What a Difference a Month Makes

Seriously? It's been a whole month since I've posted an entry? As usual, a lot has happened since then. First and foremost, my beloved Buckeyes are not coming to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Instead, they're going to play in the BCS Championship game in New Orleans on January 7! After beating Michigan, we were ranked seventh. It seemed impossible that all of the six teams ranked above us would lose, but they did! So now we're in first place in the BCS standings, although we're considered the underdog in the game, where we'll be playing LSU. Most 'experts' think we don't belong in the game and fully expect a repeat of last year's championship game in which we stunk up the joint. I think they're wrong. While I'm not ready to predict a victory, I do believe that we're being underestimated. Can't wait!

During the two weeks when it looked like the Buckeyes were Rose Bowl bound, as president of the local OSU Alumni Club, I was beginning to get many calls and E-mails from people asking for tickets and information and tickets. Frankly, there was a part of me that was quite relieved that the bowl game would be elsewhere, no matter how much I wanted them to come here. The good news is that OSU and USC begin a home and away series next fall, and the first game will be here. So we'll get to see the Buckeyes anyway. Whoo-hoo!

Next up was the annual Candlelight performance at Disneyland. This was my sixth year singing this Christmas concert at the park. Here's a picture of the stage taken by my good friend Mark. Can you see me? I'll give you a hint -- I'm part of the group in the center underneath the star. We call it the Living Christmas Tree.


Need more help? I think the picture below will help! If you still don't see me, let me know and I'll help you out. It was also taken by my good buddy Mark.

One thing that hasn't changed is that I'm still looking for a new job at Disney. No one has told me yet what happens if I haven't found one when my boss leaves next month, but I'm still hopeful.

In anticipation of temporarily being out of a job, I've found a new apartment. I'll be moving about a half a mile away into a one-bedroom apartment. The rent will be considerably cheaper, but that's not the only reason for the change. I like the location of my current apartment, but it had no insulation. There have been some mornings when it's been about 55 degrees(!) downstairs in the living room when I come down to use the treadmill. I expect to move around the middle of next month, just before I may find myself out of a job.

That's all for now. See you soon!

GO BUCKS! See you in Pasadena!

On a cold and rainy day in Ann Arbor, the Ohio State Buckeye football team once again defeated our arch rival Michigan Wolverines! Whoo-hoo! It wasn’t pretty, but Coach Jim Tressel is now 6-1 against them. On the flip side, that also means that Michigan has lost six of the last seven games against us. I do have a little twinge of empathy for them. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that we were suffering through John Cooper’s dismal record against them. 2-11-1 was really difficult to take.

I watched the game at a bar in Hollywood at OSULA's annual Beat Michigan party. We hold it at one of our club's official viewing sites, charge a cover for brunch and the pleasure of watching the game with other like-minded folk. It's biggest fund raiser each year, and preliminary figures show that we raised over $3K for our scholarship fund! The attendees really seemed to like the venue and the restaurant owner seemed really pleased as well. So a good day for everyone.

And the win also means that it’s almost certain that the Buckeyes will be playing in the Rose Bowl on January 1. At the beginning of the season, that was my hope. We really had no idea what to expect of this team. They had lost so many key players last year to graduation and early entry into the NFL that there was no way to know just how good or bad they would be. The fact that the team was ranked number one for several weeks until our unfortunate loss to Illinois last weekend was nothing I could have ever hoped for. Like many Buckeye fans, I thought that next year was when they would make a run for the national title. Anyway, there is a very slim chance that they could still play for the BCS title, but too many things would have to happen to make it more than a remote possibility. So Rose Bowl, it is likely to be. It’ll be great to have the Buckeyes in town. And since they’re scheduled to play USC here in LA in the 2008 season, that’ll be twice in one calendar year! How cool is that?!

And Then There Was One...

I had actually thought up the title for this post prior to last Saturday’s game and loss to Illinois. Now it occurs to me that it still is apropos – the Buckeyes now have one loss, but there is still one game to go. One game for all the marbles - Big Ten title, Rose Bowl birth, bragging rights. And as everyone in the Buckeye Nation knows, Saturday’s game, The Game, is the one that really matters. The E=mails and the rhetoric are already flying in and around cyberspace as each side strives to outdo the other in displaying their scorn and disdain for the other side. Here's a particularly good one that landed in my inbox today:

For the uninitiated, the sign reflects the fact that Jim Tressel has only lost once to Michigan since he became the Buckeyes' head coach in 2001. We have every confidence that that streak continues on Saturday.

Despite the results of last Saturday’s game, or perhaps because of them, I think we have a very good chance to win. And should that come to pass, the Buckeyes would likely play in the Rose Bowl on January 1. Frankly, that’s what I had hoped for all along. They haven’t played in the Rose Bowl since 1997 (we won a thriller against Arizona State), and it would be very nice not to have to travel to see a game. On the other hand, as the president of the LA Alumni Club, a Rose Bowl would mean a lot of work for us. But it’s work we’d be more than happy to take on. Plus, it would be great practice for next year’s regular-season game against USC.

So come Saturday, I'll be at the bar watching the game with about 120 other crazed Buckeye fans, cheering our team on to victory. Well, my cheers will have to be silent as I can't risk straining my voice before Candlelight on December 1. But that will not dampen my enthusiasm one iota. We can do it!

