Obesity has become a real problem in this country; we all know that. I’ve heard a lot of theories about why that is. Some of them make sense, but I have my own theory that I haven’t heard voiced elsewhere. I believe people began getting fatter in direct proportion to the length of commercial breaks on television. Think about it! We all have to do something to fill the one-third of airtime that is now devoted to advertisements. Makes sense to me.
I didn’t say anything about the passing of Robin Williams yesterday, because it was news to me when I was updating this page. I just didn’t know much. Plus, I knew there’d be a lot said by others, and I was right. There was a third reason, maybe. I didn’t want to make any comment that might be construed as negative at such a time. That comment would have been: I have always thought Robin Williams was best as a dramatic actor. Of course, that isn’t a negative thing to say, but with so many emphasizing his original and frenetic approach to comedy, I just didn’t see going into it. Also, let us remember Betty Bacall, who left us yesterday.
334 responses to “Back after This…”
and Ed Nelson died, one of those actors we all recognize, like James Gregory or Whit Bissell
but now with DVR’s you can start watching a show at ten or fifteen minutes in and zip through the commercials
Wow, completely missed yesterday’s post. That’ll teach me to not check back here at least once in the afternoon! 😉 Rocking out now to Ina Gadda Da Vida, thanks to Nodak Wayne.
On the subject of Robin Williams movies, Richard Matheson wrote both the novel and the screenplay for What Dreams May Come. He also wrote the novel and script for I am Legend/Omega Man as well as a number of scripts for The Outer Limits and Twilight Zone. He was a truly great writer.
And for Bogie and Bacall, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Ay727EYzw
When I started typing this I would have been the first to comment, but there have been several interruptions. I wonder where I’ll be now?
3rd.
Lady Mindy, if you haven’t already, look at my post on “yesterday’s” comments at a little before eight ayem this morning.
I agree with you, Jimmy. Robin Williams could be hysterically funny, but his manic humor could be a bit much at times. He really shined at drama. My favorite Robin Williams drama that hasn’t gotten much attention is “The Fisher King” (1990), an off-beat movie by Terry Gilliam and starring Jeff Bridges. Williams was also creepy as the villain in “Insomnia” (2002) by Christopher Nolan (“Batman”) and starring Al Pacino.
Hi Debbe, just taking a break and lurking/reading again. I found I was beginning to get nightmares and depression again from thinking about things I also try to forget. Topics were causing this. I felt guilty too, for caring too much I think.
That and fact I am sole publicist for a couple of boating events I need to promote, get donations for, coordinate totally on one, I am behind about 50 letters and three magazine articles due and a email blast to 7000 boaters unwritten!
Sorry about the chickens. I told you, I skipped poultry production in college because I knew I could not do that. I’d switch to tofu but no one else in family will.
Love, Jackie Monies
c x-p: Went back to your msg. above, put cursor at the left edge of the first word in your second paragraph, and held the cursor key down with left finger while dragging the cursor to the end of the paragraph with right finger. That ‘shaded’ what I wanted to copy. Released the cursor key, did ‘ctrl c’, came here, typed this paragraph, hit ‘enter’ to get it on a new line, then did ‘ctrl v’. Thus:
“Cut and paste”, eh? Sounds like something I once knew how to do. Never having been proficient at anything electronic, I suppose I lost that soon after learning it. Not often having any need would have been a contributing factor.
This is probably the only thing I knew about word processing that you didn’t. Now you are caught up.
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In fact, I just made the same mistake you had, posting this at the end of yesterday’s posts. So I just went through the same copy and paste procedure. As usual, the cptr. does what you tell it to do, not what you want it to do. Freud might claim I really wanted to hide it, but ‘he’s often wrong’. [A line from Major Hoople, or at least that era.]
With Jimmy mentioning obesity in his comments today it is quite appropriate that I found this video, which I share with all of you. Comeon, people, let’s PRANCERCIZE!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIXIZ_8aGM8
I usually preferred Mr. Williams in his dramatic roles. My favorite is probably the Bicentennial Man. Most people dismiss the movie and ridicule it but it is one of those movies that may speak to you on a spiritual level without you being aware of it until you start thinking about it later.
Galliglo: Yep. “Shanesville”, to be exact. For about 45 years, it has been part of neighboring Sugarcreek. Wife’s ancestral home can be seen via Google maps lying less than a mile E of the one intersection (39 & 93) where the main road splits. The house is to the S of that road a few yards E of that fork in the road. Her greatgreatgrandfather built it in the 1830s and it has been passed on down – always to daughters, so the name changed each generation – to my late mother-in-law. After both of my inlaws died, neither daughter could live there because of other commitments, so the place was sold to a cousin of those daughters (one of whom is my MBH), so it is still in the family. That cousin had the means and ability to do some refurbishing and has improved the place while still farming the associated 9 or 10 acres.
BTW, it will be surprising to most, but only about 2 miles S lies, of all things, a full-fledged railroad roundhouse! Use Google maps and enter “roundhouse” and “Sugarcreek” to see it. It’s in the middle of several farms, there being nothing industrial around for miles! Wife just turned 75 and had never known of its existence before recent weeks!
Whew, finally got to get back online after a really frantic morning. Wow, JJ actually posted!
