Vandals attack historic monument
"A gang of youths climbed on top of The Shepherd's Monument at Shugborough Hall and smashed ornamental sea shells at about 1500 BST on Tuesday.
"Experts were called in recently to examine an inscription on the 250-year-old monument rumoured to reveal the location of the Holy Grail. "
Monday, May 24, 2004
Friday, May 14, 2004
A Failing Grade For "Friends" - May 12,
A Failing Grade For "Friends" - May 12,
"Though 'Friends' would prove to be a lucrative ratings powerhouse, the sitcom's pilot received a failing grade and was described as 'not very entertaining, clever, or original,' according to an internal NBC research report obtained by The Smoking Gun. Months before the program's debut, 'Friends' was shown to test audiences that were 'not very favorable' to the show or its six main characters, according to the May 1994 report (a copy of which you'll find below). In fact, the pilot performance was graded 'weak' and scored a paltry 41 out of 100. By comparison, 'ER' scored a 91, though 'Seinfeld' famously also earned a 'weak' rating. While Courteney Cox's Monica fared best with test audience members, her appeal was 'well below desirable levels for a lead.' The characters portrayed by Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry had 'marginal appeal,' and 'Rachel, Ross, and Joey scored even lower.' A particularly stinging rebuke was delivered by adults 35 and over, who felt 'this group did not really care about each other the way real friends would. They found the characters smug, superficial, and self-absorbed.' TSG couldn't stand the show, so the brutal research analysis sounded pretty accurate to us--both then and now. However, considering the show's spectacular success during its 10-year run, the NBC report is merely an odd footnote to the 'Friends' success story."
"Though 'Friends' would prove to be a lucrative ratings powerhouse, the sitcom's pilot received a failing grade and was described as 'not very entertaining, clever, or original,' according to an internal NBC research report obtained by The Smoking Gun. Months before the program's debut, 'Friends' was shown to test audiences that were 'not very favorable' to the show or its six main characters, according to the May 1994 report (a copy of which you'll find below). In fact, the pilot performance was graded 'weak' and scored a paltry 41 out of 100. By comparison, 'ER' scored a 91, though 'Seinfeld' famously also earned a 'weak' rating. While Courteney Cox's Monica fared best with test audience members, her appeal was 'well below desirable levels for a lead.' The characters portrayed by Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry had 'marginal appeal,' and 'Rachel, Ross, and Joey scored even lower.' A particularly stinging rebuke was delivered by adults 35 and over, who felt 'this group did not really care about each other the way real friends would. They found the characters smug, superficial, and self-absorbed.' TSG couldn't stand the show, so the brutal research analysis sounded pretty accurate to us--both then and now. However, considering the show's spectacular success during its 10-year run, the NBC report is merely an odd footnote to the 'Friends' success story."
Monday, April 26, 2004
Whatever happened to Dungeons and Dragons?
BBC NEWS: Whatever happened to Dungeons and Dragons?
"In the 1980s millions of teenagers world-wide would battle dragons armed with just a few dice, paper and pens. D&D became part of youth sub-culture but as the game celebrates its 30th birthday - is anyone still playing? "
"In the 1980s millions of teenagers world-wide would battle dragons armed with just a few dice, paper and pens. D&D became part of youth sub-culture but as the game celebrates its 30th birthday - is anyone still playing? "
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Twenty Questions
So, you play twenty questions with a computer and it gets smarter. I remember playing this with that computer at the Museum of Science and Industry as a kid...
Twenty Questions
Twenty Questions
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Friday, April 09, 2004
Long Dream / Nagai yume
Long Dream / Nagai yume
"After the enormous critical and public success in 2000 of Uzumaki, based on Junji Ito's tour-de-force horror manga series and directed by the frankly astonishing Higuchinsky, it seemed pretty inevitable that the two forces who brought us that stunning movie should work together again. And in the same year of Uzumaki's release, lucky Japanese TV viewers got to witness their second joint project, Long Dream (aka Nagai yume), a short movie commissioned for TV." [via Jason Hyde]
"After the enormous critical and public success in 2000 of Uzumaki, based on Junji Ito's tour-de-force horror manga series and directed by the frankly astonishing Higuchinsky, it seemed pretty inevitable that the two forces who brought us that stunning movie should work together again. And in the same year of Uzumaki's release, lucky Japanese TV viewers got to witness their second joint project, Long Dream (aka Nagai yume), a short movie commissioned for TV." [via Jason Hyde]
Howard Stern Broadcast Triggers $495,000 FCC Fine
Be warned, the link is not for the faint of heart. You know, I have issues with attempts to protect this sort of thing under the First Amendment. This really isn't what the creators of our Constitution had in mind when they drafted the Bill of Rights.
