Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Let's do the Time Warp again?

As if MTV weren't slaughtering quality television enough, now they're going after a cult classic film and its musical 'integrity.'

Variety has reported that the network is planning a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" remake, tentatively to air on Halloween 2009.



The original executive producer (Lou Adler) and screenplay will likely be used, but music not in the original RHPS could be used. God help us if they sign Miley Cyrus for the job.

No cast has been announced, but Russell Brand--who will also be hosting the MTV Music Awards next weekend--is rumored to be considered for the lead role of Dr. Frank N Furter, originally played by Tim Curry.

An angry Web site has been created to combat the remake, urging RHPS fans far and wide to sign a petition. There's even a contest to submit the best anti-remake photo. It's not the want to introduce the film to young audiences that's driving MTV's motivation, the site contends, it's to exploitation and money.
"This abortion will be worse than the usual shit they pour down on our throats. Prepare for the 'Highschool Musical' version of Rocky ... or worse yet, the 'Hairsparay The Musical' version of Rocky." - stoptheremake.com
The original "Rocky Horror," starring Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf, has grossed $140 million in domestic box office over the years, primarily from midnight screenings of the flick.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

"This life is a short journey"

You probably have no idea who Dave Freeman is, but I'm sure you've heard of his "100 Things to Do Before you Die" -- the guide on places to go and things to do to live your life to its fullest.

Sadly, Freeman died at the age of 47 after a fall in his California home, his father told press Monday.

Items in the book include Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, the Iditarod Sled Race, New Years Eve in NYC, Brisbane's World Championship Cockroach Races and more.

Family members said the author had done/seen about half of the things on the list; you've gotta admit, his untimely death is a bit ironic, and I'm sure there's an obvious joke in that somewhere, but I'm not heartless enough to make it. Think good thoughts for his family and friends, and maybe try out some of the things in the book - you never know how much time you'll have to do all 100!

Monday, August 25, 2008

"Drama follows them"

In true MTV fashion, most of what was worth watching during Monday night's 'Hills' episode was already broadcast on previews for the show that ran throughout last week. But admittedly, that never stops me from tuning in...

Episode two focuses on Stephanie Pratt's birthday party -- Lauren is invited. Spencer and Heidi are invited, but pretend like they're not interested. Lo is going to tag along with Lauren, but Audrina might stop by. Doug is coming with Brody and Frankie.

Everyone attends and, much to my shock and surprise, awkward drama ensues!
Was anyone else completely confused by the Audrina/Lo interaction at the bar? Either Lo was bombed and giving Audrina googly eyes, or there was clearly something that happened off-camera. And after 30 seconds of switching close-ups of LC to Heidi to Spencer to Stephanie and back again, Spencer randomly barks, "Get those obnoxious girls out of here." Like, what? Kudos to Brody for peacing out of that drama cesspool.

The rest of the "good guys" follow suit, leaving Stephanie alone at her table with just "Speidi." Spencer maniacally laughs about the situation, probably because he feels empowered driving six people away from a VIP table and ruining his sister's birthday. Schmuck.

But the most gripping part of the episode (and that's dripping with sarcasm, I might add) is the conversation between Stephanie and Spencer in which we truly learn the depth of Spencer's wisdom. He tells his sister, "As long as you're running with that posse, you have nothing to do with my life. Straight up." But if that wasn't clear enough for her, he explains that attempting to get Spencer to get along with Lauren is like "trying to tell Iran and Israel to get along." I'm pretty sure he also used the term "un-brother" (in a noun form, nonetheless),

As promised, the next round of my 'Hills' drinking game:
  • Every time you see an outfit made completely of sparkles.
  • Every time you hear the word 'trust,' twice if it's from LC.
  • Whenever you think that Kelly Cutrone is way too hideous to make people feel that awful about themselves.
  • Every time there is foreshadowing of Stephanie going after Doug.
  • Every time Doug is smoking hot.
RELATED LINKS
Back in 'The Hills'

Dems fightin' words

Now that the Olympics are finito, it's time to look forward to the next national event that will be overblown by the media: the November presidential election.



With only about two months left until we elect a new Commander-in-Chief, be prepared for some severe political overload wherever you look--except this Web site!

No one cares what I have to say about the war, oil, health care; if you really did, then I'd be running for president, not writing for a weekly newspaper that no one reads. So if there's something significant going on, then I'll mention it... otherwise, I'm sure you won't be too hard-pressed to find another site to read all about John Hickenlooper or if Cindy McCain's choice of powersuits rules supreme over Michelle Obama's.

