TRIBUTE

"It's the chaperone's job to make sure nobody else has any fun. Nobody chaperones the chaperone, that's why I'm so right for this job."

-- Jane Russell, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

So long, Jane.

DIG IF YOU WILL THESE PICTURES

As seen through the lens of The Steaming Poop Weather Center rooftop cam.

THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR

"One of the most elemental human rights [is] the right to belong to a free trade union."

-- President Ronald Reagan, on the Solidarity union uprising in Poland.

We've been hearing this quote a lot lately, due to the situation in Wisconsin, and it's being used to prove that the Tea-Baggers poster-boy was a union supporter. Unfortunately, I don't think it's being correctly applied, here.

Remember, he busted the air traffic controllers union by firing them all after they threatened to go on strike. In an amusingly ironic twist, National Airport in Washington D.C. had its name changed to Reagan National Airport a few years ago. Also, Reagan was a two-term president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Anyway, I only mention it because Reagan wasn't a big fan of unions (most Republicans don't) as he got older and more conservative, and only said what he said because it was a union uprising in a communist country.

I don't know, am I right, am I wrong? What do you think?

I AM SPARTACUS

"Where were you when I was making pictures?"

-- Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, 94, letting Oscar host Anne Hathaway know he's still got game.

IT'S A WONDERFUL NIGHT FOR OSCAR, OSCAR, OSCAR, WHO WILL WIN?

The four Best Actress Oscars Katharine Hepburn won for Morning Glory, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, The Lion In Winter, and On Golden Pond.

As I've said, I'm not the fan of the Academy Awards that I once was, but I'll still watch them later this evening and this is how I think the acting awards are going to play out:

Best Actor:

Who will win: Colin Firth, The Kings Speech
Who should win: Colin Firth, The Kings Speech

Best Actress:
Who will win: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Who should win: Annette Bening, The Kids Are Alright

This is Annette's fourth nomination (the three others were for The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia), and while Natalie did take a year of ballet in preparation for her role, Annette's performance was strong, funny and, in my personal opinion, more Oscar-worthy. Watch for a possible upset.

Best Supporting Actor
Who will win: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Who should win: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Possible upset: Geoffrey Rush, The Kings Speech

Christian Bale has, for years, turned in excellent performance after excellent performance. His portrayal of Dicky Eklund is a revelation and an award would be well-deserved. However, those in the know have also told me of a strong showing in votes for Geoffrey Rush, a previous Best Actor award winner (Shine, 1996). Look for another possible upset here, as well.

Best Supporting Actress:
Who will win: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Who should win: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Possible upset: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Melissa Leo is so damned good that I'm not entirely convinced that she isn't really some barfly they found in a run-down drunks bar in Lowell, MA. I've also been told that some voters were a little turned off by her Oscar campaign. Big deal, the same was said about M'onique and she still won her much-deserved award for Precious. However, Hailee Steinfeld just might swoop in and steal Melissa's thunder. The academy is known to honor younger nominees in this category over more favored-to-win actresses (remember Tatum O'Neal and Anna Paquin). Yet another possible upset, here.

DIG IF YOU WILL THE PICTURE . . .

. . . I took of this pond while on a bike ride through Golden Gate Park, last year.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

My hero, Grace Coddington, September, 1962.

Sublime.

YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?

This is one of my favorite winter breakfast meals, Steel-Cut Oatmeal. It does take a little longer to cook, but it's better for you than conventional oatmeal and when you add some raisins, brown sugar and milk, it isn't long before you find yourself floating in a breakfast heaven.

Oh, and it makes the apartment smell nice, too.

So leave it to McDonald's to take something as simple and healthy as this, and turn it into a meal so bad for you that you're better off just ordering one of their cheeseburgers, instead. Seriously, their version of "healthy oatmeal" is just 10 calories less than that cheeseburger, with more sugar than there is in a Snickers candy bar.

I'm sure that even Mayor McCheese would shake his head in shame.

Mark Bittman of the New York Times wrote a little rant about it recently, check it out.

