Phoneytown

This is awesome

2010-05-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

The Red House!

2010-05-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

THE FUTURE

2010-05-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Since we last spoke...

2010-04-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

I had a crazy busy year last year - which is the primary reason that I haven't blogged in forever. For those of you curious as to what I was working on, here is an update from last year:

The Middle (TV): I did the pilot episode for this show. The series got picked up and did a full slate of shows.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel: Released at Christmas 2009, this film cleared $200 million in domestic box office.

The Roommate: Basically a modern remake of Single White Female, this Screen Gems film stars Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) and Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl). Due out in 2011.

The Details: I got bumped up to 2nd 2nd AD on this dark comedy film starring Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Dennis Haysbert, Kerry Washington, and Ray Liotta. We shot in Seattle last August and September. It's in post now, and will do a slate of film festivals before an as-yet-known distributor releases it (hopefully late 2010/early 2011).

The Conspirator: We shot in Savannah, Georgia from early October until Christmas. Directed by Robert Redford, it stars James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline, Justin Long, and Toby Kebbel. The story centers around Mary Surratt (Wright) and the other conspirators in the Lincoln asassination. McAvoy plays the lawyer who defends her. The Conspirator is already being mentioned for Oscar consideration 2011:

best film
original screenplay
best costume

2010

Jonah Hex: We did over 60 pages of reshoots (over half the movie) for this Warner Bros comic book adaptation starring Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, and John Malkovich. Due out in June 2010.

Parenthood (TV): I've done a handful of dayplaying on this show which is slowly gaining speed. It won it's first time slot last week, and should continue to get stronger throughout the remainder of the first season.

Bad Teacher: This Columbia Pictures comedy stars Cameron Diaz as a middle school teacher with questionable motives and unscrupulous behavior. Offset by Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, and a great cast of comedy misfits, this Jake Kasdan comedy will be released in 2011.

After a year off...

2010-04-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, I recognize that. Like a year.

So, without further ado, I'll begin my return with this crazy crazy video:

If you know what this is about, please let me know...

Costa Rica

2009-07-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

Katye posted a large selection of images and videos from our Costa Rica trip to Flickr (her account nickname is Katyekates).
You can check out the slideshow

In other news, I leave Saturday morning for Seattle where I will be shooting an indie film called "The Details" starring Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, and some other amazing actors. I'll be in the Pacific Northwest for about 7 weeks.

Here's a sneak peek of the photos...

Another wrap on another film (I'm starting to get used to this)

2009-06-23T17:30:00.001-07:00

Friday marked the last shooting day of "The Roommate" and it looks like I am going to start a TV show in late July, so Katye and I decided late last week that we wanted to go to Costa Rica. Yeah...we leave tomorrow. It's insanely last minute, but I have to take vacation time when opportunity presents itself. We were dedicated to the idea of avoiding "a place where we go to a lot of museums." I'm pretty sure if you check out these itinerary highlights, we have found it:

Day 2: Experience the ultimate waterfall adventure – strap on a harness and rappel yourself down 4 tropical waterfalls. After the thrill of the descent, we make our way along magical trails to reach the top of the brilliant, pristine canyon (lunch included.) Then in the afternoon you’ll hike near Central America’s most-active volcano – Arenal – later you’ll soak in natural hot springs to recover from your day’s adventures.

Day 3: Your chance to do world-class whitewater rafting on the intense Class 3-4 Río Toro – feel the exhilaration of over 45 crazy, continuous rapids in this secluded, picturesque jungle canyon and later in the afternoon continue your adrenaline rush with a bungee jump.

Day 4: Enjoy a scenic horseback ride along Lake Arenal -- spot toucans and monkeys along the way! Finish the night up in the cloud forests of Monteverde in a quiet lodge up in the hills.

Day 5: Now’s your chance to do the quintessential Costa Rica activity and swing through the treetops like Tarzan on the canopy zip line tour. The Selvatura zip line tour includes 15 cables and 18 platforms and takes approximately 2.5 or 3 hours. Later, time to travel by private transfer to Punta Islita one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches.

Days 6 & 7: Enjoy days of relaxation at Hotel Punta Islita. Pamper yourself with an optional spa treatment or enjoy other optional activities such as sport fishing, surfing, bird watching or the Monkey Quest.

Day 8: After a lazy, relaxing morning on the beach we travel to Alajuela (Costa Rica’s second largest city) where you’ll have one last chance for shopping and dancing at the local disco before catching your flight home the following morning.

I'm sure I'll have about 800 pictures to share later from this trip. For now, I'll leave you with a couple of the latest from the shoot and wrap party...

Minka having fun with a stuffed animal (kitten):

Wrap Party: Katye, Chad and Minka

The AD Crew

with Christian, the Director

My Amazing Wife

Uno Mas....

2009-06-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Paparazzi Moment

2009-06-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, Internet.
Apparently, in the blog world I look like Bradley Cooper

Here are a couple more fun photos from The Squeakuel:

With Zach Levi

I look like a children's television show host in this one:

And did you know that Obsessed grossed $70 million domestic box?

Lately...

2009-04-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Two more weeks of Alvin, before starting another Screen Gems feature on May 1.

As a child, I remember going to the movies with my family and seeing all those credits scroll after the movie ended. I distinctly recall thinking to myself how neat it would be to have my name up there. On April 24th, I will be able to fulfill that dream when Obsessed opens in theaters. Katye and I may be the only two people still in the theater when my name finally appears on the big screen (it's possible the music may have already ended as well!), but it's a start. Hopefully, with time, my name will make it's way up the list...

2009-03-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted anything. I wrapped "The Middle" pilot about three weeks ago and just finished week two of "Alvin and the Chipmunks 2." We've been shooting this past week at a working high school in Long Beach which presents some unique challenges, but we are still having fun. I'm working with a great AD crew and enjoying your co-workers always makes the hours go by faster.

Katye is awesome and gets back tonight from a weekend trip to Mammoth for a snowboarding session with some friends. She couldn't pass up another chance to use her new board, especially since the Sierra Nevadas have been getting dumped on. She has another set of designs that she will be finishing up in the next couple of weeks so the trip was a great break from the long hours she has been logging on that project.

Everything else is pretty much the same. Haven't had a lot of time to catch up on the rest of the world.

everybody's talking...

2009-02-12T19:09:00.001-08:00

everyone has a theory about joaquin phoenix. for those that haven't heard, he has reported that he is quitting acting and will now pursue his hip hop/rapping career full time. he was on Letterman last night to promote his final film (Two Lovers) and things went...wrong.
some will say drugs, some will say psychosis. I'm going to say method acting. my guess is that he is taking on this character for an upcoming film role. however, someone should tell him that Val Kilmer already played Jim Morrison.

random thoughts

2009-02-06T11:56:00.001-08:00

we saw Slumdog Millionaire last weekend and it was really impressive. I would say that you have to see this film before really forming an opinion about best picture. You may not think it deserves the award, but I don't think you can really decide best picture until you put this next to the others to form an opinion. Personally, it wins but I still need to see Benjamin Button to make the decision final. Also, I didn't put 2 and 2 together until later, but Danny Boyle (the director) also directed Trainspotting back in the day. I still think Sean Penn wins Best Actor for Milk.

Work related info - spent a couple of days last week on "Samantha Who?" TV show with Christina Applegate. Guest stars on that episode were Angie Harmon (Law & Order) and Billy Zane (anyone remember Titanic?). Great experience and lots of fun. Angie Harmon was amazingly cool and personable; and her raspy voice is as sexy in person as it is on screen.
This week, I started a new television pilot called The Middle starring Patricia Heaton (from Everybody Loves Ray) and Neil Flynn (of Scrubs fame as the janitor). The most notable guest star on this episode is Chris Kattan. The script is really funny and sarcastic and accessible. It should have a good chance of reaching a sizeable demographic, so we will see.

Other notes: everyone has been talking about how crazy Christian Bale's overreaction was on the set of Terminator. There were a lot of jokes being made.

If you haven't heard it, you can catch it by clicking here:
WARNING: THERE IS A LOT OF GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
(F* Bombs) DROPPED FOR THE DURATION.

On to the Squeakuel

2009-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

As hoped, the new year means new jobs in the production world. I just got word that after I finish shooting the Warner Bros pilot (The Middle), I will pretty much go straight into shooting the sequel to the Alvin and the Chipmunks feature that came out last year. I was a little surprised by the sequel idea until I looked it up and - yeah - apparently if you do $217 million in domestic box office ($360 million worldwide), you get a sequel. Seems fair to me.

It will be the largest budgeted feature film I have worked on (the original had a $70 million budget) and it does mark the chance to work with Jason Lee and David Cross, which should be entertaining. I'm also excited that it is being directed by Betty Thomas who is somewhat of a legendary female director. Overall, I am just happy for more work, especially in this economy.

On another note, I saw Matthew Fox (Jack from Lost) at a friend's private drinking club in Manhattan Beach last weekend. I felt compelled to let him know how much I appreciated his work
(*An aside here: it's one of those "hit or miss" things. If you approach a celebrity in a quiet and calm manner and say something brief before moving on, things usually go extremely well. If you are loud, obnoxious, or do something to bring attention, things go badly. Sometimes if you have had too much to drink, you will aim for number one, but somehow stumble blindly into number two. Luckily for me, this did not occur.*)
As it turns out, he was very grateful and pleasant.

Painted johns and things on my mind

2009-01-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Isn't she a beaut? I was going to just paint the ceiling of my boring bathroom because it needed to have a sealant that kept it from mildewing. Instead, I painted the entire bathroom a caolina blue for reasons that kind of escape me. I do like it however. Feels clean now.

- The inauguration reminded me of what it must have felt like to be alive when Kennedy was elected. This has to be the most famous president of my lifetime. Still not sure why the networks need to know what designer his wife and daughters are wearing, though.

- Tonight marks the premiere of the "Lie to Me" pilot I worked on.

- I got word that I will be working on a new pilot called "The Middle" that we begin shooting in February.

- I updated my imdb finally.

- Sickness sucks. Katye has had strep throat and we have both been sick since New Years.

- You know what else sucks? Catching up on all the things you put off doing until after the holidays.

- The last of the sucking. Trying to figure out a way to drop those 10 new pounds without exercising. Any ideas?

2009-01-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Here's the Obsessed trailer (which now has an April theatrical release date):

2008-12-22T12:57:00.001-08:00

Katye and I are off to Phoenix this afternoon to celebrate Christmas with her parents and her grandmothers. We'll be back in LA on the 27th for a few days before taking off for Mammoth for a skiing/snowboarding trip with a big group of friends over New Years.

We had some great times this week celebrating my birthday with friends on Saturday as well as catching up with Shawn and Jenn last night. I got some really cool gifts for my birthday and send thanks out to everyone for being so generous!

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season...

2008-12-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Movies to see this holiday season:
Although there have been very few things worth seeing in the theaters this year, Hollywood is going to bombard you during the holidays with Oscar worthy films so that they are fresh in your minds when it is time to cast nominations in the New Year. Here are the top 5 films on my radar (in no particular order):

The Wrestler

Milk

Valkyrie

Slumdog Millionaire

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Others that may leave their mark:
Seven Pounds
Revolutionary Road

Holiday Cheer

2008-12-17T11:10:00.000-08:00

Let us address the elephant in the room. Someone needs to awaken the leaders of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Seriously. For those of you that don't know, SAG is calling for a January vote on a possible strike that could begin as early as February.

Dear SAG, you've already lost and here's why:

1. AFTRA: You ignored the importance of AFTRA to your cause. AFTRA got smart, parted ways with you, signed their own deal with AMPTP, and left you holding the "oh shit" bag. You either eat it or splatter it all over the viewing public (aka your audience).

2. TIMING: Have you seen the ecomony recently? When people have little-to-no disposable income and face $10 movie tickets and high cable bills, something has got to give. Do you really want to piss them off right now?

3. The WAR IS ALREADY OVER: You were last in line for negotiations. You lost before you got to the bargaining table because all of the other unions already signed the deal. Perception is crucial and you already seem petty for taking this long to get on board.

4. A HOUSE DIVIDED: You can't even get the majority of your most visible members on the same page. You're pushing the few chips you have left and going "all in" when everyone knows the house is going to win.

What's left: With spring pilot season around the corner, swallow what little pride you have left and sign the deal already so that your working actors (as well as the other 80% of this industry) can continue to make a living and you can save a little face.

FOX SHOWS TEETH

That was fun.

2008-11-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

Insert all puns about Pushing Daisies being dead here.

ABC officially announced today that additional episodes of Daisies would not be on their menu, so that means so long to the Pie Maker and the gang. It also means that I will be standing in the unemployment line with the rest of the cast and crew as we look for the next thing.

E! caught up with Kristin Chenoweth at a premiere for her new movie "Four Christmases" and asked her about the cancellation of Daisies:

Bryan Fuller (writer/creator) also mentioned that he would be heading back to write for "Heroes" as well as planning a possible comic book version of Daisies. According to Fuller, the facts are these: "It's very likely that Pushing Daisies will end after episode 13, which as you know, is a cliffhanger. But we are talking to DC Comics about doing comic books that will wrap up our storylines, and I already have a pitch for a [big-screen] movie ready to go."

The good news for fans of the show is that the remaining episodes that we shot will be aired through the spring.

2008-10-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Feels like forever since I last posted anything. Let's just say that six consecutive 75 hour work weeks take their toll. There are times when I commiserate with my late grandfathers who could fall asleep on a sharp rock wall during a hurricane in roughly .024 seconds. In fact, Katye and Nikki are Rock Banding about 15 feet from me now at more than ample volume and I could probably sleep right now...after consuming a pot of coffee.

Recently:

Regardless of the amount of hours and sweat that we put into Pushing Daises, fewer and fewer people seem to be watching. In fact, we have been consistently losing viewers, so things are not looking good by any means. Most of the crew expected the axe to fall this past week, so we were surprised when Friday came and went without word of...something. I would be pleasantly surprised if we get an order for the back 9 episodes. Right now, we are scheduled to complete the first 13 in mid-November.

In other parts of the world, I am going to be an uncle again! Derek and Emily are expecting a baby in May and just had their first ultrasound. Katye and I are very excited for them and can't wait to get up and see them (and their new house).

Katye just finished another round of designs for Glitz and was excited to hear that her name will appear on all designs going forward.

Five Seven Films was born this month as I officially processed the paperwork for my new production company and filed it with the state.

Latest Additions the Ipod:
Airborne Toxic Event
Kings of Leon

I will get back to regular postings in the coming weeks as the show will go on hiatus (either temporarily or permanently).

Shameless Self"ish" Promotion

2008-09-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

SEASON 2 PREMIERE: Wednesday, Oct. 1st - 8/7C (this coming Wednesday)
*why not set your DVR to record it now?*

Good news. I have just gotten a full time staff position on Pushing Daisies and I start Monday. Which means, inconsequentially, that you all need to watch the show (and shamelessly promote it on my behalf to your friends and family) so that the ratings are good, the show continues to get picked up and I continue to get my days.

I know it sounds selfish, but I really think you will like the show. I am very excited as it already happened to be Katye and I's favorite show on television, so it's sorta like a dream coming true for me.

For those that have no idea, it is hands-down one of the most beautifully shot and colorful shows on television. It is like walking into a Tim Burton world where the production value is on par with a feature film. I promise you will not be disappointed in the set designs, costumes, makeup, or other aspects of thre production design.

In addition, the writing, acting, and directing are also high caliber and right on the mark. It's funny, whimsical, romantic, and sincere. It has all of the elements of a show you would want to watch every week.

