Feud-Mania starts right here! The first topic -- the best feuds from the world of wrestling
The Idiot Box Proper
Out of 10 shows in 20 countries, one American TV show is the #1 TV show in the world.
Any guesses? I'll give you a hint: it's not Lost. It's...CSI: Miami!
Um, yeah, I'm sort of confused too. Other countries must have a fixation with American sun and surf, because Baywatch used to be the #1 show in the world too, throughout the early to mid 90s. Or maybe it's because they find something interesting in the dull, brooding acting style of David Caruso? Aren't they interested in the shiny lights and excitement of the original CSI's Las Vegas?
Lost and Desperate Housewives are second and third.
Hard to believe, eh? Caruso is the new Hasslehoff!
Conservative Republicans who pushed anti-evolution standards back into Kansas schools last year have lost control of the state Board of Education once again.
The most closely watched race was in western Kansas, where incumbent conservative Connie Morris lost her GOP primary Tuesday. The former teacher had described evolution as "an age-old fairy tale" and "a nice bedtime story" unsupported by science.
As a result of Tuesday's vote, board members and candidates who believe evolution is well-supported by evidence will have a 6-4 majority. Evolution skeptics had entered the election with a 6-4 majority.
Critics of Kansas' science standards worried that if conservatives retained the board's majority, it would lead to attempts in other states to copy the Kansas standards.
"There are people around the country who would like to see the Kansas standards in their own states," said Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland, Calif., which supports the teaching of evolution.
What's wrong with being a conservative Republican? Not a damn thing. What's wrong with being a Christian? Not a damn thing. But what's wrong with fighting tooth and nail against evolution being taught? EVERYTHING.
To any of you out there who believe that God snapped His fingers and created everything, more power to you. This is America, and you can believe whatever dumb shit you want. But to FORCE YOUR FAITH upon children, and teach them fairy tales instead of science, is ridiculous. You believe in Creationism? That's cool and the gang, but remember that your belief comes from FAITH, not FACT. And faith cannot be forced on the masses.
The sinking of Poseidon and the cost of trying to make sure that Superman Returns would fly hit Time Warner's filmed entertainment unit hard in the second quarter, the company's SEC filing indicated Wednesday. Filmed entertainment, which includes Time Warner's movie, home video and TV businesses, saw a 10 percent decline to $2.4 billion from $2.6 billion during the same quarter a year ago. Nevertheless, in a conference call with investors, Time Warner executives pointed out that its problems mirrored the industry and that it remained the No. 1 DVD seller despite taking a big hit in DVD sales.
I have never seen a movie that was worth what they put into "Superman Returns." It's a movie, right, nothing more important than that – just a way to be entertained for a couple of hours. It isn't curing cancer or helping the downtrodden, it's just a movie. So, for a company to spend well over $200 million to make a movie is ridiculous to me. Always has been, always will be.
Perhaps the studio execs will learn a lesson. When you spend that much dough on one movie, even if it's the movie of the year it still won't turn that much of a profit. How could it? Talk about painting yourself into a corner.
Even if it were the greatest movie ever, which it ain't, they still spent too much money on it. Perhaps if they want to keep being profitable they will a) take that 200 million and use it to make 10 movies, or even 20 movies, and b) make better movies.
"Poseidon"? And they're surprised they lost money?
The 7 and 7 Countdown
Over the next few weeks, the Idiot Box has FEUD MANIA!!! Each week I'll look at my favorite feuds from the worlds of TV, movies, comics, wrestling, and any other thing I can think of.
Let's start this sucker off right with my all-time favorite WRESTLING FEUDS
7. (Tie) Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk
7. (tie) Ric Flair vs. Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat
These two feuds came back-to-back, and had me riveted during my youth. Flair is The Man, and feuds like this show why – be it wrestling, brawling, or pure storytelling, Flair sells it like it was never sold before.
