The Merrill Dubrow Blog

A few weeks ago I got an email (thanks BM) that at first looked like a criptoquote. I looked at it again and to my amazement it was something a little different. This gave me time to pause and think about how the human mind works.

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mta etr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it

The funny thing about it I could read this without ANY problem. Not sure that means I am a poor speller or my mind works in a very odd way. 

Note: to my knowledge, no one at Cambridge actually conducted a study…but it’s still fun anyway.

• Could you read it?
   
• What does that tell you about the human brain?
   
• Did you enjoy the exercise?

I look forward to hearing your comments.

Over the years there have been some great tough guys. Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Lee, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Al Pacino.

I must admit I do like all of the Lethal Weapon movies. Mel Gibson plays a tough cop in those movies and has played a lot of tough guys over the years in Tequila Sunrise, Braveheart and many other movies. Who could forget Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, Goodfellas and The Untouchables? He was amazing!

When I think about on-screen tough guys, they have it all: good looks, very impressive builds, careers that span decades, and look the part.

For me, my greatest tough guy of all time would be John Wayne. John made over 200 movies spanning 50 years. Think about that he did what he loved for over 50 years. WOW! Years ago I used to watch war movies every Saturday with my dad and it seemed every one of those movies had John Wayne in it. It didn’t matter if bullets were flying or bombs were dropping he rarely died. I loved him in Green Berets, The Comancheros, The Alamo and my favorite will always be True Grit. He was and still is a movie icon.

Not only was he in 200 movies - he was always working. He made at LEAST one movie a year for 50 straight years! That streak may never be broken.

• What is your criteria for a movie tough guy?
   
• Who is your favorite tough guy of all time?
   
• What do you think of my choice?
   
• Who else should be considered?

I look forward to your comments.

As I write this blog, my annual Super Bowl trip with my friends has come and gone. Yes we had fun, yes we got very little sleep, yes we saw Jerry Seinfeld (the show was just ok) and yes I played poker–in fact, Texas Hold ‘Em! On the flight to Las Vegas, I felt pretty good that I had printed out the 13 comments from the readers of the blog and was prepared to read and study each of them in detail. I was able to do that and felt even better! We were staying at the Luxor, and like most poker rooms they have tournaments. I signed up for the 2:00 PM, $53.00 buy-in game. Depending on how many people joined determines the prize money. I was one of the first to enter (obviously I was very excited) and was instructed to come back a few minutes before 2:00.

The clock strikes 1:55 and there I am, ready to go, no sunglasses, a Red Sox hat and somewhat of a strategy. The tournament is about ready to start and basically for $53 you received $1200 in chips with no buy back opportunity. The blinds were $5/10 and would change every fifteen minutes.

My first few hands were horrible and I didn’t play them at all. In fact for the first six hands, it was like I got a Two and Six unsuited every time. Finally I got some cards. In fact some pretty good cards. Queen and Jack of Clubs, suited connector….. I felt pretty good about them. The flop comes and it is a Two and Nine of Clubs and a Jack of Diamonds. The guy to my left bets first (I should mention there were only four players still in after the flop). He goes all in. I have about a minute or so to make my decision. One by one everyone goes out and then it is up to me. Here are my thoughts. I have top pair and a flush draw. I put him on a small pair. But I have no idea since he played a few hands and had lost some of his chips. I also thought there was a chance he was bluffing for the blinds which can be common early in a tournament. I came to gamble manned with your comments and called - I am all in….. very dramatic no doubt…. or at least in my mind. He has a Jack and an Ace. All I need is a Club and he goes home and I feel pretty good. Guess what happened? The turn and river didn’t help either of us! No Club - and I lose $1100 of my chips and am now hanging on for dear life. I couldn’t believe it! I know the percentages were with me. Two more hands and now I am short stacked. The next two hands I went all in and won the first and lost the second!

The entire experience took eleven minutes! Yes I was the first one out!

• Where did I go wrong?
   
• What would you have done different?
   
• Did I really make a huge mistake?

I look forward to your comments.

P.S. - You may be asking yourself how I made the final table. I did since there were only ten players in the tournament and one table!!!  Hence the way I made the final table!

