Michael Jackson is Alive and Well

Michael Jackson as he is led away late Thursday from his Magic Tree

Breaking News
In what is being billed as the world's greatest showbiz comeback in HIStory it was verified by plastic surgery records that the man living in a tree on Michael Jackson's mother's compound for the past 20 months in the San Fernando Valley is indeed Michael Jackson.

It was originally believed that the King of Pop died on June 25, 2009 from a cardiac arrest. However, there have been rumors and wild speculation that the actual cause of death was brought on by an overdose of the drug Propofol by his doctor Dr. Conrad Murray. Dr. Murray is currently standing trial on manslaughter charges in Los Angeles for Michael's death. It turns out that it was not a drug over dose or cardiac arrest after all, because Michael was never dead. According to a spokesman who did not wish to be identified at Dr. Murray's attorney's office of Cheatem, Stealem and Lye,  said Conrad Murray is expected to be released and exonerated of all charges within the next 24-hours.

Billy Gene, A gardener who has worked for the Jackson family for more than 30 years notified Encino police that late Thursday night someone was up in a tree, in the back yard, and was screaming, "Who's bad?, Who's bad?" The man an eye witnessed described to be a 50-year old light-skinned african male was coaxed out of the tree by officers who promised him candy, toys and bubble gum if he climbed down.  According to officers the gardener Mr. Gene instantly recognized him as Michael, but Kathryn, Michael's mother was quoted as saying, "Billy Gene, the kid is not my son."

Police later learned that the June 25, 2009 staged death was just another in a long string of publicity stunts by the Gloved One to sell records. And it worked in a colossal way. In the first 12 months following his "alleged death" Michael Jackson sold a staggering 35 million albums worldwide. Additionally, on October 28, 2009, a documentary film about Michael Jackson in rehearsal for his London shows entitled Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. Even though it ran for a limited two-week engagement, it became the highest grossing documentary or concert movie of all time, with earnings of more than $260 million worldwide.

When Michael was asked by a reporter from the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com  as to why he decided to finally come down out of his magic tree and reveal himself to the public, a timid King of Pop declared, "Well to quote my dear, dear friend Rebecca Black, It's Friday, Friday Gotta get down on Friday. Yesterday was Thursday and tomorrow is Saturday, Saturday."

THE SUPER SIX LIST: NEVER-WAS TV

I was reading about how the never-finished 'Doctor Who' story "Shada" by the late Douglas Adams is being re-worked to be a novel, with the blessings of the Adams estate. And it got me thinking about some other TV show episodes that, for one reason or another, never were completed......

So I've put together a Super Six List of the more interesting examples, starting with the oldest one I could find:

1] 'BONANZA' In "The Ponderosa Birdman", Buster Keaton was scheduled to portray crackpot inventor Phineas T. Klump back in 1965. That was the one where Hoss Cartwright was supposed to be the guinea pig for an experimental flying device.

But Keaton raised too many objections about the script. He felt that his character should be the one to test the device out; that he could come up with some funny routines based on his old silent movie material. But as the producers pointed out, they needed the participation of one of the Cartwrights, or it wouldn't be a 'Bonanza' episode.

So then Keaton suggested that Little Joe would be the more logical since Michael Landon was smaller and lighter. Keaton tried to put a polite spin to it by saying that Dan Blocker was not "aerodynamically sound".

Again, the producers stepped in saying that the image of Hoss with wings would be funnier, but Keaton insisted that the basis of humor needed believability, and that a fat man with wings was not funny, just stupid. It was all the stage-hands could do to keep Dan Blocker from tackling Buster Keaton.

Ultimately, Keaton was paid off and let go. The producers brought in Ed Wynn to play Klump. (Coincidentally, Wynn had visited the set just a few days earlier to see his old friend.) Keaton never held a grudge about it and went off to make a few "Beach Blanket" movies instead.

2] 'COLUMBO'

While in England during the summer of 1972 to film establishing location shots for "Dagger Of The Mind" later that year, Peter Falk was introduced to Sir Laurence Olivier. Sir Larry let the star of 'Columbo' know that he would be delighted to get the opportunity to play a murderer on the American detective series. Eager to land the "Master Thespian" for a guest spot, the script for "Greenhouse Jungle" was hastily written with Olivier in mind to play Jarvis Goodland. Unfortunately, a computer glitch caused problems for Olivier in securing a work visa in time for the shooting schedule. Since Falk had worked with Ray Milland previously in the episode "Death Lends A Hand", he was brought in to play the role instead. It was a rush job, evident in Milland's performance, and was put on the schedule ahead of "Dagger Of The Mind".Sadly, the opportunity for Peter Falk to work with Laurence Olivier on 'Columbo' never presented itself again.

