JedBoy

Early Buzz: The First Reviews of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek

2009-04-07T14:01:00.000-06:00

With the super surprise premiere screening in Austin Texas and the actual gala premiere screening in Sydney Australia, the first reviews of JJ Abrams‘ Star Trek have begun to appear online. So what are the critics saying? Lets take a look. Note: I’ve tried not to include any spoilers. Check out the early buzz bits after the jump.

Neil Miller at Film School Rejects: “Some of the smartest work [Orci and Kurtzman have] done. They get these characters and when you combine that with the visual style that J.J. Abrams has brought to the franchise, it makes for a dangerously accessible and exciting film.” … “This is a big, fast-paced, sleek version of Star Trek that is unlike anything we’ve seen before — a new brand of space film that stretches what we thought possible in the realm of visual effects, and I don’t think that’s going to bother anyone.” … “J.J. Abrams, with the help of a few incredibly talented people, has created a very accessible, fun Star Trek film that is perfect for a new generation of sci-fi fans... More

Best Indie Rock Songs 2008!!!

2009-04-04T08:53:00.001-06:00

Christmas Music 2008 on iTunes!

2008-11-09T17:51:00.002-07:00

Check out my iMix Christmas music: It's a Christmas Miracle!

For more Christmas tunes: Indie Rock Christmas Songs

Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson "Winter Song"

'Lost' Season 5 Preview!!!

2008-10-23T11:23:00.002-06:00

Trek Update

2008-10-16T11:44:00.000-06:00

For Father's Day this year I bought my dad a DVD collection of the Star Trek series on TV. It's a compilation of fans' favorite episodes from all the series as well as from the actors who played all the captains. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Deep Space Nine, Voyager, or Enterprise, but watching the original series as well as the Next Generation offering was a treat. It reminded me of why I liked Star Trek in the first place and why I'm excited for the new reboot, which is coming out next summer.

I really like getting lost in all the sci-fi elements: visiting alien planets, going back in time, intelligent machines, etc., but I also think there was great chemistry of acting going on as well. The three principle characters in the original series (Kirk, Spock, and Bones) are amazingly interesting archetypes. While the psychological underpinnings of Captain Picard and Data’s quest to be human are equally entertaining.

However, Star Trek has a way of braining up its dialogue (making it difficult for the uninitiated to follow), while dumbing down the plot (making it difficult for critics to get on board). I'm imaging that Abrams and co. are taking a cue from Battlestar Galactica: juicing up the action-adventure, while honing in on dramatic elements, like the friendship between Kirk and Spock for example. I liken this unto the reboot of the Bond movies that eerily mimicked the Bourne series as well as 24. Here's hoping the J.J. Abrams can bridge the gap between uber-talkative with intriguing plot, yet still action-packed.

Also, ew.com has posted some amazing pictures from his new reimagining:

Apparently the feud between J.J. Abrams and William Shatner hasn't really gone away. Here's an interview with J.J. trying to defend himself.

The Wrath of Shat!

2008-09-22T11:38:00.002-06:00

William "the Shat" Shatner has recently answered questions regarding his non-appearance in JJ Abrams new Star Trek movie. Personally, I think the man is an overacting genius and I'm disappointed that he's not gonna make an appearance. But then again he did die in Star Trek: Generations--however, didn't Spock die in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn? I'm just saying.

Are you telling me you wouldn't want this gutsy performance in your new Star Trek movie JJ?

Fall Indie Rock Preview!!

2008-09-17T16:30:00.002-06:00

Here's some beautifully bodacious bands that are coming out with new music!!

Sept 9
Okkervil River
Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River

Sept 23
Cold War Kids
Something Is Not Right With Me - Cold War Kids
Jenny Lewis
Acid Tongue - Jenny Lewis

TV on the Radio
Dancing Choose - TV On The Radio

Sept 29
Travis
Closer - Travis

Sept 30
Ben Folds
You Dont Know Me - Ben Folds

Oct 6
Oasis
Falling Down (Remix) - Oasis -

Oct 7
Of Montreal
Id Engager - of Montreal

Oct 13
Los Campesinos
You! Me! Dancing!, - Los Campesinos!

Oct 14
The Cure
Pictures Of You - The Cure
Kaiser Chiefs
I Predict A Riot - Kaiser Chiefs
Keane
Spiralling - Keane

Oct 21
Brett Dennen
Make You Crazy feat. Femi Kuti - Brett Dennen

Oct 28
Bloc Party
Mercury - bloc party
Deer Hunter
Nothing Ever Happened - Deerhunter
Snow Patrol
Spitting Games - snow patrol

Nov 24
The Killers
Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine - The Killers

24: Redemption Trailer

2008-09-11T13:29:00.001-06:00

Check it out!! Jack is back for a prequel to the upcoming season. This TV movie is set in Africa and is meant to bridge the gap between season 6 and 7!!

Battlestar Republicana

2008-09-02T15:31:00.001-06:00

I'm prone to exposing my geekiness on this little ol' blog of mine from time to time and I'm sure that revealing my love for the geekiest of all sci-fi shows won't help my coolness factor, but here goes: Battlestar Galactica is amazing!! I know you are disgusted and wondering how any sane and normal person could love such a moronic, fanboy series. But I do--even to the chagrin of my wife, who tends to humiliate me whenever possible on this point. Oh and yes, that's the first time I've referred to my wife on this blog, because I was recently married! But most people who read this already know that.

Anyway, I like to think of myself as a critical thinker who doesn't waste his time with the majority of the popular dreck that passes for entertainment nowadays. For this reason, I've had to come up with a justification for addicting myself to this sci-fi, action, melodrama. I guess that by defining it as I did might explain my love for it.

Don't get me wrong, it is science fiction, which crosses the border into Dwight nerdom. But I've always been a fan of sci-fi since I was little. I remember watching Star Trek with my dad at a young age and wondering if man would boldly go to other planets. BSG is different from Star Trek in its approach, however, because it is a serialized drama, much like Lost. In other words, each episode connects to the previous and subsequent episode. I like to look at it like watching different chapters from a very riveting TV book or something.

It's action-packed. Sure, I'm a guy. I like those action sequences. The action is set in space, but unlike Star Trek, which takes everything on a future based on logic and almost gentlemen-like warfare. BSG takes the Star Wars approach (old ones), which is very messy and entertaining battle sequences that are found in almost every episode. Oh, yes they're always at war with robotic humans (Cylons)...come on that's cool!

It is melodramtic. I know this isn't the typical facet that most guys might like, but every episode hinges on personal relationships, deep character layering, religious symbols, current political bravado, and an intense cerebral mystery. My heart pumps a little when I watch it as it always keeps me guessing.

John McCain - Col. Tigh & Sarah Palin - Pres. Laura Roslin

Now, that you know why I love this little cable TV show I had to mention something else about it that I found funny. The recent revelation that Sarah Palin will be John McCain's running-mate has prompted people to notice an odd similarity with the would-be president and his vice with that of some major characters on BSG that I thought was pretty uncanny. Check it out.

New Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer!!!

2008-07-30T08:37:00.001-06:00

I'm a total geek for Harry Potter, thanks to my little sister. Check out this trailer for the new movie. It reminds me of a prequel to the Silence of the Lambs or something. It's eerie.

E-Mail Conversation with My Family After Looking Over the Headlines on Yahoo

2008-07-22T16:49:00.000-06:00

The names of the guilty have been changed to protect their identities.

Brother #3: Some sad news for Aaron. http://tv.yahoo.com/show/30728/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20080722:obit_getty

Brother #1: She was actually really funny on that show, which I confess I watched repeatedly, since back in those days you were either watching sit-coms or nothing.

I believe Bea Arthur has purchased a burial plot in Arlington.

Brother #3: I confess an affinity to Bea Arthur's character--she was so wise, so patient; there is no better example of how, as we age, we move from innocence to experience--forged, if not new and attractive, then at least strong and true, by the refiner's fire.

Thankfully, ARAM still has the unholy trinity of Bob Saget, John Stamos, and, closest to his heart, Dave Coultier, aka "Uncle Joey."

Me: I'm still trying to fugue out how four senior citizen women managed to afford a home in Palm Beach on Social Security. You had the senile old woman, called "Maaahh" by Bea Arthur. You had the senile old religious woman, played by Betty White. Then you had Bea Arthur's central role. You also had the harlot-ish one lady that was always tramping around.

So sad that I know so much about that show. So very sad.

Brother #2: "purchased a burial plot in Arlington"?

More like Uncle Sam begged her to accept a burial plot in Arlington

There are hundreds of thousands of people buried in Arlington, who, were they able to speak, would utter these words: "I give up my spot for Bea Arthur, please undig me"

Bea is rough yet polished on the exterior and delicate and charismatic on the inside, like a cigarette

My wife and I watch that show regularly. It's on the Lifetime Channel (46) at 11:00 with back-to-back episodes. My favorite character is Rose (the one who is supposed to be naive). Their apartment is huge ... they each have their own bedroom and the condo has a giant living room attached to a giant dining room and then there's a huge private patio in back and the kitchen is giant, roughly three times the size of a normal kitchen. On one episode they show the interior of the bathroom which was about 20 x 20, three or four times as large as any normal bathroom. And supposedly they all work at these volunteer-type jobs.

Me: Brother #2 ….

I'll have to ask you to turn in your gun and your badge. That you know what channel Lifetime is numbered AND what time Golden Girls is on .... it's too much.

Things I Find In My Basement

2008-07-14T11:48:00.000-06:00

I was digging out my basement this week, looking for stuff to sell on E-Bay. Underneath a mountain of pogs and unicorn sketches, I found a yellowed copy of a movie script that I wrote up in high school. At the time, I had dreams of becoming a film producer. Those dreams have long since faded, just like the yellowed copy of the movie script.

While the script is too long to post, I will include a draft copy for the theatrical trailer of the film.

(camera is zoomed in on hands working at a grill, the hands are somewhat worn, somewhat large, and are skilled in the arts of the grill. The hands are slicing peppers and dicing onions with knives, flipping meats over with spatulas, and using a blow torch to light up a Cherries Jubilee cream dessert).

Narrator Voice: "Jack Parcetti was just an ordinary man. He had his ordinary job, doing ordinary things."

(Camera zooms out, we see Steven Seagal in a lab coat and hair net at the grill. He weighs at least 275 pounds.)

Guy in a navy blue suit with five o'clock shadow and aviator sunglasses who is obviously a cop or agent of some kind: "Jack, we really need your help on this one. These guys are coming in, and they're coming strong."

Parcetti, played by Seagal: "I'm just a cook ...."

Guy in a navy blue suit with five o'clock shadow and aviator sunglasses who is obviously a cop or agent of some kind: "You're just a sissy, that's all."

Woman in a black pant suit probably purchased at Dress Barn or other low budget store because she is obviously a cop: "That's not the Parcetti I knew. What happened to you?"

Narrator: "But then Jack Parcetti's ordinary life blew up in his face."

(Scene shows an Asian woman in her 20's being escorted off a playground by masked thugs in Karate uniforms. Asian woman is put in the back of a black sedan. The sedan is parked inside of a garage. Daylight shot of garage from exterior, camera zooms out to show that the garage is attached to a modern looking house up in the hills of California wine country, with a rock garden, Asian sculptures, and zebras in the massive yard. Camera than shows a stop watch clicking backwards, when it hits one, camera zooms out to show the house, garden, zebras, sculptures, and vineyards blown up with a massive fire bomb. Fade to black ....

Later that night, police tape is surrounding the once peaceful area. We see the blue and red flashing lights of police cars, small fires are still spewing here and there, including a shot of a zebra carcass being consumed by fire. We see the guy in a navy blue suit and the woman in a pant suit looking over the crime scene. The navy blue suit man throws up, the woman is crying. We see a photo on the ground, edges burnt by fire. It's a photo of the Asian woman that was blown up .................... she is with someone in the photo, but the face of the other person is covered by dirt. The wind blows, revealing the face of the person with the Asian woman ..................... it's Jack Parcetti.

Shot goes back out to show the yellow crime tape, we see those skilled hands of the grill man, they rip the tape right in half. Parcetti walks up to the cops.)

Parcetti: "Was it them?"

Guy in navy blue suit, still wearing sunglasses even though it's dark: "Yeah. It was them sickos. Those thugs make me sick." (Man barfs again.)

Woman cop in sensible pant suit: "Jack, this is real bad."

Parcetti: "Bad? It's only gonna' be bad for those monsters who killed my wife and zebras."

Narrator voice: "And Jack Parcetti will prove that he is no ordinary man at all."

(camera zooms in on the skilled hands of Jack Parcetti. They wipe the food off the knives, then sharpen the knives. The hands take the spatula and flip the last of the pancakes on the grill. Then those hands wipe off the spatula and sharpen the edges of the spatula. The hands rip off the lab coat, revealing a black trench coat and camouflage pants with tactical belts and straps. The knives are affixed to the belts and straps. The spatula is put into a shoulder holster. We see a full view of Jack Parcetti, he pulls of the hair net. Then, those skilled hand reach down and grab a pancake. Parcetti puts the pancake in his mouth. The whole friggin' pancake.)

Parcetti, still chewing the pancake, begins to talk right at the camera, spewing pancake bits right at the camera: "I'm coming for you, Mr. Chang."

(Parcetti than takes a stack of pancakes and puts them in his coat. Foggy mist arises from the ground. Parcetti disappears into the mist. The mist fills the screen, and blood red calligraphy lettering shows up on screen, revealing the name of the movie)

This fall, Steven Seagal is Jack Parcetti, Vincent D'Onofrio is Detective Tommy McHammond, and Toni Collette is Agent Susan Harper. With Maggie Cheung as the Asian wife of Parcetti and David Carradine as Mr. Chang.

Michael Bay's Rejected "The Dark Knight" Script

2008-07-10T08:29:00.001-06:00

Apparently, Michael Bay wrote an unsolicited script for The Dark Knight that was ultimately rejected by Warner Bros. Though this is the first I’ve heard of it, I have the exclusive leaked images to back it up. Here are some choice excerpts.

More 'Arrested Development' Movie News

2008-06-26T08:32:00.001-06:00

Indie film is dying -- unless it isn't

2008-06-24T09:06:00.000-06:00

By Andrew O’Hehir

All winter and spring, people in the independent-film business have been murmuring politely behind their hands and pretending not to see the 800-pound walrus in the corner of the room: The indie industry is undergoing a sudden and largely unexpected meltdown, or in the business-speak recently employed by Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, "a periodic market adjustment."
Nobody's ignoring it anymore, not after Saturday's address to a Los Angeles Film Festival conference by Mark Gill, CEO of the independent production and financing outfit the Film Department and former president of Miramax and Warner Independent. Gill's speech, entitled "Yes, the Sky Really Is Falling," was followed by a thoughtful Sunday column from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Carrie Rickey, cataloging everything that has gone wrong for small films, and the companies that make them, in the last six months.
It's a short but bloody history: Warner Bros. shut down its Picturehouse and Warner Independent subsidiaries and slashed the staff of New Line Cinema by 90 percent. Paramount Vantage, another "studio specialty division" that was born just two years ago, is being reabsorbed by Paramount Pictures. ThinkFilm, a true independent distributor, is being sued by vendors who say they haven't been paid and is under fire from documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney, who claims the company botched the release of his Oscar-winning "Taxi to the Dark Side." Think's future is in doubt, as is that of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, which has reportedly downsized itself by half. According to Gill, who ought to know, at least five other indie distributors "are in serious financial peril." (I could probably guess who three or four of those are, but it's indecent to speculate about other people's livelihoods.)
At the big winter-spring marketplaces of Sundance, Berlin and Cannes, the apparent indie boom of the last few years turned awfully tepid, awfully fast. There were lots of terrific smaller-scale films at those festivals, but hardly anything that looked or felt like an international art-house hit on the scale of "Pan's Labyrinth" or "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" -- the movies that enable indie distributors like IFC or Miramax or Sony Classics to take chances on riskier fare. And as Rickey details, it's been a relatively weak year at the box office, with expected hits like "The Counterfeiters," "The Visitor," "In Bruges" and "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" failing to cross over to mainstream moviegoers (or at least not in sufficient numbers).
Perhaps your heart does not bleed overmuch, amid the general economic and spiritual turmoil of our country, for a few middle-sized motion pictures that failed to meet expectations -- or for a few dozen movie-industry executives forcibly ejected from the corporate suites of Manhattan and Burbank. First of all this isn't really about them, although most of them are decent and knowledgeable people who care more about movies than about money (or they wouldn't be working on the weedy intellectual fringe of the entertainment industry). It's also insufficient to retreat to some 2002-style panegyric about how a digital democracy is dawning and these old-school gatekeepers must perish in the tar pits of economic history for a new model to emerge.
That argument has a pseudo-Marxist ring of historical inevitability about it, but it's mostly wrong. Nobody in the film business questions that the current mode of distribution for independent film -- in Rickey's article, Emerging Pictures CEO Ira Deutchman calls it the "post-studio, pre-Internet era" -- is somewhere between transitional and dysfunctional, and that some version of electronic home delivery is likely to dominate the marketplace within five to 15 years. But as God is my witness, we need gatekeepers! If anything, we need them in the digital era more than ever. At least in the short term, the current marketplace implosion is likely to have a highly undemocratic effect on both filmmakers and film lovers, delivering still more practical control over what we watch and when to a shrinking group of ever-larger entertainment conglomerates.
Even as the potential moviegoing public has become distracted by an explosion of electronic options and devices unimagined a generation ago, the marketplace has been swamped by a poisonous glut of new movies. As Gill explains, in 1993, the Sundance Film Festival received roughly 500 submissions. For 2008, that number had swollen to more than 5,000. The reasons for that are various: The cost of producing a small-budget motion picture has fallen sharply in the digital age, and the success of a handful of indies in the late '90s and early 2000s drew investors large and small to pour countless billions of dollars into filmmaking.
It hasn't turned out to be a sensible investment. Gill calculates the odds of losing all your money on an independent film at 99.95 percent. Most of those 5,000 movies, in his words, are "pre-ordained flops," made by people "who forgot that their odds would have been better if they'd converted their money into quarters and taken the all-night party bus to Vegas." First of all, there's the simple fact that the market can't support more than 10 percent of those movies in a given year, and probably a much lower ratio than that. In 2007 a reported 603 films were released theatrically in the United States, the vast majority of them coming and going almost unnoticed. Everyone in the business agrees that number is unsustainably high; a more reasonable level might be 250 to 300.
Then there's the fact that while enthusiasm, access to technology and an eagerness to become famous may be widespread, talent and craftsmanship are not. As anybody who's ever served on a film-festival selection committee learns the hard way, most of those movies should never have been made in the first place and definitely should not be inflicted upon the public. There has indeed been an explosion of ultra-low-budget filmmaking -- just try to wade through the self-produced movies available on YouTube -- but so far it has not revealed a nation full of unheralded Orson Welleses in embryo. If anything, it has produced a deluge of abysmal crap that makes the genuine discoveries harder to see. As Gill acidly observed: "The digital revolution is here, and boy does it suck."
Is he just an old-economy pterosaur cynically trying to fend off the evolutionary trend that will make him obsolete? Sure, maybe. But that doesn't make him wrong. However independent films will be distributed in the future, I suspect a two-tier economy will be involved. There will still be a professional film industry that produces and distributes a relatively small number of movies that cost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, whether they reach you in theaters, through a cable box, on your computer or iPod or through some other pipeline not yet devised. There will also be a purely digital universe of films that cost almost nothing to make and almost nothing to watch -- sort of a purified, film-school version of YouTube, minus any dreams of media stardom or celebrity coke parties.
There are two contradictory ways of looking at the current crisis, and as is customary with these things, they're both partly accurate without quite grasping the big picture. On one hand, this rapidly snowballing market crash seemed to come out of nowhere. Indiewood movies, meaning those distributed by the studios' specialty divisions, have dominated the Oscar nominations for the last three or four years. Just last fall, Miramax and the now-defunct Paramount Vantage shared the production and distribution of "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood," the year's two most acclaimed American films. You might have heard about a little Fox Searchlight release called "Juno," which approximately everyone in the country saw twice. It looked as if the mid-level quasi-independent film was conquering the adult moviegoing market, turning the big studios into teen-oriented sequel factories and driving smaller, more adventurous art-house cinema to the margins of the margins.
On the other hand, even if nobody saw this coming, we should have seen something coming. The national economy has slipped into what looks like a protracted recession, the supply pipeline is clogged with crap, the future of film distribution is literally up in the air and the audience is distracted, distraught and fragmented. Newspapers, broadcast TV, the music industry and other media have suffered precipitous downturns. What a great moment for dark and quirky motion pictures! Seen in that light, a market crash was an enormous duh, and perhaps a necessary correction, as they say in business school. Maybe all that stock-market money had to go down the toilet to get the industry focused on making fewer and better films, a solution that would make many of these problems go away.
Of course my judgment, like that of Mark Gill and Carrie Rickey, may be clouded by my desire to make a living: If independent film disappears as an economically viable industry, I'll have to find something else to write about. Be that as it may, I'll sign on with their guarded optimism; as the president always tells Congress during the State of the Union address, the "economic fundamentals" beneath the whole enterprise remain strong, and down cycles give way to up cycles just as surely as rain produces flowers. Gill cites marketing data suggesting that 10 percent of the public tell pollsters they prefer independent films to mainstream fare, which if anything is a historic increase. (Indies traditionally account for 5 or 6 percent of ticket sales.)
Does that polling data actually mean that one in 10 Americans would rather see Werner Herzog's new Antarctica documentary (doing very well in limited release, thank you), or revisit Kieslowski's "Three Colors" than stand in line for Christopher Nolan's latest Batman flick? Or does it just reflect a momentary semiotic uptick in the number of people who want to appear hip and sophisticated? I think we know the answer to that question, but there's a trickier one out there: How does the economic, social and cultural climate surrounding filmmaking affect the work? And in the age of the iPhone and the Wii and the whatever else, are there still budding Fellinis and Tarantinos interested in creating spellbinding visual narratives that demand your full attention for 90-plus minutes?
Sure there are. Sony's Tom Bernard told Rickey that the obituary for art-house movies "appears every 17 years, like the locust." The indie booms of the '80s and '90s crested and collapsed in their turn, but the best filmmakers always survived -- and without fail every year moviegoers turn some totally unlikely release into a big hit. As far as the old-fashioned movie experience is concerned, Gill is probably right that in a few years we'll have half as many films released in half as many theaters. This will be a sad transition for many of us, sure. But the movies weren't killed by television, they weren't killed by VHS and DVD, and they can't be killed by whatever's happening now.

