Care To Place Your Bet?

Will Saddam actually be put to death?

Taxicab Confessions

Bravo has hailed "Taxicab Confessions," the latest HBO series to find a cable home in the syndication market. The channel is acquiring nine episodes of "Taxicab," a racy, unscripted hidden-camera series in which real-life taxi passengers share the skeletons in their closet with the drivers. Bravo is dispatching the episodes in late-night blocks beginning Friday (12/29), including a New Year's Eve marathon.

Never A Dull Moment

Wondering what to do to keep the kiddo's busy while traveling? Or, that pesky passenger?
Click Here you will definitely thank me for finding this!!!!

Happy Mac Owner

Well, this is certainly a handy tip! I always wondered how to do this!!

Macworld has posted a handy, simple tip for minimizing every open window from one application in one swift click of the mouse: just hold your Option key when clicking the minimize button on one of the windows.

This probably won't be the most groundbreaking shortcut you learned this year, but this is the kind of shortcut that, when integrated with your workflow, will start to save you a little time. If you want to marvel at the beauty of the synchronized minimize, try holding Option-Shift and then clicking minimize.

Lost No More?

Rumors swirling that Ana-Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez) is returning to Lost.

No Wii For Me

Some other chicks name got pulled. Damn.

Dirt

Not getting awesome buzz, but don't forget that it airs 1/2. If you're going out of town, set your TiVo's now!

The Advocate's Top Tens

No pretension here...

Film

1. The Devil Wears Prada
2. Little Miss Sunshine
3. Quinceanera
4. Shortbus
5. The Queen
6. Dreamgirls
7. Volver
8. An Inconvenient Truth
9. Borat
10. Another Gay Movie

TV

1. Ugly Betty
2. Project Runway
3. The Daily Show
4. The Office
5. Real Time with Bill Maher
6. South Park
7. America's Next Top Model
8. The L Word
9. Work Out
10. Colbert Report

Music

1. Justin Timberlake
2. Beck
3. Dixie Chicks
4. Indigo Girls
5. Scissor Sisters
6. k.d.lang
7. Goldfrapp
8. Fergie
9. Christina Aguilera
10. Grizzly Bear

Last-Minute Gift Ideas

In case you have any last-minute shopping needs... I bring you.... Tampon Crafts

Trump v Rosie

Wow! This is getting uuuuugly!!!!

AllofMP3 Being Sued

Several major record labels sued the operator of the Russian music Web site AllofMP3.com on Wednesday, claiming the company has been profiting by selling copies of music without their permission. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York against Moscow-based Mediaservices, which owns AllofMP3 and another music site, allTunes.com.

A slate of major record labels, including Arista Records LLC, Warner Bros. Records Inc., Capitol Records Inc. and UMG Recordings Inc., are behind the lawsuit. The labels claim Mediaservices' sites sell millions of songs by their artists without paying them "a dime" for the right to do so. "Defendant's entire business ... amounts to nothing more than a massive infringement of plaintiffs' exclusive rights under the Copyright Act and New York law," according to the lawsuit. The music companies are seeking a court order against Mediaservices and unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

A call and an e-mail seeking comment from the Washington D.C.-based spokesman for Mediaservices were not immediately returned. AllofMP3 typically charges under $1 for an entire album and just cents per track. By contrast, an album at Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store and other licensed services typically costs about $10 and a song 99 cents. Mediaservices has maintained that by paying royalties to a Russian licensing group, the Web site is in compliance with Russian laws. The music industry contends that the Russian licensing group doesn't have the authority to collect and distribute royalties. This fall, Visa International and MasterCard Inc. stopped accepting credit card transactions for purchases made at Mediaservices' sites.

Earlier this year, the British Phonographic Industry filed copyright infringement claims against Mediaservices in Britain on behalf of the major recording companies.

Trump and Miss USA

Why do you think he gave her a second chance after fucking boys, fucking girls, doing coke, getting wasted, etc?

My guess? Because The Trump fucked her and did coke with her. That's my theory, and I haven't heard it anywhere else, but it seems to me that it's the only way he would give her a second chance. To save his own hide.

Onion AV Club Weighs in on 2006

Best Films:

1. Children of Men
2. United 93
3. The Departed
4. Brick
5. A Prairie Home Companion
6. Half Nelson
7. The Prestige
8. Pan's Labrynth
9. Letters From Iwo Jima
10. The Devil And Daniel Johnston

All the critics get there say over at: http://www.avclub.com/content/node/56789

Christmas Carol Trivia

I got 84% correct. Take the quiz and report your results!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiii

So yeah, I qualified to win a Wii. Synch your clocks and join me at 8:00am EST on Friday and pray they draw my name!

New Years Eve

What is everyone doing?

I'm still plan-less. Kind of like Bush in Iraq.

Alien

The impetus for the listening tour was the release last week of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group's 79 recommendations for policy and goal changes, which coincided with a CBS poll that said only 21% of the public shares the president's "stay the course" policies in Iraq. This is roughly the same percentage of the public that, in another poll, said it believes crop circles are caused by UFOs.

[Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

The Return of Courtney Love

Train Wreck.

This woman, as much as I love her, is a nut. I have no other comment.

Catch it on VH-1 to see for yourself.

Devil Wears Prada

Somehow Meryl Streep managed to make that horrible woman into a real person. There were a number of scenes, really quiet ones, that completely blew me away. And it's because I had no idea I would actually feel something for this condescending bitch. She is so quiet throughout most the movie, but what she says is so over the top and nasty. This is great acting, and I almost think she deserves to win Best Actress for this. But I still have to see The Queen and Volver.

Lost Back Sooner Rather Than Later?

Word is ABC is in a bind for Wednesdays. Daybreak is cancelled. They are airing reruns of The Worst Sitcom Ever... I mean, According to Jim, in its place. And they are desperate to get Lost back.

This could be great news, considering it's currently scheduled to come back in, like, 2009.

Lost Sneak Peeks

Whee!!!! This is fun!!! Go check out these promo clips over on You Tube.

First Lady Has Growth Removed

Do they mean that dude she stands next to?

sigh... if it were only so easy......

Las Vegas Film Critics

Best Picture
The Departed

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best Supporting Actor
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)
Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men

Best Film Editing
Thelma Schoonmaker, The Departed

Best Score
Thomas Newman, The Good German

Best Song
Ordinary Miracle, David Stewart and Glen Ballard, Charlotte’s Web
Performed by Sarah McLachlan

Best Family Film
Charlotte’s Web

Best Documentary
An Inconvenient Truth

Best Animated Film
Monster House

Best Foreign Film
Pan’s Labyrinth

Best Costume Design
Marie Antoinette

Best Art Direction
Marie Antoinette

Best Visual Effects
X-Men: The Last Stand"

Youth in Film Award
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine

Best DVD (Packaging, Design and Content)
Superman Ultimate Collectors Edition (Warner Home Entertainment)

William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award
Peter O’Toole

LVFCS Top Ten Films for 2006
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Departed
Babel
United 93
Dreamgirls
Blood Diamond
Thank You For Smoking
Perfume
The Queen
Flags of Our Fathers

London Film Critics Nomination

The Attenborough Award, British Film of the Year

Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuaron
The Queen directed by Stephen Frears
Red Road directed by Andrea Arnold
The Last King of Scotland directed by Kevin Macdonald
The Wind That Shakes the Barley directed by Ken Loach

Film of the Year

The Departed directed by Martin Scorsese
Little Miss Sunshine directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Volver directed by Pedro Almodovar
United 93 directed by Paul Greengrass
The Queen directed by Stephen Frears

British Producer of the Year

Paul Greengrass, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner - United 93
Al Clark, Ken Marshall, Rachel Robey, Paul Andrew Williams - London to Brighton
Lisa Bryer, Andrea Calderwood, Charles Steel - The Last King of Scotland
Rebecca O’Brien - The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Graham King – The Departed

Screenwriter of the Year

Peter Morgan - The Queen
Noah Baumbach - The Squid and the Whale
Guillermo del Toro - Pan’s Labyrinth
Dan Futterman – Capote
Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine

British Newcomer of the Year

Andrea Arnold - writer/director, Red Road
Paul Andrew Williams - writer/director, London to Brighton
Jodie Whittaker - actress, Venus
Clare-Hope Ashitey - actress, Children of Men
Rebecca Hall - actress, The Prestige

British Actress of the year in support

Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada
Emma Thompson - Stranger Than Fiction
Juliet Stevenson – Pierrepoint
Emily Watson - The Proposition
Helen McCrory - The Queen

British Actor of the year in support

Eddie Marsan – Pierrepoint
Michael Caine - The Prestige
Bill Nighy - Notes on a Scandal
Leslie Phillips – Venus
Dominic Cooper - The History Boys

British Actress of the Year

Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Kate Winslett - Little Children
Loraine Stanley - London to Brighton
Kate Dickie - Red Road

British Actor of the Year

Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat
Toby Jones – Infamous
Timothy Spall – Pierrepoint
James McAvoy - The Last King of Scotland
Christian Bale - The Prestige

British Director of the Year

Andrea Arnold - Red Road
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Christopher Nolan - The Prestige
Kevin Macdonald - The Last King of Scotland
Ken Loach - The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Foreign Language Film of the Year

L’Enfant directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
The Death of Mr Lazarescu directed by Cristi Piuiu
Volver directed by Pedro Almodovar
Pan’s Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro
Black Book directed by Paul Verhoeven
Apolcalypto directed by Mel Gibson

Actress of the Year

Helen Mirren - The Queen
Penelope Cruz – Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Joan Allen - The Upside of Anger

Actor of the Year

Jeff Daniels - The Squid and the Whale
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Capote
Richard Griffiths - The History Boys
David Strathairn - Goodnight, and Good Luck
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

Director of the Year

Guillermo del Toro - Pan’s Labyrinth
Pedro Almodovar – Volver
Paul Greengrass - United 93
Martin Scorsese - The Departed
Alfonso Cuaron - Children of Men

Variety has a great Oscar rundown... past and present

JOE MORGENSTERN
Film critic for the Wall Street Journal
Best: "Lord of the Rings." What I realized when I saw that movie was that this is what the movies can do; they can create worlds and create audiences to visit those worlds. It was a genuine event. At a time when so many productions are pitifully impoverished, here Peter Jackson just arrayed every technique known to moviemaking man.
Worst: Uppermost in my mind is the bogus uplift of "Forrest Gump," especially in a year when the alternatives were "Pulp Fiction," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Quiz Show." "The English Patient" was right down there, too -- it seemed an example of the bogus literary quality that the Academy sometimes goes for. And I defer to no one in my admiration for Bertolucci, but "The Last Emperor" was pretty vapid.
Overlooked: "Out of Sight." It's an Altmanesque movie, with that quicksilver quality. It's alive and mercurial, ironic and romantic. That 15-minute scene at the top of the motel in Detroit is one of the most beautiful things I've seen.
This year: It doesn't feel like a great year, though I was a great admirer of "The Departed," or most of it, and the Algerian film "Days of Glory" was suberb.

