but a good one nonetheless.
"Seven Habits of Highly Effective Spaceship Captains."
H/t NRO.
Showing posts with label Top 10 Lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top 10 Lists. Show all posts
2.08.2008
11.21.2007
Giving Thanks
There is so much to be thankful for in this day and age, we make shit up just to bitch.
So in the spirit of our recent Top 10 jags, the Top 10 Things I am Thankful For:
1) My Health. Let's face it, I can enjoy everything else on this list because I am healthy. Sure, my blood pressure is high; my left knee is partly titanium and have various and sundry pains, but at 5' 11" and 165 lbs, I can still score well on the Army's PT.
2) My Family. Again, the kids can be a pain, the wife can get grouchy, but these are small compared to the joy they bring me. I also still have both parents, a brother and sister-in-law that I love dearly and an extended family remarkably free from tragedy.
3) My Friends. I am not a tremendously social person, but I am blessed with friendship of various depths from the "can tell anything to" to the "how 'bout them Yankees" and each is meaningful to me. My oldest friendship is 26 years old and my newest will start Monday.
4) My Work. I have professional options and get paid very well for what I do...and it does not seem to hard for me. (But it seems hard to others!) Only when the job gets stressful are we thankful for the routine of a good job.
5) Boredom. There is a reputed Chinese curse that goes, "may you live in interesting times." Real or not, a boring life is not all bad. A can go a few months without much changing and that becomes better and better each year.
6) Small Challenges. Okay, there are small challenges which I am thankful for. These are learning experiences that make me a better parent, husband, boss, etc.
7) Small Moments. When you are a teen, you blow through life like a bull in a china shop. Now, I appreciate the small moments in life. The first snow (yesterday), God's creatures, a connection with another human - each is precious, but often overlooked.
8) My Catholicism. I am getting to appreciate God as I age. Further, I am appreciating the Trinity even more. The issue of a superior being has been long settled for me. But Christ shows me how to incorporate God in my relationship with Him and my fellow man. Finally, the Holy Spirit show me how to make God personal to me. One God, three divinities, but it has taken me years to understand the importance of each.
9) My Fellow Man. Sure, some are scum, but all-in-all there are 6 billion others in this world who are looking to make their small part a better place and thereby make the whole a better place. I thank them and wish them continued success.
10) The Future. Sure, we could screw it up, but I don't think we will. The future will be a better place for my kids and their kids, then it was for my folks and me.
To Thew and Tdub and to you my dear reader, have a Happy Thanksgiving.
So in the spirit of our recent Top 10 jags, the Top 10 Things I am Thankful For:
1) My Health. Let's face it, I can enjoy everything else on this list because I am healthy. Sure, my blood pressure is high; my left knee is partly titanium and have various and sundry pains, but at 5' 11" and 165 lbs, I can still score well on the Army's PT.
2) My Family. Again, the kids can be a pain, the wife can get grouchy, but these are small compared to the joy they bring me. I also still have both parents, a brother and sister-in-law that I love dearly and an extended family remarkably free from tragedy.
3) My Friends. I am not a tremendously social person, but I am blessed with friendship of various depths from the "can tell anything to" to the "how 'bout them Yankees" and each is meaningful to me. My oldest friendship is 26 years old and my newest will start Monday.
4) My Work. I have professional options and get paid very well for what I do...and it does not seem to hard for me. (But it seems hard to others!) Only when the job gets stressful are we thankful for the routine of a good job.
5) Boredom. There is a reputed Chinese curse that goes, "may you live in interesting times." Real or not, a boring life is not all bad. A can go a few months without much changing and that becomes better and better each year.
6) Small Challenges. Okay, there are small challenges which I am thankful for. These are learning experiences that make me a better parent, husband, boss, etc.
7) Small Moments. When you are a teen, you blow through life like a bull in a china shop. Now, I appreciate the small moments in life. The first snow (yesterday), God's creatures, a connection with another human - each is precious, but often overlooked.
8) My Catholicism. I am getting to appreciate God as I age. Further, I am appreciating the Trinity even more. The issue of a superior being has been long settled for me. But Christ shows me how to incorporate God in my relationship with Him and my fellow man. Finally, the Holy Spirit show me how to make God personal to me. One God, three divinities, but it has taken me years to understand the importance of each.
