I know this is childish and immature, but then so is 90 percent of what's out there on the Internet.
It struck me the other day while driving back from the Great White Northland that there are a lot of streets/roads/highways around the KC Metro area that -- in a certain frame of mind anyway -- have vaguely dirty sounding names.
So that led me to compile this week's Top Ten Thursday category:
Top Ten KC Metro Area Street Names That Sound Vaguely Dirty
10) Congress Street
9) Springhorn Lane
8) Dickman Avenue
7) Eaton Street
6) Bushman Drive
5) Woodend Drive
4) Hancock Avenue
3) Longwood Avenue
2) Johnson Drive
1) 69 Highway
Honorable mention goes to Beaver Drive up in Cowgill, Mo.
Okay pervs, submit to the comments any streets I missed.
With the tough economic times getting tougher, and the potential for low-down dirty greed and graft growing, I figure it's a good time to come out with my list of Top Ten Gangster Movies.
After all, they say the economy in New York is so bad that the Mafia had to lay off 50 judges.
Anyway, I'm sure I don't have to explain the category. The name pretty much speaks for itself. But as always this kind of thing is highly subjective. So if you disagree with my final list, say so in the comments. I might actually change the line up if you make me an offer I can't refuse.
Top Ten Favorite Gangster Movies
10) Scarface: Aside from Al Pacino's ridiculous accent, remains one of the only Oliver Stone movies I really like. Full of irredeemable characters and brutal violence, it's a parable of how drugs and corruption will lead only to the firing of fully automatic machine guns in your Miami mansion.
9) Carlito's Way: Pacino plays a much more likable character in Carlito Brigante, who is trying desperately to go straight. The opening and closing shots are particularly memorable as Pacino gets another great death scene.
8) Snatch: The elaborate plot punctuated by quick cut editing made this film a real treat. Guy Ritchie might have questionable taste in women, but he can spin a right good yarn. It's worth watching if for no other reason than to learn this valuable lesson: Never trust an Irish gypsy. 7) Reservoir Dogs: A tremendous cast delivers great dialog in Tarrantino's freshman effort. The nonlinear story telling packs enough humor to balance the brutal violence, and the dialog makes the characters seem real and even sympathetic at times.
6) The Usual Suspects: One of my all time favorites films of any genre (despite the presence of Stephen Baldwin). The complex plot was executed (so to speak) so well with great writing, directing and acting that the view is pulled in to the story rather than lost. Again, compelling dialog makes the viewer sympathetic to the characters, and it has probably the best surprise twist endings in cinema history.
5) The Departed: Another great cast in a film with an excellent story. I appreciate Scorsese going all the way to the end on this movie. Staying true to the title, all of the principal characters reap the ultimate wages of a duplicitous mob life. My only gripe was the overly obvious metaphor at the end as a rat scrambles across the balcony ledge.
4) On The Waterfront: Probably the original gangster film staring Marlon Brando at his best as a has-been boxer Terry Malloy who decides to stand up to the corrupt, mob-controlled labor union. This has one of the best scenes of Brando's career when, as Malloy, the tells his brother that he "coulda been a contender."
3) Goodfellas: Another brilliant work by Scorsese with another amazing cast. We watch as Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) climbs the ranks of New York's underworld, only to be done in by the double dealing of friends and his own self-destructive tendencies. One of my favorite scenes was the single shot of Hill introducing the denizens of the Copacabana club.
1) The Godfather & The Godfather: Part II We've got a two-way tie for first place in the category, and it should be no surprise it's the first two installments of The Godfather Trilogy (it should also be no surprise that the third installment didn't make the list at all). It's the epic story of how Michael Corleone gets pulled in to run the family business and then slowly becomes consumed by it, losing everything he struggles so hard to hold on to in the process. This is the apotheosis of the genre, with strong writing, amazing photography and some of the best actors of the generation with Brando, Pacino, De Niro, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton and others.
With the impending arrival of a new tax deduction bundle of joy in a few months, we've turned our attention to the question of possible names.
Typically this is one of those areas I get vetoed on, since my taste in names comes across to some people as a bit non-traditional. Still, I'm hoping that I can at least have one of my picks for the middle name.
With that in mind, today's Top Ten Thursday category is my short list for middle names.
