Top 5: Robert Goulet Edition

In honor of Robert Goulet, I present my top 5 favorite things that involved Robert Goulet. I'll be honest, it was a little harder to come up with 5 than I thought it would.

5. The G-Men From Hell -
Not a good movie at all, which is a shame, because I dug the comic book. Still Robert Goulet as a chronically misunderstood and depressed Satan is pretty damn funny.

4. You Don't Love Me Anymore
I admit, I'm a sucker for Weird Al. This video parody of Extreme's 'More Than Words' features Goulet.


3. Emerald Nuts
Just bizarre enough to be good.


2. Beetlejuice
Remember when Michael Keaton was funny? Good times...I love this movie.


1. The Coconut Bangers Ball
Classic Will Ferrell. Doesn't get better than the staring contest at the end. Pretty much the entire reason I did the list

All Hallows' Eve Kashyyyk Style

Another fine contribution to society by the Irish. I'm not even mad...I'm impressed.

Be Proud Lodge

Our SoCal contingent from Fantasy Football, Flex Appeal, has done the Lodge proud.

The only thing that can top this is if Hollywood 2.0 drives down the i-5 from L.A.; in RED & YELLOW and asks Flex Appeal,


"Whatcha gonna do, Macho Man Randy Savage, when the largest arms in the world and Hulkamania, runs wild on you!?"

It would make for the best Lodge Halloween story ever.

He's Baaaaaaaaaack

JR Hasty Returns to the Dawgs

"I've just got to keep working hard and eliminate the mental mistakes and mental errors in protection and running the ball,'' he said.

Little Person Of The Week

So just now I'm watching Jimmy Kimmel Live just now and see this clip from VH1's I Love New York 2 where... well, you just have to watch the clip for yourself...

Style Smackdown

Its that time of year again where I share my joy that combines aggression and art. B-boy battles. Last week marked the end of Battle of the Year 2007. Yet again the national feuds flare for France and Korea. Its a cold war of sorts.Germany yet again sits as the stageplace where the barriers of style seek to clash. Each country stockpiling new crews, bboys, and moves; and every year coming to close calls and the politics of dancing as it seems.

Lets run a recap so you can see the new millenium drama:
2001 - 1st FRA 4th KOR
2002 - 1st KOR 2nd FRA
2003 - 1st KOR 2nd FRA
2004 - 1st KOR 2nd FRA
2005 - 1st KOR 2nd JPN 4th FRA
2006 - 1st FRA 2nd KOR
2007 - 1st KOR 2nd JPN 3rd FRA



MVP: that guy with the white hat & gear
Notables: great use of elbow balancing
Funnies: the crews just yell at each other inanely
Music Props:good use bringing back The Fifth Dimension breaks


Next post: results from the 2007 UK B-boy Championships

Why AVP2 Will Suck

That pretty much sums it up for me. I get the whole "Alien takes on attributes of its host"...but this just looks dumb. Maybe I'm just bummed because the Red Band & Regular teaser trailers look so damn cool. Still...I take a look at this picture and I can just picture him with a bongo and a joint in an SNL skit.

I guess it doesn't matter...I'm still gonna see it. They'll have my money either way...

Jayne's Addictions

Today marks the beginning of a limited run of ‘Blade Runner: The Final Cut’ at the Cinerama theater on 4th & Lenora. Twenty five years after this film was first released as Blade Runner has now had two additional cuts released and is now considered one of the great films of all time (#97 on AFI’s 100 greatest films). Not bad for a film that was initially a box office and critical disaster.’

In anticipation of the new ‘Final Cut’ of Blade Runner, I thought I’d offer up a little primer for the lodge.

First off, there’s the obvious question: “If they’ve already done a directors cut, what the hell is this ‘Final Cut’ bull@#$%?”

The simple answer is that the directors cut, wasn’t actually the directors cut. A little back story...

‘The Original Version’

The producers of Blade Runner were very nervous about the film. Test audiences found Ridley Scott’s initial cuts to be too confusing. So they took the film into their own hands and made a lot of alterations to make the film more clear.

Most notably was the addition of a voice over narrative by Harrison Ford. Very noir-ish, the voice over works stylistically with the film, but they don’t tell you anything you can’t figure out for yourself, making it somewhat redundant (unless you just prefer someone to tell you what you just saw). Some cuts were made to tone down the violence, although most of these cuts were included in international versions of the film, and the dream was also cut, as it was deemed ‘too artsy’. The other big change was the addition of a happy ending, in the form of Deckard and Rachel driving into the country to be together. Interestingly enough this footage is actually taken from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’.

