Forget About That "Secret" (and Invisible too, now) Corny Corner-Ribbon's Drivel! The Real Secret is HERE Indeed - not over there!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Luminous Kids!


Gloria Holden was Dracula's Daughter, as you all know...
And Abigail Hopkins is Hannibal Lecter's Daughter!
Not to say that some kids necessarily have to take after their rather perplexing sires... Especially not if they are "luminous kids"...!


ABIGAIL HOPKINS - gracious melancholy

She seems to have something in common with Chaplin too, but her daddy's really Sir Anthony Hopkins (who, oddly enough, also played gentle C.S. Lewis in-between memorable performances as the sadistic Hannibal... It's all about range, folks! Chaplin had it as well - he never got as many chances to show it, that's all! His own sad-eyed daughter, Geraldine, has gotten far more in that regard... She portrayed Mother Teresa, for Christ's sake! Amen to that! But she is not hailed as "cinematic royalty" as much as her father was - too bad. At least the plethora of ingénues who portrayed half-convincingly Lady Di on-screen were not forevermore put on a pedestal either...!)
With this sadness that appears to permeate the air around her, Abigail might be possessed by the spirit of the 1770's Abigail Hopkins (which would be eeriely similar to the case that inspired her dad's earliest American film work ; a tale of possession most likely and not any reincarnation of Audrey Rose as the film would have its audience believe... They pushed the reincarnation theory in that 1977 film and forced it down out throats when, just a year earlier, in 1976, they wouldn't really enforce any beliefs in the antichrist in The Omen, quite on the contrary, they made it seem as though the alternate theory -that it all was but rampant lunacy and a series of freak accidents that meant nothing really- was just as plausible to explain everything that was going on there... Odd, isn't it? But I digress...)
Abigail does look rosey yes (an in-joke - don't ask...!) and morose... Still, well, simply put, reincarnation CANNOT be for real... come on! Possession, to some degree, can be - and it does NOT have to be Exorcist-like either! It could just be a ghost "hanging out" around us... Influencing our moods, no more than that... But that is another story! A ghost story too!
The late 1900's/new millennium Abigail Hopkins is a singer/actress and is, thus, pursuing artistic ambitions of her own - while the 1700's Abigail Hopkins had artistic aspirations which were suppressed and never to be fulfilled... Most of us are like that, even nowadays when "so much opportunity is out there" - ha! So many hurdles too... (Yup - "another story" again!)
"Our" Abigail is in her late 30's (on that pic dating from 2002 she is) and she's so frail-looking you'd think she could be the daughter of one Joan Allen, the actress who played her father's wife in NIXON and with whom she does bare a striking resemblance too... How ironic is that, hmm? She must have a similar screen presence and acting style too - similar to "mom" there! ;)

I haven't had the privilege to catch any luminous performance by Abigail, actually - whether singing or acting - alas! Gloria Holden's performance as the count's offspring, though, was hailed as somewhat luminous - in a dark way though... Of course! Quite the anachronistic feat, wouldn't you say? ;)
Abigail Hopkins can pull that off too - I just know it!
And, again, kids need not be as "inquiétants" as their forebearers... (Had to put some French in there - sue me!)

All that talk about "possible possession" has some amusing resonance in the following facts, for those of you who were wondering... Abigail, the singer, released her debut album, "Smile Road", on a label conspicuously called... Possessed Records.

She started playing classical guitar at the tender age of seven too - a definite sign, surely... Hey, similar facts served as "evidence" for Audrey Rose, so...!

In upcoming editions of "Luminous Kids", we'll discover them as we analyze the burdens and merits of the offspring of such stalwarts as John Ritter, Romy Schneider, Barbara Eden and many more...!

