princeton Archives - Sludge Central

Lucille Ball On Stage In Princeton, 1937

Posted on August 6, 2011 by sexyarmpit

Today Lucille Ball would’ve been 100 years old! While most people remember her fondly from her zany exploits in I Love Lucy, she also starred in numerous plays, movies, and TV shows. In tribute to the famed actress I dug up this article which was printed on the front page of The Daily Princetonian on January 14, 1937. Among other Hollywood stars of the time, Ball was one of the several that starred in Broadway’s “Hey Diddle Diddle!” In preparation for the New York City run of the show, the show premiered for one night only on Princeton’s McCarter Theater stage. That would be a pretty damn cool thing today if a Broadway play premiered in a New Jersey playhouse. Note that the Princetonian was only 5 cents back in 1937, while The Sexy Armpit is completely FREE, unless you subscribe on Kindle like my friend Sara, and even then it’s a bargain at $0.99 cents! Also, you may want to head over to Google to check out it’s tribute to Lucille Ball when you’re finished here!

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.56: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Posted on June 30, 2011 by sexyarmpit

Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) in front of Princeton’s University Chapel

If you read my last post you know that watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was my little homework assignment for the night. If I plan on seeing a sequel or further installment of a film franchise, I never half ass it. I have to watch them all or I feel like I’m not getting the full effect. I realized a while ago that I had Revenge of the Fallen on DVD but never watched it, so that’s exactly what I did tonight. I did have ulterior motives though. I didn’t just watch it to get caught up on the films before seeing Dark of the Moon, I also wanted to pick out all the New Jersey shots.

In Revenge of the Fallen, Sam Witwicky (Labeouf) is now attending college. When his parents come to visit him, his mom Judy inadvertently buys pot brownies and starts to get high. She runs around the campus grounds and gets into some wacky hijinks – scenes I never thought I’d see in a Transformers film. But then again, I didn’t think I’d see a Wheelie cuss like a sailor either…or hump Megan Fox’s leg. That’s sort of creepy because he’s a robot, but I can easily get on board with his motive.

Exterior shot in the film of Princeton’s Firestone Library

A few of the college scenes were originally shot at the University of Pennsylvania, but ultimately moved the shoot to Princeton University. Neither institution wanted to let the Michael Bay production use the university names in the film due to the aforementioned pot brownie after effects as well as the scene where Sam is almost raped by a slutty Decepticon, YES, I did just write that. Ultimately, the institution that Sam attends is merely referred to as a “college.” According to the Transformers Wiki, in other Transformers media, Sam goes to college in Albany and also Philadelphia, but Princeton is actually named in the novelization of Revenge of the Fallen. *Raine Wilson also makes a cameo in a lecture hall scene as one of Sam’s professors.

The Wheelie laser points to areas where Seekers are located and

Southern NJ is one of the areas

With a run time that was about a half hour too long, a convoluted plot, and too much leg humping, Revenge of the Fallen is not a film I’d watch again. And surprisingly, for all her criticism, Megan Fox’s hotness was this film’s saving grace, and I’ll also throw a piece of that credit to the crotchety but entertaining, Jetfire (R.I.P.)

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.44: Lois & Clark

Posted on August 18, 2010 by sexyarmpit

GRANT GENDELL: “Forgive me but we have a few routine security questions to ask you…have you visited a foreign country in the last 7 months?”

LOIS LANE: “Does New Jersey count?”

This line comes from the Season 4 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman titled “Bob and Carol and Lois and Clark.” The episode originally aired on November 17th, 1996 and features Antonio Sabato Jr. as Deathstroke, a character loosely based on the DC comics assassin, although here, Sabato’s alter ego is Bob Stanford instead of Slade Wilson.

Lois and Clark was merely a stepping stone for Teri Hatcher, but unfortunately it was a career pinnacle for Princeton graduate Dean Cain. The show never matched up to my high expectations and I stopped watching the series after it became an average soap opera which also just so happened to star a major superhero. As crazy as it sounds I enjoyed the often shat upon Superboy TV series much more.

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.43: JAWS and Jersey

Posted on July 2, 2010 by sexyarmpit

With 4th of July weekend upon us, why not escape from your pool parties and bbq’s and watch JAWS! Grab a cold drink, kick back and stream JAWS on Netflix. 35 years since it’s release, Jaws still provides thrilling entertainment. In this scene Brody (Scheider) and Hooper (Dreyfuss) attempt to convince Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) that he should close down the beach for the 4th of July weekend because of the terror that may ensue. The attacks on the Jersey Shore give validity to their case.

