Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I thaw I Thaw a Puddy Cat! Nope just a man with a lot of birds in his bag!


Things get weirder and weirder!

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian authorities detained a Portuguese man at Sao Paulo's international airport with 200 birds in his bag, police said on Thursday.

Customs officials found 65 of 200 Canary birds dead, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement. Police will charge the man, who arrived from Peru and resides in Brazil, with animal trafficking, a federal police officer at the airport said.

The remaining live birds will be sent back to Peru by plane, in more humane conditions.


Two hundred birds!!! What the deuce!!!!
If he wanted to sell them, this is a very bad way of exporting them!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Saturday Night Live strikes back!

In case you didn't see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler parody of the Sarah Palin / Katie Couric interview on the CBS Evening news, here it is!
The funny thing is, they didn't have to write that much jokes, they used transcrpits from the real interview in the skit! Some of it is unintentionally funny!

Video courtesy of NBC.com

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Appaloosa!


A group of friends and I had the good fortune to see a screening of the western "Appaloosa", staring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Renee Zelwegger. I can tell you without a doubt, that it's the best western I have seen in a while!

It starts in nationwide release next Friday, but it's refreshing to see that in PR we could see it before.

Watch the trailer for it.



Go and see it!!!!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Legendary actor Paul Newman dies.



Paul Newman, a legendary and fascinating movie star has passed away.

Here's the story.



By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Legendary film star Paul Newman, whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks, cool style and talent made him one of Hollywood's top actors over six decades has died at age 83 after a long battle with cancer.

Newman died on Friday night at his farmhouse near Westport, Connecticut, surrounded by his wife of 50 years, actress Joanne Woodward, and other family and friends.

"His death was as private and discreet as the way he had lived his life, a humble artist who never thought of himself as 'big,'" said a statement released by his family on Saturday.

Paul Leonard Newman, known as "PL" to his friends, appeared in more than 50 movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting." He earned nine Oscar nominations for acting and won the best actor honor for 1986's "The Color of Money."

A director and race car driver as well as an actor, Newman was also known for his extensive philanthropy. He created Newman's Own food products, which funneled more than $250 million in profits to thousands of charities worldwide.

"He quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity," his five daughters said in a statement. "Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words: 'It's been a privilege to be here.'"

"There is a point where feelings go beyond words. I have lost a real friend. My life - and this country - is better for his being in it," said actor Robert Redford, Newman's friend and co-star in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

Former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton said in a statement that they will miss their "dear friend." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Newman the "ultimate cool guy" who was "one of a kind."

HOLLYWOOD LEGEND

Born in a Cleveland suburb on January 26, 1925, Newman was a Navy radio man in the Pacific during World War Two. He went to Kenyon College in Ohio on a football scholarship, but took up acting after he was cut from the team over a barroom brawl.

He helped run the family sporting goods store, then headed to the Yale Drama School and ended up in New York, winning a Broadway role in "Picnic" in 1953. His first major movie role was as boxer Rocky Graziano in "Somebody Up There Likes Me."

In 1958, Newman starred in "The Long Hot Summer" with Woodward, whom he married that year shortly after divorcing his first wife, Jacqueline Witte.

He played an alcoholic loser in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," opposite Elizabeth Taylor, and pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in "The Hustler." Other hits were "Hud" and "Cool Hand Luke."

Newman was also recognized for work behind the camera, earning a best picture Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award for best director for "Rachel, Rachel," starring Woodward, which he produced and directed.

Although his movie career slowed in later years, Newman picked up Oscar nominations in 1994 for "Nobody's Fool" and in 2002 for "Road to Perdition."

He returned to the stage the same year in "Our Town" at a Connecticut playhouse. The show moved to Broadway and Newman was nominated for a Tony award. He won an Emmy, U.S. television's highest honor, for its 2003 broadcast.

In 2005 he won another Emmy for best supporting actor in the mini-series "Empire Falls." His last film part was a voice-over role in the 2006 animated "Cars."

OUTSIDE THE LIMELIGHT

Newman resisted the glare of Hollywood's spotlight.

His long marriage to Woodward ran counter to Hollywood's tradition of fast weddings and quick divorces, and the pair lived in a 200-year-old Connecticut house, far from the heart of the entertainment industry.

Asked the secret of his marriage, Newman once said there was no reason to roam, asking: "I have steak at home. Why should I go out for a hamburger?"