Link

Wedding Engagement Photos!!!

2008-06-21T11:05:00.007-06:00

We took engagement photos last weekend and they're now online for your viewing pleasure. I must warn you that they're not your typical engagement photos. In case you're wondering where we got some of our inspiration, check out the stuff below. Also, thanks to Leo Patrone for taking such amazing photos.

Emma and Jed's Engagments

Leo Patrone Photography

First of all, Emma and I are keen on 50s and 60s sensibilities: we both love the Beatles, Beach Boys, and very 60s movies like Breakfast at Tiffany's. (That should be pretty obvious in our photos.) Also, we love indie rock: The Killers, Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), Arcade Fire, etc. So basically, we just stole elements of photos, movies, music videos that we liked and applied them to our little photo shoot. Questions?

The Bealtes

Jenny Lewis

The Killers

The Umbrellas de Cherbourg

American Gothic

Amelie

The Beach Boys

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Buddy Holly

Arcade Fire

Kate Nash

Grease

Beck

Lily Allen

Challengers

'To Sir with Love'

Internet Killed the Video Star II

2008-06-05T16:02:00.001-06:00

Here's more evidence that MTV is decidedly pointless and the internet is the only way to really view music videos nowadays. This new Weezer video showcases some of YouTube's most famous stars. See if you can spot them:

If you don't recognize all of these "famous" internet stars, this link catalogues all of them.

'Lost' and Other Nonsense

2008-05-30T11:26:00.001-06:00

Duane, feel free to have your little coup...for now. I've got some errant posts running around my head that need to put down to rest on JedBoy--it's just finding the time has been difficult. So, Duane, seriously, write as much as you want. And in an effort to add something to this blog, I've decided to add an email that I get weekly from the one, the only, Hayley. Most of you probably don't know her, but she's got the goods when it comes to pop culture, so I thought I would interject one of her many analyses of my favorite TV show to this humble little blog. With her permission of course:

All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost. - J. R. R. Tolkien

So its been three years and Kate keeps going through that last day on the island and trying to make sense of it. What I'm trying to make sense of is how are they protecting the people on the island by lying? I mean, it makes sense to lie because who would believe them and because who wants to make Widmore (or whoever planted the shipwreck - is there another option?) a bigger enemy, but how is that protecting them? So I guess they decided to go along with the shipwreck story that everyone saw on TV and that's why then chose where to be found. Nobody can even find the island though, so how does that protect them? Sounds more like protecting yourselves. I guess if they tell the truth and someone does start an investigation into it all and goes after Widmore they are thinking he found it once so he could find it again and when he does ... but those chances don't seem high.

Who's still alive and on the island (besides the Others): Sawyer, Juliette, Charlotte, Miles, Rose, Bernard, Locke (at least until he gets killed) - will we see Michael as a specter? Jacob's representative Christian finally released him and let him die.

Who's futures are not perfectly clear: Claire - I suppose that the fact that she came to visit Aaron and Kate like the other specters confirms that she is dead and probably died in the house explosion that Sawyer 'rescued' her from, but still. She did seem different than the other specter visitors who always seem indifferent and condescending. I suppose it could have just been a dream after all ... Daniel - I am going to assume that he and those extras in the raft with him were still close enough to the island to vanish with it, but that's not for sure. Jin. Okay, so it seems a far stretch that he could possibly still be alive since the ship blew up and even if he did make it he had no island to swim back to. That was one of the most frustrating scenes - they totally had two seconds to wait for him. Kate tried to run in after him, Desmond and Sun were yelling to wait, bot noooo, Jack had to go. Sun's screams were heart-wrenching. I suppose they needed Jin to go to fuel Sun into the bold and calculating woman we saw in the future - I love it, but it will be very interesting to see how deeply she has let herself hate and what she is now capable of. Does she want to work with Widmore to destroy her father or for his help to find the island? Both?

Who has to come back to the island: Jack, Kate, Aaron, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, Walt (Poor, tall, ugly haircut Walt, who none of the 6 came to see). I presume 'all' refers to the flight members, not to Desmond or Frank. What is Ben's investment in getting them back - is it all about revenge and the game he is playing with Widmore? Does he want to get back into the Island's good graces? He claimed that whoever moves the island can't come back. Is this true? Perhaps by telling Locke that and by moving the island himself he keeps a certain degree of power/allegiance with the island. Now we know why he had the parka on and a cut on his arm, when he was cranking the gears in the Journey-to-the-Center-of-the-Earthesque ice chamber, but how did he get to Tunisia? When the island moved did it just teleported him to Tunisia by default? It doesn't seem to be a random location since he had been there before, his fake name was in the hotel records. Hmmmm, Ben, Ben, Ben... what is up your sleeve? PS, you were freaking me out when you went all Psycho on Keamy! (I wonder if we'll see Keamy in flashes next season.)

The Others do stick to their promises. Wasn't that a weird look between Sayid and Kate though when they saved Ben and fought Keamy? Was there more to the bargain than we heard? The Coffin: the two biggest theories for who was in the coffin have always been Locke and Ben. I had always leaned towards Ben based on Kate's disdainful reaction to Jack when he asked her is she was going to go. The minute Ben walked into the room though, it had to be Locke. Who killed you Locke, and made it look like a suicide? Was it Sayid? I have to admit, I was extremely proud of myself for remembering the name Jeremy Bentham as the coffin guy from the finale last year. So, Locke, why the alias? Is it simply to be incognito because John Locke is supposed to be dead and because Widmore's guys are probably after you? - "Jeremy Bentham was one of the founders of the Utilitarian philosophy in the 19th century - the path to goodness consists of finding or doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Bentham developed this philosophy with James Mill, whose son, John Stuart Mill, refined it (JS Mill argued, correctly I think, that there are qualitative differences between goods - saving someones life is worth much more than giving someone $100 as charity). Bentham is also known for devising the Panopticon prison - a design which allows the prison guard to observe all prisoners, who are unaware that they're being observed."

This name goes along with some of the other philosophical names chosen for characters on the show. So Locke/Bentham has been coming to see all of them. He came to see Walt, and by the fact that Hurley recognised the name he must have come to see him too (everyone else is coming to see Hurley, so why not?) and Jack confirmed that he had come to both himself and to Kate.

The islands wrath: Is it on Jack specifically or on all of them for leaving? Jack was certainly taking it personally, but if they all need to come back, then its really all of there faults that bad things have been happening since they left. Next season they will hopefully provide flashes of Locke's visits. Ooh, zinger on Jack when Locke said, 'If you lie to them half as well as you do to yourself...' Was it always meant to happen like this - for Locke to die because Jack was meant to be the leader? His tattoo says something like, "He is among them, but he is not one of them." Will that come into play again? Could Jack have been like Locke on the island if he had gotten over his cynicism and insecurity and let himself believe? It seems that Aaron is the chosen one who will end up the new Locke, though. That kid is a miraculous survivor like John.

Here's the thing though, we're getting some mixed signals from the island. All the visitors from the island are telling them we need you, come back, but then Claire comes and says don't you dare take him back. Are there two conflicting powers on the island? Is what Jacob/Christian/Claire wants different from what Richard/Locke/The Others want? It shouldn't be too hard to find everyone, its just a matter of convincing them. Ben knows how to reach Sayid who knows how to reach Hurley, in his new Sayid instigated witness protection program. Will Sayid be coming to collect the others - I presume they are all being watched. Aaaaaaah Sawyer - could I love you any more? That was beautiful. Had to love Sawyer's grin when he came swimming out of the ocean and saw Juliette boozing it up and he was just as casual as ever. I guess they'll be assuming their friends are dead. It makes me even more frustrated with jerkface Jack for being such a bum about Kate following through with Sawyer's last whispered wish. (Which was most likely about his daughter Clementine.) I get that he is feeling guilty and confused... I think next season will be kind of a redemption season for Jack.

Best acting moment: No surprise, it goes to Michael Emerson as Ben. In the Orchid when Locke asks him if that's the magic box and Ben shook his head in frustration and said, 'no John, its not,' and then spoke to him like he was five ... classic. When brief conversation between Ben and Pretty Eyes Richard was also amusing.

Most satisfying episode moment: The Des and Penny reunion. Oh sweetness. I hope you are happy and I hope that you can avoid Ben and I hope to see much more of you both.

Most intriguing new character development: Charlotte - So she 'finally' got 'back' to the island and she is still trying to figure out where she was born. What? whas she born there? Is she somehow a key in the island pregnancy dilemma?

Biggest question in my mind right now: When they do finally find and get back to the island, wherever it may be, how much time will have passed on the island? The Orchid video said it was a study of space and time both, so when the island moved did it move both space and time? It would be nice to get some more history of the island itself.

See you in another season, Brotha.

By: Hayley Mann

Taking Over

2008-05-29T17:19:00.001-06:00

Upon Jedboy making his return to explain his absence, I decided that I would take advantage of his busy schedule to perform a coup d'etat and reign in my dark power over this blog. To ensure my success, I am asking for donations so that I my purchase these monkeys who control robotic arms with their brain waves.

Come on Jed, how hard can the PC budget be. I'm over here fixing a $2.2 billion revenue shortfall, but I still have time for the peoples...and professional baseball...and watching Arrested Development online. Funny, has anyone seen my wife and kids around....?

Oh Jedboy, Where Art Thou

2008-05-22T15:36:00.000-06:00

Indiana is finally here. Iron Man has come and gone. The Office season finale sits without comment. The Chili Peppers are disbanded. The Jazz are out. USA Today's pop blog has a subtitle eerily similar.

Come back to us Jedboy. You can have love and a blog! (or so I would think...)

Nerd Fight: Bloggers vs. Journalists

2008-04-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

I know that Jedboy's blog tends to be about movies and television, but I hope that you might allow me to steer this vehicle in a different direction today.

If you, like me and a great many other people, read sports blogs, there is a gigantic nerd fight taking place across the interwebs today.

Over the last few years, and especially in the last months, journalists from established newspaper, radio, and television outlets have been criticizing bloggers for being uneducated, uninformed, and, essentially, dumbing down America because of bad sports writing. In addition, a great number of very well-known sports personalities such as Bob Costas have the perception that bloggers, particularly those that write about sports, live in their mom's basement.

Last night, Bob Costas attempted to have Will Leitch, the editor of Deadspin.com, the most popular sports blog on the Internet in terms of page views, and a sports journalist named H.G. Bissinger on to discuss the state of the internet in sports media. (Bissinger, by the way, is the guy that wrote the book Friday Night Lights, the basis for the movie of the same name, which was the inspiration for the movie of the same name. Everybody with me so far?)

Costas asked Leitch some question, like "Is what you're doing news?", to which Leitch began to offer an answer. Leitch got in no more than fifteen seconds before Bissinger tore into him about how poorly written blogs are and how blogs are essentially tearing the journalist universe apart.

So, this is all a long way of me introducing my point for today's post -- why I, and many others, blog about sports, movies, TV, music, or whatever. While I tend to focus my energies on sports and TV, you can essentially substitute your favorites subject in and the essence is the same.

Sports are consumed by masses of people all at once. Although I may watch a Jazz game by myself or one or two friends, I know that thousands of people saw that same game at the arena and millions more saw that game at their homes. Those masses of people then talk about that game.

"Did you see that?"

"How awesome (or how bad) was our team last night?"

So millions of people are watching and talking about any given sports event. However, for all of those people, there are only a handful of journalists reporting about that event. I used to work for a university athletic department. During an extremely successful football season, there were maybe fifty reporters at most, from local and national outlets, covering a game. Millions of people watching with a small number of people with published opinions or recaps of those games.

What blogging gives me the chance to go is to discuss and digest a game (or movie) in the same environment in which I consume it. Rather than read one sports writers opinion from my local new source, I can get online, post my opinion, read opinions of others, and then discuss and comment on those opinions. Sounds great to me. Do like that idea?

"Concerning Hobbits..."

2008-04-29T09:21:00.000-06:00

'If you don't think Peter [Jackson] did a fabulous job, very likely you won't think I will,' director says.

By Shawn Adler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

When Guillermo del Toro was officially announced as the director of "The Hobbit" and a second, transitional film last week, it became The Day Middle-earth Stood Still for every J.R.R. Tolkien fan.

How would the visionary director of "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Hellboy" approach hobbits and dwarves, riddles and Rivendell, the Battle of Five Armies and the great dragon Smaug? And perhaps most important, just what is that second film going to be about, anyway?

For his part, Del Toro is more than happy to discuss what he's got in his pocketses — and up his sleeve as well — revealing to MTV News his vision for the second film, his views on heroic fantasy (and how they've changed), his dream cast, the look and feel of "The Hobbit," his favorite scenes and more.

(For more on whether you can expect to see your favorite "Lord of the Rings" castmembers in "The Hobbit," check out the MTV Movies Blog.)

MTV: Peter Jackson created a defined film vocabulary for the look and feel of Middle-earth. How will you make it your own? Will you have to subvert yourself?

Guillermo del Toro: We are not attempting to do an exact replication. "The Hobbit" occurs a little over a half-century before the events of "Lord of the Rings." It transverses areas of Middle-earth that Peter did touch on [but also] many others he did not. There are many creatures he did not touch. I am expecting to create a large portion that is very new.

On the other hand, I am very comfortable living within the walls of the world he created during the second half of the second film. It's a world I absolutely love, visually. When you come to a film with a lot of precedents, you have to come to it with a lot of humility and a lot of enthusiasm. No matter what, you end up putting your stamp on it. Everything feels right to me. I don't worry about subverting myself.

MTV: Just two years ago, you were quoted as saying, "I was never into heroic fantasy." Did your views change?

Del Toro: I wasn't. I completely gravitated towards horror. For whatever reason, I never hooked into sword and sorcery. I really rediscovered fantasy through my love of filmmakers as a filmmaker. Something kind of popped and jelled. I now can empathize with one side of the fantasy genre without ever wandering into lubricated musclemen with giant swords. "The Hobbit" occupies a particular seat in fantasy that is irreplaceable. They can dredge up old cadavers in my closet. I'm not running for president. I'm a f---ing filmmaker! I'm just trying to make the movie I want to.

MTV: How do you view the transition period of the second film within the context of the larger "legendarium"?

Del Toro: [The intervening years between "The Hobbit" and "LOTR"] is the transition from the golden years to the rise of Sauron. It's essentially the beginning of civil war and uprisings. It's a very interesting time.

MTV: How much of that film, then, will be based on Tolkien's writings?

Del Toro: We're going to start with "The Hobbit," in the writing process. We'll see if we can fully contain it in one movie, which I think is perfectly possible. We'll take it from there. We just outlined what we want out of [the second film]. We outlined what we expect to tell. It's just plans and ideas right now.

MTV: Do you know who your protagonist would be in the second one? Gollum, perhaps? Or Aragorn? Gandalf?

Del Toro: [It's much more about] trying to reconcile the facts of the first movie with a slightly different point of view. You would be able to see events that were not witnessed in the first film [like driving the Necromancer from Mirkwood]. You would come to them in a roundabout way.

MTV: Do you view "The Hobbit" as a children's story?

Del Toro: I view it as such generally. It belongs on that shelf on the bookshelf. But what is quite touching and miraculous to me about it is that it also reflects the transition from innocence to the loss of innocence. It is a story about a beautifully carefree creature who learns about war and violence. The movie turns darker as it progresses. Don't expect me to do "The Neverending Story." I feel that my zone of comfort is perfectly met with this film — otherwise I wouldn't do it.

MTV: Will Ian Holm return as Bilbo?

Del Toro: [Holm] certainly is the paragon we aspire to. He will be involved in some manner, I'm sure. But at his age ... it's too early to tell. We are just in the early stages. It's too early to make commitments of that sort. We prefer to let the screenplay and the way the character comes to life guide us in the casting. I have many people in mind. Anything [else] I say will be used against me in a court of law. [Laughs.]

MTV: Andy Serkis [Gollum] and Ian McKellan [Gandalf] are involved though, yes?

Del Toro: We can be pretty sure that we're getting back Andy, Ian, [composer] Howard Shore and [conceptual designer] John Howe. I am going to supplement the team of designers with other choices. People that come from the comic book worlds, not in the superhero sense, but the darker, more European type of comics. We're going to enhance the team of artists that conceptualized the first trilogy to create this earlier, more golden time and the way it starts to get tarnished.

MTV: Is there a scene in "The Hobbit" you're most excited to bring to life?

