Hockey Night in Canada

Dolores Claman (left) and Liz Tansey

While out tonight at an Irish bar here in Toronto, to meet up with local songtrist Liz Tansey and friends, I had the pleasure to meet the woman who wrote the theme to Hockey Night in Canada

You have to be Canadian to understand the impact Dolores Claman has had on our culture. I don't even watch hockey, but that theme is as familiar to me as anything.

The evening did have its frightening aspects though, such as ELO played on acoustic guitars by the bar band.

The Psychotic Hour

I have been very busy recently, with a new drawing series, and production in full swing on The Psychotic Hour's new season.

You can get all the latest (like you care) here. There are previews, and even rare images of Tph in action.

Scary.

Rome XII

I kid you not. This series' last shot was of Tweedle Dumb and his ex slave Dumbette walking hand in hand *into the sunset*

The writers must really think we care about their fictionalized creations as they intersperse shots of their wacky going ons with the assassination of Caesar, like it's all the same.

Blah Blah Blah

I will miss Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), the rest is just epic silliness.

Rome XI

You know, I've given up expecting great things from this series. It is not being producted by top of the line talent (at least where story and script are concerned), so I guess you either have to live with that or change the channel.

What "The Godfather" did in two hours, this series is still attempting to do in eleven (and counting).

Lots of blood in this one though.

Rome X

"I don't want my chariot stopped by giant turds" says Caesar

And who can blame him?

Unfortunately, Caesar's progress is constantly beginning interrupted by some big ones...the writers.

Why can't Rome make up its mind which story it wants to tell. I find when if follows the historical record (however loosely), it can be interesting, even fun to watch.

When it inserts its own plot lines other than than, such as The Tweedles, it is dumb and unbelievable.

Consider Tweedle Dumb.

"I'm a solider, not a murderer."

Buzzz. Sorry. Thank you for playing.

Call me old fashion, but are viewers really sympathetic to this character? He's a thug, but we are to care that he's been rejected by his old army unit and his slave, all in the same day.

Got what he deserved if you ask me. But no, the writers are setting up some sort of artificial tension between him and Tweedle Dee. Ooooo, the suspense!

They are not giving Ciaran Hinds enough screen time if you ask me. I would pay to see a movie version of the Last Days of Caesar staring Mr Hinds.

I leave a movie version of the Tweedles to those who miss Jim Carrey.

Discorama

She's back, the Disco Bimbo Slut. The Madonna we knew and loved.

I am even now hearing "Confessions on a Dance Floor" for the first time (of course the song "Hung Up" has been around for weeks).

Hooky as hell.

Song 4, wow. Song 5, Wow.

Abba, Pink Floyd, Donna Summers...wtf?

6..7..mellower, with a hint of Kraftwerk.

Humm, after that is just sort of fades out into strangeness.

Tracks 1-5, great, after that so so.

1001 Madonna butts

Gaydom must surely be aflutter today with the release of Madonna's video for "Hung Up".

Madonna subtly and tastefully prepares herself for a night of dancing, while her musical spell causes younger and better dancers to gyrate to the latest trends.

Later, under the cover of darkness, Madonna attempts to blend in with the 20 somethings, only later to appear playing video games.

The video lights up most when she is not in the shot.

Did I mention her ass?

The Lost Emperor

Brian Malin, an amateur treasure hunter in Oxfordshire, England has found a coin depicting an until now unknown Roman emperor.

Domitianus, known from Roman sources only as a rebel, now seems to have declared himself emperor for a few short months in A.D. 271.

Based in a area in southwestern Germany, he probably never saw Britain or even Rome, but the coin (one of 2 known, the other discovered in 1900, long thought to be a fake. It is now known to be genuine) ended up in a horde buried in Britain sometime in the 290's.

What else has been lost?

From a concerned reader

Hello

Feel that I must write to protest the fact that you are attempting to pass yourself off as Alan Rhodes.

