Retro Video of the Week: "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince

As the temperature starts to drop, this is a great song and video to keep you warm.  By the way, I'm pretty sure Will Smith hasn't aged since this video.  Jazz, on the other hand, is worse for the wear because of injuries caused by Uncle Phil repeatedly throwing him out of the Banks house.

Midwestern Eavesdropping

Sister: "Who ripped ass?"
Brother: "The dog did."
Sister (who is also a mother): "That smells worse than giving birth."
--somewhere in central Illinois
Eavesdropper: The Loose Lipped Lithuanian

The Scream

Edvard Munch has nothing on me.  After spending most of yesterday trying in vain to balance eggs on their end, I went to bed around 11:15 exhausted and despondent.  It generally takes me a while to fully fall asleep, and sometimes I will hear something while I'm half asleep that jolts me awake.  Around 11:45, I was in between consciousness and unconsciousness.  I must have heard something or had a dream that someone was in the house.  In the instant I half woke up, I looked towards my bedroom doorway and saw a tall skinny man standing there.  The sound that came out of my mouth is best described as a deafening, blood-curdling, girlish shriek.  If Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, Pinhead, that chick with a dick from Sleepaway Camp, and Purdue Pete were standing in my doorway, I wouldn't have screamed louder or more shrilly.  As I fully awakened and focused my eyes, I realized the tall skinny man was the shadow of the vertical door frame.  I wasn't sure if my scream was in my dream or out loud.  I figured that out pretty quickly because Jester had woken up, completely terrified.  As she describes my scream, "it was how I would expect you to scream if you woke up and thought you were about to be murdered."  I couldn't replicate it if I tried.  When I figured everything out (all of this took a matter of seconds), I thought it was pretty funny, particularly because if there was actually someone in my room, he would have undoubtedly been just as scared of me as I was of him, giving me just enough time to roll off the bed and grab my samurai sword from under the bed.  Who's screaming now, bean pole?

Midwestern Eavesdropping

Mid 20s male yelling across the street on a Friday morning: "Can I have a dollar for the cab ride?"
Mid 20s female: "A dollar? I just spent all night paying for your drinks while you talked about being in the 1%. No you can't have a fucking dollar."
--Chicago, Lincoln, Belden & Orchard
Eavesdropper: Bob Terwilliger

Last-Minute Gift Idea

In case anyone is looking for a last-minute gift idea for the man or woman who has everything, might I suggest a dolphin jetpack?

Retro Video of the Week: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey

Before she became a diva or a weirdo (or before we knew about it anyway), Mariah Carey was just an ethnically ambiguous hot chick with an incredible voice who, in 1994, released one of the catchiest songs ever (holiday or otherwise). There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who love this song and those who lie when they say they don't love this song. I suppose that means there is really only one kind of person in this world.

Tuesday Top Ten: Smörgåsbord

I'm incredibly lazy (although not lazy enough to properly spell smörgåsbord), so I have not thought of a Tuesday Top Ten of my own this week.  Thankfully, people from various websites have emailed me over the last month and asked to post links to their lists.  Some of them even have more than 10 entries on their lists.  Egad!  So, here you go:

The first is from the good people at OnlineColleges.net, who sent me the link to their article "25 Facts You Never Knew About Tailgating."  I find this title to be disrespectful of my knowledge of tailgating.  That said, it's an interesting read.  IU fans will appreciate #15, although I think it's closer to 60% in B-town.

The second is from the good people at OnlineCertificatePrograms.org, who sent me the link to their article "The NFL's 10 Most Embarrassing Late-Season Meltdowns."  This may have to be updated to add the 2011 Chicago Bears -- not that having your best quarterback, running back, and wide receiver is necessarily embarrassing.  It just sucks ass.  Just because God's only son plays for the Denver Broncos doesn't mean He has to smite the Bears.

Finally, the good people at BestCollegesOnline.com sent me the link to their article "14 Most Beautiful Colleges for Runners."  I find the failure to include Indiana University to be grossly negligent.  Then again, I hate running outside of dreams.

