Getting In the Mood (vol. 12)

 

Christmas has come and yes, it ended up being a white Christmas. Very white. Snow started falling here on Christmas Eve around 5:30 PM and as I post this at 11:30 PM Christmas night it hasn't stopped. Right now we are getting 2 inches of snow a hour. Luckily it's 2020-COVID times and we don't have to go anywhere, so tomorrow will be filled with watching Movies/Shows, playing games, eating and relaxing.

As for my mood, the snow falling helped last night, along with our traditional Christmas Eve snacks, watching Christmas movies, a couple Holiday Beers and then doing my job as Santa. Setting up the presents under the tree, a surprise gift for my wife, filling the stockings, moving the Elves, (we have three Elf on the Shelf with three Elf pets) eating the cookies, drinking the milk, putting the carrots for the Reindeer back in the fridge. I put our big dog to bed, the little one followed me up to bed, snuggled with me as I softly put on Christmas music to fall asleep to. I was feeling very Christmassy.

Morning came quickly, and we gathered  around the tree to open presents. "A Christmas Story playing on the TV in the background. The kids were very happy. They all still have another present coming. Each of the kids have a gift stuck somewhere in transit as FedEx, UPS, and the USPS have all gotten slammed even harder this holiday season. The dogs were happy. The wife was happy, as was I. 

We ate early. I made Ham and Lamb Chops with a couple sides. My wife baked homemade rolls and I made a whipped Honey Butter to have with them. The wife and I snuck off for a quickie.  We watched "Wonder Woman 1984." It was a great day. We are very lucky. I won't get into the bad news of the day or the politics and crap that has gone on. I turned much of that off today. But it reminds me, I'm lucky. My family is lucky.

Today's song is an easy one. It was popping in my head all day. I felt it all day. I felt good, all day. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

Good ole, Andy Williams.

Here's a bonus song for you. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Birdy. I hope you do. It's 2020 and all screwed up, Christmas doesn't have to end tonight. Enjoy how ever you can, as long as you can.

Merry Christmas!

You Can't Make Me Watch Hamilton

So, "Hamilton"...The smash hit Broadway show has surrounded in critical acclaim since 2015 has taken things to the next level as it is now streaming on Disney+....

I haven't had the chance to see the Live Stage show and I haven't watched it yet, now that it's streaming...Some who know me my be surprised by this...I love theater...I was a "theater kid" in high school...Not acting, singing, dancing...Behind the scenes...Set construction, lighting, rigging, set changes, stage managing...I still love live theater...

So why haven't I seen "Hamilton" yet?  Honestly...I don't want to...And I have a few reasons...

It's not just that I know all I need to know about Alexander Hamilton after the report I did at St. James Elementary School...The Encyclopedia Britannica and I crushed it! Got an "A"....

It's not that I don't like Musicals....I love Musicals...It's not that I don't like the style of music...I'm fine with all music, as long as it isn't Country...I hate Musical Movies..."Grease"...Hate it!   I love West Side Story"...I love "Guys and Dolls"...On a stage...On a screen...Movie screen or my TV screen, I hate them all...Sitting in a theater, watching living and breathing people who I can physically touch before security tackles me and drags me out, is great...There is a realness to it, where it doesn't seem fucked up seeing people break into song...Yes, suspending reality and people breaking into song makes sense and works for me in a live, in person setting...Maybe I'm fucked up in the head, but I can't do that suspending of reality when watching it on 60-inch TV screen...Sinatra breaks into on my TV and I'm rolling my eyes and annoyed...

Then there's The "Wayne's World" Effect...That's what I call it...Almost always when something gets hyped intensely, once I get around to seeing it, I'm let down...Or just flat-out hate it...The first time I remember it happening on a grand scale was "Wayne's World"....Always enjoyed the SNL skits, and was semi-excited to see the movie...Then it came out and the world was raving...And then "Bohemian Rhapsody" (the song) was playing all the time on MTV with a video filled with "Wayne's World" clips....Yes, MTV, Music Television played music many, many, many years ago...The was merch everywhere, the sequel was getting hyped before the first one was even out of the theaters...So, I finally get to see the movie...And not only was I letdown, I thought it sucked...All these years later, I still think it sucks!

I also feel the same about "The Matrix" and "The Blair Witch Project"...

It was a bad movie...If I have a reason, I'll sit through a bad movie...I'll sit through it more than once...I saw "Nightmare on Elm Street 4" six times in the theater...It was a bad movie...But the popcorn hand-jobs were good...




Say what you want about those Catholic School girls...But if you found one that was a goer, you went to any shitty movie just be in the dark with her...


Clearly I digressed....


So, because of the hype-machine, I'm fearing I'll be letdown by "Hamilton"...The "Wayne's World" Effect...

Musical Theater, is good...Musical Movies, suck...