3] 'SOAP'

Halfway through the first season of 'Soap', producer Susan Harris made inquiries to Jackie Gleason's people to see if he would be open to the idea of playing a character on the soap opera spoof. It would have been nothing elaborate - she knew Gleason's reputation for wanting it all done in one take - and would have just been a recurring role leading up to the season finale cliff-hanger. Ms. Harris had it in mind for "The Great One" to play Judge Petrillo, who would preside over the murder trial for Jessica Tate. But Gleason was only interested in doing a cameo, as his own character of Reggie Van Gleason, and he wanted Witt/Thomas/Harris to bring the production down to Miami.

Susan Harris realized it would have been more trouble than it was worth, so the offer was withdrawn. Eventually Charles Lane was hired to play the role of Judge Petrillo.

(Rumor has it that Gleason was hoping to revive interest in Reggie Van Gleason for his own show. He thought the time was right, since there was so much fascination with the rich in the prime-time soaps, to use Reggie {his own personal favorite character} to mock the genre.)

4] 'SABRINA THE TEEN-AGE WITCH'

Salem Saberhagen was a sorcerer who was serving a term of punishment by being transformed into a black cat. For the most part, his time on 'Sabrina The Teen-age Witch' was spent tossing off one-liners from the sidelines.

Voiced by Nick Bakay, Salem was supposed to get his own spin-off series. But the pilot didn't test well with the research audiences. Remembering the ratings debacle of the pilot for 'Toonces, The Cat Who Could Drive A Car', the network didn't want to risk burning off the pilot by airing it and thus harming the character's potential on the parent series.

Instead, they killed the project and quietly re-edited certain scenes back into the 'Sabrina' series as a cost-cutting measure.

 

5] 'LEVERAGE'

During the first season of the con man series on TNT, a very special script was written for a very special guest - Patrick McGoohan. "The Six Days Of Christmas Job" was about a shopping mall Santa Claus who was targeted for murder and who may have been a spy but who retired from the business long ago.
  

The script was full of references to McGoohan's career - the action took place at the Village Mall, where the Santa had been hired by the firm's "Number Two"; the activity area for children had a giant inflatable white ball; and McGoohan's character's name was supposedly "Drake Rafferty". There would have been a variation on his famous "I am not a number; I'm a free man!" speech, and even the title of the episode carried a reference to his character from 'The Prisoner'.

(By the end, it would still remain a possibility that McGoohan was appearing as Number Six. But as was the case in never identifying Number Six as John Drake of 'Danger Man'/'Secret Agent', it was deliberately left vague to avoid paying a license fee.) Unfortunately, McGoohan was only around long enough to be fitted for a costume and pose for a few publicity photos before he took ill. He died in January of 2009. The producers later took that script and reworked it for a 2010 episode, "The Ho Ho Ho Job".

6] 'SUPERNATURAL'

Earlier this year, an over-zealous writer and associate producer for the CW series 'Supernatural' had an idea for an episode that continued the meta humor standard set by earlier episodes "Changing Channels" and "The French Mistake". This time, he was hoping to develop a script in which the Winchester boys were given advice by a witch as they tried to save her grand-daughter and stop a hostile take-over of the Witches' Council.

And it wouldn't have been just any witch, but the most famous witch in all of TV Land. Samantha Stephens!

Astute readers of this blog will know that Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress who played Sam on 'Bewitched', passed away nearly sixteen years ago. Not that this writer saw that as a deterrent - apparently he previously worked on the 1990's HBO comedy series 'Dream On' which used clips from old Universal TV shows.  He was planning to use selected scenes from 'Bewitched' which would contain appropriate dialogue from the character of Samantha Stephens for "conversations" with Sam and Dean. (A recurring joke would have been for both Samantha and Sam to reply "Yes?" whenever Dean said "Sam".)

It appears he certainly did his home-work.  The plan was to utilize a plot point from the sitcom - that when a witch was close to death or losing her powers, she had to transform herself into something that would continue to be useful. Witches of 'Bewitched' had been transformed into objects before - chairs, bedpans.... (I once suggested that the house of Bartlett Finchley in 'The Twilight Zone' episode "A Thing About Machines" was full of objects that were actually transformed witches.)

The premise was established in a 'Bewitched' episode, "The Corn Is As High As A Guernsey's Eye", where Aunt Clara's powers were waning and she felt the time was right to follow the mandate to transform. (Samantha thought she then turned herself into a cow.)

In the proposed script outline for 'Supernatural', Samantha Stephens had become too ill for even Dr. Bombay to cure. And so at some point after the series ended, she tearfully said good-bye to her family and then used her powers to transform herself into something useful.

A television's remote control.

Sam and Dean Winchester confer with Samantha Stephens on their TV

And it was a universal remote, able to work on any TV. That way, she could "stay on the move" and be seen on any TV set, and the producer could also use black and white footage from the early years on a black and white TV.
 