GO BUCKS!!

It's Been Too Long

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve put up a new post, but I’ve been plenty busy. I can hear all of the chants of ‘excuses, excuses,’ but really, I’ve had a lot on my plate. Here’s a brief rundown:

I became president of Los Angeles Ohio State Alumni Club (OSULA) in August.

I’m looking for a new job as my current boss is retiring at the end of January. Sadly, the HR department has been of little to no help. It’s basically up to me to find my own position if I hope to stay with the company. Thus far, nothing yet, but I still have a little less than three months to go before she leaves and they show me the door too.

Candlelight rehearsals began in September. This is my sixth year in the employee choir, one of many that perform an annual Christmas program at Disneyland the first weekend in December. Someone was kind enough to post a snippet of last year’s performance on Youtube. If you look very, very closely at the bottom row of what we call the tree – the green-robed singers in the center of the stage – you can catch a glimpse of me. I’m on the right side of the very bottom row of the tree, the second person if you count back from the center. If you’ll notice, there is a tall candle in the center at the bottom of the tree, and I’m the person just to the right of it. It would be impossible know that’s me if you, well, didn’t know that it was me. As we are placed on the tree by height, I will likely be on the bottom row again or one row up. I’m too tall to ever be any higher than that. But as long as I can see our conductor, I don’t care where I stand.

Attended not one but two(!) Ohio State football games out of state. I traveled to Seattle in September for the game against the University of Washington and in October went back to Columbus for the Kent State game. Oh, and while in Columbus, also attended the Alumni Leaders Conference at OSU.

As usual, the college football season seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. There are only two more regular-season games for my beloved Buckeyes before we go to whatever bowl game we end up in. Before the season began, the best I thought I could hope for was that we would play in the Rose Bowl this year. In no way did I think that another MNC (aka mythical national championship) game might be a possibility this year. But as anyone who has been following college football this year knows, it’s been a bizarre year. Michigan loses to Applachian State the first week of the season. Notre Dame is currently 1-8, and lost to Navy for the first time since 1963! Defending ‘national champion’ Florida already has three losses. Pre-season favorites LSU and Oklahoma each have one loss, while another perennial favorite, USC, has two (so far!). Before we took over the number-one ranking, there were several weeks in a row in which the number one team lost. It’s been strange, to say the least.

I’ve never been a proponent of the current system in which attempts to pit the two best teams against each other in the MNC BCS bowl game. This season is a good example of all of the things that I don’t like about it. Before the season starts, the football writers and so-called experts decide who they think the ‘elite’ teams are. This year, those teams were LSU, Oklahoma and USC. The purpose of the BCS is to have the two best teams play each other, the winner achieving the MNC. Sounds good, but who determines who ‘deserves’ to play in that game? Well, there’s a complicated formula involving polls and power ratings that take in to consideration win-loss records and strength of schedule. But when you have a wacky year like this one in which the ‘best’ teams lose, you end up the Boston College, South Florida, Kansas and yes, Buckeye teams who manage not to lose and by their success make it impossible for the pundits to get the match up they want in that MNC game. (yes, I know that BC and SF have lost recently, but I think you get my drift). So for the last several weeks since Ohio State ascended to the top spot, we’ve had to listen to the grousing and complaining from the experts who are just mad because we’re seemingly preventing them from getting what they want. It’s like they’re a bunch of two-year-olds who have been denied a cookie and are threatening to hold their collective breath until they get their way.

So two weeks from today, Ohio State will have either won their last two games and be on their way to their second MNC game in a row, or the college football world outside of Ohio and the Big Ten Conference will breathe a collective sigh of relief that their little party can go on as planned with either LSU, Oregon or Oklahoma crowned as the champions of college football. We’ll see!

One last thing. Below is a brief video that I recorded after the OSU/Washington game. At the end of each game, the team comes over to the stands and sings the alma mater with the band. The regular band was not able to be there, so a group of alumni band members played at the game, and that's who you'll hear playing along. Enjoy!

Adios, Fredo

At long last, Alberto Gonzales has resigned. Good riddance. I hope and pray that the Congressional Democrats will follow through with all of the investigations they have started. Fredo must not be allowed to slink out of the Justice Department to a highly lucrative partnership at a D.C. law firm without paying for the crimes he’s committed. This man oversaw the systematic dismantling of the checks and balances in our legal system that we as Americans take for granted. And even with the investigations, we won’t really be able to know the scope of the damage until all of these disgusting people are out of power. How many days is it until January 2009?

And what a coincidence (not!) that the announcement was made on the same day that former Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty for dog-fighting related crimes. Fredo and Chucklehead’s minions knew full well that the press would fail to give the resignation the coverage it deserved, because the press was diverted by Vick’s plea like a cat distracted by a ball on a string. As much as I despise the minions, I must give them credit for knowing how to play the game.

