"The Chinese government says Japan has yet to atone properly for its war crimes, which it says included massacres and forcing people to work as virtual slaves in factories or as prostitutes."
Yeah, God. What was with the Japanese forcing Chinese to work as virtual slaves? They apparently forced them so hard that the Chinese government had some serious problems un-forcing them into virtual slavery. I don't mean to trivialize the account of the woman detailed in this story but I found the word choice ironic. In other words, only the Chinese government has the right to force the Chinese people into virtual slavery.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
John from Cinci Part II
*Spoiler Alert
John from Cincinnati has taken a gigantic step forward out of the cold and into my heart with its fantastic second episode. Yes, I phrased the previous sentence that way to sound like a huge pussy on purpose.
My buddy's girlfriend... Wait, that's kinda rude of me. She's a buddy too. Chauvinistic of me to refer to her only in terms of her boyfriend, no? But I digress, she was crazy enough to characterize the show as "stupid", citing specifically the "predictable" manner in which the episode ended. To each his OR HER own, but I couldn't agree less. How could anyone anticipate a comatose kid being awoken seemingly by the kiss of a bird?
Much of what makes the mystical aspects of this show - the levitating, John's mysterious origin and purpose, and the aforementioned ending of the second episode to name a few - so engaging is its stark contrast with the fabric of Deadwood. John is armed with the same nuanced dialogue and poetic soliloquy's of its predecessor, but the show's hook seems largely an anti-existential search for meaning, rather than a brutally honest case study of the nature of early capitalistic enterprise during the gold rush. Having been such a fan of Deadwood, I anticipated nothing short of Seany's demise. Who knows? Maybe that's still to come. He's obviously not out of the woods yet.
This show has so many voids aching to be addressed...in a good way: Why is Al Bundy's character so crazy? From his career as a cop? What is his relationship to the family? Did he first meet Sean after having been involved to some degree with Butchy because of his drug problems and subsequent run ins with the law? Where's Butchy's wife, Sean's mother? Dead? Will Butchy overcome his demons and become an active participant in his son's life? And in his own? What's going on with the bipolar motel owner who won Megamillions? He's expressed interest in learning how to surf. Presumably, he'll trade surfing lessons for allowing Butchy to remain squatting in his motel? Where do the matriarch and patriarch of the family go from here? Grandpa essentially requested that Sean be unplugged. Grandma vehemently refused to let this happen. And now there's a glimmer of hope for Sean which makes grandpa's sentiments all the more egregious.
All of this stuff lurks in John's shadow, the show's namesake, and the mystery of his purpose and origins. Is he really from Cincinnati? Will he become somewhat of a Christ figure? Will they ever fully explain who he is or where he came from? I think we've only just begun to see the impact he'll have on the lives of these other people. When he said, "the end is near" I thought he may have been foreshadowing tragedy. Perhaps he was referring to a new beginning?
John from Cincinnati has taken a gigantic step forward out of the cold and into my heart with its fantastic second episode. Yes, I phrased the previous sentence that way to sound like a huge pussy on purpose.
My buddy's girlfriend... Wait, that's kinda rude of me. She's a buddy too. Chauvinistic of me to refer to her only in terms of her boyfriend, no? But I digress, she was crazy enough to characterize the show as "stupid", citing specifically the "predictable" manner in which the episode ended. To each his OR HER own, but I couldn't agree less. How could anyone anticipate a comatose kid being awoken seemingly by the kiss of a bird?
Much of what makes the mystical aspects of this show - the levitating, John's mysterious origin and purpose, and the aforementioned ending of the second episode to name a few - so engaging is its stark contrast with the fabric of Deadwood. John is armed with the same nuanced dialogue and poetic soliloquy's of its predecessor, but the show's hook seems largely an anti-existential search for meaning, rather than a brutally honest case study of the nature of early capitalistic enterprise during the gold rush. Having been such a fan of Deadwood, I anticipated nothing short of Seany's demise. Who knows? Maybe that's still to come. He's obviously not out of the woods yet.
This show has so many voids aching to be addressed...in a good way: Why is Al Bundy's character so crazy? From his career as a cop? What is his relationship to the family? Did he first meet Sean after having been involved to some degree with Butchy because of his drug problems and subsequent run ins with the law? Where's Butchy's wife, Sean's mother? Dead? Will Butchy overcome his demons and become an active participant in his son's life? And in his own? What's going on with the bipolar motel owner who won Megamillions? He's expressed interest in learning how to surf. Presumably, he'll trade surfing lessons for allowing Butchy to remain squatting in his motel? Where do the matriarch and patriarch of the family go from here? Grandpa essentially requested that Sean be unplugged. Grandma vehemently refused to let this happen. And now there's a glimmer of hope for Sean which makes grandpa's sentiments all the more egregious.
All of this stuff lurks in John's shadow, the show's namesake, and the mystery of his purpose and origins. Is he really from Cincinnati? Will he become somewhat of a Christ figure? Will they ever fully explain who he is or where he came from? I think we've only just begun to see the impact he'll have on the lives of these other people. When he said, "the end is near" I thought he may have been foreshadowing tragedy. Perhaps he was referring to a new beginning?
