Toothpicks

Hey! Restaurants! Will you stop it with the toothpicks?



I mean, who need a toothpick unless it's used to serve Hors d'Oeuvres?

What's the point of a toothpick on the way out the door? To pick the crap between our teeth? Well I have news for you... Toothpicks are just tempting enough to think they'll be effective at getting between your teeth, but frustrating when they don't really accomplish the job at hand. So I get your stupid little toothpick, pick at my teeth for a while, and then look like some stupid hillbilly chewing on a toothpick when I decide that's the only thing I can do with it.

So here's my advice....



Dental Floss. If you're going to give us something to get at the crap between our teeth, give us the good stuff. I'm sure you can come up with some fancy-schmancy dental floss dispenser to match your ambiance. Is dental floss at the front door uncouth? Not really any more uncouth than toothpicks.

Come on. Don't look at me like that. It's a good idea. Admit it.

My Favorite 2007 Movies So Far (Non-Apatow Edition)

So I gave you my first place tie picks for 2007 movies so far.... here's the rest of my top five.

Boy, I really haven't gone out of my way to see indie flicks this year... Every movie on my list is a huge blockbuster. Most critics would laugh hysterically at my list, and probably rightfully so. But it is what it is. And I really feel like I'm out on a limb with my pick for #3.....




That's right, Spider-man 3. The movie got a score of 60 out of a possible 100 on Metacritic, which is, like, a D. So what did I think? From my review...

I'm not going to beat around the bush. It was awesome.

I'm a little surprised at all the mediocre reviews it's getting... I really thought this was the best of the series so far. Most intersting story and by far the best villians. Sandman was fantastic.

So what's the 4th best movie of the year so far?



Ratatouille. Pixar animation is so good, it's almost unfair. It seems so effortless these days. I remember seeing A Bugs Life and being absolutely blown away by the animation... These days, it's just par for the course. Maybe that's why this isn't a little higher on my list... Toy Story and Finding Nemo are still my all time favorite Pixar flicks... But this is probably my third favorite. That's largely due to the story... and the fact that the movie has truly inspired me to become a better and more adventurous cook. I'm serious. A little movie about an animated rat has made this 30 year old want to make a better omelet.

Number 5 movie of the year....



Live Free or Die Hard. As I said before, the movie was fun and worth the time. This movie probably won't be in my top 15 or 20 by the end of the year, but it's the fifth best thing I've seen so far.

On a side note, why did no one correct me when I called the movie Live Free AND Die Hard in my previous post? It's called Live Free OR Die Hard. Like combining the slogan of New Hampshire with a Sears car battery. So is the movie really about cars breaking down in New Hampshire? Watch for yourself, and find out.

Cardinals-Cubs Rivalry

As the Cardinals pull into 2nd place in the NL Central, 2 games behind the Cubs, who they play 5 more times this year, I thought it would be a good day to link to Wikipedia's entry on the Cardinals-Cubs Rivalry. The best rivalry in all of sports, Yankees-Red Sox be damned.

Speaking of which, on ESPN News last night, the little square on the bottom right hand corner showed, where they typically have the most important story of the day, was showing updates of the Ysnkees-Red Sox score. WTF?

How on earth was that the biggest story of the day? The Yankees won and pulled within 7 games? So what? The Yankees are done for, at least as far as the division goes.

The Cubs and Brewers started out the day as 1 and 2 in their division as well, with only 1.5 games between them. Isn't that a more important game? The Diamondbacks and Padres started out 1 and 2 in their division, with 2 games between them, and the Padres won to pull within one game. Much more important than the Red Sox and Yankees.

And you know ESPN news will be doing the same thing tonight.

Judd Apatow

Above is Judd Apatow. Bow down to him.

As mentioned last week, I'm recapping my favorite movies of the year so far this week, and I will be announcing my most anticipated movies of the fall. But I really feel Judd Apatow deserves his own post.

I'm declaring a tie for my favorite movie of the year so far, because these two are pretty much inseparable in my mind. One directed by Apatow, one merely produced by Apatow.

Of course, I'm talking about



Knocked Up....



and Superbad.

Seth Rogen deserves alot of credit too, as the star of one and a supporting actor in the other, and as a writer for both. And there's Jonah Hill too... the honor really goes to all of Team Apatow.

Are these silly comdeies? Sure. Are they some of the best written and most heartfelt silly comedies in years? Of course. Are they the best movies of the year so far? Well, I haven't seen a ton of movies, and the Oscar fare hasn't come out yet, so, affirmative.

And we're not done with Team Apatow yet... Judd is also producing one of my most anticipated movies of the fall...



Walk Hard.

"Walk Hard" is a send-up of music biopics like "Ray" and "Walk the Line" and stars John C. Reilly as Johnny Cash, er, I mean, "Dewey Cox."

I'm not really expecting this one to be as good as "Knocked Up" or "Superbad," but it's almost too easy to forget that Apatow was also a creative force behind "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights." Those movies weren't quite as impressive as Apatow's 2007 resume, but they're very funny comedies in their own right. I'm expecting "Walk Hard" to be more "Talladega Nights" than "Superbad," but that's pretty damn good anyway.

Best. Seasoning. Ever.

Many of my fellow Southern Illinoisans might already know this, but the best seasoning known to man may very well be Magic Dust.

This was made famous by the 17th Street Bar and Grill in Murphysboro, Illinois, which is Bon Appetit magazine's pick for best ribs in the Country.

Magic Dust is the secret ingredient, and it's great on almost anything, not just ribs. Here's the recipe.