Howard Stern Broadcast Triggers $495,000 FCC Fine
"In another broadside at Howard Stern, the Federal Communications Commission today fined Clear Channel Communications a whopping $495,000 for last year's broadcast of an allegedly indecent bit on the King of All Media's popular radio program."
Howard Stern Broadcast Triggers $495,000 FCC Fine
"In another broadside at Howard Stern, the Federal Communications Commission today fined Clear Channel Communications a whopping $495,000 for last year's broadcast of an allegedly indecent bit on the King of All Media's popular radio program."
Eyeball jewelry a new Dutch fashion trend
EEeeeeWWwwwwwW!
Eyeball Jewelry
"AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Body piercing and tattoos make way. The latest fashion trend to hit the Netherlands is eyeball jewelry."
Eyeball Jewelry
"AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Body piercing and tattoos make way. The latest fashion trend to hit the Netherlands is eyeball jewelry."
Monday, April 05, 2004
Romanian villagers decry police investigation into vampire slaying
Romanian villagers decry police investigation into vampire slaying
"MAROTINU DE SUS, Romania - Before Toma Petre's relatives pulled his body from the grave, ripped out his heart, burned it to ashes, mixed it with water and drank it, he hadn't been in the news much."
"MAROTINU DE SUS, Romania - Before Toma Petre's relatives pulled his body from the grave, ripped out his heart, burned it to ashes, mixed it with water and drank it, he hadn't been in the news much."
Friday, April 02, 2004
Pulp E-Texts
Pulp E-Texts
"Welcome to the Online Pulps site. The purpose of this site is to provide a wide selection of stories from the pulps. Here you will find stories from nearly every genre...detective, science ficton, adventure, romance, western, weird menace, sports, aviation, and even finance! "
"Welcome to the Online Pulps site. The purpose of this site is to provide a wide selection of stories from the pulps. Here you will find stories from nearly every genre...detective, science ficton, adventure, romance, western, weird menace, sports, aviation, and even finance! "
The Bookshelf
The Bookshelf
"Here, we will be presenting the great works of genre fiction: first in serialized form and then as complete editions. Think of this as a virtual lending library, except you don't need a library card and the books never have to be returned. They are free for your online enjoyment, or can be downloaded for later reading."
"Here, we will be presenting the great works of genre fiction: first in serialized form and then as complete editions. Think of this as a virtual lending library, except you don't need a library card and the books never have to be returned. They are free for your online enjoyment, or can be downloaded for later reading."
Bob's Secret Page
Bob's Secret Page
"Pulp Figures and Rugged Adventures are primarily designed for a fictionalized historical setting we call the 'Pulp Era'. The pulps were entertainment magazines of the early 20th century and reached their peak of popularity in the period between the first and second world wars."
"Pulp Figures and Rugged Adventures are primarily designed for a fictionalized historical setting we call the 'Pulp Era'. The pulps were entertainment magazines of the early 20th century and reached their peak of popularity in the period between the first and second world wars."
Police Files Detail Kurt Cobain Suicide - April 1, 2004
Police Files Detail Kurt Cobain Suicide - April 1, 2004
"APRIL 1--With the tenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's suicide days away, below you'll find an assortment of Seattle Police Department documents compiled during the investigation of the grunge star's April 1994 death.
The chilling records range from reports from the first officer on the scene to the receipt for the shotgun Cobain, 27, bought a week before his death. A second group of police reports detail previous run-ins Cobain and wife Courtney Love had with the local cops."
"APRIL 1--With the tenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's suicide days away, below you'll find an assortment of Seattle Police Department documents compiled during the investigation of the grunge star's April 1994 death.
The chilling records range from reports from the first officer on the scene to the receipt for the shotgun Cobain, 27, bought a week before his death. A second group of police reports detail previous run-ins Cobain and wife Courtney Love had with the local cops."
