If Computers Have A Sense Of Humor...

...then mine is certainly laughing at me right now.

You would think that after working with computers all day long that I would want to avoid them as much as possible when I get home from work but alas, I'm a sucker and I just can't get enough.

As an Apple user, I rarely have some kind of technical issue that I can't resolve [knock on wood] but I'll be damned if I'm not baffled.

A couple months ago, I noticed that the Superdrive [DVD Burning drive] was able to read/write CDs and read DVDs but it could not/would not burn a DVD. It would spit out some error about the device not responding properly. I struggled with it for a few weeks and then decided that the problem must actually lie with the physical drive itself. After much debate, I bought an external DVD drive a couple weeks ago and just opened it up tonight when we got home from seeing Tropic Thunder. My intent was to burn a copy of wedding photos for my mom since we're creeping up on one year and I haven't done so yet - yes, yes, I'm an evil child, I know this.

Anyways, I go to burn the disc tonight - same error.

I try a second disc - same error.

I try a third, this one by a different manufacturer - same error.

A fourth by yet another maker - same error.

Now, I'm perplexed. An error message that implies a hardware problem on two different drives seems near impossible to me. But if it's a software problem, where the hell is the problem and how do I resolve it?

And to make things more interesting, if the end result is a software problem, will the evil bastards at Best Buy let me return my drive? The plot thickens.

Stay tuned!

Bridge School: Reznor

In the past couple Bridge School posts, I talked about how great Trent Reznor was back in '06. Tonight, in desperate search of something to post so I can go tosleep, I found this clip from that show:

More Bridge School Rumors

Since the original Bridge School Benefit rumors post has proven to be so popular, I thought I'd do a followup since the lineup has yet to be announced - a fact that I'm more than a little surprised about really. I thought for sure it would be announced over the past week but nothing yet. The dates have been made official on both the Bridge School site and Pollstar though so I think this isn't the year Neil decides to cancel on all of us.

So... in the Comments section of the last post, some readers have suggested as possibilities:

-- Radiohead or Thom Yorke solo. There was some mention of the last time Radiohead played BSB they did a cover of a Neil song at a show shortly before it and I guess they covered Neil at the Hollywood Bowl a few weeks back. This could be kind of cool. Admittedly, I'm not the hugest Radiohead fan [which shits all over my indie street cred for sure] but seeing them do an acoustic set could be a lot of fun.

-- Patti Smith was mentioned as a possibility today as apparently she has dates in town that week but nothing else on the books for that weekend. The same poster also shot down my Conor Oberst rumor since he has now added dates to that weekend.

Let's look for some other options...

-- Ted Leo
Could be possible for a Sunday set as he's in Portland on Sat but playing SF on Mon.

-- Tegan & Sara
In Los Angeles the week prior - nothing scheduled for BSB weekend

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but someone on the Coachella board had a list of "rumored" acts. I'm not sure if they really are rumors or a wishlist but...

Rage Against the Machine - I could see it, especially in an election year. And ordinarily, I'd shit on the idea of them playing acoustic but... well, Trent Reznor taught me to never do that. This, of course, lends itself to the other rumor that had been making the rounds of Morello performing solo in his folk project (which sounded a lot more likely to me.)

Pearl Jam - Seems like a good year for them to play but there are rumors to the contrary as well.

Jane's Addiction - That's an interesting one. I'd dig it a lot as I've never seen Jane's live - but I gotta think this is someone's dream pick.

Foo Fighters - Possible since they're playing a few shows.

Nine Inch Nails - Also possible since they're out there right now.

Brian Wilson - See above. Of course, if you get four of the people on this list, it's BSB '06 all over again.

Something that I have absolutely nothing to support but kinda popped into my head today. What about Beck? Also, Tom Petty is just wrapping up a tour this year and would be amazing at BSB.

Anyways... I guess we'll all know in a few days but to kinda wrap up this subject, I'm going to post my dream/logical BSB '08 lineup considering all the "rumored" names we've thrown out there over the past few weeks.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Pearl Jam
Tom Morello
Tegan & Sara
Radiohead
Wilco
The Kooks
Tina Turner

Of course, in the end, we can all hold out hope that The Boss shows up - solo or with the E Street Band - to rock the joint.

I Love It When A Jam Comes Together

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of unusual and creative covers.  I'm also a fan of crazy collaborations that you would not expect to see.  

