ORDER ME AN ALE
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 08:58AM 
THE NEXT BIG THING
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 08:46AM 
Meet what well may become the biggest cruise ship every built. The OASIS OF THE SEAS, which is to be built by Royal Caribbean.
ANOTHER WAY TO HAVE YOUR BACON IN THE MORNING
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 08:32AM 
Can I never get enough bacon stuff on this site?? Can egg mouthwash be far behind? Let's hope so.
CAKE WRECKS
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 08:16AM 
Here they are...the bad and the unfortunate. Cakes, many homemade and baked with the best intentions, gone horribly wrong.
You've seen some very cool cake art on this site in the past. Now prepare yourself for these misfortunes of flour and sugar...
CLEARLY CLOSED
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 07:43AM 
Ever drive by an establishment and notice that the sign says "open" even when it clearly isn't?
Here is a site with pictures of business that are closed, yet their signs tell you they are open for business.
THE CUBE TURNS 40!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 07:37AM 
The office cube turns 40 today. It's either something you love or hate.
ESTELLE GETTY 1924-2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 01:19PM LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.
Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.
"Estelle always wanted to be an actress, and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams," former "Golden Girls" co-star Rue McClanahan told The Associated Press. "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia."
"The Golden Girls," featuring four female retirees sharing a house in Miami, grew out of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff's belief that television was ignoring its older viewers.
Three of its stars had already appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and McClanahan in "Mama's Family." The last character to be cast was Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character.
"Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her," Arthur said in a statement.
When she auditioned, Getty was appearing on stage in Hollywood as the carping Jewish mother in Harvey Fierstein's play "Torch Song Trilogy." In her early 60s, she flunked her "Golden Girls" test twice because it was believed she didn't look old enough to play 80.
"I could understand that," she told an interviewer a year after the show debuted. "I walk fast, I move fast, I talk fast."
She came prepared for the third audition, however, wearing dowdy clothes and telling an NBC makeup artist, "To you this is just a job. To me it's my entire career down the toilet unless you make me look 80." The artist did, Getty got the job and won two Emmys.
"The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us," White said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
"The Golden Girls" culminated a long struggle for success during which Getty worked low-paying office jobs to help support her family while she tried to make it as a stage actress.
"I knew I could be seduced by success in another field, so I'd say, 'Don't promote me, please,"' she recalled.
She also appeared in small parts in a handful of films and TV movies during that time, including "Tootsie," "Deadly Force" and "Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story."
After her success in "The Golden Girls," other roles came her way. She played Cher's mother in "Mask," Sylvester Stallone's in "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" and Barry Manilow's in the TV film "Copacabana." Other credits included "Mannequin" and "Stuart Little" (as the voice of Grandma Estelle).
"The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985 to 1992, was an immediate hit, and Sophia, who began as a minor character, soon evolved into a major one.
Audiences particularly loved the verbal zingers Getty would hurl at the other three. When McClanahan's libidinous character Blanche once complained that her life was an open book, Sophia shot back, "Your life's an open blouse."
"I always told her she should be a standup comic. She was so funny in person," McClanahan recalled. "She would always say, 'Why couldn't we make these characters Jewish? Why am I Sicilian?"'
Getty had gained a knack for one-liners in her late teens when she did standup comedy at a Catskills hotel. Female comedians were rare in those days, however, and she bombed.
Undeterred, she continued to pursue a career in entertainment, and while her parents were encouraging, her father also insisted that she learn office skills so she would have something to fall back on.
Born Estelle Scher to Polish immigrants in New York, Getty fell in love with theater when she saw a vaudeville show at age 4.
She married New York businessman Arthur Gettleman (the source of her stage name) in 1947, and they had two sons, Carl and Barry. The marriage prevailed despite her long absences on the road and in "The Golden Girls."
Getty was evasive about her height, acknowledging only that she was "under 5 feet and under 100 pounds."
McClanahan said her nickname for Getty was "Slats."
"Because she was so short, itty-bitty," she said.
(via CNN)
OLYMPIC COVERAGE BEGINS!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 08:34AM 
(Square watermelons for sale in Beijing)
The Dynasty of Lao warmly welcomes back Madame Pang Tong of San Diego, who, starting now and for the duration of the Olympic Games, will be our front seat eyes and ears to the Beijing spectacle. Take it away, Ms. Tong...
Greetings, All! Madame Pang Tong here, special Dynasty
correspondent to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in

MY KIND OF PORN
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 08:14AM 
Here's a woman who's a major foodie, like me (and admit to the shame, you are addicted, too). She takes pictures of everything she eats. Recently, she bought a bento set-up to take her lunches in. Seems she likes chicken, but as you scroll down, the delights vary. The photos are clean and crisp and will have your mouth watering in seconds. Recipes abound and are hotlinked.
I'm going to Little Tokyo this Saturday and will see about getting my own bento setup as it's a very convenient way to take ones lunch.
RARE TOUR INSIDE PIXAR STUDIOS
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 08:03AM 
Take a peek into the innards of Pixar animation studios.
Have a bowl of free cereal and go to work in your potting shed.
It's the ultimate job.
STILL MINOR ISSUES
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 07:42AM 
Well, Day 1 of the new version roll-out and issues still remain.
There seems to be a problem creating and editing my posts using IE. I'm afraid I have the poor folks at Squarespace baffled. Interestingly enough, I do not have this problem when using Firefox as my browser, and it seems to load things a great deal faster.
This, issue, however, does not impede you, from your Dynasty of Lao experience as a user.
I have to say the new version is wonderful and they are to be congratulated for this. It's going to be swell to have a three column site!
WELCOME TO VERSION 5!
Sunday, July 20, 2008 at 06:26PM

Well, they did it.
While we were all asleep last night, Squarespace uploaded its lastest version, V5.
You will notice a bit of a new look for my site. I had to use a new template for this version so I could begin customizing it. What you see now is TEMPORARY until I can figure my way around and re-learn a few things (ok, more than a few things). So far, I've grasped the basiscs, as how to make a post, but there is still a lot to explore and learn. Please bear with me for the next few weeks as I completely flip out redesigning the site.
There's some exciting things coming down the pipeline and if you are thinking about blogging or moving your blog, Squarespace is the place to be. No other service has the customization like Squarespace. Also, they will be a slight price increase in about a month. If you sign up now, you are locked in to the old price FOREVER.
I'm going to be posting just a few entires today, since I need to start figuring out the behind the scenes stuff.
When I have my template complete and ready, I hope it will enrich your experience here at the Dynasty of Lao.
A HUNK OF BURNING LOVE
Sunday, July 20, 2008 at 12:19PM 
A bust of Elvis made from 50,000 match sticks.
CHEAPO VEGAS
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 08:56AM 
I've feature an entry about the really neat site, CHEAPO VEGAS before and even list it in my favorites. I thought I'd give it another shout out today in case some of my new fans have missed it.
I believe this to be the best resource to investigate Vegas hotels. Casino Boy pulls no punches and tells it like it is. I have read the reviews and must say that they are completely spot-on. Written in a critical, candid and humorous style, you'll be sure to thank him when you get back home. It will save you a lot of grief.
Be sure to check out other great sites in my favorites area!
SAY CHEESE!
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 08:06AM 
The Silver Lake Cheese Shop is located in L.A.'s trendy Silver Lake district. It carries a wide variety of domestic and imported cheeses. A honey, laid-back atmosphere prevails here and sampling is encouraged. It draws crowds on the weekends and evenings, so arrive early. Best bets are the blue cheeses and triple creams. Put this on your summer adventures list.











