Why I Hate Best Buy

Today I went to Columbia to Best Buy to pick up a CD-RW drive for my old computer. I suppose for many this would be a simple enough task. For me, on the other hand, it is something like an alcoholic walking into a bar. Or maybe a choocolate fanatci walking into a sweet shop. I have this unfortunate addiction to DVDS.

Who ever set up the layout for Best Buy must have been a genius in selling DVDs. The computers and computer supplies are all the way in the back. This means that one has to walk past the DVDs, which are at the very front of the store. On top of that there are usually several displays for hte latest DVDs. I remember seeing one today for The Polar Express (go figure, it's right before Yuletide). One cannot enter Best Buy without having hundreds and hundreds of DVDs staring one in the face, saying, "Buy me, buy me!" It isn't bad enough that the CDs are right on the other side of the DVDs (fortunately, I'd picked up a copy of a Knack compilation, so I didn't need any CDs...). At any rate I did well not to go into DTs right there in the store.

Fortunately I made my way to the computer section without buying a single DVD or even a CD. Of cousre, I still had to walk past all those DVDs on my way to the checkout counter. And that was not the end of it. At Best Buy you have this little aisle you have to stand in to wait for check out And guess what lines that aisle? DVDs. And junk food. At least there were no CDs. I have to wonder if whoever designed the Best Buy stores hadn't bugged my house years ago (I'll have to start looking for hidden cameras and microphones...). They apparently know what at least two of my addictions are. Fortunately, I was able to make it out with out buying any Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Minatures or candy bars. And I was really fortunate to make it out without buying any DVDs.

Ultimately, it is a good thing that Best Buy is all the way in Columbia. All we have here is WalMart and a Sam Goody store. I fear if I went to Best Buy too often, my paycheque might wind up going totally for DVDs. And CDS. And junk food. I guess there are worse addictions.....

For Sale: One Slightly Used Jail

Well, for those of you in the market for a jail, the Randolph County Jail is now on EBay. From what I recall, it does need a little bit of repair, but it could make a good home, office, or museum. It's at Historic Randolph County Jail, Huntsville, MO


In other news, we had a very light dusting of snow last night. It wasn't enough to be significant. Despite this, this morning still finds me in a poor mood. "Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon and Garfunkel keeps going through my head. I have to say it fits the way I feel.

Another Musical Interlude

Before anything else I should mention that the old Randolph County Jail is going to be auctioned on EBay. They haven't put it on EBay yet, so I don't have a link for you, but it is supposed to be up for auction by the end of the day. The auction has even made the national news. There is an AP story about it and I guess it made it to TV. That's not bad at all for a medium sized county in the middle of Missouri.

Beyond that today finds me a bit blue. I won't go into the reason here (let's just say my hopes and dreams seem farther away than ever), but today I just feel down. Right now I am in the mood for depressing music. In this case, it is "Turn to Stone" by the Electric Light Orchestra. The song is from their album Out of the Blue. I do believe it was one of the singles off that album and even made the Top Forty. Anyhow, here it is:

"Turn to Stone" by ELO

Black Sabbath Makes It into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Yesterday the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the latest bands and individuals to be inducted on thier March 13, 2006 ceremony. Among the indcutees are legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Gruops and individuals become elgible for induction into the Hall of Fame 25 years after their first record. In the case of the 38 year old Black Sabbath, they were rejected seven times beofre finally being accepted into the Hall of Fame this time around.

