2008-06-07
Random thoughts from Vegas
I could play the Indiana Jones slot machine all day.
I may have to rethink my hatred of Roulette after being up 60 on it for the week.
Golf on my old, unexercised body is painful
As is swimming
Hotels that make their guests walk through the casino to the pool are cruel
How did music in casinos stop getting updated in the 90's?
I think I'm giving up cigars
I had a beer last night in a glass the size of my head in one of my new favorite places to drink
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2008-06-06
Top five Friday
The Top 5 reasons I won't be doing a top fiver Froday:
5 - no wifi in the hotel room
4 - blackberry posts are a bitch!
3 - just ran up a 140 dollar tab at Emeril's without eating dinner
2 - a little bit buzzed!!!
1 - VEGAS BABY VEGAS!!
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2008-06-05
Vegas Day One
Bad news - no free WiFi. That means that all posts for the weekend will have to be done by BlackBerry - bugger!
This is a unique Vegas trip for me as ever since I was a kid and started coming up here, I've always stayed in your typical hotel/casino. This is a timeshare unit South of the main part of the Strip - a lot more quiet and kickback. There's not even a casino in the place. So very different but very cool for a change of pace.
We went over to Sam's Town to meet up with some other people so I watched Game One from the friendly confines of their sports book.
Tough game to watch. It was very close at times but the Lakers seem to struggle with their execution at times which made them sloppy. I didn't see final FT numbers but it seemed like a lot of whistles were going against us which took us out of setting a solid rhythm on both ends of the floor.
I'm guessing there were some Finals jitters in there as well. We can't forget they are still a young team and will struggle with their poise at times.
Anyways, that's all for now, kids. We're taking a breather and then heading back out somewhere. I have my first ever game of golf tomorrow morning - wish me luck. Not for the game so much but it's supposed to be 96 degrees tomorrow and our tee time is at 9:47. Ugh.
I'll check in at some point tomorrow. Stay strong!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
This is a unique Vegas trip for me as ever since I was a kid and started coming up here, I've always stayed in your typical hotel/casino. This is a timeshare unit South of the main part of the Strip - a lot more quiet and kickback. There's not even a casino in the place. So very different but very cool for a change of pace.
We went over to Sam's Town to meet up with some other people so I watched Game One from the friendly confines of their sports book.
Tough game to watch. It was very close at times but the Lakers seem to struggle with their execution at times which made them sloppy. I didn't see final FT numbers but it seemed like a lot of whistles were going against us which took us out of setting a solid rhythm on both ends of the floor.
I'm guessing there were some Finals jitters in there as well. We can't forget they are still a young team and will struggle with their poise at times.
Anyways, that's all for now, kids. We're taking a breather and then heading back out somewhere. I have my first ever game of golf tomorrow morning - wish me luck. Not for the game so much but it's supposed to be 96 degrees tomorrow and our tee time is at 9:47. Ugh.
I'll check in at some point tomorrow. Stay strong!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
The Challenge
For the past few months, I have managed to get at least one posting per day on this blog. With the exception of a few "Holy shit! I didn't blog yet" moments, that hasn't been much of a problem.
Until now.
I'll be spending the next few days in Las Vegas so the question becomes...
In a city where time doesn't exist, will I remember to post every day?
We shall see. Wish me luck, sports fans, because the next words I write on this page should be "on the road."
Oh, and by the way...
Four more! GO LAKERS!
Until now.
I'll be spending the next few days in Las Vegas so the question becomes...
In a city where time doesn't exist, will I remember to post every day?
We shall see. Wish me luck, sports fans, because the next words I write on this page should be "on the road."
Oh, and by the way...
Four more! GO LAKERS!
2008-06-04
Updated Concert Calendar
A new month - a newly updated Concert Calendar!