If you are like some of my friends, you love going to the movies, have an opinion and typically know the winners of the Academy Awards before they are announced. Now is your chance to see if that really is true.

Take 2 minutes and fill out a quick survey with what you believe will be the winners of these eight major categories and one tie-breaker question. The person with the most correct answers will get a trophy sent to them to proudly display in their office. You will need to complete this by Friday, February 22, 2008.

Click here to enter the contest.

80th Academy Awards - Nominations

LIVE Telecast: Sunday, February 24, 2008

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Achievement in directing

Best motion picture of the year

Adapted screenplay

Original screenplay

We will post your answers on the blog. Remember, you have until Friday, February 22nd to get in your picks.

Good luck to everyone!

We look forward to your picks and comments.

What do all these movies have in common?

• Bad Boys
   
• Die hard
   
• Harry Potter
   
• Lethal Weapon
   
• Godfather
   
• Rocky
   
• Spider-man
   
• Superman
   
• Toy Story
   
• Vacation

All of these movies as well as other have sequels. Some are just given a number like the Rocky, Godfather and Superman movie series while others are a little more creative and choose to change it up a bit like the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

• The question is what is the best sequel?
   
• Which one really missed the boat?

For me I love action and comedy movies so I started to think about those types of movies. When I pare down my list I come up with the Lethal Weapon movies. There are 4 movies in the series and I really like all of them. They seem to have a great mix of action and comedy all rolled up into a fun movie to sit back and watch. The characters are great together. With each movie they seem to add the perfect person to mix in with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. I think Joe Pesci is hysterical! The bad guys are great and seem realistic.

Okay, there have been a lot of bad sequels. Yes Grease II was bad. Yes European Vacation was bad. But for me, Caddyshack II starring Jackie Mason was the worst. I loved Caddyshack with Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight. Caddyshack II has a weak cast and a terrible story. In fact not sure I can watch it for more than 30 seconds without changing the channel.

Let me know what you think of my choices.

What are your choices for:

• The best sequel?
   
• The worst sequel?

I look forward to reading your comments.

They say the greatest form of flattery is to quote someone. So today let’s flatter some writers of movies. Often when I am presenting at a conference I will toss in a movie quote to drive home a point. I really like using movie quotes because they can break up a speech and often the audience can relate to the point through the movie. There are so many movies and so many great quotes.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• “You had me at hello” Jerry Maguire
   

• “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.” — Animal House
   
• “You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use then as the backbone of a life trying to defend something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said “thank you,” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a d*mn what you think you are entitled to.” — A Few Good Men
   
• “My biological clock is ticking” My Cousin Vinny
   

• “I know what you’re thinking, “Did he fire six shots, or only five?” Well, to tell you the truth in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But, being that this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question, “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya punk?” — Dirty Harry

Do you like movie quotes?

Do you ever use them in presentations?

Do you use certain ones with your friends and family?

What are some of your favorites?

When I was growing up I used to watch television all the time. When I wasn’t outside playing with my friends I was parked in front of the TV watching anything. I used to pride myself on knowing what was on at all times. This was important back in the day because there was no cable station that helped you, so other than TV Guide or the newspaper, you were virtually on your own.

Life has changed. Now you can have literally hundreds of stations and pretty much watch whatever you want. As I was flipping around the other day I came across a number of reality shows that frankly I had never heard of. Yes I have heard of Survivor, American Idol, Last Comic standing, The Amazing Race and The Apprentice. There are so many other reality shows. Unfortunately I have never heard or watched many of them like: For Love or Money, Joe Schmo and The Rebel Billionaire.

It got me to sit and ponder: Am I a friend or foe of reality TV? First let me say I enjoy watching Survivor and in fact we have had a friendly office pool in the past. When I am watching Survivor I find myself thinking if I could do this or that or how I would handle a particular challenge that the contestants go through. And of course the obvious question is could I outwit, outsmart, out-play the other participants? Since I am not a good swimmer the chance of lasting past a week probably wouldn’t be that great!

I have never watched Amazing Race and frankly am VERY tired of The Apprentice. I do watch American Idol from time to time, but I am not hooked. If I am traveling or have something else to do I don’t mind missing any episodes.