I strongly recommend that you stick Season 1 on your Netflix cue so you can watch the development of the characters across the first season. There are some great episodes from the first season that you would really enjoy. However, if you don't have the Netflix (or Blockbuster) option, you won't need it to pick up on the storyline for season 2.

Give it a chance because you will really like the show. Give it a chance because you like quality television and fantastical worlds that are visually stimulating. If nothing else, give it a chance because you want to support me and my future.

crazy shit that happens

2008-09-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

sometimes, crazy shit happens on a set.
(this was originally supposed to be in script format, but blogger isn't letting me have that kind of fun with spacing and indentations)

EXT.DOWNTOWN LA STREET.DAY
People scurry about as a movie crew has set up a car driving stunt scene on a large city block in downtown Los Angeles. Traffic is slower than usual as drivers rubberneck at the scene, trying to spot somebody famous. The first ASSISTANT DIRECTOR is bellowing instructions into a megaphone.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Okay, here we go! Everybody to their one!
Dan, can we hold the traffic?

Wallkie talkies sqawk as a traffic control POLICE OFFICER barks commands to his MOTORCYCLE OFFICERS at each end of the large block. Traffic eventually stops and the precision cars and picture car move into their places on the street. PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS quickly gather the orange cones that line the lanes of the street. Background actors return to their starting points as the STUNTMAN takes his place on the hood of the stunt car. Everyone awaits further instructions.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Lock it up!

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS scurry to their assigned positions throughout the block and quickly try to get out of sight. One of the Production Assistants, CHAD, notices an overweight WOMAN - a civilian! - making her way down the sidewalk into his lockup area. SHE is in her mid-fifties, her clothes are somewhat soiled and her hair is sticking up at odd angles. CHAD watches carefully as SHE walks away from the camera and towards the end of the block. SHE is straight down the barrell of the camera lens.

CHAD (to himself)
Please let her get out of the way before he calls "rolling."

The Assistant Director puts his mouth to the megaphone.

ASSITANT DIRECTOR
Rolling!

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS all loudly echo "rolling" up and down the block. Upon hearing this, The WOMAN stops in her tracks on the sidewalk. CHAD goes into action, walking briskly towards the woman who has now put her hands in the air as if to surrender.

WOMAN
I'm ready! I'm ready for my part!

CHAD is closing in, now about 30 feet from her when he notices that SHE has started to take off her shirt. CHAD is now speed walking/running. At 20 feet, the shirt is off, and SHE is unhooking her bra. CHAD is calling out to her.

CHAD
Hey! Stop!

By the time CHAD is 10 feet away, the woman is completely topless and walking into the middle of the street. CHAD is now in full panic mode thinking that the ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - at the other end of the block - may call "action" at any moment and all hell will break loose. CHAD closes the gap and stops about 5 feet from the WOMAN.

CHAD
Ma'am, I need you to put your clothes on and get out of the street. Now.

WOMAN
But, I'm ready for my part.

CHAD
Ma'am, please. I don't want to have to bring the police over here.

The WOMAN starts to walk back towards the sidewalk and CHAD follows. CHAD turns his back to her as she begins to redress. CHAD's walkie talkie crackles.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Sorry, Chad. My mom gets out of control sometimes.

Laughter echoes over the walkie talkie as CHAD shakes his head. The WOMAN is chatting endlessly as she gets dressed.

WOMAN
I used to be a Burlesque dancer when I was younger. Probably about your age.

CHAD
Ma'am, we're just trying to make a movie here. Please hurry.

Soon, the WOMAN is dressed and has walked to the end of the block where she disappears around a corner.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ACTION!!!

2008-09-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

The delay in posting is because there hasn't been a lot to say. However, this week has given me some new material.

I worked on Pushing Daisies this week which is shot on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank. I'd been on the WB lot before, but this was the first time I had worked on a show so it was a pretty cool experience (not to mention the fact that we are BIG fans of the show which made it a lot cooler).

I was pretty fortunate because the episode I worked on had some really cool actors involved as well. The best story has to do with this man:

Dave is hilarious and is a really great guy. He is the kind of person you want actors/celebrities to be when you meet them.

So, he had just gotten out of hair and makeup and we had to take a van across the lot to the set. Dave's costume was somewhat extreme (wig, beard, etc) so, needless to say, he didn't look like himself at first glance. He's riding shotgun and I am in that row behind him. All of the sudden, Dave says, "Hey, there's Will. Stop the van." The van comes to a stop and we all look back in the direction Dave is facing. Will Farrell and director Brad Silberling are standing there talking. Dave tells the driver to roll down the window at which point he starts yelling out, "Billy! Billy!" Will looks up at the van with the tinted windows and starts to (very cautiously - which was hilarious) walk towards the van. You can tell he is unsuccessfully trying to figure out who the hell is calling his name.

Will finally makes it up to the driver's side window and looks past the driver and past Dave (in costume) and settles his gaze on me, asking hesitantly, "Who...is someone calling me?" I nod at Dave as Dave says, "Billy, it's me!" It was one of those moments we have seen Will do a thousand times on the screen, but it was more hilarious in person. He had this astonished look on his face when he recognized Dave and his eyes got all big. He said, "Dave! I thought you were all pulling a ventroliquism thing on me or something." We all laughed and they talked for a couple of minutes before we moved on.

The show was great to work on. The WB lot is huge and every stage seemes to have a TV show or film in progress so it has that "vibe" thing happening. Daisies takes up 3 stages on the lot, and it's like walking into a Tim Burton world. The sets are crazy beautiful and creative and the color palettes (production design) are beyond anything you've ever seen. The costumes are quirky and bizarre, and it just feels like being in a children's story. The production value is extremely high compared to some other shows I've been on.

The stages next to us were shooting "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and I can honestly say that Lena Headey is as hot in person as she is on the show.

This weekend I am working as a set PA on "Bone Deep" which is the working title of the new Sony Screen Gems film that is in production. It's an ensemble cast that includes Haden Christenson, Matt Dillon, Idris Elba (Stringer again!), Paul Walker, TI, and Chris Brown.

This Is My World and I Am World Leader Pretend

2008-09-04T10:17:00.001-07:00

For me, it usually starts with music. Or more simply, a song. Perhaps even a simple chord or note being plucked in a time signature I know too well. This familiar and distant sound coming out of my ipod as it shuffles through long forgotten and unplayed folders. It also happens when I come across a radio station I don't normally listen to. I hear it at a friend's house. Or a bar. Maybe coming from unseen speakers at a barbecue or at the beach on a holiday weekend. It's the sound of a memory.

Maybe for you, it's coming from an unlabeled CD you found deep and forgotten in the back pocket of your passenger seat while looking for something else. You stick it in the CD player and for a brief moment you are not stopped at the same red light on the way home from the same job. You're not even in the same car. In the blink of an eye, you and your friends are once again doing 75 mph on an open and endless highway as you cross south from Wyoming across the Colorado border all those summers ago. The windows are down and the breeze feels good against the brightness of the sun. You don't even sing the songs as much as the lyrics just hurriedly escape your lips as though they have been bottled up a moment too long.

It can be anywhere, anytime if you know how to get there. I have songs that can take me places quicker than a Donnie Darko time travel machine. The detail is so accurate and perfect. The R.E.M. song World Leader Pretend takes me straight to eighth grade in a new school where I don't know anybody and people say strange things like "ma'am" and "sir." There's an Enya song, Watermark, that reminds me of the first girl I dated after I got my license. I cannot remember her last name but when I listen to that song, I can tell you in great detail what she looked like from the driver's seat as we were parked near the man-made lake on a chilly Saturday night. I can't quantify how free that moment felt, but every time I hear that song, I experience it once again.

When I hear Pearl Jam's Porch, I am once again camping out for U2 tickets in the summer of 1992 outside a Magic Platter in Birmingham. Smashing Pumpkins' Today has me in my college dorm room freshman year playing Madden 94 with friends. The list goes on and on, every year of my life can be told through a song.

Sometimes it is not music. Sometimes it is a smell. The trace of a scent hanging in the air just long enough to reach you. A perfume she used to wear on those first dates. Even after you broke up, your car smelled like her every time it got warm outside. The smell of espresso will occasionally take me back to that coffeehouse where I worked for a summer before I was old enough to wait tables. I'm sitting on the worn couches, reading good books, and creating lattes for the locals.

Even a feint trace of mildew and you are vacuuming your car on a Sunday the summer you left the windows open during that unexpected storm. It took months for the interior to dry out and that smell never really completely left. You actually missed it when you got your next car.

You cut through a perfume counter at a department store to save time and suddenly remember the way a girlfriend smiled as you opened the cologne she bought you for your first month anniversary. Not because you liked it, but because she did. You wore it for years until the next girl bought you a different one. As though they were marking their territory.

As frustrating as it gets that I cannot recall every detail of every moment that I have lived, I am comforted by the fact that the important ones are stored somewhere deep in the crevices of my mind. And these can be triggered randomly and without my control. I know there are specific moments that I wish I could pull up on demand, but continue to escape me. Perhaps my memory is sparing me the pain that I have learned to overlook from those moments. Perhaps my psyche will not allow me to reopen those wounds, at least not now. In all reality, there is likely a song or a scent that has escaped me thus far that will return when the memory - or perhaps my own mind - is ready to experience it again. In the meantime, I am happy with the ones I have.

2008-08-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

A Review

Radiohead is human.
To admit this feels wrong. odd. disquieting.
I feel guilty just typing it.

You see, I've seen the band perform 2-3 shows per tour since OK Computer and last night's show was the closest I have ever been to disappointed (I can hardly believe I just used that word). But, in juxtaposition, it is perhaps because they have previously been nothing less than absolutely perfect that persuades me to feel this way. They have set their own standard of perfection. I'm not into comic books, but I can imagine that this feeling is similar to finding out that Superman hides in Clark Kent's nerdy persona when he is not saving the world. Your head clouds up and you're left confused.

That's how I felt for the first half of last night's show at the Hollywood Bowl. Something felt off. The energy was low, there were rare technical errors, and most of the guys just seemed to be going through the motions (Colin being an exception). In particular was the stretch from Pyramid Song through Weird Fishes, The Gloaming, and Videotape where the show just seemed to grind down to a near halt. Nobody really seemed to be into it, including the band. I had never experienced anything like this in previous shows.

Just when I started to worry, however, Talk Show Host brought everything back to life and the show took off from there. It was an entirely different show thereafter. The band seemed to find a new energy, the songs popped and sparkled, and the audience found its pulse. The Bends, National Anthem, EIIRP, Bodysnatchers, Fake Plastic Trees, and Karma Police were all spectacular highlights from the second half.

They played everything from In Rainbows, mixed with some classics from every other album (excluding only the red-headed stepchild, Pablo Honey). They also threw in the standard Neil Young cover (Tell Me Why), one of Thom's solo songs from Eraser called Cymbal Rush, as well as a rare tune from the Rainbows "disk set" called Go Slowly.

Thom has apparently decided not to talk much on this tour because he literally said maybe ten words during the show. After an experience like this for any other band in the world, I would normally say something like: "it's been a long tour, and this was the second night in LA so maybe the band is feeling the effects of being on the road. In addition, although there are some amazing fans here, there are a lot of people in these crowds that are disrespectful, rude, and continuously talkative throughout the show. You know what? Average shows happen." It's just hard to say that when it's Radiohead because I'd never seen an average show.

All in all, I am always appreciative of the chance to see Radiohead live, and this was no exception. On an average day, they are still better than most any other band in the world.

The Setlist
Hollywood Bowl - August 25, 2008

Reckoner
Optimistic
There There
15 Step
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Videotape
Talk Show Host
Faust Arp
Tell Me Why
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
The Bends
National Anthem
Nude
Bodysnatchers

First Encore
House Of Cards
Planet Telex
Go Slowly
Fake Plastic Trees
True Love Waits (2 verses)
Everything In Its Right Place

Second Encore
Cymbal Rush
Karma Police
Idioteque

2008-08-21T22:03:00.001-07:00

Take 5 minutes and watch this.

Save the Internet | Rock the Vote

2008-08-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

My work world is hard for most people to understand. Coming from years of a more "typical" scenario, I understand why. Most people need to have a certain consistency of work hours, locations, and schedules in order to feel employed. I, however, don't. Consistent is not a wildly popular concept in this industry.

Things come and go. I can work a lot of days in a row, or go for some time in between work days. I currently "dayplay" in between big projects. This means I get called in to work for a day at a time. Sometimes I may be filling in for someone that is gone. Sometimes more help is needed on location days (shooting off stage). It all really depends. Sometimes you work for one day, sometimes you work for several; sometimes you get on permanently if it is that type of situation. This world is created from the recommendations from the connections I have made thus far. Other PA's, 1st AD's, 2nd AD's, and 2nd 2nd AD's all share information.

For example, I just got called in yesterday to dayplay on a new Fox TV pilot starring Tim Roth. One of the PA's worked with me on Obsessed and recommended me to the 2nd 2nd AD when they needed additional help. I get a call on Thursday and work on Friday (I'm also working next week as well on it). That's how it works. An aside: I am working on "The Wire" trifecta - I show up yesterday and am looking at Robert Wisdom - aka "Bunny Colvin". For the non-Wire fans, he also played "Luchero" on Prison Break last season.

Heroes was the same way. A recommendation gets you the call about 24 hours out. It's tough to dayplay on these shows because it takes some time to get to know a film crew before you start having fun and being completely effective. On a large project, you have 2-4 months with the same team. When you dayplay, you have 13-14 hours. It's a trip because you get to work with a lot of different people and a lot of different styles. Unfortunately, dayplaying doesn't afford as many opportunities to interact with the actors because you don't have weeks to familiarize yourself like you do on a big project. However (even if it is only to invite them to set), it still feels pretty amazing to talk to people that you watch regularly.

2008-08-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Good news. I just got a call today to work on "Heroes" tomorrow. Apparently, Ali Larter was serious when she said she wanted to recommend me.

In other news, I've been away, but with good reason. Namely, my addiction to this show:

You see, I had heard the "buzz" about this show for awhile, but it never really snagged my attention. I am not a huge fan of AMC (is that basic cable?) and I hadn't really heard of any of the actors. Plus, I am addicted to way too many shows already. All of these reasons I had to avoid this show.

Then last weekend, Katye went to Seattle and I had a Sunday hangover that kept me within five feet of the couch all day. I had exhausted my Netflix supply of "The Wire" episodes so I started surfing my "On Demand" feature of Time Warner cable. And then I came across the entire first season of Mad Men. 13 episodes (maybe 14). Each glorious episode 45 minutes and commercial free, so I thought "why not?"

Yeah, it's as good as everybody has been making it out to be. Maybe better. Here are some credentials for that may attract you:

* I watched all 14 episodes (plus season 2, episodes 1 and 2) in a 24 hour period.

*Creator Matthew Weiner wrote the pilot of Mad Men in 2000 as a spec script while working as a staff writer on Becker. In 2003, television producer David Chase recruited Weiner to work as a writer/producer on his HBO series The Sopranos after reading the pilot script. Weiner then served as a writer/producer on The Sopranos for three years.

*The show received 16 Emmy nominations, including best drama series, best director, best actor, best supporting actor, etc etc.

You should really check it out. It may be on demand with your cable company as well...

2008-07-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

This headline:

ExxonMobil profit, $11.7B, sets another U.S. record

reminded me of this song:

2008-07-30T15:37:00.001-07:00

Johnny Depp will play “The Mad Hatter” in Tim Burton’s new big screen adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s timeless fairytale Alice In Wonderland

earthquake hangover...