Thursday, June 14, 2007
My [first] 4
As I am rendered speechless when faced with the daunting task of creating a list of the 25 greatest stories in sports of the last 25 years, I'm going to take a path of least resistance and make a list of 10 moments that, for one reason or another, I remember here and now at this moment. Funny how easily and eagerly I berated USA Today's list, yet admittedly struggle at the thought of conjuring up my own. Even still, dickhead does this all day every day and for a living. I am afforded no such luxury.
I'm not going to even try to put them in any order.
1. In 1992, the Penn State Nittany Lions went to South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish. At the time, I wore Adidas Samba Classics not because I was remotely interested in playing indoor soccer, but because they resembled the Adidas cleats Rick Mirer wore that year. This made pretending I was Notre Dame's signal caller for countless hours in my front yard exponentially more authentic. I even looked the part... or so I thought. But I digress. With no time left, the Irish scored a touchdown to come within a point of Penn State. I believe, though I could be mistaken, it came on a 10 yard scamper from Jerome Bettis. As the snow continued to fall in South Bend, it became apparent Notre Dame would be going for the two point conversion and the win...
Rick Mirer dropped back to pass. The pocket collapsed almost immediately. Flushed out, Mirer ran to his right, toward the sideline, but also away from the line of scrimmage. I was young, but I recognized broken plays. This was a broken play. My heart sank as Mirer threw a purposeful wobbler toward the back of the end zone. Reggie Brooks, who had been streaking along the back of the end zone in the same direction as his quarterback, dove, fully extended, and caught the pass.... And the crowd roared...and the band played...and so it goes
2. In the 2001 MLB playoffs, Derek Jeter came out of no where to intercept and flip to Jorge Posada to get Jeremy Giambi out at the plate. This was quite possibly the singular most spectacular baseball play I have ever seen. It had it all; the perfect combination of context, anomaly, timing, and pure athleticism.
3. In 2003 Derek Jeter's momentum brought him crashing into the stands after catching a foul ball down the third baseline. The play was amazing. Complete disregard for his own well-being. What makes this play memorable enough for my top 10, however, is the ensuing battle royale. I was at Mussolini's apartment watching the game with Mussolini, one of her roommates, and one of my best friends (who happens to date said roommate). Although Mussolini does not care at all for the Red Sox, or sports in general, she likes to pretend she's a fan when it suits her purpose/to piss me off. With the help and support of her friend, she started in on me by way of Jeter. "Oh my god! Oh my god! What a pussy?! He could have stopped! He didn't have to dive into the stands. He wasn't even running that fast!" she raved with a disgusted look on her face. Having already weathered the usual shit storm of BS Red Sox fans usually spew- throughout the game up until that point- I was at wits end... I snapped.
I started by screaming about how she and her friend couldn't comprehend how difficult a catch like that was because they, as girls, had never pulled off anything remotely athletic before. I could see the fear in her sidekicks eyes. She knew they'd pushed me too far. As I turned angrily to my loving girlfriend, however, my gaze was met not by fear or remorse but an equal and opposite fury instead. It got ugly. It went on and on. She touched upon the fact that I only played high school football. I responded by reminding her, and everyone within ten blocks for that matter, that playing women's college lacrosse for one season doesn't constitute a sport because women are, by nature, inferior to men in terms of athletic ability. I'm pretty sure I referred not to "women" so much as I referred to "broads".
This episode ended when I stormed down the hallway and out the door of her apartment, slamming the door behind me. We reconciled two days later.
4. The Giants second Superbowl victory in 1991 (1990 football season) left an indelible mark. I remember watching the game at the home of a family friend with my father and his buddy (who would later become my confirmation sponsor...I renounced Catholicism at the dinner directly following the ceremony). This family friend actually wore Giants' colored tiger print pants. Phenomenal. Remember those things? I remember Mark Ingram's huge third down reception, having caught the ball yards short of the marker, the way he danced back and forth to allude defenders. I remember with how pain Bruce Smith swiped the ball out of Jeff Hostetler's hand and out of bounds for a safety. I remember how Thurman Thomas couldn't find his helmet after the national anthem. How OJ Anderson's knee pads were drooping out the bottom of his pants en route to his MVP performance. I remember sitting on the edge of my seat in a silent room with two grown men who'd been drinking for hours yet managed to remain absolutely silent in the moments leading up to the Bills' final field goal attempt. As the Giants' joined hands on the sideline and Scott Norwood and the Buffalo Bills set up for that historic kick. What I remember most, though, is the smiling, laughing, the screaming and the excessive high fiving that followed that field goal attempt sailing wide right. I remember running downstairs into the basement where my siblings and a bunch of other little kids played hide and go seek in blissful ignorance.
Maybe I'll get to some more later.
I'm not going to even try to put them in any order.
1. In 1992, the Penn State Nittany Lions went to South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish. At the time, I wore Adidas Samba Classics not because I was remotely interested in playing indoor soccer, but because they resembled the Adidas cleats Rick Mirer wore that year. This made pretending I was Notre Dame's signal caller for countless hours in my front yard exponentially more authentic. I even looked the part... or so I thought. But I digress. With no time left, the Irish scored a touchdown to come within a point of Penn State. I believe, though I could be mistaken, it came on a 10 yard scamper from Jerome Bettis. As the snow continued to fall in South Bend, it became apparent Notre Dame would be going for the two point conversion and the win...
