Tale of Two Dennis Miller Shows:
Show #1 - usual stuff, some interesting if slightly drawn out political talk, less than enthusiastic crowd including the expected group off sketchy looking Eastern Europeans Who Don't Speak A Word Of English. Did meet some cool people who work at the show who I had never spoken to before, one of whom interned at Conan about eight years ago. After the show grabbed some lunch and then came back, slightly giddy, because I learned that Show #2 was going to potentially kick some ass ...
Show #2 - total pandemonium, thanks to special guest STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. Yep, he must be making the media rounds, because after making the ticket-yielding appearance at the Late Late Show he came by Miller's show to promote Wrestlemania. And legions of diehard WWE fans came along with him. Suffice to say that Dennis Miller's show, usually barely able to fill its seats, was overrun with Austin 3:16 T-shirt-wearing, "What?!?!"-chanting, wild, out of control hardcore wrasslin' fans. Nice. Well I had to hold back my inner wrestling fan and try to stay professional, although the repeated chants and general arena atmosphere of the crowd made me so hyped that I couldn't resist chatting up the fans a bit and flashing a few NWO 4 Lyfe signs for old time's sake. though I did have to lay the smack down a few times by telling the rowdier audience members to please quiet down and not yell stuff out. Man, the Dennis Miller crew had no idea what hit 'em, but I was quite amused at how wrestling fans are able to turn any event into a powder keg of over the top, WWE-style mayhem. Gotta love it.
IN OTHER NEWS ...
- The barstools I ordered arrived at my apt today. So now I can finally eat cereal in the morning at my kitchen counter. Yes! Now I just need a couch.
- First electric bill for the new apt arrived as well ... dammit.
- Oh yeah, I've been meaning to give my 2 cents on the new Americanized version of The Office, now that I've seen the first two eps. Well, while it is a nice change of pace from the usual American sitcom format, I'm sorry to say that it pretty much sucks. The first ep was a near word for word translation of the British pilot, and came off like a pale imitation of the original, and in any case was simply not funny, thanks to being dumbed down and overly simplified from its source material. I had high hopes for the second ep, since it was an original script and seemed like it'd play more to the strengths of the American cast members. Well, it did kind of do that, with a more outrageious, less subtle script that seemed to be more fitting for the less subtle characters in the show. But again, just not that funny. Steve Carell's version of David Brent is the only character with any life on the show, but he is too one-dimensional and very grating after a while. But basically the worst thing is that the American characters have exactly one dimension to them while the British ones were much more multilayered, which was evident as soon as the first few eps of the BBC series were aired. This made the humor of the original so natural and real seeming that the show was often hilarious, since like a Christopher Guest movie the dialogue had that improvised feel where the jokes have a natural, unpredictable flow. My grade for the U.S. Office: Episode 1: D, Episode 2: C
Tommorow: Pretty easy day at work, and then, finally, SIN CITY.
FINAL THOUGHT: Aw yeah, Indiana punked the Miami Heat tonight, with another classic, 30+ point performance by Reggie Miller. I can't wait to see what the Pacers can do in the playoffs this year - hell, bring on the Heat, Indy is 3 and 0 against them this year. And a note to TNT, ESPN, and ABC: The Lakers are terrible this year, they now almost certainly will not make the playoffs, and they are barely even trying at this point in the season - so please, GET THEM OFF MY TV.
And that's a wrap.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Lost and Found
LOST just blew my mind.
For the second post in a row I am writing immediately after having my ass completely kicked by an incredible TV viewing experience. Wow. Lost is back. It's been awhile but oh my God, that was an amazing episode. Now I'm usually more of a writing guy, I pay attention to dialogue and plotting and stuff like that. BUT - Holy crap, Terry O'Quinn has gotta be one of the greatest actors today. Okay, I knew he was good after his now-classic (well, cult classic at least) role as Peter Watts on Millenium. And the first Locke-centric ep of Lost stil stands as the show's best. But wow, here he took it to a whole new level, where though the plot's direction was not exactly shocking, it still gave me chills to see O'Quinn's incredible portrayal of John Locke - betrayed and used by a man he thought was his father, robbed of his health by the mysterious island, watching his friend Boone fall to his possible doom, and struggling to go on despite it all. Okay, give this man an Emmy or something. GREAT, CLASSIC episode of Lost. A+
ANYWAYS ...
I survived doing Ticket Box at work today! While it was still an EXTREMELY LONG and EXTREMELY TIRING day, I managed to pull through with but one void slip and not much else in the way of major problems, except for some incidents in which ppl didn't have ID's for the Tonight Show which was nothing I could control but resulted in some very angry customers. But overall not the nightmare that the first time was, but it still left me completely wiped out and thanking the lord that the work day was over at 5.
Yesterday I escorted supermodel Tyra Banks to her dressing room (well not really, she ran there since she arrived very late, like 5 minutes after the show had already started), and also Mr. former Mayor of NYC Rudy Guliani himself. I told Rudy G. I was a big admirer and brought him to his dressing room. But I did kind of tell a white lie with that one out of respect for the man, because in reality ...
GULIANI TANGENT:
Seriously, what an ass-kisser. I thought he was supposed to be this maverick independent who called it straight down the middle? Shyeah right. Come election time he was Bush flag-waiver numero uno, with nary a negative or even analytical comment to make about Dubya. During election season Guliani gave some of the most blatantly one-sided and propaganda-filled interviews I've heard, especially surprising coming from a man who had formerly been considered independent-minded. Now as mayor of NYC I give Rudy a lot of credit for helping turn that city around and providing good leadership in times of crisis. But his post-mayoral career has been built on a platform of 9-11, 9-11, and more 9-11, all with a blatant dose of "yes I just MAY be thinking of persuing a national political career down the line, so remember .....
9-11." Last I checked Guliani was MAYOR of a city with no actual foreign policy credentials, no actual national experience, and no actual qualifications to challenge less exposed but more experienced candidates on either side of the political spectrum. His lack of vision was painfully obvious in his repeated and desperate pleas for Americans to support Bush on the sole basis that Bush was the only candidate with the balls to crack down on terrorism, when in fact Bush and Kerry's plans for dealing with the issue barely differed in any discernable way. But Rudy's high-profile and over the top endorsement thrust him into the national political spotlight, and made this once universally respected leader a one-note footnote in the new neocon nation that solidly emerged post-November 2004. But hey, he gets to appear on LENO, so it's alllll good.
Oh, HEY:
Next week we got some good guests coming on the show, as the Sin City hype machine continues, and some high profile musical acts appear, including a little band called VELVET REVOLVER. Rockin'.
TOMORROW:
Eight hours of Dennis Miller. That's A LOT of cultural baggage for one day.
THIS WEEKEND:
Things are shaping up pretty nicely for once. Friday = Sin City (the movie, not the city). Saturday = day o' fun with some of the NBC pages. Sunday = oh, so i a late-breaking development, on Sunday, just when it seemed like there was no way in hell of this actually happening, I am going to be headed to the Staples Center in LA to witness, live, a day of mayhem and staged violence that can only be known as WRESTLEMANIA. Awwwww yeah, thanks to fellow CT transplant Paul Lurie, who's job at the Late Late Show yielded a pair of tickets to the sold out show, hand-delivered by Stone Cold Steve Austin himself! Hell yeah!
In other nerd news : Sorry to see the BLUE BEETLE go. He was one of my faves, and hopefully he'll be back soon, resurrected and hatching schemes with Booster Gold like old times.
Another overly-discussed favorite show of mine, VERONICA MARS, finally returned Tuesday with a truly excellent episode which revealed A LOT about the show's ongoing mystery arc. What a great show, and congrats on it being voted the NUMBER ONE show that fans want to see renewed for next season. See, other people DO watch it (yes, I'm talking to YOU, non-true-believers).
Randomly ran into a former NBC page today who now works at FOX. He told me only that his name was Johnny D and that I should mention his name to my superiors. Intriguing.
How 'bout YAO MING with the coast-to-coast behind the back fake-out drive-n'-dunk tonight against the Blazers?
How 'bout the fact that I am COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED and better put and end to this rambling post NOW - put it out of its misery before I start ranting about how K-ROQ plays the same three songs over and over or how I must have explained to people how to get Tonight Show tickets about 87 BILLION times today.
And with that, I can only say ... goodnight.
For the second post in a row I am writing immediately after having my ass completely kicked by an incredible TV viewing experience. Wow. Lost is back. It's been awhile but oh my God, that was an amazing episode. Now I'm usually more of a writing guy, I pay attention to dialogue and plotting and stuff like that. BUT - Holy crap, Terry O'Quinn has gotta be one of the greatest actors today. Okay, I knew he was good after his now-classic (well, cult classic at least) role as Peter Watts on Millenium. And the first Locke-centric ep of Lost stil stands as the show's best. But wow, here he took it to a whole new level, where though the plot's direction was not exactly shocking, it still gave me chills to see O'Quinn's incredible portrayal of John Locke - betrayed and used by a man he thought was his father, robbed of his health by the mysterious island, watching his friend Boone fall to his possible doom, and struggling to go on despite it all. Okay, give this man an Emmy or something. GREAT, CLASSIC episode of Lost. A+
ANYWAYS ...
I survived doing Ticket Box at work today! While it was still an EXTREMELY LONG and EXTREMELY TIRING day, I managed to pull through with but one void slip and not much else in the way of major problems, except for some incidents in which ppl didn't have ID's for the Tonight Show which was nothing I could control but resulted in some very angry customers. But overall not the nightmare that the first time was, but it still left me completely wiped out and thanking the lord that the work day was over at 5.
Yesterday I escorted supermodel Tyra Banks to her dressing room (well not really, she ran there since she arrived very late, like 5 minutes after the show had already started), and also Mr. former Mayor of NYC Rudy Guliani himself. I told Rudy G. I was a big admirer and brought him to his dressing room. But I did kind of tell a white lie with that one out of respect for the man, because in reality ...
GULIANI TANGENT:
Seriously, what an ass-kisser. I thought he was supposed to be this maverick independent who called it straight down the middle? Shyeah right. Come election time he was Bush flag-waiver numero uno, with nary a negative or even analytical comment to make about Dubya. During election season Guliani gave some of the most blatantly one-sided and propaganda-filled interviews I've heard, especially surprising coming from a man who had formerly been considered independent-minded. Now as mayor of NYC I give Rudy a lot of credit for helping turn that city around and providing good leadership in times of crisis. But his post-mayoral career has been built on a platform of 9-11, 9-11, and more 9-11, all with a blatant dose of "yes I just MAY be thinking of persuing a national political career down the line, so remember .....
9-11." Last I checked Guliani was MAYOR of a city with no actual foreign policy credentials, no actual national experience, and no actual qualifications to challenge less exposed but more experienced candidates on either side of the political spectrum. His lack of vision was painfully obvious in his repeated and desperate pleas for Americans to support Bush on the sole basis that Bush was the only candidate with the balls to crack down on terrorism, when in fact Bush and Kerry's plans for dealing with the issue barely differed in any discernable way. But Rudy's high-profile and over the top endorsement thrust him into the national political spotlight, and made this once universally respected leader a one-note footnote in the new neocon nation that solidly emerged post-November 2004. But hey, he gets to appear on LENO, so it's alllll good.
Oh, HEY:
Next week we got some good guests coming on the show, as the Sin City hype machine continues, and some high profile musical acts appear, including a little band called VELVET REVOLVER. Rockin'.
TOMORROW:
Eight hours of Dennis Miller. That's A LOT of cultural baggage for one day.
THIS WEEKEND:
Things are shaping up pretty nicely for once. Friday = Sin City (the movie, not the city). Saturday = day o' fun with some of the NBC pages. Sunday = oh, so i a late-breaking development, on Sunday, just when it seemed like there was no way in hell of this actually happening, I am going to be headed to the Staples Center in LA to witness, live, a day of mayhem and staged violence that can only be known as WRESTLEMANIA. Awwwww yeah, thanks to fellow CT transplant Paul Lurie, who's job at the Late Late Show yielded a pair of tickets to the sold out show, hand-delivered by Stone Cold Steve Austin himself! Hell yeah!
In other nerd news : Sorry to see the BLUE BEETLE go. He was one of my faves, and hopefully he'll be back soon, resurrected and hatching schemes with Booster Gold like old times.
Another overly-discussed favorite show of mine, VERONICA MARS, finally returned Tuesday with a truly excellent episode which revealed A LOT about the show's ongoing mystery arc. What a great show, and congrats on it being voted the NUMBER ONE show that fans want to see renewed for next season. See, other people DO watch it (yes, I'm talking to YOU, non-true-believers).
Randomly ran into a former NBC page today who now works at FOX. He told me only that his name was Johnny D and that I should mention his name to my superiors. Intriguing.
How 'bout YAO MING with the coast-to-coast behind the back fake-out drive-n'-dunk tonight against the Blazers?
How 'bout the fact that I am COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED and better put and end to this rambling post NOW - put it out of its misery before I start ranting about how K-ROQ plays the same three songs over and over or how I must have explained to people how to get Tonight Show tickets about 87 BILLION times today.
And with that, I can only say ... goodnight.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Jack Bauer Power Hour Brings It On Like Donkey Kong
Since my brother is asleep as I write this and so is probably everyone else who I might normally call to share my thoughts, permit me to use this forum to simply write:
OH MY GOD, 24 KICKED ASS TONIGHT~!
In terms of sheer tension, excitement, and action this was one of the best episodes of the season. Let me put it this way: right before I started watching I was falling asleep, barely awake. Right now I'm wide awake and hyped up for next week's episode.
RANDOM THOUGHTS - ALL "24" EDITION:
- Dammit Edgar, look at the freakin' CD-ROM!
- Come on, Beeehhhhhhroooooz, be a man.
- They HAVE those neck-implant tracking devices like the aliens used in The X-Files?
- Tony said his trademark "Yeah." about 50 times this episode.
- Damn, Marwan is like the most resourceful terrorist ever, he has like 37 contingency plans.
- Jack may be expendible but dammit all he'll kick some ass before he goes.
- This is about the only show ever where when they say there will be a "shocking twist" in the previews for next week, I durn well believe it. Bring it.
OH MY GOD, 24 KICKED ASS TONIGHT~!
In terms of sheer tension, excitement, and action this was one of the best episodes of the season. Let me put it this way: right before I started watching I was falling asleep, barely awake. Right now I'm wide awake and hyped up for next week's episode.
RANDOM THOUGHTS - ALL "24" EDITION:
- Dammit Edgar, look at the freakin' CD-ROM!
- Come on, Beeehhhhhhroooooz, be a man.
- They HAVE those neck-implant tracking devices like the aliens used in The X-Files?
- Tony said his trademark "Yeah." about 50 times this episode.
- Damn, Marwan is like the most resourceful terrorist ever, he has like 37 contingency plans.
- Jack may be expendible but dammit all he'll kick some ass before he goes.
- This is about the only show ever where when they say there will be a "shocking twist" in the previews for next week, I durn well believe it. Bring it.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Show Me The Mony Mony
Billy Idol performed on the Tonight Show today! I was all upset that I wasn't going to be working the show today, but while I was doing tape and hold before the show (blocking off reserved seating), I witnessed Mr. Idol's dress rehearsal, and it rocked! Sure, it was a new song from his first album in 12 years, but Billy hasn't lost a beat. He was rocking the cradle of love and dancing with his own bad self like it was 1986, and his new song was a nice mix of old-school with a touch of the new. He had the ornate leather jacket, the spiky hair, and the fist was a-pumping like old times. Now that's what I'm talking about.
I have to say though, what is wrong with people? I mean you'd think being at a place like NBC I'd be surrounded by people in tune with cool. I'm not talking Abercrombie and Fitch cool, I mean geek-cool, like Ain't It Cool, like oh damn, Billy Idol is performing on the Tonight Show and oh hells yes this is gonna rock kinda cool. But no. Few others shared my excitement about an 80's rock icon performing at the show, yet all the buzz was about Nick and Jessica being on tommorow. Who freakin' cares about those no-talent posers? Dammit, I'm working in TV. When I make a reference to The State, any classic-era Simpsons episode, old-school SNL sketches, or The original, British version of The Office, I damn well expect people to know what I'm talking about. Oh wait, this is the network that now programs reality shows, crappy sitcoms, and about 537 variations of Law and Order. No wonder everybody here is so tuned out to the good stuff. Oh well, ska-rew that.
Things have been a bit rough at work lately. My schedule's been crazy this week and it's been way too busy, with tons of spring-breakers and just general pandemonium around NBC. As is probably the most sensible route to take with these blogs, I won't go into any detail about specific trouble spots at work, I will simply take the high road. But ... anyways, the good part of this week is that the new page class started this week, and they all seem very nice from what I've seen so far. Plus they are super excited to be starting at NBC, which is kinda cool so as to give us grizzled vets (or nearly-grizzled) some renewed energy and enthusiasm via osmosis.
Things have kind of stalled on the furnishing my apartment front. I will soon have dinnerware / silverware etc., but still need to get going on the couch / seating purchases. But overall it's starting to feel more and more like home, probably because all my random crap is starting to really accumulate.
On Tuesday, Frodo himself, Elijah Wood, was on Ellen. So I've now seen both Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee in person thanks to Ellen. Cool, huh? That Ellen was crazy though. There was a huge thunderstorm during the taping and Elijah got there a good hour later than he was supposed to. Also this one guy was maybe the funniest dancer I've ever seen. This flamboyant guy was just going nuts at the show and bumping and grinding with the middle aged women sitting next to him. Hilarious. Other celebs I've seen this week -- on Ellen: Lisa Marie Presley performing (with a surprisingly catchy country song), Florence Henderson (aka Mrs. Brady). On Leno: Kevin Bacon (I'm now separated from him by a mere one degree!), Kim Raver (aka Jack Bauer's girlfriend) of 24 (24!), Queen Latifah, Omarion and B2K (totally sucked), Tom Green (watched him rehearse for one of his usual segments on Leno), and the World's Oldest Sky Diver (that guy ruled ...).
Once again it's almost the weekend. Rock on.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Quick Reviews:
24: Good episode, in which we saw Beeeeeehrooooooooz left as an orphan. Surprised that thed's kill off Shoreh whatsername so soon, as she was such a hyped up / controversial character, who despite what was promised, never really repented or grew out of her manipulative ways. Interesting. Nice to see Chloe back - finally the actress who plays her is back where she belongs, she has really grown into the role and I would hate to see her talents wasted on that godawful The Sketch Show on FOX.
Brilliant Arrested Develpment on Sunday. Why, why must this show be on the brink of cancellation?
Malcolm in the Middle is perhaps the most underrated and unappreciated show on TV. Another great episode Sunday.
OC: Once again ... eh, okay episode. Ryan's brother coming back is a nice new dynamic, but they've established such a pattern of characters coming and going it's hard to get invested in any new cast additions.
Comics: Wow, Grant Morrison is having quite the year. In the last few days I have just read four recently released comics by the mad Scottish genious, and they all blew my mind. How can one man have so many insanely creative ideas? I urge anyone with a taste for the slightly weird to try out Vinamarama - a three issue mini series of which issue 2 was just released, about an Arab teen in England who unwittingly unleashes a magical army bent on destruction just as he is introduced to his prearranged bride to be. Really crazy but great stuff. Then there is Seven Soldiers, a truly epic multipart series that consists of two bookends and seven miniseries that comprise one yearlong, gigantic adventure. And Grant Morrison is writing it all. Wow. Well, Seven Soldiers #0, the first bookend, blew me away. This series, dark and complex, about a group of seven unique individuals unaware that they are connected and fighting the same powerful enemy, features both absolutely beatiful artwork thanks to JH Williams and also great characterization and a huge, unexpected twist ending that left me with my jaw hanging. The first of the miniseries to be released, Shining Knight and Guardian (one a postmodern Arthurian adventure, the other a Jack Kirby tribute with a new-age twist), were equally impressive despite being totally different in styles. Check 'em out, and realize the wonderful madness that is the mind of Grant Morrison.