Top Ten Favorite Middle Names
10) Amadeus -- If it's good enough for Mozart, it's good enough for me. 9) Cochise -- We are native American after all. 8) Ninja -- Unfortunately, this one is already taken by one of the cutest kids in the city. 7) Stringfellow -- A real high-flying name. 6) 7 -- Thank you George Costanza. 5) Tiberius -- An oldie but a goodie (and a Trekie). 4) Mojo -- We already have the black cat bone. 3) Starbuck -- A great literary character, a great TV character and a great cup of burnt coffee. 2) Gatsby -- I just think this is a really Great name 1) Thundar -- Demon Dogs!! This is an awesome name!
When the high temperature for the day tops out at 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind pierces your clothes like an frozen ice pick, it's only natural for a life-long Kansan like myself to take a mental trip to a tropical port.
As the great American philosopher Christopher Cross once said, "Sailing takes me away."
But away to where? That's the subject of today's Top Ten Thursday List:
Top Ten Favorite Bodies of Water
10) Adriatic Sea: I should say that it was a really close call for the number 10 spot between the Indian Ocean and the Adriatic Sea. But c'mon, everybody likes the Indian Ocean. The Adriatic got the nod based on it's intimacy and it's ability to flood Venice every year.
9) Martian Ice Fields: I never said it had to be solid water, and I never said it had to be on Earth. The recent discovery of frozen water on Mars comes in at number 9 for the coolness factor alone.
8) Lake Mead: It's not the biggest man-made lake, but it's still impressive. Still, a part of me wonders about the arrogant folly of trying to harness the Colorado River in an attempt to make a desert into a garden.
7) Mississippi River: I've associated romance and adventure to the Mississippi River since first picking up a Mark Twain novel in junior high. It's seemingly slow moving water is also a good metaphor. Life happens, but Ol' Man River just keeps on rollin' along.
6) Spring Creek: Lots of nostalgia factoring into this selection as well. This is the creek that ran through my backyard. A great place for fishing, swimming, ice skating in the winter, camping... pretty much anything a 10-year-old boy could want to do.
5) San Francisco Bay: I admit this pick might have more to do with my fondness for the Bay Area than the actual water itself. Still, if you've been to San Francisco in the late spring (or really, anytime), you know that the water has a way of invading the city in to form of very romantic and mysterious fog.
4) Atlantic Ocean (Mid-Atlantic Coast): I've had some really great vacations on America's east coast. But forget New York and points north, stick with the mid-Atlantic. The ocean has a temper here, a personality all its own. I just admire the attitude of a body of water that would just as soon throw a hurricane at you as look at you. The Atlantic is also my all-time favorite body of water named after a magazine.
3) Pacific Ocean (Southern California Coast): Nothing beats the SoCal coast for chillin' out, relaxin', maxin' all cool and all (yeah, I just dropped some Fresh Prince all up in your hizzi). The Pacific Ocean here has a reputation for imbuing the inhabitants of the coast with a peaceful, tranquil nature (though it's best not to mention this to Uzi-toting gang bangers in South Central LA). 2) Ligurian Sea: This quiet little corner of the Mediterranean may not have the bluster of the Atlantic or the cachet of the Pacific, but I'll always remember it's quaint medieval fishing villages and rocky coast with fondness. Mark my words, I shall return there someday. 1) Caribbean Sea: In my fantasy of selling everything I own and living the rest of my live on a boat, I imagine living in the Caribbean like some kind of reject from a Jimmy Buffett song. Fishing, drinking my Green Label, strumming my six string. Ah, this is the life (as long as I can still have my broadband Internet and high-def television. And could you please do something about the pirates and Krakenses).
I think that since today is such a big day in sports, what with all of the college football being played, it is a good day to publish my Top Ten List of Favorite Sports Movies.
Now, I’ll warn you right away that despite the football reference above, only one movie below is actually about American football – and it’s not We Are Marshall or Remember the Titans.
Of course a list like this is highly subjective, so if you disagree with my picks, tell me why in the comments.
Anyway, here goes…
Top Ten Favorite Sports Movies
10) Shaolin Soccer: This movie was a lot of fun. Completely and utterly fanciful, but a lot of fun nonetheless. It does require the viewer to suspend quite a bit of disbelief (I mean, let’s face it who would believe that someone would make a movie about boring soccer?), but the comedy and special effects make it totally worth it.
9) Slap Shot: Paul Newman is at his ice-skating best in this ode to the perpetually juvenile male, but what sticks out most for me are those lovable, cuddly Hanson brothers who could totally kick the crap out of the Hanson brothers (MMMBop indeed).
