CINCO DE ROSWELL
The Fourth was with you yesterday. But today is Cinco de Roswell …
Roswell Slides day..
The day that UFO watchers have been waiting for .. ‘evidence,’ some would say, of UFOs stuffed away on old photographs in an attic..
THERE IS LIVE VIDEO HERE..(at least as long as the event is live)
There is a ‘megathread’ on REDDIT..
Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis is current talking about it on his show (at the time this post is written, 11pm on May 5 ‘15)
Tonight, George Noory with Coast to Coast AM is going to have a panel of guests to speak about the slides as well..
And a backstory for those not aware of the ROSWELL SLIDES or the story behind them.. THIS from Anthony Bragalia’s blog a Different Perspective on where these ‘slides’ have come from..
Roswell is where it all began. At least the modern UFO hunt..
And now the Roswell Slides are going to spice things up a bit in the UFO field–more than that not at all credible 1990s alien autopsy fraud.
But are these new slides frauds, too?
Just another tall tale in the alien world?
As always, trust your intelligence and use your discernment appropriately …
A creepypasta I'm excited about
This is the kind of horror news I love to read..
CLIVE BARKER is going to make some CREEPYPASTAS come alive
From Jeff the Killer to Slender Man, Barker is going to make CreepyPastas into short YOUTUBE videos..
It will be on the Machinima’s channel. Along with many others–a clear indication of the changing entertainment landscape..
Cool news.. I am thoroughly looking forward to watching this project develop..
Loving that Harley Quinn
David Ayer on Twitter summonses the cast of SUICIDE SQUAD.. and yes, that is Harley Quinn..
Also shown: Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang.. And more.
With each new photo and each new day, the SUICIDE SQUAD looks better and better..
Still..
I wonder about the Jared Leto JOKER.. the jury remains out on that..
A long hot summer coming
US Summer Forecast: Northeast to Endure More 90-Degree Days Than in 2014; Extreme Drought to Expand in West »
The ACCUWEATHER summer forecast:
Warmth from central Canada and the northern Plains will flow into the Northeast this summer, leading to above-normal temperatures and drier conditions for much of the region.
“I’m not expecting extreme heat, but periods of warmer-than-normal temperatures will come and go during the course of the summer,” AccuWeather.com Expert Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.
After a cooler-than-normal summer of 2014, the East overall is forecast to be hit by more 90-plus degree days this summer.
In Philadelphia and New York City, there may be as many as 10 more than last summer.
For much of the summer, the central and southern mid-Atlantic will come alive with showers and thunderstorms.
Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia will be in the line of fire.
Now come the locusts..
What plague will be next!?
There is a fascinating story making the rounds online.. Originally reported in the Courier Mail in the UK, PLAGUES of locusts have been devouring their way through the state’s central west compounding the hardships suffered by drought-affected farmers.
Get this..Matthew Killoran writes,
More than 150 swarms have been reported to Biosecurity Queensland so far this year, with some reported to be more than 40ha in size and thick enough to “black out the sky”.
While their activity has been dying down as winter approaches, there are fears eggs are lying dormant waiting to return in favourable weather conditions.
There were only 15 swarms reported throughout the state from 2011 and 2013.
But before you get ready for a Christian style rapture, keep in mind that this pest is somewhat normal and there are stories from history of it happening.
And while that’s fine and dandy, just picture a wall of locusts flying at you..
Maybe it’s time to consider harvesting them.
I hear they can be tasty morsels of crunchy flavor.
Justin Timberlake as you really don't want to see him
I can certainly see this being a villain in horror movies.
The Dry Age
Catastrophic California drought is having another scary side effect: Rodents are climbing trees and taking water from bird baths Learn more: »
Everything needs water to survive..
And rodents know survival at the fittest.
One creepy tale:
Tina O'Keefe of Dirty Rats Rodent Removal told NBC, “There’s no water source for them right now so they’re going outside to get it. They eat plants. They eat meat. They’re going to the dog park because there are water bowls. They’re going to horse stables because there’s water.”
Heron Head Park, which is situated just south of San Francisco, is one example where rats are coming out and taking water from dogs.
