They don’t make ‘em like Robert Altman anymore. Stubborn and brilliant, he spent his more than 50-year career building a rep as a maverick who did whatever he wanted to, the consequences — and audience opinion — be damned. Just look at the critical reception to what would be his last-ever film, A Prairie Home Companion, which ranged from lauds (“What a lovely film this is, so gentle and whimsical, so simple and profound,” said eponymous critic Roger Ebert) to razzes from the likes of USA Today (“cloying, rambling and superficial”).

When he passed away on Monday, he was working on a film adaptation of the 1997 documentary Hands on a Hardbody, about a strangely sadistic Texas endurance contest that graced the virtual pages of this blog not long ago. Here’s wishing he’d had a chance to finish it.

Nevertheless, he’s left us with plenty of great films — from M-A-S-H to Nashville and Short Cuts — and in that spirit, we leave you with what is easily his best-known scene, the genius eight-minute opening shot of 1992′s The Player, which besides being hilarious, engrossing and full of Hollywood in-jokes and tongue-in-cheek celebrity cameos, turned out to be prescient, as well: they really did make The Graduate, Part II — AKA last year’s Rumor Has It.

If you can’t stomach the thought of preparing a Thanksgiving meal, but still want all that dinner table flavor, get yourself a Holiday Pack of Jones Soda. While the premium drinks company is famous for it’s unusual flavors (fish taco and salmon being just a few of their strange concoctions), their Holiday Packs tend to sell out rather quickly. This year’s flavors include: Turkey and Gravy soda, Sweet Potato soda, Dinner Roll Soda, Pea Soda, and Antacid Flavored Soda. Plus, the latter comes with a medicinal cup “for accurate servings!”

But, how does Peter van Stolk, CEO of the Seattle company feel about the novelty beverages?  “Why people buy it is beyond me. I can’t drink a bottle of this stuff,” said van Stolk.

Of course, if someone hands you a bottle, and you’re looking for something to be thankful for, there are a few things. The sodas are all vegetarian, certified kosher, and contain zero caffeine, calories and carbs. Another thing to be thankful for: that Jones didn’t come out with an Indian masala flavor. Said van Stolk, “we tried curried chicken. That was just wrong.” Click here to learn more.

It’s a great day for people who root for stuff. Over at YesButNoButYes, our good friend Jellio has a great post on the world’s most rabid fan bases. As a companion piece, we’ve compiled a less controversial list of noteworthy fans. Some of these not-so-secret admirers could sell their own jerseys in stadium stores; some should be locked up (and one is).

+Bobby Murcer’s Biggest Fan. Our first story has a fairy-tale middle and a horrible ending. In August of ’77, Bobby Murcer of the Cubs promised to hit a home run for terminally ill fan Scott Crull. That night, Murcer hit two of them. Pretty amazing, especially when you consider Murcer only hit nine homers the whole next season. But that’s not why Crull – a 12-year-old from Calumet City, Illinois, with bone cancer – makes this list.

Broadcasting the game nationally on ABC, Keith Jackson told the country how Murcer had fulfilled the dying boy’s last wish. Eyes watered, spines tingled. There was only one problem – nobody had ever told the boy he was dying. His parents were horrified. Three weeks later, Crull passed away.

+The John 3:16 Guy. Also known as “Rainbow Man,” the born-again Rollen Stewart and his John 3:16 signs were fixtures at major events in the 1970s and 80s. He brought his message to the World Series, Super Bowl, Olympics, and World Cup. He was outside Buckingham Palace when Di & Charles wed; he went to see the Pope in Alaska. But he was more religious fanatic than sports fan. According to the LA Times, Stewart planned to assassinate President Bush and candidate Clinton in 1992. And he’s now serving three life sentences for holding a maid hostage at a Los Angeles Hyatt, also in 1992.

By the way, chapter three, verse sixteen of the Gospel of John says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is also printed on cups at the In-N-Out Burger.

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My first thought, so stereotypically Jewish it’s guilt-inducing, is a practical one: that cannot be good for the joints. The resulting arthritis is going to be monumental. And yet, what I’m watching is something I’d never imagined a human body to be capable of. It is exhilarating.

It’s the first long action sequence of the new Bond film, Casino Royale, and the burnt-faced bad guy is trying to escape 007 in a conveniently located construction site. He’s climbing walls, jumping from metal beam to metal beam, executing truly expert flips and rolls. This isn’t the standard stunt man preening; it hardly looks human. But it is. And apparently what he’s doing has a name: Parkour.

Apologies if you’ve already grown hip to Parkour (French for “course”). It’s been around for some years now, and two of its original practitioners, or, as they call themselves, traceurs–David Belle and the Bond bad guy, Sebastien Foucan–are legitimate stars in Europe and, increasingly, here. (The Wikipedia entry is quite comprehensive if you’re interested in the history.) My friends and I have been trying to describe it for the last couple days, and despite our best efforts, words can’t do Parkour–or its flashier cousin, free running–proper justice.

One writer from The Independent said it uses “the idea of the city as a playground.” A co-worker said it looked “like an X-Games event where you can only use your body.” I think it most closely resembles dance and will cause monumental arthritis. And Sebastien Foucan says this on his website: “Parkour isn’t a fashion phenomenon, it’s an evolution of the mind,” which doesn’t rise above the level of well-intentioned pabulum.

