Archive for November, 2007

Nov 30 2007

Evel Kneivel Died Today

Published by Daddy Dan under News

I just heard the sad news that Evel Kneivel has passed away at the age of 69.  He was just in the news recently because he’d sued Kanye West because Kanye used Evel-Kneivel-like images in one of his music videos.  Apparently, they had just settled the lawsuit two days ago.

 The one thing I really remember about him is an Evel Kneivel toy I had as a kid.  Here’s a picture of it:

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This toy was the greatest.  You’d put Evel on the motorcycle and then place the motorcycle in the wind-up thingie.  You would then turn the wheel faster and faster until the motorcycle would shoot off the stand and speed off toward the ramp.  For fun we’d wind him up from the sidewalk and see if he could make it across our street as cars drove by.

It’s funny how something like a person’s death can bring back memories that have been totally repressed.  Rest in peace, Evel! 

6 responses so far

Nov 30 2007

The Office Cast: Other Roles

Published by Daddy Dan under TV, The Office, Opinion

As we all know, The Office has a very large ensemble cast, almost all of whom were completely unknown before they got their big break on The Office.  Some of the cast, I’m sure, will most likely use their roles on The Office to start a successful acting career.  I’m thinking about Rainn Wilson (Dwight), John Krasinski (Jim), and Jenna Fischer (Pam).  All three of them are already getting movie roles, and we all know that Steve Carell has been in several big-budget movies already.

Who I’m more worried about are the other Office actors.  Where will they go after The Office?  Sadly, they’ll probably go back to playing the type of roles they played pre-Office.  And what types of roles did they get?  Here’s a partial list, courtesy of IMDB.com:

 Leslie David Baker (Stanley)

  • “Line of Fire” (1 episode, 2004) - Large Man
  • “That ’70’s Show” (1 episode, 2001) - Janitor
  • “Malcolm in the Middle” (1 episode, 2000) - Cop

   Creed Bratton (Creed)

  • Secret Sins of the Father (TV Movie, 1994) - Gas Station Worker
  • Seven Hours to Judgment (Movie, 1988) - Subway Worker
  • Mask (1985) - Carnival Ticket Taker

  Oscar Nunez (Oscar)

  • Glory Road (Movie, 2006) - Locker Room Janitor
  • The Italian Job (Movie, 2003) - Security Guard
  • “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (1 episode, 2000) - Male Parking Lot Attendant

  Kate Flannery (Meredith)

  • Carolina (Movie, 2003) - Cafe Waitress
  • “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (1 episode, 2002) - Cop #2
  • Life Without Dick (Movie, 2002) - Crampy Legs Partygoer

  Brian Baumgartner (Kevin)

  • “Everwood” (1 episode, 2005) - Contractor
  • “Arrested Development” (1 episode, 2005) - Gun Vendor
  • “CSI” (1 episode, 2003) - Dog Man

Now I hope this doesn’t come across as me making fun of these fine actors.  I just don’t see them parlaying their Office roles into major careers.  For their sake, I hope the writers strike ends soon and The Office returns to TV.

On a related note, I wonder how much these actors get paid per episode of The Office?  Does anyone know?  What about for the other roles they’ve paid?  I’m very curious, because I don’t think they could’ve supported themselves playing an occasional janitor or security guard.  They must have to have regular jobs between roles, but then when would they have the time to go to auditions?

No responses yet

Nov 29 2007

And the Fake Story Is…………#3

I totally made up the ‘Monkey-Nappers Caught By Suspicious Landlord’ story.  Only Michelle got it right.

Most of you said Story #4, the Miss Landmine story was the fake one, but that story is absolutely true.  The Blind Man Driving and Bush Welcomes Gore stories are also factual.

Thanks for playing, and be sure to tune in next Wednesday for another exciting edition of “Which Story Is The Fake”!

6 responses so far

Nov 28 2007

Which Story Is The Fake?

Published by Daddy Dan under Uncategorized

A new game on Daddydan.net!

I’m going to list 4 stories below.  Three stories are real, one is fake.  I’m including a blurb from each of the four articles.

Can you guess the fake story?  Let me know in the comments what story you think is fake.  I’ll post the correct response, and the links to the three real stories, tomorrow evening.

Story 1 - Blind Man Arrested for Driving Car

“At first they thought he was just drunk, but the man kept missing the tube for the breath test, then they realized he was blind” and arrested him.

Story 2 - Bush Welcomes Gore to the White House

Despite the warm White House visit, there was no sign of detente between Bush and Gore over climate change policy.

“It was a private conversation,” Gore said repeatedly to a throng of reporters, avoiding giving details. “Of course we talked about global warming, of course, the whole time.”

Story 3 - Monkey-Nappers Caught By Suspicious Landlord

The spider monkeys, missing since they disappeared from the Akron Zoo in late September, were being kept in the couple’s dank basement with little light and no heat.

“I came over earlier in the week to check on the house and heard what I thought were birds squawking,” Zielinski said.  “Imagine my shock when I opened the door and two little monkeys bolted up the stairs and into that plum tree.”

Story 4 - Miss Landmine 2008 Beauty Pageant To Be Held in Angola

The international community can vote for their favorite contestant online, leaving the door open for more than one winner. Along with fame and glory,  they’ll receive a golden prosthesis fitted to their specifications.