Hey, for everyone who has seen it...Is Katherine Ryan's bit about "Hamilton" true...It gave me a good laugh...






Anyways, I think I'll sign on to Disney+ and re-watch "The Mandalorian"...They don't break out into song, like  a proper onscreen fantasy land!

Monday Moaning

 

Christmas is just about here, and Santa needs to get busy...But he always has time to not only give, but sometimes, he likes to receive as well...And the Beeze has been busy too...I've been trying my best to get into the Christmas spirit...And once the world didn't end Friday, I was forced to...The Mrs. and I had done no Christmas shopping at all...So Friday I did a little after a hellish day at work...Saturday morning she did a bunch...Then Saturday afternoon I went out and finished...

But I still wasn't super Christmasy...So I dug in and did some blogging...I posted my top 15 Christmas movies HERE...and my top Christmas songs HERE...

Sunday lead to spending more money on groceries for our annual family Christmas Eve party...It's become a tradition at our house, that my oldest daughter won't let die...I hope to one day have a bigger house and add friends to the mix, but right now it's just family...Mostly my side...The menu isn't fancy...We'll have a ham...Hanky Pankies...(ground meet, sausage, cheese, oregano, garlic, all mixed together and baked on party rye's)...Buffalo Chicken Dip...Shrimp Cocktail...My Holiday Balls...(Meat balls, thrown in a crock pot with chili sauce and grape jelly...Shockingly awesome!)...Beer, wine, soda, and my holiday punch...(Raspberry sherbet, ginger ale, strawberries, and vodka)...

So my Sunday was full getting that stuff together, and getting the kids out of the house so, my wife could get all the kids stuff wrapped, and hidden...Once again the kids and I went skating...The boy is getting better each time...

I watched a little of the Browns game...They looked like dirt, stinkin' ass...Bunch of guys got hurt..Who cares...After the game Josh Cribbs started firing off tweets at fans who are finally seeing what I've seen...The guy has become useless...Way to botch a punt return...Returns are all this guy did really well, now he sucks at those too...He's talking about leaving, and let me be the first to say, goodbye!    Fucking waste of a roster spot!

The Indians signed Nick Swisher to a $56 million contract for 5 years...He's 32...WHY!?! So he can strike out a lot like the other guys they picked up this off-season...Oh, and lets not how he faded out last year with the Yankees...What is he going to finish the season strong with the Indians now...Surrounded by a weaker lineup, and out of the playoff hunt...People are excited about this move...Not this Cleveland pessimist...I think it's another mistake, in a long line of front office mistakes...

See people, this is why I was digging into Christmas hard...Because Cleveland sports make me sick...So, I'm announcing my baseball fandom is going to test the free agency market...I'll decide on which team I'm gonna get on board with in April, and for how long...As the NFL rolls into the playoffs, I'm all in with the Patriots...But I'll be rooting for the Seahawks in the NFC...Shit, I love how gritty that team is...Did you see them just blow up the 49ers Sunday night...42-13...WOW!

Next week, I'll have more sports for you...The College Bowl madness will be in full swing, and I'll be getting geared up for Notre Dame vs. Alabama...Can't wait!

With that all said, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas...Or Happy whatever the fuck you celebrate...Just be sure to enjoy it, and enjoy it with the ones you love...

I'll leave you with a song from a group called Savatage...They did "Metal Operas" back in the day...Eventually a couple of them started Trans-Siberian-Orchestra...I always break this album out around Christmas, because the story takes place at Christmas time...The famous TSO "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo)" was originally on this disc...This is the closing song, and I still love it...(Thanks Chorba)





Merry Christmas..Have a week...

The Beeze.

The Beeze's Top 15 Christmas Movies

 

 

I have seen few articles on the best Christmas Movies...And some make me crazy, and some remind me of movies I forgot about...So I thought I would take the time to rattle off my top 15 Christmas movies...Everyone one does top 10, 20, and 25 lists...So screw it, I'm doing 15...I'm not going to get long winded about each one...Most are classics, and I doubt you need a recap of the film...Also this list won't include the old animated hour long TV flicks...If it did, I would have "The Year Without Santa Claus" in here without a doubt...

1. "A Christmas Story"   -How could it not be?  Not just because I'm from Cleveland and there was a bunch of the movie shot here...It's just a great flick that seems so relatable...No matter what age or generation...My kids love it as much as I do...And I love it as much as my Dad does...It takes us back to a better time...Where things seemed more pure and innocent...Even if they weren't we didn't have 24 hour coverage of everything, with instant everything...

2. "It's a Wonderful Life"  -Again, a classic, that takes us back to a better time...Also a movie that brought in some religion...I'm not the most religious guy, but these days most TV shows and movies are afraid to mix in any type of religious views...Plus Donna Reed was in my childhood spank bank!

