What Happened to the WWII Type of Movie Stars

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WW II TYPE OF MOVIE STARS

Hope you find this as informative as I did. In contrast to the ideals, opinions and feelings of today's "Hollywonk" the real actors of yester-year loved the United States. They had both class and integrity. With the advent of World War II many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and rant against this country we all love.

They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men".

This page lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor.

So remember; while the "Entertainers of 2006" have been in all of the news media lately I would like to remind the people of what the entertainers of 1943 were doing, (63 years ago).

Most of these brave men have since passed on.

"Real Hollywood Heroes"


Alec Guinness (Star Wars) operated
a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day.



James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek)
landed in Normandy with the U. S. Army on D-Day.


Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was an R. A. F.
pilot who was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.


David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate and
Lt. Colonel of the British Commandos in Normandy.


James Stewart Entered the Army Air Force
as a private and worked his way to the rank of Colonel.
During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber
pilot, his service record crediting him with leading
more than 20 missions over Germany, and
taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty.
Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying
Cross, France's Croix de Guerre,and 7 Battle Stars during World War II.
In peace time, Stewart continued to be an active
member of the Air Force as a reservist, reaching
the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950s.


Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out)
Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the
U.S entered WW II, Clark Gable enlisted as
a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles.
He attended the Officers' Candidate School at
Miami Beach, Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct 28, 1942.
He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943
he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook
where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s.
Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved
from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his
own request, since he was over-age for combat.


Charlton Heston was an Army
Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.



Ernest Borgnine was a U. S.
Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.


Charles Durning was a U. S.
Army Ranger at Normandy
earning a Silver Star and
awarded the Purple Heart.

Charles Bronson was a tail gunner
in the Army Air Corps, more
specifically on B-29's in the 20th
Air Force out of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan



George C. Scott was
a decorated U. S. Marine.


Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV)
was awarded a Bronze
Star for his heroic action
as a U. S. Naval officer aiding
Marines at the horrific battle on the
island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.



Brian Keith served as a
U.S. Marine rear gunner in
several actions against the
Japanese on Rabal in the Pacific.


Lee Marvin was a U.S Marine
on Saipan during the
Marianas campaign when he was
wounded earning the Purple Heart.


John Russell: In 1942, he
enlisted in the Marine Corps
where he received a battlefield
commission and was wounded and
highly decorated for valor at Guadalcanal.

Robert Ryan was a U. S. Marine
who served with the O. S. S. in Yugoslavia.


Tyrone Power (an established
movie star when Pearl Harbor
was bombed) joined the
U.S. Marines, was a pilot
flying supplies into, and wounded
Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.



Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound
guy from Texas who played cowboy parts:

Most Decorated serviceman of WWII and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.

So how do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared to the hollywonks today who spray out anti-American drivel as they bite the hand that feeds them?� Can you imagine these stars of yester-year saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches, marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?

I thought not, ...... neither did I!

Britney Spears NUDE!

Okay. I've been debating with myself over the last ten minutes or so after recieving this link whether or not to post this... I warn you, these photographs are disturbing, especially if you're like me and you remember how friggin' hot Britney Spears used to be in that first music video she made back in the day.

Well, get ready to fulfill that fantasy and finally see what is under the hood, so to speak. The backstory on this is that Paris Hilton has been partying a lot with Britney Spears these days, presumably to get her mind off of KFed, or whatever. Well, one of those evenings, they got a little too drunk a little too close to the paparazzi.

Check it out. Pictures are small - click on the links to make them bigger.

Quote of the Entry:
"Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast."
- Douglas Adams

Support the Gays

I recieved a bulletin on MySpace entitled "Support the Gays." It was a fairly humorous top ten list that was meant to provide some sort of support to the "gay cause." Those of you who know me know I hold some interesting views on the gay debate - views that will be re-iterated here.

As a note to you non-MySpacers, don't think that this sort of intelligent discourse happens all the time on MySpace. This is a pure anomaly.

The original post is noted by italics and responses after that.

I'm in a typing mood today. I saw this post from Mel, one of my very dear friends (and a lesbian herself), and I had to comment. I ask that you read everything I write before you flame the crap out of me (especially the part at the end. I'm not writing to defend gay-haters).

