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.

Comics And Movies

With this summer officially the summer of the Comic Book Movie, the studios are scrambling to adapt everything and anything they can. Marvel's plans for Thor, Captain America, and eventually, The Avengers, are pretty well known. Warner Bros/DC have talked in recent days of a Superman reboot as well as developing Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc. in hopes of finally getting a JLA picture off the ground. Even the indies aren't being left out as one of my favorite comics, Sleeper, has been optioned with Tom Cruise being discussed as the lead. With The Spirit coming for the holidays, Watchmen early in '09, and G.I. Joe and Transformers 2 next summer - it's a good time to be a comic book fan if you like going to the movies.

One of my frequently checked websites, Comics2film, discussed a couple lists of comic book movie ideas. Let's take a look!

First, there was a list of the Top 10 Marvel Comics Heroes they wanted to see in the movies. Here's the list with my comments on each:

Dr. Strange
I could actually dig this one, I think. The Harry Potter movies have shown that magic and fantasy in the right hands can be a lot of fun for everyone. Something that starts darker from moment one could work nicely.

Namor, The Sub-Mariner
Uhhh. I really don't want to see this. I'd be more interesting in Aquaman, I think - and I'm not very interested in that at all. Unless Mandy Moore is playing Aquagirl - then I'm all in.

She-Hulk
Wow. Absolutely no desire to see this. Let's see if we can get the Hulk franchise nice and stable before we go there - and even then, let's not go there.

Ant-Man
Fuck. This list looked like it'd be a lot more fun to check out then it has turned out to be. This is a joke, right?

Captain Marvel
Next?

Scarlet Witch
Seriously? Next?

Nick Fury
Ahhh. There we go. With Samuel Jackson already in place as Mr. Fury, I could totally dig a 24-esque Nick Fury flick. Have him taking on HYDRA and I'm sold.

Black Panther
I actually think this could be good. The Panther background and the story of his country would be a lot of fun. This one probably could fly as a 300-ish style story actually. Just put the Panther in the leader role.

Cloak And Dagger
Never read it. Won't comment.

Power Pack
Nope. But I do think a Luke Cage movie might be fun.


The other article had to do with "unfilmable" movies based off the fact that for years, everyone considered Watchmen to be an unfilmable movie. Of course, a lot of people felt the same way about Sin City and 300 too - guess special effects are bringing down a lot of those walls. So, this was a list of comics considered "unfilmable" that they want Hollywood to tackle. Let's take a look!

The Sandman
Largely considered Neil Gaiman's greatest comic work, The Sandman has been in development hell for years. I'm not super-familiar with it sadly even though it's always been on my list to check out. I think I might even have a TPB of the first arc around here somewhere. I loved Stardust though so if The Sandman approaches the awesomeness of that [which I've always heard it does] I'd be down for it.

Preacher
Man, this list is really bringing back some memories. Preacher and The Sandman were both comics I've always wanted to sink my teeth into but never got around to. I've heard nothing but amazing things about Preacher so I'd be up for it too. However, at one point, there was talk of doing it "issue by issue" as an HBO TV Series. Now _that_ would be pimp.

Marvel Zombies
I've never even heard of this. The description talks about Spidey agonizing after eating Mary Jane. I don't understand why he'd be in agony for doing th- ohhh... I misunderstood. Hrm. I think my version makes for a better movie.

And that's that. Pretty shitty list, IMO. No Y The Last Man? No Fables? No 100 Bullets? Honestly, the entire Vertigo line is ripe to be picked for both the big and little screen. I'd love to see a 100 Bullets anthology series. Fables would be absolutely amazing - and easy to market because the characters are all familiar. Y The Last Man might be better as a TV series.

Top Five Friday: It's A Beautiful Day For A Ballgame

Top Five Friday will not be airing in it's normal time so we can bring you the Wonderful World Of Sleeping.  By the way, whoever created the 1-10 PM shift on a Friday is a cruel, evil, heartless son of a bitch who I wish a world of mysterious rashes and "that's never happened to be me before" on.

One day late, indeed, but I thought I'd bring you a taste of Thursday's Dodger game in photos.  Without further adieu...

My Top Five Favorite Photos From Thursday's Game

5.  The Manny Dreads
You've gotta love capitalism when it rears it's head.  So, not only do the Dodgers get Manny's offensive production for the rest of the season for the low, low price of free... not only do they get to soak up all the incredible publicity and marketing opportunities for the not so inexpensive cost of nothing... but they get to sell these wonderful bandana/dreadlock combos for $25 each - and yes, they were selling like crazy.  We had to resist buying them - I may not be so lucky the next time.  "For only $25, you too can spend a warm day roasting under a cheap bandana and fake hair!  SIGN ME UP!"

4.  Different Strokes To Rule The World
Okay, so I don't really know who or what this is.  We had difficulty decoding if he/she was a man/woman.  There were really no identifying signs that made us comfortable in making  a final decision.  But crazy blond hair?  Glove on your head?  Big ass sunglasses?  Oh, you're making the Top Five, sweetheart.  To top this story off, we saw him/her with a female friend after the game being "detained" by security - or at least that's how it appeared to me.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

 3.  Put Me In Coach - I'm Ready To Play... Todaaaay

The Dodgers have instituted this awesome new program where two hours before the game on game days, you can go onto the field in center field and shag batting practice flyballs.  The kids love it - and the "kids at heart" aren't far behind them.  We didn't get there in time for batting practice but we did get there in time to go the field and take a few photos.  This is a black and white [mostly] shot from centerfield that I thought turned out pretty groovy.  Highlight of this section of the day?  A big group of sorority girls from SC were at the game as a group.  During this period, they were screaming at all the people playing catch to toss a ball to them.  Someone finally did - and they scattered completely as the ball came smashing down in the middle of them.  Way to work it out, ladies.

 2.  A Deeper Shade Of Soul
So, our camera has this cool little feature that we get obsessed with from time to time.  You should see our San Francisco photos - lots of black and white with splashes of color.  Basically, the way it works is you can pull all the color out of your photos except for one color that you set.  So, I decided it would P-I-M-P to only feature Dodger Blue.  This is the result of that shot.  Oh, that guy in the foreground was part of a trio of fans that ended up being pretty cool that we chatted with on and off throughout the game - topics ranging from Vin Scully and throat-slitting, a discussion of my throwing arm versus Juan Pierre's, and life in Iraq and the taste of camel meat.  Yeah.  That really could be it's own post - should be, in fact.  Stay tuned for more on that!