MOLLY HASKELL
Film scholar, author and co-host of Turner Classic Movies' "The Essentials"
Best: "Unforgiven," "Silence of the Lambs." It's interesting not just that they're genre films, but also that they're very dark, especially "Silence." Genre films usually don't win because they're not obvious or ambitious enough for the Oscars. But that's what makes them appealing, of course.
Worst: "Forrest Gump," "Braveheart." "Braveheart" was just a lot of noise about nothing. And "Gump" was the worst kind of crowdpleaser in that it just pandered to the audience.
Overlooked: "The Grifters" is a genre movie that really crosses over between pulp and elegance. "Empire of the Sun" I still think is Spielberg's best film. And I can see why "Leaving Las Vegas" didn't win; it's so dark and, to some people, depressing, though not to me.
This year: One of my favorites is "Volver," as well as "Blood Diamond," "Casino Royale" and "Notes on a Scandal." I think with the exception of "Dreamgirls" (not one of my favorites) all the front-runners are incredibly violent and male-oriented, and I wonder if films that don't interest female audiences can win Oscars. "The Departed" is very violent but heartbreaking, too. Nor is "The Queen" precisely a feel-good movie, that ultimate critical put-down. I detest "Borat," which offends almost everyone -- everyone except savvy condescending liberals.

RICHARD SCHICKEL
Author and film critic for Time magazine
Best: "Unforgiven, "Schindler's List." "Unforgiven" is one of the very best Westerns ever made, and has a really interesting mix of characters. In a certain sense, it's almost a modernist Western, with a rich panoply of mixed motives. And like "Unforgiven" could have just been a Western, "Schindler's List" could have just been a moral drama. But it has real life in the characters.
Worst: It's a long list. I'm not big on "Lord of the Rings," "Braveheart" or "The English Patient." A lot of these are so predictably right-thinking. There's nothing objectionable about the point of view they express, but they're just uninteresting movies.
Overlooked: I loved "Secrets and Lies," which was just a terrific movie, but we knew it wasn't going to win. And nothing against "Million Dollar Baby," but "The Aviator" was a genuine epic.
This year: It's a hard year to predict. I do think "The Departed" is a superb movie. "The Queen" is awfully good, as is "Flags of Our Fathers," which I think has been very misunderstood.

JOHN ANDERSON
Critic for Newsday and Daily Variety
Best: "Silence of the Lambs." It just holds up so well. You could argue that it's almost a police procedural, but it's been tweaked.
Worst: "Crash." I really hated "Crash"; it was pretty much the "yeah, no shit" movie of all time.
Overlooked: "Topsy-Turvy" should have won everything; it's one of the best movies I've ever seen, although 1999 was a strange year in that very few of the nominated films have had an afterlife. I don't think people even think about them much now; they don't resonate. That same year you also had "Being John Malkovich" and "Election" -- those were great movies.
This year: People are talking seriously about "Little Miss Sunshine" getting Oscar attention, and if all the tentpole movies hadn't crashed and burned the way they did, people wouldn't even be considering it. The only one that seems a shoo-in for a nomination would be "The Queen."

Xanadu: The Musical

Coming to Broadway. May 2007. Yes.

Writer's Guild TV Noms

The Writer's Guild has got some damn good taste.

DRAMATIC SERIES
Deadwood
Grey’s Anatomy
Lost
The Sopranos
24

COMEDY SERIES
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock

NEW SERIES
Friday Night Lights
Heroes
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
30 Rock
Ugly Betty

COMEDY/VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Real Tim With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

The Globes

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES
DRAMATIC PICTURE
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"The Queen"
"Bobby"
"Little Children"

MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE
"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
"Dreamgirls"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Thank You For Smoking"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
"Apocalypto" (USA)
"Letters From Iwo Jima" (USA/Japan)
"Lives of Others" (Germany)
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Mexico)
"Volver" (Spain)

BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Clint Eastwood, "Flags Of Our Fathers"
Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"
Stephen Frears, "The Queen"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Babel"

BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Departed"
Peter O'Toole, "Venus"
Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"

BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, "Volver"
Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "SherryBaby"
Helen Mirren, "The Queen"
Kate Winslet, "Little Children"

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Sacha Baron Cohen, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Aaron Eckhart, "Thank You For Smoking"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Kinky Boots"
Will Ferrell, "Stranger Than Fiction"

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening, "Running With Scissors"
Toni Collette, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Beyonce Knowles, "Dreamgirls"
Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Renee Zellweger, "Miss Potter"

SUPPORTING DRAMATIC ACTOR
Ben Affleck, "Hollywoodland"
Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"
Jack Nicholson, "The Departed"
Brad Pitt, "Babel"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed"

SUPPORTING DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza, "Babel"
Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal"
Emily Blunt, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"
Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel"

ANIMATED FILM
"Cars"
"Happy Feet"
"Monster House"

SCREENPLAY
Guillermo Arriaga, "Babel"
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, "Little Children"
Patrick Marber, "Notes on a Scandal"
William Monahan, "The Departed"
Peter Morgan, "The Queen"

ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, "The Painted Veil"
Clint Mansell, "The Fountain"
Gustavo Santaolalla, "Babel"
Carlo Siliotto, "Nomad"
Hans Zimmer, "The Da Vinci Code"

SONG
"A Father's Way" from "The Pursuit of Happyness"
"Listen" from "Dreamgirls"
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" from "Bobby"
"The Song of the Heart" from "Happy Feet"
"Try Not to Remember" from "Home of the Brave"

TELEVISION CATEGORIES
DRAMATIC TV SERIES
"24"
"Big Love"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"Heroes"
"Lost"

BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
Bill Paxton, "Big Love"
Kiefer Sutherland, "24"

BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, "Medium"
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Evangeline Lilly, "Lost"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Ellen Pompeo, "Grey's Anatomy"

TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"The Office"
"Desperate Housewives"
"Entourage"
"Ugly Betty"
"Weeds"

BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Zach Braff, "Scrubs
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Jason Lee, "My Name is Earl"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"

BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives"
Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"Bleak House"
"Broken Trail"
"Elizabeth I"
"Mrs. Harris"
"Prime Suspect: The Final Act"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Gillian Anderson, "Bleak House"
Annette Bening, "Mrs. Harris"
Helen Mirren , "Eilzabeth I"
Helen Mirren, "Prime Suspect: The Final Act"
Sophie Okonedo, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Andre Braugher, "Thief"
Robert Duvall, "Broken Trail"
Michael Ealy, "Sleeper Cell: American Terror"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Ben Kingsley, "Mrs. Harris"
Bill Nighy, "Gideon's Daughter"
Matthew Perry, "The Ron Clark Story"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Emily Blunt, "Gideon's Daughter"
Toni Collette, "Tsunami, The Aftermath"
Katherine Heigl, "Grey's Anatomy"
Sarah Paulson, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"
Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Thomas Haden Church, "Broken Trail"
Jeremy Irons, "Elizabeth I"
Justin Kirk, "Weeds"
Masi Oka, "Heroes"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"

CECIL B. DEMILLE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Warren Beatty

15 Best Places to Waste Time on the Web

Check out this article and then go waste some time!

Children of Men

Okay, I'm dying to see this movie. Julianne Moore is the hotness, and it's good to get excited about one of her movies again.

"There are two ways of defending Children of Men as the best film of 2006. The first one is "passionately" and it goes like this:
Alfonso Cuarón's new work is a technical and narrative masterpiece. One thing I teach on my Film Criticism class is that we should never take seriously a critic who often writes sentences such as "one of the most I-don't-know-what of movie history!" or "the most blah-blah-blah of the last decade." There are just too many movies for us to make such bold statements. In my 12 year career, I only did that once, when I argued that The Return of the King had the biggest battle scene ever. However, three years later, I'm going to risk my reputation again by saying that Children of Men has not one or two, but three of the most spectacular shots ever conceived by a filmmaker. And the best thing is the film is more than technically marvelous; it tells a touching story full of significance. I fell deeply in love with this movie.

"Ok. That was the passionate speech. Fortunately, Children of Men is rich enough that it allows its fans to defend it from a more rational, cold and detached point of view as well. And if I'm going to succeed on making a case for why it's the best of 2006, that's how we should proceed."

[Source: Movie City News]

R.I.P. Peter Boyle

Man, that's sad news. Peter Boyle passed away today. I have Young Frankenstein in my TiVo queue right now, so it will be a good time to watch that flick again.

Things That Bug Me

People who say begels instead of bagels.
These people also often say tol-et and melk.
Her-sees instead of Hershey's
Mondee instead of Monday
Warsh instead of Wash, Warshington vs. Washington
Feel instead of Fill

-did these same people forget phonics or did they never participate in a phonics class?

Guess what's more popular than the Iraq War?

Gay marriage, legalizing pot, banning handguns, and rescinding the death penalty.

Check out the latest polls.

And imagine if the Democratic party tried to make one of those issues the centerpiece of their campaigns. Hi, media.

Wolfmother

I'm seeing them tonight. With people from Spin Magazine. We're going backstage.

UPDATE: So I didn't go back stage. They rock. They are awesome. You can tell when a band is a real band when they're tight on stage and live. They are a real throw back to classic 70s rock, but they're also very modern. Get their album if you haven't already.

Before the concert, I went to dinner with my friends at Spin magazine. We sat between the marketing manager for Wolfmother and the guy that scouted and signed them. I talked to him for a while. He said he didn't quite know what made him good at what he did. He wasn't particularly good at figuring out lyrics, he wasn't a trained musician... yet, he signed Wolfmother, TV on the Radio and Buckcherry! And he was also stoned out of his damn mind. It was so much fun.

We also went into the after party. Saw the guys come in, but really I was focused on drinking as much for free as possible.

San Francisco Film Critics Circle

Two questions about the Oscars. 1) Does this mean Borat will be nominated for Best Actor? I think so. 2) Inconvenient Truth will win. Question is: Will Al Gore announce his bid for the presidency? On to the winners... I kind of like Little Children winning best picture, but I'm surprised Kate Winslet didn't for Best Actress.


