I have a guest speaker in today to talk to my senior students. They aren't being as receptive as I had hoped or thought they would be. Ugh... it makes for a less than super day. The second class was much more attentive than the first... I hope the third class is more like the second. We'll see....
I guess I just haven't had much to say. The school year has been in full swing now and between that and marching band and the dog my life has been hectic, to say the least. Things are going well though. Today has been an easy day at school. The kids are just taking a test and doing some silent reading for their book report assignment. I am actually very pleased to see how many of my students are attempting some classic novels. I am glad that many of them are up for the challenge. Anyway, since it has been a day where my involvement is at a minimum, I have had time to plan out the possible road trip that Jen and I might go on this summer. Here is a map showing the planned route of travel...
I'll post more about trip plans as they come to fruition.
Red Sox are swept by the Angels. I hate to say it, but after game one, I saw this one coming. I can't beleive it was Pap that blew it though...
I haven't done one of these for awhile, and they're fun... so here we go...
Washburn's Top 5 of the Day: The Top 5 Most BadAss Female Characters in Film...
First off, this was a tough list to make... some honorable mentions that didn't make my top 5 are Linda Carter as Wonder Woman, Ziyi Zhang as Xiao Mei (in House of Flying Daggers), Rob Zombies girlfriend who played Baby Firefly in The Devil's Rejects, Angelina Jolie as the Tomb Raider Lara Croft, Carrie-Ann Moss as the Matrix's leading lady Trinity, and one of my all time favorites, Anne Parillaud as Nikita in LaFemme Nikita...sorry ladies... but here are the ones that did make my list...
5) Mallory Knox - Coming in at number 5 is the infamous, notorious mass-mu
rderer Mallory Knox played by Juliette Lewis in the 1994 film, Natural Born Killers. Very rarely in films are villains so evil yet so lovable at the same time. Mallory Knox is a psychopathic murderer who, along with her husband, Mickey, racked up an impressive body count as they drove up and down highway 666 and terrorized small-town American towns. How can anyone forget the opening sequence when Mallory displays her sex appeal, her ability to fain innocence, and her natural ability to kill so effectively. She curtly seduces a man at a diner bar and leads him on to dance with her, all the while, her hubby is sitting at the bar waiting for the right moment to join in. As the unsuspecting victim gets more and more forward with Mallory, that is when the action begins. She spouts out in her hillbilly accent, "Are you flirtin with me???" and before you know it she socks the guy square in the jaw and continues the beat down until things really get bloody. View the clip below to see the opening sequence of Natural Born Killers and admire Mallory Knox's badassness. You don't want to mess with this little lady. Probably the only reason she isn't higher in the rankings is because she is only one part of a tandum.
4) Yu Shu Lien - played by the dynamic Michelle Yeoh is the heroine character from 2001's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She is a kung-fu 
master who, along with her partner, a Wu-Dan Master, Li Mu Bai, have attained the status of warrior legends. She is in the influence on a young girl to follow in her footsteps as a warrior, but the girl is mixed up and goes about attaining enligtenment through trecherous methods. She is eptime of discipline and calm in the movie. Her martial arts skills are so smooth and dance-like. She can literally run on air and at one point, she catches a blow dart out of mid-air. Pretty sweet moves. I wouldn't want to tangle with her. Check out her first encounter with the trecherous girl who has stolen Li Mu Bai's sword. Not only does she have some kick-ass moves and one-liners, "Get down here!", the background music is also sweet. Taiko Drums....
3) Sarah Connor - Not the Sarah Connor from the first Terminator, more the Sarah Connor from the sequel. Played with total conviction by Linda Hamilton, she is number 3 on the list. She's been locked up in an asylum, removed from her son's life, and no one will believe her that there is an indestructable robot from the future out to get her and her son. She's pissed, to say the least. When she finally gets out of the asylum, with the help of her son, John, and a revamped, good-guy Arnie, she is ready to kick some ass. A couple of the scenes in the mental asylum give us glimpses of Sarah's potential to be a total badass chick, but she really gets going when she decides to go on a one-woman assassination mission and kill the guy she feels is responsible for Judgement-Day (in the future). She nearly gives in to her killing side. This cool video, that someone made, is a little music video of kickass clips of Sarah Connor from T2. Enjoy!!!
