What a great week for Reality TV. And by ‘Reality TV’ I mean Big Brother 9. This week Chelsia&James were HOH and put Alex&Amanda up for nominations, along with Matt&Natalie. Good nominations because Amanda is an obnoxious *female dog*. It’s also mildly amusing because of ‘Operation Condor,’ the premise of which is that Alex&Amanda’s pictures are on the top of the wall, and like a condor would swoop down and take its prey, they will swoop and knock out the top row. That’s creative, I guess, but not witty at all. Either way it worked, and Alex&Amanda went home with a 3-0 vote.
This week I started to like Chelsia&James a lot more, despite him having a pink Mohawk and her hair not being equal length on both sides. I think they’re my ‘favorite’ couple.
Also, this week there were two near-death scenarios (okay, maybe not). I love me some hypochondriacs.
The definite best part of this week was tonight after Sharon&Josh won new HOH. Julie Chen (easily the worst host in the history of any show) asked them what they would want to bring into the house, and after some standard stuff, Josh said, “Asking for too much would be you in my bed, Julie.” Obviously even better since, A) Josh is gay, and B) the studio and/or Julie were so offended that she kept going full speed, not acknowledging it and hoping no one would notice, and C) it was really funny.
Predicted nominees for next week: Allison&Ryan (this one seems fairly obvious), and a shot in the dark, Adam&Sheila. We will see.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Big Brother -- a Week in Recap
Likes/Dislikes
Links Of The Week....
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Blackout in Miami
Florida experienced a massive blackout today.
When the lights went out, I walked around downtown Miami to hear a handful of rumors. The streets were smoky, and smelled of fire. Between the library and the South Florida Historical Museum, a ventilator was billowing with black smoke.
“A generator beneath the library blew up,” said a man sitting on a bench, outside Government Center.
“The power’s out? Fine by me,” he said, pulling a hardback murder mystery from his back pack.
“I’m an I-T tech in that building up there. I’m still getting paid, so now I’ll actually be getting paid to do something I like,” he said, turning to the page where he had last left off.
Some cell phones were working, some weren’t. Various text-messages coming into my vicinity claimed a power outage from Daytona to Homestead. Still didn’t know why though.
A few hours later, we heard that Coconut Grove’s power was back on. Towards Biscayne’s skyline, the metro-rail could once again be seen traveling its singular course north to south.
In Overtown, we were still in darkness.
“It’s because we’re in the ghetto,” a coworker said.
But eventually, an hour later, our power came back on as well. Our boss told us there was a problem with FP&L, and that an outage had occurred from Tampa to the Keys.
Ever the cynic, I thought this would make the perfect case for FP&L to get their new power plant built in the Everglades.
My mom in Lake Wales said her power hadn’t wavered, but my brother in Melbourne had been sent home from work due to the outage. It felt like a hurricane except without the wind, the rain and destruction—just the pleasant disruption of daily routines across the state.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Men are From Mars Women are from Middle School
My wife is a teacher at a middle school and recently, amongst papers that she had collected, she found a highly informative chart written by one of her students. The chart goes into detail explaining body language and how it relates to boys. It offers an insightful look into the inner workings of the female (middle school) mind. It is printed here in it's entirety:
Post-Oscar Commentary
What a great night Sunday was. The Oscars could not have gone much better. Almost all of the winners were the 'should have wons,' and that's great.
Jon Stewart, a second time host, was much better this year. Better jokes, less awkwardness.
The two best moments were Marion Cotillard's win (watchable on youtube here, and pay attention to Cate Blanchett's response -- I love her) and when Markéta Irglová was allowed to come back out and deliver her thank yous. These moments are what make watching Oscars worthwhile.
Sadly I went 15-9 on predictions, which isn't too bad. Especially considering I guessed blind on both shorts, both documentaries, and a few other tech categories. I went 12-3 on what I claimed to 'know,' so I rule. I won't get over my underestimation of The Bourne Ultimatum. Oh, well.
Two years in a row where the best movie won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Maybe the AMPAS has wised up after all. Here's to next year.
