Saturday, January 31, 2009
Hold Me Close Young Tony Danza
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I have that problem myself occasionally. I thought "Waterloo" was "Wanting You".
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And I just found out that I was wrong about a play name. I always thought it was "Morning Becomes Electric", like ... you know.. electricity is in the air.
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Turns out, just down the street is the play "Mourning Becomes Electra". Turns out it is a reference to a person and death! Go figure!
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Here is part of the Wikipedia entry, and let me just say, it doesn't seem anything like an electric and exciting morning...
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The story is an update of the Greek myth of Orestes to the family of a Northern general in the American Civil War. Agamemnon is now General Ezra Mannon, Clytemnestra is his second wife Christine, Orestes is his son Orin, and Electra is his daughter Lavinia. As an updated Greek tragedy, the play features murder, adultery, incestuous love and revenge, and even a group of townspeople who function as a kind of Greek chorus. Though fate alone guides characters' actions in Greek tragedies, O'Neill's characters have motivations grounded in 1930s-era psychological theory as well. The play can easily be read from a Freudian perspective, paying attention to various characters' Oedipus complexes and Electra complexes.
Hanker for a Hunka???
Cool Libraries from The Daily Beast
Friday, January 30, 2009
Think about this...
One Last Thing this Super Bowl Week-end
Live from an alternate reality.....
As We Occasional Do....
In the flat romantic comedy “New in Town,” RenĂ©e Zellweger plays Lucy Hill, a shark in spike heels who wields pretentious corporate jargon like a machete. An aspiring master of the universe who works at the Miami headquarters of a food-processing giant, Lucy is dispatched to an underperforming branch in New Ulm, Minn., to oversee slash-and-burn operations. After a few minutes of listening to her running off at the mouth, you may never again want to hear “dialogue” used as a verb.
“The Uninvited” sounds like the name of a generic horror movie, which is more or less what it is. But when you stop to think about it, the title is actually a clue to the picture’s lameness. Words beginning with “un” do have a certain scary resonance — intimations of the unknown, the undead, the uncontrollable and the unholy — but “uninvited”? As in “not on the guest list”? Only in Hollywood could such a notion be a source of terror.
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Two gentlemen behind me kept up a lively, derisive banter — the kind of thing that would ordinarily drive me mad with rage but that in this case saved me a bit of work. Just at the moment when the kindly local sheriff left the heroine alone in a dark room, assuring her that no one else would get hurt — spoiler alert! he was wrong! — one fellow asked his friend: “Is this a commercial break? Because I need to go to the bathroom.”
I saw a wonderful show last night....
Last night I got to see an amazing wonderful show. O shan't review it right now, since it doesn't open until tonight and I my review comes out on Thursday.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I call bullshit on the NY Times: Updated and Retracted
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Saw Pal Joey Today...
Today I saw a matinee of Pal Joey with Stockard Channing and Martha Plimpton. I really liked it a lot.
An Odd Thing
Sometimes a great notion...
(Reprinted from the Daily Mail with no comment) David Beckham scored his first goal for AC Milan over the weekend causing a rush for his ass by teammates:
"The 33-year-old football ace was seen getting groped by his AC Milan team-mates, Andrea Pirlo and Clarance Seedorf during the Serie A stars game against Bologna at the Renato Dall'Ara stadium...it wasn't just a case of cheeky behaviour, the pair were congratulating midfielder Beckham - and also touching him for luck after he scored his first goal for the club he is on loan to for three months. An AC Milan insider said: 'Everyone knows Beckham has a golden touch and he has proved that since he arrived. 'Italy is a superstitious country and people often touch things for luck - the players are doing the same with Beckham and touching his bottom because he is seen as a lucky mascot.' Pictures of the players touching the bottom of Beckham were published in several Italian newspapers, all with the headline: 'Now he is a lucky talisman.' Since the former Manchester United player arrived in Milan, the side has not lost a match both in the Italian league, nor in a friendly."
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Okay, with one comment. I could use a little luck myself.
A Twofer
In deference to my "any reason to post a picture of Brad" - let me give a shout out to Phil, John and Carson (I know that Don doesn't care :-). Here is a picture of Jessica Alba.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Annual Dance
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Anyway, there is an Angelino annual ritual I forgot about. It is the yearly, post-Football season, "Will LA get a pro football team this time?" dance. (USC is only semi-pro and doesn't count.)
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It always ends in the negative because LA doesn't do the one thing that successful dancers do (ones like Houston - now home of the Texans, or Tennessee -new home of the Titans (nee Oilers), or Baltimore -home of the Ravens, or Cleveland -home of the Browns (nee Ravens)). LA does not pony up the cash. Not the least of the reasons why is that Angelino's have been without a football team since 1994 and are doing fine.
