Pet Rock: The Pop Culture Blog

Sad about the fact that there is no good TV on in the summer? Still stunned by the new Olive Garden commercial that claims their chefs have a school in Tuscany (Seriously!)? Or if you are just looking to spice up your evening drinking, we here at Pet Rock have a new game for you.

The Denise Richards drinking game is simple, and anyone can play (provided you are over 21 and have no life). Here is how it works:

Step 1: Watch her show (I know, bear with me, you won’t remember it anyway).
Step 2: Any time she says “mom” take a drink.
Step 3: Any time she references "Richie" or "Charlie" chug for 5 seconds.
Bonus: Do a shot anytime she mentions "Wild Things" or the fact that she was in Playboy.

Warning: This game will get you seriously drunk in about 5 minutes. In case you haven’t been watching (but we know you all are) Denise's mother passed away recently from cancer. While that is terribly sad, she does tend to talk about it with every sentence on her new reality show.

In last week's episode, which was all about her mother, I lost count after 27 “my mom” references in a span of 5 minutes. When she is not talking about her mother, she is teaching her nephew about why she was in Playboy or explaining to people that she was in 'Wild Things.'

So, drink up and wait for the new season of 'Entourage' in September.

As the only legally documented father of the Pet Rock crew (sorry Adam), I wanted to share this commercial from Hallmark. I would have preferred '2 Legit 2 Quit' but that might only be funny to me.

Wu-Tang Clan's Rza (aka Robert Diggs) has come out with WuChess.com, a new Web site devoted to chess for the hip-hop crowd.

If you've ever heard a Wu-Tang album, you know the lyrics are heavy on chess moves, so this Web site is a natural fit for the Wu. WuChess.com may even entice young kids and hip hop heads who are unfamiliar with chess to learn this game of strategy.

Here's more about their Web site: "At Wuchess.com you can log-on to watch chess clans do battle and check out exhibition matches with Rza, other Wu-Tang members and stars from across the planet."

Wu-Tang loves the kids and so a portion of the site's revenue will be donated to the Hip Hop Chess Federation's scholarship fund, according to WuChess.com.

"Sex and the City" finally opens in theaters tomorrow after much hoopla and media attention. Whew! As much as I love the fab four, I've been updating our SATC online guide constantly and now I'm relieved to be free to focus on something else. For instance, a site dedicated to showcasing Sarah Jessica Parker's horse-like features!!

"Sadly, since the HBO series came to an end, Sarah has not aged well. In fact, recently Sarah Jessica Parker was voted 'The Unsexiest Woman Alive' by Maxim magazine. And we agree. Dare we say, her horse-face appearance is so unappealing it now totally cancels out any redeeming 'hotness' she once had. Pity," whinnied "Wilber" the site's Stable Master.

It's so wrong, but ridiculously funny! So, what do you think? Does Sarah Jessica Parker look like a horse? See for yourself: sarahjessicaparkerlookslikeahorse.com

And while you're in the mood, stop by Newsday's Guide to "Sex and the City: The Movie" for the movie trailer, sneak peeks, photos, and an interactive map of hotspots made famous by the show.

Photo credit: SJPLLAH

By now, you know that the movie "Sex and the City" will be in theaters May 30. Are you a Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte or Miranda?

Lingerie maker Insinuate doesn't care which one you choose to look like as long as you rock one of their sleazy thongs and animal print bras. Check out their own version of SATC's fab four (above) posing for the camera on the streets of London. They are absolutely the worst look-a-likes ever!

Americans are much better at celebrity impersonations, just go to Vegas and you'll see Elvis, Cher, the Rat Pack, and they do it with claaaass, baby. Even our celebrites look like other celebrities!

Think you can do a better job? Long Island radio station WBLI is offering local SATC look-a-likes a chance to win entrance to an advanced screening of "Sex and the City: The Movie" on May 28 in NYC. Just send in your photo to jilinthemorning@yahoo.com by Friday, May 23rd. Winners also will receive a $100 gift card from Bloomingdale's, a pair of shoes courtesy of the Hampton Shoe Vixen and a makeup makeover from M.A.C. Get more information or official rules from WBLI online: www.wbli.com

For more look-a-like antics, check out this clip from the Maury Povich show ...

Photo credit: Getty Images

The old "Anchorman" change the script on the teleprompter never gets old. We do it all the time when filming green screen stuff in the office.

Ernie Jones, one third of TNT's "Inside the NBA" show, did to Charles Barkley recently. And the clip is all over YouTube. Here it is for your enjoyment.

- La Monica

Leave it to 7-Eleven to drum up some sweet emotion with its new Full Throttle Frozen Blast Slurpees.

