Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Christopher Lee: Real Life Badass




Hammer Films horror movie legendary great, Christopher Lee, not only plays a badass on-screen. He's a real life badass as well. Christopher Lee was once part of the elite unconventional warfare Special Operations Executive group formed by Winston Churchill himself. The group also comprised of Ian Fleming among others, and served to inspire Fleming to write the James Bond series of novels, influenced by the outrageous and dangerous covert missions of the group meant to damage the Axis through extremely dangerous sabotage missions. Many of the missions were such "ungentlemanly" type of warfare that the nature of the type of extreme actions still remains classified to this day. And Christopher Lee isn't breaking his sworn code of silence about his actions either. He remains mum on his own actions in this group.



During the war, SOE was involved in organizing resistance movements against the Nazis in countries like France and was involved in Operation Foxley, a plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler. But, Christopher Lee isn't talking about what he did as a part of this elite British series organization that laid down the framework for the modern spy.



In the 1974 film, MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, Christopher Lee got the opportunity to relive his old spy days by starring as the villain, Scaramanga, in this great Ian Fleming big screen adaptation of a James Bond novel, which also starred Rod Stewart's girlfriend Britt Ekland, as well the late Herve Villechaize, who later became a big part of the success of ABC TV's FANTASY ISLAND series.

Sex School Opens In Vienna



Sex class is in session in Vienna, Austria where students over 16 can enroll at a new sex school to become better lovers. The controversial new sex school isn't without critics or some protesters. However, students seem to be enrolling at the new school, led by Swedish-born headmistress Ylva-Maria Thompson. Thompson was a presenter of erotic films on Swedish pay TV during the 1990's and a well known erotic artist who had one art presentation with 100 cast models of women's vaginas.


The new school is said to be the world's first college of "applied sexuality", according to Thompson. Well, isn't life just grand! No word whether students can apply for financial aid to afford the 1400 British pounds tuition rate, though. And I'm not sure how the job outlook is for those that flunk out either.




And guess what, students will live in a mixed dormitory setting where they are apparently encouraged to practice their homework with each other, at least according to one report in Britain's, THE DAILY MAIL. But, oh, my God, those finals!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Herman Cain's Claimed Mistress Provides New Jokes For Late Night Comics




The late night comics are going to have a field day again. Now, it seems that a woman has come forth, claiming that she has been having a 13 year affair with Herman Cain. She claims that sex with the presidential candidate only stopped shortly before he announced for president earlier this year, but their emotional relationship still continues. Ginger White, an Atlanta housewife claimed that she met Herman Cain in the 1990's and he spent freely on her, buying her lavish gifts. For his part, once again, as usual, Herman Cain is denying things. Only a few days, Herman Cain denied that he paid out cash settlements to some women whom he was said to sexually harass. Then, he later changed his story on FOX News and acknowledged the cash payouts.



This is only the latest problem to hit his presidential campaign, which is now rapidly sagging in the polls as "family values" voters in the Republican Party are beginning to turn from Cain toward other more serious candidates as Cain becomes the butt of late night humor and jokes.



This also marks another presidential candidate making the news for the wrong reasons. Michele Bachmann made news the last few days for complaining about a few notes from the song, "Lyin' Ass Bitch" being used to her introduce to an interview on Jimmy Fallon's late night talk show. Then, Bachmann was caught misrepresenting the immigration policy of fellow candidate, Newt Gingrich on FOX & FRIENDS over the weekend.



Sex scandals seem tailor-made for late night humor. Bill Clinton provided David Letterman literally hundreds of jokes, for example. For the late night comic, sex scandals are the gift that keeps on giving.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Doors Issue Limited Edition L.A. WOMAN Singles Box Set



While the release date for the 40th anniversary edition of L.A. Woman has been pushed up to January 24, for the two and five cd sets, a special limited edition box set of four high quality vinyl singles from the upcoming expanded L.A. WOMAN album has just been released, limited to just 4,000 copies. It sells for just under $50. It includes singles of "Love Her Madly", "Riders On The Storm", "The Changeling" and a fourth disc of chatter from the band. Guitarist Robbie Krieger is especially a fan of vinyl, who loves the sound of it far more than cds.


The four single box set includes both the original songs, plus an alternate version of each song on the B side. However, with only 4,000 copies in existence and the high price just under $50, don't expect causal buyers to opt for this. This item is strictly for hardcore fans of the band.


In January, the expanded 40th anniversary edition of L.A. WOMAN will be available as the standard release, but for just under $100 the special collector's version of the album will be available as a five cd box set. It is available for pre-order on The Doors website. Both albums will include the original album, plus unreleased alternate versions of the albums ten tracks. A rare unreleased studio version of "Rock Me' with keyboardist Ray Manzarek on vocals along with the unreleased Jim Morrison song, "She Smells So Nice" will be released on the album along with plenty of band chatter on the five disc box set version.


With the surviving members of The Doors aging, it only seems to better to release these rare recordings now than never.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Who's Really To Blame For Michele Bachmann's Ill-Advised Appearance On Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Talk Show?



Jimmy Fallon returned to NBC and took over from Conan O'Brien after O'Brien left the network in a huff because of his hurt pride after his TONIGHT SHOW ratings tanked. Jimmy Fallon has done a remarkably good job since taking over, recreating a show that's uniquely his own and very quirky. In the spirit of that quirkiness, earlier this week, also-ran presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, made a surprising, and probably ill advised appearance on the show. Certainly, as could be expected, something went wrong here.


When Bachmann walked on the stage, the band leader for the musical group, The Roots, thought it would be real funny and tongue-in-cheek to play a few instrumental notes from the controversial Fishbone song, "Lyin' Ass Bitch". Certainly, that was a poor decision and not respectful of a guest. However, Jimmy Fallon himself was respectful of her, making few jokes at her expense. But, because most people surrounding Bachmann are hardly well versed in modern hip hop culture, it only took days for her campaign to finally figure out what the instrumental's title actually was and that it was an insult of sorts. But,instead of just letting this little slight just pass, like most politicians usually always do, Bachmann made a major issue out of it, hoping to portray herself as some grand victim here, hoping that would somehow score a few points for her lagging campaign, which presently has just about 2-4% support nationally.
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On her own political website. Michele Bachmann's own official campaign site, proudly proclaimed that, "Michele Bachmann Brings The Funny On Jimmy Fallon", as though she knew that that her appearance would generate some comedy value. But, she hardly played the role of good sport later, and demanded apologies from just about everyone that she could . Some others were quick to jump on this "victim card" bandwagon as well, including both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, neither of which miss any low-rent opportunity to create an issue out of practically nothing,.



Both, Jimmy Fallon and NBC offered Bachmann their apologies. And the band leader of The Roots was suspended, but a few die-hard Bachmann supporters still would like their Shakespearian "pound of flesh" from someone because of this minor incident. Bachmann continued to play up the victim card for at least two days on the issue as well. But, compared to some late night jokes about Herman Cain being some sort of sex offender, or Rick Perry being incoherent, this joke at Michele Bachmann's expense seemed rather slight by comparison.




