Chris Early: CBS Dallas- 'The Best of J.R. Ewing': The Funniest Prick in the Southwest

Source:Chris Early- J.R. Ewing Played by Larry Hagman, on Dallas.

"The Best of J.R. Ewing."

From Chris Early

The J.R. Ewing character played by Larry Hagman is one of my favorite characters of all-time on TV, because he was so real. He didn't try to be the nicest guy in the world and wasn't the meanest. But he was one of the best, let's say dick's of all-time, not because he was the meanest, but because of how clever and funny he was. And the words he chose to at other people's expense. J.R. Ewing was a dick, but he was played by Larry Hagman and was so good at it, that you almost had to respect him for it. "That dick can really put you down."

J.R. is one of those people that you always knew where you were with him. And if you weren't on the top of your game, he would be more than willing to let you know about it. Kinda of like that judge mental parent or perhaps uncle, where nothing is ever good enough for them. So what you always do is everything you can to try to please that person, to keep them from criticizing you. Which helps you in a way, because it gives you incentive to improve and be at your best. The constructive critic.

I call J.R. Ewing who was played by Larry Hagman of course and I'm not sure anyone could've played J.R. better, because their sense of humors matched up so well, the funniest prick in the Southwest. Because he knew how to put someone down, or put them back in their place, especially when they were out of line. But he was accurate and direct. Someone who would tell you the way it is and make you laugh at the same time. 

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Golden Girls: The Best of Sarcastic Dorothy

Source:NBC- Bea Arthur, as Dorothy on The Golden Girls. 

Source:Golden Girls

I was never a huge fan NBC's Golden Girls, a sitcom about senior single women sharing a house together. But I did love the Dorothy character played by Bea Arthur because she reminded of my maternal grandmother. Who I believe is where I got my flip off the cuff sense of humor, a wiseass who has very little tolerance for stupid questions. My grandmother was very similar and when my grandfather would say something lets say not real bright, or ask a dumb question, she would nail him for it every time even with company.

So I tried to be more careful how I talked to her unless, I wanted a real good laugh because I new I could nailed for saying something dumb as well. Sarcasm when done right is the perfect tool to combat stupidity. And people who for whatever reason are having a brain camp at your expense and so what you get to do if you're up for to the task is show them how dumb they are being and how bad their lack of thinking is at that point.

I've been lucky to a certain extent. Because I've had jobs in the service industries where I have a lot of experience around people who for whatever reasons aren't thinking very well. And end up asking questions they should already know the answers to. Or are simply unaware that they know the answer to whatever question they are asking. So when I get a dumb question, I nail the person for it not to make them feel like an idiot. Just to let them know that they just asked a dumb question. And they should've put a little more thought into it before asking me that question again.

And when I'm on, I can even get funny response out of the person who I just called out for not being very bright.

For example lets say to make up a character, I tell Joe I'm flying to St. Louis from Washington. I've never actually landed in St. Louis, flown over it sure, but for the purpose of this example I've flown to St. Louis. And he says "so you are taking a plane?" And I say no Joe I've borrowed the wings of a bald eagle and going to fly myself. And Joe says something like "try not to run into any birds. I know how limited your flying experience is". Or something like that.

Sarcasm when done right is a tool to combat stupidity. I prefer to use the term flip or off the cuff. Because sarcasm can be very mean, when you have someone whose overly cynical and whose always looking for the weakness in anything just to put someone down. Sarcasm at its best is a tool to let someone know. "You know what, thats' a real dumb question. You should know better and perhaps do and just aren't thinking very well right now". By showing that person how dumb they sound at that point.

My definitions of dumb questions are any question asked by someone who already knows the answer to the question they are asking, but not aware of it or someone who should know the answer to the question they are asking. But lacks basic fundamental knowledge and whose just being lazy. And my other definition of a dumb question is a question that has the answer in the question, but who's simply not aware of that. And I'll explain what I mean. My example of a dumb question where the person who asking the question should know better, but asks the question anyway.

