RANT: 104.1 is now "Praise" 104

104.1 has so far changed formats 3 times this year. At the beginning of the year it was a classical music station. Then it changed formats to become "George 104", which was sort of a mix station. It's catch was that it wouldn't play ads for 104 days. Also, there wasn't a DJ- it was just pre-recorded messages from the guy who played Mr. Peterman on Seinfeld about how great the station was, and that you could call in to leave a message to provide feedback on the station. I think their tagline was "We play whatever we want!"

That whole no advertising for 104 days must have tanked the station, though, because now it is Praise 104! Over the weekend I thought, gee, they sure are playing some interesting songs... but according to their motto, they can playing "whatever we want!", so OK. Then I heard a commercial- thanks for listening to Praise 104. Praise? That's right- 104.1 is now a Gospel station.

Gospel has its place in radio- just not on my pre-set buttons.
I can't believe I am saying this, but I actually miss the George and Mr. Peterman's soothing voice. *sigh* At least with 104's history I know that they will be changing formats soon. Praise can't hang around too long. I give it 3 months tops.

FAVE: Burglar's Prothetic Leg Falls Off During Robbery

I haven't posted anything in a while, mainly because I wasn't seeing anything very inspiring. But this story was on cnn today "Police: ATM thief's fake leg falls off in escape bid"
Apparently the guy was trying to steal an ATM machine by yanking it from a store (yeup, it wasn't even outside) with a chain tied to his pickup. So right away we know he's smart (cause who's gonna notice that?). But unfortunately there was one unforseen occurance- his prothetic leg fell off as he tried to run away from the cops. Ooops.

My grandparents both had fake prothetic legs (one each, thankyouverymuch) and I can't imagine either of them running with them, much less from the cops. I wonder if the cops laughed when they saw the guy's leg fall off, or if they were mortified. Ha, funny to think about.

RAVE: Julia Louis-Dreyfus on SNL

Watching SNL right now, and I gotta give credit where it is due. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hosting and she looks really good, I think better than she did on Seinfeld. Girlfriend is in his mid-forties and is looking bangin' in a little black number. It's nice to see her return to her SNL roots!

I also have to say I love Miya Rudolph's Oprah impression.

RAVE: Breach

Went and saw Breach last weekend, and it was really very good. I liked it for a lot of reasons- I like "true" stories, I like spy stories, I like movies that are set in DC. The plot line was really tense at times, it was great.

What wasn't great was that Ryan Phillippe had a giant bump on his forehead most of the movie. I couldn't stop staring at it- was it a boil? Was it a welt from where Reese threw something at him when she found out about his filandering? I don't know! It drove me absoltuely crazy though. Does he always have this bumpy thing on his forehead? I don't remember seeing it in his other movies. Anybody know?

RAVE: Notorious B.I.G.

It is hard to believe that Notorious B.I.G. has been gone for ten years today. Lets all take a moment to remember the music and the man whose death gave P. Diddy a career.

Cause after all, I like it when you call me Big Poppa.

RAVE: Jared Leto, Amazing Inflatable/Deflatable Man

A little late (I know, what else is new), but you have GOT to check out these pictures of Jared Leto playing Mark David Chapman (left) in the movie Chapter 27, about John Lennon's death. He put on 50 freakin' pounds for the movie and became, in my opinion, unrecognizable as the lovable Jordan Catalano of yesteryear, except for the eyes. Chapter 27 premiered at Sundance, and although most of the reviews seem to be really bad- the word "boring" is bandied about a lot- I still think his transformation is fascinating. Reports say that at the time he gained all the weight his cholesterol was over 300 and his doctors were very concerned for his health. However, he lost all 50 pounds in 6 months and is back to his super-slim goth 30 Seconds to Mars look (below, complete with the eyeliner).


Super Skinny Jared Leto, 50 pounds lighter than above.

For the complete collection from this photoshoot, go to buzznet

*I would also like to say that I was working on this post before the Superficial, i didn't take their idea, thankyouverymuch*

RANT: I AM Smarter Than a 5th Grader

So I watched that new show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" last night and wanted to kill myself after someone who was definately brain damaged in some way won $100,000 for answering questions on the level of a 1st-3rd grader. She quit and took home her 100 grand after the following question- "How many decades are in two millenia?" I know that math involving numbers over ten is difficult, but come on. Seriously.

