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Monday, February 18, 2008
Don't vote for Obama?, Listen to the film critics?, Cancel the Simpsons?
Thanks to Bryan for pointing this out: Do We Really Want Another Black President ... ?"
Makes you think. I don't think I'm going to change my vote, but this could change my mind. Hmph.
****
Speaking of movies, Nicole and I splurged a bit in the hope of expanding our (non-existent) social circle, and we're going to attend the New York Film Critics Present Coming Attractions series at the Downtown (er, "Downtown" - if you've ever seen it, you know what I mean. And at that, it would be generous to assume that quotation marks would make a difference) movie theaters. It's an 8-week festival of sorts, hosted every Wednesday night by various film critics with special guest appearances by actors, directors, writers, and others who may have some insight into the films.
When we signed up for the Spring series, we were invited to check out the last week of the Winter series in Paramus (but we couldn't make it). The guy who runs it told me that the final film was "Wedding Life", and that the director and "one of the stars of the film" was going to be there. I looked it up on IMDB, and based on the listing for the movie there, I assume that Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan (rent "The Matador" - it's good), or Rachel McAdams was in attendance for a post-movie Q&A.
The films presented are shown prior to their official releases, so if I see anything amazing, I'll give spoiler-free reviews. If a movie sucks, I'll probably post something too. Why pay for it myself and then allow those whom I consider my friends to do it themselves also? This is a favor to you, loyal readers! I'm taking one for the team!
Actually, I'm just hoping we meet some interesting people our age and actually make some friends around here.
But, as far as the movies go, the official schedule hasn't been released yet. Are we going to see "The Dark Knight" early? Highly unlikely. The movies shown tend to be artsy/prestige pictures, or at the very least films that aren't likely to be blockbusters. They did show "Run Fatboy Run" starring Simon Pegg in the Winter series, though, which I'd love to have seen, and the next Coen Brothers movie ("Burn After Reading") is "under consideration" for the Morristown series, which would be sweet - even though I've been a complete and utter disappointment to myself, having not yet seen "No Country For Old Men." I should be ashamed of myself.
[From the website: BURN AFTER READING - CIA agent Osborne Cox decides to pen his memoirs and is fired from the agency. The disc containing the memoirs inadvertently gets left in a ladies locker room at a gym, where Linda and co-worker Chad, hatch a plan to sell its contents to the highest bidder.Distributors: Focus Features. Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Lenny Venito. Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robert Graf]
****
So what exactly constitutes a "big night out" in Morristown? Perhaps a very special evening with ANNE MURRAY?
Ahh, Canadian soft rock. She was at the performing arts center "downtown" last night; fortunately, Nicole and I had plans to go out with her parents for dinner, surely the only thing that saved me from the heartbreak of not going to the show. Darn the luck. Woe is me.
****
Also, someone please remind me to stop watching "The Simpsons". It's been a horrible show for about five years now, and every week we tune in thinking that through some miracle of miracles it'll improve, but it never does, and it never will. They've already done every story those characters are capable of telling, usually more than once. Oh boy, Krusty might be fired from his show and Lisa and Bart have to save him! Moe can't find a woman! Flanders is on the verge of snapping, but no!
Add to that repeated drug references each of the last couple of weeks, and it's a real turn off. Not to sound like an old fart bemoaning network TV, but the Simpsons always had a sort of purity to it in its early seasons, and it's definitely missing now.
I never thought I'd say it, but it should probably be canceled.
****
I've been uploading a bunch of new stuff to the Sheila Divine Archive's video section. The version for video iPod should be uploaded soon, but in the meantime, here's a complete concert from an instore appearance at the Alewife Newbury Comics on 9/16/01, which, as you can tell by the date, was a bit of a somber time for everyone (5 days after 9/11 - wake up, people). That said, the guys were kind enough to go on with the show, which I really appreciated.
At that point, even though it had only been five days since the Towers fell, I think a lot of us needed a break, some kind of sunbeam to make us feel a little better even if only for a few minutes. As always, TSD delivered:
Makes you think. I don't think I'm going to change my vote, but this could change my mind. Hmph.
****
Speaking of movies, Nicole and I splurged a bit in the hope of expanding our (non-existent) social circle, and we're going to attend the New York Film Critics Present Coming Attractions series at the Downtown (er, "Downtown" - if you've ever seen it, you know what I mean. And at that, it would be generous to assume that quotation marks would make a difference) movie theaters. It's an 8-week festival of sorts, hosted every Wednesday night by various film critics with special guest appearances by actors, directors, writers, and others who may have some insight into the films.