So, this morning, I got a special treat while digging through mp3 blogs I've neglected for a couple weeks.  Apparently, My Morning Jacket does a live cover of Erykah Badu's hit "Tyrone" from a few years ago - a song that I probably only remember because I have this vague recollection of the Missus singing the hook over and over and over again.

Here's the formula...

My Morning Jacket - a band that I've never really checked out (but apparently should judging by stuff I've read) doing a wacky out-of-genre cover = awesome

When you combine that live cover with Ms. Badu herself showing up to slam down the vocals, the result is pure greatness.

Check it, yo!

Make Mine Marvel

Ahhh, Hollywood is so predictable sometimes.

It always amazes me that whenever a major blockbuster film hits, the studios fall all over themselves trying to make "the next "  We see it every once in a while with disaster movies - remember the summer of Volcano AND Dante's Peak?  Genres get it by the boatload - after Scream, how many horrific (no pun intended) teen horror movies did we get?  

Over the past few weeks here on the B-Spot, we've talked about various comic book properties that would do well to follow in the footsteps of this summer's amazing Iron Man and The Dark Knight runs.  We even discussed (I think) Warner Bros. decision to push on with the Green Lantern and Superman flicks.  Now, it's time for Marvel to get in on the fun with the folks at Fox.

A small excerpt from today's Variety...

Though Fox has no plans for a major overhaul, the studio has scheduled a strategy meeting to assess the status of its superheroes, a group sorely missed this summer. On the agenda, Fox will mull the possibility of more "X-Men"spinoffs, including a young-X-Men project as well as "Deadpool," based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine." The studio is even considering reviving the "Daredevil" property.

Hrmm.  More X-Men spinoffs.  I'm reserving judgment on more X-Men movies until I see Wolverine.  X-Men 3 really killed my love for that series so... yeah.  I'll hold off on being excited by the idea of more X movies.  However, I think a Deadpool movie could be a lot of fun.  It's too bad that Cable/Deadpool would translate really poorly, IMO, on the silver screen.  And more Daredevil movies?  Make it so!  Daredevil is badly in need of a franchise.  

A few other comic book movie related notes...

Someone left a comment on this blog today about a black Captain America being "racist."  I think it was a joke - maybe... sorta.  Marvel has obviously set a history in place for race-changing their heros [see: Nick Fury] when the mood strikes them so I'm not opposed to a black Captain America.  What I am opposed to is the friggin' Fresh Prince playing Captain America.  Oh, and if you're really curious, Marvel did an interesting [but horribly drawn] mini-series a few years ago called "Truth" which told the story of a group of black soldiers who were experimented on with the Super Soldier Serum before they gave it to Steve Rogers who then became Captain America.  It was actually a fantastic premise for a story that I think was poorly executed if my memory serves me right.

Michael Caine stirred the shit today when he told MTV that Warner Bros execs had told him that Johnny Depp would be playing The Riddler and Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be playing The Penguin in a third installment of the Bat-Movies.  Of course, these are both now long-standing rumors that have been tossed around online so there's no telling if Mr. Caine really knows something we don't know, is mistaken, or is just jerking the chain of the Internet en masse.  Here's hoping the former because that's a movie I'd like to see.

The final thing was a Yahoo piece going over The Dark Knight's chances at an Oscar nod.  Besides the technical stuff, they seem to agree that the only shot is Heath for a supporting acting nod.  I... just can't see it.  I would love to see it but as Kate Winslet summed up so perfectly in her guest spot on Extras... you only win Oscars for movies about the Holocaust or if you "play a mental."  Hrm... I guess The Joker is kind of a mental.  We'll see!

  

Random Randomocity

Some thoughts about some stuff...

UFC Fighter Evan Tanner Found Dead
I guess this would somewhat qualify as "breaking news" since it just hit the wires tonight. Weird story. Evan Tanner's always been known as a kind of weird guy. He's had his demons chasing him for a long time and really always came off as a fighter who fought so he'd have enough money to not have a normal job. The most recent time he emerged from the shadows, he had this crazy, amazingly cool beard that I was envious of. Basically, he decided to go on some kind of adventurous camping trip and blogged somewhere telling people that it was the kind of trip where he could die if something went wrong. Well, something went wrong and they found his remains out in the desert somewhere. Like I said, weird story.