1.  Check 'Em Out, Angel Fans
That's right, baby.  There's six of them there.  I thought I'd provide a quick count because we all know Angel fans can't count!  Ohhh!  Sick burn!  I figure if I insult the Angel fans enough here, I might get picked up by another Angel message board and send my traffic through the roof for a few days.  Angel fans suck!  Yeah!  Uhhh!  Take that!  So, I played with iPhoto to jazz this one up a bit this morning and I really liked the end result.

  Honorable Mention
We thought this guy was pretty rad considering Snoop was throwing out the opening pitch and the guy had a matching pimp hat and shirt.  He turned out to be even more rad than we ever could possibly imagine when during James Loney's homerun, the guy started doing some weird finger-pointing and fist-pumping dance that just made me wish I had video of it to share with the class.  Let's just say that some stereotypes were shattered on this day.

That's all, folks.  Hope it was worth the day delay!

I'm not a former POW but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night

I'm sure this will offend some people but I found it amusing.

Dodgers Win!

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He Steals!

Manny just "legged out" a groundball error and then stole second!

Be on the lookout for locusts and other signs of the apocalypse that I'd know if I went to Sunday School.
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Would you wear this?

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It's tiiiiiiiime for Dodger Baseball!

In a weird twist of fate, the Dodgers now play the same music to announce the starting lineup that the Missus and I used to be introduced at our wedding reception.
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Fo shizzle

Snoop Dogg just threw out the first pitch. Fo'reals tho'!

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Game on!

You've gotta love the midweek day game.

I was thinking this morning about this song they used to play before the games on the radio and I was wondering if they still do. I haven't listened to a full game on the radio in years.

With the game about a half hour away, sure enough the song started to play over the PA. If I could, I would post an mp3 but since I can't...

It's a beautiful day for a ballgame
For a ballgame today
The fans are out to get a kick in or twi
From Walla Walla Washington to Kalamazoo
It's a beautiful day for a homerun
But even a triple's okay
We're gonna cheer and boo and raise a hullabaloo
At the ballgame today

Play ball!
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The Creative Process: The Fork In The Road

As I get closer to narrowing down my choices for my next attempt at a screenplay, I've come across a quandry.  While there are still a few other contenders, I've basically narrow my choices down to two.

The first is something that came into my head in the past couple months and spent a lot of time there.  I've got a pretty good idea of what most of the major characters are like, I know the basic details of the plot, and I can play some parts of it on the "3-D IMAX of my mind."  This one would be considered "the safe choice."  I think it has quite a bit of potential and really could be a large step forward for me as a writer because it's very different than my first screenplay.

The second is something that I just had a glint of an idea for very recently.  I've spent practically no time working on it save for the past few days when it's been dominating my thoughts.  At this point, I've got a basic idea of the two characters, I have a very broad, overreaching idea of the plot without much in terms of detail, and while I can play out a few scenes in my mind, there are a lot of very large holes in the plot that I'm not sure what fills in those gaps.  This one is a genre that I have always loved and always wanted to do something in - but this one's risky.  I love the basic premise of it but I'm afraid I won't be able to flesh it out in time.  I can see a ton of potential in it and it would really challenge me as a writer because it won't be easy at all to pull it off.

So, there lies the fork in the road...

With a deadline approached, do I walk the road more traveled and knock out the one that's been dancing around my brain for a couple months?  Or do I take that more deserted path that has a lot of roadblocks on it but a more satisfying "end of the trail" moment?

Suggestions are welcome!

A little more on Kent

Just watching the Dodger pre-game show and as they were going off the air, they pointed out Kent's production increase hitting in front of Manny and then started mocking him for his "look at my career numbers" stuff. Beautiful. They also pointed out that his "career numbers" in the three hole also include his stint hitting in front of Bonds which I can't remember if I referenced but I know it was buzzing around my brain when I writing.

Kevin Kennedy also said, "Don't mess with Vinny" as Steve Lyons remarked "He's barking up the wrong tree with that one." That's what I like to hear.

I'm sure Vinny will take the high road and let it go but I'd sure love to hear him rip Kent a new one at some point. Maybe Vinny will write a book some day and all will be spilled.

Jeff Kent Is An Asshole

Once a fucking Giant...

The title pretty much says it all, no?

It's not like it's earthshattering news either. The guy has been a prick for the majority of his baseball career and got a free pass for a lot of it because it was aimed in a bigger prick's direction. I mean, how can you hate Jeff Kent compared to Barry Bonds? When Kent got into it with Milton Bradley, how could you not take his side when Bradley's a plastic bottle away from a meltdown at any moment?

But on a day when Dodger fans should be celebrating because the magnificent Greg Maddux is on his way back to town - a move I've supported for weeks, by the way - to hopefully steady a starting rotation that is hurting with Penny going back down to injury... we're having to deal with Jeff Kent running his mouth about Vin Scully.

I have little doubt that Jeff Kent greatly overestimates his value to Dodger fans but if he has any hope not to suffer the same fate as Andruw Jones, I think he might want to apologize... and in a hurry.

Vin Scully is not just a Dodger treasure - he's a baseball treasure.

Very few would say the same about Jeff Kent.

So, Mr. Kent, when Vin Scully says you're benefitting from hitting in front of Manny Ramirez, Dodger [and baseball] fans are going to believe no matter how much you throw your lifetime stats in our faces to try to prove him wrong.

I don't know if it's an ego thing or what but it's fairly obvious that you're hitting better in front of Manny than you were without him so just give him the nod of credit, suck it up, and play the game you're paid to play. And don't waste your time running down our legendary announcer trying to make yourself look better.

I've long held the belief that this team and franchise will find itself worlds better when Jeff Kent moves on - whether it's to retirement or another team. I've been hopeful it's been coming for a couple years but we haven't gotten lucky yet. Yes, it will be difficult to replace his production in another second baseman but I hold a firm belief that it will greatly improve team morale and chemistry to not have his grumpy ass polluting the air.

My stance on booing our own players is well-known so I will not be booing Jeff Kent when I [hopefully] go to the game on Thursday afternoon. I will cheer for Jeff Kent, the player, to help my team to victory.

But Jeff Kent the person?

Well... someone wise said earlier...

Jeff Kent Is An Asshole.

