The Voices in Frank's Head

2009 has been a challenging year for so many people, both here in Detroit and around the world.  All of that, however, comes to an end in a few hours. I can't help but feel that there is something much better for all of, right around the corner. With that in mind, I would like to dedicate this song to everyone. I will be back to blogging in full force on Monday. Until then, I hope that everyone has a wonderful New Year's.

As of today, there are only 80 more days until the first day of spring. There are also only 100 more days until Opening Day at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers. These, my friends, are the things that enable me to hang on during the cold, dark days of winter in Michigan.

It's been announced that Queen Elizabeth II of England will knight legendary actor Patrick Stewart in recognition of his acting career. His career now spans almost 50 years and includes more than 100 acting credits. Patrick Stewart is, of course, best known for his work as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on television's Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as his movie roles in Dune  and the X-Men  movies.  He was also played number roles for the stage and was a player in the Royal Shakespeare Company. Congratulations, Sir Patrick Stewart.

I'm a nerd. There can be no denying this fact. This is especially true since I'm happily spending my Saturday evening at home, reading through the recently released analysis of the health care reform bill from the Congressional Budget Office. Yes, I know that this is kind of sad but it's still very true. Now, all I have to do is find a woman like the one pictured at right. In the meantime, if anyone wants to check out the numbers for themselves, you can find them here . The short version is that this bill will a) provide health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans and b) reduce the federal deficit by $132 billion over the next 10 years. All of the folks who previously argued that "Obamacare" would bankrupt our nation have some explaining to do, in my opinion.

Michael Bay  made a commercial for Victoria's Secret that premiered earlier this month.  I'm posting it below, well, just because I can. Victoria's Secret "A Thousand Fantasies" (90 sec) from Bay Films/Michael Bay Dot Com on Vimeo . I was talking about this with one of my film making friends over lunch today.  It goes without saying that this is a great commercial. The thing is, we soon found ourselves wondering: is it even possible to make a bad commercial for Victoria's Secret? I mean that quite literally. We couldn't think of any way in which one could make a bad Victoria's Secret commercial - at least if one assumes that this commercial involves the Victoria's Secret models and features them wearing their usual outfits. Of course, I'd like to open this up to my readers. Can anyone think of way in which someone could make a bad Victoria's Secret commercial? Please post your thoughts in my comments section below.

Tide - with Bacon I get some of the coolest things in my email in-box.  The photo at right, is just one of them. Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere, Tide laundry detergent is apparently now available with bacon .  It's perfect for those occasions when you don't know whether to clean your clothes or eat them. Kudos to the  Feminist Law Professor for finding and posting this.

Under the category of things that I wish I had found earlier, I give you the Gingerbread Man Advent Calendar.  With this reusable guy in your kitchen, one can count down to Christmas by moving the little gingerbread man from pocket to pocket. Thanks to everyone at Domestic Sluttery for finding this and so many other wonderful things.  They are one more reason why I love the British.

It took me many months, but I have finally finished compiling my Christmas wish list. One can find it below on the off chance that Santa Claus reads my blog. Kudos, by the way, to everyone at Victoria's Secret .  They posted this photo to their Facebook fan page, which is where I saw it.

My faithful readers, I'm afraid that I have a confession to make. I too once had an affair with legendary golfer  Tiger Woods . I thought I was the only one that Tiger Woods had ever shown his special golf club to. However, I have learned over the past couple of weeks that I was neither his first nor his last. You can read all of the torrid details in my soon to be released book, I Know Why They Call Him "Tiger" . I expect a movie deal to be announced soon.  Perhaps that announcement will even be included in one of the three reality TV shows that I will be appearing on soon.