When we signed up for the Spring series, we were invited to check out the last week of the Winter series in Paramus (but we couldn't make it). The guy who runs it told me that the final film was "Wedding Life", and that the director and "one of the stars of the film" was going to be there. I looked it up on IMDB, and based on the listing for the movie there, I assume that Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan (rent "The Matador" - it's good), or Rachel McAdams was in attendance for a post-movie Q&A.
The films presented are shown prior to their official releases, so if I see anything amazing, I'll give spoiler-free reviews. If a movie sucks, I'll probably post something too. Why pay for it myself and then allow those whom I consider my friends to do it themselves also? This is a favor to you, loyal readers! I'm taking one for the team!
Actually, I'm just hoping we meet some interesting people our age and actually make some friends around here.
But, as far as the movies go, the official schedule hasn't been released yet. Are we going to see "The Dark Knight" early? Highly unlikely. The movies shown tend to be artsy/prestige pictures, or at the very least films that aren't likely to be blockbusters. They did show "Run Fatboy Run" starring Simon Pegg in the Winter series, though, which I'd love to have seen, and the next Coen Brothers movie ("Burn After Reading") is "under consideration" for the Morristown series, which would be sweet - even though I've been a complete and utter disappointment to myself, having not yet seen "No Country For Old Men." I should be ashamed of myself.
[From the website: BURN AFTER READING - CIA agent Osborne Cox decides to pen his memoirs and is fired from the agency. The disc containing the memoirs inadvertently gets left in a ladies locker room at a gym, where Linda and co-worker Chad, hatch a plan to sell its contents to the highest bidder.Distributors: Focus Features. Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Lenny Venito. Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robert Graf]
****
So what exactly constitutes a "big night out" in Morristown? Perhaps a very special evening with ANNE MURRAY?
Ahh, Canadian soft rock. She was at the performing arts center "downtown" last night; fortunately, Nicole and I had plans to go out with her parents for dinner, surely the only thing that saved me from the heartbreak of not going to the show. Darn the luck. Woe is me.
****
Also, someone please remind me to stop watching "The Simpsons". It's been a horrible show for about five years now, and every week we tune in thinking that through some miracle of miracles it'll improve, but it never does, and it never will. They've already done every story those characters are capable of telling, usually more than once. Oh boy, Krusty might be fired from his show and Lisa and Bart have to save him! Moe can't find a woman! Flanders is on the verge of snapping, but no!
Add to that repeated drug references each of the last couple of weeks, and it's a real turn off. Not to sound like an old fart bemoaning network TV, but the Simpsons always had a sort of purity to it in its early seasons, and it's definitely missing now.
I never thought I'd say it, but it should probably be canceled.
****
I've been uploading a bunch of new stuff to the Sheila Divine Archive's video section. The version for video iPod should be uploaded soon, but in the meantime, here's a complete concert from an instore appearance at the Alewife Newbury Comics on 9/16/01, which, as you can tell by the date, was a bit of a somber time for everyone (5 days after 9/11 - wake up, people). That said, the guys were kind enough to go on with the show, which I really appreciated.
At that point, even though it had only been five days since the Towers fell, I think a lot of us needed a break, some kind of sunbeam to make us feel a little better even if only for a few minutes. As always, TSD delivered:
Friday, February 15, 2008
Nerd heaven
The first night we spent as residents of New Jersey, we accidentally stumbled upon the Chiller Theater Toy, Model, and Film Expo, documented earlier in this blog.
The May convention is approaching, and the first bunch of guests has been announced. Needless to say, I'm going to have to open up the wallet a bit, I think.
Among the attendees will be:
Mickey Dolenz (of the Monkees)
Daniel Baldwin (of Homicide: Life on the Street)
Armin Shimerman (of Deep Space 9 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk)
Richard Kiel ("Jaws" from the James Bond movies. I met him once in Vegas - such a kind and wonderful man!)
Alan Ruck (Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off")
Nora Greenwald (aka WWF Superstar Molly Holly)
Christy Hemme and Gail Kim (TNA Knockouts)
and one guy I've always wanted to meet but hadn't had the opportunity:
MICK FOLEY!
The crazy thing is, there are more names to be announced. Needless to say, this is very exciting for goofballs like me.
BANG BANG!
