New Years Eve Extravaganza

Well, everyone has been talking about this all month - Boxer's Blogger New Year's Party. I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work, but it starts Friday, December 31st at 12:00 AM EST and ends sometime on January 1st. There will probably be some 50 or so bloggers (by my count) in attendance and Troll , Moi and Intuitive Eggplant will be big time participants/hosts.

I figure that, being the party guy that I am, I should provide some entertainment. And what better game could there be than Homer the Flanders Killer. This is way easier than the Troll Barmaid Bottle Catch Game and I don't think there's any scoring involved (Edit: There is scoring - I got 268). It's just kill or be killed - by Flanders - who is unarmed - Edit: He actually can kill you in later rounds).

Anyway, the underlying theme of this Boxer Bloggapalooza is charity. To start the new year right (and so that I can feel good about something) I will donate 50 cents for every comment left on this post. The money will be donated to our local council of the Boy Scouts of America.

I'm using the autolaunch publish so that this can come up at 12:00AM EST on Friday, which is way past my bed time. Especially if I'm going to stay up late for New Years Eve. We're apparently hosting a "real" party at stately Kill manor - so I'm told. So I'll start cruising around Friday in between cooking and cleaning. I have a feeling this thing may be "ever evolving" and I may add some additional stuff to this post, so come early, come often.

So remember to have a good time, straighten up, fly right and have a Happy New Year!



Supplemental: Chickory Garland Thing

So as part of Chickory's New Years Eve Party Activity, she encouraged the artistically challenged to make some New Years Garland. I took a shot at it. I started gluing it to the string but it wasn't sticking. Then I realized I was using Blistex. Plan B called for tape and that sort of worked.

Here's the Kill Family Tree. We usually get the tree from the local little league, but they didn't sell this year. So the Mrs looked online and we found a farm 18 miles away where we could "cut our own". So we trekked out there only to discover they're brought in from Pennsylvania and that this was a tomato farm and not a tree farm. Still, it's a nice tree and the Mrs was happy with it.
Here's my lame-ass garland.
Do you detect a theme to my blog? Anyone get this?
Here's the traditional Kill Christmas Village assembled by the Pudge.
Here's my tribute to Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation.
That's all for now.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Foreign Actress

The Materfamilias of Movie Clip Wednesday, Boxer is now busying herself with hosting what promises to be the wackiest New Years Eve Party of the blogosphere. So it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is MCW, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is FAVORITE FOREIGN ACTRESS. After thinking (drinking?) on this, there is only one foreign actress that does it for me, that Mexican hottie - Salma Hayek. The role I really liked her in (and so did the Academy because she was nominated for Best Actress) was Frida Kahlo in 2002's Frida. The best part of the movie? This tango sequence with Ashley Judd. And who else could make a unibrow looped pigtail hair thingy look sexy?



The first role I ever remember seeing Salma in? Two words - Satanico Pandemonium! in 1996's From Dusk Till Dawn. Best dance sequence in a movie - EVER. I'll spare the woman folk that scene and instead show how Mistress Salma puts George Clooney in his place.

I think we're going to see some interesting choices over at the Madman's today - not to be missed.

Drive-by Holiday Spirit

Do you believe in Christmas?

Do you renounce the Grinch?

Do you renounce the Grinch's works?





“You must love this country more than I love a cold beer on a hot Christmas morning.” ~Homer Simpson

This is what I see happening at Boxer's New Years Party.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Christmas Movie

Boxer is now busying herself with hosting some kind of weird blogger New Years Eve Party. So it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is Movie Clip Wednesday, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE. A timely theme for sure and one that's been done before, but 'tis the season...

You can't think about traditional Christmas movies with naming those two Yuletide dynasties - It's a Wonderful Life and a Christmas Carol. So I chose a Christmas Carol. The version I like is more correctly called Scrooge. Made in 1951 and starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, this period piece of jolly old 19th century England absolutely screams Christmas at me every year.

