Woo Boogie Boogie!

Happy Halloween everyone!

To mark the occasion, I'll share something particularly spooky with you. That's right, zoo animals mucking about with pumpkins!

Frightening stuff!

Going Overboard

I'm no fan of cheaters. I think they're scum.

But even then, I found Alisdair Sinclair's reaction to his wife's infidelity a tad over-the-top. "Stabbed Wife 'Begged for Mercy'" tells the sordid tale.

For the record, he stabbed her about 30 times, which included a "a gruesome neck injury caused by a sawing action."

But arguably the most bizarre thing about the case was his conviction:

After deliberating for seven hours the jury cleared Mr Sinclair of murder and found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

Inspired by John Mayer

Here's a pick-up line I thought of last night:

"Hi, are you an amusement park?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Cos your body is a wonderland!"

Derriere, Mon Cher!

Is this not one of the greatest butts you've ever laid eyes on?

"V Magazine Issue #62 | Miranda Kerr & Ana Beatriz Barros by Willy Vanderperre", Fashion Gone Rogue.

Oh baby. 

To paraphrase a great modern poet (Usher), it makes me wanna...

Farewell, Lanky Yank

This morning, one of Australia's premier entertainers passed away from dementia-related causes. 

Don Lane was best known for hosting The Don Lane Show (1975-1983).

Here's how Don handled an interview with Tom Waits in 1979:

"Tom Waits Australia Interview 1979", YouTube.

Classy gent.

And here's a couple of "tributes" to Don byway of a celebrity roast. The first is by Paul Hogan:

"Hoges - 'Don Lane' Tribute", YouTube.

The second's by Sammy Davis Jr.:

"Sammy Davis Jr. Giving Tribute to Don Lane", YouTube.

Rest in Peace.

The Final Hoo-Ha

Went and saw The Final Destination at the cinema with a friend, yesterday (only because of the 3d effects). 

Here's one of my favourite scenes from the movie:

Gabrielle Chapin Makes Love to Nick Zano - The most amazing bloopers are here

"Gabrielle Chapin Makes Love to Nick Zano", Metacafe. 

It's a tender moment in the film featuring Hunt Wynorski (Nick Zano) and "Girl on Top" (Gabrielle Chapin).

Looking forward to more of her work!

Shades of T-1000?

The US Military has developed a robot that sounds suspiciously like a prototype for the  villain of Terminator 2: Judgment Day:

The "Chembot" was unveiled at a robotics conference in the US last week and is the result of a multi-million dollar grant from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The robot moves by inflating and deflating parts of its body via a process called "jamming", which causes its silicone skin to change between semi-liquid and solid states.

DARPA hopes the robot will be able to assist in military search-and-rescue operations, where its ability to navigate through small openings such as tiny cracks in walls could prove invaluable.

Don't Let Gravity Get Ya Down

Is it just me, or does it seem like the Earth is spinning too fast for this guy to keep up?

"Drunkest Guy Ever Goes Back for One More Beer", YouTube.

One of the commentators on the clip, however, senses a conspiracy afoot:

What? Fake clips on my Internets? Get outta here!

Sarcasm aside, I certainly hope it's real.

A Lil' Bit o' Glee

Caught the following promo after watching a re-run of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: 

"Glee - It's My Life/Confessions Mashup Clip", YouTube. 

Haven't seen Glee yet, but this clip's admittedly enticing. In a weird, goofy sort of way.

Oh, and check out that trippy dance move the guy in the foreground pulls off at the 1:21-1:23 mark.

Aging Gracefully

Ever wondered what happened to that poncey lead singer from Dead or Alive?

"Pete Burns’ Lips Cause Massive Traffic Explosion", The Tinbasher.

You know, the one who sang "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"?

"Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", YouTube.

Well, your question's about to be be answered. Although, I think it'll raise some new ones.

 "Pete Burns of 'Dead Or Alive' Plumps Beyond Recognition", Socialite Life.

Big Trouble in Little Restroom

Can valuable lessons be gleaned from shit?

Read Tim Saccardo's "World’s Greatest Kurt Russell Diarrhea Story" to find out!

Sites I Like

Time to add another Gadget to this blog. Can't just stick with "Labels".

So, I've decided to add a "Link List". It's situated between "Blog Archive" and "About Me". I've also dubbed it "Sites I Like", for blatantly obvious reasons.

