January 11, 2010

American Idol is Coming, Up In the Air is Good, Jay Leno is Moving, and 3-D TV Will Survive.

Another Stu & The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast has come, and the boys talk about porn.  Well, they sort of talk about porn, namely a sexbot and 3-D-ness, and if anything else at the CES show last week will be a staple of tomorrow because of sex.  There is talk of a new computer, about computer server issues, about beer, about movies bad and good for kids, i.e., The Pink Panther 1 & 2, about movies for adults, i.e., Up In The Air, about TV catching up with "Chuck," and the return of "American Idol."  The dudes don't talk about Jay Leno that much, what with him losing his show and all, but hey, it's topical, and Stu's not really a fan, so why not, there is some Jay Leno talk as well.  So much, so little time, yet Stu and The Dude figure a way to squeeze it into a 20-minute podcast.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 4, 2010

Glassware, Bad Luck, Dr. Who, and a Sugartoad.

The Dude on The Right & Stu Gotz both survived their respective New Year's Eve celebrations, so they've made it back for the first "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast of 2010. In it they don't talk too much about the new year, but mostly about how Stu Gotz is in the doghouse with a Little Gotz, how The Dude's BFF needs some parking lines in the garage, and if "Pink Panther 2" is any good. Stu is sucked back into "Dr. Who" even thought the series is done for the year, The Dude still loves dinner at Sugartoad, Stu broke a mirror - sort of, and The Dude was still in the gift-giving mood, presenting Stu with some momentos of their youth at Illinois Institute of Technology. They talk about "Jersey Shore," "The Squeeze," and "Bridezillas" from their TV screens, they talk a bit about "Avatar" on the movie screen, and they talk about college. It's a new year, they have a lot to talk about, and somehow they pull it off in under 20 minutes...

Posted by Rightdude at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2009

A Mr. Squiggles Zsu Zau Pet, Avatar, Plumbing Talk, Computer Woes and Airport Delays.

Luckily Stu Gotz wasn’t trapped under a sink for their “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, so he and The Dude on the Right were able to discuss a wasted day for both of them over the weekend.  Wasted day aside, the boys did get to see “Avatar,” they do some discussing of “Extract,” there is no talk of “Julie & Julia” because The Dude missed quality BFF time due to computer issues, and it seems they missed an opportunity to go to NYC for some in-person research of the XOXO window displays.  The boys did do some shopping for Zsu Zsu pets, Mama Gotz didn’t spend enough time at the airport, and Christmas is this weekend so next week we’ll get to see if they were naughty, or nice.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2009

No Sleep, No New Satellite, No Jon Bovi, No Oprah Caroling, but Yes Movies.

Tiredness and grumpiness are not a great equation for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, but The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz power through both as they put together another episode of weekend-ness.  Stu's grumpiness can be directly related to a satellite TV installation gone awry, as well as an hour and a half drive to hear some Christmas music, and a bizarre Christmas exchange at a Taekwondo party, while The Dude couldn't sleep because of a dradle song and a song about a butcher.  The boys do compare notes, however, on the Monk finale from a couple of weeks ago, on "G-Force," but The Dude talks about "Multiplicity" solo while Stu is the only one of the two that has seen "Inkheart." There is talk of Santa Claus, of the lack of Jon Bovi on Saturday Night Live, and Chicago Bears, but in the end, The Dude just wants to see video of Oprah out caroling like she said she was going to do in a tweet from last night.  They talk, and hope you'll listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:30 PM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2009

I Became a Person Who Came to Downtown Chicago to...

By: The Dude on the Right
I put a little post on Facebook: I'm doing something I said I would never do only I can't say exactly what it is until Monday. How's that for a tease?

Hundreds, okay just a few of my friends, tried to figure out the mystery, and the guesses ranged from hitting a nudie-bar (I have been to one of those before, so that couldn't be it), to a spa treatment complete with a pedicure.  I will say that all of the guesses were wrong, although from my fiance's descriptions of her pedicure experiences, well, that may not be ruled out in the future, but in any case, what I did astounded me.

You see, for years, living in Chicago and visiting downtown quite often, there is a tradition I witnessed yet couldn't understand.  The people would be there, in the freezing cold, in a line that sometimes would stretch down the street and around the corner, and you would think it was either the day after Thanksgiving and they were waiting for the season's hottest gift, or that some store was giving away a hundred dollars just for standing in line.  With my friends I would mock these people, laugh at them as they were bundled in their parkas, shivering, yet with shear anticipation on their faces, and in an orderly fashion they would file, one by one, into the little storefront that housed a treasure people far and wide would stand for hours, or at least a bunch of minutes, to secure.  The years would go by and I would wonder, "Is it really that good?", and prior to this weekend I had already found out and well, it is good, but "stand-in-line" good?  It didn't matter, I suppose, because there I was, standing in line, in the freezing cold, to get a bag of Garrett's Popcorn.

Yup, hours of my weekend downtown, okay, maybe about 20 minutes, were spent, in a line, waiting for a bag of popcorn (okay, actually two bags of popcorn), something I made fun of for years, something I told myself I would never do, yet as I witnessed a group of girls try to cut in line, as I saw two women become nearly orgasmic as they sampled a little cup of fresh Chicago Mix, and as a tourist, in the freezing cold, wearing sandals, jumped for joy as he walked over a sidewalk grate venting warm air, I patiently waited, moving ahead one person by one person, with my order in my head: "One large bag and one medium bag of Chicago Mix please."  I would then pay the man, step to the side, and hope not to screw up the process and have someone yell "No popcorn for you!", yet this wasn't like a Seinfeld episode because people ahead of me kept changing their minds, and the people behind the counter were patient through every person.  There were the newbies, still staring at the menu unsure of what they wanted when it was finally time to order, and then there were the experienced folks, rattling off their popcorn tin requests like they were trading stock, and there I was, bewildered in myself that somehow I was actually the person who suggested this gift for my future in-laws, and if it weren't for my fiance, I would have forgotten to get a bag for us.

And so I have become a statistic in this world of Chicago, someone I would question if it was really worth it, someone I would mock, someone I always thought must have better things to do when visiting Chicago.

I became a person who came to downtown Chicago to stand in line to buy popcorn.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:40 PM | Comments (0)

A Tiger, A Reunion, A Bed, A Toilet Paper Holder, and Getting Old(er).

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz got together for a fraternity reunion weekend, so their “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast deals with a lot of that.  They also discuss beds, getting older, and improperly designed placement of toilet paper holders before getting to other fun stuff, like new shows on Hulu (21 Jumpstreet, The Commish, and The Greatest American Hero.)  Neither of them have yet to see “The Blind Side,” Stu saw the “Monk” finale but tried not to ruin it for The Dude, and sure, this week there is some Tiger Woods talk as the boys jump on the “Bash Tiger” bandwagon.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:05 AM | Comments (0)

December 2, 2009

I Think I'm Done with Playboy

By: The Dude on the Right
Playboy sent me my renewal notice, and I hate to say it, but "Playboy, it might be time to leave you."  I can hear my buddy, Stu Gotz, bashing me already, he will say that my fiance wants me to get rid of it and that I am caving into her will, but the fact of the matter is that Playboy just isn't that interesting of a magazine anymore.  Sure, it's got naked women, and yes, they are pretty, but lately too many of the women are covering up so for that aspect it's kind of like "What's the point?", and I hate to say it, but I haven't even been finding myself reading it for the articles that much anymore, because, well, the articles haven't been all that enlightening, engaging, or groundbreaking. Also, as my budget is tighter than it used to be, what with a wedding to plan and all, I'm looking at the yearly renewal rate they are offering me and I've got to say that my $32.97 might be better spent elsewhere.

So I tried to analyze what I was getting for my $32.97, and I used their list of "benefits" I get as a guide. If I renew before December 17th I get the following:

• Renewal discounted for another year at their absolute lowest price:        $32.97
• Okay, this is nice, but I do wonder if it is their "absolute" lowest price, and if someone else out there is getting a better deal.
  
  
• Preferred Subscriber Savings of 52% off the cover price:                        52%
• Kind of a redundant with the renewal discount they described in the first benefit, but I guess it's just to reinforce the fact that if I went to the newsstand every month it would cost me $68.89, but then again, one month is a double issue (nice cost-cutting measure for them, huh?).
  
  
• Special Bonus: One-Time-Only-DVD - Playboy's "Uncensored Home Videos" with your paid renewal        FREE
• Come on Playboy, aren't we up to the Blu-ray generation yet?  And really, I do read Playboy mostly for the articles, and Stu tells me there are much better "Uncensored Home Videos" out there on this thing called the internet.
  
  
• Special Annual Issues: Playmate of the Year, Holiday Anniversay Issue, MLB, NBA, NFL Previews, Sex in the Cinema, Gala Christmas Issue:    Included
• Umm, are these really special?  Haven't you been doing these for years and aren't these more "expected" than "special?"
  
  
• Convenient home delivery:    Included
• Okay, that's nice, and it is pretty convenient.  I'm glad they aren't thinking of billing me extra to deliver it at home.
  
  
• Money-Back Guarantee:        Included
• If I'm not completely satisfied with my subscription I can cancel at any time and receive a full refund on all unmailed issues.  What I would rather have, I think, is if I could maybe go online every month and say something like "I only liked 50% of this issue, can I get a credit on my account for the part that sucked, but keep sending me the magazine because I did like the 50%".

The crappy part, and maybe crappy is the appropriate word, is I used to be able to gauge how engaging an issue of Playboy was because, well, I admit that most of the time I would find myself reading it on the crapper while taking my daily constitutional, and if it was a good month of stuff, well, I would find that before I was done reading everything in said month there, thanks to the Convenient Home Delivery, would come the next month's issue having me cramming in some final reading, or spending a few extra minutes on the Mighty Ferguson.  Lately, though, I'm finding that I'm pretty much done with the issue well before the next issue arrives, leaving me time to just sit and ponder rather than shit and wonder.

My problem now is what to replace the magazine with.  See, I already subscribe to Rolling Stone, Maxim, and somehow I get this Small Business Magazine, and they all pretty much keep me in tune with things in the entertainment world and high finance, although I do like a decent interview, and that's what Playboy used to really give me.  While listening to the radio I was thinking GQ might be a nice replacement because I heard there was a great article with Clint Eastwood recently, but really, me and GQ?

So, I've got around $33.00 to spend, maybe on a magazine subscription, but then again, it would pay for like 1/5thish of a person at our wedding.  Any suggestions would be well appreciated.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 12:05 PM | Comments (1)

November 30, 2009

Surviving Thanksgiving, Macy's is Slipping, Biaggi's Has a Good Salad, and No Tiger Woods.

Even though he is being talked about everywhere, Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right decide not to talk about Tiger Woods during their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, but probably only because there was too much more to talk about thanks to the Thanksgiving weekend. Stu saw a parade and ratty balloons while The Dude introduced some of his family to his future family; The Dude didn't like "Old Dogs" that much but Stu and The Dude's sister did; There was talk of a really good salad at a dinner at Biaggi's; The boys talk bowling; The boys talk driving; And the boys talk some crappy football thanks again to the Chicago Bears. They talk a lot, they survived Thanksgiving, and Stu gives advice on how to keep a bear out of your yard.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:20 PM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2009

Black Friday Shopping Advice, The Winner of Dancing With the Stars, Movies and Monk!

Black Friday is coming and during their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right give their shopping advice, tell you where the great deals aren't, and only one of them might be up at 5am on Friday. Neither of them aren't watching "Dancing With the Stars," although they do give their analysis of the winner, or at least who of Donny Osmond, Mya, or Kelly Osbourne should win, and Stu almost saw dancing at the circus. The boys talk Facebook picture posting, good deed doing, and even though they didn't venture out to the movies, Stu did see "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," so the kid in both of them sort of comes out. Finally, they'll both miss "Monk" when it comes to a close, Oprah is leaving over a year from now, and the Chicago Bears still suck. Such is another podcast as Thanksgiving is upon them!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:47 PM | Comments (0)

November 18, 2009

Black Friday is Coming, Do You Know Where Your Pumpkin Pie Is?

By: The Dude on the Right
With Thanksgiving about a week away, what better way to start to think about the things to be thankful for than pondering what you are going to buy on the Friday after Thanksgiving, that is if you are early enough to be first in line at your favorite store.  Yup, the Black Friday 2009 ads are starting to leak, you can find the Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, and heck, even Office Depot ads online if you so desire (good luck finding Office Max, though, because it seems they are being diligent in requesting it be removed from sites trying to show them), but I'm starting to wonder why we even celebrate Thanksgiving Day anymore, other than the fact the turkey farmers would probably throw a fit, that and it is the day before Black Friday.  Really, does anyone care that much about it?  Sure, it's a reason for families to get together, and sure, it's non-denominational so you're not going to piss off various religious groups by having the day off, but doesn't it seem like the holiday is just getting pushed to the side?  The stories are hitting that at Best Buy you can get this TV for this much, at Wal-Mart a slightly different model is the same price, at Target they may not have a good computer, but who cares, join the crowds and just be careful not to get trampled.  Yup, we can expect that on Thanksgiving night there will be the proverbial news story showing the imbecile who is first-in-line to get that flat screen TV that will eventually be on sale for a better price if they could just hold out until right before the Super Bowl, and by the time the Friday morning news hits, the lead story will then be about the people who caused a stampede and killed someone to get the same TV.  Some people will skip some quality family arguments so that they can camp out in the cold and snow to get a laptop for under $500, while others will be doing recon on Wednesday to plot the most efficient route to get as many bargains before 5:30 AM on Friday.

Okay, I'm done being grumpy, because the more I think about it, I am actually looking forward to this Thanksgiving, even if most of the stories will be about anything but why we are celebrating Thanksgiving.  As long as the weather holds out I'll get to see some family members I haven't seen in a while, it will be the second Thanksgiving I'm spending with my BFF which means more to me than I can ever explain to her, and if all goes well I might end the day a few bucks ahead if the dice roll my way during a probable game of Left-Right-Center.  I will give thanks for what I have, I'll say a quiet prayer for people no longer with me, and will even have a good wish in my heart for those who have hurt me.  I'll eat too much, hope Milo lets me sleep a little later, but come to think of it, I was thinking of getting another Blu-ray player and Wal-Mart supposedly will have one for under $100. So, you know what, I'm starting to think that maybe I'll skip Thanksgiving dinner, dig out my winter coat and some blankets, pull the feet warmers out of the drawer, and camp out with the rest of the nutballs.  Nah.  That would just be nuts, and I won’t get any pumpkin pie.  Mmm, pumpkin pie.

Ah, Thanksgiving!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2009

TWILFS, Smurfs, Destruction, Life, Pinewood Races, and More.

This episode of “Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast finds Stu Gotz learning what the term TWILF might mean, and by the end of the 20 minutes has Stu giving people a challenge to wipe their ass.  In between and along the way the boys discuss the brief return of Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson to the Chicago airwaves and a missed opportunity for hilarity born by Bob Sirott, they talk about “2012,” “Precious,” “Up,” “Bruno,” Kevin Smith movies, the New England Patriots, and somehow they even discuss a Pinewood Derby.  And if that weren’t enough, the boys also talk some “South Park” and “Heroes.”  The weekend is only a weekend long, yet the boys seem to pack in a whole bunch of stuff for your listening pleasure.  Happy Wiping Your Ass!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:53 PM | Comments (0)

November 2, 2009

Michael Jackson's This Is It, Halloween, A Red Light, and A Facebook Intervention.

The Dude on the Right apologizes for any swearing that occurs during this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", but he and Stu Gotz are blaming Mama Gotz and her potty mouth, for her influence on one of the Little Gotz's. But the dudes don't swear during all of the episode, in fact, most of the conversations about a joke from Playboy, a naked Marge Simpson, Halloween outfits, and "Michael Jackson's This Is It" are vulgar-free, with recommendations on some of them, including Stu's love for "Army of Darkness." Stu didn't have internet access yet still buried his gold, The Dude on the Right did have internet access and needs a Facebook intervention, and neither of them are caring that much about the Chicago Bears right now. And since it's still new TV season, they dudes talk about some TV, too.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:02 PM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2009

Where Did My Morning Go?

By: The Dude on the Right
For the life of me I was having a hard time figuring out why I didn't have time to exercise in the morning. There I was, waking up around 4:30 (and sure, hitting the snooze pushed things closer to 5AM), but by the time I was trying to get out the door at 7:00 to head to morning meetings, well, I was rushing.  What in the hell was I doing for nearly 2 1/2 hours, and why in the hell wasn't part of it being spent on my exercise bike? Something was going on, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, and then it occurred to me, even as I thought I was trimming things down:

Facebook, and more specifically Facebook applications, have destroyed my morning productivity.

I thought I had it licked when I was going to switch from Mafia Wars to Café World but it was yesterday, when I started trying to analyze my morning schedule, and as I sat there "training" my virtual fish in my Happy Aquarium, checking on my café, and still trying to take over the Moscow Mafia, that a bell went off over my head, sort of, and it simply rang out "What are you doing?"  So this morning, being the dorky engineer I can be, I started my morning as I normally have been, up and at 'em at 4:45, into the kitchen to empty the dishwasher, making my Count Chocula with chocolate milk, and heading to my computer bunker that isn't really a bunker anymore, to see what was happening in the world.  I fired up Firefox on the main monitor, opening a list of tabs to places like the Chicago Sun Times, The Drudge Report, The Weather Channel, Google Reader, and The Lorain Journal, just getting myself ready to rediscover the world after a night of broken sleep (broken sleep and the urge to drop-kick a dog out the window will be a topic for another blog), and on my secondary monitor, another Firefox window was opened, this time to my Facebook page.  I scanned the world, not really paying as much attention to things as I used to (something my fiance made me realize the other day), and quickly shifted my focus to my Facebook world, or should I say worlds, because after not coming up with anything witty for my status and seeing that my friends haven't done much in the past six hours, I pulled out the stopwatch on my iPhone to do a statistical analysis of part of my morning.

And so, I headed to...

• "Café World" - I didn't do anything crazy, and by crazy I mean I didn't send any of my neighbors any gifts, visit any of their cafés, nor do any redecorating (which I could, because I have 200,000 café coins to spend), instead I'm concentrating on serving my pot roast and then cooking up some voodoo chicken salad.
  CAFE TIME ELAPSED: 4-ISH MINUTES

That wasn't so bad, but other work needed to be done so I'm off to my:

• "Happy Aquarium" - Here I start by sending the gift of fish food to my aquarium neighbors.  Damn, I'm a good neighbor! Of course my fish tank has gotten dirty overnight so I scrub it clean, and then my fish are hungry so it's time for their morning feeding, but as I'm also trying to make my fish smarter, what the heck, let's train a couple of them! Sadly I can't get one fish (I'm not sure which one it was, mostly because I have eleven different fish, all with different names) through the training program, but another made it safely through, so he, or maybe she, can now do some kind of special trick.  Not done yet, I'm feeling helpful and greedy so I visit my seven neighbors' tanks, do some cleaning at each of them, and click on the various treasure chests to get myself some more coin!
  AQUARIUM TIME ELAPSED: 8-ISH MINUTES

But my coup de gras awaits, the game that has taken what must amount to months in lost productivity - I'm off to Moscow in:

• "Mafia Wars" - Yup, I head to New York City to bank some money from my properties, and I now have over $110,000,000,000 in fake, United States currency.  But I've built my mafia over the months, and Cuba needs me, or at least my businesses in Cuba need me, so it's time to sell off a bunch of product and bank my money there as I eclipse the C$11,000,000 Cuban peso mark!  But as my Mafia domination is growing, well, I'm off to Moscow.  I easily level up to 351 with the energy I've acquired while I slept, so I'm eager to spend my new, 2,190 units of energy doing something, although I'm not really sure what, even though there is some sort of story going on, but there I am, clicking my mouse insistently to earn more cash, finish the job, and move on, but my energy level is now too low to continue! Oh no!  Ahh, but no, I'm not done! Thankfully my sister sent me an energy pack so I recharge, it's time for another energy drain, I'm up another level, and I quickly scan that I'm going to need about R$40,000,000 rubles to get the items necessary so I can work on the next job in Episode 4.  Not being able to continue with any jobs for now, and since I got an energy pack from my sister, I decided I should return the favor so I click on my giant mafia of 34 members and send energy packs to those people that I know are still playing the game.
  MAFIA TIME ELAPSED: 12 MINUTES

With the breakfast hours slipping away I'm done with my café, my fish tank is clean, I've blackmailed a secretary in Moscow, but I notice, in the upper right corner of my Facebook main page, that I've got gifts to receive. I click and there they are, lots of little goodies from my friends, so what the hell, it's a click here and new screen there, an "Accept more gifts" click here, another screen there, and REQUEST/GIFT TIME ELAPSED: 4 MINUTES.

I looked at my stopwatch realizing that this morning, in just "maintaining" and "advancing" in three Facebook games, I wasted nearly 30 minutes.

Now, mind you, I didn't do any bowling with my buddies, happily I stopped playing Pirates of the Caribbean although I haven't deleted the app yet,  in Farm Town I have set up my farm with a lovely message for my BFF, a message that as long as my farming neighbors "water" it looks great so I don't have to do anything, my Roller Coaster Kingdom is stalled, and I haven't tried to increase my word vocabulary, but just heading to one of those would have meant being late for my first appointment this morning.

I wondered where my time went in the morning, and now I found out.  The question now is what to do about it because people are hungry and my Voodoo Chicken Salad is almost ready to be served, my "fish" are hungry and I really would feel bad if I "flushed" them down the toilet, and after investing so much time, "money," and building a reputation as a mafia kingpin, well, I really hate to rat people out and go into witness protection.  Then there is the feeling that I'm going to let all of my "neighbors" down if I can't be, well, their neighbor. In the end, I guess my exercising might just have to wait, although if someone were to make an "Exercise World" for Facebook, maybe I wouldn't feel so bad.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:01 PM | Comments (2)

October 26, 2009

Paranormal Activity, Hair Cuts, To H1N1 or Not to H1N1, and The Bears Still Suck.

The Dude on the Right wasn’t cold nor frightened, and tells Stu Gotz why not during their “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast.  In other news Stu has troubles securing a cheap haircut for the Gotz clan thanks to being a little late for Pat the barber.  Both boys see lots of movies with “Paranormal Activity,” “Milk,” “I Love You, Man,” “Imagine That,” and “Caroline” being topics of discussion, Stu thinks the H1N1 vaccine manufacturers should watch “Star Trek,” The Dude unpacks, and leave it to Mama Gotz to ruin “Toy Story,” or maybe it was “Toy Story 2.” – Stu can’t remember.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:30 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2009

I deleted "Mom and Dad" from my iPhone Favorites. I suppose it was just time.

By: The Dude on the Right
I didn't know when to do it but in the end it turned into a simple thing, just three presses on my iPhone screen, but I guess for a year I wrestled in my head if it meant I was forgetting, or moving on, or just because it made sense because still there, on the "Favorites" of my iPhone contacts, was "Mom and Dad." At times it seemed weird being there when I would see it, what with both of them dying last year, but until this morning I just wasn't able to delete them from that screen. I guess this morning I just decided that one year after Mom died (although I will always consider her death anniversary as October 18th) it was time to well, just decided it was time.

The thing is, after my dad died back in January of 2008, I wrestled with changing the "Mom and Dad" to just read "Mom," even changed it for a few days, but when I went to make my Saturday morning call to Mom back then, and I went to press the "button," it just didn't seem right so I changed it back.  I mean, it was always "Mom and Dad," hell, they ended up married for over 40 years, and I would love to say they were always the best of years, but I'm going to bet that 99 times out of 100, if you ask anyone married for over 40 years, they will tell you there were some "not so best of" years. And as I was moving on, dealing with Dad's passing as you have to do, Mom was there in her way to keep things in perspective.

Then it was Mom's turn to pass a year ago, and luckily, by then, I had re-met the girl who would become my fiance, and they were able to meet before Mom died, which was nice because I know it made mom happy I had met someone so special, and she really liked my BFF. But it's been a weird year since then, in reflection, and sometimes you don't always look back, but over the last couple of days I've made some mental rememberings of things she, and dad (although I have to be honest that dad and I weren't always the best of conversationalists) would have had many thoughts about.  Simple thoughts entered my head, like how I so wish I could have called mom the morning I proposed to my BFF because she would have been so ecstatic.  She'd be concerned, yet so supportive of my BFF's change of careers; she would liked to have gotten the pictures of when I went on vacation; and she would be so proud of her granddaughter graduating from high school, yet wishing she could have been there.  There would be some great disappointment in some family matters that are going on right now, I know because I can still see the hurt in her eyes when I unfortunately had to give her the news when it sort of all started, and although somewhat selfish, she would have loved the fact that I would have had to make decisions on which family to spend which holiday with.  It would have been a winter, last year, of talking about how bad the Browns were and how she would know that the Cavs would blow it in the end.  I would have kept telling her how promising the Indians seemed, but she would have told me that they will always suck until they fired Eric Wedge - she never liked him, and I can't even print some of the things she said about him - and I would have loved to have made that call to her the minute I found out he got canned. There would have been Saturday morning talks about work, wedding plans (damn you WGN!), our American Idol e-mails, that even she was finished watching "Dancing With the Stars," and maybe we both would have finished the project we started of labeling hundreds of old, old pictures.

I do know that it is okay to reflect on things sometimes, but I suppose it’s also time to move forward a bit, and I guess I realized, that in the end taking "Mom and Dad" off of my Favorites didn't mean they weren't my favs, it just meant that their phone number didn't work anymore.  It's funny, because I think I "talk" to them more now than I ever did when they were alive, looking for advice or just knowing what they would be thinking, but I guess, sometimes, it would be nice to hear their voices on the other end of that call, although, for the most part, I know what they would say, especially mom watching the Browns this year: "They suck.”

I love you Mom and Dad! I hope you're not mad that I deleted you!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:45 AM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2009

Staying in Bed, Management, Toy Stories, Not Being Prepared, and Balloon Boy!

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz wanted to both be in bed, only not together, and for different reasons, and they explain why during their “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast.  Neither reason had drinking to excess involved, just klutziness and flu-ness, but they both had some movieness with “Management” and the 3-D versions of “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2.”  The boys also discuss Balloon Boy and the hoax that is ensuing, a topic that somehow shifts into the musical styling’s of The 5th Dimension and Monty Python.  All of that, plus some Chicago Bears’ talk, some Sweetest Day talk, and chocolaty goodness of Count Chocula.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:28 PM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2009

A Peace Prize, Couples Retreat, Where's My Sidekick Stuff, and Stupid People!

Stu Gotz doesn't really tell The Dude on the Right much about his weekend during their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" Podcast, but that's okay because there is enough stuff going on that even if Stu did have a boring weekend, the boys have lots to talk about. It seems The Dude did do something this weekend, namely seeing "Couples Retreat," so he tells Stu if it's a movie to take Mama Gotz to see, but Stu is more interested in what The Dude thinks about President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, if he knows what is wrong with people's Sidekicks, and if he ever saw Alyssa Milano naked. The both have TV woes, the dude wonders about the flu shot, and Stu sees stupid people, but what else is new?

Posted by Rightdude at 8:43 PM | Comments (0)

October 9, 2009

I Didn't Win a Million Dollars at McDonald's. Crap.

By: The Dude on the Right
My gumption meter is on "Low" this afternoon, and as much as I want to blame the weather here in Chicago, I think I have to blame McDonald's.  I know, I'm sorry, I shouldn't blame Ronald for anything, but as I didn't pack a lunch today I decided to try to win a million dollars.  Yup, the Monopoly Game is back at McDonald's, and back in the day I was a big supporter of the game, as well as bigger, especially as breakfast, lunch, and every now and then a dinner, would be supplied under the Golden Arches when there was the suspense of little pull-tags off of the cups and containers with the dream of never having to work again at every visit.  But lately I haven't had the taste for a quarter pounder with cheese that much because, for whatever reason, the White Castle Crave seems to hit me harder, although I must admit that Lent was a good time to re-up my Filet o' Fish quotient. Today, though, I thought I would take a chance, roll the dice, or rather pull the tabs, and see what would happen.

So there I was late this morning, in the drive-thru at my local McD's, knowing that to get the coveted game pieces I would probably have to go "large" for the fries as well as my Diet Coke, but little did I realize that instead of getting my "Big Mac" fix I would have to get one of their new "Angus" burgers.  With dreams in my eyes of what I was going to do with my million, or at least the $50,000 a year for 20 years, I sucked it up and ordered the Mushroom & Swiss Angus Burger, gave the nice lady my money, took my bag of riches, snuck a few fries on the drive back, and got ready to scream with joy.

Then I opened the bag.

Sure, there were the fries, and I could see the game pieces attached; I had already pulled the pieces off of my large pop; And there, nestled under the napkins, was the burger box. "Hmmmm!  Mushroom & Swiss Angus Burger, with game pieces!"  Only I took out the napkins and "Doh!", no freakin' game pieces. "What the hell?  How am I supposed to win with no game pieces?" I could have gotten my favorite burger, a quarter pounder with cheese, but no, I wanted the game pieces, and I get no game pieces.  I mean, the game just started three days ago and my local McDonald's is already out of the Angus burger game pieces? Ugh!

Well, you can probably tell that I'm a little upset, especially since I didn't really want the Angus burger, and then, to top it off, after peeling off the game pieces I did have, I realized why I stopped playing the game in the first place because along with not getting all of the game pieces I was supposed to get, I ended up with a Marvin Gardens and a Pennsylvania Railroad, but the kicker in my butt, TWO BALTIC AVENUES.  Sure, I could probably figure out the odds, but what the hell are the odds of, at a random stop to McDonald's to play the Monopoly Game, and not getting all six game pieces, do you end up with TWO BALTIC AVENUES out of the four?  McDonald's, your Monopoly game sucks, that is unless I win some kind of internet prize that I really don't understand after I plugged my codes into the website.  In that case, McDonald's guys, you will rock.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 8, 2009

I think I'm done with Mafia Wars; Now I'm Running a Café.

By: The Dude on the Right
Like many a people on Facebook I sometimes get wrapped into various application games.  There was a time I was collecting eggs, and sure, they were pretty when they hatched, but then came the feeding them, trying to collect more, and "special" eggs.  I was done with eggs.  Then I started farming with "Farm Town," growing a nice farm which again, just seemed to take too much time to do too many things, and I bailed on that just about the time "FarmVille" came into being, which looked remarkably like "Farm Town." So now my farm is just a testament to my BFF, and it only requires watering every now and then.

The game, however, that I've stuck the most with has been "Mafia Wars," which, in terms of many things, is quite a boring game because it doesn't have animated people, or plants you have to tend to. Nope, it's mostly just a narrative game, with, I suppose, some semblance of strategy in order to develop a strong mafia. My problem is that from the beginning I only cared about a few things: One was that I kept trying to get a level ahead of our staff member, Big Cooter, and I was finally able to overtake him because he went on vacation and then seemed to lose interest.  After that I was just trying to finish the various jobs, hoping to get to the highest boss masteries, and then, wouldn't you know it, the bastards at Zynga opened up new areas, developing a Cuba area, and now Moscow (I was about two days from finishing when they opened Moscow).  So now I keep wondering why I am still playing because all I find myself doing, since I don't really care about fighting anyone, is "doing a job" until I run out of energy and then wait for the energy to regenerate or for one of my few mafia members to give me an "Energy Boost." When I get "Skill Points" to spend, every one of them goes to my "Energy" level.  Now with a Profile of: Energy - 1999, Attack - 33, Defense - 46, and Stamina – 17, I have a measly mafia size of 35, of which 16 are hired guns and not even "real" friends, so I think I might just be the lamest, Level 320+, mafia member with nearly $100,000,000,000 in the bank in the New York area. Every morning I find myself saying "Self, what the hell are you doing wasting 5 minutes just clicking your mouse button, doing that 'job' and not seeming to accomplish anything?"  So, yea, I think I'm just about done with Mafia Wars, and just in time.

Because now I'm a chef.

Yup, damn you Zynga and your Facebook games because now I'm playing Café World, where sadly this game is more my style.  Why?  Because I can actually incorporate my day into it and it doesn't have insanely long times to "Plant" a farm like "Farm Town" did.  Yup, I have my little café, I get to cook things, and they have specific lengths of time they take to get done.  I have found I'm planning things like "I know I won't be checking Facebook for about 4 hours, so if I start cooking some French Onion Soup I can finish it up and get it served when I come back," and I even have a chicken that is roasting and will be conveniently ready in 14 hours so I don't have to worry about more things on that stove.  I don't have a lot of neighbors, yet, so I can't grow my café that much, but my "Buzz Rating" is up to 43, and I don't know if that's good or not, but I seem to get a lot of people giving me a thumbs up!

So I think I'm hanging up my guns for an apron, and I'm sure there will be a time that the apron will need washing, but for now I've got to get back because my fruit salad is just about ready and I've got patrons to please, although I think I have just enough time to make a little more money in Moscow so I'm a little closer to be able to "Rob The RossijaBanc Central Repository."

I guess I'm not done with Mafia Wars just yet.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)

October 5, 2009

Chicago Sucks, A Movie Weekend, and Wiping Your Ass.

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are a little sad that Chicago didn't get the 2016 Olympics, but Stu tells The Dude, during their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, that he was more bummed when he had trouble wiping his butt. The Dude at least had some fun by seeing "Zombieland," "The Invention of Lying," and even "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," while Stu learned something interesting about a little Gotz, and has his idea for the perfect wedding gift. The Dude now wonders if Stu will get an invite to his wedding. Time will tell.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:19 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2009

FitBit, Count Chocula, or Maybe Both.

By: The Dude on the Right
I'm not going to lie, and if you are a regular reader of the website you will know this is true, but I can afford to lose a few pounds. Now I'm not supremely, morbidly obese or anything, but simply put, if I could work out for about two or three weeks like the people on The Biggest Loser, I would probably be pretty close to my goal weight, or be reduced to a blubbering ball of tears as Jillian Michaels constantly yelled at me. But since I don't have three weeks to burn about 7000 calories a day by exercising and eat only 1800ish by eating, lately, mostly, I've just been trying to be a little more active with some walking and trying to eat a little more healthily with food choices. Thanks to Brad Feld, a blogger I stalk, I mean follow, I found an iPhone app that has helped a bit, this thing called DailyBurn, with some pretty, little graphs that, as long as I enter what food I eat properly, tells me if I can have a bowl of ice cream at the end of the day, and with some manual entry of the caloric burning that my Nike+ iPhone app tells me into the DailyBurn app, in the past 6 weeks I've lost about 5 1/2 pounds. However, being the tech dork that I am, and looking for something better, easier, stronger, and faster, and having seen it on CBS Sunday Morning a few weeks ago, I am now intrigued by this thing called the FitBit, and thanks to Stu Gotz during yesterday's podcast, I might also be changing my morning cereal.

Let's start with the FitBit...

It's seems too good to be true, but FitBit supposedly, and I take this directly from the website, "... accurately tracks your calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and sleep quality. ... The Fitbit tracks your motion in three dimensions and converts this into useful information about your daily activities. You can wear the Fitbit on your waist, in your pocket or on undergarments. At night, you can wear the Fitbit clipped to the included wristband in order to track your sleep."  Now, I'm not the greatest of sleepers, so quantifying it sort of scares me, but having something that instantly tracks my daily calories burned, especially since I don't do anything cool like lift weights (it also doesn't do too well if you're a cyclist or swim I guess), but if it does an easier job than my iPhone Nike+ thing of calorie burning, I might be all for it. The website has options to manually enter some exercises and what you eat, but I'm curious how well the food database will be because the one on DailyBurn has really opened my eyes to some of the things I eat, and without the cool iPhone app that I can quickly look at as my day comes to a close, I know I will be flustered if I have to go all the way to my computer to find out if I can have that bowl of ice cream.  The website says they are filling FitBit orders as fast as they can, so how this impacts my daily workout still waits to be seen, if at all, but as I said earlier, I might have one food option that I can change immediately.

So on to my morning cereal...

As I have now found my soul mate, and she drifted me away from my standard, morning breakfast of two eggs and a piece of toast to a bowl of healthy cereal, I switched back to your basic, plain-jane, Cheerios, something I enjoyed as a young lad, only as a young lad I enhanced my Cheerios experience with a couple of teaspoons of sugar, thus negating the "low in sugar" benefits of the basic Cheerio. As an older lad I have grown accustomed to supplementing my plain Cheerios with a smaller portion of Honey Nut Cheerios to add a little sweetness (I'm close to just going all Honey Nut, though not yet), but as cereal has become part of my morning repertoire, I would sometimes dream of the days when a bowl of Count Chocula would fill my bowl, with its chocolaty goodness and weird, "spooky-fun" marshmallows, and even though I threatened my fiance with "I'm gonna buy some!", I could lately couldn't find a box at my local grocery store.  But then, low and behold, Stu Gotz tells me that he found the trifecta of Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry, at his local Target no less, and I got to thinking, and researching, and other than wondering what the difference is between "whole grain corn" and "whole grain oats," and I suppose some "beet juice concentrate color" in the Chocula, I'm failing to see any giant difference between the Count Chocula and the Honey-Nut Cheerios.  Hell, they both contain "mixed tocopherols," whatever those are, but for my basic nutritional facts, and because my serving would be the same of about 3/4 cup of cereal, both with skim milk, I'm ignoring the milk side. For cereal only, this is what I get:

Serving Size 3/4 cup, Cereal Only
Nutrition Fact	Count Chocula		Honey Nut Cheerios
Calories	150		150
. Calories from fat	10		15
Total Fat	1g		1.5g
. Saturated Fat	0g		0g
. Trans Fat	0g		0g
. Polyunsaturated Fat	0.5g		0.5g
. Monounsaturated Fat	0.5g		0.5g
Cholesterol	0mg		0mg
Sodium	160mg		190mg
Potassium	55mg		115mg
Total Carbohydrate	23g		22g
. Dietary Fiber	1g		2g
. Sugars	12g		9g
. Other Carbohydrate	10g		11g
Protein	1g		2g

Sure, the basic Cheerios does better, and allows you a serving of 1 cup, but damn, if I'm going to make that switch to Honey Nut Cheerios, I might as well just go nuts, or rather not go honey nuts, and get the Count Chocula because really, how bad can "beet juice concentrate color" be for you? In the end it looks like the difference is between a little more sugar in the Count Chocula with some extra salt in the Honey Nut Cheerios, so really, the choice is about high blood pressure or diabetes, isn't it?

So I'm not sure if I'm going to be trying the FitBit right now, though, knowing me, it will be on my "to be purchased" list, especially if they come out with an iPhone app so I know if I can eat my ice cream, but I might have to pull out the $10 Target gift card that I have, buy some Chocula, and relive that chocolaty goodness, with spooky-fun marshmallows, and BHT added to preserve freshness.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:22 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2009

The Chicago Olympics, Monday TV Viewing, Surrogates, Jim Cantore Calls Stu, and More!

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz have a busy weekend, but thankfully a lot of it during this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast isn't about politics, although there is talk about President Obama going to Denmark to cheer on the Chicago Olympic folks, although we doubt he'll be giving Chia Obama's as parting gifts. The Dude is bummed he missed the F-Bomb dropping during Saturday Night Live, Stu wants The Dude to watch Pawn Shop, and who knew Stu Gotz would spawn some talented kids, but he did!

They talk about flu shots at strip clubs, how they both didn't like the movie "Surrogates," options to record/watch all of their TV shows, and happily Stu's personal phone call from Jim Cantore wasn't necessary for his family's safety this time, but he was glad he got one. Somehow, even with all of this, they even get some time to talk about The Chicago Bears, and Stu makes the discovery of a lifetime, namely he found where you can buy Franken Berry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula. All is well with the world.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2009

Where is the Pumpkin?

We feed our dog pumpkin. Yes, that's right, I said it - my BFF and I feed our dog pumpkin. It seems that our Coton de Something-or-other has a sensitive stomach and likes to regurgitate on occasion, which, at the start, had the both of us worried. One vet prescribed a low-residue diet with this canned, dog food that even I thought was gross. Milo wouldn't eat it, and after he started to lose more weight we went to a witch-doctor vet, I mean, a more holistic vet, who gave us a blow-chunks-by-blow-chunks explanation of the difference between a dog vomiting and a dog regurgitating (pretty much the difference is if your dog wants to eat it back up it's regurgitation, if not it's vomit), why they sometimes do it, and that rather than invade his little body with scopes and surgery at the present time, we should put him on a diet of cooked, ground turkey mixed with pumpkin, in addition to some dietary supplements. Me, I was skeptical, but after our cooking turkey for the umpteenth time, having Milo actually look forward to our shoving a pill down his throat, and constantly having the grocery store clerk look at us in a weird way as we came through the check-out line with three pounds of ground turkey and three cans of Libby's pumpkin, it occurred to us that the regurgitations episodes had drastically slowed, Milo's weight was back to normal, and instead of dreading meal-time, the little dude was back to his normal, spinning self. Happily we weened him off of the ground turkey we had to cook and found a "dog store" variety that is precooked, and mixed with the pumpkin all seems to be well, except, well, when I went into the cabinets this morning to get a fresh can of pumpkin. To my dismay we were out of pumpkin, so this morning I gave Milo the plain turkey, and he looked at me like "Hey, you're missing something here!" I apologized to him and promised that dinner would bring the orange-ey goodness that he has grown to love.

At first I wasn't that worried even though, the night before, at the local Jewel grocery store, I went to buy some extra cans of pumpkin, but wouldn't you know it, they were out. The thing is they have been out of pumpkin for over a week now, but I had some errands to run this morning so I figured I would stop by another Jewel. I get to the cooking isle, and there, on the bottom shelf, where pumpkin normally would be, again is an empty shelf. "What is going on here?" "Is this some kind of pumpkin shortage?" "Milo's going to kick my ass when I get home." "What about anyone who might want to make a pumpkin pie?" So many thoughts were going through my head, but predominantly was the simple one of "How does not one, but two Jewel grocery stores be out of Libby's canned pumpkin, especially with today being the autumnal equinox and all?"

So now, on my way home, I am on a quest. I suppose I'll hit the Dominick's first, although their prices are higher on the Libby's pumpkin, but hope they at least have a couple of cans to tide us through the Jewel pumpkin shortage. If not Dominick's, I suppose I'll hit Wal-Mart after that, but I really hate to shop at Wal-Mart for my inherent fear of getting run over by an old person in a motor scooter, but if even the local Wal-Mart is out of pumpkin I'll really be worried, and not just for Milo, but for pumpkin-pie makers everywhere. Here's to good luck on my quest!

Posted by Rightdude at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2009

Goodbye Summer, Lots of TV Talk, Melting Cars, and A-Holes.

Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right get together for their last "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast of summer, and right off the bat Stu needs The Dude's help as to what he can call a Chicago Cubs' player without getting sued. The Dude isn't a lawyer, so he uses Penn & Teller logic, but the podcast quickly shifts to movie watching as Stu gives his feedback if "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" is good for the kids. The boys do a lot of talking about TV, what with the Emmy Awards being the night before, The Dude liking "Community" and "Survivor: Samoa," and they both have TiVo setting to do with the next couple of weeks kicking things into high gear. The Dude watched "Smart People" with his BFF, Stu went to a Demolition Derby again and saw a car melt, and they both wonder if the side effects of Latisse, a drug that gives you longer, fuller, and darker eyelashes is worth it. Luckily for them, neither of them need it.

Posted by Rightdude at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2009

Maybe Reading Isn't for Losers

There was a time when I was of the philosophy that reading is for losers. Now I didn't come up with that phrase, I stole it from Steve Dahl, a radio dude in Chicago, but as far as books went, I was generally anti-reading, which is kind of weird because I can read stuff on the internet all day, and if I don't read my daily newspaper, the actual version on paper, my day doesn't seem complete. It's not that I don't like a good story in a book, or sometimes don't get good information from some self-help/exercise tome, but generally most good books are made into movies, and since I like movies more than reading, I generally felt the movie version was a better use of my time. For whatever reason, though, I've started reading, with the first book that I've finished in years being "Start Where You Are" from Christopher Gardner, yup, the same dude who wrote "The Pursuit of Happyness," of which a movie was made that, I have to admit, made me weepy. I have to say that I enjoyed "Start Where You Are," and suppose I should write him to thank him for a lovely memory I have with my BFF thanks to his book.

The thing is it isn't the printed book that got me back to reading, it is actually my iPhone, where as soon as there was a free Kindle app, I decided to see how reading a book was on my iPhone, and probably because it's technology, I convinced myself in my head that reading was now cool.

In any case, I bring up the reading thing because today Oprah made the latest selection for Oprah's Book Club, something called "Say You're One of Them," from someone named Uwem Akpan. It's a book of short stories, which will probably appeal to me more than a full-blown novel, but there is an anti-Oprah part of me that won't let me pull the trigger, hit the Kindle store, and pop it on my iPhone yet, because, well, I don't want Oprah telling me what to do. Well, there is that part, but also because as much as I am liking reading now, I usually find myself doing it at the end of the day, in bed, to help me calm my mind from a day's worth of input, so it takes me a while to actually read an entire book. Since I'm already backlogged and looking forward to getting to "The Last Lecture" from Randy Pausch, I don't know if Oprah's Book Club selection will make it anytime soon. Guess we'll have to wait and see, but for now re-remembering how to get rid of my back pain and maybe invest my money in my old age are taking priority, so I guess I'm just hoping Oprah might start her own movie production company to turn her book club choices into movies. Even though reading isn't for losers anymore, it still takes a lot of time.

Posted by Rightdude at 1:31 PM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2009

I Like My Fruits and Vegetables, but When Should I Take My Drugs?

By: The Dude on the Right
I never knew that taking medication could be so complicated, yet after my latest visit to the doctor where she prescribed me some drugs, being the inquisitive person that I am, I read the full list of possible side effects (my BFF is now on the look-out if I turn gray, yellow, blue, green, or any other color than what my skin and teeth are right now) as well as the recommendations for when to take the little capsule. Herein lies my problem because until I'm done with this stuff, I'm supposed to take it twice a day, on an empty stomach, at least one hour before eating or two hours following eating. This might seem simple, but as my current diet plan had been working, and I like my breakfast right away in the morning and sharing some ice cream with my BFF while we watch The Biggest Loser at night, somehow this pill-taking time schedule doesn't seem to work. Let's do the math...

If I wake up at my normal time to get to my morning consulting gig, I have breakfast streaming down to my belly within 30 minutes of getting out of bed. So much for taking the pill right when I get up. Sure, I should probably get up and exercise first, but for now my walks during the day are doing the job. Now, to keep me from getting overly hungry during the morning hours and stop any desire for a 1/4 pounder, I've been in the habit of having a nice piece of healthy fruit or some vegetables when I get to the office, but that little piece of health just ruins the window of pill-taking opportunity because if I take the pill two hours after breakfast, I'll be starving before lunch comes up because I won't be able to have my piece of fruit, that and the fact that I really don't want to bring my drugs to work.

So with morning shot for taking my pill, I've still got the same issue come afternoon where a tasty yogurt in the middle of the afternoon is a great way to curb that hunger for a couple of donuts on the drive home before dinner. No window of pill-popping opportunity there. And don't get me started on the evening hours because, like I wrote earlier, ice cream, my BFF, and The Biggest Loser make for a great equation, but that means I won't be able to go to sleep until at least two hours after the last drop of Moose Tracks have hit my gullet.

So when am I going to take these two pills? I don't know. I suppose I could set my alarm to wake up at around midnight to take one pill, and then if I set another alarm at 3AM I can take the second pill, thus taking both pills on the prescribed empty stomach although I doubt I should take them that close together; I could skip the piece of fruit and the yogurt, but both of those little things have helped me greatly from going into craziness for lunch and getting a couple of donuts for my ride home; or, maybe I have to quit being so neurotic and just take the damn pills, twice a day, on a sort-of empty stomach. Sometimes I just make life complicated.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2009

Jay Leno, U2, Football, Extract, Mini Porterhouse Steaks, and Pee.

Who knew there were tiny porterhouse steaks, but during this podcast episode of Stu & The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up!," The Dude on the Right tells Stu Gotz all about it. They both deconstruct the new Jay Leno show, Stu saw "Extract," The Dude isn't off to a good start this football season with losses by the Bears and Buckeyes, Stu has grill issues, The Dude is cheering on The Fab Five on America's Got Talent (though he thinks The Texas Tenors will win), and the fall TV season has both of them scrambling for TiVo options. Their life's are so simple, yet so complex.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:20 PM | Comments (0)

September 2, 2009

The Wal-Mart Game, No Nudity in Playboy, Red Wine, and the Meaning of Labor Day.

During this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!," the boys get things done a day late, but still have lots to talk about. The Dude on the Right comes up with a game for Stu Gotz to play the next time he is at Wal-Mart, Stu gives his take on the movie "The Promotion," and we find out that Mama Gotz forgot some drinking lessons she learned years ago. The Dude made a visit to a quadfecta of hardware stores, Stu is starting to realize why The Dude might stop his subscription to Playboy thanks to Heidi Montag, and love is in the air for some friends of Stu. Aren't weekends grand?

Posted by Rightdude at 9:18 PM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2009

Save your radio or save your hair - take your pick on terrestrial radio.

By: The Dude on the Right
I tried to type it exactly in my web browser when I got to a computer because my radio told me to, only it didn't really direct me to any set web site.  Yup, there it was, “SAVE YOUR RADIO DOT ORG”, scrolling on the radio screen as I was channel hopping in my car on a local radio station, you know, one of those stations you pick up on FM.  It was 103.5 here in Chicago, WKSC, aka KISS FM, and yes, sometimes I like to get down with what the kids are listening to.  The ladies on the radio were in a discussion about women who don't give their men oral sex anymore (Didn't Howard Stern get fined for this? Nevermind, that's a topic for different blog), and at first I was confused, wondering, “What kind of sentence is that?” Sure, maybe I should have been paying attention as to what causes women to stop giving oral pleasure, but I was intrigued about this odd sentence. And then it occurred to me -this was an ad for a website for a not-so-covert organization trying to squash a movement to change the way music artists are paid for your hearing their song on the radio.  The radio station behemoths are against it, so are some of the smaller station owners, and I even went to the web site for information and it seemed to scream that the radio world was going to end if government changed the radio regulations.  The thing is, the site didn’t have any real contact information, only a link to some lady named Diane Warren doing some kind of publicity, and the content buried in the web site was tied to an organization called BIPAC, or Business Industry Political Action Committee.

Now I’m not going to get into the entire hubabaloo of what the whole thing is about, only that as a subscriber of satellite radio and sometimes some streaming stuff on the internet, I do wonder why the terrestrial radio stations, as they are sometimes called, don’t have to pay royalty rates in the same fashion.  But that’s not important right now.  What I’m confused about is why, on a supposedly hip station, does the self-advertising scroll have to be spelled out as some kind of cryptic sentence when a simple “Please visit saveyourradio.org” would probably be understood by every person listening to KISS FM?  Are the listeners of that station that dense that they have to be able to “read out” a web address?

As someone who had dreams of being a music person years ago, I say the legislation should be passed – the artists deserve their money, and contrary to the website, it’s not a “tax” the government is proposing, because all that is trying to do is scare you into “Oh my God, if this passes, when I’m listening to “I Gotta Feeling” from the Black Eyed Peas, I’m going to have to declare it on my taxes this year and send more money to the government.”  No, you won’t, the radio stations will just have to adjust their advertising structure and maybe finally learn to come up with a business model to compete with the internet, satellite, and your iPod.

The one thing I will say about “SAVE YOUR RADIO DOT ORG” is that at least it is a funny ad that makes me chuckle, as opposed to another radio station scrolling an ad for Avacor.  Save your radio or save your hair – take your pick on terrestrial radio.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:33 PM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Lot of Trees, Crashing Cars, Inglourious Basterds, The Fab 5, and Don't Forget the Boobs

Who knew you have to now account for installed body parts, or at least breast implants, so The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz talk about it during this podcast episode of their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" Along with boobs, the boys both are able to talk about "Inglourious Basterds" because they both caught the movie, only The Dude is able to talk about "Monk" this weekend, Stu is getting his boys hooked on demolition derby's and the Boy Scouts, while The Dude saw a lot of trees, and appropriately, went to the new Apple store in Naperville. Summer is winding down, The Dude is cheering on The Fab 5 on "America's Got Talent," and the boys keep things going, at least for another weekend.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:18 PM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2009

The Goods, Monk, Harry Potter, and a Light Fixture.

Stu Gotz wonders why there aren't any science explanations at the "Harry Potter" exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, but during this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", the boys at least have something in common - their laughing during "The Goods," a movie most nobody went to see. The Dude tells Stu about "The Rocker" and "The Soloist," Stu can't figure out when "Monk" ends on TV, and Stu is sort of amazed that The Dude didn't burn the Dude-Pad down while doing some home improvements. All of that and more for your listening pleasure.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2009

Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! G.I. Joe, A Full Calendar, Walmart, and a Bum Flipper.

It amazes Stu Gotz that the kids don't hurt their ankle, but when it comes to an in-law, x-rays might be necessary, while The Dude on the Right was disappointed in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." They tell each other these tales during this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, and Stu also fills The Dude in on "Seven Pounds," the Will Smith flick. The Dude has issues with Walmart, Stu has issues with The Shack, they both agree KFC is a better name, but neither of them can figure out how Mama Gotz double-booked her calendar for this upcoming weekend. They talk; You can listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:02 PM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Sleeping, Fireworks, Merry-Go-Rounds, and Chicago Cubs!

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz had different experiences at Chicago's Venetian Night event, and they talk about it during this episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. While The Dude was sleeping, it seems Stu was paranoid the little Gotz's were going to take a dip in Lake Michigan, but at least the podcast turns to some levity when they discuss the movie "Mamma Mia!" They do their worst to talk about Sarah Palin quitting her post as Governor of Alaska, chat a bit about the good fortune lately of the Chicago White Sox and Cubs, and who knew, but some people are assholes. Then there's the part about The Dude thinking about a new car, especially with the Cash for Clunkers program, and it being more complicated now that he is engaged.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:36 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Harry Potter, Count Chocula, Valkyrie, but No Bikers.

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are back again for another fun-filled episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, where The Dude can't seem to locate "Count Chocula," but Stu did see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Along with cereal talk and movie talk, our boys also discuss Tom Watson at The British Open, a dude who looks like he wants to take a dump in the "Twilight 2" trailer, Stu seeing an old fraternity brother of ours, and I remind Stu of the benefits of easy-out parking when seeing an event at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:25 PM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2009

What's New? A Movie Review of "Bruno" and A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!

Well, The Dude on the Right reviewed "Bruno," if you so desire to read his review, but Stu Gotz and The Dude also talk about it during their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. Along with the movie, the boys also have some discussions about water slides for the little Gotz's, new shows hitting TV this summer (Stu is liking "Hung," while The Dude is getting sucked into "Big Brother"), and The Dude also had a great time seeing Tom Jones, which isn't that unusual.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:18 PM | Comments (0)

June 30, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! The SCUBA Junkman, Lawn Maintenance, Mini-Cornhole-ing, and Transformers!

The Dude on the Right didn't get Stu Gotz's joke about circumcision during this episode of their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, but he did get to see "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and Stu didn't. The Dude also did some lawn maintenance while Stu did some SCUBA selling, The Dude liked chocolate-chip pancakes while Stu didn't cornhole his kids, and the podcast gets poltergeisted by Rush Limbaugh - The Dude is scared.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A 50th Anniversary, A Father's Day, A New iPhone, and Movies!

A Father's Day has come and gone, and surprisingly Stu Gotz, who has kids, well, he sort of wishes he had the day The Dude on the Right had, especially as they talk about it during this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" The Dude got a new iPhone and spent some quality time with his BFF while Stu, well, he got a card. The Dude also had fun at a 50th Anniversay party while Stu, well, his TV shows he wanted to watch got erased. The Dude, he had a good time at "The Proposal," Stu, well, he scared his kids when he took them to see "Land of the Lost." Two people about the same age; two different worlds.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:38 PM | Comments (2)

June 18, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Drinking & Jelly, The Hangover & Up, Flight Attendants and Underwear, with Patti and John

The Dude on the Right took a while to get this episode of the "Stu & The Dude Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast posted, with reasons possibly to be revealed during next week's episode. In the meantime, what better way to kick off a podcast than to talk about drunk people in England who wrestle in jelly. Sure, Stu Gotz and The Dude aren't that exciting, but Stu is looking for a Taiwanese basket, both of the boys went to see "The Hangover," and thoughts about on the David Letterman v Sarah Palin controversy that is now over. The Dude finds himself hooked on "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here," especially with local celebrity Patti Blagojovich seeming to be working her womanly charms around the camp. All of that and more for your listening pleasure.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:27 PM | Comments (0)

June 8, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! The Hangover, Terminator, Idle Hands, and Bonne Terre Mines

The Dude on the Right is back from Houston and Stu Gotz is sad that his favorite Irish American Pub closed, so they both talk a bit about it during this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast episode. They also have a weekend to talk about with a lot of Stu's dealing with scuba diving at some abandoned lead mines in Bonne Terre, MO, while The Dude gives some movie recomendations in the likes of "Up" and "The Hangover." The podcast, in fact, contains an abundance of movie talk with Stu revisiting a not really naked Jessica Alba in "Idle Hands," some preview talk about "G.I. Joe," "Bruno," and "Toy Story 3," and why not, let's talk about some TV, especially The Dude's latest obsession with the "I'm a Celebrity..." show. There's more, but sadly The Dude forgot to talk about the new iPhone that came out today. Maybe next week.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

June 4, 2009

And Still More Movie Previews!

By: The Dude on the Right
A trip to Houston-Town delayed some postings, like another "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, and I still have to write my review of "Up" (might I suggest you go and see it even without me writing a review for it?), but I started working on your July movie previews for the summer, although some of them are really previews, I'm just letting you know the movie is out there because you'll probably go and see it without my prodding. What do I mean? Well, does it really matter what I have to preview about for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?" No, you're going to go and see it, anyway. And for those of you old enough, who were fans of "Borat," does it matter what the premise is for "Bruno?" Of course not, as long as everyday people end up looking like fools. For the teen crowd, especially the girls, you get "I Love You, Beth Cooper" with the cheerleader from "Heroes," and ladies, you like your Katherine Heigl, so come July 24th you get her to feel good for, and Gerard Butler to swoon over, in "The Ugly Truth." My next batch of previews will include something about guinea pigs, an indie film, frighten you from adopting, and more. I figure four previews right now should get you going for your mid to late July planning stages!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:31 PM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of : Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Pork-Fest Weekend, Night at the Museum, Grilling, and Gay, Deaf Bikers.

Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone, and The Dude on the Right celebrated it with his BFF by having a Pork-Fest Weekend. The Dude explains to Stu Gotz during their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast exactly what he means by that, while Stu lets the world know if they should go and see "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." The Dude also got to observe what appeared to be members of the Gay, Deaf Biker Gang at Millennium Park in Chicago, he cleaned a dryer vent, and tried to relax, while Stu definitely got is relaxing down by catching up on some TV. Next week they both figure to give their review of "Up," but probably not "Drag Me to Hell."

Posted by Rightdude at 8:18 PM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Birthday Weekend Part II, The House of Mouse, Star Trek, and Angels & Demon

Well, it took an extra day for The Dude on the Right to get the Stu & The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast posted, mostly because yesterday he thought he might have come down with the Swine Flu, or the H1M1 virus, or just ate a bad donut, but in any case he had a fever, felt like crap, so here's the podcast being posted on a Tuesday, no worse for wear. Stu Gotz is happy that The Dude is in love but just hopes that tattoos never show up, Stu had his travel problems coming back from Mickey Mouse Land, and both of them recommend seeing "Star Trek." The Dude on the Right also recommends seeing "Angels & Demons," mostly because it's the same kind of movie as "The Da Vinci Code," and The Dude says that if you want a great soft shell crab, or the best crab cake ever, you should spend some dough and head to "Sugartoad" in Naperville, IL. Go ahead, have a listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2009

I'm Engaged! How Did That Happen?

By: The Dude on the Right
I must say that at 42 years old, after not having a serious girlfriend in just about forever, and even having some cousins thinking I was gay, it is both exciting and scary as hell to tell people I am engaged, as a new chapter in the book of my life started last Sunday when I asked my BFF to marry me. The thing is, at the time I asked, as much as I was 99.9% sure of her answer, that 0.1% is the reason for being scared to death she just might say no, or request conditions for our getting married, or say she wasn’t ready, or say anything but a simple “Yes,” thus leaving the experience, in my eyes, as a total failure. Happily she said “Yes,” she cried, I got weepy, and we went to go see “Star Trek.” My God that woman loves me, and no, she didn't dress like Uhura, and I didn't dress like Spock.

Looking back, though, over the past year, or I suppose I should say past 20+ years, it still amazes me how this is all coming together. Why? Because so many things had to happen for us to re-find each other. You see, I met my BFF back in high school. I was a senior and she came in as a new junior, transferred from this mystical city of Chicago because her dad ended up relocating to the Cleveland area for work. Somehow she was interested in drama, I was a member of the drama club, and we both took a school trip to New York City where a simple song played during the trip would always remind me of her. Over that year in high school I would say we became friendly, but not friends, as I ended up being focused on going off to college, in all places, Chicago, and besides, she was a junior and I was a mighty senior. As time went on I would remember her for one reason or another, and even one year, one of those high school alumni directories came out and I noticed she was living in Chicago at the time, but never really thought to reach out to her (hell, how creepy would that phone call be: "Umm, hello? I don't know if you remember me, but I noticed you in the newly published high school alumni directory and just wondered how you were."), and the years went by.

Me, I went from this job to that job, totally putting my Aerospace Engineering degree to no use whatsoever, living in the Chicago area, finally finding myself in a western suburb, and she, well, she became a world traveler, working in various countries, but then finding herself back in Chicago.

Then, one night, a little over a year ago, I heard a song, the same song that always reminded me of her, and I entered Google stalker mode. Low and behold there she was, and I did what may well be one of the smartest decisions I have ever made: I sent her an e-mail. The strangest part - She e-mailed me back! An e-mail here, an e-mail there, we decided to meet, and then, wouldn't you know it, 20+ years after we met in high school we fell in love, I found my best friend, and I also found the only person that has ever made me not care about all of my stuff. Sure, I'm leaving out a few details of our past year together, of our 20+ years apart, but hey, if Oprah wants to know I suppose we'd be happy to be guests on her show. Even some things, for me, I like to leave private, and I'm guessing she wants to, too.

And so I must now just focus on being happy because if I think about even some of the things that needed to happen for us to be together, it would be mind-boggling. I mean, if her dad never ended up in Cleveland for work; if I didn't come to Chicago for college, if I actually used my engineering degree I probably wouldn't be living here; if she didn't find a place in Chicago; if I had called her years ago and she thought I was creepy; if I hated dogs; if one of us didn't take that trip to New York City in high school; if I had won the Mega-Millions; if I weren't a Google stalker, and for that matter, if the dudes at Google never made Google, well, I would still be loving all of my stuff instead of being in love with my BFF, being engaged, and looking forward to merging the individual books of our lives into a new volume devoted to us.

I guess such is life. Happily, such is love.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:49 PM | Comments (5)

May 4, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Birthday, Camping, Cubs, and Apprenticing.

The Dude on the Right had a Birthday, and even though Stu Gotz failed to acknowledge it on Facebook, B-Day wishes abounded and cake was shared during this Podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" The Dude gushes a lot about how he has the greatest BFF, and also got to catch a Chicago Cubs game, while Stu Gotz spent some quality family time at Jellystone Park in Amboy, IL, and got to wake up Yogi Bear. Stu also caught "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" via Netflix, while neither of the boys caught the "Wolverine" flick. Hopefully, though, next week, The Dude will write a review of "Star Trek," especially since Stu might not be around since he'll be hanging at the House of Mickey Mouse.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:43 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! No Swine Flu, Dirty Uniforms, Movies, a Brickhouse, and Jesse James.

Swine Flu probably would keep Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right from doing a "Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast, but since neither of them have it, well, they decide to talk about the flu since, well, everyone else is, and since everyone else thinks they are an expert, the boys try to be experts, too. Thankfully their weekend escapades bring them away from pig talk and on to other conversations like a Confirmation ceremony, T-Ball pictures for the Gotz boys, Stu finding a restaurant called The Brickhouse, and The Dude finding out his BFF cooks some kick-ass ribs. Of course they have some movie talk, and who knew they were both fans of Jesse James on Celebrity Apprentice?

Posted by Rightdude at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Seeing the Chicago Cubs, Seeing 17 Again, Seeing Slumdog Millionaire, and Seeing More!

Crappy traffic couldn't keep The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz apart this morning, especially since they had a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast to record! Stu had quite the adventure because he took The Gotz family to see The Chicago Cubs play the St. Louis Cardinals, and little did he know but Wrigley Field would be invaded by seagulls. The Dude tells Stu that "17 Again" isn't that horrible and Matthew Perry might actually be a really good actor, and Netflix queuing abounded with Stu seeing "Slumdog Millionaire" and The Dude seeing "The Secret Life of Bees." Stu missed out, though, because The Dude saw Donald Trump make fun of Jesse James on "Celebrity Apprentice," but the both of them got to see some large breasts during The Miss USA Pageant. Such are their weekends, sometimes.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:55 PM | Comments (0)

April 6, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Being Tired, Adventureland Talk, and The Dude Can't Mix Crap.

The Dude on the Right is pretty tired from being up all night with a dog that wanted to lick carpet. During this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-up!" he tells Stu Gotz all about it, and then realizes he is happy it wasn't Stu licking carpet that kept him up all night. The boys also have movies to discuss, mostly "Adventureland" but a little about "Monsters Vs. Aliens," and TV is also a topic of discussion as the boys talk the return of "Rescue Me" and then analyze "Celebrity Apprentice." All that and more in this week's episode, so listen up!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:19 PM | Comments (0)

April 2, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! (Sort Of): Hangin' With no Drug Lords, Kidney Stones, Idol Talk, and Underwear in a Bag.

With The Dude on the Right being out of the country over the weekend and not returning until Tuesday, there wasn't an opportunity to do a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast with Stu Gotz, but The Dude connects with Stu today to podcast with Stu about the vacation that he and his BFF took to Dreams Villamagna in Nuevo Vallarta. The Dude has a nice time down there, even learning about using towels to save your beach chairs and putting your dirty underwear in a bag, but the resort seems to be having some growing pains so sadly he can't highly recommend it at this time (The Dude is hoping to write a full-blown review in a week or so.) Vacation aside, both of the boys watch "American Idol" and have some comments about Megan Joy getting the boot, and Stu isn't a Lady Gaga fan, and Stu also had what he thinks were some kidney stones last week, but thanks to a homeopathic remedy of lemon juice and olive oil, things seem to have subsided. They'll be back on Monday for a normal wrap-up, but The Dude was excited to tell Stu that he didn't see any drug lords in Mexico, to at least there was that.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Got Junk, The BSG Finale, March Madness, and F.F.W.D.-P.P.O. Syndrome.

The Dude on the Right had some redecorating and key-losing issues to deal with, hence a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast being posted on a Wednesday, but hopefully by now The Dude is getting over his issues he had at church on Sunday, which he relates to Stu Gotz in detail during the podcast. Stu is at least keeping up with some TV watching and regales The Dude with some "Battlestar Galactica" finale talk, The Dude did catch a movie, "I Love You, Man", with his BFF, and tells Stu if he should take Mama Gotz to see it, and with The Dude's redecorating, he found a company that will take away your junk, yet leave their own junk behind. And lastly but now leastly, Stu may have discovered a new ailment affecting dog owners, namely "F.F.W.D.-P.P.O." Syndrome.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:56 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! FedEx & Starbucks Woes, Fun at Disney, Parties, TV, and a Scrumpy's Can Huggy.

Stu Gotz turned 41 last week and what better way to spend your birthday than at Disney World, and what better way to tell the world about it than during a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, even if the trip wasn't over the weekend. So Stu tells The Dude on the Right about some of his Disney travels, The Dude tells Stu about the demise of a "Scrumpy's" can huggy, and they both have problems with a couple of major corporations, though neither of them are AIG and them giving themselves some year-end bonuses. They both are watching "Celebrity Apprentice" and are awaiting Dennis Rodman's meltdown next week, Stu doesn't want the little Gotz's playing soccer, The Dude (and his BFF, but mostly his BFF) are cleaning the, well, soon to be Dude & Dudette Pad, and Steve "The Woz" Wozniak can't dance that great, but he is "fantastic" on "Dancing With the Stars."

The boys pack a lot of topics into twenty minutes of a podcast, so go ahead and listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:29 PM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2009

What's New? Blu-ray DVD review of: South Park: The Complete 12th Season

The Dude on the Left has been absent for a while, but there's nothing to bring him out of hiding like a request to review "South Park: The Complete 12th Season," and since he's got a Blu-ray player, he busts his butt to give a complete review of all aspects of the 3 DVD set. And since he figures most "South Park" fans have already seen the episodes, he begins his review immediately commenting about the special features of the set, and then delves into the various episodes (like "Britney's New Look," "Major Boobage," "The China Problem," and "About Last Night"). The boys of "South Park," Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, and Stan, looked better on Blu-ray, but The Dude on the Left is bummed a little because other than really looking good, there really isn't that much extra in terms of special features on the Blu-ray version.

Posted by Rightdude at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)

March 9, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Adult Toys, Watchmen, March Madness, Jim Cantore, and More!

Good golly, Miss Molly. The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz get together for another "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast and you might not be prepared to hear it, but old people are buying adult toys, from The Vermont Country Store no less, and the boys have some frank discussions about what the folks are buying, or at least what the store is selling. The podcast isn't all about massagers that aren't meant for your back, as The Dude does tell Stu if he should ditch Mama Gotz and see "Watchmen," Stu made it through the stormy, Chicago weekend, a Little Gotz is feeling better, The Dude is getting ready for March Madness, and who knew The Rock, a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson, could sing and dance? All that and a little more are discussed in this week's edition, so lock up the kids and yes, go ahead and Google "The Vermont Country Store." You know you want to.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

March 5, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: The Dude on the Right & The BFF: Tatiana is Back, The Suburbs, Home Improvement, and a Toaster.

The Dude on the Right and The W.G.N. couldn't align their schedules to podcast today, so The Dude enlists the help of the most special of special guest podcasters, his BFF! The Dude is a little off his game because, well, his BFF gives him butterflies, but he powers through and discusses, with her, things like "American Idol," "Dancing With the Stars," and "The Real Housewives of New York City" which then diverts the podcast into talk of how the suburbs are different from city life (Why are the stop lights so long in the suburbs, anyway?).

Since they have family things coming up, The BFF reminds The Dude of some upcoming events, and since they have home improvement going on at The Dude-Pad, they also talk some painting tips and toaster alignment. Somehow The Dude thinks The BFF's toaster alignment will win.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:40 PM | Comments (0)

March 3, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Casimir Pulaski & Dupa's, Square Roots and Pi's, The Bachelor and BSG, iMacs and Flooring, and More!

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are a day late for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, but it's only because they were celebrating with their people, thanks to Monday being Casimir Pulaski Day. They tried to celebrate Square Root Day, but Stu had trouble with his math, so instead, for most of the podcast they talk about Stu catching up on his TV viewing without Mama Gotz being around, The Dude saw "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and some other movies on TV, but neither of them hit the movie theater. There's a huge shout-out to The Dude's sister (well, maybe not huge, but at least a "good job") for her latest accomplishment, The Dude has to re-enact "The Bachelor" finale since Stu didn't watch it, and a new iMac isn't as important as other purchases that The Dude on the Right is planning to spend his money on, at least, until, The Dude wins the Mega Millions jackpot.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:37 PM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: I Twitter, I Facebook, I Cubs Tickets, I TV, I Tiger Woods Lost, and I Don't Know Why!

The Dude on the Right is lonely again tonight because he has to podcast alone, but much like many lonely nights, he sometimes finds that he has a lot to talk about. With that, The Dude is fascinated about his Twittering, his Facebooking, and his TVing. He is kind of bummed that Tiger Woods lost today so he doesn't have a justification for watching golf this weekend, wonders why Bob was crying on "The Biggest Loser," and is perplexed how you can be out of the "Virtual Waiting Room" on tickets.com, to the area you are supposed to be able to actually order tickets, and then be told you can't order tickets yet. Sadly The Dude didn't think quick enough that when he realized The W.G.N. couldn't podcast with him tonight, well, he should have sent out a Tweet to see if anyone out there in Twitterland wanted to podcast with him. Maybe he'll be on the ball next time.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:37 PM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2009

A Greasy, Sweety, Ball of Dough. A Missing Pazcki.

By: The Dude on the Right
With Ash Wednesday being tomorrow, and today being Dude Tuesday, I mean Fat Tuesday, I'm supposed to be having pazcki because, well, I'm Polish, I guess, and how pazcki comes out "ponchki" or "poonchki" still makes me scratch my head.  Here in Chicago, their pazckis are giant, nearing softball sized, and filled with stuff, whereas the version my mom used to make was just this dough ball, maybe the size of a tennis ball, cooked in oil and covered with powdered sugar.  It came out as this greasy thing of cooked dough with a touch of sweetness, but maybe it was the oil, maybe it was the dough mix, maybe it was the powdered "don't breath in when you eat it" sweetness, or maybe it was just the love that mom put into it when she made them, but in any event it was always something to look forward to in the old Dude-Homestead when I lived there.  With my moving away from the old country of Lorain, oHIo, years ago, Mom always thought of me, sometimes shipping me her pazckis to me to indulge in at the normal time, but mostly, with her being the freezing maniac that she was, usually when she made her pazcki she would take about half a dozen of them, put them in a freezer bag, freeze them (duh!), and when I would make it home for Easter, there they were, after thawing, nicely warmed out of the microwave, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and still loaded with greasy, sweety goodness!

The thing is normally, on Fat Tuesday, for me the only thing that comes to mind about pazcki is how the versions they sell (and now totally exploit) in Chicagoland seem to just end up being these larger, filled-with-something donuts, and how I would know there would be a nice surprise come Easter when I made the trek back to the old country.  But this year, with mom's passing away, it was another one of those days when I realized another thing I'm going to miss because of the passing of my parents last year.  Those days come up every now and then for me, as I'm sure they do for anyone who loses people they love, but keeps occurring to me that even though mom has been gone some four months now, and dad over a year, there will always come a day that will remind me of some of the things I loved about them, or drove me nuts about them, and today it was all because of the thought of a greasy, sweety, ball of dough.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:49 PM | Comments (1)

February 23, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Getting Domestic, Oscar Talk, SCUBA, and Playboy for the Articles

First The Dude on the Right has all of his testosterone taken away on Saturday afternoon, and then Stu Gotz can't help but rub it in during this episode of Stu & The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. Domestication aside, it's the day after The Academy Awards, so the boys also give their take on the good and the bad, although if they really dived into it, this podcast would be about three hours long only discussing the Oscars. And speaking of diving, Stu was sad he missed the Friday evening portion of the "Our World Underwater" SCUBA expo over the weekend. The boys also compare notes on "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" and "He's Just Not That Into You." and The Dude questions Stu about proper attire at a Confirmation ceremony. Last but not least, The Dude on the Right got a new issue of Playboy, and relates to Stu that he reads it for the articles.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Where Is The W.G.N., Having a Dog, Having a Sister, and Roland Burris v Winnie the Pooh!

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast, and at first he thought he didn't have anything to talk about, but as it turns out, between Facebook friends, his sister, the missing The W.G.N., and Roland Burris sounding like Winnie the Pooh, all of the sudden The Dude filled in his 15 minute + podcast. The Dude also gives his Oscar projections, well, at least one of them, but he'll probably be wrong. At least he doesn't talk about "American Idol," much, but that will probably be coming in the future, and since The W.G.N. is his sport's expert, at least for podcasting, he wanted to talk about getting home opener tickets for the Chicago Cubs, but sadly, baseball talk will have to wait until a later date. Hopefully The W.G.N. will be back next week and The Dude will get off of his ass to re-institute some Jillian Michaels' clips of the week.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:46 PM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Valentine's Day, Lots of Movies, and Not Spoiling SNL - much.

Stu Gotz is back from vacation so The Dude on the Right has a partner for this episode of their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. Since Valentine's Day was last weekend, well, the both of them talk a bit about their weekends, with The Dude's being a little more romantic than Stu's, and it included a meal fit for a King. They also settle into a lot of movie talk, with Stu seeing a bunch of rentals that didn't get high reviews from many reviewers, The Dude seeing "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," and neither of them realizing that Ben Affleck was in the original "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" movie. Since Stu was back from vacation, well, he didn't get to watch too much TV, and so as not to ruin the surprises, The Dude tells Stu to check the website for links to a couple of pretty funny Saturday Night Live skits, and that even The Jonas Brothers were funny on the show, too.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:57 PM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: The Dude & The W.G.N. - It's Relative: Valentine's Day Plans, Octomom Talk, Idol Talk, and Barack Obama Talks.

It's a Thursday night, and The Dude on the Right joins The W.G.N. for another "It's Relative" podcast. They do some discussing about Valentine's Day complete with some do's and dont's, they talk about "American Idol," and they talk about Octomom. They also talk a bit about Barack Obama, although President Obama does a lot of the talking. It's a wonder if he sort of wishes he never did the audiobook?

Posted by Rightdude at 8:54 PM | Comments (0)

February 9, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: The Prez Screws Up TiVo, Who is Dancing with the Stars, and Are You Sleeping with Barack Obama?

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this "Weeked Wrap-Up!" podcast, and wonders what women are dreaming of having sex with President Obama. Okay, The Dude doesn't make this podcast all about sex, he also blames The Prez for any problems with his TiVo viewing this night, and wow, how the mighty "Dancing with the Stars" has fallen, at least in terms of contestants, although maybe this is exactly what the show needs to do to bring people back - bring in wacky people. The Dude on the Right better re-edit his TiVo schedules.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

February 5, 2009

What's New? A podcast of: The Dude & The W.G.N. - It's Relative: Tires, Fat, Scary Movies, Racing, and Jillian Michaels' Clips of the Week!

The W.G.N. is back for another "It's Relative" podcast, and even though The Dude on the Right talks too much, The W.G.N. does remember that he was an important part of office camaraderie. The Dude reminds them both that they can't be commercials airline pilots and that he isn't such a wus when he can't change a flat tire, The W.G.N. went to see "My Bloody Valentine 3D," Bikini Girl is gone from American Idol, and even though you might be sad that Joelle and Carla are gone on "The Biggest Loser," at least Jillian Michaels is in fine form for the "Clips of the week" segment. Happy listening.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

February 4, 2009

I'm Ready for the Digital TV Resolution and Can't Take any more Commercials. Can You, for Four More Months?

By: The Dude on the Right
And so the United States House of Representatives decided to delay the switch to digital TV, just like the Senate did, and now President Obama will most likely sign the bill into law, just like in the Schoolhouse Rock cartoons.   What does that mean for you and me? -   Four more months of inane commercials asking if we are ready for the switch to digital TV.

Here’s what I don’t get…  So they set up this date for the transition, it was supposed to be February 17th, and the government web site still says that’s the day (because it’s a bill, it’s only a bill, and it’s sitting there on Capitol Hill as of my typing this), we got bombarded by tons of commercials asking if we were ready for the switch (my favorite is the one with Vanna White, Pat Sajak, and Alex Trebek, because, well, in my mind, that one probably applies to most of the 20 million people who haven’t made the switch yet), and now, because millions of morons watching analog TV didn’t pay attention to the commercials, because millions of morons let their $40 coupons expire, and the government ran out of coupons, because, and I’m just assuming, millions of morons let their $40 coupons expire, we will get 4 more months of some of the dumbest “public service announcements” about the digital TV transition bombarding our airwaves, thus taking up quality commercial time where we could be seeing Danica Patrick and other scantily clad dudettes in low-cut tops on TV.

My proposal is this:  On February 17th, switch all programming to digital TV for most of us, so that most of us can be spared any more stupid commercials telling us how stupid those that didn’t figure out this switch are, yet.  The bill should state that rather than instantly abandoning those who didn’t switch, or get their coupon, or listen to Vanna, Pat, and Alex, well, still beam an analog signal for two months, without the TV show people were expecting, instead broadcast a simple, text message that scrolls the screen saying, “You are stupid.  We’ve been telling you for months to upgrade your TV, or get the damn digital box to be able to receive your TV program.  Since you are reading this message you might now realize you can’t see someone win a million dollars on “Wheel of Fortune” because you didn’t get that little box, and/or ask your grandson/neighbor to hook it up because you don’t want to change your little world.  Since you are reading this message it is also probably obvious that you don’t have Internet access, so asking you to visit www.dtv.gov will be stupid, but instead, in XXX days, if you don’t do the upgrade we’ve been telling you about for months, well, this screen will be blank and you won’t be able to yell at your TV “What is ‘The St. Louis Arch?’”  Have a nice day!”

I don’t think I can take four more months of people asking me if I’m ready for the switch to digital TV, and I wonder, can you?  You better be, because I’m guessing President Obama will sign this bill.

There will be people screwed over by this transition, I understand that, but in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, git r done! You know what, maybe he should be the spokesperson for this digital TV transition!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:12 PM | Comments (0)

February 2, 2009

What's New? A podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Groundhog Day, a Super Bowl, Disney is Dirty, and Playboy For the Articles!

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are back for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are back for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are back for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. Oh wait, this isn't "Groundhog Day," the movie, this is a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast on Groundhog Day, and Stu Gotz is here! With the Super Bowl over The Dude and Stu talk about the game, how The Dude's BFF has a few more M&M's, and how Stu watched the commercials even though The Dude didn't pay that much attention. And even though the Super Bowl was on TV, there is a lot more TV talk for the two of them to have, Stu wonders why Google thinks he is German and why Disney World is dirty, complete with a lot of gum, while The Dude is happy that Manuary is over and talks about why he reads Playboy for the articles. Oddly enough, Stu asks The Dude if he could borrow his Playboy later to read the interview with the dude from "House," Hugh Laurie, and not to investigate who the centerfold is. Odds are Stu is lying and will check out the centerfold before even looking for the Hugh Laurie interview.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:36 PM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2009

What's New? The Dude & The W.G.N.: Gov. Blago, Las Vegas, the PBA, Super Bowl, and Jillian Michaels' Clips of the Week!

The Dude on the Right is joined by The W.G.N. for this podcast, but The Dude is in way-talkative mode so The W.G.N. does a lot of listening. There is talk, though, of the Nephew's trip to Las Vegas and meeting members of the PBA, and his abiltity to be a decent tour guide in Houston, while The Dude talks of the imminent destruction/sale of his Second Life property, if the Pittsburgh Steelers should win The Super Bowl, and debuts his brief song parody about ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich. And as much as both The Dude on the Right and The W.G.N. probably need some inspiration, sadly the Jillian Michaels' Clips of the Week didn't seem to do it for either of them.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:56 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Idol, Loser, Lost, Survivor, Twitter, and a Lava Lamp!

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast, and if he's not careful his BFF might just break up with him. The sad thing is it would be over a Lava Lamp, and not something serious like putting the toilet seat down. But relationship difficulties aside, The Dude is also sucked back into all kinds of TV, like "American Idol" (He wants them to get to Hollywood already), "The Biggest Loser" (He hates Joella, likes Jillian's butt-crack, but misses Jillian being a hard-ass), "Lost" (He wonders what the hell is going on), and "Survivor: Tocantin's" (He wonders how you actually say "Tocantin"). And even though The Dude Twitters, he wonders how you can actually "follow" 20,000+ Twitterers.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Hail to the Chief!, Happy Birthdays!, Happy Anniversary!, and Getting Hitched!

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast, where most of it details how he and The BFF are now hitched and that the weather in Las Vegas is nicer than it is in Chicagoland. Now don't get yourself all up in a tizzy, it's not what you think, especially since a dude at an AT&T store officiated the hitching, but sadly their uniting didn't allow The BFF to be able to let people pull her finger. The Dude and The BFF aside, it's Inauguration time, and The Dude also wonders what Barak Obama will be singing in the shower, because he has the power, The Dude isn't that keen on "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," and he gives some shout-outs for some birthdays and an anniversay.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:54 PM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: The Dude & The W.G.N.: A Haphazard Opening, Terrorist Geese, Las Vegas, American Idol, and More!

The W.G.N. is back, and no thanks to The Dude on the Right, he sounds great. Yup, The Dude screwed up this podcast by not recording the first 5 minutes of their conversation, and then tries to sum it all up with some talk about the US Airways plane landing/crash in the Hudson River in New York City, but since The W.G.N. knew nothing about it, well, he just tries to reiterate the undocumented story that The Dude told about the terrorist plot of the Canadian Geese. Geese aside, The W.G.N. took a trip to Las Vegas and talks about winnings and losings, about a non-trip to "Thunder From Down Under," and how he really wants to take a college final exam, while The Dude is obsessed with "American Idol," sort of, but at least recognized that Bikini Girl had a nice body though not a great voice, while The W.G.N. professed that he only listened to Bikini Girl, because he only has eyes for one girl. Hmm?

They also talk about the weather, what with Chicago in a deep freeze for The Dude, while The W.G.N. is bitchy about the 50 degree weather he has, but with the schedule The W.G.N. has, well, he might be a more frequent guest for Thurday podcasts, so feel free to comment him at will.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:36 PM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Lot of Movies, Manuary has Changed The Dude, and The Golden Globes

The Dude on the Right is changing during Manuary, but probably not in the way Manuary is supposed to change a man, so during this episode of Stu & The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, well, The Dude takes a little while to get out of his weekend transforming, thanks to going to Nordstrom's, seeing "Bride Wars," and watching DVD's of "Funny Face" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Stu Gotz does his best to get The Dude back into the real meaning of the month, although really, does his "listening" to "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Chipettes," really count? The both of them do talk about some exercising things, The Golden Globe Awards, and Tina Fey's boobs, so maybe Manuary is back on track.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:04 PM | Comments (0)

January 5, 2009

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Merriness ,Movies, MacWorld, Manuary, and More!

The New Year arrives bringing a new feature to Stu and The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up! Podcast" - I Subscribe to Playboy for the Articles.  Stu Gotz, sadly, probably won't be allowed to re-subscribe to the magazine after this podcast even if it would be for research purposes.  But the podcast isn't all about articles in Playboy - the boys also talk a lot about movies, with Stu on the children side with "Bedtime Stories" and "The Tale of Despereaux," and on the DVD side with "Ghost Town," while The Dude on the Right should probably give up his Manuary card because he got weepy while watching "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Marley & Me," and "Young @ Heart."  And to top off his start of Manuary, The Dude also watched, with his BFF, "The Duchess" on DVD.  The podcast also includes The Dude being excited about the Macworld conference and explaining to Stu the health issues keeping Steve Jobs away from it, and let's not forget about talk of their New Year's Eve and Day. 

Posted by Rightdude at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)

January 1, 2009

Hi Mom and Dad! It's 2009!

By: The Dude on the Right
Hi Mom and Dad!

Just wanted to wish the both of you a Happy 2009, although I’m not really sure if you actually celebrate New Year’s Day anymore.  When I woke up this morning I couldn’t help but think a little bit about how my 2008 went, and like most people, I suppose I’m really looking forward to 2009.  There were some fireworks in Chicago last night, so with this letter are a couple of pictures showing the fireworks and Navy Pier.  I know the pictures didn’t come out that well, but my vantage point wasn’t that close, though it was cozy, and my iPhone still doesn’t have that great of a camera, but hey, it was festive and all!

It sure was a weird 2008, wasn't it?  I’m not even talking about the gas prices that went high and then low, how the stock market took a crap, or the Presidential election (How about our Governor Blagojovich scandal and his appointing Roland Burris to Barack Obama’s Senate seat?  Gotta love Chicago/Illinois politics, don’t you!). I was looking back at my MySpace page for January 1st last year, and how I set a goal to lose just one pound a week on my 500 calories a day plan, but like many a weight-loss goal, it didn’t go as planned.  52 pounds would have been great, but I did lose about 18 pounds last year, and yea, I have to admit, that one of my first goals this year is to get back on the eating healthy and exercise bandwagon.

