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Sun, October 31

PACKERRRRRRSSS!!!—1:22 PM

Well, now! If All-American quarterback, John Madden boycrush, and sometime Cameron Diaz co-star Brett Favre didn't just lay a hearty walloping upon the Washington Redskins! According to history, this predicts a win for John Kerry on Tuesday (or whenever it is that all the recounts and lawsuits wrap up – my money's on April 2006!). This is easily the most I've ever cared about a football game.

So now we can look forward to one of two things: the conclusion of yet another one-term Bush administration, or an historic termination of that cutesy Redskins thing, leaving us with only one remaining obsessively repeated but utterly meaningless giant coincidence of history: that whole Kennedy/Lincoln deal. We don't know which it'll be, which means all we've really gained from this week's gridiron battle is false hope. Forget the War on Terror (tm) – false hope is the gravest threat to this country.

And, by the way: Vance... I'm only wearing one pantsuit.

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Thu, October 28

Lies, Damned Lies, and the "Global Test"

It's way, way too late now, but someone besides me and Jon Stewart is finally talking (however briefly) about the difference between equal-time and non-partisan. (Read more.)

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One Man Show

Royry's starting to feel the numbers pinch on Yasur, but as sticky as his problem is, it's nothing that can't be solved with a little theatre! (Read more.)

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From Hellmuth—2:33 AM

Arksie and I had the good fortune to attend a course in power poker taught by nine-time World Champion of Poker Phil Hellmuth on Tuesday night. Phil's basic point over the evening was: "Read my book. Play tight. Be patient." But that doesn't mean we didn't learn plenty and have a great time.

Showing Phil Hellmuth my poker face. (Oops, that's my "grinning maniacally" face.)

The thing is, you can't really discuss poker strategy too much beyond the basics, because there are so many variables. People with questions like, "What do you do with AK after missing the flop and having two people bet in front of you?" opened up the floor for some discussion and some fun stories from Phil, but they couldn't get very specific answers because it depends on the personalities involved, the history of their play at the table, and your "read" on them.

I really enjoyed just listening to Phil's stories and seeing another side of him than the "bad boy" image pushed by ESPN's WSOP coverage. (He swears he's only that bratty about 5% of the time he's at a poker table; after Tuesday night, I'm inclined to believe him.) He was very magnanimous about not shilling his book the whole time, but really everything you need to know is in there. He gave some good pointers about reading other players, but that's just something that takes a lot of practice. You need to know what hands are good, play conservatively, and trust that over time you'll come out ahead. The key thing I got from Phil's book is that sometimes aggressive play will be costly in the short term, but you must consider that an investment: both in your table image and in the information that you get back from watching other players react. He added a few helpful tips like that over the evening, but mostly he simply delivered an enjoyable conversation about poker with one of the game's top minds.

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Mon, October 25

Week Nine

Another season of The West Wing promises more of the same: plenty of drama, chaos, and peril, plus the continued slow decline of the post-Sorkin era. (Read more.)

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Sun, October 24

Resolved:—11:39 PM

WHEREAS Heather Graham has been so excellent on Scrubs this season – charming, energetic, and all-around adorable – that we should go back in time and re-make every Drew Barrymore comedy of the last 10 years with Heather instead. (Except maybe Never Been Kissed. She can just go right ahead and have that one.)

Also, her nude scene from Boogie Nights should be available for me to carry around in my wallet.

1 comment

Thu, October 21

3-2-1, Merge!

Burnett lazily smooshes the teams together and separates them out as newly mingled coed groups. All this astonishing twist means is that the Survivor merge is imminent. (Read more.)

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Saturdayish—11:45 AM

Well, ABC 7 is at it again! They just love to waste that space between the cutesy weather icon and the digits that express the forecast temperature. This time they've gone so far as to describe Saturday's weather as "fall like."

Whoa! Out on a limb there, guys! Why not just forecast "Octoberesque" weather? Or: "It's going to feel a lot like a twenty-third."