CLOSING THOUGHT:
Working at Ellen, I think I could write a whole thesis on why women like her so much. It really is a fascinating slice of sociology at work when you step back and think about why all these teacher-types and buttoned-up middle aged moms are coming out of the woodwork to see a show where they are encouraged to dance to early 90's techno-pop beats. Maybe someday soon I'll go into a little more detail. Think about it though.
"It's a nice day to ... start again."
I have to say though, what is wrong with people? I mean you'd think being at a place like NBC I'd be surrounded by people in tune with cool. I'm not talking Abercrombie and Fitch cool, I mean geek-cool, like Ain't It Cool, like oh damn, Billy Idol is performing on the Tonight Show and oh hells yes this is gonna rock kinda cool. But no. Few others shared my excitement about an 80's rock icon performing at the show, yet all the buzz was about Nick and Jessica being on tommorow. Who freakin' cares about those no-talent posers? Dammit, I'm working in TV. When I make a reference to The State, any classic-era Simpsons episode, old-school SNL sketches, or The original, British version of The Office, I damn well expect people to know what I'm talking about. Oh wait, this is the network that now programs reality shows, crappy sitcoms, and about 537 variations of Law and Order. No wonder everybody here is so tuned out to the good stuff. Oh well, ska-rew that.
Things have been a bit rough at work lately. My schedule's been crazy this week and it's been way too busy, with tons of spring-breakers and just general pandemonium around NBC. As is probably the most sensible route to take with these blogs, I won't go into any detail about specific trouble spots at work, I will simply take the high road. But ... anyways, the good part of this week is that the new page class started this week, and they all seem very nice from what I've seen so far. Plus they are super excited to be starting at NBC, which is kinda cool so as to give us grizzled vets (or nearly-grizzled) some renewed energy and enthusiasm via osmosis.
Things have kind of stalled on the furnishing my apartment front. I will soon have dinnerware / silverware etc., but still need to get going on the couch / seating purchases. But overall it's starting to feel more and more like home, probably because all my random crap is starting to really accumulate.
On Tuesday, Frodo himself, Elijah Wood, was on Ellen. So I've now seen both Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee in person thanks to Ellen. Cool, huh? That Ellen was crazy though. There was a huge thunderstorm during the taping and Elijah got there a good hour later than he was supposed to. Also this one guy was maybe the funniest dancer I've ever seen. This flamboyant guy was just going nuts at the show and bumping and grinding with the middle aged women sitting next to him. Hilarious. Other celebs I've seen this week -- on Ellen: Lisa Marie Presley performing (with a surprisingly catchy country song), Florence Henderson (aka Mrs. Brady). On Leno: Kevin Bacon (I'm now separated from him by a mere one degree!), Kim Raver (aka Jack Bauer's girlfriend) of 24 (24!), Queen Latifah, Omarion and B2K (totally sucked), Tom Green (watched him rehearse for one of his usual segments on Leno), and the World's Oldest Sky Diver (that guy ruled ...).
Once again it's almost the weekend. Rock on.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Quick Reviews:
24: Good episode, in which we saw Beeeeeehrooooooooz left as an orphan. Surprised that thed's kill off Shoreh whatsername so soon, as she was such a hyped up / controversial character, who despite what was promised, never really repented or grew out of her manipulative ways. Interesting. Nice to see Chloe back - finally the actress who plays her is back where she belongs, she has really grown into the role and I would hate to see her talents wasted on that godawful The Sketch Show on FOX.
Brilliant Arrested Develpment on Sunday. Why, why must this show be on the brink of cancellation?
Malcolm in the Middle is perhaps the most underrated and unappreciated show on TV. Another great episode Sunday.
OC: Once again ... eh, okay episode. Ryan's brother coming back is a nice new dynamic, but they've established such a pattern of characters coming and going it's hard to get invested in any new cast additions.
Comics: Wow, Grant Morrison is having quite the year. In the last few days I have just read four recently released comics by the mad Scottish genious, and they all blew my mind. How can one man have so many insanely creative ideas? I urge anyone with a taste for the slightly weird to try out Vinamarama - a three issue mini series of which issue 2 was just released, about an Arab teen in England who unwittingly unleashes a magical army bent on destruction just as he is introduced to his prearranged bride to be. Really crazy but great stuff. Then there is Seven Soldiers, a truly epic multipart series that consists of two bookends and seven miniseries that comprise one yearlong, gigantic adventure. And Grant Morrison is writing it all. Wow. Well, Seven Soldiers #0, the first bookend, blew me away. This series, dark and complex, about a group of seven unique individuals unaware that they are connected and fighting the same powerful enemy, features both absolutely beatiful artwork thanks to JH Williams and also great characterization and a huge, unexpected twist ending that left me with my jaw hanging. The first of the miniseries to be released, Shining Knight and Guardian (one a postmodern Arthurian adventure, the other a Jack Kirby tribute with a new-age twist), were equally impressive despite being totally different in styles. Check 'em out, and realize the wonderful madness that is the mind of Grant Morrison.
CLOSING THOUGHT:
Working at Ellen, I think I could write a whole thesis on why women like her so much. It really is a fascinating slice of sociology at work when you step back and think about why all these teacher-types and buttoned-up middle aged moms are coming out of the woodwork to see a show where they are encouraged to dance to early 90's techno-pop beats. Maybe someday soon I'll go into a little more detail. Think about it though.
"It's a nice day to ... start again."
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Wizard World LA: Full Report - Fantastic Four, Batman Begins, and Kevin Smith
WARNING / DISCLAIMER: This may be, overall, the single nerdiest post I've ever done. And that's saying something. If you're interested in genre movies, comics, etc. - or just want to read about my day at Wizard World LA, read on. Everyone else, proceed with caution. OR just pretend that the OC's Seth Cohen is writing this and then somehow it may seem cooler than it actually is.
BUFFER SPACE ...
Some more Buffer Space ...
Enough Already - Flame On!
It ain't easy being a geek. Because sometimes you just want to talk comics, sci-fi, or superhero movies and you feel like nobody else is on that same wavelength. Then you go to someplace like Wizardworld and it's like Halloween - you stuff yourself with geekiness and finally, you feel full, maybe even have a stomachache, after a long day of total sensory overload. Luckily, a few NBC pages and I were able to finagle free press passes to the event, and thus had VIP access to all the panels and screenings, including first looks at Fantastic Four, Batman Begins, and a talk with Jay and Silent Bob! Score! So let's get right to it. Here's a breakdown of the highlights:
Whole F'n Show! : Well, I met Mr. Monday Night himself, Rob Van Dam, and he signed a copy of his greatest hits DVD for me and we chatted a bit. He's on the injusred list for a while, but I proposed that next year he challenge Shawn Michaels to a ladder match at Wrestlemania, at which RVD got a gleam in his eye and said "yeah, I'd totally bust him open, dude." Nice. Also, Virgil / Vincent / Curly Joe was there, with few people in line to see him. Kind of comical. I talked to him for a few minutes and asked him if he was still wrestling, to which he said "Naw man, I'm using my brains to make a living now." Well, that and charging for autographs at conventions. But anyways, it was sweet to meet and greet the ECW legend, RVD himself. Some other notable people who were there signing stuff were The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferregno, who still looked immensely jacked even at age 50-something or whatever he is. Do they test superheroes for steriods? Also I was very disheartened to see a very, very old and aged-looking Elvira signing stuff. Sure, I knew she had to be getting up there in age, but come on, she's the Mistress of the Night, and she always looks the same when you see her on TV. Maybe it was her uncharacteristically light-colored hair that threw me off.
Stan Lee: The line for him to sign stuff was way too long to wait in, but hey it was nice to see this comics legend still as exuberant as ever in his 80's. Excelsior!
Fantastic Four: Okay, I was VERY skeptical about this movie going in, Thought it would totally suck. But oh man, today's all new preview totally changed my mind as well as those of everyone in the room. Don't believe the negativity, this could seriously, seriously rule. I mean, they really knew their audience when putting together this reel. For the first time ever we saw: Johnny Storm plunging off a rooftop, plummeting towards the ground, yelling "Flame On!" and gloriously turning into the Human Torch and flying through the cityscape at night. Freakin' awesome! We saw a Julian McMahon in full Dr. Doom getup, looking straight out of the comic - metal mask, green cloak. Kickass. And then the kicker. Michael Chiklis as The Thing, taking o nan army of thugs. As they begin to get the better of him, he gathers his strength, yells "It's Clobberin' Time!" and punches a dude through a window with all his might. Stan Lee would be proud. This is in addition to some nice scenes of Sue Storm and Reed Richards using their powers, and a cool-looking battle between Sue and Dr. Doom. Afterwards, the crowd of jaded comic fans gave a rousing ovation that few would have expected moments earlier. "Play it again!" someone yelled. And they did. And it was even better the second time. After, Avi Arad of Marvel Entertainment and actor Chris Evans (Johnny Storm in the flick) answered questiosn and seemed very pumped for the movie. Not much other info was revealed about upcoming Marvel movies, but for this one, the Fantastic Four, expectations quickly soared through the roof.
Batman Begins: This was it - the one I've been looking forward to for sooo long. It was introduced simply as "the Batman movie you've all been waiting for." So true. But I had nagging concerns. So how was it? Well, for the first 5 or so minutes of the preview I had chills the entire time. Holy crap it was amazing. We see a young Bruce Wayne, innocent and naive, playing with a friend. He suddenly stumbles and falls into the dark caves below Wayne Manor, and for the first time, he knows true fear. Simply awesome. We see young Bruce go to the theater with his parents. Scared by what he sees, he asks to leave early. They exit, and suddenly the boy is changed forever. His parents are murdered before his eyes. Sure, we've seen this scene before, but here it was done amazingly. This was a new spin on Frank Miller's classic version of the origin from Batman:Year One. It was dark, stylish, and chilling. Then we see a young adult Bruce Wayne seeing his city fall into ruin. Then a number of scenes of Bruce training in some far away land, with Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard ruthlesly training him, until finally, Bruce becomes the more skilled of the two. Then we see him making the suit. Again, awesome, perfect, chilling. Finally, he is Batman. And this isn't stupid Joel Schumaker Batman. This Batman can fight, jump, swing, he is mobile and ready to kick some ass. Christian Bale is going to own this part. My reservations come with Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul. I just don't like the direction they are going with his character, seemingly making him a large part of Batman's origin story, and without one of the most compelling pieces of the character from the comics - his daughter Talia - who Batman loves but who is torn between the Dark Knight and her father. Then we saw the Scarecrow. Nice. Truly scary and grotesque looking. This Batman was dead-serious. Darker maybe than anything we have seen in the comics save Dark Knight Returns or Year One. There was some shakiness in the villains and training sequences. But what this movie did right in the preview, it absolutely nailed. The origin. The transformation into Batman. The whole look and sound and voice of Batman. The dark atmosphere. It's by no means certain, but this just might be what we've been waiting for.
War of the Worlds: We were then treated to a special preview of this film with an exclusive intro by Spielberg and Tom Cruise. Still didn't show any of the big-money f/x shots, or the aliens themselves. But hey, I'm sure this will rule.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Excellent preview / making of video shown. This should be really really good as well.
Me and the NBC crew gobbled down and some pizza to recharge, and then headed back, where we plunged headfirst into the View Askew-niverse when we sat down to listen to Jay and Silent Bob themselves ...
Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes: And now for something completely different. Vulgar, brash, and hilarious, Smith and Mewes did a Q and A that had the crowd in stitches from laughter. In terms of news not much was revealed (There will be a DVD only animated Clerks movie, Mewes is set to be in a movie with Paris Hilton, Smith had problems with the studio while trying to make Green Hornet, Smith actually liked the new Star Wars movies, he's optimistic about Superman, his comic projects are still on the way, etc.), but the sex jokes were plentiful and the verbal jabs between creator and his fans were pretty funny. I left a little early because I wanted to catc the end of the ...
DC Comics: So I actually saw Dan Didio and Joan Hilty who I interviewed with at DC Comics in the fall. They did kind of remember me, funnily enough - pretty odd that I'd bump into them now in LA. I also talked with Jeph Loeb, who in addition to writing comics is a producer on Smallville. He gave me some contact info for the show and told me to send in my resume! Sweet. I was kind of just staring because I was surrounded by some of my absolute favorite comic writers - people like Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, Gail Simone, and Mark Waid. I wish I could have talked to all of them and gotten stuff signed and all that, but the crowds were too big and there just wasn't time. Oh well, still pretty cool. I actually wrote up some pitch ideas for DC but didn't really have the opportunity to show them to anyone. It's funny, at NBC I've met big movie stars who I don't care about but it was hard to not sound like a raving fanboy in front of people who's work I've been so inspired by like Jeph Loeb and Grant Morrison.
After this panel we kind of roamed the show floor for a bit. Saw some people dressed i ncrazy costumes. Tested out some upcoming videogames, including the incredible looking God of War for the PS2, and was handed out a bunch of free demo discs by a Sony rep -- free stuff = good. Talked with a bunch of indie comic publishers, asked them for advice on getting into comics and doing small press publishing -- many of these peeps were very nice and had lots of useful tips. Also spent some cash on comics of course, picked up a few discounted trade paperbacks, so I've got plenty of reading material for a long time to come. Funnily enough I randomly ran into Jason Sarlanis from BU as well while at the show. Pretty crazy.
So that was it, we were drained from a full day of geektastic goodness. We retreated to the parking lot and ended our day with a visit to Downtown Disney. We played some games at the ESPN Zone there, grabbed dinner, and returned home, exhausted, satisfied, and filled with images of Human Torches, Batmen, and Jason Mewes making shadow puppets of various obscene sexual acts before a crowd of hundreds of fans. It was a good day. A good day indeed.
Tommorow I'm going to sleep really late.
Up up and away.
BUFFER SPACE ...
Some more Buffer Space ...
Enough Already - Flame On!
It ain't easy being a geek. Because sometimes you just want to talk comics, sci-fi, or superhero movies and you feel like nobody else is on that same wavelength. Then you go to someplace like Wizardworld and it's like Halloween - you stuff yourself with geekiness and finally, you feel full, maybe even have a stomachache, after a long day of total sensory overload. Luckily, a few NBC pages and I were able to finagle free press passes to the event, and thus had VIP access to all the panels and screenings, including first looks at Fantastic Four, Batman Begins, and a talk with Jay and Silent Bob! Score! So let's get right to it. Here's a breakdown of the highlights:
Whole F'n Show! : Well, I met Mr. Monday Night himself, Rob Van Dam, and he signed a copy of his greatest hits DVD for me and we chatted a bit. He's on the injusred list for a while, but I proposed that next year he challenge Shawn Michaels to a ladder match at Wrestlemania, at which RVD got a gleam in his eye and said "yeah, I'd totally bust him open, dude." Nice. Also, Virgil / Vincent / Curly Joe was there, with few people in line to see him. Kind of comical. I talked to him for a few minutes and asked him if he was still wrestling, to which he said "Naw man, I'm using my brains to make a living now." Well, that and charging for autographs at conventions. But anyways, it was sweet to meet and greet the ECW legend, RVD himself. Some other notable people who were there signing stuff were The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferregno, who still looked immensely jacked even at age 50-something or whatever he is. Do they test superheroes for steriods? Also I was very disheartened to see a very, very old and aged-looking Elvira signing stuff. Sure, I knew she had to be getting up there in age, but come on, she's the Mistress of the Night, and she always looks the same when you see her on TV. Maybe it was her uncharacteristically light-colored hair that threw me off.
Stan Lee: The line for him to sign stuff was way too long to wait in, but hey it was nice to see this comics legend still as exuberant as ever in his 80's. Excelsior!
Fantastic Four: Okay, I was VERY skeptical about this movie going in, Thought it would totally suck. But oh man, today's all new preview totally changed my mind as well as those of everyone in the room. Don't believe the negativity, this could seriously, seriously rule. I mean, they really knew their audience when putting together this reel. For the first time ever we saw: Johnny Storm plunging off a rooftop, plummeting towards the ground, yelling "Flame On!" and gloriously turning into the Human Torch and flying through the cityscape at night. Freakin' awesome! We saw a Julian McMahon in full Dr. Doom getup, looking straight out of the comic - metal mask, green cloak. Kickass. And then the kicker. Michael Chiklis as The Thing, taking o nan army of thugs. As they begin to get the better of him, he gathers his strength, yells "It's Clobberin' Time!" and punches a dude through a window with all his might. Stan Lee would be proud. This is in addition to some nice scenes of Sue Storm and Reed Richards using their powers, and a cool-looking battle between Sue and Dr. Doom. Afterwards, the crowd of jaded comic fans gave a rousing ovation that few would have expected moments earlier. "Play it again!" someone yelled. And they did. And it was even better the second time. After, Avi Arad of Marvel Entertainment and actor Chris Evans (Johnny Storm in the flick) answered questiosn and seemed very pumped for the movie. Not much other info was revealed about upcoming Marvel movies, but for this one, the Fantastic Four, expectations quickly soared through the roof.
Batman Begins: This was it - the one I've been looking forward to for sooo long. It was introduced simply as "the Batman movie you've all been waiting for." So true. But I had nagging concerns. So how was it? Well, for the first 5 or so minutes of the preview I had chills the entire time. Holy crap it was amazing. We see a young Bruce Wayne, innocent and naive, playing with a friend. He suddenly stumbles and falls into the dark caves below Wayne Manor, and for the first time, he knows true fear. Simply awesome. We see young Bruce go to the theater with his parents. Scared by what he sees, he asks to leave early. They exit, and suddenly the boy is changed forever. His parents are murdered before his eyes. Sure, we've seen this scene before, but here it was done amazingly. This was a new spin on Frank Miller's classic version of the origin from Batman:Year One. It was dark, stylish, and chilling. Then we see a young adult Bruce Wayne seeing his city fall into ruin. Then a number of scenes of Bruce training in some far away land, with Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard ruthlesly training him, until finally, Bruce becomes the more skilled of the two. Then we see him making the suit. Again, awesome, perfect, chilling. Finally, he is Batman. And this isn't stupid Joel Schumaker Batman. This Batman can fight, jump, swing, he is mobile and ready to kick some ass. Christian Bale is going to own this part. My reservations come with Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul. I just don't like the direction they are going with his character, seemingly making him a large part of Batman's origin story, and without one of the most compelling pieces of the character from the comics - his daughter Talia - who Batman loves but who is torn between the Dark Knight and her father. Then we saw the Scarecrow. Nice. Truly scary and grotesque looking. This Batman was dead-serious. Darker maybe than anything we have seen in the comics save Dark Knight Returns or Year One. There was some shakiness in the villains and training sequences. But what this movie did right in the preview, it absolutely nailed. The origin. The transformation into Batman. The whole look and sound and voice of Batman. The dark atmosphere. It's by no means certain, but this just might be what we've been waiting for.
War of the Worlds: We were then treated to a special preview of this film with an exclusive intro by Spielberg and Tom Cruise. Still didn't show any of the big-money f/x shots, or the aliens themselves. But hey, I'm sure this will rule.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Excellent preview / making of video shown. This should be really really good as well.
Me and the NBC crew gobbled down and some pizza to recharge, and then headed back, where we plunged headfirst into the View Askew-niverse when we sat down to listen to Jay and Silent Bob themselves ...
Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes: And now for something completely different. Vulgar, brash, and hilarious, Smith and Mewes did a Q and A that had the crowd in stitches from laughter. In terms of news not much was revealed (There will be a DVD only animated Clerks movie, Mewes is set to be in a movie with Paris Hilton, Smith had problems with the studio while trying to make Green Hornet, Smith actually liked the new Star Wars movies, he's optimistic about Superman, his comic projects are still on the way, etc.), but the sex jokes were plentiful and the verbal jabs between creator and his fans were pretty funny. I left a little early because I wanted to catc the end of the ...
DC Comics: So I actually saw Dan Didio and Joan Hilty who I interviewed with at DC Comics in the fall. They did kind of remember me, funnily enough - pretty odd that I'd bump into them now in LA. I also talked with Jeph Loeb, who in addition to writing comics is a producer on Smallville. He gave me some contact info for the show and told me to send in my resume! Sweet. I was kind of just staring because I was surrounded by some of my absolute favorite comic writers - people like Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, Gail Simone, and Mark Waid. I wish I could have talked to all of them and gotten stuff signed and all that, but the crowds were too big and there just wasn't time. Oh well, still pretty cool. I actually wrote up some pitch ideas for DC but didn't really have the opportunity to show them to anyone. It's funny, at NBC I've met big movie stars who I don't care about but it was hard to not sound like a raving fanboy in front of people who's work I've been so inspired by like Jeph Loeb and Grant Morrison.
After this panel we kind of roamed the show floor for a bit. Saw some people dressed i ncrazy costumes. Tested out some upcoming videogames, including the incredible looking God of War for the PS2, and was handed out a bunch of free demo discs by a Sony rep -- free stuff = good. Talked with a bunch of indie comic publishers, asked them for advice on getting into comics and doing small press publishing -- many of these peeps were very nice and had lots of useful tips. Also spent some cash on comics of course, picked up a few discounted trade paperbacks, so I've got plenty of reading material for a long time to come. Funnily enough I randomly ran into Jason Sarlanis from BU as well while at the show. Pretty crazy.
So that was it, we were drained from a full day of geektastic goodness. We retreated to the parking lot and ended our day with a visit to Downtown Disney. We played some games at the ESPN Zone there, grabbed dinner, and returned home, exhausted, satisfied, and filled with images of Human Torches, Batmen, and Jason Mewes making shadow puppets of various obscene sexual acts before a crowd of hundreds of fans. It was a good day. A good day indeed.
Tommorow I'm going to sleep really late.
Up up and away.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
"Try Xoo, It's New."
Like I said, I love sneak previews. So today despite a 7 am call time I was hyped to take part in a program development meeting the likes of which I had previously only read about in various BU COM classes. After ushering in a bunch of advertising industry fat-cats, I stood and watched as Jay Leno, Kevin Reilly, Jeff Zucker, and The Daily Show's Steve Carell spoke to the audience and previewed a number of new projects coming out between next month and next year. So here's the inside scoop:
Overall I was impressed with how NBC handled their less than stellar year so far. They used humor and humility to admit their mistakes while emphasizing the promising future and legendary past. Steve Carell was very funny and some skits involving Leno, Kevin Reilly, and Medium's Patricia Arquette seemed to go over well. As for the shows themselves? Here's some highlights and lowlights.
The Good:
The E-Ring: a new drama from Jerry Bruckheimer set at the Pentagon, this show has a seemingly great cast, including Dennis Hopper as the lead, and seems like a more intense version of The West Wing with some timely topics and a lot of potential. I think this one could be big.
Lies and the Wives We Tell Them To: I expected this to suck, but the clip shown was very funny in an old-school classic sitcom-y type of way, and this may establish itself as a show with humor in the vein of a Cheers or Just Shoot Me, though it focuses on the lives of married men who are basically fed up with their wives and kids. Sure, the title is a bit long, but this could be a hit if the show is actually as good as the clip they previewed.
Earl: Okay, this may not actually be good, since there were no clips shown, but it stars Jason Lee of Kevin Smith movie fame and also features Jamie Presley and that really big dude from Boy Meets World and The Butterfly Effect. The premise, about an asshole guy played by Lee who sets out to right all the wrongs he's done in his life, sounds kind of interesting, and Lee is usually good in a comedy setting. So I see potential.
Early Bird: The brief clips they showed from this show won over the crowd immediately, just because the premise is inherently pretty funny - basically a 20-something guy moves into a retirement home. I don't know if the initial hilarity of the premise can sustain a series, but it's something different and again, I am interested in its potential.
Notorious - Okay, by "good" with this one I mean that it may not be my cup of tea, but I can see this Curb Your Enthusiasm style show about Tori Spelling's life catching on if it turns out to actually be funny. It seems like it may turn out to actually be well done, but then agai, it might really, really suck. But I'm putting it under "good" because it has potential hit written all over it moreso than almost any other show NBC has coming up.
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart: Again, no way in hell do I want to watch this but lots and lots of ppl are going to, and it's going to be huge, like top 10 huge.
Treasure Hunters: A reality show that actually sounds cool, with a nice high concept premise of people traveling around the world solving mysteries and puzzles based on actual folklore and history. I'm not sure exactly how this show will work, but any show about finding secret treasure gets my seal of approval.
The Office: By network TV comedy standards, this is going to be exceptional. Compared to the British TV classic (see yesterday's rant ...) it will be merely decent. But some of the clips they showed were indeed very very funny.
The Bad:
Fathom: This is the one I was most looking forward to seeing - a scifi show about an alien race that lives under water. So it turns out the aliens are ... sticky white goo? Um .... okay ... And this looks like a really bad X-Files wannabe that is a really bad knockoff of that show's black oil subplot, except here the black oil is the white and it's the whole freakin' premise of the show. Lame.
The Book of Daniel: Another strange concept that unless it is miraculously well-executed just seems totally absurd and pandering to the current religion craze in Hollywood. It's about, get this: a guy named Daniel who may or may not be crazy, who believes that one of his friends, who is only seen by him, is in fact an earthbound Jesus Christ, and Daniel turns to this is-he-real-or-not Jesus for advice and life guidance. Yeah ... I mean I guess this could be kind of cool if it's pulled off to perfection, but I don't have that much confidence in this show. More likely it will be a total debacle.
Inconceivable: Stupidest name ever. Why? Cuz this is a show centered entirely around a fertility clinic, and the moral issues that surround it. Sounds ... exciting.
World of Trouble: A team of bland FBI agents solves crimes. But not just any crimes -- INTERNATIONAL crimes. Whoop-de-doo.
Filmore Middle: A comedy about a "cool" English teacher who deals with his class of "text-messaging, video-gaming, short attention span students who refuse to crack open a book." Don't you hate these shows that feature kids but sound as if the creators have no idea what actual young people are like? Who knows, maybe this will be good, but I don't know if I can get away from my text-messaging and video-gaming long enough to find out.
Four Kings: Again, MAYBE this will be a good sitcom, but the premise is very boring. Four friends on "the cusp of adulthood" move in together in a NYC apartment. Yawn.
Dante: This sitcom about a star NFL player coping with his fame seems not only bad but just insulting and playing to every conceivable stereotype about pro athletes. This is one of those shows where, barring a miracle, it won't make it past a few episodes.
Confessions of a Dog: Comedy about an obnoxious thirty-something single guy who refuses to grow up and be an adult. Very original.
Blue Skies: The promos for this show focused entirely on how star Anna Faris was going to be the next big thing in Hollywood ... based on her performance in Scary Movie 3. Okay, now I believe it.
Thick and Thin: Another one that just sounds totally obnoxious and insulting based on its truly awful premise. Basically its a sitcom about a formerly fat woman who lost weight and now looks like every other TV actress, except the big question is ... how will she get along with her friends, who are (the horror!) STILL FAT? Ugh.
All In: A sitcom in which a single mom supports her kids by being a pro poker player. This one wouldn't be capitalizing on a fad or anything, would it? Newsflash: fads don't last, and neither will this show.
To be determined:
Revelations: This is a very hyped up mini series that will surely be a hige ratings-grabber. Sure, the whole apocalypse-is-coming, millenial end-times thing is SO 1999, but the heavy religious overtones (there was this ultra-cheesy line where some guy yells something like "Can't you scientists understand? This isn't about facts or numbers! It's about GOD!") are very of-the-moment. Plus it's got Bill Pullman (playing the most stereotypical "I am a scientist who only accepts facts, not faith" character ever). This will be big for NBC, but it is also a pretty safe bet that this is the TV equivalent of one of those Omega Code movies or the Left Behind books or something. The prophecies foretell that this will be apocalyptically cheesy and heavy-handed.
NY-70: This cop drama set in the 1970's, starring Donnie Wahlberg, seems like it will be very high quality. But I think it's premise, which features the same characters from the movie "The French Connection" is going to be too complex to attract viewers and get an audience. I mean do we really need another cop show, even if this one is kind of F/X-like in its maturity-level and is set in the 70's? I think not.
9-11: So this was the really big announcement. A miniseries about 9-11, produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer featuring an as of yet unnamed A-list cast. I'm sure it will end up being well done, but personally I think this is in poor taste and way too soon to be made into such a big dramatic "event" miniseries. You could tell by the jaded reaction from the crowd that people were pretty much thinking "well you knew the networks would do this sooner or later" rather than oohing and aahing i nawed reverence at the bravery and guts it must have took to make this, as the NBC brass assuredly wanted them to. Who knows, maybe this will be the second coming of "Roots" or something. But Roots was over a hundred years removed from its subject matter, this is four. It's kind of sad that NBC's best hope for achieving huge ratings lies in an all too recent tragedy.
So that's it. I'm tired, exhausted even from today's early start time. But there's the inside info for you. Pretty cool, right? Personally I'll be checking out The Office but few if any of these other shows seem like must-sees to me at this point. But that's okay, I've got way too many other good shows to watch anyway (remains to be seen if Arrested Development and Veronica Mars will be brought back ...).
Tonight's OC: Another just-kind-of OK episode. I really enjoyed the Alex-Ryan stuff, but now of course it appears that they are gonna get rid of Alex just as she's getting pretty interesting. This Julie as pornstar subplot is boring, and Seth and Summer have nothing to do.
This weekend: Wizard World LA!
At work:
During my three hours in the ticket office at NBC today, myself and another page were looking at the ugly door in that room and decided to put something on it as others have occasionally done in the past. So I was suddenly in this total third-grade-teacher mode, after seeing all the drama and ugliness that seems to go on between pages in that room on a daily basis. So though it has to be just about the cheesiest thing ever, we put up a banner over the door with a sign saying "Somthing Nice That Someone Did For Me Was ...", inviting pages to write nice things that others had done for them for all to see. I know, I know, corniest thing ever. But as soon as we put up this banner it felt like a very good, positive thing to have done. There is often so much mean-spirited joking, gossiping, and antagonism between the pages that I'm curious to see if that simple banner can have any kind of positive influence, despite the fact that I'm sure some smartass pages will be tempted to write sarcastic answers. Even if they do, oh well, we tried. But hey, a bunch of 20-somethings have a lot of emotional similarities to third graders, from my observations, so maybe it will actually work.
Happy St. Patrick's Day ( nobody really cares aboot it in LA like they do in Boston, not that I really mind).
Happy weekend.
Later, dudes.
Overall I was impressed with how NBC handled their less than stellar year so far. They used humor and humility to admit their mistakes while emphasizing the promising future and legendary past. Steve Carell was very funny and some skits involving Leno, Kevin Reilly, and Medium's Patricia Arquette seemed to go over well. As for the shows themselves? Here's some highlights and lowlights.
The Good:
The E-Ring: a new drama from Jerry Bruckheimer set at the Pentagon, this show has a seemingly great cast, including Dennis Hopper as the lead, and seems like a more intense version of The West Wing with some timely topics and a lot of potential. I think this one could be big.
Lies and the Wives We Tell Them To: I expected this to suck, but the clip shown was very funny in an old-school classic sitcom-y type of way, and this may establish itself as a show with humor in the vein of a Cheers or Just Shoot Me, though it focuses on the lives of married men who are basically fed up with their wives and kids. Sure, the title is a bit long, but this could be a hit if the show is actually as good as the clip they previewed.
Earl: Okay, this may not actually be good, since there were no clips shown, but it stars Jason Lee of Kevin Smith movie fame and also features Jamie Presley and that really big dude from Boy Meets World and The Butterfly Effect. The premise, about an asshole guy played by Lee who sets out to right all the wrongs he's done in his life, sounds kind of interesting, and Lee is usually good in a comedy setting. So I see potential.
Early Bird: The brief clips they showed from this show won over the crowd immediately, just because the premise is inherently pretty funny - basically a 20-something guy moves into a retirement home. I don't know if the initial hilarity of the premise can sustain a series, but it's something different and again, I am interested in its potential.
Notorious - Okay, by "good" with this one I mean that it may not be my cup of tea, but I can see this Curb Your Enthusiasm style show about Tori Spelling's life catching on if it turns out to actually be funny. It seems like it may turn out to actually be well done, but then agai, it might really, really suck. But I'm putting it under "good" because it has potential hit written all over it moreso than almost any other show NBC has coming up.
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart: Again, no way in hell do I want to watch this but lots and lots of ppl are going to, and it's going to be huge, like top 10 huge.
Treasure Hunters: A reality show that actually sounds cool, with a nice high concept premise of people traveling around the world solving mysteries and puzzles based on actual folklore and history. I'm not sure exactly how this show will work, but any show about finding secret treasure gets my seal of approval.
The Office: By network TV comedy standards, this is going to be exceptional. Compared to the British TV classic (see yesterday's rant ...) it will be merely decent. But some of the clips they showed were indeed very very funny.
The Bad:
Fathom: This is the one I was most looking forward to seeing - a scifi show about an alien race that lives under water. So it turns out the aliens are ... sticky white goo? Um .... okay ... And this looks like a really bad X-Files wannabe that is a really bad knockoff of that show's black oil subplot, except here the black oil is the white and it's the whole freakin' premise of the show. Lame.
The Book of Daniel: Another strange concept that unless it is miraculously well-executed just seems totally absurd and pandering to the current religion craze in Hollywood. It's about, get this: a guy named Daniel who may or may not be crazy, who believes that one of his friends, who is only seen by him, is in fact an earthbound Jesus Christ, and Daniel turns to this is-he-real-or-not Jesus for advice and life guidance. Yeah ... I mean I guess this could be kind of cool if it's pulled off to perfection, but I don't have that much confidence in this show. More likely it will be a total debacle.
Inconceivable: Stupidest name ever. Why? Cuz this is a show centered entirely around a fertility clinic, and the moral issues that surround it. Sounds ... exciting.
World of Trouble: A team of bland FBI agents solves crimes. But not just any crimes -- INTERNATIONAL crimes. Whoop-de-doo.
Filmore Middle: A comedy about a "cool" English teacher who deals with his class of "text-messaging, video-gaming, short attention span students who refuse to crack open a book." Don't you hate these shows that feature kids but sound as if the creators have no idea what actual young people are like? Who knows, maybe this will be good, but I don't know if I can get away from my text-messaging and video-gaming long enough to find out.
Four Kings: Again, MAYBE this will be a good sitcom, but the premise is very boring. Four friends on "the cusp of adulthood" move in together in a NYC apartment. Yawn.
Dante: This sitcom about a star NFL player coping with his fame seems not only bad but just insulting and playing to every conceivable stereotype about pro athletes. This is one of those shows where, barring a miracle, it won't make it past a few episodes.
Confessions of a Dog: Comedy about an obnoxious thirty-something single guy who refuses to grow up and be an adult. Very original.
Blue Skies: The promos for this show focused entirely on how star Anna Faris was going to be the next big thing in Hollywood ... based on her performance in Scary Movie 3. Okay, now I believe it.
Thick and Thin: Another one that just sounds totally obnoxious and insulting based on its truly awful premise. Basically its a sitcom about a formerly fat woman who lost weight and now looks like every other TV actress, except the big question is ... how will she get along with her friends, who are (the horror!) STILL FAT? Ugh.
All In: A sitcom in which a single mom supports her kids by being a pro poker player. This one wouldn't be capitalizing on a fad or anything, would it? Newsflash: fads don't last, and neither will this show.
To be determined:
Revelations: This is a very hyped up mini series that will surely be a hige ratings-grabber. Sure, the whole apocalypse-is-coming, millenial end-times thing is SO 1999, but the heavy religious overtones (there was this ultra-cheesy line where some guy yells something like "Can't you scientists understand? This isn't about facts or numbers! It's about GOD!") are very of-the-moment. Plus it's got Bill Pullman (playing the most stereotypical "I am a scientist who only accepts facts, not faith" character ever). This will be big for NBC, but it is also a pretty safe bet that this is the TV equivalent of one of those Omega Code movies or the Left Behind books or something. The prophecies foretell that this will be apocalyptically cheesy and heavy-handed.
NY-70: This cop drama set in the 1970's, starring Donnie Wahlberg, seems like it will be very high quality. But I think it's premise, which features the same characters from the movie "The French Connection" is going to be too complex to attract viewers and get an audience. I mean do we really need another cop show, even if this one is kind of F/X-like in its maturity-level and is set in the 70's? I think not.
9-11: So this was the really big announcement. A miniseries about 9-11, produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer featuring an as of yet unnamed A-list cast. I'm sure it will end up being well done, but personally I think this is in poor taste and way too soon to be made into such a big dramatic "event" miniseries. You could tell by the jaded reaction from the crowd that people were pretty much thinking "well you knew the networks would do this sooner or later" rather than oohing and aahing i nawed reverence at the bravery and guts it must have took to make this, as the NBC brass assuredly wanted them to. Who knows, maybe this will be the second coming of "Roots" or something. But Roots was over a hundred years removed from its subject matter, this is four. It's kind of sad that NBC's best hope for achieving huge ratings lies in an all too recent tragedy.
So that's it. I'm tired, exhausted even from today's early start time. But there's the inside info for you. Pretty cool, right? Personally I'll be checking out The Office but few if any of these other shows seem like must-sees to me at this point. But that's okay, I've got way too many other good shows to watch anyway (remains to be seen if Arrested Development and Veronica Mars will be brought back ...).
Tonight's OC: Another just-kind-of OK episode. I really enjoyed the Alex-Ryan stuff, but now of course it appears that they are gonna get rid of Alex just as she's getting pretty interesting. This Julie as pornstar subplot is boring, and Seth and Summer have nothing to do.
This weekend: Wizard World LA!
At work:
During my three hours in the ticket office at NBC today, myself and another page were looking at the ugly door in that room and decided to put something on it as others have occasionally done in the past. So I was suddenly in this total third-grade-teacher mode, after seeing all the drama and ugliness that seems to go on between pages in that room on a daily basis. So though it has to be just about the cheesiest thing ever, we put up a banner over the door with a sign saying "Somthing Nice That Someone Did For Me Was ...", inviting pages to write nice things that others had done for them for all to see. I know, I know, corniest thing ever. But as soon as we put up this banner it felt like a very good, positive thing to have done. There is often so much mean-spirited joking, gossiping, and antagonism between the pages that I'm curious to see if that simple banner can have any kind of positive influence, despite the fact that I'm sure some smartass pages will be tempted to write sarcastic answers. Even if they do, oh well, we tried. But hey, a bunch of 20-somethings have a lot of emotional similarities to third graders, from my observations, so maybe it will actually work.
Happy St. Patrick's Day ( nobody really cares aboot it in LA like they do in Boston, not that I really mind).
Happy weekend.
Later, dudes.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Are You The Creator of Hi and Lois? Because You Are Making Me Laugh.