2) Beatrix Kiddo (AKA The Bride, AKA Black Mamba) - is the heroin
e and main character in the Kill Bill movies. She kicks so much ass throughout these two movies, that is hard to pinpoint her best badass moment, but after some thought, it has to be the scene in Volume 1 when she takes on the entire Crazy 88s, a masked kung-fu gang of thugs and killers that works for fellow former assassin in the Deadly Viper Squad, O-Ren Ishii (AKA Cottonmouth). She not only enacts her revenge in a systematic fashion, but does it in bloody, Tarantino glory. Uma Thurman displays an uncanny ability in her battle with the Crazy 88 to take on an entire army of badies and easily (and bloddily) dispatch of them. It's an iconic scene for women wanting to kick ass everywhere. Here is the clip below!
And the number 1 Badass chick in movies...
Lt. Ellen Ripley - from Alien, Aliens, Alien3, and Alien: Resurrection. Not only is she one of film's greatest survivor characters, but she kicks a ton of ass along the way. No where is this more apperant than in the final 30 minutes of Aliens, the second film in the series. Ripley, after most of her crew is totally wiped out, takes it upon herself to rescue a little girl from the clutches of the evil Alien monsters, and more importantly, the Queen Bee. In this part of the movie, Ripley becomes a one-woman wrecking crew, combining a
flam-thrower, machine gun, and grenade launcher into one weapon and stepping confidently amidst the egg pods being layed by the GIANT Queen alien. Ripley is not to be messed with this time around. The fight continues, even after she thinks she has safely rescued the little girl. Back on her space ship, she must then battle the Queen women to women. The famous line, "Get away from her, you BITCH!" is screamed as Ripley beats the Queen and blasts her out of an air lock. Total badass. Here's a scene from Aliens. Enjoy!
Ugh... whatever this stomach bug that has been bothering me is, it is a pain.... that much I know. I am sick of the stomach cramps... Anyway... I called off work today, felt like it would be a good idea... i rested up over the weekend and yesterday I felt pretty good at work, but last night and into this morning was rough... The dog chewed through my MacBook power cable, so I am going to have to pay for a replacement from the school. I am pissed about that now... Just a bad start to the day for me :(
Here's a sweet DMC I saw at the car show in Dillsburg today. John Killinger was showing his Ford Falcon and Jen and I stopped by to visit. I wonder if this one has a flux capacitor????
Jenny and I had the pleasure of meeting Emma Stockard for the first time tonight. She is adorable and we are VERY happy for Brian and Megan. They will be great parents, for sure. 
Here are some photos of the damage done to the Noel home. Jen and I spent some time this weekend helping them pick up and move out :( It is a sad situation...
As most of you know, Pink Floyd is my all time favorite rock band. Hands down. A lesser-known Floyd song is the classic "Fearless" from the Meddle album in 1971. On the song, you can sometimes here in the background an actual recording of Liverpool FC fans sitting in the Spion Kop part of Anfield singing one of the team's songs, "You'll Never Walk Alone." It's a great song. As a LFC fan as well, this meld is totally awesome for me. Here is a neat video I found on YouTube that shows a collage of LFC through the years set to the song, "Fearless" by Pink Floyd.
Jill and Mom are in California right now... eating at IN-N-OUT.... here is the picture Jill just sent me. Makes me hungry...
Tessie was soaked and half covered with mud when I finally got home through this awful storm system. She was a mess... as am I, now that she has jumped all over me. Ugh...
Good news, Liverpool wins!!!!
Bad news, Torres will have one hell of a headache for awhile.
And then... the aftermath...
Ouch... !
Being a Bears fan, it was always tough to say Brett Favre was a good quarterback. I was hoping that now that he was supposedly going to retire I could say it. But not only is he back, again, but he is now throwing for a team I hate even more than the Packers.... the Vikings!!!!!! UGH! The photo here shows how the Packers fans are dealing with it... haha!!! Check out the article linked below.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jeff_pearlman/08/18/Brettfavre/index.html
For those of you who haven't seen my dog yet... here's Tessie. She is being a real pain in the ass at the moment... I don't know why, she has been so good lately... today she just wants to be a terror though. Ugh... Anyway, I am the dog-watcher for the night, Jen's turn to be at band. I took this picture with photo booth on my MacBook... it was a pain to get her to sit still, but she eventually did. We took a trip to PetSmart aftter dinner to get some fancy food. If you didn't know, we named Tessie after the song "Tessie" that is played at Fenway Park when the Sox win. Tessie hasn't been the best Red Sox fan as of late... she chewed up my favorite Sox hat, and she also pissed on my Red Sox rug the first week we had her here at the house. She has gotten better. Anyway, she wants to go out now... so, laters!Jen and I got a new pet. The new member of the family is Tessie, she is an 11 week old German Shepherd pup. Pictures to come!
