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Tom Alderman

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Random Notions and Fipperies

Posted: 08/25/11 05:09 PM ET

"The body is lying in repose." as opposed to lying -- how?

Generational divide: people who hear the William Tell Overture and think The Lone Ranger -- everybody else who does not.

You know you have a personality problem when you see the light at the end of the tunnel and you look for more tunnel.

What's a blue moon and why does it come only once in a while?

What would happen if you laughed so hard, your ass really did fall off?

Politicians always rail against the 'special interest' groups. Aren't all groups interested in something special?

You know you're old when an 'all-nighter' means not getting up to use the bathroom.

Useless Trivia fact: Strychnine comes from the Asian Vomit Button Tree. You've got to wonder how the tree got its name.

Adolescents should be called pre-adults.

If doctors are called health care providers, Are politicians partisan providers?

When you walk into another area of home to do something, do you sometimes forget what you wanted when you get there?

The Lifetime/A&E TV series "Russian Dolls" raises the bar for trash-TV. Leah Grenblatt in Entertainment Weekly, says the series "has the acrylic stink of a low-rent reality show." Much too kind. The Boston Herald's Mark Perigard thinks the show set in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach "reinforces every negative stereotype about Russian women," and adds a few new ones.

Historical oddity: when effete poet and playwright Oscar Wilde came to the U.S. in 1882, the only person he wanted to visit was former confederate president, Jefferson Davis. The courtly Davis did not like the long-haired Irishman. Thought we was too, uh, 'esthetic.' Ya think? (For more on this, see James Swanson's fine history Bloody Crimes, the Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse. -- HarperCollins/books)

Awesome leads:
"Not since biblical times has the arrival of a tablet been greeted with such anticipation"
From The Los Angeles Times' iPad coverage by Dawn Chmielewski and Alex Pham.

Who is Jack Russell and was he as frantic as the terrier named after him?

Keep off the grass! Totally useless command whether it's the lawn you walk on or the weed you inhale.

People who wear blank-faced Movado watches must not really care about time.

A lie is a terrible thing and a really big help in time of need.

Tarzan of the apps: Angry Birds has a reported 300 million downloads making it one of the most successful apps of all time. So why are these birds so upset?

A newly minted senior VP was hurt for being his company's second choice for the job. Here are some other reported second choices:

Sean Connery as James Bond -- turned down by Cary Grant.

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump. First choice: John Travolta.

Meryl Streep in Out of Arica -- in for Audrey Hepburn.

Brando in Streetcar Named Desire. Producers first tried Burt Lancaster.

Brad Pitt's break-out cameo in Thelma and Louise -- when Johnny Depp didn't do it.

Depp was also in first position for Ferris Bueller's Day Off which solidified Mathew Broderick's star status.

 
 
 
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southingtonian
"I'm a Capricorn and you can't make me do sh*t.."
06:33 AM on 08/30/2011
1:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lying_in_repose
2:I'm one of the former
3:I turn and run from the approaching train!
4:http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/amoonb.html
5:I'd sing with joy!
6:duh!
7:not there yet, thank you very much.
8:not really
9:I like Bill Cosby's definition:brain-damaged
10: these days, absolutely.
11: Sometimes?!?
12: never watched it, never will.
02:10 PM on 08/29/2011
It's too bad Johnny Depp turned down those roles in Thelma & Louise and Ferris Bueller. He might have had a promising career.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
signgrrl
typeface geek
10:58 AM on 08/30/2011
it's just a crying shame . . . . .
Konnie
PO'd PROGRESSIVE
09:29 PM on 08/26/2011
you can sing all the words to both the oscar mayer wiener song and the mighty mouse theme song...........you watched sky king and fury on saturday mornings. you rushed home from school to watch spin and marty and danced with the door jam during american bandstand and you knew how to dance the philly (even tho you lived in indiana).
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southingtonian
"I'm a Capricorn and you can't make me do sh*t.."
06:39 AM on 08/30/2011
Whoa, bam, bam, bam! Brain cells firing in rapid succession as the memories were activated. F&F
11:04 PM on 08/25/2011
Good ones, Tom. And, of course, George W. Bush was also a 2nd choice: He lost the popular vote.
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anniee214
Woodstock Alumni, Class of 1969
12:42 PM on 08/27/2011
Good ones, Tom. Yes. How do some people manage to insert George Bush into every innocuous comment?
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c-tom
Badges we don't need no stinking badges
02:36 PM on 08/29/2011
It's a game '6 degrees of George Bush'. Take any disaster and relate it to GB (It was more fun when he was still president). Over reported and over hyped recent tropical storm (1) because of Katrina (2) was under reported before disaster struck. The suffering was made worse by FEMA (3) because of the Bush (4) appointment.
08:25 PM on 08/25/2011
A really fun and inciteful read, Tom. Thanks for the laughs.