A Hollywood legend passed away yesterday. If you passed him on the street, you’d probably never know it. If you heard his name, you’d probably say “Oh, yeah – umm, who?” But if you’ve been to a movie in the last thirty years or so, you know who I’m talking about.
Don LaFontaine died yesterday at the age of 68, as a result of complications from treatment for a lung-related illness. He started in the business as an audio engineer until 1965, when he got what turned out to be his big break. By the time he died, he was possibly the most prolific actor in Screen Actor Guild history, based on the number of signed contracts he had. Still haven’t got a clue, do you?
How can a guy have over 5000 appearances to his credit and yet be generally unrecognized in public? LaFontaine’s 5000 plus appearances aren’t in movies, per se, but in movie trailers. He’s the voice you’ve heard in so many movie trailers such as “Batman Begins”, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, “Dr. Strangelove”, and “Cast Away”. He was also heard on television, doing voiceover work for shows such as “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insiders”, as well as the Academy Awards. His voice was used by every major network, as well as several cable stations. In 2006, he even parodied himself in a Geico Insurance commercial.
Don LaFontaine is survived by his wife and their three children.
Check on this video on YouTube about the life of Don LaFontaine.
If you liked that one, check out this comedian's take on LaFontaine's work.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Introducing Governor Sarah Palin and Child...and Child
On Friday, Republican presidential nominee John McCain surprised the political world when he announced his Vice Presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. In the few days since his announcement, Governor Palin’s life has been the target of great media scrutiny. As of now, we know a few things about her past – she’s married with four children, athletic, and a member of the National Rifle Association. She’s even a former first runner-up in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant. Much to the envy of politicians all across the country and all across the aisle, she currently enjoys an approval rating in the 80-90+ percent range. How many politicians would love to have that? On top of everything else, she’s tough, not afraid to make the hard decisions.
Much to the contrary of what you’ve heard in the news lately, Governor Palin is not just an “out of the blue” choice for a running mate. In fact, even to my surprise, there was scuttlebutt floating around many months ago that Palin would make an excellent choice. In spite of the fact that the Alaska governor’s name has been on the radar for some time, many in the media would seem to suggest that she’s “an unknown”.
One of the “surprise” topics the media seems to have latched onto today revolves around Governor Palin’s 17 year-old daughter, Bristol, who is herself five months pregnant. As the picture is being painted, the presidential race might just as well be conceded by the Republicans next week for being foolish and ignorant enough to believe that a running mate with a pregnant teenage daughter would be a good choice. They’re probably right.
Think about it. Isn’t it obvious how patently unqualified Governor Palin is? As governor of Alaska, when she’s considering whether or not to support a tax increase, wouldn’t the obvious tipping point in that debate revolve around whether or not Bristol Palin is an unwed pregnant teenager? When pondering her position on legislation which would impact the citizens of her state, wouldn’t the citizens expect her decision to revolve around the fact that her daughter is pregnant? If another oil tanker spill occurs off the coast of Alaska, wouldn’t the cleanup effort have to be coordinated with Bristol’s appointment for an ultrasound at her OB/GYN’s office? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, please follow these simple instructions:
1. Remove your voter’s registration card from your wallet/purse.
-- If you don’t have a voter’s registration card or a wallet/purse, skip to Step #3
2. Burn the aforementioned voter’s registration card
3. Contact your employer and quit your job
-- If you don’t have a job, you probably should be doing something more important than reading this blog, like LOOKING FOR A J-O-B!!
4. Set out in search of your village. You know the one I’m referring to – the one that’s missing their idiot!
5. (And this one's the most important...) Never, EVER vote for anyone or anything.
Let’s be realistic. Governor Palin is doing what any mother should do in this situation. She’s standing by and supporting her daughter. Being that Governor Palin is strongly anti-abortion, she’s demonstrating that she can walk the walk.
Consider a few things.
-- Who among us has children that have never, EVER made a terrible mistake without first considering the potential results of their actions?
-- Who among us have, ourselves, never, EVER made a terrible mistake without first considering the results of our own actions?
-- For those who raised their hands to both of the previous questions, the final question is what color is the sky in the imaginary world in which you live?
For those who argue that this girl is too young to have to deal with this much pressure, she’s about to have a child. Parenting and all of the responsibilities that come with it can be the greatest pressures anyone can have to deal with. As Sarah Palin has explained to her daughter, it’s time for her to grow up and face her impending adulthood. A further thought -- which would be more pressure for her to deal with: having to deal with a pregnancy in the public spotlight, or having to deal with the fact that her mother had to give up a chance at being Vice President of the United States, all because of her?
