I was doing some last minute Oscar web surfing this weekend when I came across the following headline: James Cameron finds Jesus. At first I thought this was horrible news that the man who brought us Aliens, The Abyss, and Titanic had become some kind of born again religious zealot. Then I read the article and discovered this was much much more interesting.
In case you haven’t heard Cameron has produced a new documentary that claims to prove that ancient tombs or ossuaries discovered in Israel in 1980 are those of Jesus and his family, and when I say family I mean wife and son. According to an interview he gave on Monday’s Today Show the documentary will show how scientists used testing including DNA technology will prove this theory.
I am not a religious man and I’m not even a spiritual man but I must admit I find shit like this fascinating. So many questions are worth asking about these ancient times. If I was ever able to travel back in time and observe history I think I’d chose to see just what Moses saw on Mount Sinai, watch a little bit of Jesus in his hey day, and then go way back to Sumerian times and see how their advanced civilization developed. Ancient history is so flawed that we really have no clear idea of what happened and even when. For example recent studies have put the construction dates of the Egyptian pyramids a full 5000 years before what is readily taught in schools today.
Back to the special though, it is obviously stirring up controversy and I guess this is why religion is hard for me to grasp. Isn’t it more about faith then proof? I mean we don’t even know there was a Jesus? If there was then who was he? Was he a man? Was he a magician? Was he an alien? Was he a mutant like the X-men or Heroes’ indestructible cheerleader? Was he a god? Did he have a family? If you believe he was resurrected why does his physical grave make such a difference? I’ve know plenty of people that believe in heaven but I’m think most of them believe your physical body doesn’t teleport out of your coffin. All Cameron is doing here is shedding some light on the man that inspired one of the largest religions on Earth and he’s certainly not saying any of that religion is a lie just that some of the facts might have been left out.
Of course the flipside to that is how Cameron and company can prove these caskets belonged to Jesus and kin. As far as I know there are no DNA samples from God, Mary, or Jesus just lying about and the names found on the caskets were some of the most common names back in the day. This is why specials like these are fascinating to me. In the end this special can spur more healthy questions and research from a historical aspect and do it in an entertaining manner. As Cameron himself said, “I’m a documentary filmmaker not a theologian.” The special is on The Discovery Channel this Sunday at 8pm CST.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
2007 Oscar Wrap Up
Apologies to all but I’m running on 5 hours of sleep after one of the most lackluster Oscar shows ever produced that didn’t involve the word Whoopi, so today’s column is a bit venom and hate filled.
Pre-Show Thoughts (12pm-7:30pm)
- Bringing out Victoria’s Secret models always makes an otherwise worthless TV program passable as long as it’s muted.
- The original View girl, Debbie the Greek, should join Nicole Ritchie at eating rehab.
- Ryan Seacrest is not only a tool; he is an ignorant, classless, tool who probably could’ve been a sexual predator in another life. For god’s sake the man was unbuttoning his pants to show his underwear while Dame Helen Mirren was walking up to him.
- Although I love Project Runway and have taken pride in developing my own sense of fashion over the last few years, I apparently still know nothing about it. Seriously where do they dig up these fashion “experts”? Here’s a sampling of the outfits I heard applauded:
1. Penelope Cruz and her dress that looked like it had dyed rat fur glued around the bottom.
2. Kirsten Dunst and her grandma flapper dress along with her “just got down working out hair” style.
3. The bow that ate Nicole Kidman.
- You can take Jennifer Hudson out of American Idol but you can’t take American Idol out of Jennifer Hudson. In one night she managed to take all the goodwill she had built up and flushed it all down the toilet by acting like a reality TV star that was enjoying her 15 minutes of fame. First she showed up in one of the night’s worst outfits (that jacket looked like it was stolen from the set of a 1970’s sci-fi movie). Then she proceeded to walk around the red carpet with her hands in her pockets. Again apparently I’m a fashion idiot but only kangaroos and Ellen Degeneres’ pants suits should have pockets at the Oscars. Hudson needs to go to some kind of finishing school where she learns good posture and how to carry herself like a star and stop being so false humble. I mean Jesus, she made Beyonce look like the classy one and by the end of the night I was not only cheering for her to lose but was reassessing my enjoyment of Dreamgirls completely.
- Chris Connelly is the ant-Seacrest and gives ABC’s pre-show an air of professionalism and importance.
- Did the Academy start a save the ex-View hosts program? First Debbie and then Lisa Ling, I kept waiting for Star Jones to show up and eat someone.
Show Thoughts (7:30pm- Is it over yet?)
- Decent opening but it set the trend for the night by going on for too long.
- Ellen can be funny but she looked like she was in over her head much of the night and not in the Jon Stewart “look I’m in over my head isn’t it cute” way.
- Pan’s won the first two awards and I already knew I was in for a long night of incorrect Oscar picks.
- Speaking of which, how does Pan win almost every award it’s up for but lose in the foreign film category? Never underestimate the lobbying power of the Germans.
- Every year the pairings of presenters becomes more and more Grammy-esque. It seems like every tandem is there to plug their new movie in some way. Thank god Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson presented an award together or I never would’ve known there was a Spider-Man 3 coming soon.
- Was Maggie Gyllenhal trying to be funny by showing less emotion the Spock during her Tech Oscars segment?
- Overall I found the interpretive dance troop to be creepy and a waste of my time but I’ve got to admit the Snakes on a Plane bit made me profoundly happy.
- Can’t believe Arkin took down Eddie. What a great moment it would’ve been if only the camera man had bothered to shoot Murphy’s full face. Just another example of a surprisingly poorly produced show.
- No awards for Children of Men make Elliot something something.
- Jack looked scary rocking the bald look.
- Hands down highlight of the night was Ferrell, Black, and O’Reily doing their song and dance.
- Watching with my Oscar peeps, it was nice to know that I’m not the only one who has an unnatural dislike of Randy Newman.
- I’m downloading West Bank Story tonight. If I had known what that was I would’ve picked it for sure. Also the director gave one of the best speeches of the night.
- I guess the term “never bet against Pixar”, should be amended to, “never bet against Pixar unless there are penguins involved.”
- I think Al Gore’s charisma is increasing in proportion to his waist line. Loved him and Leo together.
- I was happy with the screenplay awards going to Departed and Sunshine.
- I think Clint was lying to us and skipping every third word Marconi said during the lifetime achievement award.
- Did Will Smith present a tribute to America hating immigrants, minorities, and Superman? I’m confused.
- Thank god Marty won. You had a feeling the fix was in when Coppola, Lucas and Spielberg came out.
- Thank you Forrest Whitaker for finally delivering a good (not great) acceptance speech. After winning so many other awards, it seemed like he finally had his act together.
- I enjoyed Ellen’s bits in the audience but when the show is already 25 minutes over does she really need to do another one with a vacuum cleaner.
- Isn’t it a conflict of interest to have a star from one of the nominated movies present Best Picture?
- By the time The Departed took Best Picture everyone I was with was completely gassed. I think my apartment cleared out in .03 seconds after the name was read. The show was long and except for Arkin’s win was really surprise free. Blah was the buzz word for last nights show. Hopefully next year they’ll bring back the old producer and find a host that can carry the show through the slow times better then Ellen. Of course the biggest improvement would be if there are more quality films to choose from.
Pre-Show Thoughts (12pm-7:30pm)
- Bringing out Victoria’s Secret models always makes an otherwise worthless TV program passable as long as it’s muted.
- The original View girl, Debbie the Greek, should join Nicole Ritchie at eating rehab.
