Dirty Dancing Debate

"I carried a watermelon."



So BotG and I have had a long-standing debate about a scene in the movie in Dirty Dancing.

(side note: I thought about searching for a YouTube clip or a link to this scene somewhere but then I realized: that's not necessary, everybody knows every scene of Dirty Dancing!)

Remember the scene where a bunch of the rich old guys are playing cards and one guy tosses a bunch of money at Patrick Swayze to give his wife "extra dancing lessons" as his card game might last all night? The guy's cougar wife, who later sleeps with Robbie, the slimy young guy who got Penny pregnant, looks lustfully at Patrick Swayze. The implication made there is that in the past, she has had sex with him and given him money...

(paraphrasing:

"You don't know how it is Baby... I mean, one day, you're dancing, hustling on the street, and the next day women are throwing money at you."
"I understand, you just used them for sex, I understand."
"No, no, it wasn't like that... it wasn't like I was using them, it was like, they were using me.")

... and Patrick Swayze, in a dramatic turning point in the movie, gives the guy the money back and declines to give dancing lessons to the wife, as Baby looks on with pride at Patrick, thus solidifying the relationship between Patrick and Baby and setting up the dramatic last scene.

Anyway, here's the question:

Did the old guy know that Patrick Swayze had been routinely sleeping with his wife during these extra dancing lessons, and just not care much, as she was just out of his hair and wasn't bothering him for sex? Or was he ignorant to the fact that she was boning Patrick and the dance lessons were more than just lessons?

Star Wars, the Dabney Edition

Kids says the darnedest things

Overheard at the dinner table at the Dabney household tonight:

Nicky had just finished showing me and Jennie the "lattice" method for performing multiplications.

Nicky: "Mom, did you understand it?"
Me: "Nick, math is not mommy's strong suit."
Nicky: "Yeah, shopping is."

Back to the Future

Back in Time…Does anyone know all the words to that song from Back to the Future (without looking it up)? Anyway, I was thinking about Back to the Future II the other day, and was remembering the part in which Marty McFly goes to the future. I think you remember…there were: flying cars, hoverboards, and the city was mad clean. I forgot what fictional year it was when this was occurring, so I looked it up…2015. That’s right, five years from now, and I can’t help but think how far we are away from that.

Yeah, I know the first response is “Beer-on-the-Girl, that’s a movie, not real life.” And my response is, “I know it’s a movie.” But the point of the fictional future in the movie, was the depiction of forward movement into a *better* society. Not that the images portrayed in the movie were a utopia from everyone’s perspective, but it did appear *better* in most ways than Marty McFly’s 1985 in which we see: a homeless person (can’t remember his name), a porno theatre, bad clothes, and a feeling of despair for Marty’s future (i.e. “You’re a slacker!” “No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!”)

It’s just sad that since 1985 we have: a floating garbage island in the Pacific, the gulf of Mexico contaminated from out latest oil spill, more people without heath care than ever (here in the US), a growing disparity between the rich and poor, increases in traffic, and global warming.

I know a common response to the current stance of the “things suck argument” is “look what we have today.” I know we have: Iphones, internet, online banking, and free porno online, which is all great! However, my point is this …we, in a negative way, are a lot more than 5 years away from the Back to the Furture’s portrayed 2015 future and have taken some serious steps backwards since 1985.

How the Fraziers deal with bullies

Part I: "Walt Clyde Frazier" vs. "Karon"

My brother Evan (Beer-on-the-Girl) and myself (Walt Clyde Frazier) moved to Teaneck in the spring of 1985. I was 8 and at the end of third grade, and BotG was 5 and in kindergarten. My parents (PopsRick and Linda) picked Teaneck for many reasons, I assume a couple of which were its diversity and quality school system. Shortly after we moved in, the summer came and I got to playing around in my neighborhood and meeting other local kids. I was a couple of blocks away with kids from the neighborhood doing whatever kids do. One kid, we'll call Karon, was one of the tougher kids in the neighborhood and for whatever reason wanted to kick my ass. As I don't remember this personally, the rest of the story is told with the help of PopsRick's recollections.

(from PopsRick's perspective): I was in the sunroom in the new house working on screens or some such when I heard someone run up the front stairs and slam the door...only moments later did I hear a young voice yell from outside... "[Walt}, I'm gonna fuck you up!"

