Tag Archives: blogging

MAY THE FOURTH-A-PALOOZA: STAR WARS ITEMS

Mascot sword and pistolMay the Fourth is upon us once again. First up are some links to my previous Star Wars blog posts plus my full-length review of The Jet Benny Show, a Star Wars parody.

STAR WARS MEETS THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: THE MICRONAUTS – Click  HERE

THE HUMANOID (1979): THE WORST STAR WARS RIPOFF EVER – Click HERE

MY REVIEWS OF THE LAST JEDI AND SOLO – Click HERE 

STAR WARS SPOILERS – Click HERE

STAR WARS SPOILERS PART TWO – Click HERE 

Jet Benny ShowTHE JET BENNY SHOW (1986) – Buy this for the Star Wars fan in your life … but only if you strongly dislike the Star Wars fan in your life. Buy this for the Jack Benny fan in your life … but only if they’re too old and feeble to be capable of inflicting grievous bodily harm on you.

I was glad to finally see this video curiosity after having heard tantalizingly little about it over the years. It was not remotely worth the wait but it was good to see it and check it off my list, bird-watcher style, like I did with Ganjasaurus Rex years ago.

Yes, I know this overlong, under-entertaining Star Wars/ Jack Benny Show parody won a Kasdan Award in the 1980s but I think that winning that award says less about this project than does the fact that the people involved went on to do virtually nothing else afterward.

Jet Benny Show backRoger Evans directed The Jet Benny Show from a script by Mark Felch. Steve Norman stars as Jet Benny, a take-off on the real-life comedy legend Jack Benny. Norman does not do nearly as good a Jack Benny impression as we’re led to believe by the few positive remarks this pant-load of a film receives.

Steve’s rendition of Benny’s voice is reasonable but wouldn’t stand on its own without the aid of his more than reasonable facial resemblance to the late comedian. The mediocre nature of Norman’s imitation might not have stood out so much if he wasn’t expected to carry almost every moment of the 77 minute run time. Continue reading

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Filed under Bad and weird movies

TRANSGRESS WITH ME: MAY 3rd

Time for another edition of Balladeer’s Blog’s feature Transgress With Me:

mascot new look donkey and elephant headsEven the least attentive people are beginning to realize why America’s thuggish “Intelligence Agencies” like the CIA, NSA and FBI are so deservedly despised. They’re also beginning to notice the way that people who get elected to even the most junior positions in Congress wind up as multi-millionaires in just a few years. (Some of the more subtle crooks use their male or female spouses as their fronts, letting them acquire wealth via government contracts.)

De facto Third Party President Donald Trump has turned over the rock on the career criminals called the Democrat and Republican Parties. As an Independent Voter it is the experience of a lifetime to watch the way that Trump’s rocking of the crooked boat in the open-air cesspool of Washington DC has panicked both left-wing and right-wing crooks.

The behavior of our bought and paid-for elected officials has laid bare all of the corruption and malfeasance that we adults always suspected were there. The masks have been removed. Getting the outsider – Trump – and his supporters has become all that matters to the Swamp Creatures.

Trump in the wayWe’re living history but some people are so narrow-minded and so short-sighted that they’re letting their irrational hatred of one man prevent them from acknowledging the fact. It’s like the old saying “Some people feel the rain while others just get wet.”

Even if you’re someone who hates Donald Trump with a passion, you are just plain delusional if you can watch the dramas and gang warfare of the past few years and pretend that he is the worst of the bunch. Hell, I myself started out as a Hillary backer years ago (2008-2015) but her repulsive conduct and increasingly undeniable criminal behavior brought an end to that. It’s okay to admit you were mistaken.

A few years back I posted some political poses that even the most irrational anti-Trumpers can use if they absolutely cannot bear to say anything positive about President Trump. Here are some more:

Try saying “I hope they ALL go down in flames from both parties, not just Trump.”

Try saying “The others are every bit as disgusting as Trump. We need Third Parties.”

Try saying “Who would have thought Donald Trump would turn out to be the most honest crook in Washington?”

Blind DemsTry saying “At least Trump is not a career politician. The other crooks have been plundering the treasury their whole careers.”

If you’re from overseas we know you relish making snobbish comments about the U.S. so try saying “The Americans should never again sanctimoniously lecture any other country about Free Elections after the way the Obama Administration used the FBI, CIA and NSA to interfere in the 2016 campaign and afterward.” 

… Or you folks from overseas could try saying “What does it say about the corruption of the American government when even Donald Trump looks honest compared to their career politicians?”

As always I offer those poses to you because I know many of you sheepishly rely on reflexively anti-Trump comments just because you think it’s the path of least conversational resistance. And who can blame you given the fascistic nature of the hardcore Trump-haters? Pro-Trump people tend to be polite and reasonable so it seems like the easier route to pretend you disagree with them whether you really do or not.  Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

MORE COLLEGE BASEBALL POSTSEASON ACTION

AMERICAN MIDWEST CONFERENCE

Belleville LynxDAY TWO, GAME ONE: The 6 seeds – the LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY AT BELLEVILLE LYNX – played an elimination game against the 7th seeded HARRIS-STOWE STATE HORNETS. The Hornets grabbed a 1-0 edge in the 1st Inning, which stood until the Lynx tied the game at 1-1 in the 3rd.

From there LU-Belleville shut out Harris-Stowe State while adding 2 runs each in the 5th and 6th Innings. The Lynx won the game 5-1 for Pitcher Dylan Chisholm, who was on the Mound for 9 Iron Man Innings. Continue reading

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$3,000.00 PRIZE IN FLASH FICTION CONTEST

Yes, it’s that time again! The deadline this time around is May 31st. 