Bachmann had to realize that her appearance on Jimmy Fallon would largely be to poke some fun at her expense. How could she not but see this? Her later indignation at the interview now reeks of an air of mock indignation more than anything. She has now largely replaced Sarah Palin as a bizarre sideshow candidate with zero chance of being elected, who only seeks out outrageous photo opportunities such as Jimmy Fallon's show to grace her own ego. That's a far cry from the more serious candidates in the race who are actually trying to get elected president.


Certainly, Jimmy Fallon's show deserves some discredit for not respecting a guest. But, someone who deliberately puts themselves in such a spot shouldn't be held entirely blameless either. Yet, Bachmann doesn't appear quite ready yet to drop this whole matter. Today, she expressed disappointment that the president of NBC didn't personally apologize to her rather than some company executive. Apparently, each day she continues to raise the bar of just what she expects in the way of a bigger and bigger apology.


Who could have ever guessed that the "queen of rage" could be so finicky?

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Major League WTF?: Cats That Look Like Hitler





















Cats are a great pet. But, some have some strange markings that give them an eerie look much like the former leader of the Third Reich. In fact, so many cats have this creepy Hitler look that there's even some websites devoted to folks sending in pictures of their Hitler cats. Some cats are even named Kitler, of all things! Unbelievable, but true, and funny!


One strange cat lover website, Catsthatlooklikehitler.com, even is involved in animal rescue attempts, seeking to rescue cats from being euthanized. That's a switch, someone saving Hitler from the gas chamber.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Michelle Bachmann Steamed About Jimmy Fallon Interview





Michelle Bachmann is a little bit steamed about her interview last week over on the Jimmy Fallon show, although her handlers should have realized that it was probably to have a few jokes at her expense. But, what really has her steamed is The Roots band chose to use the R&B song by Fishbone,"Lyin' Ass Bitch" to introduce her. That part still has her very angry. And she probably has a little sympathy from neutral observers as well.



The fact of the matter is that she deserved more respect than this. It didn't seem very fair to invite a guest on and then hit them below the belt this hard. Michelle Bachmann proved to good a sport to even appear on the show. the producers for Jimmy Fallon's show needed to show her some fairness, even if they intended to have a few jokes. Fair is fair. You should always be a gentleman.


Jimmy Fallon has already stepped as a gentleman here, making an apology for the poor song choice. But, Bachmann would like NBC to offer an apology as well. Jimmy Fallon's a very decent man, and getting his apology is probably about as good as this little incident might get. But, if it makes Bachmann happy, then maybe NBC should at least make the effort to issue a nice letter to the politician. It might help.




You also have to wonder why it took an entire week for Bachmann's campaign to respond to this incident. One clue, you can't be president and then think about a crisis for a whole week before you decide to act. But, the public can rest assured here. Bachmann is highly unlikely to a presidential nominee next year. Newt Gingrich has now moved ahead of the crowded GOP pack.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Bad News For Oreo Cookie Fans



If you love Oreos as much as I do, this news ought to make you livid. Not only has the Nabisco division of Kraft foods raised the average retail price of the popular cookie from $3.99 average up to $4,79, a whooping 80cent increase, but now they've also downsized the package as well, going from about 16.5 oz. down to about 15.5 oz. average. The new package just doesn't look quite right. It has a far more square look compared to the longer oblong look of the old packaging.




With less product, and a higher shelf price, as well as the familiar shape[e of the package gone, part of the Oreo mystique seems to be lost here. Oreos not taste great, but they always seemed like a great value as well. They are made with higher grade products than many cookies, including real sugar as well as better oils. Some cheaper cookies use cottonseed oil, an oil made from the waste product of the cotton industry. Cottonseed oil is processed so that it isn't toxic because it would normally contain a component used as an insecticide. Oreos always use better oils, such as palm oil in their production.



The nice thing about Oreos is that Klondike even has ice cream versions of the very popular cookie as well. And Oreo cookies now come in a wide number of mouthwatering varieties. Oreo cookies still taste as good, using just as good of ingredients as before. Now, they just cost more.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Major League WTF?: Phony Doctor Performed Buttocks Enhancement With Tire Sealer



Warning: Tire sealer doesn't make for healthy buttocks enhancements. A South Florida woman recently found this way out the hard way after she was hospitalized in serious condition after paying an unlicensed cosmetic doctor $700 for a discount buttocks enhancement procedure that left her very ill. Apparently, the phony doctor used a cocktail of ingredients that included tire sealer, cement and mineral oil, and sealed the incision up with super glue. Lucky she didn't die from all of this.




Certainly, the phony doctor was arrested. But, not after being on the lam for some time. Unfortunately she bailed himself out of jail after posting $15,500 in bail. Let's just hope she gives up this cosmetic surgery career.




BTW, looking at the CBS photo of Morris, you only have to ask how many cans of tire sealer she used to pump up that ass?

Ashton Kutcher Refused To Be 100% Loyal In Marriage



A planned retreat to rescue the marriage of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher ended in failure after Ashton Kutcher reportedly refused to be 100% loyal in the marriage and wanted an open option to sometimes have sex outside the marriage. For Demi Moore, that was considered a deal breaker, so she decided to file for divorce from the actor 15 years her junior.




There were some who didn't expect this marriage to last. Unfortunately, those dire predictions appear to have come true. The unusual marriage lasted since 2003.

Robin Gibb Seriously Ill With Liver Cancer



61 year old legendary singer for The Bee Gees, Robin Gibb is said to be seriously ill with liver cancer. A close friend described his condition as, "Not Good". This is only the latest tragedy to strike the Gibb family which has suffered losses of two of four brothers so far. Youngest brother Andy Gibb, who wasn't part of The Bee Gees, but was a pop icon in his own right, suffered from an inflamed heart condition and died at the age of 30 back in 1988. Older brother, Maurice Gibb, who provided important harmony to The Bee Gees, and was Robin's twin brother, died in 2003 from complications of a twisted intestine, leaving just Robin and Barry Gibb to carry on the family act. With connections both to the UK and Australia, The Bee Gees were something of Australia's own answer to The British Invasion of pop music during the 60's.


The Bee Gees actually managed two remarkable careers on the pop charts. During the late 1960's up until the early 70's they managed a successful string of singles and album sales in the U.S., Australia and UK. Both, in the late 70's, with the strength of the film SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, the band became a top act of the disco era, with a string of some of their biggest record sales ever. During their disco era of fame, the group managed a big string of top ten and #1 singles where they had almost Beatles' like popularity on the charts. One of their disco influenced albums, SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN, sold 30 million copies worldwide, making the band one of the biggest pop acts of the late 70's early 80's era. The album had three #1 singles up until the title track was released as the fourth single from the album.