“This has not happened before,” Renee Dunn Martin of the Port of San Francisco told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s an open space, and a natural habitat for a lot of creatures, but regarding the rats, we are definitely on top of that issue and doing our best to address it,” Dunn Martin emphasized.
It’s been said that even after nuclear strikes, cockroaches will crawl like nothing occurred..
But rodents without water? That is a scary premise for their species.
As much as it is ours..
Scary times we live in.. Dry as well.
Lake Mead is considered “operationally full” when the water level is at 1,229 feet elevation above sea level. On May 2, the water level was down to 1,078.9 feet above sea level, the lowest since it was being filled in May 1937. It’s down 15 feet from the same day a year ago »
THE NEW NIGHTMARE
Expect to hear lots about this movie soon.. THE NIGHTMARE is a documentary that follows the stories of several people who are afflicted from sleep paralysis.. and along with that curse, they all seem to see the same things: Hat man, shadow people, the same voices talking..
There may be tricks in the brain being played..
There may be alternate dimensions opening up..
Rodney Ascher (from ROOM 237) doesn’t really seem to care about the scientific reasonings to explain away the stories, instead he focuses on the stories themselves and the people who suffer from the visions.. And how it changes lives..
Bloody-Disgusting reviewed this recently and gave it a rave rating--people seem genuinely frightened by the topic.
There are real stories from real people of these events taking place.
The mighty strange aspect of it all seems to be persistent and also relative to the fact that all of the people suffering from this see the same thing. The same shadows.. Hear the same voices. Exact..
That may be the precise reason this documentary is being so widely accepted not only by documentary fans but also the horror community. People are eating up 'reality' anymore.. not just slashers and ghouls of nightmares. But the real shadows of reality.
Some news of the weekend
Six Baltimore police charged with homicide.. For now, this decision has quelled the anger and seemingly united a city .. Thepolice union calls for Prosecutor to step aside..
The Pope has developed a habit of often phoning people who write him letters.One man, not convinced Francis was the real deal, hung up on his twice..
Russia conducted nuclear bomber flight NEAR ALASKA..
Dog infects a HUMAN with plague for the first time..
Wildfire near CHERNOBYL! “Everything is safe” they say..
The amazing brain: How we learn quickly..
Site of the deadliest Native American massacre in Idaho revealed..
The story of the Enfield Poltergeist: It plagued a house in North London.. I am also amazed with how often paranormal stories are beginning to be seen in modern mainstream media. The barrier has been broken. Sex sells. So do UFOs and ghosts.
3D printing to boom by 2020.. Everything you buy and know will change in only a matter of years..
Megan Fox brings the 1999 school girl look back..
Casey Jones’ look revealed for TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2..
David Letterman’s final month.. President Obama to make an appearance..
The end of an era: The MDA telethon is over..
The Pope has developed a habit of often phoning people who write him letters.One man, not convinced Francis was the real deal, hung up on his twice..
Russia conducted nuclear bomber flight NEAR ALASKA..
Dog infects a HUMAN with plague for the first time..
Wildfire near CHERNOBYL! “Everything is safe” they say..
The amazing brain: How we learn quickly..
Site of the deadliest Native American massacre in Idaho revealed..
The story of the Enfield Poltergeist: It plagued a house in North London.. I am also amazed with how often paranormal stories are beginning to be seen in modern mainstream media. The barrier has been broken. Sex sells. So do UFOs and ghosts.
3D printing to boom by 2020.. Everything you buy and know will change in only a matter of years..
Megan Fox brings the 1999 school girl look back..
Casey Jones’ look revealed for TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2..
David Letterman’s final month.. President Obama to make an appearance..
The end of an era: The MDA telethon is over..
Mars astronauts could develop dementia on journey to Red Planet
The University of California found that exposure to highly energetic charged particles - much like those found in the galactic cosmic rays – can cause significant damage to the central nervous system, resulting in brain impairments, according to reports today.
This has big ramifications.. it could prevent us from going to Mars. But. Maybe we should send androids there first. Humanoids to test the waters and see what things are like. Eventually when we merge man with machine we can join the robots who by then will have a beautiful garden with a terrace overlooking the planet Earth built for our arrival.
