The SoapBoxers

The body of model/actress Jasmine Fiore was found in a Dumpster earlier last week. Her body was found in a suitcase by a man looking for bottles to recycle. (Note: if you find a suitcase in a Dumpster, don’t open it.) Her husband, Ryan Jenkins, has been charged with his murder. He is believed to have slipped into Canada and Canadian law enforcement personnel have joined their US counterparts in a manhunt for Jenkins.

Fiore’s teeth had been extracted and her fingers had been removed. This was done in an attempt to conceal the victim’s identity. Fiore was identified by the serial number of her breast implants. This is not the first time that law enforcement has used this method to identify a body.

Ryan Jenkins (the husband who has been charged with the crime) is a contestant on the reality show “Megan Wants a Millionaire”. The show says that it fired an outside company to do background checks on contestants, and that the outside company missed Jenkins’ criminal history (a prior conviction for assault).

Apparently they also missed the fact that Jenkins was married, and thus not a great fit for the dating show. Whether Jenkins is actually a millionaire is unknown.

On a tangent – have you noticed that the word “Dumpster” is often capitalized? That’s because it is not a generic term, but rather a brand name.

UPDATE: Ryan Jenkins has been found dead in British Columbia.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince opened in theaters at midnight on Wednesday. It broke the record for a midnight screening with $22.2 million is is well on its way to a huge weekend. I’m not fan of the Harry Potter series, but I am definitely a fan of the J.K. Rowling story. Rowling was on welfare before writing the Harry Potter series and becoming a billionaire. What a wonderful rags to riches story. We often hear stories about people who are on welfare for decades and have no real desire to work. Here’s a story about someone who took the assistance offered by the government, and used it to get back on her feet and become a success. The money the British government spent on welfare payments to Rowling ended up being a great investment – as they made it possible for Rowling to pay tremendous tax bills on her subsequent income!

Apple shuts down Palm Pre sync

When the Palm Pre launched, one of its features was the ability to pretend that it was an iPod, allowing it to make use of Apple’s iTunes software. There was some debate over at Lazy Man and Money regarding whether Apple would allow this to occur, or whether they would release a future update to block non-iPod devices. I thought that they would indeed block the Pre, and felt that they had the right to do this, asserting that it was not an unfair barrier to competition to force Palm to bundle a iTunes-like product with the Pre.

On Wednesday, Apple released iTunes version 8.2.1. According to Apple, “iTunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices” – in other words, if iTunes can’t verify that your device is an iPod, you can no longer sync with it. Palm is suggesting that Pre own simply cease upgrading iTunes to retain the ability to sync.

Google

Google has announced plans to launch their own operating system, Chrome OS. Chrome OS will be a simple operating system that is based on Linux. Chrome is not expected to be as feature-rich as operating systems like Apple’s Mac OS X or Microsoft’s Windows. On the flip side, the computer should boot more quickly (fewer things to load) and run faster (due to the operating system requiring fewer system resources). Chrome OS will essentially allow a computer to run Google’s Chrome web browser. Will Chrome OS be a solution for everyone? No. But if you spend nearly all of your computer time in your web browser, it may be a good fit for you.

Google’s free web-based productivity suite Google Docs will face competition from Microsoft, as the software giant has announced plan to release a free web-based version of Microsoft Office next year. The web version won’t include all of the features that will be available on the desktop version of Office, but it might be a good solution for many people.

Bruno

The country of Ukraine has banned the Sacha Baron Cohen movie “Bruno”, saying that the movie is immoral. This will certainly be a death blow to the movie, ensuring lackluster crowds.

Oh, hey, just kidding. What I meant to say is that Sacha Baron Cohen will use this publicity to bolster his “bad boy” image, and that the banning will make more people flock to the theater to see what all the fuss is about.

Oops

Bank of America, which is not one of my favorite companies, charged a New Hampshire man 23 quadrillion dollars for a purchase at a local gas station where he often purchased cigarettes. The man was also charged a $15 “over the limit” free. After two hours on the phone, Bank of America removed the charge and the fee from his account.

