Tag Archives: blogging

BALLADEER’S BOWL IX: MUSTANGS VS CRUSADERS

Balladeer’s Bowl always pits the National Champions of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) against the National Champions of the NCAA Division Three.

Morningside MustangsThe MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS are the NAIA Champions for 2018.

The UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS are the NCAA Division Three Champions for 2018. 

MHBU CrusadersReaders of Balladeer’s Blog get to vote on the winner over the next week, so NAIA and D3 boosters can begin their annual deluge of emails to me arguing for their choice. Continue reading

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DAVE RUBIN: ANOTHER OF US FORMER DEMOCRATS FED UP WITH THE PARTY

rubin-reportHere at Balladeer’s Blog I often write about my own personal disillusionment with the increasingly fascistic and intolerant American Left in general and the Democrats in particular. The famed Dave Rubin had a similar estrangement from the fanatics called Democrats.

In a recent interview he went so far as to predict that leftists will destroy themselves with the way they continue purging rational Democrats from the party. The link is below but first some excerpts:

“The Left, unfortunately, has become about collectivism,” said the Rubin Report host, who added that those who believe in the “collective over the individual” are the ones who are actually “exerting prejudice.”

Rubin also pointed out how the left still tries to hurl unfounded accusations of “hatred” against everyone who disagrees with them:

“If the conservatives are the home of the homophobes and the bigots, [then conservatives] are doing a really, really terrible job of it,” said Rubin at the recent Student Action Summit for Turning Point USA.

“You’ve got one side [the Left] that screams about tolerance all the time, but never actually exerts it, and you have another side that doesn’t talk about tolerance that much, because they just sort of act that way.”

democrats hate free speechRubin also said that he believes the Left will end up destroying itself by purging the last remaining rational democrats from the party, as they are quick to attack their own whenever a fellow liberal attempts to take a more moderate stance.

“This idea of intersectionality — [the Left] has created this Pyramid of Oppression Olympics that is in constant competition to be more oppressed,” said Rubin.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR SUPPORTERS OF FREE SPEECH: Rubin discussed the way that sites like Patreon seem to have joined the corporate fascists at Facebook, Google and Twitter in trying to eliminate online dissent from the Democrat Party line. Obliquely referring to the rumored start of a FREE SPEECH ALTERNATIVE TO PATREON, Rubin said “The cavalry’s coming.”   Continue reading

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1982)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Christmas Carol-A-Thon 2018 comes to a close with Balladeer’s Blog’s look at this neglected 1982 Australian cartoon version.

A Christmas Carol 1982A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1982) – Burbank Films of Australia produced this mediocre at best animated version of the Dickens classic. Previously I reviewed the 1969 Australian cartoon version and if you were to go strictly by this 1982 rendition of A Christmas Carol you would think that Australian animation technology had not progressed one bit since 1969.

Background figures often don’t move at all and the ones that do just repeat the same gestures and gesticulations ad nauseum like in early video games. There’s also a delayed reaction element to every dialogue exchange early on. The Australian accents add a bit of novelty but that was also true of the 1969 version.

Moving on to the story, Nephew Fred’s visit to his Uncle Ebenezer and Bob Cratchit largely sticks to dialogue directly taken from the novel but pointlessly throws in meaningless asides here and there. The delayed reactions in the early exchanges of dialogue really stick out here. It’s like you’re watching live actors who take a while to remember their next line.

The dialogue flows much better between Scrooge and the two Charity Collectors. Bob Cratchit’s farewell to his boss is trimmed to the bone, robbing it of any impact, but this IS one of those versions which shows Bob joining children in sliding along the sidewalk ice like an overgrown kid so that’s nice.   Continue reading

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BLACKADDER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1988)

blackadder's christmas carolBLACKADDER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL – My Ninth Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues here at Balladeer’s Blog! Long-time readers know what a big fan I am of Rowan Atkinson’s work – especially his Blackadder programs. Hell, I’m even an enormous fan of his more serious work in Full Throttle. And I never tire of telling anyone who will listen that I think he’d make a perfect Dikaiopolis in Aristophanes’ comedy The Acharnians

As to why it took me so long to finally get around to reviewing Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, it’s the same reason that applied to the George C Scott version: I wanted to handle some of the more obscure Carols before hitting the well-known ones.

This Christmas Special is set in Victorian England with Atkinson starring as Ebenezer Blackadder, owner of a moustache shop. Tony Robinson is on hand as yet another member of the Baldrick family line.