Rick Mirer dropped back to pass. The pocket collapsed almost immediately. Flushed out, Mirer ran to his right, toward the sideline, but also away from the line of scrimmage. I was young, but I recognized broken plays. This was a broken play. My heart sank as Mirer threw a purposeful wobbler toward the back of the end zone. Reggie Brooks, who had been streaking along the back of the end zone in the same direction as his quarterback, dove, fully extended, and caught the pass.... And the crowd roared...and the band played...and so it goes
2. In the 2001 MLB playoffs, Derek Jeter came out of no where to intercept and flip to Jorge Posada to get Jeremy Giambi out at the plate. This was quite possibly the singular most spectacular baseball play I have ever seen. It had it all; the perfect combination of context, anomaly, timing, and pure athleticism.
3. In 2003 Derek Jeter's momentum brought him crashing into the stands after catching a foul ball down the third baseline. The play was amazing. Complete disregard for his own well-being. What makes this play memorable enough for my top 10, however, is the ensuing battle royale. I was at Mussolini's apartment watching the game with Mussolini, one of her roommates, and one of my best friends (who happens to date said roommate). Although Mussolini does not care at all for the Red Sox, or sports in general, she likes to pretend she's a fan when it suits her purpose/to piss me off. With the help and support of her friend, she started in on me by way of Jeter. "Oh my god! Oh my god! What a pussy?! He could have stopped! He didn't have to dive into the stands. He wasn't even running that fast!" she raved with a disgusted look on her face. Having already weathered the usual shit storm of BS Red Sox fans usually spew- throughout the game up until that point- I was at wits end... I snapped.
I started by screaming about how she and her friend couldn't comprehend how difficult a catch like that was because they, as girls, had never pulled off anything remotely athletic before. I could see the fear in her sidekicks eyes. She knew they'd pushed me too far. As I turned angrily to my loving girlfriend, however, my gaze was met not by fear or remorse but an equal and opposite fury instead. It got ugly. It went on and on. She touched upon the fact that I only played high school football. I responded by reminding her, and everyone within ten blocks for that matter, that playing women's college lacrosse for one season doesn't constitute a sport because women are, by nature, inferior to men in terms of athletic ability. I'm pretty sure I referred not to "women" so much as I referred to "broads".
This episode ended when I stormed down the hallway and out the door of her apartment, slamming the door behind me. We reconciled two days later.
4. The Giants second Superbowl victory in 1991 (1990 football season) left an indelible mark. I remember watching the game at the home of a family friend with my father and his buddy (who would later become my confirmation sponsor...I renounced Catholicism at the dinner directly following the ceremony). This family friend actually wore Giants' colored tiger print pants. Phenomenal. Remember those things? I remember Mark Ingram's huge third down reception, having caught the ball yards short of the marker, the way he danced back and forth to allude defenders. I remember with how pain Bruce Smith swiped the ball out of Jeff Hostetler's hand and out of bounds for a safety. I remember how Thurman Thomas couldn't find his helmet after the national anthem. How OJ Anderson's knee pads were drooping out the bottom of his pants en route to his MVP performance. I remember sitting on the edge of my seat in a silent room with two grown men who'd been drinking for hours yet managed to remain absolutely silent in the moments leading up to the Bills' final field goal attempt. As the Giants' joined hands on the sideline and Scott Norwood and the Buffalo Bills set up for that historic kick. What I remember most, though, is the smiling, laughing, the screaming and the excessive high fiving that followed that field goal attempt sailing wide right. I remember running downstairs into the basement where my siblings and a bunch of other little kids played hide and go seek in blissful ignorance.
Maybe I'll get to some more later.
The 25 Greatest Sports Stories of the last 25 Years....
..according to USA Today.
This list is absolutely horrible. I take offense particularly because this list is supposedly representative of my lifetime. Not to mention it's riddled with stories that are utterly impossible to characterize as "great". To the contrary, some of them are downright sad.
1 Red Sox Win World Series
Give me a fucking break. This was the greatest sports moment of the last 25 years?? I think even Boston cared more when the Sox beat the Yankees in the ALCS to get to the World Series than it did about the actual World Series.
2 Ripken breaks record
Cal Ripken is one of the most overrated players in baseball history. There, I said it.
3 Tiger wins first Masters
Nothing about golf should ever make a list of this sort. If you're making this list for the average American, I'm sorry but you've got to look to basketball, football, and baseball almost exclusively.
4 Villanova upsets Georgetown
Ok, so I don't really remember this cause I was three. But Villanova and Georgetown play in the same conference (not sure this was the case in '84). So is it really that much of an upset? Both relatively little Catholic schools from the same region of the US. The bigger story was that these two teams played in this game. But that alone doesn't get this game onto this list.
5 BALCO-steroids in baseball
Top moment? Greatest story? This moment blows. I think of it more along the lines of.....embarrassing.
6 1998 home run chase
See number 5. The '98 home run chase means nothing. I poop on the 1998 home run chase. I'd especially like to take a dump on Mark McGwire.
7 N.C. State upsets Houston
What? I don't remember this either. I do remember countless rehashes of Jimmy Valvano and his "never give up" speech.....which was touching.
