Author Archive
Banana Shpeel Closing
Cirque du Soleil to inflict horrible entertainment on the rest of the country as show starts North American tour.
‘Banana Shpeel’ splits (Variety)
Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘Banana Shpeel’ to Close (New York Times)
Hard Work Isn’t Everything
From CBS News Correspondent Mark Knoller’s twitter:
FLOTUS tells grads that she and the Pres. are “living proof” that if you do what it takes, “anything is possible.”
I get what she’s saying, because I’m not, you know, a complete moron. And I’m sure many non-white people have warm feelings about President Obama and the First Lady and what they have accomplished.
But they didn’t do it by just working hard. They are also extremely intelligent people. That can’t be tossed out.
This is a pet peeve of mine, one that I share, for what it’s worth, with Bill Maher. When Whoopi Goldberg was host of the Oscars, she said something about “just stay true to your dreams and they will come true, and I’m living proof of that.” Oprah, I think, says stuff like that as well. Maher, if I recall correctly, said that this was a bad thing to tell children. I agree. Whoopi Goldberg is an incredibly talented actress. (You wouldn’t know it from her recent work, but whatever.) If someone stinks, will they have the same success as her because they worked hard? No. Are there actors that manage to do well even though they have limited talent? (Keanu Reeves.) Yes. (Keanu Reeves.) Not the point. It’s not all about “reaching for the stars.” Hard work isn’t everything. It’s only part of the equation.
Superfriends Stop The Oil Spill [Cartoons to the Rescue]
The Superfriends know how to stop the oil spill. Or at least they have some experience with oil spills.
This clip is from way back in 1980.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2BI11mReHM]
Funny how this was a problem thirty years ago and still nobody seems to know how to fix it. OK, funny is the wrong word. Disturbing? Negligent? Criminal? All of the above?
I talked about this clip, the BP oil spill, and how Sarah Palin blames environmentalists for the disaster on my radio show/podcast last week. Listen to it here.
Clip from YouTube via The AV Club, James Cameron enlisted by EPA to help plug Gulf oil leak
Cheap USB Flexible Keyboard [DaddyTech]
The name of this product is Foldable USB Keyboard, Black. That’s a little misleading, since it’s not foldable as much as it is flexible. (It does appear to be black, although I’m color blind so who knows.)
What is nice is the price – $5.68 at Amazon.com. Could be a good item for when your little Edward Stickyhands wants to mess with your laptop and you’d rather he not touch the same keyboard that you use.
Foldable USB Keyboard, Black $5.68 at Amazon.com
Brave and the Bold Wii Game Looks Bat-tastic
The Batman: The Brave and the Bold Wii game looks like it will be, dare we say, bat-tastic. Bat-tacular, even.
Look. It’s a video game for the Wii in which you get to play as various characters from the insanely awesome Cartoon Network series “Batman: The Brave and the Bold.” From the video, the Wii game looks like the cartoon. What could be bad?
The dorky video voice over guy says that the game will arrive in September of 2010, but Amazon says the release date is October 26, 2010. That’s early enough for Chanukah, so I’m good.
via Topless Robot – Batman: The Brave and the Beat-‘Em-Up
Brett Singer Live Friday June 4 at 12pm [Radio]
I brought my show back on Friday May 21, and now the Brett Singer Live radio show is in its third week of brought backedness. Or something like that.
On the agenda: Gary Coleman, Rod Blagojevich, James Cameron and Kevin Costner – none of them will be my guests, but I’ll talk about them all. And remember the episode of Diff’rent Strokes where Arnold wanted to have a Bar Mitzvah, but Milton Berle told him how tough it was to be a Jew? No? I do.
Plus my musical tribute to the late great Gary Coleman. I feel bad for the guy. Seriously. Tune in to Brett Singer Live on Friday June 4 on BlogTalkRadio at 12pm EST to hear why.
Non Kiddie CD Player Good for Kids? [DaddyShop]
The Sony CD Boombox with Digital AM/FM Tuner is a non-kiddie CD player that may be good for kids.
I was looking for a kiddie CD player and went to BestBuy. They had the Sony CD Boombox with Digital AM/FM Tuner (ZSE5RED) on display, but not in stock. (This is because I found the one I wanted, which is never in stock.) The other CD players were either too expensive or seemed too cheaply made to withstand my kid, who can break anything. (Including the internal power supply on a desktop computer. Without opening the case. Seriously. I’ll tell you about it sometime.)
I looked for a kiddie CD player, but soon realized that CD players, even those made specifically for children, are getting more and more scarce. Why? Because everything is MP3, bay-bee. I mean, your 6-year-old has their own iPod, right? Amirite?
Well, my kid doesn’t have an iPod, and he broke both of the old CD players I’ve given him the past couple of years, so it was time for something new. I wanted something that would be easy to use and would hopefully withstand the rigors of Destructo The Magnificent. Despite the fact that it is not, technically, a kiddie electronic device, the Sony CD Boombox with Digital AM/FM Tuner (ZSE5RED) appears to fit the bill. It’s big and colorful and seems well-made. At $38.94, it’s a little more than I’d like to spend, but the cheaper options are so cheap as to be D.O.A. (Including the morceau de merde that we bought at Target which was broken even before Destructo got his adorable, if destructive, hands on it.)
Anyway, I haven’t bought the Sony CD Boombox with Digital AM/FM Tuner yet, but I’m going to because it appears to be the type of CD player that is good for kids even though it was made for adults. In theory. Will keep you posted.
Sony CD Boombox with Digital AM/FM Tuner (Red) at Amazon.com
