This shouldn't happen...

What is this world coming to....

As horrified travelers watched, a Greyhound Canada bus passenger repeatedly stabbed and then decapitated a young man who was sitting and sleeping beside him, a witness said Thursday.

Stabbed and decapitated someone....

On a public bus...in the middle of the day....in Canada?

I just....

Horrible.

What have you done for me, Lately?

My sister was the one who turned me on to the "Chelsea Lately" show on E! and, as she promised, the show is hilarious.

I had not heard of Chelsea Handler (the host) before, but after watching a few shows, I think I may have to start taping it regularly. She's got that smart-ass, dry sense of humor that I tend to enjoy. Plus, anyone who writes a book called "Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea" is okay by me.



I need to find this book and read it very soon!

If you haven't seen the show, record it one night and give it a lookey-loo. I think you'll enjoy it.

Here is a clip of her interviewing Antonia Sabato Jr. this week (he's enjoyable visually).



She cracks me up...

Shaken, not stirred...

Well, we had a wee bit of an earthquake today...

A magnitude-5.4 earthquake shook the Los Angeles metropolitan area Tuesday, leaving residents rattled but causing no serious damage or injuries.

Bricks and other debris clutter an alleyway in Pomona, near Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon.

However, the temblor served as a warning to southern Californians who had not experienced an earthquake in some time: the "Big One" remains a possibility. "This is a sample, a small sample," said Kate Hutton, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology.

"This is somewhere between small and moderate." She said there is a 5 percent chance the quake could be a precursor to a larger earthquake. After 24 hours, she said, that chance will drop to 1 percent.

Thankfully, it didn't cause too much damage up here in LA.

But, I may need to secure my martini glasses a bit better, just to be safe.

Priorities.

That's a corncob

I was born 45 years ago today.

I still have trouble keeping random food bits off of my face during a meal.

Some things never change.

Resistance is futile

Towleroad ran this story (from an Australian newspaper) about an Apollo 14 astronaut that claims that we really have had encounters with aliens...



FORMER NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell - a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission - has stunningly claimed aliens exist.

And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions - but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades. Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.'

He said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head. Chillingly, he claimed our technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as theirs and "had they been hostile", he warned "we would be been gone by now".

If the marketing and PR agents for the new "X Files" movie had any brains, they'd have leaked this story everywhere to help promote the film (opening today).

Will we ever find out the truth? Who knows. There have certainly been enough people over the decades claiming to have knowledge or first-hand accounts, but the amount of proof is always so vague or explained away by a local government agency.

If it is true, I'm just glad the little buggers weren't hostile or, he's right.....we'd be toast by now.

What do you believe?

Here are a couple of my favorite fake UFO clips (although I've never seen them this realistic in any movie):





And then this person was able to switch-up the last video perfectly...



The kids and their crazy technology.

If aliens ever do land here, we'll never believe the footage because it will likely look less realistic than things we've already seen.

Puerto Vallarta memories

I'm having some internet issues today, so I thought I'd post some pics of a trip I took to Puerto Vallarta a couple years ago. It was one of those package deals at a resort and it turned out to be a LOT of fun.

This was my room and the picture at the top of the blog was the view from my room.

This was the area where a group of us went zip-lining through the jungle. That was a hoot!

There was lots of entertainment, like this "gal" and her hairdo.

And, every day at some random time, the theme to "Wonder Woman" would blast out over the speakers around the pool and then "she'd" come running out through the crowd and disappear into the hotel somewhere.

I had to run very fast just to catch up with her and take a picture...

Wish I was there now....

Sigh.

You may now eat the bride

Does this cake make me look fat?

JoeMyGod had written about this great site, CakeWrecks, that highlights weird cakes that people have created for various events. Some of them are hilarious, like the one above of a wedding cake made in the exact image (wedding dress and all) and size of the bride.

Wouldn't it be kind of creepy to actually cut into it at the ceremony? I wonder if they saved the head and put it in the freezer to eat at a later date?

Uggghhh....

While trolling through YouTube yesterday for Estelle Getty clips, I randomly did a search for a music video that I was cast in YEARS ago, when I was a young struggling actor. And, as is the norm with YouTube....I found it.

Unfortunately, the quality of their video isn't very good, so here is a link to a clearer version on MTV.com.

You'll just have to hit your back button to come back to the blog (for some reason, they supply the embed code, but once you add the code and the player is embeded in your site, it says "Only available on MTV.com", then makes you go to their site to view it. Doesn't make any sense...).

