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Now in our fourth calendar year
PCR #184. (Vol. 4, No. 40) This edition is for the week of September 29--October 5, 2003.
Matt's Rail

LA FLORIDIANA
UFOs I Have Seen -- Part 2
by Will Moriaty
THIS WEEK'S MOVIE REVIEW
"The School of Rock"
by Mike Smith
COUCH POTATO
TV Fall Television Round Table Discussion
 by Vinnie Blesi
WOO WOO EXPRESS
Beyond Belief....Deadly Visions
 by Patty G. Henderson and Terri Davis
CREATURE'S CORNER
"Underworld"....IndyClix....
Comics
 by John Lewis
MATT'S RAIL
Top 10 Albums Revisited....Celebrity Deaths...."Rush" to Judgement
 by Matt Drinneneberg
MIKE'S RANT
Rush Limbaugh IS a Big Fat Idiot...Whatever Happened To..?....Who's Next?....Get Well....Passing On
 by Mike Smith
Archives of Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Archives 2003
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TOP 10 ALBUMS REVISITED
I won't go into a lengthy rant about all these great albums I either forgot, or felt at the time didn't crack the top 10. Instead, what I have for you is just one addition. What makes this so essential to the idea of "favorites" is that at the time (1967) this was my favorite record to listen to.  Over and over and over I would play this thing. I can still hear my dad saying "My GOD!!! How many times can you LISTEN to that?".

True, I damn near wore this thing out with the repeated play, but you must understand I was new to music, just appreciating it for the first time, and I still hadn't heard of The Rolling Stones. Oh yeah...the album?

No one other than the harmonic glory of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, who raged like wild men..um...chipmunks...on that now classic LP Chipmunks A-Go Go. I can almost hear Alvin's searing "I'm Henry the Eighth I am". You gotta love it.

CELEBRITY DEATHS
To Ashley's and Nolan's point, it definitely seems like every other day someone famous is passing into their respective futures, wherever that may be. When someone the likes of Johnny Cash or Donald O'Conner pass away it isn't so much suprising as it is reflective. Both those gents were well into their years and lived long, full lives.

But when someone like Robert Palmer or John Ritter leave us, men who are in the prime of life, you can't help but experience a certain amount of shock and suprise. With Palmer being a rock star, one could possibly assume that hard living could have led to his death. Not that I know that for certain, of course. Mere speculation not intended to offend.  Ritter is still a huge surprise for me. Like many things in this life, it just doesn't seem to make sense.

Being icons of entertainment we see these people more as neighbors or friends than people we don't know. If you read the paper that Joe Schmoe was killed in California with a rare heart ailment, you merely pass by the article disinterested. I would see that and probably surmise that people die everyday! This of course is the truth of truths. People do, in fact, die every day. Some, like the terminal or elderly, know it's coming. Some have plans this weekend they'll never get to fullfill. Fame simply magnifies the reality.

With this recent rash of passings, one can't help but wonder who is going to be next.  

"RUSH" TO JUDGEMENT
I can't believe all the rigamaroo over what came out of Rush Limbaugh's mouth on ESPN Sunday.  In case you missed it (and you probably didn't), the Rushster said that Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb, in his opinion, was never a "great" quarterback, but the media built him up to be one because he is black. He went on to say that he thought McNabb was a "good" quarterback, but not the elite one many have proclaimed him to be.

That's a pretty big ball of wax if I do say so myself. Consequently, there's been a pretty large outcry about it, with some calling for Limbaugh's firing, and some calling in for support of the big L. (Rush has since resigned from ESPN as a commentator.--N)

Naturally, I have my take on it. Can you guess what that is? That's right, it's the free speech thing again.

You may disagree with what he said, but he has the right to say it if he wants.  I heard it live and the only thing that suprised me was that the co-analysts did not argue the point. I personally have never thought that highly of McNabb as a QB, but their silence was suprising. For the sake of those saying I'm a racist because I don't think much of McNabb, I'll quickly point out the one of my all-time favorite QBs is Steve McNair, who I think is GROSSLY under-rated, and of course, former Buc QB Doug Williams.

There were 2 black analysts on the show who were not offended in the slightest when Rush made these comments. I'm speaking of former Cowboy star Michael Irvin and former Bronco great Tom Jackson. A couple of very vocal and emotional gentlemen to be sure, but they had no reaction. (One of the two, and I'm sorry I don't remember which, was later quoted in USA Today as saying he wishes now he'd've said something at the time to "soften it", but that on the spot they really didn't give it all that much weight.---Nolan)

In the end, Limbaugh gets what he craves: the national spotlight. It's all they're talking about on TV.  All the problems in the world today, and the night is dedicated to Rush's mouth. What a sad commentary.

Till next time, take care and God bless
Matthew

"Matt's Rail" is ©2003 by Matthew Drinnenberg. Webpage design and all graphics herein are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2003 by Nolan B. Canova.