Midwestern Eavesdropping - 12/19/11

As I'm wont to do, I've been stockpiling eavesdroppings. It's been since July. Jesus. In the future, I think I'm going to post eavesdroppings as I receive them. It could be magical for everyone involved.


Several guys are discussing football at a party:
Guy #1: "Mike Martz hates tight ends."
Guy #2: "You know who doesn't hate tight ends? Jerry Sandusky."
--Naperville, IL
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Drunk twentysomething lesbian who has not yet come out to her parents, to a group of girls and guys: "When you were in college, did your Mom ever cliterally wake you up?"
--Chicago, Rocks, Schubert & Lakewood
Eavesdropper: Gregerson


Late 20s male at a house party: "The only thing I do in cursive is fuck."
--LaGrange, IL
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Female teacher #1: "Was it the fat lady in all the poltergeist movies?"
Female teacher #2: "You mean Oprah?"
--Chicago
Eavesdropper: The Loose Lipped Lithuanian


Thirtysomething guy at his son's birthday party, as if this is common knowledge: "If you eat chocolate and turn your head to the side, you will choke, every time."
--Romeoville, IL
Eavesdropper: Troy McClure


Early 20s guy excitedly approaches group of friends: "I just did a shot on the bus with Scottie Pippen's daughter! I'm gonna add her as a friend on Facebook."
Girl: "Who's Scottie Pippen?"
--Chicago, Lollapalooza, Grant Park
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Thirtysomething straight male: "You didn't see Duets?"
--Chicago, Rocks, Schubert & Lakewood
Eavesdropper: Chenandler Bong


Guy to friend while walking down sidewalk: "The song Chocolate Rain was written about my bowel movements today."
--Chicago, Belmont & Racine
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Female teacher #1: "Do you know what a soothsayer is?"
Female teacher #2: "Isn't it a saber-toothed tiger?"
--Chicago
Eavesdropper: The Loose Lipped Lithuanian


Late 20s male describing his astronomy prowess to a group of dudes: "I can tell you what that star is, fag."
--LaGrange, IL
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Woman at party discussing frozen eggs: "I've got 2 more kids waiting for me. They're in the freezer."
--Richmond, IN
Eavesdropper: Wee Wee


Female teacher #1, discussing dog on his back on the edge of a couch: "Should I let go of your dog?"
Female teacher #2: "Sure, he'll be fine."
Teacher #1 lets go of dog and dog falls on back.
Female teacher #1: "I guess dogs don't always land on their feet."
--Chicago
Eavesdropper: The Loose Lipped Lithuanian


Thirtysomething guy to friends, while watching a band he suggested at Lollapalooza: "Sorry. I didn't realize this band had an androgynous singer."
--Chicago, Lollapalooza, Grant Park
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Two hillbillies, after ordering from McDonalds in rural Indiana, commenting about cashier: "She sure smelled good, huh?"
--somewhere in Indiana
Eavesdropper: Trashton


Guy #1 at bar: "Go fuck yourself."
Guy #2: "Wait till I get home. There will be a lot of that going on."
--Chicago, Rocks, Schubert & Lakewood
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Twentysomething female: "Oh yeah, well I call your dad cum-dumpster."
--Chicago, Pequod's, Webster & Clybourn
Eavesdropper: The Floppy Burrito


Thirtysomething female about a friend's husband: "His sperm could have its own reality show."
--Chicago
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Two late 30s/early 40s guys who appear to be of Hispanic descent, walking down sidewalk discussing cigars:
Guy 1: "The one I had was really good. It was from -- I wish I -- I can't pronounce the name. It's like 'nicagura' or something."
Guy 2: "Nicaragua?"
Guy 1: "Yes."
--Chicago, State & Illinois
Eavesdropper: GMYH


Late 30s drunk guy, outside of bar: "I've come on plenty of C section scars, and they're all the same to me."
--Chicago, Rocks, Schubert & Lakewood
Eavesdropper: GMYH


As we do bow and then, here is a photo that, while not technically eavesdropping, is worthy of inclusion:

--Chicago, Dominick's, Sheffield & Fullerton
Eavesdropper: RDC


Thanks to everyone who contributed.  Whenever you overhear something funny, email it to gmyhblog@yahoo.com so that it can be included in the next exciting edition of Midwestern Eavesdropping.