I was kinda wondering how things were up there in heaven for the two of you (At least I’m really hoping you’re in heaven.  First off, it would really be a bummer to find out you ended up in the other place, in which case there would have been a lot of things we never knew about the two of you, and also, it would be a little bit of a bummer to find out you picked the wrong religion to raise us under and that I should be looking forward to becoming a dog or kangaroo, or something like that in the next life when I’m reincarnated).  I’m assuming you found each other, and hopefully Dad, that you were waiting for Mom with some flowers and a kiss.  I’m also hoping that all dogs do go to heaven, and that the boys found you.

Dad, for you, I know you started 2008 pretty much deciding your time on earth was done, and I hope by now you have been able to explain to Mom why that was because for a lot of the year she was having trouble wrapping her head around that.  With your going away that early, well, you missed a lot of things for me this year, although I do sometimes wonder about the ability of you (and Mom, you also), to watch over us from up there.  I mean, is it sort of like when Harry Stamper told his daughter, Gracie, in the movie “Armageddon” that he’ll check in on her from time to time right before he gets blown to bits on the asteroid?  If so, I really hope you didn’t check in on me during some private time I was having, in which case, Dad, you might have said something like “Oh no, I cursed him with a little wiener.  Oh wait, thank God, he’s a grower! (at which time I’m guessing a booming voice says “Your welcome, Dad on the Right!”)  Please tell me there are times you respect my privacy (You too, Mom), or is it like some “all-knowing” thing like in the movie “Highlander?”  In any case, you should have seen by now that I have a BFF, and she’s great.  She thinks that somehow you and a relative of hers met up there early last year hatching a plan to help us reconnect after some 23 years.  If that’s the case, can I commend all of you on doing a great job!  That does make me want to apologize, though, because I probably don’t ask for enough help from you, although the we never did talk that much about personal things.  I guess in all of those years we never were able to connect that well, though I’m trying to do a better job sending you some thoughts of things that are going on here with me now.

Mom, I hope Dad has helped you get used to things up there in the past couple of months.  Is there some kind of orientation that you have to go through, or are you just kind of thrown in to the mix?  The BFF and I are still dating, and things are going great.  The both of us have some challenges coming up in 2009 (and who doesn’t), but it’s great having someone to help me through them (and I hope I’m helping her through hers), although I always know I can bend your ear a bit if I need to.  And speaking of bending your ear, thanks for that little “talk” we had before Christmas, it really helped me enjoy the holiday a lot more, what with the advice that it’s okay to miss the both of you, but the time for being sad, and letting that ruin my day, needed to go away.  I know you know it was a weird holiday season, what with the family being spread out across the country (though it was nice spending the time with the BFF’s family), but maybe at the end of this year, once things calm down, maybe we can all get together for Christmas or Turkey Day.  I’m thinking here in the Chicago area.  Nothing like Sis on the Right and her family having to deal with the snow and cold, although it won’t be that much different for Bro on the Right, but having them meet the BFF’s family - That would really be interesting!

Well, I better get going.  The Rose Bowl will be starting soon (I think I’m rooting for USC, if only because I really don’t like Penn State and some of our staff members here are big Trojan fans, but come to think of it, I suppose I’m a Trojan fan as well), and it’s time to get going with 2009.  Mom, Dad, say “Hi” to the Grandmas and Grandpas for me.  I miss them, too, but I have to admit, not as much as I miss the two of you.

Oh yea, one more thing, I’m not sure how it works, or if you could pull some strings (or even if you have that kind of pull yet), and Mom, I know you were a big fan of it and frustrated you never came close to winning, but if you’ve been checking in on me, well, you know I occasionally play the Mega Millions game down here, usually with the same set of numbers.  I mean, is there some kind of lottery you have to win up there in order to influence the numbers that get drawn down here, is it based on merit and good deeds, or is it really just a total game of chance?  Even better, you also know that when the jackpot hits $100 million, well, I’m not going to give it away, but it would actually make winning the jackpot a little bit easier at that amount, what to not create some family squabbles and all.  Anyway, if there were some way for you guys to let me know it’s your turn to pick the numbers, well, that would help a lot.

I hope things are going well for you two up there.  I miss and love you both.

Your Son,
The Dude on the Right

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 3:40 PM | Comments (2)

December 29, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Christmas Talk, an Asshole in a Maserati Talk, but no Oprah Talk.

Stu Gotz is back for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, complete with special guest, Mama Gotz!  Of course there is Christmas talk amongst them all, with Mama Gotz telling about Christmas at the Gotz's, and The Dude on the Right wondering about Santa showing up at church.  Gift giving is a topic of discussion, Stu saw "Bedtime Stories," and they witness an asshole in a Maserati decide he is the most important person to pull into a Starbucks' parking lot.  There is also the final talk about the Chicago Bears for this season, but no talk about Oprah not pumping her own gas, even though Stu wanted to talk about it.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:51 PM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2008

Global Warming, Global Cooling, A Cuban, Electric Cars, Cheap Gas, and Happy Holidays

By: The Dude on the Right
Oh the weather outside is frightful, or, well, it’s at least warmer, but as we are definitely going to have a white Christmas here in Chicagoland, I had to laugh at a lot of the comments on the radio when we were having the sub-zero temperatures about “Where is this global warming?”  Some pundit-types were using the cold weather to say, “See, Al Gore is wrong.  We don’t need to worry about the environment.  Everything is cyclical.  This year we might be global warming, next year we’ll be global cooling.  See, Al Gore is a dufus!”  Then there are the environmental types spinning that the cold weather is an affect of global warming because the environment is all out of whack.  Me, I don’t really know who to believe, all I know is that on TV yesterday I saw a news story about a Chinese company that is supposed to have an electric car, similar to the Chevy Volt, that is supposed to come out a couple years earlier, cost a bunch less, only won’t be as luxurious.  Me, I’m not that worried about the carbon emissions, my carbon footprint, or if I fart too much, what I do think is cool would be a car that pretty much doesn’t need gasoline, and somehow the Chinese are ahead of us in developing that car.

And that leads me to the loan offered to the auto manufacturers and a great post from Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, the won’t be owner of the Chicago Cubs because baseball owners are a bunch of dufi, but does write a nice blog where a few days ago he mentioned how Chrysler is toast because, well, what better way to waste money than to put a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal thanking America for, well, investing in Chrysler, “America’s Car Company” that used to be sort of a Mercedes Benz car company until the Benz people couldn’t even take it anymore.  My simple analysis is that the car companies are in this mess much the same way Motorola is in their cell-phone mess.  Motorola rested all of its laurels on the Razr line, not seeing that things are changing, and now no one gives a damn about the latest Razr phone.  The car companies have become just as complacent, resting on their laurels without seeing the innovation consumers want in order to buy a new car.  A little Chinese company might just show that even with the Chevy Volt coming out, a once mighty car company gets beaten to the punch by a company that sees car buying differently.

Than again, with gas prices around $1.50 a gallon again, who cares about electric cars anymore.

In any case, I’m just waiting for my BFF before we start our holiday celebrating, so I thought I would write about something, so why not mix global warming, the loans to the auto companies, and cheap gas all in one post.

Happy Holidays.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 3:12 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: What's for Dinner, It's Cold, and No Stu :-(

Flying solo for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, The Dude on the Right only skips one thing he was planning on talking with Stu Gotz about, so instead he just discusses them with you, the listener.  Topics include a different take on your Holiday dinner menu, how he liked "Yes Man," how he is sick of the cold weather even though winter has just begun, and how he is looking forward to this Christmas even though he won't see any movies that day.  With The Dude from Illinois he also talks a little Rob Blagojevich, some Chicago Bears, and upcoming Christmas Day movie releases, but he does skip one story because that really is one Stu will also be upset that he didn't think of the idea, either.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2008

A Missing Picture, A Mean Letter, but Thank You, and Here's to 2009!

By: The Dude on the Right
As I have been getting a bit sentimental lately, coming on Christmas (did I ever mention that I really love Robert Downey Jr’s version of "River", and him in "Iron Man"?), it’s been a season of happiness, sharing it with my new BFF as well as old friends, and a season of sadness, being the first Christmas after both my Mom and Dad died. In preparation for this blog post, well, I tried to do some quick looking through old family photos for a picture of the Christmas tree we, or mostly Mom, would put up, but sadly I couldn’t find one of the tree, a beautiful tree – an artificial tree, white instead of green, some forty years old, with some ornaments that were probably older than that, and Mom always put bubble lights on the tree, and as kids we would each pick a bubble light, hoping ours was the first to bubble. It also had normal-er sized bulbs, not those tiny bulbs most trees have, some were blinky bulbs, and back in the day we would have the train set up on the floor, on a sheet of plywood, that would drive the dog nuts! In my searching I did, however, find some pictures of my first girlfriend, my first car, Dad smoking a stogie, my fraternity brother Ken, one that my brother’s girlfriend would get a kick out of, and some pictures of me I hope no one ever see. I also found a copy of a letter I wrote to my sister that even I have to admit was kind of mean, but sadly, no picture of that Christmas tree. It’s not that they don’t exist, I know they do, and if I recall correctly, we had a picture of it on the collage of photos at my Mom’s funeral, but I don’t have the photos from that collage, and I don’t have days to search through the boxes of family photos and negatives that I have, to find one.  Yet.

So, without getting uber-sentimental, in the few days before Christmas this year, all I can give you right now is a picture of my Christmas tree (filled with ornaments thanks to my Mom), and wish all of you, no matter what you celebrate, a nice end to 2008, and a 2009 filled with more joyness than sadness, more loveness than hateness, and more smileness than frown-ness.

2008 has been a year of weirdness, but thankfully to all of you who visit, and my friends, and my BFF, it's also been a year of happiness through it all!

Here's to 2009, and if it goes as I hope, it will really be a year of change!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:15 PM | Comments (1)

December 15, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Lousy Audio, Airport Travels, A Polar Express, and An Abrupt Ending

So The Dude on the Right ends up with some audio issues for this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", but Stu Gotz powers on trying to keep things flowing even if The Dude sounds like his microphone is being hit by an electric storm.  They both do their best, however, to tell you their take on the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still," Stu Gotz got to spend some quality family time with the Little Gotz's and Mama Gotz at an Enchanted Castle and on a Polar Express over the weekend, while The Dude regales stories of going to New Jersey, a digital boarding pass, and why People Magazine is worse than Playboy (although Stu has his own thoughts).  Some topics don't come up during this podcast, like why the dog in the picture is trying to do The Dude's hair, and that The Dude finally saw "It's a Wonderful Life" from start to finish.  Hopefully the next episode of the "Weekend Wrap-Up!" will be audio-problem free!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Fraternity Dinner, TV Talk, and Girls in Skimpy Outfits

The Dude on the Right shirked his duties for a few days to reunite with some friends from his fraternity days, and since Stu Gotz was also a friend in The Dude's fraternity days, and since friends came in from near and far, for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, Stu & The Dude reminisce a bit, reflect on a weekend with friends, and aren't really sorry that they can't party any more like it's 1999.  And as they reflect on a weekend of getting together with old friends, they don't forget new things, like the Chicago Bears beating a different football team, Stu seeing some old movies like "Bring It On," "Stick It," and "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and they both love TV, with The Dude really loving "Chuck," even if it is very predictable, and Stu eagerly awaiting the return of "Battlestar Galactica" to the TV airwaves.

Who knows what they'll talk about next?

Posted by Rightdude at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

December 3, 2008

History Shows that The Dude on the Right was Left, and The Dude on the Left was Right

By: The Dude on the Right
Little did I realize that it's been over twenty years, last October, that this odyssey that is Entertainment Ave! began, and thanks to the historical nature that is The Mystery Dude, and the continuing work of Mookie, the first review from The Unknown Reviewers, from our days at the Illinois Institute of Technology, incognito as we were, has been posted.  With no fanfare, or really any coolness, we reviewed a band named "1313." The Dude on the Left and I, or actually, for our first article, me being "LEFT" and him being "RIGHT," well, we gave the band "Two Thumbs Up!", and suddenly, two dudes just looking for a way to make beer money, helped to develop an internet entity that has lasted 20 years, sometimes strong, sometimes not so strong, but in the end letting some people have some fun.

The weird thing for me is that I can almost remember every picture I have taken, but as I read our first review, I have no recollection of the band "1313," sort of.  Then I became obsessed, scoping out the photos in that issue, and those in the rest of the 1988 archives that have been posted, and can honestly say "I took that picture!" many a time.  Yup, back in those days we had cameras, with film, and we had to develop it in a darkroom, and I knew how.

But as I also perused those 1988 archives, and the year came to an end, I don't want to say one band influenced me to love seeing music, but as I read our review of "Shuddup 'N Drive," who knew a bar band would be so influential in my appreciation for hard-working bands?  Those early days instantly brought supporters and initial non-supporters (Barry - Where are you?), and I would like to say that over the years we have become more polished in the review department, but that definitely is not the case.

As the IIT Galvin Library continues adding to the Technology News online archives, I'm really looking forward to the progression of things, the changing of the guard at times, our online advice column, Dear Dudes, and how we slowly transformed from just reviewing bar bands to shifting to national acts.

More looks back at our early days will be coming soon, but for now I can't believe how thin I was back then.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Black Friday, A Walnut Room, Painting, Gambling, Movies, and More!

Thanksgiving led to the lack of a Thursday podcast last week, but The Dude on the Right & Stu Gotz do their best to make up for it during this episode of their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast.  The thing is, with an extended weekend, they talk about a lot of the same things, like movies ("Bolt," "Tropic Thunder," "Iron Man," "Delta Farce," and "Australia"), music (Britney Spears has a new CD, "Circus," coming out), TV ("The Big Band Theory" and "How I Met Your Mother"), and The Chicago Bears losing, but the holidays brought some new stuff like a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry for the Gotz's, a new holiday tradition that should probably stop in its tracks (it's a visit to The Walnut Room at Macy's, which used to be Marshall Fields), The Dude having dinner and lunch with a variety of friends, and both Stu and The Dude disgusted at people who helped lead to the death of a dude at Wal Mart on Black Friday.

They both cover a lot of ground, but the podcast is under 20 minutes, so what the hell, go ahead and give the podcast a listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:01 PM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Fireworks, Movies, Manners, and a Cheap Dude.

The Dude on the Right is almost ready to toss his new MacBook Pro out of the window while he and Stu Gotz were recording this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, especially as Stu brags about how The Dude could probably take one quick class at his local Apple store to solve his problems, but The Dude is a stubborn pollack, so the two of them just hunker down to talk about The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in Chicago over the weekend, and Stu seeing "Quantum of Solace" instead of "Twilight" at the theaters.  There is some Netflix catching up to do for The Dude, Stu might have a way to save the environment thanks to his thinking while he was taking a poop, and Stu has some hostility for the YMCA Scuba program, which he might want to see a psychiatrist for.

They both discuss this Thanksgiving weekend's movie schedule, and Stu revisits the brilliance that is "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."  So much to talk about in so little time, yet they figure out a way to pull it off, and even mention the fact that Stu Gotz is also a member of Twitter Nation.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:21 PM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Here Comes Britney Spears' Circus, Here Comes "Twilight," and Here Are "Jillian Michaels' Clips of the Week!"

The Dude on the Right is a little melancholy for this podcast, what with Thanksgiving coming up and his not traveling to the Old Country this year (and it's not even because he's a Radio Shack Manager anymore), but at least he'll be spending time with his BFF, which is nice.  It's also nice for him that he'll be thinking about seeing "Twilight" and "Bolt," rather than actually seeing the movies "Twilight" and "Bolt," but nothing beats his anticipation like getting the initial word that Britney Spears might be showing up on her "Circus" tour in the Chicago area, in March of 2009.

Thankfully he still watches "The Biggest Loser" giving him a new batch of inspiration thanks to "Jillian Michaels' Clips of the Week!"  The Dude is now inspired to fight another day!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:43 PM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "Quantum of Solace," The Chicago Bears Suck, A Crabman, and More!

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz got together for another wrap-up about their weekend, and they discuss it for their podcast.  Stu kept things with the family, watching "27 Dresses," wondering about TV shows like "Entourage" and "My Own Worst Enemy," and wasn't allowed to upload copyrighted music to YouTube, whereas The Dude on the Right saw, with his BFF, "Quantum of Solace," the NBC Travel Expo at Navy Pier in Chicago (complete with Crabman  and Catalina from "My Name is Earl" and Mike Adamle eating popcorn), and cleaned his garage.  Okay, The Dude's BFF didn't help The Dude clean his garage, but that's okay, because at least neither Stu nor The Dude, nor The Dude's BFF, watched enough of the Chicago Bears getting trampled by the Green Bay Packers to really care about football over the weekend.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:26 PM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Werewolves, Bears, Turkeys, and Jillian Michaels.

The Dude on the Right flies solo for this podcast, and he keeps it kind of short, with some quick warnings about werewolves, some cheering on the Chicago Bears, not comprehending that Turkey Day and Christmas are right around the corner, and still being a fan of "Survivor: Gabon."  The Dude, however, is not a fan of "The Biggest Loser" still being two hours long, actually feels hatred for a contestant on the show named Vicky, and was so happy Amy flipped and sent Vicky's husband, Brady, packing.  The Dude is happy, though, that he remembered to play his "Jillian Michaels' Clips of the Week" segment, whereas inspiration is normally the name of the game, but he loves her "One of them has immunity" line.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:25 PM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Bubble Tea, Families, Movies, and an Injury. And a Full Review of "Role Models."

In the immortal works of Harry Caray, "Holy Cow!"  Yup, Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right got together to for a new podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!," and they talk about so many things in about twenty minutes, well, it's almost scary to write about them all.  In any case, there is talk about bubble tea, The Dude's BFF, a family gathering, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," "Role Models," and some heart-shaped pubes in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."  They don't forget to talk about the Chicago Bears, the upcoming James Bond flick "Quantum of Solace," and Stu injuring himself playing Wii, and not playing with his Wii.

In conjunction, The Dude on the Right did see "Role Models," and liked it, in the R-Rated kind of way some movies are being made nowadays.  If you don't like swear words and boobies, you probably won't like it, but The Dude does like swear words and boobies, and well-written comedies, so he liked it, liking it.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:42 PM | Comments (0)

November 6, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Another Reason to Avoid Lorain, OH, eBay Stupidity, Oprah, and South Park.

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this Thursday podcast, and he ponders life in his home town, Lorain, OH, where the folks there decided $15 a year, for those who own cars, was too much money to fix the roads, which really need it, because it's almost worse than driving on the moon when you visit.  He also explains why sometimes people are standing around on a work crew.  The Dude is also impressed at the boys who make South Park, what with their having an episode instantly timely with the election results, sort of, of is happy he didn't waste a couple of hundred bucks buying copies of the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune, hoping to make money with them on eBay.  Then again, there would probably be one sucker who might pay $500 for his copy.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:28 PM | Comments (0)

November 5, 2008

The Only Change We Can Truly Believe In is The Change of Seasons

By: The Dude on the Right
Congratulations to Barack Obama on winning the nomination for President of the United States, and kudos to John McCain for giving what might be the most gracious concession speech ever.  In an election season that has gone on way too long, where I thank God I live in the Chicago area which limited the amount of campaign adds on my TV (I visited Ohio, and TV really sucked without TiVo to fast-forward you through the crap), now we move on, and wonder what "change" can really be accomplished.

I found the "change" concept sort of inspiring when Barack originally adopted it at the beginning of his candidacy, but then, wouldn't you know, as other candidates realized "change" became a buzz-word, suddenly Hillary Clinton adopted the word as her own, and then, low and behold, John McCain did the same.  It didn't matter that Barack adopted the word first, all that mattered was that now everyone was about change. The thing is, as much as change is professed, it's easier to talk about doing it than actually accomplishing it.

And so, whether or not Barack Obama can really bring about change we can believe in, after three days of 70 degree days in November, here in Chicago, when back in college some of us would have blown off three days of classes to catch the last sunny rays of the year by hanging out on the roof, I at least took a couple of walks near the dude-pad and realized there is only one aspect of change you can always believe in, and that is the change of seasons, maybe a little more pronounced in a place like Chicago.

As I took those walks, looking at a retention pond that is changing to hibernation mode for an upcoming winter, I thought about things earlier this year, when that pond was barren, and I would walk past it, reflecting on the passing of Dad on the Right last January, and 2008 was looking like a strange year.  Then spring and summer came, the pond blossomed with new life, and suddenly I reconnected with a friend from my past who has now become my BFF.  Fall came, Mom on the Right passed away, and as I looked at the pond the other day, and took the picture accompanying this blog, it didn't make me sad that things were dying, it made me smile that as some things that have changed have made me sad, other things that have changed just make me smile.

Mother Nature knows how to do change right, so that every season is beautiful.  I wonder if there is any way politicians can learn from Mom.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:29 PM | Comments (0)

November 4, 2008

Does Your Vote Really Count? Maybe Not for Obama or McCain, but Maybe So for Jim Shoe or Jane Ishlacosky.

By: The Dude on the Right
I voted today.

That shouldn't seem that strange, but for the longest time, up until about five or ten years ago, I didn't vote, pretty much with the attitude of "What's the point?"  You see, I live in Illinois, and for the most part, especially in national elections, the outcome is set long before I cast my vote with the state being hugely on the Democrat side, or at least so because of Chicago.  I voted when I was younger, when I could for the first time in high school because it just seemed so "adult," and I think I voted a couple of times when I was in college because the voting place was across the street, but then it just seemed like a pain in the butt to go somewhere on a Tuesday that I never visit when I had better things to do.  And also, for Presidential elections, in Illinois, and with the dumb-ass electoral college process we have, most of the time it just seemed like as much as my vote might count for the "democrat" guy, if I voted for the "republican" guy, it really didn't matter because "21" votes, none of which were mine, were going for one candidate, the democrat.  And fine those of you who are in states with only a few electoral votes might like this process because then a candidate has to visit you for a couple of electoral college votes, but really, in this day and age of computers, and the ability to instantly count every vote, is it really fair, if I'm a John McCain supporter (and I'll admit that I'm not), to even vote in a state like Illinois, knowing that my vote is useless because even if Illinois had a 60% Obama, 38% McCain, and 2% for the other folks on the ballot split, the electoral votes aren't split by the percentage, like maybe it should be, meaning Barack would get 12ish votes, John getting nearly 8 votes, and 1 vote spread across the people who when you went to vote, looked at the ballot, and saw peoples names you had never seen before who were running for President, well, it doesn't matter because no matter the percentage split, Obama will get 21 "votes" from Illinois to become President of The United States.

Yes, there are the battleground states they always talk about, like Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Florida, where the race is tight, and your vote sort of counts, but even then, it's all or nothing, which, now, in the 2000's, seems just plain stupid.  Polls are taken everyday, by some very reputable poll takers, but in the end it doesn't matter who is getting the most votes, all that really matters is who "wins" what state.

And that just is wrong.

What should be is who actually wins, by people, who vote.  It is 2008.  I would like to think that we have finally learned how to count, up to at least 150 million.

The polls are closing, the news channels are working to make their mark as the first to "project" the winner, but in the end, in your state, the only place your vote really counts is in your local election, where Jim Shoe will beat Jane Ishlacosky, because you voted. Individual votes are what hopefully matter, and not some old process of "winner takes it all."

See, your vote does count, in the way it should, but sadly, not always for our President.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:03 PM | Comments (1)

What's New? A "Stu & The Dude Weekend Wrap-Up!" Podcast and a Movie Review of "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."

After a few weeks of being apart, Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right get reunited for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast.  They talk a little about the death of Mom on the Right, Stu's weekend turned out to be mostly about his kids as they ended up at a jumpy place for youngins and at another place called "Space Golf," while The Dude is still trying to learn how to use his new MacBook. And even though The Dude tells Stu about the movie during the podcast, there's also a full written review of  "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" that got posted.

Stu did get to tell The Dude that he was spot on about his earlier review of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," even with the excess wiener footage, and TV is always a topic for these guys, since they don't really like to read, which leads to some Studs Terkel talk.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:48 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of "Bowling, A Mac World, and More!"

The Dude on the Right is a little bummed for this podcast, what with his mom passing away and all, but what better way to get out the doldrums than by buying a new computer!  Unfortunately, for The Dude, buying a MacBook also means a new learning curve (if any of you can help him plug two microphones into his MacBook and be able to control each mic independently, he would appreciate your advice), but on the plus side, his history is starting to come to light with his alma matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, beginning to post old issues of Technology News, the campus newspaper, from the time he attended.  We now learn he was a good bowler, but if The Dude wanted to be where the money was at, he would have shot to be a good golfer!

There is some political talk for this podcast, as the elections are next Tuesday, but with this weekend The Dude is just really hoping to get a movie review posted because then things are just a little closer to normal.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:49 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2008

Reviews Are Coming Soon, For Now It's About Pumpkins and Trees!

By: The Dude on the Right
It's a weird thing to go through, the death of a parent, let alone two within a year, but sometimes weird things lead to beautiful things, reflective things, and things you might have never done before.  Beautiful were the trees and stars (and my BFF - as always!), reflective were a batch of 6ish hour drives between the old country of Lorain and the new country of Chicago, and something I've never done before is carve a pumpkin.  I think.

So as I'm working my way back to normalcy, being torn if I should really buy a new MacBook Pro and contemplating getting back into reviewing mode this weekend with the release of the movies "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and/or "Changeling" or seeing "High School Musical 3," these last few days I'm just working on getting back to posting things, catching up on my TiVo, and hopefully getting a podcast done tomorrow.

But to keep this blog simple, let's get to "Beautiful" and "Reflective" first.

I thought about trying to quantify how many times I've driven between Chicago and Lorain (Lorain is in the state of Ohio for those of you who might not know) over the years, but in simplest terms it has been at least five times a years for the last 22 years, with that number increasing in the past few years.  I'd say it's a long drive, but really it's only about five or six hours, depending on potty breaks, and many a time I have used those hours as personal therapy for a variety of reasons.  People ask why I don't fly home, but in reality, how much time am I really saving by flying?  You're supposed to get to the airport at least an hour and half before your flight, it's about 45 minutes of flying time, and if you factor in airport delays, sitting on the tarmac, having to either get picked up at the airport or rent a car, and then the half hour drive to the old homestead, in the end, I've always found driving to be the prudent mode of travel, with the only wrinkle being when the Lake Michigan snow machine rears its ugly head, dumping snow into the Indiana snowbelt.  The odd things is that in all of those travels I never made that trip to Lorain during the height of the change of seasons in the fall, when the trees were at their brilliant colors and travel was a little lighter because the trip wasn't during a holiday season.  But as things worked out, as my mom's health was fading, I found myself, for a change, on the Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike as the colors of the trees seemed to be peaking.  As stressful as the times were, between the travel to Lorain knowing it would be for the passing of my mom, to the quick trip back to Chicago after she died to button some things up when the trees were brilliant (and I'm not advocating trying to take a picture with your camera phone while you are driving, but hey, they were some colorful trees), and then driving back to Ohio to bury my mom, during a cold Ohio night, with the constellation Orion being utterly striking, rising over the eastern horizon, so much so that I felt bad keeping it to myself and not waking my BFF to see it, you know, sometimes beauty, wonder, and even pumping gas in the cold air can ease a stressful mind, just when it needs it.

And then came pumpkins.

Mom's funeral had come and gone, but my nephew, niece, and family were still in town, and everyone needed something to do.  I reverted back to normalcy for them - seeing a movie, which sounds bizarre for some folks, but generally worked for all of us at the various holiday times we would get together.  The crappy part is that the movie choices during the weekend of my mom's funeral were crap, but thankfully my BFF was there to save the day.  Well, at first she laid an egg, suggesting bowling, but who knew "bowlers" wouldn't go bowling if they didn't have their own equipment, i.e. balls, bags, shoes, towels, etc., to bowl with.  So when my BFF (and I) suggested going bowling instead of a movie, that suggestions crashed quicker than the Hindenburg.  Then my BFF suggested getting some pumpkins, carving them, and then maybe a dinner, and wouldn't you know it, as complicated as pumpkin picking can sometimes be (especially when the original destination doesn't have any more pumpkins in their patch), somehow pumpkin carving is easier, thanks to those pumpkin carving kits readily available at a Walgreens near you.

And so, after a quick trip to a different, dying, pumpkin patch, various sizes of pumpkins were secured, goop was scooped out of the innards, intricate carvings were attempted as well as some not so intricate, and as my sister and I reminisced about pumpkin carving, well, both of us realized that our family never attempted it, and that there might have been a time, when we were maybe 8 to 12 years old, when we tried to carve pumpkins at our friend's house down the street, and if so, there is no way any of those carvings were as cool as those done by our family, with stencils and appropriate cutting tools, done that Saturday, the Saturday after my mom was buried, when our family didn't go and see a movie, but instead, carved pumpkins.

And it was cool.

Tomorrow should be a podcast, this weekend should be a movie review or two, but for now it's all about getting back to some semblance of normalcy, even if normalcy is now without being able to call your mom on a Saturday morning, at 9:15, when you always do.  And then comes that day when you delete "Mom and Dad" from your phone.  I guess that's another story for another blog, but for now normalcy is the changing of the seasons and carving pumpkins, with family.

Happy Halloween!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:59 PM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2008

A New Chapter Begins... Mom on the Right is Okay

By: The Dude on the Right
Her death certificate reads "Time of Death: 11:55 PM" and the date of her death was Monday, October 20, 2008. Actually, I’m not really sure the exact time on the death certificate, because I haven’t actually seen it, and technically what is written is wrong even though "officially" correct, but for me my mom will always have passed away on Saturday, October 18^th, at 3:32 PM.

This will be a long blog post.

It was just over nine months ago that my dad died. Simply put, he was done. After 78+ years of fighting multiple sclerosis, a brain tumor, thalamic syndrome, a slight stroke, and a cavalcade of other crap, he was just tired and, even though this sounds weird, he opted to just let his body die. He entered the hospice center and a few days later, well, Dad on the Right had passed away, but not before my sister and I got to see him one last time, which I would like to say was a lovely, serene scene, but when the body dies over a few days, as sometimes happens, the visual aspect can be a little jarring. Seeing dad, though, hours before he passed, was nothing like the experience of hanging with my mom for the last four days of her life.

But as difficult, emotional, and visually/auditorially disturbing those days might have been, at 3:32 PM on October 18^th, Mom on the Right set my heart at ease.

You see, Mom wasn’t really ready to die at first, I think, but her body was finally giving out. She smoked for years, eventually was diagnosed with emphysema and had some partial blockage requiring a stent, and nowadays all of that seems to be lumped into something called COPD. Then a few years ago she was diagnosed with lung cancer, and even though the end was going to eventually come, she kept up the fight. But Mom didn’t want to die in a hospital or a hospice center – nope, if she was going to go, well, it was going to be at home, so she ended up in home hospice, resting comfortably for the past few months in her easy chair. Then, a few weeks ago, she became increasingly tired (I could tell because she wasn’t checking or replying to any e-mails), and as my brother and sister rotated duties caring for her, and from the talk of the hospice nurses, mom’s time was coming, and my turn came to return to the old country, Lorain, OH, to take care of her for a spell.

When I arrived she was tired, but still had her wits about her. When she would have her short bursts of energy we would have quick conversations about the upcoming election, the Cleveland Browns, how she still can’t stand the manager of the Cleveland Indians, how Lorain has gone to shit, and she doesn’t really like Rachael Ray but still watched her show on The Food Network. But as the body goes, so does the mind, and as a day went on Mom started to become confused, her eyes started to give her problems focusing, and in my down time I re-read a couple of times the "Crossing the Creek" guide the hospice center leaves with their "families" to help them understand the things that will be happening, and in the end, it is all about helping the person about to pass to make that journey to their next destination.

So I found myself covering the curtains with an extra blanket because the light was bothering Mom’s eyes. I didn’t watch TV because the glare and images on the screen bothered her. I brought Mom’s CD player into the living room where she rested, and luckily I had a way to play her iPod through it (yup, the nurses at the cancer center were duly impressed an 80 year old woman listened to her music through an iPod!). At times Mom seemed scared, at times she seemed alone, at times she had a burst of sadness yet seemed coherent things were coming to an end (Mom was upset she never made a list of organizations she wanted to donate a few dollars to at her passing, so we worked on the list together for the minutes she could), and at times she just seemed, well, pissed.

And through it all, the only thing I could think to simply say is "Mom, it’s gonna be okay."

Saturday came, and at first it seemed like another day of bizarreness, with the morning having a slight episode. But then, in the afternoon, Mom woke up again, looked at me sitting across from her, and I went to sit next to her.

She wasn’t stirring, she wasn’t angry, she didn’t seem sad. I held her hand. I asked, "Do you need anything?" She looked at me, smiled, and said, "No, Andy, I’m okay. I’m okay."

Mom went back to sleep after that moment, at 3:32 PM on Saturday, October 18^th.

For the next 56ish hours mom’s body worked to finish the dying process. There was the incoherent talk, the "death rattle" (which I had to keep reminding my sis that it’s worse for us to hear – not so much for mom – at least so said the "Crossing the Creek" booklet and mom’s nurse), and sometime around 11:40 PM on Monday, October 20^th, Mom tried to get up one last time, Mom’s breathing had stopped, my sister said she couldn’t feel Mom’s pulse, and it was about ten minutes later when the hospice nurse showed up, she tried to find a pulse, hear a heartbeat, and get a blood pressure reading, and a little before midnight she pronounced my Mom had passed away.

I’ve never seen anyone die before, and "What is a normal way to die?" might be a blog for another day, but for me, my Mom died at 3:32 PM on Saturday, October 18, 2008.  After 82 years she was finally "Okay."  It just took her body a little while to catch up.

Mom on the Right is now "Okay."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  Mom, I love you!!!

L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:36 PM | Comments (5)

October 13, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! No More Hooters, Football, A Chihuahua, and More!"

Stu Gotz returns for his duties with The Dude on the Right for another episode of a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast.  The Dude explains to Stu why he probably won't be going back to Hooters with his BFF anytime soon, Stu gives his insight into "Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and who knew that Beanie Babies aren't worth $30 anymore?  There is also some talk about the Chicago Bears, guns for kids, and people who forward stupid e-mails that pretty much have no chance in hell of being real, along with more movie talk and Stu explaining he wasn't have a heart attack last weekend.

Posted by Rightdude at 4:25 PM | Comments (0)

October 9, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stock Market Woes, Movies I Won't See, and Jillian Michaels' Inspirations of the Week.

The Dude on the Right is just as flustered about the stock market as you might be, but he just tries to make you remember the motto - "Buy low.  Sell high."  Sure, his other tip is "Don't pet a burning dog," but if the stock market is nearing its low, you know what, ten years from now, unless the world totally falls apart, your buying now will be flying high!  Inspiration is a big topic of this podcast, granted it might not have to do with "South Park," or any of the movies opening this weekend, or if you are a subscriber to "Rolling Stone" you now have batteries to properly dispose of, but The Dude is now fascinated with Jillian Michaels from "The Biggest Loser," and introduces his new feature, "Jillian Michael's Inspirations of the Week."  Go ahead and add it to your iPod for some inspiration just when you are thinking of quitting.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:47 PM | Comments (0)

October 6, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Chicago Sports, Stu's Schnoz, Apples, and A Happy Faced Barn.

The Dude on the Right thinks he knows how Stu Gotz would sound if he were here for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, but he does sound kind of lonely doing this podcast (The W.G.N. - Where are you?).  He's not lonely, though, because he and his BFF did something way out of normalcy for The Dude - apple picking, in a state called Wisconsin, in a city called Mukwonago, at a place called The Elegant Farmer, where a barn with a smiley face brings in the kids, only to have them in kid-crabbiness about four hours later.  Thank God for those Apple Cider Donuts, which aren't always made on time!

The Dude also laments about the downfall of the Chicago baseball teams in the extended season, with the Cubs imploding and the White Sox becoming another lame fan base with white towels (bad-ass would have been black towels for the series, throwing in the towel is for losers, white ones, and that's what the White Sox became - at least says The Dude on the Right).

The Dude, at least, had a Chicago Bears win to be happy about.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:00 PM | Comments (0)

October 2, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Elevator Etiquette, Duh, Steve Fossett Isn't Found Yet, and Simple Math.

The Dude on the Right is fired up for this podcast but it's not about the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox losing their first games in the baseball playoffs.  Nope, The Dude can't understand the actions of a dude in an elevator, he's worried that he missed out on some easy grant money for studying people at a Chinese Buffet, and even though Steve Fossett's plane has been found, he wonders about Steve Fossett actually being found.  And if you have found, in your e-mail, how you might be better off getting a financial windfall rather than AIG getting their bailout, you might want to pull out your calculator to figure out how you're going to be spending your "windfall" of $425.00, and not $425,000.  And if you are a dudette or a gay dude, you might want to start watching "Survivor: Gabon" and tell the PTC (Parent's Television Council) to butt out of your newfound hap-penis.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Lots of Movies, Sports, and Spelling Julio.

It's a Monday so it must be time for a new episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, and right off the bat Stu Gotz decides to put a different spin on a romantic moment that The Dude on the Right and his BFF shared while having dinner at "Uncle Julio's Hacienda" in Chicago.  Stu tries to make up for it with a not-that-humiliating story about not hanging up his phone after leaving a message, but as the podcast goes on there is a lot of movie talk, with "Hoot," "Eagle Eye," "The Hammer," and "Ghost Town," being some of the topics.  There is also some talk about the new design of the Chicago Tribune, and the both of them discuss sports, especially since, in Chicago, it's been weird with the Chicago Bears beating the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Cubs waiting for the post-season, and the Chicago White Sox needing to win things in the weirdest ways to keep the nightmare of a Cubs-White Sox "World Series" alive.

The Dude also does his impersonation of Tina Fey impersonating Sarah Palin, but, well, The Dude's not that good.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:23 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Remote Control Madness, "Survivor: Gabon," and Who's to Blame?

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast, but that's okay, because his life is now in turmoil thanks to his buying a new T.V., and Canada.  It seems that getting a new T.V. also required getting a new cable box, and now his way-cool remote control isn't way-cool anymore because it needs some major reprogramming.  And as much as he can still control his T.V. viewing with 4 different remotes, and as much as he can now record 5 shows at one time, the success of the Chicago Cubs, and the impending doom of the Chicago White Sox, throws a small monkey-wrench into The Dude's viewing plans because sports are best watched live.

The Dude also had a nice weekend planned, but as things are in turmoil in the United States, in the end, it might just all be Canada's fault.  At least it was on "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut," a movie he didn't let The W.G.N. see when he was youngin.  Sometimes The Dude tries to be a good uncle.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:28 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Bears, Emmy's, T.V., TiVo, and No "Buddy Christ" Explanation.

The Dude on the Right is lonely, and flying solo for this podcast, and doesn't even explain to the audio world why "The Buddy Christ" is back where he belongs, at least in the world of The Dude on the Right.  He does, though, talk about his football team, the Chicago Bears, still sucking, how the Emmy Awards sucked, but the only thing infiltrating the mind of The Dude right now, other than wondering how his BFF will accept him into the fall season, is how he will be able to TiVo all of his favorite T.V. shows, especially since he now owns an HDTV.  On a Monday when The Dude could have probably used someone to talk to, namely Stu Gotz, especially to tell him about the secret to maybe relieving his congested nose during allergy season, well, The Dude is relegated to viewing television, on a crystal clear, high-def TV screen, yet wondering how to record "Survivor: Gabon" in high-def.

The Dude really needs to win the lottery.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:32 PM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2008

What's New? Hurricane Ike talk with The W.G.N. gets decimated by the tornado that is The W.F.N.

The Dude on the Right just wanted a nice podcast with The W.G.N., maybe talking about Hurricane Ike that hit the Houston area, but then a tornado infiltrated the podcast, namely The W.F.N.  All of a sudden it was talk about graduating from high school, The Dude disrespecting The W.F.N., her wanting her own podcast, and well, just about anything else she wanted to comment about because that girl has things to say, and she damn well will do her best to make sure you hear it!

It was a fun diversion for The Dude, talking to The W.F.N., but with podcast time running down, it didn't leave too much time left for The Dude to converse with The W.G.N., but they did get in some sport's talk, some college talk, and yes, even some hurricane talk.

The W.F.N. definitely needs her own podcast platform, but The Dude just wonders if he'll be able to control her so he doesn't lose any advertisers.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Rain, Movies, TV, and A Loud Starbucks.

Stu Gotz somehow convinced The Dude on the Right that they should record their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast at a Starbucks, and even though the music was loud, it did make for some nice, background music, even if it distracted The Dude.  The both of them, though, overcame the background music to talk about the boatloads of rain that were dumped on the Midwest over the weekend, they both talk a bit about Hurricane Ike and the people who want to be rescued in Galveston now that the storm is gone, and hey, why not critique Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live?"  Sure, they both liked Tina, didn't think Michael Phelps did that great on SNL, Stu's got questions about the ending of "3:10 to Yuma" while The Dude thinks Stu might piss his pants during one scene of "Burn After Reading," but a podcast with Stu and The Dude wouldn't be complete without some talk about TV, and The Dude on the Right needs to quit reviewing his visits to church.  The Dude does give a shout-out to his BFF, if you followed The Dude's Twitter you would have been texted to see Carlos Zambrano of The Chicago Cubs get a no-hitter, and if you're looking for Sarah Silverman in skimpy underwear, go ahead and rent "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With."  Just don't ask The Dude what a "Hoagie Shack" is because he couldn't remember the term during his "review" while talking with Stu.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:02 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: I Hate Ike, Getting Shot, Forgetting "The Goonies," and Remembering The World Trade Center

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast mostly because he didn't want to invite The W.G.N. to be a guest podcaster, thereby delaying The W.G.N.'s getting out of Dodge, or at least Houston.  The Dude realizes he missed his opportunity for "I Hate Ike" buttons and bumper stickers, but is happy that he only got shot in a dream, by a dude who looked like Chunk from the movie "The Goonies."

The Dude also does some reflecting on the anniversary or September 11th, remembering that he was actually at the top of The World Trade Center in 1985, and is kind of sad that Presidential politics has come to sound bites about a "lipstick on a pig" comment that has been around for years, rather than the actual issues we really care about.  The Dude isn't perfect by not joining in with the stupidness of it all, but hey, he's only a dude.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Bears Win!, A Dead TV, The MTV VMA's, and no Stu Gotz.

This should be a "Weekend Wrap-Up!", but The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast because Stu Gotz decided to see Mickey Mouse. Actually, it was mostly Mama Gotz and the LIttle Gotz's that wanted to see Mickey, but, in any case, The Dude is left to lament about his TV woes by himself now that it is confirmed that his TV is really dead. And as The Dude contemplates purchasing a new TV, he sort of wonders why he should, especially since he fell asleep while watching the Chicago Bears beat the Indianapolis Colts, it was probably easier to watch the Cleveland Browns lose on a smaller TV, and there really didn't seem to be a reason to watch the MTV Video Music Awards, especially since Britney Spears wasn't a train wreck this year, she was just inserted into a lame skit. And yea, blah, blah, blah, the joke is old, but why is MTV still having a Video Music Awards ceremony when they don't show many videos anymore?

Posted by Rightdude at 6:21 PM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2008

The Dude's TV: R.I.P.

By: The Dude on the Right
Maybe it's just a fuse, maybe it was God telling me I shouldn't watch John McCain's speech at the Republican Convention, but yesterday, just as I was getting ready to settle on to my couch to see how John McCain will save the world in a better way than Barack Obama (because that is what these conventions are all about, aren't they?), I went to turn on the TV in my living room, and, well, it didn't turn on. Because I couldn't believe it wouldn't actually turn on, of course I kept pushing the power button about twenty times, both on the remote and on the TV itself, and still nothing happened. What to do, what to do? I fished the TV power cord from out of the power strip, went to my garage to get an extension cord, plugged it into an outlet I knew was working, plugged the TV into the extension cord, and wouldn't you know it, my TV still didn't turn on.

Now I know that my TV had been making funny noises a few weeks ago, but those noises, surprisingly, had gone away, and things were working well.  I figured my TV was just going through a phase, but sadly, it looks like that phase was "Screw you, you 'America's Got Talent' watcher. I just can't take it anymore, and since you continue to watch crap shows like "America's Got No Talent," "Dancing with Loser Stars," and "Yup, These People are Fat," or something like them, I'm done. I just can't take it anymore.  I'll show you!"

Yup, I think my TV just couldn't stand my TV viewing habits, and with a new TV season upon it, and my forcing it to show another season of the Chicago Bears while the Chicago Cubs totally collapse during September, it felt it was actually doing me a favor by shorting itself out, thereby making me realize that there might actually be life without television.

But what my TV didn't realize was that its days were numbered anyway, what with him being an old tube, non High-Def television, and as I know The Chicago Bears will be in the Super Bowl in 2009 (I am so optimistic right now), I was looking to kick him to the curb anyway, or maybe put him in my bedroom, especially when those great sales came around before the big game.  I'm thinking, though, that I still might wait for those big sales, in the meantime moving my basement TV to the living room, and putting my really old TV that is still in the garage in the basement, even if the color is all discombobulated on that old TV.  Who cares if green grass is red, anyway?

In the meantime, maybe I'll put my broken TV on eBay.  If Governor Sarah Palin can try to sell an airplane on eBay, maybe some sucker, I mean handyman, I mean handyperson, will want a broken TV.  At least I should be able to make some money on the shipping and handling!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:17 PM | Comments (0)

September 2, 2008

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Cheese Curls, Google Chrome, A Favorite Shirt, and More!

Stu and The Dude survived their respective Labor Day Weekends, and for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast they both show that hanging with a BFF, and doing some painting, can really be exciting.

Okay, maybe the more exciting parts of this podcast are about The Dude on the Right getting his BFF addicted to Snyder of Berlin Cheese Curls, and Stu Gotz loving his favorite shirt, but don't be mad at them.  At least they don't try to discuss Sarah Palin, churches wasting money, or the difference between sluts and whores.

You know what, go ahead and be mad at them.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

August 27, 2008

Thankfully the FCC Agreed With Me, That Satellite Radio has Tons of Competition

By: The Dude on the Right
Sure, this blog "Title" isn't really that timely, but as I am planning a boatload of hours in the Dude-Mobile over the next couple of weeks, and even though said Dude-Mobile has Sirius Satellite Radio in it, I am actually putting together an iPod "During My Travels" playlist, for me to be able to listen to songs I totally love while I am in my car, via, well, my old iPod.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my satellite radio, am looking forward, thanks to the merger approval, of being able to get "Oprah Radio," or whatever it was called when XM was only XM, but sometimes, even with a boatload of commercial-free music channels, (and yes, Howard Stern being on vacation while I'll be in my Dude-Mobile does influence my listening choices), I still am a chronic channel-hopper, and the minute a song comes on Sirius Hits 1 that I don't like I switch to Alt Nation 21.  Bad song on Alt Nation, I'm off to Faction on Channel 28.  Sure, sometimes I'm in a country music kind of mood, so I head for New Country on Channel 60, but when I want a laugh, I know I can always hit the quadfecta of comedy at Blue Collar Radio on 103, Raw Dog (where they actually have a cat named Oscar hosting a show) on 104, clean comedy on 105, and The Foxxhole on 106.  But the satellite radio folks still have normal radio programming issues because the last time I was trying to impress my BFF, that satellite radio was way cool, Classic Rewind on Channel 15 seemed to be stuck in a Genesis/Phil Collins mode, and as much as I'm down with "Sussudio," I can only take so much Genesis/Phil Collins over the span of three days, and I was really getting bummed with her saying "Is that another song by Genesis?"

For me satellite radio, normal radio, HD Radio, and internet radio, all have one, major adversary of competition, especially now, and their competition is simply a person wanting to listen to only songs they want to hear.  And thanks to the likes of the iPod, iPhone, Zune, or wherever you portably bring your music, can someone please reiterate to the FCC that music competition is a playing field that no longer lives over their precious airwaves?

So, for me, I've already popped some Flo Rida into my "During My Travels" playlist, I'm digging the song "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. so that is there as well, and, I know, it's kind of cliché for this summer, but "I Kissed a Girl" is also in there.  Fine, I'll admit that I have some Hannah Montana songs to listen to, but as I play the playlist on random mode, I'm so looking forward to singing, speaking, and remembering the first time I heard Bruce Springsteen's version of "Growin' Up," from the Agora, for WMMS, and "seeing" Kid Leo prayin' for more watts, and as a boy from the Cleveland area, you can bet some Michael Stanley Band, or even just Michael, will be on that playlist.

Sometimes you hear new songs on the "radio," but thanks to technology, now you don't always have to go pressing buttons in your car to find them.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:32 PM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2008

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! The Democratic Convention, Dancing With the Stars, and Disney Disappoints a Gotz.

This podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" isn't really about The Democratic Convention, nor The Olympics, but during this podcast there's a trip to the Old Country and peeing. Sure, other stuff is associated with this podcast, but doesn't that quadfecta explain it all?

Podcast wise, well, Stu ruins some "Dancing With the Stars" talk, and the reputation of shows with Ted McGinley is subtlety talked about, but more talked about is a Little Gotz having his birthday ruined thank to the folks at Disney thinking "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" should be released in October rather on the Little Gotz birthday.

Summer is almost over, women giving Labor is upon us, and pretty soon the leaves on the trees will tell us that the end-of-the-year holidays will lead us to a new year that will probably influence us in ways we can't control, no matter if Barack Obama or John McCain is our new President.

In the end, we can only control our boat.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:57 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2008

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Long Life, Beautiful People, Car Crashes, and More!

This podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" is about living a long life, and putting yourself in danger.  The Dude on The Right put himself, and the life of his BFF, in danger, by going to see the Chicago Air & Water Show, where, at any time, planes could have come crashing down on them, or more likely, they would have been sunburned beyond belief if it wasn't for the level-headedness of The Dude's BFF.  Stu didn't actually put himself in danger, but he did take the Gotz family to an event of others putting themselves in danger, namely a Demolition Derby, and he also found out that as cool as the iPhone might be, it does have a stupid limitation that Stu's Sprint Instinct might want to exploit a little more in commercial advertisements.

Both of the boys are almost sick of The Olympics and the coverage of Michael Phelps, Stu is still watching shows like "Psych" on Cable TV, and The Dude realized that the nightly light and music show that accompanies Buckingham Fountain in Chicago is pretty cool.

And, oh yea, they also talk about "Tropic Thunder" and upcoming movies.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:55 PM | Comments (0)

August 14, 2008

What's New? The Chicago Air & Water Show, "Tropic Thunder," Mark Your Calendars, and The Olympics!

The Dude on the Right flies solo for this podcast, though talking about flying is exciting him about seeing the "Chicago Air and Water Show" this weekend with his BFF.  Hopefully that will go well, and Monday's podcast will be all about fun at North Avenue Beach in Chicago.

The Dude also does a large rant on The Olympics with Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz, the Chinese deceiving us, and his loving Fencing and not Women's Beach Volleyball.  He is also strangely fascinated with the Norwegian weightlifter who blew out his arm during his competition.

"Tropic Thunder" talk also is in the podcast, though The Dude is worried that if you don't see the movie, well, you must be a reta$#, though, never mind, he doesn't want to get boycotted.

Maybe you better just listen to this podcast to find out when "Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince" will be in theaters in 2009.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:08 PM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! RIP Chef, Calliope Music, and Stu Doesn't See "The Scorpions" but Does Eat Tamales!" also A Movie Review of "Pineapple Express."

A long weekend leads to building blocks of newness, so for this Monday The Dude on the Right posts his weekend review of "Pineapple Express," noting that as much as he liked the stoner aspect of the flick, once it turned into a gunfight, well, the movie turned just a little too over the top for him.  The funniness was in the stoners, and all of a sudden they had guns?  The Dude on the Right is so critical, sometimes.  But newness isn't only about a movie review, since postings happen on a Monday it's also time for a Stu & The Dude "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, and they've got a lot to talk about. The boys have a different tribute to Isaac Hayes, The Dude one the Right, again, reviews that "Pineapple" movie, Stu wishes his tamale wasn't so spicy, and The Dude will probably be struck down by lightning soon for his comments of attending mass at Holy Name Cathedral (while it is under construction).

And who knew Stu Gotz actually wanted to see The Scorpions?  The Podcast lets The Dude on the Right know that he doesn't know Stu as well as he thought he did.

Oh well.

Have fun reading and listening!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:42 PM | Comments (0)

August 7, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: The W.G.N. is Here, Football Talk, Paris Hilton Talk, Storms and The Olympics!

For this podcast The W.G.N. reunites with The Dude on the Right to talk about many a thing.  Sure, there's football talk, with wonderings about Brett Favre going the The New York Jets, The Chicago Bears lack of a quarterback issue between Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman, and The W.G.N.'s continued love for Cleveland teams.  But they also talk about Paris Hilton's political aspirations, the desire to watch The Olympics, and stormage down in Houston-town.  There are a few more topics of conversation, but hey, why give a synopsis if you are going to give all of the good stuff away.  Just go ahead and listen to the podcast, they don't talk too long.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:28 PM | Comments (0)

August 6, 2008

The DVD Review Catch-Ups Have Begun!

By: The Dude on the Right
As I work into the realm of getting more DVD review copies to, well, review, I took it upon myself this week to work on catching up on some that I got sent to me in the last month or so.  So, without further ado, DVD reviews have been posted recently of the made-for-TV version of "The Andromeda Strain" (it's so a TV movie, with lots of plot able to be solved in the last few minutes of the DVD and "here would be a commercial break" moments), "The Lather Effect," (which in urban slang mode should have been called "The Shampoo Effect," and has a whole lot of talking and doesn't give you the greatest song ever, though it works for the movie), and "It's A Boy Girl Thing," (a "trading bodies" movie with every cliché you can imagine yet still gives some fun parts).  I've got a couple of horror movie DVD's to finish up, one about traveling that I got out of the blue, and then it's to my Netflix queue and hopefully a return to reviewing all of the CD's and videos I have.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:05 PM | Comments (0)

August 4, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Movie-ing, Salespeople-ing, Turtle-ing, Food-ing, but No Twittering (yet).

For this episode of Stu & The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, during the written synopsis The Dude on the Right becomes obsessed about Twitter and twittering, but thankfully for the actual podcast he just talks about his weekend - spending some time with his BFF while she did some car shopping, they had dinner at Carnivale, and went to see "Swing Vote."  Stu Gotz's weekend was kind of boring, although he did have a turtling issue, solved with a trip to Starbucks, and tries to corrupt The Dude with a visit to Stu's local Apple Store and some lunch at Ricobene's.  Stu can be a bad influence on The Dude, but Stu is thinking The Dude has found a good influence in The Dude's BFF.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:36 PM | Comments (0)

July 31, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: A Contest, iPhone Talk, and Hints for Beggars.

The Dude on the Right ended up flying solo for this podcast, but even if The WGN isn't there to help him through a Thursday, The Dude just looks to set up a contest about farts, wishes America had more talents about whistling, and thinks he can sing S.O.S. better than Pierce Brosnan. The Dude, sadly, is more fixated on people begging for money.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:26 PM | Comments (0)

July 28, 2008

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Baseball, A Carnival, and Dogs.

This might just be a first, but for their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast neither The Dude on the Right nor Stu Gotz saw a movie, and as such, can't give you a movie review of anything (although both of them will probably see "Swing Vote" next weekend).  They did, though, both see a Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cub's baseball game during the week, where The Dude's BFF wasn't mortified at meeting any of The Dude's friends (even at the Cub's game where some of them were slightly over-served), and Stu has found out that one of his sons might be a future roller coaster enthusiast.  The boys also talk about dogs and fish, and as Stu gives his scientific theory on boobies, well, he might as well apply for a grant for further study because if someone can get a grant to study the correlation between pedestrian accidents while texting, why not give one to study the correlation of growth hormones and boobies?

Posted by Rightdude at 6:57 PM | Comments (1)

July 22, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Nakedness, Lottery, Movies, and a Noid.

The Dude on the Right couldn't believe that he actually got naked on a Saturday, well, sort of, and for this episode of Stu & The Dude's "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, he explains his nakedness.  Both The Dude and Stu Gotz do their normal weekend wrap-up about the movies they have seen, including "Mamma Mia!," "The Dark Knight," and "Space Chimps," The Dude tells Stu about what he and his BFF have been up to, and The Dude also tries to influence the attitude of Stu as to why he still has a figurine of "The Noid."

Netlix rentals are topics of discussions, as is Stu getting a Mac, as is winning the lottery, and as is, well, a wedding.

Sometimes the days of Stu and The Dude are very complicated.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:59 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Technology Sucks, No WGN, iPhone Schematic Requests, and a Cowbell.

The Dude on the Right has internet issues so he told The WGN to be patient and wait until next week to do a podcast.  But internet issues won't keep a good Dude down, so he recorded a quick podcast about "Batman: The Dark Knight," with Heath Ledger, his need for some iPhone schematics, and how having a cowbell on his iPhone just makes him smile.  Do you have a "cowbell" on your cell phone?  Good luck with that!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:22 PM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! The BFF Meets the Family, Lots of TV Talk, and an iPhone Update.

The Dude on the Right took his BFF to visit some of his family in the old country, while Stu Gotz missed a Cubs' game, and those are just some of the topics they both cover in this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!"

Sure, they also talk about miniature golf, give a shout for The Dude's mom to "Get well soon," the uber-coolness of the iPhone update, and The Dude is psyched to see "The Dark Knight," but let's not forget Stu's love of "Burn Notice," SCUBA, and the younger Gotz's love of "Mr. Men."  Now if only The Dude would have talked about his and his BFF's lottery winnings, well, this podcast might be complete, but that might just have to wait for The Dude chatting with The WGN, and explaining to said The WGN why opening car doors for girls could be fixed by more-advanced, door-unlocker key fobs.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:31 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2008

The Old Country With my BFF, Back to Normal Programming, Spock Philosophy, and an iPhone Update.

By: The Dude on the Right
As you may have noticed there haven’t been any new posting since nearly a week ago, and I have to admit that part of it was some laziness, part of it was being a busybody, and part of it was caused by a quick trip to the old country, where my BFF got to meet some of the members of my family. Yup, you can guess it, they all like her more than they like me! Oh well. I’ll talk more about that trip when I talk to Stu Gotz for our "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll have my nephew along for this Thursday’s podcast so I can explain to him why car doors do not need to be opened for dudettes anymore.

For some quick notes about the trip home, though, some of it was tad melancholy as my mom isn’t feeling too well, and I would have preferred my BFF’s first visit being under a different light, but on the other hand, mom’s meeting my BFF seemed to lift mom's spirits, especially when she could give my BFF her two word, blunt, synopsis, of the old country. The trip was also a great time for family members to pummel me about my lack of chivalrousness, when I was just trying to do some recon to assess the threat assessment of our group and make sure the coast was clear on the treacherous path from the safety of the craft store to the safety of the dude-mobile. I risk my life for the safety of the group, just like Spock philosophied in "The Wrath of Kahn," that "The needs of the many outweigh," responded by Kirk "The needs of the few," with Spock coming back, "Or the one.," and what happens, I get chastised for it! Some people are so ungrateful, but I’m sorry, I digress.

The trip home also had the tech nerd in me in total withdrawal because, while I was gone, Apple came out with their giant update for the iPhone, and although I’m waiting for a 3g version of the phone that will hold all of my music before I buy a new one (and from the news reports of the activation meltdowns that occurred last Friday I’m kinda glad for that), I kept looking at my iPhone, with its old, crappy, obsolete version of firmware, knowing it would be days before I could have a lightsaber duel with another iPhone user, be able to "scratch my records" like a DJ, or have a better way to organize my grocery store list. As I’m typing this blog, though, my iPhone is doing all of its updating, and hopefully, as opposed to those poor schlubs who had problems on Friday, maybe my utmost patience (it is a virtue, don’t ya know?) in not pulling out my laptop while I was at the old country, on Friday, to spend the time to upgrade it the minute I could and ignore my BFF, will pay off. See, who says chivalry is dead?

Well, my iPhone is almost done upgrading, it’s time to get back to work, so normal programming of Entertainment Ave! is ready to be back on track tomorrow, with a fantastic, phenomenal, enlightening, and exciting new podcast of "Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. I hope.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:43 PM | Comments (0)

July 7, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "Hancock," Fireworks, Cars, Church, and More!

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz survived the 4th of July weekend with all of their appendages attached, but more surprising was the fact that The Dude didn't get struck down by lightning as he entered a church with his BFF, especially since The Dude, at times, wondered more about what the sensors were at the top of the ceiling and why parents let their kids wear street clothes to mass, as opposed to focusing on what was really a nice homily, about an "e-mail" from God. This podcast, though, of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" isn't all about fire and brimstone, or at least fireworks and religion, the boys also talk about cars, "Hancock," "Nancy Drew," Pringles, and some upcoming nuptials. The Dude also sends "Get Well Soon" wishes to his Mom.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:12 PM | Comments (0)

July 3, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Apologies to The WGN&N, Bro-i-l, Sis, and Night Ranger. That Said, Happy 4th of July!

The Dude on the Right is in the doghouse for many too many reasons, so for this podcast he tries to apologize to The WGN&N, his Bro-i-l, and his Sis (but maybe not that much to his Sis), for previous comments done wrong, and he's also doing some apologizing to Night Ranger because The Dude always wanted to be a weather forecaster, but sucks at it, thus causing him to miss their concert.

The Dude also hopes people play things safe this 4th of July holiday weekend.  Hopefully he won't try the firecracker experiment mentioned in the movie "Armageddon," and you shouldn't try that science experiment, either.  You should, however, super-supervise any kids in your sight playing with sparklers, because, as an adult, that's your job.  1800 degrees F is a sparkler temperature (that's the bright, glowing part on the rod of a sparkler), and also close to the burning temperature of cremation.  Do your best to not let your kids, or the neighbor kids, know what it might feel like if they get cremated.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:16 PM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! RV-ing, Penn & Teller, Movie Talk, Toilet Paper, and More!

Some travel issues delayed Stu Gotz getting back in town so the podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" was a day late, and even with some extra time, well, The Dude on the Right screwed up the opening.  But that's okay because they have lots to talk about, including some movie talk about "Wanted," "Wall-E," "Presto," and "Letters from Iwo Jima."  The Dude relates to Stu that he really should get Showtime so he could see "Penn & Teller: Bullshit," and Stu should also get Sirius Satellite Radio so he could hear ABBA, 24/7, for a couple of weeks.  Stu, on the other hand, relates his woes of toilet paper at airports.  They both talk about a fight at the Cubs/White Sox Crosstown Classic, they talk about tattoos, and with the 4th of July weekend coming up, they talk about how it looks like The Dude's BFF still won't get to meet any of The Dude's friends, even with the lure of REO Speedwagon.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:54 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: A Special Guest Podcaster, The WGN, Joins for TV, Comedian, Gun, and Socially Inept Talk!

The Dude on the Right was joined by The WGN for this Thursday podcast, and they talk about a lot of things. The Dude introduces The WGN to "America's Got Talent," the both talk about George Carlin, and The Dude learns that The WGN is making contacts for his future. They both talk about guns (how topical, what, with the Supreme Court decision today), family gatherings, and if The Dude's family is socially inept. The Dude is also happy to hear The WGN knows who Night Ranger is, hopes the two of them might be able to see Radiohead at Lollapalooza, and fears he might get sucked in to "Dolphin Olympics 2." Maybe The WGN is a worse influence on The Dude as apposed to The Dude being a worse influence on The WGN?

Posted by Rightdude at 7:24 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Computer Issues, Movie Talk, The Rest of the Family, and Remembering George Carlin

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz both had computer issues for this podcast, which they, sadly, reiterate in way too much detail, before they get to the fun stuff like Mama Gotz being pissed at The Dude for recommending "No Country For Old Men" to Stu, Stu wondering if there is any way he can now get free stuff from Apple since his shipment is late, The Dude meeting the rest of the family of his BFF, and both of them remembering George Carlin, with his "Seven Dirty Words" historical rant and "The Buddy Christ." In the end, George Carlin, R.I.P., or the hell with that, The Dude just hopes Mr. Carlin can make everyone laugh in the afterlife because it is what he does, did, and should be doing for ever, more.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2008

I'm Boycotting "The Love Guru," but Who is Rajan Zed, and Why am I Getting So Many E-Mails, Maybe From Him?

By: The Dude on the Right
As I have fallen behind on a couple of things, well, the last thing I wanted to do was to waste a couple of hours at a movie that degrades a religion.  Yup, for the last bunch of months I've been getting e-mails from, well, I'm not really sure who, although there is an e-mail address yet I'm not really sure if it is valid or a spoof, mostly because I'm too lazy to actually reply to the e-mail and figure out exactly who is e-mailing me.  In any case, though, they have been promoting that Rajan Zed (maybe not so surprisingly the e-mail prefix is "rajanz"), who is a prominent Hindu leader (at least so says the e-mail), states that I should boycott the latest Mike Myers' film, "The Love Guru," because, at least with today's e-mail (it's the only one I didn't delete), "it lampoons Hinduism and Hindu concepts and uses Hindu terms frivolously."  With that line, especially since this e-mail was sent after Rajan supposedly saw the film, I knew it was my civic duty to skip the film and save two hours of my life.

The e-mail continues in its lambasting the movie, saying "the antics of Guru Pitka (Mike Myers' character in the movie) are a mockery of the esteemed institution of guru," also stating "This is pure and blatant ridiculing and Paramount and its parent Viacom should immediately issue a general public apology for denigration of Hinduism and Hindu concepts, utter disregard of the protesters, backtracking on promise to pre-screen the movie for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders, making no efforts to have an open civilized dialogue with protesters to arrive at an mutually acceptable solution, Zed said."

As the e-mail begins to wrap up, we get:  "Rajan Zed further said that comedy should make everybody smile and should not come at the expense of ridiculing others faith and spreading misinformation.  Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion followers and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. No faith, larger or smaller, should be ridiculed at."

Hear, hear, Rajan, I'm down with you brother!  Oh, wait, don't most comedies ridicule others, if not their faith, and spread misinformation?  Never mind, hear, hear Rajan!

But do you want to know the most bizarre part of the e-mail, calling for my boycotting of "The Love Guru?"  Well, I'll tell you.  It's the last paragraph that states, not something like "This is why we are calling for a boycott of "The Love Guru," or "until Paramount and Viacom recognize the dignity of Hinduism...," we get this:  "'The Love Guru' (88 minutes), a comedy starring Mike Myers (of Austin Powers fame), opened today nationwide and will be released in different parts of the world in the near future.  Viacom's family of brands includes MTV, Paramount, DreamWorks, etc.  Paramount Pictures Corporation is a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment."  What the hell kind of ending to an e-mail calling for a boycott is that?  No "So maybe you might want to boycott those entities as well," nor "You should also be boycotting "Kung Fu Panda," instead just a vague "legal" disclaimer about the movie, complete with the movies running time.

Suddenly, all this e-mail seems to scream is "I'm Rajan Zed.  How can I get loads of publicity?  I know, Spam!", or a viral campaign on the part of someone to make people go and watch "The Love Guru" to see if it actually "lampoons" Hinduism, because some news outlet are bound to reference the e-mail, or if this e-mail was really from Mr. Zed, maybe his press release should have been written in first person, starting out simply as "I am Rajan Zed, a Hindu leader, and after seeing 'The Love Guru' I urge you to boycott the movie, and here's why..."

Now that I think about it, I'm not boycotting "The Love Guru" because of this series of e-mails I received saying the movie makes fun of Hinduism, because, you know what, I'm all for making a mockery of all kinds of governments, ethnicities, freaks, geeks, jocks, horror movies, religion, and any other stuff that is open to be made fun of, especially if it's done in a funny way.  I'm boycotting "The Love Guru" because, from the trailers, it looks like a load of crap, and from the early reviews most of them say it is a load of crap, and you know what, I've got more important things to do right now than invest in a potential load of crap.  This movie will wait for Netflix, or cable, or a number of stints on the shitter, watching it in phases on my iPhone, unless, of course, Richard Roeper tells me to see it when I watch him over the weekend.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:52 PM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: A "The Swell Season" Preview, Meeting Family, The Bachelorette, and Missing "Nessun Dorma" on "America's Got Talent."

The Dude on the Right could really use a nap before this podcast about, mainly, going to see "The Swell Season," especially since getting back home was past his normal bedtime, but that's not important because this podcast isn't a full review of the show, just a quick blip at his still liking the folks from the movie "Once." The Dude also talks about some BFF family stuff, he's still watching "The Bachelorette," and is bummed he missed the premier of "America's Got Talent" where some dude did a great version of "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's Turandot, complete with Jerry Springer interrupting it, because, well, it's on TV.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:52 PM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Meeting the Parents, Minor League Baseball, Movie Talk, and a Dirty Health Scare.

Suddenly both Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right have a lot to talk about for their "Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast, complete with an exciting topic like doing some painting in the garage for The Gotz family.  The Dude gives Stu his movie recommendations, and there is also talk of a skin blotch scare.  Stu blew out another hard drive on a computer, Stu also re-remembered how much fun a minor league baseball game could be, and The Dude tells Stu the tales of his meeting some of the family of his BFF, and how a Father's Day gathering for his BFF family is way-different than any family gathering at The Dude's family household, both being good in their own kind of way.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:17 PM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: I'm Done with Digital, Dr. Drew v. Tom Cruise, Golfing Where Tiger Wood's Golfed, No New iPhone for The Dude, and Movies Galore!

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is upset because he might have deleted his only proof that he played golf, or at least hit a little, white ball, or at least was at a course that Tiger Woods plays at, because he can't find his picture of the 3rd hole at Torrey Pines anywhere on any of his hard drives. He knows that if he had that picture on film, well, he could put his hands on it instantly. His hating technology is now filtering from digital cameras to the latest 3G iPhone, because, go figure, the new phone won't have enough memory to hold his 6400+ songs, and he wonders who would win the boxing match of Dr. Drew Pinsky v Tom Cruise (or, most likely, one of Tom's lawyers). And in other boxing news, June 20th brings the match of Steve Carell v Mike Myers, with their movies, "Get Smart" and "The Love Guru." The Dude isn't really a fan of boxing, but he is a fan of big, green dudes, so he hopes to see "The Incredible Hulk" sometime, this weekend.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:58 PM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "Echoes," Movies, T-Ball, an Attic, and a Tornado!

They may do their podcast a day late, but The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are back for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast since The Dude got home from his visit to the old country late on Monday, so what better day than to do it than on a Tuesday! They talk about "Kung Fu Panda," "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," kids playing T-Ball, a tornado, a hot attic, Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel, and Mama Gotz hating The Dude. Underneath it all is "Echoes" from Pink Floyd, they also talk about Lake Delton not being a lake anymore, and a dog that got transported a couple of blocks thanks to the same tornado that Jim Cantore warned Stu about.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:12 PM | Comments (0)

Back to Our Normal Programming, Almost.

By: The Dude on the Right
Normally there would be a new “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast posted, with me and Stu Gotz, but as I am now just settling back into the dude-pad, and sure, the both of us could have done a podcast across the magical land of the internet had I really wanted to, I just wanted to acknowledge that maybe you noticed a subtle lack of postings since last Wednesday, with only our review of “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” getting reviewed. With that, I’m not blaming taking a visit to the old country to visit my Mom as an excuse, but, in a good way, to be detailed in later conversations with Stu and some blogs, I’m blaming a visit to the old country, okay, it’s just Lorain, o HI o, to visit my Mom, for those lack of postings. But you know what? - Chicken butt! The thing is that visiting Mom is always much more important than posting stuff on my web site, and the weird part is, even though I am 41 years old, I still asked Mom for permission to go and see said “Zohan” movie when I was at home. She told me to go and see the movie, but “Don’t be late for supper.”  I wasn't.

My weekend, though, was kind of weird, but leaving Illinois towards Ohio always goes through Indiana, sometimes leads to meeting up with some old friends from Lorain (but not this time), and even though I wasn’t the prepared Boy Scout that, well, I am not, when I went home, namely not bringing my camera gear, Lorain almost has some sparks of niceness getting back to it (I like the pavement of downtown Broadway), but if they end up defeating the “Oh my God, how am I going to afford the extra $15 for my license plate so that our roads are better” issue, I will then know that there really isn’t any hope for my hometown, and I will be sad (and more might be written about that later).

I did take some crappy photos of my lilac bush, tree, or whatever the thing has grown to be, but sadly, my lilac bush, tree, etc, lost most of its blooming with the oppressive heat Lorain was getting, just before my arrival.

Last night, though, I got back in the Chi-Town area, missing the numerous storms that have rumbled through over the weekend, with a slight power outage impacting me while I was gone, as far as I can tell, but a summer of discovery is ahead of me, and don't let me even get into how I'm trying to transplant a rose bush!  That is definitely a story for another day!

Normal Internet programming should be returning this week!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:57 AM | Comments (0)

June 3, 2008

Hannah Montana. Who Knew?

By: The Dude on the Right
I hate to sound like Andy Rooney, but did you ever get to the end of the night, tired and ready for bed, but then decide that you should send an e-mail?  And did you ever type that e-mail, attempting to be creative, sure, maybe addressing something on your mind, but missing a larger point?  And then, did you click on the "Send" button, groggily think to yourself "Did I just write that?", so you check your "Sent" folder, re-read the e-mail transporting through cyberspace, and say "Oh, that probably just comes off so wrong."?  Yup, I did that last night, and now you are probably wondering "Dude, what the hell does this have to do with Hannah Montana, and you do know that she's a fictional character played by Miley Cyrus, don't you?"  My answer is that "Yes, I do know Hannah Montana is a fictional character," but be patient, because how "she" equates to a late night e-mail will be fully explained.

So, yea, last night I sent off an e-mail that, after re-reading it, after I had already sent it, I pretty much figured there was only one way to interpret a portion of it, and really wished someone would invent, you know what, never mind the invention thing, I think I'll keep that to myself, but my options were to attempt, still being tired, sending off an e-mail saying "Please don't read my previous e-mail," that, of course, the person will, faster than the speed of light, open the other e-mail and read it, or try to send an "Okay, let me explain the comment in my previous e-mail better," but being tired, needing sleep, and with the e-mail already on its way, my last option was to just head to bed, going to sleep saying "You know better than to send an e-mail, and try to be creative with it, when you are tired."  And eventually I fell asleep.

Then, of course, morning had broken, or rather my alarm went off, I woke up, instantly remembering the e-mail from the night before, and then kept kicking myself in the ass for sending said e-mail, much as I was kicking myself in the ass before I went to bed the night before (I so over-analyze things a lot).  But it was time for exercising, hoping that maybe it would take my mind off the e-mail for a bit before I might get a reply, so I'm into my shorts and t-shirt, the heart-rate monitor is fired up, the earphones are plugged into my iPhone, I select my "exercise" mix, and then, because I think Apple has put a cyber-brain into their products at times, giving them a life of their own, my iPhone "exercise" mix started to hit me with every song on it that screams "What the hell did you do?"  An Offspring "Why Don't You Get a Job,"  Evenescence's "Going Under," "3 AM" from matchbox 20, "Folsom Prison Blues" from Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond's "I Am... I Said," and "My Last Yeehaw" from Cowboy Troy kept infiltrating my music mix, which on any other morning would just keep my exercise-bicycling fired up, but this morning, just kept me thinking about the e-mail I sent the night before.

So I was about 20 minutes into my planned 45 minute exercise biking when I was close to bailing on the exercising, especially since my iPhone seemed to just want to torture me, and just getting on with my day seemed just a challenge enough.  But then, low and behold, came bouncy girl-pop music, "Don't let no small frustration, ever bring you down," and yes, as I am comfortable enough to say I liked the "Sex and the City" movie, yes, I have Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus on my iPhone.  There it was, singing through my earphones, the song "Life's What You Make It," and as I turned my focus to the lyrics, I started to realize that fine, my e-mail might not have been exactly how I wanted to word things, but I couldn't let it ruin my day, because life is hard or it's a party, the choice is up to me!

My exercising done, and Hannah Montana (yes, I know it's Miley Cyrus) singing in my head, there it was, an e-mail for me, pretty much stating exactly how I figured she would have interpreted the e-mail from the night before.  I still have to reply, but I suppose I won't try to get make it all "creative" and stuff, and not send the e-mail when I'm tired and groggy.

My day had a lot of potential to be crabby, at least in my head, but a fictional star snapped me back to reality.

"Life's what you make it, so let's make it rock!"  Hannah Montana.  Who knew?

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:18 PM | Comments (0)

June 2, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A MySpace Page Change, Catch and Release, and "Sex and the City."

The fallout from The Dude on the Right changing his MySpace page began after recording this episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, but Stu Gotz kind of preambles it by setting up The Dude with a music clip, only so that Stu won't have to ask a question he has repeatedly tried to get an answer to.  Stu's weekend was filled with family time and how snagging some "canal-chats" can be fun, complete with showing the kids that you can throw wounded fish back in the water, while The Dude saw "Sex and the City" with his BFF, expanded his culinary horizons, and heard opera at a gospel fest.  There is also some talk of wondering how some people don't get sued, and Stu ditched The Dude during part of the podcast in search of some nip-slips from the 2008 MTV Movie Awards Gold-Carpet broadcast.  Such can be Stu Gotz.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:51 PM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: The World's Greatest Nephew Needs a Nickname, Some Politics, Some Eddie Murphy, and Some Toilet Talk!

The World's Greatest Nephew is still in college, so The Dude on the Right might have to send him a few bucks to get a new headset, but even though the audio quality isn't the greatest, The Dude is happy to be able to do a podcast, through the magic of the internet, with his nephew. The WGN is pretty much tired of politics, but that doesn't stop The Dude from playing a clip of Father Michael Pfleger, but then they nicely settle into some banter about college, summer, movies, sex, and toilets. What better things are there for an Uncle and his nephew to discuss?

Posted by Rightdude at 8:05 PM | Comments (0)

May 28, 2008

Screw TV, except for, of course, "The Bachelorette," but I'm looking forward to the summer!

By: The Dude on the Right
Tomorrow night is the season finale of "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica" is slowly fading away, but it was tonight that I realized my TV viewing season is over, at least for now, especially since I don't have "American Idol" to blog about anymore, and other than, well, "The Bachelorette," which I now find myself fascinated watching because as much as I love seeing dudettes get uber-emotional about a dude they have only met for a couple of days, seeing dudes be uber-dorks in trying to get the hot girl is almost as fun.

But with the TV season done I realized this summer just might be a time for getting stuff done, just like when the "Writer's Strike," well, struck, and suddenly I found myself productive.  I have DVD's to review, I am doing my best to get back into the concert reviewing scene, and damn it, I will finally finish our "Stu & The Dude Reviewin' the Movies for You!" episode of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of umm, a street, somewhere, in London, with a meat pie shop, whatever the hell that is," even if that movie did come out, like, last year.  Maybe Stu and I will even do another animated review, and I just had a brain infusion of what it might be, and oh my God, it might actually have to be about a, well, something both of us are familiar with, and if he doesn't remember, for some messed up reason I remember him and Mama Gotz eating sushi from Dominicks (a grocery chain here in Chicago), which would bring up another topic about sushi but I'm not going there, yet, this summer, although I might actually try sushi, this summer.

Oh man, this summer is looking to be confusing, this summer is looking to be fun, and if luck has it, I'll get to see Neil Diamond again!

Screw TV, except for, of course, "The Bachelorette," but I'm looking forward to the summer!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:04 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2008

What's New? The Dude sees "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and Fireworks, Stu Wonders if He Can Get "Wii Fit."

The Dude on the Right saw "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" with someone who doesn't really like bugs, which, because The Dude is weird, actually made the movie experience bring a bigger smile to his face, but in the end it's all about the review, and The Dude does what he does.  Stu Gotz, though, is back doing some typographical reviewing, maybe because his kids might be a little too young to see the "Crystal Skull" movie, but that doesn't mean his family, or at least just him, can't get in shape thanks to the Nintendo "Wii Fit."  Hopefully Mama Gotz won't let Stu shove the thing under the couch to collect dust bunnies.  The Dude saw movies and fireworks, Stu is probably trying to figure out how to dry a sweater on a "Wii Fit."  Such are different weekends.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:31 PM | Comments (0)

"Wii Fit" Probably Won't Help Me Lose Weight, but Thank God for those McDonald's Trans-Fat-Free Fries!

By: Stu Gotz
I always knew the Wii had exercise potential…
Well over a year ago, when I woke up at 4:30am to be in line by 5am to try a purchase one of a promised 12 available Wii units at my local Target, I never thought the Wii could be anything more than the next generation, cool, video game console. That notion quickly changed the day I brought the console home and became out of breath after loosing 3 rounds of boxing to my 5 year old. I joked to the wife that day that Wii Boxing was a great workout, and I should start a regimen. Did I?  No, and I’m still a lard-butt over a year later, but all that's gonna change!!!

Reading the Sunday sale's ads in bed on a Saturday night…
While checking out the weekend sales ads I stumbled across the newest, must have, Wii accessory - Yup, there it was, the new Wii Fit, along with the optional Wii Fit Yoga Mat, available exclusively at Target, and they were going to be available on Wednesday. Perhaps now I could realize my fitness goals by playing Wii games? Figuring that there would be a rush to get the new Wii Fit, I planned my workweek to get me close to a retail outlet when the doors opened.

Would my Wii Fit dreams be dashed???
Wednesday came and I was running late. My Target store opened at 8am, and I was pulling into the parking lot at 8:12am. That’s ok… In a worst case there was a Best Buy across the parking lot, and they opened at 10am. I was feeling good about my potential of getting a Wii Fit as I strolled past the automatically opening doors of my Target, and I was faced by no less that 8 people checking out with Wii Fits. As I walked the aisle to the game area I was passed by 3 more people with Wii Fits tucked into their shopping carts. Then I saw the end cap... There were only 4 left! I rushed to grab one and felt a sense of accomplishment as I checked out with my new Wii Fit complete with Wii Fit Yoga Mat.

The Wii Fit family unpacking event…
After dinner I assembled the family together to unveil our new "game" to them. At first the kids didn’t seem too excited about the whole thing until their mom informed them that we could get a snow boarding game to play with the Wii Fit, and suddenly they were onboard, so to speak. Setting up the Wii Fit is simple, strait-forward, but does take a bit of time. One aspect of the set-up is that the Wii Fit assigns you a "Wii Fit Age" based upon your height, weight, age, and balance test. I faired better than the wife as I was assigned a "Wii Fit Age" of 45 and she was assigned an age of 49. We’re both 40. The Wii also took the customized Wii characters the wife and I had created, and in my case porked "me" out while slimming up Mama Gotz.

What’s this thing gonna do???
The Wii Fit is set up to be a fitness partner in 4 training areas: Yoga, Balance, Strength, and Aerobics. The family and I spent several hours familiarizing ourselves with all the areas, and the first thing we have come to find out is that we all lack balance, at least according to the Wii Fit.  Mama Gotz was the first to advance in the Balance Games and open the first bonus game, "Tightrope," although now she seems to be stuck there, because, like many other Wii games, the Wii Fit is set up to train the user and reward them upon mastery of a particular skill.

Bottom line, is this thing really gonna work???
Yes and no. The Wii Fit definitely has the potential to add an additional element to an exercise regimen, but if you don’t have a regimen already then I really don’t see this thing being a motivational source for someone to start one. Actually, I take that back, you’ll start one, but see my final paragraph, "The real bottom line…," below.  That being said, though, if the Wii Fit is shared by people with a friendly sense of fun and competition, you might just get motivated, but it just won’t be as much about reaching a fitness goal, rather one of who can take 1^st place in an area, or who can go on to the next level, therefore opening a new game or exercise.

The real bottom line…
Go look in the mirror - Are you either fat or just in need of some muscle toning? Now go look around the house - Do you have unused exercise equipment (drying your sweater on the treadmill does not constitute use)? Now search your mind – You can’t remember the last time you hit the gym or went for a jog, correct? If you answered, "Yes" to 2 or more of the previous 3 questions, then I have a feeling your new Wii Fit will be destined to collect dust bunnies under your sofa. Prove me wrong!!!

I'm Stu Gotz!  ‘nuff said!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:53 PM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: The Best Singer on the "American Idol" Finale Didn't Win, and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

The Dude on the Right is still flustered about yesterday's "American Idol" finale during this podcast, and it's not because David Cook beat David Archuleta. Nope, the The Dude is flustered at wasting 2 hours and 5 minutes watching a 2 hour and 2 minute commercial for Fox related programming, or singers we don't care about. Luckily Ryan Seacrest was able to announce the winner before the TiVo programming ran out, but more luckily was that Renaldo Lapuz was given the chance to regale us all with his version of "We're Brothers Forever," or "I Am Your Brother," or who cares, he was great. Other than "Lost," the Spring TV season is now over. Hooray?

Posted by Rightdude at 7:14 PM | Comments (0)

May 21, 2008

David Cook: This is your American Idol!

By: The Dude on the Right
For you west coasters, wondering who won "American Idol" this year, I would like to apologize for spoiling it for you, but for the love of any God, space alien, or cosmos wondering about how we are here on this planet, PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WATCHING THIS FINALE!!!!! (Although, if you TiVo it, head straight for the one hour and eleven minute mark to hear the greatest Idol singer ever).  I watched (some) of it, and here's how it went.

Yes, Ryan Seacrest bragged about how many votes were cast (something like 97.5 gabajillion, or at least 97.5 million votes), split between 56% for David, and 44% for the other David, they did a "here's what's happening in their hometown" clip, and then another lame sing-a-long.  Then David and David did a bad duet of Chad Kroeger's (he's the lead singer dude from Nickelback) version of "Hero," and then a bizarre, crappy, piece of shit, plug for the next Mike Myers film "The Love Guru,", trying to say that Guru Pitka is actually a real person, influencing our two finalists.  Oh my f-ing God!  What in the hell is this total crap? Mike Myers, you are no Sasha Baron Cohen.

The Idol folks then let Syesha come out to show she probably should be the winner, doing a duet with Seal of "Waiting for You," with, of course, Paula Abdul dancing her butt off.  And after about about a 4 minute commercial break we got Jason Castro back, singing "Hallelujah," again.  Yippee, although most of us probably already bought the Jeff Buckley version on iTunes.  And here we go, it's just want we want to see after another song, a product placement commercial for some Ford cars!  Another "Yippee" is in order!

Now we get the girl contestants singing Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money," in group fashion, only letting us remember how hot some of these dudettes were before they got booted from our memories because they couldn't really sing that great, and then, for more lameness, having Donna Summer come out looking almost dazed and confused singing what is going to be her new single.  Do we really want Disco back?  Out of the groove of her latest "hit," Donna's now into "Last Dance," with her having the excitement of, well, I'm sorry for being mean, but having none, letting Syesha show that yes, she is actually a singer.  And now, with the Donna Summer debacle done we get a Diet Coke commercial from like what, 3 summers ago?

Uggghhh!!!  (Can you tell I'm really flustered watching this show?)

At least we got a T-Mobile commercial from like a year or two ago where Dad says to his daughter "Maybe you should have uglier friends."  And then with another commercial break I TiVo'd through, we get Carly Smithson and Michael John singing an overproduced and "why the hell is this being done as a duet" version Joe Cocker/The Box Tops "The Letter."

And at the 43 minute mark, thank the Lord for Jimmy Kimmel!  Oh, my God, it's only the 43 minute mark!  That means there is probably another hourish left before we actually get to find out who is the next American Idol.

Now the guys get to sing Bryan Adam's "Summer of '69."  What the hell is it with having Ameircan Idol people sing songs released when they weren't even born yet, and now, yes, we actually get Bryan Adams to sing something new from him, "I Thought I'd Seen Everything."  Don't get me wrong, I like Bryan Adams, but Bryan Adams?

Yay, now David Cook gets to sing with ZZ Top, doing "Sharp Dressed Man."  For some reason, I don't think I can actually hear David's guitar.

Oh my God, I just can't take it anymore, now I'm getting Graham Nash singing "Teach Your Children" with Brooke White.  Actually, I almost like this performance, but I still can't take it anymore, can't blog about this anymore.  I'm going to watch some baseball now to see if the Cubs, White Sox, or Indians win, and will be back later to just announce who won.

