I was just reading excerpts from The Sports Guy's length 8 hour marathon chat session on ESPN and it linked to this great speech from Jim Valvano, the former coach of NC State, who upset University of Houston (Hakeen the Dream!) in the 1983 NCAA tourney.
Jim Valvano had cancer when he gave this speech accepting the ESPY Arthur Ashe Award in 1993. I remember seeing a clip of it (we didn't get ESPN live feeds back then) and after viewing it again, it is a nice reminder of the things that are important in our lives. Enjoy.
Click here.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Juicy Pic of the Joker...
I have always liked comic books. There I said it. In the year of the geek, an announcement like this is nothing to be ashamed of. Before I continue, I would like to be clear that I love books. I love reading. I enjoy good literature.
However, I always thought comics were unjustifiably put down by the general public. I only really got into comics in grade seven. That was the year when Batman The Movie came out. The one directed by Tim Burton. The one with the comical Joker played by Jack Nicholson. The one that I thought miscast Michael Keaton, but after viewing the movie, thought that he did a good job. I remember going to see that movie with my dad and afterwards he bought me a graphic novel called "The Dark Knight Returns".
This story written by Frank Miller (of "300" and "Sin City" fame) was about Batman returning back as a old man set in an apocalyptic future set in Gotham City. I never knew comics could be so dark and create such a complex story full of character development. Miller's Batman was an enigma, wracked with psychological despair from witnessing his parent's murder. Through the rejuvenation of his crime fighting career, we witness Batman's unwavering vision of his truth ultimately juxtaposed against the American virtues embodied by Superman. Plus Batman and Superman's fight kicks some massive butt.
There are so many complex issues tackled in this seminal work in terms of graphic novels. The grim tone and story structure has been mimicked and aped by so many other comic writers since.
I know comics are purely fantasy, but the best comics tackle the same sort of themes that, dare I say, Shakespeare does. Doing the right thing? Spiderman. Prejudice? X-Men. Tragic love? Daredevil and Elektra. It is no mistake that some of today's most popular shows are simply stealing ideas from comics. And the popularity of shows like Lost and Heroes, simply proves that the themes from comics speak to people. And the improvement of special effects has allowed the visions of Stan Lee (this guy is THE MAN when it comes to comics... can you believe he created The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men AND Spiderman... what a resume!) to flourish on the screen. Spiderman and X-men proved to be a box office hit.
Which brings me to "Batman Begins". The Batman franchise was ruined by Joel Schumacher and no one remembers the ugly mess that involved George Clooney as Batman. I mean, that Batman suit had nipples! When I learned that Christopher Nolan was restarting the franchise I was excited. When Christian Bale was cast as Bruce Wayne, I became very eager to see this movie. It did not disappoint. "Batman Begins" took a nod from the dark tones of "The Dark Knight Returns" and presented a troubled character who would become a hero. An obsessed person who wanted to make sure his brand of vigilante justice was applied to the criminals of Gotham City. It was the type of Batman movie I had always wanted to see. I liked how Batman wasn't a Boy Scout like Superman. I liked how Christopher Nolan clearly knew he was making a comic book movie, but rooted it an environment that seemed perfectly plausible that a guy with a cape could exist.
"Batman Begins" is my favourite superhero movie. I could go on and on about all the nuances that I love about this movie. I am highly excited for next summer's "Dark Knight" the sequel to "Batman Begins". I love that Christopher Nolan and the rest of the cast are back. I find the title perfect. And I highly anticipate that Joker will be the evil, psychotic villain that I read about, not the campy version portrayed by Jack Nicholson.
This entire blog is a roundabout way to say that you have to check out this picture that shows the promise that "Dark Knight" will not disappoint. Heath Ledger as Joker looks simply too cool.
I will now unplug my geekiness and return to my normal life.
However, I always thought comics were unjustifiably put down by the general public. I only really got into comics in grade seven. That was the year when Batman The Movie came out. The one directed by Tim Burton. The one with the comical Joker played by Jack Nicholson. The one that I thought miscast Michael Keaton, but after viewing the movie, thought that he did a good job. I remember going to see that movie with my dad and afterwards he bought me a graphic novel called "The Dark Knight Returns".
This story written by Frank Miller (of "300" and "Sin City" fame) was about Batman returning back as a old man set in an apocalyptic future set in Gotham City. I never knew comics could be so dark and create such a complex story full of character development. Miller's Batman was an enigma, wracked with psychological despair from witnessing his parent's murder. Through the rejuvenation of his crime fighting career, we witness Batman's unwavering vision of his truth ultimately juxtaposed against the American virtues embodied by Superman. Plus Batman and Superman's fight kicks some massive butt.
There are so many complex issues tackled in this seminal work in terms of graphic novels. The grim tone and story structure has been mimicked and aped by so many other comic writers since.
I know comics are purely fantasy, but the best comics tackle the same sort of themes that, dare I say, Shakespeare does. Doing the right thing? Spiderman. Prejudice? X-Men. Tragic love? Daredevil and Elektra. It is no mistake that some of today's most popular shows are simply stealing ideas from comics. And the popularity of shows like Lost and Heroes, simply proves that the themes from comics speak to people. And the improvement of special effects has allowed the visions of Stan Lee (this guy is THE MAN when it comes to comics... can you believe he created The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men AND Spiderman... what a resume!) to flourish on the screen. Spiderman and X-men proved to be a box office hit.