Listen to Hair Band Friday - 12/16/11

Retro Video of the Week: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid

Remember back in the '80s when Bob Geldof (or Quincy Jones) could just get a bunch of rock stars together to make a song and video for charity?  That kind of thing doesn't seem to happen much anymore, which is a damn shame.  "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid kind of kicked off the whole charity single craze.  It has an all-star cast, including, but not limited to, Bono, Sting, George Michael, Boy George, Phil Collins, and members of Duran Duran, Bananarama, Kool & The Gang, Spandau Ballet, and The Boomtown Rats.  This video showed not only that rock stars had compassion and empathy, but that they also had mullets.  I'm guessing many of the Ethiopian children who benefitted from the proceeds of this song did not know that it's Christmas because they were Muslim and near death.  Merry Christmas.

Tuesday Top Ten: Most Annoying Holiday Commercials

Every year, Corporate America seems to push the beginning of the holiday season back further and further.  It seemed like this year the jewelry commercials started around Halloween.  It devolved from there.  Apparently most advertising executives want you to hate the products their clients are selling.  The Victoria's Secret commercial is phenomenal.  Pretty much every other holiday commercial is terrible.  The main culprit are the jewelry stores, hawking their blood diamonds without any concern for human decency or watchability.  If there is a God, Satan is producing jewelry commercials.


I hate many holiday commercials, but these are the ten worst I could think of off the top of my head.  I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting or trying to block from my memory.


10.  The Best Buy commercials where the moms buy so many good presents at Best Buy that they outdo Santa.  Just like a woman to ruin the one goddamn thing this guy likes to do.


9.  The Madden '12 commercial where the kid is leaving hints in everything that he wants Madden '12 for Christmas.  I respect his dedication, but where does a kid that much block ice and a chainsaw?  For what he spent on that, he could have bought several copies of Madden '12.


8.  The Jared commercial at the football game where the players are watching a proposal on the big screen.  "The ideal ideal cut diamond."  Shut your fat fucking mouth.


7.  The Kay commercial with Dr. Quinn's "Open Heart" collection.  "Open your heart and love will always find a way in."  Isn't that what Ted Bundy used to say to pick up women?


6.  The Jared commercial where one woman sitting in the airport is telling the woman sitting next to her about her charm bracelet.  I don't buy it.  No one would ever compliment a stranger's charm bracelet.  Ever.  Unless it's part of a ruse to gain the person's confidence with the end goal of murdering him or her.  And no one would ever call a charm "the red hot love bead."  Ever.  Unless it's an anal bead.


5.  The Zales commercial touting the Leo Schacter diamond.  I hate commercials that drop names that no one knows, as if everyone should know them.  Does anyone besides Leo Schacter know who Leo Schacter is or care that he has in any way been involved with your jewelry?  Whenever I go to a jewelry store (which is never, by the way), I will ask which jewels (and I will use that term) were designed by Leo Schacter.


4.  The Tommy Hilfiger commercial where all the beautiful people are having a holiday party.  At the holiday parties I've attended, everyone wears shirts.


3.  The Kay Jewelers commercial where Santa tells the husband his wife will like his jewelry choice.  Then on Christmas morning, the wife totally likes the necklace.  Then the husband said, "Santa said you would."  And the wife gives him a look like "say what?"  And then the husband's all, "No really."  Every kiss begins with a commercial that is embarrassing to watch.


2.  The Jared commercial touting the LeVian Chocolate Diamond.  Just what every woman wants:  a brown gem.


1.  Every Lexus commercial.  Jesus, when is this going to run its course?  No one has ever put a giant red bow on a car.  No one has ever bought a small music box to play that damn classical song that Lexus has ruined.  My favorite one is the one with the hipster couple because, you know, you can afford a Lexus on Potbelly bike delivery salary.  They go downstairs from their trendy loft to see the live-in boyfriend's present parked on the street.  He acts excited, when he is actually thinking "Thanks for buying me the ugliest Lexus ever made."

