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October 25, 2004

Polls: Mixed With Edge to Bush Kim Richards and Why She's Still Hot (With Some Poll News)

CNNGallupUSAToday: Bush by 5 with likelies 51-46, by 2 among registered.

Zogby: In ten Battleground states, Bush holds most 2000 Bush states, and picks up a couple of Gore states (New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin), but may lose Colorado. OTOH, Most polls seem to show Bush ahead in Colorado, and Kerry is scaling back his advertising there.

Washington Post Tracking poll: Kerry ahead 49-48.

But most importantly of all, the one poll that's consistently predicted the winner since 1956 -- the Weekly Reader poll of school-aged children, not yet young enough to vote. They're decisively in favor of Bush:

Hundreds of thousands of school students ranging from first grade through to 12th grade (aged six to 18) gave the incumbent president the nod in a poll published Monday by Connecticut-based Weekly Reader magazine.
More than 60 percent opted for Bush over Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites), who only won one state, Maryland, in the underage mock election.

It sounds kinda silly, polling underage children who don't know much about anything about their political preferences. Obviously, they're just going on looks and charisma and personality and gut.

But then, that's what a lot of adults vote on, too. And what we find appealing as children doesn't change that much as we grow older. When I was nine, I would have killed or died to be with Kim Richards from Hello, Larry and of course Tuff Turf.* (Misspellings in titles are always a sign of a quality motion picture.)

I don't know that that's changed very much since then.

Gosh, Ace, you're so smart. Explain to me again
why Andrew Sullivan is a bitchy little ninny.

Thanks to GregS for the last tip.

* Well, okay, I think she's probably most famous for Escape from Witch Mountain too, but she was just a little kid.

Update: Was sure I'd already have a dozen guys telling me how much they still loved Kim Richards. Either it was just me, or I really have gotten too old.

You know who else is hot? Donna Reed. Yuhp, there. I said it.

Random Celebrity Connection Update: Bud Tugley (if that is his real name) tells me in a comment that Kim Richards Paris Hilton's aunt.

Well, look, I guess there were some very rich guys watching Hello, Larry and Tuff Turf when they were growing up, too. I guess one of them was able to execute his life's ambition and bag her.

Damnit.

Kinda makes Dan Snyder look like a piker, doesn't it?

And Yet Another: Sharkman sends some quality cheesecake.

Important Announcement: Kim Richards is the new good-polling-news cowbell.

Please note this for your records.

posted by Ace at 06:22 PM

Comments

Boo bop a lee bop! My Baby!

Posted by: See-Dub on October 25, 2004 06:32 PM

ACE- The theory on polling the kids is as follows. Kids reflect what they hear their parents say in the privacy of their home. Regardless of what they tell the pollsters, or even friends, the kids hear what Mommy and Daddy say while watching TV or talking at the dinner table. One thing is for sure, whatever the reason, the track record is pretty solid!

Posted by: Greg Schreiber on October 25, 2004 06:36 PM

I'm with Greg on this - the kids are heavily influenced by what they hear at home. Many many people are private about their vote and won't discuss it outside the family or participate in polls. But out of the mouths of babes...

Posted by: Elisa on October 25, 2004 06:46 PM

Yeah Ace, but she was *hottest* in Escape from Witch Mountain.

Whoa. . . Scott Ritter moment there. . . step away from the keyboard. . .

Cheers,
Dave

Posted by: Dave at Garfield Ridge on October 25, 2004 07:00 PM

Ace, don't fret, I had a crush on Kim Richards too, especially in Escape From Witch Mountain (but she's older than me, so it's ok). There's something about witches, from Samantha Stevens to the Charmed chicks...

Posted by: Steve on October 25, 2004 07:08 PM

Yes, she's older than me too, so I guess I could have had a crush on her, but I think I was too young at the time to like girls.

For me, it was Hello, Larry. Especially the episode where the blind guy wanted to feel her boobs because that's how he "sees" the world.

I'll tell ya, I wore dark glasses and toted a tap-stick for a month after that. Seemed like a plan.

Posted by: ace on October 25, 2004 07:10 PM

In Escape from Witch Mountain, didn't Kim have all the cool powers -- psychokinesis for starters -- whereas the brother could only play a fuckin' flute or something?

