Enjoy this video of an acapella group and violinist one guy doing five separate parts in his own musical arrangement of highlights from Legend of Zelda.  I did. 🙂

Yes, tomorrow night begins the drama that has become known as American Idol.  This season promises to be as memorable as the past how many ever it has been (I’ve lost count).  There is going to be an added female judge joining Simon, Randy, and Paula.  Maybe she will inject added controversy with the often addled-appearing Paula Abdul.  I enjoy watching the first few weeks of the audition process when the producers put the worst of the worst before millions of television audiences.  Honestly, who can imagine this unfortunate soul singing(?) Like a Virgin being taken seriously?  I guess one should not scoff at someone attempting to fulfill a dream, but… Somehow future seasons saw contestants like William Hung and Sanjaya Malakar advance a few stages.  Curiosity will lead me to watch some this season, but it definitely does not have the appeal it once did.[poll id=”12″]

Yes, our president-elect is a self-proclaimed comic book aficionado.  Mr. Obama is such a fan of the Amazing Spider-Man that he is being featured on the cover of an upcoming issue as well as a story within its pages.  This is not the first time that comics have met the real world.  Many heroes took part in stories following the events of September 11, 2001 especially the web-slinger since his home turf is in fact Queens, New York.  Presidents are not new to comic book pages, either.

• President John F. Kennedy was seen in the pages of Action Comics #309 which was published months after the assassination.
• President Clinton and Hillary were part of the World Without a Superman
  in the pages of Man of Steel.

• President Ronald Reagan (or some artist’s rendering of him) was seen in the ground-breaking series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

Yes, sometimes the worlds of fantasy and reality do merge.

I love a good scary movie and I was recently sent a list of the 20 Scariest Movies of All Time according to Entertainment Weekly.  I must say I agree with a large portion of them.  I think during the 80s and 90s, the scare went more to slash with popular endless series such as Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street (the series became so popular that Jason and Freddy eventually combined into one film… by that time I had long lost interest).  I did enjoy the original Nightmare though.  I think Wes Craven was appalled by the rather comedic silliness that plagued the later sequels and eventually returned for the rather creative Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

That being said, I enjoy a fright more than seeing people being mindlessly chased by some psycho that is the work of some idiot out to make a few dollars with a movie that appeals to teenagers.  I like the classics more than most.  Hitchcock’s best: Psycho (the shower scene is still brilliant… not seeing is definitely scarier than seeing).  The original Exorcist still freaks me out.  Funny how many times the originals should have stood on their own.  Rosemary’s Baby is one I have not seen in sometime.

Moving on to more modern fare.  The Silence of the Lambs is in my top three scary movies.  Not too wild about the sequel, and prequels (I actually prefer Manhunter to Red Dragon) but Anthony Hopkins scares the jeebies out of me.  I also liked The Ring a lot.  I have not yet watched any of the Saw movies which seem to be going the way of past franchises although the series still continues yearly.

Of course, I haven’t forgotten the real classic movies: the numerous versions of Dracula, Wolf Man, Frankenstein, and all the classic misunderstood monster movies.  Those are good, too.  However, that is only scratching the surface.  Nothing better than sitting back in a dark room, popping on a good suspenseful yarn, and getting that heart pumping. [poll id=”11″]

As everyone knows the world famous WCCT does an big, important, annual awards show called The Willies.  Well, it seems Hollywood / Television has it’s own cute little version of the Willies called the Golden Globes.

Although the awards may not have as much meaning as the Willies do, some people in Hollywood make a big deal out of it anyhow.  So, I have decided to make some picks.  I made them the old fashion way — I guessed as fast as I can so I could actually get the post done.  Make you picks in the comments below!

Best Motion Picture – Drama

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

The Reader

Revolutionary Road

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie – Changeling

Meryl Streep – Doubt

Kristin Scott Thomas – I’ve Loved You So Long

Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road

Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn – Milk

Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy

Burn After Reading

Happy-Go-Lucky

In Bruges

Mamma Mia!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky

Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading

Meryl Streep – Mamma Mia!

