Can't come knocking on our door....

For years, I have maintained a theory that the inspiration for Bennigan's and all other casual dining restaurants were based on the Regal Beagle from the show "Three's Company". This is an unproven theory, but one I have defended fiercely for years.

It is based on my own personal observations - nothing more. But for those of you who grew up watching the adventures of Jack, Janet, Crissy, Cindy, Terri, and Larry (can't forget Larry D!), can any of you not see the similarities between the two? Bennigan's and the whole casual dining joint with bar was a way for us all to share the experience of living in a beach front apartment, with two hot roommates, while pretending to be gay. And have Norman Fell AND Don Knotts as your landlord.

It was a tribute to the shows popularity that an entire chain of restaurants could be based on a frequent set from a 70's sitcom. Say what you want about the show, there aren't any restaurant chains that look like the tents in "MASH" or ones that resemble the bridge of the Enterprise from "Star Trek".

Yesterday, a sad day for fans of "Three's Company" was announced. Bennigan's would be closing.

Dining Chain Shuts Doors

Bennigan's along with Steak and Ale (yeah, who knew they were still around!) will be closing their doors. From a demographic perspective this makes sense. The restaurants were set up to appeal to people in their 20's who wanted to meet someone, or have a casual meal, just like the Regal Beagle. "Three's Company" ran from 1977 - 84. You figure that the last group of kids to watch the show were about 10 years old when the show went off the air. So for those who grew up watching the show, who wanted to live the life of Jack Tripper, they turned 30 in 2004, and started realizing that these places really suck. It was only a matter of time before the imitation was doomed.

I wonder if Bennigan's would have survived longer if the show had been brought back. It is always tough to recreate a hit show, especially a comedy. Would it have helped? Probably not. I think pub/restaurant theme was doomed when that show left and the fact it lasted so long is quite remarkable. Starbuck's isn't doing well and Friends has only been off the air for a few years. Other shows have used the coffee shop as a frequent set and it hasn't helped.

I guess now I'll be watching Nick at Nite the next time I want life to be a frolic and laughter is calling for me.... down at my rendez-vous.

Three's Company, too

Snow Driving Fail

From our good friends at Failblog.org and Josh, we bring you the parade of incompetence on ice:

Snow Driving Fail

So sad and yet so funny.  The only thing that would be better is if they had cued this up with some music like they do at Olympic Ice skating events - I am thinking "Blue Danube" would have been perfect!

In my eight winters in Minnesota, I have never seen anything quite this bad.  The only thing keeping me from laughing uncontrollably is knowing that in about four months, the streets I drive on will soon look like this.  

Until then, good times!

Another great idea that I will not be able to capitalize on

The other day I am in the grocery store, I had another brilliant idea. It is the latest instalment of a brilliant idea that I unfortunately can not figure out how to make any money from. Usually the reason I can not make money is that I don't have the skills; sometimes it is because I can't figure out the revenue stream. This time, it is both, but it is still a great idea.

Like I said, the idea hit me at the grocery store. I was shopping for cheese and listing to the music. They were playing some song from the 90's. It was by one of those grunge era bands, with a Irish lead singer, full of whining and angst. It was one of my favorites. Only one problem - I didn't know the name of the song or the band. When the song came out, I remember I wanted to buy the album; however, lack of band and song name prevented me from completing the transaction (or even starting it).

I spent an hour searching iTunes and Google for the song name. Nothing came even close. I eventually gave up. Then a few days later the idea hit me. I was talking to someone about "Rock Band"; I had played it recently and it was a blast (I was fricking Slash Jr on the guitar that night - or so I seem to recall). For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it has expanded on the guitar playing in "Guitar Hero" and has added other instruments like drums and vocals. I am not sure how the vocals work - I was too focused on my guitar playing (plus I was a bit boozy). All I know is that somehow the "singing" was picked up by the microphone, and if it was close enough, you got a passing mark. (Actually, as bad as the singing was, it was still very memorable. Now, whenever I hear "Mississippi Queen" I can only think of my friend Beatty's rendition).