I haven't seen it in a long time and, after watching it again, it reminds me how quickly time flies. I was probably all of 22 or 23 at the time and it was one of my first "acting" jobs, so I was excited.

I mean, all the kids were watching MTV videos at the time.

It was for Don Felder (a former member of The Eagles) and, I suppose, it was a solo album of his at the time. I play the innocent milkman (which is odd, since I don't think there were any actual men delivering milk in the 80's) who picks up the two "bad girls" towards the end of the video and then drives them back to their hotel.



Of course, Cheech Marin is in it...so you just KNEW it was gonna be a hit.

Not so much...

Picture it...Sicily, 1923

Well, it seems that the beloved Estelle Getty has died.

I knew that she had been very sick for several years and suffered from Lewy body dementia.

But, she will always be remembered for her hilarious portayal of Sophia on "The Golden Girls". Although she played the oldest character on the show, she was actually a year younger than Betty White and Bea Arthur (who played her daughter, Dorothy, on the show).

Thankfully, "Golden Girls" reruns all the time and the DVDs for each season are now available, so she will live on to entertain people all over the world for many years to come.

She will certainly be missed.

Holy Box Office, Batman!

155 million dollars over 3 days...

I could definitely live on that kind of income.

Did anyone see it? If so....

Thoughts?

Watchmen

I don't know anything about this comic book series, other than hearing the name mentioned from time to time in passing.

However, I saw the trailer for the new movie and it looks pretty cool, I must say.

It's directed by the same guy who directed "300", which, visually, was amazing.

So, it'll be another big production that I'm looking forward to in the coming year (like "Star Trek", The Day the Earth Stood Still" and anything with Dwayne Johnson, of course).

If you haven't seen the trailer to "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (with Keanu Reeves), you may enjoy it here...

Looks like cool effects AND Kathy Bates is in it too...

Enjoyable.

Emmy Nominations

The funny Kristen Chenowith and Neil Patrick Harris got up early this morning to announce the Emmy Nominations.

They also ended up being nominated themselves, which was a nice surprise to each of them, as you'll see by the clip above. They both made the normally bland reading of the nominations a bit fun for a change.

I'm very happy that several of my favorites got nominated this year. People like Kathy Griffin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Glenn Close, Jean Smart, Cynthia Nixon, Laura Dern, Tina Fey, Tim Conway, Ellen Burstyn, Sharon Gless, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Steve Carell, Sally Field, Mary Louis-Parker, Judi Dench, Chandra Wilson, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Alfre Woodard, Laura Linney, Michael Emerson (Ben on "Lost") and James Spader.

I'm also happy to see that "The Office", "30 Rock", "Brothers and Sisters", "Amazing Race", "Extras", "Boston Legal" and "My Life on the D-List" were all nominated shows in their catagories.

I am VERY happy to see that the horrible remake of the movie "Sybil" didn't get anything.

I do love Jessica Lange, but I hope that she was able to collect a nice paycheck and then take a LONG vacation after that fiasco.

Here is the complete list of Emmy Nominations if you'd like to take a peek.

Here I go again....

I'm really looking forward to this movie opening this weekend.

I saw the play a few years ago and had such a good time. The way they used the ABBA music within the story is a lot of fun and you can't help leaving the theater humming many of the familiar tunes.

Besides Meryl Streep (who is always good and can actually sing), the movie also has a couple other of my favorite actresses....Christine Baranski and Julie Walters.



I know it's opening the same weekend as "Batman", so its box office will certainly pale in comparrison.

But, I think the movies are geared towards completely different audiences. So, let's hope that women drag their husbands/boyfriends to see "Mama Mia" after they've sat through "Batman".

If the movie is anywhere near as good as the play, it should be a fun night out!

Update: Seems that "Mama Mia" opened in the number one spot at the UK box office last weekend.

Take THAT "Hancock" (which I also enjoyed)!

Hey Mikey!

Well, I was able to get caught up on my TV last night and watched the latest episode of HGTV's "Design Star".

Turns out that they eliminated the annoying gal, Tracee, that I mentioned last week AND the gay cop that I was rooting for, Mikey V. Tracee definitely deserved to leave and, since they had to choose another one based on their hosting abilities....I guess that Mikey V. also had to go.

He was a little Sylvester Stallone in his delivery.