The Creative Process: It Begins Anew

I'm not sure if any of you would actually care about this or not but I thought it might be a fun thing to have down on "paper" to look back at after the fact. A few days ago, I did a post mentioning that I need to start writing a second screenplay here shortly. What I thought would be kinda cool is to take y'all through the step-by-step process of that - or as step-by-steppy as I can get without enlisting Patrick Duffy's aid.

"It all began with a mouse..."

That's a quote that a lot of Disney fans like to use over and over. It's a quote attributed to Walt as something he used to say to keep his employees humbled and centered - something to show them that despite the growing empire they were developing, it all started with a simple idea. One character that carried them to a level none of them ever could imagine.

In this case, it all begins with an idea.

It doesn't have to be something terribly complicated and quite frankly, it can come from pretty much anywhere. The first screenplay I wrote can credit it's "creative spark" from a song I heard, listened to the lyrics, and decided it'd make a hell of a story on the big screen. The first sitcom I ever tried to pen was based on an experience that my brother-in-law had at work.

It all begins with an idea.

So, that's the stage I find myself in right now. Over the years, I've start-stopped a lot of novels, teleplays, screenplay, comic book ideas in some sort of scribbled shorthand. I dug through an old notebook the other night and uncovered a lot of them. Some of them I just had filed away mentally, adding a few "notes" to the file from time to time. But all of them had some kind of development done to them - however minor.

From there, I took 16 ideas and put them down on paper - a working title if I had one along with a short description of the plot/theme. If I had originally conceived it as something other than a screenplay, I noted that as well. 16 ideas - all incredibly solid in my oh-so-humble opinion and all completely worthy of making print/press/publish/etc.

At this point, I turn to my partner-in-crime, Mrs. Blue. She was my sole editor for the first script so this time, I involved her a little earlier. She got all 16 ideas in their written form and I told her to narrow it down to eight that deserve stronger consideration.

We're down to the Elite Eight. It's a diverse list - ranging from sci-fi to fantasy to western to an almost 80's style action flick. All of them have some serious potential. Now comes the time to narrow the list down a little bit more.

We're making progress, people - one step at a time.

I recently helped a customer at the store a couple weeks ago who, in the course of smalltalk, revealed that he was a screenwriter. After probing a bit to try and find out more details (he clammed up,) I mentioned I had just finished my first screenplay. His words of wisdom?

"Congratulations. That's the tough part. Everyone in the world can start one."

Amen, brother. Amen.

And this "everyone" is one step closer to starting his second.

Stay tuned, folks, it only gets more interesting from here.

Summerslam

This one is by "popular" demand.

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of Summerslam, the WWE's end-of-summer extravaganza. It is arguably their 2nd biggest PPV of the year and almost always has moments and matches that fans will remember for quite some time to come.

With that in mind, a hastily put together barrage of matches and moments I recall...

Top Five Friday: There's Something Wrong With The Kids In My Neighborhood

I was working on something else for Top Five Friday when this popped to mind. So, the other thing may have to wait for a Top Five Sunday or some suchness. I suppose I could have held this one back until next week but some stuff just needs to be said.

First off, much props to NOFX for the title of this post - I think they'd be pleased with the words I'm about to spew forth.

A few months ago when the Missus and I were at the Kate Nash concert, we saw some things that... well, really just kinda annoyed us. But the more we discussed it in the days to follow, I noticed a trend following fans of the music industry that seemed a little more than annoying - I think it seriously threatens the musical world as we know it! [how's that for melodrama?]

With that in mind...

The Top Five Things Music Fans Do That Concern Me

5. "NO TICKET!"
One of the first things we noticed at the Kate Nash show was the amount of kids [yes, I suppose they're kids to me now - I feel old] clutching sheets of paper in their hands instead of actual tickets. What the fuck's up with that? Ticketmaster has been offering this TicketFast shit for a while now, I guess, but I've never used it. I want a god damn ticket. And if that makes me cruel to the environment, well, fuck that noise. Do you know how depressed those kids are going to be in ten years when they're going through shit while cleaning the house and not finding ticket stubs to remind them of the shows they went to in the past? I LOVE my ticket stubs! How else would I remember that I saw Reel Big Fish at the Hollywood Palladium in 1998 and then recall that we left before RBF actually took the stage? Those old faded ticket stubs are like boosts of ginkogaloba to make me remember shit. These kids with their sheets of paper will never remember anything. Fuck them.

4. Cellphones - Fucking Cellphones
Don't get me wrong. If you've got an iPhone, you rock. You may not deserve it and I may ponder what would happen if I kicked your ass behind the dumpster and stole it from you - but you rock for owning it. But when you don't rock is when you clutch your iPhone in your sweaty hand and snap pictures the entire night long with the 2 Megapixel camera. Do you really think that shot is going to turn out? And even if it does, are your friends going to swoon when you show them your blurry, pixelated shot of the flavor of the week? And what about you fuckers who decide it's a good idea to text ALL NIGHT LONG?! Hey, it's cool if you want to do it during intermission. Occasionally, I find it okay to do it too. And while it's completely disrespectful to do it during a band, if it's a shitty band [fuck you Modest Mouse!], you have my permission too. But during the band you came to see? Seriously? What could you possibly have to say that's so important at that point? "omg! they r so TOTALLY playing that that's me in the corner song!! its so 80s! lawl!" Do us all a favor and wait. And yes, I could write an entire post on those fuckers who do this in the movie theater too.

3. Mid-Show Conversations
If it's superloud and no one can hear you, go for it. But if it's during a slow song or it's a small venue, I really couldn't give a shit if Billy give you the crabs or not so don't bother to tell your friend next to you - since EVERYONE ELSE CAN HEAR IT TOO! You paid good money [maybe your parents but... well, that's another story] to see the band perform so fucking watch them perform. Apparently you like this band for some reason so show them a little respect.

2. God, I Feel Old
Kids go to shows. I get that. The music industry, for the most part, is aimed at the kids who have lots of [their parents'] disposable income to pour down a rathole on shitty music they'll be embarrassed to own at some point - New Kids Christmas album, I'm lookin' right at you. But that's okay. Your youth is the time period when you're allowed to like music you shouldn't like. It's when it's okay to have a drawerful of cassette singles like Snap, Dino, and Pebbles. But keep that shit in a drawer. Kids are going to shows at far too young of an age these days. That means that someday you'll have to openly admit that your first show was at age 9 seeing the Jonas Brothers. You want to know how that feels? Go ask the people whose first show was Hanson. See, my first show wasn't until I was 16 or 17 which means I get to tell people my first show was Stone Temple Pilots. My second show was Metallica. My third show was Live and Weezer. Fourth was Aerosmith. Sensing a trend? I've got nothing to hide in shame over. But all these kids going to shows will someday live to regret it when they have to recite a list of one hit wonders for their first shows.

