Movie Moments: #37

Major Payne (1995)

Comment:

Artsy movies may be the choice of critics and people who go to art house movie theatres but oftentime B grade movies are more fun and more entertaining. Case in point: Major Payne. It is corny, over acted and politically incorrect but very funny and a film I enjoy watching every now and then. (Yes, I do watch films more than once. Rereading books and rewatching movies every now and then is like coming back to a favourite haunt).

Synopsis:

A hardened Marine killing machine is discharged and finds it hard to adapt to civilian life. Placed in charge of a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at a prep school, his tough military methods cause the young students under his care to want to get rid of him. Think Full Metal Jacket meets Kindergarten Cop.

Quote:

Major Payne: “You'll get no sympathy from me. You want sympathy, look in the dictionary between shit and syphilis.”

Trivia:

In one scene, Major Payne tells the children, "Now apparently, what we have here, is a failure to communicate!" This is a famous quote from the Paul Newman movie Cool Hand Luke.

People: Tsutomu Yamaguchi

Tsutomu Yamaguchi died on 4 January 2010, aged 93.

Who?

Yes, he isn’t as well known as, for instance, as actors and celebrities who died in 2010:

Blake Edwards

Leslie Nielsen

Gary Coleman

Tony Curtis

Eddie Fisher

Patricia Neal

Dennis Hopper

Lena Horne

Peter Graves

Kathryn Grayson

Fess Parker

J D Salinger

Erich Segal

Jean Simmons

Pernell Roberts

Yamaguchi San, however, had a claim to uniqueness that few others had and, depending on your point of view, he was either one of the luckiest, or unluckiest, individuals from WW2.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was nuked at both Hirsoshima and Nagasaki but survived.

Movie Moments: #36

Citizen Kane (1941)

Comment:

A few weeks ago I attended a friend’s birthday celebration at the Rosebud Café in Rozelle, named after the use of that word in Citizen Kane. Regarded by critics and movie geeks as one of the best, if not the best, movie ever made, with innovative cinematography, musical score and narrative structure, imho the movie is a bit dated these days and a bit of a chore to sit through. The best movie Oscar for that year went to How Green Was My Valley, both Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon missing out. Nominated in 9 categories, it won only one, for writing. It flopped at the box office, not even recovering its production cost.

Synopsis:

The puzzling last utterance of newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane is the word “Rosebud”. A newspaper reporter tries to find the meaning behind the word, the life story of Kane being revealed in a series of flashbacks. In the process we see his spiritual decline as he pursues success, fame, wealth, power and immortality.

Funny Friday

From Byter Leo:

New Book:  

First volume of the new book "How to Understand Women" 

Movie Moments: #35

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Comment:

My reason in posting another A Night at the Opera item is that my wife recently asked me something akin to Mrs Claypool’s question below. I responded as per the Otis B Driftwood reply but she was unaware I was quoting Groucho Marx. Even after three quarters of a century the Marx Brothers are still great. One of their best.

Synopsis:

The Marx Brothers try to assist two young lovers in their relationship and to achieve operatic success. Margaret Dumont again plays the comic foil to Groucho as he romances her for her money, telling the stuffy head of the New York Opera Company “Now listen here, Gottlieb, making love to Mrs. Claypool is my racket. What you're after is $200,000. And you'd better make it sound plausible, because, as incredible as it may seem, Mrs. Claypool isn't as big a sap as she looks. (Groucho looks at the camera) How's that for lovemaking?” Dumont appeared in seven Marx Brothers films, leading Groucho to comment that she was "practically the fifth Marx brother."

Quote:

Mrs. Claypool: Are you sure you have everything, Otis?

Otis B. Driftwood: Well, I haven't had any complaints yet.

Trivia:

Producer Irving Thalberg would often call people in for meetings, and then keep them waiting in his office for hours while he attended other meetings on the MGM lot. One day, during pre-production for A Night at the Opera (1935), Thalberg kept The Marx Brothers waiting for several hours in his secretary's office, while he was in his own office making phone calls. When Thalberg's secretary went home for the day, the brothers decided they'd had enough. They pushed the office file cabinets against Thalberg's door, trapping the producer in his office.

