Of Passing Interest

Ynyuk nyuk) So who is that team that's choking halfway through the season?Empty purple seats were abundant with more than 10 minutes remaining. Backup quarterback Brooks Bollinger had replaced starter Brad Johnson. The New England Patriots were still rolling down...
Posted by Mitch on October 31, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Deeper Problems

Chris Riemenschneider discovers that Republicans can turn off politics when it comes to entertainment:[Rod] Oman, 39, of Burnsville, shelled out $250 apiece for two tickets to Tuesday night's [Barbra Streisand] Xcel Energy Center concert, even though he's really not much...
Posted by Mitch on October 25, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Halfway to Happy

At halftime, the NDSU Bison are tipping the GoGos 6-3. Hang in there, Bison! The Strib's Chip Scoggins put it this way:PREDICTION: GOPHERS 38, NDSU 17 The Gophers are mired in a four-game losing streak and not in very good...
Posted by Mitch on October 21, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Da Bearsss

Given my schedule, only three things will squeeze out any time to spend any time paying attention to sports:The Twins getting to the ALCS (we keep getting oh soooo close)The Cubs getting into the playoffs (not so much)The Bears being...
Posted by Mitch on October 17, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Spoiler Alert!

Dale Amon at Samizdata gives away the "cliffhanger ending" of the movie Death of a President. Follow the link to read it. Hint: It's not really very plausible. In fact, says Samizdata...:If I were writing such a script, I would...
Posted by Mitch on October 10, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

It Could Work...

Paul "Wog" Kuettel, from Wog's Blog, might have figured out how to arrest the Twins' play off skid:Tonight at dusk I will do my part to help the Minnesota Twins sweep the next three games from the Oakland Athletics by...
Posted by Mitch on October 06, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Improbable

Elder on last night's Twins game, and local hero Joe Mauer's...er, dare I say Puckett-like tying homer....
Posted by Mitch on September 30, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Booyah

Jim Souhan:Somehow, the Twins of Jason Tyner, Dennys Reyes and Boof Bonser made it to the playoffs. Everyone who loves baseball played with skill and passion -- everyone who loves a good story -- should have synchronized their cork popping...
Posted by Mitch on September 26, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

When I Was A Kid...

...and living in North Dakota (where Vikings fans are, if anything, more obnoxious than they are in the Metro), yesterday's game would have kept me deliriously happy for most of the week. And it still does. I predict the Bears...
Posted by Mitch on September 25, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Attention, Cable Industry

Could we please knock off with those stupid spots that claim the Cable industry - the industry that locks up entire metro areas in unbreakable monopolies, charges exhorbitant rates, resists a la carte packaging like the Black Death and takes...
Posted by Mitch on September 18, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Croy-key!

Steve Irwin killed by a stingray. Do not try this at home....
Posted by Mitch on September 04, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Just Saw World Trade Center

I take back everything bad I ever said about Oliver Stone....
Posted by Mitch on September 03, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

It's Hard Out Here For A Skeeze

Horgen also notes the highlight of the social season, if you're a jagoff:till, there's no doubt that Spin's 1st Annual Pimp 'n' Ho Bash will be one of the biggest and craziest club nights of the summer. To top it...
Posted by Mitch on August 25, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Hard-Hitting Journalism Lives

I wonder - did the Strib's Tom Horgen's boss owe him a favor? Or did Horgen win a drawing? I only ask because every time the news media cover something like theopening of the new Block E "Hooters" bar/restaurant, some...
Posted by Mitch on August 25, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

14:59

Heather McCartney is shocked to learn that without her soon-to-be-ex hubby Paul, she's not much of a celeb in the US:"She's worried about being snubbed in Hollywood. People who wanted her when she was Lady McCartney just aren't calling her...
Posted by Mitch on August 21, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

If It Feels Like The Earth Is About To Spin Off Its Axis

...it's probably because of this...:Although Lynx Chief Operating Officer Roger Griffith strongly implied the decision was largely McConnell Serio's, the ex-coach said she tendered her resignation after a meeting in which "it was obvious they wanted to go in a...
Posted by Mitch on July 24, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Hey! Roger! Leave Those Jews Alone!

So on the one hand, you've got a group of people that throughout their 5,000 or so year history have been slaughtered, enslaved, slaughtered, exiled, slaughtered, nearly exterminated and slaughtered.

On the other hand, you have yet another aging rock star who insists on putting himself on the wrong side of history:

Posted by learnedfoot on June 20, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Edging Toward The Exit?

Jerry Springer's TV show was that rarest of productions; something that started as self-parody right out of the gate. It is what it is; an institution of American dolt kitsch, sort of like the National Enquirer, pro wrestling and dwarf-tossing....
Posted by Mitch on June 14, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Keillor: Still a Jag After All These Years

Deflating Garrison Keillor has been very, very good to me. Don't get me wrong. I listen to Prairie Home Companion just about weekly. The music is usually great, and some of the comedy is pretty dang good. I like it....
Posted by Mitch on June 13, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (43) | TrackBack

Monroe At 80

Sheila O'Malley has a great piece on Marilyn Monroe, whose eightieth birthday it would have been today:The photos below were from Bert Stern's famous last session with Marilyn - which involved her drinking champagne and rolling around naked in a...
Posted by Mitch on June 02, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Oh, Yeah...

