Tag: movies

Jaws at 50!

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By: Scoop Stanton

On June 20th, 1975, Universal Pictures released a motion picture that changed movie history: Jaws. Jaws was the first summer blockbuster. Universal figured the kids are out of school, so they have the time and daddy’s money to go to the theater.

Jaws was based on the book written by Peter Benchley. Benchley not only wrote the book but he also co-wrote the screenplay and appeared in the movie. The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg, and in my opinion his best movie. Jaws was an action movie, horror movie and drama movie all rolled into one. Three men attempt to kill a shark. A shark is attacking people. And a town figures out how to keep the town afloat with a dangerous shark attacking tourists. Casting the movie was perfect. Roy Scheider as Chief Brody. Scheider made a name in The French Connection and The Seven Ups. Robert Shaw was one of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time with From Russia with Love, Battle of the Bulge and The Taking of Pelham 123. Richard Dreyfuss made a name for himself in American Graffiti. The supporting cast was also amazing including Murray Hamilton as Mayor Larry Vaughn who had some of the best lines in the movie! Then John Williams put the icing on the cake with the scariest music in movie history.

Jaws is now my favorite movie because of one man: Anthony Cumia. As a diehard Cumia fan he would talk Jaws nonstop! I already saw the movie a number of times and now I had to watch it again, paying close attention and wow!

Cumia is such a fan of Jaws that he had a suit made to look like the one Hamilton wore in the movie and his eyeglasses have the frames Scheider wore in the movie!

As for me, I went to Universal Studios in Orlando last year and I was bummed out to find out that the Jaws ride was replaced with a Harry Potter ride. Here’s the kicker. Jaws is a Universal Picture. Harry Potter is a Warner Brothers property!

Message to NYS Correction Officers!

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By Scoop Stanton

I used to work for the New York State Department of Correctional Services as a Correction Officer. I worked at the infamous Sing Sing prison as well as Bedford Hills.  A maximum-security prison for women. To be honest, it was easier to deal with the most savage men that New York State locked up. It was a dangerous, disgusting, thankless job. I’ve seen more anal cavities than a proctologist. I’ve had to watch grown men go to the bathroom. I was also involved in a riot in B Block in Sing Sing one Sunday afternoon in April, 1996. The front gate had to call the off going shift to get back in and help us! Months later a brand new captain arrived at Sing Sing. He was in a passageway when inmates from A Block was returning from the yard to the housing unit. He was slashed. I know what you brave men and women go through. That’s why at the end of the show James Edwards says: “For those who work the streets and the jails, thanks for keeping us safe.” That’s my tribute to you. I’ve been there.

Fights, stabbings, getting “shit down,” contraband flowing faster than Amazon, the grievances against the CO’s and constant threats and insults against CO’s. Add to the fact that these people work nights, weekends, and holidays, missing their kids growing up and most end up divorced, its amazing that these people return to work. But they do.

Well they did. Members of the New York State Correction Officer Benevolent Association have went on strike. The CO’s went on strike because of  unsafe working conditions and staff shortages. Nobody wants to take the job thanks to the war on cops, and those who do take the job, leave. You now have CO’s working literally 24 hours sometime because there’s no relief. Add to the fact the jails are much more dangerous because District Attorneys won’t convict inmates who assault officers. You can also thank Governor Kathy Hochul for running the jails into the ground. When I was a “turnkey” fortunately the Governor was George Pataki. The jails are currently secured by the New York National Guard.

Here’s my message to my former brothers and sisters on the thin gray line: get back to work! This is not “Robocop.” You swore an oath as Peace Officers to ensure the care, custody and control of these inmates. In those jails, not only are those crooks but the civilians that work in the jails. And yes, I know those civilians are the same ones that will drop dimes on you for anything and always take the side of the crook and hate you, but they are also under your protection. Forget the counselors, teachers, kitchen staff, medical people that make your jobs even harder. Think about the members of the New York State National Guard. They have been called up to walk the blocks! They are untrained and uninformed. Send these people home. Get back to work.

Scoop crashes an inaugural ball!

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By: Scoop Stanton

I had the opportunity to attend an inaugural ball as a guest of Andre Soriano! I didn’t care if it was the Players’ Haters Inaugural Ball, I’m there!

This was the MAGA MAHA Crypto Ball at the ballroom of the MGM National Harbor just outside DC. It didn’t have to bother Danila on my clothing choice. Dark suit with the Rolling Stones tie! And of course there were plenty of beautiful ladies many of whom wore Soriano’s dresses. The thing about Andre he is one of the best fashion designers on the planet! But; since he is conservative, he is shunned by his industry, which is their loss.

Many, many ladies at the event!