Then on the other side of the Christmas genre we have the comedies. A Christmas Story use to be my favorite but the USA channel killed it for me by running it continuosly for days. Hard to believe that Peter Billingsly (Ralphie) is almost 40. And you all know one of my other favorites is Bad Santa, so I won't go into that. But because it's the holiday season, I'm going to drag out another Chevy Chase movie (I did Caddyshack a few weeks ago) that I think is hysterical. 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I saw this in the theater and never laughed so hard at a Christmas movie (not even Bad Santa). And anyone who's ever ventured into the world of exterior illumination will really appreciate this scene (a little long - sorry):

So go on over to the Madman's and see if there's a little something under his tree for you. So Merry Christmas to all.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Most Overrated Movie

Boxer continues tormenting her dogs and has apparently started hanging around dumpsters (weird, huh). But it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is Movie Clip Wednesday, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is MOST OVERRATED MOVIE. This was actually easy for me to pick because I've discussed this at length with friends (not on this blog) that I never understood the appeal of this movie.

I will back-track a second and say that my very first thought on this theme was Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I like Kubrick. Full Metal Jacket is one of my favorites. But this...the monolith, HAL, monkeys, something wonderful, blah, blah, blah. I didn't get it and could never sit through the whole thing. It was SO BORING. But this wasn't the movie I picked.

The movie I picked is 1983's Scarface. As of this writing, this is IMDB's #157 most popular movie. And if you ask any gangsta rapper (and we all know a few, right?) they'll tell you it's their all-time favorite movie. Al Pacino, Frank Logia and F. Murray Abraham as Cuban/Central American drug lords - Really? The accents are horrible and the dialogue atrocious. Oliver Stone wrote this thing and Brian DePalma directed it. The only redeeming scene in this movie is - the shower scene (and I'm not talking about Dressed to Kill either - also Brian DePalma). So here you go:

So this is another theme that will not be real pleasant to watch, but go see what else is going on at the Madman's anyway.

Early Christmas Present

You all may remember a contest that Chickory had and that I, unbelievably - WON. Here were my prize choices. Anyway, I get home last night and there on the front step was this (soon to be cherished) work of art. The Mrs immediately put it on display at the edge of the family hearth.



Thank you Chickory. I know so few artists and it is truly an honor to receive personalized artwork. Merry Christmas to you and your family from the Buzzkills.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Police/Detective Movie

Boxer continues her hiatus and disturbing penchant for taking pictures of dogs wearing hats. But it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is Movie Clip Wednesday, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is FAVORITE POLICE/DETECTIVE MOVIE. Well, for those who know me. the obvious choice is 1971's Dirty Harry and it's sequels. I think this is the definitive detective movie. Harry Callahan lives on the edge on the law and tracks down the bad guys even with all the liberal red tape he's forced to deal with. To hell with Miranda and coddling criminals, Harry gets the job done and is the coolest human being on the planet. It's hard to believe that Frank Sinatra was actually the first choice over Clint Eastwood for this role. However, I know the Madman and Karl both have an affinity for Clint, so I decided not to go the Dirty Harry route.

Instead, I've gone to the other end of the police movie spectrum for one of the funniest cop movies ever made - Police Academy. Alright, I'm just kidding. I wouldn't do that to everyone. But the police comedy I did choose was 2001's Broken Lizard's Super Troopers. Admittedly, this is a guy's movie. And it's way funnier than the trailer movie clip that I have here (pickins' were slim on youtube) . It's about a bunch of Highway Patrolmen in Vermont (played by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe) and the wacky stuff they do. What makes it funnier is their captain. The captain is suppose to be the voice of reason, the disciplinarian. This captain (played by Brian Cox - Hannibal Lecter in the film, Manhunter) is just an older version of these nutjob cops. It's worth a watch if you've never seen it.

If you like a good pistol whipping, bad wardrobes and cheesy mustaches, then head on over to the Madman's and stakeout his blog (see what I did there with all the police references?).

Remembering Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941

Sleepy morning sunlight
Flash, Smoke, Shrapnel - some gave all
Arizona Stands

Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Moi asked me for the stuffing recipe that I featured in my Thanksgiving Nightmare Family Get-together. I forget where I got it from, so I'm posting it here. It includes changes I made to the original, so I guess it's now (technically) my recipe. The original called for 1 cup of chicken stock, but I ended up going with about 4 cups because I like very moist stuffing - so use your judgement. I also used more pair, apple and onion then called for too because that's how I roll.
Enjoy.


