This is exactly the sort of thing that make JimD embrace George Lucas and the Star Wars universe with both arms and give them a big hug and a sloppy kiss.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Olympics are coming...
We did absolutely nothing this weekend. Money is tight, and so expenditures need to stay low.
Saturday and Sunday, NBC was showing Olympic trials for "women's" gymnastics. And we also ended up watching some diving trials.
I confess, as I'm growing old and cynical, I'm increasingly skeptical of the whole Olympic enterprise. And poor Jamie, who loves the Olympics, is probably tired of hearing it, but...
The modern Olympics were sort of a friendly match of upper crust gentlemen meeting and playing some games, giving each other medals and going home. Today its been turned not just into a weird sort of opportunity for McDonalds to get their BigMac ads in between pole vaults (which is actually pretty understandable), but any notion that this is "friendly" competition seems naive at best, and propaganda at worst.
Somehow we've morphed what was amateur competition into young people loading themselves up with steroids (Ex: Marion Jones), and the weird mix of children who show promise and who are lucky enough to have stage parents who get their kids to practice 12 hours per day, almost every day in some gym so they can get their fifteen seconds. And forget the methodology employed in other countries where things are a little less democratic.
How many athletes don't we see who don't make he cut and make it to the Olympics and are still a part of the culture of doping and, (depending on how you think of it) exploitation of children, all we ever see are the folks who make the cut. Even the NBC coverage of the trials only focuses on the few who the NBC producers assume will make it. And, really, if you listen to the commentators, there's so much that's assumed about the trials, one has to wonder about how much is determined by scores and statistics, and how much is subjective in sports where winners aren't determined by things like "who threw the shot put the furthest", but by a squad of judges using some odd, indecipherable alchemy.
Perhaps its a blind spot in my make-up. I have no idea.
But I'll tune in. There are too many other sports and athletes who aren't pumping themselves (to the best of my knowledge) with HGH. There are sports that don't have a weird culture built in of judges, coaches and parents all wrapped up and making decisions that affect the outcome of the competition. And athletes I don't look at and wonder how much is weird parents, coaches, etc... trying to gather a bit of the glory, and how much is athletes trying to please those same people when that's the life they've known since they were eight or nine.
Saturday and Sunday, NBC was showing Olympic trials for "women's" gymnastics. And we also ended up watching some diving trials.
I confess, as I'm growing old and cynical, I'm increasingly skeptical of the whole Olympic enterprise. And poor Jamie, who loves the Olympics, is probably tired of hearing it, but...
The modern Olympics were sort of a friendly match of upper crust gentlemen meeting and playing some games, giving each other medals and going home. Today its been turned not just into a weird sort of opportunity for McDonalds to get their BigMac ads in between pole vaults (which is actually pretty understandable), but any notion that this is "friendly" competition seems naive at best, and propaganda at worst.
Somehow we've morphed what was amateur competition into young people loading themselves up with steroids (Ex: Marion Jones), and the weird mix of children who show promise and who are lucky enough to have stage parents who get their kids to practice 12 hours per day, almost every day in some gym so they can get their fifteen seconds. And forget the methodology employed in other countries where things are a little less democratic.
How many athletes don't we see who don't make he cut and make it to the Olympics and are still a part of the culture of doping and, (depending on how you think of it) exploitation of children, all we ever see are the folks who make the cut. Even the NBC coverage of the trials only focuses on the few who the NBC producers assume will make it. And, really, if you listen to the commentators, there's so much that's assumed about the trials, one has to wonder about how much is determined by scores and statistics, and how much is subjective in sports where winners aren't determined by things like "who threw the shot put the furthest", but by a squad of judges using some odd, indecipherable alchemy.
Perhaps its a blind spot in my make-up. I have no idea.
