Thursday, August 30, 2012

Clint Eastwood??? Sarah Palin Continues To Complain!!! Paul Ryan's Fibs!!! Republican and Democrat Conventions are filled with Baloney Merchants!!! "2016: Obama's America"!!!

Hi everybody!

Because of two projects I have to address, I'm writing another EARLY blog which means I won't have seen what Mitt Romney says tonight.   Subscribers won't get this blog until sometime between 3 and 5 tomorrow morning and now you know why I won't have written something about Romney's speech.

I'm sure that the "headlines" above have your attention, but before we "get busy", I want to call your attention to a couple of other things.

Larry King.   We all know who he is, right?   He probably doesn't remember this, but he had me on his national radio show as a guest 30-years ago.

Larry King will be the featured guest at the PPB luncheon, September 21 at The Sportsman's Lodge in Studio City, California.   The dining room and bar opens at 11am and the luncheon begins at 12:15.   PPB stands for Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters and I'm proud to say that I am a Board Member of this fine organization.   You usually have to be a member to show up at these luncheons, but THIS luncheon will allow broadcast professionals who AREN'T members to join us.   And you will pay what we all pay.   $40 for the lunch and $7 if you want valet parking.  

For more information, you can click on this link;   http://tinyurl.com/ppblarryking

As Bob Barker used to say, "Come on DOWN!!!"

The other thing I want to call your attention to is a version of the Star Spangled Banner I had never heard and was sent to me by three people.    After listening to it, here's how good I think this version is.   I think it is a version that should be played and sung at a future Super Bowl.   

If YOU would like to hear it, here's the link;  
http://tinyurl.com/ssbchallenge

By the way, if you click on the link, hang in there.   It starts out slow, but it sure as heck doesn't end that way.    I'm a veteran who did a little tour of duty in Southeast Asia and I'm not at all insulted by this version.   In fact, I LOVE it!!!

Okay...Let's get busy!

Headline #1:   Clint Eastwood???

Fox News is reporting that Clint Eastwood will be tonight's surprise speaker at the Republican Convention.   I'm a huge Eastwood fan, but I can't help but wonder if the people who made this happen know what good ol' "Dirty Harry" said about Mitt Romney to a Los Angeles Times reporter a few short weeks ago.   He said (in essence) he'd consider hiring Romney to play a "president" in a film, but he most definitely wouldn't vote for Romney.   In that same conversation, he said he has no problem with same sex marriages, which is something the Romney people seem to be against.

The first question that comes to my mind is this;   "Is Clint a brother flip-flopper of Romney's?"

Just askin'.

Headline #2:   Sarah Palin continues to complain!

At first she was upset because she wasn't invited to be a speaker at the Republican Convention.   Now she's upset because she wasn't allowed to go with the Fox News people to the convention and to participate in the on-air conversations.

No mystery, folks.    If it's a mystery to her, well, I guess we simply chalk it off to Sarah being Sarah.

Headline #3:   Paul Ryan's Fibs!!!

I haven't watched any of this convention, so I didn't see or hear Ryan's speech last night.   I do plan to watch Romney's speech tonight and the only thing I'll watch at the Democrat Convention is Obama's speech.

A significant number of people wrote me emails about Ryan's speech.   Fibs were described, I wasn't surprised and let's face it folks;   In addition to having become a "flip-flopper" his own-self because of Romney being his boss, what jumps out at me about Ryan is him believing in the so-called "trickle down theory" that has NEVER worked.   Even Reagan guy David Stockman who was the architect of that theory admits it didn't work.   And Ryan has people believing he's some kind of economic genius?!?

I don't think so.

Headline #4:   Republican and Democrat Conventions are filled with Baloney Merchants!!!

And that's why I haven't been watching this convention and won't be watching the next convention except for when the presidential candidates will be giving THEIR speeches!

Headline #5:   "2016: Obama's America"!!!

I'm guessing you've heard about this.   It's a new documentary film that has surprised a lot of people because of the amount of tickets that have been sold.  The number isn't anything like the numbers a Batman film gets, but for a documentary film, the numbers are impressive.

I haven't seen the film (yet) because there were very few theatres that have been showing it.   That's about to change.   All across the country.

One thing I do know about this film is that there is (supposedly) a segment in it that makes the claim that Obama hates America.

REALLY?!?   And this is verifiable because...???

Here's my reaction to THAT!   I want to have access to a polygraph and hook the producer of this film and Obama to that machine and only one question being asked.   I'll guaran-damn-tee-ya that the producer doesn't come out smelling too well if that could somehow be made to happen.

Gang, I understand people who have views about Obama not being their kind of president, etc., etc. and wanting a change, but to use "He Hates America" being the reason they want a presidential change can be described with one word;   STUPID!!!

Just sayin'.

Okay....So far, lots of heavy stuff.    Let's dial it down a little.

With a little bit of sports....

The new NFL season is about to begin.   Next Wednesday, September 5th, the Super Bowl champion NY Giants will be hosting the Dallas Cowboys and you'll be able to watch the game on NBC.

Good news for those of us who are baseball fans here in the Los Angeles area.   Long time Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully will be back for another year.   He's (I think) 84 years old and has been with the Dodgers for (I think) 60+ years and he's still the most entertaining play by play guy in America.