...like you couldn't see this coming......
Posted by Mitch on May 30, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

At Least Contract Selig

Batgirl, one of the essential baseball blogs, quotes from my close personal friend, Sid Hartman:..."When [baseball financial consultant] Bob Starkey called me with the good news Sunday morning, I felt like I did when we got our stadium here [in...
Posted by Mitch on May 23, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (13) | TrackBack

Mitch Needs Life: The "24" Files

As mentioned earlier, I went the better part of six years without a video store membership. In the five weeks or so since, I've gotten to the last disk of season 4 of "24". I'm on episode 93 of 96....
Posted by Mitch on May 22, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Mitch: Right Again

Roller Coaster attacks its riders at Valleyfair, damn near killing a car full of them:The officials said the accident on the Wild Thing happened at about 4:25 p.m. when the rear car separated from a train at the slowdown before...
Posted by Mitch on May 21, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

TV Notes

The series finale for Will and Grace is, apparently, tonight. I have never seen the show. Well, I take that back - I saw a grand total of ten minutes from three different episodes. Each of the scenes I saw...
Posted by Mitch on May 17, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (21) | TrackBack

Observation...

...on watching Seasons 1-3 of 24: "The security guards at CTU are just like redshirts on Star Trek; expendable". Observation on watching Season 4: They finally made it official and gave 'em red shirts....
Posted by Mitch on May 11, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Events Happen In Real Time

Funniest YouTube vid ever..."Guys Watching 24". They got it almost perfect......
Posted by Mitch on April 28, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Substitution?

Sheila O'Malley has apparently gotten a young Paula Poundstone Julie Andrews to fill in for her for this Monday's performance of her "74 Facts And One Lie". If you're in the greater Manhattan area, check out the show, and say...
Posted by Mitch on April 27, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (13) | TrackBack

It Takes An Idea

Margaret Martin notes a TV show that my daughter hooked me on:My latest guilty pleasure is a show on the discovery channel called It Takes a Thief. It features two guys, supposedly once burglars who served time and now one’s...
Posted by Mitch on April 13, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (18) | TrackBack

My Father The Steamroller

Like Lileks, I've been catching up on 24, starting with the first season. It's amazing; my son practically pushes me out the door to get to the store for the next installment (I'm up to 4PM, the fourth of the...
Posted by Mitch on April 11, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (22) | TrackBack

A Nation of Drama Queens?

Conservative talk radio is abuzz with the story; a Manhattan cineplex pulled the trailer for the movie United 93 because, according to Newsweek, it's all just too soon:In New York City, where 9/11 remains an open wound, the response was...
Posted by Mitch on April 06, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Hear The Horsemen

On the other hand, perhaps apocalypse is right around the corner:An Indian movie director said he hopes to persuade Paris Hilton to play the role of Nobel laureate and prospective Catholic Saint, Mother Teresa, in an upcoming film. "Her features...
Posted by Mitch on April 04, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Soldier of Waaaaah

Michael Medved's famous quote about the original Basic Instinct, "basically, it stinks", by most accounts applies in spades to its sequel, Basic Instinct II, which is currently strangling itself at the box office. To director Paul Verhoeven - who has...
Posted by Mitch on April 03, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (22) | TrackBack

An Eternity of Melchizedek?

In the latest Wu-Tang Clan news, Jackie Harvey Lloyd Grove notes:Wu-Tang Clan founder Robert Diggs — aka RZA (pronounced "rizza") — just settled his sticky divorce from his wife of nearly six years, Eboni Mills. Court papers filed in New...
Posted by Mitch on April 03, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Members Excluded

I suppose it had to happen. When the "Greatest Generation" were in their early forties, twenty years past their big event, the kids and the media gave them holy hell; they were squares, the "establishment" against which their hippie, babyboomer...
Posted by Mitch on March 31, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Go Sioux

i"m not sure which of the Nihilist crew jinxed the GoGos, but, as Sisyphus notes, the GoGos choked against Holy Cross:8:02 PM: OVERTIME. You’ve got to be kidding me. Overtime against Holy Cross? Holy Frickin’ Cross? At this point it...
Posted by Mitch on March 24, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Chef Not A Quitter

The theory: Isaac Hayes - great R'nB singer and songwriter of the '60's and '70s, and voice of "Chef" on South Park, might not have jumped. He might have been pushed, says Roger Friedman, Fox's entertainment guy:I can tell you...
Posted by Mitch on March 21, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Two 34s

I grew up as...well, not much of a sports fan. But whatever interest I had in following professional sports was reserved for two teams; the Minnesota Twins whose play by play announcer Herb Carneal was the voice of summer in...
Posted by Mitch on March 15, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (17) | TrackBack

Atomizer Goes To The Barricades!

Atomizer relates the news that the new owners of Elvis Presley's image rights might clamp down on "unauthorized" part-time Elvi in Las Vegas. He's none to happy about it:I'm packing up my gold lame suit, TCB necklaces and my outrageously...
Posted by Mitch on March 09, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

It's Hard Out Here...

...for a mid-level user interface analyst. UPDATE: Well, no. It's really OK. But after three days of thinking, I had to comment on this year's "Best Song" Oscar winner, "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" by the 3-6 Mafia....
Posted by Mitch on March 08, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Puckett

Puckett sidelined by stroke:Kirby Puckett was listed in critical condition early today after surgery for a stroke, and the Minnesota Twins asked fans to pray for the Hall of Fame outfielder. Puckett, who led the Twins to two World Series...
Posted by Mitch on March 06, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Conundrum

As a straight male, I broadly disapprove of (and am bored stiff by) figure skating. Its various judging scandals confirm the impression that it's not a sport, and barely an art form, but more a form of diplomacy. And skaters...
Posted by Mitch on February 22, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Woeful Imbalance

As the media gorges itself on "sports" like snowboarding and ice skating, Mark Yost (guest-blogging over with Fishsticks) tackles the Winter Olympics' finest sport. Although he's got one thing wrong; I can not only XC ski, but I can bench-press...
Posted by Mitch on February 17, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Ask Not Why It Circles The Drain...

