Doo dit dee doop dee dooooooooo!!!
REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC ... the lost footage! Holy cow man ... what a riot. It makes each and every one of them, look worse and I can't believe that was possible.
Countess: How clueless is this twit? She mentions how Noel is happy when the entire family is together. She says this lovingly too, but yet the stupidhead would rather spend time with her hippie wannabe bimbo niece than spend it at home during taco night. Ugh!!! And that daughter of hers is a total princess. Her Father's family presented the statue of liberty to NYC and does she care???? I'd get the back of my german mother's hand if I disrespected the family like that. She actually said that she didn't care about the whole statue of liberty thing. But then again, I was also a bit dismayed that Noel thought the statue of a guy. Hello ... lady liberty??? I guess I'm even more dismayed that this was the first time the family has visited the statue since France presented it to the US ... hmmm. What a bunch of loser euro trash.
AlexSimon and their demon seed, Francois. I don't know what else to say except that little Frank is going to get the ever loving crap beat out of him in school. The parents are going to hate them and him. He's going to public school??? Those city kids are going to take scissors to those goldilocks of his ... man, it's gonna be ugly. And of course , Simon claims that he's not gay ... please. No gay man in his right mind would have that jaw clenching freak. It's great that they found each other ... take 'em off the market!
Bethandthecity. She's just foul and bitter. She needs to marry one of the racetrack guidos and start cranking out little foul and bitter guidos and guidettes. She looks like she is storing nuts in those jowls too. Never noticed that before.
Jill .. yenta yenta yenta. Materialistic yenta. Bawbee is a saint for putting up with her.
Duhmona ... she's just a superfreak. But freaky in a different way than AlexSimon freaky. She's a pathological liar and a bad person. Why anyone would be friends with her is confusing.
Movies movies movies:
Recount on HBO. What a movie! I tried watching John Adams and just couldn't wrap my head around it, but Recount! It's about the 2K election, which, normally, I'd just say "stop already", but the cast drew me in. Kevin Spacey, one of my favorites, was the star. The show stopper was Laura Dern as Kathleen Harris. Give her the emmy now. Tom Wilkinson as Jim Baker was also emmy worthy ... heck, just give everyone an emmy. This movie is terrific! Watching it tied my stomach up in knots kind of like it did back when it was really happening. God I hate Florida. Restoring dignity and honor to the white house .... bullshit.
Black Snake Moan. Yea, I'm not kidding. The double entendre of blues songs is funny. Samuel L. Jackson is right up there with Spacey. When they worked together in The Negotiator, it was magic. Black Snake Moan is about a blues man (Jackson) and a so called nymphomanic played by Christina Ricci. The only reason to watch this mysogynistic vile crap is for Jackson. He plays his own guitar and sings. He's awesome. But Christina Ricci was awful and yucko, Justin Timberlake .... double yucko. Why does he get acting parts??? Why why why??? In a nutshell. Jackson finds Ricci on his road and takes her in to make her better. She keeps trying to run away, so he freaking ... CHAINS her to his radiator. Need I say more? It's all good in the end, but the whole premise is awful and I can't believe a studio gave them money to make it. As far as mysogynistic films ... well, Neil LaBute makes decent ones .. in the Company of Men is hard to watch, but it's not as preposterous as Black Snake Moan. Your Friends and Neigbors wasn't too awful. Nurse Betty was sadly mysogynistic, but a good film (thank you Morgan Freeman). But you can harken LaBute's mysogyny to his upbringing. It's all he knows, but Black Snake Moan has no excuse. If anyone watches it, watch it for Sam Jackson's performance.
Another one of my favorite presidents is Harry Truman. I guess it's because he was an underdog his entire life and presidency. I can relate completely. American Experience followed up with Truman after FDR .. makes sense. He's one of those presidents whose legacy is better than when he was actually president. Sadly, Jimmy Carter won't be remembered that way... what an idiot. I'm on part 3 of 4, so more later on that.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
More on Juno
I do this ... I hear bits and pieces of music and then I go off the deep end. I did this with Carolina Chocolate Drops. Cool band out of the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Heard them on NPR one day and immediately purchased their CD and haven't regretted it one bit.
