Who Are You? What Do You Want? Where Are You Going? Whom Do You Serve – And Whom Do You Trust?!
With everything going on with ME I almost forgot about it.
How cool was Friday’s episode? The salute to Top Gun simply rocked.
I don’t know anyone who’s NOT watching this show. Even the crusty ol’ retired Chief, GS15, who runs the division jumped into the conversation last week. The conversation was about Number Six, aka, Tricia Helfer, but hey, he watches.
I’m currently watching the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage episode, Ultimate Surfmobile. And it is a total disappointment. For one, where is the “monster” element here? For SoCal, this is a run-of-the-mill hot rod. Further, where is the challenge? For this crew, this is a total kit-car build.
Of course, I have some other objections: Like, why, if the wanted the “ultimate woody,” did they not start with a Chrysler? And why didn’t they do it right, and drop the body on a contemporary Tundra, Titan, or F-150 chassis? But that’s esoteric car-guy stuff.
But I think everyone can agree that the production staff at Monster Garage is out of ideas.
Update: They just called it “the world’s only lifted, FWD, surf-woodie.” WRONG. In my life, I’ve seen at least a half-dozen.
Where else on televison are you going to see a bunch of white folks in cowboy hats rockin’ out to an R&B act? Of course, where else on television are you going to see something as original and hot as Robert Randolph and the Family Band?
Even on Pay-Per-View, there’s no better musical entertainment on TV.
This drove me crazy all night. The dude who made up his own rap and was thoroughly going for the Napoleon Dynamite look? Wasn’t that a comedian who used to do pizza commercials and stuff? Chris Wilde? Any bells?
It doesn’t take long to realize that HBO’s Unscripted is any thing but. However, I don’t know if it’s the past-her-prime, but still too-hot-to-ignore Krista Allen, or the flat-out-adorable up-and-comer Jennifer Hall, or the totally dry wit. But whatever, HBO’s hit new series Unscripted, the most frank look ever at the trials and travails of someone trying to break into “the business” of acting, is the hottest new show of 2005.
Okay, all you gizmo freaks. I’ve got a very very nice tax return coming this year…so much for tax breaks just for the rich…and I’m thinking of upgrading my MP3 players. I use both hard drive and flash. I’m thinking of going all IPod.
What say you all?
I’m currently watching A&E’s See Arnold Run. It’s a mediocure docudrama – hardly up to the caliber of the stuff HBO has made part of it’s stock-in-trade. But it did remind me of this, from today’s U.S. News and World Report:
Here’s the long shot of the year: Congressional Democrats will OK a constitutional amendment allowing naturalized citizens like California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for president if Republicans help kill the 22nd Amendment barring third terms, thus clearing the way for another bid by Bill Clinton and, presumably, President Bush. Right now it’s the talk among political strategists, but look for it to spread on Capitol Hill when Sen. Orrin Hatch reintroduces his plan to let naturalized citizens run for president after 20 years.
Update: Glenn Reynolds reminds us of the line about a constitutional Amendment back in Demolition Man in 1993. He seems to have a higher opinion of tonight’s pic than I do. Although we agree that Roland Kickinger does a great job as Arnold at 25. Also giving strong performances are Mariel Hemingway as Maria Shriver and Nora Dunn, as Arianna Huffington. Jurgen Prochnow, the great German actor made famous here in America by 1981’s Das Boot, is only so-so as the contemporary Arnold.
You will get more commercial-free, quality movie watching from TCM and FMC (with a smattering of PBS) than all the premium networks put together.
On TCM’s The Essentials this weekend is Hitchcock’s masterpiece (among his many), Spellbound. I will likely watch this, though I’ve seen it dozens of times before.
But I just missed one I’ve long had on my Haven’t Seen, but Must list: The Agony and The Ecstacy – Charlton Heston as Michelanglo, Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II and Diane Cilento as Contessina de Medici. Damn.