Best Picture
Little Children

Best Director
Paul Greengrass for United 93

Best Original Screenplay
Brick

Best Adapted Screenplay
Little Children

Best Actor
Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat

Best Actress
Helen Mirren for The Queen

Best Supporting Actor
Jackie Earle Haley for Little Children

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza for Babel

Best Foreign Language Film
Pan's Labyrinth

Best Documentary
An Inconvenient Truth

Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community
Stephen Salmons co-founder & artistic director San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Special Citation in honor of Arthur Lazere
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

Broadcast Film Critics Awards Nominations

This looks almost right:

BEST PICTURE
Babel
Blood Diamond
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Children
Little Miss Sunshine
Notes on a Scandal
The Queen
United 93

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ben Affleck - Hollywoodland
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Adam Beach - Flags of Our Fathers
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel
Catherine O'Hara - For Your Consideration
Emma Thompson - Stranger Than Fiction

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
A Prairie Home Companion

BEST DIRECTOR
Bill Condon - Dreamgirls
Clint Eastwood - Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Paul Greengrass - United 93
Martin Scorsese - The Departed

BEST WRITER
Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine
Guillermo Arriaga - Babel
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta - Little Children
Zach Helm - Stranger Than Fiction
William Monahan - The Departed
Peter Morgan - The Queen

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cars
Flushed Away
Happy Feet
Monster House
Over the Hedge

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Cameron Bright - Thank You For Smoking
Joseph Cross - Running With Scissors
Paul Dano - Little Miss Sunshine
Freddie Highmore - A Good Year
Jaden Christopher Syre Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS
Ivana Baquero - Pan's Labyrinth
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Shareeka Epps - Half Nelson
Dakota Fanning - Charlotte's Web
Keke Palmer - Akeelah and the Bee

BEST COMEDY MOVIE
Borat
For Your Consideration
Little Miss Sunshine
The Devil Wears Prada
Thank You For Smoking

BEST FAMILY FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Akeelah and the Bee
Charlotte's Web
Flicka
Lassie
Pirates of the Caribbean 2

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Elizabeth I
The Librarian
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
The Ron Clark Story
When the Levees Broke

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Apocalypto
Days of Glory
Letters from Iwo Jima
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver
Water

BEST SONG
I Need to Wake Up - Melissa Etheridge - An Inconvenient Truth
Listen - Beyonce - Dreamgirls
My Little Girl - Tim McGraw - Flicka
The Neighbor - Dixie Chicks - Shut Up & Sing
Never Gonna Break My Faith - Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige - Bobby
Ordinary Miracle - Sarah McLachlan - Charlotte's Web

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Babel
Cars
Dreamgirls
Happy Feet
Marie Antoinette

BEST COMPOSER
Philip Glass - The Illusionist
Clint Mansell - The Fountain
Thomas Newman - The Good German
Gustavo Santaolalla - Babel
Howard Shore - The Departed
Hans Zimmer - The Da Vinci Code

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
An Inconvenient Truth
Shut Up & Sing
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Wordplay

Nip/Tuck

I haven't watched in a few weeks because I think this show is just marginally better than that recent Pam Anderson show on Fox (Stacked?). But I heard the season has a great cliffhanger. It's going to TiVo, we'll just see if I have the motivation to ever watch it.

Jolie Pitts

Do you want to hear about how they fell in love? From Splash News (whatever the fuck that is):

Jolie says that the time she spent getting to know Pitt before his split was "not as exciting as what a lot of people would like to believe. We spent a lot of time contemplating and thinking and talking about what we both wanted in life and realized that we wanted very, very similar things.

"And then we just continued to take time. We remained very, very good friends – with this realization – for a long time," she says. "And then life developed in a way where we could be together, where it felt like something we would do, we should do."

In fact, it was her son, Madddox, now 5, who helped seal the deal. (Jolie and Pitt are also parents to Zahara, 23 months, and Shiloh, 6 months.) One day, Maddox "just out of the blue called him Dad," says Jolie. "It was amazing. We were playing with cars on the floor of a hotel room, and we both heard it and didn't say anything and just looked at each other. So that was probably the most defining moment, when he decided that we would all be a family."

Jolie also says she'd be willing to meet with Aniston, but "That would be her decision, and I would welcome it."

Pitt has said he and Jolie would not wed until all couples can legally marry, and Jolie agrees that tying the knot is not a priority. "We both have been married before, so it's not marriage that's necessarily kept some people together," she says. "We are legally bound to our children, not to each other, and I think that's the most important thing."

The Lost Room

I watched the first part last night, and it was very good. Intriguing, and for all the supernatural shit going on, very realistic. Plus, who can miss anything with anyone from the Six Feet Under cast:

"The Sci Fi Channel’s ambitious three-part miniseries "The Lost Room" definitely isn’t aimed at viewers who have trouble suspending their disbelief. No, this twisty tale debuting tonight at 9 p.m. is designed for fantasy buffs who never missed an episode of "The X-Files." But as even non–sci-fi enthusiasts will appreciate, "The Lost Room" boasts an ace cast headed by Peter Krause and Julianna Margulies.

"Krause plays Joe Miller, a Pittsburgh homicide detective who becomes the owner of a magical motel room key. The key opens any door with a keyhole and leads to the mysterious Room 10 at the Sunshine Motel on Route 66. As the convoluted, way-out-there plot unfolds, Miller learns that the key is just one of more than 100 objects that were in the room on a day in 1961 when an extraordinary event occurred there.

"All the objects have special powers. A comb allows its owner to become invisible, a pen electrocutes people, and a bus ticket transports its holder to Gallup, New Mexico (where the motel is located). The key is considered perhaps the most valuable object of all, so numerous "object collectors" hope to wrest it from Miller."

[Source: Media Life Magazine]

I can't wait to watch part 2 and 3 later this week!

And in More Princess Diana News...

Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry, Elton John and Joss Stone will headline a concert honoring the Princess at Wembley Stadium next year.

--I'd go just to see Joss Stone! Love her!

50 Worst Artists in Music History

I beg to differ with some of this as it seems totally pointed at 80s band... but... interesting nonetheless.

Notes of Reality

Survivor
8pm Thursday then big finale on Sunday. Sounds like there will be a finale of 3 instead of the usual 2. Plus, the final two challenges have been said to be frustrating. Not sure this is terribly shocking but definitely have a final 3 is gonna put a wrench in somebody's plans. I'll be tuning in for sure. This has been one of the better seasons, actually.

30 Days
Morgan Spurlock's show, 30 Days, has been renewed for a third season. And, Morgan himself will be featured in two episodes. All around good news there. Great show!

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

And they keep on comin.... look for The Departed to get tons of Oscar nominations. And Jennifer Hudson is going to win Best Supporting Actress. Guaranateed.

Best Picture
United 93
Runners-up: The Queen
The Departed

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Runners-Up: Stephen Frears, The Queen,
Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima

Best Non-Fiction Film
Deliver Us From Evil
Runners-Up: 49 Up
Borat
An Inconvenient Truth

Best Foreign-Language Film
Army of Shadows
Runners-Up: Volver
The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu

Best First Film
Half Nelson
Runners-Up: Little Miss Sunshine
A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints

Best Animated Feature
Happy Feet
Runners-Up: A Scanner Darkly
Cars

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Runners-Up: Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Runners-Up: Judi Dench, Notes On A Scandal
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Best Supporting Actor
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Runners-Up: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Steve Carell, Little Miss Sunshine

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Runners-Up: Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson
Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration

Best Cinematography
Guillermo Navarro, Pan's Labrynth
Runners-Up: Curse Of The Golden Flower
Children Of Men

Best Screenplay
Peter Morgan, The Queen
Runners-Up: The Departed
Little Miss Sunshine

Tom Delay's New Blog

One of the first comments on his new blog:

"Everyone already assumes bloggers are unemployed losers... thanks for reinforcing that stereotype..."

Whose Bugging Diana?

The US it seems. And tell me again why this is newsworthy? The woman died nearly 10 years ago! The US eavesdropping on people's phone calls is so blasé these days.

85 pounds!

So Nicole Richie gets busted for DUI. So what's making news? No... not the fact she smoked pot and took Vicodin and then decided to get behind the wheel of a car... it's the fact she weighed in a 85 pounds. OMG!

Soupa-Bowl

So Prince will perform at halftime. Good, bad, yeah, nay?

Discuss.

American Film Institute Top TV Shows

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
DEXTER
ELIZABETH I
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
HEROES
THE OFFICE
SOUTH PARK
24
THE WEST WING
THE WIRE

Good to see Dexter and The Office up there. Not crazy about the others (because I really don't watch any of them).

New Spielberg Show on Fox

I used to love and obsess over everything Spielberg. Not as much anymore, but the guy doesn't really touch any projects that turn out as shit. So this sounds pretty good.

"Untitled show will revolve around two young American physicists in WWII who discover a way to pinch time and travel to the future. They wind up hopping between 2007 and the 1940s in order to aid the war effort -- but in the process begin to upset the space-time continuum.

"Along the way, one of the physi-cists also enlists a woman in 2007 to help him adjust to culture shock, and the two develop a relationship."

He's also got one brewing about the fashion industry. Cool!

Yawn....

Amazing Race finale. I think the most exciting part was catching sight of that one dude's eyebrows. Wow!

In The Womb: Animals

Nothing like watching a dolphin, 9 labs and an elephant go from sperm to baby. So cute! You must watch this show on National Geographic Channel. And coming in January, In The Womb: Multiples. All about human twins!

M:I:III or whatever the hell

Eh, it was all right. Tom Cruise plays Tom Cruise. (Seriously, Ethan Hunt is not a character at all.) The rest of the movie was good, certainly better than any of the other Mission: Impossible movies. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a great baddy. The action was good, if not exciting at times. But what is up with the damn rabbit's foot?

Cinema Paradiso

Lou Lumenick and Kyle Smith talk about 2006 films in the New York Post. Great back and forth, and very long!

Lou: 2006’s movies were notably better than last year’s dismal crop. I had seven or eight titles left over that would have made last year’s 10-best list.

Kyle: I agree. But it’s too bad the Oscar cart is pulling the pony. Many of the best films are being released at
the end of the year so they’ll stick in the minds of awards voters, but some are going to get lost in the pile.
I can see that happening with “The Painted Veil,” (opens Dec. 20) an elegant, oldfashioned love story set during a cholera epidemic in 1920s China. Ed Norton and Naomi Watts are a feuding husband and wife who get to know each other after marriage - just as we get to know them both.

Lou: Same for “Pan’s Labyrinth” (Dec. 24), the year’s true masterpiece. I’m afraid it might get hurt by all the competition. It’s a tough sell already - it’s a fairy tale, it has a 12-year-old protagonist and there’s R-rated
violence that limits the audience to adults.
But nothing moved me as much as director Guillermo del Toro’s stunning vision of two contrasting worlds, one of fantasy and the other with World War II fascists. It’s
unforgettable.