I Can Get You a Toe

Saturday afternoon, I got Daughter up from her nap.  I was carrying her to the couch to plop her down next to her grandpa, when I ran my right pinky toe into the solid base of a glider chair we have.  As soon as I tried to walk on it, I knew it was broken.  Little did I know what it would come to mean.

The last time I broke a toe was March 21, 2002.  I was sprinting out of my house on Grant Street in Bloomington after IU beat Duke in the Sweet 16.  I was wearing shower sandals, which, in hind sight, are not made for sprinting, and I slipped out of one and rolled over my big toe, breaking it and busting it open in the process.  That was the last time IU beat a #1 ranked team.  Until Saturday.

Saturday was a big day in sports.  Between the Heisman Trophy presentation, the Xavier/Cincinnati brawl, and Ryan Braun's steroid allegations coming to light, the IU/Kentucky game may have gotten lost in the shuffle.  The unranked 8-0 Hoosiers welcomed to Assembly Hall the #1 ranked 8-0 Kentucky Wildcats – IU's dirty rival to the south – with a roster full of five-star recruits and a coach who has had to vacate two of his three Final Four appearances due to NCAA violations.

It was a hard-fought game.  IU was up ten at points in the second half, but Kentucky came back to take a two-point lead on a free throw with 5.6 seconds left.  IU had no timeouts.  Christian Watford inbounded the ball to Verdell Jones III, who dribbled up to about the free throw line extended, when he turned around to see a wide-open Watford trailing him behind the three-point line.  He passed to Watford who released the ball with about 1 second on the clock.  Swish.  Pandemonium.  This is why college basketball is awesome.

Here's how it looked on TV:


At this point – which was during Daughter's second birthday party, mind you – I went nuts and started screaming hysterically and running around feeling no pain, making several toddlers cry in the process.  At Assembly Hall, Tom Crean had a look of disbelief, as fans rushed the court (which, while technically not allowed under my rules of court rushing, I allowed it in this situation).  At a jam-packed Nick's English Hut (probably the greatest college bar in the world), this was the scene:

IU Upsets KY - Celebration at Nick's English Hut from Tarun Gangwani on Vimeo.

Forgive us if we seem a little giddy.  If this were any year prior to 2009, beating Kentucky when they were ranked #1 would have been a big win, but it wouldn't have meant nearly as much as it meant Saturday. 

As you may or may not recall, IU's basketball program was decimated in 2008.  Before then, IU had a squeaky clean reputation, playing by the rules without any major NCAA violations since before Bob Knight arrived.  After Kelvin Sampson got busted for sending too many text messages for the second time (by the way, there are now no limits on the number of text messages coaches can send to recruits – thanks NCAA) and then lied about it, and then got fired, and then IU limped to an 8-seed in the NCAA tournament and a first-round loss, and then several players got kicked off the team, and then several players transferred, IU was left with two returning players, both walk-ons, who had played a combined total of 11 minutes.  To top it off, several top recruits decommitted and went to other schools.  When Tom Crean was hired, he wasn't rebuilding a program; he was building a program from scratch.

When you're a proud and storied program like IU, and you've suffered through a 28-66 record over the last three years, you're eagerly waiting to get over that hump and get back to national prominence.  The win over Kentucky put IU back on the basketball map.  The Hoosiers are back in the Top 25 for the first time since March 2008 and are 9-0 for the first time since the 1989-1990 season.  As an IU student or fan, there is nothing better than when IU basketball is winning (especially when you're at Assembly Hall or a bar with IU fans for a game), and it means even that much more given what the program has been through over the past few years.  I will gladly sacrifice a toe here and there if this is the result.

