As most seniors graduate high school or college this month, “commencing” on to the next stage in life may seem less daunting after seeing the comedy The Graduate, showing at the Apollo Theater.

Downtown Peoria’s nonprofit moviehouse will screen filmmaker Mike Nichols’ 1967 classic starring Dustin Hoffman in his breakthrough role on one night only: Saturday, May 24.

Costarring Katharine Ross as Elaine and Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson, The Graduate was co-written by an odd team – Calder Willingham (who’d penned the war movie Paths of Glory and the western One-Eyed Jacks) and Buck Henry (then known mainly as one of the writers on TV’s Get Smart spy spoof).

The Oscar-winning movie focuses on an aimless college grad (Hoffman) who stumbles into an affair with an older woman married to his father’s business partner, then falls in love with her engaged daughter (Ross).

Several familiar faces have bits, cameos or uncredited appearances, including Alice Ghostley, Richard Dreyfuss, Norman Fell, Mike Farrell, Ben Murphy and Kevin Tighe.

Admission at the Apollo is $5 and $4 for kids and seniors. Shows start at 7 p.m.; for details call (309) 673-4343.

I had lunch with Mom and Dad at this venerable, third-generation rib joint today. They had the beef sandwich, I chose Monday’s daily special: A turkey sandwich with fries and a soda. I should have ordered the beef, as the bun looked empty. Tasty, though, especially with a dab of BBQ sauce. The French fries were delicious, of course.

I noticed one big improvement over my last visit. As Peoria natives know, the BBQ place is located inside a former Hardee’s restaurant (which is, itself, located on the former site of a Sandy’s). The heir’s to Big John remodeled, but they opted to keep the booths and the tables and chairs that were bolted to the floor. This is bad news to a plus-size guy like myself.

Well, they’ve decided to supply guests with free standing chairs. So my parents sat in the booth while I slid a chair over and dined with them. A elegant solution to an uncomfortable problem.

And again, I found the counter staff at Grampa John’s to be down-home friendly and helpful.

I knew Robert Downey Jr. was the perfect guy to play Tony Stark. Now I am sure of it.

So, I’ve been getting the Battlestar Galactica DVD’s via Netflix* this past week or more. This is the “rebooted” or “re-imagined” version of the show that kicked off with a mini-series in 2003. Although I heard of people going bonkers over the show, I always resisted. Finally, I ran out of reasons to not watch the show, so I broke down and added the discs to my que. While I have not gone ga-ga over BSG like I have for some other shows (say, like Firefly), it is very good television. The last available disc in the series (Disc 3 of Season 2.5**) will be here tomorrow. For my wife, instead of going back to the beginning, we also have “BSG: The Story So Far” coming, too. We are now a month away from the “BSG: Razor” TV movie (which will release on DVD a week later) and Season 4 in the wings. Season 4 will wrap up the series.

*Please note, I am one of the very few backward people that does not have Extended Cable.
**The second season was broken up into Season 2.0 a Season 2.5. These people know who their target audience is - geeks like me!

Having mentioned Firefly TV series, things are looking up for a sequel to Serenity. For those who don’t know, Firefly was a short-lived Sc-Fi series on Fox. A serial, Fox erred greatly by not airing the pilot episode and airing some of the regular episodes out of order. So, for instance, in one episode, the crew delivers a cargo and two episodes later, they are shown loading the ship with that cargo. Firefly didn’t last long on the airwaves, but DVD sales were so strong (and reviews of the show were consistently so outstanding) that Universal was convinced enough to produce a full-length motion picture named for the spaceship in the show, Serenity. Now, while Serenity did not knock anyones socks off, financially, at the box office, it did break even. The sales of the DVD and, now, the Collectors Edition of the DVD have done so well, the bean counters are thinking that it might be worthwhile to produce another feature-length film. If a sequel does indeed get a greenlight, it will be very shiny news, indeed.

Next in the que are some old John Ford and John Wayne movies that will come in the order they were released. (For some reason, Netflix does not show “The Quiet Man” as released on DVD. “There’ll be no locks or bolts between you and me, Mary Kate…except those in your own mercenary little heart!”). Also, I think I am going on a trip in the Wayback machine and watch Space: Above and Beyond.