No, Aaron Spelling's lineage will never make it here! ;)

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Friday, November 17, 2006

Luminous MP3 Player 2.0 / Luminous Friday Night Videos Double Bill

+++
Well then, as promised, another 30-odd selection of my favorite MP3s that used to be on here has been replaced with a hyperlink after its 14 days of fame on TLB Prime - a move made necessary for proper "non-cacophonic/chaotic" archival purposes! If you wish to listen to the stupendous selection of songs that were once adorning this post (some of which are available -I hope they still are anyway- on the video form below, courtesy of YouTube.com) you may listen to the whole 30 song selection here!
However, this is was supposed to be a LFNV post - and it has to be, for there to be something worth the trip once it is part of the luminous archives here...!
Hence, I offer you some videos of the songs found on the version 2.0 mentioned above...
Indeed, the fine observer with a fine ear and a keen eye for details will notice that virtually all of these songs have special meaning for me... A song for anger management, a song for nostalgia, another song for nostalgia, and another one, and another one...!!! And so on... Others, though, such as "Abacab" and "Slow", are just there for the "rockier" beat that they bring to the overall picture!
One has to up the tempo sometimes, right?
Anyhow...! Enjoy them all! Videos or MP3s! Here or there!




Catherine Wheel is a band - not a girl!
It still needs specifying for some...
Their hit "Black Metallic" is one of those "unforgettable melodies" that one can never forget once you've listened to it...
The song itself has a very allegorical story to tell which comes a distant second to its strikingly catchy melody, verily...




Chevelle - with their hit "The Red" - is a most unorthodox Christian Rock band... Proof positive that even us Christian boys can have "issues", anger within us, rebellion of sorts... All the while remaining good, commendable God-fearing folks! :) Sure, we can!
I know that I've been "in the red" myself for quite some time now - but you have as bad a year as my 2006 has been and you'll be in the red too!
Trust me on that one!
Look for Chevelle to rise to the top in 2007 - they have got all the tools for it!
I still think of cheval (French for horse) whenever I hear their name but that's another story...




Music connaisseurs and aficionados will recognize this classic video immediately, from its very first few seconds...
Astute viewers will notice that the "bad guy" of the piece is the ferryman - not the singer who, for some lesser minds, was thought to be a ghoulish fiend (maybe even a vampire) in this video...
Gee, you can't blame a guy for being a smart consumer!
Just do as he says and DO NOT pay the damn ferryman until he DOES get you to the other side - dammit! It's very sound advice!
And the man dispensing it is simply not being heeded nor thanked for it!




"Clocks keep on ticking, ticking, ticking... Into the future!" No, that's not it - that's actually another song by another band! Hmm... "Time goes by... So slowly..." No, that's not it either! That's something else by another artist still! Let's see if I can get it straight now... "Make this moment a little bit longer... Time Stand Still!"
Ok - I give up! That was not it either - that was something by RUSH!
For some odd reason, most hits by Coldplay are not easily remembered by their lyrics - that is attributable to the fact that some of their songs have titles that are not even part of the lyrics per say...! With the notable exception of Yellow... doh!
That is not the video above, of course...
The song there is another unforgettable melody one cannot tire of!

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Thursday, November 16, 2006

Yet another luminous product...!

Should I sue? (What - again?!?)
Or should I rather buy some stock in this!? ;)
Heck, I'll even fully endorse the thing - if the price is right!


Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
If every household in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road. CFLs provide high-quality light, smart technology, and design, requiring less energy while lasting longer than typical incandescent bulbs.

Earning the ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use 66% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 32-watt CFL can save you at least $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs operate at less than 100F, they are also safer than typical halogen bulbs, which are frequently used in floor lamps or torchieres and burn at 1,000F. Due to their high heat output, halogens can cause burns and fires. CFLs are cool to the touch.

Remember, saving energy prevents pollution.
ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs provide the same amount of light (lumens) as standard incandescent bulbs, but have lower wattage ratings. This means they use less energy and cause less pollution. If you are unfamiliar with the best CFL wattage to use for your lighting needs, always refer to the lumen, or light output on the product packaging as your guide. For example, most 60-watt incandescents provide around 800 lumens, so look for ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs that provide 800 lumens or more.

