Tonight after work, I'm going to try out that Forza Fitness Center on a complimentary pass to see how it grows on me. Like I said, it's a little pricey…but now having checked other gyms in the area, it's actually competitive. Damn prime downtown real estate!!! Oh well, it's only a few bucks a day…and the hot tub is always there…and I'll feel fantastic after the initial week of searing joint and muscle pain to get back into the thick (or rather thin) of it. Wish me luck. Other than that, just another busy day at work…so I'll get you some news…
Toy Hall of Fame Inductees - The lowly stick, a universal plaything powered by a child's imagination, landed in the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday along with the Baby Doll and the skateboard. The three were chosen to join the Strong National Museum of Play's lineup of 38 classics ranging from the bicycle, the kite and Mr. Potato Head to Crayola crayons, marbles and the Atari 2600 video game system. Curators said the stick was a special addition in the spirit of a 2005 inductee - the cardboard box. They praised its all-purpose, no-cost, recreational qualities, noting its ability to serve either as raw material or an appendage transformed in myriad ways by a child's creativity. Museum curator Christopher Bensch said, "It's very open-ended, all-natural, the perfect price — there aren't any rules or instructions for its use. It can be a Wild West horse, a medieval knight's sword, a boat on a stream or a slingshot with a rubber band. ... No snowman is complete without a couple of stick arms, and every campfire needs a stick for toasting marshmallows. This toy is so fantastic that it's not just for humans anymore. You can find otters, chimps and dogs — especially dogs — playing with it." Longevity is a key criterion for getting into the hall, which the museum acquired in 2002 from A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon. Each toy must not only be widely recognized and foster learning, creativity or discovery through play...but also endure in popularity over generations.While dolls have been around since ancient times (from voodoo to mummies), the Baby Doll with its realistic newborn features emerged in the late 18th century and has been through hundreds of incarnations. Today's models can crawl, eat, drink, sleep, crap, piss and even talk or scream via voice-activated commands (not to mention anatomically correct). Associate curator Susan Asbury said, "It is generally thought of as lovable and cuddly, even if it can doze off or cry during play. Toy designers have spent decades making it ever more lifelike and true to form. ... It promotes imaginative play and brings out the nurturing side in all of us." The first skateboarders in the 1950s cruised walkways on California beaches trying to match the speed, turns and tricks performed by surfers they watched offshore. Apart from being fun, practicing ollies, grinds and primos "promotes individualism ... artistic expression and it's also very athletic," skateboard icon Tony Hawk (perhaps you've heard of him) said in a video message played at the induction ceremony. Man, what kind of pressure is that? If I don't make it into some kind of Hall of Fame, I'm going to be shown up…by a stick…AND a cardboard box. Mr. Potato Head I can understand because he's a starchy and delicious secret agent…but a stick? Granted it's not the first time that I've been beaten by (or with) a stick…but still, now I really have to step my game up. Next up, inanimate carbon rod is inducted into the Hall of Heroes.
Officer Naughty - Sorry…but this one isn't about the lovely Bone Junior's Halloween outfit this year (or Bubbles' last year) but rather something more questionable. A British police officer who admitted having sex with one woman while on duty and propositioning another after she had been arrested was jailed for four months on Friday. Police constable Gary Bayldon, 48, who was married at the time (not any more?), visited one woman for sex while working late shifts, calling the sessions "his meal break." The court heard that Bayldon began a relationship with 34-year-old Donna Cacutt after she called police to her home on the Isle of Wight when a man tried to take one of her children down the road. He was the officer sent to the scene. Prosecutor Barry Gregory said Bayldon began to see Cacutt regularly, at about the time his 20-year marriage was breaking down, but always when he was on duty. "He would visit her at her home, she would make him dinner and then they would have sex afterwards. He would stay for an hour or so. He would call it his meal break." The relationship lasted for a year until September 2005 but ended with "some acrimony." He also asked a second woman to go into the woods with him and caressed her hands while taking her fingerprints at the police station. Charmer, right? Apparently not. He even kissed here and she felt "disgusted" and now his lawyer's pleading something along the lines of "Well, he always kept his radio on during his meal breaks…just in case." So yeah, let's get back to thinking about the Halloween outfits again. I'd much rather prefer that. Mmm…
Three Stooges Update - Well, for several years now, the Farrelly Brothers ("There's Something About Mary" & "Kingpin") have been set to direct a remake of "The Three Stooges" but they've come into a few licensing problems…and though they tentatively have a November 2009 release date, nobody's set to star…and they're even doing a nationwide search to find somebody to play Curly. Peter and Bobby Farrelly's most recent screenplay provides a slapstick-fueled family-friendly origin story of sorts for Moe, Larry and Curly. The new $45 million contemporary-day feature consists of four 20-minute shorts, the same as the slapstick pioneers' most common format in the 1920s and '30s. The first establishes the trio as seven-year-old castoffs who terrorize the nun-run orphanage that takes them in. They're also targeting a PG or PG-13 rating…which may be a stretch for the Farrelly Brothers…but I can't wait. Love the Stooges. Have about a dozen or so movies at home…and whenever I'm feeling nostalgic, pop 'em in and laugh at some eye gouging and mild concussions…and whenever possible, I'll exit a room with a "Wuwuwuwuwuwuwu…"
Beaver Update - Anonymous Content has picked up Kyle Killen's debut spec script "The Beaver" and has attached fellow legendary Steve, Sir Steve Carell to play the lead according to The Hollywood Reporter. The fable follows a man who walks around with a beaver puppet on his hand, treating it as something close to a human creature with human feelings. A director is currently being sought for the project (Jay Roach was previously circling the project) which apparently has a tone similar to "Being John Malkovich" and "Lars and the Real Girl". I can almost see the preview now. "Is that a Beaver in your pocket…or are you just happy to see me?" "Actually it's a Beaver. His name's Muffin." Hilarious. My services as director are always available…and my schedule may be a little full…but there's always room in a man's schedule for some beaver. Another prediction…because of the ease of sexual connotation, the role of the Beaver may be changed to a Woodchuck or something by the time it hits theatres. If they did it to "Zack & Miri Make a Porno", they'll do it to "The Beaver" though I was surprised that they missed "Crank" but that has many connotations.
Oldboy Remake - Apparently another great Steve can't get enough of remakes. Director Steven Spielberg and actor / Fresh Prince Will Smith are in early discussions to collaborate on a remake of Chan Wook-park's highly acclaimed 2003 Korean action hit "Oldboy" according to Variety. Now, you may remember from a few months ago…but I REALLY liked the original (despite the subtitles). The story goes, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he's released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge. Smith who would play the kidnapped man if all the pieces fall into place and Spielberg is looking for a writer to begin the development process. The film will likely get underway once Spielberg finishes his directorial duties on the first "Tintin" film (yes, the Belgian comic-strip hero with his dog Snowy). Anyway, it could be huge…or it could just be another rumor. In the meantime, check out the original. You can find it at Blockbuster or on Netflix or something usually. Quick, before they screw it up!!!Anyway, that'll do it for me for today. Enough of my rambling about movies and sticks and dirty, unsexy cops (mmm still thinking about Halloweens & bachelor parties past) and today, I hopefully start a good habit of working out an hour or two a day right after work…at least. Have a great day everybody!!!
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