The 100 Coolest Things of 2010... #60 to 51

Hey... its The SOB!  (no, not me... I mean... Day One of The Summer of Blogging...)

Yes, yes, its the summer and I'm still talking about 2010.   But I'm hoping to get through this list in the next week or two!  So, let's recap...

Basketball movies, SMU scandals and Hurricane Rhett's movie crushes are part of the 100th through 91st coolest things of 2010...  in the 90th through 81st coolest things of the year, we talked about old people with guns, steak roll-ups, and an Oscar winning Sandy B... and then, from 80th through 71st, it was The A-Team, Tron's new Legacy and finding Somebody to Love... then we discussed Hawaii's new show, narcissim on Facebook and candles in the 70th through 61st coolest things of the year...

60... Disney Meets Autism
This is by no means the lesser of our Disney vacations in 2010, its just the first one I wanted to talk about... The Lovely Steph Leann and I decided to treat her cousin Karen and their family, consisting of hubby Eric and children Hannah and Wyatt... the thing to know about Hannah and Wyatt is that they are severly autistic.  I dont know alot about autism, so I won't try to put them on a level of severity, but just know its a pretty big deal (as autism is).

Myself and Hannah, having a blast on Test Track

Cousin Karen actually called ahead to Disney about her children, specifically to the restaurants we were going to dine in and talked to the chefs about her children's eating limitations and allergies.  I was highly impressed on how responsive they were!  In all of the restaurants we ate at, the chef would come out and discuss with Cousin Karen some food options, and at Donald's Tusker House Breakfast in Animal Kingdom, the chef even brought out gluten free Mickey waffles specifically made for the kids.

We had a "disability pass" allowing us to use handicap entrances and skip many lines--I am sure that Cousin Karen would take perfectly healthy children waiting in long lines over autistic kids getting straight onto rides--but it is what it is, and we made the best of it.  Only one meltdown, that being when Jasmine messed around with Hannah's Hannah Montana hat, and Hannah wasn't having it.  At.  All. 

It was a fun trip, though, a good time spent with Cousin Karen, Hubby Eric and the kids, and of course, anytime you can spend money and time in Walt Disney World, its a good, good thing. 

59... SI Wants the Playoffs
I love my Sports Illustrated, and it shares the honor of being bathroom reading material with the latest Entertainment Weekly--that's not a bad thing, or a mock compliment, thats a compliment--and sometimes, an article jumps out that is worthy of reading and re-reading... like one in November of 2011, entitled "What a Concept!  Playoffs!  How (and why) the BCS is Blocking What College Football Needs". 

Its an in-depth opinion on the myth that the BCS works just fine and its a money-haven for college football programs, and how the bowl games are so lucrative for teams that participate... it tells us that

"Halftime entertainment at the Jan. 1, 2009, Outback Bowl was provided by the [ Iowa ] Hawkeye Marching Band. And how did the Tampa Bay Bowl Association, which runs the game, thank the band for that gratis performance? By charging the university $65 a head for each of the 346 band members. According to university records submitted to the NCAA, the school was forced to purchase face-value tickets totaling $22,490 for the band, even though the game wasn't sold out."

In fact, the bowl system, and sub-sequent payout is so convuluted that sometimes a football program actually saves money when they don't go bowling...

"Most conferences pool all their bowl payouts, using the bigger-money BCS games to cover the losses incurred in the smaller games. Thus does the Rose Bowl help subsidize the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl-a bowl bailout system that indeed spreads the wealth. Bowl directors privately admit that fewer than half the bowls could survive without the financial support from the schools.



Meanwhile, the sad sack programs that fail to qualify for a bowl often end up in the best financial position. As former Michigan AD Bill Martin said after the 2009 season, ‘The fact we didn't go to a bowl game the last two years means we actually made money.' "

...wait, success is rewarded by costing you more money, and the underachievers are given more?  Glad our country doesn't work like that...  anyway, I'd love to tell you that you can read this article online, but I had to sign up for the digital version of my print subscription, but if you can find it, its a great article.

58... Sly Blows Stuff Up
Ah, "The Expendables"... a movie I was so looking forward to that I even wrote a preview post for it last summer... and I wasn't disappointed.

Who doesn't love this movie?  Seriously... who doesn't want to see Sly Stallone with Dolph Lundgren and Jet Li and Randy Couture and Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke go all bad-A and 80s VHS star Eric Roberts be the bad guy and Stone Cold Steve Austin get all wicked bad and see things blow up and explode and see Bruce Willis and Ahnold and Sly share the same room and every action movie cliche played up, especially the one where every one on the team is a "specialist", a la "the weapons specialist" and the "explosives specialist" and the "martial arts specialist" and what is the movie even about?

Some crap about a corrupt government and the overthrow of a brutal dictator and so on and so on and who gives a rip.  Did you read that cast that I listed above?  Seriously.  It's awesome.  If you like real substance and deep plotlines, then don't watch this movie.

If you like the nostalgia of 80s and 90s action stars and cheese ball action movies with ridiculous things that blow up and over-the-top shootings and F-bombs being dropped like they were hot tamales, then this is the movie for you. 

57... We Get to See Dixon
Who doesn't love seeing old friends after a decade, or 14 years, goes by?   The Lovely Steph Leann spends a couple of days in Pensacola per month, and every now and again, I am able to go with her.  Usually, its a "drive down Thursday morning, she goes to work, does her thing, have a nice dinner, spend the night, take our time coming back Friday" kind of thing, and September 2010's trip was just like that.

This time, though, I was able to contact my old pal Dixon who lived in the area, and not only were we excited to see each other, she was pumped to see The Lovely Steph Leann--a reader of this blog, she knows my wife only as The Lovely Steph Leann, so for her, it was exciting to put a voice and a personality with the name and face that she sees online.

In writing about it, I said:  Dixon and I have known each other since 1993, and were friends all through college, and during dinner, I'm sure we bored the stew out of The Lovely Steph Leann with our "Oh, I remember when you..." and "Do you know that..." and "When you did that, I..." tales. She was quick to include The Lovely Steph Leann though, frequently turning to her and saying, "Oh my gosh, did d$ ever tell you about the time he and..." to which my wife would say, "No, tell me!" and there goes the story.

The post is called "Mobile Meanderings and Dixon Dinners", and you can read the whole thing by clicking here, and you can even see the link for the first day of Pensacola.

56... The Saints Win the Super Bowl
Growing up, the New Orleans Saints were always a joke.  It took them several decades to even make the playoffs, much less win a playoff game, and though they had some random flashes of brilliance here and there, mostly... well, they just sucked.

But in the last five or six years, they have begun to become a real franchise.  With the 2006 addition of Drew Brees (who left San Diego after being replaced by Philip Rivers, who does not have a ring), plus key players and a solid coaching staff not including anyone named Ditka, it came together... they did have two straight disappointing seasons in 2007 and 2008, going 7-9 and 8-8 respectively, but made the NFC title game a season later.  And in the 2009 season, they began to roll... and roll they did, into the playoffs, into January 2010.

And after a thrilling overtime win over the Vikings (Favre threw a pick to end the game... surprising), they ended up embarrassing the heavily favored Indy Colts, winning 31-17.  Of course, this was the first Super Bowl in over 20 years that I did not see at least a little bit of--myself and The Lovely Steph Leann were in the backseat of a car, riding with Snow White and her friend, Sidekick Sarah, but we'll get to that later in the 2010 list. 

So, the Saints won the Super Bowl.  It was like the Falcons making the Super Bowl in the late 90s... just strange.

55... Marky Mark Throws Punches
Here's one I didn't think I'd like as much as I did.   Mark Wahlberg stars as Micky Ward, a local boxer from Lowell, Massachussetts, who is managed by his mom, Alice (Melissa Leo) and is sort of trained by his troubled, alcoholic, addict brother Dicky (Christian Bale).

Marky Mark talks to my Hollywood Girlfriend

Micky is considered a "stepping stone" boxer, one who is used to help elevate other boxers, and its proven when he's destroyed by a mismatch that he never should have faced.  He meets Charlene (Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with) and his life begins to turn around.   Things get worse before they get better, though, as Micky sees his beloved brother Dicky screw up over and over, until he finally has to wash his hands of Dicky, while his overbearing mom blames Charlene for their family troubles, as do his seven sisters--in one hilarious scene, Charlene takes them all on in a fight on the porch.