A human can dream.
Nonetheless. The article worth reading here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11576788/Mars-astronauts-could-develop-dementia-on-journey-to-Red-Planet.html
This has big ramifications.. it could prevent us from going to Mars. But. Maybe we should send androids there first. Humanoids to test the waters and see what things are like. Eventually when we merge man with machine we can join the robots who by then will have a beautiful garden with a terrace overlooking the planet Earth built for our arrival.
A human can dream.
Nonetheless. The article worth reading here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11576788/Mars-astronauts-could-develop-dementia-on-journey-to-Red-Planet.html
Get to a better state. NOW!
Marketing has taken a darker turn lately.. The other day AARP put out an ad called bath featuring a peaceful scene of a woman bathing her child--the video was called bath. If you listen really closely, the TV in the background featured an announcer talking about martial law being declared in the United States. The AARP ad ends with 'in your new role.' Conspiracy theories did abound--I think perhaps rightfully so.. that was quite a creepy ad when you consider the background noise that is subliminally being implanted into your head..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=22&v=jT6imIqaCQs
But there's a new visitor on the block taking some attention away from the subliminal that AARP put out. This one is a bit more overt. On May 11, a new State Farm ad promises, something will happen. They also hashtagged their video "#TuneInEarthlings" .. The alien angle has seemingly riled up some of the quaint places online. Worries and fears that an invasion is imminent.. does State Farm know something..?!
And will our plans COVER an hostile alien takeover? I think the adjusters may not even show during a crisis of that nature.
Marketing 101.. State Farm is getting great attention from a vast amount of people who'd normally never pay attention to State Farm ads. Probably for the right reasons.. they are using the modern love of horror and sci fi to their advantage with an ad about something from beyond Earth disrupting "Jake's" life.. I love the ad.
But the AARP thing?
That one is freaky.
I would much rather purposely overt horror than the subliminal kind.
So on May 11, perhaps, we'll know. The aliens strike and State Farm does into hyper-insurance-drive. And then the AARP turns up the volume on their "Bath" promo and lets the world hear about the Martial Law.
Buy your coverage now. Time is running out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=22&v=jT6imIqaCQs
But there's a new visitor on the block taking some attention away from the subliminal that AARP put out. This one is a bit more overt. On May 11, a new State Farm ad promises, something will happen. They also hashtagged their video "#TuneInEarthlings" .. The alien angle has seemingly riled up some of the quaint places online. Worries and fears that an invasion is imminent.. does State Farm know something..?!
And will our plans COVER an hostile alien takeover? I think the adjusters may not even show during a crisis of that nature.
Marketing 101.. State Farm is getting great attention from a vast amount of people who'd normally never pay attention to State Farm ads. Probably for the right reasons.. they are using the modern love of horror and sci fi to their advantage with an ad about something from beyond Earth disrupting "Jake's" life.. I love the ad.
But the AARP thing?
That one is freaky.
I would much rather purposely overt horror than the subliminal kind.
So on May 11, perhaps, we'll know. The aliens strike and State Farm does into hyper-insurance-drive. And then the AARP turns up the volume on their "Bath" promo and lets the world hear about the Martial Law.
Buy your coverage now. Time is running out.
The long goodbye
Let me fill you in on a little secret: You saw someone today that is going to die.
As a matter of fact, you saw a lot of people that are going to die.
And it all started this morning when you glanced in the mirror and tried to understand the ball of electrons and atoms staring back at you, vibrating in some form of reality that your mind tries to understand. But in reality doesn't get one bit of..
I knew someone who died today. A few days ago, I alluded to a friend who was afflicted with cancer, and who was succumbing to the disease after his battle began to end. He passed away from this world early in the morning, and has become the latest person in my life and close circle of friends and family to meet destiny. I suppose someone out there reading this right now may have the same moment of sadness and grief as well. Death is common, after all..
My heart is distraught and my mind is reeling. I am attempting to understand the significance of life and somehow juxtapose that with the rapidity of death. Our arrogance and affluence permits us to borrow time. But that time is fleeting. All things must end, including the worries and fears, smiles and hugs. All things must end..
