Memorial Day 2012

Heartfelt thanks, gratitude and admiration for our armed forces, past and present. Thank you for all you do and God bless you and your families.

A musical post for your enjoyment:

"Sweet Home Alabama" as performed by Tesla Coils.  I'm not kidding.

You're welcome.

Hitler finds out Obama ate his dog

I'm with the guy who posted this on You Tube - this meme just never gets old. The funniest thing about this (to me, anyway) is that Hitler was a vegetarian.

There's also a creepy aspect to it. Later, in this movie (Downfall, great film BTW) they show Hitler using his own dog to test a poison pill as the allies approach.

My Festival of Books haul

Left: FOB program, Harbor Nocturne (autographed by author Joseph Wambaugh) from the Book Soup shop, copies of Mildred Pierce and Double Indemnity with cool film noir covers (also from Book Soup, total spent there about $60), Daily Trojan (free), Egyptian stamps I bought for The Brother, who is into these things.  Not sure what the vendor with Egyptian artifacts was doing at the Festival of Books, but he wasn't the only head scratcher (there was a booth manned by a State Farm agent as well).

Middle: Cookbook, FOB notebook and fridge magnet, another cookbook, FOB mug (I really loved the bookosaurus logo).

Right: Yet more cookbooks and some pamphlets/handouts.

I did all my shopping on Sunday and could not have carried one more thing.

Sometimes simple is best, even on the internets. Exhibit 2: Sad Luongo

First it was Zombo Com, now some genius on the internet brings this: Sad Luongo, a simple but awesome "tribute" to sad facey Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo.  Seriously, look at this miserable puss:

No Stanley Cup for you!!!

That is just pathetic.  Any hockey fan can tell you there's no crying in hockey, unless it's me out in front of Staples Center with 18,000 of my closest fellow Kings fans bawling in joy when the Kings win the Stanley Cup.

This website is also the only time I've been able to hear that God-awful Chelsea Dagger song without wanting to punch someone in their pouty little face, so extra interweb bonus points for that.

So tempting. So very, very tempting.

You can now buy your very own Living Doll for that adorable little girl in your life.  Or for yourself, whatever floats your boat.

"My name is Talky Tina, and I'm going to kill you."

There's a reason the drunk guy singing Bohemian Rhapsody in the police car is an internet hit

Because it's FREAKING AWESOME!!!

So much to love: The fact that he got through the whole song, his enthusiastic performance, the Gallileo vocals, the guy "singing" the instrumental parts, putting his glasses back on after finishing like nothing happened...oh, boy.

Hitler ruling his oppressive empire from Hollywood? You don't say.

Via LAhistory on Twitter comes this link to a fascinating story on the UK's Daily Mail Online: Heil Hollywood: The Los Angeles bunker from which Hitler planned to run Nazi empire after the war.

Despite my life-long interest in historic Hollywood and historic L.A., this is honestly the first time I've ever heard anything about this.  I have no idea where exactly in the hills it is or why it's taken so long for the story to be widely publicized.

In addition, while there have been no shortage of takes on what life might have been like when writers ask the magic "what if" question, "What if Germany had won World War II?" I am not aware that anyone ever thought to place the new German Socialist seat of power in La La Land.  In reality all that matters is that Hitler and the Nazis were defeated, but from a fictional standpoint, it really is a fascinating idea.

From the Daily Mail article linked above:

It sounds like the bizzare script of a Hollywood B-movie.

In a parallel universe the Nazis have won the war, Adolf Hitler moves to LA where he mingles with the stars of the silver screen while running his evil empire from a luxurious ranch deep in the LA hills.

But during the 1930s, American sympathisers were so confident this exact scenario was actually going happen they spent millions building a deluxe compound ready for their fuhrer's imminent arrival.

The graffit-plagued structures that are still standing will be bulldozed and the place turned into a picnic area.  Big improvement over the original plans, if you ask me.

Historian Randy Young told the Sunday Express: 'This was supposed to be the seat of American fascism from where Hitler would one day run the United States.

Amateur.  Everyone knows if you want to take over America and change it from a republic to an unrecognizable oppressive nanny state you run for president and bankrupt it.  Duh.

Still, amazing fodder for story ideas, no?

To me, the funny part is the idea that Hitler planned on hobnobbing with the Tinseltown elite.  Probably wouldn't have ended well for the numerous Jewish studio heads of the day, but I can totally see many of our modern day stars kowtowing to this sort of thing if it would keep them safe and at the top of the Hollywood heap.  Assuming this whole story is true at all.

Besides, I'd bet good money Marlene Dietrich would have kicked his ass if he'd tried to set up shop in her adopted country.  I'd totally take her over Hitler in a death match.

Listen up redux

About a year ago I blogged about a great, new website I'd found: You Are Listening to Los Angeles:

What do you get when you combine meditative, atmospheric music and the LAPD scanner?  Why you get You Are Listening to Los Angeles, of course!

At the time you could also listen to New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Montreal.

Today I noticed that they've expanded quite a bit since my original post.  You can now also listen to Boston, San Diego, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Minneapolis, Portland, Austin, Baltimore, Denver and Phoenix.

Hollywood signs

I'm not into the whole March Madness thing at all, but even I have to admit that the giant brackets posted up at Hollywood & Highland is pretty cool:



A little later and further down the boulevard, I looked up and saw the Hollywood Sign and realized it just doesn't have the same effect on me that it used to.  For some reason I had to take a picture of it, even though I already have a bunch.  Not sure why, photographic proof of something, I guess.



Sorry, Hollywood, you just don't do it for me anymore.  Cannot wait to nail down a new apartment and blow out of this part of town.

Check out my super new ninja avatar for Twitter and Facebook

Why yes, that is Jonathan Quick, he of the Jedi mind saves.

It's such a great shot of him.  I stole it from a Kings email.  Go Kings Go!

Is there anything cuter than little kids playing hockey? No, there isnt.

Sidney Crosby, who is on the verge of returning to the NHL (and is hopefully, finally past his concussion woes for good), surprised some Little Penguins at practice:

Then there's this adorable little guy, who wasn't about to wait around for his chance to skate with the big boys:

So dang cute!