VicVegas

Grace Kelly

If somebody I meet in Thailand bad mouths the US I usually get that twinge of patriotism and want to defend it, but looking at the state of America today (specifically right-wing politics and religion) often makes me ashamed of my native country. Living abroad gives you a new perspective. I now have a better understanding of the negative attitudes many foreigners have towards the US. I think there are still a lot of great things about the USA, but geez there are a lot of ignorant idiots living there.

Swoosie Kurtz

Sir Alec Guinness

I was staying with my brother, whose third wife is from the UK, but she has lived in the US for about 20 years. We were hanging out watching sports on TV when she comes in with a fan. She sets it down, points it towards us, turns it on, adjusts it, and walks out. A couple of minutes later she calls from the kitchen, "Is that fan ok?" My brother answers, in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, "It'd be better if you set it in the doorway." Wifey explodes. "WELL THEN GET UP OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND MOVE IT!!!!" Once wifey was out of earshot I turned to him and said, "Do you know what my Thai girlfriend would say if I asked her to move the fan?" "No, what would she say?" "She'd say, 'Sorry baby. Where you want me put fan?' " Thai women know how to take care of their men.

24 hour rule Lots of ways to go with this one: The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

Credit where credit is due. You called it. I like this match up. The Steelers and their tough-as-nails defense vs the free-wheeling Packer offense. Big Ben and Rashard Mendenhall vs the surprisingly stingy Green Bay defense. Tough call, but I'm rooting for my man Aaron Rodgers and the Cheeseheads.

Worst in NFL history? Nah, the Detroit Lions probably own that title. Jets fans will always have Joe Willie and his guaranteed victory in SB 3, but yeah, the Jets looked pretty bad against Pittsburgh yesterday.

Charles Durning

John Cazale, who only appeared in 5 movies before his early death, and was brilliant in each of them.

A great movie from my college years, Risky Business My favorite quote from the movie . . . "Every now and then say, "What the fuck." "What the fuck" gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future."

My map of Thailand says 835 kilometers.

To quote the Little Rascals, "And how!" Aaron Rodgers had an incredible game. Even the "Ole-Gunslinging-Penis-Texter" never had a play-off game like that. I saw the phrase used on ESPN's site today, and it should be the headline on the front page of the Green Bay newspaper tomorrow: "BRETT WHO?"

And people wonder why I don't gamble? It's tough to pick 4 losers.

Rivers plays for the Chargers, and the Chargers are not in the play-offs, so I'm not sure what you're talking about Joe. Rivers still had a good year, but I admit Brady had a better year. Speaking of teams not in the play-offs, how about them Raiders? They went 6-0 in the AFC West and still didn't make the play-offs. I think that's the first time since the leagues merged that that has happened.

I'm a huge Chiefs fan, but I have a bad feeling about their game vs the Ravens. The Chiefs have only lost one game at home this season, but they haven't played the toughest schedule. They have a chance if they can stop Ray Rice and also put some pressure on Flacco. Since I don't have any money on the game, I'll go with my heart and pick the Chiefs. I like the Saints, Eagles, and Colts in the other first round games.

Had to invoke the 24-hour rule and look that one up. The star was . . . Robert Taylor

Not a stretch to say he was a musical genius. Great voice, wrote several really good songs, knew how to orchestrate and mix, and could play an instrument or two. Rafferty had such a smooth, clean sound. Unfortunately, like many "geniuses", he was also tormented. How many of us wish we had one-tenth of his talent?

Murray Hamilton

Ohhhhh, so you were just pretending to be ignorant to get a rise out of me. How clever of you.

Brady and Belichick have the Patriots running like a well-oiled machine. Atlanta has been dominant all year. No one wants to face Michael Vick. Manning has the Colts on a late season roll. "Da Bears" are back in the play-offs. Are the defending champion Saints getting the respect they deserve? Are the 7-9 Seahawks the worst division winner ever? All discussion of the NFL welcome (even Brett Favre crap )

Further showing the ignorance of US sports haters - rounders is the UK version of baseball. This thread is about college football. Why do you take the time to comment if you don't even know which sport is being played? Back on topic, the only BCS game that means anything will be played next Monday, and Auburn will destroy the Ducks.

Road To Perdition

Interesting analysis, but I agree with Rightsaid. Open air shopping in LOS = doom. The only open air shopping that seems to work in LOS are the traditional Thai style markets. People will happily go stomping around and sweating their asses off (and dodging mud puddles after a rain ), looking for bargains at the Soi Buakao market, but they won't go to a modern mall without AC. I remember when the Avenue first opened, the layout just seemed weird to me. It's designed similiar to a mall in downtown Las Vegas, which also has trouble holding on to tenenants. Something about how the stairs and escalators are located. I just got a weird, disorganized vibe when I walked into the place. Notice when you walk into Central Festival or Royal Garden, you feel good about how the place is organized. It's not just the AC. These places have an ambience, a mood, a pleasing feel to them. The Avenue has never had that.

Loved "Inception". It's the only "Oscar-buzzed" movie I've seen so far. The Black Swan, The Fighter, Social Network, The King's Speech and True Grit seem to be favorites for nominations. Looks like Portman and Firth are the favorites for best acting honors. I haven't seen any of them - waiting for decent DVD copies to emerge. Edited to add: Another movie getting plenty of Oscar buzz is "The Kids are Alright". Annette Bening might finally get an Oscar.