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.
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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.

How'd That Turn Out For You?