The first one on the list, allmusic, is an incredibly comprehensive music site. You can search can through the site by "Artist/Group", "Album", "Song" or "Classical Work". Barring that, you can sift through a vast array of subgenres within major classifications (try "Pop/Rock", fer instance), which is a goldmine if you're stuck on thinking of songs to download.

In terms of movies, The Internet Movie Database is invaluable for looking up flicks or tracing the output of directors, writers, etc. I particularly like the "Quotes" and "Trivia" categories available on most entries. For something a bit more genre-specific, I dig the humourous reviews of And You Call Yourself a Scientist! Its "Immortal Dialogue" page is a corker.

And who doesn't like a good comic strip? Cyanide and Happiness is twisted, macabre and sometimes surreal (but funny); Hyper Death Babies offers a collection of wonderfully nutty and subversive comics (my particular favourites are "Is This Legal?" and "The Panel Project"); Something*Positive, a soap opera packed with assholes and mean-spirited folk, still has a heart underneath its hard surface; and This Modern World's "Comics" page is ripe with Leftist political humour.

For a bit of a laugh, I like reading the rants on The Best Page in the Universe. Although, since its author had his book published, they've slowed down to a trickle. I also like Comedy.com, though its humour can sometimes stoop to the level of Cracked. That ain't a good thing. But it's fun flicking through their articles, nonetheless. For something a bit more obtuse and heavily reliant on memes and other Internet malarkey, I go to Enyclopædia Dramatica. Those guys have no shame. Passive Aggressive Notes.com is much more light-hearted. It's a collection of generally creative and blunt notes left by people across the globe, as warnings to others. A simple concept, indeed. Something that QDB: Quotes Database (commonly referred to as "Bash") embraces. It's basically snippets of conversation, or random statements, submitted by IRC users. Meanwhile, Something Awful attempts to dredge up the worst the 'net (and pop culture) has to offer. My favourite "segments" are its Movie reviews, "The Horrors of Pornography", "Photoshop Phriday" and "Comedy Goldmine". 

Post Secret Archive appeals to my voyeuristic tendencies, even more so since it's done with a creative flair. It's a collection of items from the PostSecret project. The basic concept entails anonymous users submitting secrets they've never shared with anyone, ever, on the back of a postcard.  

IRCImages is another great place for random imagery. In this case, items posted on IRC. Here's a sample:

Another site with random images up the wazoo is EvilMilk. You might've noticed that I've used a few of them on this blog. See: "But Where Would You Park It?", "Why the Terrorists Will Lose", "WMDs: Found!" and "The Definition of Anachronistic". 

If you're lucky, you might come across the odd boob on those sites. But no site compiles them more comprehensively than Boobpedia. Their list of categories is fantastic. Although, I do warn you that the ginormous ZZZ Cup isn't as enticing as it might sound.

"Norma Stitz", Boobpedia.

For much more PG, sidle over to Encyclopedia Obscura for pop culture tidbits and obscurities like "Walking-Stick Defence", the occultic significance of Winnie the Pooh and the He-Man/Superman crossover.

Speaking of trash, Snopes.com is a great site for dispelling it. This urban myth-busting is a source I consult whenever my friends send me goofy chain e-mails, like the one about Kevin Rudd wanting Muslims to discard Islamic Sharia law in favour of assimilation. Not that I need it to prove to myself that what they're sending me is bullshit (chain e-mails are recognisable as such, 99% of the time), but so I can rub it in their faces for sending me such crap in the first place.

And now we move onto the last page, which I previously covered here. That is, The Nice Guy's American Women (Mostly) Suck Page. It is filled with its authors awful experiences with the weaker sex and his quest to find a fine, upstanding woman.

That about wraps it up for now. I'll get around to adding blogs I like, but that'll be another entry in itself.

HoW cOoL iS tHiS?!

DoEs ThIs SeNtEnCe AnNoY yOu? YoU'rE nOt AlOnE.

EvErY dAy, ThIs AtTrOcIoUs FoRm Of WrItInG (i.E. aLtErNaTiNg CaPs) pOlLuTeS oUr BeLoVeD iNtErNeT. sUrE, iT sEeMs HaRmLeSs (WeLl ExCePt To A rEaDeR'S eYeS aNd SaNiTy), bUt DiD yOu KnOw It CoUlD bE hArMiNg YoUr KiDs? ReAd WhAt DaN mAcSaI oF tHe DaIlY nOrThWeStErN hAs To SaY oN tHe MaTtEr.

