The Most Interesting Man in the World

The Most Interesting Man in the World advertising campaign for Dos Equis (two X's) beer was one of my most favorite, funny and outrageous commercials. The bearded, debonair gentleman was played by actor Jonathan Goldsmith who himself had a very interesting career in film and advertising. The campaign lives on in Internet memes showing a photograph with some variant of the commercial "I don't always drink beer, but when I do I prefer Dos Equis." Since beer gives me migraines, my favorite variant on the theme is displayed above. Also, the tag at the end of the commercial was typically "Stay thirsty, my friends" which I have always assumed to be a play on Stay Hungry which is the only way I have ever been able to control my weight. The video below is a compilation of the commercials.

Definitely Miles

My second favorite Miami Vice episode, if there can be such a thing (my favorite is discussed here), was titled Junk Love and featured Miles Davis playing Ivory Jones, the desk clerk at a hotel for high-priced call girls. Miles makes his first appearance at the beginning of the episode and I can still remember almost falling off the sofa when I saw it. There's no mistaking it. That's definitely Miles Davis! And, if you aren't a Miles Davis fan, start by listening to the album Kind of Blue, the birth of cool Jazz.

Definitely Miami Vice

Definitely Miami is by far my favorite Miami Vice TV episode. It's noteworthy for many reasons starting with the introduction, a long and slow camera shot set to Carlos Santana's beautiful Europa as played by Gato Barbieri  to the final scenes set to the hypnotic one-hit-wonder, Godley and Creme's Cry (considered one of the defining scenes of Miami Vice as a show). It's also notable for Casting Ted Nugent as serial killer Charlie Basset, from the time when Ted Nugent was still making music like Dog Eat Dog. Kick back, feel the heat (sorry about the commercials, kind of like seeing it on TV--buy the DVD).

Quotes:

Crockett: It's hot enough to fry an egg on my face.
Tubbs: Hope I never get that hungry.

Calle: Do you own this place.
Crockett: No, some people I work for own it and they let me use it whenever I want.
Calle: I could make you that deal.

Crockett: This is America. Cut yourself free. Find a new place. Get a job.
Calle: (Laughing) Men are my job... Not really men. One man. One man who will give me what I need. I'll do anything for him. Whatever he wants. Whatever he needs. Whatever he needs to want. Anything! Anything!
Crockett: You'd build your life around a man?
Calle: Yes!
Crockett: Does it matter which one?
Calle: But of course it matters, Sonny. It matters a lot.
Crockett: Does it matter enough to look before you leap? You don't know me. You don't know anything about me. You don't know what you're dealing with.
Calle: But of course I know you. I knew you from the very first minute I saw you. You're restless. You're hungry. You're lonely. You have dreams.

(They kiss).

Calle: Hold me tight. This may never happen again.

(Break for commercial).

From the standpoint of a single man (I was single when I first saw this episode), I can't say I've ever seen a more seductive scene on TV. Of course no woman could ever get away with this kind of dialog, but the fantasy factor is really high here and my mind is starting to get a little confused and not thinking very clearly. Maybe it's just the Miami heat. Oh yes, Calle is played by Arielle Dombasle.

I'll have what she's having -- Estelle Reiner.

The Delicatessen scene from When Harry Met Sally, playing now at our house. Best quotes:

Sally Albright: "You are a human affront to all women and I am a woman."

Sally Albright: "Oh. Right. That's right. I forgot. You're a man."

Older Woman Customer (Estelle Reiner): "I'll have what she's having" one of the most memorable funny lines in movie history according to the New York Times. The line was written by Billy Crystal. More great quotes from the movie here.

Written by Nora Ephron (1941-2012), directed by Rob Reiner, music by Marc Shaiman and Harry Connick, Jr. and with a great cast.

CO2 Emissions and Ocean Acidification

Anthropogenic CO2 emissions have two negative effects on the World System: (1) CO2 pumped into the atmosphere increases the greenhouse effect that drives global warming and (2) CO2 absorbed by the oceans (between 30-40% of emissions) creates ocean acidification (lower pH). 

Ocean pH is lowered through the creation of carbonic acid. As ocean pH is lowered, corals die and calcifying organisms who need carbonate to form their shells (carbonate is depleted by carbonic acid formation) start dissolving and dying. When corals and calcifying organisms start dying, food chains are disrupted. Since humanity is at the top of the food chain, humanity starts to suffer.

There are only two hopes here: (1) reduce CO2 emissions (substantially) and (2) hope that corals and calcifying organisms can evolve to flourish in low pH waters (evolution is slow). Since people who do not accept climate change science typically also do not accept evolution, there is really no hope for them except to deny that any of this is happening. 

Nova recently aired a segment titled Lethal Seas (trailer above) that discussed the topic in depth. The entire show can been seen here.

Plunk Your Magic Twanger Froggy

One of my favorite TV shows growing up was The Buster Brown Show with Andy Divine, Froggy the Gremlin and Midnight the Cat ("What do you say to the kids, Midnight? 'Nice'"). Evidently, after Andy Devine took over the show it was called Andy's Gang, but I guess I wasn't paying close attention because we still called it the Buster Brown Show.

Another great character actor on the show was Billy Gilbert.  Froggy was a prankster and typically infuriated Andy Devine and Billy Gilbert. The clip above is a good example. It's probably what I liked most about the show as a child. My remembrance was that there were Spaghetti Westerns played as segments but I must be remembering Andy Devine's earlier appearances on The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok.