Hannibal Sinking

All I can say after watching Hannibal Rising is I'm glad I didn't spend $7 at the movies for this. The movie is supposed to show us the origin of the monster Hannibal Lecter. But instead we see a somewhat sympathetic young man hunting down Nazis who did horrible things to his family. Without giving too much away, he dispatches victim number one with a samurai sword! The story, although written by Thomas Harris, pales in comparison to the others in the series. One good thing, I believe this will be the end of the franchise. Unless of course, they choose to show Lecter as an octogenarian, "I don't eat census takers anymore, my dentures can't take it!"

Cars

Transportation is the theme today with Memorial Day weekend kicking off and a lot of people traveling here and there. First, hope you have a great, safe weekend. Those gas prices are enough to make you stay home all weekend, or walk everywhere. New York City has a good idea. They're going to have their taxi services use hybrids. It helps reduce smog, lessens our dependence on foreign oil and they get way better gas mileage. I think it will be great when there are more hybrids on the road, and when the prices come down. I know hydrogen cars are another technology that is being developed but may be a few years away yet.

My other transportation related issue: I was traveling to work yesterday and saw a guy driving a pickup on the Interstate with 2 dogs in the bed of the truck, running back and forth. Now, I don't like seeing animals or kids in the bed of a truck under any circumstances, but at 65 miles per hour (he was actually going faster) it's downright absurd.

I've got something for you!

In my new post as Production Director, I write and produce many of the commercials you hear on our Midwest Family stations. So I have an appreciation for commercials that stand out, that get attention and get talked about. I think some of the tv commercials on this site: http://www.thephatphree.com/features.asp?StoryID=3599&SectionID=16 are being talked about alright, or more likely, being laughed at. If you have some free time, check it out. I especially recommend the #7 "Eagleman." I know my friends in Chicago recognize this one. Would you buy insurance from a guy in an eagle costume who poops out an egg on your car? Then there's the insurance guy who sings about holidays (poorly) or the furniture guy who turns into the Hulk. You're buying a sofa, next thing you know, he turns green and kicks your butt!

The Office

"The 'women’s appreciation' meeting was a bad idea that was poorly executed." That's a line taken from an interesting and often hilarious website judging how much money could be lost in if lawsuits were to result from the outrageous actions of our favorite paper company employees. http://www.hrheroblogs.com/?cat=2 Check out "That's What She Said" to get a legal perspective on the show. With the season finale coming up next Thursday, I have to say this is one of my favorite comedies. It's an Americanized version of a British sitcom which I haven't seen, but between the absolute buffoonery of the boss, the conniving of Dwight and the prissiness of Angela, there's always something bizzarre happening. And then there's the Jim/Pam romance that never quite works out which provides some serious moments to the show.

Two things

Alright, alright. I know I've been bad about updating again. I've just been busy and you know, inspiration doesn't always stike. But then I find two things that are weird in the same day! First, there's Paris Hilton. Yup, the girl who's famous for being famous. The party girl star? of Simple Life, who was recently sentenced to 45 days in jail for driving on a suspended license. She is now asking her fans to sign a petition to send to Governor Schwarzenneger asking that he pardon her. Hey wait a minute, people get pardoned if they were wrongly convicted. Or if they made a stupid mistake in their youth and have atoned for it. Besides wouldn't "Simple Life Behind Bars" make a great reality show?

Oh, the other weird and completely unrelated item for today. Listen up baseball fans, yesterday was Free Prostate Exam Day at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Last time I went to a ballgame, all I got was a lousy sunvisor!