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:: Yesterday I received acupuncture for a tendonitis problem in the area surrounding my right elbow. The practitioner is an acupuncturist and a physical therapist, and came highly recommended. Needles were placed in the area around my right elbow, the tops of my feet, outsides of my calf muscles, in and in my chest and forehead, for other reasons. None of the needles hurt, and in fact, I nearly fell asleep during the time the needles were in me. I will go for at least three more treatments.
:: I don't know if it's a function of age, but there are more and more moments while watching a tv show, I will not understand a line said by a character. It's not that I didn't hear it, it's that the actor didn't enunciate it well enough for me to interpret what she or he just said, or the sound editing is bad, or whatever. One solution is to turn on the closed caption function, which I'm doing more often these days. For certain shows like Deadwood, where the dialogue occasionally sounds Shakespearean, the CC function is a blessing.
:: A new, modern rock radio station is in the midst of its four-week testing period on the air at 102.9FM in Edmonton; the station officially begins broadcasting on May 5 or 6, 2005, with live djs, etc.. Sonic 102.9 Modern Rock is a welcome breath of fresh air, at least so far. The other rock stations in Edmonton collectively suck big time. My car radio is tuned permanently to this station at the moment, which is playing, and I hate to use the word, alternative rock. But in this case, my meaning is that the music being played is indeed an alternative to anything the aforementioned stations are offering at the moment. And it's new, content from the 90s foreward. My hope is that it continues into their broadcast life, and that their djs show some respect for their audience. One of my favorite kinds of music is edgy, noisy rock, with good melody and song structure, and that's what I'm hearing so far..
:: Filed under, "What Th-??", a woman in Arizona ran 301 miles in just under 80 hours, without stopping to sleep or take any breaks, other than one brief stop for a leg massage.
:: Yesterday, while talking to my friend Pam in her office, I leaned against a bookshelf that was holding a glass jar of coins of all denominations. Of course, the shelf was adjustable, and therefore not one with the entire unit, and it flipped, sending the jar crashing to the floor, where it broke into a million shards. I'm always good for a few yucks, and once the laughter subsided, we spent time picking up the glass and coins, until I realized I cut my right hand in a few places - nothing major, mind you. I owe Pam a new glass jar.
Captain Klutz, at your service.
:: Deadwood, the brilliant Western frontier drama set in Deadwood, South Dakota in 1877, is back on HBO, and in Canada, on Movie Central. I was going to write about it, but then noticed Tony's post, so I will defer to his equally brilliant review
:: I exhausted from doing what seems to be nothing at work but writing. A letter to support a colleague's upcoming tenure, a column on RSS for Engineering Information, revisions to the chapter I am writing on the literature of petroleum engineering and refining. For one who does not consider himself a writer by any stretch of the imagination (I surround myself with friends who do it much better than I ever will), what I'm learning is that writing takes a lot of time, and a lot of energy, and can be simulateously very rewarding and mentally draining.
:: A few weeks ago at practice, a fellow band member mentioned the revived, or as it is being called, reimaged Battlestar Galactica series, speaking favourably of the new version. (Canadian site here.) I was vaguely aware that a mini-series version had aired in 2003, but paid no attention to it at the time. When the original series first aired in the late 70s, I detested it, with the exception of having a major crush on Maren Jensen at the time, which caused me to watch more episodes than I care to admit. The show was pure camp, featuring characters with horrid names like Starbuck, Apollo, Athena, Adama, Boomer, and Cassiopeia, combined with bad acting and writing.
I decided to dial up the new series, and much to my surprise, found myself hooked in a very short time, albeit confused from the outset because I hadn't seen the three hour miniseries. I did remember the show's premise from the original series, still in place for this one. From the episodes page:
It had been more than 40 years since the humans of the 12 Colonies of Kobol battled with the Cylons, the sentient robots that turned on their creators with deadly results. The robots had observed the armistice that ended the Cylon War, but the promised diplomatic relations between man and machine never materialized. The Cylons remained quiet for years and soon their threat was all but forgotten.After watching the first four episodes and remaining in the dark about major plot lines, I found the miniseries, and watched it this weekend. Needless to say, major story gaps were immediately filled, and the show makes much more sense.When the robot Cylons infiltrated the human defense system, they launched a surprise nuclear attack that decimated humanity and all of civilization, leaving a ragtag fleet of humans as the sole survivors. Faced with an un-winnable battle against a deadly enemy, they were forced to flee under the protection of their one remaining warship, the outdated Battlestar Galactica. Pursued by the Cylons -- some of whom have now taken human form -- Commander Adama and President Roslin lead these last remnants of humanity in search of a new home - a planet called Earth.
What makes the "reimaged" series better? For starters, an outstanding cast led by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, rock solid character actors with long pedigrees, cast as Commander Adama and President Roslin. Olmos gives immediate credibility to Adama, a natural leader whose presence bleeds authority and leadership. McDonnell's Roslin is also tough, dealing with not only being made President on short notice, but also with advanced cancer, known only to her and two others. As Education Secretary, she was 43rd in line of succession to the presidency. The only remaining member of cabinet known to the Galactica and the ships surviving with it, she is sworn in as President, and must govern the 49,000 remaining members of humanity. A two-time Oscar nominee, McDonnell breathes life into Roslin, facing personal challenges on many levels that most couldn't handle on the best of days.
The ridiculous names used in the original series have been reduced to what appear to be nicknames or handles for the pilots, although the names are used prominently in each episode. The characters of Starbuck and Boomer have been replaced by ballsy women, strongly portrayed by Katee Sackhoff and Grace Park.
Canadian übermodel (and fellow Albertan!) Tricia Helfer is Number Six, one of twelve Cylon human models, some of which apparently don't even know they are Cylons. Six (not too far from Seven-of...never mind) spends two years seducing James Callis's Dr Baltar into revealing everything about the defense system of humanity while planting a chip in his brain, so that she appears in the flesh to him, and no one else, constantly teasing and annoying him whenever it moves her to do so. The seduction leads to the near total destruction of humanity, as the Cyclons lay waste to the twelve colonies in a swiftly executed nuclear holocaust. (I can only imagine how tough it must be for Callis, having to play a character that is constantly being smothered and suffocated by Tricia Helfer. Such a cross to bear...)
In 2005, it is expected that special effects in a show like this would be state-of-the-art, and such is the case here. What is unexpected is the darkness and grit of the show. Emphasis is placed on character and story. With survival of humanity hanging by a thread, there is never a moment in the show when you feel any ease or relief. The characters bring enormous baggage. Jamie Bamber is Apollo, Adama's son, estranged from and blaming him for the death two years earlier of his brother Zack, with which neither man has come to terms. The XO, Tigh, portrayed by Michael Hogan, is an alcoholic, and at odds with Starbuck, Zack's fiancé before his death.