PS, there is a 'worst part.' America is out of taste with their movies, lots of people claiming they haven't even heard of the nominees. I'm going to restrain a rant, here, but something doesn't have to be 'popular' to be 'good.' In movies it's often the other way around. However, the general public being clueless means this year had the lowest number of viewers in 20 years. Sad? Yes, yes it is.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Oscar reminder
The Oscars start in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Just shooting out a reminder that I have some in-depth predictions posted from before.
Tomorrow I'll either look like a genius or a amateur, so we'll see. Happy watching!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Yay, Development!
In today's edition of the Lakeland Ledger, an article reveals that Polk County is "outpacing both the state and national averages" in terms of population growth. The article provides population estimates and growth percentages for different cities in the county, and compares this growth to other counties in the state.
However, nowhere in this report does Mr. Rufty address the environmental costs of this growth, or whether this type of growth is sustainable and healthy for existing communities.
The so-called I-4 corridor is reported to have experienced the most growth, as it is developing into a bedroom community for employees in Osceola and Orange counties.
Is this something to be proud of?
East Polk is providing cheap land to large developers, and encouraging excessive commutes, suburban sprawl, and the environmental degradation that too much of this state has already experienced.
I understand that not every report will contain an analysis of how rapid growth impacts the environment and the quality of communities, but this article had a great opportunity to do so, and didn't.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Big Brother -- a Week in Recap
I've never watched much reality TV before this year, but my roommate watches a lot of reality TV, so now I'm getting hooked. My gig is Project Runway, but for him, Big Brother is where it's at.
For those unfamiliar, I will just summarize that Big Brother is like MTV's The Real World, except people are voted out every week. Oh, and the show is on three times a week (Tues/Weds/Sun). The link for the latest season is here.
The interesting thing this season is that there are pairs, 'teams,' and everything is done in twos. Winning head of household, being nominated, and voted off. Everything in twos. What makes this interesting is that one real-life couple came on the show, and were paired with other people. And this week the couple was nominated, so regardless one would go home.
Thankfully the right decision was made. The girl (Jen), straight up, said, "Ryan [her boyfriend] is also a racist." Direct quote. Then lied to him about saying that. You don't think he'll watch this show eventually? Also Jen's partner, Parker, was just an idiot, so them being eliminated is good.
What's funny about this season is that there isn't a single pair in which both people are reasonable and likable. I really like Allison (Ryan's partner), but Ryan sucks.
Hopefully next week Amanda will go home. Watch the show for ten minutes and you will understand why. Not only does she have an annoying voice, but she talks more than anyone else. But right now everyone hates her, so maybe next week I'll be happy. Check back to see if I am.
Other Problems the Military Can Solve for Us
If the US Navy successfully shoots down that falling satellite today, or in the next few days, I have a another suggestion that maybe they could handle for us.
Evolution Brings Youngsters to Jesus Camp
There is a common misnomer that Florida is not the bible-belt, that the Deep South ends at Georgia's southernmost border. However, when it comes to the debate of creationism vs. evolution, when it comes to science at all, this state appears insistent upon keeping students in the dark ages.
NPR and the Miami Herald ran reports today which included criticisms of the State of Florida’s science curriculum in public schools. We are hardly teaching science at all, it seems. And now, it has been mandated that schools teach the “scientific theory of evolution.” A mandate on evolution ought to mean an improvement, but pay special attention to the language of this ruling.
This means that a graduate of Florida’s public school system will go out into the workforce, the real world, college, etc., thinking evolution might have taken place, but that the evidence just isn’t all that clear to be sure—after all, it’s only a theory.
In other news, it has been reported that the number “four” is the theoretical sum of two plus two. Also in hot debates is the “scientific theory of evaporation” (formerly known as evaporation). It is being questioned as to whether a conversion from liquid to vapor actually takes place through “heating”. Other forces have not been ruled out as of this time.
Yes, the State of Florida launches astronauts into space, but no one actually knows how, or what this “space” thing is all about.