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That may sound odd, but both the LA / Oakland Raiders and the LA/ Orange County /St. Louis Rams could only get out of the contract by pulling horrible attendance figures. So they ran their teams into the ground so no one went. And the Byzantine contract requires that television show the home team if the game isn't sold out so we watched these two dogs play every Sunday for 2 years. We were happy when they left that we could at least WATCH good football.
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ps - Georgia Rosenbloom Fortiere was, is and will always be a conniving bitch in my book. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Had Carrol Rosenbloom known what she would do with his beoved Rams, he would have fixed his will.
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This year talk is centered on San Diego Chargers moving to the City of Industry.
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This would be the new stadium, built on top of a rather tall hill (although it would be a low mountain in Florida).
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For those of you familiar with the freeway system it would be at the conflux of the 605 and 60. And on Sundays would bring not only the 605 and 60 to a screeching halt, but play hell with the 10 (at San Fanciscito Carson!), the 5 at the narrow part near Downy and the end of the 105.
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It is on the Metro line... oh wait.. it isn't anywhere near a Metro line.
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It will, of course, not be built. It will join the ranks of the Carson Landfill, the Irving Gravel Pit, the refurbished Colosseum and the stadium within the Rose Bowl in the "if we only had a billion dollars" hall of fame.
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This yearly dance started like some Greek Tragedy for football fans, then moved to farce and is now an annual sideshow much less sad, but just as frustrating as Arab Israeli peace talks.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Bad Mall
Yesterday we were on a quest for Ikea Meatballs. You know, as you do.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Gerr.. Great!!
Dip Shit
So I’m thinking of replying to the guy, “Okay, I’ll send you a response, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.” (interruption) What are you laughing at? See, here’s the point. Everybody thinks it’s outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, “Oh, you can’t do that.” Why not? Why is it any different, what’s new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what’s gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don’t care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: “Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.” Somebody’s gotta say it.
So I Went and Saw The Curious Case of ... Button
Well, I went and saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button yesterday (in lui of my afternoon nap).
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Was it good? Yes.
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Was it great? Depends on your patience.
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It is a long movie. If you go waiting to see hot Brad without a shirt, you have about 90 minutes before he nudes up. You will be dissapointed.
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It is truly a quiet movie that is really moving... if you are willing to sit through it.
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Here is the thing. The movie is "about" love and life. It is about accepting age, accepting fate and embracing what you are given.
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There are probably more than a few ways to do this. One is a TV series method - where you learn to enjoy and "feel" characters over time. A movie doesn't really have that luxury. Then there is the Steven Spielberg method - where he just tells you over and over and over "how" to feel. It is a method that most people seem to like, but I find very artificial.
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The C Case of B Button chooses an altogether different method. In the case of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the viewer is already familiar with them - at least their appearance. So the filmmaker is free to let their emotions grow onscreen and things happen without hitting you on the head with it.
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As Cate Blanchett gets old or Brad Pitt gets young - we are already so familiar with their faces that the visual clues are almost subliminal. The story, and it's many inducements to fully enjoy life as it is given, can be more subtle because we feel the march of years on these familiar faces.
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The fact that their voices, while familiar, aren't an everyday input as much as their faces are, makes their stories more poignant. However, even with those faces, the movie's method requires you to SEE their stories in order to fell them, not just be told how the characters feel.
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Make no mistake, it is a 3 hour life story that frustrates with a few missteps. The biggest being a reliance on storm imagery that never really works, and the second being the use of Hurricane Katrina to book-end the piece that seems stupid and artifical.
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Finally, if Brad Pitt's voice bugs you avoid at all costs. He is a constant presence that both stars and narrates the story. If, like some folks, that slow, easy, low pitched cadance he has makes you a little weak in the knees - then see it.
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Ultimately, I loved it. And I say this knowing it will drive a lot of people crazy. It isn't Brad's best movie (that would be Twelve Monkeys - where he really did deserve an Oscar), but I did think Cate Blanchett was about as good as I have seen her in a much less showy role that Queen Elizabeth. The supporting old folks, his mother works in a home forthe aged, are well used and excellent in the small but sometimes critical, roles. And Tilda Swindon, making a very small part, looks beautiful - something you never really say with her!
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As for Best Picture.... It's no Milk - but like I said Milk was a personal time for me and I can be no judge of it. Benjamin Button is certainly better than The English Patient - at about the same pace.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Oscar Nominations (or any excuse for Brad!)
Any excuse for a Brad picture.
So much better.. finally
Thursday, January 22, 2009
This is why it is a big deal...
