Patty Hearst

Patty Hearst, actress

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary. And three, be nice."

-Dalton (Patrick Swayze), Roadhouse (1989)

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 16, 1920

On this date in 1920, an unidentified man stopped his horse-drawn cart in front of the J. P. Morgan building on Wall Street. He got down from the cart and disappeared into the noontime crowd. A short while later, a bomb consisting of dynamite and cast iron slugs detonated on the busy street. Thirty-eight people were killed and over four hundred were injured. Police conducted an exhaustive investigation that lasted over three years, but the case was never solved.

Further reading:

Crime Magazine: "9/16: Terrorists Bomb Wall Street"

The Street.com: "Previous Terror on Wall Street -- A Look at a 1920 Bombing"

FBI: "Terror on Wall Street"

Wikipedia: "Wall Street bombing"

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Last weekend was Air Guard drill weekend. In order to fight the boredom after duty hours, I decided to see a movie. And not just any movie, we're talking Inglourious Basterds, the latest from Quentin Tarantino. Did I like it? Well, let me put it this way: This. Movie. Rocks!

Basically, what you have here is a war movie made like a spaghetti western (I included the link for those folks who are like the 20-something gal I spoke with on Sunday who had no idea what a spaghetti western is). It stars Brad Pitt, but the cast is mostly European. A few familiar faces (and voices) pop up in cameos.

Tarantino, being Tarantino, borrows a bit from the movies that have influenced him. But he kept it low-key, so it didn't become annoying. In fact, some of it was kind of obscure. I recognized some music from White Lightning and Kelly's Heroes, which I guess makes me a serious pop-culture geek (OK, I won't bother denying it).

Inglourious Basterds has plenty of action, some comedy, a fair amount of suspense (Tarantino did a great job building tension in the opening scene), and more than a little gore. On that last point, consider yourself forewarned.

The movie takes some serious liberties with history--spelling too, for that matter. But it was well worth suspending disbelief. Not only will I be buying this one on DVD, but I'd consider seeing it again in the theater.

You can check out the trailer below if you're still not convinced.

Inglourious Basterds - Trailer 4
Uploaded by Cool-Flicks - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is British model Louise Glover. If, for some reason, you want to see more of Louise, you can check out her official website.

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"You want to investigate me, roll the dice and take your chances. I eat breakfast 300 yards from 4000 Cubans who are trained to kill me, so don't think for one second that you can come down here, flash your badge, and make me nervous."

-Colonel Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson), A Few Good Men (1992)

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 10, 1931

On this date in 1931, mafia "Boss of Bosses" Salvatore Maranzano was shot and stabbed to death in his office in Manhattan.  Maranzano, whose reign as top man of the American Mafia lasted only a few months, became just a little too power hungry to suit his fellow mafiosi.  Maranzano became aware of this resentment and began making arrangements to eliminate those who would oppose him.  But one ambitious young gangster - Charles "Lucky" Luciano - beat Maranzano to the punch and had him rubbed out first, thereby living up to one of the golden rules of organized crime:  Do unto others before they do unto you.

Further reading:

Encyclopedia Britannica - Salvatore Maranzano

Find a Grave - Salvatore Maranzano

Wikipedia - Salvatore Maranzano

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 9, 1971

On this date in 1971, over 1200 inmates at the state prison in Attica, NY started a riot that would last four days.  The riot began with the killing of a corrections officer, then the rioters took about 40 prison employees hostage. Three inmates were killed during the riot in what appeared to be cases of "prison justice." When negotiations broke down, Governor Rockefeller--hoping to look tough on crime for a possible Presidential run--ordered State Police to retake the prison by force. In the ensuing assault, 29 rioters and 10 hostages were killed.

