We have a Pomeranian living a few doors down. Looks like a fox crossed with a powder puff, but a very cool dog. Spriggy doesn’t meet many dogs that make him feel like a big one, so occasionally they touch noses and tangle leashes and play.
Maybe I should keep them separated, eh?
OK, then.
It occurs to me these days that I have very little to say. Others, they would let their blog lie fallow in these times. Others would fill the space with enervating accounts of trips to Target. Me, I aim for something in between. Truth to tell, the world is calling me outdoors, and the wifi doesn’t reach past the back door.
So let’s take the coward’s way out — another Sopranos thread. Personally, I think this season is off-the-charts great, but the restless crowd at TVWoP begs to differ. Last night’s episode revolved around comic relief Artie Bucco, but I didn’t even care. Christopher’s gift-basket grab was hysterical. What do people want? Non-stop whackage? The only thing that makes these awful folks tolerable is seeing their little moments of humanity. Yes, even when Artie killed the rabbit.
Back after oxygenation.
mary said on April 24, 2006 at 10:18 am
Slugging Lauren Bacall of all people. And Wilmer Valderrama scoring swag was perfect.
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Dorothy said on April 24, 2006 at 10:45 am
I was stretched out in bed watching last night, but when Lauren Bacall got belted, I sat bolt upright. Amazing!
Mary, I’m lost – who the hell is Wilmer Valderrama??
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mary said on April 24, 2006 at 11:14 am
Wilmer Valderrama is an actor on the tv show, “That 70s Show.” He’s notable, though, for being mentioned constantly in gossip columns. He shows up everywhere, and dates all the hot young actresses (Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Simpson etc.) Showing him rummaging through swag in the VIP room, something he does a lot since he seems to show up at every big Hollywood event, was a nice inside joke.
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brian stouder said on April 24, 2006 at 12:00 pm
Well, as fate would have it, I got pulled into the original Godfather movie; Jimmy Caan & Robert Duvall with hair (more or less), Brando actually acting, Abe Vigoda looking old (that guy has ALWAYS been old, eh?), Al Pacino hitting all the nuanced notes in his interpretation of the deeply flawed Michael Corleone, and all the other Cappos and wise guys.
I’ve seen only a few episodes of Sopranos, and it looked compelling enough.
But imagine just how original The Godfather was, in 1972; and just how MUCH Francis Ford Coppola got into that one movie (leaving aside the sequels).
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Nick said on April 24, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I loved all the time spent on Artie this week.
Artie was neglecting his restaurant and was taking guff from everyone. So he transfers his anger back at everyone and everything around him: At Tony for not paying his tabs, at his staff when the customer’s credit card numbers get stolen, he kills the rabbit eating his lettuce, fires Martina, and beats up Benny.
Finally Tony talks to Artie and says stop blaming others for your problems. By the end of the episode he’s a beaten man – all the skin missing from his “sauté hand”, black eye, business down, hostess gone, and Tony disappointed. He pulls out the old family recipe book for Coniglio and cooks up the rabbit in complete silence.
How many times do you suppose Lauren Bacall has dropped the Eff bomb on screen? I confess that I got a big laugh from “Sir Kingsley” getting on the plane with Christopher & Murmur and saying “Faaahhk”.
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brian stouder said on April 24, 2006 at 3:25 pm
Hey – I have a Detroit question –
I hear that the word around the D is that Roger Penske might ‘take the wheel’ at General Motors…..
Is this true?
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Connie said on April 24, 2006 at 5:41 pm
So who is the actor who plays Benny? Every time I see him I have this flash of a young version of him playing a funky troublemaking friend. What am I remembering?
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nancy said on April 24, 2006 at 7:16 pm
On the TVWoP boards, they keep referring to Benny as having once been on “Doogie Houser M.D.,” although for some reason he seems more “Wonder Years”-y to me.
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MarkH said on April 24, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Brian, that’s just wishful thinking on somebody’s part. It’s been talked about since Penske bought Detroit Diesel from GM in 1988 and fairly quickly turned it from a money loser to a market share of 30%, and, a profit.
On the surface it’s inviting. Penske has style, panache, and has been ultra-successful at everything to do with automobiles (selling, leasing, renting, RACING)and much more,…EXCEPT heading up vehicle mass-production. He has come so far, and it is going to require so much to fix GM. At his age (nearly 70), with all he has accomplished, why bother? He said as much in a Motor Trend article last August, where he supported the current leadership.
This would have been a great move 20 years ago, but a younger Penske still would not have put up with GM’s massive corporate culture. He has got where he is on his own increditble business instincts and making his own decisions. Just my $.02.
Nancy, sorry for the digression and hijacking the Sopranos thread.
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Laura said on April 24, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Benny, aka Max Casella, was Doogie Howser’s wise-cracking friend. He also had a meaty role in Newsies and a few other kid-type things.
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Connie said on April 24, 2006 at 10:50 pm
The flash must be from Dougie, which I watched like 3 times. Enjoyed Neil Patrick Harris playing himself (ya right) in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.
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Dorothy said on April 25, 2006 at 5:24 am
Nancy, I got the same Wonder Years vibe from Benny (aka Max Casella) myself. I always think he bears a strong resemblance to Fred Savage.
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John said on April 25, 2006 at 6:21 am
Just saw Ed Wood (the Tim Burton movie) which had Max Casella in it. Vinnie Delphino was one of my all time favorite sidekicks, ranking up there with Eddie Haskell. By the way, NetFlix is a great way of catching all those movies you wanted to see, but never got around to. Just mailed back the restored version of Metropolis, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
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