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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Quick spin in G37 Sedan & Coupe

words: Stu Fowle

I've been taught that when you can't have everything, you'd better grab what you can. So when I was presented with the opportunity to drive one single Infiniti G37 sedan right off the Pebble Beach show stand, I picked the one with the longest badge: a G37xS. Aside from the sounds of the last two letters combining to make this model seem a bit, um, over the top, those five characters mean a lot of things.

g-1.jpg

The "37" means that for 2009, Infiniti's smallest sedan has played catch-up with its coupe counterpart and has ditched its 3.5-liter engine for a more technological 3.7-liter producing 328 hp and benefiting from a wider powerband thanks to Variable Valve Event and Lift. Unlike most systems that only alter timing, VVEL uses both hydraulically-controlled variable valve timing and electronically controlled variable valve lift on the intake side, which improves performance, response, emissions, and fuel efficiency. A relatively low increase of 22 hp might not seem worth all the trouble, but overall, the engine doesn't feel as coarse as the outgoing unit, a long-running complaint of Infiniti's otherwise brilliant VQ-series. The power increase is also noticeable throughout the rev range, not just at its peak, and EPA test figures should be up one mpg over the previous G sedan, thanks to a new seven-speed automatic transmission.

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One drawback of that "x" part of this G's badge is that the all-wheel drive system it denotes is only offered with an automatic transmission. Except it isn't such an issue any longer, now that the car's aging five-speed has been replaced by a unit employing two additional gears. Acceleration with the new seven-speed is quick and smooth in automatic mode, but a bit harsh when the column-mounted paddles are used to snap off shifts at redline. Downshifts are a more enjoyable deal accompanied by the sounds of automatic rev-matching throttle blips. They feel good, though we'll have to line the updated G up with some competitors to say for sure.

That last letter, the "S" predictably stands for a sport package, but not quite the same one '08 G35 sedan buyers got. The sport-packed G37 not only gets a new wheel design, but also the coupe's bigger brakes. Squeezed by four-piston calipers up front and two-potters in the back, the rotors measure 14.0 inches and 13.8 inches, respectively.

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All '09 models also get a few added convenience features, including seat heater dials that replace the predecessor's cheap-looking switches and Infiniti's exclusive Scratch Shield paint. That last bit debuted with the EX35 last fall and uses a special clear coat resin that slowly oozes to fill in surface scratches (no, we don't know what happens after you scratch it all off).

As a whole package, the updated G certainly is the best one yet. The direct inputs and firm yet forgiving suspension of last year's car are carried over but accompanied by more speed, more efficiency, and more stopping performance. The engine note sounds slightly better while few vibrations make it back into the cabin. Did you just buy an '08 G35? Pity.

Being easily distracted by sleeker, louder, and more aggressive cars, my time in the G37xS sedan is cut short when I spotted the black sheep of the Infiniti family cast off to the side of the Pebble Beach display. There it was: a lowered, bright red G37 coupe dressed up with stickers and sitting on oversized black wheels. It was a project Infiniti put together with help from Stillen and MOMO, I learned, as a demonstration of the G's tune-ability. "Tuner cars generally drive like crap," I argued to one rep, a ploy I hoped would (and did) send a set of keys flying my way.

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In addition to the grille, wheels, front splitter, and exhaust visible in the pictures, this G has revised intake routing and air boxes from Stillen, as well as their cat-back exhaust. Eibach was responsible for the suspension drop and new rotors — slotted and drilled — come from Brembo. The spoiler out back might look custom, but it's just the stock piece painted black.

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Inside, non-adjustable MOMO buckets in black leather with a red stripe down the middle are a bit like Hooters — delightfully tacky, yet refined. Speakers all around, including two subwoofers in a custom trunk box, are from Polk Audio, and MOMO threw in a few more inside bits, replacing the stock shift knob and steering wheel.

That smaller diameter wheel, combined with the Eibach springs, does wonders to liven up the car's steering. Quicker inputs are met by sharper reactions and less body roll, making for a fun jaunt between the pines of Del Monte Forest. It's surprising for how slammed the suspension looks, but this G soaks bumps up even better than its stock counterpart. The base car has an impressive primary ride but doesn't absorb sharp impacts well — this tuned G sorts out anything not abusive enough to smack the bump stops.

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It sounds, in a word, awesome. It's likely that Stillen worked closely with Nissan insiders on the aftermarket intake and exhaust pieces because they don't change the G's noises — which have always been great — but simply amplify them. This being an automatic car, the computer-controlled downshift throttle blips are screamed, not mumbled.

