NBC Sports: NBA 1991-NBA Finals-Game 1-Los Angeles Lakers @ Chicago Bulls: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, Magic vs. Air Jordan, James Worthy vs. Scottie Pippen and I could go on. But this is perhaps the one NBA Finals matchup that every NBA fan wanted to see in 1991. The team of the 1980s and perhaps of all-time, the Los Angeles Lakers, with the player of the 1980s and perhaps of all-time in Earvin Magic Johnson. Vs. who would become the team of the 1990s, with the player of the 1990s and perhaps the player of all-time in Michael Air Jordan. Not every year and perhaps every decade that the NBA produces Super Bowl caliber matchup’s in their championship series. But 1991 was certainly that and had James Worthy and Byron Scott been healthy for the Lakers in this series, we are easily talking about one of the greatest NBA Finals matchup’s of all-time, that would’ve made it back to Chicago for at least game 6, if not game 7 as well.

A&E: Biography- Elizabeth Taylor 2003: The Actress of All-Time

Source: Elizabeth Taylor-

Source: This piece was originally posted at The New Democrat Plus

If there is just one actress that I could have to put into any role for anything, I could only have one, that woman would be Elizabeth Taylor. I mean, she was a great actress before she was even a teenager in the 1940s. She’s the gold standard, the standard that all actress’s are judged by. The Jim Brown or Babe Ruth of acting at least when it came to actresses. There isn’t a better dramatic or comedic actress than Liz Taylor. Someone who could make dramatic roles look hysterical, like when she played Martha in Virginia Wolf and could make comedic roles look serious.

And I’ve only covered her professional skills. But do you another woman with a better pair of eyes, sweeter or prettier eyes than Elizabeth Taylor. A beautiful baby-face brunette really her whole life. And we are talking about almost eighty-years and with the curves that she had. She could play a really adorable women, who just makes guys go, “aw, she’s so cute!”. Or she can play a sexy baby-face beautiful brunette that guys can’t get their minds off that drives wives crazy every time they are in her presence.

And of course no one is perfect and Liz Taylor might be the perfect example of that. A lot of her life is a dramatic comedy, or Hollywood scandal. With the countless marriages that she had, the alcoholism and obesity that she was fighting in the 1980s and perhaps even before that. But none of that takes anything away from what she brought to Hollywood and millions of movie fans. As this beautiful baby-face sexy brunette, who was an incredible actress, as well as one of the funniest people of all-time. Both intentionally and unintentionally.
A&E: Biography- Elizabeth Taylor 2003: The Actress of All-Time

Jim Morrison & The Doors: Live in Frankfurt, Germany (1968)

Source:Getty Images- Jim Morrison & The Doors: Live From Frankfurt, Germany (1968)

Source:The New Democrat

“The Doors perform outside the Frankfurt town hall for German television.”

From Getty Images

“The Doors truly are one of the all-time greatest and one of the most iconic rock bands in history. Jim Morrison was without a doubt one of the most prolific and charismatic frontman in all of rock, and his influence is still regarded as such even to this day. The Doors were one of the best, pure and simple.” 

Source:Society of Rock- Jim Morrison & The Doors: Live From Frankfurt, Germany (1968)

From Society of Rock

I think the Crawling King Snake video from The Doors with Jim Morrison perfectly sums up the style and career of Jim Morrison. The man made leather jeans and rock and roll culture and why it looks the way it does today, at least with hard rockers and headbangers. The Lizard King obviously wasn’t a hard rocker or a headbanger, but he put his signature black snake skin leather jeans on the map and made them cool. To the point by the 1980s they were standard for rockers male and female. And probably a big reason why Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett got into them and why you saw rock and roll bands like Guns N Roses and Kiss get into them and of course the metal bands like Skid Row and Motley Crew.

And that is what you see in this video. The Lizard King moving so smoothly in his snake skin’s and cowboy boots and the concho belt. He combined rock and roll culture and lifestyle, with Western and American-Indian culture with the leather jeans, cowboy boots and concho belt and the leather jacket as well. He put these looks on the map in rock and roll, because of how often he wore this outfit in public and all the images that have come from those appearances. That were famous then and if anything now more popular forty-five years later. And without the Lizard King, rock and roll probably looks a lot different in the 1970s, 80s, 90s and today.