- Ryan Seacrest is not only a tool; he is an ignorant, classless, tool who probably could’ve been a sexual predator in another life. For god’s sake the man was unbuttoning his pants to show his underwear while Dame Helen Mirren was walking up to him.
- Although I love Project Runway and have taken pride in developing my own sense of fashion over the last few years, I apparently still know nothing about it. Seriously where do they dig up these fashion “experts”? Here’s a sampling of the outfits I heard applauded:
1. Penelope Cruz and her dress that looked like it had dyed rat fur glued around the bottom.
2. Kirsten Dunst and her grandma flapper dress along with her “just got down working out hair” style.
3. The bow that ate Nicole Kidman.
- You can take Jennifer Hudson out of American Idol but you can’t take American Idol out of Jennifer Hudson. In one night she managed to take all the goodwill she had built up and flushed it all down the toilet by acting like a reality TV star that was enjoying her 15 minutes of fame. First she showed up in one of the night’s worst outfits (that jacket looked like it was stolen from the set of a 1970’s sci-fi movie). Then she proceeded to walk around the red carpet with her hands in her pockets. Again apparently I’m a fashion idiot but only kangaroos and Ellen Degeneres’ pants suits should have pockets at the Oscars. Hudson needs to go to some kind of finishing school where she learns good posture and how to carry herself like a star and stop being so false humble. I mean Jesus, she made Beyonce look like the classy one and by the end of the night I was not only cheering for her to lose but was reassessing my enjoyment of Dreamgirls completely.
- Chris Connelly is the ant-Seacrest and gives ABC’s pre-show an air of professionalism and importance.
- Did the Academy start a save the ex-View hosts program? First Debbie and then Lisa Ling, I kept waiting for Star Jones to show up and eat someone.
Show Thoughts (7:30pm- Is it over yet?)
- Decent opening but it set the trend for the night by going on for too long.
- Ellen can be funny but she looked like she was in over her head much of the night and not in the Jon Stewart “look I’m in over my head isn’t it cute” way.
- Pan’s won the first two awards and I already knew I was in for a long night of incorrect Oscar picks.
- Speaking of which, how does Pan win almost every award it’s up for but lose in the foreign film category? Never underestimate the lobbying power of the Germans.
- Every year the pairings of presenters becomes more and more Grammy-esque. It seems like every tandem is there to plug their new movie in some way. Thank god Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson presented an award together or I never would’ve known there was a Spider-Man 3 coming soon.
- Was Maggie Gyllenhal trying to be funny by showing less emotion the Spock during her Tech Oscars segment?
- Overall I found the interpretive dance troop to be creepy and a waste of my time but I’ve got to admit the Snakes on a Plane bit made me profoundly happy.
- Can’t believe Arkin took down Eddie. What a great moment it would’ve been if only the camera man had bothered to shoot Murphy’s full face. Just another example of a surprisingly poorly produced show.
- No awards for Children of Men make Elliot something something.
- Jack looked scary rocking the bald look.
- Hands down highlight of the night was Ferrell, Black, and O’Reily doing their song and dance.
- Watching with my Oscar peeps, it was nice to know that I’m not the only one who has an unnatural dislike of Randy Newman.
- I’m downloading West Bank Story tonight. If I had known what that was I would’ve picked it for sure. Also the director gave one of the best speeches of the night.
- I guess the term “never bet against Pixar”, should be amended to, “never bet against Pixar unless there are penguins involved.”
- I think Al Gore’s charisma is increasing in proportion to his waist line. Loved him and Leo together.
- I was happy with the screenplay awards going to Departed and Sunshine.
- I think Clint was lying to us and skipping every third word Marconi said during the lifetime achievement award.
- Did Will Smith present a tribute to America hating immigrants, minorities, and Superman? I’m confused.
- Thank god Marty won. You had a feeling the fix was in when Coppola, Lucas and Spielberg came out.
- Thank you Forrest Whitaker for finally delivering a good (not great) acceptance speech. After winning so many other awards, it seemed like he finally had his act together.
- I enjoyed Ellen’s bits in the audience but when the show is already 25 minutes over does she really need to do another one with a vacuum cleaner.
- Isn’t it a conflict of interest to have a star from one of the nominated movies present Best Picture?
- By the time The Departed took Best Picture everyone I was with was completely gassed. I think my apartment cleared out in .03 seconds after the name was read. The show was long and except for Arkin’s win was really surprise free. Blah was the buzz word for last nights show. Hopefully next year they’ll bring back the old producer and find a host that can carry the show through the slow times better then Ellen. Of course the biggest improvement would be if there are more quality films to choose from.
Friday, February 23, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 8: Best Picture
The Nominees Are: Babel, The Departed, The Queen, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine
Who’s Missing: Duh, Children of Men of course. I know I’m a broken record but this is a film that affects the audience with not only it’s dazzling visuals but with it’s story, characters, and message. It’s a thinker of a film that will hopefully find it’s audience on video and in the history books of the future.
Who Should Win: The only movie that came close to Children of Men for me in 2006 was The Departed, and I didn’t see either of them until 2007. Now thanks to my laziness and the miracle of quick DVD releases I’ve seen The Departed twice and let me tell you it only gets better. Perfect casting, sharp writing and magnificent direction make The Departed the one to beat in this category.
Who Will Win: I must confess I broke my rule of seeing every best picture nominee but I have no regrets. I believe I’ve seen the 3 pictures that have the best chance of winning (Babel, Departed, and Sunshine). The Queen will fall short because it’s really just a vehicle for some magnificent performances. Iwo Jima will lose because as much as the Academy loves Clint I think the foreign language barrier might be too off-putting. So that leaves the last 3. Sunshine surprised everyone by pulling out a win at the SAG awards but I think that was it’s high point. While it’s a fine movie, it’s nothing any of the voters haven’t seen before. Babel took home the Golden Globe but there seems to be a growing backlash against the film’s structure and it’s whore like approach to award season. That leaves The Departed which is a film everyone loves and while it might not be as original as Babel or have the indie cred of Sunshine I think it strikes the right balance that will appeal to the majority of voters.
That’s it for the preview folks. I’ll be back Monday with my thoughts on everything from Ellen (that’s hard to type), the winners, the speeches, the tributes and yes, even the fashions.
Who’s Missing: Duh, Children of Men of course. I know I’m a broken record but this is a film that affects the audience with not only it’s dazzling visuals but with it’s story, characters, and message. It’s a thinker of a film that will hopefully find it’s audience on video and in the history books of the future.
Who Should Win: The only movie that came close to Children of Men for me in 2006 was The Departed, and I didn’t see either of them until 2007. Now thanks to my laziness and the miracle of quick DVD releases I’ve seen The Departed twice and let me tell you it only gets better. Perfect casting, sharp writing and magnificent direction make The Departed the one to beat in this category.
Who Will Win: I must confess I broke my rule of seeing every best picture nominee but I have no regrets. I believe I’ve seen the 3 pictures that have the best chance of winning (Babel, Departed, and Sunshine). The Queen will fall short because it’s really just a vehicle for some magnificent performances. Iwo Jima will lose because as much as the Academy loves Clint I think the foreign language barrier might be too off-putting. So that leaves the last 3. Sunshine surprised everyone by pulling out a win at the SAG awards but I think that was it’s high point. While it’s a fine movie, it’s nothing any of the voters haven’t seen before. Babel took home the Golden Globe but there seems to be a growing backlash against the film’s structure and it’s whore like approach to award season. That leaves The Departed which is a film everyone loves and while it might not be as original as Babel or have the indie cred of Sunshine I think it strikes the right balance that will appeal to the majority of voters.
