On the Set of "Safe"

Last week, I was lucky enough to get a day's work on the set of Safe, the Jason Statham film that has been shooting in the Philly area for the past few months. I was cast as the "Mayor's Aide" -- a part so integral to the plot that I didn't require an actual name. Like any good political wonk, my name is my job description.

The illustrious "Mayor's Aide" appears in one scene of the movie opposite of -- you guessed it -- "The Mayor," played by Academy Award Nominee Chris Sarandon. The casual movie goer will remember Mr. Sarandon as "Prince Humperdinck" in The Princess Bride.

The movie is set in NYC so locations around Philadelphia double for the Big Apple. My scene was shot around the corner from Villanova University at a mansion used to portray NYC's Gracie Mansion -- the official residency of the NYC mayor.

I had a great day on set and learned a ton, even if I only had one line in a very small scene. My one line was with Mr. Sarandon who could not have been nicer the entire day. No release date has been set yet for Safe, but I will surely keep you posted. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that my 15 second scene does not end up on the cutting room floor. Although, that happened to Kevin Costner early on in his career and things turned out pretty well for him :)

Here's some pics from the day:

(The door to my cell for the day)

(Since I still live at home it was nice to have my own place for a few hours ;))

(The label on my costume)

(If I ever need to make ends meet, this pictures proves I can sell my giant forehead for AD space)

(The political science degree pays off as I bring realism to the coveted "Mayor's Aide")

Dom Irrera's Still Got It

Thanksgiving Eve is one of if not the biggest bar night of the year. In my opinion, it's become the new New Year's Eve i.e. lots of planning, lots of build-up, and little payout. It's just another night out. It's not like you were just invited to the last party at the Playboy Mansion.

Anywho, my friends and I decided to go see Dom Irrera this year at Helium Comedy Club followed by a few beers before the crowds of Jersey Shore wannabes made it out for what they thought would be the best night of their lives. It was an extremely wise decision and a very funny night. This clip below is Dom Irrera from the 80's. He did this bit on Wednesday and it still killed. He recycled old material and also had some great new stuff on TSA pat downs. Somewhere in the world, Don Rickels was smiling when Irrera dropped this gem: "She was so Chinese it hurt."

Dom Irrera is in town for 2 more nights. I highly suggest going to check him out...after you see Molumby's Million of course :)

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West is a very polarizing celebrity. For whatever reason, his eccentric ways have not taken away from my love of his music. His newest album out today, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," is amazing. He takes chances with his music and make songs that are entirely creative and different all while keeping some of the influences from his earlier work.

In his personal life, he is a hot mess. As a musician, he is at the top of his game.

One of my favorite tracks off the new album:

It's Been A While...

...Since my last post on the Brown Note and I know the 2 avid readers are up in arms. To those 2 readers, I appreciate the concern you expressed in your earlier emails but were the death threat notes asking me to return to my blogging ways really necessary?!?!?!?

Anyway, I've been very busy juggling all the productions in my life right now:

- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opened to a wonderful crowd last night St. Joe's Prep and runs until November 21st. I'm an assistant director at the Prep and also oversee the house managers and ushers. I'll be there Wednesday and Thursday night this week.

- Philadelphia Theatre Workshop's Front Row Seat by Kathy Anderson opens Nov. 20th. I am the General Manager for PTW.

- And of course, Molumby's Million opened last weekend and continues it's successful run until the end of November. I play Jack Dempsey and my latest post for the Brown Note is a co-blog with Iron Age. Click here to read about the pop culture connections with Molumby's Million.

Dempsey Previews

Molumby's Million -- the world premiere play where I play heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey -- opens this Friday! Below is some nice press clips previewing the show. Can't wait to see you all from the stage.

First clip is from Stage Magazine:

The next 2 are from the Hank Cisco show:

Dog Days of Autumn

This past weekend in NYC was the annual Halloween Dog Parade in Tompkins Square Park. I've never heard of it before, but some of the costumes are priceless. A bunch of photos from the day can be found here, but I wanted to point out one of the funniest pop culture costumes I've seen in recent memory.

