A Silly Church Sign I Saw Yesterday

This is an actual church sign I saw yesterday on Route 29 near Gretna, Va.:

"The punishment for the disbeliever is still the same."


Hmmmmmmmmmmm............(eyes rolling).

Quote of the Week-Martin Luther King Jr.

This week I am borrowing quotes used at the start and conclusion of James Turner's interesting graphic novel "Nil: A Land Beyond Belief," which may demand a second or third reading as it is as cryptic and insightful as Terry Gilliam's now classic film "Brazil," which none of us fully grasped when it first came out in 1985.

This quote is from the famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.:

"I can not lose hope. Because when you lose hope, you die."

If I Ever Needed a Weekend..........

What-a-long-week! I'm glad it's over.

Special Screening_ Army of Darkness

This very weekend my good friend Jason Garnett is bringing Sam Raimi's cult classic "Army of Darkness" to the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., for two midnight screenings on Friday and Saturday.

Garnett has done an excellent job managing the oldest cinema in the Star City for several years now.

Amazingly enough, I have (somehow) never seen this film!

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Kid Eating Cereal

Is it just me or does this English kid look like a young Malcolm McDowell?

Quote of the Week-Jean Luc-Godard

We love to quote the legendary French filmmaker Jean Luc-Godard here. In fact, we have quoted him more often than anyone except William Shakespeare and Paris Hilton!

"All you need for a movie is a girl and a gun."

All My Friends' Blogs

Since we have been on hiatus for ten years until today, I thought I would give a rundown of some hip entries on my friends' blogs.


For starters, New Yorker Phil Nugent has a great story about a film project that the late Andy Kaufman could never quite get off the ground at his blog The Phil Nugent Experience http://philnugentexperience.blogspot.com

Political Pundit Randall H. Miller, a conservative who voted for Obama, has a great mock interview with Sarah Palin in which the Alaskan governor cites Ronald Reagan as her favorite founding father http://randallhmiller.com

Chris Knight of Reidsville, NC, has an interesting post about a man built a real-life mechanical exoskeleton, like the one seen in "Aliens" in Palin's hometown of Wasilla, Alaska http://theknightshift.blogspot.com (see links)

And, my very good friend and fellow movie fanatic Moviezzz has a great review of the new dvd of Chuck Jones' "Tom and Jerry" cartoons at his blog http://talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com (see links)

Happy Father's Day

For those to young to remember, the man pictured here Fred MacMurray played a dad on the tv sitcom "My Three Sons," which aired in the sixties. I watched it in reruns as a kid in the seventies. Alas, my own father Mehmet Gokbudak died when I was 13 in 1983.

Summer Vacation ....(well, not exactly)

Well folks, I am both too busy and too overwhelmed and for at least a brief while something has to give. I am hereby putting both of my blogs on a two-week hiatus as the real world has reared its proverbial ugly head. But, we will come back with our usual array of entries ranging from beers in the Muslim world to celebrities who may or may not still be with us.........the next entry in that series is scheduled to former game show host Richard Dawson ("Family Feud") and I am still in the process of determining if he is indeed with us or not with us!

Songs of Our Youth (1 of 11)

"Shoplifters of the World" by The Smiths


NOTE: We are indeed resurrecting this series because it is: a) not too time-consuming b) very hip and c) very popular!

I suppose The Smiths, who were fronted by Morrissey, have a web site but we are to pressed for time to find out what that is!

For those who don't know the song, the opening lyrics are:

"Shoplifters of the world unite and take over."

Quote of the Week- Henry Winkler

Since I recently posted an entry about my "Happy Days" experiences as a child when my late Turkish father forbid me to watch the sitcom because it featured kids talking back to their parents, I thought I would post two quips from the series' two respective stars. Here is the first:

"You see I don't know how to ride a motorcycle," Henry Winkler

Silly Photo to Fill Space

One of the casualties of this economic downturn is that we are now including more silly photos to fill space...........ok, so I need to spend less time on the internet!

Political Confusion Test (20 of 21)- Gogol Bordello or Yakov Smirnoff

As we inch closer to the end of this ever-popular series which has its roots in the election year cultural battles that all of us are Americans are still recovering from, we focus on which two Russian emigre entities which might hint at your political leanings.

The first is my favorite punk band in the whole frigging world_ Gogol Bordello known for their lavish live performances around the globe which might well include their 'ballad'_"Alcohol," which is of course an ode to drinking. The boys are performing this weekend in South Burlington, Vermont_ certainly wish I could be there! The band will coincidentally be performing in St. Petersburg, Fla., on July 27. Their 2008 album "Super Taranta!" which includes the awesome song "Wanderlust King" is in my view one of the best cd releases in the last couple of years. We align them with Democratic voters because frankly we can't see Newt Gingrich shaking his booty at one of their shows.

The second is Cold War-era comedian Yakov Smirnoff, a dear sweet lovable figure who is alas a Republican. Smirnoff currently performs regularly in Branson, Mo., and he is joining country singer Neal McCoy for a joint Make-A-Wish fundraiser in Branson on June 12. He is also starting a venture called Yakov's Moscow Circus on June 10, which I gather is indeed some sort of circus, and he will be performing in Albany, New York, on July 3. Smirnoff is also an avid artist and he put together a mural recognizing the September 11th victims which was displayed at Ground Zero.


So far, I have chosen 20 things that are more indicative of Democrats than Republicans. I wonder if I can get Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct) and Arlene Spector (D-Pa) to take the test?!

Special Quote of the Week_ Paris Hilton

"I don't want to be known as the granddaughter of the Hiltons. I want to be known as Paris."

We couldn't resist.Incidentally, I don't know if I should admit this publicly, but I watched the season premiere of her show on MTV!

Beers of the Muslim World (1 of 6)

This is Efes Pilsen from Turkey (my late father Mehmet Gokbudak's country).


http://www.efesbev.com

Silly Photo to Fill Space

I think if someone were to put together a tv documentary on the excesses of American suburban life, a full episode would have to examine 'doga,' or doggie yoga. Of course, I would prefer to live in suburbia (ie. Bethesda, Maryland) as opposed to a small town in North Carolina where everyone goes to church on Sunday except me!

Quote of the Week- Bill Cosby

"In order to succeed you, your desire for success should be greater than the fear of your failure," Bill Cosby.