9) My Fellow Man. Sure, some are scum, but all-in-all there are 6 billion others in this world who are looking to make their small part a better place and thereby make the whole a better place. I thank them and wish them continued success.
10) The Future. Sure, we could screw it up, but I don't think we will. The future will be a better place for my kids and their kids, then it was for my folks and me.
To Thew and Tdub and to you my dear reader, have a Happy Thanksgiving.
10.19.2007
The Road Not Taken
My Top Ten Places to Visit that are in no particular order.
1. The Pyramids at Giza. To me, the greatest wonder of the man-made world.
2. The Great Barrier Reef. Shark diving would be cool, but exploring the GBR would be endlessly fascinating.
3. The Taj Mahal. This might well be the most beautiful building in the world.
4. The Top of Mount Everest. Why, because it is there.
5. The Serengeti. Nothing like a safari with my boys.
6. Grand Hotel Tremezzo Palace on Lake Como. Click on the link...enough said.
7. The Holy Land. To walk the ground Christ walked.
8. Tahiti. Pure beauty. But I will probably settle for Costa Rica. Which ain't bad...
9. Greece. This was tough as I also want to go to Morocco, but the wealth of history is too much to pass up. I want to stand at Thermopylae and imaging the clash of armies. (Tdub wants to go there and imagine Gerard Butler in various states of undress.)
10. Linz, Austria and Szentgotthard, Hungary. With my parents, since this is where they grew up. Just to experience my heritage.
1. The Pyramids at Giza. To me, the greatest wonder of the man-made world.
2. The Great Barrier Reef. Shark diving would be cool, but exploring the GBR would be endlessly fascinating.
3. The Taj Mahal. This might well be the most beautiful building in the world.
4. The Top of Mount Everest. Why, because it is there.
5. The Serengeti. Nothing like a safari with my boys.
6. Grand Hotel Tremezzo Palace on Lake Como. Click on the link...enough said.
7. The Holy Land. To walk the ground Christ walked.
8. Tahiti. Pure beauty. But I will probably settle for Costa Rica. Which ain't bad...
9. Greece. This was tough as I also want to go to Morocco, but the wealth of history is too much to pass up. I want to stand at Thermopylae and imaging the clash of armies. (Tdub wants to go there and imagine Gerard Butler in various states of undress.)
10. Linz, Austria and Szentgotthard, Hungary. With my parents, since this is where they grew up. Just to experience my heritage.
10.03.2007
10.02.2007
9.14.2007
Memories, Like the Corners of My Mind...
Good one, Tdub.
So, I remember a time when:
My TV was black and white.
My hair was very blond.
A man first walked on the moon.
I could repair my own car...without fear.
Coffee was served only in diners and it cost a dime.
We waited for gas and worried there would be none.
Hair was long and shorts were short.
McDonald's was a special dining treat (followed by coffee milkshakes from Conti's for desert!)
I could go outside at 8 am, not come home until dinner and Mom would not be worried.
Not only were grocery stores not self service, but someone brought the groceries out to the car!
Of all the odd things I remember, the King Cole grocery store were I grew up used to have conveyor belts in the front of the store and we would watch the groceries travel out from the checkout counter to the parking lot. It was only a quarter of a mile from my house and sometimes we would walk to the store and walk home with the groceries.
Now, I just was looking at the old place on Google Earth and one thing that is funny is how close everything actually is. My old house to the Boys' Club is a third of a mile through Central High. (Across the street there was a high security prison.) The length of the deadend street I grew up on was only 330 yards. But it did not seem so short at the time.
So, I remember a time when:
My TV was black and white.
My hair was very blond.
A man first walked on the moon.
I could repair my own car...without fear.
Coffee was served only in diners and it cost a dime.
We waited for gas and worried there would be none.
Hair was long and shorts were short.
McDonald's was a special dining treat (followed by coffee milkshakes from Conti's for desert!)
I could go outside at 8 am, not come home until dinner and Mom would not be worried.
Not only were grocery stores not self service, but someone brought the groceries out to the car!
Of all the odd things I remember, the King Cole grocery store were I grew up used to have conveyor belts in the front of the store and we would watch the groceries travel out from the checkout counter to the parking lot. It was only a quarter of a mile from my house and sometimes we would walk to the store and walk home with the groceries.