That being said, the now-old news is that Barack announced his running mate this weekend: Senator Joe Biden. In more current news, the Democratic National Convention began today out in Denver. Headliners include the Bill and Hill (Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively), Michelle Obama (Monday) and of course, Barack himself (Thursday). For a full list of headliners and a day-to-day schedule, click here.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Olympics peacing out

I should probably mention that the Olympics are over, with the United States earning the greatest number of medals, but China earning the most gold.

This year's Olympics are being heralded as "truly exceptional Games," and even for an apathetic Olympic watcher such as myself, I thought a lot of it was pretty exciting.

To read some interesting stats, click here, and for medal counts, photos, news stories and more, click here.

Back in 'The Hills'

Old news now, I know, but this week has been nuts.

For those of you who didn't tune into MTV's "The Hills" season premiere Monday, you weren't alone: Apparently ratings are down nearly 30 percent from the March premiere.

We step right back into the drama surrounding the girls' new house during Audrina's birthday party. The long and short of it? Audrina has friends that don't have Gucci sunglasses and blond hair and apparently they're abhorrent enough to send Lo to her room for an hour while the party was in full swing. The two have a moderately heated conversation in the poolhouse wherein Audrina tells Lo that they'll never be friends (whether that was audio spliced in while Audrina is off camera or not, who knows).

Lauren's got a new guy named Doug. He's hot. They go on a date and it's pretty obvious Lauren gets her conversation topics from her latest Cosmo magazine: Doug orders a beer -- "I think your drink says a lot about you...It says you're a guy's guy." Such stimulating conversation. I guess this lends some more credibility to Gavin's take on dating LC from last this year.
Spencer and Heidi are seemingly happy again and in pure scripted drama fashion, Heidi's sister unexpectedly arrives to stay at their apartment for the weekend. Spencer throws a temper tantrum and insults the breakfast Holly makes for him. As she's getting into her car for the airport, she tosses out the possibility of her moving out there aaaand perhaps she'll stay with them while she looks for a place, which pisses off the Gerber baby. Holly in Hollywood -- I smell another spinoff!

Speaking to Ryan Seacrest on the radio recently, "Speidi" said they think that Lauren is sick of doing the show (and apparently she's expressed that this could be the last season of it). But regardless of what LC decides, Spencer and Heidi say they're "just beginning" and would gladly continue doing the show. Spencer even 'selflessly' volunteered to takeover the voice over narration job.

I think the way I'll handle this season is by creating a Hills drinking game, like, every time XYZ happens, you take a drink. For this premiere episode:
  • Every time Heidi hisses, "That's my sister," to Spencer.
  • Every time you see a red mohawk.
  • Whenever you think about how much you used to love Lo.
  • Every time you wonder, "What does Spencer actually do all day?"

Thursday, August 21, 2008

BRB

Sorry, folks: The Jerc Store will be on hiatus for the next few days. Posting will likely resume Sunday. See ya then.

PS. Big ups to the U.S. Women's Soccer team for taking it to Brazil for the Gold Medal today. Marta who?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

RIP LeRoi Moore

BREAKING NEWS - Dave Matthews Band saxophonist, LeRoi Moore, died today (Tuesday) of complications from a June 30 ATV accident, according to several sources.

Moore, who had been in and out of the hospital after puncturing a lung and breaking ribs in the accident, died in Los Angeles today at the age of 46.

[UPDATE] Despite the members' loss, the band played its scheduled show Tuesday at the Staple Center in Los Angeles. Amidst the opening song of "Bartender" -- "if I go, before I'm old/oh, brother of mine, please don't forget me if I go" -- and the rest of the show, repeated chants for LeRoi could be heard. Posts on AntsMarching.org forums describe the pain felt throughout.

Dave also took a moment to describe the first time he met Roi here, saying, "I fell in love with that man, and I'm still in love with him."

Tuesday night, the opening page of the band's Web site was changed to a memorial for LeRoi, with the following post on the main page:

LEROI MOORE 1961-2008

08/19/2008

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

For casual DMB fans (or the occasional DMB hater), this probably isn't big news. But unfortunately, this is absolutely devastating news for the band's fanatical and tight-knit community.