BuT, iF yOu ThOuGhT aLtErNaTiNg CaPs WaS bAd, WaIt TiLl YoU sEe LeEt.

Exploding Computer - The best free videos are right here

"Exploding Computer", Metacafe.

The Definition of Anachronistic

 "New Text", EvilMilk.

Coulda Been a Crispy Fried Motherfucker

The mX (Melbourne) is a great source for odd little stories, like this one ("Sleep Rates over Burns", Tuesday October 13, 2009, p. 7):

An American man slept soundly as his home caught on fire and partially collapsed.

It wasn't until firefighters did a walk-through of the suburban Pittsburgh home more than two hours later that he woke up.

Firefighter John Reubi was "flabbergasted" anyone survived the fire, which had been reported by a passer-by.

Firefighters found the man in a bedroom and say it appeared he had no idea what was going on.

Polanskiphile

As I'm sure many of you know by now, famed director, Roman Polanski, was recently arrested on an outstanding warrant issued in 1978, for "unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl."

He hopes the charges will be dropped, and has seen some support from other quarters, as this article reveals. And this one.

Whoopi Goldberg even had this to say about it, on The View:

"The View's Whoopi Goldberg on Polanski 'It Wasn't Rape Rape'", YouTube.

My view on the matter falls in line with what Kate Harding has to say in "Reminder: Roman Polanski Raped a Child".

I mean, do you think that if Joe Blow Average had committed such an act, that he'd get any kind of public sympathy?

Well, except maybe from fellow pedos.

Since when does being a director automatically exclude someone from the law? Does artistic ability offer some kind of redeeming quality?

And sure, he might deserve some sympathy because of his age. He's 76, after all.

But let's also remember that he's only gotten himself arrested at such an advanced age because he's been avoiding the law, the whole time.

He was actually in Switzerland, when he was nabbed, to accept a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. He probably didn't realise that the US and Switzerland have an extradition treaty.

D'oh!

Afterall, there's a reason he didn't rock up to the 2003 Oscars to receive his Best Director gong for The Pianist (2002). He knew what would've happened if he did.

His complicity in the proceedings didn't exactly halt his film career, either. Since he fled the US, he has directed eight movies.

So, when exactly was he gonna face the music? Was he ever gonna turn himself in? Doubtful.

We aren't exactly dealing with Dr. Richard Kimble here. We know he did it. So does he.

What other choice did the authorities have?

Ode to a Curry Pie

Fuck me, I love the Boscastle Korma Curry Vegetable Pie.

 "Products - Gourmet Pies", Boscastle. 

On the way to work, I buy it from a convenience store. They include it in a special - gourmet pie and can of Coke, $4.50. Little tomato sauce packet comes free, if I ask for it.

Last night, when I approached the counter, holding my can of Coke, the clerk didn't even need to ask if I wanted anything else. He just dipped behind the counter and pulled one out.

That's how much it's become part of my staple diet.

Of course, that's partially disturbing, too. But still; I fuckin' love it.

Sure, it can have worrying, uh, aftereffects (as most curries, do). But, dammit, it's worth it!

Gimme my pie!

Is This You?

I provided links to some helpful guides to Internet Disease in "Be Alert, Not Alarmed".

Some gentle (and kinda cute) mocking of this illness comes courtesy of this strip from Mitch Clem's Nothing Nice to Say (click on image to enlarge):

"A Place for Friends" (June 8, 2005), Nothing Nice to Say.

You'll Want to Circle These Dates

Archibald, an Enyclopædia Dramatica User, came up with a rather novel little pitch, tentatively titled "Project Camwhore Calendar": 

I want to propose to /b/utts an idea that's been in my head for a while but that I can't (or it would be difficult) to do on my own. Is it possible to make a camwhore calendar? I mean, to gather enough pics of "sup /b/ xx/xx/xxxx" + tits for each day of the year? We'd have to look all over them, that's for sure.

Was his proposition successful? Check his page to find out.

Be Alert, Not Alarmed

e Internet can be a big, scary place and things aren't always as they first appear.

Have you even been inoculated against Internet Disease?

Wait, you don't even know what it is? 

There's still hope. Fortunately for you, Enyclopædia Dramatica gives it coverage here. They define it as

displaying old, faded, blurred or otherwise non-descript photographs of oneself, taken with bad lighting and at awkward angles, on the Internets in order to make you appear more attractive to people online than you are IRL.