I have just listened to (again) country music superstar Leann Rimes, on FNC’s Hannity & Colmes. Man – she is a lovely young woman. Her voice is pitch-perfect. And she has incredible range.
But, that said, her voice is also incredibly sterile (particularly for a country artist). She lacks any sort of depth or nuance. For the same reasons I find Judy Garland to be the greatest recorded female vocalist ever (followed closely by Sarah Vaughn), I find Leann to be an also-ran.
One of my favorite DVDs is Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Now I find there is a special 25th anniversery edition out. And the price: almost $25! Well, no In-N-Out Double-Doubles for the next three months for me. 🙁
On tonight’s episode of CNBC’s Dennis Miller, I watched Tracy Griffith, author of Sushi American Style, make “BLT rolls”. They were spears of romaine lettuce, half-slices of salad tomatoes, and bacon strips, rolled in steamed rice. Yum-yum!
Beautiful Wife and I have a new obsession. She didn’t come to bed until almost 0100 this morning. A friend mentioned it when they heard we enjoyed playing Diablo II. Honestly, my wife is much more into Diablo than I ever was, I don’t have the patience for the hordes of little gremlin dudes, but this…this is different. And I have no idea how we missed it when it first came out, but I do like it when I can find a “Game of the Year” edition with all the patches and upgrades for about 20 bucks at Target or Walmart.
It’s called The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and it’s like falling into your computer for the first time again. Nope, never played the earlier Elder Scrolls either, I was more of a Might and Magic zombie.
So what’s different about it? You’re dropped in a world, you don’t know why, you don’t know how, and oh, you can do whatever you want. Pure freedom. If you should be able to do something…you can. You’re not bound by your quests. You’re not limited in your range of movement.
If you’ve played, please add your comments. No spoilers please.
So…there have been three episodes now and I find it odd that this crowd has been on the quiet side about the subject. It’s not like the first go-around where it was downright embarassing to like the show. Shoddy special effects, weak storylines, feathered hair everywhere you looked and I don’t think the costumes could have been any tighter without the FCC screaming bloody murder even if it was the 70s. I like T’n’A as much as the next guy but, call me weird, I prefer it when it’s attached to an interesting character.
Thank the Lords of Cobal that this is not the Battlestar Galatica of my teenage years. I know, there are geeks out there frothing at the mouth and losing their mathematical minds because Starbuck is a woman in this go around. Since I wasn’t a fan of the first one and I thought Dirk Benedict was best described by the last syllable of his name, not an issue for me. Besides, I believe I’ve mentioned I’m a fan of ladies who can kick ass. I’m not going to do a charactaer analysis for every character, but yeah, so far, Starbuck is my favorite…this week…I reserve the right to change my mind.
The current version of Battlestar is about three shades darker than the first one. It has the grim look that a society that’s gone through being effectively wiped out and set adrift should have. And just like the the original series if you can’t see the parallels between our world and their world, you prolly need a review in basic sociology.
When is it good science fiction? When it tells our story. That’s what made Star Trek in all it’s iterations so interesting. When they show US on the screen but they tell you it’s about them. There’s that layer of plausible deniability, that safe buffer where you can say, well that’s in the future or that’s in a parallel universe or a long time ago in a galaxy far-far away.
After watching the first three episodes of the current Battlestar Galactica, I would say they’ve got the tradition down just right. The characters may be in a different part of the galaxy, but make no mistake about it, we’re watching ourselves deal with destruction, having war thrust upon us, distrust, fear, rebellion, and making the decision yet again to define who we are.
Some bands just belong in a bar…on a summer’s night with lots of ceiling fans blowing and the skylights wide open to let the smoke out and gusts of fresh air in so you can catch your breath if/when you get off the dance floor.
