Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Apparently, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks have decided to fast-track ‘Angels and Demons,’ the prequel to ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ due to the looming writers’ strike. I’m excited for the second movie, because I thought that ‘A & D’ was a better book and more suited for a movie adaptation. Of course, I’m not excited to see Hanks’ faux mullet again.

Watch the mullet catch wind and carry Tom to safety!

I’ve recently discussed all the Oscar-potential movies that I wasn’t excited to see this year. It sounds as if I’m not the only one who’s decided that indie films are too depressing. Here’s an article explaining America’s lack of desire to see these dire movies, but rather more escapist fare. Dramas used to really be in vogue around this time of year, but it seems people are more interested in kiddie flicks and horror sequels.

‘Scrubs’ is coming back for its final season, but the creators of the show have decided to tone down the broad comedy a little, reminiscent of the first season. I’m excited about this since the first season is probably my favorite one. Also, look for a ‘Princess Bride’-themed episode this year. Inconceivable!

So, the Jazz are ranked seventh in this week’s ESPN power rankings. I only have one question: how did they move up one spot from last week if they haven’t even played a game yet?

Not Resting On the Seventh Day

I'm still a little wary about Season 7, but I kind of got the chills watching the trailer. So, here's hopin'

I'm Just Saying...

Have you ever wondered what a Libertarian is? How about a communitarian (opposite of a Libertarian)? Apparently, Libertarianism is on the rise and if you want to begin to understand this cultural phenomenon you should read this article. Political pundits feel like Libertarians might become very influential in the future political landscape. In fact, you may already be one. Personally, I hate all these labels that we’ve given one another, but if you’re wondering where you stand politically take this small quiz. You might be surprised—then again maybe not.

So, I’m thinking about moving to Beantown right now? It seems like everyone’s finding their groove there: Red Sox in the World Series; the Pats looking like a team that could go undefeated; Boston College making a run at a national championship; the Celtics looking like a playoff contender for the first time in years, er, decades; and even the native Bostonian, Ben Affleck, seems to have mustered some long-dormant critical praise out of his latest directorial debut.

So, I haven’t been watching much TV lately, but I just wanted to recommend ABC’s ‘Pushing Daises.’ I haven’t even watched a full episode—just 10 min. actually—but I kind of took a liking to it. Bolstered with rave reviews, it’s kind of a quirky and witty dramedy that’s akin to a Coen brothers film (i.e., ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou,’ ‘Raising Arizona,’ and ‘The Hudsucker Proxy’). Here’s the link.

Thanks Hayley for supplying a link to the new Star Trek cast compared to their older counterparts. The similarities are uncanny. Check it out.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that J.K. Rowling announced that Dumbledore is gay. Are you really surprised? It seems like most bespectacled British men who wrap themselves in glittery robes are.

This is the BBC, America...

This post has nothing to do with the BBC, but rather British-inspired news. I have never set foot on the ‘Spamalot’-inspired country, (btw…I just saw the play in Vegas, uh, awesome) but I have a profound respect and odd curiosity for anything that comes from across the pond:

I know this is a stretch, but the American version of ‘The Office’ comes to us directly from the British version. Anyway, ‘The Office’ definitely, in my mind at least, hasn’t jumped the shark, but, again, listening to reactions from people this season as well as reading on-line articles and blogs, I’m convinced that something is amiss. Read this article form Slate magazine that seems to think it knows how to remedy ‘The Office’ funk. Also, here’s the top 25 moments from ‘The Office’ with clips - it invokes fond memories.

Also, with all the Radiohead hysteria lately, I just needed to say that it looks like their little experiment has worked, financially speaking. While there have been many freeloaders who haven’t shelled out a penny for the new album, it looks as though the downloading averaged about $8 per CD. This article indicates that most A-list artists make about $1 for every CD sold, while, in contrast, Radiohead is reaping all the download profit from their own strategy. Not bad considering that estimates are around 1.2 million downloaded albums thus far. That would equate to like a billion pounds or something (I’m hazy on my pound to dollar conversion).

One more thing…Oasis is following suit and offering their latest single as a download only. The only difference is that you actually have to pay for it. P.S. I love Oasis.

How's that Whole Free Album Thing Going, Radiohead?

Jedboy has already waxed eloquently on this topic, as he is wont to do. Also, as I am wont to do, I'd like to reply to Jed's Radiohead thoughts in typical blogger fashion -- no research, mildly funny, and based purely on what I think is right.