Afterwards, Thalberg kept his appointments with the Marx Brothers, but would often interrupt his meetings with them and step out to attend other meetings - again keeping the brothers waiting for hours. One day, Thalberg came back from another meeting to find Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx sitting in his office completely naked, and roasting potatoes on sticks in his office fireplace. Thalberg sat down with them, had a potato, and never missed or interrupted another meeting with the Marx Brothers.

Hell

Yesterday I promised a second item about Hell.  Here it is: Rowan Atkinson as the Devil, welcoming newcomers...

Hello, nice to see you all again.

As the more perceptive of you have probably realised by now - this is Hell, and I am the Devil. Good evening. You can call me Toby, if you like - we try and keep things informal down here, as well as infernal.

Now, you're all here for eternity, which I hardly need tell you is a sod of a long time, so you get to know everyone pretty well by the end, but for now I'll have to split you up into groups.

Are there any questions

No, I'm afraid we don't have any toilets, if you'd read your Bible you would have seen that it was damnation without relief. So, I'm afraid if you didn't go before you came then you're not going to enjoy yourself very much, but then, I believe that's the general idea. Right, let's split you up then.

Can you all hear me? CAN YOU HEAR ME AT THE RACK?

Off we go,

Murderers, over here. Looters and pillagers - over there please, thieves if you could join them, and BANK MANAGERS.

Fornicators, if you could step forward... My God there are a lot of you. Could I split you up into adulterers and the rest? Adulterers if you could just form a line in front of that small guillotine there.

AMERICANS, are you here? I'm sorry about this, apparently God had some fracas with your founding fathers and damned the entire race into perpetuity. He sends particular condolences to the Mormons who He realises put in a lot of work. The Iranians, I'm afraid, couldn't be with us - someone's been holding them in purgatory for the last nine months.

Sodomites, over there against the wall.

Atheists, over here please. You must be feeling a right bunch of charlies.

Christians, ah yes, I'm afraid the Jews were right.

Moonies, maniacs, marmite eaters, male models, masochists, mass murderers and masseurs, if you could take a pew at the back - with the Methodists that is.

Now, you're the lot who used to kill whales, is that right? Ah, yes, I must remember - I've got some strips to tear off you bastards later.

Everyone who saw Monty Pythons' "Life Of Brian", I'm afraid He can't take a joke after all.

Alright now, one final thing - we're trying to implement some sort of exchange scheme with the Lord God Almighty, or Cliff as we know him. Some of you will spend a decade in heaven and we're having some angels down here. Now, I hardly need tell you that you will be expected to behave in an exemplary manner, so, I hope you will do the exact opposite - tear off their wings, use their haloes for Frisbee practice, that sort of thing.

Well, I have to go now, but Beelzebub here will show you the ropes... and the chains... and the electrodes.

Movie Moments: #34

King Ralph (1991)

Comment:

Journo and writer Walter Bagehot wrote in 1867 of the British monarchy "The monarchy's mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic." There has of course been a lot of daylight let in since 1867 but this film gives an interesting insight into royal life and the monarchy. Those who like John Goodman and those who like a quirky comedy with a feel good story will like this movie. I did.

Synopsis:

When the entire Royal Family is wiped out by being electrocuted in a photo shoot, the only living descendant is found to be an American slob named Ralph Jones (John Goodman). As the new King of England, he is aided by Sir Cedric Willingham (Peter O’Toole) and Phipps (Richard Griffiths).

Quote:

Phipps: Sir Cedric! Sir Cedric! Good news. We've finally found an heir!

Sir Cedric Willingham: That's wonderful, Duncan. Who is he?

Phipps: His name is Jones. Ralph Jones.

Sir Cedric Willingham: A good man?

Phipps: [embarrassed] Well. He has his strengths and his weaknesses. You see, he's

[uncomfortable pause]

Phipps: American.

Sir Cedric Willingham: Quickly, Duncan! The strengths!

Trivia:

John Goodman does his own singing in the movie.