1985-Out on what was then the outskirts of Las Vegas was one of those wonderful, rare finds, a real live Rock’n’Roll BARN. Practically in the middle of the desert, the only lights for a couple of miles on that road. That smell of damp desert drifted in, sage and dust and a tinge of…something on the edge…
A friend of mine from Chicago had called…BoDeans were heading out west…no…not The BoDeans…just BoDeans…yes just like Jethro…no…they’re NOT a shit-kicker band…look STFU, trust me and just go…and bring a girl…you’re gonna wanna dance…have I ever lead you wrong?
BoDeans? Is she freakin’ kiddin’ me with this? Well…she did take me to Depeche Mode before anyone else had heard of them…
On that night a group of guys, from Wisconsin for Pete’s sake, set up their two guitars, their base, and their drum kit, and took everyone in that barn to school. They taught us how Springsteen ought to sound, how he wanted to growl. They showed us what Mellancamp was all about. They put Bob Seger on notice. The lead guitarist gave a lesson in harmonics that would make The Edge cry in frustration.
We drank a bit too much. We danced WAY too much. The smell of the desert blew through the roof and we danced some more. It was one of those nights that you just know you’re never going to forget. And you swear you’ll follow this band forever because…DAMN they can play and sing and that growl just sent a shiver through everyone…
That was almost 20 years ago…
A couple weeks ago I heard “Good Things” on Radio Paradise and that night came rolling back into my memory.
Went to Borders this weekend and picked up some books we were looking for and then headed upstairs to the music section. They had “Best of BoDeans: Slash and Burn”. I just grinned when I looked at that set of tracks.
I bought it and I’ve played it and played it and played it some more. I’ve listened to other music this week, don’t be silly, but BoDeans has been getting as much car CD time as GreenDay. I took it over to our friend’s house for our regular card night. They loved it…I knew they would.
They’ve got a LOT of music out and I wish I could have bought it all, but this one album does wrap up their feel with great respect. Some of their best stuff is recorded live. Sing alongs and anthems that roll through the back of your head.
And no…they’re NOT the guys who did the theme from Friends, unfortunately, at least for me, their “Closer to Free” was the theme from “Party of Five.” Somehow it was their only hit.
Basically if you like rock’n’roll in the old school tradition…if you honestly miss The Replacements, if you’re still waiting for a new Springsteen album that just plain rocks, pick up “Slash and Burn.” It will fill in the gap very nicely.
Oh, and since it’s been an issue on some blogs the past week or two. I don’t get a dime from any of the bands I write about. T-Shirts would be appreciated and accepted, but other than that I just write about ’em ‘cuz I like ’em.
My sources tell me he is the hottest indie act in LA just now, and on the threshold of breaking out nationally..Keep your eyes (and ears) open.
It’s like watching a wreck…you want to turn away, hit the mute button, but you just can’t.
I’m rootin’ for the rock-dude who left his band even though I know he prolly won’t make it very far.
I don’t think they should have the seriously emotionally disturbed people on the show. I don’t mind the folks who were delusional, but the folks completely divorced from reality…not entertaining, way too exploitive.
Was it just me or did Mary Roach remind you of the kids in high school who knew all the words to every Grateful Dead song and played with their fingers in front of their face too much? You know…the ones who could make Frisbees do things that freaked your Physics Teacher out. There was THAT kind of intensity there. They didn’t have Teret’s but at any moment they might just start giggling and talking about the bunnies and how the General was going to get you. Made sure the radio stayed on the rock station when they were around ‘cuz pop would just wig them out.
After 25 years, I have just seen Being There, currently showing on HBO, for the first time. Perhaps they stirred up some interest with their excellent bio-pic The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. I can’t thank them enough.
This movie seems to have gone totally over the heads of those who only know Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, as it was an absolute flop at the box office, despite a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Sellers, and a Supporting Actor win for Melvyn Douglas. But if you like comedy which is wry and nuanced, as I do, you must see this. I can’t wait until they show it again.