You don't recognize who that is? Maybe this refresher will help :)

One Month To Go For Dempsey

This update is a few days late since I was busy closing my 3rd show this weekend at the wonderful Montgomery Theater in Souderton. This time, I said goodbye to "Everybody Loves Opal," a charming play that resonated in a special way with audiences. Thanks so much to all my friends and family that made it out to see me play the misogynistic/drunk Brad Winter. Your constant support means the world. And now it's on to full-time Jack Dempsey in Molumby's Million at Iron Age.

This latest Jack Dempsey update:

8/5/10 (Pre-Dempsey Work Out Weight) = 178 lbs

8/19/10 (Two Week Check-In) = 182 lbs

9/4/10 (One Month Check-In) = 183.5 lbs

9/17/10 (Month and a Half Check-In) 184 lbs

9/30/10 (Two Month Check-In) = 187 lbs

11/5/10 (Molumby's Million Opening Night/Dempsey Fighting Weight in 1923) = 188 lbs

The Void Has Been Filled

On June 10, 2007, one of my favorite shows of all time -- The Sopranos -- ended with a controversial bang. For what it's worth, I loved the way the series ended...but anyway....

Since Tony and his family (actual family...not the goomba one) ordered some of the best onion rings in the state, many shows have come into my life....Mad Men, LOST, Dexter, Rescue Me, to name a few. All great shows with wonderful characters and story lines but none created the hype each week the way my dysfunctional family from North Jersey did. In college, every Sunday night at around 8:45pm, it was like everyone I knew went into a trance. No matter where I was, I always found a way to make it home to 419 Euclid with a least 10 other guys to order food and have my eyes glued to the TV at 9pm. This was not a unique ritual. Similar TV bonding was happening all over campus and from what I would later learn, it was happening all over the United States. Thinking back, I don't think I ever watch an episode of the show with less than 2 other people. It wasn't just an event each week, it was a way of life.

I've yet to do this with a new show. I turn to blogs and emails with people after LOST and Mad Men, but not everybody I know watches those shows (or watched as is the case with LOST). Everyone I knew, everyone I ran into, people I met for the first time watched The Sopranos and shared a similar community watching aspect.

After the season premiere of Boardwalk Empire last night, I think happy days of community TV watching are here again. My parents and I had a countdown for this show since Friday. People I work with were talking about it for weeks. I rearranged my schedule so that I would not have to watch the first episode on DVR. And I am so happy I did -- the first episode was gripping from the opening credits. It's basically The Sopranos 80 years earlier which doesn't hurt the matter -- but it's a lot grittier. Do yourself a favor and start watching this show NOW! It's themes that make for great TV - crime, loyalty, and as is the case with most classics it deals with the dark side of pursuing "The American Dream."

Side note -- Jack Dempsey gets a little shout out in the first 15 minutes of the first episode. Below is the artwork for Molumby's Million as well as the latest weigh-in update from Friday, Sept. 17th (the month and a half mark)

8/5/10 (Pre-Dempsey Work Out Weight) = 178 lbs

8/19/10 (Two Week Check-In) = 182 lbs

9/4/10 (One Month Check-In) = 183.5 lbs

9/17/10 (Month and a Half Check-In) = 184 lbs -- Gotta eat more carbs!!

11/5/10 (Opening Night/Dempsey's 1923 Fighting Weight) = 188 lbs

Um....Ok....

Just got this message from Twitter:

Karl Rove (@KarlRove) is now following your tweets (@HowieBrown) on Twitter. Karl Rove @KarlRove Washington, D.C. Bio Former Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, Author of Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight 2,611 151,514 172,140 tweets following followers

I don't know if I should take it as a compliment that Rovie likes what I have to say or if I should be scared shitless. I'll go with the latter.

One Down, Two to Go

On my quest to become Jack Dempsey, I had my one-month weigh-in this past Saturday. Eating more carbs and adding lots of whey protein shakes to the diet seem to be paying off. I've gained 5.5 pounds so far!