Black Sabbath was formed in Birmingham, England in 1967 by Ozzy Osbourne, Terence Butler, Bill Ward, and Tony Iommi. Originally named the Polka Tulk Blues Band (later shortened to Polka Tulk) and later renamed Earth, the group changed its name to Black Sabbath after the song of the same name (possibly inspired by an old Boris Karloff movie). Black Sabbath combined blues style hard rock with elements of the European folk song and power chords. Their lyrics generally dealt with darker themes than other groups around at the time. The result was some of the earliest heavy metal music to ever be recorded. While Led Zeppelin is sometimes classed as heavy metal, it can be argued that they were a hard rock band who occasionally recorded heavy metal songs. On the other hand, there can be no dobut that Black Sabbath was a heavy metal band. In fact, they may have been the first heavy metal band to find success. Their first album, Black Sabbath, brought them a good deal of attention, although it was their second album, Paranoid, with the song of the same title and "Iron Man," that established them as a success. Among other things, Black Sabbath was one of the first groups to deal with fantastic themes in their songs. Besides their horror movie influenced early work, they also recorded such songs "Iron Man (about a man transformed into a creature of metal)" and "Spiral Architect."

Personally, I am a bit shocked that it took seven tries for Black Sabbath to make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. More than any other group, they helped shape the subgenre of rock music known as heavy metal. Their songs are still played to this day. And the band established the career of Ozzy Osbourne, who would later become a successful solo artist in his own right (not to mention a TV star). Of course, it must be pointed out that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has not been particularly favourable to heavy metal in the past. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one other heavy metal band to make it into the Hall of Fame--Australian band AC/DC.

As to the other inductees, Lynyrd Synyrd made it after seven tries as well. I cannot say that I am overjoyed with that, not being a big fan of the group, but I suppose that they did have an impact on creating southern rock (a subgenre I really don't care for). Among the inductees are also The Sex Pistols. As a Sex Pistols fan, I must say that I am happy about that. They were the first punk band to achieve any sort of prominence. And like Black Sabbath, I am surprised that they were not inducted sooner. Blondie has also made it into the Hall of Fame this time around. I really don't think Blondie had any impact as far as influencing rock genres, atlhough I have always been a Blondie fan. They produced some of my favourite songs from the late Seventies and early Eighties. Of course, I must admit that I had a bit of a crush in high school on Deborah Harry....

Over all I am pleased with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's latest inductees, particuarly Black Sabbath. They have been one of my favourite bands since I was a kid. And I don't think it can be argued that they did not have a lasting impact on rock music.

Ralph Edwards R.I.P.

Television pioneer Ralph Edwards died November 16, 2005 of congestive heart failure at the age of 92. For those of you who don't know woh Ralph Edwards is, he could be condsidered the father of reality television alongside Allen Funt (of Candid Camera fame) and Art Linklater. Among the shows he created were Truth or Consequences, This is Your Life, and The People's Court, the former two being some of the earliest examples of the reality format. For a man born on Friday the 13th, Edwards could not be described as unlucky.

Ralph Edwards was born on June 13, 1913 near Merino, Colorado. When he was 12 his family moved to Oakland, California. Edwards got his first job in radio in Oakland when he was all of 16. When attending the University of California in Berkley he worked at KROW and KFRC in San Francisco. It was in 1940 that he had his first big hit in radio, the show Truth or Consequencs. The format of the series was simple audience parcipitation. Contestants would have to tell the truth or face the consequences (usually some silly stunt or another). Truth or Consequences was wildly successful. In 1950 Hot Sprints, New Mexico voted to change their name to Truth or Consequences, after the famous show. Truth or Consequences may also have been the first reality show on television. It was also NBC's first commercial TV show. On July 1, 1941, the FCC approved commercial television broadcasts. That same month Truth or Consequnces aired on NBC-TV. World War II interrupted commercial television broadcasts and hence the first run of Truth or Consequnences, but it would return to television in 1950 for an unprecedented 38 year run.

Edwards's other famous creation, This is Your Life, debuted on radio as well. It ran on NBC from 1952 to 1961. This is Your Life featured guests who were tricked into being on the show, then being invited to reminisce about their lives with old friends and co-workers. The show featured guests who were celebrities as well as ordinary people. Among the famous people who appeared on the show were Gloria Swanson, Nat King Cole, Debbie Reyolds, Marlyn Monroe, Andy Griffith, and many others. The show has been revived a few times.