For some other YouTube clips (all sent to me by Holt), click on these:

-IU radio play-by-play man Don Fischer's call of the game winner

-View from Assembly Hall #1

-View from Assembly Hall #2

-View from Assembly Hall #3

-View from Assembly Hall #4 (from the balcony)

-Another video from inside Nick's

-Outside on Kirkwood (Bloomington's main drag of college bars)

Listen to Hair Band Friday - 12/9/11

The Ultimate Holiday Party Playlist

A couple years ago, I posted my Top Ten Holiday Songs.  While it has since been labeled "a brilliant piece of social commentary by a horribly disturbed and presumably disfigured man" and "prose not even Hemingway could vomit out of his pen, no matter how drunk he was," it doesn't help you if you are throwing a holiday party (or, as we used to call it, a "Christmas party") unless your party is only like 37 minutes long.  Lately I've been racked with guilt over this, so I decided to make amends by providing you with the ultimate holiday party playlist.  This list includes 34 holiday songs that will keep your party going longer than your yule log will stay lit.

Now, before you go ape shit on me for not including certain classic holiday songs, bear in mind that this list is geared towards parties, not sitting on your bearskin rug in front of a fire with a snifter of brandy and a high-priced call girl.  Thus, for the sake of keeping the party goers from falling asleep, I tried to keep some slower classic songs off the list (i.e., "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby's version of "White Christmas," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "Christmas Time" by Ray Charles).  I also assume your party goers aren't eight-year-olds, dude, so I didn't include "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" or "Nuttin' For Christmas."  That said, I included the most awkward Christmas song ever –- the collaboration of Bing Crosby and David Bowie on "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy."  Your guests will laugh when they hear it.  Or leave.

I did not include multiple versions of the same song, even if other versions would be worthy.  The songs are in alphabetical order by title.  For your listening pleasure, I also made a playlist with whatever songs Playlist.com has.  Hit "shuffle," grab some nog, and go nuts.

"All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey

"Back Door Santa" by Clarence Carter

"Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley

"The Chanukah Song" by Adam Sandler

"The Chipmunk Song (Please Christmas Don't Be Late)" by The Chipmunks

"Christmas All Over Again" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid

"(Everybody's Waiting For) The Man With the Bag" by Kay Starr

"Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday" by William Bell

"Frosty the Snowman" by The Ronettes

"Here Comes Santa Claus" by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by The Jackson 5

"Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms

"Jingle Bells" by Wayne Newton

"Last Christmas" by Wham!

"Little Saint Nick" by The Beach Boys

"Mele Kalikimaka" by Bing Crosby

"Merry Christmas Baby" by Lou Rawls

"Merry Christmas, Baby" by The Beach Boys

"A Party for Santa Claus" by Lord Nelson

"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby and David Bowie

"Please Come Home For Christmas" by Charles Brown

"Rock and Roll Christmas" by George Thorogood & The Destroyers

"Rock-a-Billy Christmas" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by The Temptations

"Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" by Bruce Springsteen

"Santa's Beard" by The Beach Boys

"Sleigh Ride" by The Ronettes

"What Christmas Means to Me" by Stevie Wonder

"White Christmas" by Otis Redding

"Winter Wonderland" by Darlene Love

Any songs I'm missing?

Retro Video of the Week: "Take On Me" by a-ha

This still has my vote for the greatest music video of all-time, if I were to have such a vote and there were to be such a poll.

American Horror Story: The Last Three Episodes

Due to Ace Frehley concerts, trips to Cali, Blackout Wednesday, and laziness, I have been unable to watch the last three episodes of American Horror Story on their air dates.  To top it off, I won't be able to watch tomorrow night's episode because I will be getting bombed.  Too soon?

Anywho, I got caught up tonight on the last three episodes – "Open House," "Rubber Man," and "Spooky Little Girl."  Here's what we learned:

-Larry and Constance apparently had some sort of relationship before Larry burned his family to death.  In 1994, Larry murdered Constance's other son at her behest.  This other son was chained to the flood in the attic of the Murder House and looked like something between Sloth from Goonies and Eric Stoltz in Mask.  His name is Beau, not Luke or Coy or Vance.

-Viv is carrying in her womb twins – not the devil, as had been previously surmised.