Dodgers Engaged In Match Play
I wasn't going to post about this out of jinxing fears but a loss tonight changed my mind. So, at this stage of the season with a 1.5 game lead, the Dodgers have their postseason hopes in their hands. If they win their games, it doesn't matter what anyone else does. Of course, when you decide to get shut out by the last place Padres, you have to do a little bit of scoreboard watching. Here's how it breaks down. If the other team wins, you need to win. If the other teams loses, it'd be real nice to win - but if you have to lose, make it on that night. Tonight, the D-Backs lost - the Dodgers used up their loss too. Hope you enjoyed it, fellas!

Chris Jericho - New WWE Champ
Eh. Why not? If you've got an amazingly over heel act right now, might as well hitch your wagon to it and see where it takes you. I liked seeing Punk with the title but Jericho as the smarmy heel champ is a lot of fun too. To be honest, I've been a little over the current wrestling scene lately. I usually skim Raw, I might occasionally watch ECW, I usually skim or skip Smackdown, and I almost never watch TNA. I think I'd watch my WWE 24/7 package if I had it back but so far, I haven't been bothered to get it back. Too much other stuff to think about lately.

New TV Season Begins
I haven't been as excited for this TV season starting as I have in recent memory. I think it might be because Lost and 24, the two shows I'm most eager to see again, won't start until 2009. It'll be nice to see The Office, 30 Rock, Pushing Daisies, How I Met Your Mother, and some of the others back soon though. So far? The Entourage premiere was underwhelming, The Shield's long-awaited return was solid, and the Gossip Girl premiere was fun. Everything else (Sons of Anarchy, 90210, True Blood) sits on the DVR unwatched so far.

Apple Media Event Tomorrow
New iPods? New iTunes? Deal me in. And you just never know if you'll get a "One more thing..." that knocks the gadget world on their collective ears. It should be an interesting couple of days.

Will Smith as Captain America
Robert Downey Jr... Ed Norton... Will Smith? One of these things is not like the others. I pray this is just a wild rumor with no substance.

What's The Deal With Wasting Money?

I know, I know - everyone's going to say, "Oh, the whole point is to get people talking about it and you're talking about it!" but seriously...

What the fuck is up with the Microsoft/Seinfeld commercial?

It isn't funny. It's isn't clever. It isn't witty. It isn't even mildly amusing. It just struck me as really, really dumb and really annoying. I felt like it was ninety seconds of my life that I'll never get back.

If this is the best they can do when trying to "combat" the Apple ads, we see yet one more reason why Apple continues to have the "cool" factor while Microsoft... well, is at the furthest end of the spectrum away from cool.

However, I will give them a slight nod for the Vista commercial I saw today. I don't believe it for a second but I think that people who don't dislike Microsoft by nature might buy into it. It just goes to show that it's not impossible for Microsoft to make an effective ad - which makes the Seinfeld bit even worse.

Against my better judgment to "spread their message," I kinda have to supply the "art" in this post to make it worthwhile for you.

I'd usually tell you to "Enjoy!" but you're not going to so... yeah.





And just to give the good guys equal time...

The End Of The Iceman?

I wasn't able to see tonight's UFC show so this expert commentary will come only from seeing the results of the show which can only be summed up in what had to be Dana White's words on this night.

"Oh fuck."

Let's start on the undercard which really only had two matches of interest. 

First, there was Dan Henderson against... some dude.  Basically, it was designed to be a squash for Hendo so he can be built back up as a legit contender for whichever title they decide he should be a legit contender for.  Instead, it sounds like he had trouble with the guy and ultimately had to squeak out a decision victory - and just barely at that.  This has got to be considered a bust.  Hendo's usefulness is fading fast.

Then, we've got the Franklin/Hamill fight.  I have to imagine that Dana was really kinda hoping he'd make a new superstar tonight and nothing would have cemented that more than Matt Hamill knocking off former UFC golden boy Rich Franklin in impressive fashion.  Hamill's story is a gold mine and would have easily gotten the UFC mainstream pub all over the world at a time when the words UFC would be best not associated with stories like Quinton Jackson's "rampage."  Instead, Franklin wins which really accomplishes nothing.  No one really wants to see him get a Light Heavy title match and while seeing Silva destroy him makes for fun TV, I don't know if they could sell a third fight between those two.  This too would be declared a bust in my humble opinion.

Of course, the worst news of the night?  Rashad Evans knocks Chuck Liddell the fuck out.  From the sound of the reports I've read, it was a crazy highlight reel knockout too. 

Rashad Evans.

