Some news and I spoil a major announcement
The news first as things have gotten ridiculous:

Sesame Street announced that due to parental pressure that Cookie Monster will cease to eat cookies this year on Sesame Street and will eat healthier... Leave your comments on that one.

Also I'm spoiling a major entertainment announcement here so fair warning.....




**********SPOILERS AHEAD************************













*************HERE THEY ARE*************************





Tonight Jay Leno will announce that he is stepping down from his duties hosting The Tonight Show in 2009 which would mark his 17th year. He will also announce his replacemnt tonight that person.

CONAN O' BRIEN..

Imagine that---Triumph, Preparation H Raymond, in the year 2000, and msot importantly The Masturbating Bear at the 11:35 hour. How sweet will that be.


P.S.--Masturbating Bear is Joel's favorite character
- posted by Brian @ 9/27/2004 03:43:00 PM

 
Minor Stuff
For those wondering my picks for the Emmy Awards were so beyond wrong it wasn't even funny. And this year I actually though I'd nailed it.

I liked my buddy Criag's blog entry where he talked about his views on people now...It was a fun fun read and I'm glad he did whatever he did to clear up his misconceptions of people.

So last night I tuned into CBS to watch my show King of Queens and I see a Dr. Phil 2 hour special. Dr. Phil put this 9 year old kid on and said to the parents their kid was showing signs of being a murderer or something like that. Dr. Phil is an idiot. The fact that he did that reeks of shamelessly grabbing for ratings and CBS should be appalled for airing such a thing. You know what though for all the crap CBS took for showing the Janet Jackson thing at the Super Bowl this will go unnoticed.

They put a kid on tv--9 years old mind you--- and told everyone he was going to be a murderer...Real nice there Dr. Phil and CBS....How these people have careers is beyond me.
- posted by Brian @ 9/23/2004 05:21:00 PM

 
My 2004 Emmy Picks
This is the first time I've ever officially predicted winners so I try to turn TV junkie into TV smart...Picks are in bold along with some explanation


Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:

Robin Weigert, Deadwood, HBO
Tyne Daly, Judging Amy, CBS
Drea de Matteo, The Sopranos, HBO
Janel Moloney, The West Wing, NBC
Stockard Channing, The West Wing, NBC

Her portrayal of Adrianna in the episode where she was whacked by the Mob should be enough to give her the victory here.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:

Victor Garber, Alias, ABC
Brad Dourif, Deadwood, HBO
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos, HBO
Steve Buscemi, The Sopranos, HBO
John Spencer, The West Wing, NBC

Dourif was great on Deadwood so I'll pick him although I think the award will probably go to Buscemi

Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

Jennifer Garner, Alias, ABC
Amber Tamblyn, Joan of Arcadia, CBS
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC
Edie Falco, The Sopranos, HBO
Allison Janney, The West Wing, NBC

Love Mariska on SVU but Falco was great this year so she wins again

Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

James Spader, The Practice, ABC
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos, HBO
Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Fox
Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC
Anthony LaPaglia, Without a Trace, CBS

It will probably be Gandolfini but LaPaglia is so good on Without a Trace its hard to pick against him

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:

Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS
Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City, HBO
Kristin Davis, Sex and the City, HBO
Cynthia Nixon, Sex and the City, HBO
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC

The Sex and the City girls will probably split votes but Samantha's battle with cancer should give her the win

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:

Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development, Fox
Brad Garrett, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS
Peter Boyle, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS
David Hyde Pierce, Frasier, NBC
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC

Tambor is phenomenal on Arrested and will probably be the only one to steal an award for this under watched show.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS
Jennifer Aniston, Friends, NBC
Bonnie Hunt, Life With Bonnie, ABC
Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City, HBO

SJP has been underappreciated by the academy for her role and the finale of the show should give her the win finally.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
John Ritter, 8 Simple Rules, ABC
Kelsey Grammer, Frasier, NBC
Matt LeBlanc, Friends, NBC
Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA

Toughest category to pick. The end of Friends and Fraser will spin votes for LeBlanc and Grammer, Shaloub won last year but I think the Academy will choose to honor Ritter for his work on the show but more as a memorial.

Drama Series:

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS
Joan of Arcadia, CBS
The Sopranos, HBO
24, Fox
The West Wing, NBC

The Academy denies the Sopranos again and awards it to the sweet, drama. AWWWWWW

Comedy Series:

Arrested Development, Fox
Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS
Sex and the City, HBO
Will & Grace, NBC

I love Arrested Development but the Academy goes to the ending of the City girls...The ending was nice and tidy and ended happy and who doesn't love that
- posted by Brian @ 9/19/2004 09:39:00 AM

 
An Offical Message from the offices of Brian Hansley Inc.
Cultural elitsts suck ass...