I did the same thing with The Strokes and the Hives ... bought the CD's out of the blue and it worked out. Back when I was ... a youngster, I would buy at least 3-5 cd's a week, obviously that has changed considerably and now that I have an Ipod ... how did I live without that thing ... I download all the time. Anyway ..
The more Juno marinates with me, the more I actually think I like the music better than the movie. There are certain movies where the soundtrack is sometimes better than the movie, To Live and Die in L.A. ... great movie, even better soundtrack and I hope that Wang Chung still gets big checks from doing that soundtrack. Of course the Tarantino films ... Dogs, Pulp ... excellent soundtracks. But the mother of all soundtracks is O Brother Where Art Thou.
Back to Juno. I guess after Jason Reitman cast Ellen Page as Juno, he asked her about music and she suggested music by the Moldy Peaches and he went with it. Moldy Peaches are a band out of NY and their female singer is Kimya Dawson. I hate that they, or whoever labeled them as Anti-Folk, how freaking pretentious, but dang, their/her music is really great! Refreshing, different, clever and surprisingly, unpretentious, in spite of the whole Anti-Folk crap. So, I downloaded Dawson's songs off Itunes and ordered the Moldy Peaches cd from Amazon. I like the clips I heard and can't wait to listen to the whole thing.
I did the same thing with The Strokes and the Hives ... bought the CD's out of the blue and it worked out. Back when I was ... a youngster, I would buy at least 3-5 cd's a week, obviously that has changed considerably and now that I have an Ipod ... how did I live without that thing ... I download all the time. Anyway ..
The more Juno marinates with me, the more I actually think I like the music better than the movie. There are certain movies where the soundtrack is sometimes better than the movie, To Live and Die in L.A. ... great movie, even better soundtrack and I hope that Wang Chung still gets big checks from doing that soundtrack. Of course the Tarantino films ... Dogs, Pulp ... excellent soundtracks. But the mother of all soundtracks is O Brother Where Art Thou.
Back to Juno. I guess after Jason Reitman cast Ellen Page as Juno, he asked her about music and she suggested music by the Moldy Peaches and he went with it. Moldy Peaches are a band out of NY and their female singer is Kimya Dawson. I hate that they, or whoever labeled them as Anti-Folk, how freaking pretentious, but dang, their/her music is really great! Refreshing, different, clever and surprisingly, unpretentious, in spite of the whole Anti-Folk crap. So, I downloaded Dawson's songs off Itunes and ordered the Moldy Peaches cd from Amazon. I like the clips I heard and can't wait to listen to the whole thing.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Gossip Girl & Reaper season finales were really good! Chuck Bass is one of the best written characters on mindless television. Truly, he's the only reason I watch that show. Reaper, and god bless Kevin Smith, I love it. One of my favorite movies is Dogma, and Reaper is like watching Dogma every week!!! The CW definitely has 2 shows that I look forward to in the fall. And the best part, THEY ARE BRINGING BACK 90210 ... can't wait to see how bad it's going to be.
Been watching this terrific documentary on FDR on American Experience (the second most important show on television). What a great American. Eleanor too. It's this kind of leadership they they both possessed that is missing in this country. Sure, he had missteps, and unfortunately, Ex Parte Quirin wasn't even mentioned, grrrrrrr. And they kind of glossed over the fact that Pearl Harbor wasn't a suprise attack .. duh. But still, in spite of the fact that the brother couldn't walk and his primary enemy wasn't Congress, but the Supreme Court, FDR and Eleanor's legacy is that of a strong leader who was passionate about every single person in this country, not just the rich. We needed to get into WWII to get out of the depression, Lend/Lease was a brilliant move. I mean for heaven's sake, he charmed Josef Stalin ... who the hell can say they were able to do that??? Yea, it made Churchill mad, but FDR did what he had to do. His cousin is still my favorite president though, but FDR may be my second or third choice.