Flash fiction contest

There are other contests being run as well, and the outfits running them encourage one and all to collect and dust off your work, and send it off to one of these great contests!

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COLLEGE BASEBALL CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS CONTINUE

APPALACHIAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

point universityDAY ONE, GAME ONE – The 5 seeds – the POINT UNIVERSITY SKYHAWKS – took the diamond against the 4th seeded REINHARDT UNIVERSITY EAGLES (Should be the Rottweilers). After a scoreless 1st Inning the Skyhawks went on top 4-0 in the 2nd. Continue reading

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BILLY IDOL: CRADLE OF LOVE

It’s another installment of Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead here at  Balladeer’s Blog. This time around it’s Cradle of Love from Billy Idol.

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Filed under opinion

ZACA: VOODOO GOD WHOSE DAY IS MAY FIRST

HaitiVoodoo mythology is a fascinating hybrid of Yoruban, Dahomey, Fon and Christian mythology intermixed with touches from Caribbean belief systems.

Haiti is the central location of the Voodoo belief system but naturally it has spread throughout the world as have other faiths.

Here is a VooDoo god whose Holy Day is today, May 1st.

ZACA – The god of agriculture and the harvest, making him the patron deity of farmers and fieldworkers. Zaca is the friendliest and most approachable of the gods and may be addressed as “Cousin Zaca” if spotted in the fields. He dresses in denims and a straw hat just like the rural Haitians do. In addition,  Continue reading

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COLLEGE BASEBALL POSTSEASON UNDERWAY FOR 2019

The Conference Tournaments have begun in the divisions of College Baseball covered here at Balladeer’s Blog.

GOLDEN STATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Hope International University RoyalsDAY ONE, GAME ONE: The 3 seeds – the HOPE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY ROYALS – started things off against the 2nd seeded ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY FIRESTORM. The Firestorm seized a quick 4-0 lead in the 1st Inning but the Royals made it a 4-2 game in the 2nd.

Arizona Christian University extended their lead to 5-2 in the 3rd Inning following which neither team scored in the 4th. Hope International U put up 5 more runs in the 5th Inning for a 7-5 advantage. The Royals notched 1 more run in the 9th to end the scoring, winning the game 8-5. Pitcher Henry Martinez got the W. Continue reading

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Filed under College Baseball

MOTHER JONES: ONLY UNINFORMED FOOLS WANT TRUMP IMPEACHED

mother-jonesMary Harris Jones aka Mother Jones has decided to once again have a posthumous conversation with Balladeer’s Blog. The topic was Mother Jones’ favorite president since FDR – de facto Third Party President Donald Trump.

I tried to rein in Mother Jones’ enthusiasm for the Donald, whom she praises as the new FDR, the new JFK, the new TR and the new Harry Truman all rolled into one. I did not succeed. As always, she wore her Trump support on her sleeve.

Eventually I steered the conversation away from the many, many ways that President Trump has helped the working class and the poor of all colors and encouraged Mother Jones to recommend her favorite Trump links of late.

trump smilingMOTHER JONES: WASHINGTON POST/ ABC NEWS POLL SHOWS SUPPORT FOR IMPEACHMENT HAS ALL BUT VANISHED. “Listen, young fella, the slobbering psychopaths called Democrats have been rebuked again in those polls they eat, sleep and breathe by! Nobody wants Trump impeached except fringe losers.” CLICK HERE

Hillary Clinton Russian Probe backfireMOTHER JONES: NEW YORK TIMES ADMITS THAT DEMOCRAT VOTERS DON’T CARE ABOUT IMPEACHMENT. “That shows the voters have much more sense than the Democrat office-holders, who are all bought and paid for. But the Democrat politicians don’t care what their voters want.” CLICK HERE

 

 

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

BRIE LARSON’S BUCKET LIST

Brie Larson

FIRST FEMALE ACTION STAR, LIKE, EVER, DUDE!

Even for a shallow and uninformed “entertainer” (LMAO), Brie Larson is hilariously pompous. She seems narcissistically oblivious to film history – even RECENT film history – and keeps making ridiculous statements that she is some sort of pioneer for having starred in the Captain Marvel movie.

Brie conveniently forgets that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman beat Captain Marvel to theaters … and so did the Lara Croft, Tomb Raider films, Milla Jovovich’s Alice in the Resident Evil series of movies, the female action stars in Ultra Violet, Elektra, Underworld, Atomic Blonde, Aeon Flux, Kill Bill and so many others.

Quick and the DeadTo say nothing of Sigourney Weaver in the Alien movies and Pam Grier in Foxy Brown, Coffy, Sheba Baby and Friday Foster. And had Larson ever heard of La Femme Nikita?

Even more comical is the fact that she is still at it! What a buffoon! Anyway, here’s a mock Bucket List for the solipsistic Brie Larson:

*** BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN TO WIN AN OSCAR.

*** BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE.

xena*** BECOME THE FIRST FEMALE SECRETARY OF STATE IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

*** COURAGEOUSLY BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN TO DISCUSS HER POLITICAL OPINIONS IN AN INTERVIEW.

*** WISH SHE HAD HAD THE COURAGE TO LET A WOMAN OF COLOR STAR AS CAPTAIN MARVEL SINCE THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MONICA RAMBEAU WAS THE FIRST FEMALE CAPTAIN MARVEL IN THE COMIC BOOKS … of the 1980s. Continue reading

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Filed under humor, opinion