And as long as I'm talking about baseball announcers, I want to add something.   I've had the pleasure of listening to some great broadcasters and great broadcasting teams.    Jack Buck with Mike Shannon in St. Louis was my favorite baseball announcing team for many years, but my favorite now is the team of Charlie Steiner and Rick Monday here in Los Angeles.   These guys are so good they often finish each other's sentences.   And no, they're not married to each other.

ENTERTAINMENT STUFF:

TV stuff followed by three films I saw since our last blog.

The second episode of the second season of "Boss" on STARZ was, in my view, sensational.   When the episode ended, I yelled some words in my living room;   "God, this show is GOOOOD!!!"   You can see it on Friday nights.

The season finale of "The Newsroom" on HBO was also (in my view) sensational.   Fans of the show, like me, have a lot to think about regarding how the first episode of their second season begins.   I can hardly wait.

The season finale of "True Blood" on HBO?   Strange.   Very strange.

The three films I saw...

A lot of you probably saw the film "The Hangover" a couple of years or so ago.   It was a big hit.   Last night, I saw, on cable, "The Hangover Part 2".   What a waste of good talent.

Yesterday afternoon, I saw the new film, "Cosmopolis" which stars Robert Pattinson, the guy who got a lot of publicty when it was revealed that his girlfriend, actress Kristen Stewart had cheated on him with a film director.   And now Pattinson is cheating the rest of us with this very strange film.   The film finally gets some "life" in it near the end when actor Paul Giamatti shows up and gives a performance that in my view is a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination possibility.

And now the 3rd film.   A film I saw this morning.   "Lawless".

This film is based on a true story that took place in a small town.   For lack of a better description (my bad), I'll describe it as a very dangerous "White Lightning" kind of story.

The casting was perfect and there's no way you will fall asleep while watching this.   A lot of violence, but to me, this was/is a damn good film.   It stars Shia La Beouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce and a very good group of supporting players.

Guy Pearce plays the role of guy you would never want to see walking towards you.   Jessica Chastain plays the role of a woman that any man would fall in love with.

I could go on and on about "Lawless", but I'll simply say I liked it a lot.

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?   Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I'll respond to you ASAP.   Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me to know your email address which means I won't be able to respond to you.   As long time readers know, I respond to everyone except those who refer to themselves as "Anonymous".   Those emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG?   Barring unforseen circumstances, late next Thursday night, September 6 or very early Friday morning, September 7.

Meanwhile, I hope that all of you have a very pleasant weekend and always (please) remember:   AMERICA FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    




Thursday, August 23, 2012

New Newsweek cover story blares: "HIT THE ROAD, BARACK!!!" Legitimate Rape?!? Debates will decide presidential election if the moderators are good!!! AFGHANISTAN!?! Major League Umpires!!!

Hi everybody!   I hope the headlines above have grabbed your attention.

Because of a project I have to work on tomorrow, I am beginning this blog at a very early time so I can finish early.   I think this blog will be shorter than usual, but I've said that before, haven't I?

Before we get started, I'd like to share something with you that happened very close to my front door last night.   I was watching the Dodgers-Giants baseball game, so I wasn't aware of what was taking place outside.   After the game ended, I walked outside because I needed to pick up something from the supermarket right up the street from me.

What I immediately saw was that the street was blocked for several blocks and there was yellow tape all over the place.   Yes, a sizeable number of police officers were there.

When I told a police officer I was walking to the supermarket, he told me to climb under the yellow tapes and to walk on the sidewalk.

When I asked what had happened, the officer told me, "Traffic accident."   I then said, "Is that IT?"   He said, "Yes." and I kept walking.

In the next half hour, here's what I found out.   Someone seriously damaged a fire hydrant with his car and he or she had also hit something that contained electrical wires that weren't seen because it was dark.   A lot of water poured onto the street and two women immediately went towards the vehicle and were trying to be helpful.   The water and unseen electrical wires electrocuted them and they died.   At least four other people were injured.

My first thought was that if I had walked outside earlier, I could imagine myself trying to help those people.

Scary stuff, people.   The two women who died (pretty much immediately) were guilty of being "good citizens".   Turns out they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and I can't help but be reminded of a song title;   "Isn't Life Strange?"

LET'S GET BUSY!

Headline #1:   New Newsweek cover story blares:   "HIT THE ROAD, BARACK!"

The story was written by Niall Ferguson, a guy who was associated with the McCain campaign, a campaign McCain lost to Obama.   I read the whole story Ferguson wrote, it features many opinions and because I'm an opinionated guy, I have no criticism of what he wrote.    Ferguson wants Obama out and Romney in.   And there are a lot of people who agree with him.

Headline #2:   Legitimate RAPE?!?

I'm sure you've heard about this.   Todd Akin is a Missouri guy who's been a House member for a number of years and now he wants to be in the U.S. Senate.   He's very much against abortion and if things were done the way he wants them done, a woman who got pregnant because she was raped, or incest was involved or her life was in danger, it wouldn't matter.  

Mitt Romney doesn't agree with that.   He's not a supporter of abortion, but he is a supporter of the three exceptions I listed.   Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan is on record being a supporter of thinking stated by Todd Akin, but Ryan, while doing a lot of avoiding regarding his thoughts is letting everyone know that (in essence) no matter what he thinks, Romney would be Ryan's boss if Romney becomes our next president.   Translation?   If Romney continues with his "3 exceptions" position, that's how it would stay in the Romney administration and Ryan would (in essence) keep his mouth shut.

