First things first (chronologically), I had the game of my life in softball Tuesday night. As usual, we spotted the other team a 15-0 lead after two innings (have no idea why that always happens) but then I stepped up to the plate (my usual position of 10th in the rotation) and brought in our first run…and after that it wasn’t too bad of a game. Basically, I went 4-for-4 including a double, 3 RBI, and 3 runs. On defense, as the catcher, I caught two pop flies (one off the backstop) and caught one runner at home. Basically, it was the softball game of my life, which isn’t saying much… but still. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t really played since 5th grade. I must be a natural athlete.
Well, about to head out for a date. We'll see how it goes. My mom & aunt arrive tomorrow… so it may be a few days until you hear from me. Don’t fret. I’ll have plenty of stories and pictures when I come back to the blogosphere. In the meantime, please enjoy these newsy nuggets…
Fox Update – Sorry, but you’re not the only one that’s a little disappointed that this isn’t about Megan Fox. Authorities in China's far west have bred and trained "an army" of silver foxes bought from a fur farm to fight a plague of rats threatening a huge expanse of grasslands, state media said on Wednesday. The Xinjiang government bought 20 foxes in 2004 and they have since increased to 284 (they must be clones…) and been released into the wild, the official Xinhua news agency said. "Foxes are excellent natural predators of the rodent. One fox can catch about 20 rats per day. There has been a decline in the rat population in several counties where the measure has been adopted," it quoted official Ni Yifei as saying. Rat numbers have exploded due to unusually dry conditions and threaten more than 5.5 million hectares of grasslands, the report said. In one of the areas where the foxes have been released, rat numbers have dropped 70%, it added. "The silver fox was chosen to be the rat fighter for its distinctive ability to run, hunt and live under the harsh living conditions on the prairie," Ni said. Silver foxes are more normally bred in Xinjiang for their rich fur, used to make clothing. Other parts of Xinjiang are using wolves, eagles and even chickens and ducks to control rat numbers, Xinhua said. "It is a green way to tackle the rat problem," added another official, Lin Jun. I just thought it was kind of cool that instead of being skinned for yet another fur for $teve’s night on the town (ladies love it), that they can clear out rat populations…and then be skinned. I’m sure the rats combined with sunshine give their coats a marvelous sheen. Also, reminds me of the time I told the dean of Shanghai Normal University that I planned on taking over the country with an army of pandas, tigers & monkeys. He didn't think it was funny. Guess you'd have to have been there. Sigh… at least this took my mind off Megan Fox getting married to Brian Austin Green…
Tombstone 85628 – Speaking of 90’s teenage drama stars whose appeal I just don’t understand, fellow "Beverly Hills 90210" stars Luke Perry and Jason Priestley are reuniting for the Hallmark TV movie western titled "Goodnight For Justice" reports Deadline. Perry (“8 Seconds” & “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) came up with the idea, will executive produce and will star in the project as a circuit judge on a quest to catch the outlaw who killed his family. Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky penned the script while Priestley (acted in “Tombstone” & “Calendar Girl”) will direct the project which begins shooting August 4th in Vancouver for airing sometime next year. I just mention it because it’s funny. I don’t anticipate that anybody will watch it.
Shue Update - My first crush Elisabeth Shue ("Karate Kid" & "Leaving Las Vegas") has joined the cast of the "Psycho"-esque thriller "House at the End of the Street" for FilmNation and A Bigger Boat says The Hollywood Reporter. The story follows a teenage girl (Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone" & Mystique in the upcoming "X-Men: First Class" movie) who moves to a new town and learns that a double murder took place in the house across the street. Things get complicated when she befriends the massacre's sole surviving son (Max Thieriot of "Kit Kittredge"). Shue will play the girl's mother (MILF!!!). David Loucka wrote the script from a story by Jonathan Mostow while Mark Tonderai ("Hush") is directing. Aaron Ryder, Peter Block, Tim Williams, Hal Lieberman and Jonathan Mostow will produce. Filming kicks off next month in Ottawa. Sigh... to be an actress over 40. You know I'm still going to watch this movie, right? It has Shue AND Jennifer Lawrence. Too bad it's probably a year or so down the line. Plenty of time to forget about it... but hey, we'll see. Glad to see Elisabeth can still get work though. I'm sure it'll be great.
Hottest First Lady Update - France's first lady, a former supermodel turned singer, is making her debut as an actress, filming Wednesday in the shadow of Notre Dame cathedral for Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris." Carla Bruni-Sarkozy jotted in a notebook while seated next to actor Owen Wilson on a park bench. Allen gave instructions, while dozens of onlookers tried to get a glimpse of the action on the cordoned-off Jean XXIII Square. The French president showed up on a nearby set Tuesday, in dark suit but no tie, to watch his spouse in her latest creative venture. Allen, beloved by the French, recruited Bruni-Sarkozy last fall for a role in the romantic comedy which follows a family traveling in Paris for business. France's first lady reportedly plays a museum director. This week's scenes were shot in the heart of Paris, near the Pantheon, the resting place of many of France's luminaries, and on the Ile de la Cite, the island that hosts Notre Dame. In November, when she announced her plans to accept Allen's offer of a role, the 42-year-old Bruni-Sarkozy had said she was unsure of her acting skills. "I'm not at all an actress. Maybe I'll be absolutely terrible," she said in an interview with Canal Plus TV station. However, she said she couldn't pass up the chance to play in a Woody Allen film. "I'd like to — you know — when I'm a grandmother, to have done a Woody Allen film," said Bruni-Sarkozy, who has a son from a relationship before Sarkozy. "I cannot in my life miss an opportunity like this." Bruni-Sarkozy had a small role in the 1994 Robert Altman film "Pret-a-Porter" (Ready to Wear) and the 1998 move "Paparazzi," by Alain Berberian, each time playing herself. Her sister Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi is an actress and director. When Allen was once asked what famous person he would like to see act, the Dalai Lama or the queen of England, he replied: "Carla Bruni", according to the first lady's Web site. "She has charisma and she's used to appearing on stage. I could give her any role at all," the site quotes the director as saying. Bruni released a new album two years ago but refused to tour and gives royalties to the Foundation of France. It was not clear whether she was being paid for her Allen film role. The film also features Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard along with Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates. Hmm, would I watch a Woody Allen movie that features the reuniting of "Wedding Crashers" stars McAdams & Wilson? Probably not... but hey, good for her. I hope that she is getting paid... and giving the proceeds to a worthy cause. That seems to be her way... and makes her even hotter. Rrrrrrrrrr...