FROM THE STEAMING POOP WEATHER CENTER

Now I aks you (yeah, I said AKS), does this look like the kind of sky that is supposed to drop snow?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

I've decided that I'm going to start a career as weatherman, as they always seem to get it wrong and still get to cash the paycheck.

Still, it's a beautiful sky, huh?

SNOW WAY, JOSE or IT'S GONNA HAPPEN WEATHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

Snow levels are expected to drop to 500 feet in parts of the Bay Area over the next few days, with snow flurries possible at sea level.

It's going to be fun to see Twin Peaks covered with some powder, something that hasn't happened since 1976.

BOOKWORM

I find with some of the new free time I've found myself with recently, that I'm reading a little more than I used to. I'm always on the search for something interesting to read, and the site Goodreads.com has made that search a little easier.

Recommended by fellow blogger Junna, it's sort of an online book club. You should check it out, it's made the choice of my next read much easier.

MY OZ

I'm not sure if this is a Richard Avedon photograph, but it was taken on the Upper Westside of Manhattan around 1960-61.

Awesome.

PICTURE THIS - MARIN

Creekside, Samuel P. Taylor Park



Olema Valley



Stinson Beach, looking north

Looking south of Stinson Beach

Just a few shots taken on a nice little road trip through Marin County, yesterday.

BAD GRAMMER

CNN has announced they have hired media whore Camille Grammer to do Oscar red carpet fashion commentary for their network.

I can only assume this isn't the outfit she wore to her job interview.

The venerable cable news channel has just lost all credibility as a news organization, as far as I'm concerned.

FEED ME, SEYMOUR

The Ensalada con Bistec, at Sol Food, San Rafael.

Yeah, it was THAT good. Oh, and I promise to order something else, next time.

JUST SAY NO

Those in the know have told me that a Sex And The City III is a strong possibility.

Why won't it just stop?

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN, OSCAR-STYLE

He's smart, good-looking and a talented actor/writer. However, there is something James Franco can't do.

There is no accompanying video or picture, but here's an audio clip of the Oscar host AND nominee for Best Actor (Howl), trying to find his way through "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me" from the film Burlesque.

I didn't think it was possible, but he makes Rob Lowe's singing with Snow White at the infamous 1989 Academy Awards sound like Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall.

You're welcome.

CAN YOU MAKE THAT A DOUBLE?

Not true.

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER

I'm sure this isn't the first time this has been said, but I'm going to say it, anyway:

WOW, what a compliment it is to have James Franco portray beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

By the way, Howl is a pretty good movie.

SAY WHAT?

 

"I don't beat clocks . . . just people."

-- Tura Santana, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

I love this movie.

AMERICA'S MOST WANTED

Ok, maybe just Iliana's most wanted.

While making a right turn onto Dyer Street in Union City last night, a speeding Honda Civic made a left turn and hit her car. As we were pulling over, the other driver sped off.

Magically, a good samaritain managed to get the license plate number of the asshole who hit and ran, and that number is 5ZQG453 (California plates). However, we didn't get the witness contact information, so the police can't really do anything, since they went to the home of the suspect and weren't able to view the car (no one was home).

What a douchebag.

GIRL CRUSH

This long-time crush first began when I saw Kristen Schaal (Mel from Flight of the Conchords) in a Wendy's Hamburgers commercial.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

About 30 minutes into it, Trisha and I looked at each and said "this movie sucks" and we walked out.

Yes, folks, there are some people out there who didn't like Ghostbusters.

PASSING THE HAT

Behemoth utilities provider Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has announced they may pass on the cost of the San Bruno pipeline disaster and the upgrade of their natural gas pipeline distribution system to rate payers.

This is WRONG, and it is yet another example of why utilities should be provided by municipalities, not by publicly-held corporations. Preliminary investigations have shown that their pipeline system was not only poorly-maintained, but that some records of the system don't exist or have been difficult to locate.

So far, PG&E has spent $63 million in response to the explosion, which killed eight people. The company has also set aside $220 million in 2010 to pay for lawsuits related to the fire, and has said it may set aside another $180 million this year. The utility made $1.1 billion in 2010, and if the fire hadn't happened, that number would have been $1.33 billion in 2010.