In typically perverse Blackadder fashion the storyline reverses the usual sequence of events. Ebenezer starts out as a kind-hearted and generous soul but soon the Christmas Spirit (Robbie Coltrane) shows him visions of Blackadders Past, Present and Yet-to-Come.     Continue reading

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BEST OF AUGUST 2018

Balladeer’s Blog’s retrospective of the Best of 2018 rolls along with this look at August’s Best.

Boone MayBOONE MAY: NEGLECTED GUNSLINGER – The three-day Frontierado Holiday Weekend kicked off with this look at the underrated gunslinger Daniel Boone May, better known as just Boone May.

Calling someone “the deadliest gun in the Dakotas” makes people think of Wild Bill Hickok but actually that title belongs to Boone May. (Most of Wild Bill’s kills happened years before he drifted into the Dakotas.) CLICK HERE 

Mascot new lookSJW’s: LOSERS OR JUST FOOLS – SJW’s are the modern-day equivalent of those primly disapproving religious nuts who spent their lives trying to impose their own uptight notions of right and wrong on other people. Except SJW’s are even more annoying. 

For this particular blog post CLICK HERE

Moona Lisa with skullLOST MOONA LISA FOOTAGE SURFACED – Balladeer’s Blog’s love of the old Movie Host Shows of the past has been well-established. Moona Lisa (Lisa Clark) has been featured here since 2011.

Some old 1970s U-Matic Video Recorder footage of Moona Lisa’s show had surfaced back in August and I was happy to alert fans to this and to provide info on the auction of the long-lost material. CLICK HERE   

Rob Smith#WALKAWAY MOVEMENT CONTINUES – This item examined the continuing #WALKAWAY Movement, the exodus of so many of us former Democrats from the party because of Democrats’ increasing fascism, intolerance and snobbery toward the working class. To read this item CLICK HERE

twisted pairNEIL BREEN’S LATEST FILM: TWISTED PAIR (2018) – The Breenius behind movies like Double Down, I Am Here …. (sic) Now, Fateful Findings and Pass Thru struck again with this sci-fi/ social commentary oddity title Twisted Pair.

All Human Breens, as Neil Breen fans are called, owe it to themselves to check out this latest work of the man, the legend. CLICK HERE 

Mascot sword and pistolDYSTOPIA NATION: THE NEW COLONIALISM – This controversial blog post was another in my Dystopia Nation series.

The New Colonialism looked at a hypothetical future of nothing but bloated rich pigs and suffering poor, and with the bloated rich pigs telling themselves they are THE moral authorities for the country. CLICK HERE

Ndakuwang gaSHARK GOD OF FIJI: NDAKUWANG-GA – Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the Gods of Fiji was incredibly popular. 

That popularity prompted this entry on the Fijian shark god Ndakuwang-ga.

For many of that deity’s myths you can read the blog post HERE

CIA John BrennanJOHN BRENNAN: CIA FILTH … PLUS MORE – John Brennan, The Man From S.C.U.M. himself, headlined this look at the ongoing offenses of America’s forever-slimy CIA and NSA.

One of the reasons I used to be a Democrat before becoming an Independent Voter was because of the way Democrats USED TO be openly critical of America’s counter-productive and outrightly criminal “Intelligence Services” (LMAO). These days, though, Democrats applaud the heinous activities of CIA and NSA filth like Brennan. CLICK HERE

Living in HarmonyTHE PRISONER: LIVING IN HARMONY – Balladeer’s Blog’s episode by episode look at this 1967 Patrick McGoohan sci-fi/ existential drama raised a lot of interest.

One of the busiest posts was this look at the episode Living in Harmony, in which the Prisoner found himself living a bizarre Wild West version of his plight. To read it click HERE

Wizards of OROBERT MUELLER: GANGSTER BOSS – Accused rapist and accused suborner of perjury Robert Mueller, the modern-day Martin Dies and Joe McCarthy, was the topic of this blog post.

Mueller’s corrupt “investigation” has been exposed as such a travesty that I would not blame anyone who rejects anything and everything Mueller and his staff of Hillary donors come up with. CLICK HERE

Selleck 2FLASHMAN ITEM: SO HOW WOULD I HAVE HANDLED HIS CIVIL WAR ADVENTURES? – The love for George MacDonald Fraser’s antihero Harry Paget Flashman kept pouring in all summer long.