A lot of big name Republicans (including Romney) are asking Todd Akin to drop out of his race for the Senate.   As of now, Akin is rejecting Romney's and everyone else's wishes.   Ryan has also suggested to Akin that he drop out, but Akin is achin' to be a U.S. Senator.

Short commentary:   I've said it before and I'll say it again;   I believe it is the woman's right to choose.   If the law got changed, I would be very much in favor of the "three exceptions";   Rape, incest and health of the mother.

I will offer an example of one of those "exceptions".   If you're a married man, imagine how you would feel if your wife got raped.   An understandable desire you might have would be the desire to kill the rapist.   You probably wouldn't do it if you found the guy, but....

Now...Imagine how you would feel if your wife got pregnant because of this rape.    No matter how you feel about abortion, do you really want a child in your house who's father is the guy who raped your wife?   If you can emotionally live in peace with THAT, you're a stronger man than I am.

Headline #3:   Debates will decide the upcoming presidential election if the moderators are good!

I really believe that, folks.   And I can hardly wait for the debates to begin.   The first one will be held in Denver on the 3rd of October.

Headline #4:   AFGHANISTAN!!!

Have you noticed that neither one of the candidates has mentioned "Afghanistan"?    How long have we been there?   10 years?   11?   Whatever it's been, a lot of American soldiers have died there and recently the number of American deaths has increased.   Dramatically.

I was in favor of us going to Afghanistan for one reason.   To get Osama bin Laden.   It took us long enough, but we finally got him and I think it's way past time for us to get the hell out of there.   They don't like us, we have nothing in common with them, we have a lot of problems that need to be solved here and like I say at the end of each blog, "AMERICA FIRST!!!"

Headline #5:   Major League Umpires!!!

Say, whaaaaaat???   Gang, for those of you who don't know, I did radio and television sports anchoring for many years here before trying some other things like acting and this (mostly) political blog.   Just for the heck of it, I plan to throw in a sports item or two or...

Political and entertainment stuff will still be the things written about most.

Am I the only one who thinks that Major League baseball umpires have become umpires who aren't as good as umpires used to be?   Too many mistakes.   Especially when we know that we have the technology that could fix that problem.

Just sayin'.

And how about these two guys who recently got caught using illegal substances and then got 50-game suspensions?   Both of these players are good players and the teams they were on are teams that have a good chance to get into the playoffs.   But without them, those two teams might not reach the heights they were on a pace to reach.    Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The new NFL season is just around the corner.   September 5, the Super Bowl champion NY Giants will be hosting the Dallas Cowboys and you'll be able to see the game on NBC.

ENTERTAINMENT STUFF:

R.I.P. Phyllis Diller (95) and Tony Scott (68).

The Tony Scott business has a lot of unanswered questions attached to it.   In case you hadn't heard, he committed suicide by jumping off a bridge.   The reason we heard at first was that Tony Scott had "given up" because he had a brain problem that couldn't be fixed.   His family says that isn't true.   And as of now, no one seems to know why this very successful film maker decided to kill himself.

More pleasant things....

I saw one film this past week.   "The Expendables 2".   I saw the first "Expendables" film and liked it.   I also liked #2.   A lot!   Sly Stallone and veteran friends of his are flat out a "hoot" to watch.   Stallone was a co-writer of this film and it's obvious that he deliberately gave some great lines to his veteran friends.   This ain't Shakespeare folks, but it's big time entertaining.

And speaking of "entertaining"...The great show, "Political Animals" had their final episode on USA this past Sunday.   There is talk that there might be a season #2, but if there isn't, they went out with a "bang".   I do hope there will BE a second season for this show.

The second season of Kelsey Grammer's "Boss" on STARZ began last Friday and it was a GREAT show.

Only one more episode of "The Newsroom" on HBO this Sunday.   Yes, there will be a season #2.   Season #1 has been terrific.

Only one more episode of "True Blood" on HBO this Sunday.   It's been an overall strange season for that show but I think the show has been renewed again.

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?   Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you ASAP.   Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me to know your email address which means I wouldn't be able to respond to you.   I respond to everyone unless you sign yourself as "Anonymous".   Those emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG?   Barring unforseen circumstances, late Thursday night, August 30 or very early Friday morning, August 31.

Meanwhile I sincerely hope that all of you have a very pleasant weekend and don't forget...AMERICA FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 











  

Thursday, August 16, 2012

John McCain has advice for President Obama! Paul Ryan is being compared to Sarah Palin! The debate moderators will be? Isn't it time to vote ALL current members OUT of Congress?!? Isn't it time for a Constitutional Amendment that would eliminate the Electoral College?!? 35-years ago today, Elvis died!!!

Hi!   Is it warm enough for you?   I ask you that because in most places, it's been exceptionally warm.   Climate change?   Global warming?   I know.   A lot of people want us to believe that global warming is a hoax.   Maybe they're right, but I do wish it was a little cooler.

When I finished and posted last week's blog, the announcement about Paul Ryan was made several hours later.   A number of other things have happened since then and when I sat down to begin THIS blog, I was a victim of "writer's cramp".   Soooo many things were on my mind and I couldn't figure out where to begin or what areas to focus in on.

It is now more than 2-hours later and I've forced myself to SAY to myself, "Write SOMETHING, Scott!   And let's just see what happens!"

So...For better or worse...Here comes a blog that might be the shortest blog ever or.....

Or what?

I have no idea, soooo....