They keep doing that-- making the chick the cool one. The Wonder Twins-- well, everyone knows about that. Jana can transform herself into a T-Rex, and Zan can, well, turn himself into a puddle of lukewarm water. Which is kind of a cool party trick, but it doesn't really help against the likes of Solomon Grundy.

The tradition continues in Spy Kids, wherein the chick can do practically everything, while the brother seems skilled only at the proper procedure for disposing of fudge and pastries.

Posted by: ace on October 25, 2004 07:17 PM

So where is she now?

I wonder if the Bushies are gonna start touting the Weekly Reader in their campaign literature.

Posted by: Iblis on October 25, 2004 07:18 PM

I'm with Ace. Man, I had the hots for her, in a way that only a 9-year old can. Was'nt she in Land of the Lost too? Grew up quite nicely.

Posted by: Bud Tugley on October 25, 2004 07:22 PM

No, that was a completely different girl, and nowhere near as hot as Kim Richards.

Had a sort of pig-like Judd Nelson nose, too.

Posted by: ace on October 25, 2004 07:26 PM

Well, I assumed you meant she was playing Holly.

If you meant she was playing a Sleestack or did the voice of Grumpy, then I don't know.

Posted by: ace on October 25, 2004 07:26 PM

Yeah, ace, looks like you had a fogey detector set up there and me and ol' Dave fell for it.

Kim richards is way hotter than Clara Bow, man. But I don't know about Lily Langtry.

Posted by: See-Dubya on October 25, 2004 07:29 PM

She's Lilian-Gish-hot.

Posted by: ace on October 25, 2004 07:30 PM

I stand corrected. Go check IMDB...she's also Paris Hilton's Aunt (?) Gofiggur.

Posted by: Bud Tugley on October 25, 2004 07:31 PM

Ace: Whet your appetite here: http://www.hissandpop.com/celebrities/r/kimrichards/photos/015.jpg

Posted by: Sharkman on October 25, 2004 07:38 PM

uuhhhhhhh

thanks.

Posted by: ace on October 25, 2004 07:48 PM

Ace:

Typo. Don't squeeze the Sharman.

Posted by: see-Dubya on October 25, 2004 08:08 PM

I loved her in Assault on Precinct 13. Nobody gets shot holding an ice cream cone like Kim.

Posted by: Jeff G on October 25, 2004 08:17 PM

My chance to provide exclusive insight, and Greg beats me to it. And Elisa. OK, maybe it wasn't quite as exclusive as I thought.

But the Weekly Reader theory matchs what I thought I figured out for myself - in retrospect, I probably heard it somewhere. Who knows, maybe I heard it from my parents over the dinner table when I was a wee lad and they were remarking on the two in a row record.

Posted by: Phil on October 25, 2004 08:33 PM

Ace. Buddy. All may not be lost. Read that bio again.

1) Just turned 40.
2) Twice divorced.
3) Lives with Mom.

Sounds like she's one step away from cruising the Hombre room at the local Best Western.

Go for it buddy.

Like a Viking.

Posted by: Bud Tugley on October 25, 2004 09:11 PM

I'm with you on Donna Reed. I fell completely in love with her after watching "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time.

Posted by: Slubgob on October 25, 2004 09:26 PM

yeah, but Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity, yeeeoww!

Posted by: Dave in Texas on October 25, 2004 10:18 PM

Damn Ace! You and I are simpatico. I had a think for Kim Richards too! And I could've sworn she was on "Land of the Lost". (I still have nightmares of the Sleestacks.)

Posted by: Huck on October 25, 2004 10:43 PM

Ok, "thing", not "think". That's how excited I am about this! I thought it was just me!

Posted by: huck on October 25, 2004 10:44 PM

I always dug Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not", but hey that's just me.

Posted by: Joe R. the Unabrewer on October 25, 2004 10:44 PM

I used to crush on Ms. Richards a long time ago .I thought I was over it. Damn you, Ace, for messing up my dreams for tonight.

Posted by: Laddy on October 25, 2004 10:49 PM

Uh, you do realize Donna Reed's dead, right?

Posted by: LargeBill on October 25, 2004 10:59 PM

First crush: Diana Rigg, aka Mrs. Peal of the Avengers. She's not dead, but she's looking as good as can be expected of a '60s heart-throb. I have an understanding wife who bought me for Christmas all the DVDs. I don't think I mentioned that crush to her, though.