Jed grew up listening Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and early "rock and roll." (I use quotes because I use the term rock and roll loosely with that era of rock. It rocked for that era, but that also was spoon fed crap like Paul Anka, the Kingston Trio, and alcoholic crooners. That rock was relatively rocking, but not historically rocking.) I grew up listening to actual rock and roll, like Bruce Springsteen, Hendrix, Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Van Halen. I also grafted in some outlaw country like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, Jr.

Want proof of how hard Hank Williams Jr. rocks? Check this out. Hank Williams basically calls out country music for not allowing him to A) drink whiskey, B) get loud, and C) possibly commit crimes. Over the weekend, I went to Wal Mart and paid $7.53 for Hank Jr's greatest hits. (Somehow, I thought Wal Mart would have it.)

I got out the liner notes, looked through the various photos of Hank -- Hank with beard smiling, Hank with beard smirking, Hank wearing sunglasses wiping gravy off beard -- like a fanboy. I was genuinely excited for my purchase.

Hank Williams Jr. 57,000 Google Images, and not one without sunglasses and beard.

Why was I excited about my purchase? The music is good. How good? About $7.53 good. One of the great things about America and capitalism is the willingness of the consumer to pay for something that is good.

My great-grandparents bought sheet music to play the legendary hits of W.W. Phelps. My grandparents bought whatever those old people bought. My dad bought 8-tracks, records, and now purchases CD's. The kids these days, I am told, use iTune's to download music.

The medium for music will change. What will not change is the willingness of Americans to reward that which we find good with our $$$$$. We have placed value on work exchange. Work exchange means I go to work and get paid, you go to work and get paid, Hank Williams Jr. combs his beard, goes to work, and gets paid. We create products of value, whatever that product is, and, in turn, expect an exchange to occur. In America, we pay for things because our money is the easiest form of showing approval for products.

So, Radiohead may toss out a "free" album. However, didn't Radiohead play some of the "In Rainbows" tracks at some of there live concerts? Concerts that people had been paying for?

Again, with the Moosen?

I came home from work last week for lunch and there were two moose in our yard. Apparently, they had been there all morning. I just had to take some more moose pics. I hope you enjoy them!

And the Oscar goes to...

In spite of the fact that I think the Oscars, or any other award shows, are pretty meaningless, I can’t help but get caught-up in the whole intrigue surrounding these types of shows. What I mean to say, is that I don’t think because one movie wins Best Picture accolades that it really is the best movie of the year—that goes for actors, directors, etc. However, for the most part, I do think that a lot of the movies that get nominated are note-worthy and sometimes could even be considered landmark achievements in cinema. And since I’m a huge movie buff, I can’t help but take notice of films that receive a lot of Oscar buzz.

It’s mid-October, which is still pretty early to be talking Oscars, but the movie theatres seem to be replete with adult-themed-Oscar-potential films right now. After perusing some of the Oscar contenders I feel a little depressed, which is how I think these films are supposed to make you feel. That is, most of these films seem to tackle the tough and controversial issues that tend to leave the audience in a state of morbid gloom. So, while I’m not jumping at the bit to see most of these movies, I just wanted to give my take on some of the films and actors that have Oscar written all over them:

Atonement – Nineteenth century period drama starring Kiera Knightley.

Hmm…didn’t we already see this movie—'Pride and Prejudice' anyone? It even has the same director. Ok, I won’t slam this too much, because 'Pride and Prejudice' was pretty good. I saw it—in a moment of weakness—with my sisters, mom, and sister-in-law. I really liked it. Anyway, if Kiera and her director-friend can produce the same magic from P & P, than look for some more Oscar noms.

Eastern Promises – Russian mob thriller starring Viggo Mortensen.

Kind of the same thing as Atonement; the director and main star have made a second similar-themed movie together that is receiving rave reviews. Aragorn was in a movie a few years back ('A History of Violence') that was supposed to be excellent. I never saw it, and I probably won’t see this one too, since it’s supposed to be extremely violent and Viggo even fights someone in the nude at one point!

Grace is Gone – Iraq war widower deals with death and life starring John Cusack.