3. "Scrooged"   -The 1988 "modern" version of the story of Scrooge...Bill Murray plays a TV exec that needs a holiday wake up call...This has always been one of my favorites ever since my oldest brother turned me on to it...Watching this on Christmas Eve while wrapping presents is still a tradition he upholds...

4. "Die Hard"   -Once the action gets going, people always forget that this is a Christmas movie...John McClane is visiting his wife at her company Christmas party when all hell breaks loose...And then we get to see the greatest American action hero, take care of business...

5. "Christmas in Connecticut"  Honestly, I don't know why I love this movie, but do...My mom turned me onto it on year when I was kid...My brothers were older and out for the evening..My Dad was working...It was just us decorating the tree, eating Chinese food, and she popped this flick on...Another old, black and white film, taking us back in time...Comedy and romance and Christmas...

It's rarely on TV...Normally once or twice during the season, and at least one of those is a odd time slot...It's on my DVR, and the wife bought me a copy a couple years ago...

6.  "Home Alone"   -Maybe this is too high, but it's still fun to watch...The kids love it, and always find time to watch it throughout the year...Not just Christmas time...We all had the little bit inside of us that wished we could get left home alone, and do just what we wanted...Let alone take down a couple of bad guys...

7. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"   -Without a doubt my favorite of the "Vacation" movies...Chevy Chase at his best, being the family man that we all hope were not, but wish we had a little bit more of his heart in us....So many great lines in this!

8. "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original)  -Again we journey back in time...Maybe I'm an old soul, because I love these old black and white classics...The movie telling us to believe long before the "Polar Express."

9.  "The Santa Clause"   -Who knew Tim Allen would make such great Santa...Honestly, it's not greatest movie, but it's one that the kids love for us all to watch together...So I'm holding on to those times as long as I can...

10.  "A Christmas Carol"  (the George C. Scott one)  The classic Dickens tale, done perfectly...

11.  "Elf "   - When this came out, I didn't expect to like it...I was a little burned out on the whole wacky Will Ferrell thing...But shit he was funny...Lots of laughs, and lots of Christmas spirit...And lots of spaghetti with maple syrup!

12.  "The Family Man"    -Nicholas Cage in a "It's a Wonderful Life" reversal of sorts...Douchebag Cage gets a taste of the life he could have had, had his choices not taken him down another path...And now what life does he want?  Plus Tea Leoni is sexy!

13. "Bad Santa"  -Yeah, of course this makes my list...This movie just increase my wanting to be a mall Santa...Billy Bob just being a drunk, horn dog, foul mouthed crook is good enough...But then he gets hit with some real Christmas spirit too...Gotta be on  my list...

14.  "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas"  -I just loved this so much as a little kid...I can't take it off my list...Just fond memories of these little muppets...Maybe because music was big in our house...

 

 

 

15.  "Love Actually"   -Total chick flick I know...I never would have seen it, had it not been for my wife...But guess what?  It's good...It's funny...It's sad...It's happy...It's Christmas...Seriously, I'm surprised at how much I actually can tolerate it, let alone like it...




That's the list...What's yours like?

Merry Christmas, The Beeze.

Monday Moaning

Yeah, Monday kind of snuck up on me too...That mid-week holiday threw things out of whack for me...So how's everyone doing out there? How was your weekend? Why am I doing this Q & A shit?

Let me ask you this...Saturday afternoon I took the Little Beeze to see "Brave"...That's what he wanted see, and really, how can you go wrong with a Pixar production...It was good...He liked it...Then after we got home, the Mrs. took our oldest daughter to see the new "Spiderman" movie...So the boys saw "Brave" about a Scottish princess, and the girls saw "Spiderman"...Does that just sound odd to anyone else?

Shit, I had half a mind to take the boy to see "Ted" but the wife would not have been pleased with the shit he would have learned from that one...




Then Sunday night the wife and I watched "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"...


You know how people always say the book is better then the movie...Well in this case it has to be true...Holy fucking two and a half hours of my life I wish I could get back! Yeah, it had some good moments, and you can tell the story was good, but fucking shit, that movie was slow...My wife read all the books, and she loved them...She didn't crush the movie like me, but I could tell she was let down a bit...Some people can't stand long movies...I don't mind them, if they're good...But this one just kept me waiting...And now I'm still waiting...Totally unsatisfied!

Moving on to sports...Baseball is heading into the All-Star break...The All-Star game is Tuesday night, and I think I made it clear last week, that is just a steaming pile of shit...But there is a story in Major League Baseball that people better wake up to...