That’s it for the preview folks. I’ll be back Monday with my thoughts on everything from Ellen (that’s hard to type), the winners, the speeches, the tributes and yes, even the fashions.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 7: Director
The Nominees Are: Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu- Babel, Martin Scorsese- The Departed, Clint Eastwood- Letters from Iwo Jima, Stephen Frears- The Queen, Paul Greengrass- United 93
Who’s Missing: No shock here, I’ve got to go with Alfonso Cuaron. I believe Children of Men will go down as a modern masterpiece and the lack of a nomination here is a certified crime. While I enjoyed his Harry Potter more then Chris Columbus’ and I thought what I saw of Y Tu Mama Tambien was alright, I thought the hype around Cuaron was just that…hype. After Children of Men, I am prepared to say he’s one of the 10 best directors working today and certainly worthy of an Oscar.
Who Should Win: This isn’t about pity or rewarding a career, it’s simply about who achieved the greatest directing work in 2007 and amongst the nominees that is Martin Scorsese. The Departed features directing by a man who knows his craft backward and forwards and can really do no wrong when provided with a great screenplay. Greengrass would be the only other nominee that I’d be happy to see win as United 93 was a great film that showcased Paul as one of the best directors working today but I honestly think The Departed is a better piece of work.
Who Will Win: Eastwood is always a contender despite his predilection for making horribly long and bloated films but in the end I really think this is Marty’s year. Unlike The Aviator, and Gangs of New York, The Departed is a universally well liked film by critics and audiences and that seems like a formula that will finally give him his Oscar.
Who’s Missing: No shock here, I’ve got to go with Alfonso Cuaron. I believe Children of Men will go down as a modern masterpiece and the lack of a nomination here is a certified crime. While I enjoyed his Harry Potter more then Chris Columbus’ and I thought what I saw of Y Tu Mama Tambien was alright, I thought the hype around Cuaron was just that…hype. After Children of Men, I am prepared to say he’s one of the 10 best directors working today and certainly worthy of an Oscar.
Who Should Win: This isn’t about pity or rewarding a career, it’s simply about who achieved the greatest directing work in 2007 and amongst the nominees that is Martin Scorsese. The Departed features directing by a man who knows his craft backward and forwards and can really do no wrong when provided with a great screenplay. Greengrass would be the only other nominee that I’d be happy to see win as United 93 was a great film that showcased Paul as one of the best directors working today but I honestly think The Departed is a better piece of work.
Who Will Win: Eastwood is always a contender despite his predilection for making horribly long and bloated films but in the end I really think this is Marty’s year. Unlike The Aviator, and Gangs of New York, The Departed is a universally well liked film by critics and audiences and that seems like a formula that will finally give him his Oscar.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 6: Best Actress
The Nominees Are: Penelope Cruz- Volver, Judi Dench- Notes on a Scandal, Helen Mirren- The Queen, Meryl Streep- The Devil Wears Prada, Kate Winslet- Little Children
Who’s Missing: Although she probably would have lost instead of winning, I think Jennifer Hudson truly belonged in this category. Her performance in Dreamgirls was more lead then supporting and while she was off screen for some time, her character seemed to be the central focus of the film at all times. I guess it was good for her in the end that she was classified as supporting as she might not be able to beat this fine list of actresses (minus Cruz).
Who Should Win: I haven’t seen any of these yet so I’m going to just go with Winslet because I dig her and she always loses.
Who Will Win: Again, the acting categories have very little mystery to them this year and that will continue with Mirren taking home the trophy for her work in The Queen. I hear Streep is very good but the fact that the film is not a critical favorite and her role is more supporting sealed the deal for Mirren.
Who’s Missing: Although she probably would have lost instead of winning, I think Jennifer Hudson truly belonged in this category. Her performance in Dreamgirls was more lead then supporting and while she was off screen for some time, her character seemed to be the central focus of the film at all times. I guess it was good for her in the end that she was classified as supporting as she might not be able to beat this fine list of actresses (minus Cruz).
Who Should Win: I haven’t seen any of these yet so I’m going to just go with Winslet because I dig her and she always loses.
Who Will Win: Again, the acting categories have very little mystery to them this year and that will continue with Mirren taking home the trophy for her work in The Queen. I hear Streep is very good but the fact that the film is not a critical favorite and her role is more supporting sealed the deal for Mirren.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 5: Best Actor
The Nominees Are: Leonardo DiCaprio- Blood Diamond, Ryan Gosling- Half Nelson, Peter O’Toole- Venus, Will Smith- The Pursuit of Happiness, Forest Whitaker- The Last King of Scotland
Who’s Missing: Honestly I think two men were robbed of nominations yet one of them still got one. Leo’s performance in The Departed was a truly outstanding piece of work. Some have argued that it’s more of a supporting role but I’d argue he’s the character the audience invests the most attention in and that should qualify him as leading. Then of course there is Clive Owen. I’ve never seen Clive Owen give a bad performance and in Children of Men he gives a superb one. From the moment his washed up character walks into the London coffee shop Owen commands your complete attention.
Who Should Win: I haven’t seen any of these performances so I’m going to pull for O’Toole just because I like a good drunk.
Who Will Win: Forrest Whitaker will continue to take any suspense out of the acting candidates by continuing his run this award season.
Who’s Missing: Honestly I think two men were robbed of nominations yet one of them still got one. Leo’s performance in The Departed was a truly outstanding piece of work. Some have argued that it’s more of a supporting role but I’d argue he’s the character the audience invests the most attention in and that should qualify him as leading. Then of course there is Clive Owen. I’ve never seen Clive Owen give a bad performance and in Children of Men he gives a superb one. From the moment his washed up character walks into the London coffee shop Owen commands your complete attention.
Who Should Win: I haven’t seen any of these performances so I’m going to pull for O’Toole just because I like a good drunk.
Who Will Win: Forrest Whitaker will continue to take any suspense out of the acting candidates by continuing his run this award season.
Monday, February 19, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 4: Supporting Actor and Actress (plus bonus apology)
Supporting Actor
The Nominees Are: Alan Arkin- Little Miss Sunshine, Jackie Earle Haley- Little Children, Djimon Hounsou- Blood Diamond, Eddie Murphy- Dreamgirls, Mark Wahlberg- The Departed
Who’s Missing: Maybe the Academy decided enough is enough. That’s the only reason I can see that Jack Nicholson was not nominated for his performance in The Departed. After all, I guess Jack can’t be nominated every year. However, despite the lack of a consistent accent, Jack gives the best bad guy work of his career putting his turn as the Joker to shame. Usually when Jack is on screen he tends to get the audience on his side because, well, he’s just Jack. Here he plays the villain with such menace and evil that we feel more disgust then envy and that’s quite a feat.
Who Should Win: I openly mocked the Academy when I saw Mark Walberg’s name on the list of nominees. I didn’t think he was a bad actor but considering who else he shared the screen with in The Departed, how could he be the one to claim an acting nom? Then I saw the movie and was blown away by his complex, multifaceted performance. Playing the moral center of the film while garnering the majority of the laughs, Wahlberg steals the show amongst a who’s who of male actors from the last 30 years.
Who Will Win: I think everyone is in agreement that Eddie Murphy better clear some space on the mantel. Having won almost every pre-Oscar supporting award, Murphy is one of two Dreamgirls locks. I thought he did a tremendous job in the film but I’m not convinced it was Oscar worthy. Fair or not, I have a feeling if Norbit had come out a few weeks earlier this may not have been such a lock and Arkin and Wahlberg would have made a real go of it but if wishes and buts were candy and nuts….
