Ferris Bueller's Day Off was June 5, 1985

Ever wondered exactly what day Ferris Bueller took off? This article points out the exact date by using baseball records. The game used in the film was played from 1:25pm to about 4:34pm on June 5th, 1985, giving Bueller and his friends plenty of time to get to Wrigley Field after lunch to catch that foul ball.

I've read that the parade scene has been used to place his day off in the fall of the year, which would contradict an early June time. The parade, which was fairly nondescript, has been widely recognized as the Von Stuben Day parade, a parade held in September. The logical solution to this seemingly glaring lack of continuity is that the parade was an impromptu effort to promote the 'Save Ferris!' charity... and everybody, including the Von Stuben folks, pitched in. Obviously.

Also, if you were wondering, the Cubs lost to the Braves in 11 innings, 2-4.

Ron Paul 88 Ad in 'Slacker' Movie

I was just watching the movie "Slacker", released in 1991, for the first time in almost 2 decades when I saw something that made me do a double re-wind...

It's at roughly 58:30 in the film. I don't really recommend watching the whole thing, but if you were a high-school/college kid in the pre-internet, pre-DVD, late 80s, early 90s, it's sort of nostalgic.

I honestly didn't remember the Ron Paul truck when I watched the movie back in the 90s.

Blue Sky

Around 1989 or 1990, a movie crew came to Selma to film a movie about nuclear weapons testing called BLUE SKY. Tommy Lee Jones, Powers Boothe and Jessica Lange all rolled into town to star in the movie. Perhaps most forgettable, and completely uncredited, I made my major motion picture debut in that film.


This is the closest I'll ever get to winning an Oscar (or any other award for that matter); that blurry, big-nosed skinny kid in the background is me:

At 1:17:45 into the film, the announcer says, "The Selma High School Drum and Bugle Corps"... that was us. At around 1:18:30 Jessica Lange drives her car right through our band, chasing us off the road. When she pulled up to the grandstand, where Powers Boothe was seated, she stopped and jumped out. The first time she did it, her dress came up over her head. A couple of guys said, "She doesn't have on panties!" I didn't see that, but it definitely got my attention.

Of course, they had to re-shoot it, and when they did, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything like that again. That's why I'm all standing on my tiptoes straining to see what's going on. That's probably why I barely made the cut... being a pervo.

Before they started shooting, they got us all into a line and informed us that we were about to get haircuts. I had shoulder-length hair at the time, and I wasn't about to get my hair cut. I slipped out of the line, probably the only person who did, and hid until everyone had their hair cut. I then put my plumed hat back on and rejoined my band mates. With my hair up in my hat, no one was the wiser. When it was over, I pulled my hat off, and a few of the crew members gave me a good natured hard time.

I was 14 or 15 years old at the time, too young to drive. When the filming was over for the day, it was several hours before I could get a ride to take me home. While waiting, I talked to some of the crew folks. I didn't get to talk to the big stars, but not because they didn't talk to anyone, I was just too shy. There were other people who hung out with them while they were living in town.

Jessica Lange would go on to win numerous awards for her performance in the movie, including an Oscar. I went on in complete obscurity. Having been that close to that kind of thing, even just for a day, was pretty cool, though.

The movie wasn't released until 5 years after filming ended. The director died before it's release. Although, in some ways, it plays like a Lifetime movie, it's really a lot darker and has a strange vibe.

No Son of Mine

Finally got around to watching that show, "Sons of Anarchy". I like motorcycles, and that's the only reason I wanted to see what it was about. I had my doubts about the show. I suspected it was going to be a slam on anyone who talks about freedom. I guessed this because on the first trailer I saw for the show, one of it's main characters was talking to a police officer about the Constitution. He was portrayed as an outlaw biker and a criminal. I'm sitting here watching it and I'm afraid my doubts are being confirmed.

Within the first 10 minutes, the phrase "Homegrown terrorist uber right wing fanatics" was used to describe some of the characters. Those characters were depicted gunning down police officers, innocent bystanders, and using fully automatic weapons against civilians within the first 10 minutes, as well. Some of these 'anarchists' eventually had to kill some of their own by blowing up their bunker with some sort of radio controlled explosives.

There were a bunch of oddities to grab my attention. For example, every scene seemed to have an American flag or a reflection of a flag. I love the flag, and have no problems with it, but it was very overused. Before the biker anarchists killed their buddies by blowing them to kingdom come near the end of the episode, they joked about fighting the 'revolution'.