On the tube, I am awaiting the return of Jericho, another serial. I tend to gravitate to the serials. Carnivale, Rescue me, Deadwood, Rome, Wonder Pets, (just checking to see if you are still reading) Dexter, Big Love, and The Dead Zone are among my favorites.

In my role as a sophisticated media critic, I am forced to wade through celebrity gossip sites. It’s a cross I bear on behalf of my readers. It’s been one sad and distasteful story after another recently. If it’s not Britney Spears losing her kids, its photos of Anna Nicole Smith, allegedly on her death bed. Here’s some news and and photos to wipe the taste out of britney-lindsay-annanicole of your mouth.

It seems that the lovely Scarlett Johansson is not only NOT one of those young actresses who pop in and out of rehab and court, she also is not one of those actresses who diets so much her ribs are showing. Naturally, some members of the press are carping about it:

The star’s sweet tooth and her love of British pubs caused her to pile on so many pounds that a number of scenes had to be reshot for the movie, which features Star Wars actress Natalie Portman as King Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn and Scarlett as her sister Mary.

“There was some reshooting,” says a source. “The problem was that Scarlett piled on weight during filming and there was concern that she looked thin in some scenes and heavier in others.”

The 22-year-old American … was recently voted the sexiest woman in Hollywood.

She developed a weakness for British fare during filming in Cambridgeshire this summer.

“Scarlett looks sensational in the movie, but the problem has been that her weight has gone up and down like a yo-yo because she likes her food.

“She’s a fan of British pubs and she really tucks in so it was a case of tightening the corset stays.”

I tried to find pics of Scarlett in a corset, but these are all I could find. I bring them to you in the spirit of full disclosure:

I’m thinking this girl would be very popular on the playground .

The wife and I found ourselves without children for almost two hours during a recent evening and decided to try Paddy O’Flaherty’s in Morton for a dinner out that didn’t involve carrying a plastic tray to our table or reading the menu off a board behind the cash register.

We were seated almost immediately and our drink & appetizer order was taken - water for me, a fancy beer for the young lady, and an order of Onion Rings. We began to peruse the menu and the waitress returned with two beers and turned to go almost before we could catch her. “Uhm, I just wanted water.” So she took one of the beers and she eventually returned with a nice glass of water with a lemon for me. The half-dozen or eight large onion rings arrived soon thereafter. These were big, beautiful, think rings that looked delicious.

I was having trouble deciding what to order, so we waived off the waitress and I kept perusing the menu. Of course, with a name like Paddy O’Flaherty’s the Irish theme abounds. The problem is that they overdo it on the menu. EVERYTHING has an Irish-sounding name. I expect a little bit of that, but to call the Onion Rings “O’Morton Onion Rings” is just plain silly. About then, I noticed that there were some Irish ‘proverbs’ at the bottom of the page. The first one I run across is “The deaf are the source of all lies.” (I believe that was it, but it might have been put slightly differently.) I wear hearing aids and my father is deaf. I was immediately put off my feed. I can take a joke, I am not overly sensitive, but I just didn’t see the proverbial lesson, the humor, or any other purpose to this comment. In fact, I found many of the other ‘proverbs’ and ‘jokes’ insulting to my Irish side, as well. It was just stupid, and served no real useful purpose.

Anyway, I ended up choosing a burger just to quit holding up the ordering process. My wife ordered a salad. We sat and talked, which was nice. We talked a lot - she a bit more than me - but when I looked at my cell phone to check the time (we had to pick the kids up at a specified time) I could believe that it had been 45 minutes since we ordered. It was another ten before the food arrived - and this kills me - still a bit longer before we had silverware and napkins.

As for the food, I thought the burger was dry, the ‘pretzel bun’ was extremely hard to chew, and the ’seasoned’ fries tasted as if they were made of wood rather than potatoes. The wife really enjoyed her salad, though.

Anyway, the wife said that she’ll still visit their on occasion when she and her girlfriends want a fancy beer, but I see no need to go back.

I have another bad restaurant report for the Peoria blogsphere.