Hi Ed,
Thank you for the email and sharing your concerns with us. I partnered with the ** Benefits team at corporate in Fairfield and confirmed the following information:
The ** pension plan survivor annuity benefit does not treat a same-sex partner/spouse on essentially the same basis as an opposite-sex spouse . The spousal definition in this plan tracks to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as solely between members of the opposite sex. Since our ** pension plan is federally governed (ERISA), state same-sex marriage and civil union laws do not apply. This is the situation regardless of the state in which the ** employee resides.
Former French Minister Mauled by Maltese
Some headlines write themselves. I would write something pithy and humorous, but that work has been done by the Guardian - apparently a real incident. I copy for you entertainment pleasure.
Former French president Jacques Chirac was rushed to hospital after being mauled by his own 'clinically depressed' pet dog.
The 76-year-old statesman was savaged by his white Maltese dog - which suffers from frenzied fits and is being treated with anti-depressants.
The animal, named Sumo, had become increasingly violent over the past years and was prone to making 'vicious, unprovoked attacks', Chirac's wife Bernadette said.
The former president, who ruled France for 12 years until 2007, was taken to hospital in Paris where he was treated as an outpatient and sent home, VSD magazine reported. Mrs Chirac said: 'The dog went for him for no apparent reason.
'We were already aware the animal was unpredictable and is actually being treated with pills for depression. 'My husband was bitten quite badly, but he is certain to make a full recovery over the coming weeks.' The former French First Lady did not reveal where on his body Chirac was bitten.
The pet, named after the Japanese form of wrestling, was a gift to the Chiracs from their grandson Martin.
Recent polls have shown that since leaving office Chirac is now regarded as one of the most popular politicians in France, liked by 70 per cent of people. In the last days of his presidency, he was much less popular, liked by just 50 per cent of the population.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Amazing New Stuff on the Web
Foreign Policy Magazine has put up a new web site that is GREAT.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Who's Birthday?
Above he is with John and below in his full glory.
The Inauguration
It is odd working from home on a day like today. I got to watch the Inauguration and President Obama's speech - but not with a crowd. So I listened like I would watching with Ed (as opposed to cheer as it seemed many in the streets did).
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I can't critique the speech. I think it was moving and touching, but it was very personal. He reached out to people's heart in the speech. If, like me, you were willing to be drawn in - or even hoped to be, it was great.
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But I don't know how it played to those who still worry about him as President.
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I will say that the pool video artists and editors SUCK. Whoever they were, they know nothing about the cadence and emotion of a Black Speaker. And whatever else he is, President Obama is a wonderful, gifted black speaker. The camera, seemingly afraid of viewers A.D.D., cut away from Obama's pauses to random faces the crowd, diminishing the effect of the pause and the following words. The faces, a diversely appropriate mix of races and incomes, were meant to be moving to the viewers - but the words were enough. In fact the words were what we tuned in for.
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It was the heavy hand of a video director who no longer trusts the American people to recognize emotion and true commitment. And I only mention it because it is the same heavy hands that insist on telling us what our politicians are saying. Spinning, okay lying, in order to drive us apart.
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I hope Obama can end some tiny part of this process. I hope that people heard the speech for what I heard - a praise of the people of the country and a call to action to make it whole again.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Recovery Proceeds Slowly
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It is either stomach flu or salmonella and either way it has been a disgusting few days.
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Plane from our house
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It landed a little north of our house (so I couldn't see it), but it kept drifting more and more south.
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First of all I was amazed at the great job the pilot did landing the plane. I mean any mistake and they are toast.
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Second how lucky to land on the Hudson river during the day. The commuter ferries were there in less than 5 minutes to take the passengers off the plane's wings.
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Which probably saved a lot of lives or at least help avert a ton of hypothermia.
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It was quite the thing to watch live and on TV at the same time.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I KNEW it!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Trust Me: Bradley's New Show
About the Show
Eric McCormack ( Will & Grace ) and Tom Cavanagh ( Ed ) return to series television in TNT's TRUST ME , a sharp, witty drama series that centers on two best friends working as creative partners at a top-ranked Chicago ad agency.
Joining McCormack and Cavanagh in TRUST ME are Monica Potter ( Boston Legal ), Griffin Dunne ( Law & Order: Criminal Intent ), Sarah Clarke ( 24 ), Mike Damus ( Lost in Yonkers ) and Geoffrey Arend ( Garden State ). The show from Warner Horizon Television is executive-produced by THE CLOSER's Greer Shephard, Michael M. Robin, Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny . Baldwin and Coveny are also writers on the show. TRUST ME premieres Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) , following an all-new episode of THE CLOSER.