To meet demand I used this blog post to answer the frequently-asked question about how I would have handled Harry’s Civil War exploits, since I felt Fraser forced Flashman into way too many Civil War historical events, lacking his usual finesse. CLICK HERE

fascists will call themselves anti-fascistsANTIFA IS REALLY KLAN-TIFA – A look at the cowardly masked fascists of Antifa, who are really KLAN-tifa, no matter what they pretend their name is short for.

Are Antifa trash really the same kind of losers who gravitate toward rape and serial killing or are they just white children of privilege play-acting at being members of some absurd pretense of “resistance” (LMAO)? CLICK HERE  

democrat republican awakeDEMOCRATS LOVE CORPORATE FASCISM – The new motto of the Democrats seems to be “Vote all you want – we’ll use our corporate fascist allies to force you to comply with our every bizarre notion.”

For this step by step look at the way bloated rich pigs now use their influence on behalf of the political left instead of the political right CLICK HERE 

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A CAROL CHRISTMAS (2003): CHRISTMAS CAROL-A-THON CONTINUES

A Carol ChristmasA CAROL CHRISTMAS (2003) – Here’s another entry in Balladeer’s Blog’s Ninth Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon. This version is one of the many that tries mining laughs out of setting the Dickens classic in the modern age. These adaptations have varying degrees of success and on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this effort a 6.5.

A Carol Christmas isn’t trying to be the most touching or the funniest rendition of A Christmas Carol, it’s just a pleasant, fluffy diversion for the Christmas season. Tori Spelling stars as Carol Cartman, a daytime hostess like Jenny Jones, Oprah and so many others. As the Scrooge figure Spelling is selfish, mean-spirited and abuses her staff, especially her assistant Roberta, the Bob Cratchit role.

Roberta (Nina Siemaszko) is a struggling single mother caught up in a custody battle for her version of Tiny Tim in a novel departure from the usual Cratchit family pathos. 

Dinah Manoff portrays the ghost of Carol’s late aunt and manager Marla. Aunt Marla was a driven “show-biz mom” type whose monomaniacal, cold-hearted drive was passed on to Carol as she forced the girl into a show business career she never really wanted. Because of this Marla is cursed in a Jacob Marley manner and has come to warn her niece that she faces the same fate unless she changes her ways. Continue reading

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WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS FOR 2018

Here’s one last round of congratulations for the 2018 women’s volleyball champions in the TWELVE divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog. 

Park PiratesBIGNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)

National Champions – PARK UNIVERSITY PIRATES

Runners-Up – Columbia (MO) College Cougars

2017 Champions – Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders 

Biola Eagles NEWNCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Division ONE 

National Champions – BIOLA UNIVERSITY EAGLES

Runners-Up – College of the Ozarks Bobcats

2017 Champions – Biola University Eagles 

Bob Jones University BruinsNCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Division TWO 

National Champions – BOB JONES UNIVERSITY BRUINS

Runners-Up – Maranatha Baptist University Sabercats

2017 Champions – Maranatha Baptist University Sabercats  Continue reading

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WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON FOR THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR

William Henry HarrisonBalladeer’s Blog’s annual Shortest Day of the Year post features William Henry Harrison, America’s 9th President and the man whose term was the shortest – just 32 days. Then he died.

Harrison’s military and political career on the way to the White House is well known so I’ll focus on some of the less-covered aspects of his presidency.

CABINET

Secretary of State – Daniel Webster, American Legend. Too well-known to need hyping. 

Secretary of the Treasury – Thomas Ewing. Foster father and, in an odd twist, eventually the father-in-law of General William Tecumseh Sherman. 

Secretary of War – John Bell. Recommended replacing civilian superintendents of federal armories with military superintendents.   

Secretary of the Navy – George E Badger. Established the U.S. Home Squadron.

Attorney General – John J Crittenden. Advised against paying interest on a claim of damage caused by then-General Andrew Jackson in 1818. This was 1841 when he finally cleared up this case which had been lingering over 20 years.  

Postmaster General – Francis Granger. Once said “When the sun does shine, white’s your wine” and meant every word of it, dammit! 

*** Harrison’s death in 1841 after being elected in 1840 kicked off the ridiculous – and thankfully now invalid – superstition that all presidents elected in a year ending in zero would die in office.

Through sheer chance of course, Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was assassinated in 1865, early in his second term.

James Garfield, elected in 1880, was assassinated in 1881.  

William McKinley, RE-elected in 1900, was assassinated in 1901.

Warren G Harding, elected in 1920, died in office of natural causes. Continue reading

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BEST OF JULY 2018

Balladeer’s Blog continues its retrospective of The Best of 2018 with this look at July’s Best.