2008-07-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

2008-07-29T11:10:00.001-07:00

don't like it:

we just had a 5.8 earthquake occur about 35 miles east of here in Chino Hills that shook the house and had me running for the door. The shaking is one thing, but it throws off your equilibrium and I always get dizzy and feel like I'm swaying another 2-3 minutes afterwards...

In the rest of the world...

I may be turning into a republican (as scary as that concept seems), but I think this is government overstepping it's bounds.

The new Oliver Stone trailer for "W." can be found here

(Thanks to Ditchell): A new search engine has arrived on the scene, claiming to search "more pages on the Web than anyone else — three times as many as Google and ten times as many as Microsoft."

Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes) has a new solo album arriving on the scene next week

Batman outdeuls Step Brothers: Batman wins Box Office weekend again, drawing $75 million to bring it's 10 day total to $314 million.

Busy Week...

2008-07-27T11:52:00.001-07:00

I'm still getting used to this freelance work schedule. What started off as (I thought would be) a slow week quickly gained last minute mometum and I ended up working 4 days on a couple of projects.

Solange Knowles VH1 Special
Solange (the younger sister of Beyonce) is releasing her second album on Geffen records and VH1 wanted to do a half hour special introducing her to the world. I was First AD on the shoot...

Clique Girlz

Three girls (ages 12 and 13) that are gaining a Disney generation of fans that spend a lot of money on Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and the Naked Brothers Band. We shot their concert on the Huntington Beach Pier where they opened up for The Donnas at the:

(like an X games for Girls only)

It was a tough shoot as we had to deal with the sun, the beach, and the massive amounts of 20-25 year old California girls in bikinis.

Toys
After such a tough week of work, Katye and I decided to get some toys that we had been eyeing for awhile. It was time for:

PS3
It made complete sense. No kids yet. We also needed a new DVD player and since blu ray won the high def DVD format war, there are (and will be) many many more movie titles available.

However, there is no doubt that the big kicker for Katye was:

which I dig as well. We've actually formed a band now (I'm on guitar, she's the cool chick drummer) and started touring (within the game, of course) as "Lula Ruby." I think we're kicking ass, but we're going to have to elevate to the "medium" difficulty level soon and that can tear a band apart.

The PS3 also came with:

I hear it's a great game, but I'm not usually one for "shoot em up" video game worlds. I prefer the sports thing (can't wait for Madden 2009)...

To complement the PS3, we needed:

to power these through:

so we can watch these:

which I bought with a gift certificate the AD team had given me from the "Obsessed" movie I wrapped last month.

Just so you know it's not ALL fun and games in LA, I did have to go and get this

which I have to find a way to put on our front door as the existing screen door is barely hanging on. It may not seem hard, but (like IKEA furniture) it could take me awhile...like all day.

2008 Fall TV Schedule

2008-07-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

one of the most popular questions lately is about when our favorite TV shows come back in the fall. Here is a chart that I found that showed the lineups after the spring Upfronts were announced. There may be some new additions since then, but I will try to keep you updated...

The fall season typically starts in early-to-mid September although the networks have started favoring the "staggered" start which releases shows in different weeks

WINTER & MIDSEASON PLANS
(probably in January)

• ABC will bring back Lost, According to Jim, Scrubs (formerly of NBC) and The Bachelor.

• CBS brings back Rules of Engagement and premieres the murder mystery Harper's Island.

• The CW brings Reaper back for Season 2.

• Fox in January brings back 24 (Mondays at 9), American Idol and Hell's Kitchen, and premieres Joss Whedon's Dollhouse (Mondays at 8), Secret Millionaire and the animated series Sit Down, Shut Up and The Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy).

• NBC will bring back Law & Order (Wednesdays at 10 pm/ET), Friday Night Lights (Fridays at 9) and Medium (Sundays at 9), as well as premiere an Office spin-off (Thursday, 9:30), Merlin (Sunday, 8) and Kings (Sunday, 10).

2008-07-17T16:39:00.001-07:00

Go Here to check out Radiohead's new video for "House of Cards." It probably won't surprise you that there is some tecnology involved.

The Office Minisode: Malone's Cones

Bloodline

2008-07-11T10:40:00.001-07:00

maybe it is because of my respect for documentaries, but this looks a lot more interesting than The DaVinci Code. The story is not new, but people are still asking the question...

2008-07-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

I've been catching up on some things lately now that I have some time. Here's what's been crossing my visual palate...

Hancock

A decent movie (a 7.4 on the flickter scale) - Jason Bateman actually made the movie a lot better than it would have been. Plot is thin, but a good 4th of July movie and we had free passes.

The Happening

All of Hollywood hates M Night Shamalongadingdong for the spoiled temper tantrum he tossed at Disney (who offered him $80 mil to make this movie, but didn't LOVE the script). He passed and shopped it around to a LOT of people before being picked up by Fox. Regardless, I have liked 50% of his movies and thought I would give it a shot. In keeping fair to the percentages, I liked the first 50% of this movie which had a decent set up and plot line. The direction and cinematography were there. And then...NOTHING happened. Nothing redeemable anyway. The dialogue became forced and boring, the climax was anything but, and the third act disappeared like the aliens from "Signs." It may be fair to say that M Night may have seen his $80 mil investments go bye bye. (5.5 on the flickter scale)

Vantage Point

A decent movie by most accords. Shot well, edited well. They could have limited the number of perspectives to focus on the second act a little more, but overall I enjoyed it (7.2 on the flickter scale)

Charlie Bartlett

What can I say? I love these movies about teenage years spent beating the system. Well written and directed; Robert Downey Jr. has a diverse character, Anton Yelchin is surprisingly good, and where the hell has this Kat Dennings been? (8.6 on the flickter scale)

Weeds

I'm checking out Season 3 and highly recommend that you do the same. This show is so well written, shot, and acted - the only draw back is that it is only half an hour long. I think I may be in love with Mary Louise Parker...and Katye approves this message. (9.2 on the flickter scale)

On other fronts...

Book - Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

I've yet to read a page of Chuck Palahniuk that I did not like, and this book has been no exception. He finds the "base of the base" in everyday life and creates worlds of characters from it. For some reason, I am riveted by this. Without giving away details, the book follows three random guys (out of 600) in line to have sex with a pornstar who is trying to set the world record. Yeah, that's what I said.

Beer - Newcastle

I've had this beer about 100 times before, but for some reason I am really enjoying it right now. It's such a low maintainence beer, the label says "serve cool."

That's a Wrap

2008-07-03T09:13:00.001-07:00

We wrapped the film on Monday and I wanted to share some moments with you...

Ali

Ali was an amazing person to work with. She was extremely gracious and always brought a great energy to the production. Her smile was as infectious as her work ethic. It was especially impressive considering she was working double time (shooting this and Heroes simultaneously). Notice my shirt?

Idris

'Dris is one cool cat. He was always smiling, laughing, and cracking jokes that made it all feel less like work. He works extremely hard to hone his craft and was fun to be around. It was a bizarre experience as I would come home from the lot and watch The Wire episodes at night before going back the next day and having "Stringer" heckle me (in his English accent) about wearing a pink shirt (I still maintain it was a faded red).

Me, Trey, and Scout

You may recognize Scout Taylor-Compton from any number of movies and tv shows she has appeared in (including a significant role in Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween). Trey is a fellow PA that taught me a lot about everything.

B

At first look, this is just another ordinary picture taken from a paparazzi. But, upon closer examination of the bottom right of frame, you can see my arm. That was because I was walking towards the photog to get between him and Beyonce. He took about 40 photos and posted only this one, which makes me believe he deleted about 39 photos of me.

Location shoots

The Biltmore

One of the oldest and most beautiful hotels in all of LA, this was the site of the original Academy Awards.

The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood (at 8 PM)

The hotel sits across from Hollywood and Highland, and next door to the Jimmy Kimmel Show. To get to base camp, we had to walk past an outdoor concert of the Pussycat Dolls being shot for Kimmel's show.

The Roosevelt Hotel
(12 hours later when we wrapped an overnight)

Compared to the first one, it's like a "before and after" a long day's work. It's a cool experience to watch the sun come up in Hollywood though.

The Hospital

Apparently, there are 4 abandoned hospitals in LA that get used for TV shows and movies. This was the Daniel Freeman hospital in Inglewood that had been shut down a year ago when a lady died waiting in the ER due to a lack of staff. Abandoned hospitals are creepy places.

The Sony Lot
Because we had a strange shooting schedule (Saturday - Wednesday) as well as long days and late hours, there were many times when we were the only people on the lot. This held a lot of magic for a kid on his first feature film. There was something completely romantic about driving around the deserted lot at 3 AM and knowing that you were roving hallowed ground where many dreams had come true.

This was never more evident than the day we shot at the stage that was used for the Flying Monkey scenes in The Wizard of Oz. (Today's Sony lot is the original MGM lot and there were a couple (hundred) classics shot in these stages.) It was pointed out to me that you can still see the rigging that was installed to harness the actors and pull them around in a flying stunts that were brand new to a brand new industry. I was in awe. If that doesn't do anything for you, you should also know that another movie called Gone With the Wind was shot on this lot.

Anyway, here are some of those quiet moments:

Columbia Pictures

Main Street

2008-06-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

On Location.
This past week, we four days at two different locations. Two of the days were spent at the location house we are using for the movie, and we had a new experience of dealing with paparazzi that showed up.
I know it seems tedious to worry about a group of people taking photos, but there are several reasons to try to dissuade them. First, and foremost, is respect for the actors and crew who are trying to do their thing and need as few distractions as possible. In addition, there are safety concerns as we are shooting on public streets, not to mention the large, expensive equipment that is moving in unpredictable ways. Paparazzi photogs aren't like other professional photgraphers. These guys are constantly pushing boundries to get closer and will take whatever approach is necessary to get an exclusive shot that will fetch them more money. And once the word is out, they multiply like Gremlins being fed after midnight.
The first guys that arrived stood inconspicuoulsy across the street, pretending not to notice this huge production taking place. They carried large non-descript duffel bags (no doubt with their telephoto lenses). One of these guys went to the house across the street and offered the neighbor's teenager some "incentive" (aka cash) to let him in the house where he proceeded to shoot through the windows. Soon thereafter, a group of 6 guys blatently walked up the street, cameras in hand.
What to do?
We had to approach the situation carefully as there were also neighbors passing by that we had to respect since we were taking up their neighborhood. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to "stop" these people from taking pictures, although I learned some new techniques that may come in handy later on in my career. One of our security personnel grabbed a large umbrella which she proceeded to open and hold in front of the dude's camera. As he moved, she mirrored him. This went on for about 10 minutes as he berated her verbally. She never flinched. He finally gave up and left. I also learned that another good maneuver is to get a 12"x12" mirror (usually used to help bounce light and found in most grip trucks). This bounce, plus the sun, can "accidentally" direct a sharp glare directly at the lens of the camera, quickly ending the possibility of a decent picture. It really pisses them off, too, which is an added bonus.

Last Week
Tomorrow starts the last 3 days of shooting, and I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off before starting something new. At this point, I don't know exactly what I will be doing next, but there are a few things in the hopper that look promising for July and August before starting another feature in September.

2008-06-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

the people you meet... working on a studio lot has its benefits. The other day, we were surprised as Spike Lee walked on to our stage just to check things out as we were shooting. In fact, we (the PA's) were running Lakers-Celtics basketball squares and he put up for a square (writing: "S. Lee Go Knicks"). Turns out he is shooting a small project on the Sony lot as well and heard we were there.

speaking of...we have a producer that is extremely happy to be a Lakers fan - so much so that he had a 60" plasma TV brought to stage and hooked up so everyone could watch the game on silent (as we shoot the movie). The funny thing was that about two hours after Spike Lee was on stage, they showed him sitting courtside at the Lakers game. His sqaure didn't win.

ingenuity...everyone knows the PA's work long hours and don't get paid shit. In order to atone for this injustice, most people on film sets will participate in $5 Fridays. The idea is for the PA's to take a bucket around and collect $5 bills (with names or initials emblazoned) from crew and cast. Each person can enter as many times as they choose. Once the gathering is complete, the Producers (or UPM, EP, etc see: bigwig) will sometimes match the total pot gathered, doubling the dollar amount. The PA's then get a percentage cut (maybe 20%) for their collection efforts which they share and a winning $5 bill is drawn. Winner takes the prize.

gearing up...we have another three weeks of shooting this film so everyone is looking for the follow up gigs. I am talking to some new friends about upcoming projects, so will keep you updated as things progress. I would really like to get on "Angels & Demons" if possible as they are shooting on the same Sony lot and it would work out nicely for timing. We'll see.

2008-06-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Random Tidbits:

1. Time: Last week was the first time in my life that I have worked 88 hours in a 6 day period. It's not easy. If you think it is, try it - and stay on your feet the entire time.

2. Pride: Katye's freelance graphic design gigs continue to grow at an amazing clip. During my days on set, she has apparently been elevated to "sensei" status in the Photoshop matrix and continues to create the world she has always wanted to see. Her designs rock and are really growing into their own thing. It's fun to watch.

3. Fun things to do on a golf cart (based on a true story): The star of the film decides that he wants to drive the cart, so you sit in the passenger side as he whisks you around a famous studio lot that is not on fire. He asks you how it feels to be driven for a change and you respond that you rather enjoy the change of perspective. He then plays on the irony by telling you that he REALLY enjoyed your last film. You respond by saying that you appreciate his support, but that it is getting tiresome being asked about the same project all the time when you have a resume that reaches well beyond "that one thing." He laughs and asks about your next project which he understands to be a remake of Robin Hood. You tell him all about the specific quiver that you demanded from the producer that costs thousands of dollars. When the producer balks, you threaten to walk. This amuses the star greatly as the cart pulls up to his trailer. As he gets off the cart, you tell him that you are willing to give him an autograph later if he asks nicely. He laughs all the way into the trailer. You remain on the golf cart and bemuse the brief role reversal.

4. Things you probably shouldn't do on a movie set: The scene takes place in a restaurant. For this shot, the camera will frame a medium shot of the main actress who sits in the middle of the restaurant. The actress has her back to the front door of the restaurant, so anything behind her will be seen in the shot. Your assignment: guard (lock up) the front door from the outside of the restaurant to make sure that no one "crosses" frame and appears in the shot. In your surveillance earpiece, you hear the First AD's booming voice announcing that picture is up and that it is that time to lock things up. At that moment, two background (extras) ladies (out of 40 that are roaming around) come up to you in a confusing stupor about whether they have or have not been wrapped for the evening. They are whispering in unison in a manner that only be compared to newborn chicks hungry in a nest. The First AD's voice continues to boom in your right ear and you are using your left ear to try to understand what these ladies are saying. Simultaneously, you are trying to make sure that no random people are about to cross frame from your left and right. The two hemispheres of your brain begin to bicker harshly with one another and this is the scene in your life where your head may or may not spontaneously combust. This is what goes down in the next 6 seconds of your life:

Right Ear: "Okay, here we go people. Lock it up! Hold the work. Keep the noise down over there!"
Left Ear: We....blah blah...wrapped, not sure if he meant..."
Eyesight Line: Scanning a 180 line looking for any incoming bogeys that may try to cross frame.
Right Ear: "Picture's up! Here we go!"
Left Ear: "...inside, but then he told us...blah blah blah..."
Eyesight Line: A shadow appears in the left peripheral
Right Ear: "Settle! Keep it down!"
Your voice repeats: "Everyone settle!"
Left Ear: "...sitting at table...blah blah blah...next to the principals...blah blah blah"
Eyesight Line: Shadow has grown into the form of a person
Right Ear: "Rolling!!!"
Your voice repeats: "Rolling!"