...in this case, Geena Davis' "Commander in Chief", whose ratings are off 40% since its ballyhooed debut. No, just rejoice that it is. The networks and the critics are making up excuses for the show's collapse; an inexperienced initial producer...
Posted by Mitch on February 15, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

How's That Again?

Don't get me wrong. Ed is one of my favorite bloggers, as well as my NARN colleague. And I'll freely admit he knows more about football than I. That's not saying much; I don't think I've watched an entire football...
Posted by Mitch on February 04, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (15) | TrackBack

Handed Down

Fun bit of family trivia; I had the same fourth-grade teacher as my Dad. I think it was her last (long-overdue) year of teaching - but by golly, we shared a teacher. Of course, that was nothing new for Dad;...
Posted by Mitch on February 03, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Ask Not Why It's Gone...

...merely rejoice that it's going away. West Wing has been un-elected by viewers after seven seasons. I saw it perhaps half a dozen times. I found it well-written, well-acted - and determined to slather a gauzy soft-focus sheen on the...
Posted by Mitch on January 23, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

You've Been Warned

Sheila's teeing up a Cary Grant onslaught. Ain't no onslaught like a "Sheila's Actor or Writer Obsession" onslaught. And Cary Grant's one of the onslaughtiest of all. Put in current events terms: this is a Hurricane Katrina of words, and...
Posted by Mitch on January 18, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Improbable, Over

The Bears' improbably successful season ended. As did my microscopic interest in football for this season....
Posted by Mitch on January 15, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Geek Toy Question

All you game geeks out there - what's the best deal going on one of those "PSP" game machines? Where does one look for the best price on one of those #@$#@^% things? All answers appreciated; answers involving massive savings...
Posted by Mitch on January 11, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Someday When I'm On Jeopardy

TREBEK: "Music for $600: Described on VH1 as having an 'angelic voice', this artist's delivery more closely resembles Rod Stewart if he were being molested in a prison shower..." BUZZ TREBEK: Mitch? MITCH: "That'd be James Blunt..." TREBEK: "Please phrase...
Posted by Mitch on January 11, 2006 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Soon To Be A Disney-Channel Movie

Florida teen travels to Iraq for extra credit:Maybe it was the time the taxi dumped him at the Iraq-Kuwait border, leaving him alone in the middle of the desert. Or when he drew a crowd at a Baghdad food stand...
Posted by Mitch on December 31, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Plea

Over on Fraters, someone's looking for one of those REAGAN! stickers done up to look like one of those green WELLSTONE! stickers. Please read the piece and write if you can help. And if you're unsuccessful, may I suggest one...
Posted by Mitch on December 31, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Foursies

Via Red, another meme. After a few of these, I start to feel like an outtake from High Fidelity, but so it goes. FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE 1) Remedial English tutor 2) Stagehand 3) Spotlight operator for...
Posted by Mitch on December 29, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (13) | TrackBack

Defensive

I'm not sure what has me the most jazzed; the fact that the Bears have won the NFC North title, or that they have the #1 defense in the NFL Yeah, yeah, save the heckling; the NFC North is the...
Posted by Mitch on December 28, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Christmas Buzzkill???

Cathy in the Wright, in a post from last Friday, ran through some reasons Christmas just didn't feel quite right; the unseasonably-warm weather played a part, of course. And then...:Or maybe it's because I heard some contemporary Christian singer butcher...
Posted by Mitch on December 26, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Are You Ready For Some Disorientation?

Monday Night Football is leaving ABC. Sort of like the Rockettes leaving radio city....
Posted by Mitch on December 26, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (9) | TrackBack

They Wait. And Wait. And Wait...

Red noted, as is her frequent wont, that yesterday was the 62nd anniversary of the release of Casablanca, my favorite movie of all time and the best American movie ever made (counting Citizen Kane). Sheila has all the real details...
Posted by Mitch on November 28, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (16) | TrackBack

Notify Hinderaker, Part III

There's another pageant in town. Perfect for November in Minnesota, no?...
Posted by Mitch on November 28, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

O'Rourke's Birthday

P.J.O'Rourke is (if memory serves) 58 today. I like O'Rourke a lot. No, not in the way Sheila does:I wish I could go on a date with him. There. I've said it. I know he's married, but I've got a...
Posted by Mitch on November 14, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (41) | TrackBack

Alan Who?

Russell Roberts at Cafe Hayek on a different presidential speech:In the closing statement, Alda gives an eloquent defense of freedom, the power of individuals to solve problems via markets, and the importance of limited government as envisioned by the Founders...
Posted by Mitch on November 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Undisputed

The lowly Bears are in undisputed possession of first place in the NFC North after tipping the Lions 19-13 in overtime yesterday. While I follow the NFL only in the breach, in fact "the breach" happens when the Bears are...
Posted by Mitch on October 31, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Nothing Is Sacred

Back in elementary school, when I'd occasionally get sick, the big treat - the thing that made it all worthwhile - was the present I'd get toward the end of the afternoon; Mom and/or Dad would bring home a quart...
Posted by Mitch on October 31, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Dear KQRS

To: KQRS Radio From: Mitch Berg Re: Soul-crushing tedium In regard to Brad Blanks, celebrity stalker/interviewer, please file under "Too Boring To Measure". I actually find myself flipping over to the Patriot to listen to their commercials when Blanks is...
Posted by Mitch on October 28, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (23) | TrackBack

The Whole Damn System's Out Of Order

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's got a blog. Courtesy of her pal Algore......
Posted by Mitch on October 22, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Carlin?