Thank God for TiVo!

Okay, yes, I couldn't resist, I checked back, seeing that the Cubs were losing, and I'm torn between the White Sox and the Indians winning their game, and what do I see back on American Idol, but the greatest singer of all time, the "I Am Your Brother" dude, Renaldo Lapuz.  I actually have him as ringtones for some of my friends!  Screw Fleetwood Mac, Renaldo singing "I Am Your Brother" with the USC Marching Band is a hell of lot better than "Tusk."

It's back to baseball....

Okay, the baseball is boring, it's back to Idol.  Oh crap, it's Jordin Sparks showing, and damn, I hate to be mean again, but why can't she lose a couple of pounds to make herself a totally hot singer?  There's that, and I'm no fashion guru, but what's up with the outfit that explodes her hips?

Oh, thank God, another "product placement" commercial filtered in to the American Idol broadcast.  Yup, there's a movie coming out called "Tropic Thunder," and you might know it now.

Okay, never mind, Carrie Underwood is now on the show, showing why I might want to convert to vegetarianism, with a skirt that, well, umm, I'm going to pause this really quick.  Did I say I love my Tivo yet?

Okay, I'm back, that was quick....

Another group song - it's back to baseball...

The Cubs are still losing, the White Sox are now beating my Cleveland Indians with a home run, I guess I'm back to Idol...

Ughhhh!  Just give me the winner already!  It's been an hour and 47 minutes already!  This is really why I'm starting to hate this show.  And oh my God, they just brought out George Michael, who, surprisingly enough, has a tour to promote, and he's singing "Praying For Time."  Okay, he did a nice job with that.  But, of course, we have to promote his tour!

Finally, please, oh for the love of God, please, just tell me who in the hell is the winner!

Final thoughts from me - get back to why we actually watch the show, quit with the crap.  The result's shows should only be a half an hour long, the contestants should be able to sing full versions of the songs and be given a chance to be performers, and if you are getting mentors for these people, get actual mentors.

And so, David Cook wins "American Idol."  Good for him!  I'm tired, I have to get this posted, and I hope you didn't waste your time watching this two-hour, bloated, version of a finale, and just TiVo'd your way to the end.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2008

Who Will Be Your Next "American Idol"?

By: The Dude on the Right
Yippee!  We are down to the two David's, Mr. Archuleta and Mr. Cook, and I'm only still here because, well, it's a Tuesday, there really isn't anything on TV, and I've been doing this damn "American Idol" recap for the entire season so I might as well hang in there for the last of the singing.  Who will win, who will you vote for, will any of them trip and fall on their face (God, that would be great, wouldn't it?), and how much did they have to pay Michael Buffer to say "This... is... 'Americaaaaan Idooool...'",  so...

Let's go...

First thought, quit with the "Oh, we need a theme, let's make this like a boxing match" motif.  We don't care.  We just want to hear them sing, and why are we still going back to Andrew Lloyd Webber?  Yes, I admit, I like "Cats" and "Jesus Christ Superstar," but how many 12 year old girls do?  Just frackin' sing!  And it took them over 14 minutes to get to the ...

1st Round of Songs - Picked By Clive Davis
David Cook
 - Sings "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2
 - It finally looks like he might actually want to be a performer instead of just a singer.  He sounds good enough, is working the stage, and little David might have some problems if big David keeps the night like this. 

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on My" by Elton John
 - This song so much fits into his wheelhouse, and he's trying to keep his eyes open and not squint, but he fades back and forth on the eye-squinting thing that I just can't help but notice it.  He finally worked to break out of his shell, also, actually being a performer, but you still see a little more apprehension, mostly just from lack of experience, I suppose.

Here comes the...

2nd Round of Songs - From the Song Competition
David Cook
 - Sings "Dream Big" by Emily Shacklton?
 - David gets to play guitar, to a song I actually like, in the pop-rock kind of way.  Man, this could almost be a song by Jim Peterik for a "Rocky" soundtrack.  It's kind of cheesy (in a good way), but one, with the right band, could end up on every iPod of people who exercise for inspiration.  I'm guessing Simon isn't familiar with any of the "Rocky" soundtracks.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "In This Moment" by Ryan Gilmore?
 - Oh crap, David A. is back into his "I need to be the next Josh Groban" moment.  The song is nice enough, but we know exactly where Mr. Archuleta is looking to take his career - to an Oprah Winfrey performance hoping to supplant Sr. Groban.  He is still trying to open his eyes, but it still isn't working.

Here comes the...

3rd Round of Songs - Picked By The Singers
David Cook
 - Sings "The World I Know" by Collective Soul
 - Dude, if you win this thing it will only because you have the most loyal fan base because why in the hell do you pick a sort of obscure song for your finale?  Sure, you sang it nice enough, but do you actually think any of the viewers who would actually vote for you know a song that was popular in, what, 1995?  Let's see, the 13 year old girls weren't even born yet.  So much for converting any of them to your side.  I think Simon still realizes that David Cook, right now, has the best potential for a music career.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Imagine" by, umm, duh.
 - Oh, hell, who cares anymore?  He still squints, he still "croons," and the 13 year olds who aren't voting for David Cook probably heard their parents actually play the original version of this song, and are voting for this David anyway.

Let's wrap this up...
I think David Cook is the better performer, David Archuleta needs to really learn how to open up his eyes (that comes with experience), but the more curious thing will be to see, in the year 2013, who might still have a career?  I'm guessing it will be Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, and Kellie Pickler.  And maybe next year's "American Idol."  One of these David's will win, but I just don't see long lasting careers in front of any of them.  Maybe they'll prove me wrong.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:46 PM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: I Could Have Won $0.40, or even Millions, I've Got Too Much Stuff, and Here Comes Indiana Jones!

The Dude on the Right realized, over this weekend, that he has too much stuff, and some of that stuff should have been thrown out years ago, like a phone book from 1995, so for this podcast he laments on seeing a movie he didn't care that much about, namely "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," how he didn't win millions, or at least $0.40, and wonders why he still has a hand-held scanner that only scans in black & white. At least he still has a film idea on a 3 1/2" floppy and his hope that "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" will be good.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:59 PM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Shania Twain is Unattached, Starbucks Almost has Nudity, David Will Win American Idol, and a Tease for Monday.

The Dude on the Right is trying to figure out, during this podcast, how he will skirt the authorities in his trying to woo Shania Twain in either Switzerland or Canada, since he doesn't have a passport and she is breaking up with her hubby. He also steals a story from "The Roe Conn Show" about Starbucks and their naked mermaid, gets some audio he heard on "Howard Stern" as a tease for Monday's podcast, but does know that David will win "American Idol."

Posted by Rightdude at 6:41 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2008

A Judge's Pick, A Personal Pick, A Producer Pick, and Yes, Ryan, We know, This is "American Idol."

By: The Dude on the Right
So we've got the final three, it's David Cook, Syesha Mercado, and David Archuleta, and I'm starting to not care that much because this show really has lost the reason why we watch it. 

Let's go...
1st Round of Songs - Picked By The Judges

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel
 - So, Paula Abdul tosses David a bone for this song, because all David can sing well seems to be ballads, and David thinks it is a really pretty song.

He still can't open up his eyes if it could save the world, he's pigeonholed himself into his recording contract as a balladeer, and the underlying problem is still that he can't actually be a performer or work the crowd.  He sings nice, he squints, he just can't seem to approach the audience and get the girls to toss their underwear at him.

David, open up your f&#$ing eyes!

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "If I Ain't Got You" by Alecia Keys
 - Randy Jackson throws a song into the wheelhouse that is Syesha, and she does her hair right keeping it straight, and dresses nice, and more importantly she sings nice.  I do wish she would have "performed" a little more, but the only problem I had was she let her "glee" at being there mess up the "emotionish" of the song.

David Cook
 - Sings "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack
 - Simon actually gives someone a challenge, and David Cook took this song and almost even made me want to download it.  What the hell is wrong with Randy?  Simon actually knows how this contest works, and...

After the first round I'm going, in order, David Cook, Syesha Mercado, then David Archuleta

Here comes the...

2nd Round of Songs - Picked By The Contestants

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "With You" by Chris Brown
 - He decides for something new, and who the hell told him that this would be the song to make him a star?  He looks so damn uncomfortable now trying to be a performer/singer, and, I'm sorry, he dances like a white guy.  He sings nice enough, but damn, he needs a few more years under his belt to actually be a star.  Sorry, I know the young girls and grandmas like him, but Randy and Simon called things right for him.  He better hope the Producer people pick the perfect song for him or else he better hope his fan-base is super-strong.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "Fever" by, Peggy Lee
 - She needs to quit smiling, although I can understand how happy she might just be to be there in the final three.  She breaks character to be happy, then flips back into serious mode, then back into happy mode.  She's flaunting her voice, flaunting her, hmm, dress and body, but can't hold the "performance" side.  Quit smiling, stay in the "serious" character, and it would have been perfect.

David Cook
 - Sings "Dare You To Move" by Switchfoot
 - He still likes picking slightly obscure songs, decides he'll try to be a rocker with the guitar strapped around his neck, and does his best to rock it out, but sadly, someone has done this before on "American Idol," and they don't give him enough time to actually develop the song.  He could have been great with this song, if he could have actually done the entire song, but if the "American Idol" folks want to know why we are tired of watching the show, it's because the only get half a song to sing.  He could have been so much better.

Second Round: Syesha, David Cook, and then David Archuleta

Here comes the...

3rd Round of Songs - Picked By The Producers of the Show
And "American Idol" Producers, you have now put yourself into "We have to cram as much as possible into this one hour show so we can't actually let them sing a full song and actually develop it, so lets rush right into...

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg
 - He squints, but who cares anymore?  I'm almost wondering if he has eyes under those eyelids.  A lame song, he still can't be a performer for it, and still just sits there, on a stool, instead of hitting the end of the stage and wooing the girls.  And no, Randy, he can't sing the phone book.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "Hit Me Up" by, Gia Farrell?
 - So, the "Idol" folks are trying to turn Syesha into a Beyonce/Rihanna?  Do you people even know what you have here?  Gosh, she tried to work it, she worked to sing it, but this is not a song you give someone who you want to be the next Beyonce/Rihanna to try to pull off in a minute and a half, nor try to rehearse in less than a week!  Ughh you "American Idol" producer people, Ughh!  Syesha tried so hard, though, unless David Cook becomes a magic man, I want Syesha to win.

David Cook
 - Sings "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith/Diane Warren
 - He's screwed by a lame arrangement with the "American Idol" band, and he is so trying to work it.  The orchestra sucks, he only has 90 seconds to work it, and as much as he tries to promote it, I thought it was kind of lame.  I guess it sounded better on the Idol stage, because in my home, well, I hated it.  I've seen Steven Tyler sing this song, and David Cook is no Steven Tyler, mostly thanks to the band.

You know what, I'm tired of trying to figure out who might win this thing...  So...

Let's wrap this up...

My advice for the "American Idol" folks is to simply quit trying to make the show complicated, quit with not letting the singers sing full versions of songs, and I want Syesha to win because if anyone has grown during this competition, has come out of her shell, and has actually worked to be a performer, it is Syesha.  If you want my opinions on how to get "American Idol" back to actually getting people to watch, I'll just say something simple - quit with the crap, let every contestant sing the full version of the song, and keep the results-show to 1/2 hour.  All we care about on the results-show is who is getting booted.

If you want someone who is a pop-idol, that person is Syesha.  I'm rooting for her!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "Speed Racer," The Dude Leaves his Bunker, and Baseball Nuts.

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz are finally reunited for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, and they've got a lot to talk about. Sure, Stu saw "Speed Racer" and gives his review, The Dude has to explain that he had a great time shirking his duties and meeting up with a dudette from his school days, and Stu relates that he still can't understand sport uber-fans. The two of them talk about "Survivor," about "American Idol," and Stu tries to give a Netflix review of a movie that The Dude could care less about. Ah, such are Stu & The Dude!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:09 PM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2008

Eavesdropping in Millennium Park and Shirking My Duties!

By: The Dude on the Right
First off let me apologize for shirking my reviewer duties this weekend, but my Saturday turned out much better than I read "Speed Racer" might be, and I really didn't care about seeing "What Stays in Vegas" today, especially since today was a blustery, rainy day leaving some cleaning of The Dude-Pad actually a funner option since all of the reviews I read about the Vegas movie were mixed as well.  Stu Gotz, though, did see "Speed Racer" and promised to fill me in, and all of rest of you, during our "Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast" tomorrow, and I guess I'll have to give Stu some insight into my happily blowing off the movies for a day in the park and cleaning.

I suppose I should also fill Stu in with my latest obsession.

No, my obsession is not about my favorite sport's team, it's not about soap operas, it's not about searching for for information if Hillary has any chance in hell of beating Barack, and it's not even about internet porn.  Nope, I am slowly becoming obsessed with eavesdropping on people in public places.  It started the other day while I was hanging out in a Starbucks, with like, so, this girl who was so, like in the business world who, like, just liked to say "like" a lot, and "so" a lot, and I couldn't help if maybe the secret to advancement in the the corporate world, and maybe "The Hills" on MTV, was simply commenting about things with "like" and "so."

But then I spent some time in Millennium Park on Saturday, and I couldn't help but hear, while sitting on a bench, quips (with my initial thoughts) like, so:

• This is really a beautiful park area...
  Duh, it's Millennium Park, finished after the millennium, but you really would be shocked to see what is actually under the park!
• Maybe we should walk over to The Art Institute.  Which way is it?
  Doesn't anyone actually use a map anymore?
• Do you think those cigarettes are making us out of breath...
  Look, Mr. Skateboards, I know how you ripped your jeans, but do yourself a favor and Google "lung cancer."
• We found "The Bean!"
  Hey, that's "Cloud Gate" to you little skippy!
• Are your parents in Morocco?  Have they come to visit?
  He had a huge accent, she seemed Midwest, I'm guessing he'll never let his parents meet her.
• A baby was screeching loudly
  Actually, there were quite a few babies in their strollers crying/screeching, which is what babies do, especially when they are being strolled through a park they will never remember and just want a bottle, or their diaper changed.
• Now this I've never seen before...
  I wish I was actually looking at what this dude was seeing!
• The last time I was down here it was cold and gray and generally unpleasant.
  What in the hell are you doing visiting Millennium Park in the summertime?  Oh, I'm guessing it might have actually been winter.  :-)
• The Sound of Breaking Twigs...
  A dude with a ratty backpack, maybe looking for some inspiration, sat at the other end of the bench I was on, breaking twigs.  Bruce Springsteen has a song called "Thundercrack" on his "Tracks" compilation, but I'm thinking "Twiggycrack" won't have as much an impact.
• This is a dead end.
  There's a sort of fake sidewalk behind where I was sitting that people thought would lead them across Columbus Drive.  People, just take the "Snakey bridge"!
• Something was said in Spanish...
  My Spanish isn't what it used to be, actually it's not even close to what it used to be other than "Hola," "Dos Cervezas," "Donde el banyo," and "No hablo espanol," or something like that but with all of the appropriate accent marks, but there were some tourists speaking foreign languages.  Welcome, Bonjour, Aloha, Hola, Kon-nichiwa, and any other way we can say "Hello" to our foreign visitors!
• Daley Bicentennial Plaza
  She was tired, she just needed to sit down, and all she could read off of the sign was "Daley Bicentennial Plaza," which hopefully won't someday read "The Children's Museum that Should Have Just Stayed at Navy Pier."
• Yes, we flew than we drove back with them...
  I wonder who are "them," and were they safe drivers?
• You should see what is in his refrigerator now...
  What, human heads?  Maybe some Dijon mustard?  Is he all of the sudden a health nut stocking his refrigerator with fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian eggs, which I still wonder how eggs can ever be "vegetarian" no matter what they have been fed?

I know I shirked the fake, movie world this weekend, but sometimes reality can become so much more interesting when you have to use your imagination to finish some stories, especially when all you get is a sentence or two.  For me this weekend with "one sentence" stories to fill in, other stories about reality, and a few "No shit!" stories, was a hell of a lot interesting than anything I could have seen on a big screen.  It was a weekend where "life" was more exciting than "pretending about life," and I liked it.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:20 PM | Comments (0)

May 8, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: So, Like, It's Like Idol, Survivor, TV, and Like, So, Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

The Dude on the Right was mesmerized during this podcast because he was intrigued by a dudette who liked to say "like" and "so" a lot while he was eavesdropping on a conversation at Starbucks. The Dude is also a little melancholy about the end of the TV season, what with "Survivor" wrapping up on Mother's Day, and "American Idol" coming to a close soon, but thankfully the Jack Johnson wannabe, Jason Castro, is done singing.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:41 PM | Comments (0)

May 6, 2008

Umm, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame week? What the Hell is That?

By: The Dude on the Right
Ryan Seacrest says we must vote, and I'm saying I don't care how poorly Syesha might do, but vote for Syesha because do we really want a top three finish of all dudes?  It's obvious we don't always vote for the best singers, so for the love of God, don't let "American Idol" become a sausage fest!

It's "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" night, which I really don't understand, except I guess it's songs you can pick which are from the R&R HoF.  But why are the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions still held in New York City instead of Cleveland which is where the Rock Hall is located?  I guess that is a story for another time.  And Paula must be happy because the format is back to normal where she only has to do her talking one performer at a time.  Hooray!

Let's go...
1st Round of Songs

David Cook
 - Sings "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
 - He is singing okay like he usually does, but he has all of the charisma of, well, he has none.  And why in the hell do you pick a song where the lyrics we all know are "Do do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do, do do...", or something like that.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "Proud Mary" by, Tina Turner
 - She is so much looking better with the straight hair, has nice gams, and almost has seemed to have come into her own as a singer and performer and might now just be the person to be reckoned with if the dudes don't step things up in a big way.  VOTE FOR SYESHA!  Simon didn't like it, but the heck with him, every week is a bad interpretation of someone famous.  Let's just revel in the fact that someone seems to actually want to perform.

Jason Castro
 - Sings - "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley
 - Yea, go figure, Jason Castro thinks he can sing Bob Marley.  He's trying to finally be a performer, but he's smiling during lines like "I shot him down."  We will see if people don't give a crap about his singing because if after this performance he stays alive well, we know all of the stoners are voting in force.  Simon was dead-on with "utterly atrocious" and "the only similarity was the hair."

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King
 - He's still squinting, but at least is trying to perform.  I'm not saying he should get all "crazy eyed," but dude, get used to the lights, open your eyes, and this performance would have been a hell of a lot better.  David's singing is good, but he's still got to learn to work the girls in the front row.  If he worked just one girl to show true confidence with the ladies it would have been fantastic, and his possibilities would be endless.

2nd Round of Songs

 David Cook
 - Sings "Baba O'Riley" by The Who
 - No, this song is not called "Teenage Wasteland," though many people think it is, and sadly for David he only had a short amount of time to actually sing this song.  What is really starting to piss me off about "American Idol" is they are not having the show done so the contestants can actually perform a song.  This is a song that can't be chopped into pieces for a couple of minute piece.  Ugh, the AI people are ruining this show because I almost thing David could have made this song great had he not had to chop it up.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "A Change in Gonna Come" by, Sam Cook
 - Well, Syesha is starting to show she might actually be the person out of all of these contestants who could actually have a recording career because she was fantastic.  Screw you Randy, Paula loved her, and Simon actually agreed with Paula.  As much as I say VOTE FOR SYESHA!, it might almost be better if she gets booted so she can get out of the "winner of the "American Idol" spotlight" and develop a career like Chris Daughtry.  In any case, Syesha, if you do win, don't let them drag out your career like they did with Jordin Sparks.

Jason Castro
 - Sings - "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan
 - He forgot lyrics, he just doesn't seem to give a damn about being in this competition anymore, and how in the hell did he even think he could pull off Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, so if he is not the one getting booted tomorrow we have found out that this show doesn't really matter anymore because the public just likes a pretty boy, or a stoner-looking boy.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Love Me Tender" by Elvis "and do we even need to end that with Presley?" Presley
 - Wait a minute, did he just say, or was he mocking me, that "I haven't really sung a romantic love song on the stage before?"  He's still squinting, the little girls and old ladies still probably love him and will text their hearts out for him, and I'll give him a few props for changing the arrangement a tad, or give credit to whomever might have changed his arrangement.  Whoever did the changes knew David would only have a short time to put this song out and hopefully made it work.  David, dude, you still need to learn how to open up your eyes.

Let's wrap this up...

All I can say is that the "American Idol" producer/director/whoever the hell is in charge of this monster is really screwing this up.  I say that because between last week and this week our contestants don't actually get to sing, nope, they get to sing a bitty-small portion of a song instead of actually getting a chance to perform a song.  The culmination of this was David Cook singing the worst, chopped version of "Baba O'Riley" ever.  Idol people, please, stop.  Get this show back to how we loved it in year one and two, because if next season is like this, well, I don't know if I can stick with it.  "Dancing With the Stars" lost my viewership, my Mom has already ditched "American Idol," but if you don't get back to actually letting the contestants learn to be performers, or at least sing an entire song, I might be done with it next year.

In any case, VOTE FOR SYESHA!  And other than being a dudette, she actually deserves it.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:17 PM | Comments (0)

May 5, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: "Iron Man," I'm Sad, I am Tired of Politics, and My BFF is Getting Demoted.

The Dude on the Right is happy for this podcast because he had a nice birthday weekend and saw "Iron Man"; The Dude on the Right is sad for this podcast because Van Wilder is marrying his dream girl, he had to demote his BFF, and he saw "Made of Honor"; And The Dude on the Right wonders if you know how to pronounce "Yahoo!"?

Posted by Rightdude at 6:49 PM | Comments (0)

May 1, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Happy Birthday to Me!, Vote for Syesha, Jason was Dumber, and Here Comes "Iron Man!"

For this podcast The Dude on the Right talks about getting a haircut, in anticipation of his birthday and having to renew his driver's license, by a dudette who blamed her sounding like she was stoned on a cold rather than, well, being stoned. He is also throwing all of his support to Syesha on "American Idol," thinks Jason might be the dumbest "Survivor" contestant ever, and wonders who he would beckon to visit him during "family reunion day" had he been a "Survivor" contestant. But as his birthday looms, and he gets out of his 40's, The Dude knows it is now movie season, and he can't wait to see "Iron Man" over the weekend.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:22 PM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2008

Neil Diamond is In the American Idol House! But Why?

By: The Dude on the Right
I love Neil Diamond.  I've seen him in 1996, 1998, 2001, and 2005. I've taken some nice photos of the man, I've done some cartoon drawings of the man (scroll down for it), and I have even taken my Mom to his concert back in 2001 which would have been a better experience for her (but maybe not so much of a story), had I splurged on a limo.  He is a singer, he is a songwriter, but hopefully for our last five folks in this contest it will be his performing skills that he can impress on them.  We'll have to see how that goes as the show goes on, so let's just get to it, and here's how I thought the five folks did...

ROUND 1
Jason Castro
 - Sings - "Forever in Blue Jeans"
 - Good choice for him.  It's bouncy, light-hearted, and works with him playing guitar, but he still isn't being much of a performer. 

David Cook
 - Sings "I'm Alive"
 - Good, pick obscure Neil Diamond songs people don't know by a performer who most people know all of his hits.  David did good with the "I'm Alive" song, but most people probably don't want to hear Neil Diamond songs they don't know.  Quit trying to be so "original."

Brook White
 - Sings - "I'm a Believer"
 - "I'm a Believer" is just so wrong for a song for her to sing.  She couldn't hit the low notes, it might have been in the wrong key, and these people playing their own instruments limit themselves because they are stuck behind the mike and can't actually work the crowd.  So far the performing side of anything isn't coming out.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Sweet Caroline"
 - So David tried to bust out of his melodic groove with maybe the biggest karaoke song in existence, and he didn't even fill in the "So Good, So Good, So Good" part.  He almost wanted to work the crowd for this song, but then hunkered back to just singing, almost seeming to hope he wouldn't forget the words.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "Hello Again"
 - It's nice enough, but just seems to be lacking some kind of punch that Neil puts into it even though it's a ballad.

On a side note, Paula Abdul has finally hit an all-time high for being clueless.

ROUND 2
Jason Castro
 - Sings - "September Morn"
 - Yea, we get the performer you want to be - the laid-back, hippie dude.  We get it, the dudettes probably like your laid-back attitude, and you picked good songs this week even though I found you lame.  You're lucky the chicks probably dig you.

David Cook
 - Sings "All I Need is You"
 - Yup, another obscure Neil Diamond song, what the hell are you thinking?  Sure, you might be trying to separate yourself and be original, but in a week you had two songs to pick maybe you should choose an obscure one for the first song (good choice though), and then bring reality back with a Neil Diamond classic so everyone could remember that.  You're probably lucky that you are a pretty-boy, rocker-dude, because that is the only thing you bring.

Brook White
 - Sings - "I Am, I Said"
 - You know what, I hate the fact that the band actually joined in because for her, doing this solo, on the piano, was really working for me.  The back-up band ruined it, because as a solo song this was actually a song I liked.  I still hate that she won't shut up when the judges give her their critiques, and I only wish I could see her do this song in a smoky bar, all alone on a piano, just being herself.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "America"
 - I know you are young, but who in the hell is coaching you on the songs for you to sing?  Of all of the Neil Diamond songs this is probably the worst choice in my head for you.  I guess it sounded better for his live performance because on my TV I didn't like it at all.  Am I hearing something different?

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "Thank the Lord for the Night Time"
 - She's at least coming out of her shell and trying to also be a performer, but I think it might be a little too late because, as I'm listening to her, Syesha could have probably turned "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" into a fabulous number, but the problem is the American Idol folks forced these people to do two songs in an hour.

Let's wrap this up...
As much as I love Neil Diamond I still have absolutely no idea why he was involved in this show.  The crappy part is that our contestants didn't need to try and fit two songs each into an hour, they really needed just one song each to fill in this hour - and perform the hell out of that song.  I hate to say this but the "American Idol" folks haven't seemed to realize why we love this show, and it's not for seeing people sing a verse and then a chorus and then being judged by Randy, Paula, and Simon, clipped because of time constraints.  Our time is precious, don't let us feel cheated.

I've pretty much given up on "Dancing with The Stars," and now I'm almost not caring about "American Idol."  Idol Producers, at least let these people try to sing.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Miley Cyrus and Mindy McCready being 15 Years Old, Roger Waters has a Pig, and Happy Birthday Theta Xi!

The Dude on the Right doesn't really relate how joining Theta Xi in college actually led to this podcast, during, well, this podcast, but he does so in his summary, and part of it was that something in 1864 led him to meeting The Dude on the Left in 1985, which eventually led him to having this podcast. Wow, how is that for confusing? The Dude on the Right at least keeps things simple for most of the rest of it, talking about 15 year old confusion, at least for maybe Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana), and Mindy McCready who was 15 many years ago, but a story about the death of Cheri Oteri's father also fascinated him, especially since it seemed both sad yet bizarre.  He still wonders why Roger Waters' letting an inflatable pig fly free during Coechella is news, especially since Roger has been doing this since at least sometime in 2006, but maybe The Dude on the Right will be back to normal after seeing "Iron Man" this weekend, hopefully, the day before his birthday.

The Dude on the Right is fascinated by some of the strangest things sometimes.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:48 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2008

I Should Have Just Stayed in Bed.

By: The Dude on the Right
With my weekend movie reviewing completed a day early after seeing "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" on Friday and "Baby Mama" yesterday, I was looking forward to a day to get things some things done around The Dude-Pad, and as Sunday's are my laundry day, what a great way to start!  That sounds simple enough only that for the first time in I can't even remember, I was in my bathroom, dressed, yet felt naked.  And then it occurred to me and I yelled, "Crap," only I didn't yell "Crap," I yelled the word even my Mom would be washing my mouth out with soap had she heard me say it.  And the word came out knowing that yesterday's jeans were the first article of clothing in the washer, therefore as the washing machine was still filling up, my wallet was toast, being soaked in a combination of warm water, floating dirt, and laundry detergent.  So I'm digging through my washing machine, looking for the jeans at the bottom, and sure enough, there it was, my wallet, soaked, and then the fun part came, actually reminding myself of all of the things in my wallet.  The simple things were there - driver's license, credit and bank cards, health insurance card, an expired Extended Warranty card for my car, and some grocery store cards.  Then I remembered some of the other stuff I knew might disintegrate, namely an old card to the lady who used to cute my hair, old pictures of my niece and nephew, and some receipts I didn't yank out of my wallet for expense purposes.  Luckily, happily, the disintegration didn't occur, most everything was saved, and the pictures of my niece when she was in Kindergarten and my nephew in 4th grade survived (sure, these pictures are from 1996, but they are both so much cuter back then)!  The only thing washing my wallet did do was remind me that I need a new wallet, as it has been slowly falling apart over the last six months, but damn, I love that wallet!

And sure, a wallet in the laundry isn't a catastrophic moment for the day, I just thank God it wasn't my iPhone, so I continued my day.  Sunday newspaper - Check!  Breakfast - Check!  A quick TiVo through "Ebert & Roeper At the Movies" to see how they, or at least Richard Roeper, felt about the movies I saw this week - Check!  Let's keep working on the newspaper while watching "Battlestar Galactica" - No check.  It turns out my cable system didn't seem to want me watching the show even though my TiVo actually changed channels this time, leaving me with a "Searching for signal message," or something like that, for an hour on my TiVo.  Uggh!  Now I have to call Comcast this week, and that is always such a joy.

Breakfast done, Sunday paper done, laundry started, all that was left for my day was cleaning the first floor of The Dude-Pad.  The breakfast nook/storage area for my fish-tank cleaning and maintenance stuff went fine, I found a spot for an old radio in my kitchen which would work nicely when I cook my extravagant meals, and I was looking forward to rearranging some photos around my living room area, doing some much needed dusting, and it occurred to me that I had an old photo I wanted to hang up but needed a frame that I knew I could pick up when I went to either A) The hardware store where I needed to pick up a new set of blinds for my living room window, or 2) Even at the grocery store while getting sustenance supplies for the week.

I measure the blinds I would need, 51 inches wide, I have my grocery list, I head out in the Dude-Mobile to the Home Depot, buy blinds that are 51 inches wide, and they even have three-packs of air filters for my furnace!  Bonus!!  I get to the grocery store, my shopping is complete, and then I get home.  I look down and there is the picture I needed a frame for that I didn't buy.  Alright, let's move on.  I bought liquid soap for my kitchen and bathroom dispensers, only to find the bathroom one seems to have issues, necessitating an improvising for some fixing, therefore slowing down my cleaning schedule, and before I cleaned my living room I figured hanging the new blinds would be the first step.  I'm up on a stool, the old blinds are down, the new blinds are up, and then I realized I couldn't walk around naked in my living room (not like I ever do, but I like knowing I have the option), because although the blinds I bought were wide enough, sadly I didn't pay attention to the length.  Uggghhhhh!  I was finally spent, too many things wrong, let's just watch cars driving left so I watched the end of the NASCAR race to clear my mind and said to myself, "Self, the living room cleaning will wait until another day.  I've had it."

So, resting on my couch, watching cars go round and round and then crashing, I didn't think my day could get any more into "I should have just stayed in bed" mode until my bed sheets came out of the dryer, and as I went to put one of my pillows back into a pillow case, the pillow case tore in places I can't even figure out how to mend.  Uggggghhhhh, again.

So, my Sunday, which was supposed to be all about me, turned into, still, all about me, but not like I pictured.  I washed my wallet, my cable company doesn't want me watching "Battlestar Galactica," I can't walk around in my living room naked, and I was reminded I need a new wallet and bed linens.  It is, as a day progresses like this, that I sort of wish I had a girlfriend, like Jewel, who would just utter the simple line, "Come on darlin', let's go back to bed."

I will say, that today, I did at least mount the bust of a moose, or maybe a reindeer, on my wall, but tomorrow will be Monday, and oh, that looks so promising, and I mean that in a totally sarcastic way.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Lee Elia Rants, Carly Smithson is Booted, and RIP Kenneth Keith Kallenbach.

After hearing about the passing of Kenneth Keith Kallenback during The Howard Stern Show this morning, The Dude on the Right realized he actually has a "blowing smoke through his eyes" story, and doesn't do his best to tell the tale during this podcast. He does, though, warn you as you are listening that you might want to watch your podcast volume during his visiting of the Lee Elia tirade about Chicago Cubs' fans. The Dude is also happy TV is back in full bloom, happy that Carly Smithson is finally off "American Idol," and is looking forward to seeing Neil Diamond as the A.I. mentor next week.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:01 PM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2008

It is Andrew Lloyd Webber Week. Shouldn't We Be Paying Attention to the Pennsylvania Election Results?

By: The Dude on the Right
So as a good American I suppose I should probably be hunkered down watching the Pennsylvania Primary Results to see if Hillary Clinton somehow pulls out a chance to solidly beat Barack Obama if only to further confuse who will be the Democratic nominee for President, but, dammit, it is Tuesday night, it is "American Idol" night, and there is more important voting going on in just about an hour.  Sure, it is Andrew Lloyd Webber Week for A.I., and Andrew Lloyd Webber is fantastic, legendary, a mega-force when it comes to musicals, and fine, I'll admit it, I'm a fan of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Cats."  Hell, I even saw "Cats" on Broadway back in 1985, although part of it is blurry as we took a high school bus ride from Ohio to New York City, and since I can't sleep on moving transportation and "Cats" was the first play we saw out there the evening we arrived, let's just say I was nodding off during part of it, at least I think so.  Man, some of those memories are blurry now, and unless my mind is really messed up, we also saw "Noises Off" out there, which I can still watch today and laugh my ass off if done even close to right.  But I digress.

So as much as I do appreciate the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, maybe the "American Idol" folks realize no one there has the personality/performance quality to make it as a pop singer so they're trying to see if they can make some money with them on the Broadway stage.  Maybe Andrew Lloyd Webber will actually get these shlubs to be performers, but I'm still praying for "Bruce Springsteen Week" when he can teach this group about performing, and then Artie Lange from The Howard Stern Show, now that he reneged on his resignation, will have to answer to this equation:  Bruce Springsteen + American Idol = Ball Shocking.

Enough reminiscing, enough praying, let's see how our last six folks sing...

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "One Rock 'n Roll Too Many"
 - My prediction is that even though she sings nice enough, and she is trying to perform it as if she were on stage, she's the first singer of the night and only her diehard fans will stick by and vote for her.  Sadly, or maybe happily, she has shown she will be able to make it on Broadway, just not the pop/Idol scene.

Jason Castro
 - Sings - "Memory"
 - This is not a song for "laid-back"-ness, which Jason Castro is all about.  The thing is that people who know the song (like me), will probably think it sucked, but fans who have no concept of the song might actually love it.  He needed to hit the "Jesus Christ Superstar" soundtrack and become Jesus, rather than singing anything from "Cats."  Horrible song choice.

Brook White
 - Sings - "You Must Love Me"
 - Does "forgetting the song" lend her to the bottom of the pack?  Does singing a Madonna song save her?  Once she got over forgetting the lyrics she did okay, but the performance aspect waivered.  Paula seemed crushed, Simon was correct about the stopping thing, and now we will see how strong her fan base really is.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Think of Me", I think.
 - So Andrew Lloyd Webber gave David the best bit of advice ever - to open his eyes, and yet he can't.  I guess he's a squinty dude who can sing well, but still lacks the performance skills because if the dude just approached the front of the stage, worked the girls in the front row, he would have shown everyone that he is better than just a good singer.  Simon again is correct.  David has to break out his shell and be a performer - quit standing in the center of the stage.

Carly Smithson
- Sings - "Superstar"
- This song fits in her wheelhouse, but there is still something about her that makes her "over-the-top" for the show.  She still shouts too much, she still seems to have this attitude of "I deserve to win this," and this song was probably a better choice for her, even though I still didn't like it that much.

David Cook
 - Sings "Music of the Night"
 - Yea, fine, you could be on Broadway, too.  You will probably stick around for another week, and at least you seem to try and work the crowd a bit, but you have shown that there isn't a pop-idol in this group.

Let's wrap this up...

Great, this week has shown that we've got six people who could probably be on Broadway, but not one of them has shown that they have the star power to be a pop singer.  Sorry, but I really don't care that much about these people anymore.  We don't need Mariah, we don't need Broadway, now we just need to see if these people can perform, and as I have been re-iterating from week to week, we really need a performing mentor for these folks.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:15 PM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Movie Talk, Artie Lange Talk, End of the World Talk, "Survivor" Talk, and more Talk.

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, mostly because of his own fault, but he still tries to blame Stu Gotz a bit even while he talks about penis and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." The Dude also talks some martial arts with the movie "The Forbidden Kingdom," how he is happy Artie Lange is back on The Howard Stern Show," that the end of the world is coming, and last week might have been the best tribal council on "Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites." The Dude also gives his tribute, sort of, to Pope Benedict coming to the United States of America.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2008

At First I Wondered "What Was I Thinking?" An Hourish Later My Legs Weren't Screaming "Frack!"

By: The Dude on the Right
Today was one of those weird days when I had everything planned.  My normal morning routine would easily be in place, complete with starting laundry, reading the Sunday Chicago Tribune while eating breakfast, and, at the same time, catching up some some TiVo viewing.  Okay, I realized I still can't seem to get recording the new "Battlestar Galactica" correct, muttered "What the frack!", then tried to set up a season pass I screwed up before, hoping it didn't miss this week's episode forever, or at least until the DVD season comes out.

But my Sunday also had a lot of errand-running planned, which, I know, is kind of lame, but the Sunday also had planned a one hour walk in my favorite Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve.  I was sort of curious to see how things were looking after they torched the place a few weeks back, except with a slight wind blowing from the northwest I knew heading north would make my walk back a little easier so I wouldn't get to see the result of the torchness.  And I'm walking, and I'm walking, and I get to the thirty minute mark and realize that I'm feeling good, my legs feel spry, I've got over half a bottle of water left, and I say to myself, "Self, why don't you just do the entire loop?  Why turn back now?"  Then I said to myself, "Self, What the hell are you thinking?  Do you realize that it will add another hour to this walk and your Sunday is already scripted."  Then I said to myself, "Self, it's a gorgeous day, with a slight breeze, and it hasn't started to heat up yet."  Then I said to myself "Self, shut the hell up.  We're going for the six miles."  Yes, I'm nuts.

And so I did my first six-mile walk of the year and it felt great.  I mean, my legs didn't get fatigued, I planned my water drinking properly, and it was actually more refreshing walking into the slight breeze on the backside of the loop than letting the breeze bring me home.  I also got to see that the crispy prairie was starting to turn green, the recent warm weather has instantly put trees into budding mode, and sure, there might be one more cold snap, or a crappy day or five here, but it looks like we have really, finally, turned the corner into the Spring and Summer season.

And also and, the walk was not perfect because there was one miscalculation, especially since my original plan didn't include a six mile, one hour and fifty minute walk, and that was I was wearing jeans.  I woke up this morning, didn't get myself a gun, didn't figure for the six mile walk, and haven't put myself back into "shorts mode" yet, so I pulled on my Levi's, put on a t-shirt, embraced the subtle, slight chill in the air, not thinking that less than two hours later I would be a little sweatier than I planned, had people on the trail looking at me like "What the hell is that dude wearing jeans for?", but you know what, at the end of it all, I got to see some deer frolicking in the prairie, and sure, you can't see the mallard in the upper picture of the pond but I did (I so have to bring my better camera gear), and the burnt prairie is starting to sprout grass.

So what if my running errands were bumped by about an hour.  So what if I was the dork wearing jeans on a six mile walk.  And so what if my iPhone photos aren't up to my normal standard.  It was a beautiful day, it was great to enjoy it, and it's almost time to get my white, pasty legs in some shorts.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:30 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Kristy, Priscilla, and a Cougar are Gone. But Not Google.

The Dude on the Right is in a lamenting mood for this podcast. First he's sad that Kristy Lee Cook got booted from "American Idol," then he really doesn't care that Priscilla Presley got booted but is still sad that Adam Corolla was knocked out of "Dancing With the Stars" competition, he is a little torn that a cougar got shot to death in Chicago, but what makes him most sad is that Google profits makes him remember that he could be worth about $50 million bucks.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:49 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2008

The Gloves are, Umm, Sort of Off?

The Gloves are, Umm, Sort of Off?

By: The Dude on the Right
So as I'm updating some stories over on the "Mostly Entertainment" site while I'm waiting to see who is getting booted from "American Idol," I've got the Democratic debate between "Crazy Eyes" Clinton and "Don't Call Me Osama" Obama on, and as far as I can tell it's still the same old crap: A question is given, the candidate responds and then somehow shifts their answer to because I will help "Bring back the troops," "Save the economy," or "Fix health care," no matter what the question was. Just once I would like some fire and brimstone, and one of them, or at least in this case Barack, to just slam back "Who taught you how to down a shot.", or Hillary to blast "Nice bowling form."

At this phase I almost just really want "down and dirty."  John McCain is just kind of floating around, like "La, la, la, you know what, if I am President I'm going to get rid of the gas tax!  Won't that be swell!"  Why, because right now he has no competition, he doesn't know who he is running against, and he just needs to try to stay in the news.  Hillarity and Barackability keep going back and forth, subtlety trying to say "I'm better than they are, nyah, nyah, nyah!", but deep in their heart don't you really want to know what they really might want to say, something like:

"You're Pastor is an idiot."
"Oh yea, let me go and videotape your Pastor for a bunch of sermons."
"Well, your wife is finally happy to be an American."
"Yea, well your hubby got his pickle whistled right under your nose."
"Fine, I hate 'Crown Royal.'  That's why I didn't down it."
"Me neither, you know why?  It's from Canada!"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
"Look, let's just go to the corner bar and get a shot.  You in?"
"You got it buddy.  What do you suggest?"
"The old Number 7, a shot of Jack Daniels."
"Ummmmmm, Jack Daniels."
"You do know why the bottle is square?"
"No, why?"
"So that when you get pulled over by the cops it doesn't roll out from under your car seat."
"Wow, that's cool.  How did you learn that?"
"In colle.. I mean, on the internet.  Yea, on the internet.  Man they've got a lot of good information there.  So truthful."
"Look, I'm sorry about that 'elitist' remark."
"Yea, I'm just sorry I wasn't a better bowler."
Both together: "Over the lips and through the gums, look out America here we come!"

Look, that is a joke, but everyone, in a Presidential race, especially as I have been paying somewhat attention to these races over the years, just tries to tell us what they think we want to hear.  For a change I really wish someone would quit with the posturing and just be a real person.  The sad thing is that person has no chance to win.

And if Hillary plugs her website once more during this debate, I'm going to puke.

I've got to go now and see who gets booted from "American Idol."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:37 PM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2008

It's "Mariah Carey is in The House!" in Your Best Randy Jackson Impression Week

By: The Dude on the Right
I used to be a fan of Mariah Carey back in her singing days, when she was soulful and just different enough from Whitney Houston to make me like them both.  Now she seems to be a lot more about club and dance music, but I guess that's where the money is at.  She's the mentor of this sad-sack of singers, and, fine, most of them aren't sad sacks, but most of them really need to learn how to perform because they can already sing.  I wonder if Kristy Lee Cook will turn a Mariah song into a country song... I guess we'll find out as the show goes along.

Let's go...

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "When You Believe" by Mariah/Whitney?
 - Mariah thinks his singing is just beautiful, and David keeps things slow, which has become his forte.  Nice leather pants, he knows his element and is working it (though I would like to see him branch out and try to rock).  Right now the biggest problem I have with him is he can't open up his eyes enough to look like he is confident.  He's a squinty guy.  Hopefully being first won't hurt him so people don't forget about him by the end of the night.

Carly Smithson
- Sings - "Without You" by Badfinger/Harry Nilsson
- She covered up the tattoo, which is nice, and she picked a song that isn't really a Mariah song which lets her sort of get out the shadow of Mariah for us older folks.  She did good, looks better tonight as a singer, but this is a song that needs a performance, which she didn't give.  Her hope is that Mom's are remember this song from its original heyday, and vote for her.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "Vanishing" by, well, Mariah Carey
 - Sings nice enough, but this song doesn't lead one to be a performer.  I think I'm stuck on the performer part because so far, for the many weeks, no one is looking to be one.  She's "whoa, a whoa, a whoa-ing" all over the place, but even though she sang nice enough, where is the being a star?

Brook White
 - Sings - "Hero" by, umm, Mariah Carey
 - Boo hoo, so your sister didn't plan her wedding properly to not interfere with your being on "American Idol" plans.  She kept it in a key she could sing, did the smart thing and stuck herself at the piano, which I liked but don't know if the public will like it.  She sang nice enough, but there are only a few piano players who can connect with an audience, and she's not there yet.  And she still won't shut the hell up when the judges give their opinions, and now there is some kind of reference to a juicy burger in a bun.  Hmm?

Kristy Lee Cook
 - Sings - "Forever" by, let me guess, Mariah Carey
 - What the hell kind of hug was that, the one she gave to Mariah?  The key seems to be to sing songs no one knows on Mariah Carey night, which makes us not give a damn.  You know what, we want to compare these people to Mariah Carey, and we want them to sing Mariah songs we know even if they are from over ten years ago.  She still looks good, the performance was bland, but I don't mind her sticking around because, well, she is purty and probably has a nice career ahead of her on the country side if she doesn't screw it up.

David Cook
 - Sings "Always Be My Baby" by damn, Mariah Carey, again.
 - Yup, the dudes do have it easier this night because there is no way we want to compare them to Mariah.  His problem is the key seems wrong, just a tad too low, so he can't punch it up to the level this song could be.  He tried to do it at the end, but it's either too flat or too sharp (I always had problems figuring that out).  Sorry David, Daughtry would have done this right.  I guess it sounded better in the studio because Simon, Paula, and Randy loved it.  I found him droning. 

Jason Castro
 - Sings - "I Don't Wanna Cry" by, who would have guessed, Mariah Carey.
 - Good enough, especially for the last song so everyone will remember him, but as nice as it sounded I found him boring as hell.  It must sound better in the studio than on TV because even Simon like him.

Let's wrap this up...

I'm past the singing part because all of us know these folks can sing otherwise how in the hell did they get here, and thankfully Kristy Lee Cook seems to have gotten over her "not being able to sing" stage and is starting to dress hotter, but the bad part about this year is none of them are transforming themselves into performers.  The other crappy part is that they don't need a singing mentor, like Mariah Carey, pimping her new album, nope, these boys and girls actually need someone who can teach them to the next level, of how to touch the audience, and as much as I've been pimping Bruce Springsteen showing up on "American Idol," I'm thinking Neil Diamond, who has a new album coming out that he can promote, might not be that bad a choice, either.  Skip the "Here's how to sing" crap, let's get to "Here's how to perform."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:33 PM | Comments (1)

April 12, 2008

But on What Occasion Would I Wear a "MILF Island" T-Shirt?

By: The Dude on the Right
So I'm watching the TV show "30 Rock," as I am wont to do because I enjoy it, and the episode dealt partly with the "finale" of "MILF Island," with "20 super-hot moms, 50 kids, and no rules," and the first part of me, as a fan of "Survivor," knew that if there was actually a TV show called "MILF Island," I'm sure I would be watching.  The second part of me knows, now that NBC has screwed it up and probably copyrighted the concept somehow, FOX won't be able to actually make it a series, nor will CBS, who did their own exploitation of children with "Kid Nation" and all they would have to do would be add some super-hot moms.

In any case the episode of "30 Rock" made me laugh, but then quickly reminded me that I am old.  Why?  They advertised that you could actually buy a "MILF Island" t-shirt, I found that very funny, and I even thought of jumping online to order one.  Then I quickly caught myself saying "Self, you're not in college anymore, even though you may think you are.  Where in the hell do you think you could actually pull off wearing a 'MILF Island' t-shirt?"  And in listening to myself I realized there isn't any place in the entire Universe where I could pull off wearing that t-shirt, although it would be sort of funny to try, especially if I could be a fly on the wall, listening to the comments wearing it had brought about.

I might still buy it anyway since I need a new t-shirt to wear while I'm exercising at home, and I know that every time I would look in the mirror while wearing it, well, it will make me laugh, but could I wear it in public?  Maybe I should just buy one for Stu Gotz. I'm sure he would wear it, out in public, and be able to make the ladies laugh.  He has that way.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:20 PM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Artie Lange, Tiger Woods, and Paula Abdul. How About That Mix?

Lucky for The Dude on the Right he was listening to the West Coast Feed of The Howard Stern Show, so he was able to hear the entire Artie Lange meltdown, resigns, quits episode during the show, especially since it appears Howard might have put the nix on the replays of the show during the rest of the day. With no new information on the fate of Artie Lange, during his Thursday podcast, The Dude talks about it, doesn't relate his theories on what is going on well, but there will probably never be another day when "Artie Lange" and "Stern Fan Network" are #1 and #2 on Google Trends. Tiger Woods and The Masters were dropped in rankings, thanks to Artie, and from The Dude's observation, Kristy Lee Cook did not have a nip-slip during last Tuesday's "American Idol." Neither did Paula Abdul, but the podcast does have a new edition of "Paula Abdul Clips of the Week."

Posted by Rightdude at 6:58 PM | Comments (0)

April 8, 2008

It's "Inspirational Song" Week - Oh I Hope Someone Sings "Gonna Fly Now!"

By: The Dude on the Right
Because this is the week we are supposed to give money to the "American Idol" crusade of "Idol Gives Back," to make them look or maybe just feel better about themselves even though the Idol folks, Fox, and AT&T are making boatloads of money off of us just by our watching and texting in our votes, (can you sense my bitterness at their crusade), this week our contestants will be singing "Inspirational Songs."  I'm wondering if one of them will really put the concept over the top and sing "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago.  I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see and then, tomorrow, give all of our money to "Idol Gives Back" instead of paying our mortgage, because who pays their mortgage nowadays even though they have a big-screen TV to watch "American Idol."  Can you still sense my bitterness in their having a charity and asking us to give them money?

Anyway, let's go...

Michael Johns
 - Sings - "Dream On" by Aerosmith
 - Good song choice for him, but he's no Steven Tyler.  Any singing issues could get tossed aside if he was a better performer, with a better outfit.  He so needed to work the crowd better, somehow.  And Paula won't shut up.  Please let her keep it up, this could be a banner week for Paula quotes.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "I Believe" by Fantasia
 - So, let's suck up based on a previous Idol contestant, that I would say a majority doesn't know her music anyway.  Again, singing well enough, she did hit the high note, but I don't think she performed or connected with the crowd the way she needed to in order to make her a star.

Jason Castro
 - Sings - "Over the Rainbow" the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version.
 - I'll leave out the "Meet Joe Black" reference, and the fact that I know the version he is doing first because of the radio dude Steve Dahl, and the fact that you would never picture a dude like Iz singing this song, which is actually wrapped with "A Wonderful World," but Jason did a version consistent to the surfer dude he portrays, and Iz would probably be proud.  Too bad he didn't have enough time to do the full version Israel does - do yourself a favor and get Israel's version from his "Facing the Future" album on iTunes.  Make sure you get the right version with both songs.

Kristy Lee Cook
 - Sings - "Anyway" by Martina McBride
 - Sticks with the totally country side, which works for her, but unless the country fans rally behind her, this song might be her downfall because she still doesn't perform.  She sings well, she looks well, but I don't give a crap.  I guess I had to be there because she didn't come off as a performer which is where I think all of these folks need to now work now.

David Cook
 - Sings "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace
 - Can these people pick any more obscure songs?  What the hell are you doing?  He's probably got enough of a fan base to keep him here, but this is a song that is all over the place musically, the band and singers had no clue how to pull it off, and maybe it's one of his favorites, and I will give him credit for probably being the best performer so far, but this was just too all over the place.

Carly Smithson
- Sings - "The Show Must Go On" by Queen
- First off, how do you not tell the history of this song when Freddy Mercury was dying at the time he sang it.  Sure it's inspirational, but Freddy's story about this song is more inspiring.  She's a singer, she knows what she's doing, and she's got a fan base.  This will keep her floating around for a while, she overdid it, but if you want to know about this song, and the ending days of Queen, head to the Wikipedia article.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Angels" by Robbie Williams
 - I'll give the dude credit for pulling out songs that people won't really remember until the chorus, and then singing them nicely, and this week he almost put an "Elton John" vibe into his performance thanks to staying at the piano.  The thing though, is if you look at his eyes, he still looks a little lost, in a "How and why and I'm here?" mode.  With this performance, though, he's back to being the one to beat.

Brook White
 - Sings - "You've Got a Friend" by Carol King
 - She sings purty, she looks purty, and you can connect with her.  It was a nice, slow song, but she still doesn't shut up when the judges critique her.  There still seems to be the lacking of performance with her.

Let's wrap this up...

The week was about inspiration, no one sang "You're the Inspiration" or a song from a Rocky movie, and for the most part, none of them, sans David Cook, seems to know how perform outside the safety of the microphone stand.  Carly had a chance but she blew it, and if David Archuleta wins, I don't care what any commenters post, he seems to be trying to set himself up as the next Josh Groban instead of, well, being better than Josh.  Rumors give David's life a complicated story, which is perfect for "Oprah."  His goal should be to get there.

Real singers show up on tomorrow's "Idol Gives Back," or at least popular singers, and then we are back to these people who sing nice enough but can't perform.  Now I've got to go back to my TiVo to see who got booted from "Dancing With the Stars."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:37 PM | Comments (0)

April 7, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Prairie Fires, Movies, Dieting, and Poop.

Luckily The Dude on the Right wasn't engulfed in flames over the weekend, and Stu Gotz hasn't gotten the poop beaten out of him by Mama Gotz yet, so the boys are here for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. With the weather being nice outside, both The Dude and Stu made the most of it by staying inside and watching movies. Also during the weekend, while The Dude was grilling a steak, it appears Mama Gotz was on a diet, at least according to Stu, (Why she's on a diet The Dude can't understand because he doesn't think she needs to lose any weight. Stu, on the other hand...) though the diet Mama Gotz is on might have failed to mention an important aspect prior to measuring your waistline.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:10 PM | Comments (0)

April 5, 2008

Spring has Come! Spring has come! Hallelujah! Spring has come!

By: The Dude on the Right
Let me repeat the title of the blog!  Spring has come!  Spring has come!  Hallelujah!  Spring has come!

Finally, after months and months of snow, cold, more snow, and a sneaky 60 degree day in January sparking warnings of "Here comes Global Warming!", it almost looks like Spring has sprung here in Chicagoland.  Sure, this is a time when, depending on the direction of the wind, Chicago proper can still find itself almost in winter temperatures, but out here in the suburbs, and with a southwest wind, all of us were enjoying temperatures in the 60's, just like a day in January, with a lot of sun.  It's the kind of day that reminds me of college, when a day like this, especially if it were a weekday, would cause many of us to venture through the roof hatch of the fraternity house and blow off classes, enjoying a welcome day of sun, an evening of coolness, and beverages provided by the father of one of the brothers.  And although this day reminded me of camaraderie on a roof, I took to enjoying it in other ways, namely being stuck indoors for a couple of hours watching a just okay movie called "Leatherheads," but making a point to enjoy the day with a walk in my favorite forest preserve, Springbrook Prairie, mostly because it's my closest forest preserve with a great walking trail, and  later sparking up the Weber for a nice steak.  The sparking up the Weber of the story will probably wait for my weekend wrap-up with Stu on Monday because of a Home Depot experience, but my walk made me wonder:

Why are they setting the Springbrook Prairie on fire, and why didn't I bring my real camera gear?

As I am wont to do sometimes, especially when the weather warms up, I like to pop in the headphones, fire up my iPod (which, I'm sorry, doesn't seem to have "random" but seems to have its own musical preference for the day because I only own one Smashing Pumpkins CD, "Siamese Dream," and with 13 songs it is about .205% of the music on my iPod, but Mr iPod decided it was in a "Smashing Pumpkins" mood, playing 3 songs from the CD in one hour, and not even "Disarm" which is actually why I bought the CD in the first place, and I'm sorry, I digress, back to fire).  So I start-up my iPod, start my walk, and see smoke in the air.  Yup, it is time for the prairie folks to do controlled burns, and as I am continuing my walk I wonder why.  I mean, come on, this prairie preserve is pretty big, yet for some reason the forest preserve powers that be seem to burn part of it every year?  My desire for finding out why will have to come later, when I get home, but as I'm walking, in the distance is a pack, a group, oh hell, a bunch of deer.  They seem confused, they are grouped outside of the fire zone, seeming to look at each other saying "What the hell is going on?"  And then the moment of wishing I had my camera gear came because even though I tried to snap a picture of the deer with my camera phone it came out like crap, so it isn't here.  The deer were jumping, scrambling, and looking for a place to get away from the smoke and fire, and with my real camera, well, I might have had a nice shot.  Instead I've got these few photos of the work the forest preserve is doing to make a meandering creek, how the prairie is still in "We're just getting over the winter" mode, and lots of smoke over the prairie, complete with the edge of my finger.

Missing a great picture of the frolicking deer aside, it was great to finally get back to the forest preserve this year because as much as movies are sometimes an escape from reality, there are portions of the trail when you can look and not see civilization, except, of course, today, when they were setting it on fire.

I did do some looking as to why they do these controlled burns, and as much as a Minneapolis site seems to have the best explanation, the site for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which owns the Springbrook Prairie, does state “The District uses prescription burns, in part, to remove invasive, nonnative vegetation. This improves conditions for native species, which possess a natural advantage, having evolved to coexist with fire.”  Now I just wonder how I can evolve to coexist with fire.  Wouldn't that be cool?

Sometimes I wish God had made a place as perfect as Chicago on a high 60/low 70 degree day.  Oh wait, I think he did, it's called San Diego (Big Cooter, it might be time to plan, for us, you're 5th year wedding anniversary party), but you know what, at least our prairie fires are controlled, usually.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:06 PM | Comments (0)

April 3, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: An NKOTB Warning, Adam's Still Dancing, and Paula Abdul Clips of the Week!

Even though The Dude on the Right is kind of lonely, he does find the time to put together another podcast complete with a quick warning about the return of NKOTB. Boy bands unite! Warning aside, most of his podcast is about TV with the return of "Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites," no London Bachelor, the booting of Steve Guttenberg while Julianne Hough is wearing too many clothes on "Dancing With the Stars," but, most importantly, The Dude got off his ass, or at least paid attention to his TiVo, and brings back "Paula Abdul Clips of the Week!"

Posted by Rightdude at 6:25 PM | Comments (0)

April 1, 2008

As Much As I Love Dolly, These Singers Need Bruce.

By: The Dude on the Right
Tonight's mentor was Dolly Parton, and I know if I were there as a contestant I would be screwed because rather than listening to anything she said I would be just mesmerized with her, umm, voice.  Yea, her voice.  The only thing I would be focusing on would be her big, giant, voice.

In any case, these contestants overcame Dolly's voices, I mean voice, and here's how I thought they did. (And, yes, the opening "April Fool's Joke" during the she show was really lame.  If they really wanted to do it right they would have teamed up with ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and have millions of people wondering what was wrong with their TV sets.)

Let's go...

Brooke White
 - Sings - "Jolene"
 - A great song for her, and as much as I like her doing the acoustic guitar thing I think she would be more potent if she wasn't sitting on the stool and able to "work" this song more.  She's already got the fan-base so I don't think it will hurt her, but for "American Idol" this needed to be a "performance" song.

David Cook
 - Sings "Little Sparrow"
 - So David, this week, decides to actually do his own arrangement, and Dolly had nice things to say about it.  The country fans might not like it, I did, and although the singing was off a bit at time, who the hell cares?  His confidence is growing and it shows, and for him, I hate to say it, but like a dude named Daughtry, it might be better if he loses.

Ramiele Malubay
 - Sings - "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"
 - She sings nice enough, but what a wrong genre for her to be in after last week's issues.  She's not country, and she's not rock and roll; I think she needs a "Rihanna Week" to pull her out of her funk.  Sadly she will probably be gone by that night because even though I like her spunk, but she still seems scared.

Jason Castro
 - Sings - "Travelin' Through"
 - Simple enough song, but I don't think he has the fan base to keep him going much longer.  For me I can't envision him on a big stage, but rather doing a lot of acoustic shows in the smaller clubs, with fans that love him.  He hasn't shown himself to be able to command a 20,000 seater, on a big old stage.

Carly Smithson
- Sings - "Here You Come Again"
- This might sound wrong, sexist, or whatever, but she doesn't have the look to pull off this song.  Sure, her voice is good enough, but this song doesn't seem to to in her genre of music.  Randy and Paula (especially Paula) really liked her, but Simon had his issues.  I agree with Simon.

David Archuleta
 - Sings - "Smokey Mountain Memories"
 - Dolly really loves him, she almost even cried.  Damn, I really like this young dude, and even though his voice cracked a bit, on the slow songs he seems to be fantastic.  I still, wish, that he would do something up-tempo to see if can turn into a true performer instead of just wowing the dudettes.

Kristy Lee Cook
 - Sings - "Coat of Many Colors"
 - Please tell me she is going to get off her butt and sing this song to the audience because she is singing great enough in the country genre.  Okay, she got up, and is still singing nice enough, but she needs to learn a lot about performing, and if she wanted to get any mentoring from Dolly it would be how to be a performer and not a singer - if I were her, for this song, I would ask Dolly how I could touch her, umm audiences.  Sadly Kristy was boring as usual.

Syesha Mercado
 - Sings - "I Will Always Love You"
 - She sings purty enough, and I like her sitting on the piano.  She comes across better looks-wise this week, but I really wish she could have pulled off getting her butt off the piano for the ending of the song to really blast it out for the crowd.  She almost had a chance to blow this song out of the house, but instead just sang it.

Michael Johns
 - Sings - "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right"
 - As much as I didn't like a lot of his carrying on with this song, as a "performer" and not a singer he was probably the best of the night, and since Paula talked to long, and my TiVo flipped to "Dancing With the Stars" and "The Biggest Loser," I'm not sure what Simon said.  Doesn't matter, he did great and should stick around until next week when I can re-adjust my TiVo Season Passes so Idol doesn't get clipped.

Let's wrap this up...

The thing that sort of makes me sad is that pretty much everyone on the show right now is great, or at least good singers, but only a few of them seem to have the personalities to be performers.  Every one of them you can picture singing in a smaller club, with a group of fans, but none of them have shown the step to the next level.  I suppose Dolly Parton week wasn't the time to see that (although a lot of them should have gotten tips from her about being a performer rather than a singer), but if the "American Idol" folks want to truly groom any of these kids, bring on a Bruce Springsteen as a two-week mentor to help them become a small-club person, which most of them already are, to a stadium rocker, which he is.  Pimp The Beatles if you must, but teach them Springsteen or The Rolling Stones.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)

March 31, 2008

The Cubs Still Suck, but Is It "Lets" or "Let's"?

By: The Dude on the Right

Another year. Another Cubs' Home Opener. Another day of crappy weather.

Alright, fine, in the history of Home Openers, today's weather wasn't that crappy, but a couple of rain delays didn't help the mood, again working to convince me that I need to stop going to Opening Day for the Chicago Cubs, that is, until next year.  And even though my Mondays are usually set aside for podcasts, I'm not in the mood to talk mostly because I will probably do bad things like pronounce Fukudome wrong, or get into a tirade about the help a member of the County Sheriff's department gets when his car overheats (fine, maybe it was on fire, but from the vapor escaping under the hood at the time it didn't look like a fire, but it was enough to warrant two State troopers, a Chicago roller closing an entrance ramp, a couple of IDOT trucks, and an emergency vehicle, all of which caused a traffic delay that caused me to have to risk my car in a lot near Wrigley Field, paying more to park than for my ticket, and I better get off of this subject right now before I really get myself in trouble.  See, I don't need to talk to get into a tirade!).

So today I'm not podcasting, I'm actually writing about how my horoscope was sort of correct, when, as I read it this morning it stated:  "Something weird will catch your eye today. You will find yourself attracted to this weird thing like a magnet is attracted to a refrigerator door."  The surprising thing is that there wasn't one thing weird (at least in my eyes), catching my eyes today, but rather two.

One is simple, and it occurred with where we were sitting, but quickly I noticed three dudettes paying attention to the game and filling in their scorecards, and I think what surprised me most was that these dudettes weren't tween girls being taught how to pay attention to baseball by their fathers, and they weren't blue-haired dudettes, carefully paying attention to every play.  Nope, these dudettes were college-age (at least I'm assuming because they looked like college girls, and were drinking beer), and they seemed to want to make sure their scorecards were filled in properly, especially the one sitting behind us, who got slightly confused when the Milwaukee Brewers had their pitcher bat in the 8th spot, and conferred with my buddy, The Dude on the Left, for the correct scoring of the inning.  Baseball chicks, old style.  Gotta love it!

The other weird thing that really caught my eye, and had me obsessing about it, was that today there was the unveiling of the Ernie Banks' statue outside of Wrigley Field, and as I saw the presentation on the TV at Sluggers, there, engraved on the side of the base of the statue, was the saying "Lets play two."  I didn't see an apostrophe and then I  began obsessing on if it should be "Lets" or "Let's," and wondering if maybe I just missed seeing the apostrophe.  So, after the game, while we were walking around the ballpark and in front of the statue, I made the effort to confirm what I saw, and engraved on the statue base was "Lets play two," at least I think so, unless I was hallucinating.  Now I am obsessed if "Lets" should be "Let's," or "Lets" is okay as "Lets."  My damn horoscope was right.

And on a third note, other than Fukudome hitting that three-run homer to tie the game, the other most entertaining part about the game was watching the ground's crew, their attempt at rolling up the tarp after the second rain-delay (it was very funny to watch, and I think they might need a little more Spring training), and their creating what looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics on the dirt in the infield.  Both The Dude on the Left and I think their has to be a more efficient way to accomplish what they attempted to do, and could be done complete with maybe some sponsoring from a company like ChemLawn.

Another Chicago Cubs home opener.  Another loss.  At least it didn't snow.  And who are these baseball scorecard keeping dudettes?  It's another year of baseball!  Let's play two!  Or should that be "Lets play two!"  Who cares, it just means Spring is hear, at least sort of!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2008

What to Write About: The Upcoming Cubs' Home Opener, or the Sirius-XM Merger?

By: The Dude on the Right
I was debating on whether to blog about going to the Cubs’ Home Opener tomorrow, or satellite radio. Sure, the two topics are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, and since I’m not really looking forward to the ballgame because of the weather I suppose, later this week, I’ll write about another Cubs’ Home Opener with crappy weather. That leaves this blog to wondering if I’m nuts questioning why there has been such opposition to the Sirius-XM merger, even after the Justice Department gave the initial go-ahead. This comes about after reading a story about how 11 state attorneys general want the FCC to put restrictions upon letting the two companies merge.

The story I read references the restrictions of making the merged Sirius sell interoperable radios, an a la carte basis of paying for channels, and the most bizarre, divesting some radio spectrum to allow another competitor into the business, and my wondering comes from my own experience the last time I drove home to the middle of Ohio from my dude-pad near Chicago and because even though I’m a Sirius subscriber, the satellite folks were in competition during the entire day, as they always are.

My trip home began on a Thursday, at about 1PM, which for me means that I was done listening to the West Coast feed of The Howard Stern Show. I listen to the West Coast feed because in the mornings, prior to the 8AM start time, I jump between Steve Dahl and Jonathan Brandmeier, depending on what they are talking about, and even after 8, if Howard isn’t on something that interests me, I’m now bouncing between the three of them. Mornings aside, on my drive, from 1PM to 2PM, I found myself listening to the Stern Wrap-Up Show, leaving me to 2PM where now that Dahl is in the mornings, I’m listening to Roe Conn on the AM dial of my car because I enjoy him more than anything "talk" on Sirius in the afternoon. The problem is that, during the day, the WLS signal only gets me to about the Ohio-Indiana border while driving, leaving me this time with the competition decision of music on some of the Sirius channels or my own music on my iPhone, but you know what, this time I was in the mood for my own music so I put my iPhone into its car dock and listened to my music for the rest of the trip. In the span of the thirteen hours, starting when I woke up, my choices went from two radio personalities I enjoy on my FM dial, to listening to my satellite radio, to listening to music on my iPhone, and then arriving in my homestead driveway and saying "Hello, Mom!"

I guess, at some issue, restricting the merger is supposed to protect consumers and preserve competition, as the article states, but as far as competition, maybe it’s just because I’m lucky that I live in a city with such a great AM/FM radio spectrum (most of which you can actually get streaming on the internet), and I own an iPod-style product, so for me the competition is already there. And as far as protecting the consumer, satellite radio is not a necessity, for anyone, so if there is an issue of protecting consumers I would think Sirius, as an entity designed to hopefully make money some day, knows the price points that people will be willing to pay for their service. Trust me, as much as I like Howard Stern, if suddenly, after the merger, they say getting Howard will cost me forty bucks a month it will be "Goodbye Sirius, hello podcasts!"

But what I find most bizarre is the request of giving up some radio spectrum so someone else can become a competitor in the business. My question is "Why?" After seeing how Sirius and XM have had a hell of a time becoming profitable in competition, who in their right mind would think "Hey, there’s some satellite radio spectrum available! I can program radio better than the already established Sirius. Do you see how popular that Hannah Montana chick is? It will be all Hannah Montana, all of the time, from space! Let’s build a satellite!" Instead, if you really want to protect the consumers, I’m thinking you would leave Sirius with the spectrum satellite radio was envisioned with so they could expand services for the consumer, like the video-in-car system they are rolling out, and incorporating the real-time traffic on your navigation system XM has. And you know what, if they are a smart company, they will develop ways to use the extra spectrum, at a reasonable price, so that consumers win, and the company wins.

I was happy to finally read the Justice Department approved the merger, but surprised to read nearly a dozen attorneys generals now want restrictions. Maybe they don’t have the competition I have in my radio listening because their normal radio sucks, they don’t have an iPod with their own music (Dudes, and maybe dudettes, my 81 year old mom has an iPod), or maybe they don’t realize people are paying for programming, not necessity.

I will say I like the idea of a la carte pricing, but as far as competition, it’s already there. And far as protecting the consumer I would like to think Sirius’ mission statement isn’t "Let’s screw over the customer and drive this company into the ground." I’m thinking, right now, their mission statement should be "We will do everything we can to get Howard Stern, and hell, if this merger gets approved, even Oprah and Opie & Anthony, signed on for five more years after their current contracts are up. Hopefully they won’t want too much of a raise."

People generally need electricity - they "pay" for satellite radio, and will only pay when they find it beneficial and doesn’t cost too much. Attorneys general, maybe you should be worrying about gas prices, about your housing markets (especially you, Mr. Ohio), not something I will, or will not, pay for.

Sorry this blog is so long - I get long-winded sometimes, especially when I don't want the government messing up something I enjoy, like choosing between my local radio personalities, my satellite radio, and my own music preferences.  And damn it, there's a part of me that would like the option to listen to the Oprah channel.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:55 PM | Comments (1)

March 28, 2008

You Don't Need "Earth Hour," You Just Need My Mom.

By: The Dude on the Right
So, tomorrow, Saturday, March 29th, from 8PM to 9PM, if I want to participate in "Earth Hour," I'm supposed to turn off all of my lights, but what confuses me is that at the Earth Hour web site there is a link of what to do when the lights are off, but the link doesn't really tell me anything to do during that hour.  And with turning off the lights are they expecting me to also turn off my TV and my computers, which I consider essential appliances?  And with turning off the lights, and as they add, non-essential appliances, which must not include my TV nor computers because I consider them essential, I think my microwave oven is hard-wired so how am I supposed to turn that off?  And with turning off the lights and non-essential appliances (except my microwave), yet leaving my computer and TV on because I consider them essential, and changing to energy efficient bulbs, what if, during that hour when I'm trying to change my light bulbs, I drop one of those new compact fluorescent bulbs, thereby releasing toxic mercury into the air, how am I supposed to see what I am supposed to clean up without the lights on?  And with turning off the lights and non-essential appliances (except my microwave), yet leaving my computer and TV on because I consider them essential, and breaking that compact fluorescent bulb that I can't see how to clean yet breath in the mercury, when I fall down the stairs and break my leg how am I supposed to call 911 since I unplugged my cordless phone, which at the time I was unplugging things I considered non-essential?

Suddenly "Earth Hour" has become very complicated, but, as I reflect back on my life, I'm thinking none of us need an "Earth Hour" to help us remember to turn off the lights, we just need our Moms, or at least my Mom.  You see, my Mom is the Queen at knowing when we leave lights on, no matter what part of the house.  She will be sitting in her living room chair, see a large glow as we are leaving the kitchen, and tell us to go back and turn off the light.  She will be sitting in her living room chair, see a subtle glow from around a corner, bounced off a door and a ceiling, leaving just a smidge of brightness on a wall that shouldn't have a smidge of brightness on it, and say "Did you leave the light on in the bathroom?"  She will be sitting in her living room chair, seeing the remnants of light (and I swear light leaves "remnants" on your clothes, especially when you are coming from the basement), thus instructing you to go back downstairs and turn off the light in the laundry room at the opposite corner of the house.  "Earth Hour" pales in comparison to the "turning off the light" power of my Mom.

Since, though, Mom is in Ohio and I am here in Illinois, there I will be, tomorrow night, with no lights on, although my computer, TV, and microwave will still be working.  I'll be inhaling toxic mercury complete with a broken leg and a non-working cordless phone, still wondering what I should do with the lights off because the Earth Hour web site never gave me instructions on something to do during that hour.  And if those Earth Hours folks had at least said something like "Plan to be with the one you love, turn off all of your lights, pretend it's a blackout, and do what you would do in a blackout with the one you love," or in the words of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with!", well, I'm thinking the worst of my problems might begin to show about three months from now.

You know what, screw that being with the one you're with in a forced blackout like this "Earth Hour," and I suppose the word "screw" isn't the appropriate word.  Maybe it's better being curled up at the bottom of the stairs, with a broken leg, inhaling mercury, knowing my TV, computers, and microwave still are working, rather than child support some nine months from tomorrow.

The thing is just listening to my Mom will resolve all of these potential problems - Turn off the lights and wear a Jimmy Hat (my Mom is hip, she has an iPod).  Listening to her saves money, and future money.  Maybe we just need to listen to my Mom rather than worrying about turning off the lights for an hour and not knowing what to do.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Welcome "Tripping the Rift" Fans, Poor Chikezie, and "The Biggest Loser" Talk.

The Dude on the Right keeps this podcast kind of short, but he finds enough time to welcome visitors finding Entertainment Ave! thanks to looking up sixsells.com, the website for "Tripping the Rift," which is in the site because of their DVD review. He is also getting frustrated with "The Biggest Loser," and thinks Chikezie was robbed on "American Idol." Hopefully The Dude will quit worrying about the singers and get back to making fun of Paula Abdul.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:22 PM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2008

Is Seeing "American Idol" Live That Much Better than On TV?

By: The Dude on the Right
So it is "Songs the Year You Were Born" night.  Oh, goody, it is "Songs When I Was in College" night, or thereabout.  I'm sure flashbacks will be in order, but I'll only type about them if I think they will be okay for my Mom to read.  Here we go...

Ramiele Malubay - Born in 1987
- Sings - "Alone" by Heart
- A song I totally love, but man she doesn't have the pipes to pull off the chorus for this song and the bombastic sound the Wilson sisters had.  Totally wrong song choice, and I'm sorry she is sick.  Ramiele, quick shaking hands with people and then touching your eyes or picking your nose.  That's how you get sick.

Jason Castro - Born in 1987
- Sings - "Fragile" by Sting
- Does a good job by playing the guitar, it keeps him behind the mike and not having to perform.  The singing is good, the song is sort of boring, but it should be enough to keep him going, especially because I think the dudettes dig him.

Syesha Mercado - Born in 1987
- Sings - "If I Was Your Woman" by Stephanie Mills, I think.
- A really nice R&B performance.  Vocal range was good, performance was good, and this was a great performance that should keep her to the next week.
- What the hell is with all of these 21 year olds?  I remember, sort of, my 21st birthday, and I wasn't singing in 1988.  Thankfully the picture people supposedly took of me on my 21st birthday has disappeared, I hope.

Chikezie - Born in 1985
- Sings - "If Only For One Night" by Luther Vandross
- Chikezie is showing he might be the next R&B singer to blow up across the Universe.  From week to week he shows differences he can tackle, and he actually needs to lose this competition to make his own career, a la Daughtry.

Brooke White - Born in 1983
- Sings - "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
- How boring can you get.  Sure, it's nice on piano, and she screwed up the start, but unless she does something special to get her butt off the piano stool, or straddles it like Tori Amos, as much as I think she is purty, sings purty, and has talent, this week wasn't her best.  So much potential that went away.

Michael Johns - Born in 1978
- Sings - "We Will Rock You " by Queen
- Only a few words need to be written - You are no Freddie Mercury.  I guess a few more words are needed - the band didn't help.  I don't know what the judges heard, but he just doesn't seem to have the persona to be Freddie, at least on TV I guess.  For whatever reason I thought he wasn't that good.  Maybe I should just wonder what is wrong with me, or I need to be there, live.
- I was 10 or 11 when this song came out, the first album I ever bought was "Night at the Opera," and I found "News of the World" fantastic as the years went on, especially with the album art.  I always loved reading "No Synthesisers!"

Carly Smithson - Born in 1983
- Sings - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler
- A simple choice for her, but for me it just brings back flashbacks of high school.  Ugh!  Okay, singing wise Carly was good, but she just seems to be singing, not performing, and for Jim Steinman songs, as much as it is about the song, it's more about the performance of the song.  She just sang it, whereas Meat Loaf knows how to perform.  She needed to really find Jim Steinman history and how Meat Loaf made those songs performance art.  That is what Jim Steinman did.

David Archuleta - Born in 1990
- Sings - "You're the Voice" by Farnham Johnny?
- Is he just trying to get other people money by singing obscure songs?  That said, I really like the song, like the performance, and I was graduating college when this dude was being born.  He tried to branch out, but I'm guessing in 1990 there are better songs, that people might actually know, that he could have really blown out of the competition.  We'll see if his good looks still keep him in the competition.

 Kristy Lee Cook - Born in 1984
- Sings - "God Bless the U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood
- Gosh girl, I like you, but how the hell did you get this far in the competition.  You sing nice enough, at least this week, sort of, but you aren't a performer in any sense of the word.  Thank your lucky stars you got to the final 10 to go on tour because a lot of other singers are better than you.  And from the judge's comments, what the hell am I not hearing nor seeing on my screen tonight.

David Cook - Born in 1982
- Sings - "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson
- Nice change of a Michael Jackson song.  If anyone ever says "How do I make a song my own?" this is the performance they should show.  He works the stage, he sings like a rocker, and if he doesn't win he will probably have a fantastic career anyway.  He actually got in touch with a song with the year he was born, and if I had a dollar I might actually download that song version from iTunes. (Dude note: As I laid in bed last night I couldn't sleep because I just had to figure David's version probably wasn't his own arrangement. Sure enough, I did some quick research this morning and guess I missed at the beginning where they said it was Chris Cornell's version. Thought he did a good job, anyway. DOTR)

Let's wrap this up...

From a lot of the comments I'm guessing that the performances came off a hell of a lot better live than on my TV because, well, when I thought some of them didn't do well, Simon-Paula-Randy thought they were great.   I know live is better than TV, but is there that much of a difference.  If the "American Idol" folks want to prove it to me, fly me out for next week's show, otherwise, I don't think anyone did that well this week except David Cook.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:26 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2008

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast: The Dude's a Handyman and Stu's Bad Days.

Both The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz survived their respective Easter Weekends, and here they are for their Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast! Stu has been having some bad days, with today's reason being because he had to poop, while The Dude shows he still can be a handyman although he isn't very good at picking winners during March Madness. They both talk about movies they didn't see, talk about "South Park" which they did see, and Stu celebrated Easter on Friday - Find out why by listening.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:24 PM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2008

Davidson and San Diego - I Hate You. And I Love You.

By: The Dude on the Right
I'm back!  It was an Easter Weekend, and with my Dad's passing in January, and my sister making her way to the cold weather, instead of normally visiting a week earlier to avoid the holiday traffic, well, I ventured to Ohio this Easter Weekend just in time for about 6 inches of snow to shovel.  I also changed a bathroom sink faucet, but those are both stories for another blog or maybe a podcast.  This blog is about basketball, and my not being able to scream at my internet screen.

You see, for the first time in years, I wasn't able to sit at work and waste the bosses money, umm, my money, by paying attention to the first weekend for the NCAA March Madness tournament.  And then, when I was able to take a look, my picks were already looking bad.  Siena beating Vanderbilt hurt me a lot, although it probably hurt a lot of people, except those folks who were Siena alumni, but what really hurt in that first round was San Diego beating U Conn, one of the teams I had in the final two.  I figured I was sort of screwed, but who, other than San Diego fans, were actually thinking San Diego could win?  And as my brackets started to fall, it was today that I knew I was done, because, well, my final four is left at a final two, with one of them not getting to my finals.

That said, Davidson College, University, whatever the hell you are, I hate you, because my last chance for maybe a couple of big screen TV's, or some cash, well, was left with Georgetown.  If you had a fun college name like Gonzaga, or a fun mascot name like the Saluki's, or maybe a name referenced with God (Like St. Mary's who didn't seem to have God on their side losing to Miami), I would have picked you, but you were playing Georgetown, Hoyas, and you were a 10 seed, v. a 2 seed, whom I had at least going to the final four.  In my goofy name category, Wildcats v. Hoyas, I'm picking a Hoya.

And I lost.

And so, pretty much, I'm done with this year's NCAA March Madness season.  Davidson and San Diego, you both took me out of winning cool stuff, but with that winning I can quicklier get back to my life after one weekend.

For me it's one weekend and done for my NCAA Tourney picks, and now I have to go back to the Mega Millions this week, with a jackpot of $95 Million on Tuesday.  With numbers like 65, 87, 69, 87, 96, and a Mega Ball of 102, I know I can win.  Oh, wait, I don't think I can pick any of those numbers.  Maybe I'll just go with 1,2,3,4,5 and a Mega Ball of 6.  I think it has the same odds.

Happy March Madness!  Umm, it's almost April.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2008

It's March Madness Baby! And I've Got North Carolina? And Politics?

By: The Dude on the Right
It's March Madness Baby!  I suppose I could go back and look at the calendars, but doesn't this College Basketball tournament season seem to be a week later, we all know Easter is at its earliest, and my being on the road tomorrow is going to drive me crazy because I won't have an instant wireless connection to update the scores of every NCAA tournament game so I know that I'm still alive to win $5 Million bucks thanks to Yahoo!.  That, and it's also snowing at home (the picture on the right I stole from my sister).  I am also torn because I entered about six online pools and wondered if I should go for broke, with the same picks on every site, winning tickets to next year's Final Four, about $20,000 bucks, a couple of flat-screen TVs, and something else, or should I change my picks for every site hoping to just win something.  I went for broke.  Come sometime in April I will have a very cool Dude-Pad with money to spare and TV's, that is, unless, Michigan State can't get through a few rounds and Kansas State can't, at least, beat USC in the first round.

Also, with it being Easter weekend and today being the 5th year anniversary of our looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (at least we found Saddam Hussein, but where is Osama bin Laden?), I still wonder if I should get into political thoughts on my website.  His wacky Pastor aside, especially because as I have been sitting in a Church and took what my Pastor said with a grain of salt, I still think Barack Obama shows himself as a better states-person.  There, I said it again, I'm a Barack Obama man, and why in the hell can't we just get rid of all of this delegate crap since we seem to know how to count votes in 2008.  Maybe.

Good luck with your March Madness picks, especially since I have Vanderbilt beating Kansas.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2008

Watching Singers v. Dancers

By: The Dude on the Right
Last night I sort of watched "Dancing With the Stars," especially for my favorites, Julianne Hough, Edyta, and Kym Johnson.  Isn't it kind of funny that we don't need to reference Edyta with her last name anymore?  Anyway, I don't care about any of the "celebrity" female dancers much (nor the dude celebrities, but I did find Adam Carolla and Penn Jillette fun to watch), wonder why Julianne wore a giant, yellow outfit (rather than a skimpy, yellow outfit), and Kym actually looked hotter than Julianne.  But tonight the dancing is over because tonight is about singing (and cuter dudettes).

My brilliant dancing analysis will come later as their Spring season goes on, but here are my musical musings about tonight and singing, and it's The Beatles night, as opposed to John Lennon and Paul McCartney night last week.  How much did the "American Idol" folks pay for the rights to use these songs that mediocre singers could butcher, anyway? ...

Amanda Overmyer
- Sings - Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Something just sounds wrong, like she's not in synch with the band or something, but it's not working for me.  This song doesn't need a southern twang to it.  And I don't like her bouncing up and down while she is singing.

Kristy Lee Cook
- Sings - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
- What the hell did you ever listen to on the radio?  You picked the song based on title.  You don't know any Beatles' songs?  It's kind of "new" to you?
- She's cute but the song is in the wrong key (she can't hit the low notes), and if she keeps going on it's because she is cute.  She did hit the high note at the end, but the performance seemed kind of lame.  At least Paula thought she looked gorgeous.

David Archuleta
- Sings - The Long and Winding Road
- You thought "Dang it!" when you forgot the lyrics last week.  Luckily you didn't think "Oh, F&^$, how in the hell could I forget the words to a song in front of 30 million F$#%ing people?"
-  He shows his vocal pipes this week (again) so we know he can sing the slow songs, and if this keeps up he's the next Josh Groban.  He needs to prove he can sing something up-tempo in my book to make it to the ultimate pop level.  He'll be in it for the long haul even if he sucks just because the girls like him.

How stupid was that iPhone commercial.  I understand product placement, but Ryan Seacrest should be fired because he isn't even trying anymore.  Last week he busted on Jim Carrey promoting "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!", and this week it was the iPhone.  Either he is the worst pitch-man ever, or he is the greatest at scripts written up as "Promote this by having the attitude of "What the hell is this shit?"

Michael Johns
- Sings - A Day  in the Life
- This is not a good song to trim, though I thought he did a decent job trying to pull it off.  To do it his way he probably needed a month to work to rehearse it (and a different band), but I think the dudettes will find him cute enough to pull him to the next round.

Brooke White
- Sings - Here Comes the Sun
- She's married.  Damn, so much for fantasies about my future wife.
- No matter what, I think we have already found our next "Carrie Underwood Country Star" no matter if she wins or not.  She performs, is purty, and somehow seems to be able to put her mark on every song.  I don't care what Randy says, what Paula says, or what Simon says, because I really liked her "fly-a-way" performance and her attitude, but Brooke, don't beat yourself up so much because for me it worked.

David Cook
- Sings - Daytripper - The Whitesnake version
- He's sticking with the rocker mode, and this is a song that works for him, but I'm thinking the kids in the audience don't understand the voice box thing.  He should have just stuck to rocking and not gone Peter Frampton on our ass.  There's still something I don't like about him because it just seems he is copying people.

Carly Smithson
- Sings - Blackbird
- She's starting to get that "crazy-eye" look, where I can see the tops of the whites of her eyes, and it well, isn't a good look.  I will, every week, be not liking her only because she had a major recording contract before.  I know that is kind of petty, but for some of the other contestants where this is their first chance, someone who actually has gotten to the precipice, and even though the record company supposedly was her downfall, she has at least gotten there before.  And you know what, I didn't really like her performance this week, either.

Jason Castro
- Sings - Michelle
- He just seems giddy rather than in love while he is singing.  His smile is actually almost scary.  Dude, you need to learn how to drop that smile and make it sincere rather than a plastered-on smile.  The singing was okay, and although Simon thought he looked good, I thought the goofy look sucked.

Syesha Mercado
- Sings - Yesterday
- She's cuter with the tighter hair, with the ponytail.  The straighter hair was okay, but she just needed to pull it back.
- She sings nice, but the performance was boring except for the high notes.  The better place would have been at the front of the stage, not on the stool.  The singing should keep her going on through next week.

Chikezie
- Sings - I've Just Seen a Face
- He has just turned into my favorite "American Idol" contestant ever.  He works every genre, tries to step over party lines, and just seems to try to show that he can try anything.  He's a kind of bizarre dude, but sings perfect for every side.  The only problem is he doesn't know if he should settle into being Usher or Cowboy Troy.