Let's get busy!!!

Headline #1:   John McCain has advice for President Obama!

You've probably heard about this, but in case you haven't....Current Vice President Joe Biden said some things the other day that prompted Senator McCain to suggest to President Obama that he should "dump" Biden and replace him with Hillary Clinton.

I like Joe Biden, but you long time readers know that a few months ago I made the observation that I wouldn't be surprised if a last minute decision to have Hillary as Obama's VP candidate or Hillary as the democrat presidential candidate was made.

But when it comes to overall advice from Senator McCain, let's go back to his decision to have Sarah Palin as HIS running mate.   And one can't help but wonder if that was HIS decision.   Everyone who was paying attention knows that McCain wanted Joe Lieberman to be his running mate and a lot of people think McCain was (in essence) FORCED to take Palin.   And we all know how THAT worked out.

Headline #2:   Paul Ryan is being compared to Sarah Palin!

And here's why that is.   It is my view (along with many others) that the Palin decision was a "panic" decision and the Ryan decision was a "panic" decision.   And I seriously doubt that neither of those two are enjoying the comparison.

Palin is a "charismatic light weight" and Ryan is a "charismatic light weight".   Birds of a feather (in different nests) if you will.

Romney is someone we know next to nothing about other than the fact that he's rich and loves to fire people.    President Obama, in his many speeches recently has done pretty much the same thing that Romney is doing (or vice versa) because neither one of them is telling us how they plan to make things better for the next four years.   Instead, they're both spending millions on top of millions of dollars for TV ads in which all they say is what a bad guy the other guy is.   Same deal in their speeches.

Yo, CANDIDATES Obama and Romney!   Except for 1% of us, the REST of us are HURTING!   Big time!   What do you two plan to DO about that?

Just askin'.

Headline #3:   The debate moderators will be....???

Maybe THESE people can get the candidates to tell us what we really need to know!

There will be three presidential debates one VP debate.

October 3, in Denver, PBS's Jim Lehrer will be the moderator.   Jim will probably be tempted to ask Romney if he (Romney) really intends to end funding for PBS if he's elected president.

October 16, in Hempstead, NY, CNN's Candy Crowley will be the moderator.

October 22, in Boca Raton, Florida, CBS's Bob Schieffer will be the moderator.

October 11, in Danville, Kentucky, the VP debate will be hosted by ABC's Martha Raddatz.

Let the games begin.

Headline #4:   Isn't it time to vote all members out of Congress?

They have a 10% approval rating, folks!!!   And I think that number might be exaggerated.   5% or lower wouldn't surprise me at all.

The problem?   Refusal to compromise and the refusal to take care of things that REALLY need to be taken care of.   And now they're all going on a 5-week vacation???

Solution?   Fire ALL of these blankety-blanks!!!

Headline #5:   Isn't it time for a Constitutional Amendment that would eliminate the Electoral College?

To me, here's a problem that should have been solved a long time ago.   Most folks know that when they cast their ballot, it might not mean anything because this thing known as the Electoral College ends up being the "final answer", if you will.

With all of our modern technology, we have no problem counting ALL the votes that were cast by you and me.   And AFTER that counting, if Romney gets most of the votes, he should be our next president.   If Obama gets most of the votes, he should be a 2nd term president.   Buuuut....because of the Electoral College, a candidate with the most votes can very easily be the candidate who DOESN'T win.   And what the heck about that MAKES ANY SENSE AT ALL?!?

Just askin'.

Headline #6:   35-years ago, Elvis died!

I miss that man.   I attended a lot of his shows in Las Vegas.   And his people took care of me very well.   I've told this story before, but here it comes again;   I took a date to all of his shows except one.   The last show I saw.   We were placed in seats one and two in the center of the stage.   We almost were victims of neck injuries because we had to look straight up.   But my dates ended up loving it.   They were all kissed by Elvis, when the show ended, they were in a hypnotic daze of some kind for almost 24 hours before realizing and remembering who it was that brought them there.   Yes, rewards were given.

R.I.P., King!   And you'll never be forgotten.


ENTERTAINMENT STUFF:

I didn't see any new films this past week, but I did see a number of films on cable.   Here's what so great about all these cable channels.   You are able see films you never had the time to see or films you haven't seen in a long time and would like to see them again.   Like, in my case, the 2010 film, "Love and other Drugs".   Saw it again the other night and I absolutely LOVE that film.   It stars Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal and a wonderful cast of supporting players.   This is a complicated love story that grabs me by the throat every time I see it.

The other films I saw that I recommend to you were "Taking Lives", a 2004 film that's currently on the Encore schedule.   It stars Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Gena Rowlands and some great supporting players.  Big time drama film.

"Just Cause", a 1995 film that also on the Encore schedule.   It stars Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Ed Harris, Kate Capshaw, Blair Underwood and a very young Scarlet Johansson.   BIG time drama, great acting and I loved it.

Tomorrow, "Expendibles 2" opens and I'm looking forward to seeing it.   I saw the first one and liked it a lot.   The film won't win any awards, but I'm sure it will be very entertaining.

One other showbiz item...The great director Martin Scorsese gave up on trying to do a Dean Martin film that he really wanted TO do because he couldn't find the right actor to PLAY Dean Martin.   Now, Scorsese says he wants to put a film about Frank Sinatra together.   When you try to find the right actor to play an icon like Sinatra, it's tough.   But I have a suggestion.   Robert Davi.   A very fine actor and a guy who's also a very fine singer.   Of Sinatra SONGS!