I haven't liked George Carlin in decades. Coincidentally, he hasn't been funny in decades. So when a friend sent me this bit - George Carlin on New Orleans - I thought "Cool! The dyspeptic old misanthrope is finally pulling his...
Posted by Mitch on October 19, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Back To The Woodshed

Vikings Stadium off the table for another year? Andy at Residual Forces thinks so:It is unconfirmed so far, and shaky at best, but the stadium plea by Wilf and the Vikes is being shelved. Wilf never intended to just own...
Posted by Mitch on October 18, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Henceforth And Forthwith...

...the "Vikings Sex Scandal" shall be known as:Das BootyThat is all....
Posted by Mitch on October 17, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Steckel V. Tice

Mr. Cheer Or Die's Vikings Underground asks the question; who, if anyone, would win a matchup between Mike Tice's '05 Vikes and Les Steckel's '84 squad? Go and vote (it's in the left margin). The current results are...interesting....
Posted by Mitch on October 17, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

The Greatest Day In The History Of Sports

Chicago 28, Minnesota 3.Brian Urlacher had two sacks to lead the Bears to a 28-3 victory over a Vikings team reeling after allegations of drunkenness and sexual misbehavior on a charter cruise last week.Booyah. Life is that little tiny bit...
Posted by Mitch on October 16, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Viking Sex Cruise Redux

I entitled a post "Viking Sex Cruise" the other day, and got probably 1,000 extra visits. Which is ironic, considering I'm not really a football fan, know little about the happenings on the Viking Sex Cruise, and have never really...
Posted by Mitch on October 14, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

American Civilization: Maybe Not Doomed?

"The Simple Life" augurs in:The fish-out-of-bottled-water show started in 2003 with Hilton and Richie - both accustomed to plush lifestyles - spending the spring in the town of Altus, Ark., doing farm chores and working at the local dairy and...
Posted by Mitch on October 14, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Greetings, Voyeurs!

I'm seeing a real uptick in traffic today. Part of it is from Germans, reading my fairly facile take on the Gerhard Schröder's riff on the US today. But by far the bulk is for my piece the other day,...
Posted by Mitch on October 13, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Role Models

A source close to law enforcement in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities says a group of local professional athletes chartered a couple of boats on Lake Minnetonka last Friday. Allegedly, according to the source, the party involved prostitutes,...
Posted by Mitch on October 10, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Everything Ed Says Is A Lie

I'm still at the "Ante up for Chelsea" poker tournament - well, physically. After an amazing run, I crapped out on the final table, coming in #6 out of 90 contestants, not bad for a game I've never played, methinks....
Posted by Mitch on October 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

All Drama And No Comedy Makes Jack A Dull Star

Via Lileks and Althouse on... ...oh, just watch it. It's a re-cutting of the trailerto pitch "The Shining" as a feel-good movie (Links to a Quicktime movie, :30 seconds). True story: I'm sitting watching the first 20 seconds, and I'm...
Posted by Mitch on October 07, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (18) | TrackBack

Challenge

I committed the great faux pas last week of posting, yet again, about the fact that I'm a big Bruce Springsteen fan. Oh, the nattering nabobs of absolute musical homogeneity chimed in, as expected. For a moment there I felt...
Posted by Mitch on September 26, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (22) | TrackBack

Like Budweiser, Without The Crappy Taste

The real Budweiser is coming to America:A beer claiming to be the original "Budweiser'' will soon be sold in the shadow of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., maker of the better-known beer of the same name. Czech brewer Budejovicky Mestansky Pivovar (BMP)...
Posted by Mitch on September 15, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

The Descent of Seth McFarlane

Family Guy - Semi-original parody of traditional family shows. Clever, funny, crisply-written, wonderfully-voiced (who cares about the animation?), skewers everyone. Consistantly hilarious. American Dad - Hackneyed parody. Dull-witted, self-consciously shocking rather than funny, cliche-ridden, voices all suck, skewers conservatives consistently....
Posted by Mitch on September 14, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Escape Clause?

Janeane Garawful West Wing:If you've ever heard Janeane Garofalo on Air America radio, you know she is no stranger to the world of politics. So it probably won't be too much of a stretch for her to join "The West...
Posted by Mitch on August 18, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Cinderella Man

I saw Cinderella Man at the dollar theater last night. I'm terrible at writing movie reviews, so I'm just going to give you a disjointed list of bullet point impressions....
Posted by Mitch on August 11, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (15) | TrackBack

Oh, Great

I hate hate hate spending money when I don't have to. My household still has a 13" TV. I just don't watch that much TV, and the little portable serves the family's needs just fine. Until Congress gets into the...
Posted by Mitch on August 11, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (17) | TrackBack

Could Be Worse...

The ongoing discussion of the casting of Rosie O'Donnell as Golde in the Broaday Fiddler On The Roof got me thinking; O'Donnell as Golde is bad. But it could (he says with typical Scandinavian stoicism) be worse. My list of...
Posted by Mitch on August 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Loudmouth On The Roof

When I think of Golde from Fiddler On The Roof, I think of someone who embodies the endless, stoic forbearance of the Jews of Eastern Europe. Who better to cast for the role on Broadway than the symbol of meso-American...
Posted by Mitch on August 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

His Dog Is Cruise

Via St. Kate and Mrs. Bickerson, Noah Baumbach's dog has, apparently become Tom Cruise....
Posted by Mitch on July 23, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Today's Least Tempting Offer

Pauly Shore? Podcasting....
Posted by Mitch on July 17, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The Broadcast

The Good News: The Twin Cities' other boutique lifestyle freebie paper, Rake, interviews Tom Mischke, perhaps the best talk radio personality in the Twin Cities today, and the only truly unabashed original anywhere in the market. The Bad News: The...
Posted by Mitch on July 15, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (13) | TrackBack