On btoh Truth or Consequnces and This is Your Life, Edwards was the host, although he would eventually hand the hosting chores off to someone else (in the case of Truth or Consequences, it was Bob Barker. He did not host his third famous creation, People's Court. Debuting in 1981, People's Court was one of the earliest shows which featured individuals going before a judge to solve their problems. Edwards also had a hand in many other shows, among them Name That Tune, Supeiror Court, and Wide Country.

Ralph Edwards was a true pioneer in the field of broadcasting. As I said earlier, alongside Allan Funt and Art Linklater he could be said to be the father of reality television. Truth or Consequences was among the earliest audience participation shows, while This is Your Life was one of the earliest shows to focus on the average person. I have never heard what Edwards thought of the current crop of reality shows, whether he liked them or not, but having grown up watching Truth or Consequences and This is Your Life, I think they were on the whole superior to the current crop of reality shows. While I do not know if I would like either show now (tastes do tend to change over the years), it does seem to me that they focused on fun and enjoyment rather than exploitation as many shows do today. Indeed, This is Your Life could even be uplifting. That is more than I think can be said for Fear Factor....

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (the Movie, not the Book)

Last night I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the latest cinematic installment based on the wildly successful series of books. Besides Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith and King Kong, it was easily the most anticipated movie of the year. And I rather think most Harry Potter fans will not be disapponted with this film.

As Harry Potter fans already know, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire centres on the Triwizard Tournament, a 700 year old contest between wizardry schools which takes place every five years. The Tournment consists of a series of tasks, each rather dangerous, which the contestants must overcome. To be considered for the Tournament, individuals must submit their entires in the Goblet of Fire, a powerful artefact responsible for ultimately deciding who is to compete. Under the current rules, only students over seventeen are allowed to submit their names to the Goblet of Fire. Nonetheless, Harry founds himself chosen as one of Hogwart's champions....

Like the book upon which it was based, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is much darker and more violent than its predecessors. Anyone considering taking very young children to this film are strongly cautioned, as it is rated PG-13 for a reason. The movie begins with an innocent Muggle stumbling upon He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his cohorts, complete with large, slithering snake. The horrors don't stop there, as the climax is truly the most intense of any of the movies.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire also differs from the previous movies in another respect--it is the first to be directed by an English director. Mike Newell, director of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Pushing Tin For this reason this movie seems more essentially English than the other, previous three. Indeed, this is the first time in any of the movies that I can remember hearing genuine, British slang. But the Englishness of the film does not stop there. Newell's interest is not in the wonders and horrors that fill the Harry Potter books, but in the characters and their interactions. It is the emotional impact of the other characters and the events around them on the heroes which interests Newell, not the Gothic atmosphere or spectacular magic. Perhaps becuase of this, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes closest to capturing the spirit of the books.

Indeed, it must be pointed out that in this movie Harry, Ron, and Hermione seem so much older than they were in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry not only worries about the return of Voldemort, but getting a date to the Yule Ball. The relationship between Ron and Hermione heats up in this movie and, for those who have not read the books, there can be no doubt that the two have some very deep seated, if repressed, feelings for each other.

That is not to say this movie is all about violence, dark magicks, and teen angst. Like the book it has its share of humour. One of the funniest scenes takes place in the study hall as Snape keeps disciplining Harry and Ron for talking. Another hilarious scene invovles Harry and the ghost Moaning Myrtle in the Prefects' Bath (this is the most uncomfortable I think I have ever seen Daniel Radcliffe...). And, of course, Weasley twins Fred and George provide a good deal of comic relief throughout the film.

Harry Potter fans will probably debate the choices of what to inlcude in the movie and what not to include in the movie as far as the material in the book. Personally, I think screenwriter Steven Kloves and Mike Newell made the right choices, with the possible exception of one subplot (I won't name it here as not to spoil the book for those who haven't read it or the movie for those who haven't seen it). To me the movie has all the essentials of the book and nothing that is gratuitous. I guess I shouldn't point out that if the book were adaped literally and loyally, we would probably have a six hour movie on her hands....