Capitol Shooting

Officers shot and killed a man near the US Capitol on Wednesday. The man was trying to elude police. He jumped out of his car and began shooting at officers. I stumble across this sort of story occasionally, and always wonder what on earth is going through the person’s head. Do they think that the cops aren’t going to shoot back?

Sears Tower

The Sears Tower is no longer the tallest building in the United States. What happened? Did someone sneakily build a taller building? No, the Sears Towers was renamed Willis Tower as part of an agreement with Willis Group Holdings. The 110 story tall tower opened in 1973. Sears moved out of the building in 1992, but the Sears named has been retained until now. I wonder how many years (or decades) will pass before Chicagoans begin referring to it as Willis Tower?

Yankees

The Yankees recently signed Damian Arrendondo, a 16 year old shortstop from the Dominican Republic, to a contract worth $850,000. (Note: international players may be signed as young as 16). Major League Baseball invalidated the contract when it was determined that the player was not actually named Damian Arrendondo, and that he was older than 16. No word yet on whether he is truly a shortstop.

Why the fascination with ages of these kids? After all, if a player is good, he’s good, regardless of whether he is 16 or 18, right?

Not exactly. Take this outside of the baseball world for a bit. If a 1 year old can count to 10, he’s a genius. If a 7 year old can count to 10, you’re not impressed. Yet, it’s the exact same skill. It’s the same with baseball skills. A 16 year old may exhibit the exact same skills as an 18 year old, but the 16 year old is a better prospect because he’s ahead of his peer group in the development curve.

The foundation of my musical appreciation was built upon the country music cornerstones of Alabama, Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers, and George Strait.  It was not until I was in my late 20s that I began to branch out into other musical genres.  Today, these are some of the non-country artists that I consider to be among my favorites:

• The Eagles
• .38 Special
• Jimmy Buffett
• Avril Lavigne
• U2
• The Beatles
• Bob Seger
• Eric Clapton
• Bob Dylan
• Tchaikovsky
• Bare Naked Ladies
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Styx

I could name a few more, but the point is that I have broadened my musical tastes considerably.

I really enjoy seeing artists – or their music – cross over.  My first exposure to The Eagles was via the “Common Threads” album – a compilation of Eagles songs that were song by country songs.  When Jon Bon Jovi did a duet with Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles on “You Can’t Go Home Again”, the song went to #1 on the country charts – and I started listening to more Bon Jovi.

In 2008, Kid Rock released the song “All Summer Long”, which is based on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s uber-classic “Sweet Home Alabama” (as well as Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”).  I love the song, and am hoping for similar songs from Kid Rock in the future.

A crossover artist that really has my attention these days is Darius Rucker, best known as Hootie of Hootie and the Blowfish.  Rucker has released a country album and has already had two number one hits – “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” and “It Won’t Be Like This For Long.”  I love Rucker’s voice, and hope that he continues to produce country music – but I also plan to buy some Hootie and the Blowfish music to see if I like it – something that probably wouldn’t have entered my mind if not for Rucker’s foray into country.

What’s the one crossover I’m hoping to see in the future?  How about an album of duets with Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne?

GOP infighting

A battle continues within the  Republican party, with Rush Limbaugh lining up on one side and guys like Colin Powell lining up on the other side.  Some feel that this is a necessary battle being fought in order to separate the chaff from those who hold the true Conservative Repblican ideals at heart.  This might be true if you’re simply trying to build the most united party possible.  However, there is a large contingent of unaffilated voters in the middle of the political sprectrum.  It is difficult to win a national election without snagging a large chunk of these voters.  Will the GOP infighting make many of these voters stay away, for fear of jumping onto a rudderless ship?  I’ll admit that I’m biased, as I am a unaffiliated centrist and probably overvalue our importance as a voting block a bit.

Dancing with the Stars

I’m not a big fan of the show, but it was nice to see fellow Iowan Shawn Johnson on the show.  It was even better to see her win.  On the first night of the show, I declared to my wife that Johnson would win, because the balance and footwork she uses in gymnastics would serve her well on the dance floor.  Obviously she still had a lot to learn, but it seemed like she had a leg up on the other competitors.