The movie is extremely well-acted, and when it was over, I was pretty sure that Christian Bale would not only be nominated for an Oscar for his Dicky Ward portrayal, I was fairly sure he'd win it--he was and he did.  Mark Wahlburg is probably the least talented of the group of actors he's surrounded by, and he still gives a great performance as Micky, and of course, my eyes were locked on Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with) every time she was on the screen.  She ended up with an Oscar nom of his own (she lost to Melissa Leo, and although I wanted Amy Adams--whom I'm in love with--to win, I was satisfied with it) and did her part perfectly.

I loved this film, and as the years go by, I hope it gains stature and more acclaim.   Does have lots of Boston accent language, with lots of F-words being tossed around, boxing violence along with some real world violence, and a make out scene that features Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with) in some tight shorts and her underthings. 

54... The Good Guys Take on the Bad Guys
When its all said and done, Survivor will go down as one of my top ten, maybe even top five favorite series ever, be it scripted or reality.  And its seasons like the on that aired in the spring of 2010, "Heroes vs. Villians", the 20th season of the show, that makes me love this show so much.

They had brought back previous contestants before, like "All Stars" in Season 8 and some seasons where one or two contestants had a second chance, but this time, they did a great job selecting "Heroes", those players who seemed to really play an outstanding game with integrity--Stephenie, JT, Cirie--and "Villians", those who lied and clawed their way through the game--Jerri, Coach, Randy--and most notably, featured the first match-up between Boston Rob and Russell Heinz, who should have won the year before in Samoa.  Rob was ousted halfway through the game, while Russell made it to the top three.

Now, as much as I loved this season, the reason it doesn't rank higher is that the eventually winner, Sandra, was a prime example of  "riding coattails" and "ticked off the least amount of people".  Some will argue that Russell was robbed the previous year (he was) and also should have won "Heroes vs. Villians" (he shouldn't have )... Parvati should have taken this season, but played the season so well she was disliked by everyone, mostly because everyone was voted off directly and indirectly at Parvati's command.  That's how you play Survivor.

53... Mickey Warms My Hands
We went to The Most Magical Place on Earth in December (you'll hear about that later) and was able to meet up with one of my very favorite people in the whole world, Melanie (you'll hear about her later).  She and her family (again, later), and myself and The Lovely Steph Leann enjoy good food, good rides and good shows, but braved the winter in Florida. 

The "winter" in Florida is more of a "kinda cool", especially when compared to the rest of the country, but nonetheless, it was cold.  And I finally had to break down and buy some gloves.  Gloves are a tricky thing, really, because though they work well when driving, using my hands for writing or texting or any other thing that includes opposible thumbs sometimes comes across difficult.  Which is why when I saw the Disney gloves I am referring to on the shelf, I wanted them. 

And they are the best gloves I've ever owned.  Love them.

52... A Cap Gets Popped

Thank you, Melanie.  You rule.

I'm a ballcap guy.  I don't wear caps much when my hair is short, or when I am wearing my glasses (I think I look uberdorky with glasses and a cap), but sometimes, I love just tossing one of my many beloved caps on my wet, fresh outta the shower head and going.

I have three caps that I wear on a rotating basis... one is a grey Florida Gators hat I bought some years ago, right after they won the championship.  Go Gators.  Another is a khaki hat with a Mickey silhouette in the corner.  Goes well with most things I wear.  And finally, there is the one that Melanie brought back to me after she went to Disney for a few days.

And its my favorite hat. 

51... Bad Movies Get Props
In one of the trips to Pensacola I went on, we stopped at a random Barnes & Noble for The Lovely Steph Leann to get her some reading materials... she usually heads for The Romance Section, and I make my way through the bargain aisle, glancing to and fro, left and right in case something catches my eye, then end up in the Film/TV/Entertainment section.  I will pick up a random book or two and read a page or two, sometimes about Molly Ringwald and the Breakfast Club, sometimes about 1001 Movies I Gotta See Before I Die, sometimes about American Idol, sometimes about Dreamworks SKG...

And every now and again, I'll pick up a book and flip through it and read a page.  And then another.  And then another.  And  then another, until I'm sitting on the floor reading the book from the beginning until time to go.  And this time, I did just that, picking up "Showgirls, Teen Wolves and Astro Zombies" by Michael Adams.  Subtitled "A film critic's year long quest to find the worst movie ever made", it is exactly what it says it is.

A few years ago, the author Adams spent an evening watching the horrific Hilary Duff movie "Material Girls", and after avoiding gouging his eyes out, surfed on IMDB for some information.  He was surprised to find it, at least at the time, to be #1 on IMDB's Bottom 100 Movies, the 100 movies that fans gave the lowest ranking possible on the movie website.  He figured as bad as it was, it couldn't have been the worst movie of all time... could it?  Only one way to find out.

He then devoted the next year of his life, starting the following January, to watch horrible movies all year long to determine the worst movie ever made.  He ends up spending thousands of dollars on Amazon to get such movies to watch, and chapter by chapter, catagorized by month, he watches and details the worst of the worst.  At the end of every monthly chapter, he lists the worst seen that month, then the actual worst of the month... starting in January, and going through December, those are as follows:  "Search for the Beast" (January)... "The Guy from Harlem" (February)... "Superbabies" (March)... "Manos: Hands of Fate" and "Police Academy: Mission to Moscow" (tie for April)... "Grad Night" and "Da Hip Hop Witch" (May)... "Narcosys" (June)... "Hollywood High Part II" (July)... "Green River Killer" (August, and notable because Adams declares this film's director, Ulli Lommel, the worst director ever)... "Black Devil Doll From Hell" (September, a film so obscure that there isn't even any cover art in IMDB)... "The Corpse Grinders II" and "Mark of the Astro-Zombies" (October)... "Big Sister 2000" and "Toad Warrior" (November)... and in December, "Dark Harvest 2: The Maize". 

And yes, one of those movies was considered by Adams as "The Worst Movie Ever".  The beauty of this book is that he knows these movies are bad, he never tries to defend their worth, but yet, still revels in the awfulness of them.  He cracks wise and jokes all the way through it, many times with a "I cannot fathom how terrible this is" tone, and he goes after more recent and familiar fare too, like "It's Pat" and of course, "Showgirls".   

 I'm not a guy who watched a ton of cult classics and obscure films and such, so I hadn't seen most of those movies... though I did come across "Manos: Hands of Fate" online, and yes, its bad.   This book is an easy, entertaining read, giving you the reviews of these films so you don't have to watch them.  I loved this book.

Coming up... training a dragon... engagements abound... and what Christians like... and later, a gritty book becomes a gritty novel

Mark Burnett to Bring “The Bible” Documentary to The History Channel

Big things are happening at The History Channel.

Reality show producer Mark Burnett is developing a new ten hour series about the Bible to air in 2013.

The series will set out to detail the Bible’s stories about Noah's ark, the exodus, the acts of the disciples, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and others.

History Channel President Nancy Dubuc told The Hollywood Reporter,

"This is probably the most important book in mankind, regardless of your beliefs or religious affiliation. This series will bring the historical stories of the Bible to life for a new generation. We spend a lot of time talking about this book, and probably not enough time knowing what's in it.”

Venturing into the world of religion is not new territory for THC, but instead of an investigative approach this series will strive to simply tell the Bible’s stories as we know them.

THC currently has a fair amount of religious fodder including The Naked Archaeologist, The Real Face of Jesus, and Pharaoh’s Lost Treasure, and others. Their series Ancient Almanac has covered topics ranging from King David to Joshua and the walls of Jericho.

But is it wise to let a reality show producer run with this project?

Who is this Mark Burnet guy anyway?

Well, we all know who he is even if we don’t recognize the name.

Burnet is the infamous Executive Producer of such shows as Survivor, Sarah Palin's Alaska, Bully Beatdown, The Contender, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and The Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump.