This is one of the few movies that I really wanted to see at Sundance this year, but couldn’t get tickets. First off, I’m a huge John Cusack fan, (see 'Better Off Dead') but also I like the whole role-reversal thing of a husband having to deal with the death of his soldier wife and then having to tell his daughters about it.

In the Valley of Elah – Another Iraq war movie starring Charlize Theron and Tommy Lee Jones.

This one’s sure to have a lot of Oscar potential, since it was written by Paul Haggis, who wrote and co-wrote many of the latest films that earned or were nominated for Oscars (i.e., 'Letters from Iwo Jima', 'Flags of Our Fathers', 'Million Dollar Baby', and 'Crash').

A Mighty Heart – Based on the real-life Marianne Pearl, whose journalist husband died in Afghanistan starring Angelina Jolie.

Eh, I probably won’t see this one either. It’s weird to think that Angelina Jolie did, in fact, win an Oscar many years ago.

Charlie Wilson’s War – I have no idea what this one’s about – starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymor Hoffman, and Amy Adams.

I think the only reason this film is getting so much attention has to do with the fact that all of its stars have either won Oscars or were nominated for them. Even the director has been nominated five times!

Russel Crowe – Starring in 3:10 to Yuma and American Gangster.

Ok, even though this guy has some major anger management issues that he needs to deal with, that doesn’t mean he can’t light up the screen with his dogged acting chops. Shoo-in for an Oscar nod.

Michael Clayton – Cerebral lawyer thriller starring George Clooney.

Critics loved it; the public passed. Oscar voters have fallen in love with Mr. Ocean—look for another best actor nomination.

Cate Blanchett – Starring in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and I’m Not There.

Cate Blanchett is spot-on in anything she’s in. Oscar voters love her and she may just get a nom for playing a guy (Bob Dylan)!

Lions for Lambs – Anti-Iraq war story starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and Robert Redford.

Say what you will about Tom Cruise and his, um, eccentricities; he brings his ‘A’ game in everything he’s in. I think Meryl Streep gets nominations for just being in a movie. Bob Redford is a little hit-and-miss these days when putting out good material.

Denzel Washington – Starring in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster.

Denzel has the goods, what can I say? He won an Oscar for 'Training Day', in which he played one bad mutha—similar to 'American Gangster.'

Daniel Day-Lewis – Starring in There Will Be Blood.

Anytime Day-Lewis ('Last of the Mohicans', 'Gangs of New York') decides to grace the screen with his presence (about once every three years) he always generates a lot of Oscar buzz.

No Country for Old Men – Coen brothers’ modern noir film based on a Cormac McCarthy book.

I haven’t read this book, but I read McCarthy’s other book, ‘The Road’ and was completely floored.

Casey Affleck – Starring in The Assassination of Jesse James and Gone Baby Gone.

So, everyone knows Casey as Ben’s younger brother and as one of the Mormon twins in the Ocean’s movies, but he’s also generating a lot of buzz for his method portrayal of the coward Robert Ford as well as headlining Ben’s directorial debut Gone Baby Gone.

Sweeney Todd – Tim Burton’s murderous barber musical starring Johnny Depp.

Burton and Depp have teamed up on countless occasions (six of 'em) to very crowd-pleasing results, but this film could be what gets them into Oscar contention.

Keri Russell – Starring in Waitress.

I’ve been a huge fan of Keri’s since her 'Felicity' days. This was another Sundance movie that I wanted to see, but couldn’t get tickets. I still haven’t seen it, but maybe more Oscar attention might spur me on to actually buy a ticket.

All the Presidents Are Men

Movies.com compiled a list of the presidential wannabes favorite movies, I thought they were pretty funny. Here's what they said:

They're all wooing Hollywood — and the latest to enter the race was even (gasp!) an actor. So, we wondered, what movies do they really watch on a quiet Saturday night. We didn't ask; they didn't tell. Here's what we think the main candidates' top picks should be, and why!

RUDY GIULIANI (former mayor)

World Trade Center (2006)
"Didn't have enough of a certain strong, unwavering mayor, but all in all, very moving — and very effective at fundraising."

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
(U.S. Senator)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
"Jimmy Stewart is wonderful as a principled man who speaks his mind even after winning election to the Senate. My all-time favorite science-fiction movie."

JOHN McCAIN (U.S. Senator)

Hostel (2005)
"My fellow GOP contenders think torture's a nifty idea. I think they should watch this movie — and then imagine it lasting for six long years in a POW camp in 'Nam. Still sound nifty?"