Yes, THAT Rashad Evans.  The one who for the majority of his fights, could only be described as a slightly less boring version of Josh Koscheck.  The Human Blanket himself.  The King of Lay & Pray. 

He knocked out Chuck Liddell.

What do you do now?  No one really has any interest in seeing Rashad fight Forrest.  Rampage has fucked his world up for the time being I'd imagine.  Chuck still can make some money in rematches with Rampage and Silva and... well, a few others.  But seriously... the Iceman has lost three of his last four fights and if Vanderlei had been a little sharper that night, I think it'd be a solid four for four.  Is Chuck done?  Has his looping haymaker punches gotten just a little too slow with time?  Is the killer instinct gone?

I expect we'll be seeing Chuck Liddell in the cage for a long time to come because there's still money to squeeze from his bones - but I don't know if we'll ever see the sport-dominating Iceman again.          

Once More With Feeling

We'll start with this. I can't think right now.

COOOOOBRAAAAAA!

So, it's been a while since I've lived up to my unofficial title as the unofficial keeper and bearer of all tidings G.I. Joe movie related.

Tonight, I break that slump.

The MTV Movies Blog - a surprisingly decent source of movie scoops - had an article up today talking about Cobra Commander and what we can expect to see out of this notorious villain when he hits the silver screen next year. Here's a few excerpts I found interesting:

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura on CC's origin:

“As we see it, he’s a very twisted character. As the backstory evolves, you discover why his personality [is like that]. I thought what was great in ‘The Dark Knight’ was that Heath kept telling you different stories [about his past] so you never knew what it was, and they were all spooky and crazy. [In our film] you get to see it, and you get to understand what’s happened to this guy.”

Blah. What he kinda fails to see in this comparison is that the fact that we didn't ever find out The Joker's true origin story is what made it so cool. It was that sense of mystery and intrigue that added to the enjoyment of it because we knew he was fucked up - we just didn't know why. The same likely should hold true for Cobra Commander. He's an evil psychopath with an army of terrorists at his disposal - do we really need to know why? Especially since it's going to tie in with this backstory they've created about CC and Duke being former BFFs.

Bonaventura on the voice:

While it won’t exactly match the classic high-pitched wail from the show, the producer says Gordon-Levitt will leave his own vocal stamp on Cobra Commander. “He has an interesting voice. He definitely has a take-off on that. I actually found the voice a little weak in the show…I’m sure I’ll get killed for saying that. I don’t know, it always seemed kind of silly. Hopefully we’re going to be a little more menacing.”

Blah. Okay, okay - the cartoon voice is over the top. It was supposed to be. I get the point of trying to make it more menacing. That's fine. But do you really want to start insulting the source material when most fans already think you're planning to drop a giant deuce right on top of it anyways?

And lastly - and most frightening - the mask:

“We’ll see Cobra Commander in the Cobra mask [but] it will not be like the show,” said di Bonaventura, who also promised they aren’t going to the comics for that one either. “I found some of the [mask] aspects a little KKK for me,” he said, “so we tried to steer away from that image. We thought that might be a little much.”

Blah. This guy's a fucking toolbox. It's too KKK? Are you serious? A blue mask with a cobra symbol on it? By the way, that guy under the mask is a terrorist bent on world domination - not the elimination of Roadblock and Stalker. So, no fabric mask. No helmet mask. They made their own mask is what they're trying to break gently to us.

And that's that. Once again, another set of news about the G.I. Joe movie that I just can't find a way to look positively on. I soooooo hope I'm wrong but I'm worried still.

Lesnar vs Couture: Let's Get It On!

Hooooo boy.

Dana White sure does know how to make a splash. You've got to wonder just how long he's been holding that in his back pocket. Just when Quinton Jackson had been formally charged and there was a nice-sized black eye on the UFC's rep - BOOM! - Dana puts y'all in check.

So, Randy Couture is officially back in the UFC and is still UFC Heavyweight Champion. And apparently he's back on a multifight deal as Dana says the winner of Randy/Brock will meet the winner of Noguiera/Mir for a unification fight in 2009. Now that's how you stir up interest in your heavy division. And if that wasn't enough, Dana drops the teaser that he wants to do the Fedor fight and as soon as Fedor is clear of contractual obligations to Affliction, they'll try to put it together.

Hoooooo boy.