At least that’s the way some people make it seem. John Stemberger, a representative from pro-creationism Florida Family Policy Council, told the Herald these new standards go too far, and actually “unfairly muzzle teachers.” He went on to say mandating evolution will drive more families to home-school education. Anyone who has seen the documentary Jesus Camp will know why this is terrifying.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Police Attack on Martin Luther King Celebration
On January 21, twenty minutes after a Martin Luther King Day celebration was supposed to end, police officers in Lake Wales, Florida began shooting tear-gas and pepper balls into a crowd without warning. Captain Pat Quinn said the target was a group of “500 to 600 children.”
There was no fighting, no violence, no problems, until the police fired into the crowd. What provoked the attack? Officer Velazquez said one group had “started using profanity.”
This is back in the news today because the Lake Wales chapter of the NAACP has filed a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Apparently, officers wore gas guns around their necks during the King Day celebration, but not at the all-day Mardi Gras event the city hosted this year on February 2, an event which had more than 20,000 in attendance. The annual Mardi Gras event, incidentally, draws a much larger crowd of white Americans than does the King Day celebration.
Capt. Quinn stated this is not a black-white issue.
So here, then, is the issue: Mardi Gras, an event which lasts late into the night, beginning with a parade, costumes, continues with live music, beer gardens, and where drinking is encouraged and profitable to the city and local businesses, was treated by the police as a family-friendly event and party-goers were allowed to roam the streets of the city’s quaint downtown at will; versus, a community celebration of a martyred pacifist who was assassinated for a controversial message of civil rights for blacks in America, which was squelched twenty minutes after 8 p.m. by the same weapons used against demonstrators in the 1960s, whose message of equality made the status-quo uptight then, and apparently now, as well.
Read the full article in today’s Lakeland Ledger, here: http://www.theledger.com/article/20080219/BREAKING/673770353
Monday, February 18, 2008
SONG OF THE WEEK - Hot Chip "Wrestlers"
I'm going to start a new feature today, that may or may not change the way you see music. Song Of The Week! Wherein I will express the extreme pleasure that I have achieved by listening to a certain specific song, many times over and over until my wife expresses her displeasure at said song. I will describe the reasons I like it in terms not often used by music reviewer types, mostly because I do not have the neccessary abilities to describe music as those types do. without further ado----
HOT CHIP - WRESTLERS
play song here
This is the most awesome song of the week. Allow me the privilege of breaking it down.
1. It's a europop song about wrestling, of the lucha libre, WCW-style. I didn't even know British people had seen that sort of thing. Last i checked all they did was eat fried fish, take over small nations the world over and have bad teeth. Then again, last time i checked was sometime in the late 1800s, so I imagine things may have changed since then.
2. The point in the song that starts with naming wrestling moves -"half nelson, full nelson, willie nelson...." then ends with OI! OI! It's the early favorite for best verse of 2008.
If i was writing for Rolling Stone or Blender I would say how that fun-loving, atypical section of lyrics punctuates the discourse on modern lyricism as it relates to pop culture. But I don't write for those magazines. I will say...it's really awesome, and mostly indescribable.
3. I don't generally like technopop type music. But I don't care who you are. Hot Chip is AWESOME.
And when I say I don't generally like technopop music, I'm saying that I like Toxic by Britney, and anything by Justin Timberlake, and the entire album by The Postal Service. And Daft Punk. So what I'm actually saying is that I don't like unpopular music, but if something gets popular...I AM ALL OVER IT.
And HOT CHIP IS BLOWIN' UP!
seacrest out.
The 80th Oscars
The Academy Awards are my drug. I am addicted. It starts in March and plays through February, and then repeats. Most expected hits flop, a few succeed, and a handful of great movies come out of nowhere. And at the end of each year I am left with conflicted feelings of what 'should have' won and what did. The AMPAS and I don't always agree, but I follow their moves religiously nonetheless.
One week from now all the winners will be set in history. The ceremony is February 24th (Sunday). This year has been great, with a number of 'artsy' films up for big awards, and a few categories being very competitive. A few others, not so much.