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

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Miss Lilly—1:20 AM

CBS (those fuckers!) pre-empted the respective premieres of King of Queens and Center of the Universe tonight because they're too scared to go up against Game 7. (Presumably, Game 6 on the East coast.) Ha! ABC and NBC had the balls to air their regularly scheduled programming! You can't push back the Goodman/Asner unfunny-off forever. We're gonna see it someday, and we're going to make you sorry. The longer you delay it, the sadder it gets.

I got in late from plans, so I didn't have time to watch the West Wing premiere, but I did watch the latest episode of Lost. That's "appointment television" in the TiVo age: time-shifting a broadcast the minimal amount. As exasperating as Lost can occasionally be, I can't wait for the next installment, to answer a few questions – and raise dozens more! I'll grant J.J. Abrams that: he wrangles a good cliffhanger. Alias was always the same way. At least the episodes I've seen so far.

Those of you who read the comments (And that better be all of you! Read... Them...) probably recognize this from Brandon about a week ago:

(Comes running up out of nowhere at full speed)

Is someone talking about Evangeline Lilly?

(Bends over, hands on knees, gasps for air, tries to catch his breath from all the running)

Yeah... (inhale) count me in... (exhale) I'm seriously smitten...

(Collapses in exhaustion. Decides he probably should've walked. But, you know, it's Evangeline Lilly. Whaddya gonna do?)

I still chuckle to myself whenever I read it. It captures the reaction so accurately, not to mention hilariously. Now I also picture it in my head whenever I see Ms. Lilly on the TV in Lost. I knew before the show even started that I was going to have a crush on her, but it just keeps intensifying. She captures your attention. (Canadians! Is there anything they can't do?)

Which, I guess, is another thing Abrams excels at. I never obsessed over Keri Russell to quite this degree, but it's undeniable that she has an "it" quality. Same with Jennifer Garner, whom Abrams hired first as a Felicity bit player, then household-named her with Alias. It's interesting how there's something – like an "x factor" but with a less hackneyed name – that goes beyond being physically attractive or having cute chemistry. These ladies are somehow compelling on an almost supernatural level. Anyway, good for us, I guess. (Although, not right now. Right now it's the greatest possible number of hours before more Lost and more Evangeline.)

The other thing I can't get out of my head when I look at Evangeline Lilly is a line from Something to Talk About, a Dennis Quaid/Julia Roberts movie from the mid-90s that you probably don't remember or never even heard of. Because Quaid looks great in rumpled flannel, the family owns a ranch and lots of horses. The young daughter/niece character is an equestrienne, and she's just old enough to outgrow the pony she used to ride in competitions, Possum, and start practicing on a "big girl" horse, Miss Lilly. Before a big competition, she's arguing with her grandfather (Robert Duvall), and loses sight of who she's talking to, flying off the handle:

I don't wanna ride Possum! I wanna ride Miss Lilly! God, I'm so tired of you people!

(You have to imagine "I'm so TAHRD of you people!" because she was doing huffy teenager and southern drawl at the same time.)

Then she immediately gets this shocked and repentant look on her face because she realizes she's just snapped at her grandpa. For some reason, the line struck me as really hilarious. In a laughing-at the movie way, not laughing-with. I was working as a projectionist, and I timed it so I could catch that line in every screening. I never missed it. "I don't wanna ride Possum! I wanna ride Miss Lilly!" is burned into my brain. And whenever I see Evangeline Lilly (whom I think of as Miss Lilly, because Evangeline is too long – can I call her Evy?), I hear that same huffy little southern brat in my mind. "I wan' rahd MissLilleh! I'm so TAHRD a you people!"

***

By the way, on the subject of "appointment television" and time-shifting, I'm really sick of TiVo getting a bad rap about ruining TV for the advertisers and – thereby – the networks. It makes everything better for the consumer (which, by the way, is what the advertisers and networks are when they go home at night, take off their advertiser hats and network ties, and plunk down in front of the set). And it's not so bad for advertisers anyway. It's a crisitunity. Adapt, embrace, and create a happier new arrangement that satisfies customers and advertisers. It can be done. We've done it at least twice before. Don't make me start rambling about the Nash Equilibrium!