Which brings me to "Batman Begins". The Batman franchise was ruined by Joel Schumacher and no one remembers the ugly mess that involved George Clooney as Batman. I mean, that Batman suit had nipples! When I learned that Christopher Nolan was restarting the franchise I was excited. When Christian Bale was cast as Bruce Wayne, I became very eager to see this movie. It did not disappoint. "Batman Begins" took a nod from the dark tones of "The Dark Knight Returns" and presented a troubled character who would become a hero. An obsessed person who wanted to make sure his brand of vigilante justice was applied to the criminals of Gotham City. It was the type of Batman movie I had always wanted to see. I liked how Batman wasn't a Boy Scout like Superman. I liked how Christopher Nolan clearly knew he was making a comic book movie, but rooted it an environment that seemed perfectly plausible that a guy with a cape could exist.
"Batman Begins" is my favourite superhero movie. I could go on and on about all the nuances that I love about this movie. I am highly excited for next summer's "Dark Knight" the sequel to "Batman Begins". I love that Christopher Nolan and the rest of the cast are back. I find the title perfect. And I highly anticipate that Joker will be the evil, psychotic villain that I read about, not the campy version portrayed by Jack Nicholson.
This entire blog is a roundabout way to say that you have to check out this picture that shows the promise that "Dark Knight" will not disappoint. Heath Ledger as Joker looks simply too cool.
I will now unplug my geekiness and return to my normal life.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Greatest Band Halftime show ever...
Just stumbled across this halftime show by the band from Cal.
See if you can recognize the different games... I believe there are six of them. The only problem with the video is it is filmed from the wrong side of the field.
(Click on the title of this blog for the link)
See if you can recognize the different games... I believe there are six of them. The only problem with the video is it is filmed from the wrong side of the field.
(Click on the title of this blog for the link)
Friday, November 23, 2007
Alternative choices...
Hello everyone out there. I hope your American Thanksgiving was swell. I only wish I could have participated in the Black Friday shopping madness.
I am getting a little nervous after realizing the writer's strike is sucking humour out of my life. Thursday brought no new episodes of 30 Rock, The Office, and My Name is Earl. I feel especially bad for 30 Rock, because it had the makings of a MVP season. I liken it to the baseball strike back in 1994 when the Montreal Expos were in first place. The strike occurred and the franchise was never the same. Bye bye Pedro. Bye bye Larry. Good-bye Expos.
I hope 30 Rock can continue the magic.
I feel the threat of no new television episodes on the horizon, which would mean I would have to find something else to fill my time. I came up with a possible list of what that may entail:
1) Phone people I haven't talked to in a long time. Come to the realization that I can actual interact with real people that were formerly important to me.
2) Use email instead to contact those "friends" after they repeatedly ignore my calls.
3) Contact former students and try to hang out with them.
4) Follow those same former students around in my car after they avoid me for weeks on end.
5) Go watch a movie instead. That "Enchanted" movie looks attractive, only because McDreamy is in it. And I just wrote that, so I could write "McDreamy", which I think is one of the stupidest monikers of all time. Does that even make sense? How does McDonald's and someone who is hot, come together? I don't want to think of lard and fat when thinking about someone that is hot.
6) Take up knitting.
7) Build a gingerbread house. Then eat it. I like this one.
8) Write my pointless thoughts and drivel out in a communicative form that sporadically appears on the Internet.
9) Wonder if ABC and Pushing Daisies, purposely putting their female leads into costumes to show major amounts of cleavage, has anything to do with why I might enjoy HiDef so much?
10) Keep carefully protecting my Markus Naslund voodoo doll, which is solely responsible for his returning scoring touch.
Ciao!
I am getting a little nervous after realizing the writer's strike is sucking humour out of my life. Thursday brought no new episodes of 30 Rock, The Office, and My Name is Earl. I feel especially bad for 30 Rock, because it had the makings of a MVP season. I liken it to the baseball strike back in 1994 when the Montreal Expos were in first place. The strike occurred and the franchise was never the same. Bye bye Pedro. Bye bye Larry. Good-bye Expos.
I hope 30 Rock can continue the magic.
I feel the threat of no new television episodes on the horizon, which would mean I would have to find something else to fill my time. I came up with a possible list of what that may entail:
1) Phone people I haven't talked to in a long time. Come to the realization that I can actual interact with real people that were formerly important to me.
2) Use email instead to contact those "friends" after they repeatedly ignore my calls.
3) Contact former students and try to hang out with them.
4) Follow those same former students around in my car after they avoid me for weeks on end.
5) Go watch a movie instead. That "Enchanted" movie looks attractive, only because McDreamy is in it. And I just wrote that, so I could write "McDreamy", which I think is one of the stupidest monikers of all time. Does that even make sense? How does McDonald's and someone who is hot, come together? I don't want to think of lard and fat when thinking about someone that is hot.
6) Take up knitting.
7) Build a gingerbread house. Then eat it. I like this one.
8) Write my pointless thoughts and drivel out in a communicative form that sporadically appears on the Internet.
9) Wonder if ABC and Pushing Daisies, purposely putting their female leads into costumes to show major amounts of cleavage, has anything to do with why I might enjoy HiDef so much?
10) Keep carefully protecting my Markus Naslund voodoo doll, which is solely responsible for his returning scoring touch.
Ciao!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Enjoying your long weekend...
Hope all of you are doing well on this long weekend. Remembrance Day is one of my favourite times, because I love reading about all of the stories of people who had so much courage in difficult times. It saddens me to think that there are not many surviving WWII veterans. I always feel a bit emotional reading all of the different celebrations across Canada and I wonder if I wisely use the freedoms afforded to me.
From "freedom" to "free", I have been reading about intellectual property, especially when it comes to music. If you want a good read try reading about this one person's view about the music industry and the shut down of the #1 file sharing site Oink's.
Another good article is one published by a music industry guy from three years back.
Enjoy if you have some free time to spare.
