This is a Test, Only a Test

It's been a little sparse around here lately. There is so much going on with The Six Pack, most of which is behind the scenes, that Rubinville has been relegated to the backseat. Considering that I've almost hit the 8 year anniversary of blogging, I actually feel bad about this and have been trying to figure out how to rectify the situation.

So, I am trying a little test to see if we can find a better balance of things get Rubinville into 2011. And in 2011 Tumblr is the fancy new blogging thing that all the kids are using. Why am I assuming you all have no idea what this is? Nothing personal Barry and Hal!

Click here to see the new test site. It's a work in progress for sure, but I think it'll make my ability to get things up on a daily basis easier and stay connected to the Twitterverse, Facebookverse and Tumblrverse. (As well as all the other 'verses' to come, which I will at first hate, then love, then hate.) If the test site goes well it'll eventually be the all-new Rubinville.com and this site will become a giant archive which I guess I can sell off in pieces to the highest bidder. Or something like that.

Man, remember when I just wanted to make a couple people laugh?

Comedy 101

Bill Maher was on The Tonight Show last night (yes, it still exists) and held nothing back with either Jay Leno or the uptight audience. I'm always amazed when a crowd can groan and moan at a comedian when they already know exactly how he thinks. Check out this clip, which really gets good around 5:45...

You've gotta give it up for Maher, to go on the most politically correct show and totally take over. Leno, as always, offers up a couple mumbles and says nothing. Beyond saying what he feels (which too few comics actually do), I admire Maher for not going for cheap laughs and most importantly not caring what the crowd thinks of him. A good lesson for me and a great lesson for Leno.

Now where is my rubber chicken and trick bow-tie?

Blue Rubber Shoes

It's snowing again in NYC, which means it's time to bust out Emma's blue rubber shoes.* Literally, every person who walks by has an "Awwwww!" or a "How cute!" or a "OMG!"

I assume some of them are talking about Emma, too.

*Store was out of blue suede shoes.

Building Digital Bridges

First off, happy New Year, everyone. Sorry it's been a little sparse around here, but we've got so much going on with The Six Pack and sometimes you've (I've) got to prioritize.

I caught two pretty great flicks over the break, both starring Jeff Bridges. The first True Grit by the Cohen Bros., and the other Tron Legacy. While I really dug both of them, Tron really left me inspired and touched my raw digital nerve. It was just a feast of fun for the eyes, ears and brain. The soundtrack was all scored by Daft Punk and you can listen to a 20 minute mashup here.

If you haven't seen Tron yet, check out this clip and get to your local IMAX 3D. (Even though it's 20 bucks in NYC, c'mon now...)

And speaking of digital fun, our New Year's Six Pack is ready for you to download. Click and play...

Daddy Complex

Meet Ramajit Raghav, the world's oldest father at 94 years old. His spring chicken of a wife, 59 year old Shakuntala, gave birth to their son a month ago. Ramajit says he did much praying and that the child is "god's gift."

Seems to me like Viagra was the real gift here. And if not, they should be selling this guys blood.

Oh, also it snowed here in the north east, did you hear about that?

Close Encounters of the Political Kind

New reports say that the democrats are consulting Steven Spielberg to help them rebrand themselves. So far the only thing he has offered up is to make Nancy Pelosi look more alien-like, though her plastic surgeon says that is scientifically impossible.

Here are several other jokes that would've worked there:

• He has recommended that like ET, Harry Reid hide in a child's closet until it is safe to come out. (Better right before the election.)
  
• He told house democrats to shape their mashed potatoes into Tea Party Republicans and then smash them.
• Mentioned that they might want to stop referring to President Obama as "the Minority Report" president.
• He reversed roles with them and asked for help rewriting the end to "AI."
• He told them to get the names of the people on Schindler's List and ask for campaign donations.

Got any more for me? Did I skip something glaringly obvious?

Elclipse This

Check out this pretty amazing video of the lunar eclipse last night. Did any of you guys have crazy dreams all night long? I think I had a total eclipse of the brain...

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Gone Ice Fishin'

Didn't get much done in Rubinville this week. Call your local congressman for a tax rebate.

(Back in action next week, just got a lot cooking. Hope everyone is staying warm.)

Bill Back, Barack Bounced

Bill Clinton may have just begun his third-term in office. Don't think it's possible? Let's go to the videotape...

Not only does Bill say, "Please go" as he waves his hand at the President, but check out how comfortably and seamlessly he takes the next question and leans on the podium as if to say, "Yea, you all know I still got it."

No word whether he'll be shacking up with Michelle tonight...