Heaven, Hell and Teresa

"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

- Stephen Hawking, interviewed in The Guardian, quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald at http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/heaven-is-a-fairy-story-says-stephen-hawking-20110517-1eq8f.html#ixzz1MZEAHd9d

If there is no Heaven, then where is John Malkovich coming from when he reverses time and stops the piano falling on George Clooney, in return for George’s Nespresso machine? And where do Bill and Ted go on their bogus journey? And what is my woman’s name, if it isn’t Heaven?

If there is no Heaven, then it must follow that there is no Hell, which is a perfect segue for this item (and another tomorrow). . .

Movie Moments: #33

42nd Street (1933)

Comment:

I have always loved this movie, from when I first saw it on the Teev as a youngster. Great story, Busby Berkley choreography, songs such as “You’re Getting to be a Habit with Me” with its drug references from a more innocent age, and of course the delightful Ruby Keeler in the main role – what more could anyone want in a musical?

Synopsis:

• Broadway director who is in ill health and broke as a result of the stock market crash agrees to direct a new Broadway show.

• Leading lady has a sugar daddy but is in love with her unemployed ex-Vaudeville partner.

• Innocent newcomer secures a spot in the chorus and forms a friendship with the juvenile lead.

• Director drives them hard to get the show ready.

• Leading lady sprains ankle and decides to be with her true love.

• Newcomer takes the leading lady’s part, is ruthlessly drilled by director and is a smash hit.

Reader Comment

Note from Byter Gino:

Enjoyed your byte on "Wings"  Did it not win 2 academy awards 2 years in a row or is that wrong?

Reply:

From the Internet Movie Database:

The only movie to ever win an Academy Award for Best Production. In the Oscars' first year of existence, two "Best Picture"-type awards were given: This film was awarded Best Production and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) was awarded Best Artistic Quality of Production. Both awards were discontinued the following year and replaced by the modern Best Picture Oscar; Best Production is usually thought of as that award's equivalent.

The only movie to win an Academy Award for Engineering Effects.

As told to me...

The following stories have been told to me over the years and have remained in my memory. They are worth passing on.

The following anecdote was told to me by my friend Arthur…

Years ago his colleague, Frank, regularly used the services of an elderly solicitor. Whenever the solicitor sent out a bill setting out his costs and disbursements, the final balance was incorrect. As an example, if a bill was for $990.00, the balance would be shown as something like $890.00. Frank always paid the balances shown and that finalised the accounts. One day Frank said to the solicitor “Do you know that every bill you send out has a mistake as to what is due?” He replied “They’re not mistakes, nor do I have any outstanding accounts.”

Back in my Uni days, I was sitting on the railway station one night waiting for my train when an intoxicated Scot started speaking with me. The following is one of the stories he told me, using his words. I had heard the first part of the story before but this was the first time I heard the additional part. You will see what I mean when you read it..

“I was with my friend Jock tonight and I said to him ‘Jock, there are two types of people in the world: those that are Scots and those that want to be.” Jock said to me “Nay laddie, there are three types: those that are Scots, those that want to be and those with nay fuckin’ ambition.’ “

The last item also harks back to my uni days, being something told to me by an elderly gentleman.

He said that in his youth he worked for a man known for his coldness and miserliness and who also had one glass eye. The old man said that everyone could readily tell which eye was the glass one in that it was the more compassionate of the two.

Movie Moments: #32

Comment:

There have been a couple of Movie Moments recently that have mentioned silent movies (The Jazz Singer, Wings). It is therefore appropriate to now feature a movie from 1976 that is called Silent Movie but which is technically not a silent film in that it contains one spoken word, plus sound effects. The rest of the dialogue is shown on screen cards, as for original silent movies.

Synopsis:

Noted film director Mel Funn (Mel Brooks), a recovering alcoholic, wants to make the first silent film in Hollywood in forty years. He is told that if he can recruit big name stars he will be allowed to make the movie. He and his sidekicks Dom Bell (Dom Deluise) and Marty Eggs (Marty Feldman) set out to obtain the stars, at the same time fighting the bad guys who want to take over the studio.

Quote:

“Non.”

- Meaning “no” in French, it is the only spoken word in the film and is a response to a request to appear in the new movie, the proposed silent film.  It is spoken by famed French mime artist Marcel Marceau.