From "freedom" to "free", I have been reading about intellectual property, especially when it comes to music. If you want a good read try reading about this one person's view about the music industry and the shut down of the #1 file sharing site Oink's.
Another good article is one published by a music industry guy from three years back.
Enjoy if you have some free time to spare.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Long time no post...
Sorry I haven't written anything in awhile. I was sick all weekend feeling BLAH. Probably from all the candy that I stole from all the kids trick or treating during Halloween.
Also, time will be freed up after the jr boys volleyball season winds down. I think I may be up for coach of the year after having a winless season until last week, where we managed to win two games (there are only five teams in the district!) and somehow end up with the third seed in playoffs due to a tiebreak won because of sets won. This meant we avoided an extra playoff game and entered into the playoffs against the #2 seed. We hadn't beaten Burnaby North all year and we dropped the first two sets in the best of five. Somehow we stormed back to win three straight and now on Friday we are playing the number 1 seed for all the marbles.
OK that was a complex paragraph to explain what I have been up to.
Just thought I would update a couple of things that I have been watching and then I will try to do a nice big post this upcoming long weekend. (I have such a soft spot for Remembrance Day... I hope we can continue to honour so many of the true heroes from the past.)
Sunday:
Desperate Housewives: I personally think this has been a great season, much like season 1. There have been pretty good subplots and all the women are in fine form. The big bonus is Susan Myers is not annoying this year, but rather goofy in an endearing way. Every time I see Eva Longoria, I wonder how Tony Parker can even focus on basketball.
Monday:
Heroes: This week it finally turned a corner by presenting the big problem. The only nice connection was Peter and Adam (Kensei) at the end. Is it too late to save this show? Ratings have plummeted and fans have been angry. For sure, this show is in a sophomore jinx. I used to be eager to polish off an episode of Heroes. Not anymore.
Chuck: Glad to see that they talked about Chuck's past with Bryce. Superb choice using my favourite Oasis song, "Don't Look Back in Anger". I like this show. Now will anyone join me in the Morgan Must Go Club?
How I Met Your Mother: I still watch this show because of Barney, but I find I don't laugh out loud like other comedies. Still amusing and the writing pulls of quirky plot transitions and time elapses.
Tuesday:
House: I know some people are growing tired of this show, but this is one show that makes me laugh out loud. I really wish there were more House and Wilson moments, but this week's episode with the double entendres and CIA lies were precious. Thoroughly enjoying this show still.
Pushing Daisies: Where was it this week? Best new show on TV.
Wednesday:
Bionic Woman: BORING! I am done with this show. Nuff said.
Reaper: Getting a bit better. I did like how the Devil was depressed on Halloween.
Gossip Girl: Still my guilty pleasure. Except can shows stop doing the cliche "Mask Party"? Do people really get confused when someone is covering their eyes? Is it that tough to not notice that someone is not your sister? "Hey look I am wearing a mask! Of course you don't know it is me." Enough of this masquerade! (You know you are sick when you start chuckling at your own puns).
Thursday:
MY FAVOURITE NIGHT...
My Name is Earl: Just a rollicking good ride.
The Office: Last week's 30 minute episode felt tighter. This show always delivers the goods.
30 Rock: THE BEST COMEDY that you are not watching. Alec Baldwin is genius. Give him the Emmy after last episode's crazy monologue. I never was a fan of his, but I am now.
Scrubs: It's back! I haven't watched it yet! I am going to keep using exclamations to make a point that is really not there!
Ugly Betty: I really enjoy the Betty-Rocco dynamic and actually good ole Henry is starting to grate on me. He seems like a wuss. More John Cho! And I never thought that Vanessa Williams could be so good in a role. She absolutely nails her character Wilhemina Slater.
Friday:
Friday Night Lights: Landry, Landry, Landry! Landry's storyline was going well and then I forgot about the unspeakable act that he committed. Then I remembered and thought "Damn there goes all the goodwill this show was building back up after a false start to this season." Still I do enjoy my FNL and I think I got Mina hooked after last episode's great arc.
TTYL IMO BFF BRB LOL JK MTFBWY
Rob out.
Also, time will be freed up after the jr boys volleyball season winds down. I think I may be up for coach of the year after having a winless season until last week, where we managed to win two games (there are only five teams in the district!) and somehow end up with the third seed in playoffs due to a tiebreak won because of sets won. This meant we avoided an extra playoff game and entered into the playoffs against the #2 seed. We hadn't beaten Burnaby North all year and we dropped the first two sets in the best of five. Somehow we stormed back to win three straight and now on Friday we are playing the number 1 seed for all the marbles.
OK that was a complex paragraph to explain what I have been up to.
Just thought I would update a couple of things that I have been watching and then I will try to do a nice big post this upcoming long weekend. (I have such a soft spot for Remembrance Day... I hope we can continue to honour so many of the true heroes from the past.)
Sunday:
Desperate Housewives: I personally think this has been a great season, much like season 1. There have been pretty good subplots and all the women are in fine form. The big bonus is Susan Myers is not annoying this year, but rather goofy in an endearing way. Every time I see Eva Longoria, I wonder how Tony Parker can even focus on basketball.
Monday:
Heroes: This week it finally turned a corner by presenting the big problem. The only nice connection was Peter and Adam (Kensei) at the end. Is it too late to save this show? Ratings have plummeted and fans have been angry. For sure, this show is in a sophomore jinx. I used to be eager to polish off an episode of Heroes. Not anymore.
Chuck: Glad to see that they talked about Chuck's past with Bryce. Superb choice using my favourite Oasis song, "Don't Look Back in Anger". I like this show. Now will anyone join me in the Morgan Must Go Club?