I've seen plenty of aftermarket G cars but hadn't ever experienced one for myself. Take away the seats, the wheels, and the stereo, and you're looking at just a few minor tweaks to push the G37 over the edge from a bit too refined to thoroughly entertaining. In fact, even with modifications it would still probably cost less than an equally equipped BMW 335i. At the end of my drive I left the car with two things running through my head: I liked the G37 even more now, and I really, really wanted to drive a turbo'd car. Call me if you have one.

Guilt free fun- flipping OPEC the bird


Large SUVs, 600-hp speedboats, and big-displacement toys sound like a good idea when gas costs $1.86 a gallon, but when you return from the gas pump with the same bowlegged waddle you sport after your yearly colon-cancer screening, wretched excess rots in the driveway.

People far, far higher up the pay scale than we are (including grocery baggers) tell us high gas prices are here to stay, despite the current relief. Suddenly, your neighbor’s ratty ’88 Charade you hated for de-bourgeoisifying the hallowed aesthetic of your gated community is starting to seduce you like the dorky girl next door who becomes hot in all those ’80s movies. There’s only one problem: All three cylinders of a Daihatsu Charade will fill your life with suck and agony meted out mile after painful mile.

Speed and fun, at least around this office, are itches that must be scratched, and fortunately, there are cars that serve up both while managing to expel a minimum of carbon atoms and burn fewer of the remaining bills in your wallet. Horsepower, like fuel economy, is a product of efficiency, and these vehicles balance both to their best advantage.

2009 BMW 335d
23 mpg city/33 mpg highway (est)

If diesel vehicles need an ambassador to win over die-hard skeptics, we nominate the BMW 335d. The skeptics’ criticisms will be charges of rattletrappery, billowing clouds of stinky doom, and anemic performance. Beyond making mincemeat of these once-deserved diesel put-downs, the BMW 335d will win them over with total refinement, fine moves, and billowing clouds of stinky tire smoke.

BMW quite aptly describes the 282-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine as a “sporting diesel.” There are some 428 pound-feet of torque lying in wait, about equaling the hallowed Corvette’s, yet the 335d will still return an estimated 33 mpg on the freeway, a much better number than recorded in the real world by many so-called economy cars.

We reckon the 335d will sprint to 60 mph in under six seconds, all while doing the things we count on the 3-series to do well: be comfortable and balanced, change direction decisively, and in general make us happy. It will also be expensive with a capital F, but perhaps you can convince the loan manager that all that money you’ll be saving on gas will be applied to your horrifically large monthly payment.

2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata
21 mpg city/28 mpg highway

The Mazda Miata is perhaps the only modern sports cars for which outright speed isn’t a fundamental design directive. The marketplace is increasingly saturated with cars that are shockingly fast—a Toyota Camry V-6 whups the Miata in a quarter-mile battle. A V-6 Camry will not, however, give you a jones for meandering ribbons of tarmac or even feel like you’re involved with anything more than a digital transportation device.

The Miata is a proper front-engine, rear-drive simple-and-balanced driving proposition, powered by an efficient and miserly 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with just enough oomph to rotate the car on corner exit. Driving the Miata is an analog experience, and you’ll find yourself wearing a smile because driving it is fun and rewarding, rather than fast and boring, or—as is the case with many sports cars—so fast that approaching the limit invites the possibility of dark moments with bridge abutments.

2009 Mini Cooper S
26 mpg city/34 mpg highway

It’s a real shame the Mini Cooper ownership experience has been ruined by the population of tattooed art-school dropouts who wear skinny jeans and ironic eyeglasses and have claimed it as their own. Lured into dealerships by espresso, wi-fi, and conformity, they leave in numbers driving a fine machine that in turbocharged S form is just about the most ace combination of fun and fuel efficient that trust funds can buy.

Fear not, enthusiast: Roll down your windows to prove that your upper lip bears no thin mustache and you aren’t listening to electro, and pour yourself into the nearest set of mountains. A fantastic chassis, a six-speed transmission, and 192 pound-feet of torque will help you dispatch stacked hairpins with confidence; it’s this car’s poise that helped it best such machines as the Mazda Miata and Volkswagen GTI on our Lightning Lap. You can also be confident you won’t need to stop for gas on the way home, that you’ll be able to fit in a parking spot once you get there, and that cops will be too busy busting hipster-helmed Minis for coke possession to notice your imprudent velocity.


2008 Porsche Cayman
20 mpg city/29 mpg highway

The Porsche Cayman looks, moves, and is priced like a proper sports car. It does an awfully good job, however, of pretending it’s an economy-minded automobile when cruising, consuming no more fuel than such pedestrian fare as the Mitsubishi Lancer or Scion tC. Moreover, it does so with a 2.7-liter six-cylinder engine making a respectable 245 horsepower. Your 50-something grand isn’t being spent on snorting horsepower, but on the fine fit and finish expected of Stuttgart, steering with better communication skills than Bill Clinton, and chassis balance that makes the 911 feel unsorted.

