Who annoys you?

There have been, and are, many actors who don't really act. They just play themselves in different roles. In many cases this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Clint Eastwood comes to mind. Oh, he's tried to expand his range, and I like most of his movies, but he's really the same character in most of his movies. On the comedic side, Jim Carey is another one. He's shown some range, but many of his movies are the same act. But, at least he's funny.

Then there are those who can't seem to be anything but the same character over and over and over again . . . and it's annoying. For me, Will Ferrell is the worst offender. Adam Sandler is another one. But in his case, his movies are just retarded more than anything. Getting close is Jack Black.

Another one? Ben Stiller. And I'm not the only one who thinks so:

I Hate Ben Stiller.

Who annoys you?

Public Service Announcement

Well, summer is finally here and it's time, once again, for flip flops.

No, not the John Kerry kind, the annoyingly noisy and visually disturbing footwear kind.

People. Flips flops are for around the house, at the beach, and for little kids. Girls, mostly. They are not for the work place. The sound they make when people walk is annoying. Plus . . . few people's feet should be seen, let alone, heard.

Say no to flip flops.

And guys . . . don't get me started.

Bad things can happen when you do stupid things

The popular "Batman the Ride" rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia remained closed Sunday while authorities continued investigating the death of a teenager who jumped over two fences and was struck by the ride.

The 17-year-old South Carolina teen who died was identified as Asia Leeshawn Ferguson, of Springfield, S.C. He was on a church outing when the incident occurred about 2 p.m. Saturday. It was the second Batman ride-related death at the Cobb County park.

According to police and the amusement park, Ferguson and a friend climbed over two 6-foot fences -- a wrought-iron style park perimeter fence and a second chainlink fence around the Batman ride -- as a shortcut to get back into the park after lunch. Signs about 40 to 50 feet apart on the outer fence warn that it is a "restricted area" for "authorized personnel only."

According to park officials, a sign on a locked gate at the chain link fence also reads "Danger zone" and "Do not enter."

Ferguson was decapitated when the ride struck him, police said.

I think at 17 one knows how to read and comprehend, knows right from wrong, and knows that when you ignore safety warning you put yourself at risk.

Tough to know what to say about this. It's tragic, no question. But why these boys (young men, really) were jumping the fence in the first place in spite of the obvious hazards is beyond me.

Lawsuit? My guess . . . yes.

No "re-do's" please!

My daughter informed us the other day that she really doesn't like re-do's when it comes to dinner. That is, left overs. She likes something different each day.

Cute kid.

I only play a tough guy on TV

I posted at Milwaukeean Rhapsody about the Bronze Fonz . . . how I didn't really mind the statue but wished that Henry WInkler was less of a weenie than what he actually is. That got me thinking . . . who else plays a "tough guy" in movies or on TV that is actually a weenie in real life?

Well, Winkler, for sure.

How about Corbin Bernsen?

Pierce Brosnan?

Anyone else?

It's Just a Penny!

The County Board approved a measure that would put to referendum a hike in the sales tax of one cent. This has come up and been tried before. But, Scott Walker has always vetoed the measure. I actually wish he would let it go to referendum. Maybe then the County Board would see NO ONE wants an increase in the sales tax. What's interesting, and dubious, is that the board says there would be a savings on a person's property tax as a result of this. From JSonline:

The sales tax would yield property tax savings of about $165 a year on a Milwaukee home worth $150,000, according to backers of the proposal. The estimate was based on substituting sales tax revenue for the $67 million the county now spends in property taxes on parks, transit and emergency medical services.

“Parks” is broadly defined to include recreation and cultural institutions the county supports, including the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Supervisor Joseph Rice said the referendum language was misleading and that supervisors couldn’t guarantee the property tax relief would continue in the future. Supervisor Christopher Larson said the tax relief was plainly stated in the referendum question.

“The voters should trust us that that’s what we’re going to do because that’s what it says,” Larson said.