Trivia:

Because of the inclusion of the word “Non”, the movie has been listed in the Guinesss Book Of World Records as having the fewest spoken lines of any sound movie.

Proverb

“Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it.”

- Swedish Proverb

Movie Moments: #31

(Click on images to enlarge)

Wings  (1927)

Synopsis:

Two men, friends but both in love with the same girl, enlist in the US Air Force during World War 1 and are sent to France for combat. Famed “It Girl” Clara Bow plays another girl, the neighbour of one of the men, who is deeply in love with him, notwithstanding that he is unaware of her love.

Quote:

British Soldier: Hello Yank, welcome to a very merry little war. And now how about a wee drop for the King and Uncle Sam?

Trivia:

The reason that this film is the subject of today’s Movie Moments is that it chalked up a memorable number of awards and firsts:

• first film to win Best Picture Academy Award

• the only silent film to win Best Picture

• the first movie to depict an onscreen kiss between two men (on the cheek, in a death scene)

• one of the first widely released films to show nudity – Clara Bow’s breasts can be seen for a second during a bedroom scene in which she has put one of the men, who is drunk and incapacitated, to bed, then changes clothes. There is no sexual activity. There is also a scene in which men undergoing physical exams can be seen nude from behind through an open door. The movie came out just before the 1927 Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America “List of Dont’s and Be Carefuls” was released, one of the Don’ts being not to show licentious or suggestive nudity

Clara Bow in Wings

Australian Iconic Moments

(Click on images to enlarge)

"I don't see what was wrong with the way I looked, I wouldn't have dressed differently for a race meeting anywhere in the world.”

- Jean Shrimpton, following her Victorian Derby appearance

Whilst I was looking through the online Daily Mail, an English newspaper, I came across a pic (above) and story about Jean Shrimpton. It mentioned that she is now 68 and was photographed in Cornwall, where she and her husband run a hotel. Apparently she is now a recluse after turning her back on the fashion industry 30 years ago. The Daily Mail’s interest in her is that a BBC movie, We’ll Take Manhattan, depicting the story of her relationship with famous 1960's photographer David Bailey, is to go into production for screening later this year.  Ms Shrimpton met Bailey when she was 18 and he was 23, leaving his wife for her and eventually becoming engaged to her. He is credited with turning her into the first supermodel and the Face of the Sixties, but his heart was broken when she left him for actor Terence Stamp. Those who have seen The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert will know Terence Stamp as the actor who played Bernadette. In 1979 Ms Shrimpton married photographer Michael Cox and shortly afterwards they bought the Cornwall pub.

Jean Shrimpton and Terence Stamp
(They are believed to be the inspiration for the lyrics "terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station, every Friday night" in The Kinks' Waterloo Sunset)

My point in printing the above pic showing Ms Shrimpton aged 68 is not to point to the aging process or to compare her with her youthful photographs, although comparisons are inevitable.  The purpose instead is to mention an iconic moment in Australian history, one which features Ms Shrimpton.  There are people srill around today who helped make the Sixties what they were,  some still performing:  Bob Dylan, The Stones, Carlos Santana, Simon and Garfunkel.  But the Sixties Revolution sios not consist of a simple change in the style of music. 

London and San Francisco  in the 1960’s were the hubs of social change, being at the forefront of such cultural and social developments as long hair,  hippies, free love, drugs, miniskirts, rock music, psychedelic lighting, posters. The Pill…  Not every young person had long hair, promoted free love or used drugs but that decade saw a casting off of 1950's conservatism.  As Dylan said, the times they were a-changin’.

The visit of Jean Shrimpton, the symbol of that change, to Australia, a country still steeped in traditional attitudes and traditions, and the resultant fallout is now part of Australian history.   

Movie Moments: #30

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

(1997)

Synopsis:

Austin Powers (Mike Myers), a 1960’s funky secret agent, has himself cryogenically frozen in respone to the freezing of arch villain Dr Evil (also played by Mike Myers).  In that way, Austin can be revived to battle Dr Evil should he ever reappear and threaten the world.  When Austin is thawed to oppose Dr Evil, he finds that the 1990’s and the social attitudes of that time are quite different from the world that he knew.