Tommorow should be kind of cool. Let me just say first that I am sucker for sneak previews. I love them. From the moment in The Wizard where we suddenly saw the glorious Super Mario Bros 3 for the very first time to free screenings of yet to be released movies, I love seeing new stuff before anyone else. So tommorow I and some other pages will be working at NBC's Program Development Conference, where NBC will try to wine and dine bigtime advertising execs and wow them with sneak previews of next year's crop of upcoming primetime shows, in a blatant attempt to get them to fork over their sweet sweet cash for advertisements on new shows. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing, probably just helping to seat people or something ... but still, it's going to be pretty cool, even if it does start at the ungodly time of 7 am. (sidenote: the old-school 90's techno Mortal Kombat themesong just came on my Winamp!) Anyways, it's a safe bet that all the top NBC brass will be in the house, so it should be cool. But the real cool part will be if we get to sneak a peak at new upcoming shows, the ones you'll be reading about in the magazines next week. Two shows I am interested in analyzing the reception that they will receive are Fathom, a crazy-sounding serial drama about aliens who live underwater, and The Office - a remake of the British show which in my humble opinion is one of the all time greatest things ever to be on TV. Now NBC recently had a huge bomb on its hands with their remake of Coupling, but that show was nowhere near as beloved as The Office, so it wasn't THAT big a deal. Plus NBC BADLY needs a new hit comedy, as they are currently really really struggling in that area.
RANT:
WHY do they even need to remake The Office? We HAVE THE ORIGINAL - it's on DVD at any major store, and it is amazing. Americans can accept it. Sure there are British accents, but James Bond, Obi wan Kenobi, and Monty Python do as well, and we sure like THEM. Yes, there are some pop culture references that many might not get, but the same is true in any episode of The Simpsons, Family Guy, or I Love the 80's. I was reading the review of the new Office in EW, and it was kinda what I expected. Overall a lot of positives - funny, quirky, different from the usual sitcom. A good cast featuring Steve Carell. BUT ... there is NO WAY that you're going to recreate the layers of comedy upon tragedy upon comedy in the British version. There's only one Ricky Gervais, and the thing that he did that Carell will not is that he was incredibly crazy, goofy, and awkward yet he was truly, poignantly SAD and TRAGIC, which in turn made his comedic performance all the more legitimately funny. The only other show to really ever combine such insane, inspired comedy with genuine emotion and heart was probably the classic era Simpsons episodes, and The Office, in its own starkly realistic way, is the best ever depiction of life's mundane, crazy, nonsensical tragi-comedy. It's just a true shame that from now on when someone says "The Office" they will have to distinguish between the two versions. "The Office" should refer to THE Office. So in a way I am happy that NBC is doing the show, because, well, Ricky Gervais himself (not sure about cocreator Stephen Merchant) was instrumental in its creation, and it finally gives NBC a primetime show that I as an employee of NBC can say "hey, now that is a funny show." Funny, yes. But great? Nope, I've got the DVD's that will show you what great is. So do yourself a favor, don't let your first exposure to The Office be a pretty funny show that is a remake of a better show. Check out the original and see why NBC is going to such lengths to try to recreate the original's magic. Only this is network TV, so don't worry, they may come close, but, sadly, you can only expect so much.
DENNIS MILLER STUFF:
Actually a really cool DM show yesterday. Tori Amos gave a great interview which succeeded in totally hypnotizing both the audience and Miller himself. She talked in such a fascinating, intelligent, artistic way that even a comment somwhat bashing Republicans drew nary a response from staunch conservative Miller, who seemed entranced by the ethereal figure before him. Cool. And she deserved a standing ovation for her pull-no-punches comments about the music industry. One great line she had was something like "You know, I made my way in this industry by pressing my mouth against a microphone. A lot of these young pop starlets are getting noticed by pressing their mouths against something, but that something isn't quite a microphone if you know what I mean." Classic. Also Jeff Probst from Survivor was on, and I really like that guy ... he really loves his show and had a lot of interesting comments about the way the show works. Also, there was a panel of NAACP Image Award Winners on the show, including the new writer of the Black Panther comic from Marvel. Sweet.
Speaking of nerdiness, me and some other pages today confirmed that we have indeed scored free press passes to Wizard World LA this weekend! Yes! I always wanted to go to one of those things. Yes, I am a huge nerd.
Checked out the new Project Greenlight yesterday. Interesting choice with that very eccentric movie-nerd guy as director of the horror flick. This guy was right out of an Aint It Cool News Talkback forum or something (Man In Suit!), but hey he may just have talent. Also nice to see that they went with what they admitted was the worst script they had just because the studio thought it could make more money than the others (sarcasm). IBA: The Movie will be money, I'm telling you right now (definitely NOT sarcasm).
Still need: dishes, silverware, couch, barstools.
My NBC thought of the day: put 30 early-20's ppl in the same work environment and you get WAY too much drama and not enough professionalism.
Mmmm ... girl scout cookies.
RANT:
WHY do they even need to remake The Office? We HAVE THE ORIGINAL - it's on DVD at any major store, and it is amazing. Americans can accept it. Sure there are British accents, but James Bond, Obi wan Kenobi, and Monty Python do as well, and we sure like THEM. Yes, there are some pop culture references that many might not get, but the same is true in any episode of The Simpsons, Family Guy, or I Love the 80's. I was reading the review of the new Office in EW, and it was kinda what I expected. Overall a lot of positives - funny, quirky, different from the usual sitcom. A good cast featuring Steve Carell. BUT ... there is NO WAY that you're going to recreate the layers of comedy upon tragedy upon comedy in the British version. There's only one Ricky Gervais, and the thing that he did that Carell will not is that he was incredibly crazy, goofy, and awkward yet he was truly, poignantly SAD and TRAGIC, which in turn made his comedic performance all the more legitimately funny. The only other show to really ever combine such insane, inspired comedy with genuine emotion and heart was probably the classic era Simpsons episodes, and The Office, in its own starkly realistic way, is the best ever depiction of life's mundane, crazy, nonsensical tragi-comedy. It's just a true shame that from now on when someone says "The Office" they will have to distinguish between the two versions. "The Office" should refer to THE Office. So in a way I am happy that NBC is doing the show, because, well, Ricky Gervais himself (not sure about cocreator Stephen Merchant) was instrumental in its creation, and it finally gives NBC a primetime show that I as an employee of NBC can say "hey, now that is a funny show." Funny, yes. But great? Nope, I've got the DVD's that will show you what great is. So do yourself a favor, don't let your first exposure to The Office be a pretty funny show that is a remake of a better show. Check out the original and see why NBC is going to such lengths to try to recreate the original's magic. Only this is network TV, so don't worry, they may come close, but, sadly, you can only expect so much.
DENNIS MILLER STUFF:
Actually a really cool DM show yesterday. Tori Amos gave a great interview which succeeded in totally hypnotizing both the audience and Miller himself. She talked in such a fascinating, intelligent, artistic way that even a comment somwhat bashing Republicans drew nary a response from staunch conservative Miller, who seemed entranced by the ethereal figure before him. Cool. And she deserved a standing ovation for her pull-no-punches comments about the music industry. One great line she had was something like "You know, I made my way in this industry by pressing my mouth against a microphone. A lot of these young pop starlets are getting noticed by pressing their mouths against something, but that something isn't quite a microphone if you know what I mean." Classic. Also Jeff Probst from Survivor was on, and I really like that guy ... he really loves his show and had a lot of interesting comments about the way the show works. Also, there was a panel of NAACP Image Award Winners on the show, including the new writer of the Black Panther comic from Marvel. Sweet.
Speaking of nerdiness, me and some other pages today confirmed that we have indeed scored free press passes to Wizard World LA this weekend! Yes! I always wanted to go to one of those things. Yes, I am a huge nerd.
Checked out the new Project Greenlight yesterday. Interesting choice with that very eccentric movie-nerd guy as director of the horror flick. This guy was right out of an Aint It Cool News Talkback forum or something (Man In Suit!), but hey he may just have talent. Also nice to see that they went with what they admitted was the worst script they had just because the studio thought it could make more money than the others (sarcasm). IBA: The Movie will be money, I'm telling you right now (definitely NOT sarcasm).
Still need: dishes, silverware, couch, barstools.
My NBC thought of the day: put 30 early-20's ppl in the same work environment and you get WAY too much drama and not enough professionalism.
Mmmm ... girl scout cookies.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Won't You Take Me To ... Funkytown?
Damn - I just wrote a huge post and deleted it accidentally. So now I'm going to write an encapsulated form of it since it's getting late. Funky.
Basically:
My apartment: I'm out of the old, into the new. I still need a couch, bar stools for the kitchen, plates/silverware, and a few other assorted items. But I'm pretty much moved in and settled, and it's starting to shape up. My parking space is still too narrow and my smoke alarm goes off loudly whenever I take a shower ... but otherwise, well, it's going well and I can concentrate on other stuff finally, like ...
My job: Friday sucked. I did ticketbox for the first time and it was an insanely busy day and I had people coming at me from all sides wanting to buy merchandise and sign up for tours and get Tonight Show tix and did I mention it sucked and also I was reprimanded by my supervisor a bunch of times and and I don't like operating cash registers. By noon Friday I was ready to explode from overload. Got a little better in the afternoon but man, too much stress and I was thrown to the wolves after a mere 2 count 'em 2 hours of training the DAY BEFORE. And again I had NEVER before used a cash register. I'll stick to giving tours to German people who barely speack English please (happened today). Ellen today was heaven by comparison. One observation: never have I seen so many lesbians in one place as in today's Ellen audience. Maybe partly due to musical gust being Tori Amos? New pages already coming in next week - and we have to train 'em. God I barely know what I'm doing at this point. And by we I mean those of us newbies who are left. Friday was fond farewell to Tracy, who's going to work at FOX ... on some little movies called FANTASTIC FOUR and X-MEN 3!!! (N. Dynamite voice on:) "Lucky!" (off). Plus two others may soon be headed for assignments. Ahhhh. Craziness. Luckily no ticket box this week. Dennis Miller tommorow. Wow that sounded like a James Joyce paragraph, um, kinda.
By the way, congrats to fellow BU grad and ace reporter Christine T on her engagement (!) .
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Two movies I'm getting super-hyped for:
1.) Sin City -- Those commercials on TV have been ruling it, this movie is going to totally kick some ass. Frank Miller credited as director ... nice! If you don't know Miller redefined comics in the 80's, ushered in an age of adult, pull-no-punches graphic novels / comics like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, Ronin, and Daredevil: Man Without Fear. And the Sin City movie is nearly a shot for shot adaptation of the comic. This is gonna be good, kids.
2.) Star Wars Ep. III -- That trailer after the OC was great! I'm hyped ... I mean you have to be after seeing the Emperor in full original trilogy, lightning-shooting mode, with that evil, evil voice of his saying evil stuff like only he can. Wookies! Jedis vs. the Emperor! Yoda hurt, Obi Wan vs. Anakin, lots of spaceships flying around. Sweeeet. Sure, I and II were huge letdowns, but for this one, well, it may just surprise us all and, dare I say it (yes, yes I do) kick some ass old-school style.
24 -- This week it's Escape from LA 24 style. John Carpenter and Snake Plisken would have been proud of this action-oriented ep. The Tony-Michelle plot, pretty much the only plot in this ep, was very nice, and the action scenews had that apocalyptic, balls to the wall vibe that the producers do so well on this show and perfected in their earlier, awesome but underrated action espionage drama, the late great La Femme Nikita. Few TV shows have ever had movie-quality action scenes, but 24 is up there with the best big screen films in that area. Decent, kind of standalone episode here with things looking to take a major turn next week. Maybe an appearance from former President Palmer is in the books? Because it looks like the current prez on 24 is due for some bigtime trouble.
OC - Ehhhhh ... getting lamer, losing interest ... Come on, Kirsten would NOT cheat on Sandy with that guy, if that's where they are headed. And Ryan and Marissa again? No thanks. Why is this show seemingly back to square one after only one and a half seasons? Aside from Alex they've gotten rid of every other character. Time for the seemingly monthly re-stocking of new characters to shake things up ... but son't worry they'll die, move to Chicago, or disappear into Parts Unknown soon enough.
FOX Sunday: King of the Hill, Malcolm, Simpsons, all decent, with the Simpsons actually being slightly above average while KOTH and MITM were slightly below par. Arrested Development -- GREAT ep, definitely the night's highlight. Please FOX, don't cancel this, especially for crap like ... The Sketch Show -- total crap show with a ridiculously fast-paced style that does not work in the show's favor ... makes one long for FOX's sketch comedy glory days of the 90's when In Living Color was hilarious and groundbreaking and starmaking. Seriously, FOX, keep Arrested D around.
Well, Phase 2 has begun.
Time to focus on the job, contacts, writing, and other stuff besides apartment hunting and furnishing.
Now if I could just manage to AVOID having my smoke alarm pierce my eardrums each morning when I get out of the shower. So annoying.
Basically:
My apartment: I'm out of the old, into the new. I still need a couch, bar stools for the kitchen, plates/silverware, and a few other assorted items. But I'm pretty much moved in and settled, and it's starting to shape up. My parking space is still too narrow and my smoke alarm goes off loudly whenever I take a shower ... but otherwise, well, it's going well and I can concentrate on other stuff finally, like ...
My job: Friday sucked. I did ticketbox for the first time and it was an insanely busy day and I had people coming at me from all sides wanting to buy merchandise and sign up for tours and get Tonight Show tix and did I mention it sucked and also I was reprimanded by my supervisor a bunch of times and and I don't like operating cash registers. By noon Friday I was ready to explode from overload. Got a little better in the afternoon but man, too much stress and I was thrown to the wolves after a mere 2 count 'em 2 hours of training the DAY BEFORE. And again I had NEVER before used a cash register. I'll stick to giving tours to German people who barely speack English please (happened today). Ellen today was heaven by comparison. One observation: never have I seen so many lesbians in one place as in today's Ellen audience. Maybe partly due to musical gust being Tori Amos? New pages already coming in next week - and we have to train 'em. God I barely know what I'm doing at this point. And by we I mean those of us newbies who are left. Friday was fond farewell to Tracy, who's going to work at FOX ... on some little movies called FANTASTIC FOUR and X-MEN 3!!! (N. Dynamite voice on:) "Lucky!" (off). Plus two others may soon be headed for assignments. Ahhhh. Craziness. Luckily no ticket box this week. Dennis Miller tommorow. Wow that sounded like a James Joyce paragraph, um, kinda.
By the way, congrats to fellow BU grad and ace reporter Christine T on her engagement (!) .
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Two movies I'm getting super-hyped for:
1.) Sin City -- Those commercials on TV have been ruling it, this movie is going to totally kick some ass. Frank Miller credited as director ... nice! If you don't know Miller redefined comics in the 80's, ushered in an age of adult, pull-no-punches graphic novels / comics like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, Ronin, and Daredevil: Man Without Fear. And the Sin City movie is nearly a shot for shot adaptation of the comic. This is gonna be good, kids.
2.) Star Wars Ep. III -- That trailer after the OC was great! I'm hyped ... I mean you have to be after seeing the Emperor in full original trilogy, lightning-shooting mode, with that evil, evil voice of his saying evil stuff like only he can. Wookies! Jedis vs. the Emperor! Yoda hurt, Obi Wan vs. Anakin, lots of spaceships flying around. Sweeeet. Sure, I and II were huge letdowns, but for this one, well, it may just surprise us all and, dare I say it (yes, yes I do) kick some ass old-school style.
24 -- This week it's Escape from LA 24 style. John Carpenter and Snake Plisken would have been proud of this action-oriented ep. The Tony-Michelle plot, pretty much the only plot in this ep, was very nice, and the action scenews had that apocalyptic, balls to the wall vibe that the producers do so well on this show and perfected in their earlier, awesome but underrated action espionage drama, the late great La Femme Nikita. Few TV shows have ever had movie-quality action scenes, but 24 is up there with the best big screen films in that area. Decent, kind of standalone episode here with things looking to take a major turn next week. Maybe an appearance from former President Palmer is in the books? Because it looks like the current prez on 24 is due for some bigtime trouble.
OC - Ehhhhh ... getting lamer, losing interest ... Come on, Kirsten would NOT cheat on Sandy with that guy, if that's where they are headed. And Ryan and Marissa again? No thanks. Why is this show seemingly back to square one after only one and a half seasons? Aside from Alex they've gotten rid of every other character. Time for the seemingly monthly re-stocking of new characters to shake things up ... but son't worry they'll die, move to Chicago, or disappear into Parts Unknown soon enough.
FOX Sunday: King of the Hill, Malcolm, Simpsons, all decent, with the Simpsons actually being slightly above average while KOTH and MITM were slightly below par. Arrested Development -- GREAT ep, definitely the night's highlight. Please FOX, don't cancel this, especially for crap like ... The Sketch Show -- total crap show with a ridiculously fast-paced style that does not work in the show's favor ... makes one long for FOX's sketch comedy glory days of the 90's when In Living Color was hilarious and groundbreaking and starmaking. Seriously, FOX, keep Arrested D around.
Well, Phase 2 has begun.
Time to focus on the job, contacts, writing, and other stuff besides apartment hunting and furnishing.
Now if I could just manage to AVOID having my smoke alarm pierce my eardrums each morning when I get out of the shower. So annoying.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Live from the New Apartment
Good news: Internet connection is on.
Bad news: Computer is on floor - desk, TV stand and coffe table yet to be assembled. Fridge still doesn't fit into alcove and might have to return it.
Quick surreal moment of the day: I admitted Mel Gibson himself today into the Tonight Show - Steve O from MTV's Jackass was on as well. I see Mel go outside to smoke a cigarette (what? would Jesus approve?), where he joins Steve O for a smoke. So Mr. Passion himself and a dude who staples his own sensitive areas together are outside smoking, with Steve O showing Mel his many tattoos. Meanwhile, Carrottop himself was roaming around backstage, as was easy-listening king Joe Cocker. Weeeeeeeeeird.
I did trade verbal barbs with Carrottop himself on my tour today though! So on my tour I see him walking out of his dressing room and (to paraphrase) ...
ME: Hey folks, it's Carrottop!
CROWD: Ooooh, aaah.
CARROTTOP: Hey guys. Hey, you all take Jay [Leno]'s car for a test drive?
ME: Jay's car? What? I told them that that was MY car!
CARROTTOP: Oh, you kidder.
Seriously, it happened about that way.
By the way, Carrottop is freakin' jacked, he looks like he could maybe kick The Rock's ass (ok wouldn't go THAT far). On this same tour we also ran into Leno himself who was working on his car outside. Pretty loaded tour, it was.
Dammit, this refrigerator stuff is annoying. But, I am ALMOST moved into the new place.
Something to look forward to: In two weeks it is confirmed ... BILLY IDOL will be performing on the Tonight Show!
Something I missed: VERONICA MARS (obligatory Veronica Mars reference HERE) herself, Kristen Bell, was on Ellen today, and I was stuck admitting The Road Warrior and a man who willingly sat in a pool and forced a crocodile to bite his ass. Seriously, the show is called Jackass but in my opinion these guys are full of it and are NOT entertaining in any way, shape or form.
Farewell to Dan Rather. I feel the criticism directed his way is a bit much and it's a shame to see such a tenured broadcaster retire in such a bitter, negatively-publicized way. But my family was always an NBC / Tom Brokaw family anyways so it was much sadder for me when he stepped down. Plus Tom Brokaw just rules.
Alright, long day, very tired. Cya.
O
Bad news: Computer is on floor - desk, TV stand and coffe table yet to be assembled. Fridge still doesn't fit into alcove and might have to return it.
Quick surreal moment of the day: I admitted Mel Gibson himself today into the Tonight Show - Steve O from MTV's Jackass was on as well. I see Mel go outside to smoke a cigarette (what? would Jesus approve?), where he joins Steve O for a smoke. So Mr. Passion himself and a dude who staples his own sensitive areas together are outside smoking, with Steve O showing Mel his many tattoos. Meanwhile, Carrottop himself was roaming around backstage, as was easy-listening king Joe Cocker. Weeeeeeeeeird.