"Trust us"?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Catching my breath)

You've GOT to be kidding me!

Jenkins Jaguar

Someone needs to tell the folks at Jenkins Jaguar that pronouncing jaguar here in America is two syllables, 'jag, wär. Not with three syllables as is often done by the British. Pronouncing it with three syllables with an american accent sounds idiotic.

Speaking of hypocrites

To get a perspective: Alaska has a population about the size of the nation's capital. But you could squeeze California into Alaska almost four times. Those who fear that Alaska is neglected in the matter of federal wildlife preservation are reminded that 60 percent of the official wilderness areas of the United States are in Alaska. ANWR is way over on the northeastern side of the state, about the size of South Carolina. What the oil industry is asking for is access to 2,000 acres, an area no bigger than Dulles Airport. "This footprint would be 50 times smaller than the Montana ranch owned by Ted Turner, who helps bankroll efforts to keep ANWR off-limits."

This place also experiences 5 months of daylight and 5 months of darkness. There's also a trillion mosquitoes in the summer, and it's -125 degrees in the winter.

Sounds like paradise.

Turner's a douche.

Iron Man

Am I the only person who thinks Iron Man was so-so? Seems like it. Don't get me wrong, the movie was a lot of fun. The family saw it in a theater in Arizona. My sister paid (thanks, sis!). I likely would have waited for the DVD, but since it was free . . .

I also like Robert Downey Jr. a lot. I think he's a great actor and is doing his best to get his life back together. He pretty much made Iron Man for me. He did great with the role. Gwyneth? Eh. That could have been anyone.

But, all these super hero movies tend to blend in to one another after a while. Hero vs Villain. That's about the depth of the stories with some filler stuff attempting to make it interesting. I liked the first Spiderman. Not so much the second. I haven't seen the third. Now, we still have Hancock and Batman coming out.

How many flippin' super heroes are there?

Midwest Airlines during 911

Chilling:

Book details Midwest flight that nearly collided with 9/11 jet

Conspiracy theorists can check their neurosis at the door.

Thug Mike . . . Guilty On All Counts

Well, THAT didn't take long.

Guess he couldn't get to the jury.

And this is just the Federal case. The State charges are next.

Well, maybe Mike and Snipes can write letters to each other.

NASA and the technicolor spacesuit

Thinking too much about space creeps me out. The fact that we're (earth) just floating here, the vastness of it all, other life . . . you wonder if we'll ever know for sure. Given our life expectancy, it seems improbable. But who knows?

None the less, some amazing things have been accomplished by NASA lately. Whether you think it's a waste of money or not, these projects are amazing.

The first was Project Deep Impact. In short, a space craft was launched that traveled 267 millions miles at a speed of 64, 000 mph for 174 days with a goal to impact a comet about 2 miles wide which is also traveling about 100,000 mph. It was successful, and that's amazing. That took some heavy calculations.

The second is the Mars Phoenix project. I know this isn't the first time we've been to Mars, but it's amazing still. It takes 9 months traveling at 74,000 mph (14,000 relative to Mars) to make the trip. That's one heck of a road trip. Once it enters the atmosphere it must slow to 5 mph to land. Again, I think that amazing.

Cool stuff. The truth is better than fiction.

Heroes . . .

Started taping for the new season.

Yay!

The Barrett Report

Part of the Mayor's Barrett Report had this in it:

Let’s Split the $91.5 million in Transit Money

Right now, the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, the Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce and the Wisconsin Center District are exploring ways to finally utilize $91.5 million in long-idle federal money to enhance and upgrade transportation in our community.

County Executive Scott Walker and I have different views on how to spend this money. Scott thinks all of the money should be used for new buses. I believe we should invest in buses; but we should also seize this opportunity to introduce rail transit to Milwaukee. That’s because all across the country, cities of all types and sizes in every region are reaping the enormous economic benefits created by rail systems.