Just sayin'.

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?   Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you ASAP.   Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me to know your email address which means I won't be able to respond to you.   As long time readers know, I respond to everyone except people who identify themselves as "Anonymous".  Those emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG?   Barring unforseen circumstances, next Thursday night, August 23 or very early Friday morning, August 24.

Meanwhile, I hope that all of you have a very pleasant weekend and don't forget...AMERICA FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

















Thursday, August 09, 2012

Gas prices! Up, up UP!!! Mormons are against all things having to do with gambling! But Mitt Romney??? Porn legend Jenna Jameson tells why she plans to vote for Romney! And so does film legend, Clint Eastwood! "End of life" options!!! Los Angeles Radio Ratings!!! OBAMA: Eligible or IN-eligible???

Heavy list of headlines, huh?

Hi everybody!    A lot of you commented on my little adventure with the free spirited lady from a foreign country.   My answer to the question most of you asked?   Yes, I'm still smiling.   And no, she didn't show up THIS week.

A couple of more things before commenting on the (above) headlines.   And yes, I'm sure the 6th headline has your attention.

I have had a continuing address here in the Los Angeles area since November of 1979.   I mention this because this little blog has readers in 46 states and a few foreign countries.   No Alaska, Idaho, Maine, or Montana,  readers that I know of.   So when I mention something that is strictly L.A. related, I know that a lot of you are not familiar with what I might be referring to.

Robert W. Morgan.   Ever heard of him?   He's a Hall of Fame radio broadcaster who left us all too soon.   Robert W. Morgan was a guy I had the pleasure of sitting in the studio with three different times on two different radio stations here.   Robert W. Morgan was also instrumental in my having a 10+years run as a television sports anchor here.

So when his daughter asks for a favor, I don't blink.   I just DO it!

Susanna Morgan has a blog that's called, 'Not June'.   She wants to become the TOP SoCal Mommy Blog @ Circle of Moms.   Please click on the link you'll see below.   Scroll down to 'Not June' and click on the orange 'Thumbs Up' icon to place your vote.   Here comes the link.
  
http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/top-25-socal-moms-2012

I sincerely hope that some of you will have time to vote for her.

Here comes the other thing before we go to "Headlines".

A thing (video) that Hall of Fame music guy and big friend of this blog, Don Graham sent me.   I think this is well produced and worth watching.   Some of you will agree with it and some of you won't.   Here comes THAT link.


http://youtu.be/KrC2pFaaR70
Okayyy...

Let's get busy!

Headline #1:   Gas prices!   Up, up, UP!!!

Scary stuff, huh?   More than 30 cents a gallon higher in less than a week.   And climbing.   These big oil barons are a piece of work.   They get unbelievable tax breaks from us, but they have no problem at all when it comes to "screwing us".   Who do you think they'll be voting for and why?   "Birds of a feather", that's why.

Excuses for the budget busting price hikes?   Simple.   "Because we (they) CAN!!!"   To be fair, I should state they have actually said other things than that, but for those of us who have been paying attention to these people for many years, a response from us to their responses/excuses, resulting in us puking, would be very understandable.

Just sayin'.

Headline #2:   Mormons are against all things having to do with gambling!   But Mitt Romney??

Mitt Romney is a guy who supposedly gives a lot of money to the Mormon Church.   That would lead one to believe that Romney believes in all things "Mormon" if you will.   I don't have a problem with anyone's religious beliefs.  But I do wonder about this "belief" situation because Mitt Romney's number one campaign money provider is Sheldon Adelson, a guy who became off the charts rich because of money made through gambling operations and right now, he's being investigated for money laundering.   In this particular case, Romney is probably an innocent spectator regarding Adelson's legal concerns, but there's no way in the world that Romney doesn't/didn't know that Adelson is whacha call a "Gambling Man".

And once again, we ask this question:   Mr. Romney, what DO you believe in?

Headline #3:   Porn legend Jenna Jameson tells why she plans to vote for Mitt Romney.   And so does film legend, Clint Eastwood.

Nothing scandalous involving Jameson's reason for supporting Romney.   Nothing about Romney being associated in any way, shape or form with the porn folks.   Jameson simply states that she's rich and Republicans are better for rich people.

Clint Eastwood?   He also has an interesting reason for being a Romney supporter.   Eastwood believes that Romney was too handsome to be a governor, but he thinks that Romney is "handsome perfect" to be president.

Headline #4:   End of life options!

There have been an alarming number of stories about men and women who have been forced to suffer tremendous pain over a long period of time when what they would prefer to do, is to be allowed to "die".   In other words, have a husband, a wife or a doctor allow them the dignity of dieing peacefully and no longer being a burden to others and most definitely no longer having to suffer extraordinary pain while knowing there was/is no chance of their quality of life getting better.   In fact, it will only get worse.

I know that some powerful religious folks and some medical associations have been against "end of life options" but I think they're DEAD WRONG, no pun intended.   And I can't help but wonder if the medical associations' stance has to do with money.   As in more money for them.   And yes, I hope I'm wrong about that.

Headline #5:   Los Angeles Radio Ratings!

Except for showing up as a guest once in a while, I haven't had anything to do with radio ever since I started this blog.   I was lucky enough to have played in that arena for a good number of years and overall, it was a successful ride.