I was hanging out enjoying the cocktail hour and here comes the Sultan of DC; Andre himself! Everyone at the ball from DC knew him and then some. I also saw a sign and some swag for something called Six Whiskey Revival. The alcoholic in me wondered if it was a liquor. The rest of me wondered if it was a band. Band it was. The band was as cool as can be. Like the dudes from Under the Covers, I asked if they played the Allman Brothers. They did! And they were opening their set with an Allman Brothers song! I haven’t been this happy since I got my car back with my booze!

The place was packed. And I sat at one of Andre’s tables! Yes! At the table were all friends with Andre (duh), all cool as shit! The food was great. The beef was going like toilet paper at Taco Bell! Then it was the entertainment portion. People giving speeches for Trump and crypto currency, the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance, a prayer, then Joy Villa. Villa was at the fashion shindig in November. Then some other guy who was dressed in an American flag suit sang two of his hit songs. Then Six Whiskey Revival was up. Then I heard the opening bass line for Whipping Post. I was in hog heaven! Nobody but a very few number of people knew that song! And they nailed it.

During the course of the evening, Andre was introducing me to the people he knew but I didn’t know yet. I did know some people from the various events I crash. One nice young lady and I were talking, intruding ourselves and getting to know one another. As were talking “YMCA” started playing and she wanted me to dance. Which I complied and executed poorly! Boy did I stink! As usual. And of course the night ended too early.

I’ll say one thing about us (conservatives).We love this country. We also love each other and everyone else. Not one conversation was bashing the left. All I heard was it was time to fix this country. It was up to us to do it.  Also we are generous. Tip jars for the bar staff was overflowing. We also value hard work. One lady that was busing tables who was on the wrong side of 60 didn’t look too happy. Another attendee put other loose dishes in a pile, handed them to her and said “Thank you” which put a smile on her face.

But the man of the hour is Andre Soriano. He’s helping to put this event on. He invited literally everyone! Everyone wants to say hello and take selfies. You thought he was selling Trump crypto with the people saying hello. And he still took the time to make sure I’m having a good time. That’s says a lot about a man’s character. This meant a lot to me! There are too many people who are grifters, fake, phony, frauds, that use people to get what they want, then dispose of you like garbage. And unfortunately, too many of these folks are in the conservative movement. Not Andre and not by a long shot. At the end of the night, I made sure I gave my thanks to Andre. I told him that I was going to have him design a wedding dress for my daughter. When she’s 40! All jokes aside it was another great event with some of the greatest people in DC!

Hochul’s “new” idea has been done before!

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By: Scoop Stanton

Well the Governor of New York wants to have cops patrolling the New York City subways on every train in the city overnight. In the immortal words of Marko in Taken: “Good luck.” This idea is not new. How do I know? Because 28 years ago, my first assignment was the Bronx Transit Task Force (BTTF). This was one of the worst details in the NYPD. The people who were sent here were: rookie cops, rookie bosses and screw ups! Cops with Highway, Mounted and Harbor were not looking to transfer here. People weren’t using “hooks” to get this detail. You worked from 8p to 4a or 10p to 6a. You had one cop with a schedule to ride trains up and down the line. If you got a break here or there or got a summons or call for service, you could get off the train, and catch a fare beater or something. Glamourous it was not.

Now; here’s why it will not work. Hochul wants two cops on each train. Not only is that expensive, that’s near impossible. Cops are leaving in droves and nobody is signing up to take the test! Next. When an MoS has a “collar.” The mope wont be charged because DA’s like Alvin Bragg won’t prosecute most crimes. Add to the fact that Bragg and company has no problem going after cops! Then, there bail reform which has been a disaster so nobody spends time on Rikers Island! There is no consequences for criminal actions in New York State! So the cops that you do hire will “coop” in the back rooms, solving nothing. And where is Governor Hochul going to get the money for all those cops!? Oh yeah, from the congestion pricing! If that doesn’t work, she can add a 100% tax on the U Haul trucks going one way!

Enough!

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To the men and women of the Los Angeles City Fire Department: we love you and we support you 100%! Thank you for all you do!

With that being said, the rank and file are having a hell of a time. With fighting a fire in the seventh parallel of hell to dealing with leadership that want to disrupt the cohesion and uniformity that is the LAFD.

The Assistant Fire Chief for the Los Angeles City Fire Department, Kristine Larson says in the clip that people want first responders to your house that look like you! WTF! We would love if Barry Allen aka The Flash responded every time, but again; nobody cares except these mental midgets! Then Chief Larson defends the fact that most women do not have the upper body strength as most men to carry a 180-pound person out of a fire. Chief Larson’s response: “He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.” Nice. How about: “Women in the Los Angeles Fire Department train to carry your husband out of a building on fire!”

Nothing about faster response times, firefighter safety, better tactics, better means for saving lives, fire prevention, or things that the LAFD is responsible for. Nope its race, gender, sexual orientation all day every day!