Recently in The Beehive Asks Category

November 16, 2009 5:27 PM

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Sarah Palin usually gets more play over on the Bee's Opinion Blog, except when Tina Fey is doing her thing, but there's no denying she's sucking most of the air out of the room when it comes to pop culture this week. There's her book due out tomorrow, her Oprah appearance, her estranged son-in-law posing in the buff, her bashing of the Associated Press, her ticking off former McCain aides, and all sorts of other headline-grabbing endeavors.

What do you think? Are you going to read the book, or at least read about it? Or are you attempting to do the Cone of Silence thing and mighty irked that mention of "Going Rogue: An American Life" even seeped into the Beehive?

Donald Munro

October 28, 2009 9:27 AM

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To celebrate the spirit of Halloween, in the last month I made it a point to watch as many scary movies as I could. Turns out "as many as I could" wasn't very many -- sadly, I watched only a fraction of the movies I wanted to see.

I started with Rob Zombie's "Halloween," an okay-but-not-great remake of John Carpenter's "Halloween," which I watched again Tuesday night. Whereas Zombie's movie is an exercise in gore, Carpenter's is all about suspense, and that amazing, anticipation-filled music. Props to Zombie for giving Michael Myers a backstory, though.

For me, a great horror movie is all about suspense. I appreciate a good gory movie, but those are rarely truly scary. Also rare is the movie that combines great, scream-worthy moments with humor. "Drag Me To Hell" managed to startle me while simultaneously making me laugh -- it was my favorite of the new movies I watched this month. Also funny? The first "A Nightmare on Elm Street," but for different reasons.

Skip "Trick R' Treat" -- it falls way short of the praise it's received. Ditto "Paranormal Activity." And if "Silent Hill" is on your list, let me save you the trouble right now: suck.

Heather

October 1, 2009 12:23 PM

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With the arrival of National Pizza Month, it's time for us to share our favorite spots for pies or slices.

Are you a fan of Corsaro's in Kingsburg? Luna in Clovis? Mike's Pizzeria in Fresno? Or someplace else?

Tell us what you're eating and where. And watch out for these pizza-related events:

[photo source: zpizza]

Joan Obra

September 30, 2009 1:53 PM

I'm pounding out stories today for Friday's 7 section and Sunday's Spotlight section, but even if I didn't have a few thousand words due in a matter of hours, I'd still be scratching my head trying to figure out what to post on the Hive today. It just seems kind of, well, blah out there. (Maybe I'm just glum and pessimistic after watching last night's screening of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story," which opens Friday in Fresno.) So I'm turning this over to you. What do you care about today? What piques your interest? What news/entertainment events are you following? How would you cheer up the world?

Donald Munro

September 28, 2009 12:17 PM

I've been known to be something of a hater. In fact, if you asked certain people, they might tell you that I have a list of people I hate. This may or may not be true.

What is true is that I'm far too nice of a person to truly hate anyone that I know in real life -- or even follow on Twitter. Most of my hate is reserved for famous people who don't even know I exist and offer very little chance of actual conflict.

Today my hate is raging for a certain Wrangler-wearing, Sears-shopping dude:

Mike Oz

September 9, 2009 6:24 PM

My story today points out the variety of wine events during the fall season -- from grape stomping at Chappell Winery & Vineyard in Mariposa to movie nights at La Belle Winery in Terra Bella.

With so many events this fall, I couldn't list them all in the story. So, I want to know: Where are you drinking wine? Drop your answers in the comments below.

Or, if you're hosting a wine event, add your details in the comments.

If you need more ideas, check out the map of Valley wineries that ran with the story.

And here are links to wine trails, as well as wineries that aren't part of a wine trail:

Wine Trails
Fresno County Wine Journey
Blossom Trail Wineries
Madera Wine Trail

Individual Wineries
Butterfly Creek Winery, Mariposa
Chappell Winery & Vineyard, Mariposa
Mount Bullion Vineyards, Mariposa
Silver Fox Vineyards, Mariposa
Water 2 Wine, Clovis
La Belle Winery, Terra Bella
Bella La Vina Farms, Terra Bella
Caravantes Vineyards, Terra Bella
Cacciatore Fine Wines & Olive Oil Corp., Pixley

Joan Obra

August 20, 2009 4:22 PM
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Today, President Obama said he's seen the book of secrets referred to in the movie"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" during a White House interview with talk radio show host Michael Smerconish.

The book is supposed to contain documents collected by presidents, covering controversial topics such as the JFK assassination, Watergate, and Area 51.

Obama joked, "I would tell you but I'd have to kill you," when asked about the secrets in the book.

So, let's play a game: What conspiracies secrets do you think are in THE BOOK?

I'm thinking "Cigarette Smoking Man" has to be in there.

Kathy Mahan

August 7, 2009 2:07 PM

The death of writer/director John Hughes got me thinking about my favorite 80s movies. It's funny, as much as I love "Sixteen Candles," and "The Breakfast Club," my VERY favorite 80s flick is, like, for sure, "Valley Girl." I love the music, the ridiculous dialog (Man, he's like tripendicular, ya know?) and the bad-boy (a young Nicolas Cage) turning the preppy-girl (Deborah Foreman) to the dark Hollyweird side.

What's your fave?

Kathy Mahan

August 3, 2009 12:10 PM
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All I know is that I want to break up with mine. It'll be a tough split, I think. My Dry Cleaner -- one of the biggies in town -- is oh so convenient to my house. But I can't stand the way my laundered shirts keep getting mangled. Time and again I rip open the plastic bag to find errant creases and crumpled sleeves. And all for $9 for five shirts! I take them back and complain to get them redone, but, alas, what a pain. Somewhere along the line I got the impression that if I paid that money, I'd have a crisp shirt that's ready-to-wear without having having to iron it myself. Silly me.

So, I'm taking an extremely informal poll. Is there a dry cleaner in town that actually satisfies people in terms of price and quality? Who should I avoid? Write us a dry-cleaner love letter. Or tell us how you keep getting burned.

UPDATE 8/3: This item got used in the Buzz on Page 2 of Monday's Bee, so I thought I'd make it easier to find. A friend writes:

Alas, I have had the same problems with, I am sure, the same dry cleaner. The have ruined several of my husband's shirts and, until I quit them over two years ago, several blouses and one skirt. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau--and talked to the operating manager personally---they denied everything. I was so angry I thought of picketing them....then I realized I would look like (more of a) loon!

Hey, I'd join her on that picket line ...


Donald Munro

July 16, 2009 3:39 PM
rockyoffroad_sm.jpgWith 17 days left in National Ice Cream Month, it's time for us to share sources for the best frozen treats.


I also want to know how your preferences compare to the public relations machine.

Example #1: Foster Farms Dairy is trying hard to sell me on its Crystal brand ice cream sold in supermarkets. They've called and sent e-mails, with the pitch that the locally made Crystal is "the very best in summertime treats."

Example #2: The California Milk Advisory Board tells me that, based on a Fresno poll, "Cold Stone Creamery is listed as the best place in town to grab a couple scoops." According to that poll, Fresnans also love Rocky Road above all other ice cream flavors.

Call me a crank, but I'll have to disagree. Rocky Road isn't my favorite ice cream. And Crystal ice cream would be hard pressed to beat some of my own homemade ice creams.

What about you? Do you agree or disagree with the public relations machine? And what ice creams are you eating this summer?

photo source: Cold Stone Creamery

Joan Obra

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