We have been debating how to use this federal money for far too long, with little to show for it. It is time to break the stalemate. I am prepared today to split the $91.5 million with County Executive Walker.

A split would provide the County with money to purchase new buses, and the remaining dollars would be used to fund a starter system that would introduce rail to Milwaukee. Virtually every major American city that is growing features this technology in its transportation system, and rail can do for Milwaukee what it has done for cities across America: spark billions of dollars of economic growth and development.

No doubt, the County Executive and I have different views on transit. But we must end the paralysis and move this community forward. It’s time for Scott and I to simply agree to disagree, split the $91.5 million and invest our respective shares as we each see fit.

Let’s end the stalemate; let’s split the $91.5 million. I am prepared to accept this deal today. If you agree this is a fair and reasonable compromise, e-mail me and County Executive Walker and tell us it’s time to split the money and finally move forward: countyexec@milwcnty.com.

The air must be thinner up where Tom's head is. I can find no other reason for him to continue to pursue this idiotic idea. But more to what he said. First, it's packed full of lies. "Virtually every major city . . . "? Not true. Only a handful are. "Spark BILLIONS of dollars of economic growth"? Where did THAT figure come from. Billions?

Then, of course, he wants us to believe that HE'S being the reasonable one here. HA! Walker knows better. He knows NO ONE wants an ancient means of transportation that continues to die a slow death back as a means of sucking money out of our pockets. Put it to a referendum, Mayor, I dare you. I double dog dare you!

So, email Scott Walker. Please. And tell him to tell Barrett where he can stick his rail.

Fishing . . . finally!

The family went up to Mauthe lake today to picnic and finally do some fishing. We took our niece along as she likes to fish and came up with a contest. First of all, though, what my girlies are standing on is the boat dock . . . about a foot under water! That didn't deter us, however. Good thing I had my Packer Crocs with me (ah, shaddup).

Anyway, the contest was who would catch the first fish (my wife), who would catch the most fish (my niece) who would catch the littlest fish (my daughter) and who would catch the biggest fish . . . me! A 14" largemouth. I had only caught a small sunfish up to that point so this was a nice recovery. We all had fun. It was a perfect day. Although a little windy at first. But as the afternoon went on everything calmed and we spent several hours fishing.

Hope y'all had a chance to enjoy the day!

For the Asian Badger

A couple of Papa's ago, the Asian Badger was hitting on everyone to go to the zoo with him to photograph animals. I guess "Mr. Retired Pilot Guy" forgot us schlubs still work and didn't have the luxury of reading the paper in our underwear until noon. But, I guess the thought was nice.

Anyway, I couldn't help but think of "Mr. Rub Our Noses In It" when I went to the zoo last week, and offer up one of my favorite photo ops.

All in good fun, flyboy.

Let's Deal in Reality

With renewed talks of drilling for our own (or at least partially) oil, the debate on our dependence on oil has heated up. The argument from many on the left is that not only would drilling hurt the environment, but we should invest our energies, time, and money on alternate fuel sources.

Well, news flash for ya . . . we'd still need the oil to produce fuel to power the plants that would eventually manufacture whatever alternate source of energy we come up with!!

You see all those funny things with wheels? They're cars. And there's a lot of them. A LOT of them. And they require petroleum to operate. And, no matter what happens, they're not going away any time soon. That goes for trucks, too. And ships. And planes. And the other enormous amount of things and industries that rely on fuel made from oil.

What's more, and in spite of what you might believe, we're not close to having an alternate fuel source. At least, not one that's efficient and affordable. We're easily a decade away from anything mass market-wise.