Ironically, over the weekend, it was also reported that Mikey V. had a brief gay porn background when he was younger. Evidently he filmed a few S&M videos back in the day. There was no mention of it on the show, thankfully.



I think it'll be interesting to find out if he actually went back to the police force now that it's all out in the open.

I imagine the handcuff jokes might not ever end if he did....

Puttering around the gardens

Since our flight wasn't supposed to leave Denver until 9:10 last night, we checked out at noon, stored our bags at the hotel, then headed to the Denver Botanic Gardens for the afternoon.







Although the temperatures had scooted back up into the 90's, we still managed to balance our time between shade and sun enough to avoid bursting into flames. They had a nice variety of plants and water features covering quite a few acres of land on the outskirts of the city.









Botanical gardens are always a nice way to spend a few hours in any city. Of course, if you're deathly allergic to bees, you might want to have a plan B (or at least have a syringe of antibiotics nearby to have someone thrust into your heart in case one of the gazillion bees nearby decides to pay you an unexpected visit).









This particular plant sounds like it would be best stored near your manscaping supplies...



After we were done plant cruising, we headed out into the Cheesman Park area (just outside the gardens). It's a lovely residential area with cool old houses and apartments and a large park (and former cemetary) that looks towards the city.





We wandered around there for a bit, then, with a few more hours to fill, got a ride to the nearby Wrangler bar where rumor had it they had a famous beer bust and BBQ every Sunday.



You pay $8 at for a plastic cup and then there are people wandering around with pitchers of beer and they just keep refilling your cup for the next four hours (or until you pass out from all the hurling).

It would seem a shame to miss this "site" on our trip, don't you think?

Since we needed to leave for the airport around 6:30, we didn't get anywhere near as intoxicated as I'm sure most of the Marys (around 800) that were packed into that bar/parking lot did.



We got back to the Curtis Hotel, grabbed our luggage, said goodbyes and then headed to the airport. Of course, once we got through security and to the gate, it turned out that our flight had been delayed for an hour and a half....so, we ended up not getting back into LA until after midnight.

It's probably just as well that we didn't know about the delay while we were at the bar. I think it would have been very easy for us to have had a few hundred more beers and then found some ridiculous way to justify a reason to stay one more night...cause we're having "SO much fun!" (ie-drunk off of our asses).

Those kinds of "revelations" always make so much more sense when you're drunk, than when you wake up the next morning with a raging headache and an intestinal typhoon sweeping its way through your system.

We were just lucky....this time.

Oh, I also got an email today from Anne, the woman in Scotland that I ended up hiking with up Arthur's Pass in New Zealand. It was so nice to hear from her! She was great fun to hang out with and, with the way she describes Scotland, it only makes me want to go visit that country even more.



So many places to see, so few winning lotto numbers...

Grrr....animals

It finally cooled down to about 85 today, so we headed off to the Denver Zoo.

There were quite a variety of animals there and they all seemed to be pretty happy, all things considered (I mean, they are confined and hardly living the dream-life somewhere in the wild).











This one looks like Dame Maggie Smith...



It also seemed that we encountered a variety of animals who had partied a bit too hardy the night before....







After many hours wandering around the animals and a surprising amount of Far Side-looking people (oddly shaped people with small heads and large bodies), we headed back into town.

On the way back, we stopped by the Brown Palace Hotel. Contrary to its poo-sounding name, it's one of Denver's oldest and most famous hotels and was named after the infamous Unsinkable Molly Brown (portrayed by multi-talented Kathy Bates in the movie "Titanic"), a Denver native.






Molly Brown moved into this historic hotel after selling her large mansion (also a city landmark) in the city.

She lived here until she died (Molly Brown, not Kathy Bates....she's still very much alive).

It's a beautifully ornate old hotel. So much detail and history....you feel it as soon as you walk in. I'm sure it would be an amazing place to stay, if one has boxes of cash to spend. We didn't....so we breezed through, took a few pictures and a set of salt and pepper shakers....then left.





After that. we walked down the famous 16th Street Mall, got something to eat and then headed back to the hotel for our last night here in the city.

I can't believe how fast our trip has gone. We weren't able to get up to the mountains (the Alpine train doesn't run in the summer) or to Boulder (after we got here, I got several emails from people suggesting we go there), but we got to see a very nice variety of sights and people right here in the city.

It's been a great visit and I look forward to heading back this way again.

