Nobody 849

Sunday, January 16, 2011
Nobody # 849

Nobody Asked Me But:

(It has been said that this picture of Emily, taken about 11 years ago was the inspiration for Paris Hilton's use of sun glasses. It is too bad that Hilton could not have also emulated Emily's angelic behavior.)<<<

When I saw “True Grit” so many years ago, I thought it was a good movie – no better – a vehicle for John Wayne to again be larger than life. So when I checked out the new Coen version Friday I expected it to be better. It was. I expected Jeff Bridges to be better than Wayne. He probably was. But when Bridges yells, “Fill your hands, you sons of bitches,” he was an imposter. Honest to goodness, I heard Wayne’s voice.

Over all, I think “True Grit” is AA nomination level but not the winner level. Hailee Steinfield, on the other hand is “winner worth,” with Bridges and a terrific Matt Damon not far behind. And the voice-over-credits of Iris DeMent singing of “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms” was the most haunting since Lillian Gish sang it in “The Night of the Hunter.”<<<

I thought that President Obama gave a great and beautiful speech in Tucson last Wednesday. But I disagreed with him on one point. He recommended forgive and forget. I am more of an Old Testament guy, in particular the 11th Commandment, which as I recall, goes something like this:

Those who spread hate, they shall be blamed, for without blame there is no responsibility.

I don’t know whom I feel the most scorn for, the attack dogs of the Right who cry foul when they are held partially responsible for hate crimes against their targets or the soft-soft Left who quickly back off in the name of being reasonable and let them off the hook.

Actually I do know – the Right – but the soft-Left is pretty pitiful too.

The great hypocrisy is this: The Right wants to light a hundred thousand fuses and then deny any connection or responsibility when a bomb goes off. They remind me of the chorus in a strange but popular song from long ago:

I didn’t know the gun was loaded
I’m so sorry my friend
I didn’t know the gun was loaded

But then they stop short before they get to the last line

And I’ll never, never do it again.<<<

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

This week’s winner comes from David Frum, former speechwriter for President Bush II - “Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us and now we’re discovering we work for Fox.”<<<

WISHES FOR 11

That people ahead of me in lines will be ready when their turn comes.

That, in the name of truth and to provide a more accurate description, the BCS finally agrees to drop the C.<<<

Here, from the LA Times is this week’s addition to classic movie review lines - "The Green Hornet" may not be the most tedious superhero movie ever — the competition is admittedly tough — but it is certainly in the running.<<<

JIMMYLEAKS

Continuing with my exclusive on the Conservative Constitution

Article I. Congress shall have only the powers literally, specifically and expressly granted herein, and no others. That means definitely, without question, absolutely, no regulation of the Health Insurance or Financial Services industries.

Any law enacted by Congress and signed by the President may be overturned by the vote of three or more States if they find it burdensome, offensive, annoying or in any way touching on Health Insurance, Property Rights or Guns.<<<

It’s tough being a Bruin fan when even a win leaves me with a bad taste. But in Thursday’s win over Oregon State, in which the Bruins blew a 17-point second half lead, UCLA once again looked like a team with neither a brain nor a soul. If this team were a game of draw poker, I would keep Smith and Lamb and discard the rest.

After the game, I checked the NBA boxes and saw that Russell (Westbrook) had 32 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds and ONE turnover and Kevin (Love) had 35 points and 11 rebounds and remember that, “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, what might have been.” (JG Whittier)<<<

Q: Did the Bruin win Saturday giving them an Oregon sweep change my mind or soften my view?
A: No. They still played half of the game as if they were the PAC-10’s worst.<<<

Speaking of PAC-10’s worst, what a great feeling it was to see USC go O for Oregon.<<<

Shooting from the lip (Things about which I have an opinion without knowing anything) Is organic food worth the cost? A: No.<<<

A word a day to brush the cobwebs away: Plushophilia - people who are sexually attracted to stuffed animals.<<<

I am sure you have read about the Southern publisher who wants to “clean up” Huckleberry Finn by taking our every instance of the use of nigger (a most vile word but integral to Twain’s classic) and replacing it with slave. But did you know that in 1905 the Brooklyn Public Library objected to it for a very different reason - "Huck not only itched but scratched, and that he said sweat when he should have said perspiration."<<<

Good-bye Sophocles, hello PC - In deciding to cancel the much honored Monrovia High School drama Department’s production of “Rent,” the district superintendant, Linda Wagner, said: “We need to consider all our constituents, and from now on the school will only be allowed to put on plays that every child and every parent find to be acceptable.”<<<

Second string – if you are a sports fan of a certain age, you remember Bob Waterfield. Waterfield was the quarterback and kicker of the Los Angeles Rams during their early glory days. He was also the husband of actress Jane Russell. What perhaps you don’t know is that during Waterfield’s first year at UCLA he was second-string tailback behind another fairly famous athlete – Jackie Robinson.

Rudyard Kipling, meet John Wooden. In many ways, you two think alike. If “IF,” Kipling’s great poem had waited a century to be born, Coach could easily have been the one to give it life. Just read these three stanzas from the poem, and I think you will see what I mean.

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,

If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster 

And treat those two impostors just the same;



If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, 

Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, 

And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!