Kyle: To me, the Matt Damon movies “The Departed” and “The Good Shepherd” (Dec. 22) are masterpieces. “The Departed” is such a fast-paced demon of a movie, with its hilariously nasty dialogue and tough, smart performances, that I kept checking my watch because I didn’t want it to ever end. And the Robert De Niro-directed “The Good Shepherd” is “The Godfather” of CIA movies, a tense epic of business and family. It sets a new standard for cloak and dagger.
But the film of the year, if not the decade,
is “United 93.” Every American should see it. It was one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had in a theater, and it’s a lasting monument to American courage.

Lou: I loved “The Departed,” but I’d stop short of calling it a masterpiece, not when you have Jack Nicholson breaking character in the middle of the movie. “The Good Shepherd” was too slow-moving, coolly cerebral and décor-obsessed to get my juices going. As far as period thrillers go, I got much more into Steven Soderbergh’s Golden Age of Hollywood homage “The Good German” (Friday) which landed just outside my 10-best list.
I was even more swept up by the evocation of the 1940s in Clint Eastwood’s “Flags of Our Fathers” and his deeply moving Japanese-language companion film, “Letters From Iwo Jima” (Dec. 20). I totally agree with you on “United 93” - it’s devastating stuff. But when it came to reconstructing recent history, I think Stephen Frears’ “The Queen” was the top-of-thelist with its battle of wits between Queen Elizabeth and Tony Blair.

Read the rest.

Boston Society of Film Critics

Big surprise, they like The Departed. A lot.

Best Picture
The Departed
United 93, runner-up

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Paul Greengrass, United 93, runner-up

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson, runner-up

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal, runner-up

Best Supporting Actor
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
TIE: Michael Sheen, The Queen; Alec Baldwin, The Departed/Running with Scissors/The Good Shepherd, runners-up

Best Supporting Actress
Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wore Prada, runner-up

Best Ensemble Cast
United 93
The Departed, runner-up

Best Screenplay
William Monahan, The Departed
Peter Morgan, The Queen, runner-up

Best Foreign Language Film
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver, runner-up

Best Documentary
TIE: Deliver Us From Evil/Shut Up & Sing
51 Birch Street, runner-up

Best New Filmmaker
Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine, runners-up

Best Cinematography
Guillermo Navarro. Pan's Labyrinth
TIE: Stuart Dryburgh, The Painted Veil; Xiaoding Zhao, Curse of the Golden Flower, runners-up

American Film Institute Top Ten

Grain of salt with these guys.....

BABEL
BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
HALF NELSON
HAPPY FEET
INSIDE MAN
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
UNITED 93

New York Online Film Critics Awards

Picture
The Queen

Director
Stephen Frears, The Queen

Actor
Forrest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Supporting Actor
Michael Sheen, The Queen

Supporting Actress
(Tie) Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
and Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration

Screenplay
Peter Morgan, The Queen

Ensemble Cast
Little Miss Sunshine

Debut as Director
Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris - Little Miss Sunshine

Breakthrough Performer
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Cinematography
Dick Pope, The Illusionist

Film Score
Philip Glass, The Illusionist

Documentary Feature
An Inconvenient Truth

Animated Feature
Happy Feet

Foreign Language Picture
Pan's Labrynth

Humanitarian Award
DEEPA MEHTA (Water) for taking risks to create films about
the difficulties of social change in India especially as it affects
women.

Ten Best Pictures (Alphabetical)
BABEL (Paramount Vantage)
THE FOUNTAIN (Warner Bros.)
INLAND EMPIRE (Absurda)
LITTLE CHILDREN (New Line)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (Fox Searchlight)
PAN'S LABYRINTH (Picturehouse)
THE QUEEN (Miramax)
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (Fox Searchlight)
VOLVER (Sony Pictures Classics)
WATER (Fox Searchlight)

Los Angeles Film Critics Awards

BEST PICTURE
Letters from Iwo Jima
Runner Up: The Queen

DIRECTOR
Paul Greengrass, United 93
Runner-up: Clint Eastwood, Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima

ACTRESS
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Runner-up: Penelope Cruz, Volver

ACTOR:
Tie - Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat
and Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

SCREENPLAY
The Queen by Peter Morgan
Runner-up: Little Miss Sunshine by Michael Arndt

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Luminita Gheorghiu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Runner-up: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Sheen, The Queen
Runner-up: Sergi Lopez, Pan's Labyrinth

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Lives of Others directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Runner-up: Volver directed by Pedro Almodovar

DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM
An Inconvenient Truth directed by Davis Guggenheim
Runner-up: Darwin's Nightmare directed by Hubert Sauper

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Eugenio Caballero, Pan's Labyrinth
Runner-up: Jim Clay, Veronica Falzon, Geoffrey Kirkland, Children of Men

ANIMATION
Happy Feet (George Miller)
Runner-up: Cars (John Lasseter, Joe Ranft)

MUSIC
Alexandre Desplat, The Painted Veil and The Queen
Runner-up: Thomas Newman, The Good German and Little Children

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men
Runner-up: Tom Stern, Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima

NEW GENERATION
Michael Arndt, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris - Little Miss Sunshine

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Robert Mulligan

INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL
Tie - Old Joy directed by Kelly Reichardt
and In Between Days directed by So Yong Kim

SPECIAL CITATIONS
To Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 film Army of Shadows which had its U.S. premiere this year, and to Jonas Mekas for his career as a critic and filmmaker.

Washington DC Area Film Critics Awards

Best Film
United 93

Best Actor
Forrest Whitaker, Last King of Scotland

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best Supporting Actor
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Best Supporting Actress

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Original Screenplay
Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking

Best Foreign Film
Pan's Labrynth

Best Animated Feature
Happy Feet

Best Documentary
An Inconvenient Truth

Best Ensemble
Little Miss Sunshine

Best Art Direction
Marie Antoinette

Oh yeah.

I love TOP CHEF. Can't get enough.

Real World: Denver

Man, that was an intense episode. Drunk plus racist doesn't equal good. That's for sure. Here's a recap:

They all got drunk and one of the black guys hates on the white guy, who is maybe racist but definitely drunk, and they fight and fight (verbally) and threaten each other with physical violence until the white guy decides to go to a hotel for the night and then everyone makes up the next day and everyone stays in Denver.

So that's the recap. It was kind of a nasty episode. It made Michael Richards' stand up act look like Blues Clue. And if I were a producer, I would be working overtime to make sure everyone stays in Denver. It was that much drama.

Great Lost Quote

"The monster and the Others are NOTHING compared to what ELSE is in the jungle." - Damon Lindelof

Now my thoughts on the Grammies

Is this the Grammies for 2004 or what? James Blunt is a new artist HUH? Coldplay?! I'm surprised the Macerana isn't nominated for best dance song.

Lame, lame, lame.

And I told someone the other day: The Dixie Chicks are taking home best album.

Not nominated (that I noticed, anyways) but deserves to be:

MUSE - Black Holes and Revelations (easily one of the best albums of the year - completely ignored)
Ben Harper - Both Sides of the Gun (easily his best album to date)
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Beck - The Information
Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam (their best, at least since I was in high school)
Scissor Sisters (this one's for Jen!)

I'm sure there's plenty more, but this is just what I can think of off the top of my head.

The Grammies - Smaller Categories I Like

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

Talk- Coldplay
How To Save A Life- The Fray
Steady, As She Goes- The Raconteurs
Dani California- Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Saints Are Coming- U2 & Green Day

Best Hard Rock Performance

Crazy Bitch- Buckcherry
Every Day Is Exactly The Same- Nine Inch Nails
Lonely Day- System Of A Down
Vicarious- Tool
Woman- Wolfmother

Best Rock Song
Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol
Dani California- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Lookin' For A Leader- Neil Young
Someday Baby- Bob Dylan
When You Were Young- The Killers

Best Rock Album

Try!- John Mayer Trio
Highway Companion- Tom Petty
Broken Boy Soldiers- The Raconteurs
Stadium Arcadium- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Living With War- Neil Young

Best Alternative Music Album

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not- Arctic Monkeys
At War With The Mystics- The Flaming Lips
St. Elsewhere- Gnarls Barkley
Show Your Bones- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Eraser- Thom Yorke

The Grammies - The Big Awards

Record of the Year:

Be Without You- Mary J. Blige
You're Beautiful- James Blunt
Not Ready To Make Nice- Dixie Chicks
Crazy- Gnarls Barkley
Put Your Records On- Corinne Bailey Rae

Album Of The Year

Taking The Long Way- Dixie Chicks
St. Elsewhere- Gnarls Barkley
Continuum- John Mayer
Stadium Arcadium- Red Hot Chili Peppers
FutureSex/LoveSounds- Justin Timberlake


Song Of The Year

Be Without You- Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jason Perry, songwriters (Mary J. Blige)
Jesus, Take The Wheel- Brett James, Hillary Lindsey & Gordie Sampson, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Not Ready To Make Nice- Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Dixie
Chicks)
Put Your Records On- John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou & Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriters (Corinne Bailey
Rae)
You're Beautiful- James Blunt, Amanda Ghost & Sacha Skarbek, songwriters (James Blunt)

Best New Artist

James Blunt
Chris Brown
Imogen Heap
Corinne Bailey Rae
Carrie Underwood

New Music Thursday

My new tunes:

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - So Divided
Aimee Mann - Another Drifter in the Snow
Army of Anyone
Beck - The Information
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
The Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards
Damien Rice - 9
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Foo Fighters - Skin & Bones
Incubus - Light Grenades
Justin Timberlake - Futuresex/Lovesounds
Mates of State - Bring it back
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Ryan Adams - The Suicide Handbook
Sarah McLachlan - Wintersong
Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Light Years In the Belly of a Mountain
Sparklehorse - It's a Wonderful Life
Sufjan Stevens - A Sun Came!
Sufjan Stevens - Enjoy your Rabbit
Surjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas
U2 - U218
Wolfmother - Wolfmother

So far, my favorites are Trail of Dead (one of my favorite bands), Cold War Kids (electric rock punk stuff), Damien Rice (a nice, barely noticeably different direction from his last album), Foo Fighters. Not so much into The Decemberists yet.

What are you listening to?

Milk Ads Forced Down in SF

Damn San Francisco liberals. I bet Nancy had something to do with this. From Ad Age:

"Special-interest groups representing the homeless, the obese, diabetics and citizens who just don't like scents have succeeded in scuttling an outdoor campaign from California Milk Processor Board involving some new scent technology. The Metropolitan Transit Commission yesterday ordered the scent strips removed."

Key quote from Jeff Goodby from the milk board's ad agency:

"I guess The City has once again made herself safe for bus shelters that smell like urine and vomit instead."