I'm running on very little sleep, but I have some adrenaline pumping me through the morning here. I'm excited for game 2 od the Phillies/Red Sox series. Bill got tickets and he and I are leaving around 3:30 for the game. I hope it's not as much a nail-biter as last night, but still thrilling enough. Lates.
the man with the golden gun means that he is supposedly the best (and most expensive) assassin for hire in the world. The theme song tells us a million a shot... not a bad way to make a living. The other reason I think he is a great villain is because, unlike other Bond foes, he actually looks upon Bond as an equal, as someone he actually WANTS to face because it will be a challange. Plus, Scaramanga lives on his own private island, a lush paradise in the south pacific where he also has a crazy solar powered ray gun/cannon thing. He also employs maybe the coolest henchmen in all the bond series, Nick Nack. And to top it all off... Scaramanga has three nipples!!!! Wow!!!
mely hot chicks), and 2) because he has a kick-ass name. Hugo Drax's plan is probably one of the most far-fetched plans...and that is why I love it! Drax's plan is to wipe out the entirety of Earth's population and restart the human civilization ON THE MOON!!! Haha, but better yet... he is going to populate the moon by enslaving many hot and beautiful women, specifically selected for their looks and perfect figures, using them to satisfy his sexual desires and create a race of beautiful people. Crazy, I know... but genius, if you ask me. All in all, however, Moonraker is probably one of the worst Bond movies, only because it pushes the envelope a little too far. The only one that is worse is probably Die Another Day. That one is just gay. 
I picked Stromberg strictly for how whacky and crazy his world domination scheme was. Very similar to Hugo Drax, Stromberg had this master plan to destroy all life on Earth, only to build a futuristic new civilization in which he would be the ruler.... under the ocean. No lie, an entire civilization under water. Stromeberg probably, more so than most Bond villains, has the coolest secret lair of evil. Stromberg's lair is a massive, multi-pod shaped sealab with one of the coolest aquariums! And of course, man eating sharks. Stromberg also has a gigantic ship that opens up and literally swallows an entire nuclear sub full of American naval officers... and a few nuclear warheads, duh. Isn't that what every evil genius is after!? Hahaha...
er 2 operative for the evil terrorist organization with seemingly endless funds, SPECTRE. The Largo character has technically appeared in two films (the re-make, Never Say Never Again). He is ruthless and is totally loyal to his superior at SPECTRE. It is his plan to attain stolen nuclear warheads to extort money from Great Britain. Not only that, but he keeps his hot mistress, Domino, held prisoner on his sweet-ass yacht. He is strangely obsessed with her and even has a hidden room in which he spys on her through a window disguised as a mirror while she dances and works out in the dance studio on board the yacht. All the while, the dude fashions a classic pirate-esque eye patch. Creeeeepy. Of course, Bond wins her over and she ends up shooting Largo in the back with a harpoon gun. Excellent!
ove all others, far fetched and elaborate. He is so iconic, that Austin Power's Dr. Evil villain is modeled after him (in other words, Blofeld's actions have become the cliches for every super-villain to appear after). He has been the primary Bond villain in the most movies. For example, where as most Bond villains have only one (two at most) films in which they appear as a protagonist, Blofeld has a role in 6 Bond films (From Russia With Love, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, and a brief encounter, in which Bond eventually uses a helicopter to drop Blofeld down a factory smoke stack, in For Your Eyes Only). Technically, he has been in 7 films if you count the non-EON pictures film Never Say Never Again (which is technically just a re-make of Thunderball). So what was Blofeld's most evil plan??? Probably the plan revealed in Diamonds Are Forever, where he plans to hold the world for ransom and threaten the use of his death ray gun (positioned in outer space, of course) that is capable of destroying any target, anywhere on Earth. The detonator for such a device is disguised as an audio cassette tape of Scotland fife and drum classics (duh! Of course!) Another crazy stunt is how, according to Bond (in OHMSS), Blofeld cut his own ear lobes off so that he could wrongfully acquire the Blofeld family fortune because everyone knows that the Blofelds don't have ear lobes! (weird and just plain evil). To top it off, Blofeld's goons are supposedly responsible for the murder of Bond's wife, Tracy. So here's to you, Number One. SPECTRE rocks!Oh, yeah... that's right, you're suspended.