8/5/10 (Pre-Dempsey Work Out Weight) = 178 lbs

8/19/10 (Two Week Check-In) = 182 lbs

9/4/10 (One Month Check-In) = 183.5 lbs

11/5/10 (Opening Night/Dempsey's 1923 Fighting Weight) = 188 lbs

I have 2 months until Opening Night and I'm very pleased with my progress. I have to say, up until this point the toughest part of this workout has been physically training for Jack Dempsey while mentally and physically preparing for my current role as Brad in Everybody Loves Opal at Montgomery Theater which opens this week. I've had to treat the Dempsey workouts as necessary exercise time to keep me balanced with my already busy schedule. When I first started a month ago, I was concentrating too much on both productions and as a result was having trouble focusing in on Brad/ELO initially. I've never had to prepare for 2 different roles at once. This was far from a serious burden, I just have to compartmentalize my focus and make sure that Brad training comes before Jack. Hope to see everyone in the audience of both shows.

Wake Up Everybody

Loving this new song from John Legend and The Roots featuring Common and Melanie Fiona. Teach for America should grab this song immediately for their next ad campaign. The song is an early release from a collaboration album between John Legend and The Roots called "Wake Up!" The Roots are amazing and I think John Legend makes gold out of everything he touches. The album doesn't come out until Sept. 21st, but this single is already available on iTunes.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Two Week Check-In

On the "Jack Dempsey Work Out Plan", yesterday was the two week mark. As a result, today's post is sponsored by Grizzly Bear and their hit single "Two Weeks."

As for the JDWP Update, I've already gained 4 pounds! Now, Ron tells me that I will gain probably 4 to 6 quickly in the first month. So for those playing the home game:

8/5/10 (Pre-Dempsey Work Out Weight) = 178 lbs

8/19/10 (Two Week Check-In) = 182 lbs

11/5/10 (Opening Night/Dempsey's 1923 Fighting Weight) = 188 lbs

More Sinatra Movie News

Last year, Martin Scorsese was set to make a biopic about Ole Blue Eyes and there was lots of talk about who would play Frank in the film.

Today, it was reported that in a different movie (The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog) George Clooney would play Frank to Angelina's Marilyn Monroe. Clooney makes sense to portray Sinatra mostly based on the "cool" factor. At first, I thought AJ would be awful, but after letting it percolate for a bit I think she could be great. Those sultry lips and everything else make her a powerful sex symbol that could definitely embody Monroe. Plus, the movie focuses on Monroe's final years and Jolie has the acting chops for such a role.

Do you think Angelina is a good choice? BANTER!

What Ifs in the Entertainment Business

I'm getting ready to leave Chicago this morning after a few days in this wonderful city, with great people, seeing some great and just eh shows. BTW -- if this place was just a little closer to the east coast, I would probably move here in a second. On top of having tons of wonderful things to do, every 3rd person is like the most beautiful person I've ever seen.

Anyway, while on this midwest vacation, I came across two clips that pointed out some of the randomness of being an actor. The first clip is from Siskel & Ebert (the Chicago based movie critics whose show officially comes to an end this weekend) talking about Cop and a Half. Back in the day, this was one of the first things I ever got called back for several times. I was called in for the main character and obviously things didn't work out. What if I had actually made this movie with good ole Burt Reynolds? Yes, it definitely would have changed some things, but looking back now the movie was directed by Henry Winkler! He was the Fonz on Happy Days, but to a new generation he played the wonderfully stupid Barry Zuckerkorn on Arrested Development.

At the time, I could actually see myself playing the lead role in Cop and a Half. However, from the minute I read the script for this next clip, I knew I was totaly wrong for the part before I even stepped into the audition. This next clip is from the new James L. Brooks film How Do You Know? -- a bunch of this movie was filmed in Philly last year. I was called in to play one of Owen Wilson's teammates on the Washington Nationals. My original instincts were spot on when I saw that part I tried out for being played by Domenick Lombardozzi from The Wire and Entourage fame. The character appears in the scene where Owen asks his teammates, "How do you know you're in love?" Mr. Lombardozzi gives a unique answer....

'How Do You Know' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

All to say, it's fun to see how these things pan out on the big screen even though I was a mere after thought in the casting process. At least in these two examples they actually filled my part with another actor and I was able to see who eventually got the role. In Law Abiding Citizen, I was called in several times -- and once in front of the director -- to read for one of Jamie Fox's 2 assistants. In the audition room, it seemed like it was down to me and one other guy. I never got the part and when I went to see the movie, I noticed they cut the part I read for out and instead gave all the lines to the hot blonde assistant. Oh good....