Ugly Betty Gets Less Ugly

Rebecca Romijn is joining the cast. Now that Lost is moving to 10pm, I think I can watch Betty! Woo!

Interesting

A new study on television viewing habits commissioned by Warner Bros. Media Research and conducted by SmithGeiger has just been revealed. The study used online interviews, taken last summer, with 1,500 television viewers across the US. Key findings include:

Most TV viewers look to broadcast networks for originals series and to cable networks for acquired programs.

During primetime, viewers almost equally turn to cable networks (52%) as to broadcast (48%).

Viewers gravitate more to familiar acquired shows versus originals, 93% vs. 46%. When channel surfing, 70% of viewers most often stop on familiar shows.

62% of viewers watch acquired series for the first time on cable networks, and then go back to the original broadcast airings.

The findings support the notion that the most familiar shows on cable are classic acquired series such as Seinfeld, Golden Girls, Full House, The Cosby Show and Friends, which haven't been on broadcast television for years. These series perform just as well as more recent series like CSI, House and the various Law & Order versions.

The DaVinci Code

So, it wasn't awful. I know I'm going to enjoy the book. (Yes, I've been under a rock. Actually, I've just been avoiding the rock.)

But the direction was bad, the way the plot unfolded was bad, everything was pretty much BAD. But for some reason, I enjoyed it. Go figure.

Here we go....

It's awards season! And the first awards are the National Board of Review. They sound important and I know they're somewhat reputable, but I have no idea who makes up the board. Anyways, here are the winners:

Best Film
Letters From Iwo Jima

The Top Ten
Letters From Iwo Jima
Babel
Blood Diamond
The Departed
The Devil Wears Prada
Flags Of Our Fathers
The History Boys
Little Miss Sunshine
Notes on a Scandal
The Painted Veil

Best Documentary
An Inconvenient Truth

Top Five Documentaries
An Inconvenient Truth, (and, in alphabetical order) 51 Birch Street, Iraq In Fragments, Shut Up & Sing, Wordplay

Best Foreign Film
Volver

Top Five Foreign Films
Volver, (and, in alphabetical order) Curse Of The Golden Flower, Days Of Glory, Pan's Labyrinth, Water

Top Independent Films
(in alphabetical order) Akeelah And The Bee, Bobby, Catch A Fire, Copying Beethoven, A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, Half Nelson, The Illusionist, Lonesome Jim, Sherrybaby, 10 Items Or Less, Thank You For Smoking

Best Director
Martin Scorsese
The Departed

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker
The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress
Helen Mirren
The Queen

Best Supporting Actor
Djimon Hounsou
Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress
Catherine O'Hara
For Your Consideration

Best Animated Feature
Cars

Best Ensemble Cast
The Departed

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
Ryan Gosling
Half Nelson

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress (2)
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Best Directorial Debut
Jason Reitman
Thank You for Smoking

Best Original Screenplay
Zach Helm
Stranger Than Fiction

Best Adapted Screenplay
Ron Nyswaner
The Painted Veil

Career Achievement Award
Eli Wallach

Billy Wilder Award For Excellence In Directing
Jonathan Demme

William K. Everson Award For Film History
Donald Krim

Career Achievement in Producing
Irwin Winkler

The Bvlgari Award for NBR Freedom of Expression
Water and World Trade Center

Things That Bug Me

What's bugging me today?

People who speak loudly so they can be heard over everyone else, as if what they are talking about is of more importance than anything else that's being said. You just wanna say, "shut the fuck up, already!"

Cat Stuff

Cats can suffer from a feline form of Alzheimer's disease, Edinburgh scientists revealed today. A study into ageing cats identified a key protein which can build up in the nerve cells in their brains and cause mental deterioration, similar to that in humans.
--but does it explain why my cat pee'd on my husband?

Nip/Tuck

I am not watching this show anymore. It's turned into a gawdy nightmare, but in case you're still tuning in:

Rosie in "Discussions" to Join Nip/Tuck. Rosie O'Donnell's personal rep has confirmed to E! News that she is in "preliminary discussions" to join the cast of Nip/Tuck. This confirmation comes after an accesshollywood.com story reported that Rosie herself said she has been offered the female lead of the show, since, as the story put it, "Joely Richardson is leaving for a year."

But F/X is sticking with its story that Richardson will be back. "Joely is not in the finale, but she will return to Nip/Tuck next year."

Obviously, given that Nip/Tuck shoots in Los Angeles and The View is in New York City, it would be impossible for O'Donnell to do both shows. However, insiders say she's extremely tempted by the offer, since Nip/Tuck is her favorite show on television and she had a blast working on the show as a guest star earlier this season, so she just might abandon Babs and the girls.

And can anyone make sense out of this?
Right this minute: Nip/Tuck is getting a fifth season. Back to this season, there's a huge twist coming in the Dec. 12 finale that doesn't involve a death or a character switching genders. Also, the episode utilizes music — more specifically, a song — in a unique way. Something rarely, if ever, seen in a TV drama. (Hint: that link takes you to a huge clue.) Click Here for the Link.

Lost

Pack the bags, kids. Lost is moving to 10.

Breaking LOST News

Beginning Wednesday, February 7, LOST will now be seen at 10pm instead of 9pm. This suck-ass development is due to American Idol having their results show at 9pm.

I am not happy about this. Not one bit! My kid will be even more upset because she loves Lost and I seriously doubt she'll wanna stay up that late to watch it.

Bored?

It's that time of year.... time for lists! We all love them, so c'mon in and stay awhile.... click the links to your little hearts' content! These should keep you busy until the holidays.

Best Blogs of 2006 That You (maybe) Aren't Reading
50 Greatest Commercials Of The 80s

Mood Music

I've discussed Pandora, now let's discuss Musicovery

Oh La La

Jennifer Aniston is about to set the record straight in an interview in the upcoming Vanity Fair magazine about her breakup with Brad Pitt. She states she did in fact want to have babies with Brad, but starting a family was not the issue. The problem was actually Brad cheating on her with the ultra irresistible Angelina Jolie.

RIP: Allofmp3.com

So sad. This "legal" music download service was my way of getting music for 2+ years. Now I have to resort to other means ($$$).

30 Rock Gets 22

22 Episodes, which is a full season (if you're counting). Now if they would just move it away from Grey's Anatomy. It really is a great show!

Well, It Was Nice While It Lasted

"Russia has agreed to shut down Allofmp3.com and other music sites based in that country that the U.S. government says are offering downloads illegally."

-damn-

Hillary 2008

All I can say to this: good.

"On Fox News last night, the chairman of Iowa's Democratic party said that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is not laying the adequate groundwork for a presidenial campaign in the first caucus state and that many are starting to speculate she may not run if Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) enters the race.

"Said Iowa Democratic Chair Rob Tully: "She's been quiet and, you know, there's a question that we all hear is that she may not get in this if Barack Obama gets in. I have never seen a reaction other than Bill Clinton in terms of the excitement that people have to meet Barack Obama. Some people just wanted to touch him."

"One other possible reason: According to the Quad City Times, former Democratic state party chairman Dave Nagle said he is concerned candidates might eventually choose not to come to Iowa with Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) in the race."

[Source: Political Wire]

D-List

Kathy Griffin will be back in 2007. Now the question is if her free-loading ex-husband will be back, too. Doubtful!

Why is Nicole Kidman the highest paid actress?

My guess: Because she makes dozens and dozens of shitty films each year. Here's a rundown of her "filmes" since she won that Oscar for The Hours. It's obvious grandma Nikki's been smokin' something.

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus - Yeah, I heard this was the suckage.

Bewitched

The Interpreter (okay, so maybe this one wasn't SO Bad, but it made like $3)

Birth - Yeah, I just loved that scene where she takes a bath with that little boy

The Stepford Wives - Easily the lamest "comedy" in quite a while

Cold Mountain - She's supposed to be all homeless but homegirl looks like a super model. Yeah, this movie SUCKED.

The Human Stain

Dogville - Even a dog wouldn't smell this shit

The Mel Gibson and Michael Richards Show

I can't believe ABC is moving forward with this show for Fall 2007.

Real World: Denver

Why am I 29 and still watching the Real World? I dunno, because it's such a gigantic waste of time. But I can't stop! (Help!)

The Real World: Denver takes the most stereotypically Real-World people and puts them in a house together. Surprise, there's a black guy (two of them, actually). Suprise, there's a gay guy (and he's religious... OMG). Surprise, there's a bunch of dumb whores.

But the thing is... when you mix it all together, it's soooo good. The premiere episode was fantastic, but only because the last five minutes where the white fraternity guy hooks up with a second roommate... the SAME NIGHT HE HOOKED UP WITH THE FIRST! The fact that the first hook up has a crush on him indicates that, well, this might be good.

And the second episode was. It delivered on its promise of boring Real-World-types performing the usual dramatic Real-World stuff that you'd expect. And I love it. Especially "the love triangle." And coming soon: the episode where the one black guy that voted for George W. Bush argues with the gay boy about the terrible sins of homosexuality.

Real World: Denver

Why am I 29 and still watching the Real World? I dunno, because it's such a gigantic waste of time. But I can't stop! (Help!)

The Real World: Denver takes the most stereotypically Real-World people and puts them in a house together. Surprise, there's a black guy (two of them, actually). Suprise, there's a gay guy (and he's religious... OMG). Surprise, there's a bunch of dumb whores.

But the thing is... when you mix it all together, it's soooo good. The premiere episode was fantastic, but only because the last five minutes where the white fraternity guy hooks up with a second roommate... the SAME NIGHT HE HOOKED UP WITH THE FIRST! The fact that the first hook up has a crush on him indicates that, well, this might be good.

And the second episode was. It delivered on its promise of boring Real-World-types performing the usual dramatic Real-World stuff that you'd expect. And I love it. Especially "the love triangle." And coming soon: the episode where the one black guy that voted for George W. Bush argues with the gay boy about the terrible sins of homosexuality.

Real World: Denver

Why am I 29 and still watching the Real World? I dunno, because it's such a gigantic waste of time. But I can't stop! (Help!)

The Real World: Denver takes the most stereotypically Real-World people and puts them in a house together. Surprise, there's a black guy (two of them, actually). Suprise, there's a gay guy (and he's religious... OMG). Surprise, there's a bunch of dumb whores.

But the thing is... when you mix it all together, it's soooo good. The premiere episode was fantastic, but only because the last five minutes where the white fraternity guy hooks up with a second roommate... the SAME NIGHT HE HOOKED UP WITH THE FIRST! The fact that the first hook up has a crush on him indicates that, well, this might be good.