-A man of Armenian descent is interested in buying the Murder House, probably because Hot Moira give him a BJ.  Ghost Bang #1.  He wants to tear the Murder House down and build condos.  Constance tries to convince him not to buy the house.  Moira and Larry use a more effective method.  Hot Moira bites the Armenian's dick off, and then Larry puts a bag over his head and suffocates him to death.  I didn't realize Hot Moira and Larry were Turks.

-Viv can't even twirl her bean without thinking of Ricky (he may be getting a full ride to USC, after all), Ben (he is a philanderer, after all), and Latex Man (he is wearing a full black latex body suit, after all).

-Turns out Larry didn't burn his family to death.  His wife did after Larry told her that he was in love with Constance.  Larry really wants to buy the Murder House because he thinks that will get him back in Constance's pants.

-Back in the day, Dr. Charles apparently reconstructed his child, Re-Animator style, by inserting a whore's beating heart into his sewn-together infant body.  Thaddeus, which is a horrible name for a child, even in the 1920s, wasn't quite normal as a result.  It craved blood, not milk.  Dr. Charles's wife, boobs worse for the wear, killed Dr. Charles and then herself.

-Tate teaches Violet that all you have to do to get ghosts to go away is say "go away."  If only we could do the same with Tim Tebow.

-We find out that when Latex Man banged Viv back in like the first or second episode when Ben was in a trance.  It was, in fact, Tate.  So that's rape according to the classic definition of the word.  Ghost Bang #2. 

-We learn that Spock bought the Latex Man suit because he caught Trainer Banger on some S&M chat room.  Spock goes to a bondage store to buy something to spice up the relationship.  The clerk at the bondage store shows Spock "the ultimate asslock, also known as the 'apple of anguish.'"  THE APPLE OF ANGUISH.  Spock buys the Latex Man suit instead.  We get confirmation that Tate killed Spock and Trainer Banger while wearing the Latex Man suit.

-Hayden shows up again because that's what psycho dead sluts do.  She finds Dr. Charles's wife sobbing on Viv's bed.  Dr. Charles's wife, whose name is Nora, has no idea she's dead, despite the fact that she has been this way for 80 years.  Hayden explains what's going on with the Murder House, and the power that comes with being a ghost.  She also proposes that she and Nora steal Viv's twins.  The plan?  Make Viv go crazy and then they'll each get one of the babies.  It's your textbook "ghosts get the crazy's babies" grift.

-Violet has been playing hooky.  With education cutbacks, it's no wonder the truant officers weren't able to find her sooner.

-The word "hysteria" comes from the Greek word for uterus.  Make sense.

-Old Moira tells Viv the Murder House is possessed.  Apparently Viv needed a 150-year-old ginger who morphs between Hot and Old to realize that.

-Tate bangs Violet.  Ghost Bang #3. 

-Marcy, the realtor, carries a handgun in her purse.  Viv steals it for protection.  Thing is, you can't kill a ghost, even if it's wearing full-body black latex.  Proving once again that no one should carry handguns, Viv accidentally shoots Ben when he busts into the bedroom to help her because she's screaming.  Ricky shows up, as well as the real cops.  Ricky tells the cops that Viv and Ben are estranged.  Viv takes some Valium, which doesn't help when Hayden and Latex Man come to torment her.  Ben and Ricky bust in, and it's just Viv freaking out.  Thus, Viv is taken away to a hospital because of hysteria.  Pregnancy brain!  Ughhhh!

-In 1947, a dentist lived in the Murder House, where he has a home-office.  Mena Suvari, who looks very much like a fetus, shows up to get a filling, if you know what I mean.  She's a struggling actress who wants to make it big.  She then becomes the Black Dahlia murder victim.  From here on out, to the extent she is relevant, I will refer to her as Black Dahlia because calling her Mena Suvari would destroy me.  Anyway, the story goes that the dentist gassed her, then banged her, and then realized she was dead.  Ghost Bang #4?  He took her body to the basement, where Dr. Charles stepped in, cut her in half, and gave her the now-famous "Black Dahlia smile."