Not Just a Shameless, Powerline-like Display of Cheesecake

Desperate Housewives nets 15 Emmy nominations. I've never seen the show, but...fifteen? I'm suspecting it's like this:EMMY NOMINATOR: "Maybe if I get DHW into the running, Eve Longoria will go out with me..."Am I wrong? I mean... ...er...wait. Hmm. Thinking....
Posted by Mitch on July 14, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (11) | TrackBack

The Perils Of Excessive Artistic License

Ben Jones, who played "Cooter the Mechanic" on the original "Dukes of Hazzard" TV series, doesn't like the treatment his treasured family classic received in Hollywood:"From all I have seen and heard, the "Dukes" movie is a sleazy insult to...
Posted by Mitch on July 14, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Crash

Review in four words: Go see it, it's amazing. I know, it's five words. And worth every one....
Posted by Mitch on July 09, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Droogs Of Love

Normally I don't care one iota about celebrity...anything. I pay next to no attention to celebs; the notion that I should devote a scintilla of my attention to people in honor of...what, being in movies? Ludicrous. But this story astounds...
Posted by Mitch on July 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Stifling of Art! Crushing Of Dissent!

A group of pietistic fundamentalists, upset over the message being shown on a television show, gather their political clout and force a network to drop a (possibly intrigueing) TV series. Southern Baptists flogging their boundless Hollywood clout again? Nah. Gay...
Posted by Mitch on July 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Speaking of Bans

I spent much of the weekend blowing off fireworks. It's been a few years since Minnesota rolled back a tiny little fleck of its paternalistic past and repealed its ban on fireworks. Granted, our legislature only legalized fairly innocuous fireworks...
Posted by Mitch on July 05, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

File Under "Things Mitch Won't Be Doing"

Hollywood comes to Saint Paul. Yaaaawwwwwn.Who cares whether Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, director Robert Altman and other film royalty were on hand Wednesday when filming on the movie "Prairie Home Companion" commenced. Outside St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater, one name and...
Posted by Mitch on June 30, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Your Chance To Be A Pro

Two Northern League (league of unaffiliated Single-A teams that includes the Saint Paul Saints) minor-league baseball teams play part of their game via X-Box:The first two innings of the July 16th game between the Kansas City T-Bones and the Schaumburg...
Posted by Mitch on June 29, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Canadian Gas

Canadians gotta laugh too... Via Cathy in the Wright)...
Posted by Mitch on June 23, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

More Reasons...

...to appreciate Bob Geldof....
Posted by Mitch on June 22, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why Should The Irish Have All The Fun

It occurred to me as I was reading with envy Red's account of her annual Bloomsday revel - in which James Joyce fans worldwide celebrate Ulysses in a variety of ways - that there's no reason the Irish should have...
Posted by Mitch on June 21, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Ick

The State Quarter poll is finally done. Colorado, with the aid of coverage from their mainstream media, eked out a 40-odd vote win over Minnesota, whose campaign was supported only by bloggers. Congrats, Colorado. We Minnesotans - with our Prince,...
Posted by Mitch on June 18, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Justice Is Served Cold With Cole Slaw

Made it to Keegans last night. My team, the "Fishsticks of Freedom" - Craig Westover, Derek from Freedom Dogs, Barry Hickethier and I - tied the Fraters (actually just Elder and Atomizer, plus Sisyphus and the Nihilist from NIGP) in...
Posted by Mitch on June 17, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Poetic Throwdown

Radioblogger's quarter contest continues - get out there and Vote Minnesota. Westover is exhorting the masses via poetry. Can't let that go unanswered:Colorado? Uh... It's California with hills. And their winters suck!Vote early and often....
Posted by Mitch on June 17, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

No Quarter: The Stretch

The Minnesota quarter, despite a full-court press by the Denver mainstream media, has pulled within fifty votes of the Colorado quarter in RadioBlogger's poll on the subject. I'd like to emphasize this, ladies and gentlemen. This is not about which...
Posted by Mitch on June 16, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

No Quarter

Get over to Radio Blogger and vote in the State Quarter contest. Minnesota V. Colorado. Minnesota is down by 70-odd votes. I know we can make that up today....
Posted by Mitch on June 13, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Unity

Finally, an issue we can all get behind....
Posted by Mitch on June 10, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Prosecuting the Laws of Physics?

I was reading this piece, in which the Michael Jackson prosecution team began celebrating a verdict that has not yet been delivered. Leaving the whole notion of the case itself aside, I couldn't help but notice this tidbit at the...
Posted by Mitch on June 10, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Television

Television Shows I Have Never Seen Friends Sex In The City Will And Grace Dallas Home Improvement Beverly Hills 90210 Sopranos Twin Peaks "Must-See" TV Shows I've Seen Very Rarely Seinfeld (maybe 12 times) Frasier (twice) Buffy (once) TV Shows...
Posted by Mitch on June 09, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (16) | TrackBack

Pyrrhic Suit?

If you dug up my list of "things I'd tell the whole world", one thing that's missing is "inspiration for a sadistic psychotic Stephen King character". Can't say it's occurred to me to want to claim imt. It takes all...
Posted by Mitch on June 09, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Comical

I've never cared for comic books. I mean, I had a few when I was kid, the kinds of comic books kids buy with their allowance money when they're seven or eight years old. But by the time I was...
Posted by Mitch on June 04, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

In Praise of the Typecast

Red linked to this post - a revisionist look at William Shatner. And it's a darn fine one. And it got me to thinking; how many excellent actors have gotten their careers hijacked by roles that make them successes -...
Posted by Mitch on May 07, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Technology Improving Life

Finally - a Twin Cities Pinball Database website. Thank you, ye sprites and angels of technology. This is technology I can use! (Via Girl Friday)...
Posted by Mitch on May 05, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

14:58...14:59...