My friends and I attended the June 28 show in Bristow this year, which was not only our third and last show of the summer, but turned out to be Roi's last show with the band. It's sad to look back on our conversation that day, planning our summer 2009 road trip to see the band and hoping that 10 years down the road, we'd still be afforded the opportunity to see the best live show on the planet.

After the ATV accident, fans flooded LeRoi's hospital room with e-cards and the band's setlist each night encouraged fans to "send good thoughts for LeRoi."

Absolutely devastating.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Moore family and members of the band.

For an excellent tribute cover of #41 (a song Dave recently announced, ironically, that Roi hated playing), click here.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Happy Weekend!

Thank God it's Friday, right? Here's wishing a happy weekend to you - Party it up like Mr. Belding in Vegas. Yeah! Work it!

For more photos of Mr. Belding - aka Dennis Haskins - partying it up in Vegas, click here.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Phelps v. Ocho

Michael Phelps may be going for eight gold medals in Beijing this year, but that's not the Ocho I'm talking about...



On ESPN's Pardon the Interruption last night, Cincinnati Bengal's wide receiver Chad Johnson gave Wilbon and Kornheiser "five good minutes," which included an outright challenge to the seemingly untouchable Phelps. Check it out below (about 4 minutes in). Apparently we had no idea that Olympic talent is swimming rampant in the inner-cities.



Overall, Chad --otherwise known as Ocho Cinco by way of my favorite interview ever-- seemed pretty subdued during the interview, even during the awkward and heartwarming threat against quarterback Carson Palmer, who was standing behind him. On this morning's Sportscenter, a clip of him at training camp showed that he was being threatened with fines from management to talk to the media.

And while we're on the topic of Chad... Word on the street is that the wide receiver has taken the first steps to officially changing his last name from 'Johnson' to 'Ocho Cinco' to avoid getting improper jersey fines when he wears the incorrect Spanish translation of his number 85 on his back. He's a headcase, but I love him.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Taking it to 'the tart'

A woman is taking revenge on her cheating husband and his mistress by selling items of the adulterous affair on eBay.

The Australian woman --identified only by her username annastella007-- is selling a photo of lacy black panties ("size humongous") and an empty condom wrapper ("size small") in an auction ending Aug. 17.
"THEY ARE SO HUGE, I THOUGHT THEY MAY MAKE SOMEONE A NICE SHAWL OR EVEN BETTER, SOMETHING FOR HALLOWEEN PERHAPS,,," - annastella, on the panties
On the auction site, the woman recounts the day she discovered her husband of 22 years had been cheating on her with "the tart" (later identified as Kylie). Apparently she received a suspicious text from him (intended for the mistress) while she was at work and came home to find him desperately trying to keep her from entering the bedroom.

She got in there and found the goods. When she asked what the condom was for (because they had not used them together in years), the husband said he had dropped his phone in the toilet and used one he found in an old coat as a rubber glove to get it out. Clever, but she obviously knew his cell phone was fine from the text she received earlier. When asked where the panties came from, the man confessed he was a closet transvestite. Not helping your case, man...

Needless to say, annastella tossed the now ex-hubby (and all of his belongings) out of the house. And as some sort of weird "therapy" attempt, she put the evidence up for sale on eBay, only the site's policies on already-worn underwear prohibited her from selling the actual panties.
As of 10 p.m. Aug 13, the highest bid for the wrapper and pantie photo was $127.50. Incredible.

I, like probably most of you, am always amazed at how some of these things happen to sell, but I'm also a leery of the validity of all this. I mean, it'd be just as easy for me to make up an elaborate story and sell some obscure item so it gets on the news and I make an easy hundred bucks. I don't know if I could come up with the condom as a rubber glove thing, though, so...more power to her.

RELATED LINKS
Desperately seeking bridesmaid
Baby for sale!
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Q: Why did the dying bird cross the road?

A: To get away from this girl.

Warning: This video contains a moderately graphic image of an animal dying. Please don't come after me, PETA. It's kind of sad, but completely not worthy of this spaztastic (and hilarious) performance.

...Enjoy?


He's got rocks in his bread

A Massachusetts man definitely got more than he could chew when he took a bite of raisin bread he recently purchased from When Pigs Fly Bakery in Somerville.

Michael Snyder said he heard and felt a crunch while eating a slice of the bread. After spitting the bite into his hand, he reportedly found three or four small rock-like pieces --and not raisins-- in his bread.