With all that said, here are my predictions, with a bit of justification, a bit of 'why I'm picking this instead of the front-runner,' and a bit of humor (hopefully). It's hard to separate head from heart in a lot of situations, and here is no different. But alas, predictions must come.
Best Picture:
I do not want to jinx it, but No Country for Old Men has this in the bag. Eight nominations, tying There Will Be Blood for the most. Second highest box office. A near lock in a few other categories. And more importantly, numerous important guild wins (DGA, PGA, WGA, and the SAG to name a few). If anything else wins it would be an enormous upset -- potentially worse than when Crash beat Brokeback Mountain.
Best Director(s):
This also looks to be win for No Country and the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. They won the Directors Guild, which pretty much means they win the Oscar. I saw There Will Be Blood a second time today, and cringe when thinking that Paul Thomas Anderson has a shot at winning. Julian Schnabel would be nice, but unlikely. The Coens seem like such a sure thing.
Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis -- he has won literally every major award so far this season. Again, anyone else would have to be a joke by the AMPAS.
Best Actress:
Tricky, tricky. My brain tells me to pick Julie Christie, but Marion Cotillard's performance is what sticks with me. I also think La Vie en Rose is a better movie than Away From Her, and honestly, let's say I predicted Julie Christie and Marion won... I would feel awful. People are contemplating a vote split and Ellen Page picking up for Juno, but I don't see it.
Best Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem wins, the end.
Best Supporting Actress:
I don't like this category this year because the one person I think should win is the only one out of the five without a shot (Saoirse Ronan). This is legitimately the hardest winner to pick, but I have to go with my gut -- Cate Blanchett.
Best Original Screenplay:
I'm pulling for Ratatouille here, but Diablo Cody's Juno has this one fairly easily. It's just too well-liked not to win.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Another category I see No Country taking, the writers being -- again -- Joel and Ethan Coen. I'd sacrifice my prediction being wrong for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly to win, but there's a slim chance of that happening.
Best Cinematography:
Going with There Will Be Blood on this one. That is my prediction, but honestly all five nominees were amazing and are worthy of a win.
Art Direction:
Again, I think There Will Be Blood will take the Oscar.
Costume Design:
I really want to say Sweeney Todd, but Marion's transformation in La Vie en Rose may be too much to pass on. Plus it looks like the AMPAS didn't take kindly to Tim Burton's new film.
Editing:
Tough call between No Country and The Bourne Ultimatum. The Bourne Ultimatum took the ACE Eddie, and it seems like a good bet, so there we have it.
Original Song:
People will not know which Enchanted song to pick (like with Dreamgirls), and Falling Slowly from Once will win.
Original Score:
This will probably be Atonement's only win for the night. Sad, but hey, what can ya' do?
Animated Feature:
Persepolis has a little love, but Ratatouille has a lot more. A lot, a lot.
Semi-educated guesses and random shots in the dark:
Foreign Language Film: The counterfeiters (Austria)
Sound: No Country for Old Men
Sound Editing: No Country for Old Men
Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Makeup: La Vie en Rose
Animated Short: Peter & the Wolf
Live Action Short: The Tonto Woman
Documentary Short: La Corona
Documentary Feature: No End in Sight
Am I predicting a No Country sweep? Why yes, yes I am. Will it happen? Maybe, maybe not. I think it should. We shall see on Sunday.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Why Hannah Montana 'broke box office records'
A few weeks ago 'Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert' opened in theaters across America. This was the weekend of the Super Bowl.
Countless posts sprung up across the web claiming it broke all kinds of records. This article on Yahoo! is an example, though I was hearing people not very well-informed run the news by me as well. My immediate reaction was, "Yeah, okay..."
A very useful site on the web is Box Office Mojo, where you can get virtually every statistic on a movie's profits, as well as see the movie on a number of lists. Some lists are so obscure as 'Biggest 2nd Weekend Drops' or 'Yearly G Rated 2008.'
