Tag Archives: entertainment

A Response from the Yeti

EDITOR’S NOTE: This morning I, as I sipped my coffee at Bookshelf Battle HQ, I discovered, much to my great surprise, the following note scrawled in poor penmanship taped to my front door. I cleaned it up a little, removed the many, many obscenities, and typed it out. Personally, I do not believe the Yeti deserves a response, but I suppose that in the name of fairness, I must allow him one.

Here is my recent post about my encounter with the Yeti.

And now, the Yeti’s response:

MY RESPONSE TO BOOKSHELF Q. BATTLER’S OUTRAGEOUS, LIBELOUS STATEMENTS

By: The Yeti

Hello.  This is the Yeti.  And boy do I have a bee in my bonnet to share with you people.

Did I break into Bookshelf Battle Headquarters?  Yes.  Did I make my way into Bookshelf Q. Battler’s personal office space?  Yes.

Did I have a right to be there?  No.  Did Bookshelf Q. Battler have the right to subdue me with brute force?  Yes.

But let’s be honest about how it all went down.

Bookshelf Q. Battler is trying to present this tough guy image, paint himself as the only book blogger who fights monsters with his left hand while holding the book he’s reading in his right.  Ridiculous.

The truth that his 3.5 regular readers need to hear is that Bookshelf Q. Battler is no tough guy at all.  Before I broke into his compound, I spent many hours observing him through his living room window.  That’s not weird because I was on a mission.

What did I observe?  I observed one Bookshelf Q. Battler in a bathrobe, a makeshift bath towel turban on his head, cold cream on his face, sipping a strawberry daiquiri while watching Steel Magnolias.  In fact, I observed on his coffee table a pile of DVDs, the titles of which included Beaches, Thelma and Louise, and Fried Green Tomatoes.  It was a veritable treasure trove of 90’s era female empowerment flicks.  And he calls himself a tough guy.

You want to know who the real tough guy is?  Me.  The Yeti.  That’s who.  You see, I have used my special yeti powers to forsake most of America with blistering cold temperatures just so I can walk around your Godforsaken land and hunt Bookshelf Q. Battler with impunity.  Yetis, as you may or may not be aware, need blistering cold temperatures to survive.  That’s just science.

Why am I after Bookshelf Q. Battler, you ask?  Long story short, I’m a Russian Yeti.  I’m not like my cousins, those high falutin,’ free-thinking Canadian yetis, or worse, those party all night, sleep all day Alaskan yetis.

I’m a yeti straight outta’ Siberia, son, and in Siberia, we have rules.  We stand in line for three days just to get our weekly ration kit, which includes: one granola bar, half a cup of water, one stale biscuit, and three toilet paper squares.  The Siberian powers that be have recently discussed the possibility of upping our allotment to four toilet paper squares, but if you ask me, that’s way too decadent.  Four toilet paper squares today means we’re all a bunch of Western wannabes tomorrow.  Four toilet paper squares will lead to us wearing cowboy hats, driving around in pink Cadillacs, and yelling, “Wazzzup?”  at each other.

Is “Wazzzup?” still even a thing in your country?  I don’t know.  We are just now getting documentaries of your renowned scientist, Steven Urkel.  I must say, his neighbors should be ashamed of the way they treated a man of such brilliance.

Anyway, this all started a few weeks ago.  I was sitting in the Siberian yeti village, gathered in the hut I share with five hundred of my yeti relatives, all huddled around the one computer we collectively own.  It is a 1986 Commodore 64, the absolute height of modern Western technology.  You didn’t think we’d get our hands on one of your precious Commodore 64’s, did you, America?  But we did.  And now we play Topper with reckless abandon.  All day long, we take turns controlling a mustached bartender as he whips one frothy beverage mug after another at his patrons.

Between games, we surf the net.  We do this through a Wi-Fi generating device we have devised through a pile of rusty tin cans, the engine from a 1964 Yugo, one thousand AA batteries, and a bag of blueberry muffins.  Do not ask me how it works.  Your fat, stupid, lazy, reality TV show addled American brains could never possibly comprehend the basic principles of yeti science.