Production values on the show have not been ignored. The strong fx are matched by production design and cinematography. Planet-based scenes are shot with colour filters, adding a realistic feel to images of alien territory. The docking bays, housing the fighter ships and maintenance crews, are shot in very bright light, in contrast to the command centre and various housing quarters throughout the Galactica, which are shot in darker, contrasting tones.
All we know about the Cylons is that they were created by man decades ago, and eventually turned on humanity, destroying them for reasons unknown. The new show's creators (or reimagers?) chose to maintain the look of the original robotic creatures, which I felt from day one looked altogether rather silly, with the red beam of light pulsating back and forth where normally one would find eyes. A small price to pay in exchange for a show of such high quality. Another smart choice: the elimination, at least so far, of the annoying child character, Boxey, who appeared in the miniseries, but is nowhere to be seen in the episodes broadcast to date.
In his Dec 2004 review, Michael King described the new version as "not your father's Galactica", and Matt Shafer followed earlier this month, calling it "the best show you're probably not watching", adding "In only five episodes Battlestar Galactica established itself as not only the best Science Fiction show on television but one of the best shows on television bar none." Both are accurate descriptions of the most pleasant surprise of the 2004-2005 television season. The good news is that after five aired episodes, the Sci-Fi Channel has ordered a second set of 13 episodes. The bad news is, I've lost another hour during the week when I could be doing something else besides watching television!
NOTE: This review also appears on Blogcritics.com
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i am not watching the show, but what else could you be doing? embrace the teevee! its winter!
that said. coincidentally, i was over at my parents recently searching high and low for a photo of me and a ceylon circa 1982? from universal studios. i was SCARED crapless of them.
Posted by jenB on February 13, 2005 10:37 PM
I was talked into watching this series at VCON this year as a number of actors and others from the show were at the convention. It is rare for me to meet and talk with someone and then a couple of days later see them acting in a role on TV. I also have been hooked by this show. I hope someone is going to show it in High Definition some where as it is filmed that way. There was the mini series that was shown on NBC in High Definition ( a little bit cut up but still watchable ). It looked incredible.
Posted by Steve 40 on February 13, 2005 10:44 PM
Hey, Good to see another fellow Albertan hooked! I know waht Steve 40 means though, its even stranger for me. I have known Tricia froa anumber of years and was both suprised and amazed to see her in Battlestar. I was very glad to hear that it has been picked up for a seond season already.
Posted by KT475453 on February 14, 2005 01:29 PM
1. Does Battlestar air on basic cable in Edmonton?
2. When?
Posted by Nick on February 17, 2005 04:22 PM
In Edmonton, the show is on Space, Channel 43 on cable, Saturday at 6:00 pm, repeating Sunday at 3:00 pm.
Posted by randy on February 17, 2005 05:38 PM
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:: What a difference two weeks make. Two weeks ago, Ashlee Simpson reduced the musical history of Saturday Night Live to one of its lowest points ever. Last week, Modest Mouse brought the level back up to where it belongs, enough to convince me to purchase their new and second newest albums. Tonight, U2 raised the bar much higher. I finished watching the east coast feed of SNL, the actual "live" broadcast, which I can watch at 9:30 pm here in Edmonton, because I have digital cable which carries the Detroit NBC affiliate. U2 opened with Vertigo, followed with a brilliant and moving ballad from the new album (don't know the name yet), and closed the show by bringing the house down with "I Will Follow". Rarely do bands perform three songs on SNL (I can think of Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Paul Simon - there are probably a handful of others.)
I felt exhilarated watching them perform on the show. During the closing number, the entire cast of SNL was off to the right, watching, enthralled and entranced, smiling broadly, almost in disbelief that U2 was actually performing in their house. I taped the show, and rewound to watch them perform again afterwards. Three amazing performances, inspiring to watch and experience. A great band, about to hit the top again. Last Sunday, Jon Parales, writing in the NYTimes, suggested that How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb is the best album of their 25-year career.
What dumbfounds me is that Lorne Michaels presents us with top notch bands like U2 and Modest Mouse, but counters with absolute assembly line shyte like Simpson. Perhaps U2's performance will encourage him to book top-notch high quality bands that actually perform live, well crafted, original music on a live show, and that haul ass while doing it. HTDATB will hit #1 within days of its release on Tuesday. Its purchase will be an antidote if you will, to help me forget about the upcoming result of our forthcoming provincial coronation election on Monday.
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The 2nd song, you know by now, is "Sometimes you can't make it on your own," which Bono wrote (I'm surmising) about his father. The addition of the lyrics from (Tom Rush?) "No Regrets" at the end were just heart-rending: "There's no regrets / no tears goodbye / don't want you back." Augh, I wanted to cry. And the song itself: "Do you hear me when I sing / you're the reason the opera is in me." Man.
If you listen close, you can hear them begin another song just as NBC cut away ("noooooo!")--it was "All Because of You," reportedly the next single from Atomic Bomb and another wonderful song. After that, they reprised "Vertigo." I loved watching Amy Pohler crying and laughing and being totally starstruck by Bono--she looked like any number of thousands of fans I've seen at shows. They have such a profound effect on people.
Now do you see why I've seen them live a dozen times? Just hearing "Vertigo" for the first time brought it all back. I want more, more, more!!! I have loved this band since I was 12 years old. Many songs move me to tears, especially live. There is nothing more joyful than singing "Where the Streets have no name" or "Still haven't found" with 20,000 of your closest friends. "Elevation" is just as invigorating as "Vertigo," and a fantastic opener (but I bet "vertigo" will be even better!). No one else on the planet can have me on my feet (jumping up and down, mostly) for two hours solid. It's pure joy, and it's addicting.
I haven't decided if HTDAAB is their best album, but it's certainly their most mature, with some of Bono's best lyrics, and they are at their best when it's just the four boys "bein' a band," as Larry would say.
Posted by cindi on November 24, 2004 12:13 AM
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:: As someone who wants to be able to subscribe to HBO, I almost fell off the couch reading this article, which appeared in many Canadian newspapers this morning:
Making it illegal for Canadians to subscribe to television programming via foreign satellite systems infringes on their freedom of expression, a long-awaited judgment concluded yesterday.In 2002, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that it was a federal offense to sell technology which allowed consumers to get access to encrypted signals from US-based satellite systems. Côté's ruling could eventually lead to the end of the CRTC dictating to Canadians what they can and cannot watch on their televisions. Côté is allowing a one-year grace period before her ruling comes into effect. Consider that appeals will probably be made as well, meaning that change could take a while. But it's a move in the right direction.Quebec Court Judge Danielle Côté handed down a 153-page ruling that found two sections of the federal Radiocommunication Act violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Those sections deal with so-called grey-market satellite systems for decoding an encrypted programming signal.
The court order was sought by Jacques D'Argy of Drummondville, after years of legal battles:
D'Argy, representing himself throughout all the court proceedings, said yesterday he always wondered "why can I import the New York Times but not (the U.S. television network) Fox."Well, DUH! The Red Sox win the World Series, and a ruling in favour of allowing access in Canada to US cable networks. What a great week.