He started auto racing because he said he was bored with acting, but won respect in that field, coming in second in the Le Mans 24-hour competition in 1975. In 1995 at age 70, he became the oldest driver on a winning team at the 24 hours of Daytona race.

Newman tried to advance many social causes, at times in the political arena. A supporter of liberal Democratic presidential nominee Eugene McCarthy in 1968, Newman ended up on President Richard Nixon's "enemies list," which he termed "the highest single honor I've ever received."

Still, Newman said his deepest satisfaction came from philanthropy.

Particularly close to his heart were his Hole-in-the-Wall Camps for seriously ill children. Today, there are eleven around the world that have helped over 135,000 kids, all free of charge.

Newman is survived by Woodward, five daughters, two grandsons, and his older brother, Arthur. Newman also had a son Scott, who died in 1978.

(Writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Patricia Zengerle)


Man. And I'm watching "The Towering Inferno". Syncronicity huh!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Crossing the English Channel on a wing and a prayer!


Yves Rossy has done it again! The Swiss pilot/daredevil crossed the English Channel this morning (PR time)on his homemade carbon fiber wings and mini-jet engines.

Flying at almost 200 MPH and steering his wings with his body, Rossy flew from Pax de Calais, France to Dover, England in 12 minutes, running out of fuel as he passed the famous white cliffs. He then parachuted safely to the ground, completing this stunt.

Next for "Jet Man", a formation flight with 12 other pilots!

Cool!


Tuesday, September 23, 2008

A free Michael Moore Documentary!


That's right! A free streaming or download of Michael Moore's new documentary "Slacker Uprising" is on the internet!

Read this excerpt...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker Michael Moore released his latest documentary for free on the Internet on Tuesday, marking a first for the maverick director who aims to encourage young people to vote -- preferably for Democrats -- in November's U.S. presidential election.

"Slacker Uprising," a feature-length film documenting Moore's tour of swing states during the 2004 presidential election year, was made available for a free download instead of being released in movie theaters.

The maker of the award-winning anti-Iraq war blockbuster "Fahrenheit 9/11," said in a statement the gesture was "entirely as a gift to my fans."

"The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters at the polls in November," Moore said.


More on this story here!

Support this endeavor, if you want, by going here.

Today is "El Grito De Lares" (The Lares Outcry)


On September 23, 1868, a hundred and forty years ago today, a group of revolutionaries tried to sieze the island by force to then break away from Spain and declare Puerto Rico an independent country.

Their revolution failed.

On September 23, 2005, a group of federal marshalls and FBI agents trapped and then killed Filberto Ojeda Rios, the mastermind behind the Wells Fargo heist and leader of the Boricua Popular Army (Ejercito Popular Boricua) also known as the Macheteros.

His death is yet to be avenged by the Macheteros.

I bring this to the forefront today, as I'm a beliver in the independence of this country...(Then how come you write in the invader's language, you may ask? That, little Adam, it's another story!). And I ask this question...Are we closer to independence from the US now?

To me the answer is NO!

A lot of my Puertorrican bretheren are very close to the US, more out of the love of money than pure patriotism. Most of them would like to join the US as a state, still believing that the US would welcome us.

Naive a-holes!

And the fault of all this lies in our Independence movement. They haven't done anything to forward the cause. With their petty squabbles, they have lost their focus.

Naive a-holes!

The 23 of September is a reminder that the independence of Puerto Rico is an excercise in futilty!

Good frakking luck!

Me, I like to remember the 23 of September as the birthday of my grandfather, born in 1901. He would have been 107 today had he lived.

Happy Birthday Pappy!

Obama could lose six percentage points just because he's black!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Monday, September 22, 2008

At last! The documentary about a great writer comes to Puerto Rico

This is the graphic account about the life, rise and works of one of the most controversial and acclaimed writer of the 20th and 21st centuries. Harlan Ellison has been called many things in his life, from genius to son of a bitch, but one thing is certain, no one can call him boring!



I have been a fan of the man ever since I read his columns in Starlog and Future magazine in the 1970's and 80's. Then I read his novels with the help from a friend of mine, who lent them to me and I haven't been the same ever since. I'm happy to see a documentary about this terrific genius. It will be available in DVD in PR pretty soon.

The last game on Yankee Stadium.