If you can afford a Cayman, maybe you can afford the Cayman S; 10 grand more nets you a bigger flat-six producing another 50 horsepower and a driving experience transformed from friendly to frenzied. There’s a fuel-economy penalty of 2 mpg, but that still makes the Cayman S, which sprints to sixty in under five seconds—and into your all-time favorites instantly—as miserly as a six-cylinder Ford Fusion. Direct injection debuts in the 2009 Cayman, meaning more power and more fuel economy. For 2010, we expect the Cayman will fold our laundry as well.


2009 Chevrolet Corvette
16 mpg city/26 mpg highway

Surely a big pushrod American V-8 growling epithets through twin exhaust pipes must have a drinking habit on par with Ike Turner’s. Certainly the massive tires that help make the Corvette into a dynamic worldbeater must create all sorts of mileage-killing rolling resistance. Hell, Vette owners probably run down chipmunks for sport and do burnouts over their shallow graves while opening canisters of Freon, such is their disdain for the environment and hatred of better citizens who drive hybrid vehicles. Surely, right? One problem: The Corvette gets better highway mileage than many hybrids, including the Chevy Tahoe hybrid, Lexus GS450h, Lexus LS600hL, Lexus RX400h, and Toyota Highlander hybrid.

Chevy’s secret? Torque, 428 pound-feet of it, that, when parlayed through a sixth gear so long it could stall many a lesser engine, allows the Vette to putter along on the highway at an engine speed that would be considered a high idle on most cars. The 6.2-liter V-8 also slingshots the Corvette—in its slowest form—to 60 mph in four seconds flat, within striking range of just about any speed machine made. Maybe 26 mpg isn’t fuel efficient to Vespa jockeys, but for a car with the Vette’s speed and fun potential, it’s untouchable.

Davidoff introduces first Maduro cigar


For the first time in the company’s history, Davidoff of Geneva has released a maduro Davidoff. The Robusto Maduro R is a dark, 5 inch long, 52 ring gauge cigar adorned with the Davidoff white label and a secondary black band that reads “Maduro R” in gold letters.

“It’s the first maduro that we’ve ever done,” said Michael Herklots, general manager of New York City’s Davidoff cigar shops. “But it’s not a maduro in the way that the American market knows it. Maduros are classically broadleaf and fermented in a certain way, but this is just a naturally dark Nicaraguan wrapper, so the assumption can’t be that it is going to be a sweet, medium-bodied smoke.”

Herklots added that the Maduro R is not just a Special R with a dark wrapper thrown around it, but an entirely new blend made specifically to complement the wrapper, which comes from the Jalapa growing region of Nicaragua.

“A maduro cigar from Davidoff has been requested for a long time, and this is a flavor profile that has never existed in the Davidoff portfolio before,” said Herklots.

The Maduro R was blended by Henke Kellner and comprises a dark, Cuban seed sungrown Nicaraguan wrapper, Dominican San Vicente binder and Dominican filler. It comes in slide-lid boxes of 25 and retails for $15.50 each or $387.50 per box. This is a regular production cigar and is available in the robusto size only. As of now, Davidoff has no official plans to release the new maduro blend in any other sizes.

Friday, August 29, 2008

We Know Who Is Directing Voltron!!

By El Mayimbe on August 28, 2008




El Mayimbe here…

So last week we got the official word that VOLTRON was put into turnaround, that Relativity picked it up to make it on the cheap ala 300, and that a director was going to be announced within a week.

Well, guess what?

Here he is…

MAX MAKOWSKI

“Huh? Who the fuck is that?!” you just said? So did I.

Folks know that I’m very fond of Voltron. It’s a script I like very much regardless of THE ROAD post apocalyptic inspired creative license that some folks have issues with. My 25 year old diesel Voltron/Lionbot toy that I got in Chinatown back in the day, is on my desk looking right at me. I got all 5 tins of the re-mastered cartoon on dvd. It’s also worth mentioning that the two-volume GOLION dvd (the original 1981Voltron Japanese anime) was released recently and worth a look. I’m also checking out the origin story comic that Josh Blaylock got going on over at Devil’s Due.

Voltron fanboyness aside, sources tell me he's actually a great choice. I honestly hope so and I at least give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I’m told he's on every studio's hot list these days because of some Sundance movie he made a few years ago about warring assassins called ONE LAST DANCE. Anybody seen it or can get me a copy? Email me. mayimbe@latinoreview.com I was also told it's like having Zach Snyder do 300. Max is supposed to have a great visual style that's very specific and all his own.

