Mounting Evidence that Donald Trump is Biff Tannen

There's a rumor that has been going around the internet that Donald Trump is in fact Biff Tannen from the future. The nemesis of Marty McFly from Back to the Future. This isn't a fringe thing, there are a lot of sources:

Like This One
And This One
And This One
And EVEN This One

Google itself will automatically suggested Donald Trump as it's first suggestion if you start to type "Biff Tannen" into the search engine.

Hell, even Bob Gale, BTTF's writer confirmed he used Trump as his "inspiration" for the warped character.

But Biff is a fictitious character, right?

THIS is a Tweet that was sent out by Trump today for Cinco de Mayo. Sure it just seems like typical political pandering by a guy who has promised to build a wall between the US and Mexico.

But take a closer look at the photograph he Tweeted.

Specifically at the book on his desk...

See it?

No?

How about now:

Look familiar?

How about this:

CLICK for more info.

That's right, Grays Sports Almanac!

HOLY SHIT!
Donald Trump IS Biff Tannen! 

And what's worse, he's flaunting it!

From Westeros to the White House: PART 2

WAAAAY back in June of 2014, I wrote a blog about the 2016 Presidential Election called "From Westeros to The White House." You can find it here:

http://lickrosco.blogspot.com/2014/06/from-westeros-to-white-house.html

Last night, Ted Cruz dropped out of the race giving the Republicna nomination to Donald Trump. Trump was not mentioned in my original piece, as he was on NO ONE's radar at that time. He didn't announce his candidacy until whole year later, June 16, 2015.

So how close was I? Well...

Similar to Joe Biden, Samwell Tarly hasn't really factored in this season. 

We all wondered whether he'd throw his hat in the ring, but in the end he's remained on the side lines. Perhaps we'll see more of him in some capacity, but that remains to be seen.

Neither Andrew Cuomo, nor Robb Stark really took the family name to new heights, at least on a national level. Sure there are people who remain loyal to the King of the North but it seems, for him, Winter has come and gone.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure what part of the world either Howard Dean or Tyrion Lannister are in right now. Truthfully, I think the adage "I drink, and know things," only applies to one of them.

Jeb! Your campaign never really got off the ground, did it? Constantly living in the shadow of your older, "successful," brother. Looks like you "Standis" alone, which is more than can be said for Standis himself, who is dead.

This fucking douche! How Ted Crux made it farther than Viserys I'll never know. They had about the same amount of likability. I'd imagine if Viserys ever had a wife he'd have knocked her around as well.

Whatever. Good riddance.

Chris Christie is done, but has realigned himself with whom he feels has the best chance of taking the throne. You sure got a lot of moves, eh buddy? 

Rickon and Huckabee sounds like a shitty buddy cop moving from the 70s. But at this point, we've forgotten about both of you.

Thought for dead, some people believe the Hound still lingers. Maybe he'll return with a pair of glasses to make him look smarter. Or, like Rick Perry, maybe he'll stay "dead."

I'd say that Mitt Romney's presence is still felt throughout the land ala Tywin Lannister, but let's be honest? What presence? When he came out against Trump, the Republican voters skewered him not unlike Tyrion's arrow.

"Hand of the King" vs "Guy Who's Name Sounds Like Something A Hand Goes Into"

Little Finger & Rand Paul. Both seem to be gone, but I have no doubt both will be back. With similar haircuts.

Hodor returned! YAY!
(If) Santorum returned? BOO!

We got some depth out of Hodor lately, learning his name is Wylis and he used to speak!

There's no depth to be found in Rick Santorum and I wish he'd stop speaking all together.

Did you "Feel the Bern?"

I admit when I wrote the original piece back in 2014 I didn't know much about Bernie Sanders, nor did I know much about Mace Tyrell.

However, I have since learned that each of them have produced some rather amazing things, making me wish I could live in their worlds.

Bernie spawned a revolution looking to bring equality to the masses.

Mace spawned Margaery Tyrell.

Truthfully, if I could only choose to live in one of these worlds, I'd rely on penicillin to cure any "burning" sensations.

I mean, come on!

That brings us to Ms. "In-It-To-Win-It."