The Coalition military and the battered Iraqis are, bit by bit, wearing out the insurgents; the fulcrum of democratic revolution in the Middle East has sworn in (however chaotically) a cabinet. North Korea might have nuclear weapons capable of reaching...
Posted by Mitch on May 04, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

And This Surprises Precisely Whom?

Abdulgate rocks Hollywood:FOX executives have declined to answer any and all questions posed by ABCNEWS regarding claims AMERICA IDOL judge Paula Abdul personally "coached" a favorite contestant and then tried to cover up the breach, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.I...
Posted by Mitch on May 02, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Ludwig Bemelmans

Red notes that today is Ludwig Bemelmans' birthday. Bemelmans is the author of the "Madeline" series of childrens' books. My kids both loved Madeline, both the books and the original cartoon featuring Christopher Lloyd's voice-over. My daughter used to make...
Posted by Mitch on April 27, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

The Moderate Monster

Someone told me yesterday that "Cookie Monster", the beloved glutton from Sesame Street, has moderated his habits. "He's just a monster who loves the occasional cookie, but eats fruits and vegetables most of the time," reported my correspondent. "Baloney", I...
Posted by Mitch on April 26, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

You'll Know Them By Their Company

Learned Foot from Kool Aid Report answers an email and notes a patternYou are a moron! Hockey is by far the best sport! The fact that not that many people care about it is proof that it appeals to more...
Posted by Mitch on April 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

While I Don't...

...normally pay a shred of attention to hockey unless it serves as a metaphor for the rebirth of the spirit of America after two decades of despiriting decay... ...and in addition confess that I left North Dakota on the first...
Posted by Mitch on April 08, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sports

As I mentioned in a thread earlier this week, I just didn't grow up around Hockey. In the Dakotas, outside of Grand Forks, anyway, Hockey is kind of te poor cousin of winter sports; I grew up watching hoops in...
Posted by Mitch on April 07, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

There are times...

...when the fact that I watch almost no TV bugs me. For the last two seasons, I've caught almost none of "24". Fortunately, we have this site. I feel better already....
Posted by Mitch on April 07, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Reason To Get HBO

I don't do movie channels. Hell, I barely do cable. But I may have to find a way to make it happen later this month. HBO is running a documentary on FrankenNet Air America. The liberal talk network - which...
Posted by Mitch on March 23, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Wright: Contractual Obligations

Red passed on a comment she got after her memoriam to Teresa Wright, taken from her contract with MGM's Sam Goldwyn (excepted from the Guardian's excellent obit:The New York-born Wright's arrival in Hollywood caused a stir, not because of her...
Posted by Mitch on March 10, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

So Far, But Yet So Close

Elder says:Is there a more annoying commercial currently befouling the television screens of America than the demonically inspired ad for Burger King's Tender Crisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch? The bastages behind it have forever soiled The Big Rock Candy Mountain for...
Posted by Mitch on March 03, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Academy Award Liveblogging

A group of frequently amusing people - th writers of "TopFive.com" and the "Daily Probe" - are live-blogging the Oscars. I'm in there somewhere....
Posted by Mitch on February 27, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Underrated: Part 2

Red writes about one of my favorite movies, the criminally-underrated Fearless, with Rosie Perez and Jeff Bridges....
Posted by Mitch on February 02, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Hewitt V. Beinart: Get 'em While They're Hot

I'm looking forward to being at the next Patriot Forum, Thursday, February 10, with most of the rest of the Northern Alliance, watching Peter Beinart and Hugh Hewitt debating the future of the Democratic Party. The event is filling up...
Posted by Mitch on February 01, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Browned Off

I'm not sure what surprises me the most; that "Murphy Brown" is considered a classic comedy, or that it's only been off the air for six years. I was always under the impression that it got cancelled in mid-95. Shows...
Posted by Mitch on January 21, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Thoughts on the Vikings' Loss

1. Now that the Vikings' annual humiliation is over, bring on the pitchers and catchers. 2. Next year, Da Bears are going downtown, baybee. All the way. I've been predicting that every year for the past 35. Unlike all you...
Posted by Mitch on January 17, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Bla bla bla bla...

...bla bla bla Vikings lose but get into playoffs bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Yawn. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. One month until pitchers and catchers report for spring training....
Posted by Mitch on January 03, 2005 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

More on Orbach

Sheila has more on the late Jerry Orbach.I grew up listening to him on the soundtrack for The Fantasticks and also the soundtrack for 42nd Street - You may not know what a great singer he was. And please -...
Posted by Mitch on December 29, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Taking a Break from Cleaning

Not enough to write about anything substantial, of course... But I figured I'd direct you over to Sheila, who is on one of her tears again. This time it's Sidney Lumet; probably 2,300 posts on the subject in the last...
Posted by Mitch on December 21, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

We Are The Fools

Ed Driscoll looks back at Live Aid, on the occasion of the release of the four-CD retrospective set:DURING THE SHOW, The Who performed their '70s anthem, "We Won't Get Fooled Again." The Boomer and MTV generations frequently forget how often...
Posted by Mitch on December 17, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Where Stars Go To Die?

