One year ago today I started this blog – my wife Alex recommended it as a fun creative outlet – and for me it has been just that…allowing me to share a number of different stories, such as when Alex and I went to Provence, and the beautiful village of Gigondas:
You can read the whole story by searching “Provence” – and see how we cooked on Julia Childs’ stove with Patricia Wells:
Thank You!
I want thank EVERYONE who has stopped by to read a post – I sincerely appreciate the interest. I realize that I cover a LOT of ground on the blog – everything from food to travel as I’ve noted above, along with classic movies and crazy exploitation, and of course – BACON.
Bacon!
I admit that I have posted A LOT about bacon, in all of its crazy shapes and forms…like this:
And of course, bacon isn’t always friendly, as evidenced by this picture of bacon getting ready for battle:
I have also shared many crazy bacon recipes, and I have tried to cover that world by showcasing such culinary delights as the double bacon melt!
Bacon! Burgers!
The world is full of great food, but everyone seems to really spark to the pictures I post of some of the world’s best burgers, like this masterpiece from Taylor’s Refresher in Napa Valley…
It has, of course, been a year of super-sized food, especially in the world of burgers and bacon! Everything from this: the world’s largest bacon cheeseburger…
to THIS…The Bacon Demon!
I LOVE my bacon demon…and if you enter “bacon” or “cheeseburger” into the search area, you will see dozens of posts regarding these two “most important” food groups…and thanks to all of you who have read the posts from this past year and celebrated all that bacon has to offer….
Great Movies! Classic Exploitation! Asian Extreme!
I love great movies, and have posted stories about some of the 70’s most overlooked gems, like this one:
I also love classic action movies like “The Seven Ups” and more recently, “The Raid: Redemption”…and of course I LOVE classic exploitation like this:
Mantis In Lace!
I mean, how can you NOT love this? 70’s exploitation revolving around a woman who drugs men with a psychodelic BANANA and kills them? Look, if it’s good enough for The President AND Vice President:
I LOVE that they were photographed in the shadow of “Mantis In Lace!” I know that I test the patience of food and travel lovers when I go off on a movie rant, but I’m like everyone else – I enjoy the best of the WORST – like my very popular post about the “Ten MOST Misguide Movies Of All Time”…including this gem:
Yep, a disco musical starring Bruce Jenner and The Village People, released just moments after disco died…and one of the most misguided films of all time!
Never Cut Funny!
So clearly, I love a lot of different things….and that is what I post, a lot of different things – yes, including stuff like this:
With that said, here are some interesting facts about my first year blogging:
The Most Viewed Posts:
I have posted 283 stories this past year. Here are a couple of the most widely read – everything from exploitation films to food, travel and swimming with sharks:
Christina Lindberg – The Queen Of “Artsploitation!”
Swedish born Christina Marinette Lindberg was internationally known for her work as an actress and glamour model in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her rough grindhouse movie “Thriller” aka “They Call Her One Eye” inspired Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill”.
She is a fascinating woman – an exploitation icon as evidenced by the number of hits I get daily – check out her story by searching “Christina Lindberg”…a fascinating Actress who bared all for her art, and these WERE european art films – as you will see when you watch one…
Sasha Grey!
I had the good fortune to work with Sasha Grey in Australia, and my story about that trip – when she swam in a tank full of sharks – got more views than any other post in its first month online…thanks to all of the Sasha fans for checking it out – Sasha tweeted me as well about how much she loved this shoot…
Another very popular post was all about my wife’s smash hit show:
Jerseylicious!
First, here is the official style network page for the show, with tons of pics and videos…http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/jerseylicious/index.jsp
“Jerseylicious” premiered on the Style network in March of 2010. Season 5 premieres next month – what a ride it has been!
If you watch, you know how great Olivia and Tracy are – oh, and you also know they don’t get along!
I also posted a bunch of “Jerseylicious” fun facts, like the fact that – if you want to go left – you have to take a right!
Tokyo!
I have posted a number of stories about my various trips to Japan – all have been well received, so thank you for that! The single most popular post involved the Tokyo adventures of my Host Alex Sim-Wise!
Alex Sim-Wise!
I shared my adventures in Tokyo filming with London Correspondent Alex Sim-Wise, who isn’t shy about dressing up for a shoot:
She explored everything that makes Tokyo the most exciting city in the world, including jumping behind the counter at one of Tokyo’s tiny bars in the Golden Gai district:
She capped off a perfect night of filming by leaving her self-portrait in the bar on the wall…check it out when you go there!
Harems, Killer Badgers, Oh No!
So, it’s not all good news…there have been a few posts that just, for whatever reason, failed to garner much interest at all. Here is an example: I thought you would all be interested in a look at some of the classic “men’s mags” from the 50’s…boy, WAS I WRONG!
NOBODY was interested in this…more than two months after I posted this story, there has been very little interest in reading it….OK, I thought it was a fascinating time in publishing – before my time, but to me it evoked a “Mad Men” vibe and highlighted a time when magazines were discreet, and these offered young boys a more adult “Indiana Jones” sense of adventure…
And The MOST Popular Post EVER Is…
Again, thanks to everyone who has stopped by and read a post. I will continue to try and post stuff that interests and entertains you, like this one, which is the most popular one I have ever posted!
And A Baba Yaga To You All!
Yep, “Baba Yaga” tops the list of the most widely read post ever! So, for those of you who may not have read it and want to know, WHAT IS BABA YAGA!?
First, “Giallo” is an Italian genre of literature and film, which indicates crime fiction and mystery, and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism.
The word giallo is Italian for “yellow” and stems from the origin of the genre as a series of cheap paperback mystery novels with trademark yellow covers, and they became movies with provocative titles like this:
And I wrote about one in particular, a strange little giallo called “Baba Yaga”…and every single day dozens of people read the post…it has MORE THAN 5,000 views to date – the most of any single post, so congrats to the “Baba Yaga” in you all!
The Next Year…
Thanks again for reading my posts this first year, and next year I plan to post more of the same, such as this story coming soon about Alex Sim-Wise and her journey into Tokyo’s dark recesses…
Also, more to come with Sasha Grey, travels to Copenhagen and Bangkok – plus a lot of burgers and bacon as well!
Let Me Know What You Think!
And now a request: please, please, please – send me notes! Let me know what you think! Tell me what you like, and what you hate!
Cheers! And Thanks!
Categories: 70's Cinema, Alex Sim-Wise, Alison Haislip, Australia, BACON, Books / Media, Christina Lindberg, Extreme Asian Cinema, Food, Food Review, Grindhouse, Hamburgers, Japanese Sexploitation Movies, Jerseylicious!, Movies, Obscure Movies, Recipes, Restaurants, Revenge Movies, Sasha Grey, Sexploitation Movies, Sports, Technology, The President Of The United States, Tokyo!, Travel, Travel Memoir, TV Show, Uncategorized
johnrieber 
Congratulations – with a tiny hint of gritted teeth – to get that many hits in a year is astounding but not surprising – I mean combining bacon, burgers and shlock horror films was always going to be a winner – why the hell didn’t i think of that…
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Ha! I think for everyone who like the bacon posts, I lose a few when I post about “Dead Sushi” and “Tokyo Gore Police”….but thanks for reading and for your feedback!
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