BARACK OBAMA (U.S. Senator)

Hitch (2005)
"Will Smith is the best. I can't get enough of how he turns a stiff Kevin James into one cool dude. Hmmm, wonder if he's available for consultations?"

FRED THOMPSON
(actor, former U.S. Senator)

In the Line of Fire (1993)
"A crackerjack thriller; plus, I get to be the White House chief of staff, establishing my credibility as an Oval Office occupant."

JOHN EDWARDS (former U.S. Senator)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
"Finally! A movie that depicts the challenges faced by those of us with good hair like George Clooney! Excessive combing is just one price we pay. Four-hundred dollars is another."

MITT ROMNEY
(former governor, Salt Lake Winter Games savior)

Blades of Glory (2007)
"Everything I love — Winter Olympic-style pageantry, ice rinks, manly male figure skaters."

To Boldly Go…

Casting for the new Star Trek movie seems to be rounding out as new reports are trickling in of the latest to join the pre-television series U.S.S. Enterprise. It appears that J.J. Abrams, the director, is taking the franchise into a bold new direction. Instead of using past Star Trek television stars, Abrams is casting young and relatively unknown actors to man the 60s sci-fi ship. While trying to appeal to a broader audience is the obvious reason that Abrams has broken from Star Trek tradition, some Trekkers are worried that he may fly the franchise off course, however, most have taken a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude.

A Mexican politician was stripped of his first-place title after it was uncovered that he took a shortcut. Officials opened an investigation after a race photographer noted that he finished the marathon wearing a jacket and long running tights; he also wasn’t sweating and he looked like he had just come from a fiesta. He shot back that he never intended to complete the race, but was simply crossing the finish line to get to all of his things. Since when do you cross a finish line pumping your arms in the air just to collect your belongings? Here’s the video. Compare his triumphant finish to that of his running counterparts who are on the verge of death.

So, what did you guys think of ‘The Office’ last night. I was reading some blogs on-line and some people were complaining that the hour-long episodes are just too much. Even my brother said that it seemed like they were just trying to fill space in some areas. I’m not sure how I feel. I think that I laughed quite a bit: Meredith’s hip cast, Andy’s song to Angela, Michael and Dwight making fun of Ryan. But, I would agree that the whole kidnapping incident seemed a little too ‘out there.’ Kind of like when Michael drove his car into the river on the last episode. I don’t know. What do you guys and gals think?

One last thing: I couldn’t watch ‘The Office’ on DVR because it wasn’t working for some reason, so I sat and watched all the commercials for fear that I might miss even one second. There’s all these lame Jerry Seinfeld promos for his new movie on. Uh, L.A.M.E. I didn’t think they were very funny at all, and it caused me not to want to watch his new movie.

And now, for your weekly entertainment...

The Office has kind of hit it big recently with Emmy noms and wins, making it onto the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and a slew of the series’ actors taking movie roles. But are you worried that this kind of perfect sitcom can’t last for much longer? Ken Levine offers a cautionary letter to ‘The Office’ actors, writers, et al. All I can say is ‘amen.’

Since the LotR franchise has made like a gajillion dollars and won a cache of Oscars, it seems like making a couple of prequels would be the closest a potential movie could get to a ‘sure thing’ in the film industry. However, the director, Peter Jackson, has been embroiled in a legal battle with New Line (the movie studio that bankrolled the films) over mishandled revenues. New reports have indicated that some sort of détente has taken place between the director and the studio that fast-tracked him to ‘it’ director status. Peter Jackson directing a new Hobbit movie would be awesome, well, it would be ‘precious.’ (Sorry.) Better than these other directors anyway.

So, how ‘bout a ‘Goonies’ sequel? Seems like Corey Feldman is on a role of late, with this and a ‘Lost Boys’ sequel in the works, he can finally leave Corey Haim behind. Watch him break it to his other half that he won’t be in ‘Lost Boys 2.’ Don’t get too sentimental, most of the stuff they do on ‘The Two Coreys’ is scripted.

Have you seen the new Old Navy sweater commercial? I worked at Bold Gravy (heh, heh) for like two years and most of the music that was played continuously over the PA system was so horribly awful that I would get headaches from having to listen to it on a loop all day. But I really like the song from the commercial by a one, Ingrid Michaelson. Take a listen. Also read what she has to say about selling out to GAP, Inc.