A few weeks ago 3 out of the top 4 spots on the ratings were reality shows. American Idol had the top 2 and Dancing With The Stars occupied the 4th spot. Clearly a number of these shows are very successful!

• Do you like reality TV?
   
• What shows do you watch?
   
• What shows do you wish would be cancelled?

Have any of these shows changed your life in anyway? Do you look at things a little differently since you have been watching reality TV?

I really look forward to your comments.

I always love a good sitcom. I love to laugh, forget about life and watch a show that can poke fun at everyday situations. The definition of a sitcom is a combination of two words - Situation Comedy. I am sure at least a handful or two of readers didn’t know that. A sitcom is typically a thirty minute television stage comedy which can be a humorous drama based on situations that might arise in day-to-day life.

I can still recall growing up as a youngster (yes very young) in the 1960’s and watching a bunch of sitcoms. From time to time I will still channel surf looking for a good comedy. I remember getting dressed in the morning and catching 15 minutes of a show–I never had to watch it in its entirety because they were never that deep.

Here is a partial list of the sitcoms from the 1960’s.

Bewitched
F Troop
Family Affair
Get Smart
Gilligan’s Island
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Green Acres
Hogan’s Heroes
I Dream of Jeannie
The Lucy Show
McHale’s Navy
Mister Ed
My Three Sons
Petticoat Junction
The Addams Family
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Dick Van Dyke Show

A number of these were my favorites. If I had to narrow the list to one and only one I would go with Get Smart. The show debuted in 1965 and lasted until 1970. I still chuckle as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 fight the bad guys every week and of course always won.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia’s write-up on Get Smart:

The series starred Don Adams as bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart, Agent 86. Barbara Feldon character (Agent 99) is never named; even after Smart married her, he (and everyone else) continued to always address her as “99″. Smart and 99 worked for CONTROL, a secret U.S. Government spy agency based in Washington, D.C. (123 Main Street). Together, the pair investigated and opposed various threats to the world while Smart’s bumbling caused complications. However, at each story’s climax, Smart never failed to save the day, typically thanks to his own dumb luck and 99’s competence. Looking on was the long-suffering Chief (played by Edward Platt), who was always addressed as “Chief”. The show was created by none other than Mel Brooks.

The nemesis of CONTROL was KAOS, and KAOS’s Vice President of Public Relations and Terror, Siegfried (Bernie Kopell), showed up often as Maxwell Smart’s opponent, or would-be assassin. Though on opposite sides, Max and Siegfried clicked personally, and spoke fondly of one another-even when trying to kill each other.

I still get a kick out of Hymie the Robot!

• What shows did I leave off the list?
   
• Did you have a favorite?
   
• What sitcom brings back favorite memories of your childhood?

I look forward to reading your choices.

What are you doing Sunday night April 8, at 8:00 CDT? Get ready to set the VCR (old school) or DVR (new school) if you are going to be out. The Sopranos starring James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, and Michael Imperioli is back!

Ok I will let you in on a little secret – I love this show.   In fact I have since day one!

I remember having conversations about the show with Joan Treistman in 1999 when the show first aired.  We discussed the plot, how real we thought it was and frankly how it was possible to keep us on the edge of our chairs for 58 minutes every Sunday.

Way back then I remember bringing up the subject with many people and a lot had the same response:

1. When is it on?
2. What is it about?
3. That won’t be successful!

Over the years there are so many characters that I really enjoy watching and in some crazy way almost getting to know. Yes the show has violence (in fact plenty of it) – some of which has been a challenge to watch.  And there’s nudity, drugs and yes very strong, offensive language.

My favorite character is Silvio “Sil” Dante (Steven Van Zandt).  I laugh at his facial expressions even before he says a word!

The ratings are a dream for any show! They probably would need a 10,000 square foot home to hold all of the awards that everyone has won over the years! There are only nine episodes left. Then what? More episodes? I think a movie first.

• Do you watch the show?
• What are your thoughts?
• Who is your favorite character?
• Who do you hope gets “whacked” this year?

Get the popcorn ready! Sunday night is right around the corner! I look forward to reading your comments.