How Irish am I?

You're 55% Irish

You're very Irish, and most likely from Ireland. (And if you're not, you should be!)

How Irish Are You?

Wow!

Imagine how Irish I'd be if I actually drank! LOL

Picture yourself as a South Park character

Have you ever wondered how you would look as a South Park character?

Now that Isaac Hayes has left the show, perhaps there's now an opening for a new character ...

A new South Park you!

The sexy name decoder...

Suzer made me do it!

Spring has sprung

Although it won't be officially Spring for a couple more weeks, you can't point out things like that on a calendar to Mother Nature. She makes up her own mind! The yellow snow is falling and Benedryl sales are rising.

Here, the wild Azaleas are blooming.

Annie Proulx bashes the Oscars.

Yes, Annie Proulx, the author of Brokeback Mountain, is upset that the film based upon her short story was not the recipient of the Best Picture Oscar. Neither is she happy that the acting awards went elsewhere.

Hollywood loves mimicry, the conversion of a film actor into the spittin' image of a once-living celeb. But which takes more skill, acting a person who strolled the boulevard a few decades ago and who left behind tapes, film, photographs, voice recordings and friends with strong memories, or the construction of characters from imagination and a few cold words on the page? I don't know. The subject never comes up.

She critiques the show in an article for the Guardian Unlimited:

There were montages, artfully meshed clips of films of yesteryear, live acts by Famous Talent, smart-ass jokes by Jon Stewart who was witty and quick, too witty, too quick, too eastern perhaps for the somewhat dim LA crowd.

I find it rather amusing that while middle-America fusses about Hollywood being too edgy and too out of touch with American values, Annie Proulx calls Hollywood "provincial" for not selecting "her" film as the top film.

Despite the technical expertise and flawlessly sleek set evocative of 1930s musicals, despite Dolly Parton whooping it up and Itzhak Perlman blending all the theme music into a single performance ... there was a kind of provincial flavour to the proceedings reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night.

Annie also describes protesters she saw as her limo approached the theatre. I don't know why I'm surprised that protesters would show up to decry gays in movies. The Episcopal church is undergoing a schism over a gay Bishop who was ordained last year. Why shouldn't the closed minded also protest at the Oscars over the presumed win of Brokeback Mountain?

Hells Angels sue Disney... no, really!

The Hells Angels "motorcycle club" is suing Walt Disney Co.. The Hells Angels suit claims that a planned movie, called "Wild Hogs", about a group of motorcycle riders infringes on its trademark name and skull logo.

Think about it... outlaw bikers sue one of the most litigious and trademark protecting companies over... trademark infringement.

You gotta laugh. :)

Have you ever seen a yeti?

Betcha didn't know that yeti existed, didja?

Well, this yeti lives deep in the Pacific and it's a crab! or a lobster thingee!

It's a furry crustacean at any rate. :)

It's called Kiwa hirsute which basically means "furry goddess of shellfish."

Out of touch and proud of it...

This, from his Oscar acceptance speech, is one of the reasons that George Clooney is my pretend movie boyfriend:

"And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it's probably a good thing. We're the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch."

Not, of course, that I agree unreservedly with his assessment. I do think Hollywood is largely out of touch with the sensibilities of a significant portion of their audience. I think there is a fundamental lack of respect and an underestimation of both the audience's intelligence and its desires.

No, what I like about Clooney's statement is the heartfelt belief that Hollywood can change things for the better; that it can be the leading edge of the nation's opinions about social and societal issues. This is optimism about what can be good about the arts and the art of filmmaking.

The bride

My cousin, Holly, the lady of the hour.

Bells will be ringing...

I'm going to be out of town this weekend to see my cousin and her fiance wed and blend their families together. My best wishes to Holly, Keven, Ashley, Kristen, and Bailey!