See, Samantha was smart - she saw this as a way to remain in contact with her family there in Westport, Connecticut. But somehow the remote control was stolen and Sam Winchester eventually came into its possession. And with Samantha's help, as she popped up on whatever video monitor was nearby, Sam and Dean would be able to put down a plot against the Witches' Council and rescue Samantha's grand-daughter. (The character's name was Lizbeth as a tip of the hat to Elizabeth Montgomery. But apparently it was Elspeth in an early draft.)

The twist to the episode was that it turned out Lizbeth was the mastermind behind the plot against the Witches' Council. In order to protect her from a more serious fate, Samantha and Tabitha had no choice but to punish her with transformation - into a framed photograph of herself. (My source tells me that in the script, Tabitha explained that they didn't make the same choice as Samantha did because Lizbeth was being punished - and that meant no TV privileges. Also, Dean mutters as they leave that it was creepy the way her eyes followed him across the room.)

My source for this information also said that the original script called for her to be transformed into a bowling ball so that she could still be part of the family routine of bowling night. [Tabitha married a mortal - like mother, like daughter.] But then the writer realized Dad would be sticking his finger in the holes. It was bad enough that Sam Winchester was always fingering Samantha's buttons on the remote.....

The writer was so confident that the script would work that he contacted Sony Pictures on his own for permission to use the clips. He even put together a demo film of Sam and Dean "talking" with Samantha, using the two lighting stand-ins for Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as substitutes to play the Winchesters in the scene. He also hired the actress he had in mind for playing Lizbeth. (I recognized her from the very grainy bootleg I saw - it's either Keri Lynn Pratt or Kirsten Prout. I'm always getting those two confused.)

But he didn't run the idea by the executive producers of 'Supernatural' first. So they were blind-sided when Robert Foxworth and Elizabeth Montgomery's family approached show creator Eric Kripke personally to lodge a complaint against the idea.

I'd tell you the name of this writer, but he was fired over the incident and I don't want to embarrass him even further. Besides, I'm sure you can look through the credits of the series on IMDb and see which writer/producer is no longer attached to the show.

The funny thing was, Sony Pictures was keen on the idea. (They also okayed the appearance of Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay on 'Passions' during the 35th anniversary of 'Bewitched'.) And it looks like Fox and Erin Murphy (as Tabitha) would have been available to make cameos as their characters. But the protests by Ms. Montgomery's loved ones would have been publicity they just didn't need.  
So those are my choices for the top six TV show episodes that never saw the light of the broadcasting day.....

BCnU!

"THE WIRE" - A NOVEL

Fans of the HBO series 'The Wire' would probably agree that the following scene is one of the best - if not THE best from the show.

But a word of caution - basically the dialogue is a litany of variations on the F-word. If you feel you would be offended by such dialogue, you may as well move on to some other blog......

What most people don't realize is that 'The Wire' was based on a Victorian novel written by little-known author Horatio Bucklesby Osgood. And this scene is almost verbatim to the original manuscript.

For more about the novel of 'The Wire', please read this detailed analysis from The Hooded Utilitarian.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: RODDY McDOWALL

RODDY McDOWALL

AS SEEN ON:'
The Carol Burnett Show'

AS PLAYED BY:
Roddy McDowall

BCnU!

"THE MENTALIST" - TAKING NOTES

I watched tonight's (3/31/11) episode of 'The Mentalist', "The Red Mile" and had a few Toobworldly thoughts.....

1] The murder victim, Timothy Hartley, could have been a cousin to Dr. Bob Hartley from 'The Bob Newhart Show'. He couldn't have been a brother as Bob only had a sister, Ellen. And Tim couldn't be a nephew as he was too old to have been born after we met Ellen on the sitcom. Besides, I doubt she would have had a child out of wedlock; I'd like to think she eventually married Howard Borden.

2] The Cook Family made its fortunes in sugar beets, via the grandfather. I'm going to say it was the maternal grandfather's business and that he was descended from Hans "Potato" Brumbaugh, who established his agricultural empire in 'Centennial', Colorado. The reason why the Cooks attribute only so far back as to the grandfather is because he began his branch of the family business near Auburn, California.

3] One of the mortuaries investigated by CBI Agents Rigsby and Van Pelt was Pine Valley Mortuary. It'll be my contention that it was part of a nation-wide chain with the original mortuary to be found in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, as seen in 'All My Children'.

4] And this really doesn't involve Toobworld as such. I just wanted to say that I've always enjoyed the work of George Wyner, but that he's come to be such a dependable character actor in everything he does that I'm guilty of taking him for granted. Well, tonight, he really knocked it out of the park with his portrayal of Dr. Steiner the coroner, and I was truly moved by that last scene in the episode between Steiner and Patrick Jane......