Dad and I met for a late dinner at Steak ‘n’ Shake, 3229 N. University, last night. We walked into the place at about 10:15 p.m. and we didn’t get our food until about 10:55 p.m. I am at a loss to explain why. The joint was about 1/3 filled. There were at least four waitresses. The kitchen seemed to have plenty of help. Maybe the fact that a manager and at least one other employee were standing at the front door catching a smoke as we walked into the joint should have tipped us off.

When we got our order, the food was less than spectacular. In fact, it looked like very little care was taken to putting the food on the plates, as both of our Chili Macs had noodles hanging off the side. Dad’s cheeseburger was cold.

I wanted to leave after the first 30 minutes of waiting for our food. Dad wanted to wait, ’cause he was hungry. When his cold food arrived, I wanted to get the manager and raise Hell. Dad said “no.”

So, we ended up leaving. We weren’t hungry, but we really didn’t feel good at all about the experience. Which is sad, cause S ‘n’ S is one of our haunts, as there really aren’t that many late-night places to eat and chew the fat (figuratively speaking) here in the ol’ River City, unless you want to hang out with drunks or have some inflated tart rub herself against you while you’re trying to eat. And in the recent past, I’ve been very happy with the service at the place.

So, I make Shake ‘n’ Shake a rare exception to my “chain restaurants suck” rule.

I’m going to write this off as a fluke, and post this article as a friendly warning.

Strike one.

restaurant reviews,peoria,steak n shake

This is for Eyebrows McGee, who complains when I correctly identify a female candidate as being attractive, but still hollers for male GOP eye candy. Hypocrite.

By the way, I have no idea WHAT Mr. Prinz’s politics are, but he’s married to GOP babe Sarah Michelle Gellar, so I am making assumptions.

And I am one of the few people who liked Wing Commander.

So this doesn’t mean that I am gay or anything. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m just responding to the wishes of my readers.

I think he’s kinda dorky looking.

Freddy Prinze Jr,Sarah Michelle Gallar,Wing Commander,GOP,Eye Candy,Republicans

So in honor of the party of Abraham Lincoln:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, noted GOP member and star of one of my favorite programs, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

and,

Heather Locklear, one of my favorite actresses, even though the shows she’s on tend to stink. She’s another rare GOP supporter in Hollywood. We’re not worthy, We’re not worthy …

And no, I’m not joining the GOP. I’m still a lower-case “L” libertarian who votes for the candidate, not the party.

Heather Locklear,Sarah Michelle Gellar,eye candy,GOP Babes

First, I agree. That does seem to be the case (and I’ll have more on that later). But my sense of honor and demands that I stand up for all the female lawyers I know and say that every single lady barristers I know here in Peoria is a beautiful, charming and witty specimen of the fairer sex.

That being said, I now feel compelled to provide visual evidence to support Mr. Lowe’s conclusion:

• Jeri Ryan: After she peeled off that catsuit she wore on Star Trek: Voyager, she took a role of lawyer turned attorney on Boston Public, one of those horrid over-the-top David Kelley series. She’s also playing a lawyer, yet again, on Shark, opposite James Wood. And we can thank her for giving us Barack Obama. The details of her divorce from Senate candidate Jack Ryan kept him out of the race, clearing the way for the GOP to pick Alan Keyes to run against Obama. So we have her to thank for that. And for the cat suit.
• Catherine Bell: She played Maj. and then Lt. Col. Sarah MacKenzie on JAG. She was an attorney, but basically was the love interest for the series star David James Elliot, who played fighter pilot turned JAG officer Harmon Rabb. In one memorable episode, “Mac” paid a visit to one of Australia’s topless beaches. I started watching that show regularly in hopes they would return to Australia. By the way, she’s half Iranian and speaks Farsi.
• Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon: She portrayed Assistant District Attorney Valerie Heywood on NYPD Blue, where she was the love interest for Det. Baldwin Jones. She left this series to work on a sitcom with Jamie Fox. A step down for Garcelle, if you ask me. I haven’t seen much of Garcelle since, but she’s bound to pop out, er, UP somewhere.
• Sharon Lawrence: She played ADA Sylvia Costas on NYPD Blue. She was the love interest for Det. Andy Sipowicz, who called her a “pissy little bitch” on the very first episode. Lawrence played Costas as a pit of a frump at first, but when the character was introduced, she was allowed to make the character progressively sexier, as several shower scenes demonstrated. Besides, she’s funny, and funny is always sexy, unless you are Phyllis Diller. Or Rose O’Donnell. But then, Rosie isn’t funny either.
• Kim Delany: She’s another NYPD Blue alum, but she didn’t play a hot lawyer until after she left that series to star in Philly, where she was hard-luck trying to recover from an abusive husband who just HAPPENED to be the state’s attorney. She was hot to be sure, but her characters always seemed on the verge of emotional collapse. While most guys find women who are just a little bit helpless to be a bit of a turn-on, basket-cases are definitely a downer.
• Emily Proctor: Before she was a squeaky-voiced Southern belle firearms expert on CSI: Miami, she was a squeaky-voiced Southern belle conservative attorney in the very liberal Bartlett administration on West Wing. She was once a television weather reporter. I almost wrote “weather girl,” but that would be sexist. Isn’t she just cute as a button, though?