This may sound naive and ignorant, but I was actually holding out and hoping that all players so close to my tea
m (the Red Sox), and especially someone who was treasured (like Manny) as a key member of the two most recent World Series Red Sox teams had played it clean. I guess there is no way of knowing (right now) for sure how deep and how long he has played using enhancement drugs, but it is definitely on my mind, as I am sure on the mind of other Red Sox fans. It is embarrassing. Now it calls into questions some of the other hitters who posted big numbers in Boston... Papi??? Maybe it's not a coincidence that he is in a huge home run slump... could it be that when he was nailing all those homers in the past that he was enhanced... somehow??? I hope not. God, I really hope not. But, I have to wonder...
So what is for the future??? When A-Rod returns shortly, what are going to be expectations? What kind of reception will Manny get when he returns after his 50 day suspension??? Is he still a first ballot candidate for Cooperstown??? This is a guy that, while he was in Boston, I used to love watch hit. Now, when I see him hit, it will be with disparity. Can any of these players be trusted??? Baseball heroes are falling, hero after hero... For me, two guys I had always had revered with awe (Manny Ramirez and Roger Clemens, before his days in NY) have broken my heart and have made me question the legitimacy of all MLB superstars.
Thanks, guys.
The Top 5 Favorite Holden Caulfield Quotes
5) "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life." <--- this one reminds me of my dad...
4) "All mothers are slightly insane."
3) "All morons hate it when you call them a moron."
2) "I am kind of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy."
...and the number 1 favorite quote...
1) "I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody."
Hi, sorry it has been awhile. Life has kind of been a little frantic as of late, especially with the wedding inching closer and closer each day. Not only that, I just feel I haven't had anything too terribly funny or important to say... although, every time I do think of something to blog about, I either don't have the time, or when I do have the time, I get tired and forget. Anyway... about the wedding...
Some crazy crap has been going on as of late. For one, thanks to the f'n Swine Flu or the H1N1 virus or whatever it is, our honeymoon plans are currently on the rocks. The sad thing is, we have already paid for everything (well, my credit card has paid for everything), and that includes the plane tickets, ugh. SOOOooo, I have been advised not to change my mind yet, as the situation does seem to be leveling off a bit in Mexico, and elsewhere in the world, but to instead start researching some other possible locations that I could transfer the funds to. We have looked at a few places in Punta Cana, but we had really had our hopes up for Mexico.
The other wedding news, invitations and gift registry cards have gone out and we are currently getting RSVPs back. You know what I don't get... when people get the invitations, why do they feel they need to bring people along with them that were NOT invited?!?! I don't get it. It is one thing if you at least ask first before just adding someone to the invitation, but when you just blatently put 4 or 5 down as attending, when the invitation was only for 2... I mean... what the hell?!? So, we are dealing with that mess too... I am afraid we invited too many. We shall see...
Good news... Red Sox beat the Yankees last night. I stayed up and watched the rain-delayed game until Damon and Teixera both hit back to back homers... that kind of left a rotten taste in my mouth and I turned it off. You think I would have been happy about that, seeing as they are both on my fantasy team, but I was more disgusted than anything. I was glad to see the outcome this morning though.
Washburn's Top 5 of the Day presents: The Top 5 Teams That I Love to HATE!!!
5) The Boston Bruins (NHL)- I hate this team for a few reasons, but mostly because they are considered strong rivals to my beloved Montreal Canadiens. I am also totally hating the fact that for the past "X" amount of years, the Bruins have been utterly abismal and now, out of no where, they are cleaning up in the east. Also, one time, when I was in drum corps, the line I was marching in decided to make the section hat be a black Bruins hat, only because of the B on it (which for our purposes stood for Buccaneers). Its ok, I mean I am not bitter or anything. I sucked it up. I didn't whine like a little bitch... but come on... it was AGONY.