How I Met Your Mother: I still watch this show because of Barney, but I find I don't laugh out loud like other comedies. Still amusing and the writing pulls of quirky plot transitions and time elapses.
Tuesday:
House: I know some people are growing tired of this show, but this is one show that makes me laugh out loud. I really wish there were more House and Wilson moments, but this week's episode with the double entendres and CIA lies were precious. Thoroughly enjoying this show still.
Pushing Daisies: Where was it this week? Best new show on TV.
Wednesday:
Bionic Woman: BORING! I am done with this show. Nuff said.
Reaper: Getting a bit better. I did like how the Devil was depressed on Halloween.
Gossip Girl: Still my guilty pleasure. Except can shows stop doing the cliche "Mask Party"? Do people really get confused when someone is covering their eyes? Is it that tough to not notice that someone is not your sister? "Hey look I am wearing a mask! Of course you don't know it is me." Enough of this masquerade! (You know you are sick when you start chuckling at your own puns).
Thursday:
MY FAVOURITE NIGHT...
My Name is Earl: Just a rollicking good ride.
The Office: Last week's 30 minute episode felt tighter. This show always delivers the goods.
30 Rock: THE BEST COMEDY that you are not watching. Alec Baldwin is genius. Give him the Emmy after last episode's crazy monologue. I never was a fan of his, but I am now.
Scrubs: It's back! I haven't watched it yet! I am going to keep using exclamations to make a point that is really not there!
Ugly Betty: I really enjoy the Betty-Rocco dynamic and actually good ole Henry is starting to grate on me. He seems like a wuss. More John Cho! And I never thought that Vanessa Williams could be so good in a role. She absolutely nails her character Wilhemina Slater.
Friday:
Friday Night Lights: Landry, Landry, Landry! Landry's storyline was going well and then I forgot about the unspeakable act that he committed. Then I remembered and thought "Damn there goes all the goodwill this show was building back up after a false start to this season." Still I do enjoy my FNL and I think I got Mina hooked after last episode's great arc.
TTYL IMO BFF BRB LOL JK MTFBWY
Rob out.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Pop Junk...
There was a great post from someone anonymous from a couple of days back:
"Hmmm great article, but really Rob, Sadness and anger over things that are so trivial in the greater scheme.. You are talking about TV shows, sporting events, music and movies.. They are merely forms of entertainment. When you wake up the next morning, have they really changed your life? I know you love them and they do create suspense and excitement, but what about anticipation vs reality when it comes to important stuff.. love, family, dreams? Its when the reality of these don't live up to the anticipation that you truly experience sadness and anger. All these forms of media are created just to mildly amuse us as we go through out day to day lives.."
This person is quite correct that all these are "trivial in the greater scheme". I hope that this person doesn't think that I do not have dreams and passion for the more important things in life. The reason I call this site "Pop junk" is because I am wholly aware that all of this is junk.
However, after thinking about this all day, I think these media creations do add a nice dimension to my life and I am not ashamed to admit that. Is it OK for me to recognize that these things are trivial yet they can still challenge and shape my life in small ways? I can vividly remember going to my first movie with my parents (Snow White) and the entire experience of viewing that movie with my family is still fresh in my mind. Movies were a way that my family could come together. I can remember with clarity the first time I saw Star Wars in a small dark gym during a summer day camp in Comox. The movie jumped out of the TV and into my fertile mind. I credit that moment with pushing me into sciences (I became fascinated by the real night sky) and developing my imagination (I became a voracious reader of all types of books). Movies and books challenged me to think critically and to observe different environments that I could not be a part of. Pop culture is often devoid of deeper resonant meaning and I am fully aware of that. You can't beat real life. I can't think of better moments when I interact with the students I teach everyday, or the moments when my fiance smiles at me accepting me for who I am. I can't wait to become a father.
So where does that leave me at this moment? Take music for example. There are so many songs out there that I can pin to moments in my life, moments where I need to just listen to cope with what was going on, or moments of pure ecstatic joy in being in the moment of that song. If music disappeared I know my life would be altered, but it would go on.
I know the world won't end if the Canucks don't win the Cup. If television disappeared I would be able to survive. But I don't know if I necessarily agree that all pop culture exists to "mildly amuse us as we go through out day to day lives". I think at times, even pop junk, like great works of art can go beyond the mildly amusing. I recognize that pop culture is not a necessity. But I am not ashamed to admit that I like it. My statements of anticipation and disappointment I guess need to be taken into context. These sort of feelings I feel towards things within pop culture do not equate to the real things in life, but they are still feelings that I experience on a lesser scale.
I wish I was more articulate with what I want to exactly express. Instead, I leave you with two decent articles about pop culture from Stephen King:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20056512,00.html
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20050107,00.html
Take care everyone.
"Hmmm great article, but really Rob, Sadness and anger over things that are so trivial in the greater scheme.. You are talking about TV shows, sporting events, music and movies.. They are merely forms of entertainment. When you wake up the next morning, have they really changed your life? I know you love them and they do create suspense and excitement, but what about anticipation vs reality when it comes to important stuff.. love, family, dreams? Its when the reality of these don't live up to the anticipation that you truly experience sadness and anger. All these forms of media are created just to mildly amuse us as we go through out day to day lives.."
This person is quite correct that all these are "trivial in the greater scheme". I hope that this person doesn't think that I do not have dreams and passion for the more important things in life. The reason I call this site "Pop junk" is because I am wholly aware that all of this is junk.