Here's a handy guide that accompanies the article:

"Internetdiseasetypes.jpg", Enyclopædia Dramatica.

To be on the safe side, I also recommend you check out Jennifer's "The Buttafly Guide to Interpreting MySpace / Facebook / Friendster Photos". 

You never know when you might need it.

Strange Influences

Curt Purcell's The Groovy Age of Horror is a great read and also one of the sources of inspiration for this blog.

How so, do you ask?

Well, it was the blog that first made me aware that one could post naughty images within the entries. In fact, I can pinpoint the very entry that revealed this dubious privilege. 

Here's a snippet (you'll see what I mean):

 "Vampires and Mummies: Zora Again!", The Groovy Age of Horror.

Yes, that's a mummy holding its own severed, desiccated penis in a box. 

And wait till you see what it's gonna use it for (you'll have to read Curt's blog entry entry to find out).

The way I saw it, if he could get away with posting that, then what would I be able to get away with, myself?

That's why I've got an "Adult Content" feature. Ta da!

On Air, Without a Care

Wow, and I thought Last of the Summer Wine (LOTSW) has been going on forever.

In the previous entry, I made an offhand crack about the durability of Meet the Press.  That got me curious about other shows that have been able to stay on air for extraordinary durations.

So, thanks to the wonders of Wikipedia, I can tell you the top 10 longest-running TV shows of all time (as of this writing)!

1. Meet the Press (November 6, 1947- )
2. Guiding Light (June 30, 1952-September 18, 2009)
3. Tagesschau (December 26, 1952- )
4. Hockey Night in Canada (?, 1952- )
5. Zenigata Heiji (?, 1952- )
6. Panorama (November, 11 1953- )
7. The Tonight Show (September 27, 1954- )
8. Eurovision Song Contest (?, 1956- )
9. The Sky at Night (April 24, 1957- )
10. Telediario (September 15, 1957- )
    

 Now those DVD boxsets would be a bastard to get.

Incidentally, LOTSW (November 12, 1973 -) does hold a record of its own: it's the world's longest-running sitcom.

Apolitical Rock

One of my favourite quotes on the issue of personal politics comes from Chris Rock: Never Scared (2004):

Everybody's so busy wanting to be down with the gang. "I'm conservative", "I'm liberal", "I'm conservative". Bullshit! Be a fucking person! Lis-ten! Let it swirl around your head. Then form your opinion. No normal, decent person is one thing, okay? I've got some shit I'm conservative about, I've got some shit I'm liberal about. Crime, I'm conservative. Prostitution, I'm liberal!

It's a tender reminder that not all things in life are black and white. 

I think truths can be gleaned from various sources. For example, even though I critiqued "NiceGuy", it doesn't mean all the things he said are automatically invalidated. The trick is in finding the "truths" (as relative as this may be) and filtering them through a lens of fairness and hearing out both (or more) sides of an issue.

I think that's what irked me about NiceGuy's site. That is, his fundamental message is buried (at times) under a heap of vitriol and hatred. Take his response to an (admittedly smug) reader in "A Most Curious Submission".


Automatic bias.

Views should be about balance.

There's also the issue of acceptance and tolerance. That is, we have to concede that not everyone's gonna agree with our thoughts. That's life. We gotta respect that. 

Appeal to them. Preach to them. Whatever. If they don't wanna have a bar of it, best to move on elsewhere. 

Or, stay right where you are if you're voicing your views from a stationary position. Heh heh.

Respect human life and dignity. 

Change the channel if a TV show offends your sensibilities. No ratings = no show, right? And, if it's a success regardless, then you can at least stand proud and say you didn't contribute to it. It'll end eventually, anyway. 

Unless it's Meet the Press.

Boobies with a Cause

David Topping, writing for Torontist, provides us with a useful suggestion: "Let's All Stare at Aliya-Jasmine Sovani's Boobs, to Raise Awareness for Something-or-Other".

What a great idea!

Especially when you consider that Aliya-Jasmine Sovani looks like this (yes, she's the one in the middle):

"Breast Cancer Fundraiser Video Too Titillating?", This Blue Marble.

The clip Topping refers to, is to publicise an event called (I kid you not) Boobyball Cruise 8.

Despite its vaguely pornographic title, the cruise was actually intended to support Rethink Breast Cancer, a Canadian

charity helping young people who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer through innovative breast cancer education, research and support programs.

In other words: titties! Yeah!