I’m sure my loyal readers can think of examples I have missed.

Jeri Ryan,Sharon Lawrence,Kim Delany,Catherine Bell,Garcelle Beauvais,Emily Proctor

Cutline: Australian actress Teresa Palmer (L) and British actor Daniel Radcliffe, stars of the film ‘December Boys’, arrive for the film’s premiere in Los Angeles, California September 6, 2007.

Why am I posting this picture? Because I couldn’t find any new pictures of Emma Watson. No, I’m not crushing on Emma (who is my youngest niece’s age, sickos). It’s just that for the last few days, my site has bit hit hard by folks looking for pics named “emma_watson.jpg“. Because of this, my hit count’s been above 1,000 daily for a while, even though I’m not really posting a lot (relatively speaking).

And since my Google AdSense revenue increases with hit counts and page views, I’m all for it.

Hey, I didn’t invent the system.

When Otis Redding sang “A Change is Gonna Come,” they didn’t dream it would come like this. They may be thinking old school, but their old classmates, Hinton and Hannah, are talking up new school and new schools.

Otis Reading? Nope. Sorry. “A Change is Gonna Come” was written and performed by the great Sam Cooke.

I can forgive the copy desk for letting this slip by. I doubt there’s anyone on the desk who’s over 30, and their only experience with Cooke or Redding might be commercials for “greatest hits” CDs that play on late night cable television.

But Pam? I gotta wonder about her music collection, or her memory.

Update: PeoriaIllinoisan correctly pointed out that Redding did release a cover of Cooke’s hit. So, my criticism of Adam’s music knowledge is a bit off-base.  But it is Cooke’s version that stands out in my mind.

Tags: Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, protest music

Dang, this is funny stuff.

Sure, there are three types of people in this world - those that love Mr. Bean (honest, peace-loving folks), those that hate Mr. Bean (commonly known as “the French” as they usually have strong body odor), and people who have never heard of Mr. Bean (ie. the Taliban). If you are in either of the latter two groups - STAY AWAY (unless you have kids, they’ll laugh like crazy.)

Anywho, the story involves Mr. Bean winning a holiday - that’s vacation to us Americans - to Cannes. In typical Bean fashion, his trip is not an uneventful one. Also in typical Bean style, the main character goes through the film with very little dialogue, most of that mumbled.

So, here are five very enthusiastic ‘Thumbs Up’ for Mr. Bean’s Holiday.

Via TransWorld News:

Aaron Russo, made famous by his films “Trading Places” and the Golden Globe-winning “The Rose,” died on Friday at the age of 64.

Russo, who had been battling cancer for an extended period of time, was also a well known political activist who openly criticized the U.S. government’s policies on the war on drugs and medical regulations. His libertarian views brought him many supporters and admirers and in 1998 he entered the Republican primary for governor of Nevada.

Despite falling short in the election Russo continued with his political aspirations and entered the 2004 Presidential race where he began his campaign as a Libertarian but did not earn the nomination from his party.

He was also a backer of libertarian-minded Ron Paul, who is seeking the GOP nomination for president.

This is Russo’s Wikipedia entry. Here is his documentary “America: Freedom to Fascism,” which examined the U.S.’s tax laws:

It was simply the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen on television:

How nice for Shannon that she’s always going to be able to find work.

