An innocent college boy gets mixed up with a needy, neurotic young woman

Overview for The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
Synopsis:

Pookie Adams and Jerry Payne meet while traveling by bus to their respective colleges in upstate New York. The outspoken behavior of Pookie overwhelms the reserved Jerry, and he is relieved when she departs. No sooner has Jerry settled down to sharing a dormitory room with the athletic, beer-drinking Charlie Shumacher, than Pookie arrives in a dilapidated old car and announces that she has come to visit him for the weekend. Shocked by her brashness, but unable to ask her to leave, Jerry finds Pookie accomodations at a boardinghouse and devotes all of his time to her. Before long, Jerry is visiting Pookie at her school 70 miles away; and, as friendship turns to romance, they awkwardly and nervously make love in a motel cabin. Trouble erupts when Jerry accepts Charlie's offer to spend Christmas skiing at his parents' mountain cabin. Offended by this, Pookie tells Jerry that she is pregnant. Alarmed at the news, Jerry asks Pookie to marry him, but she refuses. After Christmas, Pookie tells him that the baby "went away." When Jerry takes her to a college party, she gets drunk and insults all the students. Later, Jerry telephones Pookie, and she is contrite, but he announces that he will be staying at school over the Easter vacation to study. Tearfully pleading that she will be quiet if Jerry lets her stay with him, Pookie wins his consent. Their week together at Jerry's dorm is sometimes fun and loving, but mostly strained. As a result, Jerry decides that they should not see each other for a few weeks. When he finally calls her, he learns that she has left college. Some time later, Jerry finds Pookie, alone and subdued, staying at the boardinghouse. Jerry suggests to Pookie that she return home to visit her father. Reluctantly, Pookie says goodbye and leaves.
source : tcm.com

The mysterious boat

During the summer holidays my family with Joan's family went to Carribean islands. Joan is my friend. We checked into the Marina Beach Resort.

After a good night’s sleep we started exploring the following day. It was a sunny day. As we were strolling on the island we met a person named Wilson who told us about the mysterious boat which could sail during the day, fly during the night and could disappear when ever we wanted it to. Our parents just scoffed, but Jo and I became very curious about it.

We met Wilson secretly in the afternoon when our parents were relaxing in the hotel. Mr. Wilson promised to take us to the Grandbay island where the mysterious boat was anchored, that night.

When our parents fell asleep we both sneaked out of the room and out of the hotel where Wilson was waiting for us. We got into a small boat and started off our journey.

It was a clear, full moon night and the sea was very rough. The boat ride was very exciting and scary. The water was splashing on our faces. Though the journey was only about fifteen minutes, it seemd like an eternity. We were wonderstruck to see it beautifully decorated with colour papers and lit up with hundreds of bulbs.

We stepped into the mysterious boat and met Mr. Joseph who had constructed it. Mr. Joseph was a small built man with a stern look on his face. He made us nervous for a moment. But the warmth with which he greeted us made us shed all our fears. He started chatting with us. He had constructed the boat in memory of his little son who wanted his father to get him a boat which could sail, fly and disappear. But he could not
fulfill his son's desire, so he atleast wanted the other children to enjoy the boat.

Mr. Joseph showed us the entire boat. There were different kinds of play equipments and rides. He infact made the boat to fly and disappear. It was a thrilling experience- which cannot be expressed but can only be experienced!!

We returned to the hotel with much reluctance. We were happy to see our parents were still asleep.
Hey pals next time when you make it to the Carribean islands don't miss the Grand Bay island.

Sukruthi Soonangi
deccanherald.com

Mortified Makes Teenage Pain Fun

Remember those poems, songs and journal entries you wrote in middle school? Those old notebooks filled with detailed descriptions of undying teenage love, lyrics from your first ballad, or a detailed account, dear diary, of the WORST THING EVER that happened at school today. Even if you tossed those pages long ago, the new web series launching today from GETMortified .COM can help you relish in those same awkward, painful memories of others.
The Mortified Shoebox Show will feature both performances from the live show like the funny Stairway to Winnipeg clip above, and animated versions of live performances like I Hate Drake, below.

“Mortified is this comic excavation of these strange and extraordinary things we created as kids,” said founder David Nadelberg. “Journals, lyrics…the really amazing stories buried in the pages of people’s lives.” Mortified started off as a stage show in Los Angeles, one in which brave folks came in and shared their adolescent writings. Then it caught on, to such as degree that there are regular live shows in eight cities around the country (plus an upcoming one in Sweden), and two Mortified books have been published.

But Nadelberg wants a bigger audience, and instead of going the traditional TV route, he’s taking Mortified to the web.

“I think the liberty that the Internet offers us is that we don’t have to wait for Hollywood’s permission anymore just to put something out,” said Nadelberg.

The first “season” will feature eight or nine episodes, with new ones released each week. While most episodes will be under five minutes, some stories get into the seven-to-eight-minute range, which Nadelberg realizes might be a challenge for Internet audiences. “Most online video doesn’t attempt to run an emotional gamut. We can do content that is very funny but also has poignancy and is oftentimes sad. You get that in film and you get that in TV shows, but not a lot of that online,” said Nadelberg, adding that, “It very well may be that the Internet audiences are not into that.”

The entire series is being self-produced by Mortified with no plans to monetize the first season with any kind of ads. Right now they just want to attract eyeballs.