Use the table below to become familiar with the lumen or light output range for the most popular residential incandescent bulbs.


Dare to compare...!

A-shaped Incandescent Bulb (Watts) > Typical Lumens (Measure of Light Output)
40 > 450
60 > 800
75 > 1,100
100 > 1,600
150 > 2,600


Ahh - yes! It is good to be king!




I guess that this means something more humanitarian now (as in "I am thinking of all of you folks - I want your homes well-lit! Especially in the dark of the night, on these cold winters we have..." Would you buy that?) And it also means something more financially lucrative - for me! (Indeed, it is all about having you buy the luminous Lumens-efficient CFLs! Especially if I own stock there...!!!) Hmm... Who would have thought that I, the first guy to down the CFL (Canadian Football League that is) and define its acronym as "the Comedy Football League" - I would be championing a CFL now...! Ahh - the irony! I am NOT a cheerleader per se, though - whoa, hold it right there right now! At this point, I should probably point out that I am a true connaisseur, that's all... And the smartest damn consumer around this side of dixie or something...! If I do say so myself... ;)
I'm not an easy customer to satisfy nor to please, that is for damn sure!
If CFLs are A-OK in my book - chances are great that they'll be A-OK in your book too! Even if you live in Timbuktu or something...! But I digress...!

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Heads up - heads are rolling at the movies...


I am not quite sure if this is appropriate for either the luminous or lugubrious blogs - but it seems like a perfect excuse to put up my summary selection of "all-time great movies" - so, here it goes, the main event du jour on TLB Prime! And not just a sidebar after-thought...

Moviehead is dead - long live the movieheads?
For the record, "Moviehead" Matt Hawkins hosted the sometimes amusing (if not always hilarious) segment on specialty channel "mpix" (formerly known as... Moviepix.) 329 times over the course of about five years... He had thus the privileged opportunity to poke fun and parody while pseudo-analyzing the merits and flaws -as well as socio-politico-cultural context of- hundreds of classic films, ending with the 1958 BLOB this past Halloween night... That final tear-jerker of an episode can be seen here.
It is worth a laugh or two, so do check it out...
And then come right back here - I'm not done yet!



my frazy music, movies and books!

I always did wonder exactly how many of these great films -in all genres, almost- that you can see the DVD jackets of, above, ol' moviehead really did review after all... I never bothered verifying but some titles are obvious picks - and those are certainly NOT the top three there... The fact is, most of the films I did select are not broadcast on "mpix" (not to be confused, by the way, with that other mpix now...!) - not the majority of my *elite* picks, that is for sure! My selections are not all feature films either, I admit - but those that are, still elude mpix's grasp for the most part... They are the kind of fare that winds up on more artsy channels such as "Bravo!" for some unfathomable reason...

Ah - and I would be remiss if I did not address the typo that I would not correct, for to do so, I would be wrecking havoc with the order in which all of my picks would appear on the slideshow above - and I will not allow the Night of the Living Dead to crack the top five just because I typed in "bejeebers" instead of "bejeevers"... Aye - with "My Frazy", one has to think of these things because they make your LATEST addition the top one... That goes for the latest edit too... Must be following a typical hollywoodian mindset there, I am sure - "you're only as good as your last performance" or something... Anyhow, slang is not my style -normally- and I will rather leave it there as it is - with the typo gently mocking modern lingo, hence...
I wouldn't have done it better if I done it on purpose, I think...!


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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

This And That Tuesday - Take Three - This is it - That's it, That's all!

This time out, we'll just send out warnings left and right the way they come to me...

That shall suffice, one dares hope, to get the message across to somebody...!!!

This trend going on right now in Hollywood for instance - it has to stop!
Puh-leeze folks - steer clear of the Batty family or the muties for two seconds!