Everything goes into slow motion. Your mind catches it's mental cloth on the barbed wire of what you may have heard. Did the extras say they were sitting next to the principals in the scene? Next to them???? That means they would need to be at the table at this precise moment, or the continuity would be wrong. You would need to call this over the walkie immediately, but you don't know if action was called yet because the First AD has not been calling action over the walkie. The ladies are still whisper chirping and The shadow person is passing you now which means that he/she is about to cross frame.

Your brain does the quick math triage and then things happen in a succession that bends the space time continuum. Priority number one: stop the person from crossing. Somehow you step forward to wrap your arms on the shadow person and begin to pull them back just as they are about to enter frame. At the moment where your pull has altered their momentum, it occurs to you that this shadow person is your Executive Producer and this could be the end of your brief career. You let go, quickly.
Exec Prod: "We're not rolling, man."
You: "But...he called rolling"
Exec Prod: "We're not, but I like your style man. It's cool."
(two seconds later)
Right Ear: "Okay, now we're rolling!!!"

Apparently, in the 6 second interval of chaos, the First AD cut the roll and had not announced it over the walkie. How the EP knew is still beyond a mystery since he is not on walkie anyway.

The Outcome: The EP comes up to you at lunch and bumps fists with you, laughing about what happened, and puts his arm around you. He walks you over to the Director's/AD"s/Producers table and recites the story for everyone to chuckle over. Your brief moment of hell has somehow become the ice breaker for the day to take the edge off of the stress that everyone has been dealing with. It's all good.

You finally catch your breath again three days later.

2008-05-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

So, we just wrapped a couple of shooting days in downtown Los Angeles, which was surprisingly enjoyable. We shot a couple of days at the Biltmore Hotel which is one of the oldest in LA, and is beautiful inside and out. It has been restored somewhat recently and has a very classic European architecture. The Biltmore was also the site of the first ever Academy Awards (they have pictures in the lobby - amazing). A lot of history took place in this hotel.

Shooting in the lobby of working hotel is somewhat tricky as the hotel continues to go on - business as usual - around your film crew of 115 people. Needless to say, this can create many issues - especially with sound and civilians (aka gawkers). As a PA, you have to lock up positions throughout the floor and make sure people do not walk through your shot; all the while trying not to make any sound or having them stop in mid-frame of the shot. You are to be a human wall and soundshield. Unfortunately, there is no magic elixir for how to accomplish this. If you are lucky, the people coming in will be cool and will cooperate (stopping where you ask them and being quiet and respectful). These people become your earthly saints for those 3-4 minute takes (even though they suddenly want to ask 10 questions about the movie: the stars, the director, etc while you are trying to get them to be quiet). Regardless, you love these nice people visiting from Cincinnati and silently wish for more like them.

The flip side of this coin is ugly. There are some people that just don't care that a movie is being filmed and they will not wait 30 seconds (let alone minutes) to cross this lobby (in the middle of the shot) to get to the business center. Don't try to reason with these people - they are clearly unwilling to have any part of it. And this, my friends, is the rub. As PA's, we HAVE to stop them, but we cannot physically impair their movement or touch them in any way. Combined with the fact that we cannot make a lot of noise yelling at them to stop, it becomes an interesting paradox. How does one do this? You improvise and do it however you can. Make monkey faces, hiss at them, act like a silent madman; distract them in any way possible and pray that the take is almost over. All you have to do is just keep them long enough so that they don't ruin the shot.

I had a lady yesterday that walked past 4 nice people (the ones who were kind enough to stop) and came face to face with me. I whispered pleasantly that we were shooting a movie and asked her to wait just a minute so as not to ruin the shot. She sidestepped me and kept moving. I'm pivoting and moving with her - my face about 4 inches from her ear and I'm putting some serious emphasis on the fact that I would REALLY like for her to stop as soon as possible. I'm panicked, but there is nothing I can do more short of tackling her which crosses my mind. She continues for 12 steps and finally stops...just on the inside edge of the the frame. Apparently, she wants to watch the filming, but this means that she will be in the shot (simple rule: if you can see the camera lens, it can see you). I'm waiting for the First AD to yell "CUT!" followed by things I don't want to repeat here, but there is nothing. Apparently, the steadicam operator had rotated the frame during the scene just enough that they had already passed my lockup and this lady was just out of frame. I released my breath very slowly after that one.

There's more stories for other days, but it's all a blast. I gotta run as we are shooting at a different classic Hotel in Hollywood tonight for some night exterior scenes (which means we will probably be there until 5 AM) but I will leave you with this:

Here's a moment where I felt completely at peace in the madhouse of action and filmmaking chaos. Our basecamp was in a parking lot about a block away from the hotel and there were a lot of trips between the two. During the walk last night, I took a couple of breaths to stop and look up at the skyline of downtown LA. At night, the place is a ghost town, and there is a stereo mix of the hovering silence combined with the freeway hum from 10 blocks away. There are buildings of various sizes, heights, shapes, and architectural styles being lit from the ground up and surrounding me. Buildings with company names emblazened on the side; logos that I know from commercials I have seen. The calming mix of orange street lights blending in with the neon glow from a million storefronts. At one point, the moon peeks out over one of the shorter buildings, reflecting the sun's white light back onto the quiet streets. For a couple of moments I absorbed it all and thought about how fortunate I felt to be there, in that moment, and to be following this dream.

2008-05-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

I just finished "All The Pretty Horses", a novel by Cormac McCarthy (some of you would know him as the author who wrote "No Country For Old Men"), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book was the National Book Award Winner in the early 90's and his most recent work "The Road" won the Pulitzer Prize last year.
I can't speak to the movie which was released years back, but his style of prose is fascinating. I particularly enjoy the way he uses the southern dialect to sum up a great concepts in very few words. He also adeptly explores and portrays the relationships of men with all of the things in their lives. The writing is straightforward and crisp and he has an ability to preserve deep emotion without the use of dialogue.

Next up is TC Boyle's "The Tortilla Curtain" which was recommended to me.

A Day In The Life...

2008-05-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sitting here, listening to the new Death Cab For Cutie album "Narrow Stairs" seemed like a good opportunity to give you some insight into the day of the life of a PA on a feature film. While this may not be new (or even interesting) to some of you, it seemed like a good idea anyway. There are certain things that I cannot go into detail on due to certain non-disclosure articles...

Early AM (depending on call times): Wake up. Shower. Grab some coffee. Drive to the Sony lot. Once on the lot, the first thing to do is get on the walkie so that I can communicate with everyone.

Walkies: These things are crucial and save hours by allowing everyone to know where you are and what everyone is doing at any given time. There is a world of "walkie etiquette" that has to be learned, as well as terms that only exist in this world. Examples:
"What's your 20?" (What's your location?)
"So-and-so is 10:1" (code for restroom)
"Go to 2" (2 is a separate channel intended for private conversation)
We have "surveillance" earpieces that look like the ones that the Secret Service people use. This is important because there are things that go out over the radio that nobody else is intended to hear except the AD team. Radios save a ton of walking around time.

Pre-shooting: Once on the radio, I go to the production office and get the "sides" so that I can get to the soundstage and pass them out to everyone. "Sides" are roughly 4x6" booklets that have a copy of the call sheet on top. Inside are the script pages that are to be shot that day. It's like a small cheat sheet for the crew and cast so they don't have to lug around the entire script everywhere. I also spend this time making sure that the AD box has new call sheets and a supply of new walkie batteries (aka "hot bricks", "hot biscuits") so that the crew can change out as necessary. I then find one of the AD golf carts and make sure the First AD has a ride to the stage, production office, or catering for breakfast. Once the crew has made it to the stage, the First or Second AD usually gets on the radio and calls out that "We're In" (which means that we have hit the call time and the day has officially began).

The Day Begins: The first thing to do at this point is to take a golf cart down to Base Camp (the place where the trailers are kept for the actors, make-up, hair, props, wardrobe, special effects, etc) and pick up the "first team" (the principal actors) and take them up to the stage for rehearsal. At this point, they haven't gone through complete "touches" (hair, makeup, wardrobe) as this is only a time for them to work with the director on preliminary blocking and line run-throughs for the upcoming scene. Once rehearsal is completed, they release first team (and I take them back to base camp) and they bring in "second team" (aka - stand-ins - people with roughly the same height and features as the actors) so that the DP, Director, Grips, and Set Lighting can begin the process of setting up the lighting and camera for the upcoming scene.
Once back at base camp, the first team usually hits touches to get camera ready for when they are called back to the stage. The First or Second AD will usually call out when they expect the first team to be camera ready so that we can have them ready to get back to the stage. Once ready, I drive them back to the stage. There is walkie talk happening so that everyone on stage knows the first team is "traveling" and so that another PA can be ready to intercept them at the stage door and walk them into the stage and on to the set. The hair, make-up, and wardrobe team are also going back and forth from base camp to the stage with the first team as they are needed wherever the actors are. Before beginning the scene, the actors go through "final touches" to make sure they are camera ready. They also get touched up between takes if necessary.

Shooting: Once the shooting is set to begin, the PA's go to assigned "lock up" positions. These are usually outside the stage doors, as well as various places around the soundstage. "Lock up" means that the PA's close off and quiet these areas so that once ready to roll, there are no disturbances. Generally, the First AD calls out info over the walkie which the PA's repeat outloud at their lock-up positions. It starts with "Okay, here we go" which means that we are close to starting. Then comes "Lock it up" and then "Rolling." Rolling indicates that sound is rolling. At this point, the PA's are designated hall monitors to make sure that no one is walking around, talking, or making any noises. If on the door, we make sure that no one enters or exits. Once on location, we will do the same for the areas we are assigned. We hold silence until we hear "cut" or "cutting." Then, either we hear "going again" or "checking the gate." The gate is a piece of glass on the camera that the film travels past on exposure. After each good take, the gate has to be checked to make sure that it is free of defects (hair, dust, any foreign object) that could have tainted the film during the take. If the gate is good, then the First AD calls out "moving on" which means that take was a winner and we are going to the next shot in the scene or the next scene. Tis usually indicates that they have to do another "set up" (moving and rearranging the camera, the lights, and everything else). This can take some time, so they usually release first team and bring back in the second team. If they are just pushing in closer, it is a quick turnaround, but if it is a complicated set up (a reversal for instance), they may let the first team go back to base camp to relax for a brief amount of time as opposed to hanging out on stage. At this point, I grab a cart and meet the talent outside the stage to take them down to base camp and start the process over again.

Other notables: I am also in charge of "distro" (aka distribution). Several times a day, the production office will send down updated info, memos, and mail for people on stage (crew departments, producers, etc) and I am in charge of getting this out as soon as possible.
Fun Facts: There are many detailed and necessary rules to the various labor unions that must be adhered to. For example, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has turnaround times which must be met. This means that on a daily basis, you must give the Actors 12 hours between a wrap and their call time for the next day. In addition, there must be a 54 hour hiatus on weekends or extended days off. Every 6 hours, there must be a meal provided (and time to eat), or meal penalties can ensue. I believe there may be a 12 minute grace period on this if the First AD requests it.

Speaking of food: There are 2 separate departments for food. Catering is in charge of main meals (breakfast, lunch), but there is also Craft Services (Crafty) that constantly has snacks (energy bars, donuts, chips, candy bars, cereal, fruit, nuts, etc), drinks, and small meals (sandwiches) available on the stage at all times. They usually bring in hot snacks every once in awhile as well.

Ending the Day: The next-to-last shot for the day is called the "Abby" and the final shot for the day is called the "Martini." Once the First AD has called a wrap for the day, the PA's furiously try to hand out the next day's call sheets to everyone that is on stage. I get the first team back to base camp and then go hunting down the daily time sheets from various departments. At the end of each day, I am assigned to pick up the daily time sheets for specific departments so that they can be taken to the 2nd 2nd AD to complete the PR (production report). Once that is complete, the PA's have probably been there around 14 hours, so we go home and start over the next day.

This is just a sampling of things. There are also several dozen other little things that are needed during the day that PA's will get assigned to do. I just wanted to give you an idea.

I love this. I may be just a small piece of a huge puzzle, but I'm part of the process of making movies and I dig it. Every day is a blessing and is one more day removed from the corporate world that was sucking the life out of me.

2008-04-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have some exciting news. I was just hired to be a PA for an upcoming Sony Pictures Screen Gems feature film with the working title "Obsessed" which starts shooting next week.

The duties: A PA (production assistant) is the entry level on a production crew and is responsible for all of the smaller things that are needed by the higher ups. This could be anything really that is necessary on a set, so there will be a lot of errand running and such. My 1st and 2nd AD's are very talented and experienced directors themselves and I am looking forward to learning a lot from them. Most AD's start off as PA's in this industry before elevating to the next level.

The film: The plot synopsis for the film is "a successful professional man with a beautiful wife finds his idyllic life threatened by a temp in his office who reveals herself as a stalker." It is being directed by first-time feature helmer Steve Shill who has done a ton of Television directing (The Wire, West Wing, Dexter, The Tudors, ER, The Sopranos, Carnivale, Deadwood, Law & Order, etc)

The cast:
Beyonce

Idris Elba

For those fans of "The Wire," Idris played Stringer Bell

Ali Larter

Ali also plays Niki Sanders on "Heroes"

I will be out of commission on the blog updates for awhile as it will probably be 8-10 weeks of shooting and the days will probably be 12-14 hour days. I am extremely excited about this opportunity.

2008-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Some updates.
First off, sorry for the absence. It seems that production work may take up more time than anticipated and this is a good thing…for me.

I spent the majority of last week preparing for, and executing, two events with Motley Crue as they announced a new album and "Crue Fest" live to the world. I was an associate producer (as well as coordinator, co-editor, and stage manager) for the production company that filmed the event at the Avalon in Hollywood. We used 6 cameras, 2 ENG crews, and a 24 foot jib (a crane like arm that can extend over the crowd and float in seemingly inaccessible places). Here is the package that was cut for promotional purposes:

The band announced the tour to the media, did a few questions, and played two songs ("Kickstart My Heart" and their new single called "Saints of Los Angeles"). After that, they booted the media, brought in Jimmy Kimmel's live audience, and the band performed the two songs again. After the performance and a break, the band went up to the Spider Room where they did the press junket interviews.

John, a good friend and the person who hooked me up with this production company, was asked by our Technical Director at the last minute to interview the band. Keep in mind that John has worked with/directed/interviewed many bands over the last 7 years, including some of the biggest current names in radio play music. However, Motley Crue happened to be one of those “legendary” bands in his heart and mind, so the last minute thing was quite a shock. In addition, you do this in front of a room full of other media members staring over your shoulder. However, he pulled off 10 minutes nicely. Here's an image:

After the event, I joined the director at a post-house and we worked to cut together the package you see above. I got into bed about 4 AM, and set the alarm for 5:30 as I had to drive back to Studio City for a 7 AM call time for the satellite Media Tour on Wednesday morning...

The next morning (kind of): Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil did a four hour Satellite Media Tour which means that they did on-camera interviews from this location with TV stations around North America. I think, in all, they did about 30-35 interviews, mainly with markets that they are touring, as well as some national spots.

I then came home and slept.

Overall, this was the second event in the last 8 days that I had done (Stone Temple Pilots was the previous week) and both were pretty amazing experiences.