Anyway, so I was thinking, couldn't there be a way to combine iTunes with a Rock Band type voice recognition system? It seems like there should be a way to combine the two. You belt out the song (as best you can), and have it search against iTunes, which comes back with the closest matches. Problem solved! I can't imagine that I am the first person who has searched in vain for a song they don't know the name, but they could sing out an ear shattering rendition in the privacy of their home.

(While on the subject of songs, why doesn't get Bruce Springstein get covered more in Karaoke bars? His singing isn't that tough to imitate (it is a mix of speaking, growling, and yelling). His songs are extremely popular; they are bound to be crowd pleaser. It seems like his music was meant for bad renditions. It is very strange.)

But as I said, I don't know how to make money from this idea. I don't have the technical abilities to create something like this, and I don't know how to guarantee that people will by the songs if they find them on my site. Basically, it is a solution to a problem, but one I can't figure out a good way to make money. Therefore, I offer this idea up as a freebie to anyone who can figure out to make $ out of it.

Until the time when that site is functioning, I will continue to search and listen for the song which alludes me; meanwhile I'll be practicing my rendition of "Rosalita".

What DC needs

I think that our Nations capital, Washington DC should have a radio station that plays only John Phillip Souza songs. I think it is only appropriate, and it would make the tourists feel good.

Something about driving down Pennsylvania Ave listening to Culture Club just isn't right.

Just sayin

Steak 'n Shake.... seriously they still exist

I'm in Indianapolis. Again. I was here for work. After we finished our meetings, I went out to dinner. I was going to check out the new "Dark Knight" movie. It was sold out, so I went back to the hotel. On my way back, I take the scenic route, which takes me past "Steak 'n Shake" headquarters.

I didn't know they were headquartered here. I honestly didn't know they were still in existence. I don't think I know of anyone who has actually been there. I don't know why anyone would go there. The whole concept seems disgusting. I guess what they serve is hamburgers and milkshakes. For some reason, as a kid I though they served a steak, mixed into a milkshake - kinda like a blizzard with meat. Yeah, not good.

Anyway, that vision has stuck with me and I have never been able to go into one. Since about 2002, I have banned most all fast food. I got to the point where I can't eat it, except in the most dire of circumstances (okay - I do get it on the way to glassblowing, but that and dire circumstances are it). In terms of my rankings in the fast food spectrum, Shake n' Steak would rank towards the very bottom. In fact the I would have to put them in the bottom three. The only think which I think ranks lower is "Arby's" (never been - they have been banned for life) and "Bob Evans". The only reason I would put "Steak n' Shake" higher than "Bob" is because of their pioneering use of the n' instead of the more pedestrian "and". True trendsetters.

If anyone has been there - or knows anyone who has been there and lived please let me know. For those of you who are die hard fans of this establishment and chose to put your money where your food hole is; they are listed on the NYSE, under "SNS" at about $6.25 a share.

The best show on TV returns!

Tonight, Project Runway starts its 5th season. I am very excited, yet worried about its return. I think it is (or was) the best show on TV, but I am worried it might be jumping the shark this year.

I was coerced into watching the show originally, but soon I became hooked. Badly. It is one of the few shows I make a point of watching regularly. I think what hooked me at first was watching clothes being created. Creating clothing is an area where I have absolutely no skill or experience, yet, I wear clothes every day. It was fascinating to see how they were made, how the designs were created and watching a finished product being displayed. This is an area where I have no skill or ability, and it was mesmerizing to watch.

Then there was the drama. Lots of it. Fashion designers tend to be an emotional group - either positively or negatively. The contestants seem to fall on the extremes of an emotional spectrum, with one end dominated by the evil, bitchy, vindictive designers (e.g. Santino, Jeffrey, Christian) to the other extreme with the emotional train wrecks (e.g. Andre, Ricky) who can't stop crying. Plus, a healthy dose of odd, but humorous characters who make really good TV (e.g. Kayne, Chris Marsh).