The 24-hour convenience store chain is hooking up with Activision to promote the latest installment of the "Guitar Hero" video game -- "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" -- which hits stores June 29.

But you can get your rock off now in 7-Eleven parking lots across the Island through May 13 as WBLI (106.1 on your FM dial) hosts Guitar Hero jams, complete with a 6 x 12-foot screen to watch your own mini rock concert.

Bring your rock star talents (heck, even dress up in tight leather pants and put in some hair extensions if you want) and compete to win a copy of the "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" video game. Oh yeah, free slurpees, too! And they come in a Guitar Hero cup. Ah, the joys of cross-promotional marketing. We are such suckers for souvenir cups, aren't we?

Here's the WBLI schedule:

Friday, May 9: 7-Eleven at 602 Smithtown Bypass, Smithtown
Noon - 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 11: 115 Jericho Turnpike, Jericho
Noon - 2 p.m.

Monday, May 12: 2397 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow
6 - 8 p.m.

And here's the schedule for 7-Eleven appearances without WBLI:

Friday, May 9
3 - 5 p.m.: 616 Union Blvd., West Islip
6 - 8 p.m.: 403 Broadway, Amitville

Saturday, May 10
11 a,m. - 3 p.m.: 101-04 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills (WKTU in the house!)
6 - 8 p.m.: 72-01 Eliot Ave, Middle Village

Sunday, May 11
3 - 5 p.m.: 901 Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station
6 - 8 p.m.: 247 Broadway, Huntington

Monday, May 12
Noon - 2 p.m.: 251 Montauk Hwy, Lindenhurst
3 - 5 p.m.: 4350 Merrick Road, Massapequa

Tuesday, May 13
2 - 5 p.m.: 850 Hempstead Turnpike, Franklin Square

If you can't make it to one of these events or if you don't live on Long Island, find a 7-Eleven near you, buy a Slurpee and enter the code at slurpee.com to see if you won a copy of "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith."

- La Monica

"Superbad" cleaned up at the MTV Movie Award nominations Tuesday morning, earning five nominations including Best Movie and Best Comedic Performance (Jonah Hill).

The Golden Popcorn statues get handed out June 1 in Universal City, Calif., and on your television set. More important, after seeing this story online, I got to thinking. And thinking more often than not leads to Googling. And Googling leads to remembering a link Sammy Search Engines once sent me: The "Superbad" McLovin ID maker.

Click the pic and make your own McLovin ID. Then come back and post the link in the comments field. Show us your McLovin!

Get your own Mclovin ID

Aside from sports scores, buckets of email and free unmentionables, click the T-Pain-Akon artwork below to learn why the Internet was invented. Nice work, repcodes.

See that pic over there on the left side of this blog, the one that identifies Adam Abramson?

Yeah, well, he won't look like that in about 12 minutes after I get done with him. That freakin' little punk just Rick Roll'd me!

For those unaware of Rick Rolling, it's an Internet phenomenon where you send someone a link that indicates one thing, but points you to Rick Astley's video for "Never Gonna Give You Up."

You believe that? My colleague. My friend. My fellow Pet Rocker. Please, my dear readers, email adam.abramson@newsday.com and let's teach this young Fredo Corleone wannabe know that you just can't do that to people.

Web Scout, a blog by the LA Times, talked to Rick Astley about this Rick Rolling phenomenon. I promise this link takes you to the actual interview.

Matt Damon said it best in "Rounders" when his character Mike McD quoted old-school poker hero Jack King's book "Confessions of a Winning Poker Player":

"Few players recall big pots they have won -- strange as it seems -- but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career."

So true, Mike, so true. And with the advent of the lipstick camera and premium timeslots on ESPN a few years back, poker took the regular world by storm. We all got to share in people's suck-out wins, crazy bluffs and those outstanding tough beats.

They're a badge of honor among poker players, sort of like old Army buddies comparing scars and wounds. With that in mind, here's my latest tough beat.

Playing in a charity No Limit Hold'em tournament at the Montel Williams MS Foundation Gala at Cipriani's in Manhattan on Thursday night (a wonderful event for a good cause, by the way), I sat with a few pros (including 2006 WSOP Ladies Event champ Mary Jones) and a few regular folks like me.

Kings were flying in my direction on the first hand, and the chips soon followed suit. The next 35 minutes were spent racking up frequent flyer miles to 3-8 Town and Q-4 Land.

Then I finally get a hand worth playing: A-K suited. The blinds were $100-200 and I was down to $1,375 in chips (everyone started with $2,000). Sitting middle position, I raised to $500.

A fella sitting across from me who happened to look exactly like former Gov. Eliot Spitzer without the stress and potential legal headaches raised to $1,000. A handsome bet, indeed.