But, The Bee Gees strength as a huge disco era act wasn't without some later backlash problems. The next album by group, LIVING EYES, was undiscolike in sound, and radio stations didn't give good airplay to the first single from the album, "He's A Liar", beginning another period of decline for the group until the late 80's and early 90's when new albums were released with better sales and radio stations began to look past pigeonholing this act as a disco act . LIVING EYES was a commercial failure as well, selling only 750,000 copies.


The group was actually putting together a fairly strong comeback up until about 2002. 2001's, THIS WHERE I CAME IN sold reasonably well,, becoming the 22nd and last studio album by the group. After the death of Maurice, next year, the group quit the release of new material studio albums and only released some compilation albums of previously released material.


The serious illness of Robin Gibb unfortunately marks another sad chapter in the likely end of one of pop music's greatest recording acts of all time. The Bee Gees brought a wonderful sound to music with their signature harmony sound, never duplicated by any act. We can only wish Robin Gibb our best wishes and prayers at this time.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

TODAY SHOW Blockbuster: Captain Blames Robert Wagner In Natalie Wood Death



Years after her Nov 29, 1981 drowning incident was ruled an accident by a coroner, the death of actress Natalie Wood is being given a second look by investigators after the captain of the yacht claimed that actor Robert Wagner did nothing to rescue the actress who had fallen in the water after a fight between the two. Further, the boat's captain, Dennis Davern also claims that Robert Wagner ordered him to do nothing to rescue Wood to "teach her a lesson". This has sparked outrage from Natalie Wood's sister, Lana Wood.


Actor Christopher Walken was also aboard the boat at the time of the tragic drowning incident, but isn't being considered a person of interest in the investigation, which seems to centering around the possible actions by others aboard the boat that tragic evening.


Captain Dennis Davern's interview on THE TODAY SHOW is now big news, and could have huge implications if the investigation moves against the conduct of any individuals actions.

FOX NEWS Poll Finds Occupy Wall Street Rapidly Losing Public Support



A new FOX NEWS poll has found public support rapidly eroding for the Occupy Wall Street movement. Only 33% of the U.S. voters now supports this new social movement, while 45% of the public now opposes the movement. This is an 11 point shift toward a negative view of the movement in just one month, marking one of the steepest declines in public support recorded in modern times for any new social movement.




And while a plurality of voters don't like the Tea Party movement either, U.S. voters at least have a more favorable view of this movement than the Occupy Wall Street movement right now, supporting the Tea Party movement 43-37% as the lesser of two evils.


The Occupy Wall Street movement had begun to collect some support from mainstream labor unions and other mainstream organizations last month, but then in the last two weeks or so, the Occupy Wall Street movement began to be more characterized by homeless persons occupying public parks, window smashing, drug overdoses, sex crimes and other outrageous offenses, forcing some of the most liberal of mayors from around the country to use police dressed in riot gear to breakup illegal demonstrations by the movement. Even Portland, Oregon's liberal mayor, Sam Adams, deciided to break up the occupation of a city park last Sunday morning when there were four near fatal drug overdoses at an illegal campsite in downtown Portland. The occupation also drove crime rates up by 39% in the area.




Thursday was probably a public relations disaster for the Occupy Wall Street movement when illegal demonstrations and vandalism at banks across the country made it impossible for customers to use some banks to cash checks, pay for bills or cover home mortgages, etc. Riot police had to make numerous arrests across the nation for illegal acts caused by supporters of the Occupy Wall Street organization. This marked the first day that this movement was largely viewed as lawless by many in the public thanks to the negative image the movement presented of itself with the ongoing news coverage they generated of one illegal act after another.




Only days ago, the Occupy Wall Street movement attempted to claim that they represented the interests of 99% of American citizens. But, now the average U.S. voter finds themselves more critical of this new movement than supporting of it. What started out as some legitimate concerns about dire economic conditions only days ago, has now become a directionless mess of a movement, now associated with illogical actions against just the sort of companies that hire workers, providing employment.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Demi Moore Divorcing Ashton Kutcher



Who couldn't see this coming all the way up Broadway. Actress Demi Moore has finally decided to move ahead with plans to divorce Ashton Kutcher, apparently deciding that it is no longer worthwhile to attempt to save the marriage. After a recent cheating scandal involving Ashton Kutcher and several naked girls hit the tabloid news recently, there was much speculation that Demi Moore was losing weight due to the stress involved with all of the bad news surrounding her marriage.




Demi Moore had released a statement that certain "values" that she held sacred in the relationship had been violated. Demi Moore had married Ashton Kutcher back in 2005, when she was 43 and he was 27.

Bank Of America Gives $59,000 Account Funds To Wrong Person



A Greek student who came to the U.S. to study but then returned to Greece claims that he had over $59,00 in savings in Bank Of America, but the bank mistakingly gave his account funds to the some person with the same name not at all related to him. He's now suing Bank Of America in court for the problems they caused him. But, so far Bank Of America isn't budging, and refuses to make the problem right. In another incident, Bank Of America assigned two different persons the same account number, making a a financial problem for both persons.




Right now, Bank Of America is in the news for problems that they're having, and remains the most controversial of any major bank. The bank mistakingly started forecloses against some homes recently.


Other banks aren't without some problems as well. Some banks are accused of putting cash deposits on a pending basis so that they can charge customers extra fees for insufficient funds, even though the customers had funds in the bank sufficient to cover any checks presented at the time.


While the Occupy Wall Street protests are unlikely to change much themselves, these new problems with major banks could certainly force Congress or bank regulators to soon act to fix some growing problems with the banking industry.

DVD Review: THE DEAD AND THE DAMNED



Although done on a very tight budget, THE DEAD AND THE DAMNED at moments is a successful fun film combining elements of a classic Western with a zombie movie. That's quite a strange combination. Yet, some good casting and acting make this movie about as effective at some moments as it could possibly be. While the film opens with a gunfight in a laughably cheap looking Western town, the film ends strongly with a brave stand against the zombie hoard, backed up by a soundtrack that seems a little like a moment from a classic Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western.


Makeup artist Ed Martinez deserves some special praise here for some very effective looking zombie makeup. He is a very talented movie specialist, creating some unique and memorable zombie characters, which added to some very frightening moments in the film. The scene where Camille Montgomery's character Rhiannon is being tracked down by a crawling, but very dangerous female zombie is an especially great scene, and the fantastic makeup by Ed Martinez for this scene was a large reason for the success of this scene. This was the best zombie character of the entire movie.


Actor David A. Lockhart did a fine job playing the lead character, Mortimer. And Rick Mora looked especially strong and handsome as Native American character Brother Wolf. Rick Mora was also a very effective actor as well. These are two fine actors who helped to carry this film on their shoulders who deserve to be in many more film projects.