Supporting Actress
The Nominees Are: Adriana Barraza- Babel, Cate Blanchett- Notes on a Scandal, Abigail Breslin- Little Miss Sunshine, Jennifer Hudson- Dreamgirls, Rinko Kikuchi- Babel
Who’s Missing: As the mother to be in charge of the future of the human race, Claire-Hope Ashitey gives a brilliant debut performance in Children of Men. Vulnerable and driven all at the same time her portrayal of Kee grounds both Clive Owen’s character and the film itself.
Who Should Win: I went into Dreamgirls not expecting much from Jennifer Hudson. I’ve never watched more then 30 seconds of American Idol and could care less about her history with that show. As a matter of fact, if anything I was more prepared to write her off. For the first 50 minutes I could take her, and the movie, and leave it, and then she delivered Effie’s anthem, “I’m Telling You” and I was sold. In the span of that scene Hudson and the movie went from being ok to great and while a good chunk of the credit can be owed to her singing, just as much can attributed to her acting before, during, and after the song.
Who Will Win: Come on do you live under a rock? If Hudson doesn’t go home with Oscar I’ll eat my words…literally.
Bonus Apology:
In Friday’s Screenplay column I wrote that The Departed’s chances of taking home the Adapted Screenplay award were hurt by the fact that it had gone through numerous screenwriters. While it was rumored that many “script doctors” had tightened it up the only credit in the film goes to William Monahan. From one writer to another Mr. Monahan I apologize for the erroneous statement I made especially in light of the fact that it was based on unsubstantiated rumor. Also, in light of my mistake, I am now changing my pick for Adapted Screenplay to The Departed.
The Nominees Are: Alan Arkin- Little Miss Sunshine, Jackie Earle Haley- Little Children, Djimon Hounsou- Blood Diamond, Eddie Murphy- Dreamgirls, Mark Wahlberg- The Departed
Who’s Missing: Maybe the Academy decided enough is enough. That’s the only reason I can see that Jack Nicholson was not nominated for his performance in The Departed. After all, I guess Jack can’t be nominated every year. However, despite the lack of a consistent accent, Jack gives the best bad guy work of his career putting his turn as the Joker to shame. Usually when Jack is on screen he tends to get the audience on his side because, well, he’s just Jack. Here he plays the villain with such menace and evil that we feel more disgust then envy and that’s quite a feat.
Who Should Win: I openly mocked the Academy when I saw Mark Walberg’s name on the list of nominees. I didn’t think he was a bad actor but considering who else he shared the screen with in The Departed, how could he be the one to claim an acting nom? Then I saw the movie and was blown away by his complex, multifaceted performance. Playing the moral center of the film while garnering the majority of the laughs, Wahlberg steals the show amongst a who’s who of male actors from the last 30 years.
Who Will Win: I think everyone is in agreement that Eddie Murphy better clear some space on the mantel. Having won almost every pre-Oscar supporting award, Murphy is one of two Dreamgirls locks. I thought he did a tremendous job in the film but I’m not convinced it was Oscar worthy. Fair or not, I have a feeling if Norbit had come out a few weeks earlier this may not have been such a lock and Arkin and Wahlberg would have made a real go of it but if wishes and buts were candy and nuts….
Supporting Actress
The Nominees Are: Adriana Barraza- Babel, Cate Blanchett- Notes on a Scandal, Abigail Breslin- Little Miss Sunshine, Jennifer Hudson- Dreamgirls, Rinko Kikuchi- Babel
Who’s Missing: As the mother to be in charge of the future of the human race, Claire-Hope Ashitey gives a brilliant debut performance in Children of Men. Vulnerable and driven all at the same time her portrayal of Kee grounds both Clive Owen’s character and the film itself.
Who Should Win: I went into Dreamgirls not expecting much from Jennifer Hudson. I’ve never watched more then 30 seconds of American Idol and could care less about her history with that show. As a matter of fact, if anything I was more prepared to write her off. For the first 50 minutes I could take her, and the movie, and leave it, and then she delivered Effie’s anthem, “I’m Telling You” and I was sold. In the span of that scene Hudson and the movie went from being ok to great and while a good chunk of the credit can be owed to her singing, just as much can attributed to her acting before, during, and after the song.
Who Will Win: Come on do you live under a rock? If Hudson doesn’t go home with Oscar I’ll eat my words…literally.
Bonus Apology:
In Friday’s Screenplay column I wrote that The Departed’s chances of taking home the Adapted Screenplay award were hurt by the fact that it had gone through numerous screenwriters. While it was rumored that many “script doctors” had tightened it up the only credit in the film goes to William Monahan. From one writer to another Mr. Monahan I apologize for the erroneous statement I made especially in light of the fact that it was based on unsubstantiated rumor. Also, in light of my mistake, I am now changing my pick for Adapted Screenplay to The Departed.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Two Peas in a Pod
Fact: Both Britney and I share the same birthday.
Fact: Both of us have a failed marriage under our belts.
Fact: Both of us can dance our asses off.
Fact: Both of us have way too many stories involving vomit.
Fact: Both of us forget to wear underpants sometimes.
Fact: Both of us have the same haircut.
Damn girl you gone six shades of super crazy and I love it!
Saturday Funnies
I apologize for posting something that most of you have probably already seen, but if I reach one new person today then it’s all worth it. Below you’ll find the first episode of Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager. It’s a story that speaks to the plight of the average working man in our society but does so with a twist. Created and filmed in my 2nd home of Madison , Wisconsin this has gone global thanks to YouTube. Give it a watch.
Friday, February 16, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 3: Screenplays
Adapted Screenplay
The Nominees Are: Borat, Children of Men, The Departed, Little Children, Notes on A Scandal
Who’s Missing: Thank You For Smoking was one of the truly underrated films of last year yet I felt sure going into nomination Tuesday, that a screenplay nomination was in its future. Sadly the Academy did not recognize this uber smart script about a tobacco lobbyist in our politically correct/corrupt world.
Who Should Win: Despite my love for Children of Men, I’m going to go with Borat partly because this is its only nomination but also because it was a genius screenplay. I think the fact that it is done documentary style will detract from it’s chances, but the format and Borat’s narration are finely scripted and it’s the key to the film maintaining it’s balance between nastiness and social commentary.
Who Will Win: This is one of the hardest categories out there. Except for The Departed none of these films were recognized for Best Picture yet The Departed has baggage as multiple screenwriters took a pass on it. I’m inclined to rule out Borat because of the documentary aspect. Little Children had very little hype so I’ll rule that out as well. That leaves Children of Men, Notes on a Scandal, and The Departed. I think Notes on a Scandal pulls through here by taking an award winning play and transforming it to screen flawlessly (from what I here).
Original Screenplay
The Nominees Are: Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth, The Queen
Who’s Missing: Dismiss me if you must but I’ve got to go with Clerks 2 here. Kevin Smith has epitomized the voice of my generation for the last 12 years and he showed that mastery has grown with age by revisiting the characters he introduced to us in the original Clerks. The screenplay is not only hilarious but provides some very real touching moments.
Who Should Win: Even though I’m still a little unsettled about the film itself I’m going to go with Pan’s Labyrinth here, due in large part to the sheer originality of the script. Look at all the other nominees and you’ve seen those stories before one way or the other. Pan’s is a truly unique concept and the script plays out in such a way that you always want to flip back and forth between the two worlds.