Add this to the fact that The History Channel already has an impressive portfolio of conspiracy theory type shows dealing with UFO’s, secrets of the Free Masons, the holy grail, secret societies, and black holes - it makes you wonder if Burnett and THC will be able to stay objective.

THC also airs a series by Brad Meltzer called “Decoded” that explores conspiracies with shows titled The President’s Secret Codes, 2012 Apocalypse, Secrets of the Dollar Bill, Apocalypse in Georgia, Secret Societies, Mystic Symbols of the Statue of Liberty, Inside the Illuminati, and his most controversial show attempting to explain the “Bohemian Grove” conspiracy.

We’re not saying it can’t be done, but we’re a little unsure whether Burnett and the History Channel will be able to tell the Bible’s stories without being drawn into the dark mystic unknowns that have made these conspiracy shows so popular.

After all, we don’t think there was a tribal council to vote out the bad Kings of Judea, or some Executive telling a poor carpenter “Your Fired”.

But we’re willing to see what they bring us in 2013 before we pass judgment and call out for the hell fire and burning brimstone to silence the blasphemers.

But in the meantime check out this video, this is the type of crap Burnett will be up against…

Watch Brad Meltzer talk about his Bohemian Grove show for The History Channel


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Survivor “Redemption Island” Winner – Rob Mariano - Video

It took him four attempts to finally win the Survivor crown.

He has spent over 115 days playing the game.

And last night Boston Rob Mariano finally smelled the sweet taste of victory on Survivor Redemption Island.

In what host Jeff Probst called the closest thing to a perfect game he’d ever seen, Boston Rob took home the $1 million dollar prize.

On top of that, he also won Sprint’s $100,000 award for best player selected by fans voting online. Not bad for the 35-year-old who married another Survivor winner - Amber.

In the end it came down to Rob and crazy Phillip Sheppard the “Special Agent” with Rob getting all but one vote for the win. He told Jeff Probst,

"You don't know for sure until the votes are read, but I had a pretty good feeling. I played my heart out. I love this game, but you've got to get lucky along the way, too. I know what it takes. It's really, really difficult. I'm really, really happy things happened the way they did this time."

And for anyone who watched Survivor this season, we got to see the new redemption island concept. It was a nice twist but it seemed that at one point there were more contestants on Redemption Island than there were back at camp. All-in-all it was a great season with a great cast.

The best part for us was watching veteran Russell Hantz voted off early and watching him cry. The second best moment was watching Phillip finally burn his pink underwear in the fire.

Related: Russell Hantz Voted off Survivor – Cries
Related: Survivor Russell Hantz Arrested

We really have come to hate Russell and hope he never appears on the show again.

What’s in store for next season?

Much of the same, as a new cast of 16 contestants meet in the South Pacific. Redemption Island will be back, and it looks like once again there will be two special guests join the teams. The show will begin airing this fall.

Watch the Survivor Winner Being Announced


Watch Phillip Burn his sagging pink underwear


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Original ‘Survivor’ and ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ Star Richard Hatch Begins Prison Sentence – Again!

We all fell in love with Richard Hatch.

He ran around naked and won the crown on the first season of Survivor.

He drove everybody nuts with his smug personality on Celebrity apprentice.

And today Hatch begins serving his 9 month prison sentence in Brooklyn New York for trying to swindle the IRS out of taxes on his $1 Million Survivor winnings.

A judge is punishing Hatch for still not paying taxes he owes on the $1 million prize, plus thousands more from media appearances he earned starting in 2000 as the very first winner of CBS' hit reality show.

Hatch says he still owes approximately $2 million in taxes and penalties.

Hatch has already served more than three years behind bars for tax evasion. He was released in 2009, vowing that "whatever is owed, I will pay," but describing himself as "financially devastated and broke."

After being fired by Donald Trump earlier this season, Hatch took to Facebook and Twitter in an attempt to raise $300,000 from his fans to continue his legal appeals.

But time ran out.

Hatch checked himself into to jail on April 29 and will be released on December 12th next year.

Finally, some news out of Celebrity Apprentice that has NOTHING to do with Donald Trump, Meat Loaf, or Gary Busey.

Watch Richard Hatch Talk About His Tax Probelms


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Russell Hantz Voted Off Survivor and Cries on Camera

Poor Russell.

He was actually starting to remind me a lot of Charlie Sheen. If he would have gone much farther on Survivor I would have stopped watching.

But,

Tonight was the night on Survivor we have all been waiting for – Russell Hantz is gone!!!!

And to top it all off he actually started to cry in from of Jeff Probst and the world.

Sweet…

He flunked the challenge on Redemption Island and is officially out of the game.

Good, now let’s just move on and act like he was never there in the first place and enjoy the rest of season!

Survivor Villian Russell Hantz - Arrested

We're going to file this under "It couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

It seems our low down Survivor villain Russell Hantz was arrested last night at a Louisiana street festival.

The "Heroes vs Villains" star apparently attacked, then pushed somebody to the ground and was promptly arrested by police.

Hantz was quickly taken to jail where he was eventually released on bond.

It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Louisiana, if you want to keep him… you can.
_

The 100 Coolest Things of 2009... 50 to 41

First of all, thank you to everyone who has been visiting here either daily or at least every few days... I know for those of you who could care less about Idol--and let's face it, there hasn't been a lot to care about this season--its rather boring when all you see is idle Idol chatter when you come here looking for Happy Times stories, maybe a movie review, or even a mention or two of He Who Must Not Be Re-Elected's last week or so...  so, thank you.

Secondly... why aren't you a fan on Facebook, eh?  If you are reading this on Facebook, you need to go to Clouds to see any video that might be on the site, then search "Clouds in My Coffee" on Facebook and become a fan.  Its the right thing, nay, the cool thing to do. 

Third, we still aren't done with 2009 yet!  In case you missed it (and since I haven't done one of these in a month, you might have!), here's where we've been thusfar:

The 100th to 91st Coolest Things of 2009
The 90th to 81st Coolest Things of 2009
The 80th to 71st Coolest Things of 2009
The 70th to 61st Coolest Things of 2009
The 60th to 51st Coolest Things of 2009

And here we go with the next ten...

The 50th Coolest Thing of 2009... "Right Round" by Flo Rida
Yes, yes, I know the song is a few years old, and yes, I'd heard it before... but I'd never really taken to it until this year.  This year?  It's kinda catchy.  Silly, a little corny, somewhat stupid, partly annoying and all from a guy who's name is taken from a state with a space in between (I'm guessing "Ken Tucky" and "Oak LaHoma" were on the list.  What about Gior Juh?  Ha!  I got at least 46 more of these), but its use of the term "Benja-min Frank-ah-lins" alone makes me laugh.  Its a good work out song.  Not that I work out, but if I did...

The 49th Coolest Thing of 2009... "Mother Lover"
Well, this is a family show.  I keep it Rated PG, every now and again delving into a PG-13 territory, but for the most part, I keep it clean.  So, for this spot, I won't bother linking to it, I won't put up pictures, I won't do anything but give a nod to K-Dub and then say four words:

1) Mother
2) Lover
3) Timberlake
4) Hysterical

The 48th Coolest Thing of 2009... "The Rise and Fall of the WCW"

When I found out this video was coming out, I almost peed myself.  I was so friggin' excited, as I remember vividly the fabled "Monday Night Wars"--that being the battle between WWE on USA Network and World Championship Wrestling on Turner owned TBS.  I was a huge, huge WCW an, having watched it since 1986 or 87 as a kid, when it was called NWA (National Wrestling Alliance", a few years before WCW).

Anyway, I've always been fascinated by the downfall of the WCW in the late 90s, not just as a wrestling fan, but just from a business prospective.  You know how when someone gets straight zeroes in college (knew a guy) and you say, "Man, he had to work to fail that badly..."?  Well the guys running the WCW seriously had to work to fail this miserably.  This was chronicled in my pick for the 18th Coolest Thing of 2006, the book called "The Death of the WCW", and the DVD here is along the same lines.