June
----
6/18 - Rilo Kiley @ Greek Theatre
6/23 - Death Cab For Cutie @ Nokia Theater
6/25 - Tom Petty @ Hollywood Bowl
July
----
7/11-12 - Ricky Gervais @ Kodak Theatre
7/16 - Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick @ Irvine Meadows
7/28 - Bloc Party @ Glass House
August
------
8/1 - Rod Stewart/Bryan Adams @ The Venue Formerly Known As Irvine Meadows
8/2 - Motley Crue @ Glen Helen Pavillion
8/22 - Tom Petty @ Verizon Wireless
8/23 - Poison w/Dokken, Sebastian Bach @ Universal Amp
8/25 - Stars @ Ford Ampitheatre
8/29-30 - John Williams @ Hollywood Bowl
September
---------
9/6 - Nine Inch Nails @ The Forum
9/17,18 - Vampire Weekend @ The Wiltern
9/20 - Beck w/Spoon, MGMT @ Hollywood Bowl
June
----
6/18 - Rilo Kiley @ Greek Theatre
6/23 - Death Cab For Cutie @ Nokia Theater
6/25 - Tom Petty @ Hollywood Bowl
July
----
7/11-12 - Ricky Gervais @ Kodak Theatre
7/16 - Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick @ Irvine Meadows
7/28 - Bloc Party @ Glass House
August
------
8/1 - Rod Stewart/Bryan Adams @ The Venue Formerly Known As Irvine Meadows
8/2 - Motley Crue @ Glen Helen Pavillion
8/22 - Tom Petty @ Verizon Wireless
8/23 - Poison w/Dokken, Sebastian Bach @ Universal Amp
8/25 - Stars @ Ford Ampitheatre
8/29-30 - John Williams @ Hollywood Bowl
September
---------
9/6 - Nine Inch Nails @ The Forum
9/17,18 - Vampire Weekend @ The Wiltern
9/20 - Beck w/Spoon, MGMT @ Hollywood Bowl
2008-06-03
Indeed We Can
On a long awaited night like this, it seems only fitting to revisit the content from an old post...
2008-06-02
Blue's Reviews: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
SCREENPLAY PAGE COUNT: 53
Yes, it's still at 53 but it's a solid 53 and I'm just trying to wrap my brain around the next step. It should increase in the next couple of days.
But until then...
The reason I waited so long to write a review of the new Indiana Jones movie is that it'a hard one to review without some pretty major spoilers involved so I wanted to give everyone a decent amount of time to see it. I'm going to attempt to keep major spoilers out of it but I make no promises.
With that in mind, some spoiler space to give you room to flee the scene.
If you're still with me, I'm assuming you've seen the movie or just don't give a damn about what you know about it going in.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull [or IJATKOTCS - for "short" going forward] is definitely an Indiana Jones movie in every sense of the word. What do I mean by that? If you look back at the Indiana Jones movie in retrospect, they follow a pretty standard formula.
1. Indy has minor unrelated - but sorta related - adventure to start the movie. This one actually started with something more related to the main plot than any of the others so far - something that caught me a little offguard but was surprisingly effective.
2. Indy finds out about major item he must pursue. This is the scene from Raiders when the government approaches him or in TOD when the tribe tells the story of the stones. Usually, this scene consists of Indy not really wanting to pursue the item in question but ultimately he has some kind of major personal entanglement that draws him into it - be it Abner Ravenwood, the kid dying in his arms in Temple, the news about his father in Last Crusade, or an old friend gone missing in this one.
3. Indy is skeptical about the "power" of the item he's chasing. This always happens. He mocks the Ark, he makes fun of the "magic rocks", he belittles his father chasing the Holy Grail. This is no different in Crystal Skull.
4. Indy starts to believe as he draws closer.
5. The power of the item and Indy's ultimate belief in it saves the day.
Crystal Skull follows the formula to a tee - and therefore, is definitely an Indiana Jones flick in every way.
There were definite fears that people had coming into this movie
-- Harrison Ford is too old? FALSE! Indy looked fantastic and Ford played him with the perfect mix of self-deprecating realization of his age and the swagger that Indy carries with him.
-- Shia will tank it. FALSE! Having watched this before I watched Transformers, I was actually surprised at how well the kid pulled off being in this big of a movie. He's there but never overbearingly so. He has little quirks and charms about him that make you laugh. Would I pay to see him star in his own Indy movie? I'd give him a shot at it, sure.
-- Lucas will kill it. FALSE! This fear comes from those who run around screaming that George raped their childhood - fuck those guys. With the exception of a couple scenes that looked like George having fun with his CGI toys, I didn't see anything that struck me as George going crazy.
Did the movie have its faults? Sure. There are a couple of cringe-worthy moments that I wish hadn't been put in there - but there are far, far more charming Indy moments that fit in perfectly.
Where the majority of fans will draw the line on whether they love or hate this movie is on the central plot... and here's where the big spoilers kick in...
The central plot of this story involves alien life.
Got that?