 Ramiele Malubay
- Sings - I Should Have Known Better
- She was the last singer of the night, which is usually the one who is supposed to do the most fabulous version, but I thought her performance was boring, even though she sang alright.  Just an "Umm" for me.

Let's wrap this up...

Why does everyone take this season to bust on Simon.  It seems like an easy joke, but it's not appropriate for people to pretty much dismiss everything he might say.  I really hope they get away from The Beatles' songs, no matter how much they paid for them, because we have now found out that there are a lot of people who can't sing, or arrange, Beatles' songs.  Please let us get to wacky mentors again, because as much as they sucked, they were better than a lot of these people singing songs they couldn't learn from John Lennon nor Paul McCartney.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:03 PM | Comments (3)

March 13, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Ashley Alexandra Dupre (a.k.a. Kristen), Idol Talk, Nice Weather, and a Toilet.

The Dude on the Right changes the way he starts this podcast, which deals with lots of topical topics. Of course The Dude talks a bit about Ashley Alexandra Dupre, a.k.a. Kristen, a.k.a. the dudette who slept with Eliot Spitzer, but he also was able to enjoy some Spring weather hitting Chicagoland. The Dude also gives some thoughts on David Hernandez being booted from American Idol, but wonders about a woman stuck to her toilet, hoping, but doubting, that she had the coolest bathroom ever. The end question is if she was as comfortable on her toilet as the Easter Bunny to the right seems to be?

Posted by Rightdude at 6:19 PM | Comments (1)

March 11, 2008

The Pressure Starts to Hit the American Idol 12

By: The Dude on the Right
We are finally down to the final 12, thank whatever God you pray to, because now I can finally to actually try and get to know the "American Idol" contestants, or at least identify them better, even if it isn't really by their name.  It also helps freeing up my Thursday night TV viewing, especially as "30 Rock" and "My Name is Earl" returns pretty soon, because Idol is back to its appropriate two nights a week.  Enough prologue, the theme of tonight is the Lennon/McCartney songbook, so this night has the potential for some train-wrecks.  Let's get to the show...

Syesha Mercado
- Sings - Got to Get You Into My Life
- Better hair, nice look, bad earrings.
- Thought she started well, but then kind of messed up making it "her own" during the chorus.  Even though, she has the looks, the voice, and has tons of potential, she's starting to be a performer.

Chikezie
- Sings - She's a Woman
- He is really coming into his own and I think he did a great job.  He works the stage, acts just a tad goofy for the song, and at first, when "Idol" started, I didn't like him, but slowly Chikezie is becoming one of my favorites.  Somewhere the "confidence" drug hit this dude.

Ramiele Malubay
- Sings - In My Life
- First impression - wrong song.  Her voice is nice, but after following Chikezie's performance it's almost like following Jerry Lee Lewis back in the old days of rock & roll.  She looks good, sings okay, but the performance was bland.  Paula thought she looked pretty.

Jason Castro
- Dude, you sound like a surfer, a stoner, like, well, you just want to sing, and keep the karma.
- Sings - If I Fell
- He's got the Jack Johnson vibe but with a reggae look instead.  He sings well enough, I like that he's also a musician and maybe sticking to the surfer/reggae attitude will do him well.  I don't think it will get him to the finals, but Paula at least feels his heart.

Carly Smithson
- Sings - Come Together
- As much as I don't like her being in the competition, but damn, I love that accent.
- The voice is there, because it always is, and I do like the version she put together, but even though she almost had a career before, there is something about her look that bothers me.  I think it's her hair.

David Cook
- Sings - Eleanor Rigby
- There's just something about him that I don't like.  I don't know if it's his look, or maybe his attitude, or just seeming to be like Chris Daughtry.  Paula thinks he's a horse, but I just find him, umm, done before.  I don't see him winning but still getting radio play.  The only problem he has right now is not seeming to have a previous band career like Daughtry did.

Brooke White
- Sings - Let it Be
- Good song after a long commercial break to let us forget performances.  She sings pretty, plays pretty, and does that half "playing to the camera" but still "I'm wrapped up in the song so leave me alone" performance well.  Nice.  I like her.  She sings purty.

David Hernandez
- Sings - I Saw Her Standing There
- He seems to try too hard to be a performer, and his singing for this song isn't that great.  I think this was just a total wrong song choice for him from the Beatles' catalog he was given.  He better have a good fan base otherwise he will be gone.

Amanda Overmyer
- Sings - You Can't Do That
- It's the first song that she heard this week.  Bad pants.  She stays true to who she is, but I don't see it getting her to the end of the competition - just not "pop" enough for the show.  She does have the attitude, and the voice, to hit her nitch, but I don't think it will be with "American Idol."  Good week for her, though.

Michael Johns
- Sings - Across the Universe
- It's not a performer song, but let's see what he does with it...  So far it's stale because he can't separate himself from his microphone stand.  Like everyone else, he sings nice enough, but it's not a performance to remember.

Kristy Lee Cook
- Sings - Eight Days a Week
- She knows what to do with the songs, but it was a crappy arrangement.  She's a country singer, she knows it, and looks to follow in the footsteps of Carrie Underwood, but this was not a song that could be turned into a country song in a week.  The song sounded forced, she looks purty, sings purty, but everything sounded wrong.  It was all over the place.

David Archuleta
- Sings - We Can Work It Out
- My advice for him, because he has so much potential, is don't let the "American Idol" folks fuck you up because they let you fuck it up this week.  Forget the hair styling, forget the clothes, forget the pressure, and just, for every week, let yourself have fun.  Sure, it's easier said than done, but that is your forte.  Bounce back to a few weeks ago when you just sang.

The pressure of competition has hit a couple of contestants, some of them picked wrong songs, but the next couple of weeks will start to tell who gets the popularity vote.  And next week come the Mentors.  God, for Howard Stern fans we can only hope that one of them is Bruce, as in Bruce Springsteen.  Artie Lange knows why.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:56 PM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "10,000 B.C.", DST, Stu's Netfilx Movies, Killing a Hawk, Some Politics, Arena Football, and More!

So it looks like Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right were able to work through their busy schedules and put together a new podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" They talk about a lot of stuff like movies ("10,000 B.C.", "Next," "Live Free or Die Hard," and "Spiral"), Daylight Saving Time (They hate it), A Pro Golfer killing a hawk (the animal people are pissed), Arena Football (Stu went over the weekend - The Dude almost 20 years ago), politics, and boobs - with the last two kind of intertwining. And even though this podcast is just over 20 minutes, they also talk about more. How do they do it? It's a mystery of the Gods.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:48 PM | Comments (0)

March 9, 2008

Daylight Saving Time Just Isn't the Same

By: The Dude on the Right
So a group of us got together last night and since this is the new weekend for Daylight Saving Time, we reminisced a bit about how back in college the changing of the clocks pretty much had two meanings - "Spring"ing forward sucked because it was one less hour to drink, while Fall"ing backward was party time, but for each season there was always the untold rule of pretty much doing absolutely nothing during the afternoon except watch TV (my choice was golf) in order to begin resetting the body clock, and then getting back to studying that night.  I told the tale of how I was late for Easter mass one Sunday because I forget to set my clock ahead and walked in halfway through mass, while Whammy now laments one less hour of sleep.  The Dude on the Left sees things a little differently, namely that you shouldn't miss out on your hour of sleep, that you should still get your prescribed nine hours and the hell with the rest of the day, while Stu Gotz and Mama Gotz quickly reminded The Dude on the Left of his lack of children who don't really grasp the concept of time changes nor sleeping in.

And while I had many intentions of being very productive today, maybe catching another movie, doing some DVD reviews, or cleaning, when I woke up this morning, looked at the clock that said 8:15, which really meant 9:15 because I didn't reset it yet, I knew today was going to be pretty much useless in terms of getting much done because I was already out of synch with my day.  So resigned to the fact of a discombobulated Sunday, my accomplishments have been few today, but I think I'm okay with that.  I did watch a DVD I need to review, called "Spiral," which I'll write about later this week, I did get this cool Headline Animator going for our Mostly Entertainment link on the web site (sure, it's only on the home page right now, and here, but I did say today was going to be useless).  Such was my afternoon.

My evening is even looking even more exciting as I finally decide if Flickr will be the site for posting all of the old family photos I am trying to scan, archive, and get out on the web for all to see.  I mentioned in a previous blog about enlisting Mom's help in identifying a batch of photos, and since I've finally settled on my Canon scanner to do the job, I've been e-mailing her copies of the pictures, at first just looking for simple things like who is in the photo, maybe an age or year, but Mom has gone a step further, giving some nice back stories, like for this picture of a baby and a dog she e-mailed me back (My Mom is so hip!): "I'm positive that is me in the rocker as Mother always talked about how the dog would be by my side to protect me.  The dog's name was Skippy.  There was another dog who was the mascot of the Boy Scout's Troop, and he was called Trooper.  A beautiful dog.  His dog house was back by the garage."

My body clock should be back to normal tomorrow, and maybe having Daylight Saving Time a few weeks earlier isn't so bad, especially since it looks like those of us in Chicagoland will be breaking out of our cold spell for a week.  All I do know is that it was so much easier to deal with time changes back in college.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:13 PM | Comments (0)

March 6, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Abducted by Space Aliens, Bye Brett, Voice Mail, Strippers, and Thank a Pig.

The Dude on the Right explains why he thinks he might have been abducted by space aliens during this podcast, but at least he doesn't think he got an anal probe. He also understands, yet still pokes fun, at why Brett Favre got weepy today during his retirement press conference. The Dude also gives his explanation of proper etiquette for voice mail, wishes some of the dudettes on "American Idol" had been strippers, and with the drug Heparin, thinks you should thank a pig and a scientist, pray it's not a Chinese pig, although he has no problem with the scientist being Chinese.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 5, 2008

No Reports, yet, of the Dudettes Being Strippers (Damn!), but It's Their Turn for "American Idol" 80's Night

By: The Dude on the Right
So it's 80's night, and it's ladies' night, hope they're feeling right, and wearing clothes that are tight.  I'm gonna stop now and just get to what I thought of the signing...

Asia'h Epperson
- She fell on her roller skates, wow.
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
- Sings well enough and is smart enough to know she isn't Whitney, but she performs well.  Paula is on her feet.  Yay!
- Randy has to show how cool he is.  Dude, we get it.

Kady Malloy
- Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen
- One of my favoritist songs ever, and singing wise I thought she way great.  If she actually did the entire version instead of a shortened version I might actually buy the thing on iTunes, but sadly it was shortened.  The other problem is that I guess they aren't letting these people actually perform, seemingly being restricted to that small circle in the center of the stage.
- And Paula knows where the magic is, but Simon kind of gets it right on the personality side.

Amanda Overmyer
- I Hate Myself for Loving You - Joan Jett
- She almost seems to have lost her confidence and keeps looking at something at the edge of the stage likes she's not sure of herself.  Too bad because she should have bolted this song out of the ballpark.  The singing was okay for it, but for me it seemed timid.
- I guess the judges saw something different or maybe she was singing to them, and for that it would work, but for my TV it didn't.  She almost looked out of it.  Guess we'll see.

Carly Smithson
- On a personal note I don't want her to win because she already had her chance at a recording contract and has the performing experience, but I digress...
- I Drove All Night - Cyndi Lauper (1989), Celine Dion (2003)
- She sang great, her tattoo bugs me, and fine, give her a recording contract but get her off the competition.
- Paula thinks Carly is a dependable dog.

Kristy Lee Cook
- She thought she was a dog?
- Faithfully - Journey
- What are the odds on Randy mentioning he worked with Journey?  We'll see.
- She's a girl, but can't hit the high notes like Steve Perry did?  And what's up with the red tongue?  She would have done better trying to turn this "Faithfully" into a country version.
- Yup, Randy called Steve Perry, "Perry." Paula thinks it could be a country hit, but for me it wasn't country enough except for maybe the looks.  Maybe the red tongue is from medication as it sounds her voice is having problems.

Ramiele Malubay
- Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
- I like her, thinks she sings well, but man, this song didn't work for me.  Worst song choice of the night, mostly because she couldn't sing the entire thing to work it.
- Paula is, well, in full Paula mode.

Brooke White
- Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar
- She sings purty, she is purty, but this song is all about passion, and her performance totally lacked it.  And what's up with the giant "looks like one of those candy, sucker" rings on the girl's fingers.  I guess I'm just not a fashion guru.  She needed to kick butt on this song, and didn't.
- Randy proves that he doesn't know things, again, and I don't agree with Simon on his take on her performance.

Syesha Mercado
- Saving All My Love for You - Whitney Houston
- At times she sings like an angry Whitney Houston, which is okay, and does a fine job with the rest of it..  She should move on, and with no real comments from the judges I'm guessing they are running out of time, but if you watch her doing Whitney compared to Asia'h at the top of the show, you can see Syesha being the better singer.

Once again I question some song choices because I seem to remember that during the 80's there were many a decent, power song for dudettes to sing, in just about every genre.  Fine, I don't know if they were given a list of songs and were told "Here, pick something from this list," or at least were able to make some suggestions before being told they couldn't sing them, but then again, as I think about it, how many of these girls actually know any decent songs from the 80's because while I was attending high school and college, well, some of them weren't born yet.

Right now most of any of them can be voted off the island tomorrow, I mean booted from "American Idol," because I have no emotions tied into their stories, but when the final 12 time comes next week I think this competition turns in to "cute dudettes" v. David Archuleta.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see for a week.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:29 PM | Comments (0)

The Dudes are in Turmoil, but the "American Idol" 80's Live On

By: The Dude on the Right
So it's 80's night, not to be confused with Ladies' night, and dude scandals are all over the place, from David Hernandez once being a stripper to someone looking like Danny Noriega spouting stuff about Santa.  Doesn't matter, here comes the singing...

Luke Menard
-  Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
-  Dude, what in the hell were you thinking?  I know the 80's is a weird place to find music, but umm, Wham!?  Very boring, lame, and how in the hell does this make you shine?
-  Paula Abdul is starting to look to be in rare form tonight.  I hope it keeps going.

David Archuleta
- Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
- Does his own piano playing - nice, then works from the piano to the stage to work the crowd.  Outfit blows, but he's got everything this competition wants in someone to win and take control.
-  Simon is correct, though, that David needs to pick things up a bit with a "happier" song.

Danny Noriega
- Tainted Love - Soft Cell
- The problem is that when you try to cover an 80's song, and be an 80's poser, unless you were living in the 80's, you probably can't pose like the 80's.  The song was boring, and at this point I would like to see the list these dudes were given of the songs they could pick.  If he picked this song on his own it's another "Dude, what in the hell were you thinking?"

David Hernandez
- Dude, I know it's embarrassing, but we don't want to know about your boogers.
- It's All Coming Back to Me Now - Celine Dion (and Meat Loaf)
- You are not Meat Loaf, and you are not Celine Dion, because you're not a performer like Meat Loaf, and, well, you're not Celine Dion.  David sang nice enough, but this is a performance song, and for me he fell flat.  He'll still, probably, go on to the final 12, but if you want to know how to be a performer, find some video of Meat Loaf singing this song, or any song.

Michael Johns
- Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
- I'm guessing, so far, that every one of these people have to pick a crappy song from the 80's because why else would all of these dudes be singing these songs?  I liked "The Breakfast Club," but songs from that soundtrack aren't the best songs of the 80's.
- The other thing I wonder is why Randy Jackson is referencing Michael Hutchence from INXS for this song, unless I missed something, or Randy just thinks this Michael is being Micheal Hutchence.

David Cook
- Hello - Lionel Richie
- I'll give him credit for trying to turn this song into his own, and playing the guitar, but the problem I had is that for him this should have been a 90's theme, with him turning it up another notch and being possessed by either the spirit of Nirvana or maybe The Offspring (ala their version of "Feelings") for the song.

Jason Castro
- Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen (I think).
- Sure, this song has been done by the likes of U2, and Jeff Buckley, and tons of other folks but do you really think any of the kids have heard this song before, except from maybe "Shrek"?  He did a nice job, but is pulling out an obscure song the way to go for "American Idol"?  You sing well, the judges loved it, but will the kids like it?  Hmmm?

Chikezie
- All the Woman (Man) I Need - Whitney Houston (Luther Vandross)
- He did good enough singing, is coming into his own knowing where he needs to be in the R&B nation, but as an "American Idol" finalist, he still has some work.

Part of the problem is that the singers are in that mode of "too many singers, trying to fit too many songs, into a one hour show" so they have to cut the songs pretty much in half.  This doesn't let anyone really be able to state the song, work the song, and then show they are fantastic doing the song.  I don't care what anyone says, and especially if he can pull out some spunk, David Archuleta already has this thing won.  And I still want to see the list of songs these dudes could pick from the 80's because there was some decent music from that decade, but you wouldn't know it from watching the dudes sing.

We'll see how the dudettes sing tomorrow.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:28 AM | Comments (0)

March 3, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: RIP Jeff Healey, GWS Eddie Van Halen, Oops Jimmy Buffett, and Oprah.

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this weekend wrap-up podcast, and as it turns out, the podcast isn't about his weekend at all. Nope, this podcast is about music and Oprah.

On the music side The Dude comments about the passing of Jeff Healey, a fantastic guitarist who also happened to be blind. You might remember his hit "Angel Eyes," but if you love guitar, he is so much more. Continuing on the music side The Dude talks about Van Halen maybe not canceling their tour, just re-arranging a few dates, and laments that he probably won't be seeing Jimmy Buffett at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL, because, well, he's an idiot.

And what would a podcast be without him commenting on Oprah's latest conquest, namely "Oprah's Big Give" winning the ratings for Sunday night Primetime TV.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

March 2, 2008

25+ Gallons of Saltwater in My Living Room - Almost

By: The Dude on the Right
I normally don't blog as much I have been lately, but there weren't many movies I wanted to see over the weekend, even though I probably should have caught up on a few from the week before, and after seeing "Semi-Pro," I actually wasn't in a movie-seeing mood.  But I did need to do some cleaning around the Dude-Pad so I opted for that, and in the process almost had 25+ gallons of saltwater soaking in to my living room floor, probably resulting in the killing of my kids.

Yup, my kid's house needed some cleaning and maintenance of its own, and part of that was re-installing a protein skimmer that, well, it's a long story, but I took it off some time ago, but with my hoping to buy a new anemone for the tank, I knew I needed to get it going again.  So I put it back together, hung it off the back of the tank, fired it up, and at first things to be going well, until, thankfully, I heard a dripping coming from the back of my fish tank.  At first I thought I just didn't tighten the locking collar enough, but still the connection at the bottom of the skimmer kept dripping (and not a slow drip, either).  So I had to yank the contraption from the tank, take it to my kitchen, and investigate.  What did my investigation find?  Well, low and behold the o-ring was dried up and showed cracks when it was stretched a bit.  At first I contemplated "How does an o-ring go bad, and since when does that cause a catastrophe?", but then I remembered that the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was caused by an o-ring that failed.  I guess o-rings have been something I have taken for granted as part of my fish tank set up, and used to be something Space Shuttle engineers took for granted as well (at least some of them), but now I realize their importance again.  I could see Steve, Ashley, and Bamm looking at me like "Dad, what the hell were you thinking?", but as I said, thankfully the dripping was landing on something that made noise, as apposed to if it had just been dripping on the carpet, because then the timers would have shut off the lights on the tank, I wouldn't have noticed the water level dropping, and then I would have woken up in morning to find three kids flopping around, or dead, with my living room carpet soaked.

The Dude pad is almost clean, my kids are still swimming around, I have to find some new o-rings, and as I have had bad dreams of my accidentally tipping over my fish tank and hysterically trying to save the life's of my kids, my worst nightmare, a slow leak of my fish tank, almost came to life.

And you thought having a dog as a pet was difficult.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:01 PM | Comments (0)

March 1, 2008

Mom, You Better Stick Around for A While.

By: The Dude on the Right
At first I was going to blog about how I may never shop at Best Buy again, then I was going to type a follow-up blog about how I found a new scanner (though I'm still torn between posting pictures at Picasa or Flickr), and then I was going to blog about my Mom not feeling well, but she better plan on sticking around a while.  Since, though, they are all related, oh hell, let's intertwine them all.

The Best Buy and new scanner stories kind of fold together, so this blog starts with my scanner buying experience.  As I mentioned in a previous blog my scanner shopping was necessitated by needing to scan medium format negatives, and although liking the Epson scanner, I hated their software.  Best Buy let me return the scanner, which was nice of them, and then I headed to Staples who had an HP flatbed scanner that almost sounded too good to be true, and it was.  First I was disappointed in the software they were using (maybe I am just too used to the Photosmart S20 software and afraid of change), but when it started to look like it would take hours to scan negatives, well, I started to get worried that my search for a medium format scanner under a thousand bucks was for naught.  Staples took the HP scanner back (Yay!), but I had one more hope, a Canon flatbed scanner, and that took me back to Best Buy.  The medium format photos in this blog were all done with my new scanner, a Canon 8800F, and so far I am happy with it because the speed of the scanning is acceptable for what I want to do, and their software is a little more intuitive (but damn, I still like that Photosmart S20 format), so I think I'm going to stick with the Canon scanner.  As such, Best Buy, don't expect another return from me, at least for this scanner.

But Best Buy, what the hell is with the overly-friendly associates.

In this world where they say the easiest way to get sick is to shake the hand of someone who has a cold/flu virus, both of my trips to Best Buy were greeted with dudes overly-enthusiastic to help me, and wanting to shake my hand.  There I am, just looking for a scanner I already had decided I wanted to buy, but it was "Hi, my name is Joe.  What's your name?" as they extended their hand for a handshake. 

Not wanting to seem like a total ass, I extended my hand to shake theirs (how do they know I didn't just pick my nose or scratch my ass, and conversely, how do I know they didn't just pick their nose or scratch their ass), and said "I'm The Dude.  I want to buy this scanner."  Suddenly germs were transferred, Best Buy doesn't have an easy access to Purell, or those wipes the grocery stores have so you can clean off the cart handle, and now, in addition to finally hoping this scanner will do the job I want to do, I have to remember not to let my hands get anywhere near my eyes nor mouth, much less pick my nose.  And if these Best Buy associates are going to continue this process of wanting to shake my hand I'm going to have to either be an asshole when I shop there by not shaking their hands, bring my own bottle of Purell, or just not go to Best Buy anymore and shop online where now all I have to worry about is if the UPS driver has a cold, but can, at least, easily wash my hands before I pick my nose.

So what does any of this have to do with my Mom and her sticking around a while?  Well, since I have a new scanner that seems to do the job, I have over 100 medium format negatives to scan and post somewhere, and the only person I know who can help me identify the people, places, and things in these photos is my Mom.  For example, from the photos I have posted for this blog, I have no idea who the dude is with the old car, the delivery truck is for the old Home Dairy in Lorain, OH, but I'm wondering who is John Lopatkowvich, and have I always been spelling my Mom's maiden name improperly, or what happened to the "w"?  The photo of the three children, I'm assuming, are my Mom, my Uncle Ed, and my Aunt Lily, and I'm 99.9999999% sure the cute girl in the dancing outfit is my Mom.  As I quickly flicked through these negatives they almost seem to encompass from about 1935 thru the late 1950's, and Mom, if you're reading this, I'll need your help to identify/place them all, and it might take a little while.  You'd better stick around.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:29 PM | Comments (1)

February 28, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Lying is a Crime, Paula Abdul Needs to be Watched, and Dumb Robbers in Australia

For this podcast episode The Dude on the Right is upset that the federal government can't find Osama Bin Laden, won't make a decision on the Sirius/XM Satellite Radio merger, but instead seems to be worrying about who is lying, Roger Clemens or Brian McNamee. He is also a fan of the boobs on "Survivor: Micronesia," but is worried for the safety of David Archuleta on "American Idol" now that Paula Abdul seems to want to decapitate him.

And, oh yea, he tells a story of some stupid robbers in Australia.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:35 PM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2008

Flickr, Picasa, and Scanner Dilemmas.

By: The Dude on the Right
As I'm trying to pay attention to "American Idol" tonight, with the dudes singing classic songs from the 70's which so far have been bad renditions of songs from Fleetwood Mac, Andy Gibb, Queen, Foreigner, and The Carpenters, I'm also in a quandary because I can't get my film scanning stuff like I want.

First off, I finally scanned all of my concert negatives, got them digitized in a decent resolution, and slowly plan to update the photos on the website with the higher resolution versions I now have.  That was the easy part, with my old HP Photosmart film scanner.

But then I decided I wanted to start digitizing older photos (like this cute girl on the right), and old negatives, and post them on the internet for family, friends, and anyone to see, and I have run into many questions, and many choices.

As far as posting them on the internet, I started by setting up a site at Flickr, but I have to say that as much as I like it, and would pay the yearly fee for unlimited stuff, I am worried about the potential takeover by Microsoft and what that might mean to the photos I post.  I also looked at maybe using Google's Picasa instead, but from some quick things I have read there are some copyright/publicity issues Google might be able to enforce.  And as I was investigating Flickr vs. Google, I came upon a bunch of other sites that seem to do a similar thing, namely set up family photo albums.  I'm so confused.

Then came the problem of a scanner.  My old scanner was an HP Photosmart S20, which has served me well through the years, but it doesn't handle the medium format film that my mom had stored in a box.  So, today, I went to get a new scanner, based on a lot of reviews I read on the internet, and even though I like the scanner (it's an Epson), the software for it sucks, and I'll be damned if I'm going to spend more money for scanning software.  So, sadly, tomorrow, I have to hope the store will take it back, and then I suppose I'll go back to an HP scanner (I loved the software that worked with the Photosmart), I just hope the HP folks kept the same format for the software (or at least close) that I am used to, and that the scanner works like I need it to.

Now don't get me wrong, for most people the Epson software will be fine, but for me, and my photos, it blows (and if the Epson folks want to know why they can e-mail me), because all I really want to do, before the rest of my older relatives pass away, is to find out who all of these people are in photos that are tens, and twenties, and maybe even thirty or forty of years taken before I was born, and if it takes me that much longer to get the photos digitized and posted (like the Epson software leaned itself to), those relatives will be dead before I find out.

If you've got any suggestions for digitizing old negatives, medium format (up to 6 x 12), or if you have an internet site you love for posting your family scrapbooks, please let me know.  Right now I have to figure out how to box up my Epson scanner I bought, hope the store takes it back, and then hope again that if I buy the HP version the software will be to my liking.  With my luck the new scanner won't scan worth a darn but the software will be great.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Oscar Talk, Who's Jimmy Kimmel "F"-n, and Stu Won't Shut Up.

The Dude on the Right is back from his weekend in Lorain, Ohio, a city where both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are making campaign stops, but The Dude didn't stay long enough to see either of them. Instead he got back to the Chicagoland area as quick as he could so he and Stu Gotz could put together a new episode of their "Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast!" The Dude would have liked to have stayed to see Barack speak and Hillary flash her crazy-eyes, but instead he gets to listen to Stu not stop talking (maybe Stu should be a politician?).

But because Stu wouldn't shut up this podcast is all over the place, including talk about The Academy Awards and who should have won an Oscar, movies like "The Ex" and "Be Kind, Rewind," buying a meat slicer, "Saturday Night Live," starting a porn site, a non-bachelor party, Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel calling Stu in the middle of the night, and Mama Gotz almost falling out of bed. At least The Dude got to tell Stu that Jimmy Kimmel is fucking Ben Affleck.

So many things are in this podcast, and probably a few more. Go ahead, give it a listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:47 PM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2008

There Are Still Too Many American Idols for Me to Care.

By: The Dude on the Right
As a fan of "American Idol" I have to agree with my mom that there are still too many contestants for me to really care.  Sure, they trimmed it down to 24, twelve dudes and twelve dudettes, but after watching the dudes do their singing yesterday, I could care less about them.  The dudettes are tonight, but other than checking out which ones are doing the smart thing, namely trying to look hot as well as sing well, I don't think I care about them, either.

The other thing, and maybe I'm wrong about this (go ahead, correct me), but I don't think they used to start right off the bat with a theme, at least not for the top 24.  I always thought that, at the beginning, they let the kids pick any song, from any genre, from any time period, as long as it was on the approved "we've got the rights to this" list, to kind of show what these people thought they could sing well.  Instead the boys were dropped right into the fire, with it now being 60's week, where most of the dudes seemed to struggle because A) They didn't seem to realize they were suppose to make it their own, nor 2) I'm guessing most of them had no idea how to make it their own, what with now being with the band and all.  The judges kept blasting them for singing the song as the song was originally done, but I didn't think that, at this stage, most of our twelve dudes would be comfortable enough saying something like "Hey, band people, I'm singing Elvis' "Suspicious Minds," but I want it done in a hip-hop style that maybe Kanye West would do.  I don't really know what that means, but since I have to make the song my own, and you're the band, well, you figure it out."  Some of the dudes did okay, I don't think anyone sucked that bad, but it seems odd, at this early stage of the competition, for the contestants to have to reconfigure classics (and oh, by the way, the folks at "American Idol" need to look at a calendar because Danny's version of "Jailhouse Rock" belonged in 50's week, as it was released in 1957, I believe) into something contemporary.

We'll see how the ladies do tonight, and after yesterday I can probably guess there might have been a lot of scrambling, with maybe one of them saying "I am now doing "Baby Love" by The Supremes, and you better figure out how to make it sound like a version that Amy Winehouse would do."  Somehow I don't think that would actually happen. My guess is the judges will be saying the same thing as yesterday, with maybe a couple girls, hopefully the good-looking ones, somehow making the song their own.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:02 PM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Lindsay Lohan is Naked, TV for Kids at Night, and Idols on iTunes.

The Dude on the Right was happy when he read Lindsay Lohan was getting naked, but for this podcast he states that he doesn't like Lindsay trying to copy Marilyn Monroe, that she should be her own woman. He's also frustrated because he ruined most of the animation of his and Stu's animated review of "Sweeney Todd," questions the decision to run a show geared for families, namely "My Dad is Better Than Your Dad" at a time-slot when the kids should be getting ready for bed, and wonders who will be buying "American Idol" performances on iTunes.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:16 PM | Comments (0)

February 17, 2008

I Don't Think Mom Will Need a T-Shirt

By: The Dude on the Right
As I continue to use my blogging for some psychotherapy in dealing with the death of my father last month, a couple of strange thoughts hit me the last couple of days, some now dealing with my Mom, brought on by the death of my Dad. And as bizarre as this sounds, I’m wondering now what should be put in her coffin. Since she’s still in the land of the living, I suppose we should just ask her, but hopefully she won’t need a t-shirt.

Here’s the thing: Even with my Dad’s many health issues, he always seemed to just soldier on, but with Mom being diagnosed with lung cancer a few years back, and sorry, no offense Mom, most of those in my family figured Dad would stick around and Mom would be the one to go first. But Dad had other plans, because he always had to do things his way, and last month his time on Earth was done. As we finalized his official obituary (I’m still working on my version), we also found/wanted some things buried with him.

In the couple of days following his death, as we were going through things, we found his wedding ring, which he never wore as long as I could remember, but it was stowed away, separately, distinctively, in his box of cufflinks. It was decided Dad would be buried with his wedding ring on, and from my perspective, to make sure, in Heaven, he remembered he couldn’t pick up other women.

It was also decided that Dad would be buried with a puzzle, because he liked doing puzzles. We debated about burying him with an old puzzle he had already completed, or a new puzzle for him to work on. So there, for him, is a puzzle of the Chicago skyline that I gave him for Christmas but he never got a chance to work on.

And as his official obituary stated, Dad enjoyed eating chocolate. One of his favorites was a coconut/chocolate concoction called a "haystack." Back in Lorain there was a chocolate/candy company called "Faroh’s" that had the best "haystacks." They were made with long strands of coconut draped in tasty chocolate, but sadly they aren’t there anymore. Dad did have some "haystacks" left with him, even though the newer version from another supplier look like turds with white speckles, and I have to admit, I snuck a few out of the box before I left the rest for him for his eternity. Though not as pretty as the Faroh’s brand, they were tasty. Sorry, Dad, I couldn’t resist.

But it wasn’t until the other day when I realized Dad had something of mine, for the rest of forever, and it’s simply a t-shirt.

I normally don’t wear t-shirts but with the colder winter we have been having this year, and my wanting to be a little more stylish, on colder days I started wearing a white t-shirt, and with the pending passing of my Dad, I packed my arsenal of four, white t-shirts for the trip back home. It wasn’t until the other day when it was cold outside, and I was looking for a t-shirt, that I realized I was one short, and that Dad was wearing my t-shirt. Forever.

You see, like most people dealing with the passing of a parent, there is always that awkward part of what to have them wearing in their coffin. Dad wasn’t a suit man and definitely not a jean’s man. His general attire, before he become bedridden when it was just easier to stay in a hospital gown, was a dark pair of slacks, usually blue, a t-shirt, and a flannel shirt in the winter, something lighter in the summer. We found the pants, found a nice shirt, but couldn’t find a crisp, white t-shirt in his dresser, so I gave Dad one last gift – a t-shirt.

It was weird when it donned on me that Dad was buried with my t-shirt. It didn’t make me sad, just seemed weird. I hope Mom won’t think it weird when we ask her if she wants anything buried with her. I doubt she’ll need a t-shirt, but when that time comes, I might just bring a spare one anyway.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:03 PM | Comments (1)

February 14, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Why Johnny Fairplay Might be Gone, Goodbye Josiah, TV is Almost Back, and Getting Howard Stern off the Air.

The Dude on the Right is here for his Valentine's Day podcast, and he doesn't talk about love. Instead The Dude gives his analysis on Johnny Fairplay being booted from "Survivor: Micronesia" last week, feeling bad for Josiah who's back living in his car after "American Idol," and being happy some of his favorite TV shows will be back, soon. He is also worried that Howard Stern might be off the air soon recalling the movie "Spies Like Us" and the government looking to shoot down a "broken, spy" satellite.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:58 PM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2008

So Much Mis-Information: Bob's not Dead and the DOTL isn't Engaged. We Think.

By: The Dude on the Right
In that last week I heard a friend of mine got engaged and another one died.  So much for proper communication.

First the death that didn't happen.

The e-mail subject simply read "Bob died."  I know a few Bob's, but only one came to mind from the person who sent this e-mail to me and my buddy Stu Gotz.  I met Stu before I got a chance to read the e-mail myself, he mentioned the e-mail, and it was a bummer.  We both knew Bob had his health problems, but it was still sort of shock.  The problem came because our buddy who sent the e-mail, Fruitcake, didn't add a last name in the subject line, only forwarding along the e-mail he received, and Stu didn't read the supplementary parts of the e-mail, namely that which would have given the last name.  Nope, Stu assumed it was the Bob we were familiar with, but luckily we both found out that this Bob was one we knew from ten year's ago and not the Bob we were thinking of, before we spread the word out, which would have gotten to the Bob we know, who would have probably said "But I'm not dead."

And no, the DOTL is not engaged.  Either.  We think.

What's a good reason to go to Las Vegas?  Why a bachelor party, of course, and late last week Stu got a text message from Wimp stating a quick trip was being planned to the land of gambling and boobs for the bachelor party of the DOTL.  Damn, we didn't even know the DOTL was engaged!  Stu investigated, or rather contacted Wimp, who said the DOTL was planning to elope with Trash at the end of March, getting married during an already planned trip to Vegas, so he was working to put together a quick bachelor party weekend for the DOTL and all of his friends.  Stu had lots of plans for the upcoming weekend already set up but quickly worked to cancel them, mostly because Mama Gotz told him to get his ass to Vegas (trust me, that does not happen often), and me, well, I did some quick investigating realizing I couldn't afford a trip to Sin City on short notice (damn airfare), that, and I'm afraid of losing all of my money on a Blackjack table and, well, fake boobs scare me (I suppose they would scare me less have I had the chance to feel them, but sadly, Vegas strippers only seem to let other women feel them, or at least Trash).  I even almost posted a "Congratulations DOTL & Trash" blog over the weekend, but then feared what if Whammy read the post and didn't know about the engagement?  Stu still seemed to be getting innuendos of upcoming nuptials, but something didn't seem right so I had to get Trash involved in this rumor, sending off a quick e-mail, to which she squashed the story of the wedding plans, pretty much throwing Wimp under the bus.

It seems Wimp, not knowing how to "justify" for Mrs. Wimp a quick trip to Las Vegas for him and his friends, instead decided using the DOTL getting engaged and needing a bachelor party was the way to go.  I'm not sure how he'll explain things to her when the DOTL and Trash don't actually get married, but I'm thinking he's also got that figured out, unless Mrs. Wimp reads my blogs (which I'm pretty sure she doesn't), in which case, Wimp, I'm sorry.

Important plans almost got changed, maybe I could have conquered my fears, felt fake boobs (if only allowed, of course), and lost all of my money in the casino, but the next time, Wimp, you can tell Mrs. Wimp anything you want, just fill us in on the "truth" so we don't blow it for others.  That is, unless the DOTL and Trash are now lying and plan to get married at the end of March.  Or maybe it's just the DOTL is lying, and was hoping to get married at the end of March.  Or maybe no one is getting married, but we should all just plan a great trip to Vegas at the end of March.

At least, right now, Stu and I know the Bob we thought was, isn't dead, and the DOTL we thought was, isn't engaged.  Right now, all we do know, is Stupid Wimp.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:51 PM | Comments (0)

February 11, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! At the Movies, Watching the Grammy's, A Song Not for The Grammy's, and The Dude isn't a Pimp.

Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right finally got back together for their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, maybe just to stay warm. The Dude talks about The Grammy Awards and then spotlights a song that probably has no chance to win one, while Stu worries if his kids should see "The Spiderwick Chonicles." The Dude can't help with the "Spider" movie, but he does tell Stu about "Fool's Gold" and the Vince Vaughn comedy movie, while Stu saw "Atonement" and "The Nanny Diaries," but warns The Dude that those who hire a nanny might not get the funny of the latter.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:59 PM | Comments (0)

February 8, 2008

My Dream Woman at The Post Office

By: The Dude on the Right
As is part of my problem in life I'm shy.  The other problem is that I don't know the right thing to say until maybe 30 minutes later.  That case in point came about during a visit to The Post Office today when I had the chance to maybe meet the woman of my dreams.  There she was, waiting for some Passport help, her paperwork in hand, and doing some texting.  And as people are wont to do these days, then she starts a conversation on her cell phone.  Now there are times when people try to be discreet when they're on the phone in public, but not my girl, dressed in tight jeans, a tight shirt, and a giant, silver belt.  Nope, she wanted everyone waiting in line at the post office to know that she was planning on going to Buffalo Wild Wings tonight because they have some drink specials, and she was pissed at her friend.  She was so pissed, in fact, that she told all of us he had called her the P-word, was upset he asked if she was having sex with some other dude, then in her conversation dropped an "F" him," and an "F" that "S," of course not using the shortened version of the words, but the full-blown F-Bomb and S-Bomb.  What a woman of class!  What a woman for me!  What a woman I couldn't take home to meet mom!

And at the time I couldn't think of a thing to say.

Sadly there weren't any little kids around so I couldn't go up to her and ask her to watch her language (for the children, of course), and sadly I was in the line to get stamps rather than get a passport so I couldn't strike up the conversation of where she might be going.  Also, from her conversation, it sounded like she might be in college, at least I assume so because she talked about some classes she was taking and it would be kind of sad if she were 21 years old and still in high school, so maybe I could have offered to help her with some of her classes.

And then, sadly, while she was still in mid-conversation, I finally got my stamps and had to leave my dream woman behind.

It was then, thirty minutes later, when I figured out how I could have made my move: "Excuse me, can you tell me what Buffalo Wild Wings you will be at tonight and at what time?  I would really like to buy a woman of your class a drink."

Looks like I let another great girl slip away.  Damn.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:13 PM | Comments (0)

February 7, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Idol's Going to Hollywood, "Survivor" Has Fake Boobs, and Why I Voted for Barack Obama, and a DVD Review of "Once."

The Dude on the Right is still trying to get settled in to doing DVD reviews, so this time he watched a movie he already loved, and still loves, and thinks you might love, namely the movie "Once." He also did a solo podcast about hope, where he hopes Paula Abdul finally gives good audio now that "American Idol" is going to Hollywood, hopes the dudettes with the fake boobs stay awhile on "Survivor: Micronesia," and as much as he hopes for the future of the United States, he also gives, during the podcast, some reasons why he likes Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. Bring on John McCain!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

February 6, 2008

I've Suddenly Realized I'm All Over the Internet World, and I Don't Know Why.

By: The Dude on the Right
The Super Bowl is over and we found out that Bill Belichick must have had an important meeting to get to at the end of the game.  Super Tuesday is over, and I feel bad for my mom because Ohio seems to be a pivotal state again in a Presidential election and that means she will be bombarded with ads for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  I also read they are even planning to hold a debate in The Buckeye State - lucky O. Hi. O.  And speaking of ads, one of the latest iPhone ads touts the ability of using your iPhone with Facebook.  I would like to admit that the ad enticed me to set up a Facebook identity, but I actually set one up over the weekend, before the ad ran -

And I don't know why.

I say "I don't know why" mostly because I should just use this website to say anything I have to say, but suddenly I have found that I have a presence in multiple locations in the internet world, and maybe it's starting to get out of control.

Early on I was able to give myself the same name on a variety of IM sites, places like AOL, Yahoo!, Google, Messenger, and Skype, hoping to, I don't know, instant message people, but then I found that I rarely did, even when my "buddies" were online.  Now I just check the sites every month or so to keep them active, but I'm still hoping to utilize the "talk" feature of one of them to let you, if you listen to my podcast, actually "call" in during a podcast recording (let me know if you might be interested in being a part of a future podcast).

I'm also a member of a music message board that is very informative, and I love to read, but I rarely post because by the time I read something and have an opinion about it, someone has already posted the same opinion I have (and I hate to be a "Me, too!" kind of poster), or worse, someone misunderstands what I was trying to say, posts that I am scum, and I don't have time to get in a message board shouting match trying to explain my point of view.

I have a MySpace page that I try to blog about things I don't think entertainment readers care about, mostly about my struggles with losing weight, and every now and then throw a comment to my sister, niece, or nephew, but in the land of MySpace I only have 85 friends, and lately the only friend requests I get are to be the friend of some hot chick trying to get me to join her web site where I can only assume she gets naked if I give her my credit card number.

We, meaning the Entertainment Ave! website, have a presence in Second Life, a virtual world that has recently been rocked with a bank scandal (it can even happen in the virtual world), and at the time when I bought some virtual land and built a couple of virtual buildings, I had plans on how to use it, namely as a gathering place for people to talk about concerts, movies, and TV, complete with a virtual bar called Squirrelly Georges.  I actually have two names in Second Life, one for business (DudeOnRight Mannonen) and one for fun (Drewman Zapedzki, and not that kind of fun, even though you can have sex in the virtual world), but sadly I haven't been building much there lately though I'm hoping to change that now that I have digital versions of all of my concert photos (more on that in a later blog).

I also have a LinkedIn account which has actually helped me re-connect with some college friends, and I'm included in an internet social site for the fraternity I am member of, Theta Xi.  I was a member of a Yahoo! Group for the those from the class of 1985 of Lorain Catholic High School, but I opted out of that when one of my classmates decided that every day was a day to post about his political beliefs.  I'm tempted to rejoin just to see if he has toned things down a bit on his postings.  I also have a Classmates account, though I haven't visited that site in over a year because I don't want to spend the few bucks to get "better info" on old classmates, although, sometimes, I am tempted to see where an old girlfriend might be.

And if that isn't enough of an internet presence, now that I'm done with digitizing my concert photos, I've been thinking about setting up a Flickr account as I digitize the rest of the photos I have, many of which will deal with photos from college, photos from high school, photos I took for the hell of it, and photos of days before I was born so that relatives and friends around the world could see them.  The monkey-wrench thrown into this, though, is what the hell would I do with that account in the end, and now that Microsoft is trying to buy Yahoo!, do I want Microsoft, somehow, in charge of my pictures?

And don't get me started on the various RSS feeds I read.

If that isn't enough more, now that I'm a member of Facebook I'm not really sure what to do there, either, or whom I should poke (you can do that on Facebook, but do I really want to "poke" people?).  Maybe it's just that I want to be the coolest 40 year old with a presence all over the world, or at least through the internet, but the crappy part is that most of the 40ish year old friends I would like to re-connect with, well, they don't seem to be as cool as I am and don't have accounts on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Second Life, various IM sites, or the world.

Maybe I should just Google them, or get younger friends. 

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:31 PM | Comments (0)

February 4, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Lot's of Super Talk About a Bowl and Voting, Bob's House Was the Best, and I Could Be A Stripper.

For another Monday The Dude on the Right is flying solo for a weekend wrap-up podcast, but that's okay because this podcast is all about Super. The Dude talks about the Super Bowl, about Super (thanks for asking) Tuesday, his almost being a Super Stripper, and Super Bowl commercials. And speaking of those Super Bowl commercials, he thinks the most creative of the bunch actually came during the Super Bowl Pre-Game, a spot titled "Bob's House" from Pepsi, which The Dude thinks they actually screwed up just tad. The hell with Justin Timberlake, if Pepsi wanted to make a stir they should have run "Bob's House" during the big game, without the pre-explaination of what it was about.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:51 PM | Comments (0)

February 1, 2008

Today I Cried a Little. For Me He's Just "Dad."

By: The Dude on the Right
We got snowed-in here, today, in Chicagoland.  Some didn't, or maybe they had the proper vehicle, equipped with snow-shoes, to travel the glistening, white roadways, but I didn't and the snow-plow people didn't show up until around 2PM to get the driveway in my townhouse area cleared.  Hunkered down in my bunker I did get a little bit of work done in the morning, but shirking some of my duties I also did some cleaning of the Dude-Pad.  But that's not why I cried just a little, as the title of this blog tells.  Nope, as much as my pad needs a good cleaning, and that does make me sad, it wasn't until this evening when the tears came.

Because, tonight, I figured, I would also work to clean up and delete stuff on my computers, and that is when I came across a picture.

There I was, haphazardly deleting stuff, when I came across a folder named "Home Photos," and the first picture showing up was one of a lazy, chubby squirrel.  I remembered when I took it, back in July, for a blog posted in August, and for a moment I was just ready to hit the "Delete" key because I already had a blog, posted, with photos of that lazy squirrel.  But then I scrolled through the digital camera roll, and there it was, a photo that made me cry, and it wasn't just a little.

And that was a couple of hours ago.

As I have been working on typing, editing, re-typing, re-editing this blog, I have been torn as to if I should post the picture, or not, because if members of the "... on the Right" family view this, they might cry a little as well, but hopefully, for the world that is forever in the Internet, and in having one of the last pictures of my Dad, maybe the better picture all of us can go to is an image of him smiling, with his granddaughter.  And that's not such a bad thing for the world to see.

So here it is, the last picture I took of my Dad and Favorite Niece - His Favorite Granddaughter.

As I have been trying to digitize all of the pictures I have taken in the old version, that with film, in one keystroke I almost lost a picture of my Dad.  He's gone from me now, but with this picture he will live forever, in the digital world.  His name is, umm, Frank John Labis, it might also be Frank Joseph Labiszewski, it might also be Frank John Labiszewski,  For me he is, and always will be, just Dad.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:19 PM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: It's Snowing, TV Talk, Paula Abdul is Slutty, and I Wish "Hello, Hannah Montana."

The Dude on the Right does a podcast, but thankfully none of it has to do with Apple Webclips because with that topic he's already wondering what he might have done. For the podcast, though, he is happy to see the snow that Chicago is getting and thinks an older lady might want to move. Some TV shows are coming back, namely "Lost" and "Survivor: Micronesia," but The Dude is still having a problem getting excited about the Super Bowl. He was excited about Paula Abdul looking slutty on "American Idol," but isn't excited about the movies opening this weekend, except for one he didn't get tickets for yet, namely "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert in Disney Digital 3D."

It looks like no screaming teens are in store for The Dude on the Right. There are so many things about that previous sentence that sound so wrong. Umm, let's get back to hot chicks on "Survivor."

Posted by Rightdude at 8:10 PM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2008

I Wasn't Sure What to Blog About Until I Remembered that I, too, have been Pooped On.

By: The Dude on the Right
I was debating what to blog about today.  I could get political, talking about the repercussions of both Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards leaving the Presidential race today.  I fully understood Rudy Giuliani's exiting after Florida, in a message to every political strategist to never ignore Iowa and New Hampshire (although I still don't fully understand their influence), but didn't John Edwards, just a week or so ago, say he was in it until the convention?  And with him leaving the race why isn't he endorsing anyone yet?  Could it be that someone finally whispered in his ear saying "John, you've got no chance in hell to win this thing.  Get out before "Super-Duper Tuesday" so you don't muck up the numbers and then we can start to see who the front-runner really is because we don't want to endorse the loser, do we?"

Then I was going to blog about even at my being 40 years old, there is incredible hope for me to land a hottie.  It was in a news blurb the other day when, and I don't know how I missed this news, that Ryan Reynolds is dating, though not engaged, to Scarlett Johansson.  Most of you probably have no problem realizing who Ms. Johansson is, namely the 23 year old gorgeous, perfect, woman, but I'm guessing the name "Ryan Reynolds" doesn't rank too high in your book of Hollywood celebs.  Two words are simply in order for Ryan, and they are Van and Wilder.  That's right, he was Van Wilder in the movie with the same name.  As hope for me, with eight years being the age difference, I did a quick check and it looks like if I want to do the actress direction I should be dating the likes of Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Milla Jovovich, and if I wanted to find someone more on the musical side, K.T. Tunstall seems like a fun dudette to hang with, but how could I, in the end, deny Charlize Theron the man that is The Dude on the Right?

But since politics can be an explosive subject, and with my self-esteem not being able to handle the crushing blow of a rejection from Charlize, I heard about a video on YouTube today that reminded me of days that I was pooped on, literally.  One was when I was working in downtown Chicago, for a camera store, and on a trip out for lunch I walked a little too close to the buildings forgetting that along with crowding the sidewalks, sometimes the pigeons like to hang out on the building ledges about five stories up.  Walking along I suddenly caught a white blob, out of the corner of my eye, on my shoulder, and sure enough, I was pooped on.  Then I recalled another time, on the way to a Chicago Cubs' game, when a shortcut to Murphy's Bleachers from the El-stop (that's an elevated train for you non-Chicago folks) is down the alley the El runs along, when suddenly I feel something plop in my hair.  Luckily I had some napkins in my pockets to clean up the heavenly present.  I have also previously done a podcast on the terror that are Canadian Geese, and mark my words, the downfall of the United States might be by geese.  All of that said, I have never done what this reporter did during his news report, but it leads to loads of fun, at least for us watching.

Winged creatures might just be the death of us all!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:42 PM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: An Apology, Movie Talk, Some New TV and MTV, but No Stu.

Even though it's normally a day for a Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast with Stu Gotz, The Dude on the Right and Stu couldn't figure out how to meet up today so The Dude on the Right handles the podcast duty flying solo. The Dude apologizes for his choice of words in yesterday's blog, which he has since edited, but doesn't apologize for liking the new "Rambo" movie. But mostly TV is on the mind of The Dude and he thinks it's time for MTV to change its name because seriously, what do constant "America's Next Top Model" marathons have to do with music?

Posted by Rightdude at 5:58 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2008

Missing the Award Shows, Movies and Movie Previews, and an iPhone WebClip.

By: The Dude on the Right
With this weekend coming to a close, and my having "The Screen Actors Guild Awards" on my TV, I realize that as much as I have been hating not getting new TV shows, other than the reality ones, I do miss the award shows that propagate the airwaves at the beginning of the year.  Why?  It's not the crap in between the awards because who really wants to hear bad jokes that can't offend anyone, but I do miss the speeches from those that win the awards, especially from those who are surprised they actually won the award.  We missed the drunken ones that might have happened during "The Golden Globe Awards," but damn, I hope the writers and the TV and whomever folks need to do it come to an agreement so that "The Academy Awards" can be the exploited award show we have grown to know and love, and maybe just give us that one speech, from one surprise winner, to make us dream (I'm cheering on Ellen Page).

On another note, this weekend saw me getting to see a couple of movies, namely "Rambo," which I really liked, and "Meet the Spartans," not so much.  I also got all of my movie previews up to date, thanks mostly to Tiger Woods making The Buick Invitational one of the most boring golf tournaments ever by beating the crap out of the competition, and the CBS announcers sounding like little schoolboys trying to call a golf outing, with one already pronouncing that this will be the year Tiger Woods wins the Grand Slam of golf and another (or maybe it was the same dude, I get them confused) upset because no one was able to get a birdie on the hole he was covering.  I know Tiger was so far ahead that it was nearly impossible for him to lose the tournament, but for goodness sake, can't you golf announcers control yourself?  He skipped Hawaii; it's only January; 2008 is the same length as any other year; with 320 days left, on any given day in 2008, Tiger might lose a tournament; but where is the dignity that is golf?  CBS folks, please go back and listen to your broadcast and boot the crap out of the broadcast of those who have already lost their minds in January.

And finally, on a last geek note, I have said before that I have an iPhone.  Fine, I'm a geek.  With the Macsomethingorotherconference, the world of Apple gave me another iPhone update, still leaving me without the ability to cut and paste, but that's another blog for another time.  What they did do, for the firmware update of 1.1.3, was give the iPhone the ability to add a WebClip to your iPhone.  Pretty much it means that on your iPhone homepage you can have a cute little graphic that when you touch it, well, it will open the web page associated with that WebClip.  Hell, that's too complicated to explain.  Look, if you have an iPhone, and you like our web site, Entertainment Ave!, go to our home page on your iPhone, click the "+" at the bottom of your iPhone screen and add us to your homepage.  We, unlike other non-cool sites, will have a cool icon on your iPhone that looks like our favicon, that when you touch it on your iPhone (and it also works for your iTouch, I think), instantly logs you onto Entertainment Ave!, keeping you informed of what's new.

Be smart, be safe, and if you like TV pray that the TV folks give in to the will of the writer folks, otherwise 2008 will be the year of reality, and who wants that, unless, of course, the dudettes on "Survivor: Where Ever They Are." are hot and get hotter with losing weight.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Get Me To Hollywood, Amy Winehouse, and TV is Back, Sort Of.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right admits that this one is kind of lame, but he does do a short parody of "Rehab" in honor of Amy Winehouse. He's also a bit flustered with "American Idol," is looking forward to the return of "Lost" and "Survivor" to fill up his Thursday nights, and wonders about the writer's strike and will it ever end.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 21, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Lots of Movies, Mama Gotz's Issues, A New Ringtone, and Peeing on a Stick.

Being away from each other for a week sure doesn't put a kink in the conversation Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right can put together for a "Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast, and they get right back into things for this episode. The weekends usually include a lot of movie stuff so they talk about that, Stu got a picture from Mama Gotz so they talk about that, Stu saw a pregnancy test commercial so they talk about that, The Dude has a new favorite ringtone so they listen and talk about that, and even though The Dude on the Right doesn't give a damn about the upcoming Super Bow, they talk about that anyway. And if that isn't enough they have other things to talk about, and they talk about that, too.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:21 PM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2008

A New Chapter for the "on the Right" Family.

By: The Dude on the Right
Every family has a change leading to a new chapter in the book that is their story.  Most of the chapters progress from things like the start of the book, namely the marriage, to the birth of a child, to the child's first words, to the child's first steps, to maybe the birth of a brother or sister, and much of the cycle usually stays the same for a while.  The chapters switch from the innocence of children, to the family progressing through the years.  The children in the family grow, to grade school, to junior high, to high school, and to adulthood.  A new book is started as some of those children create another family, an offshoot of the original story, yet still intertwined with the original.

And as the book that is a family's life is similar for all, there are so many differences.  There may be an illness or accident that takes a child away from a family;  There may be financial hardships that all must deal with;  There may be a divorce where mom and dad, not thinking of the children, do their best, at any chance they can, to make their children hate the other parent; and then there are families that, for most of the time, forget the meaning of family.

But with every family story, probably, usually, definitely, inevitably, there will come the death of a parent/spouse.  Sometimes that death comes as a shock and other times not, most will agree the death comes to soon, but for some it is way too soon.  With that death the story continues, though, with one character now only in memory as the next chapter begins with getting back to some normalcy, "some" because with the passing of a family member things aren't the normal that was created a chapter before.  The book that is the story of the family is not complete with the death of one member, more chapters must be written, until that day when the book can be closed when all of the members have passed on.

Fine, right now you might be saying to yourself a couple of things, things like "Dude, what's with the reflective beginning to this blog, and why haven't you posted anything new in over a week?"  Well, both the reflective nature of the opening of this blog and the lack of postings came about because of the passing of Dad on the Right on January 12th, starting a new chapter in the book of the "on the Right" family.  In the realm of my being old enough to fully comprehend and have to deal with the loss of an immediate family member, the recent passing of my Dad is the first.  I was 11 when my last grandparent passed away, and even though I've been older for the deaths of some of my aunts and uncles, and yes, their passings were sad, for me this death thing is kind of new and a lot different to deal with.  Sure, I could probably go see a shrink to help me "move on" as it were, but what fun would that be and why would I spend the money when I could just write about here it from time to time.

So, today's therapy lesson was two-part.  One was to reflect that as much of a bummer it is to have my dad die, I realized that my family's story isn't done yet and there are already stories to tell of the days immediately following when he passed, stories like "What the heck is his name, anyway?", "Who knew driving to a cemetery could be so much fun!", "What's the deal with the food?", "Niece on the Right is a rocker!", "That's not an obituary.  This is an obituary!", and "Everyone says 'Mom on the Right' is a hottie."  And Mom, if you're reading this, don't worry, one story will remain in the circle of our family to laugh at from time to time.

The second part of my therapy lesson was to get back to some normalcy, and what better way then seeing a movie, in this case "Cloverfield," and write a review.

So the story of the "on the Right" family continues, and at least right now Sis on the Right has her own book of her family so that even when the book of the "on the Right" family is closed, another book will lead people back to our story.

Stories are always to be read, but better to be written, even with a death as part of it.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:31 PM | Comments (1)

January 10, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: 2008: What a Strange Year It's Already Been

The Dude on the Right is already flabbergasted at how strange 2008 has been, and it's only ten days in. For this podcast he leaves the family stuff for later but instead delves into Britney Spears and Dr. Phil, wants The Academy Awards to go on but only if the writers get their stuff, and now that Sony/BMG is going to let Amazon sell music/mp3s with no copyright protection, why no love yet for Apple who, sure, wanted to sell a bunch of iPods, but showed the world some people would actually buy music over the internet.

The Dude is also flustered by the elections and the influence Iowa and New Hampshire have on the entire picking a President process, but he has at least 11 reasons why he is looking forward to this season of "Survivor: Micronesia."

Posted by Rightdude at 7:33 PM | Comments (0)

January 7, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Movies & TV, Britney & Lindsay, Weather & Delilah.

Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right finally get back together after weeks of being apart to do another "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. If they didn't trim things down this podcast would probably last a few hours, but they cut things to some recent movies in the theaters as well as movies on Stu's Netflix cue. The weekend brought huge entertainment news about the latest BUI (Britney Under the Influence) and Dr. Phil (Stu & The Dude disagree on the Dr. Phil factor), and why not talk about Lindsay Lohan's New Year's Eve while they're at it. Chicago had a warm spell, and The Dude watched "American Gladiator." And Stu still likes tormenting The Dude about the song "Hey There Delilah." Stu can be a mean, mean, man.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:48 PM | Comments (0)

January 6, 2008

Smoke Detector Nightmares

By: The Dude on the Right
As I have stated before in some blogs, I sometimes find myself just a tad crazy, obsessive, or just bizarre.

Case in point...

So the other night I'm sleeping when I wake up to a familiar chirp.  I knew I didn't have any 9 volt batteries in the Dude-Pad so I close my bedroom door hoping to deaden the noise.  I manage to sleep through the night, waking up every now and then to a chirp, but figuring that in the morning I could track down which one of my three smoke detectors the chirp was coming from (I was guessing the living room area because it wasn't loud enough for the upstairs one nor quiet for the basement).  I woke up that morning and got myself a gun.  No, wait, sorry, that's the theme from "The Sopranos" and a great song from Alabama 3, but I digress.  I woke up that morning to find there was no more chirping.  Remembering that I failed to change the batteries in my smoke detectors when we fell back in November, I figured the battery issue might have been caused by A) My having the thermostat turned down to a balmy 60 degrees at night so when the detector warmed back up in the morning the chirping stopped, or 2) My humidifier was messing with the smoke detector, in conjunction with the balmy 60 degrees, and again, when the detector warmed back up in the morning the chirping stopped.  In any case I figured it wouldn't hurt to change the batteries in all of my smoke detectors so that afternoon I picked up some batteries, pulled out the step-stool, and changed the batteries in my smoke detectors.  The Dude-Pad was safe once more, or at least I would hear a fire coming and try to figure how to get the hell out.

I went to bed.

Sometime about three the next morning: "Chirp.... Chirp....  Chirp....", and I roll over saying to myself, "Self, what the fuck?  I changed all of the batteries, what the hell is going on?"  So I get out of bed, stand under the upstairs smoke detector, hear the next "chirp" from below me, then head down the stairs to the living room.  I stand there, in the dark, in my undies, staring at the living room area smoke detector (because it could still be the basement detector), only nothing chirps.  One minute.  Three minutes.  Ten minutes later I'm still standing there, in my undies, and no chirp.  Confused and tired I head back to bed only to be woken up again, around four in the morning, to new chirps.  Pissed off I close my bedroom door again figuring that by morning the chirping will be gone again, and sure enough it was.

Another day goes by, another night of chirping begins, another standing, staring, shivering, in my undies, under my living room detector goes by, then I wake up in the morning, don't get myself a gun (although at that point I really wanted to shoot my living room smoke detector, just for the hell of it), and I head to my basement area to exercise.  And just as I'm about to put my headphones on in preparation for a stationary bike ride I hear a chirp.  I now know the basement detector is not the culprit and head up stairs.  I stand under the living room smoke detector and hear a chirp, only it's not coming from the smoke detector, it's coming from my piano.  I know my piano can't chirp, I know Steve, my clownfish in the fish tank next to the piano can't chirp (although how cool would that have been), and then I remember my carbon monoxide detector was plugged in, behind the piano, and sure enough, it was the damn thing that was chirping, keeping me up at night, and hell, who remembers that your carbon monoxide detector has a battery in it, let alone that you need to change said battery.  I had one extra 9 volt battery left from my smoke detector upgrades, popped it my my carbon monoxide detector, and sure enough, no more chirping.

As much as they harp on changing your smoke detector batteries when we spring ahead or fall back, and maybe I'm not paying enough attention to the harping, but as a public service announcement to you, our loyal reader, don't forget changing the battery in your carbon monoxide detector so you won't wake up, countless nights, wondering where the hell the chirping is coming from.  Trust me, it won't be your fish talking to you.

Just a little tip for the new year.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:21 PM | Comments (1)

January 3, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Flip-Flopping the Iowa Caucus, Lindsay Lohan, Lions, and Tigers.

The Dude on the Right does his first podcast for 2008, wonders about the Iowa Caucus results, but he flip-flops on his initial thought about the caucus process. In the end he sees a plus side to the caucusing, namely picking up dudettes. The Dude didn't see the return of the late night talk show hosts, even though David Letterman's beard seemed to be the big news, and some jack-load gave Lindsay Lohan a bottle of champagne. On a lighter note The Dude also ponders the fact that tigers and lions like to eat people sometimes.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:59 PM | Comments (0)

January 2, 2008

Our First Blog of 2008, and Do You Want a Free Bag of Cheese Curls?

By: The Dude on the Right
What better way to start a new year, albeit a day late, than with a new blog!  At first I was going to work on the transformation of Entertainment Ave! to 2008, which pretty much just means a global search and replace of the website thus changing the copyright information from "1996-2007" to "1996-2008," and also including a link to our sister site, mostlyentertainment.com, but then I wondered why would I link to the sister site yet when I haven't begun one of my New Year's Goals, namely consistently updating story links over at Mostly Entertainment.  I did create the graphic for the link, have to admit it's kind of lame, but hey, go ahead and click on it if you want to link to some old headlines from back in October of last year (at least as I post this).

Updating the website aside, the second day of January also made me realize something, especially after the food meltdown I had on the 1st day of January, and that is I just need to order and ship the damn things to my friends rather than bring them back from the old country to distribute later, but then my question is if any of my friends actually deserve a case of them.  That's right, I'm talking, again, about cheese curls.  I blogged about them before, the best cheese curls in the world, from "Snyder of Berlin", and as my never-ending quest at losing weight was just ready to begin yesterday, with a new plan for just losing 1 pound a week and trying to get inspired by "The Biggest Loser: Couples," out of the corner of my eye, high on a shelf, the glorious bag caught my eye.  There was only one bag left of the three originally purchased because I did at least dish one off to Stu Gotz.  The other two were supposed to be for another buddy I know, a dude, who if you met you would never think he was a cheese curl kind of guy, but at a lunch one day he told Stu and me about his Achilles heel of snack food.  I promised him I would bring the best cheese curls back for him for the next time we met.  This was actually back in early November, and when I went home for Thanksgiving I brought back a couple of bags to give to him but those never made past the first week in December (yup, I ate those two bags), and then at Christmas I brought back three bags, quickly dispensed one to Stu, quickly ate one for me (even though that one was originally planned for my buddy), and did my best, for four days, to save that last bag for my buddy.  But as the bag of glorious cheesiness beckoned me I could no longer resist, and now, half a bag gone, I was tempted to throw the rest of those orange, curled, baked goodness into the garbage, but no, there they are, waiting for my next moment of weakness which will probably be about four hours from the time I am typing this blog.

Herein lies my next dilemma - From the Snyder of Berlin order form I can only order my beloved cheese curls by the case, which would contain 14 bags of cheese curls, and even I feel bad about dumping 14 bags of cheesines onto only one of my friends.  The thing is that if I ship the case to myself I know I could unload a couple to Stu, if I'm prompt about it I could re-ship two bags to my local buddy and two other bags could go to a staff member's girlfriend in New Jersey.  That leaves me with 8 bags of the World's best cheese curls which I could probably eat in a span of about 12 days, which I really, really, really, really would like to do, but for my weight loss goal is probably not a good idea.  So here's what I'm proposing and there is no guarantee you will get a bag.  If you would like me to send you a bag of what I consider the best cheese curls in the World, send me an e-mail to blog@entertainmentavenue.com with your name, age and shipping address stating you would like a bag of cheese curls.  If I do, in fact, order a case, and I do not, in fact, eat them all, and if they do, in fact, have expiration dates later than when you would get the bag, I will ship you a bag of cheese curls.  I'll do my best to package them nicely but make no promise they won't arrive crushed and broken, Birds Eye Foods has absolutely nothing to do with my sending you a bag of cheese curls nor this blog, and don't blame me for one, free, taste, that might make you an addict.  In any case, if this cheese curl giveaway happens because I don't eat them all, I really just want to know what you think of them.

Here's to your weight loss in 2008!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:28 PM | Comments (0)

December 31, 2007

What's New? A Movie Review of "Charlie Wilson's War" and a Podcast of "Happy New Year!"

As 2007 wraps up for the Entertainment Ave! crew there's still a little time for one more movie review with The Dude on the Right seeing "Charlie Wilson's War" and now stalking Amy Adams, and although not a true Weekend Wrap-Up podcast, The Dude just wants to thank you, wants to lose weight, and wants to set some goals for the website. Here's to a fabulous 2008 for all of you!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:20 PM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: A Chubbier Nephew, Lorain, and A Christmas Tradition.

The Dude on the Right is home from home for the holidays and worries that his nephew is trying to be a little too much like him. Such is one of the musings for this podcast. The Dude is also closer to being "street" thanks to a gift from his niece, and as a gift back he takes his 16 year old to another R-Rated movie, this time "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." The Dude's movie review should follow soon.

Anyway, he also ponders his mother being in the hospital over Christmas, looks forward to seeing a boatload of movies over the upcoming weekend, and wonders if any college students realize the impact that Momofuku Ando had on their life's, or even celebrated Mr. Ando's life hearing about his death back in January of 2007. If you are a college student you should probably chug a beer, that you can now afford, thanks to the invention by Momofuku Ando.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:43 PM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Merry Christmas, A Nasally Cold, A Parenting Book, Ringtones, and Shooting at Santa!

The Dude on the Right is still sporting a head cold for this podcast, but he powers through without mentioning the name "Jamie Lynn Spears." Instead he mostly talks about Christmas and shooting at Santa. Also, since it's the end of the year, those end of the year lists start popping up, with The Dude being surprised at how out of the loop he seems to be by not realizing the popularity of Shop Boyz and their hit "Party Like a Rock Star." After hearing it, though, he might be adding the song to his exercise playlist. Sadly, though, it also means he may never hear it again.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:38 PM | Comments (0)

December 17, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast! They Both See Movies, The Dude has a Cold, and Stu's Getting Old.

Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right overcome some health issues to get together for another podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" They both saw "I Am Legend" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks," so there's discussions about the good and bad of those movies, while Stu's Netflix queue gave Stu a good movie while The Dude recommends a movie Stu should add to the queue. They also discuss Dan Fogelberg's death where The Dude gets it correct, TV shows are wrapping up, and what better thing this Christmas season than Mr. Chocolate Rain, Tay Zonday, orating "Twas the Night Before Christmas," at least The Dude on the Right thinks so.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:22 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Hannah Montana, Baseball & Steroids, The Golden Globe Nominations, and Here Comes Santa!

The Dude on the Right is hoping during this podcast that a lot of baseball dudes get together and sue some of the major networks and radio shows for spouting that they did steroids even before the Mitchell Report came out, which then didn't list them. He was also hoping Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus would be adding some new shows near his niece so he could try to get her tickets as the perfect Christmas present.

The Dude was also disappointed that the Golden Globe nominations didn't include "Knocked Up" nor "Superbad" this year, and also wonders if Dewey Cox can out-funny McLovin? He also wants to lose weight next year, but what year doesn't The Dude on the Right not want to lose weight?

Posted by Rightdude at 6:52 PM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast: "The Golden Compass" Analysis, Weather Woes, and More Movie Talk.

Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right reunite for another "Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast, and a lot of it deals with movies. They both saw "The Golden Compass," discuss some things about "I Am Legend," and Stu wonders how he let Mama Gotz hijack his Netflix queue. They also talk some football, mostly about the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins since the Chicago Bears have been sucking lately, they also talk some TV as the fall season winds up, and Stu thinks Bon Jovi and Ozzy Osbourne aren't relevant anymore. Send your complaints to stu@entertainmentavenue.com

Posted by Rightdude at 6:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 9, 2007

Where's the Christmas Spirit, and Hoping to See Concerts.

By: The Dude on the Right
As I waited at the Dude-Pad for the ice storm that the weather folks kept predicting I kept looking out the window for the storm, then went to the hardware store because I needed a new humidifier as my trusty Radio Shack thermometer/hydrometer said I was breathing 27% humidity air, and began trying to get into the Christmas spirit by getting my Christmas tree up. But even with my little winter wonderland in my living room (thought not finished yet), and even with snow on the ground, I'm finding it hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year because right now that spirit is coming in spurts, like it did in my last blog.  That's okay, I suppose, because I've always been a Christmas procrastinator, waiting until the last minute to buy presents, although today I also got my Sunday newspaper with a pre-printed "Holiday" note wishing me the best in the holiday season, complete with a self-addressed, but not stamped, envelope, and wondering if this will finally be the year I tip my newspaper driver girl, and if so, how much?

And with holiday tipping being a perplexing quandary, whether it be the newspaper delivery person, the mail person, the garbage people (and since we've got recycling and garbage pick-up do I have to tip the both of them?), I at least did see a movie over the weekend that I didn't like, that being "The Golden Compass," I did get some new movie previews done for the website, I'm halfway through the second DVD of special features for "Superbad" so that DVD review should be posted this week, I have some hopes that I'll be able to cover Jonathon Brandmeier and his Leisure Suits this week, as well as the teaming up of Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne, and I'll also finish my Christmas display to finally give me something to keep me in the spirit every time I walk by it, at least until after Christmas when I then have to dread taking down my Christmas crap, I mean spirit.

And I still wonder, where is my ice storm today?

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:48 PM | Comments (0)

December 6, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Canada Better Watch Out, Journey's Got a New Singer, and Grammy Award Nominees.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right talks a lot about music, although he begins by welcoming the International visitors to the website where the folks in Ireland are close to overtaking the fans in Canada. But back on the music side, The Dude explains who the new lead singer of Journey is and how it came about, which reminded him of the movie "Rock Star," and continuing with the music theme, with "Hey There Delilah" getting nominated for a couple of Grammy Awards, The Dude is once again tormented and hates Delilah. But the Grammy nominations also lead him into a weird direction, wondering about obscure categories, and past Presidents of the United States of America vs. a maybe future President of the United States of America, all competing in a category of spoken word where it might be Oprah who decides who the Grammy goes to. It's too bad The Grammy Awards are after the Iowa caucus!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:11 PM | Comments (0)

December 5, 2007

30 Minutes to The Christmas Spirit!

By: The Dude on the Right
Normally, by now, I'm sort of getting into the Christmas spirit, and you would think that with the blanket of snow we got last night it would kick that feeling into high gear (I'm Catholic so for for me it's Christmas - If you want me to be in the "Holiday" spirit, well, screw you), but for whatever reason I'm still in "Bah-humbug!" mode.  I've got no gumption to set up my Christmas display, the only gumption I do have is to at least set up my Christmas Tree, maybe, and the dude-pad could also use a good cleaning.  My December TV viewing is coming to a crashing halt thanks to the writer's strike, and my excitement about football is nearly over as the Chicago Bears are pretty much out of it while their only use this week is in screwing up my Thursday night TV viewing thanks to their being the Thursday Night Football game on the NFL Network which no one, except me (and maybe The Dude on the Left), can view, because I am insane and need to have every cable channel I can get.

Normally a Christmas movie or two might get me into the spirit, but I didn't like "Fred Claus" that much, and as my weekends finally get back to a little normalcy I could really care less about "The Golden Compass" which opens this weekend, even though I know I should review it to at least get something new posted entertainment-wise.  Sure, I could catch up on some movies I haven't seen yet, but I'm thinking neither "Hitman" nor "The Mist" will make me want to bellow "Ho Ho Ho," or as they are supposed to do in Australia now, "Ha Ha Ha!"

But you know what?  Chicken butt!  Actually, as I've been writing this blog, I've also been going back and forth between my typing and my looking for pictures of my Christmas display from last year, and then I remembered I posted a blog about it, with pictures, and now I'm sort of sorry for that "screw you" earlier in this blog because the pictures made me laugh, like the one in this blog where it looks like my mountain is the giant head of a snow monster, looking to eat my Christmas village!  And you know what twice? Fried rice!  Actually, in a span of about thirty minutes I'm almost getting into the Christmas spirit.  I just remembered the gifts I want to buy for my niece and nephew as they will be visiting the old homestead for the wondrous holiday celebrating the birth of my Lord, Jesus Christ (and please people, quit stealing him away from his manger), maybe it's actually a blessing that the Bears might wrap up any hope of continuing their season tomorrow, thus leaving my Sunday with football I don't care about (unless the Cleveland Browns might be on my airwaves, but that will wait for Sunday to find out), movies I don't care about, and maybe it will now be a weekend of music and seeing if I can make my snow-mountain look like a snow-mountain, rather than a snow monster.

And suddenly, thirty minutes later after I started typing this blog, I'm almost totally into the Christmas spirit, or the Holiday spirit, or just hoping you celebrate something this month by being with friends, family, or maybe just your pet.  I think I know where my obsession with creating a Christmas display came from, and it was during my days as a manager of a Radio Shack where I actually had a working waterfall complete with goldfish in the "lake" of the display.  I couldn't find the picture of that display (yet), though I still see it in my head, and now I also wonder whatever happened to Mitzi, my one sales associate.

Alright, I've got to finish this blog now before it totally ends up being a novel because, as I am now getting into the Christmas spirit, a lot of past Decembers are flooding into my head, with most of those Decembers bringing a smile to my face.

I'm back with the Christmas spirit.  Now if only I could find that picture of my "stunning" Radio Shack display.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:40 PM | Comments (0)

December 3, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Weekend with Friends, Sports, and TV.

Stu Gotz and The Dude on The Right both survived an annual weekend of seeing old friends so they were able to do another "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. Stu gets a little "blue" in his talking, but The Dude is just blue about the latest loss by the Chicago Bears. They do talk about their meeting old friends, The Dude talks some about new drinking and eating establishments, and even with a weekend of The Dude on the Right humoring himself in his head, suddenly Jennifer Love Hewitt comes into the picture, and even though that picture isn't that flattering, Stu and The Dude don't care, they both like her boobies.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

December 2, 2007

A Selfish Weekend with Friends.

By: The Dude on the Right
I wish I had a good reason for the lack of postings the last few days, but really it was all about selfishness. As happens every early December, this is a weekend that a bunch of friends from college, including myself, get together for a weekend in Chicago. Folks fly in from New Jersey, some people brave lousy driving conditions, but the weekend is culminated with a fancy-shmancy, or at least just a nice dinner, at one of the many fine-dining establishments in the Chicago area (this year is happened to be an Italian place called "Scoozi!").

I won’t go into too much about the weekend as I think Stu Gotz and I will go into some things tomorrow for our Weekend Wrap-Up! Podcast, but the weekend always gives some interesting events, and sometimes things for future blogs. A few years ago a group of us came up with a new religion, which if I could ever find the bar napkins we wrote most of our core beliefs on, well, if you thought the story of Xenu and Scientology is a little bit out there, well, our religion has that beat, and might be a little more fun. But this weekend wasn’t about religion, and as I reminisce this evening of a fun weekend filled with seeing old friends, it was also exciting because for a group of us as we broke out of our predictable selves and discovered a couple of new establishments, namely "Reagle Beagle" (Nice meeting you, Andie!) and "English",  both places being enjoyable, different in their own right, and hopefully longer reviews will follow at a later time.

For Stu I think I will fill him in on how I tend to humor myself in my own head with different scenarios I came up with over the weekend, but for some future blogs there might some topics like:

Are 7&7’s back?

An internet date gone bad.

What’s the point of a flat screen TV?

Ventilation in bathrooms.

Scrumpy’s remembered.

Sure the weekend kept me away from some important news and rumors like Britney Spears being pregnant, mourning the death of Evel Knievel, and paying attention to college football where, depending on the latest BCS standings, The Ohio State Buckeyes might find themselves in the BCS Championship Game after all, leaving The Rose Bowl for USC and Illinois, and the folks at FOX are close to breathing a sigh of relief of the ratings disaster of a West Virginia v. Missouri match-up.  Oh well.

As being selfish can sometimes cause I am now left with so many things to catch back up on, so many things to post, and I still don’t know who got booted off of Survivor last Thursday, though I hope to fire up my TiVo later and at let the catching up begin.

It was great to see some old friends again, and in about a year from now I will most likely be selfish once again because sometimes old friends are more important than posting things on the internet.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:08 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2007

Quit Sending E-Mails that just Disappoint your Friends.

By: The Dude on the Right
At first I was going to do a blog about "Dancing with the Stars" and how I was so happy Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough won, but then, by the time I started writing, I figured it was old news and really, what is there to blog about other than he won, Julianne is still hot, and I was happy Marie Osmond and Scary Spice didn't win.

So I decided to write this blog about an e-mail I received from my Mom a few weeks ago.

As much as I try and prod her to do so, my Mom keeps resisting my urging her to write editorials, quips, and just general thoughts for this website.  She's a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, she's a cancer survivor, and she has grown up through lots of things in this world and has an opinion on just about anything going on in the world of today.  When I go home to visit, and even when I call on the phone, she comments a lot about professional athletes getting paid too much money, saw from the beginning the quagmire of invading Iraq (which I have to apologize to her, because as much, at the beginning, I tried to convince her it was a good thing to do as I bought into the political propaganda being spewed about, but she didn't buy it for a second and stood her ground and never has been a George Bush fan), and questions the proliferation of sex and violence on TV and what it is doing to society, especially our youth, who don't have parents to both stop them from watching it, nor be role models around it.  But in a bass-akward way she wrote something for the web site, in the form of an e-mail to me and some of her friends a few weeks ago.  She told me I could use it here, so here goes...

Mom received an e-mail with the following text, complete with a lot of cute graphics that I'm not going to post here, that said...

8 angels are sent to you,
You must send them to 8 people including me.
In 8 minutes you will receive something you have long awaited.

Have faith!
Have a good day

Now my Mom, being in a persnickety mood that day, did what the e-mail said, and waited.  And then sent this:

Well - - the 8 minutes came and went and there has not been any changes or events to make a difference in my day. When I first got my computer in 2000 I was gung ho for all the so-called miracles, healing, etc. that were to happen, but never did.

So - - - - - if I don’t send anything back to you, it just never made things different in my life, and I am just content to hear from my e-friends even if I don’t answer back.

Prayers are beautiful to receive and hear, but I figure that for all my problems that I would have cured and helped, there are so many more people who need more help than I do and if they were to be answered, God would answer them. But then at times, I believe He figures I should be able to figure some of my problems out without His help. After all, He is a very busy God with the mess in this world (that I’m sure He just shakes His head over that) and with the free will that God gave us, it certainly is up to us to help ourselves more and be thankful for all that we have.

May God bless each and every one of us.

I can't divulge it here, but my Mom's e-mail inspired a sort of social experiment I might try at a later date, but I also so love when Mom gets opinionated because she can do so in a nice way, yet still questioning why some people probably don't actually read the e-mails they forward along, just doing so because it is the thing they do.  My Mom actually took the challenge the e-mail asked for, and I can only imagine what she awaited for in those 8 minutes, but she didn't get something she long awaited for.

So, please, don't send an e-mail that will lie to my Mom.  I so much like her complaining about sports' figures not living up to their multi-million dollar potential than not receiving something she has long awaited.  And you also know what - quit sending e-mails that, if they follow the e-mail rules, just disappoint your friends, too.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

November 26, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend (and Thanksgiving) Wrap-Up! The Dude Calls 911 Twice, Stu Sees Movies and a Parade.

For this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz wrap the weekend into talking about their Thanksgiving doings also. The Dude had hospital stories, but did watch "March of the Penguins" (and a lot of commercials) with his Mom, while Stu was Mr. Busybody, seeing "Enchanted," "August Rush," "The Guardian," and taking the family to see a parade. Stu tells The Dude all about it, while The Dude is now just looking forward to watching the "Dancing with the Stars" finale and hoping Helio (and Julianne Hough) win the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:54 PM | Comments (0)

November 25, 2007

A Story for a Future Thanksgiving Dinner. A Teaser.

By: The Dude on the Right
I had every intention of posting a few things between my last post about Oprah's "Favorite Things" episode and today, namely a podcast because I took my mobile podcast studio home to the Heartland, a movie review or two by seeing some movies on the North Coast, but then my Thanksgiving weekend trip to the old home of the Ford Econoline Van turned into, well, a story for future Thanksgiving dinners.  For now I will only give this teaser as I hope to fill Stu Gotz in tomorrow of my Thanksgiving weekend during our "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast.

Today, though, my Chicago Bears are still alive because other teams actually kick to Devin Hester and his team, my Cleveland Browns are still alive because of Derek Anderson and his team, and I was able to hear the Browns thanks to my Sirius satellite radio in my car and watch the Bears while listening to the audio team of Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer when I got home, synched up because I have TiVo.  God bless technology!

Sometimes I'm such an audio geek, and today was one of those days when I liked being a geek, especially, since yesterday, a nurse at a hospital nearly ruined my secret identity.  She thought I was a movie star, but thankfully I kept her thinking I was a superhero!

Oh, wait, umm, I was never at a hospital, at least not as Spixxx-xxx, nor at least TxBxx Mxxuxxx.  I'm just Drew.  Oh, wait, my, well, something is tingling. Never mind. At least for now.

That's it for this one!  I'm Drew, I mean The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:42 PM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2007

Would I Look Good in "Ugg Australia Classic Crochet Tall Boots"?

By: The Dude on the Right
First off let me start this by saying part of me doesn't like Oprah Winfrey, probably mostly out of jealousy, but there is nothing but admiration for the empire she has built, an empire I can (that's correct, I wrote "can") fathom in my mind, wonder if it is an empire that can ever be built again, and will give credit where credit is due because as much as there are things I don't like about her, the good things she tries to do are huge and deserve commendation.

But, as a dude, today's episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show is one of the most bizarre, yet entertaining, pieces of television of the year.  Yup, today was the usually annual "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode (some of those Oprah fans who got gypped last year when she tried the "Pay It Forward" experiment are probably still a little, deep-down, pissed), and if you ever want to see a group of women, and a couple of dudes, go completely out of their minds, this is the show to watch.  Oprah secretly took her team to Macon, Georgia, to celebrate the folks who, at 4PM if they are watching TV, 45% of them are watching Oprah.  This statistic, in itself, should raise a ton of red flags about Macon, and maybe this is why I could never be in the league of Oprah because rather than embracing them I would be saying "What is wrong with you people?  What do you do for a life?", yet there some of them were, in an auditorium in Macon, going nuts, when Oprah announced they were in attendance for her "Oprah's Favorite Things" show.

Oprah, of course, made the people in the audience happy, giving away things like a cool camcorder (it retails at $799, and we know that because part of "Oprah's Favorite Things" show is Oprah detailing exactly who makes it, how you can get it, and how much it will cost you), boots, cleaning products, DVD's, a boatload of other stuff, and as Oprah put it, the most expensive gift in the history of her "Favorite Things," which turned out to be a refrigerator retailing at $3,799, which, I can probably guess, most husbands of those in attendance are saying "Our fridge keeps my beer cold just fine.  Do you realize what kind of plasma TV we could have gotten for that amount of money?"

As I did my quick tally it looks like those in Macon who ended up at the show were given nearly $7,500 worth of stuff, which, from the reactions of most of them, was stuff that was going to change their world in ways they couldn't even imagine yet.  Those gifts also will change their lives in another way they didn't image yet, with the tax bill that accompanies getting prizes, or at least so says my accountant, Fruitcake, from the firm Dewey, Cheatum, & Howe, LLC.  But you know what, I'm still jealous I wasn't there because yes, I would have probably been jumping up and down like a little schoolgirl like the rest of them, but then wondering what that signed copy of "O's Guide to Life" and "The Pillars of Earth" would get on eBay, and if I could really pull off wearing those "Ugg Australia Classic Crochet Tall Boots" because, well, I got them from Oprah.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:08 PM | Comments (0)

November 19, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Tig old Bitties, Mots of Lovies, and Gama Motz!

Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right have a guest for their weekend wrap-up podcast, and it's none other than Mama Gotz. They talk a lot about Tig old Bitties on "30 Rock," some about the writer's strike, and a lot about movies they all saw, including "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium," "No Country for Old Men," and "Beowulf." The Dude on the Right fills in Stu Gotz with his concert viewing of Shaw/Blades, and his non-concert viewing of Garth Brooks on the TV screen. Thanksgiving plans are also discussed, and they all hope you have a Happy Turkey-Day!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2007

149,999 Garth Brooks' Fans Probably Missed Fantastic.

By: The Dude on the Right
Well my getting back to seeing concerts has gotten off to a shaky start. First my going to see Jonathon Brandmeier was derailed by some bad tacos, then I lost my ticket for seeing Garth Brooks on a movie screen, but at least seeing Shaw/Blades last night went swimmingly great (other then the fiasco after the show thanks to the valet parking people), but if all goes well my review of Shaw/Blades should be posted tomorrow, along with an explanation of said fiasco.

Right now, though, as bummed as I was at missing Garth on the movie theater, this afternoon, after I got back home after seeing "No Country for Old Men," it’s probably better that I lost my ticket. Why? Because rather than just feeling that I set a lighter to a ten dollar bill, had I gone to the Garth Brooks’ movie show my concert review might have started something like "I used to be a huge fan of Garth Brooks, but now I’m just a pissed-off fan. Here’s why…"

"Why" would have been because from the news reports, and the message boards, during the final show in Kansas City that was broadcast at the theaters, after about an hour and a half Garth played "The Dance," the simulcast ended, and the folks in the movie theaters around the country were sent home, yet Garth Brooks was still playing songs in Kansas City, for what one news story said was about 45 minutes more, which, as a fan of music, a fan of concerts, and a fan of Garth, would actually have been the 45 minutes I would have wanted to see. He still did some songs we know, but it’s when he does non-Garth songs, and an impromptu "Happy Birthday," those are the things fans dream about seeing.

