A map of Heaven, created by Charlie Gower. Oddly, Heaven is a lot like Disneyland.

Hmmm...McDonald's or marijuana - which is more harmful?

I was a huge fan of novelizations when I was a kid - I remember being especially fond of the ones you could buy from Scholatistic Books, which were sold directly to kids in their classrooms. Dang, how many times did I read "Herbie Rides Again?" Love these fake ones! You can view the whole series here.

A flow chart for writing your own Star Trek episodes, designed by Stephanie Fox. Via io9.com.

All interested parties have now entered their respective briefs in anticipation of the March hearing by the California Supreme Court regarding the legality of Proposition 8. The "No on 8" side contends that Prop 8 is invalid for three reasons:

• It had such a drastic impact on individual rights that it amounted to a revision of the Constitution, not merely an amendment. A revision can be placed on the ballot only by a two-thirds legislative vote or by delegates to a constitutional convention.

• It violated the constitutional separation of powers by stripping the courts of their authority to protect a minority group from discrimination.

• It eliminated "inalienable rights," those protected by the Declaration of Rights in the opening clause of the state Constitution, without a compelling reason. That argument comes from Attorney General Jerry Brown, who reversed course after defending the previous marriage law before the court.

A ruling is expected within 90 days of the hearing, and it'll be the final word on marriage equality in California until one of the opposing camps puts it back on the ballot again.

In other news today, a California federal court denied the request of Prop 8 backers to block access to the names and addresses of 36,000 people who donated money in support of the marriage ban. The court upheld the state's 35-year-old Political Reform Act, which makes the identities of those giving $100 or more to ballot initiatives or political a matter of public record.

Really, crap like this has got to stop.
There's a yet another uninspired remake of a classic film coming down the pike - apparently some jackass producers have decided we need a new version of "Bonnie & Clyde," this time starring Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers. Uh yeah, right.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, when Faye Dunaway was told about it she said, ''Couldn't they at least cast a real actress?''

In honor of the upcoming bloated and overhyped non-drama that is the "Super Bowl": Snack Food Stadium

Ingredients: The Field: 1 Pound of Guacamole 15 Oz. Queso Dip For The Steelers End Zone 15 Oz. Salsa For The Cardinals End Zone 2 Oz. Sour Cream for the Field Lines The Players: 15 Vienna Sausages Helmets - 3 Oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese The Goal Posts: 1 Slim Jim for Each Goal Post 1 Oz. Monterey Jack Cheddar To Anchor (each) The Stands: 58 Twinkies 1 Pound of Bacon 1 Bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos 1 Bag of Cheetos 1 Bag of Corn Tortilla Chips 1 Bag of Chex Mix The Blimp: 20 Oz. Football-Shaped Summer Sausage (optional) TOTAL CALORIES: 24,375 TOTAL GRAMS OF FAT: 1,285 Via holytaco.com.

Emily Wick's "The Fifty United States and Their Mottos," Via Two Eyeballs.com. "By and By" is the motto of the State of Washington?

From the UK, the Joy of Pepsi...

One of my primary sources of entertainment in the late 60s and early 70s - the View-Master stereoscopic viewer from GAF. Hey, this was before cable, VCRs and DVD players! I had tons of disc packets, begging my aunt and uncle to buy me one each time we paid a visit to Sears in the Hollywood Mall. While most kids had reels of nursery rhymes and Peanuts, of course I owned this instead:

But I also had other esoteric titles like:

...and I always coveted (but never owned) the grand prize: the Talking View-Master!

Now available for pre-order from Amazon. Racist? Tasteless? Cool? You decide.

The apparent source of the ginormous hat that Aretha wore to the inauguration:

Still can't believe it.
My favorite part of his inaugural address:
"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West -- know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."
I really like this photo by Ron Edmonds of the Associated Press:

Furnace Creek Inn Dining Room, Death Valley National Park:
Glamourous woman and dashing man are escorted to their seats.
Patron: 'People in L.A. probably think they are getting out of town by going to Death Valley."

Scotty's Castle Parking Lot, Death Valley National Park:
Tour Group Member: 'See there? It pays to be a bullshitter once in while."
(Death Valley Scotty was a notorious con man, depicted in the guided tour as a rakish, fun-loving companion to the true builder of the "castle," life-insurance magnate Albert Johnson.)

Furnace Creek Inn Dining Room, Death Valley National Park:
Patron: 'Is this salmon fresh?" Waiter: "No, it's frozen. Given our location, it would be virtually impossible for us to serve fresh fish." Patron: "What a disappointment."

Philip and I took a little road trip to Death Valley this weekend, despite me being horribly sick with a cold virus for the fourth time in as many months. I can't believe we've lived in California for more than 25 years and have never traveled to this amazing place. The vistas were awe-inspiring. Great to go in the winter, when temps are a pleasant 74 degrees. Had a lovely time at the Furnace Creek Inn, especially soaking in the 82-degree pool filled with water from the nearby warm mineral spring:

Lots more pics in the photo album in my Travels section.

Wow! And they all survived!

Make. It. Stop.

Normally not a huge fan of Reverend Al Sharpton, but occasionally he gets it right:
Via PageOneQ:
"I am tired of seeing ministers who will preach homophobia by day, and then after they're preaching, when the lights are off they go cruising for trade...We know you're not preaching the Bible, because if you were preaching the Bible we would have heard from you. We would have heard from you when people were starving in California--when they deregulated the economy and crashed Wall Street you had nothing to say. When [accused Ponzi scammer] Madoff made off with the money, you had nothing to say. When Bush took us to war chasing weapons of mass destruction that weren't there you had nothing to say. But all of a sudden, when Proposition 8 came out, you had so much to say, but since you stepped in the rain, we're going to step in the rain with you."
- Rev. Al Sharpton, speaking at the Human Rights Ecumenical Service at Atlanta's Tabernacle Baptist Church.