8) Chariots of Fire: I like this film a lot because it manages to be a success (four Oscars can't be wrong) without resorting to tired clichés (see We Are Marshall).
7) Raging Bull: In this classic recounting of the career of boxer Jake La Motta, you come to respect then revile then pity the main character as he goes from rags to riches to rags.
6) Brian' Song: The lone football movie on the list. I don't care if it was a made-for-television movie, if you can watch this heartbreaking tale without getting verklempt, then there's just something wrong with you, boy.
5) The Big Lebowski: Some might be surprised to see this film on a list of best Sports movies, but I don't think you can ignore the importance of bowling to the storyline, in both the literal and metaphorical senses. Watch it again, you'll see what I mean.
4) Caddyshack: Crude? Yes. Juvenile? Absolutely. But this classic comedy makes the top five on the strength of quotable one-liners alone. Not to mention an amazing cast. "Be the ball, Danny. Be the ball... You're not being the ball, Danny."
3) Breaking Away: This coming of age story set against a backdrop of The Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington, Ind., features a great cast, strong directing and genuine characters. The writing is smart, subtly tacking various social issues with charm and humor.
2) Pride of the Yankees: Gary Cooper's portrayal of Lou Gehrig may be my all-time favorite sports movie role. I still get teary just thinking of the final scene when Gehrig gives his goodbye speech in Yankee Stadium. This is not only one of the best sports movies, but also one of the best biographical movies EVAR!
1) ROCKY: Say what you will about Sylvester Stalone. The latter works of his career definitely merit the rotten tomatoes (personally, I never forgave him for Tango & Cash). But this classic underdog fairytale has great characters and great writing and pretty solid acting. With all of the crappy sequels, it's easy to forget how good this film is. If you haven't watched it in a while, give Rocky another chance.
Well, I don't mind telling you it's been a rough couple of days.
I'm not going to bitch and moan about my early Christmas present (a severe head cold that has me going through life in slow motion these days). I'll just say that I needed a few extra cups of coffee to get me off of Square One this morning.
Which brings me to today's Top Ten Thursday category: Top 10 Songs About Coffee.
And lucky you, it's an audio Top 10! Here's the playlist:
And, for those of you who are reading this in an RSS reader (you should click to listen), here's the track list:
Anyway, this crash course in the crashing economy gave me a new appreciation for some of the financial lingo. This week, I rank my Top 10 Favorite Words from the Current Financial Meltdown.
The main criteria was how cool I thought the words sounded, but I gave bonus points for the potential for double entendre.
Top 10 Favorite Words from the Current Financial Meltdown
10) Collateralized Debt Obligation
9) Mortgage-backed security
8) NINJA loan -- No Income? No Job or Assets? No problem.
7) Swap line -- I've heard of parties in Overland Park where these were popular.
6) Troubled Asset -- Do these jeans make my assets look troubled?
5) Naked Short Selling
4) Deflation -- "I swear baby, this has never happened to me before..."
It's been a while since I tried any new gimmicks, so today I'm launching a new gimmick. Just tossing this out there. Throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks.
I know it's not original. Lots of people do lists of all kinds of crap. But I figure, meh, it's something to do. Besides, I once read in a Top Ten List of blogging hints that readers and search engines like Top Ten Lists.
Anyway, it's pretty self explanatory. Each Thursday I publish a Top Ten list on a given subject. Sound good? Good.
To kick it off today, here's my:
Top Ten List of Upcoming Top Ten Thursday Top Ten List Topics
10) Top Ten Favorite Movies (Obviously, this will be broken into various movie genre categories (Westerns, Drama, Comedy, etc.))
9) Top Ten Favorite Movie Villains
8) Top Ten Favorite Breakfast Cereals
7) Top Ten Favorite Religions
6) Top Ten Ways to Break Bad News
5) Top X Favorite Roman Numerals
4) Top Ten Songs About Coffee
3) Top Ten Favorite U.S. Cities
2) Top Ten Favorite Stationery Items
1) Top Ten Favorite Middle Names
Well, there you have it. Obviously, the use of lists like this isn't to categorically rank arbitrary topics, but rather to generate debate.
Maybe you disagree that Middle Names should be ranked above Breakfast Cereals. Perhaps you think I left some important category off the list all together.
If so, then by all means leave a comment with your opinion.