8 Nicklaus, at 46, wins '86 Masters
Nope. Cross this one out. Golf sucks. Some white guy in silly pants beating a group of other white guys in silly pants DOES NOT BELONG ON THIS LIST. Plus, if Julio Franco and Roger Clemens can still play in the majors, it's not really that amazing for a 46 year old to play 18 holes of golf without a coronary.
9 Magic Johnson retires with HIV
In terms of social significance, this is rightfully on the list. Magic's contracting HIV screamed to Americans, perhaps for the second time, that HIV is not an exclusively gay disease and that straight men and women can contract it too from having unprotected sex.
10 Pete Rose banned
Pete Rose is a really ugly dude, no? This is an example of a story people don't really care about but that the media refuses to let die. Pete Rose was Charlie Hustle. Pete Rose is also a huge scumbag. Case closed. Done.
11 Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass
Finally, a worthy moment! This play was incredible. I watched this entire game on ESPN classic around Christmas. In the context of the rest of the game, which was one for the history books in and of itself, Flutie's Hail Mary pass is all the more more impressive.
12 Dale Earnhardt's death
Sad, but racing is not a sport. Driving cars around in circles doesn't qualify. Nascar is little more than a game with potentially dire consequences.
13 Kirk Gibson walk-off homer
This qualifies. Even if Gibson's celebration as he rounded the bases also qualifies as one of the most obnoxious in the history of sports. If you're gonna pinch hit, may as well hit a walk off dinger in the World Series.
14 U.S. women win '99 World Cup
This one involves women.....so it doesn't qualify. It was cool when that one broad took her shirt of though. I do remember that part. Gender disqualification aside, weren't the U.S women favorites to win the '99 World Cup? So where's the story here?
15 Bill Buckner error
Uuuuhhh, I'll give this one the nod. Even though the error was not made in the clinching game, it was an enormous boner of a play. More sad than great though, no?
16 Christian Laettner jumper sends Duke into '92 NCAA Final Four
I hated Christian Laettner and Duke....but this play and the subsequent celebration were unbelievable!
17 Harding-Kerrigan skating scandal
Yeah right. Not even dignifying this with commentary.
18 Jordan ends first part of NBA career with winning shot vs. Utah
Yes, fantastic moment. Even though at the time, as a Knicks fan living in suburban Chicago, I HATED Michael Jordan.
19 Postponed by earthquake
Yeah, this was significant. Great?
20 Ashe has AIDS
This was very significant too. Up until Ashe had AIDS, it was considered a gay disease.
21 Armstrong wins seven consecutive Tours de France
Even if he was chemically enhanced, which remains to be proven, who cares? Everyone in cycling's on dope. Lance Armstrong came back from cancer!
22 O.J. Simpson trial
This was big in a saddy sad sad way and for a plethora of reasons. I was at a little league BBQ at my coaches house during the chase.
23 '94 World Series canceled
THIS IS HUGE. IF THIS HADN'T HAPPENED, BASEBALL MAY NOT HAVE TURNED A BLIND EYE DURING THE STEROID ERA. BUT IT WAS SO CONCERNED WITH RE-ESTABLISHING A FAN BASE THAT STEROIDS WERE IMPLICITLY ALLOWED.
24 Pervasiveness of ESPN
YES! I FUCKIN LOVE ESPN. CAN YOU IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT IT? OH MY GOD, I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT.
25 Gretzky sets NHL scoring record
Who gives a shit about hockey? The answer: No one. Please see the ratings of this year's Stanley Cup Finals if you're looking for proof.
I'm going to have to make my own list...which will probably be just as bad...but for it's own reasons....amongst which will be my transcendent biases. I can guarantee one thing though, it won't be this bottom heavy with things from the first 10 to 15 years of the last 25.
This list is absolutely horrible. I take offense particularly because this list is supposedly representative of my lifetime. Not to mention it's riddled with stories that are utterly impossible to characterize as "great". To the contrary, some of them are downright sad.
1 Red Sox Win World Series
Give me a fucking break. This was the greatest sports moment of the last 25 years?? I think even Boston cared more when the Sox beat the Yankees in the ALCS to get to the World Series than it did about the actual World Series.
2 Ripken breaks record
Cal Ripken is one of the most overrated players in baseball history. There, I said it.
3 Tiger wins first Masters
Nothing about golf should ever make a list of this sort. If you're making this list for the average American, I'm sorry but you've got to look to basketball, football, and baseball almost exclusively.
4 Villanova upsets Georgetown
Ok, so I don't really remember this cause I was three. But Villanova and Georgetown play in the same conference (not sure this was the case in '84). So is it really that much of an upset? Both relatively little Catholic schools from the same region of the US. The bigger story was that these two teams played in this game. But that alone doesn't get this game onto this list.
5 BALCO-steroids in baseball
Top moment? Greatest story? This moment blows. I think of it more along the lines of.....embarrassing.
6 1998 home run chase
See number 5. The '98 home run chase means nothing. I poop on the 1998 home run chase. I'd especially like to take a dump on Mark McGwire.
7 N.C. State upsets Houston
What? I don't remember this either. I do remember countless rehashes of Jimmy Valvano and his "never give up" speech.....which was touching.
