On The Radar for this week - Dec 5th

On The Radar

Since my time is often pre-occupied with the Podcasts, I have a little bit of time to write and share my thoughts( I really miss writing, I need to do it more often). I thought it might be fun to write about what I'm doing this week....so here we go.

If you listen to the Podcasts, you know I have been going crazy with Super Nintendo and the Original Nintendo Entertainment System. My son, BroccoliRob dug out the SNES and we were instantly rehooked...it's crazy how much fun the older games are..bad graphics, small glitches..I just love it. 

As for the Original NES, I had forgotten how finicky that system is..yes, I'm aware, I'm under 60 and just said the word Finicky. The reset button blinks, the slight moving of the games while in the system...almost not making any sudden movements to ensure the safety of the system.

My favorite game thus far is Donkey Kong, especially because of my love for "King of Kong", that chronicles the battle between Gaming Icon Billy Mitchell and Underdog Steve Weibe. If you have not seen that film, check it out..it's fun. But, back to DK, man, what memories of playing this game in the arcade..but my biggest complaint is the board schemes on the NES compared to the Arcade system. The hammers are in different spots and it's totally missing the Bakery Conveyor belt level. I love this game though...so much so, I'm trying to talk Kim into buying a real Arcade version...imagine how little she would have to deal with me then. For those wondering my skill level...it's ok, but in time...I shall master the game. I looked up the World Record via Twin Galaxies, and it's close to 3.5 million....to me, that seems like a TON. We all have our secret missions.

On the movie watching homefront, I've been overloading on a BUNCH of different types of films..not just the standard intake of Horror but a plethora of other fun titles. Have you guys ever been followed by a movie for almost your entire life, yet you were always unsure if you liked it?

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not crazy...when I say "followed" by a movie, I simply mean, having it always pop up in unexpected places or catching it at odd times, possibly mid way throught it. That film for me is the 1981 "Neighbors" with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. I have never been able to decide if I liked this movie or not, but last night I saw the light...well...sort of...


Synopsis - One man's quiet suburban life takes a sickening lurch for the worse when a young couple move into the deserted house next door. From the word go it is obvious these are not the quiet professional types who *should* be living in such a nice street. As more and more unbelievable events unfold, our hero starts to question his own sanity... and those of his family.


What makes this film so peculiar (Peculiar has been become one of my favorite words as of late..no reason) is the switch in character portrayals...Belushi is Earl, the everyday, normal guy with a normal wife...until Vic and his wife, the sexy Ramona move in nextdoor...almost instantly, its an awkward, uneasy film. I believe this type of humor is not for everyone...as the "awkward humor" has become more acceptible with shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The Office" laughing all the way to the bank. This film was far too early to be accepted like that.

The crazy thing about this movie...no real dvd release...nothing significant about the film can be found...are they trying to erase this movie from our database...well..they can't erase me dammit!! "Neighbors" is worth a 2nd look, no doubt. Sadly, the most talked about part of the film was Belushi's releapse into drug use, dying just 4 short months after it's release. I've never been a big John Belushi fan, Animal House was fun, his time on SNL was great but this might be my favorite film/project he has done....hey, it's my opinion and I'm the writer!!

Neighbors is on Crackle, which is a free movie site, I recommend it. Can I also say, Cathy Moriarty is insanely sexy in this film...man, a few of the predicaments she places good ole' Earl in, it would have been hard to resist. So go check it out.

Thats it for now! Keep listening to the Podcasts, as always, thanks for the support.

Guinness Book of World Records - Credible anymore??

Guinness Book of World Records….blowing bubbles with a tarantula is not world record worthy, that’s just plain ridiculous.

I remember being a little kid on Saturday afternoons watching old Kun-Fu movies, Godzilla Films and a Guinness Book of World Records television show. It was sort of like a Ripley’s Believe it or not type of event with people doing stunts/events/acts of feat that would make a normal person cringe and stand up to take notice. I remember watching the guy who pogo-sticked around the world or the girl with the extraordinarily long hair. I also remember sitting there thinking to myself that these people had such tenacity for sticking to what they set their goal to be no matter if it was to be the biggest, fastest, shortest, tallest, smartest or longest in the world, I mean after all it was a world record book not a small town record book.

Once I had discovered that this was more than a TV show and actually had a book published every year to update and accrue all new broken records, I made it a point to check out every one that I could from the library. As well I would bug my parents each and every year for the new published book as one of my Christmas presents.  Would get the small paperback edition every Christmas and I would begin to read each and every record on the bus ride to and from school and even during my lunch periods. I would read the book of records when I had completed my school work and errands, it meant that much to me. I didn’t read many comics when I was a kid, I read reference books, did I miss a youth of imagination; I would say no. I would look at the people in the record book as goal setters and dreamers and would strive to set and attain my own goals. I remember flipping through the book and reading about the fattest twins, the longest finger nails or the guy who stood in one place for the longest amount of time. 

I had to know more about the book and I had to find out where and why it was created, I mean who would think of such a fantastic and entertaining idea of writing these records down? That man turned out to be Sir Hugh Beaver, who happened to be the managing director of the Guinness Breweries, hence the title for the book of records. He was trying to settle a dispute over which was the fastest game bird in Europe and he became less than thrilled with the lack of knowledge there was on such subjects, so he created his own reference book and the rest is history as they would say.

He wanted his book to be the reference book to end all reference books where you could find any and all information that you could ever possibly need to know and then some. People began to apply for record after record and only the most elite and legitimate of records would be accepted. Then in the new century the book of world records took a turn for the worse and became extremely petty and frivolous.

You began to have people breaking 30-50 world records in their life time when back in the day when people first applied for the record book it was a shock when one gentleman had 6 world records. Now you have people getting into the book for longest time ironing, longest time playing GTA, blowing the most bubbles with a tarantula in their mouth and the ever popular most successful salesman. Are these really achievements? Are these really feats that only these people can do takes great preparation and ability to succeed at? My answer is no, the world records book in my eyes has shilled itself out to the highest bidder and to not hurt anyone’s feelings in the aspect of being “pc”.

If you have a skill, ability and talent that no one else has then go for it set a record and see how long it stands until you or someone else can break it. If you don’t have a skill, ability or talent then it just makes it that much sweeter when you get or break that record because you had set that goal and succeeded in it, you didn’t just stand there 55 hours and 5 minutes ironing. The kicker in the whole ironing or any other extended event is that fact that they are allowed to take breaks for food, naps or bathroom usage. If I am allowed to take breaks like that then heck I have been working at my job non-stop since the day I started only taking breaks for sleep, vacation and sick days, that has to be a record of some sort. I guess the one good thing is they have stopped giving out records for drinking or anything that relates to healthy and safety. So it looks like the fattest motorcycle riding twins will never be broken anymore, oh darn it.

How sad it is that we have gotten to the point that we will accept any crap given to us as something great and spectacular, it’s kind of sad really when you think about it.

Be safe and try breaking the record for the nosiest exploding sledgehammer…I looked and it’s not in there…yet,
John Cannon