"Great episode of Charlie Rose" on Google Video
If you don't have time for the whole show, watch Segment 3 first. Then Segment 1 if you can. Segment 1: Martha Raddatz of ABC News and William Kristol of The Weekly Standard discuss the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld and the war in Iraq. Two knowledgeable perspectives. Segment 2: Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) talks about the changes in Congress. Interesting but not that exciting. Segment 3: A discussion about Iraq with three veterans of the war. They are Paul Rieckhoff, Daniel Anfang and David Myers. This is the best part. These three are intelligent and articulate, and give a rarely heard perspective of the war.

My command master chief, John James Urgayle, has been settling in pretty well. He arrived naked as a jaybird, and I could tell he was a bit uncomfortable about that. Made him more vulnerable than he wanted to be. So I got him outfitted in some camo fatigues, handed him a glass of Scotch and sent him out into the woods for a walk.

When he didn't return for a few hours, I figured it was time to go looking. I made plenty of noise. No one sneaks up on a SEAL unless they're looking for trouble. Was just about to give up on finding him when I thought to check the Grotto of the Stone Hotei.

( Is he the command master chief or is he ... )

Okay, in order to tell this story I have to admit that I bid on eBay for a Hot Toys 1/6 scale Navy SEAL that looks like Master Chief Urgayle. *blush* Hey, I've done stupider things in my life; with luck you'll never hear about them!

Now the fancy package with the parachute and all the works sells for $125-250 as far as I can tell. The first one I took aim on just had a fully articulated (yeah baby) doll with flight suit and boots. My maximum bid was $25.50 -- it sold May 23 for *gulp* $100.36.

Oh, dear. Well, so much for that.

Then I saw another ... and how can you not notice the item title? Hot Toys HALO NIGHT OPS; Nude Male as Viggo Mortensen Hokay! Who needs clothes on a Viggo doll? And this had a buy-it-now price of $20. Definitely more my speed. So I slapped down my PayPal $$, and while I was at it, picked up the flight suit from the same vendor for a mere $12.25 more. Boots were going to set me back another $8. Sorry, Chief, you'll have to go barefoot.

Feeling pretty smug, I then noticed another sale by the first vendor. Identical product, boots and all. I watched it to see how much the suckers would pay. Wouldn't you know? It just closed at $23.82.

Live and learn. Just because something sells for $100 on May 23 doesn't mean it can't sell for $24 a week later.

Now if I can just resist those boots... and the combat vest... and the parachute... and don't let me forget the weapons. *LOL*

The move to Oregon is roaring ahead. Movers arrive this Friday, Jan 21, so can't chat much! I am so behind on viggo_daily.

Jack is excited about the move. As you can see, he loves road trips. Hope we have some sunshine on the drive north. If you find yourself in Corvallis, Oregon, post me a note and maybe we can connect for a Viggo chat. :)

BTW, I did actually post a Steele Justice page for Kevin Gage. That movie is so bad, it's hilarious! Posted a video clip of Kevin's 20+ seconds of fame. Just remember, it was released in 1987 and was only his second movie. He's gotten much better with time.

Hugs to all and wish me luck on the drive!

It's been an exciting day! My swim buddy, Jack, invited a couple of his SEAL teammates, Wes and Lucky, to visit for the holidays.

( Those two have been nothing but trouble! )

Point Blank is a 1-star film with 4-star Kevin content. The good news: Kevin's lookin' good with long hair, bare arms and big guns. Bad news: the rest of the film. I liked the look and some bits of dialogue well enough to get a bit carried away "capturing" it. Have been working on the screencaps and video clips off and on for over a month, finally finished! Enjoy 26 caps and eight clips, all on the Point Blank page at KevinGage.net.

Still sitting on the shelf waiting: Steele Justice. It may take another month to get to it, as it's only on VHS which is more trouble to set up. Plus I'm moving soon! :)

Check Perceval Press for a new compilation CD "This and That" AND ...
reissue of the Viggo-designed "War is Not the Answer" and "Support Our Troops - Bring them Home" T-shirts. Check the bottom of the T-shirts page for a special offer if you move quickly.

The only bad news is that when I placed my order it said there was a technical problem and I need to try back later. :( But on the third try my order went through. So don't give up! :)

From the Washington Post: Faces of the Fallen

Iraq Coalition Casualty Count

Sorry to have disappeared for a while... Jack and I went to Oregon over Thanksgiving to visit family and stayed an extra week and ...

bought a house!

Oh, yes. With a two-week escrow, no less. Due to close Monday, Dec 20. So I've been in a flurry of crazy activity to pull everything together and tell my shocked friends and clients and get my California house in shape to show and get it listed and start preparing for a January move. Oh, yes, and of course I still have web projects in the pipe.

So, dear LiveJournal friends, my journal has taken a back seat to the Real World for a while. Sigh.

Please don't give up on me, though. I have bunches of screen caps and half-processed video clips from Viggo's Young Americans and Kevin's Point Blank. Hope to get them finished and uploaded before Christmas. :)

And in case you were wondering who Jack is ... he's my Navy SEAL swim buddy. Looks great in his desert camo. Here's a photo from the road trip.

TTYS, I hope.

Finally managed to watch Fresh Horses a few weeks ago. It took a while, but I've posted five video clips, ten new screencaps of the diner sequence, and a spoiler movie review, all at Brego.net.