You can give Rethink a hand (so to speak) by donating, doing volunteer work or buying stuff from their store. All covered on their "How to Help" page.

Milholland on Nice Guys

I spent some time dissecting the nice guy (well, a "nice guy") and accompanying hypocrisies in the previous entry.

For something much more concise and visual, check out r*k*milholland's "Lament of a 'Nice Guy'" arc for his webcomic, Something Positive.

Here's the first "episode" (click on it to enlarge):

"Lament of a 'Nice Guy' pt 1" (February 14, 2004), Something Positive.

It's followed by "Lament of a 'Nice Guy' pt 2" (February 15, 2004), "Lament of a 'Nice Guy' pt 3" (February 16, 2004) and, yes, "Lament of a 'Nice Guy' pt 4" (February 17, 2004).

Dissecting the Nice Guy

Girls don't want nice guys. They want guys who'll treat 'em like shit.

That's the basic summation of the Nice Guy Credo. This "message" is acutely relayed in a site  by someone Enyclopædia Dramatica dubs "the most butthurt nicefag of them all": The NiceGuy's American Women (Mostly) Suck Page.

In it, we find the lamentations of "NiceGuy" and his (admittedly crappy) dealings with women.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this site.

You see, I consider myself to be a bit of a "nice guy". I've certainly encountered elements of what he describes in terms of dealing with women. I also find his sex-as-cartel theorem to be quite inspired. Also, it's hard not to have a bit of sympathy for someone who went through such a horrifying engagement. See: "Exhibit D: My Ex-Fiancée", "The Further Adventures of Lying P. Whorebag... (the 'P' is for 'Paranoid'.)" and "Endgame: How I Broke-Off My Engagement".

That said, what bugs me about his writings, was his frequent displays of hypocrisy and double standards.

"Kyste pilonidal , pilonidal cyst", Le site du Radiologue privé.

Let's start with his justification for listing the women he had sex with, in "I Still Remember the First Woman I Slept With":

This accounting of mine isn't because I have a ledger of conquests that I boast about to guy-friends: it's because that I've always been careful to store all of my sexual experiences in a special part of my memory.

Right. Ok. Is that why URLs to the articles covering his sexcapades refer to them as  "NumberOne", "NumberTwo", "NumberSix", "NumberSeven", etc.?

Getting back to the article at hand, here's what he had to say about wanting to dump the gal he lost his virginity to, because he didn't find her particularly attractive:

I mean, women regularly dump guys for extremely shallow and capricious reasons, so why aren't I justified in doing the same thing? Why should I be held to different standards? What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If a woman will reject me because I'm not good-looking enough, then why shouldn't I be expected to do the same?

Somewhat amusing, considering that the site's homepage notes

a woman believes in fairness and equality only when they benefit her. At any other time, those concepts barely enter her mind.

"NiceGuy" wasn't above venturing into darkness, himself, especially when he allowed his Jeykll-and-Hyde persona, "EvilGuy", to emerge.

Even though "NiceGuy" frequently ended his articles on a relevant quote, he seemed to have overlooked a rather obvious one:

"If you stare into the Abyss long enough the Abyss stares back at you." -- Friedrich Nietzsche.

In covering articles that discriminate against men, "Evil Guy" had this to say:

Hey girls: why not select a few of the statements above and substitute 'Jew' for 'men' or 'blacks' for 'men' and see how it sounds? Not too nice, hmm? Calling all blacks rapists or calling all Mexicans wife-beaters might qualify in most people's minds as FUCKING BIGOTRY, DOESN'T IT?!

Of course, it's from the same site with the following on its homepage:

I'm NiceGuy. Why did I make this site, if I'm Nice? Because: Ameriskanks (mostly) Suck*. ("Ameriskanks" means "North American females" obviously.) And yes, they're horrible beyond imagination. Don't shoot the messenger. It's actually a good thing for me to come out and say this- our biggest critics are our truest friends because they show us how to improve ourselves. In this case, I'm giving an entire gender the criticism it needs to improve itself.**

And this:

North American chicks are living examples of bait-and-switch fraud-- They try to convince you that you're getting a premium product but three days after you bring her home, a screw suddenly pops-loose and she starts to give-off a high-pitched snarl. And the only way to make this nonstop grating go-away is through constant maintenance. It's high-priced pussy, yet it's still not quite worth it.