In an interesting, and possibly short-sighted twist, Mortified doesn’t have any plans to incorporate a UGC element into their online video plans. “I think it’s potentially a better idea than execution,” said Nadelberg, “We’re pretty protective of the brand and vetting content.” He’s quick to point out that the live shows have open casting, but are not open mic. Each applicant is interviewed before being allowed to perform. Nadelberg doesn’t want thousands of webcam confessionals pushing aside the quality content. This is understandable, but it seems easy enough to vet people’s stories before posting them online.

Regardless, just watching Mortified is sure to make you rummage through boxes to find and flip through the pages of your old journal. Maybe they’ll make a show out of you.

Bill Clinton Stirs Crowds, Critics on Stump

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- With the clock approaching midnight Wednesday, Bill Clinton decided it was time to wrap it up. "It's getting late -- even for me," he joked to the crowd of more than 500 South Carolinians gathered in the Myrtle Beach High School cafeteria.

For nearly three hours, the former president held sway with a friendly crowd as he campaigned for his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton. The controversies raging over his frequent tangles with the media, and his sometimes incendiary comments about Barack Obama, rarely intruded. Indeed, while Mr. Clinton can't seem to talk to a reporter these days without getting into a shouting match, the only time his recent outbursts arose in the lengthy back and forth with voters that night came when one asked why the media wasn't being fair to the former first lady. Mr. Clinton responded he was glad somebody noticed.

With Mr. Clinton's role in his wife's campaign at its most prominent this week in advance of Saturday's primary here, he appears to be replaying on the South Carolina stage a dynamic that continued throughout his career: At times when he battled intensely with the national press, he successfully rallied the party faithful to his side.

Mr. Clinton -- not his wife -- has also been the one making headlines this week as the focus has shifted to a series of critical comments he has made of Mr. Obama, a practice the Illinois senator has characterized as "pretty troubling." Some prominent, neutral party leaders have reportedly contacted Mr. Clinton to express concerns that the attention being paid to intraparty fighting and his increasingly prominent role as chief antagonist to Mr. Obama would tarnish the party in a general election.

Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle (D., S.D.), an Obama supporter, has suggested that Mr. Clinton's role in this race is unbecoming of a former president, and a leading South Carolina Democrat, Rep. James Clyburn, said his advice to Mr. Clinton was to "chill a little bit" on the attacks.

Some Democratic voters coming to see Mr. Clinton's swing through the state share those concerns. "I'm going to say it like my good friend Congressman Clyburn, he needs to cool it, and I agree with him on that," said Barbara Gathers of Charleston, S.C. who saw Mr. Clinton's two-hour session earlier in the day Wednesday at Hugar's, a packed downtown Charleston restaurant.

For his part, Mr. Clinton blames the media for sensationalizing the back and forth with Mr. Obama. All of the campaigns have surrogates working on their behalf and criticizing their opponents' records, although no one commands the same bully pulpit and national media attention given to Mr. Clinton's words.

In a widely publicized exchange with CNN on Wednesday, Mr. Clinton rejected suggestions by a former state party chairman, an Obama supporter, that Mr. Clinton's actions were reminiscent of the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater, known for bare-knuckled politicking. Later that evening, at the Myrtle Beach high school, he joyfully recounted the exchange for the friendly crowd. "It's been an interesting day, one of the supporters of the other candidate compared me to Lee Atwater today," he said as the crowd guffawed. "Somebody thinks I did something right."

Mr. Clinton often arrives late for campaign appearances, but he never leaves an audience jilted. Turned away by the fire marshal from the Hugar's appearance, dozens of supporters waited across the street for a glimpse of Mr. Clinton.

He exited the restaurant, waved, and jumped into the back of the waiting SUV. As the crowds yelled out in disappointment, the SUV stopped less than a block away and Mr. Clinton jumped out to shake a few hands.

Later that evening, he stayed so long that the crowd had noticeably thinned out more than two hours later. "Thanks for coming," he joked to audience members who filed out as midnight approached and he continued to speak. "If you've got to go, please go, but remember I asked for your vote."

Even as the event was wrapping up, Mr. Clinton assured the audience that he would stay for a while after the rally. "After I finish shaking hands I'll go back and sign them all," he told an attendee who asked him to sign a copy of his autobiography. The crowd cheered.

By SUSAN DAVIS

online.wsj.com

Leetch announces Graves' No. 9 will be retired

Brian Leetch's biggest assist won't be remembered as one of the 781 he piled up in 18 years on the ice.

Instead, it will forever be memorialized as the one he gave to Adam Graves tonight.

Standing at the podium in the center of Madison Square Garden, Leetch announced that Graves, his teammate for 10 seasons in New York, will join him in the Garden rafters with a jersey retirement for his No. 9.

I can't think of a more fitting person to make the announcement with Leetch, who was never comfortable receiving all the accolades. Graves' sincere reaction of shock and appreciation was stirring, and he held Leetch in a long embrace as the Garden crowd roared.

Many hardcore fans have long debated Graves' credentials for a possible retirement ceremony, and tonight, those who have campaigned passionately for his inclusion in the highest circle of Rangers honor were rewarded.

Graves' on-ice credentials were certainly formidable (280 goals, third in Rangers history), but my guess is that it is Graves' renowned willingness to give of himself away from the rink that earned him this honor. I'm sure much will be written about that tonight and in the following days, and a blog is not the place to enumerate his many charitable ventures. But in my limited exposure to Adam, I can assure nothing about his generosity, warmth or kindness is exaggerated.

He defines "first-class," and his jersey retirement ceremony will be a well-deserved honor.

By Mike Casey

newsday.com