Two years into [Richard] Paey’s 25 year sentence you could see his feet twisted, his hands trembling and his body failing. An old car accident ruined his spine and his pain is unbearable.

Paey also has multiple sclerosis and is confined to a wheelchair. He relies on a morphine pump provided by the state to dull his pain. The sad irony is that while Paey is allowed to self-medicate in prison, it was his self-medicating that got him there.

Paey is serving a twenty five year mandatory minimum sentence under Florida’s draconian drug laws. He was convicted of drug trafficking in March of 2004 for possessing more than 100 pills. He said he needed them to treat his chronic pain. All sides conceded he never sold a single drug. Even the court of appeals for the 2nd District agreed that his sentence was unjust. So now Paey may be one step closer to freedom.

Last week governor Crist and the board of clemency granted Paey a waiver of the rules so his petition for clemency could be heard immediately.

Of course, leave it to the liberal media to fall for that “chronic pain” nonsense. It’s a big fat loophole that would let anyone who intentionally injures themselves or who deliberately contract fatal debilitating diseases get stoned whenever they want!

Feh. If God wanted to alleviate the suffering of the sick and injured, he would have said something out it in the Bible, or at least give us things in nature that contained substances that did eased pain.

With any luck, this faker will pass away before liberal Governor Charlie Crist can spring him from prison.

Richard Peay, Charlie Crist,War on Drugs,self medicating

Scarlett, however, is sick of having to deny — AGAIN — that she’s going to star in a movie based on the life of porn actress Jenna Jameson. Scarlett was far too pretty be portray Jenna. And Scarlett isn’t so young she has to strip to get big break, nor is she so old that she has to pose naked to rekindle interest in her career.

Scarlett Johansson, eye candy

Amanda Bynes, Jennie Garth, chocolate, cat fight

You have to admire this guy for having the self control necessary to stand next to actress Heather Graham and focus on her eyes.

Note: Yeah, I’m posting eye candy. Sue me. I’m celebrating the new blog theme.

From a press release:

Sixty-five years ago this summer, the Nazi Army was invading the Soviet Union and combined British and American air forces were bombing Germany’s large port city of Hamburg. In the Pacific, Imperial Japan had just suffered losses in the Battle of Midway but was preparing to fight the Allies on Guadalcanal.

Such history is part of why commentators such as Tom Brokaw dubbed the generation that fought fascism in World War II as “the Greatest Generation,” and Hollywood did its part in dramatizing their courage.

On July 27 and 28, the Apollo salutes the Greatest Generation with two Oscar-winning war dramas: 1949’s “12 O’Clock High” on that Friday and 1957’s “Bridge Over the River Kwai” that Saturday.

Gregory Peck stars in “12 O’Clock High,” about the heroic 8th Air Force squadron of Flying Fortresses sending almost daily missions to continental Europe from bases in England. Dean Jagger and Gary Merrill co-star.

William Holden stars in “Bridge Over the River Kwai,” about a Japanese POW camp in the Pacific, where prisoners are forced to build a bridge that an American soldier wants to destroy. Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa co-star.

Both movies have spectacular cinematography best seen on the large screen.

Admission is $5 and $4 for kids and seniors. Shows start at 7 p.m., and you can call for details at (309) 673-4343.

I have really got to stop eating spicy food before I go to sleep.

Anyway, Burt looked like he did in this movie. Minus the hat.

From a press release:

Thirty-seven years after the infamous Kickapoo Creek musicfestival rocked downstate Illinois, the Incident at Kickapoo Creek documentary will show at the nonprofit Apollo Theater in downtown Peoria July 13 - followed the next night with a rare screening of Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin’ five days before Arlo Guthrie’s concert on the riverfront.

Incident at Kickapoo Creek starts with footage of students protesting the Viet Nam War and the National Guard’s shooting of Kent State demonstrators in May of 1970 - the same month that about 60,000 concertgoers descended on Heyworth, Ill., pop. 1,400, to hear acts including Canned Heat, Ted Nugent, Paul Butterfield, B.B. King, Delaney and Bonnie & Friends, plus area favorites such as REO Speedwagon, the Finchley Boys and the One-Eyed Jacks.