One last thing. So, Lindsay Lohan wants to move to Utah, eh? Great, Utah is turning into the backwater for the decrepit, the D-listed, and now the dysfunctional actors. (Yes, that’s alliteration.)

The Day the Music Industry Died

Last week I watched ‘La Bamba.’ It’s the semi-biographical account of the rock legend Ritchie Valens, who would ultimately die in a plane crash only eight months after starting out his very short-lived career—he was only 17! He died in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper in 1959; a day which would eventually be known as “The Day the Music Died.” These three young rock stars were just at the start of what might have become some very successful music careers. Many musicians have lamented this musical loss; Don McLean’s well-known single ‘American Pie,’ chronicles the demise of the three stars that fell out of the sky as well as the death of what he saw as pure rock ‘n’ roll. I absolutely love this type of music and how it fused elements of country music with that of ‘race music’ or rhythm and blues. It was still in its infancy when they passed away, but it was the start of a truly American art form.

I grew up listening to this genre of music and was infatuated with the ‘La Bamba’ soundtrack because of all the great rock tracks. In fact, it was one of the first CDs I can remember my dad buying. We must have bought a CD player around 1987 because that’s when ‘La Bamba’ came out. It’s hard to believe that that was twenty years ago! Anyway, I remember listening to all of Ritchie Valens hits that included ‘La Bamba,’ ‘Donna,’ and ‘Come On, Let’s Go.’ All my brothers and sisters used to get so energized listening to the music that we’d start dancing and jump all over the room. Of course, this caused a lot of problems for those first generation CD players that tended to skip if you even breathed too hard around them. I also loved to open up the jewel case and take out the little inset that accompanied all CDs at the time and flip through the pictures and lyrics—I’d do this for hours sometimes while listening to the tunes.

However, I haven’t done this in awhile. The main reason is that I don’t buy CDs anymore, or hardly ever I should say. I know that I’ve touched upon this before on this personal journal-like blog of mine, but I can’t help but comment a little further on this subject in light of Radiohead’s new tactic of distributing their music. If you haven’t heard, Radiohead has decided that instead of compiling their music on a CD with the help of a major record label, they would just dole out the music themselves by selling it in the form of a download from their website. Here’s the rub: Radiohead decided that the fans could decide how much they were willing to pay for their newest installment. In other words, if the casual fan felt like just downloading it for nothing, then that’s totally fine. Personally, I’m not sure what kind of fall-out this is going to have on the music industry, but here’s some thoughts:

While Radiohead’s announcement might come across as commercial suicide, some are hailing this as a musical revolution for an already defunct and archaic system. Advocates are even saying that downloads are turning into promotional tools to sell concert tickets. In other words, the price of music has fallen so dramatically in recent years that giving the music away for free is just a way to get more people to come to a band’s show. Of course, the impact on the record labels has been catastrophic as their bread ‘n’ butter (CDs) have become as cool as eight-tracks. The famous record producer, Rick Rubin, who was recently appointed co-chairman of the Columbia label, has ideas of refocusing the company into something akin to that of the cable TV business (i.e., making Columbia’s catalogue available for download while people pay a monthly subscription).

Thus, while major labels are scrambling to squeeze out any money from hot bands, the artists themselves seem to be making out okay. Attendance of arena shows is up 11% from last year. Music festivals are in the upswing. Bands seem to be raking in the dough as they offset their dwindling CD sales with increased concert prices; most fans aren’t even complaining as they watch their favorite artists in the flesh. As Robert Sandall put it: “They have rediscovered an ancient truth that music is, at root, a communal experience as much as it is something that goes on between your ears.” Some in the industry have even mused that music is now becoming more of a passion for people than even before CDs because of the increased accessibility to music.

The Radiohead method has already forced people to question how much music is actually worth. While there will of course be freeloaders, some people are really shelling out the dough for the new licks because of their fervor for the band. Money for artists is generally made through record contracts and touring and not through the CD. I think I once read that artists generally make about $2 for an album that probably retails around $14.99. Thus, paying for music for your favorite band could essentially turn into a donation for the appreciation and continuation of their music. So, how much would you pay for your favorite Kanye West, Josh Groban, or Metallica album?