Welcome!

Please welcome my good friend Will Dennis to the blogosphere. He has finally given into the dark side and started his own blog which you can check out here.

Define: DEAM

From Mr. Chris Geschke, the definition of DEAM as mentioned in "Becoming Jack Dempsey":

"DEAM- To operate at the highest level of wavyness. To be so on point that you just rock swagger, poise & toughness 24-7. "

Becoming Jack Dempsey

This week I was cast in the World Premiere of Molumby's Million by DW Gregory at Iron Age Theatre. I was in a reading of this play a few months ago and played the title role, Loy Molumby, who was a Montana oil man (FYI - not this guy) trying to set up a fight in his hometown of Shelby between local war vet Tommy Gibbons and Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey.

To my surprise and delight, I was cast in Iron Age's production as Jack Dempsey! I'm already super excited to take on this role even though performances don't start until November. Obviously, many of you who know me know that my physique is far from that of a heavyweight boxer. So, this project is my very own Robert De Niro/Raging Bull. I need to make myself as close to Jack Dempsey's look, weight, etc circa 1923.

I immediately went to my good friend and personal trainer, Ron Gross, to help me with this transformation. To keep myself honest -- not that Ron won't already do that -- I plan on chronicling some of my training here. My first training session was two days ago on Thursday, August 5th -- Almost exactly 3 months until opening night.

Here's the basics of what needs to happen in 3 months:

• Hobro's Weight = 178lbs
• JD's Weight (1923) = 188lbs

I'll try to add 10 pounds of upper body muscle so that I'll appear more like one of the pound-for-pound best boxers of all time on stage. Here's the "before" photos (are you happy Carolyn??) from the morning of (8/5/10):

They almost look like a mugshot -- at least they didn't come out like this:

Here's a photo from actual fight between Dempsey and Gibbons. Dempsey is on the left:

My second training is today -- more info to come as there's something to report. I'll start to talk about my 5 a day meal plan once I have it more established. In the meantime, I'll be getting my Jesuit on, striving for the 'magis' in a very tangible way with this role. Or as my boy Chris Geschke says, "Time to get DEAM!"

Say "Happy Birthday" Gracie

Today would have been the 108th birthday for half of one of comedy's best duos, Burns and Allen. In honor of Gracie's birthday, I give you two of the best in the business, Tony Braithwaite and Jen Childs.

An Apple That Looks Like A Tomato A Day....

Is a HUGE waste of time. The new "Redlove Era" apple is red all the way to the core making it appear like a tomato. And although this new apple wasn't genetically made -- it was done through cross-pollination and grafting (I thought that was for burn victims?) -- it still took 20 years to make. 20 YEARS!?!?!? Don't you think we need to be putting our efforts elsewhere? You know like Cancer research, eliminating world poverty, capping a gushing oil leak in less than 3 months....

Immediately after hearing about this new apple, I could only think about Jerry Seinfeld's take on the seedless watermelon:

A Must See

Other than "Inception" -- which is the first movie since "The Dark Knight" that I've bought tickets to in advance -- "The Social Network" is the movie I'm most excited to see this year. Even if you don't use/hate Facebook I think is a movie to see. Holy crap does this look good and the teaser doesn't even show a single clip from the movie. Why should I be surprised, Aaron Sorkin (Syracuse Grad and creator of "The West Wing") wrote the script. His words are gold.

NJ's Own Bruce Willis Doesn't Smell Like The Turnpike

Happy Wednesday -- New Jersey's own, Bruce Willis (he grew up in Penns Grove, NJ about 25 minutes from my hometown of Washington Twp.), is having quite the week already. First off, Mr. Yippe Ki Yay himself is getting his own fragrance. I think this official makes him one of the last celebrities on Earth to not give the perfume business a try. I love one write up of the new line that describes the fragrance smelliing "of grapefuit, pepper and vetiver, which is disappointing for me, since I always assumed Bruce Willis gave off a scent of dirt, sweat, and terrorist blood." And what the hell is "vetiver?" Before I looked it up I thought it sounded like a type of fabric.