I did trade verbal barbs with Carrottop himself on my tour today though! So on my tour I see him walking out of his dressing room and (to paraphrase) ...
ME: Hey folks, it's Carrottop!
CROWD: Ooooh, aaah.
CARROTTOP: Hey guys. Hey, you all take Jay [Leno]'s car for a test drive?
ME: Jay's car? What? I told them that that was MY car!
CARROTTOP: Oh, you kidder.
Seriously, it happened about that way.
By the way, Carrottop is freakin' jacked, he looks like he could maybe kick The Rock's ass (ok wouldn't go THAT far). On this same tour we also ran into Leno himself who was working on his car outside. Pretty loaded tour, it was.
Dammit, this refrigerator stuff is annoying. But, I am ALMOST moved into the new place.
Something to look forward to: In two weeks it is confirmed ... BILLY IDOL will be performing on the Tonight Show!
Something I missed: VERONICA MARS (obligatory Veronica Mars reference HERE) herself, Kristen Bell, was on Ellen today, and I was stuck admitting The Road Warrior and a man who willingly sat in a pool and forced a crocodile to bite his ass. Seriously, the show is called Jackass but in my opinion these guys are full of it and are NOT entertaining in any way, shape or form.
Farewell to Dan Rather. I feel the criticism directed his way is a bit much and it's a shame to see such a tenured broadcaster retire in such a bitter, negatively-publicized way. But my family was always an NBC / Tom Brokaw family anyways so it was much sadder for me when he stepped down. Plus Tom Brokaw just rules.
Alright, long day, very tired. Cya.
O
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Last Post from 2611 West Olive Ave.
- Haven't posted in a while. What can I say, it's been crazy. My move into the new apartment is coming along, though there have been some bumps. I ended up making a semi-painful return trip to Ikea and came away with a desk and coffee table that have yet to be assembled. I got a TV at Best Buy, TV stand at Circuit City, a desk chair at Staples, a fridge at Lowes, a microwave and assorted other random stuff at Target, and sheets, pillows, etc. at Linens N' Things. So, I'm on my way to having a fully operational apartment. The main things I need to do are get a couch of some kind, fix my fridge problem (the fridge needs to have its height adjusted as its currently like a millimeter too tall to fit in the alcove space in my kitchen), move all the rest of my clothes and other stuff into the new apt, and yes, assemble those darn Ikea products. Cable and internet should be on the way Wednesday, though I may temporarily have to like assemble my computer on the floor or something since my desk may not be ready by then ... Oh, I already hate my parking space in the new place ... it is very narrow and has these big poles dividing each space, which are just begging to scrape against the side of your car, especially since the street itself is very narrow as well and doesn't allow for much in the way of maneuverability. Damn those narrow poles. Otherwise, things are shaping up pretty well. But I've just been running around nonstop trying to get all this stuff done, and breaking my back carrying stuff back and forth and up and down stairs. So that's why I've been more MIA than usual lately. This weekend the transition will be complete and it will be the end of my time here at the 'ol Butbank Extended Stay Inn (a stay which turned out to be quite extended indeed ...). Coming Soon: the first post from the new apartment. Exciting, I know.
- Work has been good, a little more laid back the last few days. Man, I am really starting to see Jay Leno as a somewhat weak comedian, his monologues are just sooo repetitive and obvious, and his interviews are either just plain boring or awkwardly perverted or totally irrelevent and weird. All hail Conan O'Brien, the savior of the Tonight Show circa 2009. I will say though that the other day I had a tour of high school kids where the teacher had a connection to Leno, so he came out and talked to the group for a good half hour or so. It was pretty interesting to hear him answer the questions, though he did have that same awkwardness and blankness that I've seen on the show. Still, I was making mental notes of his answers (except the prerequisite porn industry jokes directed at the poor females in the group) and it was pretty cool to see him up close and personal like that.
- Was CB for the Tonight Show the other day and admitted Darrell Hammond (SNL), Marishka Hartigay (Law and Order: SVU), and Bradd Garett (Everybody Loves Raymond). Didn't really get to talk to any of them. Bradd Garett seemed really nice though and his wife and daughter who were there seemed great as well and seemed to be a very down to earth family.
- This week we have to learn how to work the ticket box and sell tix and merchandise and stuff. Aaaaaah, this sucks. I don't want to do it, never worked a cash register before in my life, am bad with math, and if you're assigned ticket box you must arrive at work at 7:30 am! Muy malo.
Quick TV Roundup:
Smallville: Eh, okay ep last week. Actually pretty bad in retrospect and shows why it was probably a good idea to keep Tom Welling and Smallville away from the big screen Superman movie.
Lost: Excellent episode featuring the long awaited secret origin of Hurley. Very X-Files-lite-ish in tone and an interesting new twist on the plane crash scenario, what with the cursed numbers and all. Gotta love Hurley, probably one of the best and most original characters on TV right now. Dude ...
- Pretty mediocre Simpsons following a string of surprisingly good eps. Malcolm and King of the Hill were in rare form on Sunday though, and Arrested Development ruled it with a double dose of hilarity featuring guest star Julia Louis Dreyfuss, and showed why it MUST NOT BE CANCELLED.
- 24: Tonight's ep was ... interesting. Last week it's threat of nuclear meltdown, this week it's ... evil corporations using EMP bombs! Yeah ... Nice ending with the LONG-AWAITED return of Michelle to the show, but, um, aside from that what exactly is going on now? Are they really going to spend a whole new storyarc on Jack Bauer vs. the Corrupt Corporation? Let's hope big things are about to happen. Not the best episode of the year, but, still, when it comes down to it ... Best. Show. On TV.
Alrighty then ...
Must go to sleep. Tommorow it's the day I've been dreading ... because I gotta lug my computer to the new place. So the digital domain will be digitally disconnected for a short while, but things should be back up and running soon. Now it's off to dream of EMP bombs and hacking into corporate mainframes. Damn you, 24.
- Work has been good, a little more laid back the last few days. Man, I am really starting to see Jay Leno as a somewhat weak comedian, his monologues are just sooo repetitive and obvious, and his interviews are either just plain boring or awkwardly perverted or totally irrelevent and weird. All hail Conan O'Brien, the savior of the Tonight Show circa 2009. I will say though that the other day I had a tour of high school kids where the teacher had a connection to Leno, so he came out and talked to the group for a good half hour or so. It was pretty interesting to hear him answer the questions, though he did have that same awkwardness and blankness that I've seen on the show. Still, I was making mental notes of his answers (except the prerequisite porn industry jokes directed at the poor females in the group) and it was pretty cool to see him up close and personal like that.
- Was CB for the Tonight Show the other day and admitted Darrell Hammond (SNL), Marishka Hartigay (Law and Order: SVU), and Bradd Garett (Everybody Loves Raymond). Didn't really get to talk to any of them. Bradd Garett seemed really nice though and his wife and daughter who were there seemed great as well and seemed to be a very down to earth family.
- This week we have to learn how to work the ticket box and sell tix and merchandise and stuff. Aaaaaah, this sucks. I don't want to do it, never worked a cash register before in my life, am bad with math, and if you're assigned ticket box you must arrive at work at 7:30 am! Muy malo.
Quick TV Roundup:
Smallville: Eh, okay ep last week. Actually pretty bad in retrospect and shows why it was probably a good idea to keep Tom Welling and Smallville away from the big screen Superman movie.
Lost: Excellent episode featuring the long awaited secret origin of Hurley. Very X-Files-lite-ish in tone and an interesting new twist on the plane crash scenario, what with the cursed numbers and all. Gotta love Hurley, probably one of the best and most original characters on TV right now. Dude ...
- Pretty mediocre Simpsons following a string of surprisingly good eps. Malcolm and King of the Hill were in rare form on Sunday though, and Arrested Development ruled it with a double dose of hilarity featuring guest star Julia Louis Dreyfuss, and showed why it MUST NOT BE CANCELLED.
- 24: Tonight's ep was ... interesting. Last week it's threat of nuclear meltdown, this week it's ... evil corporations using EMP bombs! Yeah ... Nice ending with the LONG-AWAITED return of Michelle to the show, but, um, aside from that what exactly is going on now? Are they really going to spend a whole new storyarc on Jack Bauer vs. the Corrupt Corporation? Let's hope big things are about to happen. Not the best episode of the year, but, still, when it comes down to it ... Best. Show. On TV.
Alrighty then ...
Must go to sleep. Tommorow it's the day I've been dreading ... because I gotta lug my computer to the new place. So the digital domain will be digitally disconnected for a short while, but things should be back up and running soon. Now it's off to dream of EMP bombs and hacking into corporate mainframes. Damn you, 24.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Rock and Roll All Night (Sleep) and Party Every Day (Work)
- Yesterday I'm sitting i nthe artist's entrance to Ellen, acting as CB, waiting for the guests to arrive. I just got there, didn't even have the list yet for who was going to be on that day. All of a sudden, a towering figure strides past the crowd of people in the hall using the restroom. Holy crap, it was Gene Simmons of KISS!!! Well, meeting a member of KISS in person is about the closet you're going to get in real life to meeting a comic book hero. I am a big fan and have been for a while now - my brother and I saw KISS in concert last summer with Aerosmith and it was great, it really converted me - their show was arena rock at it's best, and truly larger than life. So yeah, I completely freaked out. I panicked and couldn't remember the phone number to call up to the office to have someone come down to pick up the guest. I told the Demon himself to hold on one second, and I ran to the nearest page and asked what the number was. But by the time I got back to Gene, the head of guest relations for Ellen had already come out to escort him to his dressing room, so I had no chance to tell him how I was a big fan, etc. I did glimpse Paul Stanley and exchanged greetings while he was exiting the building after the show, but otherwise didn't get to see any of the other band members.
The reason that KISS was on the show was pretty kickass too. See, it was a big surprise for this kid on the show, like 9 or 10 years old, who miraculously recovered from a terminal form of cancer. While he was sick his biggest wish was to meet his favorite band, KISS. So they came to sing him Happy Birthday and present him with a signed guitar ... how cool is that? That kid must have flipped out. I met his family too and they seemed extremely nice (they've also been on the Today Show and a few others), so congrats to him. But yeah, I mean forget about pop-stars of the moments and reality TV stars and even the latest modern rock emo fad band ... these guys are honest to God, larger than life, arena-rocking, anthem-shouting ROCK STARS and it was a big thrill to see 'em in person, even if I only encountered the legendary Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for a few brief moments. Rock N' Roll.
Some other guests on Ellen that day: Vince Vaughn (didn't talk to him but talked to his makeup artist for like 10 minutes), Missy Elliot (had a posse of like 50 people with her and arrived like 2 hours late), and Adrian Brody and Faye Dunaway (didn't meet them). All that dancing and girl power on Ellen though can really drive a guy like me insane after a while though. Far removed from her sapphic stylings though is the dry humor and pop-cultural wit of Dennis Miller, where I spent all day today. As I've said, though I disagree with many of his politics, I still really enjoy Dennis Miller's humor and like working on his show - it's very laid back and the people are pretty cool there. And unlike Leno, he is an inventivel, genuinely original comedian who brings his own personality to the show and gets creative with his humor, even if some of his metaphors go right over 90 percent of the population's heads. It's also a nice change of pace to see a show where they actually talk politics in a somewhat insightful way, with an intelligent edge to the humor. Today was pretty cool because they had the woman who plays Kirsten Cohen on the OC (which Miller initially mistakenly referred to as "The Ock" while reading off the teleprompter, pretty damn funny). They also had the actor from Joan of Arcadia who does the voice of Fat Tony on the Simpsons, and who also played Ricky Roma (Al Pacino's chaacter) from the original theatrical production of Glengary Glenross (one of my all time favorite movies). Sweet. Now it's back to the "oh my god, stand in the wrong place and it's the end of all civilization" atmosphere of the Tonight Show for the rest of the week. No guests I'm really excited aboot either. Oh well.
The main thing I'm focused on now is the new apartment. Gotta furnish it so I can do basic things like sit, eat, and sleep.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
- Why is Veronica Mars not on tonight? Dammit UPN, I don't care about America's Next Top Model.
- Did watch Gilmore Girls tonight. Good episode and though I was surprised at the ending it was all heartwarming and stuff (yep I'm just a big softie - and yes I was happy to see Luke and Lorelai back together). You can always count on this show for a mixture of the fastest spoken and most multi-layered dialogue on TV with simple, character based stories that are easy and fun to follow.
- 24: Last night's episode was another good one, though where do they go from here? They are at the point now where the entire focus of the plot is about to change. But seeing as how Jack and co. just stopped nuclear catastrophe, what is left for them to do? It had better be good. Curtis really whupped some ass in this episode. I echo the sentiments of those who want to see a hit squad of Jack, Tony, Curtis, Palmer, and maybe Michelle just go out on a team mission and whup unprecedented levels of terrorist keyster. And they are finally done with the crazy daughter storyline ... which was basically a long convoluted way to remove Madeline from LA Femme Nikita from power and reinstate Tony. It's funny how one lame subplot doesn't seem too bad since in past seasons they would have simultaneous lameness occur between Kim's deathrap of the week escapades, Palmer's wife's evil plan of the week, and the various other plot threads, from Chase's baby, to Jack's wife's amnesia, and so on. 24 = still the best show on TV? Yep.
- Goodbye NYPD Blue. I never really watched it regularly, but I remember watching the pilot in a class at BU last year and thinking "wow, that was really, really good." Definitely a ground-breaking show that pushed the limits of what could be done on network TV.
- Rumor has it that the WB is seriously reconsidering newcomer Brandon Routh as Superman, even though shooting is just two weeks from starting! The possible replacement? Smallville's Tom Welling. I say that they should have gone with the cast from Smallville all the way or not at all. Having Welling as Superman and not Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor is just going to be annoying and confusing to fans. I think the producers of Smallville really could have established their show as the basis for a new Superman movie franchise if they had maintained a higher quality and also better ratings over the last few years. But Welling IS Clark Kent from Smallville, and you can't just disassociate him from that universe for a new film franchise that won't include any other aspects of the show's continuity. The funny thing is that Welling may really look the part, but the reason he's been ablr to flourish is because he's surrounded by great talents -- the actors who portray Lex, Lionel, Chloe, Johnathan and Martha Kent have really helped carry Welling and the show owes its success in large part to its strong supporting cast. To bring Welling into a movie series without them seems a bit besides the point. If Routh can play the part then keep him, but I think WB has to sit down and rethink its plan for this movie. For instance, why associate it with the old movies as they've been stating - saying that the new one will be entrenched in the continuity of the Christopher Reeve films? That makes no sense. While I have some trepidations about Batman Begins, at least they are being smart and wiping the slate clean and starting over. If the WB wanted, they could make an awesome movie with the smallville cast that could please fans of the show and also bring in a hige new audience. Or they could start anew and just file Smallville away as a fun show that was good for what it was but wasn't box-office material. But to take a middle road, either by casting Welling alone from Smallville or by using Routh but tying into 20-year-old movies just seems confusing and misguided. Just hire ME and I promise I will do WB and Superman good. It'd be money.
The reason that KISS was on the show was pretty kickass too. See, it was a big surprise for this kid on the show, like 9 or 10 years old, who miraculously recovered from a terminal form of cancer. While he was sick his biggest wish was to meet his favorite band, KISS. So they came to sing him Happy Birthday and present him with a signed guitar ... how cool is that? That kid must have flipped out. I met his family too and they seemed extremely nice (they've also been on the Today Show and a few others), so congrats to him. But yeah, I mean forget about pop-stars of the moments and reality TV stars and even the latest modern rock emo fad band ... these guys are honest to God, larger than life, arena-rocking, anthem-shouting ROCK STARS and it was a big thrill to see 'em in person, even if I only encountered the legendary Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for a few brief moments. Rock N' Roll.
Some other guests on Ellen that day: Vince Vaughn (didn't talk to him but talked to his makeup artist for like 10 minutes), Missy Elliot (had a posse of like 50 people with her and arrived like 2 hours late), and Adrian Brody and Faye Dunaway (didn't meet them). All that dancing and girl power on Ellen though can really drive a guy like me insane after a while though. Far removed from her sapphic stylings though is the dry humor and pop-cultural wit of Dennis Miller, where I spent all day today. As I've said, though I disagree with many of his politics, I still really enjoy Dennis Miller's humor and like working on his show - it's very laid back and the people are pretty cool there. And unlike Leno, he is an inventivel, genuinely original comedian who brings his own personality to the show and gets creative with his humor, even if some of his metaphors go right over 90 percent of the population's heads. It's also a nice change of pace to see a show where they actually talk politics in a somewhat insightful way, with an intelligent edge to the humor. Today was pretty cool because they had the woman who plays Kirsten Cohen on the OC (which Miller initially mistakenly referred to as "The Ock" while reading off the teleprompter, pretty damn funny). They also had the actor from Joan of Arcadia who does the voice of Fat Tony on the Simpsons, and who also played Ricky Roma (Al Pacino's chaacter) from the original theatrical production of Glengary Glenross (one of my all time favorite movies). Sweet. Now it's back to the "oh my god, stand in the wrong place and it's the end of all civilization" atmosphere of the Tonight Show for the rest of the week. No guests I'm really excited aboot either. Oh well.
The main thing I'm focused on now is the new apartment. Gotta furnish it so I can do basic things like sit, eat, and sleep.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
- Why is Veronica Mars not on tonight? Dammit UPN, I don't care about America's Next Top Model.
- Did watch Gilmore Girls tonight. Good episode and though I was surprised at the ending it was all heartwarming and stuff (yep I'm just a big softie - and yes I was happy to see Luke and Lorelai back together). You can always count on this show for a mixture of the fastest spoken and most multi-layered dialogue on TV with simple, character based stories that are easy and fun to follow.
- 24: Last night's episode was another good one, though where do they go from here? They are at the point now where the entire focus of the plot is about to change. But seeing as how Jack and co. just stopped nuclear catastrophe, what is left for them to do? It had better be good. Curtis really whupped some ass in this episode. I echo the sentiments of those who want to see a hit squad of Jack, Tony, Curtis, Palmer, and maybe Michelle just go out on a team mission and whup unprecedented levels of terrorist keyster. And they are finally done with the crazy daughter storyline ... which was basically a long convoluted way to remove Madeline from LA Femme Nikita from power and reinstate Tony. It's funny how one lame subplot doesn't seem too bad since in past seasons they would have simultaneous lameness occur between Kim's deathrap of the week escapades, Palmer's wife's evil plan of the week, and the various other plot threads, from Chase's baby, to Jack's wife's amnesia, and so on. 24 = still the best show on TV? Yep.
- Goodbye NYPD Blue. I never really watched it regularly, but I remember watching the pilot in a class at BU last year and thinking "wow, that was really, really good." Definitely a ground-breaking show that pushed the limits of what could be done on network TV.
- Rumor has it that the WB is seriously reconsidering newcomer Brandon Routh as Superman, even though shooting is just two weeks from starting! The possible replacement? Smallville's Tom Welling. I say that they should have gone with the cast from Smallville all the way or not at all. Having Welling as Superman and not Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor is just going to be annoying and confusing to fans. I think the producers of Smallville really could have established their show as the basis for a new Superman movie franchise if they had maintained a higher quality and also better ratings over the last few years. But Welling IS Clark Kent from Smallville, and you can't just disassociate him from that universe for a new film franchise that won't include any other aspects of the show's continuity. The funny thing is that Welling may really look the part, but the reason he's been ablr to flourish is because he's surrounded by great talents -- the actors who portray Lex, Lionel, Chloe, Johnathan and Martha Kent have really helped carry Welling and the show owes its success in large part to its strong supporting cast. To bring Welling into a movie series without them seems a bit besides the point. If Routh can play the part then keep him, but I think WB has to sit down and rethink its plan for this movie. For instance, why associate it with the old movies as they've been stating - saying that the new one will be entrenched in the continuity of the Christopher Reeve films? That makes no sense. While I have some trepidations about Batman Begins, at least they are being smart and wiping the slate clean and starting over. If the WB wanted, they could make an awesome movie with the smallville cast that could please fans of the show and also bring in a hige new audience. Or they could start anew and just file Smallville away as a fun show that was good for what it was but wasn't box-office material. But to take a middle road, either by casting Welling alone from Smallville or by using Routh but tying into 20-year-old movies just seems confusing and misguided. Just hire ME and I promise I will do WB and Superman good. It'd be money.