Ron Siegel, co-owner of the bakery, told press that the rocks were traced back to a shipment of raisins they received from Hillcrest Foods, a food distributor, which linked them to a Chilean company where an older method of drying grapes is used. The method dries the grapes in between the rows of the vineyard, which allows for more contamination by small rocks and other foreign materials.

The bakery offered Snyder loaves of bread as a refund, but he ultimately received a check for $5. I think he should have at least held out for a bottle of wine from that rocky vineyard.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Fun with Google!

You might not think this sounds fun, but Google's got anaddicting "game" for you to try... one that sucked me in for a good hour last night.

The Google Image Labeler pairs you with another user to match labels in an attempt to earn points.

Over a two-minute period, you and your partner will:
  • View the same set of images.
  • Provide as many labels as possible to describe each image you see.
  • Receive points when your label matches your partner's label. The number of points will depend on how specific your label is.
  • See more images until time runs out.
It's basically a photo/word association game that you play with someone you've never met.

The points mean nothing and the whole point of the activity is the betterment of Google's image search feature (tricky, tricky Google), but it's a fun way to kill time and learn that people all over the world think as simplistically as you do.

Give a try; you'll be addicted in no time!

Thanks, TJS!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Catch a falling star

If you've got some time between midnight tonight (Tuesday) and 4 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday), you know, instead of sleeping... grab a blanket and head outside: It's time for the Perseid meteor shower!

The meteor shower -- or a show of "falling stars" -- is one of the summer's most beautiful sites. The best time to watch is from moonset, at 1:57 a.m. until dawn, at 4:45 a.m.

NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office said there should be plenty of meteors--maybe even one or two every minute. The numbers of meteors that you can see depends on the quality of your observing conditions. The best way to watch is by reclining in a sleeping bag (and coat) on a deck chair. Aim your gaze high overhead, in the east or northeast direction. Perseids can appear anywhere in the sky, but seem to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, the Superhero.

Because I barely made it through the workday, I more than likely will not be awake for this, but if anyone happens to see it/get a good picture, please share!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

More Olympic fun

I know I said I wasn't too into the Olympics this year -- and that's still true. But my boyfriend and I did happen to catch Michael Phelps winning his first gold medal last night; Pretty exciting stuff, I must say.

Sometimes it almost doesn't seem fair how good Phelps is, and last night, it was almost like he was just competing against himself and his own world record. But check out the video below from the 2000 Olympics --this guy actually was only competing against himself after his two competitors disqualified themselves. Sorry to say it, but I think even I could have beaten this guy. He manages to almost double the record for this event, while still setting a personal best.

Still, you gotta love his -- and the announcers'-- enthusiasm... and the constant giggling that takes place in the background.


Please make it stop

Nowadays, I wouldn't bother posting about Tila Tequila. My adoration for her and her show skedaddled when she passed up Dani on the first season of "Shot at Love."

But I noticed that she's coming out with a new music album and the title had me doubled over in pain. The album, which Tila promises will be "the dopest album of the year," will be called "I HAVE TOURETTE'S!"

"PS-PLEASE REMEMBER THE TITLE OF THIS ALBUM SO YOU DON'T GET CONFUSED WITH OTHER STUFF THAT THE MEDIA TRIES TO PUT OUT OK???? MUAH! " she writes on her MySpace page, followed by a number of expletives, presumably in an attempt to show that she might actually have the disorder...? I don't know.

Does anyone else find that appalling? Or are you all just shaking your heads in disbelief that I can still be surprised by garbage like this?

And in other awful --but related-- news... MTV is currently casting for "A Shot at Love 3," only it looks like Tila will not be the subject of suitors' adoration this time around. Fill out an application here.

Tila's exclusion from the show might have something to do with her ass getting dumped at the end of season two, or the fact that she's got a new (and very rich) girlfriend. Courtney Semel, who is the heir of Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel, looks like a bore, though-- Team Dani for life!

RELATED LINKS
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila - BORE
Can you handle another shot of 'Tequila'?
How to save a bi
Here's to a shot at shameless self promotion
Ordering up another round of "Shot"
Tequila making you sick?
That's A-stupid

Going to the chapel...

If graduating from college, landing a full-time job, paying student loans and owning a car weren't enough to mark my journey into adulthood, today will.

Today, I will be attending Mike and Lisa's wedding--my first two friends to officially tie the knot. And they're certainly not the last. Boy, am I getting old...

Anyway, somewhat fittingly, I heard this on the radio last week: The "Should You Be Invited to My Wedding Test."