Some new radio ratings for Los Angeles were released a few days ago and for the first time in a long time, I looked at these numbers very closely.

Conclusion?

I know that things have changed, but how can ANY of these stations be proud of the "rating numbers" they're getting?!?

Just sayin'.

Headline #6:   OBAMA:   Eligible or IN-eligible???

Got your attention now, don't I?

We are getting very close to electing a new president (Mitt Romney) or giving four more years to our current president, Barack Obama.

The Republican and Democrat conventions are just around the corner and the public debates between these two men will begin on October 3.

From what appears to have been from the day he got elected until now, there is a very stubborn group of people who are convinced that Barack Obama shouldn't be our president because in their view, Obama is "ineligible" to be our president.

He was/is, in their view a "Manchurian Candidate" of some kind, if not worse.

My view of their views?   Fair enough.   Show me the proof, no doubt about it proof and I'll lead the "citizen's arrest" posse.

What prompts me to make this subject "Headline #6" today is because of something I got from a long time friend of mine earlier today.   He's not a lunatic, he's not (to the best of my knowledge) some kind of "White Power" guy, it is obvious he wishes Obama hadn't been elected, but until today, I didn't know he (apparently) believes that Obama is "ineligible" to be our president.

Is this an out of the blue conclusion based on frustration because he's afraid Obama might get re-elected?   I don't know.

But here's what I DO know!

And stay with me, believers.   Because if you haven't thought about what I'm about to tell you, you're probably not going to like it.

I'm a political junkie.   I was once offered the opportunity to run for the U.S. Senate.   For reasons I won't bore you with, I, after much thought, declined.

I watched every second of the recent Republican debates and I watched every second of the Democrat and Republican debates before Obama was elected.  Do you remember who Obama's final (memorable) debates were with?   Hillary Clinton.

Now stay with me here.

Do you remember who her husband is?   A former President of the United States named Bill Clinton.    Bill Clinton still has Secret Service agents at his beck and call.   Do you think FBI officials take Bill Clinton's calls?    Of course you do.   So do all National Security officials.   The rumors about Barack Obama and him not being a legal citizen were things that the Clintons heard and were very aware of.   Don't you think that Bill Clinton, husband of presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton made calls to all the kinds of law enforcement people I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph?

And don't you think that (if for no other reason) it was the former President of the United States that was asking them to conduct a "no holds barred" investigation, that they did indeed conduct that kind of an investigation?

Hey, if the Secret Service, FBI and or National Security investigators discovered that the rumors were in fact true, or true enough to "bust" Obama, don't you think that they would have DONE that?

Common sense, folks.

You might not like it, but it is common sense.

Otherwise we are talking about being surrounded by the most incompetent members of the Secret Service, FBI and National Security people in the history of our nation.

Not to mention any cop on the street who would end up in the history books if he or she proved these rumors to be true.

ENTERTAINMENT STUFF:

I admit it.   I'm a little out of breath at the moment.

A lot of entertaining Olympics stuff, huh.   U.S. women soccer players won more gold, you know about Michael Phelps, his all time Olympic medals record and a hot new girlfriend.   Life is good for those who work hard.   If you care about the Olympics, you know about everything else that has happened.

Some quick TV stuff, a couple of new films and then we'll wrap this puppy up.

Gang, if you haven't seen "Political Animals" on the USA cable channel, what can I tell you?   You've been missing a great show.   This coming Sunday's show might be the last show for this season, but I'm sure they'll be showing a lot of reruns.

Another great episode of "The Newsroom" on HBO this past Sunday.   Especially the last 15-20 minutes or so.   After seeing the previews for this coming Sunday's show, I think we're going to be seeing a "barn burner", if you know what I mean.

The season finale of "Dallas" on TNT last night, was super terrific and gives us fans of the show a lot to think about when the show returns in January.

That great television show, "The Closer" will show their final (ever) new episode on Monday.   They had a heck of a good run.

Two Films:

I saw both films this past Tuesday.   "Killer Joe" and "Celeste and Jesse Forever".

Killer Joe:   The NC-17 film a lot of people have been talking about.   The character of "Killer Joe" is played by Matthew McConaughey and this is the second film he's been in this year that shows us sides of him we didn't know he had.   And I mean that as a compliment.   Terrific supporting cast which included Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon.   It was directed by Academy Award winning director, William Friedkin.

Yes, there's some serious violence in this film, but there's a good story about a plan that goes sour.   Seeing how great Juno Temple looks is worth the price of admission and she has the last line in the film.   While she's holding a gun.   I don't think the film deserved an NC-17 rating.   I've seen more nudity and violence in films that weren't tagged with that rating.   I liked the film.

"Celeste & Jesse Forever".   No nudity or violence in this film, but folks, if you have a heart, you'll love this film.

Rashida Jones plays the role of Celeste and Andy Samberg plays the role of Jesse.   Rashida Jones and her long time real life friend Will McCormack wrote the film.   Very nice supporting cast which includes McCormack, Emma Roberts, Chris Messina and Elijah Wood.

I'm not sure about this, but I'm inclined to think that this is Rashida Jones' first leading role in a film.   As a lot of you probably know, she's the daughter of Quincy Jones.

I was a fan of hers before I saw this film and now I'm a bigger fan.   This is a story about the characters Celeste and Andy being in the process of getting a divorce, but because they really still like each other, they have a hard time signing the papers that are necessary.