Leather in general wasn’t very popular in America when it came to wardrobes pre-late 1960s or so, except for perhaps biker and to a certain extent Western culture. So Jim Morrison in his full leather suit and then throw in the cowboys boots and the concho belt, that if anything even highlighted his leather jeans even more, especially in front, he was taking a risk. But he had the style, the look, the moves to make it work to the point that he became a rock and roll and perhaps even style icon in America and not just in rock and roll. And all of this is part of legacy that is still alive and well today.

The Merv Griffin Show: Dennis Hopper Interview, Easy Rider, The Last Movie (1971)

Source:The New Democrat

There is such a thing as being ahead of your time, but I don’t think that applies to Dennis Hopper. Who I consider to be a baby boomer born in the mid-1930s, I believe 1936. He is obviously not a boomer, but he fits into that generation so well, especially the Hippie Culture, the Counter Culture of the 1960s. And a lot if not most of his movies from the 1960s and 70s, had something to do with the current culture of that era and a lot of them were about Hippie Culture. So if he had a movie that didn’t do very well in that era and it was about Hippies, it probably wasn’t because Dennis was ahead of his time. That argument could’ve been made about someone making a counter-culture movie in 1955 or so. But you make a movie like that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, you’re in the perfect time frame for that movie.

So Dennis’s problem with The Last Movie, perhaps was the title, but anyway it might just of been that the movie wasn’t very good. And I’m saying this as someone who is a big Hopper fan and have liked a lot of his movies. As far as this interview, classic Dennis Hopper I believe, at least from that era. I mean he just did Easy Rider in 1969 and he walks onto the stage as a Hippie drifter. Which is essentially what he played in Easy Rider. He is a man for his times, as he was back then and is still today. So whether he doesn’t do as well as he wants to, it just might be because the movie or his performance wasn’t as good as it needed to be for him to do as well as expected to do. It is easy to put it on the audience, or people you work with, but harder to look at yourself to see where you came up short.

Mariah Carey: ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’

Source:Mariah Carey- performing All I Want For Christmas in 2009.

Source:The New Democrat

“About the “Merry Christmas” the album:

Merry Christmas is the first Christmas album, and the fourth studio album, by Mariah Carey. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas tunes and original material. Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she wrote all of the original tracks, as well as producing Carey’s interpretations of the covered material. The album contains a contemporary holiday theme, and featured “authentic, gospel flavored background vocals”. Three singles were released from the album, of which All I Want for Christmas Is You went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time.” 

From Mariah Carey 

R&B Diva and Goddess Mariah Carey performing All I Want For Christmas at Rockefeller Center in New York, City in 2014.. The video is apparently not available right now. 

Source:Mariah Carey- performing All I Want For Christmas at Rockefeller Center, in New York City in 2014.

This is something I’ve wanted to post for, like years now and forgive me for being busy. But I can’t think of a better person and perhaps a more adorable person to sing this adorable song, than baby-face goddess Mariah Carey. With that voice and those facial expressions, watching perform always make me want to go, aw! And be in aw of her, I mean she really is one of the sweetest performers you could ever see and hear and perhaps talk to.

Mariah is the voice of our generation, especially since Whitney Houston unfortunately passed a few years ago. And perhaps the best voice that has performed since The Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra. I mean Mariah is absolutely insane, (no, not mentally) but in physical, as well as professional talent. It is like watching an angel from above who came down from Heaven. Perhaps bored because God doesn’t give her enough work to do. And she blesses everyone with her presence.