And the #1 problem facing music fans today...

1. What's An Album?
The death of the album in modern music is a tragic thing. I'm as guilty of this as anyone but can anyone really recall the last full album they knew from front to back and everywhere in between? Remember the good ol' days with Ten and Nevermind where you knew every nook and cranny of that album? Remember when you even knew the really bad gimmick songs like "Bugs" that PJ would slip onto an album? Now everyone only knows songs - and worse, a lot of people don't even call them "songs" anymore. Now they're "tracks." And they probably have been tracks for a long time but dammit, that needs to change. I'm going to bite my lip until it bleeds the next time I catch myself call it a track. But back on point, the death of the album is a horrible thing. While it's great to have the option to buy songs individually, it's led to a world where no one knows an album anymore. It was bad enough when CDs came out and people would say shit like, "Oh, I really like Track 5" but it just gets worse with time. That's why I've been on this crazy kick for a while now to buy a record player, fill our shelves with vinyl, and re-live the glory days of music. So many bands are putting stuff out on vinyl again, I think it could be a renaissance of music for me personally. Just sitting with headphones on listening to an entire album - yeah, I can dig it. I wonder if they still do that radio show "The Seventh Day" where they would play a bunch of albums all the way through. God, that shit was great. We've gone from a world of b-sides and "deep cuts" to whatever is in the Top 10 on iTunes. Things need to change.

Anyways... my soapbox is worn out. Until next time...

Bridge School Benefit

Ahhh, the time of year is drawing near for the wild Bridge School Benefit rumors to start flowing.

For those of you not familiar with it, the Bridge School Benefit is an annual benefit show that Neil Young and his wife Pegi put on at the Shoreline Ampitheatre. The Bridge School is a special needs school that assists children with severe physical impairments and complex communication needs [thanks Wiki!] The shows have been going on for about 20 years now with one year being skipped for a reason I didn't bother to track down.


It's a very special show as Neil Young pulls out all the stops in bringing the best lineup to town that he can and traditionally - but not always - the bands all perform acoustic which can create some very interesting scenarios. Over the years, the show has seen bands like R.E.M., Springsteen, the Pumpkins, the Chilis, and many, many others perform.

Mrs. Blue and I went to the 2006 edition which had a lineup of Devendra Banhart, Gillian Welch, Death Cab For Cutie, Trent Reznor (yep, acoustic), Foo Fighters, Brian Wilson, Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band, and of course, Neil Young himself. It was an amazingly diverse show with such memorable moments as Reznor stealing the show with acoustic versions of many NIN songs, the Foo Fighters absolutely rocking the crowd (especially on their "cover" of Nirvana's "Marigold,") Brian Wilson tearing the house down by sailing through all the Beach Boys songs no one expected him to do, and well, of course there's Pearl Jam who never disappoints. Tradition has Neil invite everyone back onstage at the end of the show for a group singalong that had Eddie and the boys join him for "Rockin' In The Free World." Even the shitty performance of DMB couldn't drag that show down.

We decided that we wanted to attend this year so I've been keeping an eye out for rumors of who would be performing this year - or if there would even be a show at all (no dates have been announced yet but I can't imagine the show not going on.)

Here's the "word on the street" so far:

Neil Young - of course. And honestly, I enjoyed his set a lot more in '06 than I thought I was. Despite the fact that it was late and freezing, the man knows how to put on a show still.

Pearl Jam - seems to be some debate on this. A band member told some people earlier in the year that they were definitely playing Bridge School this year but told some other fans a couple weeks ago that they definitely weren't. The plot thickens!

Wilco - just a rumor right now but that'd be a lot of fun as I was telling the Missus last weekend that I would like to see Wilco in concert

ZZ Top - this is one of those bands that you wouldn't expect on the bill but would make perfect sense. Apparently they're opening for the Foos on Oct 26th in SoCal so it would be possible... and I wonder if that makes the Foos rumored as well.

Other bands in California in the last couple weeks of October that might make sense:
Santana - playing Shoreline on 10/11
Randy Newman - in SF the weekend of the 10/17, has a new album
Conor Oberest - in SF the weekend of 10/24, has a new album
The Kooks - in SF on 10/25
Tina Turner - has both poss. weekends open and in California/Arizona area

So, there's a start of some more rumors for ya!

Anyways, assuming the show happens, anyone within range of car/bus/train/plane should make an effort to see it at least once because it's a fun time and a lot different than most festival-type shows you could attend.

Screenplay: Take Two

Curse those little details.

As the submission deadline grew near last week for my screenplay, Mrs. Blue was assisting in getting the submission materials together and pointed out one tiny little detail that I had happened to miss in the several months leading up to this.

Apparently if I'm declared a finalist in the competition, I have to submit a second "sample of work" - also known as a second screenplay.

Say it with me now.

"Oh fuck."

Now, sure the odds are slim that I'll be declared a finalist and thus are slim that I will need a second screenplay completed by December. But... well, as I always seem to say on here...

You've gotta believe.

I have a handful of ideas on what to do next so I expect to narrow that down over the next couple weeks and get down to it.

Stay tuned for more details as this story develops - no pun intended!

Superman Returns... Again

Earlier today, I posted an article on the sidebar with three major comic book writers talking about how they would "reboot" the Superman movie franchise. It's been a topic under a lot of discussion lately as it was comic writer Mark Millar who implied that he had been asked for his pitch by the studios. Until then, it was all but assumed that JJ Abrams would helm any possible next Superman movie with Brandon Routh resuming the role.

Now? All bets seem to be off.

It's interesting because something about Superman Returns always bugged me a bit. There were elements of it that I liked a lot and some that I didn't care for too much but all in all, I thought it was a decent attempt. Superman is a tough character to write for in any medium so it's tough to have high expectations for it, I think - somewhat similar to Hulk in that respect.