Who Will Win: Babel is again the type of film the Academy goes ga ga for and the screenplay is a big part of that. While I could not disagree more with this choice I’d say this is a slam dunk with an outside chance for The Queen.
The Nominees Are: Borat, Children of Men, The Departed, Little Children, Notes on A Scandal
Who’s Missing: Thank You For Smoking was one of the truly underrated films of last year yet I felt sure going into nomination Tuesday, that a screenplay nomination was in its future. Sadly the Academy did not recognize this uber smart script about a tobacco lobbyist in our politically correct/corrupt world.
Who Should Win: Despite my love for Children of Men, I’m going to go with Borat partly because this is its only nomination but also because it was a genius screenplay. I think the fact that it is done documentary style will detract from it’s chances, but the format and Borat’s narration are finely scripted and it’s the key to the film maintaining it’s balance between nastiness and social commentary.
Who Will Win: This is one of the hardest categories out there. Except for The Departed none of these films were recognized for Best Picture yet The Departed has baggage as multiple screenwriters took a pass on it. I’m inclined to rule out Borat because of the documentary aspect. Little Children had very little hype so I’ll rule that out as well. That leaves Children of Men, Notes on a Scandal, and The Departed. I think Notes on a Scandal pulls through here by taking an award winning play and transforming it to screen flawlessly (from what I here).
Original Screenplay
The Nominees Are: Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth, The Queen
Who’s Missing: Dismiss me if you must but I’ve got to go with Clerks 2 here. Kevin Smith has epitomized the voice of my generation for the last 12 years and he showed that mastery has grown with age by revisiting the characters he introduced to us in the original Clerks. The screenplay is not only hilarious but provides some very real touching moments.
Who Should Win: Even though I’m still a little unsettled about the film itself I’m going to go with Pan’s Labyrinth here, due in large part to the sheer originality of the script. Look at all the other nominees and you’ve seen those stories before one way or the other. Pan’s is a truly unique concept and the script plays out in such a way that you always want to flip back and forth between the two worlds.
Who Will Win: Babel is again the type of film the Academy goes ga ga for and the screenplay is a big part of that. While I could not disagree more with this choice I’d say this is a slam dunk with an outside chance for The Queen.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 2: Cinematography
The nominees are: Black Dahlia, Children of Men, The Illusionist, Pan's Labyrinth, The Prestige
Who’s Missing: Not to sound like a broken record by day 2 already, but here’s another category where The Departed at least deserved a nomination. While there is nothing groundbreaking or innovative about the work it is the definition of flawless. The grey color scheme that permeates the film parallels the morality of the film itself.
Who Should Win: Children of Men was the best film of last year and it owes a lot to its cinematography. The filmmakers use new techniques and technology to tell their tale but that never takes away from the film itself. For example there is a scene where the camera seems to go through car doors and windows to capture the action in a way I’ve never seen before. Instead of thinking about how they pulled off the scene I was pulled further into the movie thanks to their great storytelling device, and that’s the sign of great cinematography.
Who Will Win: I’m going to stay with my pick and say Children of Men. Pan’s Labyrinth will put on a decent challenge with its combination of dreary post Civil War Spain and the fantastical fairy tale world but in the end I think the futuristic doldrums of Men will win out.
Who’s Missing: Not to sound like a broken record by day 2 already, but here’s another category where The Departed at least deserved a nomination. While there is nothing groundbreaking or innovative about the work it is the definition of flawless. The grey color scheme that permeates the film parallels the morality of the film itself.
Who Should Win: Children of Men was the best film of last year and it owes a lot to its cinematography. The filmmakers use new techniques and technology to tell their tale but that never takes away from the film itself. For example there is a scene where the camera seems to go through car doors and windows to capture the action in a way I’ve never seen before. Instead of thinking about how they pulled off the scene I was pulled further into the movie thanks to their great storytelling device, and that’s the sign of great cinematography.
Who Will Win: I’m going to stay with my pick and say Children of Men. Pan’s Labyrinth will put on a decent challenge with its combination of dreary post Civil War Spain and the fantastical fairy tale world but in the end I think the futuristic doldrums of Men will win out.
A Message to the VH1 Execs
Dear Sirs and Madams,
I’m a loyal viewer. I watch Best Week Ever every week. I was a huge fan of Behind the Music and Bands Reunited. I even watch a lot of your Celebreality crap, like Breaking Bonaduce, Celebrity Paranormal Project, and god help me I even watched the first season of Flavor of Love. By far though my favorite show you’ve ever aired was last year’s World Series of Pop Culture. I consider myself quite the pop culture junkie and quite enjoyed matching my wits with the contestants that battled for the crown. When I heard about the online exam for this year’s event I jumped at the chance. Last night I sat in front of my computer waiting for the clock to tick down to 6pm CST. When the screen refreshed I typed in my registration information and…..got an error message. I thought to myself, “Okay calm down you must have just entered something wrong.” I waited for the screen to refresh and tried again, and again, and again. I entered my phone number in many different formats. I used different email address. I even tried logging in through other browsers, but each time your site gave me a generic error message telling me to try again. To top it off you kind folk provided me with a clock to watch my dreams slowly circle the drain. Before you knew it the 10 minute registration period was over and I was still trying to get past the first screen. Obviously you underestimated the demand for entry into your little contest and in the end that hurts you more then anyone. Instead of having the best pool of candidates you’ll end up with another group of slack jawed yokels who can’t tell the difference between Donnie Most and Anson Williams. In the end you’ll only be awarding the title to a false champion because you didn’t take the time to gather the best field possible. I haven’t decided if I’ll watch the show when it airs this summer but if I do you can be damn sure I’ll be keeping score as I’m pretty sure my team of one will not only compete against but dominate your faux geeks. I promise you this though; I will not watch another minute of Surreal Life: Fame Game. Actually I came to that decision after the first episode but damn you I will not watch it.
Screw off,
Elliot
I’m a loyal viewer. I watch Best Week Ever every week. I was a huge fan of Behind the Music and Bands Reunited. I even watch a lot of your Celebreality crap, like Breaking Bonaduce, Celebrity Paranormal Project, and god help me I even watched the first season of Flavor of Love. By far though my favorite show you’ve ever aired was last year’s World Series of Pop Culture. I consider myself quite the pop culture junkie and quite enjoyed matching my wits with the contestants that battled for the crown. When I heard about the online exam for this year’s event I jumped at the chance. Last night I sat in front of my computer waiting for the clock to tick down to 6pm CST. When the screen refreshed I typed in my registration information and…..got an error message. I thought to myself, “Okay calm down you must have just entered something wrong.” I waited for the screen to refresh and tried again, and again, and again. I entered my phone number in many different formats. I used different email address. I even tried logging in through other browsers, but each time your site gave me a generic error message telling me to try again. To top it off you kind folk provided me with a clock to watch my dreams slowly circle the drain. Before you knew it the 10 minute registration period was over and I was still trying to get past the first screen. Obviously you underestimated the demand for entry into your little contest and in the end that hurts you more then anyone. Instead of having the best pool of candidates you’ll end up with another group of slack jawed yokels who can’t tell the difference between Donnie Most and Anson Williams. In the end you’ll only be awarding the title to a false champion because you didn’t take the time to gather the best field possible. I haven’t decided if I’ll watch the show when it airs this summer but if I do you can be damn sure I’ll be keeping score as I’m pretty sure my team of one will not only compete against but dominate your faux geeks. I promise you this though; I will not watch another minute of Surreal Life: Fame Game. Actually I came to that decision after the first episode but damn you I will not watch it.