Can TiVo keep the sports dollars flowing? [PVRblog]

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Mon, October 18

Programming Note

After taking a week off, TV is premiering some more shows, and I wouldn't want you to be caught unawares. (Read more.)

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The Average Mulder—2:56 PM

A lot of times, the part of the Athletic Reporter that's done by the time I do my Photoshop and go to bed does not yet include the weekly "Average Mulder" column by ARCC Joe Mulder. Thus, on days like today, I go back and catch up.

I Liked It Better When We'd Win: I couldn't agree more with the point of this column (baseball playoff structure sucks). I was thinking about it most of the time I was watching the playoffs. The Wild Card is as bad an idea as the designated hitter. (All Wild Cards, not just those achieved by the Houston Astros, who are a bunch of playoff-ruining babies.) I liked it better when we'd win, too. ("We" being the Braves, which means "not often.")

Friday Night Whites: On Friday Night Lights – Arksie: racial or racist? Me: not enough football. Fascinating column, though. Although you can really afford to skip the film.

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Farscape—2:14 PM

As I mentioned buzzworthily the other night, the Sci Fi network is currently halfway through airing its new miniseries: Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. This is a bit of a milestone because the original Farscape show was unceremoniously canceled by Sci Fi a while back, and the decision to greenlight its return in miniseries form is due in large part to a concerted effort by the show's smallish but loyal fan base. Something similar, coupled with strong DVD sales and record-breaking syndication ratings, is responsible for new Family Guy episodes airing on Fox next January. For that reason alone, it's important to tune into The Peacekeeper Wars and tell all your friends to do the same.

The first two hours aired last night, but you'll have another chance at them this evening before the two-hour conclusion. (Four hours in a stretch may sound like a lot, but with TiVo you can spread it back out over two nights if you want. Don't have TiVo? Get TiVo. Then repeat steps one and two.)

I didn't watch that much Farscape when it was originally on, which is my own fault. It's a science fiction show, so there's a lot about cultures and trade agreements and characters with weird hair or too many eyes. The nice part about The Peacekeeper Wars is that it's a lot easier to catch up than it would be if you were jumping in at an arbitrary point in the Farscape series. It's an inventive and imaginative journey through another part of the galaxy, and the main characters are very enjoyable. It's clear that there's a lot more depth to most of the situations – depth that was explored in the series, but won't fit into a four hour miniseries.

To be completely honest, I would have a hard time distinguishing it from any other Sci Fi show if not for the Jim Henson characters, which are spectacular. During The Peacekeeper Wars, Sci Fi is promoting another miniseries called Earthsea as well as its long-running series Stargate: SG-1, and they seem very similar in terms of aesthetic and mythology. What I'm getting at is, how did Sci Fi decide that Farscape needed to stop, while similar fare continues uninterrupted? (I'm guessing that Richard Dean Anderson is the answer to that question. He passes for "star power" on Sci Fi, and I'm guessing Farscape was simply the low-hanging fruit when it came time to trim budgets and pay for a bigger trailer for MacGyver.)

Anyway, if you're at all interested in science fiction stories, quick-witted hunky astronauts, space wars, or puppets, I recommend giving Farscape a chance. You'll enjoy it, and it's for a great cause!

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Sat, October 16

Friday Night Lights—12:17 PM

We're headed out to see Friday Night Lights. I'm pretty sure I won't like it as much as I ♥ Huckabees. In fact, I'm not sure why I'm going at all, but I liked The Rundown. Besides, it's getting good notices, and it's nice to have weekend plans with friends.

What really confuses me, though, is that the football players appear to be holding hands on the poster.

I thought it was supposed to be a big macho football movie. (Again, why am I seeing this?) I don't have any problem with the fellas holding hands if they want, but it doesn't seem very macho-footballish. Guys holding hands seems more like Goonies or The Broken Hearts Club.

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Fri, October 15

Steven Levy: Cretin

Steven Levy educates the layperson on technology tidbits in "Newsweek". The quality of the information can be sort of hit-or-miss. (Read more.)