I was disappointed to see Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak sent packing early, though (and pretty much stopped watching after that show).  Woz is just a cool guy.  Not only is he a technical genius, but he does a lot of good works in the community.  It would have been cool to see him stage an unlikely upset.

Racing

Helio Castroneves picked up his second biggest win of the year  by winning Sunday’s Indy 500.  His biggest win of the year, however, was his recent acquittal on tax evasion charges.  Danica Patrick finished third, the best ever finish for a woman.  I think it is just a matter of time before she wins an Indy 500 – unless, of course, she bolts to NASCAR first.

NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte was scheduled for Sunday but was bumped back to Monday because of rain.  The race got started on Monday, but was interrupted several times by rain.  Finally, the NASCAR gods decided to call the race on account of rain.  The win was awarded to David Reutimann, who was in first place at the time the rain began.  Reutimann’s crew chief gambled and decided to forgo a late pit stop when other cars were getting tires and fuel.  The gamble paid off, as Reutimann was  able to hold off the pack until the rains came.  It was Reutimann’s first win in the Nextel series.  I understand the reasons for the decision to call the race, but I still hate to see a race end this way.  Perhaps domed race tracks are in the future.  (Kidding, just kidding.  Maybe.)

Baseball

Fans were treated to a great pitcher’s duel in Milwaukee on Monday.  Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter took a pefect game into the 7th inning.  He was nearly matched by Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo, who still had a no hitter alive into the 6th.  The winning – and only – run finally scored as Brewers rookie Casey McGeHee scampered home on a Bill Hall pinch hit in the 10th inning.  The batters combined for 5 hits and 5 walks in 10 innings (along with 18 strikeouts – 10 by Carpenter).  And for those who like quick game, it was completed in a zippy 2 hours and 26 minutes.

I’ve played video games my whole life. Everything from an Atari 7800 to Sega, to Playstation (1, 2, and 3). Ever since I started playing, I’ve loved sports games. I just couldn’t seem to get into the role-playing games. My two favorite sports series of all time are Madden football and MLB: The Show.

Right now, it’s all about The Show, all the time. The previews for the game were spot on. “The best baseball game ever made”, they said. It is, by far, the most realistic baseball game I have ever played.

Infielders getting eaten alive by bad hops, bad throws, hitting streaks, pitching streaks, hitting slumps, and pitching slumps, it’s all there.

Being an avid Cubs fan, I obviously have to pick them in the Franchise mode. The ballpark is almost like you’re really there during a game. The ivy isn’t green in April (because it’s really not) like in all the other games. The rooftops are actually realistic on the game because they have people in them!!

Players argue and get ejected. Umpires have personalities. With certain umps you can hit corners all day long and not get a call. With others, you can hit spots 6 inches out of the strike zone and get the call.

It’s easy to get mad at the game because you go back to the days when “the computer cheated”, but when you take a step back and think about it, it’s real. And that’s much better to appreciate in a game than simply “winning”.

Have I mentioned how deep the game is? You actually have a 40 man roster that you have to keep control of (which can be extremely frustrating at times, but again, it’s real). The game actually includes compensation picks in the game from free agent signings. Speaking of free agency – the days of throwing a ton of money at a high profile free agent and him automatically signing with your team are over. Frustrating? Absolutely. Real? YES! It’s like a player on this game is smart enough to know what a good situation is for him and takes that instead of the highest offer.

I enjoy the game so much that I actually play all of my teams’ games. Typically I just get bored and simulate through a season until the playoffs and/or the off-season and just manage the team. Now, with MLB 09: The Show, I can’t stop playing!

Speaking of, I think I have a game to play…..

MLB ’09 for PS3

I have a collection of a couple hundred CDs.  Sometimes a track buried deep on an album will strike my fancy, while other times I’ll enjoy the music of an unknown (or lesser known) artist.  Today, I’m going to share musical diamonds in the rough.  I place a lot of emphasis on lyrics – a good story line can hook me on a song.