Oh well, that's the cost of doing business.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, you can't privatize your profits and and when things go south, socialize your losses.

I WOULD WALK 500 MILES

Yeah, it may just look like a standard sneaker, but Cole-Haan makes the most comfortable shoes I've ever pushed my Fred Flintstone-sized clod-hoppers into.

These Air Jupiter Lace Oxfords are on the way, and I can't wait to slip 'em on.

MY OZ

In a city filled with block after block of architectural delights, the building I love the most in Manhattan is Lever House, 390 Park Avenue.

OH, THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL

Rain, hail, high-winds, thunder, lightning, and snow.

Winter has returned to the Bay Area.

FROM THE DESK OF . . .

To:     John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods
Re:     Imported Produce

Dear Mr. Mackey:

I was shopping in your store yesterday and found myself quite bothered by the amount of produce that seemed to be trucked in from not only other countries, but other continents, as well. As a result, I ended up doing my produce shopping at another nearby store that sells more locally produced fruits and vegetables.

I applaud your business model and your influence on the dietary changes and food shopping habits of America. It's great to see Non-GMO, Gluten and Cruelty-Free food items on your shelves. However, it seems that trucking in produce from farms that are in some cases, thousands of miles away, cancels out the whole "good-for-you-organic" kind of thing.

Much of the produce I saw in your 24th Street location seemed to be brought in from Mexico and Chile. It struck me as ironic, considering most, if not all of what was on the shelves is food that is grown here in California. I believe that selling seasonal is not only better for our health, it's better for the economy AND the environment.

If you would like to fly me to your headquarters for a more formal discussion about this, I'd be up for that.

Think about it.

Sincerely,
Scott Crayne

WITH THIS ONION RING, I WED THEE

For $1282, you can have a wedding at McDonalds in Hong Kong.

Seriously.

Called the "Warm and Sweet Wedding Package," it includes invitations, special Ronald McDonald wedding decorations, and, of course, catering. For a few extra bucks, you can rent a dress, as well.

The Hong Kong chain of McDonalds has booked two couples for weddings and is discussing the possibility of  "McWeddings" with 70 other couples.

FROM THE STEAMING POOP WEATHER CENTER

Pretty nice sunrise.

It's a little faint, but here is a double rainbow I caught 
on the way home from the gym.

LIAR, LIAR

I wasn't really surprised when I read this story on MSNBC, but I was still kind of pissed off when I did.

It seems that one of the informants completely lied about WMD's in Iraq and even though members of the Cheney/Bush regime knew he was a liar, they went ahead and used his testimony to justify the war in Iraq.

Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, said in an interview with the Guardian that he had fabricated claims of mobile biological weapons and clandestine factories made to German intelligence officials throughout 2000.

"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right," Janabi, codenamed "Curveball" by U.S. and German intelligence officials, told the newspaper. "I had a problem with the Saddam regime," he said. "I wanted to get rid of him and now I had this chance."

He has also said that he's proud that his lies led to the downfall of Saddam Hussein.

This asshole has so much to be proud of, what, with the thousands of troops killed fighting this bullshit war, the tens of thousands of civilians killed because of this bullshit war, and the billions of dollars spent fighting this bullshit war.

Oh and let's not forget, we were given this tainted bill of goods all in the name of 9/11.

I am a man of few regrets, but I regret that we will never see this guy, along with the five pictured above, tried for war crimes against humanity.

KICKING SOME FISCAL ASS

Talk about hitting the ground running!

Recalling non-essential cellphones and automobiles from state workers, cutting the governor's office budget by 25%, flying Southwest Airlines (without a security entourage), issuing a state-wide government hiring freeze, and all done within the first four weeks of office?

These may not sound like much, considering the insanely out of control state deficit, but it's a great start and proof that "Governor Moonbeam" isn't playing around.

Jerry Brown kicks ass! So glad to see my vote (and endorsement) was not wasted.

BLUE-RAY: SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

I watched one of my all-time favourite movies yesterday, Saturday Night Fever, and it never looked AND sounded as good as it does on Blue-Ray disc.

