If you come up I-44 or Route 66 (co-extensive in spots) shoot me a line if you come through Springfield.  Steak n Shake's on me.

Thirty three million dollars this weekend. Thirty. Three. Million.

Top of the box office for the weekend.

That's all well and good.  But do you know what was best? "Uncle Kevin," my four year old niece asked after hearing that I had bankrolled her family's trip to the movie, "please tell Mr. Brian he made a great movie and I like this cat a lot."

It wasn't best for me; hell, you all know that I'm faaaaaaar in between these days. But it was great to hear my niece say she loved something that had sprung forth from the work of someone whose work I've always loved.  I've been reading Carlin's auto recently (LAST WORDS), and I keep thinking about him talking about those small children who grew up with him as Mr. Conductor in SHINING TIME STATION.  He said that he loved nothing more than those small children coming to his shows, many years later, "to complete their education." When I went to see PUSS, I was completing my education. But my niece? She was beginning hers.

Congrats on a big weekend, B.

Didn't have time to go this weekend, bought a ticket anyway just so that I could contribute. Can't wait to make it, because I hear it's great.

Robert California's Bio would be entitled, "Penis Cars and Manipulation: The Robert California Story." Or maybe, "Paper is dead. Long live Robert California."

Or maybe just, "Balls In Your Face: Management from the Alpha Manager." I dunno. Just spitballing here.

Yeah, I read that this morning, AP, and about had a fit.  I understand that some kind of addiction or abuse is likely par for the course for dealing with the hellish schedule and pressures of the job, but Hammond freebasing crack was really not something my fragile mind was prepared for.

I spent the last 8 months dating a religious studies master's student.

The only thing less obvious than what was coming was the failure of ARTHUR.

That interview was his best moment in the public eye since SIDE OUT.

This is the thinking that gave us CATWOMAN. 

You know what's weird, though? On sites like FARK and the like most of the comments were not about the awful material of the costume (the cut and shape are fine, but the material is a travesty), but actually about the fact that you can drive a small semi-truck between her fake breasts.  The internet is an interesting place.

I just tweeted this at Brian, but I bought HOP-branded baby carrots at the store today.  I'll post a pic if anyone wants.  I very nearly had to explain to the cashier my sheer joy in paying for them. I am glad I did not have to do so. "You see, I have once or twice exchanged posts on the intertubes regarding absolute nonsense with this guy who was in JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK and he wrote the movie" would've been a weird conversation.

Also, I'm going opening weekend and paying for my brother, sister-in-law, and niece to go.  I have also had preliminary conversations with a friend of mine who teaches elementary school about purchasing tickets to be given away to good kids the week before.  And before I pull my nose out of B's ass, I can't wait for the Blu Ray of this to take its rightful place next to ROBOTS on my shelf.

I'm pretty shocked by how few of you have seen THE FIGHTER yet.  I came here expecting several of you to have gotten to it, but, so far, it's naht you, naht you, and NAHT YOU.

I thought it had some very solid performances (the mother, Adams, and Bale are all great -- especially once you see some footage of the real Dicky Ecklund -- Bale NAILED it), but ultimately Russell doesn't seem to have any idea what he has here.  There are several sequences where the editing, costuming, and sound all but scream parody, but this is supposed to be an Oscar contender.  At one point, I actually almost expected Yakety Sax to start playing.  The boxing scenes are great, and filming them with HBO's boxing cameras was a great choice.  Marky Mark manages to not get in his own way, but I'm not sure his character was well-defined.  Even at the end, he seemed to be defined by what went on around him rather than, as the center of the story, defining the events himself.

In the end, it's a very decent movie, but also a bit of a well-intentioned mess.

I know I don't come around as often as I used to, but it's still something else to see B's name in lights. 

I cannot wait for this.  I may just buy out a theatre and invite some friends opening weekend.  Why not, right?

As SNL has gone this year, this was a pretty solid episode.

This is the definition of damning with faint praise, but it really was a pretty solid ep.  The Hader and Armisen show just desperately needs more Sudeikis.

However, in my book, EVERYTHING needs more Jason.

I cannot remember the last time I spent two hours in a movie theatre and couldn't think of anything I disliked about a movie. The direction was great, the pacing solid, the performances outstanding.  I nitpicked later on, sure, but in the theatre I just dug on the film.

I cannot wait for the bluray.

Oh, to be clear, I'm not saying that it's not something worth knowing, nor am I saying that it's something a person should not know. I am merely saying that I would be embarrassed if I did know that, in much the way that my Midwestern ass was embarrassed to find myself in a Publix trying like hell to figure out how to purchase a sub.

Ryan is a dude?