Here's Where I Will Be...

2008-04-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

In case you had any inclination that you may be looking for me on Monday, August 25, 2008, somewhere around 7:30 PM, I will be here watching arguably (and I'll gladly take that argument) the best live band in the world.

Radiohead
at the Hollywood Bowl.

2008-04-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hope to get you some moving images to accompany a more detailed description of my day with Stone Temple Pilots...

In the meantime, here is the setlist:
Big Empty
Plush
Vasoline
Lady Picture Show
Big Bang Baby
Interstate Love Song
Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart

2008-04-07T09:20:00.001-07:00

Today I go to an "undisclosed location" in Los Angeles to shoot the Stone Temple Pilots tour announcement. After the press junket, the band will perform about 7-8 songs for a small crowd of fans who won tickets (the set list looks good - old STP, from first 3 albums). I'll have more details tomorrow...

2008-04-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

a brief update from our sponsor:

I have cleverly scheduled myself into a hole that I am having trouble navigating. A word of advice: take your parents word for it on your family history and don't try to lock down a dozen generations of your family name. Trying to do so will leave you feeling like Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ancestry.

Sure, it starts off easy with the stuff you can ask people that are still alive, but then you enter a whole new world of US census data that relied upon thousands of different people's penmanship. Not to mention that many of these people clearly hated thier job of knocking on every door in town to see who lived there, what their age was at their last birthday (no need to ask the actual date - nobody will care 100 years from now), and the state of their parents birth. They clearly didn't care to ask how to spell people's first or last name either (making Sanders and Saunders interchangeable).

There are cool parts to it as well for those that actually documented their lives in a proper manner. I found a copy of my great-grandparents marriage certificate from 1893; several of my great-grandfather's draft cards from WWI, family that I didn't know existed, as well as lineage to people like F. Scott Fitzgerald (7th cousin, 4 times removed), Jackie Kennedy (9th cousin, 1 time removed), Ty Cobb (6th cousin, 2 times removed), Carey Grant, James Stewart, etc etc. I guess eventually we are all related in some way so it makes sense that this would be the case.

Overall, I think there was a part of me that wanted to solidify my history for my own peace of mind. I never knew exactly where my family lineage came from (England, Sweden, Germany, France?) and I am getting closer to that answer with each passing day.

Looking at the endlessly branching tree does kind of make me feel somewhat insignificant, but I guess if someone looks up my name in 200 years then it will have been worth the effort.

2008-03-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across the HBO miniseries on John Adams last night and was really impressed. The cast is quality with Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, and David Morse telling the story of the Adams' sacrifice and stubborness in making this an independent nation. I can pick up past episodes on my "On Demand" feature so it is possible you can as well.

2008-03-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Now Introducing: The "You Suck at Photoshop" Series. Donnie Hoyle (apparently Dane Cook or someone desperately trying to sound like Dane Cook) hosts a series of tutorials on Photoshop that all hinge on a story of a bad breakup for this pathetic man.

Messed Up PSA's:

If that doesn't mess with your mind, check out the others (including "masturbation kills the family pet") here

I can take a hint...

2008-03-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have good news for the few dozen friends and strangers that have demanded that I get off my ass and give The Wire my undivided attention: I have added Season 1 to my Netflix que and should receive the first disc by this weekend.

Just a note for those of you that are single and have your own Netflix: getting caught up on multiple seasons of a TV show (via Netflix) is a slower process when your significant other doesn't care to watch 60 back-to-back episodes of a cop show over 15 days (unless she really digs it). The good news is that my "On Demand" cable feature always offers the last 10 episodes for free, so I am in heaven once I get to this season.

2008-03-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

tidbits...

The Boondock Saints sequel, All Saints Day is finally happening. Apparently, Troy Duffy's self-generated blacklisting has come to an end. If you don't know the story of the madman, you should check it out as it is a fascinating tale of what not to do in this industry. There was a great documentary on Duffy called Overnight, which chronicled the bartender's overnight rise and fall from Hollywood graces. Here is the link to the news on the sequel.

Death Cab For Cutie released their new stalking single, I Will Possess Your Heart, which you can listen to here.

My biggest upset pick in the tournament thus far: I picked Davidson to beat Gonzaga and Georgetown. Now, if I can get Washington State to beat UNC, I have a shot to win some of the pools I am in...

Revisiting or Catching Up: With a lack of substance on television, catch up on some things that are already there...

In particular, check out the showtime vehicle, The Tudors, which chronicles the early reign of Henry VIII when he was a young crazy man as opposed to an old crazy man. I hate period pieces, but dig the writing and style of this show.

Also on the radar:

Everyone needs more Aaron Sorkin. I am re-enjoying the West Wing from the beginning (Katye bought me the complete 7 series box set which has made this task easier).

My NCAA picks...

2008-03-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

just in case you were wondering, here is a copy of my bracket for the tournament. You can click here to get a larger version...

Recently...

2008-03-19T10:03:00.001-07:00

I have been out of blogging commission for some time now, but here is what has been happening in the world I occupy:

traveling: just got back from KC last night where I have been for 5 days. Let's just say that, in an ideal world, a person would not ever be present to witness their father's wedding (chew on that - it will come to you). Especially when that person's parents were married for 37 years. Watching him get remarried felt like working out at the gym for the first time in a decade. Except in this case, I was using a lot of emotions (instead of muscles) that have not been used in a long time. I have sore and tired emotions. Regardless, I love my dad and wish him much happiness. I just hope this gets easier.

cell phone issues: There has to be some old irish blessing that wishes you fruitful travels where your cell phone does not die a greusome death 2000 miles away from home. Somebody should send that to me before I travel next time.

NCAA Tournament: Being on the road makes it difficult to study brackets and matchups properly which may mean that I will do better in this year's tournament because I have not overthought it.

more traveling: we leave for Phoenix on Friday for the Easter holidays. It seems that I made a promise to myself three years ago to never ever travel on the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. That promise got trumped by my wedding vows. Best wishes to all of you for a safe and happy holiday weekend.

job hunting: trying to secure more opps while traveling. Really waiting word on one job in particular to come through...we'll see. nothing is done until it is done.

eschewing history: I think the recent "shaking up" of my family tree has sparked an acute interest in my geneology. I have brought back (from KC) several hundred photos of 6 generations of my family history that I did not know existed. I am shouldering the preservation of my own history as if solidifying it in photos and on paper will somehow make it more permanent.

other notables: I am restoring a kick-ass antique cabinet that I found...I need to do my t-a-x-e-s...Katye went snowboarding with Nikki and Greg at Mammoth last weekend...Derek (big bro) is scouting new coaching gigs...still waiting to see the final cut of the short we did last week that is supposedly finished. Finished reading a stellar (although dark) novel called "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy - which won the Pulitzer Prize. (Recommended by Peter F, McCarthy is also the author of "No Country For Old Men.")

2008-03-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

We just wrapped production on the short film. Thank God.

The Good:
This film (at 11 minutes long) has some amazing cinematography for a short film with no budget. Our DP, whom I have worked with before, has an amazing talent that is years beyond his age range. We took off to El Mirage - a dry lakebed, 5 miles long, out in the desert - with a production truck, a small crew, a 4'x4' metallic looking cube with a prisoner slit on one side. We shot on an HVX (HD digital) and we had a 20' jib. The imagery is stunning.

We were fortunate enough to secure some actual talent, as our principals were of real acting caliber. Our main actress (who carries the movie) nailed scene after scene and put up with locations that were 2-3 hours away every day.

Our production designer actually salvaged the interior locations we shot as well, which were less than ideal upon arrival.

Our sound mixer was an amazing guy that went above and beyond his duties to help a small production team get things done (i.e. helping us load/unload the truck).

Overall, I think that - if edited properly - this will be a movie worth your 11 minutes.

The Bad and Ugly:
I was the First AD on this project and learned some valuable career lessons that I will share with you:

1. Try to stick with paying gigs. In a perfect world, ask for an amount that will equal the patience, blood, and sweat that will be caused/lost by poor preparation on someone else's part.

2. If you volunteer for a non-paying gig, make sure that you are not working with a first-time producer, director, or writer. And ABSOLUTELY make sure that you are not working with one person that is trying to do all three of these things, for the first time, on that same project.

3. Try to assess the sensitivity level of an individual (especially a director) before accepting a First AD position. Find a director that can accept and heed advice and constructive feedback without resorting to crying regularly. If, say hypothetically, that director has something like A.D.D., make sure they are medicated or your shooting schedule goes all to hell.

4. Make sure the director understands the importance of actually being on location during the entire time of shooting. This means not showing up three hours late, and randomnly disappearing for 2 hours with no explanation.

5. Never take someone else's word that a full crew is in place. Verify yourself before accepting the position. We were told we had a full crew including gaffers, grips, best boys, boom operator, script supervisor, caterers, and several PA's. We ended up with me, the DP, and a sound mixer. Even though we had no help, the director couldn't be bothered to help unload equipment. Guess who drove the 16' production truck (with no radio) 2 hours into the desert and 2 hours back each day? Yup, me, the First A.D. And even though we had no help at all, the Assoc. Producer called in sick 3 out of 4 shooting days. That was fun.

6. First-time writers are way too attached to their writing and storylines and will not heed the advice of everyone else on location to change the dialogue so it does not come off as a melodramatic Lifetime movie. Thankfully, the actors have a knack for scaling things back to reality.

Perhaps you've heard that quote, " A lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." That is a pipe dream in the production world. The reality is that a lack of preparation in pre-production constitutes an emergency in everyone else's world on the actual production.

Overall:
I know I sound harsh, and that's because it just wrapped at midnight last night. The farther I get from it, the better it will be remembered (in some ways). Even though we had all of these challenges in place, we were miraculously still able to get things done. I am extremely proud of the efforts that a few crucial people put in to make this happen.

And, hell, I just helped make a movie. That's cool, right?

Sorry Kids...

2008-03-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

I am neck deep in pre-production work right now and we will be shooting Thursday-Monday on the short film I am working on so....no new postings are likely to happen this week (unless you count this one, but I wouldn't)

2008-02-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

What does Elliott Smith have in common with Silverlake?
This wall which was defaced, blogged about, and restored.

Quarter Century

The last eposiode of M*A*S*H was 25 years ago today and posted a 77 percent share, an accomplishment we will probably never ever see again in our lifetime.

Disturbing: 1 in every 99 adults in the US are in either in jail or behind bars. Can that be right?

Woe is us: Economy stall continues

Burger in a can Update:

Some time ago, I posted about the "Burger-In-A-Can" that was being made available for campers in Europe. I am very thankful someone else was willing to take the challenge and actually taste test this thing as I was morbidly curious...

The man who seems to be everywhere

I can't remember the last time I went a week without seeing William Fichtner pop up as a character in a TV show or film that I was watching. Not that it's a bad thing.

2008-02-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Tech-nol-o-gy: The Song Tapper wants to help you find the name of that song that is stuck in your head. All you have to do is tap the rhythm of a song on the spacebar and it will locate it. [Note: Apparently, this software has no Buffalokings songs]

Sarah Silverman vs. Jimmy Kimmel...

I can usually take or leave Kimmel, but this is actually funny.

Funny Man

It's hard to pass up an interview with Will Farrell

Why?

Check out the 9 most baffling theme parks from around the world...

Freeconomics: Wired has an interesting (and long) article on the nature and rise of "freebies" as a marketing tool.

The last hurrah:

Clinton and Obama spar one last time, but the results look to be the same.

Maxim music reviewer baffled: You mean I have to listen to the whole thing?

it's caffiene evolution, baby! Has Starbucks become too popular? Has it crossed from Microbrew to McDonald's status? Or has it just achieved complete market saturation? In the latest attempt to right the ship, Starbucks closes doors to re-train baristas in the espresso creating process.

Recreating Marilyn

Lindsay Lohan thought the best way to avoid all those nagging questions about her issues was to recreate a Marilyn Moroe photo shoot where she appears nude.

A Shame: Cubs owner admits that he would sell naming rights for Wrigley Field.

2008-02-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

I'm in Encyclopedia Brown mode as I have stumbled across some really cool history on Redondo Beach and want to investigate further. It started when I came across some amazing panoramics of the town in 1905. From there, it elevated into some wierd frenzy where I need to know as much as possible as soon as possible.

One cool artifact that I have uncovered so far:

This is the house my friend, Tim, lives in currently. It turns out that he was about 90 years too late for the ocean view this house once offered. The house originally stood on the strand (beachfront property for those of you in other parts of the country) but was badly damaged in a 1915 storm that washed away much of the beach it stood on. In order to save the home, they moved it inland a couple of blocks to where it now remains. It is one of the five oldest structures in Redondo Beach.

80th Annual Academy Awards

2008-02-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

The Philosopher Immanuel Kant defined an imperative as any proposition that declares a certain action (or inaction) to be necessary. A hypothetical imperative would compel action in a given circumstance: If I were asked, I would say "I ______ the Academy Awards."

There are well over 9,000 verbs in the English language. I didn't know this so I had to Google it.

In fact, I think this count was done before "Google" became a verb, so there may be closer to 10,000 now. Anyway, my point is that out of the 9-10K verbs available, most people will use one to complete that sentence above. To me, this means that people care in some way, whether it be positively or negatively, about the Academy Awards (unless of course you were not compelled to accept the imperative and did not complete the sentence - and that's a whole different debate). In my opinion, this lack of apathy lends credibilty to the ceremony.

To me, it is just an annual awards show. Every association and organization (including your company) probably has one. There is something fundamentally inherent about the human condition that propagates our need to recognize (and be recognized by) our peers.

But, you say, this one is too indulgent, self-important, and basically overdone. And I can see your point. It can be considered, dare I say, phoney.

But stop and think about what this means. Can we be angry that the entertainment industry is phoney? How is that we should expect anything other? We not only ask for phoney, we f'n demand phoney. We pay hard earned money to see phoney and we feel justified in our anger when we feel as though a performance wasn't phoney enough. Some people will walk out of a movie they paid ten dollars to see if the phoniness is not convincing. So, is is not hypocritical to expect the awards show for this industry to be different?

While you ponder that, I am simply going to say that, although not the phoniest year on record, 2007 was a pretty solid year for the Academy, with several worthy films and performances to consider.

Here are my picks for the winners of the major categories of this year's Academy Awards:

Picture:

No Country For Old Men

Actor:

Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

Actress:

Julie Christie (Away From Her)

Supporting Actor:

Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)

Supporting Actress:

Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)

Director:

Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men)

Original Screenplay:

Diablo Cody (Juno)

Adapted Screenplay*:

Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men)
PT Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

Animated Feature:

Ratatouille

Art Direction:

Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer (Atonement)

Cinematography*:

Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood)
Roger Deakins (No Country For Old Men)

*If there were any justice in the world, both nominees would share this honor. In my eyes, it is a toss up as to who will win.

Wedding Tournament

2008-02-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

An unnamed friend of mine (no worries, TD, I got your back) is getting married later this year. A couple of weeks ago, we were out and non-soberly came up with a concept for the ways in which he and his fiancée could decide the guest list. As we are both sports fans, it was joked that they should create a scenario where they seeded the guest list like an NCAA basketball tournament, complete with brackets, etc. It became apparent that guidelines would need to be established if this were to ever happen, so I have taken the honor.

The General Understanding (AKA bylaws):

Objective: To have as much fun as possible at the wedding and reception

The Tournament Committee: The bride and groom

Regions
A. There will be three regions of 16 seeds, as well as a fourth region with 17 seeds. Each seed will represent a couple (guest +1), so this is a guest list of 130 people.

