I Want My Scopitone!

Allow me to introduce you to MTV's grand-daddy, the Scopitone. This little beauty debuted in the early 1960's in cocktail lounges around the world.



According to Scopitone.com, the Scopitone (pronounced Scope-a-tone) was invented in France and built out of surplus WWII airplane parts. The dream was that this odd looking box would replace the vinyl playing Juke Box's with their 16mm film music videos.

Where else in 1966 could a young lad go to see Nancy Sinatra prance around in tall boots and a scandalously short skirt on demand? Nowhere but the Scopitone.

"Hey cool cat, dig my fancy boots?"

And if hot chicks in bitch boots doesn't float your boat, how about geeky brits with mangy mustaches? Yeah? Well then check out these mop-topped, lads of leisure singing Procul Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale.

"My buddies are pouting cause I won't share my cloak."

If your interested in seeing other scopitones, check out the Featured Scopitone and Scopitone of the Day Archive sections of Scopitone.com.

And if your at all curious about these funky machines, check out the Links section. There are several other scopitone archives on the grand ol' internet. Peace baby.

Click the above pictures to see the videos. Have a comment, let me hear it!

Get ready suckers.

That which was lost, has now been Found.

Have you ever found a random note or doodle and thought to yourself, "Man, this lil' doodle should be shared with the world."

Or maybe, "Holy crap! This lil' note gives me such unselfish joy that I have to reach out to my fellow man to deliver it's giddy wisdom."

No? Well lucky for us the folks at Found Magazine have.



They collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, photos, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, doodles- anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's life. Anything goes.



True, the site may be overtly voyeuristic, but the kitsch value is through the roof! So enjoy the site. And who knows? Perhaps you'll find a little something you never even knew you lost.

FYI: A fewof the notes have a bit of creative language, so buyer beware.

"Tough Crowd," We Hardly Knew Thee.

This post is written to bemoan the loss of one of the most honest programs on television. Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.

For those not familiar with the Comedy Centrals late night, dirty little secret, allow me to enlighten you. Tough Crowd was a thirty-minute, round-table discussion with 5 comedians on relevant topics that no other program ever bothered to touch. The comedians never pulled any punches when it came to issues such as religion, race or modern society. Colin Quinn frequently place a magnifying on issues that may not mean much to our main stream media, but they meant something to me and the rest of the Tough Crowd fans.

The final episode was extremely heart-felt, funny, and sad. People always say they want to see something different on television, but that's not true. This show was different. This program addressed all of the socially taboo thoughts we all have, but never say, and for that it was cancelled to be replaced by a repugnant cartoon with zero comedic or social value.

Thank you Colin Quinn and company for two years of refreshing comedy that represented the values and ideology of everyone, even those that don't live in the blue states (I'm looking at you Daily Show.) Given more time, perhaps you could have gained the popularity you deserved. Rest in peace Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.

Let there be light!

Well, I just returned from the land of Disney and I have to say that merriment was experienced by all. I should be back to my normal writing schedule in about a week.


Ohhhhh...pretty.