BCnU!

VIDEO Long Walk 3: Tar Sands, a prayer on Lolo Pass

Article by Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

LOLO PASS, Idaho -- On the Longest Walk 3 northern route, walker Lisa Peake, Ojibwe/Pomo, offers a prayer for the earth and the people, when walkers arrive at the oversized equipment for Conoco Phillips tar sands refinery, which is snowbound on the pass.
Long walker Paul Owns the Sabre, Cheyenne River Lakota elder, pointed out that Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce led his people over Lolo Pass.
Down the route, Carol Marsh, 69, was among the protesters that temporarily blocked the megaloads on March 10, 2010, in Missoula, Montana. The enormous equipment was entroute to the ConocoPhillips tar sands oil refinery in Billings.
“These megaloads are serving refineries that process oil from the Alberta tar sands, the worst ecological disaster the planet has ever faced. The tar sands undermine any effort to stop global warming. I did this because I want there to be a world for my granddaughter to grow up in,” Marsh said.

Indigenous fighting tar sands trail of cancer and destruction
First Nations in Canada, and the Indigenous Environmental Network, have a global campaign underway to halt the tar sands environmental destruction. Indigenous environmental activists rallied to halt the tar sands oil industry, with actions in London and at the climate summits in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Cancun, Mexico, in 2010.
Clayton Thomas-Muller, Mathais Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan in Northern Manitoba, Canada, has led a campaign to halt the tar sands at IEN.
The tar sands mining is stripping crude oil from the Alberta tar sands and leaving behind toxic heavy metals and carcinogens that pollute nearby native lands.
Thomas-Muller told Yes! magazine, "The five First Nations in the region of the tar sands rely on traditional food sources, like moose, fish, beaver, and muskrat, all of which have become contaminated by mining pollution.
"We’re talking about a community of just 1,200 that’s seen more than 100 deaths in the last decade from rare cancers and autoimmune diseases. The tar sands leases also violate aboriginal treaty rights; they were sold by the provincial government without the prior informed consent of local communities."

Long Walkers: Certitude and perseverance
Peake, among the Native youths walking to raise awareness of diabetes, is on her second walk across America. Owns the Sabre was on the original 1978 Longest Walk, Longest Walk 2 in 2008 and other walks for Indian rights and the protection of Mother Earth.
On Thursday, March 31, 2011, the Long Walk 3 northern route is on Pine Ridge in South Dakota. The southern route is scheduled to arrive in Hammond, Oklahoma, walking from Amarillo, Texas.
.
Long Walk 3 Contacts: Northern Route Chris Francisco, (503) 515-6239 indigenouswalkabout@yahoo.com and Goodie Cloud, National Coordinator, on southern route (218) 209-0232 ndn_queen_bee@yahoo.com
References:
Yes! magazine: Climate Hero Clayton Thomas-Muller
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/climate-action/climate-hero-clayton-thomas-muller
Read more about the environmental nightmare of mining the tar sands:
http://www.ienearth.org/docs/Tar-Sands-profiles-from-the-front-lines.pdf
Montana Citizens Temporarily Block Tar Sands Refining Shipments
http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/2011/03/11/montana-citizens-temporarily-block-tar-sands-refining-shipments/
Video by Longest Walk 3 northern route.

Final Four

NCAA Basketball!

As everyone's brackets are messed up now, you could probably tell that there are no #1 seeds in the Final Four this year. According to my bracket at least, I'm done for. I had all the #1 seeds in the Final Four but it just didn't happen this year! As you might know by now there is a #3, #4, #8, and #11 seed in the Final Four this year. It takes strong young men to play basketball no matter what seed you are. Even though you may not think they are the best teams that are in the Final Four, they are. They have played their butts off to get here. So, if you have never seen a team play, this weekend is your chance! Connecticut is playing Kentucky on Saturday at 8:45 and Butler will be facing VCU at 6:00. (I'm not sure about the times though!)

-Melissa Bushur

TRACK!

It was last Monday when the St. Anthony girls and boys had there first track meet at Robinson. It was a cold night but we handled it pretty well. The boys ended up getting third and the girls ended up getting second out of four teams, I guess that's not too bad for our first meet! Well, if you heard my 4x200 relay team kind of got screwed over. Barbara was starting it off when a girl walked right in front of her to pick up some blocks and Barbara had to stop. So then we were behind. Later when she handed it off to Claire, some other girl got right in front of her and switched lanes on us! Oh well, they got disqualified. Anyway, everyone should come out and cheer for us on out first home meet, Tuesday against T-town/effingham/Stew-Straws! Go Bulldogs!