Continuing my recent obsession with all things Steve Coogan, I watched "Hamlet 2" last night. Loved the uncomfortable humor, very much in the vein of Alan Partridge. And wow, "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" with help of the Gay Men's Chorus of Tucson?! Can't understand all the mixed reviews - all I can think is that those critics just didn't get it. Very, very funny.

Grim news: the December unemployment numbers came out today, and things are worse than feared. The nation's unemployment rate rocketed to 7.2 percent in December, the highest level in 16 years, as nervous employers slashed 524,000 jobs. The labor market is expected to remain weak as mass layoffs continue. For all of 2008, the economy lost a staggering net total of 2.6 million jobs. That's the most since 1945, when nearly 2.8 million jobs were lost. Who's feeling it? Construction (101,000 jobs lost in December), manufacturing (149,000), professional and business services (113,000), retailers (67,000), leisure and hospitality (22,000).
Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy year ahead...

Ah-haaa! I've been re-watching the exploits of Alan Partridge, the fictional radio and television presenter hilariously portrayed by British comedian Steve Coogan. A parody of both sports commentators and talk show presenters, the character has appeared in numerous radio and TV shows and specials which chronicled the rise and fall of his career during the 1990s. I popped in the uproarious Christmas special "Knowing Me, Knowing Yule" during the holidays and now I am compelled to revisit Alan and his fall from grace. Steve Coogan is brilliant and deserves to be a big star around the world, and definitely should not be appearing in badly-executed films with Jackie Chan.
Alan Partidge captured the camp fun of ABBA years before "Mamma Mia!" came into existence:

Lentil and Bacon Soup (via Serious Eats and "Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home")
Ingredients 1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped 1/2 cup yellow onions, diced 1/2 cup carrots, diced 1/2 cup green lentils 1 quart chicken stock 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced salt and pepper
Directions 1. Add about three-quarters of the bacon to a large pot. Cook over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon has slightly crisped up. Dump in the onions and carrots and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. 2. Drain any excess fat. Then add the lentils and half of the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Pour in the rest of the stock, season with salt and pepper to taste, and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, cook the rest of the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove pieces and drain on a paper towel. 4. Pour some soup into a bowl and top with some sliced scallions and crispy bacon.

You've probably already seen this, but I just heard about it...Beyonce's "Single Ladies" mashed up with a performance of the Bob Fosse-choreographed "Mexican Breakfast" by Gwen Verdon on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Genius!

Saw this five-disc (!) DVD set in Best Buy yesterday. Are these really our nation's "funniest comedians?" What about George Carlin? Lenny Bruce? Joan Rivers? It seems to be a bunch of really old footage, and if you look closely at the back of the box, you will find that it includes performances by such marginal comedic talents as Jenny Jones, Rhonda Shear and Bob Zany. Uh, yeah. Funny.

How the heck did I miss this?!? From the Daily Mail, November 2008:
"An air hostess helped land a jet carrying 146 passengers after the co-pilot had an apparent mental breakdown over the Atlantic Ocean, investigators revealed today.
The UK-bound plane made an emergency diversion to Shannon Airport, in Ireland, last January after the Air Canada flight officer began a ‘rambling and disjointed’ conversation, said an official report.
Another attendant suffered wrist injuries as the crew forcibly removed the co-pilot from the cockpit controls and restrained him in a seat in the cabin.
The captain of the Boeing 767 from Toronto to Heathrow asked staff to seek out any trained pilots onboard. One of the female cabin crew came forward saying she had a commercial pilot’s licence and was asked to take over in the co-pilot’s seat."
Karen Black would have been proud!

Watched some movies over the weekend that we chose to bypass in theaters:

Capsule review: Psychotic fun.

Capsule review: If you think Ricky Gervais is even remotely amusing, you will laugh out loud. (Proviso: You must also be able to bear the presence of Tea Leoni, which I realize is difficult for some people.)

We had a lovely New Year's Eve. Philip and I had a terrific dinner at Maison Akira, a French-Japanese fusion restaurant in Old Town Pasadena. My five-course fixed-price meal included a green asparagus flan, miso-marinated sea bass and a Kobe Steak in a Marchand du Vin sauce. The elegant room, which features plush draperies and fireplaces, was filled with balloons and streamers, and the staff was warm and welcoming. We thought parking in Old Pasadena might be a problem, with all of the yokels camping out on the streets for days in anticipation of the Rose Parade passing by on New Year's Day. It was a white-trash carnival all right, with ice coolers, bonfires and air mattresses on the sidewalk for miles:

There was even someone blowing a tuba every 90 seconds. I felt sorry for the apartment dwellers directly above. Later at home, Barry and Dudley came by and we watched Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin in Times Square while consuming some killer punch I made (champagne, Grand Marnier, cognac, orange juice, lemon juice and triple sec). New Year's Day I made a meal consisting of Chipotle-Orange Pulled Pork sandwiches, homemade black beans, and homemade cole slaw. Was fun until the kitchen sink backed up and we had to call Mr. Rooter to come out to snake the drain pipe. Mr. Rooter said he couldn't get the access cap to the drain off, and it would cost us $2500 to replace the pipes under the kitchen. Philip told Mr. Rooter that he was crazy and to hit the road - we got a plumber out today that got the cap off and the drain cleared for $80. Sure hope 2009 is a good year for us all.