Movies today - with all that wonderful CGI available - are WASTED on losers like Blade, Daredevil, Catwoman and the LXG... Why? Because they are substantially cheaper to produce; that's why!
Make films worth making PLEASE - it should not have been Constantine, it should have been Deadman... Or The Spectre... Or better yet (in my book) - Phantom Stranger!

Likewise, traditional superheroics in the grimy urban setting could be revisited for the umpteenth time... OR... One could be more creative and visit a wondrous world below the waves with AQUAMAN... Or explore the starry ways with SILVER SURFER - two far better choices in my estimation than giving the creepy Ghost Rider a shot - ever! It is bad enough that Hellboy got done already... :(
Fanboys - quit supporting the crap and get behind worthier characters!
Remember that the genuine "good guys" are NOT supposed to be the ones who look beefier when they are covered by their quarries' hemoglobin - nor are they the sexier eye-candy -when they are female, duh- "bad babes" when they are being excessively violent for little or no good reason...
Worthier characters are found in those that can, somehow, espouse the beauty of their environment and fight to protect it in a clean, "non-blooshed-prone" way...! Support THOSE for a change!
That is - if you can't find better to do with your time and cashflow...!!!

That's it for THAT...

Now, for this trend in the considerably far less wondrous universe of POLITICS...
Truly, it is an aberration to think that anyone elected will KEEP THEIR WORD... Haven't we seen this enough times already to just, like, know better?!?
Candidates will promise a lot of things - during their CAMPAIGNS...
Once elected, for a myriad of reasons, sure, they will recant and go back on their word... Oftentimes, they are not exactly rotten to the core and crooked beyond belief - they just find out that they cannot bend the damn system to fit what is RIGHT... Proof and ample evidence right there that THE SYSTEM SUCKS... But that is another sadly sordid story right there as well...
So before you rejoice too much, Pombo-ites and other assorted candidates fan clubs, think of THIS... And of THAT!

That is not to say that we cannot BE THE CHANGE that we seek in society... In the world at large... In our own homes, certainly... In our city, in our town... In our own small way, each and every single one of us can and should do a little bit of something to steer our surroundings towards a more proper path - hopefully not in any sort of gaudy way either...! We can't do much, maybe, but we can do SOMETHING, surely...! Leading by example is always the most convincing way of all possible ways - it sure beats the tar out of empty politician's promises, I tell you!

This could be the start of a new beginning for us all...
That is, IF my luminous advice is heeded...!
Aye - it is a big, huge, monumental IF indeed...

Link

Monday, November 13, 2006

Monday Madness!!!

Actual Product Warnings found on everyday items you can purchase just about anywhere:

* "Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish." -- On a bottle of shampoo for dogs.

* "For external use only!" -- On a curling iron.

* "Warning: This product can burn eyes." -- On a curling iron.

* "Do not use in shower." -- On a hair dryer.

* "Do not use while sleeping." -- On a hair dryer.

* "Do not use while sleeping or unconscious." -- On a hand-held massaging device.

* "Do not place this product into any electronic equipment." -- On the case of a chocolate CD in a gift basket.

* "Recycled flush water unsafe for drinking." -- On a toilet at a public sports facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

* "Shin pads cannot protect any part of the body they do not cover." -- On a pair of shin guards made for bicyclists.

* "This product not intended for use as a dental drill." -- On an electric rotary tool.

* "Caution: Do not spray in eyes." -- On a container of underarm deodorant.

* "Do not drive with sunshield in place." -- On a cardboard sunshield that keeps the sun off the dashboard.

* "Caution: This is not a safety protective device." -- On a plastic toy helmet used as a container for popcorn.

* "Do not use near fire, flame, or sparks." -- On an "Aim-n-Flame" fireplace lighter.

* "Battery may explore or leak." -- On a battery. See a scanned image.

* "Do not eat toner." -- On a toner cartridge for a laser printer.

* "Not intended for highway use." -- On a 13-inch wheel on a wheelbarrow.