In the mean time, we need oil. We're oil dependent. That's the reality of it. You can harp about using the earth's resources, destroying the environment, evil oil companies all you want, but the cars, ships, and planes ain't going away anytime soon and there's nothing you can do about that. The easiest and fastest way for us to lower the price of gas, maintain a healthy economy, and continue our efforts for alternative fuel, is to drill for the oil. Here. In Alaska, in the Gulf, and off the shores of California. Anywhere, in fact. Don't want the drilling rigs nearby? What's so different about acres of solar panels or wind turbines? Kennedy (here's to his health!) liberal that he is, doesn't want acres of wind turbines n his back yard. Why should his opinion matter? Plus, what about the acres of land that's cleared for solar panels and wind turbines? Isn't that impacting the environment?

Whatever. As inefficient as solar and wind is, I'd just as soon have the acreage used for drilling. We'd be better off . . . if there was oil there, of course. But, the point is, let's deal with reality here. Oil rules . . . for the moment, anyway.

What am I supposed to do?

Yesterday, my wife took my girlie, my Jamie, to Girl Scout camp. Overnight camp. For three nights!!

Whaaaaaaah!!

(sniff, sniff)

What am I going to do?

Flood waters + Morons = Certain Tragedy

With all the "stuff" that has been washed into the flood waters, and with how unpredictable the waters can be, you have to be an absolute moron to take a canoe in to the waters. Even if you know where you're going and the waters seem mild, the amount of bacteria in the flood waters is enough to cause serious illness should one fall in or ingest some.

You're an even bigger moron if you take children on those waters.

Don't be a headline. Don't be an idiot. Stay off and out of the flood waters.

Yeah, what she said!

Mary over at Freedom Eden makes a great point with one of her posts:

Hey, Hollywood! Fly-Over Country Needs You!

I certainly don't mean to demean the other disasters that have occurred lately, but our situation is seriously huge. I94 west is still closed and will be for some time. Thousands have been affected. If not directly, then indirectly because of businesses where people work have been devastated.

So, what is it, Hollyweird? Is it because we're Wisconsin? We don't matter?

Heck, you can even blame Bush for this if you want!

Economics 101

So, unemployment jumped a little bit. From 5.1% to 5.5%. First, that's still good. Funny how that was a sign of a healthy economy some years back and now, for some odd reason, it's shit.

Second, it's not because a bunch of people lost their jobs. It's because of the market flood and the amount of people who won't find jobs as a result.

As a result of what, you ask?

The minimum wage hike. The jobs that won't be found are those that typically pay minimum wage to kids off from school wanting jobs for the summer.

See how that works?

For the love of Pete . . . !!!

Let me preface this. I'm a good driver. I'm careful, watchful, and attentive. I actually stop fully at stop signs and before turning right at a red. I drive slow in neighborhoods. I'm law abiding.

Mostly.

On the freeway I'll do about 7 to 9 over the limit. On streets, about 5 over. Since I'm a patient guy, I'm OK with people doing the limit. I have no innate desire to go fast all the time. I've been accused of being a grandpa.

You get the picture.

Today must be mentally retarded driver day. I can't seem to go anywhere where some dork isn't doing about 5 UNDER the limit. And, of course, they're in droves so I can't easily go around them and be on my merry way. To make matters worse, they stop about 300 feet before the light . . . and in between one another!!

AAAAAAAAARGH!

OK. I feel better. Think I'll go mow.

Tim Russert Has Died

NBC News' Tim Russert has died of a heart attack. He was 58.

He was working in NBC's Washington bureau today when he collapsed while recording voice overs.

DC Fire tells us the call came in at 1:41 PM ET. We're told they transported one adult male patient in cardiac arrest to Sibley Hospital where he died.

The "Meet the Press" host and author is survived by his wife Maureen Orth -- a special correspondent for Vanity Fair -- and their adult son, Luke.

Of all the newscasters out there, I liked Tim the most. He had a style I very much liked. He was likable and came off as being a good guy.

He was much too young to have this happen. My sympathies go out to his family.