I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Yankee Stadium in the Bronx is closing it's doors after 85 years of winning tradition. An excerpt...

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter climbed the mound, surrounded by his teammates, and began the final farewell.

Microphone in hand, the New York captain addressed the 54,610 fans who came to say so long to Yankee Stadium, his words booming around the old ballpark where the voices of Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle had echoed years before.

"So take the memories from this stadium, add it to the new memories that come with the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them on from generation to generation," he said.

The winning tradition that began with a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on April 18, 1923, ended with a 7-3 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday night. It was a bittersweet evening in which the Yankees staved off postseason elimination rather than add another title to their vast collection...



More on this right here!

My memories of the Stadium...well going to games on 1977, 78, 1992 and 2002. Reggie Jackson batting those three homers on the sixth game of the world series in '77 pop to mind.
Endless fun and exhilaration, tears and heartbreak, hope and renewal. That was the house that Ruth built. Now on to the house that Jeter built!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Puerto Rico's foremost abstract painter dies.


Julio Rosado del Valle, Puerto Rico's best abstract artist of the 20th century, died on Saturday after a long illness. He was 86 years old.

Born in 1922 in Cataño, he showed promise as a painter since early childhood. Studied under the tutelage of Cristóbal Ruiz at the University of Puerto Rico, then with painter Mario Carreño in New York. He finished his formation in France and Italy.

He came back to Puerto Rico in 1944 where he worked at the Community Educational Division and co-founded with Lorenzo Homar, Rafael Tufiño, Torres Martinó and Félix Rodríguez Báez the Arts center of Puerto Rico.

Rest in Peace. He was the last of the great 20th Century Puertorrican painters. He will be missed.

Here it is! The new Kaisen 4 Promo!

Made by yours truly, this is the promo for the best Sci Fi and anime convention in PR. Go there on Oct. 12 at 9am on Mario Jimenez Coliseum in Guaynabo.

Enjoy the promo!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Arg ye maties! Today is talk like a pirate day!




Arg ye salty dogs ye! It's September 19 in the year of our lord 2008! It's talk like a pirate day ye scurvy worms!!

So go out, run to the sea and wear your favorite eye patch, take yer favorite wench and grab some booty!

Today we are pirates, rah!

(Way cooler than Ninjas!)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

At last an investigation on the question; Is there life after death?


Is one of the pivotal questions of our existence...Is there a God? Do we live after death? How come we still vote for politicians after they lie to us? George W. Bush, why eight years of this guy? Why our girlfriends always say "nothing" when we ask them if something is wrong? Who is this CODA and why is it taking so much money out of my paycheck?

Well scientists are going to tackle the life after death question. The others, you are on your own, buddy!

Read the excerpt.

A large study is to examine near-death experiences in cardiac arrest patients.

Doctors at 25 UK and US hospitals will study 1,500 survivors to see if people with no heartbeat or brain activity can have "out of body" experiences.

Some people report seeing a tunnel or bright light, others recall looking down from the ceiling at medical staff.

The study, due to take three years and coordinated by Southampton University, will include placing on shelves images that could only be seen from above.

To test this, the researchers have set up special shelving in resuscitation areas. The shelves hold pictures - but they're visible only from the ceiling.


More on this BBC story here!

I still believe there is nothing out there, but if there is scientific evidence to the contrary, I'll be first one to dance the jig!!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Is Pakistan going to war with the US?


Have the US frakked up relations so much in the quagmire that is the Afghanistan/Iraq wars, that one of his allies is turning against them? Apparently so! Look at an excerpt of what Pakistan is saying to their former "allies".

Pakistan's army spokesman has made clear that its forces will not tolerate incursions into Pakistani territory.

His remarks come a day after Pakistani troops were reported to have fired shots into the air to stop US troops crossing into South Waziristan.

Tension is rising in Pakistan over an increase in US attacks along the border with Afghanistan.


The rest of this story from the BBC is here!

Man! The US is going down in flames! The wars are going bad, the economy is worse! Four more years of Republicans and the US will blow up!

Then again...I would love to see it! Just to say; I told you so!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Sulu is a married man!


At last, Mr. Sulu has married!

Former Star Trek actor George Takei has married his long-term partner in a Buddhist ceremony in Los Angeles.

Takei, 71, who played Mr Sulu in the sci-fi series, married business manager Brad Altman, 54, in front of a number of his Star Trek co-stars.

