Ring in the New Year With an Engagement!

Hey guys -- If you have a special person in your life and you're thinking of popping the question, why not do it on New Years Eve? It will be one evening you and your fiancee will never forget! Maybe you can't afford the most expensive diamond in the world (pictured), but you can still get beautiful engagement rings on the Internet at http://www.solomonbrothers.com/. They have a huge selection and some of the finest gems and rings you'll ever encounter. So why not make 2009 the best year of your life, fellas. You know who you are. You're gonna get it done because you have to get it done!

Will the Drag-u-la Rise From the Dead?

Growing up as a kid watching the '60s CBS TV show The Munsters, I fell in love with the cars featured in the series. The most famous of these was the Munster family car – the Koach --but I always had an affinity for the Drag-u-la.

The Drag-u-la (driven by Grandpa) was a funkadelic dragster with a laid-back, hippy vibe. The Wayans Brothers are currently producing (but not starring in) a remake of the popular series. Surely, they’ll bring back the famous Koach, but will they also resurrect (or re-design) the Drag-u-la? I vote “yes!” Basically a coffin on wheels, the Drag-u-la appeared in just one Munsters episode (Hot Rod Herman) and in one of the two Munster movies (Munster Go Home) in 1966.

The vehicle had a fiberglass body molded from a real coffin and featured a bubble canopy and a purple velvet interior. The body sat on a dragster-type tube frame, and accessories on the Drag-u-la included organ pipe exhausts, a drag parachute, air scoop and racing slicks. Grandpa (Al Lewis), a vampire, owned the vehicle. Designed by George Barris, who also built the Koach and the Batmobile, the Drag-u-la was classically eerie in appearance, but was also the real thing and packed some horsepower punch, supplied by a 350 hp Ford Mustang Engine.

Will this amazing vehicle make a scary comeback next year? We’ll keep you informed.

To see more of my automotive postings, visit. www.carreview.com.

The Mummy: Fun to Watch, but Not That Scary

I can't stand the new horror films that they're making today. They're gross, bloody and the story lines are terrible. Whatever happened to the classic old monster-driven horror movies, like the Werewolf, Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, Dracula and the Mummy. Well, maybe not the Mummy. That is one old horror film that I look back at now and can see that it was pretty lame. I was watching it the other day in my buddy's home theater, and at today's standards, it looks pretty lame. For one, the Mummy moves at about 1 mile per hour, shuffling along at a snail's pace. But when he approaches his victims, do they run away? No, they just stand there screaming, frozen in place, so that the Mummy can just amble up and strangle them. C'mon..make it a little more plausible than that!

Buzz Building Over New Green Hornet Car

With the new Green Hornet movie in pre-production (release date 2010; screenplay by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg) everyone is starting to talk about the car that will be featured in the film. Rumors are flying around about who will design it, who will build it and what it will look like.
If you’re over 45 years old (like me) you probably remember the Green Hornet TV series, which unfortunately only lasted one season (1966-67) and starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet and the legendary Bruce Lee as his sidekick Kato. The Green Hornet radio show debuted in 1936 and in 1940 the stinging superhero hit the comic book stands for the first time.
The Green Hornet’s vehicle was called the Black Beauty. The Green Hornet (newspaper owner Britt Reid by day) kept the car hidden under his garage floor, suspended upside down with steel clamps. With one push of a button, the floor would flip, positioning the car right side up and ready for action. After he and Kato jumped in, The Green Hornet always said his famous catch phrase, “Let’s Roll, Kato!”
The Black Beauty was a Chrysler Crown Imperial with an amazing arsenal, including rocket launchers; smoke guns; an oil gun in the rear; headlights that change from standard lights to special infrared green lights; a mortar; a flying deployable scanner containing a closed circuit TV monitor; a license plate that flips; a tack sweeper to remove sharp objects before they puncture the tires; and a broom to cover the vehicle’s tracks. The car was built and designed by Dean Jeffries, who also designed the Mantaray, which was featured in the film Bikini Beach Party. Both the Black Beauty and the Manta Ray are currently on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
It is anticipated that the 2010 Black Beauty will have many new high-tech, state-of-the-art features. But, right now, no one is talking. I’ve heard rumors that several car companies, including Mitsubishi, are working on possible designs to pitch to the film’s producers. We’ll keep you in the loop and give you all of the new buzz as it comes in.

If They Had Only Had Good Diet Pills Back Then...

If they had the diet pill technology 15 years ago that they have now, a lot of people may not have been quite so fat. That's because nowadays, they make diet pills that work without bad side effects or adverse results. If people like Jabba the Hut and those fat mini bike riding twins (pictured) had only known about these breakthrough new diet pills, maybe they wouldn't have had the weight problems they had back then and would still be alive today. You never know. One thing is for sure -- these new diet pills are safer, better and certainly more effective.

Promo Items are Recession-Proof

When the economy gets rocky like it is right now, you need to come up with new, smart, innovative ways to market your business. That's where promotional items enter the picture. Promo items can pay for themselves quickly, because they get your name out there and act as brand ambassadors for your products or services. Pens, hats, mugs--they've all been done a lot, mainly because they're highly effective and will give you a top return on your investment. But, there are also a lot of other promotional items that are unusual that you can use to promote your company. Take a long look at promo items right now. You'll be happy you did!

The Rat Pack is Back!

I was having a great dream the other night. I was staying at the Sands, an old-school classic Vegas hotel. I was kicking back in the High Rollers Suite when there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Two Italians, one bad comic, a Limey and a one-eyed hoofer," the voice on the other side of the door said. I knew instantly that it was Frank Sinatra. His phrasing was perfect.

Suddenly, the Rat Pack was in the room. They were rough housing and obviously drunk.

"You up for a wild night?" Frank asked.

"Well, uh, what did you fellas have in mind?" I replied.

"Booze, broads and hoprfully breakfast. You know, the usual," Dean offered.

"Yeah, cat--let's groove and let the cards fall where they may," Sammy chimed in.

"Well, how do I know you're real? This is a dream, after all." I was skeptical for obvious reasons.

"Will this help convince you?" Frankie asked as he handed me a Jack Daniels Manhattan, his favorite cocktail when he wasn't downing it straight.

I took a sip from the glass and it tasted good. What the heck, I thought. I've always wondered what it might be like to party with the Rat Pack.

"Let's roll, Daddy-O," Dino pleaded. "I've got a blonde waiting for me down at the craps table."

They exited the room and were gone as quickly as they had appeared. Oh well, I thought--They probably would have out-partied me anyway.