For what writer/director Rene Perez had to work with here in the way of a budget, this film was about as effective as it could be. I only wish that they could have afforded to borrow a better looking Western town set. The buildings looked like part of some tourist trap, about big enough to qualify as made for kids, and only about six feet deep or something. The opening scene with the gunfight among these cheap looking buildings had me rolling with laughter, but as the film progressed, I found myself enjoying this movie enough to be satisfied.


It wasn't an entirely bad story either. David A. Lockhart's character was on a bounty hunt for Brother Wolf, who had to eventually form a partnership to survive the zombie plague. It seems that some gold miners found a strange green glowing meteorite, bringing it back to town, only to have it kill everyone, turning them into horrible undead mutants because of a space plague the meteorite carried.


Unlike some slow moving zombies in many films, these fast moving zombies seem especially dangerous and difficult to survive. And they like to eat on anything, not just necessarily brains. So, if you're a fast zombie fan, then this is your type of zombie film.


The Bottom Line: Not really a bad effort at once you get past the laughable cheap looking Western town set where the buildings look made for kids. I've seen kids playhouses nearly as good as these buildings. Some fine acting, effective casting, and great makeup saves this movie making it nearly good at moments. **1/2(Two and a half stars. What started out as yet another awful poor one star cheap independent horror flick, redeemed itself into a nearly three star movie at moments with a few good scenes as well as great acting and casting. Not half bad at all. Enjoyable enough to satisfy. I left this movie happy enough).

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Simple Things That The "Occupy" Movement Doesn't Understand



While the"Occupy Movement" has become a big news item recently, this movement has really failed to grasp many realities of economics and business. Further, with it's leaderless and directionless protests, it has completely failed to achieve any of it's vague objectives such as making the economic system more fair. Not a single bank has reformed any of it's rules related to fees, acquiring loans, or other policy as a result of the protests. On the contrary, many banks have hired extra security to prevent problems from persons associated with the "Occupy Movement" such as breaking windows, etc. and now passed these extra costs off to the customers. As a social movement, the "Occupy Movement" has so far been a complete failure compared to more focused social movements such as those movements that ended slavery or opposed the Vietnam War.


Some of the wrong assumptions about the business community that the "Occupy Movement' continues to banter as fact is some myth is that the business community or wealthy somehow don't pay their fair share of taxes. This myth certainly isn't held up by reality. Cash strapped local, state governments as well the federal government have all looked for new ways to tax businesses or higher income individuals over the years. Further, much of the reason that government has increased taxes on those that produce income or wealth for the economy is to pay for services for those who produce little or no taxes or income for the economy. In some states, as much as 20% or more of persons on the SNAP(formerly Food Stamp) Program for example. Add to this those individuals on public housing assistance programs or government paid for health care programs, and the tax burden on those who produce income is tremendous. In some states, if you add up all the persons who draw income from the government through jobs, using public services such as public health care, draw pensions or Social Security benefits, it equals sometimes more than a third of the public. All of this means that two productive workers in the economy need to work to pay for benefits, salary or programs for a third person in the economy who produces little or nothing for the economy.


Some states have come up with some outrageous tax schemes to pay for the cash shortfall to pay for public services. In Oregon, voters approved an outrageous tax proposal from the state legislature that levied a $40,000 minimum tax on any small incorporated business whether or not the business was making any money or not. This means that a small mom and pop business that is losing money because of the bad economy that incorporated as a Subchapter S business because of the former liability benefits that a Subchapter S brought, is now forced to pay $40,000 in minimum taxes. Outrageous. But, this tax proposal came from some myth that the wealthy and corporations aren't paying their fair share of taxes. Proponents looked to some large companies such as Portland General Electric that corporations aren't paying their fair share of taxes, ignoring the fact that everyone who work for the company from the power line repairman to the company CEO are paying taxes to fund government services and programs. The company itself had some very expensive equipment upgrades, often because of government mandates and new regulations, which lowered it's corporate tax liability. Further, any proposal for a company to spend substantially more on taxes only results in a vicious cycle where customers now pay more for products. making products less affordable, actually reducing the wealth of customers, creating more inflation as well. Consumers don't win in a vicious cycle like this.


People in the "Occupy Movement" also have no grasp of an important principle in business called "risk". During this last Summer, some huge movies with giant budgets such as COWBOYS & ALIENS and the remake of CONAN each lost around $60 million from the production costs invested to make the films. In fact, producing films is one of the most risky business ventures there is. And , many other businesses entail huge "risk" factors when they produce something. In the recording industry, on average of just one artist out of ten acts makes enough money to cover their production costs to launch an album on the market. That means that these few successful artists must earn enough income to keep a recording company in business. At some point, many film companies, such as MGM, or record companies, simply lose enough money on projects that many go out of business. MGM bankruptcy, for example, has delayed the production of the latest James Bond film by about two years. That's significant.


One film company, Ace Studios, produces films for Full Moon over in China right now in order to cut their film production costs from millions of dollars down to as little as $75,000 a picture. At one time many film companies looked to Vancouver, Canada to save money. Now, China is increasingly become an attractive alternative. High labor costs, high government film permits and licensing fees, etc. have all helped to outsource the American movie business to China. By cutting their "risk" value so much, a company like Full Moon is now virtually assured of making a profit on a movie even if it only goes direct to DVD and bypasses movie theaters altogether.


Something that the "Occupy Movement" doesn't comprehend is that those with more money fund business ventures and take "risks". "Risk" is exactly what the name entails. A wealthy person can lose everything when they take a "risk". The "risk-taker" then provides jobs, which in turn generate income and taxes, for persons who put up no "risk" at all. Yet, the "Occupy Movement" argues that those with money should pay more in taxes, which would only weaken new investment in the economy, when it certainly follows that "risk" provides jobs for those who invest nothing in the company and stand to lose nothing more than their jobs if the business venture fails.


Those in the "Occupy Movement" continue to argue for a more fair economy. Yet, some countries such as the old Soviet Union experimented unsuccessfully with a Communist system that was actually a form of state capitalism, where the government attempted to manage every phase of the economy, from planning to production of goods. It only resulted in an economy with few goods to sell of poor quality. In 1953, the entire economy of the Soviet Union was only able to supply one well stocked giant department store out of the entire nation, the GUM general merchandise department store. Most other small stores in the entire nation were not only scarce, but poorly stocked with goods. As late as the 1970's, even singer David Bowie remarked what a desperate mess the Soviet economy was in because even buying a chocolate bar was difficult as well as expensive if you wanted to stand in a line long enough to really buy one. Only by moving toward private managers as well as an open economy has the GUM department survived to this day. Today, it is like a high end product mall with over stores in the giant building located in Red Square. Further, other Communist economies such as those in China and Vietnam have moved toward huge economic reforms and private investing in order to improve their economies, and to provide jobs as well as consumer products, both at home and for export.