2007 ESPY Awards

This is going to be a picture-heavy post as I want to share (finally) the pictures my siblings Michael, Janet and Orelia took at the July 12 taping of the ESPY Awards here in Los Angeles. We met and saw many famous faces on the red carpet before the show and at the after party, but the one athlete that I really wanted to meet (Troy Smith, Ohio State's latest Heisman Trophy winner) proved elusive. A great time was had by all, so I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Greg Oden and me

Janet, Orelia and me at the pre-show party

Drew Gooden, Clevland Cavaliers and Janet


Reggie Bush and Ben Roethlisburger head into the Kodak Theatre

Actor Samuel Jackson (hat)

Janet and Robert Horry (San Antonio Spurs)

Jason Taylor (Miami Dolphins)

New teammates (Cleveland Browns) Brady Quinn and Kellen Winslow, Jr.

Tony Dungy, coach of the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts

Janet holds Tony Dungy's Super Bowl ring!!

Kenny Irons and Orelia

Janet and Gary Payton

If I've misidentified anyone or you know the name of anyone that I didn't identify, please let me know!

Whew!

Another jam-packed weekend! I guess I had it coming since the previous weekend I hardly left my apartment. The new and, sadly, last Harry Potter book was released on July 21 and I didn’t want to have the ending spoiled for me, so I laid low. Plus, I ordered my copy from Amazon’s UK site (I have the British version of the first six as well), and had it sent to me from our London office. So I knew that the soonest I would get it was Tuesday. It didn’t arrive until Wednesday, and I stayed up until 2am to finish it. Now I’m in the process of re-reading them all from the beginning. Well, re-reading isn’t entirely accurate. As I have all the audio books except #7, I’m doing a combination of reading and listening. I’m about half way through Sorcerer’s Stone, and I’m amazed at the way that JK Rowling was able to bring characters and plot points all way to the end.

Anyway, back to the weekend. Friday night was another trip to the Hollywood Bowl. For the first time in all the times I’ve been there, I had tickets to sit in one of the box seats. Not only are box seats expensive, they’re also very hard to come by. Many are leased year after year by the same family or entity and passed down in wills and trusts. Plus, I wanted to make the cost worthwhile in terms of what I was seeing at the bowl. I mean, if it’s just the Philharmonic, one might as well be in the back row as the first.

A few years ago, I learned that my company has pairs of box seats that they make available to employees for purchase at face value. They provide a list of the shows and employees can join a drawing for the opportunity to purchase the tickets. Well, after several tries, I was finally successful. So last Friday night, my friend Susan and I made saw Wayne Brady and Gladys Knight at the bowl! And the show was fabulous. Wayne sang a few Sammy Davis, Jr. songs to open the show, and after intermission Gladys came out. I’ve never seen her perform live before, but after this can’t wait to see her again.

Friday afternoon a friend of mine asked me to join her and some of her co-workers on Saturday afternoon in the company suite at Anaheim Stadium. I’m not much of a baseball fan, but this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. The suite was located about 2/3 of the way up the third-base line and would comfortably hold 15-20 people. It was really cool to see how the other half lives.

Then on Sunday, I finished off the weekend with a brief trip to Disney’s California Adventure with a couple of friends. While they both had been there before, neither had been to the Animation attraction where Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast helps you find out which Disney character you most resemble. Carrie was Ariel and Carolyn was Nala. Then we went to Ursula’s Grotto where you can insert your speaking or singing voice into a brief scene from various Disney movies. We sang Heigh Ho from Snow White, and then Carrie and Carolyn did a brief scene from Lion King playing young Simba and his Uncle Scar. We finished our visit with a nice lunch at the Storyteller Café restaurant at the Grand Californian Hotel.

Sorry that I don’t have any pictures. I lost my camera sometime this weekend. I think I left it in the suite, but I’m not sure. Someone at the park is looking to see if it gets turned in, but I’m not counting on it. Despite that, it was a great weekend.

What a Weekend!

FRIDAY

Things kicked off Friday night with a trip to the Hollywood Bowl. I was joined by three co-workers for composer John Williams’ annual bowl concert. It’s an evening of movie music, featuring many of John’s most memorable scores. The highlight of the evening is when the orchestra strikes up music form one of the Star Wars films. And this year we got two because in the main program they played music from the throne room scene at the end of the first (okay, many of you know this as the fourth episode, but since I choose to ignore the prequels it’s still the first one to me). Then one of the encore pieces was the Imperial March, otherwise known as the Darth Vader theme. Truly awesome. And as always, when the Star Wars music plays, the light sabers in the audience are proudly displayed. In years past, I’ve even seen people dressed up as Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia, but no matter what, the light sabers make an appearance.

SATURDAY

The following morning, I left my apartment at 5:45am, because I needed to be at the Disneyland Resort by 7am. Mark and I were scheduled to take the new Segway tour tour at Disney’s California Adventure theme park. They conduct the tour prior to the park opening so that we can ride around unobstructed. We had been waiting a long time for this tour, even before we went to EPCOT in February 2006 and did the Segway tour there. Despite the frigid temperature (it was in the upper 30’s – Fahrenheit), it was the highlight of the trip. So when we found out recently that the tour here was finally up and running, we were very excited. There was a short-lived snafu when they couldn’t find the reservation, but once they found it we were met by our tour guide Robert and escorted backstage by our tour guide, Robert. We were given muffins, fruit, juice and coffee and then some brief instructions on how the Segway operates. Then we went outside and the fun truly began. Robert was joined by Ashley in leading us through the training session. We spent about 20 minutes learning the basics of how to operate the Segway – starting, stopping, turning, up and down hills. There were two others on the tour with us, a married couple named Chris and Krista. Krista was a little anxious when we began, but within five minutes declared that she wanted a Segway for her birthday! A few minutes later, Chris offhandedly stated that his wife was getting a Segway for her birthday!
Once training was over, we proceeded to tour the park. The only other people out there were a few maintenance workers, so it we had the place all to ourselves. It was truly glorious. Believe me, if I could find a way to justify the expense, I would have already bought one for myself. They are so easy to operate and so much fun to ride. If you ever have the chance to ride one, definitely do it. You won’t regret it.

