While it’s a sketch that ran in the last half hour of SNL, there’s still something amusing about it.
Well, maybe because I loved Black Snake Moan and was just glad somebody else paid it some attention.
Entries from March 2007 ↓
White Possum Scream
March 31st, 2007 — T.V., The A/V, Video
Read it and weep…
March 28th, 2007 — My $0.02
Remeber in school often once a year they’d have Career Day?
People’s relatives might come in and discuss what a lawyer does. What it’s like to be a firefighter or nurse.
Memory doesn’t serve me, if any journalists or writers ever spoke. There’s only one adult that I knew that wrote fiction and worked at a newspaper, and that never paid her well enough to make it a full time gig.
The big advice given to us kids was “Do what you love. And, you’ll never work a day in your life,” or some cheesey smile variation.
Figuring out what to do with career advice, especially nuggets of wisdom like the one above has been a struggle for me the last few years.
Considering this information from a study Para Publishing.com that struggle may not ever get easier.
1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
42% of college graduates never read another book after college.
80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
70% of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57% of new books are not read to completion.
70% of books published do not earn back their advance or make a profit.
However…
80% of Americans want to write a book1.
The late great John D. MacDonald wrote in the forward to Stephen King’s Night Shift how he approached his compulison to write.
“I am often given big smiling handshakes at parties (which I try to avoid attending whenever possible) by someone who then with an air of gleeful conspiracy, will say, “You know, I’ve always wanted to write.”I used to try to be polite.
These days I reply with the same jublient excitement: “You know I’ve always wanted to be a brian surgeon.”
They look puzzled. It doesn’t matter. There are a lot of puzzled people wandering around lately.
If you want to write, you write.”
Makes me wish John D. MacDonald could have spoken at one of those Career Days, but at least his advice can still be sought. Just remebering to keep at it, even if the odds are against you.
________________________________________________________- check out the stats on Smaller Publishers & Self Publishing, don’t know if we should feel better or worse[back]
From the Land of Recycled Ideas: “Shooter” starring Mark Wahlberg
March 24th, 2007 — Grievances, My $0.02, The A/V
Your eyes are not deceiving you.
Our favorite meathead Marky “the Academy Award nominee” Mark Wahlberg is starring in the same movie Keenan Ivory Wayans did, that another marble mouthed lunk-head Dolph Lundgren did , that you guess it, Wesley Snipes is going to be making too.
Hopefully he savored those precious moments before they said: “...And the Oscar goes to—Alan Arkin!”, because that’s as close as Mark Wahlberg will be getting to an Oscar.
The Shooter(1995)
Dolph Lundgren stars as a CIA who agent gets caught up in political intrigue after he gets brought in to solve the murder of a Cuban ambassador.
Tag Line: “Seduction is a deadly weapon!”
What the critics said: “While Jean-Claude Van Damme, his erstwhile rival in the Euro Action Hero stakes, ploughs on in A-picture productions, Dolph Lundgren, who showed greater acting range when they were paired in Universal Soldier, gets stuck in dreck like this.”—from Time Out London
Most Wanted (1997)
When the first lady is assassinated, an honored soldier becomes a hunted fugitive.
Tag line: “Sometimes the most patriotic thing a Marine can do… is disobey orders. From most honored to Most Wanted.”
What the critics said: “Most Wanted, opening today at Bay Area movie theaters, is idiotic entertainment done with skill. The action thriller packs a lot of fun into 99 minutes, with star Keenen Ivory Wayans cutting an impressive path as a sharpshooting hero.”—-Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
“Most Wanted is an overly familiar B-grade action flick, written by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans.”—- Jack Garner Democrat and Chronicle.
Shooter (March 23,2007)
A marksman (Mark Wahlberg) living in exile is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the president. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, he goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why.
Tag line: “Yesterday was about honor. Today is about justice.
“What the critics say: Manohla Dargis, The New York Times: “A natural screen presence, Mr. Wahlberg is charmingly sincere (he’s like a cruder, more street Matt Damon), though when he sheds his clothes, the glint in his eyes is as knowing as that of an old Vegas stripper.”
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: “Oscar-nominated for The Departed, Wahlberg is a brooding, convincing actor who seems to gain confidence and improve with every role. With Shooter, he is called on to carry the picture while adding enough conviction to make its numerous Mission: Impossible implausibilities seem reasonable. He does it and makes it look easy.”
Coming to a theater later this year: The Shooter.
A marksman (Wesley Snipes) living on his ranch in Montana is coaxed back into action to kill a terrorist who he missed killing while on duty. After succeeding in killing Jahar he is ultimately double-crossed and framed for killing a high ranking policeman (Charles Dance). He then goes into hiding and befriends a young 12 year (Bennet) old girls helps him.
Sorkin will script Flamming Lips musical
March 21st, 2007 — Shoot the Messenger
No, that’s not the acid kicking in, Aaron Sorkin will be flexing his inner Gilbert to Wayne Coyne’s Sullivan as they bring Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots to stage.
“Sorkin is just one of many marquee collaborators attached to the project: Tony Award-winning director/producer Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy) will be overseeing the show. In fact, the unexpected collaboration grew out of McAnuff’s fondness for the Lips’ acclaimed Yoshimi album. ‘’When Des heard the record, he heard a lot about death and loss and the triumph of your own optimism… he had an emotional attachment to it,’’ Coyne says. The San Diego-based theater producer pursued the idea and convinced the band that the album would make a compelling musical — other songs from the Lips’ catalog will likely be included as well — despite the abstract, trippy nature of the source material. ‘’I tell people all the time, it’s not really a story. It’s more like a mood,’’ Coyne says. ‘’There’s a Japanese girl; she fights some robots; that’s five minutes. After that I don’t know.’’