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Thu, October 14

Just Visiting

Twist! Here, twisty twisty! (Sorry, I'll be right with you.) Twiiiiiiist! Twisty? C'mon, twisty! (I'm trying to coax a twist out of hiding, to shake up this fucking unbearable season of Survivor.) (Read more.)

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Hot for Treacher—5:53 PM

This is funny. I was thinking today that it was nice when Jim Treacher (of jimtreacher.com) dropped in on our comments section a while ago. "What's he been up to?" I mused to myself. So I went to his site and found this entry:

Let's say I decided to watch a couple of Mythbusters episodes on the TiVo instead of another stupid freaking debate

Which is hilarious, because that's exactly what I ended up doing last night. Heard the first half hour on NPR on the way home, got tired of it, watched Mythbusters. (Half as many episodes, 'cause I switched to an old episode of CSI: NY after the first hour. But still.)

Also, he's a fellow appreciator of Evangeline Lilly. Yay, Jim!

2 comments

low culture on Decision '04—4:02 PM

This is unbelievably funny and reminds me of Fametracker's "Asterisk" feature:

Lies, Falsehoods, and Total Fabrications, vol. 1

And, I hate to link to the same site twice in a row, but this is fantastic in a wholly different way. Unbelievably chilling evidence of voter ignorance, framed by spectacular retorts from the author:

"Profiling the Elusive Undecided Voter"

0 comments

The biggest lie I've told today—11:58 AM

"I can play 'hot cross buns' on the recorder."

Yesterday: "I'm not saying I want to get engaged right away."

So far, today is shaping up a little better!

0 comments

Wed, October 13

The most beautiful thing I've ever seen

A trip to the grocery store unexpectedly restores meaning to my life. Sometimes the smallest thing can deliver indescribable satisfaction. (Read more.)

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Sarah Degenhart: bringing people together—1:35 PM

Welcome, Googlers! Sarah Degenhart just keeps on giving. Right now, we at onebee are delighted to be the #3 Google search result for the loveliest young pro-life schoolteacher we've ever seen.

(Sexy growl.)

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Tue, October 12

Diary of a Political Tourist

Alexandra Pelosi follows up Journeys with George with another verité look behind the scenes of the political process. There's not much to be learned here, but if you like dreamy shots of John Edwards, you should enjoy it. (Read more.)

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Mon, October 11

Week Seven

A pair of new shows from ABC. A little bit of surprise, a little bit of disappointment. Just sit tight: a little bit more baseball and then Arrested Development will be back. (Read more.)

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Yet another reason for Arksie to hate the Packers—5:13 PM

Winning Tradition [snopes.com]

It turns out that the Washington Redskins closest home game before a presidential election has an eerie predictive power. It looks like, for one day, I'll be cheering for Brett Favre this Halloween.

1 comment

There are no words...—10:13 AM

Delicious Library [Delicious Monster]

This software allows you to scan the barcodes of your books, CDs, DVDs, etc., and maintain a searchable library on your computer. This is like porn for an organization psycho like me. After watching Brazil, most people chuckle at the hyperbolic bureaucracy that's the focus of the film's satire. I, however, jotted down a few plans for a database which would catalogue everything in my apartment, assigning it a barcode and a unique ID. Then I'd develop an elaborate system of paperwork to track everything I did, which would produce a reference log which I could refer to at any point in the future. Kind of like Bob Graham's diary.

For example, if I wanted to make lunch, I'd fill out a form listing the date and time, the activity, and everything I had used, including its barcode ID. Something about the concept of requisitioning a fork to eat a salad really seemed fun.

Fortunately, I never went forward with plans to build this system – for the sake of my sanity. But it still holds some appeal, so you can bet I'll be buying my copy of Delicious Library as soon as it's available!

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'Superman' Christopher Reeve Dies at 52—10:10 AM

'Superman' Christopher Reeve Dies at 52 [AP]

This is very, very sad. I really adored Christopher Reeve and respect his acting tremendously. Not only did he strike a perfect balance between no-nonsense grit and goofy camp in the Superman films, but he displayed real chops in Deathtrap (still among my favorite thrillers) and his comedic performance in Noises Off is beyond reproach.