Then there is Tim. As in Tim Gunn, Mr. Style himself. His arrogant and condescending tone are belied by the fact he is the nicest man on the show and possibly all reality TV. He is part co-host, part-coach, all friend to the stressed out designers. Of course, he can provide great unintentional comedy too. Tim's fondness for multi-syllabic words usually leaves the designers with that confused "what the f#ck?" look on their face.

I am worried that this show will not be able to maintain its same standards. Chinks are appearing. The whole show is going to be leaving for another channel. The finals for year 5 will not be at Bryant Park (at least the timing would suggest that it will not work out). Plus, the designers do not look that interesting. They look serious about fashion, not about providing great TV. I don't see any emotional train wrecks, but a lot of potential evil geniuses. A balance is needed to maintain success.

For those of you who are hooked, like me, please join me with the Project Runway season 5 elimination game. Pick your team each week - do check out the scoring system to see the impact of having one of your contestants cry.

Watch what happens!

http://www.fafarazzi.com/pr5_home.php

Bye, bye Billy

The day has finnaly come! Billy Packer is gone!

To quote the Sports Guy, from his posting on May 5th, "...when Billy finally steps down, basketball fans will celebrate that date each year like it's Cinco de Mayo. So we have that going for us, right? We'll call it Curmudgeon Liberation Day."

-------------------------------------------------------------
Packer out, Kellogg in as CBS lead announcer

Associated Press, Updated: July 14, 2008, 8:26 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Billy Packer didn't sound like a man who found out his 34-year run as part of the Final Four broadcast had ended.

On Monday, CBS announced that Clark Kellogg would replace Packer after 27 years as the network's lead college basketball analyst. Including his earlier years at NBC, Packer had done every Final Four since 1975, an unparalleled run for a national sports championship.

"These are really good circumstances," Packer told The Associated Press by phone. "This decision was made with myself and CBS over a year ago. Their timing to announce it is their business. I have nothing to do with that. I was working on a series of 1-year contracts for several years. ... I did say there would be no mention during the season so as not to detract from the games and the guys involved."

Kellogg, a game and studio analyst for CBS for 16 years, will be the man next to Jim Nantz on the 2009 Final Four broadcasts.

"With his unquestioned popularity and performance over the years, Clark Kellogg earned all rights to this top spot," Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, said in a statement. "Like Billy Packer, Al McGuire or any of the most highly regarded broadcasters, Clark is an original voice with his own style and perspective."

The 68-year-old Packer said he was "happy" for Kellogg, who played at Ohio State and then in the NBA.

"I think he has worked his trade and certainly as a player was a student of the game. His work at CBS and the fact he is such a smart guy should serve him well," Packer said. "I wish him nothing but the best."

Packer also will end his long run as an analyst for Raycom, a regional network that covers the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"I have had a chance to broadcast most of the great games since college basketball got on national television and I'm not interested in broadcasting any more games," he said. "I enjoyed doing that but I won't be any more."

He said he is involved in a college basketball project that he'll discuss in a few months.
Packer was able to stay one of sports' top analysts without changing much over more than three decades. He spoke his mind about coaches, players, the NCAA tournament and the influx of foreign athletes into American college sports.

"His understanding of men's college basketball, his analysis of the game, and his love for its place in higher education has ensured a legacy that anyone can envy," NCAA president Myles Brand said in a statement. "He is a friend of intercollegiate athletics, and I want to thank him for the enormous contributions he has made to the NCAA?s Final Four tournament, as well as on many, many other occasions over several years."

Packer's criticism of the tournament committee became standard fare on Selection Sunday and it often turned into a public battle with the likes of Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli when his team received a No. 1 seed in 2004.

His reputation took a hit when he made insulting comments to two female Duke students when he was asked for a credential at a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and years earlier when he referred to former Georgetown guard Allen Iverson as a "tough little monkey." He apologized for both remarks.