At first, the Randy/Brock fight seemed a poor choice to me but the more I think about it, the more I start to like it. After his last fight, I saw dollar signs all over Brock Lesnar. The showboating after the win, the crazy near KO at the beginning, the total domination [boring as it was] of a legit heavy contender - all good signs for the UFC. If Brock can improve as much between Herring and Randy as he did between Mir and Herring, this could be an interesting fight. After all, even Randy can't harness the Flux Capacitor and make himself ten years younger. With this long of a layoff, will he have ring rust? If he does, this could get interesting. Randy's whole fight strategy is usually based around getting people down, dirty boxing, and ground-and-pound. I don't think you want to get that close to Brock for any of that so I think it could be a serious style clash for the champ.

And if Brock loses? Well, he's losing his first title fight to Randy Couture. No shame in that. That's an easy rebuild. If he wins? He beat Randy Couture! Oh, and if he beats Randy, you can bet that Dana's praying for Mir to upset Noguiera. Mir/Lesnar 2? I can smell the cash from here.

Dana is predicting that Lesnar/Randy will be the biggest fight in UFC history and do over a million buys. How much of that is promoter hype, I just don't know. But I do think that if Lesnar gets a chance to show his natural personality before the fight - and I mean shoving a mic under his face EVERY possible chance until then - people will want to pay to see him lose. And that's where the money is. The money is in people wanting to pay to see the heels lose - just like in pro wrestling - no matter how many people want to deny it. It worked for Tito. It would work for Josh Koshcheck if he'd embrace his inner dick. It'll work for Brock.

Biggest fight in UFC history? I guess we'll all know soon enough.

Merlin

As a sci-fi/fantasy geek, I'm always curious when a new project in that vein comes down the pipe. So, this morning when I discovered this on AICN, I had to take a look. Apparently this starts airing soon on the BBC with plans to import it to NBC at midseason.

I'm not sold entirely but it looks... interesting.

The Creative Process: Something Else About Faith

I'm not a religious person.

I know, I know. You all must be shocked by that news. I'm sure that most good, wholesome, God-fearing people spend their Labor Day talking about tentacle porn, vending machines with used underwear, and assorted other "goodies."

But yes, it's true. I'm not a religious person.

So, the problem becomes a thorny one when I decide that one of the potential scripts bouncing around my head has some perhaps very strong religious overtones.

The question - how does a non-religious person suddenly acquaint themselves enough with the Bible to make their story believable?

Or the subquestion - much like in Almost Famous when the kid asks "Do you have to be sad to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song?"... my question becomes "Do you have to be religious to write about religion?"

Thoughts?

Drip Drip Drip

Ahhh, the loveliness of iPods on shuffle. This played right before I got out of the car tonight and made me think of just how awesome the first two seasons of the Chappelle Show were.

Top Five Friday: Survivor - A Dodger Edition

What was that I said last week about 1-10 shifts on a Friday? Grrr.

Anyways, one day removed, I've decided to expand upon my words earlier this week regarding the Dodgers' youth movement. Obviously, some bodies need to hit the floor over this off-season and quite frankly, a lot of them. And just as obviously, it'll be close to impossible to get rid of everyone I'd like to get rid of. So, I'm going with the opposite approach today.

The Top Five Members Of The '08 Dodgers Roster I'd Keep For '09!

NOTE: I considered the current 25 Man Roster as well as the disabled list when coming up with this list.

That means the players under consideration are the following:

RP Joe Beimel
SP Chad Billingsley
RP Jonathan Broxton
SP/RP Scott Elbert
SP/RP Jason Johnson
SP/RP Hong-Chih Kuo
SP Hiroki Kuroda
SP Derek Lowe
SP Greg Maddux
SP/RP Chan Ho Park
RP Ramon Troncoso
RP Cory Wade
C Danny Ardoin
C Russell Martin
IF Angel Berroa
3B Casey Blake
IF Blake DeWitt
IF Nomar Garciaparra
IF Jeff Kent
1B James Loney
IF Mark Sweeney
OF Andre Ethier
OF Matt Kemp
OF Juan Pierre
OF Manny Ramirez

DL
--
RP Scott Proctor
SP/RP Brad Penny
OF Andruw Jones
OF/IF Delwyn Young
RP Yhency Brazoban
RP Takashi Saito
SS Rafael Furcal
C Gary Bennett
SP Jason Schmidt
IF Tony Abreu

First, we ditch the journeymen who are easily replaced. So long Jason Johnson, Ramon Troncoso, Cory Wade, Danny Ardoin, Angel Berroa, Mark Sweeney, Scott Proctor, and Gary Bennett.