* "This product is not to be used in bathrooms." -- On a Holmes bathroom heater.

* "May irritate eyes." -- On a can of self-defense pepper spray.

* "Eating rocks may lead to broken teeth." -- On a novelty rock garden set called "Popcorn Rock."

* "Caution! Contents hot!" -- On a Domino's Pizza box.

* "Caution: Hot beverages are hot!" -- On a coffee cup.

* "Warning: May contain small parts." -- On a frisbee.

* "Do not use orally." -- On a toilet bowl cleaning brush.

* "Please keep out of children." -- On a butcher knife.

* "Not suitable for children aged 36 months or less." -- On a birthday card for a 1 year old.

* "Do not recharge, put in backwards, or use." -- On a battery.

* "Warning: Do not use on eyes." -- In the manual for a heated seat cushion.

* "Do not look into laser with remaining eye." -- On a laser pointer.

* "Do not use for drying pets." -- In the manual for a microwave oven.

* "For use on animals only." -- On an electric cattle prod.

* "For use by trained personnel only." -- On a can of air freshener.

* "Keep out of reach of children and teenagers." -- On a can of air freshener.

* "Remember, objects in the mirror are actually behind you." -- On a motorcycle helmet-mounted rear-view mirror.

* "Warning: Riders of personal watercraft may suffer injury due to the forceful injection of water into body cavities either by falling into the water or while mounting the craft." -- In the manual for a jetski.

* "Warning: Do not climb inside this bag and zip it up. Doing so will cause injury and death." -- A label inside a protective bag (for fragile objects), which measures 15cm by 15cm by 12cm.

* "Do not use as ear plugs." -- On a package of silly putty.

Now, my luminous two cents worth here...
Isn't it just too bad PLANET EARTH, our bodies and brains and, most importantly, SOULS did not ALSO come with warning labels...?
Just imagine the thickness of the instruction manuals that would be coming with THOSE "purchases"...
Alas, it is customers that are thick...
And yet - the customers are always right!
Cardinal rule number one of being in business - right Benny? ;)

Link

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Statistics Sundays - Unalarming Edition - But Take Heed Still... Ok?

Unbelievably, in the computer age, statistics north of the 49th parallel have shown that there has been an INCREASE instead of a decrease of paper usage and WASTING between the years 1983 and 2003...

Twenty years - seems to be the theme of this week-end here, on TLB Prime!
Twenty long years and nothing has improved for the environment as far as deforestation goes - it is still on and in full bloom, so to speak ironically... It is in progress while our eco-system is in regress!
And it is not just computers that are failing to waste less paper (we print out way too much junk - that's what it is!) but the substitution of cash, the change from having one and two dollar bills in Canada -replacing those with coins- has not had any short term impact whatsoever on paper usage... The only short term impact it has had, is to weigh down considerably our pockets and wallets - and the old ladies really connect and hurt their targets when they take to hitting us over our heads with their purses! Heck - *as velhas biatas* can K.O. just about anybody now! I'll never help another old bag cross the street again - ever! But that is another story (well, not really this time - I'm putting you on! That sort of thing - the ungrateful old lady who turns on the guy who helps her cross the street - did happen to a friend of a friend of mine, but not to me! :) Phew! *lol*
But I digress...!

The long term effect of switching to durable coins and computers was not only less paper used but more efficiency across the wire... Has it been accomplished? Coins will last forever but cost more to produce (duh!) and "long term" is too far off to even see... Also, old habits die hard - we keep files in memory banks but like it neatly printed to read... Too bad for our forests, eh? It was a good thought, a neat idea, but not feasible in the end! It is just too bad... But we can live with that - RIGHT? Oops - forgot the much-needed photosynthesis in all that, didn't they? Bah - we still have the oceans... Oops - polluted to death! Well, life on Earth was "good" (sort of) while it lasted... eh?

Aye - and this was an "unalarming" edition...
Just imagine...!

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