Posted by: trainer at February 03, 2010 10:28 AM (K5X44)"

Makes Ace look meek by comparison.

These guys must have felt just as I did when I was watching Obamas state of the union address the other night.  Businessmen = Scum,  Pigs bladder full of blood = bonuses..... oh the irony

Berserker, apparently you didn't notice the two praetorians on either side of her.

You didn't get to where Livia was by not knowing how to survive.  You gotta admire someone like that - cross her, and it's a very painful death on the spot. 

Makes me wish we could send all of Congress out into th ring.   Now that would be fun.   Whoever lives gets to keep their pensions.

I've owned "I, Claudius" on DVD for years and I've watched it at least 20 times.  Best mini-series ever.  I will still occasionally put it on as background noise when I'm working on house projects.  Cheap production value, but with the high-quality writing and the amazing acting who cares?  What a nightmare Livia was, but when she died the empire got considerably worse...so how bad was she really?

I just bought HBO's "Rome" recently, and that started out much stronger than it finished.  Some decent characters and acting so it was worth the money for the boxed set, but the nudity was gratuitous; they could have gotten the decadence across without all the full frontal shots.  I like my kids to watch these history-based programs but I can't let them watch this.

You're right about that "downhill" part, humpgirl.  Beck's listing all the ankle-grabbing we're going where China is concerned.  So far, they've said we're not allowed to acknowledge the Dalai Lama's existence, or they will make the U.S.'s recovery very painful.  They're also not wild about our relationship with Taiwan.  We're also looking the other way when they hack U.S. Defense computers (even though we've invested billions in stealth technology). 

Closer to home, they're pulling out all the stops in Ohio.  You should hear the shiite that's going on in Ohio with (currently voluntary) daycare unionization:  cradle to career.

B's'rker, see, it's guys like you who just plain rent the old social fabric. Don't expect to be welcomed by True Republicans.  a heh.

Couple of Claudius lines that didn't make it into the TV show:

He endorsed Nero as his successor, to teach them a lesson. "When Nero is done with Rome, Rome will be done with emperors." Sounds familiar.

As he lay dying, he had an attack of diarrhea. "Oh dear, I'm afraid I've shit myself," the unfortunate Emperor intoned. "And why not?" quips the satirist. "He shit all over everything else."

Blogging is faster now, but it really hasn't gotten any better'n that right there. Plus, you can say it in Latin with fewer words. Carthage must be destroyed.

...and I don't want my family watching two grown men pussy-footing round each other for half an hour before one of them aims a real blow ...

Well then she should try to peak their arousal with pitchers of appletinis and a hot dance mix. 

And did the ancient Romans really use the word pussyfooting? Methinkest not.

CIVIS ROMANVS SPADVS SVM. ODI PROFANVS VVLGVS.

I'll bet there was a Latin word that meant pretty much the same thing. It was a very flexible and versatile language.

Lollygagorum.

I agree. It started out very strong, finished weak, and it could have accomplished everything it wanted to do without much of the gratuitous sleaze.

I thought essentially the same thing about "The Tudors" but I've only seen the first 2 seasons of that series.

"You're all scum, and you know it."

Thank you, Mistress Laura. May we have another?

 Bill also would have been at home in Rome, somewhere between Tiberius and Caligula...

...and giving them lessons.

I think comparing Hillary to Livia is insulting to Livia.  Livia occasionally thought of something other than herself.

Bit o' trivia: the actress who played Livia was married to Peter O'Toole for many years.  Lucky, lucky woman.

By the way, don't eat the figs.

I'd like to say 'hi' to all my friends in the Caesarean section!

And did you hear about the fire in the sandal factory? Apparently, some heal set it and five hundred soles were lost.

Ooops, "heel" set it.

Hey, I'm a comedian, folks, not a cunning linguist.

When you die at the Palace
... you really *die* at the Palace

What are you, a stand-up philosopher?

With all this Latin, I was reminded more of the graffiti scene in "Life of Brian;" "...But 'Romans Go Home' is an order, so..."

Ha!  The secret location of the re-education camps has been disclosed:  in the mines of Numidia! 

She, Michelle O., and Hillary all share the same hairdresser--Helmut Hair.

The White House is intensifying it's push to engage Congressional Republicans in policy negotiations as a way to share the burden...

Nope. Sorry. No Way. IT'S ALL YOURS.

"You're all scum, and you know it."

You love us.  You really love us. 

Posted by: Y-not at February 03, 2010 10:41 AM (sey23)

Well, it was almost 2,000 years ago.

I haven't watched I, Claudius for over 20 years and have fond memories of it. It was a surprise seeing Patrick Stewart with curly hair playing Praetorian Prefect Sejanus (must have been a wig).

So I'm guessing noone here is slathering over the new Spartacus?

@86

Shouldn't you be licking ass over at LGF?

maddog:

I've been reading & commenting here for years, same as at all my other web haunts.  No one sets my routine for me.

I knew that Sian Phillips (Livia) was married to Peter O'Toole.  Do you think they deliver their lines very much alike, or is it just me?

maddog:

I've been reading & commenting here for years, same as at all my other web haunts.  No one sets my routine for me.

Posted by: The Sanity Inspector at February 03, 2010 04:24 PM (uw+0A)

That's the spirit. You tell 'em. Kudos. I man who thinks for himself. Refreshing.

@92 The Sanity  Inspector

Thats funny, independant thought is what got me banned over at Little Green Jonestown. So I guess you must mirror Johnson's insanity pretty closely.

And Guest, what an ingorant slut you are.

I dunno, maddog, but I'm skeptical that it was "independent thought" that got you banned. C'mon, fess up, tell us the real reason why you were banned. You've got to be really, really loony to get banned from that loony website.