Michael Tucker has sent me this email about his ne movie Gunner Palace:
It’s possible that you have already heard of my film, “Gunner Palace”,
which follows the Army’s 2/3 FA in Baghdad in 2003-2004. The film is
going to be released nation wide on March 4, 2005.To prepare for the release, we recently submitted the film to the MPAA
for rating. It came back with a “hard” “R” for language, which is the
height of irony considering where these soldiers are and what they are
doing. These are not actors playing soldiers, these are soldiers. It’s
all about context and I’ve decided to appeal the decision.I think your readers might want to weigh in on this. I’ve attached a
piece by Jack Valenti, grandfather of the MPAA system and WWII vet, on
the FCC/ABC/”saving Private Ryan” telecast last Veterans’ Day–he
argues the case for context better than I ever could.• I had hoped that the MPAA would be able to make a distinction between
reality and fiction, more, I thought that an association tasked with
reflecting the opinion of American parents, would be able to see that
the majority of Americans support the individual soldier in Iraq and
know that soldiers are living in, and responding to, a very violent
reality.• Is there profanity in the film? Yes. Is it worse than anything on
the latest RIAA rated CD or what is heard in the hallways of American
high schools? No. The soldiers in the film are simply reacting to the
violence and intensity they live in. Writing about the American
soldier, Oliver North said that after a few months in combat they can,
“take profanity to the level of a new art form.”• According to the MPAA guidelines more than two uses of a “F” word is
an automatic “R” rating. Profanity, like it or not, is the language of
combat. General Norman Schwarzkopf is quoted as saying, “War is a
profanity because, let’s face it, you’ve got two opposing sides trying
to settle their differences by killing as many of each other as they
can.”• General George C. Patton, known to most Americans via George C.
Scott’s PG rated profanity laden portrayal of him, was once asked by
his nephew about his use of profanity, to which he replied, “You can’t
run an army without profanity. An army without profanity couldn’t fight
it’s way out of a piss-soaked paper bag.”Anyway, I somehow think Hollywood is out of touch with America. When I
tell people that we are at war, they often say “What war?” When I went
to Baghdad to make this film, all the soldiers asked is that I “tell it
like is”–the good and the bad. That’s what I did and I think that
their voices need to be heard without undue restriction.As a soldier says in the film, “For y’all this is just a show, but we
live in this movie.”Best,
Mike Tucker
To me, profanity in a documentary, particularly one about the military, is akin to full frontal nudity in National Geographic. Should we also be taking that out of children’s reach?
As for Gunner Palace, I haven’t seen it yet, of course. But if indeed it does “tell it like it is,” I wish Michael all the luck in the world. As we all know, there is far more going on in Iraq than the crap we see in the popular media.
This remains the most engaging series on broadcast TV. However, as with Timmer’s post on National Treasure, I tend to get caught up in the technical details. For one, it is absurd to believe a federal law enforcement unit wouldn’t call upon local police to secure a perimeter – something the LAPD and LA County Sheriffs could do in an instant at Union Station. Further, in the time it took Jack to free himself from the cuffs, the perp could be on the Ventura Freeway, and halfway to the valley (either San Fernando or San Gabriel). Ridiculous.
A few of these guys I know personally. The others I know of. This is the makover dream-team. And the job they do for the SEMA show on this ’70 Mustang for TLC’s Overhaulin’ is something to be seen.
Oh, and of course, there’s always Courtney. What a babe! 🙂
If you should buy Elton John’s Dream Ticket CD set, take my advice: save the first disk for later. This is from a performance at Carnegie Hall, which can only be described as an aging rocker attempting to recapture past glory. The low point is a guest appearance from Mary J. Blige, where she can best be described as a cross between Tina Turner and Kermit the Frog.
While I haven’t seen the fourth disc yet, the second and third are mesmerizing. Watch those first.
… But I am really looking forward to the US premiere of Battlestar Galactica on the 14th. The word from my friends in Britain, where it has been showing for some time on Sky One, is that it is as good as the mini-series, which I loved.
