SteveSilver.net

Mail Time!

Lots of interesting comments/e-mail lately, so let’s get right to it:

First of all, on the movie list- thanks for the great response. And yes, I know that “Seabiscuit” wasn’t set in Kentucky but rather Northern California, so the list has been amended to give the Bluegrass State to the Bill Murray comedy classic “Stripes,” which was filmed and partially set in Louisville, and is ten times better than “Seabiscuit” anyway.

And no, “Kentucky Fried Movie” was not set in Kentucky.

The biggest debates seem to be New York (“Godfather”? “Annie Hall”? “Goodfellas”?); California (“Chinatown”? “L.A. Confidential”?), Indiana (“Hoosiers”? “Knute Rockne: All-American”? “Rudy”?), and Rhode Island. And I never realized how much people hate “Outside Providence.” Almost every Farrelly Brothers film is at partially set in Rhode Island, though I don’t think any of them meet the two-thirds threshold.

In addition, there are several states that have been settings for TV shows better than the best movie: Alaska ("Northern Exposure"); Massachusetts ("Cheers"); Ohio ("Family Ties"); and Washington ("Twin Peaks"). And "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was probably better than any Minnesota movie, at least until "Fargo" came along.

And finally, LilB has a beef with my Garden State choice (which was not “Garden State”):

Q: How could New Jersey's selection have been anything other than Clerks?

A: Put it this way: If Kevin Smith, in addition to working in a video store for years and maxing out all his mother’s credit cards to finish his film, had produced “Clerks” as a thinly veiled allegory of his having named names before the House Un-American Activities Committee, then yes, “Clerks” would’ve been a better movie than “On the Waterfront.” But he didn’t, so it wasn’t.

I mean, you’d think Silent Bob would take the Fifth, right?

Elsewhere:

Blogging superstar Jim Treacher writes, re: my SportsByBrooks gig:

Q: Every day I find somebody else to be jealous of. So far today it's two, and I haven't even had lunch yet...

A: Hey, I’m just writing for some sports website- Jim has had stuff in the Wall Street Journal. ‘Cause the SBB Girls may be great to look at, but they don’t hold a candle to Peggy Noonan and Dorothy Rabinowitz.

On my meeting with Paul Begala in Washington, DBrooks writes:

Q: Paul Begala is an unmitigated ass. While I am not in any way a violent person, Begala is one of a very few people that I would dearly love to punch in the face. His comments about your sister are illuminating. He can be charming and/or engaging, but often in the service of his own dark design---and based on falsehood. He exemplifies what is wrong with reasoned political discourse in our country. He is a political operative, which is somewhere below a prostitute.

A: That may be true, but keep in mind: Begala was speaking to a bipartisan, but largely Republican crowd, and the general theme of his speech was that both parties essentially want what’s best for America. Could you imagine Sean Hannity going to a Democrat-leaning function and giving that speech?

On the subject of nerds being better lovers, “A” writes:

Q: I disagree majorly! Two words: CRISCO KID!

Meanwhle, LilB commented that day that:

Q: I've been to Pittsburgh twice. the second time I was at an event with Monica Lewinsky. (well, not *with* per se - it was Tuggie's graduation.)

A: And oddly enough, “Crisco Kid” and “Tuggie” are the same person. But I won’t say who, nor will I reveal the etymology of either nickname.

I posted last week on Bad News Brown’s new career as a mall security guard, which is pretty scary considering that he had a considerable enough beer gut even back in his prime as a wrestler 15 years ago, so it’s hard to imagine his physique now. Big Stupid Tommy writes:

Q: I mean, he was 260, 270 easy then. Imagine a 350, 400 pound guy wearing nothing but black underwear and wrestling boots wandering into Waldenbooks, brandishing a billy club, and saying "Sir, you need to come with me." Without even knowing it, I think we may have stumbled onto one of my worst nightmares.

A: Hulk Hogan’s got a new VH1 show; Bad News works at the mall. Could you have predicted that in 1990?

And finally, on the Hillary Clinton/Clifford the Big Red Dog photo op, Bill writes:

Q: “I'm hearing Ed Klein is planning to write a book exposing the secret life of Clifford.”

A: Well, we've all heard the explosive but unproven allegations about how Clifford: raped his wife to conceive his daughter; didn't shower for years during or after law school; is "a woman of the ultra-Left"; is a lesbian; has, like, Nixon, used FBI files against his enemies; failed utterly to implement health care reform; and always wanted to be an astronaut.

But besides that, no, I've heard nothing.

Posted by Stephen Silver at June 23, 2005 01:40 AM