“The movie offers a fascinating glimpse of the clash of a Midwestern community still trying to shake off the mores and conformity of the ‘50s, and the emerging counterculture,” says the New York Times’ All Media Guide. “There are some priceless moments: flocks of kids bathing nude in the creek; a shot of several people (presumably townsfolk) peeking over a row of bushes in an effort to catch a glimpse of the debauchery; two undercover police officers desperately trying to blend in with the rest of the crowd and standing out like a sore thumb. Overall, a fascinating look at a unique time in America.”

The 2004 movie took director R.C. Raycraft about 10 years to complete, and includes dozens of interviews with B.B. King and Ted Nugent, festival attendees and organizers, a preacher who went to prevent immorality among youth and even a soft-drink distributor who sold concessions. Raycraft - who’ll introduce the 88-minute movie from the stage at 7 p.m. July 13 - describes the film as less Woodstock than a mix of history and mystery.

“Woodstock was mostly what happened on stage with some anecdotes,” he says, “but Kickapoo is more - a look back, some laughs, and the mystery of what happened, too. Plus, there’s some scenes with Butterfield and Nugent performing.”

Less than a week before recording artist Arlo Guthrie performs at the CEFCU Center Stage at the Landing on July 19, the Apollo will present a free screening of Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin,’ a 1984 motion picture, at 8:30 p.m. on July 14. The 74-minute documentary features archival footage of Guthrie, plus more recent interviews with his peers, family and friends, including Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Jack Elliott, Ronnie Gilbert, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Sonny Terry.

Admission is $5 and $4 for kids and seniors.

Oh, and I have many similar articles here.

Enjoy.

Who: From the River City Blues Society
What: 2007 Luther Allison Memorial Blues Festival
When: 12:00pm to 11:00pm August 11th, 2007
Where: Riverfront Park, East Peoria, Illinois
Festival Website: Complete information is available at www.rivercityblues.com
Contact Information: Cathy Cheesman 309-360-8773, cathy@rivercityblues.com
Tickets: $12 in advance. Admissions price at the gate, $15. (Young adults 14 and under are admitted to the festival free when accompanied by a responsible paying adult) Tickets may be purchased in advance at the following locations: Silver Dollar Saloon, Don’s Music Land, Flores Music, Guitar Center, Kidder Music, Elmore Musical Warehouse and Co-Op Records.
Details of the Event: (See complete schedule below)
The River City Blues Society, a not for profit corporation presents the third annual Luther Allison Memorial Blues Festival Saturday August 11th at Riverfront Park, East Peoria, Illinois The show runs from 1:00 to 11:00pm.Gate opens at 12:00.The final lineup and schedule are listed below.
Biographical information: Performer biographies are listed in the attachments. To arrange interviews with any of the performers or for press photos please, contact Tim Donahue at 309 267-6630 or tim@rivercityblues.com
Complete Performer Lineup & Schedule
(All times are approximate and subject to change)
Anthony Gomes 9:20 pm
Blues Legends: Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlian, Bob Margolin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Bob Stroger 7:30 pm
Judy Page with Preston Jackson and friends 5:40 pm
Rooster Alley 3:50 pm
The Greg Glick Band 2:30 pm
The Low Down Blues Band 1:30 pm

Classic versions of Hollywood favorites like two summer blockbusters will show at the nonprofit Apollo Theater in downtown Peoria June 29-30.

The pirate movie “The Sea Hawk,” starring Errol Flynn, will show on Friday, June 29. The film biography of stage magician and escape artist “Houdini” will show on Saturday, June 30.

They’re scheduled to remind film fans that the success of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Harry Potter” are built on decades of popular adventures.

“The Sea Hawk” came out in 1940, directed by Michael Curtiz “Casablanca,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy”). One of Flynn’s best swashbucklers, the 128-minute picture follows an English buccaneer as he tries to protect Great Britain from the Spanish Armada. Claude Rains, Alan Hale and Gilbert
Roland co-star.

“Houdini,” released in 1953, takes liberties with Harry Houdini’s true story, but is an entertaining drama about Houdini’s tricks and fascination with mediums and contacting the dead. It stars Tony Curtis in the title role, and features his real-life wife Janet Leigh.