Thank you.......





Ok now that the statement is out of the way a shitty day has gotten better as i acquired some hockey gear for my upcoming season. Then I bought a Shannon Tweed double feature at Big Lots....Then I saw a machine that had a puzzle of 6 pieces of characters from the Duck Dodgers cartoons.....All I wanted was Marvin the Martian...50 cents later and yes god loves me he let me get it....Sweet day
- posted by Brian @ 9/17/2004 07:16:00 PM

 
Somber thoughts
This past weekend marked the three year rememberance of the events of September 11th, 2001.....I didn't publish any thoughts, like many, because it mostly leads to trouble....BUt trying to be dimplomatic Here's what I'll say about it...it was a tragic day for our country and for the world. Whatever peace (however uneasy) was shattered that day as a shot was fired and the United States (despite what many think) had no choice but to respond to. (Before you argue that--many politicans on both sides of the political fence voted to go to war when that issue finally came down---and yes we went to war with a different country than which attacked us but there was evidence that the leader of said nation contributed in some way to the attacks either financially or tactically. You're naive to believe otherwise).

However, some pundits and everyday people seem it fit to use the events of that day and their impending effects to bash the president and even worse say, "We brought it on ourselves" That statement is so beyond tasteless and besmirches the memory of everyone who lost their life in the events of that day, either voluntarily or involuntarily. If you don't like the president that's fine but there is plenty of ammunition to hammer him with (the economy, unemployemnt rates, health care, tax cuts just to name a few if you're too lazy to pick up a paper and do some research) without dredging the events of that fateful day.

People find comfort in a lot of things that day, the resolve of Americans (especially New Yorkers), the steady leadership of Rudy Guilani, and the courage of every firefighter and policeman who went into that building to save as many of their fellow humans as they could knowing there was an equal chance they weren't coming out either.

Find something beautiful in that day and remember that everytime this day comes around. I choose to respect each person, who voluntarily, signs up to be a resuce person and does what they can to put out fires, assist in medical emergencies, and watch death sometimes as it creeps up on someone. I have a couple friends who run with local fire companies and am damn proud to call them friends and am glad they want to hang out with me. Since that day I have upped my donations to fire companies, and attend as many carnivals as I can to help them raise money. They need every penny they can get.

I still get chills everytime I hear the national anthem play and feel something inside of me cheer when that line comes, "...That are flag was still there."

So back to the original point. Think what you want about September 11th, but share something from that day with people everyday. We were a jaded country before that day. Cynical and self-serving. The events of that day made people be nicer to each other for a little while. I watched fans at a Boston Red Sox game cheer the New York Yankees, I watched children hug their parents a little tighter, and best of all I heard the cynicism disappear for a few months as people said hi to each other on the street and actually cared about the response. By using the events of that day as a pedestal to stand on and bash things it shows we've learned nothing from that day and that more than anything is the biggest travesty of all.



(As a note---at no point do I discuss foreign policies in this topic so please don't think that I stand on one particular side of the fence versus the other. If you want to know, don't assume just ask. Also if you want to discuss politics we can but it must stay civil and not degenerate into name calling and filibustering)

- posted by Brian @ 9/13/2004 05:33:00 PM

 
We answer more questions
How about best driving song and best drinking song. Or best drinking and driving song.


Driving Song-- I like the Boss vibe but I go with "Born to Run"

Drinking Song-- Beastie Boys "Fight for your right to Party"....Amazing how good the Beasties were before they found religion or whatever and became too self-righteous for their own good.

Drinking/Driving song--(Not that I advocate this in the least. I don't know Cheryl but I'm sure she doesn't either)...AC/DC "Highway to Hell"............Loud, crunchy guitar riffs are my thing and since the lead singer sounds like he just polished off a few pints it seems to fit


- posted by Brian @ 9/13/2004 05:23:00 PM

 
We answer some questions
Top five movies in no particular order.

This is actually tougher than you'd think since my favorites switch often..Well three are set the rest switch based on moods.


Back to the Future--Robert Zemeckis is seriously underrated as a director to me and this movie helps prove my point all the time. It wonderfully brings together comedy, drama, action, adventure, and a little sci-fi and doesn't cheapen any of the others by introducing different genres. It never feels cheap either. (And despite what anyone else or possibly yourself thinks the sequels are strong too)

Major League--I'm a huge baseball nut and this usually just beats out Bull Durham as my favorite baseball movie. You don't even really need to understand baseball to get behind the story of a group of has-beens, never-wases, and never-will-bees being brought together to lose out the season so the owner can move the franchise to sunny Florida. Caution: the language is pretty intense so if you are sensitive to that I wouldn't recommend the film.