- Melissa Bushur

Opening Day - Jack Fifer

Opening Day is a very fun filled, exciting time of the year. All baseball fans are beyond thrilled when this day rolls around. Players are anxious to step foot onto the field. Opening Day is the beginning of a new MLB season. This year, opening day was on Wednesday, March 30th. Jack Fifer

Blue Monday

"So behave that the odor of your actions may enhance the general sweetness of the atmosphere, that when we behold or scent a flower, we may not be reminded how inconsistent your deeds are with it; for all odor is but one form of advertisement of a moral quality, and if fair actions had not been performed, the lily would not smell sweet. The foul slime stands for the sloth and vice of man, the decay of humanity; the fragrant flower that springs from it, for the purity and courage which are immortal."

(Henry David Thoreau)

No Motors: Predictions Sure To Go Wrong

Write this down...

1...Phillipe Gilbert
2...Heinrich Haussler
3...Stijn Devolder

One Step Beyond

As March draws to a close, Mongo is lamenting the fact that this month has so few posts to show for it. We all know the reason, but every month since December of '07, Mongo has managed an average of 20-40 entries. While I do enjoy hearing myself write, it is more the cathartic action of the actual task that I am most missing. Getting lost in words and ideas of one's own creation is one of my own personal pleasures. (Along with my Guinness-certified, world record collection of pre-digital adult films)

So...instead of "talking the talk", Mongo has been out there "walking the walk". I've been riding as much as the weather and my work schedule allow. My mountain bike, trainer, and road bike have all seen extensive action, and along with the dieting, which has helped drop close to twenty pounds, there is a distinct possibility that I am riding at the highest overall level of my life. I don't want to jinx myself, because I definitely still have a ways to go, but I fully expect to be "in the mix" near the front of the peloton by the Summer.

VIDEO: Long Walk 3 on Nez Perce land

Long Walk 3 northern route in Lapwai, Idaho, with the Nez Perce. Video by Long Walk 3 northern route.

Jean Jacket

I remember back in my late teens and early 20's when a jean jacket was a staple in every girl's wardrobe. And it appears that it's becoming the case with this generation. Harleigh chanced upon one at Old Navy that she deemed the perfect shade of denim (a lighter version very ala '80s). A week went by. And when I went to buy it, only XLs remained. The sales girl told me, "Ma'am, when you see something in Old Navy, you have to buy it. Coming back a week later and hoping it's there is a real gamble. A week in Old Navy time is like a year." A few phone calls later, and she had one on hold at a mall not too far away.

And in typical GahanGirls fashion, I added a vintage brooch, a daisy (Harleigh's favorite flower).

Porcupine District calls for removal of occupiers Friday at elderly center

Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

PORCUPINE, S.D. -- The occupation of the elderly center at Porcupine remains underway. Duane Martin, Sr., of the Strongheart Warrior Society, who led the occupation remains in jail.
Meanwhile, the Porcupine District Council passed a resolution for the removal of occupiers for Friday, April 1, 2011.
In related news, the Oglala Sioux Tribe suspended council representative Deborah Rooks-Cook on Tuesday, for 20 days without pay, following allegations of elderly abuse.
The alleged abuse by Rooks-Cook was one of the incidents that led up to the occupation of the elderly center. The council voted 10-7 to suspend Rooks-Cook following an impeachment complaint filed by Darlis Morrison-Crow.
The Rapid City Journal reports that he council voted 10-7 to suspend Rooks-Cook following an impeachment complaint filed by Darlis Morrison-Crow. The complaint alleges that Rooks-Cook's behavior was verbally and physically abusive to Lakota elders outside of tribal headquarters, following an executive committee meeting on Jan. 25. Those voting against suspending Rooks-Cook were: Elaine Martinez, Toby Big Boy, Paul Little, Robin Tapio, Jim Meeks, Beverly Tuttle and Kevin Yellow Bird Steele.
Today, the Lakota Oyate said that elders from the occupation will attend an Oglala Tribal Council session. The Lakota Oyate stated that Duane Martin is being imprisoned illegally on false charges.
The Porcupine District Council, however, does not support the occupation of the elderly center.
The resolution, calling for removal of the occupiers, states that on Friday, March 4, 2011 "a small group of elders and non residents illegally occupied the Porcupine Elderly meals center building, and in the process, disrupted much needed services to the majority of elders in the district." The resolution makes allegations against those occupying the elderly center.
The occupiers, however, continue to deny the allegations and have initiated investigations into unsanitary conditions, spoiled food and corruption at the elderly center.
When the occupation began, the Strongheart Warrior Society said, "The elders and warrior societies are demanding the removal of all current center staff, the construction of a new, sanitary building, restoration of healthy meals, expansion of elderly meals to those homebound, and investigation into the graft and corruption in the program no matter where it leads. The occupation will continue until these demands are met."
Read more:
Porcupine resolution seeks removal of occupiers on Friday:
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2011/03/porcupine-resolution-seeks-removeal-of.html
Rapid City Journal: Rooks-Cook's removal
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/article_f45521ee-5af0-11e0-9b2b-001cc4c002e0.html Statements from the Strongheart Warrior Society
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/03/lakota-occupation-tribal-officials-no.html
.
Also in the news today from South Dakota Indian country:
Native Sun News: Radiation levels high on South Dakota Indian lands
Read the article by Talli Nauman, and the results of water samples by Defenders of the Black Hills:
"A U.S. Forest Service Draft Environmental Impact Statement showing 89 abandoned uranium mines in extreme northwest South Dakota alerted Defenders of the Black Hills to the potential for radioactive contamination of water supplies downstream, according to the report."
http://64.38.12.138/News/2011/000987.asp
Related: South Dakota eases uranium mining laws:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/16/us-uranium-southdakota-idUSTRE72F0CX20110316

