so....after trying for what seemed like forever to remove that little bastard, all is now peaceful in the valley. that bolt and washer deal that sheldon suggests might work for some, but it just ended up costing me a bolt and a nut after stripping the **** out of it and having to dremel that sucker off.

fixed cup removal equation for sure-fire success:
PB blaster (best stuff ever invented for stuck threaded objects) + bench mounted vise + a little bit of muscle = no more frozen fixed cup. came off with ease after letting the blaster soak in and tapping on it with a hammer periodically to maybe jar it loose/drive the oil down into the threads.

this is a happy day now...just thought i'd share for any of you who might have had/will have this same issue.