8 Nicklaus, at 46, wins '86 Masters
Nope. Cross this one out. Golf sucks. Some white guy in silly pants beating a group of other white guys in silly pants DOES NOT BELONG ON THIS LIST. Plus, if Julio Franco and Roger Clemens can still play in the majors, it's not really that amazing for a 46 year old to play 18 holes of golf without a coronary.
9 Magic Johnson retires with HIV
In terms of social significance, this is rightfully on the list. Magic's contracting HIV screamed to Americans, perhaps for the second time, that HIV is not an exclusively gay disease and that straight men and women can contract it too from having unprotected sex.
10 Pete Rose banned
Pete Rose is a really ugly dude, no? This is an example of a story people don't really care about but that the media refuses to let die. Pete Rose was Charlie Hustle. Pete Rose is also a huge scumbag. Case closed. Done.
11 Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass
Finally, a worthy moment! This play was incredible. I watched this entire game on ESPN classic around Christmas. In the context of the rest of the game, which was one for the history books in and of itself, Flutie's Hail Mary pass is all the more more impressive.
12 Dale Earnhardt's death
Sad, but racing is not a sport. Driving cars around in circles doesn't qualify. Nascar is little more than a game with potentially dire consequences.
13 Kirk Gibson walk-off homer
This qualifies. Even if Gibson's celebration as he rounded the bases also qualifies as one of the most obnoxious in the history of sports. If you're gonna pinch hit, may as well hit a walk off dinger in the World Series.
14 U.S. women win '99 World Cup
This one involves women.....so it doesn't qualify. It was cool when that one broad took her shirt of though. I do remember that part. Gender disqualification aside, weren't the U.S women favorites to win the '99 World Cup? So where's the story here?
15 Bill Buckner error
Uuuuhhh, I'll give this one the nod. Even though the error was not made in the clinching game, it was an enormous boner of a play. More sad than great though, no?
16 Christian Laettner jumper sends Duke into '92 NCAA Final Four
I hated Christian Laettner and Duke....but this play and the subsequent celebration were unbelievable!
17 Harding-Kerrigan skating scandal
Yeah right. Not even dignifying this with commentary.
18 Jordan ends first part of NBA career with winning shot vs. Utah
Yes, fantastic moment. Even though at the time, as a Knicks fan living in suburban Chicago, I HATED Michael Jordan.
19 Postponed by earthquake
Yeah, this was significant. Great?
20 Ashe has AIDS
This was very significant too. Up until Ashe had AIDS, it was considered a gay disease.
21 Armstrong wins seven consecutive Tours de France
Even if he was chemically enhanced, which remains to be proven, who cares? Everyone in cycling's on dope. Lance Armstrong came back from cancer!
22 O.J. Simpson trial
This was big in a saddy sad sad way and for a plethora of reasons. I was at a little league BBQ at my coaches house during the chase.
23 '94 World Series canceled
THIS IS HUGE. IF THIS HADN'T HAPPENED, BASEBALL MAY NOT HAVE TURNED A BLIND EYE DURING THE STEROID ERA. BUT IT WAS SO CONCERNED WITH RE-ESTABLISHING A FAN BASE THAT STEROIDS WERE IMPLICITLY ALLOWED.
24 Pervasiveness of ESPN
YES! I FUCKIN LOVE ESPN. CAN YOU IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT IT? OH MY GOD, I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT.
25 Gretzky sets NHL scoring record
Who gives a shit about hockey? The answer: No one. Please see the ratings of this year's Stanley Cup Finals if you're looking for proof.
I'm going to have to make my own list...which will probably be just as bad...but for it's own reasons....amongst which will be my transcendent biases. I can guarantee one thing though, it won't be this bottom heavy with things from the first 10 to 15 years of the last 25.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Field Day
Somebody call Norman Rockwell and send him to the field day currently taking place at the intersection of Route 16 and Walnut Street in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
In a happy twist of fate, I was forced out of the office during lunch to run to the ATM machine. On my way back, I drove past what appeared to be a school's field day. There were about 20 to 30 kids behind a fence on grass field adjacent to a school, playing kickball. Huddled around a table behind the backstop, stuffing their swollen faces, and likely chattering away with their well-fed mouths full, stood a group of about 10 mothers or teachers. Play on the field had ceased. Two boys, who appeared to be taller than most of their peers, were beating the living shit out of each other. At first glance, I thought maybe the exchange was merely a tussle between friends. As I applied pressure to the brake, however, I realized I was mistaken. Furious facial expressions accompanied ample hair pulling, while frantic punches were thrown in all directions. This was personal. The thirst of these warriors could only be quenched by blood. Swellesley style. It was awesome.
As their peers stood by and looked on, frozen in place but wide eyed, and their keepers continued to engorge themselves on anything and everything they could get their hands on, the blood letting continued.
Americana.
In a happy twist of fate, I was forced out of the office during lunch to run to the ATM machine. On my way back, I drove past what appeared to be a school's field day. There were about 20 to 30 kids behind a fence on grass field adjacent to a school, playing kickball. Huddled around a table behind the backstop, stuffing their swollen faces, and likely chattering away with their well-fed mouths full, stood a group of about 10 mothers or teachers. Play on the field had ceased. Two boys, who appeared to be taller than most of their peers, were beating the living shit out of each other. At first glance, I thought maybe the exchange was merely a tussle between friends. As I applied pressure to the brake, however, I realized I was mistaken. Furious facial expressions accompanied ample hair pulling, while frantic punches were thrown in all directions. This was personal. The thirst of these warriors could only be quenched by blood. Swellesley style. It was awesome.