-Constance – who is a whore, mind you – is also a painter.  Her subject matter is a bit macabre.  She makes Travis – her boy toy – walk her dog, which is a dachshund.  Hayden sees Travis and seduces him, and bangs him.  Ghost Bang #5.

-Black Dahlia shows up to see Ben.  Turns out, she's a whore.  She wants to trade sex for psychiatrist help.

-Check this shit out:  Viv's twins are from DIFFERENT FATHERS.    It's rare, but possible.  Ben doesn't take this well.  He goes to the hospital and accuses a drugged-up Viv of philandering, of all things.

-Ben walks in on Black Dahlia and Hot Moira making out on the couch.  It's pretty awesome, but Ben declines their invitation to join in, which is odd, given that he's a philanderer.  No Double Ghost Bang.  He tells Black Dahlia he can no longer treat her, and he fires Hot Moira.  After he and Hot Moira leave the room, Hayden walks in and tells Black Dahlia that she's dead and that her murder was famous.  She did make it big!

-Constance asks Travis to marry her.  Jesus Christ, he's like 22 and she's like 60.  He says he's not so sure, and she tells him he's never going to make it in Hollywood.  She's very rude.  He leaves and goes to bang Hayden in the basement of the Murder House.  Ghost Bang #6.  She doesn't come, so she stabs him to death.  Thank God I don't have sex with ghosts.  They mutilate and dispose of him Black Dahlia style, with Larry's help. 

-Ben hits the panic button so that Ricky comes over.  He does, very quickly.  He is a star running back, after all.  Ben accuses Ricky of philandering, of all things.  Ricky reveals that he shoots blanks, so the second baby can't be his.  Damn.  I was looking forward to an "Ebony and Ivory" sonogram montage.

-Ben has some sort of paranormal breakthrough while talking to Moira.  Suddenly, he no longer sees her as Hot Moira, but rather as Old Moira.  Shit.

-Billie Dee, the lovable psychic, tells Constance that when a new Pope is chosen, he is shown a small box with the secret of the end of the world – the precise nature of the anti-Christ.  This is the reverse Immaculate Conception, a human chick impregnated by a demon.  Awwww shit.

-Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper sounds like an awful idea.

We are left with the following questions:

1.  Why do Constance and Larry want to keep the house standing so bad?

2.  Do you call them clerks if they work at bondage stores?

3.  Would the State of California give a crazy woman's twins to two ghosts?

4.  What's it like to bang a ghost?  Dry, I'm guessing.

5.  Now that Ben can no longer see Hot Moira, does that mean the rest of us are deprived?

6.  So is Viv having the devil's baby after all?  How will that little devil get along with his or her fully human twin?

7.  Hayden:  what a bitch, right?

8.  How will Viv react when she finds out one of her twins is fathered by a 17-year-old ghost who is in love with her daughter?

9.  How will Violet react when she finds out one of her twin siblings is father by a 17-year-old who is in love with her?

10.  How is Tate going to pay child support?  He's a ghost, not to mention a murderer.  Not even Carl's, Jr. wants to deal with that.

Tuesday Top Ten: Sketch Comedy Shows I Saw This Weekend

By the title of this post, you would probably assume that I saw at least ten sketch comedy shows this weekend.  I did not.  I am essentially using the Tuesday Top Ten as a vehicle to promote a hilarious sketch comedy show that I saw Saturday night.  Thus, here is my top ten list:

10.  None

9.  None

8.  None

7.  None

6.  None

5.  None

4.  None

3.  None

2.  None

1.  Urlakis and Cusick.

Urlakis and Cusick is a two-man sketch comedy show at Chicago's Stage 773 Theater (1225 W. Belmont).  I know Sean Cusick from Second City.  He directed two of the shows for which I was a writer.  He has a wonderfully dark sense of humor.  I don't know Dave Urlakis, but he also appears to have a wonderfully dark sense of humor.  The show itself is about an hour.  It's fast-paced, and there is not a bad sketch in the lot.  I was laughing throughout.

It only runs for two more weeks, Saturday nights at 10:30 (i.e., 12/10 and 12/17), so I highly recommend you go see it while you still have the chance.

