Who knew the Thriller dance would be such an enduring fad? Latest iteration , on a London subway train:

In a movie!

In a wedding!

In Bollywood!

And, my absolute favorite: in a prison in the Philippines!

I’ve never been prouder of my Filipino heritage.

My ipod, on all-songs-shuffle mode, just spit out the following in succession:

• Ladies of Cambridge – Vampire Weekend
• C.R.E.A.M. – Wu-Tang Clan
• Daniel – Elton

If these were your only 3 pieces of evidence, you might naturally conclude that I was an indie hipster harboring gangsta pretensions.  Also, that I was supremely gay. Like, ’70s-flamboyant, nobody-noticed-at-the-time-but-in-hindsight-head-smackingly-obvious gay.  Please draw your own hasty conclusions.  But first, you shuffle your ipod and see what the musical runes have to say about you.

I told you I’d be neglecting you, didn’t I?  Poor, poor blog.  There’s a new baby dlog in the family and you get no love.  Don’t worry, you’re still the primary blog on my profile. 

Finally.  FINALLY. 

Step aside, Dr. Phil.  Here comes Mr. T, who has just signed a deal with TV Land to star in a reality show where he will act as a "motivational guru" as he strives to help people with their personal and professional problems by being a "catalyst for change."  The show will obviously be named "I Pity the Fool."   

Dear God, please let me live long enough to see this on air.  If Mr. T's work with Conan O' Brien is any indication, this can't be anything but the single greatest show in the history of television.

Not my headline – it's from an article in today's L.A. Times about the increasing presence of children (with hetero- and homosexual parents) in the predominantly gay Castro district of San Francisco.  It's an interesting look at a unique kind of culture clash, begging the question of how liberal self-expression can remain in the presence of the young.  Especially as I grow older, I find it fascinating how social values can change, and how one reaches a compromise between one's own values and those of the culture around oneself.

Side note that may amuse only me: the article points out that in this year's Gay Pride Parade, "one float will celebrate gay families, featuring kids clad in construction-worker outfits and singing Village People songs."  'Twas a different context, but once upon a time, I had the occassion to dress up as one of the Village People and dance along to YMCA.  And there was that other time when I dressed up as a construction worker to do a semi-strip tease.  Don't worry, I didn't strip down all the way, I was wearing a bikini underneath.  No, my experiences in a fraternity weren't homoerotic at all.

Second amusing quote – "The cold shoulder got considerably warmer a few years ago as more gay couples had their own children, part of the so-called Gayby Boom."  Haha, gayby boom. 

I'm not usually one to forward mass mailings, especially for petitions, but this one hits close to home in our Internet-loving hearts.  I'm sure all 5 of you reading this will probably agree, so feel free to spread the word.  I'll step off my tiny soapbox now, but please read on:

Subject: Congress is selling out the Internet

Hi, Do you buy books online, use Google, or download to an Ipod? These activities will be hurt if Congress passes a radical law that gives giant corporations more control over the Internet.

Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. Amazon.com doesn't have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer.Politicians don't think we are paying attention to this issue. Many of them take campaign checks from big telecom companies and are on the verge of selling out to people like AT&T's CEO, who openly says, "The internet can't be free."

The free and open Internet is under seige–can you sign this petition letting your member of Congress know you support preserving Network Neutrality? Click here: http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet A list of all the ways you might be affected by Net Neutrality is located on the bottom of this link:http://civic.moveon.org/alerts/savetheinternet.html

… you just bring me down…

For the uninitiated, the above line comes from Wolf Parade's "Modern World."  It's sort of a lament about the increasing technologization of society – a point brought home by the video (found here).  It's nothing that hasn't been done before – stop-motion animation popularized by the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl" video with Legos comes to mind, among others – but it's brilliantly executed.  I was almost going to start talking about the cinematography and editing, but, let me just say, check it out, it's fucking cool.

Money, why are you always playing so hard to get?  Is it because I don’t treat you right?  Is it because I use you so wantonly and unabashedly?  I thought you liked the asshole type.  I’m always trading you for things like “food,” and “rent,” and “drugs.”  Okay, not drugs per se.  More like, basic American rights such as ”digital cable television with a digital video recorder” and a “DSL connection.” 