Del Toro: The most beautiful scene in the book, I believe, is [the chapter] "Riddles in the Dark." I truly love it from a literary point of view and from an atmospheric point of view. It is my hope that when "The Hobbit" gets scary, it will get really scary. Peter is a master of the macabre, but I think these scary moments will have a tonal distinction from the original trilogy.

[But] the thing I've been most excited about are the spiders in Mirkwood. Smaug is one of my favorite characters in literature. It's such a beautiful and symbolic creature, totemic in what it represents and the power it has. My favorite creature in all of fantasy would be the dragon because of that book.

MTV: Do you have an idea for how you want Smaug to appear?

Del Toro: Well, yeah, but why spoil it? I do. One of the first things I discussed with Peter was that and the look and feel of the spiders, how they move. Those are the flavors that you will not enjoy until the plate is served.

MTV: You are treading on very sacred ground. Do you have a message to the fans to reassure them?

Del Toro: If you [go] deep enough you will find people that hate any depiction of Tolkien. They dislike any Tolkien that is not Tolkien. The people that are going to like it are going to like it because I come from a genuine place. And the people that are going to dislike it are going to dislike it because I'm coming from a genuine place. There's no two ways about it. You have to follow your instincts. My message is simple: If you don't think [Peter] did a fabulous job, very likely you won't think I will. If you think he did, I will do my best to make you proud of me.

Check out everything we've got on "The Hobbit."

Yes, it's true...

2008-04-27T20:46:00.003-06:00

...I'm officially engaged. These are pictures of Emma and Jed or if you like Emma Lee and Jedediah (good pioneer names). Some people like JedBoy and EmmaGirl. Other people like 'Jemma.' We just like each other. We're extremely happy and excited...just thought everyone would like to know.

Boston-Utah NBA Finals?

2008-04-21T09:16:00.000-06:00

Who will win it all? The numbers speak
By John HollingerESPN Insider
Updated: April 18, 2008

Has there ever been an NBA playoff season that had this much excitement leading into it? Very doubtful, and I have the inbox to prove it. The Western Conference playoffs in particular are generating all kinds of debate, with fans of all eight teams absolutely convinced they can make a deep playoff run.

If that isn't enough, two teams face first-round series that are essentially referenda on giant gambles they took with midseason trades. And at least two teams that won 54 games (or more) will be at the golf course within the next fortnight.

Back in the East things are a bit more clear-cut, yet plenty of wild cards abound even here -- from Agent Zero to the Pistons' hot temper to what the heck we're supposed to think about the Magic.

Today, we dive in and, either try to make some sense of things ... or point out things that make some sense. With that in mind, here are eight big playoff questions -- one for every seed -- and my answers:

1. How tight are things in the West?

To make the point, let's look at the 1 versus 8 battle, which appears to be a dogfight in the making -- we're talking about 57 wins versus 50 wins (62 versus 52 in terms of expected wins). The Lakers are the favorites, obviously, but Denver trailed by only 2.2 points in the final edition of the Power Rankings.

For some perspective, consider that in the past four Eastern Conference Finals we had a 50-win team beating a 53-win team, 52 beating 64, 54 beating 59, and 54 beating 61. Seen in that light rather than in terms of a 1 versus 8 matchup, Denver's beating the Lakers would be fairly unremarkable. It goes deeper than that -- it's quite possible to have something like a Suns-Nuggets or Mavs-Rockets conference finals, and not in a 0.000001 percent kind of way either.

In fact, let's put some odds behind this. The Nuggets have an 5.1 percent chance of making the Finals, according to the Playoff Odds tool -- that's about a 1-in-20 shot. That's pretty darn good for the eighth team in an eight-team pool -- almost half as good as the 1-in-8 shot (12.5 percent) held by the "average" West playoff team.Things get even crazier if we play out the first two rounds statistically. The teams with the best odds of making it out of the first round are Utah and the Lakers -- the Jazz, despite not having home court, are over 80 percent, while the Lakers are a shade under 75 percent. Relative to previous years, those aren't great odds, with even the best team having a 1-in-5 shot of going home.

In other words, this is an NCAA tournament-esque crapshoot. No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are a combined 89-7 since the playoffs expanded in 1983-84, for a .928 winning percentage. But in this year's West, the odds for the top two seeds are of the type we usually see in a 3-6 series.

Want some more crazy stuff? How about:

• Between Utah, Denver and Dallas, there's about a two-in-five chance that a Western team will make the Finals without having home court in any round.

• There's a 3.4 percent chance that all four lower seeds will win in the first round.

• And, my favorite: There's only an 11.6 percent chance that the top two seeds will meet in the conference finals ... but an 18.8 percent chance that a team seeded sixth or lower will have home-court advantage for that round.

(By the way, this exercise isn't nearly as fun in the East because the Celtics are total killjoys -- more on that in a minute.)

And remember, this is without any allowance for the possibility of injuries or suspensions or sudden lineup changes or whatnot. So get out the dartboard and hurl away. For all the predictions we're all making in the West, this is the first playoffs I can remember where there's a real risk of going 0-for-7 on the three rounds in the conference.

2. Why are the Playoff Odds so high on Utah?

There's a tendency to overreact to What Just Happened, so Utah's stinker against San Antonio on Wednesday night probably increased everyone's doubts about this team.

Nonetheless, the Power Rankings have Utah as the league's second-best team, and the Playoff Odds give them the best chance of winning the West at 31.0 perecnt.

The Jazz played extremely well down the stretch. Even with the meltdown in San Antonio included, over the last quarter of the season the Jazz had an offensive efficiency rating of 116.0 -- that dwarfs the Suns' league-leading mark of 111.2. To put that into context, if they had done it for a full season, the Jazz would have been by far the best offensive team of all time.

Utah went 37-12 after Jan. 1, and the number of blowout wins over quality teams is staggering. The Jazz beat the Celtics by 18 in Boston -- the Celtics' worst loss of the season anywhere. The Jazz beat New Orleans by 28, and then again by 22 -- two of the Hornets' three worst defeats of the year. They beat San Antonio by 26 and the Lakers by 24 -- for each, their worst loss of the season. They beat Phoenix by 22 and beat Denver by 27 ... twice.

Overall, Utah won an astounding 18 games by more than 20 points. In contrast, the Jazz didn't lose a single game by more than 20 points all season ... until Wednesday night in San Antonio. And given their questionable motivation in that game and Deron Williams' trouble with a bruised buttock, it's hard for me to hold that against them much when we have 81 games of evidence that they're the best pick in a compacted Western pack.

3. Why are the Playoff Odds so down on Detroit?

Detroit is barely ahead of Orlando in the Power Rankings, and the Playoff Odds give Orlando nearly the same odds of winning the conference. Since that doesn't seem possible, let me explain.

When I first saw this, I presumed it was because the Pistons have been biding their time playing their scrubs for the past month and a half. That sounds plausible, but actually Detroit played really well over the final three weeks -- the Pistons went 10-3 with a scoring margin of 8.7 points per game in their final 13 games. The real problem was what they did in the month prior to that, when they went 11-8 and got waxed by 18 by the Magic in their own building.

The other half of this equation is the Magic, who had a scoring margin of 10.0 points per game in the final quarter of the season. That's truly impressive, even if it came against a bunch of bad teams, and it's why Orlando is a surprising seventh in the Power Rankings.

Nobody really paid attention to the Magic's finishing kick because their playoff spot was sealed -- and because it wasn't accompanied by a great win-loss record (they lost three times by a single point). But check this out: All 15 of their wins after February were by double figures. It was a total non-story, but Orlando played as well as any team in the league over the final quarter of the season.

All of this is a roundabout way of saying that I think the second-round series between the Magic and Piston will be much, much better than anticipated. I wouldn't bet on Orlando, but should we expect a hard-fought, nail-biting series? Yes.

4. How good is Boston, really?

A lot better than you might think. Most observers look at the East and see the Celtics as a really good team who may or may not get past Detroit in the conference finals.

Wake up, folks -- this is one of the best teams of all time, and you might be surprised how easily they roll through the playoffs. I realize this is raining on the parade a bit since everybody is so jacked up about the competition in store this postseason, but I have to warn you there's a chance the Celtics are just going to flat-out destroy everybody.

Boston went 66-16, one of the best marks in league history, but even that mark sells the Celtics short. At 10.3 points per game, they had the scoring margin of a 70-win team. That scoring margin is better than all but three teams since the ABA-NBA merger, and those teams all had Michael Jordan. By contrast, last season the Spurs had a scoring margin of 7.8 ppg, and that was easily the best mark in the league.

Here's the real crazy part: their numbers were this good even though they coasted the final month and a half! Kevin Garnett didn't play 40 minutes in a game after March 5; he averaged 31.9 minutes in March and 25.4 in April. For Paul Pierce, it was 32.6 and 27.4; for Ray Allen, it was 31.2 and 29.0. Plus, each of them skipped two April games just to freshen up.

They have the three stars, yes, but they also play suffocating defense -- the Celts had one of best defensive seasons of all time, in fact (we'll get into that more as we get deeper into the playoffs). Meanwhile, a bench that was supposed to be a liability has instead kicked some serious butt, and the late-season addition of Sam Cassell added a crunch-time scorer to the mix.

The Western Conference is where all of the excitement and most of the quality resides, but I'd be very surprised if the West champs can beat Boston in the Finals ... and even more surprised if somebody besides Boston was their opponent.

5. San Antonio ... 8th? Really?

Yes, really. The Power Rankings seemed like raging Spurs fanatics a year ago, keeping them No. 1 even while Dallas won 67 games. But this year the Rankings have soured on San Antonio, putting them No. 8 in the league heading into the postseason.

We tend to look at the players and the uniforms and think these are the same Spurs, especially because they won only two games fewer than they did last season. But in a lot of ways they're not the same.

For one thing, the tiny drop in wins conceals a much larger difference in average scoring margin -- San Antonio outscored opponents by 7.8 points per game a year ago, but posted only a +4.8 mark this season. That difference of three points is normally worth eight wins, but San Antonio was much more fortunate in close games this year than it was a year earlier.

Additionally, there's the matter of peaking at the right time. Last year San Antonio was pretty good in the first half but went bonkers over the final two months. This year it's the opposite case -- San Antonio started the year 17-3, but finished it 13-9. In the Spurs' final 29 games they cleared 100 points only nine times and, as I discussed in a recent blog item, their offense has had a disturbing pattern of going off the rails after halftime.

That's the biggest difference between this year's Spurs and last year's. San Antonio ranked only 13th in offensive efficiency this season; last season the Spurs were fourth. If they can't find a way to generate more offense, they could be headed for a very quick exit.

6. What do we make of the Cavs?

Not much.

Let me put it this way: Last year the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat limped through the season with 44 wins while giving up more points than they scored, and lots of folks said not to count them out -- and then they lost in four depressing games in the first round.

This year, the defending Eastern Conference champions limped through the season with 45 wins while giving up more points than they scored. You figure out the ending.

The only difference for Cleveland is that Washington, the Cavs' first-round opponent, also had a negative scoring margin ("The NBA: Where the league's 15th- and 16th-best teams' meeting in the Eastern Conference playoffs happens"). But one can argue the Wizards are better than they've shown because Caron Butler missed 24 games and Gilbert Arenas hardly played at all. With those two and Antawn Jamison, Washington is an offensive force -- and unlike last year, the Wizards occasionally play defense now.

7. How important is New Orleans' lack of experience?

Less important than you might think.

We're looking at a small sample here, but check out the out-of-nowhere teams to get a high seed in the playoffs over the past decade, and you'll see they didn't suddenly start gagging once the calendar hit May:

• Phoenix needed only 10 games to reach the conference finals after taking the league by storm in 2005 before falling to a superior Spurs team. The same year, upstart Seattle crushed Sacramento and then took eventual champ San Antonio to six tough games before succumbing.

• New Jersey won the conference in 2002 after rocketing to the top seed; the Nets' opponent in the conference finals that year was Boston, which had made a similar rise from the ashes.

• Milwaukee went from a forgettable mediocrity to division champ in 2001; the Bucks made the conference finals and were a missed Glenn Robinson bunny away from upsetting the Sixers.

But what is important for New Orleans is another issue that I don't hear anybody talking about: fatigue. I was shocked the Hornets played their starters in Dallas on Wednesday night, because if any team needed the rest it's this one.

New Orleans played the most back-loaded schedule in the league, with 10 games in the final 16 days and 18 in the final month. Eleven of those were on the road, including a six-game Eastern road trip at the end of March and a tough three-games-in-four-nights trip out West the final week.

They won some games on pure determination, most notably their 98-97 theft in Orlando on April 1, but check out the numbers the past couple of weeks. They went 2-4 in the final six games, including a 66-point clunker at home against Utah, and Chris Paul in particular saw his numbers dive: in 10 April games he averaged 17.6 points per game and shot 43.9 percent, even though six of the 10 opponents were terrible defensive teams (Minnesota, Golden State, New York, Miami, Sacramento and the Clippers).

Hornets coach Byron Scott is with these guys every day and presumably has a feel for their fatigue level, but it sure seemed to me the rest issue was more important to this particular team than the incremental improvement in its odds it would have had by facing Denver instead of Dallas ... especially because New Orleans couldn't guarantee that result even by playing its stars.

8. Enough with the numbers -- who's going to be there in the end?

OK, now for the fun part. Here's how it will all go down -- and remember, I gave you Chicago as your Eastern Conference champion before the season, so you know you can take these picks to the bank.

You might have seen my first-round picks plastered elsewhere on this site, but for those who haven't, I like Boston in 4, Detroit in 5, Orlando in 6 and Washington in 6 in the East, and the Lakers in 5, New Orleans in 7, Utah in 6 and Phoenix in 6 out West.

My reasoning on Phoenix, by the way, is mainly that the Suns built their team to face the Spurs. Shaquille O'Neal has done extremely well defending Tim Duncan over the years. Somehow, San Antonio has to figure out how to make Shaq a liability on D and not an asset.

In the second round, I see Utah and the Lakers meeting in what should be the true conference finals -- which is why I was so disappointed the Jazz lost to San Antonio on Wednesday and missed out on the No. 3 seed. I have Utah beating L.A. in a six-game barn burner that's about as close to a coin-flip as any pairing you can come up with. (Note: I generally pick the road team to win in six and the home team in either five or seven, since the odds say that's how it's most likely to end. I made an exception for Orlando because it was so strong on the road.)

The Hornets-Suns second-round matchup should be a doozy, too. New Orleans might be even more exhausted after going seven against Dallas, but Phoenix doesn't match up nearly as well with the Hornets -- and New Orleans has home court. Thus, I'll take the Hornets in seven again, in another series that looks to be about dead even.

That sets up Chris Paul versus Deron Williams in the conference finals, which is a matchup we all want to see (well, unless you happen to walk around town in a gold "24" jersey). I think Paul might finally get the better of the matchup individually, but Williams has better teammates -- so Utah rolls to the Finals in six.

Back East, I already gave away my Pistons-Magic projection -- Detroit in a grueling seven. Meanwhile, the Boston juggernaut will dismiss Washington in four. That sets up a much-awaited conference finals battle between Boston and Detroit. But I think Boston will win in five easier-than-expected games.

The Finals? Utah versus Boston.

The 2-3-2 format and Utah's dominance at home will keep things interesting for a while, but mostly it will allow the Celtics to celebrate a title on their home court after knocking off the Jazz in six.

Well, that's what the odds say, anyway. Now let's see what really happens.

John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider.

Lostpedia: Where 'Lost' Addicts Go to Die...

2008-03-31T20:37:00.001-06:00

Ok, it's no secret that I'm a huge Lost fan and since it's gone off the air last week I've been reeling with Lost withdrawal. So, one way for me to deal with this lack of Lost is by posting my favorite blog sites for Lost. Most of you probably don't care, but for the die hards you might find some that you'll enjoy.

1. Lostpedia. This is the ultimate Lost website. It's designed in a Wikipedia format so you can search pretty much anything that your heart desires. Be careful, however, it's easy to spend hours on this website. Here's a post from the last episode dealing with just that episode's cultural references:

Kurt Vonnegut: The author of Slaughterhouse Five is mentioned as an answer on the game show Michael is watching. (Literary works)
The Shining: Minkowski remarks that Michael reminds him of the main character from this 1980 horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. (Movies and TV)
Star Wars: Before he is shot, Karl says, "I've got a bad feeling about this." This is a line that is spoken in every episode of Star Wars. (Movies and TV)
Cass Elliot: The song playing in the car when Michael tries to kill himself is "It's Getting Better" by Cass Elliot, who also recorded "Make Your Own Kind of Music." (Music)
The Hotel Earle: This is the former name of the Washington Square Hotel. [1]
- In the 1991 Coen Brothers film Barton Fink, this is the name of a fictional hotel, which is a metaphysical manifestation of hell for an awkward, isolated New York City writer. (Movies and TV)
Star Trek: The second sneak peek for this episode featured the "red alert" sound effect from Star Trek: The Next Generation as the freighter's alarm. This was altered for the broadcast version. (Movies and TV)
Hinduism: When we see Ben talk to Michael on the radio, at the beginning of the shot there is a statue of a Hindu deity in the foreground. (Religion and Ideologies)
The Great Escape: Michael throwing on the ball against the wall references Hilts doing the same whilst in the cooler in The Great Escape.

2. Doc Jensen: EW.com. Here you'll find one of my favorite Lost experts who gives thoughtful and almost touching analysis to the Lost world:

They never made it to Albuquerque in the flash-forward future (at least, not yet), but Jin and Sun landed somewhere deeper in last night's moving, deviously tricky installment of Lost. Back on point after last week's subpar Juliet-centric episode, ''Ji-Yeon'' had me dabbing my eyes repeatedly. You're always going to get me watery with a story about the sometimes perilous road of bringing new life into the world; it's a personal thing, and Lost tapped it well enough, so there you go: I'm sold. Even better, I loved how this story, unexpectedly, dealt with resolving Sun's sin against her husband — her infidelity with Jae — yet also completed Jin's redemptive reconstruction into a husband worthy of his wife's faithfulness. I'm not sure if Jin really is destined for death, as the final moments of the show seemed to suggest, but in many ways the episode felt like a valedictory for the character....More.

3. J. Wood: PowellsBooks.blog. This blog is over-the-top amazing, even if most of it is over my head. If you want analysis so deep that you'll need a dictionary and wikipedia close at hand just to understand it, then this is your blog. Here's an excerpt:

The theme of the number (our constant?) is reflected in the very architecture of the episode, making "The Constant" possibly the most intricately structured episode of Lost to date. This kind of thematic structuring is what classical and Renaissance artists and architects did when they took classical ratios and had them reflected at the macro and micro levels of the work to create intrinsic harmony and resonance. The eight idea resonates throughout the episode in theme, structure, symbolism. This is not to say that the episode was designed as carefully as suggested above, but at this point many of the themes have already been established and are now being recuperated while questions are answered. If all the thematic pieces were designed to fit together, the writers may not need to over-plan an episode, because the structure is implicit....More.

4. Lost Screencaps and Easter Eggs. This little website takes HD stills of important shots that you probably missed on initial viewing. I'm always amazed when I check it out because I realize how much I overlooked. For example:

A glimpse of Alvar Hanso (founder of the Hanso foundation) next to Michael in a hospital bed. Hanso is Danish for 'his island.'