Also, not too long after his accident, I had a long and vivid dream in which I met him. I still remember it, which is a big deal – I never remember dreams.

It's a good thing Margot "I Make Poopie." Kidder has taken over for him in the guest-starring spot on Smallville.

***

Speaking of Smallville, I caught up with the first three episodes of this season over the weekend. First two, not too bad. Week two was a Brian & Kelly episode, which usually means terrible dialogue, but it was tolerable. The show is at its best when it's exploring the Lex/Clark/Lionel dynamic, and at its worst when it's parading hot teenagers in tight clothes across the screen. (Even I feel pandered to sometimes.) However, that third episode was abysmal. Just awful, awful writing. I can't believe they've found someone worse than Brian & Kelly. One or two more like that, and Smallville will be dropping off the Season Pass list.

2 comments

Sun, October 10

On DVD In Two Days—9:19 AM

The Day After Tomorrow will be released on DVD Tuesday. An ad for the DVD on TV last night featured these title cards spliced among scenes from the film:

You can't escape it.

You can't run from it.

Funny, I saw the movie. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't all that bad. And from the moment the storms hit, pretty much all anybody does is run from it and try to escape it. I don't want to give away the ending, but if you think about it most Hollywood movies don't end with a frozen wasteland and every character dead.

So, can you run from it? Can you escape it? It kind of seems like maybe you can.

1 comment

Fri, October 8

What was with all the winking?—8:39 PM

Less to say about this debate, although it was very compelling. Both men had a great night. I think John Kerry was more composed, less defensive, and less hostile towards the questioners, but I greatly respect the presentation of each. Bush was much better than he was last week, though he did tend to work his jaw a lot – Kerry clearly got under his skin and made him hoppin' mad. His inability to keep a steady tone made him seem a little crazed to me, but probably works in his favor with his base. Which is fine; I respect that.

Either way, the clear hero of the whole evening was young Sarah Degenhart, with her heartfelt question about abortion. As deeply misguided as she is about reproductive rights, the sincerity of her concern was breathtaking and endearing. That pleading, misty-eyed stare (you could see it in the background all the way through the next question, too) made me want to marry her, or at least give her a big hug. If she can believe that genuinely that abortion is murder and still convince Gallup that she's undecided, she's either a terrific actress or incredibly open-minded (or incredibly sick of Bush; just as good).

Then Bush had to go and be an asshole in his 30 second rebuttal. "He says it's not that simple, but it is that simple: 'Do you want to ban partial-birth abortions? Yes or no?' He said 'No.'" YOU ASSHOLE. Kerry just explained how it's not that simple, how a necessary clause protecting the mother's life wasn't included. To stand there, and look into those sweet little eyes, and tell her that a bill comes to the floor of the Senate and simply says "Do you want to ban partial-birth abortions?" is a cruel, disrespectful lie.

And he didn't answer the final question, which wasn't about Iraq it was about his ability to admit that he's fallible. His response? Yeah, I'll admit I'm fallible in 50 years if History judges me to be. Right now? The World Is Safer (tm) without Saddam in power.

5 comments with related links

Even More Political Quizzes—10:07 AM

The wife of a friend is busy training for the foreign service, but fortunately Herr Tidball steps up, with more political quizzery. My results:

  1. Cobb, David - Green Party (87%)
  2. Nader, Ralph - Independent (87%)
  3. Kerry, John - Democrat (78%)
  4. Brown, Walt - Socialist Party (73%)
  5. Badnarik, Michael - Libertarian (28%)
  6. Bush, George W. - Republican (15%)
  7. Peroutka, Michael - Constitution Party (8%)

I agree with Kerry a lot more than I thought I might. I'll still punch Nader if I ever meet him.

Feel free to post your results in the comments if you're feeling sporting – it's worked before!

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Bill O'Reilly on The Daily Show—9:35 AM

Note the date and time, because I actually enjoyed a Bill O'Reilly interview. (What? This site notes the date and time for you? Wow, your job is easy. I guess you can have time on your own until juice and cookies.)