Here's a hint she's not too bright- she almost lost after the first question, which was "What star is closest to the Earth?" (1st grade level). My response: "Hint: it's bright and shiney and wakes you up every morning".

I know that they are not going to put people of at least even average intelligence on this show. Because what would be the fun of having normal people, who could answer basic questions like "how many states are there in the US?" wouldn't have any entertainment value. But I still don't think that someone who has a hard time identifying the sun should win $100,000.

I guess the real mystery of the whole thing is how Jeff Foxworthy is still employed and in the public eye. It is probably for the pure humiliation factor- If I could choose anyone to taunt my intelligence on national TV, it would definately not be Foxworthy, cause that's like having someone from the trailer park come over and criticize the job you did with the paving stones in your driveway.

RANT: Trifecta of Things that Bother Me Today

I woke up this morning to three rather disturbing things:

1) My beloved Al Gore, whose environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth recently won an Oscar on Sunday, apparently has a $2,439 electric bill for the month. Can he really care about global warming as much as he seems to with an electric bill like this? On Sunday he was talking about about the power of ordinary people to change our collective fate of mankind by doing simple things, and now we find out he apparently leaves all the lights on in his giant mansion 24/7.

2) Why do some people think it is OK to be blatantly racist? An article on cnn.com talks about a newspaper out of California called AsianWeek whose contributor, Kenneth Eng, wrote an article called "Why I Hate Blacks" and argues that Black Americans are essentially weak for being enslaved for over 300 years. Now the Asian community is decrying this article and author, but how did it get published in the first place? Link to the cnn article.

3) Has anyone else seen that Honda commercial that goes, "we can't all be genuises, but we call do something smart"? Usually it has a guy that's blindfolded solving a rubik's cube (gag). Last night I saw a new commercial in the same series that featured a freakin' INFANT (seriously, 1, 2 years old?) pointing at pictures of presidents and calling out their names. "William Taft!" "Grover Cleveland!" "James Polk!". Who the hell recognizes a picture of James Polk?

RANT: My Husband is a Big Fat Dork

To be fair, my husband is actually a pretty skinny dork...

ANYWAYS, we were out having a nice dinner at one of our favorite local DC restaurants, Arucola, when my husband (The Dork) leans over and whispers, "don't look now... but Gordon Peterson is sitting behind you!"

If you have ever read his blog, you know that he is a huge fan of local "celebrities", or as he likes to say, "Institutions". Gordon Peterson qualifies as one of these "institutions". He wouldn't go up and say hi to him, but he did finally muster the courage to take his picture over my shoulder. So most of the picture looks like me giving him a very skeptical look while Gordon P. is in mid-story telling to his table. After we left I almost sent him into a fit saying things like, "are you sure that was Gordon Peterson?" (he did a side-by-side photo from Channel 7's web site when we got home) and "why do you care so much about the weather man?" (Gordon is 5/6 o'clock anchor).

Ah, the joys of being married to a local news-cast enthusiast...
if you are not a DC local, go here to see who I am talking about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Peterson

RAVE: Coffee Love Affair

Ode to Coffee

Smell makes me smile

Touch takes the cold

Taste wakes me up

RANT: Delilah Hosts WASH FM'S Valentine's Day Ball

I heard on the radio last night that Delilah will be hosting the annual WASH FM Valentine's Day Ball in DC instead of Glenn Hollis. "Hosted by me, Delilah!" Gag.

Who would want to spend Valentine's Day with Delilah, listening to her go on and on while you are trying to have a good time. The whole thing is just to awful to think about. That After Hours could go on without Glenn H. is bad enough, but now they are taking the Valentine's Day Ball too? WTF?! I hope they don't sell any tickets.

RAVE: Stevens and Berdosky Are My Heros

Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky are my new personal heros. These two pled not guilty today to charges that they placed "hoax devices" in Boston after putting up what look like 80s style Lite Brites around Boston to advertise for an Adult Swim cartoon. An element of this offense is that they had to intend to incite panic, which they were clearly not doing if they were putting them up because they are employees of an advertising agency/marketing firm.

