Left to my own devices

It's been a long, not-so-good day, so what better way to pep up than to gaze at a Pic of the Week? Here we have an unknown underwear model for the Mack Weldon company. If anyone knows who he is, please, feel free to name him. Enjoy!

It's that time of year. Some high profile cinema features are just on the horizon and the schedule for the latest Ebertfest film festival has just been announced. It's putting me more and more in a movie mood. Having already done a write-up on the best films ever made , I thought today we'd look at those movies that Matty-Matt considers the worst ever to have graced the silver screen. So, here goes....

I've caught a little Bieber Fever this week, as our pic is none other than the pop maestro, himself. Here he is, in a photo he put onto his Instagram account a couple of weeks ago, recovering from exhaustion in a London hospital.

In a recent episode of AMC's The Walking Dead , that mega-popular series about surving during a zombie apocalypse, the Governor of Woodbury ordered the firearms confiscated from his town's citizens. This was seen by some as a furthering of what they consider to be a conservative agenda fostered by the program. Others disagree, simply citing it as a storytelling tactic. Regardless of the gun confiscation issue, the argument can be made that The Walking Dead is somewhat conservative in nature. This is neither praise nor a rebuke of the program, simply a (subjective) observation. Of course, I'm conflating conservatism with how it manifests itself within modern day America and, also, within the Republican Party. That in and of itself could be cause for an argument.

Friends and regular readers of this blog will know that I am not religious. Not even spiritual, although I have more respect for spirituality than for organized religion. It is therefore safe to say that there is likely very little that, say, the Catholic Church -- as an institution -- could do to earn my respect.  It is with this background that I come to the selection of a new Pope . The Pope holds such a high-profile position within the world, it's difficult to ignore him, secular leanings or no. Jorge Mario Bergoglio (or, as he is now known, Pope Francis) ascended to the papacy just three days ago, yet there has already been a flurry of opinion about who he is, what he stands for, and where he might lead the church over the next few years.

OK, so, go ahead a laugh. I admit to getting a little misty-eyed during last night's episode of Dallas . It was the send-off for JR Ewing, who'd been shot to death last week. Here we witnessed his family flying to Mexico to view his body, his memorial service, funeral, and then some letters he'd sent from beyond the grave. In most every article I'd read before tuning-in last night, there had been warnings that we'd be crying. That's the surest way to make me not cry. And yet...

As some of you may know, I'm a sucker for a guy in a speedo fit guy in a speedo, and so it should come as no surprise that our new Pic o' the Week is none other than British diver Jack Laugher (friend of Tom Daley). Enjoy!

This weekend finally saw the theatrical release of the much-anticipated Oz: The Great and Powerful . I saw it yesterday, in 3-D and on a massive screen. I thought it was OK. While a visually impressive film, the acting left something to be desired (perhaps because they were mostly acting against blue screens and characters who sometimes weren't there). My two favorite characters were CGI (except for the voices): Frank the monkey and China Girl. Mila Kunis seemed miscast, although I like her in most other things.

"It'll be my masterpiece." -- J.R. Ewing, TNT's Dallas , season 2 I've been meaning to put pen to paper (so to speak) for some time about the passing of actor Larry Hagman. The death of a celebrity is one of those curious events, wherein fans who did not know the person typically experience some sense of mourning, even if in a slight form. This is not an extraordinary experience to explain away. Someone we've become visually and audibly familiar with has perished. They often provided us with many hours of entertainment. To mark their passing is not uncommon. Such it was in November of 2012 when Larry Hagman died during filming of the second season of TNT's Dallas drama series, playing the character that made him famous decades ago -- J.R. Ewing. I've already remarked upon the fond memories and familial emotional bond I'd had watching the original Dallas some years ago, so this entry will be about the character who helped make it