Monthly Archives: December 2012

Dec 27 2012

The Story Behind the Movie “Argo”

How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans From Tehran | Wired Magazine | Wired.com.

Keyart from the movie "Argo"

Keyart from the movie “Argo”

I was doing my day job yesterday, processing photos for movies that are On Demand in February, one of those being the Ben Affleck directed “Argo.” While I was checking out the information on imdbpro.com, I discovered it was produced by George Clooney‘s Smoke House production company.

Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay based on an article by Joshuah Bearman entitled “Escape from Tehran” (the link above will take you to the article).

Thinking that reading the article would help me put the 63 pictures I downloaded from the Warner Bros. in perspective (it did), I went ahead and tore right into and was thoroughly entertained.

Ben Affleck plays Tony Mendez to put it into perspective for you, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go. Read the article, see the movie and enjoy your self. I intend to see it when it’s available on DirecTV On Demand, I don’t even want to wait for Netflix.

Dec 27 2012

‘United States of Bacon’ to premier with Milwaukee episode

‘United States of Bacon’ to premier with Milwaukee episode Sunday – Milwaukee – The Business Journal.

The walking Ched at Zombie Burger featured in an upcoming episode of the "United States of Bacon."

The walking Ched at Zombie Burger featured in an upcoming episode of the “United States of Bacon.”

When the press kit arrived in our office to promote this show, there was a box of Bacon Bandages and other things made of Bacon (but alas, nothing to actually eat). This 12-episode series will have Chef Todd Fisher seeking out the country’s most heavenly bacon creations. It’s great that he starts in my home town.

I’m the makin’ bacon person in our office. I’ll bring some of that precooked bacon, heat it up in one of the two microwaves and eat it on toasted pretzel bread from Breadsmith with a big glass of cold milk. Ahhhhh! There’s nothing better. The whole time you’re in the kitchen waiting for your toast, the first thing out of every person’s mouth is “….. who just made bacon in here?” So I just stand at the counter and look innocent and before they even open their mouth I just say “It wasn’t me” even though it was.

Dec 25 2012

Deaths Peak During Holiday Season, Study Shows

Deaths Peak During Holiday Season, Study Shows. (from Web MD)

I’ve heard several reasons why deaths peak during the silly holiday season or why people tend to die right after important celebratory dates.

This article is interesting and rather important. In case you don’t want to read the whole thing, here are some points you should pay attention to:

  • Don’t skip regular doctor appointments because of the holidays. Reschedule if you need to.
  • Stick to your healthy habits through the holidays, and help your family do the same.
  • Be sure you have enough of your usual medications to allow for holiday business/pharmacy closings and travel.
  • Check out the medical facilities where you’ll be traveling.
  • Ask your doctor who you could see if you need a doctor away from home.
  • If you have symptoms, don’t ignore them.
Dec 25 2012

Even More 2012 Deaths – 12/25 – 12/31 (Updated)

Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf, died Thursday, Dec. 27 at the age of 78. Gen. Schwarzkopf commanded coalition forces during the Gulf War and on Jan. 17, 1991 began an almost 6-week air assault of Iraqi forces that was followed by a swift ground campaign that forced Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait.

Gerry Anderson, the British puppetry pioneer passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 26 at the age of 83 after suffering from Alzheimer’s for nearly 3 years.  Gerry created the classic television series Thunderbirds and Stingray, among others.

Charles Durning, a two-time Oscar nominee and an extraordinary character actor who played everything from a Nazi colonel to a pope, died Monday, Dec. 24 at his home in New York City. He was 89.

Jack Klugman

Jack Klugman

Jack Klugman, who played Quincy in Quincy, ME and the messy one in TVs Odd Couple died at the age of 90 on Monday, Dec. 24 in Northridge, CA. His wife, Peggy Crosby (2008) was at his side. The cause of his death at this time is unknown.

Rick Majerus was only 64 when he died on Saturday, Dec. 1. He coached at Marquette University, Ball State University, the University of Utah, and Saint Louis University.

Leroy Neiman died at 91 in New York on June 20. He was a painter and sketch artist and was best known for his impressionistic works of some of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Ryan Freel, a former Cincinnati Reds player died on Saturday, Dec. 22 from a self-inflicted gun shot wound. He was 36.

Dec 24 2012

Even More New Years Day TV Marathons (Updated)

Brandi from Storage Wars

Brandi from Storage Wars

It doesn’t matter what you’re doing or what  you have planned for New Years Eve or New Years Day, sooner or later, you’ll turn on the television. (Times are given in Central Time.)

I’ve been compiling some lists from some of my favorite channels to see who’s playing what all day December 31st and January 1st (2013). To start, AMC announced they were playing all three seasons of The Walking Dead beginning December 31. Bob82 posted a comment that it looked like that was cancelled, and I checked this morning. Bob82 was right, only Season 3 is on the schedule beginning at 8pm on December 31.

So here’s what I’ve come up with so far and I’ll keep adding to it as I find more. Hope I’ve hit on some of your favorites.