There wasn't much flash to his style, just a lot of basketball expertise from a coach's son who played in the Final Four for Wake Forest in 1962 and briefly coached on the college level.
His serious, basketball-first approach was clearly sedate compared to that of Dick Vitale, the bombastic ESPN and ABC analyst who came on the broadcast scene about a decade after Packer began his run.

"The only word to describe Billy is a giant," said Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, whose conference has a working relationship with CBS. "His passion for the game and presenting it the way he presented it is, I think unrivaled. This creates an incredible void. Those of us who have a passion for the game of college basketball are really going to miss him."

Including Kellogg.

"His excellence as an analyst is Hall of Fame worthy," he said. "His knowledge of the game and its history is unparalleled. That, along with his passion and keen insights, enabled him do his work as an analyst better and longer than anyone in the game's history. His legacy is one of enduring excellence and keeping the focus on the game. That is the foundation I aspire to build on."

Don't ask Packer to reflect on his career and pick a favorite game or personality.

"I basically have spent my whole life looking forward. I really haven't spent any time looking back," he said. "I am involved in a lot of different projects outside of sports. I haven't spent, and don't anticipate spending, any time looking back."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Lego Art

I randomly stumbled upon this the other day. I wish I had though of doing this myself.  Legos were my favorite toy as a child (adult too?), and I am a fan of black and white photography.  Why not combine the two?  And for added measure, why not recreate memorable moments captured on film (like Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile).

The detail he is capturing is amazing.  Not only are the figures are in the right place, but the lighting is just right.   I am not sure who he is, outside of a Brit with a great sense of humor.  

I have linked his full collection on the side (right after problems solved by MacGuiver), but the Lego Classics series is below.  Be sure to click on the photo of the actual event to compare the two.  Be sure to check out his recreation of the stand off with the tank in Tianamen Square.

Enjoy!

Classics in Lego

2000 Frames/Sec

This was sent to me; I thought it was pretty cool.

Enjoy

To be the man, you gotta beat the man

Growing up in the South brings its own set of peculiarities and oddities. Southerners can pass as normal humans in most situations, but there are some pastimes and events in our shared heritage which distinguish us from the rest of the world. For example, Pro Wrestling.

Back in the days of my youth, Pro Wrestling and the wrestlers themselves were the minor (major?) celebrities of our existence. You either went to a match and knew who they were, or you just knew who they were (and denied going to a match). We knew it wasn't real, but it was entertainment. While the rest of the country was watching "Dynasty" and "Dallas", we had the grand poetry of Pro Wrestlers, most notably, the Man, the Legend, the Nature Boy Ric Flair (Woooo!). 

For those of you unfamiliar with Ric Flair and Pro Wrestling in general, there are largely two types of wrestlers - the good guys and the bad guys. Like the Prime Time soap operas, the plot is often complex, but some characters clearly fall into one camp of the other. Like JR Ewing, Ric Flair was the baddest of the bad. The man you loved to hate.

With bleach blond hair, cocky stride and arrogant sneer, Ric was Pro Wrestling in the South for the 70's and 80's.  He not only talked big, but he won big, too.  Ric was the World Wrestling champion several times in his career (16 times by one count), a fact he never let pass in one of his taunts.  Thanks to YouTube, the magic of Ric Flair can be brought back for all to enjoy. 

Ric Flair montage

Ric - I am the CHAMP!

Ric "Reeking of sex appeal"

He described himself as "stylin' and profilin'". In the era before the truly outrageous sports figures, Ric was a trend setter, badgering opponents and fans. Some of his best quotes include:

"If you wanna BE the MAN, you gotta BEAT the MAN"

"My shoes costs more than your house!"

"Space Mountain may be the oldest line in the park, but it has the longest line to ride it!"

"Ladies, you can't be the first, but you can be next! Woooo!"