Life In Government

2008-03-25T12:16:00.001-06:00

Here is a bit of required reading for 1) anyone who ever thought that they wanted to work in government, 2) anyone who currently works in government but thinks maybe it's just their office that is bad, and 3) anyone else.

http://www.federalwasteland.blogspot.com/

PS - The fact that this blog is about the federal government in no way prohibits it from applying to state or local government as well.

A Duty-Dance with Death

2008-03-22T15:09:00.006-06:00

When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in a bad condition in that particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is 'So it goes'. (27)

Lost recently ended its eight episode run, but will be back for five more episodes in one month’s time. The last episode had a lot to do with a character that I was sure we’d finally be rid of, yet for some reason the creators decided that there was a need to bring him back. Thus the episode was probably my least favorite of an amazing plot-forwarding season four. Before this character, Michael, left the series, he would always shout: ‘They’ve got my boy!!’ over and over again. The Others had taken his boy at the end of season 1 and for all of season 2 Michael only had one objective: getting his boy back. This motivation, of course, was an excuse for him to do whatever he needed to get his offspring, which included killing two main characters (Libby and Ana Lucia).

What's interesting is that Ben (the Others' puppet master) pointed out in the last episode that he never asked Michael to kill; Michael did it all on his own. In the lastest episode it's revealed that Michael decides to tell his son Walt about what he did to get off the island, thereby shattering their relationship which has devolved into estrangement. This is too much for Michael to bare. We’re not exactly sure about the details, but apparently Michael has now decided that a self-inflicted death is the only option left. He’s ruined the only thing that he loved and he’s at the end of his rope. But there's a catch: as Mr. Friendly (aka Tom) pointed out, ‘The Island won’t let you’ just kill yourself—it’s not that easy.

Michael's failed attempt to blow up the freighter is met with a little note

After several unsuccessful suicide attempts, Michael finally realizes that he has no escape from his past sins (killing innocent blood) and current hell (guilt and separation from Walt). Maybe the writers decided that in an attempt to make us sympathize with this damned character, his penance will be to somehow rescue his ‘friends’ that are still on the island, while acquiescing to Ben’s demands by killing some of Ben's enemies. Thus Michael has graduated from Ben’s chessboard pawn to Ben’s queen: nothing to lose and the willingness and motivation to kill.

You see, Michael cannot die and he has nothing to live for. His future is somehow laid out before him according to the island’s wishes and demands, and he has sunk into fatalistic realization of his own destiny. The difference between Michael and Desmond is that Desmond feels like he can still determine his future somehow, even though it’s bound by some immutable laws of inevitability (i.e., Charlie’s death). Desmond can control actions, however, and chooses the details of when and how things come to pass. I believe that Michael will become the Billy Pilgrim of Lost: the ill-fated character of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter-House Five.

Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death

I recently re-read it since the author, Kurt Vonnegut, passed away last year. Have you ever read it? You must. The main character is “unstuck in time,” meaning that he experiences the events of his life in a seemingly random order, with no idea which part of life he will “visit” next (something akin to flipping through the channels of your own life). This has something to do with the fact that he has been adducted by aliens who don’t hold the same concept of time as humans. To them everything always exists at the same time. The author uses these aliens as a literary tool to satirize the idea of fatalism, or the acceptance of all things and events as inevitable. One alien said: "I've visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe... Only on Earth is there any talk of free will." I think that Vonnegut is satirizing this concept because so many people feel like they can’t change their own life. But the thing is…we do have free will. We can’t just sit around and wait for life to happen to us; we are masters of our own fate.

I think that ultimately Lost and its characters will begin to understand this concept of fatalism on a broader scale, as they come off the island and have ‘unstuck in time’ experiences. This may be why Jack tries to kill himself in the future by jumping off a bridge, or that Hurley tries to get into a car accident and ultimately ends up in psychiatric ward where he feels ‘safe.’ This is just a theory, but it feels like time-travel has become a central theme of Lost this season wrapped around theories brought to us by Vonnegut, who has been mentioned at least three times during the eight episode run. If this were to be true, then we’ll see more characters turning to suicide (freighter folk), going insane (Minkowski), or maybe developing a sickness (Rousseau’s comrades). Ultimately, I believe that the characters will all have to face their past demons and reconcile those with the island (aka smokey) and themselves in order to find peace and become masters of their own fate. Only then will they truly become ‘found.’

Arrested Development Strikes Back!!

2008-03-10T18:14:00.001-06:00

You might have heard, but I just need to say that the most brilliant TV series in the history of sitcoms might be turned into a major motion picture!! Talks have already begun:

Test your Arrested Development skills here. I got 9 out of 20, which isn’t bad since I haven’t seen an episode in awhile.

Music, Movies, TV.

2008-03-05T20:32:00.002-07:00

Music

Check out this new band that has received a lot of buzz recently.

'A-Punk' - Vampire Weekend

Movies

Could 2011 be the year of the sequel at Disney? That's the rumor coming from Ain't It Cool News, which claims there'll be not only a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean adventure in 2011 but a follow-up to Cars, a third entry in the Nicolas Cage National Treasure series and a TRON 3-D remake. Regarding a potential fourth Pirates flick, AICN reports that there are conflicting rumors about the plot, with one suggesting it would be "far more contained than its predecessors, allowing for a budget-friendly downsizing," while another suggests it would be even more big-budget than the first three, as in "ultra fantastical (dinosaurs, Jules Verne-esque floating fortresses, etc.)." No one is confirmed for a fourth Pirates flick, including star Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski, though Depp has claimed he'd be up for it if, as they say, the story is right.

TV

LOST (ABC)
CURRENTLY AIRING For 10 episodes
INSIDE SCOOP Lost will take a break in mid-March before resuming the next month; the 16-episode season arc will be told in 13 episodes.

THE OFFICE (NBC)
RETURNS April 10
EPISODES TO AIR 5 or 6

30 ROCK (NBC)
RETURNS April 10
EPISODES TO AIR 5
INSIDE SCOOP What's in store? Spills Tina Fey via e-mail: ''Liz has a pregnancy scare.'' Even better, ''Jack may get called to serve his country.''

24 (Fox)
RETURNS Early '09
EPISODES TO AIR 24 (duh!)
INSIDE SCOOP For once, Jack Bauer isn't running out of time. Eight eps are done, and production will resume soon for an uninterrupted '09 season.

From 'Bourne' to 'Bronchos'

2008-03-02T23:22:00.001-07:00

The Bourne franchise is coming back for another. While there are those who might complain, I think most people will welcome the fourth entry into this tight-run series. The only question is: how do you add on to a trilogy? Robert Ludlum, who wrote the original Bourne books, has passed away and only wrote three books. However, there are other Bourne books from another author:

The Bourne Legacy

Veteran thriller maestro Lustbader (Black Heart, etc.) seizes the reins of Robert Ludlum's bestselling Jason Bourne series, proving that even Ludlum's death can't stop the ex-CIA operative. David Webb, a mild-mannered Georgetown professor, harbors his old Bourne identity deep within his psyche—except in moments of danger. A mysterious assassin, Khan, has targeted Webb. Seeking counsel from his old CIA handler, Alex Conklin, Webb arrives at Conklin's home to find him, along with Webb's psychiatrist and friend, Mo Panov, murdered. Unsurprisingly, it's a setup, and Webb is declared a rogue agent and the prime suspect. His only clue to the real killer is a pad of paper with a faint impression of the notation "NX 20." Meanwhile, in Reykjavik, preparations are underway for the upcoming summit on worldwide terrorism. Even the dimmest thriller reader will immediately intuit that Bourne, pursued by the world's leading intelligence agencies, will end up in Iceland confronting some evildoer out to wreak havoc on the international terror conference. And thus it comes to pass. Lustbader has wisely eschewed mimicking Ludlum's signature style—short punchy paragraphs with lots of exclamation points. His own prose, often cliche-ridden ("Khan felt as if his brain was about to explode. He was shaken to his very foundation"), is perfectly serviceable, effectively conveying the myriad cinematic hairsbreadth escapes, crosses, double crosses, explosions, furious fisticuffs and careening plot twists. It's a hearty serving of meat and potatoes action adventure, just the sort of fare that both Ludlum's and Lustbader's fans relish.

The Bourne Betrayal

In Lustbader's workmanlike second novel to continue the saga of Robert Ludlum's amnesiac assassin and spy (after 2004's The Bourne Legacy), Jason Bourne joins the war on terror. Troubled by visions of a woman dying in his arms, Bourne seeks psychiatric help, unaware that the doctor is an imposter who has tampered with the rogue agent's already messy and incomplete memories. That mental sabotage is part of a diabolical plan by Islamic terrorists to strike at Washington, D.C., led by Karim, a human chameleon who has fooled the CIA—and Bourne—into believing that he's actually deputy CIA director Martin Lindros. Aided by an attractive fellow agent who manages to overcome her distrust of Bourne, he races the clock to uncover the traitor within the intelligence community. Lustbader is less successful than Ludlum in dramatizing Bourne's inner torment—a feature that distinguished the character from many similar thriller heroes.

Jared and Jerusha Hess who wrote Napoleon Dynamite as well as Nacho Libre are all set of their next big movie, Gentlemen Bronchos. I’m more than a little excited for this one cuz it’s going to star Sam Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and Jemaine Clement (The Flight of the Conchords). Also, Mike White is producing (School of Rock, Freaks and Geeks, Orange County). Here’s what one blogger had to say:

Though he's doing it rather quietly, it's hard not to be impressed with what Hess and co-conspirator (and very funnyman) Mike White are doing here. Their comedies will never be as racy (or probably as funny) as the stuff coming from Camp Apatow, but I'm glad there's room in the world for directors who can make clean (Hess is a Mormon, in case anyone didn't know) but still solidly entertaining flicks without preaching to us about the filth that too often makes up the rest of our entertainment slate. 'Nuff said.

Are you cool?

2008-02-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks Casey for this amazing reality check.

Oscar Party!!!

2008-02-25T21:16:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I watched the Oscars. It was okay. I really enjoy watching the Oscars, and I especially enjoyed watching them with the help of my DVR, but I guess I wasn’t totally into them. I think the reason is that I haven’t seen a lot of the Oscar films this year. I don’t know what it is—maybe it’s just the fact that all the main films dealt with serial killers, greed, and death.

However, I still get geeked out from all the Hollywood intrigue and so I partook of Hollywood’s own kudo-fest, even though most of America decided not to. This was the lowest-rated Oscar telecast in over thirty years or something, which isn’t necessarily surprising, since most of the major films haven’t been huge successes at the box-office. In fact, the Academy Awards are the most watched when there is a clear runaway winner, (Titanic, Lord of the Rings, etc.) and not when it’s the most suspenseful when winning is a crapshoot.

With that being said, I can’t help but congratulate myself for guessing the Best Picture winner, No Country for Old Men, in our small little Oscar party last night. In fact, I actually tied with Emma and got 11 categories right in our Oscar pool. That’s not bad really. We planned a big Oscar party, but a huge spring snowstorm put the kibosh on it, so we only had a few friends over—but it was still fun. We also had some Oscar-themed food. Check out the pictures.

A few observations:

Jon Stewart was generally funny, but it was evident that some of his jokes were thrown together rather quickly due to the writers’ strike.
Amy Adams performed one of her Enchanted songs w/o any backup singers, dancers, or an attempt at a costume. What was up with that? All the other songs had elaborate productions.
After watching Falling Slowly performed my dad and Emma both changed their prediction to this tune for Best Original Song. I, of course, had already decided that it was my favorite song, because I had seen it performed live at Sundance last year.
The Bourne Ultimatum won three academy awards. Not bad for an action flick, but we all know it should’ve won Best Picture right?
Foreigners took home all the top acting prizes. We outsource everything here in the US, even our acting apparently…

Newsies!

2008-02-22T16:27:00.001-07:00

Lacking the high hipness standards that I know Jedboy requires, I have been reluctant to post lately, as my own hipness lies dormant as the northern hemisphere tilts away from mother sun. But with all this Sundance business and Government Holiday Movie reviews, I thought we should discuss something more, shall we say, boring. The following breaks down my top choices for news:

Where I Go First

NPR: Great for so many factors: through while succinct, broad topic range, doesn’t insult anyone’s intelligence level, and you can easily multitask while listening, i.e. drive, do the dishes, etc.

USAToday.com: How does one go from the “wine and cheese” of public radio to this corporate blandness? It’s like my mom always said: stay close to the peeps (she meant people). USA Today has arguably the largest circulation of printed news, closely behind The National Enquirer by my count, so it helps me know what I know everyone else knows. It’s fast, it’s slightly more detailed than straight AP Updates, and it’s reliable.

NYTimes.com: In previous years this would have been higher, but I have been disappointed in the Times recently. I don’t know exactly what it is; I guess I could compare it how Jed feels after dating a girl for more than a month.

When I Have Time or Want More

The Economist: Great analysis of international news. Kinda long; kinda expensive.

Local Political BLOGS: Working in politics, I have to keep up on the gossip and rantings of all the different tribes.

Jim Lehrer Show/BBC: I put these together because they are both public television.

What I Left Out

I realize that there are many other sources of news. I don’t have cable, so that eliminates the Daily Show (as if Maria would ever let me watch that), CNN, Fox News. Sometimes I watch local television news, but I hate the feeling of wanting to vomit. Then there’s the web: Google News, MSNBC.com, etc – they’re okay I guess.

Did I leave anything out? Local newspapers maybe? I am entirely mistaken? Where do you get your news?

Government Holiday Movie Review

2008-02-20T12:20:00.005-07:00

While government employee Jedboy was getting escorted through the hallowed grounds of NBC Burbank, non-governmental contracting employees such as me were hard at work building things for the government. Sometimes it's hard being a private businessman. I only get Christmas morning off, and I'm here plodding away at least until six o'clock most nights. On the other hand, the fistfuls of sweet, sweet American dollars rolling into my bank account (and swiftly back into the American economy via the McDonald's Drive Up Window) help to ease the pain ...

Also easing my pain is the Government Holiday!!! Although I don't necessarily get a day off, I still get a vacation. As I stated in my first Government Holiday Movie Review, when the government takes a day off, the lady of my house takes a day off. This was an especially well-timed Government Holiday.

As stated earilier, Government Holidays allow the scales of masculinty vs. femininity to be balanced in the ASmith household. With Valentine's Day having fallen a few days earlier, my household man power was in short supply, fizzling out like my sweet Pontiac as it nears it's last dying breath of gasoline vapors.

Flowers soiled my kitchen table. Flowers that I purchased. Dishes from a finely prepared meal littered my sink. A meal that I prepared. A romantic movie starring a woman that works as a magazine editor who falls hard for a guy had stunk up my DVD player. A movie that I rented.

In short, I had brought a pox of femininity into my home. I had cursed my home. The Government Holiday was my chance for absolution. With the lady of my house gone, and with her taking Man Cub with her, I was free to perform the necessary ceremonies to restore the balance of power.

To restore that power -- a meal, consisting mostly of meat, consumed directly from a sack, not shaving, lifting weights in my living room, and an awesome action film. On to this week's review.

Actual campaign pamphlet from Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial re-election campaign in 2006.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day. With the recent restoration of the Terminator franchise coming at the hands of the Fox show "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," I had a restored interest in the best action film of my youth. It's hard to capture just how awesome this movie was when it came out in 1991.

Special effects are a funny thing. Generally, I'd agree that any movie made today has better effects than earlier films. However, computer generated images (CGI) can only go so far. Recall that the earlier Star Wars movies actually had things built out of plastic, wood, and metal. The ships looked real because they were real. The second round of Star Wars films looked cool, but they were also filmed in front of a green screen. They weren't made in the real world, they were made in George Lucas' computer world on his ranch.

That being said, James Cameron absolutley nailed the special effects for Terminator 2. CGI was just rolling around at the time, and Cameron used that CGI only for the evil terminator played by that one guy who made some other films. The evil terminator character, when playing the role of a human, was played by a human character. When it was doing it's computerized morphing bit, it was created by a computer. Thus, on film, it looks like a human when it's supposed to and it looks like a robotic liquid metal goo when it's supposed to.

Actor Robert Patrick is not in fact a mimetic polyalloy mass of robotic goo. ASmith regrets the error of firing shots at Mr. Patrick on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles.

In addition, I liked this movie because things blew up. Up until ten years ago, when you wanted something to blow up in a movie, you actually had to blow something up if you wanted it to look real. After a lenghty car chase through the canals of Los Angeles, the bad terminator wrecks a diesel truck. It blows up. And it was real. James Cameron actually set fire to a diesel cab and blew that thing up. And filmed it for posterity.

The film also had some good points. For example, although it's fun to blow things up, there are consequences. In addition, robots are capable of love on an one-to-one basis, but robots in general, and the artificial intelligence that drives them, are pure evil.

Then James Cameron had to go and make that Titanic movie. You tell me what's better -- that floating love story featuring super-duper awkward nudity (DiCaprio making coal-pencil sketches of Kate Winslet. What?) or the awesome powers of California's Governor blowing things up and saving our world from robotic future terrorists?

You know where I stand on the matter. T2 gets a 9.5 out of 10 on the man scale. Mitigating factors: Edward Furlong as the bratty teen John Connor. This guy is supposed to be the future leader of humanity. Um, no. He looks like kd lang. I'll stick with robots blowing things up, thank you.

I Was on the Tonight Show!

2008-02-19T21:52:00.001-07:00

I had quite the Presidents’ Day weekend. No, it had nothing to do with presidents of the US of A, but more with F.U.N. That’s right. Emma and I went to SoCal along with part of my family. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of them I just realized. Steve, if you’ve got any extra footage of us in the Teacups I’d like to see it. I’m pretty sure we beat Emma and Naomi in the speed factor, but I need proof.

I flew out on a Thursday and decided to rent a car, which I had never done. I was a little nervous, but I ended up with a pretty sweet little ride for not much money. Is it normal to pay about $16 per day?? I have no idea. I used my mom’s Costco card or something in order to get a discount. I was thinking I was gonna get some old compact beater, but I ended up with a Chevrolet Cobalt Sport that had under 10,000 miles on it. It was actually pretty fun.

Of course, this opened up the door to the wonderful world of Southern California’s freeway system. I had to find where my sister and her family was staying at, but couldn’t even if my life depended on it. (Which I thought it did during one sketchy encounter with a gas station attendant.) Apparently, in this part of the world, it’s okay for roads to disappear and suddenly reappear. I still have no idea how Firestone Blvd. exists as a thoroughfare—I’m almost positive that it’s really a black hole or some sort of TV prop from the hit show Punk’d.

Well, I eventually did make it to the hotel with no help from the car rental agent, or the two English-as-a-second-language gas stations attendants who attempted to help me on my futile journey at 11:30 at night. However, I was rewarded with a snug place on the floor to rest my head. I’m not complaining, it was just a little hard.

The next day was Universal Studios/Hollywood Day. I have this friend, Kristian, who has an enormously entertaining blog, if you’re interested. He works for NBC/Universal in the Burbank area. I asked him if we could get some tickets to the Tonight Show knowing that he had worked there before, but my anticipation level was quite low since I had only asked him the day before. But Kristian, the miracle worker, pulled some strings and got us some free tickets to see Jay Leno!

I have to be honest. I’ve been a huge fan of the Tonight Show since Johnny Caron. Being able to watch one of these late-night comedy shows is a kind of a life long dream of mine. I do have other dreams, don’t get me wrong. But I grew up watching these shows mainly with my dad and they’ve kind of become part of my collective childhood memories. So, I’m deeply indebted to Kristian. I did get him some CPK, so hopefully that makes up for it somewhat.

