One of the Greatest Comedians Has Passed On

So I enjoyed my break from blogging and was waiting for the right moment to come back and sadly it has come. For those that have not heard, George Carlin has passed away yesterday in Santa Monica, California. For those of you that do not know who George Carlin is, I am not sure where to begin. (Click here to see all YouTube videos that involve George Carlin.) Carlin is most famous for his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine that he released in 1972, and subsequently released a similar version called "Filthy Word" in 1973. For education purposes only, I will list them below. This routine was aired publicly without censorship and ultimately led to a Supreme Court case, which ruled that the FCC could establish indecency regulations in American broadcasting.

Carlin had been viewed as one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time, as he constantly changed his routine and usually focused on the flaws in modern-day America. Like all major celebrities, Carlin did have an arrest record. He was arrested for performing his Seven Words routine in Milwaukee. In addition to being a stand-up comedian, Carlin had written a popular book, Brain Droppings, and appeared on numerous television shows and talk shows.

Mere words cannot express how big of a loss this is to a society how needs to learn how to laugh more. Carlin was a mastermind at finding humor in even the most serious situations. George, you will be missed!

Below are a few quotes from Carlin:

When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted?

Is a vegetarian permitted to eat animal crackers?

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it.

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.

As promised, here are the seven words. If you do not want to see them, STOP reading.

1. Shit
2. Piss
3. Fuck
4. Cunt
5. Cocksucker
6. Motherfucker
7. Tits

Just for completeness, I should note that Carlin later added three more:
8. Fart
9. Turd
10. Twat

Season Finale = Someone Dies

Last night, was the House season finale and while some of it was predictable, it was still sad. For example, by the end of the show, James Wilson’s girlfriend, Amber Volakis (who is played by Anne Dudek) died. However, she died after House (played by Hugh Laurie) diagnosed her with amantadine poisoning. Amantadine is a normal drug that people take to fight the flu, so do not panic if you ever have to take it. Rather, because of a bus accident that caused Amber’s kidneys to fail, her system was unable to filter out the amantadine which in turn caused it to bond with her body’s proteins. Thereby, preventing dialysis from removing it from her system. I only say that this is predictable because in the end, now House and James Wilson (played by Robert Sean Leonard) are at odds, because she was only on that bus because House was too drunk to drive home. The relationship between them has been a roller coaster of emotions, so what better what to end a season then to leave it on the rocky side?

However, the show did not stop there. “Thirteen,” who is played by Olivia Wilde, had a family history of Huntington’s Disease. After a season full of poking and prodding by House, Thirteen finally decides to get tested for the disease that has no cure. In essence, Huntington’s Disease is a genetic disease, which causes the brain to degenerate, eventually leading to dementia, and for which there is no cure. Because of the ongoing chemistry between House and Thirteen, maybe next season would be about House’s efforts to find a cure to Huntington’s?

If you haven’t seen House, I highly encourage you to check out the episodes. I think Laurie is an amazing actor and the writing for the show is stellar. I just wish that one of these days, there would be a season finale that “feels good” and it is not the series finale.

Sad Day in the Ice Cream Industry: Irvine Robbins, Baskin-Robbins Co-Founder, Dies

Irvine Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins, passed away on Monday, May 5, 2008. As news of his passing circulates throughout the ice cream industry, each are expressing their condolences. Robbins started Baskin-Robbins with his brother-in-law Burt Baskin in 1945 and has been labeled an "Ice Cream Pioneer."