SUNDAY

Yesterday, I saw what might just be my favorite movie of the summer – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I live just down the hill from Universal Studios and City Walk, where there is an IMAX theater. So I decided to see Harry there, especially since the final battle was being shown in 3D. It was great. Phoenix was not one of my favorite books, but the producers and filmmakers made a terrific movie.

I’ve actually seen a number of movies over the last month or so. Eventually I hope to post some brief reviews of them soon.

Not So Fast, My Friends

Is anyone really surprised that despite the jury’s verdict and the sentence imposed by a Republican judge that Chucklehead has made it possible for Scooter Libby to avoid going to jail? While I’m not surprised that Chucklehead has intervened, I’m a little surprised that he did so before the appeals process had run its course. I was really looking forward to seeing of one of these people paying for their crimes.

The White House deliberately announced the commutation just before July 4 because they knew that most of the country would be distracted by their holiday plans. Also, the American people have become inured to this kind of crap. This Administration has lied and prevaricated and dissembled so many times that no one blinks an eye anymore. That said, at some point if there’s any hope that some vestige of our Republic will be intact when these unconvicted felons finally leave town in January 2009, the American people need to rise up and say they’ve had enough. In Michael Moore’s film, Sicko, a former British official states that the French government is afraid of their people. Why? Because the French people let their government know when they’re not happy and hold them accountable. That’s a notion that we seem to have forgotten here. Bush, Cheney and the rest of them work for us. They only continue to act as if they are the masters and we the servants because we allow it.

In closing, if you are not a regular viewer of Keith Olbermann’s program Countdown on MSNBC, I strongly urge you to start watching. His has been one of the few voices of reason in the media. He’s not a Democrat; he’s just a guy who has little use for hypocrisy and mendacity, both of which have been on daily display since Chucklehead began his reign of terror. Yesterday Keith did one of his special comments, a semi-regular segment that he does when circumstances warrant it. This time, he flat out calls for Bush and Cheney to resign. I urge you to watch it here. Then I urge you to make three telephone calls – one to your US Congressman and one to each of your US Senators – voicing your displeasure with the commuted sentence. If every adult in this country would do, I’m convinced that our elected officials would have no choice but to listen and take action. Like the bumper sticker says – If the people lead, leaders will follow.

Scooter's Goin' to the Hoosegow!!

Yes, that's right. I. Lewis Libby -- right hand to that master of malevolence Dick Cheney -- is going to jail! The Big House! The clink! The pen! The slammer! I think you get the idea. Yes! There are others as if not more deserving of incarceration (I'm talking to you Chucklehead and Darth Cheney!), but I'll take it. My favorite judge in the whole wide world (Hi, Judge Walton!) has seen fit to have good old Scooter start serving his sentence while the lawyers appeal his conviction. I may have to TiVo the footage of him entering the prison so I can watch it over and over again.

Believe me, I know that there's little chance that Libby will spend much of his sentence in jail where he belongs. I'm sure that Chucklehead already has his pardon pen at the ready. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me that on his way out the White House door for the last time that he would give blanket pardons to everyone who's ever served in his administration.

But until then, I intend to enjoy each and every minute of this.

Summer Movie Review - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Sigh… I wish I had better news, but unfortunately, the third (and hopefully last) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is a mess -- a colossal, confusing, uninvolving and incomprehensible mess. I had been told by several people that it was superior to the last film, but I think it’s the worst of the three. Sadly, there is actually a potentially compelling story buried under the weight of the special effects, the blur of sword fights and bad teeth, but the director seems to have been incapable of bringing it to the fore. At the end of the day, he seemed more interested in the cool special effects and not so much interested in how those technological tricks could serve the story.

I saw Pirates last Saturday at an employee screening. Disney took over the AMC 16 theater in Burbank, and the movie was to show on every screen beginning at 8am. I knew that they had at least one screen with DLP (digital projection), and I was determined to see it in that format. Maybe not a big deal to most, but I figured as long as I had a choice, I might as well go for it. I arrived about 7:30 and one of the volunteers handed me a slip of paper that said ‘theater #14.’ When I asked if I had to go to that theater and was told yes, I asked if that was one with DLP. He said no, and that they had instructions to fill the each theater before sending people to another. They weren’t to open one of the DLP theaters for a while, so I asked if I could wait and they said sure. I think they were a little taken aback by my request, but nevertheless, they acquiesced without any problem. So I went to the ladies’ room and when I returned to the door, they sent me to theater #13, one of the DLP theaters. And here’s the best part – I was all by myself in the theater for the next 20 minutes. Then the lights went down and the new Walt Disney Pictures opening played, and I’m still all by myself. Yes! Private screening.