We shall see.

max-voltron

Here is a little bio…

Max Makowski was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but has lived all over the world in countries such as England, the Philippines, Peru, Bahrain, the U.S.A, Germany, Cuba, and Hong Kong where he became a director, producer, writer, editor, and cameraman for Salon Films as well as CNBC and NBC Asia - where he also produced the TODAY SHOW for the Asian market. Max's credits include the movies The Pigeon Egg Strategy (premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 1998), One Last Dance (premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2006 and went on to Cannes), and television series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (2003) and The Agency (2005). He is also working on writing and directing a Universal film based on the Japanese movie Shinobi, a Studio Canal film based on Le Professionnel, and he has rewritten the screenplay for the bigscreen version of Hawaii Five-O. Max also will direct the bigscreen adaptation of the 1970s TV series Kung Fu which revolved around a Shaolin monk forced to flee to the Wild West, where he used his martial arts skills to fend off various evildoers.

All I know is that he better not fuck it up because the jury is still out. Directing five diva style mavens on QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT is way different than directing five robot lion pilots. Different set of egos.

I’m just the messenger folks.

So there you have it, the secret of VOLTRON is now in the hands of Makowski.

Here's his IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0538733/

David Duchovny Enters Rehab For Sex Addiction




According to People, David Duchovny has entered rehab for sex addition.

"I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction," the actor says in an exclusive statement. "I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family."

Duchovny, 48, has been married to actress Téa Leoni since 1997. They have two children, daughter Madelaine West, 9, and son Kyd, 6.

Hopefully he was frisked and his lube was confiscated.



Dirty Sexy Money Is Dirtier Sexier And Monier




Sorry about the monier. An attempt at a little joke too early in the morning.

Did you catch Dirty Sexy Money last season? If not, you missed some of the most interesting (and far fetched) and fun family scenarios shown on network television. With Lucy Liu joining the show this fall, things will only get more delicious.



The Darlings of New York City, so absurdly wealthy they put the "upper" in Upper East Side. This preeminent family's five spoiled adult brats - one of them a Presidential candidate - are always getting mixed up with the wrong people, including freeloading spouses, illegal immigrants and transvestite characters. It will take a miracle to keep this Kennedy-esque clan out of the tabloids - and out of jail. Actually, they're less fucked up than many families that I know.

Dirty Sexy Money is back this coming October 1st on ABC.

Featured in the gallery: Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin, Natalie Zea,
Seth Gabel, Jill Clayburgh, Glenn Fitzgerald, Lucy Liu, Zoe McLellan and Blair Underwood.

Click any photo to view all 15+ photos of the Dirty Sexy Money cast in the gallery!



Income and Poverty: Rank your State

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's a title Michigan likely doesn't want.

The Great Lake State was the only one in the union to see a drop in median household income and a jump in its poverty rate in 2007, according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday. Much of the decline stems from the turmoil in the auto sector, which has shed tens of thousands of jobs in recent years.

"Michigan is really hurting," said Donald Grimes, senior research associate, Institute for Labor & Industrial Relations at the University of Michigan. "The Census report confirms the depth of employment loss. It's really driven by what's going on in the auto industry."

Michigan's poor showing bucks the trend of small economic gains for the typical American family last year. The national median income rose 1.3% to $50,233, while the country's poverty rate remained about the same at 12.5%, with 37.3 million people living in poverty - compared with 36.5 million in 2006.

(These statistics differ slightly from the national figures listed in chart because they are derived from two different surveys with different questionnaires and methodologies.)

Meanwhile, the number of people without health insurance fell to 45.7 million people, or 15.3%, down from 47 million, or 15.8%.

While Michigan residents were the only ones to lose ground, there was still a wide disparity among state fortunes. For instance, median income rose in 33 states, but stagnated in 16.

Among the more prosperous locales were Alaska, where the median income increased 5.2%, and Wyoming, which saw a 5.4% jump. Residents there can thank natural resources for the gains.

(See where your state ranks.)

Poverty and health insurance

A dozen states and the District of Columbia chipped away at their poverty rates, while the vast majority saw no significant change.

This year, it will prove tougher for states to keep their residents out of poverty as the weakening economy puts increased strain on their budgets. Many state programs, particularly Medicaid and employment assistance initiatives, will feel the pinch.

"You are less able to do anything at the state level that helps people get back to work," said Tim Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at University of Wisconsin.

Only six states saw declines in the number of those without health insurance in recent years, while 10 saw increases. Rates remained the same in the rest, including Michigan. The Census Bureau compared the average uninsured rates in 2004-05 with those of 2005-06.