And the second episode was. It delivered on its promise of boring Real-World-types performing the usual dramatic Real-World stuff that you'd expect. And I love it. Especially "the love triangle." And coming soon: the episode where the one black guy that voted for George W. Bush argues with the gay boy about the terrible sins of homosexuality.

TomKat Sing

Yesterday's Countdown on MSNBC had a thing about Katie and Tom recording an album together. Apparently everyone was blown away by their wedding-ceremony performance of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" that they've been convinced that releasing a full-length album is a good idea. And by good idea, I mean worst damn idea in the history of "music."

Immortal

Remember Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Neither did I. But I learned that one of its key inspirations was Immortal, one of the few movies to use real actors against a complete world of CGI blue screens. The human actors are few. Most of the other characters look like videogame characters or robots or aliens. (Most of them are those things, I guess.)

Immortal takes place in 2095 in some strange society inhabited by humans, aliens, clones, machines and - yes - Greek Gods. The premise is that one of the gods that created humans comes back to Earth to have a son (Jesus, anyone?). It's almost entirely computer animated and quite a beautiful movie. And you can tell it's not really American (even though it mostly takes place in NYC). In fact, it kind of now reminds me of the Fifth Element, but much more fatalistic and filmed way more realistically.

I think you're not supposed to be sober when you watch this. And I don't recommend watching it sober. It's odd. But strangely hypnotic and intriguing. It's a good late night / rainy day movie. Check it out if it's your thang.

Little Children

Little Children is one heck of a finely crafted movie about a love affair. Great movie. Not an instant classic as I was hoping, but certainly one of the better movies of the year. Kate Winslet is phenomenal. She's gotta be the best working actress, right? Patrick Wilson was also great. Why isn't he in more? The acting, writing and directing were all stellar. The story was unexpectedly touching (I so wanted them to end up together!!), and much more disturbing than its kind of creepy trailer even lets on (but knew they wouldn't within about 3 minutes of the movie). There's a plot that drives the overall story that isn't even mentioned in the trailer, and it's one that will give you the willies.

Oh yeah, I wanted to mention how much I loved the voiceover work. Most movies with voiceovers suck. This one was written like Shakespeare, but also happened to be very modern. At one point, it compares the feeling of isolation/confusion to waking up after being abducted by aliens, but not in a weird Donnie Darko kind of way... more along the lines of American Beauty or something.

Check this out, if not in the theaters then on DVD. And don't let your little children watch.

NBC's New Schedule

Monday
8:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9:00 p.m. Heroes
10:00 p.m. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. Dateline (Dec. 26)
9:00 p.m. Law & Order: Criminal Intent
10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. Friday Night Lights (Jan. 10)
9:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal (Jan. 3)
10:00 p.m. Medium

Thursday
8:00 p.m. My Name is Earl
8:30 p.m. The Office
9:00 p.m. Scrubs
9:30 p.m. 30 Rock
10:00 p.m. ER

Friday
8:00 p.m. 1 vs. 100
9:00 p.m. Las Vegas
10:00 p.m. Law & Order

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Dateline (repeat)
9:00 p.m. Drama repeat
10:00 p.m. Drama repeat

Sunday
7:00 p.m. Dateline (Feb. 11)
8:00 p.m. Grease: You’re the One That I Want (Jan. 7; first two weeks will run from 8-9:30 p.m.)
9:00 p.m. The Apprentice (Jan. 7; first two weeks will run from 9:30-11 p.m.)
10:00 p.m. Crossing Jordan (Jan. 21)

TV Land's Top 100 Catchphrases

How many do you remember saying?

"Aaay" (Fonzie, Happy Days )
"And that's the way it is" (Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News )
"Ask not what your country can do for you ..." (John F. Kennedy)
"Baby, you're the greatest" (Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, The Honeymooners )
"Bam!" (Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Live )
"Book 'em, Danno" (Steve McGarrett, Hawaii Five-O )
"Come on down!" (Johnny Olson, The Price is Right )
"Danger, Will Robinson" (Robot, Lost in Space )
"De plane! De plane!" (Tattoo, Fantasy Island )
"Denny Crane" (Denny Crane, Boston Legal )
"Do you believe in miracles?" (Al Michaels, 1980 Winter Olympics)
"D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, The Simpsons )
"Don't make me angry ..." (David Banner, The Incredible Hulk )
"Dyn-o-mite" (J.J., Good Times )
"Elizabeth, I'm coming!" (Fred Sanford, Sanford and Son )
"Gee, Mrs. Cleaver ..." (Eddie Haskell, Leave it to Beaver )
"God'll get you for that" (Maude, Maude )
"Good grief" (Charlie Brown, Peanuts specials)
"Good night, and good luck" (Edward R. Murrow, See It Now )
"Good night, John Boy" (The Waltons )
"Have you no sense of decency?" (Joseph Welch to Sen. McCarthy)
"Heh heh" (Beavis and Butt-head, Beavis and Butthead )
"Here it is, your moment of Zen" (Jon Stewart, The Daily Show )
"Here's Johnny!" (Ed McMahon, The Tonight Show )
"Hey now!" (Hank Kingsley, The Larry Sanders Show )
"Hey hey hey!" (Dwayne Nelson, What's Happening!! )
"Hey hey hey!" (Fat Albert, Fat Albert )
"Holy (whatever), Batman!" (Robin, Batman )
"Holy crap!" (Frank Barone, Everybody Loves Raymond )
"Homey don't play that!" (Homey the Clown, In Living Color )
"How sweet it is!" (Jackie Gleason, The Jackie Gleason Show )
"How you doin'?" (Joey Tribbiani, Friends )
"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" (Alka Seltzer ad)
I know nothing! (Sgt. Schultz, Hogan's Heroes)
"I love it when a plan comes together" (Hannibal, The A-Team)
"I want my MTV!" (MTV ad)
"I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl ..." (Larry, Newhart)
"I'm not a crook ..." (Richard Nixon)
"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" (Vicks Formula 44 ad)
"I'm Rick James, bitch!" (Dave Chappelle as Rick James, Chappelle's Show)
"If it weren't for you meddling kids!" (Various villains, Scooby Doo, Where Are You? )
"Is that your final answer?" (Regis Philbin, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire)
"It keeps going and going and going ..." (Energizer Batteries ad)
"It takes a licking ..." (Timex ad)
"Jane, you ignorant slut" (Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin, Saturday Night Live)
"Just one more thing ..." (Columbo, Columbo)
"Let's be careful out there" (Sgt. Esterhaus, Hill Street Blues)
"Let's get ready to rumble!" (Michael Buffer, various sports events)
"Live long and prosper" (Spock, Star Trek)
"Makin' whoopie" (Bob Eubanks, The Newlywed Game)
"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" (Jan Brady, The Brady Bunch)
"Mom always liked you best" (Tommy Smothers, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour)
"Never assume ..." (Felix Unger, The Odd Couple)
"Nip it!" (Barney Fife, The Andy Griffith Show)
"No soup for you!" (The Soup Nazi, Seinfeld)
"Norm!" (Cheers)
"Now cut that out!" (Jack Benny, The Jack Benny Program)
"Oh, my God! They killed Kenny!" (Stan and Kyle, South Park )
"Oh, my nose!" (Marcia Brady, The Brady Bunch )
"One small step for man ..." (Neil Armstrong)
"Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" (Grey Poupon ad)
"Read my lips: No new taxes!" (George H.W. Bush)
"Resistance is futile" (Picard as Borg, Star Trek: The Next Generation )
"Say good night, Gracie" (George Burns, The Burns & Allen Show )
"Schwing!" (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth, Saturday Night Live )
"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" (Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle)
"Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids" (Trix cereal ad)
"Smile, you're on Candid Camera" (Candid Camera )
"Sock it to me" (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In )
"Space, the final frontier ..." (Capt. Kirk, Star Trek )
"Stifle!" (Archie Bunker, All in the Family )
"Suit up!" (Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother )
"Tastes great! Less filling!" (Miller Lite beer ad)
"Tell me what you don't like about yourself" (Dr. McNamara and Dr. Troy, Nip/Tuck )
"That's hot" (Paris Hilton, The Simple Life )
"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" (Jim McKay, ABC's Wide World of Sports )
"The tribe has spoken" (Jeff Probst, Survivor )
"The truth is out there" (Fox Mulder, The X-Files )
"This is the city ..." (Sgt. Joe Friday, Dragnet )
"Time to make the donuts" (Dunkin' Donuts ad)
"Two thumbs up" (Siskel & Ebert, Siskel & Ebert )
"Up your nose with a rubber hose" (Vinnie Barbarino, Welcome Back, Kotter )
"We are two wild and crazy guys!" (Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as Czech playboys, Saturday Night Live )
"Welcome to the O.C., bitch" (Luke, The O.C. )
"Well, isn't that special?" (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, Saturday Night Live )
"We've got a really big show!" (Ed Sullivan, The Ed Sullivan Show )
"Whassup?" (Budweiser ad)
"What you see is what you get!" (Geraldine, The Flip Wilson Show )
"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (Arnold Drummond, Diff'rent Strokes )
"Where's the beef?" (Wendy's ad)
"Who loves you, baby?" (Kojak, Kojak )
"Would you believe?" (Maxwell Smart, Get Smart )
"Yabba dabba do!" (Fred Flintstone, The Flintstones )
"Yada, yada, yada" (Seinfeld )
"Yeah, that's the ticket" (Jon Lovitz as the pathological liar, Saturday Night Live )
"You eeeediot!" (Ren, Ren & Stimpy )
"You look mahvelous!" (Billy Crystal as Fernando, Saturday Night Live )
"You rang?" (Lurch, The Addams Family )
"You're fired!" (Donald Trump, The Apprentice )
"You've got spunk ..." (Lou Grant, The Mary Taylor Moore Show )

Lost Loose Ends

!!Warning!!

Reading this might take awhile.... only click this link if you have some time to burn. Then again, it's about Lost, so it's definitely worth your time, especially since we've got NINE AND A HALF freaking weeks until the next episode.

Hey D! Sound Familiar?

From Jalopnik:
While the target customers for the Honda Civic Si were likely but an idea when Disney's groundbreaking-at-the-time yet now cult classic TRON was made, Honda's Santa Monica based Ad Agency RPA enlisted RBG6 via Nexus London to create a TRON-based ad for the sportiest of stock Civics nonetheless. The ad caught our eye and ear on the TV due to countless hours playing the arcade version of TRON at Elsie's lunch in Harvard square during the early eighties. This gaming of course followed multiple viewings of the then not yet cult classic RCA SelectaVision vinyl VideoDisc version of TRON on a Zenith color TV. Now, if we could just get the Civic Si through those damn grid bugs and light cycles.
linky here

News Of The Bizarre

Did anyone else know this?

