Linkapalooza

There really is no narrative thread for the following links. Just some things I found amusing or interesting, and have kept posted on a "sticky note" in the crackberry for a while. So it was either keep looking at the note/links while vainly trying to find some editorial connective tissue, or just post them all and finally delete the damned note. Yes, OCD carries over into crackberry note management.

Five things you didn't know about Seinfeld. I have a pretty good grasp of useless trivia, yet these came as a surprise to me.

A case for Dale Murphy in the Hall of Fame. Yeah, I'm a homer, but I think the guy deserves a spot -- or at least a more considered debate. Today's numbers are so overinflated by bandbox ballparks, watered down expansion pitching and this "steroids" thing I keep hearing about, that it's difficult to compare players from different eras. But Murph but up very solid and frequently spectacular numbers, and was among a handful of players that that were true standouts of his era. (And I don't think we'll be seeing any testimony from clubhouse attendants or personal trainers alleging that they frequently jabbed Murph in the ass with a syringe). And though our personal lives and belief systems are not exactly congruous, you have to respect a dude that carried himself with that much humility, dignity and integrity.

While this happened in Poland, I'm sure it won't be long before a similar story emerges from south Georgia.

The only reality show I watch is American Idol. I skip all the audition bullshit, and generally loathe all the "real stories of real people" dross that infects so much of the TV landscape now. Thank the lord for having my beloved TiVo back, so I can FF through all the hometown hijinx, interviews and non-singing/non-judging crap the public seems to have clamored for, and that they are adding back into the mix this year. (Programming Note: once we get to the final 12, look for my TNRLM recaps a day or two after the new Tuesday night show airs). However, if the "behind the scenes" interviews were as illuminating as this one, about one-time contestant Jessica Sierra, I might be less inclined to reflexively hit that 30 second skip button.

I commented previously on the poor quality of the announcers for FOX's Sugar Bowl coverage. This little bit of perfection, courtesy of EDSBS, sums it up.

A great pantheon of sci-fi movie babes. My personal favorites: 50s/60s: Anne Francis in Forbidden Planet. 70s: It's really, really hard to argue with Princess Leia, but I always had a soft spot for Jenny Agutter in the cheesetastic Logan's Run (plus, she was Dr. Pepper Dude's girlfriend in American Werewolf in London). 80s: Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was great in the underrated The Abyss; Cindy Morgan was not only in Tron, but she was Lacy Underalls!; Athens, Georgia hottie Kim Basinger was absolutely top shelf in the decade (and after, too, and will probably one day release an "Alec Baldwin's Greatest Voice Mail Messages" CD), but I worshipped at the shrine of Kirstie Alley's Saavik. 90s: I just can't choose here. I remember suffering through the shrill and not-good-campy Tank Girl and wondering who the hell the hot blond Jet Girl was; 12 Monkeys is one of my favorite movies, and I've always lamented the fact that Madeline Stowe wasn't a bigger star (last seen in NBC's too-quickly cancelled Raines); Dina Meyer is another underrated babe who frequently pops us in genre fare (and was even a Romulan in the last Trek movie); I can't wait to see Agent Scully again in the new X-Files movie; Jennifer Connelly is a very talented actress who desperately needs to spend a week or two in a Golden Corral; but their number 2 is my number 1 for the decade. Black leather and short hair goes a long way for me. 00s: Another embarrasment of riches. Queen Amidala? ScarJo? Famke? Angelina? Claudia Black, who could read the ingredient label on a Swanson TV dinner and make it sound sexy? However, based on quality and quantity, I have to go with their choice for number 1: The women of Firefly/Serenity.

Speaking of geeky things, here's a list of the Top 10 genre eps of the year. I disagree with several of their choices (I liked the 4400, but top ep? Don't think so. And I never watched Jericho). But the expected choices are there, too, including stellar outings from Heroes, BSG and Lost.

A running feature on Deadspin has been AJ Daulerio's "Cultural Oddsmaker" column. It's truly the web highlight of a Friday, and I frequently find myself laughing out loud scrolling down the page. Here's one from earlier, on Karma. And here's one of his final columns (sadly, the series ended today) on selecting the Playmate of the Year, and includes must-read sections on which athletes these Rhodes Scholars will wind up with, and my favorite part, their preferred sexual positions. +1 for a reference to the Alma Mater.

A comprehensive look at Simpsons movie homages.