Friday, May 28, 2010

Gary Coleman RIP








From the LA TIMES

Gary Coleman, who soared to fame in the late 1970s as the child star of the hit sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" and whose post-TV-series life included a stint as a shopping mall security guard and an unlikely run for California governor, died Friday. He was 42.

The diminutive Coleman, whose adult height was 4 feet 8 inches, died at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage earlier this week, according to a statement from hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank.

A resident of Santaquin, Utah, Coleman had been hospitalized Wednesday and lost consciousness the next day. He was taken off life support Friday afternoon with his family at his side, the hospital said.

Born with failed kidneys, Coleman had undergone two transplants by age 14 and his growth was permanently stunted by the side effects of dialysis medications.

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He was a precocious, chubby-cheeked elementary school student living in Zion, Ill., when a scout for TV producer Norman Lear spotted him in a Chicago bank commercial.

The exceptionally bright, talented and self-confident Coleman was 10 when "Diff'rent Strokes" debuted on NBC in 1978.

As the lovably outspoken 8-year-old Arnold Jackson, he was the comedic centerpiece of the series about two Harlem sons of a black housekeeper whose white boss, a wealthy widower, takes them into his Park Avenue penthouse after her death and later adopts them.

The cast of the sitcom, which ended its eight-season run in 1986 after switching to ABC, included Conrad Bain as the wealthy Philip Drummond; Todd Bridges as Arnold's older brother, Willis; Dana Plato as Drummond's daughter, Kimberly; and Charlotte Rae as Mrs. Garrett, Drummond's new housekeeper.

"Its appeal rests chiefly on Gary, a black Pillsbury Doughboy, tiny and cuddly with a face like a pincushion," The Times' Howard Rosenberg wrote in 1979. "At 50 pounds and belt-buckle high, he's small enough to be a Christmas tree ornament. But from his mouth come words … well, you just have to be there."

In a 1979 TV Guide article headlined "Small Wonder," Coleman was described as having "the comic delivery" of Jack Benny, Groucho Marx and Richard Pryor.

"When he walks onto a stage, something has happened, and you feel it," Lear told TV Guide. "That's called presence, and it's rare. Many important actors, even stars, don't have it. Gary does."

The scene-stealing Coleman quickly became a pop-culture icon, whose recurring line "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" became a national catchphrase.

Praised by comedy legends Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, Coleman was in big demand for TV talk shows.

He more than held his own during his first appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1978, which led Carson to jokingly ask his young guest, "What night are you available for guest host?"

At the height of his TV series success, Coleman reportedly earned $64,000 per week and is said to have made $18 million during his TV heyday.

Born Feb. 8, 1968, Coleman was the adopted son of W.G. (Willie) and Edmonia Sue Coleman, who, according to a 1990 Times article, brought him home from a Chicago hospital when he was four days old.

It was not until 18 months later, The Times reported, that the Colemans were told that Gary had been born with one atrophied kidney and that the other would soon fail.

In 1989, Coleman sued his parents and his former business manager, Anita DeThomas, for allegedly stealing more than $1 million from him. The Colemans and DeThomas countersued for defamation and breach of contract.

The legal battle ended in 1993 when, Variety reported, a Santa Monica Superior Court judge awarded Gary Coleman $1.28 million and ruled that his parents and manager had wrongfully profited as his guardians and managers during five years while he was a minor.

Coleman's acting career as an adult fell far short of his "Diff'rent Strokes" glory days. He made only occasional guest appearances and had mostly small roles in films and TV movies.

Coleman, who filed for bankruptcy in 1999, also worked as a commercial pitchman, was hired to have his likeness and voice used in a mature-rated video game and ran a video-game arcade in Marina del Rey, among other things.

The adult Coleman also had a few encounters with the law that put his face back in the news, including allegedly punching an aggressive and much-larger female autograph hunter in the late 1990s, for which he was fined and ordered to take anger-management classes.

In February, he accepted a plea deal in Utah on domestic violence charges stemming from an incident the previous year between him and his wife, Shannon Price. Coleman was fined $595 and ordered to take classes on avoiding domestic violence.

Coleman's profile as a "former child star" reached its peak in 2003, the year he gave permission to a Bay Area alternative weekly newspaper to jokingly nominate him for governor in California's gubernatorial recall election.

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He was among 135 candidates in the election, a colorful field that included L.A. billboard queen Angelyne, comedian Gallagher, Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt and porn star Mary "Mary Carey" Cook.

A New York Times writer wrote that Coleman "had become the poster child of the California freak show that is the governor's recall election."

Coleman, the Washington Post reported, "has walked a line of believing in his own legitimacy and mocking it."

"My slogan," Coleman told the Post, "is I'm the least qualified guy for the job, but I'd probably do the best job."