Its a 3 Disc collection, with two discs devoted to classic WCW matches including stuff like Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A. from 1985, the classic Flair vs Steamboat Chi-Town Rumble match from 1989, one of Sting's first matches, that being against Big Van Vader from 1992's Great American Bash, the unintentionally funny Bash at the Beach from 1998 with Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone against Hollywood Hogan and Dennis Rodman, a huge War Games match in 1996 with Sting, Lex Luger, Flair, Arn Anderson, Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and nWo fake Sting.  Yeah, exactly.

Oh, and its got a match from 1998's Halloween Havoc between Diamond Dallas Page and one of my favorite wrestlers ever, Goldberg.  Goldberg absolutely ruled.  Page lost the match after getting hit with a spear AND a jackhammer. 


How 'bout that's Michael Buffer ("leeet's get reeeeeeady to ruuuuuuumbuuuuulllll") in the ring, and Tony Schivione on announcing duties.  Awesome.  By the way, I wanted to do that entrance at my wedding, the one where Goldberg comes out to pyro, and the smoke, and I yell, breath out the smoke, throw the punches and slap myself in the head.  The Lovely Steph Leann said no.  Party pooper.

But the real gem on this disc is the documentary that follows the origins of the WCW, from the beginning with Jim Crockett Promotions to the infamous "Black Saturday".  It took off when Hulk Hogan joined, turning heel (bad guy) for the first time in his career, and the fact that one of the chapters on the DVD menu is titled 'Mistakes Begin', followed by "Vince Russo" says it all.  If there is to be any criticism, it would be on the matches themselves... there should have been a little more surrounding each match, perhaps teh lead up to, and the aftermath, not just from bell-ring to pinfall.  And really, did we need to see a match between Lance Storm and Booker T?  To emphasize how badly things were going for the WCW, they took Booker T, a great wrestler and renamed him "GI Bro".  No kidding.

Great DVD. 

The 47th Coolest Thing of 2009... Lunch With...
It was a good year for reunions.  Lunch with Stan McDuffie in the spring of 2009 was great.  We graduated together, and hadn't seen the guy since the Samson High reunion of 2002.  We met at a BBQ joint in Homewood, and just shared life stories, our pain of what had then-recently happened in Samson and more.  It was awesome.

Not to long after that, I met up with Drew Roe, a fraternity brother of mine who also lives here in town.  That's the crazy thing about Birmingham... I share a city with so many people that I would love to see more of, but never do.  Anyway, we had some lunch, caught up, laughed, did some reminiscing, and had a good time.  Promised each other we'd do it again, and hopefully we will.

Met The Official Clouds In My Coffee High School Crush Julie Wise for dinner last April, and that was an absolute hoot.   Met up with Barrow, one of the coolest guys I've ever met, and the perfect name for one of my characters in the book I might eventually write.  Saw The Official Clouds In My Coffee Troy State Crush Tiffany Abbott at a Chick-fila.  Met with both Dayla Ellison and Rebecca Jourdan Samuelson (we'll get to her later) over lunch, two dear, dear friends that I was so excited to see again. 

This Spring's goal?  To have lunch or dinner with Chris McCall.  I'm planning on heading home for a day or two at the end of April, when The Happiest Place in the Mall is finally The Emptiest Place in the Mall, and I'm going to make it a point to find this guy. 

The 46th Coolest Thing of 2009... "The Princess & the Frog"
There's not much more I could add to what I felt about this movie when I wrote about it in December 2009, so here's some thoughts from that post...

Plot in a nutshell, its a Disney twist on the story of The Frog Prince, the story that has a girl kissing a frog who turns into a handsome prince. In this tale, however, Naveen, the handsome prince, has been turned into a frog by the voo-doo man, Dr. Facilier, and when he convinced our heroine Tiana to kiss him, she turns into a frog herself. Hijinx, hilarity and romance ensue as they, along with Ray the Cajun Firefly and Louis the jazz playing crocodile, try to find Mama Odie to help them turn back into humans again.



The animation is stunning. The film is beautifully drawn, and to its credit, its done so much so that there's no way this film could have been a computer animated feature--it would have lost most, if not all, of its charm. Tiana is a heroine who is working hard for her dreams to happen, not waiting around for someday, her prince will come, and that is to be admired. Much has been made about Tiana being the "first black princess", and yes, that's true, but this film definately takes liberties with history--she's best friends with a rich debutante named Charlotte, which alone is an impractical thought in the time period this film is set in. I didn't get caught up in that, though, and you shouldn't either.


One thing to be aware of when watching this film... you are witnessing the birth of a classic. This is a movie that, no matter how successful it will end up--and it will end up successful--that Campbell Isaiah and Lorelei Addison will watch, and their children will watch as well in 2040 on whatever home video format we're up to then. This is a movie that will be released in Blu-Ray and DVD in April of 2010, and will disappear into The Vault in June of 2011 or so, not to be available for 7 to 10 years.


This is the birth of a true Disney Princess, one that we'll be seeing with the likes of Cinderella, Belle, Ariel and Aurora for a long, long time. The last time we saw a true Disney Princess emerge? Mulan. The last time we saw a true Disney classic not-named-Pixar unfold before our eyes? Yep. "The Lion King". That was the last movie heralded and beloved enough to go into The Vault (well, "Fantasia 2000" also is in The Vault, coupled with "Fantasia", but that's kinda another story)... For me, and perhaps I'm the odd case, this is exciting. I'm thrilled that Disney has finally broken through the ceiling they put on themselves with "Dinosaur" and "Brother Bear".

The 45th Coolest Thing of 2009... JT Wins Survivor

Someone sent me a message last year and said, "Hey, so there's a guy from Samson on Survivor.  Do you know him?"  Up until then, the only notoriety Samson had recieved was the terrible massacre from... well, I'm not going to say his name, he doesn't deserve a mention.  So I did some checking up on Survivor, and what do you know, James Thomas was going to be on the show... James, the little brother of Tammy Thomas, who was a friend of mine in high school and who graduated with me, the same Tammy who scolded me for not snatching up this pretty girl named Stephanie, my friend, who I had brought with me to the 10 year reunion. 

And with the country accent, the sly look and the aww-shucks personality, what the heck--JT won the whole shebang.  Seriously.  Like, holy crap, the kid in whatever elementary school grade when I was a senior won a million bucks on Survivor.  I have his picture in my yearbooks! 

Anyway, it was a fantastic season of Survivor, and I'm excited that JT is on the equally as stellar current season, the Heroes vs Villians Survivor.  And if he wins, or comes close to winning, I'm already planning on going to Samson for the Survivor party this year. 

The 44th Coolest Thing of 2009... "Party in the USA"
Oh shut up. 

The 43th Coolest Thing of 2009... "The Blind Side"
Just like "The Proposal", this is a movie that the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.  I thought "The Blind Side" was great when I walked out of the theater, and somewhere down deep, I knew iI was going to like it more and more as time when on.

Here's what I said in December of 2009 when I reviewed it for the first time:

Its full of laughs and heartwarming moments, but its never preachy or manipulative. The movie's intent it never to make you feel like you have to cry, and it doesn't seem like its showing you the "Hallmark" moments just for the awwwww factor... its part of the story. In movies with this "helping each other out" theme, there's always an uncomfortable moment when the kids hate the new person, only to have this togetherness scene that brings them together--"The Blind Side" never has that. SJ and Collins are nothing but loving and supportive of Michael, and it even enhances Michael's rebuilding of his life.

The movie is excellent... its feel good, its warm, its funny, its everything a family movie should be, one that pokes at you to say "awwww" without demanding you tear up or feel sympathy and guilt. After the movie was over, I leaned over to The Lovely Steph Leann, and in my most politically incorrect tone said, "We should go to Ensley and adopt a black child." She frowned at me, then rolled her eyes and got up to leave. She's good at that.

The 42st Coolest Thing of 2009... Walt Disney World with Ty & The McLeods

Talk about a whirlwind trip... I had a few days on my own, as The Lovely Steph Leann was out of town.  I thought, hey, why not go to Disney World?  The Lovely Steph Leann wasn't too keen on my going all alone, so I recruited The Honorable Rev'rn Ty Sharpton and Tommy Mc and Amy McL to come with (that's us, there, after being soaked in the Backlot Tour)

We left midday, got there at something like 1am, checked in, slept for just a little while, spent the full day at Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot, then the next day, walked around Downtown Disney before coming back.  Wow it was fast.  And tons of fun, because Disney is always better with friends.