Now, I just was looking at the old place on Google Earth and one thing that is funny is how close everything actually is. My old house to the Boys' Club is a third of a mile through Central High. (Across the street there was a high security prison.) The length of the deadend street I grew up on was only 330 yards. But it did not seem so short at the time.
9.12.2007
Tdub's Turn
I think its Tdub's turn for a list, if she wants. And none of this Top 10 Sexiest Things about Gerard Butler crapola!!!
(I don't want Thew to embarrass himself when he has to cull his list down from 32 things...)
(I don't want Thew to embarrass himself when he has to cull his list down from 32 things...)
9.11.2007
Hope I Die Before I Get Old...
Talkin' 'bout my generation.
Okay, I have to admit I had a tough time getting to 10. I also have a bunch of things I LIKE about getting old. I also think it is really a lot tougher on the ladies since society places a premium on looks in women more then men...and let's face it, the toughest thing about getting old is looking in the mirror one day and seeing your dad (or mom).
I also am lucky in that I don't suffer from ED (according to Mrs. Tilam, I have the exact opposite problem) and have all my hair. And since I have light hair without a lot of gray, I can pass off as being younger then 44. I am sure thinning hair, a silver mane and a broken Johnson will come eventually, but not yet. (Touch wood...so to speak.)
Warranty Expiration. It seemed like the warranty on my body expired at 40. What was a relatively smooth running machine developed all sorts of rattles and creaks. Knees hurt more, ankles clicked more, my back needed better feed and caring. I did a triathlon at 40 to over compensate, but I just can't maintain that training pace. Ugh!
A Step Slower. 15 years ago, I could run 8 miles at under 7 minutes per mile...not great, but not bad. Now my 4 mile times are on the heavy side of the 8 minute per mark. Ugh!
Prostate Exams. Moooooon River... No additional comment yesterday.
Age Spots. A small, but niggling issue. But I really dislike those little monsters.
Shifts. Echoing Tdub, things do seem to have sagged. My six pack has become a two pack. Very curable, but it takes a lot more work then before.
Longer Hangovers. This might not be age per se, but recover on everything seems to take forever. Have that 4th scotch...you feel it the next day. Play ball with the guys - hurt for three days. And the kids just won't let you sleep it off.
No Patience. When you are a baby, your world is all of three feet in diameter. As you age, it grows and grows, until one day you lose patience with all the morons and decide you can't change the world. Then it starts to shrink, until you are 90 years old and your world is all of three feet in diameter. I lost patience some time ago...but I am not proud of it.
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda. I don't have a lot of regrets, but I have some. Most come under the heading of "I should have been nicer to so and so." I am trying to learn from this.
Pictures. I overheard some women talking about the Big Hair days of the 80s. HAH! I can do you one better: leisure suits. Nothing is more painful then pictures of me trying to look cool in the 70s.
Dating Myself. Beyond the collection of Kiss albums (I can remember when Strutter '78 was new), old 8 track tapes and Pong, I do seem to be years behind. Sometimes it works for me; Led Zeppelin is still cool, but mostly I am an analog guy in a digital age.
I watched the ESPN series, The Bronx is Burning, about the 1977 Yankee season. I really enjoyed it both as a story and as a reminder of that period. Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson and Bill White in the booth, Thurman Munson, Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers and, of course, Reggie Jackson on the field.
And that's the best thing about getting old...some really great memories.
Okay, I have to admit I had a tough time getting to 10. I also have a bunch of things I LIKE about getting old. I also think it is really a lot tougher on the ladies since society places a premium on looks in women more then men...and let's face it, the toughest thing about getting old is looking in the mirror one day and seeing your dad (or mom).
I also am lucky in that I don't suffer from ED (according to Mrs. Tilam, I have the exact opposite problem) and have all my hair. And since I have light hair without a lot of gray, I can pass off as being younger then 44. I am sure thinning hair, a silver mane and a broken Johnson will come eventually, but not yet. (Touch wood...so to speak.)
Warranty Expiration. It seemed like the warranty on my body expired at 40. What was a relatively smooth running machine developed all sorts of rattles and creaks. Knees hurt more, ankles clicked more, my back needed better feed and caring. I did a triathlon at 40 to over compensate, but I just can't maintain that training pace. Ugh!