Uh, no, not so much. Just as the movie started, other people started to come in, about 20-30 over the next ten minutes. Oh, well. So much for my private screening!

The first hour of the movie revolved around the attempt to help Jack Sparrow escape from Davy Jones’ locker, where he and his ship the Black Pearl had been banished at the end of the second movie. Captain Barbossa (Jack’s nemesis from Pirates 1, recently raised from the dead), Elizabeth, Will and the rest of the crew traveled to Singapore to get a ship (I presume they got there by ship, so why they’d need another was never explained. But I digress.) from another pirate, Captain Sao Feng. It turns out that Barbossa wants Feng to go to a meeting of the nine heads of the pirate factions so that together they can defeat the corporate interests of the East India Trading Company (EITC). After some dealings and double-dealings, our gang secures the ship and sails off the end of the world (literally) to find Jack and bring him back.

As usual, Jack is less interested in the greater good and more interested in his own goals, whatever they might be. I’m not sure that was ever really explained. Or maybe it was divulged after I’d stopped really paying attention. Lots more meaningless stuff happens and there’s an anti-climactic battle between the pirates and the EITC, who also have Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman and her crew assisting in their efforts to destroy all the pirates. Believe me, it’s much more complicated and convoluted than what I’ve described, but if you were able to follow along with that at all, a round of applause for you.

There are too many storylines without an emotional payoff. Keith Richards’ ballyhooed cameo as Jack’s father is a complete bust. Either he has no screen presence at all or the filmmakers couldn’t figure out an interesting way to use him. You can see the fine actors (Johnny Deep, Keira Knightley, Geoffory Rush in particular) working very hard to try to bring some life and energy to this thing, but to no avail. Obviously, no one sets out to make a bad film, and it’s clear that these filmmakers were trying. Sadly, either through incompetence or by overreaching they failed miserably.

One other thing: if you do see the movie and have some level of enjoyment, I’d suggest that you stay through the end credits. There’s a little coda to the story that they threw onto the end of that you should see.

Farewell, Club 33

Many times over the last 10 years or so, I’ve been fortunate to have been invited to dine at Club 33, an exclusive, members-only restaurant at Disneyland. The host with the most has been Ken, who is my good friend Mark’s brother-in-law and whose uncle is a club member. Sadly, Uncle Arnold is now quite elderly and in not-such-good health, so his membership will expire soon and will not be renewed. So on Saturday, Ken and Shari (Ken’s wife and Mark’s sister) were kind enough to include me in the final club lunch. Along with Mark, Ken, Shari and me were two women who work with Shari along with their spouses, plus my friends Thalia and Carrie.

Our reservation was for brunch buffet at 11:30am. In addition to all-you-can-eat the seafood bar, salad bar and dessert bar, each diner also may choose a hot entree. despite the presence of shrimp linguini on the menu, I chose steak. After everyone ordered, we all made our way over to the seafood and salad bar. I filled my plate with green salad, chilled lobster tails, the best crab claws I’ve ever tasted and boiled shrimp. Yummy, yummy, yummy. There was also cold grilled vegetables, lamb chops and antipasto, but I stuck with my favorites.

It took a while for our entrees to arrive, so I decided to take a little trip to the dessert table. After all, someone had to sample everything so that we’d know what was good and what wasn’t. I was happy to do my part for the team!





When our entrees arrived, there was a little mix up as initially I was given Carrie’s medium rare steak and she got my medium well steak. Once we realized what had happened, we switched and all was well.

When our entrees arrived, there was a little mix up as initially I was given Carrie’s medium rare steak and she got my medium well steak. Once we realized what had happened, we switched and all was well.

Then, back to the dessert table!! Yes, I went back for more dessert – two more times! Almost everything I had was delicious, but my favorites were the lemon tarts and chocolate mousse. There was also a chocolate fountain that was a particular favorite with many, and they provided chunks of fruit and long wooden skewers for dunking. I like chocolate, but can really take it or leave it, so I passed and concentrated on the lemon tarts. J

Once we were finished eating, I made sure to show Carrie the two balconies that overlooks the New Orleans Square area of the park. Then we went back inside, took a last look around and left for possibly the last time.

So was this the last time? I hope not. Ken, Shari, Mark, me and several others have applied for a group membership. However, the waiting list is quite long; we're told we might have to wait eight years or more. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy the park and think fondly back upon the many times I was fortunate enough to visit this very exclusive little slice of Disneyland.

Summer Movie Review - Spider-Man 3

The first movie of the summer is out and despite the box office records set, the movie itself is just kind of okay. I saw it on Sunday at the IMAX theatre at Universal City in a packed theater. Happily, for once the chair-kicking and talking people who usually hound me when I go to the movies were blessedly absent.

I found a seat just before the lights went down and the movie began. I don't have enough experience with IMAX to know if this is the norm, but there were no trailers before the movie started (yea!). In the opening credits we see little snippets of the first two movies interspersed within a spider web that basically remind us how we got to this point in the story. I thought this was clever and quite well done, like most of the effects in the movie. The problem for me was that it seemed that the filmmakers put more emphasis on the effects' wow-factor than for their place in telling the story.