Hulk Hogoon

Hogan is a bigger douche bag than I ever imagined. He marries a gold digger, spawns two good for shit brat kids who would never amount to anything if it weren't for daddy, lets his son drive a hot car so he can wrap it around a light pole turning his friend in to a vegetable, divorces the gold digger only to have relations with a girl his daughter's age, talks to his son in jail about a reality show when he gets out, and now this:

"This is in God's hands. I believe things happen for a reason. This is to make Nick a better person. In my belief, this is to make John a better person."

Hmm. Let's discuss this. FIrst, the Hulk fails to see how he had a hand in things. His kids is a Class A shitbag moron, yet he let him drive his Supra even knowing Nick has little regard for the law and driving within speed limits. Second, we know how Hogan will make Nick a better person . . . by launching a reality show about the shitbag. Fame and fortune. There's no better way to learn a lesson. Lastly, I wonder just how John will become a better person now that he's brain damaged. Now that he's retarded and incapable of taking care of himself and will need life long care . . . I guess he's not the "negative" person he was before. So, i that regard I suppose John will be a better person.

What an asshole.

Can you top this?

How's this for a string of bad luck:

1. About two weeks ago, my car gets stolen. I get it back, but it needs some fixin'.

2. I need cortisone injections in my neck for pain.

3. My mom calls from Arizona to tell me my father died. I don't mean to demean his death as "bad luck" for me, but his death wasn't unexpected or tragic. The family is actually relieved.

4. A day before leaving for Arizona, I find the source of a recent water leak . . . the water heater. It burst at one of the seams. Can't do anything about it now! Turn off the water and set it to pilot and hope for the best until we return.

5. While in Arizona, my sister-in-law calls to inform us of some major seepage in our basement due to the storms. She'll do what she can, but . . . pray the rain stops. I believe it did. I'm not sure the extent of the damage yet as I'm still in Arizona.

Obviously, my father's death trumps all. The rest can wait, be replaced, fixed, gotten rid of, whatever. Being with family is the most important thing right now. Love, memories, and laughter help heal.

6. Obama wins the nomination.

OK. Now I'm pissed.

Huh. I thought Obama won

Obama may have won the nomination, but if previous Hillary supporter's have their way, he won't win the election. They're going so far as to throw their support behind McCain:

Angry Clinton Supporters Start Rallying for McCain Online

This seems like a big deal to me. In light of the fact that neither Hillary or Obama is able to get a better than 50% margin, these past supporters for Hillary could factor heavily in the race.

Go Hillary!

Iron Chef Finale

Paul Bartolotta vs Mario Batali with rice as the secret ingredient. What a match up. If I would have laid odds, I would have given Paul the edge due to his innovativeness.

When it came to plating, Paul went first. He stayed in the over all tradition of Italian/Mediterranean cooking with one great dish after another. The judges loved every dish. The literally found no fault in anything at all. Having seen Mario on a number of occasions, he'd have to not only pull something out of his butt, but also cook like he's never cooked before.

The crimson croc wearing chef did just that. He did a more around-the-world sort of theme and if Paul dished up the foreplay, Mario served the orgasm. His food was amazing. Paul lost by one point in each category. He would have trounced any other chef on any given night.

I guess that's why Mario is an Iron Chef!

BTW, the new season of "The Next Food Network Star" started, and one person went home already. Looks like it could be a good season.

My dad went to the great longhouse in the sky

My dad developed Parkinson's some time back. Maybe 15 years ago. Like many, he did the best he could with it. He was already retired so that helped him get the most out of treatments. Of course, it is a progressive disease and he would get worse. 12 years ago my parents and brother joined my sister in Arizona. The move was bittersweet. The winter's here were tough on them so I was happy for them, but I was also saying good bye to having them around.

As many of you know, my wife and I came late in the baby game. I was 42, she was 36 when our daughter was born. About a month before my daughter's birth, in January, my dad went to McDonald's and never came back. He had suffered a stroke. He was treated and released but was never the same after that. He would fall, forget things, he couldn't drive anymore. He had another stroke that put him in a hospital for good. He had bleeding on the brain that required surgery. A nursing home would become his new residence. All this in just a couple of weeks.