The 41nd Coolest Thing of 2009... New Shoes
Shoes are those things that you use, but don't realize how good they can be until you find a pair that fits you exactly right.  Thus, this:

During our trip to The Most Magical Place on Earth in June, my feet were getting blistered. The Lovely Steph Leann chalked it up to my Lugz that, while comfortable, were just not made for the walking, standing, running and walking more that we were doing for 14 hours per day, four days in a row--the Skecher tennis shoes weren't doing any better. After watching her to go New Balance and spend over a $110 on a pair of shoes (which, all these years in marriage later is almost still unfathomable), I decided it was finally time to get myself a good pair of sneakers. We discussed it, and, still coming to grips about the fact that I might have to spend that much to fit my wide feet into some comfy shoes, I went to a local shop called The Trak Shak.


The guy there wasn't old... but he knew how to size a foot. I told him what I was looking for--a pair of tennis shoes that could be used for three things--running, walking and if needed, playing tennis, if I ever decided to get my chunky tail up and do something. I told him that my problem was my feet were wide, and it was hard to find a good pair of shoes that I liked. He listened, he asked me to walk around and he told me that he could tell from my walk that I tended to walk inward, probably due to lack of good footwear. Long story short (too late?) I came out with a pair of Nikes that fit... perfectly. What size? 9 1/2. I call them my Trailer Shoes. Why? Cause they are "Double wide".


The whole story can be found here.

Up next... A "Sweet Thing"... Going where no man, save for over a dozen movies and at least three TV shows, have gone before... and later, more Disney... and even more Disney...

Reality Roundup Part 2: Surviving Samson

Its another fine season of Survivor, and though I normally haven't been keeping tabs, at least via blog, on Survivor like I do with American Idol, this is a little different. The difference is, I know someone who will be on the show.

I hail from a small, small town, with a population of about 2,200. I graduated with around 43 or 44 people, I'm not exactly sure--I could find out if I dug out my grad program in my Memory Book (do they still have those? or is it called "facebook" now?) and counted, but thats upstairs, I'm down here, and frankly, you don't really care, I'm sure.

Well, with a town that small, you can't so much as sneeze without half the town saying "gahblesyu" and the other half gossiping about who might have given you the cold and what you were doing at Five Points at 3 in the morning to have gotten that cold... for those of you reading this in Birmingham, or familiar with the B'ham area, when I say "Five Points", I don't mean the downtown bustling bar, club and restaurant area... no, I mean this point near Cindy Howell's house, Cindy being my high school girlfriend, between Samson and Coffee Springs where five roads come together. Thus, five points. You can't miss it for the chicken houses... no, I'm not kidding.

So, I get an email from Derek Weeks, who is a friend of mind on Facebook. Granted, I don't think I've ever actually met Derek Weeks, but hey, if he's from the Samson area, I'm sure I know his kin. Derek tells me, and the others on the mass email, that JT Thomas is going to be on Survivor. JT... JT... that name strikes a bell... then, I figure out... its Tammy Thomas' little brother.

I think most of us have people in our past that, upon thinking back, you just wish maybe you'd kept in touch with more, or perhaps were a little better friends with, perhaps because you think, "Man, they were really good to me back then..." Tammy is like that for me. She was very friendly, very loyal, and very supportive of whatever I was doing, which was usually writing some lame story that I came up with that week. Tammy has a little sister, Jamie, who I do remember, and a little brother that I also remember after thinking about it for a long time... of course, JT had to be like, four or somethine the last time I actually had seen him...

All this is to say, JT Thomas is going to be on Survivor. And I want to be here blogging about it, as much as possible... maybe I'll throw some Samson stories your way, maybe I'll name drop randomly (Chris McCall! Rona Mock! Claudia Sorrells!) or maybe not, who knows. The first episode of the new season premiered last Thursday, about the time The Lovely Steph Leann and I were heading towards Fort Wilderness Lodge to eat at Artist Point, where she chowed on a $43 steak and I had scallops the size of my hand, but that's beside the point.

The magic of DVR isn't so magical when you forget to set the stupid thing, but luckily, I have iTunes. I downloaded the show, and am now sitting in The Cabana, with my computer ready to play Survivor, and The Lovely Steph Leann's computer next to it, allowing me to type. Man I'm a geek.

THIS IS... SURVIVOR

We're in Brazil, in one of the most deserted spots in the world--the Tocantin region--where temps top 120 degrees, and is apt to have random, sudden storms. They've been traveling for 3 days, and haven't been allowed to speak to each other... but we see them talking to the camera in "off-interview confessionals", already telling us who they like and don't like...

There are two tribes, the Jalapao tribe and the Timbira tribe and JT is in the first. The game is on, as they have 60 seconds to pull every supply they can off of the truck, with feed, rice, pans, wood, rope, tarps, etc... the host, Jeff Probst, tosses them a map and a compass, and tells them that their tribes are four hours away by walking. And suddenly, each tribe has to vote for one member to "not make the trip". And the Jalapao tribe votes out Sandy, the oldest lady of the tribe, and she's pretty hacked off--as well she should be.

Timbira takes out the young blonde Sierra, who is suffering from strep throat... heck, I'd toss her out for the contageous illness going on. Then Probst informs them that the two, Sandy and Sierra, will be copter'd to their tribe camps, and would just miss the walk.

Four hours, walking through the Brazilian wilderness in 102 degree heat. JT is carrying a watermelon, and says, "I'm 24 years old, from Samson Alabama, and I managed a cattle ranch." Shout out to SAMSON! Just for the record, I haven't seen Tammy Thomas in... well, since we walked off the graduation field, and let me just say, if you are watching this show and hear JT speak--that is EXACTLY how Tammy speaks, he just has a lower voice.

Grandma Sandy arrives at her camp, whining and crying about how she was voted for first. Then she finds a note that says she can either start setting up the camp for the forthcoming tribe, or she can find an idol that would give her immunity for the first challenge... and she takes the idol search. Sierra gets to her tribe, finds the same letter, and chooses to set up the camp.

Grandma Sandy didn't find the idol. The tribe arrives, she hides the note in her bra. I subsequently throw up in my mouth. They all put on a front, welcome her warmly, but behind the scenes, they wonder why she didn't do anything and Sandy wonders why they expect her to try when she knows they are going to vote her out. And Timbira arrives to find Sierra, having already built they shelter.

JT is helping to lead the construction of the tribal shelter, while Sandy hustles to the beach to find that idol... and she finds the next clue... it says "ten paces you should walk from the lone palm tree..." and she says, out loud, "I wonder what a pace is?" Then she starts walking around randomly, with a single, tall palm tree behind her. They could have tossed the idol onto the beach next to Claudia Sorrells in her Samson High majorette uniform and given Sandy a clue that said "Look next to the hot chick in sequins" and I don't think Sandy would have found it.

Over in Jalapao, Tyson the Naked Mormon is just that... naked in the water, carrying water. So I had a stomach flu last week at The Happiest Place on Earth, and I think I just got it back. At least he wasn't wearing that goofy, thin black tie.

Its time for the first challenge of the season, and it involves sand hills to climb, water to wade through, puzzle pieces to achieve, a ladder to build, a maze to get done and a flag to raise. Typical Survivor. And its 120 degrees.

Our old Monday Night Bible Study leader, Nathan Tutor, always refused to watch this show. He said, "It's not real Survivor until someone dies."

And the challenge winner is... Timbira, featuring the formerly ousted Sierra, a big black Army Sgt, and this odd ball ruffneck named Coach... and let me just tell you, Coach has the sweetest hair this side of Slaughter's "Up All Night" video... its like, Steven Seagal in "Hard to Kill" or "Out for Justice" or "Kick Some Butt" or whatever three worded crappy movie he was in from 1987 spawned Coach's hair. Love it. (I was thrilled, by the way, when I discovered the EW.com made the same comparison...)