A Step Slower. 15 years ago, I could run 8 miles at under 7 minutes per mile...not great, but not bad. Now my 4 mile times are on the heavy side of the 8 minute per mark. Ugh!
Prostate Exams. Moooooon River... No additional comment yesterday.
Age Spots. A small, but niggling issue. But I really dislike those little monsters.
Shifts. Echoing Tdub, things do seem to have sagged. My six pack has become a two pack. Very curable, but it takes a lot more work then before.
Longer Hangovers. This might not be age per se, but recover on everything seems to take forever. Have that 4th scotch...you feel it the next day. Play ball with the guys - hurt for three days. And the kids just won't let you sleep it off.
No Patience. When you are a baby, your world is all of three feet in diameter. As you age, it grows and grows, until one day you lose patience with all the morons and decide you can't change the world. Then it starts to shrink, until you are 90 years old and your world is all of three feet in diameter. I lost patience some time ago...but I am not proud of it.
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda. I don't have a lot of regrets, but I have some. Most come under the heading of "I should have been nicer to so and so." I am trying to learn from this.
Pictures. I overheard some women talking about the Big Hair days of the 80s. HAH! I can do you one better: leisure suits. Nothing is more painful then pictures of me trying to look cool in the 70s.
Dating Myself. Beyond the collection of Kiss albums (I can remember when Strutter '78 was new), old 8 track tapes and Pong, I do seem to be years behind. Sometimes it works for me; Led Zeppelin is still cool, but mostly I am an analog guy in a digital age.
I watched the ESPN series, The Bronx is Burning, about the 1977 Yankee season. I really enjoyed it both as a story and as a reminder of that period. Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson and Bill White in the booth, Thurman Munson, Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers and, of course, Reggie Jackson on the field.
And that's the best thing about getting old...some really great memories.
9.10.2007
Card Carrying AARP Members!
US-Brazil soccer match was a great game, albeit a true case of "michael jordan-ism". Brazil got the benefit of a couple of non-calls that were CLEARLY calls. Both within 10 minutes of each other mid-late second half. A CLEAR penalty kick takedown of Josh Wolff in the box by the Brazilian defender - I'm not sure what the hell the ref was watching, but that was a HORRIBLE no call. And assuming the PK is converted, it really changes the face/nature of the game, at least for a while. Several minutes later, a CLEAR handball miss by the referee on Brazil - I can't remember if it was in the box or not (memory says "just outside") but the referee was horrible....again, it seems, based on Jen Chang's analysis. But I think the boys made a good accounting of themselves, played aggressive not passive, took it to Brazil - the Brazilians were just a better team, but this time we didn't back down in awe. I liked that...although why the HELL we still play people like Eddie Johnson and Demarcus Beasley (the big disappointment of US Soccer imo) is mind boggling. Bradley's takedown was a bad decision, but truly, at that point, I'm not sure it changed the outcome of the game. Super free kick goal by Ronaldinho.
Interesting thing shopping with my daughter this past weekend. After buying some items, I got the proverbial "thank you sir" from the young thang behind the register..causing a bit of a giggling fit from my 16 year old. When asked about her source of amusement, she responded with "thank you for shopping SIR", followed by more laughter. I frowned at her, gave her that look of annoyance, to which she responded with more laughter. I shook my head and walked to the car, thinking that it sure is a bitch growing old...
THEN IT STRUCK ME!
The 3-T's of this blog are all in the same demographic (that is, young enough to last the whole game but old enough to have been around when they invented it), so I wanted to pose THIS top 10 list to the experienced bloggers of Tilam v Thew v T-Dub:
Give me the top 10 things you HATE about growing old!
Interesting thing shopping with my daughter this past weekend. After buying some items, I got the proverbial "thank you sir" from the young thang behind the register..causing a bit of a giggling fit from my 16 year old. When asked about her source of amusement, she responded with "thank you for shopping SIR", followed by more laughter. I frowned at her, gave her that look of annoyance, to which she responded with more laughter. I shook my head and walked to the car, thinking that it sure is a bitch growing old...
THEN IT STRUCK ME!
The 3-T's of this blog are all in the same demographic (that is, young enough to last the whole game but old enough to have been around when they invented it), so I wanted to pose THIS top 10 list to the experienced bloggers of Tilam v Thew v T-Dub:
Give me the top 10 things you HATE about growing old!