Lifted from TMZ:
Van Halen has hired 15-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen -- the son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen and estranged wife Valerie Bertinelli, and nephew of drummer Alex Van Halen -- as the new bassist for the band.

Wolfgang replaces longtime bassist Michael Anthony, who left the band earlier this year. Eddie Van Halen's spokesperson Janie Liszewski tells TMZ that Wolfgang, known as "Wolfie," has already joined his dad and uncle for rehearsals in the studio for a 2007 summer tour. Wolfie played dates with his father during the band's 2004 tour, and the song "316" on 1991's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge," was named for Wolfie's birth date that same year.

The band is still without a lead singer, despite rumors that David Lee Roth might rejoin.

--hell, i didn't even know Michael Anthony left! and beyond that... what if the VH bro's decide to toss Wolfie when they decide they don't like him anymore? like they did with Roth and Hagar? so many questions... so little time....

Never Saw THIS Coming!

Pam Anderson has filed for divorce from Kid Rock and vice-versa. What the hell is this world coming to?

Survivor

You watching this show??? OMG! One of The Best in a very long time!!!

Here's the EW recap, in all its glory:

It's Thanksgiving, so I am going to start off this column by giving thanks. Giving thanks for my family, thanks for my health, thanks for my limited-edition Planet of the Apes box set that comes in a big monkey head, and thanks for another insanely incredible episode of Survivor. Remember on the Vanuatu Thanksgiving episode two years ago when the all-female alliance turned on Ami and voted her out? This was even better. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb here and call the last three episodes of Cook Islands the best three-episode Survivor run ever. Seriously, the stuff that has gone on the past three weeks in unbelievable. First you had the mutiny. Then you had the underdog Aitu tribe dominating. Then you had the green-bottle double elimination. And now we've been treated to one of the best pure strategy episodes of all time, with Yul slyly getting Jonathan to flip sides yet again by threatening use of the hidden immunity idol. Who would have thunk it a month ago when this season seemed to be running on fumes and there were no heroes or villains to root for? It all culminated at the end tonight when I actually jumped out of my chair and pumped my fist in the air after Nate got voted out — and Nate was the one guy on Raro that I actually liked! In any event, I give thanks. Even though I looked like a major dork.

I give thanks to the members of Rarotonga for giving us this season's token drunk hilarity at the merge booze cruise. First, Adam started puking off the side of the boat, and then every scene Nate appeared in for the next 15 minutes featured him carrying at least one beer. To quote my good friend Bill Murray (actually, we've never met), ''I wanna party with you, Cowboy.''

I give thanks to Adam for simultaneously hitting on both Candice and Parvati, even going so far as to promote the first ever Survivor three-way freeway with the proclamation that ''you can both appreciate me.'' Anyone else in America appreciating Adam right now? Show of hands? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller...?

I give thanks to the word ''hypothetically'' for being used approximately 18,427 times in under an hour.

I give thanks to Yul for being the smartest player to ever play this game (sorry Hatch and Cesternino) and making me look damn good for picking him to win before the game even began. (Trust me, that doesn't happen often.) Figuring out that he might be able to use his possession of the immunity idol to win Jonathan back over to Aitu's side was pure genius. It wasn't like he threw this offer out willy-nilly. He correctly recognized that such a proposal would not work with any other Raro member, and he therefore targeted Jonathan even though the Alan Alda sound-alike had ditched him just a few days earlier. Now the folks from Aitu have gone from a one-person disadvantage to a one-person advantage, and Yul still has the freakin' idol! He gave absolutely nothing away! ( I think Morasca's right. I do have a man crush.)

I give thanks to Jonathan for being so devious and making all of this possible in the first place. His and Candice's jumping ship set all this drama in motion to begin with, and now him flipping back to Aitu only adds more tension. At this point, he just may be one of the most disliked Survivor contestants ever — and that is exactly what this season needed.

I give thanks to the other members of Raro for blindly insisting that there was no possible way Yul could have the immunity idol and deciding to vote for him. If Jonathan, Adam, and Candice all said they didn't have it, who the hell else do they think did? Have they never watched this show?

I give thanks to one of the most tense and unpredictable tribal councils ever. What would happen? Would Yul have to play the hidden immunity idol? Would Jonathan flip? Would he go back and tell the Raro folks to vote off Sundra instead to maintain their advantage? So many possibilities. (And so few correct spellings of Yul's name.)

I give thanks to the new merged tribe name of Aitutonga, because it is actually half-decent.

I give thanks to the advertisement that came on my TV at one point for a local news story on ''pet braces,'' because it made me laugh and almost spit out my Heineken beer. (I'm at my mom's house for the holiday, and unfortunately she is not wise to the ways of Milwaukee's Best. I'm working on it.)

I give thanks to Jonathan and Yul for pointing out that the immunity challenge was not fair to men with bigger feet. It wasn't a huge discrepancy like last season's final-three challenge, where Danielle's lighter frame gave her a clear advantage in not sinking, but it was something that crossed my mind as well. And how much do we love Yul's comment that ''it's kinda why elephants can't run up trees.''

I give thanks to Jeff Probst for showing a pretty damn good sense of humor in informing Ozzy that the ugly-ass immunity idol was indeed ''unisex.'' While we are on the subject of funny quotes, I also give thanks to Parvati for describing Yul as ''Mr. Harvard Yale Stanford Guy,'' and thereby reminding us that she is not, in fact, ''Mrs. Harvard Yale Stanford Girl.''

I most assuredly do not give thanks to another Adam-Candice make-out session. If you knew how smelly and stinky these people are out there, you would be grossed out too.

But lastly, I give thanks to Nate for one of the best parting-thoughts speeches in Survivor history, when he told Jonathan to ''kiss my ass'' and described him as a ''dirty, stinky, whack fruitcake'' (although with the ''Nancy boy'' and now ''fruitcake'' references, he is coming dangerously close to challenging Rudy Boesch for the Ultimate Survivor Homophobe award).

A month ago it looked like we had another Africa-Thailand-Vanuatu-Guatemala on our hands. But all of a sudden, feelings are hurt, heroes are emerging, and villains are everywhere. The only thing missing was the Milwaukee's Best. (Like I said, I'm working on it!)

What do you think? Can you remember any Survivor season that has turned around more than this one? Did Jonathan make the right move in switching back? And who would you pick if you were Adam — Candice or Parvati?

AR Recap

Go read it here

I hate non-elimination rounds. Hate them.

Amazing Race All Star

The Amazing Race 11 will be an all-star race. It “began last week in Miami and will premiere in first-quarter 2007,” according to Variety. (Last week means the week of the 13th.)

The story confirms several cast members, including overexposed assholes Rob and Amber, and this season’s David and Mary. Also on board: Amazing Race 7 winners Joyce and Uchenna, who beat Rob and Amber. Variety also notes that Chip and Kim won’t be participating, although they already made that perfectly clear.

Sometimes the headlines just write themselves.

I saw this on "IMDB News:"

Hilton Vomits While Attempting To Sing Own Song

Lots O' Lost

OMG!! Good stuff here, kids!

-There are two more deaths planned after [the one hapenning in episode 3.07], both major character deaths. Doc Arzt makes a return this season via flashback. Currently the plan is for the season three finale to be Ben centric.

Episode 3.07: Not In Portland (Juliet-centric)
Airdate: February 7, 2007
- Despite wide-spread rumors, Matthew Fox's character, Jack, will not be shot by Juliet when Lost returns on February 7th. In-fact, Juliet will shoot.... read on if you want to be spoiled... Pickett who is on the verge of killing Sawyer, leaving herself in a precarious position with the others.


Episode 3.08: Title Unknown (Desmond-centric)
Airdate: February 14, 2007
- Sources close to the set insist that Fox is not part of the reunion that takes place in episode eight. Sawyer and Kate, return the beach at the end of the episode.


Episode 3.09: Title Unknown (Jack-centric)
Airdate: February 21, 2007
- Episode nine is the final update on Jack's status. He stayed behind to repair Ben, but will he now get off the island as he was promised or not?
- A wonderful location shoot in downtown Honolulu turned Fort Street Mall near Hawaii Pacific University into Bangkok, Thailand. Two blocks away, the Indigo Restaurant on Nuuanu Avenue played both a tattoo parlor, and a restaurant. All this appears to be for Ep. 3x09, a Jack-centric episode. The night shoot for "Bangkok" was as colorful as any for "LOST," with signs and lights and sexy dancers. Two days of meticulous setup netted ten seconds of footage, in which a mysterious woman in red walks down the crowded street and turns down a narrow alley. Jack follows. According to a camera operator at the restaurant location, the female guest star opposite Matthew Fox was Bai Ling.

My New Favorite Heading (for today)

Bwah! You MUST click on this link and read this hysterical heading. Maybe it's the ice cream I just ate which is causing me to feel so giddy about it, but, it totally cracked my ass up!

My New Favorite Word

"Premature ebayulation"

Example: buying THREE PlayStation 1's for $1000 each, not realizing you were buying a PS1.

Lost

What do you think of those rumors that Jack will be killed off Lost?

21.8 Million

OSU vs. Michigan had 21.8 million viewers, the largest college football game since 1993. Wow! Go Bucks!

Damn! Now We'll Never Know If OJ Did It!

News Corp. Cancels O.J. Simpson Book and TV Special

Coin Scandal Update

I know y'all been sittin' on the edge of yer seats wantin' to know about this

Reality Roundup

From RealityBlurred:

In recent weeks, a few cable networks have announced new reality shows that follow different personalities, from a father and son who perform gastric bypass surgeries to George Foreman grilling. Here’s a round-up of notable, recently announced series:

Bravo has had success with two distinct subgenres of reality TV: competitive series focusing on craft, and docudrama series focusing on different industries and the crazy people within them. Adding a new show to its lineup of the latter, Bravo is planning Welcome to the Parker. The one-hour show is set at the Parker Palm Springs hotel, and Bravo says it “will uncover the lives, relationships and drama of the hotel staff and their guests.” It will air sometime in 2007.

TLC is planning three new reality series. Family Surgeons is “American Chopper meets The Biggest Loser,” according to Variety. It “follows a father-son medical practice specializing in gastric bypass surgeries.” Also coming from TLC: Mind Your Manners follows people as they “undergo etiquette training in preparation for such situations as a first date or a job interview,” while My First Home “chronicles the process of buying a home in today’s climate,” Variety says.
World of Wonder Productions is shopping Viva Hollywood, which follows “Latin telenovela stars” as the come to the US and “struggle to make it big in the U.S. market,” Variety reports.