Flying saucers, hive minds, collective thought, psychic reading and projections, the full nine. The Crystal Skull in question is an actual alien skull that must be returned to a Mayan temple [or was it Aztec?] that aliens actually came down to help build.
Still with me?
Does that sound like a movie you would want to see?
Honestly, if I'm writing it, it's probably not the direction I go. But I had no issue with the subject matter. I had no problem with the central plot being about alien life on Earth. I'm a sci-fi geek - why would that possibly bother me?
But it will bother some people - I recognize that.
In fact, this is the key sticking point in the discussion [let's call it a "discussion " to be civil] with the wife over this movie. You see, she's one of the people who didn't like it and didn't like it for this exact reason. She couldn't buy into the alien aspect of it. She found it silly and not realistic.
I argued that, depending on your point of view, it's no less realistic than the word of God ripping the flesh off people in Raiders or someone living forever by chugging out of the Grail - but that's a whole other debate.
Three Things I Didn't Like:
1. The Tarzan scene - Shia swinging from the vines like a monkey [and leading a monkey army no less] was definitely cringe worthy and really should have been cut from the movie.
2. Indy/Marion - I would have liked to see a little more of them together in a non-action movie scene. There was a story that needed to be explored a little bit more there that got shoved aside. I understand that you don't want a huge love story chat in mid-action movie but...
3. The alien plot - I know, I know. I didn't love it - wouldn't have been the direction I would have gone. I thought it was fine and didn't have a problem with the realism or any of that stuff. My issue was more with it didn't live up to the quality of the central plot in the other three.
Three Things I Did:
1. Indy/Marion - while I would have liked to see more of it, there's something very magical about those two characters on screen together. Indy's one liner about all the women "not being her" was enough to make the whole movie worth seeing [for a diehard anyways.]
2. The standard crazy Indy action. Chases through the jungle. Killer ants. Atomic bombs going off. It's over-the-top crazy action but still damn fun after all these years.
3. The music. I swear, they could set 120 minutes of those monkeys throwing shit at Indy and if they set it to John Williams' music, it'd be all good in my book.
Well, this was quite the disjointed review.
But in the end, I really wanted to love this movie - and while it may not be up there in my head with the others, I think it's definitely a worthy part of the series.
If you like the other Indy movies and if you can get past the alien stuff in your head, go check it out for sure.
Yes, it's still at 53 but it's a solid 53 and I'm just trying to wrap my brain around the next step. It should increase in the next couple of days.
But until then...
The reason I waited so long to write a review of the new Indiana Jones movie is that it'a hard one to review without some pretty major spoilers involved so I wanted to give everyone a decent amount of time to see it. I'm going to attempt to keep major spoilers out of it but I make no promises.
With that in mind, some spoiler space to give you room to flee the scene.
If you're still with me, I'm assuming you've seen the movie or just don't give a damn about what you know about it going in.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull [or IJATKOTCS - for "short" going forward] is definitely an Indiana Jones movie in every sense of the word. What do I mean by that? If you look back at the Indiana Jones movie in retrospect, they follow a pretty standard formula.
1. Indy has minor unrelated - but sorta related - adventure to start the movie. This one actually started with something more related to the main plot than any of the others so far - something that caught me a little offguard but was surprisingly effective.
2. Indy finds out about major item he must pursue. This is the scene from Raiders when the government approaches him or in TOD when the tribe tells the story of the stones. Usually, this scene consists of Indy not really wanting to pursue the item in question but ultimately he has some kind of major personal entanglement that draws him into it - be it Abner Ravenwood, the kid dying in his arms in Temple, the news about his father in Last Crusade, or an old friend gone missing in this one.
3. Indy is skeptical about the "power" of the item he's chasing. This always happens. He mocks the Ark, he makes fun of the "magic rocks", he belittles his father chasing the Holy Grail. This is no different in Crystal Skull.
4. Indy starts to believe as he draws closer.
5. The power of the item and Indy's ultimate belief in it saves the day.
Crystal Skull follows the formula to a tee - and therefore, is definitely an Indiana Jones flick in every way.
There were definite fears that people had coming into this movie
-- Harrison Ford is too old? FALSE! Indy looked fantastic and Ford played him with the perfect mix of self-deprecating realization of his age and the swagger that Indy carries with him.
-- Shia will tank it. FALSE! Having watched this before I watched Transformers, I was actually surprised at how well the kid pulled off being in this big of a movie. He's there but never overbearingly so. He has little quirks and charms about him that make you laugh. Would I pay to see him star in his own Indy movie? I'd give him a shot at it, sure.