Coleman, an independent who later appeared on CNN to say he was endorsing fellow actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, received 12,683 votes, placing eighth in the race that saw Schwarzenegger elected.

"I want to escape that legacy of Arnold Jackson," Coleman told the New York Times during his run. "I'm someone more. It would be nice if the world thought of me as something more."

Memorial Day weekend

I know its Memorial Day weekend. I hope everyone gets to enjoy 3 days off.

Lets kick off the weekend with Gabrielle Union, D-Wade's new lady:





















Hope someone does this tonight....

Why is there not a Paul Pierce Jersey on the Bobby Orr Statue as we speak?



Yes that is a Jonathan Toews Jersey on a Michael Jordan Statue.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Text of the week

Sorry I didn't post text of the week yesterday. With the temperature being 90 plus, my work computer being down, and the lack of usable texts. I kinda got caught up.

1. "Had to put the ac on come on its may"
2. "its hot man"
1. "I hear ya"
2. "Whats up for the weekend?"
1. "Smiddawg productions aint doing nothing for the fights again?"
2. "Thats my favorite text of yesterday"
1. "hot and heavy out last night bro"


This is a 2 days text conversation...and I love it.

UFC 114 odds...who ya got?

UFC Fighter Turned Actor Jackson Returns to Octagon

The Rampage Jackson versus Sugar Rashad Evans light heavyweight bout has been in the making for over a year now. When UFC 114 concludes with this bout in Las Vegas, Memorial Day Saturday, the electricity will be through the roof.

Jackson and Evans have an obvious hatred for each other and with Jackson now starring in the movie version of The A Team, Evans will have more fuel to add to the fire. Jackson and Evans were the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Season Ten and there were plenty of fireworks between the two in that season. Evans main issue will be can his fast hands and foot speed overwhelm the the larger harder hitting Rampage Jackson.

Rashad Evans +120 versus Quinton Jackson -140 light heavyweight fight.
Quinton Rampage Jackson and Sugar Rashad Evans were suppose to square off for this fight last year but Jackson flew the UFC coop and went to make the movie The A Team. Evans has been relentless in his desire to keep this fight on the front burner since Jackson bugged out last year.

Now that Evans has what he wants, he may regret that have ever wished for this fight. Evans may be faster on his his feet and with his hands but Jackson will waste no time coming forward and doing his best to shut Evans up. Evans, a wrestler, will be looking for takedowns early and often and he could pay if he catches a shot going in recklessly for a takedown on Jackson. Evans last fight was a decision over Thiago Silva and his fight before that was a loss brutal knockout loss to Lyoto Machida.

Rampage Jackson's biggest problem will be the layoff outside the Octagon. Jackson has had similar layoffs though and this could end up not being the game changer everyone is making it out to be. Jackson does not look like other fighters that have left training to shoot a movie and don't expect a soft version of Jackson in this fight. Jackson -140 will defeat Evans either by lopsided decision or a knockout.

John Hathaway +200 versus Diego Sanchez -240 lightweght fight.
Diego Sanchez
23-3 was dismantled in his last fight by BJ Penn and this will not be an easy return to the Octagon against John Hathaway who is 12-0 and on his way up the UFC ladder. Sanchez actually is coming off two punishing fights, his fight before Penn was a knock down drag out battle with Clay Guida. Sanchez won the fight but took a lot of punishment in the process.

John Hathaway nicknamed "The Hitman" has not faced any major MMA fighters of note on his way to a 12-0 record but he has shown versatility. Hathaway has won by strikes, elbows, and one submission in the first fight of his career. Hathaway has gone the distance four times in his short career, including his last two fights. If this fight goes the distance, Hathaway has no shot.

Diego Sanchez will try to make short work of Hathaway and if Hathaway can survive the first round he will need to finish the fight in the second round. Sanchez is a warrior and he will own the third round. Diego Sanchez -200 will win by a first round knockout. Look for Sanchez to try to end this fight in the first two and a half minutes.

Dong Hyun Kim -110 versus Amir Saddollah -110 middleweight fight.
Amir Sadollahis headed into another battle in his short UFC career. Dong Hyun Kim is no pushover for Sadollah to face in his fourth UFC fight.Kim aka "Stun Gun", has six knockouts and a record of 12-0-1. Kim would have a spotless record if it wasn't for his fight with Karo Parisyan last January. The fight was later changed to a no contest after Parisyan tested positive in his drug test post fight.

This will be Kim's first appearance in the Octagon since that fight January 31, 2009. With a long layoff, will Kim be able to hit Sadollah with purpose? No one will know that answer until the first punch of this fight. Sadollah has the heart to outlast a hard hitting Kim and should score well in a decision.