Rounders--I admit it I'm a huge Matt Damon mark. I totally have a guy crush on him. Rounders follows a man who is sucked back into the world of poker to help his buddy settle his debts, and get out of trouble. So many great actors and actresses from Ed norton to Damon to Gretchen Mol (whatever happened to her)....Sucks you in and never lets up.

As Good As It Gets--With it showing on TBS and TNT almost daily I've seen the movie at least 1,000 times and it never gets old. I think Nicholson is great in his role and so is Helen Hunt (doesn't hurt that I kinda have a thing for her). The story has some great lines and memorable quotes plus the plot is so simplistic it makes it that much more beautiful when it never feels like deja vu.

High Fidelity--Cusack is almost a god. The movie is hilarious and gave the mainstream a small glimpse into the genius of Jack Black. There is a great cameo by Tim Robbins in this film and everybody plays their parts nicely. I love how the record store employees just make lists about everything and then Cusack makes a list of the top 5 breakups and then goes around to them trying to find out why their relationship failed (It could be him he assumes)....Smart, funny, and at the heart honest.

Honorable mention to Swingers, Chasing Amy, Follow That Bird, Strange Brew, any teen comedy, etc..
- posted by Brian @ 9/13/2004 05:03:00 PM

 
The donut question
I haven't had a chance to post the past week and answer the last question posed to me and I apologize but here's the answer..

The better of the two donuts is Dunkin' Donuts. Not only are they better than Krispy Kreme but the Kreme donuts are the worst donuts I've ever eaten. They have no distingushing flavor to them and they lack the amount of creme I like in my Boston Creme donuts. However, my favorite donuts are the Weis bakery ones. They taste so great although I am developing a certain taste for the WaWa Lemon Cake Donut.....Awesome

- posted by Brian @ 9/09/2004 02:18:00 PM

 
The first question
favorite Dr. Seuss book?



An interesting question Criag has posed
The answer of which only I know

Picking a favorite Seuss book is pretty rough
I wish the first question hadn't been so tough

Unsure of my answer I almost ran and hid
Until I remembered the one I loved since I was a kid

So my favorie Seuss book
The one that can't be beat
Is And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street


(rhyming off)

I love the feel of imagination to this story..Seuss does a great job making you think that the kid has concocted this whopper of a tale and then when his dad asks him what he saw he just says the same old horse and wagon. The story to me speaks to the imagination of children but also to about being proud of your hometown. It may not be the most interesting place but sometimes it doesn't need to be happening to be fun.

Also Craig said that he like Cat in the Hat until last year's movie...I agree....I think the problem is that Seuss books were written to foster a love of reading in children. Casting Jim Carrey and Mike Myers in parts for movies based on these books is bad. Not because they aren't funny comedians but because they then become the focus rather than the words and heart of the stories. PLus children don't love Dr. Seuss books like they used to so the movies are infused with flautlance and juvenile humor which totally kills what innocence and beauty lies in the works of Seuss
- posted by Brian @ 9/02/2004 05:06:00 PM

 
New notes for everyone
I forgot to mention over the weekend I bought 5 dvd's..Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Scary Movie 3, Dickie Roberts, SNL Best of Will Ferrell, and Fraggle Rock: Where it all began.......That last purchase led to a horrible unfortunate incident that is so horrifying I can't talk about it til years of therapy..

Also I've decided to make this blog interactive...That's right we are beginning a new service here entitled Babblin' with Brian......Use the comment section and ask me anything..Anything.....My theories on events past, present, future....My favorite songs by a certain artists....favorite genre movies....my opinions on things and I'll post the answers here in the blog as I get the chance....It should be fun...ask away


Now in honor of talking about baseball movies today with Dopeland I present quotes from my 3 favorite baseball movies of all-time....I provide quotes from the films...guess the film...Get all 3 and you win accolades from me in the blog..

3. Roy Hobbs : I coulda been better. I coulda broke every record in the book.
Iris Gaines : And then?
Roy Hobbs : And then? And then when I walked down the street people would've looked and they would've said there goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was in this game.

2.Board Member 1: I've never heard of half of these guys and the ones I do know are way past their prime.
Charlie Donovan : Most of these guys never had a prime.
Board Member 2: This guy here is dead.
Rachel Phelps : Cross him off then

1.Skip:You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!
Larry : Lollygaggers!
Skip : Lollygaggers.


- posted by Brian @ 9/01/2004 06:15:00 PM