Movies ... ok, so am I the only person who can't stand Tea Leoni? Seriously, why does she get work? She's married to that complete dork, David Duchovny. Neither one of them can act their way out of a paper bag. Yea yea yea, she's smart, little miss Sarah Lawrence, or is it Vassar grad ... BFD. She's a poor man's Cate Blanchett. She has a weird face. Ok, the movie was You Kill Me. Ben Kingsley was great, as usual. He was probably kicking himself in the behind after seeing it ... why did he do it??? But She ... ugh ... is she the best that was available? I watched it in spite of her. I watched her in Spanglish and, sad to say, Adam Sandler outacted her. Kingsley is an alcoholic hit man who goes to dry out in San Francisco and meets Ms. stupidhead ... zero chemistry, blech. She probably bullied her way into the part because she was a producer ... heck, that's probably the only way she can get parts. Sad to say, this film could have been so much better without her. Maybe Cate wasn't available.
Knocked Up. Judd Apatow writes incredibly funny movies. The 40 Year Old Virgin was the first comedy that I laughed out loud during in many years. Apatow writes loveable loser movies, like 40 Year Old Virgin .. you know .. nice guy who is a total dork who you end up rooting for, remember back in the day when it was all about the "hooker with a heart of gold" Well, now it's all about loveable loser men hooking up with women who are out of their leagues. Ok, the movie is Knocked Up. Loveable Loser this time is Seth Rogan and the woman is Katherine Heigel. There is absolutely no way in heck that this would ever happen in real life ... well, the knocked up part, sure ... we've all had beer goggles in our lives, but there's no way they would ever stay together. But, there were belly laughs (pun intended) like 40 Year Old Virgin, but the "aw golly" factor is a bit cheesey. I think that Apatow is really writing about himself and how he wishes his pre-marriage life really worked out.
Now, the best pregnant movie is Juno. Just watched it. Usually, I don't like movies my Dad recommends. I remind him each and every time that Crash is one of the worst films ever made, but he still insists it is great and we manage to end up yelling at each other. Yuck, I loathe Crash, but I digress. Back to Juno. I could actually see this happening, and heck, it's the best screenplay written by a stripper I've ever seen. All the performances were magnificent. I especially loved Juno's best friend. Where did she come from? I definitely liked it better than Little Miss Sunshine, which I was kind of repulsed by, but still kind of liked it. Well, I think I'm repulsed by Greg Kinnear for some reason ... he's just kind of plastic. Anyway, Juno is the best movie that I've seen in the past week. It was life affirming and everything was tied up neatly in a bow at the end. Everyone was happy. Awwwwwwwww.
And finally, watched Volver a couple weeks ago. Normally, I find Penolope Cruz about as annoying as Tea Leoni, but in this case ... yow, this woman needs to work in Spain exclusively. Hated her in Blow, hated her in Vanilla Sky ... didn't even waste my time with Sahara. But Spanish language films ... perfecto! Plus, now she's dating Javier Bardem, which is a match made in cinematic heaven. But she is hot hot hot in this film. She just looks comfortable. She's a great great actress. The film is typically European. Unlike American films, like Juno, that are all wrapped up in a bow at the end, no loose ends, Volver isn't neat in the end. You get one little loose end tied up, but that's it and it's not tied tight ... this is why I love European films. They aren't easy. This is the second Spanish language film that I've really enjoyed, Pan's Labyrinth being the other one. Now THAT film is one of the best ever made, period, hands down. Where would I rank it ... hmmmmm
1. The Bicycle Thief
2. Donnie Darko
3 Pan's Labyrinth
4. Life is Beautiful
sad ... one American film
Been watching this terrific documentary on FDR on American Experience (the second most important show on television). What a great American. Eleanor too. It's this kind of leadership they they both possessed that is missing in this country. Sure, he had missteps, and unfortunately, Ex Parte Quirin wasn't even mentioned, grrrrrrr. And they kind of glossed over the fact that Pearl Harbor wasn't a suprise attack .. duh. But still, in spite of the fact that the brother couldn't walk and his primary enemy wasn't Congress, but the Supreme Court, FDR and Eleanor's legacy is that of a strong leader who was passionate about every single person in this country, not just the rich. We needed to get into WWII to get out of the depression, Lend/Lease was a brilliant move. I mean for heaven's sake, he charmed Josef Stalin ... who the hell can say they were able to do that??? Yea, it made Churchill mad, but FDR did what he had to do. His cousin is still my favorite president though, but FDR may be my second or third choice.