At least we did get this great little song from the group "Jeep Cheroke" dedicated to Mr. Willis.

Bruce Willis from wreckandsalvage on Vimeo.

I Still Believe In a Person Name Hope

As I've pointed out in previous posts, I'm a political dork who loves when politics and comedy come together. One of the great entertainers of our time, Mr. Bob Hope, is on the Mt. Rushmore of Political Comedy and his jokes still hold up today:

“There are so many congressmen and senators here. I don’t know whether to tell a joke or pass a bill.” (Pause) “As if there was a difference.”

Recently, a new exhibition opened at the Library of Congress called "Hope for America: Performers, Politics, and Pop Culture." The NYTimes review of the new exhibit can be found here. If you are a fan of Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert or countless other comedians who make fun of politics, take a trip to DC and learn about one of the masters. And the next time a big election year roles around, and you get tired of hearing the same old rhetoric, think of Mr. Hope who put the two-paryy system best:

“No one party can fool all of the people all of the time. That’s why we have two parties.”

Bill is a Bud Boy

The last time I was at a Phillies game a few weeks ago, one Matt "I Used to Jump Over Bars This High" Troha (he was a high jumper at Syracuse) found it interesting that I enjoyed a good ole Bud Heavy. There's just something uniquely American that I find about an original Budweiser -- it's like a regular Coke (which no one seems to drink anymore with the Diet Coke, Coke Zero, etc. of the world saturating the market.) It's right up there in my book with a Ying-Dinger as the most American of beers.

Well, other than my usually rhetoric, I now have tangible evidence to back my enjoyment of Bud Heavy and it's Americanness. Check out this photo of former President Bill Clinton and USA Defender Carlos Bocanegra sharing a Bud Heavy after the Algeria win.

"We Are Orange With Pride!"

I got this video from the boys over at "Otto's Army." At first glance, you think you are about to watch a Chessy/Dick Clark/Vanessa Williams/Any Famous SU Sportscaster Alum ladened promotions video for Syracuse University. Instead, you get a promo for being a Hooter's girl which is comic gold. I can almost take it seriously until the blonde at the 0:18 mark says, "Hooters taught me the value of serving others." Hilarity ensues.

A Reminder....

Sometimes, when the day-to-day parts of life get bogged down with a lot of junk, it's good to refocus with some wise words: "Words of Wisdom from the Smartest Man I Know."

The Forrest Gump of B-List Celebs

Adam Abdi doesn't have the nickname "Big Time" for no reason. Mr. "Fan-of-Film.com" himself was hobnobbing with Erin Andrews and others from Dancing with the Stars recently and the paparazzi caught it in this clip below. For those who don't know him, Abdi is the awkward guy all the way on the left hand side of the screen trying to look to-cool-for-school but definitely looks like he doesn't belong :) Kinda like Forrest Gump with any celeb he was around:

Paging the Director of Programming at HBO....

What happens when you take a little bit of one of the best TV shows and a little bit of one of the best animated movies from the past twenty years? You get this gem. You have to know both sources to truly appreciate the clip.

A Different Proposal

I've never seen The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan "I was dating Alanis Morissette and then dropped her in a hot second for Scarlett Johansson" Reynolds. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it gets a 43% so chances are I probably won't see it unless I'm looking for a way to waste a few hours one raining afternoon.

Here's a shorter version of a different kind of proposal. It's a prank set up by one friend in a prank-war with another friend. Just watch -- it's so worth it for the reaction of the girlfriend and one Yankee fan that gets interviewed. I came across the video this morning in this article about the funniest Jumbotron moments.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

3-Dumb

I've been having conversations with friends recently about whether or not technology is a good thing. Let me rephrase that -- technology is a good thing, but whether or not MORE technology for technology's sake is a good thing. Most of our conversations get back to how cellphones do way too much. Being a Crackberry addict, I usually don't do well in these debates. Regular TBN reader, Tony Braithwaite, sent me this wonderful Seinfeld clip from his March 3rd appearance on Letterman. It pretty much sums up AXB's own views on the cellphone discussion. The whole clip is funny, but you can skip to the 2:45 mark if you want the bit about the cellphone.