Next, we bid adieu to the oft-injured lot who you just can't depend on over a 162 game season. Hit the road Hong-Chih Kuo, Tony Abreu, and Yhency Brazoban. All have/had potential but they just can't be relied on. That also casts out Jason Schmidt who has sat on the DL for two of his three year deal and has become yet another reason why Dodger fans fear FA pitching [see: Brown, Kevin and Dreifort, Darren.] Everyone will be gunning for Sabathia in the off-season but the length of deal and numbers he's talking will make me nervous. And yes, a fond farewell to Nomar Garciaparra. We really wanted to love you - but your injury prone history couldn't help but catch up with you.

Here's a few that I hate to drop but odds are, it's time.

Greg Maddux is a great midseason grab - but to watch him hold a spot in the rotation [unless the other four are way above average] at this point, it probably not a good idea. He wants to sign on as a pitching coach? Hell yes. As a starter, I think I'm over it.

Chan Ho Park's return is a great story but at this stage of his career, he's basically a long reliever and occasional spot starter. I don't think he's about to relive his youth so I'll pass.

Brad Penny's recent slew of injuries have me worried that he may never recapture his ace form. I think it's time to cut bait and run. Takashi Saito also gets dropped at this point sadly. I think he's still got life in him but if Broxton's the closer of the future, give him the ball and see what happens.

Next, we drop a couple of overpriced free agents. Obviously, Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones must go. 'nuff said.

I'll also not re-sign Casey Blake cause I don't feel like spending the money on a 35 year old 3B.

Here's a few that I wouldn't mind keeping but just don't have room for. Joe Beimel, Hiroki Kuroda, Blake DeWitt, and Delwyn Young.

Of course, my number one "please get him out of my sight" on this list is Jeff Kent.
That leaves us with ten.

Scott Elbert gets pulled off the list since he hasn't had a start yet and I don't have any reason to keep him on here at this point.

Derek Lowe gets knocked off the list because I think he's peaked as a Dodger and just hasn't seemed himself since the Carolyn Hughes mess. Plus, as a FA, he'll be too pricey I'd imagine. Down to eight.

This is where it gets tough. I also gotta give up Jonathan Broxton here. I think he's a great pitcher but his recent struggles have me wondering if his conditioning or the pressure is the problem. Either way, I'm not sure I trust him as the closer of the future at the moment.

Rafael Furcal is the next to go on my list. While he's a fantastic player and has been a great asset to the team over the past couple of years but he does have some pretty chronic injuries that would make me think twice before giving him the kind of deal he's likely to want.

5. Andre Ethier/Manny Ramirez
This is the hard one. It really depends on how the rest of the team is made up. Right now, there's a surplus of outfielders. There's also a surplus of big money contracts. Unless serious salary can be shed, I'm guessing Manny will have to go despite his positive impact on the team's offense, public relations, and fan support.

4. James Loney
I think Loney is the Dodger first baseman for some time to come. He's an excellent hitter and will only get better in time.

3. Russell Martin
Of course. In my mmind, the team captain and best chance they have at a Kirk Gibson type who will get the squad fired up and make the kind of hustle plays to carry the team to the next level. There's been a lot of talk this week about lack of heart and passion. Russell Martin could be the answer to that.

2. Chad Billingsley
The ace of the future - and perhaps the ace right now. Billingsley should anchor the Dodgers rotaton for a long time to come. When Kershaw and Elbert are ready to join him, we should really see something special.

1. Matt Kemp
When Matt Kemp becomes the kind of player that we all believe he can, the Dodgers will have their own homegrown Manny Ramirez at a fraction of the price. To me, Kemp is perhaps the most vital piece of this puzzle the franchise is trying to put together.

The Battle Lines Are Drawn

Politics is a fascinating beast if you take the time to study it. As a former Political Science major [who changed majors because I missed a midterm because I wasn't going to class - whoops], I've always been intrigued by the field. I feel a little guilty because I haven't been following the Democratic National Convention very closely this week. I hear that there have been some amazing speeches and I'm hopeful that I'll still be able to track them all down online to watch in the near future.

But that's not the reason for this post.

I just opened Yahoo to discover that John McCain has selected his VP candidate and, in the process, ensured that whoever wins come November, history will most assuredly be made.

