Unless you are living under a rock (or perhaps living in Iraq), you’re familiar with Kevin Hart, the pint-sized comedian/actor/producer/rapper/(insert any other title here, Kev’s done it).
Perhaps you’ve seen him in one or more of the gazillion movies he’s made. Perhaps you’ve seen his comedy specials, or his TV shows, or his TV guest appearances, or his comedy tour, or have followed him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, the website for his new movie, the website for his comedy tour, or his official website.
Maybe you’ve even downloaded the emoji app that’s nothing but his faces:
As if being Kevin Hart weren’t enough, he also has a rap alter ego, Chocolate Droppa.
Because that’s exactly what this world needs, whether this world knows it yet or not.
A few Hart thoughts:
If you don’t like the latest Kevin Hart movie, don’t worry, another one will be along in 5 minutes.
Kevin Hart’s nickname should be “Alcatraz” because you can’t escape him.
By the year 2020, films will no longer be called “movies”, they will be called “harts”.
Kevin Hart’s IMDB credits say “pretty much everything since 2006.”
If Hollywood ever needs to downsize staff while maintaining the same output, they can just put Kevin Hart and Tyler Perry in a room with a camera.
Kevin Hart is a modern day Will Rogers – he never met a microphone he didn’t like.
Last year, Kevin Hart took a vow of silence. It was the longest 2 seconds of his life.
Kevin Hart is like constipation – an annoying little sh*t that you can’t eliminate, no matter how hard you try.
Yesterday during college football games, not one, but two runners let go of the ball before they crossed the goal line. Because apparently style points count more than six points.
Here’s Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon at the end of a kickoff return:
Luckily for Mixon, the play wasn’t reviewed and he got credit for a touchdown.
And here’s Cal’s Vic Enwere against Texas, late in the game with Cal up by a touchdown.
He got lucky too. He didn’t get credit for a touchdown, but the ball was blown dead so the Texas player who picked it up couldn’t run it back the other way for a tying score.
Here’s another pet peeve of mine, in college and pro football: players running alongside the guy about to score, instead of turning around and blocking someone. Here you see three ‘Bama players joining a pigskin posse on a 75-yard interception return, yet none of the non-runners turned around to get in the way of the Ole Miss player, who nearly prevented the score.
Last month, a couple of fantastic character actors went to the great green room in the sky. Because they weren’t A-listers, I only recently found out about their deaths. I’ve always gravitated toward the sidemen instead of the leading actors, and admire those folks who can immerse themselves in a role so fully… as opposed to, say, a Tom Cruise, where he’s basically playing Tom Cruise in every movie.
First up on the “men of character” honor roll is David Huddleston. And as is typical of character actors, when you say their name most folks will say “who?”. But when you see his face, you’ll say, “Oh, that guy!”
Perhaps his most famous role was as the real Big Lebowski.
Next up is Jack Riley. Better known as Elliot Carlin, the most irascible and neurotic patient ever of Bob Newhart.
But he also was a guest star on a ton of TV shows from the 60s through the 90s.. and charmed a new generation of fans as the voice of Stu Pickles in Rugrats.
Here’s to you, David and Jack, two regular dudes who did yeoman’s work outside the spotlight.
I work from home most Tuesdays. While I don’t miss the hassles of the commute and the distractions and interruptions of the office, I do miss the adjustable height, stand-up desks that we have there.
(Dorky office worker sold separately)
After all, sitting is the new smoking. So on an average day at the office, I probably spend more time standing up than I do sitting down at my regular desk. (And if you want to make someone uncomfortable in a meeting setting, I highly recommend standing up rather than sitting down. Bonus: the meetings end more quickly.)
So, in true MacGyver fashion*, I’ve rigged up my own version of a standup desk in our basement, complete with dual monitor capability. Feast your eyes on this marvel of modern engineering:
Yes, that’s not one, but two – count ’em – two empty plastic kitty litter containers, along with a faux milk crate (circa 1987) and some leftover flooring from when we redid our kids playroom five years ago. Total retail value: -$5.
I should post this sucker on Pinterest, it’d get millions of repins. Better yet, I should give it a weird Swedish name like Kïtëbøst (pronounced “kitty boost”) and sell the design to IKEA.
My 11-year-old son Andrew came up to me last night and said, “Dad, I got a triple-double!” Normally “triple-double” is a term used in basketball to denote reaching double figures in three statistical categories (e.g. 12 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists).
But Andrew had a different one in mind:
He’s holding the filling from three double-stuffed Oreos.
American actor Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in ‘Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory’, directed by Mel Stuart, 1971. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
In Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory…
In The Producers…
In Blazing Saddles…
In Young Frankenstein… (admit it, in your head you just thought “It’s FRONK-in-Steen)
In buddy films like Silver Streak and Stir Crazy with Richard Pryor…
… and in the way he cared for his wife Gilda Radner as she struggled with, and eventually succumbed to, ovarian cancer. Despite his heartache, he became an advocate for cancer patients.
I just finished reading a great book about the creative process, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame). I found it quite inspirational, and think she does a great job demystifying the creative process.
She offers tips for overcoming fear, finding inspiration, giving yourself permission to start the work, being persistent, and trusting in the process. Here are a few quick excerpts:
My kids like to make fun of me for liking bands with “weird names.” But I could certainly turn the tables on them: what the heck are names such as 5 Seconds of Summer and The 1975 all about? When you come right down to it, nearly all band names that aren’t tied to a particular person (Santana, The J. Geils Band, Van Halen, et al.) or a particular place (Kansas, Boston, Chicago) could fall into the “weird” category. However, after 50+ years of rock and roll, all the good semi-weird names are taken, and you have to go full weirdo.
And going full weirdo is exactly what Car Seat Headrest did. My 15-year-old son thinks that’s the funniest, weirdest band name going. I’ll admit it’s pretty wacky. But the music is damn good:
I was sorry to hear about the passing of longtime ESPN sportscaster John Saunders. Not just because he seemed like a really nice guy, but also because he was one of the few “worldwide leader” ESPN personalities that didn’t have copious amounts of smugness, smarm and/or shtick.
He was just an old school broadcaster who came across as relatable and reliable. They are few and far between these days.
Kevin Sullivan on Life advice from a man who lived it: “A good one Damian. Bring our lens into focus after the long weekend or our long life journey.” Jul 7, 09:38
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