Wikipedia: Attica Prison Riot

Talking History: Attica Revisited

Attica Prison by Karl R. Josker

SESAME STREET IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE NUMBER 9

Hey all you numerology buffs out there, it's 9/9/09.  Did you do anything special to mark the occasion at 9:09 and 9 seconds?  Me neither.  Maybe I'll do something at 9:09 PM.  Yeah, right.  I'll probably be asleep by then.  Besides, 10/10/10 is sure to be much more exiting. 

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 7, 1876

On this date in 1876, the infamous James-Younger outlaw gang attempted to rob the First National Bank of Northfield, MN. When some of the local citizens saw what was going on, they armed themselves and confronted the gang. A gun battle ensued, leaving two townsfolk and a couple gang members dead. The remainder of the gang fled, and several were captured several days after the attempted robbery. Frank and Jesse James managed to escape, but the Northfield raid was the end of the line for the James-Younger gang.

Every year, the city of Northfield holds a celebration called The Defeat of Jesse James Days.

Further reading:

The Defeat of Jesse James Days website

Minnesota Historical Society: Northfield Raid & the James-Younger Gang

James - Younger Gang homepage

Wikipedia: James-Younger gang

MORE VAMPIRE KICKASSEDNESS

Here's the trailer for the 1979 TV movie Salem's Lot, directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and based on the novel by Stephene King. Not having read the novel, I'm in no position to say how faithful the adaptation is, but it's a good flick. One of the best TV movies made, in my opinion. They remade it in 2004 with Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, and Rutger Hauer, but I haven't seen that one, so I don't know how they compare. Have any of you guys seen both? Which one's better? Which is more faithful to the novel. Enquiring minds want to know®.

EVEN MORE VAMPIRE-AGE

Here's another slice of vampire coolness. Near Dark (1987) was directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Blue Steel, Point Break). It stars Adrian Pasdar, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Jeanette Goldstein. Oh yeah, and Tim Thomerson. It wouldn't be an 80s movie without Tim Thomerson. I first saw this one when I was stationed in Germany. My roommate used to call it the "redneck vampire movie." It's kind of like Dracula meets Deliverance.

MORE VAMPIRE-AGE

Since it's turning into a vampire weekend here at the Nobody Move! blog, here's some more vampire coolness. This is the theatrical trailer for the 1998 John Carpenter movie Vampires, which stars James Woods.

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE: SPECIAL VAMPIRE EDITION*

"You touch my brother with that stake, biker, and vampires won't have to suck your blood. They'll be able to lick it up off the floor."

-Seth Gecko (George Clooney), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)


*This week marks the release of the book Vampire a Go-Go, by Victor Gischler, author of Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. You can pick one up at your local bookstore, or order one from Amazon. If you need more convincing, check out the website for the book here.

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is actress Kelly Carlson. Kelly is a regular in the FX network series Nip/Tuck. She also recently guest starred in last week's Monk episode "Mr. Monk is Someone Else."

THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE

Here's an interesting story from Wyatt's neck of the woods.

Like mother, like daughter

Traci Young, the Northeast Philadelphia woman who touted herself in an online advertisement as half of a sexy mother-daughter team, was found guilty yesterday of promoting prostitution and conspiracy.

Young, 39, who had waived her right to a jury trial, could face up to two years in county prison when Common Pleas Judge Roger Gordon sentences her on Oct. 30. Her daughter, Tami Smith, 22, pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced in June to three years of probation under intensive supervision.

The women were busted after Philadelphia vice-squad officers came across their ad in the "erotic services" section of the Craigslist Web site last fall.

The ad showed them wearing tank tops while seated on a plush sofa. Bold letters beckoned viewers to "Make the right choice and call us."

Don't tell me, let me guess: This whole thing started a couple years ago on take your daughter to work day?

OK, question for all you guys out there: When you read this story, the first thing that crossed your mind was "What do they look like?" Come on, admit it. It is, isn't it? To satisfy your curiosity, you can check out the pics below. Momma Ho is on the left, her apprentice on the right. And yes, that question crossed my mind too.