Monday, August 4, 2008

Incidentally, 'Golf' Backwards Is 'Flog'.










~ Just look at 'er. You know she's about to say something good.








Lucy's quotes:

Ladies and Germs, this is Oprah and The Oprah Winfrey Show's first appearance on Say what?, miraculous as it may seem. Now, I'm not a regular Oprah watcher because they clearly give the audience some type of hallucinogenic drug to rev 'em up like that. Oprah says something like ''I love Versace house slippers!'' and 500 women act like their seats are made by the manufacturers of the Sybian. And, I'm like 'house slippers can't be that good'. However, I did catch yesterday's episode called '237 Reasons To Have Sex', which explored subjects like open marriages and friends with benefits. Dr. Pepper Schwartz was there...No, I didn't make that name up . . . Her name is Pepper and she's a frickin' doctor. No lie.


Anyway, after interviewing people on the street, they got a hold of a 65-year-old woman named Winnie who claims to have had sexy time with her husband in return for a new house. Any objections you may have aside, I say, if your sexy time is still (or ever) worth new-house-value at 65, you probably take vitamins and do yoga 'cause you're doing something right. Today's quote takes place after Winnie admits that her and her husband have sexy time in all sorts of places, prompting the following exchange:


Winnie, the audience member:

''We live on the golf course so we use the golf course at night.''

Oprah:

''That's too good. I-That was just too good. 'Cause you know everybody wants to know what hole.''

. . . Apparently, it was the 16th hole . . . But I'm not even sure that's physically possible!

How To Romance A Roman Woman: Titus Pullo's Lecture On Harmony Between The Sexes


~ The ancient Roman version of a buddy cop duo. Ray Stevenson on the left as Titus Pullo and Kevin McKidd on the right as Lucius Vorenus on HBO's Rome.

HBO's movie-quality series Rome was a favorite of mine. I was fascinated by the everything about it, including the amazing amount of Britishness...that was weird. Rome's storyline took two names briefly mentioned in a historical account of Rome's war in Gaul by Julius Caesar and developed large, influential biographies during the plot of the show that allowed for great dramatic licence as well as a good sense of the actual political turmoil at the time. The two figures were Titus Pullo (perfectly played by Ray Stevenson) and Lucius Vorenus (played by the immensely talented Scotsman, Kevin McKidd). Rome was the kind of soap opera that a real man such as myself would watch and its humor was certainly not lacking, so blended with the deep drama you'd swear Joss Whedon wrote the damn thing (He didn't, it was Bruno Heller, mostly). Either way, my quotes today are from one of my favorite scenes of the short-lived series.

Roman solider, Lucius Vorenus, comes back from a long military campaign to find he isn't suited for domestic life and is completely incapable of getting along with his now more mature wife and the young children that barely remember their father. Trying to please his wife, he asks Titus Pullo, a fierce but flaky soldier and unabashed ladies man for the best in ancient romantic advice. Taking a walk together, Lucius takes in a brilliant lecture from his subordinate as follows:

JD'S Quotes: Warning: This conversation is just a bit graphic...But informative.

Titus Pullo: Of course, your best method for pleasing a woman is the warm beating heart of an enemy. I mean, women will say they don't like it but they do. It makes them wet as October.

Vorenus: Well, that doesn't answer.

Pullo: Well, failing that, talk to her.

Vorenus: Talk? But of what?

Pullo: It doesn't matter. It's all about the tone of the voice. Pretend you're putting a saddle on a skittish horse. 'There, Honey. Shh, come now.'. You know, that sort of thing.

Vorenus: And that's all?

Pullo: What else?...Oh, tell her she's beautiful-all the time. Tell her she's beautiful every time you see her, even when she's not.

Vorenus: And what else?

Pullo: Oh, aye. Also, very important: When you couple with her, there's this spot just above her cunny. It's like a little button. Now, attend to that button and she will open up like a flower.

Vorenus, stopping angrily: How do you know this of her?

Pullo, defensively: All women have them! Ask anyone.


Now, when I said this was informative earlier, I pretty much had a handle on everything, personally, save for the warm beating heart of an enemy part. And, with today's current laws...it's just not worth a shortcut to October weather. You know what I mean?

Friday, August 1, 2008

Listen, Pally: Dean Martin Was A Comedian!

Aaaaagain, I say, listen, Pally: Dean Martin Was A Comedian!

Much of my grandmother's family is from Steubenville, Ohio and when she was young and visiting, she played with a little boy named Dino Crocetti, who later turned out to be an Italian King...The King of Cool, that is. It was Dean Martin. Dean loved where he came from and never forgot. They even named an official state holiday in Ohio-Dean Martin Day. I've always liked Dean and I'm a member of a gigantic club in that regard. Very few people didn't like Dean. I picked up a copy of the book 'Memories are made of this: Dean Martin through his daughter's eyes' and found it difficult to put down. The odyssey of Dean and his family's lives makes for quite a drama but a lot of humor too. Dean was an unusual man and had an unusual life. He was a mega-star in his day, several times over. He conquered movies, live acts, TV and the music industry and did it all with a laid back demeanor and sharp wit.