Anywho, even though fancy cellphones are one of my vices, here's a technology thing I think we can all agree is a waste of time: Newspapers with a 3-D section. Really?!?! The Philly Inquirer announced today that it will have a page that will include 3-D pictures and ads starting on June 13th.

Let me get this straight, newspapers sales continue to decline. So, to get more people to buy newspapers, you're going to add a page AND an extra pair of 3-D glasses to view the page. How does this help sales? In this fast-paced internet age that makes news of any kind so easy to get you're going to challenge readers to not only buy a paper -- which already is tough -- but to also put on some cheap ass glasses to look at said ad. Yeah...I see this fizzling out after about a month. 3-D isn't even that special. When I saw Avatar in 3-D AND Imax, I would take my glasses off for long portions of the movie to see what it looked like. Basically, it was like watching a movie with one contact missing. Nothing to write home about if ask me.

Will a lot of people buy this issue on the 13th? Yes. Will I? Probably -- but only once just to see what it's like. This is a stupid gimmick that won't last. Just because Playboy is making a 3-D centerfold, doesn't mean the next thing we need to see is a 3-D ad for the latest Verizon cellphone. But, I am a sucker for a fancy cellphone, so who knows!

Power Producer

If you have Facebook and are connected with Mr. Power Producer himself, Brian Callahan, go to his page and congratulate him. Surprisingly, beneath the man also known as "To Cool for School" and "Cocky Cally" lies a modest Merrrrrr-Man who won't brag about his accomplishments, so I'll do it for him.

Brian Callahan, producer of the #1 DC morning newscast for WRC (NBC Affiliate), has been nominated for a 2009 Emmy Award by The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The winners will be announced on June 5th. Afterwards, I hope to see Mr. Callahan doing a similar pose as the picture below. Go get 'em Cally!!!!!!!

TaserMania

The week of the taser continues. At the Players Championship yesterday, a man was tasered and charged with "disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence." In honor of the return of "taser" into our everyday vernacular, I'd like to take a trip down memory lane to the Kerry Campaign in 2004 and the now infamous" Don't Tase Me Bro!!!" guy. For the best part, skip to about the 2 minute mark.

"They just f*@$ed with the wrong Mexican..."

Machete is an upcoming film by Robert Rodriguez that has a litany of actors from some of best of all-time (Robert DeNiro) to typecast action heroes from the 80s/90s (Steven Segal). I'll probably just wait to see this movie on Netflix, but 2 parts of the trailer below had me laughing hysterically: 1) The voice over line that is the title of this post, and 2) well...just watch the first 1o seconds....

I love actor Danny Trejo (aka that dude from Desperado and some other movies that has the giant tatoo of lady on his chest) calling out the State of Arizona. TBN follower Chris Geschke, who just moved back to The Grand Canyon State said in an exclusive interview about his new home state, "They are already getting a ton of bad press out here for the ID thing, but get this contrast....there are cameras set up at stop lights to ticket people who don't come to a complete stop. BUT -- you can now carry a gun in the state where ever you want without a permit." So there's that....

Another Reason to Be a Good Proofreader

I'm a poor speller. I look up words online all the time to see whether or not I get the "did you mean [fill in the blank]?" prompt several times a day. I just saw a wonderful production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at Montgomery Theater, and had a conversation with the other actors about how I think it would be hard for me to be in a show where I needed to constantly spell crazy hard words correctly. (Side note -- only 4 performances left-- get your tickets now! The show was amazingly funny!)

Nevertheless, because of my spelling deficiencies I constantly read things that I write out loud to catch spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm still not a syntax hawk, but I'm better than the days when my motto was "Who needs to be a good speller? Just have a good personality and spell check will do the rest." FYI -- Hobor3 still follows this adage.

This brings us to this cake celebrating 50 years in baseball for the Atlanta Braves manager:

Now, I didn't give his name yet, but if you've followed baseball at all for the past 30 years, you already know where this is going. The Braves skipper's name is Bobby COX. I'm assuming I don't need to spell out the problem/joke here (and yes, if you're wondering, that lame pun WAS intended).