Artsy Fartsy

Today was a chilly 98 degrees, so we decided to head to a cooler destination...the Denver Art Museum.







The new museum has a very modern design and is connected to the old museum next door by a bridge tunnel. Again...no need to go outside once you're inside.

Enjoyable.







This guy was on pins and needles....



They even had a Phyllis Diller display...



There was also this weird looking 3D huge scruffy head with moist lips...the only thing missing was the BO smell.



Speaking of weird....this museum, like all of them around the world, had their share of creepy dolls.







On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Capitol Building...very governmenty, isn't it?





Denver has a very good energy about it and, unlike LA, everyone can walk around downtown and not have to worry about being harrassed by a homeless person or drug addict every few steps.



A very nice change....

Denver Fishues

It was 97 degrees here today, so we decided to go someplace cool and wet.

Denver has a really nice aquarium and, after finding out that our hotel also provides complimentary shuttle service up to 2 miles, the decision was made.

I enjoy complimentary anything...



As you enter, they have this area of fish swimming above you...so it looks like they're flying.



Jellyfish are always so much nicer to see behind glass.





Sea Penises....how inappropriate!



This seahorse blew chunks right after I took this picture....very delicate.



Why a mechanical "Not without my monkey" display is featured, I have no idea.



And what's with the spiders in every aquarium? They don't swim....



This is a very large fish...one of the many reasons I don't swim in any water where I can't see the bottom.

We went to the Denver Children's museum just as it was closing...so we didn't get in. So much for my scary doll search.

There is always tomorrow....

Sleepless in Denver

We left for the airport this morning at 3:00 am....it should be illegal to get up that early.

Honestly, Ethel!

As a result, I got almost no sleep (cause I stare at the clock worrying that I'll over-sleep...so I end up not sleeping at all). Our flight left at 6:20 am, we got into Denver around 9:30 am, and then to the hotel around 11:00 am.

So...I'm a "wee" bit tired and will be napping very soon. As I type this blog to the sound of my traveling companion snoring blissfully in the background, I also realize that my free wireless internet connection comes and goes as it pleases...so I'm gonna try to make this a quick entry.



The Curtis Hotel, where we're staying is great and, once the very friendly and proud Marys behind the counter realized that we were also just as proud, they were VERY kind and immediately upgraded our standard room with a one window view to a larger room on the top floor that also came with two different views of the city.

A very nice welcome indeed!



The hotel is great and a lot of fun. They have a very friendly and helpful staff, themed floors (we're on the "Cool Riders" floor...so it's famous TV and Film visuals that relate to cars. There is a framed pic of David Hasselhoff with his Knight Rider car just outside our door and we didn't even have to pay extra for it), cool bar, tasteful decor and pre-recorded Don Pardo-type announcements on each elevator stop (I imagine it gets old quick for employees, but it's fun for us now). It's also in a nice area of downtown Denver and right next to the Performing Arts Center and a very modern Convention Center.

We basically checked in, dropped our things in the room, and then went out and did a quick walk around the area to see a few things while we could still stand upright.

So far, I really like Denver.







The convention center has a very cool design (plus a random two story tall blue bear peering in from outside)...you don't get that everywhere.







The Performing Arts Center is also a fun mix of old and modern design....lots of interesting visuals all around.







Even the hotel bar has a variety of interesting visual snacks....



Like this large Post-It board in the bathroom where you can leave any message you want (rather than actually writing on the wall).

People seem to be enjoying it and, by the looks of some of the notes....there are a variety of people one can call for a good time.

That's always important to know when visiting a new town, don't you think?

I must nap now....

Design Star

I like me some "Before and After" shows.



During the summer, there aren't too many TV shows that I watch regularly. Other than Kathy Griffin's "My Life on the D-List", the only other show that I record is HGTV's "Design Star".

Enjoyable.

Because I've been pretty busy the past few weeks, I had forgotten that the new season had started and that I had five episodes on the DVR to watch...which I did, one after the other, last night. I like this show because, at the end of the day, no matter how bitchy or mean you are as a person, you'll win or lose based on your actual talent and ability to create a good final product. The only other reality-type shows I watch like this, "Project Runway" and "Amazing Race" also share that basic philosophy.

Plus, there's nothing I enjoy more than seeing someone take a crappy, dreary, badly-designed room and totally revamping it into a living space that actually looks comfortable and clean.



I also enjoy the judging staff on this show. They are rarely outright mean and, often, their critique is right on the money.