Bea Arthur: Marine Chick

In perhaps the most incredible story to be leaked in recent memory*, The Smoking Gun has revealed documents showing that Bea Arthur was one of the first members of the Women's Reserve and spent more than 30 months as a typist and TRUCK DRIVER in the marines. If Bea could possibly do anything else to cement her legendary status I think this is it. As if Jennifer Anniston could drive a truck for the marines. Puh-leeeease!

Actually, come to think of it, World War II wasn't the only conflict that Bea has ever been part of. Let's not forget her stint as a bartender on Tatooine during a rather difficult time for the rebels in the 1979 Star Wars Holiday Special...

Since that special was a major flop (though I can't see why), allow me to also post this clip from The Golden Girls, which I once heard Bea say was her favorite episode because she got to sing. Yes, that's right, and acting, singing, typing, truck-driving, substitute teacher who lived with her mother in Miami. Take that, Anniston!

*I'm not that impressed by Wiki Leaks anyway. Remember, I used to smoke a lot of pot and watch CNN for hour after hour in college. I knew most of this stuff.

The Third Time's the Charm...Please

The trailer for Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon was just released. My feelings about the first two Michael Bay debacles are well documented, yet I'll probably see this one at midnight on opening night. Not sure if that makes me a total sucker or a wide-eyed optimist.

Or should I say a wide-eyed Optimist Prime?

Rim-shot, please!

So, with personal reservations out the wazoo, here is the trailer...

Hall of Famous People

Sylvester Stallone has been inducted to the Boxing Hall of Fame. Sure, he never has fought a real round in his life, but I think it's fair to say he's done more for boxing than most real boxers. While this seems like a perfect opportunity to post any of the numerous Rocky training montages, I thought I'd go with something a little more wordy...

Burp, Belch, Boyle

The web is buzzing over Susan Boyle stopping mid-song on The View yesterday because of a frog in her throat. (I assume figuratively.) But what got missed in all this was that I'm pretty sure Whoopie burped in the same segment. Here's the clip below, note Whoopi putting her hand toward her mouth at 1:33 and then the sound at 1:35...

It's all made even funnier by Sherri saying, "There's something of an angel that comes out when you open your mouth," right as Whoopi belches.

Oh, live TV, I look forward to you mocking me one day for normal bodily functions...

Prime Time

The Transformers are back tonight, Michael Bay-lessly, in a new mini-series called Transformers: Prime. Not only do the Autobots and Decepticons look more like their original selves, but Megatron even has his real voice back, courtesy of Frank Welker.

Catch Transformers: Prime tonight on The Hub. And the child in me lives on...

Surely You Can't be Serious

Unfortunately, I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. Leslie Nielsen has died.

While he'll mainly be remembered as the doctor in Airplane! and as Lieutenant Frank Drebin in Naked Gun, I'll also always remember him as Blanche's uncle Lucas, who married Dorothy in the series finale of The Golden Girls.

More on him tomorrow, but for now enjoy this little clip which added a little strangeness to the finale...

Turkey Time

Just wanna wish you all a happy Thanksgiving.* Like most people it is my favorite holiday and I plan on eating 'til my heart is content, and then eating some more. Hope you do, too.

*Showing a picture of a turkey getting ready to eat turkey is a little deranged, but it was that or the turkey that Obama pardoned earlier, and he got enough press today.

Ahhhhhh'll be Back

Every Arnold Schwarzenegger movie scream ever. I mean, what more can I add?

Via FilmDrunk via HyperVocal

One Hand Scans the Other

Here's a story that sums up everything you need to know about politics and cronyism in 2010.

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff represents the company that is selling the scanners Homeland Security is buying for the airports. Seems like with three cable news channels we'd all know about that, right? Well, thankfully there is C-Span. (Now that's something you don't hear often.)

Tell 'em, Representative John Duncan of Tennessee...

Iron Avatar Aliens Wars Man

Real-life Iron Man suits are now being tested by Raytheon Sarcos, a defense contractor in Utah. Frankly, I think the suit looks more like the thing Sigourney Weaver used in Aliens or what the general used in Avatar, but we'll stick with the Iron Man reference since that's what CNN went with here.

The name Raytheon Sarcos definitely sounds like it could've been a bounty hunter from Star Wars, though.

Now check out the future of war, or past of movies...

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

The Pentagon is telling us that what we've all been calling a missile for the last few days was actually just a plane. Right, cause planes often look like this, and also often nobody knows what they are for a several days.

I don't mind being lied to but at least make up something fun, like aliens or monsters or super-alien-monsters.

Let's take just one more look...

If you aren't a conspiracy theorist you can read the Pentagon explanation here. Still though, a little creativity wouldn't kill the government, would it?