Yep...The Pittsburgh Pirates...They've been flying the Jolly Roger a lot this year, as the Pirates are 48-37 and in first place of the NL Central...How are the Pirates doing it...Well OF Andrew McCutchen is a big reason, batting .362, with 58 runs, 60 RBI, 18 HR's and 14 Stolen Bases...But he's not alone...2B Neil Walker had a horrible, slow start, but has turned it around and gotten his average up to .291, with 42 runs, 6 HR's and 41 RBI...3B Pedro Alverez who has been a disappointing prospect has also turned it around of late, and has 16 HR's and 50 RBI...

But it isn't just hitting with the Pirates...Their pitching has been outstanding as well...Lead by James McDonald and A.J. Burnett...McDonald with 9 wins, 100 Strikeouts, and 2.37 ERA...And Burnett with 10 wins, 79 Strikeouts, and 3.68 ERA...And the best part about Burnett...The Yankees paid the Pirates to take him off their hands...Clearly the best thing to happen to Burnett was to get the hell out of New York...He's not the first guy to do well...Sign for big money with the Yankees...Not do so well...Get out, and find their old self again...

Then there is the Pirates bullpen anchored by closer Joel Hanrahan, with 23 saves, 4 wins, 35 Strikeouts, and a 2.38 ERA...Hanrahan often being set-up by 35 year old Jason Grilli, who has 1 win, 1 save, 21 holds, 54 strikeouts, and a 1.87 ERA...There's also Juan Cruz with 1 win, 3 saves, 13 holds, 32 strikeouts, and a 2.76 ERA...They also have Brad Lincoln doing middle relief, with a 2.98 ERA, 2 holds, 4 wins, and 52 strikeouts...

To recap, a MVP candidate in McCutchen, with the rest of the lineup starting to find their swings...Strong starting pitching...And possibly an even stronger bullpen...Can they continue to keep it up...Can they keep hold of the NL Central...I think so...I think they have a lot of potential to keep people on their toes for awhile...

Yeah, I'm a Cleveland guy rooting for a Pittsburgh team...Wouldn't it be great to see a Indians vs. Pirates World Series!?! Well not for TV ratings maybe, but fuck them...I'd love it!

That's it for now...Have a week...Oh, and check THIS out...Give your input...

Later, The Beeze.

Monday Moaning

Well here we are again...Monday just gets here too quick...So let's start with this "Hunger Games" fad...I've been hearing about this movie long enough...So the Mrs. and I went to see it Sunday...No, I haven't read the books, since that's the first fucking question everyone asks when this damn movie is mentioned...And guess what, I'm not going to...I saw the movie, so if I read the book, I'll hate the movie even more, at least that's what happens often...

Okay, I didn't totally hate the movie...It kept my attention...But this bullshit, fantasy-land, run by Donald Sutherland, and his TV producers, pisses me off...As much as the politicians, corporations, and rich douches, control in this country, I have more faith in humanity, then to think we would stand by and be ruled like the people in this movie...

Then there is the violence...I've never had a problem with violence in movies...And I don't have a problem with it in this movie...It's part of the story...Personally, the idea of kids killing kids didn't appeal to me, and I didn't really like watching it...Hey, I know kids are dying violent deaths everyday, and it's awful...Shit the Trayvon Martin shooting has been pounded in our heads non-stop...Odd how no one is talking about THIS story of two black teens lighting a white teen on fire...Yeah, this white boy just played the race card! But that's for tomorrow blog...

Maybe it's because I'm a parent, I don't know, I just didn't like the idea of this movie...Then there was the fact, that it was too long...Some parts were just slow...My wife liked it more, and plans on reading the books...She also is on board too see the sequel...I already told her, "I've invested too much time in this shit!"

Then Sunday night, we watched another movie that has been hyped up for awhile...We watched "Bridesmaids"...Mother fuckers kept saying how it's like "The Hangover"...Not even close! Yeah, it had some funny bits, and some good lines...But then it was filled with all this nonsensical, pity-party, chick bullshit...And talk about too long...Way too much wasted time...I found myself saying, "When are they going to wrap this up already." If you compared this movie to "The Hangover" please punch yourself...

I sat down to write this blog, wanting nearly 5 hours of my day back...Honest to God, I feel like Sunday was a total waste for having watched these fucking, over-hyped, fucking movies...Some one needs to eat my ass!

-How about sports!?!

For the first time in my life, it looks like I may win money in a Bracket Pool...I have Kansas and Kentucky in the final, and I'm pretty sure no one in The Fish House Bracket can catch me...I hope not, because even though I have Kentucky winning it all, I won't be rooting for them...Not after seeing how the Kentucky students and fans reacted after beating Louisville Saturday


Seriously! Why the fuck are people still rioting after their teams win...And fuck Kentucky, you didn't even win anything yet! Shit, at least Vancouver waits until they lose before they go and throw a fucking riot...Not only do I hope Kentucky loses, but I hope everyone of their players rolls their ankles...Fuck them!