So, clearly, we have to go to the YouTubes. And none to soon, since they’re excellent. Let’s start with a “Best of” compilation for our boy Foucan:

And here are two from David Belle. The first is from his movie District B13, and the second is another “greatest hits” deal:

Only watch the first two minutes of this clip, soundtracked by a YouTube Hunter favorite, the Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.:”

Lastly, in case the above clips have moved you to try Parkour at your nearest industrial complex, a gentle reminder that maybe you should breathe deeply, count to ten, and play some ping pong instead:

It’s time for another whimsical Tuesday Turnip Google search wherein I type a random phrase and we see what kind of interesting factoids “turn-up.”

Seeing as Thanksgiving is upon us, today I decided to type in “turkey consumption,” unearthing the following cool list of factoids from a bunch of different sites:

• Turkeys originated in North and Central America, and evidence indicates that they have been around for over 10 million years.

• The American Indians hunted wild turkey for its sweet, juicy meat as early as 1000 AD. Turkey feathers were used to stabilize arrows and adorn ceremonial dress, and the spurs on the legs of wild tom turkeys were used as projectiles on arrowheads. They also shared a place in their folklore. The Navajos tell of an enormous hen turkey that flew over their fields bringing them corn and teaching them how to cultivate their crops. The Apache Indians considered the turkey timid and wouldn’t eat it or use its feathers on their arrows.

• In Mexico, the turkey was considered a sacrificial bird. As an article of tribute Montezuma received 365,000 turkeys per year from his subjects.

• Benjamin Franklin was displeased when the bald eagle was chosen over his proposed “original native” turkey as a national symbol. He said the turkey is a more respectable bird and a true original native of America.

• Until 1863, Thanksgiving day had not been celebrated annually since the first feast in 1621. This changed in 1863 when Sarah Josepha Hale encouraged Abraham Lincoln to set aside the last Thursday in November “as a day for national thanksgiving and prayer.”

• When U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin sat down to eat their first meal on the moon in their historic 1969 voyage, their foil food packets contained roasted turkey and all the trimmings.

• Ninety percent of American homes eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Fifty percent eat turkey on Christmas.
• Turkey eggs are pale creamy tan with brown speckles, and twice as large as chicken eggs. They hatch in 28 days. A baby turkey is called a poult and is tan and brown.

• Domesticated turkeys (farm raised) cannot fly. Wild turkeys can fly for short distances at up to 55 miles per hour. Wild turkeys are also fast on the ground, running at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
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The husband just came across what may be the best misappropriation of language ever, ever: from Victor Davis Hanson’s Ripples of Battle:

“The Okinawa landings may have been the most most ambitious amphibian assault in the history of warfare.”

I know this is technically an okay use of the word, but I still find myself wondering how the attack on Okinawa compared to the story told in Across the Andes by Frog.

15% off our 2007 Daily “Spot the Big Fat Lie” desk calendar. Just use the discount code “desk” during checkout.

Now that we’ve seen “Casino Royale,” we’re getting psyched for the next Bond movie, which according to winner #1, Sheldon Siegel, will have a title in keeping with the rest of the Bond catalogue: “Golden Shower.”

Where is James going? gay bath house
What’s his best throwaway line? “Now THAT’S what I call shaken, not stirred.”
Who is he after (villains and love interests)?
Villain: Blowfelt
Love Interest: Shees Hung

As for winner #2, who was supposed to take the idea (slightly) more seriously, we liked two proposals that had great possibilities for cameos. First, there was “Icebreaker,” in which Bond saves the world from melting polar icecaps (suggested cameo: Al Gore). We also liked “In the Shadows of Tomorrow,” which takes place in Uzbekistan and the apparently fictional country of Kyrgykistan (unsuggested but obvious cameo: Borat). But all told, we couldn’t resist the proposal for “Beneath the Blue,” which:

1. managed the unlikely feat of being a health PSA as well as a Bond movie

2. featured a character named “Castro Fidel”

3. included more dialogue than you’ll find in the whole of “Casino Royale” — all of which you’ll find after the jump

4. Was written by someone with the fantastic Bond-girl name of “Jamieson Wolf.” Congratulations, Jamieson!

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We all know that real Champagne is from Champagne, and the rest is just (sniff!) sparkling wine. But if you’re seeking to out-pedant your relatives this Thanksgiving, you’ll need to go a bit further than that. Throwing around the following words, which I found in (of all places) the Amtrak in-ride magazine, may help:

Remueur: The individual responsible for turning and upending the bottles, enabling the yeast cells to make their way toward the neck of the bottle.

Degorgement: The process by which the bottls are placed upside down and placed in a solution of brine that freezes the neck so as to be able to remove the “plug” or now-frozen yeast sediments.

Liqueur d’expedition: A blend of wine and sugar that replaces the spent plug and will determine the degree of dryness of sweetness of the sparkling wine. Champagne and sparkling wine will vary between 0 and 50 grams of sugar per liter. The driest of these wines will be known as extra brut. The sweetest will be labeled Doux. In between you’ll find brut, extra dry, sec, and demi-sec, in order from dry to sweet.

Two of my favorite sites in the whole wide web, Neatorama and TheCellar, are teaming up– and with their superpowers combined, there’s no doubt they’ll be producing some stellar work. Anyway, here’s the first of their joined posts: a pic of an 8-year old boy and his pet rhino Rupert.

If your interest is at all piqued, The Daily Mail has a great story on how the photos came about. Apparently, Rupert was orphaned during a flood in the Zambezi valley, so a vet brought the young rhino home– where he behaved both like a dog, and like part of the family. (He was released back into the wild after a year, and sadly passed away from pneumonia a year and a half later).
The story’s actually close to my own heart, since my granddad (who headed part of the forestry service in India), brought an orphaned bear cub home once, and as a little girl, my mom actually had a pet bear for few months?! Click here to see and read more at TheDailyMail.