To maximize it's box-office return (which was already HUGE), a second version was released with a PG rating during its initial run, which is how I got to see it the first time (along with Liberty Four comrade, Ken).

It was only time in my life that I went to a movie so wildly popular that it was over-sold, with people sitting on the aisle floor.

SIX DEGREES: OSCAR STYLE

A long, long time ago, I took a phone message for my roommate, Phil. It was from a woman who said her name was Sacheen, to which I replied "wow, that's a pretty name." She laughed, thanked me and we hung up.

I was home a few weeks later when the door buzzer went off. When I opened the door, it was a woman who asked if Phil was home. He wasn't, we exchanged some polite chit-chat and she asked me to tell Phil that Sacheen had stopped by and then left. When I told Phil that she had stopped by, Phil's friend Ron told me that the person at the door was, in fact, the Sacheen Littlefeather.

Sacheen is famous for refusing, on behalf of Marlon Brando, the Best Supporting Actor award he won for his performance in The Godfather.

MY OZ

A rainy day in Times Square.

The rain, after 6 weeks of amazingly warm and beautiful weather, is set to return to San Francisco this week.

THE ART OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

I believe most of you out there would agree that the fine art of good customer service went the way of the dinosaur. How many times have you been in a store or called a customer service hotline, only to be ignored or treated as if you are imposing on the person who is being paid to help you?

Sometimes, however, you get someone who actually understands what customer service is all about and Mike at DirecTV just proved his worth as a customer service representative.

I was laid off a few months ago, and my satellite contract had just ended, so I called this afternoon to disconnect. When Mike asked why, I flat out told him that I had been laid off. Wanting to keep a good customer happy AND connected, Mike not only offered two months of FREE service (yes, 100% free), but when those two months end, he also issued a $30 dollar a month credit for six months after.

It takes a lot to shut me up (shut up) and Mike absolutely shut me up! All I could say was AWESOME and thanks. I also said I was going to give DirecTV a HUGE shout-out on my blog.

DirecTV has a customer for LIFE in me. Thanks Mike, and thanks DirecTV.

IT'S GONNA HAPPEN, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

Maryland State Senator James Brochin (D) announced Thursday that he intends to vote for the same-sex marriage bill, bringing the bill one step closer to Senate passage.

So what, you say?

Brochin had planned to vote against the bill (he has previously said he supported Civil Unions for gay couples) but had his mind changed after listening to the "hate and venom" that was spewed from opponents.

“For me, the transition to supporting marriage has not been an easy one, but the uncertainty, fear, and second-class status that gays and lesbians have to put up with is far worse and clearly must come to an end," said Brochin.

He went on to say “What I witnessed from the opponents of the bill was appalling," he said. “Witness after witness demonized homosexuals, vilified the gay community, and described gays and lesbians as pedophiles.”

Awesome.

Kudos, Senator Brochin.

STUPID STUFF STUPID WHITE PEOPLE LIKE

Flash-mob pillow fights.

Supposedly, the annual Valentine's Day Pillow Fight in Justin Herman Plaza is unofficially set to take place at 6:30 pm.

(sigh)

TRICK SHOT

Future Best Actress Oscar nominee (Mogambo) Ava Gardner, on the links.

RULES OF THE ROAD

Wouldn't it be nice if the douchey bike riders of San Francisco could take a lesson from future Oscar winner (The African Queen) Humphrey Bogart?

He looks so well-mannered and gentile on his bike and would probably stop at every crosswalk and stop sign.

ALL IN THE FAMILY



Frances Ford Coppola and his father, Carmine Coppola, with the Oscars they won for
The Godfather, Part II

The first brother and sister Oscar winners,
Douglas Shearer and Norma Shearer

John Huston with one of two Oscars he won (directing and screenplay) for
The Treasure of Sierra Madre, and father, Walter, who won Best Supporting Actor for the same film

Liza Minnelli with her Best Actress Oscar for Cabaret, and her father, Vincente, who won Oscars  for directing An American in Paris and Gigi