B. In the fourth region, the two lowest ranked seeds will participate in a “play-in game” where they go out drinking with the committee three days before the wedding date and a winner will be declared.

C. NIT brackets are available for smaller weddings

Seeding
A. Seeds #1-2 in each region will go to parents, grandparents, and siblings. (step-parents, god-parents, and foster-parents will be handled at the committee’s discretion)

B. Seeds #14-15 in each region will be divided as such:
- Extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc)
- Lifetime friends of the parents of the bride and groom

[Ed. Note: The amount of financial assistance given by the parents will directly affect the number of automatic seeds in this category without committee approval]

C. Seeds #3-13 will go to friends of the committee

Rankings
A. In order to ensure a fair process, the committee will utilize an unbiased RPI ranking system explained below. This system was created by a third-party provider as to avoid any animosity or hurt feelings.

[Ed. Note: Joe Lunardi was banned from any participation so Father Christopher at St. Joe’s has the same chance of getting invited as everyone else]

B. Because each seed is considered a “guest + 1”, the ranking of one person can directly affect the ranking of their wedding date. This will insure that everyone has thought twice about who they are bringing as a date and should enhance the experience. RPI values will be assigned to each couple and the seeds will be determined as such.

Reception Process
Higher ranking seeds will be placed at tables with their lower ranking opponents to maximize the amount of fun had by all.

A. Seed #1 will sit across from #16, Seed #2 will sit across from #15, Seed #3 across from #14, etc. until the tables are full. The idea is that a higher ranking seed will entertain the table in such a way as to make up for the lower ranking seed. If it has been a successful process, there will be an even amount of enjoyment had at all tables throughout the reception

B. “Upsets” have happened at every wedding and are likely to continue. “Upsets” occur when a lower ranked seed provides more entertainment at a table than their higher ranking counterpart. Factors for “upsets” may include over-consumption of alcohol, depression, bad dates, or syndromes.
- 1. Her Possible Syndromes:
a.AABM
b.MPHACI (My Partner Has A Commitment Issue)

- 2. His Possible Syndromes:
a.IMTP (I’m Missing the Playoffs)
b.TBMIHTMD (The Bride’s Maid is Hotter Than My Date)

The RPI breakdown

Click on the image for a larger view

Explanation of Definitions

RPI (“Really Preferred Individual”): This represents an individual that is being considered for seeding. Their final score is factored by averaging their results over all other categories on the list.

QLM (Quality Lifetime Moments):

Just as it sounds. Although not shown on the chart, this is an important factor that is subjectively decided by the tournament committee and appears within other categories. Think of it as the coaches’ poll where the coaches don’t have to reveal who they voted for.

D1 W-L: The number of QLM (vs. non-QLM) that a specific RPI shared with the tournament committee
Translation: You hang out with the bride & groom 30 times. Out of those 30 times, something cool happens 28 times. The other times you were boring. Therefore, your W-L is 28-2.

SOS (Sustainability of Sobriety):

The ranking of an RPI’s ability to consume alcohol without making an ass out of themselves.

SOS%: This is a percentage measured by dividing an RPI’s QLM by their SOS. It should represent any correlation between the two.
Translation: This will tell the committee if you are only fun when you are drunk.

NC RP: This is a ranking of childhood, high school, and college friends that have not been seen in awhile.

NC SS: This is a ranking of the current friends of those same childhood, high school, and college friends.

CF: Circle of Friends

CF RP: A measurement of which RPI has the better QLM (D1 W-L) record compared to others within their specific CF.
Translation: A ranking of who entertains the bride & groom more within your circle of friends.

CF SS: A ranking of all of the RPI’s SOS within a specific CF.
Translation: Who can drink the most and not be a jackass in your circle of friends.

CF RK: A ranking of all of the bride and groom’s CF’s. Generally decided by the amount of high ranking RPI’s within each CF.
Translation: the bride & groom rank their different circle of friends.

1-25: How a particular RPI did at providing more QLM for the committee in head-to-head competition against the top 25 ranked RPI’s
26-50: How a particular RPI did at providing more QLM for the committee in head-to-head competition against the 26-50 ranked RPI’s
51-100: How a particular RPI did at providing more QLM for the committee in head-to-head competition against the 51-100 ranked RPI’s
Translation: This is your ability to entertain in head-to-head matchups with the bride and grooms other friends on the list.

The Outcome:
Unfortunately, our inability to SOS (actually my inability) prevented us from finishing the conversation that evening so we never got around to deciding upon how winners would be chosen. I have, however, conceived of some ideas that could help a title run whether you are in Cinderella slippers or King of the Hill.

[Ed. Note:
The following has not been approved by the tournament committee]

Winning Factors

A. Toasting

- Making the bride, groom and/or parents cry with heartfelt sincerity is the strategic equivalent of running the Princeton offense against Georgetown in ’89 (or against UCLA in ‘96) and may take you deep into the tournament.

- Rhyming toasts will make you look worse than being a #1 seed and getting knocked off by a #16 seed

- Suggesting anything lewd, obscene, or immoral about the bride will result in an automatic DQ

B. Dancing
- A large bill “donation” during the money dance will conjure visions of Jimmy V running around madly in ’84.

- The “sprinkler,” “rolling the dice,” “flying a kite,” or the chicken dance can drop you faster than George Mason taking down UConn.

- Dancing with small children, other than your own, is a lot like the ’90 UNLV team. It seems okay at the time, but looking back on it makes you look creepy.

C. Gift Giving
- A new car, a down payment on a house, or offering to pay for their future children’s college education will get you a one seed for every future wedding you will get invited to. It will also solidify you as the UCLA dynasty that won seven straight titles and had four undefeated seasons during that run.

- Any technological advancement, especially large ones that provide entertainment, can put you on Villanova’s ‘85 ‘championship run.

- A tacky platter without a return receipt will put you in company with the ’86 Notre Dame #3 seed that lost to Arkansas Little Rock in the first round.

D. Longevity:
- Sticking around to help clean up the reception venue will give you the Bryce Drew or the Christian Laettner buzzer beater award.

- Leaving early to catch Sportscenter may remind people of #2 Arizona going home in ’91 after losing to #15 Santa Clara. Unless you are with a bridesmaid, and then you are Michael Jordan in ’83.

2008-02-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

Thank God for DVR. How I Met Your Mother is moving to the 8:30 time slot on the eye (and still awaiting pickup) when the show returns in March.

Shocker: David Finch is slated to do another bizarre movie

It's not often that Shaquille O'Neal can lend his clothes to another human being, but leave it to Will Farrell to do the unexpected and borrow this outfit for his Semi-Pro premiere. It's hard to tell, but apparently this photo was taken after the outfit was altered.

EminemthewayIam:

Get your urban slang dictionary ready, Eminem is writing his memoirs. It should read like a 200 page Dr. Seuss book...set in a bad part of Detroit.

A Doors Wednesday...

2008-02-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

i'm just in that kind of mood, so the news today will be told through the poetry and lyrics of Jim Morrison.

The program for this evening is not new,
you've seen this entertainment through and through
You've seen your birth your life and death, you might recall all of the rest. did you have a good world when you died?enough to base a movie on?

cancel my subscription
to the resurrection

when the music's over, turn out the lights. the music is your special friend, dance on fire as it intends. well, music is your only friend until the end.

have you forgotten the keys to the kingdom?

have you forgotten the lessons of the ancient war?
do you know we are being led to slaughter by placid admirals and fat slow generals are getting obscene on young blood?

i'm sick of dour faces staring at me from the tv tower

strange days have found us: strange days have tracked us down. they're going to destroy our casual joys. we shall go on playing or find a new town.

riders on the storm

Into this house we're born, into this world we're thrown
like a dog without a bone an actor out on loan
riders on the storm

five to one, baby, one in five
no one here gets out alive, now you get yours, baby, i'll get mine. gonna make it, baby if we try

What have they done to the earth?

what have they done to our fair sister?
ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her
stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn
and tied her with fences and dragged her down

i'll tell you this...

no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn

2008-02-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

About A Son: How do you make a movie about Kurt Cobain without being able to use his image or any Nirvana music? You visit the places he came from, capture some amazing footage, edit over 25 hours of audio interviews with Cobain, and get Ben Gibbard to help with the score. Then you release it on DVD today.

Tea anyone?

Apparently filmmakers have become saavy to the fact that men hate period films almost as much as they hate musicals. The only way to solve this issue is to appeal to man's more "primitive instincts" and cast Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman into the same movie, The Other Boleyn Girl. If the story of these two ladies fighting for the affections of Henry VIII (Eric Bana) is not interesting enough for you, it is probably a safe bet that there will be corsetts and push up cleavage galore. USA Today has an article on the ladies and the trailer is here.

#44 in X Men Origins: Wolverine? According to the blogging community, Taylor Kitsch (aka Riggins on Friday Night Lights) has signed a deal to play Gambit in the movie.

Castro stepping down:
After 50 years, Castro decides it's time to step down from power in Cuba. However, the US has said there are no plans to lift the embargo at this time.

Earth Hour: 24 cities around the world will participate in an "earth hour" next month in which they black out their lights for one full hour.

Where's the Beef? USDA orders the nation's largest beef recall in history due to slaughterhouse animal abuse in California. Anyone read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle recently?

Damn you, M Night:

Well, he's back again, this time with an unknown assailant that will wipe out humanity. Mark Wahlberg will star. Trailer is here.

Can someone explain why? In a day and age in which thousands of great original ideas exist but never see the light of day, why would 12.7 million viewers watch the Knight Rider TV movie?

The gravity lamp:
this dude created a lamp that uses no electricity and lasts 200 years, yet he only took 2nd place in the greener gadgets design competition?

There Will Be Blood

2008-02-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

Hand him the statue. I know this is an odd way of starting this post, but there is nothing more pertinent to say. It is what any reasonable person would say after witnessing the performances from last year. It may be one of the best performances I have ever seen (although I am witholding that distinction until I have more time to consider other options).

The film itself is worthy of your time and your money, as PT Anderson has done an amazing job of recreating an era when opportunity was plentiful and ambition blinded those that would not see. When all elements are considered, the film was wonderfully done, but is still a runner-up to No Country For Old Men for best film of the year.

Daniel Day-Lewis can thank Upton Sinclair who wrote the book Oil! (and Anderson's script) for a character that allowed him to show off his many acting talents. He plays Daniel Plainview, a California oil man at the turn of the 20th century. If you have ever read anything by Sinclair, it will not surprise you that this character is driven by greed and ravaged by demons within. The cinematography and art direction are well executed, effectively taking you back a century into another world. I admit to being somewhat biased as a Radiohead fan, but Jonny Greenwood created a score that became a character among itself. Riddled with dark moody string instruments that added the feel of impending doom, it set a tone that was mandatory for this film and transitioned each frame with efficiency.

Paul Dano turned in a solid performance as a teenage preacher named Eli Sunday although his character was overshadowed by the intensity of Day-Lewis. It was not Dano's fault, as his character was not written with same arc and there was little more he could have done with it. I was again impressed with the performance of a child, this time Dillon Freasier, who played the part of H.W., Plainview's son. There were several scenes in which he needed to be convincing without dialogue and he pulled it off with precision.

There were no "flaws" per se in this film; it appears that everything that we saw was intended by Anderson. There is little doubt that the film could have been cut down by at least 20 minutes without diminishing the overall quality, yet it did not feel "long" to me. We know little as to why Plainview was the way he was, but this seems to be a conscious choice by Anderson - as though it was not relative to the story and would not have changed his actions regardless.

The fact that I still defer best picture status to No Country should not take away from the quality of this film in any way. The film that takes home the best picture statue should not only meet, but exceed, the measures of success in every possible category that goes into filmmaking. From the largest and most obvious disctinctions (acting, directing, cinematography, screenplay) to the smaller, often overlooked elements (art direction, score, costumes), it is important that the best picture win as many of these categories as possible. At the end of the day, No Country did that with just a bit more precision.

I am still adament about the fact that Into The Wild should be up for consideration as well, and have been scouring the other nominees for potential removal as to make space on the list. To be clear, it could easily replace Atonement and possibly even Juno, but it shouldn't replace There Will Be Blood which deserves all accolades.

2008-02-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

The Weekend Edition:

How can you go wrong
with a "Get Tight With Christ" slogan?

The cosmetic line "Looking Good For Jesus" was pulled recently from Singapore shelves after a number of complaints.

History repeating itself? college basketball fans may be wondering what Calvin Sampson has done now and why Indiana is on the fast track to firing him

Who says there is no justice in the world?
In a "better late than never" tale, 83 year old former Nazi prison guard is returned to Italy to serve life sentence for war atrocities. This man was 20 when he tortured inmates. Makes you wonder what the last 63 years has done to him?

Let's check the fact sheet: Both Clinton and Obama claim that their health care coverage will cover all Americans, but is it true? Regardless, it may be better than the lack of action by McCain on the issue.

Disappearing

What happens to Southern California and neighboring states when Lake Mead runs dry in the next 15 years?

Now if we just had a map of the ocean and surrounding continents: Lost Fans follow the action on this mysterious island week after week, but do we know what it looks like? There is a blog space dedicated to this subject so you can find reference points for next episode (if you are that into it). Larger versions of these maps can be found here and here as well.

2008-02-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

Just a personal side note: I am sick of seeing/hearing/reading about Britney Spears and the overly marketed movie Jumper

Rap; the birth of Hip Hop:

Rolling Stone breaks down the 15 albums that made rap explode albums and gave birth to hip hop

San Francisco hosts a massive Valentine's Day pillow fight: A long way from the Valentine's Day massacre of 1929, this just goes to show that people in San Francisco will do anything for attention.

Be Kind Rewind, Sweder?: If you have not already seen the Be Kind Rewind Trailer, you should watch it now. Then you should check out this site which has spawned "sweding" - which entails reinacting your favorite films. There is a huge collection, including "Say Anything" (below).

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer:

This movie may be sponsored by the AARP, but I have a feeling that I'm going to feel 10 years old again. There's something about the score that gives me goosebumps (kind of like the Rocky score).

Dexter to air on CBS:

Can you put a serial killer show on network TV? Guess so.

speaking of Showtime (Dexter's original home), Weeds to return in June. Am I the only one that finds Mary Louise Parker extremely attractive?

the world may not be over just yet: the new rage is bulk, hulking SUV's with Hybrid technology. See, you can be in a red state and still act green.

sick of watching your TV in the same spot?: thanks to some Swedish dudes, you can put your TV on an easel and move it around your house.

VD hangover: ideas gone wrong.

Remembering the Kinks: After reading this article and listening to the songs, I am starting to see the influence on some of my recent favorites (The Shins, Rogue Wave).

This is the end...of newspaper: as society embraces technology and life on the internet, newspapers are going extinct quickly. The LA Times and the NY Times announce layoffs from their newsdesks.

just wrong in so many ways:

check out this contest to photoshop covers for inappropriate children's books.

2008-02-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

dude, life imitates art?:
Thanks to Reid who pointed out the striking similarities between this CNN clip and the scene at timecode 6:40 from this movie

2008-02-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

In the world of disturbia: Teacher of 17 years admits he was illiterate.

Anarchy in the UK?:

The UK is proposing legislation that could revoke internet privileges for anyone busted with illegally downloaded music or songs on their computer.

On the road again: Radiohead announce their first 8 North American shows to begin in May. Tickets on sale Thursday.