And that's the part that darkens my spirits this evening..
The internet has been a wonderful thing. And an awful thing all at the same time. For much of my life, I expressed myself in private settings. I would summons my artistic powers and draw cartoons or comics in the good times. In the bad times I'd plant the seed of darkness and expel all of my emotions using less vibrant colors.. less humor.. More of the deeper stuff, I suppose. But with the advent of the Internet during my late high school years, that source of artistic adventure was turned off, met instead with the HTML coding and eventually blog services that would steal the paint. I have tried to draw now and then. For the most part I either can't think of something or I am mentally unable to focus long enough to make a picture look good, good like I think they used to. So instead now, I write.
And tonight I feel that need to write, to get thoughts down in this setting, and surrender myself for a while to the tears that indeed are flowing due to the death of a friend.
This special person and I were also coworkers. Most of the time, when we talked, our chats would turn into conversations and often times feel never ending. But in a very good way. Once we got work off the table, our talks would turn deeper and other-worldly. He, like me, consistently pondered about the meaning of life, the purpose of our bodies, and the questionable reality of our souls. I often thought that God is math, he thought God was electricity. Either way, neither of us had the belief that God was the large white male with a beard that Catholic nuns had taught us. A little more of a nuanced approach to faith was in play once we got talking..
I will forever miss these talks--these amazing moments in which both of us let our guards down on purpose and spoke freely and openly about fears and superstitions, facts and figures. Now tonight, I suppose one can say he knows the answers to the mysteries of the planet earth.
As do many others by the second.
x x x
My son falls asleep to music now. Instead of bed time stories, we quietly play YouTube videos of songs he likes to relax him. His little four-year-old nature is perceptive. He knew I was sad today and asked why.. I honestly told him what had occurred, and he looked down and admitted "that is sad, Daddy." Of course, as a child would do, he eventually wanted to think about those innocent kid things again. Which was fine for me, wrestling my son when he is calling himself the Incredible Hulk is much better than focusing on negativity all night.
But before he fell asleep, he picked the CIRCLE OF LIFE song from the LION KING. Somehow the words had an extra special meaning today, this day, when the CIRCLE OF LIFE was completed for one and undoubtedly beginning for a lot more..
x x x
The death toll in Nepal is rising rapidly. And that is the horror so often seen in this world. One earthquake has taken the lives of thousands of poor people who were living in squalor already. The Prime Minister said the numbers could get to a frightening level of 10,000 or more.. Death at that scale happens from time to time on this planet. Either Mother Nature is busy utilizing the tricks of the trade to steal the lives of humans, or Man himself thinks of plots to murder his fellow friends on the earth. Deadly days are always here--the end of the world, feared by many, happens every single day.
x x x
I am not a hopeless person. I am not someone who enjoys reliving the dour over and over again--some who know me, even close friends, often accuse me of that very thing. Instead, I contemplate these events of sadness and grief in an attempt to understand them. Sometimes even to quell my loud laughter on purpose.. because I need to know what I am laughing at. Events of awful nature can often put things in a greater perspective.
Ever have one of the day job moments when backbiting, sour apple co-workers, and meaningless office politics takes over your existence? When you think that those things actually matter? You get shaken up now and then.
You meet a bigger destiny..
You often meet a maker.
x x x
Death has been called the great equalizer. We all share one bond on this planet, regardless of rich or poor dispositions: We will have the common event of an ending at some point.
We hope far away in the distance.. We long for the taste and smells of life. But they go away..
x x x
I recall about a year ago, my work had a conference. That same person who died today was alive and well then, just diagnosed with cancer. He and others, along with me, went to a fancy steak house and he splurged, buying all of us dinner and a few rounds. He wanted no argument at the time the bill came. He wanted to pay. That was his nature--but that night even more, because he wanted us to remember a rancorous good time of loud laughter, cold beer, and great food. All on him--his gift to us... This is one of his finest moments, and perhaps one of his happiest. The sight of us allowing him to get the tab made him the happiest man in the room that evening.