4) The Dallas Cowboys (NFL) - Oh my God, do I ever hate the f'
n Cowboys. And I'll tell ya what, it really, honestly is for only one reason. I hate the fact that there is ALWAYS so much damn controversy encircling the team, its coaches, its owner, and whatever else, that they are always being mentioned on Sports Center for this or that.... ugh. It gets old. Half the players on the team are convicted criminals, the other half have bloated egos, and the quarterback is a tart. The owner is out of his mind, constantly feels the need to intervine with the coaching of the players, and the rich sonofabitch seems to get worse each year. The locker room is full of too many celebrities and not enough HONEST ball players. Even the goddamn cheerleaders have to be celebrities for the cowboys (having their own TV show, like anyone gives a shit). PLUS, Jen likes them, so I can hate them more and we can have a rivalry. F the Cowboys, and in no way are they America's team in my honest opinion. Douchebags...
3) This one was tough... it is a tie between Manchester United and Everton FC (EPL) - Holy cow do I ever hate these teams. They make my blood boil... First off, 
Manchester United is WAY WAY WAY overrated. No way do they deserve as much credit and fame as they get. B.S. if you ask me. Total B.S. They have ONE good player, Ronaldo, and even he isn't all that great. Mostly just a pretty boy twink. Plus, this is another team that just seems to attract controversy... ugh, what was it about that rape case at a ManU. party???? Losers. And Everton, don't even get me started. These assholes... sheesh. They are the archnemisis rivals of my Liverpool FC. Not only that, but they play in what SHOULD have been Liverpool's stadium. Yeah yeah, they are the older team and all, seniority, F it! Liverpool ain't big enough for the two of em... And with the playing fields only being a mile apart, Everton's blood on the minds of many fans of the Reds. ANFIELD FOREVER. Oh, and ManU... how about that embarressing loss to us a few weeks back??? HAHAHAHA, suckas!
2) The Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - These guys... these guys I hate with true passion and ferver. Purple... what a stupid team color. It makes me sick that my alma mater shares th
e same colors as these fools from Minnesota. And it really pisses me off that I share the great Hebrew name "Jared" with one of their players (Jared Allen). Blah on that guy! And his jersey number, 69, geezz.. who does he think he is! This team is mostly hated for the fact that they are rivals of the Monsters of the Midway, the great, one and only, Chicago F'n Bears!!! In a previous era, The Bears would easily shred through the crap-kicking Vikings, but it seems, as of late, the Vikings have the Bears' asses under their supreme control. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!!!! The Vikings need a good, old-fashioned, Midwest smack down from the windy city. I might lose my mind if another season goes by where the Vikings are atop the NFC north... seriously... LOSE MY MIND!!!! Vikings, I hate you.
...and the number 1 team that I love to HATE...
1) The New York Yankees (MLB) - This is definitely not a shocker I'm sure, as most everyone knows I despise the pinstripes with so much angst and hatred that I make it my mission to look for every flaw there is with the Yanks. So many reasons... first off, and this compares to that of ManU. and The Cowboys, the sheer arrogance this team and its owners has makes me want to puke up my lunch. They toss around money like it grows on trees and ove
rpay players who are no where near deserving. This only further inflates their already massive egos. Also, they condone hiring and honoring players like A-Rod, and Roger Clemmens, and (until this year) Jason Giambi... players who are known to have had checkered pasts regarding steroid use. I can't stand the media buzz that floats around the NYY as well... IF the Yanks don't get 95 wins in a season, you would think the world has exploded by the amount of media coverage spouting shit like "Have the Yanks lost their magic?" Geezzz.. even if they win 85 games, which is good by almost all other club's standards, it's not good enough for the Yankees. Jeter sucks. Steinbrenner can eat my shit. The New Yankee Stadium is stupid. Hmmmm... am I forgetting anything??? Oh yeah, the YES network blows. Oh yeah... GO RED SOX!!!!!!!!!
So, at first, I was upset about the fact that team USA didn't make it to the final, losing to the defending champions, Japan. Even if USA would have beat Japan in the semis, I don't know how they would hold up against Korea, who seemed amazing this year. Anyway... in the end, I was actually happy to see Japan win, but mostly because Daisuke Matsuzaka was once again, the MVP of the World Baseball Classic. This sits well with me, him being a Red Sox starter and all. I see greatness in his future with the Sox. I mean, my most standards, Dice-K has already proven himself as a great pitcher on many occassions, but I think that his standards and those of the AL East and Red Sox, are generally higher. I am hoping for another great year on-top the Boston pitcher's mound, not just from Dice-K, but from the entire pitching staff and bullpen. With solid starts from Beckett all Spring long, and Dice-K winning the classic, and Lester and Pap both getting extensions, I think things are set for another great year. Some of the question marks though.... Wakefield and the elusive fifth starter????? Will it be Bucholz, Penny, or (eventually) Smoltz???? It has got to be one of those 3 guys... I can't imagine they would move Masterson, but who knows... Anyway... Congrats to team Japan and congrats to Dice-K for being the ONLY champtions in World Baseball Classic history.