I would gladly pay upwards of $20 for an album from a band I consider great—I have no problem with this. For instance, when ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’ came out with their new double album last year, I made a B line to the nearest Best Buy and forked over the cash for the CD. And, to be honest, I really relished in putting in the CD and looking at the inset of pictures. Of course, I ripped the CD to iTunes, stuck the CD in the shelf, and haven’t picked it up since.

My point is: I would pay for music from bands I really like because I want to support them. If bands couldn’t continue to produce music because they couldn’t make money off of their trade, then I really think that that would be tragic. So, then my issue then becomes: what do I do with bands I’ve never heard of? I have a problem with shelling out even $10 for a CD from a band when I’m only familiar with one or two of their songs. I guess this is why iTunes seems to work for me. I can spend $1 on a song that I’ve heard somehow and transfer it over to my personal catalogue of fabulous music. If I continue to like the song, then I might buy some more tracks from that artist. Eventually, I might even hand over some money to go to one of their concerts.

So, is this really the end of the music industry? No. I just think it’s a shift in the way music is distributed. It calls into question what the purpose behind record labels is. I would have to say that their main function is to promote an artist so that their music can be heard far and wide. Thus, instead of producing CDs to be able to sell them in stores, music labels might become more like PR firms that specialize in selling an artist, not just a piece of plastic. This, of course, would mean that record labels would have to receive a bigger share of concert revenues, merchandise, TV spots, etc. as compensation for their services. Maybe if they just took a page from a certain rock ‘n’ roll chronicle it would make their situation a little easier:

I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance,
That I could make those people dance,
And maybe they'd be happy for a while

I saw a flock of moosen!

I know this title doesn’t really make sense unless you’re a Brian Regan fan, so here’s a little clip explaining this. Anyway, I did see a flock of moosen today at work! I know right? Awesome. There were actually only two of them. (I’m not sure how many you need for a flock?) We saw them first in the parking lot; it looked like they were coming right up to the front door of City Hall to complain. Fortuitously enough, right next to me looking out the window was a newspaper guy, and so I told him this: “Hey, this would be a great title for a front page story: ‘Even the Moose Come to City Hall to Complain!’” He looked at me like I was an idiot, which is exactly how I felt after his condescending non-response. Still, what a great place to work and live! Here are a couple of pics that I took after I saw them in the parking lot before they scampered off into the woodsen.

Cowboys! Romulans! Vampires!.....Lend me your ears!

So, what do cowboys, Romulans, vampires, and nerds have in common? Aside from being Duane’s secret identities, they don’t really have anything in common—I just wanted to talk about all four for a bit:

First of all, does anyone know who Karl Urban is? He’s sort of an up-and-coming star I guess. Most of you would know him from his role as Eomer in LotR. He also played the Russian assassin in the excellent ‘Bourne Supremacy.’ Aside from that he hasn’t been in anything you might consider major, but he’s recently been cast to play Woodrow F. Call in the prequel to ‘Lonesome Dove.’ I’m pretty excited for this since I absolutely love the original TV miniseries and the book. Come to think of it I kind of have an odd fascination with westerns. I think that Robert Duvall, who was in the original ‘Lonesome Dove,’ put it best when explaining why the Western genre is important: "it's ours. It's ours… It's American. The English have Shakespeare, the French have Moliere, the Russians have Chekhov. The Western is ours."

Anyway, Karl Urban has also been cast in another prequel. He’s been offered the role of the top villainous Romulan in the new Star Trek movie. I’ve actually secured one of his lines from the script below. (It’s been reported that he ad-libs quite a bit.)

Top Villainous Romulan: What business does an elf, man, and a dwarf have in the Romulan Star Empire? Speak quickly.

They’re still working on some of the lines…

The new teen vampire sensation, ‘Twilight,’ (and by ‘teen’ I mean every female member of Mormondom) is being made into a movie. I would try and be more excited by this, but my mom has already banned me from reading the books because of all the kissing.

Finally, Demitri Martin has a new show coming to Comedy Central. If you’re a follower of ‘Daily Show,’ you’d probably recognize this guy. He’s a pretty funny nerd.

Week in Review

Every day last week I indulged myself in some form of entertainment. Here’s my Monday through Friday analysis of what I experienced: the Good, the Bad, and the Weird.