States along the nation's southern border - including Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico - saw the largest increase in the uninsured, in part because they have high rates of undocumented immigrants who account for many of those without coverage, said Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, a think tank that promotes free market ideas for health care reform.

States that have made increasing healthcare coverage a priority - both through public and private initiatives - saw declines in their uninsured populations. These include Massachusetts, which saw a 2.4% decline, and Indiana, which had a 2.7% drop.

What's driving Michigan?

Michigan, however, has had no such luck. The state has never recovered from the 2001 recession and has lost jobs annually ever since, said Rebecca Blank, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former dean of the University of Michigan's School of Public Policy.

The housing bust has hit the state hard. Detroit and Ann Arbor are the only two areas in the country where home values have fallen back to pre-2002 levels, according to Zillow, a real estate Web site. Nationwide, home prices are where they were in late 2004.

In 2007, the state shed about 80,000 jobs, according to the state's Department of Labor and Economic Growth. The state's troubles lie in the fact that it's so heavily invested in the auto industry. While the state is attempting to build up new sectors, such as alternative energy and health care, any meaningful change is years away, experts said.

"Michigan has been talking about the need to diversify its economy for a long time, but it has not happened," Blank said.

11-year-old girl vs AR 15 Machine Gun

My parents used to be proud of me when I got good grades, did not get into trouble, won some sporting prizes and moved out of the house at 25. This 11-year-old girl’s daddy is proud of her for being able to take apart and put back together again an AR 15 machine gun in 53 seconds and that is with a functions check. If she keeps this up she’ll be going Demi Moore’s way in GI Jane. Without the breast implants obviously.

I’m guessing you don’t want to mess with her

Code Pink Bitch Gets PWNT By The Police

Never heard of Code Pink either? Well start reading. Or I can safe you the trouble and tell you that they are a bunch of women that are opposed to the Iraq War and and any other war. They have small demonstrations outside Marine recruitment offices and call Bush a fascist while they should be cooking their lesbian lover some dinner. Oops. During the recent Democratic Convention in Denver they held another demonstration and one of the pink ladies got her ass well and truelly owned, served and eaten by the police snatch team. Almost Gestapo like really.


Kid Headbutting A Ball ouch!

ouch!

A Moment Of Zen: Nereida Gallardo Topless

It’s the end of the week and let’s be honest, time for some titties. Fake titties, but titties none the less. Her name is Nereida Gallardo and she’s a professional nobody. And we don’t care. She’s got ‘em and she flaunts ‘em. Including her 5 inch ong nipples. CR must have loved sucking those. Slightly NSFW

The 5 Best Free File Hosting Services To Store Your Files!

People have a love and hate relationship with file hosting sites. Some file hosting sites are really handy and make sharing data even simpler than sending a file via email while other services spam you with countless pop ups and forced membership options to simply download a file.

Here is a list of some great file hosting sites that make uploading and sharing files a cakewalk.

You are welcome to share if you know more free file hosting services which our readers/viewers may like.

File Savr - Free File Hosting

File Savr

FileSavr.com makes file hosting easier with Web 2.0 technology and the use of Ajax and Flash. FileSavr has 10 GB upload size limit, currently the largest available on the internet. This allows users the flexibility to upload any large file of 10 GB or less.

File Factory - free and simple file hosting service

File Factory

FileFactory lets you host files up to 300MB for free. You don’t have to register and there is nothing to download. Your files can be downloaded an unlimited number of times! One thing we found very annoying and spammy about FileFactory was the number of ads they have on the page.

FileDen - Free file hosting and online storage

File Den

With File Den’s free file hosting and online storage service it’s easy to share files across the internet with friends, family, work associates or anyone else. They allow our users to direct link to their files also giving you the oppurtunity to embed your files into your webpages, myspace or other social networking profiles.

Fileqube - Free Online Storage

fileqube

Fileqube has an eye-pleasing design that shows its intentions well. When you upload a personal file it gives you a download link, a link to remove the file, and embed code to drop your file’s link on a website. The only downside is the 150MB file size, which is rather small with some of the other sites in comparison.

File Dropper - Free File Hosting for MP3, Videos, Documents

File dropper

FileDropper’s beauty is in its simplicity. It has one click file hosting where you simply click on the upload button and select your file. After the file is uploaded you are taken to the page where the file is hosted. If the file is an image, it shows the image directly on the page for easier sharing. Upload size is an impressive 5 GB.

Behind the Dude: Steve Buscemi on "The Big Lebowski"


His secrets to understanding Donny and learning to bowl

ANDY GREENE









How did you first hear about The Big Lebowski?