He was partly there when we came with our new baby a couple of months later. He held her and seemed happy. But the moments were fleeting. After that, it wouldn't take long for him to deteriorate and become rather demented at times, and catatonic other times.

The past several years have been the hardest. He needed constant care, couldn't walk, talk, or use his hands. No one is quite sure just what he was able to comprehend, or what brain activity there was. Whatever the case, he was not the same person he was some years ago. He was brain dead, but the strokes left him very brain damaged. It's been particularly tough on my mom and she's had to witness this first hand.

Well, his body finally gave up. The other day they stopped feeding him as he was choking. Between my mom and the facility, the decision was made not to place a feeding tube. It didn't take long. Maybe a day. He passed quietly in his sleep.

My dad was born to two Oneida indians on the reservation. He was raised poor and suffered some discrimination. As he grew he knew the only way to "make it" was to get off the reservation and get an education. He left the reservation to attend UWM. He met my mom in the Florentine Opera Company. He played clarinet in the Green Bay Packer Marching Band. Three kids would soon ensue. A daughter first, a son who would be mentally retarded, then me.

I don't speak highly of my dad very often as there's little in the way of fond memories to pull from. He was a proud man, dedicated, hard working, patient . . . he did his best as a husband and as a father. While I have very little to pull from in terms of happy or fond memories I have no doubt he loved his kids and did the best he was able. I'm like him in that I'm also very patient, dedicated, and a hard worker. But, my pride isn't fed by my heritage or by my commitment to duty. Being a good husband makes me proud. Being a good daddy makes me proud. The things that were a priority in his life is certainly different from mine. He took on the strict role as provider. I am a provider, but also a husband, a daddy, and many other things that I want defined as me. It is a top priority for me to make life long memories for me, my wife, and my daughter to savour, and to make everyday happy and fun.

I think my father looked at his life as a means to an end. Work hard, make the sacrifices, be dutiful, and your day will come. He lived life that way exactly. It was very neatly planned out. He worked toward the goal of having a job with the city so he could reap the benefits and retire with a pension. You have to respect that.

What he didn't do is stop more often to smell the roses. Or at least appreciate what else life had to offer. I can't help but think his life was unfulfilled in many ways. But it really isn't for me to say. While I appreciate how hard he worked to make a life for his family, I wish there would have been family vacations, traditions of our own, time with just dad and son.

Yes, I'm sad that he died. He is my father, after all. But I'm also content knowing that he fought to live as long as he did. His iron will prevailed right to his final breath.

Rest in peace, dad. You deserve it. I love you.

The MTV Movie Awards 2008

Anyone who knows me knows I love award shows. Not because I find much value in them, but the egos and pretentiousness is just a hoot to watch. The MTV Movie Awards has always been my favorite. It's irreverent, funny, and sexy. And with categories like Best Fight, Best Kiss, Best Villain, you can't go wrong.

There's no question the evening is one long plea to see a bunch of crappy movies. OK. I'm sorry. They're not crappy.

They're shit.

OK. Not all of them. But the show isn't the Oscars. Not that THAT matters. But I don't think anyone is fooling anyone else about acting excellence here. Well, except for Megan Fox. And Will Smith. Every time he wins an award he's got some message. Just shut up, thank everyone and get drunk for crying out loud.

A few thoughts:

Not as much cleavage as I would have liked. But lots of leg. Some very short skirts. Everyone had underwear, though. No freebies on this night. Say what you will about Lindsay Lohan, she's got a great pair of legs. She gets that award for the night. The "Why Are You Here? Didn't You Learn Your Lesson Last Year? award goes to Paris Hilton. The "OK, You Made It in Maxim But Now You're Annoying" award goes to Megan Fox. The Sheilds Medieval Clothier was represented by Charlize Theron. Anne Hathaway looked like she unwrapped someone's leather car seat and put it on. Liv Tyler looked like she grabbed someone's parachute and put it on. Ellen Page looked like she just got out of bed.