Traditional Bread Stuffing with Herbs


Total Time: 1 hr 30 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Oven Temp: 325

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) margarine, substitute butter
• 5 large celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) pepper
• 3 teaspoon(s) fresh sage
• 4 cups chicken stock (don't add all at once - save some for last)
• 2 loaf(s) (16 ounces each) sliced firm white bread , lightly toasted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes or 1 bag of Arnold Stuffing
• 1/2 cup(s) loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 apple, diced (peel left on)
• 1 pear, diced (peel left on)
________________________________________
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In 12-inch skillet, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add celery, onion, apple and pear and cook 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in thyme, salt, pepper, sage, chicken stock (to taste); remove skillet from heat.
3. Place bread cubes in very large bowl. Add celery mixture and parsley; toss to mix well.
4. Spoon stuffing into 13-inch by 9-inch glass baking dish (or stuff turkey); cover with foil and bake 40 minutes or until heated through.

ThanksGiving Aftermath

Guess what? The Mrs actually took some Thanksgiving pictures this year. So I thought I'd share some of them being that I talked about this event in various people's comment sections. We had 26 people this year (down from a high of 34). To accommodate everyone, I rent tables, chairs and linens and I did up a plan view in AutoCAD to make sure everything fit. The dining room table will hold 8 plus 2 buffet tables on either side.

I added two 8-foot tables and extended them into the living room. I can seat 20 here and the other 6 (kids) at the kitchen table.

Here are some of the cheesy decorations we have in the house. This actually came from the Mrs' parents.

Here's the turkey (all 28 pounds) brined and stuffed.

Me and the boy stuffing and putting sage butter under the skin.

I went with a traditional white bread stuffing with apples and pears. This was a keeper.

Here's the dessert table in the living room. The pies (apple, pumpkin and pecan) eventually went on a 3-tier pie rack and there were some cupcakes and cookies brought by an in-law..

The turkey fresh out of the oven (after 6 hours cooking) with the cheese cloth removed. I use maple syrup, butter and chicken stock to keep the cheese cloth wet. The turkey was so big it overlapped the roasting pan and a lot of syrup dripped in the oven. Good thing the oven is self-cleaning.

The turkey on the cutting board. I carve it in the kitchen and put it in chafing dishes. We don't have room (and I don't have the patience) for traditional table-side carving.

And here's the feast at the main buffet. (From back to front) Turkey, stuffing, port wine demiglace gravy (bought at the meat market), garlic and chive mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (made by my sister-in-law), corn and string bean casserole (made by the Mrs' sister). There was also rolls, corn bread, olives, cranberry sauce on the other table.
And there you go - until next year.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Movie You Hated the First Time You Saw it But Liked it Later

Boxer is too pre-occupied with setting Thanksgiving decorations adrift to resume hostest duties. But it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is Movie Clip Wednesday, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is MOVIES YOU HATED THE FIRST TIME AROUND BUT LIKED IT LATER. Just when I thought the Madman was done with long, wordy themes - Bwahahaha. This is actually a good theme because I really had to think on this. And luckily the Madman gave me enough time this week.

I think I mentioned before that a movie I absolutely didn't like the first time I saw it was Natural Born Killers. I found all of the goofy imagery annoying...at first. But I watched it again years later and liked it much better (more better?). The random imagery was part of the social commentary on the media. I get that now. Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson gave really good performances.

So after much thought, I remember a movie that confused me because I wasn't sure of the time period in which the movie took place. It was sort of the 1940s but the music was 1980s and some of the characters didn't make sense to me. I'm talking about 1984's Streets of Fire. The McCoy character (Amy Madigan) being a soldier (presumably WWII), the Winchester rifles and the 1980s fashion worn by Billy Fish (Rick Moranis) and the Sorels didn't make sense to me when contrasted with the 40s Wild One biker attire. I did some research and realized that it was more of a past/present/future kind of tribute to Rock and Roll and that it was a make-believe place.

I suspended my desire to make sense of the timeline and watched the movie again. Then I saw a basic rescue story with bad-ass bikers, guns and descent music (Ry Cooder and the Blasters). Willem Dafoe is sickeningly white in color as the bad guy Raven Shaddock and Michael Paré plays a good, smarter-then-he-looks hero. And it's got a final fight scene with sledgehammers. How could you not like that?

If you want to see more movies that grow on you, then head on over to the Madman 's.