Fox sues Warner Bros over rights to Watchmen: Fox claims it still owns the rights to the graphic novel.

End of an era?: The poloroid instant camera is being phased out bringing an end to a popular era.

This man just won't quit:

George Lucas (Lucasfilm), Warner Bros, and TBS have announced that an animated movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, could hit movie theaters Aug. 15.

10th Anniversary of Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane Over The Sea: Pitchfork has an article on the anniversary as well as an interview with the band 10 years ago.

Good News For Me: Tim Sandlin has a new book out. Not familiar with the name? You should be. To give you an indication of the man's genius, he wrote a book 10 years ago (Skipped Parts) about a teenage pregnancy that is funnier and more genuine than Juno. Pick up the GroVont trilogy (or borrow it from me).

2008-02-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

It all started with Blazing Saddles:
The name won't mean as much as the artwork will. John Alvin was a Hollywood artist/designer that created some of the best movie posters of our lives (especially our youth). Alvin passed away this past week at age 59.

It's Over: The Writer's strike has ended. Now, let the work begin.

Update: The future of Friday Night Lights:
There are several things being done to help encourage NBC to keep Friday Night Lights going:

1. donations turn into mini footballs that will be sent to NBC brass at savefridaynightlights.tv

2. there is a campaign brewing at the show's myspace page as well.

3. send a lightbulb to NBC as part of the "keep the lights on" campaign

When will my show return? Thanks to TV Guide, you can check out this list of TV shows to get an idea of when you may see your next new episode.

It always happens in threes:
granted, this was anything but an overdose (ala Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger), but a third celebrity passed away this weekend. Roy Scheider was 75.

The making of...the making of the video: check out this cool video on the "making of" the Feist song "I Feel it All"

Yahoo says "no thanks" to Microsoft's $44.6 BILLLION: It's only money, right?

Obama on a roll: He goes 4 for 4 this weekend, taking Nebraska, Washington, Louisiana, and Maine. More importantly, it puts him in the lead with delegate votes.

It's like the Exorcist, only real: Name one job that I don't want...

don't blame the band: Radiohead wants you to know that the "greatest hits" album coming out has nothing to do with them - but is a stunt by EMI (their former label) that will correspond to their next tour.

One more reason to hate the Academy Awards: Apparently, I was so focused on the omission of Eddie Vedder from the best song nominations list that I missed another one for best score (although to be fair, I have yet to see this movie so can't confirm that suspicion just yet). Johnny Greenwood (yep, of Radiohead) apparently did an amazing score for There Will Be Blood which was omitted because it sampled other songs.

2008-02-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

I dig some time lapse material that is worth watching. Here are some of this past year's best...

What about Friday Night Lights? What does the future hold for the show as the last shot episode airs tonight.

Is this the end?: Will the WGA members approve the contract this weekend and get back to work?

2008-02-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Heath Ledger atopsy reports are in: The actor died of an accidental overdose. According to the report, it was the culmative effects of taking OxyContin (painkiller), Valium, Xanax (anit-anxiety), Restoril, and Unisom (sleeping pills).

2008-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Super Tuesday Results

The Democrats:
Clinton: 50.2% (7,347,971 votes)
Obama: 49.8% (7,294,851 votes)

*results from Time Magazine

The only thing that last night proved was that the Democratic nomination is still anyone's game at this point. Obama and Clinton basically tied as they split the roughly 1700 delegates from last night's contest. Obama won more states (13-8) but Clinton took the larger delegate heavy states (California, New York, and New Jersey).

The Republicans:
McCain: 43.1% (3,611,459 votes)
Romney: 35.4% (2,961,834 votes)
Huckabee: 21.5% (1,796,729 votes)

*results from Time Magazine

McCain continues to steamroll seizing wins in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware, California, Illinois, Oklahoma and Arizona, and Missouri. He was fueled by a number of diverse voting groups, including moderates, independents, men, older voters, veterans and Hispanics.

Now what?
Up next for the candidates: Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington, which vote on Saturday. Then comes the so-called Potomac Primary—Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.—which takes place next Tuesday. And also looming large on the horizon is March 4, when the delegate-rich states of Texas and Ohio vote.

2008-02-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is recovering from the debauchery that is Super Bowl weekend. Watching Eli Manning complete a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds taught us all a little something about hard work and humble pie, but I learned something else this year as well.
- At least one night during Super Bowl weekend (and it could be Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), most people get completely trashed. It's like some unwritten law that if you consume alchohol, you will do so in mass quantities one of these three days (if not all three).
That's all I have to say about that.

With that in mind, congrats to the G-I-A-N-T-S
for posting an upset for the ages...

- Since Super Bowl parties are always so loud (the fun kind at least), it is inevitable that you will see, but not hear, the commercials. And then people that were at boring parties talk incessantly in your office about that damn geiko's monologue that you missed. Not to worry, you can go here during some free time and watch all of the Super Bowl Ads.

The Writer's and Producers close to an agreement; could be finalized by this weekend: The LA Times reported Sunday that the Writer's and Producers have outlined a contract (LA Times link is part I and Writer's/Producer's link is part II of story)

Variety is reporting that sides are closer, but that nothing is done yet...

Super Tuesday has arrived: don't forget to make plans to vote tomorrow in your respective primaries. The candidates make one last push as this is pretty much for all the marbles.

Google backlash: Google's top lawyer assails Microsoft's bid to take over Yahoo.

The mystery over the Halloway disappearance may be over: In genius move, Dutch kid caught on tape - says he had a friend dispose of the body at sea.

In true Phoneytown style: Manager at local Abercrombie & Fitch (Virginia Beach) arrested for displaying obscenity posters (aka the normal Abercrombie topless dude posters). And you would think it was the "live" models that bothered people...

Craigslist has everything!: Posting for a hired assassin leads police to northern california...

Sweet Ass Bluth:

More Arrested Development please. Jeffrey Tambor announces that there is a Arrested Development movie in the works once the strike is resolved.

2008-02-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

No wonder they say Yahooooooooooo!: Microsoft offers $44.6 BILLION for Yahooooooooooo in unexpected bid. I guess Bill woke up on the right side of the bed.
- Google stock down 7% on news

Here's a list of the meanest love songs. R.E.M., The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones make the list.

Babysteps: It may be just a small thing, but it may just be these little things that shows how serious the WGA is to ending this holdout

Interesting Take: This Newsweek commentary says the Oscars must die.

Is it your turn to take Britney in for her psych evaluation? Britney just can't stay away from those alluring headlines - makes another dash to hospital for another psychiatric stay. Don't worry, she'll have checked out and headed to Vegas before you get done with the article.

And the award goes to:

Cracked has a list of potential oscar winners for next year's awards if the strike doesn't get resolved. They were nice enough to include posters for the films as well.

Coachella lineup announced: In case you missed it, you can check out the list at the Coachella site. Highlights for me include Roger Waters performing The Dark Side of the Moon, as well as Death Cab For Cutie and Portishead.

2008-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Politics: The political line goes round and round...
- Edwards is dropping out of the presidential race today

- Giuliani to exit stage left today as well.

Once and For All: After much last minute diliberation, the Academy decides that the song "Falling Slowly" is eligible for the statue. It's a good thing too since they announced it last week and there are no more Enchanted left songs to nominate.

Clearly a sign that the world is ending:

Katadyn has created the "cheeseburger in a can" for adventure hiking and camping enthusiasts who can't live without their fast food(apparently, this thing can be unrefrigerated for up to a year). To prepare, you just toss the can into some water over a campfire and voila! - Ed. Note - Red Wine also available.

In honor of tonight's return of Lost: Cracked has a list of 5 questions that need to be answered...as well as some wild speculation. My favorite? The artist's rendering of Walt's appearance in season six

Some producer is high fiving everyone in the room: Juno tops $100 million at box office.

Strawberry Flavored Cheetos? what's next, carrots and mustard? Please don't ever bring these to a party I attend.

Kinda cool: Pocket size photo printers that don't use any ink. what the...?

Post-Plans?:
Narrow Stairs is the title for the newest album to come from the Death Cab for Cutie catalogue - slotted for a May 2008 release.

Super Green?: The eco-button is a must have then. Tap this bad boy when you are leaving your computer and it puts your PC into a hypnotic (and energy saving) trance...

Old Man River takes Florida

2008-01-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

McCain takes Florida which will create interesting exit scenarios for Giuliani and Huckabee should they decide to bail before Super Tuesday. Clinton also won against Obama, but it won't count for much.

2008-01-29T10:57:00.000-08:00

"Going Out of Business since 1988": That's the jokester motto of Sub Pop - the record label that has launched everything from Nirvana to The Shins - Here's an article on the 20th anniversary.

A picture is worth four words: I don't know if this film is going to be funny, but the picture is absurdly amusing to me. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star in a new film, Step Brothers, coming out in July.

Rambo vs. Meet The Spartans got you avoiding the box office? Here are the 10 worst box office weekends since 1997 (nobody wants to see the 80's anyway, right?)

Raise your hand if you hate your job: Hollywood couple sentenced in "maid slave" case

Talks continue, optimism still in the air: The WGA and AMPTP have yet to strike a deal and speculation reigns as both sides adhere to media blackout.

Blind Vision Films

2008-01-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Check out the Blind Vision Films website (click on picture below) and see what John Logsden has been up to. He and Kacey have worked really hard to get this vision up and running, and their hard work is paying off as Blind Vision has built an impressive resume. Never take for granted that you know someone who owns their own production company...

2008-01-28T13:22:00.001-08:00

Good news for Weeds fans: The Lionsgate deal with the WGA puts Weeds back into production (as well as AMC's Mad Men).

SAG Award Winners: The often overlooked Screen Actors Guild awards were held last night with statues being handed to the Coen brothers for top film award (No Country for Old Men), Daniel Day-Lewis for best actor (There Will Be Blood), as well as Julie Christie for best actress (Away From Her).

Shocker: free music downloading site, Qtrax, is in turmoil after certain labels deny approving the service

Canary in the Coal Mine? Home Median prices fell in 2007 for the first time since record keeping started in 1968.

Politics:
---Giuliani trails McCain, Romney in Florida polls, may dropout after primary
---Romney winning national polls, tied with McCain in Florida
---Two generations of Kennedys endorse Obama
---Clinton's backlash: In an ironic twist, Al Sharpton tells Bill to shut up and Ralph Nader rails on the Clintons.

The War:

Apparently, Reuters had it wrong as Microsoft still committed to HD-DVD

Hey look, a camera...everywhere: Rolling Stone has 15 years of Radiohead pictures...

Rivers Cuomo plays soccer? Cuomo appeared - and scored - in a celebrity charity soccer game held by Mia Hamm last weekend.

Atonement - Film Review

2008-01-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

okay, okay. So I got caught up in the Atonement Oscar hype and we went out this weekend to see it...you know - to stay informed, be able to give fair assessment when discussing it over the awards season, that kind of thing.
In all transparency, I didn't see the movie previously because I didn't think it was my "type" of film. I am not big on period pieces, especially ones that look to mimic "The English Patient." There is something about slow pacing with little payoff that really makes an impression on my desire to see a film. However, I am open minded enough to think that maybe I overlooked something in the trailer - that there was something more I was meant to see. Perhaps the hype of this film may have caused me to overlook a jewel because of my tendencies to rely on my instincts?

I should listen to my instincts more often.

Atonement is all of the things I thought it would be, only magnified with an unkempt storyline and half-hearted plot lines. The first 20 minutes of the film goes to extraordinary lenghts to set up too many details of a story that only has one way to move forward. By the time you have realized that these details were only filler with no real bearing, they have already served as unnecessary speed bumps that slowed the pace of the movie to a turtle's crawl. The story then moves quickly and haphazardly into an ill-described and unexplainable war saga before trying to return to the original plot line - which by now, you could care less about because you feel the sting of the original betrayal.
In so many ways, the movie promises to be things which it can never fulfill. It promises to be a great love story, but it only hits average marks with many holes. It promises to be a story about betrayal and revenge, but it never really goes far enough in that direction. It promises to be a war epic, but (sans a five minute tracking shot), it never really hits the mark there either. So what is left? An average movie that should have never been nominated for an Academy Award. A Harlequin novel plot line with an unlimited budget.
To be fair, there are elements that make you want to take notice and should be applauded. The categories that deserve an Oscar nod include a music score (which incorporates unusual items such as typewriter and match striking into an elegant and persuasive sound scape), the costumes, as well as the art direction which should all be notable contenders in their categories. The cinematography is also well executed, setting up a lot of pulled focus and sweeping shots of grandeur. In particular is the above referenced tracking shot - around five minutes of an uncut scene in which we are introduced to the ugly resolve of a British army in retreat. The blocking was well executed, must have taken forever to set up, and would have made Robert Altman proud.
Certain performances are solid as well, with James McAvoy really drawing attention and carrying this movie (as much as the script would allow). Saoirse Ronan is also worthy of a second look, but Keira Knightley (the only one I thought I would like) fails to impress - perhaps due to one-too-many Pirates of the Caribbean "appearances."
Overall, this film is not the best, nor the worst film of 2007. It ranks just above average as the elements mentioned work extremely hard to overcome the holes in the plot and story lines - only to fail in the end to make this a great film. Personal grudges aside, it is probably more like the 15th-20th best film of last year.

The good news for Juno fans is that it is now off the hook as the movie that should be taken out of the list of contenders to make room for Into the Wild which is arguably the best film of the year.

2008-01-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

My trailer pick of the week: "The Air I Breathe" has an amazing ensemble cast which I am always a sucker for. Why see one great performance if you can see many? Forest Whitaker, Brendan Frasier, Emile Hirsch, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Julie Delpy, and Kevin Bacon all star.

Catch Up on those Best Picture Oscar nominated films: Give props to AMC theaters who have created a discounted way to let you see all of the films nominated for Best Picture in this year's Academy Awards...For $30, you can see all five films in one day...and did I mention the free refills on the popcorn? (The list of participating theaters is at the bottom of the page)

Just when you thought we had thought of everything: Two Marijuana vending machines to be unveiled in LA starting next week (and you thought the bathroom line at Dodger Stadium was bad)

Anonymous hackers declare war on Scientology:

The AV Club has a great article on Jon Brion: For those of you in LA, Brion plays frequently at Largo on Fairfax.

REM has a new album coming out called Accelerator

Academy Award Nominations Review

2008-01-24T12:48:00.001-08:00

Here's a look at my initial thoughts regarding the nominees for this year's Academy Awards:

My "Wild"cards: As you will see below in many categories, I have included a "Wild"card to denote places where "Into the Wild" should have been nominated. To explain, I will make a note here that needs to be made. The fact that "Into the Wild" got shut out of many of the categories below (namely, Film, Director, Actor, Cinematography, and Original Song) is demoralizing to filmmakers and only further emphasizes that Hollywood really dislikes the fact that Sean Penn's political voice is louder than his filmmaking voice. If this were many other years (non-election years in particular), his film gets the attention it deserves and probably wins some of these categories.

Best Picture: The field is not that surprising. "Atoonement" has come on strong and gathered a lot of momentum, but my initial thoughts are that "No Country for Old Men" will take this statue.
"Wild"card: I was a huge fan of "Juno," but think that Wild was by far a better contender for this spot.

Best Actor: My money is on Daniel Day-Lewis to take this category. I haven't seen "In the Valley of Elah" but Tommy Lee Jones was superb in "No Country for Old Men." You never want to discount Johnny Depp's chances, but I think a musical hurts him more than it helps here. Clooney was good...at being Clooney in "Michael Clayton" but not enough to win.
"Wild"card: Viggo Mortensen had a decent performance in "Eastern Promises" but his inclusion in this category over Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) is disturbing. Hirsch carried a great film for over two hours, including many scenes where he was the only figure on the screen.