-I heard Jeremy Lin is hurt, and may be done for the season...GOOD! no people can stop talking about how great he is...And then about how great he isn't...Then is...Then isn't...Fuck him! Now can somebody put a bullet in Tim Tebow...Never before has a backup QB gotten so much coverage...Fucking private jets and press conferences for a backup...And fucking ESPN Radio can't stop talking about this shit...Even with the Final Four going on, they still slip in some Tebow talk every twenty minutes...Fuck him, and fuck them...

You shits-heads want to talk New York sports, talk about the actual good team you have...The league leading New York Rangers! My boys lost Sunday night to the Bruins, but I have no worries...This team is build to win, and their record proves that...And they'll finish the job in the playoffs...







So to recap...Fuck "The Hunger Games." Fuck "Bridesmaids." Fuck anyone who said it was as good as "The Hangover." Fuck Kentucky, and their fucking fans...Fuck Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow, and the ESPN hype-machine...Show some respect to the New York Rangers...Watch Hockey...Look for my blog tomorrow about the Trayvon Martin shooting, and the media's fucked up coverage...Oh, and Fuck Mega Millions, since I didn't win!

Have a week...

The Beeze.

The Beeze's Reviews "Cop Out"

I hate critics...That's why I started reviewing restaurants awhile back...Food critics suck...Most have no practical experience in the restaurant business...Movie critics often suck just as much...Some ass-hat gives another ass-hat a job watching movies, and writing their opinion on it...Well in this day and age, who needs these people? With big mouths like me and so many others, the Internet is full of opinions...And that's all they are...

I've noticed "Cop Out" getting drilled in the media...Even on ROTTEN TOMATOES http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ has dogged it...That's the only movie reviewing outlet I even look at anymore...

One of the big complaints about "Cop Out" is that, "Dude this buddy cop movie has already been done before." NO SHIT! What movie hasn't been done before? They all have! Hell half the previews before the movie were for remakes of movies I saw as a kid...And F**k you, the original "Clash of the Titans" was awesome...Now it's gonna be all f**ked up with all kinds of CGI!

By the way, the remake of "Death at a Funeral" looks hilarious!

So, let's get to "Cop Out." The wife and I went Saturday night...It was already moved to one of the smaller theaters...And it was full...

First if you are one of the haters...You're wrong...Yes this is an opinion based piece, but as you may already know, I feel my opinion is always right...I'm so sick of people looking too deeply into movies and trying to take things too seriously...I'm going to be entertained...If I want reality I'll stay at home with my kids and wait for my son to destroy something...Like my spirit...The movie was originally titled "A Couple of Dicks" but the studio wasn't gonna go with that...So they change it to "Cop Out." Get it?

If you're a Kevin Smith fan and you're looking for his signature monologues...Go watch "Clerks" again...He didn't write this movie...Just directed it...And God bless him for paying homage (a word that is brought up early in the movie) to classic cop movies...The soundtrack sounded straight out of "Beverly Hills Cop." That was an instant laugh for me...

Now, Bruce Willis as a cop...You can't go wrong with that...He's the greatest American action hero ever! And he knows how do comedy...And let the real comedians do there thing...And Tracy Morgan was doing his thing...How any director can handle that guy is unreal...And Sean William Scott was great...You love him, but you want to punch him in the face!

The story was good...Not great, but good...The action was good...Not over the top...Good...And most importantly the comedy was excellent...The wife and I both laughed throughout the movie...And what else do you want from a comedy? LAUGHS! We had them...And by the sound of the rest of the theater, everyone else was getting the laughs...

So here's the deal...If you want to get some laughs and see some tributes to classic '80's cop movies, you'll like "Cop Out."

Some other advice...They're just movies...Stop taking them so seriously, and let yourself be entertained...

Later, The Beeze.

A Cold War American Classic

Yes people..."Red Dawn!" A mother f**king classic!

It was 1984, the "Cold War" was still alive and strong, Americans didn't like, and didn't trust Russians...And vice-versa...And America had a sh!t-ton of young, good looking actors and actresses...

What's better then John Hughes, may he rest in peace, making movies with these kids about the trials and tribulations of being a suburban teenager? I'll tell you what...

John Milius putting guns in their hands, and letting them kick some Russian ass!


"Red Dawn" reminded the American youth of who we are...A bunch of hot, machine gun, shootin', not gonna take over our country, smarter then everyone else, ass-kickers!

It had been 4 years since the U.S. Hockey team had beaten the Russians...We needed to be reminded of just how bad those commies were!

Don't believe me, about how great this movie was...

Damn right, WOLVERINES!

In this next clip, you'll see what a bad-ass C. Thomas Howell...But clearly, not the smartest...

Dying with his boots on...Like a real WOLVERINE!

Classic!

So after the "Super Bowl" tonight, when you're looking for something good to watch...Take a trip back to 1984, and remember how great paranoia was back then!

Later, The Beeze.