The Top 5 Muppets in this Humble Blogger's Opinion Which is of No Consequence At All:
5) Gonzo - OK... I think a lot of people would have Kermit as their number one, but if not, they might have Gonzo... well, not me. Gonzo is #5 for me. Personally, I like weird things, but Gonzo might just be too weird. First off, what is his purpose??? Is he a super-hero? A dare-devil? He is always getting shot out of cannons and stuff... I don't know, but it must of had some serious psychological effects, because Gonzo is a nut job. The reason he made my list though, is because he makes me laugh SO much! The guy is hilarious. Plus... that Nose! Gonzo has one of the most recognizable noses of all time. How can you forget that nose!? Unique, definitely. Hilarious, obviously. Gonzo, here's to you for making my list.
4) Beaker - This guy cracks me up. There isn't anything really specail about
him, and really, I feel kind of bad for him most of the time. Beaker was Dr. Bunsen's unfortunate, illiterate, test-dumby. All of the failed experiments that back-fired fell on the sore shoulders of Beaker. Beaker was also slightly deformed, having a....well...beaker shaped head. What cracked me up so much was the way he talked... It really can't be described. But it is hilarious. Beaker, if you were real and didn't just exisit in the world of Muppets, I would so be your friend. Plus, you should totally stand up for yourself and not let that nut-job mad scientist Bunsen make you drink weird concoctions, or hook you up to some high-voltage electro magnetic machine... tell him to use poor, unsuspecting, cute animals instead.
3) Kermit the Frog - Henson's most famous character is the green guy that everyone knows and loves. Kermit has everything you could 
want in te perfect Muppet. So why #3? Kermit comes in at #3 for me because I think he lacks something that my #2 and #1 muppets have... BALLS. So, to Kermitt: Kermit, I like you so much, you are witty, and you are kind to your friends, and you have a funny voice, but you have no balls, man! You let that ho, Miss Piggy abuse you and yell at you and embaress you in front of your male friends. She is too manipulative, you have GOT to realize that. Your awesomeness can only be balanced so much by this flaw that makes me want to punch you. This is why you are in the middle of the pack, my friend. If only you could be more like Fozzie, he gets embarressed but has the balls to deal with it. Why you let Miss Piggy ruin you like that is beyond me... plus, it is obvious that you don't love her, I mean, why else has she remained MISS Piggy. She never became Mrs. Frog. Get with it man, you could do so much better.
2) Fozzie Bear - 
Although this lovable teddy was truly a stand-up comic failure, he never gave up trying to be the funny guy that deep-down, he knew he was. I think I used to laugh at Fozzie's stupid jokes, mostly because everyone else made fun of him and threw trash (or as they say in England, rubbish) at him. But now, I see that maybe all that hazing and ridicule had an emotionally damaging effect on poor Fozzie. He tried to tough it out and act like the "haters" didn't faze him, but no one can withstand that much rejection and truly be happy. The one character who always did have Fozzie's back was Kermitt. Fozzie really was like the green guy's #2 on the show. So, why not have him as my #2 as well. Fozzie, keep on makin em laugh!
...and the number 1 Muppet is...
1) Animal - "Why?" you may ask... well, duh. Because he, like so many of the greats in this world, is a drummer. Not just any drummer, either. He is probably the most furiously frenzied drummer I have ever seen!? He might even put Keith Moon to shame with the amounts of energy and pure craziness he displays behind the kit. Animal is the drummer for the Muppet rock band called Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Pretty sweet band name, if you ask me. Animal had the the coolest way of dealing with problems... his classic line, "No, NO! Animal beat drums! BEAT DRUMS!!!!" Simple and yet, elegant. I think Animal speaks for all drummers. He is a beast, hence the perfect name... Animal. He is so metal... seriously, check out the heavy metal chain hanging from his neck... I'm not totally sure, but Animal may have been the example from which all those glam rock hair bands of the 80's based their image. Seriously... he looks like he has used quite a bit of Aqua Net on that mane of his...