Noel Breen: Video: ABC Sports: MLB-1983-World Series-Game 1: Philadelphia Phillies @ Baltimore Orioles: Intros

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

Basically just the intros of the Philadelphia Philles and the Orioles for game 1 of the 1983 World Series. With a little commentary from Al Michaels, Howard Cosell, and Earl Weaver. A brief interview of Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken and didn’t get enough of it to figure out what they were talking about, other than Cosell trying to figure out how Cal Jr felt playing for Earl Weaver with the Orioles. And The Earl talking about the fact that the Orioles lost their DH Ken Singleton. Because back then unfortunately what MLB did for the World Series, was to rotate the hitting pitcher and the designated hitter each year. One year the DH would play in every game. The next year, there would be no DH and the pitcher would hit every game. Which was unfair and gave the National League champion a big advantage during the World Series.

Outdoor Insane Asylum

MLB Classics: MLB 1983- MLB World Series-Game 5- Baltimore Orioles @ Philadelphia Phillies: Full Game

Source:MLB Classics- The Orioles unlike in 1979, coming through when it counted the most in 83.

Source:The New Democrat 

"Baltimore Orioles 5 at Philadelphia Phillies 0, F -- Eddie Murray hit a pair of homers and Rick Dempsey added a solo shot to back the five-hit pitching of Scott McGregor as the Orioles wrapped up their first World Series title in 13 years with a 5-0 shutout of the Phillies. Murray and Dempsey hit solo homers off Charles Hudson in the 2nd and 3rd innings, and Murray's two-run shot in the 4th broke the game open. Al Bumbry drove in Dempsey in the 5th to set the final margin, and McGregor took over from there. Picking up where he left off in Game 1, when he allowed only two runs in eight innings despite taking the loss, McGregor went the distance, striking out six, as the Orioles wrapped up the championship." 

From MLB Classics

What makes the 1983 World Series different from the 1979 World Series that the Orioles had a 3-1 series lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979, as opposed to the Phillies in 83, is the Orioles pitching and their hitting. 

The Phillies other than the really the first game of this series, were pretty much shut down offensively in this series. Including getting shut out in-game 5 to clinch the Series for the Orioles. Unlike game 5, 6 and seven in the 79 World Series against the Pirates, the Orioles got all the pitching, key runs and key hits in-game 5 of the 83 Series and for most this World Series as well.

The Phillies had a very solid lineup in 83, but you shut down 3B Mike Schmidt and you could pretty much shut down the Phillies lineup. Then throw in the fact that Joe Morgan their leadoff hitter was forty-years old, Pete Rose is forty-two and their 1B Tony Perez is thirty-nine years old and all of these players being great at one point, but were all at the end of their careers against the Orioles in this series. 

As well as the Phillies not having the pitching that the Pirates did in 79. Everything was set up for the Orioles to win the 83 World Series. The only question was, would they come through or not.

Tim Fuerhardt: MLB 1991-Detroit Tigers @ Baltimore Orioles: Orioles Last Game at Memorial Stadium

Source:The New Democrat

The story of this Tigers-Orioles game, even though it is a very small part of the Orioles 1991 season with this being their last game at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, but this game pretty much summarized their season. You would think that the Orioles management would’ve put more into trying to make sure that they had a competitive team in 91, considering this was their last season at Memorial. And they tried to do that with the Glen Davis trade, but they were horrible in 91. Very little pitching, at least consistent pitching either starters or in the bullpen. And not a lot of offense in their lineup to go with Cal Ripken.

The Orioles lost this game I believe 8-1 to the Tigers, who had a pretty good lineup that year. But the real story of this game was that it was the end of a great era not just for Orioles baseball with all the success the Oriole had at Memorial, but the end of a great era for Major League Baseball as well. Just too bad that the Orioles, especially for their fans, that after winning their last MLB World Series in 1983, they five of their last eight seasons at Memorial, were losing seasons. Including losing 108 in 88 and two 95 lost seasons in 87 and 91. But the Orioles of the 60s, 70s and 80s were one of the best franchises in MLB and all of that home success came at Memorial.