I only remember getting the script. Ethan probably called me and said, "We have a script and we're sending it. Tell us what you think." As simple as that. I do remember my impressions reading it, that it was funny and unpredictable. I couldn't tell where it was going. But also, specifically in looking at the Donny part, I kept thinking that there was gonna be more. I was feeling myself getting sort of upset on Donny's behalf, that Walter was treating him that way, and thinking, "This guy doesn't deserve this."

Ok, he's a little annoying, but why is Walter so over the top? You know, almost having a feeling like, "I'm not sure I wanna do this." And it was painful. Like, "How am I gonna tell the guys that I don't wanna do this?" Until I got to that last scene, where they're in the parking lot being confronted by the nihilists and Donny feels scared and turns to Walter — how sweet and protective Walter was of Donny really moved me after this whole movie of him constantly being annoyed and telling him to shut the fuck up. And then I understood their relationship. I thought that was really cool.

What really sold me further was the eulogy that Walter gives for Donny. I just loved that. And finding out for the first time that he's a surfer. Then I went back and re-read the script and really appreciated how those scenes were constructed. When Donny says something, it's like screwball comedy. And those scenes were really fun to do.

They got you a bowling instructor, right?
Yeah. John Turturro is another Brooklyn guy. We've known each other a long time and our kids are the same age, so we went to the Melody Lanes [in Brooklyn, New York]. I had my own custom ball made. I was getting into it, and I really thought, "Oh, wow. I'm gonna become a bowler now." Of course, after filming, I think I've gone bowling once or twice since then.

Did you think much about the back-story of your character to get into his head at all?
I didn't. The only moment that I remember that we specifically talked about is Donny's last set, when he doesn't get a strike and it disturbs him because it's almost like his intuitive feeling. Like, "This is not gonna be a good day." Of course, he dies later on down the road. That was the only time that they specifically talked to me about that moment, you know, something that relates to something that's happening later and that there could be a look on my face or just to be aware that something is not right. It wasn't just a missed strike, that he couldn't just go, "Oh well." Not getting that strike meant something bigger.

I don't know how big this is but there's this new theory that Donny is just a figment of Walter's imagination. Like he's an old army buddy that had died or something. It almost works. There's the "your phone is ringin', Dude" "thanks, Donny?" [exchange]. But that's the only acknowledgement that the Dude makes of Donny. If you watch those scenes, it's like Donny would come in, Walter gets so upset and it's like the Dude never hears it.


Do you wonder why these three characters are friends with each other, — they seem so different.
No, it seems like bowling was the common thread, and it probably evolved over the years that these three came together as a team and then became friends. Walter and the Dude, they're so different, but they respect each other's take on life. I'm not quite sure how Donny fits in there, but I do think that he's loved by these guys, and that Walter loves him like a brother, and that's why he's able to treat him so badly at times [laughs]. Because you do that to the people you love. So when I finally understood that I thought it was really cool, and that that's how Donny is able to sort of just take these insults. Because he loves Walter and he feels love by Walter.

Were you surprised the movie tanked at the box office?
No, it didn't surprise me. Even I thought it was a weird follow-up to Fargo, and I didn't expect anything from it. I just thought, "These guys made a really fun movie, a great character, kind of, genre, you know, weird genres that kind of mixed, and that it was really fun." It's probably the film that I've done that people have seen the most. I mean the number of times people have seen it. And I guess that started happening about five years ago, when people started to come up to me?usually it was like college guys that would tell me that they and their friends would watch it every weekend, or they had seen it five times. And at first, I didn't really believe it, you know they say five times? or seven times. But so many people would tell me that now I believe it.

So how do you explain that? How do you explain this radical cult following?
I don't know, my wife and I kind of joke that everybody really wants to be the Dude. It's somebody you go, "I like this guy. I like the way he operates." That's part of it. Jeff is the heart of Lebowski. It's just great writing and it goes in unexpected places. And each individual scene is like this brilliant short film. And then it all comes together? but I can't explain it. I think there's something unexplainable about it. There's some mystery to it that keeps people coming back, that they want to see it again and again.

The Disturbing Origins of 5 Common Nursery Rhymes

The Disturbing Origins of 5 Common Nursery Rhymes

article image

Let's face it: everything is a lot more horrifying than you thought when you were a kid. Pick even the most childlike, innocent thing you can think of, and the odds are that there's a deeply disturbing story behind it.

For instance, nursery rhymes. We grew up memorizing these seemingly nonsense lines of verse from Mother Goose, which seem to exist for no other reason than to keep toddlers entertained. There couldn't possibly be some kind of weird, twisted history to them, could there?

Well, guess what ...

#5.
Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice, three blind mice,

See how they run, see how they run,

They all ran after the farmer's wife,

Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,

Did you ever see such a thing in your life,

As three blind mice?