And this, too:

From 2002 onwards, I'm bestowing my respect and kindness strictly on non-American women. Because the American ones do not deserve a single speck of respect or kindness at all.

His "NiceGuy" persona, as you can see, wasn't above uh, subtle racism. Here's a snippet from "I Appreciate the Effort But Please NO MORE Advice on how to get American Chicks. Pretty Please?":

And as far as American women are concerned, no more nice guy for them in any case. They neither want nor deserve someone who actively wants to benefit them. I'm NO LONGER an AFC for American chicks... mind you, not because I hope they'll find it a bigger turn-on, but because I think they deserve the most complete and abject regimen of harshness and disrespect that I could dish-out in ten lifetimes.

The revenge motif inherent in "EvilGuy" was somewhat off-balance with a criticism against women in "American Women are Sexist":

...women feel they need to get-even for whatever wrongs any males have done in the past! Women, incidentally, seem to be revenge champions. They enter the world thinking that their kind have been getting shafted for centuries... so from their point of view, there is no reason why they can't ram the shaft up your ass and twist it, for good measure.

It didn't certainly didn't stop him from screwing around with two single moms.

Yet, even "NiceGuy" was capable of such behaviour, as when he admitted to cheating on a girlfriend in Taiwan. His justification?

It was tough: I wanted to spend more time with Jianglin, but she worked long hours. Jeane was available to see me more often in the evenings. I can't excuse myself for what I did: I dated them both. I guess this was my way of compensating for lack of female attention in the U.S.

The sexual subtext of his overall dealings with women, was also commented on by his own gay brother, who reffered to "NiceGuy" as a "sexual Velociraptor."

His role as "Captain FreeTherapist" mades this more transparent. In describing his desire to help out a half-Mexican college student named Juanita, he wrote:

Like a moron, I thought that maybe if I became friends with her, maybe I could be introduced to one of her girlfriends? Or, best yet, perhaps if she decided to break-up with her boyfriend, maybe she'd consider... me?

I should point out, though, that there was a happy end to "NiceGuy"'s woes.

He got himself a girlfriend (from Japan) and married her, as Egghead notes on the site's homepage. Hooray!

Caught in the Crossfire

This afternoon, I noticed a rather bizarre, barely literate and downright freakish SMS on my phone (09-Oct-09 11:14 am):

Ur a fat fucken cunt... R u that fucken jealous of me being fatty.. U nd michael hav 2 start msgin me again... We arent guna brake up like ur fuckin wishin scum.. Nd why that fuck say shit to people i kno bout us thinkin ur all king shit... Ur nothin but a fucken dole bludger windale fucken scum.. U kno scrag every dog has there day nd ur day is fuckin cumin soon... Oh nd u wana kno sumthin i did fuck james in ur bed...

Being rather perplexed, I attempted to call (12:36 pm) this prime piece of humanity to discuss their veiled threats of violence.

No answer.

So, I sent back a short SMS (12:39 pm):

Hi I think you might have the wrong number. Dont know a michael or where windale is

 Their response was much more courteous, if not delayed (1:59 pm):

Im sorry i do

Nice one, jackass.

Hey, Hey It's Blackfaces!

There's been some controversy over last night's reunion episode of Hey Hey It's Saturday.

No, it's not that the show was screened on a Wednesday. Although, that is silly enough in itself.

During a judging panel segment of the show called "Red Faces", Dr Anand Deva and a bunch of his chums performed a skit as "The Jackson Jive".

In blackface. 

Here's a clip of their performance:

"Hey Hey It's Saturday Reunion - Harry Connick Jr "Blackface" Incident", YouTube.

Harry Connick Jr., a guest judge on the show, found the performance incredibly distasteful and offensive.

As most people would.

However, the episode also produced responses in other areas of the globe. Not nice ones.

Matt Bachl's "Uproar over Hey Hey 'Blackfaces' Sketch" gives voice to some of these reactions:

Marina Hyde from Britain's Guardian newspaper described Australia was "the world's most savagely self-parodic country,” and introduced the skit as, “news of an important breakthrough in race relations".

Hyde, who has often expressed a low opinion of Australia in her columns, went onto to scorn host Daryl Somers for his reaction to the skit.

"If you take a look at the mind-boggling video clip, you will note that we rejoin the show after the break, during which the host seems to have had a somewhat unconvincing epiphany ... very good of him," Hyde wrote.

"In Australia, of course, [blacking up] is perfectly acceptable, and we thank the nation for yet another important contribution to the annals of human culture."