Quote:
Vanessa Kensington: Mr. Powers, my job is to acclimatise you to the nineties. You know, a lot's changed since 1967.

Austin Powers: No doubt, love, but as long as people are still having promiscuous sex with many anonymous partners without protection while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs in a consequence-free environment, I'll be sound as a pound!

Trivia:

According to Mike Myers, Austin Powers developed from his flirting with his wife in an English accent one night after coming home from hockey practice. She found it funny and laughed, telling him to write the routine down,so that he could do it again. Writing the routine down led to the script for the movie.

Under Repair

If anyone is experiencing difficulties accessing this blog or receiving the email updates, it is because the people who provide the blogger site have been experiencing outages because of glitches during maintenance.  If you are a subscriber and have not received your daily Bytes by email, that will probably be the cause.

For the same reason I may need to repost yesterday's items in that they are missing from the blog.  The error message received from Blogger, the blog provider, is that all posts after a certain time yesterday had to be removed and are being put back.  If not restored, I will repost later.

People: Russ Hinze

For the younger generation, the name Hinze probably brings to mind images of model Kristy Hinze. Older Byters will recall the name as that of Russ Hinze (1919-1991), a Queensland politician who was a member of the Queensland State Government between 1966 and 1988. Between 1974 and 1987, he was Minister for Local Government and Main Roads, from 1980 to 1987, he was Minister for Racing and between 1980 and 1982, he was Minister for Police, a portfolio allocation which earned him the commonly known title of 'Minister for Everything'. Hinze resigned from State Parliament in 1988 due to his being mentioned in the Fitzgerald Inquiry conducted into the corruption scandal of the Bjelke-Petersen era of politics.

He was a large man and was dubbed the Colossus of Roads after he was made Minister for Roads. He was also unashamedly politically incorrect and bogan. It was not uncommon for him to stir his coffee with his finger, saying why get a perfectly good teaspoon wet when God gave each of us 10 fingers.

Asked about his conflict of interest in owning racehorses while acting as Minister of Racing, he replied "It's not a conflict of interests, it's a convergence of interests."

Movie Moments: #29

Life Stinks (1991)

Synopsis:

One of the world’s richest men, Goddard Bolt (Mel Brooks) bets a corporate rival that he can live on the streets of L.A. without the comforts of home or money and without disclosing who he is. This proves to be tougher than he thought. In the process he is befriended by street people, including baglady Molly (Lesley Anne Downey), learning about both his own world and that of the other half.

Movie quote:

[Bolt is in an over-medicated coma]

Molly: I know you wanna give up, but you're wrong. Even without money, life is good.

[Bolt shakes his head; he can hear her]

Molly: No? What about when-when you didn't eat for two days and then you had your first big meal at the

mission? Wasn't that good?

[Bolt shakes his head]

Molly: Remember the other night? When we drank champagne and danced... and rolled around in rags?

[Bolt raises his eyebrows]

Molly: I know they're only moments, but that's all life is: Just a bunch of moments. Most of them are lousy...

but once in a while, you steal a good one.

Molly: [holding back tears] Come on. Come on back to me. Don't be such a selfish bastard. You're the only person I can stand.

Molly: [now crying] Don't leave me. I love you. Please. Don't leave me.

[Bolt's heart rate increases. He finally comes to]

Goddard Bolt: Molly, you're crying. What happened? Somebody die?

Molly: Somebody lived.

Trivia:

The film's original title, "Life Sucks", was changed at the studio's insistence.

Funny Friday

My God! What happened to you?" the bartender asked Kelly as he hobbled in on a crutch, one arm in a cast.

"I got in a tiff with Riley."

"Riley? He's just a wee fellow," the barkeep said surprised.

"He must have had something in his hand."

"That he did," Kelly said. "A shovel it was."

"Dear Lord. Didn't you have anything in your hand?"

"Aye, that I did--Mrs. Riley's left breast." Kelly said. "And a beautiful thing it was, but not much use in a fight!"