They included best man Walter Koenig, who played Chekhov, and matron-of-honour Nichelle Nichols - Uhura.

The wedding - at Japanese American National Museum - came after California lifted a ban on same-sex marriage.

The couple, who have been together for 21 years, wore matching white tuxedos in the ceremony.

Takei, who recently appeared in US TV show Heroes, said in his vows that Altman was "an organised, detailed-obsessed, punctuality-driven control freak".

"I'm easygoing so we're a good fit," he added.

Speaking before the ceremony, Takei said: "We have a relationship that's been stronger and longer-lived than some of our straight friends and yet we were not equal.

"What this does is give us that dignity."

The couple were among the first Californian couples to receive a wedding licence when the state lifted its same-sex marriage ban on 17 June.


And everything is cool again in the universe!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

And the box office champion this week is...


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Burn After Reading," a screwball spy comedy from Oscar-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, fired up the weekend box office in North America on Sunday, helping overall sales rebound from the five-year low plumbed a week earlier.

"Burn," whose cast includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt and John Malkovich, opened at No. 1 after selling an estimated $19.4 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada, distributor Focus Features said.

The three-day tally set a new record both for the Coens and for Focus, the arthouse arm of General Electric Co's NBC Universal unit. It also represents the first No. 1 for Focus. The brothers' previous best was "Ladykillers" with a $12.6 million opening in 2004.

Three other new releases followed, all within their respective studios' expectations: prolific filmmaker Tyler Perry's latest domestic saga "The Family That Preys" at No. 2 with $18 million; the Robert De Niro-Al Pacino cop drama "Righteous Kill" at No. 3 with $16.5 million; and a critically maligned remake of the 1939 distaff drama "The Women" at No. 4 with $10.1 million.

Critics were hardly more enthused about the other new releases, including "Burn After Reading," the Coens' first release since they won the best picture Oscar in February for the Texan drama "No Country For Old Men."


I'm going to see it!

That's why religion cannot rule goverments!


This is an example of what a theocracy (A government based on religion) can do.

Late on Tuesday night, I spoke to Raja Petra Kamarudin. We were supposed to meet face-to-face earlier in the day, but Malaysia's most vociferous anti-government campaigner could not make it. He was in hiding.

Three days later, he was detained.

The ostensible reason for the blogger's arrest was that he published a blasphemous article about Islam on his website, Malaysia Today. In the predominantly Muslim country, such an offence can carry a jail sentence.


More on this news here.

I don't believe in invisible man, that's why this is infuriating!

News and photo courtesy of the BBC.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

The MPAA just gave Kevin Smith a sure #1 opening!



Kevin Smith, the creator of "Clerks", "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back" and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), those purveyors of film purity, have been waging war over the film "Zack and Miri make a porno". After settling in the R rating, now the MPAA have censored the poster of the film, because to them it's too controversial. Well that's just fine for Kevin. He riposted with a hand drawn poster! Funny as hell!

The thing is, the more controversy it generates, the more people will want to see it. I think Kevin Smith just got himself a number one movie. Remember, no such thing as bad publicity!

Here are the posters. The one on the top is the original, the one on the bottom is the new Kevin Smith version.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Hallo! Schokolade? Bon Bon's? Gras?


If you cannot read the title in German, do not fret! Read this very weird story!


BERLIN (Reuters) - Police closed down a Berlin sweet shop after discovering the owner was selling chocolates and lollipops laced with hallucinogenic mushrooms and marijuana.

The 23-year old owner of the shop in the trendy east Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, an area known for its vibrant night life, was taken into custody on suspicion of drug-dealing.

"In the shop we found 120 pieces of magic mushroom chocolate and countless cannabis lollipops," said police, who confiscated around 70 sachets containing various drugs, about 20 marijuana joints, a range of pills and some jars of drug-laced honey.

Police said one customer, who appeared intoxicated, was arrested after trying to buy a bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms from an officer in the shop.


C'mon! Eat the Brownie! Eat the Brownie!

Seven years after...


I know...I know...it's Sept. the 12, still seven years after the events of September the eleventh, are we better off? Are we more secure? Is the interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq solving anything? 3,200 people died in the 9/11 attacks, until now over 150,000 persons have died in different attacks and wars caused by this event. And the so-called mastermind of this operation, Osama Bin Laden, is nowhere to be found.