How many of your friends do you think would pass your test? And how many guest lists would you be kicked off if this test were issued as a right of passage?

Types of questions include:
  • Name the city I live in now (If they're not smart enough to check out to return address for this answer, they don't deserve to come).
  • Name my current employer.
  • Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive? (Rule #16 - Always have an up-to-date family tree)

And for shots (open bar, yes) and giggles, check out this video below. Apparently it's become a big trend to spoof your "first dance" (more than likely amplified by the allure of YouTube), but this is one of the better ones I've seen. Enjoy! And congrats to Mike and Lisa!

Oh (8), babies!

It probably sounds fabricated, but two babies in neighboring states --both weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces-- were born at 8:08 a.m. on 8/8/08. No lie!

Hailey Jo Hauer, was born to Lindsay and Joe Hauer at Lake Region Hospital in Minnesota Friday (below, left). Over in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Xander Jace Rinike (below, right) was being born at the same exact time... and Xander is the eighth grandchild born to his mother's parents.



Both families and hospital staffs joked to local media about the extreme coincidence of the babies' birthdays, birth times and birth weights and said they considered playing the lottery and/or making eight their new lucky numbers.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

RIP Bernie Mac

Breaking news: Comedian and actor Bernie Mac died this morning from complications from pneumonia. He was 50 years old.

Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Mac had a stacked resume, including two movies and two television stints in post-production. He appeared in the "Ocean's" trilogy, "Transformers," "Bad Santa," "Don't Be a Menace...," and of course, "The Bernie Mac Show," for which he was twice nominated for an Emmy and once for a Golden Globe. He also penned a memoir about his childhood entitled, "Maybe You Never Cry Again."

Click here to read more.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Happy Olympics!

Today is 8/8/08, which means it's time for the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.


Sorry, everyone. I'm not super into these games, minus the soccer. In fact, I don't think I've really cared about the Olympics since the 1996 U.S. gymnastics team (you remember Kerri Strug, right?).

But don't let me get you down. Enjoy your shirtless Michael Phelps, USA's "Redeem Team" of basketball, smog-covered Beijing and 3,600 hours of Olympic coverage.

[click here to view a complete schedule of events] Yay America!

Actually, I'm much more interested in the bestial alternative to the Olympics: Animal Planet's 2008 Puppy Games. It's the most incredible show I've ever seen. Click here for a quick preview!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Any dirty old man's fantasy

Q: What's full of pom poms, spirit and beer residue?
A: The elevator at the University of Texas' Jester Hall.

Police and firefighters were called to the campus after 26 cheerleaders (aged 14-17) got themselves stuck in the elevator.

Apparently, the girls --who were attending Texas Cheer Camp-- were trying to see how many of them they could fit in there as a puerile little game. Only, the elevator descended one floor and the doors wouldn't open. After panicking for a bit, a few of the cheerleaders wiggled their cell phones out and called for help.

Signs posted in the elevator warns "No more than 15 people or 3,000 pounds."

Two girls were treated at the scene. One girl fainted and was taken the hospital. She dropped the metaphoric spirit stick on that one...and was probably cut from the squad.

Everyone's Favre-ite topic

Breaking news: Brett Favre has finally found a home. The Green Bay Packers officially traded the record-setting, retired-unretired quarterback to the New York Jets in an overnight deal.

The trade is extremely conditional, i.e. if Brett takes 50 percent of snaps this season, the Packers get a fourth-round draft pick. The conditions grow increasingly favorable for the Packers the better Brett does: If Brett takes 80 percent of snaps and the Jets make it to the Super Bowl, the pick becomes a first-round pick.

New York Jets # 4 Brett Favre jerseys are already available.

I'd like to think that now that this trade has gone down, all of the FAVRE lines on the bottom of ESPN will go away, but we all know that's not going to happen.

RELATED LINKS:
The week in sports, kind of...
Favre saying goodbye to Green Bay
SI honors Fav-ra

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Inane things you can do, I (apparently) can't do better

Some of these may be questionable, but I thought maybe I'd stir up some controversy by posting AskMen.com's list of the Top 10 Things Only Men Can Do.

As a woman, I hesitate to say some of the things on the list made me laugh. It also made me think of Ron Burgundy's line, "I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am. You're just a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science."