I'm watching (briefly) the Golden Glob award nomination announcement (being carried live on the Today show - there's some news judgement). The presenters? Some starlet I've only dimly heard of, but I know she's been in the biz for a...
Posted by Mitch on December 13, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Stumbling Towards Glorious

I'm way too busy. Kids, job, blog, talk show, house, rudiments of a social life - something's gotta give. For me, traditionally, that something is television - especially televised sports. I just don't ever sit in the living room watching...
Posted by Mitch on December 06, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

My Favorite Honky

The NYTimes turns to Steve Martin for perspective on the new exhibition of King Tut artifacts:IT is fitting that so many major news organizations have asked me to herald the coming to the United States of the artifacts from King...
Posted by Mitch on December 05, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

At Least I'm Not Alone

A few years ago, while on a "date" (I put it in scare quotes because "trial by misery" was probably more appropriate), I sampled a restaurant/bar in Apple Valley for an interminable evening. As Chumley points out, it wasn't just...
Posted by Mitch on December 04, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

First Annual Webster Words Contest

NZ Bear - a favorite of the Northern Alliance - has a fun one today:Merriam-Webster Inc. said on Tuesday that blog, defined as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks," was one...
Posted by Mitch on December 01, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Deafening Silence

Pat Sajak (with whom I'm very distantly acquainted from another internet forum) is a smart, sharp, blazingly funny guy - certainly more than Vanna's foil. He asks in Human Events Online - where is Hollywood's outrage over the Van Gogh...
Posted by Mitch on November 30, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Therapy

For depressed Dems, via Rambling Rhodes....
Posted by Mitch on November 19, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

I Feel Sorry...

...for all the poor saps who are spending their time puttering away playing HALO II (or worse, standing in line waiting to buy it) when they could be playing Combat Mission - Afrika Korps and Combat Mission - Barbarossa to...
Posted by Mitch on November 15, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Unapologetic

A response to last week's cretinous "Sorry Everybody" campaign, the We're Not Sorry campaign is just in time. Some are straight... And some are photoshopped... ...and they're all fun. UPDATE: David's Medienkritik joins in from Germany....
Posted by Mitch on November 11, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Notify Lileks

The ironic camp event of the season. Actually, I finally discovered something worse than a William Shatner album; Ben Folds producing a William Shatner album....
Posted by Mitch on October 07, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (9) | TrackBack

End of an Era

Scottie Pippen is retiring from the NBA today after 17 seasons.Pippen, 39, was voted one of the NBA's 50 greatest players. He is known for his all-around play, especially his long-armed defense against some of the league's best scorers.That's why...
Posted by Mitch on October 05, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

I Hadn't Seen This One...

Via Wog - who you should be reading, by the way....
Posted by Mitch on September 09, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

And There Was Rejoicing

Ken Jennings deposed in a bloodless coup? We don't know:A report posted Wednesday on TV Week's Web site said the brainy software engineer lost in a show taped Tuesday, walking away after his 75th straight game with about $2.5 million...
Posted by Mitch on September 09, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Jeer The Vote

MTV's "Rock The Vote" has always been the most preening, contemptuous manifestations of the pop culture "elite"'s disdain for the intelligence of American youth. Since the beginning, RTV has been a simplistic spoon-feeding of Democrat propaganda to the MTV generation....
Posted by Mitch on August 30, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Now, This...

...looks like great geekeriffic fun....
Posted by Mitch on August 23, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Heart of Dorkness?

Mudville Gazette hosts the first-ever Kerry Christmas '68 literature contest:The fog was thick as pea soup as we made our way across the border, but it muffled the sounds of the boat as we entered Cambodia. That was good, because...
Posted by Mitch on August 18, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Olympically Boring

So far this year, I've not watched one second of the Olympics. I haven't read about it, listened to it - nothing. Don't know who's competing even. It'd seem I'm not alone:If you've watched any of the events on television...
Posted by Mitch on August 16, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Eller

In an era where sports figures have become what movie stars were in another generation - the spoiled, petulant children we watch as much off the field as on - it's good to see Carl Eller make the football hall...
Posted by Mitch on August 10, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The New Enemies List

John "Rocket Man" Hinderaker, at the end of a long post on the creeping political cretinism of so many of our celebrities, says:We may have to dust off P. J. O'Rourke's Enemies List from the 1980s, and update it.I was,...
Posted by Mitch on August 08, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Cravings

Malkin talks about her various late-night cravings....
Posted by Mitch on July 28, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Golden Age of Animation

I never liked cartoons much. When I was a kid back in the seventies, it was the beginning of the great drought in American animation; the wretched cookiecutter output of the Hanna-Barbera studios dominated Saturday mornings - hence, I spent...
Posted by Mitch on July 20, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Having A Party

If you're a blogger in Minnesota (or anywhere within driving distance of the Twin Cities), we really should get together sometime. There are a lot of cool people writing blogs - or even just reading them - in the Upper...
Posted by Mitch on July 18, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (23) | TrackBack

Flash Cartoon of the Day

Just watch it....
Posted by Mitch on July 17, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Memo to Reality TV Producers

To: Reality TV Producers of the World From: Mitch Berg Re: Programming Idea All, Given the two major dynamics in popular culture which drive "reality" television - the desire for instant gratification and peoples' craving to improve what they already...
Posted by Mitch on June 29, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Note to Hollywood

You can say I've learned to dig "chick flicks". Krzysztof Kieslawski's Three Colors trilogy are among my three favorite films of all time. The three best movies I've seen lately are Lost In Translation, Eternal Sunshine and, last night, Cold...
Posted by Mitch on June 28, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (3)

Saint As Paul

The Minnehaha AllStars took the field for our first shot at Keegans Pub's Thursday Trivia contest. Saint Paul, from Fraters Libertas, reports the events with a spin that'd do Paul Begala proud. We didn't win, but we did better than...
Posted by Mitch on June 25, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (4)

Coal in the Rough

There are two things in this world that transcend depressing - things that, when fully realized, challenge the resilience of the human mind. When fully immersed in these two things, one occasionally finds oneself having to command oneself to keep...
Posted by Mitch on June 23, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1)

But Does Powerline Cover This?