:: It started snowing on Friday night in Edmonton, and continued throughout Saturday. When it snows this early, not even one month into autumn, the only word that comes to mind for me is: offensive. It's too early!! All we can do is hope that it melts before it gets too cold for that to happen.
:: Jon Stewart, currently the co-author of the #1 best selling non-fiction book in the USA, was on Crossfire last week, and was brutal in his assault on the show itself. Rather than appear on the show in his role as a comedian, as Tucker Carlson apparently expected, he tore into both Carlson and co-host Paul Begala for the show's lack of journalism ethics. The video of the segment is available on iFilm - if you are running Norton Internet Security 2003, you'll need to disable it in order to get the film to play.
Read "Jon Stewart Bitchslaps CNN's 'Crossfire' Show", on the MTV web site. Stewart leveled into Crossfire, accusing the co-hosts of being "partisan hacks". But Stewart saved the best for last, when Carlson said to him: "I do think you're more fun on your show", to which Stewart replied, "You know what's interesting, though: you're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show." From the MTV article:
"What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery," Stewart said. "You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.The transcript of the show is available, as is Carlson's reaction."I watch your show every day, and it kills me. It's so painful to watch," Stewart added as it became apparent that the comedian was not joking. He went on to hammer the network, and the media in general, for its coverage of the presidential debates. Stewart said it was a disservice to viewers to immediately seek reaction from campaign insiders and presidential cheerleaders following the debates, noting that the debates' famed "Spin Alley" should be called "Deception Lane."
"The thing is, we need your help," Stewart said. "Right now, you're helping the politicians and the corporations and we're left out there to mow our lawns."
While the audience seemed to be behind Stewart, Begala and Carlson were both taken aback. The hosts tried to feed Stewart set-up lines hoping to draw him into a more light-hearted shtick, but Stewart stayed on point and hammered away at the show, the hosts, and the state of political journalism. Carlson grew increasingly frustrated, at first noting that the segment wasn't "funny," and later verbally sparring with the comedian.
"You're not very much fun," Carlson said. "Do you like lecture people like this, or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them; they're not doing the right thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?"
"If I think they are," Stewart retorted.
The conversation reached its most heated moment when Carlson said to Stewart, "I do think you're more fun on your show," to which Stewart replied, "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."
God bless Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. It is simultaneously funny and sad that at least 21% of people under 30 in the USA consider The Daily Show and SNL as sources for presidential campaign news.
:: I've been volunteering at the EIFF since Wednesday, working in the "Industry Centre", and picking up a few delegates at the airport. I've seen two pictures so far, P.S. and Primer.
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Ever notice how nobody wants to comment on snow?
Posted by Keith Alias Verus Predator on October 21, 2004 07:36 PM
This was great...Mary's going to show it in class next week when she does her lecture on the media.
Posted by Robert Runte on October 21, 2004 11:55 PM
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:: This week, Family Channel started broadcasting the one and only season of My So-Called Life, the brilliant, inventive show that introduced us to Claire Danes and Jared Leto. Danes went on to win the Golden Globe for her work on the show. ABC, of course, cancelled the series after one year. Network weasels, as Letterman would say. A quick 'net search uncovered a detailed, encyclopedic MSCL site, on which it is noted that 10 years ago today, August 25, 1994, ABC aired the first episode. It remains one of my all-time favorite tv shows.
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Ohmigawd......I remember your Christmas missive that year lamenting and bemoaning the cancellation of said show.
So prepare yourself......when the 26 or so episodes showing on Family Channel end, there won't be any more.......
Posted by Brad on August 26, 2004 08:33 PM
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:: The Emmy nominations overlooked Ian McShane for his outstanding work on Deadwood, but the Television Critcs' Association righted that wrong by giving him the award for Individual Achievement in Drama. And ya gotta love The Daily Show winning the award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information, which prompted Jon Stewart to say the following: "We're not real," Stewart said. "There must be some kind of mistake."
:: Derryl sent a link to this brilliant parody of album covers, from the Photoshop Phriday page on Something Awful:.
Imagine a world where music is marketed in an honest fashion, where instead of pretentious titles you get a straight and accurate description of what you're getting, where there is truth in advertising. Now imagine you have a million dollars and you're giving it all to me. I believe in the power of imagination, and thusly I believe I'm going to be rich. But until all that money arrives, take a look at these handsome images contributed by our pristine collection of forum goons. They decided to strip away the fancy titles by yesterday and today's top artists and say what's really going on. I think they have a better handle on the music than even some of the musicians.:: So, the sixth season of The Sopranos won't appear until 2006.
:: In anticipation of the upcoming release of the remake, I watched the original 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate tonight. A highly respected and regarding political thriller, I had to stop and rewind the tape occasionally to review the dialogue, often turning on the closed captioning to ensure that what I thought I heard was correct. The strangest conversation has to be when Major Marco (Frank Sinatra) meets Rosie (Janet Leigh) on a train, and after she lights a cigarette for him, and they begin talking, standing between two of the cars. They discuss football, US states, her name, and railroads. Early on, Leigh, speaking about the railroad, says, "I was one of the original Chinese workmen who laid the track on this stretch." It's an absolutely bizarre line in the script, and is left hanging for the remainder of the movie; are they speaking in code to each other? The complete transcript of this scene is on this page. Roger Ebert alludes to this odd exchange in a 1988 review of the movie. It's a great film, and I'm looking forward to the new version. Other movies seen in the past few days: Anchorman, The Clearing, Spider-Man 2, Before Sunset, The Jack Bull.
:: Remember Live Aid? Twenty years later, it will finally be released on DVD.
:: I am still searching for meaning. I'm not sure what matters anymore. Do you have any brilliant insights? I'd be thrilled to hear from you...
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Alludes, not eludes. And what were you doing watching Manchurian on tape? It's been released on DVD.
What matters for one doesn't necessarily matter for another. You, however, have shown that friends and family matter, and that seems to me to be fraught with meaning. As a matter of fact, I'd say it's a basic definition of your life: you make friends more easily than I can, you hold onto those friends much more tenaciously (and Jo is quick to note that I always try to keep in touch, no matter how obscure the friend), and you both give meaning to their lives and they to yours.
D
Posted by Murph on July 25, 2004 10:31 AM
Searching for meaning? Back in Edmonton? Welcome home, Randy....
Posted by Keith Alias Alias on July 25, 2004 10:33 AM
test...
Posted by randy on August 13, 2004 06:54 AM
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:: It is another late night. I am very restless. Just finished a lovely phone call with a good friend in Florida; it's nice to visit on the phone, with someone who lives far away and talk about whatever. Tomorrow I am driving to Jasper to attend the ALC, where I am co-presenting a session on blogs with Geoff.