9.07.2007
A New Top 10
In remembrance of Pavarotti...the Top 10 Opera Arias!
Just kidding...
Okay, give me your Top 10 Movie Characters. Not necessarily leading characters, but just your faves.
Just kidding...
Okay, give me your Top 10 Movie Characters. Not necessarily leading characters, but just your faves.
9.04.2007
My Turn...Top 10 Action Sequences
Woot...sounds like an owl coming.
Anyway, in no particular order:
Matrix - Morpheus' Rescue. The scene in the lobby just typifies all the great action in the Matrix.
French Connection - Car Chase. C'mon, it is one of the grandaddies of car chases along with Bullitt.
Casino Royale - Lot's of Bond to pick from, but I really like the opening in the latest.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Ditto on Thew's sentiment.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 - House of Blue Leaves, but lots to pick from.
LOTR - I loved Helms' Deep, but the Battle of Pelennor Fields (Minas Tirith) is a huge sentimental favorite...and Legolas is just fabulous.
Saving Private Ryan - D-Day, just jaw dropping.
Star Wars - I echo Tdub in that the destruction of the first Death Star was, for the time, really impressive, but the destruction of the second Death Star is my favorite of the original trilogy.
Gladiator - The opening scene is great, but the first gladiator fight in the arena is my favorite.
Apocalypse Now - The helicopter assault on the beach was and is a classic scene.
The are some others I really liked, such as the final scene in The Professional. My introduction to Jean Reno...and Natalie Portman. The Die Hard series has many great scenes. The car chase scene in Ronin almost knocked off the French Connection. Finally, Raiders of the Lost Ark is just one big, great action sequence.
But hard to argue with any of the postings.
Anyway, in no particular order:
Matrix - Morpheus' Rescue. The scene in the lobby just typifies all the great action in the Matrix.
French Connection - Car Chase. C'mon, it is one of the grandaddies of car chases along with Bullitt.
Casino Royale - Lot's of Bond to pick from, but I really like the opening in the latest.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Ditto on Thew's sentiment.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 - House of Blue Leaves, but lots to pick from.
LOTR - I loved Helms' Deep, but the Battle of Pelennor Fields (Minas Tirith) is a huge sentimental favorite...and Legolas is just fabulous.
Saving Private Ryan - D-Day, just jaw dropping.
Star Wars - I echo Tdub in that the destruction of the first Death Star was, for the time, really impressive, but the destruction of the second Death Star is my favorite of the original trilogy.
Gladiator - The opening scene is great, but the first gladiator fight in the arena is my favorite.
Apocalypse Now - The helicopter assault on the beach was and is a classic scene.
The are some others I really liked, such as the final scene in The Professional. My introduction to Jean Reno...and Natalie Portman. The Die Hard series has many great scenes. The car chase scene in Ronin almost knocked off the French Connection. Finally, Raiders of the Lost Ark is just one big, great action sequence.
But hard to argue with any of the postings.
8.31.2007
Next Top 10
Okay, lots of good commentary. Though I will say Scarlet and Rhett never make the cut for me because she is sooooo annoying. When he says his signature line, I was like "Dude, what took you so long!" She so deserved Ashley, not Rhett.
Since we are rolling with movies, name the Top 10 Action Sequences.
Since we are rolling with movies, name the Top 10 Action Sequences.
8.30.2007
Missed a Couple
Some suggestions from the office I missed:
Mork & Mindy
Kermit & Miss Piggy
The people I work with are weird...
Mork & Mindy
Kermit & Miss Piggy
The people I work with are weird...
Ewww! The Kissie Part
Hmmmm. Tdub's list is interesting...we have only one COUPLE in common, but another person in common. But, what is with TWO Cary Grant's...that says something, but I don't know what.
I also divided my list into non-steamy, where there is great tension, but no nasty, and steamy, where it is about the nasty.
My Non-Steamy List:
1. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor - Cleopatra. Maybe the top Hollywood couple of all time.
2. Cary Grant and Grace Kelly - To Catch a Thief. Grace Kelly could be the most beautiful woman of all time.
3. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn - Adam's Rib. Another film/real couple with GREAT married couple banter. (Of note, Princess Tilam, had she been another Prince, would have been named Spencer. Insiders will get the connection.)