In a news conference after they posted bail, they were accused of not taking the situation seriously when they told reports they would only answer questions about 70s style hair cuts. They responded that they were taking it very seriously. When asked another question not involving hair, they said the reporters were obviously not taking them seriously for asking a question that did not involve hair.

Besides the hair questions, my favorite part of the story on cnn quotes Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley as saying as saying these lite bright cartoon characters, "it had a very sinister appearance, it had a battery behind it, and wires." WTF. Do we call the cops on everything we see with batteries and wires? If so my office should be swarming with the closest SWAT team.

Please (again) vote for my wish at /http://www.robinhoodfund.com/cast-your-votes/wish/id/1586

Rave: Voting Has Begun!

Per the excellent suggestion of Nox yesterday,here is a direct link to my wish: http://www.robinhoodfund.com/cast-your-votes/wish/id/1586

You cast your vote by clicking on the stars.

Thanks, and as I said yesterday, it's very appreciated. Besides, you know you are bored at work (and cnn/msn/boingboing doesn't update nearly often enough)
- your local DCTXn

RAVE: RobinHoodFund.com, please vote!

Yesterday I found a great website- robinhoodfund.com. You can enter a wish and, depending on how many people view your wish, you could have it granted. I entered a wish of "Paying off my student loans" under the name Mags (see previous entries of "Rant: Evil Student Loans" etc.). If you are bored at work/school/home today and would like to vote, please go to robinhood.com. I will post a direct link once it is up for voting. i think you might have to register for your vote/view to count, but it is quick and painless, requiring minimal details.

It only takes a few seconds and hey, it might actually work. At any rate, I really appreciate anyone who can take the time. Voting on my wish starts at noon today MST and lasts for the weeks.

DCTXn thanks you in her ever-continuing fight against The Man.

RANT: Petey Wheatstraw is NOT Dolemite

I was very excited this weekend because Netflix had finally sent a movie I have been eagerly awaiting to see- Dolemite, a classic blaxploitation cult film from 1975, starring and co-written by Rudy Ray Moore. Keep in mind I have never seen the movie, just heard about it. I was halfway through the movie before my husband says, "This cannot be Dolemite. They have not even mentioned Dolemite. And who is this Petey Wheatstraw character?"

Instead of sending us Dolemite, the Netflix people sent us Petey Wheatstraw (1977). I can understand the mistake- both starring Rudy Ray Moore, both blaxploitation, and Petey Wheatstraw (I learn from the DVD extras) is part of the "Dolemite Collection". Other movies that are part of the Dolemite Collection also include The Human Tornado and Disco Godfather. The Human Tornado apparently involves a Hamburger Pimp who kicks his own ass twice a day, so that's definately made it into my "must see" list.

While Petey Wheatstraw was very amusing, politically incorrect, great 70s costumes (lots of piping!) and an infectious theme song, I was more than a little disappointed that we didn't actually get Dolemite. But maybe this was fate's way of exposing me to the greater Dolemite collection.

"Petey Wheatstraw.... Petey Wheatstraw... the devil's son-in-law"

RANT: End of Passions

NBC, the wonderful network that has brought us such gems as "The Office," "My Name is Earl," and "Days of Our Lives" is bringing their popular daytime series "Passions" to an end this summer. While there may be many people out there who deny being a Passions fan, I am not one of them. I am not ashamed!

Passions started running when I was in college, and it was the first soap opera that I could actually get into such as: characters under the age of 50 who weren't rich socialities, people who actually worked at jobs (and didn't just talk about them), different races and ethnicities, and multi/mixed-racial couples.

Like a good soap opera, many of the same story lines that intrigued me during my college days are still in play: will Ethan and Teresa ever get together (also known as: can a Latina from the wrong side of the tracks teach a rich boy a thing or two about love? ) ; will the Crane empire come crashing down around their feet; will Kay and Miguel ever realize their love, or will that goodie two shoes Charity show up and ruin everything (again!)?

Farewell, Passions- maybe your ending is a sign of the times that the Passion-generation needs to also put aside childish things, like Timmy dolls, and grow up.

