Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Close to Home — What it’s like on the street where you live
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
The Name Game: Angelina Jolie's Latest Kid
First off, I made a mistake. I was meaning to write Barrack was a dumb name, not Obama. Our last names aren't chosen (unless it's a stage name). And, I have heard countless people on shows talk about how weird his name is. They'll do those man on the street interviews, and people say "I won't vote for a guy with a name like that." Hey...don't look at me. I'm voting for him. Big ears, weird name, and all. But, if it has just enough of an influence that he doesn't become President, well, that's the power of an "unusual" name. The name Dorman, actually sounds kinda cool to me. When African-Americans come up with names, sometimes I think they sound ridiculous. But sometimes, I think it sounds cool, because it isn't common. But, I think it should "sound" like a name. And, it should be easy to pronounce upon seeing the spelling. The book Freakanomics talks about how blacks often don't get jobs places, because of funky names they have. They go into great detail about it. A boss just might feel more comfortable hiring someone named Amanda Jones, then Tamariqusequestra Jones. And yes, there are lots of things kids are made fun of. My last name Board was made fun of. I remember a jacket I had being made fun of. Pairs of shoes, a T-shirt, etc. But, it seems to me, naming your kid shouldn't just be about YOU, and something you love. My all time favorite movie is The World According to Garp. Doesn't mean my son will be named Garp Board.— July 15, 2008 10:38 a.m.
Under the Covers
Nice post, russl. I like Quicksilver, but am not familiar with that song. That did start me thinking about so many 60s covers, though. Like the Airplane doing Wooden Ships (not nearly as good as CSN&Y). Or Vanilla Fudge doing perhaps the worst cover of the 60s -- You Keep Me Hangin' On. I never liked the song Woodstock. Not sure why, though. Nice harmonies...it just annoys me, though.— July 15, 2008 1:39 a.m.
The Name Game: Angelina Jolie's Latest Kid
I don't mind a response I don't like. I don't like them to not make sense, though. Are you asking me if I think Apple is an "abnormal" name? Uh, yes. It is. The name Apple Martin, is not normal. It sounds like Apple Martini. Kids will say "Orange you called you weren't named banana?" and a whole host of other things. I knew a kid in my 7th grade glass that killed himself. Rumor was (no, not rumor the child of Bruce Willis, the word) that it was for being made fun of for wearing glasses. Children are sensitive. So, a parent naming their kid something funky, isn't the best idea. I'm not sure about the story you say regaring Bruce Willis and the 13 year old. I'm ref. to him talking about, a few years ago, his kid going to the courts and changing her name legally. And him discussing that. Now, this topic was discussed in an interesting way in the book (and crappy movie) The Namesake. I don't care how professional my blog is. I'm not running for President. And, on that subject, how stupid is the name Obama? Not only is it stupid, it's created a lot of people thinking it sounds like Osama, and that might cost him the presidency. You can thank a parent giving a good a stupid name, for possibly becoming the President. And, if you say people shouldn't worry about what others think. Well, they do. It's the same reason why Obama said he didn't need to wear a flag pin. Then, a few weeks later, he wore won. To please people that were bothered by him not wearing one. By the way...what do you think of the name Condeleeza? And no, I don't care if I spelled that name correctly, either. If that makes me a poor journalist, oh well. I'm merely blogging, so I don't care. The parents should think about how the names will be misspelled repeatedly, and how often they'll be made fun of, before picking them.— July 15, 2008 1:32 a.m.
The Name Game: Angelina Jolie's Latest Kid
trestles...are you an idiot? no need to answer, i already know the answer. first...who said I like the name Josh? it's the name my folks gave me. we don't pick our own names (unless we log onto a site..and go with "trestles"). that being said, at least it's a "normal" sounding name, and if my parents were going "biblical" they didn't go "moses" or any other funky path. Josh is at least common. i'd take common over different any day. especially when you were back in school. regarding frances bean cobain, i forgot about the "frances" part, because Courtney Love always calls the kid "bean" in interviews. good point, though (the kid should use that "Stripes" voice and say "don't call me Bean...can me Frances") if Zappa named his kid Ahmet because of the Atlantic Records dude, that doesn't make it then a good name. Zappa was also a big fan/cohort of Captain Beefheart. should he have named one of his kids that? eddie van halen named his kid wolfgang. yes, i am pretty sure I know where he got that. but, unless you're in germany, it's kind of a weird first name to saddle a child with. i love keyboardist manfred mann...doesn't mean i'd name my son that. jason lee named his kid Pilot Inspektor. it sounds like a profession, not a childs name. if you're telling me it's insenstive to make fun of that, i contend...the child won't read this. it's more insensitive and thoughtless, of the idiotic parent to name their kid something that will get them made fun of their entire life (and make them have to change, like Bruce Willis' daughter did). i would never, ever pick on a child. or say something that would hurt their feelings. i'm guessing that blogs are read by adults, though. and, i'll use this cliche: if i can just reach out to one celebrity, that might possibly read this...and keep them from naming their child something idiotic, then i will have accomplished my goal. Hey...goal. That would be a good name for David Beckhams kid. GOAL BECKHAM.— July 14, 2008 1:24 p.m.
