D

I tend to see everything in the world in terms of Kevin Bacon. I'm not sure whether it's a gift or a curse. It probably goes a long way to explain why I don't have a girlfriend.

Anyway, those who inhabit this alternate world with me instantly understand what I mean. For those of you who don't (ie, the "normal" people), let me explain: You see, there's a mathmatical theory that states that all things in the world can be related via "Six Degrees of Separation". In other words, every movie actor in the world is only six actors away from someone who's been in a movie with Kevin Bacon.

Let me give you an example: Let's say I choose Tom Hanks. Here's how the Six Degrees equation would be constructed.

1. Tom Hanks was in Forrest Gump with Sally Field
2. Sally Field was in Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds
3. Burt Reynolds was in Cannonball Run with Adrienne Barbeau
4. Adrienne Barbeau was in Escape From New York with Kurt Russell
5. Kurt Russell was in Big Trouble in Little China with Victor Wong
6. Victor Wong was in Tremors with Kevin Bacon


So there you go. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. (And yes, I know that Kevin Bacon and Tom Hanks were both in Apollo 13, so we could've been there in one step...but where's the fun in that?

Anyway, the answer to yesterday's trivia question is "D". When seeing the letter "D" standing alone, some people (like Jack Black for instance) think of the word "Defense" (or D-Fence, as footballs fans and Englishmen might want to spell it). Others think of scientific terms, such as debigulator or defenestration. Or Devo. But in this case, I'm talking about first names.

What's the connection between Night of the Lepus and Twisted Sister? Well,the big star in the giant killer rabbit movie is the actor who played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek--DeForest Kelley. Known to his friends as "Dee", the good doctor shares the first name of the lead singer/transvestite from the notorious hair band: Dee Snider. And if that's not connection enough, consider this: Twisted Sister's most famous music video featured a guest appearance by Mr. Mark Metcalf, who played the sadistic frat brat Niedermeyer in Animal House, which also featured...you guessed it: Kevin Bacon! It's pretty amazing how it all fits together isn't it?

Wow! I mean, I wonder what people of the far distant future will think of Kevin Bacon, and of the myriad connections that tie all humanity together in his honor. I suspect there will be statues erected, songs written, and historical documentaries flooding whatever media exists in that era. But that's just speculation—In the meantime, I will leave you with one other item to ponder: The fellow to the right is Mr. Heavy D, who was in the movie "Big Trouble" with Tim Allen, who was in "Toy Story" with Tom Hanks, who has the previously-mentioned Baconic connections. Coincidence? I don't think so. Anyway, feel free to ponder this troubling development as you finish out your weekend. And have a great day!