dynasty of lao

(VIA PRESURFER)

Meet what well may become the biggest cruise ship every built.  The OASIS OF THE SEAS, which is to be built by Royal Caribbean. 

Can I never get enough bacon stuff on this site??  Can egg mouthwash be far behind?  Let's hope so.

ORDER HERE

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...

CAKE WRECKS

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.

CLEARLY CLOSED

The office cube turns 40 today.  It's either something you love or hate. 

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.

 (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 Beijing, China!  A mere 16 days until Opening Ceremonies light up the skies in that amazingly vast and incredibly densely populated capital city!  I am giddy with anticipation!

 Until the Opening Ceremonies arrive on 8/8/08, I plan to share my excitement and my love of the Games with you.  Going way (way) back, I’ve been a fan pretty much as long as I can remember – and I do remember the two black American medal winners (John Carlos and Tommie Smith) at the Mexico City Games giving their Black Power salute – and wondering, frankly, what all the fuss was about.  That was 1968. (I get it now…)  Yes, that was 40 years ago, and no, I’m not going to say how old I was at that time!  And of course, the star of the Winter Games that same year was Peggy Fleming in her chartreuse skating dress.  She brought home the only medal for the US from the Grenoble Games that year!

 The Olympic Games are so hallowed and respected throughout the world that China, a Communist country, can proclaim the motto for this global event as “One World, One Dream” and the sentiment is (apparently) embraced and endorsed by the rest of the world!  Except for the tragedy at Munich in 1972, the Games have generally been peaceful, although controversy is never far from the surface…  Nearly every country participates each time the Olympic flag flies (well, at least during the Summer Games) and one of my very favorite parts of the Games is to watch the Parade of Nations as the flags of each sovereign country are marched into the Olympic Stadium. 

 As competition in this Olympiad begins, I’ll be commenting on whatever strikes me as interesting and/or unique. It’s worth noting that although participation is the sole reward for most of the athletes, there will be medals awarded to the excellent few.  And it’s also worth noting that at the 2004 Athens version of the Summer Games, China (32) was second only to the United States (36) in number of gold medals won, and the Chinese were third overall (63) behind the U.S. (102) and Russia (92). There is a definite home advantage for athletes competing in their home country (“Do you believe in miracles?”), and China has been diligently striving towards increasing the level of Chinese athletes’ skills and competitiveness with an eye toward this major event.

 So soon, in 16 days, the Beijing Games will get underway.  Until that time, I’ll be waiting with bated breath for that signature proclamation:  “Let the Games of the 29^th Olympiad BEGIN!”  Hope to share the ride with you!

 --Madame Pang Tong

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.

THE FOOD PORNOGRAPHER

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.

PIXAR TOUR

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!

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 bust of Elvis made from 50,000 match sticks.

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!

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.

VISIT THE SHOP