'Hannah Montana' grossed about $31,000,000 its opening weekend -- far from a record by normal standards. In fact, it is the 208th best movie in that regard. But the real kicker here is that the theaters, or at least the one by me, were charging $15 per ticket to the show (there is a funny anecdote about how I know this that may or may not be revealed at a later date). Think how many movies could break box office records if they charged double ticket price. A while ago I went and saw 'Meet the Robinsons' in 3D and tickets were $2 more expensive. Reasonable. 'Hannah Montana' puts that ticket price to shame, and to ice the cake, the movie was only 74 minutes long.
Here is a list of records 'Hannah Montana' currently holds, according to BOM:
Yearly G Rated 2008 [note: there were only 3 G movies released so far this year]
Theater Averages (Wide Releases) - All Time
Theater Averages - Wide Opening Weekends
Super Bowl Opening Weekends
Fewest Theaters to Debut at #1
How many of those would have been possible without the doubled ticket price? Maybe one.
There are two morals to the story. First, Box Office Mojo is a great site. Second, this is one more example of a situation where people take 'statistics' to heart without checking for themselves. Sure, it's only a Hannah Montana movie, but do you really think more people saw Hannah Montana than Spider-man 3?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Roy Scheider - Captain of Seaquest
Roy Scheider died this week. You may remember him from such classics as Jaws and the viscerally manly Fosse-helmed dance thriller All That Jazz. But to me, the late great Roy Scheider will always be Captain Nathan Bridger, commander of the Seaquest DSV. He led a crew of the best scientist/military type people the world could muster, working for some sort of underwater near-future worldwide alliance/order to protect the oceans. And now, just like his shipmates Darwin the dolphin and Jonathan Brandis, he too has been laid to rest in the briny deep. Brandis tragically hung himself in 2003. I’m just assuming here that Darwin died of old age. How long do Dolphins live? Like 8 years tops, I bet.
A Note:
I am writing this eulogy/tribute based only on what I remember from Seaquest. At first I had planned on refreshing my knowledge by downloading some old episodes, reading up on some Seaquest Wiki, and searching some bizarre Seaquest Fanboards for all the plot details and famous scenes that I couldn’t remember 12 years later. And actually I did those things, but before I got too far in, I decided it would be better to write this article based on what few memories I have of Seaquest. Because, ultimately, that’s where Captain Nathan Bridger’s lasting impact really is, in my heart.
I watched Seaquest DSV semi-religiously for all 2.5 great seasons. Well, two great seasons. At some point I got really, really confused. Also, I was like 8. At the end of the second season the Seaquest submarine ended up in some sort of cornfield and all the characters got confused. Also all of the audience, the producers, actors and advertisers got confused and they never really found their way back. I have no idea to this day what was supposed to have taken place. What took place in real life is that the ratings tanked and Seaquest got canceled midway through its third season, where Roy Scheider only appeared sporatically (he was supposedly retired). Ouch. I don’t even remember where Darwin ended up. He may have ended up at Seaworld, or more likely, he was dead in that cornfield. Yes, he was a talking brainy super dolphin but he still couldn’t leave the briny deep. Not even for the gently swaying yellow cornfields of Kansas.
My sister Carly and I tuned in every Sunday night (it may have been Wednesday) to see what kind of crazy hijinks the crew of the Seaquest might get into, and out of, under the leadership of the brave captain. Invariably, a few things would always happen. The dolphin would play a huge role in saving the day, speaking in squeaks and clicks and wearing a cute mini backpack like the girls at my middle school did. And secondly Jonathan Brandis would have an emotional heart to heart with the captain about how his parents were dead. The captain would be able to relate because a) he was a sensitive badass future captain who was just as comfortable relating to super science genius heartthrob teens as he was blasting advanced snorkel pirates out of the water and b) his parents were also dead, or had died or were deadbeats or something of that ilk. He was quite old so there is no telling if they had just died, which would have been fairly normal, or if they had been dead since he was like 5, which would have been decidedly more dramatic. I am assuming the latter.