Movies ... ok, so am I the only person who can't stand Tea Leoni? Seriously, why does she get work? She's married to that complete dork, David Duchovny. Neither one of them can act their way out of a paper bag. Yea yea yea, she's smart, little miss Sarah Lawrence, or is it Vassar grad ... BFD. She's a poor man's Cate Blanchett. She has a weird face. Ok, the movie was You Kill Me. Ben Kingsley was great, as usual. He was probably kicking himself in the behind after seeing it ... why did he do it??? But She ... ugh ... is she the best that was available? I watched it in spite of her. I watched her in Spanglish and, sad to say, Adam Sandler outacted her. Kingsley is an alcoholic hit man who goes to dry out in San Francisco and meets Ms. stupidhead ... zero chemistry, blech. She probably bullied her way into the part because she was a producer ... heck, that's probably the only way she can get parts. Sad to say, this film could have been so much better without her. Maybe Cate wasn't available.
Knocked Up. Judd Apatow writes incredibly funny movies. The 40 Year Old Virgin was the first comedy that I laughed out loud during in many years. Apatow writes loveable loser movies, like 40 Year Old Virgin .. you know .. nice guy who is a total dork who you end up rooting for, remember back in the day when it was all about the "hooker with a heart of gold" Well, now it's all about loveable loser men hooking up with women who are out of their leagues. Ok, the movie is Knocked Up. Loveable Loser this time is Seth Rogan and the woman is Katherine Heigel. There is absolutely no way in heck that this would ever happen in real life ... well, the knocked up part, sure ... we've all had beer goggles in our lives, but there's no way they would ever stay together. But, there were belly laughs (pun intended) like 40 Year Old Virgin, but the "aw golly" factor is a bit cheesey. I think that Apatow is really writing about himself and how he wishes his pre-marriage life really worked out.
Now, the best pregnant movie is Juno. Just watched it. Usually, I don't like movies my Dad recommends. I remind him each and every time that Crash is one of the worst films ever made, but he still insists it is great and we manage to end up yelling at each other. Yuck, I loathe Crash, but I digress. Back to Juno. I could actually see this happening, and heck, it's the best screenplay written by a stripper I've ever seen. All the performances were magnificent. I especially loved Juno's best friend. Where did she come from? I definitely liked it better than Little Miss Sunshine, which I was kind of repulsed by, but still kind of liked it. Well, I think I'm repulsed by Greg Kinnear for some reason ... he's just kind of plastic. Anyway, Juno is the best movie that I've seen in the past week. It was life affirming and everything was tied up neatly in a bow at the end. Everyone was happy. Awwwwwwwww.
And finally, watched Volver a couple weeks ago. Normally, I find Penolope Cruz about as annoying as Tea Leoni, but in this case ... yow, this woman needs to work in Spain exclusively. Hated her in Blow, hated her in Vanilla Sky ... didn't even waste my time with Sahara. But Spanish language films ... perfecto! Plus, now she's dating Javier Bardem, which is a match made in cinematic heaven. But she is hot hot hot in this film. She just looks comfortable. She's a great great actress. The film is typically European. Unlike American films, like Juno, that are all wrapped up in a bow at the end, no loose ends, Volver isn't neat in the end. You get one little loose end tied up, but that's it and it's not tied tight ... this is why I love European films. They aren't easy. This is the second Spanish language film that I've really enjoyed, Pan's Labyrinth being the other one. Now THAT film is one of the best ever made, period, hands down. Where would I rank it ... hmmmmm
1. The Bicycle Thief
2. Donnie Darko
3 Pan's Labyrinth
4. Life is Beautiful
sad ... one American film
Sunday, May 11, 2008
movin' on
Moved on from shingles to a broken arm, not mine, my daughters. Will the drama gods give me a freaking break??