Plus, I enjoy saying "Vern Yip"....

YIP!

He's as close to a Simon Cowell-type that this show has, but since he's really a designer, his critiques are often entertaining, without attacking or humiliating any particular individual personally.

I prefer that over something like "American Idol", where they make the nightly loser actually sing again before they walk off the stage crying into oblivion.

I also enjoy the variety of contestants on "Design Star". They have a nice mix of very professional designers and others that don't really have the standard education or experience, but have a natural talent or instinct that seems to work.



And, sometimes, they actually find "regular" people who happen to be attractive and talented, like Mikey V...a florida cop who is also a designer with a rippling "personality" and, although it hasn't been stated on the show yet....happens to be an out gay cop.

If anyone needs to keep wearing tank tops on the show....it's him.

Hey, it worked for the first season winner and shirtless-designer, David Bromstad, who eventually won and got his own show, "Color Splash" (although, to be honest, I don't really think he makes a very good host for his show. He doesn't appear comfortable in front of the camera and comes off a little too smug and snarky, if that's possible).

Speaking of too smug...



This guy, Michael, irritated me right from his audition. Anyone who begins their interview with "This just in....I'm fabulous!" is, to me, someone who deserves to have an anvil or piano immediately dropped on them. I'm all for the gays being themselves, but anyone who is flamboyant and loud just for the sake of being the center of attention (plus really kind of mean at times), has lost my support right from the beginning.

Thankfully, he was eliminated and, true to form as he was leaving the building, wept like a child and said he wanted his Mom.

I'm sure she's warming his bottle up as I write this.



Now, they just need to get rid of Tracee (yes, with two "e"s) and her annoying personality and horrible people skills.

If there is any justice in the world, there is a house just waiting to drop on her somewhere in the skys of Nashville.

And, if there is, I hope they catch it on film so we can see the before AND after.

Sunshine on my shoulders

I was in Palm Springs over the weekend and, let me tell you, it was a "wee" bit hot.

Around 120 F hot.

I don't know how people live down there in the summer without bursting into flames the minute they walk outside. I think my sweat was even sweating...

I managed to balance my time by the pool, then into the air-conditioned room, then nap....then food, pool, then sleep.

A very good routine...I highly recommend it.

While catching up today on the many blogs I read, I found that OutInHollywood posted some clips from the Kathy Griffin Mardi Gras "My Life on the D-List" episode (I was on this flight).



You can see me quickly at the front of the stage a couple times when she first comes up to talk, then you can see me sitting up in my seat (behind her) at the 2:31 time stamp.

It seems like ages ago, but was fun to watch what they filmed and how they put it all together.

I'm also headed to Denver, Colorado on Wednesday-Sunday and will be taking my computer there to blog about my first visit. I'm looking forward to it and hope that it's a fun place to hang out, take pictures and wander around to watch people.

As long as it's cooler than the suface of the sun, I should be just fine.

I'll soon find out....

Off the guest list

Why doesn't this surprise me....

The Advocate.com is exclusively reporting that John McCain has officially changed his position on California's marriage amendment from neutral to endorsing the efforts to prohibit gay marriage.

I wonder if Ellen will take back her "invitation" for McCain to walk her down the aisle?

What a trooper

I saw this photo on Defamer and it made me laugh.

I wonder if Yoda was busy trying to find a partner on the teeter-totter that wouldn't accidently launch him back up into space?

What a world

This story is awful and another example why our country needs to get a MUCH better healthcare plan in order quick....

A 49-year-old woman collapsed and died on the floor of a waiting room at a Brooklyn psychiatric hospital and lay there for more than an hour as employees ignored her, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, which on Tuesday released surveillance camera video of the incident.

Upon her admission, Green waited nearly 24 hours for treatment, said the civil liberties union, which was among the groups filing suit against the facility last year seeking improved conditions for patients.

The surveillance camera video shows the woman rolling off a waiting room chair, landing face-down on the floor and convulsing. Her collapse came at 5:32 a.m. June 19, the NYCLU said, and she stopped moving at 6:07 a.m. During that time, the organization said, workers at the hospital ignored her.

At 6:35 a.m., the tape shows a hospital employee approaching and nudging Green with her foot, the group said. Help was summoned three minutes later.

Can you believe it? When they finally found her on the floor, the attended nudged her with her foot first, then called for help.

I hope Michael Moore sees this and includes it in one of his new movies.

Sad....sad...