Shows start at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 and $4 for kids and seniors.

Houdini,The Sea Hawk,Errol Flynn,Tony Curtis,Janet Leigh,Apollo

Here’s the video so everyone can enjoy the hypocrisy:

UPDATE: The Smoking Gun has the documents.

Angelina Jolie,John Stewart,The Daily Show,A Mighty Heart,Nambia

It is to be heard to be believed.

Jonathan Coulton,Baby Got Back

Via the Houston Chronicle:

Astronaut Walter M. “Wally” Schirra Jr., one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the only man to fly on all three of NASA’s early space missions, has died at the age of 84, a NASA official confirmed Thursday.

Schirra, who commanded the first rendezvous of two spacecraft in orbit, died of natural causes, according to NASA.

“We have spoken with his family and we can confirm he did die of natural causes. We hope to have a statement later today,” Dave Stieitz, a NASA spokesman in Houston, told The Associated Press.

Wally Schirra was one of the original space cowboys. Today, we have a permanent presence in space. Quick: Name one of the people who are orbiting the Earth right now. I know I can’t do it. But I can name the Mercury astronauts. Schirra and the others did it when we were far, far, far less assured that anyone who went up would get back. He was truly an American hero.

Emma Watson,Harry Potter,Order of the Phoenix,boob job,breast enlargement,Photoshop

A Pennsylvania woman claims that her teaching career has been derailed by college administrators who unfairly disciplined her over a MySpace photo that shows her wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup. In a federal lawsuit, Stacy Snyder charges that Millersville University brass accused her of promoting underage drinking after they discovered her MySpace photo, which was captioned “Drunken Pirate.” The picture from Snyder’s MySpace page (which she says was snapped at a costume party outside school hours) can be seen below [actually, to the right]: In her complaint, Snyder, a 25-year-old single mother of two, says that Millersville officials discovered the image last May, while she was a senior working as a student-teacher at Conestoga Valley High School. A university official told her that the photo was “unprofessional” and could have offended her students if they accessed her MySpace page. At the time the “Drunken Pirate” photo was taken, Snyder was of legal age to drink, though her lawsuit notes that the photo “does not show the cup’s contents.”

I am shocked, I tell you, shocked, to discover that teaching students drink, of legal age or not. I attended Eastern Illinois University, which has a fairly large college of education. Even though this was back in the 1980s, and the zero tolerance movement wasn’t in full bloom as it is today, I was not aware of any education major who touched The Devil’s Brew. All the students teachers I know met on Friday and Saturday evenings to sing hymns and re-affirm their chastity vows.

And I agree with the college, of course. She’s not wearing a “Hey, Kids! You Should do This” t-shirt, and there’s no similar words on her MySpace page. But the very act of drinking is the exact same thing as encouraging others to drink. There’s no evidence she told her students to look at the image or her page, but that matters little. This is the age of Zero Tolerance, and how else are officials to express their Deep Concern about Teen Drinking if they can’t publicly crucify someone powerless to stop them?

And God knows that the only way to get kids to stop doing something is to make it as forbidden and scandalous as possible.

I for one, would never put myself in a position to be photographed in an embarrassing position.

I’m not gonna tell you where to find Amy’s site, you are just going to have to click Mike’s site and look around. Slackers.

Who: From the River City Blues Society.

What: Annual Membership Drive.

When: 2-10 pm, April 15th, 2007 (DOORS OPEN AT 1 p.m.).

Where: Po-Boys, 3214 N. Dries Lane, Peoria.

Bands Performing:

• 2-3 p.m., Brainchild
• 3:15-4:15 p.m, Blueskillet
• 4:30– 5:30 p.m., Delta Jets
• 5:45-6:45 p.m., Lizzi and Dave of the Lizzi Neal Band
• 7–8 p.m., Rooster Alley
• 8:15–9:30 p.m., Kilborn Alley

$5 Current members.
$10 Non-members (can be applied towards membership).

‘Wizard of Oz’ returns to big screen at the Apollo

A generation or two has probably never seen the Academy Award-winning musical “The Wizard of Oz” on the big screen, but MGM’s 1939 Technicolor classic is returning to Peoria April 13 and 14 for 7 p.m screenings.