Updated: I googled “TV Marathons New Years Eve/Day” and I can not believe how many reliable sources are coming back unreliable. Most, if not all still have AMC running The Walking Dead Marathon. I’ve added a couple of other marathons that I checked out with DirecTV programming so I’m 90%+ they’re correct.

New Years Eve Day

AMC – The Walking Dead, Season 3, starting 12/31 at 8pm

Current – Final 24 Hours, starting 12/31 at 7pm mixed in with other programming: John Belushi @7pm; The 25 Best Things about 2012 8pm; followed by The Final 24 Hours every hour beginning at 9pm with Marvin Gaye; Jim Morrison at 10pm; repeat of The Best 25 Things at 11pm.

History Channel – Pawn Stars, starting 12/31 at 7am

Nat Geo – Locked Up Abroad, starting 12/31 at 8am
at 6pm on 12/31 – Evacuate Earth
at 8pm on 12/31 – Maya Underworld: The Real Doomsday
at 9m on 12/31 – The Mayan Apocalypse

Syfy – The Twilight Zone with Rod Serling, 1959-1963, starting 12/31 at 7am and continuing through Jan. 1

New Years Day

Moe, the foot doctor, from Storage Wars Texas.

Moe, the foot doctor, from Storage Wars Texas.

A&E – Storage Wars Marathon, starting 1/1 at 7am. Two new Storage Wars Texas at 8pm and two new episodes of the newest Storage Wars, SW: New York at 9pm.

Current – Tupac Shakur’s Final 24 at Midnight on 1/1; Biggie & Tupac at 1-3am; with a repeat of Tupac Shakur’s Final 24 at 3am; River Phoenix’s Final 24 at 4am; Janis Joplin’s Final 24 at 5am; Hunter S. Thompson’s Final 24 at 6am; David Koresch’s Final 24 at 7am.

History Channel – Swamp People, starting 1/1 at 6am

Investigation Discovery – Deadly Women, starting at 5am-5pm

ION East/West Feeds – Criminal Minds/Numbers almost all day, depending on which feeds you get, check your local listings

Military Channel – Clash of Wings, starting at 5am; Hitler’s Bodyguards, starting at 8am, Secrets of World War II, starting at 2pm

Nat Geo – Doomsday Preppers, starting 1/1 at 8am, Diggers starts at 9pm

Science Channel – Fringe, starting 1/1 at 9:30am

Spike – 1,000 Ways to Die, starting 1/1 at 8am

WGN – Cheers, starting at 8am and pretty much running all day

Dec 24 2012

NRA Pins Conn. Massacre on Politicians, Monsters and Media, But Not Guns: Gothamist

Head of NRA Pins Connecticut Massacre on Politicians, Monsters and Media, But Not Guns: DCist.

There’s really not much to add here, except that there’s a link to the entire text of this … umm, speech, in pdf form, at the end of this article, courtesy of the Gothamist.

Dec 22 2012

Returning Series

Have you been wondering if your favorite TV series is returning? Well thanks to our friends at Channel Guide Magazine, here’s the latest list of returning series:

Name of Series, Name of Network, Date

Anger Management, FX, Jan. 17

Archer, FX, Jan. 17

American Idol, FOX, Jan. 16

Anger Management, FX, Jan. 17

Archer, FX, Jan. 17

The Bachelor, ABC, Jan. 7

Being Human, Syfy, Jan. 14

Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, NBC, Jan. 8

The Biggest Loser, NBC, Jan. 6

Body of Proof, ABC, Feb. 5

Celebrity Apprentice, NBC, March 3

Community, NBC, Feb. 7

Cougar Town, TBS, Jan. 8

Dallas, TNT, Jan. 28

Dancing With the Stars, ABC, March 18

Dancing With the Stars Results Show, ABC, March 26

Deadly Sins, Investigation Discovery, Jan. 12

Downton Abbey, PBS, Jan. 6

Enlightened, HBO, Jan. 13

Fringe, FOX, Jan. 18 (series finale)

Ghost Hunters, Syfy, Jan. 16

Girls, HBO, Jan. 13

Grimm, NBC, March 8

Justified, FX, Jan. 8

The Lying Game, ABC Family, Jan. 8

The Millionaire Matchmaker, Bravo, Jan. 10

Necessary Roughness,  USA Network, Jan. 23

Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family, Jan. 8

Revolution, NBC, March 25

Scorned: Love Kills, Investigation Discovery, Jan. 26

Shameless, Showtime, Jan. 13

Smash, NBC, Feb. 5

Southland, TNT, Feb. 13

Spartacus: War of the Damned, Starz, Jan. 25

Suburgatory, ABC, April 3

Suits, USA Network, Jan. 17

Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, FX, Jan. 17

Touch, FOX, Feb. 8

True Crime With Aphrodite Jones, Investigation Discovery, Jan. 7

The Voice, NBC, March 25

White Collar, USA Network, Jan. 22

Dec 21 2012

Nancy Lanza Mourned While Police Search For Clues About Adam Lanza: Gothamist

Nancy Lanza Mourned While Police Search For Clues About Adam Lanza: Gothamist.