Top Fashion Model Poppy Delevigne Biography and photogallery

Poppy Delevigne Biography:

With her mother the head of personal shopping at Selfridges, Poppy Delevigne's keen fashion sense has always been pumping through her veins.

Residence: New York, NY, US

Hometown: London, England

Height: 178

Eye Color: Blue 

Date of Birth: September 15, 1986

Agency: Elite, Storm Model Management 

Growing up in England, Poppy attended Bedales in West Sussex where she had classes with fellow model Alice Dellal. Known for her elfin looks and mischievous smile, Poppy has walked for designers such as Chloé, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, and Biba; starred in campaigns for Bamford, Anya Hindmarch, and Laura Ashley; and has acted as brand ambassador for Chanel and Versace. Her picture has landed both inside and on the cover of Tatler, graced the L'Officiel's Marriage supplement, and ended up in Vogue.

Poppy Delevigne Photogallery:

" Air Soft"

Ben Hecht, better known as "Air Soft", isn't always one of the smartest people. He is very short tempered and doesn't make the best decisions. After a rough day of baseball Benjamin wanted to relieve himself from some anger he had on the inside. Of course, the first thing Ben did when he got home was turn on the TV downstairs. Sure enough a "Jamie Pilson Auto Center" commercial came on. Ben became outraged and decided to shoot the television with his air soft gun he had sitting by him. Therefore leaving a blue line down the center of his TV. Ben has many other flaws and he would be flattered if someone would ask him about them sometime. -Joe Powell

10 Signs That Spring Is Right Around The Corner

Forget the fact that we are hunkering down for yet another snowstorm tomorrow in New York, there are still many signs that old man winter is just about ready to start hibernating with the bears... or least we hope he is.

From the far deep crevasses of my Greek noggin here are the top-10 signs that spring is just around the corner:

1. Husbands are trying to figure out what shenanigans they can do to get that shiny new riding lawn mower at Home Depot without getting served divorce papers.
2. All winter long I thought my four doggies were holding it...but now with all the snow melted I can see just how wrong I was.
3. Major league baseball players are at spring training and placing their metabolic steroid orders with their favorite drug dealers.
4. Snooki is limiting her dinner to only two plates of pasta in anticipation of swimsuit season at the Jersey Shore.
5. Mr. Bricks will pack his beer bong and speedo and head to The Villages in Florida for Spring Break with the senior citizens. Muckery ensues.
6. I'm packing away my Uggs for storage and swapping them out with my sneakers. (This winter was so brutal I hope to never see those Uggs again)
7. The neighbors are finally starting to take down their Christmas lights.
8. Middle-aged white men who haven't picked up a basketball in 30 years but have spent the last two weeks watching March Madness on TV suddenly feel compelled to challenge their friends to a game of 3-0n-3, Yes, middle-aged white men can't jump.
9. NyQuil and other allergy medications becomes a staple on everyone's shopping list.
10. Wal-Mart has just put out the Christmas decorations on their store shelves.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

"THE CLEARY THEORY" FOLLOW-UP

If you haven't read Michael Cleary's special guest appearance here at Inner Toob - "The Cleary Theory" - please scroll down and do so. Michael grasped one of the fundamentals for the Toobworld concept - that the small, unnamed guest roles in TV shows could be characters in other series - and he ran with it to connect 'Are You Being Served?' to 'Absolutely Fabulous', 'Fawlty Towers', and 'Doctor Who'.
In that article, I marked a few comments with asterisks so that I could elaborate on them later. None of these embellishments negate what Michael posted; I'm just adding a few details to their lives during prime-time.

First up:

She visited Grace Brothers with a dog to buy him some clothes. (Yes it is a different breed, but it would seem that since she loves them so much, she must have more than one.*)

Mrs. Chase first showed up at the Grace Brothers department store one year before she was seen staying at Fawlty Towers. In most episode guides she is listed as "Roger's Mistress". In others, as "Customer".