Best Actress: I give props to the Academy for nominating Ellen Page from "Juno" but think she is out of her league with the likes of Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, and Laura Linney. Don't know much about Marion Cotillard (La Vie en rose), but expect to see Julie Christie snag this one as Hollywood loves to give statues to older Hollywood types on their way out the door.

Supporting Actor: This is the best category on the agenda this year with amazing performances by all involved. Excluding Casey Affleck (no offense, but he has no shot), the race is on between Javier Bardem, Hal Holbrook (see note above about old Hollywood), Philip Seymour Hoffman (only diluted because he gave three outstanding performances this year), and Tom Wilkinson. Too close to call.

Supporting Actress: Expect to see this come down to Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) and Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There). Swinton may get lucky as voters may split their numbers on Blanchett with her getting a nod for Best Actress as well.

Director: Hollywood is not ready to make PT Anderson a best director yet (which is a shame), so expect this to go to the Coen Brothers. Reitman (Juno) is too new, Schnabel (Diving Bell and Butterfly) loses because the film is in French, and Gilroy (Michael Clayton) doesn't do enough to make this happen.
"Wild"card: Sean Penn should undeniably be on the list, even taking the place of Reitman.

Original Screenplay: This may be just a small enough category (in the Academy's eyes) that Diablo Cody can win for "Juno." The writers of Ratatouille could pull this off as well, but don't expect to see Jenkins (The Savages), Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl), or Gilroy (Michael Clayton) on the stage.

Adapted Screenplay: Another really strong category that is too close to call now. If "No Country" gets the momentum, don't be surprised to see the Coen brothers taking this one home as well. Sometimes the Academy favors films that may not win anything else (and they need to applaud) so it could also be PT Anderson (There Will Be Blood) or Hampton (Atonement).

Animated Feature: Ratatouille wins this hands down. Perseoplis had a great run, but is not mainstream enough to get enough votes.

Cinematography: Too hard to call at this point (as I need to see some more films). Right now, I think it comes down to "No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood."

Original Song: I give the statue to "Falling Slowly" from "Once" because it is the best song, but that rarely means it will win.
"Wild"card: The fact that "Enchanted" garnered three songs in the Original Song category and Eddie Vedder (Into the Wild) got left out of the category is the biggest crock of BS the Academy has displayed in years. I cannot overstate this point.

There were many other categories, but these are the ones I wanted to focus on today.

Crazy Week

2008-01-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of things to hit the phoneytown radar this week, many of which will not be news to you, but are still noteworthy:

Heath Ledger: The 28 year old actor was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Tuesday. The original coroner's report was inconclusive as to how he died. He did have some prescription sleeping medication on the nightstand next to him and they expect to know more in the next week.

---The unexpected death of Ledger has created a vacuum in the marketing campaign for Warner Bros and the way they handle the new Batman film. Apparently, the joker was front and center of the original plan.

---Another tidbit that you will be sure to hear more about: Legder was self-described as obsessed with Nick Drake's story. For those of you that don't know, Drake was a British folk singer who committed suicide in 1974. The Drake estate has confirmed that Ledger recently filmed and edited a music video to a Drake song in which Ledger drowns himself.

The Academy Awards: They announced the list of nominees (which I will comment on later), but the real issue now is whether or not the strike will end in time. If not, the Writers and Actors look to boycott the ceremony which will make it far less interesting.

Sundance Update: In the midst of all of the other Phoneytown chaos, Sundance continues to steamroll. First indications were not good as very little buying was taking place, but things have picked up in the last few days. Noteworthy pickups: The Chuck Palahniuk novel/film "Choke" was picked up by Fox Searchlight for a cool $5 million...here's a behind-the-scenes interview with Director Clark Gregg.

Cloverfield: After raking in $46 million in it's opening weekend draw, the reviews are all over the place. The story is told through a first person amateur camera lens, meaning we see what the character sees (ala Blair Witch project) but what happens when you incorporate millions of dollars in CG special effects into this equation? Apparently, some people are wishing they had taken their Dramamine before the movie.

Radiohead: Here's an excerpt from the Rolling Stone article on Radiohead due out soon.

Politics: Lots of things here...
---Congress approves tax rebate which will give $600-$1200 back to working families.

---Super Tuesday is important, but won't crown any presidential nominees as the race is too close.

---Bill Clinton in the middle of the dogfight between Hillary and Barack in South Carolina

---The end of Rudy? Giuliani put all of his money and effort into winning Florida, but the polls don't look good

an update on me...

2008-01-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week as I was working on a production for Bellydance Superstars. We logged 37 production hours in the last three days to film 6 girls for a new DVD that will include tutorials and performances. The smaller production was a great opportunity to shake the rust off and become reacquainted/comfortable being on a set again. I'm looking forward to more production work soon.

2008-01-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

Just in time to...nothing: "Hurry up and wait" will be Kiefer Sutherland's motto now that he gets out of jail on Monday. With the strike still in effect, 24 won't be shooting anything new even though Jack Bauer has been released.

Lost in the mindgames: What is wrong with the picture above? Notice anything unusual about the reflection in the water?

Chess Guru Bobby Fischer dies: This would have been an insignificant passing for me had it not been for the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer"

Radiogaga: NME has Radiohead's performance at 93 East in London on Wednesday

Director's Guild makes pact with AMPTP: In a significant move for the industry, the DGA has accepted a proposed 3 year deal with the producers that may impact the writer's strike. Now that the DGA has a deal, pressure is mounting on the WGA to move quickly and forge its own path to a deal. For the first time in more than a month, the AMPTP explicitly asked the WGA to resume negotiations in a statement Thursday.

Tom Cruise on Scientology: Gawker has posted this Scientology indoctrination video that has Tom Cruise expounding on what Scientology is to him. If the Oprah scene scared you, this will blow your mind.

Semi-Pro: Will Farrell's new comedy is set to be released in February. You can check out the trailer here.

2008-01-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Since Nobody Watched: Here are the results from the Golden Globes last night. Glad to see that "No Country For Old Men" was well represented.

Lost Preview: The return doesn't happen until Jan. 31st, so for those of you waiting, here is a short trailer of the new season

Johnny Depp: Am I the only one that thought Johnny Depp must have come from another planet? Rolling Stone has some cool back history on the icon in their new issue...

A Country Divided...: I had hope this would not happen. I had hope that these candidates would stay away from a distraction like this. I had hope that they would not arm the right wing media with something so...predictable.

Go Indie or Go Home: 10 Sundance sensations that changed filmmaking...

Movie Trailer of the Week: Meet "He was a Quiet Man" - a new film with Christian Slater, William H Macy, and Elisha Cuthbert

2008-01-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

From the word on the street, I've got a lot of catching up to do (and here I thought no one read this thing):

Eye Candy that I have seen recently that might tickle your fancy:

My So-Called Life (Complete Series): Remember High School? Me neither until I started watching this gem from 1994

Once: No one told me this was a musical. By the third song, I was hooked anyway. Think of the story more of a reason to play a bunch of Frames' songs for an hour and a half.

This is England: For you indie junkies that like movies like Romperstomper

The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story: The myth has always proceded him, but was it about Syd Barrett that caused Pink Floyd to write much of their material about this man?

The Lives of Others: Ever wonder what it was like to live in East Germany before the fall of the Wall? This one may surprise you.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts:

Filmed less than 5 months before Kurt died, it is worth every bit of your attention. Just resist the urge to rag on Dave Grohl's ponytail and turtleneck (it was 1993, we all made poor fashion decisions)...

Does that help or hurt? John Kerry denies Hillary and backs Obama

That's what I've been saying: former Secretary of State Madeline Albright pulls no punches bashing the Bush administration’s handling of certain issues – calling it one of America’s “worst presidencies.”

Radiohead at #1: Everyone said that it wouldn't happen due to the "unusual way" that Radiohead has allowed the album to be downloaded since October, but "In Rainbows" is at the top of the charts

Writer's: 3 Hollywood: 0
The Weinstein Co. has agreed to a separate deal with the WGA, joining Letterman's Worldwide Pants and United Artists. Lionsgate should be next. The reason this is significant is that it will put increased pressure on AMPTP to get back to the negotiation or leave the major Studios playing catchup to these independent production houses.

Mas Palahniuk por favor: Looks like Chuck Palahniuk's (Fight Club) second novel-into-film "Choke" is slated to to be shown at Sundance this month. Sam Rockwell has the lead. Let's hope for a quick distribution...

United Hollywood: SAG videos in support of the writer's strike

2008-01-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

Writer's: 1 Hollywood: 0

The Writer's strike has taken down the Golden Globes

Roger Clemens sues former trainer for defamation after being named as steroid-user

L-I-V-I-N IKEA style: This dude is living in a NY IKEA for one week as a free rent/publicity scheme...

the state of things: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert return to the air tonight just in time to make sense of Britney Spears, the primaries, and anything else that is out of wack.

Setting Forth Into the Universe

2008-01-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
My present to myself? I have recently resigned my position at that stock photography company I was working for and will be looking for a new gig. Life is full of opportunities and I am looking forward to finding the one that was meant for me. I am feeling pretty confident that good things are awaiting me now that I can put myself in their path.

Theflip side/good news is that I should have some more time to re-dedicate myself to this blog to get it up and running again since I took a lengthy break over the holidays.

Hope you are well and well into a great 2008...

Apologies

2007-12-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging, but the holidays, and the travel associated with the holidays, have gotten me off track. I promise more blogging to come soon. I am going skiing this weekend, so bare with me until the new year and I promise to provide more entertainment...

2007-12-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

Big Bro Update: Here's an article on my brother as the Head Women's coach at Shoreline Community College in Seattle.

The Show Must Go On (Life Without the Writers): Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien will return to the late night scene on Jan. 2nd, this time without writer's and only their ability to improv.

It's Business Time: Flight of the Conchords new album due out in April, 2008

Rogue Wave Announces Tour Dates 2008: For those of you in the LA area, there are a couple of January performances to check out...You may just see me at the Glass House.

Early Holiday Gift: Timmy D gave me the "Into the Wild" Soundtrack for Christmas and I haven't stopped listening to it for three days. I highly recommend you use that random Best Buy or itunes gift certificate you get for Christmas this year to pick this up immediately and listen often.

Fake it til you make it: Scotland Yard has busted a family in Northern England for running the most prolific and successful art forgery studio in the world.

WGA denies Golden Globes and Academy Awards: The Writer's Guild has denied an exemption to allow writer's to work on the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. In addition, the Guild has denied usage of film clips to be used in the shows. This means no clips of the nominees (from the flick) can be used in the show.

2007-12-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Actor's Guild remains in strong support of Writer's efforts to take down the Producers: SAG Proxy send out this letter sent out on Sunday.

Cool Stuff: 30 years of LucasFilms Holiday cards

2007-12-14T11:40:00.001-08:00

My obsession with Little Britain: I have probably "pushed" Little Britain on many of you already (I'm a habitual view-ser), but their arrival in America has been delayed by the writer's strike. They were slated to go into production on the American verison of the show this fall for release on HBO next year.

It's JJ Abrams World and we're all just spinning in it
- Paramount has released 5 minutes of the Cloverfield movie
- The trailer for the next season of Lost is up here

Politics: MSNBC reports that the Hillary campaign may be falling out of favor regardless of what the national polls are saying

Santa hates me? Urban Outfitters tosses some yule-tide humor into the world via a tee shirt with this sentiment and a unfriendly gesture.

2007-12-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

You should check out the previously unreleased Radiohead video for jigsaw falling in to place.

Shout out to my Boston sistah...Boston gets slammed with massive snowstorm . SoCal misses it's Nat!

Shocker! Yankees are cheating! (Mitchell MLB report outs steriod stars): The report names Roger Clemens, Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, as well as a slew of others.

2008 Golden Globes Nominees Announed

Mess with the Bull... I'm sure this is just a coincidence, regardless of the Rev's criticism of the Bush Administration, but for those (few hundred million) of you out there critical of the Bush administration, please note that Al Sharpton is being investigated by the IRS and FBI.

Jackass 2.5: Johnny Knoxville and the bunch are going to preview their new movie online for free starting Dec. 19th and running two weeks.

Hey you PJ Harvey fans: Here's a cool article with the AV Club with Polly Jean herself

Rivers Cuomo and Robot voices? Where do I sign up? Weezer frontman has been hard at work getting his new solo work into the world, as well as gearing up for the new Weezer album.

Just can't wait for I Am Legend? Here's a 3 minute sneak peak (note: it looks more like a Ford Mustand commercial)

Just for fun: Apparently, all is not well on the set of the Four Christmases, the Vince Vaughn/Reese Witherspoon vehicle set to be released next year. Really? Vince is a slacker and Reese is a perfectionist?

2007-12-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

There's probably a few more that come to mind: The top 25 most ridiculous band names of all time

Paybacks a bitch: TV Networks pay back advertisers as fall season ratings go in the trash

Hiding his head in his mitre: The pope condemns the climate change prophets of doom (watch out Al Gore)

There's good ideas and then there's this one: Man almost dies after chugging vodka at airport security checkpoint

Dumb Ideas - Take 2: This dude has voluntarily put himself in an inflatable snowglobe to set a record (there's a record?) and to spread holiday cheer. If he had any balls, he would have done this outside.

Take 3: David Blaine's next stunt involves staying awake as long as possible. Side Effects: brain damage.

Dickheads of the Year: Bill Maher gives out his candid awards for those who try hard to ruin our lives.

2007-12-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

Now in consideration for Picture of the Year:

No Country for Old Men

Everyone loves the Coen Brothers. Some people think these things, some people say these things, but it was never really a complete factual statement until now. I'll be the first to admit that, although I have always been a fan, I was never trying to be the first fan or the best fan, or the president of their fan club. In fact, chronologically, I didn't see Blood Simple until well after The Big Lebowski and even then thought it looked a little dated and worn. Hell, I grew up watching Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, and The Hudsucker Proxy loop perpetually in the HBO catalogue for the last two decades of the twentieth century (to show my age: when I grew up, there was only one HBO channel for the entire North American region and it only came in the English language. However, it cost as much as the 17 HBO channels I now live with). Miller's Crossing is generally in my top 10 list of favorite movies ever and I gladly ushered in the new millennium with O Brother, Where Art Thou? Suffice to say, I've always enjoyed their films, especially the cinematography and the quirky dialogue.

That was the leadup to this part.

No Country For Old Men takes every shred of the things you enjoyed in their previous films, blows them up as big as the Pink Floyd inflatable pig, and powerpacks them into 2 hours of celluloid that bends your mind with warped astonishment. It is all of those things you didn't think it was going to be.

It's not a western, although it is reset in the 80's in west Texas. It is not an action movie, although it has plenty of violence and devastation. It's not a comedy, although it has some amazingly witty lines that serve comedic justice. It's not a love story, although there are relationships that pull the yoke, drawing it forward. It's got philosophy, compelling dialogue, and the central thematic elements that make great films.

Tommy Lee Jones is clearly comfortable in his element of a small town sheriff, Josh Brolin pulls off the lovable and tough "dumb sonofabitch" cowboys of old, and Javier Bardem is just...badass. Really, really cool and badass.

I won't say more as I hate giveaways, but I would suggest seeing this movie in the theater if possible. I really think it will be up for picture of the year, and rightfully so.