Monday, February 28, 2005
I Hate To Say I Told You So ... (Re: Oscars)
Looking back on my post from yesterday, all of my predictions for the Oscars were, in fact, ACCURATE. Sure, I thought that Cate Blanchette COULD have been upset, but acknowledged that she was the favorite. Overall I think the right people and films mostly won and you could see the appreciation in people's eyes for the likes of Hillary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jaime Foxx, Charlie Kaufman, Clint Eastwood, and Brad Bird as they received well-deserved and in some cases long overdue awards. I thought Chris Rock did a pretty good job. His opening monologue seemed a little disjointed, but I guess the nature of an awards show is that the jokes are canned and not as freeflowing and natural as in a typical standup comedy routine. I liked his bit with Adam Sandler and his man-on-the-street interviews about the Oscar-nominated movie. Goes to show how critical duds are still faves with the masses. I enjoyed the tributes such as the one to Johnny Carson, though I have no idea why they insist on having all the lame songs performed during the show. Luckily I watched the show on tape so I could fast forward through the boring parts. Why did I tape it? Read on ...
Well as of yesterday I thought today would be a day to shop for refrigerators and stuff like that. Turned out that last night I received a call from my friend Daniella (former Camp Shalom counseller and resident of Queens, NYC) telling me she'd be in LA today for her friend's wedding on Monday. So this afternoon, after taking care of some apt stuff, me, Daniella, and a few of her friends had some lunch, walked up and down Venice Beach (and watched some cool drum-circles) and then had dinner at a place callen Milk And Honey -- a kosher restaurant owned and operated by ... Steven Spielberg's Mom! Who knew? So we were greeted by the woman herself and treated to some fine kosher cousine, all the while dining in a place layered and lined with photos of Steven Spielberg and posters of all his movies. How cool is that?
So overall today was a fun change of pace. The only annoying thign was that, due to the Oscars, a large section of Hollywood was completely closed off to the public. So in order to drive down to meet up with Daniella and her friends, I had to make a huge detour and basically drive in a circle to bypass the closed off section and get back onto Highland Ave. I had to do the same thing coming back, and of course I got to this area just as the Oscars were emptying out, so there were endless stretches of Limos and lots of congestion, as everyone was trying to figure out how to circumvent the closed off areas. It was pretty surreal to be driving amidst caravans of limos in Hollywood on Oscar night, but luckily I somehow found my way back to Burbank, where I could sit back and enjoy the Oscars with the benefit of a fast forward button. Good times today though -- and by the way, seriously, thank God for Mapquest.
- Tommorow it's SEVEN STRAIGHT HOURS of being Ellen CB. Maybe I'll get to meet some cool guests, but that is a lot of time to be sitting alone at a booth in a hallway.
- Plus, tommorow morning I get the keys to the new apartment. I won't really be living there for another week and a half but now I can start the move-in process.
- And there goes the weekend, and onward we go.
Well as of yesterday I thought today would be a day to shop for refrigerators and stuff like that. Turned out that last night I received a call from my friend Daniella (former Camp Shalom counseller and resident of Queens, NYC) telling me she'd be in LA today for her friend's wedding on Monday. So this afternoon, after taking care of some apt stuff, me, Daniella, and a few of her friends had some lunch, walked up and down Venice Beach (and watched some cool drum-circles) and then had dinner at a place callen Milk And Honey -- a kosher restaurant owned and operated by ... Steven Spielberg's Mom! Who knew? So we were greeted by the woman herself and treated to some fine kosher cousine, all the while dining in a place layered and lined with photos of Steven Spielberg and posters of all his movies. How cool is that?
So overall today was a fun change of pace. The only annoying thign was that, due to the Oscars, a large section of Hollywood was completely closed off to the public. So in order to drive down to meet up with Daniella and her friends, I had to make a huge detour and basically drive in a circle to bypass the closed off section and get back onto Highland Ave. I had to do the same thing coming back, and of course I got to this area just as the Oscars were emptying out, so there were endless stretches of Limos and lots of congestion, as everyone was trying to figure out how to circumvent the closed off areas. It was pretty surreal to be driving amidst caravans of limos in Hollywood on Oscar night, but luckily I somehow found my way back to Burbank, where I could sit back and enjoy the Oscars with the benefit of a fast forward button. Good times today though -- and by the way, seriously, thank God for Mapquest.
- Tommorow it's SEVEN STRAIGHT HOURS of being Ellen CB. Maybe I'll get to meet some cool guests, but that is a lot of time to be sitting alone at a booth in a hallway.
- Plus, tommorow morning I get the keys to the new apartment. I won't really be living there for another week and a half but now I can start the move-in process.
- And there goes the weekend, and onward we go.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Grouchy 'Bout the Oscars and ... New Apartment!
What is up?
Well, it's been a long freaking week. And I'm not sure quite how this happened. All I know is that this morning I found myself sitting with my parents at the leasing office of an apartment complex in Burbank signing a one year lease on a studio apartment. Suddenly, after a week of worrying about where I was going to live, I suddenly had a whole new group of stuff to worry about -- basically, how was I going to furnish this empty apartment? Hours later I found myself in the Swedish Disneyland for your home, aka Ikea, basically walking in circles and wondering why they didn't have any normally shaped chairs. The next hours saw my parents, who were eager to see me furnished and ready to move into my new apartment, lead me on a mad dash across Burbank before their scheduled late-evening flight back to CT from LAX airport. I ended up with a mattress and bedframe, sheets, and not much else. So basically I have a lot to do. But the good thing is that my current housing lasts for two more weeks, and I can move into the new place as early as Monday - so I can take my time moving all my stuff and working on furnishings. The main things to be taken care of are: couch, refridgerator, TV, TV stand, coffee table, lamps, and assorted other random stuff. I'm going to have to work up some real courage to step foot back inside Ikea, as it left a bad taste in my mouth today. In the meantime I'll check out some other places around here.
The apartment complex is pretty sweet. Pool, fitness room, parking spot, etc. It's pricier than I wanted but I guess if I can stick to my plan and get hired to write Fantastic Max: The Movie, then hey, I'll be in the clear. Man, the rent, utilities, cable and internet is really going to add up though. Too bad the page program, while prestigious, pays you jack $#&% . I had been trying to find some roommates, but it is just too hard if you don't know the people beforehand. Okay, if I could have found some cool, laidback peeps of similar age then that'd be one thing, but sadly that was not really the case. So the early verdict is the place is great, the location is ideal (right near NBC) and it should work out well ... but, it ain't gonna be cheap, that's fer darn skippy sure (yeah you heard me).
Friday's Tonight Show was CRAZY. Oprah fans, Good Charlotte fans, Jamie Oliver fans. So the studio holds about 380 people. Almost 200 were in line, and 225 people were on the reserved guest list. So that's a lot of people who weren't getting in. And of the people who did, you've got about 3/4 women who think Oprah is some kind of divine manifestation, about 1/4 teenage girls who think the dudes from Good Charlotte are just, like, SO totally cool, a few women who really like the man known as the Naked Chef, and then the men who were dragged to the show by their signifigant others. And madness ensues. Oprah really is something though. She somehow looks more youthful now at age 51 then she did twenty years ago.
Oh, by the way -- before Thursday's Tonight Show some famous Nascar driver, Dale Probert or something like that, borrowed my cell phone to call his daughter. I don't know a durn thing about Nascar but if anyone reading this does, let me know who this guy might be and what his deal with. Kinda cool though right?
Quick funny story: On the NBC tour there's a section with funny props from the Tonight Show -- one is called the French Girl Shoe Polisher - press the button and her armpit hair spins and cleans your footwear. So I actually had a french girl on my tour, and as I was demonstrating this prop, I just froze as I realized how I must have been offending her. Oh well, stuff happens.
OSCAR THOUGHTS / PREDICTIONS:
By far the most exciting thing about the Oscars this year is, sadly, the fact that Chris Rock is hosting them. So the broadcast should be pretty entertaining even if the nominees aren't all that impressive. I haven't seen most of the best picture nominees, so it's hard for me to really judge them all. But most don't even seem all that interesting. I mean, I'd like to see Sideways and the Aviator if I get a chance, but I also don't consider them must-sees. As I said in my review, Million Dollar Baby, I thought, was a very well acted and directed movie, but plot-wise I just didn't see the point of the excessively dark turns the story took. The real crime is that Eternal Sunshine wasn't nominated for best picture. I mean, come on, that was a GREAT movie and its about time that Charlie Kaufman get some recognition, for what may be his best and most clever movie yet. People talk about Scorcese getting his due, but why not reward people who are in their primes? Looking back, it is ridiculous that movies like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull didn't win anything for Scorcese. Even Gangs of New York in my opinion was severely underrated. I'll have to see it to judge on my own, but it doesn't sound like The Aviator is up there with those other classics. But Eternal Sunshine is the true best picture this year in terms of what I have seen. In addition, Jim Carrey got royally screwed - he should have been nominated for what is one of his best and most against-type performances in Eternal Sunshine. In addition, I realize it's not the usual Oscar fare, but Kill Bill 2 was another film that was grossly overlooked. The Kill Bill saga is arguably Quentin Tarantino's greatest achievement, and also probably Uma Thurman's best and most memorable performance of her career. QT should have gotten a best director nomination, and Uma should have been nominated for best actress. Also, in a year short on Oscar shoe-ins, why not make The Incredibles a nominee for best picture? In terms of directing I also think Sam Raimi should be recognized for his huge accomplishments with Spiderman 2.
Of the current nominees, the main categories I have a strong opinion on are: Kate Winslett for best lead actress, Eternal Sunshine for best original screenplay, Incredibles for best animated movie, and Morgan Freeman for best supporting actor (I really liked his character and performance in Million Dollar Baby, even if it was nothing new for Freeman). Jaime Foxx is probably a lock to win Best Actor, and though I haven't yet seen Ray, from what I've heard he is definitely deserving. I predict Clint Eastwood will pull a slight upset and win best director, Hillary Swank will beat out Winslet for best lead actress, and also Million Dollar Baby will win best picture to complete the trifecta. Maybe next time, Marty. For supporting actress, I predict an upset from the actress from Hotel Rwanda (sorry don't remember her name offhand), though Cate Blanchette seems to be the favorite for The Aviator. And, Morgan Freeman, my choice, will probably win as well adding to the big night that Million Dollar Baby will have. I think Sideways will take home an adapted screenplay award as a kind of consolation prize, and while Sunshine should win for original screenplay, Million Dollar Baby may take that one as well. Incredibles has gotta win best animated -- no big upsets expected for Shark Tale. Oh, one other movie that was completely underrated and overlooked - and that was Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic. Bill Murray was as good in this as he was in Lost in Translation, and the writing and directing deserved recognition as well. One other unconventional pick I might have gone for was Tom Cruise as best lead actor for Collateral. Jaime Foxx got a supporting actor nod for this film, but come on, Tom Cruise stole the show in this movie as a silver-haird, cold-blooded assasin. Michael Mann should have also been recognized for his slick directing in this very atmospheric movie. Come on Oscar, get with the program!
I say bring on the next wave of potentially awesome movies that will be hitting us soon: Batman Begins, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sin City, Kingdom of Heaven, War of the Worlds, King Kong, Star Wars Ep. 3, Chronicles of Narnia, and lots more goodness coming soon.
I'll be back soon with some updated apartment info. The parents are back to CT, so I'm off like Whitesnake, 'cause here I go again on my own.
Well, it's been a long freaking week. And I'm not sure quite how this happened. All I know is that this morning I found myself sitting with my parents at the leasing office of an apartment complex in Burbank signing a one year lease on a studio apartment. Suddenly, after a week of worrying about where I was going to live, I suddenly had a whole new group of stuff to worry about -- basically, how was I going to furnish this empty apartment? Hours later I found myself in the Swedish Disneyland for your home, aka Ikea, basically walking in circles and wondering why they didn't have any normally shaped chairs. The next hours saw my parents, who were eager to see me furnished and ready to move into my new apartment, lead me on a mad dash across Burbank before their scheduled late-evening flight back to CT from LAX airport. I ended up with a mattress and bedframe, sheets, and not much else. So basically I have a lot to do. But the good thing is that my current housing lasts for two more weeks, and I can move into the new place as early as Monday - so I can take my time moving all my stuff and working on furnishings. The main things to be taken care of are: couch, refridgerator, TV, TV stand, coffee table, lamps, and assorted other random stuff. I'm going to have to work up some real courage to step foot back inside Ikea, as it left a bad taste in my mouth today. In the meantime I'll check out some other places around here.
The apartment complex is pretty sweet. Pool, fitness room, parking spot, etc. It's pricier than I wanted but I guess if I can stick to my plan and get hired to write Fantastic Max: The Movie, then hey, I'll be in the clear. Man, the rent, utilities, cable and internet is really going to add up though. Too bad the page program, while prestigious, pays you jack $#&% . I had been trying to find some roommates, but it is just too hard if you don't know the people beforehand. Okay, if I could have found some cool, laidback peeps of similar age then that'd be one thing, but sadly that was not really the case. So the early verdict is the place is great, the location is ideal (right near NBC) and it should work out well ... but, it ain't gonna be cheap, that's fer darn skippy sure (yeah you heard me).
Friday's Tonight Show was CRAZY. Oprah fans, Good Charlotte fans, Jamie Oliver fans. So the studio holds about 380 people. Almost 200 were in line, and 225 people were on the reserved guest list. So that's a lot of people who weren't getting in. And of the people who did, you've got about 3/4 women who think Oprah is some kind of divine manifestation, about 1/4 teenage girls who think the dudes from Good Charlotte are just, like, SO totally cool, a few women who really like the man known as the Naked Chef, and then the men who were dragged to the show by their signifigant others. And madness ensues. Oprah really is something though. She somehow looks more youthful now at age 51 then she did twenty years ago.
Oh, by the way -- before Thursday's Tonight Show some famous Nascar driver, Dale Probert or something like that, borrowed my cell phone to call his daughter. I don't know a durn thing about Nascar but if anyone reading this does, let me know who this guy might be and what his deal with. Kinda cool though right?
Quick funny story: On the NBC tour there's a section with funny props from the Tonight Show -- one is called the French Girl Shoe Polisher - press the button and her armpit hair spins and cleans your footwear. So I actually had a french girl on my tour, and as I was demonstrating this prop, I just froze as I realized how I must have been offending her. Oh well, stuff happens.
OSCAR THOUGHTS / PREDICTIONS:
By far the most exciting thing about the Oscars this year is, sadly, the fact that Chris Rock is hosting them. So the broadcast should be pretty entertaining even if the nominees aren't all that impressive. I haven't seen most of the best picture nominees, so it's hard for me to really judge them all. But most don't even seem all that interesting. I mean, I'd like to see Sideways and the Aviator if I get a chance, but I also don't consider them must-sees. As I said in my review, Million Dollar Baby, I thought, was a very well acted and directed movie, but plot-wise I just didn't see the point of the excessively dark turns the story took. The real crime is that Eternal Sunshine wasn't nominated for best picture. I mean, come on, that was a GREAT movie and its about time that Charlie Kaufman get some recognition, for what may be his best and most clever movie yet. People talk about Scorcese getting his due, but why not reward people who are in their primes? Looking back, it is ridiculous that movies like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull didn't win anything for Scorcese. Even Gangs of New York in my opinion was severely underrated. I'll have to see it to judge on my own, but it doesn't sound like The Aviator is up there with those other classics. But Eternal Sunshine is the true best picture this year in terms of what I have seen. In addition, Jim Carrey got royally screwed - he should have been nominated for what is one of his best and most against-type performances in Eternal Sunshine. In addition, I realize it's not the usual Oscar fare, but Kill Bill 2 was another film that was grossly overlooked. The Kill Bill saga is arguably Quentin Tarantino's greatest achievement, and also probably Uma Thurman's best and most memorable performance of her career. QT should have gotten a best director nomination, and Uma should have been nominated for best actress. Also, in a year short on Oscar shoe-ins, why not make The Incredibles a nominee for best picture? In terms of directing I also think Sam Raimi should be recognized for his huge accomplishments with Spiderman 2.
Of the current nominees, the main categories I have a strong opinion on are: Kate Winslett for best lead actress, Eternal Sunshine for best original screenplay, Incredibles for best animated movie, and Morgan Freeman for best supporting actor (I really liked his character and performance in Million Dollar Baby, even if it was nothing new for Freeman). Jaime Foxx is probably a lock to win Best Actor, and though I haven't yet seen Ray, from what I've heard he is definitely deserving. I predict Clint Eastwood will pull a slight upset and win best director, Hillary Swank will beat out Winslet for best lead actress, and also Million Dollar Baby will win best picture to complete the trifecta. Maybe next time, Marty. For supporting actress, I predict an upset from the actress from Hotel Rwanda (sorry don't remember her name offhand), though Cate Blanchette seems to be the favorite for The Aviator. And, Morgan Freeman, my choice, will probably win as well adding to the big night that Million Dollar Baby will have. I think Sideways will take home an adapted screenplay award as a kind of consolation prize, and while Sunshine should win for original screenplay, Million Dollar Baby may take that one as well. Incredibles has gotta win best animated -- no big upsets expected for Shark Tale. Oh, one other movie that was completely underrated and overlooked - and that was Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic. Bill Murray was as good in this as he was in Lost in Translation, and the writing and directing deserved recognition as well. One other unconventional pick I might have gone for was Tom Cruise as best lead actor for Collateral. Jaime Foxx got a supporting actor nod for this film, but come on, Tom Cruise stole the show in this movie as a silver-haird, cold-blooded assasin. Michael Mann should have also been recognized for his slick directing in this very atmospheric movie. Come on Oscar, get with the program!
I say bring on the next wave of potentially awesome movies that will be hitting us soon: Batman Begins, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sin City, Kingdom of Heaven, War of the Worlds, King Kong, Star Wars Ep. 3, Chronicles of Narnia, and lots more goodness coming soon.
I'll be back soon with some updated apartment info. The parents are back to CT, so I'm off like Whitesnake, 'cause here I go again on my own.
Friday, February 25, 2005
From a Cave Somewhere in Hollywood ...
Sorry if I've been kind of MIA the last few days ... my days have consisted of: get up to work way too early in the morning, spend long, exhausting hours giving tours, getting yelled at, working at The Tonight Show, never being able to sit down, etc. - then meeting my parents for dinner and having to answer their never ending streams of questions and endure life lesson after life lesson - and then also looking at apartments and desperately trying to find something. So yeah, I'm spent.
And tommorow's going to be CRAZY, and not in a good way. All because of a woman named OPRAH, who's presence on the Tonight Show is looking like it's gonna bring out the nut-jobs in full force. Okay, maybe nutjob is a strong word. What I meant to say is that there are going to be a lot of people who really, really, and I mean REALLY like Oprah, and it ain't gonna be pretty.