4. Ted Danson and Shelley Long - Cheers. Prototypical "opposites attract" couple.
5. Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepard - Moonlighting. That is UNTIL they actually hooked up.
My Steamy List:
1. Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger - 9 1/2 Weeks. Ice, Ice, Baby.
2. William Hurt and Kathleen Turner - Body Heat. Hurt played a bunch of "sexy" leading men for some unknown reason, but Kathleen Turner was well cast.
3. Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin - The Big Easy. Is is something about thrillers that drives up the tension?
4. Oliver Martinez and Diane Lane - Unfaithful. Thew knows Diane Lane has got to make it on this list somewhere.
5. Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis - Top Gun. More for sentimental reasons.
I also considered Arnez and Ball, but ultimately liked the others better. Also I rejected Bogey & Becall, because I just never saw Bogey as a "romantic" lead. And Hudson and Day in Pillow Talk were great, but Rock was, er...well, dropped from consideration.
Finally, I wanted to mention sex, lies & videotape. James Spader and Andie MacDowell were a great "couple" but I am not sure they fit the bill. If they did, they would bump Cruise and McGillis.
I also divided my list into non-steamy, where there is great tension, but no nasty, and steamy, where it is about the nasty.
My Non-Steamy List:
1. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor - Cleopatra. Maybe the top Hollywood couple of all time.
2. Cary Grant and Grace Kelly - To Catch a Thief. Grace Kelly could be the most beautiful woman of all time.
3. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn - Adam's Rib. Another film/real couple with GREAT married couple banter. (Of note, Princess Tilam, had she been another Prince, would have been named Spencer. Insiders will get the connection.)
4. Ted Danson and Shelley Long - Cheers. Prototypical "opposites attract" couple.
5. Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepard - Moonlighting. That is UNTIL they actually hooked up.
My Steamy List:
1. Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger - 9 1/2 Weeks. Ice, Ice, Baby.
2. William Hurt and Kathleen Turner - Body Heat. Hurt played a bunch of "sexy" leading men for some unknown reason, but Kathleen Turner was well cast.
3. Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin - The Big Easy. Is is something about thrillers that drives up the tension?
4. Oliver Martinez and Diane Lane - Unfaithful. Thew knows Diane Lane has got to make it on this list somewhere.
5. Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis - Top Gun. More for sentimental reasons.
I also considered Arnez and Ball, but ultimately liked the others better. Also I rejected Bogey & Becall, because I just never saw Bogey as a "romantic" lead. And Hudson and Day in Pillow Talk were great, but Rock was, er...well, dropped from consideration.
Finally, I wanted to mention sex, lies & videotape. James Spader and Andie MacDowell were a great "couple" but I am not sure they fit the bill. If they did, they would bump Cruise and McGillis.
8.28.2007
Is that Blood or Ketchup for my fries?
Tilam's list is a good one, but it's comprised mainly of "mainstream" movies - I think that the other lists explore much more of a range of movies, of course, since we are both horror and blood/gore buffs.
-I have yet to see Hostel, and have been yelled at by TDub because of this. Same with The Hills Have Eyes.
- I have never heard of "May", kudos to TDub for going off the beaten path.
- Tilam hits a nail square on the head with the Alien birth scene.
No contest, by the way Tilam, Director's cuts are exponentially better than originals.
Okay, in the news of the world...
- Vick pleaded "mostly" guilty. Bye Bye career imho.
- The Yanks have hit a bit of a skid - bad news, considering that Boston picked it up during that same skid. A 4 game deficit has turned into an 8 game deficit, and the Wild Card has gone further out of reach. Time for Yankees fans to do a little sweating...
**********
Okay, you asked for it! We have had Top 10 goriest scenes, Top 10 Inventions, Top 10 TV shows, Top 10 Books; we have covered our Mensa readers, our Couch Potato readers, our Splatterfest readers, it's time we catered to our vast female audience!
List for me your top 10 Movie (or TV) ROMANCES/COUPLES!
Alien Deleted Scene
Tdub notes a scene in Aliens where the woman begs to be killed. Well, as a bit of trivia, one of the scenes in the book, which was deleted in the movie, Alien, was when Ripley finds the remains of Dallas and Brett, who are not dead, but turning into eggs.
Dallas begs for death and a distraught Ripley torches the place with the flamethrower.