ABC Sports: MLB-1985-MNB-Detroit Tigers @ Baltimore Orioles: Highlights

Source:ABC Sports- Detroit Tigers vs the Orioles, in 1985-

Source: The New Democrat Plus

Interesting matchup between two non-contending AL East teams in 1985. The Detroit Tigers finished in third place, but fifteen games out of first. And the Orioles finished fourth sixteen games out of first. But the AL East was deep in 1985, with four teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Tigers and Orioles all having winning seasons. And the Boston Red Sox were a 500 club that year. So it wasn’t like the Tigers and Orioles had bad years in 85, it was just that the Blue Jays and Yankees were both very good. And had their been a wildcard back then, both the Jays and Yanks would’ve made the AL Playoffs.

The Orioles were in transition in 85 especially as it relates to their pitching with Jim Palmer retiring after the 84 season. They were still good enough to be a winning team, but no longer a serious contender for the AL East. Their pitching wasn’t nearly as good as it was in the early 1980s and 1970s. And became a power hitting team that needed big offensive games to win. The Tigers won the MLB World Series in 1984 and were still good enough to contend in 85. But they slipped back as the Blue Jays and Yankees finished first and second.

The Rachel Maddow Show: Michele Bachmann: Tea Party Campaigns

Source: MSNBC- The Rachel Maddow Show-

Source:The New Democrat

Just to state a fact here and hopefully not my only one in this post. It is kind of funny to hear from Rachel Maddow and really anyone on MSNBC talk other than maybe Larry O’Donnell and Ed Schultz, talk about the lack of facts coming from really anyone, including Michele Bachmann. Who at least in the Representative’s case, she has a following, unlike MSNBC.

To correct Rachel Maddow. Representative Bachmann only serves in the House. So she doesn’t sit on the Intelligence Committee in Congress, but on the House Intelligence Committee, which is bad enough. And also to correct Rachel Maddow. Representative Bachmann wasn’t appointed by the Congressional Republican Leadership to the Intelligence Committee. Just by the House Republican Leadership. Since Representative Bachmann only serves in the House and not the Senate as well.

So how about my greatest hit of the distinguished Representative from Minnesota who hopefully for the rest of the country, not including comedians and bloggers on both sides if the isle, will be spending a lot more time back on the Frozen Tundra next year as she departs the House of Representatives at the end of the 113th Congress.

I think number one has to be which was in her 2011 presidential campaign announcement speech about saying that “same-sex marriage being the number one threat to national security”. I don’t know this as fact, but I believed she included pornography in that speech as well and said both pornography and same-sex marriage are our number one threats to national security.

You know, you would think someone who serves on one of the intelligence committees in Congress, not the Congressional Intelligence Committee in Congress, (to take another jab at Rachel Maddow) would be getting briefings and, gee I don’t know intelligence, (I know, wild idea) about what are truly the national security threats to America. And hear things like North Korea, Islamic Republic of Iran and their state-sponsorship of terrorism, Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Syria, that also occupies part of Northern Iraq. And think, “gee perhaps these states and groups are real threats to American national security”. And same-sex marriage and pornography, which would never even come up in a House Intelligence Committee hearing at all for no reason whatsoever. Well because they have nothing to do with national security.

I’ve never viewed President George W. Bush as a dumb man. Well at least not post-9/11, because at that point at least I thought President Bush was up to the job at least when it came to national security and foreign policy. And it looked like when, even including Vice President Dick Cheney, that the President was in good hands with a good team around him. Even with the Iraq debacle, I saw him as unqualified, sure, but not stupid which are two different things. But I could easily see why others viewed him that way with his horrible habit of saying things that are simply false. But whether you think G.W. Bush is a bright guy or has bricks for brains (to put it lightly) the man looks like an English professor at Harvard in comparison to Michele Bachmann.

Whether Michele Bachmann needs to be institutionalized, or under some therapy for some mental handicapped she’s suffering from, or simply an asshole who specializes on speaking out of her ass, which could be said by a lot of people in Congress both House and Senate, there isn’t an easier person to make fun of in Congress than Representative Bachmann. And yes I have to admit, as a blogger and political satirist myself, I’m going to miss her for those reasons alone. Plus, she’s so damn cute and funny both intentionally and unintentionally. Intentionally when she’s not going off on Democrats with nothing more than a bucket of spit. That I hope she keeps herself in the public eye in the future. Just as a private citizen, perhaps as a political satirist, columnist, blogger, radio talk show host. All jobs she’s actually qualified for, unlike her current one.
MSNBC: The Rachel Maddow Show- Michele Bachmann: Tea Party Campaigns