Have known Mr. Rhodes for a number of years, going back to the days before we had silver highlights in our hair and you, sir, are no Alan Rhodes.

Anyone familiar with his eccentric and original spelling can see at a glance that the drivel you have posted has none of the characteristic letter selections that Mr. Rhodes has delighted friends and admirers with for over 4 decades now.

Should you continue to pass yourself off as Mr. Rhodes I will have no option but to post some of his recent scripts along with a linguistic and semantic analysis.

Be advised.

Rome IX

"You look like laundry"

With that line making me lol, I must say that Rome this evening wasn't too bad.

Ok, so it did jump, with no explanation, back to Rome, leaving the Cleopatra story line strangely forgotten. But look, puppets. Oh and, Octavian is back and stranger than ever.

And that's just the beginning.

The episode is filled with a wealth of detail concerning everyday life, which I found myself watching, sometimes ignoring the lesser threads of the plot lines.

There are many, to be sure. The writing here is more believable, and seems to portray all levels of Roman society as a kind of Mafia power struggle (which of you spotted the Godfather reference?).

Best moment: Caesar's surprise arrival at Tweedle Dee's house. I can buy this particular instance of "good luck" in the series, for at least it follows from earlier episodes.

But back to Octavian.

"You fucked your sister, you little pervert."

Can't say I like what they are doing to Octavian. The madness they are trying to portray in the Imperial family is one generation too early.

But then, we wouldn't get the lesbian/sister/brother action if we waited until Rome season II...

Good ending though, shocking, unpleasant.

Sulu

Uncovering one of Hollywood's best kept secrets, George Takei has *finally* admitted to begin gay.

See, there was a gay presence on Star Trek...other than Q and Harry Kim.

Good for him, it is about time (come on Tom, get off the couch and do the right thing)

Don't let those nasty hetrosexuals have their way too often.

They breed you know.

The Madness Begins Again

The Psychotic Hour, the World's Favorite Podcast™ is beginning to record its new season beginning tomorrow in Montreal. A week later a second session will take place here in Toronto.

We know a certain fjord in Norway.

NBA Player Dress Code

This is too funny. Who are they kidding?

1. General Policy: Business Casual

Players are required to wear Business Casual attire whenever they are engaged in team or league business.

"Business Casual" attire means

• A long or short-sleeved dress shirt (collared or turtleneck), and/or a sweater.
  
• Dress slacks, khaki pants, or dress jeans.
  
• Appropriate shoes and socks, including dress shoes, dress boots, or other presentable shoes, but not including sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, or work boots.

2. Exceptions to Business Casual

There are the following exceptions to the general policy of Business Casual attire:

a. Players In Attendance At Games But Not In Uniform

Players who are in attendance at games but not in uniform are required to wear the following additional items when seated on the bench or in the stands during the game:

• Sport Coat
  
• Dress shoes or boots, and socks

b. Players Leaving the Arena

Players leaving the arena may wear either Business Casual attire or neat warm-up suits issued by their teams.

c. Special Events or Appearances

Teams can make exceptions to the Business Casual policy for special events or player appearances where other attire is appropriate -- e.g., participation in a basketball clinic.

3. Excluded Items

The following is a list of items that players are not allowed to wear at any time while on team or league business:

• Sleeveless shirts
  
• Shorts
  
• T-shirts, jerseys, or sports apparel (unless appropriate for the event (e.g., a basketball clinic), team-identified, and approved by the team)
  
• Headgear of any kind while a player is sitting on the bench or in the stands at a game, during media interviews, or during a team or league event or appearance (unless appropriate for the event or appearance, team-identified, and approved by the team)
  
• Chains, pendants, or medallions worn over the player's clothes
  
• Sunglasses while indoors
  
• Headphones (other than on the team bus or plane, or in the team locker room)

A True Hero

Rosa Parks

Batman Begins

Hang your head in shame.

Batman Begins.

It sounds like a threat. There will be more of them?