We Thought it Meant...

A trio of unfortunate rodents on a mission to find out where the hell they are, eventually run into an old woman who just happens to be skilled in chopping small defenseless animals to pieces. So this one's actually already kind of disturbing on its own.

But Some Experts Say...

The farmer's wife in the poem is an allusion to the 16th Century Queen "Bloody" Mary I, and her enthusiasm for everything involving torture, death, and basically finding new ways to go down in textbooks as history's biggest bitch. The three mice supposedly represent three noblemen who got together and said, "Gee guys, maybe this Mary lady isn't all there." and were consequently prosecuted for conspiring against the queen.


Not afraid to cut a motherfucker.

If you're cringing at the thought of what the cutting off of their three "tails" symbolizes, don't worry. She didn't cut off their dongs. No, she proved she had some form of human empathy, and simply burning those suckers at the stake instead.

#4.
Georgie Porgie

Georgie Porgie pudding and pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

When the boys came out to play

Georgie Porgie ran away

We Thought it Meant...

Some playground creep who seemed to lose his balls at the sight of young men.

But Some Experts Say...

The whole thing refers to a torrid gay sex scandal involving King Charles I.

Georgie Porgie is thought to be a caricature of George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham and hardcore pretty boy. He was rumored to be a lover to Anne of Austria, the Queen Consort of France who was notorious for just about everything except for being pretty. Or really looking like a woman at all.


Possibly a dude.

So after having a fling with the, er, somewhat masculine Anne, it was a pretty smooth transition for Villiers to switch teams. Not one to do anything half way, the man Villiers chose to woo just happened to be King Charles I. Through the king, Villiers was able to become very powerful and influential, and was even knighted as a--and we're not making this up--Gentleman of the Bedchamber, a title Georgie's parents were surely proud of.

Eventually, Parliament got sick of the bastard and cut off the relationship. As a man of love, Villiers fought for his darling Charles valiantly by pretty much screaming, "Well...okay!" Thus the reference "When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away."

As for what exact innuendo "Pudding and pie" represents, we'll let you use your imagination.

#3.
Goosey Goosey Gander

Goosey Goosey Gander, whither shall I wander?

Upstairs and downstairs and in my Lady's chamber.

There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,

So I took him by his left leg and threw him down the stairs.

We Thought it Meant...

The town hobo breaking in to various women's rooms and throwing their partners down stairs for being religiously inconsistent.

But Some Experts Say...

Back in 16th century Europe, most people were busy either fighting off plagues or killing off Catholics. Priests especially were in high demand as there was a reward for the Protestant who was able to find and execute one.

The method of execution was often tying him by the legs and throwing him down a flight of stairs (thus the last line in the rhyme). Unless he would begin to say his prayers in English rather than Latin, he would bounce down the steps faster than your childhood Slinky. If he did give in, he was spared by--oh wait, no. They threw him down the stairs regardless.

So that's all well and good, but what the hell does the phrase "Goosey Goosey Gander" have to do with anything?

Well, it's thought that "Goosey" is referencing an old slang term "goose" which was a nice but roundabout way of saying "voluptuous lady of the night" which in turn is a euphemism for "goddamn dirty hooker." In fact, the term "goose bumps" was originally slang for the red bumps caused by venereal diseases.

The more you know, kids!

#2.
Pop Goes the Weasel

All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel;

The monkey thought 'twas all in good sport

Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,

A penny for a needle-

That's the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

We Thought it Meant...

Spontaneous combustion in the animal kingdom, along with an assertion that all monkeys are douchebags.

But Some Experts Say...

Pop goes the Weasel is a merry tune centered on an all too familiar children's theme: the cycle of poverty in society.

A good chunk of the poem is made up of plays on words that are themselves Cockney slang terms from the old days. So for instance, "Pop" is a slang term meaning to pawn something (that is, sell it at a pawn shop) while "weasel" translates to "coat". Does that help? No?

Well, the deal was that no matter how piss poor a London man was back in the day, he was expected to own a suit in order to dress nicely on Sunday. The trick to being able to do this was to pawn your suit ("Pop goes the weasel") on Monday and then purchase it back before Sunday.

One of the lesser-known, but more traditional verses states:

Up and down the City road,

In and out the Eagle,

That's the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

The Eagle refers to The Eagle Tavern in northern London, reminding young ones about excessive poverty due to heavy drinking and depression--a lesson that every child should know by age 5.

#1.
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Mary Mary quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

And pretty maids all in a row.

We Thought it Meant...

A cute old woman with an interest in horticulture. Oh, and it has the word "cockleshell." We like that.


A dick bouquet of cockleshells. Weiner.

But Some Experts Say...