I can still remember the debut of footage from the movie at Comic-Con in 2005. The footage was cut together so beautifully. When the John Williams score started up and the Brando voice was heard, the place went nuts. So nuts in fact that they had to show the footage a couple of more times before all was said and done. It was the perfect example of a director showing up at Comic-Con and saying the right things and showing the right cut of footage to whip people into a frenzy.

Unfortunately, the end product fell a little flat. And as I was reading the article, Mark Waid hit the nail on the head finally as to what bothered me the most about it.

If you’re making the movie in a vacuum, and there will be no other Superman movies ever again, go ahead and give him a son. But otherwise, that’s a staggeringly awful idea. What are you going to do next? Either the kid has to be a part of his life, or get superpowers, which no one wants to see

Exactly! And it's not just the kid that missed the mark. As I thought about it more and more throughout the day, more and more things about the movie bothered me.

-- One sequence with Ma Kent. Her son was gone for years and that's all we get?

-- Lois is married with a kid? Yeah, everyone REALLY wants Superman to be a homewrecker. The kid thing is just wrong. It was the number one thing that bugged me about it when I left the theater.

-- The "death" of Superman. This essentially killed off any chance of doing the Doomsday story which has the potential to be an awesome piece of work if the franchise can get back on its feet.

So, there's those among others.

In the end, I think Waid nailed it. If it's made in a vacuum, it becomes a better movie. But as the relaunch point for a new franchise, it falls flat.

Now the question becomes will Warner Bros have the cajones to admit it and let someone pull a Batman Begins/Incredible Hulk "reboot" on it.

We shall see.

Quick Baseball Notes

Just a few quick thoughts before I head off to sleep...

-- D-Backs Land Dunn
Obviously this is Arizona's response to the Manny deal - looking for a power boost to carry them through August/September.  I don't know if it'll work or not.  Dunn is very much a feast or famine hitter.  He'll hit a lot of home runs but he'll have a lot of rally-killing Ks as well.  It's interesting though because a lot of experts were projecting Dunn as the hot free agent next winter - the guy that all the teams might target instead of big money deals for Tex or Manny.  This'll give the D-Backs a bit of an inside track if they're aiming to keep him.

-- Manny To Yanks?
In typical East Coast biased reporting fashion, almost none of the news outlets picked up on Manny's (possibly temporary) desire to retire as a Dodger.  Instead, all we've seen is rabid speculation about the Yankees signing him to spite the Sox.  With Manny being Manny, who knows if he'll really feel the same way about the Dodgers in three days, let alone three months - but it'd be nice to see the "journalists" at the big sports sites at least acknowledge the possibility.

-- Lucchino to Dodgers?
I found this one interesting.  Reports of Larry Lucchino butting heads with Theo Epstein are in the air again and this time, instead of Theo's resignation/re-hiring, it looks like it might be Larry leaving town.  Speculation says he might end up in LA to serve as the team president.  Personally, despite McCourt's obsession with all things Sox, I don't really see it.  The Dodgers have enough trouble keeping the front office in order - why add another layer of red tape to it?

-- No Sale
Apparently Nolan Ryan wants to buy the Rangers from Tom Hicks but has been shut out so far - isn't it ironic, don'tchathink?  I'd like to see this happen.  Hicks has forever earned the ire of baseball fans for giving out the original A-Rod contract that threw the sport's finances for a loop.  Not to mention the deal he gave Chan Ho Park. 

-- Another Win, Another Day Of Mediocrity
The Dodgers knocked off the Phillies tonight - after nearly suffering another bullpen collapse.  I'm not sure what's up with the Dodgers' pen but it's a weakness they can't afford going into the home stretch.  They should have taken first place over the weekend and instead find themselves still a game out.  The end of the schedule is growing near so the time to "flip the switch" is now.

In Memory...

This post should have gone up yesterday but I just never found the time to do it right so I waited.

Yesterday, August 9th, marked the two year anniversary of the day my friend Danny died. I tried to read the post I wrote that day a few days ago, knowing the anniversary was approaching, and I still couldn't do it. I'm not sure I've actually ever re-read it, to be honest, because it's just too painful for me.

I use the word "died" as opposed to "passed away." I'm not a fan of that term. It's too gentle, too easy. Death is not a gentle and easy thing. Even for those who died peacefully or even those deaths you've "been expecting" for a long time, the actual end is not gentle and easy for those left behind. It's a jarring and brutal experience to have someone you care about torn from your life. It's probably a selfish way to look at it - but there it is.

I still have difficulty believing that he's gone. It still just doesn't seem real sometimes. As a non-religious person, you often hear people preaching that everything is part of "His plan." That's fine to believe that but I've still had no one explain to me what this divine plan is that involved taking my friend. If there's a reason for it, I'd love for someone to clue me in.

I try not to feel guilty anymore about our friendship. I wasn't always the best friend. He wasn't either. We both had our issues with one another that often had us go weeks or months without exchanging so much as an e-mail - nothing serious, just differences in personalities. But when we did get together, it always felt like just another day. At any given moment, you could expect a phone call with "an extra ticket" to some show - it seemed like Danny always had an extra ticket for something. In fact, the last conversation we had before he got sick involved him trying to get me to go see Pearl Jam with him and ditch out on the tickets I already had with someone else - that sounds mean, I know, but to his friends, it would almost be expected. It's just the way he was - one of those little personality quirks that put us on opposite pages at times.

I often wonder how people who have lost several friends early in their lives manage to wrap their heads around it. I find one to be overwhelming and can't imagine it when people tell me how they've lost several.

I said it once before on this blog that it's the little things that make me think of him and get angry "for him." I can still remember our friend Phil's bachelor party and Danny and I being geeky sitting outside a strip club discussing the Harry Potter book that had just come out. When the final book came out, I felt resentful that Danny would never get the chance to know how the story ended. It's the little things like when I saw Pearl Jam in '06 - just a few months after he died and I got teary-eyed during their set knowing how much he would have loved to be there. Danny was my fellow geek in comicdom - so I sit here loving this summer of comic book movies with a tinge of sadness because I can imagine just how much he would have loved Iron Man and the Dark Knight - not to mention how excited he would have been about the Star Wars movie coming out this week.

I guess over time that kind of thing fades but for now, I treasure it. I love getting e-mails about all the latest Star Wars collectibles coming out and smiling, thinking about how Danny would have immediately ordered it. I can still remember so vividly getting the text message from him that he was in the hospital sick with leukemia. Our first conversation after that had him obsessing about how he was going to miss Comic-Con and he needed someone to pick up his pre-ordered crap there. I was in shock that he was sick and stunned that that was the first thing on his mind. But again, that was just the way he was.