:: This is hilarious: Cindi posted a link to The Cowbell Project, a growing database of songs that feature a cowbell. Inspiration for this idea seems to have come from the infamous and brilliant SNL parody of Behind The Music, about the recording of Blue Öyster Cult's Don't Fear The Reaper, which featured Christopher Walken as a high-powered record producer encouraging Will Farrell Will Farrell to play with more passion, advising him that "I need more cowbell"
:: Last night's episode of Law & Order: SVU starred Marlee Matlin as a researcher who is put on trial for helping someone commit suicide. While being interrogated, she tells Detective Munch that she "has a blog". What fascinated me was no further explanation is offered in this scene, i.e., neither Munch nor Tutuola asks, "what's a blog?"
It's another small piece of evidence that blogs have entered the mainstream of pop culture, and the term "blog" has entered the vernacular. The episode authors decided that spending airtime having Matlin's character explain blogs to the detectives wasn't warranted - fans of the show would understand, or ignore the reference.
Speaking of Law & Order and blogs, The Ledger is a blog devoted primarily to the flagship series at the moment. The site's creator is working on writing "detailed summaries for each of the 320 (and counting) episodes of the original series." When this is completed, he'll turn his "the 170 episodes of SVU and Criminal Intent I haven't written about yet." He's written summaries of at least 170 episodes from the original series so far. Having started in December 2003, that's a lot of work in a short period of time.
Jerry Orbach is leaving the original series :-(, but he will be appearing in the third spinoff, Law & Order: Trial by Jury., hopefully as Lenny Briscoe. The Gothamist was there when he filmed his final L&O scenes. Also referenced is this amusing article on being addicted to All Things Law & Order.
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Hey! You wrote about me! I'm flattered....
Thanks for the conversation and the music. I will return the favour when you get back.
Now go have fun in Jasper.
d
Posted by darcy on April 29, 2004 09:44 AM
hi randy have fun in jasper. I am trying to use your blog with my wireless palm treo. we.ll see hi do? cheers, Stepheb
Posted by stephen abram on April 29, 2004 02:09 PM
A DJ friend of mine sampled Walken's "more cowbell" and made it into a track. It's pretty awesome.
Posted by kelly on May 2, 2004 01:31 PM
Kelly, if you can get me a copy of that, I'd love to hear it. - R
Posted by randy on May 2, 2004 03:24 PM
I think Jerry leaving is the 7th sign. And "more cow bell" made me snort!
Posted by JenB on May 3, 2004 12:25 AM
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:: Today, Geoff and I completed revisions to an article we wrote, for the journal, Science & Technology Libraries. The article is about applications of blogs in an STL environment. As well, Geoff is fine-tuning a presentation on blogs, which we are co-presenting this Saturday at the Alberta Library Conference in Jasper. I was amazed as I watched a short animation that he designed and embedded into one of the powerpoint slides, which demonstrates how to create a simple blog entry using Moveable Type. The computer we use for our session will not be wired to the Internet, so the animation will suffice nicely in its place.
:: Deadwood has quickly become my favorite show on television. Sunday night, with The Sopranos and Deadwood back-to-back (at least in Canada), has become the definitive night for quality television viewing. The language on Deadwood is graphic enough so as to make comparisons with The Sopranos moot. The actors are outstanding, with Ian McShane as Al Swearengen and Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane, giving career-defining performances week after week. The colourful language (to put it mildly), combined with the actors' deliveries of their lines, provide for much "water cooler discussion" every Monday at work with my friend Debi, and the HBO website for the show has a list of the "Best Lines" from each episode to date.
HBO continues to present most of the best television on television, if you will. But in Canada, we are not permitted to subscribe to HBO, but instead to limp, lame Canadian cable stations that advertise themselves as "The First Home of HBO in Canada." Problem is, no station IS the first home of HBO in Canada. We haven't seen the third or fourth seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Real Time With Bill Maher is not broadcast in Canada on any cable station.
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Ian McShane??
I used to have a crush on him way back in the Lovejoy years.
call me crazy....
d
Posted by darcy on April 27, 2004 12:18 PM
I never watched Lovejoy, but I can guarantee you've never seen Ian McShane like you will if you watch Deadwood.
Posted by randy on April 27, 2004 01:47 PM
You know, that ALMOST convinces me to get cable...
hmmmmm....
Posted by darcy on April 27, 2004 02:19 PM
The last scene with him on the bus, in Ferris, is brilliant, as he stares into the camera. :-)
Posted by randy on April 27, 2004 10:56 PM
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:: Alan Kellogg is one of my favorite local newspaper columnists (and a kind soul - he agreed to return with two Steely Dan t-shirts for me, when he saw them play at Roseland in NYC last September. You see, I had neglected to buy the shirts when I saw The Dan in concert at The Gorge in August, a few weeks earlier. But I digress...) Alan's April 1st column analyzed the Federal Court ruling on downloading music in Canada. (Warning: the column will remain online for just one week, as the Edmonton Journal maintains a seven-day archive only. Very frustrating and annoying.) The point that hit home for me the hardest, however, wasn't about the impact this ruling will have on the music industry, whose sales were heading downhill before Napster came into existence three years ago. Rather, it was Alan's straightforward take on record stores:
"Many mall record stores are simply terrible, with limited stock and clueless staff".That was my emphasis on clueless staff, not Alan's. I might add that the clueless staff are not restricted to mall record stores, either. Long before downloading caught on, I began noticing, probably in the mid-90s (slightly post-grunge) that service in A&B Sound and other Canadian chain stores was riding the down escalator - staff, when they weren't busy comparing piercings and tattoos, could barely be bothered helping me find a record that wasn't in the best seller racks. Such interactions usually ended with blank stares and shoulder shrugs.
"Do you have the new Oysterband album?" "Blue Oyster Cult?" "No, sorry, Oysterband?" "Prairie Oyster?" "Er, no, Oysterband, from the UK, played the folk festival in Edmonton 2 or 3 times?" Watching the staff member "helping" me, the expected shoulder shrugs would follow at that moment, and I might as well have been staring into the eyes of a chicken. Recently, a friend shared with me this story: A&B called him to tell him a CD he'd ordered had arrived. When he went to pick it up, they told him it wasn't there. Welcome to Customer Service, 2004.
The music industry is in really, really bad shape right now. It has not come to grips with downloading, nor with the fact that is has been overpricing music for years while simultaneously releasing questionable product. Whoinhell wants to keep paying unreasonable prices for crappy music? The industry's insistence on blaming downloading as the major reason for poor sales isn't holding up under scholarly scrutiny: a study released this week by researchers at Harvard and U North Carolina indicates that file swapping and downloading has had little impact on the slide in CD sales over the past while:
"We find that file sharing has only had a limited effect on record sales," the study's authors wrote. "While downloads occur on a vast scale, most users are likely individuals who would not have bought the album even in the absence of file sharing."