I tend to move slowly in these situations, let them play out a bit...the next voice was [Walt]'s, excited, challenging, maybe 5 seconds later...

"Oh yeah, come in here, Karon, let's sit down and see who can play the piano better!"

Pause...

(young voice, Karon's)..."Forget you, Karon."

Karon walked away and never messed with me again.



Part II: Beer-on-the-Girl vs. "Ron"

Not long thereafter, Evan ran into a bully of his own. Once again, PopsRick recounts the story...

When Evan started taking the bus, the pick-up was at the corner of Selvage on Margaret...there were usually 5 or 6 kids, no parents, so Linda and I took turns 'keeping track' of Evan. I normally turned the corner on Selvage and pulled over to the side. One day I saw (in the rearview mirror) a boy MUCH BIGGER than Evan come up to him and push him hard. Evan looked at the boy, dropped his bookbag off his shoulders, and assumed a karate stance (Walt and Evan both were taking karate classes at the time....The big boy did nothing, and backed down to a kid half his size. That night I told Linda not to worry about the bus stop anymore.

And Evan never had to worry about that kid again... (who we recently found out grew up to be a thug as an adult).


So, two different styles... one tough, one, uhh... unorthodox... and the Frazier boys got along fine in Teaneck after that.

Overrated! (DA DA DADADA)

So, after I wrote about the top 5 movie directors, see below (also you should click on the Pulp Fiction link) I began to think of the top 5 most overrated directors:

1. Brian DePalma- This guy has been a director forever, since 1960, directed 37 films, and his best accomplishment is that he has directed a couple of mediocre movies. I have no idea why they let this guy direct for so long. Movies that I saw and sucked: The Black Dahlia, Snake Eyes (ironically starring the most overrated actor Nick Cage), Bonfire of the Vanities, and Scarface (read Chucks comments here about why Scarface sucks). Mediocre movies: Carlito’s Way, Carrie, Wiseguys and Raising Cain. The mediocre movies were almost good in spite of him and get mad weird at points (i.e. Carrie). This clown has also made mad other movies you’ve never seen (that probably stunk): Redacted, Mission to Mars, The Fury, etc…

2. Kevin Smith- Airplane problems aside, this guy gets too much hype! I should love him being from New Jersey, but I don’t. Let’s go over his movies. Clerks, was ok and cool because it was shot on a shoestring budget, but I don’t think it holds up. Then Mallrats, which basically just sucked aside from Jason Lee as Brodie. Chasing Amy, as Sidebar pointed out, seemed great when I first watched it but doesn’t really hold up either. Chasing Amy is like the girl that you thought was hot when you picked her up at the bar, but after you wake up with her in the morning and look at her, you just want her to leave. Then came Dogma, which I thought sucked! Then Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks II, Reaper…need I say more.

3. M. Knight Shyamalan- We all saw the Sixth Sense and loved it! We all thought that this guy was going to be great, until… he made more movies. Then came Unbreakable, where Smith got to work with the one and only Samuel L. and still put out a mediocre (at best) movie. Then Signs, an in, I which I had that 106 minutes of my life back, Signs. Then the Village, what the fuck was that?! After that, The Lady in the Water. The man should have had the sixth sense not to make any more movies after the Sixth Sense.

4. Ang Lee- I shouldn’t even know this guys name, but I do, as do you. Brokeback, was good, and other than that the only movie that he’s done which you’ve seen is Crouching Tiger which was mediocre at best. Why do we all know this clown?

5. Steven Spielberg- Ok, I already discussed this (see below) but it’s worth mentioning again. Every movie this guy makes is a hit, I mean a huge block buster smash, movie of the year hit, but they are all always mediocre at best. The movies that were okay were: Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, E.T. Give me the amount of money it costs to make these films and I can make a decent movie. A great example of why this guy is an overrated clown was War of the Worlds, another huge budget movie (which sucked huge balls!) which was all formula and no substance. His best movie, Jaws, was good partially because he couldn’t get the over priced shark to work. The problem with Spielberg is all his movies are formulaic, overdone, and not original.

Ineptitude / Irony of my school district

Read this letter I received this morning (Wednesday, May 12th, 2010) in my mailbox:



And we wonder why we are not performing well!