The performances were fine for the most part. I still like Tobey Maguire as the nerdy, but endearing Spidey. That said, the ‘evil’ Spider-Man didn’t really work for me. Kirsten Dunst has always been a very bland Mary Jane, and in light of her pissy comments about the films, if there is another sequel the producers should kick her ungrateful behind to the curb and find Spidey a more worthy love interest. The villains (new Goblin, Sandman, Venom) were all rather dull. None were particularly interesting or menacing.

All in all, I can’t say to rush out and see it. If you liked the first two, you may find something to interest you in this one. But I doubt that this film will bring any new fans to the table.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been unbelievably busy (well, busy for me!) the last couple of weeks. And as someone who functions best on a regular schedule, it’s really thrown my system out of whack and I’m only just now recovering. But it’s been a good busy, I must say. I won’t bore you with all the gory details and just hit the highlights for you.

VEGAS, BABY!

Saturday, April 28, my friend Susan and I went to Las Vegas for the day. Yes, you read that correctly – for the day. Neither of us is particularly fond of Vegas but we both really wanted to see the Cirque du Soleil show called KA.

A couple of years ago we had a similar outing to see Cirque’s show ‘O’ at the Bellagio. So we took a 2pm flight out of LAX, arriving a little after 3pm. We went directly to the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, which is where the show is playing. The show was at 7pm and we had dinner reservations at the Wolfgang Puck Restaurant at 5pm. So we spent the time walking around the casino, stopping to watch the play at the roulette or blackjack tables. We also decided that as we had a few hours to kill after the show before heading back to the airport for our trip home that we would have dessert at a different restaurant. As we walked around, we checked the restaurant dessert menus and selected Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant.

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Dinner was scrumptious. I had a crab cakes appetizer followed by shrimp risotto. Delicious! Susan had a Caesar salad and scallops with artichoke ravioli. Also delicious. We took our time with dinner and made our way over to the theater for the show.

Well, just like every other Cirque show that I’ve seen, KA was amazing. Unlike the others, though, this one had a storyline. If you’ve never seen one of their shows, it’s really hard to describe. All I can say is that like all the others I’ve seen it’s amazing and breathtaking and wonderfully entertaining.

After the show we had dessert at Emeril’s restaurant and then headed back to the airport for our flight home at 11:55pm(!). As anyone who knows me will attest, that is way past my bedtime! I managed to remain upright by downing a large (or should I say ‘grande’) cup of Starbucks coffee. Admittedly, I wasn’t confident it would work, but I did manage to stay awake, so I guess it did. I got home around 2am and promptly went to bed.

The following weekend two of my favorite things to do in LA took place – the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and MouseAdventure!, a quest-based event held twice a year at the Disneyland Resort. Teams comprised of 2, 3 or 4 participants receive a pack which contains a variety of word puzzles, quests, logic puzzles, etc. They usually require that the team visit various areas of the parks to find solve the clues and come up with the answer to the question posed. We are given a deadline by which we must turn in our answers or we won’t receive any points. Success takes quick but careful planning and a thorough knowledge of the park. Also, all team members must remain together throughout the event. The only exception is bathroom breaks.

At the bookfest, there are hundreds of booths set up manned by booksellers of every kind. There are also panels of writers that cover a multitude of topics. I didn’t have a lot of time to explore the booths as I had tickets to a bunch of panels and no time in between to wander. In fact, my time was so tight that I didn’t even get to experience one of my favorite things. They set up several large crossword puzzles on erasable boards throughout the area and you can just walk up start helping fill it in. There’s a volunteer there with the solution and he or she will let you know if you’re right or not. And once it’s completed, they erase it so the next crowd can start all over again. Good times.

Anyway, over the years, I’ve leaned towards attending the political panels, and this year was no exception. My first panel was at 11am and was entitled “The Politics of Faith.” The writers had all written books about religion and politics in this country and around the world. That was followed by “The Age of Spin: Controlling the Message.” This was one of the most lively as one of the panelists was Frank Luntz, a notorious right-wing pollster. Now for a little self promotion. The cable channel CSPAN-2 was in attendance at the festival and broadcast some of the panes live and recorded others for broadcast in the future. At the end of the panel I was able to get to the microphone quickly enough to ask a question. So unless they edit it out, I will be on the air when this is broadcast! No date has been set yet, but look for information here when it is announced.

Next up at 1pm was “The Future of News” in which the panelists discussed the ways in which the way news organizations have evolved in this age of Internet and blogs. That was followed by “Profiles in Terror” at 2pm. This was probably the most informative as each of the authors had spent time in the Middle East learning about terrorist organizations and what drives some people towards them. As one of them basically said (sorry, I can’t remember which) it makes no sense for us to not try to gain insight into their psyche. After all, during the Cold War there were whole agencies whose sole purpose was to learn about the way the Communists viewed the world in order to best determine how to defeat them.

Last but not least was “State of the Union” at 4pm. The panel had two ultra-lefty members, Amy Goodman and Greg Palast, who really got the crowd going. All in all, it was a really interesting and stimulating day.

MOUSEADVENTURE!