RAVE: Golden Globes

I know it's late and everyone is done talking about the Golden Globes, but I have to say I really enjoyed them. Fav moments: when America Ferrera won for best actress in a series in Ugly Betty; Hugh Laurie (as always) for best actor in House. How I love that man and his British sense of humor. *sigh*

My Best Dressed props goes to Tina Fey for her adoreable cocktail-length dress. I hate it when people wear things that look like ball gowns to these award shows- like Jennifer Love Hewitt. Ugh! It looked like something left over from some hideous princess prom sale gone awry.

As bad as JLH's dress was, the Worst Dressed goes to Cameron Diaz. WTF. I literally gasped and sat straight up off the couch when I saw her on stage wearing this monstrosity in white tulle and shame.

RANT: Dress Like a Man!

I have a *very special* rant today: men's clothing. Well, one piece of clothing in particular. Let me just put it this way: if you are a heterosexual male and you are NOT living in a) alaska or b) some other arctic climate, you SHOULD NOT be wearing a fur-lined hooded coat. OK? Got it? Women can wear it, gay men can wear it. If you are trying to date someone I know, don't wear it. Because then people will point at you and snicker behind your back. They might even make fun of you in their blog. You never know.

RAVE: Peep's Choice Awards

OK, not quite "as it happens," but I have to say: Halle Berry just won People's Choice Award for Female Action Hero and she looks SMOKING HOT. Seriously, she has a super hero bod and the mini skirt length gold dress she is wearing looks amazing. Who else looked awesome, you say? Vanessa Williams. What's the lesson here, people: "mixed race" people are obviously the most good looking, combining the best of what everyone has to offer. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I am also glad to see that Hayden, who plays The Cheerleader on Heroes, is wearing a gorgeous AND age-appropriate dress that she looks quite glam in. Go girl.

Patrick Dempsy as McDreamy? Looked McDelicious getting his award for best male in TV drama. That's right. I said it. McDelicious.

What the hell is Kojo doing on TV anymore? Kojo should be banned from TV. He has no place on the airwaves, especially in high-def. You heard me.

Congrats Heroes on best new drama. SO deserved. I can't wait for it's return next week!

RANT: Rooney in DC, 1/10/07

I have just discovered that my arch-nemesis and general bain of my existence, Andy Rooney, will be in DC at Politics and Prose tomorrow night for a book signing. While generally weirded out that he will be but a few miles from where I work and live, I am strangely curious about what the crowd there will look like. Aptly enough, the book he wrote that he is signing is called Out of My Mind. Well, that's about right.

Part of me just wants to go to stand in line and ask, "Mr. Rooney, I am a big fan of yours. Please tell me how you get paid so much to talk about nothing for so little time every week?" I might get thrown out, but it would be worth it just for the memories. Of course, if Rooney and I were in the same place at the same time, the universe might collapse on itself due to the improbability of these two dynamic yet opposite forces coexisting in the same shared space.

So if the world suddenly comes to an end tomorrow night at 7, you'll know why. Don't blame me, blame Rooney who is, apparently, Out of [His] Mind.

RANT: RIP Cowboys

I cannot believe that the Cowboys just lost it 20-21 to the Seahawks.
That's all.

RANT: Fox Cancels "The O.C."

We all knew that this day would come, but that doesn't make it any easier. Fox, in its infinate wisdom, has officially cancelled the O.C. Supposedly they will finish out this season in February, with the finale "they have always had planned" which will be "fun" and "emotionally fulfilling". If you can believe Fox, that is.

RANT: Whitney Houston Underwear Sale

I have to quote my friend Lady D here and say "what the hell are we going to do about Whitney Houston? Are we really just going to let her do this to herself? She's a national treasure!"

I thought she was doing better after finally dumping Bobby Brown (it's her perogative, after all), but now it looks like she's gone to Tori Spelling route of having to sell off her personal belongings to make the rent. According to popsugar.com, Whitney is going to sell off a huge amount of her "personal effects," including her Dolche & Gabbana sequined bras.

In case you've forgotten, here are some pics of Whitney:
crack days v. better days.