Ric had two ways of ending his rants. Either with a short "Woooo!" which was a staccto like way of saying "F-you!" or his longer, more taunting "WooooooOOOOOOOoooooooo!" which challenged you, like saying "here is the chip on my shoulder - you gonna try and knock it off?" The best was when he would combine the two - a long "WoooooOOOOOOoooooo" followed by a short "Wooo!" for added emphasis.

So why I am bringing this all up about Ric Flair? Last year for my birthday, I was out to dinner in Charlotte, NC, home to both myself and many Pro Wrestlers. I had just blown out the candle on my cake (no singing, thank goodness), and who do I see walking through the restaurant, the Nature Boy Ric Flair himself (my birthday wish had come true!). He was still a very large man, but he was looking old, although he was walking with a very young and attractive Mrs. Flair. His walk was slow, he was hunched over, and his steps seemed more deliberate. As I saw the living legend walk by, one singular thought entered my mind:

I think I can take him.

If I grabbed a chair and rushed at him from his blind side, I could probably smash it across the back of his head and knock him out. Even if it didn't take him out, it would probably stun him so much that I could jump him and punch him out before he or anyone else could stop me. 

I could be the man.

Don't ask why I thought of thought of doing this. It is part of fundamental guy genetics. All of us think about things like this. Whenever we meet some other guy, we immediately size them up and assess if we could take them out in a fight. It doesn't matter that I haven't been on a fight since the 5th grade (and I lost), it is something we all do and consider doing if the odds look favorable and the reward is great enough.

As you probably guessed, I did not grab a chair and blindside Ric. I finished desert while he styled and profiled his way to the bar.  I still think about it, though. If I had attacked him, maybe I would have been successful, maybe not. Maybe I would have gotten my @ss handed to me by Mr. Flair.   Maybe I would have gotten beaten up by Mrs. Flair.  Maybe he has an undercover posse traveling with him to prevent people like me from trying to take a shot at the title. I am sure someone else has had the same thought before.  On a Saturday night, he might have a couple dozen people who think of jumping him.  It is a tribute to his popularity, really.

In either event, had I attacked him, win or lose, I know what the outcome would have been: jail. You don't attack legends in public without having to pay the price. And while in most prison situations, I would imagine I would get beat up, easily, I think my reason for going to jail might give me a little street credibility. I could entertain my fellow inmates with my rendition of that nights events:

"I was stylin', profilin', and strutting my stuff, custom made from head to toe!  Wooo!  All these ladies were watching me - they wanted to see me - the man - take out the trash.  Ric is yesterday - I am today!  I was to be the world champion!  Ric had to ask himself the biggest question of his entire life.  Are you man enough to do what you used to do?  Could you stand toe to toe with me? Wooo!  He had to put up or shut up, and the smart money was on ME!  Whether you like me or not, when the dust settled, there was a new World Heavyweight Champion!"

"WoooooooooOOOOOOOooooo! Woooo!"

49 Star Flag

In addition to be our Nations Birthday, July 4th is also the only day of the year in which new stars are added to the flag.

Originally, stars were added when each state was added to the union, but during the 1800's when the number of states being added was more rapid, it became difficult and expensive to continuously update the flag every time a new state was added.  So the decision was made to only add new stars and introduce a new design for the flag once a year - July 4th.

This has rarely been an issue of late, except in 1959.  In 1959, both Alaska and Hawaii joined the union (and for naysayers of current American Foreign policy, Alaska was added before oil was discovered).  Alaska entered on Jan 3rd; Hawaii not until August 21st.  So on July 4th, 1959 a new flag was introduced with 49 stars.  It was not until 1960 when the current 50 star design was introduced.

And for those of your wondering about what will happen if they ever made DC a state (Taxation without Representation!) or if Puerto Rico ever decides they want to be a state, instead of a commonwealth/territory/colony/independent republic/whatever its designation really is, designs to exist for flags with more than 50 states:

US Flag designs 51 - 70 stars

The 70 star design I am sure was created in case we invade Canada.  Guess we should be prepared.

Happy 4th!