But I'll tune in. There are too many other sports and athletes who aren't pumping themselves (to the best of my knowledge) with HGH. There are sports that don't have a weird culture built in of judges, coaches and parents all wrapped up and making decisions that affect the outcome of the competition. And athletes I don't look at and wonder how much is weird parents, coaches, etc... trying to gather a bit of the glory, and how much is athletes trying to please those same people when that's the life they've known since they were eight or nine.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Why can't we all just dance...?
Its The League's firm opinion that the vast, vast majority of people, given the opportunity, would rather crack a beer with a complete stranger than shoot at them. Travel 'round the world, and we're all very different, but that doesn't mean we can't share a meal, get to know one another, or just... you know, dance badly.
And that's why The League always gives a tip of the hat to world traveler and jig-specialist "Matt".
You might recall the fellow from his YouTube video from a few years back. Apparently he'd set off for an amazing trip around the planet, and in every place he stopped, he had someone videotape him doing the same dance.
Well, Matt is back.
It seems Stride gum has sponsored Matt on another journey of epic proportions.
If seeing Matt share his dance with people all across the planet doesn't give you hope for humanity, I'm not sure what will.
And that's why The League always gives a tip of the hat to world traveler and jig-specialist "Matt".
You might recall the fellow from his YouTube video from a few years back. Apparently he'd set off for an amazing trip around the planet, and in every place he stopped, he had someone videotape him doing the same dance.
Well, Matt is back.
It seems Stride gum has sponsored Matt on another journey of epic proportions.
If seeing Matt share his dance with people all across the planet doesn't give you hope for humanity, I'm not sure what will.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Screenwriter to watch?
Hey, awesome...! Looks like League-pal Shauna C. has been listed in Variety as a "Screenwriter to Watch". Let us hope they mean track her career, and not that they feel Shauna is making weird, spastic movements or something that we should all be on the watch for.
Here's the IMDB page for Whip It!
Its worth noting that joining Shauna on this list is J. Michael Straczynski. JMS is a popular comic writer, who did (IMHO) a good run on Spider-Man in recent years. He's also the mastermind behind Babylon 5, a sci-fi show that I was addicted to for a few years in college. I always thought JMS should do a run on Superman, but it hasn't happened yet.
Anyway, Shauna is keeping good company in the pages of Variety. Its really weird to see someone you know being talked up by Drew Barrymore.
Randy, you need to get on that. Where's your quote from Drew?
Here's the IMDB page for Whip It!
Its worth noting that joining Shauna on this list is J. Michael Straczynski. JMS is a popular comic writer, who did (IMHO) a good run on Spider-Man in recent years. He's also the mastermind behind Babylon 5, a sci-fi show that I was addicted to for a few years in college. I always thought JMS should do a run on Superman, but it hasn't happened yet.
Anyway, Shauna is keeping good company in the pages of Variety. Its really weird to see someone you know being talked up by Drew Barrymore.
Randy, you need to get on that. Where's your quote from Drew?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Stray Thought of the Day: Sperm Whales are weird looking
I think Sperm Whales look like both a prototypical whale, like is someone asked you to draw a whale... it would be a sperm whale. But, they look weird. They're big, and chubby looking and pale and have a huge forehead.
Something like yours truly, when I think of it.
sperm whales have a weird, skinny bottom jaw with very scary teeth. Also, it seems, like yours truly.
Something like yours truly, when I think of it.
sperm whales have a weird, skinny bottom jaw with very scary teeth. Also, it seems, like yours truly.
Summer Movie Time!
Summertime is movie time at League HQ. The run up to Academy Award time and most Christmas movies are not bad for movies, but geez... its sort of become obligatory to go see a bunch of nicely crafted movies that are about as much "fun" as hanging out in the euthanasia room at the pound. Important/ thought provoking = relenetlessly depressing.