I didn't see this film in the theatre, but on DVD last Friday with 2 friends. We kept exchanging glances as this over-serious collection of junk paraded before us. "Are they serious?" "Did he really just say that?" "Can you make out what's happening in the fight scenes?"

The poster itself should have warned us. So serious, so profound.

Myth is dead. Or is it just in a new form? Batman as the Hero, Batman as the Archetype.

It's just a fucking comic book.

Chomsky named top intellectual

Noam Chomsky, the American linguistics expert and US foreign policy critic, was named the world's top public intellectual, according to a new British magazine poll released.

The Psychotic Hour, The World's Favorite Radio Show™, once threw him out of a studio. Here's how!

Andrew McLelland from Tph: "Did you guys kick Noam Chomsky out of the studio at Concordia? Was I there? Was I sober?"

Chris Gobeil from Tph: "Actually it was just me who kicked him out. You hadn't arrived yet, but as I recall you were mildly outraged when you arrived and I told you I'd kicked Noam Chomsky out of the studio mere minutes before. ["You threw out Noam Chomsky!?" I believe was the exact quote.] I'm sure you didn't really believe me.

The story is this student was interviewing him and wanted to record the interview. The supply room at CRSG was locked so she couldn't get a portable, the radio station studio was in use so she came into our studio and asked if she could use it for an interview. This gnomish little man was trailing around after her looking sheepish. When I said we were busy using the studio and would be recording all evening she said "but this is Noam Chomsky!" I replied "well, we're The Psychotic Hour!"

After that they left, with Noam Chomsky still looking slightly embarrassed about it all.

Brush-offs with greatness, I guess...

What we should have done was had him to a character on the show in return for studio time....but he never returns our calls now.

Is Uncle Sam mad at us again?

Boldy on CNN.com

Canada 'among worst polluters'

That is terrible, but who is the U.S. to say so.

Buried in the story is this:

European countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and Germany ranked at the top of the environmental list, while Canada, Belgium and the United States were at the bottom.

The story is filled with graphic detail on just how terrible Canada is.

Just call me X.

#5 with a Bullet

Simone Denny's new single "Cliché" is now #5 on Billboard 'Hot Dance Club Play' this week.

Simone hasn't changed a bit...oh except for the red carpet...and the grapes darling

Never let children play with adult toys

Child as in movie director Martin Campbell.

In a move that has dumb written all over it, the director of the upcoming James Bond film has said Bond will be a non smoker.

"Ian Fleming’s spy was a 70-a-day smoker but as an iconic hero for a PG-12 film in the 21st century, 'it’s not quite the right thing', the film’s director, Martin Campbell, said yesterday."

Guess the mega violence and power sex is ok for kids. Oh wait, this is aimed at an adult audience...isn't it?

Rome VIII

Good. Finally. Caesar in action. Caesar taking charge. Caesar taking a stand.

He arrives in Egypt and makes straight for the court of Ptolemy, hoping to meet his old friend (and now enemy) Pompey Magnus. Unfortunately, the Egyptians are ahead of him.

People by the combined cast of Dune, Name of the Rose and Different Strokes, the court sequences do portray the decadence of the Ptolemaic period, when one isn't giggling at the hairstyles.

Then just when the episode looked hopeful, true to form, our solider heros are sent suspiciously close to another main character...

Faithfully following 21 centuries of Augustan propaganda, Cleopatra is portrayed as a punk haired crack whore on tour. All is well though as she kicks the habit only, between floods, to get knocked up by...

Goodevening Ladies.

Good God, what kind of audience is this stuff being written for? Last week I commented that the Tweedles seemed to be at the center of all the great events.

This week they outdid themselves, and both Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb are very much at the center of things, Dumb seemingly repeatedly so.

The series does come to life here and there when it adheres however roughly to history. When the writers try to give us characters that they think we will relate to, it just gets dumb.

So now after eight episodes, I must say Rome is not hotter than Vulcan's dick.

Oh look, lesbians. And where the hell is Octavian?