New Frank Sinatra Movie

How cool! Martin Scorsese is planning on directing a new movie about one of Hollywood's greatest stars - Frank Sinatra. And in a rare twist - it seems this film has gotten the okay from the Sinatra Estate as Tina Sinatra, Frank's youngest daughter (not to be confused with Nancy, these boots were made for Walking, Sinatra) will be an executive producer on the project. Now - who will play old blue eyes? hmmm. Tough shoes to fill there buddy.

So - why not get ready for the new movie by checking out some timeless classics starring Frank Sinatra. My personal favorite is The Man with the Golden Arm starring Kim Novak and Eleanor Parker. In addition to a killer sound track by Elmer Bernstein, you get Arnold Stang in a classic role as Frankie Machine's sidekick. Another awesome Sinatra movie is Suddenly - where Frank plays a would be assassin looking to kill the President in a quiet little town called Suddenly. Great film! Need more? got it. Check out a TV special starring Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis jr. and others saying hello to Elvis Presley as he returns home from the US army, sponsored by Timex, the watches that can take a licking and keep on ticking in ye olde John Cameron Swayze days. Also recommended highly - Till the Clouds Roll By, a movie tribute to the great composer Jerome Kern that features a ton of amazing artists including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Lena Horne.

And there's more video clips too in addition to the Frank Sinatra movies. Just search for Frank Sinatra and check it out if you are a Sinatra fan like we are.

Slaughterhouse 5

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5 is one of my favorite movies, and one of those rare movies that actually does a pretty decent job of doing justice to a great book. And considering what a big Vonnegut fan I am, and always have been - that's saying something. Let's face it - this is one really weird story, with time tripping travels, aliens, and life choices that happen the same way, like a an old vinyl album that keeps playing the great music you never grow tired of. I think I have seen this movie maybe 5 or 6 times, and you know what... i am really looking forward o watching it again.

Michael Sacks plays the lead character Billy Pilgrim, a guy who is as normal and non hollywood as it gets. He played a new more roles in movies, but for the most part, he will always be remembered as Billy Pilgrim, and he does an amazing job in the role. There are a few noteworthy actors including Holly Near who plays Barbara Pilgrim and Valerie Perrine as Montana Wildhack, but for the most part - there are no great stars in this movie, which actually makes it better because you are not distracted by their star quality. These are just normal folks stuck in an extraordinary story. Being an old coot - I always have a laugh about Eugene Roche who plays Edgar Derby. You see, as a kid - Eugene Roche was a recurring character on a bunch of commercials, most memorable for me as the guy on the Ajax Cleanser commercials. So, in his case - I was a little distracted. ahaha.

But if you a fan of weird movies like me, in the same vein as The Big Lebowski, or Slingblade, or Best in Show - you will just love Slaughterhouse 5. The film is directed by George Roy Hill, and the Vonnegut novel was adapted into a screenplay by Stephen Geller. Enough of the blah, blah blah... go watch the movie.

April 20th, 1979 - Jimmy Carter, the Rabbit , & Nuclear Sub U.S.S. Jimmy Carter

Each year as April 20th rolls by, I have a lot on my mind. Lots of weird stuff happened on this day - Hitler was born, my mom was born, Columbine - ok, sorry mom, I am wrong to group your sweet maternal nature with infamy - haha, but for me, the weirdest thing that happened on April 20th, took place in 1979 in a creepy swamp with a former US president, Jimmy Carter, our only president who is on record as saying he saw a U.F.O. Huh? - here's the official report - I am not saying whether it was true or not, heck - lots of aliens are crossing our borders every day from what I hear in the news.

You see, what took place on April 20th, 1979 doesn't involve aliens - but a rare killer rabbit variety, and the time travel of a nuclear submarine - the U.S.S. Jimmy Carter. It was some sort of ***Leporine Conspiracy Theory! (see below for more "ine" type of words). You see, we never really got the whole story, but a picture is worth a 1000 words, though photoshop has done a lot to reduce that to maybe, a few hundred.


the link above, and this one here is a bigger version of the original snapshot taken by Anne Ominous in 1979.

Notice the lilliputian size of the sailors on the bridge of the sub, and how the official story from the Carter library, and this one here - leaves out the important facts surrounding the case, as bizarre as seeing a U.F.O. in an official report, and then going on to become President. Eye Popping. or Poopeyeing perhaps.

When I first blogged about this story in 2005 - I actually found some of these killer rabbits in my garden on April 20th. And in more synchronous weirdness, my mom - who was born on April 20th, always tried to raise the little bunnies she found in her garden. We would get an eyedropper, some carot juice and feed the little guys till they got bigger. Then the rabbits would be released at Doctor's Park in Milwaukee, in hopes of them finding a nice home away from mom's flowers. Later I wondered... if one of there grew up to be THE killer rabbit that attacked our President on April 20th, 1979. Being pretty conservative, I knew it would have made my mom happy if this were the case. Come on now - no one was hurt.