TV Land has ordered a pilot for Family Foreman, which the network says is “an intimate look inside the remarkable life of former heavyweight boxing champion/multi-million dollar pitchman George Foreman who is a minister to many, and father to ten children.” The network is also planning a six-episode series titled In Celebrity Love Cruise, in which “celebrities take to the high seas to find love in this raucous dating show.” It’s produced by Generate TV, not Bunim-Murray, so, tragically, it’s probably not a return of the FOX series that gave us Toni Ferrari. Finally, TV Land is planning Back to the Grind, which “allows viewers to join celebrated actors as they perform — in the real world — the kind of job their characters did on their respective hit TV series.” Celebs who will appear include Harry Anderson, Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Sherman Hemsley; the series debuts June 6, 2007.

--discuss.

PS3 Launch Party

I thought the Playboy Mansion was going to be the party of the year. Boy, was I wrong.

Last night, they closed down part of Hollywood to host a PS3 launch party. It was bad ass. I walked in the venue next to Sinbad! Sinbad! Matt, a friend, played NBA 07: The Life with BARRY BONDS! We had a three minute conversation with KEVIN DILLON about vodka! And boy, did it look like he had a lot of vodka to drink. I played Resistance (I suck at FPS), Motorstorm (awesome awesome game), Gran Tourismo HD, etc. There was a Genji room, an NBA room, a Resistance room, etc. But the best part.... CAMP FREDDY! Dave Navarro, SLASH, Mark McGrath, Scott Weiland, Matt Sorum, the girl from The Donnas, man, that was a good show. And I'm hungover.

Playboy Mansion

I have to say, it was disappointing. Yeah, there were naked chicks in the pool. Yeah, the mansion is huge (we weren't allowed inside). Yeah, the yard is awesome. Big pool, zoo (monkeys! birds! bunnies!), free drinks. But there was nothing to DO! So we just stood there.

However, I had a blast. Because I was at THE PLAYBOY MANSION!

Weeds

Season Three! Summer!

Have You Heard?

There's a big football game this weekend.

Doesn't mean it's good...

but the Arrested Development creator is exec producing a new show. A new show that sounds a bit intriguing:

"ABC has given a pilot order for a project called The Thick of It, an adaptation of the UK's series on BBC 4. The comedy revolves around the office of a member of Congress, per Hollywood Reporter.  Written by Richard Day, the project is exec produced by Day and Mitchell Hurwitz."

Things That Bug Me

It's been awhile since I posted a "Bug".

It really pisses me off when someone (*cough* coworker *cough*) asks for my opinion on something and when I give my thoughts, they go to great length to explain WHY they chose to do something the way they did.

Then don't fucking ask my opinion, okay???!!!!

Desperate Housewives

Okay, it's getting better. I was "this close" to watching new Family Guys instead.

Gamers Week

Tonight I am going to the Playboy Mansion to celebrate Gamers Week. Not sure if it's an official holiday, but with the launch of PS3 on Friday and Nintendo Wii on Monday, I guess it's pretty accurate.

I'll tell Hugh hello for everyone.

The Bower Agency

Hopefully they nail the advertising industry a little better than The Dumbest Agency in Desperate Housewives:

"NBC has ordered a script of Split Decision, a property presented at the New York TV Festival this fall, per Variety.  The 30m comedy project is based on a NYC downtown advertising agency who develop campaigns for larger corporate clients. This marks the first time a pilot presented at the Festival has been acquired by a broadcast network.  The project was created by Mary Egan Callahan who will serve as supervising producer; Joe Narcisco wrote the pilot and Bruce Hurwit directed."

Shut Up & Sing

I've always sort of liked the Dixie Chicks, and then they made their politics clear and I liked them even more. With the release of their last album, Taking the Long Way, you can call me a fan. I went to see their new documentary, Shut Up & Sing, and I think I'm in love. They are three extremely talented, funny and outspoken gals. The behind-the-scenes and at-home stuff was great; it really made them look.... regular. And it made it even more pathetic how people turned against them and treated them as traitors. It says a lot about the limits of freedom in this country.

My favorite part was the t-shirt Natalie made and wore after Toby Keith made disparaging comments to them. "F.U.T.K." Soon after she started wearing it, protesters showed up at their concerts with "F.U.D.C." t-shirts. Natalie was asked by the media what she thought of those shirts. Her answer was classic. "I think it's fine if they wear those shirts, but I just want to know why they have a problem with Dick Cheney."

Insatiable

God, I love Showtime. Weeds, Dexter, The L Word, Season 1 of Queer as Folk.... this is the next show that will make me like Showtime even more...

"Showtime's newest project, Insatiable, about four families in a small town where just about everyone has an addiction of some sort, is in the final negotiation stages to bolstered it's cast.  In talks to join the show are Andie MacDowell, Andrea Martin and Lara Flynn Boyle, says Hollywood Reporter.  MacDowell's character is addicting to shopping on e-Bay; Martin's character's husband is a gambling addict; and Boyle's character likes to take things."

Back

...and I'm back.

Theories Abound

Head on over to Doc Jensen's EW column and read his theories.

Interesting stuff!

Lost 3.06 Recap

Courtesy of EW:

Lest Sawyer wannabes get the wrong idea, rocks, dirt, and bear droppings all over the ground do not actually put women in the mood. That's a myth. More reflections on Kate-and-Sawyer sexytime, as soon as we examine Florida flashbacks and some flashes of temper.

''I Do,'' the final episode before season 3 goes on hiatus, laid out more of Kate's fugitive past and exposed some of her slip-ups. (Falling in love with a cop? Phoning the marshal who's after you? Use your noggin, Freckles!) Kate's flashbacks in Miami weren't as exciting as the action on the island, but they were full of fun details: her alias, Monica; her happy wedding; taco night; her honeymoon tickets, booked on Oceanic; her negative pregnancy test (hinted at last season during Sun's ''I might be preggers'' scene on the beach); and the drug-laced drink she gave her husband. What's the upshot? This is a woman perpetually torn between fight or flight. In the episode's final moments, Jack illuminated Kate's dual nature by asking her to recall a story he'd told when they first met: In it, Jack had described an attack of acute presurgery fear, and Kate had said her instinct would have been to run, to which Jack had replied, ''You're not running now.'' Juxtapose that with Jack inside the Hydra, screaming into the walkie-talkie, ''Run, Kate! Run!'' while she refused, sobbing and terrified.

For theorists who believe the castaways are on the island for various forms of spiritual resolution, the inner battle of stay vs. go would seem to be the deep-seated issue that Kate is there to work though. Complicating matters is the fact that she's torn between two men. (Don't let a tryst in a polar-bear cage persuade you that Lost's love triangle is over.) Kate recognizes real love when she feels it, as seen in her memories of Kevin the Cop (played by Nathan Fillion of Firefly). Fast-forward to the island, post-abduction: Kate seemed to be struggling with her strong feelings for Sawyer and, I'm convinced, equally strong feelings for Jack. When Juliet marched Kate into Jack's cell (how heartwarming was it to see Dr. Sourpuss' face light up?), it was very telling that all Kate did was weep when he asked if she'd been hurt. I'm guessing she cried not because of what Jack asked her but because she realized he loved her and she dreaded having to eventually choose. On a related note, I sensed the potential for a Juliet-Jack romance dwindling in this episode, with Juliet seeming particularly blank.

I loved seeing Jack flip his lid in the OR and regain control of his situation. When he assaulted an Other in scrubs and demanded contact with Kate, my heart was racing. Tom's priceless expression as he watched Jack's outburst through an observation window was topped only by his hopefully-soon-to-be-infamous line ''Just hand her the damn walkie, Danny!'' Surely, following the hiatus, Jack will stitch up the kidney-sac incision he made (um, ouch), so that Ben can wake up and restore order. That Pickett is wreaking havoc without anyone in charge.

But wait just an intercom-cracklin' minute. Who's really in charge? As Ben's surgery began, hothead Pickett griped, ''Shepard wasn't even on Jacob's list.'' Who's Jacob? What list? One guess is that Jacob is the eye-patch guy introduced last week. Would that make Ben just a haughty underling who reports to head-honcho Jacob? Or is it that Ben the cancer patient has an identical twin named Jacob who wears glasses? Okay, I may be clinging to my twin theory too long, but I find the shots of Ben staring through those Harry Potter specs very ominous, as if something were not quite what it seems.

Back to Freckles and Ford, doing like they do on the Discovery Channel! I thought it was perfect timing in the series — not too soon, not too late. I was, however, a little surprised the new lovers threw that much caution to the wind: A. Kate was obviously not supposed to break out of her cage or into Sawyer's. B. The Others don't wear bells; they walk right up to, and past, the cages anytime they like. C. Sawyer's aware, ever since Ben's violent visit, that the cages are monitored. Then there's the question of how grimy two plane-wrecked people on a humid island have to get before sex is unthinkable. Not that acting like animals in heat, outdoors in broad daylight, can't be hot. But I kept thinking, that must be some powerful attraction to overcome what I can only assume is totally rank jungle stank. (Yes, this is a quirk of mine. I can't stomach the Lord of the Rings films because of how often the characters appear to be in desperate need of baths.)

The important thing is that Kate threw herself at Sawyer and he confessed his love. He's vulnerable to heartbreak; as I said, she's in love with two men. (When Sawyer asked, essentially, whether she loved him, she was mum, kissing him instead, but I'll bet the episode's title is her answer.) I'm not as worried anymore that the Others caged Kate near Sawyer in a dastardly plot to encourage procreation. (Pickett was too eager to shoot him.) What seems more likely now is that Jack was taken hostage for his medical skill, along with two friends to use against him.

Jack's heart broke in the Hydra control room (which was suspiciously empty and full of guns) after he spotted Sawyer snuggling Kate on a security camera. Then, desperate to ''get the hell off this island,'' he consented to operate on Ben. But why, and how, did Alex help free Jack? It would seem Slingshot Sally has a history with Ben, who asked about her moments before surgery. Was she kidnapped from Rousseau and raised by Ben? Alex intrigues me, and I hope we see more of her.

If you're already hating the hiatus, I have a book recommendation to help tide you over. Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake is a terrific novel about scientists who try saving the human race via a secret experiment called the Paradice Project. Sound familiar? The story includes a mysterious humanlike species (who could certainly be considered Others of a sort), a pivotal love triangle, and flashbacks to explain it all.

My wish list for the Feb. 7 episode: Answers to ten old (pre-season 3) questions and five recent questions, plus one new bombshell that blows our minds. To quote Locke's eulogy for Eko, ''Let's hope it's not too long before we find out what the heck it might be.''

What did you think? Will Kate regret sleeping with Sawyer? Will Jack let Ben die? Is Alex a dissenter or a collaborator putting on a performance? Is Juliet a manipulator or a victim? And who is Jacob?