Movie Moments: #28

Synopsis:

To give the firm its full title, Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, is a 1963 black comedy directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It satirises the nuclear scare by depicting a rogue general sending a flight of B52’s into Russia for a first strike nuclear attack. With the assistance of the US President and military, most of the bomb carrying planes are shot down.  The rest are brought back when the recall code is obtained, except for one. That plane, commanded by Major T J “King” Kong, is severely damaged and has had its communications and electronics knocked out but manages to stay airborne until it reaches its target. Finding that the bomb is unable to be released, Major Kong straddles it and releases it manually, riding it down whilst whooping and waving his cowboy hat, the biggest phallic symbol in all of moviedom. The movie closes with film of multiple nuclear explosions as Vera Lynn sings “We’ll Meet Again”.

Quote:

Major T. J. "King" Kong: “Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies . . . Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find:

one forty-five calibre automatic;

two boxes of ammunition;

four days' concentrated emergency rations;

one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquiliser pills;

one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible;

one hundred dollars in rubles;

one hundred dollars in gold;

nine packs of chewing gum;

one issue of prophylactics;

three lipsticks;

three pair of nylon stockings.

Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.”

Trivia:

There are some production associations with the death of President John F Kennedy:

• The film was produced and filmed during the spring and summer of 1963 with the first test screening scheduled for November 22, 1963, the day that John F Kennedy was assassinated. Because the movie is a black comedy involving the American President, the premiere was rescheduled for late January 1964.

• Major Kong's above comment about the survival kit was originally "A fella could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff". "Dallas" was overdubbed with "Vegas" after President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Although it is heard as“Vegas”, Kong still mouths the word "Dallas".

• There is a deleted pie-fight scene in the War Room during which US President Muffley took a pie in the face and fell down, prompting General Turgidson to cry, "Gentlemen! Our gallant young president has just been struck down in his prime!" Stanley Kubrick had already decided to cut the pie fight, and the line about the President, by the time President John F Kennedy was assassinated.

Ducks, Communists and Lawyers...

"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck."

- Senator Joseph McCarthy,

in a 1952 speech, suggesting a method for identifying communists and communist sympathizers.

We lawyers like to use the above phrase. I have used it myself in court.

Joseph McCarthy, quoted above, himself was a lawyer and a judge before serving in World War 2 as a marine. On completion of his war service he became a politician and hunter of communists, both real and imagined. He was not, however, the originator of the saying or the first to use it.

The phrase is often referred to as the “duck test”” and is a crude, but often effective, form of reasoning that eliminates alternative, unlikely possibilities and identifies a most likely or most correct assessment.

The saying is sometimes confused with the following:

1. Occam’s Razor: “When there are two competing explanations for an event, the simpler is the more likely.”

See: http://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/search?q=occam%27s

2. Skeptic’s Test: “Where there are two competing explanations for an event, one explanation is consistent with laws of science, reason and logic and the other requires suspension of belief in such laws and principles, then the former should prevail until the latter is proven.

Although there is some overlap, they are separate and distinct laws and principles.

Movie Moments: #27

Synopsis:

The Blind Side depicts the true story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless, traumatised and oversized African-American youngster from a broken home. Michael is taken in by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), Sean Tuohy (Tim McGraw) and their two children, a well-off white family who help him to achieve his academic and sporting potential and to meet his challenges, enabling him to eventually become an All-American footballer. In the process, the Tuohy family make self-discoveries of their own.

Quote:

Sean Tuohy: You really expect Michael to lay down on a couch and talk about his childhood like he's Woody Allen or something? I mean, Michael's gift is his ability to forget. He's mad at no one and he really doesn't care happened in the past.

Leigh Anne Tuohy: You're right.

Sean Tuohy: Excuse me? “You're right”?  How'd those words taste coming out of your mouth?

Leigh Anne Tuohy: Like vinegar.

Trivia:

When Quinton Aaron auditioned for the film, he was working as a security guard between acting gigs. After his audition, he left a card with his contact information and offered to work as a security guard on the set in case he wasn't selected to play Michael Oher.

The real Tuohy family and Michael Oher.

Problem Fixed

The problem with the blog server that prevented not only me, but also many in Asia and Australia, posting content, has been fixed by the host of the blogs, Google.  As a result Bytes is back on track. 

Those parts of the system that you can hit with a hammer (not advised) are called hardware; those program instructions that you can only curse at are called software.

~Author Unknown