1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

Being gay is not technology, either. Gay is a term for a behavior pattern. A more apt comparison would be suicide as an unnatural thing that "Real Americans" reject. Suicide is a behavior, and it is inherently unnatural, and most Americans currently reject it, polls show.

Incidentally, air conditioning was rejected as a 'dumb idea' when it was first invented. That's neither here nor there, though.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

Again, gay marriage, an activity people engage in, is a behavior or a symptom of behavior. Being tall is not a symptom of anything in particular. You cannot encourage someone to be tall. You can encourage other people to engage in certain behaviors just by being around them. Everyone has a sociological need to be accepted, and if being gay is accepted by the whole of society, it will eventually encourage others to be gay for the acceptance value of the activity.

Being a punk or a goth isn't a socially accepted norm, yet tons of youth fall into that category because they can't find acceptance in other social circles. I'm not saying this is a negative or positive thing, it just is.

Besides, we all know a few 'poser' lesbians, if you're in the Tyler scene. Case in point!

3) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Marriage is one of the principal foundations of law and order. The family unit is the smallest social group, and the building block of society. By changing the definition of our legal foundations, we are by definition changing the foundation of society.

The same thing happenned in the 50s when America defined the 'nuclear family.'

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

In many states, it's very easy to trace the way the law treats men and women differently because it may not seem like it now, but as recently as 50 years ago, these laws were still on the books, and most judges we have today were alive 50 years ago.

As recently as 20 years ago, I'm told, it was still legal to arrest someone for being a Gypsie (which is an actual race of people). If we still have legislated racism in the books in some places, then yes indeed its going to be a tough road to re-define the social building block of America, especially when the majority doesn't have the political will to do so.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

To most Americans, we value marriage for what it is - the ultimate committment you can make to another individual you truly love.

Some Americans, however, see it as a gift from God, and as it is a gift from Him, it is defined by Him, and how dare we re-define it?

These are the same people who tend to oppose there being laws allowing for divorce except in the most extreme of circumstances. Many of you are too young to realize this, but before Gay Marriage was a buzzword, during the 80s and 90s these same people fought for a strengthening of marriage laws and heavy legislation on divorce laws.

They lost, of course.

And these same people see their definition of marriage being dilluted further. You can sort of understand their slippery slope concept now, yes?

6) Marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

There are very few, if any, orphanages in America. Most children are adopted straight from birth. There are long lines of people wanting to adopt children so that the agencies get to set the rules on who adopts, without laxening their standards.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

The problem some people have with gay parents raising children isn't a matter of the children being brought up gay, but rather being brought up with the idea that it's ok to be gay. To many Americans, being gay is one of the worst sins one can commit, and to have institutionalized sin is definitely not a good thing in their minds.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

No, but we live in a representative democracy here in America. When you live in a representative democracy, the rules of law should reflect the values of those who live there.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

No, but studies show that children raised outside of a situation where there is a 'traditional family', i.e. one with a strong male and strong female influence, that children have a much harder time of life and achieving success by secular measures (i.e. high paying jobs, higher education, and fulfilling family life).

There are always exceptions to the rule. I'm sure you can think of several people, just like I can, who break that mold.

10) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

Again, refer to my previous response on the slipery slope idea.

Final Thoughts: I know I'm taking a huge risk of being fire-branded here by writing these things, but it's a topic everyone's afraid to tackle in polite company. These days you can say just about anything in defense of a minority group and it's written off as 'oh they're just supporting (insert minority here)."

I write to illustrate the point to people who want to really support minorities of two things:

1) Know your facts if you engage in debate.

If you engage in the debate for or against anything, and you throw up completely humorous or not very well thought out reasoning, you give the other side the opportunity to knock down your arguments with great ease, and make your side look worse for the wear.

More than likely, you end up enflaming the other side, and lose any chance to convince anyone, because you'll both end up name calling by the end of the day. I've seen it happen a million times.

2) Don't assume just because you're right that you're right about everything. The other side may be right about somethings, too.

This is just as important. If you're wrong on something - concede it! If you think they're wrong, try to prove how they're wrong (like I have above). But don't go into a debate 100% convinced you can't be wrong. Chances are, you are wrong about a lot of stuff. I know I am all the time.