‘The Directors Cut’

This is where things get tricky, as to call it a ‘Directors Cut’ isn’t exactly true. Back in 1991, someone came across a work print of Blade Runner that somewhat resembles what we now know as the directors cut. It made the rounds at various film festivals to enthusiastic responses. Ridley Scott himself, wasn’t exactly pleased about it, because Work Prints by nature are very rough, and really isn’t designed for public viewing.

Warner Brothers, got the idea of doing a directors cut of the film and offered it to Ridley, who at the time had to refuse at the time as he was in preproduction on another film. So armed with some notes from Ridley Scott and the work print, Warner Brothers set out to make the ‘Directors Cut’ in what ended up being a very rushed manner.

Most notably the Directors Cut removes Deckard’s voice over and the happy ending, and reintroduces the Unicorn dream sequence implying Deckard’s true nature.

‘The Final Cut’

While Ridley Scott has said he is happier with the Directors Cut of the film, he never felt entirely comfortable with the cut and wanted the opportunity to truly re cut the film himself with 100% artistic control. Back in 2000, he finally got his chance, completing the new cut in 2001, the film suddenly found itself in a tangled legal dispute until 2006 (If I recall, it had to do with Warner Bros wanting to ensure that they were able to secure full rights to the film at a time when the rights were getting close to reverting to another party).

As for what has changed...here’s a list of what I’ve read about so far...

• Cables have been digitally removed from the Spinners.
• Bryant now says that TWO Replicants were fried, thus eliminating that annoying "6 - 1 does not equal 4" equation. This dialogue was originally recorded.
• Tyrell's thumb has been removed from Roy's shoulder in the phone booth.
• Snake scale serial number has been corrected.
• Zhora crashing through plate glass windows - Joanna Cassidy's face has been refilmed and edited onto the stunt woman.
• When Roy releases the dove, it now flies into a darker cloudy sky, more in keeping with the rest of the film.
• When Deckard "takes a moment" out on the balcony of his apartment, there is now a geisha girl displayed on the building in the background.
• The shot of Deckard waiting to eat at the White Dragon has been shortened, its editing reminiscent of the workprint version of the shot. This was done due to the removal of the voiceover.
• All the violent scenes in the International Cut that were deleted in the U.S. theatrical release and Director's Cut are restored to the Final Cut.
• When Bryant and Deckard are looking at the Nexus-6 profiles, Bryant gives a description of Leon's job. This was from the workprint.
• When Gaff and Deckard first appear at Leon's apartment, the landlord now says "Kowalski". Another small bit originally from the workprint.
• Deckard's conversation with the snake merchant Abdul Ben Hassan has been altered so that the dialog is no longer out of sync; Ben Ford's mouth (lip-syncing the spoken dialog) was digitally placed over his father's.
• A shot of the busy crowds in the streets was restored. Immediately after that, a shot of two strippers wearing hockey masks was restored. Finally, there's a shot of Deckard talking to another police officer. These three shots had previously appeared in slightly different form in the work print version.
• The original full-length version of the unicorn dream has been restored. This is a much different version than the one that appeared in the Director's Cut, and has never been in any version seen by the public prior to this one.
• When Batty confronts Tyrell, he says, "I want more life, father." (from the workprint version and used in television broadcasts of the film), as opposed to the original line "I want more life, @#$%er."
• After killing Tyrell, Batty says "I'm sorry Sebastian. Come. Come." when before he merely approached the desperate Sebastian. This is also from the workprint.

From what I've read there are actually a lot of little tweaks. A shot is slightly shortened here, a shot is switched around there, etc. One of the big reasons for this actually goes back to the original version with the narration. A lot of shots had to be adjusted to fit all the narration in. When the directors cut came out the narration was removed, but the shot wasn't re-worked. Should be an interesting experience....

There really isn’t anything I could say about this movie that hasn’t been said a hundred times before. It’s quite simply one of the greatest films ever made, and one of my favorites. It’s nice to finally see it really get the treatment it deserves. The DVD that originally came out for it was never a great transfer, and I’ve never really seen a well re-mastered print of the film. You’d think that a film as visually renowned as this one would have had the full treatment by now...but, better late then never I suppose. As excited as I am to see it on the big screen, I’m also really looking forward to see how it looks in HD-DVD.

Revolving Doors

Jimbo appropriately placed Bellevue High legend JR Hasty in the pic of the day today, setting up a week of hirings and firings around the globe. I'm not sure Hasty earned his playing time with his frequent academic ineligibility and questionable dropping in and out of the program. That doesn't exactly exude confidence in a player. Good luck in I-AA, JR.