I still have trouble processing how it happened. He was in such good spirits when I last saw him in the hospital. He seemed like he was getting out of the hospital soon - his family certainly seemed to think so. He was so excited about the Star Wars convention coming to Los Angeles in '07. He was wanting to plan a poker night right away. And he kept laughing at me because with the "germ mask" (what the hell is that thing called?) on my face, he said I was breathing like Darth Vader and I kept fogging up my glasses. I was so surprised to hear he had taken a turn for the worse and words can't do justice the way I felt days later - although I imagine my blog posts over that period might shine a little light on it.

So many things have happened that he had to miss. Brian's wedding. My wedding. So many little get-togethers that he would have loved. I guess our circle of friends is somehow closer now - maybe it takes something like that to make that happen. It shouldn't - but sometimes I guess it does.

I'm rambling, I know. But this time, I think you'll excuse me for it.

One last thing...

I'm fairly sure I said this before on this blog but it's worth saying again. That last visit in the hospital had one moment that I doubt will ever leave my mind. Memories fade and all that jazz but I think this one'll stick. It was during a bit of a lull in the conversation when he said out of nowhere - "I hope if nothing else what I'm going through really makes you guys live your lives." I didn't think much of it at the time but I've thought a lot about it since then. I've often wondered if he knew he was in worse shape than he was letting on - it seems like such an odd thing for him to say. Danny was never one for that kind of talk but in this case, he was right. It's far too easy in this world to let life pass you by because you always think you'll have tomorrow.

But for some of us, tomorrow never comes.

Kind of a downer way to end this, I know, so let's pick a different finish.

Wherever you are, buddy, I hope you somehow know that we're trying - we're all trying to live up to what you hoped we'd learn.

And we still miss you, old friend.

More from the movies

When did JC Penny's start selling Nirvana shirts? Courtney Love should be dragged through the streets by rabid wolves before being beaten by Kurt's graveside.
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Jurassic Fight Club

Waiting to see Mamma Mia and they're showing a preview for a History Channel show called Jurassic Fight Club where they hypothecize and re-enact what would happen with two dinos throwing down.

Money, baby. Pure money
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Top Five Friday: An Olympic Edition

Damn. I have no way of cuing up the Olympic March for this post.

I LOVE the Olympics - absolutely love them. Winter, summer, whatever. It's the most amazing two weeks of sporting spectacle imaginable. So, you can imagine I'm superstoked for my first time watching them in HD. I can't wait!

So, with that in mind, I proudly present...

My Top Five Favorite Olympic Sports!

NOTE: I have disqualified basketball from these rankings because it's basically a continuation of the NBA season at this point.

5. Volleyball
Not beach - the madness that is on-court volleyball. I'm always amazed by the crazy rallies they get going, the speed of the serves, the insanity of the spikes. It's so much fun to watch.

4. Track And Field
I'm not really sure why I enjoy this one. There's not a lot of excitement in seeing people run in a circle - still better than NASCAR though... maybe not quite as cool as horse racing. I do enjoy watching a World Record get busted though.

3. Diving
Seriously. All those crazy twists and flips and spins and shit. Amazing. Plus, I like being able to figure out by the end of the competition what is and isn't "too much splash on entry." Hrrm. That sounds a bit dirty actually. Mental note to use that in a screenplay.

2. Swimming
I'm not really sure how or why swimming ends up a more exciting race than on foot but it so, so is. Especially when you get these nutcases that are going for like... ten medals in the same competition.

And my #1 favorite Olympic event...

1. Gymnastics
This is a tough one to admit. If you claim you're a fan of men's gymnastics, you highly imply that you have same-sex tendencies. If you claim you're a fan of women's gymnastics, most people look at you like you're a pedophile. If you claim you're a fan of both...

...you might be a Boy Scout leader! Wocka wocka wocka!

Game on... America!

And So It Is

The eagle is in flight.

Elvis has left the building.

The fat cat chews tabaccy at midnight.
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Love Songs On The KOST

Southern California readers of this blog know all too well that the LA easy listening station, KOST FM, used to do (still does?) "Love Songs On The KOST" where people would call in and make really cheesy dedications to be read over the air in a soft, soothing voice.

"Kevin wants to dedicate Billy Joel's 'Just The Way You Are' to Carol - he's missing you and wants you to know that no matter what, he loves you just the way you are."

This is the YMBB version of Love Songs On The KOST as I give a little shoutout to someone who needs some friendly advice. I heard this song on random on my iPod driving in to work this morning and it made me think of someone who should be listening to it (and hearing it to quote Wesley Snipes in White Men Can't Jump) in my stead.

So, to whom this one concerns... let the lovely Ms. Kate Nash provide you with a little bit of enlightenment on this late August evening.

An Autobiographical Summary

So, as readers of this blog are aware, I'm under the gun to complete my application for a writing contest. The entry needs to be postmarked by Friday so time is ticking. Of course, the script is done - so that puts the hard part on the shelf.

But there's a string of things that need to be done with it that are proving more difficult than I expected.

Notarized? Check.

Application? Check.

Registration? Check.

Summary of interest? Ch- wait, huh? What the fuck is that? Alright, let's skip it.

Autobiographical summary? Fuck me. Are you serious? I have no desire to write about my life. If I thought my life was interesting enough to entertain someone, I would have written a script based on my life and not danced in the creative world. I am not a biographer - and by no means am I an autobiographer.

I wonder if these judges have a sense of humor. Could I get by with the Copperfield quote used in Interview With The Vampire, "I was born, I grew up...?"

I can't imagine these poor souls dredging through entry after entry of "During my undergrad years at..." while people try to tie in any and all writing efforts they made over the years into their summary. I pity the fool.

I was born... I grew up...

I like the sound of that.

Writers Block

It's an odd thing but I find myself struggling a bit lately to find the words to fill these posts - a fact I'm sure many of you have noticed from the plethora of Youtube posts or random mutterings about Manny.

I'm not sure if it's a problem that I dumped so much creativity into the screenplay [which will be mailed in the next couple days, btw - yay me!] that I can't think of anything to write here. I find myself "stuck" in other creative endeavors as well.

I've been playing with iPhoto and iMovie a lot lately - soaking up some visual creativity so maybe that has drained me a bit as well.