Before I explain what happened on the show, I just wanted to say that Kristian also volunteered to give us a free tour around Universal Studios. I’ve been on this tour before, but getting taken around in a golf cart while giddy stargazers snapped photos of us because they thought we were celebrities was pretty cool. I’ve posted a couple of pictures on here for your enjoyment.

One more thing; Kristian pointed out at the end of the tour that Conan O’Brien is taking over for Jay sometime next year. Conan is getting a brand spanking new studio to go along with the prestigious promotion and we were able to glimpse the outside of it. Keep this in mind.

Emma and I, along with her friend Tara, then headed off to the show. I wish I had pictures of our little outing, but unfortunately you’re not allowed to take pictures in the studio. Nevertheless, we were all still very excited for what lay ahead. Now, I’ve been told this before, but the studio really does look a lot smaller once you’re inside. I don’t know what it is, but Kristian says that the cameras they use are somehow specially equipped to make it look like it’s bigger somehow, but I don’t remember what he said.

I wasn’t expecting to get good seats, because we were so far behind in the line when we entered the studio. But it’s not a first come, first serve basis; the pages that work there actually sit you depending their whim. Fore some reason, we just happened to get three seats in the second row right in front of Jay. I seriously almost wet my pants. Jk ;)

This was about three in the afternoon. The show actually films extremely early even though they call it the Tonight Show. I believe that part of the reason they do this is because of the Eastern time difference. Of course, the Late Show with David Letterman still shoots pretty early, even though they don’t have to deal with a time difference. Anyway, I kind of already knew this, but what I didn’t know was that during the commercials of the show, they actually stop the show for the exact same amount of time that it takes to air the TV commercials. Meaning that when he pauses for a break, he actually pauses for a break and gets make up applied or something. Also, they don’t edit the show really at all, which means that if there are any mistakes those get put into the show.

Before the show started Jay came out and kind of told us all of this. He was wearing his denim shirt that he always wears when he’s not wearing his suit. He was personable and pretty quick-witted, which isn’t surprising, but still amazing to watch live. He’s a little shorter and stouter in person that what appears on the TV, but this wasn’t that surprising either.

The show starts filming at 4:00 and pretty much goes for an hour. When Jay first comes out some of the audience goes up to the front and shakes his hand. Since I knew this I grappled my way up to the front and pretty much nabbed his hand as he was trying to shake someone else’s. It was awesome. You can actually see me on TV if you want to check it out here. It's the February 15 Friday episode.

I was pretty much psyched out of my mind at this point, so I wasn’t expected anything else of that caliber to happen. But during the program, on this particular episode they decided to do this thing when audience members can ask Jay a question. I sat there and listened to various members of the audience ask Jay something stupid, so that they could set him up for a joke. A few minutes went by and I knew I needed to say something. So, I raised my hand. As soon as I did Jay called on me. I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I didn’t wait for the mic or for the spotlight to shine on me or anything—I just blurted out the first question that came to my head: ‘So, I noticed today that they’re building a new studio for Conan O’Brien, it looks pretty big….’ I wasn’t able to finish my question—before I could blurt out, ‘what do you think about that?’ he started into his joke. Something about how NBC was building a cathedral for Conan made out of solid gold, with a throne and candles to boot. It was pretty funny. I’d like to think that I made America laugh somehow. See here. It's the second chapter: Jay's Open Mic.

After that, we headed out into LA rush hour traffic. That wasn’t as fun. But still a pretty good start to the Presidents’ Day weekend.

'Lost' and the Fantastic Freighter Four

2008-02-12T11:45:00.001-07:00

I'm kind of surprised that I haven't written anything about Lost yet this season. It's so good!! I just finished reading this post from probably one of the best Lost blogs that I've come across. Thanks Casey. You need to check it out. Plus, I've recently read that Lost will probably produce five more episodes to add to this season's eight since it looks like the writers' strike it about to end. Phew!

Lost: Confirmed Dead

February 8th, 2008: Posted by J. Wood

Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature, and in such things as these, experiment is the best test of such consistency.
—Michael Faraday, 1849

"Confirmed Dead" has more than enough red-meat new material to keep the confirmed audience digging, and probably just enough to make the unconfirmed even less satisfied with the storyline (and we may hear from them in the comments — let 'em fly!). We have another group of newly-introduced characters (I'm hearing "Freighties"), a return to flashbacks, some slight shifts in the power balance, the question of the plane at the bottom of the Sunda Trench, and a favorite of mine, the oopart (more on that in a minute).

There's a few in the press who get advanced copies of episodes and get the chance to work on some of the intricacies so they can post a story with some decent analysis quickly after airing. This is good and bad; it means that the audience will have plenty to hang a discussion on come the next day, but it also means many of the references are already smartly teased out by mid-morning (I'm looking at you, Doc Jensen). The Freighter Four, for instance, bear some not-too-subtle similarities to the Fantastic Four of Marvel Comics. Lost has been doing some tie-in work with Marvel, and this episode was written by none other than Brian Vaughan, whose own work in comics is well worth looking into (see his Y: The Last Man series). It's probably worth mentioning the connections, and although this may be old news to many by now, let's see what we can pull from them:

More.

The Continuing Saga of Sundance

2008-02-10T11:15:00.001-07:00

I’m sorry that this post has taken so long. Everyone’s probably already lost the majority of their interest in Sundance, but I wanted to chronicle my entire experience and so I’ll just add this final one.

On Tuesday of the second week of Sundance I saw this movie called the Adventures of Power. Honestly, I really enjoyed this movie—it was probably my favorite Sundance movie that I saw—but when I saw it I was kind of in a bad mood, so I don’t think I appreciated it as much as I could have. It’s a pretty light-hearted comedy that owes more than a little to another Sundance breakout hit, Napoleon Dynamite. The editing is a lot more fast-paced for sure, but the quirkiness and eclectic feel have Napoleon Dynamite written all over it. Not to mention that the star and director look suspiciously like Jon Heder in his first starring role. Therefore, if you enjoy unconventional offbeat humor wrapped around the premise of ‘air drumming’ then you should definitely give this little movie a try. That’s if it gets picked up by a major studio. Thanks again, Christian for the tickets.

My next Sundance experience was a concert. Emma and I went to go see the Aggrolites at the Kimball’s Art Center. Again, in order to get into these concerts you have to have credentials. I didn’t this time, but Emma actually knew the band from when they performed on the hit kids TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, which Emma was on. The concert was extremely small and was really conceived for the Sundance ‘uppities’ with their important credentials. This meant that the band was performing for a bunch of people that were only there to flash their credentials and say they went to the concert, in other words, they weren’t really fans. This created kind of a lounge bar feeling: an act performs with great panache, but the elitists are too busy sipping their drinks and schmoozing to really take notice. However, the Aggrolites released some exclusive tickets on their MySpace page to their most loyal fans, which meant that there were probably twenty-five to thirty people there who actually cared. And the band delivered. They’re kind of a reggae-rock band akin to 311, but with more allegiance to the ska realm of the musical universe. Anyway, it rocked and we didn’t get a ticket for illegal parking. Yay!

Our final Sundance venture happened at 9:15 on a Saturday morning. (Getting Emma to go anywhere at this time in the morning is a minor miracle. jk.) We went to go see this movie CSNY: Déjà Vu. It’s about the aging rockers, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, on their "Freedom of Speech Tour" in 2006 that was the equivalent of a political rally for anti-war sentiment. Let’s see, I don’t mind people speaking their minds and letting their frustrations out through song, but to create a documentary about pulling out of Iraq, built upon weak 60s sensibilities and simplistic melodrama isn’t the way to really influence policy or difficult decision-making. Here’s what one commenter said on the movie’s IMDB webpage:

Sundance Moment: Someone in the Q&A said that he had lost a brother in Iraq, and told Neil Young that "you have no idea what you're talking about." It was a tense moment in the very liberal Sundance crowd. I'm guessing that Young has dealt with this kind of thing dozens of times on the tour, and he chose to handle it by, essentially, backing down. "I think you're right," he said. "We're just trying to get people to talk about it." Well, that might be an easy answer, but I'm not sure it's honest. A song like "Let's Impeach the President" is something more than an invitation for dialogue; it's a political statement of the strongest kind. I respect the band's sincerity, but was disappointed they were something less than forthright when challenged.

Here, here.

Anyway, thanks again Christian for the tickets. Apparently all of CSNY were there that morning at the screening, but we failed to even look for them. That was stupid. We then went out to eat at Loco Lizard and decided to take a picture.

So, Sundance is over for now. When worked correctly you can have a pretty good time when Hollywood turns its spotlight onto little ol’ Park City. I really enjoyed myself this year, but it’s also kind of a headache. It’s kind of like when your relatives come over to visit you: it’s great to see them and listen to all they have to say, but soon enough you can’t wait for them to leave.

Connecting at Sundance

2008-02-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

The next big day was on Monday or MLK Jr. day. I started off the day by skiing with my honey. Parking again was a mess, but thanks to my bro-in-law, Steve, we were able to get some pretty sweet underground parking. (Thanks Steve.) We then took public transit again to Main Street where we were able to see a couple of bands. We wanted to see Ingrid Michaelson, but because we missed our transit connection, we got their too late.

However, we did see Sea Wolf at the Music Café. It’s a pretty cool little venue and the only way to get in is by having ‘credentials.’ I, of course, don’t have credentials, but I borrowed some from work and I was consequently known as ‘Alison Butz’ the rest of the day. No really. The little concert was actually extremely awesome, mainly due to the band itself, but the intimate atmosphere and ability to be really close to the band was priceless.

I kept trying to film them, but I got in trouble. Then I took some pictures of them, but got in trouble because of the flash I was using. This lady must have felt bad for berating me so much because she gave me and Emma a couple of free CDs at the close of the show. Since we were so close to the band we went up and talked to them. Emma told them that they looked really peaceful. Not wanting them to feel like we had just finished singing hymns or something, I hurriedly told them that they rocked. They then signed our CDs. Now, that really did rock.

After finding a place to eat (thank you Davanza’s) we met up with my buddy Christian and his date (friend?) Whitney. We then took the lovely public transit over to the Racquet Club. I was worried that they’d give our seats away since we were getting there only fifteen minutes beforehand, which is customary. Luckily, we didn’t have any problems finding some seats, but we couldn’t exactly sit right next to each other. It was during this time that we were able to spot Quentin Tarantino directly across the aisle from us. I took a very quick and blurry picture because I didn’t want to feel like a gawky fan, which is why I didn’t take a second. Stupid.

So here’s the rub: with Sundance you really never know what kind of movie you’re gonna see. You can read the small little snippets before you go, but this isn’t as useful as you might think. I didn’t choose this movie on purpose; we were going because I got free tickets at work. The move was called Sleep Dealer, and honestly, after watching the movie, I’m not entirely sure why it was called that. I knew it was a sci-fi before going in, but I had no idea it was going to be ninety percent in Spanish. Think about it—a Mexican science fiction movie—that’s kind of weird isn’t it? Well, it was kind of weird, but at the same time wonderful. It was a simple story about a dystopian not-too-distant future on the Mexican/American border. The special effects were amazing for a low budget film, but for blockbuster cinema it would’ve been almost laughable. The cinematography was great and the acting top-notch, but the story was almost too quaint to be honest.

Science fiction is about turning all your traditionally held beliefs on their ear; but the major themes in the film seemed almost like retread for me. For instance: becoming less connected to humanity in a world that’s becoming more digitally connected seems like it could’ve been a cautionary public ad or something. Science fiction is supposed to scare you to the core; it makes you say, “I pray that our future could never be like that.” But this movie made me think, “hmm, the future doesn’t really sound that bad.” Am I a (gulp) becoming too much of a realist, too much of pragmatist? Maybe, but I think the filmmaking was just a little soft, if not delicate—which would’ve played out well for a rom-com, but not so much for sci-fi.

However, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the director and principle cast members giving their two bits about the movie after the credits had rolled. I think I liked the movie a little more after this, but that’s like saying you enjoyed a joke after someone explained the punch line to you. You appreciate the joke for its creativity, but you’re still not sure why you just didn’t ‘connect’ with it to start.

Sundancing with the Stars, er, kind of...

2008-02-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

I’ve lived in Park City off and on for the last twenty-odd years. I love and hate it sometimes. I love the snow, skiing, and the small-town mentality, but once a year my little home town turns into Hollywood on ice. While I find Sundance intriguing in a way, I also find it incredibly annoying with all the extra traffic, wannabe stars, and uber fan gawkers. While I can’t help but get caught up in the frenzy a little, I’m also apt to complain – call it human nature. But this post won’t dwell on the headache induced aspects of Sundance, but rather the parts that I enjoyed and participated in. I was originally going to give day-by-day updates of Sundance happenings, but I’ve found myself extremely busy at work and tired at home, thus postponing my desire to write something for my faithful readers, yes all two of you.

Sundance officially begins on Friday, but the traffic begins a couple of days before. Now, when I say traffic, I mean traffic. Usually it takes me only 15 – 20 min. to get home from work; this is usually doubled during Sundance or even longer. Plus, I’m not allowed to park in my own parking lot for work. I’m not sure why this is, but it’s so frustrating. I have to take public transit everywhere.

Anyway, on Friday of the first week a couple of my friends went to go hang out on Main Street during our lunch break. Now, let’s be honest, you could spend the whole day looking for celebs and never see any—I know I’ve looked. So, our Main Street venture was supposed to be pretty lame because that’s what I was expecting—and for the most part it was. But I did run into the one and the only Ian Ziering from 90210 and Dancing with the Stars fame. I know, you’re all pretty shocked and awed by this, but that’s how I roll. Usually I wouldn’t brag about this, but that’s what blogs are for, right??

Glenn's Tribute to the late LDS President Hinckley

2008-01-29T15:34:00.001-07:00

From 'Hell' to 'Hobbit'?

2008-01-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Seems the Hobbit race is nearing the finish line, and the winner just may be … Guillermo del Toro. The Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth director reportedly is not just at the top of the wish list but in negotiations to direct the two-part prequel to The Lord of the Rings, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel The Hobbit. Del Toro has been atop both Peter Jackson's and New Line's wish list since Jackson and the studio made up in December, after a long financial battle that put the entire future of the Hobbit movie franchise in jeopardy. As for when production might actually get under way, it isn't likely to be soon — no script has been pennedv and won't be until the WGA strike is settled. A start date for the $150 million pair of flicks is tentatively set for 2009.

What do you guys think...Do you think he's the man?? Check out his movies below:

Hellboy II

Pan's Labyrinth

Blade II

Related articles:
Peter Jackson or There and Back Again
I'm sorry Mr. Jackson

Government Holiday Movie Review

2008-01-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hello, I'm filling in for Jedboy while he continues to "work." Things have been quiet around here lately. I suspect Jedboy is either busy working with some kind of totally exciting budgetary crisis, or he's totally mailed in his work and is philandering with the stars at Sundance.

In order to fill the void that Jedboy's absence has left in your hearts, I present to you a new feature to Jedboy -- the "Government Holiday Movie Review." The premise of the Review is that every government holiday, I will dive in to at least one, possibly more, movies and review them for Jedboy.

"Why the Government Holiday?" you might ask. Seeing as how I am now a private citizen working in a private industry, I work roughly 266 days a year. That's five days a week, excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Hamburglar's Birthday, and America Day.

However, my wife and her family happened to be employed with government agencies, which means they work roughly 112 days a year. Thus, whenever a holiday like Martin Luther King Jr. Day rolls around, they pack up and head off to Las Vegas for some days. It's especially awesome when they take the "Use it or Lose It" vacation and are gone for like three weeks. Although I still have to work, I'm in essence on a vacation -- a vacation away from some of the day-to-day responsibilities of marriage, such as shaving, helping with the dishes, and wearing pants around the house.

For instance, this last Government Holiday, I ate four meals directly from the paper sack the meals were delivered to me in. No dishes there. And, I ate all of those meals on the comforts of my sweet recliner, sans pants, with the sauces of the meats I ordered dangling to my beard. That's living!!!

Anyway, these Government Mandated Vacations also give me an especial chance to restore the balance of masculinity in the ASmith household. You see, there is a very real balance of man and woman in every established home. The homes collectively make up the balance of man/woman in the universe. Thus, whenever one house tips to far left or right, the entire fabric of the universe is in jeopardy of being rent asunder. (I made a few chaos theory style calculations. My home becoming too feminine essentially tips the scales just enough to set the rest of the world into commotion).

To paraphrase Liam Neeson in Batman Begins, whenever a forest grows too wild, a purging fire is natural and ineviatble. Justice is balance. For every time my wife regales me with how that fascinating Twilight vampire soft-core novel is, I get to buy tickets to a monster truck rally. For every Kiera Knightly movie period film, I get to watch a period piece about Vietnam.

The Government Holiday give me a chance to restore the balance to our home, thereby restoring the male-to-female balance ratio back to its proper 1:1 setting, and thereby saving the very universe.

On to the first review:

Shoot 'Em Up scored a victory by the title alone. This testosterone movie lets you know right off the bat what this thing is about, just from the poster. Clive Owen will shoot stuff, mainly people, while being accompanied by Monica Belucci. They both are being chased by Paul Giamatti who will, as implied in the title, be shooting things up.

For the record, Clive Owen is awesome. This is not an opinion. My Geometry 1320 professor proved that Clive Owen was awesome through a modified Euclidean postulate. No disputing Euclid's equations, no disputing Clive Owen. I could watch Clive Owen eat and be excited by his raw, almost primeval, presence of man. In fact, this movie features several scenes of Owen inexplicably eating carrots. Yep. Carrots. He even uses these carrots to murder several people.

The plot (I use that term loosely for a film titled Shoot 'Em Up) starts right at action time. In addition, Monica Belucci is in it. I can't understand a word she says. She was probably saying some pointless jibberish, like a grocery list, and her stunning emotion had me captivated.

Overall, this movie followed the exact Man Formula -- hard and gritty, yet handsome, lead male character, beautfiul female character, high body count, plus a few memorable verbal quips and barbs. A man movie features at least one "zoom in real close, the dude's about to say something --- OH SNAP!!!" scene. This movie featured three such scenes. However, due to said language of the lines in those scenes, and that Jedboy is a family friendly website, I will abstain from those quips.

Man Scale: 9.2 of 10. Mitigating Factors: Paul Giamatti's character being too scattered -- is he a genius, or is he a family man, is he evil? What's his deal? A true man flick doesn't have such character nuances.

Compliments of 'One Million Strong for Val Kilmer'

2008-01-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Val Kilmer has spent his time recently composing a CD which he is now allowing us to download. He would have liked to have released the CD in a more traditional way but the major lables have refused due to Mr Kilmer's "radical" stand that North American Bison horn can be ground into a powder and then used medicinally. (note: Mr Kilmer takes this horn powder personally, up to 3 bisons worth a day. Many believe this is why he has made such a marked recovery in the past months. The only side effects appear to be that he is now 2-3 times as manly and his acting abilities are too much for current filming technology to capture.)

You can access Val's music on his MySpace page

http://www.myspace.com/valkilmermusic

The money made from the sale of these downloads will go directly to funding the fight against male breast cancer and the treatment of the little-studied anti-persperant addiction. (note: 1 in 90 American young men is addicted to anti-persperant. Call your congress-person and get informed today. Together we can fight this!)