Back a Jalapao, its my observation that its difficult to give great wisdom that will be heard when you are curved like Carolina, and standing in a Brazilian lake in your underwear. Amy McL, don't get your feathers ruffled. For any "hey!" that might be thought by seeing Carolina in her unmentionables, its countered by a "aaaahhhh!!!!" because Grandma Sandy is in the same Brazilian lake in her underwear as well. There should be laws.

Cut back to Grandma Sandy, thankfully fully clothed, on the beach trying to figure out what "ten paces" means. Seriously? I mean, my kids on my drama team may not know what "ten paces" is, in the same way that they may not understand what "Sweet Emotion" is, or who Desi Arnez is... but this lady? She should know the term "ten paces".

Here at tribal council, Sandy is babbling. Honestly, get rid of her. She's just annoying. JT, hailing from Samson Alabama, votes first! Go Samson! Sandy gets a vote, Carolina gets two votes, then Carolina gets the next two, and then, the final, eliminating vote.

Next week, we see that JT wraps up Tyson the Naked Mormon in a rain soaked game of Brazilian b-ball.

Perhaps this might be an interesting season, perhaps I only find it interesting because on of my native boys is on it, but either way.... THIS SHOW ROCKS!!

The 100 Coolest Things of 2008... 30 thru 21

So, if you are on Facebook, the numerous videos are not going to show up. Click on over to Clouds in My Coffee, then bookmark the page. Then check it daily. You never know what might pop up.

The Introduction and Recap
The 100th thru 91st Coolest Things of 2008
The 90th thru 81st Coolest Things of 2008
The 80th thru 71st Coolest Things of 2008
The 70th thru 61st Coolest Things of 2008
The 60th thru 51st Coolest Things of 2008
The 50th thru 41st Coolest Things of 2008
The 40th thru 31st Coolest Things of 2008

30. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
As this movie approached, I heard lots and lots of people, mostly churchy folk and older friends of mine, excited about seeing it. I, however, didn't care. Seriously. I went to see "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe", and it was great. This one, though, I wasn't too excited about.

So, when it was released, I went to see it which I probably wouldn't have done unless it was with a group. And... I loved it. I absolutely loved it. "Prince Caspian" is an amazing film... its full of the action that the first one had, its got a great story line (I believe it combines a couple of the Narnia books) and who knew that Susan Pevensie would get so hot?



The first 9 minutes of the film, courtesy of YouTube.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people felt like I did about the movie, at least initially, but they never went to see it. Made for about $180 million, it only brought in about $135. The differential was great enough that Disney took a step back, reviewed the deal and decided they were done with Narnia movies. Walden Media has been shopping around for a deal to make the next one, though nothing has been settled.


I have this button on my facebook page, somewhere, with Anna Popplewell's picture on it, and the caption reads "Archers Are Hot!".

That's right, Disney. Get rid of great family fare like Narnia, so hopefully we can have Space Buddies 2, or perhaps Bevery Hills Chihuahua 2: Chihuahuaier.

29. Samantha Brown
I am all about me some Samantha Brown. She's one of the hosts on TLC, and typically the only reason I watch TLC. Usually when I'm flipping channels, I check the programs on several different ones, and if Samantha Brown is on TLC, that's where I go.



Right now, I'm watching her on "Passports to Great Weekends" where she's in Austin, TX. Up next, she'll be in Cabo, and you know that means? Samantha Brown in a swimsuit. Um, I mean, uh, it means we'll see the beautiful landscape that God has created and... well...

She's got a job that I can only envy. She gets paid to travel the world, spending days, nights and weekends in places like Rio, Boston, Berlin, Wyoming and everywhere in between, plus, she's done at least half a dozen Disney specials. Two words: Dream. Job.



Here's a video combining three of my favorite things not named The Lovely Steph Leann... Disney World and Samantha Brown and Christmas!

Anyway, I'm hoping one day she'll do "Passports to Great Weekend: The Cabana".

28. My Nintendo DS
My Christmas list wasn't extremely long, at least by other years standards, but on my list was a Nintendo DS, a small handheld game system. I wanted to have this with me to help pass the time when I'm... waiting in a lobby for my/her car to be fixed... waiting in traffic with the prospects of going nowhere... sitting in the back seat on a long car trip... sitting in a cramped airplane seat on a long flight... wherever I might need to pass the time.

I'm a natural fidgeter. I cannot just sit still, unlike The Lovely Steph Leann, who, if she has a book, she can actually be motionless for up to 38 hours, with only her fingers turning a page every few minutes. Its almost scary.

Anyway, imagine my happiness to peel back some wrapping paper and see the logo for Nintendo. Its bright blue, in a carrying case that looks like a purse, and came with the game Brain Age. My first Brain Age? 72. However, a day later, I got down to 33, so I chalk up that first one as an anomaly of not knowing exactly what I was doing. Currently, my brain is 21 years old, and getting younger. I rule.

27. Getting a Wii
After we moved in The Cabana, I asked The Lovely Steph Leann if we could get a Wii. After all, she got furniture, she got to paint, she got shutters--and while she'll say, "We both got those things!" you understand that as a guy, I'm not fazed either way. So, she relented, and the hunt for a Wii was on.

I went to Wal-Mart around midnight one night, knowing this was the time to get them. They had been delivered the night before, and sold out. There was a worker though who told me that there was a guy who worked there who had a Wii, practically new, and five games to go with it, and was on sale for $350. She gave me his number.

The next day--well, actually, about 12 hours later on that same Saturday--I called up J Rob and asked if he wanted to join me. He did, so J Rob and I called this guy and we agreed to meet him in a Wal-Mart parking lot to view his merchandise. I felt like I was on a drug deal.

We did meet him. The old guy rolled up in a beat up pick up truck, and seeing a modern device like a Wii in a truck like that, in the possession of a guy like that, would be like watching your mom on Facebook--its just weird. J Rob gave good advice, being a Wii owner himself. The guy had all the necessary cords and such, and the games, though none struck my interest, could be sold for extra money. I told the guy we'd let him know, so J Rob and I began to tour Targets, Best Buys, Circuit Citys and Wal-Marts all over Birmingham.

We even visited the mall's game stores, and we were given the same response at all the above places... "You won't find one."

I finally called the guy, left a message and said, "I've made a decision. Call me back."

J Rob had mentioned that it was getting later in the afternoon, and his woman, KT, was expecting him home, so I said, "Let's go to Game Stop here, by Target, then I'll take you back." He said he was going to wait in the car and make a quick phone call, so I went into Game Stop and asked the question, "Do you have a Wii?". As I asked the question, I was already turning around, ready to leave, knowing the answer was "no."

"Yeah, we have two."

WHAT????

I froze, then finally said, "Hold one for me, for the next twenty seconds." I dashed outside, knocked on the window to get J Rob's attention, and when he looked at me, I exclaimed, "They've got a Wii!" Quickly, the decision was made to purchase the brand new one, not the one from the Old Guy at Wal-Mart, and we were both ecstatic. I purchased the system, an extra controller, a couple of games and went home to play my little games. It ruled.

26. Rick Burgess
I received a phone call last January from The Rev'rn Ty Coffey. He informed me that Speedy, the producer from the Rick & Bubba Radio Show, went to his church, and had called him earlier to tell him that Bronner, the toddler son of Rick--half of the Rick & Bubba show hosts--had just died in a terrible drowning accident in their pool.

What followed in the days to come was one of the most amazing displays of faith I've ever seen.

The show the next day, and several days after, was very subdued. They took callers who shared their sympathy and cried along with Bubba and Speedy, while they talked to Rick a few times here and there. It was just... surreal... when James Spann, noted weatherman here in Birmingham, was on the air and broke down in tears on the show.

And after all this, here's where the "cool" part came in. The faith gloves came off. Instead of Rick and his family asking, "Why us, God? Why did you do this to us?" they completely turned it around. Rick began to speak openly--even more openly--about his own faith in Jesus Christ. He began to challenge every Christ Follower out there to be more visible in their faith, and essentially told those who sit and whine "Is there really a God? If there is, He doesn't love me because this happened!" to sit and shut up. It was awesome.

It was revealed that the guy who put in the pool was a Christ Follower (he called in, also in tears) and the Burgess family had prayed with him that the pool would be used for God's glory, not just for a good time. And who knew that this is what would happen.