At this point, I can only fold or raise, just like Mike McD against Teddy KGB. I push all my chips in, calling his $500 and raising it up another $375. We flip 'em and let the people join in watching the race.

He flips . . . a pair of freakin' 3s. Yep, he raised a raise and then called a second raise wth 3-3. That's right, 3-freaking-3. Seriously? Seriously.

At this point, I'm slightly furious that he's slightly ahead, but even more furious that Fake Spitzer played a pair of 3s that strong.

Here comes the flop: J-10-7, including one spade. Now I've got an inside straight draw, a potential flush and two overcards that would send his pair of 3s into the muck pile.

On the turn, a fourth spade falls. Nice. Plenty of outs for me. And a big pot that would help get me to next round and one step closer to the final table and a chance to perhaps play against poker pros Freddie Deeb, Annie Duke and Jamie Gold, not to mention the host of the event, Montel Williams.

I look at the community cards, then my A-K, then those damn 3s which I can hear taunting me. Awaiting the river card, I glance again at my cards, then at Jones' poker bracelet to my right, then at Fake Spitzer in front. The dealer flips over the river card. Oh that's nice, a 9 of hearts. No help for me. There goes all my money and a chance to live the dream. But when you lose to Fake Spitzer, at least the card that destroys me is a (Client) 9.

- Mark La Monica

You remember being a kid playing Memory. I know you do. So, hark back to those days with this little pop culture memory game. Post your time and flip count in the comments section and let's see who's the best.

The Pet Rock office record as of posting this was 40 flips in 38 seconds.

I woke up a little while ago and saw that the weathermen were correct. It's snowing and it's snowing hard. From my window, it looks like this snowfall - the first real one this winter here on Long Island - will be perfect for snowballs.

Too bad my rotator cuff doesn't rotate much anymore. It needs some professional assistance, or a few cans of WD-40. However, we can throw as many snowballs as we want online with this game.

Channel your inner diva/divo and ward off the paparazzi trying to snap your photo during your winter getaway with someone who's not your significant other. Click the pic to get started (game will open in a new window). Enjoy, and let us know how much time you wasted at work today playing this game.

- Mark La Monica

Click pic to play Snowball Fight!

Want to see a grown man and Newsday's own Pet Rock blogger Mark La Monica go nuts with kiddie toys? If yes, then you're in luck! Want to see that same grown man sport a pink wig and crawl into a tent fit for his mini me? You're in luck again! It's the video that keeps on giving...

How much do you want that advanced pogo stick business? I wish I was playing with toys all day too, that's for sure.

Remember when you were a kid and your parents subscribed to National Geographic magazine for you? Or when you'd ask your elementary school teacher to go to the library to read it?

Yeah, they all knew what you were doing: You wanted to see the topless ladies. It's cool, no one will rat you out anymore.

Well, here comes the National Geographic Channel's Web site with another awesome reason to check them out. And this time - surprise! - it once again includes people who don't wear shirts.

The show is called Fight Science, a show that analyzes the science behind the strength and techniques of mixed martial artists from the UFC, Special Ops and self-defense. Randy "The Natural" Couture, Tito Ortiz and Bas Rutten are among the UFC fighters in this show, which debuts Sunday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m.

But it's the online Fight Science game that you really need to peep ASAP.

It's freaking awesome!

The people at the NG's Web site built an amazing online game (and free, too!) where you can test your skills. Everything from force to balance to strength to reflexes. One minute, you're punching a dummy to build up your strength, the next you're sticking your hand out trying to catch the katana sword on the handle instead of the blade. It's very "Miyagi, chopsticks and the fly," and very cool.

Create your own profile and challenge your friends. Or log in as me (UN: petrock; PW: petrock) and let's build an uber fighter to conquer the rest of the Internet world. Help me out on the balance beam thing. It's very "Flash Gordon vs. the Baron played by Tim Daly on that crazy labryinth platform thing with the spikes" and I stink at it. Strange, seeing how much I enjoy that movie still.

Either way, just click here and play.

That's right ladies, get jealous. Here I am with Mr. Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey himself on the day of our lovely nuptials. He's carrying the bouquet and making that sexy smirk, I'm looking dazed and slightly annoyed. Sounds about right.

Psych! We totally didn't get married. Want a similar pic for yourself, or better yet, a co-worker? Just click HERE and enjoy.

And watch the 'Made of Honor' trailer, premiering this summer, below.

- Anne Machalinski

Red square is awesome. No, not the place with the ice bar at Mandalay Bay in Vegas, or at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.

This one trickled in the Pet Rock office via the Big Cat.

It's the latest cure for office boredom. Good luck.

Play Red Square

P.S. The Pet Rock record as of post time is 25.299.