Looking back, on the memory of, oh, wait, I guess I got caught up in the moment of Garth, but there was nothing in the press release I read that said anything about "You will get to see most of the last Garth Brooks’ concert if you spend your ten bucks to see him on a movie screen, but if you want to see the entire show maybe you should make your way to Kansas City because there will probably be some scalpers selling tickets for the show." The only thing I can guess is the Garth Brooks’ machine was worried about people trying to bootleg the entire concert in the theaters, what with internet piracy and all, but if Garth puts out a DVD of the Kansas City shows, with everything he played (or at least some of the medleys), I would almost bet my townhouse that it will hit the internet before it’s actually released.

The press release also mentioned that more than 150,000 people would be seeing the show via the movie theater, and I don’t know if that number was accurate after the fact, nor how the $1.5 millionish gets divvied up, but the almost odd thing is that Garth fans have been so jonsen for anything live from Garth Brooks that they (the movie screen concert folks) don’t seem to care much that they missed the last 45ish minutes of the show (my calculation is that each person at the theater was gypped a little over three bucks), and they also missed what actually sounds like the coolest part of the concert. I only get this indifference from the message boards where I read postings from people who went to the movie theater shows being disappointed at not seeing the entire show, but they were just happy to see Garth live.

Me, I would have just been pissed.  And yes, happy to see Garth live.

Luckily for Garth I can’t return my already opened CD/DVD set of "The Ultimate Hits," and I pretty much set a torch to my ticket (by losing it) without seeing him on the big screen, but it does make me sad that folks who went to the movie theater only really saw two-thirds of Garth.

I didn’t mean for this blog to get this long, but even though I didn’t make it to my movie theater because of my own boneheadedness, a whole lot of people did and missed Garth going from "stiff" to an ending that sounded fantastic. If the 150,000 count of movie people is accurate, at least 149,999 people missed fantastic.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:55 PM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: I'm an Idiot, No More Ho, 84 Minutes for Lindsay, and Welcome Back Paige Davis!

The Dude on the Right proclaims himself an idiot for this podcast, probably much to his sister's delight. He proclaims his idiotness due to his losing his ticket for Garth Brooks on the movie theater screen. He is also worried for the world because people in Australia are saying Santa shouldn't say "Ho, Ho, Ho" anymore, instead should say "Ha, Ha, Ha." The Dude also gives props to Lindsay Lohan for her 84 minutes in jail, and has something to TiVo in 2008 thanks to Paige Davis coming back as host of "Trading Spaces" next year.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:46 PM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Movie Talk, Football Talk, Scuba Talk, Garth Talk, and More Talk.

Stu Gotz is finally back so The Dude on the Right isn't flying solo for another podcast. For this episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" they don't even have to talk about why Stu was missing, their weekends were just that action-packed. They both saw "Fred Claus," Stu did a lot of Scuba stuff in the Chicago area, and Stu also recognizes The Dude's wisdom when it comes to printer cartridges. The Dude saw someone turning 60, and hips Stu to a bunch of football things, especially Chicago Bears and Ohio State Buckeye things. Stu also gives The Dude his suggestion for seeing Garth Brooks this week on the big screen.

Wow, they talk a lot.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:22 PM | Comments (0)

November 8, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: The CMA Awards, Unplug Everything, and More Environment Crap.

The Dude on the Right is tired of being preached to about being "Green," so for this podcast he gives his own advice that is a hell of a lot easier than that given on "The Biggest Loser" (although most electricians would say it's bad advice). He also has a theory that "American Idol" is having a larger influence on the country music scene, and is worried about having no TV to watch soon. Go ahead and listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:52 PM | Comments (0)

November 5, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: A Funny SNL, A Literally Crappy Saturday, and A Couple of Movies.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is flying solo because he couldn't get some technology things together, but he did like Brian Williams on Saturday Night Live. He missed it live, and Johnny Brandmeier live, thanks to a couple of bad tacos, but did see a couple of movies, namely "Bee Movie" and "American Gangster" over the weekend. At least the Hollywood writer's strike shouldn't effect his TV viewing until next year.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:41 PM | Comments (0)

November 1, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: ABC's Screwing With The Bachelor and Dancing, Zero Tricks or Treats, and I'm Tired of Kobe Bryant Rumors.

The Dude on the Right is flying solo, as he always does, for his Thursday podcast, and is flustered with how ABC is changing their TV schedule next Monday, only leaving 45 minutes for "The Bachelor," and he does think Brad is doing a good job picking the best women. He's also happy Sabrina, The Cheetah Girl, is off "Dancing With the Stars," and worries about the writer's strike that might impact his TV viewing in 2008. He is also sick of the Kobe Bryant trade rumors, dreaming up some of his better trade rumors, at least for him.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:24 PM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2007

In The End, I Just Wanted a "Wheel of Fortune" Blinky Pen.

By: The Dude on the Right
So I briefly talked about my heading to auditions for "Wheel of Fortune," so I thought I might fill you in a little bit more about the experience because it was really nothing like I originally envisioned though I guess this blog is more of a story so it's a little longer, sorry...

It all started a few months ago when the "Wheel of Fortune" folks announced they were going to be filming some shows in early 2008 at Navy Pier in Chicago, and that eventually they would be holding auditions. I like "Wheel," think I do fairly well at guessing the puzzles before a lot of the contestants, and yell at the TV when I think vowels are bought stupidly. As such I figured "What the hell? When they come to town for auditions why not give it shot?" At the time I figured you just got in a line, they had you fill out some kind of "who are you?" form, maybe do a quick interview, and then would call you later if you qualified.

Then it was announced that the Wheelmobile would be in Chicagoland (actually Rosemont, IL), the weekend of October 20th, and as many times as I saw the Wheelmobile promo during "Wheel" I never paid attention because what actually happens at a Wheelmobile event is nothing like I initially imagined. Nope, it's part game show, part audition, part comedic entertainment, but sadly for me, not part "getting on stage." I did re-check the "Wheel of Fortune" website before I went to the "auditions," and learned a little bit more about what happens. So here you go...

For the Saturday stop it was announced that there would be three "shows," at 1PM, 2:30PM, and 4PM, and that you really just needed to arrive about an hour before each "show."  So, of course, I'm at the Rosemont Theatre at about 11AM, which was easily an hour too early. But I get there, they give you a little slip to fill out with pertinent stuff like your name, address, phone, and a line for hobbies and cool things about you. I dipped back into my love of bowling (which seemed to be very popular among the people who ended up on stage), and movies, but then realized my life is fairly boring because I couldn't think of anything else. I probably should have called some of my friends at the time, like some other people were doing, to remind me about what is cool about me, but then I realized most of my friends would probably just say "Dude, you don't do anything fun, other than seeing a lot of movies by yourself, and you used to see a lot of concerts. Hey, what happened with that anyway? Maybe you need to quick watching so much TV?"  After I put my slip in the collection box it occurred to me I should have written down "I can wiggle my ears."

So I fill out my form, buy a $3 bottle of water, drop my slip in the collection box, (remember about my ears), fill out another form to win prizes, and find a nice aisle seat, with an hour and forty-five minutes yet to kill before the 1PM "show." At this point I am ecstatic, well maybe not ecstatic, but I'm happy I bought an iPhone so I surfed the web and played some games in anticipation of the start of the show.

The time comes, actually it's a little before 1PM, and the first level of the theater is packed solid. Out come Marty and Heidi (okay, I have to admit, I'm not totally sure those were there names, but it's the best I could find via Google at the time, and I'm too lazy to actually make a phone call or two to confirm, so for now I'm going with Marty and Heidi, without any last names) with Heidi playing the role of a fake Vanna White, and Marty (who seems to be a big fan of the movie "Old School") actually having a harder job than Pat Sajak because he has to act as MC, interviewer, game show host, and all around funny dude. The process is then pretty simple: All of the audition slips have been put in this big gold drum, Heidi spins the golden drum and pulls out five names, Marty calls the names the best he can and the five people come up on stage. Marty then interviews them, one by one. Then he spins a wheel to see which parting gift they will win (things like caps, t-shirts, duffel bags), and then adds an extra couple of trinkets, like a Wheel of Fortune deck of cards or Wheel of Fortune blinky pen. And finally Marty directs the five folks through a speed round, you know, the round at the end of "Wheel" when Pat gives the wheel a final spin, the contestant picks a letter and tries to solve, the next contestant picks a letter and tries to solve, etc., etc., and the same thing happens on stage except there's no giving a wheel a final spin. The five folks pick a letter, try to solve, eventually one of them does solve the puzzle, and then five more people get their shot at being on stage.

The weird part about being there is that for about 45 minutes it's kind of like part game show, where you are in the audience, but since you are there to hopefully get on the show (at least most of the people are), there's also that anticipation part that maybe this time your name will be pulled from the golden drum, there's also that part where you are sitting in the audience knowing you would be better during the interview than that person up on stage right now, there's also that part that you can't believe the person picked that letter, and there's also that part when you know the answer to the puzzle and can't believe no one else on stage has solved it yet.

Then the last 15 minutes come.

Now the realization and disappointment begins to hit because your name hasn't been called yet, you didn't get your chance to show you would be the greatest "Wheel of Fortune" contestant player ever, you wish they would go a little quicker on stage so that maybe the golden drum will spin one last time and your name will finally be called, and you start to get a little pissed as you look back on the people who did get called to the stage and wonder what in the hell they were actually doing there. During my little show there were two people that stood out as "You took my spot!"-ers, and probably have no chance in hell of getting on the show. One person was this little old lady who maybe enjoys watching the show, but it sure hasn't helped her command of the English language. Her interview was exactly what you would imagine of a grandma, right off of the boat, not really understanding the phrase "What do you do for fun?", and even after she starts to figure out what you are asking, you can't understand her even if you wanted to. Part of the other thing about getting your chance at the audition is that sure, maybe you are nervous, but if you let that inhibit your having fun, I'm guessing the folks who pick the folks for the next round of auditions skip right over you. This case in point came from a lady who wouldn't sing. At the beginning of the show Marty mentions that if you want to sing, well, sing. If you want to dance, dance. If you want to tell a joke, go ahead, just keep it clean, so as he's doing his quick interview of the lady he asks what she does for fun. She mentions she likes to hang out with her family and sing karaoke. Marty sees the opening for her to maybe seal her spot to the next round and asks her to sing, to which she shyly declines. He even prods her a little more, but she still says no. A few contestants later a dude says he likes to shoot pool, or something like that, and sing. Marty gives this dude his opening, asking if he'll sing, and he belts out a quick verse. I'm guessing he had a really good shot to go on, while "no-singing lady who took my spot," not so much.

And so Marty announces the last five names are coming out of the golden drum, my name isn't called, and it's time to make a choice: Stick around for the next show (although from the line that snaked around the Rosemont Theatre at the time I'm guessing it was already "Sold Out"), stick around even later for the 4PM, or just head back to the Dude-Pad and get some things done. Sure, my dedication for getting on the show maybe wasn't as high as those who tried every show during the weekend, but after going through the last 15 minutes portion of that first show, the disappointment that I didn't get my chance to shine, and the being pissed off because I know I would have been better on stage than the old lady, I felt ready to retire my interview speech: "My name's The Dude on the Right. By day I'm an consultant for the construction industry and by night I publish an internet magazine. I love movies, music, and TV. I have 3 fish.  Steve's about 6 years old, Ashley's about 5, and Bam is about 3."  Marty would say something, because he wasn't wasn't paying that much attention like, "You don't know the age of your children?", to which I would retort, "I said 'I have 3 fish.'", and the people would have laughed.  Then, of course, not to split the crowd like the Cub's fan did, I would have yelled "Go Bears!"  In my head it worked perfectly, but sadly, Heidi never picked my name out of the golden drum.

Not getting picked aside, though, it was actually a pretty enjoyable time. I'll give a ton of credit to Marty for his ability to keep things fun and deal with people who are either nervous beyond belief or goofy beyond belief or have no point having their name in the golden drum beyond belief, and I would say that even if you don't want to be on the show, and if the Wheelmobile comes to your town, head to the auditions for an fun experience.  Around me I heard a lot of husbands and boyfriends saying they were there for their wives/girlfriends, and hoped they wouldn't get picked to go up on stage, to which I say, "Don't fill out the damn audition slip and take my spot!", but I'm guessing, in the bottom of their stomachs, there was this little part of them hoping their name would be pulled from that golden drum.

Even though I blew my chance at attending another "show" on Saturday, what pissed me off more was that I wasted more chances by staying at home to watch the Chicago Bears implode on Sunday when I could have been at another audition or two during the crappy football game, and if, by chance, Heidi pulled my audition slip, and Marty mispronounced my last name (because, for whatever reason, people can't pronounce "Right"), I could have been able to tell about how much I love my fish and might have remembered that part about being able to wiggle my ears.  Even, if in the end, after getting up on stage, I still didn't make it to the next audition round, I would have really liked to get that "Wheel of Fortune" blinky pen.

Like the Chicago Cubs, I guess, maybe I'll have to wait until next year, unless, somehow, someway, my audition slip is pulled at random for another chance at the "Wheel of Fortune" Chicago finals.  I guess, right now, I better hope I wrote my phone number or e-mail address in a legibly fashion when I was transcribing it on my audition slip using my "Souvenir," "Wheel of Fortune" computer CD as a clipboard, otherwise they might be trying to contact who knows who.  Such might be the life of a wannabe "Wheel of Fortune" contestant.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:18 PM | Comments (3)

October 29, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! The Bears Blow Up, Stu saw Movies, The Dude and a Wheel, and a Bachelor Meltdown.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right is sort of in the dumps because he wasted a Sunday afternoon watching the Chicago Bears, didn't get picked to go on stage during the "Wheel of Fortune" auditions, and feels bad for dead men's ashes. Stu Gotz saw some old movies, namely "Smokin' Aces" and "Employee of the Month," and had a hard time getting breakfast. He is also proud of his Mexican heritage. At least The Dude has one thing still making him happy, and that is Hillary's meltdown on "The Bachelor" from last week.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:58 PM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2007

Things I Should Have Done on a Sunday.

By: The Dude on the Right
As I woke up this morning, actually remembering that Daylight Savings Time wasn't ending this weekend as it usually would have, I did sort of wish today was the day to "Fall Back," getting an extra hour of sleep, because I just couldn't drag my butt out of bed.  But I did get my butt out of bed, thinking of all of the things I wanted to accomplish but wouldn't as this would be a Sunday to hunker down on the couch as the Chicago Bears would show they could save their season.  I decided I would skip seeing any movies (who really wanted to see "Dan in Real Life" anyway, but from the box office reports, it looks like "Saw IV" was the place to be), do some quick grocery shopping, and sit back and watch the Bears kick the Detroit Lions collective butts.

Then the game came, and other than seeing a movie, here are some other things that I should have done instead of watching the Bears implode...

• Do some cleaning around the Dude-Pad.
• Go back to the "Wheel of Fortune" auditions.
• Go for a healthy walk in the crisp, fall, air.
• Contemplate getting a Nintendo Wii or PS3 so I could buy "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" on Tuesday, then find any cheat codes I could to make it easier.
• Buy a Slingbox for my mom so I could watch the Cleveland Browns games here in Chicago as they seem to be my only hope for football now.
• Write a DVD review of "Knocked Up."
• Write a CD review of "Magic" from Bruce Springsteen.
• Write a buttload of Movie Previews for the website.
• Keep digitizing my old photos in hopes of finding another gem like "Five Moons in The Bay."
• Work on a Christmas Party weekend.
• Take a nap.

Every one of those things would have been better than watching the Chicago Bears lose today.  All I can say now is screw Rex Grossman, screw Brian Griese, bring back Kyle Orton!

What a waste of a Sunday - at least I wrote this blog. And did laundry.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:13 PM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2007

One of My Favorite Photos: Five Moons in The Bay

By: The Dude on the Right
At first I considered blogging about my attempt, today, to get on the "Wheel of Fortune," but I'm not really up for some sad story-telling tonight (as you can guess my audition slip didn't get pulled from the big, gold drum, but an older lady, barely able to walk, with an accent heavier than a ton of bricks, well, her slip did get pulled, and if that makes me sound bitter, well, yea, I am), so I thought I would blog about something that every time I see it, it just brings a smile to my face.

What could do something like that?  Well, of the thousands of pictures I have taken over the years, between the concert photos, the candid photos, the sports photos, there has always been one that is in my top ten of the most memorable photos I have taken but for years it was sort of lost.  Then, a few days ago, as I have been diligently digitizing my negatives, I finally came across it, and as my scanner finally did its job I yelled, "There it is, 'Five Moons in The Bay!'"

It was over ten years ago, in 1997, on a trip to Long Beach Island, NJ, where a whole slew of my friends decided that spending a 4th of July weekend in New Jersey had more potential for fun rather than hanging out in Chicago, and it was fun.  But as my luck would have it, on a lovely New Jersey night, with the moon aligned just right, and the reflections coming off of the bay, I was able to snap a masterpiece with my trusty camera.  Was it my ultimate masterpiece?  Well, I don't know, only time will tell, and when I die, like all great artists, we will be able to see how it stacks up with the likes of the great photographers, but as photographs are sometimes supposed to make you smile, this might be my "Pièce de résistance."

Without further ado, I give you, if you scroll down a bit, ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Moons in The Bay

 

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Apple Releases a Leopard, Here Comes Halloween, and Teases from "The Bachelor."

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this Thursday podcast, and advises anyones who listens to replace the word "Wallow" with the word "Rejoice." He admits he was confused, but he was happy to rejoice in the dismissal of Hillary on "The Bachelor," even if it is mean. He also talks about his review, or rather just discusses, the release of Apple's Mac OS X Leopard, wondering if its release might impact his iPhone. The Dude also talks about Drew Carey hosting "The Price is Right," hopes Paris Hilton's latest setback doesn't send her on the road to partying, and he's paranoid about Halloween. Okay, maybe not paranoid, but he hates being stuck with so much candy.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2007

November 2007 Might Get Me Back to Concerts.

By: The Dude on the Right
Maybe it was my excitement of getting a ticket to see Garth Brooks at my local movie theater, or maybe it's just because I need to finally get out of my "not reviewing concerts" funk, or maybe I just need to get the fuck out the dude-pad and quit watching TV, or maybe I need to get back with the concert going people, but as look back with regret at all of the concerts I've missed for the year, the end of October and most of November finally might get me off of my ass to review some concerts in Chicagoland.  There are a ton of shows I would like to see, oddly most not legendary (Neil Young and John Fogerty aside), but shows I know have the potential for something great like Kid Rock at the Aragon Brawlroom, I mean Aragon Ballroom, or Sammy Hagar at the "way-to-nice-although-George Thorogood-played there too" Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, IL.  If I can pull it off quick enough I would like to see "Augustana" at the House of Blues to close October, and as much as I love Marc Cohn, I've never seen Kelly Clarkson and always wanted to, and she's at the Chicago Theater next week.  A Saturday tosses a decision of shooting for radio dude Jonathon Brandmeier in a crazy Sundance Saloon v. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at a not so crazy Vic Theatre, and then, if I can't get a chance to see Garth Brooks live and in the flesh early in his 9 show stint in Kansas City, I'm sure Stu Gotz would like to see Tori Amos wiggling on her piano stool at the Auditorium Theatre.

And that's only half of November.

Continuing, as much as I would like to see Gary Allan opening up for Keith Urban at the Allstate Arena, I'm thinking I'll like the Shaw/Blades (that's Tommy Shaw from Styx and other bands, and Jack Blades from Night Ranger and other bands) show at Joe's on Weed Street a hell of a lot better if I can get there early enough to get a spot at the front of the stage for photo purposes.  Then there is Vanessa Carlton at the perfect Park West, and even though she has a new album out I would like to see her play "White Houses" (even though Steve Dahl in Chicago at WCKG couldn't seem to get a line in the song right when it came out), but the Thanksgiving holiday might throw a monkey wrench into my seeing  "The Swell Season," the group of musicians from the movie "Once" whom I've come to love lately.

As October comes to a close I'm guessing I'll miss "Hall & Oates" at The Vic due to a reunion weekend, but as December hits, on the 1st, a new dilemma comes:  Shoot for Billy Joel at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates or stake my spot at the reunion dinner.

The end of October, all of November, and the beginning of December have so many choices.  I suppose I just better get off of my ass and make some, choices that is.  And quit watching so much damn TV.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:27 PM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! The Dude does Movies, Stu does Jewel, The Dude Walks, and Stu MySims.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", don't believe the title about Stu Gotz doing Jewel, he only went to see Jewel in concert thanks to Mama Gotz. Stu, also, didn't enjoy the lovely weekend weather in Chicagoland, instead he forgot "Sweetest Day" and walkthrough'd his MySims game. The Dude on the Right, though, got out of his mourning the loss of the Cleveland Indians and into his afternoon by talking about the Chicago Bears win. The Dude also tells Stu about some movies he saw, and dreams of being on "Wheel of Fortune." The Dude's dreams don't reach that high sometimes.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:36 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2007

I've Got a Ticket for Garth Brooks!

By: The Dude on the Right
I can't believe it!  After all of these years I am going to see him in concert again!  No, it's not Bruce Springsteen (he wanted almost a hundred bucks for his concert tickets), nor Rick Springfield.  No, it's not Neil Diamond, nor is it Wayne Newton (thankfully he's finally off "Dancing With the Stars.")  And no, it's not even Roger Waters.

I'm going to see the one and only Garth Brooks, in concert, at the Kerasotes ShowPlace 16, in Naperville, IL.  And StubHub be damned, it's only costing me eleven bucks (damn Fandango fee)!

Yup, there it was, Friday morning, and as I was getting ready to see "The Comebacks" I remembered tickets for Garth were going on sale that morning.  So I fired up my computer, headed to the Garth Brooks website, clicked on the link to buy tickets, and they kept sending me to the Fathom Events' site which was obviously overloaded, and it was just like trying to get home opener tickets for the Chicago Cubs - I kept getting denied any access.  Then it occurred to me, and I headed to the Fandango website, and sure enough, with minutes I had it:  My receipt that I would have a ticket to see the man, the myth, the legend, the dude who won't tour until his kids are grown - Garth Brooks.

And it only cost me eleven bucks (ten bucks for the ticket, one buck for the Fandango folks)!

Okay, sure, I'll be in Naperville, IL., during a concert that is actually taking place in Kansas City, MO., but the ten dollar cost actually got my investigative interest up, namely what will it be like to attend a "concert" at my local gigaplex?  I know they don't serve beer at my local movie theater so I'm guessing there won't be an issue of the dude behind me dumping his beer down the back of my shirt.  I know you can't smoke, but I also wonder if the smell of some wacky-weed might permeate the air at times?   Will people be using their cell phones as "lighters" during some of the reflective songs?  Will I be able to use my iPhone to take a picture of the screen?

The other thing that I really wonder is if there is a "secondary" demand for tickets to see Garth Brooks at a movie theater.  After I figured out the Fandango option, and got my single ticket, I wondered if I should have bought the maximum allowed, maybe even "invested" money across these United States, to buy as many tickets for a Garth Brooks concert at a movie theater, and then simply tried to double my money.  Could I have used Craigslist, eBay, StubHub, or any other of the many places to post tickets for sale, and then made a little more money on the handling part of the "shipping and handling" of the transaction?  But no, I was too lazy, hell, I didn't even ask any of my friends who are Garth Brooks fans if they wanted to go, so if I can get my ass out the door, on November 14th, I'm going to see Garth Brooks on my movie screen.

And now all I can really think is "Can Garth Brooks actually put on a concert to excite a group of people watching him at a movie theater?"  If he can Garth might go down as the best entertainer, ever, otherwise I'll just be kind of pissed that I didn't stay at home and watch "Bionic Woman."

Now all I've got to do is figure out how to see him live, in Kansas City, MO.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:57 PM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Ellen DeGeneres, Britney Spears, Joey Bishop, and Go Tribe!

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is flying solo and gives his take on this entire Ellen DeGeneres dog crap, is in the corner of the "Mutts and Moms" people, and thinks the problem might not be the dog, it might be the cats. He also is baffled at how Britney Spears can still be screwing things up with her custody issues and practically begs her to move out of California. With the death of Joey Bishop, well, The Dude is sad to see the last of The Rat Pack go, long live The Rat Pack.

And of course, most importantly for him, screw the "feel-good" team of the Colorado Rockies getting to The World Series, for him it's "Go Tribe!"

Posted by Rightdude at 7:33 PM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2007

Ellen DeGeneres and Her Dog? World War III? Who Cares, Drew Carey is Hosting "The Price is Right."

By: The Dude on the Right
After the events of yesterday I was going to blog about Ellen DeGeneres and her dog fiasco, but since the audio is really the key I figured I'll wait for my hopeful podcast tomorrow to fill you all in on my feelings about Ellen.  The dumb part is that I didn't tape today's episode of "Ellen" to see if she had anything new to say so I suppose I'll have to do some investigating tonight.

Other than Ellen the other news of today was that President Bush said we might have World War III if Iran developed a nuclear, or is that nucular, weapon.

But that's not important either.

What is important is that this week new episodes of "The Price is Right" returned to the airwaves, with Drew Carey now hosting instead of Bob Barker, and at this point in time I'll just say, "I guess we'd better revisit this in a month or two."

I asked for my mom's first impressions but she didn't see it yet.  I also asked her if dad watched it and what he thought of it, but she pretty much acknowledged dad doesn't like Drew Carey, and once dad has something set in his mind, Drew could come off as the greatest game show host ever and my dad would still not like him.  Mom still has yet to report back if dad even watched the new episodes.

But I TiVo'd the second episode with Drew, and all I can say is that you can tell Mr. Carey is trying to feel his way into being the host of the show, and for me, it's not working right now.  But I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise.  Hell, he is taking over for Bob Barker.

The first problem I had was that Drew Carey tries a little too hard to relate to the contestants and sometimes seems to talk too much.  He hasn't come up with that smoothness Bob Barker always seems to have with the contestants, no matter how loopy the players seem to be, but that might come in time.  The second problem I had was the camera work seemed a little choppy, and this kind of surprised me especially with the history of the show.  The third problem is Drew doesn't seem that comfortable explaining the games which should be second nature no matter what stage you are at hosting.  And the fourth problem I had was Drew's wireless microphone, with that big box on the bottom, looked stupid compared to Bob's sleek one.

Since I'm usually doing stuff during the morning and don't watch "The Price is Right" until I visit the old homestead because dad is a fan, as an un-regular watcher Drew Carey has a lot of work to do to get his familiarity with the show down, and I guess that's why I started this blog with a mention that maybe we should revisit Drew Carey's hosting of "The Price is Right" in a month or two.  There is some potential for Drew, but in my weird observation he just needs to quick trying too hard, don't try to relate to the contestants, and just kick back, relax, and let the show be "The Price is Right."  The contestants usually know the show, and you don't need to care that much about them.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Who Cares About Don Imus, O.J. and Jail, Paris Hilton is a Good Girl, and Go Cleveland Indians.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is flying solo on a Monday because he and Stu Gotz couldn't sync things to do a weekend wrap-up. In any case The Dude on the Right tells of his movie going weekend, with "We Own the Night" and "Michael Clayton" being his choices, as well as doing a CD review of "The Soft Addictions" from Cleveland's own Michael Stanley. He also talks about O.J. Simpson, Paris Hilton, and he still can't figure out why, but also Don Imus. He would have talked for hours, but he had to get back to watching his last chance for giving a damn about The World Series, The Cleveland Indians.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:14 PM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2007

A "Moment of Silence" in Illinois School's Rant, and My Weekend Goals.

By: The Dude on the Right
As I head into this coming weekend I have four obvious Entertainment Ave! goals, some "behind the scenes" work for the site, but before I get to that, and I hate to sometimes get political, but here in Illinois I want to know "WHAT THE HELL IS OUR LEGISLATURE DOING WASTING THEIR TIME WITH A LAW ABOUT A "MOMENT OF SILENCE" TO BE HELD AT ALL ILLINOIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHEN THEY CAN'T EVEN GET A BUDGET DONE?"  Yes, that phrase is meant to be in all CAPS because if this were a podcast I would be yelling, and I don't even have kids.  The Chicago Sun-Times has a nice article about it, and reflects that "Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood), the bill’s chief sponsor, denied he was promoting school prayer but instead said a moment of silence possibly could avert tragedies like the recent school shooting in Cleveland, where a troubled 14-year-old shot two students and two teachers before killing himself. 'Just think if that student had an opportunity maybe to sit and reflect,' Davis said."  How Utopian can you be?  My guess is Asa Coon, the 14-year-old dude who shot four people before killing himself and had a complete history of a messed up life, would have just used his time to contemplate things like "I can enter through the south doors, those guards are lazy and don't give a damn, and I could easily get to Room..."

The other thing is that according to the article "But supporters of the legislation, backed by Concerned Christian Americans and the Illinois Family Institute, said it would help young people come to terms with the everyday stresses in their lives."  How the hell does this not scream "prayer" in school, and how the f$%# does a "moment of silence" help young people come to terms with the everyday stresses in their lives?  Do you people even understand the stresses in their lives?

Look, I went to a public school from K-4, and a Catholic school from 5-12, and whether it was the Pledge of Allegiance or a prayer at the beginning of the day, or just a lull in the action of the day, there is always a moment of silence in a school day, and you don't need to make a law to make that silence.  But had I had a moment of silence at the beginning of the day I'm thinking my thoughts would be things like:

• In the younger grades: "I really hope we get chocolate-chip cookies today.  Those oatmeal cookies are yucky!"
• A little older: "Why does Gary keep pulling Mary's pony-tails?  She's always nice to me."
• In the slightly middle grades: "I thought playing strings meant learning to play guitar, not the violin.  But mom likes me playing violin, so I guess I'll stick with it"... Or... "I really wish I could remember how to spell 'ate' (This is complicated because I did spell "8" correctly, but the teacher was just looking for the word 'ate,' and no one asked for the definition)."
• A little older: "Maybe Bxxxx will be impressed if I run home really fast."
• Growing up some more: "Wow, Patty is first chair, and I'd like to be first chair, but she sure is cute.  I guess this violin isn't a bad thing."
• Somewhere around 7th grade: "We are so much cooler than those 5th graders."
• High school:  Pretty much every moment of silence would be about a girl I liked and was scared to death to let them know.... except....
• Every other day, with any kind of test, every thought would be diverted in that moment of silence to "(Insert various expletive here), I knew I should have studied more."

Good luck Illinois schools, explaining to your students why they are having a "moment of silence," but if you don't want any lawsuits you had better just let the kids think about, in those few seconds, or minutes, or hours (hey, the lawmakers didn't say how long the moment of silence should be), what any student at that age might think about.  The scary thing is that the silence might be something as simple as what kind of cookie they might be getting later in the day, but also might be about what is the best way to get into the school with a couple of guns later next week.

Because this blog has gotten too long, on a quick, lighter note my four obvious goals for Entertainment Ave! are reviewing the movies "Michael Clayton" and "We Own the Night," and reviewing new music from Matchbox Twenty (Exile on Mainstream), and Michael Stanley (The Soft Addictions).  Hell, if I really get ambitious there might also be a DVD review of The Collector's Edition of "Knocked Up."  And I didn't even get to some iPhone ranting or my planning on doing some walking.  Maybe next time.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:58 PM | Comments (0)

October 11, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Water Taxing, Weather Falling, Stars Denying, and Wayne's not Dancing.

The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast and wonders if you might want to be a future guest on the show. He also wonders about Mayor Daley in Chicago wanting to tax bottled water, is sort of liking the fall weather, and wonders about the denials of Pam Anderson, Lindsay Lohan, Angelina Jolie & Jon Voight, and Bobby Brown. At least he knows Wayne Newton isn't on "Dancing With the Stars" anymore.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:04 PM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2007

Garth Brooks Still Isn't Touring, but He Might be at Your Movie Theater (sort of).

By: The Dude on the Right
I can't believe I wasn't paying attention on this, but over the weekend Garth Brooks has so far lived up to his promise of not touring, yet did sell out nine shows in November in the musical mecca that is Kansas City, MO.  He's opening up the new Sprint Center in good ol' K.C., and had I been paying attention I almost might have tried to get a couple of tickets and make the 7 hour and 43 minute trip (according to Google Maps) to catch the show.  But, alas, I wasn't paying attention, and he pretty much has sold out all nine dates in like 5 minutes (okay, a little longer than that, but it was Hannah Montana quick).

Now none of that sounds that weird, I guess he already made a previous commitment to do a concert or nine there, but the interesting announcement was made a few days later, at the official opening of the Sprint Center, where Garth announced one of the shows would be simulcast to movie theaters across the United States.  Most likely it will be handled by Fathom Events, since this is already what they do, and they have a quick blurb on their website announcing it, but no specifics are set yet.  The thing is, other than not actually being at the live event, squinting to see Garth on stage from a million miles away where you find yourself, a lot of the times, just watching the giant video screens anyway, might it be almost just as cool to see him on your movie screen where if you take a picture with your camera phone you might just get a decent picture of Garth?  Okay, fine, I don't think so either, but if he still has that kind of demand for live concert tickets, it will be damn interesting to see the demand to see him on the big screen, and how will the ticket scalpers handle that?

And you thought getting tickets for a venue that holds 18,000+ difficult.

For a lot of you Garth fans, seeing him at your local gigaplex might be your only chance to "see" Garth Brooks, live in concert, at least until his kids are grown, unless, of course, he has so much fun in Kansas City that he decides to take his kids on what might be the most exciting "see the world" experience of their lives.  If not, well, hopefully you can still get free refills on that bucket o' popcorn when you see him on the big screen, if you can actually get a ticket.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

October 8, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast! The Cubs are Gone, The Bears are Back, "Balls of Fury" is Done, and Stu is "Sim"ed.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", Stu Gotz got to see the Chicago Cubs final game of the season, The Dude on the Right finished the "Stu & The Dude Reviewin' the Movies for You!" episode of "Balls of Fury." The Dude was happy the Chicago Bears beat Green Bay, neither of them had any delusions of entering The Chicago Marathon, and Stu might be getting addicted to MySims for his Nintendo Wii.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:25 PM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2007

I Can't Believe I Overslept.

By: The Dude on the Right
Well, if you are a reader of my Entertainment Ave! blog, as well as my MySpace blog, you will probably notice that this blog post is the same in both locations.  I figured since I usually keep my MySpace blog to my many exercising and eating healthy dilemmas, while the Entertainment Ave! blog is usually about everything else, and since this blog post sort of encompasses both, I would be lazy and just post it in both places.  Sorry for my laziness.

Anyway, maybe it was because I was so beaten down by the trouncing the Chicago Cubs took yesterday, or maybe it was because I shouldn't have gotten sucked into watching "Independence Day" on cable last night, but this morning I overslept and missed The Chicago Marathon.  Yup, I had every intention of going to The Chicago Marathon, but of everything to forget I actually forgot to set my alarm.  Oh well, I suppose with the heat today it might have been for the best, but not going did allow me to finally finish our animated review of the movie "Balls of Fury" for Entertainment Ave!  Sure, the movie's been out for over a month now, and sure, not many people saw it anyway, but me and my buddy Stu Gotz put forth the effort to write and record the audio, so I figured I might as well get the damn thing finished.

But it did feel good to get that off of my plate, so until the next animated review I can get back to some new music from Bruce Springsteen, Michael Stanley, and matchbox twenty to review, get my movie previews back up-to-date, and catch some concerts.  I can also get back to some more consistent exercising (I admit I missed a couple of morning workouts this last week - I could use the animating as an excuse, but that's just lame), and even shift from all cardio to some actual strength training.

The good thing with the Chicago Cubs out of the baseball playoffs is that at least now I only have one team to cheer on, namely my hometown Cleveland Indians, and if the Chicago Bears lose to Green Bay and Brett Favre tonight, my football season is pretty much complete, and I'll have plenty of time to get ready for next year's Chicago Marathon.

I was sort of looking forward to going to the marathon this morning, to cheer on the runners.  Please tell me you didn't actually think I was planning on running in the marathon?  First off I've only been exercising for a month and that has been on my exercise bike at home and walking outside.  By my calculations, even if I could make the 26.2 miles, at my walking speed it would take me around nine hours to finish the thing.  Second, I don't know if my "bowler's knee" could even survive that pounding.  And lastly, I would probably die.  But if the Chicago Cubs had won yesterday it would have been fun to cheer on some of the runners near Wrigley Field and then catch today's Cubs game in Wrigleyville, with my plan for the Cubs loss to be to head to Chinatown where it is supposedly party central to cheer the runners on, and then get a great Chinese lunch.  Oh well, at least I got "Balls of Fury" done!

After last night and this morning, I guess the appropriate phrase for both The Chicago Marathon and The Chicago Cubs is "Wait until next year!"

And that's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:18 PM | Comments (0)

October 4, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: A Shout-Out to My Favorite Niece, Britney has a Good and Bad Day, and Go Cubs.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right gives a couple of shout-outs, but mostly ponders about Britney Spears and her highs and lows. He also gives her some advice, namely to move out of the TMZ. He also mentions that in Chicago a sport's weekend of all sport's weekends is coming up.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:46 PM | Comments (0)

October 2, 2007

Dear MLB, TBS, and Whomever Else, I didn't want to watch the Chicago Cubs anyway!

By: The Dude on the Right
Dear Major League Baseball, The Chicago Cubs, TBS, and whomever else set the TV schedule for the upcoming baseball Divisional Series,

Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
And let me write it again - Thank you!

I would like to thank you for scheduling the first two Cubs games for the Divisional Series at a time when there is pretty much no way in hell I'm going to watch, and even more importantly at this stage of my Fall TV season, I won't miss any of my old favorite, nor new favorite TV shows. Yup, you scheduled the first two games on Wednesday and Thursday nights, to start at 9PM CDT. Sure, first pitch is supposed to be at 9:07ish PM, or so someone said on the radio this morning (and out of sheer curiosity I might try to sneak and see when that first pitch actually gets thrown tomorrow night, probably during a commercial break of a new episode of "South Park"), but even in the best of chances it would be a major miracle for the games to finish by 11PM, and even a minor miracle for them to finish by Midnight. As much as I love the Cubs I don't have the late nights available for these two games unless I wanted to be a zombie at my morning meetings on Thursday and Friday, and besides, if the Cubs do win both games, the game that really matters will be at 5PM on Saturday evening, where hopefully the Cubs will clinch their series at The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field!

Also, with those games not starting until after 9PM, I'll have no conflict with my normal slate of Wednesday nor Thursday night TV viewing and TiVoing. I'll have no worries of missing "Bionic Woman," "Survivor," "My Name is Earl" & "Smallville" (both on TiVo delay), "30 Rock," and anything else coming along those two nights.

And sure, as a transplanted North Coast resident (Lorain, OH - Represent!), I am also cheering on the Cleveland Indians, but my mom pretty much figures the New York Yankees already have that series wrapped up, so I figure why bother watching. Even so, their games are actually early enough they have the potential to be over by my TV time anyway.

So, again, baseball and TV folks, Thank you! I didn't want to watch the Chicago Cubs anyway!

Sincerely,
The Dude on the Right

And that's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:02 PM | Comments (0)

October 1, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "The Big Bang Theory" and More TV, The Cubs and More Sports, and eBay Dummies.

For this podcast of Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!, The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz get into the fall TV season, both liking the new show "The Big Bang Theory" yet wondering if most of America will get it. Stu tells of his weeping at the passing of Flower on "Meerkat Manor," and The Dude lets Stu know if he should go to the theater and see "The Kingdom." They both have more TV talk, chat a bit about the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs, and The Dude tells Stu about a "not so happy" birthday for a Mom.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:38 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2007

The Chicago Cubs New Magic Number is 22? And I'm Still a Geek.

By: The Dude on the Right
So last night, with some help from the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs finally clinched the National League Central Division and now it's time for the playoffs.  Yay!  The thing is that now, what is their new "Magic Number?"  The news stated it was 11, but isn't that wrong in Magic Number lore.  It's supposed to be the combination of wins of your team with the losses of the team you are up against to advance to the next stage of the season, at least that's my understanding, so even though the Cubs need to win 11 games to win The World Series, isn't the Magic Number to win it all actually 22?  In any case I do know that with the Cubs in the playoffs, well, my TV viewing is being thrown into even more turmoil than it was last week, especially since two new shows, after watching them and reflecting on an event last week, reminded me of something.

Even after being 2 scores old, I'm still an insecure geek.  And fine, go ahead and insert the word "nerd" for "geek" if you prefer.

The two shows I'm talking about are "The Big Bang Theory" and "Chuck."  In "The Big Bang Theory" this smoking hot dudette moves into the apartment next to a couple of uber-geeks, actually surpassing me in the geek-dom of being a geek, but there he was, the one dude, doing all he could to impress the hot dudette.  And in "Chuck," Chuck is a nice guy, implanted with the spy secrets of the government, and a smokin' hot government agent enters his life to at first find out what he knows, faking to be interested in him, and Chuck gets his hopes up.  The basic part of the story is the same: Geeky guy is interested in the hot girl but doesn't know how to be cool enough to work it.

So how did this remind me of my geek-dom?  It was last week and Stu Gotz's buddy was turning 40 (what a great age).  To celebrate, Stu set up a small, lunch, get-together including Stu, Mama Gotz, Stu's buddy and the buddy's wife, and me, at the Rock Bottom Brewery in Orland Park, south of Chicago.  We all end up at the bar and the bartendress is very cute, with a great body, great butt, nice boobs, and a perfect smile.  You would look at her and say "Dude, she is so out of your league."  As lunch went on a question came up, namely who was the girl who turned into a blueberry in "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," and none of us could remember.  As the conversation between the couples went on (mostly about kids and their houses), I took out my iPhone, Googled "blueberry girl in Willy Wonka" and announced "Her name was "Violet Beauregarde."  Somehow "iPhone" came up in the conversation and the cute bartendress pretty much denounced anyone who would buy an iPhone, that she wasn't a gadget girl, and that her cell phone was older than the hills but she knew how to send text messages.  As a geek, pretty much everything she said also indicated "I've got no shot in hell with her."  But then Stu's buddy said something to me, something like "Dude, dare her to let you text her."  I shook off his suggestion, then he said something like "Dude, then let me dare her to let you text her."  And I shook him off again.  He seemed flabbergasted, kinda like "Why the hell not?", and after we left, and after seeing "The Big Band Theory" and "Chuck," I realized I should have taken him up on his offer to try and get her phone number.  Even after all of these years I was still an insecure geek, and what's the worst that would have happened, other than she lets me text her, her Ultimate Fighting boyfriend sees a weird text on her phone, he hunts me down, and he beats the living daylights out of me? At least I would have had her phone number.

So, I don't have the cute bartendress' phone number, I still have my iPhone that isn't bricked and somehow has my personal ringtones even though I upgraded to Firmware 1.1.1, and I think I have come to realize that I will always be a geek.

Or maybe just a nerd.

Is there a difference? (No comments from you, Sis.)

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:05 PM | Comments (1)

September 27, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: The Cubs' Magic Number is Still Three, A TV Season is in Full Swing.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is screwed up in the head because his Chicago Cubs can't seem to clinch their division, and with the Fall TV premier week, well, The Dude has a lot of shows on TiVo to catch up with, new shows he loves ("The Big Bang Theory"), old shows he still loves ("How I Met Your Mother"), and is a little perturbed at "Dancing With the Stars" and "The Biggest Loser" for taking too much of his TV time, even though he likes them. TiVo scheduling is almost more important for him right now rather than watching shows when they actually air, like "Reaper."

Posted by Rightdude at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Family Outing, Watching Movies, Chicago Sports, and Breaking in Shoes.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", Stu Gotz is back from traveling with the family in his tenement on wheels, we catch up on the Chicago Bears loss and the Chicago Cubs wins, and he saw some DVD's, namely "Shooter" and "Invincible," while I saw "Good Luck Chuck." I bought new shoes which Stu tells me his method for breaking in, and we are both excited about the return of "Heroes" but were disappointed in the Christian dudette on "Survivor." If we only had more time we could have talked about O.J. Simpson and Stu's coffee palate.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:42 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2007

Dear The Mystery Dude and Tosh - Thank You for Springsteen!

By: The Dude on the Right
When I went for my walks over the past weekend I got to listen to something I haven't been able to in years, so I've got to give a big shout-out to a couple of fraternity brothers, namely our own staff member The Mystery Dude as well as another brother, Tosh. It all stems to, back in the day, when we had to walk to school, both ways, in the snow, and how we used to copy music and share it with our friends. That's right, the time of that plastic thing called a cassette.

In any case, one of my favorite concert recordings of all time was of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band doing the 10th Anniversary Concert for WMMS at The Agora in Cleveland. I don't believe I heard the original broadcast as I was eleven years old in 1978 when it aired and really don’t remember much of anything when I was eleven except a crush on a girl in my sister's class, but I ended up with a copy of the show which I really can’t remember how I got it, either. Maybe I recorded it off of the radio during a re-broadcast, maybe I stole it from my brother, or maybe it was God, but it is still one of my favoritist concert recordings of all time. Then, in college, either I made a copy for The Mystery Dude, or he borrowed my tapes to make a copy (The Mystery Dude is a Deadhead, so tape collecting of concerts comes second nature to him), but, as the CD world started to proliferate into my life, suddenly all of those cassettes found their way into a cardboard box; in fact, I still know where they all are, yet they are never played now.

Continuing on - With the other Bruce concert recordings I have gotten over the years, well, the box set of "Live/ 1975-1985" and some live stuff from "Tracks," every time I heard one of those songs I yearned for listening to that show from 1978 where Bruce explains that on the way to find God (during the song "Growin' Up") he bumps into Kid Leo (radio DJ extraordinaire from WMMS), who was "Prayin’ for more watts. I gotta blast this baby all the way to New Jersey." Bruce Springsteen, always the storyteller, but I left his storytelling from 1978 in my head and in a box of tapes, and I was too lazy to do anything about it.

But then, when a group of us got together to see "The Transformers" movie, The Mystery Dude handed me a CD jewel case and there it was, a copy on some CD’s of the copies of the cassettes of the Bruce Springsteen concert I had given him over a decade ago. If I have the story correct, Tosh offered to convert The Mystery Dude's collection of cassettes to the digital age, and made his way to the Springsteen copy. The Mystery Dude, being pretty cool, made a copy for me, which I proceeded to burn to my hard drive and put on my iPhone, and there I was, walking, being transported back years and years and years, and even though not fully remembering the origins and passing on of my tapes of the Bruce Springsteen concert, I was still knowing every word from the broadcast, from Kid Leo's opening of "And welcome, to the WMMS 10th Anniversary Concert. I’m Kid Leo, and I have the, ah, duty and the pleasure of welcoming, ladies and gentleman, the main event. Round for round, pound for pound, there ain’t no finer band around. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band!", to Bruce explaining going to Utah and driving to Reno and seeing a house an Indian had sculptered from stuff in the desert that had a picture of Geronimo with "Landlord" over it, and a sign pointing down a dirt road that said "Thunder Road," to Bruce explaining "fraternity rock," and the crowd understanding in its loudest.  Damn, it was so good to hear that show again.

So, Mystery Dude and Tosh, I would like to thank you for bringing that concert back into my life. And as I was listening, as I do every time I listen, I still wonder who Jay Cox from Cincinnati is, and why is Bruce dedicating "Darkness on the Edge of Town" to him?

Thinking about it, maybe I should give Tosh my box of old cassettes. I know I’ve got a bootleg of a Meat Loaf concert in there, as well as maybe George Thorogood, but I'm guessing The Mystery Dude was given copies of those as well, so maybe one day I'll relive those days. I suppose I could also get off of my lazy ass, hook up the old tape deck, and dub them myself, the old fashioned way, but then what would The Mystery Dude surprise me with the next time a bunch of us get together to see a movie?

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:04 PM | Comments (3)

September 17, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: O.J. Simpson, The Bears, The Browns, Mr. Woodcock, Once, The Emmy's, and No Stu.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is left alone for the weekend wrap-up, normally done with his buddy Stu, but Stu Gotz is leading the family through an adventure in their RV. The worst part is there is a whole bunch of stuff that happened this weekend, like O.J. Simpson getting arrested, the Cleveland Browns scoring a billion points, the Chicago Bears winning, The Dude seeing "Mr. Woodcock" and "Once," and Fox bleeping Frog, a.k.a. Sally Field, and others, during the Emmy Awards' broadcast. "We don't know what we can really show on TV" TV has truly hit the airwaves. I guess "God damn" and "screwing" are bad words now.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: A Mean Niece, Messing with Telemarketers, and Sports - Complete with Testicles.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right thought he was done with The Plain White T's, but thanks to his sadistic niece he is back to going nuts. And speaking of nuts, thanks to the story of an Oklahoma Sooner fan grabbing the twig and berries of a Texas Longhorn fan, he's also worried about some of his friends who are USC Trojan fans even though they didn't go to USC . The Dude also likes being nice to telemarketers because it tends to confuse them. He's a weird dude.

Posted by Rightdude at 3:59 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2007

What's In My Head? Bob Uecker vs. Aly & AJ

By: The Dude on the Right
As I continue to question my sanity, and finally able to get the "Hey There Delilah" song by the Plain White T's out of my head, probably thanks to my fantastic parody song I recorded during a previous podcast, now comes a dream last night, which, and I can't figure out why, had me trying to analyze the popularity of sports announcer Bob Uecker. Yup, that's right, Bob Uecker.

In the dream my dude-mobile is parked in a parking garage and between my car and another car is a Mercedes. The Mercedes is sort of wedged between our cars with nearly no clearance, and the driver of the Mercedes begins to pull forward. Sure enough the driver turns too soon and scratches my bumper. It's not dented, just scratched, and the Mercedes driver gets out, gives me his business card and tells me to send him the bill (I really wish, though, that I could remember the information on the business card, that would be even more exciting to investigate, but anyway, I digress). As simple as this dream starts, suddenly the dude asks me for my analysis of the popularity of Bob Uecker.

And I actually answer him, and I based my analysis on how old people are or if they are a rabid baseball fan.

Baseball fans who pay attention to various team announcers generally will know who Bob Uecker is, he’s the play-by-play man for the Milwaukee Brewers that the Chicago Cub's folks allow to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and desecrate it. Simple enough. Others might not know him by name, but if you say he’s the play-by-play man in the "Major League" movies they’ll know exactly who you are talking about. Then I explain to the dude that a generation of young kids will have no idea who he is, but that the rest of America, even if not a baseball fan, but as long as they watched TV or listened to the radio during the 1980's, will know him by name simply from the Miller Lite commercials he was in, and it is because of him we say silly things when heading to our seats like "I must be in the front row!" even as we find ourselves heading to what we now call the "Uecker Seats." And then, as if on cue, I break into the jingle "Bob Uecker, Bob Uecker, Bob Uecker's his name; should be in the Hall of Fame. The guys all like him; don't forget us gals! Buy him a Lite, and be his pal! Uecker, Uecker, Uecker it's The Bob Uecker Show!"

And with that, like all good dreams, I wake up, wonder to myself "Self, how in the hell do you still remember that Bob Uecker jingle?"  Then, of course, what song has been pulsing through my brain all day? Yup, you guessed it, "The Bob Uecker Show" jingle. I don't know if I can write a parody of that thing to clear it from my head, but I guess, as a dude, it's better to have that stuck in my head rather than the latest Aly & AJ song. No more humming "You're not livin' - 'til your livin', livin' with me," now I’m stuck humming a jingle from the ‘80’s, complete with a higher pitch for "Don’t forget us gals." Now I just worry about what song will be stuck in my head next.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:56 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Britney's Mom-Ass, "Shoot 'Em Up" Talk, and Smelly Coffee.

For this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" Stu Gotz is trying to deal with his allergies, and his weekend was sort of boring except he is amazed at the ability of his son to recognize various smells. The Dude on the Right saw "Shoot 'Em Up," but for the most part the boys talk about the MTV Video Music Awards that had Britney Spears not losing her mom-ass yet, and Sarah Silverman doing stand-up that would have went over great in a club, just not so much at the award show. At least The Dude didn't have to talk much about watching the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cubs both lose.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:19 PM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: A Parody of "Hey There Delilah," Baggy Pant Laws, and What's Up With Rick Ankiel?

For this podcast The Dude on the Right worries about the humiliation ammunition he has just given his niece and nephew, and hell, the rest of the world, for his parody of “Hey There Delilah” from The Plain White T’s. He calls his song “I Hate Delilah,” and decided to do it a cappella since he’s lazy. Nice timing for him since he wrote this song after it has already hit its popularity peak. He also spouts about Eddie Griffin dropping the “N”-Bomb, is worried about his Chicago Cubs, and is troubled by towns making laws about wearing pants that show your butt-crack. And, oh yea, what was Rick Ankiel with the St. Louis Cardinals doing with HGH (Human Growth Hormone) a few years ago. We all want to know.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:25 PM | Comments (0)

September 4, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Stu is Leaking at Both Ends and The Dude Walks 10 Miles.

Labor Day caused an extended weekend so Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right have extra to say for their "Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast. Stu was leaking, and so was his basement, causing him a strange weekend. The normalcy ensued by giving his kids a good sugar buzz at a Chicago Cubs game. The Dude tried to exercise by walking ten miles over the weekend, cleaned the dude-pad, and also finished "The Movie Theater" building on their Second Life property. He also saw some movies, including the box-office winner "Halloween."

There's more, so go ahead and listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:59 PM | Comments (0)

September 3, 2007

Entertainment Ave! has a Movie Theater in Second Life.

By: The Dude on the Right
My Labor Day Weekend has been fun-filled, and I’ll talk with Stu Gotz about it tomorrow for our “Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, but one of the things I did accomplish was actually build something in the Internet realm of Second Life. Our staff member, The Dude on the Left, says Second Life is dead, but Entertainment Ave! has some virtual property, and a sort of vision for it, so with property in hand, and limited building skills, our first building to be functional is “The Movie Theater.”

As I slowly work in building our little virtual community, “The Movie Theater” seemed like the easiest to begin with, allowing virtual people to view, on our virtual big screen, our latest episode of “Stu & The Dude Reviewin’ the Movies for You!” as well as marquees directing people to our Interneted posted reviews.

If you’re not a Second Lifer, I suppose this blog doesn’t mean much to you, probably just wondering “What the hell is ‘Second Life’ and why does The Dude on the Left think it’s dead?” But Entertainment Ave! now has a virtual building, and it works, and although it doesn’t show movies, only reviews, we still call it “The Movie Theater.” If you are a Second Lifer, and you want to chill for about five minutes, head to our Movie Theater, relax in a seat, and see why Stu Gotz pissed me off while reviewing "Blades of Glory."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Senator Craig Teaches Us, Labor Day Weekend Weakens Us, and "The Biggest Loser" Strengthens Us.

The Dude on the Right didn't get a chance to do his Thursday podcast because he was slacking off watching the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead he decided to do a podcast today, on a Friday, and so, for this podcast,The Dude on the Right would like to thank Senator Craig from Idaho for teaching us about some things when we drop the kids off at the pool, is looking to eat like crap for a couple of days, and looks to get back in shape with the return of "The Biggest Loser."

Until then it's Labor Day Weekend, a time to eat bad food, enjoy the end of summer, and celebrate pregnant women!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

August 27, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "Mr. Bean's Holiday," Stu Saw "Superbad," & The Dude Left His Pad.

For this podcast of the latest episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right still marvels at how much they fit in with so little time. Sometimes The Dude thinks they should have their own radio show to be able to elaborate more, but for now they talk of "Mr. Bean's Holiday," "Superbad," door etiquette, the beauty of Fry's, Michael Jackson's parenting skills, cutting grass, Tivos, running down people with a bike, going to Super Target, TV shows coming back in the fall, and they do all of this talking in under 20 minutes.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:44 PM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2007

What the Hell is an MRAP, and Can We Ship Them via FedEx?

By: The Dude on the Right
I try not to get political in my blogs, but after reading a story that seems to have gotten little notice in the press lately, and watching the documentary "Shut Up & Sing" over the weekend, I thought I would relay something I read, that as I have kept thinking about it for the last couple of days, it makes me upset and sad, but mostly upset. My thoughts on "Shut Up & Sing" will wait for a later blog.

In the Chicago Tribune on Thursday, August 23^rd, there was a story, sort of buried, titled "Delivery Lags on Armored Vehicles." Maybe it was the ad next to the story that initially caught my eye, and then my eye caught the small story, but there it was, that our United States, supposedly the most powerful nation in the world, still can’t seem to get things together to protect our troops in Iraq.

The story, as it turns out, was about the MRAP’s. I didn’t know what an MRAP stood for, but as I read I learned it’s for "Mine Resistant Ambush Protected" vehicles. The little article states, "According to the military, no troops have been killed while riding in one." Finally, a kick-ass vehicle for the good-guys! The problem is that it’s looking like the goal of getting 3,500 of them to Iraq by the end of the year isn’t going to happen, instead it’s looking like we’ll be lucky to get around 43%, that’s 1,500 to you and me, of those life-saving vehicles, to our troops, by the end of the year.

The story then goes on to state Geoff Morrell, the press secretary from the Pentagon, said that getting 3,500 of the vehicles to Iraq by year’s end was ambitious, and that the 1,500 number was more realistic. Who the fuck, and pardon my French, fed that initial goal? I can understand when your initial goal is 3,500 and you only reach 3,000 (that’s a touch above 85%), but we’re reaching less than half? How is that acceptable?  How is 3,500 a goal and 1,500 realistic?  Maybe he should have said "3,500 is a pipe-dream, we'd be lucky to get 500 over there by the end of the year."  At least then he'd be telling the truth.

And as disappointed, and mad, that we still can’t do the fundamental things for our troops that we need to do, and that is get them the equipment, vehicles, and Silly String (maybe that Silly String thing has been remedied, but I’m too lazy, right now, to investigate) they need to keep them alive, the end of the article was the part that really burned my butt, and if true, should burn the butt of every person in The United States. The end of the article pointed out that as of now the MRAP’s that do get built are being flown over to the Middle East to get them to our soldiers as fast as possible. The AP writer who wrote this article then states that as production increases we’ll probably be sending them by ship, because we can send more at one time, and it’s cheaper - The thing is it only takes longer. Go ahead, explain to the mother, father, wife, husband, child, or friend, of a soldier that dies, that as we have already blown our budget, that we’ve been spending so much already on our new embassy in Iraq, that we wanted to save a few bucks by shipping the MRAP’s by boat.  Sure, the writer stated we'll "probably" be sending them by ship, and what does he know, but why the hell shouldn't we believe him when we can't reach 50% of our goal of production?

I tried to do a little internet surfing about the delay of the MRAP’s, but for the most part, other than Senator Joe Biden’s people figuring out how to get a high Google ranking for his cause, most of the others were "this, that, or the other thing" about their delay. One site that does seem to give the best answer to the problem is at www.military.com, but I still wonder why any of the problems they state are problems at all, when it comes to our troops.

Most of us say that no matter our stance on our going into Iraq that we always support our troops, and you plaster those magnetic ribbons all over your car, but our government doesn’t seem to have our side sometimes. I guess at this point of this blog, if you have made it this far, that no matter if you are Democrat or Republican, write to your Congressman, Senator, newspaper, that since our spending is already out of hand, at least send every MRAP by air. Maybe it is something we can at least do to support our troops, if the MRAP’s ever do get built, because no soldier should die because we sent an MRAP by boat to save a buck.  You already spent a buck on that magnetic ribbon, maybe your money/taxes should be spent better, like actually in a way that could save a soldier.

I’m sorry for getting political for this blog, but for me, now, the Iraq portion of this war, which supposedly started with the attack on the World Trade Center, is such a clusterfuck. Howard Stern apologized to The Dixie Chicks for his initial support of going to Iraq (sorry, I slightly digress to the "Shut Up & Sing" documentary), but I have to apologize to my mom for doing the same thing.  From Day 1 my mom knew better about going into Iraq, but that’s a story for a later blog.

If you have ever bought one of those magnetic ribbons showing you support our troops, and even if you didn’t, our government is already spending our money like it’s candy. Tell them to at least get the MRAP’s over to Iraq as soon as possible, even if they have ship them by FedEx. There shouldn't be any MRAP's that should float by boat - Fuck the money, we're already spending it, and it might just save a life for a change.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Is God Mad at the Midwest, Should I Try Out for "Wheel of Fortune," and A Dude Named Chicken?

For this podcast The Dude on the Right has his wonderings about why God is mad at the Midwest. He must be mad because why else would there be all of this flooding, rain, and wrath of God stuff? The Dude also dabs a little into Michael Vick, but wonders more if he should try and audition for "Wheel of Fortune" and if he can control his TV viewing in the fall, especially since "Survivor: China" looks to have some good-looking dudettes. The Dude loves his TV.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:36 PM | Comments (0)

August 20, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Illegal Aliens, RVing, "Superbad," and a Cubs Game.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right give their take on the deportation of Elvira Arellano, how their grandparents learned to speak English, and where is the Dad? Stu also went on an overnight RV trip with the family, The Dude saw "Superbad," and they both went to a Chicago Cubs game where they can be seen on TV. What a weekend!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:46 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2007

Garth Brooks Probably Isn't Touring, and I Missed Dreaming of Boobs.

By: The Dude on the Right
At first I was going to blog about going to see the Chicago Cubs play yesterday, how it was cool to see the flyovers because the Air & Water Show is in town, and how my friends and I were actually on TV during the broadcast. But partially since I haven’t been able to dub the video yet as proof we were on TV, but more because I sort of feel duped, or at least stupid, so I thought I would write a little about Garth Brooks.

You might be thinking something right now like "Garth Brooks?  Isn't he retired?" to which I would reply, "So I thought," but it started last night, when I finally got home from the Cubs' game and checked my Google homepage.  It has some links to RSS feeds I read, and one was from the Cleveland Plain Dealer mentioning Garth preparing a comeback, "a new three-disc album, and, quite possibly, a concert tour."  It mentioned a press conference at www.garthbrooks.com this morning.  So I go to the web site and sure enough, there is a header stating "You've heard the rumors, now get the answers.  Straight from Garth Brooks."

For whatever reason I totally bought into a blurb, in a blog, from a newspaper in Cleveland, OH, and quickly posted an entry at our sister-site, mostlyentertainment.com rumoring about a tour.  Then I went to bed with visions of Garth putting out an unprecedented release of new material, going back on tour, and dragging our staff member Trash to another concert and press conference where she can stare at his butt.

So, I woke up this morning, didn't get myself a gun, but I did do some more internet searching wondering about this wondrous announcement.  I checked Billboard, checked CMT, checked here and there and everywhere, but there didn't seem to be any "surprise" announcements.  And as my morning was progressing I had two options:  Sit around and wait for Garth's press conference, supposedly to be carried online, at 11:45AM my time, or go and see "Superbad."  Thank God I went to see "Superbad."

After laughing a lot in the theater I got back home, eager to see news of the press conference on the Garth Brooks web site.  Nothing, it still just showed the announcement of a press conference (figured they would at least have a replay link somewhere).  No headlines on Yahoo, nothing new on Google, then I went to the planetgarth.com site to see if they had anything, but there wasn't any new news on their homepage, either.  I remembered they had a forum area, surely something has to be listed there, and finally I found out that Garth Brooks squashed most of the visions that were dancing in my head the night before.

Now, although the Cleveland newspaper blog wasn't exactly wrong, from what I have found out Garth will be releasing a "box" set called "The Ultimate Hits" which will include 30 old songs you probably own, and four new songs, with the first single being "More Than a Memory."  The box will also include a DVD featuring 33 videos of the 34 songs in the box.  Garth said he doesn't plan on touring but will promoting the bejesus out of the thing, and from what most of the Planet Garth posted said, Garth is looking hot as ever, looking to have lost a good deal of weight.

With the news announcement, and being selfish I will put this out to Garth:

Dear Garth,
I know you are loving spending time with your daughters, and with Trisha, but if you ever wanted to tour, and give your girls an experience of their lifetime, you may not have a better time than now.  Right now your daughters are at that age when you still have a little bit of control, and if you took them on tour with you, especially with a double bill with Trisha, you could pull off that world tour that lets them see the world, in ways they could never imagine, all under the protective watch of their Dad.  They get to see the world, we get to see, again, one of the greatest concert performers of all time, your daughters get to spend your money buying lots of stuff around the world (oh, wait, scratch that last remark), and they get introduced to some of the safer ways to experience the world rather than finding out, in their late teens or early twenties, their ways to experience the world.  Yes, this is sort of selfish of me, because I would love to see you in concert again, but I'm just throwing it out there for you, because unlike the McGraw kids, your daughters are old enough to forever remember a tour with you.
Sincerely,
The Dude on the Right

P.S.  I'll still buy "The Ultimate Hits," because I'm a fan, but damn, I miss you man.

And so, letter to Garth aside, I feel bummed that I let myself get roped into the wind of internet rumor, about a tour, and 30 new songs.  I should have done a little bit more internet searching before going to bed last night so that visions of the girl with nice boobs behind me at the Cubs' game danced in my head rather than that vision of Garth touring, but then again, at a Garth concert, there are lots of girls with nice boobs.  Garth, please give me a three disc set of new material (I've got some songs if you want) and a new tour, rather than a box set of old stuff, and only four things that are new.  You know what, as I think about it, never mind - I don't have daughters and I don't have a wife - I guess I can't understand.  Wait a minute, that's a country song, and it's mine, unless, Garth, you want ...

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:46 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Cornhole v. Bean Bag, A Happy Haircut, and Chicago Air & Water Show Advice.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is a little sad because he won't be seeing the Chicago Air & Water Show but will, instead, be seeing the Chicago Cubs. He hopes The Cubs don't implode against the St. Louis Cardinals, but at least he got a nice haircut. He also shares his tips for the best viewing of the Air & Water Show, which he won't be going to see, but to capitalize on his suggestions you have to have Friday off. And, oh yea, he ponders "Bean Bags for Breast Cancer" vs. "Cornholing for Breast Cancer."

Posted by Rightdude at 7:10 PM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2007

What's New? A Couple of CD Reviews of Aerosmith and Bruce Dickinson.

By: The Dude on the Right
In the slow progression of my “All of The Dude’s CDs” project, I sometimes use it as a crutch to add filler when I get some brain cramps and can’t write. Such was today, when I intended to do a full review of Bon Jovi’s latest CD, “Lost Highway,” but had too many clichés in my head and I really didn’t want to include them in the review, and for the life of me, I couldn’t come up with the opening line for the review. That is sometimes the hardest part for me.

In any case, today I posted some quick reviews of “Pump” from Aerosmith, and “Accident of Birth” by Bruce Dickinson. The Aerosmith CD brought me back to some of the times I have reviewed their concerts, and they so much kick ass, and although not an Iron Maiden fan, I can respect what Bruce Dickinson does.

As I look to get back into more music coverage for the web site I guess I really should get back into the groove of reviewing all of the CD’s I own, and getting back to seeing concerts, things I have missed in my life for a while.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:53 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Being Late Etiquette, "Rush Hour 3," A White Trash Picnic, and More.

For this podcast of Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!, The Dude on the Right had a pretty boring weekend, seeing "Rush Hour 3" and cleaning his fish tank. Stu Gotz, though, got to go on what he calls a "White Trash Picnic" in his new, used RV. The Dude also questions Stu on proper etiquette when you are running late, Stu has his idea of how the late-ee should make it up to the wait-ee, and Stu is afraid he won't be able to control himself in a "Second Life," so he limits his porn to the normal internet, like most of us.

Oh, and they also talk about some TV stuff.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2007

At Least Lorain, Ohio, Gave Me a Lazy Squirrel.

By: The Dude on the Right
I thought I would get an old blog thought off my plate, still relating to my last trip home to Lorain, OH, and it’s about a lazy squirrel.

Sure it's summer now, but my folks still like to feed the birds and even the neighborhood squirrels. I’ve tried to tell them that it’s not necessary when it’s warm, the birds might need water more than food so a birdbath might be in order, and that by feeding the squirrels all they are doing is making the critters lose their ability to scavenge for food and become lazy. Little did I know how lazy one squirrel had become until I was able to capture these pictures as he proceeded to plop himself (or maybe it's a herself, I didn't get that close of a look) on the ramp in front of our house. The kicker isn’t the fact that the squirrel was lazing around on our ramp, but mom tells me that many times when he’s eating the peanuts they leave, he doesn't even bother to eat in the normal squirrel eating position, sitting up, he just lies there on the ground, nibbling away. I've tried to tell my folks to quit spoiling the varmint, but since when will they listen to me :-)

Lazy squirrel aside, I thought about writing a little more about my hometown, but figured I would leave it at a funny picture of a squirrel because sometimes when I write about the old country it leaves me a little bummed because of the potential that is there. It has the location, with a lot of lakefront and a river, although it occurred to me lately, and I know it was probably necessary and helped the Ford plant, that whomever let the railroad build on prime real estate wasn’t a complete visionary for the area. But now as its infrastructure, including, as I've read, its sewer system, is falling apart, how their mayor is bailing on the town for a new job, thus leaving the city leadership in a bit of turmoil, how every time I visit it's still like driving on the moon, and it looks like the final dagger might be an imploding educational system, I wonder, after my parents someday pass on, if I'll ever come back to visit, even to see some old friends, and if I did, where I would stay since my mom told me the Spitzer hotel, where a vision of a casino danced in some heads, closed a couple of years ago?  At least the American Slovak Club still has a good fish fry, and if that goes away I'll know the city is really dying.

See, now I’m a little bummed. Enough writing.  Better look at those pictures of that lazy squirrel, again, to give me a smile.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

August 9, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Seeing the Wienermobile, Chickening Out, And Obsessed with Tay Zonday and "Chocolate Rain."

For this podcast The Dude on the Right was happy to see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, but was sad that he chickened out and didn't sing. He does sing, though, for this podcast, thanks to his latest obsession with Tay Zonday and his song, "Chocolate Rain." None of that is important though since Angelina Jolie has arrived in Chicago.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:37 PM | Comments (0)

August 8, 2007

Budding Engineers Giddy as Little Schoolgirls, Thanks to "Calvin and Hobbes."

By: The Dude on the Right
I had a lot of topics I was thinking of blogging about today, and I suppose if I started at the beginning of today, through my typing now, you would have been enlightened by my thoughts on how I thought Barack Obama could have vaulted himself into "everyman" territory at yesterday's Democratic debate at a sweltering Soldier Field (let's just say "dressing for the weather" rather than "dressing Presidential" - hell Bill Clinton played a saxophone!), how Stu Gotz figures the New York City council is on the verge of over-goofing the Chicago City Council with their supposed proposal to ban the words "bitch" and "ho," and how I still get excited watching a Space Shuttle take off.

And so, instead of intellectual things, this blog is about a comic strip - "Calvin and Hobbes."

Sure, "Calvin and Hobbes" has been out of print for quite some time now, but thanks to the internet, and the site gocomics, I get to again relive the fun Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, have, on a daily basis.  I guess I have Google to thank for this because it was when I set up my Google home page that I found the gocomics site, and sure enough, they had a "Calvin and Hobbes" RSS feed, providing me a link, everyday to a classic strip.

Now sure, that's not that compelling, but yesterday was one of the strips that even made budding engineers giddy as little schoolgirls.  I vaguely remember the day, it was back in college, at the fraternity house where I was a member, and Stevie gathered some of us together to test something seen in a comic strip.  I don't remember exactly who was there, it might have been Odie, Gumby, or maybe Shithead, along with myself, but I don't think Yoda, Tosh, Elmer, Markie, nor Hammy were around.  T.P. was probably back in New Jersey, Flange might have been at 7-11, and Laughing Boy was probably sleeping.  But there we were, some of us, with Stevie, in probably the 2nd head, to see if maybe the world's most brilliant engineer, Calvin, had stumbled onto something of utmost importance in the world of toilets and toilet paper.  And, as budding engineers, we had to test the scientific experiment over and over again, at different toilets, do some modifications to our own control groups, and sure enough, Calvin found a way to make young adults giddy as schoolgirls.

Not wanting to infringe on some copyright things I won't post the actual comic here, but if you want to do your own scientific experiment at home, thanks to Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes, this link should take you to the comic that brought a giant smile to my face yesterday.  As stressful as college can be, something as simple as toilet paper can bring good times.  Good times.  Go ahead, try it at home, but depending on your toilet and toilet paper, be sure to have a plunger around, just in case.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:06 PM | Comments (0)

August 6, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "The Bourne Ultimatum," Debating - Gladiator Style in Chicago, Chocolate Rain, and Poo.

For this podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right saw a couple of movies, and Stu Gotz just tried to stay cool. Stu wanted to know if The Dude was going to cover the Democratic Debate at Soldier Field, and even though The Dude is skipping it the both of them have some grand ideas, including Gladiator fighting and wet t-shirt contests, that might make the debate more exciting. The Dude, also, has sounds of "Everything Comes Down to Poo" and "Chocolate Rain" running through his head, but sometimes poo and chocolate rain are one in the same.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:44 PM | Comments (0)

August 3, 2007

Dear Stu Gotz, I'm Sorry. It is My Fault for your Chubbiness, and for Introducing You to "Snyder of Berlin" and their Cheese Curls.

By: The Dude on the Right
Sure the Chicago Tribune and other news outlets reported that your weight might be directly related to the people you hang out with, and in a podcast last week I blamed my buddy, Stu Gotz, for my chubbiness.  Now I realize that I owe Stu an apology because he isn't the reason for my chubbiness, and in fact, I might be the reason for his.  I realized this after a two day battle with the best cheese curls in the world.

You see, a few weeks ago I took a trip to the old country, Lorain, OH, to visit the parents, and prior to my departure I mentioned to Stu how the best cheese curls in the world were sold there.  They are from "Snyder of Berlin" (not ever to be confused with "Snyder's of Hanover"), and they make, in my mind, the world's best cheese curls.  The cheesiness flavor is fantastic, above the flavor of many other brands, but what makes these cheese curls almost the best, unless you want total crispiness (in which case you could buy the "Cheese Crunch" version), is if you chomp down on them right away you get a nice, fluffy, crunchy feeling without seeming to tear up the inside of your mouth.  But what makes them the world's best cheese curls, and is the the ultimate joy in eating them, is that if you let your mouthful of cheese curls rest on your tongue, for a couple of seconds, they suddenly melt in your mouth, nearly disintegrating, with a giant explosion of cheesy flavor.  You swallow, easily, with minimal chewing, it's on to your next handful of curls, and if you are sort of careful, all of a sudden, you have eaten at least half the bag.  If you aren't paying attention, eight ounces with 1,360 calories of cheesy, airy, goodness has made its way into your belly.

Then last Tuesday I opened up the eight ounce bag of cheese curls I brought home with me, and by Wednesday night they were gone, and as I was joyfully licking the orange, cheesy crumbs from my fingers I realized Stu wasn't the blame for my chubbiness.  That didn't stop me from finishing the finger licking, but I realized that maybe I'm the reason Stu is chubby because as much as he puts me in some situations where proper dietary functions could be done if I just picked the right things off of the menu, and he might actually follow, I brought Stu a bag of the world's best cheese curls from Ohio, and he and Mama Gotz ate them, and liked them, and if I didn't bring home that bag of cheesy curl goodness, Stu wouldn't have 680 calories of goodness he has never known before.

So Stu, I am sorry for making you be chubby, and your being chubby isn't the reason for my being chubby because maybe I should set a better example and not tell you that, if you ever get a hankering for the world's best cheese curls, you can sort of order them online, but sadly they want cash upfront and it might take a week for the delivery.  But, if you want instant gratification for your cheesy-curl goodness, they're only about a five hour drive away, somewhere in Ohio.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:00 PM | Comments (3)

August 2, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Prayers for Bridge Victims, Analyze a Horse Dream, Lame Cub Fans, and Funny Items in the Newspaper.

Since it is Thursday The Dude on the Right is flying solo for this podcast and is looking for some analysis help as to why he had a dream about a horse that went crazy, how he ended up with keepsakes from the jockey of the horse, and who might be his perfect girlfriend. He also has friends who are supposed Chicago Cubs' fans but questions their allegiance. The Dude also reads a newspaper column called "QT" in the Chicago Sun-Times, lets you know why, and might let Stu Gotz off the hook a little bit for his being chubby. He has so much to talk about, in under 15 minutes, but yet The Dude on the Right fits it all in. His perfect girlfriend would like that, at least in his dream.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "The Simpsons Movie," It's Not Stu's Fault, and Boinking Animals.

For this podcast of their weekend wrap-up, Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right are reunited once again and Stu seems to be hoping, as he listens to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," that J. K. Rowling is trying to set things up so that the final movie as an R-Rated flick. The Dude thinks not, but they both agree that "The Simpsons Movie" was entertaining. Stu also tries to defend his not being The Dude's fault for The Dude's chubbiness, and also urges The Dude to catch this week's "Entourage" for some boinking animals. The Dude is excited about catching "Entourage," but not as excited as a carny might have been in seeing Mama Gotz. Happy listening!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:27 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2007

Are There Any Team Comedians Today Like Abbott & Costello Doing "Who's On First?"

By: The Dude on the Right
Yesterday I'm driving around in the Dude-Mobile, listening to my Sirius Satellite Radio, channel-surfing as I'm am wont to do on the weekends, and I land on the family friendly comedy channel, Laugh Break, Sirius Channel 105.  In all honesty I'm more of a fan of Raw Dog, Channel 104, the uncensored comedy channel, but hey, it was only one channel higher, so there I was, on 105, and as much as I can be a fan of dirty jokes, there it was, one of the best comedy sketches ever, the brilliant work of Abbott and Costello doing "Who's on First?"

The thing with the "Who's on First?" sketch is it is so simple in its concept, yet it is the genius of Abbott and Costello that really brings it to life.  Why do I say that?  Because if you just read the sketch, and there's a transcript and a link to the audio at Baseball Almanac.com, it's really not that funny, actually kind of juvenile, and if you read it the skit doesn't seem to work on paper.  What makes it funny is the deadpan nature of Bud Abbott, and the frustrated, "I'm gonna sock you one in the jaw if you don't tell me who's on first," attitude of Lou Costello.  And I started to wonder, because there are some great comedians nowadays, but you don't really have the teamwork of some of the acts of yesteryear, unless I'm missing some of them right now with a brain fart or something.  The closest thing I can recall as a team of comedians is a ventriloquist and his dummy, and then instantly, because I'm a twisted dude sometimes, I think of Otto & George, probably the filthiest of a "team," and still remember their talking of JFK and George's reenactment of JFK's assassination.

So where am I going with this blog?  Oh hell, I don't know.  All I do know is that yesterday, thanks to having my satellite radio, I got a really good laugh from a comedy sketch that is nearly 70 years old, and as much as when I hear the number "Eighty-eight" I instantly think "Red Ball freight," the phrase "I don't know" always kicks in a "Third base!"

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:38 PM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: A Song for Mom, Stu Gotz is Why I'm Fat, and R.I.P. Weekly World News.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right sings a song for his mom, whose birthday is today, and without that happening, well, The Dude wouldn't be here and wouldn't be able to sing his song. He is also blaming Stu Gotz for his not being able to lose weight, and is sad that the "Weekly World News" is ceasing publication next week, even though he hasn't bought a copy in years. He sort of hopes Lindsay Lohan shows up on his doorstep, and is also sad because he thinks his hometown has so much potential but doesn't seem to want to work it.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:22 PM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2007

Dear Lindsay Lohan, I Can Help With "That's What Friends are For" if You Want.

By: The Dude on the Right
At first I was going to type a quick blog about my trip to the old country, Lorain, OH, and how it might as well be called the old country because most everything seems old there, but sadly not in a historic nature, rather in a dilapidated nature. The newest thing there seems to be “The Black River Landing” which actually looks nice, but sadly you have to drive through dilapidatedness to get there. The thing is, after I thought about my trip to the old country, there was nothing blog-quick about it because topics like “An Unpolished Jewel,” “A Big House That Wasn’t So Big,” “A Lazy Squirrel,” “A Casino Would Give Me Something to Do,” and “Asphalt Can Be Your Friend” need a little bit more effort to write than I am willing to put forth this evening. And, oh yea, there would also be my revisiting a previous blog titled “My Hometown Slogan Should Be: Visit Lorain – It’s Like Driving on the Moon!” because, well, you can still get that experience. But today I returned to Illinois from Lorain and an overpass even welcomed me back, and as much as my hometown might have entered my writing thoughts, there was something, or should I say someone, whose troubles are more important than those of a city.

That someone is Lindsay Lohan.

The stories are storying, the rumors are rumoring, but it seems Lindsay Lohan’s stint at rehab didn’t take, that pretty much fresh out of rehab she was driving while intoxicated and that there was some white powder on her person that is supposed to be cocaine. And what makes me sad is that as much as she most likely has some addiction issues, I just wonder if she has any real friends to truly be there for her.

As the story hit today some tabloids kept tabloiding about how she didn’t take rehab seriously and got stuff smuggled in (if true, that’s not rehab and she should get her money back), her assistant supposedly quit and Lindsay was chasing her mother in her car (which led to her latest arrest), but everything that seems to be missing, in every story, is anyone really seeming to give a damn about her. You’ve got a publicist spinning things, experts spouting about how being young and famous, with money, gets you in trouble, but for every story about things like this happening to Hollywood celebrities you never see them having any “real” friends, those kind of friends that would beat the crap out of you, grab your keys, and not let you chase the mother of your assistant, in their car. Those friends that would pour out half of your drink while you weren’t looking so you wouldn’t get absolutely blitzed. Those friends, who, in the middle of the night, if you called them and said you needed a ride home, would be there (unless they were calling from a donut shop, pretending to be in jail, and you knew they had enough money to take the El).

I had almost six hours driving back from the old country today, and for whatever bizarre reason, after hearing how Lindsay got popped for being a screw-up again, I wondered what I would do if she showed up at my door facing what she is facing right now. I suppose I would let her into the dude-pad and crash, but more importantly for her, I would introduce her to my network of friends; Friends who were there when I had too much too drink; Friends who were there when I needed advice; Friends who were there when I didn’t want advice; And Friends who were there, because they really are my friends.

My advice to you, Lindsay: Get out of the Thirty Mile Zone, and find real friends. If you want some help on the latter I’ll introduce you to a few of mine, and as long as you aren’t a pretentious bitch, I’d bet some of my friends might actually get along with you, and be there for you, when life gets fucked up.

Because that’s what friends do.

Maybe in a couple of days I'll write about a lazy squirrel.  He, or she, actually seems to have other inspirations. I'll bet for him, or her, it's all about nuts, and TMZ doesn't matter.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:27 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2007

Oh, I Hope She Chooses "Hairspray."

By: The Dude on the Right
With the web site redesign complete (although there is one problem I recently found that will have to wait to get fixed until I get back to my main office), and my spending some quality time with the family, I thought I would try to get some stuff done for the web site but for now that is being limited to catching up on the 40 odd movie previews I want to finish up. As of now I’m about a quarter of the way complete with that project, but thought I would at least throw out a quick blog so you know I haven’t deserted you, the avid reader, just that the new stuff being posted might not show up on the home page.

I am hoping to drag my niece to a movie tomorrow, either “Hairspray” or “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” (I’m hoping she chooses “Hairspray” because that John Travolta as a large woman is so hot. I mean, why would I want to see Jessica Biel after all) mostly because there don’t seem to be any good horror films out, so tomorrow night or Sunday I might actually be able to get something even more current posted.

Some obvious new stuff should be posted soon, maybe even a weekend wrap-up podcast, but than again maybe not. The easiest way to always keep abreast is to use our RSS feed to subscribe to the site, and that’s what these buttons --->    towards the top of our web pages are for, if you ever wondered.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! An RV, Not Running Drugs, and Harry Potter.

For this episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, Stu Gotz made it back from Arizona with the Gotz family RV. It took him a little longer to get back, saw a giant cross, got pulled over but wasn't running drugs, and noticed that Missouri seems to have the most adult book stores of any state in the Union. The Dude on the Right is boring, just saw "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," walked, and watched NASCAR. Stu Gotz is so much more exciting sometimes, and even gifted The Dude with some family made zucchini bread.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2007

A Pouty Boy, and No Pictures of "Team Pink" Girl.

By: The Dude on the Right
Today was a nice day in Chicago-land, and as I like to do on weekends I went for a walk in a local forest preserve.  It was an incident at the start of the walk that for most of the rest of the time I wondered about something - Did I ever do something like that when I was about five or six years old?

You see, as I started upon the trail I saw up ahead a little boy, on a little bike, trailing behind mom.  Then, for whatever reason, the boy, I would gauge about five or six years old, got off his bike, threw it to the ground, and proceeded to sit himself down in the grassy area next to the path, crossing his arms and legs and with a look of defiance of "I am not going on a bike ride today."  Mom quickly stopped, looked back at, I'm assuming it was her son, seemingly perplexed by the actions of her son, and at times like these I sort of wish I didn't have my music playing during my walk, drowning out the ambient noise around me, so I could fake needing to tie my shoes and see how mom planned on diplomatically resolving the situation at hand, to get Skippy back on the bike, or if she would just get all nuts saying something like "Get the hell back on your bike and start riding.  You're the one who wanted to go for a bike ride in the first place, so dammit, get riding," and which I would just have probably died with laughter if the kid retorted back, "But Mom, I'm Jesus Christ."

But, with music playing, I just walked on, and began to wonder if I had ever done anything like that when I was a child.  Did I ever just sit down and pout, and then I took out the pouting part because I'm 100% sure I have pouted as a youngin' (hell, I've probably pouted as an oldin', too).  It was the entire package of the little boy that was classic, from the slamming down of the bicycle, to the sitting down with crossed arms and legs, to that perfect face, and I almost wished I could have captured that on my iPhone.  Instead, I took these couple of pictures of the prairie that is my weekend walking location.

Now the entire walk wasn't just about wondering how I acted as a boy, as I was walking I was passed up by a member of "Team Pink."  She was tan, she was thin, she had long, black hair, and I know she was a member of "Team Pink" because she was wearing shorts with it spelled across her ass, and for an instant I really wished I was in better shape so I could maybe run with "Team Pink" girl, but for now walking is my speed and it was back to my recollections of being a little kid.  I remembered a moment I had run outside naked, I remembered the bunk beds my brother and I had in our bedroom, I remembered being a member of "The Fonz Club," and kept seeing in my head little pouty boy, and kept convincing myself I was never like that.

With the music playing in my head, and me heading back to the dude-mobile, I was getting over my "how was I when I was a little kid" thoughts, and then, passing me up again was "Team Pink" girl and it occurred to me, "Why am I taking pictures of the prairie when I could be taking pictures of "Team Pink" girl."  Sadly, though, she's a pretty fast jogger and before I could get my iPhone out of pocket, she was too far away.  "Goodbye 'Team Pink' girl."

And so, on today's walk, I recollected that I was a perfect angel as a little boy, and would never had slammed my bike down, mostly because I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was like eight or ten years old, and the next time I'm going for a walk, and "Team Pink" girl passes me up, I better have the camera ready for when she comes back around.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Enlarged Bladders, Stu Gotz is a Duck, and Do U Have a Crush on Obama or R U Hott 4 Hill?

On the eve of Friday the 13th, for this podcast, The Dude on the Right had the piss scared back into him thanks to Stu Gotz being a duck, and having a full bladder always makes him think of Jeff Probst. But that isn't what is really concerning him. Sure, The Dude also worries about Kelly Clarkson, but he really hopes the Hott 4 Hill girl is bisexual, and rather than Hill being part of the threesome, well, Hott 4 Hill and Obama Girl will get together with him, The Dude on the Right, make a video, and then The Dude on the Right would have enough funds to run for President, or at least just have a lot of fun. The Dude sometimes dreams too much.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:29 PM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2007

Just Remember: Eighty-Eight, Red-Ball Freight.

