In Memoriam

Has it really been only 7 years since we lost Kevin Smith? It seems like so much longer. If he were still with us, he'd be 47 today.

No, not that Kevin Smith. Whose movies I do like, btw. Rather, the one who played Ares on Hercules and Xena. He was big and bold and scary and funny and all kinds of sexy.

Miss him. Miss him lots. Here's to you, Kev.

Flashback

Erik Estrada






Patrick Duffy

Sixty-first birthdays this week for the stars of two series that premiered in 1977. My, how time flies.

First is Erik Estrada, who's celebrating today. He first came to major notice on CHiPs as motorcycle cop Francis "Ponch" Poncherello. Love a man in uniform, and he looked good in and out of it. He's done stuff since, like soap operas (Mexican and American) and reality TV. But he'll always be Ponch to me.

Fun bit of trivia. Robert Pine, who played his superior officer on CHiPs, is the father of the new Captain Kirk, and new hottie, Chris Pine. In fact, Chris sort of made his acting debut on CHiPs. About halfway through this interview with Jimmy Kimmel, the details are revealed.

Before CHiPs, though, Erik was on an episode of one of my all-time favorite series, The Night Stalker.

I can't be sure, but I think he appeared on that classic source of eye-candy in the '70s and '80s, Battle of the Network Stars. I know his costar was. I'm certain that tomorrow's birthday guy, Patrick Duffy, was.

Yeah, when most people think of Patrick, it's Bobby on Dallas or on Step By Step. But for me, the first time I saw him made an indelible impression. Three words. Man from Atlantis. Patrick, smooth all over b/c his character was, like, aquatic, running around in yellow biker shorts and nothing else. I actually cassette taped all the episodes, b/c I hadn't gotten a VCR yet. I may still have them somewhere, though I'm not sure in what condition the tapes are. Need to get around to getting the DVDs one of these days. Can't believe I found the second clip above on the Internet here. May have to check that site out more often.

I was so sorry that the series was cancelled. The story lines were cheesy, yes, but I loved the show anyway. And did I mention, Patrick Duffy shirtless? A whole lot? It's funny, I can remember him being interviewed afterwards, when he got on Dallas. It might've been with Mike Douglas. Anyway, Patrick was so excited about getting the role, in part b/c he didn't have to shave his chest anymore. Sometimes it's the little things.

That's a weird coincidence. Both Erik and Patrick were on The Bold and the Beautiful. I don't think simultaneously, but still.

WoW - Wallpaper of the Week

Dane Cook



Ashton Kutcher

Two tall, funny, sexy guys this week.

First is Dane Cook, whose 38th birthday is Thursday. Surprising, 'cause he seems younger, very energetic, like a big goofy monkey. I remember seeing him and liking what I saw. He has a certain Affleck-ability.

Then there's Ashton Kutcher. I go back and forth with him. Sometimes I think he's hot, other times not so much. Unlike his former modelling buddy, who's nothing but scorching.

Now to admit to a guilty pleasure. Ashton's makeout scene with Seann in Dude, Where's My Car? Loved the whole dang movie, actually. It's stupid and feels like it was written as a round-robin, but I laughed my head off. No accounting for taste, doncha know.

Bye-bye Mom

She passed away this morning. First I got a call that they gave her Tylenol, since she was getting warm. Then not long after, they called to tell me she had passed. It was completely peaceful, since she'd remained asleep the last few days. Thank you, God, for taking her so gently. Love you, Mom, miss you and someday (long in the future, I'm sure) we'll be together again.