Audrey Hepburn was declared the most beautiful woman of all time. Hepburn, the star of Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's, topped the poll of beauty editors, make-up artists, fashion editors, model agencies and fashion photographers who were asked to...
Posted by Mitch on June 01, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (7)

Pixar Splits

Computer animation wizzes Pixar have split from Disney Studios. "After 10 months of trying to strike a deal with Disney, we're moving on," said Pixar chief executive Steve Jobs. "We've had a great run together - one of the most...
Posted by Mitch on January 30, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Judge the Book By Its Sound

I spent 13 years in radio, off and on, at eight different stations. I was always amazed at the extent to which people almost never look like they sound. The examples of people who don't look as "good" in person...
Posted by Mitch on January 19, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Late Night TV Update

I watch very little TV. But some nights, after the kids are in bed, the housework's done, I've posted some blog to the next day, and there's nothing else going on (and there's never anything else going on), I'll pour...
Posted by Mitch on January 16, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Iron-Clad Laws of Childrens' Television

Iron-Clad Laws of Childrens' Television - While I see less of it than I used to - my kids are 10 and 12 - the TV still winds up on the Disney Channel enough to notice the following:The elderly African...
Posted by Mitch on January 09, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

The Slow Slide - In

In today's #1 story, Britney Spears, who apparently went to Wedomatic in Vegas yesterday, is getting her cold feet: "Pop star Britney Spears reportedly has been a bride for about a day, and is already considering an annulment "Some say...
Posted by Mitch on January 04, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Miracle?

Miracle? - A nearly-100-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble in Bam, Iran today - nine days after the catastrophic earthquake:"For nearly nine days after an earthquake demolished her city, 97-year-old Sharbanou Mazandarani lay trapped under furniture and crumbled masonry,...
Posted by Mitch on January 03, 2004 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Return of the Trilogy

Saw Return of the King last night. I may need to see it again. I have been awash in admiration for Peter Jackson ever since the first movie of the trilogy; it's not easy to take books that Mitch Berg...
Posted by Mitch on December 21, 2003 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Of Dwarves And Men

Fascinating interview with John Rhys-Davies - "Gimli" the Dwarf in the Lord Of the Rings trilogy. Never thought I'd say this about an actor -but this interview has some fascinating insights: I grew up in colonial Africa. And I remember...
Posted by Mitch on December 18, 2003 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Wouldn't Be Prudent

Fraters'Saint Paul discusses some skirmishes in the culture wars that he feels augur well for conservatives. The Saint notes that Dana Carvey is sounding more Republican these days:When asked about politics, between the jokes, all of Carvey’s comments were...
Posted by Mitch on September 19, 2003 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Those Seventies Shows

Dig up details about DFL players' actions regarding American Bankers? Kudos. Rip on Garrison Keillor's hypocrisy? Raves from the whole blogosphere. But slip in an offhanded dig about seventies TV? Now I've gone too far, as I seem to have...
Posted by Mitch on August 15, 2003 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Brooks

Brooks - To me, Hockey has pretty much always been something that clogs up the space between the World Series and pitchers reporting for spring training. It's never really grabbed me. I'm from North Dakota, which, despite the presence of...
Posted by Mitch on August 13, 2003 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

War Movies

War movies have always been my genre. It probably started, I'm sure, with my pre-adolescent fascination with military stuff - planes, tanks, rifles, ships, you name it. As I got through high school and began reading some of the more...
Posted by Mitch on March 10, 2003 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Shakedown

The Recording Industry Association of America is on a campaign to get the government to help it enforce laws against file sharing and piracy. And while the recording and entertainment industry's ethics are pretty terrible across the board, it seems...
Posted by Mitch on December 16, 2002 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

There are some times when only a visit to Tony Pierce's blog will do....
Posted by Mitch on November 27, 2002 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

What Firearm Are You? -

What Firearm Are You? - I needed to find out. Of course you can click through the ad to find out what you are. Me? Which Firearm are you?brought to you byStan Ryker Oooh! Cool! Try it out....
Posted by Mitch on November 26, 2002 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Cringe

Normally, I couldn't care less about the peccadilloes of celebrities - especially the celebrities who are famous for being famous. People like Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Charles Nelson Reilly... And Jacko, who's long since lost any claim as a musician....
Posted by Mitch on November 19, 2002 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Maher's Back - Bill Maher

Bill Maher took a lot of flak for his remarks after 9/11 - mostly unjustified. He's back, now, with this pointed-yet-funny set of WWII posters, updated for the War on Terrorism. (Via Smart Genes)...
Posted by Mitch on November 19, 2002 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

8 Mile and the Detroit Catastrophe

Eminem's new 8 Mile highights the divide between the free market and liberal interventionism. Henry Payne of National Review Online writes this comparison:The title of the movie is both a literal and symbolic reference to Eight Mile Road, the street...
Posted by Mitch on November 18, 2002 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Adios, Miller

Not only did ABC extinguish the last remaining reason to watch Monday Night Football by firing Dennis Miller, they've now stomped on the ashes of those reasons by hiring the most irritating voice in the world, John Madden. Not...
Posted by Mitch on February 28, 2002 | Read Whole Post | Comments (0)

Hie We To The Bierhalle

Tis the Feast of Saint Grunhilde, and we the hale and merry menne of Narne shall feast before the greate battle!...
Posted by Mitch on August 28, 0995 | Read Whole Post | Comments (1) | TrackBack