Coldplay performed. It was great. A great performance and a great song. And I'm not a huge Coldplay fan. It was really good. One of the highlights of the night. The Pussycat Dolls also performed. I liked the song but could a girl group be any more skanky? They're flexible. I'll give 'em that.

While I'm no fan of Adam Sandler, and couldn't think of a lesser person to win an achievement award, his acceptance act and song was funny. Probably the funniest he's been since Happy Gilmore. Even alien entombed Tom Cruise was rather funny.

Mike Meyers was in typical form. He's funny, no doubt. His movies are generally much better than Will Ferrell's or Sandler's. But even he can become too much. His two skits with the lunch wagon hag and the animal trainer were just too long. Get the laugh and get out.

For me, the highlight of the night was the "viral" video skit with Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. First, what a trio for a movie. Got to hand it to Downey, he's trying to make it clean. Good for him. He's talented. Second, the skit was laugh out loud funny. If it isn't on Youtube already, I'll post it. It's that good.

One joke that didn't get played except for one time, a Javier Bardem younger brother look alike complete with flame thrower who was employed to make haste with anyone who's speech went long. I forget when he did actually come out once. Will Smith could have gotten the push. Megan Fox could have been blasted before reaching the stage. And Paris Hilton could have been blasted in her seat just to make me giggle.

Oh well. What could have been.

The last highlight of the night was the appearance of Johnny Depp . . . in person! The audience went crazy when he appeared. He was dressed amazingly normal and looked good. The bastard must have a painting in an attic somewhere. Sadly, then again, not, he's not much of a conversationalist. Unlike Megan Fox who yelled "Transformers 2 is gonna f*ckin' rock!" when given her MTV moment. Where's that guy with the flame thrower?

So, if you missed it, you missed it. 'Cause, you missed it.

Iron Chef

Paul Bartolotta is on Iron Chef tonight. He's up against Mario Batali. The secret ingredient is rice. Go Paul!

For those ignorant types, Paul is originally from Milwaukee. He now cooks in Las Vegas in the Wynn Hotel. Nationally recognized, he's a great chef. This should be good!

August Rush

I won't do many movie reviews. One, there aren't a lot of good movies out there. Particularly in the main stream. Two, I'm not a reviewer as much as I'm a teller abouter.

Anyway, my wife and I often look at movies that haven't garnered a lot of attention. Don't misunderstand, Transformers has its place . . . and I enjoy most genres of movie THough, you couldn't pay me to watch Sex and the City . . . and it going to take a bit to watch anything from Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler. But, I digress.

August Rush is one of those pleasant surprises that come along every once in a while. If you like music, and I know some of you do, you owe it to yourself to watch this movie. The movie is about a chance encounter between two different musicians. She's a little bit classical, he's a little bit rock and roll. As they're both socially inept artist types, they're single. They meet at a party, away from the crowd, and . . . uh, . . . connect. 11 years later and the DNA sequenced generate has a thing for music. A big thing for music. Meanwhile, life catches up with our eccentrics and the generate remains unheard of. A search ensues. Along the way there are some great musical performances. The movie stars Johathan Rhys Meyers, who did all of his own singing, Keri Russell, who doesn't play her cello parts, and Freddie Highmore, the kid in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Terrance Howard also stars as does a creepy Robin Williams. The score entwines both classical and rock music and features some incredible guitar work. One of the movie's more memorable moments is a guitar duel. One of the performers is a guitarist who site I came across some time ago. The song was very much in the style of his writing and I thought it might be him. I was right. Check out his website and music here: DougSmithGuitar.

The movie is fantasy and sucks you in. The score is unbelievable. Moving. Watch it. You won't be disappointed.