I'm not AGAINST this kind of picture. I was incredibly pleased with both "There Will Be Blood" (yes, Steven, I think its a very good movie), and "No Country For Old Men" (which I prefer of the two). But I mostly have a hard time getting really revved up to go see Nicole Kidman be weepy and trudge through a melodrama of some sort. That's not to bag on Nicole Kidman, but... you know, Christmas is crazy enough. If I'm going to sneak out at night to see a movie, I'm gonna want a ninja gangster robot with a heart of gold whose fighting Nazis from space or something.
Those movies, however, mostly show up during the summer. We get a few during Christmas. I think this year "The Spirit" is coming out during Christmas (Eisner material, directed by Frank Miller and featuring Scarlet Johansson? Twist my arm).
But summertime and Batman and Iron Man and The Hulk and Indiana Jones is what its all about here at The League of Melbotis.
We're also pretty pumped up about Hancock. Now, admittedly, I don't know much about the movie except that it stars Will Smith as a drunken, loused up version of a superhero (Superman without X-Ray Vision)? And it has Jason Bateman. And I generally sort of don't think that superheroes + comedy works. But Will Smith knows how to deliver a wacky line, and I can buy him as a lackluster crime fighter.
A secret, guilty part of me is always glad when they do movies like Hancock, Hulk, Iron Man, etc... because I sort of think that it raises the bar for the next Superman movie or Green Lantern movie. It shows whats possible, and I think Superman movies more or less should feel obligated to then raise the bar higher.
Anyhow, we've got a pretty good chunk of summer left, and there are a few more flicks coming out I'll be paying to see. Batman. Wall-E. Hellboy II. X-Files. And even Clone Wars.
Some folks might get tired of the special effects extravaganzas, but when I think back to the former staples of summer featuring 'roided out actors who were, invariably, rogue police officers in a spat with some drug kingpin, or terrorist cell... Anyway, somehow the geeks took over, and summertime is full of the movies we didn't think we'd ever see.
I mean, whether its good or not, there's a @#$%ing Watchemn movie coming.
I'm not AGAINST this kind of picture. I was incredibly pleased with both "There Will Be Blood" (yes, Steven, I think its a very good movie), and "No Country For Old Men" (which I prefer of the two). But I mostly have a hard time getting really revved up to go see Nicole Kidman be weepy and trudge through a melodrama of some sort. That's not to bag on Nicole Kidman, but... you know, Christmas is crazy enough. If I'm going to sneak out at night to see a movie, I'm gonna want a ninja gangster robot with a heart of gold whose fighting Nazis from space or something.
Those movies, however, mostly show up during the summer. We get a few during Christmas. I think this year "The Spirit" is coming out during Christmas (Eisner material, directed by Frank Miller and featuring Scarlet Johansson? Twist my arm).
But summertime and Batman and Iron Man and The Hulk and Indiana Jones is what its all about here at The League of Melbotis.
We're also pretty pumped up about Hancock. Now, admittedly, I don't know much about the movie except that it stars Will Smith as a drunken, loused up version of a superhero (Superman without X-Ray Vision)? And it has Jason Bateman. And I generally sort of don't think that superheroes + comedy works. But Will Smith knows how to deliver a wacky line, and I can buy him as a lackluster crime fighter.
A secret, guilty part of me is always glad when they do movies like Hancock, Hulk, Iron Man, etc... because I sort of think that it raises the bar for the next Superman movie or Green Lantern movie. It shows whats possible, and I think Superman movies more or less should feel obligated to then raise the bar higher.
Anyhow, we've got a pretty good chunk of summer left, and there are a few more flicks coming out I'll be paying to see. Batman. Wall-E. Hellboy II. X-Files. And even Clone Wars.
Some folks might get tired of the special effects extravaganzas, but when I think back to the former staples of summer featuring 'roided out actors who were, invariably, rogue police officers in a spat with some drug kingpin, or terrorist cell... Anyway, somehow the geeks took over, and summertime is full of the movies we didn't think we'd ever see.
I mean, whether its good or not, there's a @#$%ing Watchemn movie coming.
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