In my humble opinion Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the best so far in the series. While it is perhaps not as loyal an adaptation as the first two movies, it captures the spirit of the books better than any of the other movies. Except for the staunchest purists, I think most Harry Potter fans will be pleased with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Pat Morita and George Best Pass On

Two well known individuals in their respective fields have died recently. One was Pat Morita, best known for his roles as Arnold on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies. Norita died yesterday in Las Vegas of natural causes at the age of 73.

Morita was born in California to migrant fruit pickers. As a child he had spinal tuberculosis and as a result was in hospital for much of his early life. His life did not get any easier when he recovered. With World War II under way, Morita, like many Americans of Japanese descent, was sent to an internment camp in Arizona. Following World War II he opened a restaurant. There he discovered a gift for comedy. For a time he both worked as a comic and in computers at Aerojet General before taking up comedy full time.

Morita's big break came with appearances on The Hollywood Palace in 1964, 1965, and 1966. He would go on to make many guest appearances on such TV shows as Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. and The Courtship of Eddie's Father, as well as small parts in such movies as Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Shakiest Gun in the West. He also had a recurring on role on Sanford and Son. Racism against Asians being common in Hollywood at the time, many of the roles Morita played were demeaning at best.

It was in 1975 that Morita landed the role of Arnold, the owner of the local drive in restaurant, on Happy Days. The role brought Mortia to national attention for the first time and he was eventually rewarded with his own short lived series, Mr. T and Tina. Though the series did not last long, it is historic as one of the few American shows on which an Asian played a lead role. Following Happy Days and Mr. T and Tina, Morita worked regularly, appearing in many movies and TV shows. Besides The Karate Kid, Morita appeared in Midway, When Time Runs Out, Slapstick, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Spy Hard. He provided the voice for the Emperor in Mulan. On television he was a regular on Blansky's Beauties and played the lead on Ohara. Ohara is historic as it is one of the few times in which an Asian played a lead role on an American TV series (a police drama at that).

Morita never won any awards, although he was nominated for a few. He was nominated for the Best Oscar for an Actor in a Supporting Role for his part in The Karate Kid, a Golden Globe for the same, an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his role in Amos, and a Golden Globe for that same part.

For many Pat Morita will always be Arnold, but arguably his legacy in television and movies goes farther than that. He was one of the first visible Asian actors and comedians in Hollywood. And while many of his early parts could be considered racist, many of his later roles broke the racial barriers that Hollywood had constructed long ago. As pointed out above, both Mr. T and Tina and Ohara are historic as being among the earliest shows to have an Asian in the lead. Although not often recognised as such, Morita was a pioneer.

The other well known person to die was George Best. Now I realise many Americans may be saying "Wasn't he the fifth Beatle? (no, that was Pete Best)" but Best was famous outside the States. He was a football (as in soccer) legend who played for Manchester United and Northern Ireland.

Best is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Over a period of twelve yeas he scored 180 goals for Manchester United. He also played in the States, where he scored a phenomenal 54 goals in 139 goals for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Jose Earthquakes. He was only 17 when he began his career with Manchester.

In the Sixties Best''s fame was equal to rock stars of the era and, sadly, he chose to live the same lifestyle. He drank heavily and womanised. Reportedly he had slept with seven Miss Worlds, although Best claimed it was only four. Eventually his alcoholism would lead to liver disease and the need for a transplant in 2002. It was the years of drinking which killed him; he died from mulitple organ failure as a result of years of abuse.

While Best's lifestyle was nothing to admire (alcoholism and womanising not being traits desirable even in footballers), his achievements on the field were amazing. Few soccer players have matched him and even fewer have surpassed him. Sadly, it seems to me that he could have achieved even more greatness had he not made the choices he did. Regardless, many will mourn his passing.