All cat owners know the universal truth that, sometimes, cats can really scare the shit out of you at night. Since they are, well, cats, they like to stalk. They usually like to stalk you in the middle of the night, from around the corner of the door or the foot of your bed.
So this Halloween, we're dressing up the cats as the serial killers from the year's scariest movie - The Strangers... I think it's fitting, but I don't see Petco or Target carrying the costumes any time soon.
I will of course be going as the scary Shamwow Infomercial guy...
Trick or Treat, the Donald Duck cartoon at the bottom of this post, is one of my all time favorite Disney shorts for a number of reasons...
• It's directed by legendary Disney Animator Jack Hannah (not to be confused with the animal guy that you always see on talk shows).
• It features a song throughout the film sung by Elvis back-up singers "The Mellomen," who you'll recognize from their many contributions to Disneyland/Disneyworld attraction songs (including the Haunted Mansion), not to mention the popular "Ballad of Davey Crockett." Download the song here.
• Witch Hazel, the strangely hillbilly witch charcter, is voiced by June Foray (who provided the voice of Natasha Fatale and Rocket J. Squirrel on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. The character of Witch Hazel would pop up in Warner Bros. cartoons also voiced by Foray - no relation.
• The background art on this short is really simple, but SO surreal. Kind of like the "Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" backgrounds. I think my childhood memories of Halloween were pretty much shaped by the tone of this short. And here's another great fact for you. Those backgrounds were created by Yale Gracey, a master artist at the Disney studios who worked on Fantasia and Pinocchio, and later went on to Disney Imagineering where he created The Haunted Mansion ghosts! Master Gracey (the "ghost host" of the attraction) was named after him.
Props go to Apple for taking a bold stand on Proposition 8, which seeks to end same-sex marriage in California by amending the Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Seeing as how most Calafornians don't seen to have a problem with the son of a Nazi governing their state, I'm not sure the ball is in the gay rights corner.
On a lighter note, congrats go to my pals Tee and Troy, who were married this weekend in the great state of Massachusetts...
One of the most outrageous moments this past trip to Cannes was not a Russian police drama, nor my drunken banter with Neve Campbell, but the sheer audaciousness certain banks had to park their Yachts so prominently during one of the darkest moments in the global economy.
I have many fond memories of playing Pong every Thursday with my family, usually after eating fondue. It was the 70s. We did stuff like that. And, no, my parents didn't go to "key parties."
Pong of course is famous for accidentally inventing the video game "pause" feature. You simply evened out the paddles so that the "ball" would hit the dead center of the "paddles" and get stuck going back and forth until you moved the paddle enough to set it on an angle. This of course allowed for enough time to go get your dad another Coors from the fridge.
Honestly, the concept of additionally available titles like "Combat" or "Circus" that came with the Atari 2600 was completely lost on us. Nothing could possibly replace the Pong "dedicated console" and it would be years before my brother and I conned our parents into getting one just in time for the E.T. game to disappoint millions and meet its fate in landfills around the globe.
I just about wet myself over this upcoming sneak peak at the new BATMAN animated series, which features some of my favorite obscure DC heroes. Can't hardly wait...
Also being sneaked at MIPCOM today is the new Scooby Doo animated movie in which Velma turns into a Werewolf.
My Aunt Jeanette passed away the other night after a long battle with Diabetes. She was a great lady and always made the whole family laugh not only at the world, but at ourselves. She will be missed greatly.
Longtime fans of this blog have told me that the Jeanette mini-movies posted here as a highlight of BOTB. I'm just happy I could share them with so many people.
I'm sure I have have more footage that I can post when I get back from Cannes, but in the meantime, some classic Jeanette...
On this extra political podcast, we're live on tape from our individual apartments as we SKYPE this podcast jointly watching the Vice Presidential debates.
BEWARE OF THE BABYLON Vice Presidential Debate Podcast
Topics being debated include:
* Alaska, whether we like it or not
* Our extensive foreign policy experience
* CNN vs NY1
* How the Emmys were actually more boring than the debates
Last night's Echo and the Bunnymen concert at Radio City Music Hall was downright amazing. Performing with a full orchestra, they performed the entire Ocean Rain album from start to finish and replicated the studio album experience on an entirely new level.
On another level, the big screen photo slideshow of the band through the years was pretty freaky. Contrary to their most popular song, Lips Like Sugar, frontman Ian McCullough in reality has lips like those Wack-o-Wax lips you get at the penny candy store.
Trick or Treat, the Donald Duck cartoon at the bottom of this post, is one of my all time favorite Disney shorts for a number of reasons...
Props go to Apple for taking a bold stand on Proposition 8, which seeks to end same-sex marriage in California by amending the Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Seeing as how most Calafornians don't seen to have a problem with the son of a Nazi governing their state, I'm not sure the ball is in the gay rights corner.
Wired has posted this incredible pictorial history of home video game systems you must check out.
"Rock solid" may not be the best quote for the sales sheet
Ah, so that's the secret.
And they thought "Free Willy" was a tough sell title in the UK?
Last night's Echo and the Bunnymen concert at Radio City Music Hall was downright amazing. Performing with a full orchestra, they performed the entire Ocean Rain album from start to finish and replicated the studio album experience on an entirely new level. 
On another level, the big screen photo slideshow of the band through the years was pretty freaky. Contrary to their most popular song, Lips Like Sugar, frontman Ian McCullough in reality has lips like those Wack-o-Wax lips you get at the penny candy store.