The May convention is approaching, and the first bunch of guests has been announced. Needless to say, I'm going to have to open up the wallet a bit, I think.
Among the attendees will be:
Mickey Dolenz (of the Monkees)
Daniel Baldwin (of Homicide: Life on the Street)
Armin Shimerman (of Deep Space 9 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk)
Richard Kiel ("Jaws" from the James Bond movies. I met him once in Vegas - such a kind and wonderful man!)
Alan Ruck (Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off")
Nora Greenwald (aka WWF Superstar Molly Holly)
Christy Hemme and Gail Kim (TNA Knockouts)
and one guy I've always wanted to meet but hadn't had the opportunity:
MICK FOLEY!
The crazy thing is, there are more names to be announced. Needless to say, this is very exciting for goofballs like me.
BANG BANG!
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Joey update #1
Joey is rapidly warming up to life at Chez Schumeau. Nicole and I are very confused as to the state of Joey's hearing, as he can definitely hear various sounds - we think.
Here's the thing: the first few days he was with us, he wouldn't respond to anything at all, soundwise. Even if we gently spoke directly into his ears, there'd be no response. Then, we were watching "Eastern Promises" (very, very good, by the way) and a dog barked in the background of the movie, and his head perked up right away. We thought this was odd, so we rewound and played it again - same response. But there was another moment during which our temperamental smoke detector went off, and Joey couldn't be bothered. Go figure.
He's also eating solid foods, which is a relief. For the first two days, he had a pig's ear, a handful of chicken soft-chews, and a piece of jerky. Now, he's eating a very healthy mix of wet and dry foods more than once per day, and there's a spring in his step that was absent when we first brought him home. Clearly, he's getting over his nerves.
We also bought him a new crate, which he loves. We weren't going to get him one at first, thinking we'd rather let him roam around the apartment (well, the kitchen and the living room, at least) depending on his whims. When Nicole and I would turn in for the night, though, he'd come to our closed bedroom door and whimper.
The intention of the crate, frankly, was more for us and less for him - we wanted to make sure we could get solid sleep. So when we took the crate out of its box, Joey couldn't climb inside it fast enough. Before we had it fully assembled, he was inside, making himself at home. He loves it. It's like a teenager who finally gets his own room after years of living with his brother. So happy, so comfortable.
And the walks - oh, the walks. Getting Joey now is one of the highlights of my unemployment (which, by the way, I'm totally milking and totally enjoying). Three or four days per week, we head out around the neighborhood for 30-45 minute walks, and he trots around with his ears up and his tail wagging, excited with every step.
Today's gonna suck, though. Last night we had a couple of inches of snow followed by a period of freezing rain, followed again by a very cold downpour of regular rain. So it's gross and miserable, and when you take a step, your foot sinks through the icy crust into the wet mush that used to be snowfall - two or three inches deep. But if a dog's gotta pee ...
More pictures coming soon!
Here's the thing: the first few days he was with us, he wouldn't respond to anything at all, soundwise. Even if we gently spoke directly into his ears, there'd be no response. Then, we were watching "Eastern Promises" (very, very good, by the way) and a dog barked in the background of the movie, and his head perked up right away. We thought this was odd, so we rewound and played it again - same response. But there was another moment during which our temperamental smoke detector went off, and Joey couldn't be bothered. Go figure.
He's also eating solid foods, which is a relief. For the first two days, he had a pig's ear, a handful of chicken soft-chews, and a piece of jerky. Now, he's eating a very healthy mix of wet and dry foods more than once per day, and there's a spring in his step that was absent when we first brought him home. Clearly, he's getting over his nerves.
We also bought him a new crate, which he loves. We weren't going to get him one at first, thinking we'd rather let him roam around the apartment (well, the kitchen and the living room, at least) depending on his whims. When Nicole and I would turn in for the night, though, he'd come to our closed bedroom door and whimper.
The intention of the crate, frankly, was more for us and less for him - we wanted to make sure we could get solid sleep. So when we took the crate out of its box, Joey couldn't climb inside it fast enough. Before we had it fully assembled, he was inside, making himself at home. He loves it. It's like a teenager who finally gets his own room after years of living with his brother. So happy, so comfortable.
And the walks - oh, the walks. Getting Joey now is one of the highlights of my unemployment (which, by the way, I'm totally milking and totally enjoying). Three or four days per week, we head out around the neighborhood for 30-45 minute walks, and he trots around with his ears up and his tail wagging, excited with every step.
