Bill Says: Scotty!

Bill Says:

Scotty was a great example of a character who added more to a show than was expected. In ways, he was more memorable than even Kirk. I remember the great moment from "Wrath of Khan" when during a critical moment when the bridge contacted Scotty to see why they didn't have enough power. "Me poor engines can't take it!" The audience roared with approval. Finally, someone in Hollywood GOT it!

Amen! I remember vowing to see the movie when they ran a clip of that on "Sneak Previews" or whatever they called that Siskel & Ebert show then.

Doohan's favorite episode is also one of my favorites: "The Doomsday Machine"

Here's another item I didn't see in the Media: Jimmy Buffett's "Boat Drinks"

I'd like to go where the pace of life's slow

Could you beam me somewhere Mr. Scott?

Any ol' place here on Earth or in space

You pick the century and I'll pick the spot

Bob Says: The Cowboy and America

Bob links to this:

Why My Generation Loved Western Movies http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north395.html

and Says:

Not a bad view on things all in all. A few good points and not too much anti - liberal drivel.

My reply:

He left out one of the biggest reasons why the cowboy movie flourished.

Westerns were cheap.

The sets were the rural lands a few miles from Hollywood. Most actors could provide their own clothes.

Also, the defense of private property is grayer than Rockwell admits. Good cowboys usually defended farms or other civilized institutions that would spell the end of their kind.

Also, David Brooks, while making some interesting observations, is a bit of a BS artist.

As for the characterization of Han Solo and Indiana Jones: Jones obviously has a strong moral compass, though it doesn't show right away. Han, like many a western hero, ultimately sides with justice over personal gain.

Scotty

I submitted the following to the BBC "Tributes" section

I always appreciated how Doohan and his Scotty character aged naturally in the public eye, instead trying to look perpetually thirty. Doohan was an actor, not a "star."

As for Scotty, the greatest to him tribute to him appeared in "Crimson Tide" when Denzel Washington invokes his name to motivate a crewman in a crisis. Science Fiction has plenty of swashbucklers, but Scotty was a working class man.

Haiku Review: George Harrison's "Extra Texture"

This is an attempt to write reviews by the strictest word count formula available: Haiku
I've decided to start by reviewing George Harrison's post-Beatles albums, worst-to-best

Extra Texture

Any good songs here?
There's "Tired of Midnight Blue"
And that's about It

This is One Fox No One in Britain Wants to See Unhunted

My bother Bill lives in the UK. Fortunately, he's a good distance from London. Unfortunately, he has cable, and his cable package has Fox news:

It's been a week since the London Bombings. For all of Fox's moaning that the World doesn't respect, sympathize or cooperate with (obey) America enough, the network's coverage of the event has ranged from "gee, isn't that too bad" to "serves them right for not being more racist". I saw that clown from the Weekly Standard on Hume's round table, pushing Bush's get-them-before-they-get-you strategy. He stressed that these terrorists were British Citizens and probably not suspected prior to the bombings. I was wondering what he was leading up to. Could he have realized that a pre-emptive strike against such an internal threat is impossible? No, he simply meant that we have to watch what sort of Brits are allowed into the United States! What sort of good that viewpoint is supposed to do the USA's unquestioning ally escapes me. Just like Bush, the gist of the whole network is that "our problems are the World's problem, but the World's problems are their own"

On Your Bike!

From my fiancee, Bernice:

What is it with this man and bicycles? And there are no pretzels in Scotland.

Um, maybe it was a haggis?

Bush Falls Off Bike in Scotland - Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050706/ap_on_re_eu/g_8_bush_bike_accident

President Bush collided with a local police officer and fell during a bike ride on the grounds of the Gleneagles golf resort while attending a meeting of world leaders Wednesday.

Bush suffered "mild to moderate" scrapes on his hands and arms that required bandages by the White House physician, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. The accident occurred on asphalt, McClellan said. It was raining lightly at the time, and Bush was wearing a helmet.

My Question to You, Dear Readers (Both of You)

Here's' a question to my loyal readers, all two or three of you:

Basically, this guy Alan Skorski has a blog which is dedicated to publicizing his book, Pants on Fire, an attack on Al Franken announced for October to ride the coattails of Franken's own upcoming book.

Well, this guy runs a counter strike against Al's upbraiding of Bill O'Reilly for flagrantly taking Senator Joe Biden's words out of context.

Here's his post. And here's the exchange between us that it prompted.

Basically, his argument hinges on two points:

1) O'Reilly did not take Biden out of context because they want two different kinds of independent commissions. Biden wants one to close Gitmo and O'Reilly wanted one that would exonerate the president. (I argued that whatever conclusions they hoped the commission would reach, O'Reilly and Biden wanted the same kind of commission: an independent one, as in one that didn't have a predetermined decision. He didn't buy it.)

2) He wrote an email to Howard Kurtz, who "denied saying anything resembling what Franken attributed to him." (I asked for the complete, unedited transcript of their exchange. He said it would be in the book.)

I thought about replying again, but my question to you my loyal readers or maybe reader: Should I try to set the record straight, or am I just wasting my time arguing with a guy who is either dishonest, not very bright, or maybe both?

From Bill: Hanna-Barbera Talking Dog Scale

1 Dino - A dog in all but form. No speech, but could help with
household chores from time to time. (We'll discount his first appearance)
2 Muttley - No more talking than 'razza-frazza', but he wore clothes
(okay, racing goggles and a scarf) and walked upright
3 Scooby - Could utter simple phrases albeit with a strong dog accent.
Never wore clothes (except when disguised) and occasionally walked or stood
upright
4 Astro - Capable of full sentences, once again with a strong dog
accent ("Rokay, Reorge"). Otherwise, dog-like in behavior: walked on all
fours, naked, ate from a dog dish, etc.
5 Scooby Dumb - Scooby's 'dumb' cousin could speak better than him!
Wore a hat
6 Scrappy - Normal human speech, walked upright, but wore nothing but
a dog collar
7 Dynomut - Regular speech; wore a superhero outfit; capable of
handling sophisticated equipment
8 Hong Kong Phooey - Human, other than his dog shape

Why "Monster, Indeed?"

Bill wrote me:
Subject: Phrase Origins? From the Tempest: TRINCULO Where should they be set else? he were a brave monster indeed, if they were set in his tail.

Could be. Of course, the title of the blog is explained as a quote from "Bride of Frankenstein". The Burgomaster (E.E. Clive) proclaims "Monster, Indeed!" several times. Of course, his snorting dismissals always explode in his face.

I had always liked the phrase and long ago got the idea that it would be a good title for a rock band. More recently, when I set up this blog, I recalled it and decided to make use of it.

I wouldn't be surprised if Whale or one of his screenwriters decided to make use of the phrase from "The Tempest." I find it oddly catchy, possibly because by itself it's a complete, meaningful sentence, but one that leaves a lot of questions.

Incidentally, there was a payoff to the Burgomaster role that was left out of the final print of BOF. With everyone panicking about the escaped Monster, the Burgomaster settles back in his chair and dismisses the whole thing with a final "Monster, Indeed," just before the Monster pops up outside the window behind him and drags him through it. Accounts I have read suggest either that the Monster then kills him, or just bops him around a little. Maybe they left it unclear. Alas, we'll probably never know.

And that's all I know or have to say about "Monster, Indeed!"

Happy Fourth!