-- Lucas will kill it. FALSE! This fear comes from those who run around screaming that George raped their childhood - fuck those guys. With the exception of a couple scenes that looked like George having fun with his CGI toys, I didn't see anything that struck me as George going crazy.
Did the movie have its faults? Sure. There are a couple of cringe-worthy moments that I wish hadn't been put in there - but there are far, far more charming Indy moments that fit in perfectly.
Where the majority of fans will draw the line on whether they love or hate this movie is on the central plot... and here's where the big spoilers kick in...
The central plot of this story involves alien life.
Got that?
Flying saucers, hive minds, collective thought, psychic reading and projections, the full nine. The Crystal Skull in question is an actual alien skull that must be returned to a Mayan temple [or was it Aztec?] that aliens actually came down to help build.
Still with me?
Does that sound like a movie you would want to see?
Honestly, if I'm writing it, it's probably not the direction I go. But I had no issue with the subject matter. I had no problem with the central plot being about alien life on Earth. I'm a sci-fi geek - why would that possibly bother me?
But it will bother some people - I recognize that.
In fact, this is the key sticking point in the discussion [let's call it a "discussion " to be civil] with the wife over this movie. You see, she's one of the people who didn't like it and didn't like it for this exact reason. She couldn't buy into the alien aspect of it. She found it silly and not realistic.
I argued that, depending on your point of view, it's no less realistic than the word of God ripping the flesh off people in Raiders or someone living forever by chugging out of the Grail - but that's a whole other debate.
Three Things I Didn't Like:
1. The Tarzan scene - Shia swinging from the vines like a monkey [and leading a monkey army no less] was definitely cringe worthy and really should have been cut from the movie.
2. Indy/Marion - I would have liked to see a little more of them together in a non-action movie scene. There was a story that needed to be explored a little bit more there that got shoved aside. I understand that you don't want a huge love story chat in mid-action movie but...
3. The alien plot - I know, I know. I didn't love it - wouldn't have been the direction I would have gone. I thought it was fine and didn't have a problem with the realism or any of that stuff. My issue was more with it didn't live up to the quality of the central plot in the other three.
Three Things I Did:
1. Indy/Marion - while I would have liked to see more of it, there's something very magical about those two characters on screen together. Indy's one liner about all the women "not being her" was enough to make the whole movie worth seeing [for a diehard anyways.]
2. The standard crazy Indy action. Chases through the jungle. Killer ants. Atomic bombs going off. It's over-the-top crazy action but still damn fun after all these years.
3. The music. I swear, they could set 120 minutes of those monkeys throwing shit at Indy and if they set it to John Williams' music, it'd be all good in my book.
Well, this was quite the disjointed review.
But in the end, I really wanted to love this movie - and while it may not be up there in my head with the others, I think it's definitely a worthy part of the series.
If you like the other Indy movies and if you can get past the alien stuff in your head, go check it out for sure.
2008-06-01
Gary Shaw's Worst Nightmare
Never have I seen a major sports debut go so, so wrong as last night's EXC prime time network debut on CBS. Almost anything that could go wrong went wrong and I've gotta think they're absolutely reeling this morning in shock.
Timing on the show was absolutely horrific. We saw about twenty-five minutes go by before they went up to the cage for their first fight of the night. That's absolutely unforgivable and had to be a major turnoff for first time viewers. Imagine hearing all this hype about an exciting new television show - and getting nothing but hype and chatter for 25 minutes. They also went over their timeslot by a huge amount. I ended up setting my DVR to go 30 minutes past the scheduled end time and still didn't get the whole show. Thank god for the ability to rewind live TV back an hour or I would have missed the finish to the Main Event.
Match quality was middling at best as well with the women's match and the Lawler/Smith match being right on line with what they needed. Everything else should be considered an embarrassment to EXC and to MMA in general.
I understand the desire to set up matches that they believe will be slugfests. The current view of the MMA novice is that they want to see people stand and throw and have no stomach for the matwork. I get that. But you have to imagine that getting first round knockouts were not what they had in mind.
As I said, the women's match was entertaining - although the announcers selling how badly Gina's conditioning was turned out pretty irritating. But they showed good fighting spirit, decent execution, and it was a fun showdown. The problem with this fight?
You know that's not the image of women's MMA they wanted to present to a world where a lot of people are already squeamish at the thought of two women beating the fuck out of one another. They were hoping for a clean KO with little damage before it or a swank submission but not that.