~Aaron Rowley
One Million Strong for Val Kilmer

Late Night Done Right

2008-01-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

I’ve come to the conclusion that this strike is proving who the real greats are in the talk show world. Here’s a breakdown of some of the late night talk show hosts as they've been coming back onto the air with mixed results: Leno's in trouble with the WGA for delivering a monologue that was clearly written, which isn’t allowed. Letterman is still losing the ratings war and seems a bit tired, even with his writers on-hand! Jon Stewart wants to lament the writers’ strike instead of lampoon some really juicy moments in the presidential race. And while Stephen Colbert is a masterful interviewer, and deserves props for his improve, he doesn’t have to fill an entire hour with comedy. For this reason I’ve crowned Conan O’Brien the current king of late-night talk for his entertainment prowess and disciplined showmanship during a time of crisis!! Check out this clip of Conan ‘just filling time.’

Blue Moon of Kentucky - Conan O'Brien w/ The Max Weinber

Mormon Myths and Reality

2008-01-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a new video that the Church updated recently. It's ultra cheesy, but pretty good.

IMDB it!!!

2008-01-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Pryce and Tom Courtenay

If you’ve ever used the above phrase before then you’re not alone. I was recently watching the trailer for the new George Clooney movie, Leatherheads—a cross between O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Philadelphia Story—when I saw an actor that I had recently seen in something else, but couldn’t quite place him. So, I IMDB’d the movie and found out that it was Jonathan Pryce, who also played Kiera Knightley’s dad in the Pirates movies. I then remembered that I had thought he played another character in that movie The Golden Compass, but I couldn’t find him in the list of the cast. However, I did find another guy that looks and sounds like Jonathan Pryce named Tom Courtenay, who played Newman Noggs in one of my all-time favorite movies, Nicholas Nickleby. Few! Tragedy averted. Has this ever happened to you? Do you have any IMDB stories??

Leatherheads Trailer!!!

Favorite movies of 2007

2007-12-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably know I’m not a professional film critic, but I like to pretend to be. Below are some of my favorite movies of 2007 in no particular order. Some of the reviews are old and some are new, but I implore you to check them all out!!

Ratatouille
Ratatouille was the perfect blend of cartoon slapstick and animation prowess. I didn’t think I’d like the story that much, but it actually coalesces seamlessly by the end into a tale of social tolerance and acceptance of the old with the new—a Pixar staple. Of course, having a coworker tell me that I reminded her of the goofy, yet lovable protagonist didn’t hurt my perception of the film either. I think what really got me though was the utter savoir faire (that’s French) of the animators who really were able to catch the subtle nuances of character humor. This is something that Pixar has always excelled at, and this movie should be held as a standard for future animator rats in training. ;)

Once
Check out this movie trailer for the movie Once! I saw this at Sundance and completely loved it. I also met the actors and director after the screening of the film, which was a pleasant surprise. The most amazing thing about this movie was that the "actors" are actually musicians, but they completely pull it off. I heard them later perform in concert--they're really good! It looks like Fox Searchlight picked up the film, which might be a good omen since Napolean Dynamite was picked up from that movie studio after it premiered at Sundance. Most movies shown at Sundance are hardly ever distributed to the mainstream movie-going public, but this movie must have struck a nerve with the few who saw it--it won the Audience Award. Check out their myspace page and listen to the song "Falling Slowly."

The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum was the only threequel this year that bucked the trend of mediocrity (see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Ocean’s 13, Shrek 3, and Spider-Man 3). Our favorite amnesiatic hero came back once again to show the world that action films don’t have to be brainless, but can be smart, thought-provoking, and character-driven. Plus it lead to Matt Damon finally making it onto Jimmy Kimmel, well kind of:
Damon freaks out on Kimmel
Blown off
Yason Bourne Identity

Enchanted
Enchanted may work on a lot of levels, but I think its success is mainly due to Disney’s self-parody of the princess genre that it created. Here’s a ‘for instance:’ While watching the opening 2D-animated sequence from Enchanted—that ripped storylines from Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty—I felt that it wasn’t meant to be an homage to these movies, but rather a spoof. The audience understood this and they all laughed. In other words, Disney wasn’t presenting to the masses a classic, traditional princess archetype replete with brilliant music and color, but a mimicked replica of those old films with its tongue planted very firmly in its cheek, as if to say, “we know these types of movies don’t work anymore either,” wink, wink. More.

Rescue Dawn
Rescue Dawn proved once again that Christian Bale is one of the hardest working and most eclectic actors in Hollywood right now. Only a few actors can successfully swing between indie fare and blockbuster bombast and still keep their street cred. (One of these days the guys gonna earn an Oscar, but it doesn’t look like it’ll happen this year.) Check out this movie if you enjoy human suffering and survival taken to its very extremities with focused execution. Also, Steve Zahn’s performance is one of the more heartbreaking this year. Good movie, I didn’t fancy the ending though.

Steve Zahn and Christian Bale

Hairspray
I did go see

Hairspray this weekend, however, and as far as musicals are concerned; it’s not that bad. I would even go so far to say that I enjoyed it. (Of course, I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more Christopher Walken!) Apparently, this musical has struck a chord (cringe) with the American public as it had the ‘the biggest opening on record for a musical.’

3:10 to Yuma
3:10 to Yuma is the archetypical western where honor, revenge, and bravado all corral together to produce one of the best westerns since Unforgiven. The storytelling is tight, the action intense, and the acting is top-notch. However, I will admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for old westerns, so I’m a little biased. And what’s with Luke Wilson cameoing in like, uh, everything.

Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia moved me unlike any other movie this year. I saw it with my eight year-old nephew and we were both blown away by the important dramatic intensity toward the end of the film. Sure, it’s a kids film, but some of the film’s themes are very real and should be talked about afterward with the youngins. I’m also partial toward Zooey Deschanel. One more thing, the marketing for this film was entirely wrong, trying to make it look like The Chronicles of Narnia, which it definitely wasn’t; it was better.

Live Free of Die Hard
Live Free or Die Hard: I had low expectations, but came away pleasantly surprised and would like to declare that it’s the perfect summer movie. It's loud, crazy, and has amazing special effects—just like the other aforementioned films—but the major difference is the utter enjoyment of witnessing the perfect infusion of character banter, thin, yet understandable plot, and absurd action sequences complemented by seamless CGI. In other words, it leaves the audience satisfied with a lack of suck.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix answers the age-old question of whether the fifth movie in a series can keep up the momentum of the last four. Of course, there haven’t been a lot of examples of fifth movies, but let's reminisce shall we? Superman Returns was actually the fifth movie as was Batman Begins. But these franchises have completely reinvented themselves over a longer period of time, so I don’t know if they count. So I’ll just say that my answer will be yes; it keeps up the momentum. There are very few movie franchises that have been able to capture the magic from the originals, while still putting out a good yarn—except for maybe Police Acadmy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach (what a hoot).

I would go as far to say, in fact, that HP5 might be the best in the series, and here’s why: character development. The other movies are clearly kiddie fair with bumbly special effects and cartoonish humor. Phoenix, on the other hand, like the books, goes deeper and darker into the inner-reaches of Harry’s mind—this is the epic adventure. True we don’t get all the action of the last four, but we get to understand what it’s like to be Harry and we begin to feel his pain and the burden that he bares. This ultimately culminates into the best wizardry battle that we’ve yet to see on screen—and trust me, it’s worth the wait. My only real complaint about the movie is the fact that from the longest book they made the shortest movie. There weren’t major plot points that they left out, but I would’ve liked a little more exposition and more Sirius Black.

Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace was an important film this year. I saw it with my mother and it was quite good. It was a tad predictable seeing that I knew that eventually they'd abolish the slave trade, but watching the main characters go through the transformation of applying increasingly bad make up and losing their powdered wigs over time was quite riveting ; ) I really liked the girl in it though. I think she was in a movie called Nicholas Nickleby--which I love.

Films that I have yet to see, but think I will like:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – This one is getting plenty of Oscar buzz and is very surreal.

Juno - This movie is being promoted as a dramedy. The subject matter is somewhat unfortunate, but it’s got a great cast that includes Michael Cera and Jason Bateman – both from Arrested Development.

The Great Debators

Lost it up!!

2007-12-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here's the new trailer for the most amazing piece of television in the history of the small screen. Even though there's only going to be 6-8 episodes coming out in January, I'm totally excited. I was thinking too, that Lost is sure to be a ratings giant since there won't be a lot of alternative programing going on due to the writers' strike.

Best Indie Rock Songs of 2007

2007-12-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to do my own end-of-the-year list of my favorite songs. I was going to add some kind of analysis, but the list got too long and I just didn’t feel like it. The list really is in no particular order, aside from the play count of the songs in my iTunes. This isn’t really a reflection about how I feel about each song per se, but really just an interesting ‘gee whiz’ fact. Also, I only have one song per artist so as to add a little variety to the list. Enjoy!!

Song - Artist - Count
1 Mama`s Room - Under The Influence Of Giants - 62
2 Read My Mind - The Killers - 60
3 Australia - The Shins - 58
4 Golden Skans - Klaxons - 57
5 Who's There - Cavil at Rest - 52
6 Me Plus One - Kasabian - 52
7 Breakfast By the Mattress - Kristoffer Ragnstam - 52
8 Flathead - The Fratellis - 52
9 Vulnerable - Secondhand Serenade - 51
10 Cupid's Chokehold - Gym Class Heroes - 50
11 I Still Remember - Bloc Party - 49
12 Fidelity - Regina Spektor - 49
13 Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley - 49
14 You Are the One - Shiny Toy Guns - 49
15 Four Winds - Bright Eyes - 47
16 My Mind - Portugal The Man - 45
17 D.A.N.C.E - Justice - 44
18 101 - Albert Hammond Jr. - 43
19 Love Hurts - Incubus - 43
20 Cardigan Weather - Meg & Dia - 43
21 Well Thought Out Twinkles - Silversun Pickups - 43
22 Time Won't Let Me Go - The Bravery - 42
23 Keep Forgetting - The Cinematics - 42
24 LDN - Lily Allen - 40
25 Don't Let Go - Pacha Massive - 40
26 Cold-Hearted Town - New Atlantic - 39
27 From Nothing to Nowhere - Pinback - 39
28 Weapon Of Choice - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - 38
29 Typical - Mute Math - 38
30 Desecration Smile - Red Hot Chili Peppers - 38
31 Fa-Fa-Fa - Datarock - 37
32 Challengers - The New Pornographers - 37
33 You Picked Me - A Fine Frenzy - 36
34 Paralyzer - Finger Eleven - 36
35 Men's Needs - The Cribs - 36
36 Back In Your Head - Tegan And Sara - 35
37 Boston - Augustana - 34
38 Gravity's Bringing Us Down - Beulah - 34
39 Suffer For Fashion - Of Montreal - 34
40 Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn And John - 34
41 Doomsday Clock - The Smashing Pumkins - 34
42 One Crowded Hour - Augie March - 33
43 Invasion - Eisley - 33
44 Mistaken For Strangers - The National - 33
45 Ash Wednesday - Elvis Perkins - 32
46 Darlin' Do Not Fear - Brett Dennen - 31
47 Pistol - Dustin Kensrue - 31
48 Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me - The Pipettes - 31
49 Face For The Radio - The View - 31
50 Pressure Suit - Aqualung - 30
51 Merrymaking At My Place - Calvin Harris - 30
52 Unaware - Days Difference - 30
53 Stronger - Kanye West - 30
54 Cold December - Matt Costa - 30
55 Dance Tonight - Paul McCartney - 30
56 Time After Time - Quietdrive - 30
57 Scar That Never Heals - Jeremy Fisher - 29
58 You Don't Know Her Name - Maps - 29
59 Take A Chance - The Magic Numbers - 29
60 Signal Fire - Snow Patrol - 28
61 The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson - 27
62 You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse - 26
63 Hospital Beds - Cold War Kids - 26
64 Bleed It Out - Linkin Park - 26
65 Knights - Minus The Bear - 26
66 Duality - Bayside 2- 5
67 Fire Fire Fire - Dappled Cities - 25
68 America - Razorlight - 25
69 Elusive - Scott Matthews - 25
70 This Beauty - Amanda Rogers - 24
71 Find What You Get - Bang Gang - 24
72 New Shoes - Paolo Nutini - 24
73 The Sons Of Cain - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - 24
74 Setting Sun - The Aliens - 24
75 The Distance - Dntel - 23
76 The Plot - White Rabbits - 23
77 Must Be The Moon - !!! (Chk Chk Chk) - 22
78 Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors - Editors - 22
79 Here (In Your Arms) - Hellogoodbye - 22
80 Born In The 70's - Ed Harcourt - 21
81 Viens avec moi - Les Breastfeeders - 21
82 Calling On You - Paulson - 21
83 Tonight I Have To Leave It - Shout Out Louds - 21
84 The Midnight Choir - The Thrills - 21
85 Can You Feel It? - Apples In Stereo - 20
86 Song For The Fields - Fields - 20
87 Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - 20
88 Windy City Nights - The Winter Sounds - 20
89 The Underdog - Spoon - 19
90 Firecracker - Voxtrot - 19
91 Imitosis - Andrew Bird - 18
92 French Dog Blues - Babyshambles - 18
93 Suburban Knights - Hard-Fi - 18
94 Grip Like A Vice - The Go! Team - 18
95 Once And Never Again - The Long Blondes - 18
96 Is There A Ghost - Band Of Horses - 17
97 Stuttering - Ben's Brother - 17
98 23 - Blonde Redhead - 17
99 Into The Ocean - Blue October - 17
100 The Bomb - New Young Pony Club - 17

Peter Jackson or There and Back Again

2007-12-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

So, my Lord of the Rings geekiness was confirmed yesterday…yet again. I was talking to this guy about how The Hobbit was going to be made by Peter Jackson in the next couple of years. He asked me if Elijah Wood was going to be in it. “Oh, no” I said, “he played Frodo; it was Biblo who was in the first book.” I guess that that’s not totally geeky, but I was surprised at how quickly and with such passion that I responded to his question. You see, I’ve been a huge fan of LotR since I first read the books back in third grade. I’ve read the books several times now, and even watching this fake Hobbit trailer gives me the chills. Aren’t you guys excited!!

So, who do you think should direct?? (Peter Jackson probably won’t direct, but serve as an executive producer.) I’ve offered some suggestions here - ew.com has said that there’s currently three directors under consideration, all of which seem pretty apt for the job: Sam Raimi (Spider-man), Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth), and Alfonso Cuaròn (HP: Prison of Azkaban, Children of Men). Personally, I think Cuaròn would make the best director for this type of franchise.

Also, they’re going to shoot two films simultaneously. This is interesting since The Hobbit or There and Back Again is only one book. The first movie would capture all the events that occur in the first tome. The next would link the conclusion of Tolkien’s prequel with The Fellowship of the Ring. I’m not sure what that would entail, but there’s actually an entire history out there of happenings outside of Tolkien’s original four books. I’ll have to mine my The Book of Lost Tales 1 that I bought in junior high but never got around to reading.

Bibliography

[edit] Fiction and poetry

See also: Poems by J. R. R. Tolkien.

1936 Songs for the Philologists, with E.V. Gordon et al.
1937 The Hobbit or There and Back Again, ISBN 0-618-00221-9 (HM).
1945 Leaf by Niggle (short story)
1945 The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, published in Welsh Review
1949 Farmer Giles of Ham (medieval fable)
1953 The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son (a play written in alliterativeBeorhtnoth's Death and Ofermod, in Essays and Studies by members of the English Association, volume 6. verse), published with the accompanying essays
The Lord of the Rings
- 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring: being the first part of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN 0-618-00222-7 (HM).
- 1954 The Two Towers: being the second part of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN 0-618-00223-5 (HM).
- 1955 The Return of the King: being the third part of The Lord of the Rings, ISBN 0-618-00224-3 (HM).
1962 The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book
1964 Tree and Leaf (On Fairy-Stories and Leaf by Niggle in book form)
1966 The Tolkien Reader (The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son, On Fairy-Stories, Leaf by Niggle, Farmer Giles of Ham, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil)
1967 The Road Goes Ever On, with Donald Swann
1967 Smith of Wootton Major

Posthumous publications

See Tolkien research for essays and text fragments by Tolkien published posthumously in academic publications and forums.

1975 Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings (edited version) - published in A Tolkien Compass by Jared Lobdell. Written by Tolkien for use by translators of The Lord of the Rings, a full version, re-titled "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings," was published in 2005 in The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull ISBN 0-618-64267-6.
1975 Translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl (poem) and Sir Orfeo
1976 The Father Christmas Letters
1977 The Silmarillion ISBN 0-618-12698-8 (HM).
1979 Pictures by J. R. R. Tolkien
1980 Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth ISBN 0-618-15405-1 (HM).
1980 Poems and Stories (a compilation of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son, On Fairy-Stories, Leaf by Niggle, Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wootton Major)
1981 The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (eds. Christopher Tolkien and Humphrey Carpenter)
1981 The Old English "Exodus" Text translation and commentary by J. R. R. Tolkien; edited by Joan Turville-Petre. Clarendon Press, Oxford
1982 Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode
1982 Mr. Bliss
1983 The Monsters and the Critics (an essay collection)
- Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics (1936)
- On Translating Beowulf (1940)
- On Fairy-Stories (1947)
- A Secret Vice (1930)
- English and Welsh (1955)
1983–1996 The History of Middle-earth:
1. The Book of Lost Tales 1 (1983)
2. The Book of Lost Tales 2 (1984)
3. The Lays of Beleriand (1985)
4. The Shaping of Middle-earth (1986)
5. The Lost Road and Other Writings (1987)
6. The Return of the Shadow (The History of The Lord of the Rings vol. 1) (1988)
7. The Treason of Isengard (The History of The Lord of the Rings vol. 2) (1989)
8. The War of the Ring (The History of The Lord of the Rings vol. 3) (1990)
9. Sauron Defeated (The History of The Lord of the Rings vol. 4, including The Notion Club Papers) (1992)
10. Morgoth's Ring (The Later Silmarillion vol. 1) (1993)
11. The War of the Jewels (The Later Silmarillion vol. 2) (1994)
12. The Peoples of Middle-earth (1996)
- Index (2002)
1995 J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator (a compilation of Tolkien's art)
1998 Roverandom
2002 A Tolkien Miscellany - a collection of previously published material
2002 Beowulf and the Critics ed. Michael D.C. Drout (Beowulf: the monsters and the critics together with editions of two drafts of the longer essay from which it was condensed.)
2005 Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings (full version) - published in The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull ISBN 0-618-64267-6. Re-titled to "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in this book. Written by Tolkien for use by translators of The Lord of the Rings, an edited version had been published in 1975 in A Tolkien Compass by Jared Lobdell.
2007 The Children of Húrin
2007 The History of The Hobbit

See How Deep the Rabbit Hole Goes

2007-12-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Morpheus offers Neo regular strength NyQuil and daytime formula DayQuil

One of my favorite movie concepts is The Matrix. Whether or not the "thrillogy" turned out great doesn't matter to me so much as the ideas of the first thirty minutes of the first film. You know the concept -- that Agent Utah guy from Point Break ("I am an EFF BEE EYE agent!") plays Neo. Neo finds himself stuck in a rut and wants to find out what this whole Matrix deal is about. A group of leather clad folks oblige, showing up to Neo's crib one day. Their leader, Morpheus, lays out the deal. Neo has two choices: 1) the blue pill effectively acting as rohypnol and putting Neo to sleep OR 2) the red pill, which will show Neo "how deep the rabbit hole goes."