A police character on the show was depicted as a bad guy because he was helping these revolutionaries get guns to the 'ghetto'. The police, for the most part, were portrayed as completely passive, gentle and benevolent... even when the ATF raided the bikers' 'lot', as they called it, they seemed to handle the bikers gingerly. With the exception of one ATF agent who seems to have a grudge against the bikers as he trashes their break room, law enforcement was placed in quite the ruby-colored light.

This show was a disappointment. I am totally repulsed and offended. What makes it so bad is that it's not a poorly conceived show. It has action, a decently developed plot, and motorcycles. Too bad it had to be a propaganda hit-piece on freedom.

Ron Paul: Rock Star not Pop Star

The lack of TV and print media coverage for Ron Paul is disheartening. It reminds me of watching MTV as a teenager. Sometimes, you could watch all day and never see a video of a rock band. Even when they used to play videos on there, it was a rare occasion when a rock video aired. The pop stuff always coated the programming.

Then, suddenly, you'd hear a rock riff and the excitement level would go up. You knew you weren't listening to the same old fluff anymore. You finally had some meat. You knew you weren't alone anymore; You were being rocked.

Watching the news is like that, now. All day long we listen to the Hillary Spears, Akon Obama, Rudy G, M.C. Huckabee, etc... when all we want to hear is Ron Paul. Then, suddenly, there he is, one fleeting moment on MSNBC's Tucker... The adrenalin pumps, the rock-n-roll salute goes up...

That's a rock star.

"But isn't a pop star more popular?" you ask, "Wouldn't that seem to be better for someone who wants to get more votes for President?" No. If you're looking for someone who rules, you gotta have a rock star. They can be as popular as they wanna be, but no pop star has EVER ruled.

Blood County Alabama

Coming soon to a mortuary near you...

This is EXACTLY the kind of movie I wanted to make!

Prehistoric Mickey

Mickey Mouse comes from an ancient Norse fertility symbol of a Lion. Weird.

Smoke Aversion

I haven't smoked a cigarette in almost a year and a half. I hadn't realized how much of an aversion to cigarette smoke I had developed until last night, though. I was at the JFT album release party, where a lot of people were smoking. When it was over, and I was in my truck going home, I almost felt nauseous. Today, my throat is all scratchy and I have a slight cough. I really can't stand to be around cigarette smoke, anymore.

The show was great, by the way.

Myspace Minimalist Mod

I haven't modified my Myspace page since last July. I figured it was about time. A lot of the info was outdated on there. I rarely use it now, anyway. I changed it yesterday. It's very minimalist.

Extreme Cricket...

BLOCKED!

If you're reading this in China... well, you can't be reading this from China! China has BLOCKED www.tonewah.com!!! I found THIS SITE on the Presurfer. It allows you to test websites to see if they're blocked out by China's firewall. I'm honored to be blocked out. lol.

Bad Day to be Ashley

In my most recent visit to MyDeathSpace, I noticed something somewhat interesting. After clicking the 'Most Recent Articles' link, I began scrolling down, reading the names. It was at this point I noticed a startling similarity. There were 14 girls in a row named "Ashley":

Ashley Ramsden (age 16), Griffiths (17), Milburn (17), Weant (20), Morales (16), Tuiskula (18), Barton (20), Smith (17), Waddell (15), Miller (19), Hagen (17), Delude (18), and two Ashley Martins! (15 and 20)

I guess it wasn't a good day to be a girl named Ashley who has a Myspace. What are the odds that 14 deaths in a row of Myspacers would have the first name Ashley?

Blast Off TV

Since rogue astronauts have been popular lately, here's 'Heat Vision and Jack', a faux-TV series starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, among others, and was produced by Ben Stiller. Jack Black plays an astronaut biker who solves crime. It made me laugh.

The American Family

Ever wonder who first got the idea to do a reality show, or why? The answer is below:


Subterranean Cinema has this description:

"For seven months, from May 30, 1971, to January 1, 1972,
the family was filmed as they went about their daily routine.
Over 300 hours of film were shot; there is no question the
presence of the camera crews and their equipment had an
effect on the Louds, one which is impossible to evaluate."

There are clips from episodes on Myspace, as well.

Night Flight!!!