On that note, the refs/doctors seemed extremely quick on the stoppages tonight - maybe a word in the ear from CBS? Seemed very odd to me.
So, let's see... early KOs, weird stoppages, exciting fights cut short by doctor stoppages, bad timing, very second-rate looking production values, falling waaaaaaay short of their "anticipated" sellout... what else could go wrong for Gary Shaw and EXC?
Oh yes, their meal ticket proved the MMA world completely correct [as well as myself by the way!]
Against an opponent with a well-advertised weak chin - an opponent that was very obviously selected to provide Kimbo Slice with a very public early and impressive KO - the big star of the night got taken down time and time again by someone with relatively little skill on the mat. He got pummeled once he got down there. And no amount of, "Oh, did you see that sweep counter?" or "He had a guillotine locked in!" will make up for the fact that Kimbo Slice is still a freak show fighter who just got badly exposed tonight.
I will admit the man gives a good promo. I will admit he has an image that well sell as well as a backstory to generate buzz.
But right now, he simply does not have the skill to be put in there with anyone who is not going to just stand and throw.
Sure, he ultimately beat Thompson but he didn't get the big KO they wanted. He looked like he was going to pass out after it was over. He was breathing so hard at times, I was legitimately frightened for him. Many think he tapped out... many think it should have been stopped when he was getting pummeled in the crucifix position. Thompson was winning that fight when it was stopped - no doubt.
They need to go back to the drawing board with him. If you can't find someone who won't try to floor him, don't bother until he gets his ground game somewhere approaching passable.
Timing on the show was absolutely horrific. We saw about twenty-five minutes go by before they went up to the cage for their first fight of the night. That's absolutely unforgivable and had to be a major turnoff for first time viewers. Imagine hearing all this hype about an exciting new television show - and getting nothing but hype and chatter for 25 minutes. They also went over their timeslot by a huge amount. I ended up setting my DVR to go 30 minutes past the scheduled end time and still didn't get the whole show. Thank god for the ability to rewind live TV back an hour or I would have missed the finish to the Main Event.
Match quality was middling at best as well with the women's match and the Lawler/Smith match being right on line with what they needed. Everything else should be considered an embarrassment to EXC and to MMA in general.
I understand the desire to set up matches that they believe will be slugfests. The current view of the MMA novice is that they want to see people stand and throw and have no stomach for the matwork. I get that. But you have to imagine that getting first round knockouts were not what they had in mind.
As I said, the women's match was entertaining - although the announcers selling how badly Gina's conditioning was turned out pretty irritating. But they showed good fighting spirit, decent execution, and it was a fun showdown. The problem with this fight?
You know that's not the image of women's MMA they wanted to present to a world where a lot of people are already squeamish at the thought of two women beating the fuck out of one another. They were hoping for a clean KO with little damage before it or a swank submission but not that.
On that note, the refs/doctors seemed extremely quick on the stoppages tonight - maybe a word in the ear from CBS? Seemed very odd to me.
So, let's see... early KOs, weird stoppages, exciting fights cut short by doctor stoppages, bad timing, very second-rate looking production values, falling waaaaaaay short of their "anticipated" sellout... what else could go wrong for Gary Shaw and EXC?
Oh yes, their meal ticket proved the MMA world completely correct [as well as myself by the way!]
Against an opponent with a well-advertised weak chin - an opponent that was very obviously selected to provide Kimbo Slice with a very public early and impressive KO - the big star of the night got taken down time and time again by someone with relatively little skill on the mat. He got pummeled once he got down there. And no amount of, "Oh, did you see that sweep counter?" or "He had a guillotine locked in!" will make up for the fact that Kimbo Slice is still a freak show fighter who just got badly exposed tonight.
I will admit the man gives a good promo. I will admit he has an image that well sell as well as a backstory to generate buzz.
But right now, he simply does not have the skill to be put in there with anyone who is not going to just stand and throw.
Sure, he ultimately beat Thompson but he didn't get the big KO they wanted. He looked like he was going to pass out after it was over. He was breathing so hard at times, I was legitimately frightened for him. Many think he tapped out... many think it should have been stopped when he was getting pummeled in the crucifix position. Thompson was winning that fight when it was stopped - no doubt.
They need to go back to the drawing board with him. If you can't find someone who won't try to floor him, don't bother until he gets his ground game somewhere approaching passable.
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