I’ve been trying to stay away from the whole “birther” thing, I really have.  These people are completely nuts, and I fear for their sanity.  And I figured that writing about them would only encourage them more, so I definitely didn’t want to do that.

But, it seems that everyone is talking about them, and the Republicans behind the Orange Curtain are ground zero for the “movement.” I put that in quotes because I’m not sure a bunch of insane people qualify as a movement of any kind.  More like an epidemic.

Sigh.

It seems that the leaders of the crazies, Orange County lawyer Orly Taitz and Pastor Wiley Drake of Buena Park are based right here, and have a lawsuit that is currently making its way through the court systemin Santa Ana.  However, it is encouraging that some of the judges are prone to giving Ms. Taitz a good smackdown.

So now comes along two more dubious examples of OC crazy.  Judy Ahrens and John  Briscoe want Maya Angelou’s fantastic autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” banned from school libraries.  Seriously?  Way to put OC back in the Dark Ages J & J!  Their objection is to one part of the book in which Ms. Angelou describes being raped as a child.

I’ve read the book many times, and I don’t think that one passage should mean that the entire book is banned.  The work as a whole is moving and powerful, and already the book is restricted to being checked out by 8th graders only.  And listen, with all the stuff kids today watch, the scene is not as traumatizing to the “innocent children” as J & J would like you to believe.

But again, book banning? Seriously?

Please, crazies, you are giving the rest of us a bad name!

See what happens when I leave town for a week? Tawny Kitaen was arrested in Newport Beach on Saturday for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKTiwCez6Zs[/youtube]

Kitaen was arrested at about 3 PM (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere) and should be booking her next stay in Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew any moment now.

My goodness, is the rather stodgy OCPAC becoming “edgy?”

This Saturday famed performer Alan Cumming brings his one-man show “I Bought a Blue Car Today” to Orange County for two performances.

I happen to think Alan is an interesting and brilliant performer, so go here to find out about tickets.

Since we were just talking about Honey I Shrunk the Audience, one of two Disney attractions featuring Eric Idle (Journey into Imagination With Figment is the other) it should be noted that Spamalot is coming to town on October 6th at the Orange County Performing Arts Center!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_3lMpSDqMQ&feature=related[/youtube]

If you’re not a Monty Python fan don fret, the OC Register notes that “the musical isn’t an inside-baseball kind of creation. You don’t have to be a Python fanatic to understand and by tickled by it”. So get your tickets to see the iconic production before it’s gone – it’s only here for two weeks ya know.

With the fate of Captain EO still uncertain, only one thing is for sure (and by “for sure” I mean probably), Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (HISTA) is getting ready for its final bow.

[Images courtesy of Wikipedia]

Our friends over at Mice Age recently reported on the EO woes and they seem certain that whether the Captain makes and appearance or not (and my bets are on not, kiddies), HITSA is on its way out! What will replace it? An import from Florida called Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (MILF – hahahahaha).

I’m not certain how many of you are aware of what MILF is all about but let me sum it up like this: an inexpensive overlay of a preexisting attraction that uses Turtle Talk technology to give a “live” animated performance of monster comedians trying to induce laughs to convert to monster-energy. OK, so it’s not the worst attraction concept in history but the execution is pretty awful. Having sampled the attraction in Florida I can tell you this much: replacing HISTA with MILF is redundant. The later wore out its welcome before it officially debuted. If tired, uninspired and sanitized jokes are your thing then maybe this is the attraction for you. But those who complain of HISTA’s dated material should expect more of the same from MILF. Its like replacing spring water with purified drinking water – essentially the substance – only cheaper.

Only time will tell the ultimate fate of HISTA. My opinion is this: Worry about HISTA later and focus on the People Mover for the next project. At least HISTA (no matter how old or dated) is in operation while the old People Mover track still sits there rotting in the California sun.

Have you seen the newest advertisement for HalloweenTime at the Disneyland Resort? We so often see the happier characters in these ads, this time the villains get to shine.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFSKqol2_g8[/youtube]

HalloweenTime starts on September 25th. See you there!

If you’re anything like me, then even the mention of the Ford Taurus leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I understand what the Taurus did for Ford and how many people absolutely loved it, but for me, I wasn’t sad to see it leave the fleet several years ago. Now however, it’s back. And I have to admit, it’s better than I could have ever imagined.

Can it really make up for it's past??

“There aren’t plans to bring back Captain EO at this time. We are looking at it. It’s the kind of thing that, if we did it, would get a fair amount of attention and we’d want to make sure we do it right.“

– The Walt Disney Company President and Chief Executive Bob Iger addressing rumors about the return of Michael Jackson’s short film Captain EO to Disneyland.

Here’s some fuzzy video of Republican Assemblyman Mike Duvall bragging about sticking it to a couple different female lobbyists. Oooooh sexy talk. Way to represent the OC with flair Mike! Maybe you should have moved to South Carolina – maybe then you wouldn’t feel the need to resign from office.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2GKqTeBlAg[/youtube]

Last Saturday, I was to meet my wife in Burbank in the afternoon, so we could go out in L.A. The problem was she already had a car, so if I drove, we’d have to take 2 cars home. I could have driven her up there at 7am, but who wants to do that? Luckily, Metrolink had a few trains running, several of which would get me up to L.A. right at about 4 o’ clock, which is when she would be done! I saw this as a nice opportunity to document what worked and what didn’t for those of you who may be a little weary of the trains. I made a video for your viewing pleasure. Here are a few things to note about the trains and the video before you watch:
-I’m sorry the walking bits are so shaky. It’s not easy to hold the camera steady when you’re rushing to catch the trains.
-Once you figure out how to read the train schedule, it’s fairly simple to figure out connections and the like, but there is definitely a bigger learning curve to Metrolink than say, New York MTA.
-The trains are NOT marked! The first time I attempted Metrolink travel I ended up on my way to the I.E. instead of Los Angeles! If there are trains departing just minutes from each other, ask the other riders around you to make sure the one at the station is the right one.
-Union Station need to label the trains better. According to the schedule online, my train to Burbank ended in Burbank, yet it was labeled the Lancaster train! I just made my train by literally less than a minute. I’m sure trains have been missed because of the same problem.
-Remember, if you plan to leave for home after around 7pm, don’t plan on the train. They don’t run at night.

And now, the video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NR2-QbuOHs[/youtube]