Lets say you are driving to someone's friends house for a visit or dinner or whatever. And they call you while you are driving to get an idea when you'll be over and you say I'm on the road now. And I should be there in that about twenty minutes. And your friend says "you are driving now?" Of course you are driving now you just said you are on the road you told the person last night you are coming over. They know you drive and so-forth.

My other example of a dumb question, the question with the answer in it. I use to work at a movie theater and worked concessions a lot and someone would ask me.

"What size is small"? Well its small obviously or we wouldn't call it small. And every time I was asked that question I would say well small and I never got in trouble for it. To go to my first example of a dumb question, when I worked at that theater I was always asked do I work there. What else would I be doing there wearing that cheesy maroon shirt and name tag if I didn't work there.

Again Sarcasm when used effectively is a tool to combat stupidity, "you sure you don't know the answer to that question". To let the person know they should've put a little more thought into that question. And when sarcasm is misused, it's the ultimate mental weapon to put people down and to try to make them feel worthless or stupid. So if you do have a quick off the cuff sense of humor, have a conscience as well because you'll make a lot of people laugh without sounding like an asshole.

History Channel: Jim Jones- Paradise Lost: The Mass Murders in Jonestown

Source:The History Channel- Reverend Jim Jones: the leader of The People's Temple in San Francisco, California and Jonestown in Guyana.

“Jonestown, (November 18, 1978), was the location of the mass murder-suicide of members of the California-based Peoples Temple cult at the behest of their charismatic but paranoid leader, Jim Jones, in Jonestown agricultural commune, Guyana. The death toll exceeded 900, including some 300 who were age 17 and under, making the incident one of the largest mass deaths in American history… 

Originally from Britannica, but the link was deleted.

“Docudrama, “Jim Jones’ town – Paradise lost,” a gripping look at an abominable cult’s final four days culminating in one of the most infamous mass murders on record. Some suicides, yes—but the simple, ugly reality is that these men, women, and little children were brutally murdered, through mental and physical coercion. Consider the body discovered of the woman with nearly every joint in her body yanked apart in a desperate attempt to escape the grasp of cult thugs poisoning her. Guyana’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. C. Leslie Mootoo, accompanied the teams that counted the dead hours after the massacre. He found fresh needle marks at the back of the left shoulder blades of 80-90 percent of the victims he examined. Others had been shot or strangled. Some of you may have this to compare with the images presented, or reported by some witless film critic, in Director Stanley Nelson’s, “Jonestown: Life and Death of the People’s Temple.” This stark contrast of a film winds down, featuring some poignant music accompanying a narrative of “The Final Note,” written by a doomed cult member—either Dick Tropp or Marceline Jones–on the day of the slaughter of these 913 Americans.”

From the History Channel 

I’ve blogged about this before, but the People’s Temple in the most positive sense and what its legacy is, is a collection of lost souls, who for whatever reason or reasons weren’t making it in mainstream America and were lost. And looking for a direction and a leader to lead them to let’s say the promise land and end their pain and suffering. And to a certain extent and the good side of Jim Jones was that leader that could show people what meaningful life is.

The people of Jonestown thought Jim Jones was the person to show them how to create a world where there wouldn’t be anymore suffering and where all people would live a positive life. Without suffering and where people would live off of each other and live off of the land and literally take care of each other which is socialism at its best. But the problem with the People’s Temple or later Jonestown, is that it was led by Jim Jones.

Jim Jones had a dictatorial evil side to him that was about making people completely dependent on him for their survival. And wanted people to only do his will and serve him. Which is a common theme of dictators, because they are people who believe in absolute power. Which is all about what being a dictator is. Someone who wants to centralize all of the power with them self. And not delegating power to their deputies and people they are supposed to serve. Which is a big reason why Jonestown ended in such tragedy. 

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Jas Bains: Catherine Bach- The Real and Only Daisy Duke From the Dukes of Hazzard

Source:Jas Bains- Tom Wopat & The Real & only Daisy Duke, Catherine Bach.

Source:The New Democrat 

“One Daisy Duke Video to rule them all! Awesome collection of Daisy Duke ( Catherine Bach ) clips compiled to an awesome song by Lamb, called Gorecki. Visit my site at:Jas Bains. Video blocked in Germany due to music copyright issues.”