The Top 5 Westerns by Sergio Leone That You MUST See Before You Die
5) A Fistful of Dollars (1964) - So this is the one... the one that started it all for the rise of Spaghetti Westerns, and even more importantly, Clint Eastwood as one of the most bad-ass characters in all of movie history: The Man With No Name. Now of course, this opposing hero is called Joe, mysteriously, in this film, but is not named in the other two films at all. In this chapter, The Man With No Name is a wanderer who stumbles upon a small town that is on edge because of two crime bosses who are constantly fighting over control of the town. Eastwood's estranged hero sees an opportunity to make some serious dough, and allies himself with BOTH crime bosses and wittingly plays them against each other. Famous ending sequence: Eastwood uses an iron door from an old cast iron wood stove as under-armor which successfully blocks the enemies bullets.
4) Duck, You Sucker! (1972) - This is the one with the best title, that is for sure, unfortunately, the U.S. release was re-named A Fistful of Dynamite, to correlate with the more well-known Eastwood flick, A Fistful of Dollars. Of course, neither have anything in common. This long western catalogs the rough times revolving around the Mexican revolution. James Coburn stars as an explosives-happy Irishman whose famous line, "Duck, you sucker!" is heard before he detonates his arsenal of dynamite. He befriends an unlikely Mexican hero (who is a crook, bandit, and fervent revolutionist) played by Rod Steiger. All in all, very exciting, although I feel it is too long and drawn out to be in the top 3.
3) For a Few Dollars More (1965) - Now we see Leone refined. He hone
d his western skills in this one, playing off the success and grittiness of A Fistful of Dollars. Again, we have Eastwood as The Man With No Name (he goes by the strange name Monco in this one); this time he is a bounty hunter after an entire gang of criminals lead by a mad-man named Indio. Unfortunately for Eastwood, another bounty hunter is after this gang, but not for the money, for revenge. Lee Van Cleef, who is totally bad-ass, plays Eastwood's counterpart in this one and is just as talented with a gun. Famous scene: The shoot out at the end is so suspenseful, "when the music stops... shoot." See it if you like classic spaghetti westerns.
2) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - This is where it gets difficult. These last two films are both gems, but I have to go with Once Upon a Time in the West at number 2. This film is epic. It has a slew of great stars, such as Henry Fonda who plays Frank, one of the more evil 
villains in all Leone films, Jason Robards as the fun-loving, and ultimately likable, gang-leader Cheyenne, the sexy-yet-tough Claduia Cardinale as the female lead, Jill McBride, and of course, the imposing, mysterious, and deadly vigilante, Harmonica, played by seasoned bad-ass, Charles Bronson. This movie follows so many story lines, but they ultimately converge. The movie's opening is so amazing, a dialogueless sequence of long shots and extreme close-ups, that marks the arrival of Harmonica. Awaiting him are three thugs that work for gang-boss, Frank. Harmonica dramatically and effortlessly disposes of these three badies, thus setting the tone. Another story line is that of Jill McBride, who is arriving at a small western village in hopes of meeting her new husband and his family, what she finds instead is a masacare, Frank having gunned down her husband, and her young step-children. Another story line is the unlikely love that blossoms between the recently widowed Jill McBride and wise-cracking gang-leader Cheyenne. All in all, it is a masterpiece, a great movie from beginning to end. It is long, but it flows well. Famous shot: A close up shot of an on coming steam engine that seems to roll right over the camera on the tracks. Great shot.
1) The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) - This is the biggy. This one is the best. Again, we return to the famous Man With No Name trilogy, and this one is the conclusion (and there is no better way to go out!). The star is Clint Eastwood in his most memorable, heroic role (The Good). He is once again joined by Lee Van Cleef, who, this time, plays a sadistic manhunter and hitman named Angel Eyes (The Bad). As comic releif, we see Eli Wallach as Tucco "The Rat" (who is very obviously The Ugly). Sergio Leone nailed it all with this effort. Everything from the sweeping landscape shots to the emotional musical score to the superb, witty dialogue, to the famous three-way shoot-out scene at the climax is a masterstroke of filmmaking. This story is set in the west during the later years of the civil war. Union and Rebel battles create the backdrop for the main story about the previously mentioned three men all looking for a secret stash of money and trying to out-do one another along the way. This time, Eastwood's character goes by the name of Blondie.