It’s interesting that so many are focused on the age of this “child”. What makes it interesting is that we live in a society where children younger than her make their way through our judicial system every day – the ADULT judicial system, charged with crimes like armed robbery and murder. This 17 year-old, is just a kid, though. Yeah - that makes sense.
Ultimately, this is a non-issue. It’s certainly not a concern of the political campaigns. Bristol’s pregnancy has no bearing on whether or not her mother will make an effective Vice President, or potential President. Even Senator Obama’s campaign has denounced the story, stating that candidate’s families are off limits to such reporting. When both presidential candidates are saying it’s not a problem, why is anyone else whining about it? Maybe the media needs to cover something far more newsworthy -- like whether or not someone remember to change the toilet tissue rolls aboard Air Force One.
Much to the contrary of what you’ve heard in the news lately, Governor Palin is not just an “out of the blue” choice for a running mate. In fact, even to my surprise, there was scuttlebutt floating around many months ago that Palin would make an excellent choice. In spite of the fact that the Alaska governor’s name has been on the radar for some time, many in the media would seem to suggest that she’s “an unknown”.
One of the “surprise” topics the media seems to have latched onto today revolves around Governor Palin’s 17 year-old daughter, Bristol, who is herself five months pregnant. As the picture is being painted, the presidential race might just as well be conceded by the Republicans next week for being foolish and ignorant enough to believe that a running mate with a pregnant teenage daughter would be a good choice. They’re probably right.
Think about it. Isn’t it obvious how patently unqualified Governor Palin is? As governor of Alaska, when she’s considering whether or not to support a tax increase, wouldn’t the obvious tipping point in that debate revolve around whether or not Bristol Palin is an unwed pregnant teenager? When pondering her position on legislation which would impact the citizens of her state, wouldn’t the citizens expect her decision to revolve around the fact that her daughter is pregnant? If another oil tanker spill occurs off the coast of Alaska, wouldn’t the cleanup effort have to be coordinated with Bristol’s appointment for an ultrasound at her OB/GYN’s office? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, please follow these simple instructions:
1. Remove your voter’s registration card from your wallet/purse.
-- If you don’t have a voter’s registration card or a wallet/purse, skip to Step #3
2. Burn the aforementioned voter’s registration card
3. Contact your employer and quit your job
-- If you don’t have a job, you probably should be doing something more important than reading this blog, like LOOKING FOR A J-O-B!!
4. Set out in search of your village. You know the one I’m referring to – the one that’s missing their idiot!
5. (And this one's the most important...) Never, EVER vote for anyone or anything.
Let’s be realistic. Governor Palin is doing what any mother should do in this situation. She’s standing by and supporting her daughter. Being that Governor Palin is strongly anti-abortion, she’s demonstrating that she can walk the walk.
Consider a few things.
-- Who among us has children that have never, EVER made a terrible mistake without first considering the potential results of their actions?
-- Who among us have, ourselves, never, EVER made a terrible mistake without first considering the results of our own actions?
-- For those who raised their hands to both of the previous questions, the final question is what color is the sky in the imaginary world in which you live?
For those who argue that this girl is too young to have to deal with this much pressure, she’s about to have a child. Parenting and all of the responsibilities that come with it can be the greatest pressures anyone can have to deal with. As Sarah Palin has explained to her daughter, it’s time for her to grow up and face her impending adulthood. A further thought -- which would be more pressure for her to deal with: having to deal with a pregnancy in the public spotlight, or having to deal with the fact that her mother had to give up a chance at being Vice President of the United States, all because of her?
It’s interesting that so many are focused on the age of this “child”. What makes it interesting is that we live in a society where children younger than her make their way through our judicial system every day – the ADULT judicial system, charged with crimes like armed robbery and murder. This 17 year-old, is just a kid, though. Yeah - that makes sense.
Ultimately, this is a non-issue. It’s certainly not a concern of the political campaigns. Bristol’s pregnancy has no bearing on whether or not her mother will make an effective Vice President, or potential President. Even Senator Obama’s campaign has denounced the story, stating that candidate’s families are off limits to such reporting. When both presidential candidates are saying it’s not a problem, why is anyone else whining about it? Maybe the media needs to cover something far more newsworthy -- like whether or not someone remember to change the toilet tissue rolls aboard Air Force One.
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