Deana Martin, Dean's daughter, didn't paint him out to be father of the year but there's no doubt that he was appreciated for the man that he was, including his quirky nature as a loner and his sense of humor. Though he's known more for his beautiful voice and his very tipsy stage persona, Dean was as funny as he was musical. An all-around talent. His days with Jerry Lewis left Jerry with a French mob of fans as the brilliant goof and Dean under appreciated for his own comic talent as a straight man and later as a character too full of scotch to actually stand up straight. Of course, he was usually drinking apple juice but even Mayberry's Otis wasn't a more likable fake drunk. Following are some quotes from the book, which I hope you get the chance and have the gumption to read. I think you'll enjoy it, too. If you've already read it...well, whatever, Pally (Dean called people 'Pally'). Here are 12 quotes to make you smile:

JD's quotes:



1. Deana talks about Dean as a teenaged playboy:

''My aunt Violet used to say to him, ''Dino, you never have any money.'' He'd smile and reply, ''I don't need money, Vi, I'm good looking.'' ''

2. Deana talks about Dean as a very minor league, smooth criminal:

''He was a card dealer at the Rex Cigar Store, where he slipped so many silver dollars down his trouser legs and into shoes that he jangled when he walked. It was money his bosses didn't begrudge him, and which he quickly spent.''

3. Deana quotes her dad with many of his most memorable lines. Here's one she quoted on family:

''I have seven beautiful kids. Don't clap, it only took seven minutes.''


4. Dean and the rest of the Rat Pack joked about each other's heritage frequently. Speaking of Frank Sinatra, Deana says:

''Frank sang too, an honor Dad reciprocated at Frank's forty-second birthday party at the Villa Capri in 1957, when he sang a version of ''He's the Top'' with the words ''He's the Wop.'' ''

5. Deana quotes her dad with this silly one-line nugget:

''Don't believe it when they say carrots are good for your eyes, I stuck one in mine last night and it hurt.''

6. Deana quotes some parental advice from Dean to his daughter, Claudia:

''Don't bite your nails,'' he'd tell Claudia. ''Look what happened to Venus de Milo.'' ''

7. Deana talks more about Dean's lighthearted ethnic teasing, this time on his wife, Jeanne:

''He constantly teased Jeanne about her German ancestry, which she had in common with Irma, our German housekeeper. ''Be careful,'' he'd tell us, ''watch those Aryan blue eyes. Next thing we know she'll be holding Bund meetings Thursday nights with Irma behind the pool house.''

8. Deana quotes Dean on his fellow ladies man, Frank Sinatra:

''When Frank dies, they're gonna give his zipper to the Smithsonian.''

9. Deana talks about some of the song alterations Dean did as his drunken stage persona, changing classic songs' lyrics like:

''I looked over Jordan and what did I see . . . Mrs. Jordan.''
''You are too beautiful for one man alone . . . so I brought along my brother.''
''You made me love you . . . you woke me up to do it.''

10. Deana remarks the time Dean's hit ''Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime'' knocked ''A Hard Day's Night'' (By the Beatles) off the number one slot:

''When Dad heard the news of its success, he sent Elvis Presley a telegram that read, ''If you can't handle the Beatles, I'll do it for you, pally.'' ''

11. Deana quotes her dad introducing the Rolling Stones in classic Dino style:

''I've been rolled when I was stoned before. Now ladies and gentlemen, the Rolling Stones.''

12. Deana quotes more Dean one-liner fun, mentioning this one:

''I don't drink anymore, and I don't drink any less.''

That's the end of the quotable Dean Martin fun, pallies. For a load of anecdotes and a keener understanding of the man, pick up a copy of the book. For immediate purposes, if you haven't had enough just yet, here's our gratuitous youtube video for your viewing pleasure. This is one of my favorites from the Dean Martin show, with Victor Borge and his classic bit called 'Phonetic Punctuation.'. Two great musical and comedic talents who used their powers for good, instead of evil, like what Stephen Lynch does. Check it out:





Monday, July 28, 2008

Yeast Infections: Risk Factors You Need To Know About


JD's quotes:


So, you'd think it'd be Lucy to do this post instead of me. That's understandable. Sorry. Being a man, I have the sort of clinical disconnect from this issue that she may not. Alright, all kidding aside-no, wait. We need the kidding so never mind that. Anyway, one of my favorite characters on TV is Dwight K. Schrute of The Office. Played by Rainn Wilson, Dwight is as I've described before, excitably serious. He typically switches from a super brown-noser to a self important, socially inept uber-nerd. We've all known at least one. In one of Dwight's ramblings to the camera in the mockumentary known as The Office, he touches on his unique leg up on society and a frightening medical theory that may expose a horrifying truth to society.

Rainn Wilson as Dwight:




''I think one of the greatest things about modern America is the computerization of medical records. As a volunteer Sheriff, I can look up anyone's psychiatric records or surgical histories. Yeast infections. There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. . . Probably. . . because we're down river. . . from that old bread factory.''


I believe this quote can stand alone. Stay tuned for more unusual tips on the environmental obstacles of personal hygiene. Or, stay tuned for more funny quotes from the office.
Previous posts on The Office:

Thursday, July 24, 2008

In Honor of The Late Estelle Getty:

In Honor of The Late Estelle Getty:

I was very sorry to hear about the passing of a favorite actress of mine who played Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls among other things. Estelle Getty has passed away at the age of 84. As a cast member of The Golden Girls, she was a great sport, being made up to look like the oldest member of the team though she was second from the youngest. Here's a quote from one of my favorite scenes on the show in honor of a woman who had the comic timing to pull off every great line the show's talented writers had ever given her:

Lucy's quote:

While Sophia, a sharp tongued senior citizen, roots through the produce aisle, she decides to confront the store's nearest employee from across the way:

Sophia:
Hey. Hey! You got any decent nectarines?
Store Employee: There's nothing wrong with those nectarines.
Sophia: Please, I got a bowl of wax bananas that'll be ripe before these are.
Store Employee: You're crazy. This nectarine is beautiful. I never saw a more perfect piece of fruit.
Sophia: No? Then try kissing my behind,...it's a real peach!

Here's Estelle and her friends, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Betty White on The Golden Girls blooper segment on the Lifetime network where they currently air daily:







Say what? would like to offer our condolences to Estelle Getty's friends and family. She will be missed. She gave the world a lot of laughs.