The only dramatic role I liked Robin Williams in was “Good Will Hunting,” but I have never see most of the movies y’all cite, like “Bicentennial Man”. I tried to watch both “What Dreams May Come” and “The Fisher King,” but I couldn’t get into them.
As for obesity, who needs it? I am on track with my free weights and I did 8.5 miles this morning and actually didn’t have to rehydrate myself back to 103 lbs. Hail, Fall!
I feel Bicentennial Man was greatly underrated, much to think about and great acting. Notice no one has mentioned the two great fun films, Hook, and Jumanji. Nothing super outstanding, but a lot of fun, again with a message buried in both.
For veterans dealing with obesity try getting into the VA Move program, better than any fad diet, and concentrates on actual lifestyle changes that really work. Been doing it for several months now. Losing and getting healthier.
Jackie, I’m very sorry if any comments I made have in any way contributed to the return of any of your nightmares. I’ll not broach the subject again.
And I have to agree, Southern Fried Tofu just wouldn’t cut it. And trying to serve Slow-Cooker Tofu Brisket to my all-female staff for lunch today would probably be a good way for me to get neutered. 🙂
Gotta say that one of my all time favorite movies, also a Robin Williams movie, is Toys.
Jimmy-
The only trouble with your theory of obesity it doesn’t explain my uber-gut. I tend to ignore TV.
I have to agree that Williams was a great dramatic actor, especially in the roles where he could throw in some of his comedy. I’ve always liked Dead Poet Society and Patch Adams. Maybe not his most dramatic roles (can you get much more dramatic than One-Hour Photo?) but they allowed him to mix his talents.
If you ask me (and nobody did), the waistline problem is just one of boredom. Nobody can afford to do anything anymore besides eat and drink.
I’ve not been much of a movie viewer in recent years, so I have not seen any of Robins Williams’ “serious” dramatic roles. But one I did see, and will never forget, was a 1994 guest appearance in an episode of “Homicide: Life on the Street”. His role as the husband of a tourist whose wife was the victim of a fatal robbery-gone-wrong was a high-point of what I always considered an excellent TV drama.
I cannot imagine anyone giving a more accurate or more moving betrayal of a man attempting to deal with the sudden and senseless death of a loved one. Even then, I could not help but wonder if the sadness and sense of loss (and the struggle to hold his life together for the sake of his children) he projected did not come from deep inside himself. Now, I have no doubt that it did.
Aw, Jackie, come on back. I won’t promise to quit drinking but I will stop talking about it 😉
Are these friends of yours, Jackie?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11031033/Couples-week-long-sailing-trip-turns-into-16-year-round-the-world-voyage.html
@Debbe,
Spectacular, Symply four such nice young women my son Michael had for children. July vacation was special. Thanks for asking…
For those interested the concert business has been a lot of Fargone fun, but as far as profit the only ones getting rich are not us. Might have to build our own venue I do not know, for now we are expanding into dinner venues, smaller and more intimate, but with less overhead, risk and substantially lesser known folks.
Yes “The Fisherking” is my favorite of his movies and his golf monologue is the finest piece of golf(or Scottish) humor I have ever heard! See for yourself(caveat emptor: there is obscenity)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y3MpFaq0EM
I polled my fellow employees: Mrs. Doubtfire is the fave RW flick, but Dead Poet’s Society is right behind, given a huge boost by the vote of The Boss Of Our Lives. 😉
For most people, poor food choices + insufficient exercise = weight gain and/or obesity.
For almost all of those people, better food choices + increased exercise = weight loss.
Even though I speak from first-hand experience of both of those scenarios, Jimmy is probably right, though…it’s those danged TV commercials. I hate ’em and personally blame them for global climate change as well.
Munchkin, you’re probably aware than the generally accepted healthy weight range for a five foot two inch tall female with a small frame is 108 to 121 pounds. Since there can be some health risks related to being underweight, you should probably have an extra slice of bruschetta or such every once in a while, particularly if you’re going to keep running like a Navy SEAL. 🙂
::End of avuncular lecture::
At the end of a long hard day, if I want to unwind with a few minutes of a late night TV talk show, it’s got to be funny and silly and diverting (and did I mention funny?), which to me means Craig Ferguson’s show. So what could possibly be better than Robin Williams and Craig Ferguson?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw9Evwb1vtQ
Ghost: Believe me, I get that all the time. I have to weigh in every single day in front of her. You don’t want to know how dressed.
I am sure everyone gets immune to Mother Nature, but the Detroit Metro area and the cities around Royal Oak got hammered with 3.5″ to 6″ of rain. Considering that many of the freeways are underground and there are many viaducts under RR tracks and it was a disaster.
I got within 2 blocks of home when I realized that I could not get under the RR tracks. We got 1.5″ in 30 minutes so the sewers could were severely overloaded. I waited patiently for 2 hours or so, when I talked with my so about a potential route home that would bypass the viaducts. I was never so happy to be home!
The next morning I got up at 5:00 in order to be at the airport for an 8:30 AM flight. Between the radio and the traffic feature on my phone, I was able to find a way there and made my flight. I was disappointed not see much coverage of a potentially tragic situation, but understand that famous people committing suicide interests more people. A lot of people IN THE Detroit area lost cars and personal property, but only 2 deaths. So, today is a day to embrace Life!