Maybe I'm not reading enough.

Maybe I'm watching too much soap opera with recycled plots and sometimes shaky acting.

Maybe I need to find some of those "creative exercises."

Maybe I need to find some movies that make my mind tick.

It's a frustrating thing, you know? I've been on a roll for months with daily postings but with a lack of quality posts lately, I almost feel like I'm cheating a bit. Ehhh. Maybe I'm just whining.

Suggested topics for discussion are welcome!

F5! F5! F5!

In honor of Brock Lesnar's third MMA match taking place this weekend, I thought some of you might be curious to see what his first MMA fight was like...

More On Manny

Man, you non-Dodger fans must be pulling your hair out reading this blog this week but... well, I can't quite help it. Like I said, there's a buzz in the air... a kind of magic surrounding the team that hasn't been felt in a long, long while.

I just can't seem to find anything else that I want to write about - not yet anyways. I'm sure it'll come and come soon but for now, it's all about Number 99.

There has been a lot written about Manny over the past few days - some of it right here on this page - but this is one of my favorite pieces.

Some highlights...

Maaannnyyy, Maaannnyyy," came the chorus, ringing through the left-field bleachers. "Maaannnyyy! Maaannnyyy!"

Manny Ramirez, No. 99 in his baggy Dodgers uniform, stood at the plate.
A pitch came.

He swung.

Thwap!

The ball lofted from his bat and traced a smooth arc in the sky, heading directly for the patch of seats where I happened to be sitting with a group of the Dodgers' most rambunctious fans. When it landed just feet from us -- Ramirez's first Dodgers homer -- the bleachers shook with euphoria.

"Maaannnyyy! Maaannnyyy! Maaannnyyy!"

Helping lead the chorus was Gabriel Ruiz, a 25-year-old from South L.A. who is also a left-field, cheap-seats lifer, on hand for every game he can possibly make.

...

Sitting on splintered seats, Ruiz and his fellow Dodgers loyalist Renato Casas told me Saturday night they feel like they've died and gone to heaven.

"Surprised isn't the right word, really," said Casas, leaning in to speak to me just after the beginning of the game, which turned out to be a 4-2 Dodgers win. "More like, I just couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming."

"I mean, we're talking Manny Ramirez," Ruiz added, tugging his Dodgers cap. "Manny Ramirez? He's the best hitter in baseball. It's that simple. . . . Trust me, one man can make a difference."

...

I hated to be a killjoy but amid all of this positivity, all this belief, I spoke of my skepticism. It's hard for me to imagine this team getting much better just because it now has a left fielder who trudged to Hollywood with a shaky glove, a .299 batting average and 20 home runs this year, even if he is a lock for the Hall of Fame. Ramirez, 36, isn't exactly in his prime, I reminded.

No way, you gotta keep the faith, Ruiz told me. I noticed that he was also the only person in the stands wearing an Andruw Jones jersey.

"One man can make a difference," said Ruiz, who often sits in the stands with a blue Mohawk skullcap perched on his head. "You gotta believe."

...

Look, I said, this is the ultimate .500 team, a group of underachievers whose slogan should be "wait till next year."

They eyed me like I was either nuts, or simply a Giants fan about to get mauled.

This is the year, they vowed. This is the year.

We laughed together. We turned to the green field and the large crowd. Ramirez was up. He walked to the plate, swung, and the ball he struck popped off his bat as if shot from a bazooka, landing just a few rows from us.

When the chorus of cheers and the high-fives died down, Ruiz spoke up.

"You see?" he said. "One man can make a difference!"

Caught up in a great moment, I found myself agreeing. Sometimes it's good to be among the true fans, and to believe like they do.

At one point this year, a very wise man repeatedly said about his favorite basketball team - "You've gotta believe."

Well, that one didn't turn out so well in the end, I suppose...

But the believing never ends.

One man can make a difference. If you don't believe it, give Kirk Gibson a call.

Manny Is Very, Very Happy To Be Here - Just Hopes He Can Help The Ballclub

It is Day Two of the Manny Era in Los Angeles and things are developing nicely.

He had his first homerun as a Dodger tonight, something that contributed to a big win over the first place Diamondbacks and earned him a curtain call from the fans.

Tickets are selling like crazy. They sold something like 11,000 tix for Friday's game between 1 PM Thursday when the trade was announced and 4 PM Friday. They also sold a few hundred season tickets - all for a player the Dodgers aren't even paying this season.

There's a definite buzz in the air that hasn't surrounded the Dodgers in a long, long while. When I went to lunch on Friday afternoon, ESPN was discussing the deal at length - for basically an entire show. I can't remember the last time that happened.

To drop the cherry on top, Manny apparently announced to the world that he's so happy in LA that he hopes to retire as a Dodger. Now, one can never tell if that's just "Manny being Manny" but on Day Two of the Manny Era, the fans seem like they would agree with him.

Of course, there's an odd man out at the moment named Andre Ethier who has spent two days on the bench despite playing so well this season. Here's hoping they can get Andruw Jones or Juan Pierre out of town on a waiver deal to clear the logjam a bit because Andre definitely deserves to be playing right now.

But for now, the Manny Era is in full effect and everything is sunshine and roses.

Check back later to see if it stays that way.

There's Magic In The Stars

Somehow the sun seems to be shining just a little brighter on this early August morning.

Oh, by the way, Dodger fans? Clear your calendars for October.

Deadline Watch: The Final Day

Just got my Internet connection back up this morning so I thought I'd dig through the MLB Trade Rumors and spit out some random commentary on what I see:

Couple Of Teams In On Dunn
I'm surprised it's taken this long. With Dunn, you get a powerful corner outfielder that are always in high demand. The problem is - he either strikes out, walks, or homers. But the power upside is so large, you would think people would be lining up to discuss him.

Giants Like Beltre
That's an interesting one. Apparently the Giants believe he'd thrive back in the NL West. It's hard to say as he bailed out after his one excellent season in the NL West. There were some rumors before the Blake deal that the Dodgers were looking at him. I never really expected that go anywhere though - apparently Beltre has the Dodgers on his "no trade" list. How's that for gratitude?

Rhodes To Marlins?
It amazes me how valuable aging relievers become this time of year. A team with a bushel of them that's not a contender could make out like a banshee right now.