However, after thinking about this all day, I think these media creations do add a nice dimension to my life and I am not ashamed to admit that. Is it OK for me to recognize that these things are trivial yet they can still challenge and shape my life in small ways? I can vividly remember going to my first movie with my parents (Snow White) and the entire experience of viewing that movie with my family is still fresh in my mind. Movies were a way that my family could come together. I can remember with clarity the first time I saw Star Wars in a small dark gym during a summer day camp in Comox. The movie jumped out of the TV and into my fertile mind. I credit that moment with pushing me into sciences (I became fascinated by the real night sky) and developing my imagination (I became a voracious reader of all types of books). Movies and books challenged me to think critically and to observe different environments that I could not be a part of. Pop culture is often devoid of deeper resonant meaning and I am fully aware of that. You can't beat real life. I can't think of better moments when I interact with the students I teach everyday, or the moments when my fiance smiles at me accepting me for who I am. I can't wait to become a father.
So where does that leave me at this moment? Take music for example. There are so many songs out there that I can pin to moments in my life, moments where I need to just listen to cope with what was going on, or moments of pure ecstatic joy in being in the moment of that song. If music disappeared I know my life would be altered, but it would go on.
I know the world won't end if the Canucks don't win the Cup. If television disappeared I would be able to survive. But I don't know if I necessarily agree that all pop culture exists to "mildly amuse us as we go through out day to day lives". I think at times, even pop junk, like great works of art can go beyond the mildly amusing. I recognize that pop culture is not a necessity. But I am not ashamed to admit that I like it. My statements of anticipation and disappointment I guess need to be taken into context. These sort of feelings I feel towards things within pop culture do not equate to the real things in life, but they are still feelings that I experience on a lesser scale.
I wish I was more articulate with what I want to exactly express. Instead, I leave you with two decent articles about pop culture from Stephen King:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20056512,00.html
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20050107,00.html
Take care everyone.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Serial Killers...
So I have been still watching the following new shows:
Pushing Daisies
Bionic Woman
Gossip Girl
Reaper
Chuck
I have already wrote about how I like Gossip Girl. Pushing Daisies has quickly become a quirky hit in my books. The production and the set designs are gorgeous to look at while the many characters from Chuck (another Chuck?) to Olive to Ned have great personalities and tremendous chemistry with each other.
I am close to giving Bionic Woman the heave-ho. The characters on the show do too many bone-headed things and there are just too many holes in the storylines. I am a fan of Lucy Hale, the younger sister of Bionic Woman, but I am not a fan of much anything else.
Bionic Woman, Reaper, and Chuck all suffer from the scared mentality of networks these days. Too many networks are afraid of creating serialized shows, because it is hard for new viewers to join plus a lot of money is lost if these shows become syndicated.
Reaper is getting repetitive with the find-the-lost-soul every episode. Ray Wise absolutely kills as Satan, but this show is losing steam after such a good premise.
Chuck is all over the place. I do enjoy this one, except I really am annoyed by Chuck's friend Morgan. He is simply not that funny. I will also vomit in my shoe, a gross proposition, if Morgan and Chuck's sister start dating each other. I mean the show can't get rid of Captain Awesome can they? Chuck also suffers from one off episodes. I wish they could pull everything together by introducing a big baddie to give the show a bit more direction.
Maybe all three of these shows could take a page out of House's book. House manages to tackle different patients every episode, yet there is a running storyline from episode to episode. If only Reaper, Chuck, and Bionic Woman could have some of the witty dialogue that makes House such a joy to watch.
Of the three new ones, I think I will stick with Chuck for longer than the others. My excitement is judged by which shows I want to watch immediately off of my PVR. Reaper and Bionic Woman are the episodes that I always have left over.
Pushing Daisies
Bionic Woman
Gossip Girl
Reaper
Chuck
I have already wrote about how I like Gossip Girl. Pushing Daisies has quickly become a quirky hit in my books. The production and the set designs are gorgeous to look at while the many characters from Chuck (another Chuck?) to Olive to Ned have great personalities and tremendous chemistry with each other.
I am close to giving Bionic Woman the heave-ho. The characters on the show do too many bone-headed things and there are just too many holes in the storylines. I am a fan of Lucy Hale, the younger sister of Bionic Woman, but I am not a fan of much anything else.
Bionic Woman, Reaper, and Chuck all suffer from the scared mentality of networks these days. Too many networks are afraid of creating serialized shows, because it is hard for new viewers to join plus a lot of money is lost if these shows become syndicated.
Reaper is getting repetitive with the find-the-lost-soul every episode. Ray Wise absolutely kills as Satan, but this show is losing steam after such a good premise.
Chuck is all over the place. I do enjoy this one, except I really am annoyed by Chuck's friend Morgan. He is simply not that funny. I will also vomit in my shoe, a gross proposition, if Morgan and Chuck's sister start dating each other. I mean the show can't get rid of Captain Awesome can they? Chuck also suffers from one off episodes. I wish they could pull everything together by introducing a big baddie to give the show a bit more direction.
Maybe all three of these shows could take a page out of House's book. House manages to tackle different patients every episode, yet there is a running storyline from episode to episode. If only Reaper, Chuck, and Bionic Woman could have some of the witty dialogue that makes House such a joy to watch.
Of the three new ones, I think I will stick with Chuck for longer than the others. My excitement is judged by which shows I want to watch immediately off of my PVR. Reaper and Bionic Woman are the episodes that I always have left over.
Anticipation vs Reality: How Heroes has fallen
The anticipation of something new or something that you look forward to can overwhelm your thoughts. The sense of anticipation slows down time and every mundane minute feels like one long episode of America’s Next Top Model: it is never going to end. While time slows to a crawl, every human sense becomes heightened and more aware. The smell of bacon in the morning becomes sharper. The taste of orange juice becomes tarter. The humming of the fridge becomes louder. The colours of the newspaper print becomes brighter. It is like every cell in your body is alerted to the anticipation of a particular event and every ounce of your being is geared and focused to welcome the sensation of being in that moment.