Monday
I guess last week was premier week on many of the networks. I decided to check out a couple of shows that had appeal to me. The first was ‘Chuck.’ This show is billed as an action/comedy. It’s getting great reviews, but I was kind of left with a ho-hum feeling. That’s not to say it was bad—the action sequences were amazing—it’s just that the comedy fell a little flat to me. I will say that the main character is very likable, and I think the show has a lot of potential.

That same night I watched another sitcom called ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ I wasn’t expecting much since the critics kind of panned it. I was also a little wary since it plays like a traditional sitcom: laugh track, situational humor, set up, joke, set up, joke, etc. But I must say I came away pleasantly surprised. It’s an extremely well-written sitcom and I found myself laughing out-loud many times. Also, Jim Parsons (Sheldon) plays out the nuances of his character with nerdlike perfection and wit. Check it out.

Tuesday
It was “old movie night” at my house…I was the only one invited. (Sidenote: sad). I watched this movie called The Apartment, which happened to be on my very long list of movies I need to watch. The premise of the movie was actually somewhat seedy for a movie that came out in 1960. It’s hailed as a comedy classic, but I would label it under the somewhat new moniker of ‘dramedy.’ It actually deals with some very serious issues that I thought were very ‘hush hush’ during this time period, of course, this was the beginning of the 60s…Anyway, I just wanted to say that the comic genius of Jack Lemmon was evident as he embodied the everyday man caught in extraordinary situations with bumbling ease. (See Some Like it Hot). Also, I kind of fell in love with Shirley MacLaine a little.

Wednesday
My sister and I decided to go to the circus on opening night—neither one of us had ever been and we thought it would be fun. And, well, we actually did have a good time, but I was kind of thrust into sensory overload with all the music, noise, clowns, lights, animals, etc. Have you ever seen the sequence in Dumbo when he (gasp!) gets drunk and starts dreaming of pink elephants on parade? To be honest, I couldn’t get that out of my head the entire night. The highlight, for me, was the Asian performers that would contort their bodies together into extravagant corporal pyramids that any cheerleading squad would drool over.

Thursday
Yes! The return of the ‘The Office’ was a sublime, life-affirming, feast of comedy. Ok, it wasn’t perfect, but it was good to see the characters I love back on the small screen. I’ve been watching this sitcom since it debuted. I remember telling people about it after the first season’s six episodes came out and no one had heard of it. So, I downloaded the episodes onto my laptop and carted them around, showing them to anyone that would watch. (I think I’ve seen the first season’s episode like twenty times or something—they’re still my favorite.)

Michael was, of course, beautifully annoying as usual and the PB & J scenes were played out to perfection; not too much and just enough that everyone I was with ‘aaahhhed’ when the TV crew caught the slight kiss in the car. It was a seamless resolution to last season’s cliffhanger.

P.S. Hayley - thanks for facilitating on ‘Office’ party at your apartment. I was especially fond of the green jell-o garnished with miniature staplers. Christian - again, I still don’t understand why you left with ‘six-pack chick’?

Oh, and btw...Creed's turning into on of my favorite characters:

Creed: I've been involved in a number of cults, both as a leader and a follower. You have more fun as a follower. But you make more money as a leader.

Friday
I went to see David O. McKay presents ‘The Smashing Pumpkins’ at the David O. McKay Events Center at UVSC. I kept my streak alive of seeing concerts without paying. This was probably my fifth or sixth one this year where no dollars were exchanged for musical enchantment. I’m a big fan of this band, but oddly enough I only started listening to them after my mission, which was unfortunate because they had broken up by then. So I didn’t think that I’d ever see them live. However, they got back together earlier this year and started touring again, so I just had to go. Of course, I don’t know if you could consider them really together again, since it’s only Billy Corgan and the drummer that are back from the original line-up. The lead-singer alluded to this when he introduced his drummer, with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, as his ‘life-partner.’

Anyway, they really rocked the casbah with their 90s-defining alt-progressive rock. My favorite part, however, was when Billy did a couple of acoustic takes of some of his biggest hits. It was especially touching to hear him talk about a mother backstage telling him, before the beginning of the concert, about her daughter who recently passed away—she was a huge fan of their music. He dedicated the acoustic version of ‘1979’ to her. It’s my favorite Pumpkins song; in fact, it’s now my video wallpaper on my phone.

WeekEnd
-Radiohead’s giving away their newest album….should we still buy CDs Aaron?

-New Dashboard Confessional is streaming on MySpace and it’s all acousticked up.