Have we solved anything?

Are things getting better?

Nope, sorry! the world's is in a worse place than seven years ago.

And probably will get worse!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Hey kitty...it's been nine years! Where the hell have you been?


Another fantastic story from Reuters in Britain, showing how crazy real life is...

LONDON (Reuters) - A couple have been reunited with their missing cat after nine years, the RSPCA said Wednesday.

Dixie, a 15-year-old ginger cat, disappeared in 1999 and her owners thought she had been killed by a car.

She was found less than half a mile from her home in Birmingham after a concerned resident rang the animal charity to report a thin and disheveled cat who had been in the area for a couple of months.

RSPCA Animal Collection Officer Alan Pittaway checked her microchip and confirmed it was Dixie. She was returned to her owners, Alan and Gilly Delaney, within half an hour.

"In 29 years of working for the RSPCA I have never seen anyone so excited and happy as Mrs Delaney," Pittaway said. "It made my day to return Dixie to her owners."

The couple were "overjoyed" to be reunited with their missing cat after so many years.

"Dixie's personality, behavior and little mannerisms have not changed at all," said Gilly Delaney. "We don't think she has stopped purring since she came back through the door."

The RSPCA hope the story will encourage owners to have their pets microchipped.



Spent 8 of her 9 lives. At least she's home!

Want to vote for the next US President?


Want to vote for Obama or McCain, but you're not in the continental US? You're not a US citizen or like us Puertorricans, citizens but cannot vote for the President, even if we serve in their armed forces? Here's an alternative...

BUDAPEST (AFP) - Why should nationality block anyone from voting for US president, thought Gabor Rosta, back in Hungary but nostalgic for his stint as a campaigner for Al Gore in the tense, 2000 White House battle.

"I want to vote too," said the communications specialist and former political science student.

"Leaders, in particular US presidents, decide on matters that have significance way beyond their own borders," said the 39-year-old Hungarian.

So why not let the world express its opinion about these powerful leaders, he asked.

The result is a website Rosta cooked up to give people all over the world, no matter what their country of affiliation, a say in the upcoming Obama-McCain race...


More here.

It's non binding, but hey, it can be fun! Go and vote!!!! Democracy via Internet!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Is Steven Spielberg a thief?


Maybe, if copyrights holders have their way in court.
Read on...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steven Spielberg and major Hollywood studios stole the plot from Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1954 film "Rear Window" in making last year's "Disturbia," a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday said.

Dreamworks, its parent company Viacom Inc, and Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal, are accused of copyright infringement and breach of contract for making "Disturbia" without first obtaining permission from the copyright holders, the suit said.

Spielberg is credited as executive producer of the film, which grossed about $80 million at the U.S. box office, and is named as a defendant.


More in here!

Thievery is nothing new in Hollywood, but Spielberg?

Oy Vey! Say it isn't so!!!

Nyet Tovarish! No South Park for YOU!!!!


It looks that the Iron Curtain is back in Russia as they try ban American TV show "South Park" as "extremist". Here's an excerpt...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winning satirical U.S. cartoon South Park, calling the series "extremist" after receiving viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

South Park, a cartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of nine-year olds in a Colorado ski town, has courted controversy from its 1997 debut, parodying celebrities, politicians, religion, gay marriage and Saddam Hussein.


Read more here.

It's not so good to see the humorless Neo-Soviet Union Back!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Wanna save the planet from global warming? Eat less meat!


No joke! Read this excerpt.

People should consider eating less meat as a way of combating global warming, says the UN's top climate scientist.

Rajendra Pachauri, who chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), will make the call at a speech in London on Monday evening.

UN figures suggest that meat production puts more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than transport.

But a spokeswoman for the UK's National Farmers' Union (NFU) said methane emissions from farms were declining.



Read the rest here!

Courtesy of the BBC

Friday, September 5, 2008

Ballots are going to be bilingual! Now shut up you monkeys! You're in a colony!!!!


Two people here in Puerto Rico, that have been living here since 1993 and never learned to speak Spanish (probably out of arrogance or stupidity, after all they are americans), won their case against the election commission and made federal Judge Jaime Fuste order that the ballots in the forthcoming elections should be written in both English and Spanish. The elections commissioner for the Popular Democratic Party objected and appealed to the First Circuit Court in Boston.

He lost!

