Bonus Silly Photo to Fill Space- It's Oktoberfest Time

Hmm....yes, I'm afraid this photo image might get blog banned in both Qom, Iran, (we've actually had hits from Iran!) and Provo, Utah. In addition, it's possible that Michele Bachmann might use this entry to exemplify her views of a decline in morals in our culture. Of course, truth be told, I'd be honored to be on her enemies' list as the late Paul Newman said when he found out he was near the top of President Richard Nixon's enemies list, which had some 249 other names.

One of the major Oktoberfests going on this weekend will be in Leavenworth, Wash. The event will start at noon on Saturday. It will consist of four venues full of beer, bands and brats (their words, not mine).

Minors will be allowed until 9:00 p.m., and No Dogs Allowed inside the Oktoberfest compound.

SIDEBAR: Believe it or not, I am in the process of finishing up listening to two artists known for kischy music. The first was Barry Manilow II, a record I found for one dollar at All Day Records in Carrboro, NC (near Chapel Hill). And, the second is "Poems, Prayers and Promises" from the late John Denver, which I got at a yard sale some 25 years ago.

Both records contain 'signature songs' from the artists as the first one has "Mandy" and the second one has "Take Me Home Country Roads," which was supposedly written on a farm in Mount Jackson, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley. The answer to the question why am I doing this to myself is indeed a very valid one.

Quote of the Week- Hilary Swank

Perhaps, very few Oscar-winners have started from dire backgrounds like Hilary Swank has, as she grew up in a trailer park in Bellingham, Wash. She is also (to our knowledge) the only cast member of "Beverly Hills 90210" to have won an Oscar. Although to his credit, Luke Perry was very good in the independent drama film "Normal People" with Ashley Judd about a boyfriend/girlfriend bank robbing duo.

Swank won her first Best Actress Oscar for the compelling film "Boys Don't Cry" (1999). Five years later, she won in the same category for her startling performane as a female boxer in "Million Dollar Baby" (2004), which was directed by and co-starred Clint Eastwood.

Here is her quote:

"I don't know what I did in this life to deserve all of this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."

SIDEBAR: It has been a very long time since we discussed Turkish soccer, but I realize our loyal readers in Paterson, NJ, (which reportedly has the largest Turkish population in America) are getting disappointed with me, and I am a Turkish-American who occasionally eats pork as it is!

So here are the latest results from Week 22 (partial list):

Eskisehirspor 2 Sivasspor 1

Gaziantep 4 Bursa 1

GalataSaray 1 Bucaspor 0

Kayseri 2 Antalya 0

*Fenerbahce 4 Besiktash 2

*-This was a game between two traditional Istanbul rivals. Alex de Souza, 33, (who goes by Alex) a Brazilian soccer star, scored three goals for Fenerbahce in their crucial win.

'Official' High School of the Week- Meadowdale HS (Lynwood, Wash.)

Students who attend the Meadowdale High School in Dayton, Ohio, are going to be disappointed because we are featuring a school with the same name from Lynwood, Wash.

The Meadowdale in Washington state is the alma mater of senior University of Washington gymnast Kristen Linton, whose name we almost didn't spell right! (Kristin Linton is what I first wrote down).

The Huskies' first Pac-10 meet is not until Jan. 21 when they face Cal, but the school's football team has a date with BYU in Provo, Utah, (one of our favorite towns to make fun of) on Sept. 4. Alas, none of the Huskies faithful will be able to have a beer if they win unless they are willing to drive to Salt Lake City!

As for Meadowdale High, it happens to be the alma mater of Alice in Chains' lead singer Layne Stanley and Mark Stewart of the Minnesota Vikings as well.

The schol nickname is The Mavericks (the Maverick mascot pictured here is for another school) and the principal is Dale Cote. Meadowdale has an enrollment of 1,56 students. Classes don't actually start there until Sept. 7.

Meadowdale also has a Japanese Anime and Dead Poets Society club, which makes them perhaps a bit hipper than the high school you graduated from!

Linton said on her gymnast profile that she can't live without her cellphone, has a crush on Johnny Depp and enjoys lemonade and ice cream.

SIDE NOTE- Our next 'High School of the Week" will be Bristol Palin's alma mater Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska. Those of you who've been to this blog before know I love the Palins as much as I love going to the dentist's office! If you have any future suggestions for a High School of the Week feel free to mention them here.

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Let's Go to the Movies!

Today, we focus with a Silly Photo to Fill Space aimed at summer jobs and what could be better than working at a movie theatre and fixing popcorn?! (I actually did that job and lemme tell ya, popcorn burns hurt like h-e-double 'l').

Our feature city of the month is Trenton, NJ, where one can see the Zac Efron film "Charlie St. Cloud," which my friend Moviezzz has cited as an early Oscar contender on his blog http://www.talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com (that is a joke and a big one at that!) at the Destina Theatre at Independence Plaza on South Broad Street.

As for historical cinemas in "Clerks" director Kevin Smith's home state, there is The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ, which will host Foreigner (uh-oh, I think "I Wanna Know What Love Is" is going to go off in my skull...yep, it just did!) on Aug. 26.

The web site Cinema Treasures, which is dedicated to movie theatres around the globe, is featuring the Capitol Theatre in Olympia, Wash., as its Cinema of the Week. The cinema in the Washington state capital will be showing the documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" from Aug. 14-20. Call (360) 754-6670 for more info.

Lastly, we were delighted to see Cinema Tresures mention the Atlas Cinema in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It may well be the hippest sinema (that's how cinema is spelled in Turkish) in the vast metropolis and they are (alas!) probably
showing "Charlie St. Cloud" too!