Rick, speaking at Bronner's memorial service. You can see part two here, and part three here. Don't watch any of this unless you want to be challenged.

Bronner's death is a tragedy. However, what The Enemy thinks is going to be bad is always turned around for God's glory--and this case is no different. Thousands of people heard the message of Christ, thousands more were challenged in their faith and really, its about as cool as you get.

25. Melanie Zarzaur
Melanie is a local mom of three, married for 20 years to a CPA, living in a humble home in Hoover. I met Melanie when she was a customer at Cahaba Heights Starbucks (grande raspberry white mocha) and we became friends. I told her all about The Lovely Steph Leann, my love of Disney, and life at Starbucks, I learned about her family, her kids and so on.

A year later, in the middle of 2008, I was considering leaving Starbucks. I called a few people to get their perspectives on things--she was one I called. I finally left to go to The Happiest Place in the Mall, and later on, I got her a job there. It was great--I had already gotten Jennifer Smith hired, as my plan was to hire all my friends there, so in case I wanted to stage a coup, I would have loyalists.

Melanie also joined the Starbucks team down at the 280/119 store, so that gave us two jobs in common. I enjoy chatting with this chick, and we became good buddies, sharing two working fields. Anyway, I think she's great. So, she's on the coolest list.

24. Survivor: Fans vs Favorites.
Several years ago, "Survivor" did an "All Star" edition... favorite castaways came back to go one-on-one, including Bahstan Rob, Amber, Jerri, Rupert, Ethan and so on. It made for an excellent season, which can't be said for many seasons--like the most recent edition, in Gabon, Africa. I actually just woke up from that. The fact that it had the hottest Survivor--Sugar--since Elisabeth in Season 2's Outback only mildly helped.

Anyway, in early 2008, we had "Fans vs Favorites", which brought back Jonny Fairplay, Yau-Man, Ami the Lesbian Barista (also very hot), Penner, Ozzy, Parvati, Amanda, Eliza, Big James and Cirie, and put them against newbies who, for some, idolized the former Survivors. And the season was brilliant. Jonny Fairplay bowed out early, which was fine by Jeff Probst who had gone on record and said he didn't like him, and didn't agree with Fairplay being on the show. A let down was when Jonathan Penner, another likable villain, was injured and had to be carted out of the game. But overall...



The reward/immunity challenge from Episode 2. Note the brilliance of Chet. And the Manimal that is Ozzy.

"Blindside" is the word of the year in this show, as one blindside after another felled former champs and Survivor hopefuls... Ami the Lesbian Barista? Blindsided. Ozzy? Blindsided. James? Blindsided. Stupid Stupid Erik? Blindsided. It was awesome.

And, as far as the upcoming season is concerned, I found out that a guy I know... well, the little brother of a girl who I graduated with, will be on Survivor: Tocantins, in Brazil. So, let's root for JT.

23. "Hey, I Read the Blog!"
Nothing thrills me more, or makes me smile bigger, unless it has something to do with The Lovely Steph Leann, than to hear someone tell me they read my blog. Especially when its someone that I didn't even think would know I had one. The day Emmy Turnbow told me "I read the blog the other day", I was like "...really...?" I was thrilled.

I was talking to my friend Staceyfran the other day, and we were discussing blogging. I told her, who had just started a blog not too long ago, that she should write to be read. My point, essentially, is why put in on the interweb if you don't want people to read it? You would just be journaling in a book if it was private. Granted, there are people who blog who feel it doesn't matter if alot of people read what they write, but they still would like people to read their thoughts. That's why you post it.

But Clouds in My Coffee has grown over the last two years, especially in the last 12 months. I do keep an eye on visitors, and I enjoy looking at stats to see not only where people are viewing it from (over a hundred people have the site bookmarked) but also what keywords are used to find my site, plus how many countries stop by. Its kinda cool.

I have discovered that there's a link to this blog on several different sites that I didn't even know existed. And I appreciate it.

Yeah, maybe its a pat on my own back, but I work hard on Clouds, and I'm glad people are enjoying it. And if you are reading this and have never mentioned to me you read it, let me know. I'd like to hear that.

22. Antjuan Marsh
He's a minister and a speaker, and I consider him not only a friend, but a friend from way back, having attended Troy State U with him. Yep, "I knew him when."

He is a member of Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), and I list his website link alongside my other favorite ministry links on the right side (facebook readers will not see this). Along the same lines as #23 above, here is what he sent me that makes this list at #22:

Dollar,

I’ve been meaning to tell you thanks for your support. A guy who played football at Troy for a short time called me out of the blue. At the time, he was not a believer. Now a believer, he wanted to contact me. He was able to locate me after viewing your website. During our phone conversation, he mentioned I was listed as a top ministry site for Dave Ramsey. Well he meant David Dollar. After seeing what he was talking about, I was highly encouraged. Thanks for that posting and of course your kind words both spoken and written.

How 'bout that? I feel like I was used for something good. Always a good feeling.

21. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
I loved this movie. From front to back, top to bottom, all 3 hours of it, I thought this film was amazing. Brad Pitt has a disadvantage of being such a "pretty boy" because it sometimes takes away from what a great actor he has morphed into. He's funny in films like "Oceans 11-13", he's crazy in "12 Monkeys" and "The Fight Club" and he's just great in "Se7en", and in this movie, he shines.

You probably know the plot, where Benjamin was born as an old man, and progressively grew younger and younger. The film makes no attempt to explain this phenomena, it just uses it and tells the story of Benjamin's adventures.



As his love interest, Daisy, Cate Blanchett is bee-yoo-tee-ful (say it slow to appreciate how gorgeous she is in this film). Daisy is a little girl when Benjamin meets her, and over time, they end up "meeting in the middle". Its a movie I want to see again, I can hopefully pick up on Blu-Ray when it comes out, and I'm hoping it will stand the test of time and become a classic. Loved it.

The film's website is here, but its a little arduous to navigate.

Coming in a few days.... the 20 Coolest Things of 2008... What's the best movie of the year? What's the best song of the year? What was the best trip of the year? Find out.

Hot Chicken Showers (and Golden Globe noms)

New to the blog? Click here to find out what Clouds in My Coffee is all about...

Some signs our world is becoming a very, very strange place....

ANDERSON, Calif. — Three employees of a Kentucky Fried Chicken have been suspended for bathing in a deep sink used to clean dishes. The prank was discovered after one of the young women posted photos on a social networking site of the trio posing and cavorting in the steaming water in their underwear and swimwear.

Click here for photos.

The photos were filed in a gallery called "KFC moments." Captions included "haha KFC showers!" and "haha we turned on the jets." A manager of the fast-food restaurant said the three were reprimanded and suspended Tuesday. She said no manager was on duty when the photos were taken as the three had closed the restaurant for the night.

NEW UPDATE!!! Apparently, those KFC Sink Bathers were fired... also, read the result of the fiasco at Burger King (one of the last lines of the story update) Oh, and try not to lust. Or poke sharp toothpicks between your fingers.

Also--other fun stuff around our great nation...
Georgia School staffers in trouble for gettin' it on at school...
Crap until your kidneys fail... good times!!
Jennifer Aniston looks better than Angie Jolie ever, ever, EVER could...

And now, the Golden Globe nominations...

Best movie, drama
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,”
“Frost/Nixon,”
“The Reader,”
“Revolutionary Road,”
“Slumdog Millionaire,”
“The Visitor.”

Best Movie d$ Hasn't Seen, But Will
"Revolutionary Road"
"Gran Torino"
"Australia"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Actress, drama
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”
Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road.”

Actor, drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”

Best movie, comedy or musical
“Burn After Reading,”
“Happy-Go-Lucky,”
“In Bruges,”
“Mamma Mia!,”
“Vicky Christina Barcelona.”

Actress, comedy or musical
Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”
Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”
Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey.”

Actor, comedy or musical
Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”
James Franco, “Pineapple Express”
Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”
Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey.”