I enjoyed the concept because, I believe, there are people in our lives are our own personal Morpheus. People that you meet along the way that open up your world for the better.

In honor of his pending ???th birthday, I salute Jedboy -- one of my Morpheus-like people. While attending BYU, Jedboy and I collaborated on the esteemed public funding of stadiums project. We also collaborated on lunch about eight times a week, mainly because I'm incapable of preparing hot foods.

However, Jed was especially mind opening in the ways of music. Jed enlightened and enlivened my mind and ears with the great sounds of Arcade Fire. Before I heard them, I was mainly a devout fan of Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Hank Williams, and Public Enemy. (Quite a musical platter there). Arcade Fire has quickly vaulted to the top of the ASmith Charts of Excellence, now possessing the coveted spot of second and third best albums I own. (Nothing is ever going to surpass Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on my charts.)

Jedboy offers ASmith the feather of Arcade Fire's excellence

In honor of Jed's ???th birthday, where'er you are, stand tall, stand firm, straighten your collar, and throw a salute in Jed's direction. Upon finishing the salute, pull up your favorite Arcade Fire song on your iPod or other listening device of choice, turn up the volume, and retrospect rock in honor of those in your life who are friends and family.

Beards: They Grow On You

2007-12-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of hearing about the writers’ strike? Or are you just mad that everyone is so selfish and can’t resolve their differences? It makes me so mad that I want to do something about it! So, in honor of those striking I’ve decided to grow a beard just like Conan O’Brien. Sure, it doesn’t really make sense, it’s more because I’m lazy and don’t go to BYU anymore and, well, maybe a certain someone likes how it feels; but it’s on my face and I’m posting a picture of it. So there. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you enjoy not watching your favorite shows on TV. It’s actually quite liberating. Go out and see the world (Discovery Channel), learn something new (History Channel), follow current events (C-Span), or catch up with an old friend (reruns?). Either way you’re not watching TV, er, TV that you normally watch. Or you can just grow a beard or not shave your legs. Something that demonstrates your frustration with the whole system through some lack of personal hygiene is all that’s really required and appreciated by writers who have no one to write for.

Here's some updates on some of my favorite shows:

24 - None this season! Moving the premier of "Day 7" that was originally going to air January 08. Now could be pushed to next season because they want to air all 24 episodes without a break. via

30 Rock - 1 episodes remaining (eff 12/14)

Big Bang Theory - 0 episodes remaining. Just over half of those originally planned.

Chuck - 1 episode remains (eff 12/13) The final episode will air in 2008

Lost - All eight episodes remaining and planned for February 08. Only half of the originally planned episodes

My Name is Earl - 0 episodes remain(eff 12/14).

The Office - No episodes remain. Production has completely stopped via

Pushing Daisies - 0 episodes remaining (eff 12/13)

Scrubs - 5 episodes remaining (eff 12/10)

Talk/Comedy Shows:

Late Night Shows including Letterman, Leno, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Craig Ferguson, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Real Time with Bill Baher & Carson Daly are all in reruns already. via

The View is continuing on as normal. (phew!!)

UPDATE: THE WEEK OF 12/3, CARSON DALY RESUMED TAPING HIS LATE-NIGHT SHOW ON NBC WITHOUT THE WRITERS. via

'Enchanted': A Postmodern, Traditional Fairytale

2007-12-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

It would be safe to say that Disney almost single-handedly invented the so-called princess genre when it began to unspool its female heroine films starting with Snow White (1937) and ending with Beauty and the Beast (1991). These princess movies all contain similar elements: traditional princess storylines, 2D animation, and a Broadway-musical theme. Lately, however, Disney princess fare has taken a backseat to the ever-popular CGI movies that fly in the face of traditional 2D-animated princess fairytales or even make fun of them (Shrek). In fact, Disney's own animation department had at one point left the 2D technique by the wayside with the decidedly below-average Home on the Range (2004)—they've only recently decided to revamp this almost defunct art. Also, they haven't even attempted a Broadway-style movie since Mulan (1998), which is interesting because Disney was the only movie studio making movie musicals with any success during the late 80s and early 90s (see The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, et al.) This is unfortunate since musicals seem to be back in vogue with the likes of Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Hairspray, and Sweeney Todd singing themselves back onto the silver screen with critical and commercial success. So, the question is: Why not make another Disney princess movie with all the methods that made it a masterpiece (i.e., traditional animation, song and dance, as well as a 'happily ever after' storyline)?

After watching Enchanted with my girlfriend, (we both loved it) we started to discuss the dearth of classic Disney princess musicals. I was of the opinion that those types of movies just wouldn't work for America's current taste. They would be a tough sell in today's Shrek-inspired market that relies heavily on poking fun at all things conventional for the sake of buzz-inducing irreverence. I'm not trying to bag on Shrek or its conglomerate of clones; I'm just saying that 'the mockery' has taken place of 'the masterpiece.' The cynical post-9/11 audience has now become accustomed to sarcastic, biting humor engineered to lampoon tradition, rather than embrace it—stuff that would make Walt Disney rollover in his cryogenic freezer. This phenomenon has even transcended into the Broadway realm as it seems that the most popular and award-winning musicals are parodies (i.e., The Producers, Spamalot, etc.). This entertainment trend in the realm of 'family' entertainment might even be considered to be 'postmodern.'

So, let's examine postmodernity with Enchanted as the prime example: Now, 'postmodern' is an ambiguous term thrown about by quasi-intellectuals (ahem) that has a cornucopia of meanings. The meaning that I wanted to evoke is the following: 'the breaking of traditional frames of genre, structure, and stylistic unity" (Wikipedia). Thus, Enchanted may work on a lot of levels, but I think its success is mainly due to Disney's self-parody of the princess genre that it created. Here's a 'for instance:' While watching the opening 2D-animated sequence from Enchanted--that ripped storylines from Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty--I felt that it wasn't meant to be an homage to these movies, but rather a spoof. The audience understood this and they all laughed. In other words, Disney wasn’t presenting to the masses a classic, traditional princess archetype replete with brilliant music and color, but a mimicked replica of those old films with its tongue planted very firmly in its cheek, as if to say, "we know these types of movies don't work anymore either," wink, wink. It would be the equivalent of the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, deciding that his movies just weren’t connecting to his fanboy audience like they used to, so he decides to broaden the audience and reimagine the next Star Wars movie into a romantic comedy, When Anni Met Padme, for example. While this does intrigue me a little, I’d be a little remiss that all my Star Wars memories as a kid would be thrown out the window for the sake of George Lucas’ creative urges (oh wait, this already happened). My point it: while I think movies or genres are always in the need of an update, sometimes it just makes me a little sad to think that America’s mood and taste has shifted so much that making a traditional, yet exceptional movie has become the extreme, while making those cutting-edge, pushing-the-envelope-type films has become the norm.

Scene from When Anni Met Padme

Here's a look at Enchanted and it's less-than-traditional undertones: (1) McDreamy is a divorce lawyer that pushes feminist heroines on his impressionable young daughter. I like the fact that he's trying to push realistic ambition into his daughter, but I have a hard time imagining Walt Disney adding in a scene like this for any of his movies. (2) The evil queen (Susan Sarandon) sends Giselle (the princess) to a place where "there are no happily ever afters." First of all, to suggest there are no ‘happily ever afters’ kills all traditional princess credibility, but then to have the no ‘happily ever after’ place become the princess’ home by the end is downright pragmatic (?). Secondly, a reference to the ‘real world’ was unheard of in earlier Disney movies, and yet today it seems like all CGI movies survive off of pop culture jokes. It would be like Cinderella’s fairy godmother singing, “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, the Commies are out to get you!” during the Red Scare 1950s. I just don’t know if those types of jokes stand the test of time. (Have you watched the first Shrek movie in a awhile?) (3) The princess saves the mansel (man + damsel) in distress (McDreamy). Again, in the oft-mentioned Disney princess movies, even if the princess was the main star of the show, she was always saved by the prince. I guess this just mirrors today’s political climate, as Hillary Clinton (a modern-day princess?) has always had to save her own mamsel in distress.

Then again, I could be completely wrong. While Enchanted could come across as a poke in the eye of all things princess, it really ends up very traditional in the fact that everyone really does end up 'happily ever after'—as my girlfriend pointed out. In fact, to weaken my argument of this postmodern trend, Disney is ready to get back into the princess movie making game with a pair of future releases. The first is The Princess and the Frog, which is being touted as a return to 2D animation for the Mouse House with singing and dancing for all. The interesting twist for this movie is that it will star Disney's first African-American heroine, who was recently called Maddy, until the PC police decided that it was too racially insensitive. Her name is now Tiana. The other princess-themed movie scheduled to hit theatres, is Rapunzel. However, instead of going with the traditional 2D-animation, the studio has recently decided to mix the best of both worlds of 2D and CGI. Here's what Wikipedia had to say: "Because of the advancements in computer technology many of the basic principles of animation used in traditional animated movies that has been absent in CGI films due to technical limitations, is now becoming possible also in this field of animation, where they will be used together with the potential offered by CGI." Thus, they plan to animate the movie as if it were a traditional oil painting on canvas. Intriguing. It sounds so, well,…traditional.

The Swing, the artistic inspiration for Rapunzel

I wanted Yoda to be the traditional kind of character you find in fairy tales and mythology. And that character is usually a frog or a wizened old man on the side of the road. The hero is going down the road and meets this poor and insignificant person. The goal or lesson is for the hero to learn to respect everybody and to pay attention to the poorest person because that's where the key to his success will be.

- George Lucas

Disney theatrical animated features

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Pinocchio (1940) • Fantasia (1940) • Dumbo (1941) • Bambi (1942) • Saludos Amigos (1942) • The Three Caballeros (1944) • Make Mine Music (1946) • Fun and Fancy Free (1947) • Melody Time (1948) • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) • Cinderella (1950) • Alice in Wonderland (1951) • Peter Pan (1953) • Lady and the Tramp (1955) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) • The Sword in the Stone (1963) • The Jungle Book (1967) • The Aristocats (1970) • Robin Hood (1973) • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) • The Rescuers (1977) • The Fox and the Hound (1981) • The Black Cauldron (1985) • The Great Mouse Detective (1986) • Oliver & Company (1988) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • The Rescuers Down Under (1990) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • The Lion King (1994) • Pocahontas (1995) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) • Hercules (1997) • Mulan (1998) • Tarzan (1999) • Fantasia 2000 (1999) • The Emperor's New Groove (2000) • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) • Lilo & Stitch (2002) • Treasure Planet (2002) • Brother Bear (2003) • Home on the Range (2004) • Chicken Little (2005) • Meet the Robinsons (2007) • Bolt (2008) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Rapunzel (2010)

Indie Rock Christmas Songs

2007-11-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so first of all, this isn't really an Indie Rock Christmas list--I just wanted to throw that in the title for some reason. What is this so-called Indie Rock anyway? The truth is that nobody knows. It's supposed to come from bands that are 'underground' and haven't yet signed a major label. Yet many bands continue to be labeled indie rock even after they sign to a major record label. Check out this definition on Urban Dictionary, it's kind of funny.

Anywho, I know it's a little early for Christmas music, but, hey, Christmas isn't just one day; it's like the entire month of December! Am I right? On that subject: I've always loved Christmas music, but let's get real; sometimes it gets a little old. So, for the last four or five years I've been compiling music from some of my favorite artists. This is a list of some of those precious holiday finds, but it also has some classics that I just think are cool. This is by no means an exhaustive list. In fact, if any of my faithful readers have some more suggestions please send them my way.

P.S. If you want to hear some of these songs, scroll down to the bottom of this page. A lot of these songs are also available on iTunes or wherever you legally download music. If you really want a copy of some of these songs, just let me know--I'd be happy to make you a CD. Remember: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"

The Beatles sing Christmas Time is Here Again

(It Must of been Ol) Santa Claus	Harry Connick, Jr.
12.23.95 2000 Miles	Jimmy Eat World Coldplay
A Great Big Sled	The Killers
All I Want for Christmas is You	Mariah Carey
Baby, It's Cold Outside	Gabe Dixon & Leigh Nash
Baby, It's Cold Outside	Leon Redbone/Zooey Deschanel
Believe	Josh Groban
Better Days (Acoustic Version)	Goo Goo Dolls
Bittersweet Eve	Belasana
Blue Christmas	Elvis Presley
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)	Death Cab For Cutie
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)	U2
Christmas Celebration	Weezer
Christmas For Cowboys	Jars Of Clay
Christmastime	The Smashing Pumpkins
Christmastime Is Here Again	The Beatles
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing	Sufjan Stevens
Do They Know It's Christmas	Pete Yorn
Do You Hear What I Hear?	Copeland
Donde Esta Santa Claus?	Guster
Donna & Blitzen	Badly Drawn Boy
Frosty The Snowman	Fiona Apple
Gabriel's Message	Sting
Go Tell It On The Mountain	Oh Susanna!
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen	Barenaked Ladies Feat. Sarah McLachlan
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen	Bare Naked Ladies
Green Christmas	Bare Naked Ladies
Grown-Up Christmas List	Michael Bublé
Happy Christmas (War Is Over)	John Lennon
Happy Christmas (War is Over)	The Polyphonic Spree
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas	Coldplay
Hey Parker, It's Christmas	Ryan Adams
Holly Jolly Christmas	The Format
Holy, Holy, Holy	Sufjan Stevens
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day	Pedro The Lion
I'll Be Home For Christmas	Bing Crosby
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear	Sixpence None The Richer
Jingle Bells	Bing Crosby
Last Christmas	Jimmy Eat World
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!	Lena Horne
Little Saint Nick [Single Version]	The Beach Boys
Maybe This Christmas	Ron Sexsmith
Merry Christmas Everybody	Rooney
Merry Christmas, Baby	The Beach Boys
Nutcracker Suite	Brian Setzer
O Come O Come Emmanuel	Sufjan Stevens
O Holy Night	Avril Lavigne & Chantal Kreviazuk
O Holy Night	Il Divo
Please Come Home for Christmas	Jon Bon Jovi
River	Travis
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer	Jack Johnson
Rudy	The Be Good Tanyas
Santa Baby	Eartha Kitt
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town	Eddy Arnold
Santa's Beard	The Beach Boys
Sleigh Ride/Santa Claus Party	Ferrante & Teicher/Les Baxter/Teicher
Somewhere In My Memory (Voice)	John Williams
Song for a Winter's Night	Sarah McLachlan
Spotlight On Christmas	Rufus Wainwright
St. Patrick's Day	John Mayer
Sweet Secret Peace	Neil Finn
The Christmas Song	Dave Matthews Band
The Christmas Song	The Raveonettes
The Christmas Song	Weezer
The Holly & the Ivy	Mediaeval Baebes
The Only Gift That I Need	Dashboard Confessional
The Prayer	Josh Groban & Charlotte Church
The Winter Song	Eisley
Three Ships	Sting
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts	Nat King Cole
We Three Kings Of Orient Are	The Beach Boys
What A Year For A New Year	Dan Wilson
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?	Harry Connick, Jr.
What Child Is This	Matt Wertz
When Christmas Comes to Town	Matthew Hall/Meagan Moore
When I Get Home for Christmas	Snow Patrol
Winter Wonderland	Jason Mraz
Wonderful Christmastime	Paul McCartney
Zat You Santa Claus	Louis Armstrong

Publicly Funded Sports Stadiums and Wal-Mart

2007-11-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was recently reading a news article in the DesNews about the Real Salt Lake soccer stadium. It was interesting because it was really just pointing out the obvious fact that with the debt issued by the county via a 20-year bond that interest would make the stadium price tag considerably higher. I think most people knew that already, and were willing to accept the fact that it would be expensive, but saw it as a welcome economic development opportunity for Sandy. While I am, along with much of Utah, intrigued by sports and believe that having more professional sports in Utah would be great, I can’t help but think that most taxpayers don’t really understand all the nuances of this already done deal. My friend Aaron (a frequent contributor to this blog) and I actually wrote a paper together about this subject almost a year-and-a-half ago that describes some of the issues surrounding the soccer stadium and our take on it. The information is a little dated, but still pertinent.

Finally, this blog really is dedicated to the apolitical entertainment musings that we have, but I can’t help but post something about this as a dedicated sports fan with fiscally responsible leanings. I’m pretty sure Aaron and I are in agreement, but he can post a comment if he feels like he wants to add anything.

Should Tax Dollars Be Spent on the

Real Salt Lake Soccer Stadium?

By:

Jedediah Briggs

and Aaron Smith

The State Legislature has recently approved a bill (HB371) that authorizes all counties in the state to levy a 1.25 percent tax on hotel accommodations to pay for tourism projects. This bill could help pay for part of the Real Salt Lake soccer stadium in Sandy. However, several independent polls already have shown that most valley residents oppose a taxpayer-subsidized soccer stadium. Thus, the county, not the people, will soon decide whether to use the new tax revenue toward funding the stadium, which could cost taxpayers upwards of $45 million dollars. Before the county puts forth the money, there are a few questions to consider:

Will the RSL stadium spur economic development in Sandy?
What are the benefits for Sandy in having a sports stadium?
What are the costs of subsidizing a new soccer stadium?

Will the RSL stadium spur

economic development in Sandy?

Intuitively, a number of people would argue that building a new sports stadium would spur economic development in the surrounding area, but some studies have shown that that simply is not the case. In fact, one study which analyzed the effect of professional sports on local economies in 37 metropolitan areas found that professional sports stadiums did have an impact in an area, but it was, at best, minimal. For example, in 1990, Maryland and Baltimore collected $3.4 billion and $528 million, respectively. For the city, the tax gain from the newly constructed stadium in Baltimore represented only .7% of the tax gain. In addition, personal income in Baltimore was almost $14 billion. Projected earnings for the stadium represent .15% of Baltimore’s total income. Maybe the citizens of Sandy should worry about whether there is an actual impact.

The question could also be raised as to whether sports stadiums increase income per capita in the cities where they are located. The aforementioned study took into account the entire sports environment of the city, including the presence of franchises, franchise entry and departure, stadium construction and renovation, the location of new stadiums and arenas, and the “novelty” effect of a new stadium or arena for professional sports. Of the 37 metropolitan areas in the sample, none of them had a measurable impact on the growth rate of real per capita income in those areas. However, in one case the arrival of a new basketball franchise in a metropolitan area increased real per capita income by about $67, but building a new arena for that basketball team reduced real per capita income by almost $73 in each of the 10 years following the construction of the arena—a net loss of about $6 per person. Much of the lack of economic development can be illustrated through a discussion of the substitution effect.

The substitution effect

It is anticipated that the new arena for Real Salt Lake would be funded in part by public dollars. Usually a large portion of tax dollars goes to public services, such as healthcare, education, and local infrastructure, but in this scenario, the tax payer is being asked to fund a for-profit business. The revenues from the soccer stadium will not be going directly back to the taxpayers of Salt Lake County, but to the owner of the team. There is a difference between giving incentives or tax breaks to a store like Wal-Mart or Ikea to build in your town and actually paying for the store to be built. If valuable tax dollars, which could otherwise be spent on public goods, are spent on funding a sports stadium it could diminish the ability of the local economy to produce other non-sports-related goods and services, which in turn would reduce local income.

There is a difference between giving incentives or tax breaks to a store like Wal-Mart or Ikea to build in your town and actually paying for the store to be built.