My own buying patterns have slowed down. Yes, I've downloaded some songs, but after an initial flurry in 2001-02, very little in the past 12 months or so. In fact, most of what I've downloaded is old material, some "out of print", so to speak, and a lot of which I own already on vinyl, and want to either hear on my computer, or burn to CD for listening in the car. But another reason I cite for the change is the poor service offered by the chain stores like A&B. Add to that their own dwindling inventories because of declining sales. It's a bad scene, and I have no solution for the mess it's in.
April 2 update: Alan's column in today's Journal features an interview with Denise Donlon, CEO of Sony Music of Canada. Of note is the following:
"Upon leaving her old job as vice-president at MuchMusic, she declared her first priority at Sony was to aggressively promote new Canadian music.A quick check of Sony Music of Canada's site this morning reveals the following "Featured Artists": Delta Goodrem (Australia), Incubus (USA), Jessica Simpson (USA), Switchfoot (USA), Lost Prophets (UK), Harry Connick Jr (USA), John Mayer (USA), and a little-known, obscure Canadian artist named Celine Dion. Under "New Releases", we find: 1) Various - Oprah's Pop Star Challenge 2004 Cast Album (USA), 2) Nas - Nas: 10 Year Anniversary Illmatic Platinum Series (USA), and 3) Shakira - Live & Off The Record (Columbia, South America.) Aggressively promoting new Canadian music??? As for Edmonton, we haven't had a major artists in pop music emerge from this city for decades, and there is no excuse for this. I've played in bands and with individual artists in town since the mid-1980s - believe me, there is Major Talent in this city, but Big Music continues to ignore it. (PS: Remember, you have seven days to read the column here before it self-vaporizes!)'It's taken longer than I had hoped, because since the day I walked in the door it feels like we were dealing with these other pressing issues. But there are hugely talented artists everywhere you look, for every taste, smart people with a point of view. It's exciting'."
:: This is too cool. I'm a fan of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. On Eric Alterman's blog, I saw a link to FootnoteTV, which is a site that provides analysis of a very select group of television shows, including TDS, SNL, West Wing, Law & Order, and a few more. FootnoteTV is part of Newsaic. The site is written and produced by Stephen Lee, a journalist/lawyer, whose intention is to focus on issues rather than breaking news:
"My ultimate goal here is to create a kind of Internet journalism that reaches out to modern audiences in new ways. Ultimately, I want to get people more involved in the news, especially younger people, the kind of people that newspapers and television keep losing. The answer is not more channels or simpler stories; it lies in new perspectives and tools. I expound more on this at length in the Site FAQ."So to return back to the beginning, fans of Jon Stewart can read Stephen Lee's footnotes to each episode here, in which Lee provides background and information on the topics presented in each show. My question: where does he find the time and energy to maintain such a detailed site?
show comments right here »
Although music is feeling the brunt of filesharing at the moment, that won't last for long. The increasing viability and availability of Ebooks (yeah, I read them), and the relative ease of copying plain-text regardless of protection methods, means that book publishers will soon feel the pain. And text is a heck of a lot easier to store, upload and download than music. These industries need to deal with information sharing in a realistic way. It's going to happen. Might as well take advantage of it. Allow basic products to be distributed free. Provide value-adds to encourage the purchasing of the full product. Heck, most of the time I'd shell out the cash anyway. Reading about the music industry's efforts to crush filesharers just pisses me off, and I don't even download the stuff.
Posted by Steve on April 2, 2004 08:32 AM
I tend to look for the old and out of date too - like when my friend Catherine was looking for the original Terminator soundtrack. But one album I wish I had downloaded was the new Norah Jones, for two reasons: one, because then I would have known it was so blanc-mange boring before I shelled out good money for it; and two, because it's got such freaking agressive anti-copy protection on it, it "may not play in some car stereos" (their words). Well, isn't that special?
Most musicians I know love the whole idea of downloading - they realize that getting their name, and more importantly, their music, out to people is what counts. If you like a band or an album, you will seek them out, see them live, buy their previous/current/new albums.
Posted by Jena on April 2, 2004 09:44 AM
I always knew that music downloading didn't hurt record sales. True, I don't buy music anymore... but that's because I don't have any money, not because I can get it for free. Not that I would ever download illegal music of course;)
Posted by Hot Abercrombie Chick on April 2, 2004 04:47 PM
Yeah!!!!
Let's here it for us musical genius Edmontonians!
Now get down here to SoFLa so we can record our record-breaking album and expose the canadian industry's lack of attention to the international media!
(sorry...must be that edge coming out again :) )
Posted by darcy on April 3, 2004 09:50 AM
Darcy, don't tempt me... ;-)
Posted by randy on April 5, 2004 06:15 PM
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:: There is word circulating that Dick Wolf is considering a fourth Law & Order series. Apparently a third CSI series is in the works, CSI New York. Saturday Night Live featured "Law & Order: Parking Violations Unit", in an October 6, 2001 sketch. I enjoy the three L&Os now, but don't know if a fourth is necessary. How about "Law & Order: Library Fines"?
I don't watch the CSI shows. However, my tv viewing habits keeps shifting. I've watched some of the new Dennis Miller show, but his move to the right disappoints me; I can't believe he's leaving Bush alone. Typical week for me: Monday: The Newsroom; Tue: 24, L&O:SVU; Wed: L&O; Thu - nothing; Fri - nothing, although I watched South Park last night because they went to Canada to see the new prime minister; Sat: SNL, Ebert and Roeper, MAD-TV, Coupling (when it's broadcast), Sun: L&O: CI. I tape SportsCentre, Charlie Rose, The Daily Show, the occasional Letterman/Leno/O'Brien/Kilborn, if I learn that a guest in whom I'm interested is scheduled to appear.
Overall, still too much tv.
The family of James Davis, an NYC councilman slain in 2003, was upset with NBC last week for airing an episode based on that incident.
:: I'm disappointed but not surprised to learn that the Yankees are pursuing Alex Rodriguez. I really hope he doesn't sign with them.
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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, RANDY!!
xxoo
d
(maybe I'll start watching tv again once the L&O: Library fines gets going.... :) )
Posted by darcy on February 16, 2004 09:29 AM
Happy Valentine's Day to you to, Darcy, and thanks for those hugs and kisses, which I am returning with equal enthusiasm!
xxooxxoo - Randy ;-)
Posted by randy on February 16, 2004 11:02 PM
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:: Sree Sreenivasan has gathered together the year's best web tips, as reported in the Web Tips column on Poynteronline. Sreenivasan also has a site for "sharing tips on various topics", such as photography, Google, hoax sites, and graphics and image sites.
All web tips since Sept 2001 are listed here.
:: The 10 worst ideas of the fall 2003 television season include the dumbing down of The West Wing, and the full-frontal assault of the three Law & Order franchises, both of with which I agree. While you're at it, check Lost Remote, a television blog founded by Cory Bergman. And in case you missed Paris Hilton on SNL two weeks back, here's the transcript of her brief sketch with Jimmy Fallon during Weekend Update. It's totally brilliant and funny.
