Just Manny Being Manny


Manny Ramirez, still serving his 50-game suspension for using banned substances, paid a visit to his teammates in the LA Dodgers clubhouse the other day, in violation of MLB policy, and had a typical Manny comment:

"I didn't kill nobody, I didn't rape nobody, so that's it," Ramirez said. "I'm just going to come and play the game."

Boston fans, in the Comments section of the Boston Globe, of course had some pointed reactions to this:

"I didn't kill nobody, I didn't rape nobody"
The man child puts it all into perspective for us. Manny, we are fools to judge you..... you moron.
Posted by jdub June 10, 09 06:37 PM

I wonder how much the LA fans like the whole "Manny being Manny" show now. Total "We told you so!" moment.
Like my ex-Wife....we had some good times, I have some great memories...but she's someone else's problem now.
Posted by Chris June 10, 09 07:13 PM

There's gotta be a couple of unsolved murders and rapes in L.A....since you brought it up Manny...where were you?
Posted by Artiepus June 10, 09 07:41 PM

Defense lawyers everywhere should take note of that for their clients:
"Your honor, I stand here accused of stealing a car so I could sell drugs. But yo, check it out. I didn't rape nobody. I didn't kill nobody. So that's it."
Posted by JimR June 10, 09 08:03 PM

Obey Shepard Fairey - Supply And Demand

I recently visited the Shepard Fairey "Supply And Demand" exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Though his name may be unfamiliar, I suspect that his viral image of Barack Obama will not be:


I first became aware of Shepard Fairey in the early Nineties, when his “Obey Giant” images began appearing on buildings, bridges and a wide range of other urban architecture in Providence and Boston.




After my exposure to the breadth of his work, seen and considered in a museum setting, I’ve concluded (with many others) that Shepard Fairey is this generation’s Andy Warhol, only better.

His images of Rock And Roll people were one of my favorite parts of the exhibition.

Here's cover art he did for the recent Led Zeppelin reissue:


And here’s Debbie Harry:



Learn more about Shepard Fairey here.

Showtime's "Nurse Jackie"


"This show tells us what anyone who has ever stayed in a hospital already knows: that nurses, not doctors, are the cornerstones of the patient experience. More to the point, it keeps up with the speed of everyday life. The sorts of moral dilemmas that would take up an entire episode of "Grey's Anatomy" - organ donation, assisted suicide - pass by here without a blink. Characters make their choices, then move on. This is a show about consequences, not actions." (Joanna Weiss, Boston Globe)

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished - Disney Edition


Tiana, the newest Disney Princess, is running into some stormy weather, well before her launch in a new animated feature film:

“THE Princess and the Frog” does not open nationwide until December, but the buzz is already breathless: For the first time in Walt Disney animation history, the fairest of them all is black.

"Princess Tiana, a hand-drawn throwback to classic Disney characters like Cinderella and Snow White, has a dazzling green gown, a classy upsweep hairdo and a diamond tiara. Like her predecessors, she is a strong-willed songbird (courtesy of the Tony-winning actress Anika Noni Rose) who finds her muscle-bound boyfriend against all odds.

“Finally, here is something that all little girls, especially young black girls, can embrace,” Cori Murray, an entertainment director at Essence magazine, recently told CNN.

"To the dismay of Disney executives — along with the African-American bloggers and others who side with the company — the film is also attracting chatter of an uglier nature. Is “The Princess and the Frog,” set in New Orleans in the 1920s, about to vaporize stereotypes or promote them?"

Read the rest of the New York Times article.

Progressive Girl

As you know if you spend any time at all on this blog, I watch a lot of sports on television, and thus sacrifice myself to endless repetitions of beer and truck commercials.

Almost all of these commercials are stupid the first time, and become painful over the course of the game -- and unbearable over the course of the season.

So I have been astonished that I still enjoy Progressive Girl, who has been popping up as frequently as a Budweiser commercial during an NFL game, now that Massachusetts has deregulated the automobile insurance industry.



And I'm always happy to see her - even if I've seen that particular commercial a gazillion times.

She has such kooky charm, with just a little edge to it, that she manages to stay fresh.

I'm even starting to say her lines along with her.

And apparently, I am not alone.

There are in fact several online groups and sites, and even a Facebook page, that explore Progressive Girl's charm and magnetism.

The actress who portrays her is Stephanie Courtney, who also has a recurring role as the ditzy switchboard operator in "Mad Men."

And as a passionate fan of "Mad Men" I'm going to be interested to see how Stephanie has chosen to tilt her character in Season Three.

"Every Little Step" - For Fans Of "A Chorus Line"

As I've written here before, "A Chorus Line" is my favorite Broadway Musical and, in my opinion, the perfect synthesis of dramatic and performing arts.

"Every Little Step," in limited release right now, is a documentary look at how the 2005 revival of "A Chorus Line" came together.

The filmmakers had the complete cooperation of the creators of the original production, and of Michael Bennet's estate, and there is a lot of first-person insight into the way the original show was created.

As opposed to "American Idol," where every one wants to be a "Star," this move (and the play) is all about wanting to get a job.

And that should certainly resonate at this point in time.