The trick is to recover with grace and aplomb.

My Solution to This Debate
If you've read this far, you might as well finish. I personally am opposed to Gay Marriage, and my religious beliefs tell me that being Gay is wrong.

I DON'T believe that the government should have authority to tell people that. In fact, I don't believe the government should have the authority to regulate marriage at all - the only reason they do currently is so that they can collect money for licenses, assign tax breaks for certain kinds of families and to look good on election day.

Marriage is a religious and social contract. From a legal perspective, it is no different than entering into a business partnership - the only true meaning it has is spirtual. Spiritualism is not the realm of law, it is the realm of religion. If you can find a religion that will marry you and your cat, go for it. If you can find a religion that will marry you and your gay lover (there are plenty of them out there), do it.

Don't legislate it though. Don't put it in the constitution. And don't tell me how I can and cannot get married. As a Freedom Loving American - I respect your right to get married to whomever or whatever you want.

But we must change our laws to reflect this. There is no way that America will pass laws regulating or allowing gay marriages. But there is a chance that the Gay lobby and the Christian lobby will unite to put the power of marriage back where it belongs - in the hands of religious institutions.

On a side note, this is a theory supported by most Libertarians, and is one of the minor issues my friend T. Evan Fisher is running on this year for state congress. He recently spoke at a gay rally and brought up these issues and the need for de-regulation of marriage.

Just some random thoughts after the fact: I really expected to be flamed hardcore for this (and I still might get it), but I did get several letters from people saying that they appreciated the 'sanity' being injected into the debate.

As for my religious beliefs, which I briefly mentioned, I think it bears explanation the root of my belief in that, because I could still quite easily be branded a hate-monger (I have lost friends over this topic as well as jobs, and I want to make quite clear that I am not).

I believe it's pretty easy to find in the Christian Bible some words from God on homosexuality - I don't need to provide references on that, I think the very fact we call it sodomy (named after a town God destroyed) should speak to what the Bible teaches about homosexuality.

However, I allow for the fact that I may be wrong on that. In fact, there are only three things in the Christian belief structure that I don't allow for being wrong on:

1) That you must love the Lord your God with all your being.
2) That you must love your neighbor as yourself.
3) That you must know that Salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way to God.

These are the tenants to what I refer to as the Christian Covenant. I think that debate on any of the other topics that Christians hold as dogmatic beliefs is a healthy and good thing, because popular opinion on what is or isn't a sin can very well change by popular opinion or what is a societal norm, sometimes.

But the only person's behavior I'm personally accountable for is my own. If asked my opinion on what is or isn't a sin, I will tell it, and say why. But I don't think the government nor the church has the right to enforce punishment for said sins. Vengence is Mine, sayeth the Lord. Not Rizzn's or Joe Blow's. It belongs to the Lord. He's the final judge, not me.

In that vein, it is how I can remain friends with, and love people as friends and family even if I don't agree with their lifestyle choices or their behavior patterns.

All that said, I'm getting back to work. Lots to do.

/rizzn

2005 VMA Wrap-up

Well, howdy do everyone.  I feel like I’ve been in another world the last few days, not so much because covering the VMA stuff is so exciting, but because I’ve basically not slept this entire weekend.  OK, that’s not true, I slept about 10 hours since Thursday.  I can tell the folks at the office were a little upset I walked in at about 1:30pm, but hey, I gotta do what I gotta do.

Ricky got a good deal of great photos, and we’ll likely be posting them here on the site within the next few days.  I made a few really good contacts on the press line (a big howdy to Monica and Dennis if you happen to read this).

I found out something quite interesting this weekend.. being a blogger is the new uber-hip thing!  I know no one actually reads this thing, so I feel pretty safe in saying this … if you want access to celebrities at these types of events, all you have to do is tell the PR person you’re a blogger!  On Friday evening, I got an all access pass to an event hosted by Carmen Electra for free (Louis XIV played a set). It was about as boring as any other party I’ve ever been to, but the point is I got a $700 pass for free.