Those in the "Occupy Movement" continue to argue that capitalism has somehow failed. Yet, the truth is that while our economy is not without serious problems, including poverty, etc., it still has worked far better than other economic systems such as Communism which was completely failed to provide the needed goods and products for a comfortable lifestyle for those workers in that economic system.


For the most part, many of the persons involved in the "Occupy Movement" are broke and without a job, yet they freely want to offer advice to other persons who are far more effectively managing their lives on how to manage the economy.


Beyond, failing to have any grasp of how economics works most successfully, the "Occupy Movement" also hasn't got a clue on how to manage a message or to effectively protest. Last weekend's protest in Portland, Oregon involved probably about 7,000 people and perhaps just one, "Tax The Wealthy" sign for the entire protest. I guess taking the effort to simply make some sort of sign is too much work or something. But, unlike other protests of the past, it's difficult for any viewer to grasp what the movement supports or is against.


And some persons in the "Occupy Movement" are having a real problem managing their conduct at the occupation sites without serious problems. In at least four cities, sex offenders were arrested for crimes such as rape associated with the protest sites. In Portland, Oregon, rape crimes not only increased because of the protest, but overall crime increased by 39% in the area. Further, four near death drug overdoses finally forced Portland's liberal mayor to have to take action against the protest.


When the police were called in to reclaim a downtown park from the "Occupy Portland" protesters, thousands of persons flooded into downtown creating a tense and serious situation. Some agitator threw fireworks at a mounted police office on a horse, causing the officer to be injured. This created a dangerous situation where police might have mistaken the noise for gunfire and turned violently on the crowd. But, that's what some agitators want. To create a riot situation that involves persons being injured or killed so that they can claim some sort of victim status and agitate more riots. Fortunately, the Portland Police acted very professionally and there were few arrests. However, a smart persons stays away from protests where police are dressed in riot gear, where the potential to get beat up or arrested is very high. The Kent State shootings at a Vietnam War protest was used by the antiwar movement to create a victim complex by protesters to end the war. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young even wrote the hit single, "Ohio" about that tragic event. But, unless American "Occupy Movement" really want to get involved in some Libya or Egypt type revolution to really change the economy or even the government, then they're really just getting involved in a potentially dangerous event by attending protests with no intent really change anything but the potential to be involved in violence or arrest is high. The potential for some of these events turning violent is just too high. Stay home, and write or get involved in creating peaceful change instead.


Sometimes riots do result in change, such as the Boston Massacre, by British soldiers of five American colonists who protested some of the British rules and taxes. This riot helped to create the American Revolution. But, not without significant injury and loss of life to many persons.


In Portland, Oregon and other cities, news crews and reporters were freely allowed to cover the event. However, in New York City, police actually banned news coverage of the event as well as arrested reporters. That's a very dangerous infringement on the free press as well as a potentially serious situation for the protesters. An openly covered event in the free press is a much safer event with far less likelihood of the situation turning violent.


Further, likely few of those involved in the "Occupy Movement" even bother to vote, let allow register to vote. Many are unemployed and hardly any role model of success to hold up. The business community likely won't change any business policies due to the "Occupy Movement" either. The outrageous of the "Occupy Movement"may even backfire because of a public backlash against the lawlessness of the movement, resulting in an even more conservative government or police, who take a much tougher line against such protests who block public streets or cause other problems. That's not the kind of change these people want.






Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Dr. Conrad Murray On Suicide Watch In Jail



Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician who was recently convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the King Of Pop. is telling visitors in jail that he's lost the will to live and feels suicidal. He's currently in a medical ward at the Los Angeles County Jail because he's on suicide watch because of his deep depression.




Apparently, the doctor believed so much in his own innocence that he was mentally incapable of believing that he he might somehow lose his case. It's a sad fall from grace for the doctor to the stars who was once paid $150,000 a month by Michael Jackson to serve as his personal physician.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

BIG BANG THEORY Overtakes TWO AND A HALF MEN In Ratings



Almost since it first aired on CBS, TWO AND A HALF MEN has been the flagship comedy over at CBS. However, that all changed last week when THE BIG BANG THEORY finally has moved into the top comedy position over at CBS and on TV in general, becoming the top comedy overall. BIG BANG THEORY drew 16 million viewers, while TWO AND A HALF MEN weakened slightly to 13.9 million viewers.


But, the news isn't all bad for TWO AND A HALF MEN. Monday night TV faced some serious competition from Halloween and from MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL over on cable TV. BIG BANG THEORY is likely the top comedy now, but TWO AND A HALF MEN should have it's rating peak up a bit this week.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

14 Year Old Entrepreneur's Awesome Vegan Cup Cake Business



The biggest portion of America's economic strength is in it's entrepreneurs and their individual efforts to make our economy strong. And one small connoisseur vegan cup cake home business run by 14 year old Clara Polito is getting a lot of buzz. Young Clara simply makes some of America's best tasting cup cakes by far, vegan or not. Her small, but growing little business is really impressing even the most discriminating of tastes who love excellent baked goods. At just $36,00 a dozen, despite using very expensive ingredients, Clara's cup cakes are simply a work of art and some of the best tasting and beautiful cakes produced by any bakery in America.


Mouth watering varieties include vanilla, Velvet jonsi or chocolate, as well as a unique bubblegum flavored cup cake, a chocolate hazelnut variety, and a unique one called lemon pow, which has a very strong and wonderful lemon flavor. Because Clara is a vegan, and an animal rights supporter, none of her wonderful cakes include any dairy, honey or eggs. She is able to use finest quality vegan substitutes for any animal product in her wonderful kitchen confections. Despite no dairy in her cakes, the flavor is actually far better than other cakes made with eggs or dairy products.


What is so nice about Clara's business is that she has taken her love of animals, as well as her skills in business, and as a top notch baker, and is making a difference. This is America's future right here. Let's see her business grow into a national one. A Clara's Cakes business belongs on every corner as much as any Starbucks. These cakes are that good.


What some company like Ben & Jerry's has done to elevate ice cream to a connoisseur level, Clara has done for cup cakes. Clara gets rave national reviews for her small home based business including some television exposure. Her business needs to go national. You can order your cakes from Clara at info@claracakes.com or call at (805)334-0390 to order, or better yet, to propose investing in Clara's business.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Joe Paterno Contacted Criminal Defense Lawyer



The Penn State sex scandal story is now taking another bad turn. It appears that Joe Paterno has now sought legal help from criminal defense attorney J. Sedgwick Sollers. After being fired as the head coach of the football program on Wednesday, Paterno wasn't charged with any crime, however he apparently failed to sex abuse by Jerry Sandusky to law enforcement authorities. Failure to report a serious crime such as this, could conceivably be prosecuted if a district attorney so decides. Further, this failure to report a crime likely sets up both Paterno and Penn State for a number of lawsuits by victims.




It should however be considered a bad sign that this legendary coach felt as though he might need legal representation. This is such a sad end to such a great career.