He was a consummate professional but also a never-ending entertainer. He played songs loud and sang louder. He lit up a room when he entered.
Those rooms lit by the fiery of his existence are dark this night.
x x x
What is life?
What is death?
Those questions are asked to often we fail to even care anymore..
Instead in the age of smart phones when a hand held device gives us all of the information we crave, we stopped asking the important things.
Hillary Clinton is apparently going against some of Bill's crime policies from the 90s. Jeb Bush did something too. I don't recall what it was. And I frankly don't care. These are not the stories of human passion that we should be hearing.
We should be racing for the stars, trying to find Mars..
By now cancer should be gone..
At this point, all people should have a chance for a happy life.
Every child should share in the dreams of a planet..
Life is too short..
By the time you get to this point in this posting, it's even shorter for you.
x x x
A little rock and roll heaven may be needed for a moment like tonight..
So enjoy it..
Life is only a one night stand. If you believe in forever, of course.
So do you believe in forever?
As a matter of fact, you saw a lot of people that are going to die.
And it all started this morning when you glanced in the mirror and tried to understand the ball of electrons and atoms staring back at you, vibrating in some form of reality that your mind tries to understand. But in reality doesn't get one bit of..
I knew someone who died today. A few days ago, I alluded to a friend who was afflicted with cancer, and who was succumbing to the disease after his battle began to end. He passed away from this world early in the morning, and has become the latest person in my life and close circle of friends and family to meet destiny. I suppose someone out there reading this right now may have the same moment of sadness and grief as well. Death is common, after all..
My heart is distraught and my mind is reeling. I am attempting to understand the significance of life and somehow juxtapose that with the rapidity of death. Our arrogance and affluence permits us to borrow time. But that time is fleeting. All things must end, including the worries and fears, smiles and hugs. All things must end..
And that's the part that darkens my spirits this evening..
The internet has been a wonderful thing. And an awful thing all at the same time. For much of my life, I expressed myself in private settings. I would summons my artistic powers and draw cartoons or comics in the good times. In the bad times I'd plant the seed of darkness and expel all of my emotions using less vibrant colors.. less humor.. More of the deeper stuff, I suppose. But with the advent of the Internet during my late high school years, that source of artistic adventure was turned off, met instead with the HTML coding and eventually blog services that would steal the paint. I have tried to draw now and then. For the most part I either can't think of something or I am mentally unable to focus long enough to make a picture look good, good like I think they used to. So instead now, I write.
And tonight I feel that need to write, to get thoughts down in this setting, and surrender myself for a while to the tears that indeed are flowing due to the death of a friend.
This special person and I were also coworkers. Most of the time, when we talked, our chats would turn into conversations and often times feel never ending. But in a very good way. Once we got work off the table, our talks would turn deeper and other-worldly. He, like me, consistently pondered about the meaning of life, the purpose of our bodies, and the questionable reality of our souls. I often thought that God is math, he thought God was electricity. Either way, neither of us had the belief that God was the large white male with a beard that Catholic nuns had taught us. A little more of a nuanced approach to faith was in play once we got talking..
I will forever miss these talks--these amazing moments in which both of us let our guards down on purpose and spoke freely and openly about fears and superstitions, facts and figures. Now tonight, I suppose one can say he knows the answers to the mysteries of the planet earth.
As do many others by the second.
x x x
My son falls asleep to music now. Instead of bed time stories, we quietly play YouTube videos of songs he likes to relax him. His little four-year-old nature is perceptive. He knew I was sad today and asked why.. I honestly told him what had occurred, and he looked down and admitted "that is sad, Daddy." Of course, as a child would do, he eventually wanted to think about those innocent kid things again. Which was fine for me, wrestling my son when he is calling himself the Incredible Hulk is much better than focusing on negativity all night.