Journalistically, of course the highlight of the weekend was Suge getting shot (although had he not been shot, a lot of other good celebs would have shown up – OJ Simpson, Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Piven were rumored to be on their way).  I’ve got a pretty good run down of what happenned there in this blog entry, but in my sleep-deprived haze I forgot to mention that the police were launching tear-gas gimmicks into the crowd to get us to back away from Yusef when they were arresting him. 

Something about that whole evening seems really fishy, because it took about five minutes of pandemonium before anyone called the police or even the security forces over to the scene.  What’s more, the MSM (with the exception of the Herald) aren’t reporting on the arrest of Yusef at all, not to mention that AP, CNN, and a couple other wire services are getting the guest list completely wrong.  It’s pretty sad, because there were exactly four ABC Radio correspondents there as well as an actual MTV news crew, and none of them bothered to interview anyone, opting to simply flee the scene.  It was me, the house photographer, and Access Hollywood running into the fray, and that’s it!

I guess it shows I have either very weak survival instincts, or very strong journalistic ones.

I’ve got to get some work done today, so I’m done with this entry.  Hopefully we’ll get Blip’s core processes moved over to the new server today.

/rizzn

Suge Knight Shot - photos and ID

Update (8/30/2005): This should be the last little bit of Suge Knight update (because I think it’s safe to assume at this point that no more real news is going to come out of this thing)… I wouldn’t post it but it’s so damn funny (hat tip to libertyblog):

[H]ere’s the rapper David Banner on the shooting of Suge Knight at a party for the MTV awards:

“I don’t think that what happened was any different than at any other event where you have a lot of people,” said David Banner. “It’s tragic that it happened and that the media magnified this so much.”

Remind me not to be at any event where there are a lot of people when David Banner’s around, be it a Shriner’s convention, airport terminal etc.

Update (8/29/2005): If you’re coming in from an external link (thank’s National Ledger and the scads of Hip Hop mags that linked me), you should check out my generalized VMA wrap up, with more Suge shooting details. 

Update (8/29/2005): The man arrested is alleged to be named spoken word artist Malik Yusef. He was part of the Game’s entourage, undoubtably, as there were about 40 people who entered with him.

Given that he’s a spoken word artist, and P. D.. ‘scuse me, Diddy has strong ties to Def Poetry and Bad Boys of Comedy, it gives credence to the whole conspiracy angle of his involvement in perhaps motivating someone to retaliate for Biggie’s Death (Biggie Smalls, of course, a friend of Diddy (then Puff Daddy, I think), who was suspected of being killed by someone hired by Suge – but that’s all rumor, and I would never suggest that Suge had anything to do with it (without taking my personal information off the website first)).

Slightly less conspiracy theory-esque, about two months ago, a rapper named Game got into a fight with members of Suge’s entourage.  Peep this quote from hiphopdx.com from back in June:

Later on at the Sunset room, Game reportedly crossed paths with Suge and that’s where details become sketchy. Many rumors state that Game and his crew ran into Suge and his entourage and after a few words were exchanged, a member out of Suge’s camp to a swing at Game. They say that after Game dodged a few punches, his crew yanked him away from the situation before it got out of hand. Nobody got hurt but the question remains “Why?” More on this as it unfolds.

The Game was in attendence that night (this photo is from his appearance on the red carpet.  As a side note, CNN reported that The Black Eyed Peas, Paris Hilton, and Eddie Murphy were there or had attended the party.  That is pure fiction.  Paris was a no show to every party this year, the Black Eyed Peas were only staying in that hotel, but were in fact performing down the road at the Mansion, and Eddie Murphy only went to one party, which was at the Prive the night before.

---

Breaking news from the VMA pre-parties, circa midnight Saturday/Sunday... Owner of Death Row Records, Suge Knight, has just been shot in the thigh by an unknown assailant while coming out of the Shore Club in South Beach. Suge was attending Kanye West's MTV VMA Pre-Party.

I was working the red carpet line just videoing other people's interviews with people and I happenned to MTV Netherland's interview with Suge (video uploaded). Some time after Suge arrived, there was quite a commotion inside the party tent, and hundreds of people came streaming out. From watching my Def Comedy Jam, I'm well aware that when a herd of African-Americans go running in one direction, danger is surely in the opposite direction. Being an intrepid reporter (and someone who has no fear of losing life nor limb), I ran right into the action.