By: The Dude on the Right
Sometimes I feel like I am one of Pavlov's dogs.  You might remember the story of Pavlov and his dogs, where he did some experiments with dogs getting them to salivate at only the sound they might be getting food, or at least something like that.  The problem for me is it seems almost forever I've been doing this, but now that it is summertime my infliction is worse.  You see, and I know where it comes from, but every time I hear the phrase "eighty-eight," I instantly respond either out loud, under my breath, or just in my head, "Red-Ball Freight."  Sadly, it being the summer, a lot of our high temperatures lately are 88 degrees, to which I simply say, "Red-Ball Freight."

The thing for me is that it doesn't matter where it occurs:  It can be on the TV where Jerry Taft or Tom Skilling (weather dudes here in Chicago) say, "The high will be 88," and I say "Red-Ball Freight."  I might be checking our local weather on the radio and Christina Filiaggi might say "The high tomorrow, 88," and I say "Red-Ball Freight."  And even worse, here in Chicagoland we actually have an Interstate 88, which has thankfully been renamed "The Reagan Tollway," so now when I check traffic at least most of the time they don't call it "I-88" anymore, and I don't have to say "Red-Ball Freight" anymore.  "Eighty-eight" is in my head, and at every instance, my response is "Red-Ball Freight."

The thing is that for the longest time I couldn't remember exactly where this affliction came from, although I knew it had something to do with a poem, from somewhere around, my best guess, fifth of sixth grade.  I would drive friends crazy as I instantly said "Red-Ball Freight," my secretary thought I was completely a lunatic, especially during the summer, and I even sent an e-mail to a school teacher who quoted "eighty-eight, red ball freight" as an example of a rhyme on her internet page.  She actually wrote me back and mentioned she remembered it was from a poem, but sadly never got back to me as to its origin, my guess because she, too, thought I was nuts.

Then the day came when I found it, of course, on the internet, and it turns out the rhyme came from a poem called "The Crossing," by Philip Booth, and along with the simple line of "eighty-eight, red-ball freight" which has been the source of my eighty-eight nuttiness for low these many years, the poem is also filled with many other rhymes, all about watching a train go by at a crossing gate, with the many different freight cars being pulled along.

I always thought when I finally found out the origin of my nuttiness my Pavlov response to "eighty-eight" would finally come to a stop, but sadly, I found the poem a couple of years ago, and since it has been a slightly warmer summer than normal, "eighty-eight" comes about in just about every weather forecast these days, and I just keep saying "Red-Ball Freight."  I guess Pavlov was right.  The lucky thing, though, is that after rediscovering "The Crossing," I just thank God there isn't much talk of "Hiawatha" here, because if "Eighty-eight, Red-Ball Freight" weren't bad enough, now when I hear "Hiawatha" I am now spouting "Lackawanna, rolling fast and loose, ninety-seven, coal car, boxcar, caboose."

All I hope for you is that after this blog, anytime you hear the phrase "eighty-eight," you will now instantly think, say, mumble, "Red-Ball Freight." Happy nuttiness, and at least I won't be alone in it!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)

July 9, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu's Gone, A Missed Opportunity, iPhone Ringtones, and Live Earth.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is flying solo when normally Stu Gotz would be around. That's alright, he's got things to say, like how he might have missed out on his chance for "Survivor" stardom, he's happy with his iPhone even though he can't (hopefully just a yet thing) have his iPhone yell "It could be. It is!" when The Dude on the Right calls, and wished Melissa Etheridge would have sang some more of her songs during her "Live Earth" performance rather than her preaching how screwed up the world is. He did like Roger Waters and Bon Jovi during the show, though.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:59 PM | Comments (0)

July 4, 2007

A Quick "Transformers" Review, and Michael Medved Should be Chastising His Friend.

By: The Dude on the Right
So on Monday evening myself, Stu Gotz, and some other members of the Entertainment Ave! staff (including The Mystery Dude who is still pissed because I didn't mention him in my last Roger Waters' review even though he was the one who got me the ticket) went to see "Transformers" at an early screening in a Chicago suburb.  My full review will be coming soon, but quickly, I really liked the movie, found it very funny, agree with Stu that it's a solid PG-13 with a lot of violence and sexual innuendo so keep that in mind in terms of bringing your kids, but I didn't care for the finale fight scene because it became to "Michael Bay"-ish, with too many "slow-motion" scenes," to much "we are now at war," and if they just did the fight scene in real time they probably could have trimmed about 5 minutes from the film.  Really good film, great effects, and Megan Fox is smokin' hot.  Like I wrote, my full review comes at a later date - hell, I might actually see it again before I review it because my local gigaplex has it in Digital Projection which this movie is sort of made for.

But anyway, then came Tuesday.

I'm driving around in the dude-mobile and since it is the week of The 4th of July a lot of the radio folks I would listen to are on vacation.  With that comes a lot of channel hopping, and somehow AM 560, WIND here in Chicago, was still programmed on my radio.  I landed on it somewhere in the host's discussion about his seeing "Transformers" with a friend of his, and said friend brought his 10 year old son.  Turns out the host was Michael Medved, whose website says "Michael Medved is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host, best-selling author and veteran film critic."  While listening I did not realize Mr. Medved was a "veteran film critic," but as he's talking about the movie he mentions that he never grew up with the animated "Transformers" and kept calling "Bumblebee," one of the Autobots, "Butterfly."  I let that go because that's a mistake you can make if you aren't a fan, hell, they both start with the letter "B."  But then he started on a slight rant about how "Transformers" seemed a little adult for its rating, even stating that with some of the sexual innuendos going on, well, maybe the movie should have been given the next rating up.  I did a double take at the radio in my car (yes, I actually looked at the radio in my car, looked away, then looked again), and said, out loud, to my radio, "You wanted this movie rated 'R'?"  He then mentioned that because of some of the content in the movie they would have to "cover the ears" of the 10 year old that was brought along, and seemed surprised "Transformers" was rated PG.  I actually started yelling, again at my radio, that "the movie is rated PG-13.  What the hell are you talking about?"  And as he was finishing up his segment I sort of wished I wasn't in my car so I could find his phone number, or at least that the radio folks would announce it, so I could call him, and inform him, that the movie was rated PG-13, and rather than admonish the filmmakers for the content, maybe his buddy should have paid more attention and not brought his son to a movie that the MPAA says is "Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language."

Still a little flabbergasted at such a huge mistake about the movie rating I lasted through his commercial break, and Michael Medved came back on, stating that he had to admit he was wrong, that the phone lines lit up, and I said "Phew, he's going to now state the movie was rated PG-13."  Nope, no correction on that one, it seems the phone lines lit up to correct him that the yellow Autobot that is a Camaro is "Bumblebee," and not "Butterfly."  He then went on to something about the immigration reform that still isn't happening, and I just couldn't listen anymore because conservative talk shows aren't my cup of tea.

Now, I might have given a slight pass to Mr. Medved and his stating "Transformers" was rated PG, but that was until the fact I found about he is one, a "veteran film critic," but worse, still doing movie reviews.  He was right, that maybe his friend who brought the 10 year old might have to cover the kid's ears, or maybe even his eyes, during the movie, but rather than blasting the rating of the movie, which he was totally wrong in stating, maybe Mr. Medved should have been blasting his friend for not paying attention to the rating of the movie and being a bad parent.  Hell, even The Mystery Dude, who has two kids, both under 13, said he was sort of happy to see the movie without them so he could decide if they could see it.  I'm stating here that The Mystery Dude is a good parent while Michael Medved's friend might want to pay a little more attention to movie ratings.

Again I've gotten too winded in a blog, but when a "veteran film critic," although according to Wikipedia, Roger Ebert has stated "he is 'a political commentator and no longer a film critic.'" (and I agree), can't get a movie rating correct, it's actually a disservice to people.  I'm not perfect and I make mistakes.  Michael Medved isn't perfect and he makes mistakes.  What almost made me sad, and I don't have all of his phone logs, was that his listeners didn't correct Michael on his movie rating mistake, they just wanted people to know the Camaro was "Bumblebee," and not "Butterfly."  I guess it seems none of his conservative listeners that called in cared about the kids.  I will give this disclaimer that maybe, somewhere, during the rest of his show on Tuesday, he corrected the movie rating of "Transformers," but folks like Michael Medved make me want to state in my bio that I am a "Worldwide Podcast Host, Veteran Movie Critic, and The Best Concert Photographer Ever."

By the way, again, "Transfomers" is rated PG-13.  Be a parent.  If your kids want to see the movie, and for God's, Christ's, or just Goodness sake, pay attention to the MPAA ratings.  Whatever you do, don't listen to Michael Medved about "Transformers."  He thought it was rated "PG."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:35 PM | Comments (0)

July 3, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast: So Much to Say that it's in Two Parts.

For this episode of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" Podcast, Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right just can't stop talking. The Dude on the Right has his normal entertainment stuff on which to comment so the two of them consolidate entertainment to "Part 1 of the Podcast." Part 1 gives insight into getting an iPhone, the latest movies like "Live Free or Die Hard" and "Ratatouille," and a lady and her Jaguar. Part 2 of the podcast lets Stu run wild with his weekend like how he gave Mama Gotz a challenge about an RV so now Stu might be heading to Arizona, his advice on where not to put photos of your old girlfriend, and Baptism invite etiquette.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:54 PM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2007

I'm Cool Again, or Maybe Just a Dork. But I Have an iPhone!

By: The Dude on the Right
In case you were looking for my iPhone purchasing woes in a blog yesterday, I have to apologize because I never got around to one. That’s because I was playing with my new iPhone! Yup, I was only not cool for about 14 hours, although, had I just gone to the Apple store on Friday evening after my misgivings at two AT&T stores, I would have been cool sooner.

When I wrote about my inabilities to get an iPhone on the Friday launch date, the option to sign up for AT&T’s "direct fulfillment program" didn’t seem like the best option for me, even though I did have a comment for that blog saying I should have signed up for it. My problem is my obsessive nature, and once I had it in my mind I was going to buy one, signing up for a program that didn’t tell me when I would actually get the phone wasn’t going to cut it. By the time Friday evening came along I had done some homework, read many rumors (i.e. all stores selling the phone would get another shipment on Saturday, although I have had no reason to confirm if the AT&T stores did get a shipment on Saturday because I already had my phone so didn’t need to check), but I had an Ace up my sleeve, at least I hoped so, to getting an iPhone on Saturday, and that was there are five Apple Stores within an hour of the Dude-Pad. That Ace also had a companion, and that was the Apple website having a section showing iPhone availability for the next day.

After I wrote my blog on Friday night, lamenting on going to bed alone, I planned my Saturday. It would simply start with waking up in the morning around the same time I always do. I would shit, shower, and shave, and then head down to my computer. I would go to the Apple website, check the availability area and if it showed the iPhone would be available, for sale at 9AM as the website pronounced, I would hop in the Dude-mobile, head to the closest Apple Store that showed it had them, and hope for the best. I checked the website, it said my closest store still had them, and so I skipped my morning paper reading and headed to the mall. The tricky part was that I always call my Mom on Saturday mornings, and if push came to shove, calling her would take precedent over getting the phone. I end up at the Apple Store at about 8:50AM and there were already about 25 people in front of me. The only hope of getting the phone before having to call Mom is that unlike folks who were buying the phone at the AT&T store, who might have needed some questions answered, everyone in front of me had that look on their face of "give me an 8 gig, and oh yea, this case."

And as this blog is already starting to get too long let me just say a couple of things to finish this up: First, the Apple folks had a way-impressive force of getting the iPhone sold and out the door, even at 9:00 AM on a Saturday (I can’t imagine what happened Friday evening there which I will discuss with Stu Gotz tomorrow during our "Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast). Second, with that force I had my iPhone purchased at about 9:07 AM, made it back to the Dude-mobile in time to call my Mom and tell her I bought one, to which she thought I was nuts. Third, the phone is very cool, although I will admit it looks like they just got a lot of functionality completed to get the phone out on time, with the rest of it to come with later software upgrades (the phone doesn’t have real "Ringtone" capability yet, nor, well, some other simple things my old RAZR had).

But yesterday, at about 9:07 AM, I was cool again, or maybe still just a dork.  And the day before I got a free bottle of water just for waiting for an iPhone.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:02 PM | Comments (1)

June 29, 2007

No iPhone, Just a Bottle of Water.

By: The Dude on the Right
So here it is, the big day, probably the most important day in recorded history, and this morning I decided "Screw it, I'm going to try and get an iPhone."  Having too many things to do during the day meant camping out wasn't an option for the 6PM on-sale time, but around where I live there were three stores I could show up at, figuring around 5:30 should still be safe to get one.  Store A was in a developing community where I figured demand shouldn't be that huge.  Store B was by the mall, and I figured that store would probably be packed with all of the crazies who took off work to buy a phone.  Store C was similar to Store A in terms of demographic, but further away.

So I finish with the things I needed to do this Friday, I get back to the dude-pad around 5PM, do a quick read of the newspaper, eat some grub, and then decide that I'm going to take my chances at Store A.  Arriving around 5:40PM there's a line around the side of the store, putting me at about the 40th in line.  "They should be stocked fairly well" I tell myself, and even the people that started arriving after me figured getting a brand spankin' new iPhone shouldn't be a problem.  It's 6PM, the doors open to the promised land, and they begin by letting in 6 people, and then as one leaves, another enters.  The line isn't moving that quickly, but I'm still confident I will be home this evening, iPhone in box, then in hand, then activated, and then I'm cool.  In the meantime the nice AT&T employees (of which it seems they were overstaffed by about 5 people for the way they were selling the phone) came out offering bottles of water.  It's now about 6:15 PM and the manager-looking AT&T dude comes out and announces, looking at the number of people left in line, that he wasn't sure if supply was going to meet demand, blurbs a little about the "direct fulfillment program" if they do run out, the ducked back into the store.  The next round of bottled waters comes out, I decide to grab one, and then the manager-looking dude comes back out and announces the 8 Gig versions are sold out.  He starts to talk about how they still have some 4 Gig versions left, the "direct fulfillment program" again, but I'm already heading to the dude-mobile, mumbling "At least I got a bottle of water."

What to do?  I decide that since I'm already out I might as well head to Store B, the one by the mall, on the slim hope they got a monster shipment of phones.  I arrive, there are about 20 people still in line, and as I take my place the AT&T employee starts pushing that "direct fulfillment program" again, and I pretty much know that tonight, unless I really wanted to take a hell of a chance and head to The Apple Store, I would go to bed iPhone-less.

And so, tonight, I go to bed alone.

But wait, I could order it on line and have it early next week?  That would be good enough for me.  I log in to the Apple web site, click to buy one, and there's a little note that says it won't ship for at least 2 weeks.

I read somewhere that there would be plenty of stock to keep everyone iPhoned, thus killing the eBay market, but if the AT&T stores pretty much sell out of the phones in about an hour, Apple won't ship the phone for a couple of weeks, and those stores don't get replenished, like, tomorrow, I'm thinking I really should have camped out last night and seen if some fool would pay me $1,500 bucks for a new iPhone.

I suppose I should blame myself because part of the reason I am iPhone-less is because I decided dinner and reading the news was just as important as getting in line, and had I actually just gone to the store by the mall, well, I'd probably have a phone this evening, even taking the time to eat my dinner and read the news.  But you know what - I'm not blaming myself - I'm blaming the Apple and AT&T people because I'm guessing the only reason they are selling the 4 Gig iPhone is because they sold out of the 8 Gig, and if they had only had about ten more 8 Gig versions at Store A, I would be cool.

Instead I just got a free bottle of water.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:40 PM | Comments (1)

June 28, 2007

To i Or Not to i. Buying an iPhone is the Question.

By: The Dude on the Right
Normally I do a podcast on Thursday evening, but tonight I'm in a typing mood, so I thought I would hit you with a new blog to read since I haven't done one in a while.  From the title of this blog you can probably guess that this dude has a dilemma and that is simply "Do I buy an iPhone as soon as humanly possible, or do I wait?"  Fine, if I do opt to get one it won't be as soon as humanly possible because I won't be camping in line tonight to be "the first on my block" to get one.  I'm going on the theory that between the three AT&T stores around me, well, if the mood hits, I should be able to score one tomorrow evening when they go on sale.  If the iPhone is already sold out at all three stores, well, that might be the sign that I should wait a while, or head to the Apple store in last ditch desperation.  But...

Because sometimes I am partially nuts, and sometimes obsessive and compulsive, and since I have already, in my own bizarre way justified the expense (I need a new PDA since my Palm Pilot is about 5 years old and the battery won't last longer than a day;  Sure, I've got a 60 Gig iPod, but it's pre-video and I think the battery will need to be replaced soon;  My black RAZR isn't cool anymore.  Add them all together: A SmartPhone-$300, a new iPod-$350, and I'm already saving money by getting an iPhone), now the question comes down to do I want to be on the forefront of a cell phone revolution hoping there aren't too many bugs to get through, do I sit back, chill, and maybe wait for the technology to fix itself, or do I want to go on vacation to New Jersey later in the year?

You see along with the launch of the iPhone I've gotten hooked by the Apple commercials for the phone, have become almost intimately close with Bob, the "black shirt dude," while watching the Guided Tour video, the Activation and Synch video, and the iPhone Keyboard video (which shows how the iPhone will suggest the word "pizza" when you can't properly hit the virtual keys on keyboard with no keys), looked at all of the pictures in the gallery, ruled out visiting my local Apple store in favor of my trio of AT&T stores, and don't know who to really believe anymore because even some of the actual reviews that have come out in reputable print papers seem confusing, with the only thing linking them all together is the fact the iPhone will be limited to the AT&T EDGE network (which means slow) as of now, and yet the Wi-Fi option is great.

Along with obsessively checking the Apple site, I've also become obsessed with one of the best message boards about cell phones, namely Howard Forums, and all of the latest postings announcing mostly wrong information about the iPhone.  Lots of people keep posting that the iPhone actually has a 3G chip built in, just waiting for a software patch to "open it up" and that will be the final surprise announcement of the iPhone, but even I don't think that is true.  I do have a concern that I can't have a custom ringtone for all my friends so I know who is calling instantly (Right now on my RAZR Stu Gotz has a Beatles tune, Trash has some Jimmy Buffett, The Dude on the Left has a Harry Caray homerun call, and Mom has some Michael Stanley Band) because a lot of the posts say designing your own ringtones isn't an option, but then another post says this will be coming in the future with a later software update.  I do have a concern that my Shure headphones won't work with the thing because of a sort-of different/recessed headphone jack, but than another post says Shure is working on an adapter for the iPhone.  There's all kinds of blabbering about the Bluetooth capabilities of the phone, but I don't really use Bluetooth so what do I care.  And along with some information that seem legit and a lot of other that seems like crap, my favorite post, so far, deals with a future release of the iPhone, version 6.2, which will include an iPhaser, which one poster quickly states that "only if all the settings, work .. istun.. ikill.. if it only goes to istun and not ikill i will just wait for version 7.3".

And so I've got a little less than 24 hours from now, and three stores to visit, to see if I will be an iPhone owner, or if I might be going to New Jersey instead.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:54 PM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Kids are Turning Japanese, Journey Scores a Top 5 Single on Sirius, Wii Workouts, and Movie Talk.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right think they are cool and recollect their cool things they did over the weekend. Some of it has to do with Journey getting a spot in the "Sirius Hits 1 Weekend Countdown," being good friends watching "The Sopranos," and Stu's kids spouting lyrics that might be politically incorrect, or maybe the little dudes are really "Turning Japanese." Stu also might be on the Nintendo Wii work out plan (though he loses to his 4 1/2 year old), and The Dude talks about movies like "Evan Almighty" and "1408."

Posted by Rightdude at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Three Vetoes From President Bush, I Should be The Next Host of "The Price is Right," and Maybe Meredith is Nicer than Barbara.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right goes on a slight political rant focusing on President Bush's recent veto of a second stem cell research bill, and his quote “Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical.”

On lighter notes The Dude also thinks he would be the perfect replacement for Bob Barker on "The Price is Right," and reminds all of you that Paris Hilton will be getting out of jail soon, and you probably would have done the same time with the purported payday she will get from her first interview, which, sort of surprisingly, won't be with Barbara Walters.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:28 PM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up: Stu's Early "Ratatouille" Review, More Movie Talk, and a Skin Flute.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" Stu Gotz saw "Ratatouille" before most of you did, and gives his opinion. The Dude on the Right chimes in with his comments on the "Fantastic Four" and "Nancy Drew" flicks. They also reminisce about some college days and Stu gives his advice for sneaking liquor into the movies. All that and more, and The Dude finds a clip he heard on The Howard Stern Show about skin flute playing which was broadcast from a station out of Cleveland O Hi O. And never forget "Rat farts!"

Posted by Rightdude at 6:52 PM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Jessica Alba - I Volunteer, Cicada Sounds, Go Cavs, and Go Away McGreevey's.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right really, really, really, wants to be put on Jessica Alba's list for a one night stand, or even a one evening stand. He also found some annoying cicada sounds thanks to Steve Dahl and The Chicago Tribune. The Dude hopes the Cleveland Cavs can win a basketball game, at least with the help of the Michael Stanley Band, and wishes the McGreevey's would just go away. Gosh he has a lot to talk about in 15 or so minutes.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:56 PM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2007

The "Tony Soprano Was Whacked Here, Or Maybe Not" Booth, and Bon Jovi Better Not Tour in 2010.

By: The Dude on the Right
Well at least I had one thing right about my prediction for "The Sopranos" ending - it would take place in an ice cream shop in New Jersey.  What surprised me was that most people giving predictions, from fans to critics, seemed to forget the story of how there was this ice cream shop in New Jersey that the show's people wanted to shoot the final scene at but the town wouldn't give them a permit.  Then the town thought better of it and gave them a permit.  Low and behold the final scene was at a place called "Holsten's," which whether you liked the ending of the show or not, if you are/were a fan of the "The Sopranos," and if you are anywhere near Bloomfield, NJ, you will probably try to make a trip there.  With all of their publicity, though, you would think they might update their web site.  Going to holstons.com you see the most simplistic of designed web sites, and more importantly, if you click on the "Luncheon Menu" link, there is something missing from the menu, namely onion rings.  There is another website with a photo of a current menu, and it does show onion rings are available, but if the Holston's folks want some help redesigning their website, I'm offering my services, if only because it would give me a real excuse to visit New Jersey again, other than just vacationing on Long Beach Island.

But now that "The Sopranos" are done, or is it "is done," I always get that confused, and so far I haven't gotten sucked into any summer TV yet, I'm looking to revive doing concert reviews during this summer season, setting a consistent schedule for CD and DVD reviews, finishing the re-design of entertainmentavenue.com, and in the middle of all of these things, digitize my entire photo collection, starting with my concert photos, mostly so I can update the lousy looking concert shots on the web site because, in reality, they aren't that lousy (some of those were digitized with an old, hand-held scanner, bought back in like 1996).  The nice thing about the digitizing is I can do it in the middle of typing and posting things - simply slide another negative into my old HP Photosmart scanner, and since it's pretty slow, well, I don't lose that much stream of consciousness in my writing.  The bad thing is that since it is kinda slow, I might be at this digitizing things for years.

I guess I never realized how many pictures I took back in those old days of using film, and concerts alone I'm looking at, by rough count, some 720 rolls of film to digitize.  If I can get two rolls done a day I guess I might be done with the concert photos sometime next year.  Then there are all of the negatives from college and high school, and if I'm on track for this, we're looking at, well, maybe 2010 by the time my entire film collection is safely stored away on CD-R's (that by then will probably be useless), and I might be able to put together a nice high school retrospective for my high school classmates at our 25th year reunion, that is, of course, if Bon Jovi doesn't have a concert on the same day as our reunion in 2010 like they did back in 1995, and 2005.

It looks to be a fun summer for this dude, as long as I can keep my TV turned off in the evening hours.  If not, expect a lot more blogs about crappy, summer TV shows that I have gotten sucked into watching.  Maybe I'll even try to squeeze in a trip to New Jersey for some ice cream, and sit in the "Tony Soprano Got Whacked Here, Or Maybe He Didn't" booth.  I just wonder if the onion rings at Holston's are that good.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast! Soprano Analysis, Stu Gets Exercise, The Dude's Cable Woes, and Big & Rich do AC/DC.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!," well, Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right give their discussion about the finale of "The Sopranos." Stu got in some exercising thanks to a Nintendo Wii (which he can't believe he camped out for, sort of), and The Dude saw "Ocean's Thirteen." There's also some other TV talk, The Dude finally got TV back, and did you know Big & Rich cover the AC/DC classic "You Shook Me All Night Long?" Now you do.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:21 PM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2007

How Did I Live Without TV for So Long?

By: The Dude on the Right
If you've been reading my blog the last couple of days you know that I was without my cable TV and good internet access for, it turned out, two entire days.  The operative word there is "was" because about an hour ago the cable technician rang my doorbell, I told him I have nothing, he went outside, and low and behold everything was working again.  He came back in, I asked him what was the problem, and he said that in the box outside my cable line was marked "Disconnected," and was, well, disconnected.  He asked if there was a billing problem, to which I told him there wasn't, and the best guess we both could come up with was because there have been a rash of old people moving and new people moving in at my townhouse area, maybe the technician who came to disconnect someone who had moved out, well, he disconnected me instead.  That means some lucky bastard neighbor is getting cable TV for free, while I had to endure two days of nothing, probably could have won the BINGO game on Friday night, and was getting panic attacks worried I was going to miss the final episode of "The Sopranos" (I'm thinking Tony finds himself making a deal with the feds at an ice cream shop in Jersey at the end of the show, but that's only because there was all the hubba-baloo about a town not issuing a permit for filming at an ice cream shop in New Jersey, which was going to be the final scene, and then they issued the permit, unless, of course, that was just a diversion for the real ending where Carmella runs off to Italy with Furio).

In any case, I am back in the land of technology, so now I really have no excuses as to not posting new stuff, although I was sort of getting used to not having watching TV as a diversion.  Maybe after "The Sopranos" I should just cancel my cable TV altogether?  What the hell am I saying?  I'm sure, after tonight, I'll be back in the land of TV glory, just not brilliant TV glory yet because I haven't broken down into the HDTV world.

In any case, it's back to my normally scheduled programs, although, so far this summer, there aren't any.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:13 PM | Comments (0)

June 9, 2007

I Think I'm in the Middle of a Seinfeld Episode.

By: The Dude on the Right
For the last couple of days, and it is approaching a couple of days, I don't have TV. Some of my goals this summer included limiting my TV watching, but for over 24 hours I haven't had a choice. For whatever reason my cable, and only my townhouse's cable, went out yesterday (okay, my internet is affected too, but I have figured out a backup way to post stuff, so I can still sort of post things - my "Ocean's 13" review will be posted tomorrow come hell or high water). It's been over 24 hours now with no TV, and the only thing I can really say, right now, the only reason I miss TV is because I am paying for it (the cable folks say I will get a credit for my downtime), and missing watching some baseball games and playing BINGO on Friday, and wondering about the future.

I do know a way to get my local TV, and pretty simply it would only include a trip to my local Radio Shack, to buy an antenna (and it wouldn't even have to be a roof-top one), and then I would have my local stations, but, and I can't believe I am saying this, I am almost liking life without TV, except for one last bit of closure, or more specifically, HBO, tomorrow, because at the end of my Spring TV viewing there is only one show left I care about, one show I need to see, and that show is the last episode of "The Sopranos," and right now, I have no HBO.

If my cable company doesn't fix my TV tomorrow, on a Sunday, I will miss the one show, for the last bunch of years, that I really, really, really, really, don't want to miss, and that is the finale of "The Sopranos."  I will also miss seeing the NBA Basketball Finals where my Cavs are playing some other team, and as much as I am sort of liking not having TV right now, tomorrow is the day I need it back.

I would like to say that I have confidence in getting my TV viewing fixed by the time "The Sopranos" comes on tomorrow night, but in talking with the folks at my cable supplier (except for the dude I talked with tonight), I have many reservations about technology giving me a chance to have things fixed in a timely manner, or at least tomorrow.  The shitty part is that supposedly I had an appointment to get things fixed today, and that conversation is another, total, clusterfuck.  I think I am finding myself in the middle of a "Seinfeld" episode.

I guess, in the end, we just have to see what life gives us tomorrow. Hopefully, for me, it's at least "The Sopranos."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)

June 8, 2007

Why I Don't Do Weddings.

By: The Dude on the Right
Look, I know that in the grand scheme of life today didn't suck that bad, but, well, it hasn't been the most unchallenging day either.

It started out pretty nicely.  I slept in a bit, caught an early showing of "Ocean's 13," and then was off on some errands for a company I do consulting for.  With my day being pretty well structured, I was hoping to get the errands done quickly, be back in time to get my review of "Ocean's 13" posted, then head to help my buddy Stu with some photos he wanted taken.  But as plans would have it, things didn't go that smoothly.  Well, they did up until leaving the movie.

First there was a larger amount of traffic in my cruising the Chicagoland area.  This was a slight bummer as I knew it meant I probably wouldn't have time to get the movie review written and posted in the afternoon.  No biggie, I would just take care of it after my photo assignment for Stu.  So I get back to the Dude-Pad and notice my internet and cable TV are down.  With the high winds that have been buffeting us in the past couple of days I figured there might just be a cable down, and since I really only had time for a shit, shower, and shave before I rounded up my spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch, and, well, camera, before I had to leave, I figured the internet and TV would be back up by the time I got back.

And now is the reason why I am not a wedding photographer.  You see, my buddy, and our staff member, Stu, is an ordained minister, and has actually married people, but he was lacking some photos he could use for publicity purposes.  With that he asked if I could come to a wedding he was officiating over and snap some photos.  The bride and groom had no problem with it, I had some free time, the weather was nice (it was an outdoor ceremony at a local golf course), so I told him I'd be there.  I got there early, took some test shots before the wedding guests showed up to check on lighting and stuff, and things looked great.  Then the big moment came, Stu was up there giving the "Do you take...", and "Do you take..."'s, and for whatever reason, my fancy, digital, SLR, wouldn't snap a picture to save its life.  I frantically tried turning the camera off and on, popped out the memory card and re-inserted it, thought it might be a lens issue so snapped a different lens on, put the camera in full manual mode, but as Stu was going through the entire ceremony the camera would focus, would say everything was fine, but wouldn't snap a picture.  As bummed as I was I didn't get a picture of Stu performing the ceremony, I almost had a self-induced panic attack picturing if I was actually the photographer the couple hired and didn't get any photos of their big day.

I told Stu what happened and that this was why I didn't do weddings, then walked back to my car.  For the hell of it I pointed the camera at a building across the street, pushed the shutter button, and the damn camera snapped the picture, snapped the next picture, and snapped every other picture I shot before I climbed into the dude-mobile just wondering "What the hell went wrong?"

So then I get home figuring I could at least write my movie review, get it posted, and play BINGO during America's BINGO Night, or whatever the show on ABC is called.  I open my door, look at my cable modem, and realized my cable TV and internet are still broken, down, unfunctional, don't work, screwed up, messed up, or all of the listed.

Before eating, before peeing, and before feeding my kids I jump on the phone to the cable TV folks.  There aren't any reported outages in my area, they transfer me to the internet support folks where, according to the girl who transferred me, internet takes priority, but in my brief conversations with them I'm pretty sure none of the support staff really has a clue what a cable modem is.  The dude sets me up with a "technician's appointment" for Saturday, between 1PM and 4PM.  Then I call back because it seems the internet side might be different from the TV side, stressing to the girl my cable TV is out, and the best she can do is get a technician out on Sunday between 1PM and 5PM.  I guess the internet side is a little quicker.

So here I am, flustered, because I have no TV (guess I should buy a nice set of rabbit ears for just such an occasion), I'm on dial-up internet (it sure takes a hell of a lot longer to get things posted this way), and sure, maybe I could read a book, do some cleaning, or enjoy nature, but how the hell am I going to post about Paris Hilton going back to jail, or getting out again, in a timely manner on dial-up?

I suppose it could be worse, it could be raining, but right now I wouldn't mind a little rain.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:42 PM | Comments (0)

June 7, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: The MTV Movie Awards, The NBA Finals, and Maybe Paris Hilton Broke her Teeth.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right liked the first hour of the MTV Movie Awards, even though he calls them the Video Music Awards during the podcast - flying solo he has no one to correct him. He liked Sarah Silverman and found her adorable, at least for that first hour.

He also is looking forward to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, but has his thoughts on the extended sport schedules nowadays.

And finally what would a podcast today be without talk of Paris HIlton. She got out of jail, and The Dude has his theory on why she was set sort of free, although he also thinks maybe Sarah Silverman might actually be a psychic and the most brilliant person in the world if Paris got out because she broke her teeth.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:04 PM | Comments (0)

June 6, 2007

I Wanna Kiss You All Over, You Sexy Thing.

By: The Dude on the Right
This week has really been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows.  First there were the new commercials for the iPhone letting the world, and me, know it will finally be available June 29th.  Then there was the second to last episode of "The Sopranos" where Tony's crew is chopped down faster than a crop at harvest time, leaving what appears to be only morons left on Tony's crew, who, holed up in a safe-house, decide to get some pizza delivered.  Then the Chicago Cubs won.  Then the Cubs lost.  Then the Cubs won again.  The Chicago White Sox are heading into a death spiral, and I can't believe it but my Cleveland Cavaliers are in the basketball finals, although most people in America probably don't care.  My dad has a birthday today (Happy Birthday, Dad, you should get your card tomorrow), and so far I haven't been sucked into any summer TV.

Now you might be saying to yourself "Self, what the hell is The Dude's problem?  There aren't any real lows there?"

Well it was on Sunday that the week of lows started to begin.  You see, there I was, in the Dude-Mobile, listening to my Sirius satellite radio, tuned on the Super Shuffle station where they play music from all walks of life.  Suddenly the song "Kiss You All Over" by the group Exile comes on (for a point of reference, it was released in 1978, when I was 11, nearly 30 years ago).  But it being from nearly 30 years ago didn't scare me, no, what scared me is that I found myself singing along, word for word: "You can see it in my eyes, I can feel it in your touch. You don't have to say a thing, just let me show how much. Love you, need you, yeah. I wanna kiss you all over, and over again. I wanna kiss you all over, till the night closes in, till the night closes in."  Fine, I have a freakishly great memory for some bizarre things, and that initially didn't cause my lows for the week, until, suddenly, for the last three days, at any given moment, and for no apparent reason, I find myself singing in my head "So show me, show me everything you do. 'Cause baby, no one does it quite like you. Love you, need you, oh babe." and into the chorus I go.  I fear for my sanity, and hope that somehow, someway, a better song sticks in my head.  Soon.

As Sunday came and went I thought about blogging this week about how "The Sopranos" might end this Sunday (the most bizarre sounding finale I've heard so far has A.J. going all Jihad on the New York Mafia, finding out where Phil is, and strapping on a suicide bomber outfit), thought about blogging about how the iPhone looks to be the coolest cell phone ever, or even writing about Paris Hilton in jail.  I finally decided on disclosing my knowledge of "Kiss You All Over" by Exile in hopes, I guess, that by doing so, well, I can finally move on and have another song drive me insane, like maybe "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate.  I believe in miracles.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

June 3, 2007

The Apple iPhone is Coming June 29th. What Can I Sell?

By: The Dude on the Right
I'm sitting here watching "60 Minutes" and it's 6:02 CDT when a new iPhone commercial comes on. It goes from watching "Pirates of the Caribbean" on the iPhone, to wanting calamari, to searching for a seafood restaurant and getting a Google Map of nearby restaurants, to clicking on the map, and then instantly making a phone call to the restaurant. The commercial ends stating the Apple iPhone will be available June 29th.

Rumors have been floating around about the Apple iPhone release date for quite a while, with most of them stating June 11th was the day, but all along the Apple and AT&T folks have been stating it will be available in June.  Well if it's available June 29th they weren't lying, and after seeing the commercial I can't wait to get one.

I have already justified buying one in my head, even if I have to sell my foam "Wasted Away in Wrigleyville" parrot hat from the Jimmy Buffett show at Wrigley Field a couple of years ago.  I'm sure that has got to be worth at least six hundred bucks by now.  I suppose I could also auction off my unauthenticated brick from the old Comiskey Park.  The eBay listing for that would simply state "It is a brick from the old Comiskey Park.  I swear."

26ish days and counting from today.  I suppose I could also sell my, well, I wonder how many times they let you donate per week?

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:32 PM | Comments (0)

But Those CFL Bulbs Won't Let You be Zeus!

By: The Dude on the Right
In doing my best to save the environment I did some shopping today.  One item I bought was a simple window fan, hoping that this will finally solve the problem of getting the cool, night air into my bedroom, thus reducing my need to have the air conditioning on in the nighttime hours.  I do worry, though, about the neighbors across the way being able to see into the dude bedroom as I like to walk around nude (go ahead, sister, get that image out of you head!).  Just kidding about that, I try to be as discreet as possible, so I don't see that being a problem.

The other thing I did was buy a couple of those CFL bulbs, with the CFL not standing for the Canadian Football League, which I guess is logical because what the hell would they have to do with illuminating my office, but it stands for Compact Fluorescent Light.  I suppose if they really wanted to shorten things further they could have gone with CFLB's, but then, as is the case of a lot abbreviations gone bad, (think "ATM machine," which actually breaks down to automated teller machine machine, or a "CDL license" is a commercial driver's license license) we would probably be calling them "CFLB bulbs," meaning, of course, compact fluorescent light bulb bulbs.

But as trying to be environmentally savvy as I can, herein lies the other side of the coin - disposing the expired CFL bulb properly.  When the time comes, and the light bulb no longer illuminates my office, will I actually take the time to not just throw the bulb in my garbage bag and actually find a place to dispose of it properly?  I hate to admit that I have probably thrown away a battery or two that aren't supposed to end up in a landfill (and don't tell me you haven't either), but this energy saving light bulbs contain a wee bit of mercury, and as opposed to us older folks who thought breaking a thermometer was the coolest thing because then you could roll the balls of mercury around, well, the younger folks are being taught that mercury is bad, toxic, and that by touching they will die.  There is talk that some of the major retailers will be setting up areas to recycle the bulbs, but so far I don't think that is the case, and even then, unless you are one of those dedicated recyclers, are you really going to take your dead light bulb with you when you go to buy a new one?

But the proper disposal of these new light bulbs also made me wonder a bit about those long, fluorescent light bulbs, and how were we to properly dispose of those bulbs?  For some reason I don't think pretending you were Zeus and that the bulbs were lightning bolts, and trying to launch them off of the roof into the dumpster below, was probably the correct disposal method.

I suppose I won't have to worry about disposing my CFL bulbs for a while because they also are supposed to last longer than my normal, incandescent bulb, and I won't know if I like it or not until tonight when I use it, especially since forever I've been using one of those million watt halogen lamps that makes my office brighter than standing on the sun.  I guess if I can stand a little less light in my office, well, saving a couple of bucks and supposedly saving the environment is worth it, that is until I'm too lazy to recycle the damn thing and just throw it in the trash.  And like those batteries, don't tell me you probably won't do the same.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Waitresses, Pirates, Walking, Baseball, Cornholing and Summer TV.

Stu Gotz & The Dude on the Right get together after Memorial Day for this podcast where the highlights are Stu seeing a baseball game and The Dude going for a six mile walk. Sure, there were other things they talked about, like "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, " The Dude seeing "Waitress," and getting double-time by working on a holiday. The Dude needs Stu's advice about the possibility of his townhouse burning down, Stu wonders about "Ocean's 13," and The Dude seems to have missed out on the cornholing craze.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:27 PM | Comments (0)

May 28, 2007

What's New? Trash's Trash: $27,852 - Throw a Wedding or Head to Fiji. You Can Have Both.

Trash thinks $27,852 is too much to throw a wedding, but that's what some research folks say it costs these days. She would like to spend that money in different ways, but if she does get married, she might still get her exotic vacation, umm, honeymoon.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:03 PM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2007

"American Idol" Gives us Blake and Jordin. And Who Cares, Conspiracy Theories be Damned.

By: The Dude on the Right
Okay, I'm having computer issues making posting things not as easy as they used to be, at least for now, but it's the "American Idol" finals so I knew I couldn't let any of you down in getting this posted, no matter the difficulties.

We've got Blake.  We've got Jordin.  And we don't have Sanjaya nor Melinda, which I think is a travesty.  An "American Idol" conspiracy, maybe tomorrow we'll have the votes certified by some accountants, but it's too late for that now because who cares at this point, because at this point it's dude against dudette; Perky against Beat-Box.  And here's what I think...

Blake 1: Sings "You Give Love a Bad Name."  The Robot was funny in the movie "Euro Trip," but Blake's stuff is just getting old.  He does work it as a performer, but now it turns into selling records, and I won't buy it.  Hopefully they'll straighten him out in the recording studio and forget about the beat-box crap because he does sing well.  Simon has it right that he is a good performer.

Jordin 1: Sings "Fighter." She looks like she lost a couple of more pounds, which works, and this time starts actually trying to be a performer instead of just a singer.  The side-shot was bad as she was hunched over, and although not as charismatic as Christina Aguilera she's coming close.

Blake 2: Sings "She Will be Loved." Good song choice and he sings it well.  Win or lose this shows his potential to be a singer without the beat-box shtick.

Jordin 2: Sings "A Broken Wing." Yup, they're trying to primp her out of the little black girl to the mature singer (she is only 17 after all) role with the hair changes and the outfits.  We know she sings great, but she still hasn't busted out as a performer yet.

Blake 3: Sings "This is My Now."  A songwriting contest winner.  You can probably figure Blake (or Jordin) would rather sing a solid song from an established songwriter, but Blake does his best to work the song, and be the performer he is.

Jordin 3: Sings "This is My Now." Trying to look older, trying to look not so perky, and it doesn't work for her, at least in my head for her recording career.  We liked her because she was young, perky, with curly hair and not trying to look older than being 17.  She's not the sexy/dirty Christina, she's not the sexy/dirty Britney, she's the bouncy and perky Whitney, and they took that away from her tonight.

I'm still thinking Jordin will beat Blake, at least I hope so, but they tried to add about 4 or 5 years to Jordin when she didn't really need it.  Let her be the perky teenager she is, give us that music she can do, but don't try to fool us because she's still just a teenager, and not in the vein of the dirty girl of Britney or Christina.

On a personal note, I'm really happy "American Idol" is over tomorrow.  The better singers/performers/hot girls are long gone, and we are, and I"m sorry to put it this way, we are left with Jordin and Blake.  Of who is left, well, they both win because the record company already knows what to do with them, conspiracy theories be damned.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast: "Shrek" Talk, Stu Missed "The Simpsons," and Computer Woes.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" Stu is back in town so there actually is a podcast. Both Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right saw "Shrek the Third," and both have their reservations about the movie. The Dude messed up some computer settings which is messing up his ability to get new stuff posted, while Stu laments that Mama Gotz most likely wears the pants in the family . They talk about upcoming movies, they talk about TV shows, and The Dude spoils his favorite line from "The Sopranos" to Stu, simply, "Get a mop."

Posted by Rightdude at 6:57 PM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Dreamz Blew His Post-"Survivor" World, and An "American Idol" Conspiracy Theory.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is happy that Britney Spears found a higher power that likes her getting naked. Alright, almost naked, but he also analyzes how Dreamz from "Survivor" screwed up his post-"Survivor" life. More importantly, though, The Dude has his own "American Idol" conspiracy theory, noticing the resemblance of Whitney Houston in her "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" days and the marketing of Jordin Sparks, if only Jordin would lose a few more pounds.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:20 PM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2007

The Final Two for American Idol should be Sanjaya and Melinda.

By: The Dude on the Right
So Howard Stern's crack news staff, or at least Steve Langford, is hell bent on finding out the truth if the folks in charge of "American Idol" pretty much send home who they want to, thus meaning all of those votes you cast don't really mean much.  I'm still sticking with my conspiracy theory of Sanjaya getting booted off the week before their big charity show, and I still find it odd that they don't actually tell us who got how many votes.

Conspiracies aside, I'm really happy this season is almost over because I really don't care if any of them win.  I suppose, for shear comic value, we should get on the Blake bandwagon, but according to the Howard 100 News, and Mr. Langford's sources Blake is already set to be sent home this week.  We'll see how the voting pans out, but in any case here's what I thought about tonight's singing.

First the songs the judges picked for the final three...

Jordin (from Simon): Sings "Wishing on a Star."  Horrible outfit - it looks like she's wearing a bra and a slip.  Singing was okay, but it should be by this point.  Ehh.

Blake (from Paula): Sings "Roxanne."  Nice vest.  I actually thought he did a good job with the song, and so glad he didn't screw it up with his beat-boxing crap he has been doing in previous shows.  The problem is he's not Sting.

Melinda (from Randy): Sings "I Believe in You and Me." She's really close to being the entire package except for, and I hate to say this, but only some superficial things.  She still needs to stop showing her upper gums, needs a little dental work to close the front gap in her teeth, and she's done a good job with her weight so far, just needs to drop a couple more pounds.  Her singing kicks ass, now it's only superficiality for me.

Now the songs the producers picked for them...

Jordin: Sings "She Works Hard for the Money." I think I just figured out Jordin's problem - she can't work the audience.  She sings fine enough, but when she tries to "perform" it looks like she is trying too hard and just doesn't connect.

Blake: Sings "This Love." He was doing really well until he went back to the beat-box thing.  Maybe the little girls like it and think it's funny, and I know it tries to help him from just doing a cover version, but I hate it.  Get rid of the beat-boxing crap and he was great, and a better performer than Jordin.

Melinda: Sings "Nutbush City Limits."  She rocked out, did great, and she should win, although she needed to lose the mike stand and just roam the stage with the microphone.

And now the songs the top three picked for themselves...

Jordin: Sings "I (Who Have Nothing)."  She creaked a bit on a couple of notes.  It's a powerful song, and she didn't sell it by staying in the middle of the stage and not working the crowd.

Blake: Sings "When I Get You Alone."  It's too bad the fact that as a performer he is probably the best of the three, and stop it with the beat box.  I didn't like the beginning of the song, I grew into it as the song went on, but since I hate his beat box shtick I lost it at the end.

Melinda: Sings "I'm a Woman." She shows exactly why she should win, even if she isn't the pop-idol mold.

Much like I believed Yau-Man should have been the winner on "Survivor," but thanks to Dreamz who totally didn't think of the big picture of life after "Survivor" and screwed Yau over, for "American Idol" everyone thinks Melinda has this season in her hip pocket.  Since I'm not surprised Sanjaya was booted the week before the charity show I wouldn't be surprised if Jordin or Blake actually win.  I love conspiracies.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Paris and Jail, The Hoff in Trouble, and May is a Sad Month.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right ponders the trouble of many celebrities in these last couple of weeks, namely Paris Hilton, David Hasselhoff, and Alec Baldwin. He is also in mourning since it is May and most of his TV shows will be wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, namely "American Idol," "Survivor," and "The Sopranos," although he can't believe he forgot to talk about Julianne Hough and not being able to find her naked.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:06 PM | Comments (0)

May 8, 2007

Barry Gibb & The Bee Gees on Idol or Julianne Hough on Dancing.

By: The Dude on the Right
Oh my God.  Tonight it's the music of Barry Gibb and The Bee Gees.

I guess the American Idol people want to try to throw another monkey-wrench into the show by picking music only the parents will know and most every kid will have no idea of the songs.  Me, I'll admit I've always liked the Bee Gees, but damn, maybe American Idol needs to quit doing these "music of..." shows and just let the singers pick songs from week to week.  Maybe we don't need the "star" coaching and just need to see some real music coaches, or maybe some weeks where Simon, Paula, and Randy actually "coach" the contestants, especially towards the end of the competition.

Anyway, here's what I thought about tonight's singing.

Melinda (1): Sings "Love You Inside and Out."  Nothing to say about her anymore.  She knows how to bring it every week, and although Simon didn't seem to like it that much, umm, , and pardon my French, but it's the fuckin' Bee Gee's night - What the hell is she supposed to do?  In the words of my buddy Stu Gotz, 'nuff said.

Blake (1): Sings "You Should be Dancin'."  Barry thinks Blake's "beat-boxing" is an ability.  Blake just epitomized why sometimes it was great the Chicago radio dude Steve Dahl held "Disco Demolition" many years ago.  What the hell was that mess?

LeKisha (1): Sings "Stayin' Alive."  Just bad.

Jordin (1): Sings "To Love Somebody." Barry loved her, and I think, depending on her next song, this might have just bounced her back into the competition.  Did nice version of the song and performed it well.

Melinda (2): Sings "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart."  She'd rather be wet than be a loser?  She sings well and performs well, but there isn't much you can do with this song.  She tried to "soul it up," and that added a different dimension to the song, but we already know that about her.

Blake (2): Sings "This is Where I Came In." Good, Blake, sing a song that both the kids and the parents don't know, and screw it up by "beat-boxing" it, and he did.  It sounded like a Boy George throw-back, and not a good one at that.

LeKisha (2): Sings "Run to Me." Barry does give her good advice, to kick it up earlier, and she listens.  She still sings with a slight lisp at times, missed a note or two, and is looking better except for the gap in her teeth which she can't do anything about until after the show ends, but this song was a better choice although not great.

Jordin (2): Sings "I Am A Woman in Love." Barry loved her again, but she needed to "hip" it up just a tad because why do we want to really hear a Barbara Streisand cover on American Idol in 2007?  Even so, her songs this week might keep her alive for another week.

As much as I like The Bee Gees and Barry Gibb, I still question having this be a theme for the week.  All they are doing now is torturing the contestants into trying to find songs they don't know, and don't know how to sing, although I did get a laugh when even Barry Gibb made fun of his singing.

I've got to wrap up this blog about the American Idol singing because, and I hate to say this, I don't really care about the contestants anymore.  I've got to switch TV channels to see who gets booted off  of "Dancing With the Stars."  All I know is it better not be Apolo Anton Ohno dancing with the new love of my life, Julianne Hough.  She's hot.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)

May 7, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast: Second Life, Spider-Man 3, Yay for a Midas, and Marketing to Kids.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" The Dude on the Right is starting to question the coolness of Stu Gotz with Stu's listening to public radio and watching the BBC. But other things are more important like The Dude trying to get a Second Life, The Dude not getting screwed over when the brakes on the dude-mobile started squeaking, and seeing "Spider-Man 3." Stu, in the meantime, had to fight the Spidey marketing because he isn't so sure his little guy could handle seeing the movie, and Stu also brings up if Kirsten Dunst is hot or not. They also have their normal conversation about TV, this time mostly about "The Sopranos" and "Survivor: Fiji."

Posted by Rightdude at 7:07 PM | Comments (0)

May 1, 2007

Who Knew Bon Jovi Songs Were So Complicated to Sing?

By: The Dude on the Right
Bon Jovi is in the house, Dog!

I've always been a Bon Jovi fan, and as many a time I've attempted to sing his songs, well, my voice can't seem to do the stuff his voice does, and after watching tonight's "American Idol," neither can most of our contestants.  I will give Jon Bon Jovi his credit, trying his best to coach our would-be singers and some of them really took his advice, while some of them, whether they would take his advice or not, still couldn't pull off singing Bon Jovi songs.

Anyway, all of the Idol singers were safe last week because American Idol became lame by not voting anyone off because it was their big "philanthropy" week, so Wednesday boots off two people.  For what it's worth the American Idol folks should just go ahead and kick off five people and leave us with Melinda for the rest of the season.  She seems to be the only one who really seem to know how to work it.

Here's my take on this week's singing...

Phil: Sings "Blaze of Glory." Sang the song okay, but just looks to be "acting" the song too much, with the gritty, pissed-off face and all.  Overly emotional and still has a horrible look with the bald look.

Jordin: Sings "Livin' on a Prayer." Looks like she wanted to pay tribute to Gina with the red streaks in her hair.  Song wise it was okay, but she's not working the stage like a rocker needs to.  Her mom might have had her listening to Bon Jovi, but she sure didn't translate the performance aspect into her act.  She picked the wrong song.

LeKisha: Sings "This Ain't a Love Song." A good song choice for her, but she just seemed to be off the beat for the beginning.  Her outfit was bad, and she didn't sing with nearly the passion Jon Bon Jovi did for the Bon Jovi version until the very end of the song.  It must have sounded a hell of a lot better live because the judges loved it, but for me it, well, it wasn't that good.

Blake: Sings "You Give Love a Bad Name." I know he's trying to be original and all, but what, are we back in the era of bad break dancing?  He couldn't sing the song, his antics blew, and maybe I'm just too old, or too big a Bon Jovi fan, but I did not like this at all.  Randy thought it was hot, but what, for the '80's?

Chris: Sings "Wanted Dead or Alive." Of everyone, Chris seemed, so far, to get the "Bon Jovi" theme.  His singing wasn't the greatest, my only complaint is he didn't work the crowd as much as he probably should have.

Melinda: Sings "Have a Nice Day." Jon told her exactly what to do with the song, and Melinda did it perfectly.  She pretty much wrapped up this competition with being able to take Bon Jovi's rocking into a soul attitude.  She was fantastic.

For me you might as well kick out everyone but Melinda.  It looks like she's lost some weight, she still sings great, and she seems to get the attitude of every genre.  As far as the "American Idol," the show, I am this close to calling it quits for them, especially with their self-righteous "We're now a charity" thing last week, and now trotting out a pre-recorded speech from President Bush and Laura Bush about how great it was they raised so much money to help starving people.

Enough already.  "American Idol," you are a god damn singing competition, making a shitload of money.  Quit with the politics and do-gooding, and just give us a singer we can like.

I'll step off my soap-box now, and say Melinda should be the winner.  And I'll also say that Ryan Seacrest you are no Don Johnson - Shave the "7-day" facial hair.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)

April 30, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Lame Movies, A Lame Weekend, and a Blower at a Ballgame.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right had a pretty boring weekend while Stu Gotz, and Mama Gotz, witnessed a blower at a ballgame. Stu and The Dude also talk about the lame box office this past weekend with "Spider-Man 3" coming up next week, and they both liked "Idiocracy" that Stu watched thanks to Netflix.

They also talk "Sopranos," "Heroes," and The Dude gives his take on what went wrong with this season's "American Idol."

Posted by Rightdude at 7:42 PM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: "American Idol" Conspiracy Theories, Writing Can Get You Jailed, and Bobby "Boris" Pickett is Dead.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is still trying to further develop his "American Idol" conspiracy theories, especially with the "mysterious" booting of Sanjaya one week before the "Idol Gives Back" broadcast. He's also worried about how creative writing now might get you arrested, and is saddened by the passing of Bobby "Boris" Pickett. Long live Bobby "Boris" Pickett.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2007

Dear American Idol, at Least Sally Struthers Sent Me a Picture of Who I Was Helping.

By: The Dude on the Right
"American Idol" gets all self-righteous this week because now they want you to vote because your votes will click into donations to "Idol Gives Back."  We get a bunch of "tear-jerking" of how things suck outside of the United States, how things suck inside the United States, how, like those old Sally Struthers' commercials, it only "costs less than $.50 a day to feed a child," and I hate to sound soul-less, but Sanjaya is gone, I already have the charities I give my money to, and don't really care about any of the singers that are left, but here's my take on their performances anyway:

Chris: Sings "Change the World" by Eric Clapton.  Did okay but the song is boring, except for this being "charity" week so of course it fits.

Melinda: Sings "There Will Come a Day" by Faith Hill.  I still think she has been losing weight (good for her), now needs some slight dental work, but more importantly did a great job with her singing, and performing.

Blake: Sings "Imagine" by John Lennon.  First thought - You should never sing "Imagine" unless you are John Lennon.  Second thought - You should never sing "Imagine" unless you are John Lennon.  Simon saw sincerity in the performance.  He might have had sincerity, but Blake didn't seem to portray emotion.

LeKisha: Sings "I Believe" by Fantasia.  Why do they keep "squishing" her into these dresses, especially her bust-line?  She almost seems to be trying too hard in her singing.

Phil: Sings "The Change" by Garth Brooks.  Sticking with the country side since he can this week, but man, I loved Garth's version while am cringing while Phil sings the song.  It must have sounded a hell of a lot better in the studio than it did on TV because the judges seemed to have liked it.

Jordin: Sings "You'll Never Walk Alone."  I hate to say this, but as inspirational as this song is supposed to sound, on my TV she didn't sound uplifting, but rather depressing.

I honestly have to say this might be my last "American Idol" synopsis because I can't take their "we are better than the world" attitude anymore.  The reason for this comes from some of Ryan Seacrest's final lines in the show, namely "This might be the most important call you'll ever make." and "You are saving your favorite, and you are saving lives."  I could vote to save a life, but is "American Idol" going to send me a photo of the child I'm "feeding" in a far-off land?  I don't think so. I also don't have a favorite so sadly it seems all of my 300 or some odd votes that I cast for Sanjaya, while I was on the "Vote for Sanjaya" bandwagon and hypnotized by The Howard Stern Movement, aren't going to feed anyone.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:26 PM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Why Watch "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars" Any More?

For this podcast The Dude on the Right laments about his having no desire to watch "American Idol" anymore since Sanjaya has been booted. It also seems the producers of the show have left themselves an "out" to "eliminate" any contestant because of "power dialing." Sadly Howard Stern and the dialidol site may have given the producers their "reason" to toss out some of Sanjaya's votes. He's also sick of "Dancing With the Stars," or at least the "Heather Mills is an amputee story. He's now only watching for Julianne Hough and Edyta Sliwinska.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:58 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2007

I'm In Love With Martina McBride, But I'm Voting for Sanjaya!

By: The Dude on the Right
It's country night this week, with Martina McBride being the coach/mentor.  I will assume many of the contestants had no idea who she was, but I've always found her fabulously hot, especially with her gorgeous blue eyes and with the longer hair she was sporting for this week's show.  Martina really seemed to be trying to help the contestants, which probably goes along with her country roots, and for a change, most of them seemed to listen to what she had to say.  As it goes, here's my wrap-up:

Phil: Sings "Where The Blacktop Ends."  All I could think is that if he wore a cowboy hat, or what is even more popular now for country dudes, a baseball cap, I would maybe stop thinking about his bald head.  He performed well enough that this might keep him around for another week.  Country might be his niche.

Jordin: Sings "Broken Wing."  Did a nice version of the song, but crackled here and there.  I hate being superficial with her, but she could still afford to lose a pound or two because her voice kicks butt.  She listened to Martina's advice to just sing the song, and did a good job.

Sanjaya: Sings "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About."  Nice bandana and hair!  He's back to being the Sanjaya we know and love, one that can't sing and is just trying to be quirky.  If he's not in the bottom three we know the Sanjaya movement is in full force!  Vote for Sanjaya!

LeKisha: Sings "Jesus, Take the Wheel."  Yup, it's the Carrie Underwood song.  Finally an outfit that works great for her, and she really seemed to get the Carrie Underwood/country vibe.  Of all of the times I have seen her, this was the most I have ever liked her, except for one thing she can't fix yet, and that's the gap between her front teeth.  Maybe this one sounded better on TV than in the studio because I actually liked her this week.

Chris: Sings "Mayberry."  Throw a baseball cap on this dude and Kenny Chesney might have something to worry about.  Why have the dudes suddenly become country singers?

Melinda: Sings "Trouble is a Woman."  She knows how to "bring it," but her top was iffy on the outfit side.  She brought the sass, she sang fine, and just did a great job.  Paula is dancing, so maybe that's a good sign for Melinda.  Simon even liked it, and gave some other great advice about stopping being so humble.

Blake: Sings "When the Stars Go Blue."  Other than the sweater, and his seeming to miss the falsetto moments, and missing other notes, we found out he couldn't "sing" the song okay, but "performed" it nicely.  From the judges comments I guess it sounded a hell of a lot better live because I thought he sounded lousy.

And in wrapping up this week's synopsis I don't think Simon, Paula, nor Randy understand this era of country, nor did they ever really like most any country movement.  The country week for this group makes the voting a total toss-up.  Phil sang well but needed a hat; Jordin has a lot of potential - just don't go bulimic; Sanjaya, is, well, Sanjaya; I thought LeKisha was great but needs better teeth; Chris just needed a baseball cap; Melinda, well, she did the best; and Blake was a performer, not a singer tonight.

Since Gina is gone I only have one person to vote for now, and you probably know who that is.  Since I can't vote for Martina McBride, I'm voting for Sanjaya!!!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:20 PM | Comments (1)

April 16, 2007

Stu is Stranded, so Here's a Blog About "Head Case" and "The Bronx Bunny Show."

By: The Dude on the Right
Normally on Mondays it’s our latest podcast of “Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!”, but Stu Gotz is stranded on the east coast and now knows the furry of what a nor’easter is. So I figured that rather than do a solo podcast recapping my weekend, nor do any guessing or blaming or analyzing about today’s huge news story, namely the shootings at Virginia Tech (why do they hold press conferences when they don’t have any answers yet), I thought I would do a blog about a couple of new shows coming to the Starz cable network.

A little while ago the mailman left this giant piece of cardboard (he obviously couldn’t figure out how to deliver this thing as it was folded haphazardly to maybe fit in his mailbag.) This piece of cardboard held the screener for “The Bronx Bunny Show.” Not having gotten any screeners from the Starz people before I was intrigued, and really hoped the show would be entertaining so I could give a glowing review and maybe be sent more screeners from them. I watched the screener. All I know is thank goodness there seemed to be a mailing screw-up because about a week later I was resent the screener for “The Bronx Bunny Show,” (the both of them made nice “Elton John” style spectacles), but on the better side, this later mailing also included “Head Case,” which actually made me laugh.

Both shows premiere on Starz on Wednesday, April 18th, as part of “The Starz Comedy Hour.” “Head Case” seems to lead the hour at 11PM (EDT), followed by “Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-up” (which I didn’t get a screener for), followed by “The Bronx Bunny Show” around 11:45. So I suppose I first just blast the Bunny show, before I get to the potential of “Head Case.”

“The Bronx Bunny Show” has two puppet characters, Bronx Bunny (a brown bunny), and Teddy T. (a panda). They “move” from the Bronx to LA to stage an “interview” show where they ask questions to celebrities that “Leno, Letterman, and certainly not Oprah” would ask. So yes, the language is adult, and the questions are meant to be provocative, and Teddy T. is supposed to be the “rude” one. For the screener I watched the guests were Howie Mandel (the “Deal or No Deal” dude) and Stacy Kiebler (from wrestling and “Dancing With the Stars.”) Now I don’t know if this is “scripted” or not, but Stacy didn’t seem to get it, and pretty much was asked questions about getting naked, which, well, a popular satellite radio personality has already perfected. Howie Mandel at least seemed to get the concept of the show, and played along, complete with being “disgusted” at Teddy T. taking a dump during the interview, especially with Mr. Mandel being germ-a-phobic, and having a great joke about him playing “Deal or No Deal” with his wife. But again, the puppet’s interviewing wasn’t anything new for me, and I kept fixating that whomever was doing the puppeting of Bronx Bunny seemed to be doing a crappy job with the “mouth-moving” part of the puppeting. I hate to say it, but “The Bronx Bunny Show” just wasn’t funny for me, that the questions are actually asked by someone else who does it better, and thank goodness the screener was only about 20 minutes long.

Then, with the new mailing, I popped in the screener for “Head Case” and saw a show that seems to have potential.

The concept of “Head Case” is pretty simple: Dr. Elizabeth Goode (Alexandra Wentworth) is a therapist to the stars, but she is sometimes as scatterbrained as the celebrities she is trying to help. She has an office assistant who likes to blab about who is coming in, and she shares her office space with Dr. Myron Finkelstein (Steve Landesberg), who’s practice is failing so he keeps trying to cherry-pick her clients.

With that we are introduced to “fake” therapy sessions with real celebrities. My screeners included Jason Priestley, Rich Eisen, and Shelby Lynn among others. The best part was that the celebrities worked with it, especially Jason Priestley who let “Dr. Goode” therapy him into dressing in women’s clothes and wearing make-up, while Dr. Finkelstein was more Andy Dick’s kind of therapist since he could prescribe drugs.

Of the two shows I think “Head Case” might just end up on my TiVo to see where it goes because it was quirky and made me laugh. I guess the 10-week run of the series is already set, but my hope for “Head Case” is that they just don’t try to ram a new celebrity or two down our throat every week, and that we start to develop what happens in their subsequent sessions (i.e. Does Jason Priestley show up next time dressed in drag now that he is comfortable in it?)

And so this blog hasn’t really been a blog, but more a review of two TV shows on cable, for adults. Sadly I really didn’t like “The Bronx Bunny Show,” but “Head Case” has a lot of potential in the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” tone, and keeps it tight enough at only 15 minutes long so you might not get bored saying “Alright, I get it already. She’s a kooky therapist.” Then you watch it the next week, when, if it would get to the 16 minute mark, you would be saying again “Alright, I get it already. She’s a kooky therapist.”

Sorry about the review-length blog, but I don't really have a spot for reviews of TV shows (maybe I need to set up a new area on the site since TV is part of my life, but I'm sorry, I digress), but Podcast-wise I’ll be back on Thursday with some “American Idol” recaps, among other things, and next week Stu and I should be back together to get a "weekend/last couple of weeks" wrap-up done.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:47 PM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2007

Why Is It Sanjaya Seemed to Get It?

By: The Dude on the Right
At least Jennifer Lopez seems to be giving some of the singers some real advice this week, although it appears none of the contestants, except maybe Sanjaya, actually took it. Maybe the other “coaches” in previous weeks gave just as much advice, but with one more contestant gone it gave J Lo more screen time. Here’s my rundown of the contestants…

Melinda: Sings “Sway.” Since we all know she can sing, unless she forgets words or falls on her face, it’s about looks. The giant smile with the upper gum is still a bad look, the hair makes her look old, not 20 years old – 50 years old. Keep it hip girl.

LeKisha: Sings “Conga.” Most camera shots were far away, or highlighting the band, because, and since we know she can sing, she looked stuffed into that dress. Like Melinda she sounded fine, but superficiality will be her downfall right now.

Chris: Sings “Smooth,” the Rob Thomas/Santana version. He’s still singing too low for the song most people recognize, and I’ve met Rob Thomas, even though it was a bunch of years ago – and Chris is no Rob Thomas. Maybe Paula really needs to see Rob Thomas to sing it to her because she seemed to like Chris.

Haley: Sings “Turn the Beat Around.” Nice shorts but needs less up top. She sings okay but needed to practice some Shakira “moves” to maybe get her to the next round, especially for this song. Simon knows the score, and if she would only embrace it she could actually win. She’s practicing the wrong things, like singing.

Phil: Sings “Maria.” He’s got a hat back on, but all of us already are stuck with his bald head in our heads. He’s trying to be a Latin singer, but he doesn’t have the machismo to pull it off, and his voice is cracking in a lot of places. Please let him go ahead of Haley.

Jordin: Sings “The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You.” Why is it that none of these folks seem to understand Latin music? It’s singing combined with body movement and emotion. Jordin still looks a little chubbier than I remember, even though her singing is good. She’s just not working it with her body.

Blake: Sings “I Need to Know.” Nice hat. He epitomizes the white guy dance. The song exudes sex, and he, well, doesn’t. Maybe it was better live, but on TV he sucked for me.

Sanjaya: Sings a Spanish song that I don’t know that the title is. Oh my God, I hate to say this, but of all of the singers he understood the “Latin” theme and nailed it.

Performance-wise, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Sanjaya actually got the theme of the night, while most of the others sucked. Sure, they can sing, but we are starting to see most of them don’t know how to perform. In a shocker I can see LeKisha getting the boot, but is should probably be Haley or Phil who get the boot. I’m hoping Phil gets booted, and that Haley wears a little less next week!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:35 AM | Comments (0)

April 8, 2007

Happy Easter, Passover, or Just Have a Nice Day.

By: The Dude on the Right
Today is Easter, and thanks to the boys of "South Park" we found out why the Easter Bunny is such an important aspect of the holy day.  It has nothing to do with some bizarre "rabbits are fertile" nor "you couldn't eat eggs during lent" tradition, as Wikipedia wants to explain, rather it is because Peter, yea, the first Pope, was a bunny rabbit.  The proof is in the wacky hat the pope wears.

But other than some reassessment of my faith by the "South Park" boys, Easter is usually just a day of traditions wrapped around the story of the resurrection of Jesus.  My buddy Stu asked about some of the traditions our family had, and other than the Polish tradition of ham and sausage for dinner, like lots of folks in Lorain, OH, there was the dressing up in your Sunday best, heading to church, and then heading to Lakeview Park to get your picture taken in front of the giant "Easter" basket.  And maybe my memory is being selective right now, but the other thing I seem to remember about having to get our picture taken that morning was that the weather was usually crappy, even if it was sunny, because it was at best cold with the wind coming off of the lake, kinda like most of my memories of attending the Chicago Cubs Opening Day (where the weather forecast for tomorrow is maybe breaking the 40 degree mark with flurries).

And with that trip down memory lane, whether you are celebrating Easter, Passover, or just wondering who that Jesus dude was and what's he have to do with an Easter Bunny, Egg Hunts, and chocolate, I hope you had a nice weekend, and I hope you vote for Sanjaya after Tuesday's American Idol.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 3:56 PM | Comments (1)

April 5, 2007

Gina's Going Home on American Idol Might Have Been My Fault

By: The Dude on the Right
Normally I would do a podcast on Thursday, complete with my analysis of who got voted off "American Idol," but I'm frantically working on the animation for our next episode of "Stu & The Dude Reviewin' the Movies for You!" so I didn't have time to put together the audio clips I wanted to for the podcast.  I know, my dedication is lacking at times, but I did want to give some quick thoughts about Gina getting the boot on "Idol."

For starters, I'm blaming myself for Gina getting the boot.  If you have been reading any of my blogs or listening to my podcasts you know that I am firmly vested in the "Vote for Sanjaya" movement, and on Tuesday I got so psyched in my voting for Sanjaya Malakar and thinking Gina was probably safe that I didn't vote for Gina.  So Gina, I apologize, and if, among those 30 million votes they said were supposedly cast last Tuesday night, and you got voted off because of about five votes, it is my fault.  The underlying problem with "American Idol" and their voting is they never actually tell us the vote tally, nor never reassure us that the accounting firm of, at least, "Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe" has certified the votes.

Now even though I was sad to see Gina Glocksen go home, at least she made it to the top ten so she can be on the tour, and I doubt she would have made it to the finals, but what do I know.  But the bummer part of her getting voted off is that she didn't make to Bon Jovi week, because as the resident rocker chick, I'm guessing that would have been the week for her truly shine.  Nope, she got sidelined by a week of "standards," where I would have advised her two things.  One would have been to lose the tongue piercing for the week.  As a dude, as she was singing, I didn't hear her singing because all I kept seeing was her tongue piercing and thinking, well, umm, thinking, umm, things.  My guess is the "conservative" voting block thought it was gross, unlike me where I was thinking, umm, things.  My other advice for her would have been to stick with her rocker chick attitude.  Sure, start "Smile" off as a standard, but then in the middle kick things into a gear where you could actually perform the song rather than be stuck behind the microphone.

Me, I'm not hired as an advisor for any of these folks on American Idol, but here are a couple of other things I would advise for our remaining contestants:

Haley: Re-watch season one of Idol and follow the Kelly Clarkson path.  You have an edge on her in that you totally have the looks, legs, and assets right now, without losing any weight.  Pay a little bit more attention to your singing and performing, but keep the outfits kind of skimpy.

Jordin: Watch your outfits so that they don't make you look fat.  You already have the voice.

LeKisha: You have the voice but you perform like a linebacker.  Perform like Aretha.

Melinda: It looks like you have been losing weight, and if so, keep it up.  If not, keep picking the outfits like you did this week.  Also, watch your smile and keep it tight.  Never let your upper lip go above your teeth showing your gums.

All of the Dudes: Phil, always wear something to cover your bald head.  Chris & Blake, you two aren't dudettes, so I'd rather see you both gone.  Sanjaya, keep being the Sanjaya you have found, and pray people like me don't lose interest in the "Vote for Sanjaya" movement.

It's back to animating for me, and seeing if I can maintain my loyalty to the Sanjaya movement, when I probably, as a dude, should be shifting it to the "Haley's Comet" fan club.

Vote for Sanjaya, and Haley.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

April 3, 2007

Sanjaya is Still the Best, but Melinda has Turned up the Heat.

By: The Dude on the Right
Though not nearly as cute as Gwen last week, Tony Bennett was the helper coach for this week's "American Idol."  Maybe it's because the show is trimmed down to an hour, but the clips didn't show Tony helping the kids that much, just giving his opinion (always nice) about the contestants.  But as I'm a half-hour in for this  re-cap, and trying to hit the redial as much as possible between sentences, my votes for Sanjaya seem to be blocked by busy circuits.  And other than Gina's performance, I couldn't be more happy.

In any case, here are my reviews of tonight's "American Idol" performances.

Blake: Sings "Mack the Knife." I actually think he did a fantastic job this week, up until the ending, and I usually don’t like him. He kept it mostly how the song should be sung.

Phil: Sings "Night and Day." That bald head just does not work (he should have worn a nice top hat or derby). His singing was okay, but I don’t think this was a good week for him. I found him boring. Paula said he reminded her of a young Frank Sinatra, and Simon said it best simply blurting out "What?"

Melinda: Sings "I’ve Got Rhythm." Keeping with my superficial-ness, it almost looks like she is trying to lose some weight, or at least is just picking better clothes. Of all of her performances this one puts her totally, especially if she is losing some weight, back on the right track. She just needs to quit smiling so big - popping out the upper gum.

Chris: Sings "Don’t Get Around Much Anymore." He didn’t seem to understand the crooner thing, and I thought he was bad, even with the nice lid. Maybe it was better live than on TV because the judges liked it, but I thought he sucked.

Jordin: Sings "On a Clear Day." Horrible outfit, and she almost seems to be putting on weight, or horrible outfits. Her singing was okay but for the most part I found her boring, which bums me out because I really liked her at the beginning of the competition. Probably better live for the audience.

Gina: Sings "Smile." I thought she sounded great, but really lacked on the performance side of it, although I’m hot sure how you "perform" that song. If she wanted to blast this out of the water she would have kept it calm for the first half of the song, then turned it into a rocker for the second half. Too bad.

Sanjaya: Sings "I’m in Heaven." He still can’t sing on stage, but he has figured out that all he needs to do is "work the crowd." The hair was more conservative this week. All he needs to do is worry about his hair and outfits.

Haley: Sings "Ain’t Misbehavin’." She has learned to flaunt her assets, sings okay (crooner songs are definitely not her forte), but I don’t care because according to my TV she is saving all of her love for me.

LeKisha: Sings "Stormy Weather." I’m sorry, but as nice as she sings all I can think is that if I gave her a bad review she would beat the crap out of me. Great voice, but somehow she needs to find the right people to make her flip into being glamorous in an Aretha Franklin kind of way.

This will be an interesting week to see who gets voted off because of many outside sources, and the fact that the youngins probably have no clue who Tony Bennett is.  I'm still voting for Sanjaya, Haley, and Gina, because at least for Haley and Gina, they have the looks to become an American Idol, although Melinda seems to be closing in fast.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:30 PM | Comments (0)

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Freaky Fraternity Visitors, Movie Talk, and Nice Easter Eggs.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right relives fraternity days thanks to a story in a campus newspaper and Stu Gotz's recollections. They also talk about recent movies, and words caught on tape, by Stu, at an Easter Egg Hunt that Stu has to try to figure out how to erase so that his kids can watch the tape and not ask "What is a MILF?"

Posted by Rightdude at 8:11 PM | Comments (1)

April 1, 2007

I'm Not Sure What It Costs, But You Can Get Your Own Naked, Chocolate Jesus. Happy Easter!

By: The Dude on the Right
Easter is coming, and all of us know that for Catholics, well, Easter is all about the Easter Bunny, Easter Eggs, breaking out your new spring outfit, and going to church one of those two times a year.  In fact, lately, like Christmas has become about Santa Claus and presents, Easter has now become about chocolate.  Forget the Christian teachings of Jesus getting crucified and rising from the dead to save our sins, most of us just want the chocolate, or hope that that Easter Egg we found might hold a few bucks rather than candy.  And yet, when an artist, sculpturer, dude, decides to sculpt a life-size Jesus out of chocolate, and wants to display it in a New York gallery, suddenly a bunch of Catholics get their panties in a bunch and squash the display.  Sure, the Jesus is displayed without a loin-cloth, so yea, that means his wiener is showing, but maybe people should worry more about their religion rather than a naked Jesus made of chocolate.

And for me, this seems to be what is so screwed up about the world today:  Religion.  The problem is also that this seems to be what has been so screwed up about the world for, well, forever.  Religions preach tolerance.  Religions preach forgiveness.  Religions preach "Love one another" no matter what.  Yet when someone's thoughts, beliefs, ideals, religion, is different from yours, or you sculpt a six-foot Jesus out of Chocolate, suddenly all of that is thrown out the window, other people are heathens, and they will rot in hell because they aren't one with the Easter Bunny.

The dumbest part of this story - I would have probably not found out about this chocolate Jesus if a group of Catholics didn't complain.  It would have been another piece of art some fool would have spent huge amounts of money on to put in his living room (which now would have to be permanently chilled), so that he could say "Look, I've got Jesus, made out of chocolate.  Please don't eat his penis."

Welcome to the season of Easter.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

And, oh yea, the artist-dude who did the sculpture is Casimo Cavallero, and that's where I got the picture of the naked, chocolate Jesus from.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Sanjaya is Safe Again, and Maybe Paula Abdul was Watching "Bruce Almighty." It's Good.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is mostly focused on all things "American Idol." Sanjaya is safe again, and The Dude is starting to think he might be more influential than Howard Stern. He's still happy Gina is safe, is thinking of starting a Haley fan-club, and wonders if Paula Abdul might have been watching "Bruce Almighty" before the show.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2007

Dammit, I'm Still Voting for Sanjaya (and Haley and Gina)! And Dammit 2, Gwen Stefani is Still Hot.

By: The Dude on the Right
Gwen Stefani looked utterly adorable in her little clips, but I have to say she didn’t come off that great as a vocal coach. Vocals aside, what she really needed to do was coach some of these folks on stage performance, because, sadly, some of them seemed to really be lacking this week.

In any case, this episode was the "music of No Doubt or music that inspired No Doubt" week. What we have learned is that Donna Summer and The Police seemed to have the most influence on the band, and that Sanjaya loves to change his hair so we should vote for him.

Here’s what I thought of this week’s performances…

Lekisha: Sang Donna Summer’s "Last Dance." Ugly-ass dress, still sings great and performs well. I hate being superficial, but she needs to fix those teeth.

Chris (big hair): Sang The Police’s "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." Sounds bad, and is trying to up the performance aspect, but man, it just doesn’t seem to be working, and he’s still off on the tempo side.

Gina: Sang The Pretenders’ "I’ll Stand By You." Sticking with the punkish outfit works for her, sounded fantastic, but the only problem I had was she didn’t work any of the stage.

Sanjaya: Sang No Doubt’s "Bathwater." I looked up at the screen as he started and yelled "Oh my God!" Why? Because his hair was set up in sort-of Mohawk mode. He wasn’t good, and I’ll bet the 10 to 12 year olds will still love him. He had moments of being able to sing, but for the most part he was bad, and I’m still voting for him. Simon said it best with "I don’t think it matters anymore what we say." Simon recognizes the magnitude of the Sanjaya movement.

Haley: Sang Cyndi Lauper’s "True Colors." She has the entire pop-idol package, from the looks to the good-enough voice. It will be interesting if she can just stick around because they can mold her into the next Kelly Clarkson, but this performance was just okay.

Phil: Sang The Police’s "Every Breath You Take." Bad skull-cap, but I think they are using it to cover his bald head that I think looks worse. I thought the performance was blah compared to what the judges said.

Melinda: Sang Donna Summer’s "Heaven Knows." Still a great voice, knows how to perform, but back in my superficial mood, could afford to lose a few pounds (don’t get all anorexic on me now, please), but those couple of pounds puts her into "Whitney Houston in her prime" mode.

Blake: Sang The Cure’s "Love Song." Took a great song and "bored" it up. The passion of Robert Smith seemed to be totally lost. I really didn’t like him.

Jordin: Sang No Doubt’s "Hey Baby." I was in the Jordin camp, after Sanjaya of course, but she didn’t pull this one off at all. Maybe it was better live for the audience, but for me on my TV it missed the sexiness of Gwen.

Chris (less hair): Sang No Doubt’s "Don’t Speak." Looked stiff as a board at the beginning, still looked stiff as a board in the middle, and even getting away from the mike stand, still looked stiff. Sounded okay, but the performance blew.

I now have only three reasons to watch "American Idol." One is Haley, who might not be the strongest singer but has the entire "Idol" package. Two is Gina because she has a good voice and is from my neck of the woods. And of course three is Sanjaya, because if he won he would be the best Non-American Idol idol ever.

I’ve been voting for Sanjaya early, and often. I only wish I had some dead relatives who could also vote. At least Howard Stern has his listeners, I can’t even convince Mama Gotz to vote for Sanjaya, but hopefully Stu Gotz was able to sneak in a couple of votes.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:23 PM | Comments (1)

March 26, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Trump Wants The Dude, Stu Saw Some Nija Turtles, The Dude Saw a Sniper and a Sandler, and Bad Starbucks' Etiquette.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right tries to impress Stu Gotz with his letter from Donald Trump. Stu doesn't really care because he's got Starbucks' issues. They both, also, saw some movies, including "Shooter," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and "Reign Over Me." And in Chicagoland this weekend, they both enjoyed the nice weather.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2007

Go Oregon, Georgetown, and OSU. And Keep Your Shoes On!

By: The Dude on the Right
With the Southern Illinois Saluki loss the other night, I figured I was totally out of my NCAA March Madness pools, but with a little analysis I realized I still might have a chance. Sure it’s a long shot, but there are only a few things that need to happen in the next two days of basketball that keep me alive.

The first thing is simply that The Ohio State must win, since I’ve got them winning the whole kit and caboodle. But for the rest of everything I’ve got the underdogs winning, which if it happens, that would be my upper hand. I’ve got Oregon beating Florida, and then beating either Kansas or UCLA to get to the championship game. Then I’ve got Georgetown beating North Carolina, but losing to The Ohio State. That sets up my Oregon/The Ohio State final, with the Buckeyes winning in a defensive battle.

Sometimes those crazy brackets are so confusing, but not as confusing as my latest trip to the movie theater.

I went to see "Shooter," the Mark Wahlberg flick where he plays a sniper. It’s about five minutes before showtime and in the row ahead of me something disturbing happens: Suddenly I see two people, and four feet in white socks (at least the socks looked clean), using the headrests in front of them as footrests. These weren’t even rebellious teenagers, the couple looked to be in the mid to late twenties. Cell phones and screaming babies aside, the movie-going experience is quickly becoming a chore, especially since someone’s parents didn’t impress upon their kids that A) You shouldn’t put your shoes on the seat in front of you, and B) Even worse, you shouldn’t take your shoes off and put your feet on the seat in front of you. Sometimes I just hate people.

Well, I would like all of you out there, no matter your NCAA picks, to cheer on Oregon, Georgetown, and of course The Ohio State. I would also like to remind you to keep your shoes on.

And of course, Vote for Sanjaya!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:25 PM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2007

Sanjaya is Safe, for Another Week.

By: The Dude on the Right
Damn, the controversy just keeps growing.  I won't say who got voted off tonight, only to say that Sanjaya Malakar is safe for another week.  Eric the Midget must be pissed because I believe that means Sanjaya will be part of the "American Idol" Tour, and even though "The Stern Effect" is purported to be over for satellite radio, it is now repurported by various news outlets that the Howard Stern effect might now be part of the reason for Sanjaya sticking around?

Now it comes down to things like these: 

- Are the folks at "American Idol" worried about the ratings since they seem to have the weakest group of singers ever, and this Sanjaya controversy keeps folks tuning in?

- Does Howard Stern fans vote, in such numbers, to make a difference who stays and who goes?

- I'll be honest, there aren't too many hotties on "American Idol" this season.  Are we now just voting for Haley, who sang something, I think, but it didn't matter because she looked hot in her tight shorts and it didn't look like she was wearing a bra.  Or are we voting for Sanjaya, just to keep getting crowd shots of his sister, "Team Sanjaya," who also, I guess, worked at Hooters, and if Sanjaya wins, will Simon quit the show?

Suddenly "American Idol" is getting more free publicity than it might have hoped for, and it's only because of Sanjaya, who is still around for another week.

And next week Sanjaya might still suck, but I'll still vote for him.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:14 PM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2007

Did You Vote for Sanjaya on "American Idol?"

By: The Dude on the Right
We're still voting for Sanjaya, right?  It doesn't matter that I think he butchered "You Really Got Me," even though Paula and Randy seemed to think the Sanjaya-man was coming into his own.

Anyway, it was a night of the '60s invasion, and most of the singers had no clue what they were singing, but I have to say that their "coaches" probably did the best I have seen at making the singers understand their songs.

I've already gotten through four times voting for Sanjaya (I hope I have the right number), so I hope that isn't a bad sign, but in any case, here's my thoughts on the singing tonight.

Haley: Sang "Tell Him."  She broke out of her shell, great outfit showing her assets, but smiles too much. Simon: "You naughty little thing." And I agree, who cares about her singing.

Chris: (with almost no hair): Sang "Don’t Let the Sun Get you Cryin’" Thought he sounded good, but seems to lose it in on the "personality" side.

Stephanie: Sang "You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me." Good song, just off a bit. Something is missing in terms of performance.

Blake:  Sang "Time of the Season," complete with Paula dancing. I think Randy is screwed in the head, and so was Paula, because they both liked him.  I thought he was okay, in a "Dancing Robot" kind of way, but how do you turn that into a concert act?

LeKisha: Sang "Diamonds are Forever." It was a horrible dress, but she still has a great voice. She doesn’t have the stage presence as the singer, and I can’t believe our Fox affiliate is having problems with their feed right now.

Phil: (The Bald Dude): Sang "Tobacco Road."  Still the best so far out of the dudes, but man, he can’t pull off the bald look. Maybe he just tried too hard for Simon.

Jordin: Sang "I Who Have Nothing."  Unless Melinda blows everyone out of the water, Jordin is turning into the person to beat. She has the voice, and the looks, and the attitude, to put herself into Kelly Clarkson mode.

Sanjaya: Sang "You Really Got Me." What the hell was with the crying girl in the audience? Simon has a look on his face like "Oh my ‘f’-ing God. What the hell was that?" Paula and Randy seemed to like him because he ran around the stage, but he sounded like crap on my TV.  VOTE FOR SANJAYA!

Gina: Sang "Paint it Black."  Lose about 15 pounds and she could turn into the Pat Benatar of 2007. She’s not a pop-idol and needs to follow the Chris Daughtry road, getting out of the "American Idol" mold. Simon misses her potential this week, I think, but in the end she's not for this show.

Chris (with bushy hair): Sang "She’s Not There."  A good voice but is just missing the stage presence to put him into the next league. He’s trying, but it’s not natural.

Melinda: Sang "As Long as He Needs Me."  She has the killer voice, and great stage presence, but, isn’t an "American Idol" personality.  Doesn't matter, she will be a force to be reckoned with in the R&B movement.

I've gotten through a couple of more time in my voting for Sanjaya while I was typing this blog, so we'll see what happens in keeping him along.  In any case "American Idol" has gotten boring this year, at least for the singing.  Right now, thanks for Sanjaya.  We'll see if he is safe in the results show tomorrow.

In any case, always keep voting for your "American Idol." It's kind of like living in Chicago where you vote early, and you vote often.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:38 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Sanjaya is Still Alive on "American Idol," Paula Abdul Quotes, and the SIU Salukis in the Final Four.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right tries to explain how the Southern Illinois Salukis will get to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. He is also on the "Keep Sanjaya Alive" movement for "American Idol" and has his favorite Paula Abdul moments. He also ponders getting another degree, but wonders if it might be legitimate.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:25 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2007

Who Gets Booted from "American Idol?" Hopefully not Sanjaya.