Saw a wonderful interview with Ringo Starr ... Ringo Starr Uncut ... I think that's what it was called. Dave ... whatever his name is, from Eurythmics ... Stewart! Dave Stewart, interviewed him and I have to say, he's the worst interviewer I've ever heard. He mumbles. I had to have the volume up up up and I had to rewind to hear his questions, not Ringo's answers. I love the Beatles, no surprise there. My kids love the Beatles, they love Beatles movies, they love all my Beatles tunes on my Ipod. But one of the few Beatles songs I despise is Octopuses Garden, until now. Dave asked him about that song and it has a great story behind it. Ringo is such a sweetheart. You can't NOT like the guy. He was obviously the peacemaker in the group ... there had to be someone who could deal with the Paul & John ego juggernaught and George was too young to deal with it and then Krishna took over. Anyway ... apparently, during the White Album sessions, Ringo quit the group. Couldn't take it anymore and ran off to Sardinia to chill out. He heard a story about how Octopus make little gardens for themselves to live in under the sea and thus bore the song. Ringo was going through a rough patch with his friends and upon hearing the story about Octopi, wrote a song because it helped him calm down ... so now whenever I hear the song, it's a cool song! Good show Ringo.
One of my favorite horror films of all time is 28 Days Later. Danny Boyle films are awesome and this film just captured every horror imagineable. I could imagine this event actually happening. Well, this sequel (28 Weeks Later) was the absolute pits. Robert Carlyle, my favorite unintelligible actor, loved him in Trainspotting, and that damn brogue of his isn't much better in 28 Weeks Later. The concept is interesting. Plague over, maybe. US has taken over London and is starting to repopulate, when a carrier of the rage virus makes it into the new population ... ok, cool .. they just couldn't work with that. It was the most gratutiously sickeningly stupid film I've ever seen. It's like they gave a bunch of stupid 12 year old boys a bunch of red dyed Karo syrup and gummi worms and told them to fling it wherever. The director/producer (I'm talking to you Danny Boyle), should be ashamed. Boo to you. :(
And finally got through Age of Innocence. I adore Marty Scorcese. Marty films are fantastic. Mean Streets? Raging Bull (YA SHOULDA WON THAT OSCAR MARTY!) ... Goodfellas, of course and Departed (it was a makeup Oscar Marty, but at least you have one now). Age of Innocence. Maybe I was too young to appreciate it's beauty and subtle dialogue before. I LOVE THIS FILM! It's like a freaking piece of art. Each and every scene could be cut out and put in the Louvre. It's not just the acting. This movie is about cinematography. It's the most beautiful film I've ever seen. Stunning. Who knew smoke could be blue? The scene of all the men simultaneously holding their bowlers in the wind was amazing. Marty! You're an artist!!! And I'm older and wiser for it.
Saw a wonderful interview with Ringo Starr ... Ringo Starr Uncut ... I think that's what it was called. Dave ... whatever his name is, from Eurythmics ... Stewart! Dave Stewart, interviewed him and I have to say, he's the worst interviewer I've ever heard. He mumbles. I had to have the volume up up up and I had to rewind to hear his questions, not Ringo's answers. I love the Beatles, no surprise there. My kids love the Beatles, they love Beatles movies, they love all my Beatles tunes on my Ipod. But one of the few Beatles songs I despise is Octopuses Garden, until now. Dave asked him about that song and it has a great story behind it. Ringo is such a sweetheart. You can't NOT like the guy. He was obviously the peacemaker in the group ... there had to be someone who could deal with the Paul & John ego juggernaught and George was too young to deal with it and then Krishna took over. Anyway ... apparently, during the White Album sessions, Ringo quit the group. Couldn't take it anymore and ran off to Sardinia to chill out. He heard a story about how Octopus make little gardens for themselves to live in under the sea and thus bore the song. Ringo was going through a rough patch with his friends and upon hearing the story about Octopi, wrote a song because it helped him calm down ... so now whenever I hear the song, it's a cool song! Good show Ringo.
