Hang On, Christmas.

I hope everyone out there had a great Christmas holiday. I guess Christmas takes on a different vibe the older you get. I still haven't figured it out. It's a mixed bag of emotions for me. It is better to give than receive.

I want to share more music with you. About 2 years ago, I was introduced to a group called Dr. Dog. They have turned out to be one of my favorite bands. I imagine you haven't heard of them. If I "had" to describe them I would construct this equation: Beach Boys + The Band + Paul McCartney = Dr. Dog.

I've attached a video clip from their latest album of 2008, Fate. It's worth your time.

(Hang On)

Hurt.

This is the first video that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It still gives me chills to this day. Powerful. The song and video work well together. I'm going by memory here, but in one of Cash's books he tells that June had just gotten the news of her illness just before the video shoot. He was not even aware of the news.

What is your take on the video?

Don't Mess with the Masked Blogger!!!

Texas Got Messed With.

We have all heard the phrase, “don’t mess with Texas”. I attended a small, private university that had at least one student from every state in the union. Every start of the school year, we would have an assembly where the state and country flags would be hoisted to represent the various homes of the university’s students. The point was to show the diversity within the university. Without exception the Texans would be the most obnoxious of all. They would see their flag and go nuts. I must admit that this experience jaded me towards the Lonestar State.

However, as of late, I find myself sympathizing with Texas. The Texas Longhorns were the nations #1 ranked football team for a lot of the season. They lost only one game (Texas Tech), but beat notables Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Missouri. Yet, they were not invited to the Big 12 Championship Game, but Oklahoma and Missouri was. Subsequently, Texas has no shot at the National Title.

These decisions were not made on the field of play, but by computer geeks associated with the BCS. In addition to the Big 12 Championship and National Championship Games, Texas will miss out on the Sugar Bowl where they would have played Alabama. Alabama also has only one loss and was #1 when Texas wasn’t. Instead, Texas is slated to play in the Fiesta Bowl. Waiting for them is the biggest, big game chokers of all, “Thee Ohio State”. Hook ‘em horns!

The Lone Ranger

The Radio City Rockettes

The other day I met at friend at the Capitol. While I was talking with him, I brushed shoulders with the governor, Former Senator David Pryor and the entire Radio City Rockette dance crew. So, I think I did what any red blooded male would do. I stumbled over to my favorite Rockette and got a picture.

Oh, yeah, who is the governor of Arkansas anyway?

Harder, Longer and Faster

The NFL handed down 6 suspensions today for doping. Bryan Pittman (Houston Texans) received one of the hand slaps. The violations stemmed from a diurectic often used with steroids.

Oh, yeah, Bryan Pittman is the Long Snapper for the Houston Texans. I guess he thought he could snap it harder, longer and faster with steroid use.

I kinda find that amusing.

The Return of the Mask...Blogger that is...

Headliner to Flatliner

From time to time there are big name celebrities that sink against their will into obscurity. Their careers go from vibrant to non-existent. They no longer sell out arenas, have hit TV shows, or are they big box office. It’s like one-day fans, casting crews, and the like wake up and say, “that person is not talented anymore.” But there are also those who have a lot of talent that disappear. John Travolta was a TV and movie star and he has certainly seen his valleys. In fact, if it wasn’t for Look Who’s Talking, there may have never been a Pulp Fiction, which catapulted him back to stardom.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, there are two that epitomize this collapse with no resurrection in sight. Chevy Chase and Andrew “Dice” Clay. Chevy’s work includes SNL, Vacation, and Fletch. Chevy’s physical comedy coupled with his comedic timing made him a star, but now he is invisible. “Dice” on the other hand was known solely for stand up comedy. He was the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden and he had a faithful following quoting his nursery rhymes and dubbing his gestures. After a long run and a longer disappearing act, he even tried to enter the ranks of reality TV with other lesser talents such as Flavor Flav and Bret Michaels. If you see “Dice” now it really is a sad sight. The once King of Comedy is now rather pathetic. His fate, like Chevy’s, is tied to a lack of talent, but a greater lack of acceptance.

I can’t explain exactly why this rise and fall effect happens to some celebrities, but I do know that as long as Dustin Diamond still has a career, anyone has a chance.