As their peers stood by and looked on, frozen in place but wide eyed, and their keepers continued to engorge themselves on anything and everything they could get their hands on, the blood letting continued.
Americana.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
John from Cincinati
I think it's pretty obvious I'm a sucker for every HBO Original Series that comes down the pike. I'm at least wiling to give them all a chance.
One of the guys that writes John from Cincinnati wrote Deadwood. Deadwood was the best show in the history of television. I was really bummed when I found out they hadn't renewed the Deadwood deal. As such, I wouldn't say that I'm eager to like John from Cincinnati. If anything, I kind of resent it for taking Milch away from producing more Deadwood.
Abstract:
Surfing family from SoCal. Grandfather is a living surfing legend but has a fucked up knee that forced him out of competitive surfing prematurely. At the point in time where the show picks up, he thinks he has a brain tumor because he perceives himself to be capable of levitating from time- while he's sane enough to realize the likelihood he's seeing things. As it turns out, he's not imagining it because his son witnesses it. Though we're really not sure because this guy, his estranged son, with whom his relationship is very much strained, was the [surfing] heir apparent only until, at some point along the way, he became a heroin addict. His father, the grandfather, attributes at least some of the blame for his son's fall from grace to the commercialization of surfing. He (the son) is currently a squatter in a motel that's about to be knocked down by a suicidal gay dude who recently won MegaMillions and bought the land. The addicts son, the first guy's grandson, who lives with his grandfather while his father struggles with addiction, is a prodigious surfer in his own right at 13 yrs old. Despite his fathers apparent struggles, he still very much looks up to him.
This John character, who is the show's namesake, is either retarded, from another planet, or suffering from amnesia. I'm thinkin he suffers from some sort of amnesia but they don't really get into it. Or at least they haven't yet. He enters their lives seemingly by chance. Who really knows, though, at this point?
The show also features Luke Perry as a talent/surfing agent, Al Bundy as a weirdo ex-cop, and Rebecca De Mornay as grandma.
The dialogue is really crazy. David Milch, of NYPD Blue and Deadwood fame, is a genius.
One of the guys that writes John from Cincinnati wrote Deadwood. Deadwood was the best show in the history of television. I was really bummed when I found out they hadn't renewed the Deadwood deal. As such, I wouldn't say that I'm eager to like John from Cincinnati. If anything, I kind of resent it for taking Milch away from producing more Deadwood.
Abstract:
Surfing family from SoCal. Grandfather is a living surfing legend but has a fucked up knee that forced him out of competitive surfing prematurely. At the point in time where the show picks up, he thinks he has a brain tumor because he perceives himself to be capable of levitating from time- while he's sane enough to realize the likelihood he's seeing things. As it turns out, he's not imagining it because his son witnesses it. Though we're really not sure because this guy, his estranged son, with whom his relationship is very much strained, was the [surfing] heir apparent only until, at some point along the way, he became a heroin addict. His father, the grandfather, attributes at least some of the blame for his son's fall from grace to the commercialization of surfing. He (the son) is currently a squatter in a motel that's about to be knocked down by a suicidal gay dude who recently won MegaMillions and bought the land. The addicts son, the first guy's grandson, who lives with his grandfather while his father struggles with addiction, is a prodigious surfer in his own right at 13 yrs old. Despite his fathers apparent struggles, he still very much looks up to him.
This John character, who is the show's namesake, is either retarded, from another planet, or suffering from amnesia. I'm thinkin he suffers from some sort of amnesia but they don't really get into it. Or at least they haven't yet. He enters their lives seemingly by chance. Who really knows, though, at this point?
The show also features Luke Perry as a talent/surfing agent, Al Bundy as a weirdo ex-cop, and Rebecca De Mornay as grandma.
The dialogue is really crazy. David Milch, of NYPD Blue and Deadwood fame, is a genius.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Finale
I'm not sure if I liked the Sopranos series finale so much because other people didn't like it, or because I genuinely enjoyed it. I think the fact that other people didn't like it just made me like it more.
They tied off some loose ends:
Tony went to see Junior for some closure. AJ became blissfully ignorant again. Phil got whacked and his head crushed under the wheel of his daughter's SUV. Pauly ultimately showed his loyalty to Tony by taking the opportunity offered him; even against his better judgement and superstitions.
Some cool things happened too:
Tony used the FBI a la Whitey Bulger to discover the whereabouts of Phil without giving them anything but some well intentioned but naive tips regarding some potential terrorists. The scene where Phil was killed was particularly grizzly. Tony's likely going to be indicted, presuming he's still alive, on gun harges stemming from the prior season's finale where he fled Johnny Sack's house just as the FBI closed in. AJ's car caught on fire while he was making out with a naughty little bunny rabbit, only to moments later explode. If only Tony were so lucky.