Set against the backdrop of the high-pressure world of advertising, TRUST ME focuses on Mason (McCormack) and Conner (Cavanagh), a pair of ad men whose strong creative partnership has served the firm of Rothman Greene & Mohr extremely well over the years. Mason, an art director, is a responsible, workaholic family man with a beautiful wife, Erin (Clarke), two children and an undying loyalty to the brands he helps sell. By contrast, his writing partner, Conner (Cavanagh), is a single, impulsive copywriter with the attention span of a teenager. Their yin-yang relationship is put to the test when Mason is named a creative director of the agency, making him Conner's boss. The series follows the changing dynamics between the two friends, who are better together than they are apart.
Also working in the same creative group is new hire Sarah Krajicek-Hunter (Potter), an award-winning copywriter whose forceful personality has a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Hector (Arend) and Tom (Damus) are a junior creative team with untraditional ideas that don't always sit well with their new boss. The entire team is supervised by Tony Mink (Dunne), a man who lives and dies by the advertising business but has a growing sense his days in this young person's business may be numbered.
TRUST ME follows these memorable characters as they try to navigate the waters of inter-office politics, personality conflicts, easily bruised egos, professional jealousies and unreasonable client demands.
TRUST ME was created by Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny, who have a combined total of over 20 years of experience in the advertising world having worked for J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago .
Hastings T-Bone Story
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Hastings would, of course, wolf down any food in order to get to Ashford’s food faster. This including devouring any food that was available, then running over to steal Ashford’s. The problem with this scheme was 2 T-Bone steak bones. With 2 bones, Hastings and Ashford would both eat as quickly as possible and then trade bones (after some growling and stuff).
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But once out in the desert, we gave them both dogs bones – put Hastings outside with his and left Ashford inside. After a few minutes they wanted to change, so we open the door – only to hear Ashford barking.
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Hastings, sneaky shit he was, had put his bone on the first step of the pool – because Ashford was afraid of the pool and the water. So Hastings was eating Ashford bone as fast as he could, before I figured it out. And Ashford stood outside the pool and barked at the bone in the pool.
Miss Creepy.. Nice cheek implants
Yikes, I think that Rene Z. has had some bad cheek implants.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Week-end fun
Saturday, January 10, 2009
It's all about the expectations....
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Too bad Tom Cruise has become "Tom Cruise; Crazy Scientoligist" because he isn't a horrible little actor.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Here is the problem with Bride Wars
Here's the Problem with the Minnesota Senate race
Quote of the day from Joan Crawford
Well, my g-mail had a quote for today from Joan Crawford. It was...
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Mr. Madoff should be in Jail...
I know it would be hard on Bernie Madoff in jail. I mean he is old and evil and will probably not fair well with the criminal element in the Bronx or Midtown holding jails.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
She's suppose to be great, but....
Did I tell you my “Moment” story?
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So Ed and Lynn and I are watching “Hello Dolly” on video, and the song “It Only Takes a Moment to Fall In Love” comes on. That same song is now known by the world as it was included in Wall.E to great effect. Thinking I have something unique to share, I do what I normally do. I pipe up to share my vast fount of knowledge.
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“Do you know how long a Moment is?” I ask. Now, I am quite satisfied with the answer because most people assume that a moment is some indeterminate length of time. But I know the truth, and after a moment of hesitation by them, I say, “A Moment is EXACTELY 2 minutes.”
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Lynn and Ed calmly (and more politely) call bullshit on me. And so I am forced to explain to the poor saps. “No really. When I was little…”
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It is at this point in the story I realize I am well and fully screwed. After all, if I heard it when I was “little”, I probably heard it through my father. But like a cornered rat, I prattle on – now knowingly bluffing, “…when I was little the commercials would come on TV and say ‘We’ll be back in a moment’. And I was told that a moment was EXACTELY 2 minutes and you could tell because they showed four 30 second commercials.”
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Ed pounces on the weak link in my story, “Told by who?”
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Being wrong, I get defensive...“Not everything he said was a lie. He said the last title before a movie starts is the ‘Directed By’, and he was right there.”
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There is general arguing before we turn back to Hello Dolly – but it is not forgotten. The next night, on return from the desert Ed has to look this up in the dictionary, like, 2 minutes after we are in the door. He is right and I am wrong. He IMMEDIATELY calls Lynn
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He starts the conversation without even so much as a hello...“I looked it up. You know what the dictionary says a Moment is?”
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He then hands the phone to me and says, "Tell her!"
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And since I had the phone I did. “The dictionary says a Moment is exactly 2 minutes.” And I hung up.
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Ed called back immediately. Ed and Lynn laugh and everyone has a big laugh at my expense. And I vow to always count internally to 10 before I repeated something my wonderful lying father told me - just to do a quick saniety test.
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