Time for More Pre-Turkey Family Touch Football!

ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE?  There may be complications.

Friday Fun: Real-Life Pokémon Go in NYC

OK, I laughed out loud.  Enjoy!

Nerd Scandal: Plagiarism and Crossword Puzzles

Well, well, well ...

Disgustingly Cute Monday Therapy: Kittens vs. BB-8

Movie Review: The LEGO Movie

Block Party.

I just realized that I forgot to write up a movie review for this flick, and I've already seen it 3 times with 3 different sets of friends.  (It got better each time!)  I had, admittedly, initially been reluctant to go see it: I thought it might be a horrible 90-minute-long ad for LEGO bricks, those little interlocking blocks from Denmark that you must never, ever step on.  I've never been so happy to be so wrong!  The LEGO Movie is an absolute delight - smart, funny, witty, inventive ... It's endlessly, creatively enthralling and unexpectedly touching on multiple levels that will make both kids and grownups happy.  

The animation is brilliant, the voice cast excellent (keep an eye - I mean, an ear - out for celebrity cameos!), the music outstanding, and the narrative instantly engaging.  I fully expect this film to collect mountains of awards; I think it's a shoo-in come Oscar time next year.  I'm almost at a loss how to review it without spoiling it and its wonderful surprises.  (There is one glorious moment in particular that had the entire theatre shrieking with joy at all 3 showings that I attended.  Trust me, when you go, you'll know.)  Actually, the less you know about this flick before you go see it, the better.  Can I just say that "everything is awesome" and send you to the cinema immediately?

Mad Minerva gives The LEGO Movie the grade of A+.  Yes, you read that right.  An A+.  (And no, that's not grade inflation!)

RottenTomatoes gives it the amazingly Fresh rating of 96%.

The official website is here.

The LEGO Movie runs 100 minutes and is rated PG for animated violence and some rude humor.

Lord of the LEGO!

Check out this amazing re-creation of the Helm's Deep with 150,000 bricks and 2000 minifigs!  All the incredible detail is documented here on Flickr.

US Air Force + My Little Pony = ?

Is this for real?  Or is it a hilarious joke?  Either way, I got a giggle out of it and hope you will too.

Headline of the Day: Latest "Zero Tolerance" Idiocy

Here's the (gratifyingly snarky) headline: "6-year-old has Lego-sized toy gun on bus, everyone loses their minds."

You may recall my previous post about this sort of nonsense.

Quirky Asia Files: Giant Rubber Ducky in Hong Kong

Rubber ducky, you're the one!

Friday Fun Video: the Dancing RC Airplane

This is simply delightful:

Kids and Toys: A Global Tour

Take a look at this intriguing collection of photos from around the world.  Goodness, doesn't it make you think back to your favorite toys when you were little?  I remember loving teddy bears but not really liking Barbie dolls.

Hello Kitty Monstrosity of the Day: 5-Year-Old Girl Criminal

I yield to nobody in my hatred of the mouthless cartoon cat, but this news item is insane.  The monstrosity this time isn't a Hello Kitty-themed object but the behavior of "adults" who should know better.  Headline: "Pennsylvania kindergartener uses Hello Kitty bubble-gun at school, suspended for 'terrorist threat.'"  

A threat? It's a pink plastic toy that makes soap bubbles, for goodness sake!  The little girl's parents are considering a lawsuit.

7 PM Eastern Time: The First Polls Close, So Cue Crazy Media Coverage in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

Oh, boy!  Here we go!  I think we're in for a loooooooooooooong night, gentle reader.  This could be a real nailbiter.  (PS: I don't give a hoot about which candidate "the world" prefers.  This is OUR election. Get your own!  Though ... I do like this sassy British op-ed.) 

Here's something amusing if you need something to take the edge off as you watch election returns (and loopy journalists) tonight:

Friday Fun Video: IKEA Toy Fantasy

LOL: Presidential Debate Drinking Game, Round 3

If your liver's made it through the first debate, the second debate, and the VP debate, then it's time to end with a bang tonight.  Hey, it's the foreign policy, so it's the one that I personally will find most interesting.  Besides, I think we all deserve some straight answers about the Benghazi debacle. Here are the rules for tonight, darlings:

UPDATE: Even sillier version of the game below.

LOL: Presidential Debate Drinking Game, Round 2

Well, we made it through Round 1 and the VP debate, so here's one game for Round 2 in townhall format tonight.  Still, I like the visual pop of this other game:

LOL: the VP Debate Drinking Game

Remember the presidential debate drinking game?  That was SO last week.  Here's a fresh round of alcohol poisoning to go with tonight's Joe Biden-vs.Paul Ryan cage match (which I am, by the way, expecting Ryan to dominate).  Click the image for a bigger version.  I'll say this right now: if we're supposed to take a drink every time someone says "Medicare," we'll all be passed out within minutes.

Oh, and for your amusement from the archives: back in 2008 I chose the Winchesters over the Biden-Palin debate.  (Can you believe it's been 4 years?)

LOL: the Presidential Debate Drinking Game

Well, the first debate is tonight, and I'm regarding it with a cynical eye, so here's my comment on the whole circus of "gotcha!" coverage, zingers, cheap shots, loaded questions, tendentious non-answers, errors, and gaffes.  (Surely you weren't thinking that this is a real discussion of policy, were you? )  

So!  To help you make it through what's sure to be an awful night, here's the Presidential Debate Drinking Game, my lovelies.  At least there's not the stipulation to take a drink every time your BS detector goes off, or you'll assuredly get alcohol poisoning within mere minutes.  Click to enlarge and remember - this is just a joke!

Teddy Bearborne Division Invades Belarus

Here's something odd, cute, and daring all at once:

After weeks of denial, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko admitted that a small Swedish plane entered his country's airspace July 4, dropping hundreds of teddy bears on tiny black parachutes, the Belta news agency reports. 

The teddy bears carried signs reading, "Belarus freedom" and "We support the Belarus struggle for free speech."

Cutest airborne division ever? Yet ... yet ... what if all the cuddly paratroopers turn out like Ted?  That could be the biggest psyop hilarity in a while.  More here, with video!  You can also go directly to the cheeky website of the folks behind the teddy bear drop.  Lukashenko is often called the last dictator in Europe.  Dictators, as you know, cannot bear (no pun intended) to be made ridiculous.  Oh, and look at this photo!  It's raining bears!  Subversive bears!

LOL: the Olympic Opening Ceremonies Drinking Game

Click to enlarge.