Gingery Oddity: The Newsroom- Maggie: On Michele Bachmann and Christianity

Source: Gingery Oddity-

Source: This piece was originally posted at The New Democrat Plus

What the Maggie character from The Newsroom didn’t mention and perhaps didn’t think of, is that perhaps Representative Michele Bachmann’s whose career in Congress will be over in just a few weeks, (counting the days, can’t wait) that perhaps Michele believes her own propaganda.

See, I’m not sure if the distinguished Representative from Minnesota is an escaped mental patient, someone who should be committed, but because she’s married to Markus Bachmann who perhaps should be committed as well, or is not smart enough to see that her dear wife needs professional help. Or is a complete idiot who believes her own, lets say propaganda about, “God wants me to run for President”.

You know not all politician’s are liars. Which is as difficult to believe that it never snows in Minnesota, or the New York Yankees aren’t from New York, or there isn’t a lot of oil in Texas. But there are politician’s that are simply flat nuts or complete morons, or perhaps in Michele Bachmann’s case a case of both. And yes there are politician’s that lie, well their mouths off, who the only way to know what they think and know about anything, at least important is to always have them on truth serum. I’m just throwing it out there that there are politician’s who are nutty or dumb enough to actually believe their own words and aren’t always lying.
Gingery Oddity: The Newsroom- Maggie: On Michele Bachmann & Christianity

Murat Shawn: HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher- "Most Americans Are Dumb and Uneducated"

Source: This piece was originally posted at The New Democrat

I wonder if Bill Maher includes himself in the group "most Americans are dumb and uneducated". I also wonder where he got those polls and numbers he was apparently quoting. Assuming what he does is a real job, he wouldn't have the time go do those polls himself, or do all the research. Bill Maher again leaves me with a piece where I'm sort of with him, but not completely there. Are there stupid Americans, you might as well ask if their lakes in Minnesota, snow in Alaska, or water in Michigan. That is not a real question or debate. And to be completely truthful, I don't believe "are most Americans stupid a real question and debate either".

If most Americans were stupid, the country wouldn't be nearly as developed as it is and far along and powerful across the board as it is. Why, because a country run by idiots and not just in the public sector and private sector couldn't create that. Why, because they are idiots and what are idiots good for, well why are they called idiots, because they are experts on idiocy. I know Bill Maher is a comedian, at least technically so what he says should be taken with at least jar of salt every time he even tries to sound serious, but he's simply wrong about that.

Now here is where I agree with Maher. And again no debate, too many stupid Americans, but why is that, one our education system, public for the most part isn't as good as it needs to be for a country this size. Too many Americans either not finishing high school and even if they do not getting out of high school what they should've gotten that taxpayers paid for and as a result having to take high school courses in the junior college that would take them  so they can finish their high school education and be ready for junior college.

But it is not just education, but it is also about values. And no I'm not a Religious Conservative, but things that people need to do well in America, aren't valued as highly as what is considered hot or awesome at the time by too many young Americans. Which is how you get such a high percentage of Americans who couldn't tell who their U.S. Representative is, even if it meant winning the latest smart phone with a year of free service. Why because they are too busy playing video games, watching so-called reality TV, what was the latest bar their favorite celebrity got kicked out of. Or what Kim Kardashian had for lunch in Beverly Hills on Saturday and what shoes she wore with her purse.

A lot of young Americans are more interested in these celebrity culture and technology stories, than they are in current affairs and politics. And forget about American history or the U.S. Constitution, "because that is like so yesterday and not awesome". Actually for a lot of Millennial's, what happened last year, "is like so ancient history". American history and current affairs is being replaced by valley culture and valley pop. At least in the short-term, hopefully at some point they'll grow up and become more serious and respectful of things and people that came before them. But right now they are making America look stupid.
Murat Shawn: Real Time With Bill Maher- Most Americans Are Dumb & Uneducated