Screw off,
Elliot
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
2007 Oscar Preview- Day 1: Music
Original Score
The Nominees are: Babel, The Good German, Notes on a Scandal, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Queen
Who’s Missing: I am shocked that The Departed was overlooked here. While much of the movie is made up of songs there is still a traditional score that flows throughout the film and hits all the right notes in terms of suspense of tension.
Who Should Win: I’ve only seen Babel and Pan’s Labyrinth as I write this so I feel like I should choose between those two but since I’m a huge Steven Soderberg and George Clooney fan, I’m going to pull for The Good German as this is the only nomination their film received.
Who Will Win: Babel is the type of crappy intellectual soundtrack that always gets recognized. I despised the composer’s tactic of changing the score to accommodate the location; I get it we’re in Morocco or Mexico or wherever, since I’ve been watching the whole movie, I don’t need to be hit over the head with musical cues. Of course that’s the type of “smarts” that always seems to play well to the Academy.
Original Song
The Nominees Are: Listen- Dreamgirls, Patience- Dreamgirls, Love You I Do- Dreamgirls, Our Town- Cars, I Need To Wake Up- An Inconvenient Truth
Who’s Missing: I really hate the fact that this category is limited to original songs. Music selection is such an important part of a film and just because it’s not original doesn’t mean that the artist and director should not be recognized for it. However since we can’t change the system I’ll go with Cobra Starship’s title track from Snakes on a Plane as the best original song that was ignored.
Who Should Win: I don’t like Beyonce as a person, at least based on how she presents herself in the public eye. However I think Listen is an amazing song and her performance transforms her character in Dreamgirls from being eye candy to having some actual depth. The beauty of this winning is that it would acknowledge a Beyonce song without have to acknowledge her, since she was left out of the nomination itself because only so many song writers could be credited for the work.
Who Will Win: It seems like Dreamgirls should walk away here based on the number of nominations however one should never count out a Disney/Pixar song. I think Patience and Listen will split the Dreamgirls votes and that will pave the way for Our Town to sneak out a surprise win.
The Nominees are: Babel, The Good German, Notes on a Scandal, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Queen
Who’s Missing: I am shocked that The Departed was overlooked here. While much of the movie is made up of songs there is still a traditional score that flows throughout the film and hits all the right notes in terms of suspense of tension.
Who Should Win: I’ve only seen Babel and Pan’s Labyrinth as I write this so I feel like I should choose between those two but since I’m a huge Steven Soderberg and George Clooney fan, I’m going to pull for The Good German as this is the only nomination their film received.
Who Will Win: Babel is the type of crappy intellectual soundtrack that always gets recognized. I despised the composer’s tactic of changing the score to accommodate the location; I get it we’re in Morocco or Mexico or wherever, since I’ve been watching the whole movie, I don’t need to be hit over the head with musical cues. Of course that’s the type of “smarts” that always seems to play well to the Academy.
Original Song
The Nominees Are: Listen- Dreamgirls, Patience- Dreamgirls, Love You I Do- Dreamgirls, Our Town- Cars, I Need To Wake Up- An Inconvenient Truth
Who’s Missing: I really hate the fact that this category is limited to original songs. Music selection is such an important part of a film and just because it’s not original doesn’t mean that the artist and director should not be recognized for it. However since we can’t change the system I’ll go with Cobra Starship’s title track from Snakes on a Plane as the best original song that was ignored.
Who Should Win: I don’t like Beyonce as a person, at least based on how she presents herself in the public eye. However I think Listen is an amazing song and her performance transforms her character in Dreamgirls from being eye candy to having some actual depth. The beauty of this winning is that it would acknowledge a Beyonce song without have to acknowledge her, since she was left out of the nomination itself because only so many song writers could be credited for the work.
Who Will Win: It seems like Dreamgirls should walk away here based on the number of nominations however one should never count out a Disney/Pixar song. I think Patience and Listen will split the Dreamgirls votes and that will pave the way for Our Town to sneak out a surprise win.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Test Prep Thoughts and Oscar Column Preview
I’ve been knee deep in preparation for the World Series of Pop Culture test tomorrow but thought I’d stick my head up for some quick thoughts on the weekend in pop culture.
•There seems to be a trend on SNL this year that when a non comedian such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, or Dane Cook host, the show goes in the tank. Part of this can be blamed on the host but it’s almost as if the entire cast and writing team give up before the show even starts.
•Saw Pan’s Labyrinth this weekend and it left me dumbfounded. There is a fine line between violence and gore, and this film goes heavily over that line into gore. It’s the very definition of the word excess. Also, while it was visually stunning it certainly wasn’t the finest work I’ve seen all year or even by Director Guillermo Del Toro. It’s still a solid flick that I recommend as long as you realize it’s like a Brother’s Grimm fairy tale, but about a hundred times darker.
•Ended up catching a good chunk of the Grammy’s and was struck by a few things.
Let’s set a limit on how many performers can have orchestra’s backing them up on an awards show.
Performers should only perform once. I think the incomparable Mary J Blige was up there 3 times.
By featuring more performances then awards, the Grammy’s was more watchable then it has been in years.
My top performance might be Gnarls Barkley, despite the above mentioned orchestral overkill.
I’ve decided the Shakira’s hips should be registered as lethal weapons due to their hypnotic powers.
While I congratulate the Dixie Chicks, the fact that Gnarls got overlooked just goes to prove the Grammy’s still fail to recognize new and original artists.
•Looks like 24 is due for its annual bait and switch. Talking with a good friend of my mine who’s just now watching the previous seasons, I was reminded how every year we’re treated to a mid season switcheroo. Last night’s 2 hour ep was a bit slow but you began to see the gear turning for the next 12 hours.
I’ll be back tomorrow, despite it being my exam day, with the first of my Oscar Preview Columns. Here’s the schedule in case you can’t wait to steal my thoughts for your local Oscar pool:
Wednesday, 2/14- Music (both song and score)
Thursday, 2/15- Cinematography
Friday, 2/16- Screenplays
Monday, 2/19- Supporting Actor and Actress
Tuesday, 2/20- Actor
Wednesday, 2/21- Actress
Thursday, 2/22- Director
Friday, 2/23- Best Picture
Monday, 2/26- Show Recap and Fallout
•There seems to be a trend on SNL this year that when a non comedian such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, or Dane Cook host, the show goes in the tank. Part of this can be blamed on the host but it’s almost as if the entire cast and writing team give up before the show even starts.
•Saw Pan’s Labyrinth this weekend and it left me dumbfounded. There is a fine line between violence and gore, and this film goes heavily over that line into gore. It’s the very definition of the word excess. Also, while it was visually stunning it certainly wasn’t the finest work I’ve seen all year or even by Director Guillermo Del Toro. It’s still a solid flick that I recommend as long as you realize it’s like a Brother’s Grimm fairy tale, but about a hundred times darker.
•Ended up catching a good chunk of the Grammy’s and was struck by a few things.
Let’s set a limit on how many performers can have orchestra’s backing them up on an awards show.
Performers should only perform once. I think the incomparable Mary J Blige was up there 3 times.
By featuring more performances then awards, the Grammy’s was more watchable then it has been in years.
My top performance might be Gnarls Barkley, despite the above mentioned orchestral overkill.
I’ve decided the Shakira’s hips should be registered as lethal weapons due to their hypnotic powers.
While I congratulate the Dixie Chicks, the fact that Gnarls got overlooked just goes to prove the Grammy’s still fail to recognize new and original artists.