After bidding farewell to the bookfest, I went home, had a quick dinner, packed an overnight bag and drove down to my friend Mark’s house in Cypress. Mark lives about 20 minutes away from Disneyland, so I decided to stay over there as we had to be at the park by 9am the next morning. Also, I hadn’t seen him in several weeks, so we had a lot of catching up to do. We met up with our other teammates, Michael and Gina at 9am at the sign-in location for the event. It was then that we learned that we’d been assigned to the advanced and not the basic (meaning less difficult) course. We immediately decided that as there was no chance in hell that we could finish near the top, we’d instead focus on having fun. And that’s just what we did.

Many of the teams have matching shirts and some even sport headgear. You have to be careful because the powers that be at the park will not let adults enter the parks in 'costume.' We called our team "Maleficent's Minions" after the evil queen in "Sleeping Beauty." Here on the right you can see our lovely T-shirts with the evil queen's visage upon them. Those in the photograph are Henry (replaced this time around by Gina), Michael, me and Mark. Don't we look lovely?!

They turned us loose about 10:3oam and we had until 3pm to turn in our answer sheet. I think we answered less than half of the questions. Nonetheless, a fun time was had by all. At this time, our score hasn’t been posted on the Web site, so we don’t know officially how we did, but we don’t think we’ll be at the very bottom. At least we hope not!

So I had two busy, busy but fun weekends in a row. Frankly, I’m still recovering! But I’d do it all again in a heartbeat – and probably will.

THREE (OR IS IT FOUR?) - MOVIE WEEKEND

For the first time in a long time, I saw three movies this weekend. Lack of time is one reason, but the paucity of interesting movies is probably the bigger reason. Anyway, we were let go from work early on Friday because it was Easter weekend, so I spent the afternoon at the movies. First, I went to see The Namesake, which was directed by Mira Nair. She’s a very good filmmaker, probably best known for directing Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding, but she also has films like Vanity Fair on her resume. The Namesake begins in 1977 when Ashima meets her soon-to-be husband Ashoke. After the arranged marriage, they move to New York City where Ashoke is an assistant professor at an unnamed local college. Over the years, they have two children, a girl named Sonia and her older brother, Gogol, the namesake in the film’s title. It’s a wonderfully told story of family and the experience of blending the old ways with the sometimes perplexing customs of an adopted country. But it’s also very universal story that anyone can relate to. How do you honor your parents and family but also be true to yourself and your time? We each have to answer that question for ourselves as we mature and for those who become parents, to find a way to allow your kids to be themselves but hopefully staying true to the lessons you instilled.

That evening, my friend Carol and I went to see The Hoax. It’s based upon the true story of how in the early 1970’s a writer named Clifford Irving managed to convince the publishing world that he had the permission of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes to write an authorized biography. At that time, Hughes had taken his reclusiveness to a level that had never been seen before or since. And the lengths that Irving was willing and able to go to perpetuate this hoax were astounding. Unfortunately, knowing that he eventually is caught in his lie diminishes film’s impact. That said, it’s still funny, involving and there’s a revelation near the end which, if true, is mind blowing. All the performances are terrific, but special kudos to Richard Gere, Alfred Molina and Marcia Gay Harden for their work.

And then last night I joined a number of my former co-workers at the Mission Tiki Drive-in to see Grindhouse. My friend and fellow blogger Dennis, has been going there for several years, and he’s been inviting me to join the gang there for well over a year. This is the first time that the movie and my schedule allowed for this to happen. But I’ve wanted to check out the drive-in and looked forward to seeing some folks that I haven’t seen very often in the six years since I left Captions, Inc. The nice people at Mission Tiki were kind enough to open up early so that we could gather and socialize before the hoards of regular customers arrived. So we hung out and ate various concoctions from the concession stand in the chilly and overcast evening. I don’t know what the actual temperature was, but it was chilly enough that most folks brave enough to sit outside their cars like we were huddled under coats and blankets. It wasn’t nearly as cold as the 39 degree night that Dennis, Steve and Paul endured last fall, but it certainly wasn’t warm out there. We even had to deal with a light sprinkling that began just as the first trailer started rolling. Happily, the precipitation stopped about 45 minutes into the movie.

Frankly, if not for this event, I don’t think that I would have made it a point to see this film -- or more accurately, films. You see, Grindhouse is actually two movies lovingly filmed and told in the style of 70’s slasher/exploitation films. First up was Planet Terror, directed by Robert Rodriguez -- a typical, nonsensical, inexplicable zombie movie. I admit that I spent good deal of the film hiding behind my blanket or with my eyes closed. Lots of blood, cheesy acting, and lots of downright silliness that had me laughing out loud many times. After a brief intermission, next up was Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino. This one was much more talkie, as one would expect in a Tarantino film. Not nearly as bloody nor as high a body count, but it had its moments as well. It’s topped off by a truly amazing sequence with two cars on a country road. Really amazing stuff.

After saying good-bye to everyone, I pulled out of the parking lot and immediately got lost. The only good thing is that I realized that I was going the wrong way before I’d driven all the way to Riverside, and thanks to my Thomas Guide map, found my way back to the correct freeway and sailed home. It was after 1AM before I went to sleep, but as usual, woke up at 6:45AM. Someday maybe I’ll once again be able to sleep in, but not today. As a result of my lack of sleep, I suspect that this will be a bit incoherent in places, so I hope you’ll forgive me. After I’m done with this, I intend to spend the rest of the day doing nothing more strenuous than raising the TiVo remote!