I FINALLY found 'Night Flight'! NOBODY ever remembers this show! It came on Channel 12 late at night back in the mid-eighties. I spent many nights watching this weirdness. At long last, I can finally prove that I didn't imagine the whole thing.

Trouble at the Capitol

Click the link to read the story:
http://thehill.com/protesters.html

Interesting Stuff from 1969

Jan. 10 Last Issue of Saturday Evening Post published
Jan. 12 First Led Zeppelin Album released
Jan. 20 Nixon Inaugurated as 37th US President
Jan. 30 Last Beatles Public Performance
Feb. 2 Boris Karloff dies
Feb. 4 Yasser Arafat becomes PLO leader
Mar. 1 Jim Morrison arrested for indecent exposure in Miami
Mar. 2 1st flight of the Concorde Jet
Mar. 3 Sirhan Sirhan admits to killing Robert F. Kennedy
Mar. 10 James Earl Ray admits to killing MLK Jr.
Mar. 17 Golda Meir becomes Prime Minister of Israel
Mar. 28 'Ike' dies
Apr. 1 'Harrier' jet goes into service
Apr. 8 First artificial heart implanted into a human
Apr. 22 First human eye transplant
May 10 Start of 'Hamburger Hill' battle
May 14 Crazy Horse releases Cinnamon Girl
May 23 The Who releases Tommy
May 27 Construction begins on Disney World
May 31 Lennon and Ono record Give Peace a Chance
June 3 Last episode of Star Trek airs
June 15 Hee Haw debuts
June 22 Judy Garland dies
July 4 Atlanta Pop Festival draws 140,000; 'Zodiac' killer claims another victim
July 8 First US Troops withdrawn from Vietnam
July 14 Easy Rider comes out in the theater
July 16 Apollo 11 launched towards the Moon
July 18 Ted Kennedy drives off a bridge, creating the 'Chappaquiddick' scandal
July 20 'The Eagle has landed' First men on the Moon
July 24 Apollo 11 returns to Earth; Muhammed Ali convicted for draft-evasion
July 28 Unics invented (later called Unix)
Aug. 9 'Helter Skelter' begins as Manson Family kills Sharon Tate and many others
Aug. 15 Woodstock music festival begins
Aug. 17 Hurricane Camille hits US Gulf Coast
Sep. 2 First ATM in the US
Sep. 5 So-called 'My Lai Massacre' occurs in Vietnam
Sep. 7 Monty Python's Flying Circus debuts
Sep. 26 Beatles release their final album
Sep. 26 The Brady Bunch first appears on TV
Sep. 27 'Zodiac' killer claims 2 more victims
Oct. 11 Last 'Zodiac' murder
Oct. 12 Charles Manson and family members arrested
Oct. 17 CCD camera technology invented
Oct. 21 Jack Kerouac dies
Oct. 29 US Supreme Court orders 'immediate desegregation'
Oct. 31 Wal-Mart incorporates
Nov. 9 Native American Indians occupy Alcatraz island as separate country
Nov. 10 Sesame Street debuts
Nov. 15 Dave Thomas opens Wendy's restaurant
Nov. 21 ARPANET goes live (later called the 'internet')
Dec. 2 Boeing 747 makes first commercial flight
Dec. 6 'Altamont Speedway' festival begins, becomes tragedy
Dec. 14 Jackson 5 appear on Ed Sullivan
Dec. 17 Project "BlueBook" officially closed by USAF
Dec. 26 Dr. Timothy Leary sentenced to 10 years for pot possession

Tate-LaBianca Pics

I'm not all keen on this stuff, but here is a link to pics and info on the famous Manson Family murders that haunted most kids' childhoods during the '70s and '80s.

Top 5

Here's another installment of the top 5 things I'm hearing whispered or shouted:

5. Celebrities Dying. Bobby Hamilton, President Ford, James Brown, YVONNE DE CARLO (The Munsters), and Scooby Doo creator, Iwao Takamoto.

4. Snow. Haven't seen any myself, but Texas is seeing a lot. And California.

3. World of Warcraft. Never played it. I played the old 'Warcraft' game that came out in the '90s. It was fun.

2. Sports Money. Alabama gets a new coach, Nick Saban. He's the highest paid NCAA coach ever. Also, soccer now has the highest paid athlete. 250 million for 5 years in LA.

1. Stomp Dancing? WTF? I grew up going to all black schools, and I never thought I'd see the day when 'Lord of the Dance' and clogging was the inspiration for a black dance craze.