Sorkin was brought in by McAnuff, who recently directed Sorkin’s play The Farnsworth Invention at the La Jolla Playhouse. According to Coyne, the TV scribe listened to Yoshimi while driving from San Diego to Los Angeles; the next day he signed on to write the ‘’book’’ of the musical. ‘’I didn’t know if that was a big deal or not,’’ Coyne explains. ‘’But then Des [McAnuff] called me and said, ‘Believe me, that’s a big deal!’‘’ (from EW.com)
Chris Rock on the 2008 Presidential Race
March 21st, 2007 — Shoot the Messenger, Video
The Greatest Picture Ever: ‘Is that my reflection or a horse’s ass?’
March 20th, 2007 — Embedded In America
Sometimes all things just seem to align in the world for one shinning moment.
For those of you who don’t believe in a higher power, fate, karmatic justice, or even just coincidence consider this:
(via ccinsider.com)
Colby Buzzell article in Penthouse
March 15th, 2007 — Embedded In America
In this month’s issue of Penthouse, friend of the site Colby Buzzell proves that there words between the pictures are worth your attention. Check out the scans below as Buzzell weighs in on the current situation in Iraq.
An early review of Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up
March 15th, 2007 — Shoot the Messenger
Knocked Up
By JOE LEYDON
Katherine Heigl gets ``Knocked Up’’ by Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s comedy.
A Universal release and presentation of an Apatow production. Produced by Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson, Clayton Townsend. Executive producers, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg. Directed, written by Judd Apatow.
“Knocked Up” is uproarious. Line for line, minute to minute, writer-director Judd Apatow’s latest effort is more explosively funny, more frequently, than nearly any other major studio release in recent memory. Indeed, even more than the filmmaker’s smash-hit sleeper “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” his new pic is bound to generate repeat business among ticketbuyers who’ll want to savor certain scenes and situations again and again, if only to memorize punchlines worth sharing with buddies. Currently set for a June 1 release, this hugely commercial comedy likely will remain in megaplexes throughout the summer and, possibly, into the fall.
The basic setup—pregnant with comic potential, naturally—is simplicity itself: Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), a contentedly underemployed slacker, meets ambitious Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) at a trendy Los Angeles nitery. She’s feeling celebratory because of her promotion to on-camera correspondent for E! Entertainment Television; he’s ready to party hearty because, well, that’s his natural state of being. One thing leads to another, propelled by ample amounts of alcohol, and the mismatched strangers wind up connecting for what they assume will be a one-night stand.
A few weeks later, however, Alison discovers she is pregnant.
For Ben, a scruffy layabout who shares a disheveled home with four similarly slackerish stoners, news of his impending fatherhood comes as a rude awakening. (Until now, his primary goal has been designing a Web site listing when and where actresses appear nude in homevid movies.)
For Alison, pregnancy initially seems like a career impediment—it’s hard to do red-carpet reports during one’s third trimester—but she’s ready to accept motherhood with a little help, if not a permanent commitment, from the baby’s father.
After a surprisingly smooth start, however, this unlikely bonding (which quickly evolves into a friendship with benefits) turns rocky. Alison has certain expectations—for one thing, she’d like Ben not to get stoned quite so often—and Ben has a few hang-ups. (During what is, hands down, the funniest sequence in an extremely funny movie, he turns squeamish while attempting sexual congress with his extremely pregnant partner.)
Continue reading →Stick a fork in them…
March 15th, 2007 — Grievances
The Milwaukee Bucks finally got around to firing head coach Terry Stotts only to turn around and make an equally poor choice in promoting assistant coach and former Buck Larry “Who?”Krystkowiak to the big chair.
“In making the change, the Bucks most likely became the first team in league history to fire its coach and make no one from the organization available to explain to the media and fans where the franchise was headed.Of course, this was the same organization that called a news conference to announce that Porter would be retained, only to fire him a couple of months later.” (jsonline.com)
In Stotts’s first season the Bucks lucked their way into a playoff spot while clawing their way to slightly above the .500 mark. This season the Bucks have clinched last place in the Central Division with a 23-41 record and with 18 more games left will only tighten their grasp of the Central Division’s cellar.
The Bucks this season have been plagued by injury, an apparent dedication to blowing large leads, and forgetting to show up in the fourth quarter.
Blaming Stotts is easy. Laughing at the easy fix of placing Krystkowiak in the big shoes doesn’t begin to address the issues with the Bucks personnel. Bogut, Redd, Williams, and well, let’s face it everyone on the team fail to step up in clutch situations. When in three out of any four games a team blows the lead and rolls over in the fourth quarter most head offices would start reconsidering what they have out on the court.
In the last off-season the franchise decieded along with a few trades to change the teams color. How about this off season we just forgo the incidentals and overhaul the roster instead, not just hoping to add another role-player or hopeful lottery pick?
They Capped Captain America
March 12th, 2007 — Shoot the Messenger
Marvel’s Red, White, and Blue Boyscout finally got interesting and they killed him off.
(Time.com)