Emma Thompson – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy

Javier Bardem – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Colin Farrell – In Bruges

James Franco – Pineapple Express

Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges

Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Amy Adams – Doubt

Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis – Doubt

Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder

Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder

Ralph Fiennes – The Duchess

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)

Everlasting Moments (Sweden, Denmark)

Gomorrah (Italy)

I’ve Loved You So Long (France)

Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Director – Motion Picture

Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

Stephen Daldry – The Reader

David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon

Sam Mendes – Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Written by Eric Roth

Doubt
Written by John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon
Written by Peter Morgan

The Reader
Written by David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire
Written by Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Composed by Alexandre Desplat

Changeling
Composed by Clint Eastwood

Defiance
Composed by James Newton Howard

Slumdog Millionaire
Composed by A. R. Rahman

Frost/Nixon
Composed by Hans Zimmer
Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Down To Earth” – Wall-E
Music By: Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyrics By: Peter Gabriel

“Gran Torino” – Gran Torino
Music By: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
Lyrics By: Jamie Cullum

“I Thought I Lost You” – Bolt
Music & Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele

“Once In A Lifetime” – Cadillac Records
Music & Lyrics By: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarmon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street

“The Wrestler” – The Wrestler
Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

Best Television Series – Drama

Dexter (SHOWTIME)

House (FOX)

In Treatment (HBO)

Mad Men (AMC)

True Blood (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama

Sally Field – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order

January Jones – Mad Men (AMC)

Anna Paquin – True Blood (HBO)

Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama

Gabriel Byrne – In Treatment (HBO)

Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)

Hugh Laurie – House (FOX)

Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

30 Rock (NBC)

Californication (SHOWTIME)

Entourage (HBO)

The Office (NBC) — WIN BABY!!!

Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

Christina Applegate – Samantha Who? (ABC)

America Ferrera – Ugly Betty (ABC)

Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)

Debra Messing – The Starter Wife (USA)

Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)

Steve Carell – The Office (NBC) 🙂

Kevin Connolly – Entourage (HBO)

David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)

Tony Shalhoub – Monk (USA)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television

A Raisin In The Sun (ABC)

Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Cranford (PBS)

John Adams (HBO)

Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Judi Dench – Cranford (PBS)

Catherine Keener – An American Crime

Laura Linney – John Adams (HBO)

Shirley MacLaine – Coco Chanel

Susan Sarandon – Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Ralph Fiennes – Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Paul Giamatti – John Adams (HBO)

Kevin Spacey – Recount (HBO)

Kiefer Sutherland – 24 (FOX)

Tom Wilkinson – Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Eileen Atkins – Cranford (PBS)

Laura Dern – Recount (HBO)

Melissa George – In Treatment (HBO)

Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Dianne Wiest – In Treatment (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

Denis Leary – Recount (HBO)

Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)

Blair Underwood – In Treatment (HBO)

Tom Wilkinson – John Adams (HBO)

Did you hear the one about the Chinese man who found himself in a dilemma?  His son’s toy fell into the panda enclosure at the zoo, so he jumped in after it.  The panda attacked him, and because the creatures are so coveted in China, he didn’t fend off the animal because he feared he would injure him.  He survived the attack, as did the other 2 victims of this particular panda.  But as the below article notes, in China, there is no “3 strikes, you’re out” policy for pandas because they are so highly regarded.  Particularly amusing is the tale of the drunken tourist who was also a victim of this malicious panda.  Read about Gu Gu the not-so-nice panda here:

(CNN) — Gu Gu is not your typical soft and cuddly giant panda.
Zhang Jiao was attacked by Gu Gu the panda when he fell into the pen at the Beijing Zoo on Wednesday.

Zhang Jiao was attacked by Gu Gu the panda when he fell into the pen at the Beijing Zoo on Wednesday.

For the third time, he’s tasted the flesh of an unwitting intruder in his pen at the Beijing Zoo.

His most recent victim was 28-year-old Zhang Jiao, who told CNN he fell into the panda pen Wednesday while trying to catch a small toy thrown by his young son.

“My son and I were playing with a panda doll, throwing it to each other, when I dropped with the toy” into the pen, Zhang said.

The barrier around the pen is about 5 feet tall, but on the other side is a drop of 9 to 10 feet, and Zhang says he could not climb out.

That’s when Gu Gu went on the attack.

The 240-pound giant panda sunk his teeth into Zhang’s left leg before moving on to the right leg.

“The panda is a national treasure, and I love and respect [him], so I didn’t fight back,” Zhang said. “The panda didn’t let go until it chewed up my leg and its mouth was dripping with my blood.”

Zookeepers needed to use tools to pry open Gu Gu’s jaws.

Zhang said he never imagined a panda could be so vicious.

“I always thought they were cute and just ate bamboo,” Zhang said.

According to Dr. Wang Tianbing, who treated Zhang, his wounds were severe, especially the damage done to the muscle and ligaments in his left leg.

“Normally, we think the panda is very tender animal, but actually it’s a bear, not a cat. If the animal thinks it will be hurt by human beings, it is very dangerous.”

Wang should know. In 2007, he treated another one of Gu Gu’s victims, a 15-year-old boy who climbed into the pen to get a closer look. A year earlier, state media reported that a drunken tourist tried to hug the panda, who bit him. In an odd twist, the tourist reportedly bit back.

But being an endangered species and much-loved national icon means there’s no “three strikes and you’re out” for Gu Gu.