Anyways, at some point after this deep emotional moment they would catch the undersea pirates, or rebels or insurgents, and blast their pathetic near-future new earth alliance disturbing asses out of the water, that or talk them down from undersea nuclear holocaust. It’s been twelve years and that part is kind of foggy for me. I can’t remember if they killed the bad guys mostly or if they took them to SCUBA Ocean Alliance colony prison. Honestly, I saw the Hunt For Red October around the same time in my life and I am fairly certain the two are bleeding together in my memory. It was so cool when Nathan Bridger defected to the U.S.
I do remember one episode where a bunch of the cast members, including some Blair Underwood look-alike and Jonathon Brandis are trapped in an undersea cave and they have to draw straws to see who has to stay and die (the underwater fighter-sub they arrived in didn’t have enough air for everyone). That episode was really intense. It raised some questions for me. Or at least does in retrospect. For example, just because JBrand acted like Einstein doesn’t mean they had to actually let him draw straws as an equal adult. He could have died. Looking back it seems vaguely inappropriate. But then again every thing about that show seems vague. I can’t actually remember if he was even in that scene. Or if that scene was in The Hunt For Red October. Or it might have been in Crimson Tide. When did that come out.
I don’t know what happened to Jonathon Brandis’ life after the show, but not much happened with his acting career. Eventually Carly tore down the poster she had of him up on her wall. And he killed himself sometime later. Which I don’t want to joke about. Darwin died at some point between 1995 and now, I assume. He was probably doing a dolphin backflip through a ring of fire for a delicious sardine when he just fell asleep and never woke up. And Roy Scheider passed this week, after a long and successful career, capped by his portrayal as the rugged, unafraid and dedicated Captain of the Seaquest DSV. And now, on the assumption that everyone else of import from that show has also passed into the great beyond, we lay the ship to rest with them, in her rightful place.
In the briny deep of my heart.
-danny
Enjoy this Seaquest Trailer:
A pre-finale Project Runway roundup
As an avid watcher of Project Runway, and with the finale coming close (I assume after next week's reunion episode), here is a moderate analysis.
The hardest thing for me to do is throw favoritism to the side. My favorite originally was Kit, but that's because I like to base reality show potential on looks alone, because I'm superficial. My favorite skill-wise was Rami because he had won two challenges thus far, and no one else had done that; however, he is getting the shaft because all he does is drape (and rightfully so), so I need to re-evaluate my predictions.
There is a moderate spoiler for anyone who didn't catch the newest episode yesterday.
Sweet P was sent home -- thank God. She has grown as a designer, but definitely does not deserve top designer status.
The real dilemma here is between Rami and Chris. According to the latest episode, Rami and Chris will show their 3 best designs to determine who will show at fashion week, and that will decide third and fourth place (or, potentially, fourth and first/second). The problem I have here is that Chris was previously eliminated and returned due to a technicality of one of the best designers (Jack) going home because of illness. From a logistical standpoint, I assumed Heidi (and producers) brought him back as kind of a joke, but here he is, competing for fashion week.
I will not deny that Chris' designs have improved, but on principle alone he should not be able to show at fashion week because he was eliminated, brought back for no good reason, and stepped it up. If I was any of the contestants eliminated while he was allowed to return I would throw a fit. What the hell is that? By that logic alone Rami should be at least third and show at fashion week.
Jillian and Christian is a tough call. Jillian is a fair designer, but A) she has only won one challenge, and b) is one of the more quiet personalities. Granted, personality is not equal to designer potential, but let's face it, this is reality TV. On the other hand, you have Christian, who has won three challenges (impressive), but been in the 'low' bracket twice. He is very hit or miss.
I can't help thinking of season two, when Daniel competed against Chloe. Chloe had a very well done design, clean and chic, but Daniel's was more adventurous and inspiring, and honestly, about as clean as it could get. I won't deny it -- I hate hate hate Christian (personality wise), but his designs have been risky, yet well executed, and I'm now predicting him to be the winner.
We shall see...