:: I've watched a lot of television since the 60s, which was the time I got hooked on it all. But this year has been a bit different. For the first time in memory, I've not added a new show to the ones I watch in prime time, and in fact, have dropped a few. The only prime time shows still on my radar are the three Law & Orders, and 24, although 24 is rapidly losing my interest. I stopped watching The West Wing, and don't watch any sitcoms, except the original (UK) Coupling, when I remember to dial it up. I watch SNL, having been there since the beginning, and also dial up MAD-TV. I tape Ebert & Roeper, and the occasional Charlie Rose. The Daily Show is also required viewing.
It seems like a lot of tv, but the big difference is that many of my evenings are free because I've dropped most of the prime time stuff. And because I have digital cable, I can see four east code feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX (three from Detroit, one from Rochester NY, as far as I can tell). As such, I can watch shows on those networks three hours ahead of the same shows I'd normally see three hours later on Spokane cable. For example, rather than wait until 12:30 am to watch SNL on a Sat night, I can watch (or tape it) at 9:30 that evening.
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I love the UK Coupling! We finished the second season here; do they have a third?
Posted by sharon on November 28, 2003 05:17 AM
I was a former TV junkie myself. Growing up I would watch 6 - 8 hours of TV per day. Although this has made me an excellent Trivial Pursuit player, it was not a very good use of time. About three years ago, I simply stopped watching mainstream TV shows. I have never seen West Wing, 24 or even Law and Order. I have only ever watched one episode of Sopranos. Instead, when I watch TV it tends to be either Movies on Movie Central, Music Shows or News Channels. About the only show I try and catch is King of the Hill.
Posted by Kenton on November 28, 2003 08:23 AM
Susan and I have been watching fewer regular TV shows every year for a while now. The loss of Buffy was a blow this year, but we've picked up Joan of Arcadia. I recommend it.
Is it old age, or just really bad TV? I used to watch hockey religiously, but I haven't seen a game for a few years now. Is it me, or is hockey BORING? Maybe I just have better ways of spending my time. Who knows.
Posted by Mike N. on November 28, 2003 08:37 PM
I think it's a combination of all those things. Age, shifting priorities, etc. Hockey has become a duller game, less scoring, clutch-and-grab style of play is dominant, players lost respect for others years ago,etc.
What fascinates me is to consider that when a show gets a high rating in, say, the USA, it usually means that perhaps 10-15 million people were watching. Factor in those watching other networks, and perhaps 30-40 million people are watching tv. My question: what are the other 250-260 million people doing? Sure, some are working, but the rest may be doing productive things that enrich the mind and body.
Watch enough tv, and one tends to believe that everyone watches tv. I'm still amazed that there are some people who never watch Law and Order (I mean, how can you MISS it, it's on every day!), yet Kenton, you note that you've never seen it.
Even with reduced television time, there is too much to do. I am single, no dependents, no pets, no plants, and still can't find the time to do what (I think) I want to do, such as reading and movies. Some preferences will trump others.
And life goes on.
Posted by randy on November 28, 2003 11:07 PM
I don't watch Law and Order. I hear there is more than one around now?
Posted by Mike N. on November 29, 2003 10:40 AM
Of all the shows you've got listed all I watch is the Daily Show. I still catch the Simpsons, South Park and lately I have been watching Jimmy Neutron. I find I am now thinking more about waiting for them to get published as DVD's and watch them then in a batch, rather than waiting for a season to play out. Recently I have started watching Secret Agent AKA Dangerman with Patrick McGoohan. I have only watched the first three shows so far but they were pretty good. The Ben Stiller show came out last week and that was fun to watch again. Appearently tv shows are a big seller in the DVD market. The local BestBuy has stopped carrying VHS prerecorded movies in favor of dvds, and they put the tv show dvds in the first spot after the new releases.
Posted by Garth Danielson on December 8, 2003 12:56 PM
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:: I watched The Passionate Eye tonight, which featured the fake documentary, "Dark Side Of The Moon", written and directed by William Karel. It's a brilliant mock-umentary, not unlike Peter (LOTR) Jackson's Forgotten Silver. I'm sure more than a few people watching it across Canada actually believed it, even with opening and closing remarks from the host, Michaelle Jean, who made it rather clear that the film is a hoax. The film tells the story of how Richard Nixon, fearing that no live pictures could be sent from the moon after the landing in July, 1969, asked Stanley Kubrick to film the moonwalk on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey In return, five years later, Kubrick borrows a special NASA-developed lens, to film Barry Lyndon.
Uh huh.
The film, originally titled Opération Lune, is made more realistic by the appearances of Kubrick's widow, Christiane, her brother (and Kubrick's exec producer of his last five films), Jan Harlan, and - get this - Donald Rumsfeld, Alexander Haig, Richard Helms, Lawrence Eagleburger, and - yes - Henry Kissinger, all playing "themselves" in the movie.
The film is a treat, adding layers to the conspiracy theories that Apollo flights never happened, but goes one better, by appearing to validate said theories while showing just how absurd they are in the first place. That Karel was able to get Nixon's advisors, as well as Kubrick's wife and brother-in-law to participate gives the film it's gritty realism.
The film was made for television and is only 52 minutes in length. The only problem with it appearing on The Passionate Eye is that TPE is a 90-minute show, so the film is interrupted with not only commercials, but breaks for national news and the like, thus disrupting the continuity. Well worth the watch, however.
:: I am bored with the look of my site, and want to change it.
:: I learned from my father today that my cousin, Donny Carriere, passed away last Thursday, after a fight with cancer. The last time I saw Donny was at my maternal grandmother's funeral, which I believe was in 1985 or 1986. Like his father, my uncle Stanley, Donny fought alcoholism most of his adult life. I know now that he is finally at peace.
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Hoax & Jokes
In this 'documentary' real actual deceivers, principally Rumsfeld and CIA, are playing the role of witnesses, as faking , joking deceivers.
Isn't it, as if one should at the time have interviewed Hitler and the Gestapo about Nazi-deceiving – to demonstrate that they were deceiving or not the public? What could have been accepted, from before 1933 till 10 May 1940, when WW II really burst out.
One of the proofs is, that France and England yet in 1938 with Hitler and his Gestapo concluded the Treaty of Munich, and that till 10 May 1940 almost nothing was done by the Allies, and that in Holland any publication against Hitler was forbidden and juridical punished as offence to a 'friendly head of State'.
Today Rumsfeld and CIA are still considered as (rather) honest and reliable witnesses.
Till the time that it will become clear that they are not different from Hitler and Gestapo, and that warfare is their business...
One could ask oneself, if it's not a most cynical manner to prove the public, that indeed it is deceived.
ARTE & Objectivity
Why could it be possible that this 'documentary' was published by ARTE?
Because the essential isn't mentioned, thus yet less underlined.
