Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock ‘n’ roll whose distinctive “shave and a haircut, two bits” rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79. Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.

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It’s a sad day in Hollywood as Director/Producer/Actor Sydney Pollack has lost his battle with cancer. He was 73. First diagnosed nine months ago, Pollack died Monday night surrounded by friends and family.

Having lost my own dad to cancer in 2005, I am very sympathetic to the plight of his family and friends. My heart goes out to them all as these loses are never easy, no matter how “prepared” you might think you are for it. God bless you all and may he guide and comfort you in the days ahead.

Sydney Pollack first caught my attention after watching “Three Days Of the Condor” starring Robert Redford, Cliff Robertson and Faye Dunaway. Originally released in 1975, I first watched with baited breath in 1980 as a wide-eyed 10 year old. While I admit that first viewing left me with many a question, I have since re-watched this fine film many times and have come to truly appreciate the level of story telling this film possesses. Two years later, Sydney blew us all out of the water with a little film called Tootsie.

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Apparently, the answer to that question is…pretty fucking dumb. 21 year old Kelly Pickler, of American Idol rejection fame, might have single handedly proven every point I have ever made about the sad state of Americans today.

Ms. Pickler recently appeared on the Fox show ‘Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?’ and I have to say I have never, ever seen a more uncomfortable situation for a tv host and guest than what transpired in this episode. Did I say uncomfortable? Try down right painful…like masturbating with a cheese grater painful.

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Yeah, thats right. Fuck Billy Ray Cyrus too. If you think there is ever a good reason, big or small, to take semi nude pictures of a 15 year old girl for the express purpose of disseminating them to the public at large….FUCK YOU TOO. From where I’m sitting, taking semi nude pictures or any pictures that in any way induce sexual imagery of a 15 year old is totally reprehensible. Bunch of fuck sticks.

What else is Annie Leibowitz willing to do in the name of “art”? Amazing to me that some guy invokes the name of God and Jesus and he is a “freak”. Watch out for that sicko, but Ms. Leibowitz says, “hey today ‘art’ means getting a 15 yr. old naked in front of the camera”…and she is a ‘genius’.

Funny, because when my neighbor tried something similar sometime ago, they didn’t call him a ‘genius’. Nope they had a few other choice words for him…like ‘molester’, ‘child abuser’, ’sick fucking animal’ and my personal favorite…”fucking dead man’.

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Some of my earliest memories in this life involve the Yankees. My grandfather never missed a game which meant I never missed a game either.

During the seventies the Yankees were a veritable fountain of memorable moments. Chris Chambliss homers to win the pennant & desperately tries to round the bases as fans over run the field in ‘76, Reggie Jackson sends 3 over the wall in game 6 of the ‘77 Fall Classic, Bucky Dent breaks Boston’s spirits and hopes with a homer in ‘78….and of course Thurman Munson. These are some of the memories that I still carry with me from my youth.

It was the Yankee games that got my family through times like the blackouts/looting of ‘77 and the Son Of Sam ordeal, which if you lived in the NYC area during the time, you know was a frightful time to say the least.

I was never privileged to see my grandfathers pinstripe heroes, DiMaggio, Mantle & Maris but I knew them well. These are the memories of my grandfathers youth, passed down to me and someday they will be passed on to my own kids.

These memories are why I have been so saddened by the decision made to knock down Yankee Stadium. For me the building, the grounds, everything about the place is a piece of American history as well as baseball history.

Putting aside the obvious, years of outstanding baseball play, the Stadium was home to historic concerts, legendary football games & unforgettable events. I love the idea of a new stadium for my Yankees but at the cost of our history? Why can’t the building be turned into a museum where future generations can gaze in awe and wonder at the sheer amount of history the building and grounds have come to represent?

For some time I have felt rather alone in these thoughts as I have heard many a Yankee fan declare they were quite alright with the old buildings demolition. Today I found a lone voice who shares my love of the history, the games and times spent in Yankee Stadium, in the form of Louis M. DiLullo. Mr. DiLullo runs, yankeetradition.com, a Yankee fan site where I found the following essay; “Yankees Stadium Speaks“. Mr. DiLullo has eloquently stated in this essay all the feelings I also bear and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for having written what I have felt so strongly.

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So here I am having witnessed something I swore I’d never see again - another Real World season. last night was the premiere of the 20th season of the perennial train wreck.

I have no idea how or why I ended up watching this show as I’ve managed to avoid the past few years worth of youthful American overindulgence and public stupidity all in the name of making a career out of being a drunk and or a slut. The last season I caught even an episode of was in San Diego (or was it Vegas? or maybe Denver?!?) and it made me long for the days of Judd & Puck (oh the horror!). How far this show has fallen from the initial reality TV experiment of “7 strangers picked to live in a house together” to “7 media hungry idiots looking for a free ride in return for their souls”.

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The man was nothing short of legend. Best known for having played heroic roles, such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur, he will also be remembered for being one of a handful of Hollywood actors to speak out openly against racism and was an active supporter of the civil rights movement. During the civil rights march held in Washington, D.C. in 1963, he accompanied Martin Luther King Jr.

That he was still unafraid of controversy as he grew older was evident in his memorable 2000 NRA convention speech, where he raised a rifle over his head and declared that the Bill Clinton administration would take away his Second Amendment rights “from my cold, dead hands.”. Michael Moore would later try to take selfish, advantage of Heston’s NRA affiliation by ambushing Charlton in an interview for his 2002 film Bowling For Columbine.

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Every once in a while you come across something online that gives you pause. Something that is completely disgusting and yet strangely appealing…entrancing even. yesterday was such a day for me. For yesterday I found the girls of MilkGoneWild.com.

I love a good parody and this is a good one, but something about all those bare udders bouncing around that kinda grossed me out. Some how it was strangely, dare I say exciting? The website is an off-shoot of the PetaTV site, and is supposedly the result of a banned Super Bowl commercial. I have absolutely no love for the PETA organization but have to admit this commercial made me chuckle, so it is with mixed feelings that I promote this video series. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals. I own a couple dogs as well as a couple of cats and would never want them or any other animals mis treated in any way, but I can not in good conscience support this group. they are merely a front for a much more sinister agenda and I won’t support it….but I digress.

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