What I Did, Instead of Watching the Browns

I meant to post this sooner, but oh well...Monday night the Cleveland Browns played the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football...I've grown tired of how poorly this team has been run since 1999...I've grown tired of the crappy players and the lame excuses...I gave up on the Browns this year...

There was no way I was going to drive myself crazy watching this game Monday night...I was already crazy enough, because our FOX affiliate bought the rights to show the game locally for those who don't have cable and what-not...I was enraged by this...Why? Because I watch "House." That prick is my kind of doctor...

So, what did I do Monday night? I thought I'd make a list of the things I did...My friend -A likes to make lists...She's very good at at...And write some great blogs...Check her out... http://www.weeklyadventuresordinarygirl.com/

Now, here's my list of what I did instead of watching the Browns game...

1. Continued my campaign of blasting FOX 8's message board, and twitter account, for not showing "House." They did end up showing it at 7:00PM Tuesday night...I DVRed it...

2. I watched some of the Columbus Bluejackets game with my kids...We also jumped over to the Boston Bruins game...Wasn't happy to see them lose to the Islanders...I'm a Ranger fan...Screw the Islanders!

3. After the kids were in bed, and sound a sleep...It was time for Mrs. Beeze and I to spend some quality time bumpin' of the uglies...

4. After that we had a snack and watched the movie "Crash"...I had been wanting to see this since it came out, and I have no idea why we haven't...The Mrs. bought it last week, so we threw it in...

I'm not here to give a full blown movie review, but this movie was awesome...I've never seen a movie delve into race, racism, and racial stereotypes like this...It really shows how truly dark we can be...It slaps you in the face with brutally honest racism...Then kicks you in the groin with how f**ked up and wrong stereotypes can be...Just to belt you again, with a stereotype being right...There's twists and turns not just in the story, or the characters...But also n the viewer...

The cast was great...The only person who stunk was Brendan Fraser...His character is a douche bag...And he pulls it off okay, since he is a douche bag...But honestly, his best role was in Encino Man...Everything else was crap!

If you haven't seen "Crash" check it out...

5. After that, I started reading a book called "The Five Hole Stories." two of my favorite topics combined...Sex and Hockey...How can you go wrong?

Later, The Beeze.

15 Movies...Some Nonsense from Facebook

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it...Fifteen movies you've seen that will always stick with you....First fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes....Tag fifteen friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what movies my friends choose...

Here we go...In no certain order...

1. Waiting...

2. Rudy

-

3. Goodfellas

4. Die Hard

5. The Deer Hunter

6. The Godfather

7. The Departed

8. Bull Durham

9. Beautiful Girls



10. The Usual Suspects

11. A Christmas Story

12. The Best Years of Our Lives

13. Some Like it Hot

14. Glenn Gary Glenn Ross

15. Juno

-

Sh!t, I could go on to 25...

-

Later...

-

The Beeze.

Monday Moaning

Well another weekend has come to an end, and it's back to the grind...But before we get back to the grind...Have a cup of coffee and check out the moaning...

There has to be plenty of moaning going on in Pittsburgh after this past week...First the Pirates traded one of their best players for 3 prospects...Sounds like something the Indians would do...Oh wait...Your GM learned his trade here in Cleveland, under Mark Shapiro....Well, don't worry...You get use to it...Based on what I know about the Pirates GM, Neil Huntington...He was always a good talent evaluator...So hopefully the prospects do well...So he can trade them in a few years for more prospects!

Then on Saturday night the Pittsburgh Penguins got the living sh!t beat out of them by the Detroit Red Wings...The Wings now lead the series 3-2...Honestly I'm not even sure why the Pens came out for the 3rd period...This series has been tight and exciting...But Saturday Pittsburgh looked...Well they looked like the freshmen playing the varsity...I hope they get back on track...I want to see 7 games!

Saturday, before the hockey game, we had some excitement...That's right...The Belmont Stakes...It was a great race...check it out here... http://thebeezewax.blogspot.com/2009/06/this-battle-was-for-birds.html

So this weekend at the Beeze house was consumed by couple things...First...Movies...The Beeze family is a movie family...Friday night we had a sitter...Mrs. Beeze and I went to see Angels and Demons...I liked the book, just as I liked The DaVinci Code...I don't want to hear any of your religious/political views...I know some people have trouble with make-believe...They are books and movies...Get past it!

It was good...I mean really...How often do Ron Howard and Tom Hanks f**k something up? The ending was slightly different from the book, but that's Hollywood...

After that we went to Borders Books...Then hit a Fridays (you're welcome...free plug)...We had a few drinks, and a couple apps...Went home...Paid the sitter...And bumped uglies...Yes, the cleaning was a little more gentle after last weekend...