I'm not saying I necessarily agreed with O'Reilly but he surprised me. I'm aware of his extreme political views and his tremendously high opinion of himself, but I hadn't realized that he has the ability to tamp all that down and play nice. I've never seen him do it. But with Jon Stewart, he was affable, open-minded, and self-effacing. It was a really enjoyable interview – more so than Bob "Gigglebox" Schieffer – and that surprised me. I don't necessarily respect O'Reilly any more than I did before, but at least I'm impressed that he was able to check the self-promotion and "play along" with Jon Stewart.

Jon mentioned that he wouldn't have believed O'Reilly's claims that he's an Independent and not a Bush administration mouthpiece, but after talking to him, he believed it. I don't know if I believe it, but I believe he can play an Independent for the duration of a five-minute interview.

0 comments

Thu, October 7

Week Six

And... there! I'm finally caught up with telling you what I think of all the shows that have debuted so far this season, just in time for two more to start tonight. (Read more.)

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Katie Holmes on Conan—7:20 PM

Yeah, it was probably almost a month ago, but I'm slow to catch up on TiVo. Anyway, I'm watching her tell little stories about her life, and it hits me: not only is it imperative that she play Wonder Woman in the someday big screen adaptation, she's also a dead ringer for a young Diane Keaton. She should play Diane Keaton's kid (or Diane's character as a girl), before it's too late.

Somebody get on that.

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Playoff Observations—3:45 PM

Atlanta just tied up game two of the NLCS against the Astros. They've got runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the eighth.

Bobby Cox has decided to protest the game, in an hilarious dispute over the phones in the visitors' dugout – is he on the Athletic Reporter payroll now, or what?

Meanwhile, Adam LaRoche could not look more like Brian Worth from Average Joe 2. Just saying.

Update: Boo! Stranded runners in the eighth. Yay! Smoltz retires them in the top of the ninth! Let's go, Braves!

Update Again: (I should've just waited for the end of the game!) Smoltz hits a base hit! Smoltz is my hero! Smoltz is God! Smoltz has been bunted over to second! He's on fire! He's Smoltzering!

Final Update: Braves win in the 11th! Yay!

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Check the facts, ma'am.—11:28 AM

Both interesting, both important:

FactCheck.org

FactCheck.com (As misspoken by Cheney at the debate.)

More on what happened from Slate.

0 comments

Wed, October 6

Mia Culpa

This week on Survivor, the personality clashes are kicked into overdrive and the twists are heaped on like a delicious helping of Pistol Whip. Probst, ever the gracious host, officiates two Tribal Councils, but it's still not enough to weed out the annoying personalities. (Read more.)

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Tue, October 5

Week Five

The new TV season keeps trundling on, and now I'm just about caught up with it. (Read more.)

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Goodbye Dolly!

In a Survivor episode that aired weeks and weeks ago, life on the island begins to wear on people, the reward and immunity challenges are miraculously separated into two separate events, and we see further breakdowns in the "youth alliances." (Read more.)

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Huckabees—2:43 PM

Director David O. Russell, responding to the audience reaction to an early screening of I ♥ Huckabees:

"I especially liked those who said the film affected them like a trippy reality drug." [NYT]

That's exactly how I felt after!

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Oh, come on. It isn't that hard.—2:08 PM

The Butterfly Effect purports to be a photograph of a butterfly in flight. It might be. It might not be. Jon Hicks could be right, this could just be shot from beneath a glass table that it's sitting on.

Or it could be Photoshopped. Like this:

I just googled an image of a dead butterfly pinned to a board and another image of the sky, added some legs and highlights, then regenerated the antennae. Took less than an hour.

I've done more complicated stuff for the 'Porter. This would be considered easy for the 'Porter.

Saddam Hussein in a Lakers uniform

But I'm glad to hear the phrase "Butterfly Effect" getting some more play. Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart did their part. Now if only people associated it with its actual meaning, Ian Malcolm would be so proud.

0 comments

Jon Stewart on Fresh Air—12:15 PM

Not to be missed:

Jon Stewart [NPR]

He's such a great talk show guest because he's just as funny as he is on The Daily Show, but he can be a little more insightful. (Which I maintain he could do on his show, but he feels compelled to play to the live audience.)