It’s a very rare occasion when the NYTimes’ editorial board and I are of like thought, but this is one:
Sometimes an idea comes along that is so stupid, all you can do is stand back, give it some room, and stare:
THE LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
Gene Autry is turning over in his grave.
So here we are, socked in under about a foot of wind-blown snow which means…there are drifts everywhere…especially in front of my car…and I’m jazzed that there’s a new episode of “Lost” tonight, followed by a two hour “Alias”. I’m just happy as a gopher in warm dirt.
And yes…I have popcorn…and my very own popcorn bowl that I got for Christmas.
So while I’m shoveling…I have something to look forward to. The only question is, do I shovel before or after the plow comes through and closes my driveway again?
I heard it on the radio on the way in this morning.
Ashlee Simpson’s Halftime Performance Falls Flat
Hat tip to Kevin Aylward at Wizbang Bring Back ‘Up With People’
This from RatherBiased.com:
–Earlier today, Broadcasting and Cable magazine reported, based on anonymous sources, that CBS News president Andrew Heyward and Washington bureau chief Janet Leissner met with the White House to try and persuade it that CBS News and Dan Rather don’t hate the Bush Administration. Since the B&C site is down from a Drudge link right now, we’re reprinting the article in this email and also hosting it on our site at the address above until things calm down.
Stay tuned for later today as we try and confirm whether or not a meeting took place and dismantle CBS’s claim that Dan Rather doesn’t have a grudge against Bush 43 and 41. Also, see below for additional context.
The following article was printed by Broadcasting and Cable magazine earlier today. Since they’re swamped by Drudge hits right now, we’re reprinting it with minor corrections until things calm down. Read on for additional context if you’ve already seen the B&C report.
Let the fence-mending begin. According to a Broadcasting & Cable source in Washington, D.C., CBS News president Andrew Heyward, along with Washington bureau chief Janet Leissner, recently met with White House communications director Dan Bartlett, in part to repair chilly relations with the Bush administration.
CBS News’s popularity at the White House-never high to begin with-plunged further in the wake of Dan Rather’s discredited “60 Minutes [Wednesday]” story on George Bush’s [Air] National Guard service.
An incentive for making nice is the impending report from the two-member panel investigating CBS’s use of now-infamous documents for the ’60 Minutes’ piece.
Heyward was “working overtime to convince Bartlett that neither CBS News nor Rather had a vendetta against the White House,” our source says, “and from here on out would do everything it could to be fair and balanced.” CBS declined to comment.
More than likely, one of the most prominent topics at the alleged meeting was some CBS begging to let Dan Rather, who has been banned from the Bush White House, interview President Bush before the older Texan retires from the CBS News anchor desk.
Though he has pursued a somewhat different policy agenda from his father, George W. Bush in many ways borrows much from George H. W. Bush in his treatment of the media, particularly of reporters that they know to be adversarial toward the administration. The Bush family has still never forgiven Rather for his 1988 attack interview with the 41st president.
B&C’s report about Memogate souring White House-CBS relations is also backed up by this report from the campaign 2004 book just put out by Newsweek magazine:
Bush seemed to be enjoying the discomfiture of Dan Rather and CBS over the phony documents. At a press conference in mid-September with interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Bush called out, “Is anybody here from CBS?” He sounded more needling than gracious.
His father had been worrying. The elder Bush’s ulcers had been acting up. Bush senior had watched the “60 Minutes” “scoop” with rising indignation. He disliked the “60 Minutes II” [sic] anchorman, Dan Rather, who had staged a hostile confrontation with the then Vice President Bush in an interview during the 1988 campaign. George H. W. Bush was by and large an optimist and a forgiving man. But he nurtured long grudges against certain reporters, and Rather was one of them. Lately Bush senior had been keeping a sleeve of saltine crackers on his desk to tamp down his bile. He would munch on the crackers as he watched the talking heads and the evening news, his stomach churning.
Oh, this is almost as much fun as international diplomacy