And don't think for a second that McCain doesn't know that.

I'm not going to belittle Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's sure-to-be-impressive resume for the second highest post in the land buuuuuuut...

Well, if ever a selection reeked of a political maneuver, it's this one. And that's not to say that Obama didn't do the same thing in selecting Biden - because of course, he did, but it was a little more subtle. Biden has worlds of experience in Washington and has experience in the areas where Obama is likely to take a hit - so that makes them a good match.

Without having done much research this morning, McCain's selection strikes me as a blatant grab for Hillary Clinton's supporters - or more specifically, those who supported Hillary because they felt, as a woman, they had an obligation to do so to put a woman in the White House. This move by McCain smells like him trying to grab that sense of obligation and steer it in his direction. After all, we've heard for weeks now that Hillary's voters haven't swayed to Obama yet [it's bitter grapes in my opinion - they'll see the light before it's over] so McCain making a final grab for them makes perfect sense.

It's quite genius and whether you like it or not, you at least have to respect the initial brilliance behind it. But it's quite transparent so if she turns out to be a flop or grossly underqualified, it could be the final nail in the political coffin of the former POW.

I saw somewhere this morning that 67 days remain before the election. That seems unreal to me. The drawn-out primaries really shrunk down the actual campaign time to where it hasn't even felt like an election year so far. But I'd imagine it's going to get kicked into overdrive right about now.

Should be a fun run. I'm looking forward to it.

What Happens When No One Wants To Win

So, it's fairly obvious no one wants to win the NL West.

Okay, maybe that's not fair. Obviously they want to win... but they just don't want to win.

The Dodgers have lost seven games in a row - nine out of the last ten... and stay in second place only 3.5 games out. Everyone can do that math on that. There's no need for me to point out how sad that is. With any kind of win streak at all by anyone in the division, they could have run away with it by this point. But now? It's anyone's game.

There's not a lot of people talking about the NL West because... well, it's no fun talking about teams that aren't winning or playing well at all unless you're making fun of them.

So, that's why when someone speaks - people listen.

One of my favorite Dodgers of all time is Orel Hershiser - so when Orel speaks, I listen.

Earlier this week during an ESPN broadcast, he apparently questioned the Dodgers' heart and passion for the game. I say "apparently" because he refused to repeat his comment for the papers and no one has a direct quote. He also apparently alluded to a divided clubhouse - the same ailment that Joe Torre was supposed to solve after last season's collapse.

Larry Bowa, one of the team's own coaches, had similar comments this week talking about how the team had not responded "mentally and emotionally" to the pressures of the divisional race. He also expressed embarassment in how the team played in Philly which I'm sure is only stronger after getting swept by the fucking Nationals.

It's hard to watch- it really is. You can see the talent on the team but you just can't get the results. It's a frustrating time to watch the team for sure.

Will they win the division? Maybe. The talent is there to put together a winning streak and make the postseason but they just as easily could nosedive and finish in the cellar. I just can't tell.

And for the record, I don't blame Ned Coletti for it and don't think he deserves to be fired. With the exception of Juan Pierre, I don't blame him for anything else. I think the clubhouse is in disarray again and as much as it's a hard sell PR-wise, I really think they should hand over every spot on the field to a young player and let them work it out together. All the stopgap solutions like Jones, Blake, etc. just don't get it done.

If you need to, sign Manny and let him fill the seats - but I'd fill the rest of the team with the kids [or as much as possible] and let the chips fall where they may. We'll never know if this long-touted group of youngsters can cut it if they don't get the opportunity to let it fly.

And for god's sake, get Jeff Kent off my fucking field.

The Creative Process: A crisis of faith

I think I'm in trouble.

In my last post, I had discussed the fork in the road and the great difficulty in making the choice between the easier road and the really fucked up one.

I thought I had decided to take that really bumpy road - the one with the construction going on because there are huge open trenches to drive over and all these crazy detours to take to reach the final destination. I had rented movies and bought CDs for inspiration.

And now I'm seriously doubting my ability to bring this story forth.

To be continued...
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God Loves Kristin Chenoweth

Eh. That'll do.

See more Kristin Chenoweth videos at Funny or Die

I'm Sorry

My apologies in advance for subjecting you guys to this but... well, I kinda had a soft spot for the first movie in this series - and then never bothered to see the others since the original cast was split up.

But this time? Well, let's just say I'm at least curious.