And this:

David Schmader from The Stranger posted a video of Connick Jr's reaction to the sketch on the blog, with most of the replies to his post saying Australians were racist.

"The casual racism of a lot of Australians beggars belief ... they're thirty years behind us in some ways," user Fnarf replied.

"Agreed ... I visited there a while back and was pretty stunned ... white Australians don't get it," STJA wrote.

Others said Australia had more prejudices than Americans: "Good on Connick. That piece is quite vile."

Schmader later made another blog post titled: "Australians: Post-Race Miracle Humans or Racist Idiots?" before publishing comments from people who supported the sketch.

So Australia is judged as being a racist country based on a single skit that appeared on a variety show.

In other words, judging an entire country and its people based on an incident that occurred within a small (extremely small) portion of the populace.

Isn't that a tad, oh, I don't know, racist?

Personally, I found the sketch in poor taste for a few reasons:

• I'd hardly call their performance a "tribute". I mean, dressing up in blackface is bad enough, but the lead singer also has white face paint on. Plus, it's hardly respectful in the wake of  Jackson's death.
• Host, Daryl Somers' offhand comment about there being "a lot of colour on this show."
  
• The troupe also did the same routine 20 years ago. Just in different costumes.
• It wasn't really funny. Not just because they were in blackface, but because, it was all old-hat. Done and dusted.
  

But, let's get some perspective here.

Where was the outcry when this was released:

"White Chicks", Wikipedia.

If dressing in blackface is unacceptable, why is it ok to dress in whiteface and construct a whole movie around the concept?

Oh, and what about Connick Jr. himself? He got some pats on the back for criticising the performance, but, as the clip reveals, he didn't exactly walk off the set in protest, either.

Indeed, he later appears in a sketch offering help to keep the show on air beyond the reunion episode (Channel 9 were considering bringing the show back on air if it rated well enough. It ended up rating its damn socks off).

To his credit, though, he did speak up on the perfectly justifiable reason he found it offensive and why it would be offensive to others. After Daryl raised the issue with him. 

He also accepted an Honorary Cast Memeber Award.

But, back to the skit.

Overall, it was certainly a poor decision of management to allow the skit to air. 

But, come on. A racist country because of it?

The skit's lead singer expressed some bewilderment over the hue-and-cry, but let's hope he hangs up his facepaint:

Dr Deva further defended the act by saying the group of doctors were from multicultural backgrounds and were huge Michael Jackson fans.

"I am an Indian, and five of the six of us are from multicultural backgrounds and to be called a racist ... I don't think I have ever been called that ever in my life before," Dr Deva said.

"Anyone who knows us as a group, we are intelligent people, we are all from different racial backgrounds so I am really truly surprised."

Hot Celebs

Truth be told, there's not many celebrities I find all that extraordinarily attractive. I think they're mostly overrated.

It seems that all you have to do to get a "sexy" or "heartthrob" tag is be on TV or in movies. I mean, off the top of my head, I can think of Salma Hayek transcending that.

It certainly helps that she has rather large norks.

 "Salma Hayek: My Breasts are a gift from God", The Insider.

And even then, she's starting to get on a bit.

For a more modern selection of women we should think are tha bomb, have a scan through FHM's "100 Sexiest Women 2009".

There's a sort of sameness to them. You'll see what I mean.

No, I prefer women like...Tera Patrick. Now she's smokin'.

"2nd Annual Hot in Hollywood", Zimbio.

But, as it happens, she's also a porn star:

"Tera Patrick Sex Tape", Celebrity Sex Tap Archive.

Oh, I also dig Candace Von.

 "Candace Von", Model IndeXXX.

But she's a porn star, too:

"Candace Von", New Free Links.

Now Gianna Michaels. Phwoar. She's damn sexy.

 

 

"Gianna Michaels", Chickipedia.

But, of course it should be obvious, at this point, on what she does for a living.

 

"Gianna Michaels Soft Core Gone Bad", Big Tit Zine.

See, it's not that I intentionally go for porn stars. The appeal ain't that they fuck on camera for cash. To be honest, most porn starlets are drug-addled, silicon bag-filled scrags.

But the women here, seem to be representative of a new wave of curvy, much more feminine women. I'm not into women who starve themselves for fame. Ones that look like walking hatstands. These women have curve. 

And big boobies!. Natural ones, I might add. Although, I'm not 100% sure about Tera these days.