The All Mike Nurse Team--Take One

So I'm not sure how many of you know this, but mid-'90s THS basketball Mike Nurse is the standard by which I judge all athletes. And that's only a bit of a hyperbole. In essence, what he represented for me was an athlete who:

A. Came up big and played his best in big games. To me, the true measure of a player is how honed and focused he is when the pressure's on. Anybody can put up 30 in game 40 of 82. Only the big boys bring their "A" game when it's needed. Just ask Joe Johnson and the cornball Atlanta Hawks.

B. Wasn't afraid to take the big (sometimes ridiculous) shot. To say he had confidence in himself is an understatement. I recall--correctly or incorrectly--countless times where he pulled up without hesitation from 35 feet and rained threes on the other team. Then he'd backpedal and turn in rhythm to run back on defense with this half disinterested smirk that said, "I KNEW that sh** was going in the whole time." Which brings me to my next point...

C. Always acted like he'd "been there before" when he had success. In other words, he wasn't clapping himself up when he made a big shot or got a big steal. He was clearly pumped up because he was in the zone and he translated that energy into pressure defense, rather than crying out for attention from the crowd. It was him and his competition, and HE was going to win; that's it. There was no one else in the gym. As much as I love a guy like Chad Ocho Cinco, he's no Mike Nurse when it comes to this...

D. Was uber-competitive to the point where he took winning and losing PERSONALLY. I admit I'm projecting this one onto Mike from my very limited interactions with and observations of him, but he struck me as this type. I love an athlete who responds to challenges on the court as though they are a PERSONAL test of their worth as an individual human being. Too many athletes take the "that's the way the ball bounces sometimes" outlook to failure. The ones with the real cojones respond to getting dunked on or getting the ball stolen from them by taking the next 3-5 possessions out on the other team. THAT is what I'm talkin' about...

So just today, I was thinking about how Rajon Rondo has elevated himself to Mike Nurse status in my mind.

This inspired me to create an All Mike Nurse Team. Here goes:

PG-Rondo (of course). Just look at his mug. Have you ever seen him smile? Even in interviews? Clearly, he's thinking about who he's going to beat (or embarass) next. All the time. Supposedly during the regular season when the Celtics were playing the Hornets, he almost made Chris Paul cry by barking, "you know you want to be me, but you never will" (referring to the fact that Paul was trapped on the Hornets and would probably never win a ring). Heartless. The guy's a killer. Incidentally, even though I love Chris Paul, this is why I couldn't pick him over Rondo.

SG-Dwayne Wade. See D Wade post from last month...Wade needs to be here, because NO ONE takes a challenge more personally than him. This year I watched Danilo Gallinari elbow him in the mouth in the 4th quarter. Wade checked to see that his teeth were still there, gave him the death stare, and you could just see the whole countenance change. He didn't complain or yap. He just took over the game and embarassed the Knicks with the basketball. You need a guy like this in the foxhole with you.

SF-Artest. If you don't know how I feel about Ron Ron by now, just ask me when I see you. No All Hall team will exclude him. He's nuts, but that's what you gotta love about him.

PF-I gotta play Lebron here to clear a spot for Ron Ron at SF. I think he's a peg below D Wade and two steps below Jordan in terms of competitive fire (because he cares too much about putting on a show for the crowd) but he's still way up there.

C-I almost constructed this team without a center because I didn't think anyone was worthy of an All Nurse nod, but if I have to pick one, I'll put Joakim Noah here. He ain't ready yet, but he has potential to get there in the next couple years. I put him on it because I love how he's not afraid to yap at the other team. The smack talking between him and Cleveland this postseason was priceless. Love how he gets in the other team's head. He has potential to develop into this generation's Dennis Rodman.


In short, know this: If anyone could get me a Mike Nurse #53 T-Neck jersey, I promise to wear it to every sporting event for at least the next 15 years.

**Disclaimer: Granted, my memory may be tainted by time, and with each passing year, Mike seems to get better, but whatevs...

And the winner is (drum roll)… Martin Scorsese

My Top 5 Movie Directors List, In Order:

1. Martin Scorsese- Mainly because of one movie, Goodfellas. I have watched Goodfellas too many times, and still love every moment from “Am I clown?” to “Come on Karen!” I also loved: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Color of Money, Cape Fear, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and The Departed.

2. Stanley Kubrick- To me, the Patrick Ewing of directors. Yeah, he never scored that great movie for me, but I have liked everything that he has done: Full Metal Jacket, The Shinning, Dr. Strangelove, Clockwork Orange, Eye’s Wide Shut, etc… All solid movies with longevity to his movie making career with no duds.