L.A. WOMAN Deluxe 40th Anniversary Release Due In Late November



Each year, The Doors manage to treat their fans to a great cd release just in time for Christmas. This year is no exception, as in late November a deluxe 2cd and 4cd special collector's box set edition of the remixed landmark L.A. Woman album will become available. The two disc set will feature a remixed version of the last album recorded shortly before the death of lead singer Jim Morrison in Paris on disc one. Disc two features rare outtake versions of the albums songs as well as banter between the musicians and the recording engineers. The four disc set includes even more rare material than the 2 disc set and is intended to be sold mostly through The Doors own website.


Backing up the release of the deluxe L.A. WOMAN reissue is the recent release of the DVD, MR. MOJO RISIN': THE STORY OF L.A. WOMAN, which has been recently released. There is also the scheduled release of a computer app as well to provide even more background about the historic album's production in case some fan of the band just can;'t get enough.


Any true fan of the band should be satisfied here, don't you think?

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Shocking New Rumor Of Boy Pimping To Wealthy Donors In Penn State Sex Scandal Story



Reporters are now working on verifying some shocking new rumors in the Penn State sex scandal story that is much worse than ever expected. Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden appeared on a Boston radio show claiming that news reporters are following up some leads that Jerry Sandusky also pimped out boys to some wealthy donors of Penn State besides sexual abuse of his own. The scandal resulted in the termination of legendary head football Coach Joe Paterno, and riots at the college campus in which at least one news crew truck was damaged and overturned by rioters. There is also no word whether sex was actually exchanged for donations to the school's football program by the donors either. But, the new rumors are deeply disturbing.


Joe Paterno was the head coach at Penn State for 44 years, although his total employment at the school extended to 60 years. He was a legendary and beloved figure, which angered the students when he was fired. However, he apparently knew of the sex crimes being committed by Jerry Sandusky, but failed to report them. It was his indifference to these crimes that led to his firing from the school.


Students who participate in acts such as arson or rioting can face some very serious felony charges under Pennsylvania law.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Rap Pioneer Heavy D Dead




Rap music legend Heavy D has died. He was 44. The pioneer of the rap genre was rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles due to some medical emergency where he was responsive when emergency paramedics arrived at his home, but he apparently died in the emergency room from his urgent health crisis. Some reports say that this important figure in rap music died from respiratory issues shortly after he collapsed outside his home.



Born in the nation of Jamaica as Dwight Arrington-Myers, Heavy D became one of the most influential of the early rap artists. From 1986 until this year, he released nine studio albums, including five albums with his group Heavy D & The Boys. All nine of his albums were a top ten R&B chart success, and one of his solo albums, WATERBED HEV, was a #9 U.S. album chart success as well. He had 15 singles he released, with his duet with Janet Jackson, "Alright Remix", hitting #4 on the Hot 100 pop charts as his biggest crossover success from the R&B or rap charts.



The news has to be tragic to his millions of fans. He was a great and beloved artist who will be deeply missed. He was a decent man who recently attended a charity event only days before his death. Only Monday night he Tweeted about his sadness over the death of Joe Frazer. His final Tweet was an uplifting message, "Be Inspired". Even the Catholic news service, CATHOLIC ONLINE, carried the news of his death because Heavy D was viewed as such an important figure in modern music.



It was said that Heavy D was "the only rapper that everyone always loved".

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

DVD Review: KILLJOY's REVENGE



This third film in the very low budget Killjoy the killer clown franchise, is also known as KILLJOY 3. On the Redbox rental version, the film is entitled, KILLJOY's REVENGE. Originally, the KILLJOY series was a sort of blaxploitation, urban horror genre series of films. And the third installment has a little of that feel as well. The movie also reads a lot like a very low budget ripoff of Stephen King's IT as well. In order to save money, Full Moon pictures produces this horror series of films in China, which cut the total production costs to around $150,000 total for the first two films. Likely, this third go around also was made on a dime store budget as well.




About the biggest improvement in this third KILLJOY film installment is the improved makeup of the main character compared to the first two times out. KILLJOY is definitely more scary looking in this third outing, and he has three more demonic clown sidekicks in crime, including a female demon clown character, who's costume mainly consists of body paint. She's sexy, half naked, and deadly.




But, none of this really helps a movie lacking much of a script or a reasonable conclusion. It's an intriguing premise where a group of four college students house-sitting get drawn into KILLJOY's world via an old mirror. But, a final dinner scene where one young woman is going to eaten for dinner only results in some some big food fight at the table and then the movie is soon abruptly over. Before that, one young woman has to do a forced harem dance and another guy gets forced into a boxing match with Punchy the clown. That's not exactly NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, although KILLJOY does manage to convey some of the same sort of dark humor you'd expect from a Freddy Krueger. KILLJOY is a good enough character, and well acted enough , in search of a far better script and movie to star in.




The Bottom Line: Marginally recommended as a sort of popcorn movie, this low budget horror flick just didn't quite like up to my expectations. Yet, I certainly enjoyed the Killjoy character and his sexy female clown friend. *1/2(One and a half stars, or a little better than flat-out poor. Don't buy this DVD, just rent it for a single viewing if you love horror flicks).



Bad Girl Shannon Doherty's Bad TV Gig



Bad girl Shannon Doherty has a bad new gig. She's hocking an Online education company called Education Connection who operate the http://www.classesplease.com/ Website. And to further worsen this situation, she undergoes a number of silly costume changes during the ad, which is designed to appeal to the unemployed who are searching for job skills so they can be employable. Usually, these sort of job training or education type ads run during either daytime or late night shows like JERRY SPRINGER,etc., designed to appeal to the unemployed who watch these shows in large numbers while everyone else actually works for a living.




It looks like Brenda Walsh(Shannon Doherty's 90210 character) totally needs a job herself to be doing this demeaning and outrageous gig where other non-star women used to do the ad bragging that they can go to school in their pajamas. An unbelievable career fall for a once popular fixture on TV. This is as small of a return to the small screen as you can possibly get. I certainly hope that there wasn't a line of other celebrities who had to audition for this role, and Shannon Doherty only won this role after a grueling audition process. That would be even more pathetic.

Monday, November 07, 2011

Dr. Conrad Murray Found Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter By Jury



Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician was found guilty by a jury of involuntary manslaughter, and now faces prison time when he's sentenced the judge in the case. Earlier today, it was noted that the jury had reached a verdict, but then a wait of around two hours ensued before the courtroom was reconvened and the verdict read.


The trial lasted for 33 days against the doctor who was paid $150,000 a month by Michael Jackson for offering him private medical care in his home. However, the jury found that the doctor failed Michael Jackson, causing his death beyond any reasonable doubt. For his part, the doctor appeared emotionless in court as the verdict was read, no doubt disappointed that his defense team was unable to convince the jury of his claimed innocence.