But before he fell asleep, he picked the CIRCLE OF LIFE song from the LION KING. Somehow the words had an extra special meaning today, this day, when the CIRCLE OF LIFE was completed for one and undoubtedly beginning for a lot more..
x x x
The death toll in Nepal is rising rapidly. And that is the horror so often seen in this world. One earthquake has taken the lives of thousands of poor people who were living in squalor already. The Prime Minister said the numbers could get to a frightening level of 10,000 or more.. Death at that scale happens from time to time on this planet. Either Mother Nature is busy utilizing the tricks of the trade to steal the lives of humans, or Man himself thinks of plots to murder his fellow friends on the earth. Deadly days are always here--the end of the world, feared by many, happens every single day.
x x x
I am not a hopeless person. I am not someone who enjoys reliving the dour over and over again--some who know me, even close friends, often accuse me of that very thing. Instead, I contemplate these events of sadness and grief in an attempt to understand them. Sometimes even to quell my loud laughter on purpose.. because I need to know what I am laughing at. Events of awful nature can often put things in a greater perspective.
Ever have one of the day job moments when backbiting, sour apple co-workers, and meaningless office politics takes over your existence? When you think that those things actually matter? You get shaken up now and then.
You meet a bigger destiny..
You often meet a maker.
x x x
Death has been called the great equalizer. We all share one bond on this planet, regardless of rich or poor dispositions: We will have the common event of an ending at some point.
We hope far away in the distance.. We long for the taste and smells of life. But they go away..
x x x
I recall about a year ago, my work had a conference. That same person who died today was alive and well then, just diagnosed with cancer. He and others, along with me, went to a fancy steak house and he splurged, buying all of us dinner and a few rounds. He wanted no argument at the time the bill came. He wanted to pay. That was his nature--but that night even more, because he wanted us to remember a rancorous good time of loud laughter, cold beer, and great food. All on him--his gift to us... This is one of his finest moments, and perhaps one of his happiest. The sight of us allowing him to get the tab made him the happiest man in the room that evening.
He was a consummate professional but also a never-ending entertainer. He played songs loud and sang louder. He lit up a room when he entered.
Those rooms lit by the fiery of his existence are dark this night.
x x x
What is life?
What is death?
Those questions are asked to often we fail to even care anymore..
Instead in the age of smart phones when a hand held device gives us all of the information we crave, we stopped asking the important things.
Hillary Clinton is apparently going against some of Bill's crime policies from the 90s. Jeb Bush did something too. I don't recall what it was. And I frankly don't care. These are not the stories of human passion that we should be hearing.
We should be racing for the stars, trying to find Mars..
By now cancer should be gone..
At this point, all people should have a chance for a happy life.
Every child should share in the dreams of a planet..
Life is too short..
By the time you get to this point in this posting, it's even shorter for you.
x x x
A little rock and roll heaven may be needed for a moment like tonight..
So enjoy it..
Life is only a one night stand. If you believe in forever, of course.
So do you believe in forever?
Judge Orders Etan Patz Jurors Back to Deliberations After They Send Note Saying They're Deadlocked
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Etan-Patz-Disappearance-Murder-Trial-Pedro-Hernandez-Kidnap-Jury-Verdit-Trial-SoHo-Missing-Children-Milk-Carton-299598341.html
We need a decision on this case... the jury needs to decide. Too many years of injustice have already happened..
We need a decision on this case... the jury needs to decide. Too many years of injustice have already happened..
David Letterman Reflects on 33 Years in Late-Night Television in a NYTimes interview
You can read the full interview here:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/arts/television/david-letterman-reflects-on-33-years-in-late-night-television.html?referrer=
One quote I felt was notable, as it shows the melocholy nature of Letterman during this transition:
I find it amazing to contemplate that the David Letterman I came to love in my youth and teenage is unknown to the modern era.. forgotten by the aging viewers.. and a product of a time that is forever gone never to return.
Letterman referred to the Jimmys thst now surround him ..and they are dominating and creative ..
I was struck by Letterman now having a say in the Colbert pick. After all, back last century Letterman hand picked Tom Snyder on the Late Late Show.. now Letterman seems to be getting the watch from CBS tv... to be given a nice goodbye dinner but quickly forgotten gy the network...