Posted by: steve poling on October 25, 2004 11:16 PM

The Land of The Lost girl was Kathy Coleman, according to imdb.

Posted by: CaptainNed on October 25, 2004 11:16 PM

Hey kids (meaning those younger than Kim), the hottest she ever was was in the movie "Tuff Turf" (really, really bad movie but in the classic good, cult way; it also starred James Spader).... and yes that double "was" was intended... damn, did it again!

Kim also looked great in a couple of ads for Kodak as the "daughter" to "father" James Garner and "mother" Mariette Hartley... Yeah, I've stalking the girl since 1982 (the year she turned legal)

Posted by: JFH on October 25, 2004 11:33 PM

Sadly, since she's a bit younger than me, I cannot in good conscience, like Ace, admit to having been a "fan". Well, that and the fact that I've never watched anything she ever did.

But she is a dish, I'll grant you that.

Posted by: Patton on October 26, 2004 01:02 AM

I actually miss Helen Slater from "The Legend of Billie Jean". I'm showing my age there too.

Posted by: Sgt Dan on October 26, 2004 02:38 AM

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What? Skeleton of the most famous Musketeer, D'Artagnan, possibly discovered in Dutch church closet.
Dumas picked four names of real musketeers out of a history book, D'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. So there was an actual D'Artagnan, though he made most of the story up. (Or, you know, all of it.)*

Charles de Batz de Castelmore, known as d'Artagnan, the famous musketeer of Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, spent his life in the service of the French crown.
The Gascon nobleman inspired Alexandre Dumas's hero in "The Three Musketeers" in the 19th century, a character now known worldwide thanks to the novel and numerous film adaptations.
D'Artagnan was killed during the siege of Maastricht in 1673, and there is a statue honoring the musketeer in the city. His final resting place has remained a mystery ever since.

A lot of Dumas's stories are based on bits of real history. The plot of the >Three Musketeers, about trying to recover lost diamonds from the queen's necklace, was cribbed from the then-almost-contemporaneous Affair of the Queen's Necklace. And the Man in the Iron Mask is based on real accounts of a prisoner forced to wear a mask (though I think it was a velvet mask).
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Fun fact: You know the beginning of A Fistful of Dollars where the local gunslingers make fun of Clint Eastwood's donkey and Eastwood demands they apologize to the donkey? That's lifted from The Three Musketeers. Rochefort mocks D'Artagnan's old, brokedown farm horse and D'Artagnan is incensed.

A commenter asked which should be read first, The Hobbit of LOTR?
Easy, no question -- read The Hobbit first. It's actually the start of the story and comes first chronologically. It sets up some major characters and major pieces in play in LOTR.
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Oh, I should say: The Hobbit is written as if it's for children, but one of those smart children's stories that are also for adults. Don't worry, there's also real fighting and violence and horror in it, too.
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The Hobbit Challenge: Read two more chapters. I didn't have much time. Bilbo got the ring.
I noticed a continuity problem. Maybe. Now, as of the time of The Hobbit, it was unknown that this magic ring was in fact a Ring of Power, and it was doubly unknown that it was the Ring of Power, the Master Ring that controlled the others.
But the narrator -- who we will learn in LOTR was none of than Bilbo himself, who wrote the book as "There and Back Again" -- says this about Gollum's ring:
"But who knows how Gollum had come by that present [the Ring], ages ago in the old days when such rings were still at large in the world? Perhaps even the Master who ruled them could not have said."
In another passage, the ring is identified as a "ring of power."
I don't know, I always thought there was a distinction between mere magic rings and the Rings of Power created by Sauron. But this suggests that Bilbo knew this was a ring of power created by Sauron.
Now I don't remember when Bilbo wrote the Hobbit. In the movie, he shows Frodo the book in Rivendell, and I guess he wrote it after he left the Shire. I guess he might have added in the part about the ring being a ring of power created by "the Master" after Gandalf appraised him of his research into the ring.
I never noticed this before. I know Tolkien re-wrote this chapter while he was writing LOTR to make the ring important from the start. And also to make Gollum more sinister and evil, and also to remove the part where Gollum actually offers Bilbo the ring as a "present" -- Bilbo had already found it on his own, but Gollum was wiling to give it away, which obviously is not something the rewritten Gollum would ever do.
But I had no memory of the ring being suggested to be The Ring so early in the tale.

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