The substitution effect also has an influence on private spending. Utah households, like all others, have budgetary constrains, with a limited amount of income. With a new professional sports team in the area, or a new entertainment option, families might spend less on other forms of entertainment, such as dinner, bowling, movies, or shopping. If families spend more money on going to games and less on the local economy then it might have a negative impact on an area. A study of the recently built MCI Center in Washington DC concluded that the arena provided no actual increase in entertainment dollars spent, but rather served as an alternate way for money to be spent. Essentially, there are only so many dollars to go around, and there is simply a transfer of where a person’s money eventually ends up. In the case of the soccer stadium, money goes into the hands of a small number of owners and players who might not reinvest back into the community.

What are the benefits for Sandy in having a sports stadium?

There are some benefits related to having a new sports stadium and team to root for. However, most of the benefits are qualitative in nature, not monetary. There is evidence that cities with sports franchises have a renewed sense of civic pride—it gives the community something to rally behind. There is also the feeling of satisfaction associated with having a professional sports team carry your cities’ name across the country. Furthermore, the arena could be used for other purposes as well, such as social events and concerts. A sports franchise is politically popular. Many people throughout Sandy want a professional soccer team in their midst, which drives political motives to landing a franchise. However, these ideas, again, are rooted in political and social benefits, not monetary policy.

Furthermore, in the Salt Lake County proposal, the land surrounding the stadium will be developed, similar to the area around the Delta Center with the creation of the Gateway Mall. However, the previously aforementioned Washington DC study found that the MCI Center was only part of a major revitalization program. Economic growth in a city such as Salt Lake may have more to do with a rapidly growing population than a soccer franchise.

What are the costs of subsidizing a new soccer stadium?

At present, Real Salt Lake has projected an estimated cost of $145 million for the entire stadium project. Of that total price, Real management has asked that $45 million come from public funds. The public funds, Real management argues, will not be put towards actually stadium construction, but on developing land near the site, including a broadcast studio and hotel.

In order to raise the necessary funds for the stadium, the Utah state legislature has passed a bill that would call for a 1.25% tax on hotel guests. A further analysis of the proposal raises several concerns.

First, there are signs that Salt Lake County is developing a tax rate problem towards hotel use. A 2005 bill that passed through Salt Lake County voters allowed the county to tax hotels in order to expand the Salt Palace Convention Center. The legislation proposed by the state legislature would be the second such tax increase in Salt Lake County in less than a year. One side effect of continually increasing the tax rate on such a limited base (hotel users) would be a decrease in possible hotel use because of over pricing. If the tax rate, combined with the natural increase of hotel prices, becomes too high, there could actually be a decline in hotel activity.

Second, there is a sense that the bill is pitting political entities against each other. In the aforementioned 2005 bill, Salt Lake City put forth $8 million on any future expansion involving Real Salt Lake. That money has already been committed. Salt Lake City is subsidizing a major portion of the development, yet the city may not realize any economic gains, if there are any to be had at all.

Third, there is some concern as to public perception regarding the legislation. As the bill was passed on a state legislative level, local voters in Sandy, and throughout the state, were unable to vote regarding the bill. As citizens continue to lose autonomy on tax issues, there could be political fallout in addition to any economic side effects. Additionally, it may become progressively more difficult to increase taxes on more immediate needs, such as education, health care, and infrastructure.

...Real management has asked that $45 million come from public funds.

Fourth, and perhaps of most concern, the proposal will rely on a user tax. There are disadvantages to this tax. Because the tax is aimed at hotel users, the tax has a limited base. Traditionally, hotel taxes are targeted to tourism development, such as the 2005 bill on the Salt Palace. Additionally, with a user tax, there is an element of unpredictability. The ebbs and flows of tourism can affect the amount of revenue, as tourism is heavily reliant on a healthy economy. Also, tourism can be altered by political climate. The events of September 11^thdrastically changed tourist based industries. Additionally, natural disasters can also have a great influence on regional tourism. The combination of a limited and unpredictable base could lead to a serious problem in revenue stability.

Risky business

In addition to the concerns with the nature of the tax, there are also some concerns to be raised about Real Salt Lake and Major League Soccer in general.

Since its inception, the league has collectively lost over $200 million. Last year, the Los Angeles Galaxy became the first team to earn a profit in the history of the league, with a total of $200,000. Historically, there is evidence that the league has a revenue problem.

For example, since its inception in 1993, three of the original ten soccer franchises are now defunct. One of those teams, the San Jose Earthquakes, was a two-time league champion and featured several prominent national team members. Despite continually winning and sold-out stadiums in the soccer hot bed of California, the team failed to turn a profit.

Second, Major League Soccer has yet to garner a major television contract. Television contracts are vital to the success of major American sports, such as football, baseball, and basketball. Should Major League Soccer, and Real Salt Lake, hope to ever flourish; they will need to secure a contract. However, securing a TV contract is out of Real Salt Lake and any local government entity’s control. Even with a positive outlook towards the hotel tax revenue, the team may still be unprofitable. The other two now extinct teams, Miami and Tampa Bay, failed to succeed despite being in areas heavily populated by Latinos, the primary demographic of American soccer.

Finally, there is concern about the expenditure of team revenue. In the past, Real Salt Lake has committed to be part of Salt Lake County’s economic growth. However, the actual extent to which Real can participate is very limited. Typically, a major league soccer franchise has as much as sixty percent of revenues tied to player salaries. In addition, the day-to-day operations must also be furnished. There is little evidence to suggest that Real owners will be willing to take whatever revenue remains and put it towards economic development in the county.

Works Cited

Amelia Nielson-Stowell and Nicole Warburton. “Legislation Targets Funding of Stadium.” The Deseret News. 1 Feb. 2006.

Dennis Coates and Brad R. Humphreys, “The Stadium Gambit and Local Economic Development.” Regulation 23 (2000): 23.

Derek P. Jensen. “RSL’s Funding: A Hot Potato for S.L. County, Legislature.” The Salt Lake Tribune. 3 Mar. 2006.

Ed Lazere, “Would a Publicly Financed Stadium Pay Off for DC?” D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, 2003, pp. 1-9.

Jack Bell. “A League Looks to Grow.” The New York Times. 2 April 2006.

James Quirk and Rodney Fort, Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports, Princeton University Press, 1992, pp. 170-171.

Jamie Gadette. “Real Stadium Questions.” Salt Lake City Weekly. 27 Oct. 2005.

Mike Moffit. “Leaky Stadiums.” Stadium Subsidies.” 2006. The New York Times Company. Feb. 1, 2006.

In Praise of Leftovers

2007-11-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

This week marks one of the greatest American holidays: Thanksgiving. It's great because it signifies thanks in a truly American way. We're thankful for everything because of all the awesome food we have and the awesome sport we have in football.

One of the best aspects of Thanksgiving is that our mega-glutton feast isn't limited to one day. No sir!!! Our traditional feast leads to days on end of overeating.

This year marks the first time ever that I will be working the day after Thanksgiving. While many Americans get up early to stand in shopping lines for hours on end, I get to wake up early to read Army architectural specifications for hours on end. With the leftover meats, I am planning on desiging and building the biggest, baddest turkey sandwich ever made.

Artist Rendering of Aaron's gigantic sandwich

I'm very fond of my leftovers -- food or otherwise. I was cruising Target last weekend with my wife and son (don' laugh, it's good times all around). Whilst strolling through the media section, my wife spotted a new Killers album called Sawdust. It's new in that it was recently released, but not so new. It's full of b-sides and previously unreleased tracks -- a "leftovers" album. While it's not quite my awesome turkey sandwich, it's still pretty good. If you like the Killers, you'll probably like this album. Half of it sounds like Hot Fuss, the other half sounds like Sam's Town.

“What does tracking mean?”

2007-11-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Casey that’s a very interesting question, I’m glad you asked. Oh, and sorry it’s taken so long to respond.

“To track” comes from the Dutch, meaning to ‘follow or trace the footsteps’—first recorded in 1565. Thus, ‘tracking’ in and of itself could conjure a host of meanings dealing with merely following something, but in terms of movie tracking, what I had meant to say, more specifically, would be tracking prerelease movie buzz. You see, movies are multimillion dollar investments by movie studios, their shareholders as well as a surprising number of banks. All of these parties are interested in how these movies are going to perform at the box-office because it will obviously affect their wallets. In order to minimize risk then, movie studios will ‘track’ the movies through a number of different areas before they are released to help determine what kind of impact they’ll have on box-office receipts. Increasingly, opening weekends have become extremely important to movies’ revenues as these three days account for 30 to 50 percent of total box-office take. Some of the companies that movie studios have been known to use are Buzzmetrics, Cymphony, and Motivequest. The information that they gather is so sensitive that most of it isn’t published for the public to view. However, there are other places you can look if you were to say bet on opening weekend take of a movie such as blogpulse, yahoo! buzz, or imdb’s Moviemeter Top 10.

Basically, like any investment, movie studios are just trying to forecast with the most accuracy possible. The main things that they look at in order to determine a potential box-office haul are the following: prerelease buzz, rating, genre, early reviews, theatre count, and the movie’s marketing budget. What’s interesting about reviews is that it’s been proven that the more ‘buzz’ surrounding a movie, the more likely it’ll open big for the movie studio on opening weekend—regardless of whether it’s positive or negative. However, if a movie is going to continue to make a lot of money then it needs positive ‘word of mouth’ after opening weekend that will propel movies into higher levels of revenues. For instance, the Matrix sequels are notorious for their second weekends dropping off by a large amount because of poor word-of-mouth (wom), proceeded by a lot of prerelease buzz. On the other hand, there are other movies (sleepers) that really don’t have a lot of buzz going into them, but because of strong wom continue to perform well. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the ultimate example of this.

The most interesting thing about wom is that for a long time, it was really hard to quantify, but with the advent of weblogs, such as this one, there are now blog tracking websites that determine prerelease buzz as well as post-release wom. These blog tracking websites are now being used by major movie studios in attempts to forecast box-office proceeds. For instance, in relation to my other post, Beowulf was tracking high when compared to other holiday movie fare, so most industry experts knew that it would open at number one. And, from what I read, they pegged it a $30 million dollar opening weekend, which happened to be $2 million short of what it actually took in—not bad. Now, of course, its overall profit destiny might lie in the nimble fingertips of the blogosphere. And on that note, I think I might see it tomorrow. Any takers?

Finally, here's an interesting paper related to this subject. Exploring the Value of Online Product Reviews in Forecasting Sales: The Case of Motion Pictures

Santa Clause Movies Are Coming to Town

2007-11-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my friend yesterday about Beowolf, the new animated movie from director Robert Zemekis. He told me that he was amazed by the detail and that the first time he saw a preview for it he didn’t know that it was all CGI. I told him that it was tracking really high for holiday movies and that there was a lot of buzz surround it because it’s an animated movie for adults. After explaining what tracking meant, he asked me what other holiday movies were coming out that were also tracking high. But I had no idea. I thought about it for awhile, and decided that this holiday season wasn’t offering up the usual blockbuster-type movies that we’re all used to: LotR, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, etc. So, I decided to find out for myself, which movies I might be interested in seeing between Halloween and New Year’s. I know that I’ve already discussed last week’s two entries, as well as a bunch of Oscar downer movies, so this post is looking at the rest. However, some of them interest me; some of them don’t.

Nov. 9

Fred Clause – The first installment of The Santa Clause was somewhat amusing. I think I even liked it, but most Santa-based movies seem pretty awful to my taste. When I watch them I feel like I’m helping to promote the worst commercial aspect of Christmas or something. Anyway, the trailers for this one seem about the same as any of those Tim Allen movies, which will probably steer me away. Of course, if Will Ferrell (Elf) were in it I might think differently.

Nov. 16

Beowulf – This is from the same team who brought us The Polar Express, which had computer-generated images that kind of scared me a little. It was like watching talking, singing, and moving porcelain dolls…creepy. However, apparently, Zemekis, has learned a thing or two since then and based on my friends ‘wow’ reaction this could be a box-office winner.

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium – This movie looks kind of like a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory rip-off. However, I will readily admit that I could be persuaded to see it since Natalie Portman stars.

Nov. 21

August Rush – This one looks kind of interesting. I like that Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland). Also, Keri Russell is cute. The last time I liked Robin Williams in a movie, however, was Good Will Hunting—10 years ago!

Chistmas in Wonderland – Remember when Patrick Swayze was kind of cool? Yeah, me neither.

Nov. 30

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – This one is getting plenty of Oscar buzz and is very surreal.

Dec. 5

Juno – This movie is being promoted as a dramedy. The subject matter is somewhat unfortunate, but it’s got a great cast that includes Michael Cera and Jason Bateman – both from Arrested Development.

Dec. 7

The Golden Compass

– This is one of the few holiday blockbusters of the season I think. It looks like a Harry Potter wannabe and comes from the same studio as LotR, so I think they’re going for that whole fantasy crowd. I’m not totally excited to see it, but I know I probably will. Plus James Bond is in it.

Dec. 14

Alvin and the Chipmunks – This one kind of reminds me of those Garfield movies a few years ago. I really liked Garfield and Alvin and the Chipmunks as a kid, but the preview looks pretty lame. However, Jason Lee (My Name is Earl) and David Cross (Arrested Development) are it, so there’s hope.

I Am Legend – Ok, the first time I saw the preview for this movie I was like, “Wait, Will Smith in a sci-fi movie fighting aliens or robots…what a novel idea” (see I, Robot, Independence Day, Men in Black I & II, etc.). But I saw a more recent trailer of the apocalyptic tale and it came across as more of a social-commentary-science-fiction-venture akin to the first Planet of the Apes or something and I’ve been pretty intrigued since.

The Kite Runner – This is one of the few movie trailers that I’ve seen this year that has left me with some sort of awe or wonderment.

Dec. 21

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

– The first installment of this franchise was kind of like the poor man’s version of The Da Vinci Code.
I’ll admit that I kind of liked it in an Indiana Jones-escapist-fare kind of way. The second one’s premise looks to be just as ridiculous as the first’s; the only difference is that Nic Cage doesn’t have side burns now.

Flakes – Zooey Deschanel (Elf, Bridge to Terebithia) is in this one.

Dec. 25

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem –Ah, the ultimate yuletide cheer.

Fat: Don't Call it a Comeback

2007-11-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

I assume that besides the 18-year-old girls Jed still hits on, most the people reading this blog are probably done with their schoolin’, which means it’s time to get fat. Fat sitting at a desk all day, fat from having kids, fat from watching those around us have kids, and the list goes on.

But maybe it’s ok to put on a few pounds. The NY Times has a story about a federally funded study showing that if you got a few extra pounds you are actually expected to live longer – think of it as part of your year’s-supply of food program.

With it being ok to have a few extra pounds in the bank, maybe tight shirts and jeans will fade out and chubby Keira Knightley’s will fade in. Probably not. Either way, somebody needs to get Carson Daily a sandwich.

'American Gangster' Whacks the Competition

2007-11-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

American Gangster nailed the number one spot over the weekend, raking in $43.6 million. That’s a career best start for the two lead actors, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. In fact, it set a new record for the most successful debut of an R-rated crime drama. This might help Oscar voters in the ensuing months to vote on these two heavyweights in the award arena. Marketing replicated the swagger of past gangster pictures coupled with a black and white poster, eerily reminiscent of ‘Scarface’s.’ I’ve been in kind of Russell Crowe mood I guess, having watched L.A. Confidential on my ClearPlay DVD player recently. That is an amazing movie, I totally recommend it.

Jerry Seinfeld’s animated comedy ‘Bee Movie’ scored second with a hefty $39.1 million. I was kind of interested in how this movie was going to do after Seinfeld’s relentlessly annoying promotion. It kind of got mixed reviews, but almost reaching $40 million is a sizable chunk of change for an opening week, yet it still pales in comparison to other PG-rated fare.

Also, of note: ‘Dan in Real Life’ held relatively well, down only 33 percent from its opening week, which is pretty good. There’s a smidgeon of Oscar talk attached to this movie as well, but it deals more with the soundtrack. The lightweight singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche penned some original material that’s rather, well, swell, I guess. (I’m a sucker for Scandinavian music though.) Check out one of his music videos that’s somewhat amusing.

Jed in Real Life

2007-11-01T14:30:00.000-06:00

This title was inspired by the movie ‘Dan in Real Life’ starring the always funny Steve Carrel. I’ve yet to the see movie, actually, but I was watching ‘Ebert & Roeper’ (sans Ebert) and it was recommended on the basis that it would make you feel good. Kind of a like a comfort-food type of movie that still deals with real life. Also of note, the guy that directed it, Peter Hedges, directed and wrote one of my favoritetest movies of all-time: ‘About a Boy.’ Anywho, this post is dedicated to the prosaic and mundane little things that happen to us daily—the sum of which make up our lives.

At work we’ve got new phones that look very similar to the ones used by CTU employees on ‘24.’ Here’s the coolest part though: I changed my ring so that it matches the CTU phones. It’s something like doo doo…dooo do. Does that make sense? Anyway, any time that the phone rings and I pick it up I half expect Jack Bauer to say: “Jed! I need your help, you’re just gonna have to trust me.” And I do, because as we all know Jack Bauer even got Helen Keller to talk.

I was at Wal-mart the other day, buying a DVD with a PG-13 rating. As the DVD went through the scanner, instead of a happy ding, there was a grumpy ‘err’ sound. The clerk then looked at me and asked me if I was over seventeen years-old. Really? Do I look like I’m still in high school? I’ve got to stop wearing my ‘I Heart Hanna Montana’ t-shirt.

Here’s the picture of Pres. Hinkley knighting Elder Eyring. I know this was innocent and all, but Mormons are funny about tradition and ceremony. I remember on my mission when a branch president in a really small rural area of Argentina set apart a member of the ward for a calling and he made them kneel on the ground. When I questioned him about the practice—which wasn’t necessarily bad or anything—he told me that that’s how the twelve apostles did it in a movie he’d seen. So, I guess I just worry that this picture we’ll be shown around the world and soon branch presidents in really small rural towns might sheer off some ears in an attempt to knight/set apart someone.

Here’s a picture of what my boss wore at a Halloween costume party yesterday. If you can’t tell he’s wearing a white trash can outfit, with sunglasses, and a sign around his neck that says ‘recycling.’ Get it? I didn’t. Either did my fellow judges when we voted him ‘worst costume.’ Apparently, he was a little offended that we bestowed this dubious honor upon him. Later, I had kind of a Michael Scott moment with him when he tried to explain to me that it was meant to be ‘cool trash’ and he looked at me for validation, and I just shook my head and said ‘hmmm, no.’ I don’t think that’ll help my impending performance review.

I always have gum and chap stick with me for some reason. Today, I picked up my gum and chap stick at the same time. I unwrapped a piece of gum and placed it in my mouth, then, while still holding the wrapper, I took off the cap to my chap stick and lubricated my lips. I then walked over to the trash can and threw the lid into the trash, while still holding the wrapper firmly in my hand. I just starred at the trash can for awhile before I got up the nerve to fish around in the trash to find my lid. This just confirms my sneaking suspicion that senility will be a smooth transition for me.

Finally, my sister sent me this picture of my cute nephew dressed as a lion for Halloween. When I was in kindergarten I was Lion-o from the Thundercats for Halloween. (Yes, I already know I was supercool.) So, I decided to call this picture Owen-o, because my nephew’s name is Owen. The end.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2007-10-29T13:59:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-25T11:15:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-24T14:05:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-22T15:01:00.000-06:00

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?

2007-10-22T14:34:00.000-06:00

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?

2007-10-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-18T12:32:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-16T14:13:00.000-06:00

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…

2007-10-12T16:21:00.000-06:00

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.