Supporting actress
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”

Hottest actress in Hollywood
Ashley Judd, "Ashley Judd"
Debra Messing, "Debra Messing"
Anne Hathaway, "Anne Hathaway"
Amy Adams, "Amy Adams"
Kate Winslet, "Kate Winslet"

Supporting actor
Tom Cruise, “Tropic Thunder”
Robert Downey, Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Ralph Fiennes, “The Duchess”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight.”

Best Movie d$ Has Seen This Year
"Iron Man"
"The Dark Knight"
"Wall*E"
"Role Models"
"Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"

Director
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Sam Mendes, “Revolutionary Road.”

Screenplay
Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
David Hare, “The Reader”
Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon”
Eric Roth, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
John Patrick Shanley, “Doubt.”

Foreign language movie
“Baader Meinhof Complex,”
“Everlasting Moments,”
“Gomorrah,”
“I’ve Loved You So Long,”
“Waltz With Bashir.”

Animated movie
“Bolt,”
“Kung Fu Panda,”
“Wall-E.”

Original score
Alexandre Desplat, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Clint Eastwood, “Changeling”
James Newton Howard, “Defiance”
Hans Zimmer, “Frost/Nixon”
A.R. Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Original song
“Down to Earth” (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman), “Wall-E”
“Gran Torino” (performed by Clint Eastwood), “Gran Torino”
“I Thought I Lost You” (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele), “Bolt”
“Once in a Lifetime,” (performed by Beyonce), “Cadillac Records”
“The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), “The Wrestler.”

TV series, drama
“Dexter,”
“House M.D.,”
“In Treatment,”
“Mad Men,”
“True Blood.”

TV actress, drama
Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters”
Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: SVU”
January Jones, “Mad Men”
Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer.”

Best Wife Ever
Stephanie Dollar, "Wife"
Steph Dollar, "Best Friend"
Steph Campbell Dollar, "The Lovely Steph Leann"
Stephy C. D., "Life partner"
S C Dollar, "Soul Mate"

TV actor, drama
Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Hugh Laurie, “House M.D.”
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors.”

TV series, comedy or musical
“Californication,”
“Entourage,”
“The Office,”
“30 Rock,”
“Weeds.”

Best TV Show of the Year, According to d$
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"Anything on Investigative Discovery"
"The Starter Wife"
"Survivor"

TV actress, comedy or musical
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?”
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife”
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds.”

TV actor, comedy or drama
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
Kevin Connolly, “Entourage”
David Duchovny, “Californication”
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk.”

TV miniseries or movie
“Cranford,”
“Bernard and Doris,”
“John Adams,”
“A Raisin in the Sun,”
“Recount.”

TV actress, miniseries or movie
Judi Dench, “Cranford”
Laura Linney, “John Adams”
Catherine Keener, “An American Crime”
Shirley MacLaine, “Coco Chanel”
Susan Sarandon, “Bernard and Doris.”

TV actor, miniseries or movie
Ralph Fiennes, “Bernard and Doris”
Paul Giammatti, “John Adams”
Kevin Spacey, “Recount”
Keifer Sutherland, “24: Redemption”
Tom Wilkinson, “Recount."

TV supporting actress
Eileen Atkins, “Cranford”
Laura Dern, “Recount”
Melissa George, “In Treatment”
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters”
Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment."

TV supporting actor
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
Denis Leary, “Recount”
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”
Blair Underwood, “In Treatment”
Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams.”

Cecil B. DeMille Award
Steven Spielberg

The Moving Diaries: 24

Twenty four, as in, twenty four hours from now.

Despite when you may read this, at this very moment I'm typing these words, its 717am on Friday morning, which means at 717am on Saturday morning (tomorrow, natch) the Lovely Steph Leann will be running around like her pants are on fire, while I'll be finishing tape on the final boxes that will transport our family from The Park at the Galleria to The Cabana.

As it stands, I'm about to watch Survivor: Micronesia -- Fans vs Favorites. I love Survivor, and I've watched it every single week, every season (except the first one...), through the incredible Outback, Pearl Islands and China, and even through the disasters of Thailand and Fiji... this time, its the top ten fan favorites (minus a few that didn't want to come back) featuring one of the hottest Survivor chicks not named Elizabeth Filarski-Hasslebeck (Australia)... I speak not of Parvati (Cook Islands) or (China), but of one of my favorite Survivors ever, Ami the Lesbian Barista (Vanuatu).

My favorite line ever? From Jonathan, who is one the Favorites side, who did the mutiny in Cook Islands.... "If I stay with my tribe, I betray my friends, and I'm a bastard! If I swap tribes, I betray my tribe... and I'm a bastard!"

I did not watch American Idol this week. KT comes to me on Wednesday at church and says "DID YOU SEE IDOL!?!?!?!" On Tuesday, the Lovely Steph Leann asks me to come by The Cabana before going home (our home for the next 24 hours, the apartment, is six miles from Starbucks. The Cabana is about 2 miles in a different direction), so I didn't get to tape Idol.

That hopefully will change on Monday, when DirectTV comes to my new home to set me up with DVR... my first DVR ever! I'm pumped.

Back to Idol... I have Wednesday on tape, so I'll try to watch it this weekend.

Survivor moment, here on tape: Kathy says, about Chet, "I think I worked with a homosexual... in the 80s... but been friends with one..."

Our house is in chaos. Boxes everywhere. Our stuff reminds me of when Jesus fed the 5,000... each time I pack something, suddenly, two more things appear in its place. I actually found a Vol-tron and a Go-Bot while packing stuff.

When I have to open, I have to be at Starbucks at 530am, which means I leave the apartment around 510am. I always try to be quiet, as to not wake The Lovely Steph Leann, but its hard to keep quiet when you almost fall over empty boxes in the dark.

Survivor Moment, here on tape: Eliza, Jonathan, Yau-Man and Ami the Lesbian Barista just made an alliance. Amanda the Flirt, Ozzy the Tree Climber, Parvati the Sex Kitten and James the Gravedigger already have paired up, while Jonny the Fairplay is playing both sides. Of course. His comment? "I can't believe that there 9 other Survivor favorites here, that are believing what I say... have you not watched the show before???"

"Vantage Point" looks like a cool movie. It looks like the kind of movie I'd like... I hope it doesn't suck.

Do you realize that I'm approach 10,000 page loads on the Clouds in My Coffee Blog, presented by Citi? That means that my blog page has been viewed and loaded 10,000 times. I mean, its not a huge number over 3 years (June 2005 is the beginning of the blog), but that still averages about 9 to 10 views per day, every day. And thats just here on this page... this blog is also featured on my MySpace Blog Page and on Facebook, so heck, it could be 30 to 50% more vies than that.

And thats considering that I took the fall of 2005 off, plus a few other months here or there when I didn't blog. I mean, I'm not patting myself on the back too much, but hey, I'm proud of what I've done. Go me.

Survivor Moment, here on tape: The Fans win the first challenge, beating The Favorites. I do believe The Favorite have underestimated The Fans. And Cirie speaks for the first time. You got The Favorites, who are already scheming to take one another out, teaming up, half of them trying to take out Eliza. On the other hand, The Fans are just happy to be here. Jonny Fairplay is up to some tricks, but Ami the Lesbian Barista is not fooled!!

The time is now approaching 806am... I have to be at Starbucks at 9 for some training stuff... and Survivor: Micronesia is quickly coming to an end (they are voting now), so my day is about to kick into high gear. I just got a phone call from DirectTV confirming my appointment & installation, which I said, "Yep!!"

On the docket today, after work? Continue packing. Move boxes. Label boxes. Get KT's man JR to help me put kraft paper down on the carpeted steps at The Cabana, so you mangy people won't be dirtying up my carpet... well, The Lovely Steph Leann's carpet, anyway.

Survivor Moment, here on tape: Jonny Fairplay goes home. He's saying that his girlfriend is 7 months pregnant and he's having a crisis of conscience, and that he should be at home with her. Personally, I think, like Gene Simmons on Celebrity Apprentice (which I just realized I forgot to record last night, curse it all), Fairplay is just wanting to leave the show. Next week? Krazy Kathy breaks down, The Fans turn on each other, two people go to Exile Island, and Ozzy and Amanda git it on.

And now... I'm going to move. The next blog should be live, from The Cabana....