3. Quentin Tarantino- Yes, primarily because Pulp Fiction is fucking a-mazing… “Royale with Cheese.” But I also loved Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown. I wasn’t a hue fan of the Kill Bill series (but I respect the try to do something new) Worth noting, Inglourious Basterds was good

4. Oliver Stone: I loved: The Doors, JFK, and Midnight Express. And, I don’t care if JFK was factually accurate; it was damn entertaining and was a movie not a documentary. Decent movies: Natural Born Killers, Born of the 4th of July, Any Given Sunday, Platoon, Wall Street. And yes, I agree with Chuck that Scarface is overrated which was written not directed by Stone.

5. Steven Spielberg- I think he’s overrated, generally speaking, but has still made some good movies. I don’t think I love any Spielberg movie the way I do Goodfellas or Pulp Fiction. But movies that I liked were: Jaws, Jurassic Park, All the Indiana Jones (cover your heart Indy!), Schindler’s List, E.T., and Munich. Movies that I thought were overrated, and if were not directed by Spielberg would have never been huge hits: Saving Private Ryan, A.I, Catch me if You Can, War of the Worlds. This guy knows how to make crowd pleasing hits but most of them are pretty cheesy.

Random Stuff 5.2.2010

Random thoughts on a random Sunday morning...

1) So much for my big predictions about Denver coming out of the West in the NBA Playoffs. What does this tell me?

- I guess a coach can make a big difference in the NBA, and
- I don't see how anybody can stop L.A. from coming out of the West.

So who am I rooting for now? I hope Cleveland wins. It's hard to dislike LeBron. But, even more than wanting Cleveland to win, there are two teams I am actively rooting against: L.A. and Orlando. I hate the smugness of L.A. (particularly Kobe and Phil Jackson) and I hate the bitchiness of Vince Carter and Dwight Howard.


2) I love my new MacBook. I wish I made the switch years ago.


3) Eminem's song "Kim" (from the Marshall Mathers LP) is downright frightening.

I remember once being under the influence of some chemicals in college (I believe it was the same chemicals that make Mario big) and listening to the Beatles "Revolution 9" from the White Album ("Number nine... number nine...) all the way through and getting slightly freaked out.

What other songs are "scary" or have ever scared you, sober or not? I can't think of any others offhand.


4) When George W. Bush II was our president from 2000 - 2008 and he got on TV, I hated him so much that he caused such a visceral reaction in me that I literally couldn't stay in the room. If I did, I would either mock him or yell things like "FUCK YOU!!!" at the screen, to the point where my wife would say "Would you shut up? I just want to hear what he's saying. I hate him too. Just stop!" but I couldn't control myself because I couldn't look at his stupid fucking face anymore.

I haven't had that kind of reaction since to anything on TV until I tried to watch American Idol again. I watched the first couple of seasons and got tired with the dragged out, formulaic idiocy of it. I tried again this season and just found myself yelling at the screen, particularly when Randy Jackson would be on. I would just yell "YO YO YO YO YO YO YO DOG CHECK THIS OUT YO YO YO YO YO DOG DOG DOG AIGHT AIGHT DOG DOG" in anger until my wife would once again tell me to shut up so she could at least give the show a chance.


5) I wish there was some food I loved, and attacked with such zest and passion, as my cockatiels do with millet spray. It's weird. Millet spray seems so bland and yet they love it more than any other fresh food, cereal, and everything else we've given them.

Comfortably Jordan

All of us Knicks fans in our 30s remember the Bulls' intro during the 90s. The song was very cool and added to the ambiance of their dramatic opening, particularly the electric guitar kicking in at the end as you heard "frommmmm North Carolina, at guard, 6'6", Michaelllll JORDAN!"



The song is called "Sirius" by a group called the Alan Parsons Project in 1982. It annoyed me that it seemed to me to rip off another particular famous classic rock song recorded earlier in the late 70s, particularly the guitar solo and the chord progression in general. I "researched" the Alan Parsons Project here. I found out there that Alan Parsons was an audio engineer for Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon project, and there were other ties with Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons. Then, it came clear where his influences were.

Anyway, compare the Bulls' intro song to this (fast forward to 4:30). Also, YouTube has some cool live versions of Comfortably Numb.




(How do you do that thing where you can automatically make the link jump to a certain point, like 4:30, instead of instructing your readers to do so?)