Polarizing though she may be, she's strong as fuck and that scares the hell out of people (both her enemies and her allies). I admit I wasn't the biggest fan, but I have certainly come around.

The way she's been treated has been deplorable.

If she was a man, she'd would be celebrated across the entire "Kingdom"...well, maybe not the incest stuff.

But both Hillary and Ceresei are formidable opponents and it'll take more than a "walk of shame" to bring either one of them down.

Which leaves us with, Donald Trump or Drumpf as it may show up in your browser.

Who is this Johnny come lately in the Westeros/White House quest for the throne?

Is he a Jamie Lannister? A guy who was once close with Hillary and now has seemingly turned his back on her?

Is he a Joffrey Baratheon? An immature boy king with questionable lineage and an ignorance that seems to lead to violence where ever he goes?

Is he Ramsey Bolton? A bastard who happens to be an absolute sociopath?

or 

Is he Jaqen H'ghar? A man of many faces who seems to have disciples following him blindly?

Yes. He's all of them.

But, all added up, he's the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen.

A horrendous tyrant who met his end at the sword of one of his own followers.

"He loved to watch people burn...He burned lords he didn't like. He burned Hands who disobeyed him. He burned anyone who was against him. Before long, half the country was against him."

The night is dark and full of assholes.

- I might have paraphrased that a bit.

The Wave - 10 Years Ago

Kevin, Jim, and Gordon (Joel took the photo)

In March 2006, four friends got together to grow mustaches and curse a lot on camera.

That's the story of The Wave.

But the story actually began on July 18, 2002.

That was the day Vincente Padilla and the Philadelphia Phillies lost to Matt Clement and the Cubs...Oh, and my car got towed.

Joel Rickenbach, my partner in yelling at the Phillies, and I took in an afternoon game at the now defunct Veteran Stadium. We saw Bobby Abreu hit not one, but two triples scoring Ricky Ledee each time (admit it, if you've ever heard it before, Ricky Ledee was a name you never expect to hear again).

Joel and I sat in left field behind Pat Burrell. In between innings, a pretty blonde from the stands would talk to him. We'd later realize that pretty blonde was his (then) girlfriend, local soccer star Heather Mitts.

Jim Bunning was on hand to make a special guest appearance, but the Phillies offense wasn't. They lost 6-4.

Joel and I slowly walked back to my "secret parking spot" where I had been parking for free for many years. An old abandoned Supermarket parking lot. Not much of a secret as many other people parked there too. I presume they were also towed as well.

This forced Joel and I to take a taxi to Roxborough to get my car out of the impound. I forget the total cost of the taxi and impound, but I still maintain my years of free parking made up for it.

I now hightailed it down Rt. 76 to get Joel to his shift at Movies U Buy on time. As we were heading South, I waved in a car that was merging from an on ramp. The guy flew on to the road never waving or even acknowledging me. I became irate saying that him not waving was the same as cutting me off. Joel defended the guy...to an extent. That night I went home and started writing "The Wave."

Fast forward to the next Spring 2003 (I think). Somewhere footage exists of a few scenes showing a wildly different version of the short film starring myself, Jim Brett, and John Tatarelli Jr. The shoot ended up getting rained out. On top of which, Joel & I were not in love with the camera rig we were using at the time. We decided to scrap the whole thing...

Sabrina recently sent me these photos. I'm not sure if I forgot they existed or never knew in the first place
(Sabrina took these photos)

...at least until the end of winter 2006. I had been hanging out with Jim Burns and Gordon Holmes through various City Theater shows. Julie & I were also getting ready to move into a house. Boxes were packed, but that wouldn't stop us from growing out some sweet facial hair and trying again.

This was late March. In fact it was Saturday March 25 & Sunday March 26. I know this because the South Park episode, The Return of Chef aired on Wednesday March 22, 2006. And the word "Jewbs," would become synonymous with this shoot...at least until a little graffiti appeared at our final location.

The script was pulled out of mothballs, a few extra "fucks" were added, and we were ready to go!

On the 1st day of shooting:

Gordon:

This script has the eff word in it a lot.

Kevin:

Too much?

Gordon:

Maybe we should pull back a bit.

Kevin:

Good call.

We didn't. In fact, we added WAAAAY more eff words!

Gordon getting a "fuck" count between takes.