The Gothamist is a daily weblog covering New York city’s personalities, news stories, and media with humorous photos and running commentary. I really enjoy reading their stories because their short, concise and to the point.

The following was taken from TuftsNow, a Tuft’s University newsletter, specifically from an interview conducted by Marjorie Howard of Thomas Nolan, a former Boston police officer. What’s included is the final question and answer:

Why do you think we have such a violent culture?

I think it’s the ready availability and proliferation of high-powered firearms and certainly the way we socialize young men to resolve conflicts. Boys are taught to be competitive and to win and to use aggression to achieve those goals. Girls are taught to resolve conflicts through negotiation. We no longer see conflicts resolved with a fist fight or an argument or even a knife—they get resolved with a bullet. If the young man in Newtown didn’t have access to so many guns and wasn’t so familiar with them, what he did couldn’t have been so easily accomplished. We want to think that this guy has to be crazy and disordered, and obviously there was a problem, but we may find he was never diagnosed with any kind of mental disorder. Certainly in other areas of the world, where guns aren’t as available, it would have been much more difficult to carry out this atrocity.

Marjorie Howard can be reached at marjorie.howard@tufts.edu. 
Related articles
Dec 21 2012

The Walking Dead – New to Show and a Chip Dip Recipe!

The Walking Dead – New to Show – AMC.

It’s Friday, Dec. 21 and I have four days off in a row. Imagine, I don’t have to get up with the alarm clock for four days.

And then it’s back to work and then more days off! Plus I always take a vacation day after a Holiday which means I’ll be off on the 2nd of January which leads me to why I’m writing this post.

Starting on Dec. 31 and continuing through Jan. 1, AMC will be running all episodes of The Walking Dead. A perfect opportunity for you to get caught up with everything before new episodes return on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 9pm/8pm CT.

Lori Acken from our office interviewed Steven Yeun (who plays Glenn Rhee) this week and asked me for questions. I was honored.

One of the questions I gave her to ask him was if he had any recipes to recommend in case someone was planning a New Years Eve/Walking Dead Marathon party. I’m not sure if she asked him that, hence, not sure if he recommended any recipes, but I’ve got a helluva cream cheese and olive chip dip recipe that’s been in our family going on 50 years or more, if you want that.

The link I have for you is perfect if you’re New to the Show … because that’s exactly what the link is! Have fun … oh and if you want that chip dip recipe, leave me a comment with your email address and I’ll send it right along.

Dec 19 2012

More Celebrity Deaths – 2012

Sarah Burke, Canadian freestyle skier, Jan. 19.
Joe Paterno, former Penn State Football coach, Jan. 22.
Thomas Kinkade, artist, April 6.

Rodney King died June 17, 2012. Twenty years after the LA riots.

Rodney King died June 17, 2012. Twenty years after the LA riots.

Rodney King, died June 17. When a mostly white jury acquitted the police officers who were recorded on video beating Rodney King, it set off the 1992 Los Angeles riots. On the third day of the riots, Rodney King made a public appearance, making his now famous plea, “Can’t we all get along?”
On June 17, 2012, his fiancee, Cynthia Kelley, who had previously served as a juror in King’s civil law suit against the City of Los Angeles, found him at the bottom of a swimming pool in Rialto, California.
Maria Cole, widow of singer Nat King Cole and mother of Natalie Cole, died July 10.
Celeste Holm, actess, July 15.
Sally Ride, first American woman to fly in space, July 23.
Gore Vidal, July 31, author.
Helen Gurly Brown, Cosmopolitan magazine publisher, Aug. 13.
Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, Sept. 2.
J Christopher Stevens, US Ambassador to Libya, Sept. 11.
Gary Collins, Actor, TV and radio host, Oct. 13.
Emanuel Steward, boxing trainer who trained the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Leon Spinks, Evander Holyfield and Wladimir Klitschko, Oct. 25.
Larry Hagman, actor, known for his role in Dallas, Nov. 23.
Hector-Macho-CamachoHector “Macho” Comacho, boxer, Nov. 24. The first time I saw Macho Camacho fight in the early 1980s, his hands moved so fast, they actually blurred. Unfortunately, his life moved as fast as his hands. He was known for his quickness in the ring and his flamboyant lifestyle out it. He became the first boxer to be recognized as “septuple champion.”
He called the ring home up until 2008 when he won his last major fight, the World Boxing Empire middleweight championship. But even prior to that he had problems with the law, drug abuse, and criminal charges. He was arrested for burglary in 2005, a charge to which he would later plead guilty.
In 2011 he was shot at by carjackers in San Juan, but was not injured. In the fall of 2012, he was in Florida on charges of physically abusing one of his sons.
On November 20 he was shot and seriously wounded while sitting in a car in his native Bayamón, PR. The childhood friend he was with was killed. His mother requested the doctors remove him from life support four days later after he was declared brain dead.
After lying in state for two days in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, his remains were transported to New York for burial at request of his mother and sisters. A champion lost to senseless gun violence (facts thanks to Wikipedia, have you made a tax deductible donation to them for 2012).