Life of Smiley

Apparently the people want snakes on a plane. As film backstories go, this one is fairly serpentine. This month, New Line Cinema's "Snakes on a Plane," which wrapped principal photography in September in Vancouver, went back before the cameras for five days of additional shooting at the Lot in Los Angeles. In this case, it wasn't the usual reshoot, hastily assembled to fix a nagging story problem. Instead, the studio decided to create new scenes that would take the movie from PG-13 into R-rated territory. The second round of filming also came about because of intense and growing fan interest in the movie, which was directed by David R. Ellis and is not scheduled to be released until Aug. 18. "Snakes" stars Samuel L. Jackson as an FBI agent who has to fight a planeload of snakes unleashed by an assassin bent on killing a witness in protective custody. Sight unseen, the movie has grown from something of a joke into a phenomenon slithering untamed throughout t...

In the future, the humanoid robot sitting next to you at the bar may be drinking alcohol in order to work the next day," said Ray Baughman, the research team leader and director of the NanoTech Institute. Full story

Careless human driver walks away A human road, near the woods -- A 500-lb moose was seriously injured the other night when it mistakenly wandered into the path of a human death-carriage. The human driver was quoted as saying she saw the moose standing in the road, and then he was sitting in the front seat of her car. The driver did not explain why she chose not to slow down or take evasive action. The human was treated for minor scrapes and bruises, then released back into the wild. The moose was seriously injured in the crash and was put down. Tragically the moose did not have health insurance.

Sharon Stone in Israel

In case you missed what was inarguably the most important sports story of last week (labor, schmabor; we've had work stoppages before) the wife of Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko told ESPN The Magazine that she has given her husband an allowance of one woman per year. Once-a-year allowance

I've seen all the movies in each category unless otherwise noted. Supporting Actor: GEORGE CLOONEY in "Syriana," Matt Dillon in "Crash," Paul Giamatti in "Cinderella Man," Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain," William Hurt in "A History of Violence" I would have given this award to Jake Gyllenhaal, if only because I feel bad for him after Jimmy Kimmel noted, "Neither Heath Ledger nor Jake Gyllenhaal won their awards, so apparently they made out for no reason at all." In all seriousness I thought he did a good job and deserved the win over Clooney. Looking over the other nominees I think this may have been the strongest field. Supporting Actress: RACHEL WEISZ in "The Constant Gardener," Amy Adams in "Junebug," Catherine Keener in "Capote," Frances McDormand in "North Country," Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain" I didn't see Gardener or Junebug. In fact I'...

Why Jon Stewart isn't funny The tragedy [is] that the students who abandon politics out of a naive self-consciousness often represent our country's most idealistic minds. Stewart's daily dose of political parody characterized by asinine alliteration leads to a ''holier than art thou" attitude toward our national leaders. People who possess the wit, intelligence, and self-awareness of viewers of ''The Daily Show" would never choose to enter the political fray full of ''buffoons and idiots." Content to remain perched atop their Olympian ivory towers, these bright leaders head straight for the private sector. The author make an interesting point and this article is worth reading. Although I would argue that if we in our ivory towers are drawn to "The Daily Show", it is because we are already disillusioned by politics, not the other way around.

Round 1 Results Congratulations! Patterson wins Round 1 handily. Stay tuned for Round 2 where the scores can really change!* Quote Character Movie Winner imtheasshole.mp3 Trent Swingers Oge wolf.mp3 Jules Pulp Fiction Patterson funny.mp3 Tommy DeVito Goodfellas Patterson nipples.mp3 Jack Byrnes Meet the Parents Patterson ugly.mp3 "Dutch" Predator Bomber brokemyheart.mp3 Michael Corleone Godfather II Patterson jobu.mp3 Pedro Cerrano Major League Oge destroy.mp3 Darth Vader Empire Strikes Back Patterson * Not really

There's a party. Happy Mardi Gras! Check out the live web cams: http://www.nola.com/

Global Warming Fuels Speedy Evolution The wood frogs show how resilient and adaptable frogs can be, he says. Contrary to popular portrayals of frogs as the environmental canaries in the coal mine, most frogs are "fairly bullet proof," he said. That's why when the frogs disappear, as they are in places like the Monteverde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica, there's all the more reason to be concerned about how drastic climate is changing, he said. Previous post: It's not easy being green

First-annual Atrocious GM Summit This is some really excellent satire from the Sports Guy.

Notafinga! Darren McGavin, an Emmy-winning actor who worked almost constantly in television for almost 50 years and made an enduring mark on popular culture as the grizzled has-been crime reporter in the 1970s series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," has died. He was 83. McGavin, who also is remembered for portraying the curmudgeonly father in the 1983 film "A Christmas Story," died of natural causes Saturday at a Los Angeles-area hospital, his family said. Full story

My name is Bob Smiley, and I'd like to register a complaint. Check out the hidden video in Part 2 of this story to see some of Jeb Bush's deputies on their finest behavior.

Wintry Weather Causes 50 Car Pile-Up On Interstate Near white out conditions Saturday created major problems on area roads, WMUR reported. Interstate 93 in Londonderry was shut down for hours after a 50-car pile-up in the afternoon near exit 4. Interstate 93 Accident Photo Gallery Rescue workers transported about 10 people to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Crews told WMUR that the accident stretched about half a mile down the interstate. Police were able to re-open the road at about 5 p.m.

By Joe Santoliquito Special to ESPN.com On June 18, 2005, as A.J. looked on, his father, Andrew Detwiler, shot his mother, Suzanne, and then turned the gun toward the boys. Moments later, in self-defense, his brother Corey shot twice at his father, killing him. Full story

Geena's Commander Takes Early Leave Apparently Americans are still not ready for a female President, not even a fictional one. Commander in Chief, which had a promising start with 16 million viewers tuning into its September premiere, has been experiencing a decline in ratings since November and then took a dramatic plunge with the arrival of FOX's rival ratings powerhouse American Idol. Is this show the heir apparent to The West Wing ? No, the writing isn't even close. But it's still an entertaining show. Geena Davis has a charming yet commanding presence, and I'd put Mackenzie Allen near the top of my list of fictional characters whom I'd rather see President than the current real-life Commander in Chief. Plus, Donald Sutherland! The saddest part of this story is that apparently ABC feels it can earn higher ratings with George Lopez and According to Jim . It's times like these that make me really proud to be an American.

Woman survives driving car into Dorchester Bay A woman escaped from the frigid waters of Dorchester Bay this afternoon after she missed a turn in her speeding car and flew into the water near the University of Massachusetts at Boston campus. Witnesses said the woman, who escaped the car on her own and partially swam to shore as a student and UMass police officer swam to help her, was driving at a high rate of speed before the accident, so fast that her car flew airborne more than 30 yards before landing in the water . Video

Um, are these ads for or against drugs? abovetheinfluence.com

Execution halted after anaesthetists walk out Prison officers at California's San Quentin prison were forced to halt the execution of a man convicted of the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl when two anaesthetists backed out for ethical reasons. ... The American Medical Association, the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the California Medical Association have all opposed the doctors’ participation as unethical and unprofessional. Prison officials rescheduled the execution for this evening, and said that they would employ a different technique: administering a fatal overdose of barbiturate in lieu of the three-drug cocktail typically used in lethal injections. Morales’s lawyers had successfully argued that the three-part lethal injection cocktail used in California and 35 other states would violate the Eighth Amendment prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment if he were not fully sedated. ... At his trial, Morales was convicted of having attacked Winchell from behind ...