It was considered too gruesome for the original, but made it into the second movie. Which is why, I think, it was not included in the Director's Cut.
Oh, and a bonus picture:
Dallas begs for death and a distraught Ripley torches the place with the flamethrower.
It was considered too gruesome for the original, but made it into the second movie. Which is why, I think, it was not included in the Director's Cut.
Oh, and a bonus picture:
8.27.2007
Too much gore is never enough
There are a TON of great gore fests in so many slasher flicks, it's really hard to recount. But I will accept Tilam's kudos and say that "Yes, Virginia, slasher and gore flicks are among my favs". So, in response to T-Dub's offering, I respond with only a smattering of Thew's high quality gory scenes (and btw all you single men out there, keep in mind the way to T-Dub's heart is through blood and entrails!):
Evil Dead - tree meets woman, tree ties woman down, tree screws woman, tree smokes cigarette
Scanners - man's head blows up like Gallagher's Watermelon trick.
Faces of Death - man gets electrocuted, close up of face being fried, eyeballs popping
The Gates of Hell - man meets angry father - angry father introduces man to large drill - gives new meaning to the expression "in one ear and out the other"
Thirteen Ghosts - sleazy lawyer friend gets a nasty little cut from some sliding glass doors (it’ll make you think twice the next time you step through automatic doors)
Robocop - man meets nuclear waste, man starts to dissolve, man gets run over by head bad guy, head bad guy turns on windshield wipers
Blade II - vampire bad guy attacks blade with sword, blade takes it and slices vampire bad guy from bottom to top - just cuz Wesley Snipes is so damm cool as Blade
Cube - In the very first scene of this cult hit, a man named has the misfortune of stepping into a razor wire trap and getting “cubed". VERY COOL
American Werewolf in London - dog bites man, man transforms - I remember watching this scene all slack-jawed in wonder and awe - amongst the best of all time
Alien - dude meets face-hugger, face-hugger impregnates dude, dude gives birth - all at the dinner table!
A couple of honorable mentions:
Exorcist - possessed girl stabs privates with scissors, forces mother's face up close and personal
Nightmare on Elm Street - hottie blond bimbo falls asleep, gets cut up like a cuisinart, blood trails all up the walls and on the ceiling
Evil Dead - tree meets woman, tree ties woman down, tree screws woman, tree smokes cigarette
Scanners - man's head blows up like Gallagher's Watermelon trick.
Faces of Death - man gets electrocuted, close up of face being fried, eyeballs popping
The Gates of Hell - man meets angry father - angry father introduces man to large drill - gives new meaning to the expression "in one ear and out the other"Thirteen Ghosts - sleazy lawyer friend gets a nasty little cut from some sliding glass doors (it’ll make you think twice the next time you step through automatic doors)
Robocop - man meets nuclear waste, man starts to dissolve, man gets run over by head bad guy, head bad guy turns on windshield wipers
Blade II - vampire bad guy attacks blade with sword, blade takes it and slices vampire bad guy from bottom to top - just cuz Wesley Snipes is so damm cool as Blade
Cube - In the very first scene of this cult hit, a man named has the misfortune of stepping into a razor wire trap and getting “cubed". VERY COOL
American Werewolf in London - dog bites man, man transforms - I remember watching this scene all slack-jawed in wonder and awe - amongst the best of all time
Alien - dude meets face-hugger, face-hugger impregnates dude, dude gives birth - all at the dinner table!
A couple of honorable mentions:
Exorcist - possessed girl stabs privates with scissors, forces mother's face up close and personal
Nightmare on Elm Street - hottie blond bimbo falls asleep, gets cut up like a cuisinart, blood trails all up the walls and on the ceiling
My Top Seven
Okay, horror is Thew's specialty, not mine. I am not a big slasher film guy, but I can give my Top 7 scariest scenes...blood or not.
1. The Alien Being Born - Alien. You knew something was going to happen, but you did not know what. The "what" was fantastic.
2. The Head in Jaws - Seeing the head in the boat was frightful and the fact that he was underwater and could not get away fast enough compounded the fright.
3. The Clown in Poltergeist - Whew! It was not under the bed...it's behind you. Just when you thought it was safe, too.
4. Sloth in Se7en - Poor dead bastard. Oh, wait! Scared the s*** out of me.
5. The First Transformation in American Werewolf in London - When the snout was sprouting, you could just FEEL it.
6. Peeling Off the Face in Silence of the Lambs - Simply unexpected and phenomenal.
7. The Whole Climax in Manhunter - The second Thomas Harris book-based film. I remember watching this and just not breathing for the climax.