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/arts/television/david-letterman-reflects-on-33-years-in-late-night-television.html?referrer=
One quote I felt was notable, as it shows the melocholy nature of Letterman during this transition:
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Television
David Letterman Reflects on 33 Years in Late-NightTelevision
Slide Show | Letterman Prepares to Sign Off A look backstage at the “Late Show” as David Letterman nears the end of his more than 33 years in late-night television.
By DAVE ITZKOFF
APRIL 29, 2015
In a single bound, David Letterman seemed to leap the full length of the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater, racing from backstage as if he’d been thrust forward by the fanfare played by his longtime bandleader, Paul Shaffer, and his CBS Orchestra, and by the rumble of his announcer, Alan Kalter, bellowing his name — “Daaaaay-vid Leh-terrrr-maaaaaaaan!”
It was a routine Mr. Letterman, 68, has performed countless times but will repeat no more after May 20, when he will preside over his last episode of “Late Show,” the CBS franchise he established and has hosted since 1993. Like the veteran slugger who comes to the ballpark for batting practice, he was here on this April afternoon partly to warm up his swing on a few easy pitches, but mostly to put on a show.
No home viewers were watching as he twirled his microphone around like a Wild West lasso, walked it across the floor like a dog and leaned on an expensive broadcast camera. This was a pretaping ritual Mr. Letterman was doing only for the few hundred audience members in the theater. Or maybe he was doing it only for himself.
“Everything O.K. at home?” he asked the crowd. “Everything O.K. at work?” Met with mostly cheers, he laughed and added: “You don’t find yourself filled with some kind of emotional longing? Are we emotionally stable?”
David Letterman dressing for a taping of “Late Show.” Each cup to the left represents a completed show.
DAMON WINTER / THE NEW YORK TIMES
But how could these fans not be riddled with angst, knowing that in a few weeks, Mr. Letterman would bid a heartfelt good night to all of this, after a run of more than 33 years in late-night television — even longer than the three-decade tenure of his mentor, Johnny Carson. After that last show, he will head home to his wife, Regina, and 11-year-old son, Harry, and try to figure out what comes next.
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Late-night television will feel the loss of Mr. Letterman, one of its most innovative and unpredictable broadcasters, who in 1982 took a sleepy NBC time slot following Carson’s “Tonight” show and transformed it into a ceaseless engine for Top 10 Lists,Stupid Pet Tricks and a decade’s worth ofpioneering comedy bits.
With almost no blueprint to follow, Mr. Letterman showed that late-night TV could offer more than a what’s-in-the-news monologue and witty banter with celebrity guests (though he was capable of doing all that, as well). He made his show a home for misfits and oddballs, for Andy Kaufman’s slap fights and Larry (Bud) Melman’s shrill soliloquies, where champion bird callers or his own mother were deemed as important as Hollywood ingénues or rising rock bands.
Mr. Letterman proved he could reinvent himself, too: When he was passed over as Mr. Carson’s heir in favor of Jay Leno, he packed up for the uncharted territory of CBS and became a more inclusive — if still idiosyncratic — master of ceremonies.
Mr. Letterman reviewing cue cards with Todd Seda.
DAMON WINTER / THE NEW YORK TIMES
But Mr. Letterman is leaving a late-night biosphere very different from the one he helped thrive. Hosts like Jimmy Fallon (who ultimately replaced Mr. Leno at “Tonight”) and Jimmy Kimmel (at ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live”) are dominating with their own ingenious energy, their Internet savvy and their visible youth, and Mr. Letterman is about to be replaced by Stephen Colbert, the politically astute smart aleck of “The Colbert Report.”
Not that any of these issues appeared to be on Mr. Letterman’s mind during his preshow set. Asked by an audience member from Newberg, Ore., if he had any advice for that city’s impending graduates, Mr. Letterman replied, “Treat a lady like a whore, and a whore like a lady.” After some laughter at this seemingly un-Letterman-like joke, the host chuckled to himself and said: “I don’t know why I would say something like that.”
“What do you care?” Mr. Shaffer said.
But no matter how hard he has tried to hide it over the years, Mr. Letterman doescare. As he said, more sincerely, to the man who had asked for graduation advice, “If you do good things for people, it will never stop making you feel good about yourself.”