I have noticed over my short lifetime that very rarely does the anticipation match reality. The anticipating is much more exciting than the participating. I bring forth the evidence:
1) Whenever you crave your favourite meal or food, you can go all day thinking about that meal, but when you finally sit down to eat, the actual experience is a bit dull in contrast to the mental drooling that preceded.
2) The anticipation of going on a date rarely matches the date itself. You can spend all day wondering how things are going to go, what the person is going to be like, and often those expectations are too hard to match. Dates more often than not fizzle immediately at the start. I am so glad that I don’t have to make my way through the dating scene anymore.
3) As a young boy during Christmas, I would work myself into a frenzy wondering what gifts I was about to receive. The anticipation of what was under the shimmering gift wrap was beyond the elation I felt when I actually laid my eyes on my present.
4) I have patiently anticipated every new Vancouver Canuck season during the summer. Thoughts of how the team would perform or who would do what or what it would feel like if the Canucks raised the Cup rarely matched the fleeting moments of joy that were felt during the season. I was crushed after waiting all summer to see Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov play for our team. I was crushed after waiting all summer to see Alexander Mogilny play with Pavel Bure for our team. I was crushed after waiting to see Mark Messier play for our team. I was crushed by disappointment of experiencing my first Stanley Cup playoff game in 1994, game 3 versus the New York Rangers, in a game which saw Pavel Bure score on a breakaway only later to be kicked out of the game because of him throwing an elbow, which then was proceeded by the Brian Leetch and Alexei Kovalev show (where Kovalev absolutely undressed Kirk McLean). I had anticipated this game for so long. I was crushed by the many fruitless years of Dan Cloutier, Todd Bertuzzi, Markus Naslund, and Brenda Morrison. I waited through long regular seasons anticipating a great playoff run only to be crushed by continual underachievement.
4) I was disappointed by the fourth Star Wars movie. I had waited forever wondering what this new movie would look like. I had been traveling Europe during the summer it was released and after a long flight home from Portugal, my friends picked me up from the Vancouver airport and we drove straight to Silvercity Richmond to watch the Phantom Menace. Suffice to say my enormous anticipation of this movie could not be matched (let’s just ignore the unhealthy amount of devotion I have to Star Wars).
5) Often our expectations cannot hope to survive because we expect more. Something new can catch us off guard because we had no previous expectations. The second time through we have preconceptions and demand similar results. Nowhere is this more evident than in music. I wonder if a band can possibly follow up a great album with another great one, simply because our expectations are different. I remember listening to every single track off of Pearl Jam’s Ten back in grade ten. I was flush with excitement for their second album in grade eleven. I remember my friends and I bought the CD at A&B Sound during lunch and we immediately went to my friend’s house to listen to the entire album (*ahem* that did not mean I missed school). VS was a decent album, but it was no Ten. And looking back fourteen years, what I remember clearly is not actually listening to the tracks. I vividly recall continuous discussions about Pearl Jam leading up to the release date. I remember the elaborate planning involved for acquiring the disc. I even remember which friend’s house we went to listen. I can even recollect the exact moment where we pulled up into his driveway in a white Sprint. Anticipation can be that powerful.
I deal with disappointment in two ways. I get depressed or I get angry. I got depressed after the Canucks lost game seven in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. I was so forlorn that I went straight home from the Pacific Coliseum thus missing the riots that my friends got to see firsthand. I got angry after the new Star Wars trilogy was finished. I lament all those times bands like Guns N Roses, Weezer, The Killers, and Radiohead failed to follow through on their newest offerings. Damn Guns N Roses! Appetite For Destruction was amazing. Use Your Illusions I & II could have been put together into one album.
The second season of Heroes has been one major disappointment. The sense of anticipation of the season 1 finale was much too great. I don’t think the show could have ever delivered something big enough in that final hour. The actual finale episode was a big letdown, and that air has continued to hiss out of this show well into five episodes this year. Kristen Bell’s appearance in the latest episode was underwhelming. There are too many storylines that are going on at once and there is no focus to the show. Snippets of a plot here and there has caused this show to meander. No longer do we get a sense of elation of discovering character’s powers as they themselves discover what the can do. There is very little intrigue or mystery. Most of the time I am asking myself "What the heck is going on?" out of confusion. I am almost at the point that I no longer care about any of the characters.
Hiro is trapped in feudal Japan, but really he is trapped a storyline that is boring and offers no compelling moments considering Hiro had the majority of those sort of moments last year. HRG does not seem as sinister. Mohinder still sucks. Parkman now seems like a wimpy character to scared to take charge. Sylar doesn’t scare me. I could go on and on about the failings of this season. I thought the show may have rounded a corner last week, but so many plotlines are still in disarray.
Last year this show took charge by using conventional comic book storylines that had a freshness to it, because there wasn’t anything like this scale being down on television. Last year established some great characters with some really cool powers. All that goodwill and great foundation that was laid last year has been swept away by the winds of disappointment. My anticipation of this second season was maybe too high. The reality of these episodes makes me yearn for last year’s newness and originality. I don’t know if there are enough heroes to save this mess of a show.
PS
One of the few things that I can remember that exceeded my expectations were the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was a huge fan of the books and I loved the first movie. Each movie thereafter managed to wow me and surpass all expectations I had. My anticipation for the Return of the King was astronomical and the movie delivered in spades.
I have noticed over my short lifetime that very rarely does the anticipation match reality. The anticipating is much more exciting than the participating. I bring forth the evidence:
1) Whenever you crave your favourite meal or food, you can go all day thinking about that meal, but when you finally sit down to eat, the actual experience is a bit dull in contrast to the mental drooling that preceded.
