Straight from the I-Swear-I-Am-Not-Making-This-Up files: Evening Post Ventures and Evening Post Publishing Co. -- owner of The Post and Courier, the South's oldest daily newspaper -- announced last week that April 2007 will see the launch of their new lifestyle magazine, "Garden & Gun".

Garden. And Gun. I had no idea gardening involved semi-automatic weapons. Or that my neighbor, Mrs. O'Hurlehey, could be packing whist she cheerfully tends to her begonias. (Remind me to stop "sampling" her beefsteak tomatoes when she's not home.)

I'm hoping for this magazine to be a huge success. So we see a trend in more mixed hobby magazines. I'm pulling for "Knitting & Nunchucks" next.

Pickle, a next-generation video and photo sharing service, recently unveiled their Pickle Channels. (The sheer magnitude of the sexual innuendo you could derive from that one phrase makes my head hurt.) These Pickle Channels (I'm trying really hard to behave myself here) allow users to broadcast (or insert, if you will) media directly to just about any website. Right from their mobile phones.

Here's how it works: Channels are basically portable media galleries that can be displayed anywhere, and can be updated from computers as well as cell phones. You simply set up a channel, fill it with videos and photos, and then embed the entire channel of content anywhere you like, on social networking sites like MySpace, into your blog, or onto virtually any other site. And every time you add to the channel it automatically updates everywhere it is posted -- instantly. No more waiting to come home to bore your friends with vacation pics... you can do it while you're still there!

All kidding aside, there are some powerful ways this can be used, not just for social applications, but for business and marketing applications as well. Since each channel has a unique email address, anyone can easily add new items on the fly. So while you're giving a presentation to the bosses in the conference room, your sales team can be on the ground in several cities, posting photos and videos of the new product launch. As it's launching.

Or just use it to send a picture of your ass to your old college roommate.

www.pickle.com

Of all the pictures I've posted, this one right here on the left is the one I'm most excited to post.

After being passed up by the Academy for classic films that reads like a list of Top 5 Favorite All-Time Guy Movies: Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino (I know, but come on, vintage Pesci) - they finally woke up and gave Martin Scorsese the Oscar he's deserved for decades.

And to top it off, the movie he won his long-awaited award for, The Departed, (one of my new personal favorites), was also named Best Picture.

Proving again that "guy" movies can be great movies. Oscar winning movies. Which is exactly what you tell your girlfriend at the video store when she's hammering you to rent some chick flick. Argument point: The last time a chick flick won Best Picture? You have to go back to '98 for Shakespeare in Love and '97 for Titanic. The last four Best Picture awards have been guy movies, give or take: '06 The Departed, '05 Crash, '04 Million Dollar Baby (she'll call you on that one, but, hey, it's about boxing), and '03 The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Happy renting.

She's graced the pages of Playboy, married (and thankfully divorced) the most bizarre celebrity this side of Weird Al, done more drugs before the age of 14 than you probably saw in four years of college, and has even been celebrated as Hasty Pudding's Woman of the Year. And she's managed to do it all without turning into a complete caricature of herself. (Which is more than we can say for most women in Hollywood right now.)

Nope, not Bea Arthur.

Join me in wishing a very happy birthday to Drew Barrymore, who turns 32 today. (32? Wasn’t it just a few years ago she was hiding in the closet with ET?) With her free spirit, live-for-today party attitude, love of tattoos, and infamous desktop flashing of Dave, (ever see his eyes pop that far?), Drew is our choice for celeb girl we’d love to hang out with. Drew, if you show up, your drinks are on me. (The first 5 or 6 anyway.)

And for those of you who are on the fence about Drew, here's a little clip to help sway you.

I've gotten a lot of pitches lately on the hot new marketing buzz-product dubbed "Man-cations". I guess "vacations for men" just doesn't sound hip enough.

Usually they involve one of two things: either rugged trips involving climbing, camping, fishing, hunting and other equally "manly" activities, or the complete opposite - spa vacations for men where we can escape the pressures of being a guy by getting massages, mud baths, and even facials. Of course all while smoking cigars, so as to keep our masculinity intact. (I am not making that up. They send me pics of guys with mud masks on their faces, big Dominicans in their mouths. Off the charts on the Unintentional Comedy Scale.)

If you want to head out on a trip with some of the guys without feeling like the cast of "City Slickers" check out RazorGator Experiences.

Razor Gator offers officially sanctioned packages to many major sporting events throughout the year, like the NCAA Final Four, The Masters, The Kentucky Derby, The Indy 500, and others. They have several "experience" levels depending on how close to the events and action you want to be, and what your budget is.

Packages can include hard to score tix to the event, plus hotel rooms, access to private parties and hospitality suites, and more. Dream trips for any sports fan.

Check out www.RazorGatorExperiences.com for package pricing and availability.

Sometimes your place isn't the most romantic place to spend Valentine's Day. Look around. I'm right, aren't I?

Fortunately, hotels and clubs all over the country are hosting events and running specials for couples looking for a romantic getaway. Don't worry if you don't live in a big metro area, from what I'm hearing from my buddies, a little V Day travel is becoming the thing to do.