One of my favorite horror films of all time is 28 Days Later. Danny Boyle films are awesome and this film just captured every horror imagineable. I could imagine this event actually happening. Well, this sequel (28 Weeks Later) was the absolute pits. Robert Carlyle, my favorite unintelligible actor, loved him in Trainspotting, and that damn brogue of his isn't much better in 28 Weeks Later. The concept is interesting. Plague over, maybe. US has taken over London and is starting to repopulate, when a carrier of the rage virus makes it into the new population ... ok, cool .. they just couldn't work with that. It was the most gratutiously sickeningly stupid film I've ever seen. It's like they gave a bunch of stupid 12 year old boys a bunch of red dyed Karo syrup and gummi worms and told them to fling it wherever. The director/producer (I'm talking to you Danny Boyle), should be ashamed. Boo to you. :(
And finally got through Age of Innocence. I adore Marty Scorcese. Marty films are fantastic. Mean Streets? Raging Bull (YA SHOULDA WON THAT OSCAR MARTY!) ... Goodfellas, of course and Departed (it was a makeup Oscar Marty, but at least you have one now). Age of Innocence. Maybe I was too young to appreciate it's beauty and subtle dialogue before. I LOVE THIS FILM! It's like a freaking piece of art. Each and every scene could be cut out and put in the Louvre. It's not just the acting. This movie is about cinematography. It's the most beautiful film I've ever seen. Stunning. Who knew smoke could be blue? The scene of all the men simultaneously holding their bowlers in the wind was amazing. Marty! You're an artist!!! And I'm older and wiser for it.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Been awhile
A blog is only as good as long as it's updated.
I gotta keep telling myself that.
I have shingles ... it sucks, been dealing with that, along with indulging my addiction to landscaping my yard and tending all my new plants. Mythbuster proved that talking to your plants helps them grow. Well, I not only chat to them, I also name them and Miracle Grow the heck out of them too! I actually named 3 french pussy willow plants Johann, Francois and AlexSimon in honor of my most hated dimwits from Real Housewives of NYC. HA!
The Riches is over ... I wasn't feeling it this year. I think I said the same thing about Dirt. Maybe it's the sophomore slump thing. Oh well, we'll have to wait until next year to see if they can redeem themselves.
Doot dee dooo!!! THIS AMERICAN LIFE!!! You know how I said that Frontline is the most important show on television, well, This American Life is the most important show on radio ... NPR specifically. Been listening to it for years, even downloaded the podcast so I could catch up when I had time. I used to listen to it on the way to Gymboree on Wednesdays. I could listen to half on the way, then half on the way to preschool. Perfect then ... but we don't have Gymboree or preschool, sigh ...
Ok, so This American Life (TAL) is on Showtime! It's only a half an hour, which is perfect. The radio show is an hour, so I like that they are keeping the tv show to second fiddle status. This week was the season premiere. It was about escape. They showed these kids from the inner city in Philly who take care of, stable and ride horses in the middle of the city. It was really cool ... horses going through the ghetto to get to the park and really go at it ... then the second story was amazing. This guy who was born with this awful condition ... basically, he's a head who can tap a little bit to communicate. Anyway, he wished that either Johnny Depp or Edward Norton Jr. could be his voice, so Johnny Depp read his typings throughout the entire story. It made me cry. This guy has a girlfriend, but has to live with his mom because she's the only one who can take care of him. Did I mention the guy is almost 30? Well anyway, it's easy to ponder one's thoughts on many levels while watching the segment, but it was so incredibly cool that Johnny Depp did this for this guy.