And off we went!

1st day of shooting with our fearless director.

Second day of shooting, was windy as hell.
Also you can see that cast is also crew...and apparently trying to "mic" Jim's butt.

Last shot of the film!
(I made that up, this was the 2nd day though)

Overall, I enjoy the piece. It might not be the greatest thing we've done, but we were still learning what the hell we were doing. Plus, the shoot itself gave us great, and sometimes embarrassing, memories like Gordon, Jim, and I going out in public with our mustaches since we were in the middle of a 2 day shoot.

As previously mentioned, while on the parking garage we encounter some graffiti that would become an inside joke to me, Joel, Jim, and Gordon for the rest of ours lives. And I'm now sharing it with you. It'll mean nothing to you, nor should it. But when the phrase "Cold Titties!" pops in my head, it stirs up a joyousness that only this picture can truly capture:

I am extremely grateful for the time spent filming and generally screwing around with Joel, Jim, and Gordon on this and many other projects.

I can not believe it's been 10 years since we embarked on this weird adventure. And I'm fairly certain I can speak for Jim & Gordon when I say that we miss the hell out of our friend Joel, but no one misses those mustaches!

Batman vs. Superman (Because Everyone Else Has Written About It)

Batman vs. Superman is currently running at a 29% rating on Rotten Tomato. Most of the reviews are blustering assholes who like to hear themselves speak. You can tell because the first three reviews splatter words like modicum, operatic, and derivative with int the first few words of the review...a review about an indestructible guy would can fly and a billionaire who can kick the ass of the indestructible guy who can fly.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I hated Batman vs. Superman, but I also wouldn't say I loved it.

The runtime felt about 40 minutes too long. If you took out Zach Snyder's overused slo-motion trademarks shots, you could probably chop an easy 20 minutes from the film. That way, by the time the BIG BAD shows up at the film's end, you're not clock watching wonder how much longer this thing is.

Ben Affleck is the strongest part of the film. His performance is a a great Batman/Bruce split. Pretty much what I expected from him.

And though I think I understood what Snyder wanted to convey with Superman, I don't feel he pulled it off. I think Henry Cavell is serviceable as Supes, but he's a rather crappy Clark Kent. I grew up with Christopher Reeve who had perfected the duality of the role. I felt Cavell's loneliness of being an alien, but I never felt his wanting to belong amongst the people he protects, other than Lois Lane. Who is almost always terribly written, as she is in this film.

Jeremy Irons is pretty much wasted, but since this wasn't an actual Batman film, I can easily see past that. Although that being said, they sure were able to work in the old "kill the parents" origin. If you have a sexual fetish for seeing Bruce Wayne's parents killed in film, there sure is a lot of "porn" for you to choose from. I truly believe there will come a day when all filmmakers will get their turn at killing Thomas & Martha off.

Gal Gadot was excellent as Wonder Woman. I'm not sure what an entire film for WW would look like, but we're going to find out.

SPOILER (kind of): I definitely felt the Justice League reveals were forced and didn't really add to my enjoyment of the film. The kids in the theater liked seeing the Flash, so I'll leave it at that. Though they all questioned who Cyborg was.

Finally, to me, Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was the weakest part of the film. I admit I was also likely jaded going into it, as he's been a bit aloof in interviews towards the entire genre, which makes me question why he'd do the role in the first place. But he seemed to be playing a mix between Heath Ledger's Joker and David Tennant's Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Stop licking your lips, dude!

Overall, I wouldn't demand my time or money back after seeing this film (though if the technology for either is in place, you should share that with me).

I'm not putting the blame on Snyder, but I do not feel that DC has an overall grasp of their story arc the way Marvel does.

I'll leave you with this:  Lex Luthor continually refers to someone who is "coming." My guess would be Darkseid. Which could potentially be awesome...

Ten Dollar Joke

First let me say, I have donated money to Omaze in the past. I think they are a great organization who partners with some pretty cool celebrities to help raise money for various causes.

Because I have donated, I have been receiving emails lately asking me to donate for a chance to walk the red carpet at the upcoming Batman Vs. Superman opening. I have been rather vocal about my lack of excitement for this film.

Not because I am against Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne. I actually think he'll do an excellent job.