6. Four Horsemen vs. Sting
More Flair! Flair was the pointman, and his rivalry with Sting lasted for years, through several permutations, but since the bulk of the time was spent being backed by his Horsemen, the feud goes beyond just Flair vs. Sting. How many times did they trick Sting, sucker him in for the Pearl Harbor? Too many to count, but I never got tired of it.
5. Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan
I watched this feud before being introduced to the wrestling freaks on-line, which is good because I still had a sense the hatred between the men was real, even though I hadn't read the dirt sheets to know it was based in reality. The matches were great, the beatdowns were great, hell… the whole damn feud was off the charts.
4. Dean Malenko vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho could have made this list several times, from his heyday as the Cruiser champ in WCW. His run in that position is one of my favorites of all time. But the feud with Malenko was the best of them all. Making fun of Deano's dead dad? That's cold, Jericho. Cold.
3. RVD and Sabu vs. ECW
A sentimental pick, from right when I first got into watching ECW. These two guys aligned themselves with Jerry Lawler and the WWF, and showed up every week to beat and humiliate the ECW locker room. RVD and Sabs work amazingly well together, and this, for me, was their best feud.
2. Bobby "the Brain" Heenan vs. Hulk Hogan
Heenan was a heel manager, and a heel announcer, and thus, always cheered on the heels. During his days as a manager, he threw everything he had at Hogan, even bringing in new guys just to mess with the Orange Goblin. He never wavered in his hatred of Hogan. But this is what sets Heenan apart from the others… when Hogan turned heel, it meant that it was now time for Heenan to cheer him on, right? WRONG. Heenan STILL hated Hogan with every ounce of his being, and berated the fans by saying "I told you so! I've been telling you for years Hogan was no good, and now you finally understand." That sort of commitment to character is greatly appreciated, and rarely seen.
1. Jerry Lawler vs. Andy Kaufman
Without question, hands down, this is the single most entertaining feud wrestling ever produced. Kaufman, the tv star and comedian known for his work on "Taxi", threw himself into the role of Heel Wrestler like no celebrity ever has, or ever will. It's obvious that he took the feud seriously, and since he was a better actor than any wrestler out there, he was able to make it believable.
"I'm from Hollywood!" he would scream at the rabid crowds, whipping them into a frenzy and making them eager to pay money to see Lawler cream him. That is, in essence, the job of the Heel, and Kaufman was one of the best at that job. The matches themselves sucked bigtime, because Kaufman was an actor, not a wrestler, and it's a testament to this feud that the bad matches make not the smallest bit of difference. A feud is all about establishing a rivalry between two personalities, and using this relationship as a way to tell a story. No feud was as believable as this one, or as much fun.
If you haven't been so blessed as to see this feud, then find a video called "I'm From Hollywood" which covers it in documentary format. Highest possible recommendation… if you are a wrestling fan, or a Kaufman fan, then you owe it to yourself to watch this feud.
Next week – the top feuds from the land of Comic Books!
Heel of the Week
Gen. Dirk Anger (Nextwave, from Marvel comics) Imagine Nick Fury with mommy issues, a pathological hatred of women, and a desire to test out unusual weapons of mass destruction on American soil. Now, imagine that he is suicidal, homicidal, and completely hilarious. That would be Dirk Anger, the cigar-chomping, eyepatch-wearing bastard to tries to kill the Nextwave team every month.
Merle Vaughn is an ex-soldier, an ex-bodyguard for a Vietnamese druglord, an ex-con, and an ex employee for a local dope trucking operation. After his new wife is murdered, this lifelong killer and thug is now the single father of a four month old baby girl. Merle wants to protect his daughter, and he'll kill the entire city to do it.
I'm using the blog to post updates and chapters on a crime novel. It's tough, violent, brutal in spots, even – but there is more going on than crime. Check it out
And after that, head over to the Podcast Homepage where you'll find collection of all the Podcasts I've recorded with my buddies. Features yours truly expounding upon B movies, music, and dumb shit with a couple of actual journalists. It's called Scene and Heard. It is worth a listen, if only for my Barry White-ishly sexy voice. Word to that.