From Jas Bains

When I was growing up my favorite TV show was probably The Dukes of Hazzard. A CBS action comedy where everyone on the show met about every single stereotype both good and bad of what life and the people were like living in the country. It took place in a small county called Hazzard. Naturally with a police department that had two sometimes three cops including the sheriff who was named Roscoe. It had people with names like Daisy, Roscoe, Cletus, Enos, Cooter. 

Guest stars with people with names like Billy Bob, Billy Joe, Marly Lu. It had every two name, name you can think of. It had dirt roads, country music, car races and car chases. Great country food, with the fried chicken, mash potatoes, biscuits and gravy. Fast cars being chased by big police cars. A town where everyone knew each other and where the whole town knew when someone from out of town was in Hazzard.  

It had Pickup Trucks, farms, crooked politicians and cops, ignorant people who didn’t seem to know what they were doing. It had moonshine whisky, a county next door called Chickasaw that only had one cop, the Sheriff on the Police Force. And it had a lot of beautiful sexy women on it. Including Catherine Bach who played Daisy Duke. Forget about Jessica Simpson who played Daisy Duke in the movie Dukes of Hazard. She’s more qualified to play Sally Smith head cheerleader at Valley High, then to play a country girl. 

The hot, sexy baby-faced country girl was the perfect role for Catherine Bach on Dukes of Hazard. Because she was and actually still is gorgeous, baby-face adorable with a great body. Two of the best legs this country has ever seen, just like Tina Turner or Raquel Welch. She was very funny and even though she was (actually still is) baby-face adorable, could probably kick ass as well as he her cousins Bo and Luke Duke. Played by John Schneider. (Great last name by the way) And Tom Wopat the brains of the operation. And as adorable and sexy as Daisy was, you didn’t want to mess with here, because she could kick your ass and look hot doing it. In her famous tight denim jeans and shorts. 

And her tight denim jeans and cowgirl boots, Catherine Bach now has her own Denim Line. She was no Sally from the Valley, but a tough but adorable sexy country girl. Who could be sweet as candy until you messed with her. Catherine Bach will always be Daisy Duke and since she played that role perfectly. Unfortunately will always be typed cast, because its so hard to to think of anything else other than Daisy Duke when it comes to Catherine Bach.  But she has done other things and has actually has been very active and successful pre and after. Dukes of Hazzard and is someone who’s career should be looked at. To give her the type of respect she actually deserves. 

The original Dukes of Hazzard tv show, was and still is the Dukes of Hazzard, at least as far as I'm concern and as far as a lot other Dukes fans are concern as well. The recent movies and everything else are for a younger generation where everything that was around before they were even born or old enough to remember is considered, "like so yesterday and so over and needs to be changed for the new century. But there are reasons why sequels to great shows and movies tend not to be as good as the original. Because the original was done so well, that any new version of it looks like pretend or a copy.    

Great on Yak: All in the Family: Archie Bunker on Democrats & the 1970s

Source:The New Democrat

Oh the 1970s, a decade about sacrifice and millions of Americans learning about their government and their politicians and that they didn’t like a lot of them. But of course as George Carlin always said, "no one put a gun to your head and forced you to vote for. A or B or reelect A or B". That we get the politicians and the government that we vote for. So who do voters who vote for the wrong people have to blame.

The 1970s starts off radically enough with the Vietnam War and millions of Americans wanting to get the hell out of there. And can you blame them with all the people we lost. To Vietnam War demonstrations with a crime family running the White House. Because they didn’t trust their own country and their own people and a lot of them voted for Richard Nixon. To Watergate and the Nixon team breaking into Democratic headquarters. That didn’t have a January heat wave in Alaska’s chance of defeating President Nixon for president. To a president essentially being forced to resign as president or be fired by Congress.

We go from Tricky Dick Nixon as president. To stumbling bumbling Gerry Ford as president, our own president who was never elected president or vice president. It gave Americans a taste of what communist rule looks like and they spit that out by voting for a peanut brain, I mean peanut farmer in Jimmy Carter for president. Whose idea of leadership was to blame America for the country’s problems.