Okay, it's not a great movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed Viggo's two appearances in it. The 11-second sequence where he comes into the diner, sits down and takes off his knit hat is the best bit of the film, IMHO. Viggo makes the act of taking off a cap into a graceful, sensual, even poignant moment.

In the better-known five-minute scene near the end of the film, his character starts out mysterious and stays that way, a complex blend of sinister, cynical, caring, mean, and worldly wise. The rest of the film isn't worth your time, but Viggo's bit is worth at least a rental.

Check out the video clips and judge for yourself. :)

p.s. I was hoping to post pics to viggo_daily but my apologies, still haven't found time to figure out how that "under the cut" thing works. I'll work on it soon, I promise.

Yeah, I don't think we should have invaded Iraq. But now that we're there, we have a lot of soldiers dealing with dust, car bombs, enemies who look like friends and friendly folks who look like enemies. It's got to be rough. Send a card, book or care package to someone who is getting overlooked at mail call. Find out how at AnySoldier.com or BooksForSoldiers.com. More ideas at MichaelMoore.com.

I spent a chunk of time Friday putting together a package, and then took a bunch of Christmas cards to some local hangouts and a potluck dinner Friday night. I asked folks if they would like to write a Christmas message to a soldier in Iraq. Almost no one declined, and I ended up with over 60 cards to add some holiday cheer to my package. What's more, people thanked me for giving them the chance to do something.

Don't forget the guys and gals in Afghanistan, by the way. It's cold over there, and the word is at AnySoldier.com that warm socks, knit hats, and thermal underwear are greatly appreciated.

Make sure you read the restrictions and recommendations on their "What to Send" page before you shop or mail.

Got through another Kevin Gage movie. This one is Gunshy, starring Michael Wincott, William L. Petersen and Diane Lane. Kevin is listed 4th in the credits, and plays an ill-tempered police detective. Good news: he doesn't get killed in this one! And the director's commentary includes some comments about Kevin, including "I just hope we see a lot more of Kevin Gage in this career of ours. He's wonderful."

Posted synopsis, review, and a bunch of screencaps at KevinGage.net. Also have several pretty intense video clips, but probably won't find time to get them uploaded for another couple of days.

Yes, I know Viggo is supposed to come first, but I keep thinking I'm almost done with Kevin's movies, then I bump into another one. Besides, Kevin's in prison. I'm figuring he needs a bit of positive attention.

Viggo appeared with Michael Moore and the musical group "goo goo dolls" to encourage Americans to vote for John Kerry for President. Photographs and more information here.

New York Times editorial, Oct 17: John Kerry for President

Excerpts:
"Over the last year we have come to know [Senator John] Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent."

"There is no denying that this race is mainly about Mr. Bush's disastrous tenure.... The Bush White House has always given us the worst aspects of the American right without any of the advantages. We get the radical goals but not the efficient management. The Department of Education's handling of the No Child Left Behind Act has been heavily politicized and inept. The Department of Homeland Security is famous for its useless alerts and its inability to distribute antiterrorism aid according to actual threats. Without providing enough troops to properly secure Iraq, the administration has managed to so strain the resources of our armed forces that the nation is unprepared to respond to a crisis anywhere else in the world."

They go on to neatly list other ways in which Bush has made our country less secure, less sound, less fiscally solid, less humane. After detailing the reasons they see Kerry as the stronger candidate, they conclude:
" We look back on the past four years with hearts nearly breaking, both for the lives unnecessarily lost and for the opportunities so casually wasted. Time and again, history invited George W. Bush to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong course. We believe that with John Kerry as president, the nation will do better. ... We enthusiastically endorse John Kerry for president."

Antisoshal got a copy of Gimlet (in Spanish with English subtitles) and is making DVDs available. Finally a chance to see it! Ordered my copy tonight. More on the film at Brego.net.

Bad news for Kevin Gage last week. Bail was denied in his medicinal marijuana case. Next hearing December 7.

In what might seem like a related move (but trust me it's a coincidence) I finished picking up screencaps and video clips from Blow last week. Blow is the film in which Johnny Depp plays a big-time cocaine importer and Kevin is the honcho for the drug-running team that sets him up for his last bust. See the clips of Kevin (and a bit of Johnny) in Blow at the Blow page on KevinGage.net.

Yes, I know he was cuter as Pyro. But I've enjoyed seeing him in these other films. So he's usually a bad guy and/or gets killed. But what would the good guys do if there weren't bad guys? He's important! :)

Starting to get the hang of this. Changed to a friendlier icon. I confess, LJ will always take a back seat to Brego.net ... that's where most of my spare energy goes. But it's nice to have a place to ramble.

Biggest projects lately have been video captures of Kevin Gage's movies for KevinGage.net. Finally finished all but Blow and have gladly headed back to Viggoland. I like Gage but he gets killed in too many of his films! And plays the nasty tough guy a lot. Like him best in G.I. Jane, of course. But he was fun to watch in Con Air, even if he did get killed in the first five minutes. And liked his character, "Pooch," in Ticker. Okay, so Pooch got killed, too, but at least he was a good guy!

The election has me on edge. The thought of four more years of Bush turns my stomach. Have been trying to figure out if there is anything I could post on my sites that would make a difference. I noticed that sagralisse has been focusing on anti-war, anti-Bush themes lately. She's linked to some excellent resources.

Yes, it's empty! Just signed up today and now I'm running out the door. Going to a friend's house to eat dinner and watch the season opener of Star Trek: Enterprise. Thanks for stopping by.