Certainly, the doctor will now lose his medical license as well as face time in prison. It has to be a disappointing end to a career for a doctor that once served Hollywood celebrities such as Michael Jackson.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

DVD Review: APOLLO 18




Unlike the excellent Ron Howard film, APOLLO 13, a top-notch rescue drama from a near disaster in space, APOLLO 18 is a low budget SciFi film made to look like 1974 documentary footage of a fictional trip to the Moon by a crew that met with pure disaster. The premise of the film is that NASA actually had one more top secret military trip to the Moon after the last official mission of Apollo 17. Although the reality is that the Moon has no oxygen to support life, somehow some sort of violent spider-like creatures caused the deaths of a secret Soviet mission to the Moon, as well as the crew of Apollo 18. It's a foolish little premise, but the film's style of being shot like old camera footage is sort of an impressive thing.



But, impressive camera work and a mock documentary style are hardly enough to save a very mediocre SciFi film that's not all that good of story to begin with. This movie only got about 24% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes from other critics as well, which seems about right.



For the small $5 million dollar budget this film did gross more than $24 million, so despite the poor film that was actually produced, from a business standpoint this film at least made a profit on the investment. But, please, don't let that encourage more bad films like this to be made. This film's enough to last me for this lifetime. I've actually seen many movies made for around $5 million or less that were much better than this. I guess $5 million just doesn't buy what it used to.



The Bottom Line: Probably better to skip this movie than anything. It was a major league disappointment for me, although I liked it a little better than MOON. **(Two stars fair, and that's being plenty generous here because this story isn't that good, but the old documentary-type film footage camera style is an impressive little gimmick though. If you're required by law to have to watch every SciFi film ever made, then that's the only reason to spend any time watching 86 minutes of a rather pointless and failed camera experiment here).

Saturday, November 05, 2011

60 MINUTES Legend Andy Rooney Dies From Surgery Complications



Andy Rooney, the legendary commenter for 60 MINUTES up until his retirement only a few weeks ago, his died. He was 92. Rooney had been hospitalized on Oct 25, but developed some complications during some sort of surgical procedure, the nature of which hasn't been publicly disclosed. Although a popular fixture on 60 MINUTES, he nonetheless managed to sometimes anger with his outrageous and outspoken observations including some controversial racial and anti-gay comments. Back in 1990, Rooney was suspended from 60 MINUTES for three months without pay for some his controversial comments where equated homosexual unions with premature death. But, it was also this outrageous style and commentary that made him a fascinating commentator as well. You never knew what this old guy would come up with next. It was both bizarre and fascinating at the same time, to watch this cranky old man complain about things, passing this off as some sort of commentary. But, it became an unique feature for 60 MINUTES, and a weekly ritual for millions to watch and love and loathe at the same time.


During WWII, Rooney started his career as journalist with the U.S. Army, writing for the STARS AND STRIPES military newspaper. That was a beginning of one of the longest running careers in journalism.


Rooney was often lampooned by comics for his complaining style of commentary, yet his distinctive style made him an unique personality. Love him or hate him, Andy Rooney was a once in a generation figure for journalism and can never be replaced.

Friday, November 04, 2011

PORKY'S Star Wyatt Knight Dies From Apparent Suicide



Suffering from the ravages of cancer, Wyatt Knight, 56 year old star of the teen sex comedy, PORKY'S, apparently took his own life. Wyatt Knight had a bone marrow transplant back in 2003, but apparently his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma had returned, where his treatments were putting him in severe pain, both physically and emotionally. Knight had remained friends with his other top PORKY'S costars, all of which were in the 2nd most successful Canadian film of all time. PORKY'S grossed more than $111 million dollars, which was a huge success for a film only costing $4 million to make.


The actor had also played in some other TV roles, including STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, M.A.S.H., THE WALTONS, PROFILER and CHICAGO HOPE, although his role in PORKY'S was his most famous.

The Raunchy Wii Game You Won't See In The U.S.



Because the Wii games are thought up as being family friendly, you won't see one raunchy title for sale in the Unites States that is available in the UK and other parts of the world. The Ubisoft title, WE DARE, only seems to encourage adult couples to play various sexy games such as stripping, spanking, pole dancing, making out, etc. But, have no fear, America this kinky little game won't see the light of day in the U.S. because of it's puritanical and Christian conservative upbringing roots.




Thank God, your video game system is being kept safe in this country, exclusively meant for violent video games, where you get to kill off your opponents cartoon image characters in combat situations, cut off their cartoon image heads, etc. At least, the streets are safe once again.




Violence is as American as apple pie, they say?

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Greatest Songs Of All Time: "Can I Get A Witness"



Although it never became a top ten hit, the gospel music influenced, "Can I Get A Witness," written by R&B music writing superstars Holland-Dozier-Holland became one of Marvin Gaye's earliest signature hits, helping to establish his career as one of the greatest R&B singers in history. The very heavy Black church influenced style of the song was very apparent, and made good use of Marvin Gaye's background as a Gospel music singer in his church. Adding to the gospel feel of the song was Marvin Gaye playing piano on the song, along with other Motown greats such as The Supremes and The Funk Brothers backing up Marvin Gaye. The song was a far greater landmark of music than it's peak #22 on the U.S. charts would ever suggest.




Although not a huge American success, the song nonetheless became a huge influence on the British music scene as many White music singers over in the UK began to incorporate R&B influences into their music, creating what was known as the "White Soul " sound there. Rod Stewart was the lead singer of an early group named Steampocket, and this UK act covered the song along with other acts such as Lulu and Sam Brown. It also became an early R&B cover for The Rolling Stones as well, who started their career as basically a White R&B act, before the team of Jagger-Richards began to write unique songs for the act. White Soul singer, Dusty Springfield also did an early cover version of the song as well.



In 1971, session musician Lee Michaels brought a single version of "Can I Get A Witness" back to the pop charts, although the song only peaked at #39 in the U.S., but it was nonetheless a very nice showcase for the talents of Lee Micheal who played a Hammond organ as his primary instrument. Lee Michaels had previously backed uo such notable musicians as Jimi Hendrix in some of his work. His early albums failed to gain much traction, however his album FIFTH, produced the AM radio hit, "Do You Know What I Mean", and "Can I Get A Witness" was his follow-up single to that surprise hit. "Do You Know What I Mean" peaked at #6 on the U.S. charts.



Unfortunately after the album FIFTH and his single "Can I Get A Witness", Lee Michaels' career took a strange turn. He was in the process of breaking his contract with A&M Records, but was contractually obligated to produce one more album, so he quickly threw together an uncharacteristic hard rock album, SPACE AND FIRST TAKES, which only included just four songs, because two of the songs were largely long jam pieces. "Hold On To Freedom" was a very good single from the album, but failed to make the top forty. Even worse, his two albums for his new label, Columbia Records, were clear flops. NICE DAY FOR SOMETHING and the hard rock album TAILFACE both were huge commercial failures, especially TAILFACE which almost seemed like just pointless hard rock noise. After turning to a couple of minor labels and having no sauces there, Lee Michaels eventually went into semi-retirement from the music business. One rumor circulated by some disc jockeys was that this Los Angeles native bought a Northern California home in the mountains, and had a pet lion he once owned.