Late Saturday Night I made myself watch Righteous Kill...You know, De Niro...Pacino...A bunch of hype...Well the script wasn't that good...The twists weren't surprising, and I miss the time when these two guys were really great actors...Especially Pacino...He's been playing the same character for years now...

I'm also tired of movies with old f**ks like these two, and they're banging hot, much younger chicks...De Niro...Your tired ass couldn't handle this chick anymore...

Then Sunday night the Mrs. and I watched Tropic Thunder...That's right I didn't watch the basketball game...Why the hell would I? The movie was funny...But I heard alot of people raving about this..It was okay...I thought there were parts that dragged...And to be honest I was hoping Jack Black would die...I can't stand him...And while I'm hating on people...I'm starting to get tired of Ben Stiller too...Robert Downey Jr. cracked me up...And Tom Cruise was great...Seriously...Dude needs to do more comedic asshole roles!

Since I'm on the topic of movies...I saw a picture this week and I thought...'that would be a great movie!' ...Check it out here....http://thebeezewax.spruz.com/?cmd=blog&nid=343535&ptitle=Super-Fox

The other thing consuming the Beeze family...Well mainly me...They just got to enjoy the fruits of my labor...GRILLING! It's that time of year when I'm looking for any excuse to fire up the grill...Sunday we feasted...BBQ beef tenderloin...Corn on the cob...grilled zucchini...roasted potatoes...But TCP didn't make the trip north with his magic mushrooms...Maybe next time!

I'm so into cooking out...I made a little quiz about it...Right here....http://thebeezestalesfromthefishhouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/beezes-cookout-quiz.html

I started a Twitter account this past week...I didn't want to...But the guys at You Gab Sports started one and I thought well, just check it out...I have to be honest...I don't really like it...I'm a Facebook guy...But it has a certain creepiness about it...It's kinda like legalized stalking...I mean you're only seeing what these people want you to see...But still...We really have become a voyeuristic society....And yes...You can bet your sweet ass I'm following Isla Fisher...

Worst thing about my twitter updates...I believe people call them tweets....(That sound so lame)...Half of them are about my masturbation habits...The other half are just pimping blogs...

Since I'm talking about pimping blogs...There is a very talented Canadian Musician, whom I'm a big fan of by the name of Billy the Kid...Check out her blog...http://billythekid-thelostcause.blogspot.com/

The last thing I'm gonna ramble on about is this....My friends just had their first child...A beautiful baby girl...She was born 4 weeks early and due to some medical term I don't know how to explain...Her organs are all jumbled up...Monday she has to have a major surgery to fix this...Her Heart is strong...And her lungs have been doing well, so they feel confident she will be okay...But none the less...I'm asking for anyone out there to say a prayer, if you do that...Or have a good thought for this little girl...Hell, have a good thought for all the sick kids out there....

Thanks...

Have a good week...

Later, The Beeze.

The Beeze's Top 20 Sports Movies

I was going through all the crap I have posted at Sporting News today...Well not all yet...But as I was deleting stuff, I kept a few to re-post here...The following was the 4th thing I posted there, and it got a little buzz about the Beeze going...I have kept it all the same with the exception of removing two golf movies and replacing them with better movies, about contact sports...I rather see a guy get clubbed, then see him swing a club...

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Movies are a big deal in my house. My lovely wife was a film major, yet she hadn't seen the The Godfather until she hooked up with me years later. This first made me ask... "What the the Hell kind of school did you go to?" (Edinboro University) in PA....Keep your kids away from that place....So after I made her watch some of the classics, then we headed into the sports movie collection....She could have saved a lot of money if she would have attended the UNIVERSITY of the BEEZE.

Now before we get into the list of the top 20 sports movies, let me be clear on a few things....There will be no auto racing movies....I don't pay attention to it, so I don't feel I can objectively comment on the movies made about it....There also won't be any Will Farrell movies...He's funny, but I'm just not a fan of his "sports" movies....If you want to see a tall white guy rockin' a fro, check out Chevy Chase playing for the Lakers in Fletch...Alright here we go....

1. RUDY: If you aren't moved by this true story, than you either don't have a soul, or really hate Notre Dame. Oh wait,...I think those two things go hand & hand.

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2. Slap Shot: What is understood doesn't need to be discussed.

3. Bull Durham: How can you not love Crash Davis and his speeches?

4. Miracle: Seeing what made me a hockey fan turned into a movie was awesome.


5.Friday Night Lights: Great book, great movie.

6. Hoosiers: I'm not a big basketball fan, but I'll watch it when ever it's on. Great movie.

7. The Rocket: I was blown away by this movie. The true stories are always the best. If you want to know about old time hockey...Watch this flick!

8. Rocky: Just the first one. Not all that other crap. The first one is a classic.

9. Youngblood: Who wouldn't want to have tea with Ms. McGill, and then go and bang the coaches hot daughter?

10. The Natural: Great movie, but the book was better. Would you like me to ruin the book for you?....He struck out, and then he DIED. He really freakin' did.