I miss you, money.  You used to keep my wallet and bank account company, remember?  They usually don’t last long, but our love affairs are intense and passionate.   You make me work so hard for you – 40 hours a week, as a matter of fact, not counting overtime.  And still, I only see you every other week.  You magically appear in and out of my life (and bank account) as if by some sort of strange electronic magic.  And then poof! - just like that, you’re suddenly gone again.  You are the very definition of a tease.

Why torture me so?  It just seems so cruel.  I now know why they call you cold, hard cash.  It is because you have a cold, hard heart.  And you are cash. 

I won’t lie – I cannot live without you in my life, money.  I hate to admit it to myself, but I need you.  I want you.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.  I would say that if I can’t have you, then nobody else can – but we both know that’s impossible.  You do spread yourself around quite a bit, don’t you, money.  It’s okay, I don’t judge.  I’m not jealous.  I can understand why everbody wants a piece of you.  You are highly desirable, in all your forms, be it stocks, bonds, liquid assets, or actual currency like paper bills, coins, even gold bullions.  I would want you even if you were a dirty gold doubloon.  I’m not discriminating.

I can’t say that I’ll love you forever, though.  In fact, I will probably spend you as soon as I have you.  But don’t let that dissuade you from spending time in my company, because I think we are magical together.  You and I are a force to be reckoned with, and we would make sweet, sweet music together.  Or at least, I would purchase sweet sweet music with you, and maybe some concert tickets to Coachella, because there are some awesome bands playing this year, and I’d really like to see Wolf Parade and Ted Leo and a band called Gnarls Barkley that does a cover of the Violent Femmes’ Gone Daddy Gone.  

*Sigh*  I probably won’t see you in time for Coachella, but that’s alright.  Come back to me soon, baby.  Come back.

By all accounts that matter (mine) it's been a relatively fruitful TV season.  The year has yielded Arrested Development's premature swan song, strong sophomore performances from The Office and Lost, and the long-awaited return of The Sopranos - not to mention DVR-worthy seasons of The Shield, Scrubs, Amazing Race, and yes, even Project Runway.  Hazelina and I have also taken to watching The Dog Whisperer as well as various programs on Discovery/Food Channel/DIY/etc., i.e. somewhat educational channels.  Our television-viewing plate, as you can see, is rather crowded.

But it gets better. 

Namely, we've discovered a BBC America show called Ed vs. Spencer, a sort of hybrid reality show, like a bastard child of Jackass and Super Sloppy Double Dare, but with English accents.  The format is actually taken from a Canadian show called Kenny vs. Spenny, but it's basically the same: two friends, in a fit of misguided male pride, "compete against each other in outrageous and entertaining challenges, with the sole purpose of seeking satisfaction in the ritual humiliation of the loser."  

This show should appeal to anyone who's ever participated or even thought about taking part in any sort of eating competition, drinking contest, or outlandish dare.  Basically, if you have a penis, this would probably amuse you.  I don't know what it is about testosterone that infuses us males with this… I was going to say "competitiveness," but I think it's more like a sense of superiority.  In the absence of empirical data and a preponderance of evidence stating otherwise, and sometimes, quite thickly, in the face of just such evidence, we men tend to think we are better than the next guy in whatever stunt you put in front of us.

I can only imagine this would entertain women by highlighting the boorish behavior so often displayed by the menfolk in their lives, i.e. brothers, boyfriends, and for the severely unfortunate – husbands.  Case in point: Hazel, upon watching the "Who Can Stay Handcuffed the Longest?" episode, turned to me and said, "Yeah, I could imagine you doing that."  Truth be told, I was imagining it myself at that moment.  Some of the other challenges they've undertaken:  

• Who can gain the most weight?
• Who can get the sickest?
• Who can make the best porn film?
• Who can survive a night in the woods?
• Who can get the most women?
• Who do kids like the most?

Ed vs. Spencer isn't quite a literal pissing contest, but I would not at all be surprised if that was eventually one of the future competitions.  Good times.

I've neglected this little baby of mine for a bit – updates coming soon!  Plomises abound!

Anyway, Tim and I are starting a new food & drink & sports blog: Eat. Drink. Sports.  It's a little rough around the edges, and we're in the process of figuring out features and such, but it should fit in some of my other interests that don't quite belong here on MMJ.  It'll have a mostly guy bent, such as grilling recipes, beer reviews, and sports opinions, but hey, chicks dig that stuff too, so I've been told.  Check it out when you have the chance.