Today's gonna suck, though. Last night we had a couple of inches of snow followed by a period of freezing rain, followed again by a very cold downpour of regular rain. So it's gross and miserable, and when you take a step, your foot sinks through the icy crust into the wet mush that used to be snowfall - two or three inches deep. But if a dog's gotta pee ...
More pictures coming soon!
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Monday, February 11, 2008
On the Superbowl / Classic movies vs. Spongebob Squarepants
OK, so it's been over a week since the Superbowl, and I haven't commented yet on the game. My Patriots lost, but I don't feel too bad about it, despite the lack of a "perfect season."
As a Patriots fan, I've seen three Superbowl wins in eight years. My father, who had season tickets until the mid-1980s, never saw one.
This team is going to be competitive for years to come; this wasn't a fluky season that will fall into the "lucky" category (the Panthers played the Pats well in the Superbowl a couple of years ago, but where was the follow-up success? They're not even a playoff-relevant team at this point.).
The Giants played incredibly well, and the game was not decided by questionable penalty calls.
Sometimes a winning team gets lucky breaks. That's not to say that the Giants didn't do enough to earn the victory on their own, but consider the following regarding the final scoring drive alone:
1. The conversion of a long 3rd and 11.
2. The conversion of a 4th and short.
3. Asante Samuel dropping what would have been a game-ending interception.
4. Eli Manning recovering his own fumble despite having two Patriots on either side of him.
5. Eli Manning escaping what looked to be a sure sack and threw that pass resulting in ...
6. David Tyree's ridiculous catch, pinning the ball to his helmet with one hand while falling to the ground after a tackle reminiscent of a Tully Blanchard backbreaker to Magnum T.A. in 1986. (Extra points if this reference even shows up as a blip on your radar.) There's about a one percent chance of that play ending up as a successful completion; that ball would have been knocked out or hit the ground almost every time something like that happens. But this time ... this was the one that ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Go figure.
For me to complain about any of these things would be somewhat hypocritical, I think. "Oh, but if THAT didn't happen ..." Well, they did. And I recall the Tuck Rule play, and David Givens "fumbling" the ball after a reception on the sideline while knocking himself out when he hit the ground, but by virtue of the ball being touched by the lower half of his body while his unconscious upper body was out of bounds, the play was called dead. Or something like that. The point being, sometimes you throw a strike, sometimes you throw a gutter. What can you do?
So congratulations to the Giants. Those who dislike the Patriots (almost everyone outside of New England, I realize) can chant "Eighteen and One" all they want - but tell me, with the exception of Giants fans, are there really any fans of other teams out there who wouldn't want to swap their fortunes with those of the Pats and their fans? 18-1 is something to be proud of.
I mean, tell me Dolphins fans wouldn't be ecstatic to have been 18-1 with a Superbowl loss than to be 1-15.
Tell me you wouldn't rather call an 18-1 team (in one season) your own rather than being a Raiders fan, supporting a team that has one more game than the Patriots SINCE 2003 (19 wins in four seasons) than the Patriots did in 2007 alone.
Was it disappointing? Sure, a little bit. But if you ask me, it's still pretty damn good, no?
And not to poop on the Patriots or seem like I'm "jumping ship" after a loss, but as a side note, at the end of the game, Nicole turned to me and said, "Sorry your team lost." I said, "They're not my team." I pointed to my Red Sox hat and said, "THEY're my team."
You can like the Stones and you can like the Beatles, but you have to like one of them more. That's just the way it is. (And for those who wonder, I like the Beatles more than the Stones.)
If you would have asked me in 2000 before any of the recent success of both teams began in earnest which I would have rather seen happened, I'd have told you I'd have traded 10 Superbowls for just one World Series. And I got three and two, respectively. And counting.
*****
If you don't know/like classic movies or Spongebob, you might not like this, but if you DO, be sure to check this out. It's clips of "Casablanca", "Singing in the Rain" and "The Godfather", as re-dubbed by the cast of Spongebob in their characters' voices.
As a Patriots fan, I've seen three Superbowl wins in eight years. My father, who had season tickets until the mid-1980s, never saw one.
This team is going to be competitive for years to come; this wasn't a fluky season that will fall into the "lucky" category (the Panthers played the Pats well in the Superbowl a couple of years ago, but where was the follow-up success? They're not even a playoff-relevant team at this point.).
The Giants played incredibly well, and the game was not decided by questionable penalty calls.