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer  of the Detroit Free Press have released a new book entitled, The Kwame Sutra .  It is, according to Drew Lane of WRIF-FM, "a one-stop shop for all of Kwame's best BS." This new book captures Kwame M. Kilpatrick as no one ever has. In his own words, including never-before-published quotations, this former mayor of Detroit reveals himself in many ways as a liar, a Lothario and, yes, a leader. Mr. Elrick and Mr. Schaefer will sign copies of their book at Hugh  ( 2233 Park Ave. ), which is a new men's boutique in downtown Detroit - right behind the Fox Theater.  They will be there this coming Tuesday, December 15, at 9 p.m. I met Mr. Elrick and Mr. Schaefer at the Anchor Bar  ( 450 W. Fort ) once.  I was there late one night with some friends and they came in after working late at the paper.  I look forward to seeing them again and, in particular, to reading this book.

There's a quick virtual tour of downtown Detroit in 3D available on Google Earth. You can see it below. I think it's always fun to count the number of parking lots in downtown Detroit.  And by fun, I mean depressing. Anyway, to see more of Detroit in Google Earth , please make sure that the 3D Buildings layer is turned on. http://sketchup.google.com/yourworldin3d

If you've ever wondered what it's like at my job, here's a quick three minute peak into life behind the scenes while we were shooting the pilot for a home improvement television show.  At the beginning, you'll see two other people and myself discussing a handbag that one of our stars had with her and whether or not any of its trademarked features would be visible on camera. This so much cooler than selling insurance.

When I was in high school, I wanted to join the U.S. Air Force after graduation and become a pararescueman.  If a pilot gets shot down, the Air Force sends in a pararescue team to find him and bring him home.  They're part medic, part commando and all bad ass. Unfortunately, when it came time for me to enlist, they discovered that I have a hearing loss in my left ear.  It's a very minor hearing loss that I didn't even know I had prior to my physical.  However, once it was discovered, the Air Force said "no thanks."  My career plans came to an abrupt end and the rest is history. I hadn't really thought about it much until I found this video on YouTube that shows what it's like to be an Air Force PJ. All I can say is that the 17 year old version of me wants to watch this video over and over again.

There are three things that make me happy.  In no particular order, they are: Irish whiskey; British comedies; and American porn. Yes, life is good.

Sometimes a YouTube video comes along that is so damn funny, it really doesn't need any cmmentary from me. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is one of those times.

President Barack Obama announced this past Tuesday that he intends to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by 30,000.  Since then, he has drawn criticism from both the far right and far left. The interesting thing is that President Obama promised to this during the campaign.  He promised to do so during the Democratic primary.  He repeated it during the general election. And now he is taking heat for doing exactly what he promised to do when he was elected. This very well be the first time that a president has drawn this much criticism from this many people for doing exactly what he promised to do if elected.  This is a very strange world. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

A very good friend of mine once remarked, "Coincidences are simply God's way of remaining anonymous."  I find that quote hard to ignore given two things that appeared in my in-box today. First, a friend sent me a link to DJ Mick's web site , where he features photos from a weekly party in London.  The place is filled with hundreds of young, drunk women dressed in school girl uniforms.  (It's the dress code for this particular party and, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant ideas in years.) After reflecting for a moment on the shear brilliance of the London mind, as well as contemplating precisely what it would take to launch a similar party in Detroit, I eventually reluctantly moved on to the next item in my in box. Strangely enough, the next item in my in-box was an offer from Cheapoair.com.  They sell cheap travel plans and, if you'll look to the right hand side of your computer screen, they are now an official sponsor of this blog. Now, where

It's shocking how sometimes good news follows even more good news. Yesterday was the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show . I've already blogged about how spectacular it was so there's no need for me to repeat. And today I learned that Keira Knightley - one of the most beautiful actresses in the business - is once again single. Thank you, God. Thank you. I can hardly await to hear what good news arrives tomorrow. More news @ Keira Knightley single again?

Last night was the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on CBS. In my humble opinion, it was the best one to date. The outfits. The sets. The music from the Black Eyed Peas. And, oh, those Angels. It was a fantastic show.