Both of these actors are perfect for these roles.   I felt every ounce of what they were going through.   And you can't help but wonder why these two are even THINKING about getting divorced.   But they are and they do, but that's not how the film ends.   If you don't "tear-up" a little when the inevitable is taking place, welllll....

I highly recommend this film, folks.  

And Rashida?   Don't know ya, but from a distance I LOVE YA!

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?   Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you ASAP.   Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me to know your email address which means there's no way for me to respond to you.   All "Anonymous" emails are ignored.   Everyone else gets responded to.

THE NEXT BLOG?   Barring unforseen circumstances, late next Thursday night, August 16 or very early Friday morning, August 17.

I hope that all of you have a great weekend and don't forget,
AMERICA FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

















   















Thursday, August 02, 2012

Dick Cheney tells the truth about Sarah Palin!!! Mitt Romney is on the cover of the new Newsweek!!! Despite ratings that are falling, Rush Limbaugh is still saying mean and stupid stuff!!! Gas prices are going up again and that figures to be good news for Romney!!! Annnd...Legendary Radio Production/Engineer Bill Mouzis Shares Wise Words for us to Ponder!!!

Hi everybody!   Are you enjoying the Olympics?   Or don't you care?   Either way, there's nothing I can write that you don't know if you CARE or don't know because you DON'T care!   I'll mention only one thing;   Michael Phelps won his 16th Gold Medal today by being victorious in the Men's 200 Individual Medley.   He has won 4 other medals that weren't Gold.   Both the 16 and 20 numbers are (to me) pretty darn impressive.

As LARadio.com Owner/Publisher Don Barrett likes to say, I'm a guy "who keeps things close to his vest" when it comes to serious/personal stuff and he's right.

I mention this because I'm beginning today's blog a little later than usual because my mind has been consumed with thoughts about something that happened yesterday, last night and a little earlier today.

Besides a serious illness, what's the one thing that can occupy your mind more than any other thing?

Getting hired?   Getting a job promotion?   Getting fired?  

I think we'll all agree that during these worrisome times, at least one of the three things I've written are pretty much on the minds of everybody.

But I think that the number one mind consuming thing always has to do with a member of the opposite sex.   

I know that that's the case with me and it's been that way for more years than I admit to being old.

I got a call yesterday from someone who told me she had just gotten into town (for those of you don't know, I live in the Los Angeles area) and she was staying at a hotel and she wondered if I had time to see her.

I had never met her, but I had seen pictures of her because of email conversations we have had over the last few months.   Bona fide "knockout", looks-wise unless the pictures she had sent me were "bogus".   She had told me she is over 21, but not very close to 30.   I had told her that I was also over 21, but way past 30.   Yes, she had seen pictures of me.

And yes, I said I had time to see her.

And see her I did.   And yes, she looked like her pictures.

Smart, too.  

And I couldn't help but wonder what the over-under would be on how long a relationship with this way out of town beautiful creature could last.   "Way out of town" as in, thousands of miles away.   Different country, in fact.

We've all heard the term, "free spirit", right?

In addition to being smart, beautiful and a free spirit, she's also impulsive.   After having all of the email conversations we've had, she decided to jump on a plane and surprise me.  

In our new face to face to face position, we hit it off big, conversationally.   Yes, she speaks fluent English.

The day and the night seemed to fly, time wise.

This afternoon, she flew back home.

Did she leave with a smile on her face?   Yes.   Will she ever return?   I don't know.   Did I have a smile on my face?   As Sarah Palin might say, you betcha.

I'm leaving a few things out here (all good), but I felt a need to get what I've written off my chest so that I can get about the business of writing this new blog about things I'm used to writing about.

Does that make sense to you?   I hope it does, because it sure makes sense to me.   The ol' "mind consuming thing".   Having to do with a member of the opposite sex.   And if I never see her again, I will also never forget her.

Whew!

Okay....Let's get busy!

Headline #1:   Dick Cheney tells the truth about Sarah Palin!

You've probably heard about this, but in case you haven't, Dick Cheney is saying that McCain's choice to have Palin as his running mate was a mistake.   Palin couldn't get on a Fox show fast enough so she could let everyone know how wrong Cheney is.

Wellll....Cheney isn't the only one who thinks this or thought it just prior to our last election.   What Sarah Palin brings to the table is conversation.   A lot of conversation and in a way that is sometimes mesmerizing.   But the fact of the matter is, what she says (after it's broken down) is more "noise" than anything constructive.   Don't forget, folks.   This is a lady that quit being Governor of Alaska after completing only 2 years of her 4-year term.   Or was it less than 2 years?   And she's never really explained why she quit.   I guess that's okay because.....Well, I guess it must be okay because she's Sarah Palin?!?

Headline #2:   Mitt Romney is on the new cover of Newsweek!

First of all, is it possible that when all is said and done that Mitt Romney is the male version of Sarah Palin?   I mean, recently, this guy figures to be running out of shoes because of all the times he's had his foot in his mouth.

Have you seen the words that are written next to Romney's face on the Newsweek cover?   Here they are:   "Romney:   The WIMP Factor.   Is He Just Too Insecure To Be President?"