In fact, there’s a possibility Zhang may face charges for entering the panda pen.

Zoo officials did not respond to CNN’s request for an interview but are reportedly considering new measures to keep tourists out of Gu Gu’s pen.

A panda’s mouth dripping with blood?  That sounds like a horror movie!

Our new pet rats are great, and Oreo is becoming a real friend.  Bobby Jack, however, seems very nervous all the time.  He squeaks and sneezes a lot, and he uses his nose to try to burrow into my hand when I hold him.  We are thinking he might be blind.  I don’t know that much about rat behavior; these are my first pet rats.  But it just seems like Bobby Jack can’t see.  Are there vision tests for rats?  I guess I have some research to do about rat blindness, squeaking, and sneezing…

For those habitual readers of my blog who couldn’t make it to our regular game night last night due to the blizzard, you missed an ‘event’ – one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.  I’ve been chuckling about it all day!  But before I get to that, I will start at the beginning of the evening.

One of our guests showed up with a dog.  Not just any dog; our dog Beesly.  If you’ve read my blog post called Pet Roll Call, then you know that Beesly is an escape artist.  But imagine our friend’s surprise when he came across Beesly a few blocks away from our house as he was walking over for game night.  He was glad he remembered her name, and he brought her back to her grateful family who didn’t even realize she was missing.  Maybe we should have named her Houdini…

So then we played some games, including a new one a friend brought called Left, Right, Center.  I really liked it; especially because it was very simple and easy to learn.  And then we brought out Pit.  We don’t play Pit very often because it’s not really appreciated by some members of the game night crew.  It’s a very loud game that is played at a frenzied pace.  I really like to play it, but I don’t think I’ve ever won a hand of Pit.  My friend had the same issue, but last night while we were playing, she finally got a winning hand.  In Pit, when you have a winning hand, you are supposed to ring a little bell, much like a bell you’d ring for service at a front desk of a hotel or at a store.  My friend (who shall remain nameless; I don’t want to embarrass her, but I’ll give you a hint – her name rhymes with “feral”) was extremely excited to have a winning hand, but there was one problem – she couldn’t reach the bell from her seat.  So what does she do?  This sweet, very quiet, normally passive person lunges…  no wait, let’s be honest.  She dives across the table for the bell.  I mean, it was a feet-off-the-ground, laying-on-the-table, horizontal, head-first dive across our dining room table, and she landed on my arm in the process.  She was immediately embarrassed and apologized profusely, maybe because I was crying.  But mine were tears of laughter because her behavior was so shocking – my arm was fine.  I guess Pit is such a crazy game that it can bring out the insanity in anyone.  And by the way, she did win the round 🙂  So congrats, _____, on winning your first round of Pit.  Please forgive me for publishing this story on the internet, but I thank you for giving us such a fun memory.

I’m sorry it snowed, but I’m glad our absent friends stayed safe.  We missed you a lot, and we really hope to see you next time!

A great friend told me about a website where you answer trivia questions for fun, and every correct response you give earns free rice for starving people!

So close that pointless solitaire game you were playing and go to https://www.freerice.com.  You start donating the rice by taking the vocabulary quiz in the middle of the page.  If you want to change the category of your questions, click ‘subjects’ at the top of the page.  You can do math, language, chemistry, geography, all kinds of subjects.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys this kind of thing, why not learn something while helping to feed starving people?  Win-win!

Our 4-year-old daughter Samantha is having her first sleepover tonight.  She’s been here when her older sister had friends sleep over, but tonight it’s her friend, just for Sammie.  Four years old is a little bit young to have a sleepover.  And tonight is the second sleepover in a row since older sister Taylor had a friend sleep over last night.  I don’t usually condone two sleepovers in a row because that would make for a very crabby Sunday.  But this is a special sleepover.

Sammie’s friend, Hannah, is an extraordinary little girl.  She was born with a condition that made her spine grow into her brain.  My daughter knows her from preschool, and then she was invited to Hannah’s 4th birthday party – that’s where we learned of her condition.  In the weeks after the party, Sammie called Hannah to see if she could come over and play, but Hannah could not – she was scheduled to have brain surgery in early December, but it was postponed because she suffered a seizure and was also diagnosed with asthma.  Then she underwent the brain surgery just before Christmas, and Sammie called her to see how she was doing.  For an entire week after the surgery, Hannah was bedridden and in constant pain.  She couldn’t come to the phone, much less go anywhere to play.  Now she’s feeling better, although her symptoms are starting to reappear.  So crabby Sunday, shmabby shmunday – my kids are having 2 sleepovers in a row.

Hannah’s recovery wish was to sleep over at Sammie’s house.  And even if it involved a 4-year-old with a double sleepover, what parent would be able to refuse Hannah’s wish?