But, for Marvin Gaye, "Can I Get A Witness" was probably the greatest career move moment of any singer who ever covered the song. Marvin Gaye's career only improved after the song, but sadly ended when he was shot to death by his elderly father who was suffering from a brain tumor at the time. Marvin Gaye's life had spun out of control in his final years, plagued by a drug abuse and a nasty divorce and an album, HERE, MY DEAR, with the title a sarcastic comment on the huge divorce settlement he had to pay. Yet, Marvin Gaye is stilled recognized as the #6 greatest singer of all time by ROLLING STONE Magazine. No personal problems can take away that achievement.










Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Herman Cain Becomes The Butt Of Late Night Comic Jokes



They say that once you become a joke on Jay Leno, it's all over. And the Godfather's Pizza CEO, Herman Cain, might be feeling some heat in the kitchen now that more details and accusations about his sexual harassment problems are made public. A third woman has now emerged with some more accusations, as well as others who knew him back in the 1990's, now claiming that he tried to invite women to his apartment, made sexual gestures, and engaged in other activity that made women feel very uncomfortable who worked around him.


Meanwhile, the late night comics are having a field day, making Herman Cain jokes each night as part of their monologue routine. For someone who is the current national Republican presidential field leader, none of this is very good news. Coincidently, the declining campaign of Gov. Rick Perry has been unfairly hit by a video of an animated speech appearance where some claim that Perry was drunk during the speech, although the real evidence says that he wasn't. Regardless, it's just another problem for that troubled campaign as well.


Herman Cain was a political phenomenon up until very recently, a true outsider to politics, a former top CEO businessman with a strong background in economics, who was seen as a breath of fresh air to many disenfranchised voters tired of the bad economy. Now, all of the new problems only serve to derail that campaign and aid his chief rival, Mitt Romney, although no evidence exists so far that Romney's campaign has been behind bringing this scandal stuff up. President Obama is also the clear loser here as well, as Romney runs the strongest against him than any other GOP contender. Romney has a far better potential to win the general election than Herman Cain according to most recent polls.




Over the years, Herman Cain was also best remembered for inspirational appearance on religious programs such as Robert Schuller's HOUR OF POWER as well. His appearance's were so well received, that many thought, "Wow, this guy should be president!".


Sadly, for Herman Cain, a great experience running for president has only been soiled with a bunch of old personal garbage from the past, and now late night comic jokes are making this skilled and experienced businessman a butt of their jokes. Whether Herman Cain's campaign for president continues amid all of these problems remains to seen. Early in this political season before he gained traction as the top Republican contender, Cain actually considered quitting the race twice. Just before this sexual harassment scandal had any effect on late polls, Cain had actually increased his national GOP preference lead to 7 points over Mitt Romney, his strongest showing yet. Now, David Letterman has joked that Herman Cain has "0-0-0" chance of being elected president, a parody of Cain's 9-9-9 tax overhaul proposal.

Rock Legends Band Together For Native American Emergency Aid Cruise Event



In a great act of cooperation and compassion, 58 top legendary rock acts have agreed to perform shows on a Rock Legends Cruise meant to benefit the Sioux Nation living on reservations in South Dakota. Huge legendary rock acts such as ZZ Top, George Thorogood And The Destroyers, John Kay And Steppenwolf, Edgar Winter, Foghat, Pat Travers, Molly Hatchet, Johnny Winter, The Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band, Dickie Betts And Great Southern, Blackfoot and more. Tickets for the cruise start at around $2,000, which doesn't seem like a bad deal at all for this floating rock concert on the seas.


Artists will also contribute items for auctions that will raise additional funds for emergency aid for the Native American benefit as well.


The cruise is a terrific value because concert admissions are included in the price along with meals and some drinks, as well as some room service, as well many other features on this special Royal Caribbean cruise event.


Who doesn't think that many rock musicians have a big heart and care about others? And with many legendary rock performers now in their sixties, many could retire in the next few years, meaning that you need to see them. An opportunity like this may never come around again to see this many classic rocks acts all performing together.


Don't let the ship set sail on December 1, 2011 without you. Book today!

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Herman Cain Changes His Sexual Harassment Lawsuits Story During Monday Night Interview On FOX News



Herman Cain's problems arising from his handling of two old sexual harassment lawsuits is likely to haunt his presidential campaign. Just yesterday, Cain claimed, "I have never sexually harassed anyone and those accusations are totally false...". But, today, Cain changed his story during a Monday night interview on FOX, now claiming that undisclosed financial settlements were paid to two women who filed suit against Cain back when was the head of the National Restaurant Association more than 10 years ago. Cain probably could have weathered out these old allegations, since they are old news, with no recent allegations. However, it is lying about these allegations yesterday that is now very likely to hurt his outsider campaign to become president.


But, Cain probably faces an uphill fight to win the GOP nomination scandal or not. While still leading national GOP preference polls, Cain actually trails Mitt Romney in all four of the earliest Republican primary or caucus events which start in early 2012. If Cain loses in South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida to Romney, then the former Massachusetts governor could quickly wrap up the GOP nomination and work on building a unified Republican Party and concentrate on what is likely to be close 2012 general election. Cain's latest scandal makes him look untrustworthy and dishonest, which is very unfortunate. It was untimely a number of problems that detracted both Barbara Bachmann and then Rick Perry from early front-runner status as conservative alternatives to the more mainstream Romney. Now, it looks like Cain could be suffer some of the same credibility problems the others have, where he appears to only another flawed alternative to Romney.


Herman Cain appeared as an attractive conservative candidate because of his extensive success in business such as being the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza in addition his banking regulation leadership, and knowledge of economics. He is also the only major GOP candidate for president with no political experience, making him a true outsider among the crowded GOP field. Probably his latest scandal will strike at his credibility, and lower his standing in the race, only opening up the path of Mitt Romney to quickly capture the GOP nomination.


If any rule holds true in politics, its that the most likely outcome is usually the actual outcome. Mitt Romney has appeared to be the most likely candidate to win the nomination for some time now, and will also present the biggest challenge to the sitting president, who sits with lagging poll numbers and a bad economy. Protests from both the left and right, such as the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations on one hand, and the Tea Party movement on the other hand, only illustrate many American's dissatisfaction with the economy or taxes. It's going to be challenging for a sitting president to be re-elected in such a political climate, where Mitt Romney has a very good chance to win the general election. Herman Cain's latest problems only serve to help Romney at this point, who can certainly benefit by a quick win of the GOP nomination as the latest heir apparent to carry the GOP banner for the general election.