While searching for a book entitled, 101 Ways to Make Your Three Toilet Paper Squares Last Longer, we stumbled upon Bookshelf Q. Battler’s website, bookshelfbattle.com

We held a Siberian yeti meeting, the conclusion of which was that Bookshelf Q. Battler’s website is much too awesome, that if allowed to exist, it would spread awesomeness all over the globe.  And the day that people are filled with ideas of awesomeness is the day that people and yetis alike start allowing their heads to be filled with ridiculous nonsense, like three toilet paper squares per week is not enough.

I, “The Yeti,” was elected by my yeti brothers and sisters to hunt Bookshelf Q. Battler down and stop his one post a day challenge.  We simply cannot allow people to receive that much daily awesomeness for a year, even if those people number 3.5.

This brings us to the crux of my complaint.  Did Bookshelf Q. Battler punch me in the face?  Yes.  However, he has left out crucial information and therefore, is guilty of a lie by omission.  He’d have you think that he punched me in the face after an elaborate exchange of fisticuffs, when in reality, he zapped me in the back with a cattle prod, turned me around on the swivel chair I was sitting on, and then punched me in the face AFTER I was already unconscious.

Because I was already subdued, I believe that Bookshelf Q. Battler is guilty of “book blogger brutality.”  My team of attorneys, who are also Siberian yetis, are currently exploring what options I may have to sue Bookshelf Q. Battler for the 3.5 dollars in his possession.  This money will go a long way to alleviate my pain and suffering, not to mention make me the wealthiest yeti in all of Siberia.  I will buy all of the toilet paper squares and rule the yeti village like a king.

Thank you, boorish and incompetent Americans, for taking the time to listen to my side of the story.

Sincerely,

The Yeti

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Lesson learned.  The next time I catch a yeti sitting in the swivel chair at my desk, trying to log on to my computer in an effort to shut down my blog, I will not take pity on him and leave his twitching carcass on the curb.  I will use my taxidermy skills to stuff him and leave him on my front door as a warning to all yetis everywhere.

The bathrobe?  True.  The cold cream?  True.  The daiquiri?  True.  What, I’m not allowed to unwind after a long day of bookshelf battling?

The DVDs were not 90’s era female empowerment movies.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  The DVDs were 1990’s era action movies.  I was engrossed in a Jean Claude Vann Damme marathon.  It made me nostalgic for the days I spent teaching him everything he knows.

Did I electrocute the yeti in the back with a cattle prod before I punched him in the face?  Yes.  Was the yeti already unconscious?  No.  Everyone knows that cattle prods only slow yetis down, they do not subdue them.  The shock mildly stunned the yeti, giving me the upper hand I needed to apply the coupe de grace of a clothesline smash to the yeti’s proverbial snot box.  It wasn’t pretty.  I didn’t want to do it.  But I had no choice.  A man’s bookshelf battle compound is his castle.

If you have a question for me, post it below.  If you have a question for the Yeti, you may also post it and I will pose it to him.  He has agreed to take your questions.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to both sides.  I feel confident that my 3.5 regular readers will realize that I am a bastion of truth and honesty, whereas the Yeti is a dirty, dirty liar.

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Oscar 2015 Predictions

OK so I have failed miserably in my self-challenge to watch all 2015 Oscar nominated films.  I’m sorry to drop the petals off the daffodil folks, but occasionally this humble book blogger only reaches a 99.9% rate of perfection.

Thus far, I have only seen American Sniper, Birdman, and The Imitation Game (I still owe you a review).  I have  Boyhood loaded into my iTunes but have yet to get around to it.

So I’m a bit handicapped having not seen everything, which begs the question:

Bookshelf Q. Battler, are you really going to opine on things you know nothing about?

Um…yeah.  I do that everyday.  My original title for this blog was “Opinions on Stuff I Know Nothing About.”  Writing opinions on stuff I know nothing about is my God given right as an American.

Without further ado, my predictions:

BEST FILM – Birdman

All the commentary out there suggests there is a horse race going on between Boyhood and Birdman.  From what I’ve heard of Boyhood, it’s basically a “meh” sort of film and without the novel idea to shoot the young boy protagonist at different stages of his life, it probably wouldn’t have made it to the Oscars.