2) The anticipation of going on a date rarely matches the date itself. You can spend all day wondering how things are going to go, what the person is going to be like, and often those expectations are too hard to match. Dates more often than not fizzle immediately at the start. I am so glad that I don’t have to make my way through the dating scene anymore.
3) As a young boy during Christmas, I would work myself into a frenzy wondering what gifts I was about to receive. The anticipation of what was under the shimmering gift wrap was beyond the elation I felt when I actually laid my eyes on my present.
4) I have patiently anticipated every new Vancouver Canuck season during the summer. Thoughts of how the team would perform or who would do what or what it would feel like if the Canucks raised the Cup rarely matched the fleeting moments of joy that were felt during the season. I was crushed after waiting all summer to see Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov play for our team. I was crushed after waiting all summer to see Alexander Mogilny play with Pavel Bure for our team. I was crushed after waiting to see Mark Messier play for our team. I was crushed by disappointment of experiencing my first Stanley Cup playoff game in 1994, game 3 versus the New York Rangers, in a game which saw Pavel Bure score on a breakaway only later to be kicked out of the game because of him throwing an elbow, which then was proceeded by the Brian Leetch and Alexei Kovalev show (where Kovalev absolutely undressed Kirk McLean). I had anticipated this game for so long. I was crushed by the many fruitless years of Dan Cloutier, Todd Bertuzzi, Markus Naslund, and Brenda Morrison. I waited through long regular seasons anticipating a great playoff run only to be crushed by continual underachievement.
4) I was disappointed by the fourth Star Wars movie. I had waited forever wondering what this new movie would look like. I had been traveling Europe during the summer it was released and after a long flight home from Portugal, my friends picked me up from the Vancouver airport and we drove straight to Silvercity Richmond to watch the Phantom Menace. Suffice to say my enormous anticipation of this movie could not be matched (let’s just ignore the unhealthy amount of devotion I have to Star Wars).
5) Often our expectations cannot hope to survive because we expect more. Something new can catch us off guard because we had no previous expectations. The second time through we have preconceptions and demand similar results. Nowhere is this more evident than in music. I wonder if a band can possibly follow up a great album with another great one, simply because our expectations are different. I remember listening to every single track off of Pearl Jam’s Ten back in grade ten. I was flush with excitement for their second album in grade eleven. I remember my friends and I bought the CD at A&B Sound during lunch and we immediately went to my friend’s house to listen to the entire album (*ahem* that did not mean I missed school). VS was a decent album, but it was no Ten. And looking back fourteen years, what I remember clearly is not actually listening to the tracks. I vividly recall continuous discussions about Pearl Jam leading up to the release date. I remember the elaborate planning involved for acquiring the disc. I even remember which friend’s house we went to listen. I can even recollect the exact moment where we pulled up into his driveway in a white Sprint. Anticipation can be that powerful.
I deal with disappointment in two ways. I get depressed or I get angry. I got depressed after the Canucks lost game seven in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. I was so forlorn that I went straight home from the Pacific Coliseum thus missing the riots that my friends got to see firsthand. I got angry after the new Star Wars trilogy was finished. I lament all those times bands like Guns N Roses, Weezer, The Killers, and Radiohead failed to follow through on their newest offerings. Damn Guns N Roses! Appetite For Destruction was amazing. Use Your Illusions I & II could have been put together into one album.
The second season of Heroes has been one major disappointment. The sense of anticipation of the season 1 finale was much too great. I don’t think the show could have ever delivered something big enough in that final hour. The actual finale episode was a big letdown, and that air has continued to hiss out of this show well into five episodes this year. Kristen Bell’s appearance in the latest episode was underwhelming. There are too many storylines that are going on at once and there is no focus to the show. Snippets of a plot here and there has caused this show to meander. No longer do we get a sense of elation of discovering character’s powers as they themselves discover what the can do. There is very little intrigue or mystery. Most of the time I am asking myself "What the heck is going on?" out of confusion. I am almost at the point that I no longer care about any of the characters.
Hiro is trapped in feudal Japan, but really he is trapped a storyline that is boring and offers no compelling moments considering Hiro had the majority of those sort of moments last year. HRG does not seem as sinister. Mohinder still sucks. Parkman now seems like a wimpy character to scared to take charge. Sylar doesn’t scare me. I could go on and on about the failings of this season. I thought the show may have rounded a corner last week, but so many plotlines are still in disarray.
Last year this show took charge by using conventional comic book storylines that had a freshness to it, because there wasn’t anything like this scale being down on television. Last year established some great characters with some really cool powers. All that goodwill and great foundation that was laid last year has been swept away by the winds of disappointment. My anticipation of this second season was maybe too high. The reality of these episodes makes me yearn for last year’s newness and originality. I don’t know if there are enough heroes to save this mess of a show.
PS
One of the few things that I can remember that exceeded my expectations were the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was a huge fan of the books and I loved the first movie. Each movie thereafter managed to wow me and surpass all expectations I had. My anticipation for the Return of the King was astronomical and the movie delivered in spades.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Office: Halloween Heartbreak
As a teacher, I have no idea what is really running through the minds of the students I teach. I have no idea what drama my students are in the midst of. I have no idea of the pain and hurt that they may be in. I can only relate thinking back to my days in high school and remembering how certain events seemed so dramatic for me at the time.
I remember one particular instance around Halloween in grade twelve. I had the biggest crush on one girl for a long time. I remember thinking that a relationship was going to work out (finally!), but it got derailed. I remember acutely how I was distraught, devastated, and angry that things didn’t work out. I was bitter and I clearly remember aimlessly walking the streets in the rain, not knowing what to do next.