Personally, I don't think of Romney as being a "wimp".   I do think that because of him being born with a "Silver Spoon" in his mouth which resulted in him never going past his "entitlement position" is something that will never go away.   Because the only people he can relate to are rich people, I think the idea of him being our next president during these terrible economic times is idiotic with a capitol "i".   I think Romney is capable of being "slick" and I think he has a lot "con" in him, like "con-man" and I can hardly wait to see how he'll do in the three debates with Obama that will begin on October 3rd.   And yes, I can hardly wait to see how Obama will do as well.   Right now I have serious questions about both of these guys.

Headline #3:   Despite ratings that are falling, Rush Limbaugh is still saying mean and stupid stuff!

Good ol' Rush.   Another guy who cares only about the "haves".   It was yesterday or the day before when Rush said on his radio show, "We shouldn't remind people on Welfare when the election is!".   Ah, yes.   Rush.   The "man of the people".   The people who "have" and the people who buy into the US versus THEM stuff Rush and his kind are always preaching.

Headline #4:   Gas prices are going up again and that figures to be good for Romney!

I've never quite understood this thinking, but supposedly, when the price of gas goes down, that's good for Obama.   When the price of gas goes up, that's good for Romney.   If I'm part of the Romney team, I would want that kind of thinking to stop.   But when it comes to "thinking", Romney and his people apparently think it's okay to keep his tax information a secret.   I guess using that as an example, we can believe that maybe Romney is a guy who thinks he doesn't HAVE to think.   Much.   Mitt, If that's true, it's something we've found that's believable about you.

Just sayin'.

Headline #5:   Legendary Radio Production-Engineer Bill Mouzis shares wise words for us to ponder!

I've written about Bill Mouzis in previous blogs.   In addition to being a highly decorated Navy guy during World War II, Mouzis became a radio legend while working at what was known as 93/KHJ here in Los Angeles.   KHJ was a big part of the "Boss Radio" empire.   I was just now told by Entertainment Tonight Producer-Director Kevin Gershan that Mouzis was also "Shop Steward" while at KHJ and I can't help but imagine how Mouzis kept those rock 'n roll guys in line because knowing Mouzis like I do, I know (without knowing) that he most definitely kept them in line.   I had the opportunity to work with Mouzis when I was hired to be a part of Gene Autry's KMPC after Mouzis was hired there because the KHJ thing had ended.   If memory serves, I seem to recall Mouzis keeping me in line as well.

Okay....Enough with the memories stuff.   Bill Mouzis sent me an excerpt from a speech that was given by a Paris, France politician in 1910.   Bill thought this might be something I would be interested in and he was/is right.

We have an election coming up and I think what you're about to read is something that fits like a glove.   This excerpt is titled, "THE MAN IN THE ARENA".

And here it is:   "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.   The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;  who strives valiantly;  who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Bill, thanks for sending me this.

ENTERTAINMENT STUFF:

Not much to report because I was away from my television a lot this past week.

Sunday, I saw "True Blood" on HBO (liked it), "Political Animals" on the USA Network (loved it) and "The Newsroom" on HBO (absolutely LOVED it) and more on that in a minute, but first...

Also on USA that same Sunday night, I saw a rerun of "Law & Order-SVU".  This was an episode when Christopher Meloni was still on the show.   Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn played Meloni's "crazy mother" and she was OUTSTANDING.   As was the whole show.   I bring this up because Burstyn is playing Sigourney Weaver's mother on "Political Animals" and she's terrific in THIS show.   "Political Animals" is supposed to be a 6-episode show and bye-bye.   But because this show is so darned good, there is now serious talk about this show being extended.   I hope it is.

Back to Aaron Sorkin's HBO show, "The Newsroom".   A lot of critics have spoken up about how much they don't like this show, but they're also watching every episode.   It's only a television show, I have worked in television newsrooms and I find the show to be very believable and for the life of me I don't understand the griping.   Unless of course, you have problems with something in the way of a real event that's hurtful because it really happened.  This past Sunday's episode was an Olivia Munn showcase episode and I think it was the best episode of the season.   I didn't know anything about Olivia Munn until "The Newsroom" came on the air.   Ms. Munn is beautiful, sexy and a damn fine actress.   She and lead guy Jeff Daniels have great chemistry together and while watching the show and seeing Olivia Munn speak fluent Japanese for lengthy periods of time made me wonder what other tricks this fine actress has up her sleeve.   And Mr. Sorkin?   Bravo, bro!   Bravo!

I mentioned the fact that "Political Animals is on the USA Network.   Have you noticed what else this little (but growing like leaps and bounds) network has?   Shows that most of you probably have never heard of, but here are a few of them;   "Suits", "Burn Notice", "Covert Affairs", "White Collar" and probably some others I'm not (yet) aware of.   The USA Network.   Check it out, folks.   This might be the best kept secret you've been looking for.

NEW FILMS:

I'm going to mention 3 films that are opening tomorrow.   "Total Recall".   The reviews aren't good.   Great cast, though.   "The Watch".   Great cast, lousy reviews.   "Hope Street" starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  A film for adults.   Maybe older adults.   The reviews are good.   In some cases, very good.

THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?   Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you ASAP.   Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me to know your email address which means I wouldn't be able to respond to you.   As long time readers know, I respond to everyone unless you refer to yourself as "Anonymous".   Those emails are ignored.

THE NEXT BLOG?   Barring unforseen circumstances, next Thursday night, August 9 or very early Friday morning, August 10.

Meanwhile, here's hoping that you and yours have a very nice weekend and here's (also) hoping that our political leaders will jump on our bandwagon which is, AMERICA FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!