I actually thought that today's Tonight Show, while not too hyped, was one of the best I've seen. They had a hilarious segment about the Oscars featuring the great Fred Willard (see his side-splitting roles in Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Anchorman, etc.), and also a very funny up-and-coming comedian named Elon Gold, who did the single greatest impressions of Jeff Goldblum and Gene Wilder I have ever heard, and brought the funny with lots of quality Jewish humor. Plus ya gotta respect Dennis Franz for his role on NYPD Blue, a show that I don't usually watch but is certainly of a very high quality.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Tonight's OC: I didn't really like a lot of went on in this episode story-wise. Why do all the good characters (first Anna, now Lindsay) have to leave? I also was not liking the forced breakup of Summer and Zach, and the forced tension between Sandy and his wife. BUT ... all was forgiven with this episode's ending, which put a huge smile on my face and was just TOO GOOD. A classic Seth Cohen moment and a nice Spiderman tribute all rolled into one. Gotta give props for that very memorable scene. Plus: funny little meta-joke there with the "Sherman Oaks" reality show that spins off of "The Valley," the self-referential show within a show on The OC, especially since that's right where I'm currently living.
Yeterday's LOST: Excellent ep. I enjoyed the Jin/Sun flashbacks and the main plot as well, and they delivered with another pretty startling twist when Locke revealed that the seemingly innocent little kid had in fact burned down the raft. Nice. A lot of good group dynamic stuff here, and I am psyched for next week's long-awaited Hurley-centric episode.
- Funnily enough, I am kind of missing CT's own WCCC radio station. KROQ is cool and all but sometimes after a long day at work you just want that heavy Metallica or AC/DC vibe, and the latest 80's-ish rock trendiness ala The Killers and Franz Ferdinand just doesn't cut it.
- Speaking of CT I actually met a couple in line at the Tonight Show today who were from .... BLOOMFIELD, CT! How crazy is that? Representin'.
And tommorow's going to be CRAZY, and not in a good way. All because of a woman named OPRAH, who's presence on the Tonight Show is looking like it's gonna bring out the nut-jobs in full force. Okay, maybe nutjob is a strong word. What I meant to say is that there are going to be a lot of people who really, really, and I mean REALLY like Oprah, and it ain't gonna be pretty.
I actually thought that today's Tonight Show, while not too hyped, was one of the best I've seen. They had a hilarious segment about the Oscars featuring the great Fred Willard (see his side-splitting roles in Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Anchorman, etc.), and also a very funny up-and-coming comedian named Elon Gold, who did the single greatest impressions of Jeff Goldblum and Gene Wilder I have ever heard, and brought the funny with lots of quality Jewish humor. Plus ya gotta respect Dennis Franz for his role on NYPD Blue, a show that I don't usually watch but is certainly of a very high quality.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Tonight's OC: I didn't really like a lot of went on in this episode story-wise. Why do all the good characters (first Anna, now Lindsay) have to leave? I also was not liking the forced breakup of Summer and Zach, and the forced tension between Sandy and his wife. BUT ... all was forgiven with this episode's ending, which put a huge smile on my face and was just TOO GOOD. A classic Seth Cohen moment and a nice Spiderman tribute all rolled into one. Gotta give props for that very memorable scene. Plus: funny little meta-joke there with the "Sherman Oaks" reality show that spins off of "The Valley," the self-referential show within a show on The OC, especially since that's right where I'm currently living.
Yeterday's LOST: Excellent ep. I enjoyed the Jin/Sun flashbacks and the main plot as well, and they delivered with another pretty startling twist when Locke revealed that the seemingly innocent little kid had in fact burned down the raft. Nice. A lot of good group dynamic stuff here, and I am psyched for next week's long-awaited Hurley-centric episode.
- Funnily enough, I am kind of missing CT's own WCCC radio station. KROQ is cool and all but sometimes after a long day at work you just want that heavy Metallica or AC/DC vibe, and the latest 80's-ish rock trendiness ala The Killers and Franz Ferdinand just doesn't cut it.
- Speaking of CT I actually met a couple in line at the Tonight Show today who were from .... BLOOMFIELD, CT! How crazy is that? Representin'.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Running on Diesel Power (and about to collapse ...)
Yo yo yo.
Man, today was just one of those days. Little sleep last night and then it was just one thing after another. It's one of those days that makes me almost be tempted to use this blog to lay my own personal verbal smackdown on certain people. But ya just never know who might be reading this thing, so I will take the high road and refrain.
But I won't really hesitate to let you all know that today started with YET MORE GETTING JERKED AROUND by the fine car dealership from which I purchased my car a little more than a month ago. Since my parents were here this week I thought it'd be a good opportunity to finally bring in my car one more time and see what was going on with the crazy turn signals that randomly stopped working. So I did, yesterday. Of course when I went to pick up the car last night, surprise surprise, they couldn't find the keys so I could bring it home. So they apologetically offered to bring the car to me this morning so I could drive it to work. Think that actually happened? Um, no. Called them up to double check before work and of course the guy had no clue what I was talking about and said they couldn't drive the car over. Luckily I had warned my dad that this might happen and he was prepared to give me a ride to NBC. See, good timing with the parental visit. Oh, get this, on the phone the guy from the dealership tells me that ... I'm being difficult. WHAT? YOU MEAN AFTER THEY'VE SCREWED ME TIME AND TIME AGAIN IN A MONTH'S TIME? AFTER THEY SOLD ME A CAR THAT IS ONE MORE PROBLEM AWAY FROM OFFICIALLY BEING A LEMON? ANNNNND III'M BEING DIFFICULT?
Yeah, so now that THAT's out of the system ...
I did finally get the car back this evening. And the repairs to the wiring are being covered under the warranty (damn skippy they are). Let's HOPE that that is the last car-related problem that occurs for the forseeable future.
But aside from that, today was a hell of a long day at NBC. Got to work at 8:30 am, and worked until 6 pm. Two tours. And the Tonight Show. And it was pouring rain and cold all day, for seemingly the twentieth day in a row.
Now let's just say that people were once again a little on-edge today, myself included. But suffice to say I seemed to be a convenient dart-board for everybody's frustrations. I won't go into detail, but basically my thoughts are that yes, I take my job very very seriously and try to work as hard and make as good of an impression as I possibly can. But, this is entertainment, not nuclear physics. Our job at NBC involves accomodating people and giving them an enjoyable experience and making them feel good about being a part of our product. Yes, things need to run smoothly and yes this is a time sensitive job we are doing. But above all it is about a presentation of professionalism. Things always go wrong, mistakes are always made. And they happen to EVERYONE. Our job is basically to work together to give people the best possible experience they can have. To bring one's own problems into the group dynamic is just unprofessional and detrimental to everyone. To look for others to blame for one's own problems is just as bad. After being a counsellor and teacher for many years, I know the importance of separating one's professional tone from one's personal tone. They can't mix. If I'm telling someone to get in line for example, I tell them in a professional way, not in a way that reflects the fact that I may be tired or grumpy or pissed off at that moment. That doesn't affect the way I do my job. Any other way of doing things is just immature and ridiculous.
And that's my rant for today.
But yeah, will this rain please STOP?
So .. who was on this glorious edition of the Tonight Show? Mr. Vin Diesel himself. I remain convinced that he is really a Jewish guy named Marvin Goldberg.
Yesterday was a pretty cool day. My parents went to the Tonight Show and were seated in the second row, and were on camera a bunch of times. One shot had my dad's head take up like a third of the screen! Kinda funny, right? Chris Rock was the guest on both the Tonight Show and Ellen, which I was doing, and was very funny in both appearances. Should be interesting to see what he does on the Oscars. But Ellen, wow. It's just a minefield of middle-aged woman - a hormonally0charged Amazonia that somehow empowers otherwise mild-mannered women, from teens to octogenarians, to dance continuously for an hour to the sounds of early 90's techno-pop electronica. Good god, what a spectacle. Ellen actually had to stop the show for a while due to a coughing fit that held things up for a good twenty minutes. Peter Boyle was also on the show. I wil lalways respect him for his classic X-Files guest starring role as the title character in "Clive Bruckman's Final Repose," one of the all time great TV episodes ever made. But ... wow, not sure what his deal was yesterday. He was talking nonsense, like, just totally insane and nonsensical. An acid flashback maybe? Hmmm .. weird, but not quite as weird as the Great Regurgitator on today's Leno ep. Don't even ask, just know that it was GROSS.
It's funny, yesterday I was wiped out from Ellen and so glad to be done with it, but looking back it was a great, laid-back time compared to the near-apocalyptic Tonight Show today. OK, it wasn't THAT bad ... but let's hope the rest of the week is a little more drama-free (ugh, I used that phrase and I really don't like it when other people do, oh well, I'm a hypocrite).
What a crazy week so far, between the rain, crazy stuff at work, my car, my apartment hunt, and my parents being here. The stress, the guilt, the cold, cold dampness ...
But darn it all, I still had time for some TV. So here's some ...
QUICK TV REVIEWS:
FOX SUNDAY: Quick mention for THE SIMPSONS. So, Patty's a lesbian. No big shocker there. But, wow, this was a good episode. I really liked the relentless satire of this episode. Merciless and well deserved shots at FOX here, which is still amazing as, well, the show is ON FOX. The whole episode was handled surprisingly well for nu-Simpsons, and it was probably the most memorable ep of the year. Cool. Briefly, another very good episode of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. Where is the love for this show's amazing cast?
24: Another solid outing. I felt that the two big deaths were premature though. The evil Arab father was so good at being bad that I wish he had stuck around a bit longer. Also the Marianne Taylor character was killed very early. We never really found out what made her tick. But, it looks like there's about to be a huge turn in the plot, with the show once again veering into conspiracy-within-our-own-government territory. I'm still at the edge of my seat, but I am a little anxious about so much happening at once. Still, another very very good installment.
Veronica Mars: So, Alyson Hannigan makes her debut. And it was a surprisingly brief appearance, which may have disappointed her fans. But I didn't really care because this was a GREAT episode. So many great little lienes and moments, this ep really cemented to me just how good this show is and how good it can be. There really is no justice in TV Land if this show doesn't improve in the ratings. I mean, this episode alone had not one but two jaw-dropping plot-twists, the debut of a major new character, and about four different mysteries big and small. Just great stuff. Please, watch it. Honestly, if 24 wasn't so darn good this season, I might just have to call Veronica Mars the best show on TV right now.
Okay, I was hoping that'd be a cathartic blog entry. See what we've become? A society of people just looking for catharsis through unattainable means. Whoah, deep. I do feel kind of more relaxed, I guess. Or maybe that's just the Jefferson Starship playing on my WinAmp talking ...
Man, today was just one of those days. Little sleep last night and then it was just one thing after another. It's one of those days that makes me almost be tempted to use this blog to lay my own personal verbal smackdown on certain people. But ya just never know who might be reading this thing, so I will take the high road and refrain.
But I won't really hesitate to let you all know that today started with YET MORE GETTING JERKED AROUND by the fine car dealership from which I purchased my car a little more than a month ago. Since my parents were here this week I thought it'd be a good opportunity to finally bring in my car one more time and see what was going on with the crazy turn signals that randomly stopped working. So I did, yesterday. Of course when I went to pick up the car last night, surprise surprise, they couldn't find the keys so I could bring it home. So they apologetically offered to bring the car to me this morning so I could drive it to work. Think that actually happened? Um, no. Called them up to double check before work and of course the guy had no clue what I was talking about and said they couldn't drive the car over. Luckily I had warned my dad that this might happen and he was prepared to give me a ride to NBC. See, good timing with the parental visit. Oh, get this, on the phone the guy from the dealership tells me that ... I'm being difficult. WHAT? YOU MEAN AFTER THEY'VE SCREWED ME TIME AND TIME AGAIN IN A MONTH'S TIME? AFTER THEY SOLD ME A CAR THAT IS ONE MORE PROBLEM AWAY FROM OFFICIALLY BEING A LEMON? ANNNNND III'M BEING DIFFICULT?
Yeah, so now that THAT's out of the system ...
I did finally get the car back this evening. And the repairs to the wiring are being covered under the warranty (damn skippy they are). Let's HOPE that that is the last car-related problem that occurs for the forseeable future.
But aside from that, today was a hell of a long day at NBC. Got to work at 8:30 am, and worked until 6 pm. Two tours. And the Tonight Show. And it was pouring rain and cold all day, for seemingly the twentieth day in a row.
Now let's just say that people were once again a little on-edge today, myself included. But suffice to say I seemed to be a convenient dart-board for everybody's frustrations. I won't go into detail, but basically my thoughts are that yes, I take my job very very seriously and try to work as hard and make as good of an impression as I possibly can. But, this is entertainment, not nuclear physics. Our job at NBC involves accomodating people and giving them an enjoyable experience and making them feel good about being a part of our product. Yes, things need to run smoothly and yes this is a time sensitive job we are doing. But above all it is about a presentation of professionalism. Things always go wrong, mistakes are always made. And they happen to EVERYONE. Our job is basically to work together to give people the best possible experience they can have. To bring one's own problems into the group dynamic is just unprofessional and detrimental to everyone. To look for others to blame for one's own problems is just as bad. After being a counsellor and teacher for many years, I know the importance of separating one's professional tone from one's personal tone. They can't mix. If I'm telling someone to get in line for example, I tell them in a professional way, not in a way that reflects the fact that I may be tired or grumpy or pissed off at that moment. That doesn't affect the way I do my job. Any other way of doing things is just immature and ridiculous.
And that's my rant for today.
But yeah, will this rain please STOP?
So .. who was on this glorious edition of the Tonight Show? Mr. Vin Diesel himself. I remain convinced that he is really a Jewish guy named Marvin Goldberg.
Yesterday was a pretty cool day. My parents went to the Tonight Show and were seated in the second row, and were on camera a bunch of times. One shot had my dad's head take up like a third of the screen! Kinda funny, right? Chris Rock was the guest on both the Tonight Show and Ellen, which I was doing, and was very funny in both appearances. Should be interesting to see what he does on the Oscars. But Ellen, wow. It's just a minefield of middle-aged woman - a hormonally0charged Amazonia that somehow empowers otherwise mild-mannered women, from teens to octogenarians, to dance continuously for an hour to the sounds of early 90's techno-pop electronica. Good god, what a spectacle. Ellen actually had to stop the show for a while due to a coughing fit that held things up for a good twenty minutes. Peter Boyle was also on the show. I wil lalways respect him for his classic X-Files guest starring role as the title character in "Clive Bruckman's Final Repose," one of the all time great TV episodes ever made. But ... wow, not sure what his deal was yesterday. He was talking nonsense, like, just totally insane and nonsensical. An acid flashback maybe? Hmmm .. weird, but not quite as weird as the Great Regurgitator on today's Leno ep. Don't even ask, just know that it was GROSS.
It's funny, yesterday I was wiped out from Ellen and so glad to be done with it, but looking back it was a great, laid-back time compared to the near-apocalyptic Tonight Show today. OK, it wasn't THAT bad ... but let's hope the rest of the week is a little more drama-free (ugh, I used that phrase and I really don't like it when other people do, oh well, I'm a hypocrite).
What a crazy week so far, between the rain, crazy stuff at work, my car, my apartment hunt, and my parents being here. The stress, the guilt, the cold, cold dampness ...
But darn it all, I still had time for some TV. So here's some ...
QUICK TV REVIEWS:
FOX SUNDAY: Quick mention for THE SIMPSONS. So, Patty's a lesbian. No big shocker there. But, wow, this was a good episode. I really liked the relentless satire of this episode. Merciless and well deserved shots at FOX here, which is still amazing as, well, the show is ON FOX. The whole episode was handled surprisingly well for nu-Simpsons, and it was probably the most memorable ep of the year. Cool. Briefly, another very good episode of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. Where is the love for this show's amazing cast?
24: Another solid outing. I felt that the two big deaths were premature though. The evil Arab father was so good at being bad that I wish he had stuck around a bit longer. Also the Marianne Taylor character was killed very early. We never really found out what made her tick. But, it looks like there's about to be a huge turn in the plot, with the show once again veering into conspiracy-within-our-own-government territory. I'm still at the edge of my seat, but I am a little anxious about so much happening at once. Still, another very very good installment.
Veronica Mars: So, Alyson Hannigan makes her debut. And it was a surprisingly brief appearance, which may have disappointed her fans. But I didn't really care because this was a GREAT episode. So many great little lienes and moments, this ep really cemented to me just how good this show is and how good it can be. There really is no justice in TV Land if this show doesn't improve in the ratings. I mean, this episode alone had not one but two jaw-dropping plot-twists, the debut of a major new character, and about four different mysteries big and small. Just great stuff. Please, watch it. Honestly, if 24 wasn't so darn good this season, I might just have to call Veronica Mars the best show on TV right now.
Okay, I was hoping that'd be a cathartic blog entry. See what we've become? A society of people just looking for catharsis through unattainable means. Whoah, deep. I do feel kind of more relaxed, I guess. Or maybe that's just the Jefferson Starship playing on my WinAmp talking ...
Friday, February 18, 2005
Monkeys Rule - 'Nuff Said
Yes, it is a universally acknowledged truism: monkeys, apes, simians, chimps, what have you - they inherently kick ass.
Examples of sweet, kick-ass monkeys: Harry (Harry and the Hendersons), Beppo the Super-Monkey, Gorilla Grodd, King Louie, Curious George, Gleek, Grape Ape, King Kong, Bigfoot, Ampersand (helper monkey to Yorick Brown), and of course, the Evil Monkey Who Lives In My Closet (who we will never speak of again ...).
Anyways, today I witnessed a real live primate in all his Orangatan (yep, tan, not tang as was clarified to us) glory, brought to us by Croc Hunter Steve Irwin at today's Tonight Show taping. I laughed in amusement as said Orangatan frollicked about, drank Jay's water, peed on the $50,000 couch, and wreaked havoc like only a monkey can. Nice. On a somber note, however, this species of simian is apparently dangerously close to extinction. What is wrong with people? Save the monkeys! Seriously.
I must say I was also highly impressed with the vocal stylings of up and coming singer Joss Stone. I wasn't really a fan of hers, but seeing her emote in full-on Janis Joplin mode, live and up close, I was blown away by the young British sensation's stirring voice.
Weird day weather-wise in Burbank. It was pouring rain all afternoon and evening, and at one point it actually HAILED. Many at NBC were in disbelief at this atmospherical phenomena, but I simply shrugged and went back to work as any weather-worn New Englander could and should in said situation.
I put an ad on Craig's List saying I'm looking for roommates. Let the weird emails begin!
Adding more to the ironic strangeness of Monday's Tonight Show which my parents will be attending and I will not, Collective Soul has been named as that day's band. Chris Rock and Collective Soul? Sounds like my kind of show, but definitely not my parents'. Of course they will be there and I won't. I'll be at Ellen, bringing overexcited middle-aged women to the bathroom. Joy.
Oh, did I mention the Tonight Show was catered by In N Out Burger today? Free burgers and drinks at lunch were had by all, and it was good.
Kinda curious to check out Constantine, though as a fan of the comic character from his early appearances in Alan Moore's legendary run on Swamp Thing, I am inherently disappointed that Keanu Reeves is playing John Constantine, who was modeled after the singer Sting and is supposed to be 50-ish, blonde, and very, very, British. And yet another of Alan Moore's creations is butchered by Hollywood (see League of Extraordinary Gentleman for Exhibit A).
After seeing actress Sandra Oh (Oh? Oh!) on Leno today I have a renewed interest in seeing Sideways. Looks really funny from the clip I saw.
Lots to do tommorow. So that's it for now - Shabbat Shalom, and peace out.
Examples of sweet, kick-ass monkeys: Harry (Harry and the Hendersons), Beppo the Super-Monkey, Gorilla Grodd, King Louie, Curious George, Gleek, Grape Ape, King Kong, Bigfoot, Ampersand (helper monkey to Yorick Brown), and of course, the Evil Monkey Who Lives In My Closet (who we will never speak of again ...).