By: The Dude on the Right
So the final twelve got their truly first taste of "Holy shit, I might win American Idol?!?", and it's not looking good for any of the dudes, but it looks like Simon has figured out who would be the money-maker if only she would sing better.  Here's my take on last night's singing, on Diana Ross night...

Brandon: Not a good start for the dudes. He seemed rushed, or the band seemed to playing the song too fast for him. Then he blew it when he couldn’t recover after his pelvic thrusting.

Melinda: She was great, but she needs to drop a few pounds to get into a different league.

Chris (with hair): Ruined a beautiful song by trying to do a new arrangement.

Gina: I think she did a decent version and is in a weird league on the show being the "rocker-chick."

Sanjaya: He was fantastic in his Sanjaya way and so deserves to stay, just so we can see Simon pull his hair out.

Haley: Boring but nice legs. I think Simon is secretly rooting for her to pull it together because of most of the contestants she has the look to pull off the pop-idol career.

Phil: So far he was the best of the dudes, but still nothing special, and doesn't have a pop-idol look.

Lekisha: Great voice, in that Motown style of way.

Blake: Why do these dudes think they need to "update" these songs, and then suck at it?

Stephanie: She just seemed okay, nothing special.

Chris (with less hair): He was just bad.

Jordin: She sounded and looked great.  She's the closest to having the entire idol package.

Looks like the competition is between Melinda, Lekisha, and Jordin, with Gina tossed in as a wild card if only because she is the exact opposite of that trio.  None of the dudes are close to the girls at this point, but I'm still throwing my hat in Sanjaya's corner, just for the shear humor of it.

Who gets booted?  We'll find out tonight, but from one web site it's looking good for Sanjaya sticking around for awhile.  Hooray! 

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:06 PM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2007

I Might Just be Voting for Sanjaya on "American Idol."

By: The Dude on the Right
After watching "American Idol" last week I have a prediction that next season there might be some changing in how the top twelve finalists are picked, namely that from the "top 24" to the "top twelve" the judges will have a vote for who gets booted, kind of like how the voting is handled for "Dancing With the Stars," where the judge's scores are averaged with the phone-in vote.  From the looks on Randy, Paula, and Simon's faces, they did not seemed pleased with everyone who made it to the top twelve.

And since I'm not that pleased with everyone who made it to the top twelve either, and after listening to Howard Stern this morning, I am really close to jumping on the "Vote for the Worst" bandwagon and pledge my allegiance to Sanjaya.  As I write this I am even closer to trying to keep Sanjaya around, especially after witnessing Brandon's opening number for tonight's show, where he forgot the words to the song after his "Elvis Pelvic-Thrust Maneuver."  I suppose I'll see how Gina does, since she's from my neck of the woods, but for now, as Howard put it, I would love to see Simon pulling out his hair as Sanjaya gets closer to being our next "American Idol."

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:38 PM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast: Bet on Heather's Leg, Happy Birthday Stu, A Trip to Ohio, and "300."

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up" The Dude on the Right went home to Ohio, and his city wasn't gone. Instead he tells Stu Gotz of things like bad radio, restaurant reviews, math, and "Dancing Queen." The Dude also saw "300" and lets Stu know if he can expect nudity, sex, and violence in the film. Stu, on the other hand, celebrated a birthday but is in a bad mood because he didn't get the present he was expecting.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

March 6, 2007

Tyra Banks says "So What!", I Say "Just Come, and Celebrate."

By: The Dude on the Right
I've got two topics I want to blog about this evening.  One was brought about by listening to Howard Stern the last couple of days when he was commenting about Tyra Banks' new "So What!" campaign where you can, as I'm typing this (nice typo Tyra people), "Upload You 'So What!' Video".  The other is a quick comment about the Olympics.  Sure, maybe as a blogger I should separate them into two different blogs, but read about what you want.

So let's get to the Tyra Banks' "So What!" campaign.  It seems Tyra is trying to empower women (and maybe dudes) to be happy and be one with some self-esteem issues by simply saying "So what!"  On its surface it seems like a nice campaign, but what bothers me is that, for the most part, it pretty much only deals with weight issues.  She had women on her show, wearing one-piece bathing suits, with their weight plastered on them, I guess as a testament to their being proud of their bodies (if they were that proud, shouldn't they have been in two-piece suits?  I'm sorry, I digress.).  Her website spotlights three women from the show, one who "So what"-ed that her thighs rubbed together when she walked, another who "So what"-ed she couldn't lose the last 15 pounds, and another who "So what"-ed that her thighs jiggled when she walked.

My problem is that weight should never be a "So what!" issue, and as someone who continues to struggle with his weight, I've joked, thanks to Homer Simpson, "I've been an obese man trapped inside a fat man's body" many a time, but never, as self-esteemish as it is, did I ever dream of shouting "So what!" about my weight.  From the way I see it "So what!" things should be left for things like "Sometimes I like to pee in the shower," or maybe "Every now and then I don't shave my legs for a week," or maybe "Yes, I'm almost 40 and I like 'Smallville,'" or maybe "I like to smell my own farts," or maybe "Some days I like to wear sweats and not do my hair," or maybe "I still watch 'Survivor,'" or maybe "I'm a women and have no problem going to 'Hooters.'"   And I could go on and on.

But do you recognize something about all of the above "So whats!"?  None of them are really health issues.  Having a "So what" attitude about your weight is a health issue, and a life issue, and if I were Tyra my campaign might be "It's My Struggle, not Yours" and not "So What!"  Here's what "So what!" about your weight might lead to:  Diabetes, heart issues, cholesterol issues, high blood pressure, higher insurance costs, depression, and just dying before you want to.

I know there are two things I need to do to get myself back to being a healthy person, but for reasons not for here, not right now, I am not progressing at those two things like I would want to.  But even as I don't do those two things have I ever had the attitude Tyra Banks seems to want me to have about my weight, namely "So what!", because at that point I might as well come back to another quote I used to joke about, "I'm one with my fat self," and then maybe wonder when being my fat self would make me have to take at least a half-dozen pills just to stay alive.

For me I'm thinking I might have to focus a little more on the two things I need to do to keep me alive a little longer in this world rather than listen to the advice of "So what!"  Sadly, for other people, they will say "So what!" for a while, and then wonder why, when they are older, they have to pop a lot of pills and say "Why me?"

Enough Tyra Banks.

Oh yea, there's that Olympic thing.  This blog has gone on a little longer than planned so I'll just say this.  The United States Olympic Evaluation Commission is visiting Chicago this week to see if Chicago would be a better place to host the 2016 Olympics as opposed to Los Angeles.  Chicago is a better place.  Los Angeles already has stuff built.  We get to build new stuff.  Isn't that what the Olympics are about - New Champions, and new stuff!

"If Chicago builds it, they will come.  The World will.  Come.  And Celebrate."

And if the Chicago Olympic folks want to pay me for that slogan, I'm up for negotiations, that's the Chicago way

"So What!" is a crappy campaign, from Tyra Banks, but for the USOC, hey, just come, and celebrate.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:12 PM | Comments (1)

March 5, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "dirt," Movie Talk, and A Sweet 16 Party vs Vegas.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right gets to tell Stu Gotz about his "exciting" weekend, seeing "Black Snake Moan" and "Wild Hogs," while Stu tells The Dude about what happened while he was in Las Vegas, and that if The Dude had spent his travel money going to Vegas instead of his niece's birthday party, well, The Dude could have also been a part of it. The Dude on the Right now has to keep reciting "Family comes first" instead of "I could have seen boobs."

Posted by Rightdude at 7:39 PM | Comments (0)

March 4, 2007

Maybe My Sister Should be a Movie Critic.

By: The Dude on the Right
The movie industry is a bizarre monster, and so are the critic rating scales.  My case in point is the release of "Wild Hogs" this week (and I suppose "Norbit" a few weeks back).  Hundreds, if not thousands of critics, thought it (they) sucked, yet as of tonight "Wild Hogs" did about $38 Million bucks worth of business for the weekend.  Me, I gave it 1 1/2 stars out of 5, which pretty much for me means it's a rental at best.  But where did these $38 Million dollars worth of people come from?  Was the word of mouth that great?  Did people just want to see a movie, and rather than see something that was nominated for an Academy Award, or the R rated "Zodiac" or "Black Snake Moan" that also opened this weekend, did they just opt for "Wild Hogs" by default?  I don't know, but maybe critics need a new rating scale, kind of the anti-critic scale, so I'm trying to come up with one, based mostly upon my sister.

You see, and I can't verify this yet until she sees it, but I think my sister will find "Wild Hogs" one of the funniest movies ever (she also really liked "RV"), as opposed to most people who watch or analyze movies for a living.  While I was watching the movie I could pretty much envision every instance where my sister would be laughing, mostly because there was a woman, a couple of rows behind me as I was watching the movie, laughing at those moments.  Me, I found Borat very funny, 4 1/2 stars funny, as did most critics, but this woman behind me, during "Wild Hogs" well, from her laughter, this was probably a 7 Stars out of 5 comedy.

As a critic I try to at least relate my reviews to those who might like the movie, and I can see how "Wild Hogs" can give folks some entertainment for a little over an hour and a half.  But you can't get that from a simple 3 stars out of 4, from a simple thumb, from a simple tomato, or from a simple beer rating.  Nope, who will like a movie is a hell of lot more complicated than that, sometimes it just has to relate to my sister.

And right now I'm just wondering what she would have given this movie?

Maybe, in a bizarre way, there's actually a place for her to be a movie critic.  Too bad I can't offer her a job, unless, with the Mega Millions jackpot at over $340 million, I might be able to, when my numbers come in this Tuesday night.

Then again, maybe not, and "Wild Hogs" is still a 1 1/2 star movie out of 5 on my critic scale, or also rated "Sister" on my new scale.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:40 PM | Comments (1)

March 2, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Anna Nicole Smith is Still Dead, American Idol is Not, and Fatherly Wisdom.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right introduces his latest news correspondent, Walter Dudeonright, to give the Anna Nicole Smith update. He also talks about the "American Idol" results where he was sad Leslie Hunt got voted off, wonders about Antonella Barba, and wonders if Ryan Seacrest wondered if Kellie Pickler spent some of her money on new boobs. The Dude also comments on some great "Dad Wisdom" thanks to one of his favorite commercials.

Posted by Rightdude at 5:56 PM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast: Academy Award Talk, "Reno 911!: Miami," and a Children's Museum.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", The Dude on the Right gives his Oscar/Academy Award show wrap-up, since he was stupid enough to watch the entire show, while Stu Gotz was smart, and didn't. The Dude also saw "Reno 911!: Miami," while Stu went to an aquarium and a Children's Museum.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2007

The Academy Awards are Boring Me Right Now.

By: The Dude on the Right
Well I survived our ice storm, and now I'm just trying to survive The Academy Awards.  I have to admit that I have been in the midst of finishing up animating our next episode of "Stu & The Dude Reviewin' the Movies for You," our review of "Ghost Rider," and at this stage all I have left to do is let the computer do its work and render all of my work into something I can post for all of you to see, which hopefully will get finished tomorrow night.  But in that midst, The Academy Awards have been on, and I have to say other than the slightly entertaining musical number about comedians not winning anything, it's been a bore-fest.  The un-surprise has been that Eddie Murphy didn't win for best supporting actor, which most people will blame his latest work in "Norbit" as the cause, or worse, that the Academy is racist.

The odd part for me is that this is probably the first year that I haven't seen any of the films nominated for Best Picture.  I know, I suppose I'm a lousy reviewer for admitting this, especially when, yesterday, my local gigaplex was having "Academy Award" picture day, where for a mere $30 you could sit from 11AM until it finished and watch all five of the films back-to-back.  Rather than catch up on my films for Oscar day, I opted to see "Reno 911!: Miami," which I can honestly say, even though I gave it 4 stars out of 5, has absolutely no chance of being nominated for anything for next year's award show.

Well, I suppose I'll wrap-up this blog now, let my computer do its rendering magic, and see if I can stay awake for the rest of The Academy Awards, and see if Jennifer Hudson loses the best supporting actress award, since it has already been bizarre that "Happy Feet" beat "Cars."

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:19 PM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2007

What's New? Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Britney Spears, The Daytona 500, and "Ghost Rider" Talk.

For this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up," Stu Gotz wanted to rant about Britney Spears a bit, The Dude on the Right watched The Daytona 500, and both of them went to see "Ghost Rider." It's another fun-filled episode.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:01 AM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2007

Thanks to Howard Stern I'm Now Just Greedy.

By: The Dude on the Right
I've always had two answers as to why I haven't found, nor actively looked for, a woman to marry yet.  One was that right now I like all of my stuff.  When the day comes that I only like half of my stuff I will then actively pursue the woman of my dreams.  I can then be content knowing that if, or as seems to be the case nowadays when, my marriage comes to an end, the only thing I have to hope is that she likes the half of my stuff I no longer like.  In a worst case scenario I am stuck with half of my stuff that I did like at one time.

The other answer was because of a man.  I suppose that really isn't an answer, but rather his name led to a pathway of explanations that seemed to make so much sense.  He explained many a time why marriage is the worst contract a man can ever enter into.  He also explained, as he seemed to be in complete bliss with girlfriend, as to why would he want to change anything with the woman he loved since things were going so well.  He also explained that if things did need to end, that by not being married it would be easier to complete the split.  He explained that there didn't seem to be a reason to be married as neither of them wanted children.  And he also commented on all of the things that would likely change with marriage, like less sex, more getting ordered around, and the wife letting herself go physically, things that he has seen happen with those around him who tied the knot.  That man was Howard Stern.

But I can use him no more because this morning he announced that he is officially engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Beth Ostrosky.  Yes, congratulations are in order, and Howard tried really hard to explain, well, that he is only engaged, and not married.  But lots of men, this morning, lost their probable last excuse for justification to their girlfriend that they shouldn't get married.  "Honey, look at how happy Howard Stern is with his girlfriend, and they aren't married.  Why would we want to risk our love with such a drastic change?" - Sorry dudes, you can't use that line, anymore.  "Honey, we don't need to have a silly ceremony to profess our love.  Everyone can see the love we have for each other by our actions, just like Howard and Beth!" - Nope, dudes, forget about that one, also.

Being 39 I suppose I could still use Howard Stern as my excuse, for a little while longer, as to why I haven't found the perfect woman, like when, at the local watering hole, my buddies ask "Dude, why haven't you found the woman of your dreams?", I can simply say "Because she's not old enough to get in this bar, yet."

Anyway, congrats again to Howard (and Beth)!  Beth sounds like a sweetheart and he seems totally lucky to have found her.  But this morning Howard Stern also threw lots of dudes under the bus because all they will be hearing now from their dudette is "... but Howard proposed to Beth?"  I've at least got a little while longer to use Howard Stern as my reason for not finding the girl I will marry.  After that, I guess, I'm just a greedy bastard because it will take a truly special girl to stop me from liking all of my stuff.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:18 PM | Comments (1)

February 11, 2007

Sundays are Productive Again!

By: The Dude on the Right
It's amazing how much more productive I can be on a Sunday when there isn't a football game to distract me.  For whatever reason football is not a multitasking sport for me.  Golf, baseball, basketball, or NASCAR I can have playing on the TV above my computer work area and keep up and never feel I am missing anything, but not for football.  Maybe it's the fact that any given play can be exciting, or there's the action, then the stop in the action to huddle, then the action again, then the stop again, and eventually a commercial break to go pee.  Baseball, basketball, and NASCAR just seem to plow along during their duration, and sure, golf has the action/break sequence of football but unless it's a hole-in-one, I'm not going to miss something exciting.

But now that football season is done, today has been one of the most productive Sundays in a while.  I read my newspaper with my breakfast, I did some grocery shopping where I bought only the foods I needed to get back on my healthy track this week, and I filled up the dude-mobile with go-go juice.  I was going to get the dude-mobile washed, but with this being the first, sort of warmer day we've had in a while, the line for each car wash I saw was over ten cars deep, and I didn't want to spend the next hour waiting in line to get my car washed, especially when the forecast for tonight is snow, which means more road salt, which means that if I drive anywhere tomorrow, well, my car will look pretty much as it does right now, and I would have wasted an hour in line at the car wash.  I didn't plan ahead, I guess, on the car wash thing, because the Turtle Wax does have free internet access and gives you a "Two Day Clean Car Guarantee," so I could have actually been productive, and got a free car wash on Tuesday, but alas, I'll have to try to remember to bring my laptop the next time.

But on my productive scale today, I also got a whole butt-load of movie previews posted, and started working on redesigning our home page a bit.  The Grammy Awards are tonight, so I'll probably try catch them and hope something fun happens.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 3:20 PM | Comments (0)

February 4, 2007

Being Sick, Super Bowl Pre-Game, and Bobby Flay Needs to Learn About Food.

By: The Dude on the Right
Maybe it’s the cold weather, maybe it’s something I ate, but for whatever reason I find myself sidelined from my Super Bowl watching plans by some kind of stomach flu, complete with a slight fever. So as I’m curled up here on my couch, waiting for the game to start, I am forcing myself through the pre-game coverage, and figured I would type a quick blog.

My Super Bowl viewing plans were pretty simple, and pretty much the same as it has been for the last half a dozen years: Hop in the dude-mobile and watch the game at Dewey, my accountant’s, house with his friends and family. I even had some hors ‘d oeuvres to bring, and had I felt better yesterday, I probably would have attempted this fabulous peach cream cheese cake/pie thing. So, instead, I’ll probably heat up the hors ‘d oeuvres for myself, so I don’t have to cook, and just stay curled up under a blanket on my couch.

But a couple of observations I have had while watching the pre-game coverage have really struck me. One is, and no breaking bad on Stevie Nicks, but what the hell was she doing there, singing "Stand Back," which is from like 1983. I also hope some producer or director is getting chewed out for the ending of the "Baghdad Bowl" segment. All was going well, we got to see the soldiers playing some flag football, then there was the nice "letting some of them give shout-outs back home," and as Randy Cross was introducing the climactic moment of the segment, with all of the soldiers yelling "Hello back home, we love you!" someone cut back to James Brown, asking an inane question if any of the soldiers might want to be football players, then cutting back to the soldiers, then Randy Cross doing his best to wrap-up the segment. Randy Cross had the perfect ending for the segment; too bad J.B. couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

And finally, a message to Bobby Flay, who was doing the food segment. First off, from everything I’ve been able to find on the Internet in my two minute search, Indianapolis is famous for its breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. You came up with corn, proceeding to now highlight a corn-dog, and I believe it was a butterscotch pie. Then you moved to Chicago, where you spotlighted the Italian beef sandwich and the Chicago Style Hot Dog. Both good choices, but in my now 21 years living in the Chicago area, I have never heard of putting mustard, nor red peppers on the Italian beef. From what I know there are only three things you add to your Italian beef: Green sweet pepper slices, hot giardiniera, and/or more juice. And I don’t know what bread you were using, but it also isn’t served on bread/roll that is sliced all the way through like a submarine sandwich, it is sliced half-way through to conveniently hold the beef and peppers, until, of course, the juice soaks through, the bread disintegrates, and the beef and peppers end up on your plate or tie. And your Chicago Style Hot Dog needs some work, also. You do not put chopped tomatoes on the hot dog, you put tomato slices, and you also forgot two other major ingredients, the Kosher dill pickle spear and the sport peppers. And you also forgot to mention that in no instance are you to add ketchup to the Chicago hot dog.

Well, I should wrap this up and get wrapped back up on the couch. And Bobby Flay, can I recommend two things? One is Google (look up "famous Indianapolis food") and Wikipedia, which gives detailed info on both the Chicago hot dog and the Italian beef, as well as that breaded pork tenderloin.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:17 PM | Comments (1)

February 1, 2007

What's New? A Podcast of: Abdulism's of the Week Are Coming Soon, Go Bears, and Baby, It's Cold Outside.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right is eagerly anticipating the "American Idol" contestants actually getting to Hollywood, and really wishes the Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts was over already so the over-coverage of the event, at least in Chicago, would end. He also wishes the Super Bowl would be played in Chicago over the weekend, rather than in Miami, because the weather forecast for Chicago on the day of the Super Bowl puts the phrase "Frozen Tundra" in a whole new league.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2007

Blogging From an Airplane, and Watching an R-Rated Movie on a Plane.

By: The Dude on the Right
Here I am, some probably 25,000 to 32,000 feet up in the air, in a tube being held up by a whole bunch of stuff I learned in college (something about airfoils and jet propulsion), on my way to Houston for my favorite niece’s birthday. I just got done watching last Monday’s episode of “Heroes” titled “Godsend,” thanks to iTunes. Since I screwed up my TiVo Season Pass (how the hell did “Two and a Half Men” get ahead of “Heroes”?) I was able to give Apple and NBC a couple of bucks by downloading the episode yesterday as part of my pre-trip planning. I also typed a couple of movie previews, and since I’m just killing a little more time because someone already did the crossword puzzle in the American Way magazine, I figured I would type this blog, which if things go as planned, I can post tonight. Obviously, if you are reading this, things went as planned.

Weird how things sometime turn out when you are flying, though, because at first there was no one sitting in the seat in front of me, then these two girls seat-jumped (worrying me that the one now in front would put her seat back), and then the dude who actually was assigned that seat showed up. He nicely let her stay in his seat, instead taking the aisle. He then proceeded to slur his words a bit (by his own admission he was at the airport bar and almost missed the flight), explaining to her that country music in San Antonio is a lot different than country music in Chicago, and she nicely dealt with conversation. As my luck would have it, the dudette decided to spend the flight staring out the window, with her seat in the upright position, while drunk dude proceeded to put his seat as far back as possible, and probably drool a little while he napped. Two empty seats next to me, someone in front who didn’t put their seat back, and a nice take off and safe landing. That’s about all I ask for in a plane flight.

Anyway, I should probably start to wrap-up this quick little blog entry, which is really just a test of seeing if I have my laptop set-up to remotely get my blog updated, thanks to the free internet access at the hotel I am staying. Sadly it doesn’t look like internet access on the airlines will be happening soon, but then again, maybe it’s a good thing because the people in back of you could peak through the seat and see that you are looking at internet porn. Which does lead me to an interesting dilemma because since I watched “Heroes” on the way down to Houston, I brought a couple of DVD’s to watch on the trip back to The Windy City, one being “Thank You for Smoking” and the other being “Artie Lange’s Beer League.” The dilemma part: They both are rated “R” and they both contain nudity. Hopefully on the flight back there won’t be anyone sitting behind me to wonder what kind of pervert watches that kind of stuff on a plane, or maybe, better yet, a hot dudette will be sitting behind me, moving to the seat next to me because she is interested in the kind of pervert that would watch that kind of stuff on a plane. But that’s a story for a later blog.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 11:27 PM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2007

Dick Goddard, Woolly Bears, and Does Mother Nature Want Me to Build a Snow Fort?

By: The Dude on the Right
Here in the Chicago area it's been a very mild winter, with one snow storm at the beginning of December and then pretty much nothing for almost a month and a half.  Hell, the weather has been warm enough that a lot of folks were able to go golfing here in  January, although getting a tan didn't seem to be an option.  But once again a storm seems to be upon us, although the weather folks still can't seem to pin exactly what is going to happen.  My Weather Channel forecast seems to be saying I will be getting two, maybe three inches of snow between now and Noon tomorrow, the local dudes seem to have me in a swath that will get between five to seven inches of snow, and I'm not sure what the Farmer's Almanac says for me since I haven't actually read one since I was about seventeen and my dad bought it.

With that, there's a part of me that likes the fact that even with all of our technology, even with all of our computer models, even with all of our experts, the weather still gives us uncertainty.

It makes me sort of remember when I was a kid growing up in Ohio.  As a kid, and because there wasn't cable TV yet, all we had was Dick Goddard to tell us what was going to happen.  Sure, there were probably some other dudes on some other channels, but Mr. Goddard always gave a breath of honesty to a weather forecast:  That as much as he could look at the way things were taking shape, Mother Nature has a mind of her own, and he had no way of totally reading her mind.  He also had the power of the Woolly Bear, a strange caterpillar that Vermillion, OH, has adopted as its own.  Anyway, as a youngin', we would hear about snow coming, but thanks to Mr. Goddard, there was always an uncertainty about how much snow was actually going to make it.  That led to one thing, and one thing only - going to bed knowing most likely we were going to have to go to school, but there was always that chance, that Mother Nature decided it would be better for us to stay home, build snowmen and snow forts, have snowball fights, make our parents drive us through the snow-covered streets to the great hill in Amherst, and thanks to Mother Nature, and not Dick Goddard, we got a snow day.

The fun thing to hear, a year or two ago when I was visiting my parents in Ohio, was that Mr. Goddard still knows that Mother Nature has her own mind, even as far as the computer modeling, the forecasting, the satelliting, have come in all of these years.  There he was, in front of the weather map, telling everyone in his viewing area that in the next twelve to twenty-four hours he couldn't tell them how much snow was coming.  There was a chance of anything from less than an inch to almost a foot of snow, depending on how the cold front moved, and in my head, I knew that he knew that Mother Nature still has her own thing in mind, even though I wouldn't go to bed dreaming of a snow day.

And so, with the winter weather that is supposed to come tonight, I wait again to see what Mother Nature has in mind for my Monday.  It's not nearly as exciting as when I was a kid, because there is nothing like a snow day when you are ten year's old and you can build a snow fort, but I would like to know if I can sleep in tomorrow, maybe pretend I was ten again and build a snow fort, or if I'm going to have to head out, in a measly inch or two of snow, and do some business consulting.  As I do every time I hear a snowstorm might be coming, since I was like five years old, I pray Mother Nature wants me to make a snow fort.  And that Dick Goddard (or now, in Chicago, it's Tom Skilling) just can't read Mom Nature's mind.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:59 PM | Comments (0)

January 6, 2007

Do My Favorite Niece and Favorite Nephew Deserve Lottery Tickets?

By: The Dude on the Right
On my MySpace page blog I listed a few of my goals for the New Year.  Along with a Chicago Bear's Super Bowl win was my winning the Mega Millions jackpot when it was over $100 Million.  But now that the jackpot is over $100 Million, I have created a new dilemma for myself, especially with my big win with yesterday's jackpot, a $10 win that gives me the cash for buying new tickets for Tuesday's drawing.

You might ask, "What kind of dilemma is there when buying lotto tickets?" but because I'm nuts, well, here goes.

Many, many years ago, when I finally had some of my own income and would buy a few lotto tickets when the jackpot got into that "What the hell would I do with fifty million dollars?" range, rather than, in my head, bask in the glory of being able to imagine the great new house, a cool car, not working for the man, well, my thoughts turned to my family.  Not so much mom and dad, other than figuring I would have to pay to get their phone number changed and maybe buy them some cool stuff, but rather the thoughts turned to my brother and sister.  If they were in a financial bind would they come to me for help?  Hell, if they weren't in a financial bind, would they come to me expecting a hand-out?  And even if I gave them something, what would stop them from coming back to me later, looking for more?

And so I developed a "buying lottery ticket's" plan.

If the jackpot was small I would buy a quick-pick ticket or two.  If I won - great!  But if the jackpot was larger I would buy five tickets, all with the same numbers, based on my family.  My thinking was this:  I buy five tickets, all with the same numbers, and they come in.  I give my brother one ticket in exchange for a dollar and I give my sister one ticket in exchange for a dollar.  I keep the other three tickets, with the agreement between us being that I will take care of any need's mom and dad might have (since I have the other two tickets), and if any of us are fiscally irresponsible with our winnings, in the future, well, we can't go to any sibling looking for a hand-out.  We would all be on our own with what where my winnings and now part of those are theirs.  So say the jackpot was $100 million and my five tickets were the only winners?  That leaves my brother and sister with $20 million each, and me with a nice $60 million dollars.  (On a side note, imagine if there were six winning tickets, and I have five of them - that other person first finds out that they won and thinks they have $100 million, then they find out that there are six winning tickets and they are still happy because they at least won over $16 million bucks, then they find out that I have $83ish million dollars worth of tickets to their $16ish million.  Would they be mad at me?  I'm sorry I digressed.  Back to dilemma-ing.)

But this morning I came up with my new, "buying lotto ticket's" dilemma.

I have a favorite nephew, and I have a favorite niece.  In fact, right now, they are my only nephew and my only niece.  And I wondered, in the shower this morning, if I should now include them in my lotto ticket buy?  My nephew is in college, so he is supposed to be an adult, and my niece will be 16 in a few weeks, making her an adult in at least a country or two in the world.  Does this now mean they deserve their own tickets?  And really, can I trust my sister to make sure they are taken care of, or would my fear of them coming to Uncle Dude, looking for money in the future, become a new reality?

But then the financial reality of including them in my ticket buy came in.

Let's see:  Instead of five tickets I buy seven.  The jackpot is still $100 million bucks and I have the only winning tickets.  Instead of being worth $20 million each, now each ticket is worth about $14.3 million.  That means my brother, sister, niece, and nephew find themselves with $14.3 million apiece, not a bad chunk of change for them thanks to my good fortune.  Meanwhile my jackpot diminished from $60 million bucks to take care of myself, my mom, and my dad, to a paltry $42.9 million.

So I have to decide if my favorite niece and favorite nephew are worth a little over $17 million bucks to me, or should I count on their mother to make sure they are taken care with her winnings?

Then it occurred to me that instead of five tickets with the same numbers, well, I could up that to ten.  With that same $100 million jackpot each ticket would be worth $10 million.  I'd give one ticket to my brother, one to my sister, one to my favorite niece, and one to my favorite nephew, leaving me with six tickets, and I'm back at $60 million buckaroos!  Now my brother and sister are pissed because their winnings went from $20 million to $10 million (and especially my brother since my niece and nephew aren't his kids), my niece and nephew are pissed because if I weren't so greedy about the $60 million they'd each have another $4.3 million, and if there happened to be another person with a winning ticket, that poor bastard goes from winning $100 million to less than $10 million, all because I wanted to stake my claim at that $60 million dollar mark.

See, I told you I was nuts!

I've got a $10 winning Mega Millions ticket and now I don't know how to spend it.  I could buy ten Mega Millions tickets all with the same numbers with the potential to piss off a lot of people; I could buy seven Mega Millions tickets all with the same number and maybe lose $17 million bucks for me; I could stick with my "buying five tickets" plan and hope my sister takes care of her kids; Or I could, oh hell, maybe I should just buy two "Quarter Pounder With Cheese Meals" and be happy for an hour, until I realize that it  means I will probably also lose a bet with my sister.

You see, I'm nuts, and also with dilemmas!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:42 PM | Comments (1)

December 29, 2006

Merry New Year! And I Must Be Suffering from Reality Show Withdrawal.

By: The Dude on the Right
In the immortal words of Nanga Eboko, exchange student from Cameroon, "Merry New Year!!!!!!"  Sure, it's a few days early, but I doubt I'll be doing a blog on New Year's Eve night, even though I really don't have anything planned except, thanks to the NFL, watching the Chicago Bears play the Green Bay Packers in what a lot of people say might be Brett Favre's last game.  Thankfully our local radio station pops a little delay on the broadcast and it synchs with the cable TV broadcast so rather than hear John Madden wax poetic during the entire broadcast that this might be Brett Favre's last game, I'll get to yell "Ball" with Tom Thayer of the WBBM broadcast team (along with Jeff Joniak) every time there is a fumble.

But yelling "Ball" at the TV screen is the least of my worries, right now, because I think I am suffering from reality TV withdrawal.  My main symptom of my malady - multiple dreams in one night of me in reality TV shows.  The scarier part?  They weren't even real TV shows.

In my first dream last night I found myself in a sort of "military boot camp" reality TV show.  I was in a big room, with a lot of people I didn't know, and all of us were dreading the "training" we were going to have to endure.  I wanted to quit before the filming even got started, but as dreams sometimes take a life of their own, all of a sudden this one turned into something about one of the dudes swinging the driver from his golf bag around, as we all started ducking for cover, and me wishing I had brought my golf clubs so I would have a weapon, only I kept knocking over other golf bags before realizing I did bring my clubs, but I woke up before I could pull out my driver and join in the fight.

So I woke up, drained the main vein, and headed back to sleep wondering "What the hell was that?"  And no sooner do I remember that than I kicked into a dream even more all over the place.

It started at a basketball court, where the players seemed to be committing a lot of hard fouls (this might have been spurred by the news coverage of the Chicago Bulls' player that got hurt the night before), one that even took Joakim Noah (although he wasn't in a Florida Gator's uniform) to the floor where he broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder and kept rolling around and screaming while his arm flopped around like a fish out of water and it took most of his teammates to get him to stay still so as not to hurt himself any more than he already was.  At this time me and my buddy (even though I didn't know who he was) were on the court watching this happen when a security guard escorted us outside, where we kept insisting to let us watch the rest of the game and that we wouldn't go on the court, but he kept saying we were needed for something outside.

So there we were, and then a big group began to congregate, complete with buddies I knew, namely The Dude on the Left, Aquaman, and Big Cooter, and they wouldn't stop talking amongst themselves.  We found ourselves being separated into two football teams, only I didn't hear my name called the first time and had to run through the crowd when our jerseys were being handed out, in total fear I was going to be yelled at by our coach for not hearing my name the first time.  But joining with my team proved just as daunting as my friends wouldn't shut up and I feared us getting yelled at (I suppose that sort of reminds me of a night class I had in college when T.P.'s friend decided to join us for class), and with their talking I couldn't hear what our "coach" was saying.

But that didn't fluster me as much as trying to put on my jersey.  For whatever reason there were pads on the inside of the jersey, and it was a couple of sizes too small, so I kept trying to stretch one arm open a little more to get one arm in...

And then, wouldn't you know, my phone rings, waking me up as I struggled to get my jersey on, AND IT WAS THE WRONG FREAKIN' NUMBER!

So now I won't really know why I was supposed to be in a "military boot camp" nor a "weird football game" reality show.  But what really bummed me out the most, after I woke up, was that I wasn't able to flip the switch while I was dreaming, to realize I was dreaming, and take control of the dream.  That is the coolest thing about my dreaming when I can make it happen.

So on this eve of the eve of New Year's Eve, for Joakim Noah's sake, I hope my dreams aren't premonitions.

And if my dreams are premonitions, all I ask if for one of them to give me the winning numbers for the lottery.  Is that too much to ask for the New Year?

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:17 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2006

Christmas Weekend Plans Shot Down the Drain.

By: The Dude on the Right
You know how the holidays are supposed to be about getting together with loved ones, or at least your family?  Well, I think I'm done with that.  It's not that I don't love my family, in fact my favorite nephew is, or should I say was, so high up on the list that I offered to pick him up at the airport (and on a quick side note, the airport in question was Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which I must say is a whole hell of a lot smaller than Chicago's O'Hare Airport).  And sure, I complained a bit about the fact that his flight was getting in at 6:40 AM Cleveland time, which is 5:40 AM Dude time, which means waking up at about 4:30 AM Dude time to pick him up, yet there I was, at baggage claim #9.  There he was, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as he was getting in from a red-eye from Las Vegas, so I let him nod off a bit on the ride back to my folk's house, and tried to keep quiet at home so he could take a nap.

Now, in my preparation for coming home for the holidays, one of our traditions is to see a movie on Christmas Day, but since I might be traveling back to the dude-pad that day, I figured wouldn't it be great to head to the movies with my nephew on Friday evening, and maybe hit the bars after,where he could give me the hip ways to pick up college dudettes these days, and I could show him that his uncle has no right trying to pick up college dudettes.  Oh, wait, he's not 21 yet, but I did hold off on my seeing "Rocky Balboa" before he showed up, thinking that would be our movie to catch this weekend in pseudo-tradition for Christmas.

But alas, this afternoon, in telling some of his exploits in Sin City, it came out that he had already seen an aged Rocky try to re-claim his glory.

And so, figuring that, for a change, I wouldn't have to go to the movies alone, and remembering what our staff member, Whammy, once said, "Only losers go and see movies alone," well it looks like tomorrow I'll be a loser.  At least my favorite niece might have been fast thinking enough to lie about what movies she has seen so as not to ruin Christmas Weekend.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:17 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2006

My Christmas Display is Done... For No One to See.

By: The Dude on the Right
My 2006 Christmas display is done.

Thank God.

And I may never do it again.

I finally got all of the fake snow I needed, but I think I overdid it.  I broke the head off of my new horse riding dude, but luckily it was a clean break since I don't have any glue - His head rests gently on his body.  The train doesn't work like it should (damn cow-catcher keeps catching on the track joints and derailing it, and the tracks need a good cleaning so even when the train did run it didn't have a lot of umph).  The windmill bent so it doesn't rotate.  I think I had some soap residue in the cup I used to fill the wood mill scene because it bubbles a bit.  And I couldn't find a sniper dude to man the new mountain post (and it just occurred to me that I should have gone to the toy store and picked up some green toy soldiers - that would have worked perfectly).

I should have picked up some more "flat" snow to cover my window blinds.  I broke the head off of Sally from Peanuts, one of my Christmas Tree decorations, when the tree was "side heavy" and fell over a bit when I was trying to plug it in.  The addition of the waterfall didn't come out nearly as cool as the waterfall I had when I was managing a Radio Shack.  And as I look at the waterfall backdrop now, it looks like a crazed animal, ready to eat my village.  The "mountains" I made aren't very sturdy, so I can't run the ski-lift.  And yet, another issue...

Some of my friends say they want to come and see my Christmas display.  Sure, the Christmas display looks cool, but now I have to clean the rest of the Dude-Pad before any invites are sent.

My Christmas decorating used to be very simple.  I bought a fake tree one year, decorated it, and carried it up the stairs, to my spare bedroom, still decorated.  The next couple of Christmas' my decorating took about 10 minutes - I would move an end table in front of the window, go upstairs and grab my "decorated tree," carry it down the stairs, put it on the end table, and my decorating was done.  Then, for whatever messed up reason (I'm blaming a friend from high school), I decided to start my own holiday village, and now, rather than taking 10 minutes to be festive, it takes me days.  And it never goes as smoothly as I think it will.

That's why I'm thinking of taking a wide-angle picture.

Yup, getting back to my "lazy days of Christmas decorating," I'm thinking of taking a nice wide-angle picture of my Christmas display, getting it enlarged to about 10 feet wide, and next year, instead of all of this "decorating" crap, just hanging the picture at the end of my living room, and suddenly the dude-pad will be festive.  No more broken heads, no more trains that derail, no more lame waterfalls looking to eat my village.  Nope, just a giant photograph to unroll at Thanksgiving, and roll back up again after Christmas.

Life seems to have been so much simpler when I was young.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:25 PM | Comments (1)

December 3, 2006

A Relation of Colonel Sanders, Kevin Bacon has Nothing on Lonnie, and Short Skirts vs. the Farm.

By: The Dude on the Right
Yes, I admit, it's been a while since my last blog.  It is, for me, that time of year when the holidays seem to get in the way of consistency, but from tonight until the Christmas/New Year's time frame, I've got a couple of weeks of trying to get back to normalcy, only to have it thrown out the window for a couple of weeks at the end of December, and then comes January, the "New Year," when we are supposed to start again, come up with new goals, and screw them up within about a week.

Such is life, except my last week.

My last week of not getting things posted was about seeing friends, and isn't that what the Holiday Season is about?  Now, because it is a Sunday evening after a long, weekend reunionish thing, I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things, and I will list a bunch of topics that I may not revisit, which seems to bug the crap out of my sister, who still wants me to explain the resolution of my mom's issues in buying a new microwave.  So, here we go, with some topics from this past weekend which will probably fall by the wayside.  If you would really like an explanation, use the comment link at the end of this blog, and maybe those might get to a higher priority of explanation.  So here's some things from my last week:

-  I met someone who might be the great or just grandson of Colonel Sanders in an elevator.  He was wearing a nice skull-cap and had a very cute dudette with him (I hope this doesn't get him in trouble if it wasn't him, or if it was him, and his normal dudette wasn't with him in Chicago last weekend, well, hell, I don't know, like I said, it might be the great or just grandson of Colonel Sanders, or just some dude with a skull-cap with a very cute dudette).  She was skittish about being in an elevator, and he liked to joke around by faking jumping up and down in said elevator.  As do a lot of my other friends.  But not me.  We all survived the elevator ride.

-  The reason I might have met the great or just grandson of Colonel Sanders is because of dude named Lonnie, who seems to know about everyone, or has one of the smallest degrees of separation I have ever encountered.  Kevin Bacon might have six degrees of separation, but Lonnie seems to have about two or three.  And that now includes some rugby team members.

-  Tequilya:  Is that a good or bad way to start a weekend of being with friends?  And Karen, or maybe it was Caron, or maybe it was Carin.  All I know is she had a fantastic smile and nice boobs.

-  Farmers vs. Dudettes in Short Skirts:  Who is sticky-shocked?

-  A friend of ours got married, and no one seemed to know it.  It was a small ceremony, only family, so should your life-long friends, or just people you now just seem to know, feel slighted that they weren't invited to the ceremony?  I say, "No," but someone else I know says they should have been invited.  I just hope my pledge-bro is happy, and like the heathen I am, I wouldn't have made the ceremony anyways.

-  Should smoking be banned from bars and restaurants, or should you at least voice your objection to people you know whom you wish wouldn't smoke?

-  If you were in a bar, and really, really, really, really, wanted to hear a song, would you drop three bucks into a virtual jukebox to get it to the head of the line. (I have my answer.)

For those of you out there in internet land, if it were up to me I'd like to explain the entire Colonel Sanders story, but if you you really want to know about "Farmers vs. Dudettes in Short Skirts," that story is great, too.  At least if I ever get to it.

In the end, I had a great time this "Holiday Weekend" with friends.  I hope you do/did, too.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:23 PM | Comments (0)

November 25, 2006

Holiday Priorities: Christmas Displays, Website Postings, or Porn and the Computer Industry.

By: The Dude on the Right
I seem to have painted myself into a dilemma corner of prioritizing.  It's early Saturday evening and I've recently gotten back from visiting the old country and an interesting Capon Day holiday.  I would say Turkey Day, but instead of turkey for Thanksgiving, Mom decided to revert to the old days when we always had a capon for Thanksgiving instead of turkey.  Back in those days turkeys tended to come out very dry, or at least I think I remember that is what Mom told us, so we had capon instead. We didn't care that a capon was a castrated rooster, mostly, maybe, because we didn't really know what a capon really was, but it was always tasty and moist, like chicken (duh).  Then, for whatever reason (I guess man perfected the turkey so that when cooked, it was juicy instead of dry), we switched to turkey.  And for the past bunch of years, turkey was the meal, and I always butchered the shit out of it while trying to do my best at carving.  This year my butchering the shit out of the capon was no different than my butchering of our turkeys, although the capon seemed to come out a hell of a lot more greasy than juicy than I remember.

But that's not having anything to do with my dilemma of prioritizing...

My dilemma of prioritizing comes because of things like this:

-  Stu wanted me to take a picture while I was at home, sort of a homework assignment, and instead of one I took a few, all having to do with this picture at the right.  Now I'm supposed to write a blog about my photos.  But when?

-  I would like to get in the Christmas spirit by getting my display and tree put up, but do I do that and sacrifice postings to Entertainment Ave!?

-  I would really like to do some cleaning around the Dude-Pad.

-  I have to do some Christmas shopping.

-  My movie-viewing is all screwed up because of both Thanksgiving Day weekend and this upcoming weekend when some of my friends are having a Christmas Party Weekend.

-  I came up with a blog idea about a funny story at home this past weekend.

-  I also came up with a blog idea about porn and the computer industry, over 25 years old.

-  I also came up with a blog idea about when you play a "bad photo" trump card.

-  I also have some consulting work to do before the end of the year.

-  And Lord knows with everything else getting in the way, I'm wondering when I'm going to find the time to catch up on my TV watching.

-  And, oh yea, I have a blog about how I'm a bad Uncle.

-  And, oh yea again, there are the Chicago Bears to watch.

So many things to do, so little time, and that's not even bringing up the fact of trying to write a review of "The Pick of Destiny," let alone doing a Stu & The Dude Movie Review of the movie, nor I have a couple of new CD's to review.

November and December are so complicated.  I just don't know where to start.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:27 PM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2006

I Hate Halloween. Do You Need Some Peanut Butter Cups?

By: The Dude on the Right
You could say that I never learn, but I think I just like being able to buy a boat-load of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for next to nothing.  It was another Halloween.

Year after year after having moved into my Dude-Pad, I wonder about Halloween and just how many kids I will get visiting my doorstep, dressed in those cute costumes that look so much more comfortable than the ones I had (those plastic masks with the stretchy band holding it on your head had to be the most uncomfortable thing in the world, but as a kid, I didn't care because I was transported into a world all my own.  Anyway, I digress.)  But year after year I buy the Peanut Butter Cups, and year after year, I only get visited by a few kids.  There was, of course, the one year, when the high school crowd crashed our townhouse area and I was able to unload most of my stash, but it felt wrong since none of them were wearing costumes and their "candy bag" usually was a pillow case.  But in that year I was on a diet again, and the last thing I needed were extra Peanut Butter Cups around, so the teenagers were getting three or four at a drop.

Each year I expect an onslaught of kids, especially the year 2004 when Halloween was on a Sunday and I would actually be present for the entire "Trick-or-Treating" period, but even that year the number of visitors was pretty small, and I don't really know what I was expecting, but when I was at my local grocery store the other day, there they were, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup bags, at 2 for $4, so of course, expecting an onslaught of kids, I bought four bags.

Wow, was that an over-calculation.

This year I'm on a diet again.  I've been doing doing pretty well on the exercise side, but the food side has been up and down, and I just want to know:  WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING WHEN I BOUGHT FOUR BAGS OF PEANUT BUTTER CUPS?  Why do I ask that?  Because I had one trick-or-treater visit the Dude-Pad.  He was a little vampire, probably about 7 years old, and thinking about it know I should have given him four bags of Peanut Butter Cups.  No teenagers dressed as teenagers carrying pillow cases I could have unloaded candy to, no college kids Trick or Treating for UNICEF so I could have given them a buck and 5 peanut butter cups.  Nope, I had one little boy show up and now I have pretty much four bags of candy to try not to eat all at one time.

I hate Halloween.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:26 PM | Comments (2)

October 18, 2006

A Trip to the DMV Reminded Me About a Solution for the Elderly, or at Least One Senior Citizen.

By: The Dude on the Right
First let me give a quick disclaimer.  This blog does not relate to all old people, even though the end of the blog groups them all into one category.  For instance, I'm instantly taking my mom and dad out of the suggestion at the end of this blog because, well, they're my mom and dad.  And then there are many of the nice, older folks that I have run into that don't deserve the end fate.  But of anyone deserving of the recommendation of the song I list at the end of this blog, it is the following old person.

I found myself yesterday morning at our local Secretary of State's Office, about fifteenth in line, just as the office opened, to get a license plate renewal taken care of.  It's a simple procedure, but I wanted to get it done early in the day.  There were another half a dozen people behind me in line, all of us patiently waiting our turn, and I was feeling good about life because I probably saved the life of a wayward toad earlier in the morning.

Suddenly this older lady, I would put her maybe early to mid sixties, seemingly fully able-bodied, starts excusing herself through the line, her license renewal slip in her hand.  She excuses herself past me, and I think to myself "Self, maybe her daughter or son got in line early to save her a place in line.  I'll let her slide."  And she kept moving forward, and moving forward, and moving forward, until she found herself at the front of the line, the next to be served.  She then turned, looked back at the rest of us in line, and said, in a squeaky, condescending voice, "I'm a senior citizen."  Then turned back around.

I know there is no way to sound politically correct about this, and I don't give a damn, but this woman, and I don't care how old she was, had absolutely no right to cut in line because she was "a senior citizen."  In my book I'll give you cuts if your aren't able-bodied, but she had no trouble walking, no problem standing in the cashier line, no problem with attitude, and just came off as a bitch, thinking she now deserves the world because she is qualifies for an AARP card.  The dude behind me, upon the hearing the "senior citizen" comment sort of gave a "Huh?," and I turned to him and said "And I'm 39.  Does that mean I can cut in line, too?"  We both chuckled at the audacity of the woman, but in my head, she gave a whole lot of old people a bad name.

And then it hit me, a song I had heard on the Jonathon Brandmeier radio show years ago.

It was a song about old people.  It was a song by No Time.  And the song is simply called "Eat All the Old People."  It's a lovely song about what to do with the elderly people starting to take over the nation.

Now, like I said, I suppose all old people don't deserve the fate of the song, but that older lady just reminded me that at any age, some people think they deserve better than you.  In thinking about it I should have excused myself to the front of the line, excused myself in front of her, turned around, and said "I'm thirty nine."  Then again, she looked like she could have kicked my ass.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:54 PM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2006

My Being a Loser is Going Public, and I'm Done with McDonald's, Now I'm Playing the Lottery!

By: The Dude on the Right
First I have an announcement to make.  After much soul-searching, and trying to attempt this on my own, I have come to the decision that the only shot I have at being a loser is to open myself to the total ridicule of not being able to be one.  With that, if you have been reading my blogs or listening to our podcasts, you know I am obsessed with the TV show "The Biggest Loser," and have been trying to have it inspire me to enter the next phase of my losing weight.  So far the show isn't enough, and so I must take it the world.  For more on this, whether to make fun of me or see if I make any progress, check out my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/thedudeontheright (and be my friend) which is where I will be updating my progress, or just letting everyone know I'm giving up.  I at least hope to get through day one, tomorrow.

On another note, thanks to a Richard Roeper article and in keeping with my next attempt to lose weight, I'm through with the McDonald's Monopoly game.  Just like most everyone else I didn't pay attention to my odds of winning anything cool during the game, although I'm sure there will be a winner or two, here and there, but for the most part, play as you will, and you have an okay chance at a breakfast sandwich with your pull-off tickets, or maybe a ringtone if you also play the online game, but if you are lucky enough to win the $5,000,000 million dollar prize, paid over 20 years at $250,000 per year, you beat the odds, as Mr. Roeper pointed out, and as listed in the official rules for the game, of 1 in 41,497,391,309.  To help you with all of those commas, that is nearly 1 in 41.5 billion.  To put that in a little perspective, and from their websites, your odds of winning the Mega Millions game is only 1 in 175,711,536 (a little under 1 in 176 million), while the Powerball is even a little better at 1 in 146,107,962 (a little over 1 in 146 million).  Don't get me wrong, I love McDonald's and still think you can eat healthy there if you try, but I've probably bought about 10 extra hash browns I didn't need so far this month for my calorie intake ($10 better spent on lottery tickets according to the odds), and a few extra Diet Cokes that fine, didn't add to my waist-line, but did dip into my pocketbook and didn't get me any closer to getting that elusive "Short Line" and "Reading Railroad" to get me retired before the age of 40. 

Have fun pulling off those little game pieces, if you will, but for me I'm done and plan to spend the money I would have spent on hash browns on something I actually have a chance at winning:  The Lottery!  Hopefully it will help me lose weight.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:20 PM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2006

Hating Stu Gotz, Fry's or Mother Nature, The Chicago Bears or Getting Stuff Done.

By: The Dude on the Right
I have to start out this blog by simply saying that I hate Stu Gotz.  Fine, maybe it is really Mama Gotz whom I hate, because she first suggested this, but Stu brought up something in the last couple of weeks that right now, well, it's the last damn thing I need.  Hopefully I'll remember to have it out with Stu on Monday when we do our Weekend Wrap-Up and let the world know why I now hate Stu Gotz.

But I did find something I love today, and it was in a quest for a telephone that I found it, and that is the store Fry's Electronics, or Fry's, or whatever the hell it is really called.  All I know is I planned on going for a walk today, on a warm, fall day, in the Forest Preserve near the Dude-Pad, where the fall weather is bringing beautiful colors to the leaves, but instead I found myself in a different kind of heaven, where I was able to find a battery for the stylus of my Palm Pilot, a new phone for a client, the DVD of "Thank You for Smoking," and had I already won the McDonald's Monopoly game, there would have been a whole lot of more spendin' going on.  But I held back, didn't buy the HD TV I've been looking for, nor the combination bread-bagel toaster that also cooks an egg, nor the refrigerator with the TV in it, nor the CB antenna that I don't really need right now, but as my Dad always says, "It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."  Fry's is a store all about that quote.

Oddly enough going to Fry's and walking around for over an hour went totally against my movie viewing, although I did get the exercise I wanted.  Heading to the theater this morning I intended to see "The Departed," you know, the Martin Scorsese flick which is getting a lot of critical acclaim, but the running time was over two hours.  This being one of the last, warmer weekends here in Dude-Town, I said to myself, "Self, what a waste to spend so much time in a movie theater when you could be out enjoying Mother Nature!"  So I opted to see "Employee of the Month" today to cut my time stuck indoors.  Then I went to Fry's and spent the afternoon, well, you get the point.  So much for Mother Nature, but I did see some fantastic TVs that would look great in my living room, or my bedroom, or my office, oh hell, they've got a butt-load of TV's for every room, and some of them even had Mother Nature scenes playing, so my getting out in the open air wasn't a total loss, even without seeing the beautiful colors of the leaves.

Now, as much as my screwing up seeing Mother Nature today happened, tomorrow brings future dilemmas because I am behind on my animating of our next episode of "Stu & The Dude Reviewin' the Movies for You," that being "Jackass Number Two," would like to see "The Departed" and write a review for that movie, have seen "Employee of the Month" and have to write a review for it, have a good twenty movie previews to type, want to review the new X-Men DVD I have and the "Thank You for Smoking" DVD I picked up today, and the Dude-Pad could really use a good, fall, cleaning to get me to spring.  And to top it all off, The Chicago Bears play tomorrow, trying to keep their undefeated season in tact, and to top it on top of that, I still need to catch last week's episode of "The Biggest Loser" which might hopefully get me inspired to quit playing the McDonald's Monopoly game.

So many things to do, and there never seems to be enough time, and with tomorrow being probably one of the last, nice, weekend days to get out of the house, how the hell do I figure out what to do?  It was easy in college, we would just go up on the roof and get a suntan and drink maybe one or two beers.  It sucks being older.

And to top all of that I had a dream the other night involving a good friend of mine whom I've known for just about forever, where in the dream she kept kicking me in the ass to get shit done that I haven't gotten done yet.  I suppose I should just listen to her and get shit done and quit complaining about it.

This Dude's life is so complicated.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:58 PM | Comments (0)

October 1, 2006

The Folks at McDonald's are Psychic or They Hate Me.

By: The Dude on the Right
Either the folks at McDonald's are psychic, or they just hate me.  Here's why...

It's Sunday morning and I am reading my morning newspaper.  There isn't anything totally exciting in the newspaper, then again, there usually isn't, but I still enjoy, even in this digital age, reading the newspaper.  So I finish the news portion of the paper, and now it's time to peruse the bundle of ads to find stuff I don't really need that's on sale.  Nothing at Circuit City, nothing at Meijer, nothing at the furniture stores, and there it was, the Best Buy ad.  I know, right now you're wondering what the hell a Best Buy ad has to do with the people at McDonald's hating me or being psychic?

Well, it seems Best Buy has once again teamed up with McDonald's, and there, in the Best Buy flyer, was the announcement that the Monopoly game is starting up again at McDonald's come October 3rd.  Even though I have never won anything cool during McDonald's Monopoly promotion, there is a sense of excitement pulling those little pieces off of the hash brown wrapper, off of the fries' box, or off of my large Diet Coke.  What will it be?  Will I be an instant winner of maybe a breakfast sandwich?  Better yet, maybe I'll win a cool prize instantly.  Better yet, the excitement of wondering if this will be the piece that completes my trilogy of Pacific, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania Avenues.  My game board becomes filled, usually with that one elusive piece that makes me a big winner missing for each block of properties.

I love the McDonald's Monopoly game, and here is why I know they hate me, or might be psychic.

I'm watching "The Biggest Loser" last Wednesday and decide it is time to start my diet plan and actually do some exercising.  But being the procrastinator I am, and with the weekend coming up, I look at the calendar and decide that October 1st would be the perfect day to start.  I could eat a little crappy on Saturday, a nice steak with a big ol' baked potato smothered with butter and sour cream, but then go grocery shopping on Sunday for nothing but healthy food and start hitting that exercise bike on Monday morning.  It was a perfect plan up until Sunday morning when I saw that damn Best Buy ad.

Now what the hell am I supposed to do?

I love the McDonald's Monopoly game, but still want to be a big loser, and herein lies the true dilemma.  If I skip the dieting and play the McDonald's game I'll probably be a big loser, and if I don't play the game and eat healthy and exercise during October, I'll be a big loser.  Now I just have to decide which way I really want to be a bigger loser.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:17 PM | Comments (0)

September 2, 2006

You Can't Get What You Paid For, You Can't Get Underwear, and You Can't Watch What You Want on TV.

By: The Dude on the Right
By blog accounts, this one is long, but damn it's exciting.  Almost as exciting as my day.  Let's get to it...

So, I had an exciting day planned.  First I figured I would catch a movie, and I did.  It was the movie "Crank," and the review should be posted tomorrow (quick hint - stupid fun, with some quality kills and gratuitous nudity).  Then I planned on getting the dude-mobile washed, and I did that, too.  I also needed to buy some new underwear.  Man, what an exciting day.

But two other things became of interest to me as the day went on.  One deals with an always sore subject with me, and that is the FCC and their messed up "censorship" guidelines.  The second is I can see why a major retailer might be losing some customers.

First off, and maybe you never paid attention, nor thought it would affect you, but thanks to our government raising the fines on what five people decide is indecent, CBS stations across the country are having to make a decision if they should air "9/11," a documentary, because of some of the language and content in the program.  Yup, thanks to the moniker of "saving the children," five years after the 9/11 attacks, television stations are having to worry a lot more about anything they might put on your TV, many times, now, because of "back-door censorship" by the government, rather than if the show just sucks.  Me, I find it sort of sad that when kids ask why other people hate the United States enough to crash planes into our buildings, a lot of times we tell them it's because those people don't like the freedoms we have.  Yet at this anniversary of the 9/11 attacks a lot of you won't have the freedom to decide if you want to watch a gripping documentary about that day.  Thank you Senators, House Representatives, and President Bush for raising the fine.  And, oh yea, thank you also to the five people at the FCC who decide, for all of us, what is indecent.

On another note, if the folks at Sears find they are losing customers, they might be right.  I know today they lost one for sure, and probably a second.  Carson Pirie Scott, on the other hand, just gained a new one.

First, why I'm done with Sears.

Me being a dude, you can probably guess the state of my boxers as I went to the local mall in search of some new ones.  First stop - JCPenney.  I've always had decent luck shopping there for clothes, but their Labor Day sale on underwear, and the disarray of the display, left slim pickin's for this dude.  I had three other shopping options for underwear:  Sears, Marshall Field's (now almost Macy's), and Carson Pirie Scott.  Figuring Sears would be the better frugal choice, I cruised around the mall and found myself in their men's underwear section.  They didn't have the brand I was looking for, but the Hanes' stuff was on sale and even though their display was also in disarray, I was able to find enough in the size and color I like to replenish my boxer drawer.  Now I have to preface this a tad because I was already a little perturbed at Sears because of my mother's latest dealing with them (more on that later), but under the assumption that shopping at Sears would save me a few bucks, I was sticking with my underwear purchase there.  That was until I tried to pay for them.

I head for the first cashier area where no one seemed to be working, but people in line seeming to hope someone would show up.  So I head around the corner and down the aisle to the next cashier area, only to find a line of five people and the cashier just getting on the PA system asking for a manager.  I ain't got time to wait for that.  So I head to the next cashier area.  One cashier and this time about ten people in line (granted by this time I found myself in the women's clothing area, where I did find it odd that the men's restroom was there, behind the lingerie display, but being in the women's area, I thought it might be busy), and I headed to the last cashier area on the floor.  Again, one cashier.  Again, ten people in line, and already being upset at Sears, deciding my underwear purchase, no matter the state of my current ones, didn't warrant waiting that long in line.  Being the nice guy I am, I did put the boxers back in the underwear display, but I was still without new underwear to buy, and rather than shop at Marshall Field's, the Chicago institution it is, soon to be named Macy's by the Macy's people, I took a protest of my own against the name change and said to myself, "Self, what the hell, let's give Carson's a shot."

So I cruised around the mall a bit more, and I almost stopped at Radio Shack, and no, not for underwear, but no one else was in the store and I didn't want to be pestered by the sale's folks there, so I took a pass.  I'm sorry, I digress.  Back to Carson Pirie Scott.  Walking to the men's clothing area, there, in the middle of one of the aisles, was a well organized display of the Jockey underwear I was originally looking for.  And you know what?  They were on sale.  At this point they were still a little more expensive than if JCPenney's had had them, and Sears still had the best price of all with the Hanes, but I really needed the boxers so I figured I would suck-up the extra couple of bucks.  I head to the cashier area, staffed with two cashiers and only one person in line, they finish their transaction, I put my underwear on the counter, and on top of the savings I was getting from them just being on sale, the sale's associate seemed to scan a coupon that I didn't have.  Suddenly my underwear purchase was cheaper than both JCPenney and Sears, and with that, Carson Pirie Scott has gained a new customer, and combined with the following, I will find it hard for me to return to Sears.

The other customer that Sears may have lost is my mother, and this blog is already too long, so I'll save her complete story for another blog.  To put it simply right now, I took her to Sears to get a new microwave a little while ago, a KitchenAid (Mom likes KitchenAid).  It was a special order, and the Sears' folks were also hired to install it.  The install folks came, put in a microwave, and Mom was initially happy, only something didn't seem right, her spices fit between the microwave and the top of the stove.  Eventually Mom figured out that it wasn't the microwave she paid for (sadly, it was a lesser microwave).  The Sears' folks did refund my Mom her money, correcting for the microwave that was installed, but from what Mom tells me, the salesperson who handled the refund, rather than taking any responsibility, told my brother (he took care of getting things straight), that the KitchenAid people must have shipped the wrong microwave.  The more I think about it, that excuse seems like a quick copout, and it is also burning up my Mom because she feels the same way. 

Anyway, more on Mom's microwave during a later blog, otherwise this blog might go on forever, especially if I get into another tangent about the cool fountain at the mall, why I was thinking of heading into Radio Shack, and my experience at the car wash.

So Sears, sorry, but I'm not planning on shopping with you anymore, and I have a feeling my Mom might be done with you also.  Carson Pirie Scott, the next time I'm looking for clothes, I think I'll stop by your store first.  For a sale, you're not as expensive as I assumed you were.

Sometimes you can't seem to find the underwear you want, sometimes you can't seem to get the microwave you paid for, and sometimes you don't have the freedom to watch what you want on TV.  What a wonderful world.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:01 PM | Comments (0)

August 27, 2006

I Drive Myself Crazy, I Saw "Beerfest," and I Remember Some Things about College.

By: The Dude on the Right
Sometimes I drive myself nuts.  Case in point was this morning.

So this morning I got up a little later than normal because I was up the night before a little later than normal.  Driving to get my #2 breakfast with a large Diet Coke for $4.04, I was debating on seeing another movie today, namely "Invincible," or skipping the film, even though I did want to see it, and use the extra time to working on the animation for our next "Stu & The Dude" episode of "Snakes on a Plane."  My decision was to skip the movie.  So I got back home, reading my Sunday paper and enjoying my breakfast, with "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" on the TV.  I finish reading the paper, breakfast was done, but there I sat, on my couch, missing a new movie and spending most of the time I should have been animating by watching Harry Potter get his ass kicked by the Dementors.  Needless to say our "Snakes on a Plane" review isn't done yet.

But I did see "Beerfest," and it was okay, pretty much most of what I expected, although it did have one flaw because anyone who has tried to drink out of a yard glass would know that the secret to "Das Boot" is rotating the glass, or so I'm told.  The movie also had me recall some college memories where I was a kickass "Thumper" player.  There are a couple of secrets to being a kickass "Thumper" player, but those will rest me me.  I was never good at the chugging thing, couldn't open my throat, and I preferred to consider myself a distance drinker, able to just hang out on the roof of the fraternity house waiting for the sun to rise.  I suppose being good at drinking games is good in one respect, because you don't get as drunk, but being good at drinking games is bad in another respect, because you don't get as drunk, which is really the goal of most drinking games.  What a dilemma.  In Kamikaze Checkers, however, there is no winner, although it does lead to laughing your ass off when it precedes Jesse Jackson reading "Green Eggs and Ham" during Saturday Night Live, or so I'm also told.

Well, enough reminiscing and probably giving my mom some chest pains about my college days, it's back to some animating and watching the Emmy Awards.

Thanks for reading!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:10 PM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2006

My Singing a Song, My New Kids, and is "Criticize" a Synonym for "Lynch?"

By: The Dude on the Right
Just a couple of quick things to blog about while I take a break from animating our "Snakes on a Plane" review...

If you listened to my latest podcast you already know about my latest dilemma, but in case you didn't listen, I wrote what I think is a cute parody song concerning the demise of Pluto, but right now it isn't the criticism of the funniness of the song that is stopping me from recording it, but the making fun of my singing by everyone in internet-land, especially by those of my immediate family.  I suppose I should just suck it up since I know I'm no Pavarotti, or even Weird Al.  We'll see how the weekend goes if "The Dude on the Right's" singing debut goes public.

It was also an exciting week in The Dude household as I'm a new dad (sorry mom for telling you this way)!  Ever since Bill's passing last December, my other two "kids," Steve and Ashley, just haven't been the same.  I think they are too young to understand the concept of death, but they seemed to always sense that someone was missing from their home.  And so, needing a replenishment of snails and crabs, and since my fish tank seems to have stabilized after my last cleaning debacle, I decided it was time for Steve and Ashley to get some new siblings.  I could have replaced Bill with another Bill, but decided on something different on the swimming side, and also added a couple of starfish.  I'm trying not to get too attached to them right now, waiting to make sure they end up nicely adapting to their new home before dying on me, and so they don't have names yet, although one of them is close to being called either Bam, Betty, or Becky.  I don't have pictures yet, either, because they are still kinda skittish about coming out in the open.  One of the starfish, as it is want to do, also just likes to bury itself in the sand, so my only hint it is still alive is that the sand looks to move.  More on my growing family at a later date.

And finally, I don't want to give my commentary on this right now, other than I found it interesting and odd, but one of the sport's talk radio stations pointed out something very interesting about a quote by Cubs' Manager Dusty Baker as printed in the Chicago Tribune.  I'm listening to "The Boers and Bernstein Show" on The Score here in Chicago yesterday, and they pointed out that while Dusty was discussing pitch counts, the Tribune wrote "Baker pointed to Greg Maddux's high pitch counts early in his career, claiming Maddux had thrown 167 pitches in one start.  'If I left somebody out there 167 pitches, you'd [criticize] me,' Baker said."  You might be saying something like "Fine, so Dusty might have said something like "shit all over me" and the Tribune decided to replace that phrase, in brackets so you knew it wasn't exactly what Dusty said, with "criticize."  Only the boys at The Score played the tape of the interview and what Dusty Baker actually said was "If I left somebody out there 167 pitches, you'd lynch me."

Boers and Bernstein weren't criticizing Dusty Baker's choice of words, they actually had their reasoning for Dusty's using the word "lynch."  Nope, they wondered why the Chicago Tribune, who own the Chicago Cubs, would seem to decide to replace an inflammatory word with one not so inflammatory?  My question is simply in what thesaurus can you find "criticize" as an appropriate replacement for "lynch?"  Nothing in my mind, nor my online source, www.thesaurus.com, comes close.

Anyway, back to animating!  Thanks for reading!

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:38 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2006

What's New? Rude People in Lorain, OH, Artie Lange in Lorain, and Elvis is Dead.

For this podcast, The Dude on the Right laments about some rude people he has found in his hometown of Lorain, Ohio, is sort of sad he went home last weekend and not the weekend of September 9th when Artie Lange from The Howard Stern Show is actually doing his stand-up comedy act in his hometown. He is also an Elvis person, and he wants to give away a golf shirt.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:23 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2006

My Hometown Slogan Should Be: Visit Lorain - It's Like Driving on the Moon!

By: The Dude on the Right
So here it is, Sunday morning in beautiful Lorain, OH, and sure, I should probably be at church or something like that, but “Cocoon” is on the basic cable that my parents subscribe to and I just can’t seem to break away.  Here on an extended weekend to visit the parents, I have found out a few things about my hometown.  First, it seems to have corruption just like Chicago, yet nowhere near the same scale.  I have also found that there seem to be many folks who really don't respect people in wheelchairs, let alone elderly people in wheelchairs.  I know this isn't indicative of all people in the Lorain area, at least I hope not, but I did find it a tad shocking.  I suppose I'll explain more either when I talk to Stu during our weekend wrap-up podcast, or save the specifics for a later blog. 

Lorain also seemed to always have a thing for building their streets out of concrete, instead of concrete with an asphalt surface, and that concrete road is great when the roads are first put in, but not so great 10 to 30 years later when the City doesn't have the money to rebuild the roads, the concrete crumbles, and the patchwork fixes makes it seem like you are driving on the moon.  Mom tells me that a few years ago there were plans to try to set up a roadway fund by making owners of registered vehicles pay for a "City Sticker," much like Chicago and tons of other cities do, but one of the ex-mayors, an older dude, rallied many of the other older folks to defeat the measure (the sticker was supposed to cost like a whole 5 to 10 bucks).  I hope those older folks are happy as they bounce around in their Buick's with suspensions that need a hell of a lot more work than the original 5 or 10 bucks it would have cost them for the sticker.

But enough complaining about Lorain.  It's a great city, really, and would have had the potential to be even greater if the damn horse track and religious nuts long ago hadn't rallied to defeat a measure to put a casino in downtown Lorain.  I would have gladly gone there this weekend and lost a few bucks which might have helped pay for the repair of a sewer catch basin collapse in front of my parent's house that hasn't been fixed in years.

Anyway, although I haven't been able to catch a new movie this weekend (and there weren't many I was excited about anyway), I have been able to catch up on writing all of my movie previews, so those should be posted shortly, and watch a lot of baseball, golf, "Jeopardy," and "Wheel of Fortune."  As much as Mom always says, when I'm sitting our living room, to watch what I want I want, I know she doesn't really mean it.  She really means "Watch something that I'll also want to watch."  Since mom likes baseball, golf, "Jeopardy," and "Wheel of Fortune," that's what I want to watch.

In any case, as much as it is nice to be home, it is always a little weird, and sometimes makes me sad, because Lorain has such potential to be a great town, with its river and lakefront location, but sadly they seem to keep shooting themselves in the foot when it seems they have a chance to take a step forward, and can't even seem to get the corruption to turn the city around, either.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

August 8, 2006

Another Haircut, and More Dilemmas. And Is He Gay?

By: The Dude on the Right
If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you might remember that about 2 1/2 months ago I got a haircut that had gone wrong.  I finished that blog with...

As much as "Piercing Girl" is nice on the eyes, I'm thinking it might be nice to talk with Vita again, who's also nice on the eyes, and give her my family update, and see how hers is doing as well.  With getting a haircut from Vita I've got to plan a little bit better in getting said haircut in a little bit better fashion, but I know what I'll get - A decent haircut and comfortable conversation, and isn't that what we are always looking for?  But then again I might just be to lazy and pray I get Piercing Girl the next time around.

Sometimes I'm such an idiot.  Happy Haircutting! ...

It had finally come time for another haircut, which had I actually planned properly I would have made an appointment a couple of weeks ago, and I would have given Vita a call and been able to schedule a decent haircut with comfortable conversation.  But no, I am, sometimes, such an idiot, so with the haircut necessity pressing, I now had a different set of dilemmas.  My first dilemma:  Go back to the same haircut chain place, pray "I've Got Better Tools Girl" isn't there, and I get "Piercing Girl" again.  My other dilemma was that I would get "Perfect Haircut Girl," she would comment about how bad my last haircut was, and I would have to rat out "I've Got Better Tools Girl."  Dilemmas continue:  What if "I've Got Better Tools Girl" is also there, and I get either "Perfect Haircut Girl" or "Piercing Girl," and they asked me who butchered my hair the last time?  Do I rat out "I've Got Better Tools Girl" right in front of her?  And if I did, how would that make the person feel currently sitting in "I've Got Better Tools Girl"'s chair?  So you know what I did?  I went to the same haircut chain, but at a different location, because it was also on my way home, and now I'm just left with one question - Is "Getting Easily Lost Dude" gay?

I walk in the door and the there are two, cute, dudette hair stylists, working on a couple of high school girl's hair, and a dude cutting a little dude's hair.  I have to wait a bit, but it is pretty obvious I'm going to get the dude to cut my hair, and I start to wonder, especially since I had to sit in a chair that had signage blocking the dudettes and I could only see the dude, if he was gay.  I say this because he seemed to have many mannerisms which gay men seem to have, and the "clip-clopping" flip-flops didn't seem to help.  But then I also thought, especially after my last haircut, and seeing the nice job he did on the little dude in the chair, that gay or straight, all this dude seems to want to do is give a decent haircut.  And thanks to "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy," maybe a gay dude cutting your hair does pay a little more attention to making your hair look good rather than some of the old "barbers" who used to cut my hair when I was a youngin', and seemed to think that no matter what age you were, a "bowl cut" was always in style.

So I get in the haircut chair, and for whatever reason, I still wonder if he is gay or not, and then I notice a wedding ring.  Now I'm wondering about the woman who would marry a dude, with him wanting to be a haircut dude, working for a national chain which I'm sure probably doesn't pay that much, and standing by her man.  Then he mentions what he has a house, and is pissed off about the heat wave we have recently had in the Chicagoland area because he has constantly been having to run his air-conditioning.  His small talk also mentions his getting lost with some friends coming back from a wedding in the town I live in, hence the "Getting Easily Lost Dude" moniker I have given him, because, and knowing where he said he was at the time, it's not that easy to get lost.  All the while he seems to be doing a decent job on cutting my hair.

Gay or straight, the "Getting Easily Lost Dude" gave me an okay haircut, seemed to have fixed some of the disasters I have been dealing with since "I've Got Better Tools Girl" cut my hair, but still messed up on cleaning up my sideburns.  I will say it again, "How fucking hard is it to use that clipper thing and keep the sideburns, or in my case, my lack of them, straight!"

I should pledge that for my next haircut I will call Vita with an early enough warning so I can get my expected "decent haircut with comfortable conversation."  She would probably love my stories about getting my hairs cut at these couple of chain places, and the dilemmas I have faced.  But then again, "Getting Easily Lost Dude" didn't do that bad of a job.  Now I have three haircut dilemmas:  Call Vita early enough to get a decent haircut with comfortable conversation.  Go back to the previous national chain location and hope I get "Piercing Girl" with her nice assets.  And finally, go back to the recent national chain and hope I get "Getting Easily Lost Dude" because he did seem to do a decent job on my hair.

I make my life so complicated sometimes.  And this this time it is about getting a haircut.  I am such an idiot.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:39 PM | Comments (0)

August 6, 2006

A MySpace Page, and Wondering Why.

By: The Dude on the Right
I did it.  I knew I would because I'm crazy like that some times, but I did it.  I made a MySpace page.  So there I am, at www.myspace.com/thedudeontheright, and I don't really know why.  I even wrote that for my first blog entry over there, because, well, I have a blog here, why do I need a blog there?  I suppose I made it just to have a MySpace page, but I think I also did it as a sort of promotional tool to maybe drive an extra person or two over here to Entertainment Ave!

It was interesting setting up the page because you start to analyze things you want made public, and as a computer nerd, it also re-introduced me to CSS coding, although I haven't utilized any of it yet because at this time it was just enough to get the page done, add some photos, and hope it's not to dorky.  I also found many sites out there that will automatically generate the coding needed to change the layout and color scheme of the page.  Part of that seems like cheating, especially when I would actually like to expand my CSS coding knowledge, but in the end, I'll probably use one of those sites and cheat, knowing that by analyzing how the coding gets manipulated, it will actually help my learning it.  Alright, enough technical workshopping.  If you have a MySpace page, right now I'm looking for friends.  I got two requests to be a friend this morning, one was from some girl with a naked photo of herself on the page, and and the other with a page that had absolutely nothing on it about the person, just looking like she was trolling for friends.  I was going to add the naked girl, but then realized her photo would end up on my "Friend's" list, and felt like adding nudity at this time wouldn't be a good start.

In any case, I'm ready for the bashing I might take from my niece and nephew for the page, but so be it.  I'll survive.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:21 PM | Comments (0)

August 3, 2006

What's New? Setting Up a MySpace Page Leads to Lots of Dilemmas, and Some WKRP Reminiscing.

For this podcast, The Dude on the Right has many dilemmas about starting his MySpace page, and doesn't really solicit any help, he just doesn't want to look like a total dork when he finally gets his page posted. The Dude also had a laugh at a YouTube clip of the TV show WKRP. Did you know that turkeys don't, well, you'll have to listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2006

The Body and The Mind are at Two Different Ages.

By: The Dude on the Right
I don't know why, but for all of my life I have liked high school-themed films.  They can be the one's geared at the dudes, the one's geared for the dudettes, or those geared for everyone.  So I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised when this morning came around and as I was deciding whether to see "Scoop," the Woody Allen movie, or "John Tucker Must Die," the high school movie, I opted for seeing if John Tucker would find an untimely demise.  I have to admit that I feel kind of silly, and I'm sure I get some weird looks, going to the local gigaplex box office, alone, and asking "One for 'John Tucker Must Die' please."  But there I sat, in the theater, myself, about ten, teen girls, and a mom.  I got some of the jokes the girls didn't, the girls got some of the jokes I didn't, so I guess it worked for all of us on some level.

And as much as going to see the "John Tucker" film sort of made me feel old, it was seeing the Chicago Cubs game on Friday that again reminded me that those days of college are way behind me.  Sure, it was like 93 degrees, sun blazing down, and humid, but back in those college days, drinking water at a ballgame never even came around as a little bit of a thought.  Granted I don't think they were even selling bottled water back then, but in those days, even with the heat, it was all about beer.  Sure, I was driving home from this Cubs' game, so drinking a lot of beer wasn't an option, but even after having the few I had before the game, and one at the ballpark, all I wanted was water, and lots of it.  So there you have it - I think my body has officially decided it has grown-up, but I suppose my mind and sense of humor have a long way to follow, especially choosing a high school flick over a Woody Allen movie, even if the Woody Allen flick did have Scarlett Johansson in it, whom I want to stalk.  I guess I'm kinda hoping my mind never catches up with my body.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:05 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2006

What's New? Missing Carmina Burana, Four Movies in Two Days, Trapped in a Closet, and My Niece Needs Sensitivity Training.

For this podcast, The Dude on the Right is disappointed at missing a classical music concert, is trying to see four movies in two days, laughed during "Trapped in the Closet," and gets a little teary knowing his niece needs sensitivity training.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:42 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2006

Our President Might Have Lost a Year's Pay.

By: The Dude on the Right
Much of my life is about dilemmas, or at least the dilemmas I personally create in my life.  My latest dilemma is coming up in trying to see four new movies opening this weekend in a span of two days.  If I accomplish this feat I will have spent a lot of time sitting on my ass between seeing the movies, driving to the theater, and writing my reviews.  Man, my dilemma's are tough.  But what kind of dilemma would the FCC have found themselves in if our Congress had passed the original version of the "Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act," President Bush had signed it, and our networks were covering said President Bush's attendance at the G8 summit lunch, live, with his discussion with British Prime Minister Tony Blair being aired with an open microphone, and, well, President Bush saying the word "Shit."

The original version of the "Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act" looked for a two-fold fine - One against the company who aired it, and the other against the person who said it.  Congress, later, removed the portion fining the individual (although some companies seem to be trying to make individuals sign agreements saying that if there is a fine levied, the individual will have to pay the company back, but that's another story for another time. I'm sorry, I digress), but Congress did raise the fine to something like $325,000 with some kind of cap.  But if that original bill went through the process of "I'm just a bill, Yes, I'm only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill," to "He signed you Bill!  Now you're a law!", right now The President of the United States should be faced with a fine nearly wiping out one year of his salary.

For me, I don't know if that is irony, or a bummer.  I seem to get those things confused ever since that Alanis Morrisette song, because I think all of her ironies are actually bummers, but in this case, would the FCC actually, under that original version, fine "The President of the United States?"  The second question is this:  Even if the Big Four Broadcasters, over the open airwaves, namely CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX, had been airing that luncheon, live, without delay, because, well, who would assume that the S-Bomb would be aired at this summit, and they let the "shit" word fly, would they all be subject to a fine, in all of their markets, if I set up a campaign of complaints via e-mail?

I've written a few blogs about my thoughts on the FCC and what their role in indecency should be, and my thought is that they should have no authority over indecency because the airwaves regulate themselves, via their ratings and their advertisers.  But right now had Congress approved that first proposal, and President Bush signed it into law, our President might be out nearly a year's pay.

How fucked up is that?  And do any of our lawmakers actually realize this?

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:23 PM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2006

It's Hot Out Here, but Maybe We Lost Our Ability to Adapt, or Just Don't Give a Damn About Our Neighbors.

By: The Dude on the Right
It's hot here this weekend in the Chicago area, so of course all of the local news stories are about drinking a lot of fluids, checking on the elderly, and creative ways to beat the heat.  Some try to blame global warming, and I'm not dismissing the notion of global warming because I do think we are messing up our environment, but for the most part, lost in all of these stories, is the fact that there have always been hot spells from time to time, but maybe we have just lost our ability to adapt as the weather changes,  maybe lost some of our connection as family because we no longer necessarily live near our loved ones, and we also no longer really give a damn about our neighbors.  I for one thank, I mean blame, one man for this, and his name is Willis Carrier, and he is considered the man who invented air conditioning.

There was a time, and I don't remember it, when air conditioning in your home, in your car, at work, at the store, didn't exist.  You didn't live your life to be at a comfortable 70ish degrees, you adapted as the temperature outside got higher.  You learned how to get a breeze through your house when it worked to your advantage, you kept the windows closed for a time because the coolness of the night was still trapped inside.  But your body knew things were getting warmer, because, well, it had been doing so in the weeks leading up to a hot spell, it didn't have the benefit of getting out of the heat for most of the day, and you adapted.  And if you were older, your kids probably lived nearby.  Nearby so much that they, or at least your grandkids, stopped by to say "Hi Grandma!" at least once a day.  And when they did, and Grandma didn't have her fan on, they would say, as kids are want to say, "Grandma, can we put on the fan?"  And when they also came over Grandma would offer them something to drink, probably lemonade, and you know what, Grandma would have one, too.  Getting the elderly to put on a fan and have something extra to drink were done because we were close enough to visit.  Everyday.

And you also probably knew your neighbors because, in a worst case scenario, at the end of the day, when it was cooler outside of the house rather than inside the house, you went outside, and constantly reunited with your neighbors.  And back then, neighbors always being nosey yet still being friendly, they would wonder why "Mrs. Thompson" hasn't come out of her house yet, and would actually go over to her house, knock on the door, and politely ask, in that nosey kind of way "Emma, are you all right in there?"  If Emma didn't answer, well, her door wasn't locked, and they might find her crying in the kitchen because her husband..., well, in any case, they would get her outside of the house, into the cooler night air, and not to get her out of the stifling hot house, but to just get her out of the house.

This is how I, a Dude who doesn't know life without air conditioning, sort of sees how lots of people in your city didn't die because of the heat, because, back then, I bet it wasn't news that told you to keep cool.  You just learned to adapt, and you either had children or grandkids close enough to visit, or at least neighbors who cared to do the same.  And you always had some lemonade and stoop to sit on in some cooler night air.

And as much as I like to think of those simpler times, thank you Willis Carrier, because it was 100 degrees here outside the dude-pad today, but inside it was nicely in the 70's.  And I even picked up some lemonade at the grocery store because, well, it's summer, and what is summer without lemonade?  And you know what, maybe I should get to know my neighbors?

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:09 PM | Comments (0)

July 8, 2006

The Dude on the Right is Back to Wondering About his History.

By: The Dude on the Right
This past week or so something came back up in my life that I would really like to research, really would like to find out the answers to, and would really like to figure out a great way to document things, both the good and the bad, but sadly the time to find these things are slipping away.  It's my Dude genealogy.  I got into it a bunch of years back, but it started again over the 4th of July weekend, when I was starting to clean the Dude-Pad, and I found a place to hang some older paintings of some of my elders that would actually sort of work in the decorative scheme of my Dude-Pad.  I was pretty sure the one picture was of my Grandma, but didn't really know who the other dude was.  So I e-mailed my mother, and for the photo to the right I was able to confirm that the painting of the girl was my Grandma, at age 16, and that the painting of the dude is my Great Uncle Edward.  From my Mom's memory, he died in World War I, was declared missing, then my Great-Great Grandma went to France to see what is his grave.  I have never known the man, but we are related, and thanks to my Mom, I have a story to tell about him, the man in the painting.  And that's the thing we seem to miss about our ancestors, accurate stories to tell.

The sort of bummer side of this is that my Grandma always had stories to tell, and I was a lot younger at the time, so most of them are in fragments.  I remember her stories about her coming over on a boat, and the boat had trouble getting here, and still remember that she made the best toast, with the pat of butter that didn't melt so when you got to the middle of the toast you got squished bread with a big pat of butter.  My Grandma aside, in the grand scheme of things, my mother had a plan to record our history, especially since this was the donning of the age of cassette tapes:  Visit Grandma and let her record her stories.  But my Grandma was not really one for technology, didn't want to "tell her stories to a tape recorder," and for most of the times, unless those memories pop up for whatever reason, most of her stories are lost.  As I'm writing this blog, two of her stories pop back into my head, and they are two of my favorites, never to be forgotten, but my dilemma in this blog is how to start to record these things I find, or remember, and try to find the best way to document them.  And now my self-diagnosed OCD kicks in because as much as we don't want to admit it, all of our families are fascinating, from the good to the bad, and in this day and age, when we can easily record our history, we still forget to.

71ish years ago a woman named Miss Burrell put a simple quote in an autograph book of my Aunt's.  Back then, girls kept autograph books, and my Aunt had a book, which I now have.  The quote was this:  Happiness is an excellent remedy and keeps people in better health than any other medicine.  I don't know where Miss Burrell got this quote, or whether she made it up on her own, but it's a quote that still fits with life today.  The autograph book I have isn't that big, but it is filled with lots of other quotes, sayings, things, that shouldn't be lost.  And as I hold it, it is at least 71ish years old.

And as my OCD continues to kick in, the oldest thing that I know I have is a silver dollar coin from 1878.  It's not worth much money because most of all of it is worn, but the date is there, a mere 13 years after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.  My Grandma on my Mom's side was born a mere 20 years after that coin.  And I'm not even going to get into my Dad's side right now because otherwise this blog will get really too long.

I guess I got sort of melancholy over the last weekend, but realized again that all of our lives are fascinating, and should be shared, to at least our families, and it shouldn't just be the good, but it should also be the bad, so that we can, and our siblings can, know where we come from, and learn.  I guess I'm such a dork sometimes.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)

July 3, 2006

What's New? A Podcast of: Mascots Gone Wild, PG-13 and the "F" Bomb, Aggravation at the Post Office, and a Treasure Chest for My Sister.

For this podcast, The Dude on the Right wonders about team mascots, is still looking for a PG-13 movie with 2 "F" Bombs, hopes he doesn't get old like a dude at the Post Office, and prays his sister doesn't find a treasure chest of information that would ruin his life forever.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)

June 30, 2006

Still Inept at Your Job After a Couple of Years.

By: The Dude on the Right
Sometimes I wonder how some people still have their jobs.  No, wait, I suppose that's really not it.  I suppose I wonder how, after years at being on a job, they still seem like they are new on the job, and they also still have their job yet their hygiene leaves a lot to be desired.  My case in point is a dude who works at a local grocery store, manning the register in the liquor department.

Every now and then I am want to purchase some liquor, and there have been two, regular, check-out folks who have been working the register for years.  One is this nice, older lady.  She doesn't remember your name, but she does remember your face, and is always there with a "Hello" and a "How are your today?"  She is also able to run people through the line like nobody's business.  Scan, bag, scan, bag, scan, bag, scan, sticker, scan frequent shopper card, punch the right buttons, and you're out the door.

The other is this middle-aged dude where if the line is just two people deep you might as well hoof it to the normal check-out lines because your trip will probably be quicker.