What Michael didn't point out was that she went on that shopping trip not only with her dog Roger, but also her husband, who was only listed as "Roger's Master".

Raymond Bower played three other roles in 'Are You Being Served?' and it's likely that the "Sweater Customer" ("Mrs. Slocombe Expects") and "The Shrunken Sock" ("The Hero") could have also been the same character. But Mr. Crawford ("It Pays To Advertise") was either a different character or using an alias for some reason. (In any other circumstance, I would have just said Mr. Crawford was the other three customers as well - Grace Brothers likes repeat business! - but Michael's theory was too good to pass up. And not every character played by the same actor on the same series has to be the same person. Just look at Vito Scotti on 'Columbo' for proof of that!

Anyhoo......

At some point after that trip to Grace Brothers, Mrs. Chase lost both her husband and her poodle Roger. Either they both had died - perhaps together in a car crash on the way to the vet? - or the Chases got a divorce and Mr. Chase got custody of Roger.

So one way or t'other, Mrs. Chase must have consoled herself by getting a new dog and by forgetting her troubles with a trip to Torquay.

Next up....

Based on the facts of her past history in the series, she seemed to have worked early on at Grace Brothers*, as well as a His and Hers perfume model... as seen in these pictures:

Joanna Lumley guest-starred on 'Are You Being Served?' long before she became the physical wreck Patsy Stone on 'Absolutely Fabulous'. But according to most episode guides, when she was working at Grace Brothers she was known as "Miss French".

However, at no point during the episode "His and Hers" is her name actually given; and she is never addressed as "Miss French". The name doesn't even appear in the end credits - not that I've ever given any weight to the end credits in the past.

If we need to hold to the notion that she was appearing as Miss French, it could be that Patsy Stone used that name as her nom de mode when she was a model (which she demonstrated during the episode). Or maybe she was meant to be addressed as "Mz. French" - perhaps she had been briefly married at some point. (We know that "Stone" was her birth name and not a married name because her sister was Jackie Stone - as played by the devilish Kate O'Mara.)

But in the end, I think Toobworld Central is going to side with what actually was on air - and that was her name was never mentioned at all. So as far we're concerned, she was Patsy Stone.

And finally.....

Maybe two of the most horrid people in the comedy world got to share a great moment together*.

Here's the scene in which John Cleese and Eleanor Bron made cameos on 'Doctor Who' as snobby, pretentious art patrons in a Parisian art gallery:

 

I think MIchael is right - the actors were actually appearing in 'Doctor Who' as Basil Fawlty and Patsy's Mother. (She never was given a name on 'AbFab'.)

They probably only just met in the museum that day, but the experience of seeing the TARDIS vanish gave them a bond shared by very few in the World of the Toob. And because Basil could easily succumb to the base nature of his human frailties, and because Patsy's Mother was prone to be - well, let's face it, a slut - then I think it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that the two of them ended up in a Parisian hotel room together that day.

Paris... "The City Of Little Deaths" if you know what I mean. Nudge nudge wink wink.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: QUEEN ISABELLA OF SPAIN

QUEEN ISABELLA I

AS SEEN IN:
'Christopher Columbus'

AS PLAYED BY:
Faye Dunaway

From Wikipedia:
[On this date in 1492,] Queen Isabella of Castille issues the Alhambra decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon) ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.
BCnU!

I'm Blaming Cynthia!

I am always stopping by Cynthia's Blog

http://cynthiascottagedesign.blogspot.com/

And looking at all of her cute miniatures...

And thinking wouldn't that be fun....

Well I stopped by one to many times...

The above is all her fault... I just had to order 

my own house. Since I am a beginner I am starting small. 

But isn't it the cutest house I could just move in.

Ok I bought the house and now I am on my way back over 

to Cynthia's to see how to start....

Her blog should have a warning on it....

"Could cause Shopping"!

Oh and I forgot to mention....

She has an Etsy shop.....

Sssshhhhh don't tell my husband.

Honda CBR Bikes

Honda CBR
Honda CBR
Honda CBR
Honda CBR
Honda CBR

Honda CBR Leyla

Honda CBR Leyla
Honda CBR Leyla
Honda CBR Leyla
Honda CBR Leyla
Honda CBR Leyla

2009 ducati streetfighter

2009 ducati streetfighter
2009 ducati streetfighter
2009 ducati streetfighter
2009 ducati streetfighter

With apologies to one of the greatest bands ever, this time around in Andalucía it was an Italian bombshell that was stealing hearts. Ducati’s new Superbike-based Streetfighter truly is the bomb.

Unlike nearly every naked bike we can think of, Ducati has created a stripped-down, super-sporting roadster without excuses – no tuning for torque, and no dumbed-down suspension.