Anyway... in 2005, LikeTelevision declared that from here on out April 20th would forever be remembered as our National Rabbit Day. Here’s some media clips you might wanna watch to celebrate our Leporine Laugh Fest. Giant Jack Rabbit - Granny thinks a kangeroo is a Texas sized rabbit - and she wants to have it for dinner (vittles - which in this case, is Hillbilly for Hasenpfeffer). Check out Betty in Blunderland - as Betty Boop chases the White Rabbit in a whacko Wonderland fantasy. (huh - go ask Alice, I think she’ll know). Or if you want politically incorrect Hasenpfeffer - whew - here ya go. At most times, we keep this cartoon hidden, as it is really offensive - but for this blog post, it has been resurrected from the dead. (if toads are your thing, check this). Speaking of politically incorrect - part three of Jean Renoir’s Rules of the Game offers a brutal old school Europe rabbit hunt. The film - created by the famous painter’s son (Auguste Renoir is the painter… Jean Renoir, director) is all about LOVE - and it is not about rabbits, though they have some bit parts. (and their parts are blown to bits too). And of course - there is more stuff to watch for National Rabbit Day - but make sure you check out Doggone Tired, a Tex Avery classic cartoon you might have missed.


***For those not well versed in the *.ine type animal stuff.... here's a few to whet your whistle.
feline | cat
canine | dog
equine | horse
bovine | cow
porcine | pig
ovine | sheep
avian | bird
ursine | bear
lupine | wolf
murine | mouse
vulpine | fox
aquiline | eagle
anserine | goose
asinine | ass
cervine | deer
elephantine | elephant
leoline | lion
leporine | rabbit
limacine | slug
pavonine | peacock
phocine | seal
serpentine | serpent (i always think of Alan Arkin as Shelly Korpett, D.D.S from The In-Laws whenever i hear that word - Serpentine!).

Coming up next... some killer music!

Tax Related Videos At LikeTelevision

Here's an older post... that works as well today as last year around the same time. Wooo eeee! Check out some TV comedy classics about the tax man. First place goes to Granny, who is ready to shoot the revenue man since he might also wanna mess with her still by the cement pond that makes her Spring Tonic. The episode is called Jed Pays His Taxes. Now imagine the I.R.S. has a worst nightmare, what would that person be like. Well look no further - I think Grace Allen would win this prize. Check out 2 hilarious episodes where Gracie's spacey intellect get the best of The Tax Man and the Property Tax Assessor.

You might also want to check out the Frank Random preview of My Man Godfrey, where Eugene Pallette laments that his family spends 50% of his income while the federal government want 60% for taxes. One final tax video concerns Al Capone, who went to jail for tax evasion.

Ooops, we forgot to mention this yesterday - but April 14th is the day the Titanic sunk after it hit an iceberg. Make sure you check out the One Step Beyond episode about the Titanic called the Night of April 14th. We offer that episode with 2 other episodes as a DVD iso download to subscribers or a la carte

Original The Fast and The Furious

Back in the day, the auto industry made some amazing cars. Gasoline cost about a dime a gallon, and no one much cared about the price of gas - the focus was on style, muscle and speed. So let's go back to the glory days of auto racing for a moment when cars were a good deal, and better still - they were really, really fast with monster sized engines.

America began its love affair with cars in the 1950s - and the original version of The Fast and The Furious is a car lover's dream come true. The film starred a rugged John Ireland as Frank Webster, a fugitive on the run from the police for a crime he didn't commit. In fact he was framed and had to go under cover as a guy named Bill Myers, looking for a ride in an automobile race that would get him past the police blockade. His femme fatale was Connie Adair, played by Dorothy Malone. Back then, way before Danika Patrick became an Indy driver - well, the boys just didn't allow the girls to race. Connie Adair had a great car, but due to her female restriction she needed a driver, and Bill Myers arrived to come to the rescue. He was a truck driving fugitive, but man could he go fast. He just cruises in the trials and Connie decides to give Bill a chance.

And of course, this being the movies, she falls in love with him. Lots of steamy kisses and passionate embraces, coupled with the roar of cars with 8, and sometimes even 12 cylinders. Most of the cars in the film have become collectible vintage speedsters, some with price tags over a million dollars, because they looked really cool and better still, the cars went really fast. So just set aside your worries about carbon footprints, and marvel at the raw power and speeds of these early automobile treasures. A very enjoyable film on many levels - check out the original The Fast and the Furious.

First Day of Spring

HOORAY - March 21 +/- a day marks the time when the sun’s direct rays move into the northern hemisphere (which is where we hang out) and as such, marks the first day of spring. Like a Vernal Equinox, 'eh? Since LikeTelevision is from North Carolina - we always take this opportunity to watch Granny’s Spring Tonic, where Granny cooks up the seasons first batch of “shine” - what we call moonshine round here. Peaches, strawberries, plums or other fruits are floating in a super sweet brown liquid stored in a ball jar. Now before the folks at ATF get all riled up and bring Janet Reno out of retirement with her flame thrower - it is all gone. A very good year too. I think Granny is hitting the jug a little quick as the shine tastes best about 2 years after it is brewed. And since we live near Mooresville, the true home of Nascar and moonshine running drivers from days gone by - yep, we do have a clue.

More spring related content, Maybe I’ll Come Home in the Spring, featuring Sally Field as a washed up hippie who decides to come home after the commune style of life wears thin. See David Carradine as real turkey and Jackie Cooper is the tough but loving father, well kind of. He is also a bit older from early Hollywood days with the Little Rascals (see Bear Shooters for a sample).

Another fun cartoon - is To Spring, where some crazy elves use all kinds of colors to paint the landscape. And who could forget the Raggedy Ann classic, Suddenly It’s Spring. Finally - check out Betty Boop doing a bit of spring cleaning.

Bud the Cowboy

I got the following story in an email and thought it was actually funny enough to read and pass on. It is called Bud the Cowboy.

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?"

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra high resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored.. He then accesses a MYSQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

"You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government", says Bud.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep.

Now give me back my dog.