Suge's sidekick quickly booted me out of the area. Forcefully. In the video, you can see me being shoved out of the way by the way the camera gyrates.

I then snuck around the side of the building to see what I could find, and sure enough, a group of fans had already congregated out there where the ambulance was being pulled up. I arrived just after Suge was put into the ambulance, but in time to buy a couple of pictures off some guys from Brooklyn to sell to our agency (we think we have the exclusive on that). I was lucky not to get roughed up by Suge's cohorts, as they stomped on a couple people's cameras that were taking pictures out the side.

There wasn't much action around the side, so I went back around to the front just in time to see someone from someone's entourage being hauled out in handcuffs (I'm not sure who this person is, but if you can identify him for me please, I'd love to get a name before the MSM). The rest of the night was spent captioning and editing photos and videos, so not much else to report but the specifics that I know:

Suge was shot in the upper thigh, on the outside part. He's in good condition. This all took place at the Shore Club in South Beach. There was a mad dash for the door. The publicists were crying. In fact, a lot of people were crying. Suge's cohorts are jerks.

These are captures from my video. I've already got people who are buying it, so no worries there. It should show up on Access Hollywood or something, I'm told.

(Just so you know, I’ve been up for 36 hours, so if this makes no sense, I’ll go back and correct it later – stay tuned for updates).

/rizzn

Walken for President 2008 is a CONFIRMED Hoax

I spoke in semi-excited tones yesterday about a celebrity I thought might actually be running for president with a campaign platform that I could get behind. It turns out that it was all untrue – a cruel hoax played on gullible bloggers like myself

I spoke with Mara Buxbaum at ID PR today; Mara is Christopher Walken’s publicist.  She said that she’s been innundated with calls all day about Christopher Walken’s ‘bid for public office,’ but she did in fact confirm that the site is a hoax.

“Mr. Walken has no intentions for public office,” said Buxbaum. “Perhaps one of his fans got a little excited seeing him play Secretary Cleary with presidential aspirations in Wedding Crashers.”

Ms. Buxbaum was very quick to return the phone call. If you’re a high-powered Hollywood star in need of publicity, call her.  She seems real on the ball.

Now the fun begins – Who is behind this hoax?  I’ve only seen Wedding Crashers one time, so I don’t remember if the quotes from the website are from the movie – they could be.  There’s a part in the film where Owen Wilson’s character is speaking with Walken’s character about politics.  The statements could be extrapolations on that conversation.

Mara asked that I spread the word that this site is a hoax so that the calls might dwindle down about her office.  I find it interesting that the story is indeed generating this much interest for Walken.  I suppose it is telling how much we bloggers dictate in the news cycles these days, and that the Mainstream Media is learning how to fact-check.

She didn’t mention if the calls were mostly from bloggers or news organisations.  I suppose it’s hard to tell from her end, as most of us bloggers imitiate Mainstream Media most of the time to get past the gatekeepers.

So, faithful Rizznites, our search continues for who we might endorse in the 2008 presidential election.  Keep your ears to the ground.

/rizzn

Walken for President 2008

This is a bit late, but it’s getting some buzz in the indy-media, so I caught wind of it.  Christopher Walken has announced he’s running for President of the United States in the 2008.  Rizznites, we may have found our man.  Maybe. 

Long-time Rizzn fans will remember our unsuccessful bid to draft Ric Flair for president in 2004 and of course, our unsuccessful bid to reverse Hulk Hogan’s decision not to run for president in 2000.  This time, I think it’s time to choose a candidate that actually wants to run, so I’ll showcase Christopher Walken’s profile for you so far, and hopefully get your input on it.

So far his planks seem to be campaign finance reform, better military funding, and stem cell research.

Campaign Finance Reform:
   "I believe that campaign finance is a very tough issue, with good points on both sides; but I feel, as a wealthy American, that I should have no more say than even the least fortunate American citizen. Free speech in politics is about the voices of all those who support you, not who supports you with the biggest voice."

Military Funding:
   "I am a huge supporter of the military. I have always thought of them as our guardians, and when our guardians are making less than the poverty line, and children are suffering because their parents decided to join the military, well, I get very upset. I feel that instead of sending billions to the Pentagon's pet projects, it should go to the troops."