Rough diamonds from popular artists

The Cheap Seats – Alabama.  “This town ain’t big, this town ain’t small, it’s a little of both they say.  Our ball club may be minor league, but at least it’s triple A …”  Thus begins my favorite baseball song, performed by my favorite group.  This song should be the anthem for true fans of baseball everywhere.  They have to be talking about Des Moines, right – a middle sized town in the midwest that has a AAA team? 🙂

Hurricane – Bob Dylan .  This song – not Blowin’ In The Wind or The Times They Are A-Changin’ – is my favorite Dylan song.  It is the story of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.  Carter was convicted of murder in 1967, but question were raised about his guilt and his conviction was set aside in 1985 based on a judge’s decision that racism played  a major role in the prosecution.  Carter’s story was later featured in the movie Hurricane, featuring Denzel Washington.  The original version of the song is more than eight a half minutes long and packs quite a story into the lyrics (although Dylan took considerable poetic license when writing the song).

I Will Play for Gumbo – Jimmy Buffett.  I love Buffett’s classics (Margaritaville, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fins, etc) but this fun song pays homage to a popular cajun dish on Buffet’s 1999 album Beach House on the Moon.  The album also contains one of my favorite lyric snippets (from the song I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care) – “Therapy is extremely expensive.  Poppin’ bubblie wrap is radically cheap.”

See Jane Dance – Brooks & Dunn.  Another fun song, but this one probably doesn’t have the best moral.  The song tells the story of Jane beginning her career by winning an amateur night “dancing” contest and escalating to the point where Jane’s dancing career has put her in a position to retire comfortably at a very early age (a couple million in the bank by the time she’s 31).  A bit of a risque topic for the country duo.

Which One of Them – Garth Brooks.  This song was a bonus song that was added to Ropin’ The Wind when Garth’s albums were released as a box set (each disc had an extra song that was not originally on the album).  Garth tells us the tale of a man who is being pursued by two woman at a dance – but neither of them can replace the woman that the man desires.

Paperback Writer – The Beatles.  Is it really fair to include a song that hit #1 on this list?  Sure, why not – I’m making the rules!  As an aspiring novelist myself, the story of a man struggling to sell his novel has always been one of my favorite songs.  By the way, if you don’t own the “1” compilation by The Beatles, buy it!  27 top hits are shoehorned onto one disc.

Songs from lesser known artists

1969 – Keith Stegall.  Songwriter/producer Keith Stegall has released two albums of his own – a self titled album in 1985 and Passages in 1996.  I stumbled across Passages in a used CD store, and it quickly became a favorite album of mine – it’s packed with great songs.  (Hey, Keith, it’s been another decade – how about another album?)  1969 tells the story of a kid who was rejected by the army because he was married and then swung the other way and attempted to become a hippie.

Just Enough Rope – Rick Trevino.  Trevino had some popularity in the 90s before separating from his label in order to pursue a different musical direction.  Just Enough Rope is a metaphorical song, with the man being a yo-yo on a string who is given “just enough rope” by a woman.  English and bilingual (English and Spanish) versions can be found on Rick’s self-titled album.

Under the Kudzu – Shenandoah.  This  song was the title track on the group’s 1993 album.  It romanticizes the kudzu vine that is universally despised in the south by tying it in to a long family history on a plot of land – and the susequent loss of the farm.

One Eyed Dan (the Fiddlin’  Man) – Tim Briggs.  Briggs’ career was unfortunately derailed by personal issues.  His self titled 1998 release featured a few cool songs.  One Eyed Dan is a song with a lot of fiddling, which is always a plus in my book.  Cold Budweiser and Sweet ‘Tater and She’s a Country Girl are also very good songs.

Riding with Private Malone – David Ball.  I first heard this song while driving back to Illinois after attending my brother’s funeral.  My brother was a retired marine who died of heart disease at an early age.  Riding With Private Malone doesn’t really tell a story that fits the relationship of myself and my brother, but there is the superficial military connection, and that made it strike a cord on that particular day.  The song is about how the spirit of a soldier killed in Vietnam saves the life of a man who purchased his 1966 Corvette 30 years later.

Leaving October Behind – Sons of the Desert.  Sons of the Desert was my second favorite group (behind only Alabama) when they were active.  Unfortunately they dissolved, but member Drew Womack later launched a solo career.  Leaving October Behind is the sad tale of a widower who can usually handle the absence of his wife – but is overcome with emotions when autumn begins – because his wife died in October.