Anyways, today I witnessed a real live primate in all his Orangatan (yep, tan, not tang as was clarified to us) glory, brought to us by Croc Hunter Steve Irwin at today's Tonight Show taping. I laughed in amusement as said Orangatan frollicked about, drank Jay's water, peed on the $50,000 couch, and wreaked havoc like only a monkey can. Nice. On a somber note, however, this species of simian is apparently dangerously close to extinction. What is wrong with people? Save the monkeys! Seriously.
I must say I was also highly impressed with the vocal stylings of up and coming singer Joss Stone. I wasn't really a fan of hers, but seeing her emote in full-on Janis Joplin mode, live and up close, I was blown away by the young British sensation's stirring voice.
Weird day weather-wise in Burbank. It was pouring rain all afternoon and evening, and at one point it actually HAILED. Many at NBC were in disbelief at this atmospherical phenomena, but I simply shrugged and went back to work as any weather-worn New Englander could and should in said situation.
I put an ad on Craig's List saying I'm looking for roommates. Let the weird emails begin!
Adding more to the ironic strangeness of Monday's Tonight Show which my parents will be attending and I will not, Collective Soul has been named as that day's band. Chris Rock and Collective Soul? Sounds like my kind of show, but definitely not my parents'. Of course they will be there and I won't. I'll be at Ellen, bringing overexcited middle-aged women to the bathroom. Joy.
Oh, did I mention the Tonight Show was catered by In N Out Burger today? Free burgers and drinks at lunch were had by all, and it was good.
Kinda curious to check out Constantine, though as a fan of the comic character from his early appearances in Alan Moore's legendary run on Swamp Thing, I am inherently disappointed that Keanu Reeves is playing John Constantine, who was modeled after the singer Sting and is supposed to be 50-ish, blonde, and very, very, British. And yet another of Alan Moore's creations is butchered by Hollywood (see League of Extraordinary Gentleman for Exhibit A).
After seeing actress Sandra Oh (Oh? Oh!) on Leno today I have a renewed interest in seeing Sideways. Looks really funny from the clip I saw.
Lots to do tommorow. So that's it for now - Shabbat Shalom, and peace out.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Hey Now, You're An All-Star
Well it's All-Star Weekend in the NBA. Time for a little dunk-contest, 3-point shootout, and all-star action. Nice, gotta love it. Too bad I missed Sir Charles on the Tonight Show this week ...
PAGE PROGRAM ROUNDUP:
Well, I did have a few big-time celeb encounters while working as Ellen CB yesterday (otherwise the most boring job ever aside from said encounters ...). Exchanged hellos with Sean Astin, aka the kid from Goonies, aka Rudy, aka SAMWISE GAMGEE from Lord of the Rings! Seemed like a nice guy. I actually talked to his hair/makeup guy for like 20 minutes about how Sean was an underrated actor and should have received more acclaim for his LOTR work. I was talking about how beloved Goonies is to members of my generation, and the guy had never even seen it! So now he's going to check it out on my recommendation. Funny stuff. I also had a brief encounter with Mr. Saturday Night Fever himself, John Travolta - probably the most surreally bigtime actor I've yet met. Before he arrived, about ten of his friends / managers, etc. arrived and were waiting for Travolta. Finally he comes, fashionably late, decked out in leather jacket. Myself and another page hold the double doors at Ellen open for him and he walks in, says hello to each of us, trailed by his large posse / entourage. Very surreal.
Today was not the most fun day at NBC. I had to arrive at 8:30 am to "open" and it was a loooong day. By the time I had to deal with the crowds at the Tonight Show it was hard to put on my corporate happy face, and what should have been a simple job doing tape and hold turned into a stressful excercise in crowd management. While I do really enjoy working the Tonight Show, all the logistical stuff we have to deal with combined with the time pressure on us is not my favorite thing in the world.
Parents are on the guest list for Monday's show, featuring Chris Rock. Should be a nice, family-friendly time.
DANNY'S O.C. ANALYSIS:
OK, what's wrong with The OC? Unlike some people, I still enjoy the show, but I am getting annoyed with some of the stuff goin' on. Such as?
1.) Seth Cohen is becoming annoying as hell. Originally he was a sympathetic geek who couldn't get the girl and had to deal with being tormented by his peers. He was funny and witty, but also the show's emotional center. Now, he is just a self-parody. His character does nothing but whine and complain and has become weird and creepy (as was POINTED OUT in tonight's episode) in his infatuation with Summer and with his own problems. Give him some REAL problems to deal with and make him more than just comic relief.
2.) Mischa Barton still can't act. And now she is supposed to be carrying this hyped-up lesbian storyline, and it's just not happening.
3.) Too much inbreeding. The show is becoming too insular. Everyone is becoming overly connected, and it's as if no other people exist outside the world of the core OC characters. Which is why Alex is a breath of fresh air - she is completely removed from everything else that's going on in the show. On a sidenote -- where's the EVIL Julie Cooper we all know and love to hate? Bring her back in all her rich-bitch glory.
4.) Aren't they in high school? Again, the characters on the show are becoming so removed from any real-world setting that they apparently no longer go to school or interact in any kind of larger world. I don't think Marissa has gone to class in about four months.
5.) New characters too two-dimensional. On one hand Zach and Lindsay are a breath of fresh air. But of late they have been swept up in Ryan and Seth's soap operas and seem to just be cruising along, waiting to be involved in other people's drama. Neither has the dimension of last year's breakout character, Anna.
So yeah, fix that stuff. BUT: Lindsay is a pretty good new character, Alex has a lot of potential, Ryan has become a lot more likable this season, and the Sandy-Kirsten marital drama is the best storyline the show has going. Still a very entertaining show, but they need to become a little less self-aware and self-referential before the shark has officially been jumped over.
Wow, wrote WAY too much about The OC there.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
I need to find an apartment! Help!
LOST - another excellent episode, with a nice twist ending to wrap up the Sawyer-centered flashbacks, but what happened to the mystery of the island / Ethan Rom? These character pieces are cool, but come on, get on with it already. Bonus: appearance by Robert Patrick, aka Agent Doggett of the X-Files, in a pretty sweet role as a sketchy associate of Sawyer. By the way, kudos to the cool/creepy music they use on this show.
Okay, so in the NBC page lounge they always put up pictures of actors or whatever on the wall that either look like or capture the personality of the new class of pages. So today they put up ours, and I'm ... Ray Romano, with his head tilted back and a weird smile on his face? Oy ... is that an accurate representation of me? Well, it could have been worse, I guess.
PAGE PROGRAM ROUNDUP:
Well, I did have a few big-time celeb encounters while working as Ellen CB yesterday (otherwise the most boring job ever aside from said encounters ...). Exchanged hellos with Sean Astin, aka the kid from Goonies, aka Rudy, aka SAMWISE GAMGEE from Lord of the Rings! Seemed like a nice guy. I actually talked to his hair/makeup guy for like 20 minutes about how Sean was an underrated actor and should have received more acclaim for his LOTR work. I was talking about how beloved Goonies is to members of my generation, and the guy had never even seen it! So now he's going to check it out on my recommendation. Funny stuff. I also had a brief encounter with Mr. Saturday Night Fever himself, John Travolta - probably the most surreally bigtime actor I've yet met. Before he arrived, about ten of his friends / managers, etc. arrived and were waiting for Travolta. Finally he comes, fashionably late, decked out in leather jacket. Myself and another page hold the double doors at Ellen open for him and he walks in, says hello to each of us, trailed by his large posse / entourage. Very surreal.
Today was not the most fun day at NBC. I had to arrive at 8:30 am to "open" and it was a loooong day. By the time I had to deal with the crowds at the Tonight Show it was hard to put on my corporate happy face, and what should have been a simple job doing tape and hold turned into a stressful excercise in crowd management. While I do really enjoy working the Tonight Show, all the logistical stuff we have to deal with combined with the time pressure on us is not my favorite thing in the world.
Parents are on the guest list for Monday's show, featuring Chris Rock. Should be a nice, family-friendly time.
DANNY'S O.C. ANALYSIS:
OK, what's wrong with The OC? Unlike some people, I still enjoy the show, but I am getting annoyed with some of the stuff goin' on. Such as?
1.) Seth Cohen is becoming annoying as hell. Originally he was a sympathetic geek who couldn't get the girl and had to deal with being tormented by his peers. He was funny and witty, but also the show's emotional center. Now, he is just a self-parody. His character does nothing but whine and complain and has become weird and creepy (as was POINTED OUT in tonight's episode) in his infatuation with Summer and with his own problems. Give him some REAL problems to deal with and make him more than just comic relief.
2.) Mischa Barton still can't act. And now she is supposed to be carrying this hyped-up lesbian storyline, and it's just not happening.
3.) Too much inbreeding. The show is becoming too insular. Everyone is becoming overly connected, and it's as if no other people exist outside the world of the core OC characters. Which is why Alex is a breath of fresh air - she is completely removed from everything else that's going on in the show. On a sidenote -- where's the EVIL Julie Cooper we all know and love to hate? Bring her back in all her rich-bitch glory.
4.) Aren't they in high school? Again, the characters on the show are becoming so removed from any real-world setting that they apparently no longer go to school or interact in any kind of larger world. I don't think Marissa has gone to class in about four months.
5.) New characters too two-dimensional. On one hand Zach and Lindsay are a breath of fresh air. But of late they have been swept up in Ryan and Seth's soap operas and seem to just be cruising along, waiting to be involved in other people's drama. Neither has the dimension of last year's breakout character, Anna.
So yeah, fix that stuff. BUT: Lindsay is a pretty good new character, Alex has a lot of potential, Ryan has become a lot more likable this season, and the Sandy-Kirsten marital drama is the best storyline the show has going. Still a very entertaining show, but they need to become a little less self-aware and self-referential before the shark has officially been jumped over.
Wow, wrote WAY too much about The OC there.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
I need to find an apartment! Help!
LOST - another excellent episode, with a nice twist ending to wrap up the Sawyer-centered flashbacks, but what happened to the mystery of the island / Ethan Rom? These character pieces are cool, but come on, get on with it already. Bonus: appearance by Robert Patrick, aka Agent Doggett of the X-Files, in a pretty sweet role as a sketchy associate of Sawyer. By the way, kudos to the cool/creepy music they use on this show.
Okay, so in the NBC page lounge they always put up pictures of actors or whatever on the wall that either look like or capture the personality of the new class of pages. So today they put up ours, and I'm ... Ray Romano, with his head tilted back and a weird smile on his face? Oy ... is that an accurate representation of me? Well, it could have been worse, I guess.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
1000 Hits and Counting (And That's Without the Benefit of Steroids)
Wow, I'm up to over 1000 hits on this thing. Somebody's reading this thing. Or maybe it's just me pressing "reload" on Internet Explorer over and over ...
Seriously ... thanks for reading. I have really enjoyed writing these entries and I'm glad that they have allowed people to be kept up to date on what is going on with me (as if that is somehow important ... but hey, I try to make it at least SOUND entertaining).
TONIGHT SHOW / NBC UPDATE:
Pretty cool experiences this week so far at work. Monday I was CB for the Tonight Show which meant I got to escort the guest, most notably comedic legend DANA CARVEY, to their dressing rooms. I told Mr. Carvey that I was a big fan of his and considered him one of the all time great SNL cast members. He seemed very nice and genuinely appreciative to hear that. And then he randomly made a few funny comments about his dressing room and whatnot in a kind of Church Lady-esque voice. How cool is that? Today was a big day with the man and myth John Travolta on the show, which was kind of cool even if I'm not his biggest fan or anything. Then one of my favorite actresses, Christina Ricci, was on the show. I've been a big fan since I first enjoyed her star-making performance as Wednesday Adams back in the day, and I've really liked her in movies like The Ice Storm, Sleepy Hollow, and the underrated in my opinion Anything Else (by Woody Allen). Anyways Christina Ricci was great to see in person and I even walked right by her in the hallway on the way out of the show. Coolness.
As I mentioned I am kind of annoyed that tommorow I'm going to miss out on the Tonight Show featuring my sports hero Charles Barkley, plus a pretty decent band in Sum 41, as I am assigned to do Ellen instead. No idea who's going to be on Ellen as I don't get that info in advance. Hopefully someone good. Probably just Dr. Phil or someone (I think he's actually supposed to be on this week ...).
(BRI'ISH SPEAK BLOODY BEGINS HERE - CHEERS, MATES) Right then, had a wicked tour group of high-schoolers today from Jolly Old England. LONDON, to be exact. Me right old stomping grounds. The lot of them seemed bloody impressed with my massive knowledge of British TV and the UK in general, and it was downright wicked to let loose with terms like "dodgy." A fine group, it was. Even if I must admit I was a bit disappointed with their lack of knowledge about The Office and Da Ali G Show. Booyakasha -- Respeck.
BIG PS2 UPDATE:
Holy schneikies, I fixed m'darn Ps2, all by meeself! Yep, I am a mechanical genious afterall! I tooled around with today, cleaned out the laser and adjusted the voltage gear, following instructions from a website, and I'll be damned, it works! One less thing I have to worry about, so if UPS DID end up footing the bill, it'd be a huuuuuge bonus.
DANNY'S QUICK HITS TV ROUNDUP:
24: Another RIVETING episode. More Jack-Tony dynamic duo! Jack confronts evil Arab woman! Edgar's Mom is in trouble! Nuclear Meltdown! And what an ending ... Jack is not a happy man. Oh - despite evidence to the contrary I STAND BY my prediction that Aisha Tyler's character is in fact NOT ACTUALLY EVIL. But wow, 24 is firing on all cylinders this season, a huge step-up from last year at this time. My grade: A
Veronica Mars: Very cool episode, though they are making Veronica a little TOO perfect. She's got to slip up sometime right? I mean she IS only in High School. Still, another enjoyable ep with some cool twists, a relevant plot (teacher-student affairs - very timely), and some more verry interesting clues about the Lilly Kane ongoing murder mystery. My grade: A-
Real World: Ugh. This cast is so boring and just so ... off. They are really reaching here to create any kind of compelling drama / conflict. Next cast, please. My grade: D
Can't wait for LOST tommorow. Now that they seem to really be unraveling the mystery of the island, I am hooked. Apparently Krypto the superdog appears on Smallville tommorow. I wonder if Jeph Loeb wrote that one? He has some weird obsession with the super-canine, who in my opinion is just cheesy and pretty dumb. Does Smallville really need any more cheesiness at this point?
I've heard rumors that ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT may not be long for this world. If that is true, then (to paraphrase Mr. Tito), FINGER OF SHAME to FOX for it's total lack of backbone when it comes to supporting its quality shows. I hope this isn't true, but the fact that it's getting bumped from Sunday night in spring is not a good sign for the BEST COMEDY ON TV RIGHT NOW.
RANDOMNESS:
- Good luck Kirsten with your trip to Australia! I know you will have a great time Down Under.
- Nice, the theme from the movie Fletch just came on my WinAmp.
- You know, I'm a big fan of Subway, but you just never know what kind of quality to expect from them.
- My turn signals work, but for how long?
- Picked up one of my all time favorite films, The Princess Bride, for a steal of a price at the local Target.
- Parents come to visit this weekend. Oh boy.
- 1000 hits, baby. Soon I'll be up there with Cindy Margolis.
Seriously ... thanks for reading. I have really enjoyed writing these entries and I'm glad that they have allowed people to be kept up to date on what is going on with me (as if that is somehow important ... but hey, I try to make it at least SOUND entertaining).
TONIGHT SHOW / NBC UPDATE:
Pretty cool experiences this week so far at work. Monday I was CB for the Tonight Show which meant I got to escort the guest, most notably comedic legend DANA CARVEY, to their dressing rooms. I told Mr. Carvey that I was a big fan of his and considered him one of the all time great SNL cast members. He seemed very nice and genuinely appreciative to hear that. And then he randomly made a few funny comments about his dressing room and whatnot in a kind of Church Lady-esque voice. How cool is that? Today was a big day with the man and myth John Travolta on the show, which was kind of cool even if I'm not his biggest fan or anything. Then one of my favorite actresses, Christina Ricci, was on the show. I've been a big fan since I first enjoyed her star-making performance as Wednesday Adams back in the day, and I've really liked her in movies like The Ice Storm, Sleepy Hollow, and the underrated in my opinion Anything Else (by Woody Allen). Anyways Christina Ricci was great to see in person and I even walked right by her in the hallway on the way out of the show. Coolness.
As I mentioned I am kind of annoyed that tommorow I'm going to miss out on the Tonight Show featuring my sports hero Charles Barkley, plus a pretty decent band in Sum 41, as I am assigned to do Ellen instead. No idea who's going to be on Ellen as I don't get that info in advance. Hopefully someone good. Probably just Dr. Phil or someone (I think he's actually supposed to be on this week ...).
(BRI'ISH SPEAK BLOODY BEGINS HERE - CHEERS, MATES) Right then, had a wicked tour group of high-schoolers today from Jolly Old England. LONDON, to be exact. Me right old stomping grounds. The lot of them seemed bloody impressed with my massive knowledge of British TV and the UK in general, and it was downright wicked to let loose with terms like "dodgy." A fine group, it was. Even if I must admit I was a bit disappointed with their lack of knowledge about The Office and Da Ali G Show. Booyakasha -- Respeck.
BIG PS2 UPDATE:
Holy schneikies, I fixed m'darn Ps2, all by meeself! Yep, I am a mechanical genious afterall! I tooled around with today, cleaned out the laser and adjusted the voltage gear, following instructions from a website, and I'll be damned, it works! One less thing I have to worry about, so if UPS DID end up footing the bill, it'd be a huuuuuge bonus.
DANNY'S QUICK HITS TV ROUNDUP:
24: Another RIVETING episode. More Jack-Tony dynamic duo! Jack confronts evil Arab woman! Edgar's Mom is in trouble! Nuclear Meltdown! And what an ending ... Jack is not a happy man. Oh - despite evidence to the contrary I STAND BY my prediction that Aisha Tyler's character is in fact NOT ACTUALLY EVIL. But wow, 24 is firing on all cylinders this season, a huge step-up from last year at this time. My grade: A
Veronica Mars: Very cool episode, though they are making Veronica a little TOO perfect. She's got to slip up sometime right? I mean she IS only in High School. Still, another enjoyable ep with some cool twists, a relevant plot (teacher-student affairs - very timely), and some more verry interesting clues about the Lilly Kane ongoing murder mystery. My grade: A-
Real World: Ugh. This cast is so boring and just so ... off. They are really reaching here to create any kind of compelling drama / conflict. Next cast, please. My grade: D
Can't wait for LOST tommorow. Now that they seem to really be unraveling the mystery of the island, I am hooked. Apparently Krypto the superdog appears on Smallville tommorow. I wonder if Jeph Loeb wrote that one? He has some weird obsession with the super-canine, who in my opinion is just cheesy and pretty dumb. Does Smallville really need any more cheesiness at this point?
I've heard rumors that ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT may not be long for this world. If that is true, then (to paraphrase Mr. Tito), FINGER OF SHAME to FOX for it's total lack of backbone when it comes to supporting its quality shows. I hope this isn't true, but the fact that it's getting bumped from Sunday night in spring is not a good sign for the BEST COMEDY ON TV RIGHT NOW.
RANDOMNESS:
- Good luck Kirsten with your trip to Australia! I know you will have a great time Down Under.
- Nice, the theme from the movie Fletch just came on my WinAmp.
- You know, I'm a big fan of Subway, but you just never know what kind of quality to expect from them.
- My turn signals work, but for how long?
- Picked up one of my all time favorite films, The Princess Bride, for a steal of a price at the local Target.
- Parents come to visit this weekend. Oh boy.
- 1000 hits, baby. Soon I'll be up there with Cindy Margolis.
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