Romantic Comedies & Fairy Tales - Romantic comedies might provide 90 minutes of light-hearted fun but the happy-ever-after movies are also impacting people's real love lives, according to an Australian survey. A poll of 1,000 Australians found almost half said rom-coms with their inevitable happy endings have ruined their view of an ideal relationship (and the other half are probably lying or in denial). One in four Australians said they were now expected to know what their partner was thinking (ESP? Really? Do you even WANT to know what I'm thinking?) while one in five respondents said it made their partners expect gifts and flowers 'just because'. "It seems our love of rom-coms is turning us into a nation of "happy-ever-after addicts." Yet the warm and fuzzy feeling they provide can adversely influence our view of real relationships," said Australian relationship counselor, Gabrielle Morrissey. "Real relationships take work and true love requires more than fireworks." The survey was released by Warner Home Video to mark the movie "Valentine's Day" going to DVD (shameless promotion). Personally, I have no problems with gifts & flowers "just because" but... I can't afford flowers everyday. Also, don't give me sh*t if I get caught picking the neighbors' flowers and wrapping it in a newspaper for you. "What the f**k is this?" "I got you flowers. Happy Wednesday!!!" "Miss Williams called and told me that she chased you out of her rose bushes. Why would you steal roses from her?" "Because they're your favorite." "WHAT? I won't be a part of this." "FINE!!! Then I guess you don't want any of the strawberries that Mister Jackson donated to our Love either?" Oh yes ladies... This guy would steal for you if he had to... at the very least. Not all of us get free stuff just for showing a little cleavage & a few bats of the eyelashes. What was my point? Oh yeah, romantic comedies are destroying the world. Don't you dare blame me as a movie goer either. I don't even go to romantic comedies on dates unless there's an OBSCENE amount of profanity, sex jokes and full frontal nudity. Go ahead. Look it up. Even though it's always ladies choice... I can usually influence the decision a wee bit. I've never really liked the messages in fairy tales. Even when I was a kid. The vast majority of them tell women to just sit there and do nothing... and everything will be taken care of for you. Some Prince Charming will wisk you away & live happily ever after "just because". Maybe. I wouldn't plan on it... but anything's possible. And you know why I love the Little Mermaid. Anyway, just a little food for thought... but wait, there's more when it comes to dating and your mind...
Sex & Brains - Sex apparently can help the brain grow (ladies...), according to new findings in rats. Sexually active rodents also seemed less anxious than virgins, Princeton scientists discovered (oh yes, Princeton scientists discovered that getting laid makes you less anxious. That's your government grant dollars at work, ladies & gentlemen). Past findings had shown that stressful, unpleasant events could stifle brain cell growth in adults. To see if pleasant albeit stressful experiences could have the opposite effect, researchers studied the effects of sex in rats. Scientists played matchmaker by giving adult male rats access to sexually receptive females (mmm... dirty girls) either once daily for two weeks or just once in two weeks. They also measured blood levels of stress hormones known as glucocorticoids, which researchers suspected might lie behind the detrimental effects that unpleasant experiences have on the brain. When compared with male virgins, both groups of sexually active rats had cell proliferation, or an increase in the number of neurons, in the hippocampus, a part of the brain linked with memory whose cells are especially sensitive to unpleasant experiences. The rats that had more sex also had adult brain cells grow, as well as a rise in the number of connections between brain cells. However, the rodents that only saw females once in two weeks had elevated levels of stress hormones, while the rats that had regular access showed no increase in the hormones. Sexually experienced rodents also proved less anxious than virgins, in that they were quicker to chomp down on food in unfamiliar environs (but... that's kind of like, not thinking things through first, right? It could be a trap?). These findings suggest that while stress hormones can be detrimental to the brain, these effects can be overridden if whatever experiences triggered them were pleasant (and boom goes the dynamite). The scientists detailed their findings online July 14 in the journal PLoS ONE. So there you go. Incredible sex can positively influence your memory. I know some of my greatest memories are directly linked to it... but can it help me learn Mandarin? Hmm... I wonder if I can get a government grant to study that... and I'm sure I can find a few willing interns to be test rats. Heck, I may have to just to make sure the study is effective. Hmm... I may find my way into the science books yet. I've always wanted to be an answer in a multiple choice question on an AP test.24. Which legendary scientist is credited with linking sexual activity to brain cell growth & telekinetic pleasure powers, as well as regarded as "The Father of Panda Porn"?
A. Albert Einstein
B. Stephen Hawking
C. George Washington Carver
D. Dr. Mookie Love
Anyway, that'll do it for tonight. I'll let you know how the date goes and when/if I ever get into the history books. Hopefully it's not posthumous or something. Though I'd like for my legacy to live in, I'd like to take advantage of the financial rewards during my own lifetime. Seriously, if the guy who did "Girls Gone Wild" can be a f**king self-made millionaire, why not me? And you know that I'm willing to share the wealth. In the meantime, have a great day everybody!!!
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