Rewind earlier to the week and we see the US Women's National Soccer Team coach getting the boot, less than a month after his now infamous goalie switch of Jimbo's GK fave Hope Solo (pictured on the left). So I failed to watch even one match of the Women's 2007 World Cup. The fact this fabulous story came out of it was good enough for me. The media jumping all over the goalie for speaking her mind and calling out a huge mistake by her coach was reminiscent of Cameragate and the Pats. The media's holier-than-thou attitude "policing" others with moral rules is the definition of hypocrisy, if you ask me. That, and I just found Jimbo's desktop wallpaper for his work computer with this pic of Solo. Oh, and Hope is from Seattle also, Jimbo. Check her MySpace page.

Now we come to yesterday, when the SG's forgotten team, Tottenham Hotspur, sacking Martin Jol from his post as team manager. Now, normally I wouldn't praise any firing of a fellow Dutchman. But this move was long overdue. Spurs haven't been competitive enough with the talent they have assembled at White Hart Lane. Jol's insistence on rotating his players in and out is archaic and I'd be frustrated if I were playing for Tottenham also.

Ending with some positive hirings... since most of you probably didn't notice, but in America's pastime, the Seattle Mariners locked up Mel Stottlemyre as pitching coach, and soon to be named third-base coach Larry Bowa also returning to the Emerald City. I like the moves... the more former managers you have around the better. Especially firey managers like Bowa, who add a much needed spark to a clubhouse that has been asleep for the past 5 years under the softspoken Melvin and Hargrove. It's good to have you back, Larry.

The Cal Choke

(Image linked to video recap)

I usually don't watch college games, but I got stuck on the 4th quarter with this one.

"Youngsters do make mistakes."

Gooses Take: The Art of the Tackle

So over the last several years I have grown disenchanted with defenses in College and the NFL. I have noticed more and more players in the leagues do not know how to tackle. Im really glad the Ken Hamlin is gone as his tackling has been a pet peeve of mine for years. I thought I would give everyone Goose breakdown of "technique tackling". Remember this next time you think you saw a great hit on Sportcenter and you'll realize that some of the best sportcenter plays are lucky tackles with poor technique

The Art of the Tackle

1) Start with your Angle of Pursuit. Most Football tackles are not head on, they involve an angle. When you approach a ball carrier, .Stay low, knees bent, arms at your side in a position like you are about to draw two pistols (I call this gunslingers).

2) As you close in break down (lower your body) and widen your base for stability. Watch the hips of the ball carrier. Arms, legs, ball, head can all juke. But the Hips will tell you where the ball carrier is going. A wise coach once taught me "Hips dont Lie" (Sorry Shakira, It belonged to Coach Olague well before you were born)

3) CAGE THE BALL!!. Get your body across the ball carrier and put your facemask on the ball (Helps to position you and force fumbles). Not getting your body across forces you to tackle with Arms and not shoulders.

4) Explode in an upward motion, keeping your facemask on the ball, Aim for a point 2-3 yards behind the ball carrier, go through the ball carrier to that point behind him.

5) WRAP!! During your explosion go from a Gunslinger and explode your arms along the side of his hips, squeezing and locking them behind. Do not let go. Keep the feet square and chopping, aiming for that point 2 yards behind the ball carrier..

6) Drive the ball carrier back, once his forward motion has been stopped by your tackle, drive him to the ground.

Repeat every play until you win the game.

There was a great quote by 49ers LB Patrick Willis about the fundamental teachings of his coach, Mike Singletary

"One thing he teaches us is about to play technique-sound, to use our techniques. Playing linebacker is just a lot easier when you take a blow and keep your balance and keep your leverage to be able to come off and make a play. Sometimes you see linebackers play too high and they get pushed around and they really don't have any explosiveness when it comes to making a play. So one thing he teaches us is to play low and take on blocks, not run around blocks."

Gooses Take: I get so tired of these players that lower the shoulder and turn to the side, then when a player bounces off of them, the runner gets credit for "Taking the hit". Tackling is horrid in football from high school up, because coaches stop teaching fundamentals and start worrying about X's and O's

I need to get this in the Lodge ASAP...

I'm sure this is ancient news to MCP, but figured I'd share with the rest of you: Vader Project

Thanks NBC...

Just in case anyone in the NFL was curious....

FFL Week 6 Wrap-Up

Questions of interest:

Can he be stopped?



Why are you still the bomb?


... and, the Saints SLAP seattle.

Vegas Review

Vegas. Sin City. We were charged with getting pictures around the city, but was foiled by the wife taking the camera for her clubbing experiences. Once again, Rule #1 comes into play: “Women ruin everything.” Even though she had the camera, did she get a picture of AC Slater celebrating his birthday at the club Pure in Caesar’s Palace? No. Not even a picture of Screech.