Being a Phillies fan means I don't like Mr. Cox, but I do love the way he laughed the incident off saying: "That's funny. What bakery did he get the cake? That's what I want to know."

I can think of two people loving this faux pas: 1) Cake Wrecks and 2) The University of South Carolina. (BTW - Congrats to soon-to-be USC Acting MFA student Joe Mallon. Those who know Joe already know that Joe has that hat in at least 5 different colors and styles. (Joe knows that.")

A Huge LOST Leak

Apparently, there are 6 pages from the final episode of LOST online that according to most are 100% accurate. Do you have the guts to click on the link below to read them???? I chickened out and only read the intro to the article before the bullet-point section that summarizes the major plot points from the leaked script.

Click HERE if you want the leaks.

I'm just happy the show is back on the air tonight.

WHCD 2010

On the long list of things that make me a huge nerd is the fact that I LOVE the White House Correspondents Dinner. It's right up there with the Oscars as an event I want to attend before I die. One of my favorite books is Clinton & Me by President Clinton's humor speechwriter, Mark Katz. It's a great read about what it was like to write comedy for the President.

Anywho, President Obama did a nice job last night. Although, I have to admit, I kinda hate watching Presidents try to be funny while their bodies are stuck in serious speech giving mode. It amazes me that they spend so much of their lives speaking to people and most of them don't know how to play laughs properly. But I digress.... the President, who from what I can tell bucked the trend and spoke first last night, was 10 times funnier than Jay Leno -- which in my opinion isn't that hard to accomplish. Some of my favorite lines from the President's speech:

- "I'm glad that the only other person whose ratings fell more than mine last year is here with us tonight. Good to see you, Jay! I'm also glad to be speaking first. We've all seen what happens to the person in the timeslot after Leno."

- "Michael Steele is here, aka 'The Notorious G.O.P.' Michael knows what truly plagues America today: 'taxation without representin.'"

- "...I hear I'm still pretty big on Twitter and Facebook. Or as Sarah Palin calls it: the socialized media."

- "You know what really tickles me? Eric Massa. Apparently, Massa claimed that Rahm came up to him one day in the House locker room, stark naked, and started screaming obscenities at him. To which I say: welcome to my world.'"

The full speech:

"Life Is An Eskimo Pie, Let's Take A Bite"

I love Betty White. She's super funny and is a great example of why age is just a number. What make me love her even more is how excited she is to be hosting SNL with Jay-Z on May 8th. Her quote for an interview yesterday:

"I'm thrilled to meet him. I'm thrilled to hear he's going to be on the show because he's the hottest thing since sliced bread, but I certainly enjoy him. I hope we'll get along well."

I'm holding out hope that they pay tribute to one of my favorite SNL skits and recreate this gem -- Click HERE since the embedded link seem to be faulty.

Big shout out to Zlo who first introduced me to this back on Brew 5.

Guilty Pleasures

One of my favorite websites -- "This is why you're fat.com" -- has come up about 5 times in conversation in the past week. You need to follow this website for 2 reasons:

1. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, I'm always happier after seeing this site.
2. Bacon is featured frequently.

If you or anyone you know can make/deliver the following to me -- as seen on this glorious website -- I will instantly propose marriage.

(Bacon Mug filled with Cheddar Cheese aka My Holy Grail)

***Warning: Do NOT read "This is why you're fat.com" while simultaneously eating a KFC Double Down sandwich or you will die instantly from heart failure. But by all means, please enjoy both of these guilty pleasures separately.

LIVESTRONG

In honor of the 100th post on "The Brown Note" -- the most influential website since the Drudge Report -- I want to give a shout out to my boy, and 1 of about 3 avid "Brown Note" readers, Chris Geschke (SJP '00). Aside from today being his last day in PA before heading back to his adopted home in AZ, Mr. Geschke is one year cancer free today!

