Batman: The Brave and the Bold

This is an interesting new series on the Cartoon Network. Not bad, but it does have some rough spots.

I like their imperious take on Aquaman, though I think that they’ve gone a bit overboard in that regard.  I also like the way they depict Green Arrow, and I especially like the way they gave little Speedy some significant airtime.  Their characterization of the Blue Beetles hasn’t been bad either.

On the other hand, I absolutely detest the way they depicted the Elongated Man.  The voice they gave him was utterly atrocious as well.

Lauren Tewes, Love Boat Cutie

I’m on a bit of a nostalgia kick, so I decided to rent some DVDs of The Love Boat from Netflix. I have got to say that your cruise director, Lauren Tewes, was a real cutie. Very pretty in a sweet wholesome sort of way. She never became a real sex symbol or superstar, but that’s because she didn’t have that kind of appeal. Instead, she had a much more wholesome, down-to-earth kind of beauty and likeability.

It’s unfortunate that Ms. Tewes ruined her life for a while with cocaine. What a terrible shame.

What a sad song

“I learned the truth at seventeen,
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
We’re spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen, I learned the truth”

Those were the words of Janis Ian in her big hit, At Seventeen. What a sad, tragic, heart-breaking song. As a guy who has not been in demand — who often been dismissed because of his looks, his height, his ethnicity, and his lack of coolness — I can relate.

Darn.

Cocoon: The Return

Okay, I just have to ask. Was there ever anyone as beautiful as Courteney Cox was in Cocoon: The Return? Absolutely incredible.

I wonder how hard the make-up artists had to work to make her look that glamorous. Of course, she already provided them with plenty of great material to work with. You just can’t fake eyes and cheekbones like that. Yow.

I wish I had a shot with a woman like that. I have a hard enough time as is.

Being anti-blockbuster

We all know people who jump on whatever fad happens to be popular, right? “If other people are doing it,” they reason, “then I should, too!”

Well today, I came across one guy who thinks in the opposite way. Here’s what he said about movies that are popular:

When the world tells me I “have” to see a movie it brings out the rebel in me. “THE DARK KNIGHT IS THE MUST SEE MOVIE” means I won’t see it. I’m a contrary bitch, I have never seen any of the Jurassic Park lot. I have never seen any of the “Lord of the Rings” (I could be kicked out of the country for that!). I have never seen any Batman movie at any time. I have never seen Titantic. I have never ever seen ET.

They guy is a bit of a loon, and that’s putting it mildly.

Steak N Shake cutie

There’s a cute blonde gal in the latest Steak N Shake commercial. She’s not an outstanding beauty, at least not as far as I can tell. (Her hair is made up to fit under her server’s hat, which makes it hard to evaluate her true looks.) However, she’s got really expressive eyes, and she seems very sweet.

Ex-She Spies

I see that Natasha Henstridge is now hosting some hokey urban legend show on the Discovery Channel. The show itself isn’t horrible; however, it’s filled with all sorts of padding. They basically took a 30-minute concept and dragged it out to fill a full hour.

Personally, I would have rather seen her former co-star, Kristen Miller, in this role. Dang, Kristen was one of the most amazingly cute women on TV.

Ariel is Aquagirl!

Get a load of this. The voice actress who played Ariel the Little Mermaid also provided the voice of a character named Aquagirl on Batman Beyond.

It’s a safe bet that this was no coincidence. I bet that when the producers needed to cast someone in this role, they naturally thought of her.

And I love it! Talk about being stereotyped in a good way.

Debra Winger’s legendary Late Night appearance

I just can’t stop watching it. There’s this video of Debra Winger appearing on Late Night with David Letterman. At the end of the show, she strips down to her old Wonder Girl costume and runs out of the studio. What a blast!

I can’t help but wonder, though… was it the same costume? Or did the show’s producers have to get a new costume made up for her? She still looked pretty darned fit, so I can believe that she fit into the same old wondertogs.

On Karen Carpenter

I wanted to post an excerpt from some netguy’s thoughts on the delightful Karen Carpenter. I miss her. (I removed his thoughts on crack cocaine, not because they’re inappropriate, but because I think he’s just off-base.)

Karen Carpenter had the most wonderful voice I’ve ever heard. It was haunting and melancholy, and when I was in high school, I would hole up in my room for hours at a time, listening to Carpenters albums over and over. I clearly remember feeling both sad and comforted by the sound of her voice, and this was when she was very much alive. So I don’t think I’m projecting nostalgia through the fuzzy mists of time.

I believe that there was something very special and beautiful about her voice, and I think it would have had the same effect on me even if she were singing in a foreign language. Listening to some of the Carpenters’ songs is still a pleasure. The problem, I think, is that people are comparing their music to art. Are pop songs (or any music) supposed to raise our consciousness, make us think deep thoughts or change the world?

…

I don’t fault her for not evolving into whatever ‘real’ singers are supposed to evolve into; she (and her brother, who I believe overlaid as many as 36 of her voice tracks on one of their songs) left us some recordings that are really enjoyable listening experiences.

So, I’ve revealed that I’m either insane or just going to great lengths to justify a guilty pleasure, but if you haven’t heard any of their songs, you should really give them a listen. It will probably not change your life, but I’m fairly sure you’ll be impressed at how beautiful a voice can be.

As an aside, I also miss Laurie Beechman. Tremendously. She never became a Karen Carpenter, but she had her own niche.