That is the fact, that in all these Space Industry American multinationals participate. Which are the most important enterprises on world – together with the petrol processing industries. To make more and more Profit. Another fact is, that Rumsfeld and CIA – and President Buffalo Bush – are accomplices of these multinationals. Which are dominated at the top by Multi-Nazionism. That's te Zionist Lobby in Washington; as is explained on exemplary manner by the Jewish American professor Norman G. Finkelstein in 'The Holocaust Industry'.
When we go to the bottom of this story, it could be true that indeed no American went to the moon. That for that reason the images and the sound were of not too good quality. And one can also suppose that CIA suggested the idea for this documentary, because they were afraid that somebody indeed should speak. On the same manner that the Dutch Eveline Lubbers wrote a book about Shell, and its responsibility in pollution. While her book was promoted by Jeroen Duijvesteijn, co-operator of SMO, where 'Royal Dutch'/Shell is one of the participating enterprises…
The Dutch author and actor Arjan Ederveen on Dutch TV published otherwise demonstrating delicious 'hoaxes'.
In real research, on base of real historical documents, there is no such 'hoax' possible.
All is stated, and based on irrefutable historical documents, like in my research. But not one of the media will publish it.
Also not ARTE, whose historical co-operators refuse to publish real facts, about CIA and multinational terrorism. That also I can prove with real documents. Several attempts to interest ARTE's historian co-operators, Marc Ferro, Hugo Knopp and others in my own research didn't receive an answer. Because in this world, is no place for hard reality. Where the information is conceived and published by media, which are in hands of those multinationals, thus the Multi-Nazionist lobby.
To finish I wish to egg on everybody: Resist!
Best wishes,
Charles Destrée, 11 April 2004.
Posted by Destrée on April 12, 2004 11:28 AM
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:: Last June, the Canadian Cable Television Association applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for permission to broadcast some of the most popular US cable networks on digital cable, including HBO, ESPN, Fox News, Nickelodeon Kids, Showtime, and more. Yesterday the CRTC turned down the request, citing among othe things, potential revenue loss, which would result in a decrease in the production and broadcast of Canadian programming.
Bluntly, I want my HBO. I don't want to have to bob and weave through any number of Canadian cable stations to search for the shows I want to see, like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Real Time With Bill Maher, and others, and futhermore, I want to see them when they are broadcast - not years later, in some cases, or never, in others. Regarding the latter two shows, they are typical examples of how sad the situation is in Canada. CYE is broadcast 1-2 years after it appears in the USA, and the Bill Maher show isn't available in Canada. We've yet to see the third season of Curb. Pathetic. Naturally, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters is thrilled with the decision, thus preventing them from losing money they get from licencing these shows, scattered over a number of cable networks in Canada, and allowing them to continue to decide which US cable shows they will and will not broadcast here. A handful of suits deciding for me what they think is worth watching, as long as they can make a buck. It's The Man, I tell you, THE MAN!
Here is the letter from the CRTC to the CCTA, denying them permission to proceed with their application. Read the CAB's press release here. Learn why it thinks that broadcasting HBO in Canada would have caused "serious material harm." Learn that CAB believes Canada has the "best broadcasting system in the world."
The CRTC, which normally allows for public participation of applications, didn't permit public comment on this one.
As a Canadian, the CRTC and the CBA want me to feel proud. They are protecting my culture by preventing me from subscribing to evil US cable networks. They have the power to decide which cable programs produced by my American cousins I will see. Sadly, most Canadian cable networks are scaled down, limp versions of their US counterparts. The Comedy Network, the sad-sack Canadian equivalent of Comedy Central, broadcasts The Daily Show, but bleeps out the "bad words." When this network ran Dennis Miller Live, rather than broadcast the entire show, they removed sections of it to allow for commercials, thus killing the continuity.
The chief executive of the CAB, Glenn O'Farrell, was quoted as saying, "This proposal was so far out in left field ... they weren't even prepared to consider having a discussion." Michael Hennessy, the acting president of the CCTA, said, "We believe that supplying consumers what they want, when they want it, is critical to the future success of the Canadian broadcasting system." I believe Hennessy has it right, and O'Farrell is living in a dream world. In the Canadian Press release of this story. O'Farrell noted that "Canadian viewers already get the bulk of the U.S. programming that would have been imported if the application had been upheld." Er, duh? We do? Really, Glenn? I think I need to study the definition of the word, "bulk", cause on my tv set, it ain't happening, dude.
I subscribe to digital cable via Shaw, which included information on this application on their site. For a few months, they ran a poll, asking viewers if they supported this application. 93% said yes. The CRTC asks for "evidence of demand for this service in Canada." Well, duh - again.
Another argument that I am bone-weary of hearing, is the constant need to encourage and foster and nurture the development of Canadian content, in this case, in television and broadcasting. Well, GO FOR IT, I saw! Let the bells ring out and the banners fly! Who is stopping anyone in Canada from doing this? Why should this concern trump consumers' wishes to watch HBO in Canada?
There is NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING the CAB or any Canadian cable network can offer to convince me not to want a direct feed to HBO in my home. There is no substitute for HBO, ESPN, Showtime. In Canada, unless you get digital cable, shows like The Sopranos appear at least a year after US broadcast. That's life up here in
My response to the CRTC and the CAB: ttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhppppppppp!
The CCTA says they will continue the good fight. They have my support.
show comments right here »
The Daily show is one of my all time favorite shows and it is bleeped here. I bet the feed that you get is the same one we get. They let words like shit go by sometime but fuck does definately get the bleep. Jon Stewart is so much better than the previous host.
Still and all I watch it every night and have pretty much continiously taped it since just after it started with the much inferior Craig Kilborn who now stinks up his own late night talk show. I rate him at the bottom of the big four, none of which I watch. Who's got time for crap like that when there are much better things to watch. I get backed up with the DVDs I am buying now let alone adding whole new blocks of crap to watch.
I quit getting HBO after I tried the digital cable package. I was paying about 40 bucks for the digital and HBO/Showtime package and was buying all the shows off of HBO that I liked anyway, so I stopped paying twice. The fact that HBO wasn't broadcasting movies widescreen was also a contributing factor. I have been spoiled rotten by DVDs. I particularily like DVD sets of tv shows. I was excited to get the first two seasons of Strangers With Candy, a Comedy Central series from a few years ago. Not to everyones taste but it sure tickled my funny bone.
Posted by Garth Danielson on November 24, 2003 06:38 AM
Is there anything that the consumers can do? Is there a website or address that we can contact and tell them that we want certain programming available in canada??
It's no wonder why people get direct tv...you can get all the programming you want and when u want it.
Posted by Lucy on December 23, 2003 10:13 AM
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:: I saw The Matrix Revolutions today. It is fun to watch and confusing as hell. The effects are at times overpowering, and the dialogue as offbeat and odd as in the other two movies. There is not as much martial arts this time around, and yes, the story does resolve itself. At least twice in the movie I wanted the reel to stop, rewind, and play again so I could try to understand what just happened. I did notice that most of the people in the audience were guys in baseball caps, and when they were in groups of two or more, all sat with an empty seat between each of them.