Wine into Water – T. Graham Brown.  This song is the story of a recovering alcholic who is battling his demons and asking Jesus to perform the opposite of the miracle at Cana and turn the wine into water (not literally – but to give him the strength to overcome the addiction).  There are some other good songs on this album (also titled Wine into Water) including the quirky Memphis Women and Chicken (which, interestingly, can also be found on the Tim Briggs album).

Rodeo Man – Ronna Reeves.  I’m one of a select group of people who own all 5 of Ronna’s CDs – 4 country albums and a 5th album that crossed over into pop.  She never had a top 40 song, but I like her songs.  Rodeo Man is a warning to women to not have their hearts stolen by a cowboy.

Five O’Clock Shadow, Brandon Howard.  Brandon puts a new definition on the term “five o’clock shadow”. In this song, the term refers to a man’s daughter who sticks close to him after they are finished with their day of work and school. The song is the sentimental tale of a daughter’s hero worship of her daddy and the father’s love for his daughter. 

Brandon has a lower profile than the other artists mentioned in this article, but his debut album Static (2002) is definitely an enjoyable record to listen to, if you can manage to get your hands on a copy. Static and She Don’t Need a Diamond are two other tracks that I really enjoy from this album. Brandon is working on an article about his experiences in the music industry that will be featured in a future edition of The Soap Boxers.

What are some songs that you consider to be underappreciated diamonds in the rough?  Please share!

Today is the debut of the weekly entertainment column.  The Soap Boxers welcomes Bob Inferapels to the staff.

Being the entertainment guy, I’ve struggled with what exactly I want to cover each week. Do I want to cover every show I watched over the last week, or do I want to pick which one I liked the best that week? Or, do I want to mix weekly shows with movies and video games?

After much debate with myself (you should’ve been there for that), I’ve decided that I’m going to combine all of the above, to keep all of my favorite readers coming back…..I currently have zero, but I’m sure that number is set to multiply over the next few weeks!

Since the first “episode” in my series, I figure I’ll cover what shows I try to watch regularly and why. So, here goes (in no particular order):

The Big Bang Theory (Monday nights, 7 Central, CBS) – The show is in its 2nd season, and I have to admit I wasn’t sold at first (it was very hit and miss). It’s a quirky/geeky comedy that stars Johnny Galecki (most famous for David on “Roseanne”) as Leonard, Jim Parsons as Sheldon, and Kaley Cuoco (Bridget on “8 Simple Rules” ) as Penny.

Leonard and Sheldon are physicist roommates and live across the hall from Penny, the ditzy blond who is a waitress at The Cheesecake Factory. Episodes revolve around Leonard and Sheldon, along with physicist friends Howard (in his 30’s and still lives with his mother) and Rajesh, trying to overcome their social differences. Like I said, it’s quirky and geeky, but has become increasingly more funny with each episode.

Criminal Minds (Wednesday nights, 8 Central, CBS) – Like the CSI series (you’ll see this next on the list), but different. Rather than investigate crime scenes to find the killer(s), the cast of Criminal Minds works for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and focuses on the criminals’ next move.

The team is led by Hotchner, a no-nonsense kind of guy who seems to be the smooth talker that can most easily gain the trust of anybody. Dr. Reid is the youngest of the group, and is nothing less than a genius. Derek is the tough guy of the team. And I have to mention Penelope, the “behind the scenes” computer guru who can find everything from the last place you used your credit card to when you last went to the bathroom.

CSI – Miami (Wednesday nights, 9 Central, CBS) – The only CSI that I really try to watch anymore (I’ve never really been a fan of CSI: New York and I’ve lost interest in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation / Las Vegas since the addition of Laurence Fishburne).

The star of the show is David Caruso as Horatio Caine, the hardcore boss who has a chip on his shoulder and all but guarantees to catch the bad guy.

Those are the 3 shows that I’m trying to watch on a regular basis. In future weeks, I’ll do my best to critique what I thought of the most recent episode, along with a slew of other entertainment type thoughts…..