Meanwhile, Birdman has been winning many other awards and that’s a strong sign.

I’m going to flip a coin here and say Birdman.  Birdman has a lot of messages that Hollywood wants you to hear, namely a) Stop complaining we feed you so much crap when you’re the ones who are eating it b) Stop complaining we don’t make enough artsy fartsy movies when you never watch them and c) being an actor isn’t all its cracked up to be

BEST ACTOR – Michael Keaton (Birdman)

I’ve got to go with Keaton.  He’s been around for so long, he’s been in many amazing movies, and well, sad to say but, time keeps a-moving on whether we want it to or not, and he may not have many more chances to appear in Oscar buzz worthy work.  Carrell, Cooper, Cumberbatch, Redmayne all turned in great performances, but they still have time and haven’t been around as long.  It’s Keaton’s turn.

BEST ACTRESS – Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

I really, really want Rosamund Pike to win this for Gone Girl.  SPOILER ALERT – in that movie, she plays the Amy whose safety you’re very concerned about when she goes missing as well as the Amy who…well, just go watch it.

But this is the year where Hollywood settles its debts and like Keaton, Moore is also overdue.  That’s not a knock on Still Alice.  I’m sure it’s great.  She’s certainly been in a lot of other great films and is deserving.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – JK Simmons (Whiplash)

The King of the Actors Long Overdue for Recognition.  He’s that guy in every movie, you recognize his face as soon as you see it, but up until this nomination, you didn’t really know his name.  He’s also the voice of the Yellow M and M.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

When it comes to “long overdue” Arquette and Laura Dern (Wild) are both deserving.  However, Boyhood has had more attention than Wild, so I think it’s going to go to Arquette.  Emma and Keira turned in great performances, but they still have plenty of time.  And Meryl?  Jesus, she must be using these awards as paperweights at this point.

BEST DIRECTOR – Richard Linklater

Come on.  Filming a kid at different stages of life and mixing it all into one film.  Creative.  Give him an award.

SNUBS

Finally, here’s my list of snubs:

Interstellar – the movie laid out a roadmap on how to get to deep space.  Completely ignored!  What?  Who cares about outer space travel?  Michael Keaton’s pretending to be a bird!

The Lego Movie – Best animated movie of the year no matter what.  I assume it got turned down because it was seen by some as just a big commercial for legos but come on, most kids movies do lead to big time toy merchandising.  If it was a commercial, it was a commercial with heart.

Saint Vincent – That old grumpy person you know might not actually be a jerk.  He might have experienced some heinous crap that you can’t begin to comprehend.  He may have earned the right to be grumpy.  So cut him some slack.

The Drop/James Gandolfini – I wish James Gandolfini could have received a posthumous Best Supporting Actor nomination since, sadly, he’ll never have a chance at another one.  It was a decent film and in my opinion, Gandolfini’s best performance since The Sopranos.

What are your picks?  Who do you think got snubbed?  Inquiring Bookshelf Battlers want to know.

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Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish 3 (Casting Call 3)

I’ve decided that Fred the Pet Store owner needs a love interest.  That way my upcoming film will appeal to both men and women.  Men will enjoy the action, while women will be enthralled by the romantic tale of a pet shop owner winning the heart of his lady love.

Bold move I know, to deviate from the source material, but I’m writing in a girlfriend for Fred.

JULIA ROBERTS

I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, in a pet shop full of monstrous, evil killer fish, asking him to love her.

Hmmm.  Can you read this with a Southern accent?  And also, not be old?

MILEY CYRUS

Dang y’all, there’s all like dang crazy fish runnin’ round…I better stick my tongue out at ’em!

NEXT!

DREW BARRYMORE

I’m just like…you know…thinking…that Fred, you spend so much time running this pet store?  That like…you totally forget to run the pet store inside your mind…

NEXT!

MEGAN FOX

Hi.  I’m all hot and stuff.  I’m going to stand next to these killer mutant fish and look totally hot.

When can you start?

 

 

 

 

 

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Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish Part 3 (Casting Call 2)

And we’re back, still discussing that first novel I penciled when I was around ten year olds.  Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish was an epic sci-fi action fest.