BRODY: “This is a Great White Larry, a BIG one, and any shark expert in the world will tell you it’s a killer, a maneater!”
HOOPER: “Look, the situation is that apparently a Great White shark has staked a claim in the waters off Amity Island and he is going to continue to feed here as long as there is food in the water”
BRODY: “…and there’s no limit to what he’s going to do. I mean we’ve already had 3 incidents. Two people killed inside of a week and it’s gonna happen again, it happened before…The Jersey Beach…”
BRODY and HOOPER: “1916!!! There were five people chewed up in the surf…”
HOOPER: “In one week.”
BRODY: “Tell him about the swimmers.”
HOOPER: “A shark is attracted to the exact kind of splashing and activity that occurs whenever human beings go in swimming, you cannot avoid it.”
BRODY: “You open the beaches on the 4th of July, it’s like ringing the dinner bell for Christ sakes!”

That’s not where the JAWS/Jersey connection ends either! The author of Jaws, Peter Benchley, who had a cameo as a news reporter in the film, worked in Pennington Furnace Supply Co. in Pennington New Jersey during the time he began writing the story of the man eating shark. It is speculated that the Jersey Shore attacks were indeed one of Benchley’s inspirations. In 2006, Peter Benchley passed away in his Princeton, NJ home.

NJ T-Shirt Tuesday 30: House

Posted on December 8, 2009 by sexyarmpit

Yet another TV series set in New Jersey is the medical drama, House, starring Hugh Laurie. We can thank producer and former West Windsor, NJ resident, Bryan Singer, for its Princeton, NJ setting. Singer, the producer and director responsible for such films as The Usual Suspects, X-Men, and Superman Returns, graduated from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South in 1984. IMDB reports that some of his future film projects include Battlestar Galactica and Excalibur.

This Princeton-Plansboro Teaching Hospital T-shirt is a must have for fans of the series. Although the series is filmed in Los Angeles, CA, Princeton University’s Frist Campus Center has been used for the external shots and aerial views of the show’s fictional teaching hospital. This tee can be found at the NBC Universal store.

In addition to the aerial shots in Princeton, Wikipedia states that scenes set in the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital in Season 6 of House, were filmed at the abandoned Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Parsipanny-Troy Hills, NJ.

Tawny Cypress is August’s Garden State Playmate

Posted on August 21, 2009 by sexyarmpit

heroes,tawny cypress,new jersey,point pleasant

When I first noticed Tawny Cypress on Heroes a few years ago, all I could think of was “There’s ANOTHER Tawny out there besides Tawny Kitaen?” Yes, it’s unfortunate, but I seriously thought that. Why should we all become more acquainted with Tawny Cypress? Unlike Kitaen, a typical California girl, Cypress hails from Point Pleasant, New Jersey and she’s appeared in an episode of one of the funniest shows ever, Stella. Perhaps she’s not as well known as Kitaen, but Cypress is exceedingly more sophisticated than a glorified hair metal groupie who made a habit of dancing on hoods of cars.

Cypress has built up a strong TV background starring in All My Children, Third Watch, Law & Order: SVU, and recently Rescue Me, while Kitaen has had a publicized cocaine habit and an affinity for domestic violence. Possibly working against Cypress is the fact that she doesn’t have an ’80s classic starring Tom Hanks on her list of credits, (Bachelor Party!) Now raise your hands if you remember The NEW WKRP in Cincinnati? Great! All 2 of you remember that show! Ironically, Tawny Kitaen played Mona, the smarty pants nighttime DJ. Cypress may not be a future Nobel Prize nominee like Kitaen, but she can back up her habit of snagging intellectual roles since she’s studied at Boston University, Westminster Choir College in Princeton, and Mason Gross at Rutgers University.

Tawny Cypress’ character Simone did her damnedest to get her boyfriend Isaac Mendez into rehab for his heroin addiction in the first season of Heroes while Tawny Kitaen appeared on the 2nd season of VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. And once again, The Sexy Armpit poses the age old question to you, which are the more appealing qualities: class, sensuousness, and talent or starring in a RATT video and being a former love interest of O.J Simpson? You decide!

The Sexy Armpit appreciates Tawny Cypress for representing New Jersey! Not to take anything away from the lovely actress, but her brother is an accomplished comic book artist who has worked on Image Comics’ Jersey Gods! You can view his art right here at his blogspot page: http://tobycypress.blogspot.com

NJ T-Shirt Tuesday 6: Wet Hot American Summer

Posted on June 17, 2009 by sexyarmpit

You get a F for today if you’ve never seen Wet Hot American Summer. Shame on you! It’s an f’n classic! The summer camp comedy set in 1981, is chock full of comedians you love. You actually get an F-minus if you’ve only caught bits and pieces on Comedy Central at 3am once because you were bombed out of your mind, and the TV was already tuned to Comedy Central when you flipped the TV on. That’s even more feeble than completely not having seen it at all. With that said, if you are from Jersey you’ll greatly appreciate the NJ references, specifically the T-Shirts!