So...now the ballots are going to be written in both languages. If you needed proof that you are living in a colony that belong to a nation of morons and it's run by monkeys and thieves, here it is!

Hey! I speak Klingon! Why aren't the ballots also printed in Klingonasse!! Je'jiMeH! I'm going to court!!!!!

Image courtesy of oldamericancentury.org

Thursday, September 4, 2008

One of the first latino cartoon animator dies.


SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Bill Melendez, the animator who gave life to Snoopy, Charlie Brown and other "Peanuts" characters in scores of movies and TV specials, has died. He was 91.

Melendez died of natural causes Tuesday at St. John's Health Center, according to publicist Amy Goldsmith.

Melendez's nearly seven decades as a professional animator began in 1938 when he was hired by Walt Disney Studios and worked on Mickey Mouse cartoons and classic animated features such as "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia."

He went on to animate TV specials such as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and was the voice of Snoopy, who never spoke intelligible words but issued expressive howls, sighs and sobs.

Melendez was born in 1916 in Hermosillo in the Mexican state of Sonora. He moved with his family to Arizona in 1928 and then to Los Angeles in the 1930s, attending the Chouinard Art Institute.

Melendez took part in a strike that led to the unionization of Disney artists in 1941, and later moved to Warner Bros., where he worked on Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck shorts.

In 1948, Melendez left Warner Bros. and over the next 15 years worked as a director and producer on more than 1,000 commercials and movies for United Productions of America, Playhouse Pictures and John Sutherland Productions.

At UPA, he helped animate "Gerald McBoing-Boing," which won the 1951 Academy Award for best cartoon short.

Melendez met "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz in 1959 while creating Ford Motor Co. TV commercials featuring Peanuts characters.

The two became friends and Melendez became the only person Schulz authorized to animate his characters.

Melendez founded his own production company in 1964 and with his partner Lee Mendelson went on to produce, direct or animate some 70 "Peanuts" TV specials, four movies and hundreds of commercials.

The first special was 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The show reportedly worried CBS because it broke so much new ground for a cartoon: It lacked a laugh track, used real children as voice actors, had a jazz score and included a scene in which Linus recited lines from the New Testament.

However, the show was a ratings success and has gone on to become a Christmastime perennial.

Melendez created Emmy-winning specials based on the cartoon characters Cathy and Garfield, and was involved in animated versions of the Babar the elephant books and the C.S. Lewis book, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

He also was co-nominee for an Academy Award in 1971 for the music for "A Boy Named Charlie Brown."

In all, his productions earned some 19 Emmy nominations, including six awards.

Melendez is survived by his wife Helen; sons Steven Melendez and (Ret.) Navy Rear Adm. Rodrigo Melendez, six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.


When I was a kid, I enormously enjoyed the "Peanuts" cartoons and Gerald McBoing-Boing. He will be sorely missed, but he left the world smiling, he left it better than when he found it. That's good!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

It's all in the genes!


Nice! If you're unfaithful, now you have something to blame it on!

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – ( ABC 4 News) - Men who cheat on their wives might be able to blame it on their DNA, according to a study released on Tuesday that indicated that men with a high amount of a gene that influences brain activity are twice as likely to experience marital dysfunction.

“I think it is very interesting to study all the effects that genes have on our behavior,” said Louisa Stark, Director of the Genetic Science and Learning Center at the Eccles Medical Foundation. But Stark said while the study is interesting many things determine human behavior. “It would be nice if we could identify one gene and turn it off to get a spouse that is loyal...but we just aren’t there yet,” Stark said.

The term allele refers to a series of genes on a chromosome. According to a study conducted in Stockholm, Sweden, men who have one or two copies of the allele in their genetic make up have a difficult time committing to and maintaining a monogamous relationship. But many women find that difficult to believe. “I think that is a lame excuse for being unfaithful,” said Megan Warner as she walked with her son at Salt Lake’s Gateway shopping center. “We make choices every day for good and bad and I think it is a matter of choice.” “So you won’t give men a break on this?” “No way, not at my house!”

But genetic research at the Karolinska institute in Stockholm shows a direct link between a man's genes and his aptitude for monogamy. Behavioral geneticist Hasse Walum and a team of scientists studied the brains of one-thousand heterosexual couples. 40 percent of men have one or two copies of the allele. “Men with two copies of the allele had twice the risk of experiencing marital dysfunction, with a threat of divorce during the last year, compared to man carrying one or no copies,” said Walum in a news release issued on Tuesday.