Yesterday, I did a casting call for Fred the Pet Store Owner, who fights the mutant fish.  Today, I’m doing a casting call for the Mad Scientist who randomly walks into Fred’s pet shop with no explanation whatsoever and dumps toxic sludge into the tanks, thus creating enormous, super-sized killer mutant fish.

Stop laughing!  You know this crap is better than half of what’s on TV today.

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN

Huh-lo!  I’m a…mad sci-en-tist!  I must turn these fish…into mu-tants, thus finally obtaining my rah-venge…against the cruel world that failed to heed my sci-en-tif-ic warnings.  If pee-puhl con-tin-yoo…to destroy the en-vi-ro-ment…then the world will be engulfed…by mu-tant fish…just like these!

Hmmm.  A valiant effort, but not what we’re looking for.

KEVIN SPACEY

There’s a saying in my home world of Mad Science Land.  If you fail to listen to brilliant mad scientists, then don’t be surprised when the Earth is overrun by a race of super powerful fish.  :::knocks the table twice:::

Next!

JACK NICHOLSON

You want the truth about fish?! YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH ABOUT FISH!  Son, we live in a world with tanks.  Who’s going to protect them?  You?  You pet store owner Fred Wineburg?  You mock me at parties but deep down you want me on those tanks, you need me on those tanks…

I dunno.  I’m not feeling it.  Next!

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

Yeah I made those f*$king killer mutant fish and I hope they burn in hell!

Hmmm.  I’m intrigued.  Can you keep going, Sam?

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

The path of the righteous fish is beset on all sides by the inequities of the sel-fish and the tyranny of evil fish…

You’ve got it!  You’ve got this part!

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Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish 2 (Casting Call)

As discussed yesterday, when I was approximately ten years old, give or take a year, I penciled in a notebook my first novel, Attack of the Killer Mutant Fish.

Now that I’m a big time blogging mogul with 3.5 regular readers, including my Aunt Gertrude, I have the resources to turn this novel into a major movie production.

Recently, I held a casting call.  The following actors read for the part of Fred the Pet Store Owner, who, as discussed yesterday, shoots all of the fish.  Why a pet store owner had a gun, I don’t know.  But it wasn’t because when I was ten I was a lazy writer.  I purposely left it up to the reader’s interpretation.

AL PACINO

Hoowah!  You little fishy finned cock-a-roaches think you can come into my establishment and eat my customers?  If I was half-the man I was twenty years ago, I’d take a flamethrower to this place!  Say hello to my little friend!

Al, my people will call your people.  Next:

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

Alright, alright, alright.  Hello there kemosabes.  Listen, y’all need to just take a deep breathe and chill out.  Take off your pants and bang on some bongo drums.  All this?  Right here?  This life?  All of this interaction?  This is all just a trick.  We’re all just sentient meat, fooling ourselves into thinking that our base thoughts and emotions actually matter, when in the grand scheme of things, they really don’t.

Don’t call us, Matthew.  We’ll call you.  Next:

DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON

CAN YOU SMELL WHAT FISH THE ROCK IS COOKIN’?!!

God Sakes Alive, you have to be old as shit to get that joke.  Next!

ROBERT DENIRO

You bloopin’ to me?  You make those little puckery bloop bloop fish faces and bloop at me?  Well, I don’t see anyone else around here, so you must be talkin to me!

I don’t know.  A solid performance, but I just picture Fred being younger.  Next!

CLINT EASTWOOD

Go ahead.  Make my filet.

(Cymbal tap – ba dum bum ching!)  Sorry, I said younger!

JESSE EISENBURG

Um…yeah…um you…you…you know I didn’t ask for any of this.  I’m just a guy running a pet store.  I keep the pets fed and if someone wants a pet I sell them a pet.  But…but….but…this?  I’m not prepared for this.  Nothing in my life has prepared me for this…this, what is this?  Fish, these Killer Mutant Fish and all they do is run around, trying to eat all the customers?  And how are they walking on land if they need to be in water?

You had it until you started asking questions.