Upon driving in, only less than 4 hours of driving time – including a quick pit stop at Del Taco (the Southwest’s Taco Bell rival – different name, same D grade meat) – I made a quick call to Goose for a Blackjack 101 recap: Split on Ace’s and 8’s… be aggressive or passive according to the dealer’s face card… don’t be afraid to get up for a minute if you don’t feel comfortable or the dealer is a closer… you know, the basics.

My brother-in-law, Robbie DeLong, and I walked around Vegas, taking in the “splendor” of basically human greed all around us. From the clicking of the porn cards being passed out by Mexicans on the sidewalks to the enormous sports books in the larger Bellagio and Bally’s casinos, the senses are overloaded in Vegas. So it wasn’t a surprise when we met up with Jimbo, Dude and the Kennish, that the Kennish was getting aspirin for a sensory overload headache.

[Crazy side story: Robbie and I were walking by the Flamingo Casino, which has a building size picture of Toni Braxton on the side on their casino (Vegas: where entertainers go to die!), there was a dancing cage with… no joke… a retarded girl dancing inside. We tried not to look. But how can you not. She even had some dollars in her hiked up jeans. It was so wrong, it wasn’t even right. Just wrong. I feel bad even passing on the story. Of course, we still were angry that Jenny had the camera at the club she was at. Don’t judge.]

Later on, our newly former posse went out to test our Blackjack skills. With a helpful hint from Goose, we decided to hit the cheaper tables on the North end of town, not coincidently in the older casinos. If my memory serves me right, Jimbo, Dude and myself were down after the first night… with Robbie alone making a profit and going up around 40 bucks. Not bad for a first-time 21 year old drummer playing on a 3 dollar table.

The following day we hit some sports books, walked around (I must have walked 10 miles each day… until we found the monorail behind the east side of the strip that you can hop when no ones looking.), and drank. I’m pretty sure Robbie and I had at least one drink every 2 hours for the entire 48 hours we were in Vegas.

Saturday night rolls around and we decide to hit up the Sahara like old times. The A-Team stayed at the Sahara 6 years ago when we went to Vegas, and it’s still there. Hasn’t changed a bit. Jimbo and Dude found a room with 70’s themed tables and Jimbo was firmly planted at the Bob Dylan table. The Kennish was one table over, it looked like she was doing well. Dude was getting killed, and I’m pretty sure he was drinking more because of it. He’d disappear for what seemed hours at a time, then sit down, lose 20 more bucks and disappear again.

The night turned at one point and we all started winning (except Dude, of course), the cocktail waitress started showing up more frequently, and Dylan was good to us. We had become comfortable with the game of Blackjack. Hitting and staying became second nature, and the whiskey was flowing in our veins. Whiskey was probably in ours veins until Tuesday morning. Of course, Rule #1 had come into play again, as Jenny refused to drive home. It was Sunday Morning Coming Down, with a Vegas twist.

Et Tu Chewie?

First off...I love the name 'Hollywood 2.0'...definitely a keeper. It's bad enough that 1/8 of The Lodge has gone SoCal and now this....unfrickinbelievable. I'm perfectly aware that the Skywalker Ranch is located in California...northern California...but up until very recently, the big guy has resided in the hills outside of Butte, MT. This photo was snapped by the paparazzi just last night outside of a nightclub in L.A. He was subsequently followed at high speed towards Pasadena until he was able to elude his pursuers. It's only a matter of time until he shows up at the Playboy Mansion sipping a cold one with the ladies. What is the world coming to?!

Gooses Take : The New FB....Fred McCrary

I know, 25 carries for 31yds in his career wont raise any eyebrows or get you to pick him up on your Lodge Fantasy team, but lets get the low down on the Seahawks replacement for Mack Strong, Fred McCrary

Full Name: Freddy Demetrius McCrary
Born: September 19, 1972
Naples, FL
Height: 6-0
Weight: 247 lbs.
Age: 35
Pos: RB
Experience: 11 years
College: Mississippi State

Pro Highlights: Led Chargers in special Teams tackles twice, played in a West Coast offense on Ray Rhodes Eagles team in 1995. Caught a career best 37 passes in 2000.