The Streetfighter’s engine is ripped nearly unchanged from the 1098 sportbike, differing only in shorter intake tracts that knock off a scant 5 hp. The result is a claimed 155 hp at 9500 rpm, aided by a midrange-inducing exhaust valve. The use of the 1198’s Vacural cast-aluminum crankcase shaves nearly 7 pounds from the engine.

“It’s like 100 liters of adrenaline,” Giulio Malagoli, the Streetfighter’s project leader, told Motorcycle.com about his latest creation. Malagoli is also the inspired mind behind the recently launched Monster 696 and 1100 air-cooled models. The new Streetfighter is now the most radical of Ducati’s naked bikes, replacing the discontinued Monster S4RS that measures up 25 hp short of the SF’s 1099cc Testastretta Evoluzione powerplant.

The standard Streetfighter retails for $14,995, and it boast a fully adjustable Showa suspension and lightweight magnesium for the headlight bracket and clutch and cylinder-head covers - magnesium is about 30% costlier than aluminum but is about 20% lighter, says Malagoli. The higher-end S version’s V-Twin powerplant is in an identical state of tune, but it includes top-shelf Ohlins suspension, lighter forged-aluminum Marchesini wheels and tasty carbon fiber for the front fender and cam-belt covers.

This is quality stuff, but it’s not enough to justify the $4,000 price increase of the S model. Helping it earn its lofty $18,995 MSRP are the most sophisticated electronics offered on any sportbike. DDA is the Ducati Data Analyzer, which records various channels such as lap times, throttle and gear positions, and the speeds of the engine and bike – it’s an extra-cost option on the standard Streetfighter.

But the S’s piece de resistance is Ducati’s traction control as used on the recent 1198 superbike. It first softly retards ignition timing, but if slippage is still detected by the wheel-speed sensors, the fuel injection will cut out to varying degrees to inhibit wheelspin. There are eight settings on the DTC, ranging from “It’s either raining or you shouldn’t be on a bike like this” to “Let’s spin up the rear tire on our way to victory circle.”

The Test
The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plain, but we found out the wind can howl like a banshee in the Spanish hills. We were greeted at the fabulous Ascari Race Resort near Ronda, Spain, by 50-mph gusts that shook our confidence but didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for this most potent of naked bikes.

The Streetfighter’s riding position is decidedly sporty yet fairly accommodating.

The Streetfighter’s riding position is decidedly sporty yet fairly accommodating.
Big-time V-Twin torque is available at the flick of a wrist.

Big-time V-Twin torque is available at the flick of a wrist.

The Streetfighter’s riding position lives up to its name, with a tapered-aluminum handlebar placed sportily forward yet several inches higher than the 1098/1198 model. There’s more distance between the seat and its footpegs than the old Monster S4RS, but that’s mostly because the seat is way up at 33.1 inches. This is surprisingly tall for a bike without undertail exhaust pipes, but the Streetfighter’s lean and unfaired design forced the tailsection to contain the electronics, battery and exhaust valve servo. The SF’s fuel tank is an inch shorter than the 1198, allowing a rider to get closer to the front wheel, and its extra height isn’t a problem with the taller bars.

The handlebar is graced with new, compact switchgear. Flicking down the kill switch covers the starter button which is meant to emulate the “trigger catch” of a fighter plane. The instruments are contained in a tidy gauge pack that includes a wealth of information, including a lap timer and a low-fuel tripmeter for the 4.4-gallon tank. Its mirrors are fairly useable, even if they aren’t very pretty.

Pulling out of the pits at Ascari reminded me that the ’Fighter uses a dry clutch system, as it proved to be a bit grabby when taking off from a stop. Toggling through the transmission requires considerable effort in relation to a Japanese literbike, but gearshifts are nonetheless positive. Dialing on the throttle reveals the massive torque (a claimed 87.5 ft-lbs at the crankshaft) offered by the booming V-Twin that easily lofts the front wheel in the first two gears.

We knew, even before riding the Streetfighter, that its engine was going to impress – we fell in love with it when we first tested the 1098. And the note from the stacked twin mufflers is satisfyingly deep and soulful. The major unknown element prior to our ride was its handling qualities.

The SF uses a frame very similar to the 1098/1198 series, but it differs substantially in the steering head area. While the 1198’s fork is set at a moderately sporty 24.5-degree rake, the Streetfighter’s is kicked out at a slower-steering 25.6 degrees. The amount of trail correspondingly is lengthened from the 1098’s 94mm to 114mm. Additionally, a 35mm longer single-sided swingarm extends the wheelbase from 56.3 inches to 58.1 inches.

With these specs rolling around in our heads, we were worried this relaxed chassis geometry might result in a piggish-steering motorcycle. Not to worry.