It is a good thing I was only alive for four years of the 1970s. Because if I had to go through that whole decade and old enough to remember all of it, I might have ended up being institutionalized for depression. Because the 1970s was a depressing decade. Sure the women’s designer denim jeans revolution of the late 1970s helped and was great for men to see, but most of the rest of the decade was depressing.

The Young Turks: Cenk Uygur- 'Ben Affleck Angrily Defends Islam Against Bill Maher/Sam Harris'

Source:The Young Turks- Actor & Left-Wing PC Warrior Ben Affleck, on Real Time With Bill Maher, claiming that Islam is a race. Not really, but that's what he implied when he said that criticizing Islam is racist, which is false on at least two levels.

Source:The New Democrat

"Ben Affleck was quick to call out what he felt was Bill Maher's "gross, racist, disgusting," ideas about Islam during a heated debate. The "Gone Girl" star appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday and things got heavy when the late night talk show host continued his conversation about Islam, which he started the week before. "You and I have been trying to make the case that liberals need to stand up for liberal principles," Maher said to fellow panelist, author Sam Harris."* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down." 

From The Young Turks 

"Ben Affleck was quick to call out what he felt was Bill Maher's "gross, racist, disgusting," ideas about Islam during a heated debate. The "Gone Girl" star appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday and things got heavy when the late night talk show host continued his conversation about Islam, which he started the week before." 

From The New York Daily News

Just to correct Ben Affleck: any criticism against Islam or Muslims is not racist. Why, because Islam is not a race, but a religion. I pointed this out last night, but the far-left has decided that any criticism against Islam is racist, okay bigoted, because again Islam is not a race. 

If you want to talk about ignorance on the Far-Right which this blog has and will continue to do, great, but don’t leave out the Far-Left that has a bad habit of saying things that are simply not true.

Now why has the Far-Left decided that any criticism against Islam right or left is, well bigoted? Because Islam is not Christianity and Muslims tend to be something other than Caucasian and especially don’t tend to be Anglo or of Western European decent. There are Caucasian-Muslims, but they tend to come from Eastern and Southeastern Europe, like in the Slavic countries. 

In the small fringe world of the Far-Left, maybe 10-15 percent of the population, it’s perfectly acceptable to criticize the Christian-Right, especially Caucasians. But if you attack a non-Christian, non-western religion, you are a bigot.

The Far-Left or Fascist-Left with their whole political correctness movement has decided that outlawing speech they find offensive, is simply not practical. The whole First Amendment gets in their way on that. So what they’ve decided that if they can’t shut people up through government force, they’ll try to shut people up through protest and lawsuit and screaming at people, to prevent people even on the Left like Sam Harris and Bill Maher, from making their case.

Alex Owskignr: The Doors (1991) Miami Concert Scene

Source:Alex Owskignr- Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison.

Source:The New Democrat

As I mentioned yesterday, The Doors is a very entertaining movie and in at least one sense is accurate as portraying Jim Morrison as a very wild and perhaps immature young man. Who fit in very perfectly in the 1960s generation and the time he grew up in and came of age. But the Miami concert scene is one of the few accurate scenes in the movie. The Lizard King did show up to the 1969 Miami concert, not high, but drunk and was a few hours late.

Morrison was noticeably off and did an awful job and even had a hard time standing up because he was so drunk from the plane ride and from the bar before the flight. Morrison did stop singing all together, got frustrated and started cussing at the audience. And they did boo him and security had a hell of a hard time trying to secure the arena because it was so hot, wild and overcrowded. Sort of like an American prison actually.

But the Miami scene and the New Haven scene might be the only two accurate scenes in the movie. If you are simply just looking for a good fictional movie about a rock and roll band, The Doors is probably a good movie for you. But if you are really interested in the life of Jim Morrison and perhaps the run that The Doors had, I suggest you go the documentary route that is just as entertaining about The Lizard King and The Doors band. But you’ll actually learn some things about them as well.
Source:Alex Owskignr