The Name Game: Angelina Jolie's Latest Kid
Well, bv, congrats. Your post was the first time I ever read a post, and re-edited one of my blogs. I went in and added a quick paragraph on "Apple." I normally would just post about how I dropped the ball on something. But, it was early enough, that I figured most people probably hadn't read the story. And really, you can't have a story like this and not mention Apple. It would be like the time I gave a writer at the Union-Tribune a hardtime because he wrote about the most famous athletes to ever smoke cigars, and he left Celtics legendary coach Red Auerebach off the list. Russl, I had never heard that about Grace and Paul. That is insane. If I was God, err, Todd, I would've had some fun with that. Imagine being disruptive in the 3rd grade, and having the teacher say "Who do you think you are, God?" You could say, "Yep!" If you're going to go that route, though, why not name the child "Jesus"? At least then, if the kid doesn't like it, they can have it pronounced the Spanish way ("hey-zeus"). In stories of celebrities with weird names, though, I think I have seen Chastity mentioned. That name is so ridiculous. There's a big name celeb right now that named their child Liberty. I forget which one. But I knew a girl in high school, named Liberty. Certain "words" sound like names, if they end with a "y". But when it's a word like "chastity" which means "purity"...but everyone just thinks of "chastity belts"...you go another direction in the name category.— July 14, 2008 11:49 a.m.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
I can just picture it now. You get some big time gambler. Picture Jackie Gleason, with a half-smoked cigar dangling from his mouth. He has all his money on a certain homeless person. And, just as the competition starts, he starts screaming. You know why? The homeless guy he layed a thousand large on to win, is wasting his time putting condiments on. When the guy screams, "Start downing the damn hot dogs!" The homeless guy says, "I may never get another shot at this. I wanna at least enjoy the dogs I do get to eat," as he spreads the relish on 'em.— July 14, 2008 2:06 a.m.
They'd Think I Had 'Roid Rage
Someone called my voice mail line. I lost their number. They wanted to get in contact with him. Said they used to work out with him or something. Call me back, and I'll give you the info I have.— July 14, 2008 1:39 a.m.
I Was Speeding, But...
Yeah, thanks for the reminder, VJ. I still use my cell phone. Let them throw me in jail. If they pull me over for it, I'm going to continue talking while the cop comes up to my car. He can give me the ticket, but it ain't gonna slow me down in my conversation. I'll hand him my license, registration, and I'll continue the conversation with the person on the other end of the phone. Until they start pulling over the idiots with cigarettes out the window, pickup trucks that have trash flying out of their cabs, and all the other stuff...cell phones should be the least of their worries. Now, on to 'roid rage. Williams...I just saw the documentary BIGGER FASTER STRONGER, and they said there is no proof that people have "roid rage." Just as there was no proof that Lyle Alzado got brain cancer from steroids (like he claimed). These are misconceptions. Do cops lie? Okay, sure. Some may lie. But you know what? People in all professions lie. So, they are doing what everyone does, if it means saving their butts. Now, let me give you an example of a bad cop, that DID NOT lie. Mensker, who shot Charger Foley. He ADMITTED, that he never showed his badge. I am telling you this, right now, if I was him, I would've lied, lied, lied. Because, it's your word (as a cop), against two drunk people in a car (both tested well over legal limit in their blood). Who do you think people will believe? Yet, by Mensker admitting this, people instead give him a hard time, and ask WHY that wasn't the first thing he did. Yes, I agree. It should be the first thing an officer does. Heck, we see that in the cop movies. The wallet comes out, with the badge dangling from it in that little folder part. But...for whatever reason, in the heat of battle (for lack of a better word), he didn't. And he was honest about it. So don't tell me cops all lie. He's a perfect example of one that didn't. The last time I was in traffic court, for turning right at a light that said you couldn't do that...the cop admitted in court, that the sign is really small, and it's covered somewhat by a tree. Again, that's an honest officer. I then admitted, that it was still visible enough for me to see, and make out what it said. The judge reduced by fine to like $40.— July 14, 2008 1:38 a.m.
None
In Steve's defense, I was at a theme party, where you had to wear a crazy hat. I'll be writing about it at some point in the Crasher column. But, seeing a few of those hats, made me think of using that for an Off The Cuff question.— July 14, 2008 1:29 a.m.
Jessie's Girl Song Parody
Thanks for the kind words on the parody. It's actually not all that great. The theme of that song, doesn't really lend itself to working for the whole bit. For parodies to really work...you need to...I dunno. How can I explain this? Well, it would work if let's say, Jesse Jackson really wanted Obama's wife, that song would work (as that's the theme of the Jessie's Girl song). Or, take the AC/DC song "Big Balls," which is, about having big, ballroom parties (with lots of double-meaning, of course). If those song lyrics would've had to do with what Jesse Jackson said about "cutting off" a certain part of Obama, I might've had something. But, it was late at night, and that was the first thing that popped in my head (and not because Rick Springfield is a hunk...I just always liked that riff, and it was used so nicely in Boogie Nights).— July 14, 2008 1:27 a.m.