The theme of that last scene seemed to tentatively wrap things up. Meadow showed us once more her inability to actually grow up, as evidenced by her futile attempts to parralel park her BMW, making her continuing princess-ian dependence on her parents. despite her well-documented intelligence and potential, abundantly clear. AJ is no longer visibly depressed and is now free to continue floating through life - into and out of phases at the drop of a hat. The family remains together, despite all they've been through. And regardless of how you interpret the ending, Tony's ongoing need to look over his shoulder in any and all circumstances was present in spades.
I don't understand all the criticism. People seemed to want more closure. Well, there was too much to the show for them to neatly tie every loose end...and
to do it in a manner that didn't seem contrived. I'm not sure what show people thought they were watching Sunday night, but this was The Sopranos. With that in mind, I thought it was excellent. The previous episode was definitely the best of the season though, but this one left me thinking, quite simply, Wow.
While tempted to take credit for coming up with the following theory myself, I will not. I just received this via email. And it's a really interesting interpretation...and quite possibly the one David Chase had in mind all along.
"Tony was killed....
In fact, the ending was genius if you've paid attention to the show or are just a fan of well developed plots that all tie together and have the memory of a champ to remember it all.
The ending was simple; he got killed. But let me tell yall why and explain in detail...
There were 3 people in the room total who had a reason to kill Tony.....
The two black guys. They were paid before to kill Tony but he was only shot in the ear. This was in one of the earlier seasons.
also in the earlier seasons, the trucker who was sitting at the bar stool, who the camera kept focusing in on, is Nikki leotardo, Phil Leotardos nephew, he was in one of the early season episodes where Phil and Tony have a sit down...."
I'm not sure I buy this part. I'm told the trucker and the man in the black dudes were in the credits of this episode and this episode only. This is immaterial to the crux of this theory, however. Here's where the brilliance comes in:
"When Tony's walking in the diner, you see the camera focus on him, then it switches to his perspective, and you see him looking at the booth he's gonna sit in...
Then the camera switches back to Tonys face, then it once again switches to his perspective, and it shows him looking at the door and looking at the people coming in..... Everytime the door opens the Chimes sound....... Carmela walks in, chimes, AJ walks in, Chimes. Then, when Meadow is parallel parking, still trying to get inside the restaurant.... the camera switches back to the trucker who goes in the
bathroom......
Then it goes to a scene where meadow finally parks and starts running into the diner....
The doors about to open, Tony looks up....
and No Chimes......................
No Music............
Everything just goes black...............
In one of the early episodes of this season, an exchange that was later revisited (to emphasize its importance), Tony spoke with Bobby about what it must feel like to die..
Bobby says "at the end, you probably don't hear anything, everything just goes black".
Part of that was revisited in the second to last episode during the last seconds of it, when Tony's about to go to sleep and he flashes back to the memory of him and Bobby on the boat... "You probably dont hear anything everything just goes black"...
So in the end, with Journey playing, the chimes on the door sounded but when Meadow came in, the guy in the trucker hat came out and killed Tony...
It's the reason you don't hear, or see shit when he died.... it was
from his perspective.... and everything went black.... then the credits
rolled."
They tied off some loose ends:
Tony went to see Junior for some closure. AJ became blissfully ignorant again. Phil got whacked and his head crushed under the wheel of his daughter's SUV. Pauly ultimately showed his loyalty to Tony by taking the opportunity offered him; even against his better judgement and superstitions.
Some cool things happened too:
Tony used the FBI a la Whitey Bulger to discover the whereabouts of Phil without giving them anything but some well intentioned but naive tips regarding some potential terrorists. The scene where Phil was killed was particularly grizzly. Tony's likely going to be indicted, presuming he's still alive, on gun harges stemming from the prior season's finale where he fled Johnny Sack's house just as the FBI closed in. AJ's car caught on fire while he was making out with a naughty little bunny rabbit, only to moments later explode. If only Tony were so lucky.
The theme of that last scene seemed to tentatively wrap things up. Meadow showed us once more her inability to actually grow up, as evidenced by her futile attempts to parralel park her BMW, making her continuing princess-ian dependence on her parents. despite her well-documented intelligence and potential, abundantly clear. AJ is no longer visibly depressed and is now free to continue floating through life - into and out of phases at the drop of a hat. The family remains together, despite all they've been through. And regardless of how you interpret the ending, Tony's ongoing need to look over his shoulder in any and all circumstances was present in spades.
I don't understand all the criticism. People seemed to want more closure. Well, there was too much to the show for them to neatly tie every loose end...and
to do it in a manner that didn't seem contrived. I'm not sure what show people thought they were watching Sunday night, but this was The Sopranos. With that in mind, I thought it was excellent. The previous episode was definitely the best of the season though, but this one left me thinking, quite simply, Wow.
While tempted to take credit for coming up with the following theory myself, I will not. I just received this via email. And it's a really interesting interpretation...and quite possibly the one David Chase had in mind all along.
"Tony was killed....
In fact, the ending was genius if you've paid attention to the show or are just a fan of well developed plots that all tie together and have the memory of a champ to remember it all.
The ending was simple; he got killed. But let me tell yall why and explain in detail...
There were 3 people in the room total who had a reason to kill Tony.....
The two black guys. They were paid before to kill Tony but he was only shot in the ear. This was in one of the earlier seasons.
also in the earlier seasons, the trucker who was sitting at the bar stool, who the camera kept focusing in on, is Nikki leotardo, Phil Leotardos nephew, he was in one of the early season episodes where Phil and Tony have a sit down...."