Starring young Judy Garland as Dorothy, the song-filled fantasy is on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 movies.

From “Over the Rainbow” to “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” the Oscar-winning score is one of the most memorable in Hollywood history.

Co-stars ranging from Margaret Hamilton and Ray Bolger to Bert Lahr and Jack Haley help make L. Frank Baum’s book about a Kansas kid getting transported to a magical kingdom come alive.

Directed by Victor Fleming, it was produced by Mervyn LeRoy and assisted by King Vidor.

Besides free popcorn, moviegoers will be treated to “Yellow Brick Ice Cream” from the Spotted Cow.

Admission to the nonprofit Apollo is $5 and $4 for seniors and students.

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Based on George Plimpton’s book “Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career,” the 110-minute “Infamous” will show at downtown Peoria’s Apollo Theater at 7 p.m. Friday, March 23.

The screening is part of the month-long PeoriaReads! program with Common Place and the Peoria Public Library, which is focusing on Harper Lee and her book “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

On Saturday, March 24, the film based on Capote’s best-selling “In Cold Blood” – Harper Lee accompanied Capote during his research on it – will show at 7 p.m.

Co-starring in “Infamous” are Daniel Craig (the new James Bond), Gwyneth Paltrow, Sigourney Weaver, Hope Davis, Jeff Daniels and Isabella Rossellini.

Produced, written and directed by Richard Brooks (“Blackboard Jungle,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”), the original 1967 “In Cold Blood” stars Robert Blake and Scott Wilson as the thieves who murder Kansas’ Clutter family in a botched robbery.

Admission to the nonprofit Apollo is $5 and $4 for seniors and students.

The Three Stooges‘ Shemp Howard will say, “I’m St. Patrick’s Day ” in a comedy short on St. Patrick’s Day at downtown Peoria’s Apollo Theater, where March is otherwise dominated by novelist Harper Lee and her friend Truman Capote.

Shemp, Moe and Larry star in 1955’s “Blunder Boys,” one of several short subjects starring the Three Stooges set for the Apollo on Saturday, March 17. “Blunder Boys,” a spoof of TV’s “Dragnet,” will lead in to “Hold That Lion,” the only time Moe and Larry were joined by both Shemp AND Curley on screen, and classics starring Curly as the third Stooge in hours of classic slapstick comedy.

March 17th will be the 112th aniversary of Shemp’s birth.

The Apollo the night before features “To Kill A Mockingbird,” the 1962 film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel showcased this month by Peoria Reads! Led by the Peoria Public Library and Common Place, Peoria Reads! has 15 events throughout March, including: the Apollo screening:

• To Kill A Mockingbird” March 16,
• 2006’s “Infamous,” with an all-star cast including Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee and Toby Jones as Truman Capote, on Friday, March 23, and
• 1967’s “In Cold Blood,” based on Capote’s bestseller, on Saturday, March 24.

Admission to the nonprofit Apollo is $5 and $4 for seniors and students.

I’m having a bad day and this is a real pick me up. Now, if she’s just return my calls and letters.

* Some language may not be suitable for young readers.

Oscar-winning special effects and a script based on a short story by science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke highlight 1968’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” scheduled to show at downtown Peoria’s Apollo Theater on Friday and Saturday, February 23 and 24.

This month is the 40th anniversary of the last NASA Lunar Orbiter Mission to study sites for the eventual Moon Landing.

Written and directed by Stanley Kubrick, “2001″ was nominated for three other Academy Awards, and was named to the American Film Institute’s Top 100 motion pictures.

Starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, the 139-minute film connects humanity’s use of tools and machinery with occasional discoveries about, if not interventions from, outer space. After stumbling on odd monoliths on the moon’s surface, Earth mounts an expedition to Jupiter. The trip turns chaotic when the onboard computer — the HAL 9000, created at the University of Illinois — takes over. A riveting version of Richard Strauss‘ “Also Sprach Zarathustra” blasts viewers early in the movie, and a kaleidoscopic climax knocks audiences back into their seats at the end. The effect has been interpreted as opening doors to the unknown, or as revealing a grim future.

Admission to the nonprofit Apollo is $5 and $4 for seniors and students.

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