I look back now thirteen years later and chuckle at how crazy I must have seemed back then. To me, it seemed like my world was ending and that the hurt inside myself threatened to cause me to explode. Now, I wish I could tell my younger self that it was not the end of the world, that I could survive this minor episode of my life. Even though the constant buzz in my head would rattle me and everything else around me seemed less important, I would rebound.
I was reminded about all this as I watched The Office last Thursday. These one hour episodes have allowed for the writers to explore many of the characters in a deeper manner. At times, the one hour episodes have sagged under the strain of stretching silly plots for far too long. But this last episode was full of comedy and sorrow. And sometimes the best comedy arises out of pain and sorrow, something that The Office has done so well over the last two seasons (see anything involving Michael or Pam/Jim’s storyline). Dwight Schrute has been a crazy character at times that has been played for much comedic relief. We all anticipate his over the top antics and this episode was full of them. His bed and breakfast farm experience was classical Schrute: weird and disturbing. But this episode also managed to speak about love and the pain that it can bring sometimes. Dwight was a shell of himself and simply destroyed by the loss of Angela. His painful moaning in the stairwell was humourous, yet we could feel his anguish. Then Jim, reaching out to his mortal enemy, succinctly summed up what the feeling of love denied feels like. Jim was right that food doesn’t taste right and it becomes difficult to even be around the person. Jim ran away from Pam, because he couldn’t bear the thought of her getting married. Jim’s wise words brought Dwight out of his stupor and Dwight actually reached out to get a hug from Jim, who had already disappeared.
The brilliance of The Office is in the midst of over-the-top comedy, they can reveal nuggets of truth about life. The next scene where Dwight marches back into The Office and proceeds to clear Jim’s stuff off his desk with a ruler, while making a call to a prospective paper buyer, is one of the reasons I love this show. Dwight was back and the loss of a loved one would not ruin his life. We all get stronger from experiences that bring us pain. We just need to deal with it and move on to the next chapter in our lives.
Many years after grade 12, Halloween would bring a certain jabbing pain as a reminder of what I thought I had “endured” around that time. As time passed, the pain subsided and all that was left was a faint impression of what had occurred before. Sure there would be more love lost and heartbreak through the years, but each relationship or failed relationship only added more dimensions to my life. Now, Halloween brings a smile to my face, not because of the candy, but because it was around this time, three years ago, that I, dressed up as Harry Potter, met my fiancé at a UBC Halloween party. Jim has found love with Pam and there moments are good. I have found love and life is good (sorry to rip you off LG). There will always be hope for all us Dwight Schrutes of the world.
(Feel free to throw up at the end of my last paragraph if you wish… but it is a true story)
I remember one particular instance around Halloween in grade twelve. I had the biggest crush on one girl for a long time. I remember thinking that a relationship was going to work out (finally!), but it got derailed. I remember acutely how I was distraught, devastated, and angry that things didn’t work out. I was bitter and I clearly remember aimlessly walking the streets in the rain, not knowing what to do next.
I look back now thirteen years later and chuckle at how crazy I must have seemed back then. To me, it seemed like my world was ending and that the hurt inside myself threatened to cause me to explode. Now, I wish I could tell my younger self that it was not the end of the world, that I could survive this minor episode of my life. Even though the constant buzz in my head would rattle me and everything else around me seemed less important, I would rebound.
I was reminded about all this as I watched The Office last Thursday. These one hour episodes have allowed for the writers to explore many of the characters in a deeper manner. At times, the one hour episodes have sagged under the strain of stretching silly plots for far too long. But this last episode was full of comedy and sorrow. And sometimes the best comedy arises out of pain and sorrow, something that The Office has done so well over the last two seasons (see anything involving Michael or Pam/Jim’s storyline). Dwight Schrute has been a crazy character at times that has been played for much comedic relief. We all anticipate his over the top antics and this episode was full of them. His bed and breakfast farm experience was classical Schrute: weird and disturbing. But this episode also managed to speak about love and the pain that it can bring sometimes. Dwight was a shell of himself and simply destroyed by the loss of Angela. His painful moaning in the stairwell was humourous, yet we could feel his anguish. Then Jim, reaching out to his mortal enemy, succinctly summed up what the feeling of love denied feels like. Jim was right that food doesn’t taste right and it becomes difficult to even be around the person. Jim ran away from Pam, because he couldn’t bear the thought of her getting married. Jim’s wise words brought Dwight out of his stupor and Dwight actually reached out to get a hug from Jim, who had already disappeared.
The brilliance of The Office is in the midst of over-the-top comedy, they can reveal nuggets of truth about life. The next scene where Dwight marches back into The Office and proceeds to clear Jim’s stuff off his desk with a ruler, while making a call to a prospective paper buyer, is one of the reasons I love this show. Dwight was back and the loss of a loved one would not ruin his life. We all get stronger from experiences that bring us pain. We just need to deal with it and move on to the next chapter in our lives.
Many years after grade 12, Halloween would bring a certain jabbing pain as a reminder of what I thought I had “endured” around that time. As time passed, the pain subsided and all that was left was a faint impression of what had occurred before. Sure there would be more love lost and heartbreak through the years, but each relationship or failed relationship only added more dimensions to my life. Now, Halloween brings a smile to my face, not because of the candy, but because it was around this time, three years ago, that I, dressed up as Harry Potter, met my fiancé at a UBC Halloween party. Jim has found love with Pam and there moments are good. I have found love and life is good (sorry to rip you off LG). There will always be hope for all us Dwight Schrutes of the world.
(Feel free to throw up at the end of my last paragraph if you wish… but it is a true story)
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