Best Band of Our Generation: We Have a Winner!

After two months of blood, sweat, and voting, you have chosen the Best Band of Our Generation.  In the finals, 7-seed Guns N' Roses edges 5-seed Def Leppard by a 52% to 48% margin.  Thanks to everyone who voted.  Apparently my seeding ability is less than perfect.  Stay tuned for the next bracket, details and timing to be determined.  By vote.  By me.


(For details and background about the Best Band of Our Generation countdown, click here.)

Here are the results so far.  Winners are in green.


Finals
5.  Def Leppard (1980)
7.  Guns N' Roses (1987) (52%)

Semifinals

24.  Mötley Crüe (1981)

5.  Def Leppard (1980) (86%)

11.  Weezer (1994)

7.  Guns N' Roses (1987) (67%)

Quarterfinals

1.  U2 (1980)

24.  Mötley Crüe (1981) (56%)

5.  Def Leppard (1980) (57%)

4.  Metallica (1983)

14.  Huey Lewis and The News (1980)

11.  Weezer (1994) (72%)

7.  Guns N' Roses (1987) (57%)

2.  Pearl Jam (1991)

Round 2

1.  U2 (1980) (57%)

16.  Foo Fighters (1995)

24.  Mötley Crüe (1981) (60%)

8.  Nirvana (1989)

5.  Def Leppard (1980) (63%)

12.  Bon Jovi (1984)

20.  The White Stripes (1999)

4.  Metallica (1983) (83%)

30.  Stone Temple Pilots (1992)

14.  Huey Lewis and The News (1980) (80%)

11.  Weezer (1994) (75%)

6.  Beastie Boys (1982)

7.  Guns N' Roses (1987) (60%)

23.  Iron Maiden (1980)

15.  Green Day (1990) 

2.  Pearl Jam (1991) (100%)

Round 1

1.  U2 (1980) (60%)

32.  The Pixies (1987)

16.  Foo Fighters (1995) (75%)

17.  The Cure (1980)

9.  Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984)

24.  Mötley Crüe (1981) (80%)

8.  Nirvana (1989) (67%)

25.  The Black Crowes (1990)

5.  Def Leppard (1980) (86%)

28.  Poison (1986)

12.  Bon Jovi (1984) (100%)

21.  Depeche Mode (1981)

13.  Dave Matthews Band (1994)

20.  The White Stripes (1999) (80%)

4.  Metallica (1983) (100%)

29.  Soundgarden (1988)

3.  R.E.M. (1982)

30.  Stone Temple Pilots (1992) (60%)

14.  Huey Lewis and The News (1980) (67%)

19.  Duran Duran (1981)

11.  Weezer (1994) (80%)

22.  Rage Against the Machine (1992)

6.  Beastie Boys (1982) (80%)

27.  Nine Inch Nails (1989)

7.  Guns N' Roses (1987) (83%)

26.  Smashing Pumpkins (1991)

10.  Radiohead (1993)

23.  Iron Maiden (1980) (75%)

15.  Green Day (1990) (75%)

18.  The Pretenders (1980)

2.  Pearl Jam (1991) (80%)

31.  Oasis (1994)

Damn You Auto Correct

As a recent converter to an iPhone, I am generally pleased, especially after my Blackberry began shutting down and completely draining the battery every time I tried to use the internet or make a call.  Anyway, one of the features on the iPhone that is both great and annoying is the auto correct feature that corrects or suggests words while you type text messages or emails.  It's generally awesome because it's kind of hard to type with precision on the iPhone.  The problem is that if you type the word you want and there is an auto correct suggestion, and then you press the Space button, it automatically changes it to the auto correct word.  Also, it remembers words or names that you have previously typed, so if you use a weird long word, it will suggest that word in the future when you type something similar.


All of this is to help provide some context to a link Gregerson sent me the other day to a website called Damn You Auto Correct, which posts hilarious submissions of auto correct gone wrong.  The link he sent had the 25 Funniest DYAC's of the year.  I was laughing out loud at most of these.  Enjoy.

Listen to Hair Band Friday - 12/2/11