Stem Cell Research:
   "I'd met Chris Reeve several times before he died, and after having met him it is tough to be against [stem cell research]. I am for human knowledge and expansion of human life. If stem cells are one way to do that, I cannot support legislation to restrict this potentially life-saving research."

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this sort of a libertarian platform? The libertarian party platform has a few things to say about the military.  In fact, the libertarian party is one of the few independent parties that isn’t a dyed in the wool dove party. Likewise, the libertarians are staunch supporters of campaign and election reform.

Finally, libertarians are very admittedly split on the morality issues of the day, much like the rest of the country.  In their charter, they state on abortion:

Recognizing that abortion is a very sensitive issue and that people, including libertarians, can hold good-faith views on both sides, we believe the government should be kept out of the question. We condemn state-funded and state-mandated abortions. It is particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for another's abortion.

Given the tone and intent of the paragraph, one can only assume that you could interchange the words “stem cell research” for abortion in that paragraph, and it would work for most libertarians.

Do I think Christopher Walken will run on the Libertarian ticket?  I’m not sure.  Should he?  I think so.  Howard Stern did so well on the LP’s ticket in his joking bid for the New York gubernatorial race that he had to back out of the race for fear of winning (as he really didn’t want to win, he just wanted to get the LP’s on the ticket the next year, and get some publicity).

The LP’s should do what we can to get Walken on our ticket – if it’s not a hoax.

The technologist has some circumstantial evidence that this might be a hoax.  I’ll have a definitive answer for you this Monday, as I’ve put a call in with Mr. Walken’s publicist, and she’ll be able to confirm or deny these rumors.

/rizzn

On the Turntables Currently: MC Frontalot - Indier Than Thou

"hiv" is properly pronounced "hiv", not "aitch eye vee".

something utterly disturbing i recently discovered: britney spears is a "slave 4 u", prince would "die 4 u", aaliyah will "care 4 u", a tribe called quest is "hot 4 u", mr jinks wants to "ride 4 u", guy sebastian says "i 4 u" (& u 4 me), lil' flip is "cut 4 u", ol skool is "still here 4 u", ja rule is "down 4 u", warrant says it's "all 4 u", alanis morissette is "bent 4 u", nerdie & jon b are both "burning 4 u", redman will "jam 4 u", wizo is "w8ing 4 u", the lunachicks say it's "2 bad 4 u", & korn is just "4 u". kill me? please? please?

[via lish]

Imagine my embarrassment. No, wait, imagine HER embarrassment ...

My life is so far removed from pop culture that I actually thought THE Jason Alexander married Britney Spears. As it turns out, it's this Jason Alexander. I keep saying this, but maybe its true -- perhaps I should broaden my news filters a little bit.

Britney Spears to annul marriage to Jason Alexander

Pop princess Britney Spears will be single again on Monday after a madcap marriage over the weekend, US media reported.

Spears and childhood friend Jason Alexander, both 22, filed for an annulment on Sunday after tying the knot before dawn on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The couple "took a joke too far by getting married", said a statement issued on Sunday by the singer's recording label, Jive Records, according to USA Today.

"Ms Spears and Mr Alexander have filed for an annulment, which will become official on Monday," the statement said.

The two apparently decided to marry while partying at the Palms Casino Hotel on Friday night, and did so at a get-hitched-quick joint on the Las Vegas Strip, after stopping by a courthouse for a marriage license.

Spears reportedly wore torn jeans and a baseball cap and was escorted down the aisle by a hotel bellman.

She was not drunk at the time, Palms Casino owner and Britney pal George Maloof insisted.

"None of those reports were accurate," Maloof told Entertainment Tonight. "She was just having a good time."

The groom was back in Kentwood, Louisiana, on Sunday, which is also Spears' hometown.

"He'd been through a lot. We picked him up in New Orleans coming back and he didn't have much to say," his grandfather told Entertainment Tonight.

Buzz Index Shakeup

Interestingly enough, I noticed this morning that on the general Buzz Index that Paris Hilton finally got knocked off the number one search slot in favor of Mars, Britney Spears and NASA.



Two out of three ain't bad, I s'pose.