Honorary Bloodiest scene: House of Blue Leaves scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Like I said, I am not a slasher film guy, but I do enjoy a good scare...
1. The Alien Being Born - Alien. You knew something was going to happen, but you did not know what. The "what" was fantastic.
2. The Head in Jaws - Seeing the head in the boat was frightful and the fact that he was underwater and could not get away fast enough compounded the fright.
3. The Clown in Poltergeist - Whew! It was not under the bed...it's behind you. Just when you thought it was safe, too.
4. Sloth in Se7en - Poor dead bastard. Oh, wait! Scared the s*** out of me.
5. The First Transformation in American Werewolf in London - When the snout was sprouting, you could just FEEL it.
6. Peeling Off the Face in Silence of the Lambs - Simply unexpected and phenomenal.
7. The Whole Climax in Manhunter - The second Thomas Harris book-based film. I remember watching this and just not breathing for the climax.
Honorary Bloodiest scene: House of Blue Leaves scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Like I said, I am not a slasher film guy, but I do enjoy a good scare...
8.17.2007
TV Shows
I have been flat out, so I have not had a chance to respond earlier.
You guys have stolen my thunder. Of course, Thew listed 57 total shows in his Top 10, so our common shows are well commonplace:
M*A*S*H - satire, political comedy and a character named "Hot Lips."
The Tonight Show - JC, we miss you.
I Love Lucy - Red-headed wedded to a minority? In the 50's! And funny to boot.
Seinfeld - The show about nothing.
Happy Days - Single handedly revived the family sitcom. And spawned Laverne & Shirley.
Saturday Night Live - At its best, there was none better.
The Simpsons - I can hear the pitch...an adult cartoon?
All in the Family - "Boy, the way Glenn Miller played..."
Sesame Street - Bert and Ernie were NOT gay.
That's nine. My 10th is a made-for-TV drama: The Day After. Not quite "War of the Worlds" impact, but this was a very powerful program done extraordinarily well. Context is important. Coming off of the Carter years, Reagan had just started standing up to the Soviets and was moving Pershing II missiles into Europe. The Soviets had been particularly aggressive in the late-70s, emboldened by our Vietnam failure; Nixon's crippling of the Presidency and Carter's flaccidness. There was a serious discussion of actually fighting and winning a tactical nuclear war. (For an engrossing look, see The Third World War.) The Day After had an incredible scene where the news reporters are just waiting for the missiles to hit. They do, certain screens go blank. Really great stuff.
BTW, Thew's great post on Norm quotes caused me much regret...the Top 10 list should have been Top 10 TV Characters.
You guys have stolen my thunder. Of course, Thew listed 57 total shows in his Top 10, so our common shows are well commonplace:
M*A*S*H - satire, political comedy and a character named "Hot Lips."
The Tonight Show - JC, we miss you.
I Love Lucy - Red-headed wedded to a minority? In the 50's! And funny to boot.
Seinfeld - The show about nothing.
Happy Days - Single handedly revived the family sitcom. And spawned Laverne & Shirley.
Saturday Night Live - At its best, there was none better.
The Simpsons - I can hear the pitch...an adult cartoon?
All in the Family - "Boy, the way Glenn Miller played..."
Sesame Street - Bert and Ernie were NOT gay.
That's nine. My 10th is a made-for-TV drama: The Day After. Not quite "War of the Worlds" impact, but this was a very powerful program done extraordinarily well. Context is important. Coming off of the Carter years, Reagan had just started standing up to the Soviets and was moving Pershing II missiles into Europe. The Soviets had been particularly aggressive in the late-70s, emboldened by our Vietnam failure; Nixon's crippling of the Presidency and Carter's flaccidness. There was a serious discussion of actually fighting and winning a tactical nuclear war. (For an engrossing look, see The Third World War.) The Day After had an incredible scene where the news reporters are just waiting for the missiles to hit. They do, certain screens go blank. Really great stuff.
BTW, Thew's great post on Norm quotes caused me much regret...the Top 10 list should have been Top 10 TV Characters.
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