This might be a tough one.  I’ll have to think about who would make for a good Fred.  If you have any ideas, please post them in the comments.  Tomorrow, we’ll be casting for the part of the Mad Scientist.

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FYI

For your information…I just wanted to make my 3.5 regular readers aware that I am so dedicated to them that I trudged through 571 miles of arctic tundra and punched a Yeti in the face just to get to a computer in time to complete the latest installment of the one post a day for 2015 challenge.

So please keep this in mind when you’re choosing which blogs to follow.  Many bloggers are great.  Few are willing to punch Yetis in the face for their 3.5 regular readers’ benefit.

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Better Call Saul – Season 1, Episode 3 – Airdate 2/16/15 – Wrap-Up

Saul Callers!

Do you love this show or what?  It may not be Breaking Bad, but so far, it’s the next best thing.

At this point, I better call SPOILERS.

This episode focuses around the missing Kettleman family.  Saul wanted Mr. Kettleman as a client, believing him to be guilty of siphoning over a million dollars through his job for the county.

Long story short, Nacho wants the money and Saul’s in a pickle – does he warn the Kettleman family and risk Nacho’s wrath or does he keep quiet?

Do I go on or do I avoid spoilers?  I’ll avoid spoilers.

Best parts:

  • Saul’s hunt to find the Kettlemans
  • Character development for Mike (who kicks Saul’s ass)

What do you think so far?  Is it as good as Breaking Bad?  Is it at least some balm to heal our Breaking Bad wounds?

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“We Are the Walking Dead” – Walking Dead Recap 2/15/15

GRRR…ARRRGH…SPOILERS!

“We are the Walking Dead.”

Was Rick’s statement in the barn tonight just a random thought or did it hold greater meaning for the show?

Rick shooting the crap out of these zombies on my bookshelf.   Keep it down, guys.  I'm trying to take a nap.

Rick shooting the crap out of  zombies on my bookshelf. Keep it down, guys. I’m trying to take a nap.

We all thought “the Walking Dead” referred to the zombies – does it actually refer to the human survivors?

MIND=BLOWN!

Other thoughts:

  • A big Maggie episode.  She’s heartbroken over the loss of Beth.
  • A big Sasha episode.  She’s heartbroken over the loss of Tyrese.  Two heartbroken characters tonight.
  • Sasha has become a loose cannon – diving in and risking the group…and even causing a near Rick bite!
  • Abraham slaps possibly poisoned water out of Eugene’s hand.  Aww.  He still cares.
  • Maggie a little harsh to Gabriel, though understandable.
  • Does dog taste like chicken?
  • What’s up with the kidnapped walker?  Do we ever find out how she got in the trunk?
  • How did they survive that zombie onslaught in the barn?
  • Who is this new guy at the end?  Whenever someone claims to be a friend on this show, they aren’t!

What did I miss?  Discuss!

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Happy 40th Birthday SNL

Too young to retire, too old to hang out at da club, the right age to buy an overpriced sports car.  Happy 40th Birthday SNL!

I wish I could watch your special but I’m too hooked on Walking Dead.  Hopefully tonight’s special will end up on Hulu or on NBC On Demand.

I totally love SNL.  Watching it as a kid, trying to do the imitations the cast were doing – fun stuff.  Everyone seems to love the cast they grew up with the best.  Which cast is your favorite?

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Key of Awesome’s “Fifty Shades of Broke”

I love the youtube show – “Key of Awesome.”  If you haven’t seen it yet, you should check it out.

As my 3.5 regular readers know, I’ve been complaining about Fifty Shades of Gray, arguing that its success exposes societal hypocrisy in that if Christian Grey were ugly and poor, it would be a horror film released on Halloween.  But, since he’s rich and handsome, it’s classified as a Valentine’s Day Romance.

Great minds think alike apparently.  Here’s Key of Awesome’s “Fifty Shades of Broke.”  The premise?  Grey loses all of his money in a pawnsi scheme and suddenly all of his “extracurricular activities” lose their appeal for the mousey interviewer.

“I liked it better when you took me to Paris after you whipped me!”

Anyway, Key of Awesome is great.  Check it out.

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