BONUS MOVIE COVERAGE: A couple of weeks ago, I went to see 300. It’s just as absurd and bloody as you’d expect it to be, but it does have one saving grace. Never before on film have there been assembled so many gorgeous male bodies wearing nothing more bikini bottoms and capes. That alone makes it worth seeing. Enjoy!

My Friend Brittany

Four years ago this weekend, one of my closest friends died unexpectedly, just two days after her 37^th birthday. I’d known Brittany for almost 20 years. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen much of her in the weeks leading up to her death. She had had a bad cold that she couldn’t seem to shake and as I was in the middle of chemotherapy and particularly vulnerable to infections, we just hadn't seen each other. Brittany’s birthday was a couple of days after my last chemo treatment, and she wanted to get together with some friends at the Farmer’s Market. Based upon my three previous treatments, I thought I would be feeling up to it. But this time around the chemo really kicked my butt and there was no way that I could go. I called her to tell her but left a message on voice mail when she didn't pick up. Unbeknownst to me, she’d called my cell phone to tell me that she was canceling; she wasn’t feeling up to it either. The gathering was to be Saturday and I got the horrible news from Brittany’s mother on Tuesday morning. After not hearing from her for a couple of days, Brittany’s stepfather drove up to LA from Orange County to check on her and he’s the one that found her in her apartment. Despite the fact that an autopsy was performed, there was no conclusive evidence that showed what caused her death.

We met standing in line for an overnight screening of the Star Wars trilogy over Labor Day weekend in 1984. She was about to begin film school at USC to pursue her dream of being a filmmaker. In the late 90’s she produced three independent features. (And if you look closely about 30 minutes in to Goat on Fire and Smiling Fish, you’ll get a quick glimpse of yours truly.)

I still think about her all the time. Working in and around the entertainment business as I do, there’s rarely a day that goes by when I don’t see something or read something that I would love to talk to her about. She was savvy, smart, funny, honest, direct, spiritual and like many people who pursue the Hollywood dream, not nearly as successful as she deserved to be. I wish that she had lived to see all her dreams come true, but I’ll always be grateful that she was a part of my life.

End of an Internet Era

Last week it was announced that my favorite television-related Web site, Television Without Pity, is being acquired by BRAVO TV. For the uninitiated, TWoP has recaps of television shows, along with the best message boards that I have found in cyberspace. Much of the reason is that posters are required to be polite and respectful to each other and direct their praise or their ire at the television programs and the people responsible. Proper spelling and punctuation are required. I’ve found TWoP posters to be unfailingly witty, insightful, hilarious, literate, knowledgeable and, of course, snarky. It wouldn't be TWoP without the snark. As their motto says, "Spare the snark, spoil the networks." Poster there can also be a fount of information. Need an answer to some obscure television reference? Can’t find a link to an article about your favorite show/actor/producer? Need a recipe for that wacky dish your neighbor made when you were a kid? Not to worry -- the good posters at TWoP have probably got that information right at their fingertips and are happy to share it.

So I greeted the news of the acquisition with a bit of trepidation. Despite the good intentions of the TWoP czars and the folks at BRAVO, I think it’s only a matter of time before TWoP as I know it disappears. Organizations with deep pockets like BRAVO, which itself is owned by GE, will always become the target of those out to make a quick buck. Someone will get their nose out of joint because some poster on some board said something mean about them. Next thing you know there will be lawsuits and depositions, followed by language and content restrictions on in the recaps and on the boards.

As much as I’m going to miss the TWoP that I know and love, I can’t fault Glark and Sars and Wing Chun for selling. They’ve labored long and hard for probably not so much money and they deserve to get paid for their efforts. But I think they’re naive if they think BRAVO won’t directly or indirectly try to influence the content of their site. It’s inevitable. The current executives will be out of there sooner rather than later and who knows what the attitude of the next batch will be.

So, good-bye, TWoP. I hope that whatever form you morph into will be as much fun and as interesting as what’s come before. Sadly, the pessimist in me doesn’t think that’s the way that things will turn out. But, boy, would I love to be proved wrong.

Bye-bye, AG?

Pressure has been mounting for the last week for Alberto Gonzales to either quit or be fired. The former might happen, but there’s no way in hell that the latter will. Chucklehead (that's my pet name for the president-select; you'll get used to it) would view firing him as an admission of failure. Besides, I’m sure Bush thinks Alberto is doing a heck of a job. Because instead of doing the job that he was sworn to do (upholding the Constitution and the laws of our country, that sort of thing), Gonzales has focused on covering Bush’s ass. And Bush likes people who come behind and clean up the mess and chaos he creates.

That said, I kind of think it would be a good idea to keep Gonzales around for a while. When the new person is put in place, Democrats will have to back off on their efforts to discover just what the hell these people have been up to and give the new guy (you know it’s going to be a guy) a chance. There'll be the requisite honeymoon period in which Republicans would whine and complain if Dems continued to push to discover what else these folks have been up to. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is much, much more to uncover.

So, please, stick around, Mr. Gonzales. We need you to hang on long enough for the evidence that will send your sorry butt, and hopefully your boss’ to jail for a long, long time.