Dan Lauzon +375 versus Efrain Escudero -450 lightweight fight.
Efrain Escudero is tough enough but now Dan Lauzon is heading into this fight without his trainer and his brother Joe Lauzon. The full story on Fanhouse can be viewed here. This makes an easy fight for Escudero that much easier. Take Escudero -450 and look for this to end early.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Booty Pop

Here is something for the ladies:



http://www.buybootypop.com/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=bootypop/story.html

One of the readers sent this. Apparently he is sick of the ladies bitching there isn't enough for them on here. Stylegal used to blog for the ladies but she is either retired, semi retired or just plain bored with posting. If there is anyone who wants to post on here let me know. I will hook you up with posting rights.

Starting off right

Apparently the summer heat is coming early. It is supposed to reach up into the 90's tomorrow and I am not really ready for that kind of temperature.

Lets see what I learned this weekend:
1. Rondo is a beast, a nasty filthy beast.
2. Retiring after 32 years of teaching and having a pub crawl to commemorate it is AWESOME!
3. Never ever tell Bill Smiddy that he is cheap or that he doesn't make enough money. The dude will Flip!!
4. Lemonheads are made in Chicago.
5. Spicy steak tips are not to be fucked with. Especially when drinking.
6. Random Friday night cookouts should happen more often.
7. No matter how many times I say it - there is nothing better than a night out with your peeps and buckets of beers.
8. Matty Kohansky likes his corn on the cob.
9. The kid still got it.
10. Zach and Miri make a porno is one funny ass movie.
11. Any of the 36 packs of beer that come with a cooler is right up my alley.
12. Katie K can make one mean banana bread.
13. I don't know who I hate more the Flyers or the Canadians.
14. You can find Martell in Southie on any Sunday at either the Playwrite, ABG, Whiskey Priest, Beer Garden or even the Junction.

Friday, May 21, 2010

$ 20.00 Movie Tickets !!!!!!!

Movie Tickets Reach the $20 Mark .ArticleComments (62)more in New York ».
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By LAUREN A. E. SCHUKER
For the first time, a major Hollywood film will hit the $20 threshold at the box office, as movie-theater owners test the public's ability to absorb ever higher ticket prices.

Several theaters will charge $20 per adult ticket to IMAX showings of the animated 3-D family film "Shrek Forever After," the fourth "Shrek" installment from DreamWorks Animation. The theaters include the AMC theater in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood, AMC Loews 34, AMC Loews Lincoln Square and AMC Empire 42nd Street.

The increases weren't officially announced, but were reflected in prices posted Wednesday on movie-ticketing Web sites such as Fandango.com and tracked by BTIG LLC media analyst Richard Greenfield.

"With the state of the economy remaining questionable, we worry pricing is simply moving up too quickly," cautioned Mr. Greenfield in a research blog post, adding that he was especially concerned about how quickly children's ticket prices are increasing. "The danger is scaring consumers away from the movie theaters."

This weekend's price increase come less than eight weeks after theater operators instituted some of the steepest hikes in a decade. Those increases in late March—in some cases of as much as 26%—varied theater to theater and focused on 3-D and IMAX showings of another DreamWorks Animation title, "How to Train Your Dragon." The same AMC theater in Manhattan charged $19.50 for an IMAX showing of "Dragon."

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Parmount Pictures via Bloomberg News This weekend's increases come less than eight weeks since the theater operators instituted some of the steepest hikes in a decade in late March. Above, "Shrek: Forever After" features the voices of comedian Eddie Murphy for Donkey and Mike Myers for Shrek.
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The $20 ticket may prove to be a psychological barrier too steep for some moviegoers to overcome, but the industry appears ready to take the risk, especially in the wake of a string of 3-D blockbusters, from "Avatar" to "Alice in Wonderland." 3-D movies accounted for the vast majority of last year's 10% jump in domestic box-office sales. That figure is likely to climb even higher for 2010.

While box-office revenues are up about 6% this year compared to the same period last year, attendance is slightly down—a reversal from several months of rapid expansion at the box office and a record-breaking year in 2009, when attendance was up more than 5% and revenues broke the $10 billion barrier.

What the fuck Hollywood $20 bucks a ticket this is getting ridiculous. this is absurd and people should boycott this movie not to mention they know kids are going to be like Dad, Mom please take me to Shrek 4 automatically making the parent the bad guy or girl if they say no. I call bullshit on this.

Is Dora the Explorer an illegal immigrant?



With the immigration issue heating up I guess it was only a matter of time until someone questioned Dora and her status when it comes to the United States. But as we can see she was clearly not legal as she has apparently been arrested and resisted arrest. Just goes to show that this issue is on the front burners.

Its a sunny Friday

Its a nice sunny Friday. Why not kick off the weekend with a chick who has brains and beauty? I know, I know Natalie Portman is not for everyone. The Cheifdude is not a fan due to the lack of breasts but she just does it for me.