Upstairs in his “Late Show” offices a few hours later, a contemplative Mr. Letterman emerged, dressed in khakis and a T-shirt that said “Genetically Engineered Trout Is Safe!” to reflect on all that he has learned along the way. In these edited excerpts from that conversation, he offered his unguarded and unsparing assessments of his heroes, his colleagues, his would-be successors and himself.
Q. As your last show approaches, have there been times when you’ve thought: I’m leaving too soon?
A. Yeah, I’m awash in melancholia. Over the weekend, I was talking to my son, and I said, “Harry, we’ve done like over 6,000 shows.” And he said, [high-pitched child’s voice] “That’s creepy.” And I thought, well, in a way, he’s right. It is creepy. Every big change in my life was full of trepidation. When I left Indiana and moved to California. When Regina and I decided to have a baby — enormous anxiety and trepidation. Those are the two biggest things in my life, and they worked out beyond my wildest dreams. I’m pretending the same thing will happen now. I’ll miss it, desperately. One of two things: There will be reasonable, adult acceptance of transition. Or I will turn to a life of crime
I find it amazing to contemplate that the David Letterman I came to love in my youth and teenage is unknown to the modern era.. forgotten by the aging viewers.. and a product of a time that is forever gone never to return.
Letterman referred to the Jimmys thst now surround him ..and they are dominating and creative ..
I was struck by Letterman now having a say in the Colbert pick. After all, back last century Letterman hand picked Tom Snyder on the Late Late Show.. now Letterman seems to be getting the watch from CBS tv... to be given a nice goodbye dinner but quickly forgotten gy the network...
Avengers: Age of summer movies
Ticket sales for AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON are already defeating the first 2012 film's numbers.. It's an early projection, but if this continues, this film is going to have a solid weekend that may lead to some box office records. The summer movie season indeed begins in May. And consider this: Age of Ultron advance tickets comprised 84% of Movieticket.com’s sales between April 27 and April 28.. It has been the number 1 film in every country it opens in so far. FURIOUS 7 may have been a hit. But a few AVENGERS are about to change that..
Purge Splurge
When horror movies meet reality, we are there to contemplate it..
There were lots of 'purge' stories making the round on Google. The word was trending since the Baltimore bedlam began.. that is because groups of teens, we are told, were posting signs saying that there would be a 'purge' on Monday night. We saw the riots that developed. The BALTIMORE SUN reports about how cops think the purge notion and plans came straight from the horror movie.
This is not the first time the term purge has been in the news. In 2014, several 'purge' fears were prevalent after rumors circulated in cities across American of similar plans for violence, without any materializing.
The movie THE PURGE, however, is now directly being BLAMED by some for the violence in the city..
This time in Baltimore, perhaps, as opposed to the past 'purge' meme warnings, violence did materialize. But to blame a movie? Perhaps this is just a chance for the media to drum up more fear over the summer of hell that may be coming..
Midnight strikes again, Art Bell relationship back on with Keith Rowland
Art Bell posted a message to his Facebook feed today informing fans that once again he has resumed his professional relationship with his webmaster, Keith Rowland.
Yesterday Bell posted a somewhat apocalyptic message stating that Rowland was quitting and that the program Midnight in the Desert may not continue without his presence to assist with legal and technical issues. Rowland also reportedly was going to give up the dark matter radio network...
Today things reversed course.. Bell posted this message showcasing that's a relationship was back
Fans are undoubtedly dizzied by the developments over the past 72 hours. Website hackings, cryptic Noory messages. And now a public battle playing out in real time--battles in showbiz thst typically take place behind the scenes.
Yesterday Bell posted a somewhat apocalyptic message stating that Rowland was quitting and that the program Midnight in the Desert may not continue without his presence to assist with legal and technical issues. Rowland also reportedly was going to give up the dark matter radio network...
Today things reversed course.. Bell posted this message showcasing that's a relationship was back
Fans are undoubtedly dizzied by the developments over the past 72 hours. Website hackings, cryptic Noory messages. And now a public battle playing out in real time--battles in showbiz thst typically take place behind the scenes.
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