8 responses so far

Nov 28 2007

Short Book Review: Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin

Published by Daddy Dan under Short Book Review, Humor

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Steve Martin’s memoir, Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life, deals with his life from his childhood to his first big movie hit, The Jerk. Steve has certainly led an interesting life. He grew up with a father that showed him no real affection. His first job was selling park maps at Disneyland, worked his way up to working in the Disneyland Magic Shop, and later worked as a performer for four years at the Birdcage Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm.

He later became a writer for several TV shows, including The Smothers Brothers, Sonny and Cher, and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. He spent 14 years honing his stand-up act before he finally hit the big-time. At one point, he gave himself to the age of 30 to succeed in show business before heading off into the ‘real world.’ Just before he gave up, he received a rave review in the newspaper. He began appearing on many of the talk shows, including The Tonight Show, The Mike Douglas Show, and others. He hit the big time when he hosted Saturday Night Live.

The book details his sheer tenacity in perfecting his stand-up act. He prided himself on being completely original. One of the funniest bits was when he would take the entire audience outside the comedy club at the end of his act and continue it on the street. His trademark humor shines throughout the entire book. It was an enjoyable read.

On the Daddy Dan scale of 1 to 10, I give this book an 8.

One response so far

Nov 27 2007

Weird News Wednesday - 11/28/07

Published by Daddy Dan under Weird News, Opinion, News, Humor

Man Busted Chugging Hair Spray in Department Store

A Florida man was arrested in a local Wal-Mart for shoplifting hair spray….in his stomach.
The Northwest Florida Daily News reported that:

a Wal-Mart employee in Okaloosa County told police he’d been trying to catch the man in the act for weeks.The store’s loss prevention officer, Christopher White, reportedly told police how employees would often find empty bottles of hairspray after the man left the building.But last Friday, Mr White said, he watched the man take a bottle of hairspray off a shelf and walk into the store’s garden department, where he drank it.

Mr White said the man then walked back, allegedly swapped the empty bottle with a full one, then drank it in the toy department.

The newspaper reported the man was alleged to have paid for some prescription medicines, but left without paying for the hairspray.

I know from first-hand experience you can get a mighty fine high from just a whiff of hairspray. I used to carpool with my wife and if we were running late she’d fix her hair on the way to work. Drinking it down must really kick it up a notch.


Doctors Remove 10 Pound Hairball……..from an 18 Year Old Girl

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The New England Journal of Medicine’s current issue includes a story about doctors removing a ten-pound hairball from an 18-year old girl. Apparently the girl had been eating her own hair for years. Look at that thing! It looks like a seal’s tail!

Daughter’s Poop Saves Granny’s Life

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Continuing with the gross stories, The Telegraph is reporting that a grandmother who contracted a potentially fatal superbug in Scotland has been saved after a hospital fed her daughter’s feces to her. The treatment apparently involves liquidizing a sample of the feces and feeding the liquid down a tube to the patient’s stomach.

Granny didn’t seem to mind it much:

“When you tell people about the treatment, they wrinkle their noses,” Mrs McEwan told the Daily Record.

“But it’s not like they put it on a plate and have you eat it. You don’t ever see or smell a thing.”

Yuck.

Itching Powder Bandit Arrested at Disneyland Paris

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A man in Paris has been arrested for putting itching powder on children and then videotaping them as they scratched themselves. This all happened at Disneyland Paris. He apparently intended to use the videotape for sexual purposes. The man was also photographing young girls when they dropped their underwear to relieve the itching.

Where were these kids’ parents?

When police searched the man’s house they found a bunch more child pornography, including a videotape of the man raping his niece. What a guy!

and finally………

4Real Baby to Be Called Superman

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I want to end this week’s edition with a lighter story. A New Zealand couple’s dream of naming their newborn son 4Real has been thwarted by the country’s Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages. The name was rejected on the grounds that the dictionary definition of a name was “a sequence of characters”.

The couple has decided to name the boy ‘Superman,’ but they still intend to call him 4Real. The story also says that:

The Wheatons initially decided on the name after seeing an ultrasound scan and realizing their baby was “for real”.

They believed the spelling 4Real was the clearest way of writing it down.

Pat said some of the criticism of him and his wife regarding their choice had been difficult to handle.

“I did go online and Google some of the stories and as tough as I am, it does get to you, but there’s no point getting upset.

“It could be a 10-year-old school girl making those comments.”

He said people’s negative reactions were “predictable” because the name he and his wife had chosen wasn’t the norm.

“No matter what, it’s gonna stay 4Real,” Pat said. “I’m certainly not a quitter.”

You go, Mr. Wheaton. I like the way you’re keeping it real!

5 responses so far

Nov 27 2007

Christmas at Disneyland Photos

Published by Daddy Dan under Love, Parenting, Life, Family, Disneyland, Babito

Well, we had a great time at Disneyland and loved our room at the Grand Californian. What follows is the best of the pictures we took from the trip.

The pool area looked great. Hopefully we’ll stay at the hotel some time in the summer so we can try it out.

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About 15 minutes after we checked in, the fire alarm started going off. I looked out in the hall and the maids were still busy cleaning rooms and not evacuating. A few minutes later a message came on from the fire marshal telling us to evacuate. We ran into a security guard who told us to leave by the stairs. He was nice enough to help me carry The Babito’s stroller down the six flights of stairs to safety. We never did find out what set the fire alarm off. We headed straight to Disneyland.

The Babito playing the piano in Goofy’s house.

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It’s A Small World all lit up for Christmas.

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I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  I had to take a bunch down because the site was running too slow.

Editor’s Note: The deleted pictures have been added here.

12 responses so far

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