And onto sports. Morgan Melloh is an amazing softball pitcher. She used to pitch for a high school in the town we used to live in and now she's an even more amazing pitcher for Fresno State. I get to watch her games sometimes. I wish that Indiana would act a little more proud of her. Well Morgan ... here's to you!
On a sad note, I lost one of my most beloved college professors last week. Dr. Bishop was one of the most profound teachers and mentors I had in college. He passed away after having a stroke during heart surgery. Yea, he was 70, still ... I never thought he would die. He was amazing ... we was a spy, a real spy, during the 1960's. I went to the Soviet Union with him and he loved it there. Any spy would right? I didn't make it to his memorial, so this little passage will serve as one. Dr. Bishop, I can't believe you're gone. You made an impact on my young life I will never forget. I never knew if you were kidding or not, I never knew if any of those fantastic stories you told me were true, but it didn't matter. I looked up to you, I respected the shit out of you and I will never forget you. You've left many behind who are still in shock that you died. You were never supposed to die. But we all do I guess at some point. Jim, I never could bring myself to call you that to your face, but Jim, thank you.
I gotta keep telling myself that.
I have shingles ... it sucks, been dealing with that, along with indulging my addiction to landscaping my yard and tending all my new plants. Mythbuster proved that talking to your plants helps them grow. Well, I not only chat to them, I also name them and Miracle Grow the heck out of them too! I actually named 3 french pussy willow plants Johann, Francois and AlexSimon in honor of my most hated dimwits from Real Housewives of NYC. HA!
The Riches is over ... I wasn't feeling it this year. I think I said the same thing about Dirt. Maybe it's the sophomore slump thing. Oh well, we'll have to wait until next year to see if they can redeem themselves.
Doot dee dooo!!! THIS AMERICAN LIFE!!! You know how I said that Frontline is the most important show on television, well, This American Life is the most important show on radio ... NPR specifically. Been listening to it for years, even downloaded the podcast so I could catch up when I had time. I used to listen to it on the way to Gymboree on Wednesdays. I could listen to half on the way, then half on the way to preschool. Perfect then ... but we don't have Gymboree or preschool, sigh ...
Ok, so This American Life (TAL) is on Showtime! It's only a half an hour, which is perfect. The radio show is an hour, so I like that they are keeping the tv show to second fiddle status. This week was the season premiere. It was about escape. They showed these kids from the inner city in Philly who take care of, stable and ride horses in the middle of the city. It was really cool ... horses going through the ghetto to get to the park and really go at it ... then the second story was amazing. This guy who was born with this awful condition ... basically, he's a head who can tap a little bit to communicate. Anyway, he wished that either Johnny Depp or Edward Norton Jr. could be his voice, so Johnny Depp read his typings throughout the entire story. It made me cry. This guy has a girlfriend, but has to live with his mom because she's the only one who can take care of him. Did I mention the guy is almost 30? Well anyway, it's easy to ponder one's thoughts on many levels while watching the segment, but it was so incredibly cool that Johnny Depp did this for this guy.
And onto sports. Morgan Melloh is an amazing softball pitcher. She used to pitch for a high school in the town we used to live in and now she's an even more amazing pitcher for Fresno State. I get to watch her games sometimes. I wish that Indiana would act a little more proud of her. Well Morgan ... here's to you!
On a sad note, I lost one of my most beloved college professors last week. Dr. Bishop was one of the most profound teachers and mentors I had in college. He passed away after having a stroke during heart surgery. Yea, he was 70, still ... I never thought he would die. He was amazing ... we was a spy, a real spy, during the 1960's. I went to the Soviet Union with him and he loved it there. Any spy would right? I didn't make it to his memorial, so this little passage will serve as one. Dr. Bishop, I can't believe you're gone. You made an impact on my young life I will never forget. I never knew if you were kidding or not, I never knew if any of those fantastic stories you told me were true, but it didn't matter. I looked up to you, I respected the shit out of you and I will never forget you. You've left many behind who are still in shock that you died. You were never supposed to die. But we all do I guess at some point. Jim, I never could bring myself to call you that to your face, but Jim, thank you.
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