He makes a fantastic point about the difference between funny stand-up and making your friends laugh when you're hanging out, which I've often pointed out relating to writing as well. When you're hanging out with friends, the setup is already given to you, you just have to make it funny. On the stage, you're responsible for setting every joke up. In the same way, my Survivor material is much funnier on McThursday than it is on this site, because I'm just responding to the ridiculous show as it spews out of the TV.

0 comments

Mon, October 4

Week Four

Better late than never, here's my take on the onslaught of new programming from The Week That Was. (Unfortunately, also the week I was out of town.) I'm hoping to play more catch-up over the next couple of days. (Read more.)

6 comments with related links and photos

Shark Tale marketing buggery continues—4:09 PM

The cool thing to do in Hollywood [CNN/AP]

This is exactly what I was talking about. Free PR for Shark Tale cloaked as an interesting story about celebrities. (oo! Celebrities!) Don't you just want to bet that there was a clause that restricted the writer to only one offhand reference to a Pixar film?

Thank goodness Pixar/Disney are fighting back. With an in-depth story that's actually about something, as opposed to a list of names of famous people who have done animated films. Compare and contrast:

A Part-Human, Part-Cartoon Species [NYT]

(Really, don't miss it – it's a fascinating article about the art of animation, it quotes Brad Bird who I love, and it makes me want to see The Incredibles even more than I already did.)

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Sun, October 3

I Heart I ♥ Huckabees

Generally, it's pretty rare for a movie to be catapulted into my top ten movies ever while I'm still watching it. Whether I ♥ Huckabees will retain that slot remains to be seen, but the very fact that it got there at all is worthy of note. (Read more.)

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Fri, October 1

Swallowing Debate

Four hurricanes in a row and now this? Florida has had a really tough month – I wonder if they'll decide to skip voting altogether this time. (Read more.)

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Shark Tale: Don't Swallow the Bait

Seriously, if you go to see Shark Tale, I'll see you in hell. (Read more.)

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A System for Jeopardy!—4:47 PM

Ever since I shared the grid for TV premiere season, I've been meaning to roll out my Jeopardy! score sheets for everyone to enjoy. We've finally earned a brief respite from the evil Ken Jennings regime, so I cracked out the pages and started playing along with the current Tournament of Champions. The questions are a little harder, but there's usually at least a few that I can handle. I was particularly proud of my performance on one of last week's shows.

My actual Jeopardy! scorecard. I didn't get Final Jeopardy! right, either.

It's not uncommon for me to get 100% of my responses right – not that I'm so smart, I just usually won't ring in unless I'm pretty sure of my response, and ToC questions generally leave less room for uncertainty; you know it or you don't. And of course I have the luxury of ringing in for every question, while the TV contestants have to compete with each other. But that's why I write down the number of clues attempted by each contestant and the number each gets correct. That way, I can calculate the average numbers and adjust my totals accordingly. It's not a matter of recording how well I'd do on a particular episode of the show, just where my game is generally and what areas need work, should I someday try out for the show again. Still, I'm delighted by the number of responses I knew in a ToC game, particularly the cell biology questions in Double Jeopardy! – I even got the $2000 clue!

Last night, I used up my last scorecard at home. Since I needed to print some more at the office today anyway, I decided to undertake a slight redesign. I had never factored in the fact that – during the show – it's necessary to count the contestants' guesses as hash marks; I can't just write down a number. So, the Correct/Attempted section gets really crowded. I separated the two areas, creating a special space for the hash marks and a quick way to distinguish correct hash marks from attempted. The numbers themselves don't need that much space, so it was no problem to slide them to one side.

Also, I added little numbers to the section where Daily Double results are recorded, as a small visual identifier to go with the mark that goes on the left side of the scorecard. This information, along with the Final Jeopardy! information, is recorded in order to study betting strategy. Not hugely useful, but I may as well write it down while I'm watching anyway. Same with the little marks that identify which clues were Daily Doubles in each round; not likely to be hugely important in hunting for Daily Doubles in the future, but really easy to record, so why not?

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