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Monday, March 29, 2004
Cleveland Ain't It Fun
A downloadable "CD" (of course you have to burn it yourself) of Cleveland area bands. There are currently two CDs that are available from the site.
Cleveland Ain't It Fun
Cleveland Ain't It Fun
Friday, March 26, 2004
Smoking Gun: Richard Simmons Assaults Motorcycle Salesman
Richard Simmons Assaults Motorcycle Salesman
"MARCH 25--Richard Simmons was arrested yesterday and charged with assaulting a Harley Davidson salesman during a confrontation at a Phoenix airport. No, that is not a joke. The 54-year-old fitness guru (5' 7', 155 pounds) laid the smackdown on one Chris Farney, a 23-year-old Mesa man (6' 1' and 255 pounds) who happens to cage wrestle in his spare time. According to the below Phoenix Police Department report, when Farney spotted Simmons (whose real first name is Milton) walking through the Sky Harbor International Airport, he said, 'Look, Richard Simmons. Drop your bags, let's rock to the 50's.' Farney told cops he was referring to an old Simmons workout tape. The diminutive star responded by walking over to the strapping Farney and saying, 'It's not nice to make fun of people with issues.' He then slapped Farney's face. The motorcycle salesman, who was not injured, called cops, who cited an 'emotional' and repentant Simmons for assault."
"MARCH 25--Richard Simmons was arrested yesterday and charged with assaulting a Harley Davidson salesman during a confrontation at a Phoenix airport. No, that is not a joke. The 54-year-old fitness guru (5' 7', 155 pounds) laid the smackdown on one Chris Farney, a 23-year-old Mesa man (6' 1' and 255 pounds) who happens to cage wrestle in his spare time. According to the below Phoenix Police Department report, when Farney spotted Simmons (whose real first name is Milton) walking through the Sky Harbor International Airport, he said, 'Look, Richard Simmons. Drop your bags, let's rock to the 50's.' Farney told cops he was referring to an old Simmons workout tape. The diminutive star responded by walking over to the strapping Farney and saying, 'It's not nice to make fun of people with issues.' He then slapped Farney's face. The motorcycle salesman, who was not injured, called cops, who cited an 'emotional' and repentant Simmons for assault."
My Stupid Dog
My Stupid Dog
"To paraphrase James Carville, it's the zombies, stupid. In the remake, they're first-rate badasses. They act as if they were on a constant adrenaline high. They have extra speed and super strength. They are powerful. They're much like the beefed-up, overcaffeinated, perpetually angry 'infecteds' in Danny Boyle's recent 28 Days Later. And they're all wrong."
"To paraphrase James Carville, it's the zombies, stupid. In the remake, they're first-rate badasses. They act as if they were on a constant adrenaline high. They have extra speed and super strength. They are powerful. They're much like the beefed-up, overcaffeinated, perpetually angry 'infecteds' in Danny Boyle's recent 28 Days Later. And they're all wrong."
Dead Run - How did movie zombies get so fast? By Josh Levin
Dead Run - How did movie zombies get so fast? By Josh Levin
"For years, the fast zombie was by definition an oxymoron. The word itself can be traced to Creole and West African Bantu and the legend that a voodoo priest could hypnotize a corpse to obey his commands. In Hollywood's not-so-culturally-sensitive early zombie flicks, magically induced catatonia was featured more prominently than reanimation. Bela Lugosi's evil sorcerer 'Murder' Legendre hypnotizes Haitian sugar harvesters in White Zombie (1932) so that they grind cane into the wee hours without complaint. Jacques Tourneur's I Walked With a Zombie (1943) centers on a woman who's either the victim of island voodoo brainwashing or just really, really frigid and unresponsive."
"For years, the fast zombie was by definition an oxymoron. The word itself can be traced to Creole and West African Bantu and the legend that a voodoo priest could hypnotize a corpse to obey his commands. In Hollywood's not-so-culturally-sensitive early zombie flicks, magically induced catatonia was featured more prominently than reanimation. Bela Lugosi's evil sorcerer 'Murder' Legendre hypnotizes Haitian sugar harvesters in White Zombie (1932) so that they grind cane into the wee hours without complaint. Jacques Tourneur's I Walked With a Zombie (1943) centers on a woman who's either the victim of island voodoo brainwashing or just really, really frigid and unresponsive."
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