:: A report and review of The Beatles' forthcoming, Let It Be...Naked, from the Globe and Mail's James Adams.
:: I was not surprised to learn that NBC canned Coupling after four episodes (although the website says it's returning in December.) Despite the fact that the scripts were almost word-for-word equal to the originals used in the British series, the Americans couldn't seem to capture the Brits' sensibilities, timing and delivery.
:: Microsoft has created a $5 million US fund to help track and convict virus creators.
:: Napster announced a deal on Thursday with Penn State University, in which students are given access to music funded by student fees, thereby reducing the number of illegal downloads. However, some of the students are criticizing the deal, saying it is an inappropriate use of their student fees.
:: In an October 2003 issue of the Sierra College student newspaper, Outlook, a student named Nicholas Louis wrote a column called “Sierra girls aren’t really all that ‘Hot’”. Apparently he wrote it in response to a rumour that Playboy was planning to rank his campus among the top five for "hot girls", and he disagreed.
:: This is one of the funniest eBay entries I've ever read. This poor fellow's ex-wife left him with a few Beanie Babies, and he wanted to get rid of them to buy a few tools. Be sure to read down through the entry - it's a laugher! (From: Karlin.)
:: The Florida Marlins won the World Series, beating the NYYankees four games to two, preventing them from winning their 27th WS, and giving Ivan Rodriguez his first championship in thirteen seasons in MLB. Will Steinbrenner open the vaults and sign more power hitters and rock solid starters? Has baseball become way too predictable? While a Red Sox/Cubs WS would have capitivated the sporting world, this series was rather dull. I missed most of it, despite baseball being my favorite sport to watch on the tube. I cannot shed one tear for the Yankees.
:: I might have to buy this one. Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog, is releasing an album, Come Poop With Me. If you haven't seen any of Triumph's videos, check a few out at the Conan O'Brien site. Be sure to check the excerpts from Triumph at the Star Wars premiere, and his interview with Bon Jovi. (Unfortunately, the full videos are not available on the site).
Frank DiGiacomo writes about the forthcoming release, and of Triumph's creator, the protean Robert Smigel, in the New York Observer. Among many projects, Smigel is the creator of TV Funhouse, the cartoons featured every few weeks on SNL. Come Poop With Me is produced by Jimmy Vivino, the guitarist in O'Brien's band, The Max Weinberg Seven, and a member of The Fab Faux, who I saw perform in NYC last June. (Via: Derryl.)
:: My right shoulder is in considerable pain again. I don't know what's going on. I'll see a sports physician on Monday about my left tennis elbow condition, and ask him about my right shoulder as well.
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That is a funny ebay ad. I bet he was surprised with the money he got for it. Glad the yankees lost. Triumph is hilarious. You can download his videos off kazaa or gnuetella.
Posted by Monkey on October 25, 2003 11:06 PM
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:: What makes you nuts? You know, the little things? Bloggers who blog about blogging on their blogs? (That one was for Keith). Bad drivers? Rude people? The provincial government? Taxation? That annoying neighbour? Tonya nicely synthesizes three things that drives her batty, and I can find some empathy in her words.
:: So the Twins beat the Yankees, and the Giants beat the Marlins already today. Now if the Red Sox beat Oakland and the Cubs beat Atlanta, all will be right with the baseball world. I grew up in Winnipeg cheering for the Twins in the 1960s. When they won in 1987, it was the first time one of my favorite baseball teams took the World Series. This time around, I'm hoping for the fantasy series: Cubs and Red Sox. The problem is, if the Cubbies and Red Sox meet in the WS, it means the world will end shortly thereafter. There has been concern expressed in years past that if the Red Sox and Cubs played in the WS, the result would be "complete and total armageddon."
:: Proving once again the belief that the Internet is a mecca for people with way, way too much time on their hands, check out this list of every single expression Dr Zachary Smith used to describe "the robot" on Lost In Space. My favorite will always be, "you bubble-headed booby".
:: Speaking of television, has anyone seen Carnivàle?
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Cubs win!
Hey, they are two of my favorite teams too. I fell for the Red Sox when I saw a great game in April at Fenway Park in the 70's. That October was the World Series made famous by Carlton Fisk's home run. And the Cubs? Who couldn't like the Cubs. Maybe it says more about cheering for the underdog than anything else. But I'm also a big Yankee fan too, so I've tasted the sweet nectar of VICTORY more often than a Twins or Expos fan. Hehe.
Let's play two.
Posted by Mike N on October 1, 2003 02:51 PM
What drives me nuts? Professional sports, followed by reading about professional sports. Sorry man. :-)
Posted by jenB on October 1, 2003 04:37 PM
You wanna know what makes me nuts? You really wanna know? It's people who put complete sentences inside parentheses and then put the period outside the right parenthesis! Whoa is that bad.
(That one was for Randy).
Posted by Keith on October 1, 2003 06:06 PM
clea duval is on carnivale. 'don't think i'll be missing that show if i can help it now!
in the meantime, my topic of choice is wet toilet seats. they're everywhere out here. tonight i avoided another one!
Posted by av. on October 1, 2003 08:09 PM
(Sorry, Keith, I promise not to do it again).
Posted by randy on October 1, 2003 10:21 PM
Sticking to the bathroom etiquette theme...
it drives me up the wall when people take paper towel and leave it wrapped around the handle of the bathroom door because they don't want to get any germs. "Gee, thanks for thinking of me!" Throw it out! Same thing goes for those that leave their makeshift toilet paper seat cover lying around for the next person to remove. "No really, it's so nice of you to leave your a** hairs on white tissue paper for me to admire. It's almost art." Foul!
Posted by Geoff on October 1, 2003 10:53 PM
I generally detest all pubic - er - public washrooms myself. Dontcha also hate it when you plan to get to bed at around 10:00 pm like I did, but then you discover your feckin' trackback function isn't working, so you spend an hour trying to repair it, only to discover that you needed to change the CHMOD to 755, thanks to a kind soul in Christchurch NZ who answered my question about the trackback error I was receiving when I posted it to the MY Support Forum?
Dontcha hate it when you do this, and it serves to help remind you that you need to get a LIFE?
Ah, sweet idiocy...
Posted by randy on October 1, 2003 11:05 PM
that link to the names for the robot totally 404'd me, dude. get on it! ;)
Posted by kelly on October 1, 2003 11:24 PM
Sorry Kelly, it's fixed, thanks for letting me know. I hate it when I 404 my friends. R ;-)
Posted by randy on October 2, 2003 07:25 AM
It's me, Puddin'. Carnivale? Cool show, but I've only seen one episode so far. It's a bit "Lynchian" in a peripheral way. I wish I'd seen it from the beginning though. There's a lot going on. Kinda creepy-kinda good.
Posted by Debi on October 15, 2003 03:26 PM
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