Queen "Bloody" Mary was popular enough to frequent a number of nursery rhymes, which is pretty impressive all these centuries later. How many nursery rhymes do you appear in? Yeah, that's what we thought. You need to start doing something with your life.

Anyway, in this delightful tune, Mary is addressed first-hand about all of the poor saps she's sent to the graveyard (her garden). The silver bells refer to instruments of torture that crushed the thumb with the tightening of a screw, and cockleshells (heh) were torture devices that were attached to the genitals. Come on, don't act surprised. They're called cockleshells for God's sake.

The maids in the final line allude to the newly invented guillotine, which was nicknamed The Maiden.

They called it "The Maiden" because the first moniker, "Captain Choppy," never caught on [citation needed].

If your childhood isn't sufficiently ruined check out The Gruesome Origins of 5 Popular Fairy Tales or take a look back at 8 Kids Movies That Lied to Us.

Now Hear This: Don't Remove Earwax

The gooey, golden stuff that builds up inside your ears should stay there, according to national guidelines on earwax removal released today.

"[Earwax] is not intrinsically evil stuff, and consequently does not have to be removed merely because it's present," said Peter Roland, an ear, nose and throat doctor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "In fact, it serves a function and so if you don't need to take it out, you should just leave it alone."

Roland chaired a panel of doctors in charge of the new guidelines for earwax removal issued by the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF). The guidelines are intended to serve two purposes: to determine under what circumstances earwax needs to be removed, and to give doctors the scoop on which removal methods work best.

They hope the guidelines won't fall on deaf ears: About 12 million people a year in the United States seek medical care for impacted or excessive earwax. Impaction, they say, can cause pain, pressure, itching, foul odor, ringing of the ears, ear discharge and, in extreme cases, hearing loss.

Good-for-you goo

So there's a reason for the goo. Earwax is a self-cleaning agent, with protective, lubricating and antibacterial properties, doctors say.

That's why tiny glands in the outer ear canal constantly pump out a watery substance, which gets mixed with bits of dead hair and skin and together is called earwax or cerumen. Excess earwax normally treks slowly out of the ear canal, with an extra boost from chewing and other jaw movements, carrying with it dirt, dust and other small particles from the ear canal. Then, dried-up clumps of the stuff fall out of the ear opening.

When this natural earwax train malfunctions, or when individuals poke around in their ears with cottons swabs or other foreign objects such as bobby pins or matchsticks, earwax can build up and block part of the ear canal.

"Then there are lots of people wearing earplugs for one reason or another, either because they've got hearing aids or they're transcriptionists at work or because they're addicted to their walkman," Roland told LiveScience, "and that can increase the likelihood that the wax doesn’t come out on its own."

Older adults are more prone to earwax buildup then younger individuals.

"The wax gets much thicker and drier, and plus you actually end up with more hair in your ear, when you're older, and so it traps it," Roland said.

He added, "Unfortunately, many people feel the need to manually 'remove' cerumen from the ears. This can result in further impaction and other complications to the ear canal." He said the saying, "Don't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear," holds true.

Leave your ears alone

For the everyday individual, the new guidelines suggest you leave your ears alone unless you experience symptoms that you think are associated with too much earwax.

"If they're going to do something at home, they should probably use drops of some sort," Roland said. The panel found no evidence that one type of over-the-counter drops works better than another, or better than just plain sterile water or sterile saline, he said.

The drops help to loosen the earwax and then the ear often can do the rest, he added.

The guidelines also state that cotton-tipped swabs or other objects should not be used to remove earwax. Oral jet irrigators and the alternative medicine technique called ear candling are also strongly advised against.

Ear candling involves making a hollow tube from fabric and soaking that in warm beeswax, which is cooled and hardens. Once cooled and hardened, the beeswax cone is stuck into the ear. The outer end of the tube is lit and burns for about 15 minutes, a process that supposedly draws the wax out of the ear.

Studies have shown, however, that the drawn-out stuff is material from the candle itself. Doctors have also reported seeing patients who have burned the outer parts of their ears with this method.

If the drops don't relieve your symptoms, or if you dislike drops but still have symptoms, it's time to see a doctor, Roland said.

The panel found that three common techniques for earwax removal at the doctor's office work best, with no single method outshining the others. These include flushing the ear out with a water solution; manually removing the earwax under a microscope using medical instruments; and sending the patient home with ear drops.

While at the doctor's office, Roland urges patients not to be embarrassed by a little earwax.

"I get a lot of people in here who are horrified when I see a little wax in their ear, and then they start apologizing for being dirty and they're just very upset it's present at all," Roland said. "And I think the big message there is that it has a physiological function, and unless there's a reason to remove it, you should just leave it alone. It's OK."