A great place to start your planning is at MatchActivity.com. for locations. A new social activities website that connects likeminded people together through one-on-one activities, MatchActivity believes people should meet face to face, rather than online through faceless email. They've set up five different cool and creative things for couples to do in five cities: San Francisco, LA, New York City, Chicago and Miami, giving you 25 activities to choose from.

If you're in LA, you can have dinner at Magnolia, followed by spa treatments at the Ritz.

San Francisco offers balloon rides and live jazz at Catalyst Cocktails.

The Gypsy Kings will be playing at The House of Blues in Chicago on Valentine's Day, and you can hit Le Passage, the hot new lounge/supper club after. (Just make sure not to mention the words: Bears, super, bowl, or lose.)

If you're in NYC, stop by Zanzibar for delicious food and exotic cocktails in a sultry lounge setting, after you catch the show at Caroline's Comedy Club.

Looking for something hotter? Miami is hot in February and so is having cocktails under the stars at Sky Bar. And if it's some old-school romance you want, check out Julio Iglesias in concert while you're there. (No word on whether son Enrique will come out of obscurity and join him.)

I know some of you are thinking, "Yeah, but we didn't really plan on leaving the hotel room..." I'm with you. And so are many hotels. Check out the "In Your Dream" package at Dream Hotel in NYC. Starting at $450 for a king room, the package includes: a white garter, a single white feather, condoms, massage oil, naughty dice, coconut/champagne truffles, Kama Sutra position book and flavored whipped cream. For another $150 they'll add a bottle of Dom Perignon and strawberries for an in-room snack. And I'm assuming sound-proofing for the walls and an industrial-sized "Do Not Disturb" sign are included as well.

You don't need to leave town to take advantage of a V Day getaway. Check with your local hotels to see what they are offering. Or put your own package together and bring it with you. Just check their policy first before you install the trapeze.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. I was too busy reeling from the "entertainment" provided by the NFL during yesterday's Super Bowl.

A few weeks ago, when I first heard the pre-game and halftime shows the NFL had planned for the Super Bowl, I was a little confused and surprised. And pissed off. But I held my tongue. I wanted to see the shows before I commented. I didn't want to go on a rant before I actually saw what they put together. Maybe my initial feeling would be wrong. Maybe the shows would be great. Maybe I should just stick to my gut instincts...

The Super Bowl is the most watched sports event of the year, showcasing a brutal collision sport, played by brutal, colossal men. The majority of the people watching it are men. And the majority of products advertised are targeted to men. Men celebrate Super Bowl Sunday as a national holiday. So why am I getting the impression the NFL is more concerned about entertaining women?

Case in point: The pre-game show. Yesterday's pre-game was created by Cirque du Soleil. Ok. I've seen a few Cirque shows. (I enjoy a little culture every now and then.) And they were outstanding. Mind-blowing. But I just couldn't picture how that style of entertainment was going to work for a Super Bowl pre-game show. The pre-game should set the tone for the game. Get the crowd fired-up. Their adrenaline flowing. So can someone please explain to me how little children floating from giant colorful balloons and hundreds of dancing butterflies, gets a crowd of football fans ready to watch 300-pound men try to grind each other into the ground?

Case number two: Halftime. Starring Prince. Five-foot-tall, elaborately coifed, high-pitched, purple-velvet-wearing Prince. What happened to The Rolling Stones? Hank Williams, Jr.? U2? Too masculine? Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Prince. I know he's a musical genius. (And his music has played a large roll in "setting the mood" on more than one occasion.) But how many men do you know are true Prince fans? How many guys are pumped up, watching a great football game, and around halftime start thinking, "You know, I could use a little Prince music right about now." And you don't see a guy on a loading dock turn to his buddy and say, "Hey, Lou. Ya think we can get a couple of tickets to the Prince concert? That little guy's music just speaks to me..." Of course not. The majority of Prince's fans are women. And you don't think Pepsi and the NFL know that?

Speaking of which... did you notice there was a Pepsi-sponsored giveaway associated with Prince's appearance? One lucky winner received a jewel encrusted Pepsi can. Read that again: Jewel. Encrusted. Pepsi can. Not a trip to the Pro Bowl. Not a signed Super Bowl game ball. A jewel encrusted Pepsi can. Which I'm sure Pepsi figures the winner will proudly display next to his Precious Moments Holiday-of-the-Month Figurines.

Super Bowl Sunday is the one day a year when guys can crack open a beer, grill a big piece of meat, and just be guys. Our wives and girlfriends seem to understand. Why can't the NFL?

Apparently the wildly popular Bride Hair Freakout video I posted on Jan 29, was a hoax.

CTV.ca reported last night that the video, viewed over 2 million times on YouTube, was the brainchild of Toronto-based performance artist, Ingrid Haas.

The screaming bride in the video is really a 22-year-old aspiring actress, and student at Ryerson University, named Jodi Behan.

Jodie, nice job. You've taken the art of faking it to a whole new level.

[Thanks to Ron for sending the link]