For all the faults associated with the over-saturation of social media these days, if it wasn't for Facebook, Chris and I would not have reconnected over these past few months. Geschke -- have fun living it up in Zona, I'm sure you'll continue to have a ball :)

Tracy Morgan is Hilarious

Maybe because it's one of 5 impressions I can do well, maybe because he's a funny dude, or maybe a little bit of both, but I love Tracy Morgan. This clip from his appearance on The Daily Show is wonderful:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tracy Morgan
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

The Drowsy Chaperone Opens Friday at SJP

The next installment of continued excellence on the Prep's stage begins tomorrow night with the opening of "The Drowsy Chaperone." Along with Episcopal High School in Houston, St. Joseph's Prep, will be the first high school to produce this Tony Award-winning musical.

One of my mentors and former chaplain of the Cape and Sword Drama Program at SJP, Fr. Ryan Maher S.J., once said:

"Sometimes theater is about trying to escape from the darker corners of the human condition. Sometimes it’s about trying to hide in the comforting folds of the skirt of the human condition. Sometimes it’s about the tough middle where most of us spend most of our lives, where some things are good and calm and even funny, and others are bad and stormy and sad. Theater is about all of that because being human is about all of that. That’s why theater will always be part of Jesuit education, and why it has been since the very first days of Jesuit schools in the 1500s. And for that, I say, “Thanks be to God.”

Come see Fr. Maher's words and hundreds of years of Jesuit ideals alive on stage by getting your ticket to "The Drowsy Chaperone" by clicking here.

Barf

I know it's time to turn the page and I know in the long run it's the best thing for the birds, but as a Syracuse Alum and an Eagles fan, this photo makes me want to vomit.

Scarface: School Edition

I'm all for promoting the arts with children. One of the best classes I took while getting my Master's in Elementary Education focused on infusing arts in all aspects of the classroom. I know I used various rap songs in my teaching, but I would always change lyrics or use "clean" versions.

The video below is of a school play version of "Scarface" -- yes, you read that correctly -- the movie starring Al Pacino that deals with coke, killing, coke, coke, and just a little more coke for good measure. I haven't found out where the video is from yet, but I do know that I think I can safely say this is NOT a good use of arts in education. What is this school doing next year? Requiem for a Dream: the Musical??

Now, the awful side of me did laugh at 2 parts:

1) The pile of popcorn representing cocaine.

2) The dutiful drama teacher ushering on the student at the end so he wouldn't miss his cue. (I'm definitely burning in hell because I watched this part 3 times laughing harder each time at sincerity of the teacher.)

Biden is a Real Person!

Love or hate his politics, you can't deny that it's refreshing to have politician like VP Biden who can still be himself. I'm not saying it's right to curse to the President, and by no means is this in the same league as when Cheney cursed at another senator, I'm just saying it's nice to have a politician that isn't fully scripted every second of every day.

Still Lovin' It?

Take a long look at this photo. It looks pretty normal right? Just a regular old McDonald's Happy Meal. Key word in that last sentence is "old." The picture is of a Happy Meal after being left out for ONE YEAR!!!! The photographer is Joann Bruso, author of "Baby Bites - Transforming a Picky Eater Into A Healthy Eater Book." From Joann about the Happy Meal:

"My Happy Meal is one year old today and it looks pretty good. It NEVER smelled bad. The food did NOT decompose. It did NOT get moldy, at all."

I rarely eat fast food anymore, and I know this won't stop me from ever eating it again (I mean, c'mon, is there anything better after a night of drinking than McDonald's french fries?!?!?) I just found it fascinating that basically, McDonald's food is as invincible as Chuck Norris.

Blinded By My Own Loyalty

I finally did my Final Four brackets. A few years ago, based on my boy Matt Troha, I decided to only fill out one bracket and use that in all my pools. I know, I know, it limits my changes -- but I want to win big or not win at all.

This year, I went with my heart and my Orange. AO or not, I think they have what it takes. I based my FF on the "Melo Theory." Basically, what team has the best stud with a really, really, really ridiculously good supporting cast -- just like Carmelo et. al in '03. With that being said, my picks:

- Ohio State (Turner is a beast)

- Kentucky (Ditto for Wall)

- Nova (Scottie has something to prove after a poor regular season finish -- plus their bracket sucks)

- Syracuse (All-America and Big East POY Wes!)

Final: Syracuse over Kentucky 81-78. NB Ever since 2003, I always use 81-78 as my score. Sappy, but I don't care.

PS -- Follow Otto's Army if you aren't already.