•Looks like 24 is due for its annual bait and switch. Talking with a good friend of my mine who’s just now watching the previous seasons, I was reminded how every year we’re treated to a mid season switcheroo. Last night’s 2 hour ep was a bit slow but you began to see the gear turning for the next 12 hours.
I’ll be back tomorrow, despite it being my exam day, with the first of my Oscar Preview Columns. Here’s the schedule in case you can’t wait to steal my thoughts for your local Oscar pool:
Wednesday, 2/14- Music (both song and score)
Thursday, 2/15- Cinematography
Friday, 2/16- Screenplays
Monday, 2/19- Supporting Actor and Actress
Tuesday, 2/20- Actor
Wednesday, 2/21- Actress
Thursday, 2/22- Director
Friday, 2/23- Best Picture
Monday, 2/26- Show Recap and Fallout
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
RIP: Anna Nicole Smith or If a celebrity dies in the Seminole Hard Rock Casino Does Anyone Care?
I wish I could say I was really broken up about this but honestly who cares. I mean death is always sad for those people that are close to the deceased but as far as celebrity deaths go this was neither surprising nor noteworthy. I think I was more broken up when I learned Mako died during the SAG awards. Why was Anna Nicole a celebrity anyway? Well she came off as batshit crazy but other then that she really did nothing to cement her celebrity after her early modeling days. Honestly she will be one of the poster children for historians when they examine our generation’s fascination with the world of the rich and somewhat famous. To top it off thanks to all the drama surrounding her new born baby and the Trimspa lawsuit how much you want to guess suspicions of foul play will keep her in the news for months to come. In the end I’m sure the folks at ET and The Insider are both mourning the loss of their patron saint and celebrating the hours of programming they’ll be able to milk out of this. So see ya Anna hope you find some peace and sanity where ever the next life takes you.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
One Shot, One Dream, One Destiny
I stopped kidding myself a long time ago about having a career. I work at jobs not careers and that’s that. Ideally I’d like to be a writer and perhaps I can pay bills with that someday but in the meantime, I’m content to punch a clock or swipe a magnetic strip. My professional skill set is vast, from technical writing, to Power Point presentations, to one on one mentoring; I’ve got a bag full of tricks however none of them exactly set my professional desires a fire. In truth, the skills that I’ve always wanted to utilize in my “career” have been my knowledge of pop culture, and my sarcasm. As you can guess, other then writing, there are not many places where those skills can be utilized in a professional (ie money making) manner. At least that was the case until I was exposed to VH1’s 2006 World Series of Pop Culture, this past summer.
Finally, here was a game show where I not only knew the answers but one where I consistently bettered the contestants, all be it in the comfort of my own home. I promised myself last summer that if there was a 2007 WSPC I’d do my best to gain entry. Of course, as I tend to do, my mind wandered and after searching for info for about a month after the 2006 finale I forgot about my new goal. Thankfully the Pop Culture Gods were smiling on me as I paged through my latest Entertainment Weekly and saw a call for entries to the 2007 WSPC wild card team. For those unfamiliar with last year’s event, the WSPC is made up of teams of 3. The majority of the teams were formed ahead of time by friends and family, however one team was made up of wild cards that applied and tested online and then got thrown together at the actual event. I had decided last summer that this was the best way for me to go because while many of my peeps are pop culture savvy, I wasn’t sure if we could form a team that would cover all the categories, especially music.
The online test for the team is being held next Wednesday, February 14th. Yes, the test is on Valentine’s Day. One has to admire the sense of humor of the VH1 execs who are well aware that the majority of people that will be applying for this gig won’t have any plans. The test consists of 60 questions over 36 minutes, then VH1 will randomly interview 50 people that score in the top 5% to determine who’s ready for primetime. Last night I tried out the sample questions to get an idea of what the test will be like. The samples were easy except for the last question where I’ve got a Clavin-esque bone to pick with the magnificent bastards at VH1. The last sample question was an example of the math portion of the exam: (# of children on The Cosby Show) X (George Costanza’s perfect child name) – (the number of nipples Chandler had before his operation) = ___.
The answer according to the site was 32; 5 Cosby kids multiplied by Seven minus 3. I argued the answer was 39. After all the question was not how many kids did Cliff and Claire have (5) but how many children were on the Cosby Show. I count six, Sandra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, Rudy, and Denise’s step daughter Raven Simone herself, Olivia. Man if I miss out on some question like that I’m sending a whole list of people who were not in my kitchen to the execs at Viacom.
And so my journey begins. For the next few days I’ve got some intensive training to do. I figure practicing on 90’s Trivia Pursuit, and Scene-It will be a good start. Maybe later in the week I’ll try some online music trivia games to toughen up my weakest category. The blog posts might be a bit sporadic for the next week and for that I apologize but there comes a time in a man’s life where he’s got to take a chance and prove that he’s the best at knowing incredibly useless trivia and for me that time is now.
To join me in this pursuit, take the test next Wednesday February 14th at 6pm or 9pm CST at pciq.vh1.com
Finally, here was a game show where I not only knew the answers but one where I consistently bettered the contestants, all be it in the comfort of my own home. I promised myself last summer that if there was a 2007 WSPC I’d do my best to gain entry. Of course, as I tend to do, my mind wandered and after searching for info for about a month after the 2006 finale I forgot about my new goal. Thankfully the Pop Culture Gods were smiling on me as I paged through my latest Entertainment Weekly and saw a call for entries to the 2007 WSPC wild card team. For those unfamiliar with last year’s event, the WSPC is made up of teams of 3. The majority of the teams were formed ahead of time by friends and family, however one team was made up of wild cards that applied and tested online and then got thrown together at the actual event. I had decided last summer that this was the best way for me to go because while many of my peeps are pop culture savvy, I wasn’t sure if we could form a team that would cover all the categories, especially music.
The online test for the team is being held next Wednesday, February 14th. Yes, the test is on Valentine’s Day. One has to admire the sense of humor of the VH1 execs who are well aware that the majority of people that will be applying for this gig won’t have any plans. The test consists of 60 questions over 36 minutes, then VH1 will randomly interview 50 people that score in the top 5% to determine who’s ready for primetime. Last night I tried out the sample questions to get an idea of what the test will be like. The samples were easy except for the last question where I’ve got a Clavin-esque bone to pick with the magnificent bastards at VH1. The last sample question was an example of the math portion of the exam: (# of children on The Cosby Show) X (George Costanza’s perfect child name) – (the number of nipples Chandler had before his operation) = ___.
The answer according to the site was 32; 5 Cosby kids multiplied by Seven minus 3. I argued the answer was 39. After all the question was not how many kids did Cliff and Claire have (5) but how many children were on the Cosby Show. I count six, Sandra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, Rudy, and Denise’s step daughter Raven Simone herself, Olivia. Man if I miss out on some question like that I’m sending a whole list of people who were not in my kitchen to the execs at Viacom.
And so my journey begins. For the next few days I’ve got some intensive training to do. I figure practicing on 90’s Trivia Pursuit, and Scene-It will be a good start. Maybe later in the week I’ll try some online music trivia games to toughen up my weakest category. The blog posts might be a bit sporadic for the next week and for that I apologize but there comes a time in a man’s life where he’s got to take a chance and prove that he’s the best at knowing incredibly useless trivia and for me that time is now.
To join me in this pursuit, take the test next Wednesday February 14th at 6pm or 9pm CST at pciq.vh1.com
Monday, February 05, 2007
That Was a Super Bowl?
As the minutes ticked by on yesterday’s Super Bowl, I was struck by a strange feeling of disconnect and I don’t think it was just the remnants of the 7 Long Island Iced Teas I had the night before. From the pregame to the ads to the game itself I was completely bored and for the first time in my life I can say I’m glad football season is over.