And somehow, after working for years in the checkout lane and stocking shelves in the same liquor department, he still has a job, still hasn't seemed to figure out how it works, and well, taking pride in one's appearance doesn't seem to apply.

Here's what I'm talking about:

First off the dude is way fat.  Don't get me wrong, I need to lose some weight as well, and even some of the most obese people can at least be one with their obese selves and make it work for them.  Not this dude, he is pretty much, for no better term, a fat slob.  He is also sort of surly, never greets you with a smile, and doesn't seem to know how to wash his clothes, or at least to know when it's finally been too many days wearing the same shirt.  He also doesn't seem to remember anyone who comes through the line, because as much as I've seen him over the years, he still doesn't seem to recognize me.  But I can get past the initial gross-ness issue of the dude, what really blows my mind is after all of these years the dude still doesn't seem to be able to put together how all of this technology works, even though he also helps stocks the shelves in the liquor department.  In front of me is a wine person, with a dozen bottles of wine.  For every bottle, even if they are multiples of the same bottles of wine, check-out dude looks to find the bar-code before running it over the scanner.  Yes, that's right, after all of these years he still hasn't seemed to figure out the bar-code is on the back label of the bottle of wine and you don't really need to look for it.  And both you know and I know that on those cases of beer, the bar-code is on the bottom.  Not him.  He has to look on all four sides, then do the "head tilt" to look at the bottom and realize that "Aha!  There it is, that pesky bar-code!"  Lighting quick.  And still, after all of these years, you would have thought he would have some technique to actually put the items in those plastic bags, but no, not this check-out dude, because somehow he labors at still trying to figure out how those bags actually work.

And then comes the actual payment procedure.

So your items have all been scanned, he has scanned your frequent shopper card, and it's time to pay.  I would say 95% of the folks coming through this line know how to scan their credit card through the scanner and punch the buttons, or if they are paying with cash even better, but it's not the purchasers having the problem, it's check-out dude.  From what I can tell there are a couple of buttons to push depending on your method of purchase.  To me it sort of seems like it would be redundant - If they pay with cash, hit these buttons;  If it's a debit card, these buttons;  Credit, it's these.  - and after years with the same cash register system (I know it's the same because when the grocery folks switched the cash register system a bunch of years ago, the nice, older lady, took a little more time, explaining they switched the system), you would actually get used to what buttons to push, but not this check-out dude.  Nope, from day one, until day, well, it's have to have been over 500 on the job, check-out dude still works those buttons like it was day one.

And so I just wanted to vent about this dude who still has a job I think he should be much more familiar with because, thanks to my fault, I didn't listen to my normal rule today, and that is to head for the main check-outs if two people are ahead of me when this dude is running the liquor check-out.  There I stood, for about 15 minutes, waiting to pay for my twelve pack of Heineken Light (my diet starts tomorrow), and not really wondering how this dude still had a job, but how this lazy, fat, slob, still had a job that after all of these years he still hasn't figured out how to do it at least somewhat efficiently.  Thank you for letting me vent.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:16 PM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2006

What's New? My Sister is a Champion, How to See "Superman Returns," "Spiderman 3" is Only 11 Months Away, and Don't Worry About That Asteroid.

For this podcast, The Dude on the Right congratulates his sister, has some movie viewing dilemmas for "Superman Returns" and "The Devil Wears Prada," and is psyched about "Spider-Man 3" even though it won't be released for 11 months. He also isn't worried about the asteroid coming near Earth over the 4th of July weekend, unless, well, those tracking it forgot to convert Metric to English, or vice versa. And then he just babbles for no apparent reason because he can never really figure out how to close out these podcasts sometimes.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:10 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2006

My Sister is a Champion, The Boogeyman, and a Happy Shed.

By: The Dude on the Right
Okay, I'm a day or so behind.  I'm sorry, it won't happen again, until the next time.  Anyway, I made it back to my old country, and back to my current country, actually forgot to get together with Stu to get a podcast done today, but thought I would at least start things back up with some blog talk of my trip home.

Well, my trip home reinforced my continuing belief that those who aren't used to driving on a three-lane highway have absolutely no clue on how to drive on a three lane highway, how my old country town is letting its resident's learn what it might be like to drive on the moon, how sleeping in a basement has some benefits in a house of older parents, and how my sister, and I hate to proclaim this, but my sister is a champion.  I will not really elaborate at what my sister is a champion of, but in all of my life, no one, and I have been around the best of them, has ever accomplished an accomplishment such as hers.  I might talk to Stu about it when we actually get together to do a podcast, and let him know he used to be a contender, but he has now fallen so far below the bar, well, there is no getting back in contention.  I will just say these things right now:  I think my sister's husband would be proud (at least that's what my sister said), my nephew should be glad he wasn't in Ohio (nor in any adjoining states) at the time, and my niece is still in awe that I survived.  My sister's championship aside, I have finally been able to combat my fear and sleep in my old, country home, basement, alone.  I'm thinking The Boogeyman that lives in the laundry room was caught off-guard with my coming home, and especially my camping out in the basement by myself.  Had he have known I was coming home, and sleeping alone in the basement, he probably would have wrestled up a bunch of his friends to spook me, but by the time I left it was too late for him, and I actually got an extra hour of sleep!  I suppose I should explain these last couple of sentences a bit.

When I was a youngin' there was one room in our house that creeped me out because I thought The Boogeyman lived there.  That room was our laundry room in the basement.  I don't know why, I'm sure there is some repressed memory that made it that way, but for whatever reason, whenever I had to go downstairs, I had to turn on all of the lights so I wouldn't be afraid of what might jump out of the laundry room.  Even as I got older, and more rational that there wasn't actually a boogeyman living in the laundry room, every time I would walk down the stairs to the basement, and even today, I couldn't help but remember how the laundry room spooked me out.  But this past weekend I won!  While at home I slept in the basement, in the dark, and no boogeyman attacked me, even in a completely dark basement, and I am confident that the next time I go home, and down those basement stairs, I am sure I will still wonder if The Boogeyman still lives in the laundry room, and that he has now just grown into a slacker in his boogeyman ways.

The Boogeyman aside, and being at home in the old country, I didn't take pictures again because, well, sometimes I'm a slacker, and for this weekend I was a slacker.  I wanted to do a blog or two but didn't, was going to do a podcast but am using the excuse that since neither my sister nor my niece wanted to do one, well, I didn't, and in some simple honesty, it was nice to just get away and watch some baseball, and I don't think those podcasts would have proved that productive because I would have just made fun of my sister or flipped-off my niece again.  I'm such a bizarre brother and Uncle.  I was also going to try to do a movie review about "Click," but didn't.  I saw the movie and give it 1 1/2 stars out of 5, but that review will wait.

And my drive back to my country was actually uneventful for a change.  Getting out of Ohio still showed that those folks don't know how to drive on a three-lane highway with a speed limit of 65, I am liking Indiana with their speed limit of 70 (those people seem to know how to drive it, even with two lanes), and in Ohio, near Toledo, this spot (the picture to the right) always, and on every trip back and forth, somehow brings my spirit up.  For the last bunch of trips I have kept trying to get a picture of this shed with my cell phone, and this time I finally got one, and for the life of me, I'm really surprised I got it.  It came up quick, I said to myself "Shit, here comes the 'Smiley Face' shed!"  I pulled my camera phone out of my pocket, set it up, and luckily snapped this picture, which I haven't been able to do before.  The rest of the pictures I tried to take on my way back to my dude-pad came out lousy, but for some reason the "Smiley" picture worked.  Weird how things happen like this sometimes.

So, I officially made it back to my Chicagoland pad.  The 4th of July Weekend is coming up for all of us, in whatever way for you, and me.  Me, I've got to deal with Ozzie Guillen and White Sox, Dusty Baker and his issues with Cubs, and keep betting with my Mom and the Indians.  I would like to get together with Stu to do a podcast, but if not, one should be coming tomorrow night.  My Dixie Chicks CD review is almost done, I am psyched about "Superman Returns" (but torn on where to see it first), and if I do write a review of "Click," spoilers will abound because the movie just pissed me off.

As much as it was good to be back home in the old country, and I sort of felt bad for flipping off my niece, but I'm claiming "Road Rage Syndrome," it is good to be back in my normal country.  I'm thinking one more night in the basement and The Boogeyman would have figured out I was down there.  I can think of nothing worse than a 39 year old screaming up the basement stairs that "The Boogeyman" is coming to get me.  Oh wait, I can think of something worse, and that is why my sister is a champion.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (2)

June 22, 2006

A Haircut Gone Wrong: Part Final

By: The Dude on the Right
I ended yesterday's blog, Part 1 of my "A Haircut Gone Wrong" episode with the simple line, "I miss seeing Vita."  If you wonder why, read yesterday's blog first, otherwise, here is Part 2 of the installment, the actual haircut experience, gone wrong.

... As I was heading home to the dude-pad, it was finally time to get that almost desperately needed haircut.  It's probably been about two months since my last haircut, which is sometimes long in haircut time, but I've gone longer, I think around four months has been my record.  Vita had a field day making fun of me when I came in for that haircut.  But Vita was not in this equation, I headed back to the same place that left me with two decent heads of hair with two different stylists.  I walk in and there she is, "Piercing Girl," and this time I had my contact lenses in so I wouldn't be blind during my haircut.  I tell the dudette at the desk that I'm looking for a haircut and a blow-dry, but I wasn't paying close enough attention because Piercing Girl was just finishing up with her client, so I didn't say I would wait for her, and all of a sudden I was with "I've Got Better Tools Girl."  I should have sensed there was a problem when, as she was washing my hair, she commented how she prefers to get her hair cut with whomever cuts her hair because it is in the haircutter's basement and she doesn't have to "wait in line" to get a haircut.  I guess what she was telling me was that coming here was a mistake.  This time she was right.

With my hair all washed, and me seated in her cutting chair, it occurred to me that she was a little too short.  Now I'm not a tall dude, but the haircut chair wouldn't go low enough so I had to crouch down a tad for her to be at a comfortable height.  And here is where I really knew things would be going wrong.  I have a simple haircut, at least so I think.  It's parted on the side a bit, and generally when I get a haircut I'm looking for it cut to the top of my ears, with no sideburns, with a square cut in back, slightly above the collar.  She went to cut the hair on the sides, first trying to line up the scissors for a straight line getting rid of my "sideburn" hair, but somehow couldn't just cut the hair in one nice clip.  Nope, she tried to do a series of clips, leading to a jagged look for the side hair.  At this point I could tell she was really pretty new to this haircutting thing, and I was her latest guinea pig, but at least she had the cool clippers.

So she quickly abandons the side of my head and heads to the top of my head where she grabs a lock of hair and asks "Is this short enough?"  I tell her just a little more, which for her ends up being about a finger and a half worth of hair, to which I say, "A little less."  With my patience in full patience mode, I knew I was in for the full ride, and a ride it was.  I've seen Vita cut my hair a lot of times, and even the other girls at this place had the "grab first batch of hair here and cut to appropriate length, grab another batch of hair off the newly cut hair a bit and match the length, but adjust for the shape of the head and haircut" maneuver.  This girl, though, couldn't.  She would miss her mark where she made the first cut, thereby grabbing a handful of hair with no reference where to cut next, and continued.  With the top of my head not that bad, she now moved to the back of my head, and I could still see her struggling.  The right side wasn't too bad, she would try to flip up some hair with the comb, and oh, did I mention that she already dumped two combs onto the floor by this time?, and then clip some of it.  She didn't really seem to have a game-plan, just trying to make it shorter, and around the ear, but not really having the ability to just make a decision and cut.

But it was the left side of my head that, for some reason, just gave this girl trouble.

Now since I hadn't gotten my hair cut in a while, and as it got longer I skipped the mousse portion of my morning regimen, so my hair on the sides sort of trained to "flip" out a little bit.  And she had the hardest time with this, especially on the left side.  She would flip up some hair with her comb, try to cut it, but because it was already dry it would fall before the scissors got there, then she would try again, and each time catching just a little tuft of hair.

My guess is that for this haircut chain, they will give you the basics, some combs, scissors, but for the most part, if you want cool stuff, you are on your own.  This girl had the cordless trimmer thing, which one of her colleagues borrowed earlier, and it is a cool thing if you can use it right, but I'm thinking she had it just because whomever cuts her hair has one, because she couldn't use it right, especially for the side of the head hair.  There is sort of an art to using the cordless trimmer to sculpt the hair.  You use the comb to line up the hair, and this only works if the hair is sort of damp (mine wasn't), then you nicely trim the hair along the teeth of the comb.  You move the comb a little (keeping some of the other cut hair for some reference) and do it again.  She kept trying, especially on the left side of my head, but forgot the hair needs some wetness to keep it pointing out of the teeth of the comb.

My hair is finally a little shorter, and in the meantime, the two other dudettes cutting hair have already gone through their next batch of clients.  At this point my dudette actually told me she couldn't figure out how to get the hair on the left side of my head to go how she wanted, and by this point, I knew I was just better off getting out of there without hurting her feelings, and without her cutting any more of my hair.  As I was looking in the mirror it didn't look like the back of my hair was that straight, I could see that the right side wasn't too bad, and that the left side had some slight gouging which I figured I could cover up with some mousse and a blow dryer.  And as I fibbed to her that "Everything looks fine," I still couldn't help but wonder how you can't at least get the first cut, leveling out the hairline with the top of the ear, to be level.

And so ends this episode of "A Haircut Gone Wrong."  Look, I realize the dudette was probably kind of new at this haircut thing, and that's sort of why I didn't want to wail into her while I was there, or even show her how to use her crazy clipper thing.  Maybe I should have inquired how long she has been cutting hair, and if it's been over a year, maybe it might be time for her to look for new work.  But I didn't, and now I sit with a haircut I have to try to work with in the morning to make sure it doesn't look like a haircut the previous girl who cut my hair would make fun of.  Me, I've got a couple of months before I need another haircut, as messed up as this one is, and then the dilemma comes up:  Do I risk it and try to get "Piercing Girl" to cut my hair again, or do I just try to plan a trip into Chicago and call Vita?  As much as "Piercing Girl" is nice on the eyes, I'm thinking it might be nice to talk with Vita again, who's also nice on the eyes, and give her my family update, and see how hers is doing as well.  With getting a haircut from Vita I've got to plan a little bit better in getting said haircut in a little bit better fashion, but I know what I'll get - A decent haircut, and comfortable conversation, and isn't that what we are always looking for?  But then again I might just be to lazy and pray I get Piercing Girl the next time around.

Sometimes I'm such an idiot.  Happy Haircutting!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:27 PM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2006

A Haircut Gone Wrong: Part 1

By: The Dude on the Right
I was going to let yesterday's blog wrap things up here until I got back to the old country, but an incident today, as part of planning for my trip to visit the P's, went as I feared it might one of these times.  This blog is simply about my haircut today, and you can probably relate in one way or another.  Or you can just quit reading and go on with your daily life, and check in for my next Blog.  But isn't there something nice about a getting a decent haircut?  Today, it didn't happen.

First, some back-story...

For the longest time I've been getting my hair cut by a nice and nice looking dudette named Vita.  I was introduced to Vita, and her then hair salon partner, Angela, by a college friend, Laughing Boy, back in, well, college.  Laughing Boy knew Angela, but it was Vita's place, and really, I didn't care which one cut my hair, on the looks side they both measured up, but in the end I just wanted a decent hair cut, actually a decent cut of all of the hairs on my head, and eventually, this was the place I always went.  They weren't the cheapest, but the both of them gave a consistently decent haircut.  As the years went on, after college, except maybe a couple of times during my stint as a Radio Shack Manager in downstate Illinois, I still visited Vita's place and got a decent haircut.  As my job careers would have it, my locations still stayed neared my old college stomping grounds, and thus, near Vita's place.  Vita, she eventually closed up her shop and Angela went away, but Vita kept doing her hair thing in her basement in her nearby neighborhood, and I kept getting my haircuts there.  Over the years, and it has probably been almost 19 years since either Angela, but for the most part, Vita, have been cutting my hair, Vita's gotten to know me and my family whom she has never met, and I know a little bit about her family as well.  She knows when I am going to visit my parents, because, well, I need a haircut, and we joked a lot because I always took too long to get a haircut.  She saw me starting to go "gray" and asked if I wanted to have my hair colored, to which I replied "What's the point?" and she related a story about a dude whose hair she colored who one day couldn't understand why he was spending so much money to "not go gray."  Conversation aside, and she has a super-friendly dog, I could always count on a decent haircut, even when I got a little goofy with a spiky look.

But then something changed.

One of the companies I do computer consulting for, that was keeping me near to Vita's haircuts, moved.  The new location wasn't close to their previous location, nope, it was out into suburban-land, which traveling-wise is actually better for me, but it was nowhere near Vita's house, so now I had a problem:  I had to find a new place to get a haircut.

My quick solution - one of the national chains.  And it wasn't that bad for the first two haircuts.  For the first haircut I got a cutie with nice assets and some cool tattoos, a piercing through her lower, umm, below her lip, and I was just a little sad that I didn't have my contacts in because, well, once taking my glasses off I was pretty much blind and couldn't focus on her assets, I mean my haircut.  The easy joking back and forth was that I couldn't see what she was really doing to my hair, and she laughed.  She asked me to take a look, I put my glasses back on, and she did a pretty good job with the haircut.  I was pleased, just wishing I had my contacts in, but I left feeling okay about my haircut and not feeling that bad about not seeing Vita again.

A couple of months go by (I'm not that quick to get a haircut), and I'm heading home again to see the parents, so I know I need another haircut, but sadly, piercing girl wasn't there, and I got "when I'm out with my husband I always point out to him people who got a bad haircut" girl.  Again I had no eye contacts, so the joking was back and forth about my not being able to see the haircut.  "Perfect Haircut" girl professes during the entire process, from the washing of the hair to the final removing of the haircut cape, that she is the best haircutter, and I just humored her during the entire process.  She didn't do that bad of a haircut, but piercing girl did better, and now it was time for haircut number three, without Vita.

And this time, things went wrong.

And this time it will wait for my next blog to explain everything that went wrong because this blog has gone on too long as it is, and I'm trying to watch two baseball games and "America's Got Talent" at the same time so I can't focus on my bad hair anymore.

I've just got to say this...

I miss seeing Vita.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:42 PM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2006

A College Paper About the Word "Fuck," Going Home, and Maybe Some Music Listening.

By: The Dude on the Right
If you didn't listen to our "Stu & The Dudes's Weekend Wrap-Up," I've got to thank our staff member Stu Gotz for solving part of my new movie-going dilemma that I talked about in my last blog.  His suggestion was since the old movie theater had the better viewing experience, when it comes to blockbluster-type movies, pay the extra buck and a half and head to my tried and true theater, but for the most part, I should save the cash and head to the new theater for the rest of the movies.   Thanks Stu!

On another topic, one of the blogs I read on a regular basis is from a dude named Brad Feld.  Subscribe to it if you will.  I don't always agree with him, but he found a great piece by a dude from Ohio State about the word "fuck."  Thankfully he read the entire thing and gave some great thoughts, appropriate for his blog title, so I was able to skim over the entire "fuck" piece.  I just found Brad's thoughts entertaining and thought I would share the links.

On a last topic, I wanted to post something tonight since I'm not sure when our next post will be, at least in the next few days.  That's because I'm heading back to the old country for a weekend of rest and relaxation.  Okay, it's not the old country, it's just Ohio, and it's not a weekend of rest and relaxation, it's just a weekend of getting together.  But unlike the last time I went home, when I forgot to charge the battery in my little digital camera, said camera is on charge so I'm hoping to give a fun-filled blog with pictures from my homestead.  I'm also taking the "Mobile Podcast Studio" with me so I'm planning on wrestling up my niece, one of my siblings, or one of my parents to do a podcast over the weekend.  My guess - they'll all chicken out and I'll just have to find something entertaining and topical to talk about, much like I always do.

In the meantime I've got to make sure my laptop is set to update the website from afar, get some laundry done so I have clean clothes, get my garbage out in time, and get a haircut.  The other thing is that even though I have my Sirius Satellite Radio, as my driving day is Friday, Howard Stern is off this Friday.  As much as I like "The Friday Show," I'm thinking about listening to a bunch of new music on my iPod and finally, and I mean finally, getting some music reviews posted.  I've been really liking the new Dixie Chicks CD, have become a little iffy with Blue October, and need a couple of more spins with Augustana.  But then I've broken promises before.  I guess we'll just have to see how the trip goes.  Let's just leave this blog at...

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:14 PM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2006

Two Dilemmas and Some New Movie Reviews.

By: The Dude on the Right
I have two dilemmas I am dealing with right now, both of which I hope to remember to discuss with Stu Gotz during our "Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast tomorrow.  Well, one I will definitely discuss with him, and that simply has to do with having a podcast that really isn't for the kids.  No, we aren't going to have any strippers or porn stars in the studio discussing perverted sex acts or how they were molested as children, although Stu would probably welcome that.  Nope, I'll leave that to the kings of those who do that.  In any case I heard a new song on the radio this weekend.  Nope, it wasn't on an FM nor an AM station, it was on satellite radio, Sirius as a matter of fact, and it's a pretty blunt song about Connecticut.  The thing is I laughed my ass off during the song, and I'd like to play some clips for Stu, as well as some clips from some of the band's other songs.  I'm not sure if I want to go there, namely risqué songs, but I think Stu will appreciate the songs, for the campy feel they are worth.

My other dilemma has to do with movie theater loyalty.  I don't think Stu has this issue, but for the past many years I have been a steady patron of our AMC theater sort of near my dude-pad.  It was a little further away than some of my other local theaters, but it was the only one with stadium seating, had a huge variety of times movies would be playing, had great online ticketing that didn't charge you anything if you were a MovieWatcher member, and even gave you free stuff (popcorn, sody-pop, and movies) and other bonuses if you were also a said member of said MovieWatcher program.  But another movie theater has opened, much closer to me, and at slightly cheaper prices.  The problem I have is they don't have free online ticketing, the movie screen isn't as enveloping, and as far as I know, no free stuff for patronizing them.  The benefit is that the seats are a little more comfortable and bouncy, and they stock Raisinets.  I suppose I might have to do a statistical analysis of the pros and cons of both theaters, but man, the five minute travel time versus the 20 minute travel time is a huge issue, although without that travel time, I wouldn't have heard said song I eluded to in my first paragraph of this plight had I gone to the closer theater on Saturday.  Who knew going to the movies could be so complicated?

On the simpler of things, I did catch "Nacho Libre" and "The Lake House" this weekend.  I'll talk to Stu about them as well, but feel free to read the reviews in the meantime.  There's a few more movie previews posted, with a few more to come in the next couple of days, and then finally I should be all caught up in getting my movie previews done.  My next step is to get back to some concert reviewing, some CD reviewing I've been promising for awhile, and even some DVD's.  My summer is looking very busy, and hopefully very fun.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:47 PM | Comments (0)

June 17, 2006

What's New? A Great Movie Line, Mentos & Diet Coke Infatuation, and Your iPod and Your Toilet.

For this podcast The Dude on the Right finds a great movie quote, is still infatuated with Mentos & Diet Coke, but for the most part understands the importance of an iPod player combined with a toilet paper holder. You know you want to listen to your iPod in the bathroom, don't you?

Posted by Rightdude at 8:26 PM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2006

What's New? My Baseball Team Dilemma, Seeing The Omen with Kids, and Anna Nalick, back on the Charts.

For this podcast, The Dude on the Right wonders which baseball team to root for, wonders about parents, and wonders why he is again hearing Anna Nalick on the radio with a song from over a year ago.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:02 PM | Comments (0)

June 7, 2006

Your T.V. Shows are Lost for now, but at Least Gay Marriage isn't an Issue Anymore, yet..

By: The Dude on the Right
Today was another win for a group of folks, but for most of the rest of us, it was a loss, because, well, we didn't make the call, write the letter, send the e-mail, to our elected officials, and that is unless, of course, you want your primetime TV to not reflect 2006.  And I, like you, you can blame me, because I did have a nice letter to my Senator, Barack Obama, opposing this thing, but I didn't realize this thing already went through and I never sent it.

First, let's get to the win because it's an easier argument.  It's an election year for a batch of government folks, and what better way to gain some votes in your conservative state than to support an amendment to our United States Constitution that would state "marriage" is only a union between a man and a woman.  Well, those supporting this amendment got their platform, but the Senate rejected the proposed amendment, so right now you won't see it on your ballot.  This one was easy for most folks on both sides because they know where their votes are coming from, and it lends to easy election ads.

Now the messed up vote, affecting a huge majority of us.  Today the House of Representatives voted to raise the fine for obscene or indecent programming on your TV screen or your radio to $325,000 from $32,500.  I don't know what the infatuation is with the 325 number is, but in any case, if you don't think this will affect you, just wait until you start watching your prime-time shows on the major networks, those being CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and the new CW, or listening to your radio.  No one in network land really knows how they can relate to the real world anymore, because there aren't any defined rules, and the FCC isn't helping.  A little while back some ABC folks asked the FCC if airing the uncut version of "Saving Private Ryan," complete with swear words (fuck and shit being the most of them), was going to get them fined.  The FCC folks told them, I think, something like "we can't determine what is finable until we get complaints."  Most of you don't realize that right now, 5, that's right, five, people, are given the power to decide what is obscene, indecent, and they are going to fine your ass because they, the 5, five, that's right, five fucking people, over this entire United States, have the authority to decide, what you, me, your friends, my friends, and their friends, should be able to see on TV or listen to on radio.

You can complain, bitch, and moan because your shows aren't edgy anymore, but you know what?  - It is yours and my fault.  Why?  Because we didn't send mention to our elected people that pretty much says the FCC folks shouldn't have "Indecency/Obscenity" authority.  A small number of folks are working to take away our freedoms, and those freedoms might be gay rights, or your right to watch TV that reflects society today, but if we don't work to be a voice, tomorrow might let us lose our voice.  Those on the side of restricting free speech are gaining ground, and those on the side of free speech are losing it.  If you don't think so, wait until the small number start pushing the agenda of censoring things on cable and satellite TV (i.e. The Sopranos), or on satellite radio (i.e. Howard Stern and Opie and Anthony).  I can give a bunch of Benjamin Franklin quotes, but right now this one seems most appropriate:  "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty or safety."

Right now I can't really complain, but just worry, because I've become accustomed to a lot of cable TV channels and satellite radio, so FCC regulations aren't there.  And if they do get there, we have really crossed a wrong line.  A small group has been influencing our TV and radio listening, I suppose I just wonder if the real groups will get off their asses and make as much noise.

Sorry for this this sort of controversial blog, but these two things really hit me today.  Let's see how tomorrow goes.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 9:49 PM | Comments (0)

June 4, 2006

Going Through TV Withdrawals, and a Bitch at the Racetrack.

By: The Dude on the Right
We had pretty much a perfect weather weekend here in the Chicago area, and I'll talk to Stu about it during our podcast tomorrow.  So because I can't give you a synopsis about what I did this weekend, I'll just give you some ramblings off of my head.

In any case, last week I was in a funk.  I think I am going through TV withdrawals since all of my standard shows are done, except "The Sopranos" which concludes its season tonight.  I almost got sucked back into "So You Think You Can Dance," but baseball was on.  I didn't accomplish much for the web site, at least on the surface (or at least that you could see).  I accidentally made some huge errors during the animation process that has delayed our latest episode of "Stu & The Dude Reviewin' the Movies for You!", our review of "Over the Hedge," about a week.  I watched too much baseball, for some bizarre reason kept getting sucked into "Batman Begins" on cable, which I think is a fabulous film, even bought the DVD, but still haven't reviewed it (that's really got to be remedied soon), but I did accomplish something and you can now find some small accomplishments on the "Movie Preview" page.  So far there are fourteen new movie previews posted, with six more to come in the next day or so, and another six to ten ready for posting by next weekend, just in time for your summer "What the hell movie should we go see this weekend" questions.

And for some reason some of my thoughts also keep coming back to my trip to Arlington Park (a horse racetrack here in Illinois), and I don't really know why.  One thought was the fact that the one jockey won every race he was in, five races in all.  As someone always looking for easy money, and even though the horses he was riding weren't long shots, it would have been easy to double most of your betting money that afternoon, if only you would know.  But isn't that the thrill, and danger, of gambling, the fact that you never know?  I did come home with more money than I figured I would lose, so I still consider myself a winner on the gambling front.  The other thing that really struck me about that day was this bitch of a woman we encountered, and how I still wish I could be creative on my feet rather than thinking of things to say later in the day.

Anyway, it was still early in the afternoon and the six of us there grabbed some eats to get us through the afternoon.  Looking for a nice spot to eat our pulled pork sandwiches and corn on the cob, I think it was Trash who spotted a dude sitting by himself at a picnic table.  She nicely asked him if he was saving the picnic table, to which he replied that he was only waiting for one person, so if we wanted a spot to eat, to go ahead.  So half of us did.  Our intention was simply to eat our food and be on our merry way, and the dude seemed to truly understand that.  About halfway through our meal, the person he was waiting for showed up, a dudette, and she proceeded to start to chew him out a little bit for giving up part of the picnic table.  It wasn't a loud berating, but we could hear it, and it seemed bizarre, on the level, that for this picnic table, you wanted it all to yourself, just the two of you, where you could really be a lot more cozy on the lawn.  Anyway, I don't know if the dudette was his wife, girlfriend, sister, mistress, but at least he had the balls to pretty much say "Just shut up and sit down," knowing we would be leaving on our merry way soon.  Therein lies the "I wish I could have been quicker on my feet" thing.  How many options would there be?  Oh, the options are so many.  The first, and easiest, would have just been to sit there the rest of the day.  Let my friends go on their merry way betting and such, but just sit there, telling them "No, I like this spot, I think I'm going to camp out here all afternoon, maybe fake phoning them my bet for the next race."  Then there would be the "Pretend we are from out of town and make her look like a dumb-ass" move by putting on a fake, southern accent, and nicely go to the dude "Thank you so much for you hospitality, sir, and giving us a nice spot to eat.  I hope we didn't cause any problem between you and your misses" as we were leaving.  And so many other thoughts kept coming to mind, bending on the obnoxious to the making her look like a complete horse's ass (get it, we were at the horse races, horse's ass - oh man, I kill myself sometimes).

In any case, maybe getting that off my chest here in this blog will help me to move on, realize that "Big Brother" will be starting back up in a few weeks, and maybe I should use this time of lack of TV shows productively.

On tap this week for Entertainment Ave! hopefully will be our podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up," more movie preview postings, movie reviews of "Cars," "The Omen," and "A Prairie Home Companion," and I really want to do some CD reviews of the new Dixie Chick's album, an album from Blue October, and I'll try like hell to get a DVD review of "Batman Begins" done.  I'd like to say I promise to get all of that done, but there is the season finale of "Deal or No Deal" that might eat into some of my reviewing time.  God I sometimes hate TV.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:32 PM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2006

Our New "What's New?" and Blog Page, and A Dude Walking the Side of the Road.

By: The Dude on the Right
First off you might have noticed some changes with this page and the updates you receive.  Simply put, I've decided to combine our "What's New?" listing with our blog posting since, many times, they meld together.  Let me know if you "like it," "hate it," or really don't care.  I always like feedback.

That aside, this blog isn't about changes on the website, this is about something that is still kind of bothering me, knowing I should have probably called 911, or is it 999, or is it *999, or is it *911.  Let's start with the initial incident.

I was driving back to the dude-pad from a company where I do some consulting.  All of the traffic is cruising along the highway and I couldn't help but notice, up in the short distance, a dude walking along the highway.  First thought, a hitchhiker, although you don't see many of them these days anymore.  At quicker glance the dude didn't seem to be hitchhiking because there wasn't a thumb in site, and he was facing the direction of the traffic, but as my dude-mobile came nearer to him, he didn't look like others I have seen walking the side of a highway.  As I traveled past the dude I tried to take a look, and it looked like a younger dude, maybe even high school age, with a backpack, and I wondered if I should do something.  But what is that something I should do?  I could try and pull over and see if he was okay, I could try to call the police, and here is where, sadly, I ended up.  I decided to do nothing.

Lots of wrong thoughts have come into my head since I got home, had dinner, and have been doing this, that, and the other thing before writing this blog, and most of them have been bad, disappointed in myself, and hoping the dude is okay.  There is the simple thought that A) The dude was a psychopath, and if I had pulled over I might be on the evening news in a way I wouldn't ever see.  B)  The dude gets picked up by a psychopath, and if I had pulled over and tried to help, he wouldn't be on the evening news in a way I would be sad to see.  C)  Why didn't anyone else pull over?

Then I wondered other things like, in a fucked up kind of way, maybe life as a drifter is actually better than his life at home, and stopping him would have sent him back to the hell that had been his life, maybe I missed his broken down car and he was just on the way to the exit to get to a phone, or maybe he was just a kid looking to walk along the highway (and that could be a song lyric, but I digress).

But here is the weird thing, and since I'm a nut-job, for me it's crazy.  In the end, in the grand scheme of things, I wasn't sure of what number to call to report the dude walking along the highway in the first place.  At home, or even at work, the choice for an emergency is easy, it's simply 911.  But ever since I've sold cell phones, and have driven highways, the emergency number seems to be different.  I know, the easy answer is that I should have just pried my cell phone out of my pocket and at least tried to dial 911, but I became conflicted.  Is the best route "911."  Should I go for "*999," or is it "*998?"  Is the "*" necessary?  And "What Exit did I just pass up if they ask?"

In the end I called no one, but still, in my head, I see this kid/dude walking along the highway, and just hope, pray, and hope some more, that he is okay.  Why?  Because I did the same as everyone else in my front view and in my rear view mirror who drove past him - I did nothing.  I really hope I wasn't wrong to do that.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:07 PM | Comments (0)

May 9, 2006

What's New? Drowning, Natalie Portman, Inventing, and a Nephew Dilemma.

For this podcast, The Dude on the Right has all kinds of problems right now, but nothing more important than trying to figure out what to do now that his nephew is in college.

Posted by Rightdude at 9:09 PM | Comments (0)

May 7, 2006

Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie, Mia Hamm, and Wynona Ryder. They All Have Something in Common.

By: The Dude on the Right
Here in Chicagoland this weekend, we had some fabulous weather.  Saturday was just a tad cool, but today, Sunday, it was a perfect spring day.  So my choices of the morning were "It's a beautiful day!  I know what I should do, I should sit in a movie theater for a couple of hours!  That would be a great way to enjoy the weather!" or "It's a beautiful day!  I know what I should do, I should get out, maybe take a nice walk and smell the flowers!  That would be a great way to enjoy the weather!"  Well there wasn't any flower-smelling, but I skipped the movies (my choices were "United 93" or "Friends With Money") and did get to enjoy the weather a bit.  But there was still some work to do, namely finishing our latest episode of "Stu & The Dude Reviewin' the Movies for You!" where we did some talk about Tom Cruise and "Mission: Impossible III."  That's posted for your viewing pleasure.

As nice a day today was, my weekend started out in fabulous fashion.  I decided to figure out who my "Celebrity Love Match" was, and I was very much pleased at the women who would love me.  At the top of the list was Natalie Portman, followed by Angelina Jolie, Mia Hamm, and Wynona Ryder.  I have to say that I find all of those dudettes great and I was pretty excited, waiting for them all to fight over me, until I thought about this a little bit.  Natalie Portman is a reported vegetarian, so I'm wondering what she would think about my propensity for a decent porterhouse steak once in a while.  I have no idea how Angelina Jolie ended up as a match, although maybe since she's a mom now, well, she wouldn't try to have me carry around a little vile of her blood.  I'm thinking Mia Hamm really wouldn't be too proud of my work-out schedule, and being Catholic, would I have to convert to Judaism for Wynona?  I was supposed to try and work on some movie previews this week, but I think most of my week might be spent trying to track down the new love's of my life.  I just hope that by the time I find Angelina she's already had the baby and has any extra pounds she might have put on worked off.  Oh, and I hope she has her eyesight back because who knows what she sees in that Brad Pitt dude.  Just look at the size of my hands and feet!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2006

It Was Just Supposed to be a Trip to the Grocery Store, not a Blog Entry.

By: The Dude on the Right
Coming back to the Dude-Pad this evening, I really expected nothing eventful, but who would have thought a quick trip to the grocery store would have been so, eventful?  No, that's not the right word.  Maybe exciting?  Nah, that's not it even.  I guess all I can say is it gave me this blog inspiration.  You can call the story what you want (I'm guessing "boring," though I hope "relatable" might be a better word choice), but for me, it was filled with being a little peeved, being a good sport, watching a crash, being a lot peeved, trying not to get in a car crash, and grinning.  All of that with a little trip to a grocery store.

Anyway, like I said, I'm on the way back to the Dude-Pad and realize there are a couple of things I needed to pick up for dinner.  Actually there were three things I needed, two for dinner, and one for my super-fancy heating & cooling system.  It was when I got back home and I walked past my thermostat that I said, under-my-breath,  "Fuck."  That was because I also needed some batteries for the thermostat, which has been screaming at me for a couple of weeks to replace its batteries.  Okay, not really screaming, just blinking indiscriminately "Replace batteries."  Fine, I forgot the batteries, but I digress.  Let's get back to the grocery store.

So I pull into the parking lot, get an okay space, and I get a little peeved.  It's not something someone did to me, it's what someone did to someone else.  What heinous act did someone do?  They were too "f"-in lazy to put their shopping cart in the cart-corral.  And you know what, they were also too "f"-in lazy to even get their cart out of the way.  Nope, they left it right behind another car.  Being the nice guy I am, and it wasn't too much of a diversion, I grabbed the cart and proceeded to corral it in the cart-corral.  Man, I'm such a good dude.

I make it into the store, grab the two things I need, and view a fantastic "cart into person-walking-too-fast-and-not-paying-attention-as-they-got-to-the-end-of-an-isle" crash.  I love these crashes because it's like this person getting plowed over by a shopping cart has never been in a grocery store before.  Ah, some humor before soon being pissed.

And I was soon to be pissed.

Most of the lines were long, but my local grocery store has four "self check-out" areas.  Because of this the grocery store got rid of the "Express" lanes with an actual checker, but my leaving should be short and swift, until, well, I get to the self check-outs, and they are filled with people who have totally full shopping carts.  What totally boggles my mind is that these people have no concept that if they had actually gotten in a full-service line, their trip would probably be shorter.  Why?  Because a normal line, with a checker and a bagger, can knock out a full cart of groceries in no time, let alone a couple or three, rather than you, the shopper, reaching into your cart, trying to get the item to scan (God forbid you have to actually look up a fruit or vegetable product code), bag it, fill up the bag, move the bag out of the bagging area and back into your cart, and continuing this maddening cycle, when all I have are two items to scan, bag, pay, and get the hell out of the store.  But no, YOU THINK YOU ARE SAVING TIME BY TAKING YOUR FULL CART OF GROCERIES THROUGH THE SELF CHECK-OUT LANE BUT ALL IT REALLY SHOWS IS THAT YOU ARE A COMPLETE HORSE'S ASS!!!!!!

A couple of people line up behind me, and we all shake our heads at the assholes in front of us.  Finally a spot opens up and about one minute later, I am out the door.  God I hate inconsiderate people sometimes.

But my trip to the grocery wasn't finished, and I'm not exactly sure if I can put the ending of this into words, but I'll try.

I get to my car, safely stow my bag of two items, which should have been three if I had bought the damn batteries I still need, but anyway, I start to pull out of the grocery store parking lot.  There I am, dude-mobile at the exit, looking to make a right turn.  The road's a little busy, I keep looking to the left to see if it's clear, and then a big ol' SUV pulls up next to me in the left-turn lane.  I can sort of see through his windows to see if my turn is clear, but can't budge any further forward because that would have put the nose of my mobile 1/4 into the traffic lane.  I'm fine with that, but then he pulls forward just a tad and now my window-viewing access is gone (to all people in SUVs -  You can lag back a bit behind us shorter cars because you can see over us.  Unlike Superman, I can't see through metal you fucking assholes!  Quit being pricks.  I'm sorry, back to trying to turn.)  Anyway, we're sort of at a stand-off.  I can't see what's coming from the left, the SUV prick is still waiting to turn, and now the jerk-off behind me is getting impatient.  All of a sudden the SUV sprints out into the street and gets his left turn, followed quickly by a car in the lane I want to be in, cruising by.  And then the miserable douche-bag behind me honks his horn.

There are many horn honks.  There is the slight tap horn honk which nicely says "You are daydreaming, but the light has turned green so get going" one.  There is the longer horn honk which urges "Hey, we've been sitting here for a couple of seconds with the light green and you are still putting on make-up.  Get your dumb-ass going" one.  Then there is the "I'm an impatient prick and I can't see why you didn't put yourself in harm's way even though you couldn't see how quickly someone was coming from the other direction who might slam into your car as you pull out of this grocery store parking lot" one.  The miserable douche-bag behind me used the latter.

I'm not a road-rage kind of person, I usually just kind of take it in stride, but looking in my rear-view mirror, I could see this dude was really annoyed.  But there were still cars coming my way, so I couldn't safely make a turn, and then, finally, a little gap opens up, and I safely make my right turn, with room, for really, only one car to safely make the turn.  But not douche-bag man behind me.  Nope, he quickly darts into the lane, makes the turn, and as I see him in my rear-view mirror, I mutter to myself, "What an asshole."

Inquisitive as I am (and hoping this dude isn't a total psycho and trying to catch me), I keep checking my rear-view mirror, and I now see him, leaning over to the passenger seat, trying to clean up some spilling.  From the looks of things it looked like his impatience made him spill his groceries all over the front seat, and in my head I said to myself, "Self, you see, impatient douche-bags get their own payback in the end."  I couldn't help but grin, as I watched the dude in my rear-view mirror trying to clean up the mess in his front seat, but then worried, just a tad, that now this prick was going to rear-end me because he wasn't paying attention to the world around him, let alone, the car, my car, in front of him.

Well, he didn't rear-end me, and I made it home, safe and sound, and now wrote a blog longer than some reviews I write.  Oh well, I hope I at least depicted my trip to the grocery store in a way most of you can understand, or could at least relate.

And, oh yea, in case you were wondering, and I'll bet you weren't, but dinner turned out fabulous (fresh garlic and some good wine never hurt).

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

 

Posted by Rightdude at 8:15 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2006

Bon Jovi says: "Who Says You Can't Go Home." I Went Home.

By: The Dude on the Right
Bon Jovi sometimes has some of the best words of wisdom.  Fine, sometimes those words might be sort of cliché, but who can't appreciate the advice of "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."  It's a simple phrase, and I've used it many a time, mostly when I was drunk, at four in the morning, when people are telling me I should just go back to my room and go to sleep.  I'd tell them "I'll sleep when I'm dead," give them about five minutes of my whit and humor, and then at about 4:05, well, I'm heading to my room to go to sleep.  Ahhh, those college days!  Anyway, this time I took the advice of their latest hit, the one getting airplay on the country side of things with the very cute babe Jennifer Nettles from "Sugarland," namely the song "Who Says You Can't Go Home," because, well, this past weekend, I went home.  Yup, it was off to the old country to visit my parents for Easter weekend, you know, the weekend where we celebrate everything about bunny rabbits that we can think of.  We celebrate them as chocolate, we celebrate their eggs (even though they are mammals), we celebrate them as blow-up dolls, and we celebrate them in pastel colors.  And don't forget the "Peep," which is really cool when you toss it in the microwave.  Now I hear that some religious folks are upset because we are taking, umm, the "East" out of "Easter."  Man, that doesn't work nearly as easily as taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas," but in any case, they are upset that various communities are turning "Easter" celebrations into "Spring" celebrations.  Man, I hate to get off on a tangent, but for the most part, because, well, Christians are still the majority in this country, and well, they adopted the "Easter Bunny," that's why Christians are in this predicament.  But the United States is a melting pot, and we keep melting together more and more, and damn, I've got to get off of this tangent because it won't make anyone happy because this Blog was supposed to be about my going home.  Let's get back to that.

The Most Comfortable Toilet.

Anyway, for this blog, I originally had planned on doing it yesterday, taking some fun photos that would embarrass me about being home, pictures of things like the xxx that I was staying in, my xxx collection, our xxx on the wall, our xxx in xxx, and xxx School where I went to in my teens that is now closed.  Then, of course, there would be the pictures of what I think is the most comfortable xxx,

 my xxx from when I played xxx, and a xxx that I wish was bigger when I was younger.  Sadly, for this trip, the battery in my digital camera died, so all of those "xxx"'s will just have to wait until maybe the next trip home.

So, I went home, and all in all, it was a good time.  I trimmed some raspberry plants, trimmed some roses, made homemade horseradish, saw "Scary Movie 4" (our video podcast review should hopefully be done by the end of this week here and on  ), did some puzzle making, and had a few slices of the best pumpkin pie in the world.  Bon Jovi says "Who Says You Can't Got Home," but it was just good to be home.

Spring is here, I'm gearing up for summer, and I hope you had a nice weekend, whether it be about bunnies, yarmulkes, a Resurrection, or just about getting good deals at the store because of a Christian religion.  But just don't forget about Bon Jovi, because for most of us, you can go home.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

 

Posted by Rightdude at 7:07 PM | Comments (2)

January 22, 2006

Learning Animation, Lucid Dreaming, and "The Matador."

By: The Dude on the Right
Not much new has hit the pages of Entertainment Ave! in the past week, and I partially apologize. Pretty much I’ve been wrapped up trying to finish the animation for the debut of "Stu and The Dude Review the Movies for You" later this week. I think I’ve just about got it down pat, I hope, because I’d really like to get some sleep and not have wacky dreams where I started bouncing around my bedroom, eventually landing on the floor, and then being pulled through the ceiling, only the ceiling seemed to be infinitely thick because I keep floating higher and higher yet still going through plaster. The weird part, as if that wasn’t weird enough, was that I was aware I was dreaming and usually when that happens I can take control, lucid dreaming as it is called, and believe me, being able take over a dream can be pretty fun sometimes. But, I just kept floating up through my ceiling until, still aware I was dreaming, I forced myself to wake up.

Anyway, thanks to The Dude on the Left calling, I was able to get from in front of my computer monitor and saw pretty funny adult film, "The Matador," where Pierce Brosnan is working quickly to shed his image as James Bond, although he does kill some people in the movie. If you’re looking for some adult humor and entertainment, I recommend it.

Wrapping up before I get back to getting back to trying to learn how to do animation, thanks for your patience and support. We should have a new episode of "Stu and The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up," I’m going to try and write some reviews of "Underworld: Evolution" and "Last Holiday," as well as review "The Wedding Crashers" DVD that has been sitting next to my TV, but in working to get one of my goals for the new year accomplished, I’ve got to get our premier video podcast of "Stu and The Dude Review the Movies for You" done by the end of January, even if it means no sleep or more wacky dreams. I just hope I can take control of the next one because it’s always fun being able to fly around in your dreams, especially when you can control it.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 4:46 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2005

Hopefully it means we can all live together on this Earth of ours no matter what we believe.

By: The Dude on the Right
This morning, while visiting my folks, a friend stopped by and I cheerfully said, while snarfing down a bowl of Frosted Flakes, "Happy Boxing Day!"  She looked at me like I was an alien, although at first I thought it was just the frosted flake stuck on my chin.  Then she said "What?"  I retorted back, "Happy Boxing Day!"  Again I was an alien, although by this time I was able to get rid of the stray flake so I knew it must have been my comment that begat such a puzzled look and inquisitive tone.  I quickly explained that today was "Boxing Day," the day after Christmas, and it's celebrated in places like Canada.  Knowing I was fighting a losing battle in trying to explain any further, especially since I wasn't totally positive of its true meaning other than I thought it had something to do with boxes and not boxing, I just sunk my face back into my bowl of cereal knowing that Christmas was over, I would be heading back to the Chicago area soon, and it was time to get back to normal, although this week wouldn't be normal because of some extenuating circumstances that may or may not come out in either a blog or podcast this week, depending how things go.  For now I'll just say some of it is a bummer, some of it brings change, and some of it is supposed to bring a new beginning, or at least a new year.

In any case, my Christmas weekend is done, and it was pretty interesting.  I won't go into much of it here, I'm hoping Stu is ready for a Christmas Weekend Wrap-Up Podcast tomorrow, but if not, I'll host my own tomorrow night.  Here are some of the the low, mid, and highlights.  The lowlight involved some bad news that no one really wants to hear at this time of year, or really, at any time of year, namely a friend's parent passing away.  I learned this news on the drive back to see my folks, and it really made for a reflective rest of the drive, in more ways than one.  On the midlight side, there, under the Christmas tree at my parent's, was a card for me from my brother.  The thing was it was a thick, puffy card, and I was suddenly struck with the paranoia that he actually got me more than a card, that somehow a gift might have been stuck in there, and suddenly my, his, and my sister's agreement would come crashing to an end with guilt for me.  On the highlight side, it was great to be home with the family, although my sister and most of her family was missing.  I say most of them because my nephew decided to hang out in the cold of Ohio rather than the warmth of Texas.  For a sometimes change, I had someone to go with me to a movie on Christmas Day, or on any day, so I didn't have to go by my myself and be what our staff member, Whammy, says of people who go and see movies alone.  I will always contend that I have to go because it's my job.  Anyway, we saw "Fun With Dick and Jane," which was pretty funny, pretty generic, and hopefully a real review will follow in a couple of days.  I also realized it wasn't very nice to have an outside link describing my family in a bad light, so, I actually removed them, although the Astros still got swept by the White Sox, phhhhtttt.  And finally, on my highlight list, I believe I might have ruined the animated shows "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" and "The Year Without a Santa Clause" for my nephew, mostly having to deal with the Germans, the French, drugs, greedy kids, and a dude named Flavor Flav (for a hint, think of Jingle, or was it Jangle, oh hell, I don't know, I'm just setting myself a reminder to truly dissect these two animated shows next year in time for the holidays, much like I did for my nephew as I watched them last night.)

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Good Kwanza, and I hope you enjoyed your Atheist day off, or enjoyed whatever you might be celebrating at the end of the year.  Hopefully all of it means we can all live together on this Earth of ours with whatever we believe.  Sadly, it doesn't seem that way.  Here's hoping next year is a little better that way.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:33 PM | Comments (1)

December 12, 2005

Bill, I'll Miss You Buddy.

By: The Dude on the Right
It was a sad day at The Dude household last week as I lost one of my "kids."  I'm really not sure exactly what caused the untimely death, but my best guess is that it was one of my crabs.  Yes, Bill, one of my fish, died last week.

Bill was a good fish.  A Court Jester Goby by birth, Bill was actually the third addition to my family, following the adoptions of Steve, a Clown Fish, and then Ashley, a Blue Tang.  When I got him he came as part of an algae cleaner pack, complete with some crabs and snails.  Immediately part of my family, Bill didn't seem to mind his new friends, but I saw something sort of strange going on:  Bill was moving the coral gravel under one of my lava rocks.  I was a little perplexed, but as I read a little bit about the Court Jester Goby, I realized he was just building a home because my aquarium set-up really didn't have an instant nook or cranny for him to call home.

So, there he was, one little piece of coral at a time, sucking it into his mouth, then spitting it out, and ever so slowly he built himself a little cave under the lava rock, and for a couple of years, this is what Bill called home, except when I did a major tank overhaul, cleaning out the gravel.  Not seeming sad or anything, he just started the home building process over again, until, alas, he had his new little cave to call home again, at least until I destroyed it, again.  But Bill would poke his head out every now and then, swim around the tank, nibble on some algae, and enjoy breakfast and dinner when I served them to the rest of the family.

But then, early last week, something didn't seem right.  Sure, every now and then, I wouldn't really notice Bill for a day or two, or maybe just catch a glimpse of him, but it occurred to me I hadn't seen him in a while, and I became a little worried.  So I removed the lava rock over his home, and there was Bill, still alive, but not looking well, especially since he didn't swim away in fear when I removed the rock.  I knew something was wrong, but fish-tank wise, all the levels were good, so I decided to set up a quarantine tank for Bill so I could get a closer look at least, and if something needed to be added to the water to help him, it wouldn't affect the other kids.  With that tank set up and Bill transferred over, he still didn't seem well, and I noticed what looked like a cut/injury to his underbelly.  I was going to try and take him to my favorite fish store, but sadly, by the next day, Bill's time on this earth had come to an end.  Bill had gone to that great aquarium in the sky, where all of the brine shrimp is free.

With my tank quality being okay, and no visible signs of a wacky fish disease, the only thing I could really come up with was that somehow one of the crabs must have snagged him.  Or maybe he just died of old age.  I really didn't know how old Bill was, I mean, it's not like I gave birth to him and actually had his birth day, but he was about 2 1/2 inches long, so at least I hope he had a fairly decent life.

I'll miss Bill.  Like I wrote before, Bill was a good fish.  He was rarely skittish (Ashley still freaks out every time I walk in front of the tank), just seemed to like to rebuild his house after I destroyed it, eat when he was hungry, and take the occasional dump in the tank, kinda like what most good fish do.  Steve and Ashley seem to sense something is different, but as a parent, I really don't know how to tell them that one of their siblings is gone, especially since you can't really have a funeral for them to attend (although I suppose, I could have scooped them out of the tank into a plastic bag, and had them see what happens to fish when they pass away), that and the fact that I don't speak Clown Fish nor Blue Tang.  I think Steve and Ashley will get over it, and at least I have a nice picture of Bill to remember him by.

Goodbye Bill.  I'll miss you buddy.

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:55 PM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2005

My Christmas Display is Done.

By: The Dude on the Right
Fine, I don't promise anymore.  Again, this blog was supposed to be about the size of a man's unit, with a totally unscientific study by Trash about Garth Brooks, and the rantings of one of our staff members, Whammy, but alas, I finally accomplished something more important than giving you dudettes supposed tools to help you determine if you really want to get down with a dude based on, well, it will just have to wait, because this is more important in my life right now, especially since getting down with a dude will never be important in my life.  What could be more important?  I finally finished my Christmas display.

If you read my last blog, you found out that my Christmas decorating was not going very well.  Decorations were all over the floor, I was one track short of completing my train set-up, I had to buy more train track connectors, and I was almost ready to just say "Screw it." and leave the display in total disarray because, well, as Christmas is approaching, pretty much, every day, I go from being filled with the holiday spirit to being a total Scrooge.  I finally just decided to get the damn thing finished, and I finally finished it, but it wasn't easy.

First off, I decided I needed a couple of new additions, and on my way back home from a weekend with old friends in Chicago, I stopped at the first American Sales store (they sell the village series that I started collecting) on my way back, and as I looked, on display, they had the extra lighthouse I wanted, they had the windmill I wanted, and they had the boat I wanted, but they didn't have any of them in stock to sell.  Them my obsessiveness kicked in, because, as I continued heading home, I knew I couldn't finish this display without them.  So I drive closer to my house, supposedly remembering where the next store was, but, low and behold, I forgot the powers that be turned this store into an outlet store.  I started swearing a lot, especially since I was in total "I have to get these pieces" mode or else I probably wouldn't have even been able to get to sleep.  So, yes, I drove down the street, to the new American Sales store, and yes, they had everything I needed;  The boat, the windmill, and the lighthouse, and I also picked up what I hoped would be enough fake snow.

Finally back at home, safe and sound, and over the course of a few days, I knew I needed a better game-plan than I had before, so I formulated it.  First off, get the train track secured to the plywood, using anything from thumbtacks to wood screws if necessary.  With the train track finally secured, it was time for the basic layout of the buildings and the mountain for the ski hill.  Envisioned in my head, things started to come together except for the fact that the new, plastic, pebble road, needed to be straightened out (it comes in a roll), and for a change, the internet was no help at all.  Not really sure of the best way to do this, I heated a pot of boiling water, put the rolls of "road" in the pot, and let them simmer a bit.  After that bit, I laid them out on the floor, flattening them with a bunch of Pyrex baking dishes, and low and behold, this actually worked.

The next issue, when dealing with these goofy village buildings, is getting the power to them, but somehow that all worked out, and alas, my lighthouses were lighthousing, the sawmill pond was sawmilling and ponding, my ski-lift was ski-lifting, my windmill was windmilling, and my boats were, well, not really boating, just sitting there on some blue plastic that is supposed to be water, but at least their lights were lighting.  All that working and the train was still, well, training.

Finally the last project was at hand, re-hang the Christmas ornaments that fell off of the tree at my last debacle, and then, lastly, get all of the snow positioned.  Surprisingly I had enough snow, the ornaments all fell into place (except I do need to get some super-glue to fix my Angel and Snoopy), but, for the most part, other than cleaning up the rest of the mess in my living room, my Christmas display is done.  Finally.  And just in time for the six inches of snow that fell this afternoon and evening that gave me a nearly three hour drive back to my dude-pad today, mostly my fault, because I wasn't as good as a weatherman as I usually am.  Maybe I should have called my sister, she's the one that really needs a "Weather Channel" Intervention, but that's another story for another blog, or maybe a podcast.  Merry Christmas to those of you that are Christmasers, and Happy End of the Year to those of you who aren't.

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2005

Christmas Decorating is Becoming a Disaster

By: The Dude on the Right
Okay, so this, my next Blog, isn't about a scientific study about unit size, hopefully for you dudettes, it will be the next, but I just wanted to lament about my Christmas decorating and how it isn't going too well so far. 

My Christmas decorating used to be the easiest thing in the world, usually taking about 15 minutes. It started probably about six years ago, when I finally broke down and bought a tree. Now, me, being the generally lazy decorator that I am, of course bought a tree with lights pre-installed. I had ornaments thanks to my Mom ordering me Hallmark ornaments for a number of years, and so, I moved one of my end tables in front of the front room window, assembled the tree, put on the ornaments, and even bought some Christmas tree skirting. Bamm, that first time it took me about 60 minutes to go from opening the box to having a lit tree complete with ornaments.

Christmas came and went that year, and as it went, I was faced with the crappy task of packing away the ornaments, taking apart the tree, and in all honesty, this seemed like it would take longer than the assembly. But then a moment of genius occurred to me. I had a spare bedroom upstairs, the tree wasn't that heavy (it's only a 4 1/2 foot fake tree), so I said to myself, "Self, why don't you just carry the tree upstairs, ornaments and all, throw an old bed sheet over it, and then next year, all you have to do is move the end table, carry the tree down the stairs, and you'd be done?" And so, for years, that is exactly what I did. I'd get back from the Old Country after Thanksgiving, move my end table, go upstairs and remove the bed sheet, carry down my decorated tree, and "Voilà!" , about 15 minutes from start to finish, my Christmas decorating was done. I was always so proud of the time it took me to decorate that whenever I was in a conversation about how long it would take someone to deck their halls, and had to regale those present with my genius.

Then, visiting a friend of mine, I was shamed, at least in my head, at the total lameness of my Christmas decorating. At her house they had this giant village built, in their basement, that stretched along one wall and halfway along another, and as proud as I was that my decorating only took 15 minutes, in my head I decided something more needed to be done. So, after Christmas was over, I saw an ad that the village houses and props were 75% off, so it started.  I bought a couple of houses, a lighthouse, and the next year, my decorating started to get more complicated. This was a few years ago. Then I added a ski-lift, an old train set, and things got a little worse, although not as bad as this year. In the previous year I sort of had the train set halfway done as I didn't have the width to make the full loop. It looked alright, but the train didn't work. So, this year, I calculated all of the space needed, set up the plywood, and started to get to work. This is where things really started to go wrong. First mistake, bringing down my ornamented Christmas tree and plopping it on the plywood first. Yup, there was my tree, standing proud, only now I needed to install the train track.

No biggy, until, well, sprawled along the plywood trying to get the thumbtacks put in to secure the train track, my svelte body under the tree, well, wouldn't you know it, I lifted my back just a little too much, and then the tree started to tumble, I caught the tree, but not before 90% of the ornaments decided to vacate their place on the tree and onto the floor.

Great, my decorating is now starting to go horribly wrong, now I've got to re-ornamentate the tree, and the angel on the top of the tree, while taking her tumble, well she lost her wings.

But that wasn't all.

Nope, finally settling into the fact my decorating was getting slightly more entailed than I planned it to be, I continued laying the train track, only to quickly realize that I didn't have enough track connectors. So much for getting my decorating done on that night. So, decorating not finished, I go to bed, wake up the next day, head to the hobby store, get more track connectors, and I'm psyched that "Yes, I can finally finish this Christmas decorating crap this evening, it will be great, the train will work, and it will officialy be the Holiday Season in the dude-pad." Evening comes, and begin decorating again, and I thought I would be creative with the train by kinda loopy-looping it rather than just having a normal oval, except there was one other problem - I miscalculated the amount of track needed. Yup, there I was, most of the track tacked down, getting towards at least finishing the train, when, low and behold, I was one track short. One freakin' track short.

I've already spent way to much time on this project, I've got a tree with only a few ornaments left on it, I'm sure I need more fake snow, and I need ONE PIECE OF TRACK THAT I COULD HAVE BOUGHT AT THE HOBBY STORE EARLIER IN THE DAY BUT NOW THE STORE IS CLOSED.

I thought of just leaving my decorating as is, tree half done, train not finished, ski-lift still in its box, especially since I rarely entertain, so who is going to see it anyway, and wouldn't it be a funnier story if I had people over with my "not done" decorating, but, after this blog, I'm going back to work. I decided I will untack some of the train track, remove one piece, re-assemble the train, so hopefully I can at least get the train going. Then it's time to unpack my village, get the skiers skiing and the boat boating, and I can almost bet you by the end of the night, I will have one last problem, not enough fake snow.

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:07 PM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2005

I Missed My High School Reunion Again. Damn.

By: The Dude on the Right
Last weekend was my 20 year high school reunion and I didn't go, and the more I think about it, I'm a little bummed I missed it.  The worst part about it, as things ended up working out, in hindsight, I could have gone.

The first hindrance in making any plans was that by the time I found out when the reunion was, I had already put in a request for concert clearance for Bon Jovi.  Jovi was playing in Chicago last Friday and Saturday, and when I put in the request, I said either show would be fine.  Not knowing if I would get clearance for Friday or Saturday, or get clearance at all, I couldn't make definite plans.  And in a case of unbelievable coincidences, I missed my 10 year reunion, because of, well, a Bon Jovi concert.  Anyway, my plan was that if I got clearance for the Friday show, or didn't get clearance at all, I would head back to the homestead Saturday morning for the reunion on Saturday night, then head back to the Windy City on Saturday.  As it turned out, I didn't get clearance at all, so could have gone, but something else got in the way.

In addition to this web site, I also do some business consulting, and one of the companies I do work for was having problems with this GPS unit they recently purchased.  They wanted to use it to find manholes for a construction job they had, and got the manhole coordinate files from the General Contractor.  I got it installed, but something wasn't right.  When I installed it at their office, I knew that the manholes were anywhere from 30 to 40 miles away from their office, but the GPS unit kept saying the manholes were about 500 miles north.  That put them in Canada.  The G.C. files also contained a "coordinate system" file, saying the coordinates were in something called a "Stateplane Illinois East 1201" system, yet every time I entered that into the GPS unit, I kept getting the same thing, manholes 500 miles away.  Not being a mapping dude, I tried to do some investigating on the internet, but no matter what I tried, the result was the same.  Then one of the computer dudes at the GC said they had problems getting the right distance out of their office, but when they were actually in the near vicinity of the manholes, it worked fine.  Well, the company was really jumping to get this thing to work right, so I agreed to go up to northern Illinois on the Saturday of the reunion, pretty much cementing my missing the reunion.  The thing is, in my gut, I knew it wouldn't make a difference.  I figured something was wrong with either the coordinate file or the coordinate system they said it was, but I went up to the north shore of Illinois to do some testing anyway.  Sure enough, I get up to the North Shore and the manholes are now around 470 miles north of me.  Yup, according to the GPS, they are still up in Canada.

As things worked out, on Monday I got a hold of the engineers who supplied the original coordinate file, and low and behold, the coordinate system was in something called "UTM NAD83 ZONE 16," or something like that, and the coordinates were in meters, not feet, like the G.C. supplied file said they were.  I popped that into the GPS unit, and yup, everything was right with the world, or at least the manholes were right where they were supposed to be.

My problem, still to this day, is that at times I don't listen to myself.  Everything told me not to waste my time heading to northern Illinois last Saturday, it wouldn't make a difference, and it didn't.  No Bon Jovi clearance, the GPS unit still wouldn't work right, and in the end I could have gone to my reunion.  I will give the folks that organized the reunion credit, though, because they put it together even though my high school closed down, and they posted some pictures from the shindig, but I have to say, that for the most part, after checking out the photos, I'm having a hard time recognizing most of them.  Me, I look in the mirror and I don't look like I've aged a day after high school.  Well, alright, maybe a year or two.  The hair is the same, I've still got the svelte body I had back then, and figure I would have walked in the door with everyone saying something like "Dude, you look exactly the same as I remember you!  What's your secret?" to which I would reply back "Who are you?"  All I know is I hope Bon Jovi won't be in Chicago the same day as my 25th year reunion because that started the entire process of missing my reunions ten years ago.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:54 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2005

All Real Postings Begin Again Tomorrow - The Partying is Coming to an End.

By: The Dude on the Right
Well, the celebrating is over!  The Chicago White Sox have won the World Series in one of the best World Series I have seen in a while.  Alright, maybe it wasn't the best, but with a team to cheer on, there was a vested interest in the games.  That and the fact that my sister and her family won't be able to taunt me because their Astros, well, lost.  They could have won, won any of the games, but they didn't.  So I'll just let this one last thing fly: "Na na na na.  Na, na, na, na.  Hey, hey, hey.  Goodbye."

So, now, with baseball over in Chicago, there is only one thing to ask:  Are you ready for some football?  Yup, all focus now turns to the Chicago Bears, who tonight sit alone, atop the mighty NFC North Division, with the phenomenal record of 4-3.  Kyle Orton is the man, or at least the first quarterback in a long time to play seven consecutive games, and that gives me hope, especially since he seems to get a little smarter with each game.

Anyway, enough about sports, what about this place.  Well, this week I've got a lot planned to finish.  There will be a movie review of "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", a podcast on some last thoughts about the World Series, a DVD review of "Kicking & Screaming," and maybe also "Batman Begins," a written CD review of Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day," hopefully a CD review of the latest CD from  "Story of the Year," and a movie review of either "Saw 2" or "The Weatherman," leading up to, hopefully, covering Bon Jovi at the United Center next weekend.  And if that's not enough, I came up with an idea for a new web site this weekend, so even though you may not see it directly, I've got to put some initial work into it.

So I'm off to get my audio clips ready for my podcast, have some CD listening to do, and some writing to be posted later.  And if you say, "But Dude, I'm tired of coming back here day after day only to find nothing new," well, if you've got a Yahoo!, Newsgator, MSN, or an RSS news reader, you can always subscribe and get What's New? when it's new.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 5:56 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2005

All Real Postings Have Been Delayed Until the End of The World Series.

By: The Dude on the Right
First, I have to admit, I did fall asleep and missed the ending of Game 3 of the World Series last night.  I was tired to begin with, the game was all over the place, and Aaron Neville's version of "God Bless America" just put me to sleep.  So, yea, I missed everything from the 7th inning slumber until my body woke up somewhere around 3AM, the TV still on, and me wondering what happened.

In any case, as much as I would like to see the White Sox win the World Series in Chicago on Saturday night, the person in me who wants to get back into a normal groove sort of just hopes the Sox sweep the Astros tonight, and I won't even taunt my sister and her family much if that happens.  Also, from the way things have been going, it seems God is on the White Sox' side, and definitely not on my side to win the lottery.

I will say this, no matter what anyone says, and with some respect for the Astros, it's been a hell of a World Series so far, but it just seems the White Sox have been able to capitalize on nearly every break they have gotten, whether a mistake by the other team, or a wacky call.  The Astros, last night, had a home run that wasn't a home run, but nobody made that big deal about it, and who would have thought that Oswalt would give up five runs in an inning, but for me, with everything that has happened for the White Sox so far in the post-season, it seems that God and his cronies of Baseball Gods want the White Sox to win the World Series.   Either that, or they are in the midst of the cruelest joke He and his He's could pull - let the White Sox win the first three games, then shift every break to the Astros for four games and let the Sox go down in history as the first team in Major League Baseball to lose a World Series after winning the first three games of a seven game series.  Two groups of people would love that:  Cubs' fans, and Astros' fans.  And to top all of that, they would also probably not have me win the Mega Millions which is now up to $147 million.

And I guess lastly, I'm hoping the White Sox win the World Series tonight, simply so that no one in America will have to suffer with the choice of singers Fox is pulling out to sing our "National Anthem" and "God Bless America."  Most every ballpark or city would have their go-to guy, or gal, to sing these songs, and they are fantastic at it.  In Chicago, most no one does it better than Wayne Messmer, and I'd like to also think that Houston has one of their own.  Both the "Anthem" and "God Bless" don't really need to be sung by someone famous, just someone who does a fabulous job.  The TV folks still haven't figured that out.  If I can get the gumption, I just might also try a podcast about this singing stuff, but I suppose we'll just have to see if I can get back in my groove.

I've got to go now, Game 4 is starting, I want to get this posted tonight, and if He and his He's want this series to continue, I guess, in continuing with my prayers for this World Series time,  I now pray "Go ahead, but if that's your will, at least let the Astros win two and get it back to Chicago and let the Sox win there, or at least let me win the lottery on Friday night.  $147 million would surely drown my sorrows if you really want the Sox to go down in history in the wrong way."

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2005

A World Series Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down.

By: The Dude on the Right
I suppose I threw down the gauntlet, with this line in my last, "if it's a White Sox/Astros' World Series, it's going to be a fight for pride between myself and my sister's family."; I have no concerns, I have the utmost faith in my White Sox, they've always been my team, sort of ;-)"  Thinking back on it, I really shouldn't have encompassed all of the family into the "loser" category, just my sister.  It's always her I have had the beef with, but I suppose, as a family, I would hope they would also rally around her like they have when I grouped them in as a bunch.  So, I've got the entire family blasting me, and I suppose it is fair, except I still contend the SAT's were tougher back in my day.  Ahh, togetherness!  But, it is a White Sox/Astros' World Series, and as much trust that I have in my White Sox, I really have to hope and pray that The Wizards of Oz show that a Wild Card team doesn't belong in the World Series.  Why?  Because if the White Sox don't win, I will never hear the end of it, and that is now my fault.

In any case, tonight I posted my podcast prayer to God, to please help the White Sox win the World Series.  I know he listens a lot to many of the singers out there, so I really hope he has the time for me, and if he doesn't have the two to three hours to devote to the World Series games each night, I'm just hoping he has a few seconds so that my Mega Millions numbers pop up in those little tubes.  If that were to happen, my sister, and her family, could taunt me all they want, but I wouldn't recommend it if, I mean when, I'm 100+ million dollars richer.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:58 PM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2005

I Am Sorry

By: The Dude on the Right
Okay, I apologize for my latest lack of not getting anything posted, but I have a lot of excuses, so let's get to them.

First off, I went back to Ohio to visit my parents.  I could lie and say that I forgot the charger for my laptop, but the truth is that I didn't even take the laptop out of its case.  I just thought it probably felt so cozy and warm in its snug case that it really didn't want to be disturbed, let alone have me pounding away on its keyboard.  Sure, I could have probably used Mom's computer to type up some movie previews and my KMFDM review, but Mom really wanted to play Solitaire, so I was stuck watching sports, which gets me up to...

Second, there were just too many sports things going on while I was back in the old country.  Now that I've jumped aboard the White Sox bandwagon, the ALCS playoffs seemed that much more important to me.  With that, baseball filled my evenings and college football filled my afternoon.  Ohio State didn't seem to be doing that well against Michigan State, so I headed out to see my Dad at the hospital (he's got some wacky infection, it's a long story, I'm not going to get into it), and then I ended up back home to find the Buckeye's taking charge of their game.  Then came one of the most exciting college football games I have ever seen, namely the Notre Dame/USC game.  Un-fucking-believable!  Notre Dame controlled the clock yet USC seemed to score most times they had the football.  On one of the Irish's last drives, I told Mom that they better get a touchdown because USC could probably come back.  Sure enough, there was USC, a couple of seconds left, threatening to down the ball to set up the field goal to set up overtime and low-and-behold, it's a touchdown and the Notre Dame fans are decimated.

Third, after the six hour drive back to the dude-pad from Ohio, the only thing left to do was, well, watch the White Sox win the American League Championship Series, in another fabulous game where Ozzie Guillen let another one of his pitchers throw nine innings, something totally unheard in today's baseball.  Tomorrow's challenge - scoring World Series' tickets.  My dream World Series has lately been an Indians/Cubs series, but I have to admit that I have loved watching the version of baseball the White Sox have played this year.  It's been exciting, it's been suspenseful, but mostly it's just been fun.  The problem now is if it's a White Sox/Astros' World Series, it's going to be a fight for pride between myself and my sister's family.  I have no concerns, I have the utmost faith in my White Sox, they've always been my team, sort of ;-)

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:43 PM | Comments (6)

October 9, 2005

I've Finally Switched Sides - Chicago is My Kinda Town.

By: The Dude on the Right
I was going to see the movie "Waiting" today, at least to add another movie review for the weekend, but alas, the football game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns started, and since I did see "Two For the Money" on Saturday, I didn't feel that guilty.  But as I camped out on my couch, listening to the radio feed from WBBM and watching the TV feed on FOX (the FOX announcers were, well, not that great, and the Chicago radio crew is great), it is now official:  I've lived in Chicago long enough to switch my allegiance from my old home teams, those being based in Cleveland, to my new home teams, those being based in Chicago, although there is a slight baseball wrinkle, and that came up during the end of the baseball season when the Tribe was playing the White Sox.  There I was, on my couch, cheering on the Bears and pissed that the Browns trounced all over them.  So, and I somewhat apologize to anyone I know back in Ohio (sorry Mom), but, for football, I'm a Bears fan first and a Browns fan second.  I'll cheer on the Browns with all of my heart, unless they are playing the Bears, and I found that out today.

Now, here comes the baseball wrinkle. I've turned into a Cubs fan, which in inherently wrong, since I "grew up" in Chicago on the south side, across an expressway from the old Comiskey Park.  But, the first game I remember going to in Chicago was a Cubs game, during Rush Week at Theta Xi.  I guess that is where I started my liking the Cubs, but in those early years, I'm pretty sure I caught more beer-an-inning White Sox games than Cubs games.  And things were pretty simple, for the most part, because in my dreams, I would be a Cubs fan and an Indians fan, and only have to worry about things if they both ended up in the World Series.  Then this year came, the Cubs were sucking as usual, the Indians weren't doing much at first, and the White Sox were just unbelievable.  I found it odd, but I started cheering on the White Sox, and not caring about the Cubs and Indians.   Then the end of the season came, the Indians were unbelievable, the White Sox were average, and I have to say, I was cheering on the Indians.  It is here that I decided my baseball allegiance now goes something like this:  Chicago Cubs first; Cleveland Indians second; and Chicago White Sox third.  I suppose this allegiance will never be tested because during the regular season, if the Cubs play the Indians, I'll cheer them both on, but if, by some twist of impossible fate, the Cubs and Indians end up in the World Series, I'll finally have to make a choice.

I know what you are saying, "What about basketball?"  That, again, won't be answered until a playoff series because, well, I've grown to like the Bulls, especially during the Michael Jordan era  (although I was cheering on the Cavs until Jordan would, inevitably, crush their hopes like a bug).  And last year, I was really pulling for the Bulls, but I've also become a fan of LeBron, so that is at least keeping my interest in the Cavs on a higher level (they better never trade him, or it's over for me).

I have to say, it was almost weird cheering on the Bears, hoping somehow that Kyle Orton would pull out some dream ending to the game, but I've been living in the Chicago area some 19 years now, more years than I can remember living in the Lorain, Ohio area, so I guess it shouldn't be that weird.  I just so much wish that the Bears could have won.  Maybe next time.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 6:51 PM | Comments (0)

October 6, 2005

Farts are funny.

By: The Dude on the Right
A while ago, at an office I do consulting for, I simply made the statement to the secretary dudette, Blondie, and my accountant buddy, Fruitcake, he of the firm Dewey, Cheatum, & Howe, that "farts are funny."  I had Howard Stern on my radio, he had one of his farter dudes on, and I was cracking up.  They inquired as to what I was laughing at, and I simply blurted out "Because farts are funny."  So I turned the radio up a bit so they could here, and sure enough, they both found it funny, although the secretary dudette said she also found it kinda gross, but laughed none-the-less.  So, today, Stern once again showed that something as simple as a fart can be very funny, especially when added with a little text on your radio screen.

For those of you who don't know, and maybe you don't care, but I do, Howard Stern is leaving the normal FM airwaves to go to Sirius Satellite Radio next year.  I've been a fan of Howard for quite awhile now, and not just for some laughs because of farts, but because he is one of the best at interviewing people and somehow getting them to spill stuff no one can get out of them.  In any case, the other day the satellite radio folks updated the channels on the radio in my dude-mobile, and low and behold, there were Howard's channels, 100 and 101, but sadly, with nothing but dead air.  No promos, no static, just nothing.  Listening to Howard after that, all he lamented about was that it was driving him crazy that there was nothing on the channels.  Then, by certain genius, a listener told Howard he should just have farts going on.  Then the wheels of the other genius, namely Howard, started rolling, and even as the other folks on the show, Fred, Artie, and Robin, started suggesting things like fart competitions and wind chimes, Howard stuck to the simple - just have his farter folks, well, just fart (or queef as I believe it was during the midday shift, which, sadly, I missed).  The only added bonus, some updating text on the Sirius radio display commenting on the farts.  In my land of being easily amused, and with the utter belief that farts are funny, it was some of the most funniest low-tech/high-tech radio I have heard in a long time.

Yes, there I was, off this morning to an appointment, cruising in the dude-mobile, flipping between listening to Howard and listening to a dude fart.  Sorry Howard, I probably spent more time listening to Junior the Farter rather than you, but in all honesty, I was mesmerized.  Silence, then a blast.  Suddenly the screen on my radio would change giving Junior a 3.5 for that fart.  More silence, then a super-long blast, and then my radio would tell me that Junior's last far was 17 seconds.  And it just continued, and I couldn't stop listening, and I couldn't stop laughing.

This isn't rocket science, which I could help you with since I do have an Aerospace Engineering degree, but I will go to my grave saying that "Farts are funny."  Today, Howard just helped me prove that I'm right, especially later in the day, when I was heading back to the dude-pad, heard Will the Farter, and still just couldn't help but laugh, and whoever was typing in the text going into my radio display, you're pretty funny too.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:28 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

Football is Back With Full Force.

By: The Dude on the Right
I just couldn’t bring myself to actually go out and see a movie this weekend, I mean my choices were and Exorcist-type movie which is actually more about the priest, and "Mr. Man," which, well, just didn’t look that good. So this morning after reading my newspaper I actually hunkered down with a DVD I picked up, the movie "Crash," and it was a great drama that really didn’t hold back showing a lot of people are either blatantly racist or have it in them without realizing it. But that’s not the important thing today, and I know, we are remembering 9/11 four years ago, but fall is officially here as NFL Sunday kicked into high gear.

Right now my Bears are struggling on offense, and I see my Browns aren’t fairing too well as of yet. Hopefully that will change by the end of the afternoon, but as football season has officially begun, I also am filled with impending dilemmas, namely the fall television season is ready to begin, which I mentioned in my last Blog. And here’s where the problem lies. As I keep trying to expand the web site, get back to concert reviewing and covering more things, I also have this grand notion of starting a podcast, but where will my TV viewing come in. Sure, the TIVO and VCR will be used diligently, but when will I watch things. My original plan a few years ago was to record things during the week and then watch everything over the weekend. That was fine for then, but if I’m doing the podcast thing, especially on a mostly daily basis, it won’t do much good to give you any kind of TV recap when it’s a week late. I guess I’ll just have to figure things out, with I guess the first thing actually being getting my podcast up and running.

Hope you had a good weekend and have a great week. See ya next time.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 2:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2005

Easy Upgrades Sometimes Aren't.

By: The Dude on the Right
I've got so many things I have wanted to write about.  There's the entire New Orleans' thing, a rant about why Kentucky Fried Chicken sucks and it's not related to PETA, my picture with Johnny Cash, how proud I am of Columbus, IN., how I'm rooting for my Indians and torn about rooting for the White Sox, about my Jimmy Buffett weekend (Stu might need some bigger coconuts), and just general things.  I also intended to figure out how I could get a Podcast going for the site.  Then I decided to try an upgrade to my blog software.

So, for the past three days, the stubborn streak in me has gotten the best of me.  The upgrade was supposed to be easy, I even had a couple of helpful sites to make things even easier and not mess everything up.  Then, of course, I didn't really listen to them, then I started searching the internet as to why I was getting this "500" error, then I just started deleting things willly-nilly, then things still didn't work, then I did another internet search for some Perl code that might actually help, then I just prayed that my Frontpage backup had all of the files that I had since deleted and it would upload them as instructed.  Finally, three days later, I'm back up and running with the old version of my Blog software (thank you Frontpage), and until I actually read somewhere, or at least one of the technical folks at my hosting site or the blog software sight, give me some help into how to make the upgrade work, I'm sticking with the older version that was working well enough for me in the first place.

I kind of hate when I get in that stubborn mode, spending days on something that really doesn't have an answer at the moment, but alas, I do that every now and then.  So here's the quick update - I'm not going to really try upgrading things until I get a firm answer so I can at least switch my focus from computer programming to the important things, like Jimmy Buffett, NFL football, movies, music, and what scares me even more, because it usually becomes the "I never get anything done because of," Falll TV programming.  Most of my favorite shows are returning, I'm sure there are some new one coming for me to get sucked into as well, and I might have to buy a new TIVO to keep up with it all.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:40 PM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2005

No apologies, only excuses.

By: The Dude on the Right
I was going to write that I apologize for not updating my blog in about a week, but you know what, I don't apologize, I just have excuses. Excuse 1: In preparation for my trip to the old country, alright, just Ohio, I spent way too many hours trying to get a wireless internet adapter to work in my old laptop that would just keep crashing my laptop because my laptop is too old and this adapter doesn't work with lowly Windows ME. Sadly, all of that time was wasted anyway because my brother still has his wireless hub set at slow speed instead of fast speed anyway so my laptop card was fine anyway. Excuse 2: In preparation for my trip to the old country, alright, still just Ohio, I felt it necessary to upgrade my virus software on my laptop so when I check my e-mail I would be safe. Eventually I got it working, but it's really hard to do when you're too stubborn to realize that the wireless adapter in Excuse 1 was causing all of your problems and not the anti-virus installation. Excuse 3: The Dude on the Left and I went to see George Thorogood and The Destroyers on Wednesday night. The show was great, but by the time I got back, all I wanted to do was quickly see if some of the photos turned out and go to bed. Excuse 4: All packed up and ready to go, I headed back to the old country, yes, still just Ohio, on Thursday, getting in in time to go to bed. Excuse 5: After intending to start getting some work done while at the old country, fine, Ohio, I was still struggling with my laptop trying to connect to the home connection because I was too stubborn to ditch my new wireless adapter in favor of my old adapter, and then finally, I switched back to my old adapter when low-and-behold, all began working like it should have in the first place. I'm such a dope. Excuse 6: I intended to write a blog while I was in Ohio, I mean, the old country, when it occurred to me that I had left my blogging software passwords sitting on my desk in the new country, I mean Illinois, so the blogging update went out the window. And to top that off, there, in my computer in the new country, was stored my movie preview template, which I failed to upload, or is that download, I always get that backwards, but in any case, I never transferred it over to my laptop so I would have 90% of my movie preview work done, all I would need to do was finish the preview portion and I would be able to post a ton of them upon my return. Excuse 7: Traveling back to the new country from the old country, alright, from Ohio to Illinios, nearing the Ohio/Indiana border, I thought about writing a blog when I got home, but well, didn't, as doing laundry and just getting situated back at home got in the way. Excuse 8: The Dude on the Left had an extra ticket to the Cubs/Braves game Monday night, a game which sucked because the Cubs lost because they suck, and hopefully we can finally stick a fork in the Cubs' chances for the postseason because they are done. Getting back late, I really needed some sleep because I had some consulting to do today.

But now, I'm back! Yay!!! Next time I travel I hope to remember at least my blog password (that's a drawback of letting your computer remember your passwords for you I guess) to do some kind of update on the road, although, in all honesty, the weekend Jimmy Buffett is playing at Wrigley Field over Labor Day, I have a feeling I'll have a lot more excuses why I didn't get any updates during those few days, and I also have to admit, liquor will probably be involved with at least one, if not all of those excuses.

That's it for this one!  I'm The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)

August 7, 2005

I Guess Some Things Just Take Time

By The Dude on the Right
Usually I'm pretty write-ative, but tonight, this entry will be a little shorter than normal, at least that's my train of thought right now. We'll see how this ends up.

Anyway, it's been a busy day, mostly playing with one of my new toys, my blogging software, trying to get the pages to look seamless with the rest of the web site. I did play slightly with my other toy, the new camera, but am figuring Monday and Tuesday will be more devoted to that one so that I am ready when the lights go down and I'm at the foot of the stage for Green Day on Wednesday night (that review coming later this week).

As far as the blogging software, let me tell you, that hasn't been the easiest of things, especially since I rarely read the right documentation on new things, and with this Movable Type thing having many options to make things how you want, I also had to learn a few things, like dealing with a style/formatting file. The problem: After getting it to work exactly like I wanted, not realizing it was built into the program so when I rebuilt the blogging area it rebuilt based on its style file, because, well, I simply didn't read that you need to change the file internally, not externally, so I got to start over again. Like a lot of my computer experiences, it's been about trial and error, finding out why the errors are there, then trying again. I'm finally getting the hang of things, although one part of the commenting area still isn't working but I actually used the Knowledge Base and know why it's happening so I might have a fix on that. Ahh, Knowledge Bases and FAQs!

Hope you had an unbelievable weekend.

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)

August 6, 2005

A Power Outage and I'm Worried About My Kids.

By: The Dude on the Right
So I get back from seeing "The Dukes of Hazzard," get near my garage door in the dude-mobile, keep pressing the button so that the door would magically open, and nothing happens. Keep pressing. Nothing happens. Keep pressing. Nothing happens. Then my neighbor yells across the way that the power is out. I hoped the battery was dead in the little transmitter thingy, but fine, I can do some writing on my laptop, even though I can’t connect to the internet, and then I remembered something I haven’t done yet that I keep telling myself I’m going to do – get a battery back-up power supply. No, not for my computer, I already have one for that. I’m talking about getting one for my kids, I mean, my fish. It’s bad enough that the temperature is rising, and Steve, Ashley, and Bill, well, they can deal with that to a point, but the real problem is that the filters stop filtering, if it was cold the heater stops heating (although I've read you shouldn't really plug one into a power supply), but now, especially with the filtering thing, bad things are getting the chance to totally foul my fish tank, even to the point of making it toxic enough to kill my kids. As of my writing this, the power’s been out for about half an hour, but if it keeps going any longer I might have to yank my computer power supply out of the wall and hope there’s some juice left in its batteries to at least run my canister filter for awhile. Worst case scenario, I’m off to my Home Depot to by a small portable generator and run some power cords to keep the kids happy. Here’s hoping ComEd can get this taken care of quickly, because as quaint as a power outing can be sometimes, on a hot August day, I just hope my kids can weather the storm, and hopefully this time I have learned my lesson and will pick up that battery backup for my kids.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Follow up note... Well, it turns out my UPS for my computer was pretty much useless by the time I tried to see if it would power one of the filters, and time was ticking by. So, for the next hour-ish, I kept calling the electric folks. Low and behold, on my last call, I was told by the nice lady answering the phone that her supervisor informed them that all of Aurora was back up and running. I nicely told her that maybe her supervisor would want to spend her night at my place, and I'll hang out at hers, since I'll bet her air conditioner was working. She nicely chuckled and said she would let her supervisor know power hasn't been restored to all of Aurora, and low and behold, 15 minutes later the power kicked back in, so luckily, you have this blog entry to get you into Sunday and so far the kids, I mean fish, seem okay.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:55 PM | Comments (0)