I'm not sure I buy this part. I'm told the trucker and the man in the black dudes were in the credits of this episode and this episode only. This is immaterial to the crux of this theory, however. Here's where the brilliance comes in:
"When Tony's walking in the diner, you see the camera focus on him, then it switches to his perspective, and you see him looking at the booth he's gonna sit in...
Then the camera switches back to Tonys face, then it once again switches to his perspective, and it shows him looking at the door and looking at the people coming in..... Everytime the door opens the Chimes sound....... Carmela walks in, chimes, AJ walks in, Chimes. Then, when Meadow is parallel parking, still trying to get inside the restaurant.... the camera switches back to the trucker who goes in the
bathroom......
Then it goes to a scene where meadow finally parks and starts running into the diner....
The doors about to open, Tony looks up....
and No Chimes......................
No Music............
Everything just goes black...............
In one of the early episodes of this season, an exchange that was later revisited (to emphasize its importance), Tony spoke with Bobby about what it must feel like to die..
Bobby says "at the end, you probably don't hear anything, everything just goes black".
Part of that was revisited in the second to last episode during the last seconds of it, when Tony's about to go to sleep and he flashes back to the memory of him and Bobby on the boat... "You probably dont hear anything everything just goes black"...
So in the end, with Journey playing, the chimes on the door sounded but when Meadow came in, the guy in the trucker hat came out and killed Tony...
It's the reason you don't hear, or see shit when he died.... it was
from his perspective.... and everything went black.... then the credits
rolled."
Thursday, June 07, 2007
This Guy I Know
Distant relative actually. He's a role player for the Nappy Headed Bros. It's a pretty big deal actually. He's a good looking guy. He's not much of a scorer but he definitely gets an E for effort. Some of you might know a few of his teammates as well. To check out the league website and game writeups, click on the title of this blentry: "This Guy I know".
Friday, June 01, 2007
The End
A cultural phenomenon is reaching its conclusion. Never before, in my lifetime, has the breadth of a television drama had so much far-reaching cultural impact. Naturally, with a mere two episodes left, everyone in America seems eager to weigh in, no matter how adamant, indifferent, benevolent, disappointed, or cynical. Hailing from the Garden State originally, and always ready for a glimpse, whether historical or fictional, into organized crime, I've been on board all along.
Part of what's enabled The Sopranos to transcend all other crime dramas, in addition to its television medium, has been the expertly developed array of characters, each complete with his or her own moral ambiguity, crisis, and fate. Ultimately, and fittingly, the show has spent its waining moments focused on the apex of its storm; the fate of Tony Soprano.
Up until very recently, the dichotomy of Tony's character has provided a fair share of the allure. On one hand we've had glimpses into an undeniably human father and family man. Armed (ironic choice of words) with this knowledge, we then struggle to reconcile an affinity for this character who, over the course of a single hour, also shows us the other side of the spectrum; the ruthless, anti-social sociopath and head of the New Jersey mob.
This dynamic battle between good and evil for dominion of Tony's soul has only recently ceded almost entirely to the darkness. This was made clear by the murder of Christopher, his surrogate son and former protégé, and only been exacerbated by his narcissistic grieving process which manifested itself in an orgy of dismissal, denial, relief and elation, rather than the traditional seven steps of the grief.
David Chase has maintained that he has known from the very beginning how the series would end. Interesting when you consider the secretive conditions under which the series has been filmed: the actors themselves didn't know what was about to happen until the day an episode was shot.
At this point it's really anyone's guess. One thing is for certain: New York and New Jersey are headed for war. In the name of symmetry, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tony whacked, and for the "tragedy" to serve as the catalyst for Anthony Jr.'s official baptism into a life of crime.
You?
Part of what's enabled The Sopranos to transcend all other crime dramas, in addition to its television medium, has been the expertly developed array of characters, each complete with his or her own moral ambiguity, crisis, and fate. Ultimately, and fittingly, the show has spent its waining moments focused on the apex of its storm; the fate of Tony Soprano.
Up until very recently, the dichotomy of Tony's character has provided a fair share of the allure. On one hand we've had glimpses into an undeniably human father and family man. Armed (ironic choice of words) with this knowledge, we then struggle to reconcile an affinity for this character who, over the course of a single hour, also shows us the other side of the spectrum; the ruthless, anti-social sociopath and head of the New Jersey mob.
This dynamic battle between good and evil for dominion of Tony's soul has only recently ceded almost entirely to the darkness. This was made clear by the murder of Christopher, his surrogate son and former protégé, and only been exacerbated by his narcissistic grieving process which manifested itself in an orgy of dismissal, denial, relief and elation, rather than the traditional seven steps of the grief.
David Chase has maintained that he has known from the very beginning how the series would end. Interesting when you consider the secretive conditions under which the series has been filmed: the actors themselves didn't know what was about to happen until the day an episode was shot.
At this point it's really anyone's guess. One thing is for certain: New York and New Jersey are headed for war. In the name of symmetry, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tony whacked, and for the "tragedy" to serve as the catalyst for Anthony Jr.'s official baptism into a life of crime.
You?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