11. Raging Bull: Classic. That's all I can say.

12. Eight Men Out: Everyone talks about Shoeless Joe Jackson, but Buck Weaver really got screwed.

13. Long Gone ; Another minor league baseball movie, but a good one. Plus Virginia Madsen when she was young and hot.

14. Go Tigers: A documentary on just how insane people are in Ohio about their high school football.

15. Remember The Titans: Great cast. Great story. Quickly becoming a classic!

16. Mystery Alaska: Yeah it's cheezey. So what. I'd love to score one of those jerseys.

17. Major League: The only place you can you see the Cleveland Indians win is the movies.

18. Field of Dreams : Sure they try and make you cry, and Ray Liotta is playing Shoeless Joe wrong handed, but what the hell.

19. We are Marshall: Another true story, another great movie.

20. I'm trying to narrow it down, and I'm thinking do I really put the only soccer movie I've ever watched on. Do I go with 61. Do I go with some odd $h!t. Screw it ........ 20. The Bad News Bears: The old or the new, I don't care. I liked them both.

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Later, The Beeze

Monday Moaning

Here we are again...another Monday...They seem to come to quickly...Well what do I have for you this week...I'm not sure yet myself...Lets see where this cup of coffee can take us...

The New York Rangers raised two more numbers to the rafters Sunday...This time it was Harry Howell (3) and Andy Bathgate (9 shared with Adam Graves)...Two Rangers legends getting their due...I guess the organization thought if we retire Graves number for being a great guy, great teamate, and having a few great years...We better retire some greats from the past...

(Howell on the left at Bathgate's induction in the Hall of Fame)

After the festivities, the Rangers took on the Maple Leafs...Once again the Rangers inconsistent offensive play showed up...Down 2-1 with less then a minute left Michal Rozival scored the tieing goal....But the lack of offense, and the soft defense brought home an overtime loss...

I've got nothing of importance to write about baseball yet...As a Browns fan I'm starting to get excited about the draft...Hey we take what we can get...We've got a new Coach...New GM...It feels like anew attitude...A high draft pick...It's a new season, and I'm staying positive until they prove me wrong...(I really hope they don't this time)

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This weekend's highlight from the Beeze family...Of course it came from the little Beeze...He's a chip off the old block...Little dude has eczema...When it gets bad we have a couple of creams we use on him...Well the other evening he wasn't listening when we were getting them ready for bed...(as usual) My wife was trying to cream him up...Then the little perv stands up on his bed and says..."CREAM MY PEE PEE!" as he thrusts his junk in her face....I could'nt stop laughing...It was A.) Hilarious the way he did it....and B.) Seemed like something I would do....

I don't mean to step on Frag's toes...I know he's the movie guy...But on't spend money on the movie..."Still Waiting"...I knew it wouldn't be able to match the first one, but hoped it would be good...It had some good parts...and lots of hot chicks...but it seemed like they were trying too hard...

If you haven't seen "Waiting..." well what the hell is wrong with you...It's a must see....

Now to Notre Dame Hockey....

The Fighting Irish traveled to Nebraska-Omaha this weekend...

Friday night the Irish won 4-3 in overtime....The goal scorers were...Christiian Minella, Christian Hanson, and Billy Maday with 2 including the OT game winner...Jordan Pearce made 21 save in the victory...

Saturday, the Fighting Irish clinched the CCHA regular season title with a 1-0 victory over the Mavericks...The lone goal scorer was Dan Kissel...Pearce made 17 saves in the shutout victory...

In other Notre Dame News...I thought I'd share this years Notre Dame Football recruits...With a little help from BlueandGold.com...

Name
Position
Ht/Wt
Banks, E.J.
CB
5-11/181
Bullard, Alex
OG
6-3/275
Calabrese, Carlo
ILB
6-2/225
Cowart, Jordan
SNP
6-2/255
Eifert, Tyler
TE
6-6/220
Evans, Shaquelle
WR
6-1/203
Fox, Dan
OLB
6-4/219
Golic, Jake
TE
6-4/220
Martin, Zach
OT
6-5/270
Motta, Zeke
OLB
6-2/207
Riddick, Theo
RB
5-10/185
Stockton, Tyler
DT
6-1/290
Tausch, Nicholas
K
6-1/180
Te'o, Manti
ILB
6-2/225

(Te'o is expected to make an immediate impact)

Toma, Roby
WR
5-9/160
Turk, Ben
P
6-0/190
Watt, Chris
OG
6-3/280
Wood, Cierre
RB
6-0/192

Also, The Irish have put 33 offers out there for the 2010 class, and have already received 3 verbal commitments...

That's it for this Monday...I've got to get to bed...Have a good week...

Later, The Beeze.