I didn’t have a rooting interest but that’s never stopped me from enjoying the game before. In fact after the Bears ran back the opening kickoff, I found myself cheering them on a bit. The first half was sloppy but exciting while the second half felt slow and predetermined. A lot of people will say the Bears beat themselves or perhaps more accurately Rex Grossman beat the Bears, but the Colts certainly weren’t firing on all cylinders on offense either so we should be happy the game didn’t get a whole lot uglier.
In the past when I’ve not had a team to rally around, I’ve at least been able to enjoy the spectacle of the Super Bowl but unfortunately that wasn’t the case last night. Can I tell you how under whelmed I was by the ads this year? Except for the face slapping Bud Light commercial and the NFL Network’s Chad Johnson Super Bowl spot, I can’t name any other commercials that stuck with me. Hell, by the fourth quarter I was flipping channels and watching a special on Noah’s Ark on the National Geographic channel during the breaks. Perhaps the biggest disappointment for me was the lack of big Hollywood trailers. I know in this day and age of YouTube and Quicktime one can find all the trailers they can handle on the web but I’ve got fond memories of watching premiers during the Super Bowl. This year all the trailers were for movies that are already out there in one manner or the other. Even the 5 hours of pre game provided less memorable moments then usual. I don’t spend a lot of time watching the CBS crew during the regular season but I thought their buddy, buddy chemistry came off faker then usual. Oh and I know the NFL is trying to reach out to a wide spectrum of fans but Cirque De Solei as pre game entertainment? After about 30 seconds my eyes were burning and I quickly flipped channels.
In a stunning break from form, the brightest spot of the whole event was probably the halftime show. Sure I’m a Prince fan but I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t impressed by that performance. For a Super Bowl, I thought the staging was relatively restrained. The fake fans that they brought on to the field really seemed to be enjoying themselves and the interaction Prince had with the fans in the stands was amazing. No where was that give and take more evident then in the closing number as he belted out Purple Rain in the pouring rain. It was also nice to see him pull out some different songs and not just do a best of medley. His cover of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You” was an especially pleasant surprise.
So another year of football has come to a close and for the first time in my life I didn’t feel the pangs of withdrawal after the final seconds ticked off. Maybe it was the lackluster game, or the lack of spectacle around the event. Maybe it’s the fact that my Wisconsin Badgers are the #2 ranked college basketball team in the country and I’m already focusing on March. Maybe it’s the fact that, try as I might, I can’t bring myself to believe that the parody in the NFL will really make it possible for my beloved Minnesota Vikings to turn it around in and hoist the trophy next year. No matter what the reason, yesterday left me completely happy to put football aside…at least until April and the draft.
I didn’t have a rooting interest but that’s never stopped me from enjoying the game before. In fact after the Bears ran back the opening kickoff, I found myself cheering them on a bit. The first half was sloppy but exciting while the second half felt slow and predetermined. A lot of people will say the Bears beat themselves or perhaps more accurately Rex Grossman beat the Bears, but the Colts certainly weren’t firing on all cylinders on offense either so we should be happy the game didn’t get a whole lot uglier.
In the past when I’ve not had a team to rally around, I’ve at least been able to enjoy the spectacle of the Super Bowl but unfortunately that wasn’t the case last night. Can I tell you how under whelmed I was by the ads this year? Except for the face slapping Bud Light commercial and the NFL Network’s Chad Johnson Super Bowl spot, I can’t name any other commercials that stuck with me. Hell, by the fourth quarter I was flipping channels and watching a special on Noah’s Ark on the National Geographic channel during the breaks. Perhaps the biggest disappointment for me was the lack of big Hollywood trailers. I know in this day and age of YouTube and Quicktime one can find all the trailers they can handle on the web but I’ve got fond memories of watching premiers during the Super Bowl. This year all the trailers were for movies that are already out there in one manner or the other. Even the 5 hours of pre game provided less memorable moments then usual. I don’t spend a lot of time watching the CBS crew during the regular season but I thought their buddy, buddy chemistry came off faker then usual. Oh and I know the NFL is trying to reach out to a wide spectrum of fans but Cirque De Solei as pre game entertainment? After about 30 seconds my eyes were burning and I quickly flipped channels.
In a stunning break from form, the brightest spot of the whole event was probably the halftime show. Sure I’m a Prince fan but I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t impressed by that performance. For a Super Bowl, I thought the staging was relatively restrained. The fake fans that they brought on to the field really seemed to be enjoying themselves and the interaction Prince had with the fans in the stands was amazing. No where was that give and take more evident then in the closing number as he belted out Purple Rain in the pouring rain. It was also nice to see him pull out some different songs and not just do a best of medley. His cover of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You” was an especially pleasant surprise.
So another year of football has come to a close and for the first time in my life I didn’t feel the pangs of withdrawal after the final seconds ticked off. Maybe it was the lackluster game, or the lack of spectacle around the event. Maybe it’s the fact that my Wisconsin Badgers are the #2 ranked college basketball team in the country and I’m already focusing on March. Maybe it’s the fact that, try as I might, I can’t bring myself to believe that the parody in the NFL will really make it possible for my beloved Minnesota Vikings to turn it around in and hoist the trophy next year. No matter what the reason, yesterday left me completely happy to put football aside…at least until April and the draft.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Saturday Funnies
Really Boston , you think that terrorists are targeting your city with bombs made up of Lite Brites? You think the terrorists are going to disguise said bombs with images of cartoon characters, really? I know Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a cult show with a small audience but the characters in question look just like 1980’s video game images and I would think most people can pick that out. So Boston , did you think the terrorists are employing retro style in their plots now? This is such a sad commentary on the culture of fear we live in today. Although the fact that Boston was the only city out of nine that freaked out certainly puts their law enforcement and even their citizens in a bad light. I’m shipping off to Boston in about 6 weeks and I’m wondering if it’s safe to drink the water. In the meantime here are some non-terrorist Mooninites that are about to rock your face.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
I Forgot My Own Anniversary
It’s been over one year since I started this blog and I just wanted to pass on a couple of quick notes on some changes you’ll be seeing. First of all I’m retiring the semi regular column entitled “What I’m…”. Instead of trying to cover multiple reviews in one column I’ve decided to try to stick to one kind of media at a time. The result is that you’ll get more in depth thoughts and analysis (aka more rambling incoherent thoughts from yours truly). On the flip side get ready for 3 new columns. You may have noticed one that debuted last week called Saturday Funnies. Really it’s just an excuse to not write something over the weekends, but it’s also an effort to share video of some of the things I rant about on the blog. Another column that will be debuting in the near future is El Dog’s Super Amazing Donkey iMix. Think of it as a replacement for the “listening to” component of the What I’m column. Lastly get ready for a new monthly column on food called Self Loathing Food Junkie. I’ll cover all things food in my life from TV to cookbooks and even some restaurant reviews. Other things to look forward to include 8 days of Oscar coverage, and an attempt at a travel blog as I visit Boston over St Paddy’s day. Lastly I want to give a huge thank you to all you readers. I know the majority of you personally but whether you’re a stranger or friend I appreciate all the feedback you’ve given me over that last year and I’d like to think the blog has improved because of it. 8 hits a day isn’t much in the grand scheme but I appreciate each one so thanks again and until I get a life or pop culture destroys mine, I’ll keep spewing this hot mess out.
’07 is like Pop Culture Heaven,
Elliot
’07 is like Pop Culture Heaven,
Elliot
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