McKinley (Michael Ian Black) dons an awesome Clifton High School Track ringer T-Shirt throughout the film, while Gary (A.D Miles) rocks a Betty Jane Tavern Tee, which used to be an actual bar that existed in Lake Hopatcong, NJ. Both of these shirts are available at Found Item Clothing.

Pictured above is Caped Boy, a possible precursor to Augie in Role Models. This is his studly attempt at enticing the girls at camp: “Excuse me, ladies. You may remember me as the guy who came to dinner a few weeks ago with underwear on my head. My name is Keith Stat from Millburn, New Jersey. State bird, the mosquito. And as you may have heard, I am recently a crowned class B dungeon master. So, if any of you would like to play D&D today, please speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Here’s a few more reasons why NJ is so prevalent in a film that’s supposed to take place in Maine:

Paul Rudd = born in Passaic, NJ

Janeane Garofalo = born in Newton, NJ

Michael Showalter = born in Princeton, NJ

and one of my all time favorites,

Michael Ian Black = moved to Hillsborough, NJ when he was young!

If you enjoyed Role Models, then you’ll definitely laugh your ass off at this one. Also look out for one of Bradley Cooper’s early roles, you know…that guy from Wedding Crashers…and that other one you may have heard of…The Hangover.

For an awesome blog dedicated to the coolest T-Shirts head over to Preshrunk.org.

NJ’s Kal Penn Becomes White House Liaison

Posted on April 7, 2009 by sexyarmpit

After marrying, having sex with, and committing domestic abuse against a gigantic bag of weed as Kumar in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, actor Kal Penn has become the Associate Director of The White House’s office of Public Liaison. This piece of news gives hope to the millions and MILLIONS of New Jersey stoners out there who are just begging and toiling to acccomplish something this prestigious. It’s clear that one of the reasons the White House wanted Penn is due to his superior work ethic. In addition to his role in the Harold and Kumar series, Penn has also starred as Taj in the Van Wilder series, Superman Returns, and a stint on the TV series 24.

According to Wikipedia:
Penn was born in Montclair and attended Marlboro Middle School and Howell High school in New Jersey. His character on the Princeton, NJ-based show House, Dr. Lawrence Kutner, was recently killed off in order for Penn to begin his work for the White House.

Penn is surely making The Sexy Armpit proud, but I’ll always remember him this way:

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.7: Who Watches The Watchmen? New Jersey Does!

Posted on September 18, 2008 by sexyarmpit

If you’re worth your weight in geek, you can’t wait for The Watchmen movie to be released. It’s sure to be an excruciating 6 months, and even the slightest Watchmen reference doesn’t calm my anxious anticipation. Hopefully the court will rule in favor of allowing Watchmen to be released on schedule that way we won’t have to continue pulling our hair out and re-watching the first chapter of the motion comic on iTunes for the fifty-thousandth time! In the meantime, you’re in luck you Sexy Armpiters! You can temporarily calm those nerves because there are a few references to New Jersey in the pages of the classic Watchmen comic book series! Don’t worry, there’s no spoilers here, so if you haven’t read Watchmen you can still enjoy this post! Shame on you…READ WATCHMEN NOW!

Chapter IV: Watchmaker centers around the most interesting and cool looking character in Watchmen, Dr. Manhattan. Jon Osterman a.k.a Dr. Manhattan holds a PH.D in Atomic Physics from Princeton University, in New Jersey. An Ivy League school, Princeton boasts graduates ranging from U.S presidents to dropouts such as Bruce Wayne, as well as serving as the location for several scenes in the upcoming Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen.

According to Wikipedia here’s what Osterman DIDN’T learn while matriculating at Princeton: “Manhattan’s powers include superhuman strength, the ability to teleport himself or others, the manipulation of matter at a subatomic level, and near total clairvoyance.” Oh yeah, Manhattan can also fix watches which isn’t traditionally that cool but proves to be a gift that gets him laid!
In this chapter, we also find out that the mother of Manhattan’s former flame Janey Slater lives in New Jersey. Janey and Jon decide to kill some time at an amusement park while waiting for Janey’s mother to get home.
Dr. Manhattan reflects on an old photo of himself with his past girlfriend taken at Palisades Amusement Park in N.J. You may remember Freddy Cannon singing about falling in love at “Palisades Park,” a song he recorded that was written by Chuck Barris and later covered by The Ramones. Palisades Amusement park featured the largest salt water wave pool in the country, thanks to water pumping in from the Hudson River. (ewwww! what were they thinking? lol) Presently there’s a high rise luxury apartment complex built on it’s property, but in it’s day the wildly popular Palisades Park was the place to be. Dr. Manhattan wasn’t reminiscing about Coney Island now was he? How ’bout that, huh?