So without further ado... [click the links below for a more detailed account] It's all in good fun, though, right? Any woman want to try her hand at creating a Top 10 Things Men Can't Do list? I'm sure we could come up with more than 10...

Afternoon delight at Starbs

Speaking of tanking economy (see below), Starbucks is trying to take itself off life support by offering a new promotion to help save company loyalists a few bucks.

The "Treat Receipt" program allows Starbucks customers to bring in their receipt from a purchase earlier in the day to receive any grande iced drink for $2 (beginning at 2 p.m.). The deal is good til Sept. 2

This is excellent news for people who are addicted to Starbucks enough to regularly purchase its overpriced drinks twice a day, but for the rest of us... Is this really going to push you to spend $4 on a small--sorry, "tall"--coffee at 8 a.m. just to get the reduced price Mocha Choca Latta Ya Ya in the afternoon? Mm, probably not. You'd essentially be paying $6 to get the latter.

Still, the company says it is responding to customer requests for nationwide promotions, and Starbucks fiends who can overlook the backward logic in this program will be happy to know that their morning receipt could save them $2.15 off a Mint Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino. Okay, well that one kind of sounds good enough to go for broke...

RELATED LINKS
Your barista today is: Ronald McDonald?

Where's the beef--err--cheese?

Sorry, McDonald's lovers: Our tanking economy strikes again and this time it's one of the fast food restaurant's staples that will be getting sliced.

McDonald's is reportedly taking steps to modify its double cheeseburger --the anchor of its Dollar Menu-- due to rising food costs, particularly in dairy.

Some restaurants are selling it with one slice of cheese instead of two, and billing it as a "double hamburger with cheese," according to McDonald's President Don Thomas. Others are offering a double hamburger without cheese. Some are selling the traditional double cheeseburger at prices ranging from $1.09 to $1.19.

If the double cheeseburger is removed from the Dollar Menu, Thomas said there will still be some sort of burger available for $1.

I personally could care less about this because I haven't eaten McDonald's since I was 8 years old and Happy Meals were like crack, but I know this is traumatizing news for some burger enthusiasts. But take a look at the nutrition facts - maybe they're doing you a favor.

Update: Bus beheading suspect in court

The man reportedly responsible for stabbing, decapitating and eating a sleeping 22-year-old on a Greyhound bus in Canada last week is asking to be killed, according to the Associated Press.

Vince Weiguang Li appeared in court Tuesday, declining to speak for the most part except to softly whisper, "Please kill me," to the judge. He is being charged with second degree murder for last week's attack, and has yet to enter a plea. Li is expected back in court Sept. 8.

The man had a plastic bag containing his victim's ear, nose and part of a mouth in his pocket when officers arrested him, Prosecutor Joyce Dalmyn said. The only response officers received from him was: "'I have to stay on the bus forever,'" she said.

Witnesses reported Li displayed the severed head to them while he was being contained on the bus. Audio of a police tape leaked on the Internet this weekend revealed an account of the man eating pieces of the body during the standoff.

RELATED LINKS
Update: Greyhound bus murder

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Betrayed by the 'Bell'

Isn't it the best feeling when you're getting ready for work at 7 a.m., all the while knowing that you can put on TBS and see your friends from Bayside up to their old antics?

"Saved By the Bell" is probably one of the greatest shows of my adolescent life. There is not one episode I have not seen, one backstory I cannot describe in detail or one super corny line that I cannot recite.

But there were some things about the show -
particularly the real lives of its teen-now-adult stars - that I never really knew too much about... And thanks to Dustin "Screech" Diamond, that might soon be changing.

"Behind the Bell," Diamond's planned tell-all book, promises to detail "sexual escapades among cast members, drug use, and hardcore partying" during the SBTB days, according to New York Magazine.

And while this is probably the greatest idea ever --it's enough to make me sing, "I'm so exciiiited, I'm so exciiiited"-- a part of me wants to forever preserve the innocent images of Zack, Kelly, Jessie, Lisa, Slater and Screech hanging out by their lockers and sharing fries at The Max. I don't want to hear if Mark Paul Gosselaar was actually taking drugs; that would be way too Johnny Dakota of him.

...Plus, I really hate Dustin Diamond and think he's a huge douchebag that doesn't deserve to make money like he'll make off of this. Who knows if he'll even be telling the truth. The guy's got serious "angry typecast" syndrome and probably resents the rest of his castmates that went on to do something else with their lives, like not starring in 67 episodes of "Saved By the Bell: The New Class."