Gooses Take

So obviously this is a stop gap signing. Leanord Weaver is obviously the new FB. But McCrary is a solid player. FB's in the West coast need to do two things, block and catch passes. Can he learn the Blocking Schemes and the pass routes quickly? If so he might add some value. Dont forget as a lead blocker, his job is simply to put a helmet on the defender, its up to the RB behind him to read the block and make a cut. He may also add some value on the special teams...FB's make great wedge busters on Kickoff Returns

So Long Mack...You Will Be Missed

Wow....this just hurts on so many levels. It was just announced that Mack Strong suffered a season ending neck injury against the Steelers...and he has just officially announced his retirement from the NFL.

I think I can speak on behalf of all of us in The Lodge when I say that Mack Strong epitomizes class and toughness, and I am glad that he can walk away from the game with his long-term health intact...I simply wish that it was under better circumstances.

Seattle PI link here.

The Vegas Photo Scavenger hunt

So after getting off the phone with Joe, arming him with the Blackjack 101 rules, I gave him a project that he Dude and Jimbo must complete. A little Lodge Photo scavenger hunt.

I requested 5 pictures that must include a Lodge Member

1) A picture of Sigfried and Roy's statue, with your head in the tigers Mouth...Tasteless but always funny

2) A picture of a Whorehouse outside of Clark County, or a Street Walker with a Lodge member

3) A picture of a Lodge member accepting Street Porn

4) Lodge Members watching the Bellagio fountain (Like Oceans 11)

5) Picture of Lodge member with Celebrity Impersonator

Mixed Bag

The Big guy...spotted passing several people on the way to winning his age group at the annual Skywalker Ranch 5-K. I am forced to wonder if there are any other up-and-coming runners that will ever be in Chewbacca's "age group". How old is he anyway? Incidentally, that guy he's passing looks a bit demoralized...

Another random news story today, I was very surprised to read this story from down under. I always assumed that Mrs. Potatohead was the shady one. Is it surprising that this was a shipment from Ireland? This may explain how those crazy Irish are able to eat raw potatoes whenever necessary.

Since the Lodge headline and POD already cover a little CL news of the day, we might as well stay in that region of the globe and enjoy the Celtic triumph over Milan last night.

The video below is a highlight of the final goal. Celtic ended up scoring near the end of the match to go up 2-1 which was a big upset in terms of this game. Apparently both teams played a pretty intense matchup last season for a trip to the semifinals and AC Milan won that game in the final minute....so you know what payback is huh? However, after the goal is scored and the Celtic fans basically tear the stadium down. Some douchebag decided to jump from the stand and go after Dida. By go after, I mean to barely touch Dida in the neck while running by. Dida then takes about 5 steps and looks like he was shot, or that fan knew the 5-point exploding heart technique from Kill Bill.

Are you fricking kidding me? This is the kind of crap that I have to deal with when I explain soccer to people. Incidentally, the guy ended up turning himself in to authorities and has been banned from Celtic matches for life....but it's the behavior of that frickin' Brazilian goalie that I can't stand.

I'll quote GWB when I say that in an attempt to make this post even more "multi-topical", we'll bring it back to the mainland for a quick preview of this weeks Seahawks matchup against the Pittsburgh Stealers. I know that I picked the 'Hawks to lose this game in my prediction post (we can always root for a little reverse jinx action), but I have just one comment to make on this because it's the first time in awhile that I can honestly say that Mike Holmgren has truly impressed me as a coach. Why is this? #15 - Seneca Wallace.

Just by including him in last week's win against SF, he has forced the Pittsburgh coaching staff to gameplan for him in case he is brought into the game. Will he pass? Will he catch? ...maybe neither...maybe he comes in and Shaun Alexander breaks one off in the other direction. We have been waiting for Holmgren to take Seneca out of his shiny wrapping and unleash the potential that we all know is there....and here we go. Whether or not the guy actually touches the ball or not, the simple fact is that just having the idea planted in opposing defenders' minds, could potentially open up the offense in a way that we haven't seen before. Hats off to the Walrus....and GO HAWKS!

Most Overrated Seattle Sports Athlete Ever...Go....

So thanks to the Times for their annual..."This is Swifty's year because _____ and his Ink work", so it got me thinking...has their been a Seattle athlete that has received more press for accomplishing nothing? I ask the Lodge to give me their top 5....

I feel the need....

On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of it's pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it:

Through March or 2008 the Cinerama Theater is going to be showcasing 70mm prints of films. As the one of the only remaining theaters in Seattle capable of showing films in 70mm this is a really cool opportunity.

Starting this series off is none other than Top @#$%ing Gun!

The remaining screenings are:

10/2 - 8 PM (the showing I'll be attending)

10/7 - Noon

10/9 - 8 PM

If you haven't had the chance to see a 70mm film @ Cinerama, it is worth checking out. Plus it's Top Gun...you can't beat that!