The researchers admit that culture, religion and family background also plays a big part in a man's decision to form a life long bond, along with the fear of getting caught.

Research done on the same gene in animals showed why some animals mate for life and others become loners and do not bond with females or help raise offspring, but this is the first research to draw the connection in human males.

Walum’s findings have set off a debate in the scientific community about whether women should or should not conduct genetic tests to find out if the man they plan to marry has a predisposition to cheat. The full report of Walum’s research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


Look honey, it's not my fault I'm a jerk! It's genetic!!!!
What a bunch of baloney!!!

They're stacking up like cordwood!!!!

Two entertainment stars died on Monday; Don LaFontaine, the voice of countless Hollywood movie trailers, passed away at the age of 68 from a collapsed lung. And Jerry Reed, the "Guitar Man", famous for movies like "Smokey and Bandit", left us at 71 from complications caused by emphysema.

Here is Don in a spot that became famous, the Geico Commercial.



And here is Jerry at his best, singing Jim Croce's "I got a song".



Rest in Peace!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Meow! I'm on your truck tire, ya jerk!!!


Weird!!!!

GILBERT, Ariz. - A cat survived a 2 1/2-hour trip on a spare tire under her owner's truck. Gil Smith recently drove from his Gilbert home 70 miles away for a business meeting in Kearny. When he got out of the truck, he heard a cat in distress and realized it was his.

Smith said the cat, Bella, was hysterical, shaky and tired, but was smart enough to know not to jump off the tire as the truck was moving.

Smith and his wife have adopted three indoor cats, three goats and three chickens. But Smith said Bella, an outdoor cat the couple adopted years ago, has a special place in his wife's heart.

Smith said he canceled his meeting with a state Department of Economic Security official who had driven 50 miles to get to Kearny so he could get Bella home.

It was either that, or, he jokes, get a divorce.


Freaking cat!!!!!
He spent 5 out of his 9 lives on that one!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Star Trek: The Experience, 1998-2008, R.I.P.



LAS VEGAS – After a decade at the final frontier, Star Trek: The Experience is going where no Las Vegas Strip attraction wants to go.

With a decommissioning ceremony — as befits any great vessel — the exhibit and its replica of the starship Enterprise are closing Monday.

Thousands of trekkies are "beaming up" from across the United Federation of Planets, er, the United States and around the world one last time, according to exhibit spokesman Chad Boutte.

Some seek a final encounter with the Borg, the television show's race of organic robot aliens who tell everyone "resistance is futile." Others just want to share a farewell drink — likely a stiff Warp Core Breach, with 10 ounces of rum — with fellow fans at the attraction's restaurant.

Employees dressed as aliens discuss the minutiae of their worlds' mythologies with visitors who learn, in typically circular trekkie logic, that the exhibit is a "time station" for transporting researchers and equipment between the 21st and 24th centuries.

For $49.99, fans can enjoy two virtual rides and the Museum of the Future, with costumes, "phasers" and Mr. Spock's coffin. More than 3 million people have come through since the Experience opened in 1998.

In the end, the frontier the USS Enterprise couldn't breach was earthly: The attraction's owner, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., and the Las Vegas Hilton, its landlord, couldn't agree on a new lease. They worked as a typical landlord and retail tenant, with Cedar Fair keeping all revenue from the attraction, said hotel spokesman Ira David Sternberg.

Trekkies are incensed. They've scrawled reminiscences about the exhibit on the walls inside, and they're calling Cedar Fair and the hotel to complain. But their online rumor that the space the exhibit occupies will become a theater for pop star Michael Jackson is unfounded, Sternberg said. He said nothing's decided.

Karen and Eric Klein, from Easton, Pa., had planned to renew their wedding vows at the Experience on their 10th anniversary but came this week instead, four years early.

A Federation captain told them during the ceremony on the bridge of the Enterprise that the energy between them created their love.

"He had his own schtick, and it was very beautiful, and it actually made the moment even that much better," said Eric Klein, 39, still holding his wife's hand outside the gift shop. "It wasn't simply being on the bridge, it really felt very emotional."


The fat trekker sang! This can tell you how everybody still remember Star Trek. The series is DEAD!

Sad really! It was actually really good!