Sometimes a winning team gets lucky breaks. That's not to say that the Giants didn't do enough to earn the victory on their own, but consider the following regarding the final scoring drive alone:
1. The conversion of a long 3rd and 11.
2. The conversion of a 4th and short.
3. Asante Samuel dropping what would have been a game-ending interception.
4. Eli Manning recovering his own fumble despite having two Patriots on either side of him.
5. Eli Manning escaping what looked to be a sure sack and threw that pass resulting in ...
6. David Tyree's ridiculous catch, pinning the ball to his helmet with one hand while falling to the ground after a tackle reminiscent of a Tully Blanchard backbreaker to Magnum T.A. in 1986. (Extra points if this reference even shows up as a blip on your radar.) There's about a one percent chance of that play ending up as a successful completion; that ball would have been knocked out or hit the ground almost every time something like that happens. But this time ... this was the one that ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Go figure.
For me to complain about any of these things would be somewhat hypocritical, I think. "Oh, but if THAT didn't happen ..." Well, they did. And I recall the Tuck Rule play, and David Givens "fumbling" the ball after a reception on the sideline while knocking himself out when he hit the ground, but by virtue of the ball being touched by the lower half of his body while his unconscious upper body was out of bounds, the play was called dead. Or something like that. The point being, sometimes you throw a strike, sometimes you throw a gutter. What can you do?
So congratulations to the Giants. Those who dislike the Patriots (almost everyone outside of New England, I realize) can chant "Eighteen and One" all they want - but tell me, with the exception of Giants fans, are there really any fans of other teams out there who wouldn't want to swap their fortunes with those of the Pats and their fans? 18-1 is something to be proud of.
I mean, tell me Dolphins fans wouldn't be ecstatic to have been 18-1 with a Superbowl loss than to be 1-15.
Tell me you wouldn't rather call an 18-1 team (in one season) your own rather than being a Raiders fan, supporting a team that has one more game than the Patriots SINCE 2003 (19 wins in four seasons) than the Patriots did in 2007 alone.
Was it disappointing? Sure, a little bit. But if you ask me, it's still pretty damn good, no?
And not to poop on the Patriots or seem like I'm "jumping ship" after a loss, but as a side note, at the end of the game, Nicole turned to me and said, "Sorry your team lost." I said, "They're not my team." I pointed to my Red Sox hat and said, "THEY're my team."
You can like the Stones and you can like the Beatles, but you have to like one of them more. That's just the way it is. (And for those who wonder, I like the Beatles more than the Stones.)
If you would have asked me in 2000 before any of the recent success of both teams began in earnest which I would have rather seen happened, I'd have told you I'd have traded 10 Superbowls for just one World Series. And I got three and two, respectively. And counting.
*****
If you don't know/like classic movies or Spongebob, you might not like this, but if you DO, be sure to check this out. It's clips of "Casablanca", "Singing in the Rain" and "The Godfather", as re-dubbed by the cast of Spongebob in their characters' voices.
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Saturday, February 09, 2008
Our new dog, Joey
This is Joey.
Nicole and I adopted Joey today from Eleventh Hour Rescue, a volunteer-based organization that relies on foster care for pets and does not (yet) have its own shelter. They are truly generous in trying to save as many dogs as possible from high-kill shelters.
Joey is a Siberian Husky mix and is estimated to be about 6 years old and a little underweight. We believe that he's completely deaf, as he had a terrible ear infection over a year ago and does not respond to any voice commands (and not in an exuberant puppy kind of way). He's very shy. doesn't bark much (if at all), and is INCREDIBLY gentle and loving. If you start rubbing his head and ears, he can't get enough love.
When we met him a week ago, we were told that he was from Georgia and might have come from an abusive home. We were told that he shies away when people put their hands up, perhaps in fear of being hit. He's weighs less than he should, it was theorized, because he may have had to compete for food with other dogs. He hasn't touched his regular dry dog food yet, but he's eaten a handful of treats, a pig's ear and an entire steak/beef chew thingie that we thought would last a few days.
I don't know how true any of this is, of course, but here's one guarantee: Joey is a great dog, one of many, many unfortunate animals who need homes and need them soon. If you're looking for a pet, please consider contacting 11th Hour Rescue or checking out Petfinder.com - you won't be disappointed in the selection of amazing pets they have available for adoption.
I plan to post more photos and videos as we spend more time with our new friend. :)
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