Not because I am against Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent. I enjoyed his performance as the last son of Krypton in the last film, though I found the film itself to be a bit of a disappointment.

And not because I am against Zach Snyder directing. I think he's a capable director, though have found more than a few of his films to be lackluster.

But more so because I feel DC Comics, in conjunction with Warner Brothers, has done a terrible job managing its properties. I could go on and on about how much Marvel has done in comparison, but that's not really the point here. 

So yesterday, after receiving an email with the above photo, I couldn't help but editing it slightly and tweeting this photo:

Also, in a moment of dickishness, I replied to the email with the photo attached and a message simply reading:

I fixed it for you.

And then promptly forgot about it...until I received the following email from Hayden C at Omaze:

It reads:

Hayden C (Omaze)

Mar 14, 15:38

Hi Kevin,

Thanks so much for reaching back out to us here at Omaze. I see what you did there! (In my opinion, 48 Hours was truly a seminal moment for the buddy cop genre and Eddie Murphy's nascent film career. It's vastly underrated).

We sent the email you received on behalf of Henry Cavill to update and inform you about our awesome Batman v. Superman experience that closes tomorrow. Please feel free to check out all the details here! The donation will get you a chance at going to the premiere, while also making a vital impact on Eastern Congo Initiative, the SEED project, and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (all charities hand-picked by Batman, Superman, and Lex Luthor)

You are of course more than welcome to reach out with any questions or comments-we are always here and happy to help!

Cheers,
Hayden

So what did I do after that? You can be damn certain I donated! A mere $10, but only because I'm low on funds at the moment. Not too low however, to appreciate Hayden's email back to me. If I could afford it, I was going to send $48.00, just because...

My donation will go to help fund the Eastern Congo Initiative, the SEED Project and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

And what happens if I should win that walk down the red carpet? I honestly don't know. 

The Campaign closes tomorrow March 16th. They announce the winner on March 18th for the red carpet event on March 20th. Perhaps I'll see if Hayden wants to go. After all, I wouldn't have sent the money had he not written back.

This is the second time this week I donated money after a "bit" and it's only Tuesday! The previous one involved watching the heart wrenching Sarah McLachlan ASPCA video about 10 times for research on a video I was making. That ultimately cost me $25.00 and about a pound of tears.

I'll stick to Drumpf jokes through the weekend. Because no matter how bad I feel, that fucker ain't getting any of my money!

Mexican or Italian

Here's my take on this:

Sanders & Clinton are like Mexican food and Italian food. Yes, they're different. And there are things I like about each more than the other, but in the end they're still food and I won't go to bed hungry as long as I have one of them.

My other option seems to be eating a steaming pile of shit, and if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer Mexican or Italian.

Album vs. Record vs. Song (A Rock N' Roll 3-Way)

If I say "Grammy" which one of these comes to mind for you:

Technically, they ALL are, but I'm talking about the Grammy Award.

The other night was the 1 millionth Grammy Awards (give or take a few 100,000 or so). And the winners went something like this:

Album of the Year: Taylor Swift, 1989
Record of the Year: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"
Song of the Year: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"

Which got me thinking, what the hell is the difference between an Album, a Record, and a Song?

Aren't an Album and Record the same thing? Normally I reserve the title "record" for a vinyl recording of a band's album. Thus a "record player." You don't say an "album player" unless you're having a stroke.

However, I could see the argument for an "album" also referring to a band's newest recording (sans stroke).

In this modern music world where hit songs are starting to drop without the need for an entire album (1950s anyone), I could also see the argument for calling a "song" a record. After all, it is recorded.

So, what are the differences in the eyes of The Grammy's them self?

Song of the Year is a songwriter's award.

It rewards the songwriter for a song released (or that "first achieved prominence") during the past eligibility year.

Record of the Year rewards a song's performance and production.

It recognizes the artist, the producers, and the recording engineers and mixers.

Both Song of the Year and Record of the Year reward individual songs, but they recognize different aspects of the song making process.

Album of the Year, like Record of the Year, is both a performance and production award that goes to the artist and the album's producer and recording engineer for the entire Album.

Therefore, you could pick up this "Album" on "Record," because you like 1 "Song" on it or you could do what I did, and watch Better Call Saul instead.