Big Blue Arndt: November 2007 Archives

I mean, seriously, just an hour ago you told me that you didn't know what Chuck was.

John Stossel writes. I knew it was the Marines but I still love this story.

I hate the component about self-help books. All I want is a Bible, some political consulting biographies, my campaign management how-to manual, Seven Habits of Highly Productive People, and... I guess it's different strokes for different folks, but in my experience self-help books usually just dish out self-love. Increasing self-esteem is usually just mental masturbation, that is the person boosting his own self-opinion makes himself feel better and isn't simultaneously raising the spirits of another intentionally. Maybe Drew Carey's books are that damn good. I am inspired, however, by his declaration of sheer willpower. Perhaps my will alone many not lead to success, as my own human powers are often insufficient, but the good Lord never blessed a quitter with success.

It's also heart-warming that he received that ultimate blessing from Johnny Carson. The best and most important for any comedian to receive, and one that will never be bestowed again. What Drew Carey has in his comedic history is like an Erdos number of 1, which to a mathematician or a scholar is a sacred status. Now whatever we say about his sitcom, whether we watched it or not (I loved it, despite moment of inappropriate content or themes), or even endorse the continued career of a Libertarian (I'm fine with it) or a soccer fan (I choke on my own bile), he has risen to a level we can only hope to aspire to: being a family-time, big-time, daytime game show host. Drew Carey has a heart for people;

The show's producers cited Carey's "empathy skills" as a reason why they picked him for the coveted position... "I have nothing but love for everybody that comes up on the stage," Carey explained. "And it makes me sad for them when they lose, happier for them when they win."

To be honest I partially credit the Price is Right itself. People have called me "heartless" and I endeavor to the highest to be stoic, and emotionally immovable but whenever I watch that game show I root for everyone to win all they can. The Price is Right is special in that one way: most every game show you have to root for one person to win against someone else, or expect someone to win over someone else. You subconsciously or consciously choose which individual you would rather see win. Price is Right has personal competitions at only few stages of the game, and even though everyone in the audience is officially a "Contestant", you really simply want to see players succeed, and no one to miss out on that new car. Drew Carey reaches out in that extra special way, beyond average expectations, and that makes him that great game show host... along with the sense of humor.

Of course, Mister Carey has to be a good stand-up comedian and wonderful buddy on stage as he's still not old enough to play a fatherly figure as Bob Barker did in the last two or three decades of host duties on the show. Whatever the angle, he clearly has a role to play.

My gosh, I only intended to link to the Stossel article and what inspired me. This post was supposed to leave off at that stuff about willpower and quitters not succeeding. Then I gushed out my beliefs on the Price is Right. To think I was saving those.

Granted, the character, when written properly and in-character, is not a joke-villain, and not a professional leg-breaker. He's simply one of those characters that gets thrown into the disrespect-list simply because so many nerds, I mean, Marvel fans, expect all the bad guys to be a Green Goblin, Electro, or Dr. Doom.

Stilt-Man is like what most of Flash's rogues gallery was before the majority of the most famous members murdered a de-powered Kid Flash in cold blood. The villain's only real stupid mistake is to continue to take up residence in a major city where he's quite likely to casually cross paths with swinging super-heroes and flying super-heroes. That alone makes him no less of a genius than Doctor Octopus, the Wizard, or Doctor Doom.

Any dude whose primary gimmick is quick getaways and easy access to stuff up high isn't someone that should be mocked or used as a throw-away death (although that's what happened to Kite-Man, as he died an off-panel death in 52). Stilt-Man is great for the gratuitous fight that should be in almost every issue of a super hero comic book. He has also one a few fights. It isn't the sign of a bad character that most of his arch-enemies slightly out-class him. An armored dude with enhanced strength and elongated piledriver piston-legs isn't one to engage in innovation, and frankly if he started shooting death rays out of his wrists or became seriously dangerous then it would ruin the character.

Mind you, all it really takes to make me like a villain that some other reader believe is lame, a joke, or silly, is to be introduced to the character in one good story where the villain is treated suitably seriously.

The answer:

The song is "Fett's Vette" by MC Chris.

The video was created using Star Wars Galaxies, purportedly. I don't care that the video seems to star Jango rather than Boba. It's still funny.

However I feel about prequel series aside, this is just too realistic.

Now, I have been too busy to keep up past episode 4 this season, so I'm going to use the NBC.com feature to view it.

So I don't care for spoilerific discussions now and I won't even ready any comments.

But yes, I did see the first few episodes this season and while I did not find them wanting so much, I did find them slow and plodding and mostly lacking in kickass action or a huge justification to be interested in either the mysteries or the rookie Heroes.

But that shape-shifter chick was hot in a red bikini before they made the PREDICTABLE move of Sylar murdering her (which I don't condemn) and her revealed as an insecure fat chick (which I only condemn not because I am shallow, which I am, but because it's such a bloody trope for the illusion-caster character to be actually ugly).

Anyway, here the Creator of Heroes apologizes. I also think that it is funny that WGA rules demand that member Kring must picket his own show.

http://www.captionbox.net/eeb/2005_10_01_archive.html#112922792672934137

http://www.cracked.com/article_15654_7-most-terrifying-celebrity-transformations.html

http://www.cracked.com/article_15655_5-awesome-sci-fi-inventions-that-would-actually-suck.html

http://www.cracked.com/article_15660_ultimate-war-simulation-game.html

Kids in the Hall - The best video clips are here

I found it in this forum exchange, which was birthed by this comic strip, which is accompanied by an annotation that explains the strip's origin and a common problem for world travelers.

is Spiders on a Glider.

Of course, an observant one on the Irregular Webcomic Forum has noted that "Spiders" obviously rhymes with "Glider," matching with the naming theme of so many SOAP spoofs, while it is equally obvious that the word "Snake" does not rhyme with "Plane".

If you've been in this hobby long enough you know that all the scenes in the 1960s' Batman live action show where he climbed the wall was simply Adam West and Burt Ward walking on a horizontal platform.

Of course the trapdoor in the floor had that celebrity so the celebrity cameo popping out a window on the show could occur.

This TV Acres entry on the Batman Prop wall lists all the celebrity cameos and illuminates how the show creators simulated gravity.