MaverickMAVERICK (1994): MOVIE REVIEW – Frontierado was fast approaching when I posted this review of the 1994 film version of the James Garner television series Maverick.

Virtually no movie adaptations of tv shows do real justice to their source material but this flick is a major exception! Mel Gibson plays Garner’s original role of Bret Maverick and is terrific. Jodie Foster and James Garner himself are along for the ride as co-stars in this gambler/ gunslinger classic. CLICK HERE   

#WalkAway#WALKAWAY MOVEMENT: DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FROM THE DEMOCRAT PARTY – Gay man Brandon Straka became a dissident hero as he launched the #WALKAWAY movement. Straka provided organization to the ’til now random exodus from the increasingly fascistic and intolerant Democrat Party. (I myself went Independent years ago.) 

#WALKAWAY became a viral online phenomenon with video testimonials from many of us who have left the Democrats in disgust. The Democrats in the media, hilariously enough, tried to pretend it was all the work of Russian Bots! I’m not joking! Anyway, there was even a #WALKAWAY March on Washington and the group spawned offshoot organizations like #Blexit and #BlackLivesMAGA. CLICK HERE 

Fiji 3TUILAKEMBA: FIJIAN DEMIGOD – Balladeer’s Blog’s examination of the saga of Fiji’s heroic demigod Tuilakemba was a hit. I covered not just the original myths but the way Tuilakemba’s tale evolved over the centuries.

The heroic figure supposedly conquered all the islands of Fiji then departed in search of fresh conquests in the distant past. When French Missionaries made contact with Fiji the Fijians identified Napoleon with their departed conqueror Tuilakemba. CLICK HERE

Birds by Aristophanes 2ASK BALLADEER: WHY DID I LEAVE SICILY OUT OF MY EXAMINATION OF THE ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY THE BIRDS? – Many readers were curious why I left out the usual academic speculation about the invasion of Sicily in my look at Aristophanes’ comedy The Birds.

I laid out my many reasons in this blog post HERE

Flashman cutFLASHMAN: THE LOST ADVENTURES – I took advantage of the heavy interest in the reviews of my Top Five Harry Flashman Novels to go into total fanboy mode.

Using hints from George MacDonald Fraser’s offhand references to Harry’s unpublished adventures combined with research into potential Flashmanesque situations in various countries during the anti-hero’s 19th Century travels I speculated on Flashman Down Under, Flashman in the Opium War, Flashman and the Kings and The Battle Cry of Flashman. CLICK HERE

clones 2THE CLONES (1973): MOVIE REVIEW – Balladeer’s Blog reviewed this neglected science fiction suspense movie.

The storyline was dealing with what was back then the still fairly new topic of cloning.

To read the review of this hit and miss film click HERE

Scarlet GospelsCLIVE BARKER’S THE SCARLET GOSPELS (2015) – What Ridley Scott did to his Alien saga with Covenant, Clive Barker did to his Hellraiser series with his novel The Scarlet Gospels

Readers were excited to see what Barker would do with a story that pitted his Hellish masterfiend Pinhead against occult detective Harry D’Amour. This novel was a disaster in my eyes. CLICK HERE 

Zip WyattTHREE NEGLECTED GUNSLINGERS – Cash Hollister, Zip Wyatt and Black Ike don’t get as much love as names like Wild Bill Hickok, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but they had eventful lives nonetheless.

To check out their Old West antics click HERE

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A DIVA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (2000)

A Diva's Christmas CarolA DIVA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (2000) – Balladeer’s Blog’s Ninth Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues with a look at this Vanessa Williams venture. Due to the nature of this adaptation of the Dickens classic it is often categorized as one of the “African-American versions.” Among other such Carols I have reviewed are Christmas is Comin’ Uptown with Gregory Hines and John Grin’s Christmas starring Robert Guillaume. 

The forever-underrated Vanessa Williams is brilliant in this very good film that mixes comedy, music and drama together far better than many stage versions manage to do. Williams stars as Ebony Scrooge, a pop singer who puts on a kind and pleasant public face but who is a … well, a diva behind the scenes.  

Ebony is even more nasty than usual as she pushes her entourage beyond all their limits to get ready for an alleged “charity” show for the homeless on Christmas. Ebony’s demeanor makes it clear that she is really doing it all just for public image reasons and to feed her own ego (Bono – cough – Bono) as she wallows in the plaudits sent her way.   Continue reading

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