Brian Roberts Not Available
Interesting. Perhaps my favorite rumor of this mid-season hot stove was the Dodgers looking at Roberts with the intent of making Kent a pinch hitter and occasional first baseman for the rest of the season before he either retires or moves on. I'm personally of the opinion that Kent is a big reason for the uncomfortable chemistry on our team and the Dodgers will take a big step up when he's gone.

Dunn Rumors
So, the D-Backs offered up Chad Tracy for Dunn. That had to be a tough one for the Reds to turn down. The Rays are apparently in as well.

Sox In On Street
The White Sox have thrown their name in the mix for Huston Street. It seems like almost every team in the league has been in on Street at some point over the past few weeks.

Maddux Watch
Talks have stalled between the Pads and the Dodgers over Maddux. Apparently, the Dodgers (thankfully) realized they have all the leverage in these negotiations and aren't giving in. There's speculation this may spill over into August for a waiver deal.

JUNIOR!
Ken Griffey Jr. dealt to the White Sox. Well, that makes the Dunn rumors make a lot of sense now as the Reds have moved into a rebuild mode. It's a shame that Junior didn't end up back in Seattle like he wanted though. He's always seemed like a real good guy so best of luck to him.

Manny To Florida?
Rumors persist on this three-way deal between the Marlins/Red Sox/Pirates. Does anyone actually believe that the Marlins would keep Manny? This is just like the Piazza deal all over again.

Deadline Watch

My mobile Google Reader showed a bit about the Dodgers having interest in Greg Maddux.

I support this deal if the price is right - and it should be considering how badly the Pads want to move him and LA is one of the only places he'll go.

At worst, you get an extra pitching coach for two months and I can think of far worse things than Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley hanging around a future HOFer for 60 days. At best, you add a solid starter to a rotation that has looked shaky as of late.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Uh Oh

With Ned Coletti's job in jeopardy, many Dodgers fans have been holding their breath over the past few weeks as trade rumors swirled. There was a narrow aversion of disaster when Frank McCourt put the kibosh on a rumored CC Sabathia deal that would have lost Matt Kemp for the team - a deal I wouldn't find worth the cost.

But when Casey Blake was acquired this week for a relatively low cost, many Dodger fans breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this trade deadline would pass without any more frightening moments.

Hold on tight, Dodger fans.

From Jon Heyman at SI:

The Dodgers are one of a few teams showing interest in embattled superstar Manny Ramirez and are currently in discussions with the Red Sox, SI.com has learned.

However the talks are said to be in the very early stages, and there are numerous complications and hurdles to clear for a Dodgers deal to get done. People familiar with the talks say it is too early to gauge the chances for a trade.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, a Bostonian, is believed to love the idea of adding Ramirez to bolster the Dodgers' mediocre offense. However, McCourt, whose team has previously acquired or signed ex-Red Sox Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Lowe, Bill Mueller and manager Grady Little under his stewardship, has been telling Dodgers people he doesn't want to add payroll during this trading season, and has been openly complaining about disappointing attendance and revenues. Ramirez is making $20 million this year.

...

Dodgers players likely to interest the Red Sox would include young outfielders Matt Kemp and perhaps Andre Ethier. The Dodgers have a deep reservoir of young talent.

...

While Ramirez has announced that he badly wants out of Boston, it is believed he'd want an acquiring team to waive the $20-million team option for 2009 so he can become a free agent.

Lots of red flags there. First off, there is no chance I trade Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier in this deal - especially if Manny insists on that team option being waived. Even if he doesn't, Kemp's off-limits and Ethier is right there with him. If the Sox were willing to take one of the Dodgers' bad contracts back [either Jones, Schmidt, or Pierre] I'd consider putting Ethier in the deal very reluctantly.

This one really concerns me because we all know McCourt's weakness for BoSox players. I'd love to see Manny in Dodger Blue but only at the right price. If you can't keep him or get him on the cheap, let him become a free agent and revisit it then.

Life Imitates Art

Well, that was bizarre.

I was watching Ocean's 13 a little while ago and it had gotten to the part where they simulate the earthquake in the hotel to get everyone to leave. I got up from the couch to grab my lunch...

...and the room starts shaking. How fucking weird is that?

Looks like a 5.6 earthquake centered about 20 miles north of here.

It was a good-sized one. Shook for quite a while, made the apartment sway a bit, knocked over a few things. There was a tiny aftershock a short while after that as well - apparently a 3.8. The guy on the news just said there's a "one in twenty percent" chance that it's a foreshock. I don't understand that math. Must be some of that "new math" stuff.

And I Can't Even Get An Interview

I'm enjoying a day off today so you may see a scattering of really random posts from me today as things pop into my mind.

Kicking it off is one of the weirder pieces of news I've seen in some time as the WWE has hired a new member to their creative team...



That's right. The former king of teen comedies has "earned" a slot in the madness of the WWE writers room. Early estimates put his over/under at one month before he caves under the demands of travel, politics, and a psychotic but brilliant boss.

Yep. Freddie Prinze Jr. will help shape the future of the WWE...

...and I can't even get an interview.

The world trickles one step closer to collapsing upon itself.

Manny Watch

As the favorite MLB player that I met on my wedding day, Manny Ramirez holds a special place of interest to me. So, hearing that he was back on the trading block piqued my GM instincts.

As I thought about it, there seemed to be only one fair trade scenario.

The Red Sox send Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers in exchange for...

Andruw Jones.

That's obvious, right? The Sox need an OF in return - one with the potential to be awesome. Obviously, Andruw hasn't been that great this year but... well, yeah. You want to get rid of a problem, you probably have to take one back.

But I'll sweeten the pot for you.

I'll toss in longtime Boston fan favorite, Nomar Garciaparra.

Deal?

Screenplay Update

For those of you who care, you'll be pleased to know that the final draft of my first screenplay was completed yesterday. As of last night, I now officially have my first screenplay registered with the Writers Guild of America - which is a far cry from being a WGA member but hey, it's a step, right?

So, in the coming days, I'll be submitting the screenplay to a competition that could prove quite profitable.

Updates to come as I have them.

And now?

Time to start a second one!

"Dick, to the Batpole!"

Fans of this blog know that I have absolutely no qualms with kicking our President when he's down - although I do have a little concern that publishing something calling Bush a coke addict might get me on some kind of FBI watchlist.



If we lose the ability to see in our mind's eye a giant "KAPOW!" when Bush speaks, the terrorists win.